《I have an Apocalypse City》 Chapter 1 - 1 Chapter 1: Entering the Game 1 Chapter 1: Entering the Game Translator: 549690339 Dear sir, first of all, please accept my sincere wishes. Would you mind taking a moment to look at this makeup product in my hand? Its the latest development from our company, a moisturizer that removes blemishes and whitens and nourishes the skin. Its a result of 81 processes finely crafted. You deserve to have it. This is a brochure for your reference. Scram! Ah, okay! Song Jian picked up the brochure that the man had thrown on the ground, shook it twice, and emotionlessly headed towards the next pedestrian. Having worked in sales for over a month after graduation, he hadnt made much money. The only thing he had gained was a thicker skin. Dear lady, first of all, please accept my sincere wishes. This is our company Song Jian started his pitch with a polite smile on his face, In the endless stream of people, he moved onto the next passerby. At this moment, a guy with a patch of green hair in his forehead, looked at Song Jian who was working hard distributing flyers, sneered, quietly walked over and tapped him on the shoulder saying, Hey, Jian, havent you finished yet? Song Jian turned his head to see it was a colleague of his named Zhao Yu. They both joined the company at the same time, both were newcomers; on the surface, their relationship was pretty decent. Song Jian glanced at the empty-handed Zhao Yu, raised his eyebrows, and surprisingly asked, Have you finished distributing all your flyers? When they first joined the company, their task as newcomers was to distribute flyers, at least three thousand per day. It had only been half an hour, and Zhao Yu had astonishingly finished distributing all his flyers, which surprised Song Jian; Zhao Yu casually brushed his fringe and said casually, I just ran into a rag-picker who insisted on helping me distribute the flyers. I had no choice but to give all the flyers to him. He even gave me five yuan. Song Jian: Your approach really leaves me speechless. The flyer distribution was actually a way of gathering potential customers. As hard as it was, many times opportunities were won in such a way. However, after spending over a month together, Song Jian noticed that Zhao Yu came from a wealthy family and only came to work when he was bored. He wasnt very proactive at work, spent money lavishly and liked going to expensive places. Alright Jian, you can continue distributing here. Im going to check out the companys cosmetics booth over there. I heard the company hired many dancing girls today and those long legs lined up together are quite a sight! Zhao Yu licked his lips, swallowing a little, and looked eager to leave. Watching Zhao Yu walk away, Song Jian shook his head lightly. Poor kids have to grow up early, children without umbrellas should run harder in the rain. Song Jian dared not be as casual as Zhao Yu. On each of the three thousand flyers, his contact information was written by hand. Each flyer represented a glimmer of hope for him. After standing still for a moment, Song Jian suddenly turned around and headed in the direction of the companys product booth. Where to distribute the flyers doesnt matter, right? Besides, he can also appreciate I mean, learn more about the companys products at the booth, right? After all, there are lots of new products on display there. Just as he crossed a street and turned a corner, a sleazy-looking old man suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian: Young man, interested in some disks? Disks? What disks? Song Jian immediately frowned. Maintaining a stern face, his eyes filled with contempt, he looked at the old man and thought to himself: What era is it? Selling CDs? Can you even sell any? The internet is full of resources, just my phone alone has several tens of GB of study materials Which eye of yours saw that I need this? I am not that kind of person you imagined! Song Jian rejected determinedly, with dignity in his face, holding a stack of brochures and continued to walk straight ahead. The sounds of energetic music and dancing started to come from the front. If he didnt hurry up, he would missthe new company products. Young man, this is a mobile game developed by our Sky Domain Game Company, Doomsday City. Do you want to try it out? The activation is free now and we are also offering a newbie gift package The sleazy old man was persistent and followed along Song Jian. Mo, mobile game? Song Jian was stunned for a moment, his face turned slightly red. Yes, a mobile game. Did you think it was A gleam flashed in the old mans eyes. Ha, I thought you were talking about a Frisbee for a child. Song Jian wiped off a bit of cold sweat. Oh, I see. the sleazy old man didnt probe further. He took out a USB cable and a flash disk, and said. Our game client is our companys latest design. The biggest selling point of it is that you get a flash disk for playing the game. If you install our game, we will give you this 1024GB flash disk. Its a great deal! 1024GB Song Jian stopped, intrigued. A flash disk of such capacity was certainly very tempting. He nodded slightly and reservedly said, Whether you are giving away a flash disk doesnt really matter. The key is that I like playing mobile games. Does this game app download and install quickly? I have other important things to do. Dont worry! Its our companys latest invention, the download and install speed is super-fast, it only takes a few seconds. The sleazy old man handed over the data cable and flash disk. Well, you know Song Jian hesitated and looked at the sleazy old man. The old mans whole demeanor just screamed untrustworthy. If it were a pretty and cute girl, Song Jian would take it without a second thought. But it was just hard to trust this old man in front of him. I paid 3,000 yuan for this domestically made phone. If it got a virus and was damaged, Id be heartbroken! Song Jian thought to himself. His face showing a hesitant look, he asked, This is not a mobile virus, is it? Of course not! Were a serious company! This is a legitimate flash drive, a legitimate mobile game! The sleazy old man seemed to feel offended. He adjusted his tie and argued, Its an insult to me personally when you say that. Its an insult to our company. Its an insult to the whole mobile game industry. Its an insult to. Alright, alright. Is it okay if I just plug it in? Song Jian snatched the data cable and flash disk, took out his phone and began to connect them. Hey, this data cable matches my phone perfectly. So, is this cable also a giveaway? It should be a set with the flash disk, right Song Jian connected his phone, looked up, and the sleazy old man was nowhere to be found. Song Jians face changed, he had a sinking feeling. He quickly picked up his phone to check and as expected, the screen was black. I shouldnt have trusted you, you sneaky old man Song Jian felt like crying but had no tears. He aggressively pulled out the data cable and flash disk, threw them on the ground, and stomped on them a few times. With his phone infected by a virus, Song Jian was no longer in the mood to watch the dancing girls. He needed to have his phone fixed first. He ran to several phone repair places but none of them could revive his phone. The cost of replacing the parts was too high and Song Jian simply couldnt afford it. His phone wasnt fixed, but he still had to finish distributing the flyers. Finally, by dusk, Song Jian had finished passing out all three thousand of them. He returned to his rented room, dejected, threw himself on the bed without even closing the door, unmoving. Damn, old man, dont let me cross paths with you again. Next time I see you, youre dead meat! Song Jian gritted his teeth, hitting his pillow with intensity. At that moment, the cell phone lying on the table suddenly started playing the boot-up music, lighting up its screen. Huh, its self-starting? Song Jian bolted upright from the bed, grabbed his phone, and began checking it carefully. Thank goodness, my study materials on island life of several dozen gigabytes are still there, and all the applications are fine too. Song Jian breathed a long sigh of relief after confirming that his phone was not corrupted by a virus. Huh, why is there an extra client? This is Doomsday City game? Song Jian looked at the newfound icon on his phone with surprise. So this is that perverted old mans mobile game? Damn, it must be a virus, trying to scam me! Song Jian thought about the USB he had thrown away and couldnt help but feel regret. After being reformatted, the USB should have still been usable C he was too impulsive back then! Song Jian curled his lip, the game icon depicted a city that carried an apocalyptic style, though the color was dull, and it looked rough. The first impression it left was just as bad as most domestically produced sham mobile games, without any urge to open it at all. Song Jian tried to press and delete the icon but found that the game icon did not budge at all, there was no way to delete it. Powering off and restarting, running the mobile security guard, complete shredding, nothing could handle this game icon. It couldnt be deleted, heck, it couldnt even be moved C it was the most stubborn virus Song Jian had ever encountered. And you claimed it wasnt a virus! Song Jian couldnt help but curse, The company that developed this game deserves to be struck by lightning! Fuming, Song Jian felt like he was about to burst. He was about to throw his phone, but in the end, he couldnt bear to. Lifting his phone, he relented, looking at the games logo, Song Jian double-tapped on it. Come on, lets see how trash this virus game of yours is! If you have the guts, youd blow up my phone. This time, the game App responded promptly. The entire icon turned into a blood-red elliptical gate, instantly filling the entire screen. Streams of air coalesced into one another, forming a clockwise vortex. Eh, the startup special effect actually seems well-made? Song Jian stared at the central, rotating, blood-red gate, a trace of astonishment flickering in his eyes, Well, how about something even more exciting? Before he finished speaking, a skeletal hand suddenly stretched out from the vortex at the center of the screen, directly grabbing Song Jian by his collar. Song Jian had no time to react before he was dragged into the blood-red portal by the skeletal hand. His phone hung in the air for two seconds before falling onto the bed with a thud. The room was empty, as if nothing had happened. What the hell? Did I just travel through time? What the fuck is this? Let go of me! Song Jian only felt himself being yanked forward by the skeletal hand, unable to see anything in the engulfing darkness. His head was buzzing, as if something was being forcefully injected into it. Before long, Song Jians eyes rolled back in his head, and he fainted. In his semi-conscious state, Song Jian felt like he was having a strange dream. In his dream, he saw lines of golden text appearing before him like a waterfall Game activation, random world evolution starting Game matching link search Link successful, player consciousness lock Start character creation Character creation timed out Scanning players current status, creating a game character with a 100% match with the player Warning, under this status, the players game character may have certain effects on their physical bodies in reality, please choose carefully Choice timed out, default confirmation Game character creation Character creation successful Congratulations on your first entry into the game, you will receive a newbie gift pack that has been sent to your game package, please check it Start entering the game Buzz With a light sound, Song Jians consciousness gradually returned, his fingers began to tremble slightly, and a hoarse male laughter echoed in his ear. Welcome to Doomsday City Chapter 2 - 2 Chapter 2: What the Hell is Thick-Skinned? 2 Chapter 2: What the Hell is Thick-Skinned? Translator: 549690339 Who am I? Where am I? What on earth has happened? Song Jian opened his eyes, his gaze settling on the dilapidated and unkempt room before him, a wave of perplexity washing over him. At that moment, he found himself sitting on a worn-out single-seater sofa bed. The room was heavy with a mouldy smell, and a thick layer of dust covered the nearby furniture and the floor. The four walls around him were splotchy and tired. Its original white paint now turned light yellow, with black and red traces streaking across them in places, their dried remnants looking ominously like bloodstains. The light filtering through the window was exceedingly dim, not unlike the scene just before a heavy downpour. In one corner of the ceiling hung a gigantic cobweb, its center claimed by a colossal spider the size of a washbasin. Unmoving. At its sight, Song Jian jerked back in fright, his body instinctively recoiling. He had never seen a spider this big before. There was a dull ache at the back of his head, just like the feeling after waking up from a hangover. Shaking his head slightly, Song Jian was convinced there was something wrong with his brain. Because, when he had looked at the spider on the ceiling, he had noticed a line of faint yellow text positioned right above its head. LV1 Mutant Spider Vitality: 78/78 Oh my god. Can someone tell me whats happening here? Song Jian shot up to his feet, wanting to get out of this room. This wasnt his rental place. Looking through the window, it seemed like he was in a high-rise apartment building. Just as he got off the sofa bed, a meditative mechanical voice echoed in his ears. Welcome to the game Doomsday City! Whos there? Song Jian took fright all over again, his body giving a sudden jerk as he looked around in panic. But he couldnt find a thing. I am your beginners guide in this game and will assist you on this extraordinary journey ahead! the mechanical voice replied. What are you exactly? I dont want to play any game! I am just a simple salesperson, I dont have the money for this. Song Jian shouted at the top of his lungs, Most importantly, I dont know how to play any games! Ive never played any! I havent even heard the name of games like Legendary, Miracle, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, or PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds! If you wish to leave this place and return to your world, you must complete the novice game tutorial first, the mechanical voice replied after a brief silence. , I can come back? So why wait? Lets get started. Whats my first step? Do I need to kill that spider? Song Jian pointed to the large spider in the corner of the ceiling. Spider: .. Man, youre quick to get into character, brother! A spider that big hanging around right over his head was terrifying. What if it decided to give him a bite when he was sound asleep? Damn it, is this a game or some kind of teleportation thing? Because everything seems so real right now. The system seemed a bit delayed, and no words came from it. Running his hand lightly across the bed, Song Jians fingers traced a path in the grey dust. The realistic feel of the bed beneath his fingertips was too convincing. It felt no different from reality. If it were not for that downright chilly system notification, Song Jian would have never believed that he was in some Doomsday City game. Step one, please open your character attribute panel first. Let me explain the role of the character attributes in this game, and things you need to pay attention to as you level up, the system voice finally responded. That should be easy! Open the character attribute panel! Song Jian shouted loudly. As someone who had never played an online game before, this operation seemed simple enough. Or maybe not. .. Nothing happened. System? Character attributes? Open the panel? Okay, tell me how to open the character attribute panel! Song Jian asked with a trace of embarrassment. You dont have to shout it out loud. Just think about it or silently read it in your mind. Everything in the game is transmitted via brain waves, which are ten thousand times more advanced than sound control! the system voice replied. Song Jian mentally recited character attributes. Just as expected, a semi-transparent light blue screen appeared before his eyes. A 3D model based on Song Jians body proportions emerged on the screen, with various attribute data about him listed below. Name: Song Jian Species: Human Gender: Male Age: Twenty-two Biology Level: Common Level 0 Attributes: (Average adult male attributes rate as 5) Strength: 4 points. Strength partially determines the power of close combat attacks and can enhance your carrying capacity. It also adds bonus damage to unarmed combat techniques. Agility: 3 points. Agility affects movement speed and initiative, and also affects your own dodge rate. It even adds a bonus to long-range physical attacks. Vitality: 4 points. Vitality determines your life energy and stamina, and also affects your resistance to hits and various abnormal states, as well as resistance to spell attacks. It also plays a certain role in regaining life energy and enduring stamina recovery speed. Intelligence: 3 points. Intelligence determines the power of spell attack damage while influencing your learning ability and receptive powers. But intelligence is not equal to IQ and EQ, so please dont mix up the two. Spirit: 5 points. Spirit determines the upper limit of your energy, while slightly affecting the power of skills. It has a significant effect on various status skills. Charisma: 7 points. Charisma is the combination of looks, temperament, and affinity. It determines others first intuitive perception of you. People with high charisma can quickly get along with strangers and affect others decisions through various means. It has a significant effect on alluring or summoning skills. Beneath these data, there are two horizontal bars. The top one is redotherwise referred to as the blood barwhich represents Song Jians vitality. Beneath it is the blue bar, or the mana bar, which represents his energy levels. Song Jian ignored the rest of the attributes, his eyes locked onto Charisma: 7 points. He nodded approvingly and said with an air of gravity: This data seems rather fair and objective. This indicates that my attractiveness exceeds that of most people, and even among the handsome ones, I am outstanding. Yes, this matches well with my actual situation! This will help me become the future king of sales. After the introduction to the character attribute panel, please open the skills panel! the mechanical voice continued. Song Jian nodded slightly and opened the skills panel using the same method. Upon scanning through the skills panel, Song Jians face changed. What kind of shitty data is this? Is there any sense of fairness or impartiality? Is this all just nonsense? What the hell is thick-skinned? he cursed. In the light blue screen, the skills panel only had one skill, blandly hanging there in the first column. Thick-skinned (Passive), Level 1, Skill Effect: Increases your own defense by 5%, resistance by 3% and enhances your resistance to ridicule, allure, necrotoxin, paralysis, dizzying, and other adverse effects. Skill Clarification: As a salesperson, you can already have a certain immunity to insults, rejections, and mockery. In addition, your capability to resist hits has been improved, as well as resistance to adverse effects. Chapter 3 - 3 Chapter 3: Searching for Initial Supplies 3 Chapter 3: Searching for Initial Supplies Translator: 549690339 Thick-skinned, is this the prerequisite skill for Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt? I have an MMP in my heart, I dont know if I should say it or not! Song Jian muttered, closing the skill bar, looking at the words thick-skinned and feeling a little nervous; Next, please open the inventory! The systems voice sounded unhurriedly; Mentally chanting, a sixteen-square-grid inventory appeared before his eyes, with a small blue package in the first square; Huh, weird, why is this squares border gold? Song Jian didnt notice the blue package at first, but looked at the last square instead; Of the sixteen squares in the inventory, the other fifteen squares had gray borders, while the last square had a golden border C very special; The initial inventory has sixteen squares, each capable of holding one type of item. Items of the same quality can be stacked, and items stored in the inventory do not take into account volume and weight! The system voice explained, sounding like a recording; Im asking, what is this gold square for? Song Jian continued to ask; Explore the remaining game content on your own in the game! The system replied; Song Jian: , do you know how cocky you are, Mr. Designer? With no other choice, Song Jian could only focus on the blue package in the first square; Soon, a line of red words appeared before Song Jians eyes; This newbie package can only be used when the player reaches level 1! What the heck, newbie packages should be usable when we enter the game, dont lie to me, Im not that inexperienced in games! Song Jian shouted, his face full of disbelief; Complete the newbie tutorial, and your level will reach 1. Then you can open the newbie package and receive a random gift! The system voice explained; Fine, go on, go on! Song Jian was helpless, this felt like a master being forced to go backto Novice Village; Next, you need to explore the entire room and acquire initial resources! The system voice said; Searching, I like that! Song Jian nodded, looking around the entire room; It was a three-bedroom, two-living room house. Song Jian had just stepped out of one of the bedrooms and was now standing in its living room. After glancing around the living room which resembled an ordinary familys, he noticed simple decorations, a cloth sofa set, a TV cabinet, a 50-inch curved LCD TV hanging on the wall, and a chandelier above him; A closer look at the furniture in the living room revealed its valuable craftsmanship, but it was in complete disrepair. The lake surface LCD TV even had a large hole in it, and the cloth sofa had been scratched by something and was full of claw marks, revealing the stuffing inside; All the furniture surfaces were covered in a layer of dust, suggesting that the house hadnt been lived in for several years; Do you want me to search for junk in this junked-up room? Song Jian looked around and couldnt help but complain; The room was so old and run-down that it seemed as if it had been robbed, or rather, abandoned for decades after the robbery. He couldnt imagine what he could find in a place like this; However, reality slapped Song Jian hard in the face. Just a casual pull of the drawer under the TV cabinet revealed a shimmering white object to his eyes; Upon closer inspection, Song Jians face changed, and he backed away two steps, looking frightened; How can there be a handgun in here? Song Jian shouted; All around them was silence, not a single sound. Song Jian mentally activated his personal attributes, and a semi-transparent window appeared before him. Seeing the window, Song Jian finally patted his chest, his after-fear evident, and muttered: Its just a game, its just a game! The game was too realistic, always causing Song Jian to forget that he was in a game. When he saw the cold weapon in the drawer, his first reaction wasnt joy, but fear; Raised during peaceful times, experiencing firearms for the first time, children would always feel a heart-pounding horror when faced with this sort of easily life-taking plaything; In his memory, besides the police, only those bad guys would have such toys. Song Jian took a deep breath, tightly gripping the cold, metallic glowing handgun in the drawer and lifting it out; Its so heavy! Song Jian frowned, his first impression of the handgun. Despite its small size, he couldnt lift it with one hand and had to use both to hold it firmly and aim it correctly; The moment Song Jian touched the handgun, the initially floating personal attribute window suddenly disappeared, replaced by an item attribute window; A 3D model of the handgun was exquisitely displayed in the center of the screen with empty slots on the front, top, and bottom, as well as rows of attribute descriptions on the side; Equipment name: P18C Fully Automatic Handgun Rarity: White Attack power: Ranged damage 6-13, Attachable devices: Scope attachment, pistol front attachment, pistol magazine attachment Optimal range (able to inflict maximum attack power of 13 points): 18 meters Effective range (able to inflict at least minimal damage to an enemy): 65 meters Weight: 1.2 kg Total gun length: 186 mm Magazine capacity: 7 rounds (currently loaded with 5 rounds) Equipment usage requirements: Strength must be at least 5 points, Stamina must be at least 4 points Can it be taken out of the game: No Combat points of the equipment: 5 Equipment description: Small and powerful, this equipment can switch between semi-automatic and automatic firing modes. Take note, this equipment has a high rate of firewhen set to automatic, it can empty an entire magazine of regular ammunition within a second; It actually requires a strength of 5 points or more, no wonder I cant lift it with one hand. Song Jian thought to himself; it seems that even if players dont meet the equipment requirements, they can still pick up items in this game. However, the actual effect of using it would only be known to god. Beneath the item attribute description was a red system reminder; System: This item requires a strength of 5 points or more for efficient use. If strength is not met, there is a high probability of usage difficulty. If stamina is not met, using this item may cause significant self-injury; Song Jians face turned ugly. His strength attribute was too lousy, making it impossible to smoothly use even a handgun. He couldnt lift it with one hand and needed both hands to use it; Based on the systems suggestion, if the equipment requirements arent met and the strength attribute doesnt reach 5 points, its likely challenging to aim and hit distant objects, as the accuracy simply cannot be guaranteed. He opened the magazine and found five bullets. Song Jian didnt know what they could do, but after reinserting the magazine, he placed the handgun in his inventory and continued searching for other supplies. Chapter 4 - 4 Chapter 4: Understanding Skills 4 Chapter 4: Understanding Skills Translator: 549690339 In the three-bedroom flat of around one hundred and thirty square meters which wasnt too large, Song Jian finished searching in just a few minutes, looking through all possible places to stash supplies. Song Jian took all the items he found to the living room, the same room where he first found the gun. Three bottles of mineral water, two packets of compressed dry food, a gun magazine extension, nine bullets, a bottle of Baijiu preferred for its white attributes, a sip of which can boost energy recovery by 50% As Song Jian looked at these items on the coffee table, he fell into deep thought, wondering what kind of game this was. Congratulations, you have collected all initial resources, mission complete! a robotic voice echoed in Song Jians ear. Final mission for beginners: Kill the mutant spider to complete the entire tutorial! As I thought, I do have to kill that spider. I knew it, this plot is so predictable! Song Jian grumbled while stuffing all the items he found into the storage bar. He first mounted the gun magazine extension onto one of the slots of the P18C pistol. The pistol could accommodate three additional devices in total. Apart from the magazine extension, there should be a scope and a silencer that could be mounted, but at the moment, Song Jian had only found the magazine extension. After loading the nine bullets he found, Song Jian took a deep breath and gripped the one weapon he possessed. If you are confident in your abilities, you can increase the game difficulty, the current game difficulty is Easy, do you want to increase the difficulty to Normal? the robotic voice suddenly suggested. Game difficulty, increase game difficulty? Song Jian faltered for a moment, then he snorted and muttered to himself, Do you think Im an idiot? Why would I make this harder for myself? Clutching the weighty firearm, Song Jian headed towards the bedroom. Just as he stepped into the bedroom, the systems voice sounded, Player did not make a decision within the stipulated time, system defaulting option, difficulty level of this instance will be increased to Normal. Song Jian shuddered and quickly replied, I was wrong, really, I was wrong! This game design is really amazing, the graphics are first-rate, the plot is also first-rate, even the system prompts are so user-friendly. I really like this game a lot. Would it be possible to Difficulty level increase will commence in ten seconds, ten, nine, eight Friendly reminder: It is recommended to complete the tutorial before increasing the difficulty. Otherwise, the players chance of dying will increase by 35%, five, four, After hearing the cold, impersonal voice of the system, Song Jian darted into the bedroom, holding the gun with both hands, and pulled the trigger at the face-sized mutant spider. Bang~ Severe pain shot through Song Jians wrist. The firing recoil of the pistol was larger than he expected and beyond the control of someone whose strength attribute was only a four. The bullet went directly into the body of the mutant spider and exploded a light green fluid due to his close proximity. Even though the strength attribute did have a significant influence on accuracy, missing at such a short distance was almost impossible. The mutant spider, seemingly having just woken up, had a yellow bar above its head which instantly turned blood red, radiating a faint light. Squeak~ With a shrill cry, the mutant spider looked at Song Jian. A pair of compound eyes flashed a strange light as it spewed a putrid liquid from its mouth. Damn, shouldnt spiders be spewing silk instead of saliva? Song Jian was taken aback. He quickly leapt aside to evade, and the nasty liquid hit the wall behind Song Jian, immediately letting out a sizzling sound. When he turned around, the necrotic black area on the wall that was hit by the puss kept crumbling, soon resulting in a deep, fist-sized pit. This is so toxic! Song Jian was incredibly shaken. If a rank one monster is already this insane, the higher level monsters must be able to kill him in one strike. Game difficulty enhancement is complete. Current difficulty level is Normal. All monsters will initiate attacks and players will receive a slight increase in the odds of obtaining treasure. The difficulty level will revert after the tutorial is completed. Have fun playing! the system announcement sounded. From outside the window, suddenly came the sounds of mournful wolf-like howling, seeming as though all the monsters had suddenly gone berserk. Song Jians mouth was bitter, but he wasnt able to pay attention to it. First, he needed to kill the mutant spider at present. Bang, Bang, Bang~ With thirteen bullets remaining in his gun, Song Jian rapidly pulled the trigger, thereby firing off four bullets almost simultaneously from his gun barrel. Fortunately, the distance was close. Not one of the bullets missed, all of them hitting the body of the mutant spider. After firing those four bullets, Song Jian felt as if his right arm was about to break from the pain. His hand holding the gun trembled violently, feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest the next moment. A mournful cry came out from the mutant spider as it fell from the spider webs, twitched a few times, and then no longer moved. Song Jian flopped down on the floor, trembling slightly, as he threw the gun to one side somewhat in disbelief of what just happened. II actually fired a gun! Song Jian said to himself. Up until just now, Song Jian had only seen firearms in games and movies. He had never even held one, let alone fired one. Right at this moment, a blinking red dot appeared before Song Jians eyes. When he focused on it, a semi-transparent screen appeared before him, detailing the battle statistics like a waterfall. Begin battle replay Your normal shot dealt 19 physical damage to the mutant spider, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Mutant spider deployed its skill [Venom Spray] on you. Your nimble dodge resulted in no damage! Your normal shot dealt 16 physical damage to the mutant spider, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Your normal shot dealt 11 physical damage to the mutant spider, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Your normal shot dealt 13 physical damage to the mutant spider, triggering a weak effect, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Your normal shot dealt 45 physical damage to the mutant spider (resulting in a critical strike due to the weak effect), reducing the mutant spiders health to zero! The mutant spider is dead! System: You have killed the mutant spider, gaining 100 Experience Points and advancing to lvl 1. System: You have dealt effective damage to the mutant spider three times or more, learning skill: [Firearms (handgun) (basic)]. System: You have completed the tutorial, and may now leave the safe house and explore the city. Enjoy the game! Chapter 5 - 5 Chapter 5: It Can Actually Move 5 Chapter 5: It Can Actually Move Translator: 549690339 The large mutant spider flipped over, its legs twitched a few times, and then there was no movement. Beside the mutant spider lay a bronze ring, radiating a dazzling white light. This ring looked like a simple bronze band with no embellishments. Song Jian walked over and picked it up. As his gaze fell on the ring, its properties automatically appeared before Song Jians eyes. Ring of Strength (White): Equipment Effect, Strength +1, level requirement for equipping, level 1, Can it be taken out of the game: No Although the ring only increased his Strength property by a small amount, it was better than nothing. Moreover, once equipped, Song Jian could meet the equipment requirements of the handgun and put it in his equipment bar. Killing the mutated spider, completing the novice tutorial, and leveling up along the way was quite smooth. But what puzzled Song Jian was that although his level had gone up, his attributes didnt increase at all, instead, he only gained a skill point. Carelessly, he added this skill point to his [Firearms (Handguns) (Basic) skill]. The passive skill had gone from level one to level two. Originally, it only increased handgun range damage by 5%. After adding a skill point, the effect had become Damage increased by 10%. [Firearms (Handguns) (Basic)], Passive skill, Level 2, Increases the damage of handgun weapons by 10% As for the initial skill Thick Skin, Song Jian had selectively forgotten about it. After putting on the Ring of Strength, instantly a warm current spread throughout his body. He felt as though his strength had increased somewhat. The P18C handgun he was holding also seemed somewhat lighter. It was miraculous. This gear is really useful. Oh right, I also have a newbie gift pack. Song Jian thought to himself. Opening his bag, the newbie gift pack, which was originally sealed in the first slot, could now be opened. After staring at the newbie gift pack for three seconds, two options appeared on the pack, Open and Destroy. Seeing the Open option and opening it, the gift pack shone brightly and disappeared. In its place were three items: a Zombie Town Map, 100 rounds of 0.23mm generic handgun bullets, and a white-quality Tiger Fang Dagger. Song Jian first opened the map and began to examine it closely; This map looked a bit old with some signs of tearing on the edges. Clearly, it was a small piece torn from a larger map, and this small piece was the map of the city where Song Jian was currently located. The pre-apocalypse name of this city was no longer known, and on the map, this city has been renamed Zombie City. Song Jian first located his own position on the map, represented by a small blue triangle in the southeast corner of a residential complex known as the New Garden Residential Area. Heading north from the residential area is a commercial street, and behind the residential area is a leisure square called Camel Square. Southern of the Camel Square again, theres a vast residential area. After crossing this residential area, there is a city loop highway. Crossing the highway, the citys edge is reached. Further beyond that the portion has been torn off, clearly beyond the scope of the city. After taking a closer look at the map and remembering the nearby locations, Song Jian put the map away. The handgun bullets are identical to the ones he found in the room. But he was particularly fascinated by the Tiger Fang Dagger. This dagger has a blade length of 16.5 cm. The blade surface is smooth and tapers up to form a point, a traditional spear-shaped blade wielding great penetration power. With a thick spine accompanied by a row of serrated ridges like tigers teeth, the thin blade flashed with a chilling light. Holding it up to examine carefully, a chill emanated from the dagger, causing Song Jian to sneeze involuntarily; Hey, this is a good thing. If I could take it out and show it to Song Yu, hed be drooling for sure. Song Jian chuckled and equip the dagger in his equipment bar. Its a shame really, this dagger cant be taken out of the game, so theres no way to show off in front of Song Yu. Even though he had obtained this dagger, Song Jian was clear in his heart that the chance of using this dagger was very small. He didnt have the courage to stand face to face with the monsters in this game, using the dagger to fight. Courage isnt something that Leona could give him; After resting for a while, Song Jian, with his gun in hand, walked towards the living room door. There was nothing left in this room to search for, so to continue playing, he had to leave this safe house and search the city; Pushing open the heavy security door, Song Jian smelled a strong stench of blood. After hesitating for a moment, he still stepped out of the room. With a click, a crisp sound was heard from behind; Song Jian felt a chill, suddenly remembering something unpleasant. Damn it, I didnt find the keys to this room when I searched. Now the door is closed, and if I run into danger, wouldnt I lose my hiding place Clang, Clang~ Struggling to push the security door, Song Jian was near tears. It wouldnt open. Warm Reminder. You have completed the novice mission. You can choose to leave the game after twelve hours in the game. Before leaving the game, please choose a relatively safe place. Otherwise, when you log in again after logging out, you may be in danger. If your game character dies, your physical body in the real world will also be eliminated! A cold mechanical voice suddenly rang in Song Jians ear, startling him. Looking at the tightly shut door, Song Jian was helpless: Why didnt you say that sooner! The elevator in the building was already broken, and all the doors of the rooms were closed. With Song Jians current strength, he probably couldnt break in at all. Now, all he could do was leave the building. Pushing open the door to the stairwell on this floor, a strong smell of blood rushed towards him, accompanied by a rotten smell of corpses, which made Song Jian frown. Walking down the dim staircase, he had just descended two stories when Song Jian suddenly froze, stopping in his tracks. On the staircase one floor down, about five or six steps away from him, lay a ragged corpse. Judging by its appearance, this corpse must have already been dead for quite a while. Its cheeks were exposed to the bone, and an arm seemed to have been eaten away. Bare-chested with bite marks all over its body, its innards were scattered all over, spreading a foul odor; At the same time Song Jian saw this body, it also started to move, shaky and trying to struggle to its feet. After half a day of effort without success, it had to lay flat on its four limbs, slowly crawling towards Song Jian; The moment the body started to move, a line of blood-red text emerged above its head; LV1 Mutated Zombie (Weakened during the day) Vitality: 56/112 Damn it, it really is a zombie, it can move! Sweat drenched Song Jians body as he lifted his gun and repeatedly pulled the trigger. There were nine bullets left in the gun, and Song Jian fired them all, the mutated zombies body spraying out gouts of unidentified liquid as its Vitality Points were rapidly reduced to zero. After the mutated zombie died, its body rapidly decomposed, as if a transparent flame was burning on its body, soon turning it into a pile of black ash. Around the pile of ash, four items radiating light appeared, three of which were glowing gray and one was glowing white. Eh, the item drop rate in this game is pretty high, haha! Song Jians eyes lit up as he picked up the four items. Chapter 6 - 6 Chapter 6: Is This Your Relative? 6 Chapter 6: Is This Your Relative? Translator: 549690339 Only after Song Jian picked up all four items did he realize that the dropped items werent as good as hed imagined; Zombie leather, zombie tusks, zombie meat, what the hell are these crap? Song Jian, with a disgusted look on his face, glanced at the three items emitting a grayish glow in his hands, and almost threw them away on the spot. Zombie Leather (Gray), Material, can be used to craft equipment, use requirement: possesses armor-making skill; Zombie Tusk (Gray), Material, can be used to concoct potions, use requirement: possesses potions-making skill; Zombie Meat (Gray), Material, can be used for cooking, use requirement: possesses cooking skill; After thinking for a while and suppressing his revulsion, he put the three items into his inventory. Song Jians attention then fell on the very last item emitting a white glow. Puppet Card (Zombie): Can summon a Level 1 zombie as a puppet. The puppet cannot be leveled up, it dies when its hit points drops to zero, and it cannot be summoned again after death! Puppet? Zombie? One-time usage item? Whats this crap? Song Jian held the card between two fingers, his lips curled down in dissatisfaction; The fighting ability of the zombie hed just killed was simply too pathetic, Song Jian didnt even consider it worth his time; Looking back, he had been a bit nervous earlier, firing all the bullets in his gun at the first sight of the monster, Even though he managed to kill it, he probably wasted more than three bullets in the process. Such a weak zombie would theoretically only require three to five bullets to kill, but Song Jian had emptied all nine bullets in his gun. If he hadnt run out of bullets, he would probably have wasted even more. Of course, this was understandable. The game was designed to be incredibly realistic, making it easy to forget that it was just a game after all. With the card in his hand, Song Jian thought it was useless to keep it as it was; it would be better to summon it as a meat shield. He focused his eyes on the card, and soon, two options appeared on it C Use and Destroy. After staring at the Use option for a moment, the card in his hand started to heat up, becoming too hot to hold. Song Jian casually tossed the card aside. The next second, as it hit the ground, it disappeared, and a stinky zombie, similar to the one he had just killed, materialized next to him. Eww~ The moment the puppet zombie appeared, Song Jians face turned green. The stench was so bad it almost made him vomit his gallbladder out. The zombie monster he fought earlier had at least three or four meters distance between them. It stank, but it was bearable. However, this summoned puppet zombie appeared right next to Song Jian, the smell was something only those whove experienced it would understandit was horrendously repulsive. Get the hell away from me! Song Jian attempted to kick the zombie away. He lifted his foot, hesitated, then put it back down. He remembered the pus that squirted out when the bullets pierced the zombies flesh. If his kick landed, it wouldnt be much different from stepping into a pile of poop. Just when Song Jian was being hesitant, the puppet zombie surprisingly crawled a few rounds forward; Huh, its actually obedient! Song Jians eyes lit up; Stand up, walk a few steps forward! Song Jian ordered. Indeed, the puppet zombie stood up and took a few steps forward. It seemed like Song Jian got himself a new toy, and he was having a blast. Lift your leg~ Put it down~ Left hand six, right hand six~ Draw a circle with your left leg, then draw another circle with your right. Jump, jump, jump~ With a thud, the puppet zombie tumbled to the ground, with a damage number of -2 floating above its head. Song Jian paused, unable to resist checking the attributes of this puppet zombie. Song Jians puppet zombie (Weakened during the day), Attack: 3-6 (halved), Defense: 1-2 (halved), Health: 54/112 (halved), Movement Speed: 3 (halved); Skills: Bite, inflicts 5 points of damage to the target and causes an additional 3 points of damage per second for 5 seconds. Also, it has a chance of inflicting the Zombie Poison effect on the target; Zombie Poison: Reduces health by 2 points per second, upon death, the victim turns into a zombie. What a piece of junk, way too weak. Song Jian skimmed through the puppet zombies stats, huffed, and expressed. He thought, how could it be taking damage from falling but serve as a tank? However, it occurred to him that the zombie was currently in a weakened state during the day. Perhaps it would recover at night, and if all attributes doubled, it would be slightly stronger than the giant spider in the room. Move ahead, scout the area! Song Jian commanded. The puppet zombie sluggishly marched forward with Song Jian following from a safe distance, holding his nose as they moved towards the other rooms on the floor. This building was a skyscraper with thirty-one floors. The room Song Jian had appeared in was on the twenty-sixth floor. Going downstairs, he searched each floor thoroughly. However, not until he reached the ninth floor did he find a room with a door that could be opened. During the search, Song Jian heard unusual sounds and low growls from several rooms, suggesting zombies were lurking inside. Song Jians pistol initially could only hold seven bullets, but with the expanded clip, it could hold fourteen. If he was careful, he could deal with two to three zombies at a time. Plus, a puppet zombie at the front could act as a shield. As long as Song Jian didnt do anything rash, he should be safe for now. Coming out of the staircase and turning a corner, Song Jians eyes lit up. This floor was home to four households. Three of their doors were fastened tightly, except one. It was ajar, and underneath it lay a female body. Keep moving. Head for that room! Song Jian ordered. The puppet zombie moved slowly towards the half-opened door. As soon as it neared, the motionless female body on the ground suddenly twitched and rose. Her face twisted into a menacing expression as she growled at the puppet zombie. Take her down! Song Jian shouted, simultaneously raising his gun to aim at the female zombie. Roar~ Roar~ Both zombies stood face to face, opening their mouths and growling at each other. Take her down, whats the matter? Is she your relative? Are you guys having a chat now? Song Jian yelled. Thump, thump, thump~ The zombies began to attack each other with hands and mouths. It wasnt long before a sickening smell saturated the hallway. Puke, puke~ this stench cant be topped! Song Jian almost retched, desperately suppressing his nausea. He took aim at the female zombie and fired. Bang~ A gunshot echoed, the female zombies head jerked back, and a thick green liquid sprayed from her brains. A blood-red damage number, 48, floated above her. Just as Song Jian was preparing to take another shot, the puppet zombie launched a bite at the female zombies neck. A scream pierced the air and the female zombie collapsed, her body disintegrating into black ash. Was that a critical hit just now? Song Jian seemed a bit slow on the uptake, looking at the ash on the floor and muttering to himself. Chapter 7 - 7 Chapter 7: Taking advantage of a bargain (Added for book friend 20170228185327273) 7 Chapter 7: Taking advantage of a bargain (Added for book friend 20170228185327273) Translator: 549690339 Song Jian opened the battle playback information; You used a handgun to attack, hitting the weak point (head) of the mutant zombie, and inflicted 48 points of physical damage (critical hit) on the target! Your puppet zombie used the skill bite, causing 5 points of damage, and the mutant zombies vitality was presently zero! The mutant zombie is dead! System: You killed the mutant zombie and earned 110 experience points. System: You used a handgun to effectively damage the mutant zombie. Your skill proficiency in [Gunpowder Weapon (Handgun) (Basic)] has slightly improved; Hiss, indeed, zombies weakness is their heads, how did I not realize this earlier? Ive wasted quite a lot of bullets! Song Jian was regretful at that moment. If he had known earlier, he would only need two shots at most to kill a zombie. He had already wasted at least a dozen bullets. Despite receiving a hundred universal handgun bullets from opening the newbie gift pack, if he didnt conserve his use, he would eventually run out of bullets. This was a big city, and the number of zombies was probably in the millions. After killing this mutated zombie, there was no loot drop. Song Jian curled his lips in disappointment and walked towards the half-opened security door, starting to search the room. After spending more than an hour, Song Jian searched all the accessible rooms in the entire building, but the loot he found was not much. It consisted only of some food and drink that could help to reduce hunger and thirst, but he found no equipment at all. However, Song Jian did encounter seven or eight mutant zombies during this time. Each time, he aimed for the zombies heads and shot, causing a critical hit. He then commanded his puppet zombie to rush forward and fight the target, which allowed him to quickly kill the zombies C it was both safe and efficient. After killing seven or eight zombies, his puppet zombies finally succumbed, turning into a pile of black ashes. The puppet zombies vitality could not recover; once it was gone, it was gone. After withstanding attacks from seven or eight creatures of a similar level, its vitality was finally depleted. Song Jians level increased by one. As expected, he only gained one skill point. Song Jian didnt hesitate at all and added this skill point to [Gunpowder Weapon (Handgun) (Basic)], raising this skill to Level 3. The power of short firearms increased by another 5%, and he gained an additional Accuracy +2 attribute; As for the initial skill Thick-skinned, Song Jian shrugged. Theres a shopping street right outside the building where Song Jian was. Although there were a few residential buildings nearby, he spent over an hour without much to show for it, and thus, he was not interested in them. Upon leaving the building, he saw rows of shops across the street. Right in front, was a Zhous Gold Shop. Looking through the shops floor-to-ceiling windows, a thick layer of dust covered the counters. Gold jewelry was discarded inside like trash, surprisingly untouched. Song Jian looked around and saw the wide street was deserted. Large blocks of cement on the road had cracked, and weeds waist-high grew out of the crevices, making it look very desolate- If only I could take the things in that gold shop out of the game! With this in mind, Song Jian couldnt help but walk towards the jewelry shop. Just then, there was a sudden noise in the distance. He turned to look, and his entire body instantly tensed. He widened his eyes in disbelief. A man in his pajamas was running down the street, littered with scattered trash bags. He was panting as he ran, tightly clutching a baseball bat that emitted a faint blue glow. Chasing behind him were a group of raggedly dressed, stench-emitting mutant zombies. They were staggering along unsteadily but persistently, maintaining a distance of five or six meters from him. The zombies were slow but relentless in their chase. There were probably around fifty to sixty zombies in the group, which were growling and continuously pouring out from the surrounding lanes and streets. It seemed as if they were trying to encircle the human from all directions. Song Jian swiftly moved aside, hiding behind the wall. Going up against so many mutant zombies would be suicide. I think Ive seen that guy before! Song Jian thought to himself. He took a deep look and recognized the man. He had seen him a few times before; he was a security guard in the building next to the cosmetics company where Song Jian worked. He had seen him assist with parking cars. However, he couldnt recall his name. Dont follow me, dont follow me The mans face was filled with terror. Looking back, a mutant zombie appearing from a narrow alley was only two or three meters away from him. Die, Die! Seeing the zombie rushing over, the man suddenly mustered up the courage. He swung the baseball bat in his hand and fiercely hit the zombie closest to him in the head. The hit was so hard that it instantly killed the zombie. With a crack sound, the zombies head broke apart like a watermelon, and the headless body staggered for a moment before falling to the ground and turning into black ash. However, this moment of hesitation was enough for five or six zombies to leap at him. The man let out bone-chilling screams as the subsequent wave of zombies descended and began to rip into his body. The crunch crunch sound was incessant. Song Jian felt a chill down his spine. His palms were sweating, and his body was slightly shaking. Not long after, the mans screams gradually faded, only leaving the gnawing and growling of the zombies. Soon, the group of zombies lost interest in the mans corpse. The body, now filled with the zombie virus, soon moved. He pushed away the zombies on his body, slowly stood up with a blank look, and joined the group of zombies. He had become one of the mutant zombies. So becoming a zombie after getting bitten by one is true! Song Jian thought to himself. A group of zombies stood dumbly on the street. Once they lost their target, they quickly dispersed. It was already evening. The sun was not so harsh, but the zombies still didnt like the daytime environment. They hid in alley corners and other dark places. The man who was bitten to death was still circling the baseball bat he had dropped. Looking at the faint blue glow radiating from the baseball bat, Song Jians eyes lit up. It was a blue-grade weapon, even more powerful than his gun. It can kill a zombie in one hit. Song Jian was tempted. Eh, whats that? Song Jian shifted his gaze and quickly discovered another item. Not far from the baseball bat, there was a pile of black ashes. Next to the ashes, there was an item glowing green. Though too far to see clearly, the green glow was rather eye-catching. Another green-grade item, what luck! Song Jian thought to himself. This green-glowing item was dropped by the zombie the man had killed instantly. All of it now benefits Song Jian. The zombie that the man had turned into was only about a dozen meters away from Song Jian, within the firing range of his pistol. He lifted his gun and took aim. Bang~ There was a crisp sound, and a thick green liquid shot from the zombies head. The head tilted back abruptly, even its movement paused for a moment. Before it could react, Song Jian pulled the trigger again. The bullet penetrated the zombies skull, and another stream of green liquid shot out. The zombies body suddenly ignited, quickly turning into a pile of black ash. Chapter 8 - 8 Chapter 8: Unexpected Joy 8 Chapter 8: Unexpected Joy Translator: 549690339 The zombie in front of him, apart from providing Song Jian with one hundred and ten experience points, did not drop any other items. However, at this point, Song Jian didnt care about the drops from this regular mutant zombie. Song Jians gaze was firmly locked onto the baseball bat and the item emitting a green light. Newbie Baseball Bat (Blue), two-handed weapon, Attack: 13-21, Strength +2, Armor Break +1, Special Effect: When attacking the targets weak area, theres a certain chance of a lethal hit! Equipment Requirement: Strength above 5 points, Agility 4 points or more; Can it be taken out of the game: No. Song Jian discovered to his shock that the equipment requirements for this baseball bat were higher than that of his gun. His strength attribute could meet the requirement because of the Ring of Strength, but he was lacking in agility. Unable to meet the equipment requirements would mean he wouldnt be able to put it into the equipment slot, and the equipments effect would not be fully utilized. Even if he tried to use this baseball bat as a weapon with difficulty, its power would be greatly reduced, and he could easily hurt himself. My newbie equipment is of white quality, but this guy is so lucky to get a blue quality equipment. However, unfortunately, I ended up being the one to benefit Song Jian thought to himself. From the looks of this baseball bat, Song Jians body attributes were much worse than the mans from earlier; since he couldnt use it, he could only keep it in his bag. By now, Song Jians bag was gradually filling up with mostly everyday items. Fortunately, duplicate items could be stored stacked, otherwise, Song Jian really wouldnt know what to do with all these supplies. Subsequently, Song Jian picked up the item emitting a green light, which surprisingly turned out to be a fist-sized green fruit. Attribute Fruit (Green); effect: eating it will give one free attribute point. Usage requirement: none. Can it be taken out of the game: Yes. This is actually a fruit that increases attribute points, and moreover, it can be taken out of the game! This is the first time Ive encountered an item that can be taken out! Looking at the green fruit in his hand, Song Jian was slightly excited. The green fruit was slightly sweet and melted in his mouth, turning into a warm flow that entered his stomach and then spread throughout his body, it was extremely comfortable, just like taking a hot bath. Looking at the attribute interface, there truly was an added line that read Free Attribute Points: 1, which could be added to any attribute of his choosing. Song Jians eyes fell first on Charm: 7 points, which were his highest attributes and also the attributes he cared the most about. However, no matter how high his charm attributes were now, they wouldnt help him reasonably survive in the game. After considering for a while, Song Jian eventually gritted his teeth and added this free attribute point to Agility. Thus, his Agility reached 4 points, which meant he could use the baseball bat. After increasing his agility by one point, Song Jian easily placed the baseball bat in his equipment slot. As the baseball bat was a two-handed weapon, Song Jian had to place his gun at his waist for now. Now, Song Jian had three weapons: the baseball bat in his hand, the Tiger Fang Dagger hanging from his left waist, and the pistol on his right. It was only when equipment was placed in the equipment slot that they could be fully utilised. Otherwise, even if held in hand, the equipments attributes would not be added to Song Jians stats. Currently, Song Jian could only equip one main weapon and two auxiliary weapons. The main weapon could either be one-handed or two-handed, but the auxiliary weapons must be one-handed. Ill find a mutant zombie first and test the power of this baseball bat! Song Jian swung the baseball bat a couple of times and thought to himself. Song Jian was no longer afraid of mutant zombies like before. As long as he wasnt surrounded by a large group of them, there was absolutely no danger. The only thing that disgusted him was the strong stench emitted by the mutant zombies. The baseball bat was longer than an adults arm. Song Jian was certain he could hit a zombies head before it could reach him. Just then, from Zhou Xiaofus gold shop not too far away, a noise sounded. Looking over, there were three mutant zombies ramming aimlessly within the shop. Some glass counters were being smashed casually by them, making clanging sounds. The mutant zombies that were chasing him earlier all hid in nearby alleys or rooms due to broad daylight. There were only three zombies in Zhou Xiaofus shop. The number was just right; for Song Jian, it was a good opportunity to test the power of his baseball bat. He stepped towards Zhou Xiaofus jewelry shop, as soon as he entered, the closest mutant zombie detected his presence. It wobbled as it turned and walked towards Song Jian. The remaining two were further away, outside of alert range, still aimlessly wandering about. The zombies alert range is just three meters. Song Jian observed and internally noted. Swinging the baseball bat with a poom sound, the mutant zombies head exploded like a watermelon, instantly emitting a more pungent stench. This damn thing is like hitting shit! Song Jians face turned even ghastlier. Though the smell was nauseating, the baseball bat did pack a punch that thrilled Song Jian with the exhilarating sensation of killing with a single blow. The other two mutant zombies caught wind of the noise and began to slowly move towards the commotion. They hadnt sensed Song Jian, they were just attracted by the noise. However, once Song Jian entered their alert range, like voracious maggots, they would relentlessly chase their target until their death. While the two zombies leisurely approached, Song Jian directly charged at them, swinging his baseball bat. The zombies hadnt reacted before they were all knocked down, turning into black ash. System: You have used the baseball bat to inflict more than three effective damages on the mutant zombie, learned a skill: [Cold Weapon (Club) (Basic)]. [Cold Weapon (Club) (Basic)]: Passive, Level 1, increases weapon power of clubs by 5%. Seeing the system prompt, Song Jian had a thought. It seemed that he could certainly master a related passive skill as long as he effectively attacked a creature three times with a weapon. With this thought in mind, Song Jian looked at the Tiger Fang Dagger hanging on his waist. Since there were no more creatures in the vicinity for now, he decided to find one later to test whether he could master a dagger-related skill. After killing three mutant zombies and carefully checking, there were no dropped items. Song Jian frowned. He looked at the overturned display counter next to him, gold rings, and gold necklaces randomly scattered on the floor like rubbish, it was rather poignant for Song Jian. Normally, these would be worth a good amount of money. But in a zombie city, all the gold jewelry, presumably, wouldnt be worth as much as a pie of bread or a bottle of mineral water. Nevertheless, the jewelry pieces were indeed magnificent. The novel designs were very likable. What was more astounding was that after so long, the jewelrys surfaces were still shining brightly, showing no signs of decay or antiquity. If I could carry these out of the game, I would be rich! Song Jian regretfully picked up a gold necklace. Surprisingly, it discovered it wasnt merely a gray item. However, it had a property that took Song Jian by surprise. Gold Necklace (Miscellaneous), fineness: 24K, weight: 11.6 grams, effect: Charm +1, Equipment requirement: Female, Can it be carried out of the game: Yes This gold necklace can actually be taken out of the game? Song Jian was thrilled. He carefully searched and found that all the jewelry in here was miscellaneous, and several items could be carried out of the game. Im rich! Song Jian smirked. After selecting for quite a while, Song Jian picked several heavy gold bracelets and stuffed them into his package slot until it was full. Even the last gold-rimmed slot was filled with a pair of heavy gold bracelets. Phew, this trip, if I can safely exit the game, will at least make me upwards of tens of thousands. Song Jian thought contently. The only regret was that these pieces of jewelry, not of the same type, couldnt be stacked. One slot could hold only one item; this made Song Jian a little regretful. Chapter 9 - 9 Chapter 9: Doomsday Supermarket 9 Chapter 9: Doomsday Supermarket Translator: 549690339 Following Commercial Street while slowly searching, broken and messy cars were parked haphazardly everywhere. Many had collided with each other and were burned into wreckage; The sky was growing darker, and mutated zombies began to emerge on the streets, making Song Jian feel uneasy. During the daytime, the zombies attributes were halved and he could handle them. However, at night, their attributes would recover, increasing their attack, defense, and speed twofold from what they were previously. He didnt know if he could still defeat these monsters. I must speed up my leveling progress, or else Im afraid I wont make it through the remaining few hours, Song Jian thought to himself. Although zombies had poor vision, their sense of smell and hearing were incredibly sharp. If he couldnt find a safe place to hide, wandering around like this would easily attract large numbers of zombies. Being cautious and hunting each individual zombie took more than an hour. Finally, before it was completely dark, Song Jian managed to reach level three. At the same time, by using the Tiger Fang Dagger, Song Jian gained a passive skill called [Cold Weapon (Dagger) (Basic)], which increased the damage dealt with dagger-type weapons by 5%. Upon leveling up to level three, he gained only one skill point and no attribute points, which left Song Jian feeling somewhat disappointed; Without attribute points, he couldnt improve his intrinsic qualities, and the advantage of being at a higher level wasnt as significant. Having no other choice, Song Jian spent the newly acquired skill point on [Cold Weapon (Club) (Basic)], increasing the damage by another 5%. After all, the highest-damage weapon Song Jian currently possessed was the baseball bat he was holding. Furthermore, despite spending so much time searching, Song Jian hadnt found a single weapon or even bullets. He now had fewer than a hundred bullets, and once they were used up, the pistol would become a useless chunk of iron. It was better to take this opportunity to practice more with cold weapons. Having only searched a few shops on Commercial Street, Song Jian found that all were filled with worthless miscellaneous items. Most were already ravaged by zombies. The valuable ones were probably taken away before the apocalypse occurred. Song Jian couldnt even find a piece of bread or a bottle of mineral water. As night fell, all the monsters roared skyward simultaneously, and their auras increased sharply, alarming Song Jian. Seeing the growing number of monsters, Song Jian became more cautious and didnt dare to linger on the streets; With no other option, Song Jian returned to the same residential building where he had first entered the game. He chose a room with an open door, closed it behind him, and then pushed some heavy furniture against the door, only then feeling somewhat safer. The room was on the third floor, and through the window, he could barely see the zombies on the street. By now, there were more and more zombies on the street, with at least hundreds densely packed together. Their speed had also increased, and Song Jian wasnt confident he could outrun them. Bang, bang, bang~ At that moment, a series of pounding noises resounded from the rooms door, followed by the low growls of zombies. Song Jians heart leaped into his throat as he realized that a zombie had detected his presence and was pounding on the door, trying to get inside. The heavy objects behind the door made it impossible for the mutated zombie to barge in, and after a while, the zombie was probably attracted by something else and slowly turned away. Song Jian relaxed, letting out a long sigh of relief. By now, more than three hours had passed since he had entered the game, and Song Jians hunger and thirst levels had risen to over sixty points. If they reached a hundred without eating, his Vitality would begin to drop, and once his Vitality Points were gone, he would die; Feeling hungry, Song Jian pulled out a compressed dry rations bar and a bottle of mineral water from his bag and began to eat slowly. It seems like this is how things will be today. If I can make it to daylight, Ill be able to leave this game, Song Jian thought to himself. Originally, after entering the game, Song Jian had vowed that if he could safely leave, he would never return. However, now, seeing the glittering gold jewelry in his bag, he began to waver. These gold bracelets could all be brought out of the game, and if they were genuine, their value would be at least several hundred thousand, even if sold cheaply, bringing in more than a tens of thousands in profita far more lucrative prospect than his day job. Let me think about it. If I can really bring them into reality Song Jian didnt know what choice to make, so he decided not to think about it and find a place to sleep until daylight. Looking down from the window, the number of zombies on the street seemed to have increased. They were densely packed, wandering aimlessly on the streets. At night, its best to avoid conflicts with these zombies. Otherwise, once surrounded, I might not even be able to escape, Song Jian thought. Scanning with his eyes, Song Jian suddenly saw a vague figure floating above a distant building. The figure defied gravity and floated about three or four meters above the rooftop, facing the direction of the moon. In front of the figure, a faint silver glow drifted toward it, seemingly attracted by some force. The glow then slowly merged into the figures body. Is it absorbing the essence of the moon? Its becoming a spirit! Song Jian was dumbfounded, deeply shocked by the scene before him, which completely overturned his view of life. This is a game, this is a game Song Jian quickly recited to himself, and the shock in his heart slowly disappeared, replaced by the perspective of a player observing the figure. I cant even handle regular zombies at night, let alone this monster that has become a spirit. It could probably kill me in an instant. Id better hide well. Safety first, safety first, Song Jian whispered to himself as he retreated into a corner of the room and lay down. Closing his eyes, the scene of the figure floating in the air and absorbing the essence of the moon replayed in Song Jians mind. His ambition also began to grow like a weed, slowly taking root and germinating. As Song Jian lay in bed, he quickly fell asleep. The growls of zombies from outside the window and the sound of them dragging their bodies and hitting the walls and doors in the hallway made it difficult for him to sleep peacefully, tossing and turning with a frown. In reality, it wouldnt be a problem not to sleep in the game. However, sleep could speed up the recovery of Vitality Points. In the early stages without potions, most people relied on sleep to recuperate from their injuries. As time passed bit by bit, the bored and restless Song Jian suddenly saw a dazzling light appear before his eyes. Sitting up, he realized that the light came from Camel Square outside the window. Song Jian rolled out of bed and looked out the window. Through the window, he saw a brightly-lit three-story building in the center of Camel Square. What the hell is that?! Song Jian rubbed his eyes vigorously and stared at the building. This building didnt exist during the day, and now it seemed to have appeared out of thin air. On the roof of the three-story building was a huge sign with the words End of the World Supermarket. Surrounding the sign were neon lights of various colors that continuously flickered. That building wasnt there during the day! I remember clearly! But now A chill surged up Song Jians back, and his sleepiness vanished in an instant. A building that wasnt there during the day, a supermarket that didnt exist, suddenly appeared at night. It was too eerie. However, Song Jian soon revealed a bitter smile on his face. I forgot that Im in the game right now. With zombies running everywhere, whats so surprising about a supermarket appearing out of nowhere? Even if a spaceship suddenly appears and aliens come out, I wont be surprised! Song Jian muttered to himself. At that moment, a rectangular LED screen under the End of the World Supermarket sign suddenly lit up, displaying a line of scrolling text: End of the World Supermarket grand opening promotion: get a membership card with 1,000 points, use points to buy any discounted items in the supermarket! Discounted items available include Attribute Fruits, various guns and ammunition, daily necessities, 80%-new Kevlar Bulletproof Vests, Martial Arts Secret Scrolls Chapter 10 - 10 Chapter 10: Entering the Supermarket 10 Chapter 10: Entering the Supermarket Translator: 549690339 Although it was just a game, the sudden appearance of a large supermarket out of nowhere still made Song Jian feel a bit awkward. However, looking at the LED screen advertisement, as long as he applied for a membership card, he would get a thousand points, and he could also buy discounted items These discounted items look pretty good. Slurp~ Song Jian stared intently at the LED screen, seeing a large number of second-hand discounted items on it, his mouth watering. Other than food and mineral water in the packages, there are also a lot of materials dropped by mutated zombies. All of them are of gray quality. I dont know if this supermarket will take them. Thinking about this made Song Jian even more eager to visit the apocalyptic supermarket. However, the constant groaning of mutated zombies in the streets reminded Song Jian to stay calm. The apocalyptic supermarket seemed like a fish bait in a pond. If Song Jian were to act rashly, there was a high probability he would be chased by the fully recovered mutated zombies with nowhere to run or hide. Wait a bit longer, just a bit longer, in a little while, it will be daybreak! Song Jian looked at the neon lights of the supermarket not far away, comforting himself. Fearing to rush out and be killed by the zombies, but also fearing that waiting until daybreak would cause the apocalyptic supermarket to suddenly disappear, Song Jian felt like an old stock trader stuck in a losing situation, looking at the fluctuating stock prices, wanting to cut losses but afraid of a rise, holding on but afraid of a fall, indecisive as if a big hand was clutching his heart. Out of sight, out of mind. Time to sleep! When the sky was slightly bright, and the sun had not yet risen, with just less than an hour before leaving the game, the mutated zombies in the streets began to instinctively hide in dark corners. Song Jian rolled out of bed and rushed to the window. Thank goodness, the supermarket is still there! His anxious heart finally calmed down, Song Jian took a deep breath, grabbed the baseball bat, pushed away the heavy furniture blocking the door, and carefully walked towards the apocalyptic supermarket. A mutated zombie was wandering in the corridor, probably hiding in there unintentionally as dawn approached. Song Jian charged straight, swinging his baseball bat, viciously striking the nearest zombies head. Thump~ A dull collision sound resounded, and the mutated zombies head jerked up with a 57-point critical hit number popping out above it. Just as Song Jian was about to swing his baseball bat again, the mutated zombie had already charged in front of him. The rotten muscles on its face and the stench wafting from its body made Song Jian feel the threat of death. Dropping the baseball bat, Song Jian directly pulled out his pistol, pressing it against the zombies head, and fired two shots, turning the zombie into a pile of black ash. Hiss, that hurts! Ignoring the items dropped by the zombie, Song Jian looked at his arm. His sleeve had been torn into shreds, and three scratch marks appeared on his shoulder, slowly seeping blood. When searching for supplies, Song Jian had found many daily necessities but had not found any medicine for treating wounds. Its a zombie! Song Jian looked at the scratches on his shoulder, feeling his heart go cold, and quickly checked the battle record. You used the baseball bat, hit the mutated zombies weak spot (head), and dealt 67 points of physical damage (critical)! Mutated zombie dealt 12 points of physical damage to you, with a slight zombie poison effect, your skill Thick Skin was effective in resisting this poison attack! You used the pistol, hit the mutated zombies weak spot (head), and dealt 38 points of ranged physical damage (critical)! You used the pistol, hit the mutated zombies weak spot (head), and dealt 4 points of ranged physical damage (critical), mutated zombies health reached zero! Mutated zombie dies! System: You killed the mutated zombie and gained 110 experience points. Injury from zombie poison, thick skin, phew, thats a relief! Song Jian sighed and felt that the pain in his shoulder had subsided somewhat. This Thick Skin skill sure is useful here with zombies all around, as Ill be exposed to the poison anytime. I should level up this skill whenever I get a chance to stay safe! Song Jian thought to himself. The sky was only slightly bright now, and the sun hadnt risen yet. The mutant zombies hadnt lost half of their attributes, so the newbie baseball bat couldnt kill them in one hit, giving the zombies an opportunity to counterattack. Besides, this attack revealed an unexposed weakness of the baseball bat C slow attack speed. There was at least a one-second gap between two attacks, enough time for Song Jian to use his gun for over two shots. This is why he immediately dropped the bat and drew his gun when the mutant zombie charged at him. Song Jians clothes were quickly stained with blood on one side of his body. It looked terrifying, but in reality, his health had only dropped by 12 points, with over 80 percent still remaining. As his wound healed slowly, Song Jian took off his blood-stained clothes and threw them away. Bare-chested, he cautiously headed out, fearing that the strong smell of blood would attract the zombies outside. Apocalypse Supermarket was located at Camel Square behind the residential area. Song Jian held onto his baseball bat and carefully dodged the mutant zombies as he walked forwards. After 10 minutes or so, he arrived at Camel Square. The Apocalypse Supermarket now stood entirely in front of him. It looked no different from other supermarkets in the city. Song Jian approached the supermarket entrance and found the glass doors tightly closed. Through the doors, he saw a vast sales area filled with various goods on the shelves. Strangely, there wasnt a single person inside C no cashiers, no stock clerks, and no customers. The entire supermarket was brightly lit, with no mutant zombies nearby. It seemed as if they were afraid to approach this place, which gave off an eerie vibe. As Song Jian walked towards the entrance, a beep-beep sound came from above the glass doors. A green laser shot out before he could react, scanning him from head to toe. He was startled, but the green laser eventually retracted. A red light above the glass doors flashed twice and turned green, opening the supermarket doors automatically. After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian stepped inside. Is anyone here? Song Jian shouted loudly, but everything was quiet. Thinking for a moment, Song Jian gritted his teeth and walked into the supermarket, which looked much larger on the inside. He couldnt see the end of the aisle opposite him; Take a membership card before consuming. Picking up merchandise without a membership card will have consequences! A cold, mechanical voice echoed in Song Jians ear, startling him. Looking around, Song Jian saw a machine similar to an ATM next to an empty service desk. The screen was on, and at the top of the display was an option for Membership Card. This was a touch-screen self-service terminal. Song Jian walked up, and there were several options on the screen, so he tapped Membership Card. The screen flashed, and all the options disappeared. On the blue screen, several large words appeared: Mission: Kill 10 mutant zombies and collect 10 mutant zombie cores. Place the 10 zombie cores in the recycling bin next to it to complete the task! Mission Reward: Apocalypse Supermarket Membership Card! Below these words, there were two options: Accept Mission and Decline Mission. Hiss! I have to complete a mission to get a membership card? Song Jian gasped. Chapter 11 - 11 Chapter 11: The Games Darling Daughter 11 Chapter 11: The Games Darling Daughter Translator: 549690339 Getting a supermarket membership card here even involves completing tasks! No wonder this place is deserted Membership cards from other supermarkets are given for free! Song Jian couldnt help but complain. In reality, if you went to get a supermarket membership card and the receptionist said, Sorry, sir, you must first complete a task: kill ten stray cats roaming the city to acquire our supermarket membership card. What the hell! Song Jian would definitely turn around and leave without a second thought if he encountered such a supermarket, which would probably go bankrupt soon. However, the products in this supermarket were so appealing, what could he do? Im just as frustrated! Song Jian expressed. With no choice, Song Jian had to leave the supermarket. There was less than half an hour left to the twelve-hour mark, and the sky was gradually lighting up. In about ten minutes or so, the sun would rise, cutting the abilities of all mutant zombies by half and making it much easier to kill them. However, there was no certainty if this suddenly materialized post-apocalyptic supermarket wouldnt just disappear in the next moment. When Song Jian would have completed the task, the post-apocalyptic supermarket could disappear C then whats the point of completing the task? Leaving the post-apocalyptic supermarket, Song Jian headed towards an unexplored residential area across Camel Square. This neighborhood consisted of six-story buildings and detached houses. It would thus be easier to search for supplies or hunt for mutant zombies here. Even before he approached the residential area, he heard the low growls of mutant zombies. It seemed as though there were quite a few of them. Damn it, is it another newbie player attracting a group of mutant zombies outside? At present, these mutant zombies havent been weakened Song Jian was startled and hesitated to go forward. Just then, a little girl who looked to be about ten years old, wearing a white dress and running with one athletic shoe, rushed out from the opposite street corner. She was heading towards the direction of Song Jian. Behind her, there were more than a dozen mutant zombies about seven to eight meters away from her. They were baring their teeth and claws while growling lowly. The little girl was wielding a small crossbow and was occasionally shooting at the pursuing mutant zombies. Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh~ The crossbow didnt seem to require reloading or bolts at all! She only needed to pull the trigger; the crossbow bolts fired were even more powerful than Song Jians pistol. Each time the little girl turned around to take a shot, a mutant zombie with five or six crossbow bolts in its body would crumble into black ash. The dropped items were ignored by the girl who continued to sprint towards the post-apocalyptic supermarket. Upon seeing Song Jian, the girl appeared startled, but her shocked expression quickly turned into delight when she recognized that he wasnt a mutant zombie. Help me, these monsters are chasing me! The girls face pleaded with Song Jian. Alright, alright! Dont panic, just stay calm! Song Jian was internally panicking. There were more than a dozen zombies approaching, and if they swarmed him, he would surely be chewed down to his bones. Just then, it seemed like the zombies sensed something. They stopped on the edge of Camel Square, continually growling and roaring in his direction, yet they dared not venture one step further. What are they afraid of? Song Jian looked around, finally landing his gaze on the post-apocalyptic supermarket, Are they afraid of this supermarket? This was the perfect opportunity to exterminate them. Song Jian raised his pistol, aimed at the closest zombies head, and pulled the trigger. Bang, Bang~ He killed each mutant zombie with two shots. After reloading his clip three times, he had exterminated more than a dozen mutant zombies, leaving behind a bunch of items glowing with an iridescent light. Though it felt exhilarating, those bullets would soon be running out. Song Jian only had about fifty to sixty bullets left at this point. These dozen mutant zombies had increased his experience bar by more than two-thirds. Killing another four or five could level him up. Alright, theyre all taken care of! Song Jian flashed the young girl a small smile, announcing. As he looked at the girl, the smile on Song Jians face froze. The little girl was pointing her crossbow at him, giving him the chills. Little, little girl, why are you pointing that at me? It wont be good if it goes off by accident, put it away! Song Jian softly suggested. You wont kidnap me and sell me, right? The girl asked serenely. No, not at all, how could I! Song Jian wiped his sweat, responding hurriedly. You wont steal my snacks, toys, or other things, will you? No, I wont! Youre not like those monsters who want to grab and bite me, are you? No, Im not! Im a player like you, not a monster! Mmm, okay then. After carefully considering Song Jians words, the little girl seemed to decide to believe him. She stowed away her crossbow, bowed to Song Jane, and said, Thank you, uncle, for saving me. Youre a good person! Phew! The direct dismissal caught Song Jian off guard. Ha, Uncle, huh? Alright then. Speaking of which, was that weapon you were using silver quality? It seemed rather formidable! Song Jain intentionally asked casually while walking towards the slain zombies. When the little girl appeared, Song Jians attention was first drawn to the petite crossbow in her hands. Emitting a silver glow, it was undoubtedly a silver-quality weapon. Song Jian had come to understand the quality tiers of equipment in the game: gray, white, green, blue, and silver. Silver is evidently the best while gray is the worst. Anything worse than gray would be junk, and Song Jian speculated that there probably was a gold tier higher than silver. As for whether there existed equipment higher than gold, he didnt know since he was still new to the game. After posing the question, the silence was overwhelming. Curious, Song Jian turned around for a look, only to be scared senseless. That little girl was holding her crossbow, aiming it directly at Song Jians back and looking extremely cautious. What what are you doing? Song Jian blurted out in fear. Are you trying to steal my beginner weapon? The girl stared at him suspiciously. What How can that be? I have my own weapons, look, three of them. Song Jian instantly felt awkward. He quickly showed her the baseball bat in his hand, and the dagger and pistol around his waist as he spoke with cold beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. The little girl gazed at Song Jians three weapons for a long time, then asked with suspicion, Is that so? Of course, of course! How could I steal from a little girl, you really are Song Jian swallowed his spit, thinking about the silver crossbow. One glance at it and it was clear it was not an ordinary weapon. A powerful weapon with a high attack speed. If it hit him, it might kill him outright. Damn the game for giving such a dangerous weapon to a little girl! Are you the games darling?

Song Jian gasped, This upgradable weapon is too exaggerated, Keer. Did you recharge? No, Little Cheap Brother, as soon as 1 entered the game and searched for supplies, I found it! I love it so much! With that, Keer rubbed the crossbow against her face, cherishing it dearly. Song Jian shook his head and once again confirmed that Keer was the favorite child of this game. Alright, Keer, Im going in. As soon as I grab the monster, you start attacking! Song Jian took a deep breath, raised his pistol, and aimed at the monsters head. Bang, Bang- Fl SC pistol bullets poured out, and in a few seconds, more than a dozen bullets hit the mutated zombies head. However, when the bullets hit the zombies head, they produced a series of sparks and a dull impact sound. Bam, Bam, Bam- One point damage popped up over the mutated zombies head, and Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief. Was it unable to break through the defense? Chapter 70 - Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Strong Mutated Zombie Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Strong Mutated Zombie Translator: 549690339 Looking at the increasingly close monster, Song Jian furrowed his brows, a look of surprise emerging on his face. This defense is much stronger than a LV5 elite boss! He had never encountered this situation prior when using his pistol to attack the zombie leader. It should be noted that the current monster was just an ordinary level five creature; Having run out of bullets, Song Jian swiftly unequipped the pistol from the equipment bar and put it in his inventory. Instead, he equipped the Corrupt Sword in his off-hand; Although he wasnt going to use this sword, the Corrupt Sword could enhance some of Song Jians strength attributes. Only when he equipped the Corrupt Sword could his strength reach its current peak C nine points; With Beretta Double Barrel Shotgun in his grasp, Song Jian rushed towards the monster; The closer the double-barreled shotgun was to the target, the greater the power. When he rushed to three or four meters in front of the monster, Song Jian pulled the trigger; Bang, bang- The upper and lower barrels of the gun almost simultaneously spewed out a trail of fire. Two twenty-eight pellets shot towards the monster in a thirty-degree triangle. Numerous tiny steel balls scattered in the air, becoming a rain of steel that enveloped the whole area in front of the Tough Mutated Zombie. The steel balls even tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound. Being too close, the Tough Mutated Zombie was unable to react in time and could only forcefully endure this attack; The monster stumbling towards Song Jian faltered, as though its chest had been powerfully bitten by a ferocious beast. All the steel balls were deeply embedded into its flesh; Song Jian swiftly swung the double-barreled shotgun onto his back and withdrew the Tusk Fang Stinger, charging at the monster; The Tough Mutated Zombies eyes flashed red, and it violently swung its right hand forward. The iron chain wound around its arm produced a shrill whistling noise as it brutally lashed towards Song Jian; At this point, Song Jian was less than two meters away from the Tough Mutated Zombie. Caught off guard, the iron chain smashed into his body. Clang- A crisp metallic striking sound rang out. The area hit by the iron chain displayed the form of chainmail. Song Jian felt a great force on his shoulder. His charging figure abruptly slowed down, and a few dozen damage points floated above his head; Given his natural talent Thick Skin and the deflection effect of the zombie leaders battle armor, Song Jian was still able to bear the loss of these dozens of vitality points. After all, regardless of how you put it, the Tough Mutated Zombie was just an ordinary level five creature. Since the defensive figure had already turned out to be so bizarre, if the offensive figure was further increased, the level five elite bosses would feel unbearable!; The battle continued. Song Jian swung his dagger, dodged the chains on the mutated zombies body, and stabbed at it through the gaps in its body. Song Jian could sense that the skin of the Tough Mutated Zombie was very tough. Even with the sharpness of the Tusk Fang Stinger, only a third of the blade could be stabbed in; Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh- Semi-transparent crossbow bolts were embedded one after the other into the zombies brain. Damage in the thirties floated up from its head. As expected of a growing silver-quality weapon, it really is powerful! Song Jian raised his eyebrows in surprise. With such a powerful defense, if they could still inflict damage in the thirties, it gave a good indication of just how powerful the hand crossbow in Li Keers grasp really was; The Tough Mutated Zombie was not very fast. Even though it had the iron chain as a semi-distance attack method, as long as Li Keer was careful, it was not impossible for her to kill it alone; I cant let the little girl outshine me! Song Jian thought, unable to help but speed up his movements; Hisss hisss hisss hisss hisss- Five almost imperceptible slicing sounds emerged, and the Tough Mutated Zombie showed five single-digit damage points above its head. Then Song Jian was heard softly commanding: Burst! Bang- A ball of green smoke erupted from the body of the Tough Mutated Zombie, and its vitality points rapidly decreased significantly; This dagger is really like some kind of bug! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim in a low voice; Little Cheap Brother, youre really powerful! Li Keer could hardly believe her eyes. A damage figure of over a hundred points floated up from the Tough Mutated Zombies head, which was truly terrifying; Li Keer, who was originally worried that Little Cheap Brothers damage wasnt enough, had been suppressing her damage so that she wouldnt over-threat (OT). But now, after seeing the strength of Little Cheap Brother, she realized that he was actually very powerful. If thats the case, I need to show my full strength as well! Li Keer secretly cheered herself on, her little face revealing a serious look; Sniper Continuous Shooting! With a light yell, the semi-transparent crossbow bolts fired from the silver hand crossbow created a nearly continuous line shooting towards the monsters body; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The vitality of the Tough Mutated Zombie, like a levee bursting, visibly dropped rapidly. Initially, it had nearly three hundred vitality points, but after Li Keer finished releasing her ability and caught her breath, only twenty-some points remained; Hiss-, over two hundred points of vitality damage, isnt this what you call cheating? Song Jian stared in amazement. While he had already greatly overestimated Li Keers strength, it turned out he had somewhat underestimated her in the end. Keer, this skill is Song Jian asked in surprise. Previously, Li Keer already had a high-damage ability, Burst Arrow. Now, another skill, Sniper Continuous Shooting, had suddenly appeared, its power not falling short of the previous ability in any way; Little Cheap Brother, this is a skill that comes with the weapon after it upgrades. It doesnt use any resources, it just has a long cooldown time, about ten minutes. Li Keer cheerfully brandished her hand crossbow, a clear showy expression on her face; Swinging his dagger, Song Jian harvested the last twenty-some vitality points of the Tough Mutated Zombie. The monster duo kneeled down, letting out an unwilling roar before collapsing with a loud thud; After death, the monster did not disintegrate into dark ash. Next to its body, three items dropped out, two white-quality materials C Tough Zombies Tendon and Tough Zombies Bone Marrow, plus a blue-quality scroll; Tough Zombies Tendon (White), Material, Can be used to craft longbows. Usage requirements: Possess Weapon Crafting Skill. Below the items properties, there is a line of gray text [Can be used to strengthen weapons] Tough Zombies Bone Marrow (White), Material, Can be used to concoct potions. Usage requirement: Possess Potion Crafting Skill. Under the items properties, there is also a line of gray text [Can be used to strengthen potions] Since both of them had inflicted damage on the monster, both were able to see these item properties. After a quick glance, Song Jian directly passed the Tough Zombies Tendon to Li Keer, while the material that could enhance potions was put into his own inventory. Even an ordinary level five small monster can drop a blue-quality item. It looks like 1 will have to frequently hunt monsters with Keer from now on. Song Jian thought to himself. He even suspected that Li Keer had some hidden luck attributes. Otherwise, how could she be favored by the game system so much! Picking up this blue-quality scroll, Song Jians eyes lit up. As it turns out, it was a skill scroll. Chapter 71 - Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Yin Soul Ghost Tree Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Yin Soul Ghost Tree Translator: 549690339 This skill scroll is quite something!1 Song Jian picked up the blue-quality Skill Scroll and couldnt help but exclaim in surprise; Skill Scroll: Jumping Shot, Effect: Use to learn the Jumping Shot skill; Jumping Shot: A passive skill that produces a moving effect when attacking with normal attacks or skills to the target, causing a short displacement in the direction of the movement while launching a long-range physical attack. This skill is one of the inheritance skills for the Spear of Vengeance profession.1 Profession inheritance skills, so this game really has professions!1 Song Jian stroked his chin, his face revealing a thoughtful expression. Little Cheap Brother, I can use this skill, I can! Li Keer raised her right hand high and anxiously shouted while tugging at Song Jians clothes. Alright, here you go! Song Jian smiled faintly, handing the Skill Scroll to Keer; Spear of Vengeance? Sounds cool! Li Keer took the scroll and used it directly. Ah, it turns out that you need to collect five skills to inherit this profession!1 Li Keer showed a troubled expression on her face. As she spoke, Li Keer shot a crossbow bolt into the distance. As she fired the bolt, her body involuntarily jumped a short distance to the side; Very agile! Song Jians eyes brightened. Hehe, yeah, and I can control the direction of movement, but its a bit difficult Li Keer said and shot another arrow; this time, she directly collided with a big tree; Thump- Ah, it hurts! Li Keers forehead turned red, and she looked at Song Jian with teary, aggrieved eyes; Practice well. 1 feel that this profession inheritance must be very powerful, Song Jian said to Li Keer with a serious nod. Li Keer rubbed her forehead and grinned, not daring to continue trying, and quietly followed behind Song Jian; Lets go, keep moving forward! Song Jian ruffled Keers hair, took her hand, and continued walking forward; Not far behind them, in a clump of trees, Zhao Sihais face showed a surprised expression. He had once tried to hunt the monsters in this park but ended up fleeing in a sorry state; Even if hes a level 7 expert, this killing speed is a bit too fast Zhao Sihai hesitated, unsure whether it was the right choice to continue following. If Song Jian discovered him, his fate would be predictable. Killing here is no different from killing in reality. 1 dont believe he would really lull me! Zhao Sihais bloodshot eyes revealed a crazed expression, similar to when he was destitute and stalking a woman carrying an LV handbag at night. It was this craziness that allowed Zhao Sihai to seize every opportunity. In his forties, he went from being a street thug to the chairman of the largest listed company in Coastal City; This time, I will definitely succeed, achieving the same success in this game world as 1 have in the real world. Zhao Sihais crazed expression grew thicker, but his mind was clear and his face calm. Song Jian and Li Keer made their way forward, encountering many Strong Mutated Zombies along the way, but with the pairs combined attack, these monsters all turned into piles of materials; Li Keer practiced Jumping Shot throughout the journey. Whenever she was not careful, she would collide with trees, rocks, and pillars, turning her forehead red and making her teary eyes look pitiful; However, Li Keer was very strong and did not give up her practice of Jumping Shot even after failing again and again, continuing to use it for her attacks; Little Cheap Brother, 1 always feel like someone is watching us After killing a Strong Mutated Zombie, Li Keer signaled for Song Jian to bend down and whispered in his ear. Upon hearing this, a trace of coldness appeared at the corners of Song Jians mouth. He had always thought it was his imagination, but since Keer felt it too, that meant the feeling of surveillance was real; It doesnt matter. Some people want to follow us and take advantage of us, or even harm us, but our benefit is not so easy to pick Song Jian whispered in Keers ear; The two of them exchanged a smile and pretended nothing had happened, picking up the items dropped by the monsters and continuing to move forward; Through his 8x scope, Zhao Sihai could clearly see Song Jian bending down and talking to Li Keer while smiling, but he didnt know sign language and had no idea what they were saying. He thought they were happy because of the items dropped by the monsters. Youre quite happy now, but there will be a time when you cry A confident smile emerged at the corners of Zhao Sihais mouth. On their journey, Song Jian and Li Keer cleared out every monster they encountered, allowing Zhao Sihai to follow behind them smoothly. Song Jian and Li Keer spent more than two hours clearing out the monsters they encountered along the way and finally arrived at a small forest. The small forest before them resembled the one where Song Jian had found the Tree Spirit initially. There were no sounds of insects or birds chirping, only cold, eerie winds blowing from the forest, emitting a deep howling sound; Song Jian stood at the edge of the forest, shivering involuntarily. It was daytime, and the sun was shining overhead, but Song Jian felt like he was in a haunted place; As Song Jian looked ahead, the whole forest appeared hazy gray. On the black barren ground, the trunks of the trees were covered in black stripes, forming bizarre patterns that looked like stretched and twisted human figures; The environment here was oppressive and gloomy, and deep in the forest, one could vaguely see a large group of stone tablets randomly embedded in the ground, looking like a discarded graveyard from afar; Little Cheap Brother, this place is so scary. Do we really have to go in? Li Keer wore a frightened expression, clinging tightly to Song Jians clothes; Dont be afraid, its just a game! Song Jian patted Keers head, comforting her softly, although in truth, his heart was pounding as well; Huu, huu- Breaths resounded through the forest, as if a prehistoric behemoth was exhaling; The BOSS information provided by Zhao Sihai is here Song Jian frowned, the forest before him giving him an uneasy feeling and a strong urge to stay away from it; At that moment, Li Ke er suddenly exclaimed, Eh, Little Cheap Brother, the trees here can also be harvested, and the grade seems to be much higher than the previous forest! Song Jian stared at a tree covered in black stripes, and after a moment, faint yellow words appeared on the tree; Yin Soul Ghost Tree: Material, Gatherable, with a certain chance of collecting Yin Soul Wood; Gathering Requirement: Chopping Skill Level 3 Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Yin Soul Wood Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Yin Soul Wood Translator: 549690339 High-quality wood? Song Jian was taken aback, not expecting this kind of thing in the game. Little Cheap Brother, my Chopping Skill is only at level 2 Li Keer made a troubled face. Thats okay, there are plenty of ordinary trees in this park. You can start harvesting those until your chopping skill is upgraded to level three. Then you can collect these high-quality Yin Soul Ghost Trees. Along the way, Song Jian had already spotted many ordinary trees in the park. Li Keer can collect the trees herself without the need to compete, so her Chopping Skill will level up quickly. Alright, Little Cheap Brother, Ill go level up my Chopping Skill! Li Keer ran towards a standard quality tree, wielding her iron axe to hew it. Impatiently, Song Jian advanced towards a Yin Soul Ghost Tree and threw a punch at it. Sheesh, this Ghost Tree is hard, and its icy cold! Song Jian massaged his wrist. The Ghost Tree was harder than typical rock, leaving his fingers numb after a single punch. Plus, the Ghost Tree was filled with a frosty Yin energy that would infiltrate his body with every punch. System: You are harvesting the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. You have touched the Ghost Trees Yin energy, causing you to lose 2 Yin Attribute Damage. Your innate skill Thick Skinned has been triggered, negating 2 Yin Attribute Damage. Final damage is zero. Who wouldve thought my talent would be so versatile. Song Jian smirked slightly as he continued to punch the tree. Thud, thud, thud- The Yin Soul Ghost Tree rocked continuously. After a while, a large piece of splintered wood crumbled from the Ghost Tree, transformed into a white light, and flew into Song Jians inventory. System: Youve harvested 145 units of wood. Wow, is the quantity of wood this high? Got 145 units in just one go? Wouldnt an entire tree yield thousands of units then? Song Jians eyes lit up. He was initially just interested in the Yin Soul Wood, but even without it, the ordinary wood is also abundant. This place is a sacred land for harvesting wood, far better than the area where Tree Spirits are located. Song Jian initially planned to gather wood from the Tree Spirit area after defeating the BOSS, but now it seemed unnecessary. He could directly collect wood from here. Zhao Sihai, who was hiding hundreds of meters away in a small pavilion, was scowling. Leaning on a wooden chair and looking at Song Jian through an 8x scope, he wondered, Whats this guy up to? Why is he harvesting wood now? Zhao Sihai observed attentively for a while, sensing something unusual about the pitch-black forest. The Ghost Trees were significantly different from ordinary trees. Once he took a closer look, he understood why Song Jian was gathering wood instead of fighting the BOSS. Shit! I discovered this place first, its mine. Now this kids taking advantage of it. Zhao Sihai seethed, his heart throbbing painfully. Watching one Yin Soul Ghost tree after another fall down, it felt like Song Jian was cutting off slabs of flesh from Zhao Sihais body. Each harvested Ghost Tree felt like a bloody chunk of meat being sliced off. The pain was so intense that Zhao Sihai almost stopped breathing. Mine, mine, all of these are mine Zhao Sihai muttered to himself. Several times, hed been tempted to pull the trigger, instantly putting an end to Song Jian who was stealing his Ghost Trees, but in the end, he restrained himself. Go ahead, keep harvesting. Youre collecting for me. Soon, the stuff in your inventory, the BOSS loot, even your life, will all be mine, Zhao Sihai muttered to himself, holding back his raging anger. The quantity of wood in Song Jians inventory was rapidly increasing Eight thousand units Nine thousand units Ten thousand units Fifteen thousand units Song Jian had even forgotten about the Level 5 Elite BOSS, as he transformed into a diligent lumberjack, destructively harvesting the Yin Soul Ghost Trees. After an unknown amount of time, Song Jians inventory had accumulated over thirty thousand units of wood, when cheers rang out from behind. Wow, Ive leveled up! My Chopping Skill is at level three now! Li Keer hopped excitedly towards Song Jian. Thud- Song Jian punched the Yin Soul Ghost Tree again, leaving only a stump barely three inches from the ground. System: Youve harvested 320 units of wood. System: Your Chopping Skill has leveled up to level 5. System: Your Barehanded Combat Skill (Palm Strike) (Basic) has leveled up to level 5. Chopping Skill: Passive, Level 5; When chopping trees, efficiency increases by 30%, probability of obtaining rare wood Increases by 10%. Barehanded Combat Skill (Palm Strike) (Basic): Passive, Level 5; Increases palm strike power by 30%, Constitution +1. Song Jian was pleased to see that both his Chopping Skill and Barehanded Combat had leveled up to 5. Constitution +1? So leveling up a passive skill to 5 increases ones attributes? Song Jians eyes lit up at the sight of the attribute increase in the Level 5 Barehanded Combat Skill. Song Jians Constitution had already reached 7 points, his Vitality Points had increased from the original 250 to 270. His strength had increased a little further. Little Cheap Brother, youre harvesting so quickly! Youve already harvested such a large area! Li Keer looked at the field of stumps in surprise and declared, Looks like I need to work harder too, hmph! With that, Li Keer approached a Yin Soul Ghost Tree, lifted her iron axe, and struck it with all her might. Thud- Li Keer cried out, Its so hard! I can barely hold onto the axe! After a moment, she shivered, Its, so cold! Why is chopping down a tree this cold? Ah, it even reduces Vitality Points! Hmph, this is one naughty tree! said Li Keer to herself, before lifting her small iron axe and striking the Yin Soul Ghost Tree again. Keer, watch your Vitality Points. If they drop too low, rest a while on the side to recover your Vitality. Song Jian called out. Rest easy, Little Cheap Brother, I know! Li Keer replied, resisting the icy cold that flowed from the Ghost Tree and continued to harvest diligently. Song Jian gave Li Keer an anxious glance, shook his head slightly, and continued to harvest the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. A moment later, a Yin Soul Ghost Tree collapsed with a crash, transformed into white light, and flew into Song Jians inventory. Amid the white light, there was a strip of black light. System: You have used the Chopping Skill and harvested 290 units of wood. System: You have used the Chopping Skill and accidentally received 1 unit of Yin Soul Wood. A piece of black iron-like wood was quietly lying in another slot in Song Jians inventory, emitting a faint glow. Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Zombie Carrying a Monument Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Zombie Carrying a Monument Translator: 549690339 Yin Soul Wood, Grade 3 material, can be used to create special items. Usage Requirements: None. Having collected more than twenty Yin Soul Ghost Trees, only one piece of Yin Soul Wood appeared. It was only after upgrading to level five Chopping Skill that they were able to collect such a rare piece. It indicated how precious Yin Soul Wood was. This property description isnt clear. Special items, what kind of special items? Song Jian frowned lightly, staring at the piece of Yin Soul Wood in the bundle for a long while. However, he couldnt figure anything out, so he had to put it aside and place it together with the hard pine wood. Hard Pine Wood is also a third-grade wood, but Song Jian subtly felt that Yin Soul Woods properties should be stronger than Hard Pine Woods. After all, apart from being hard, Hard Pine Wood didnt have any other characteristics, whereas aside from being hard, Yin Soul Wood also had a chilling, gloomy aura. Li Keer began to reinvigorate herself from the side, heave-ho, heave-ho. Holding a small, delicate iron ax, she chopped Ghost Trees, took a break to eat a piece of fried meat to recover her Vitality Points. The efficiency of third-grade Chopping Skill in collecting Ghost Trees was not very high, but the wood yielded was several times that of previous small woods, which made Li Keers eyes curl up with laughter. As the two carried on with their collection, they headed deeper into the forest. Looking up, Song Jian saw several stone monuments standing on the ground within less than a hundred meters. The inscriptions on them were somewhat blurred and some of them were even crumbling, looking quite dilapidated. As the two were busily collecting Ghost Trees, a horrific howling sound rang out by their ears, startling Li Keer into trembling. This sound was much like a human screaming at the top of its throat, only more sorrowful. It was full of the brutality and insanity of a beast, like an injured wild animal going mad. Li Keer looked terrified, quickly coming over to Song Jian and whispering through the collar of his shirt, What, what is that thing? Is it a BOSS? Its such a terrifying sound. Song Jian pulled Keer behind a Ghost Tree, peeking out. A robust beast-like creature crouching, with its hands drooping in the likeness of an orangutan. The back of its hands, dragging on the ground, held talons about half a foot long, like sharp daggers, flickering with a chilling light. Its hair was sparse, its skin was rotten, and its upper body was bare. It had a tight leather skirt around its waist, with its thighs protruding, and a layer of black scales subtly appearing. This beast only had one eye, located on its forehead. This eye dominated half of its face, pushing the leftover nose and mouth to the very bottom, making it look repulsive and fierce. On its back, it carried a giant stone monument, about twice as large as the surrounding ones. The surface of the black monument glowed a faint purple and the face of the stone was filled with tiny characters, resembling tadpoles. Song Jian took one look and felt dizzy. Curious, Li Keer peeped and quickly retreated after seeing the creatures appearance. Her quickened breath, numbing scalp, and rapidly beating heart revealed her fear. Song Jian studiously observed the beast for a moment, noticing the small red words floating above it. LV7 Zombie with Monolith (Elite), Vitality Points: 600/600, Characteristics: Super Strength. Song Jians face turned sullen. During the trade, Zhao Sihai had said that the BOSS here was only level five, but the BOSS in front of him was level seven. No wonder the system had said that the accuracy rate of the transaction content was only 92%. Song Jian originally thought the deviation was due to the specific location, but unexpectedly, it was the level of the BOSS that differed. Little Cheap Brother, do we do we fight it? Keer tremulously asked. Fight! Song Jian gritted his teeth: This BOSSS characteristic is super strength, we cant fight it head-on. 111 distract it, Keer you attack from a distance. Control your power during the fight so as not to attract the BOSSS attention to you. Keer nodded and reassured, Dont worry, Little Cheap Brother, I wont OT. Get ready, Im going up! Song Jian charged at the boss, aiming with his pistol and pulling the trigger. Bang, bang- in the blink of an eye, all ten or so bullets plunged into its body, five-six of which precisely hit its head, causing purple-black blood to burst out. Although this BOSSS defense was relatively lower than the Robust Mutant Zombie, it was still limited. Every bullet inflicted two to three points of damage. The bullets that hit the head resulted in around six points of critical damage. However, this damage was a far cry from consequential for a boss with six hundred vitality points. Roar- The Zombie with the Monolith was furious, picking out the bullets embedded in its body, and lungishly lunged at Song Jian using all limbs. Hiss, that monument should weigh at least five to six hundred jin, right? How come it doesnt seem to affect it? Song Jians heart sank, he dared not face it head-on, avoided hastily to one side, changing his gun to a double-barreled shotgun and shot towards the BOSSS backside. Two large shotgun pellets, from the moment of projectile out of the gun barrel, broke into hundreds of tiny steel beads, enveloping the BOSS entirely. A series of damage points interspersed with MISS surged from the BOSSS head. Though the damage was minimal, the amounts were substantial. This course, stripped at least thirty of the BOSSS Vitality Points. The BOSS turned around, roared and charged towards Song Jian. There was no time to retract the shotgun. He could only rollout, dodging the BOSSS attack, hugging the shotgun to his chest. The strong winds grazed his face as if they were small knives cutting into it. Boom- One of the Yin Soul Ghost Trees was directly knocked down by the BOSS, causing a spine-chilling cracking sound. The Ghost tree tumbled down, leaving the BOSS somewhat dazzled by the impact, causing it to stumble slightly, and nearly fall. Song Jian sheathed his double-barreled shotgun, holding Tusk Fang Stinger as he lunged towards the BOSSS back. Simultaneously, Keer aimed at the BOSS with her handheld crossbow, pulling the trigger. She leapt to the left, shooting a half-transparent arrow towards the BOSSS eye. Given that the Zombie with Monolith was a level seven elite monster, its resistance was significantly high. It shook its head slightly and promptly resumed normalcy. Lowering its head, it dodged Keers arrow and charged towards Song Jian. Song Jians dagger pierced into the bosss arm, inflicting thirteen points of damage and an additional poison mark. However, this time around, Song Jian wasnt able to dodge the BOSSS onslaught and was compelled to shield his chest and head to absorb the impact. Boom- Song Jians body was sent flying by the strike, blood spewing out of his mouth. He was well protected by his Zombie Commander Armor. -86 This blow took away more than eighty of Song Jians vitality points. If it were an average player, this hit would have killed them instantly. One-third of his vitality was depleted in an instant, pains shot through his chest and abdomen. Rather than scaring Song Jian, this attack infuriated the ruthlessness hidden within him. Spitting out a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva, Song Jian charged towards the BOSS again. Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Snatching the Monster Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Snatching the Monster Translator: 549690339 The hunched zombie, crouching, appeared to be about the same height as Song Jian, but when it straightened its back, its height nearly doubled that of Song Jian, displaying a disparity as large as that between an adult and a child. Seeing Song Jian rushing towards it, the hunched zombie abruptly stands tall, its two fists combined in a joint grasp, and smashes the ground forcefully. Boom- With a loud roar, the ground is violently dented by the hunched zombies punch, shattered stone slabs lying in its wake, as a wave of energy, like a tidal force, charges towards Song Jian. Too close to evade, Song Jian can do nothing but shield his head with both hands and bear the brunt of the attack. Under the impact of the strength, Song Jian feels as though hes standing on cotton, his footing unstable, and he ends up sitting on the ground. The hunched zombie seizes the chance to pounce, rushing to Song Jian and swinging its palm at Song Jian, who is now sitting with his back to the ground. Its three withered fingers, like old tree roots, have sharp nails like little knives, that effortlessly break through Song Jians defense. The armor of the zombies commander emerges, creating a sound as piercing as glass scraping; The nails cut through the armors defense and penetrate Song Jians flesh. Three terrifying, bone-deep gouges appear on Song Jians shoulder. From these wounds, fresh blood continuously spurts out, and Song Jians vitality suddenly drops significantly, along with an added continuous blood loss status. With gritted teeth, Song Jian bears the pain, waves his dagger, and brutally slashes the hunched zombies arm to repel it, hastily grabbing and consuming a fruit from his bag. A flash of red light and Song Jians vitality points increase by 50. Meanwhile, Song Jians left hand presses on his shoulder wound, silently invoking Surgical Treatment in his mind. Instantly, a white light envelopes the wound that rapidly heals the fresh and bloody cut. The continuous blood loss status also disappears from his status bar. Sniper Continuous Shooting From a distance, Li Keer utters softly, and her crossbow bursts into radiance, a series of translucent crossbow bolts shooting towards the hunchedback zombie like a line. Song Jian feels a jolt of surprise in his heart. Li Keers skill inflicts tremendous damage and could easily cause OT. If the BOSS is attracted by Li Keers attack, Song Jian wouldnt stand a chance at drawing the BOSSS attention back to himself in such a short period. Dozens of crossbow bolts cruelly penetrate the hunched zombies back, a series of damage points floating over the BOSSS head. As the BOSSS attention starts to wander, Song Jian, out of desperation, wields his dagger and stabs at the BOSS in a haphazard flurry. Tusk Fang Stinger, after all, is a blue-quality dagger. Even without any active attack skills, each of Song Jians attacks could cause about ten points of damage to the BOSS. Within a few seconds, Song Jian manages to attack the BOSS three times, stacking the Poison Mark up to five layers. Seeing the BOSS turn to charge at Li Keer, Song Jian yells out, Explode! A dense green powder-like mist bursts out from the BOSSS body, detonating the five-layer Poison Mark, causing over a hundred points of damage to the hunched zombie directly. The hunched zombie only sways a bit before continuing its charge at Li Keer. Song Jians left hand presses hard on the ground, a tusk-shaped air mass hastily forms, its piercing whistle echoing as it lunges at the hunched zombie. Earth Teeth Assault! Boom- Blood splatters from the legs of the hunched zombie, both legs soften, and it falls to its knees. Its heavy body collides with the ground, causing a tremor akin to an earthquake. The sight before him left Zhao Sihai, who was hundreds of meters away, utterly terrified. Fie had only heard the bosss roar previously, unable to enter the park hence unable to see the boss proper. Now seeing how terrifyingly powerful the boss was, he was both astounded and relieved; If I were there, I would probably be killed instantly. Zhao Sihai silently thought to himself. Utilizing his eight-times scope, Zhao Sihai kept his sights locked onto the bosss head, prepared to land the final hit at any moment. As long as he was able to inflict damage, he could collect the spoils of war. Once the boss is killed, only a heavily injured Song Jian and a little girl will remain; wont 1 be the ultimate winner then? A sinister smile fluttered at the corner of Zhao Sihais mouth; Seeing the boss lunge towards her, Li Keer was frightened so much that she was slightly shaking, her face paling, but she didnt run, continuously using her crossbow to attack; every strike accompanied by a jump to a spot further away from the boss. She was gradually getting a hang of the Jumping Shot skill; With the use of the Earth Teeth Assault skill, he finally attracted the bosss attention. The boss, like a massive tank, charged towards Song Jian after getting up from the ground; Boom-! The ground quaked. Song Jians face turned ashen at the bosss awe-inspiring momentum, knowing that he would be instantly killed if hit head-on by the boss; In a rush, Song Jian dodged behind a Yin Soul Ghost Tree. The boss, with a bellow, charged full-force into the big tree, causing it to split in half and the upper part of its trunk to fly back with a whoosh; A gust of fierce wind made Song Jian lose more than thirty vitality points just by being hit by the wind and wood shavings. Nevertheless, he managed to evade the bosss attack; In a single leap, Song Jian landed on the bosss back, grabbed the edge of the stele with one hand, and brandished his dagger towards the back of the bosss neck with the other hand. The boss stood upright, continuously trying to reach backward, but was unable to touch Song Jian; One strike, two strikes, three strikes Tusk Fang Stinger finally broke the bosss defense, fiercely penetrating his flesh. Purple-black blood splattered out, and a critical hit with over 60 points of damage drifted above the bosss head; With its vitality points already falling below two hundred, the boss, whose original vitality points were 600, frenziedly crashed its back into a Ghost Tree in an attempt to shake Song Jian off. Seeing that the Poison Mark was once again stacked to five layers, Song Jian quickly shouted, Burst!; The explosion of another green mist caused the boss to stumble and fall to the ground. Song Jian took the opportunity to roll off, raised his dagger high in both hands, and brutally stabbed it down into the bosss single eye on his forehead; Damn it, I cant wait any longer, if I do, the boss will be killed by him! Seeing the bosss vitality points dropping to less than a hundred, Zhao Sihais heart pounded as he aimed for the bosss head and pulled the trigger; The boss, seeing Song Jian thrust towards his eye, displayed an expression of terror on his face, letting out a roar as he violently turned to the side; Boom-! A loud rumble echoed as a sniper bullet fiercely burrowed into the bosss shoulder blade, directly blowing half of his shoulder into a spray of flesh; Someone is stealing my kill! Song Jian was startled, seeing that the boss had only a dozen or so vitality points remaining, he hurriedly swung his dagger, harvesting the last dozen points of vitality; The boss, drained of vitality, struggled to get up, but his movements grew weaker and weaker. Eventually, he collapsed, with a large puddle of purple-black tainted blood seeping out slowly from beneath him; Song Jian didnt have time to check the bosss drops, he quickly used a Vitality Recovery Fruit, while darting behind a Ghost Tree; By now, Keer had already crouched down and began hiding away. Watching his vitality points being gradually restored, Song Jians expression turned increasingly stern. Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Little Purple Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Little Purple Translator: 549690339 Ever since entering the park, Song Jian had always felt he was being watched, understanding that someone was attempting to be a sneak attacker. Thus, while battling monsters, he dedicated half of his attention to his surroundings; What Song Jian didnt expect was that Zhao Sihai was using a long-range sniper rifle, observing them with eight-times magnification, which is why he didnt notice anything suspicious. Getting distracted during a battle with a boss is life-threatening, getting distracted in front of a tomb-bearing zombie is just as good as committing suicide; If the tomb-bearing zombie hadnt flinched from Song Jian poking its eye, causing it to twist its body, the shot would have hit directly, causing weak point damage, the boss would really have been taken by this sneak attacker; Thinking about it, Song Jian broke out in a cold sweat: If he aimed for me and not the boss Thinking of that, Song Jian immediately pulled out a Vitality Recovery Fruit, bumping his vitality, which had dropped below half, back up; Little Cheap Brother, someone wants to steal our monster! From a distance, Li Keer yelled out in frustration; I know, Keer, be careful, dont show your head. Hes carrying a sniper rifle, he might blow your head off! Song Jian replied; Li Keer hid behind the Ghost Tree, her little eyes flickering, her brows furrowed. After thinking for a while, she took out a fingernail-sized egg from her inventory. The eggs shell was purple, with tiny golden specks on it, looking like stars. Looks like I have to hatch it now! Li Keer sighed like a grown-up, frowning as she pricked her finger, squeezing the wound hard; This was a pet egg, probably the first one in the game. Li Keer received a task to enhance the attributes of the pet egg, but she hadnt had time to complete it yet. If she hatched it now, the enhancement task would fail; Li Keer frowned, struggling for a while, only managing to squeeze out a drop of blood which she smeared onto the shell of the egg; When the blood touched the eggshell, it stirred for a moment before slowly dissipating, as if it was absorbed by the egg. In an instant, a dazzling golden light appeared. Crack crack- Cracks began to form on the eggshells surface and in a short while, a translucent bird the size of a fist emerged from the shell; The eggshell began to slowly dissolve and as the little bird bent down to eat it all, its body seemed to grow a little more; After fluffing up its feathers twice, the little bird took flight, hovering in front of Keer; The bird was covered in light purple feathers, its ruby-red eyes two bright spots on its translucent body, making it look like a piece of crystal artwork; Youre purple, so Ill call you Little Purple. Keer looked at the bird, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile, as she reached out to pat its head. Chirp chirp- Little Purple chirped as if in agreement with the name she had given; Little Purple, find the person who wants to attack us! Lee Keer commanded; The air around Little Purple began to ripple, making her formerly translucent body fully invisible, just like a body of clear fluid in motion. If you didnt look carefully, you would have difficulty spotting her; Leaving a vague trace in the air, Little Purple flew into the distance; Keers eyes were half-closed, her vision now synchronized with Little Purple, feeling as if she herself were flying through the air. She flew over the forest, crossing a small path, and in the middle of a dried-up lake, in an abandoned wooden pavilion, Zhao Sihai was lying on a bench, aiming his sniper rifle at the tree where Song Jian was hiding; Damn it, if it the boss hadnt moved, the last hit would have been mine! Zhao Sihai was burning with rage, his eyes glowing red; The person who landed the last hit on the boss would get one-third of the experience points. For a seventh level boss monster, one-third of its experience points were enough for Zhao Sihai to level up once more. Now, Zhao Sihai had only inflicted over a hundred points of damage on the boss, earning him just over a hundred experience points. This amount of experience was equivalent to killing a normal mutated zombie. Although he also earned the right to collect the dropped items, how on earth could Zhao Sihai now dare to fight over the spoils with Song Jian? Once I kill you, everything will be mine! Zhao Sihai had already noticed five or six items that the boss had dropped beside it. There were two blue-quality items, the rest green-quality, and even one item emanating an intense black light. All this nearly drove Zhao Sihai insane with jealousy. I should have shot that kid first instead of trying to nab the last hit on that boss! Zhao Sihai regretted a bit; However, this thought was fleeting. If he hadnt inflicted any damage on the boss, he wouldnt have been able to claim the loot from the boss. If the dropped loot remained unclaimed, it would disappear after a period of time instead of letting someone else profit from it; You jerk, so it was you, hmph! With her eyes closed, Li Keer huffed softly and looked towards the direction where Song Jian was hiding. At this moment, while Song Jian was hidden behind a tree, he was unsure of what to do next. He knew the range of the sniper rifle was wide, and only from hearing the gunshots could he tell that the person aiming at him was in the direction of the park entrance, but he had no idea where exactly the person was. What should I do? Just drag it out until nightfall? Song Jian furrowed his brow; If it dragged on until nightfall, he could take advantage of the night to search for that person. However, monsters became more violent at night, and that person wouldnt keep watching him. Furthermore, even if that person were to leave, Song Jian wouldnt know; Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Li Keers voice. Little Cheap Brother, I found that guy. Im sharing my vision with you, accept it! Soon, a system notification popped up in front of Song Jian; System: Player Li Keer has requested vision sharing with you, do you agree? Shared vision? What kind of skill is that? Song Jian was confused but chose to accept nonetheless. Song Jian immediately felt as if he had gained another pair of eyes, which were looking at the ground from the air. For a moment, he felt slightly dizzy, and quickly closed his eyes to feel better; Thats the little pavilion in the middle of the park? Through Little Purples vision, Song Jian surveyed the surroundings, finally identifying the persons whereabouts; This little pavilion was at least five to six hundred meters away from the ghost tree forest where Song Jian was hiding. No wonder he had only vaguely sensed someones gaze but couldnt identify that persons location; So its you, hmph, as long as I know where you are, things will become much easier. Just you wait! Song Jians eyes flashed with a murderous intent; In this game, Song Jian had always been reluctant to hunt down players. After all, everyone only had one life in the game. If you die in the game, you die in real life as well. But now, Song Jian had sentenced Zhao Sihai to death in his heart; Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Small Pavilion Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Small Pavilion Translator: 549690339 | Zhao Sihais eight-fold scope was always aiming at the Ghost Tree where Song Jian was hiding. Each shot with the M24 required the bolt to be pulled back. The time it took was short for ordinary people, but for Song Jian who was already at level seven, a second or two was enough time to do a lot of things. Therefore, even though Zhao Sihai still had the upper hand, he was panicking on the inside, daring not to let his guard down for a moment. Sweat was slowly seeping from Zhao Sihais forehead. Afraid to wipe it away, he watched as a drop slid pass his eyebrows, and fell into his eye. Zhao Sihai felt a sting and involuntarily twitched his eye. Just then, the Ghost Tree he had been aiming at suddenly had a shadow dart out from the left. Zhao Sihai pulled the trigger instinctively. Bang- With a loud bang, a look of joy filled Zhao Sihais face. Hit! he exclaimed. But before Zhao Sihai could even get up, through his eight-fold scope, he saw another figure dash out from the right side of the Ghost Tree. The object he hit earlier turned out to be nothing more than a worn-out blood-stained shirt. Damn, how can this be! Zhao Sihai was momentarily panicked, quickly pulled the bolt back, but when he went to aim at Song Jian again, he found the man had begun to serpentinely move. After Song Jian used his shirt to obscure Zhao Sihais view, he rushed from behind the Ghost Tree towards Zhao Sihais position, zigzagging his way through treetops and rocks, avoiding the enemys line of sight. With Song J fans agility of level 5, his running speed could already rival an elite human athlete. Zhao Sihai was caught off guard, trying to predict Song Jians movement to secure a hit. Bang- Another Ghost Tree behind Song Jian was shot, leaving a large crater the size of a bowl. Zhao Sihais right hand shook slightly as he pulled back the rifle bolt again, searching for Song Jian. Bang, bang,bang- Wood chips flew, rocks crumbled. Song Jian managed to avoid several attacks from Zhao Sihai by relying on his own speed and surrounding objects. After several empty shots, Zhao Sihai slowly began to panic. Seeing his ammo pouch was reduced to only five or six bullets, he didnt dare to shoot recklessly. He took a glance at the dry lake in the center of the pavilion and the wide-open area dozens of meters around him and felt a little relieved. Even if he manages to close in, without any cover around here, he can only be an easy target for me! Zhao Sihai muttered to himself. Sniper bullets were too expensive. Zhao Sihai had only managed to buy regular bullets for his sniper rifle. The higher-damage explosive and armor-piercing bullets were merely a fantasy for him. If not for Song Jian giving him thirty Doomsday Coins yesterday, he wouldnt have been able to afford even these few bullets. After Song Jian threw out his coat, he revealed a Zombie Commander Armor on his upper body. The metal scales shimmered under the sun, making Song Jian look like a medieval warrior launching an assault to his enemies. After reaching a large rock on the edge of the Central Lake, Song Jian began to rest, panting heavily. The short distance of a few hundred meters had taken a lot out of him, leaving him on the verge of life and death, like dancing on the edge of a cliff where any misstep could lead to disaster. He consumed another Vitality Recovery Fruit, refilling his Vitality Points. Now, there were only three Vitality Recovery Fruits1 left in his inventory. If it werent for you, my losses wouldnt have been this great! Song Jian cursed inwardly. items like the Vitality Recovery Fruit was like a trump card that could turn the tide of the battle before any healing potions were available. If not for it, Song Jian wouldnt have dared to charge at Zhao Sihai. Instead, he would have picked up the loot dropped by the boss and run away immediately. Come on, I want to see how youre going to cross! Zhao Sihai was staring at the rock several dozen meters away, mumbling to himself. Song Jian, hiding behind the rock, was out of ideas for a moment. The emptiness in front of him was a wide-open field plus a dried-up Central Lake. If he wanted to get to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, it would take at least ten seconds; enough time for the other side to shoot five to six rounds. Without any cover, Song Jian didnt dare to bet his life on the opponents accuracy. Keer, can you distract him for a bit? Give me a few seconds, that would be enough! Song Jian turned to Li Keer who was hiding a few Ghost Trees away from him. Emmmm, Little Cheap Brother, I can let Little Purple distract him, but Little Purples attack is too weak, Im afraid she couldnt last long Keer seemed hesitant. Its fine, a few seconds will do Song Jians spirit perked up. With just a few seconds, he could rush within ten meters of the man. By that time, an Earth Teeth Assault would surely make the man regret his life! Alright then. Keer seemed a bit hesitant. Little Purple had just been summoned, her attack was extremely weak. Even an ordinary human being could kill her easily if they managed to grab her. Little Purple, attack that man! Ke er commanded mentally. Chirp chirp- A sound from Little Purple came across Keers ear. Zhao Sihai wiped the sweat from the corner of his eye during the pause. His breathing began to increase, tightly staring at the rock. The moment he noticed any movements, he would pull the trigger. He has at most half vitality left. All 1 need is one shot, and 1 can bring him down. I still have the upper hand! Zhao Sihai analyzed calmly, self-motivating himself. Just then, Zhao Sihai suddenly felt a weak current of air coming from above. He looked up instinctively but found nothing. Study it carefully, Zhao Sihai suddenly widened his eyes, what was that? About a dozen meters above his head, a transparent mass of air was falling quickly towards him. The fist-sized mass, barely noticeable unless you had sharp eyes like Zhao Sihai, was incredibly fast. Before Zhao Sihai could even react, the thing landed on his face with a smack. A sharp pain came from his right eye, a critical hit of over 30 points floated above his head. System: Li Keers pet Little Purple has attacked you, causing a critical damage of 32 points to your right eye, leading to functional damage. Your right eye is blinded. Ah, whats this On reflex, Zhao Sihai sprang up from the wooden bench, waving his arms wildly to guard his face. Blood trickled from his right eye, staining half of his face red. The muscles on his face twisted in pain. Zhao Sihais mind went blank as the sudden attack sent him into a panic. At this moment, Song Jian, like a freed tiger, rushed towards the small pavilion in the center of the lake. Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Understanding Skills Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Understanding Skills Translator: 549690339 Hey, well done, Little Purple! Seeing how Little Purple had inflicted over thirty critical damage points on Zhao Sihai, Li Keer was so excited that she nearly jumped for joy. Little Purple was just freshly hatched, and nearly had no attack power. Its main purpose right now was to share its field of vision and to act as a scout. For Song Jians sake, Li Keer was ready to sacrifice Little Purple, but she did not expect such an astonishing outcome. Taking advantage of this moment, Song Jian had already rushed into the dried-up central lake. However, he did not run in a straight line, but continued with his zigzag route. Zhao Sihai was swaying his hands about, trying to shoo away Little Purple. He couldnt see Little Purple but he could sense its presence. I seem to have overlooked somethingZhao Sihai suddenly realized with a change in expression. Damn, that guy will seize this opportunity to charge at me. Only now did he remember Song Jian. Despite the stinging pain in his eyes, he gazed out of the wooden pavilion to see Song Jian who had already sprinted into the central lake and was rapidly heading towards him. Ignoring Little Purple, Zhao Sihai quickly picked up his sniper rifle. Without even using the scope, he pulled the trigger in Song Jians direction. Boom- Less than one foot to the left of Song Jian, dirt spewed up to three feet high, forming a large, deep pit on the ground. Even while sprinting, Song Jian continually switched directions to dodge. The power of the sniper rifle was too great for Song Jian not to defend against. Boom, Boom, Boom- After missing several shots, Zhao Sihai was left with just two sniper bullets. His eyes glistening with a wolf-like determination. If he doesnt die, then 1 will! Taking a deep breath, he endured the excruciating pain to calm himself. Little Purple was constantly attacking him from above, pecking at his head. But it didnt do much damage, occasionally jumping out a number -1 or -2. Song Jian was getting closer and closer to the wooden pavilion, but Zhao Sihai didnt pull the trigger. He just stood there like a statue, aiming his sniper rifle at Song Jian. Thirty meters Twenty-five meters Twenty meters Song Jian was getting closer and closer to Zhao Sihai. Zhao Sihai held his sniper rifle, its barrel slightly swinging but never leaving Song Jians body. He knew he didnt have many chances. If he failed, and Song Jian got close, Song Jian would definitely not let him go. In the dark, Zhao Sihai felt that even with his eyes closed, he could still sense Song Jians presence. His spirit had locked on him, even with his eyes shut, he could see his opponents charging movements. Thats the feeling, thats it Zhao Sihai trembled with excitement. He felt that his next shot would definitely hit Song Jian. He had never been so confident. Boom- As Song Jian charged within a range of ten meters, Zhao Sihai finally pulled the trigger. This shot was aimed perfectly in Song Jians path, making it seem as if Song Jian had run into the bullet himself. A colossal vitality loss of one hundred and eighty points floated above Song Jians head. His body violently convulsed, revealing a patch of shattered armor around the size of a fist on his shoulder with radial fractures around it. Behind the broken armor was a bloody, deep hole where you could see white bones, blood vessels, and nerve tissues. His entire left shoulder seemed to be on the verge of being ripped off. Song Jian felt a burst of severe pain, then a numbness spread from the wound. He could no longer feel his left shoulder, and his left arm was hanging limply, swinging back and forth with his momentum. I hit him! Zhao Sihai thrilled inwardly. System: You have understood the skill Hearts Eye in combat. A melodious system prompt resounded by Zhao Sihais ear, making him burst into laughter. Haha, fortune favors the brave. Just like in real life, you have to dare to fight in the game too. I will definitely make a name for myself in this bizarre game! Zhao Sihai laughed uproariously. He hadnt realized that even though he had hit Song Jian with one shot, he didnt kill him. In Zhaos mind, nobody could have more than a hundred and fifty vitality points. Even a level seven player, having lost a hundred and eighty vitality points, wouldnt be much different from a corpse. By the time Zhao Sihai looked at Song Jian with a face full of joy, he found Song Jian bending over with his right hand pressing against the ground. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped energy cluster charged towards Zhao Sihai. A deafening sound heralded the arrival of something with a chilling presence, radiating from his neck down his spine to the back of his head. Every hair on his forearm stood on end from the incoming threat. Zhao Sihai had experienced this before when he was kidnapped by a few men dressed in black. When one of them pressed a gun against his forehead, he felt the same way, scaring him enough to wet his pants. How could this happen Zhao Sihai couldnt fathom why Song Jian was still alive but now wasnt the time to ponder this, he needed to dive away. But as he moved, the fang-shaped energy cluster also slightly changed direction, colliding harshly against him. Boom- Zhao Sihais massive body was thrown into the air, suffering more than sixty points of damage, and his legs snapped. His chest and stomach were in severe pain, and a foul taste filled his mouth as he spewed out a mouthful of blood. The original hundred vitality points Zhao Sihai had were reduced to less than five after this hit. System: Your vitality is down to three points, you are in a critical state, and your speed is reduced by 100%. You will die if you dont get effective treatment within 30 seconds! Whywhy is this happening Zhao Sihai looked blankly at the sky, his entire body devoid of energy. He couldnt even twitch his little finger, could only wait silently for death to come. Song Jian glanced at the wound on his left arm, which was the closest he had ever come to death. Being able to personally experience the power of a sniper rifle and not die was something very few people could do in the real world. Surgical Treatment! A ray of white light appeared out of thin air and fell on his wound, instantly making the numb left arm wound feel refreshing. Threads of pain began to emerge and the previous broken bones and bleeding had also disappeared. From severe injury to moderate injury, the potential of this surgical treatment is greater than 1 had imagined! A hint of surprise shone in Song Jians eyes. Standing up, Song Jian looked towards the wooden pavilion, Zhao Sihai was lying on the floor of the pavilion. If it wasnt for the faint rising and falling of his chest, Song Jian would have thought that he was already dead. Sniper rifle! A scorching desire appeared in Song Jians eyes. Such a powerful weapon, once he obtained it, would be a huge boost to his strength. Thinking of this, Song Jian couldnt help but quicken his pace and rushed towards the wooden pavilion. Chapter 78 - Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Destruction Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Destruction Translator: 549690339 Zhao Sihai knew he had lost the gamble, and the bet he placed was his own life. Seeing Song Jian rushing towards him, he accepted his fate with calmness in his eyes. The winner is king, and the loser is the enemy. Huh, this time, Im just unlucky Zhao Sihai muttered softly, his gaze falling on the M24 sniper rifle in his arms. He knew why Song Jian was rushing at him so quickly. His goal was definitely the sniper rifle in his hands. A self-mocking smile appeared on Zhao Sihais face, realizing that he was not even worth a sniper rifle. What 1 cant have, 1 wont let you have either. Hatred appeared on Zhao Sihais face. After staring at the sniper rifle for a moment, he chose to destroy it. Click- A crisp cracking sound came from inside the sniper rifle. The entire gun started to disintegrate, turning into crystal-clear light points and slowly disappearing. Song Jian rushed into the pavilion, only to see the sniper rifle already halfway disintegrated and quickly vanishing. His face turned grim. Haha, theres no way 1 would let you have this sniper rifle. Zhao Sihai laughed heartily, spitting out blood as he spoke to Song Jian. Seeing Song Jians flushed face made Zhao Sihai feel very satisfied. This sniper rifle had immense power. For any player, it was a deadly weapon capable of killing most players instantly from a kilometer away. After disintegrating the sniper rifle, Zhao Sihai closed his eyes, looking ready to die. For a moment, Song Jian couldnt bring himself to attack. Killing him now, isnt it the same as murdering someone in reality? Doubts began to seep into Song Jians heart. His past twenty-year life experience in reality made it hard for him to accept becoming a murderer. While hesitating, Song Jian suddenly noticed the ring on Zhao Sihais right index finger starting to disintegrate into tiny pieces of light. He immediately realized that Zhao Sihai was taking the opportunity to destroy all the items in his inventory and on his body. You deserve to die! Song Jians eyes turned red with anger as he felt a surge of fury rush to his head. His own mercy had become a tool for the other party to mock him with. Song Jian quickly drew his pistol, aimed it at Zhao Sihais forehead, and pulled the trigger. Bang! A hole as thick as a finger appeared on Zhao Sihais forehead. System: You have killed player Zhao Sihai. The system determines this as self-defense; this kill does not increase your Kill Value. Zhao Sihais mouth curled up slightly, as if mocking Song Jians tenderness, giving him the opportunity to destroy all the items and equipment in his inventory. Song Jian realized that Zhao Sihai was destroying all the items he had, which filled him with rage and led him to kill Zhao Sihai. But after calming down and looking at Zhao Sihais body, a complex feeling emerged in his heart. With a soft sigh, Song Jian felt as if he had stepped onto a completely different path. After Zhao Sihais death, a package emitting a faint glow appeared next to his body. It contained all the supplies he had left behind. When a character dies in the game, all the items in their inventory and on their body will drop. Song Jian shook his head and touched the package. Immediately, a supply interface appeared before his eyes. Just as expected, Zhao Sihai had almost destroyed all his items. In the supply interface, only three items were left: a bullet for a 7.72 mm M24 sniper rifle, three Doomsday Coins, and a Skill Scroll. Doomsday Coins cannot be destroyed. The sniper rifle bullet was obviously left behind by Zhao Sihai to mock Song Jian, but the appearance of the Skill Scroll surprised Song Jian. Why would he leave me a Skill Scroll? Song Jian raised his eyebrows somewhat disbelievingly. The value of a Skill Scroll was huge. Even basic passive skills were sold for more than five hundred Doomsday Coins in the Doomsday Supermarket. Song Jian focused on the Skill Scroll, and soon, the properties of the Skill Scroll slowly emerged. Skill Scroll: Eye of the Mind; Effect, use to acquire Eye of the Mind skill. Eye of the Mind (Active), first level, skill effect, using mental lock on target has a 15% chance to find the targets weak spot without alerting the target. Can be used in conjunction with other skills; Skill cost: 10 Spirit Points. Beneath the properties of the Skill Scroll was a line of yellow text explaining. If the items dropped from the target upon death is less than three kinds, a random skill from the targets skill bar will be dropped! This system is quite ruthless. Although it says its random, I bet its taken the most valuable skill from Zhao Sihais skill bar. Song Jian took a deep breath, realizing that if it wasnt for Zhao Sihai destroying all his items and equipment, this skill wouldnt have appeared in the supply interface. This is clearly a support skill, and whats more, it consumes Spirit Points. 1 finally have a mainstream skill. Song Jian always believed that skills should consume Spirit Points, not Vitality Points. The active skills he had before all consumed Vitality Points, which made Song Jian feel that those skills consuming Vitality Points were all non-mainstream. Emptied the supply interface, Song Jian decided to use the Skill Scroll. Little Cheap Brother, lets quickly pick up the items dropped by the boss. Li Keer shouted from the dried-up lakeside. Right, there are still the items dropped by the boss! Song Jian slapped his forehead, almost forgetting about it. He threw a glance back at Zhao Sihais body, let out a sigh, and rushed to the stone forest. The two quickly returned to the stone forest. In the middle of the toppled stone tablets lay the body of the undead zombie beast, with several items dropped next to it. Why is this item emitting black light? Li Keer curiously picked up the only item emitting black light. Items in the game were categorized based on their quality, ranging from damaged, ordinary, excellent, to outstanding, assigned the colors grey, white, green, and blue respectively. Beyond these were the rare silver and gold items. But black items were unheard of. This looks like the stone tablet carried on the back of the boss its an accessory, but the attributes are trash, only increases one Vitality Point! Li Keer read the black items attributes and immediately scrunched her face, tossing it to Song Jian. Little Cheap Brother, this item can be brought back to the real world. You should keep it. Li Keer smiled cutely as she spoke. Unknown Tablet (Black), Accessory, Equip Effect: Increase one Vitality Point; Use Requirement: none; Can be brought out of the game: yes. Song Jian shook his head and placed the stone tablet into the inventory column. Li Keer then picked up two blue-quality items, one in each hand, scrutinizing them with furrowed brows, seemingly finding it difficult to make a decision. After a long while, Li Keer handed the item in her right hand to Song Jian and said, Little Cheap Brother, we each get a blue-quality item. This one is for you! Chapter 79 - Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Pendant Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Pendant Translator: 549690339 Song Jian could naturally see the properties of these two items. The remarkable item given to him by Li Keer was called Reality Pouch Extension Slot, which could expand the pouch column to carry an additional item into the real world; And the item Li Keer chose was a blue-quality hat. This hat, fashioned like an owl, came with an Eagle Eye Skill that offered a +10 vision effect; Li Keer must have liked the design of this hat, as she hesitated for a while before choosing it; Of the other remaining green-quality materials, Song Jian only chose the ones useful for making medicine, giving the rest to Li Keer; After splitting the loot, the two shared a smile and continued to gather Yin Soul Ghost Trees; Song Jian immediately used the Reality Pouch Extension Slot. His pouch originally had just one gold-bordered slot. Now, there were two, meaning that Song Jian could bring two items from the game into the real world each time he exited the game; Song Jian was unsure whether further Yin Soul Ghost Trees would appear after these ones had been gathered. While ordinary trees used to grow back the day after they were chopped down, some special trees, like the pine tree that emitted a golden light, would not reappear; Heave-ho, heave-ho Just as Song Jian was gathering the Yin Soul Ghost Trees, he glanced at Li Keer and saw her wielding a small pickaxe, hammering at a stele; Song Jian was shocked and hurriedly asked, Keer, what are you doing? Li Keer turned her head and smiled, Little Cheap Brother, Im gathering stone materials. Its easier to extract than tree materials. These steles could also be gathered? Song Jian was taken aback. After all, these steles had perhaps been around for hundreds of years, and the inscriptions on them might have been written by someone famous. Each one was a historical relic. Looking at the shattered steles that Li Keer struck apart, Song Jian was left speechless; Alright then, its just a game after all, Song Jian thought to himself; Time flew by quickly. Hours later, Song Jian had completely gathered all the Yin Soul Ghost Trees around him, leaving behind nothing but low stumps. By now, he had more than a hundred thousand units of wood in his inventory, including thirteen Yin Soul Woods; Glancing at the sky, he noticed that quite some time remained before sunset. Song Jian looked at Li Keer then began walking toward a stele; Thump, thump, thump- After three hits, the stele shattered, and a white light flew into Song Jians inventory; Three hundred and sixty-eight units of stone materials. How can there be so many? Song Jian was startled. Looking at the steles, there were several hundred. This made Song Jian excited, Seems like I can gather all the resources for my safe house construction today. Haha! System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 2; The efficiency of mining rocks increased by 10% System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 3; The efficiency of mining rocks increased by 15% System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 4; The efficiency of mining rocks increased by 20% In just a few hours, Song Jian gathered hundreds of steles. Perhaps because these steles have a higher level than the usual stones, Song Jians Mining Skill improved rapidly. In a matter of hours, it had already upgraded to Level 4; Little Cheap Brother, its getting dark. Should we leave? Li Keer checked the sky. It was about six or seven in the evening, half an hour more till nightfall. Glancing at his inventory, his stone materials were nearly a hundred thousand units. Ahead were around thirty to fifty steles. After some hesitation, Song Jian gritted his teeth and said, Lets gather all these steles before we go. Monsters regained their original properties and doubled their strength at night. Ordinary players couldnt compete with them. Only Song Jian dared to venture out in the night; The world gradually grew darker and quieter. Li Keer was no longer gathering stones but stayed close to Song Jian instead. From time to time, she looked fearfully into the pitch darkness; Theres one last stele. Well go back after gathering it, Song Jian rubbed Li Keers head comfortingly; Alright, alright. It feels scary here at night, Li Keer nodded; Song Jian swung his fists at the last stele; Clang- Phew-Its so hard! Song Jian felt as though he had hit an alloy of steel. The stele did not budge, and the recoil made it feel as if his hand bones would snap; Just then, a silver gleam from the crescent moon in the sky fell on the stele, which immediately absorbed it, plunging the surroundings back into darkness; Song Jian blinked. What had just happened was momentary and felt like an illusion. He turned to look at Li Keer, who was staring with her mouth agape and a surprised look on her face; This stele seems different from the others Song Jian mumbled, stroking his chin; Has this stele become spirit-possessed? Li Keer suddenly suggested; I hope not Song Jian frowned. The moonlight being absorbed earlier by the stele was very reminiscent of the shadow he saw on the roof. This made him start to have second thoughts; After waiting for a long time without anything unusual happening, Song Jian threw a punch out of curiosity. Crack, a crack on the steles surface appeared, running from top to bottom; Crack, crack- Watch, in shock, the stele emitted a series of cracking sounds. And in just a short while, the entire meter-high stele shattered before Song Jians eyes; Song Jian glanced at his fist. The pain from the first punch had just subsided and the second one had managed to shatter the entire stele. It felt a bit unrealistic; System: You have gathered 3000 units of stone materials; System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 5; Mining Skill: Passive, Level 5, Efficiency of mining rocks increased by 30%, and chances of obtaining rare stones increased by 10%; The three thousand units of stone materials were five to six times more than what he got from the other steles. Furthermore, Song Jian had only recently reached Level 4 in his Mining Skill. There was still a long way to go before reaching Level 5. But now, it had unexpectedly maxed out; Is this what sudden happiness feels like? Song Jian felt like a giant pie had hit him in the head, leaving him feeling slightly dizzy and hypoxic; The last stele had disintegrated into a pile of rubble, leaving behind a three-inch-high stump. On the smooth surface of the stump was a pendant-like item that appeared out of nowhere and was gleaming; This pendant-like item looked like a hollow Hexagram Array and was made of a peculiar metal; Whoosh- The moment the pendant appeared, before Song Jian could react, it flew toward him as if it had a mind of its own, disappeared into his body; Suddenly, Song Jian felt a burning sensation in his chest. When he lifted his armor, he saw a pattern identical to the pendant on his chest. The pattern was slightly raised, as if it had grown out from his muscle; Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Chapter 80: The Villa is Occupied Chapter 80: Chapter 80: The Villa is Occupied Translator: 549690339 Night Slayer (Foundation), Category: Integrated Hexagram Array, Usage Effect 1: At night, attack power increases by 15%; Usage Effect 2: At night, automatically absorbs moon essence to enhance physical qualities; Usage Effect 3: At night, capable of morphing into a dark cloud, immune to physical attacks, increases resistance by 100%, and can fly on air, inflicting (30+200%*Spirit) damage to targets within range every 10 seconds, dark cloud state lasts for 60 seconds, consumes 1 Spirit Point per second, cooldown time 30 minutes, this skill can be actively released and canceled prematurely; Usage Effect 4: Can be embedded with six spirit talismans to further increase power; What is this thing? Song Jian was somewhat surprised, looking at the Hexagram Star pattern attributes that had merged into his body. Little Cheap Brother, what happened to you? Keer asked Song Jian curiously, Why did you take off your clothes? Cant you see the pattern on my chest? Song Jian looked blank and asked back. What pattern? Theres nothing on your chest! Keer looked confused. Could it be that only 1 can see it? Song Jian muttered to himself. Little Cheap Brother, lets go quickly. Its so dark here, and Im a little scared! Keer whispered, grabbing Song Jians clothes. Alright, alright, lets leave right away Song Jian smiled slightly, holding Keers hand as they walked out of the park. The night was a time for monsters to rampage, and the roars and howls of various creatures echoed around them. Each one emitted a ferocious aura. Song Jian, holding Keer, summoned his motorcycle and raced towards the highway. Yesterday, the mutated zombies on the highway were cleaned up, but they were reappearing one by one. It wouldnt be long before the highway was once again swarming with zombies just like before. In just a matter of minutes, Song Jian arrived back at Camel Square. Keer, do you want to go back to your place or come with me to my safe house? Song Jian asked. Perhaps it was because they were back in familiar territory, but Keer was once again as lively as ever. She jumped off the motorcycle and waved to Song Jian, Little Cheap Brother, 111 go back to my own safe house. That bar is a great place, and 1 want to keep it for myself. I cant let anyone else take it away from me. Song Jian nodded and said, Alright, if theres anything, just have Little Purple come look for me. This game surprisingly didnt allow players to add friends, nor did it have various channels, something Song Jian complained about more than once. Watching Keer leave, Song Jian headed towards his own safe house. As soon as he approached the villas wall, Song Jian could hear noise coming from inside, as if there were many people in there. Song Jians face darkened. He had spent thousands of wood and hundreds of stone materials to fortify the villas walls. Ordinary mutated zombies wouldnt be able to break through its defenses. But he didnt expect that just after leaving for a day, someone had occupied the place. Seeing the broken door, Song Jians face became even grimmer, and the anger in his heart erupted. Without any countermeasures, even the strongest defenses would be destroyed by people. Song Jian entered the courtyard and discovered five or six people gathered around a bonfire. The door of the villa had traces of being hammered and chiseled, indicating they were attempting to enter the villa but hadnt managed to break through yet. The main door of the villa had lower defenses compared to the courtyard gate, but if they wanted to destroy it, that low-level defense wouldnt stand a chance against them. Perhaps they were too tired or had exhausted too much energy breaking the courtyard gate, so they hadnt entered the villa yet. Boss, this place has such good defenses, do you think someone chose it as their safe house? A17 or 18-year-old teenager asked worriedly by the bonfire. Hmph, even if there is someone, it must be a lone wolf. We have so many people, do we need to be afraid of them? A twentysomething with red hair scooped canned food with his hands, eating and talking at the same time. Thats right, there are so many of us, and our boss is already a level 4 guy. With him around, no one dares to mess with us! The other few people chimed in loudly. Zhao Liu had a smug smile on his face, eyeing the villas wall. When he went hunting for mutated zombies today, he had spotted the wall made of level 3 wood and level 1 stone, which required a large amount of wood and stone materials. He knew that just by doing some mental calculations, it would take at least 10,000 units of wood to build a level 3 wooden wall around the villa. Perhaps this person spends every day gathering materials, so thats how they collected so much wood and stone. But their own level mustnt be high, and they must be very weak in strength. Zhao Liu thought to himself. At that moment, a teenager sitting next to Zhao Liu screamed and retreated, hiding behind Zhao Liu as if seeing a ghost. B-boss, look over there, theres a zombie Zhao Liu was startled and frowned when he heard the words theres a zombie. He slapped the boys head and scolded him, Fuck! Havent you seen a zombie before? Ive killed more than a dozen by myself! Theres nothing to be afraid of! Several people looked over to see a dark figure slowly approaching them from the courtyard gate. Brothers, grab your weapons; its just one Zhao Liu stood up and shouted loudly. Boss, it seems, it doesnt seem to be a zombie. Its a person! someone hesitated. Zhao Liu was taken aback and squinted his eyes. Indeed, the other party was wearing metal armor, holding a dagger, and displayed a level above their head. Zhao Lius heart skipped a beat. Level 7! A bad feeling surged in his heart, and he quickly sheathed his weapon and put on a smiling face, Brother, I wonder what business you have in our base? Zhao Liu deliberately emphasized the word base, hoping that the person in front of him would back off. Your base? Song Jian smiled and opened his minds safety valve completely after killing Zhao Sihai. He no longer had any scruples about killing. In this world, there are always some people who want to dig their own graves! Song Jian had an inexplicable surge of rage in his heart. He didnt notice that on his chest, the Hexagram Star Array diagram was faintly emitting black light. Either get the fuck out of my house, or die! Song Jian spoke coldly, his right hand gripping the dagger tightly. What did you say, kid? The group of people surrounding the bonfire all stood up, pulling out their weapons. Some were armed with knives and swords, some with firearms, all aimed at Song Jian. A touch of coldness appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. The highest level among these people was only level 4, and most of them were level 2 or 3 players, hardly any different from ordinary people in Song Jians eyes. These people had vitality points between 70 and 100. With Song Jians current strength, he could essentially kill one with a single strike, and their attacks wouldnt pose a threat to Song Jian, who had over 200 vitality points. It would only consume at most half of his vitality and result in all of them being killed. Song Jian stooped down slightly, preparing to make his move. Zhao Liu noticed the expression on Song Jians face and seemed to think of something terrifying. He hurriedly shouted, Everyone, put your fucking weapons away, or do you want to die? Hurry, put them away! Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Bonfire Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Bonfire Translator: 549690339 The crowd, hearing Zhao Lius words, froze simultaneously. Even Song Jian paused, suppressing the rage boiling within him, and looked over at Zhao Liu. Apologies. We didnt know that this villa was already occupied, Zhao Liu moved forward with his face full of smiles and bowed, Im sincerely sorry for the intrusion. We will leave at once. Dammit, you got me all mixed up. Song Jians expression remained emotionless, but the intense killing intent he had been holding back seemed to dissipate, and the sudden surge of violent emotions gradually faded. Watching Zhao Lius repeated efforts to restrain the others and have them put away their weapons, Song Jian suddenly felt a sense of boredom. He waved his hand toward them, indicating for them to leave. Again, my deepest apologies Zhao Liu continued to apologize as he bent over to Song Jian, hastily leading a few people out of the villa. After going several hundred meters, Zhao Liu went pale and started sweating profusely. Boss, what happened just now? A man next to him asked in confusion. Dont ask. Just remember to stay away from him if you see him again. Never confront him directly, or you will die, Zhao Liu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, shaking as he spoke. Boss, hes just a higher rank, isnt he? Whats there to be afraid of? 1 dont believe we cant fight him off with all of us combined. Boss, youre being too After a long hesitation, the man finally found the right word, Merciful! You mean to say I was being too cowardly, right? Didnt you notice? We all had weapons against him and he didnt seem scared at all. In fact, he seemed rather excited. Zhao Liu forcefully slapped the back of the mans head, speaking with a touch of disappointment. Excited? They exchanged glances and felt a chill run down their spines, along with a sense of lingering fear. Hecould he be a serial killer, or fugitive, in the real world? One person hesitantly asked. Alright, lets not talk about him anymore. Just remember what I said. Lets find a place to stay for now, and well look for a new place tomorrow, Zhao Liu slightly regained his color and shook his head. I feel bad about the bonfire 1 just lit, that cost me three pieces of wood. A young man who was shorter than the others muttered softly, but no one paid him any attention. They seemed crestfallen and followed behind Zhao Liu, knowing that it was undoubtedly a blow to their morale to be frightened off by just one person. Watching the six men disappear into the distance, Song Jian felt the killing intent return again. This time, it gave him pause. What has happened to me? Why am I so bloodthirsty? Could it be that killing someone has changed me this way? Have 1 turned into a killer? Song Jian knitted his brows and his thoughts descended into chaos. What he didnt see was a faint light radiating from the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest. All just ants. Killing them would make no difference. The strong one is always destined to stand above all. Life is so fragile, just a slight pinch can end them! Those six men offended you! Chase them down! Kill them all! Kill! This is only a game, slaying others is its eternal theme! Kill them all! Kill, kill, kill Song Jian looked pale as death, sweat dripping from his body. A whisper echoed in his ear, like a girls tantalizing singing, which incited his violent emotions once again. Get out of my head! Song Jian roared furiously, and punched the ground. Bang- The hard ground was dented under his fist. As pain shot up his arm, the whispering in his ear gradually disappeared. Song Jian panted heavily and slumped on the ground. What is happening to me? Song Jians eyes were bloodshot, feeling more weary than the entire fight with the boss. His forehead throbbed and he looked drenched as if he had just come out of water. Looking back, Song Jian was engulfed by fear. He almost transformed into a mindless beast, only knowing to kill. His self-awareness would be gone and even if he survived, he would be no more than a walking corpse. I almost died just now Song Jian gasped, a look of shock flashed in his eyes. System: You have successfully passed the Night Slayer trial, thus your Willpower attribute has increased by 3 points. System: The Night Slayer has begun to merge with you. The fusion will take 12 game hours. After the fusion, your physical characteristics will be greatly improved. So it is this thing Song Jian touched his chest and felt the Hexagram Array Diagram emitting a faint warmth into his body. This warmth was barely noticeable unless he paid close attention to it. Willpower attribute? There isnt such an attribute in the personal interface! Song Jian glanced at the system prompt and was rather puzzled. When he opened his personal interface, he found an additional line of secondary attributes beneath the six major attributes. However, the only thing listed in Song Jians secondary attributes was a single Willpower: 9. There was so much left to explore in this game, Song Jian sighed and closed the attribute interface; After Song Jian regained his composure, a faint silvery radiance appeared in the sky and slowly drifted towards him. After shrouding Song Jian for a few seconds, it gradually disappeared. Even at this point, Song Jian was still brewing in confusion, unsure of how to play this game. But everything seemed to be moving in a good direction. He had enough wood and stones to transform the villa into a safe house recognized by the system and with fusion to his body, Night Slayer could greatly enhance his physical attributes. He just had to wait for 12 hours, then his strength would significantly enhance, making Song Jian cheered up. After suppressing the violent killing intent in his heart, Song Jian finally took a look at the bonfire that was still burning. To his surprise, there was also a set of attribute descriptions above the bonfire. Bonfire: Level 1, Effect 1: Illuminate a radius of three meters, intimidating common beasts that fear fire; Effect 2: Warm a radius of three meters, resisting cold; Effect 3: Enable cooking (must learn Cooking skill); Burn Level: 86/100, Building Requirements: Wood(3), Tinder(i). Having examined the attributes of the bonfire, Song Jians eyes lit upthis seemed to be pretty useful! Song Jian had plenty of wood, only lacking tinder. But wasnt the current bonfire a perfect source of tinder? With this thought, he quickly grabbed three pieces of wood and set them up. Then he took a small flame from the side of the bonfire and lit up the stacked wood. Soon, a blazing fire appeared before his eyes. System: You have successfully lit a bonfire and learnt the skill Bonfire Spell. Bonfire Spell: Level 1, Active Skill, Skill Effect: Construct a blazing bonfire to dispel darkness; Skill Consumption: Wood(3), Mental Strength 1 point. Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Building a Safe House (Part 1) Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Building a Safe House (Part 1) Translator: 549690339 Another skill that consumes mental strength. Song Jian glanced at the description of the comprehended Bonfire Technique, which consumed a little mental strength instead of requiring fire-starting materials, making it more convenient. Otherwise, every time he used the Bonfire Technique, he would have to find fire-starting materials. These materials would disappear after each use, making them quite inconvenient. Now that they were replaced with mental strength, it was a good thing for Song Jian. However, the two skills that consumed mental strength were only auxiliary skills, which was somewhat disappointing. Since there are two bonfires, might as well take this opportunity to clear out the cooking materials in my bag For Song Jian, sixteen slots in the bag were just too small. At this moment, he suddenly thought of Li Keers safe, which was a large storage item with thirty-six slots. Some unnecessary items could be put in there; Im so envious Why do I only have a radio? I dont know what its for. Should I use it to send a distress signal? Song Jian glanced at the radio that had been lying quietly in his bag and couldnt help but sigh. He skewered a piece of zombie meat with a wooden stick and placed it on the bonfire to roast. Soon, a faint fragrance wafted out. System: You have successfully cooked a piece of Roasted Meat, increasing your Cooking Skill experience points by 150 points, and comprehending the recipe for Roasted Meat. Roasted Meat (white): Food, Usage effect: Increases hunger level by 30 points 10 seconds after use when not in combat, restores 3 vitality points per second for 15 seconds. Song Jians eyes lit up; this roasted meat had a good attribute. It could restore 45 vitality points at once, so he no longer needed to worry about being picked off by others after battles due to low vitality. After spending more than three hours, all the meat in the bag was cooked into roasted meat, freeing up a few more slots. As time passed, the bonfires burning degree slowly diminished. When the last bit of burning degree was consumed, the once blazing bonfire visibly weakened rapidly and eventually extinguished, turning into a wisps of blue smoke, leaving only a pile of charred ashes on the ground. At this point, it was already dawn, and all monsters seemed to be returning to their hideouts like tired birds, seeking the dark and cold corners. The entire city fell into dead silence. Its time to complete the main mission. Song Jian looked at the rising sun and thought to himself. Back then, the first player who created a safe house chose to do so at night. They probably didnt know that when creating a safe house it would cause a disturbance of monsters within a one-kilometer radius. During the nighttime, monsters attributes would return to normal, but during the day, their attributes would be halved. Put simply, creating a safe house during daylight would have a difficulty reduced by half compared to creating it at night. Song Jian stood up and stared at the entire villa. Soon, a light green border appeared in his sight. At first, the border covered only the living room of the villa, and a prompt appeared in front of his eyes. System: Do you want to create a safe house? Requires 300 units of wood and 250 units of stone. Song Jian thought, and the green border began to expand from the original single living room, extending to the entire villa. System: Do you want to create a safe house? Requires 3500 units of wood and 3000 units of stone. Song Jian hesitated for a moment before continuing to expand the green border until it covered the entire courtyard, the wall, and even extended nearly a meter outward along the wall before finally choosing to confirm. System: Is your selection finalized? Creating the safe house requires 5000 units of wood and 4100 units of stone. It was a good thing that the walls had already been upgraded to a mix of level three wooden walls and level one stone walls, otherwise, the materials required for creating the safe house now would be even more. The confirm option in front of him kept flashing, reminding Song Jian to make a choice. This choice was a matter of life and death. Song Jian gritted his teeth and selected confirm. Boom- A dull sound seemed to come from under the villa, and monsters within a one-kilometer radius all let out an angry roar. Most of the sleeping monsters gradually awoke, opening their scarlet eyes and looking in the direction of Song Jians villa. A thick green beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping the area Song Jian had chosen. Daytime was when most players ventured out. At this moment, all players saw the thick, towering green light beam, and almost everyones face wore an expression of surprise. At the beginning, the first player to create a safe house had failed, and many people had seen it. Even if they hadnt seen it with their own eyes, they would hear about it from others afterward. Now, seeing someone attempting to create a safe house and complete the main mission, almost all players immediately abandoned their current tasks and rushed towards the direction of the green light beam. Hey, another fearless player. It seems the previous lesson wasnt enough; they must experience it firsthand! We all have the same main mission. It doesnt matter if you stick your neck out or not, better to die early and reincarnate early How big an area do you think this guy chose for his safe house? Ive only gathered over six hundred units of wood and less than five hundred units of stone so far Judging by the size of the light beam, the area of the safe house he chose wouldnt be small. Lets hurry over and take a look In just a few minutes, hundreds of players had gathered around Song Jians villa, forming small groups and whispering among themselves. Keer, is Brother Song preparing to create a safe house? Wang Qi looked at the now-familiar villa and asked the young girl beside him with a surprised face. It should be. Little Cheap Brother didnt even tell me Keer bit her lips as though she was unhappy. Her eyes, filled with worry, were fixed on the villas direction. Creating a safe house is very dangerous. Even if he told you, you wouldnt be able to help him. Wang Qi shook his head and said. Who says 1 cant help Little Cheap Brother? Hmph! Keer took out her crossbow and shot at a swaying mutant zombie walking towards the villa. Pft- A semi-transparent light arrow hit the zombies head, instantly killing it and turning it into a pile of black ash. Count me in, haha, these monsters are so stupid. Their hatred must have been drawn by Brother Song. This is the perfect opportunity to kill more monsters and level up! Wang Qis eyes glinted with excitement, and he laughed. Some clever players around also took advantage of this opportunity to start hunting monsters. Hunting at this time was virtually risk-free. However, most players remained indifferent, staring emotionlessly at the green light beam. At this time, Song Jian had no energy to pay attention to other players. He was fully focused on the transformation interface, trying to create the safe house as perfectly as possible. Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Building a Safe House (Part 2) Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Building a Safe House (Part 2) Translator: 549690339 The moment Song Jian chose to confirm his choice, the wood and stone materials in the package automatically turned into white light and flew out, merging into the villas phantom. The wood and stone materials ceaselessly condensed in mid-air into various shapes, filling every corner of the villa. In a mere thirty seconds, a villa brimming with a medieval style was constructed; After the villa was remodeled, a cream-colored light spread from the villa, extending to the small courtyard. Soon, a system prompt appeared again before Song Jian; System: Eight abandoned fields found. Do you want to rebuild them? Building each field requires a thousand units of wood and 300 units of stone; Song Jians stock of wood and stone materials in his inventory had exceeded a hundred thousand units; for him, this amount of materials was measly, so he casually clicked on Confirm. Swish- The ground of the small courtyard, originally filled with rocky debris, was covered in white light. In no time, it had turned into four fertile fields; System: Field remodel completed. A level 3 safe house can be upgraded to a Spirit Field; Spirit Field? Song Jian was taken aback, but then immediately thought of the Tree Spirit Seedlings, stored in his inventory. These were rare items that could be grown in the Spirit Field and had a potential to be upgraded into Tree Spirit Guardians; Im already at a level 1 safe house. It doesnt seem too difficult to reach level 3. A smile surfaced on Song Jians face. Soon, the white light further spread to the fences. The fences were now a mix of level 3 wood and level 1 stone fences, and they didnt require more upgrades. They were just incorporated into the safe-house range by the white light; The white light finally stopped slowly as it reached around one meter beyond the fences; Within a one-meter range outside the fence, circular phantoms of future construction appeared; As Song Jians gaze fell on the circular phantoms outside the fence, a line of small text was immediately displayed; Defensive traps can be built here. Current available traps: Wooden Spike Trap; Wooden Spike Trap: Defensive Structure, Effect: Inflictsioo piercing damage on all enemy targets that enter the traps range, and slows them down by 30% for 5 seconds; Construction requirements: 10 units of wood; Trap description: The trap can be reused, with a damage interval of 3 seconds. After 10 uses, the trap will be damaged and can be repaired with wood; Build! With a thought from Song Jian, there immediately appeared dozens of Wooden Spike Traps surrounding the villas fence; now it was firmly encased within the traps. Now that it was merely a level 1 safe house, the only defensive infrastructure that could be built was the Wooden Spike Trap; System: The construction of the level 1 safe house is complete. Will you end the construction of the safe house? Gazing at the system prompt before him, Song Jian immediately chose to continue the construction; System: Building a level 2 safe house requires 5000 units of wood and 4000 units of stone. Will you commence the building? Build! Swish, swish, swish, the quantity of wood and stone decreased rapidly. After a few minutes, the entire three-story villa was constructed more solidly, and its defense had significantly improved; The onlookers, who were watching with great interest, initially thought theyd find some fun in seeing the supposed destruction of this newly constructed safe house by monsters. They never expected that after nearly ten minutes or so, the green light pillar would still be present, with the renovations inside still ongoing; Holy smokes,this guy, how many materials had he collected? A whole three-story villa, along with a courtyard, how many materials does that need- Did he purchase VIP membership? Did he pay to win this? I want to pay to win too, but this crummy game doesnt even have a recharge window, Im pretty desperate- The onlookers, seeing Song Jian leisurely renovate his safe house, felt as if theyre not playing the same game; Song Jian didnt have the time to pay attention to the jealous eyes of the onlookers, who seemed to be on the verge of bleeding from envy. After upgrading the safe house to level 2, he received a system prompt that the Radio in his inventory could be placed inside the safe house; At that moment, the safe house was still an illusion, and Song Jian could see that it was empty, with the previously dilapidated furniture all gone. So after my safe house is set up, I have to construct my own furniture. Damn it, what kind of game is this? Song Jian mumbled to himself; The Radio in his inventory had been there a while. Originally, Song Jians inventory slot was not big, now he had freed up a slot, and Song Jian naturally moved it to the third floor of the villa immediately. According to his plan, the third floor should be his bedroom; The radio turned into a white light and was placed on the floor of the third floor; After entering the safe house, the radio, which had been unresponsive before, had a few indicator lights that started to flicker automatically, and a zzz sound of electrical current could be heard from it; Song Jian vaguely heard a voice from the radio WantedzzzGathering Area ioicapture or kill to gainzzz The electrical noise was too loud, and Song Jian knitted his eyebrows. With a thought, the Radios switch knob immediately made a ka-da sound and turned off the radio; System: The level 2 safe house may be built with an additional basement. This will require 2000 units of wood and 3000 units of stone. The basement will have a defence amount of 6000 points, an area of sixty square meters, and only one entrance and exit; A basement? Holy smoke, isnt that an extra storage room? Song Jian paused and then immediately realised another use for the basement: storage. Although there was still the risk of theft or seizure, and it was somewhat inferior in storage efficiency compared to a storage box, the difficulty of entering through one entrance and breaking through the 6000 points of defense was considerable for the current player base. Build it! This is a must! Swish, swish, swish, another large sum of materials vanished. Underneath the villa, a group of white light was continuously writhing. A few minutes passed by, and a spacious basement appeared before Song Jian. Not bad, not bad, lets see what kind of defensive architecture can be constructed in a level 2 safe house. As Song Jian opened the list of defensive constructions, he saw that besides the Wooden Spike Trap, now there was an additional Falling Rock Trap. Falling Rock Trap: Defensive Structure, effect: Inflicts 100 blunt damage on all enemy targets that enter the traps range, and creates a stunning effect that lasts for 5 seconds. Construction requirements: 15 units of stone; Trap description: The traps can be reused, with a damage interval of 3 seconds. After 10 uses, the trap will be damaged and can be repaired with stone. Dozens of circles appeared on the mixed fence of level 3 wood and level 1 stone. These were all spots for setting up Falling Rock Traps. Anybody approaching the wall would automatically trigger these traps; Looking over, Song Jian calculated that setting up Falling Rock Traps all over the fence would only require a maximum of 300 units of stone C he immediately resolved to set them up. Dozens of Falling Rock Traps appeared on the fence, and at the same time, Song Jian chose to replace the entire fence with level one stone fence. The mix of wood and stone fence was a visual disaster; Wooden Spike Traps and Falling Rock Traps are consumable items. Although the materials required for construction are small, they wont stand up to large-scale usage just like bullets for firearms. After one fight, the materials consumed may be comparable to, if not more than, that used in the construction of a safe house; System: The construction of level 2 safe house is complete. Will you end the construction? Continue building the level 3 safe house! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Why had he collected so many materials? To have a place that was as impregnable as an iron fortress. If he doesnt use these materials now, is he supposed to hold onto them forever? Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Building a Safe House (Part 3) Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Building a Safe House (Part 3) Translator: 549690339 System: For building a level 3 safety house, you will need 6000 units of wood and 6000 units of stone. Do you desire to pursue the build? Build it! Rumble- The phantom image of the three-story villa immediately rose five to six meters, exceeding a total height of over ten meters, looking like a castle; However, there was nothing in this castle, so it seemed a bit empty; After the level 3 safety house was completed, all spectators were left dumbfounded. The most they could hold inside their inventory were a few thousand units of wood and stone. Its too difficult to create a level 3 safety house, let alone using a bungalow as a template for a safety house. Hes definitely spend money to win, its confirmed, this guy is absolutely pay-to-win! Is this what it feels like to play someone elses game? Why do I feel like I am not playing the same game as him! The world is so unfair, 1 work day and night chopping wood until I have a one inch thick callus on my hands. Why cant I even match a fraction of his resources! Dude, are you sure the callus on your hand is from chopping wood and not from doing something else? Could it be that this guy is the illegitimate son of the games developer? Upon opening the construction list for the level 3 safety house, Song Jian can now upgrade the eight fields in the yard to Spirit Fields. For a single Spirit Field upgrade, you only need one thousand units of wood which for Song Jian was a drop in the bucket; Swish, Swish, Swish- Eight fields simultaneously emit an opalescent halo, the fresh air permeates the courtyard. One whiff gives off a refreshing and unburdening sensation, as though it can intoxicate your soul; Is this spiritual energy? It feels so nice! Song Jians face filled with pleasure; Let me see what else can be built, Arrow Tower, a level 3 safety house can build an Arrow Tower? Haha, this is a defensive godsend! Song Jian instantly lit up upon realizing that he could build four Arrow Towers at the four corners of the walls; The construction cost for an Arrow Tower is 1200 units of wood and 500 units of stone. A small cost for a tower that can auto-attack. Each tower can store a thousand wooden arrows. Once depleted, simply add wood into the tower and itll immediately start making wooden arrows again. Very convenient; Soon, four Arrow Towers were constructed. Along with the Wooden Spike Trap and Falling Rock Trap on top of the four towers, Song Jians safety house could be described as an iron fortress of defenses; Not bad, not bad, now the safety house is finally starting to take shape. Song Jian nodded in satisfaction. Seeing the two Spirit Fields in front of his villa, Song Jian thought for a moment, then decided to plant the Tree Spirit sapling on them. One Tree Spirit sapling needs two fields worth of room. The remaining six fields were left empty, waiting for suitable seeds to be planted; Upon entering the Spirit Field, the Tree Spirit seed grew rapidly. In a short time, it sprouted from the ground and become a nearly one foot tall sapling; System: Tree Spirit sapling has been successfully planted. It will take thirty seven days and eighteen hours to grow into its mature form. You can use various treasures to nourish the sapling and shorten its growth time; It still needs such a long time to mature, then 1 cant use it during the upcoming defense battle. Song Jian was slightly disappointed. Regarding the use of treasures, Song Jian expressed that he himself doesnt even have enough to use, much less sparing for them! The overall defense of the current safety house has already reached 3200 points. It was several tens of times higher than the first player who built a safety house; Now, Im here extremely well-defended. I should be able to resist monsters attacking within a radius of one kilometer, right? Song Jian was full of pride, excitedly looking towards the dense swarm of monsters outside the green columns of light; These are all my experience points. This time, I should be able to level up to at least level eight. No, level nine! Even level ten might be possible considering the density of the monsters within a kilometer! Haha! Song Jian looked at the monsters, as though he was looking at a package full of experience points and equipment; After the level 3 safety house was completed, the system prompted whether to construct a level 1 manor; System: Level 1 manor construction requires 8000 units of wood and 16,000 units of stone, do you wish to continue the construction? Song Jian looked at his inventory, which still held an abundant amount of wood and stone materials. He hesitated for a moment, then grit his teeth and chose to continue construction; Proceed! Rumble- Another bout of rumbling. From the outside, the area of the green light column did not increase, but within it, Song Jian saw his villa, or rather, now it should be called the castle, visibly swell and expand. Though its still three stories high, the total height had exceeded fifteen meters. Two side towers, seven to eight meters high, appeared on either sides of the main castle. Both towers were closely connected to the main castle. On top of each tower flew a flag, but there were no patterns on these flags; The roof of the main castle transitioned from its initial people shaped villa roof to a conical tower-shaped roof. A large flag floated above the roof; This manor is practically identical to a medieval castle, absolutely splendid, haha! Song Jian excitedly said. He didnt even own a two bedroom apartment in the real world, but in this game, he owned a castle. This gave Song Jian a fantastical feeling; However, in the next moment, the system brutally shattered his fantasy with news that felt like a bucket of ice water poured over him; System: Level 1 Manor construction completed! System: With the appearance of the manor, it attracted the attention of numerous monsters and even bosses beyond the one kilometer range. They gained a keen interest in the manor. Elite bosses will randomly join the monsters siege. The higher the manor level, the higher the joining elite boss level, and the larger the quantity; System: Do you wish to continue constructing the level 2 manor? Holy cow, it even has elite bosses joining randomly? Song Jian was stunned. Its known that the first player to build a safety house had a few level five elite bosses appear, resulting in his safety house being shattered in only ten minutes; System, are you kidding me? Previously, creating a safety house would only bring in elite bosses and now, it even attracted bosses outside the one kilometer range C what level are they going to be? If a level thirty boss comes, how am I supposed to continue playing? System: Do you wish to continue constructing the level 2 manor? Once again, the system issued a prompt. Song Jian, looking at the tens of thousands of wood and stone units in his inventory, felt like weeping; Built? You bloody build it! Cancel, Im not building anymore! Song Jian said through gritted teeth; Open the defensive structures that can be built by a level 1 manor, quick! Song Jian knew that he didnt have much time left. His initial sure-win mainline quest had been thrown back into uncertainty due to his relentless upgrading of the safety house level; Now, Song Jian could only do his utmost to improve the manors defense measures; Chapter 85 - Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Dont Mess with a Foodie Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Dont Mess with a Foodie Translator: 549690339 When he opened the construction list for the level one manor, a new defensive structure appeared before Song Jians eyes. Catapult: A defensive building. Effect: Inflicts 150 physical damage to all enemy targets within 100 meters and causes splash damage. Each attack has a five-second interval. Construction Requirements: 300 units of wood, 150 units of stone. Building Explanation: This building consumes 100 units of stone every 60 seconds. If there is no stone supply, the building will cease to function. Build, build, keep building! Within the projection of the level one manor, a red circle appeared atop two sub-towers and the main castle. These were the spots to place the catapults. Three catapults could be placed in a level one manor. Song Jian quickly finished placing the catapults! Just at this moment, another line of red text from the system appeared: System: The appearance of a level one manor has attracted the attention of the level eight Elite Boss, [Skin-Flaying ZombieKulamar]. This boss will appear in thirty minutes. Level eight Elite Boss? Song Jians face changed, and his heart pounded even harder. He had barely survived against an ordinary zombie, but this skin-flaying zombie was a named Boss, obviously more formidable. What was he to do? Looking around, all of the walls of the manor had been advanced from level one stone walls to level three stone walls. They were over two meters tall and more than half a meter thick. An average mutated zombie could break its claws without causing any damage to these walls. Everything that needed to be promoted had been promoted, everything that needed to be upgraded had been upgraded. He couldnt continue constructing the manor. The higher the buildings level, the better the defenses, but it would also attract stronger bosses in larger numbers. It would be like drinking poison to quench thirst. It seems that 1 will have to rely on other methods! After looking around, Song Jian eventually focused on a small tree in the courtyard that was just over a foot tall. Treasure, treasure, dammit, are you telling me to spend more money to stay alive? Thinking of this, Song Jian tossed a pine nut emitting a faint golden glow from his package next to the small sapling. Before it could even fall, a delicate root shot out of the soil with a whoosh and wrapped the pine nut, pulling it underground. The tree spirit sapling grew at a visible rate and stopped when it had grown about five inches tall. Checking the time, this pine nut had saved nearly one days worth of growth. My God, this is a treasure that can increase vitality points by fifty. If 1 sell it, its definitely worth a lot of money. Well, never mind, youre lucky this time, foodie. Song Jian shook his head and threw all the Mutated Pine Nuts in the package over there. Whish-Whish-Whish- A few delicate roots emerged from the soil simultaneously, accurately enveloping the mutated pine nuts, and drawing them into the soil. Song Jian looked at the tree spirit sapling in a strange manner, as if feeding a kitten or puppy. The tree spirit sapling was growing rapidly, but it would take a long time to mature. Song Jian started to rummage through his package, tossing the pan-fried meat, roast meat, stir-fried dogs heart, snake soup, and all the food he had prepared for himself at the tree spirits. However, these items didnt seem to be of much use to the tree spirit sapling. Although all were absorbed, it only saved seconds of time. Um, what elsethe rest are all materials, do you want this? Song Jian frowned as he looked at his package. He took out a roll of Mutated Snake Beasts Leather from the package. It was a blue-quality material that Song Jian had kept very well for selling or exchanging goods in the future. As soon as it was tossed, five or six roots protruded, tightly wrapping the leather and dragging it into the soil. You, you eat both meat and vegetables, you eat everything! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Then, Song Jian began to clear the materials in the package. All the blue, green, white, and finally even gray materials were given to the tree spirit sapling. Hard pine, Yin Soul Wood, all were given to the tree spirit sapling. The tree spirit sapling was getting bigger and bigger, at this point it had grown more than three meters high. Its leaves were lush, and strange patterns appeared on the trunk, which looked a bit like the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. However, the tree spirit sapling did not have the eerie aura present on the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. Only the zombie cores, two pieces of jewelry, and fifty-three gold bricks are left. Im telling you, you cant be planning to swallow everything, can you? Song Jian took out one gold brick hesitantly, pushing it forward with some reluctance. These gold bricks were cut very neatly, each brick being one standard kilogram. Song Jian was reluctant to part with them. According to the price of gold in reality, each gold brick was worth three or four hundred thousand! It was just like throwing money into water! Whoosh- A root as thick as a finger stretched out, tightly coiled around the gold brick twice, and pulled it back. Song Jians face turned sour, but he refused to let go. This thing is very hard and tasteless. If you eat it, you will have indigestion, or maybe you wouldnt want it. Song Jian pleaded softly. The root tugged harder but Song Jian did not let go. His painful expression was clear; he kept shaking his head as if he were about to cry. System: The appearance of a level one manor has attracted the attention of the level 10 Elite Boss, [Clawed ZombieWang Dachui]. This boss will appear in thirty-five minutes. Level 10 Elite Boss! Song Jian was startled, his hand trembled suddenly. Whoosh- The root seized the opportunity to pull the gold brick back and rapidly withdrew into the soil. A level ten Elite Boss is here, my God, what kind of broken game is this?! Why werent advance warnings given for dangerous situations? Why did they have to wait until the construction was completed to say something Song Jian couldnt help but curse loudly. Fine, fine, I will give you everything to eat, as long as you can digest it, 1 will feed you everything! Song Jian made a determined decision. Baring his teeth, he took out the remaining fifty-two gold bricks and piled them at the root of the tree spirit sapling. Just as he was about to stand up, Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then put a gold brick back into the package. He would keep that one as a souvenir. The fifty-one gold bricks slowly sank into the soil. Song Jian checked the time, and now it would only take the tree spirit sapling less than a dayjust twenty-four hoursto mature. Looking at the empty package, Song Jian felt like crying. With a trembling hand, he retrieved two pieces of jewelry. For these two, you wouldnt eat them too, would you? If it ate the gold, it was logical that it would would eat the two pieces of jewelry as well! Whoosh- Two roots stretched out and seemed to hesitate for a moment when they made contact with the jewelry before withdrawing into the soil. Phew, finally something you dont eat! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. The two items of jewelry were priceless, worth much more than that pile of gold. Since the little thing did not eat them, he would take them back. After returning the jewelry to the package, Song Jian looked at it again. In his package, besides a bunch of zombie cores, all that was left was a blueprint for the Blood Pool. You wouldnt want to eat my equipment too, would you? Song Jian looked at the tree spirit sapling, which would mature in about ten hours, and felt like crying. Chapter 86 - Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Mature Body Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Mature Body Translator: 549690339 His equipment was part of Song Jians power, offering many attribute enhancements. He was unwilling to let the young tree spirit eat any of it. At this moment, three roots emerged from the dirt and hung in the air in front of Song Jian, almost like a puppy lifting its front paws and poking out its tongue at its owner. Looking at the tree spirit sapling that would mature in less than twenty hours, Song Jian gritted his teeth and handed over his P18C handgun, which had been with him for the longest time. Swish- In the blink of an eye, his handgun was snatched away by a root. Wait, you really eat equipment? Song Jian suddenly felt like he had fallen into a huge pit. He couldnt just keep feeding the tree spirit sapling, but also didnt want to stop after having already invested so much. Song Jian couldnt help but silently recite the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra in his heart, Just give it, give it, give it all to him, all of it, stop thinking about it. After chanting a few times, he felt much better. With a smile on his face, Song Jian passed over the Beretta double barrel shotgun, and gently said, Eat, eat, grow quickly Corrupt Sword, its a green-quality weapon with a bit of added strength Song Jians face twitched as he presented the long sword to the several roots in front of him. The helmet, zombie generals armor, Tusk Fang Stinger. Damn it, Im giving you everything, how am 1 supposed to kill monsters now! Looking at the remaining equipment on his body, Song Jian took off the black stone tablet from his jewelry slot and handed it over. He couldnt let the tree spirit sapling eat all of his remaining gear! Eat, eat, you reckless thing Song Jians mood quickly soured despite the calming effects of the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra. A root reached for the black jewelry, but as it neared, the stone tablet suddenly emitted a blinding black light. Hiss- A burning sound echoed, and the approaching root began to curl and crack. Before long, a section of the root had turned into charred ash. Immediately, the other roots dared not approach the stone tablet, shaking violently as they kept a safe distance. They vibrated incessantly, as if begging Song Jian for something. This thing, is it really this powerful? Song Jian was surprised. A piece of jewelry that only provided a bit of vitality points was like a fighter jet amidst the trash. If it werent for the empty slot in Song Jians jewelry section, this thing would have been long tossed into a box. A great find, it seems to be a gem! Song Jian hastily placed the jewelry into the package slot that could be brought back to the real world. Now, Song Jian could bring two items with him. Among the two slots in his real-world package, one held a gold brick, and now the other held this piece of black jewelry. This is all thats left, if you dont eat it, theres nothing I can do! Song Jian couldnt bear to feed the tree spirit sapling his zombie commander armor and Tusk Fang Stinger. He could only bring out a zombie core and hand it over. Swish- The root swiftly took the zombie core. Looking at the time, it had actually reduced by ten minutes. Song Jians eyes lit up. Not bad, mate! There were plenty of zombie cores! Clatter- Song Jian pulled out a large pile of zombie cores and stacked them on the ground, but in the end, he still held on to a hundred, to be used to build a Blood Pool. As the tree spirit was devouring the zombie cores, a cold aura began to emit from its body. Eerie black stripes gradually formed on its trunk and branches creating a face-like design on the tree spirit saplings trunk. At this point, the tree spirit sapling couldnt be called a sapling anymore. It was over ten meters tall with a diameter close to three meters. Its canopy spread wide, blocking the entire front yard of the villa. It was only a meter or two shorter than the spire of the Manor Castle. The tree spirit sapling, which had grown across two Spirit Fields, had finally matured. System: The tree spirit sapling has grown into a mature entity. It requires watering with Spirit Spring Water to develop consciousness. Please water with one hundred standard units of Spirit Spring Water. Son of a bitch! Song Jian felt an unnamable fire burning from the depths of his heart, rushing straight to his crown. Spirit Spring Water? What Spirit Spring Water? The what Spring Water? You need Spirit Spring Water? Why didnt you say it earlier? Why didnt you say it earlier, huh? Why didnt Song Jians face turned red with anxiety. For this sapling, Song Jian had virtually poured all hope onto it, almost breaking the bank! But now youre telling me it needs Spirit Spring Water? Where am I supposed to get that now?! System: In 3 minutes, if Spirit Spring Water is not used to water, the saplings self-awareness cannot be activated, and it can only become a resource tree spirit that can generate one hundred logs every day. One hundred pieces of log, do 1 need one hundred pieces of log? 1 have tens of thousands of logs in my inventory. 1 could literally beat you to death with them. Do you believe me? An angry Song Jian started cursing. System: Time left: 2 minutes and 58 seconds System: Time left: 2 minutes and 53 seconds System: Time left: 2 minutes and 4.8 seconds Spirit Spring Water, Spirit SpringWater Song Jian felt helpless. Suddenly, he spotted the blueprint for a Blood Pool in his inventory and a fierce determination filled his eyes. Damn it, theres no Spirit Spring Water, but would you take Zombie Blood Pool water instead? Song Jian immediately opened the construction interface, selected to use the Blood Pool Blueprints. Instantly, the phantom of a Blood Pool twenty-something square meters in size appeared before Song Jians eyes. After reviewing the Blood Pool phantom, Song Jian initially intended to place it next to the tree spirit sapling in the yard, but there wasnt enough space, so he could only reposition it within Manor Castle. However, after several attempts, he realized that neither the first, second, nor the third floor had enough room to accommodate it. System: The Blood Pool needs to be placed in a cool, dark area, away from any sunlight. System: Time left: 1 minute and 57 seconds Will it suffice if I just block all your goddamn doors and windows? Frustrated, Song Jian had no choice but to put the Blood Pool in the basement. The pool took up a third of the sixty-square-meter basement. Its size was two meters deep, seven meters long, and three meters wide. As it appeared in the basement, the blood water within churned and gave off a sweet, metallic scent. I dont have Spirit Spring Water, but 1 have more than enough bloody water! With resolve, Song Jian began to water the tree spirit sapling with the blood from the Blood Pool. System: Youre using an unknown type of water to water the tree spirit sapling; the sapling has a high chance of mutating, which cannot be controlled! Repeated, this mutation cannot be controlled, this mutation cannot be controlled! So what, as if a bit of sapling could overturn the heavens? Ive chopped down who knows how many tree spirits, what have 1 got to be afraid of? Song Jian snorted coldly, as the blood from the Blood Pool surged towards the tree spirit sapling. Growl- The human-like face on the tree spirits trunk seemed to be in great pain, continuously twisting. The black patterns on the tree spirits surface gradually turned into a dark red, looking very eerie. A long crack appeared on its trunk which seemed to howl, and fang-like protrusions slowly started to poke through it. A human face emerged on the main part of the tree; its eyes slowly opened, revealing a bloodthirsty madness. I have awoken! the tree spirit roared, with all its branches flailing wildly. A chilling atmosphere filled the air. Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Monster Siege (Part 1) Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Monster Siege (Part 1) Translator: 549690339 System: the sapling of the tree spirit has grown into maturity and underwent an uncontrollable mutation. The mature tree spirit has transformed into an Elite Level BOSS[LV1 Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree]. Elite Level BOSS at level one? Thats quite a high starting point! Song Jian rubbed his chin, looking at the stats of the once sapling, or rather, the now Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree. Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree (Elite), Vitality Points: 400/400, Characteristics: Super Toxic, Super Vitality, Super Defense, Super Resistance, Super Roots, Super Devouring. With four hundred vitality points, it has already surpassed quite a few level five Elite Level BOSSes. Its six superb traits left Song Jian flabbergasted. What kind of monster had he created? Master, Alex heeds your summoning! A red light flashed in the eyes of the Bloody Poisonous Tree and it respectfully said to Song Jian. Phew, thankfully it hasnt turned against me, otherwise I really would have shot myself in the foot. Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Protect and eliminate all enemies invading the mansion! Song Jian commanded. As you command, master! The moment the Bloody Poisonous Tree spoke, the name above its head also changed. It transformed into the LV1 Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree C Alex, becoming a BOSS with a unique name. System: The arrival of a Level 1 Mansion has attracted the attention of the Elite Level BOSS at Level 10, the [Roaming Zombie C Robert], who wall appear in twenty minutes. Faced with a Level 10 Elite BOSS, Song Jian felt numb. Up till now, he had drawn over ten Elite Level BOSSes from within a kilometer radius. This Roaming Zombies nameI seemed to have heard it somewhere A thought flashed through Song Jians mind, but it was soon attracted to the gradually disappearing green light pillar. When the green pillar disappeared, Song Jian couldnt help but feel anxious, his palms getting sweaty, just like facing the final exam after a long period of revision. Bring it on, ail zombies are trash in front of my Level 1 Mansion! Song Jian thought and appeared on the surrounding wall. The Level 1 Mansion belonged to Song Jian. Within this territory, he could instantaneously teleport to any corner, but he wouldnt have this kind of teleportation ability outside the mansion. The spectating players had waited for more than an hour until the light pillar finally collapsed which made them excited too. Hey, this monster siege seems grander than the first players, Ive seen at least a dozen Elite BOSSes alone Cant you see the shelter this big-shot established is more of a castle than an actual shelter? Have you seen that tree? This big-shot cultivated his own Elite BOSS; we cant compare Big shot with the Elite BOSS, asking for support Big shot with the Elite BOSS, asking for support +1 Big shot with the Elite BOSS, asking for support +10086 Although the green light column was intense, the outside players could still see Song Jians movements. They personally witnessed the Bloody Poisonous Tree grow from a sapling to an Elite BOSS. If only 1 also had such a big tree in my shelter. Keer thought enviously, 111 ask Little Cheap Brother where he got it from and Ill raise one too Boom- A crisp shattering sound accompanied the disappearance of the green light column, turning into glittering fragments scattering in all directions. Roar- At the same time, all the monsters roared and charged towards Song Jians mansion. Swish- At the same time, hundreds of mutant zombies drew near to the walls of the manor. All the wooden spike traps were activated instantaneously, with numerous robust spikes emerging from the ground and piercing through all the monsters within range. Even those monsters that didnt die were left critically wounded and waiting to die. By the second time the wooden spikes emerged, at least hundreds of mutant zombies were taken down; In only a matter of seconds, Song Jians Experience Points grew visibly; Swish- Swish- Swish- From all sides of the Arrow Tower, crossbow bolts began shooting out. Zombies were pierced with bolts all over their bodies and fell to the ground before they could get near the walls; Boom- A giant boulder crashed viciously into a pack of monsters about ten meters away. With this strike, five to six monsters were crushed into mush. The catapult had opened fire; Song Jian stood on the wall, expressionless as he watched the monster horde surging towards him like a flood. Wave after wave of monsters reached the walls base just to end up collapsing; The bloody poison tree also roared into action. Countless roots sprouted from the mud, climbing up the wall covering both sides of the main gates. The roots pierced through the horde of monsters like spears, each attack killing five to six monsters; Then, these roots wrapped around the monsters corpses and slowly retracted, burying the dead under the roots of the Poison Tree; Several seconds later, a slight ringing sound came from behind Song Jian; Hum- A golden light flashed out of nowhere. The Bloody Bayou Poison Tree had leveled up, climbing from level one to level two; Then, after about ten more seconds, the Bloody Bayou Poison Tree once again emitted a golden light as it rose to level three; However, very soon, a golden glow emitted from Song Jian as well. He, who was originally seventh-level, had now reached the eighth level; All the monsters killed by manors defense structures counted towards Song Jians tally. Its as if in a matter of a few seconds, Song Jian had killed two to three hundred mutant zombies. Even these were just level one to three mutant zombies, such a large quantity resulted in a rich amount of experience. Even the Bloody Bayou Poison Tree, it had to share half of the experience earned from the monsters it killed with Song Jian. Upon reaching the eighth level, Song Jian had accumulated four skill points. However, despite having more than ten skills accessible in his skill bar, he still didnt have a primary cultivation skill, which he felt slightly regretful about; All bullets for any firearms he had were fed to the Poison Tree, leaving Song Jians only ranged attack skill being Earth Teeth Assault. But every time he released this skill, it consumed ten Vitality Points and could only attack one target at a time. In the current situation, using Earth Teeth Assault would be inefficientit would be better to save it for confronting the Elite Level bosses. Looking at the swarm of monsters rushing over and shattering just like waves crashing against the rocks, Song Jian was reassured, thinking, Were stable this wave! However, at that moment, Song Jian abruptly felt a spine-chilling sensation. Sensing the impending danger, his body instinctively teleported to the third floor of the castle; Boom- A giant iron ball with a diameter of over one meter crashed fiercely where Song Jian had been standing moments ago. The iron balls surface was covered in protruding spikes sparkling with a metallic gleam and appeared threateningly savage. That attack caused a drastic reduction in the walls defense level, plummeting it by over six hundred points. The previously sturdy third-level stone wall now had a foot-long crack, and splinters of stones scattered; From the window, Song Jian saw a zombie over two meters tall, wearing chains around its bare upper body like half armor. It was gripping the tip of the chain attached to the massive iron ball that had just hit the wall; LV5 Chain Hammer Zombie (Elite), Vitality Points: 390/780, Traits: Enormous Strength, Hammer Throw Watching the zombie slowly pulling back the chain and retrieving the enormous spiked iron ball, Song Jian grimaced; I cant let it keep doing that. If it continue hitting, the third-level stone walls defense wont even last a few hits! Chapter 88 - Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Monster Siege (Part 2) Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Monster Siege (Part 2) Translator: 549690339 The chain-hammer zombie slowly retracted its chain, letting out a furious roar before spinning its hammer violently again; At this point, the chain-hammer zombie was over ten meters away from the wall, out of Song Jians attack range; Kiddo, you think just because youre standing further away means 1 cant attack you? Youre naive, too naive! Song Jian scoffed, controlling three catapult towers and two arrow towers that were aiming directly at the chain-hammer zombie, and began to focus fire; Bang bang bang- Three stones hit the chain-hammer zombie almost simultaneously, and three damages over a hundred floated up above its head, knocking it down instantly. Upon hitting the chain-hammer zombie, the three stones shattered into hundreds of fragments, scattering all around and downing a large swatch of zombies; The chain-hammer zombie had a total of 390 vitality points, and after being hit by the three stones, it was already critically wounded; Swish swish- Before it could crawl back up, two wooden arrows had already pierced its body; -39 -38 The chain-hammer zombie let out a helpless roar, just as it managed to stand up straight, two points of damage floated up from its head with its body once again crashing onto the ground, this time, it couldnt stand backup anymore; The level-five elite boss got one-shotted, leaving all the watching players jaws dropped. At the current stage, encountering such a boss, players would usually take a detour and not dare to provoke it; Equipment! Blue quality equipment! Everyones eyes lit up; The moment the chain-hammer zombie fell, an equipment emitting blue light burst out from its body, instantly catching everyones eyes; Players who owned a piece of white-quality equipment at this point could already saunter around showing off, let alone a blue-quality one! For a moment, public sentiment was running high, with plenty of people itching to go and compete for the equipment; Do you have looting qualifications? Looking at a few people who want to rush to loot the equipment, Wang Qi asked coldly, causing the people to be taken aback, and then show regret in their eyes; These people had only watched and did not partake in attack, resulting in no inflicted damage on the boss, thus naturally, they did not possess the qualification to loot the dropped items; Next time theres a boss, Ill strike it a couple of times first, so I can at least inflict some damage and gain looting qualifications! one person said with regret. The chain-hammer zombie wasnt far away from him, so he had the opportunity to attack the boss; Even if we cant have it, that guy cant either. He wont possibly need to charge into the crowd of monsters to loot the equipment, right? When the protection time is over, then its everybody for themselves One person sneered with his arms crossed; No sooner had the words been spoken than five or six long roots pierced through the bodies of dozens of monsters and reached out for the blue equipment. Before anyone else could react, several roots had already bundled up the bosss corpse and the blue-quality equipment, swiftly retracting back inside the wall; Oh my god, it can even automatically collect equipment For a moment, everyone was speechless, helplessly watching all the monster-dropped items, one by one, being bundled up and dragged back into the manor by the roots; Watching the roots working like tentacles, dragging items one after another, Song Jian had a sense of unease; Is that guy gonna hog them all and leave none for me? Song Jian wondered to himself; Alex, how about giving me half of the items you drew? Song Jian probed; Why should I share with you the items I got with my efforts? Alex insisted. Experience points were shared equally because the system mandated it. But he wanted the equipment too? No way! You utter bastard! Your argument seems valid and I have no idea how to refute it! Song Jian was at a loss for words. He could only watch in dismay as items emanating all sorts of light, one after another, were dragged into the earth by the tentacle-like roots while Alexs level surprisingly advanced once again from level three to level four. Such speed was faster than most players levelling up speed; Forget it, forget it. Lets carry on its my own self-nurtured tree anyway. 1 will stay hopeful even in tears. Luckily, all the meat sticks in my own pot, its alright, its alright Song Jian tried to console himself; Seeing that Song Jian had nothing to say, the corner of Alexs lifeless mouth curled up, and he appeared to be rather crazed. Not only the roots but the tree branches also began to grow wildly, creeping over the wall like ivy, stretching slowly towards the crowd of monsters; Before long, the front wall had extended outwards by over ten meters, all of which were Alexs roots and branches, covering a thick layer where the area had turned into a bottomless pit. No matter how many monsters stepped in, they would disappear in an instant; Song Jians experience points began to rocket up. With dozens of monsters dying per second, despite each one only yielding him dozens of experience points, but cumulatively, it was still a considerable amount. His experience bar was about to be filled again, having just levelled up to level eight; Although there are no item drops, at least the experience points increase rapidly. Song Jian laughed; Just then, with a bang, a giant fireball fell from the sky and hit hard on the tree roots and branches that Alex had spread out, instantly igniting a large area; Alexs vitality point bar dropped by a small section; Looking up, Song Jian saw in the distance on the seventh floor of a high-rise building, a person-shaped monster, skinny in appearance, grabbing onto the edge of a window with one hand, its other hand constantly condensing fire element; This monster looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, only around one and a half meters tall and appeared malnourished. It was so emaciated, resembling skin and bones, a stark sight with protruding ribs and limbs like dried wood. What was amazing was that this monster had an abnormally large head, at least twice the size of a regular adult, and its right hand was grotesque, with red skin, a full hand of wrinkles, and four fingers shimmering metallically, just like four sharp blades; [Claw Zombie C Wang Dachui], Level 10 Elite Boss, Vitality 800/1600, Traits: Ultra Flame, Ultra Speed This is a boss drawn by the manor, a level 10 elite Upon looking at the figure of the claw zombie in the distance, Song Jian felt a chill in the heart. Bosses that are one kilometer away are about to make their appearances in succession. It should be noted that within one kilometer, the level of the bosses does not exceed five. But outside one kilometer, the highest boss level can reach 10, which, even with their abilities halved during the day, Song Jian alone cant handle it; Another boss with long-range attacks, and it seems to counter Alex too Song Jian squinted his eyes and sized up claw zombie; It was out of the range of the arrow tower, but still within the range of the catapult; Song Jian controlled the catapult and aimed a fierce attack at claw zombie, but the moment the three stone balls approached it, claw zombie leapt sideways with a lightning speed. The three stone balls landed harshly on the spot where claw zombie just was, instantly creating a large hole in the wall; The claw zombie revealed a mocking look in its eyes, turned around, and showed its butt cheekily to Song Jian, all the while spanking it; Chapter 89 - Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Monster Siege (3) Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Monster Siege (3) Translator: 549690339 Provocation, barefaced provocation! Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and a trace of coldness flashed through them. Its just a Level 10 Elite Boss. If this were in the wild, Song Jian would definitely avoid it from a distance; but now within his manor, even if there were several such bosses, he wouldnt be afraid. Alex, retract your roots and branches Song Jian ordered. The roots and branches that covered the wall slowly retracted. The clawed zombie, seeing this, thought Song Jian was afraid, becoming more excited and jumping around. It raised its right claw to the sky, and fire elements quickly gathered, forming a huge fireball out of thin air. Whoosh- The fireball smashed violently against the manors fence with a loud rumble, depleting more than 30 points of defense. If this were a wooden wall, the fireball would pose a great threat, but with a Level 3 stone wall, the only damage caused was from the impact, while the threat of the flames was minimized. Thats all youve got? Song Jian smirked with a mocking smile, gesturing a disdainful motion towards the clawed zombie. Although the clawed zombie didnt understand Song Jians gesture, it could still discern the expression on his face. Roar- The clawed zombie quickly gathered a ball of flame and threw it towards Song Jian. The huge fireball drew an arc, trailing a long tail of fire, flying over the fence and hitting the third floor of the castle. Before Song Jian could dodge, the sinister Bloodthirsty Demonic Tree waved a thick branch and violently struck the fireball. After a loud boom, the fireball dispersed into a sky full of flames and gradually disappeared. The branch that struck the fireball only had a burnt patch on its surface and lost dozens of yellow-brown leaves, with no other changes. The Vitality of the Bloodthirsty Demonic Tree even dropped only by a few points, an insult to the attack of a Level 10 Elite Boss. The clawed zombie roared angrily, its legs pedaling, and its body lunged towards the manor like a sharp arrow. Even if its attributes were halved during the day, and it was using its full power, an ordinary persons eyes would find it hard to capture its figure. Thump thump thump- After crushing the heads of over a dozen mutated zombies in a row, the clawed zombie rushed near the fence. Swish swish- Seven or eight wooden spikes from the Wooden Spike Trap shot out but only stabbed the afterimage of the clawed zombie. Ill kill you! The clawed zombie, standing atop the high fence, pointed at Song Jian on the third floor of the castle and roared in a vague voice. Song Jians eyes flashed as he activated the skillful insight, locking onto the clawed zombie. Whoosh whoosh- Arrow Towers on both sides of the fence fired two hardwood arrows at the clawed zombie. The clawed zombie had a mocking smile on its face. The hardwood arrows were fast in the eyes of ordinary zombies and hard to dodge, but to the clawed zombie, they were as slow as snails, easily avoided with a simple stretch. Standing still on the fence, the clawed zombie only dodged when the arrow was near, twisting its head to avoid the trajectory of the arrows. What it didnt expect, however, was that after the hardwood arrows grazed past its ear, they strangely drew an arc and shot towards its hindbrain at a minimal angle. Too close to dodge, the Clawed Zombies face changed drastically as it lunged forward and lay on the wall. Two hardwood arrows flew past its scalp; How could this happen a puzzled look flashed in the Clawed Zombies eyes; Before it could react, the Arrow Tower shot another two hardwood arrows at it. The two arrows that it had dodged earlier looped back midair and headed for it; The Clawed Zombie looked up and saw a grin on Song Jians face on the third floor of the castle. Its anger flared up instantly; Its your doing! The Clawed Zombie lunged furiously at the third floor of the castle; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- More and more hardwood arrows flew towards the Clawed Zombies back. It was extremely difficult for it to dodge them midair. Feeling seven or eight arrows approaching from behind, the Clawed Zombie struggled to twist its body to avoid the attack; However, except for two arrows that missed its ribs, the rest hit its heart; Unable to control its body, the Clawed Zombie fell to the ground; Whoosh, whoosh- A dozen tree roots sprang out from the soil, piercing through the zombies body like spears. Its arms, thighs, abdomen, and chest were all impaled by the roots; Thud- The Clawed Zombie hit the ground hard, and more tree roots shot towards it, continuously entangling its body; All- The Clawed Zombie struggled desperately, raising its right hand to gather fire elements again. However, as soon as it did so, five or six tree roots pierced through its palm; Ka-ching- The zombie managed to break free from a tree roots entanglement but was caught by even more roots. The Clawed Zombie could feel the roots piercing its body, constantly sucking its internal energy and devouring every cell of its body; After struggling for seven or eight minutes and at the cost of a dozen broken roots, the Bloody Vengeful Poison Tree, Alex, finally killed the Clawed Zombie and dragged it into the soil to serve as its nutrients; A golden light flashed, and the Bloody Vengeful Poison Tree leveled up to become a Level 5 Elite Boss; A Level 10 Elite Boss was killed just like that; its simply unbelievable! Song Jian showed no expression, but his heart was full of amazement; The psychic lock-on from the Eyes of the Heart skill also brought Song Jian an unexpected surprise. Once an enemy was locked on, it was like having a target set and any aimed long-range attack would become a lock-on attack, making it impossible for the enemy to escape; As time ticked by, a thick layer of monster corpses piled up outside the walls. If it werent for the Bloody Vengeful Poison Tree continuously dragging the dead monsters into the soil as nutrients, the pile of corpses would probably be taller than the walls by now; A Level 5 Elite Boss no longer caught Song Jians attention. Instead, he focused on the Level 10 Elite Bosses that were attracted to the area; Several tens of minutes later, Song Jian killed five more Level 10 Elite Bosses. They were all lured by the manor, including the Flayer Zombie Kulamar. Once locked on psychically, the Agile Boss was directly crushed by two rounds of Catapult attacks, not even leaving a complete corpse. It was certainly the most miserable Boss death there was; The number of monsters gradually dwindled, and Song Jians level reached 9 at 86%. Such a level was a lofty existence for other players; A faint white light slowly appeared, covering the entire manor. Song Jian could hardly wait to hear the system announce the creation of the safe house. However, it was at this moment that a thud, thud, thud sound came from the distance. Looking up, on a wide street, a knight clad in full armor, holding a palm-wide longsword and straddling a warhorse equipped with horse armor, slowly approached the manor; Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Robert (1) Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Robert (1) Translator: 549690339 Song Jian looked ahead, and the monster in front of him was clad in armor, appearing mighty and extraordinary. If not for the red text above its head that read [LVio Patrol Zombie C Robert], it would be difficult for people to associate it with a zombie monster; [LVio Patrol Zombie-Robert] (Elite), Vitality: 900/1800, Characteristics: Exceptionally strong, Super psychic power, High-level horsemanship; Skills: Precise throw, Charge, Arc Slash; Ta-ta-ta- The sound of horse hooves stamped on the street, crisp and clear, even amidst the roar of hundreds of monsters, one could still hear it clearly; Boom- Under the attack of the estates defense equipment, yet another Elite Level BOSS was killed. To everyones surprise, this BOSS exploded just before its death. The area surrounding it for five or six meters suddenly became an empty ground. Ten Wooden Spike Traps were destroyed at once, and even two of the Falling Rock Traps on the wall were destroyed, the walls defense value was directly reduced by nearly fifty points; The defense value of a level three stone wall is as much as 3,600 points, higher than the defense value of many players safe houses. But after more than an hour of continuous attacks, the defense value has dropped to less than 500 points; Many traps near the walls have already been destroyed. To repair them would be almost the same as rebuilding them, and they have to wait until the battle is over; Out of the four Arrow Towers at the four corners, two have been completely destroyed, while the remaining two are still firing crossbow bolts incessantly; Only the Catapult Tower, which had not been attacked by the monsters, was still able to launch stone projectiles continuously. Song Jian only needed to replenish the wood required for the two Arrow Towers and the stone required for the catapults from time to time; The number of monsters was decreasing, and all the monsters within a kilometer radius had gathered here. Most had already perished, and only over a hundred monsters remained, still surrounding the walls, looking much thinner than before; These monsters were all level five, including Level 5 Elite BOSSes and Level 10 Elite BOSSes C seven or eight of them. Every time they appeared, they would cause significant damage to the estates defenses. Most of the damage was caused by these Level 10 BOSSes. Fortunately, they did not appear all at once; otherwise, Song Jian would not be sure if he could hold on until now; Now, youre the only enemy left! Song Jian muttered to himself as he looked at the Patrol Zombie on the warhorse; Even though there were still hundreds of Level 5 monsters surrounding the estate, Song Jian had only one enemy in his eyes; Robert, Robert, this name is so familiar Song Jian frowned slightly, as if he recalled something, and hurriedly opened the task interface to check; Indeed, he found the name Robert in a side mission; Second part of the chain mission: Searching for the fallen grounds of the former city Guardian Robert and find Robert, who has been transformed into a zombie; To complete this mission, the minimum requirement is to reach Level 10. Song Jian hasnt met the requirement yet. Unexpectedly, instead of searching for Robert, Robert appeared right before his eyes; Suddenly, Song Jian felt a bit distressed. The mission required finding the fallen grounds of Robert first, then discovering clues and searching for Robert. The following task would likely involve killing Robert; But now, Robert is right in front of him, obviously skipping the previous steps and directly advancing to the last step; Skipping the foreplay and going straight to the main theme, the experience will be much worse! Song Jian grumbled, frowning and muttering to himself; When Robert was a hundred meters away from the estate, he lightly nudged the horses spur on his right foot, and the warhorse beneath him began to trot slowly; Ta-ta-ta-ta- The consecutive sound of horse hooves became more and more urgent, like drums stirring the heart to beat faster; Thud- A zombie blocking the path of the warhorse was directly struck, flying away like a burst bag, drawing an arc in the sky before crashing down fiercely onto the street, killed instantly; The warhorses speed grew faster and faster, reminiscent of a heavy armored vehicle, emanating an unstoppable force. The monsters blocking its path could not bear its impact, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, they were directly crushed; This boss is fierce! No joke, its a boss with a valuable horse. Can it be comparable to those poor bosses that walk on two legs? That momentum, it feels like a train starting to move. Im afraid even a third-level stone wall wouldnt withstand it. Hard to say, after all, its made of flesh and blood But its a zombie Boom- As the spectators were discussing fervently, Robert struck the wall with his long sword, with a deafening sound; A nearly two-meter section of the third-level stone wall collapsed, creating a massive gap. The wooden spike traps at the base of the wall and the falling rock traps on the wall were all directly damaged, unable to be repaired; This attack is fierce. If it hits me directly, my small body would probably be instantly killed like those monsters. Song Jian took a sharp breath and pinched his teeth with a constipated expression; Without waiting for Song Jian to issue an attack order, the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree launched an attack at the intruding Robert, an elite-level zombie patrolling the courtyard. Countless roots emerged from the soil and wrapped around Robert. Wisps of black ghostly air emerged from the tree, constantly condensing in mid-air into wandering skull-shaped objects, emitting heart-wrenching shrieks as they moved towards Robert; Thump, thump- Yellowish-red leaves, exuding a bloody sweetness, whip towards Robert like a tough whip, accompanied by a piercing sound that made people nauseous; Immediately, the courtyard was filled with cold winds and ghostly howls, like the lair of hellish ghosts; After devouring too many monster corpses and dropped items, the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree had reached level 6 as an Elite Boss. Although it was four levels lower than Robert, this was the home field of the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree. Robert intruded like he stepped into a swamp; Countless roots wrapped around the armored legs of the warhorse, while small spikes went through the gaps in the armor, continuously absorbing the horses vitality; Underneath him, the warhorse jumped frantically, leaving Robert unable to control it for a moment; Roberts helmet hid his face, so no one could see his expression, but the green flames in his eye sockets suddenly intensified; Whoosh- Robert swung his long sword, releasing an arc-shaped Sword Qi, cutting off all the roots wrapped around the warhorse; The branches hit Roberts armor, making a crisp collision sound, but the damage to Robert was nearly zero, only leaving shallow burn marks on the surface of his armor; More than a dozen skulls condensed by black ghostly air, with long black tails, pounced at Robert. When they were still dozen centimeters away, they disintegrated as if they had hit an invisible wall; All their attack methods were barely effective, making the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree furious. The human face appeared on the trunk showed a fierce expression, opening its mouth to reveal sharp fangs, and a dark red mist sprayed from the tree toward Robert; Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Chapter 91 Robert (II) Chapter 91: Chapter 91 Robert (II) Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stared at Robert who had already rushed into the courtyard of the manor, a cold glint flickering in his eyes. The skill Minds Eye activated, and instantly, a crimson crosshair appeared on Roberts body, scanning up and down; Finally, the crosshair rested on the skull of the war horse between Roberts legs; this was its weak point; The skill Minds Eye, in addition to being able to mentally lock on targets, also has a 15% chance of discovering the opponents flaws and weaknesses. Song Jians mouth quirked up slightly; this Robert was indeed cunning; If it were a normal boss, its weak point would definitely be on its own body. Unexpectedly, this Robert had placed his weak point on the war horse beneath him; Catapult, fire at Robert! Song Jian directly controlled the catapult, launching a fierce assault at Robert; The two front arrow towers have already been destroyed, and to repair them, they must wait until the end of the fight. The arrow tower on the rear wall of the manor had no line of sight and could not attack the front. Now, the only thing Song Jian could control were the three catapults on Manor Castle; Cre-e-eak- The catapult slowly raised its head, launching stones at a very exaggerated angle, which looked almost like it was being fired vertically; Three stone balls shot into the air almost simultaneously, reaching their apogee before accelerating downwards; At this time, Robert was already enveloped by the poison fog emitted by the Blood Ghost Poison Tree. The dark red poison fog, was like maggots gnawing at bone, sticking to Roberts body as he moved; The damage from the poison fog was not high, but it had an abundance of added negative effects; Weakness, corrosion, vampirism, scorching, defense reduction, strength weakening A series of negative status effects appeared next to Roberts name; Swish swish swish- Again, dozens of roots burst forth from the earth, entangling with the limbs of the war horse. The roots were extremely tough. Without using the Arc Slash skill, it would be impossible for Robert to escape their grip; But he couldnt possibly just abandon his war horse, he could only chop at the encompassing roots; For every root chopped off, two more shot out from the earth. The incessant surge of roots evoked a sense of despair; Boom boom boom- Finally, the three stone balls fell from the sky. One of them smashed into Roberts shoulder, almost knocking him off the horse. Song Jian chuckled slightly; this hit caused significant damage to Robert. Even to the naked eye, a large dent could be seen in Roberts armor; With such an injury, Roberts right shoulder might be disabled, if not, at the very least, the shoulder was probably broken; His right hand was the one which held the longsword initially, now that his right shoulder was injured, it remained to be seen whether he could still unleash his Arc Slash skill; The other two stone balls smashed brutally onto the horses body, one hit the horses buttocks and the other smashed onto the horses head; The stone ball that hit the horses buttocks only caused about 100 points of damage to Robert, but the stone ball that smashed onto the horses head, not only dealt critical damage, but it also made the horses front legs buckle, causing it to kneel on the ground; -110 -103 -280 Three damage numbers floated above Roberts head. Song Jians eyes brightened. Roberts vitality seemed to be linked to the warhorse. Damaging the warhorse was essentially harming the boss, Robert. Three catapults were slowly reloaded. The catapults had a high attack power, but they had a long interval between each attack and a slow attack speed. If it werent for the poisonous fog enveloping Robert, it would be hard for the catapult attacks to hit him. Even when the warhorses two front legs fell to the ground, Robert had no intention of dismounting. Instead, he desperately pulled the reins, trying to raise the warhorse again. How could the Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree miss this opportunity? Its roots and branches relentlessly whipped Robert and the horse. Even with the protection of the armor, the toxic branches corroded its defense bit by bit. A series of single-digit damage values emerged above Roberts head. The warhorse let out a neigh and stood up forcefully. Robert switched his sword to his left hand, and another arc of sword light shone. All the roots wrapped around him were chopped off. The Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree had its roots cut off twice in a row. Its vitality points had dropped by more than half. Surprisingly, green numbers of +3, +5 occasionally floated above the poison tree, evidently regaining vitality points. Once free, Robert looked at Song Jian standing on the third floor of Manor Castle. His cold gaze was devoid of life, reminiscent of a dead mans eyes. Well, he is a zombie, a dead man! Song Jian felt a chill at being scrutinized but stubbornly glared back. With a tug on the reins, Robert turned the horse around and charged at the Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree. Despite being a zombie, Robert, relying on his battle instinct, could sense that the Ghost Poison Tree was the strongest defense point in the entire Manor. Once it was taken down, the entire Manor would be exposed to his attacks. This guy is not stupid! Song Jians heart sank, he furrowed his brow and vanished from the third floor of the castle. Although the Blood-thirsty Ghost Poison Tree was a level six elite boss, it was still somewhat inferior to Robert. It could fight, but serving as a shield was a bit of a tough task. Robert guided the warhorse to run just two steps before abruptly accelerating to the limit. His surroundings were filled with an aura, like a sports car revving its engine, once the brake is released, the speed jumps from zero to a hundred and eighty miles per hour. The warhorse broke into a run, quickly like an arrow released from a bow. The Ghost Poison Tree hastily extended all its roots, trying to entangle the horse again and prevent it from approaching. However, the fast warhorse didnt care about the roots. All roots that tried to approach were torn to pieces by the aura surrounding the horse. Boom- With a loud crash, Robert fiercely rammed into the robust trunk of the Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree. The trees vitality dropped drastically, leaving only about a fifth left. The branches of the poison tree emitted a creaking sound of fracturing. A gigantic hole appeared on the tree trunks surface. The putrid smell of wood splinters filled the air, and a gush of a blood-like liquid spurted out from the tree trunk. The Poison Tree let out a roar, its branches intertwined to form two sturdy arms. There was a rumble under the ground; the earth was slightly shaking as underground roots intertwined to form two huge legs. With all its strength, the Poison Tree broke free from the soils confinement and stood up from the Spirit Field. Roar- Bo th arms tightened into fists and swung down from the sky like hammers, targeting Robert with a deep-seated growl. Robert swung his left hand upward fiercely. His sword burst into dazzling white light that collided hard with the arms of the poison tree, Alex. The warhorse under Robert let out a mournful whinny, its four legs trembled violently as if it couldnt bear such a tremendous force. Roberts sword also dug into Alexs wooden-patterned arms. At that moment, Song Jians figure appeared in front of Roberts warhorse. The Tusk Fang Stinger in his hand was like a venomous snake, ruthlessly stabbing towards the horses head. Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Super Telekinesis Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Super Telekinesis Translator: 549690339 The warhorse snorted, shaking its head as it bit at Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback to discover that the horses mouth was full of sharp fangs, glinting metallically, like the maw of a massive beast, significantly different from a typical warhorse; Song Jian was in no mood to get bit by such a mouth, he quickly retracted his arm and darted to one side; Crrack- The warhorses upper and lower jawbones collided, sparks flew between its fangs, startling Song Jian; Song Jian pushed off the ground, delivering a forceful kick to the horses right thigh, brandishing his dagger aiming towards the horses right eye; The horse turned its head, trying to continue biting Song Jian, but didnt expect Song Jians move was a feint, he quickly withdrew his dagger, and then flipped it, piercing directly into the horses lower jawbone; -110 An attack of over a hundred points drifted up from Roberts head; Song Jian cracked a slight smile. With a whoosh, he seemingly teleported, his silhouette disappearing on the spot; Whoosh- The longsword, emanating a white sword light, let out a low howl as it swept past where Song Jian had just stood; Within the manor, Song Jian was master, capable of appearing anywhere instantaneously. Fighting here was like divine intervention, much like a mages teleportation. Bodies of Song Jian continuously appeared around Robert, his dagger dishing out death blows, constantly slicing away at Roberts life! The Bloody Soul Poison Trees health has already fallen below one-tenth, its vitality bar flickering dangerously red; Just as this occurred, the Poison Tree suddenly extended its right hand, grabbing hold of a level five mutant zombie that had charged through a breach in the barricade, and shoved it directly into its mouth; The sharp fangs easily ripped through the mutant zombies body, swiftly swallowing it, causing the Poison Trees health to visibly rise; Song Jian kept appearing beside Robert, harassing it and not allowing it to focus on attacking the Poison Tree, otherwise, by now, the Poison Tree would already have been reduced to mere woodchips; Boom! A single shout, a green poisonous mist violently exploded from Roberts body, causing over a hundred points of damage; Poison Nova, five valid attacks, each stacking a Poison Mark. After stacking five Poison Marks, all Poison Marks can be detonated, unleashing the Poison Nova spell, causing over a hundred points of damage to the target; Robert staggered once, then abruptly turned around. The ghostly fire in his helmets eye sockets stared at Song Jian as if looking at a corpse; Song Jian only felt a chill down his scalp, his pupils contracted sharply, an alarm ringing loudly in his heart. He thought to teleport away, but found himself bound by some mysterious power, utterly immobilised; System: Roaming Zombie Robert used Super Psychic Power on you, bind time five seconds, your racial skill Thick Skin has triggered. The Thick Skin skill level is too low to resist this attack, reducing bind time by 20%, final bind time is four seconds; Damn it! How did this happen! Song Jian inwardly screamed, watching as Robert turned around, brandishing his longsword, slashing viciously at him; Thud- The Bloody Soul Poison Tree flailed its arm and struck hard at Roberts back from behind, a surge of great strength knocked Robert and his horse to the side. The sword originally aimed at Song Jians head suddenly veered and grazed past Song Jians left shoulder; Whoosh- Where the long sword passed, the Zombie Commanders armor slowly appeared, with a very deep sword mark on the surface, almost splitting the entire armor in half. Over eighty points of damage floated above Song Jians head; Song Jians face drastically changed with horror. A mere scratch had cost him over eighty vitality points. If this sword were to hit him squarely, Robert could kill him instantly! Suddenly, the battle information from the system just now flashed in Song Jians mind, and a brilliant idea emerged; Thick Skin skill level too low, cannot immunize this attack skill level too low Open the skill list! Song Jian urgently shouted in his mind; In the skill list, the talent skill Thick Skin was only level two. Initially, it was upgraded by one level to resist the Zombies Virus. But now it seems that Song Jian had not fully developed the potential of this skill. All skill points go to the talent skills! Song Jian, who was already level nine, had accumulated five skill points. In an instant, all these five skill points were allocated to the talent skill Thick Skin; For a time, in the skill bar, the talent skill Thick Skin line glowed golden five times in succession. Its level jumped from two to seven, and its attributes underwent a dramatic change; Thick Skin (Passive), Level 7, Skill Effect: Increases personal defense by 30%, resistance by 45%, possesses a certain immunity to negative effects such as mockery, charm, corpse poison, paralysis, dizziness, etc. Each time you take damage, it is forcibly reduced by 10 points; Skill Description: As a salesperson, you can possess a certain immunity to insults, rejections, and mockery, and your resistance to attacks is further enhanced, and your resistance to adverse effects is also strengthened; Crack- With a crisp shattering sound, after raising the Thick Skin talent to level 7, Song Jian found that the origianl two-second binding time had disappeared instantly. It seemed as if there was a transparent membrane around his body that has shattered to pieces; This talent skill is indeed powerful, increasing defense and resistance, immune to all negative effects, and even damage can be forcibly reduced by 10 points. Its a gods skill! Song Jian immediately felt that the five skill points were well worth it; After the upgrade of the talent skill, Roberts super psychic had been completely wasted and had no effect on Song Jian at all; Boom, Boom, Boom C Three more stone bullets fell from the sky, slamming onto Robert. The horse underneath him couldnt withstand such violent impact anymore, and with a wailing cry, its legs softened and it knelt on the ground; At this point, Roberts health had only a fifth left. Bloodthirsty Poison Tree Alex seized the opportunity to grab a few more monsters and shoved them into its mouth. Rotting liquid splattered everywhere, and countless tiny tentacles appeared from the hole in Alexs body, wrapping around each other. The human face emerging from the tree trunk twisted continuously, looking extremely sinister as it chewed on the monsters corpse; When the Bloodthirsty Poison Tree Alex had its vitality restored to a third, it joined in on the attacks on Robert. Song Jian continued to use the powers granted by the manor, teleporting to places out of Roberts sight and launching continuous attacks on him; Boom! Boom! Boom! Every five attacks would trigger a Poison Nova, causing massive damage to Robert; The Poison Tree released another mouthful of poison fog, swinging its thick arms and smashing Robert hard; Level 10 Elite BOSS Robert, finally under the joint siege of Bloodthirsty Poison Tree and Song Jian, vitality ran low. The warhorse underneath him couldnt stand the injuries from the battle, after a wail, it collapsed on the ground. Wisps of black smoke emerged from the cracks in the horses armor. The ghostly flames in Roberts eye sockets flickered, and sparks kept flashing; Just then, Robert stiffened as if he had thought of something, and tossed the long sword in his left hand at Song Jian; Chapter 93 - Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Task Completed Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Task Completed Translator: 549690339 Whoosh- The longsword drew a curve in the air with a spin, and Song Jian hurriedly blinked to dodge it. At this moment, Song Jian saw Robert suddenly took out a palm-sized black metal piece from his armor and threw it towards him. Seeing this object, the name T-11 High-explosive Grenade suddenly emerged in Song Jians mind. Damn it, this guy has such a powerful weapon! Song Jian was scared out of his wits and didnt care about the bloody and ghostly poison tree. He directly teleported to the third floor of the Manor Castle. Boom- With a loud bang, the entire Manor Castle shook slightly. The castles door was blasted open, leaving a big hole while dust spread like smoke. This is a Level 3 Stone Castle Door with a defense of 800, and it was blown open by a single grenade? Song Jian couldnt believe his eyes. If you had such powerful means, why didnt you use it earlier? If you had, the bloody and ghostly poison tree would have been wiped out long ago Song Jian was somewhat speechless. At this point, Robert has less than a hundred Vitality left. Even though he used a T-11 High-explosive Grenade to blast open the castle door, it couldnt change the current situation. If Robert had used the grenade to blow up the wall and the castle door in the beginning, the swarms of monsters would have rushed in. No matter how high the defense of Song Jians Manor Castle was, the main task might have ended in failure. Alex, stay away from that guy! Song Jian hastily ordered. Although Alex had recovered a third of his Vitality, he couldnt withstand the power of a T-11 High-explosive Grenade explosion. Having his autonomous consciousness, Alex had already fled far after witnessing the power of the T-11 High-explosive Grenade and didnt dare to approach Robert anymore. After leaving the Spirit Field and assuming human form, Alexs Vitality steadily decreased. Giving up attacking Robert, Alex darted through the breach in the wall and went on a killing spree among the rank 5 monsters. For a rank 6 elite boss, the rank 5 monsters in front of him were merely food. After throwing the high-explosive grenade, Robert was inexplicably stunned and began to tremble slightly. Song Jian also didnt dare to blink and attack him. The range of the high-explosive grenade was not small C if Robert turned into a suicide bomber and took his life, it wouldnt be worth it. So they stared at each other for a while, one standing on the third floor of the castle and the other in the courtyard. Then Robert let out a long sigh. Ive guarded this city for three hundred years. 1 didnt expect that I would ultimately cause its destruction Robert suddenly spoke. Slowly taking off his helmet, Robert revealed his pale face, high nose, sunken eye sockets, and distinct facial features. The Western mans face looked quite handsome, but Roberts eyes were still burning with two clusters of green flames. Caesar, I never thought you would be the one beside me in the end Robert bent down and stroked the horde of the colt that had turned into dry bones. A trace of reluctance appeared on Roberts face. After a while, Robert began to remove the armor he was wearing. The armor, similar to a medieval heavy knights, usually required the help of a squire to take off. Robert couldnt remove many parts on his own and eventually had to use brute force to break it. The heavy armor fell to the ground, and he wore a gray tight-fitting suit. He jabbed his longsword into the ground and looked up at Song Jian, shouting, Divinely Favored One, do you have any interest in coming down to listen to me Just as his words fell, a sharp wind came from behind, and Roberts face changed. A bitter smile appeared on his face. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- A dozen tree roots pierced through, like spears, from Roberts back, directly penetrating his body and emerging from his chest. Black-red polluted blood flowed out of Roberts mouth, and the ghost fire in his eye sockets flickered; This, perhaps, is destiny Robert sighed, his knees buckled, and his body lost all strength. His hands hung weakly, and if not for the roots of the Bloody Hellish Poison Tree supporting his body, he would have fallen to the ground by now; At the moment after Roberts death, the monsters besieging Song Jians manor seemed to suddenly wake up from their slumbers and scattered with roars; Watching the remaining few dozens of monsters, a smile appeared on Song Jians lips; System: Congratulations to player Song Jian for successfully creating the Safe House Level 1 Manor! Main mission completed, mission evaluation greatly improved; System: Congratulations to player Song Jian, killing [LV10 Roaming Zombie-Robert], completing side mission Guardians Demise, and obtaining side mission reward [T-11 High-explosive Hand Grenade Blueprint]. System: Congratulations to player Song Jian, level up to 10, opening player chat channel! You can communicate freely with other players in the player channel; System: Congratulations to the player for completing the main mission and being able to leave the game. You have three hours left in the game. When the time is up, you will be forcibly removed from the game; After Roberts death, a golden light burst out from Alex, the Bloody Hellish Poison Tree, and his level increased to Elite Level 7; recovering his vitality by devouring more than a dozen monsters outside the manor; At this point, Alexs bleeding had increased from 1 point/second to 3 points/second. The longer it stayed away from the Spirit Field, the more vitality it would lose; I dont know what else Robert would have said in the end Song Jian appeared beside Roberts corpse, looking at the body lying on the ground, deep in thought; Next to Roberts corpse, there was a blue-quality long sword, a Skill Book, and a revolver-like firearm, also in blue-quality; Two blue-quality equipment, one Skill Book. The drop quality of Robert, this Level 10 Elite Boss, is quite high! Song Jian was a bit surprised, but just as he was about to bend down to pick up the items, several roots suddenly drilled out from the soil, and in a flash, swept up the three items, dragging them into the mud; Damn you! Song Jian was furious; Level 10 Elite Bosses had already died by the walls today, over five of them. But they were all lacking, dropping only green-quality materials, which were all devoured by Alex anyway. The items dropped by Robert were considered a bigger harvest this time, and in the end, they were snatched by Alex first; Alex strode back to the manor, ignoring Song Jians angry gaze, returned to the Spirit Field, his thick legs transforming back into countless roots plunged into the soil, and his hands slowly spreading out to form umbrella-like branches. The face formed on the trunk also slowly disappeared, returning to a somewhat eerie-looking big tree; You, you Song Jian was speechless for a moment while pointing at Alex, who had resumed his tree form. Feeling a suffocating sensation in his chest, he wanted to vomit blood. It took him a while to regain his composure and shift his attention to the system prompts; Main mission completed, side mission completed; However, this side mission seemed to have skipped many steps, jumping straight to the final kill, omitting much of the process; Its a chain mission, and the final reward is just a blueprint. Its a bit too simple Song Jian, rubbing his chin, looked at the T-11 High-explosive Hand Grenade Blueprint in his inventory, deep in thought; Looking up, he saw the towering tower in the center of the city, hundreds of meters high. That was the place where Robert, once the citys guardian and now a Level 10 Elite roaming zombie, had fallen; The second round of the side mission only required reaching the Tower of Falling, to search for clues about Roberts whereabouts; It seems 1 should go there again. Maybe there are some good things left there Song Jian gazed at the tower in the city center, thinking to himself; Chapter 94 - Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Blood Pool Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Blood Pool Translator: 549690339 Song Jians successful construction of a safe house came as a surprise to all the players who were watching; This cant be, are all these BOSSes just cheap versions? 1 think I even saw a level ten BOSS, how could this happen It was a suffocating battle, that strange tree played a decisive role, I wonder how he obtained it I just want to know now, how many materials did his safe house cost, third-level stone walls, my God Impressive, Little Cheap Brother, well done Brother Song, youre really great, Ive decided, Ill build my safe house right next to yours The spectators, except Li Keer and Wang Qi, were indifferent to the swarm of monsters attacking, they watched coldly, but in the end, they didnt see what they wished for, which disappointed many people and also made them extremely jealous of Song Jian; Why can he complete the main task and leave this damn game! Why can he collect so many materials! Why can he have such a fierce strange tree to help in battle! Its unfair, everything is so unfair! More and more people started to come out from the dark corners and slowly headed towards Song Jians estate; Song Jian sensed something wrong, a touch of coldness appeared at the corner of his mouth, how similar is this to the real world? When Song Jian first encountered his sales job, he had seen an extremely excellent salesperson whose monthly performance surpassed all other salespersons, even some senior salespersons could not match his monthly performance in three months; However, everyone failed to see the hard work behind his performance. Everyone began to give him the cold shoulder. It was as if he didnt exist in the sales department. His shortcomings were constantly exaggerated, even a small mistake would get constant blame, but nobody mentioned his outstanding sales performance; even the sales manager tacitly approved this cold treatment because he feared that this salesperson would replace his position; Eventually, this excellent salesperson left the company, which made Song Jian sigh for a long time, even Zhao Yu viciously cursed the companys indifference behind its back. If it wasnt for Song Jian still being in this company, Zhao Yu would have resigned the next day; So, is excellence also a sin? Song Jian muttered quietly to himself. Let everything reset, my level one estate! The broken walls, the destroyed traps, the smashed castle doors, after the battle, everything could be repaired using materials. Timber and stones disappeared like flowing water from Song Jians inventory. There were so many places needed to be repaired, he consumed more than five thousand units of timber and over ten thousand units of stone to finally restore the level-one estate; The Vitality Points of the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree restored to above 80%. Mainly because Roberts charge skill did significant damage to its main stem, it took a long time to repair. If it werent for Poison Tree Alex finally consuming Roberts corpse, it would not have been able to recover this much vitality; Seeing Song Jians estate restored from their previous destruction, some people began to hesitate. After glancing at the estate, they hesitated for a moment, immediately turned around and left, but most people looked around and still firmly surrounded the estate; Song Jians figure appeared on the third floor of the castle, looking down at the crowd approaching from the crowd through the window; Bro, can you tell us how you built such a magnificent castle? Whats the secret? someone standing five or six meters away from the wall shouted; Yeah, tell us, how did you manage to gather so many materials? This game is too hard to play, dont be selfish with your secrets! Hey man, Im the general manager of Haifeng Group in the real world, I think we can become friends in the real world if you could guide me in this game. Lets have a drink together, what do you say? Song Jian gave a faint smile, set up a ban all strangers from entering policy in his estate, and then turned and left the third floor; The whole castle was deserted, with nothing but a civilian radio sitting alone on the third-floor. The radio was off, but once it was placed in the safe room, it could be used normally. Song Jian walked towards the radio with curiosity. When he had placed it, he seemed to hear someone broadcasting something on a certain channel. However, at that time the manor was under a monster attack, so Song Jian couldnt be distracted and didnt pay much attention to it. Just as Song Jian prepared to turn on the radio, the voice of the bloody evil tree Alex echoed in his mind. Master, my injuries are too severe and I need blood water from the blood pool to restore my vitality. Please allow me to use the blood water Listening to Alexs weak voice, Song Jian was frightened. Seeing the state of Alex at this point left Song Jian stunned. Apparently, Roberts charge attack had inflicted such a great damage on Alex. Even though Alex had rooted into the spirit field, his vitality points were steadily diminishing. However, the rate of decay was very slow, which was why Song Jian did not notice it earlier. The penetrating injury on the trunk already damaged Alex at his core. With a thought, Song Jian found himself in the basement. The vacant basement contained only a blood pool, resembling a swimming pool and occupying about twenty square meters. He looked at the blood pool. After it was built, Song Jian hadnt inspected its attributes thoroughly. Blood Pool: Level 1 building, effect: stores five thousand units of blood water. Effect of Blood Water 1: can restore vitality points; Effect 2: can cultivate blood slaves; Effect 3: can be used to make additives to enhance product quality. Building description: The blood water contains trace amounts of toxins. Drinking it for a long time can strengthen the physique, but it may affect the mind and pollute the soul. The blood in the pool can slowly recover, but once depleted, it takes a long time and precious materials to recover. Blood pool capacity: 2000/5000. Alex, how much blood water do you need to fully recover? Song Jian asked in his mind. Master, I need about a thousand standard units of blood water to fully recover, Alex replied immediately. Well, there isnt much blood water left in the pool. If 1 let you use it, it will require many precious materials to replenish, Song Jian expressed his difficulty, rubbing his chin. Master if I dont get watered, Ill die. Then you will lose a strong guardian in your manor! The tone of Alexs voice seemed a bit anxious. Well, the mansion is already built and there wont be any more monster attacks. Losing one guardian is not a big deal. I can just go back to the Tree Spirit Forest and get some saplings to replace you. At least, they wouldnt snatch my spoils of war! Song Jian thought of the items that Robert had dropped, and felt a pang in his heart. Master, I have three items saved here. I want to offer them to you, my respected master! Alex hesitated. A smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. He moved like a flash to Alexs side, and two items emanating blue light and one item emitting white light appeared at the foot of the giant tree. Not bad, not bad, two blue items and onemist grass, an engineering crafting table. You Quickly, Song Jian stowed the three items in his bag and glared deeply at the tree. Other things could be let go, but this engineering crafting table was something Song Jian had been longing for a while ago. Master, the blood water Okay, okay, understood! Song Jian waved his hand, and with a thought, the level of the blood water in the pool rapidly descended by half, slowly flowing into the spirit field where Alex was rooted. Oh- The power of life! Alex let out a satisfying moan. Tiny buds, resembling muscle tissues, emerged around the tree trunks penetrating wound. They grew visibly at a rapid pace, intertwining with each other and quickly healing Alexs wound. Looking at the almost flat layer of blood water left in the pool, Song Jian was contemplating the making of the blood slaves. He moved like a flash and appeared on the third floor of the castle. Chapter 95 - Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Rocket Launcher Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Rocket Launcher Translator: 549690339 Song Jian returned to the third floor of Manor Castle. In the empty room, there was only a closed radio placed on the floor. Song Jian took out three items from his inventory, which were tributes from the Poison Tree Alex. He estimated that it was because Alex had eaten too much, and these three things were not digested for a while, so they were saved for last. The first item was a blue-quality longsword. [Guardians Sword](Blue): One-handed Sword, Weapon, Attack: 28-31, Strength+3, Armor Break+2, Special Effect: Knights Faith (active), can form a telekinetic shield with 500 defense points, the shield disappears after 10 seconds, if the shield is broken within 10 seconds, it will automatically restore 30% of the users Vitality Points; Usage requirement: Level 10, cannot be taken out of the game. A Level 10 blue one-handed sword with a built-in defensive skill was perfect for Song Jian, who had just fed his Corrupt Sword to Alex. His left hand was still missing a weapon, and the Guardians Sword could replace the position of the Corrupt Sword. Adding three points of Strength directly allowed Song Jians Strength to break through the single-digit barrier, reaching 11 points. Compared to ordinary players, who only had four or five points of Strength, he now possessed an overwhelming advantage. The Knights Faith skill greatly enhanced Song Jians survivability. A 500-point defense was enough to make some players with weaker attack power feel desperate, and ordinary mutated zombies might not even be able to break through this telekinetic shield layer. Most importantly, after the telekinetic shield is broken, it can directly increase 30% of Vitality Points. In a battle with a BOSS, 30% of Vitality Points is almost equivalent to the full Vitality Points of an ordinary player. It could even save Song Jians life at critical moments. Song Jian was very satisfied with this longsword. Although he had only mastered a basic passive skill related to longswords so far, it did not hinder him from using the longsword as an off-hand weapon. Putting the longsword into the equipment slot, Song Jian looked at the second item. The second item was an Engineering Crafting Table, a building facility item. Song Jian placed it directly next to the radio. With this crafting table and the T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenade Blueprint, he would be able to make high-explosive hand grenades. Even now, Song Jian was still having residual feelings about the power of high-explosive hand grenades. If Robert hadnt thought of this trump card in the end, it was questionable whether Song Jians current Level 1 Manor would still be standing. If only I had an Alchemy crafting table, Song Jian thought as he rubbed his chin. Having learned Alchemy and possessing the Weakness Potion formula, but without an Alchemy crafting table, he couldnt make Weakness Potions, which made him a bit anxious. [Engineering Crafting Table](Special Item): Effect: can create engineering items, increasing the success rate by 30%; Usage conditions: mastering Engineering, must be placed in a safe house to use. Seeing the attributes of the Engineering Crafting Table, Song Jians face darkened; he had the blueprint and the crafting table, but he hadnt mastered Engineering. Damn, another decoration! Song Jian exclaimed in anger. The book Engineering was not available in ordinary shops; it could only be purchased in the Doomsday Supermarket. Song Jian didnt know if the Doomsday Supermarket would appear again. Song Jian always felt that it was too BUG-like that all items could be bought in the Doomsday Supermarket. This should be just a welfare-like existence. If you can seize the opportunity, great; if not, just enjoy the moment. Many players have accepted the Doomsday Supermarket membership task, but they still cant complete it. Song Jian shook his head and looked at the third item. Hiss, how come theres this thing, this is, simply, I Song Jians eyes showed a horrified expression, followed by ecstasy. In the inventory, a metal-gloss-displaying killing machine was quietly lying there. [Cobra-2X](Blue): Rocket Launcher, Two-handed Weapon, Attack: 49-68, Explosion+3, Splash+3, Ammo Capacity+1, Special Effect 1: Automatically restores one round of ammunition every thirty seconds; Ammo Capacity: 2/2, Attack Speed: 3 seconds; Usage Requirements: Level 10,12 points of Strength attribute. A rocket launcher? I cant believe theres something like a rocket launcher. This attack power is on par with Earth Teeth Assault, its just too overpowered Song Jians eyes gleamed, and he just wanted to hug and kiss it. The function of automatically restoring ammunition is simply too considerate. Im making a big profit, haha, Im making a big profit this time! Song Jian had always been envious of Li Keers crossbow, which had the attribute of automatically restoring ammunition. This could save a lot of expense! You should know that firearms have many advantages like high attack, great power, and long-range, but the only drawback is the huge cost of using them. A single battle could use up enough ammunition to bankrupt an ordinary player, making players in the game love and hate firearms. If a firearm has the attribute of automatically restoring ammunition, even if its only a white-quality item, its value will skyrocket, even comparable to a green-quality weapon. Its just a pity that 1 need 12 points of Strength to equip it, and 1 only have 11 points. Its like a big meal being served right in front of me, but I cant eat it. Damn, its so annoying! Song Jian stared at the red-highlighted 12 points of Strength attribute in the usage requirements, his eyes filled with anger. None of the three items could be used immediately; without the corresponding training for the Guardians Sword, it would likely harm himself if used blindly. All he could do was hang it in the equipment slot and enjoy the attribute bonuses. Without mastering the corresponding skill, the Engineering Crafting Table couldnt be used. The powerful rocket launcher lacked enough Strength attribute, so it couldnt be used either. Song Jian sighed deeply, closed his inventory and decided it was better if the items remained out of sight. Chirp chirp- At this moment, a faint purple, translucent spirit bird was chirping non-stop at the window on the third floor of the castle, trying to grab Song Jians attention. Little Purple? Song Jian raised his eyebrows, quickly approached the window, and let Little Purple in. Unlocking the player channel at Level 10, Im the only one at Level 10 right now, so whats the use of unlocking the channel? Song Jian couldnt help but complain. If everyone unlocked the player channel, then Song Jian could freely contact other players. But now, he was the only one in the channel. Whats the difference between this and not unlocking? Talking to himself? Little Cheap Brother, those people are still surrounding the entrance of your manor and talking bad about you. Were too scared to go in! The voice of Keer came from Little Purples mouth. Upon hearing this, Song Jians face darkened, and he let out a cold snort. A trace of coldness appeared at the corner of his mouth. Refusing to accept my mercy? Really forcing me to go on a killing spree! As for killing people in the game, Song Jian was no longer opposed to it. Having lost the constraints of laws in the real world, the game followed the law of the jungle, the Dark Forest rule. However, some people still failed to comprehend it, treating it like an insignificant game. It seems that 1 need to teach you all a good lesson and let you know the cruelty of this game! Song Jian muttered to himself, then his figure appeared directly on the wall. Chapter 96 - Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Taking Advantage Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Taking Advantage Translator: 549690339 Song Jians figure appeared on the perimeter wall, looking at the dozens of people surrounding his safe house, his face looking very displeased. After successfully creating the safe house, almost all of the defensive facilities were destroyed, and the walls and castle were also broken with large holes. Song Jians estate looked extremely dilapidated and desolate. At this time, almost all of the onlookers had thoughts of looting the place. But with Song Jian immediately spending a large amount of resources to repair the estate, more than half of the players were deterred. They looked at the four Arrow Towers, three Catapults, and the tall and thick wall with its Wooden Spike Trap, Falling Rock Trap, and other defensive facilities, shivering in their hearts. Those who still dared to stay were relying on their real-world status, wanting to take advantage of their power and influence in the real world to gain some benefits from Song Jian. Humph, those who play games well must be losers in the real world. 1 dont believe that he will continue to ignore us like this A rotund middle-aged man, holding a green-quality Magic Staff, said aggressively. President Wang is right, if we find out his real-life identity, then based on his current attitude towards us, I will make sure he cant take a single step in Coastal City A thin middle-aged man with a slightly balding head and sharp eyes, coldly snorted, and actually revealed a hint of killing intent on his face. Several people around him seemed to have some fear, not daring to look directly at him, and behaving obsequiously even while standing beside him. Yeah, Hall Master Zhangs River Gang has a lot of say in Coastal City, who wouldnt give Hall Master Zhang some face? This kid dares to ignore Hall Master Zhang like this; once we know his real-life identity, Im afraid we wont see him again in the game, hahaha- A very fat man, weighing at least 300 pounds, was wearing plate armor and holding a warhammer almost as tall as him, laughed loudly. Sun Fatty, as someone from the martial world, all we know is fighting and killing. When the kid comes out later, how to extract the most from him still depends on your means, Lord Yama Sun. Hall Master Zhang coldly snorted and glanced at the fat man beside him. No problem, as long as you all help me hold the scene, even if this kde is a Sun Wukong who jumped out from a crack in a stone, I can still squeeze out some oil. The fat mans plump face was oily, but his small eyes revealed a terrifying sharpness. More than a dozen people were crowding around the entrance of Song Jians estate, each emanating an extraordinary aura, evidently people who had held high positions for a long time and possessed a great deal of power and wealth. These people probably all knew each other in the real world. They casually chatted and formed an alliance, all of them already calculating how to maximize their own benefits. Those who didnt qualify to stand with the big shots but still wanted a share of the spoils were standing on the streets more than ten meters away from the estate. They were quiet with eyes full of greed and envy, looking at the estate and the people surrounding the entrance. Li Keer and Wang Qi were standing far away, looking at the crowd with dissatisfaction and anger in their eyes. Theyre all bad guys, there wasnt a single one who helped Little Cheap Brother to fight the monsters! Li Keer angrily said with a pout. When the monsters besieged Song Jians estate earlier on, everyone just watched, except Li Keer and Wang Qi, who were constantly hunting down monsters on the outskirts. As a result, Li Keers level rose to 7, while Wang Qis level also increased to 5. I really cant understand why they didnt take advantage of such a good leveling opportunity. They were completely indifferent! Wang Qi was still a little surprised and couldnt believe it when he thought about it now. To be clear, Wang Qi had only managed to reach level 3 after much difficulty. However, just now, in a mere hour or so, his level rose to 5, it was like riding a rocket. Hmph, they think there werent enough monsters attacking Little Cheap Brother! Li Keer said angrily. As a matter of fact, many of the spectators were now regretting their decision. They originally thought that Song Jian wouldnt be able to withstand the monster siege, as there were so many bosses and even level 10 elite bosses. However, they didnt expect that Song Jian would actually be able to withstand the attack from so many monsters, which was simply unimaginable. If I had taken action at that time, could I have also gained two or three levels by now? Many people thought like this now, although at that time, they only watched with cold eyes, wanting to see Song Jian become a laughingstock and witness another persons main line mission failure. Song Jians figure stood on the perimeter wall, looking down at the people surrounding the entrance to his estate. Listening to their discussion and mutual flattery, Song Jian could only laugh. Even if he went back to the real world now, he would be more than capable of self-defense. To think that they could still scheme against Song Jian the way they used to do to a normal person just goes to show that these people must be seriously delusional. Why are you standing at the entrance of my estate? What do you want? Song Jian asked emotionlessly. These people werent paying attention to Song Jian standing on the wall. When they heard his voice, they all looked up, and their faces turned a little embarrassed when they saw him. As someone who holds face in high regard, it was one thing to talk behind someones back, but they suddenly found it awkward to openly belittle someone in front of their peers. After all, they were all powerful and influential people who usually just ordered their subordinates to carry out their dirty work. Young man, can we speak privately? Hall Master Zhang didnt like talking with people with his head turned up so he raised his volume. Leave my estate entrance immediately, or else 1 will treat you as enemies and initiate an attack on you. You have 10 seconds! Song Jian said coldly. Young man, dont be so aggressive with your words. We are The man called President Wang darkened his face, as no one had dared to talk to him like that for a long time. How arrogant! Dont let me find out his real-life identity, otherwise Hall Master Zhangs face showed a fierce expression. 1,1 think we should leave. Look at the Arrow Towers on the wall Someone said with a trembling voice. Everyone looked up and saw the Arrow Towers on both sides of the wall aiming at them. The sharp triangular arrowheads flashed with a cold light, making their hearts tighten involuntarily! I dont believe he really dares to kill people. Humph, with a kid like him, its all talk! Ill just stand here, let him kill! Zhang Tangzhu, with a furious expression, actually ripped off his clothes, revealing his chest and facing the Arrow Tower, with a menacing look on his face. Chapter 97 - Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Lend a Hand Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Lend a Hand Translator: 549690339 In the real world, Hall Master Zhang had seen numerous young people who bluster boldly. But when given a knife and asked to maim another person, they piss their pants. Therefore, seeing that Song Jian is not that old, doesnt bear any signs of being a gang member, but rather seems like a college student, Hall Master Zhang became highly confident and believed that Song Jian did not have the guts to kill. Kid, if you dont dare to kill me today, youre my grandson. Remember to address me as Old Zhang or Grandfather Zhang whenever you see me! Hall Master Zhang bellowed towards Manor Castle. Heh, Hall Master Zhangs got some nerve, truly worthy of being the head honcho of River Gang, we President Wang hailed with a thumbs-up, admiration written all over his face. Before President Wang could even finish his sentence, he heard two sharp whistling sounds of arrow flying. Squelch- The blood splattered on President Wang, who was standing next to Hall Master Zhang, and he froze in disbelief. As people looked at Hall Master Zhang, they saw two foot-long wooden arrows, one entering his temple and passing straight through his skull, with the arrowhead protruding three inches from the other side. The other arrow hit Hall Master Zhangs throat, emerging from the back of his neck. Two critical hit damages of over 80 points floated above Zhangs head. Cough cough- Hall Master Zhangs eyes filled with shock. He couldnt believe how ruthlessly a young man in his early twenties could kill. If I had known This thought occurred to Hall Master Zhang, but consciousness quickly faded into darkness, and he could no longer feel anything. As they watched Hall Master Zhangs dead body lying don the ground, next to a floating loot bag, a look of fear crossed everyones faces. Holy hell, he actually dared to kill! A loud shout brought all the people gathered at the entrance to their senses. When they looked toward the wall, they heard the creaking sound of a bowstring. Run- Damn, the man plays dirty.- Get out of the way, stop blocking the path A dozen people fled like frightened rats for a distance before looking back, only to see a few roots slowly extending from the wall, curling over Hall Master Zhangs body and emanating package. Damn, like master, like pet, not even sparing Old Zhangs body, thats ruthless someone murmured in astonishment. Old Zhang really misjudged this time. That kids not just an ordinary college student; hes a skilled manipulator, a real dragon in human form. Were in for a show in our Lianhai district River Gang is done for. With Old Zhangs death, the deputy gang leaders, none of them are easy to deal with So now we are Lets go, lets not embarrass ourselves here. We all misjudged. That kid is brutal. One wrong word, and he starts a massacre No options, the weapons in his hand. Hell do whatever he wants. A dozen of big bosses discussed among themselves, and after a while, they dispersed. Now they no longer considered Song Jian a novice. Instead, they treated him as one of their equals. Phew, it seems my heart has become harder, capable of killing decisively. Who would have thought, me, decisive in killing Song Jian touched the Night Slayers pattern on his chest with a melancholy expression on his face. Little Cheap Brother, you were amazing! Those guys were too hateful; they deserve to be killed! Little Purple stood at the window on the third floor of the castle, shouting excitedly. Enough, Keer, youre a young girl, dont keep talking about killing. I have given you and Wang Qi permission, you can enter my manor now. Song Jian laughed. Really? Thats great! Haha, theyre all gone, lets go in- In no time, Li Keer and Wang Qi arrived at Manor Castle. This place is so big, but it looks quite empty, theres nothing Li Keer as she looked around while walking. After creating a safe house, do all the original items in the safe house disappear? Wang Qi pondered aloud, his face sporting a thoughtful look. Keer, welcome. Song Jian greeted her with a smile. Little Cheap Brother, youre incredible, youre my idol! Li Keer excitedly jumped onto Song Jian, hugging his neck and said, Little Cheap Brother, your tree is very powerful. Where did you get it? Can you take me to get one too? Song Jian laughed, put Keer down, and patted her head, That tree is called Alex. Despite its good looks, its quite costly to keep. Its almost drained your Little Jian Brothers resources! I dont care, you tell me quickly, where did you get it from? I want a big tree too! Li Keer coaxed, pulling on Song Jians hand. Okay, okay, Ill tell you. Open the map, and Ill mark it for you. Not only can you gather lots of wood there, but theres also a monster called Treant. If you kill them, they might drop Treant Saplings. After you upgrade to a level 3 safe house, you can modify the Spirit Field. Once you have a Spirit Field, you can plant a Treant! Song Jian marked the location on the map and explained everything to them. Ah, it sounds so complicated. Suddenly, I dont want to use just one room as a safe house. I want to make the whole bar my safe house! Li Keer drew a big circle with her hands as if she could encompass the entire bar like that. Luckily, I have some materials to spare, Ill give them to you. Song Jian glanced at his inventory, which contained tens of thousands of units of wood and stone materials, and transferred all of them to Li Keer and Wang Qi. The two of them had fought valiantly against the monsters when they were under siege. Song Jian did not mention it, but he noticed their effort. Little Cheap Brother, youre so great. I adore you! Youre the second greatest man after my dad! Li Keer became so excited she was jumping up and down. Wang Qi, on the other hand, was stunned by the tens of thousands of materials, shocked beyond words. Brother Song, are you sure you havent put any money into this game? Wang Qi, after hemming and hawing for a while, finally asked. Ha ha, if you find out that money can be added to this game, you must tell me! Song Jian was amused by Wang Qi and laughed heartily. Little Cheap Brother, I have enough materials; Im ready to create my safe house. Can you help me? Li Keer asked while pulling on Song Jians sleeve. Song, Brother Song, I also want to create a safe house. Its just across the street from yours Wang Qi said a bit bashfully. Alright, alright, 1 still have three hours left in this game. As long as you create it during this time, I can help! Song Jian promptly agreed. Thats great! Ill create it now Afraid of being slower than Wang Qi, Li Keer quickly ran toward the castle gate. Song Jian and Wang Qi exchanged glances, before bursting into laughter. They then quickly followed Li Keer towards the outside of the manor. Chapter 98 - Chapter 98: Chapter 98 Fiana Chapter 98: Chapter 98 Fiana Translator: 549690339 The safe house Li Keer chose actually has three floors; two above ground and one underground. The first floor is a bar, the second floor a casino, and the basement is filled with tiny rooms. They looked like a shabby rented rooms, but in reality, this is the place where substances are sold and consumed. Standing in the bar on the first floor, Li Keer was somewhat excited, her eyes gleaming, she said to Song Jian, Little Cheap Brother, Im starting. Go ahead, remember to only upgrade the safe house by one level. If its upgraded too high, the levels of the monsters and the number of Bosses will also increase! Song Jian warned; This was advice from experience. If he had known this before, Song Jian would absolutely not have upgraded the safe house level so high. Rather, he would prefer to gradually enhance it after gaining more power in the future; Soon, a green light column enveloped the entire bar. All the players were stunned, looking at the soaring light column, some of them didnt dare to believe their own eyes; Is thisanother loaded player? someone hesitated to ask; Go check out who has such a hard head, just because others can pass the main mission doesnt mean they can Yeah, the main mission cant be passed this easily. Go and see who it is! The players who had dispersed previously began to gather again; Eh, Little Cheap Brother, why cant I build defensive structures? Li Keer was a bit in a rush. There was no Wooden Spike Trap in the construction list for a level one safe house, which made her panic; No Wooden Spike Trap? Why would this happen? Song Jian also encountered this situation for the first time, and frowned; Keer, check if you can create other buildings. Dont worry, even if we dont have the Wooden Spike Trap, I wont let you fail the main mission! Song Jian rubbed Keers head and comforted her with a relaxed smile on his face; Seeing Song Jians smile, Keer instantly calmed down, feeling relieved. She nodded and started meticulously checking the construction list; Little Cheap Brother, there are no more buildings that can be built, but I can recruit bar staff Li Keer said; Bar staff? What is that? Song Jian asked in surprise; There are three types, bartenders, servers, and bouncers!Li Keer said; Wow, are there any quantity limits? Song Jian hurriedly asked; Theres a limit for bartenders. You can only recruit one, but theres no limit for servers and bouncers. However, you have to pay them a salary, and their salary is so high, I wont be able to recruit many Li Keer said with a woeful face; Recruit a bartender first and see! Song Jian said, the more restrictions there are, the more powerful it most likely is, so it should be prioritized; Yes, alright! Soon, a figure slowly emerged at the bar counter; Hello, boss, my name is Fiana, nice to meet you! A voluptuous woman with fiery red hair bowed slightly towards Li Keer with a smiling face; An Elite Level Boss? Song Jian was dumbfounded, staring at Fiana for a long time before turning to look at Li Keer. He was finally able to confirm that Li Keer was indeed the chosen daughter of the game, not needing to spend money to become a boss-like existence in the game; Song Jians Bloody Ghost Poison Tree, Alex, cost him almost everything he had, plus some luck, to become a level one Elite Boss, and it also requires construction of a spirit field; The bartender in front of him, Fiana, only required Doomsday Coins to recruit. This made people glare with jealousy; [LV1 Bartender FianaJ(Elite), Vitality: 300/300, Mental Strength: 600/600, Traits: Super Telekinesis, Super Attraction; Skills: Accurate Throw, Title: Junior Bartender; This was the first NPC with a title that Song Jian saw, and also the first NPC with Mental Strength. Boss, do you need me to mix a cocktail for you? Fiana flashed a seductive smile. Song Jian suddenly felt like he was in love, his eyes fixed only on her. But soon, clarity returned to Song Jians eyes. The level seven talent skill Thick Skin was enough to resist Fianas mental charm. Seeing how quickly Song Jian snapped out from the spell of charm, Fianas eyes flashed a hint of surprise, but quickly returned to her coquettish expression. Looking at the liquor cabinet behind her, Fiana frowned slightly and shook her head, Boss, you need to restock the liquor soon, or theres no reason for me to be here! Soon, very soon, Ill buy more as long as 1 can hold this place! Li Keer assured immediately. Well, lets use my personal collection for now. Fiana smirked, magically pulled out seven to eight bottles of liquor, then took out a wine glass and mixing utensil. After a dizzying performance, she gently pushed the glass towards Li Keer, Boss, try this rainbow cocktail. The cocktail was primarily light blue like the sky, with white liquid floating on top like drifting clouds. In the middle of the glass was a gently rippling, multi-colored rainbow. It looked stunning. So beautiful! Sparks seemed to fly from Li Keers eyes, but soon she sighed, Mum said Im too young to drink. Little Cheap Brother, you drink it for me. Dont let it go to waste! Li Keer pushed the glass in front of Song Jian. Song Jian had been eyeing the Rainbow cocktail, a look of surprise gradually appearing on his face. The properties of this drink Song Jian trembled slightly and picked up the Rainbow. Cocktail C Rainbow (Blue): Drink, usage effect: Temporarily increases 500 Vitality Points for 60 minutes. Note: Contains alcohol. Those who are allergic to alcohol please drink with caution! 500 Vitality Points, although temporary, could greatly increase survival rate if consumed before each battle. Song Jian emptied the glass in one gulp. Although it was a cocktail, it tasted sweet and sour, just like a beverage very tasty. After drinking it, he was surprised to find that his Vitality Points had surpassed 700, reaching an astonishing 750. This was nearly the same as the Vitality Points of a regular level ten Boss. Haha, great drink! Song Jians face flushed as he set the glass down, smiling at Li Keer, Keer, sit here and watch. Im going to wipe out the monsters outside! With that, Song Jian rushed out of the bar with his Tusk Fang Stinger. What he didnt notice was a Drunk status appeared on his status bar. Wang Qi, stop Little Cheap Brother quickly! Li Keer cried out in alarm. At this time, several hundred monsters had gathered outside. Regardless he had 750 or 7,500 Vitality Points, charging out there would surely mean death. Wang Qi hurriedly tried to stop Song Jian but was tossed away easily by him. Now, Song Jians strength attribute had reached 11 points, he was virtually a superhero compared to Wang Qi, who only had five points of strength. Fiana, think of something quick! Li Keer hurriedly turned and pleaded with Fiana. Hehe, what an interesting person! Fiana blew a kiss towards Song Jian. Instantly, the already close to the bar entrance Song Jian, involuntarily turned around and staggered back towards the bar. Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Secret Passage Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Secret Passage Translator: 549690339 Song Jian wore a drunken look on his face, his eyes filled with a dazed expression. His body was like a puppet, swaying towards the bar counter. He had barely taken two steps when a flash of white light enveloped Song Jian, pulling him back to sobriety. What happened to me? Song Jian looked around with a puzzled expression, the memory of his previous drunkenness still fresh in his mind. He quickly opened the systems information interface, his facial expression turning sour. He was in a drunken state, his mind out of control, with one of humanitys random desires amplified to the extreme. This time, the desire amplified due to his drunkenness was arrogance. Then, Fiana cast a Charm spell on him. If it were not for his passive talent skill Thick-Skinned coming into effect, by now, Song Jian would have been making a mockery of himself. So it was a talent skill after all, Fiana curled her lip in disdain as she said, quickly losing interest in him. She then lazily pulled out a velvet cloth and began to wipe a glass. Phew- Song Jian let out a breath reeking of alcohol. When he started drinking the Rainbow, it didnt even taste like alcohol, but the further down he went, the more intoxicating it got. In a matter of seconds, he was drunk. If not for the passive activation of his Thick-Skinned ability, he wouldve likely passed out by now. Little Cheap Brother, I can recruit five more waitstaff and ten bouncers Li Keer said, looking at the recruitment interface. Song Jian and Wang Qi had given all their Doomsday Coins to Li Keer for her to recruit more staff. After all, every extra recruit equated to a boost in their Combat Power. Go ahead and recruit everyone available, Song Jian said, his words slurring from the liquor. Alright! An enveloping white light appeared, revealing five individuals dressed as waitstaff and ten burly men with hardened faces C the newly recruited personnel. Hello, boss! the group of fifteen bowed towards Li Keer as they greeted her. Ha ha, hello to you all! Li Keer curved her eyes into crescents, laughing merrily, This game is so much fun, ha ha! Keer, are there any other defensive structures you can build? Song Jian asked. Once the Safehouse is completed, the monsters outside will start breaking in. It seems like 1 can also build a secret tunnel from the bar basement leading to another street! Li Keer said softly while browsing through the building interface. What, you mean, we can leave the bar through this secret tunnel at any time? Song Jian asked with a jolt. Yes, once the secret tunnel is built, we can leave the bar through it directly, Li Keer nodded. How long can this tunnel be? Can it reach my place? Song Jians eyes darted as he asked. It seems possible, but it requires too many materials over ten thousand! Li Keer furrowed her brows after working through the operations and added, And I also need your consent to proceed! Soon, Song Jian received a system message. System: Player Li Keer has requested a link to your Safehouse. Do you accept? Accept! The ground trembled slightly before returning to its calm state. Its completed, Little Cheap Brother. I really cant build anything else now, Li Keer said with a pout. Phew, you should be satisfied with this secret tunnel. Even if you fail this main mission, as long as the secret tunnel is there, you can rebuild your Safehouse for a second attempt This game is really kind to you, Song Jian shook his head with a sigh. Other players are only given one chance to complete their main missions. Once the hordes of monsters break through the Safehouse, the incoming wave of beasts would simply drown the players without giving them a second chance. However, Li Keer could utilize the secret tunnel to escape before her Safehouse was breached by the monsters. As long as she survived, she could rebuild her Safehouse, giving her a second chance. Is that so? But I dont want to escape. I want to complete this task in one go. After that, Ill be the tavern-keep, hehe~ Li Keer giggled suddenly, apparently amused by some thought. Just then, the green light pillar outside began to fade and eventually shattered like glass. Roar- A wave of roars from outside the bar sailed through the air, making everyone tense up. So noisy! Fiana frowned, taking a quick glance at the bars entrance, and ordered with a wave of her hand, You guys, head to the door and tell those bastards to quieten down. Alright! Several waitstaff quickly walked towards the door of the bar. Li Keer froze and then wore an anxious look. Those waitstaff are all level one. Going out there now is like serving themselves to the monsters on a platter! Hey, you guys Li Keer raised her hand, wanting to call them back. Wait, Keer, lets see what happens, Song Jian pulled Li Keer back. He had noticed Fianas extraordinary intelligence, which was considerably higher than that of the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree, Alex. Song Jian wanted to see just how capable Fiana truly was. Fiana gave Song Jian a nonchalant look, stifled a yawn and stretched lazily, her fine figure coming into view. Wang Qi was already gaping, practically drooling, and Song Jians gaze uncontrollably drifted towards the bar counter. Boom- At that moment, several mutant zombies surprisingly broke through the bar door and began swaying their way in. Song Jians face changed dramatically. How is this possible? Even a level one Safehouses defense, its impossible for the monsters to break in within such a short time. Whats going on? Looking up, Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. The monsters surrounding the bar seemed to see the bar door as the only entrance and were charging towards it frantically. They did not show any desire to attack the walls around the bar. A level-one bars defense is 1,500 points, while the bar door, a mere wooden door, has a defense of only 200. It would take only minutes for several mutant zombies to break through it. As the door broke, the waitstaffs faces changed. They instantly pulled out steel pipes from their clothes and began attacking the intruding mutant zombies. Thump, thump, thump- Swinging their steel pipes, the waitstaff managed to knock the mutant zombies to the ground. They then started blocking the bar door, fiercely attacking the incoming wave of monsters. For a moment, the three waitstaff at the door were like floodgates of a reservoir, halting the flood of monsters outside, leaving Song Jian dumbfounded. Why arent these monsters attacking the walls? Are they stupid? Wang Qi had been watching for a while and asked weakly, glancing at Song Jian with confusion in his eyes. Chapter 100 - Chapter 100: Chapter loo: Royal Salute Count Rum Chapter 100: Chapter loo: Royal Salute Count Rum Translator: 549690339 How would 1 know, Im not one of those monsters! Song Jian looked at Wang Qi with annoyance. In reality, Song Jian had long realized that these monsters attacking the bar seemed to single-mindedly charge towards the bar door, even if it was blocked, they wouldnt attack elsewhere. They just kept circling around the door in a state of anxiety and anger. The defense level of a first-level bar was not high. If these monsters attacked in unison, they would have been able to breach the bar in just a few minutes. But the strange scene in front of him left Song Jian both surprised and puzzled. The three waiters blocking the door continuously beat the incoming mutant zombies with steel pipes. After a few minutes, they had already killed more than a dozen mutant zombies. At this point, a golden light flashed on the three waiters and they unexpectedly leveled up together. Their vitality points, which had dropped to half, were also fully restored at this time. They were able to continue blocking the door and withstand the monster attacks. Brother Song, 1,1 feel like we dont need to lift a finger. Li Keer alone can hold down the bar! Wang Qi had an embarrassed smile on his face. After looking at Song Jian, he put away his weapon. Ten minutes later, the waiters at the door had already exterminated fifty to sixty zombies. The vitality points of a waiter at the very front dropped to one-third. He slowly backed off with the two waiters by his side covering him, and the other two waiters stepped forward, taking turns to replace each other. Half an hour went by, and all five waiters had surprisingly leveled up to level three. Even Li Keer had leveled up. At this point, the levels of the monsters at the door began to increase, and their strength gradually grew. The five waiters began to struggle. Fiana suddenly spoke up: You lot, go swap places with the ones at the door. Do your best. The boss is watching. If you dont do well, be careful not to get your wages docked! Yes, boss lady! Ten bar fighters responded in unison, drawing out their retractable batons and rushing towards the bar door. Bang- A bar fighter viciously kicked out, landing a heavy blow in the abdomen of the zombie at the very front. He kicked the monster back like a cannonball, crashing it into a slew of monsters behind. Smack- The retractable baton emitted a crisp noise, the hearty, full-faced bar fighter revealed a ruthless smile on his face. He waved the baton in his hand overhead and smashed it into the monsters. The pack of ten bar fighters created a minor climax, swarming out of the bar door and charging into the monster horde. Seeing the ten bar fighters tear through the monsters like tigers into a flock of sheep, Song Jian suddenly felt a sense of unreality. If mastering the main line task could be this easy, then Mingling in Song Jians thoughts were doubts, which he quickly expelled. The other players were not like Li Keer. They wouldnt have such good luck. The ten bar fighters dispatched hundreds of monsters before gradually retreating. Although covered in blood, none seemed dejected. On the contrary, they high-fived each other, full of excitement, hooting and laughing as they walked towards the bar counter. Boss lady, a cup of beer! A bar fighter left two Doomsday Coins on the bar counter. Beer? Fiana frowned: Do you think my collection would include such low-grade liquor? As she spoke, Fiana waved her finger in thin air as if searching for something. After a moment, she grasped a bottle of rum from thin air and placed it on the counter. This is the Royal Salute Count Rum. Necessitous fools like you, in the past, were not even entitled to catch a whiff of it. But today is She broke off suddenly, turned to Li Keer and asked, Boss, whats our bars name? The bars name? Li Keer looked puzzled for a long moment before uttering, Hows Sunflower Bar? Snap- Fiana paused, then displayed an enticing smile, and said with a snap of her fingers, Today is our Sunflower Bars grand opening. For this occasion, Ive decided to offer this Royal Salute Count Rum for a limited price of ten Doomsday Coins per serving. One serving per individual, limited supply, offer ends when stock does! Ugh, 1 only grabbed two Doomsday Coins The bar fighter pulled a face, collected the two Doomsday Coins on the counter, and mumbled, Looks like I need to loot a lot more! Fixated on the Royal Salute Count Rum, Song Jian wanted to check its properties but could only see a string of question marks apart from the name of the rum. Purple color name Song Jian was startled to find that the rums name was in purple. Miss Fiana, can I purchase a serving of the Royal Salute Count Rum for ten Doomsday Coins? Song Jian asked politely. Of course, youre a friend of our boss. Naturally, you can enjoy this privilege! Fiana said with a warm smile. Song Jian and Wang Qi had given all their Doomsday Coins to Li Keer to recruit staff. They had none left on them. However, Song Jian had a lot of grilled meat that he made himself. Miss Fiana, 1 want to sell this piece of food. How much can 1 get for it? Song Jian placed a piece of grilled meat on the counter. Originally, this bar counter functioned as a system store. Song Jian believed that the function of this system store should still remain. Hmm, a piece of ordinary quality food, let me see Fiana glanced at the grilled meat, hesitating for a moment before saying: 111 give you ten Doomsday Coins! Great! Miss Fiana, can I use this to buy a serving of your Royal Salute Count Rum then? Song Jian laughed. Sure! Fiana nodded, waved her hand and the grilled meat on the counter vanished. She then handed over a cup filled with golden liquor. Enjoy! It was a large beer mug with a capacity of one liter. When Song Jian picked it up, the properties of this Royal Salute Count Rum immediately appeared before his eyes. Royal Salute Count Rum (Rare), alcoholic beverage, Effect: Permanently increase one free attribute point, increase vitality by loo points permanently. Description: This rum was used to celebrate the counts honorary conferment in the 17th century. Very limited editions remain in existence. Anyone who can taste this wine is extremely lucky. Every person only has one chance to drink it in their lifetime! Song Jian looked shocked, blinking hard in case he had seen it wrong. This liquor, its simply Oh my goodness! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. Brother Song, whats so special about this wine? Wang Qi asked out of curiosity. Buy a cup, quick! With that, Song Jian eagerly started gulping it down. Chapter 101 - Chapter 101: Chapter 101 Deception Skill Chapter 101: Chapter 101 Deception Skill Translator: 549690339 Glug glug- After finishing a large glass of Royal Salute Count Rum, Song Jians eyes were seeing double, but the effects were quite obvious: one free attribute point and a hundred Vitality Points limit increased. Earned, burp, earned it, hehe~ Song Jian, with drunk and misty eyes, sat by the bar with a flushed face, laughing foolishly. Drunk Song Jian didnt even notice the system prompt. System: Youve consumed the treasured liquor Royal Salute Count Rum and gained the title Junior Sommelier; Junior Sommelier: Increase critical strike rate by 3% during combat (must have title equipped to take effect). System: You can only equip one title at a time. Initially, Song Jian completed the novice task and received the title Lucky to be Alive. This title is considered a novice title, and anyone entering for the first time and successfully staying in the game for twelve hours can obtain it. [Title: Lucky to be Alive]: Effect, the rate of hunger and thirst drops significantly (no need to equip the title for the effect). With this title, players can free up most of their energy from searching for food and water, otherwise, every time they enter the game, they would have no time to do anything else. Miss Fiana, Id like to exchange this piece of grilled meat for a glass of rum, alright? Wang Qi glanced at Song Jian, who was laughing foolishly, and suddenly felt a bit reluctant to drink rum. But since Song Jian asked him to buy it, he was still willing to follow Song Jians advice. Hmm, for this piece of food, 1 can only give you five Doomsday Coins. To purchase this discounted rum, youll need to give me another piece of the same quality food! Fiana stretched out her right index finger and swayed it in front of Wang Qis eyes. Alright, okay! Wang Qi quickly took out another piece of grilled meat. Here, this is your rum, enjoy! Fiana filled another large glass of rum. Each glass has a capacity of one liter, and the bottle of Royal Salute Count Rum that Fiana took out seems to hold no more than one liter, but after pouring two glasses in a row, it still looks nearly full. Wang Qi held up the glass of golden liquid with bubbles and looked at its attributes with widened eyes and an opened mouth, showing a surprised expression on his face. Glug- With a loud gulp, Wang Qi could hardly believe his eyes. He had never obtained such a good item since entering the game. Its really really a great deal Considering the price of just ten Doomsday Coins for this glass of liquor, Wang Qi suddenly felt as satisfied as if he had picked up a treasure at Panjiayuan. Glug glug- Drinking the entire glass of rum in one breath, Wang Qi also showed a silly smile on his face, sitting limply to one side, spewing alcohol-laden breath with a foolish laugh. Hi, this is our boss Li Keer sighed, took out her hand crossbow, stood about five or six meters away from the entrance of the bar, aiming at the monsters outside the door and started to attack. See that? The boss herself is in the field! You lazy bastards need to step up! Fiana slapped the bar counter with a bam sound and exclaimed. System: Fiana releases Morale Boost skill; all people in the bar area have their combat morale increased by 100%. For the glory of Sunflower Bar! A bar bouncer swinging his broken stick slammed it on a monsters head, making it explode like a watermelon. For the boss! A bar waiter wielding a steel pipe stabbed it into a monsters chest. For Sister Fiana! A bar bouncer kicked a monster in the stomach, sending it flying. For for Count Rum! Someone shouted, and almost all the waiters and bouncers eyes lit up as they shouted together, For Count Rum! Waiters and bouncers became even more frenzied. Every humanoid zombie received special attention from them. Both waiters and bouncers seemed to have robbery-like skills, being able to steal items from monsters during attacks, and even retrieve monster drops in advance. Soon, a muscular bar bouncer pushed aside two waiters behind him and rushed to the counter. Big sister, check out how much these things are worth! The bar bouncer piled more than a dozen items emitting white and green glows on the counter, laughing foolishly. Hmm, theyre all junk, nothing valuable Fiana frowned, looking disgusted, picking through them with two fingers, as if touching the garbage even once was a desecration of her fingertips: Ill give you ten Doomsday Coins, enough to buy a glass of rum. Long live, big sister! The bar bouncer excitedly raised both hands and cheered. Li Keer soon received a system notification. System: Your employee, bar bouncer, sold equipment to Fiana, valued at three hundred sixty-five Doomsday Coins. Fiana used Deception Skill and gave the bar bouncer ten Doomsday Coins. The bar bouncer was very grateful to Fiana, increasing their Intimacy by 5 points. Amazing, Sister Fiana is so amazing, 1 want to learn this skill too! Li Keers eyes sparkled with stars, looking at Fiana with an admiring face. Glug glug- After gulping down the entire glass of rum, the bouncer let out a satisfying belch and became invigorated. His body seemed even more robust, full of vitality, and swinging his broken stick with a whoosh sound. You bastards who dare to offend Sunflower Bar, all of you will die! The bouncer who drank the rum became even more violent, like a wild bull, rushing directly into the monster group. The wind was strong as he swung the broken stick; monsters vitality points dropped like a flood breaking through a dam. If Song Jian were sober at this moment, he would definitely see that the NPCs who drank Royal Salute Count Rum seemed to have even stronger effects than players-do; almost all attributes, including attack, defense, speed, and critical strike, have been drastically increased. Soon, almost all the staff members had grabbed a large amount of wealth and sold them to Fiana for ten Doomsday Coins. As Li Keer looked at the series of system prompts, her eyes sparkled with gold stars. Fiana had become her role model, and she kept calling her sister. System: Your employee, bar waiter, sold equipment to Fiana, valued at two hundred ninety-five Doomsday Coins. Fiana used Deception Skill and gave the bar bouncer ten Doomsday Coins. The bar bouncer was very grateful to Fiana, increasing their Intimacy by 5 points. System: Your employee, bar bouncer, sold equipment to Fiana, valued at five hundred seventy-four Doomsday Coins. Fiana used Deception Skill and gave the bar bouncer ten Doomsday Coins. The bar bouncer was very grateful to Fiana, increasing their Intimacy by 5 points. While bar employees were enjoying a killing spree after drinking rum, a towering figure over two meters tall appeared before everyone. Chapter 102 - Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Explosive Zombie Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Explosive Zombie Translator: 549690339 | Li Keer nervously glanced towards the bars entrance. The tall silhouette cast a shadow that blocked the entire entrance; Is it a BOSS? The entrance of the bar was surrounded by bartenders and monsters which blurred her vision; Fiana wiped a glass and nonchalantly looked at the entrance, saying, Just a fellow who can use basic fire elemental rules, its nothing! [LV5 Exploding Zombie ](Llite), Vitality: 190/380, Mental Strength: 200/200, Traits: Flame Strengthening, Fast Casting, Skill: Burst Fireball This zombie appeared robust, one could not tell from its stature that it was a spellcasting monster; Hu- A fireball, rhe size of a human head, rapidly formed on the right hand of the exploding zombie. Numerous light red air currents gathered towards the fireball and in no time, the fireball, once the size of a human head, expanded to the size of a basketball; Fools, are you just going to stand there and watch it form a fireball? Fiana scolded the bartenders and bouncers who were indifferent to the fireball the zombie was forming; The exploding zombie smirked, swung its right arm, and directly threw the fireball towards the bar entrance. It harshly hit the chest of a bouncer; Boom- In one explosion, the bouncer, who had just leveled up to four and had full vitality points, was sent flying backwards by the impact of the fireball. His vitality points dropped dramatically, leaving him with only a dozen vital points left. He fell heavily onto the floor of the bar; After hitting the bouncer s chest, the fireball exploded violently. Everyone within a three-meter radius received fire damage; This area encompassed the whole bar entrance. Almost all the employees caught on fire, and their vitality points were rapidly decreasing; You guys are so stupid. You cant even stop such a trash! Fiana snorted coldly. Then she quickly mixed a light blue cocktail and threw it towards the bars entrance; Bang- The glass hit the floor near the entrance and shattered, releasing a light blue mist which enveloped the area around rhe door; All the flames on the employees were extinguished, and their vitality points rapidly recovered; Sister Fiana, youre so brilliant! admired Li Keer; Its just a little trick, not worth the bosss praise. Fiana modestly replied, but a hint of triumph could be seen on her face; Li Keer looked at Song Jian and Wang Qi who were sleeping soundly on the bar counter, and asked worriedly, When will they wake up? These two cant hold their liquor, 1 guess they need another hour or so. You dont need to worry about them. Theyve already taken advantage of our Sunflower Bar. The royal salute, Counts Rum, is not for just anyone. Fiana glanced at the two men snoring on the bar counter with a look of disdain; Hey, dont talk about Little Cheap Brother that way! Li Keer shook her head slightly and returned her focus to the bars entrance; With the bouncers and bartenders having full vitality now and no longer fearing the fire damage, they all focused on the exploding zombie, the elite BOSS; Originally, with the power of the Level 5 elite BOSS, the exploding zombie could hold its own against these bar employees for a while. But ail its attributes were halved during the day, so it was no match for them; A few minutes later, the exploding zombie was stripped down to its shorts. It was pathetically killed within a circle, and its body looked especially bleak. One of the bouncers even made a move at the shorts on its body. lie pulled at the body and yanked the shorts twice, but failed to remove them. He then reluctantly tossed the body aside; Five barrenders, ten bouncers stood guard at the bar s entrance. It was like they had choked off the monsters attack. Backed by Fianas occasional status-enhancing and vitality-restoring cocktails, hundreds of monsters roared and howled outside the bar, but they could do nothing to the safehouse. It was fortunate that Li Ke er had heeded Song Jians advice and only upgraded the safehouse to Level 1, instead of continuing to upgrade. If she had, the higher the safehouse level, the number and strength of the attacking monsters would have greatly increased. Then it wouldnt be known whether these bar employees could withstand it; The defensive battle went on for over three hours. It was mainly because rhe battle was centered around the bars entrance in an area less than five meters wide. The frontal attacking monsters were at most a dozen, which prolonged the battle; Hundreds of monsters ended up laying outside the bars entrance. Once the guard duration was up, the bodies of these zombies turned into ash immediately. The materials and equipment that fell all over rhe ground excited the watching players, their eyes shining with greed; System: Congratulations player Li Keer for completing the main mission! System: Player Li Keer chose the hidden location Sunflower Bar as a safehouse. After successfully defending it, she received the title of Bar Owner; As soon as the battle ended, the bartenders and bouncers rushed our of the entrance to gather the items scattered on the ground. In no time, all the dropped items were picked up by the bar employees and placed on the bar counter. The spectating players stood agape, but they didnt dare compete for the items with rhe employees and could only watch as everything was taken away; Wow, were rich! Li Keers eyes sparkled with delight; Boss, what are you going to do with these things? asked Fiana; Of course, were going to share them equally! Li Keer answered, as a matter of course, I was able to complete the main mission thanks to everyone. These things were all dropped by the monsters that you defeated. You guys can divide them up. Long live the boss! In an instant, cheers rang throughout the whole bar, nearly lifting the roof off the place; Thats not acceptable, boss. We were hired by you, so it s only natural we fight for you. These spoils of war should all belong to you! Fiana shook her head and continued, But boss, I suggest you sell all these items to me, then stock up on some ordinary liquor from the store. You need to know, running a bar is not an easy thing. Ah, is that so, but I dont really understand any of this! Li Keers eyes showed a confused look; Im here, you just need to do as I tell you! Fiana smiled; But they helped me complete the main mission, 1 must reward them somehow, right? Li Keer asked, looking at the pitiful service staff and bouncers; Well, since the boss said so, lets reward each of them five Doomsday Coins! Fiana suggested after a moment of thought; Long live the boss, long live the big sister! All the bartenders and bouncers cheered together, their faces full of joy and excitement; Chapter 103 - Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Opening Business Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Opening Business Translator: 549690339 After the battle ended, the battlefield was cleaned up in just a few minutes, and a pile of goods was all stacked on the bar counter. Fiana sold most of the useless items to the system store; In Li Keers system information interface, a series of system prompts appeared like a waterfall; System: Your employee Fiana sold the item Zombie Tendons to the system store for 1 Doomsday Coin, Fiana used the Deception Skill and the system store finally paid 10 Doomsday Coins. System: Your employee Fiana sold the item Zombie Leather to the system store for 1 Doomsday Coin, Fiana used the Deception Skill and the system store finally paid 10 Doomsday Coins. Looking at the information interface, Li Keer admired Fiana and wished she could learn the Deception Skill right away. Unfortunately, neither her Spirit attribute nor her Charm attribute met the necessary requirements, so she couldnt learn the skill at this point; If Song Jian knew that Fianas Deception Skill could push the initial price of items from 1 Doomsday Coin to ten times that value, he would probably exclaim divine skill and desire to learn it at any cost; Boss, all the spoils of war have been sold, we finally got three thousand six hundred and seventy-five Doomsday Coins. Each of these guys gets a five Doomsday Coin reward, and we still have three thousand six hundred coins left! Fiana showed a hint of weariness on her face. It seems that repeatedly using the Deception Skill was not an easy task for her; Thank you, sister, if it wasnt for you, we couldnt have sold all this for so much money! Li Keer said obediently; although Keer was young, she had a good sense of things; The game information interface could not be faked. If it werent for Fiana, all these goods would be sold for at most a few hundred Doomsday Coins, but now it had increased tenfold; Sister Fiana, what do you think we should do with this money? Li Keer asked; Of course, we should renovate the bar and prepare to open for business to make money! First buy some facilities, then some drinks, and if theres surplus, we need to restart the casino on the second floor, which is the most profitable business! Fiana said excitedly; I dont understand any of this, so Ill trust you, Sister Fiana! Li Keers wide eyes sparkled, making her look innocent and adorable. Fiana stared at Li Keers eyes for a while, and a smile appeared on her face: No problem, boss, leave the rest to me. Li Keer successfully created the shelter-bar. Everything on the first floor except the counter was gone, leaving the whole floor empty. Fiana opened the system store and began to browse; The goods sold in the system store were of ordinary quality, but right now, Fiana just wanted to reopen the bar and didnt need many precious things, so the things in the system store were completely sufficient; Very soon, the bar was completely transformed. It looked high-end and classy; the liquor cabinet behind the counter was also slowly filled with various kinds of liquor. Most of these liquors were very cheap, with only a few bottles shimmering with blue and silver light. Obviously, Fiana had taken out a few bottles from her own private collection to attract customers, otherwise the ordinary liquor wouldnt match the renovated style of the bar; Once everything was ready, Fiana glanced at Song Jian and Wang Qi, who were sleeping soundly on the counter, her eyes filled with disdain: Boss, should we wake these two up? Or should we just throw them out? If they stay like this, itll affect our business! All, throw them out? No, no, just wake them up! Li Keer hastily said, waving her hands; Fiana scoffed, poured a glass of water, and splashed it forward; Splash- Song Jian woke up abruptly; Wasnt 1 helping Li Keer guard the shelter? Waking up with that thought in his head, Song jian instinctively held the Tusk Fang Stinger dagger in his hand, looking around vigilantly; Little Cheap Brother, youre awake! Li Keer smiled; Im awake, yes Im awake Song Jian had a bewildered look. He felt like he was dreaming right now. How was this bar so different from what he remembered? Have you completed your main mission? Only then did Song Jian remember that after drinking a drink, he had passed out. He had no memory of anything that had happened afterward; Its completed, thanks to Sister Fiana and these employees! Li Keer looked happy; Fiana, employees? Song Jian was rendered speechless; Fiana was merely a level one elite boss, while the other fifteen employees were at most comparable to fully-equipped mutant zombies. How was it possible that just with these people, theyd completed the main mission? It was absurd! However, the facts were right in front of him. Fiana was now a level five elite boss, and the other bartenders and bouncers all advanced to levels four and five, with the highest even reaching level six; Li Keers level had directly increased to nine, and it was estimated that she wasnt far from level ten in terms of experience points; It seems completing the main mission was the quickest way to level up; Hehe, Son- Brother Song, youre here too, good, good liquor Wang Qi wiped the water beads off his face, still sporting a silly smile on his face; Royal Salute Count Rum! Song Jian suddenly remembered the rum he had been drinking and hurriedly opened his attribute interface; Indeed, his vitality had increased to 350 points, and he had gained an additional free attribute point; Song Jian didnt hesitate to add this attribute point to his Strength attribute. Now, his Strength had reached 12 points, which allowed him to equip that great weapon; What a pity, how could the mission be completed so quickly? If it wasnt, I could have brought out that weapon to show off Song Jian pursed his lips, feeling regretful; Little Cheap Brother, my Sunflower Bar officially opens for business today! Li Keer shouted in excitement, her face full of anticipation. Opening opening for business? Song Jian was stunned. Only now did he start looking around. The bar had been fully renovated and equipped. The drinks at Fianas back were against the main wall, identical to a real bar! Can this place open for business? Song Jian suddenly realised that he might have overlooked something; If capturing a bar can make me a bar owner, then if I capture a theatre, a KTV, or even a bank, a police station, or a library Song Jian suddenly felt a pang in his heart; Chapter 104 - Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Leaving the Game Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Leaving the Game Translator: 549690339 Song Jian glanced at Wang Qi beside him. Among the three of them, only Wang Qi hadnt completed the main quest yet; Wang Qi, have you decided where to build your safehouse? Song Jian suddenly asked. I had an idea, but I think 111 look around some more. Wang Qi hesitated for a moment before responding. It seems that Wang Qi got inspired by Li Keers safehouse and planned to choose a special place for his safehouse. Song Jian nodded. The materials he gave to Wang Qi were not just enough for building a safehouse, but also sufficient for several defense structures. However, if Wang Qi found a unique building like a bar for his safehouse, he might need a significant amount of Doomsday Coins or something else to construct defensive facilities. Originally, Song Jian was supposed to assist Li Keer in guarding her safehouse. But not only did he enjoy a glass of premium rum and enhance his stats, he spent the entire defense process asleep and didnt help at all. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Song Jian saw Li Keer was busy preparing for the bars opening. After saying goodbye to her and Wang Qi, he left the bar. After being upgraded to a safehouse, the surroundings of the bar were completely transformed. The sign Sunflower Bar was already erected, with neon lights flashing around it. It looked dazzling even in daylight. What a great place! Wang Qi exclaimed. Yeah, 1 didnt think safehouses in the game could be this fun Song Jian commented, somewhat speechless. Brother Song, your safehouse is also quite good! Wang Qi comforted him. Song Jians safehouse was indeed top-notch. It was a level one mansion, and probably no one in the game had upgraded their safehouse to a mansion so far. Unfortunately, the location Song Jian chose was just an ordinary villa and had no special features. Compared with Li Keers bar, it was far from as appealing, which is why Wang Qi temporarily decided not to establish his safehouse. Song Jian returned to his level one mansion, glanced at the materials required for the next upgrade. Upgrading to level two mansion required 12,000 units of stone and 8,000 units of wood, plus 1,000 units of iron ore. Wood and stone werent a problem, but the 1,000 units of iron ore stumped Song Jian. After playing the game for quite some time, he still hadnt found a place where he could get iron ore. With only a few minutes left before he had to exit the game, he decided to look for iron ore the next time he logged in. After checking his mansions defense structures once more and replenishing the ammo for the arrow tower and catapult, Song Jian looked over Alexs properties. At this point, the Blood Soul Poison Tree Alex had sunk into sleep. Song Jian felt a bit smug about cultivating an ordinary tree spirit seedling into an elite boss-level entity like the blood soul poison tree. But after seeing Fiana, he had a stark feeling of goods compete with goods, until the poorer one is discarded. Not to mention combat power, just comparing brains, Fiana was leagues ahead of Alex. Comparing with Fiana, Song Jian felt Alex was just a lumbering oaf, only suitable for the role of a doorman. If only 1 had a steward like Fiana, Song Jian sighed as he looked at Alex. System: Player Song Jian, please get ready. You will be leaving this game in sixty seconds; The system countdown began, 60, 59, 58. Soon, a bright light enveloped Song Jian, and when it dissipated, he was no longer there. After a brief sensation of weightlessness, when Song Jian opened his eyes again, he found himself standing amidst the stars. In front of him, scenes from his gameplay hunting mutated snake beasts, killing zombie leaders, exterminating militiamen from a garbage collection site, killing tombstone zombies, collecting wood, protecting safehouses played out until the image stopped at the killing of the roaming zombie Robert. System: Completed main quest, creating safehouse; Quest completion 100%, base grade F System: Completed side quest, Guardians Sorrow, quest completion 78%, grade upgraded: F^E. System: Killed mutated snake beast (LV5 elite BOSS), grade upgraded: E->D. System: Killed zombie leader (LV5 elite BOSS), grade upgraded: D*C. System: Killed roaming zombie Robert (LV10 elite BOSS), grade upgraded: SSS^SSS(grade cannot be upgraded further). System: Players final grade: SSS. [Player Song Jian, calculating game reward] [Player Song Jians final prize: 3,000 Doomsday Coins; for the next log in, effect received: Vitality Point recovery increased by 500%. This effect will last until the next game exit;] The next time 1 log in Song Jian was startled, but immediately felt dizzy and as if he was sinking into an abyssn. Whew- Song Jian suddenly sat up on his bed, drenched in sweat as if he had a nightmare. Looking at the time, it was already past six in the morning, and dawn was breaking outside. Sitting upright, the first thing Song Jian noticed was a gold brick and a small, black stone tablet on his bedside table. The gold brick was standard one kilogram size. For a gold brick, it was only about palm length and felt quite heavy to lift up. The other object was a rectangular black stone tablet, emitting a faint black light. It seemed to be made of black jade with a glossy surface. This tablet was only finger-thickness thick. On the front were tiny, densely etched characters, with a faint layer of gray mist on the surface that made the characters almost illegible. Half a month in the game, but only one night in the real world. Its so amazing. Song Jian picked up the gold brick, weighed it in his hand, and smiled. Getting up, after washing up, Song Jian grabbed a backpack, put the gold brick in it. As for the stone tablet, he threw it directly into a drawer for further investigation later. What could a merely Vitality Point-boosting item be? If it hadnt revealed something strange while feeding Alex and he casually placed it into the games golden-framed package, Song Jian probably wouldnt have brought it back to the real world. Hey, Landlord. Morning! As Song Jian left, he saw the landlord carrying a bag of vegetables and greeted her. All, morning, Xiao Jian. Are you heading to work? Landlord Ge Xiaojia looked at Song Jian, her eyes flickering strangely. All, work. Song Jian paused, then hastily answered. If not for the reminder from the landlord, he would have forgotten about his job. Having spent over half a month in the game, Song Jian had forgotten that he still had a probationary job in the real world. Watching Song Jians departing figure, Ge Xiaojia touched the gold bracelet on her wrist and her expression became strange. She seemed to want to shout something to call Song Jian back, but ended up not saying anything, just sighing softly.. Chapter 105 - Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Resignation Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Resignation Translator: 549690339 Ge Xiaojia originally thought that the gold bracelet she had taken as collateral from Song Jian was just an ordinary bracelet, but after taking a closer look, she discovered that it was not the case; Nowadays, the patterns on gold bracelets sold in the market are mostly machine-carved, but Ge Xiaojia found that this pair of bracelets in her hand were actually carved by hand, and judging from the details, the bracelets must have been carved by a Master Level carver. There are two carp on this pair of gold bracelets C each carp is so lifelike that even the scales have been meticulously carved, some slightly open and others closely shut, giving the entire carp a sense of vitality, looking as if they are swaying their tails in the water. Especially the eyes of the two carp, the carving is like the finishing touch C no matter the angle from which they are viewed, it feels like the carp is looking at you. Such carving techniques are far beyond the reach of ordinary carvers; If there was a word to describe the craftsmanship of this pair of bracelets, it would be divine workmanship. These gold bracelets, no, this pair of artworks, must be worth at least three hundred thousand yuan! Ge Xiaojia made her most conservative estimate; For ordinary gold bracelets, people pay attention to the material, but for such a pair of gold bracelets, its the craftsmanship that sells; Upon seeing Song Jian, Ge Xiaojias heart became somewhat flustered. It was obvious that Song Jian didnt know the true value of these gold bracelets. Ge Xiaojia wanted to tell him, but she didnt know how to bring it up; If I say it hastily, will it give him a bad impression of me, thinking that I wanted to take advantage of him before? Ge Xiaojias eyebrows furrowed slightly: Forget it, lets wait until he has enough money and wants to redeem them, then Ill tell him the truth then. Song Jian was unaware of his landlord Ge Xiaojias dilemma, and even if he knew, he probably wouldnt care too much; This pair of gold bracelets, compared with the other two pieces of jewelry in his parcel, would not even be worth mentioning; even if he were to give them directly to Ge Xiaojia, Song Jian wouldnt feel heartache. In Song Jians view, money has become the most useless thing to him now; After casually eating two fritters and a bowl of tofu pudding on the street, Song Jian hesitated for a moment, and ultimately hailed a taxi, heading towards his company; This job is now meaningless to me. I should be focusing on improving my own strength! Song Jian silently thought to himself; It has been proven that training in the real world can also enhance ones strength in the game C Song Jian urgently needed to master the use of various cold weapons and even firearms; As for the skills in using firearms, they were still somewhat difficult for Song Jian to access now, but for the skills in using cold weapons, Black Panther Gym could fully satisfy his needs; Upon arriving at the company, Song Jian saw Zhao Yu leaning against the front desk of the lobby, chatting with a receptionist, laughing at what seemed to be a joke. The receptionist couldnt help but giggle, her face slightly flushed, and she looked a little shy. Zhao Yu didnt see Song Jian, and Song Jian didnt bother to go up and say hello, so he went directly to the HR department on the 19th floor; Zhao, sis! Song Jian pushed open the door of the HR department, looked inside, and his eyes lit up instantly; Zhao Yuzhi was wearing a beige suit, her figure graceful, and her face always wearing a kind smile, looking like a caring older sister. Zhao Yuzhi was the examiner during Song Jians interview. Song Jian still vividly remembers how nervous he was during his first interview, even almost spilling a cup of water. It was Zhao Yuzhis gentle tone that comforted him not to be nervous; Xiao Jian, whats up? Zhao Yuzhi looked up, saw Song Jian, and immediately raised the corner of her mouth slightly. Every time she called Song Jian Xiao Jian, she couldnt help but want to laugh, feeling like she was calling him little jerk; Zhao, sis, Im here to go through the resignation process! Song Jian said somewhat shyly; Resign? Zhao Yuzhi frowned; she had a good impression of Song Jian C fresh out of school and untainted by the bad habits of society, he was diligent, hardworking, and willing to endure hardship. There arent many young people like this nowadays; Xiao Jian, your probation period is almost over, and with your performance, I think you can definitely become a formal employee of the company. Why do you want to resign now? Zhao Yuzhi frowned and asked; Zhao, sis, my familys house was demolished, and we were compensated with thirty million yuan and six houses Song Jian didnt continue, but just looked at Zhao Yuzhi with a you-know-what-1-mean look; Demolition, thirty million, six houses These three words choked back all the persuasive words Zhao Yuzhi had prepared for Song Jian; Heres the resignation form; please fill it out. Zhao Yuzhi was silent for a moment, taking out a form from a file rack and passing it to Song Jian. Thank you, Sister Zhao! Song Jian laughed. Resigning during the probationary period was very simple. With just ten minutes, Song Jian left the company feeling light and relaxed. As soon as he left the company, Song Jian immediately took a taxi to the Black Panther Gym. Early in the morning, there were very few people at the Black Panther Gym, just a handful. Upon seeing Song Jian, Sun Qian immediately greeted him. Nice to see you, Mr. Song. Coach Wang Dan is already waiting for you in the classroom, Sun Qian said with a smile. So early? Song Jian was somewhat surprised. His scheduled class was supposed to start at eight oclock, and there was still more than half an hour before that. He thought he was early, but it turned out the coach had arrived even earlier! Arriving at the classroom from yesterday, Song Jian saw that in the center of the room, a human-shaped dummy was set up. Coach Wang Dan held a dagger and continuously waved it at the target dummy. Clang clang clang- A series of stabbing sounds filled the air as Wang Dans dagger swiftly appeared, directed at the vital areas of the dummy such as the throat, eyes, and forehead. Such fast footwork! Song Jian was somewhat surprised. Wang Dan circled around the dummy, moving from left to right, from the side to under the ribs, agile and without a hint of hesitation like a dance. Whizz- Wang Dan suddenly crouched down and fiercely charged forward from the left rib side of the dummy. The dagger in his hand smoothly cut across the dummys waist. As he rushed forward, Wang Dan abruptly stopped and turned his body. The dagger in his hand drew a beautiful arc, as if a meteor slammed into the back of the dummys head. Swallows Return! Watching Coach Wang Dans move, Song Jian inexplicably thought of this phrase. Seeing that Wang Dan stopped practicing, Song Jian entered the room. Coach, Im here! Wang Dan grabbed a towel hanging on the wall, wiped his sweat, and tossed the towel. He nodded at Song Jian, saying, Not bad, you came pretty early! Being praised for being early by someone who came even earlier made Song Jian feel a bit awkward. Alright, do you remember the moves I taught you yesterday? Lets do them! Wang Dan pointed at the dummy and said. Song Jian nodded, walked to the equipment rack on the wall, and picked up a practice dagger. He weighed it in his right hand and casually swung it a couple of times, feeling a familiar sensation rising in his heart. Holding the dagger, Song Jian stood a meter or two away from the dummy and glanced at Wang Dan. At this time, Wang Dan was drinking water from a cup. Seeing Song Jian look over, he nodded slightly, gesturing him to start. Song Jian took a fierce step forward, and with a stab from his hand, the dagger was like a beasts fangs aimed at the dummys chest. Whoo- A sharp sound of breaking air accompanied Song Jians full-force strike, echoing throughout the entire classroom.. Chapter 106 - Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Monster Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Monster Translator: 549690339 Wang Dans eyes widened suddenly, and when she looked up, she saw Song Jian had already inserted the blade of the dagger completely into the human-shaped mold; At the chest of the human model, with the place where the blade was inserted as the center, some small cracks spread out in all directions; How is that possible- Wang Dan couldnt believe her eyes, her drinking motion suddenly stopped; Plup- A mouthful of water squirted out, cough, cough, cough, Wang Dan bent over and coughed violently; All the equipment in the Black Panther Gym was top-notch, and this human-shaped mold was also made of special material. Even using a weapon, ordinary people could only leave a white mark on it at most, not to mention the unsharpened training weapons laid out in the classroom. Even Wang Dan, using her own dagger, could only leave a shallow trace on this human-shaped mold, but this young man in front of her actually stabbed the mold without the handle, which made Coach Wang Dan feel incredible; Brute force, this kid is using brute force, damn it, how can anyone be so strong! Wang Dan wiped the tears that overflowed from the corners of her eyes, showing a disbelief expression, staring up and down at Song Jian; Wang Dan walked to the human-shaped mold, staring intently at the training dagger embedded in the molds chest as if there was a flower on the dagger. You, how did you do that? Wang Dan swallowing, she couldnt believe that there could be someone so strong in this world; Song Jian was also secretly shocked, he knew that he had shown off a bit too much; Its important to know that even without all the equipment bonuses, his strength had reached seven points, while the limit of adult strength in the real world would be 5 points. Ordinary people would usually range from three to four points, and Wang Dans power attribute would not exceed four points. Song Jians power attribute was enough to crush Wang Dan; I, I was just born stronger than others! Song Jian showed a simple and honest expression, laughing; Wang Dan grabbed the dagger and tried to pull it out twice but couldnt, she glanced at Song Jian, gesturing for him to pull out the dagger; The cost of this human-shaped mold is 28,000 yuan Wang Dan touched the mark on the molds chest and said indifferently; Hiss, that expensive? Song Jian gasped, just this one mode was equivalent to half a year of his salary; However, since youre a club member we dont charge you for damage caused during training sessions to the training equipment, Wang Dans mouth raised slightly but quickly turned serious again; Oh, thats good! After Song Jian finished speaking, he paused, still having a bit of a small-town mentality, tens of thousands of dollars, would no longer cause any burden for him now, the gold brick in his backpack could buy several of these human-shaped molds; Coach, what are we learning today? Song Jian asked somewhat excitedly; Still the basic movements, your grasp of the front stabbing movement in dagger fighting technique is good, as for your strength Lets talk about something else first, Ill demonstrate another basic movement, you should know, all skills are combinations of these basic movements! Wang Dan said seriously; Okay, coach, Ill study hard! For the whole morning, Wang Dan taught all the basic movements of the dagger fighting technique to Song Jian. After correcting his few unsatisfactory moves, she let Song Jian practice on his own, then she left the classroom; In a second-floor office of the gym, a woman with shoulder-length hair was playing computer games, while several others were leisurely chatting, occasionally glancing through the glass at the training situation of the members on the first floor. A man in his forties, dressed in a white Tang suit, was sitting at a desk drinking tea, with a three-foot-long sword lying to his right. The sword was positioned with its hilt facing inward and its tip facing outward, allowing the man to draw the sword from its scabbard as quickly as possible with just a stretch of his hand; Bang- The office door was pushed open, and an excited Wang Dan rushed in; I found a monster today! Wang Dan shouted loudly in the office; Ah, Sister Wang, you scared me, look, 1 died again! The short-haired woman slammed her mouse down and complained; Youre a Bronze V noob, no matter how you play, youll always die! A ponytailed girl sitting next to her looked at her condescendingly and said, Its a shame that youre learning the ancient grappling hand from the teacher with such good martial arts skills. With your game reaction speed, its a waste of such good martial arts. Grappling hand is about exercising finger flexibility, gaming relies on fast brain reactions, how can you mix them up? The short-haired girl argued, her face flushed; Hey, hey, hey, 1 said 1 found a monster, are you listening or not! Wang Dan stared fiercely at the short-haired girl and shouted loudly. All right, all right, you go on, what great martial arts talent did you find this time? The ponytailed girl put particular emphasis on the four words great martial arts talent. It should be noted that Wang Dan had once found someone with excellent physical fitness before and told everyone he was a martial arts genius. However, he only attended class for two days and never came back again. The coaches in the office had teased Wang Dan about it for quite some time. This time its true, he used a practice dagger and with one move stabbed the human-shaped mold without the handle going in! Wang Dan whispered. Without the handle going in? Thats impossible, you must have used the old mold that was ready to be returned to the factory, a coach questioned; Its new, just arrived today, a specially made mold, even with all my strength, 1 can only leave a shallow mark on it! Wang Dan stomped her foot; Clang- A crisp collision sound rang through the office, and everyone turned their heads to see the man who had been drinking tea just now, now staring at Wang Dan in amazement. His tea cup was resting on the saucer, but the saucer was now shattered; Wang Dan, are you telling the truth? Gu Bo stood up and frowned; Yes, sir, its true, that human-shaped mold is still in the classroom, you can go and see it yourself, Wang Dan said respectfully. Gu Bo was the owner of this gym and also the highest skilled in martial arts here, and nearly all the coaches had received his guidance; although he appeared to be in his forties, in reality, he was over sixty years old; Is that person still here? Gu Bo asked; Yes, hes still practicing in the classroom, Wang Dan nodded; Lets go and have a look! Gu Bo couldnt wait any longer and walked toward the office door; Seeing Gu Bo and Wang Dan disappearing at the door, the other coaches exchanged glances, and after a moment of silence, they all followed suit; Chapter 107 - Chapter 107: Chapter 107 Practice Chapter 107: Chapter 107 Practice Translator: 549690339 Gu Bo stood outside the classroom door, looking in through the glass. He saw a man in the room holding a dagger, moving swiftly with the blade creating swaths of white light in mid-air and a gusty momentum seeping through the door; His strength is indeed great, but his technique Gu Bo shook his head subtly; Sir, hes just an ordinary man, who only started training yesterday! Wang Dan whispered beside Gu Bo; An ordinary man? Who only started training yesterday? A look of surprise appeared on Gu Bos face. The mans proficiency in the dagger fighting technique didnt seem like a novices! Are you sure before yesterday, he knew nothing? Gu Bo questioned further; Yes, I just taught him a basic thrusting move yesterday, and today, that is just now, I taught him the rest of the movements. I swear, I only taught him basic moves, I havent started teaching him the routines yet. Wang Dan said seriously; It seems to me that his dagger fighting technique is even better than yours, Dan! remarked a female instructor on the side, hesitantly; Hmph, who says? Thats just superficial showmanship, how could he be better than me? Wang Dan rebutted discontentedly; He is a promising talent, Wang Dan, and you should mentor him well! A look of appreciation appeared on Gu Bos face. After observing a while more, he nodded, and walked away; Let me see, let me see. A shorthaired girl squeezed forward, staring at the mannequin in the middle of the room in astonishment, Wow, its true, look at those puncture marks, so exaggerating. Maybe you should let him train with you in free combat, Dan. Maybe he could place in the city league matches a few months down the road! Song Jian swirled the dagger, continuously training a few assassination moves stabbing, striking, pricking, cutting, draggingeach basic move was executed more and more proficiently by Song Jian; If he were able to see his skill chart now, he would see his Cold Weapon (Dagger) (Basic) skill proficiency climbing rapidly; Mastering a weapon skill is about becoming familiar with it, making each of your movements into muscle memory, becoming natural reflexes! Wang Dan entered the classroom, standing at the door watching Song Jian practice, she calmly instructed; The dagger fighting technique focuses on the sayingshorter the weapon, greater the danger, you need to be decisive, swift, and your movements concealed Dont exhaust your strength, dont overuse your moves, always reserve a third of your energy. You need to speed up based on precision, this will increase your power Good, just like that. When you make your move, pay attention to the coordination of your body movement and footwork, learn to utilize the power of your waist Song Jian practiced while listening to Coach Wang Dans instructions in his ear. His improvement was fast; In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed. Actually, Song Jian had only booked a two-hour course for today, but Wang Dan had been instructing him in the dagger fighting technique all morning; Alright, lets rest a bit at noon. Practicing too vigorously could harm your body! Wang Dan glanced at Song Jian, a look of surprise and admiration showing in her eyes. In the afternoon, Song Jian had originally booked a swordsmanship lesson, but the gym informed him that the coach who teaches swordsmanship was temporarily unavailable, so he had been training in dagger fighting technique for the whole day. What he didnt know was, while he was practicing in the classroom all day, Gu Bo was in the surveillance room observing him. As Song Jian finished his training, Gu Bo made a decision and called Wang Dan to relay his instructions; Thank you for teaching me all day, coach! Song Jian wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed at Wang Dan; He had originally only booked a two-hour course, but Wang Dan had spent the entire day teaching him; Not at all, Song Jian, are you interested in becoming my disciple? Wang Dan suddenly asked; Disciple? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, and he asked, Arent disciples and gym members the same thing? Can becoming a coachs disciple entail learning some secret transmission techniques from the coach? Secret transmission? Wang Dan was taken aback and then laughed, Correct, gym members learn basic skills and simple routines. If you want to progress further, being a gym member is not enough. 1 think your physical condition is not bad, and there is potential for further improvement! Song Jians physical condition is more than just not bad, it could be said that there were very few coaches in the Black Panther Gym who could surpass Song Jian in physical condition; Further, coach, you were referring to Song Jian seemed a bit puzzled; Real combat! Wang Dan said seriously, In other words, battlefield hand-to-hand combat! By combat, did you mean killing? Song Jian asked tentatively. If you want to understand it that way, you could! Wang Dan nodded in agreement; Coach, can 1 go back and think about it and give you an answer by tomorrow? Song Jian contemplated for a moment; Sure. Wang Dan nodded, adding hesitantly after a moment: Not everyone is qualified to become a disciple of a coach at the Black Panther Gym. You should consider it an opportunity! Song Jian nodded, turned around, and left the classroom; In the evening, Song Jian arrived at Coastal Jewelry Street. This street was almost entirely filled with shops selling gold, silver, and jewelry. Every big-name brand you could think of worldwide could be found here; The common major shops would not buy the gold brick in Song Jians bag because buying untraceable gold accessories could inflict severe damage to a brand once exposed. But in the alleys of this street, there were many small shops, which usually made and repaired small pieces of gold and silver jewelry for a living. Such small stores could often buy old gold and silver jewelry and then melt it to make new pieces; Such small shops had a fair purchasing power and could afford to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars; Song Jian managed to sell the gold brick at a very cheap price, obtaining a total of 280,000 yuan. He went out with a gold brick in his bag but returned with half a bag of RMB. Going back to his rental room, Song Jian tossed his bag onto the bed, picked up the watermelon knife he had purchased the previous day, and began practicing the dagger fighting technique. But after a while, it felt awkward. The watermelon knife was too light, and it felt fluffy when he made moves with it; Song Jian shook his head, dropped his watermelon knife, and checked the delivery status of the dagger he had bought online. It had already arrived in Coastal City, and it seemed like it would be delivered to his home the next day; After practicing for a whole day, I wonder how much my Cold Weapon (Dagger) (Basic) skill proficiency has increased! With this thought in mind, Song Jian placed his phone in front of his bedside and got into bed with his eyes closed, waiting to enter the game again; Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Blood Raven Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Blood Raven Translator: 549690339 Night fell, and Song Jian lay quietly in bed. The familiar sensation welled up in his heart, as if a huge hand were grabbing him by the collar, pulling him forward; Cant we change the way we enter the game? This feeling is simply awful! Song Jian complained to himself; being forced into the game like this always felt imposed. As Song Jian entered the game, the black stone tablet that had been casually placed in his drawer also turned into a beam of black light and drilled into the game; Getting up off the floor of the third floor of the Manor Castle, Song Jian twisted his neck, feeling uncomfortable; Ill need to make some furniture in my spare time, at least a bed. Sleeping on the floor every time wont do! Song Jian looked around the empty room and thought to himself; Whoosh- A gust of wind blew in from the window, and a sheepskin parchment the size of an A4 sheet of paper was blown in; The parchment floated in mid-air, slowly burning up, and a cold mechanical voice sounded in Song Jians ear; Game player Song Jian, welcome to Doomsday City! Being level 10, you walk ahead of your peers. Survival is no longer so difficult for you. You will embark on the path to seek greater power. First, you need to choose a combat profession. In this abandoned Doomsday City, many combat profession mentors are hidden. Find them and learn the secrets of the professions from them! Mission Objective: In Doomsday City, find 10 combat profession mentors, explore the secrets of the various professions, and choose one as your main combat profession! o/io Mission Hint: Not every combat profession mentor is willing to explain the secrets of their profession to you. First, find them and gain their approval! Hint: Hundreds of combat profession mentors are hidden in this Doomsday City. They may be hidden in high-rise buildings, in alleys, or among powerful monsters! Hint: Combat profession mentors may be your enemy and attack you proactively before you gain their approval; Hint: Combat profession mentors are not always human. Maybe professions of other races are more suitable for you! Warning: After killing a combat profession mentor, the profession the mentor teaches will disappear forever! Warning: If you die in the game, your real-world identity will also be erased! This mission can be viewed at any time in the mission bar! The parchment burned up, and its ashes were whisked away by the wind out of the window, as if it had never appeared. Song Jian opened the mission interface and carefully read through the mainline mission several times; There must be quite a few players in the game now who havent even built a safe house. Moreover, from the mission introduction, it can be seen that level 10 is a threshold for encountering professions. If some players do not reach level 10 after creating a safe house, what kind of mainline mission will they get when they enter the game again? Song Jian wondered to himself. In fact, once the mainline mission of creating a safe house is completed, the players level will generally rise by three to four levels. The flood of monsters, whether killed by the defences of the safe house or by the players themselves, will ultimately grant all acquired experience to the player; Unless there are beings like the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree Alex, which intercept half of the experience points for their own level upgrades; Caw- A harsh bird cry rang out, and Song Jian looked towards the window to see a dark red crow, standing in front of the window, grooming its feathers; Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and the dark red crow in front of him looked very much like the zombie crows that mutated after eating zombie flesh in the movie Resident Evil; Monster? How did it get into the manor? Song Jian furrowed his brow slightly. The powerful defences of a level 1 manor caused monsters within a kilometre radius to keep their distance. Some flying creatures that entered the manors range would be attacked by Alex without hesitation; But now this blood-red crow stood unscathed on the castles third-floor windowsill, with one of Alexs branches less than a meter away, yet showing no signs of wanting to attack; Song Jian stared at the crow for a moment, and soon a line of small text appeared above the crows head; Blood Crow (Summon), Vitality Points: 10/10, Traits: Undead; A summon? Song Jian frowned, Whose summon is this? Is it Li Keers or Wang Qis? Only two people could enter Song Jians safe house, Li Keer and Wang Qi, to whom Song Jian had set the Guest permissions; Caw- Seeing that Song Jian was looking at it, the Blood Crow flew directly towards him, grabbed his shoulder, and stabilized itself; Hiss, this little thing is really arrogant! Song Jian grabbed the Blood Crow and held it in front of him, staring into its eyes; The Blood Crows eyes were also red, only much brighter than the feathers on its body; Being held by Song Jian, the Blood Crow seemed very uncomfortable and struggled, but couldnt break free from Song Jians right hand; Spurt! The Blood Crow being held by Song Jian suddenly collapsed and turned into a pool of blood that flowed onto the floor; The blood slowly seeped into the floor and disappeared; Caw, caw, caw- More crow caws came from outside the window. Song Jian was startled and hurriedly walked to the window to look out; In the courtyard, the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree was full of Blood Crows. There were at least twenty dense crows at a glance; Why are there so many Blood Crows in my manor? Song Jian frowned; Song Jians figure flashed, and he appeared beneath the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree. When Alex wasnt doing anything, it would fall into a deep sleep, only sending out a faint sense of perception to inspect the surroundings; Song Jian placed his hand on the trunk of the poison tree and began communicating with Alex; Soon, Song Jian let go of his hand, and a look of comprehension appeared in his eyes; So, these are the summons nurtured by the Blood Pool! Song Jian muttered to himself; Opening the building list, Song Jian checked the attributes of the Blood Pool. Sure enough, at the end of the Blood Pool information, the words Summon: Blood Crow; Summon Quantity: 29/30 appeared; A level 1 Blood Pool can only produce creatures like Blood Crows, but upgrading to level 2 will allow me to create even more powerful blood beasts. Song Jian mused, It seems that upgrading the Blood Pool should be on the agenda. 1 hope the required materials arent too expensive! Chapter 109 - Chapter 109: Chapter 109 Sword Finger Chapter 109: Chapter 109 Sword Finger Translator: 549690339 Blood Soul Stone? What the heck is that? 1 cant find it in the store. Where should I look for it, or is it dropped by some monster? I have no clue! Song Jian looked at the material required to upgrade the Blood Pool to level two, the one hundred units of Blood Soul Stone, and he immediately furrowed his brows. After thinking about it for a while, but without making any progress, Song Jian temporarily set aside the Blood Soul Stone issue. He returned to the third floor of the castle and switched on the radio that he hadnt used for a while. This was something that Song Jian had obtained long ago. Because he hadnt built a safe house yet, he hadnt been able to use it. Now it was a good time to find out what this radio could do. Turning on the radio, there was a burst of static. Crackle crackle After a while, the static gradually faded and a deep voice came from the radio. This is Kawa Town, This is Kawa Town. The patrol soldier on the town today told me that a Level 5 Elite BOSS has appeared outside town. This is a disaster for us. After discussing, were willing to hire adventurers to kill this BOSS for a reward of thirty Doomsday Coins. The items dropped by the BOSS will belong to the adventurer who kills it Kawa Town? Song Jian was taken aback. On the map, there were many towns in the suburban areas of Doomsday City, but Kawa Town was not among them. It seemed this town was beyond the range of Doomsday City. Thirty Doomsday Coins? Thats too little. The power of a Level 5 Elite BOSS is tremendous. Even during the day, its not something that ordinary people can handle A hoarse mans voice suddenly appeared on the channel. Well, not all Level 5 Elite BOSSes are the same. Some have huge gaps in power. If its just a regular Elite BOSS without special skills, it might be easier to kill. But correspondingly, the dropped items will be less attractive Another mans voice added. Kawa Town? Uncle Kaman, isnt it? Uncle Kaman, could you provide some details about the BOSS? If possible, we, the Falcon Squad adventurers, are willing to accept this hiring mission. A girls voice rang out on the radio. Thank you very much, Judy. And thanks to the rest of your Falcon Squad. The thirty-one survivors of Kawa Town will be eternally grateful Kamans grateful voice came over the radio. Soon after Kaman had described the features of the Level 5 Elite BOSS in detail, Judy accepted the hiring mission on behalf of the Falcon Squad. After Judy agreed, the channel on the radio fell silent again, except for some faint static. A moment later, a teenagers voice came over the radio. Ahem, this is Norman Base, this is Norman Base. I am Xiwaka. Today, I was hunting monsters and one of them dropped a skill book called Blood Boiling. Its an active skill that uses 30% of Vitality Points to boost attack power by 60%. I want to sell this skill book, does anyone want it The boys voice sounded a bit nervous, as if his throat was drying up. After a short pause, the channel started buzzing again. Norman Base, Im at Norman Base. Young man, Im really interested in that skill book. How much are you planning to sell it for? If its possible, I hope you can come to Black Rose Cafe and we can talk in detail 30% of Vitality Points, its a bit costly, Xiwaka. Do you support mailing? If you could offer free delivery, Im willing to buy this skill book for one hundred Doomsday Coins One hundred and twenty Doomsday Coins, my address is *****, 1 can pay for the postage myself. Please mail it to me One hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins, Im also at Norman Base. 1 can pick it up myself and trade face to face The channel was buzzing like an auction house, with people cutting in as soon as one person finished speaking. Soon, the price for the Blood Boiling skill book was bid up to two hundred and eighty Doomsday Coins. Mailing? Can this game actually support a mailing system? Speaking of it, now that I have my own safe house, its a fixed location. I wonder how to activate this mailing system Song Jian just sat quietly and listened without interrupting. He found that he could learn a lot of information that he wasnt aware of before from this radio. After the skill book was sold, the channel fell silent again. Song Jian waited a long time without anyone speaking up, just as he was about to turn off the radio, an old voice suddenly sounded from the radio. This is hiss-, this is City of Sin. City of Sin. I am Count Qian Dahai The old mans voice was very hoarse, speaking slowly, accompanied by heavy breaths. I have a house in the New Garden Residential Area of Doomsday City. Its located in New Garden Residential Area, Building 9, Floor 16, East Room The safe in the bedroom the password is *****. inside it, 1 have some jewelry and other things If a brave warrior is willing to bring a blue jade necklace back from the safe, Im willing to offer a hiring fee of one thousand Doomsday Coins. Of course, you may take all the other things in the safe The jade necklace is an heirloom of my dearly-loved lady, Roland. Im dying, so 1 want to I want to see it one more time It was a while after Count Qian Dahais voice disappeared on the radio that another voice came. Grand Count, Zombie City has been fallen for many years, only major forces could possibly enter. For example, the people from Gathering Area 101. But even they would pay a huge price to enter the city. Frankly speaking, risking our lives is not worth one thousand Doomsday Coins Yeah, 1 heard that Zombie City is filled with Elite BOSSes. Level 5 Elite BOSSes can be found everywhere, while those over Level 10 stroll around in groups. Its said that theres even a Level 30 boss-level Elite Guys, its not as dreadful as you guys described. 1 checked the map, the New Garden Residential Area the grand count mentioned is just a small district at the edge of Doomsday City. There, the highest level monster will not exceed a Level 5 Even if its a Level 5 Elite BOSS, if there are too many of them, ordinary adventurers wont be able to withstand them The discussion ended soon, with no one wanting to risk their lives entering Zombie City. After a moment of silence, Count Qian Dahais voice rang out again from the radio. As long as you bring back the blue jade necklace, apart from the one thousand Doomsday Coins, I will also gift a skill book called Sword Finger The moment Count Qian Dahais voice fell, the channel exploded. Grand Count, we, Owl Squad, are willing to accept this hiring Grand Count, we are the Dragon Legion from Gathering Area 101. We are willing to undertake this hiring, however, we hope to sign a hiring contract Sword Fingermy God, is it one of the legendary inheritance skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession? Grand Count, Are you really willing to offer the Sword Finger skill book as a reward? When the channel had quieted down a little, Count Qian Dahai continued to speak, I only need that blue jade necklace. Whoever sends it back to me or mails it to me will get the promised reward in full. Thats it! Chapter 110 - Chapter 110: Chapter no: New Garden Residential Area Chapter 110: Chapter no: New Garden Residential Area Translator: 549690339 Hearing the cacophonous voices in the radio channel, Song Jian touched his chin and thought to himself, Isnt New Garden Residential Area the place where I first entered the game? The Count Qian Dahai mentioned that area, right? 1 remembered, 1 was in building No.6, quite near the No.9 building the count talked about Thinking of this, Song Jian felt his blood boil. One thousand Doomsday Coins were just a modest sum, but the Skill Book Sword Finger had priceless value regarding the Swordsman Immortal profession. The radio channel remained busy for quite a long while before it finally quietened down. Song Jian could hear that many players were gearing up to venture to Zombie City, seeking the blue jade necklace Count Qian Dahai mentioned; Seeing so many people risking their lives, the Swordsman Immortal profession must be really powerful! Song Jian commented, stroking his chin; My current main mission is to acquire a combat profession, if I could only get the Swordsman Immortal profession Having thought this, Song Jian quickly decided to head towards the New Garden Residential Area to find the blue jade necklace Count Dahai had described; Master, welcome back, I have some news about the Tree Shepherd combat profession that Id like to Felix began to awake slowly as he sensed Song Jians return; Before Alex could finish speaking, Song Jians figure vanished from the mansion; Watching Song Jians departing figure, Alex felt kind of speechless. After a moment, he sighed and slowly closed his eyes. The New Garden Residential Area was only separated from Song Jians mansion by Camel Square. Now, during broad daylight, there wasnt a single beast on the square. Song Jian strolled across the square without effort, arriving at the New Garden Residential Area; Entering the dilapidated grand gate of the New Garden Residential Area, Song Jian muttered under his breath as he was looking for building N0.9, Building No.9,16th floor, East Room, the password is ****? Count Qian Dahai revealed all the information on the radio. Whoever managed to hand the blue jade necklace over to him would be rewarded. There were indeed quite a few players gathered in the New Garden Residential Area. In a run-down pavilion at the centre of the area, Song Jian even saw five or six players setting up their stalls; All of them had a black cloth laid out in front of them, showing all sorts of items; Spotting Song Jians approach, excitement sprang to their faces. Bro, come and have a look. Ive got some good stuff here someone called. The others also looked hopeful. Song Jian cast a cursory glance. They were all pretty low-grade Zombie materials; How much for the Zombies nucleus? Song Jian casually pointed at one of the Zombies nuclei and asked. This? Its drop rate is quite low. Ten Doomsday Coins for one, a young man answered, rubbing his nose; Thats too expensive. Ill give you two Doomsday Coins for each one, but Ill take them all, Song Jian stated; Just two Coins? Thats too little. 1 had to kill fifty or sixty Zombies to get these The young boy hesitated; If you sell it to the vendors, they wont give you more than one Doomsday Coin. Im already offering double. If youre not selling, Ill go, Song Jian pretended to leave; Hey, sir, 111 sell you mine at two Doomsday Coins each! A man in his thirties nearby hurriedly stopped Song Jian; Song Jian glanced at the mans stall. He only had three Zombie nuclei; he pulled out six Doomsday Coins and handed them over; Deal! Take them! The man happily took the Coins and gave the Zombie nuclei to Song Jian; Hey, Uncle Wang, what are you doing? 1 was just negotiating with him the young man protested. Look at the level of this brother. Cant you see? Uncle Wang sneered at the young man, This thing is virtually worthless. The lowest-level Zombies drop it. Whats it worth? Look around, who doesnt have a few Zombie nuclei in their stalls? When you have too many, the price drops. We should be grateful that this mans offering double, Uncle Wang explained; Yeah, but this thing is rare the young man grumbled quietly; No matter how rare, there are so many low-level Zombies here Uncle Wang advised; Zombie nucleus. Two Doomsday Coins for each one. Ill take as many as youve got. If youre selling, trade with me, Song Jian said indifferently; Players were not yet aware that they could gamble using Zombie nuclei at Li Keers casino, where a single nucleus went for a hundred Doomsday Coins; Alright, big brother, Ill sell it to you for two Coins! The youth named Dog seemed a bit shy, but he handed over the eight or nine Zombie nuclei from his stall to Song Jian; Good, junior. In the future, you can keep all your Zombie nuclei for me. Ill come here often to buy them Song Jian laughed; Soon, everyone there sold all their Zombie nuclei to Song Jian; My friend, could you tell us what use a Zombies nucleus could be? A young man in his twenties, with twinkling eyes, asked Song Jian; Sorry, thats a trade secret, Song Jian lightly replied; After that, Song Jian also purchased some low-level cooking and alchemy materials, each going for two Doomsday Coins. After a round, Song Jian continued towards the ninth building; Hey, guys, what do you think this guy wants with all these Zombie nuclei? peering at Song Jians back, the young man asked in a low voice; What could he possibly do with them? You cant eat them, and theyre not worth much when sold. Even the lowest-level monsters drop them. What could they possibly be used for? Uncle Wang disdainfully answered: You better focus more on leveling up. Dont try to be too crafty or you might lose your life if anything went wrong Uncle Wang, dont worry! I know what Im doing, the young man waved dismissively; Seeing Song Jian turn a corner and disappear, the young man quickly packed up his stall and chased after him; This lad is seeking his own death again! Uncle Wang spat on the ground, looking disdainfully; Uncle Wang, dont bother about him. Hes always up to some tricks. One day hell hit a roadblock! someone nearby advised; Mmph, if it werent for all of us being newcomers, whod care about him? After a moment of silence, Uncle Wang packed up his stall, 1 cant just leave him be. I have to watch over him. If he provokes that expert, he will surely be in deep trouble! Saying that, Uncle Wang also chased after Song Jian; Chapter 111 - Chapter 111: Chapter ill: Safe Chapter 111: Chapter ill: Safe Translator: 549690339 Song Jian slowly walked towards Building 9 of the New Garden Residential Area, which had almost become a Novice Village. All the monsters in the area had been cleared out, and new players wielding weapons could be seen everywhere, going in and out of the high-rise buildings. Seeing so many new players, Song Jian felt a sense of unease in his heart. New players rarely dared to directly hunt monsters on the streets when they first came out. Most of them would start by searching for supplies. The New Garden Residential Area had more than a dozen high-rise buildings with over a hundred rooms; however, with so many new players searching, some rooms had even been searched several times. I hope the room the Count of Qian Dahai hid his safe in hasnt been searched yet Song Jian prayed silently, though the probability of that happening was incredibly low. Now, he could only hope that other people didnt know where the safe was and havent discovered it yet. Entering Building 9, Song Jian followed the stairs and climbed towards the 16th floor. The floral-shirted ghost hid at the entrance of the first floor, peeking inside. Floral-Shirt Ghost, what are you doing? A hand slapped the floral-shirted ghosts shoulder from behind, scaring him. Turning his head, the floral-shirted ghost sighed in relief, Uncle Wang, scaring people could frighten them to death. You shouldnt jump out like that! Floral-Shirt Ghost, cant you put your energy to better use? Youre becoming more and more daring now, even following a level 10 expert, do you want to die? Uncle Wang complained. Uncle Wang, havent you heard? One doesnt get rich without taking risks, the floral-shirted ghost said nonchalantly. I just want to follow a high-level player. Cant I drink some soup while they eat meat? Drink soup? Hmph, I think you dont care about your life anymore! Uncle Wang said with a disappointed look. Alright, Uncle Wang, stop pretending! The floral-shirted ghost said disdainfully, No one knows you better than me, and I understand your thoughts better than anyone else. Let s follow him together! If theres any advantage, we can have a share. I dont believe a level 10 expert would come to the Novice Village for no reason. Uncle Wangs expression changed, and a tinge of resentment appeared in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he said, In the future, zombie cores will probably be unsellable. Hmph, if even a high-level expert wants to buy it, could it not be something valuable? I still have a dozen or so of them in my inventory. The floral-shirted ghost said with a smug smile, As long as I can find out what the zombie cores are used for, wont we be rich then? Alright, hurry up and follow him closely. Dont lose sight of him. See which floor he went to Uncle Wang pushed the floral-shirted ghost, and the two of them sneakily approached the stairs. Song Jian quickly arrived at the 16th floor and saw the broken-down door with a frown on his face. The room had already been searched; if they found Counts safe was yet to be seen. Stepping into the room, he saw a mess, with items scattered all over the floor. Song Jian quickly walked into a bedroom and saw an intact large bed that took up almost half the room, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, no one has discovered the safe! Song Jian smiled. The bed was custom-made. It looked like a solid hardwood bed, but in fact, there were two removable side panels on the right side. Behind the two panels was what appeared to be solid wood but was actually a special composite metal. By triggering a mechanism next to the bed, a password keypad would be revealed. The password would open the safe. On the radio, Count Qian Dahai had explained in great detail how to open the safe to everyone; as long as the safe was opened, the contents could be obtained. Following the steps, Song Jian quickly opened the safe. Reaching inside, he pulled out stacks of cash. Each bill had a face value of too, and there were dozens of stacks, totaling to about several hundred thousand. However, after the apocalypse, even the government no longer existed, and these paper bills, based on government credit, had become worthless piles of paper. Behind the large stacks of cash, Song Jian found three wooden boxes. They were dark red with a thick layer of patina. In the real world, these three boxes alone would be valuable. Opening the first wooden box, a blue jade necklace caught his eye. Song Jians face lit up with joy, but after checking the properties of the necklace, he discovered it was just an ordinary piece of jewelry that couldnt be taken out of the game. His interest waned, and he put it into his inventory. With this item, all I need to do is figure out how to mail it, and I can get the Sword Finger Skill Book. Song Jian was pleased. Opening the second wooden box, he found a ring. The ring appeared dull and had a wood-like texture, looking like a wooden ring. Checking the properties, Song Jian gasped. The ring was actually the legendary Storage Ring. Storage Ring (Blue): Ring, equipped effect, obtain eight storage spaces. Usage effect, expand players inventory, the number of expanded slots is random, ranging from at least one slot to a maximum of six slots! If used as equipment, the ring would occupy one ring jewelry slot, and each players equipment slots could only wear two rings. Song Jian was already wearing a Ring of Strength, while the other ring slot was empty, perfect for equipping this one. Once Song Jian had a better ring, this Storage Ring could be used to expand his inventory slots, preventing any waste. Ive always felt that sixteen inventory slots were too small. Its like a dream come true! Song Jian immediately equipped the ring, instantly gaining eight additional inventory slots. Opening the third wooden box, he found a book inside. The cover was made of cowhide and featured a monsters portrait on it. Horns growing on its head, red skin, sunken cheeks, and the eyes that revealed a vicious and malicious expression It looks like the demon from Hell in legends Song Jian picked up the book and stroked the cover thoughtfully. As Song Jian s fingers slid over the demon portrait, he could feel the slightly raised image, as if it was originally part of the cowhide cover. Surrender your soul, and I shall grant you immense power A whisper sounded in his ear, and Song Jian looked bewildered for a moment before quickly coming to his senses. System: You were tempted by rhe demon; but your passive talent Thick Face activates, making you immune to the demons temptation. As I thought, this is not something ordinary people can touch! Seeing rhe system prompt, Song Jian was so frightened that he nearly threw the book out of his hand. lie forced himself to suppress the urge, put the book back in his inventory, and decided to study the books content when he returned to his manor. Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a rustling sound outside the door, as if someone was sneaking into the room. Chapter 112 - Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Application Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Application Translator: 549690339 Song Jian walked to the bedroom door and saw two people sneaking and peering into the room; These two guys were just at the stall Song Jian narrowed his eyes, realizing he had been followed; Alertness is too weak, even let others get this far A murderous intent arose in Song Jians heart. He knew whoever dared to follow him must have bad intentions. What are you doing? Song Jian slowly walked out of the bedroom with an icy expression; Damn, weve been found! The flower-shirted mans heart sank, he glanced at Uncle Wang and saw the old mans face full of fear, constantly retreating. Idiot, with your actions, youre basically telling others youre stalking them with bad intentions! The flower-shirted man cursed in his mind; Master, I have some Zombie cores here, 1 dont know if youre still buying? I just brought these from the safe house The flower-shirted man smiled and took out more than a dozen Zombie cores from his bag and handed them over; You followed me for half a day, just to give me Zombie cores? Song Jian had a mocking smile on his face. These two guys were only at level three, probably still in the novice trial period, with weak strength. However, they had the audacity to stalk him. They must want to gather some leftovers, but too bad, Ive already taken the good stuff. Song Jian secretly thought, watching the two men bowing and scraping with a humble appearance, the killing intent in his heart disappeared without a trace. As long as its a Zombie core, I want it! Song Jian accepted the cores and threw a handful of Doomsday Coins to the flower-shirted man; The flower-shirted man looked at the Zombie cores with heartache, he had saved them for a long time; Although Zombie cores could be dropped by level one mutated Zombies, the drop rate was too low, and it was not guaranteed to get one even after killing dozens of them. Boss, can you tell us what these Zombie cores are for? The flower-shirted man cautiously asked. Heh~ Song Jian glanced at him disdainfully. If he told them the purpose of the Zombie cores, how could he collect them later? At the very least, the price would definitely rise a lot when he went to buy them; But then again, Li Keers Sunflower Bar had already opened, and the casino on the second floor would probably be open soon. By that time, everyone would know the purpose of the Zombie cores, they couldnt keep it secret for long; Do you know Sunflower Bar? Song Jian asked. Sunflower Bar? The flower-shirted man was stunned, his eyes widened, and a surprised expression appeared on his face: Boss, are you talking about the bar with the beautiful bartender? Yeah, Ive been there as a customer, but the drinks there are so expensive The second floor of Sunflower Bar is a casino, which will be open soon. There will be slot machines there, requiring Zombie cores to play, and you can gamble for quite a few good things! Song Jian casually said; All, I see. Thank you, boss, thank you, boss! The flower-shirted man was stunned. He didnt expect Song Jian to reveal the purpose of the Zombie cores so easily, and he was overjoyed; In the next few days, I can collect more Zombie cores, and when the casino opens, the prices of Zombie cores will definitely rise The flower-shirted man thought excitedly, No, by that time, I can also gamble. If I win something good, wouldnt it be more profitable than selling Zombie cores? Alright, now that you know what Zombie cores are for, stop following me, and dont be so reckless in the future. Be careful, or you might be killed without knowing what happened! Song Jian said with a faint smile; Although there was not a single threatening word, Uncle Wangs face suddenly turned pale, and his eyes were filled with fearful expressions when he looked at Song Jian. Thank you, boss, thank you, boss! On the other hand, the flower-shirted man didnt seem to care, his face full of smiles as he flattered Song Jian. Song Jian glanced at them and walked out of the house; The flower-shirted man disdainfully looked at Uncle Wang. He originally thought the two could help each other, but this guy got so scared when he saw Song Jian, he even didnt dare to let out a fart. It was a good thing he was clever and dodged a bullet; Uncle Wang, youre really useless. With such small courage, how can you survive out here? The flower-shirted man spoke with a tone of a seasoned veteran; Phew~, let me catch my breath first! Uncle Wang leaned against the wall, sitting slowly on the ground; Uncle Wang, dont tell me you have a heart attack? The flower-shirted man furrowed his brow; Kid, the two of us just took a trip to the ghost world! Uncle Wang took a deep breath, and his face gradually relaxed; Ghost world? Uncle Wang, arent you exaggerating a bit! The flower-shirted man said disdainfully; Uncle Wang slowly stood up, peeked outside the door, and found that Song Jians figure had disappeared. He then said slowly, The young man just now, hes killed people! Killed people? The flower-shirted mans face changed, and he asked urgently, Are you saying hes a wanted criminal? Dont know, but hes killed people, a lot of them. He carries a murderous aura, and just now, he was about to kill us Uncle Wang seemed to remember something terrifying, his lips trembled slightly; Kill us? The flower-shirted man looked incredulous, saying, How could it be? We didnt do anything Kid, stalking him is already considered hostile. What else do you want to do? Uncle Wang helplessly looked at the flower-shirted man, pointed to Song Jians bedroom and said, Tell me, what would a level ten expert like him come here for? There must be a secret! You mean, he came here to find something? The flower-shirted mans eyes lit up; Most likely, but he must have found it already. Otherwise, wed be in danger. Just now, he was really ready to kill, 1 could feel it! Uncle Wang said; The flower-shirted man snorted, didnt take Uncle Wangs words seriously, and quickly rushed into the bedroom Song Jian had just entered; Oh my, he really was looking for something, but it seems like he has already taken it away The flower-shirted mans shouting soon came from the bedroom. Uncle Wang walked in the bedroom quickly and, by the wooden bed, saw a large pile of paper bills. The wooden board covering the safe was open, and so was the safe door; There was actually a safe here, damn it! I searched this room before and found nothing! The flower-shirted man had a regretful expression. This room has been searched at least seven or eight times. If you dont know the location of this safe, youll never find it! Uncle Wang just glanced at the scene, shaking his head; Heh, a master is indeed a master The flower-shirted man sighed; After a while, the flower-shirted man seemed to have thought of something, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he whispered to Uncle Wang, Uncle Wang, do you think if we tell him the location of that BOSS, he would give us a share of the loot? Uncle Wang hesitated for a moment, then frowned and thought for a long time, nodded slowly and said, 1 think, he might. Im just afraid he may not be interested in a level five elite BOSS. Chapter 113 - Chapter 113: Chapter 113: The Zombie Mailman Chapter 113: Chapter 113: The Zombie Mailman Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stepped out of his residence, glancing at the blue jade necklace wrapped in the bundle, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Sword Finger, one of the inheritance skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, I wonder how powerful it is! Song Jian murmured softly to himself, lie already knew Count Qian Dahais address, but the current Song Jian had no idea how to mail the item to him. From the radio, he could discern that mailing was not a difficult task for others, or for other NPCs. Perhaps he could ask others how to mail items on the radio? Would asking such common knowledge questions on the radio expose anything? That was the only concern Song Jian had. Just then, a rushed sound of footsteps rang from behind him. Seeing that Song Jian hadnt left yet, both Hawaiian Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Master, boss, please wait, wait a moment! The Hawaiian Shirt Ghost, a bit flustered, spoke in spurts. Whats wrong? Is there something you need? Song Jian turned around and asked. Master, we know the location of a Level 5 Elite BOSS, would you be interested? Hawaiian Shirt Ghost glanced at Uncle Wang before lowering his voice to ask. A Level 5 Elite BOSS? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head. As a Level 10 player, hunting Level 5 monsters didnt earn him any more experience. Besides, the goods dropped by a Level 5 Elite BOSS were of a too low grade for him. Since the game hadnt opened any trading systems or auction houses, was he supposed to waste time setting up a stall like they did? Moreover, even if Song Jian was willing to set up a stall, most players were only Level 3 or 4 and didnt possess many Doomsday Coins. It wouldnt be profitable! If it were a Level 10 Elite BOSS, I would be interested. But a Level 5? Ill pass. You guys can gather more people to hunt it while its daytime, and its attributes are halved. Song Jian spoke indifferently. Boss, although its just a Level 5 Elite BOSS, it carries a mailbag. If we kill it, it will certainly drop many great items. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost suddenly said. Yeah, Master, we saw it, its mailbag was bulging. I think its like those treasure chest monsters in other games that explode with loot when killed! Uncle Wangs eyes lit up as he eagerly added. A mailbag? Song Jian perked up and asked, Can you describe in detail what the monster looks like? That BOSS is called Postman Zombie. It wears a worn-out uniform and carries a bulging mailbag. It moves very fast! Hawaiian Shirt Ghost quickly reported. Its attack is unique. It pulls out letters from its mailbag and throws them like throwing knives, which deal quite high damage. I took a hit once and lost more than thirty vitality points. It hurt a lot. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost, currently at Level 3, had a vitality limit of eighty-five. Losing more than thirty points meant he lost a third of his vitality. He was definitely not the BOSSS match. Alright, lets go take a look. But lets make it clear first, if the BOSS drops something I need, I have the first choice! Song Jian declared. In fact, upon hearing the BOSSS name, Song Jian made a connection with mailing. Perhaps killing that BOSS would drop a mailbox? In this game, what was impossible? Now, this BOSS was probably the most likely one associated with the mailbox. Of course, of course, we just want to follow you and pick up the leftovers. Uncle Wang quickly agreed. Uncle Wang and Hawaiian Shirt Ghost had already done their calculations. A Level 5 Elite BOSS could very likely drop Level 5 equipment. For Song Jian who was Level 10, Level 5 equipment was already somewhat beneath him. So, in the end, wouldnt they be the beneficiaries? As they talked, the duo walked with Song Jian out of the community. Huh, look at those two. How did they get in with the Master? A player setting up a stall in the central gazebo of the community saw the trio and exclaimed in surprise. Hey, isnt Uncle Wang trying to ride on Masters coattails? someone sneered. I wish I could get a piece of that. I bet the Master is going to help them level up. Im so jealous! someone else said, their eyes gleaming with envy. Do you think theyre going to fight a BOSS? I heard a few days ago that Hawaiian Shirt Ghost was chased around by a BOSS and almost died! another person speculated. A BOSS? Is there really a BOSS? Should we go take a look? The group looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then started shouting, Lets go take a look! Its a rare opportunity to see a Master fight a BOSS! At this stage, few people had encountered a BOSS, and fewer dared to challenge one. Hearing that there was a BOSS fight, they stopped setting up their stalls and started pursuing Song Jian and the others. Master, if we circle around this street, theres a post office ahead. The BOSS is holed up in there! Hawaiian Shirt Ghost pointed at the street ahead. You dont have to call me Master. My name is Song Jian, just call me Brother Song. Song Jian chuckled and asked, Have you cleared most of this area? We didnt explore most of the area. The monsters here are mostly Level 3. Its too risky. One slip, and we could die here. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost shook his head. Song Jian nodded, not saying anything else. The three quickly arrived at an old post office. Along the way, they encountered many Level 3 mutant zombies. But neither the Hawaiian Shirt Ghost nor Uncle Wang made a move. Song Jian quickly killed them with his dagger. The pair were amazed by his skill. Brother Song, the BOSS is in there. Should we lure it out, or Hawaiian Shirt Ghost looked at the open gateway of the post office and said fearfully. He had innocently thought that areas with stronger monsters might contain better loot. That led him into this post office on his previous adventure, and he almost didnt see the light of day again. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost was worried that the narrow space in the post office would prevent Song Jian from fully utilizing his abilities. He bravely offered to lure the BOSS outside. Theres no need, you see, hasnt it just come out? Song Jian pointed to the post office entrance. Hehe A zombie hunched over, clad in a tattered green uniform, appeared at the entrance of the post office. The zombie was thin and emaciated, with deeply sunken eyes. Its skin clung tightly to its bones, almost devoid of muscle, making it look like a skeleton. The funniest part was that it was even wearing a military green hat on its head, making it look no different from an ordinary postman. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang werent lying. The BOSS did have a bag hanging from its body, also military green. The words Post Office were written on it. It looked like it was loaded with a lot of things, bulging tightly. Brother Song, thats it. Be careful, its very fast. Seeing this BOSS, Hawaiian Shirt Ghosts face changed dramatically. If he hadnt luckily stumbled upon a small group of players searching nearby last time, he wouldnt have been able to escape. This BOSSS movement was too fast. As expected, the Postman Zombie roared and charged towards the trio once it spotted them. Even though its attributes were halved during the day, it was still considerably faster than regular zombies. Chapter 114 - Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Backpack Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Backpack Translator: 549690339 The Zombie Boss with its mailman appearance was incredibly fast. The Flower-Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang were so startled they kept retreating. If Song Jian hadnt been standing still, they probably would have already turned tail and run. Song Jians face twitched with a smirk as he observed the incoming mailman Zombie. To him, the level five elite boss was no longer an intimidating monster. Even if he only wielded the Tusk Fang Stinger, Song Jian could easily take it down. However, with a slight increase in strength, Song Jian could now use the Rocket Launcher[Cobra-2X] in his inventory, an authentic weapon of mass destruction. Fetching the rocket launcher from his inventory, he positioned it on his shoulder. The cold metal against his cheek, the gaping maw of the gun barrel aimed at the charging boss. Despite the rocket launchers slow fire rate, its power was immense, making it one of the most damaging solo weapons. Its range was somewhat short compared to a sniper rifle, but it had an area attack, possessing a splash damage effect. Before deploying the Mind Eye skill on the mailman Zombie, Song Jian has targeted him mentally. The Cobra-2X was slow but this compensated for it; it was no longer easy to evade the rockets fire. As Song Jian slung the rocket launcher over his shoulder, Flower-Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang could hardly believe their eyes. How how is this possible? Flower-Shirt Ghost felt as if he was dreaming. I I dont even have a hand-gun, and look at him, already playing with a rocket launcher? How can there be such a disparity between people? Uncle Wang shared a dumbfounded expression. Boom- A rocket, with a long trailing blaze, shot toward the Mailman Zombie. You could even see with the naked eye the trajectory of the rocket in mid-air. The Mailman Zombie issued a roar, unflinchingly charging right into the rocket without so much as a hint of evasion. It seemed as if this boss hadnt even regained its senses yet, let alone having the sense to perceive danger. Other than higher attack, stronger defense, and more vitality, such a boss was practically no different from a regular mutant Zombie. Boom- A crushing explosion as the rocket hit the Zombie in the chest, causing a deafening roar. The Mailman Zombies body was indeed resilient. Hit directly with a rocket, it wasnt one-shot killed. Following the explosion, it was hurled five or six meters back by the force, and brutally slammed into the wall of the post office behind it. This monsters body is indeed formidable! Song Jian commented. If this was in the real world, a flesh and blood body bearing the brunt of a rocket would be a splatter of fragments. But in the game, the Boss had survived a direct hit from a rocket, still writhing on the ground attempting to stand back up. Worthy of being a Boss, such a tough body, even with the attributes halved, it can still take a hit from a rocket. Song Jian expressed his appreciation. The Mailman Zombie Boss howled madly, its eyes radiated with bloody lust, glaring viciously at Song Jian. Its legs had been blown off and only half of its waist was remaining, rendering standing up impossible. But it had not yet given up on attacking; even if it took using its hands to crawl, it was determined. As Song Jian waited for the cooldown to be over, he slightly adjusted the direction of the rocket launcher. Boom- The second rocket roared its way towards the Mailman BOSS. This time the battered Boss couldnt withstand the rockets damage any longer. The body burst into fragments and with an explosive roar, the Bosss body broke into tens of pieces, scattering in all directions. The fragmented body turned into black ash in the mid-air, and scattered into the wind. In front of the post office, apart from a huge pit, one could no longer see any signs of the Boss, as if it had never been there. Around the huge pit created by the rocket attack, a few items radiating green and white light had scattered around. Huh, equipment has dropped? Song Jians eyes lit up as he caught sight of the dropped gear. At his current level, a level-five Boss dropping equipment was already extremely lucky. The greatest possibility was that a few average items would drop. Mailmans Bag (Green), backpack, effect: Can store twelve items upon equipping; note: the bag will occupy one accessory slot once equipped. This is mine, you guys dont mind, do you? Song Jian casually picked up the mailmans bag and asked them. No, no objections! Both of them looked at each other, their faces wearing polite yet awkward smiles. The backpack was a great item. Players only had an initial sixteen inventory slots, far from enough considering the vast variety of items in this game. Song Jian gleefully opened his equipment interface and equipped the mailmans bag. Every player had two accessory slots and both of Song Jians were empty. Huh, how can this be? Beads of cold sweat formed on Song Jians forehead as he stared at the accessory interface containing a black stone tablet, his face turning pale. After all, this was the stone tablet that he had possessed within the real-world, always kept in his drawer and had left it there before entering the game. So how come it had suddenly appeared in the game and was displayed in his equipment interface? The effect of this stone tablet was only to increase vitality by one point, but its surface seemed to be enveloped by a layer of transparent energy, as though it had been sealed. Song Jian had intended to bring it back to the real world for research, thinking that he wouldnt miss that little vitality increase that much in the game. But why did it appear in the game and in his equipment interface again? Staring at the stone tablet for a while, Song Jian felt that there was something mysterious about it. However, he couldnt figure it out right now, so he left it aside temporarily. Seems like all the items obtained recently have something to do with storage space! Song Jian murmured to himself. The remaining items were all common varieties, Song Jian glanced at them but was too lazy to pick them up; Zombie Tusk, Zombie Eyeball, Zombie Leatherthese items could already be dropped by a Level One Mutant Zombie. It was a particularly shameful act for a level-five elite Boss to drop these kinds of items. You guys can have all these materials, Song Jian said nonchalantly. Thanks, Brother Song! The duo feebly thanked him. The loot dropped by level-five elite Bosses should have been unattractive to level-ten masters, but a storage package happened to drop this time. It was hard to tell whether this was an instance of good or bad luck. Hey, Brother Song, look at this thing, its quite strange! Flower-Shirt Ghost picked up an item from the ground and after staring at it for a while, he called out to Song Jian; Chapter 115 - Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Mailbox Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Mailbox Translator: 549690339 Song Jian, who had initially turned to leave, changed directions after hearing the shout from Floral Shirt Ghost. Whats the matter, these are just common quality materials, is there anything strange about them? Song Jian asked with a laugh; Song, Brother Song, look at this. It seems like this isnt a material, but an equipment piece no, I cant even call it equipment. I I dont know what to call it. Floral Shirt Ghost was scratching his head as he lifted a shimmering white item in his hand. Song Jian moved closer and started examining its attributes. A stamp? What is this, something for mailing? Song Jians eyebrows rose in surprise, he seemed intrigued. Stamp (White), Special Item, Effect: After usage, it can send an item to any specified address! Note: This item is unique. Once its used, it will automatically disappear. This thing is useful for me, give it to me, Song Jian said. Sure, Brother Song! Floral Shirt Ghost, far from being reluctant, happily handed the white item to Song Jian. Floral Shirt Ghost had previously checked the properties of this item. For current players, the only use is to exchange it for one Doomsday Coin at the system store. However, for advanced players, it may have other uses, which is why Floral Shirt Ghost had called out to Song Jian. Here are ten Doomsday Coins, consider it as me buying it. Song Jian placed the stamp into his backpack and handed the Doomsday Coins to Floral Shirt Ghost; We cant possibly accept this, Brother Song! Floral Shirt Ghost said, his face glowing with a bright smile. He insisted they couldnt take the money, but he quickly pocketed the Doomsday Coins; Alright, when theres a boss next time, find me in the villa beside Camel Square! Song Jian waved his hand, turning to stride towards his estate. Watching Song Jians departing figure, Floral Shirt Ghosts mouth slowly dropped open, his face full of disbelief and awe. Oh my, turns out its this big shot, the first one to establish a Safe House! Floral Shirt Ghost exclaimed in shock. My god, youre something, kid. You managed to build a relationship with him over a piece of junk with white quality, impressive, Floral Shirt No, Brother Ghost! How come Ive never realized youve got such a keen eye! Uncle Wang gave Floral Shirt Ghost a heavy pat on the shoulder, his face full of envy. Hey, 1 didnt expect to run into this big shot either. If I have him backing me while setting up a Safe House, wouldnt that be almost like a sure deal? Floral Shirt Ghost smirked, grinning from ear to ear. Upon arriving back at his estate and spotting the flock of blood crow in his yard, Song Jian frowned slightly. The sight of the withered old tree in his yard, combined with the dozens of blood-red crows, gave his entire estate a grim feeling like a haunted mansion from medieval Europe. The place would look marginally better during the daylight, but it would definitely pass for a haunted house come nightfall. With the castle empty, Song Jian felt too lazy to sit on the floor. He went to sit under the Blood and Dark Spirit Poison Tree and took out the stamp. Getting this stamp can be considered a surprise. Song Jian set out to find clues about mailboxes, but instead of finding any clues, he got a stamp that could mail items. This left Song Jian to muse about the fickle nature of destiny. However, while this stamp could be used to mail things, it didnt have a payment feature. If Song Jian had a mailbox, he could set a payment amount and item, but this stamp didnt have this feature and could only send items. Should he mail the item to Count Qian Dahai first? Song Jian wasnt about to do something so naive. Even if Count Qian Dahai was a highly reputable gentleman, Song Jian didnt even have a mailbox yet. So even if the count wanted to send him the payment, he wouldnt have a place to mail it to. It seems 1 will have to use the radio to find some clues about the email address, Song Jian thought to himself. With a thought in mind, Song Jians figure appeared on the third floor of the castle. In the empty room, there was just a radio set up on the floor. As Song Jian turned on the radio, a harsh electrical static noise burst out, which lasted for a long time before it slowly faded away. This is the Falcon Squad, we have a level five equipment we want to sell. Its a blue quality long knife, its attribute is Hey, Judy, the attributes of this long knife isnt bad, but the level is a bit too low. Did you guys beat the elite boss outside Kawa Town? A frivolous voice said through the radio. The base price for this long knife is one hundred Doomsday Coins, is there anyone interested in buying it? Judy seemed uninterested in engaging with him and shouted out her price on the radio channel. This is Count Francis from the City of Sin. Ill take the long knife for one hundred Doomsday Coins. It can serve as a birthday gift for my young son next month, a low, deep voice echoed through the radio. One hundred and ten Doomsday Coins. This knife, combined with my Triple Slash, can amplify its power by one hundred and thirty percent. This is Su Lijun from the City of Sky, my email address is One hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins, thats my final offer. If anyone goes higher than me, then its yours! Count Francis voice echoed again in the radio channel. It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in Song Jians mind. Many good items, like the Mutated Pine Nut, could only sell for a few dozen Doomsday Coins at the most. It wasnt that the items were bad, but that the players purchasing power was too low. If I had known earlier Song Jian wanted to cry but had no tears. A blue-quality sword that was dropped by a level-five elite boss was auctioned for over a hundred Doomsday Coins. How much could he have sold the Mutated Pine Nut, which can increase Vitality Points, for if he had shouted it on the radio? Eventually, the blue-quality long knife was bought by Su Lijun from the City of Sky for one hundred eighty Doomsday Coins. There seemed to be a lot of people on the radio channel, some trading items, some looking for people, some publishing hiring tasks, but most of them were chatting. Song Jian didnt understand why there were so many people who had nothing to do during the apocalypse. Ahem, I would like to ask, how to get an email address? Finally, Song Jian pressed the transmission key to ask for clues about email in the radio. Quickly, a young voice echoed through the radio, Email? Isnt that something you can easily get from the city hall? Young man, you know too little. Many places dont have a city hall, like in Kawa Town. Ask Papa Kaman, does his Gathering Area of about thirty people have a city hall? Its difficult for gathering areas in the wilderness to apply for emails unless you apply to the system god for setting up a Safe House and withstand the monster siege, then youll be qualified to apply Setting up a Safe House in a wilderness gathering area is too difficult. The tide of monsters isnt something anyone can handle unless you can hire a legion to have a slim chance Hire a legion? Are you crazy? If I have the money to hire a legion, why not apply for citizenship in a big city, like the City of Sin, or the City of Light Why not come to our City of Sky? The security in our city is excellent, and the nightlife is also very rich The citizens of the City of Sin smiled without a word. What citys nightlife could be more extravagant than the City of Sin? Song Jian was a bit speechless. The conversation began discussing about the emails but quickly changed topic. A group of idle people were discussing which citys bar dancer dances the most seductively on the radio channel. Chapter 116 - Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Employment Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Employment Translator: 549690339 Watching a once serious discussion gradually derail, Song Jian felt somewhat vexed. As everyone discussed whether the Golden Gun Pills were effective or Vitality Boosting Potion was better, Song Jian reluctantly switched off the radio. Through the radio, Song Jian learned that even in the apocalypse, many people were still living well. The concept of nations had faded away, replaced by city-centered dictatorships. Even for ordinary people living in these cities, basic rights were protected. If they dared to hunt monsters and became professionals, their lives would be even betterhardly any worse than before the apocalypse. However, many people couldnt pass the city-citizenship application process and had to voluntarily form their own Gathering Areas in the wilderness. The security of these Gathering Areas was not guaranteed. Some Gathering Areas disappeared overnight, and this was no longer news, nor was it a common topic of conversation. Such incidents were far too commonplace. As for the clues about the mailbox, Song Jian had gleaned this information from the hodgepodge of radio chatter. As long as he built a safehouse, he could apply to the system. However, applying for a mailbox required a large sum of money, which many people couldnt afford. He opened the manors creation list and scrolled all the way down to a More Features option. Upon selecting it, several sub-options appeared: Add Friend, Form Alliance, Join an Organization, Hire, and Apply for a Mailbox. Song Jian began investigating each option in turn. The Add Friend feature allowed adding like-minded friends who also had built safehouses, but the friend request needed to be accepted. After adding a friend, he could check their online status and set up a private chat channel. Forming an Alliance was akin to creating a guild. If ten players owning safehouses responded, an organization could be formed. This organization was initially capped at a hundred players, and completing certain tasks was necessary to increase that cap. But in the current game, the number of players who successfully built safehouses was small. Forming an alliance would take considerable time. Join an Organization was for joining an already established organization, which could be player-created or NPC-created, like the 101 Gathering Area Song Jian previously encountered. But his relationship with them was hostile, so he couldnt join their organization. Hire was for employing a character akin to a butler, who would manage the safehouse when he was offline or not there. A level one to level three safehouse could only hire one person. After upgrading to a manor, three could be employed. The hiring cost was considerable. In the hiring list, the aptitude, attributes and skills of each hiree differed. Hirees with higher aptitude, attributes, and more skills costed more to hire; and a monthly salary was needed after successful hire. Song Jian was interested in the Hire function. Fiana, the bartender from Li Keers Sunflower Bar, had left a deep impression on Song Jian. He hoped to hire someone similar, but among the dozens of potential hires, their professions were all different; Robin (White), Profession: Gardener, Aptitude: Low, Attributes: Weak, Skills: Watering, Weeding, Bug-catching, Plant care; Hiring cost: 50 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 5 Doomsday Coins. Suma (White), Profession: Chef, Aptitude: Below average, Attributes: Slightly weak, Skills: Basic cooking; Hiring cost: 80 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 10 Doomsday Coins. A gardener, chef, farmer, cleaner, maid what is all this? Song Jian exclaimed, shaking his head at the low-quality hires. He was not satisfied. It was not until he scrolled to the end of the list that he found an employee of green quality. George (Blue), Profession: Butler, Aptitude: Average, Attributes: Normal, Skills: Basic Elocution, Intermediate Management, Basic Defense Spells. Hiring cost: 150 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 20 Doomsday Coins. A basic defense spell? How does a butler have such skills? Song Jian raised his eyebrows and curiously opened the description of the skill; It can increase the safehouses defense by 30%. Awesome! My manors current defense is eight thousand, so thirty percent of that is an addition of two thousand four hundred. Song Jian lit up with joy; Hire George! Song Jian clicked on George and selected to hire him. A hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins soon disappeared, and George was removed from the hiring list. He waited a while, and George didnt appear. Just as Song Jian was feeling puzzled, he noticed a shabbily dressed man walking towards his manor from the street outside. The man, pallid from hardship, had green text floating above his head. LV1 George, Vitality Points: 80/80, Employer: Song Jian. Is this the butler I hired? He looks so weak. Song Jian frowned, then teleported to the manors main entrance. Sir, 1 thank you for your employment. If not for you, 1 fear 1 might starve in the slums! The moment George saw Song Jian, his eyes welled up with tears of excitement. He bowed deeply towards Song Jian and said; George, from now on, I am entrusting my manor to you. 1 hope you will not betray my trust, Song Jian muttered to himself in his heart. Compared to Fiana, George was far from impressive, causing some disappointment in Song Jian. But as he was already hired, hed have to wait and see if George could manage the manor well. At the least, George had a basic defensive spell that could boost the manors overall defence by 30%. For this basic defense spell, its worth spending 20 Doomsday Coins a month! Song Jian tried to console himself. Sir, 1 will manage this manor to the best of my abilities. George said gratefully. Alright, come in then. Song Jian disappeared, reappearing on the third floor of the castle. Watching George enter, he first inspected the several vacant Spirit Fields around the castle and then entered the castle itself, wandering around. Seeing George enter the castle, Song Jian turned his attention back to examining the next feature and said, Apply for Mailbox. This is what 1 need. 1 already own a manor, so my application should be easily accepted. Song Jian muttered to himself as he selected the option Apply for Mailbox. Chapter 117 - Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Second Floor Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Second Floor Translator: 549690339 What the ratfuck, has the system gone insane? Song Jian was shocked at the three thousand Doomsday Coins needed to set up a mailbox; Just to give you an idea, any player with over three hundred Doomsday Coins in their pocket could already be considered a tycoon. If Song Jian hadnt gotten a SSS grade on his previous main mission, he wouldnt have more than a hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins. There were too many places to spend money in this game and too few ways to earn it. The vast majority of players were barely managing, living like mule-skinner, doing the same mind-numbing and dull routines of chopping trees and collecting stone for a few Doomsday Coins, which was even more tiring than a real-life job; Staring at his bag showing 3112 Doomsday Coins, Song Jian gritted his teeth resentfully. Having to hand over the coins to the system just as they were warming his pocket was really annoying; Well, you win some, you lose some. It takes giving to receive. Song Jian consoled himself, gritted his teeth, and clicked on the Create option. The Doomsday Coins in his bag quickly diminished, yet nothing unusual seemed to happen. In reality, a red mailbox more than half a human height had already appeared outside the manors gate, but Song Jian couldnt see it as his view was blocked by a wall; After a while, unable to wait any longer, Song Jian opened the manor management list, and was surprised to discover that Mailbox had appeared on the list, under Catapult (3); After opening the mailbox, the first thing was to set an address; If he was in a large city like the City of Sin or Sky City, and had a fixed address, he could apply for a mailbox from the city hall. This mailbox address would be set by the municipal office and he could not change it; Only those who set up safe houses in the wild were allowed to fill out their own mailbox address, but the address couldnt be the same as someone elses; What address should I use? Song Jian furrowed his brows, deep in thought; Through the radio, Song Jian learned that people who set up safe houses in the wild usually use names like Layton Mansion or Jamint Cottage. In large cities, addresses followed the specific format of ** City ** Street (Road) ** Neighborhood ** Number After thinking for a while, Song Jian blinked and typed 1, Blessing Neighborhood, Bright Street, City of Hope After setting up his own mailbox address, he could now send out parcels; Song Jian opened the Send Item option, put the blue jade necklace in there, and in the payment option for the recipient, wrote one thousand Doomsday Coins and Skill Book: Sword Finger. After filling out the postage address, if Count Qian Dahai wants to accept this blue jade necklace, he would have to pay one thousand Doomsday Coins and Skill Book: Sword Finger. Phew, not bad luck. 1 just dont know how powerful the Swordsman Immortal profession actually is! Song Jian mumbled to himself, checked everything again, and chose to send the parcel; System: Youve chosen recipient-pays postage for item Blue Jade Necklace to address: Inner City 188, City of Sin, recipient Qian Dahai. This postage will cost one stamp, continue with postage? Requires a stamp? Song Jian was taken aback, his brow furrowing, but quickly he chose to send out the parcel; A light flashed on the stamp in his bag and flew toward the door of the manor. Looking at the mailbox, the blue jade necklace was gone, a parcel has been sent out; Having a mailbox is not enough, 1 need a stamp to send items, way too bothersome. Song Jian thought to himself; After waiting for a while with no new mail notifications, it looks like Count Qian Dahai still had not seen his message, Song Jian shook his head, flashed to the manors gate, and walked out; Master, I have some information about the combat profession Tree Shepherd, I wonder if you The Blood Shade Poison Tree slowly woke up from its sleep, noticed Song Jians presence, and started speaking slowly; But before it could finish, Song Jians figure had already disappeared from the manors gate. The Blood Shade Poison Tree Alex was stunned, sighed heavily, and fell back to sleep; Song Jian stood at Sunflower Bar, watching with some surprise at the constant stream of people coming in and out. Its only been a few days, and Sunflower Bar has already gained such popularity? Song Jian murmured to himself, and slowly walked in; Upon walking into the main hall, he was stunned to find that it was already packed. Every single one of the dozen tables was full, even the high stools in front of the bar were taken. Soft music was playing in the bar, with almost every patron holding a cup of drink. Most were seated at the tables, glancing around, seemingly in search of something. Captain, captain, this is the place, this is the place. A mug of beer will increase your attack by 30% for 3 hours. We all take a glass first, then well go farm mobs! I dont need attack, Fox, is there anything that increases defense or vitality? Yes, yes, rum, oat rum can provide 300 Vitality Points for two and a half hours, while dark beer can increase your defense by 15, also for two and a half hours. However, you can only drink one of these two, if you drink the second one it will override the first ones effects. Song Jian watched a five-person squad squeeze to the front of the bar. Each bought a drink, gulped it down, then quickly moved out of the bar; Hey, Fiana, is the boss lady in? Song Jian greeted as he approached; The boss lady is out on some business. Why are you looking for her? Fiana lazily slid a highball glass down the bar to a player, turned her head to glance at Song Jian and responded; Oh, nothing. 1 was just wondering, has the upstairs casino opened yet? Song Jian asked. Having acquired several dozen zombie cores, Song Jian intended to test his luck at the casino, and see if he could gamble to win a few good items before going on the main mission; The upstairs casino is not open to the public yet! Fiana said: But the boss lady has authorized you with free access. Just go up by yourself. Thanks. Song Jian gave a small smile and made his way upstairs; Seeing Song Jian heading upstairs, several people who noticed him looked surprised. Miss Fiana, may 1 ask if the gentleman just now is the owner of this bar? A player seated at the bar looked charmingly at Fiana, softly asking; No, hes just a friend of the boss! Fiana looked back at him and declared; Oh, then may I ask, whats the deal with the upstairs casino? When will it open? Haha, those are not questions you should be concerned with. You should wait patiently for the wanderers arrival. Fiana gave an indifferent smile and dismissive comment; Seeing that no one was ordering drinks, Fiana took out a crystal glass, with a blue velvet handkerchief, and leisurely polished the inner wall of the glass. She was blatantly ignoring the questions of the player at the high stool of the bar; Chapter 118 - Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Invisible Sword Qi Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Invisible Sword Qi Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stepped up the stairs to the second floor, feeling as if he had passed through a thin membrane. Clearly, this was Li Keer setting permissions within the safehouse, only her permitted individuals could access the second floor; At present, the second-floor casino wasnt open to the public. However, it had been thoroughly cleaned, and all the old damaged gambling tables were moved away, making the casino appear somewhat empty; The slot machine was still as it had been, its circle of neon lights were gently flickering. Their four rolling tracks currently displayed the message Welcome.; Song Jian had acquired over thirty zombie cores. According to probability, he should be able to get three to four items, but he couldnt be certain about their quality; He inserted a zombie core and forcefully pulled the lever; Cling-clang- The four rolling tracks started rotating and, before long, slowed to a halt from left to right; Thank you for your participation! Song Jians expression remained unchanged as he inserted another zombie core; Thank you for your participation! Thank you for your participation! One or two Thank you for your participation, and Song Jian could calmly accept it. Five or six and Song Jian merely frowned slightly. But after over twenty consecutive Thank you for your participation, Song Jian was about ready to smash the damn machine; What the hell, isnt it said that by using approximately ten zombie cores, an item can be obtained? Youve already taken twenty-seven of my zombie cores without even emitting a single fart? Song Jian said, slightly peeved; Phwoo- The machine gave off a strange noise similar to a leaky pipe that sounded like a fart; Song Jian; You goddamn Song Jian raised his fist, ready to smash the screen of the slot machine, but the screen suddenly flashed, typing out a line of light blue font; This machine belongs to the system God. Any damage caused must be compensated for! Cant mess with it, cant mess with it! Song Jian retracted his hand honestly, respectfully placing a zombie core into the coin slot with both hands before gently pulling the lever. Cling-clang- Thank you for your participation! It doesnt matter, its not like its a lot of money Song Jian comforted himself; Insert zombie core, pull lever, insert zombie core, pull lever Song Jian seemingly numb, until the last zombie core is inserted, and cheerful music akin to winning a prize played from the slot machine; I won? Song Jian gaped, moments later revealing a bitter smile. Thirty-six zombie cores were used, and only one item was won, this odds were simply Perhaps, Im simply unlucky. Song Jian shook his head, saying this self-mockingly; Opening the slot of the machine, a golden glow appeared before Song Jians eyes; Song Jian took out what was a scroll emitting a golden glow; Skill Scroll: Invisible Sword Qi; Skill Book, Effects: The skill Invisible Sword Qi can be learned after use! Invisible Sword Qi: Increases the Sword Qi Energy Bar. When any weapon is used, Invisible Sword Qi can be added to it, enhancing the power of the weapon; Note: This is one of the skills inherited by the Swordsman Immortal. Attention: Sword Qi might cause damage to added weapons. Unlucky? Hahaha, damn unlucky my ass! Im the luck king! Haha. Song Jian burst out laughing in surprise, the laughter lowered clearly even from the first floor; A golden quality skill scroll, also one of the Swordsman Immortals inherited skills, this made Song Jian feel as though a gold ingot had fallen from the sky, hitting him on the head; Without saying a second word, he directly used the scroll. A golden light flashed, and in Song Jians personal attribute interface, beneath Vitality Points and Spirit Points, another energy bar illuminating a silver glow was added; Sword Qi Value: 100/100 What a shame! I currently dont know any sword skills. Even though Ive learned Invisible Sword Qi, its power cant be shown. Song Jian expressed some regret, his desire for the skill book Sword Finger had become more urgent; Actually, the importance of the Invisible Sword Qi skill book greatly surpasses that of Sword Finger. This is the core base skill of a Swordsman Immortal profession, all skills of this profession require Invisible Sword Qi to execute. Without Invisible Sword Qi, even if Song Jian acquired the Sword Finger skill, it merely becomes a collectible, a dust collector, he wouldnt be able to both learn and use it; Count Qian Dahai was willing to use the Sword Finger as part of the reward precisely because of this reason, without Invisible Sword Qi as a base, Sword Finger couldnt be learned; Song Jian, now pleased as punch, descended to the first floor. All the players on the first floor gazed at him as if looking at a big fool, his sudden outburst of laughter earlier had attracted everyones attention; Song Jian didnt mind the others stares, he confidently walked to the bar, pulled out a couple of Doomsday Coins and slapped them onto the counter, loudly ordering, Give me a glass of rum! A big one! Seems like your harvest wasnt small! Fiana filled a glass with rum and slid it toward Song Jian; The golden liquor brimmed with bubbles, looking just like champagne. Song Jian raised his glass and gulped down the drink. Rum is made from sugarcane, so it has a rich, sweet and slightly bitter taste with quite a kick to it. Once you have tasted it, you are bound to crave it; Song Jian finished the entire glass of rum in one breath, belched contently and a satisfied smile emerged on his face; At this moment, the door of the bar was pushed open, making a bang- sound; Almost everyone turned their heads to look at the door. A dwarf dressed in cowboy attire, with two revolvers hanging from his waist, wearing a cowboy hat, stepped through the door; I heard that the best oat beer in Zombie City can be found here. I wonder if its true! Bartender, give old man Zack a glass of oat beer, no water, no ice! The dwarf Zack stroked his thick beard and shouted at Fiana; Honored guest, may I have the honor of offering you a glass? Lets drink the most concentrated oat beer at the Sunflower Bar! A player sitting at the bar immediately stood up and shouted at the cowboy-clad dwarf. Old man Zack, come sit in my booth for a bit. Not only do we have the most concentrated oat beer here, but also sweet rum, rye beer, I invite you to have a taste! Another player in the booth also stood up and began calling out to dwarf Zack; Come here, I. Hi, honored dwarf sir, over here Suddenly, the entire bar was bustling like a marketplace, almost everyone stood up, inviting the dwarf who had just entered the bar to have a drink; Song Jian was a bit stunned for a moment, he turned to look at Fiana, gesturing in the direction of the other players and whispered, Whats going on? No big deal, youll get used to it if you come often, they are recruiting followers! Fiana shrugged her shoulders, saying lazily; Chapter 119 - Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Musketeer Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Musketeer Translator: 549690339 Follower? Song Jian blinked. Can NPCs be recruited as followers here? Exactly! Fiana gestured towards the Dwarven cowboy Zack at the door: Since the bar officially opened, many wandering NPCs pass by, pays a short visit, have a drink and rest a bit. Whether you can recruit them, though, depends on your skills. Only a few players have been successful during these days. No wonder there are so many people in this bar. 1 thought the players were idling around! Song Jian shook his head and murmured. Brother, you dont understand. Sharpening the ax will not delay the job of chopping the wood! Once you successfully recruit a follower, whether you are hunting monsters or collecting resources, its rapid! a player next to him explained with a smile. Dont followers demand wages? Song Jian suddenly asked. The player was stunned, then scratched his head uncertainly, They shouldnt, 1 think. I havent recruited any yet, so Im not sure. Im just here to try my luck! Every six hours, a wandering NPC will appear, but their qualifications, attributes, and professions are random, Fiana continued to explain, This Zack is obviously from the Dwarf Clan, and he should be a Musketeer or Cowboy. His quality is pretty decent, barely considered of excellent quality. Song Jian looked over at Zack; indeed, the name displayed on top of this wandering NPC was blue. However, apart from the name, all of the Dwarf Zacks attributes were hidden. Right after his attributes were the words recruitable. Oh, bless the Forging God, the people in this bar are too enthusiastic! So enthusiastic its a bit overwhelming, haha! Zack stroked his beard and laughed heartily. Fianas eyes lit up and she whispered, Forging God, judging by appearances, this dwarf Zack must be a Forging Master. If anyone can recruit him, it would be a huge gain. Huh, you can be sure hes a Forging Master just by his use of the phrase Forging God in the Heavens? Song Jian was baffled and asked immediately. Of course, Fiana looked at Song Jian and said, Each race worships not just one God but has many. Among the Dwarf Clan, there are no fewer than ten Gods. Generally, worshiping different Gods will grant different bonuses, but one person can only worship one God. Changing faiths would completely wipe out the value of the previous faith, which is unfavorable. I believe that unless one is a Forging Master, they wouldnt worship the Forging God. This is because the bonus granted by worshiping the Forging God is a 10% increase in forging success rate, Fiana explained with a casual expression on her face. I see! said Song Jian, nodding. Many of the in-game information was unknown to the players, but Song Jian found that regular conversations with NPCs could yield a lot of useful information. Isnt your main mission to converse with ten combat-class individuals to understand their occupations? Fiana suddenly said to Song Jian, Whether this dwarf Zack is a Musketeer or Cowboy, he is your target! Huh, is that so? Song Jian was surprised. He didnt understand how Fiana knew about his main mission. If she hadnt reminded him, he might have forgotten as he had been thinking about the Sword Immortal profession. All right, Ill go talk to him. Song Jian put down his glass and walked over to the dwarf, Zack. As soon as Song Jian approached Zack, before he could even speak, Zack turned around with a serious face and said, Gods chosen one, you have embarked on the path of pursuing a profession. Would you like to learn about the Musketeer, a great profession? Honorable Battle Profession Advisor, Im standing at a crossroads of confusion and I dont know which road to take. Please guide me on forward. 1 would like to hear about the Musketeer, a noble profession, Song Jian followed the systems prompts and said. Hahahaha, of course, no problem! Zack laughed loudly, stroking his beard and staring at Song Jian, But before I explain the Musketeer, a great profession, to you, I need to confirm if you have the capability to take up this profession. You must pass my test! A test? Song Jian was shocked, but soon nodded, No problem, Advisor Zack, I am willing to accept your test. Hmm, let me think. Zack mused for a moment, a gleam flashed in his eyes, he laughed heartily, My challenge to you is to purchase a cup of Golden Rum for me! System: Battle Profession Mentor, Dwarf Zack, has issued you a challenge task: Golden Rum; Task requirement: Hand over a cup of Golden Rum to Battle Profession Mentor, Dwarf Zack; Golden Rum: o/l; Task deadline: 6 hours; Task Reward: Earn Zacks trust, receive information on the Musketeer profession; Task Penalty: Decrease relationship with Battle Profession Mentor Zack to indifferent. Alright, Advisor Zack, please wait a moment! After giving a bow to Zack, Song Jian turned around and walked to the bar counter. Fiana, give me a cup of Golden Rum! Song Jian shouted. Golden Rum, one thousand Doomsday Coins a cup, are you sure you want to buy one? Fiana asked with a charming smile. Song Jian was startled, almost losing his balance. What? Why is it so expensive? Is this Golden Rum really more precious than the Royal Salute Count Rum? Song Jian questioned loudly, his face flushing. Of course not! Fiana shook her head and said, The quality of the Golden Rum is far lower than that of the Royal Salute Count Rum, but Fiana held up a finger and wiggled it at Song Jian, You purchased the Royal Salute Count Rum because you were helping the boss build a safe house, which was considered a personal gift. But now, you must pay the original price for any fine wine you need! So, if I want to buy a Royal Salute Count Rum now, how many Doomsday Coins will it cost? Song Jian asked tentatively. First, your intimacy level with me must reach Adoration, then, youll need to pay one million Doomsday Coins! Fiana alluringly said, gazing at Song Jian. Adoration? One million Doomsday Coins? Song Jian stood with his mouth agape, feeling a wave of belated bliss. Young man, you only have six hours. Please make good use of every minute and second. If you cant even complete a simple challenge like this, then I think, even if I share information about the Musketeer profession, youre unfit for this profession! Zack shouted at Song Jian. Dont worry, Advisor Zack, I guarantee to complete this challenge task within the given time limit. Song Jian nodded to Zack and then turned to head towards the bars exit. Chapter 120 - Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Rocket Launcher Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Rocket Launcher Translator: 549690339 Six hours to earn a thousand Doomsday Coins; it would be a difficult task for an ordinary player, but for Song Jian, it was just a bit troublesome; Not to mention the blue jade necklace that he had already mailed to Count Qian Dahai, he could earn a thousand Doomsday Coins from its reward alone. Even if Song Jian were to go and gather wood and stone materials to sell now, he would probably earn enough Doomsday Coins in six hours; He didnt know when the reward from Count Qian Dahai would be mailed, so Song Jian could only choose to gather wood and stone materials to earn a thousand Doomsday Coins; When he arrived at the small forest in the novice area, Song Jian was shocked by the sight in front of him. There were three or four people standing next to each large tree, surrounding it tightly. The number of players in the forest far exceeded the number of trees, and even by the rocks, there were several people gathering wood and stone materials with stone axes and pickaxes; Fortunately, these players seemed to be newcomers who just entered the game, and they didnt have many stone axes and pickaxes. After they were used and scrapped, they left, but their positions were quickly filled by other players; There are too many wolves and not enough meat. Even if these players have low Chopping and Mining Skills, all the trees and rocks here will be gathered in one or two hours, Song Jian shook his head and summoned a motorcycle, driving toward the highway; As a Level 10 player, if he were to compete with others here, he would definitely be despised. Moreover, if he competed like this, he wouldnt be able to gather enough materials to sell within six hours; These novice players were low-level and weak, so they could only gather in this small forest. If they moved further away, they wouldnt be able to. But the further away they went, the better the resources they would gather. However, the further away they went, the higher the level and strength of the monsters would be, and careless players could lose their lives, which was too dangerous for these newcomers; Song Jians target was the forest where he had encountered the tree spirits before. Not only was the area of that forest much larger than the one in the novice area, but the amount of wood produced from each large tree there was also several times that of the novice areas forest. Although it was somewhat dangerous, Song Jian wanted to hunt more Tree Spirit Seedlings to sell to other NPCs outside of the Zombie City using the radio; Upon arriving at the forest, Song Jian found that there were already people gathering wood materials in it, and it looked like a team; Brother, there are powerful monsters in this forest. You must be very careful when entering. If youre weak, dont come in! A middle-aged man in his thirties or forties shouted out upon seeing Song Jian; If Song Jian had come here for the first time, he would have thought that this player was afraid of others competing with them for wood materials and was trying to deceive him. But since he had been here before and knew the situation, Song Jian knew that the man was just trying to be helpful; The tree spirits here were not something ordinary people could handle. Song Jian looked up and saw that the levels of the people currently gathering wood in the forest had already reached Level 5; Big Strong, why bother with him? Let him gather if he wants. If he gets killed by the tree spirits, we can just retrieve his body and benefit doubly! A teenager beside him who appeared to be 17 or 18 years old complained; Dont talk nonsense, Wang Bo. Dont you know that dying in the game will also lead to death in the real world? A girl in a white robe wearing a serious expression scolded Wang Bo; Wang Bo pouted with a dont-care expression and looked up at Song Jian; Holy shit, Level 10, hes a pro! Wang Bo suddenly shouted; When the others heard Wang Bos shout, they were shocked, and at the same time looked up at Song Jian. By now, he had walked to the edge of the forest and greeted them with a smile; Hello, everyone. 1 came here to hunt a few tree spirits. You guys can gather as you please. Dont worry about me! Song Jian waved and said. Although the gathering efficiency here was much higher compared to the novice gathering area, it was still not as good as hunting the tree spirits. The amount of wood Song Jian would get from hunting a single tree spirit would be equal to the amount they would get from gathering five or six trees, and his speed would be much faster; Brother, please be careful. The tree spirits here are very difficult to deal with. Those mutated tree roots are so annoying! Big Strong still couldnt help but warn; Its okay, its okay. You guys just keep gathering, Song Jian said as he stepped into the depths of the forest; When not attacking, the tree spirits looked no different than the other trees. It was only when a player entered their alert range and provoked them into attacking that their names and attributes would be displayed above their heads; Seeing Song Jian entering the depths of the forest, the group of players gathering wood lost their focus and followed him after exchanging glances; Big Strong, how do you think that guy got to Level 10? It took me three or four days just to get from Level 4 to Level 5, and grinding monsters almost made me puke, Wang Bo whispered behind Ge Dazhuang; How would I know? There are so many talented people in this game. Isnt Sunflower Bar run by a player? I heard its a girl in her teens. Why dont you ask how she opened that bar? Ge Dazhuang replied grumpily; Although the tree spirits are only Level 5, they are very difficult to deal with. Even with several of us working together, we can barely kill one. We cant handle more than that! The girl in the white robe frowned and said; But the wood materials that the tree spirits drop are abundant, much better than gathering, Wang Bo looked enviously at Song Jians retreating figure and said; That requires risking your life. Gathering at the edge might be slower, but its safer. At least its much better than the small forest near the novice area, Ge Dazhuang knocked on Wang Bos head and said; Hey, look, a tree spirit is coming out. Wow, its so big. Its much bigger than the ones we killed before. I wonder if he can handle it! Wang Bos eyes brightened as he pointed to a struggling tree spirit emerging from the ground; It seems dangerous with so many mutated tree roots Ge Dazhuang frowned, his muscles tense and ready to run forward at any moment. Why bother with him? It would be better if he dies. I saw him come here on a motorcycle earlier Wang Bo snorted softly; Holy shit, look at his weapon! Its unbelievable The girl in the white robe burst out a rude word, her face full of surprise; A rocket launcher? Thats too exaggerated! How is that possible? Wang Bos eyes were about to pop out; Boom- There was a loud explosion in the depths of the forest. A tree spirit was blown in half, and five or six items emitting white light scattered around; Chapter 121 - Chapter 121: Chapter 121 New Email Chapter 121: Chapter 121 New Email Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stepped forward and picked it up casually. Initially, he thought that killing a level five monster would not result in any loot, but to his surprise, the first Tree Spirit gave a huge drop; Six hundred and fifty units of wood, a white-quality alchemical material Heart of the Tree. When making healing potions, adding the Heart of the Tree can increase the healing effect by 30%, pretty decent; Broken Branch, white quality, can be added when forging weapons to enhance their properties. If it is a soft weapon like a long whip, it can increase the flexibility by 30%, and if it is a hard metal weapon, it can increase the toughness by 25%; An equipment, did one actually drop? Song Jian picked up the last white item and a smile spread across his face after taking a look; This equipment was a pair of leggings, and coincidentally, the leg slot in Song Jians equipment bar was empty; Tree Spirit Leggings (White), leather armor bottoms, equipment effect: Physical Defense +3, Vitality recovery speed increased by 30%; Equip requirement: Level 5, Can it be taken out of the game: No. The Heart and Branch can be broadcasted on the radio, but I dont have any postage stamps right now, I wont be able to ship them even if 1 wanted to. Song Jian frowned slightly, contemplating the clues about postage stamps while heading deeper into the grove; Several people standing at the edge of the grove watched Song Jians retreating figure dumbfounded, expressions of admiration on their faces; This is too exaggerated, is a level ten player this powerful? Even a rocket launcher appeared, this game is crazy! Ge Dazhuang exclaimed, shaking his head; I would do anything for a weapon like that, its so damn cool Wang Bos mouth was practically watering, his eyes fixed on the rocket launcher on Song Jians shoulder. If he had such a weapon, he could effortlessly draw a lot of attention by firing at any random monster while walking down the street; Forget about it, even if that weapon was given to you, you probably wouldnt be able to equip it. Its likely a level ten item, only he can equip it! the girl in a white robe solemnly said; Yeah, a weapon of such tremendous power couldnt be of a low level. Ge Dazhuang also realized, nodding in agreement; Their guesses werent far off, just slightly off. Song Jians two-handed weapon didnt require a level ten character, but a strength of twelve points. For the average player, unless they had a chance encounter, even if they reached level ten, they couldnt amass twelve strength points to wield this weapon; Song Jian strolled leisurely through the grove, with the rocket launcher on his shoulder, as if he was just taking a walk. Whenever he trespassed into the alert range of a Tree Spirit, a Mutated Tree Root would ambush him. Considering the root is only level one, its attack would hardly break Song Jians defense and could only forcibly reduce one Vitality Point. Song Jians automatic Vitality recovery would replenish this small loss immediately. Keep in mind, his status bar currently lists the reward from completing the previous main quest with an SSS rankan increase of 500% in his Vitality recovery rate. Coupled with his current equipment, Song Jians Vitality recovery rate was an astounding 38 points per second. Even if he stood still and let the Tree Spirit attack him for half an hour, it wouldnt drain a single drop of blood; Upon encountering another Tree Spirit monster, Song Jian fired his rocket launcher, another instant kill! However, this time, only five hundred units of wood were dropped, nothing else was obtained; Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five hours had passed. Song Jians inventory was stuffed with a pile of materials. If all were sold in the store, he could at least get five to six hundred Doomsday Coins. However, these Doomsday Coins provided no help in completing the task; Song Jian started to get a bit anxious as only an hour was left. This was the first combat profession teacher he had met, and the task wasnt even of high difficulty. If he couldnt even complete this one, he didnt know when he would be able to complete the remaining nine; This is an abandoned city, the number of combat profession teachers definitely isnt high. If it wasnt for Li Keers bar, 1 might not even find one even if 1 searched for several days Song Jians eyebrows knit together, thinking to himself; In the City of Sin, an old man with a face full of wrinkles sat in a wheelchair in a tall castle in the inner city, constantly staring at a blue jade necklace on the mailbox interface; The blue jade necklace radiated a deep blue glow, as if it was the deepest part of the sea. On the surface of the necklace, rings of light gently rippled, radiating an enchanting charm; Roland, my beloved, this is the gift I am giving you for your 18th birthday, it has always been your favorite Tears flickered in the old mans eyes as he seems to be lost in memory; Having sat under the sunlight for several hours, Count Qian Dahai finally extended his shaky right hand, pulled out a golden glowing Skill Scroll from his bosom, aiming to place it in the mailbox interface; Count, you cant do this. This is the foundation of our family heritage, our foothold. Without a strong professional in the Qian family, your position as a Count is likely to be lost by young master Qian Xiaohao, who might only become a Viscount the butler who had always been guarding him suddenly voiced his protest; A hint of anger flashed in the eyes of Count Qian Dahai. He held the Skill Book named Sword Finger in his right hand, which suddenly froze. The butler, who has served him for over thirty years, unexpectedly had been bribed by his own son, Qian Xiaohao; Even a dog raised for over thirty years would have feelings for its owner, but you, hmph Murderous intent surfaced on Count Qian Dahais face. He turned and looked at his trembling butler who did not dare to meet his gaze, roaring in his heart; Maca, how many years have you followed me? Count Qian Dahai said indifferently; Count, my lord, I have been serving in this castle since 1 was sixteen, and have been the butler of this castle for over thirty years. Sir, I really am Maca knelt in front of Count Qian Dahais wheelchair, sobbing uncontrollably, My son owed a large amount of debt due to gambling, which I am unable to pay. Young master Xiaohao, he So, you have been spying on me for that unfilial son of mine? Count Qian Dahais face was frosty as he asked loudly. I wouldnt dare, wouldnt dare, sir. But 1 had no choice. If I didnt speak up and stop you, the young master would undoubtedly flay me alive if he returned and found out Maca collapsed on the floor and wept, tears wetting the wrinkles on his face; I will flay you alive right now! Count Qian Dahai roared, pressing a switch on the armrest of his wheelchair. Soon, a group of guards hurried over; Drag this disloyal old dog out! Also, bring my rebellious son back and lock him up in the dungeon, immediately, right now! Count Qian Dahai loudly ordered the captain of the guards; Yes, Count! The captain of the guards saluted reverently, signaling the two guards behind him to seize the butlers arms and drag him outside; As the cries for mercy gradually died away, the anger on Count Qian Dahais face slowly subsided, he let out a heavy sigh; After some time, Count Qian Dahai sat in his wheelchair, tenderly stroking the blue jade necklace with his right hand. A gentle expression surfaced on his face, after a long while, Count Qian Dahai, bathed in the sunset, fell asleep with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth; Five hours and thirty minutes had passed, just when Song Jian was getting anxious, he suddenly heard a clear notification sound in his ear; System: You have a new mail. Please check it! Chapter 122 - Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Sword Finger Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Sword Finger Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing this system prompt, the anxious Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. He initially thought earning a thousand Doomsday Coins would be a cinch over a span of four to five hours, given his current level and strength. However, much to his surprise, despite spending five and a half hours gaming, all his earnings, if sold to the system store, would have only amounted to five to six hundred Doomsday Coins. To a regular player, this sum would be a decent income. However, this was a far cry from Song Jians expectations. Phew, finally received it. If Count Qian Dahai hadnt come back, I might have had to sell my equipment, Song Jian let out a deep breath. Selling his equipment to the system store was his last resort. If he resorted to that, he could receive several hundred Doomsday Coins. However, this would be a mere quick fix. Stripped of his equipment, Song Jians power would take a severe hit. Moreover, selling equipment to the system store was akin to selling a jewel at the price of a brick. Just thinking about it caused Song Jian heartache. He quickly conjured his motorcycle and sped toward his Manor Castle. The distance of several kilometers was bridged in under five minutes. At the mailbox outside his manor, Song Jian finally saw a thousand Doomsday Coins and a Skill Scroll radiating a golden gleam. Phew, seems like Count Qian Dahai is a man of his words, Song Jian murmured in admiration. If you knew what it was C a plain-quality, featureless blue jade necklace that couldnt be taken out of the game and wouldnt be re-purchased by the system store C you might think it was worthless, not even worth a single Doomsday Coin. Yet, Count Qian Dahai traded it for a thousand Doomsday Coins and a hefty Sword Immortal profession inheritance skill, a representative model of the wealthy and capricious. Without hesitation, Song Jian used the golden skill scroll, and the icon of the skill Sword Finger appeared on his skill bar. Sword Finger (Active), level 1, skill effect: Designated one of the ten fingers of the hands to activate the skill, and an Invisible Sword Qi is emitted to a range of three meters ahead, inflicting 55-80 points of physical damage to all targets within the covered range and additional 50 points of metal damage; cooldown: 5 seconds; skill cost: 10 points of Invisible Sword Qi. To use this skill, he first had to choose one of the ten fingers. Song Jian pondered and decided to use his left forefinger. His right hand was for wielding the Tusk Fang Stinger, while his left hand was not primarily required. Although the Guardian Sword was equipped in his left weapon slot, Song Jian had not learned any swordsmanship, let alone a combination of dagger and longsword. The guardian sword was only for an added three-point force attribute value. He clicked the Sword Finger icon, and a holographic image of ten fingers appeared before him. Upon setting his left forefinger as the trigger for Sword Finger, the hologram disappeared and a jolting sensation surged through his forefinger po, as if a wave of Vitality had rushed into it. After a while, the prickling sensation receded. Song Jian extended his finger, prompting a radiant silver Sword Qi from it. The Sword Qi lasted for about a second before slowly dissolving. Checking the energy slot of the Invisible Sword Qi, it indeed had consumed 10 points. However, the consumed Sword Qi swiftly replenished. It took just two to three seconds to fully recharge the 10 points of Sword Qi. Looks cool, but I dont know about the power yet, Song Jian slightly shook his head. Reminiscing about the silver Sword Qi, he still felt a twinge of excitement. I thought it would be like a machine gun, constantly shooting Sword Qi from afar. Didnt expect the range to just be three meters. Isnt a real Sword Immortal supposed to be capable to take a persons head from miles away? Song Jian mumbled. Checking the clock, he had less than fifteen minutes left for the dwarf Zacks trial. Song Jian quickly got on his motorcycle and headed for the Sunflower Bar. Even during daytime, his motorcycle generated quite a commotion, attracting many concealed mutant zombies. Seeing shaky zombies making their way toward the road, Song Jian lifted his left hand, prompting a silver Sword Qi. *Whiz~* With a lift of his hand, guided by the momentum of the motorcycle, it felt as if he was wielding a lightsaber. With a gentle sweep, the zombie was instantaneously cleaved in half, and Song Jian did not feel the slightest bit of resistance at all. A few players hunting down mutant zombies on the streets heard the sound of a motorcycle in the distance and their faces instantly changed. An exasperated pudgy adolescent burst out in anger, Who is this causing such a racket? Is there a shortage of monsters around? Is he going to stop after attracting all the monsters? Hes harming everyone! Mutant zombies were relatively calm during the day, and wouldnt besiege players unless there was a loud commotion. But Song Jians noise was on such a scale that mutants on both sides of the road within a hundred meter radius would all be alerted. The other players in the team didnt verbally criticize him like the chubby teenager, but they wore equally disgruntled expressions, shooting glances of disapproval in the direction of the motorcycle. *Whiz~* A flicker of silver light cleaved a nearby mutant zombie in half. Before it even turned into ash, the motorcycle rushed ahead, disappearing nearly ten meters away. Fuck, did you guys see what just happened? Was that a skill, or? The chubby boy stared wide-eyed, mimicking Song Jians earlier motion, his face filled with utter bewilderment as he looked at the others. 1,1 didnt get a good look it seemed like a silver light One guy hesitated. Was that a skill, or a magic? Thats so cool! I think we should pay attention to our surroundings. If we stay here much longer, were going to get surrounded by mutant zombies Song Jian arrived at the Sunflower Bar, checked his time, breathed a sigh of relief. With ten minutes to spare, he hopped off his motorcycle, recalling it and began walking towards the bar. Upon seeing Song Jian, Dwarf Zacks eyes lit up. At that moment, Zack had been invited to a booth inside the bar, where a simple pint of beer sat in front of him. Considering the current stage of the game, players couldnt afford much in terms of Doomsday Coins. Fiana, get Mr. Zack his rum! Song Jian yelled and put a thousand Doomsday Coins on the counter. Hearing Song Jians yell, a gleeful expression lit up Zacks face. Giggling, he pushed away the pint of beer in front of him, stepping out of the booth towards Song Jian. Lad, not bad! Just as you promised. Haha, I knew 1 was right about you! Despite not being able to reach Song Jians shoulder due to his height, Zack contentedly patted his back. Mr. Zack, I hope this goblet of gold rimmed rum lives up to your expectations! Wearing a small smile, Song Jian handed the large cup of rum to Zack. Hey, you, weve talked with Mr. Zack for a while now. Isnt it impolite for you to butt in line like this? An unhappy voice echoed from inside the booth. Turning around, Song Jian saw four or five men coming out of the booth with unpleasant looks on their faces. Chapter 123 - Chapter 123: Chapter 123: VIP Chapter 123: Chapter 123: VIP Translator: 549690339 Song Jian gazed at Mister Zack, waiting until he drained his golden chalice of rum before the systems notification ring sounded in his ear; System: You have completed the test mission issued by the dwarf clans combat profession instructor, Zack: Golden Rum Chalice; your relationship with the combat profession instructor of the dwarf clan, Zack, has been elevated to friendly; Upon seeing the systems notification, Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief; Hey, how can you be so rude? 1 am talking to you! A man in chainmail, leading a group of people, came up from behind Song Jian and dissatisfactorily slapped Song Jians shoulder. Yeah, big deal, youre a high-level player, our boss is speaking to you, show some respect! A warrior next to him held a long saber, stared at Song Jian fiercely; In this game, a high level does not necessarily mean strong power. All five of them were level five, and nearly fully equipped. Even facing a level five elite boss, this small team could manage to kill it; The boost in power had changed their mindset, making them more confident. Even though Song Jian was level ten, they were not scared at all; Wow, a level ten expert, right? I wonder if this level ten expert has ever killed an elite boss, hmph, probably shits his pants when he sees a level five elite boss. How useful is a high level without strength? A player sized up Song Jian, spotted the ordinary clothing on him, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes as he sneered; Song Jians eyes flickered coldly. This involved a mainline task. Zack had initially been preparing to explain the Musketeer profession to him, but on seeing this group approaching, Mr. Zack immediately shut up, stood aside stroking his large beard with a silent smile on his face; Song Jians face darkened, a glint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Sensing a gust of wind coming from behind, he instantly sidestepped, dodging the arm aiming for his shoulder. He flipped his right hand, gripping the Tusk Fang Stinger and stabbed it towards the throats of the people behind him; This strike was as honed as through countless refining, and seemed to be an instinctive reaction from Song Jians body. A streak of blue light flashed past and the dagger was pointed at the mans throat; Scram! Song Jian shouted sternly; The man behind him felt a chill at his throat and his face immediately changed; Blu, blue-quality dagger, g-gulp- A man wearing leather armor behind him stared at the dagger in Song Jians hand, a look of greed flashed in his eyes, he couldnt help but swallow saliva upon laying eyes on it; Kid, release our boss, or we wont let you leave the bar! The few men behind him drew their weapons and yelled at Song Jian; The bars players saw there was a good show going on, they got excited instantly, started pointing at Song Jian and whispering into each others ear. Some even stood on the booth tables peering in Song Jians direction; Hey, a fight is on. Hes a Level 10 expert, who do you think will win? Whats the big deal about level 10? Levelling up in this game doesnt award attribute points and all the skills learned are basic skills. Whats the use of high levels? People should have more numbers to win! Yeah, looks like the expert has mastered the basic skill of dagger. Even if he levels this basic skill up to level 10, how much damage would it increase? He cant kill the opponent in one shot, at most cause serious injury. But with so many of them surrounding him, hes definitely at a disadvantage! Buddy, if you have guts, release our boss, we will go outside the bar and fight a round. Lets see if you, a level 10 expert, can survive against our whole team of level five. The man wearing leather armor cogitated evilly as he spoke to Song Jian; Song Jian glanced at them all, an icy smirk on his face. His right hand suddenly thrust forward! Spurt- Blood splattered. This strike had pierced straight through the mans neck, the tip of the dagger showing on the other side of his neck; Pulling it back out, a stream of blood gushed out. The mans body collapsed softly as his no vitality points were instantly depleted! Instant kill! At this, not only the mans other companions were dumbfounded, but even the surrounding players revealed surprised expressions; Impossible, how come his attack is so high? He actually killed a level five player who was at full health instantly. So scary! Could it be because of his dagger? Thats a blue-quality dagger A blue-quality weapon doesnt have that high a damage. He didnt use any skills, it was just an ordinary attack. Even if it was a vital point attack, it couldnt result in such high damage Song Jian withdrew his dagger, under the blue glow of its surface, a trace of silvery light flashed briefly; System: You used the dagger Tusk Fang Stinger to deal 33 points of ordinary physical damage to the player Bai Lingfeng; You added 30 points of Invisible Sword Qi to the dagger, enhancing the physical damage by 60 points, and inflicted 15 points of piercing damage. The critical hit rate increased by 50%, you attacked the targets vital point, which led to a vital point attack, accelerating the crit rate by 100%. The targets defensive immunity negated 40 points damage, in total, you dealt 166 points of damage to the target, resulting in his death, and thus you gained 1 kill point; Only added 30 points of Invisible Sword Qi and it caused such high damage? Song Jian glanced at the combat message, a brow raised thirty points of Invisible Sword Qi had added 60 points of physical damage, coupled with an extra 15 points of piercing damage and a 50% critical hit rate. If he were to exhaust all hundred points of the Invisible Sword Qi, he wondered what chilling effect it might cause; You, you killed the boss! A man in leather armor at the back, with a face full of grief and indignation, raised his weapon and angrily accused Song Jian. Lets gang up and kill him for revenge! Song Jians damage struck terror into a few of them, but there was only one Song Jian against the four of them. If they ganged up, they still had a shot at winning; The men brandished their weapons and charged at Song Jian; Song Jian swept a glance over the four men, noted their white-quality weapons, and a smirk curled up the corner of his mouth. With his current vitality recovery speed of more than thirty points per second, even if he stood still and let the four of them hack at him, they probably still couldnt kill him; For Song Jian to kill all four would take him only about ten seconds! Just as Song Jian was about to launch his attack, several bouncers from the bar suddenly charged in, swinging their black truncheons, and belabored the men opposite Song Jian; -1 -1 -1 -1 A series of one-point damage appeared above the heads of the men, accompanied by system prompts; System: You were in a fight at the Sunflower Bar, violating the rules of the Sunflower Bar, your reputation at the Sunflower Bar decreased by one point; System: You were in a fight at the Sunflower Bar, violating the rules of the Sunflower Bar, your reputation at the Sunflower Bar decreased by one point; System: You were in a fight at the Sunflower Bar, violating the rules of the Sunflower Bar, your reputation at the Sunflower Bar decreased by one point; System: Your reputation at the Sunflower Bar has dropped to indifferent, henceforth all consumption within the Sunflower Bar will surge by 150%; Although the bouncers inflicted minor damage, the four men didnt dare retaliate, unless they no longer planned to ever visit this bar again; With gloomy countenances, the four were booted out of the bar. Still standing inside the bar, Song Jian attracted their resentful gazes. The man in the leather armor pointed at him and shouted angrily, He struck first, and even killed someone, why didnt you drive him away? Sorry, hes our distinguished guest at the Sunflower Bar! One of the bouncers replied, casually swinging his bat and striking the mans face as he explained; Pu~ He spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood, his fluctuating emotions causing him to be unable to restrain a blood spill; Chapter 124 - Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Completing One-Tenth Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Completing One-Tenth Translator: 549690339 At the Sunflower Bar, the authority level Li Keer set up for Song Jian was the highest, second only to the bar owner. Song Jian could freely access even the unopened second-floor areas, not to mention fighting or killing someone in the bar; Watching the players corpse being picked up and thrown out by the bars bouncer, the violent emotions in Song Jians heart gradually subsided. In his accessory bar, the black stone tablet accessory flashed with a black light, and the layer of energy covering the stone tablets surface seemed to fade a bit; How did I become like this? Looking at the puddle of fresh blood still waiting to be cleaned up at his feet, Song Jian frowned. When had he become so indifferent to killing? No, it wasnt indifference, it was a faint desire. The moment his dagger pierced the opponents throat, Song Jian felt a refreshing sensation, as if every cell in his body was cheering and jumping; Good, very good! As a musketeer, you should have the courage to smash all provocations into pieces! said the Dwarf Clans Zack, with a satisfied smile on his face, nodding at Song Jian, Human boy, you are suited for the musketeer profession! Instructor Zack, you havent explained the characteristics of the Musketeer profession to me yet! Song Jian gave a wry smile and turned his attention to Zack; Haha, alright, Ill explain it to you now. With a wave of his large hand, Zack enveloped both of them in a wave of unique energy; Song Jians surroundings changed dramatically in an instant; This is the Explanation Space. Here, I will show you how powerful a Musketeer can be! Zacks face also took on a serious expression; Look ahead, this is an elite musketeer of our Dwarf Clan! Zack pointed forward, and suddenly a huge screen appeared in the empty space. In the center of the screen was a sturdy dwarf holding an old-fashioned assembled musket. The muskets design was quite unusual, with a bell-shaped barrel that was wide at the front and narrow at the back; In the screen, a giant snow bear over three meters tall charged at the musketeer. The dwarf musketeer raised his weapon and pulled the trigger; With a bang, a puff of white smoke came out of the barrel, and a cluster of bullets ripped through the snow bears chest, tearing a large patch of white fur apart as blood spurted out, staining half of its body red in an instant; The snow bear roared in pain and sped up towards the musketeer, but the dwarf remained calm, stepping back and reloading his weapon; Just as the snow bear approached the dwarf musketeer and raised its thick front claws to attack, the musketeer leaped backward, flying five or six meters away; In midair, the dwarf aimed his musket at the snow bears head, the barrels red light flickering and forming a red glow around it. The moment the dwarf musketeer landed, he fired, sending a soccer ball-sized fireball shooting out of the barrel, blowing the snow bears head to pieces; The scene on the screen then shifted to show hundreds, if not thousands, of dwarf musketeers standing on a tall city wall. Below the wall was an endless swarm of monsters, ten times larger than the musketeers on the wall; However, these musketeers showed no fear. Their guns roared continuously, bullets enveloping an area of five to six hundred meters in front of them. Any monster that entered this area had no chance of leaving a complete corpse, as countless bullets tore their bodies to shreds; Various abilities were displayed by these dwarf musketeers, with colorful energy beams shooting out from the barrels and bullets, of various sizes, exploding with astonishing power. Song Jian watched, dumbfounded; The Musketeers professional talent is a 30% increase in critical hit rate! Even if the targets vital points are not hit, theres still a high probability of causing critical damage! Zacks voice sounded in Song Jians ear as he began to explain the characteristics of the Musketeer profession in detail; After a full ten minutes or so of explanations, Song Jian finally had a basic understanding of the Musketeer profession; If I become a Musketeer, then the power of my main weapon, the[Cobra-2X]Rocket Launcher, would increase by at least 50% Song Jian was momentarily tempted. Indeed, the Musketeer profession was perfect for Song Jian, with strong long-range attack power, several displacement skills, and the ability to kite and kill monsters without letting them touch a single hair on his head; What do you think, young human? What I have demonstrated to you now are only the skills of an ordinary Musketeer. If you want, I can give you an advanced Musketeer task. If you can complete it, you can directly become an Elite Musketeer, an outstanding profession that not everyone has access to. Zack said to Song Jian with a smile on his face; Song Jians mind was heating up, and he was just about to nod in agreement when a sudden flash crossed his mind: Mentor Zack, is there no drawback or deficiency in the Musketeer profession? Song Jians question made Zacks face change. After pondering for a moment, Zack shook his head slightly: Every profession has its advantages and disadvantages. To become a true Musketeer, you must have a good weapon, one that grows with you and becomes your lifelong companion; secondly, as a Musketeer, you need to be proficient in using various types of ammunition. Each type of ammunition has its unique effects, and you need to make the right choice based on different situations Moreover, although Musketeers have many displacement skills, they are somewhat lacking in close combat. Once the enemy gets close, your attack power will decrease by 30%. Of course, this shortcoming is not insurmountable. If you master the legendary gunfighting technique, you can compensate for this deficiency. However, I cannot teach that skill here, and you must find it on your own With each Musketeers drawback that Zack mentioned, Song Jians face darkened. After hearing seven or eight Musketeer shortcomings from Zack, Song Jian was thoroughly disappointed with the profession; Thank you, Mr. Zack, for your explanation, which has given me a deep understanding of the Musketeer profession! Song Jian bowed to Zack and said: But when it comes to choosing a profession, 1 think I should be more cautious. At least until 1 compare it with other professions, 1 wont make a decision. Thank you once again, Mr. Zack! Click- A crisp shattering sound was heard next to Song Jians ear, and the surrounding environment shattered like glass, bringing the two back to the Sunflower Bar; Of course, I will respect your choice! Zacks face became serious and nodded at Song Jian: But if you miss this opportunity, the difficulty of the Elite Musketeers profession test task will rise to another level if you want to choose it again. Alright, I understand. Song Jian nodded with a smile; since he had no intention of taking this profession, what did it matter if the difficulty of the test task increased? In that case, I will take my leave, thank you for the generous wine hospitality, and I hope we have a chance to meet again. Zack seemed to have seen through Song Jians choice, shook his head, raised his cowboy hat to Song Jian, then turned and walked towards the bars entrance; Seeing Zack about to leave, the surrounding players sighed, knowing that each wandering NPC would only stay in the bar for six hours and that there would be, at most, two wandering NPCs appearing in the bar each day. Zacks departure meant that everyone now had one fewer opportunity to recruit a Follower; Watching Zack disappear through the bar entrance, a system notification sounded in Song Jians ear; System: You have found a combat profession mentor and learned about the Musketeer profession. Main quest completion: 1/10; Chapter 126 - Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Zuo Ya Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Zuo Ya Translator: 549690339 As the battle between Zuo Ya and Song Jian was about to commence, the black club in Zuo Yas plump hand looked as insignificant as a twig. But on this weapon, a shimmer of blue glow flickered, making it hard to underestimate. After Zuo Ya drew his club, his bulky body, akin to a heavy-duty armored vehicle, charged towards Song Jian. Song Jian hoisted his Rocket Launcher and took aim at Zuo Ya. Seeing this, shock spread across Zuo Yas chubby face; he stopped instantly, raised his hands, and yelled in terror, What the hell are you doing? How do you have such a weapon? Woah-. Cool! A bar brawler whistled with an excited grin. Hes definitely pay-to-win. Big bro, tell me how much this weapon costs. One hundred thousand? One million? Five million? 111 pay anything. Of course, Im talking about RMB, shouted a player standing on a table, waving at Song Jian. Hey, big guy, are you surrendering? chortled Song Jian, aiming at Zuo Ya. Zuo Yas face paled, then blushed, shaking his head and pleading, I apologize, I think wed better not use weapons. After all, you are a VIP of the Sunflower Bar. Its not good to injure anyone. Lets fight bare-handed. Haha, Zuo Ya chickened out! A barman laughed out loud, clutching his belly. Come on Zuo Ya, its just a rocket launcher! Youre a level seven elite Boss. Dont be scared! Thats right, Zuo Ya, with all your fat, a single rocket cant kill you. Maybe you can even bounce it back. Exactly, Zuo Ya, its time to show your real skills. Bouncing a rocket with your body, that would be fun! The staff members and brawlers were heckling Zuo Ya relentlessly. Even Fiana failed to suppress a charming smile. Unfazed by the mockery, Zuo Ya turned to Song Jian, Youll have to beat me bare-handed to earn the information on the Street Thug occupation. So, shall we have a proper duel instead of relying on weapons to win? Okay, you got it, Song Jian tucked the Rocket Launcher away, stretched out both his hands, palm-directional towards Zuo Ya, mimicking a bare-fist posture. Zuo Ya breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed his club and swung his fists into the air a couple of times, warning Song Jian, Watch out, I am known as Iron Fist, the undisputed champion of Sunflower uh Realizing something, Zuo Ya glanced nervously back at the bar counter and spotted Fianas amused expression. He felt a flush of embarrassment rise in his face then continued, Undisputed champion of Sunflower Bar Staff and Brawlers. Hahaha! All the staff members and bar brawlers exploded with laughter. Some were even lying on their chairs, hammering the table. Enough talk, let the fight begin! Indignant, Zuo Ya, with a flush of embarrassment on his face, charged towards Song Jian. Swoosh- A streak of silvery Sword Qi emanated from Song Jians index finger. One sweep forward and Zuo Ya found himself enveloped in a silvery screen, facing a massive incoming threat. Gulu-gulu- Zuo Ya stumbled backward, and then started rolling backward for a few rounds before he stopped some distance away. Some players even rubbed their eyes in disbelief at the sight of Song Jian while the bar fell silent in astonishment. What just happened? What was that silver light? It seemed to be emanating from his left hand, was it a skill? Magic? Or something else? So cool! The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves. Fianas eyes lit up as she scrutinized Song Jian with a look of surprise on her face. The other bar staff and brawlers also looked horrified. Too shocked, they started murmuring in hushed tones. Was that the thing? Seems like it, looks identical, but how could this be possible Thats a legendary occupation that supposedly only appears in legends. He hasnt even got a combat occupation yet, has he? Im not sure. You said it, it only appears in legends. We havent seen it ourselves Though they seemed to know something, they didnt dare to discuss it openly and started whispering amongst themselves. Zuo Ya, still in shock, got up from the ground, feeling a painful throb from his chest. He looked down to see his tunic slashed open as if cut by a sharp blade; A foot-long bloody mark was visible on his chest. The wound was not deep, but it seemed like it had been made by a sharp blade. Feeling the throbbing pain from the wound, Zuo Ya looked at Song Jian and mumbled, Sword Qi? Do you want to continue fighting? Song Jian asked, smiling at Zuo Ya. Zuo Ya hung his head in disappointment and shook his head, I lost, Im no match for you. To Zuo Yas submission, the other bar employees didnt tease him; instead, they gave him sympathetic looks. Zuo Ya, its okay, you rolled pretty impressively just now! a staffer yelled. Hahaha- Everybody burst into laughter, restoring the vibrant atmosphere in the bar. The staff and brawlers started rearranging the seating layout. Players also gathered around Song Jian. Master, what was that skill you used before? Someone asked curiously. Tell us about it, it looked so powerful! Yeah, it was like a blade of pure silver. Is that the legendary Sword Qi? Song Jian brushed them off with a few words and sent the players away. He then turned to Zuo Ya and asked, Ive passed the test, right? Yes, you have, Zuo Ya replied, conceding reluctantly, But, considering you have better options, you may not be suitable for the Street Thug occupation. Its okay. I just want to know about this occupation. I may not necessarily choose it. Alright then, Ill share everything about the Street Thug occupation with you now! Zuo Ya started to explain the details of the occupation. System: You have successfully completed the challenge posed by the Bar Brawler Zuo Ya. Your rapport with Bar Brawler Zuo Ya has increased to a friendly level, and he begins to share information about the Street Thug occupation. Coming to the Explanation Space again, after spending more than ten minutes, Zuo Ya relayed all details about the Street Thug occupation to Song Jian. After understanding everything about the Street Thug occupation, Song Jian realized he had underestimated the occupation. It was similar to the Thief occupation in other games with similar skills like stunning, making opponents bleed, stealing, etc. There were also this occupations unique skills like Extortion, Intimidation, etc. The most important part was that the occupation talent of a Street Thug was total weapon mastery, which allowed the utilization of any weapon to its full potential. Once one takes up an occupation, one can only use the weapons belonging to that occupation, and using other weapons reduces their power by 50%. However, the Street Thug occupation did not have this drawback. After receiving all the intel about the Street Thug occupation, there was a system prompt again ringing in Song Jians ear. System: You have found a combat occupation mentor and learned about the Street Thug occupation. Mainline task 2/10 complete. Chapter 127 - Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Demon Summoning Technique Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Demon Summoning Technique Translator: 549690339 Unexpectedly, hiring an ordinary pub bouncer allowed Song Jian to learn about a battle profession, increasing his confidence in completing the main quest; Since a pub bouncer can be a battle profession instructor, could the pub servers and bartender Fiana also be a battle profession? Song Jian suddenly had this thought. Fiana, are you a battle profession instructor? Song Jian sat at the bar, staring at Fiana as he asked. Battle profession? Fianas eyes showed a hint of confusion as if she was lost in memories. After a while, Fiana sighed, glanced at Song Jian and said, Sorry, the battle profession I know would not suit you. As I thought, Fiana is also a battle profession instructor! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he quickly said, Thats alright, just tell me about your battle profession. 1 just want to learn more about it. Sorry, the battle profession I know would not suit you! Fiana smiled and repeated her previous words, seemingly not wanting to discuss it any further with Song Jian. Well, never mind then. Song Jian was disappointed. When an NPC keeps repeating the same line, it means the conversation cant go any further. No matter how intelligent an NPC appears, some game rules still have to be followed; Song Jian asked the pub servers one by one, but none of them were battle profession instructors; It seems that encountering Zuo Ya was already extremely lucky. Song Jian shrugged his shoulders, glanced at the players in the pub, shook his head, and headed for the pubs entrance. He didnt have much time to waste; Boss, I actually think that guy suits your profession quite well. He has a hint of the night about him. A pub bouncer whispered; He has already come into contact with the clue to that profession. I hope he continues to explore it. Among the ten unique professions Immortal, Demon, Holy, Emperor, God, Taoist, Buddha, King, Scholar, Sovereignhehe, I really hope to see these professions reappear in the world. Compared to my Night Assassin profession, these are much more powerful! He is not suitable to be my successor. Fiana shook her head and whispered. What a pity The bouncer looked at Song Jians back, muttered, and pursed his lips; Song Jian left the pub and returned to his Manor Castle; The Bloodthirsty Shade Poison Trees branches and leaves were lush, but the entire tree was devoid of any green color. The branches and leaves were withered yellow and dark red, looking sickly. The veins of the branches and leaves had dark red lines, just like blood vessels. A faint, rotten smell filled the air around the tree; Most of the thirty blood crows perched on the poison tree, while a few flew to the castles roof and surrounding walls. Pairs of blood-red eyes indifferently monitored the movements around the manor; The withered tree spirit, shrouded in poisonous mist, was paired with the bloodthirsty crows, creating an atmosphere one would not believe was not a haunted house style; Glancing at the sleeping Bloodthirsty Shade Poison Tree, Song Jian shrugged and thought to himself, Haunted house style it is then. After a while, it actually has a sickly beauty to it. Arriving at the castle, Song Jian saw that the butler George had changed into a new suit and stood respectfully at the entrance, bowing to Song Jian, Welcome home, sir. Behind George, there were two NPCs with somewhat rigid expressions, who also bowed and said, Welcome home, sir. George, who are these two? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked; Sir, these are two castle servants I have hired. This one is named John, a gardener, and also a part-time farmer. George pointed to an older man behind him and said, Sir, there are six unused Spirit Fields in the manor now, which is a huge waste. From now on, these six fields will be handled by John. Song Jian nodded his head. The six Spirit Fields could grow many plants, but Song Jian had no time to tend them. Planting is a tedious task that requires constant attention to water, weed, get rid of insects, and fertilize for a good harvest, requiring immense effort; Song Jian was quite satisfied with the gardener the butler had recruited and gave him a nod and smile; And who is this? Song Jians gaze fell on another person; This NPC looked very young, probably in his twenties, wearing a plain linen suit. Seeing Song Jian looking at him, he immediately felt a sense of nervousness; M-master, my name is Tammy, I am a carpenter. The young NPC nervously said to Song Jian; Carpenter? Song Jian raised his eyebrow and looked at the butler George; It seems that Butler George had selected employees based on the situation of his Manor Castle; Master, Tammy is an intermediate carpenter who excels in making furniture. He can make our castle look less empty. George, seemingly sensing Song Jians satisfaction, continued with a smile, Moreover, he can maintain all the defensive settings of the manor, including the Arrow Towers at the four corners of the wall, the three Catapults, and the traps outside the wall. The two of them can also go out and gather materials on their own when they have nothing to do, saving Master a lot of energy and time. Able to gather materials by themselves? Song Jian was taken aback, a surprised expression appearing on his face: This is just like a Follower! Master, these two are ordinary people, not combat professions, and cannot fight and hunt monsters with the Master. Butler George reminded; Hehe, being able to gather materials is already good enough. However, dont go out recently, there are too many monsters outside. If you need any materials, just ask me! Song Jian nodded and said; Master, should I hire these two then? George asked; You can, George. 1 am very satisfied with your work. I will leave the matters of the manor to you in the future. Song Jian said with a smile; It is my duty, Master. George bowed to Song Jian, his tone somewhat excited; System: You hired Gardener John at a cost of 10 Doomsday Coins, deducted; System: You hired Carpenter Tammy at a cost of 10 Doomsday Coins, deducted; The hiring fees for the two were automatically deducted, and their salaries will be settled at the end of the month. George began to command the two to get busy, and Song Jian flashed to the third floor of the castle, taking out a book with a dark aura from his package; This was a book that Song Jian had found in Count Qian Dahais old house. The cover of the book was engraved with the image of a horned demon, and it read Demon Summoning; As Song Jian took out the book, the seductive, elusive voice rang in his ears again; Since Song Jian was prepared this time, he was not disturbed by the voice and directly opened the book; As soon as the book was opened, a golden light burst out from it; System: You opened the Book of Demons and began to study System: Every 10 seconds of study, your comprehension of Demon Summoning increases by 5%; System: While studying the Book of Demons, you will be subjected to a mental temptation test every 10 seconds. If you pass the test, you can continue studying; if you fail, you cannot continue studying; Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Translator: 549690339 Upon opening the Book of Demons, Song Jians vision was suddenly engulfed by a flaming hell, with horned demons, their bodies ablaze with searing fire, continuously roaring. These demons were in constant battle, and every time a horned demon was slaughtered, scores of other demons would pounce on its corpse, greedily devouring every bit of its flesh. Observing these fiery horned demons, Song Jian felt as if he could establish some connection with them. At that moment, one of the horned demons seemed to sense something. It lifted its head, looking around with sharp fangs dripping with blood continuously trickling down its lips. As Song Jians attention was drawn to this particular horned demon, a sudden intense pain echoed in his mind, as if he had been brutally hit over the head with a sledgehammer. Song Jian felt like his soul was about to be torn apart. An ambiguous female voice resonated near his ear, her voice interspersed with bouts of moaning, which sparked a fire in his chest. Surrender to me, become my slave- I will bring you infinite pleasure- This voice revolved continuously in his mind, causing Song Jians consciousness to gradually become confused. Just then, Song Jian felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over him, and his consciousness instantly regained clarity. The seductive voice then started to gradually fade away until it completely disappeared. System: You passed a Spiritual Temptation Test. The probability of comprehending the skill Demon Summoning Skill increased by 5%. Thus, every ten seconds, an enchanting voice would appear in Song Jians mind, each time more captivating than the last, and each time the voice was different C sometimes it was a mature woman, sometimes a young girl, and sometimes even a childlike voice. Sweat started to seep from Song Jians forehead. Even though his innate skill Thick-skinned had already reached level seven, Song Jian could feel his mental defenses crumbling piece by piece. System: You passed fifteen Spiritual Temptation Tests. The probability of comprehending the skill Demon Summoning Skill increased by 75%. System: You have understood the skill Demon Summoning Skill. System: This skill is the core skill of the combat profession Demon Summoner. Would you like to take up the combat profession Demon Summoner? If you choose to take up this profession, the main mission will be immediately completed and you will receive a profession mission. System: Your attributes and talents conflict with the skill Demon Summoning Skill. The Demon Summoning Skill cannot be used. The system is beginning automated adjustments A waterfall of system messages flooded in front of Song Jian. After passing fifteen tests the probability climbed up to 75%, he finally comprehended the Demon Summoning Skill. Moreover, this skill was the core profession of the Demon Summoner. By mastering this skill, one can directly take up the Demon Summoner occupation. However, the system seemed to have a BUG. Song Jians physical attributes severely conflicted with the Demon Summoning Skill, causing the game to lag for a while. In reality, according to the capabilities and talents of Song Jian, he would not be able to comprehend this skill. He would fail by the first or second spiritual temptation test. But due to his innate skill Thick-skinned being leveled up to seven, he managed to withstand the initial onslaught of spiritual temptations and unexpectedly comprehend the skill. However, Song Jians physical condition, especially his spiritual and physical attributes, were not suitable for the Demon Summoning Skill. Thus, the skill could not be showcased on his skill tree. A formerly incompatible physical condition has now resulted in an unsuitable skill and caused a conflict in the game system. For a time, the system could only seek a balance between the two. Song Jian felt his body unable to move, restrained by a strange energy. In his skill panel, the recent appearance of the words Demon Summoning Technique started to fade, as if someone was continuously wiping them away, attempting to erase them from the skill panel. However, another force was resisting this erasure, causing dazzling bursts of light to explode from the skill panel. Song Jian could only watch helplessly, immobilized. System: Repairing skill System: Repairing skill System: Repairing skill On Song Jians system interface, repeated repair notices started appearing, giving the impression of a system crash. After a long while, Song Jian finally felt the power that had restricted him begin to dissipate, and he regained control of his body. Song Jian, without a second thought, quickly opened his skill panel. He wanted to know; was the Demon Summoning Technique skill he had just comprehended still there? Remember, during the recent trial, Song Jian had not only seen the demons inside the Flame Hell. He also saw other realms such as Ice Hell, Abyssal Hell, Shadow Hell, and more. More than a dozen Hells, each with a plethora of terrifyingly powerful demons. If Song Jian could summon those Hellish demons, his power would skyrocket, and he would be able to explore the deeper parts of the city. Blood Blood Pool Summoning Skill? What is this! Seeing the original Demon Summoning Technique in his skills panel transformed into the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, Song Jian had an uneasy feeling. Blood Pool Summoning Skill (Active): Level 1, Skill Effect: Use summoning technique to summon the Blood Beasts generated in the castles Blood Pool, to control and assist in battles. When the summoned Blood Beast dies, it returns to re-generate in the Blood Pool. You can currently summon Blood Beast C Blood Raven (30). Skill cost: 30 Spirit Points. What, what is this? Demon Summoning Technique for civilians? In an instant, Song Jian felt a chill in his heart. The once exalted skill had now turned into this. He was reminded of internet celebrities dying under the spotlight. You do know this is fraud, right! The sanctity of private online possessions is inviolable. The once magnificent Demon Summoning Technique is now junk. Does your conscience not hurt?! What Song Jian didnt know was that the game had their reasons to alter the skillit was for his protection. His current physique wouldnt withstand the Demon Summoning Technique. The instant he tried to use it, hed be drained dry. Moreover, the demons he summoned would definitely backlash Forget it, at least now 1 can summon the Blood Beasts from the Blood Pool to assist in combat! Song Jian shook his head and consoled himself. Previously, the Blood Beasts from the Blood Pool could only be used to defend his estate and couldnt be brought out to battle monsters. Now, he could summon his Blood Ravens to aid in combat, which mattered as well. It seems to increase the power of this skill, the level of the Blood Pool must be upgraded. Only when the Blood Pool can produce more powerful Blood Beasts will the power of this skill become fiercer. Seeing that to upgrade the Blood Pool to level two he needed a hundred Blood Stone Shards, Song Jian frowned. Until now, he hadnt found any clues about the Blood Stone Shards. Where could he get these stones? Perhaps 1 can use the radio to find some clues about the Blood Stone Shards. Song Jians eyes lit up, and he turned towards the radio. Chapter 129 - Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Planting Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Planting Translator: 549690339 The originally powerful demonic summoning skill was reduced through a system bug to the blood pool summoning skill, much to the chagrin of Song Jian; In reality, what Song Jian didnt know was that given his current physical condition, even if he had acquired the demonic summoning skill, he couldnt summon demons from the depths of Hell. To summon demons from Hell, a contract with the demon has to be made first. Given the powerful strength of demons, Song Jian couldnt possibly coerce them into forming a contract by force. Therefore, even if he had the demonic summoning skill, it would remain unused for a long time; However, the weakened Blood Pool Summoning Skill didnt have this problem. Song Jian was already an owner of the Blood Pool. Regardless of how formidable the monsters bred in the blood pool were, they wouldnt be able to counterattack Song Jian under the constraints of the game system. Moreover, when the level of the blood pool is low, the extent and rank of the blood servants bred are also low, making them easier for Song Jian to control; Even if he could only summon the weakest blood crows, thirty of these launching an attack together could easily obliterate an average player. Even when facing a formidable monster, thirty blood crows could exceedingly serve as a diversion and support, making them perfectly suitable for Song Jians current conditions; After turning on the radio, Song Jian found a large group of people chatting inside; A hidden world has been found in the town of Konstan, anyone interested in teaming up for an exploration? Konstan town? Not far from me. What level is the hidden world? How many people can enter? Im a level 11 berserker, both a tank and a dealer, looking for a team! A second level hidden world. Level requirement is above 10, the number of people allowed in is limited to five, there are still two chances left to enter A level 2 hidden world? Great! Buying coordinates, willing to offer 100 Doomsday Coins for a chance! Sorry, we already have three people. We plan on conquering the hidden world ourselves. If there are any remote mages, please message me privately! Oh, you guys are so lucky. Its quite rare to encounter a level 2 hidden world in the wild. You could get good level 10 equipment there. If you manage to get hold of something and dont need it, Ill buy it In the midst of the sounds of envy, a voice suddenly interrupted; Excuse me, does anyone know where to obtain a blood essence stone? The radio channel suddenly went silent. Soon after, a man asked with a peculiar voice: Isnt the blood essence stone the lowest grade of crystal stone? You can buy it in any grocery store! Blood essence stones arent worth much. Did you find a blood essence stone field in the wild? If its not far from a safe zone, we, the Oro Commerce Guild, are interested in buying it for 1000 Doomsday Coins. Young man, dont let the Oro Commerce Guild trick you, blood essence stones have a lot of uses. If you can mine some yourself, especially high-quality ones, we, the Blue-collar Commerce, are willing to buy at a high price. This is Blue Sword squad, we have mined thirty units of blood essence stones from an abandoned mine. Blue-collar Commerce, how do you plan on buying it? If its 50 per Doomsday Coin or under, then lets not discuss further. Blue Sword Squad, private message! The radio was filled with noise. Today, for some reason, there were a great number of people. As soon as one person finished speaking, another would cut in. There was barely any time to get a word in, and Song Jian only barely managed to say his piece; Grocery store? Theres no grocery store in Zombie City Song Jians brows furrowed. He had checked within the bars system shop; there was no blood essence stone for sale; After thinking for a moment, Song Jian took out the map of Zombie City and spread it out to search for a likely spot; Indeed, at the northeast corner of Zombie City, in a spot far from the city, there was a representation of a large mountain. Here, a cave was marked; However, this place was too far from Song Jian. To get there, he would have to cross the entire city. Even if taking the ring highway, it would still require at least half a days time. Furthermore, the route was fraught with dangers; it was too risky. Mines, mines, damn it, why is there no mining spot near me? Song Jian scratched his head, his face showing his frustration; Doomsday Coins, I still need money. If I had loads of Doomsday Coins, 1 could just buy them through the radio. Judging from the looks of it, blood essence stones arent particularly valuable! Song Jian took a glance at the Doomsday Coins in his parcel, his sullen mood growing stronger; Just then, a system prompt appeared before Song Jian; System: Your employee Tammy is prepared to craft furniture, requires 670 units of timber. Will you approve the payment? My employee has started working? Song Jian lit up and immediately selected the option to pay, which led to a decrease of 670 units of timber in his inventory; Before long, Song Jian heard the sound of wood being cut coming from the courtyard. Looking down from the window, he saw Tammy cutting the timber into planks on a sawbench she had set up in the courtyard; At another side, gardener John was busy turning the soil in the Spirit Field with a hoe. Butler George stood nearby the Spirit Field. With a thought, Song Jian appeared next to George; Master, these six Spirit Fields need to be hoed, and then we can fertilize and sow the seeds. George said, bowing; George, what are we planning to plant in the Spirit Field? Song Jian asked curiously. Do we have any plant seeds? Master, John brought with him some wheat and soybean seeds. For now, we can temporarily plant these two types of crops. Once master acquires better plant seeds, we will switch to planting those. George replied respectfully; Song Jian nodded slightly. Wheat and soybeans were the most common plants and probably wouldnt fetch much even if grown and sold. They could only increase the food reserves of the Manor Castle; Alright, George, 111 be going out for a bit. I leave the Manor in your care. If anyone tries to barge in without your permission, deal with them severely. Song Jian said; Ever since the creation of Song Jians safehouse, there were quite a few players lurking around, attempting to strike up a conversation with Song Jian. Some had even tried to dismantle the traps outside the wall in Song Jians absence, which had displeased him greatly. Dont worry, Master. Should any intruders try to enter the Manor, I will definitely make them regret it. George said solemnly. Song Jian nodded, walked over to the Bloody Ghost Poison Tree Alex, and lightly tapped on Alexs thick trunk a few times, this being the strongest combat power in the Manor. However, it spent most of its time in deep slumber; After tapping on Alex a couple of times, Song Jian started walking towards the Manors exit; Alex slowly opened his eyes and watched Song Jians retreating figure, saying softly: Master, 1 have some information on the combat occupation of the Tree Shepherds, I wonder if Watching Song Jians figure disappear through the gate, a helpless expression appeared on Alexs wrinkled face; Chapter 130 - Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Duplicate Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Duplicate Translator: 549690339 Combat professional mentors are hidden in every nook and cranny of Undead City. It takes a lot of effort and time to find one. Song Jian is lucky to have met two at Sunflower Bar, but he didnt know that there was also a combat professional mentor in his manor. However, every time he returned, he just missed them; Song Jian left the manor and came to the street, where there were many players, and from time to time, he could hear the sound of rapid gunfire. The monsters attributes are halved during the day, so most players take this opportunity to hunt monsters and level up; Xiao Zhuang, theres a boxing gym up ahead, seems like a dungeon. You need three people to enter, are you interested? At this moment, a man ran hurriedly to the door of an abandoned shop on the street and shouted inside; Dungeons, are there dungeons in this game? A young man with a long sword came out of the abandoned shop, asking in surprise; Seems like it. I initially wanted to explore it, but as soon as I entered the door, 1 was told that it needs three people to enter. 1 guess its a dungeon. The first man who arrived said with a sure expression; Alright, lets go take a look! Xiao Zhuang wiped the blood off his long sword and hurriedly followed the man; Upon hearing their conversation, several nearby players stopped battling monsters and followed them. A dungeon? A limit of three people? Song Jian was intrigued. This so-called dungeon seemed similar to the secret realms he had heard about over the radio, except that a level two secret realm requires five people and has limited entries; This must be a level one dungeon, otherwise the limit wouldnt be lower than that of a level two dungeon. Lets go take a look. Song Jian thought to himself as he also ran after them; After turning two streets, Song Jian soon saw a crowd of about ten people gathered outside a shop near the road, discussing something in hushed tones. This has to be the first dungeon in the game, its limited to three players, and only players level three and above can enter. Its gotta be a dungeon, should we try it? There might be good loot for the first clearance. Lets wait and see. Safety first, we dont know whats in there. Lets wait for someone else to clear it first. After all, you only have one life. Youre right, lets wait. Since its a dungeon, theres gotta be a BOSS. One wrong move and were dead! Lets see if that squad wants to check it out first, then we can just follow them up. This game is just too hard Song Jian walked to the back of the crowd and listened to their discussions. He noticed there were a lot of people gathered, but not a single one dared to enter the boxing gym; Looking into the gym, Song Jian saw the door wide open, and a black light constantly swirling within, like a time-space portal. Who dares to go in with me? Im level seven right now, and there should be rewards for the first clearance since its a dungeon! A hulky middle-aged man standing in the crowd loudly called out. This man was wearing leather armor and just a cloth hat, wearing tight trousers and knee-high heavy boots. He looked somewhat ridiculous, but none of the players ridiculed him for it. After all, to have so much equipment at this stage was already a great deal. Now, many players only had the weapon they received as beginners and nothing else; The middle-aged man held an axe longer than a meter in his hand. From the looks of it, his strength attribute must be at least five points, otherwise he wouldnt carry it with such ease; Gao Da Nian was quite confident in his own strength. If it werent for the dungeons limit of three people, he would have gone it alone; Being high level doesnt necessarily mean youre strong. Without skills, youre as good as dead when you run into a BOSS with only ordinary attacks, a player whispered jealously as he watched Gao Da Nian; Are you blind? Didnt you see all that gear he has? Another player nearby retorted disdainfully. Having such equipment at this stage meant being among the top players already; Hey man, if you dont mind my lower level, count me in! A figure suddenly appeared on the open ground by the roadside and waved hello to Gao Da Nian; Sss, is this guy a human or a ghost? How did he suddenly appear? Someone exclaimed; Stupid, thats a skill. Its probably some kind of stealth skill similar to the rogue profession, someone guessed; Gao Da Nian looked at the man, frowning a bit because the man was only level five. Although that was higher than most people, Gao Da Nian didnt think highly of him; But then the man revealed his equipment, and Gao Da Nians eyes widened. The young mans equipment was pretty good, on par with his own. And he had a stealth skill, which made him quite strong among the players; Do you have any other attacking skills? A single stealth skill might not cut it, Gao Da Nian asked the young man, staring at him; Heh, this is stealth and 1 have two other attack skills. I can even go one-on-one with a level five elite BOSS, Lin Sheng took out a green-quality dagger and twirled it between his fingers, an arrogant expression on his face; Fine, youre in, Gao Da Nian nodded, seeing the young man carried an air of a master, and figured he wouldnt lag behind; Leave the last spot for me. Song Jian stepped forward and pushed through the crowd; Hey, hey, who are you? Stop pushing! Hey, stop pushing me, so what if youre strong? Song Jian casually pushed away the surrounding players. Gao Da Nian squinted and thought, This mans strength attribute seems to have some points. I just dont know whose strength is greater. However, Gao Da Nian quickly noticed Song Jians level and gasped. Anyone able to reach level ten at this stage must have successfully established a safe house because only when establishing a safe house would there be a large number of monsters for quick leveling; Even Gao Da Nian himself didnt have the confidence to establish a safe house at this stage; Alright, youre in! My name is Gao Da Nian. Gao Da Nian immediately nodded in agreement, saying nothing more; Song Jian turned to look at the player who could use the Stealth skill. The player was very polite and also nodded at Song Jian, saying, My name is Lin Sheng. I am Song Jian! Song Jian greeted the two of them; Lets go. Ill apply to enter, you guys just have to agree, Gao Da Nian said, then turned and walked towards the black light door of the boxing gym; In a short while, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Gao Da Nian invites you to enter level one Secret Realm Terrifying Underground Boxing Arena, do you accept? Accept! After Song Jian selected accept, his vision blurred and he disappeared from the boxing gym entrance; Chapter 131 - Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Boxing Club Disciple Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Boxing Club Disciple Translator: 549690339 The three figures blinked out of sight from the entrance of the boxing club and stepped into the secret realm. Huh, the environment here is not bad, unlike outside. After more than half a month, 1 felt like 1 was going to get depressed. Lin Sheng glanced around inside the boxing club and spoke with mild surprise. This was a spacious hall, with light yellow wooden floors that seemed constantly polished. The surface glistened that it could even mirror a person, producing a creaky friction sound under their feet. Several humanoid models were placed around the hall, most of them made of wood, with a few metal ones. In the center of the hall, a dozen people dressed in white workout clothes were seriously practicing their horse stances, shouting and punching rhythmically. A burly man, taller than two meters, stood before the crowd with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp, studying every move of the practitioners. Song Jian and his companions were standing at the entrance of the boxing club, with a faint translucent blue light screen barring their entry. However, they could see everything in the hall through the light screen. Damn, I suppose these are the minor monsters in the dungeon. Theyre level five elites. So many of them! Lin Sheng, gazing at the people practicing boxing a dozen or so meters away, gulped in fear. LV5 Boxing Club Apprentice (Elite), Vitality: 320/320, Skill: Basic Boxing. LV7 Boxing Club Instructor (Elite), Vitality: 720/720, Skill: Advanced Boxing, Tiger Strike Triple Combo. This is troublesome. They are standing too close to each other. I doubt we can pull them one by one. If these monsters swarm us, I definitely wont be able to hold them off, Gao Da Nian said, gripping his axe and frowning. I could lure away that BOSS, but not for long. If you guys can take out those elite Box Club Apprentices in thirty seconds,, Lin Sheng said in a low voice. Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Gao Da Nian: Are you kidding? Thirty seconds? More like enough time for them to take us out. Let me count One, two, three Damn it, eighteen in total! 1 only have 110 Vitality Points. If they each land one punch on me, they can take me out in seconds. Song Jian stared at the stats of the monsters before him. An icon for a countdown timer appeared in his view. In three minutes, the light screen would disappear. Song Jian estimated that once the time was up, they would immediately enter combat. It would be impossible to exit the instance then. The time now was for the players to decide whether they wanted to stay or leave the instance. Hurry up and decide. Once the countdown is over, Im guessing the light screen will disappear. The disciples inside this boxing club will notice us and enter combat mode. Leaving this place then will be impossible, Gao Da Nian said. We only have two and a half minutes left. Decide quickly. Do we retreat or fight? Lin Sheng urged. You know, I have stealth abilities. They wont be able to see me! Master, what do you say? Gao Da Nian slowly shook his head, already deciding to leave in his mind. He glanced at Song Jian next to him and suddenly asked. How long can the two of you hold off that BOSS? Song Jian asked. If it wasnt for these minor monsters, I could keep that beast tangled for over ten minutes! Lin Sheng declared proudly. If we work together, overcoming that BOSS isnt a problem. Its just a level seven elite BOSS after all. Its stats are stronger than the monsters outside, but not by much, Gao Da Nian analyzed calmly. Alright, leave those minor monsters to me. You two deal with that BOSS, Song Jian nodded. What? Master, were talking about eighteen elite monsters here. They must be stronger than ordinary level five monsters. Even if their strength doesnt match a level five elite BOSS, it shouldnt be far off. Eighteen of them! Lin Sheng exclaimed. If forced to choose between fighting eighteen level five elite dungeon monsters and a single level seven elite dungeon BOSS, Lin Sheng would undoubtedly opt for the latter. Sometimes, quantity can cause qualitative change. Once eighteen elite monsters rush up, he would have no room to dodge and could only be on the receiving end. With a players vitality merely being around one hundred, they simply cannot endure an onslaught by so many monsters. Dont worry, I can handle them. Just make sure to aggro the BOSS properly, Song Jian nodded, weighing his options and instructing the other two. Alright, well trust you this time! Gao Da Nian bit down. By agreeing to Song Jians plan, Gao Da Nian was in the most danger. If Song Jian falls, Lin Sheng could stealthily hide, but Gao Da Nian would have to bear the monsters and BOSS combined assault, resulting in certain death. Seeing Gao Da Nian agree, Lin Sheng didnt say another word. He shrugged, made a nonchalant gesture, drew his dagger and held it in hand. The three fell silent, waiting for the countdown to end. Ten, Nine, Eight The faint blue light screen disappeared and the instance officially began. The names of the training boxing club apprentices and the BOSS boxing club instructor turned red in an instant. All their eyes were immediately focused on Song Jian and his companions. Lin Sheng had already entered stealth mode unbeknownst to anyone else. Since they were in the instance by default as a three-man party, Gao Da Nian and Song Jian could still see a semi-transparent figure sneaking towards the BOSS from the left. Bro, youre sure you can take them? Gao Da Nian confirmed again. No problem. You two, get that BOSS, Song Jian replied, slowly bringing forward a rocket launcher from his back, aiming it at the boxing club apprentices who were beginning to charge at him. Boom- A rocket whistled through the air, leaving a serpentine trace before detonating right among the boxing club apprentices. Instantly, seven or eight of them flew up, a massive critical hit damage appearing above their heads. Damn, isnt this a bit exaggerated? Gao Da Nian gaped at the rocket launcher Song Jian was holding, his face a mix of shock and horror. Dont you have a BOSS to take care of? Song Jian glanced at Gao Da Nian. Right away! Gao Da Nian flushed, circling past the boxing club apprentices and diving towards the BOSS. With all the hostility focused on Song Jian, the apprentices didnt spare a glance for Gao Da Nian who was running past them. Seven or eight boxing club apprentices were propelled backward by the explosion, but the remaining ones didnt show a shred of fear as they swarmed towards Song Jian. Within three seconds, the boxing club apprentices had come within five or six meters of Song Jian. He lowered the muzzle of his rocket launcher slightly and pulled the trigger again. Boom- Another rocket shot out, causing a fierce explosion among the crowd. Song Jian quickly put away the rocket launcher and drew the Tusk Fang Stinger, charging into the group of boxing club apprentices. After the two rocket explosions, nearly all boxing club apprentices were injured, with several of them directly hit by the blasts, either seriously injured or incapacitated. The remaining twelve to thirteen apprentices only had three-quarters or even two-thirds of their vitality left. Thud- A boxing club apprentice threw a punch at Song Jian. He dodged to the side, only to get hit on the shoulder by another apprentice next to him. Before Song Jian could react, he was punched again from the other side. He had fallen into a besiegement just after an encounter. Chapter 132 - Chapter 132: Chapter 132: All the Hidden Cards Revealed Chapter 132: Chapter 132: All the Hidden Cards Revealed Translator: 549690339 Ive underestimated them! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, Song Jian was surrounded by four martial arts disciples. Each time they attacked, although their power wasnt great, they could cause a momentary stiffness, making Song Jians dagger-wielding movements disjointed. -8 -9 -6 Song Jians defensive equipment was quite high, making it difficult for ordinary monsters below level five to break through his defense and cause substantial damage. However, these martial arts disciples were half a level higher than ordinary monsters and were considered elite monsters. If they were encountered outside, they would be considered mini-bosses. Boom- Another punch landed on Song Jians shoulder, causing his dagger to become momentarily stiff. This allowed the martial arts disciple before him to guard with ease. Although this attack could have caused fifty or sixty points of damage, it ultimately only inflicted a dozen or so points. More than a dozen martial arts disciples surrounded Song Jian, continuously throwing punches. However, only the four disciples immediately around him could cause him any harm, but he could still hold out for some time. After persisting for three minutes, Song Jians 300-plus Vitality Points had been reduced by over a hundred. Thanks to his vitality recovery speed, he managed to last this long, but he hadnt managed to take down a single martial arts disciple in this time. I cant keep going like this, Song Jian frowned. He originally thought his strength was already formidable, but now he realized that he was still lacking in many ways. At the very least, he currently lacked an escape or movement skill. Damn! Song Jian gradually became angrier. He swung his left hand forward, unleashing a dazzling silver Sword Qi from his index finger. Sweeping horizontally, enemies in a fan-shaped area before him suffered over a hundred points of damage to their heads. Burst! With a soft shout, the martial arts disciple facing him exploded into a puff of green smoke. His nearly hundred Vitality Points were instantly emptied, and he slumped to the ground, dropping two white-quality items. Although he had killed a martial arts disciple, another one quickly took his place and continued attacking Song Jian. In no time, Song Jian was pushed back repeatedly, feeling increasingly frustrated. He had never experienced a battle like this before. Summon Blood Crows! With this thought, Song Jians surroundings suddenly erupted in dazzling light; a bloody Hexagram Array appeared around him. Whoosh- Thirty Blood Crows flew out from the Hexagram Array, forming a bloody mist as they rushed toward the surrounding martial arts disciples. For a moment, more than a dozen martial arts disciples were thrown into chaos by the Blood Crows, giving Song Jian a chance to catch his breath. Earth Teeth Assault! A dazzling tusk-like Qi rushed towards a martial arts disciple with the lowest vitality, sending him flying. When he fell back to the ground, he had already become a corpse. Song Jian brandished his dagger and lunged towards the disordered martial arts disciples. Blood Crows surrounded him, continuously flapping their wings and pecking at nearby enemies. Though the Blood Crows damage was low, only causing a point or two of damage to these elite monsters, their sheer number made up for their lack of power. With their wings flapping, they surrounded the martial arts disciples, giving the illusion that they were besieged. Song Jian broke free from the encirclement, and for a moment, his firepower was fully unleashed. The rocket launchers cooldown time was over, and he immediately took it out, aimed at the boxing disciples who were only two or three meters away, and pulled the trigger; Boom- A burst of fire almost exploded in front of him, the hot air rushing toward his face. However, fortunately, this was a game and there was no friendly fire, otherwise, Song Jian wouldnt dare to fire a rocket at such a close distance; Boom- Another rocket was fired towards the area with the most boxing disciples, exploding in the crowd. The already injured boxing disciples were instantly killed, taking out five or six of them; The remaining boxing disciples had only a little over a hundred Vitality Points left, and they were all injured; The number of Blood Crows rapidly decreased. These Blood Crows didnt have much Vitality, and they could only withstand three or four hits from the boxing disciples. If they werent agile, they would have been smashed to pieces as soon as they appeared; Thud- A Blood Crows Vitality Points were depleted by a boxing disciples punch and it exploded into a cloud of blood mist. The dead Blood Crow would return to the Blood Pool to be reborn, and during this time, Song Jian could not summon it again; Seeing that there were only seven or eight boxing disciples left, and all of them were severely injured, a smile appeared on Song Jians face. There were still three Blood Crows, and they all perched on Song Jians shoulders. Song Jians Vitality Points were visibly recovering quickly, and in just a few seconds, it had increased from half to a safe range; It was only now that the full benefit of getting an SSS rating in the previous mainline mission became apparent. With a 500% increase in Vitality recovery speed, it was hard for Song Jian to die, and it saved him a lot of medical expenses in the absence of medical treatment; The severely injured boxing disciples were fearless, showing no sign of fear. They stared at Song Jian and lunged at him once again; This time, Song Jian didnt give them a chance to surround him. He moved continuously, and his Tusk Fang Stinger in hand was like the Death Gods scythe, constantly harvesting the boxing disciples lives; In less than a minute, Song Jian had killed all the remaining boxing disciples. There were at least eleven or twelve items with white light scattered on the floor. The output of the dungeon was indeed much higher than that of the outside world; By now, Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng had already reduced the Bosss Vitality by a third, and both of their Vitality Points were still above 80%. They were very cautious in their fight, preferring to abandon an attack opportunity rather than suffering damage from the Boss; A smile appeared on Song Jians face. This was the most orthodox way to fight in the game, mainly because there were too few items and skills to recover Vitality; There was only a ten-second cooldown for the rocket, and when it was ready, Song Jian took it out and aimed it at the Boxing Gym Master, who was constantly swinging his fists. He then pulled the trigger; A slight vibration was felt as the rocket screamed towards the Boss. Lin Sheng let out a strange cry and quickly hid to the side; Gao Da Nian remained calm, still carrying his axe and attacking the Boss; The Boxing Gym Master was equipped with a tiger-shaped boxing glove, and the sharp tusks protruded from them. The tusks and the axe constantly collided, creating countless sparks; Gao Da Nian, run! The rocket is coming! Lin Sheng, who was worried that Gao Da Nian hadnt noticed the rocket, frantically yelled from a distance; Boom- The rocket hit the Boss hard, followed by a violent explosion. Almost a hundred points of damage appeared above the Bosss head, but Gao Da Nian, resisting the hot blast, managed to fiercely hack at the Boss twice, taking away nearly eighty Vitality Points; Friendly fire is nullified in a dungeon party! Gao Da Nian glanced at Lin Sheng, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. This message appeared as soon as they entered the dungeon system, but Lin Sheng was too absorbed in the battle and forgot; Lin Shengs face turned slightly red. He said nothing, clenched his dagger, and rushed towards the Boss. Meanwhile, Song Jian pulled the trigger once again; Chapter 133 - Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Siege Kill Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Siege Kill Translator: 549690339 Roar- The boxing gyms instructor seemed to sense the threat of death, suddenly erupting with a tremendous aura. His entire body shone with a golden glow, and from the surface of his Tiger Boxing Gloves welled up a milky white boxing strength. Boom! The bosss right hand fiercely collided with Gao Da Nians long axe. A tremendous force sprang forth, the axe swayed strongly backward, sending Gao Da Nian stumbling back several steps, a look of surprise appearing on his face. Has the Boss reached boiling point? Hes gained so much strength! Gao Da Nian exclaimed. Lin Shengs figure lunged towards the Boss, instantly disappearing, entering a stealth mode. The Bosss facial muscles warped, his expression gruesome. He looked at the incoming rocket, not dodging or avoiding, but instead, pulling his arms back to his waist. His body started spinning like a top, revolving 360 degrees before his right arm swung out with force. Tigers Third Style! Accompanied by a furious roar, the golden glow around the Bosss body condensed into the shape of a ferocious tiger, moving in the direction of Song Jian, making a roaring gesture. Is he, is he trying to smash the rocket with his fist? What a tough guy! Lin Sheng watched in disbelief as the Boss smashed his fist into the incoming missile, his eyes nearly popping out. Boom- The boxing gyms instructor threw a punch, colliding with the rocket, causing a shocking earth-shattering thunderous sound. The entire gym slightly trembled, dust from the ceiling falling continuously. -3 Single-digit damage numbers bubbled up from the gym instructor. At this point, his training clothes had been torn to rags, his upper body almost entirely exposed. His face was flushed crimson, his chest heaving greatly, and the white breath exhaled from his nostrils was over a foot long, like an enraged bull. Is this guy even human? Lin Shengs eyes were filled with terror. This was the most terrifying creature he had ever encountered. Even though it was only a level seven elite Boss, Lin Sheng felt that it was stronger than any level ten elite Boss outside. Keep attacking, that last hit took a lot out of him! Song Jian shouted from a distance, his right hand forcefully pressing on the ground. Earth Teeth Assault! A tusk-like qi cluster emitted a sharp whistling sound and flew towards the gyms instructor, leaving a faint crack on the ground, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. The gym instructor was currently in a state of recovery, sensing the rapidly approaching Earth Teeth Assault. His eyes welled up with blood, his legs stomping on the ground, his body abruptly leapt up, spinning in mid-air before smacking his right fist into the ground. Tigers Third Style! Boom- The gym instructor smashed his fist into the tusk-like qi cluster, followed immediately by a grating friction sound, like sharp nails scratching against glass. Boom! The tusk-like qi cluster only managed to withstand less than two seconds before detonating, shattering into bits of energy spots that scattered in the air and vanished. This time, the Boss took no damage, a pale blue Resist floated above his head. For a moment, the fierce aura of the Boss startled the three of them. Gao Da Nians hand holding the long axe began to sweat, slowly retreating. Lin Sheng, after entering his stealth mode, didnt dare to advance anymore and started to circle around the Boss. Song Jian inhaled deeply, packing away his Rocket Launcher and rushed towards the Boss wielding his Tusk Fang Stinger. Seeing Song Jian rush in, the gym instructor opened his mouth wide, a ruthless smile appearing on his face. He extended the fingers of his right hand, then clenched it into a fist. Crack Crack- The knuckles crackled in rapid succession as the Head Instructor of the boxing ring charged towards Song Jian, right fist held high. He resembled a ferocious tiger with his entire vigor, and his right hand became the sharp tusk within the tigers mouth. Seeing the state of Song Jian, Gao Da Nians face flushed crimson. Anger and humiliation shone in his eyes as he roared, gripping his long axe tightly and fiercely striking at the BOSSS back. Damn it, if Im going to die, so be it! A hint of blood appeared at the corners of Lin Shengs mouth as his face contorted, his body erupting with a death-defying zeal. Like a venomous snake, he swiftly charged towards the BOSS. His eyes were locked onto the protruding vein on the BOSSS neck, his dagger akin to a venomous snakes fang, seemingly ready to strike and draw fresh blood. Song Jian stabbed the dagger in his hand at the BOSSS fist. The blade tip and the BOSSS fist armor collided, sending sparks flying. Song Jian only felt a staggering force traveling up from the dagger, making his entire arm numb and nearly making him drop the dagger. Such incredible strength! Song Jian was somewhat surprised. This was the first time hes encountered a monster with a higher strength level since his own had reached 12 points. Song Jian didnt choose to clash head-on. He sidestepped, shifting his daggers position to glide along the BOSSS fist, changing his grip on the dagger from forward to backward. With the dagger trailing behind him, he charged forward along with the BOSSS arm. His body also slightly leaned towards the BOSSS right side, and the Head Instructors tusk-like punch brushed past Song Jians cheek, creating a deep wound with its sheer force. Phut- Blood sprayed as the entire outer side of the BOSSS right arm was sliced open by the dagger from its wrist to its shoulder. Almost all the muscles of the right arm were cut open, revealing the chilling white bones beneath. With this strike, Song Jian had actually used the BOSSS own power against him. It was like placing a sharp blade under a fast-moving car, using its momentum to slash open the tires. -89 A red critical damage number floated up from the BOSSS head. The aura around the BOSS instantly dissipated, letting out a painful howl like an injured animal. The Head Instructor fell face down on the floor, sliding several meters forward, his right arm limply hanging as though it were a dead snake on the floor, blood gushing out from the wound. With his right arm rendered useless, a look of despair surfaced in the BOSSS eyes. He rolled over to sit up, eyes full of bloodshot veins, staring unblinkingly at Song Jian. He attempted to push himself off the ground with his left hand to stand up. Phut- At this moment, a splash of blood suddenly erupted from the BOSSS left neck. Lin Shengs figure gradually appeared, with his dagger nearly fully plunged into the BOSSS body. Landing a hit, Lin Sheng quickly withdrew his dagger and receded towards the distance. The BOSS, who had already raised half of its body, fell hard to the ground again due to the critical hit. A critical damage number of over sixty points rose from his head. The dagger in Lin Shengs hand was only of green quality. It possessed the Armor Break+2 attribute. Its power was rather weak compared to Song Jians Tusk Fang Stinger, so the damage it dealt to the BOSS was consequently not as high as Song Jians. Boom- At this point, Gao Da Nian also rushed over, heavily chopping at the BOSSS back of the head with his long axe which induced a tremor in the BOSSS body. A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, staining a large part of the floor red. The BOSS is almost dead, keep attacking! Gao Da Nian gave a cry of surprise. Watching the BOSS, who only had about one-fifth of his vitality points remaining, he wielded his long axe continuously attacking the BOSS. Lin Sheng also gritted his teeth and rushed in. His dagger continuously jabbed into the waist and abdomen of the BOSS. Song Jians left index finger suddenly bloomed with a silver light, fiercely chopping at the BOSSS skull. Boom- Under continuous attacks, the BOSSS body finally fell heavily onto the floor again, twitching uncontrollably. This time, he had completely lost the strength to stand back up. Chapter 134 - Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Mighty Tiger Boxing Gloves Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Mighty Tiger Boxing Gloves Translator: 549690339 Upon seeing that the boss was finally killed, Song Jian and his two companions exchanged glances and broke into goofy smiles. They plopped down onto the ground, with Lin Sheng even lying flat on the floor in the shape of a big character, his chest heaving as he panted heavily; We really did it, we really killed the boss, hahaha- Gao Da Nian burst into laughter. Initially, he and Lin Sheng hadnt taken the level 7 Elite -Level Boss too seriously. After all, outside the dungeon, the two of them had killed more than one level 5 Elite-Level Boss just on their own. But they didnt expect that the monsters inside the dungeon were much stronger than those outside; A level 7 Elite-Level Boss was even stronger than a level 10 Elite-Level boss outside. Before Song Jian joined the attack, these two had already resisted the bosss attack desperately. Lin Sheng even considered giving up, ready to enter stealth mode at any moment, dragging out the battle until it ended, then leaving the dungeon; The three of them didnt care about the bosss dropped items at all and just lay on the ground to rest. This battle had drained a lot of their energy. They had been tense throughout the entire fight, and with the extreme consumption, they didnt even feel like moving a finger once they relaxed; Only after a while, did the three of them manage to get up. As they looked at the items dropped by the boss, they broke into smirks; Wow, it even dropped the thing it eats with; Lin Sheng smacked his lips; This gauntlet is only a green-quality weapon, that shouldnt be right. I think it should at least be blue, or even sliver-quality, that would make sense! Gao Da Nian rubbed the back of his head, saying somewhat unhappily; Heh, even the blue-grade materials itself dropped three. Yet the weapon turned out to be green-quality. I say, didnt you damage the gauntlet with your rocket, Song Jian? Lin Sheng gave a glance at the items dropped by the boss, and looked at Song Jian with a surprising face. In the midst of the battle, the boss had indeed used its fists to withstand a rocket. Perhaps it got damaged then, causing the quality of bosss gauntlet to decrease; Song Jian frowned slightly, staring at the two fist-fighting gloves emitting a green glow;, he was somewhat puzzled; Thats not right, this green glow, its somewhat too deep, completely different from the glow emitted by ordinary green-quality items. It resembles the glow on the surface of my Zombie Overlord armor Thinking of this, a smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. He reached out to grab the two gauntlets and said: In that case, let me take this equipment. The rest are all yours. Hey, hold on, you must be joking, Brother Song, dont take it to heart. We three brought down the boss together, so the items should naturally be divided equally. said Gao Da Nian as he hurriedly gestured this sentiment; Lin Sheng also had a startled expression, which quickly turned somewhat awkward. He hastily said: Yes, yes, it should indeed be split equally. We cant let Brother Song suffer a loss! Lin Sheng then quickly picked up three pieces of blue luminous material. After a close look, each of them threw one to each other, and said: They are all the same, lets take one each. Prime Linen Cloth (Blue), material, can be used to make cloth armor, defense increased by an additional 30%, success rate of cloth armor increased by 10%; Requirement: Possessing Sewing level 2 This material, for the three of them, either they will keep it as it is, or they will sell it to the system store; Are you sure you dont want these gauntlets? Song Jian picked up two tiger-shaped gauntlets, shook them twice, and asked with a smile. Brother Song, its just a green-quality weapon, just put it away. Lin Sheng waved his hand indifferently; As for Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian, a green-quality weapon wouldnt warrant their attention at all. Mainly because neither of them could use it, and at this stage, players didnt have much money, so it wouldnt sell for much anyway; Indeed, Brother Song, you did most of the work this time, so rightfully you should get more equipment, Gao Da Nian said with a sincere smile and a nod. Haha, this is a set! You guys are truly generous, just casually giving away two items of a set! Song Jian laughed heartily and displayed the attributes of the gauntlets. Fierce Tiger Gauntlet (Left), off-hand weapon, set piece. Equipment effect: Attack 25-35, Strength +2, increase attack speed by 15%, Special effect: Fist Power, when dealing damage to a target, theres a chance to increase explosive damage by 45 points. For equipment: Power 7 points and Level 5; Can it be taken out of the game: No; Set attributes: Skill Fierce Tiger Strikes can be used, Fierce Tiger Pounce, Fierce Tiger Swing Attack, and Fierce Tiger Domination. Fierce Tiger Pounce: Deals 120 physical damage to the front target, with a chance of causing laceration; Fierce Tiger Swing Attack: Targets locked, deals destructive damage with the swing force; Fierce Tiger Domination: Can only be used when Vitality points drops below 30%, immune to grabbing and control effects, defense increase by 30%, Vitality recovery speed increases by 30%. Fierce Tiger Gauntlet (Right), main-hand weapon, set piece. Equipment effect: Attack 31-40, Strength +3, increase damage to the target by 10%, Special effect: Fist Power, when dealing damage to a target, there is a chance to increase explosive damage by 45 points. For equipment: Power 7 points and Level 5; Can it be taken out of the game: No; Set attributes: Skill Fierce Tiger Strikes can be used, Fierce Tiger Pounce, Fierce Tiger Swing Attack, and Fierce Tiger Domination. Fierce Tiger Pounce: Deals 120 physical damage to the front target, with a chance of causing laceration; Fierce Tiger Swing Attack: Targets locked, deals destructive damage with the swing force; Fierce Tiger Domination: Can only be used when Vitality points drops below 30%, immune to grabbing and control effects, defense increase by 30%, Vitality recovery speed increases by 30%. Seta set? Its a set weapon, my goodness. I want to change my profession to something like a puncher now. Lin Sheng shouted with his mouth open wide, almost drooling. The gauntlets attributes were incredibly strong. Even without taking into account the weapons own attributes, the three set piece skills already left one dumbfounded. Even a newbie, when equipped with these gauntlets, would immediately be able to rise to the ranks of elite players. Even for Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian, the number of attack skills they possess probably wouldnt reach three. The unbelievable properties of the gauntlets made Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian tangled up. Although both of them had yet to learn about their chosen professions, they were already collecting equipment and skills that were suitable for their ideal occupations. Gao Da Nian seemed to have chosen a profession like a weapons warrior, and Lin Sheng chose to be a thief or a stealthy character. Da Nian, why dont we give these gauntlets to you? But it will count as two of your picking turns, said Song Jian to Gao Da Nian. When it comes to item selection, the three of them werent a fixed team and never followed the need before greed principle. They chose to have everyone pick one item each. If Gao Da Nian had picked the gauntlets now, then in future battles, even if equipment suitable for him dropped, he wouldnt be eligible to pick them. Furthermore, these are two gauntlets, equivalent to two weapons, hence, they would need to use up two of his picking turns. After some hesitation, Gao Da Nian shook his head. His skills required wielding a long-handled weapon like an axe to activate. Even if the properties of the gauntlets were outstanding, a change in weapon would decrease Gao Da Nians effectiveness until he became accustomed to it. Furthermore, he needed to spend time collecting punching skills. More trouble than its worth. Nevermind, I dont want them, theyre of no use to me, Gao Da Nian said, shaking his head. Lin Sheng, what about you? Song Jian turned and asked. Brother Song, how about this? Give me the gauntlets, and in exchange, you can have my dagger, said Lin Sheng. However, for the picking turns, each of us should expend one. In your dreams! Song Jian rolled his eyes. Ever since he showed off the Tusk Fang Stinger, Lin Sheng had been staring at it with a drooling expression. His intention was as clear as day. Why not we sell them for some cash? Song Jian suggested to both of them. Can any player afford such equipment now? Lin Sheng asked with a furrowed brow. He shook his head and added, Such equipment is very valuable. I doubt there are many players who can afford it. Yeah, if we sell the set weapon for just a few Doomsday Coins, it would break my heart, Id rather hold onto them, Gao Da Nian sighed. Chapter 135 - Chapter 135: Chapter 135: The Hidden Door Chapter 135: Chapter 135: The Hidden Door Translator: 549690339 The purchasing power of players now is too low. Ordinary items can still be afforded, but very few people can afford items of higher quality than green. Most players are currently at a stage where they barter with items, as no one wants to lose out. But none of us three need this weapon, what should we do? Song Jian opened his hands and asked helplessly. We can sell it, but it must be for at least 300 Doomsday Coins! Otherwise, wed rather let it rot and mold in the warehouse. Lin Sheng clenched his teeth and said. Thats right, with 300 Doomsday Coins, the three of us can each have 100. At least this wont hurt as much, considering its a set! Gao Da Nian lamented. In reality, selling this pair of gloves for 300 Doomsday Coins is quite cheap. But who can blame the current players for being poor? The number of players who can take 300 Doomsday Coins out of their pockets could probably be counted on one hand. Even Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian probably only have about 100 to 200 Doomsday Coins in their possession at most. Leave it to me. Ill definitely sell it for higher than 300 Doomsday Coins! Song Jian said while putting the gloves into his bag. At the same time, the three of them signed an agreement. No matter how much Song Jian sells it for, they will divide the money equally among them, and the price cannot be lower than 300. If its lower than 300, Song Jian will have to make up the difference for the other two. Players may not have money, but the games NPCs have plenty of rich ones. As long as I shout on the radio, Ill definitely be able to sell it at a high price! Song Jian thought to himself. Upon seeing Song Jian putting the gloves in his bag, Lin Sheng curled his lips. Lin Sheng didnt believe that Song Jian could sell it for much, as players barely had any Doomsday Coins in their pockets right now. Wow, this little monster dropped quite a few items. Gao Da Nians eyes fell on the shiny white items in front of him, dropped by the 18 elite boxing disciples that Song Jian had just killed. The 18 elite boxing disciples dropped more than 20 items in total. Although the tiers arent high, the sheer amount of items laid out over a large area gives off an impressive feeling. The drop rate of this instance is indeed higher than outside, but most of the drops are materials and not worth much. Lin Sheng picked up an item and looked at it, shaking his head. So many items, even if sold to shops, would be worth quite a bit of money! Gao Da Nian laughed. Ordinary linen cloth, if any of us learned tailoring, wed make a fortune. With so many materials, we could level up tailoring by one level. Lin Sheng said with a smile. After dividing the rest of the items, they began to search for the next section in the instance. From the outside, this boxing building had three floors. If it was divided by the floors, there should be three stages and three bosses, which is also one of the reasons why Song Jian and the others werent willing to choose the gloves. After all, there were still two bosses who might drop items they needed. The first-floor hall was very spacious, and they could easily see the surroundings at a glance. The three of them didnt find any stairs leading to the second floor and began searching separately. Soon, Lin Sheng shouted, Here, its over here! Gao Da Nian and Song Jian came over to see that indeed, there was a closed elevator-like door on one of the walls, with a small LCD screen next to it displaying two red words, Locked. Hey, arent you a thief class player? Come on, unlock it! Gao Da Nian patted Lin Shengs shoulder and said. Is this even a lock? Lin Sheng rolled his eyes and said helplessly. An electronic lock is still a lock! Gao Da Nian insisted with a righteous expression. I really cant talk to people like you. Lin Sheng said helplessly. Look for it, they wouldnt simply not let us go up. Song Jian said as he began searching. Song Jian took a quick glance and saw Lin Sheng staring intently at the small LCD screen, with a faint milky-white light in his pupils. But the light was very subtle, so it was difficult to notice unless one looked carefully. Is this a skill? Song Jian was shocked. Thats enough, stop searching. Lin Sheng said loudly, Ive already found a clue. Song Jian noticed a hint of exhaustion in Lin Shengs eyes. It seemed that the skill Lin Sheng just used took a great toll on his Mental Strength. Lin Sheng turned his head and walked directly towards a wooden pillar. There were five or six wooden pillars in the first-floor hall of the boxing building, which supported the entire structure of the building. Each pillar was about the thickness of a persons embrace. Lin Sheng walked to one of the pillars, inserted his dagger into it, then pried it open with force. Suddenly, a secret door appeared in front of the three of them. Heh, theres even a hidden mechanism here. Gao Da Nian looked at Lin Sheng fumbling with the hole and couldnt help but glance at the other pillars. Do you think the other pillars also have similar secret doors, hiding good stuff? You can give it a try! Lin Sheng shrugged, not believing that all the pillars in the boxing building would have similar secret doors. Having one was already quite good. Gao Da Nian, unwilling to give up, ran to another pillar and started knocking and tapping it At that moment, Lin Shengs eyes lit up, and he pulled out a card. Waving it, he said, Ive found it. Hehe, Ive also found something good. Gao Da Nians excited voice came from afar. Lin Sheng looked at Gao Da Nian in surprise; indeed, Gao Da Nian was waving a Skill Book with a triumphant grin. Damn, lucky dog! Lin Sheng cursed but immediately moved toward another pillar. Song Jian also rushed to a pillar and started banging its surface with the Tusk Fang Stinger, listening to see if there was a hollow sound. Sure enough, behind each pillar, there was a secret door, with some valuable items hidden inside. Song Jian found 200 Doomsday Coins, while Gao Da Nians Skill Book was a basic boxing technique that could be learned upon use. If someone had already comprehended a similar skill, such as Song Jians [Unarmed Combat (Fist/Palm) (Basic)] skill, this book could increase the learned skill by one level.. Chapter 136 - Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Goblin Repairman Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Goblin Repairman Translator: 549690339 The trio quickly arrived on the second floor, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, a pungent smell of machine oil wafted over. To their surprise, the second floor was the same as the first, a large hall, only this time the hall was littered with countless broken humanoid models, similar to the ones in other martial arts dojos used for hand-to-hand combat practice. However, the human models here were much more worn, seeming like a junkyard of discarded humanoid models. Damn it, you guys go through these humanoid models way too quickly. I cant keep up with the repairs, said a small goblin. Wearing an embedded magnifying glass over his right eye and brandishing repairing pliers in hand, he was fixing the arm of a humanoid model. The goblin was engrossed and didnt raise his head. Noticing the arrival of Song Jian and the others, he indicated a corner with an impatient gesture, Just drop the stuff there, and leave quickly. Dont touch anything around here. Song Jian squinted at the Goblin whose attributes quickly appeared above his head. LV8 Goblin Repairer (Elite), Vitality Points: 680/680, Spirit Points: 300/300, Traits: Engineering Repair, Puppet Control, Super Wood Resistance, Ground Dragon Stake Looks like weve got ourselves a magical type BOSS. Whoevers attacks are Wood Elements, try not to engage! Gao Da Nian scratched his head. After stepping onto the second floor, Lin Sheng silently retreated into stealth mode, gradually approaching the BOSS. Gao Da Nian also held his axe and slowly advanced towards the BOSS, carelessly stepping on the humanoid model parts underfoot, causing them to crackle and break. After a while, the BOSS finally noticed that the intruders were not dojo disciples. Looking up and noticing the shattered parts beneath Gao Da Nians feet, it let out a screech. Alih, who dare to dismantle my puppets, unforgivable! Boom- From the small body of the BOSS, a powerful energy seemed to burst out, green vigor spiraling around him. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- A few repairing pliers and grinders were flung out by the BOSS, carving arcs through the air and flying towards Gao Da Nian. Gao Da Nian quickly raised his axe to block the BOSSS onslaught. Damn, wasnt it supposed to be a magus type. Whys it throwing knives now? Song Jian exclaimed, startled. He had been standing behind Gao Da Nian all this while and the BOSSS attacks now enclosed him as well. Thunk- Lin Sheng had creeped up behind the BOSS, violently thrusting his dagger into its neck. After his strike found its mark, Lin Sheng didnt linger, swiftly dodging to the side. All, invaders! How dare you invade this place! Children, rise! Kill the intruders! The BOSS had been wounded, enraged, flailing its arms and letting out a stream of pale white threads from its hand that extended to the surrounding humanoid models. Suddenly, the formerly inanimate humanoid models began to move with a click- clack sound. Like puppets, they were controlled by the BOSS, rushing towards the group. Song Jian lifted up his rocket launcher, trained it on the BOSS, and pulled the trigger. A rocket screamed out, flying towards the BOSS. Come here! The goblin BOSS smirked, its hands pulling towards the center, the bright threads pulling more than a dozen humanoid models to shield the BOSS. These humanoid models continuously shifted, their edges revealing gear-like notches, and were joined together to form a giant shield. Boom- The explosion echoed and countless wooden particles of the models dispersed in all directions. The BOSS, holding a pile of debris, flung his arms, and the countless particles flew out like a storm, shooting towards Song Jian. Foggrass, goblin version of the hailstone needle rain? Gao Da Nian swiftly dodged to the side. He wouldnt be able to block so many fragments; Lin Sheng entered stealth mode again, creeping towards the boss. Before he could get close, he suddenly felt his foot tightening; Looking down, some wooden vines had tightly entangled his right leg, like poisonous snakes. Tiny wooden spikes were jabbing into his flesh, each inflicting five to six points of damage, popping out from the top of his head; This, this thing can set traps too! Lin Sheng exclaimed, disregarding his attack on the boss, and quickly slashed at the wooden vines that entangled him with his dagger; This boss is a bit tricky! Gao Da Nian was frowning, nimbly dodging the tools thrown at him by the boss; If only I had a shield, this bosss attack is so powerful! Song Jian was rolling around, using the terrain and surrounding mannequins to block the bosss attacks. He had just been grazed by a repair clamp and lost over sixty vitality points. If hit directly, he suspected the damage would rise to hundreds; Die, die, all die. The Goblin boss laughed heartily, summoning again over a dozen mannequins, charging at them; Thump, thump, thump- Gao Da Nians axe slashed on the mannequins, as if striking steel, sparks flying about. Each attack could only inflict about ten points of damage on the mannequins, making Gao Da Nians expression increasingly grim; Brother Song, think of a plan, we cant keep this up, we wont be able to hold on for long. Gao Da Nian had also lost a third of his vitality points, but the bosss vitality, apart from the initial attack by Lin Sheng that caused a drop of over thirty points, had not been damaged at all; Lin Sheng managed to free himself from the trap at this point, hiding behind a wooden pillar, seemingly replenishing his vitality with food. The damage from the trap and several surrounding mannequins had caused his vitality to drop to less than half, he was nearly killed here; Jian, summon all your creatures, like when we fought the street thugs! Lin Sheng shouted from his hiding spot; Most of them are dead, Ive only got three left. Song Jian grumbled. There were three blood crows circling him continuously, their attacks werent powerful, but if they were in larger numbers they could become threatening. Now there were only three left, the effect they could have was insignificant; Shouldering his rocket launcher, Song Jian aimed at the boss again, even if he couldnt harm him, he would at least deplete some of the surrounding mannequins; Boom- Another rocket flew out, the boss used the same technique, pulling a dozen mannequins to shield him; At that moment, Gao Da Nian and Song Jian exchanged a glance. Almost simultaneously, they both rushed toward the boss. If this continued, they would be worn to death by the boss. Better to seize this chance and engage the boss in close combat! Thump- A countless amount of wood shavings sprayed in all directions again, Song Jian gripped his dagger tight, his hands covering his head and face, letting the wood shavings scratch his body; Gao Da Nian was also determined to hold on. His vitality didnt recover as fast as Song Jians, wooden shavings were flying everywhere, his vitality like floodwaters rushing down, decreasing rapidly. In no time, his vitality was less than half; Die! Gao Da Nian charged in front of the BOSS, swung his long axe, and fiercely chopped towards the bosss head; All! The boss let out a sharp cry, his hands shooting up. Numerous fragments of white light converged above his head, intertwining with each other, solidly blocking Gao Da Nians attack; At this moment, Song Jian also rushed to the boss, his dagger ruthlessly stabbing towards the bosss head; Squelch- Blood splashed, the dagger plunged in up to the hilt, a critical hit of over sixty points of damage floated up from the bosss head. Song Jian pulled out the dagger, continuing to hack at the boss, in no time, four or five wounds had been sliced onto the bosss body; Hey, I say, Jian, youre so slick with that dagger, youre even better than me! Lin Shengs vitality had recovered more than eighty percent, he also rushed over to join the attack on the boss. Chapter 137 - Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Invincible Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Invincible Translator: 549690339 Shards of parts shot out like a rain of pear-like needles towards Song Jian and the others, who hurriedly dodged. In the chaos, about a third of their Vitality Points were consumed. As soon as the parts landed, the atmosphere intensified. Charge, engage it in close combat! Gao Da Nian shouted, rushing towards the BOSS first. After several minutes of fighting, the three discovered that although the Goblin Repairman excelled at long-range attacks, it didnt mean they could take advantage of close combat. The three continued to launch their relentless assault, and soon found that the Goblin Repairman waving its wrench was only slightly less effective than Song Jian using a dagger. The impact hurt them severely, and their Vitality Points plummeted like money didnt matter. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng trembled with fear, and after each strike, they had to retreat and recover Vitality Points for a while. Only Song Jian, thanks to his reward from the last main line mission, had a 500% increase in his Vitality Points recovery rate. He endured the BOSSS wrench assaults, barely preventing their team from falling apart. Brother Song, your Vitality Point recovery is too exaggerated. Are you recovering twenty or thirty points per second? Even the BOSS isnt that exaggerated! Lin Sheng hid to one side, biting into a piece of meat, a look of admiration on his face. Since Lin Sheng had not created a safehouse or completed his main missions, he was unaware of the mainline task rewards. Mission reward! Song Jian said, tilting his head to dodge a BOSS attack and stabbing it twice. Boom! The Poison Nova skill activated, and a burst of green smoke exploded from the BOSSS body, inflicting a hundred points of damage. Brother Song, your skill is so powerful! Amazing! Gao Da Nian couldnt hold on any longer, his Vitality Points dropping to just over fifty. He couldnt withstand the BOSSS direct assault and backed off, pulling a drink from his inventory to rapidly restore his Vitality Points. By now, higher-level players began consciously collecting supplies that could recover Vitality Points during combat, making them easier to obtain by searching. Soon, the BOSSS Vitality Points fell below half, and Song Jian became more vigilant. Lower Vitality Points caused the BOSS to display powerful skills that could cause injuries if not handled properly. Puppets, dolls, molds, my children, come protect me! Control! The Goblin Repairman roared, releasing countless milky-white rays of light from his palms, spreading in all directions. Alert, Song Jian raised his dagger to chest level and retreated two steps, while Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian hid behind a wooden column in a defensive posture. Crack, crack, crack- Many mold parts were randomly attached to the light rays, disassembling complete humanoid molds and extracting their internal components. In no time, hundreds of components floated in the air, controlled by the Goblin Repairman BOSS, quickly converging towards it. Whats it trying to do, assemble something again? Gao Da Nian peeked out, watching the BOSSS every move. I hope its not another giant shield. Lin Sheng frowned, recalling how the previous shields high defense forced them to retreat under Song Jians Rocket Launcher. Brother Song, can you still use your Rocket Launcher? Gao Da Nian bellowed, his face flushed with rage. Six seconds left! Song Jian shouted back. Whoa, Brother Song, how many rockets do you have? Those things arent cheap. Lin Sheng gasped, knowing that consumables like ammunition could be bought in the system store, but at a high price. This put pressure on many new players who initially chose firearms as their main weapon, eventually forcing them to develop their cold weapon skills. Since entering the instance, Lin Sheng had counted six rockets launched by Song Jian, each priced at over a hundred Doomsday Coins in the system store. It was as if they were using money to beat the BOSS. Its fine, Song Jian said casually. At this moment, the BOSS laughed wildly. Countless parts were pulled together by the milky white light, forming a hard, humanoid mold-like shell. The goblin repairman served as the head of the humanoid mold, sitting steadily on this humanoid shell made of wooden parts. The light threads on the BOSSS hands penetrated every part of the giant humanoid mold like nerves in a human body, making it very convenient to control. Damn, is this a Gundam or a mech? This is too exaggerated. Lin Sheng opened his mouth wide, with a horrified look in his eyes. Its just an enlarged humanoid mold, not a mech. Those are all made of wood. Gao Da Nian snorted coldly. But even so, its still amazing. It looks almost like a Gundam or a mech. Lin Sheng muttered quietly. However, after watching it closely for a while, he finally relaxed. After all, the humanoid molds power was still inferior compared to a mech. If it were really a mech, Lin Sheng might not even have the courage to fight against it. As they spoke, the cooldown time for Song Jians rocket launcher had arrived. He had two rockets filled and ready. Song Jian aimed at the five to six-meter-tall humanoid molds chest and pulled the trigger. A rocket with a long tail flame shot out. The goblin repairman let out a sharp roar when he saw the rocket flying towards him. He raised his right hand high, with a strained expression on his face. Accompanying the lift of its right hand, the giant humanoid molds right hand also clenched into a fist and raised sharply. Die! The BOSS yelled and fiercely slammed his right arm toward the rocket. Boom- With a loud noise, the humanoid molds right fist and the rocket collided violently, emitting a huge roar. Lin Sheng and the others looked hopefully at the BOSS, but they were ultimately disappointed to discover that the humanoid molds right fist was merely emitting faint black smoke. At the center of the fist, there was only a basketball-sized hole of damage. Damn, what kind of people are these? The first floor BOSS could physically resist rockets, and this shorty on the second floor can use a humanoid mold to withstand rocket attacks too. How are players supposed to pass through here?! Lin Sheng shouted loudly, a look of despair on his face. If it werent for Song Jian, we might not even be able to defeat the BOSS on the first floor. This thought had echoed in Gao Da Nian and Lin Shengs minds more than once. Song Jian didnt say a word, just holding up his rocket launcher and silently waiting for the three-second cooldown time. Franciska is invincible! The Goblin BOSS laughed wildly, waving two thick humanoid mold arms, raising them high, and looking unstoppable. Whoosh- Another rocket flew towards it. In a panic, the Goblin BOSS fiercely swung his left fist at the rocket. After firing the rocket, Song Jian didnt even look at the outcome, but directly put away his rocket launcher, grabbed his dagger, and rushed towards the BOSS. Blood Crows, harass the shorty! Song Jian shouted while running. The three Blood Crows that had been hovering above Song Jians head flew toward the Goblin BOSS. Boom! The second rocket collided with the giant humanoid molds fist, emitting a loud noise. However, this time the Goblin BOSS miscontrolled it, so the rocket didnt hit the humanoid molds fist directly. Instead, it exploded at the humanoid molds wrist. Immediately, the giant humanoid molds left fist drooped down. From the gap, many white lights could be seen breaking apart, and many parts began to fall off like wood chips. Good job, his left hand is useless now! Gao Da Nian instantly became excited. Noticing that his vitality level had mostly recovered, he grabbed his long ax and charged at the BOSS from the left side. Chapter 138 - Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Earth Dragon Pile Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Earth Dragon Pile Translator: 549690339 Even though Song Jians Vitality Points recovered quickly, there was a limit. The BOSSS various pincers and wrenches flew towards him, and there were always times when he couldnt avoid them. Each attack could take away fifty to sixty of Song Jians Vitality Points. This was only mitigated by Song Jians strong foundation of over three hundred Vitality Points. If it had been Gao Da Nian or Lin Sheng, they would most likely retreat after taking a couple of hits. Although there were three people attacking the BOSS, its aggro focused squarely on Song Jian. All sorts of attacks were launched at him, causing him great distress. Brother Song, hang on a bit longer! The BOSSS Vitality points are almost depleted. Were about to grind it down! Lin Sheng saw Song Jians Vitality points fluctuating dramatically and consoled him as he attacked. Burst! With one soft shout, the BOSSS Vitality Points plummeted by over one hundred points. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng were green with envy. The damage Song Jian was inflicting on the BOSS was equivalent to the two of them combined and multiplied by two. This made the two, who were initially quite proud, feel deeply ashamed. Even without us, he could probably clear this instance on his own! Gao Da Nian murmured in his heart. In fact, the two of them had realized this from the first round. They always let Song Jian choose his gear first. Even if he had a full set, they didnt complain at all. Would signing a contract leave no loophole? There were many loopholes, but neither Gao Da Nian nor Lin Sheng voiced any objections for this reason. Get out of my way, get out of my way, you annoying sparrows, Im going to rip you apart! The Goblin Mechanic swung the enormous humanoid molds arm around, aimlessly flailing above his head. The agitation caused by the three blood crows was significant because the white light in his hands had seeped into every part of the humanoid mold. This had caused the BOSSS hands to become one with the humanoid mold. The Goblin Mechanic was both angry and helpless against the three Blood Crows fluttering above his head and harassing him. Controlling such a massive humanoid mold was not without cost. His energy points were now depleting at a rate of 2 points per second. Once his energy points were exhausted, let alone controlling such a huge humanoid mold, even throwing these tools would be impossible for the BOSS. He could only rely on his bare hands then. If a magic-type BOSS had to resort to hand-to-hand combat, it would probably not be much different than being at someones complete mercy. The blood crows were summoned by Song Jian. Therefore, the BOSSS attention, or rather its hate, was focused on Song Jian. As Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian gave it their all, the BOSSS vitality dropped visibly fast. Die, die, die! All of you should die! As the BOSSS Vitality Points kept plummeting, its rage increased, even igniting transparent flames around itself. Earth Dragon Pillar! The BOSS roared, and the giant humanoid mold under its bottom suddenly shattered into particles as fine as sand and scattered on the ground. The white light threads in the hands of the BOSS simultaneously pierced into the floor. The diminutive body was raised high into the air by countless light threads, looking like a deformed giant with two legs. Roar- A faint dragon roar rang in everyones ears, and the entire second floor started to undulate like waves. Dragon-shaped Qi surged out from the floor and shot up from under their feet; Lin Sheng reacted the quickest and threw himself to the side. The Earth Dragon Pillar beneath him made a bang sound and shot up five or six meters high before becoming motionless. A burst of air exploded from the top, scattering in all directions; Lin Sheng lay on the floor, glancing back at the thick wooden pillar that had emerged from the floor, he was scared stiff, with cold sweat covering his forehead. Phew, that was close. If I was hit directly, I might have been killed instantly, Lin Sheng thought secretly; Just then, a tremor came from the floor underneath him. Lin Sheng quickly propped himself on his hands, trying to dodge to one side, but this time he was a bit slow. A dragon-shaped pillar of Qi rushed out from under the floor, piercing through his body and soared into the air; Thump- Lin Sheng felt as if a thick wooden pillar was lodged in his chest. He spewed out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning deathly white. His body, along with the rest of the wooden pillar, was raised high into the air; Thump- Another burst of Qi spilled from the top of the wooden pillar. Lin Sheng was thoroughly soaked with Qi and lost control of his body completely. His body flew like a rag sack for about five or six meters, rolled a few times after landing, and came to a halt without any movement on a large pile of mold parts. Gao Da Nian, the heavy-set guy, had the worst of it. His reaction was much slower than Lin Shengs, and he was sent flying into the air directly by an Earth Dragon Pillar. As he was thrown into the air by the Qi, he was hit by another Earth Dragon Pillar. The consecutive, devastating blows drained Gao Da Nians vitality to zero.; While in mid-air, Gao Da Nians body suddenly shattered into pieces and turned into a dozen or so palm-sized black bats, flapping their wings as they flew into the distance; Even though Song Jian had an Agility stat of five, he found the incessant Earth Dragon Pillars challenging to deal with. The entire floor was shaking. The slight tremor that occurred before the pillars emerged was completely masked. It was challenging to discover, even if he paid close attention; Thump- A jet of dragon-shaped Qi surged up from his feet. Song Jian promptly dodged, but the Qi still grazed the side of his body. He felt a chilling sensation pass through him, and he was unable to control half of his body as if it was frozen solid. A wooden pillar shot up from the floor afterward. A stern look flashed across Song Jians eyes along with another thought. A silver Sword Qi radiated brightly from his left forefinger as it stabbed into the floor; Although he couldnt move his entire left arm, it didnt prevent him from casting his Sword Finger ability; Shh- Along with a slight cutting sound, like a blade slicing through the wind, the thick wooden pillar was surprisingly cleaved in half directly by the Sword Qi, flying off to the sides; It took a while before Song Jian regained control over the left side of his body. By then, there were already seven or eight dragon-shaped Qi rings by his side. He quickly glanced at the BOSS. This strike of his seemed to have exhausted it greatly. Its body was suspended mid-air, being supported solely by the white light threads in its hands. Its body started shaking violently, and its expression was hideously distorted; Minds Eye! Two beams of light shot from Song Jians eyes. A large crosshair was scanning the BOSS, finally settling on its chest; Without wasting any time, Song Jian drew out the Rocket Launcher. Invisible Sword Qi poured in, and the whole Rocket Launcher was radiating with an eye-catching silver light. Boom- A rocket missile, exuding countless Sword Qi, flew towards the Goblin Mechanic; A look of horror appeared on the face of the Goblin Mechanic, and all the Earth Dragon Pillar attacks in the room came to a stop; No! The Goblin Mechanic roared, and the white light threads in his hands all broke at the same time. His entire body plummeted towards the ground; The rocket missile drew an arc in the air and crashed heavily into the BOSS that was in mid-air. A magnificent firework exploded in mid-air, and several items of various colors fell from the sky. There wasnt even a complete corpse left behind of the Goblin Mechanic; Chapter 139 - Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Inheritance Skill Book Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Inheritance Skill Book Translator: 549690339 Its dead, its finally dead! A dozen black bats flew to the distance then regrouped and slowly dispersed, revealing Gao Da Nians silhouette among them. At this point, his vitality was less than one-tenth; Song Jian sank dejectedly onto the ground, stashing away the rocket launcher, his hands still slightly shaking. Although his vitality points had been gradually restored to full value, the previous encounters were truly perilous. If he had been consecutively hit by the earth dragon columns, even with an increase of 500% in his vitality recovery speed, he would have surely been killed instantly; Check on Lin Sheng, is he all right? Hes not dead, is he? Song Jian shouted out loudly. I cant move, Im almost in a near-death condition. If it wasnt for my lifeline skill left, I would have been killed just now. Gao Da Nian cried out, still shaken. He had stumbled upon a passive skill. When his vitality points dropped to 30%, the Bat Wing Blotting Out the Sky skill would activate, making him immune to the injuries he was currently enduring. His body would turn into a dozen bats for thirty seconds. As long as one of these bats survived, Gao Da Nian wouldnt die; However, after the skill ended, Gao Da Nians vitality points would drop to the bare minimum. As long as he didnt have any adverse conditions, like bleeding, he could slowly recover; at the moment, Gao Da Nian didnt even want to move. He lay flat on the ground, took out some restoration food from his pack, and began to slowly recover his vitality; I, cough, Im okay! Lin Sheng turned over in a way that jostled the stack of wooden parts next to him. The parts clattered, some falling onto his body. Seeing this, Song Jian was terrified. He thought these parts could kill Lin Sheng if the boss hadnt; At this time, Lin Sheng was in an even worse condition than Gao Da Nian. His left arm was broken; above the status bar on his head, the adverse effect of fracture was displayed. His vitality points had also dropped to the lowest point. Even the action of reaching out for the restoration food was delayed; The three men couldnt even turn their gaze to the items dropped by the boss. They just lay on the ground and rested. This experience was like a close shave with death. They hadnt expected the bosss last skill, which was utterly dreadfula complete screen attack. If Song Jian hadnt slain the boss at the end, Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian wouldnt have escaped death; That bosss attack was a bit too high. Who else could pass this sub-dungeon besides us? Lin Sheng sat up and grumbled as he ate his food; Youre not being very modest with that statement, Gao Da Nian said, having already stood up. His vitality points had recovered to more than 90%, although his face was still a bit pallid; If Song Jian hadnt been here, we would have already failed at the first level. We wouldnt have even laid eyes on this boss, Gao Da Nian said with gratefulness on his face. Song Jian, you should pick first from the items the boss dropped. Dont hold back. Without you, both of us would have been finished. Yeah, yeah, Id be satisfied with just some experience points. Lin Sheng said. Then he opened his property bar to look and was immediately surprised. Wow, what a high experience value! I Im about to level up! Gao Da Nian was startled and looked at his own experience points. He was baffled. His level had just risen to seven, but now the experience bar was already two-thirds full. Hed level up again after killing a hundred or so level five monsters at most. It seemed like he could level up as soon as today if he could get through this sub-dungeon. After two or three more monsters, Ill reach level six. Lin Sheng said, clearly pleased. His level was lower, so the experience points he earned were relatively fewer, but it was still enough for him to level up; Song Jian checked his experience points. Hed only been given reduced experience points for fighting level five monsters, but his experience bar for level ten had nearly filled up by a third. His experience was now at 48% for level ten. Okay, enough with the niceties. Lets see what the boss dropped and divide it among us. Song Jian said. He cast a Surgical Cure on Lin Sheng whod just walked towards him. Immediately, a beam of white light enveloped Lin Sheng, and the fracture status above his head disappeared; Lin Sheng touched his left arm, a grateful look on his face, and nodded at Song Jian; If Song Jian hadnt healed him, Lin Shengs fracture status might have continued until the third level. Only after leveling up from fighting a few minor monsters would he totally recover. But that would have been too dangerous. He couldnt use his left arm, and any carelessness could cost him his life; Hey, the boss dropped its large wrench. This is a long-weapon, Gao Da Nian, do you want it? Song Jian picked up a huge wrench, which was almost as tall as a person. One end was a smooth arc handle, and the other end was a movable clip; Maintenance Masters Adjustable Wrench (Blue), Long Weapon, Two-Handed, Equipment Effect: Attack 45-56, Strength + 3, Critical Hit Increase 15%. Special Effect 1: After causing damage to the target, there is a certain probability to decrease the targets defense value by 30%. Special Effect 2: Clamp (Active), after releasing, it can lock the targets weapon for three seconds. If the skill is released successfully, it can interrupt the skill that the target is releasing, and there is a certain probability to damage the targets weapon; Requirement: Level 7, Can It Be Taken Out Of The Game: No Mine, mine, Brother Song, I want this weapon. Gao Da Nian glistened at the sight of the new weapon. He tucked away his long axe and took the blue quality weapon from the boss. His eyes were full of delight; Hey, why didnt it drop a dagger! Lin Sheng glanced at the blue dagger in Song Jians hand, his tone envious; No dagger, but do you want the skill? Song Jian asked, shaking a skill scroll in his hand; This skill scroll was emitting a pale silver glow, which made Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng tense up; Skill Scroll: Backstab: Skill Book, Effect: After use, learn the skill Backstab; Backstab: Launch an attack from behind the target, cause 15O%+15 weapon damage to the target; the main-hand weapon must use a dagger to use this skill. After using this skill successfully, add a combo skill point; skill consumption: 40 energy points; skill cast time: instant; skill cooldown: none. Skill explanation: This is one of the inherited skills of the Thief class. Inherited skill, hahaha, an inherited skill of the Thief class, oh yeah! Lin Sheng laughed loudly, took the skill scroll and used it directly. His Stealth skill was also one of the Thief classs inherited skills. Now he had two inherited skills of the Thief class, taking him another step closer to becoming a Thief; This boss is not bad. It gave each of the three of us a useful skill. The last one is mine. Song Jian looked at the white glowing skill book in his hand and a smile appeared on his face; Chapter 140 - Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Black Fist Arena Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Black Fist Arena Translator: 549690339 Skill: Engineering; Skill Book, Effects: Upon use, the skill Engineering can be learned, allowing for the creation of various engineering apparatus. Though the description was simple, it filled Song Jian with overwhelming joy. If it wasnt for them currently stuck in this sub-level, Song Jian wouldve wanted to immediately return to Manor Castle and craft the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade. This was his secret weapon, akin to a Rocket Launcher, that could easily deal with bosses by tossing just a few grenades. Brother Song, it seems a bit unfair to you. Your skill is of white grade, worse than ours. How about, we give you the remaining materials and you dont need to split them with us? Lin Sheng said, somewhat apologetically. Yes, Brother Song, we owe you big this time. It would be unfair if youre left with less. All these materials are yours. Moreover, this pick doesnt count. If the next boss drops something good, you still get the first choice. Gao Da Nian quickly added. Yes, indeed, weve all gotten good things this time. We cant let you lose out; our agreement about your first pick still stands for the next boss. Lin Sheng nodded, with a sincere look on his face. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng knew very well that without Song Jian, they couldnt even defeat the current boss, let alone the next one. To pass this level, theyd have to rely on Song Jian. Hehe, well, 1 wont stand on ceremony then. Song Jian chuckled and put the remaining seven or eight Engineering materials all into his inventory. All these materials were of white grade and useful for Engineering. Even if Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng kept them, theyd just end up being sold in the system shop. So, they might as well let it pass. After all, having a blue grade weapon and a silver grade Skill Scroll were already a bit embarrassing for them. After the three took a break, they headed towards the elevator. To be honest, Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian were a bit scared now. In this game, players only had one life. Death in the game meant a real-world death. Usually, they didnt dare to fight tough monsters. All they did was to slay weak, low-level monsters or gather materials to sell in the shop. This was considered the safest way to play the game. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng exchanged a glance, then their gaze fell on Song Jian. Screw it, winning will get us models in a club, losing well, at worst, we die. Whats there to be afraid of! Both of them seemed to adopt a devil-may-care attitude. Lin Sheng used the access card to open the elevator, and the three of them arrived on the third floor. When the elevator doors opened, the noise level soared unbelievably on the third floor, as if they had just arrived in another world. The third floors space was enormous, even bigger than the first and the second floor combined. It was well beyond the limit set by physics that Song Jian had previously learned. From the outside, the third floors area should be the same as the first and second floors. At this point, the third floor was surrounded by tiered seats filled with people. The excitement of the crowd was palpable, their faces streaked with insane ecstasy as they erupted in screams. In the middle of the third floor was a ring. In the ring, two burly men were fighting each other with everything they had. Every move of theirs targeted their opponents vital points. They were fighting as if squaring off against their fathers mortal enemy, ready to go down with him if necessary. Is that underground boxing? Lin Sheng widened his eyes in disbelief. Arent there a bit too many people here? Gao Da Nian looked around and frowned. There were already over five hundred spectators here, ordinary-looking people. But even ordinary people could be troublesome in such large numbers. On top of that, the fighters in the ring were Level 10 Elite Level Bosses. Gentlemen, weve been expecting you for a long time. Welcome to the Bloody Arena. Your match is next. Get ready! A gentlemanly-dressed man walked briskly up to the trio and politely greeted them. However, unmasked disdain flickered in his eyes. Hey, Brother Song, how about we take this fellow down first? Gao Da Nian gave a sly grin and a menacing look spread across his face. His hand gripped his newly acquired weapon. Dont be reckless, just check his level! Lin Sheng quickly held Gao Da Nian back, his forehead was slick with sweat, and his face was etched with fear. Damn, cant believe theres such a terrifying boss in this instance! Gao Da Nian was flabbergasted. He stammered as he backed away from the man before them. The man in front of them may look like a weak scholar, yet he was a Level 30 Elite Level Boss. This was the only information he deliberately shared. Other than his level, everything else was a string of question marks. The huge level gap made obtaining his full information almost impossible. Well see where he takes us, Song Jians heart pounded, but his face didnt betray any signs. Gentlemen, follow me. Youll be up on stage shortly, the man flashed a mockingly sneer, casually strolled towards a side corridor. Lets follow him! After Song Jian finished speaking, the three of them quickly followed after the man. In no time, the man led the trio to one side of the ring, where he found ten elite individuals sitting silently. Some of them were staring intently at the ring, others were scrutinizing their surroundings, assessing the competitors next to them. Hey, not everyone here is human, Lin Sheng whispered suddenly. Song Jian looked at the dozen Level 10 Elite Level Bosses. Sure enough, half of them werent human. Some had green faces and tusks, looking like the Beastmen from the game. Some had bodies of a man and heads of a tiger, resembling demons. Our, our opponents, arent these guys, right? Level 10 elite bosses Lin Sheng tasted bitterness in his mouth. He had never duelled a Level 10 Elite Boss before and didnt know if he could cope. We dont know if itll be the three of us together or one by one! Gao Da Nians hand, clutching his weapon, was also covered in sweat drop. He felt a pit in his stomach, despite being a Level 7 player, he had never fought a Level 10 Elite Boss. Phew! Song Jian took a deep breath, and solemnly shook his head, Instances wont give us a task that exceeds our skill level. If they really want us to go on the stage, we must have a chance of success. This is not an open-world area, its an instance! After hearing what Song Jian said, Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian felt slightly relieved. Indeed, instances required a minimum level of 5, so any player at level 5 or above should stand a chance of making it through the instance. There wouldnt be a challenge that you cant survive from . While the three were discussing, the fight on the stage had ended. One of the fighters lay in a pool of blood, while the other was full of bloody wounds, with his eye swollen badly, but he was the final winner. Absolutely incredible! Absolutely incredible! A sharp voice echoed around the third floor, In the next round, dear spectators, you will witness a grand visual feast. Our three chosen ones will challenge our competition! Chapter 142 - Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Its My Turn Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Its My Turn Translator: 549690339 Jia Ke Si has issued a challenge to Song Jian, who without any second thoughts, readily accepted it. Im willing to accept your challenge! Song Jian immediately exclaimed. System: Battle profession teacher Jia Ke Si has issued a challenge to you: Arena Battle; Task requirement: Defeat weapon master Jia Ke Si in the arena and gain his acknowledgement; Task reward: Gain Jia Ke Sis trust and he will share information about the profession Weapon Master; Task penalty: Your favorability level with battle profession teacher Jia Ke Si will drop to indifference. Brother Song, whats this ? asked Gao Da Nian, his brows slightly furrowed with confusion. Didnt these two consider themselves opponents? How have they ended up in conversation? Brother Song, have you been given a hidden quest? Lin Sheng asked, with an expression of surprise on his face. Hehe, its not exactly a hidden quest, its my main quest this time! Song Jian laughed. Main quest? Isnt the main task to build a safe house? Lin Sheng asked in confusion. Gao Da Nian suddenly grew excited, energetically clapping Lin Shengs shoulder and saying, Song Brother has already successfully built a safe house! What, youve already done it? Lin Sheng hastily crowded Song Jian and pressed on, Brother Song, you are like my big brother, share with me the secret behind successfully building a safe house! Yeah, Brother Song, please share with us some of your experiences, Gao Da Nian said with an expectant expression. After we clear the copy, come to my safe house as guests and Ill explain everything, Song Jian said with a smile. Thats great! Just then, a white light suddenly shot out from the three of them and Jia Ke Si. With a flash of light, all four appeared in the arena. Oh, forgot to tell you guys, during a weapons battle, only melee weapons can be used, ranged weapons cannot, the guide said in their ears, while standing under the arena with a sneaky smile on his face. Darn it, you Lin Sheng was instantly alarmed. Lin Sheng, calm down! Gao Da Nian held Lin Sheng back. No problem, Lin Sheng, only melee, then only melee. Song Jian looked grim. His rocket launcher had been rendered useless, and couldnt be used. My hand crossbow was also prohibited! Gao Da Nian said grumpily. He had a ranged attack weapon of white-quality, which didnt do much damage, often only acting as bait for monsters, but now he found he couldnt even move it. Go ahead! Jia Ke Si, waving a bronze lamp post in his hand, said to the three. Lin Sheng immediately entered stealth mode, Gao Da Nian charged at Jia Ke Si with his enormous wrench, and Song Jian, clutching a dagger, activated his special skill: a crimson crosshair began scanning Jia Ke Si. Two seconds later, the crosshair disappeared, and Song Jians heart sank; he hadnt discovered any of Jia Ke Sis weak points. Earth Teeth Assault! With no other choice, Song Jian initiated his Earth Teeth Assault, forming a tusk-shaped energy mass which whooshed through the air towards Jia Ke Si. Challenge! Jia Ke Si roared, leaping a good three to four meters into the air and flinging himself at Gao Da Nian. At the peak of his jump, a tusk-shaped energy mass flashed beneath his feet. Thump- A loud collision sound echoed as Jia Ke Sis bronze lamp post collided heavily with Gao Da Nians wrench, dealing over sixty points of damage, as indicated by the number floating above Gao Da Nians head. This guy isnt weak! Gao Da Nian swung his wrench, blocking Jia Ke Sis weapon and aiming a heavy blow at him. Damn, he dodged it! Lin Sheng, who was in stealth mode, was stupefied. How could the bulky Jia Ke Si be so agile, jumping three to four meters high? Dodge it? Not so easy, unless he can truly fly! Smirking, Lin Sheng clutched his Tusk Fang Stinger and lunged at Jia Ke Si. Shhh- The sound of energy cutting through the air suddenly grew louder. The tusk-shaped energy mass at the edge of the arena miraculously turned around and headed towards Jia Ke Sis back. The Earth Teeth Assault skill could only attack targets standing on the ground, but it had a benefit: it could lock onto the target, tracking them no matter how they tried to dodge. However, when the target launched into the air, the Earth Teeth Assault skill wouldnt disappear immediately, but after the target had been in the air for three seconds. If the target merely jumped, they couldnt evade it. Jia Ke Sis previous skill had allowed him to jump high but did not enable him to hover in the air, so the Earth Teeth Assault skill had been firmly locked onto him. As Jia Ke Si battled with Gao Da Nian, the sharp sound of the energy mass grew nearer from behind. Just as Jia Ke Si prepared to evade, Gao Da Nian grinned slyly and swung his wrench towards him. A white light flashed and the wrench teeth opened wide, firmly gripping Jia Ke Sis weapon. Restraining Strike, it can hold the opponents weapon for three seconds, interrupting the release of the opponents skills, and has a certain chance to damage the opponents weapon! Jia Ke Sis movements came to a halt, and he couldnt activate any skills. Boom- The tusk-shaped energy mass slammed into Jia Ke Sis back. Just then, Lin Sheng appeared behind Jia Ke Si, his dagger lashing out like a poisonous snake towards his back. Backstab! Dealing 150% + 15 weapon damage! As damage was taken, a golden light appeared above Jia Ke Sis head. This was the unique chain skill point of the rogue profession. If five were accumulated, then the ultimate skill could be released, causing a large amount of damage. Unfortunately, Lin Sheng did not yet possess a skill book for the rogues finisher. Within the first few moments of engagement, Jia Ke Sis vitality points had already been depleted by over a hundred, but Jia Ke Si did not waver at all. As he had a mask on, his expression couldnt be discerned. Song Jian was also flourishing his dagger, leaving a deep cut on Jia Ke Sis arm, the blood splattering. Once the three-second period was up, a strong wind began swirling around Jia Ke Si, and all the damage inflicted on him turned into zeroes. Invincible defense? A surprised look appeared on Song Jians face as he swiftly backed away. How can there be such an outrageous skill! Seeing a string of MISS popping up above Jia Ke Sis head, Lin Sheng also swiftly dodged to the side. Now, its my turn! No sooner had Jia Ke Sis deep voice died down than his bronze lamp post smashed heavily into Song Jian. Instantly, an over eighty-point critical damage floated above Song Jians head; concurrently, a dizzy symbol appeared above Song Jians head, he was left immobilized, unable to move. Brother Song, watch out! Lin Shengs face changed, and he hastily lunged at Jia Ke Si. Gao Da Nian was hesitant for a moment. He only had about sixty percent of his vitality points left. If the earlier strike had hit him, he would have been on the brink of death. But eventually, gritting his teeth, Gao Da Nian swung his wrench and slammed it hard on Jia Ke Sis head. Chapter 143 - Chapter 143: Chapter 143: You Know Nothing about Power Chapter 143: Chapter 143: You Know Nothing about Power Translator: 549690339 Song Jians recent Earth Teeth Assault move has successfully drawn Jia Ke Sis wrath towards him, repeatedly striking him with the brass lantern post in his hand; However, fortunately, Jia Ke Sis immunity to damage only lasted for a short two or three seconds before disappearing, easing the concerns of Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian; The three of them circled Jia Ke Si, constantly attacking him. They had developed a somewhat tacit understanding in their advances and retreats. Regardless of who Jia Ke Si attacked, the targeted person would cease their attack and dodge relentlessly; the other two, in turn, would focus all their attack skills on Jia Ke Si. When Jia Ke Sis aggro shifted, another person would take over dodging. Regardless, there were always two people fully launching their capacity on him. This strategy continuously depleted Jia Ke Sis Vitality Points; The chubby commentator at the side did not seem very pleased with Jia Ke Si, often ridiculing him in his commentary; Oh, the tall Devotee has harshly struck our Weapons Master again! His weapon looks like a wrench. It appears that this Devotee specializes in repairs! the chubb commentator exclaimed in an exaggerated tone: Even our Weapons Master, who supposedly excels in handling all weapons, would probably find this wrench extremely unfamiliar. Look! Hes striking again, hitting Jia Ke Si right in the head. Oh dear, I can feel the pain just from watching, I wonder what Jia Ke Si is feeling We have three Devotees here, with levels ranging from ten at the highest to merely six at the lowest, while Jia Ke Si is a level 10 elite. Its rumored that Jia Ke Si is called a killing machine on the battlefield, but today, it seems our killing machine has lost his sharpness. I think we ought to oil him up a little Jia Ke Sis Vitality Points have dropped below 70%. Meanwhile, the lowest Vitality Points of the three Devotees is still above 80%. My god, could it be that our Weapons Master is about to be defeated by three Devotees? Maybe he should change his weapon instead of continually using his brass lantern post The commentators words incited an uproar of laughter from the audience, who began hurling insults at Jia Ke Si; Jia Ke Si, are you so old that you can no longer wield a blade? A spectator stood on his seat, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his shout; Three effeminate Devotees managed to push you to such an extent, Jia Ke Si, you should come down and stop making a fool of yourself! We want to see the Blood Queen. Jia Ke Si, sit your ass back down. What the hell are you trying to play The cacophony from the surrounding audience was like a raging sea. However, the three men on the arena felt an increasing pressure. They discovered that Jia Ke Sis movements seemed to be getting faster; Damn it, is it my illusion? His movements are twice as fast as they were at the beginning! Gao Da Nian shouted. He could no longer attack Jia Ke Si, and could only devote himself to resisting Jia Ke Sis attacks; Clang, clang, clang- While Jia Ke Si was attacking Gao Da Nian, he still had the energy to fend off the attacks from Song Jian and Lin Sheng. This change made their hearts sink, their faces turning grim; Indeed, his attack speed is accelerating. We should back off a little; he still has a lot of Vitality Points left! Lin Sheng shouted loudly; We cant back down. If we let him build momentum, well all die here on the stage! Song Jian yelled, his dagger continuously thrusting towards Jia Ke Si; At present, the three of them could barely suppress Jia Ke Si. Withdrawing now and letting Jia Ke Si gain momentum would make trying to suppress him again ten, even a hundred times harder; Charged Strike! Jia Ke Si growled, the surface of the brass lamp post in his hand exuded a milky white aura. The glow intensified as he raised the lamp post, ruthlessly smashing it towards Song Jians head; This post was as heavy as a thousand catties and gave Song Jian an irresistible feeling, as if a mountain was hanging above his head and about to fall.; Run! Song Jian shouted, hurriedly throwing himself to the side; Boom- The lamp post plunged onto the floor of the arena, causing a loud rumble and forming a large hole in its wake. The aura exploded, sending Gao Da Nian and the others flying; Having lost control of their bodies, the three of them were tossed high into the air, and then fell in disarray towards the periphery of the arena; Jump Slash! Jia Ke Si retracted his brass lamp post and his body followed suit jumping high, swinging the post towards Song Jian in mid-air, about to fall; Boom! This time, Song Jian had no way to dodge, his shoulder taking the full force of the hit. A noise of cracking bones was followed by a sharp pain in his right shoulder, then numbness took over; Damn it! Song Jian muttered, sending a silver Sword Qi towards Jia Ke Sis chest with his left index finger; A three-meter-long silver Sword Qi passed through Jia Ke Sis chest, a meter-long Sword Qi protruding from his back; Whoosh- The Sword Qi disappeared after a second. Song Jian was slammed hard onto the arena, and his left arm caved in as the Tusk Fang Stinger rolled away from his palm; Detonate! On the floor of the arena, Song Jian, unable to treat his injured right arm, shouted sternly; A blast of green smoke burst open from Jia Ke Sis body, making his arch-enemy, already severely injured in the chest, fall to his knees on the arena floor; Jia Ke Sis blood volume had now fallen below 50%. Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian glanced at each other, rushing towards Jia Ke Si, who had sunk to his knees on the arena floor. All their weapons were aimed at Jai Ke Sis back; Song Jian swung his right arm and a white light fell on his shoulder. Instantly, the broken bone status disappeared, and his right shoulder returned to normal. However, the lost Vitality Points couldnt be restored; That previous strike had blown away nearly a hundred of Song Jians Vitality Points. His Vitality Points are now slightly over 160, like Jia Ke Si, dropping below the 50% mark; Squish- Boom! Lin Shengs dagger brutally stabbed into Jia Ke Sis back and Gao Da Nians wrench hit his neck; Two damage points, over twenty each, floated above Jia Ke Sis head; You lot know nothing of true power! Jia Ke Si muttered, slowly getting up, his body still shaking; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Jia Ke Si began to swing his brass lamp post. As it spun above his head, its aura flared. Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian were startled and hurriedly dodged backward. Their Vitality Points were also barely over a hundred. If the previous Jump Slash had been aimed at them, they would have been killed instantly; Vroom- To everyones shock, the brass lamp post in Jia Ke Sis hand transformed into the formidable Square Sky Halberd. Its crescent-shaped blades and spearhead glinted threateningly in the light; Take this! Jia Ke Si roared defiantly. The Square Sky Halberd in his hand emitted a piercing whistling sound, speeding towards Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian; Chapter 144 - Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Knights Faith Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Knights Faith Translator: 549690339 The Square Sky Halberd in Jia Ke Sis hands swings with a roar, creating a two-meter distance that prevents Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian from advancing. From afar, all they could see was a swirl of white light around Jia Ke Si; This guys skill with the Square Sky Halberd is too good! Gao Da Nian, struggling to defend himself with a wrench, could not find an opportunity to attack; Lin Sheng was forced to edge towards the edge of the ring. The entirety of the ring, being 5 meters wide and 8 meters long, was now almost one-third dominated by the swings of Jia Ke Sis Square Sky Halberd; Brother Song, think of something! Lin Sheng anxiously pleaded; Song Jian picked up the Tusk Fang Stinger again, right hand pressing against the floor; Earth Teeth Assault! A tusks-like Qi mass rushed towards Jia Ke Si. Jia Ke Si bellowed, his body violently spinning, the Square Sky Halberd in his hand whisked upwards. A white force burst from the Halberd, colliding with the tusks-like Qi mass, the impact shaking the entire ring; After switching weapons, hes like a different person. Even Lv Bu isnt this exaggerated. Song Jian couldnt help but widen his eyes; In his hands, the Square Sky Halberd, after an expansive swing, has astonishingly transformed into a large axe, hacking towards the others; Da Nian, see how he uses the axe, then look at yourself! Lin Sheng, dodging like a monkey, scornfully said to Gao Da Nian; This guy, he must have a proficiency in long-handle weapons, and it mustnt be a low level. Gao Da Nians face turns red, wielding his wrench against the large axe of Jia Ke Si; Jia Ke Si pulled back the battle axe and then launched a fierce blow towards Gao Da Nian. At the same time, the axe turned into a long spear, formed from solid steel with the spear tip alone measuring over a yard; Control! Gao Da Nian, facing the spear tip just a foot from his forehead, broke into a cold sweat. If it wasnt for the default Control skill of his weapon, that strike would have pierced his skull; Jia Ke Si, gripping the long spear and pulling it back aggressively, forced Gao Da Nian to stumble forwards but he resolutely held on. Jia Ke Si didnt dare to let go because once he lost his weapon, he would no longer be a weapon master; Lin Sheng and Song Jian wouldnt waste the three-second window. They took the opportunity to attack Jia Ke Sis back relentlessly. Song Jians Tusk Fang Stinger shone with a silver light, Invisible Sword Qi surged towards the dagger as if it was free, every strike carried at least thirty points of Invisible Sword Qi; With the sharpness of the Invisible Sword Qi, Jia Ke Sis defense was easily broken. Numbers over fifty started popping above Jia Ke Sis head indicating the damage he had received; In those three seconds, Song Jian and Lin Sheng had inflicted at least two hundred points of damage on Jia Ke Si; Watch out! Gao Da Nian bellowed, his body staggering backward; Jia Ke Si regained his freedom, swung the spear with both hands, and with a swoosh, he swung it towards his back. During the sweep, the spear changed back into a Mo Dao. The heavy Mg Dao split the air and swept towards their waists. If hit, Song Jian and Lin Sheng could possibly be sliced into two halves; Plop- Lin Shengs figure suddenly exploded into a cloud of black mist. To the naked eye, a translucent figure violently leapt back from the smoke, jumping at least three meters away; Song Jian, watching the Mo Dao approach, found his mind going blank. He felt like death was only half a step away; Knights faith! A milky-white force field appeared around Song Jian, like an eggshell, protecting him. This was a skill afforded by his secondary weapon, the Guardians Sword, that could instantly form a force field with 500 defense points. The shield can last for 10 seconds and if it gets broken in under 10 seconds, it will automatically restore 30% of Song Jians vitality points; Bang- The strangers sword fiercely hacked at the psychic shield, causing a significant indentation in it. Song Jians waist was less than five inches away from the blade, but in the end, he managed to withstand this move from Jia Ke Si. No, this is impossible! Jia Ke Si mumbled on about the impossibility, but his strangers sword swirled violently in his hand, then fiercely struck down again. Boom- The psychic shield was eventually overpowered and shattered. Song Jian rolled like a donkey towards the edge of the arena, his body harshly slamming against the barricade rope at the edge. Song Jian, who was initially left with only a hundred and more Vitality Points, saw his Vitality Points surge sharply, restoring more than a hundred and ten points. Backstab! Just then, Lin Shengs figure was like a ghost, transforming into a ray of gray light, rushing towards Jia Ke Sis back. His speed increased greatly, leaving behind a trail of afterimages while running. Splat! A jet of blood burst forth from Jia Ke Sis back. Lin Sheng had landed a hit and quickly retreated a great distance, widening the gap between him and Jia Ke Si. Jia Ke Si reacted quickly. At the moment of the attack, the strangers sword in his hand immediately turned into a slender seedling knife, swiping upwards behind him at great speed. Lin Sheng touched the shallow knife mark from the tip of his nose to his forehead, his eyes filled with fear. If he was a fraction of a second slower, Jia Ke Sis blade would have split Lin Shengs abdomen open. At this point, Jia Ke Sis Vitality Points had already dropped below 10%, but he didnt seem to be losing momentum, instead showing a sense of invigoration as the fight went on. His attack speed had increased significantly, and he swung his weapon so swiftly that it was hard to catch a glimpse. Both hands appeared blurry. Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian didnt even dare to fight Jia Ke Si face-to-face anymore. They constantly maneuvered around the rim of the arena, looking for an opportunity. When Jia Ke Si leaped towards Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian, the two of them immediately turned tail and ran, their actions almost identical. Hearts Eye! Gleaming from Song Jians eyes, a crimson crosshair began to continuously probe Jia Ke Sis body. Earth Teeth Assault! The Tusk Fang Stinger energy orb moved along an arc on the arena floor, chasing after Jia Ke Si, who at this point was hot on Lin Shengs trail, periodically using the Leap Chop skill to strike at him. At this point, Lin Sheng had used some skill to greatly increase his movement speed, leaving behind an afterimage at least two to three meters long. Each time, he managed to dodge Jia Ke Sis attack by a hairs breadth. Brother Song, my speed boost can only last six more seconds. Save me! Lin Sheng shouted as he dodged, his face covered in sweat and looking very anxious. Gao, how long until you can use your weapon skill? Song Jian shouted. Five seconds! Gao Da Nian, who was chasing after Jia Ke Si, shouted back. Boom- The Earth Teeth Assault skill fiercely hit Jia Ke Sis back. Damage above sixty points burst from atop Jia Ke Sis head, and he staggered forward. His Vitality Points are less than a hundred and fifty. Hang in there! Song Jian shouted, leaping towards Jia Ke Si. Chapter 145 - Chapter 145: Chapter 145 Victory Chapter 145: Chapter 145 Victory Translator: 549690339 The crimson crosshair kept moving across Jia Ke Si, bringing joy to Song Jians heart. With his experience, the longer the crosshair existed, the higher chance it had of finding a weakness. Sure enough, the crosshair finally stopped on Jia Ke Sis left waist, indicating a red area about the size of a palm. Lin Sheng, Gao Da Nian, attack Jia Ke Sis left waist! Song Jian yelled aloud. Bro, I cant stop! Lin Sheng howled in desperation. His dodge skill had improved by more than 80% with his increase in speed. Otherwise, he wouldve died long ago under Jia Ke Sis raging flurry of attacks. Jia Ke Sis attacks were rapid and tight, with his weapon swirling above Lin Shengs head. It was emitting intense energy as it relentlessly pursued Lin Sheng. Although Gao Da Nian could attack Jia Ke Si, he was too slow to catch up with the speedier Lin Sheng and Jia Ke Si. He could only follow behind them, eating their dust. If the arena wasnt so small, he wouldve lost sight of them already. Run this way! Song Jian bellowed. Lin Shengs figure drastically curved, managing to dodge Jia Ke Sis attack by rolling and crawling. A chilly blade mark remained in the air. Damn, I shouldve not executed the Backstab skill earlier, Lin Sheng gritted his teeth, muttering to himself. The last Backstab had dealt terrifying critical damage, causing Jia Ke Si to focus his aggro on him. Seeing that the speed-boost effect only had three seconds left, Lin Sheng panicked. Hearing Song Jians voice, Lin Sheng didnt hesitate and immediately ran towards Song Jians location. Brother Song, save me! Lin Sheng screamed, with a hint of whining. Song Jian stood to the left, clutching the Tusk Fang Stinger securely in his hand. Lin Sheng dashed past Song Jian, with Jia Ke Si chasing behind him, swinging his weapon. The weapon had again transformed into a brass lamppost. The huge lamppost whizzed through the air, leaving a replica mark as it aimed for Lin Shengs retreating back. Right then, Song Jians dagger pierced towards Jia Ke Sis left waist like a venomous snake, similar to a predatory cobra striking a fleeting bird. Splat- The Tusk Fang Stinger accurately stabbed into Jia Ke Sis left waist, the spot that was recognized as his weak point. In reality, it was also an old injury of Jia Ke Si. This offensive tore through Jia Ke Sis defense. The blade penetrated a third of the way in before being arrested by Jia Ke Sis muscles. The gushing blood painted half of Song Jians body red, making him look like a blood man. Jia Ke Si issued a pained growl, originally intended to strike in front. Now, the brass lamppost curved to strike at Song Jian who was occupying Jia Ke Sis left side, leaving a deep mark on the arena floor that was more than a foot long. It went from bottom to top. The wind roared, the chilly energy slashed Song Jians face, leaving multiple bloody marks. A thought raced through Song Jians mind. He wouldnt be able to dodge this blow anyhow. If so, he could only counter Song Jian let out a low growl as he focused all his strength into his hands. His hands firmly grasped the handle of the dagger and his whole body pressed forward. Squelch- Another gush of blood shot out as the entire dagger blade sunk into flesh. Song Jian even pushed Jia Ke Sis body and threw himself forward a few steps. Thump- The brass lamppost left a mark in the air before fiercely landing on Song Jians shoulder. His right shoulder, which had already recovered, once more made a cracking sound akin to a fracture. Over a hundred points of critical damage floated above Song Jians head and his vitality points gone down significantly, making hearts shudder. Pin down! Gao Da Nian, who had been relentlessly chasing, also joined the battle. On seeing the damage over Song Jians head, Gao Da Nians eyes turned red. The wrench in his hand smashed fiercely onto Jia Ke Si. Clink- The wrench heads screw rotated automatically. Its jaws resembled a beasts gaping mouth, firmly gripping the brass lamppost held by Jia Ke Si. Lin Sheng! Gao Da Nian roared, his face distorted. Deathblow! Lin Shengs figure shot out like a specter. Although the speed boost effect had worn off, his action of pouncing on Jia Ke Si was still as swift as a leopard. Lin Shengs vitality point, which was more than 80% restored, plummeted like a dam had been breached. His defense and resistance also dropped to zero. All his attributes had been converted into attack power as they converged onto Lin Shengs strike. If this wasnt the final boss, if Jia Ke Si wasnt already nearing death, Lin Sheng wouldnt have used this move! If he used this move and the enemy didnt die, Lin Sheng would be the one to die! A critical damage value of over 180 points appeared above Jia Ke Sis head. Jia Ke Si was now left with under a hundred vitality points. Lin Shengs explosive damage was enough to kill him. Song Jian withdrew his dagger and sat on the arena floor. Gao Da Nian released the wrench and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Lin Sheng was in worse condition, like a lump of goo lying on the arena. If not for the gentle rise and fall of his chest, he might have been mistaken for a corpse. Do you know what the ultimate weapon is? Jia Ke Si suddenly spoke. Dammit, this guy isnt dead yet! The pretending-to-be-dead Lin Sheng was startled and quickly rolled towards the edge of the arena. Gao Da Nian bounced up from the arena floor like a spring. He grabbed his wrench and held it protectively in front of his chest. Song Jians face also revealed a surprised expression, looking towards Jia Ke Sis overhead vitality points. Now, Jia Ke Sis vitality points were only left with one point; moreover, it seemed to be locked and wouldnt decrease further. Ladies and Gentlemen! Lets cheer! Our three warriors have predictedly beaten Jia Ke Si, the one who calls himself weapon master but is often overlooked! The chubby commentator roared. However, the surrounding audience didnt seem too impressed and collectively let out boos. To become a weapon master, you must be proficient with all sorts of weapons. Just now, 1 demonstrated how to switch among different weapons and how to ingeniously connect their use. If you wish to take up the profession of weapon master, come find me. Jia Ke Si said slowly, glancing at Song Jian. System: You have found a combat profession mentor and learned about the weapon master profession. Main quest progress: 3/10; Chapter 146 - Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Treasure Chest Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Treasure Chest Translator: 549690339 Brother Song, if we didnt kill him, did we waste our time? Lin Sheng asked with a grieving face, his Vitality Points had only recovered to about one-tenth; I dont know either! Song Jians Vitality Points were also low, just over a hundred. If they continued to fight, he would probably be unable to withstand Jia Ke Sis critical hit; Did we win? Arent there any rewards? Gao Da Nian asked, gasping for breath with a puzzled expression. Jia Ke Si nodded at Song Jian, holding the brass column in his arms, and slowly walked towards the stage; In this battle, Song Jian also gained something, at least he completed a part of the main task. He didnt expect that a boss he encountered in a dungeon could be leading his battle career tutor. The game was becoming more and more interesting. Would he encounter similar monsters in the wild in the future? When the battle ended, the surrounding audience didnt seem to buy it. They were cursing wildly and throwing junk at the ring like a rainstorm. The usher man walked up to the stage and just as he stepped onto the stage, the surrounding audience suddenly fell silent. The usher man quietly swept a glance at the surroundings. All the audience sat down quietly, with their hands on their knees, sitting just like elementary school students; Since the Gods Chosen have been ultimately victorious, 1 will be the one to open the reward chest for them! The usher man said leisurely; At this moment, a giant chest more than half a person tall suddenly appeared in the center of the ring, shining with a golden light, dazzling and eye-catching; This is a reward given by the gods to the Gods Chosen. Even we dont know what treasures are inside the chest. Do any audience members want to bet on the quality of the treasures inside? Silver quality and above is a big explosion, blue quality and below is a big drop. Now there are five minutes, and everyone is free to place bets. A big explosion pays three to one, a big drop pays one to one point two! The fat commentator shouted opportunistically; Big drop, I bet they will get junk! One of the audience members waved the Doomsday Coins in their hands and roared loudly; Big drop, definitely a big drop! The surrounding audience also let out roars, it seems that none of these NPCs had a good impression of the so-called Gods Chosen; Sir, if we had lost just now, we wouldnt have died either, would we? Lin Sheng suddenly approached the usher man and asked quietly. Of course. The usher man glanced at Lin Sheng, a look of curiosity flashed through his eyes, and he smiled: It was just a sparring match just now, which would automatically lock your last drop of Vitality Points. If it were a life and death battle, then you would have to resign to fate! Kid, 1 think youd be perfect as a king in the shadows. When you reach level ten, come find me in the true difficulty. If you can clear the true difficulty dungeon, 1 might give you some extra rewards. The usher man looked up and down at Lin Sheng and said with a grin; True difficulty? The three of them looked at each other and froze at the same time; Of course, what youve just cleared is the simple difficulty. There is also a hard difficulty behind it. Once youve beaten the hard difficulty, you can choose to enter the true difficulty. However, by that time, with your current strength, Im afraid The usher mans mouth slightly curled up, and he said in a low voice: You will die miserably! This is just the simple difficulty? Oh my God! Gao Da Nian took a deep breath and whispered in lingering fear: This dungeon is simply perverted. I dont plan to come back before level io, no, level 15. Song Jian shook his head slightly, with his strength, he was simply no match for Jia Ke Si in the end, even if he had been allowed to use ranged weapons, he wouldnt have been Jia Ke Sis opponent. Jia Ke Sis speed got faster and faster towards the end, and he couldnt even see the moves. It was simply perverted; Lin Sheng looked at the usher man with a difficult expression on his face. It seemed the usher man was another hidden task for him, which might be related to his career choice. But the true difficulty Lin Sheng sighed, he was still far from level 10, he would see when the time comes, maybe by the time he reaches level 10, his strength would have changed drastically. Five minutes passed quickly, and the timer on the chest was down to the last few seconds; Most of the audience bet that the three of them would get a big drop in their rewards, but this was something no one could control, it all depended on their luck; The usher man walked to the front of the chest quickly, placed his hand on the chest, and soon, the chest let out a crisp click sound. The lid slowly opened, and immediately, a silver light bloomed from inside the chest; Instantly, the entire arena was boiling, and most of the audience members who bought the big drop bet stood up, cursing and tearing their betting slips into pieces and throwing them towards the stage. However, most of the betting slips eventually landed on the heads of the front-row audience, like a snowfall covering the entire arena; A few of the audience members, who took an unusual route and bought the big explosion, had a slight smile on their faces, holding the betting slips tightly in their hands. A three-to-one payout, such odds havent appeared in a long time; Although betting on the big explosion paid three-to-one, the arena obviously made a fortune this time. The usher man also had a slight smile on his face, and the fat commentator was even happier, waving his arms and legs, shouting something on the stage. Excitement shone in the eyes of Song Jian and the others, as they had never seen silver quality items before. Song Jian had only seen one once in the hands of Li Keer, the games sweetheart; A silver quality plate armor chest piece! The usher man took out a half-plate armor first from the chest and smiled slightly at the three of them: Your luck is not bad, this level 10 silver quality chest armor has a very good attribute! The chest piece was passed around among the three, finally landing in Song Jians hands; Although Lin Shengs eyes were filled with envy, he knew that the chest piece was too heavy to wear and would be more of a burden than a benefit to him, who was seeking agility; Song Jian looked at the chest piece, thought for a while, and threw it directly to Gao Da Nian. This equipment was not suitable for him. In his mind, the equipment suitable for him should be leather armor or light chain mail, anything heavier would affect his agility; For, for me? Gao Da Nian had a surprised expression on his face. Maybe this was the only silver quality equipment in the chest. Although Gao Da Nian was also very envious, he had already agreed that Song Jian had the right to choose first. In his opinion, Song Jian would definitely choose this silver quality equipment; You take it, this equipment is most suitable for you! Song Jian shook his head and said. If it werent for Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng, he wouldnt have been able to complete this dungeon, especially the final Jia Ke Si; At this point, Song Jian had already considered Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng his partners, even if he could sell this equipment for thousands of Doomsday Coins by just announcing it on the radio. Since Gao Da Nian was the most suitable among the three to wear this equipment, Song Jian would give it to him; However, even after taking out the chest piece, the silver light inside the chest still hadnt weakened much, it seemed that there was at least one more silver quality equipment inside. Song Jian was filled with anticipation for this; Chapter 147 - Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Portable Pharmaceutical Workbench Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Portable Pharmaceutical Workbench Translator: 549690339 | Oh, it looks like you guys have good luck. Theres even a silver-quality equipment inside 1 The guide looked at the three of them in surprise, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes, secretly thinking: Are the favored ones really so blessed? You should know that the reason why the casino has a big payout of three to one is mainly because the probability of losing in the final reward is higher. Many people win in the casino, but often dont even get a single blue-quality equipment. If theres a green-quality one, its considered good luck. Most of them are white-quality equipment. What the guide didnt expect was that this fighting club dungeon had been cleared countless times by NPCs in other places, but here, in this Zombie City, it was Song Jian and his friends first time clearing it, so the rewards were naturally different. Soon, the guide took out a bead emitting a silver light from the treasure chest. This bead was only the size of a fingertip, round and smooth, like a pearl. Its a hidden weapon, and its attributes are top-notch! The guide glanced at the attributes of the bead in his hand, with a trace of greed in his eyes. Even at level 30, he found the beads attributes tempting. Soul Shattering Bead (Silver): Hidden weapon, off-hand weapon, equipped effect: Agility + 2, attack speed increased by 15%; Special effect 1: Causes 80 damage to targets within 30 meters, causing 3 seconds of stun effect; Special effect 2: Charging (passive), after equipping this item, critical hit rate increases by 1% every 60 seconds, up to 100%, after dealing damage to a target, it needs to be charged again; Special effect 3: This item can automatically return to the equipment slot 10 seconds after use; Special effect 4: This item has a guaranteed hit attribute, with priority; Equipment requirement: Level 10. Can be taken out of the game: No. What a pity, this hidden weapon requires an off-hand equipment slot, otherwise, its rank could have been raised to the gold rank. The guide shook his head slightly, with a somewhat regretful tone. Ordinary hidden weapons are usually placed in the inventory, and most of them are single-use items, disappearing after being used. However, this Soul Shattering Bead has the attributes of equipment, placed in the off-hand equipment slot, can enhance attributes, and even has the ability to auto retrieve itself. It can be compared to a silver-quality off-hand weapon. Wow, this is a good item! Gao Da Nian looked somewhat envious. Although his main weapon was a two-handed polearm, he could still place an item on his main and off-hand slots. Each player can freely switch between three weapons. This equipment tempted Song Jian as well. He couldnt use the chest armor he found earlier, so he gave it up, but this off-hand weapon, though it conflicted with his green-quality Guardians Sword, seemed like a shame not to take. Seeing Lin Shengs eager desire, Song Jian smiled faintly, holding the Soul Shattering Bead and said, Theres still equipment inside the treasure chest, lets see what the next one is!'' The opening of the treasure chest was still emitting a silver light, and the guides eyes showed shock. One reward consisting of three silver-quality equipment was unprecedented in the hundreds of battles they had seen. Theres another silver*quality equipment. Your luck is really The guide was somewhat speechless. Such gains even made him a little tempted. The third piece of equipment was a small silver-lit briefcase. This is The guide s eyes were filled with astonishment as he stared intently at the small briefcase in his hand. A portable, mobile alchemy workbench? Alchemy workbench? Song Jians heart moved. He had learned two auxiliary skills, one was the blueprint for the T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenade, which couldnt be used due to lack of engineering at the time, and before obtaining the blueprint, Song Jian had learned alchemy first, even getting a potion formula for the Wealmess Potion. However, he still hadnt crafted it due to a lack of an item like the Engineering Crafting Table.11 I didnt expect that this dungeon would bring me both of the missing auxiliary tools. Should I choose the Soul Shattering Bead or this mobile, portable alchemy workbench? Song Jian hesitated for a moment. Lin Sheng wasnt too interested in the alchemy workbench. He briefly looked at the workbenchs attributes, curled his lips, and gave up on the item, with his eyes fixed on the Soul Shattering Bead in Song Jians hand, showing a pitiful expression. If the Soul Shattering Bead was placed in Gao Da Nian or Song Jians hands, it would at most be just another tool for drawing aggro, but in Lin Shengs hands, it could produce 200% of its effect. This equipment increased agility by 2 points and attack speed by 15%, and none of its special effects were useless, all of them were first-class. Although the use of this Soul Shattering Bead would mean giving up an off-hand weapon, for Lin Sheng, he only needed a main-hand dagger for all his skills. This bead could even act as his trump card. Brother Song Lin Sheng looked at Song Jian pitifully, hoping he would choose the alchemy workbench. Silver equipment is common, but silver-quality workbenches, I havent seen one in decades. I didnt expect one to appear here. The guide shakes his head and speaks in a low voice. Song Jian looked up at the guide, weighed it for a while, and eventually handed the Soul Shattering Bead to Lin Sheng. Thanks, Brother Song! Lin Sheng was extremely happy. Although he couldnt equip it yet, looking at the attributes of the Soul Shattering Bead, he couldnt help but laugh foolishly. A level 10 off-hand weapon, not bad! Gao Da Nian spoke enviously. His silver-quality chest armor was also a level 10 equipment, but generally speaking, in the same rank of equipment, weapons were worth more than armor. Congratulations, you might become an alchemy master in the future! The guide laughed and handed the small briefcase to Song Jian. Song Jian gave a slight smile, nodding at him. Up to now, he still didnt know if choosing a silver-quality alchemy workbench was a wise decision. Bang* After the three silver-quality equipment were taken out, the treasure chest in the center of the ring suddenly burst, turning into light gold fragments and slowly disappearing in mid-air. As the treasure chest burst, the remaining items in it sprayed into the sky like a shower of celestial flowers. Wow, there are so many rewards! Gao Da Nian was amazed, watching the dozen or so items falling slowly from the sky. Theyre all wThite-quality items, mostly materials. Ugh, its so messy. Theres a bit of everything! Lin Sheng randomly grabbed an item, checked its attributes, and frowned slightly. Haha, lets not divide these items, whoever grabs them first gets them. Haha! Song Jian laughed heartily and leaped to grab an item and put it into his inventory. You guys are cheating! Gao Da Nian let out a strange cry and pounced towards the falling items in the sky. The guide gave a faint smile, looked at Lin Shengs back, and slowly walked towards the exit of the ring. Chapter 148 - Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Three-Eyed Zombie Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Three-Eyed Zombie Translator: 549690339 After Song Jian and his two companions had picked up all the remaining items, a few seconds passed, and their vision blurred, sending them into a feeling of weightlessness. Soon, the trio found themselves outside the entrance of the boxing gyms instance. Despite feeling fast within the instance, it was already nightfall, meaning they had been in there for several hours. However, the number of players awaiting outside hadnt decreased. Seeing the trio emerge, a wave of excitement swept through the waiting players, who promptly surged forward. Hey, there they are, there they are! How was the instance, you guys? Was it hard? Did you clear it? someone shouted. Yeah, was the monsters inside tough? What level were they? You can enter at level five, the monsters inside must start at level five too, right? How many bosses were there? The instance entrance was jam-packed with dozens of excited and shouting players; this being the first instance in the game, everyone was eager to know how long it would last. The previous End of the World supermarket had caused many players to withdraw in tears, and many players still had a task pending- procuring a supermarket membership card. Song Jian glanced at Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng, then upon subtle cue, his body transformed into a dark misty cloud and floated skyward. This was a special ability from the Night Slayer Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, allowing him to morph into Dark Cloud and fly at night. Song Jian had never used it before, but now it was the perfect means to escape. Otherwise, being surrounded by so many players, it would have required quite some effort to leave without killing everyone. Lin Sheng chuckled, signalled take care of yourself to Gao Da Nian, and instantly vanished into stealth mode, squeezing himself out of the crowd. Hey, hey, you guys cant just run off and leave me here alone, Gao Da Nian complained, pushing forward but the crowd was too thick. Several players were clinging onto his arms, grinning broadly and refusing to let him leave. Gao Da Nian almost wished he had a wrench to bash in the heads of the players blocking his way. Want to know? Why dont you all go in and see for yourselves? We cleared it, but only the easiest difficulty level. There are still two other difficulty levels C hard and real. There are three bosses inside, the weakest being level five elite and the strongest being level ten elite. Both the bosses and minions in there are much tougher than those outside. We just managed to clear it, barely surviving. Enough, enough, let me go. If you keep holding me up, Ill get angry! Gao Da Nian snapped impatiently. Hey, what kind of loot did you get in there? Show us what you got! someone shouted from within the crowd. Yeah, show us the gear you got, give us a peek! someone else chimed in, egging him on. By this time, Lin Sheng had already squeezed his way out and was watching from afar, chuckling at Gao Da Nian who was still stuck in the crowd. He disappeared into a nearby alley with another chuckle. Just a silver chestplate, alright? Now Im leaving, so move! Gao Da Nian revealed his silver-grade chestplate, the faint silver glow enveloping his upper body and drawing gasps of awe from the surrounding players. You should know, getting just a white-quality item is already considered lucky in the current game. If you had a green or blue-quality item, you could show off for a good while, considered top-tier. Many players had only heard of silver gear but have never seen it. What attributes does that chestplate have? Yeah, let us see. We just want to learn something. Some started instigating in the crowd, but Gao Da Nians face turned serious at this point. The attributes of ones gear were considered a players privacy. Even among good friends, it was frowned upon to ask to see each others gear attributes. No matter how amiable he was, Gao Da Nian wouldnt reveal all of his gear attributes in front of so many people. Hey, dont push it! Annoyance flickered onto Gao Da Nians face. He shook off the players gripping him, and a wave of people was knocked backward as if they were standing on cotton, stumbling and falling to the floor. Even though Gao Da Nian wasnt as strong as Song Jian, the difference was only marginal. Compared to the average levelling player, his strength was on a whole other level. When he made an effort, no one could stop him. With a wave of both his arms, a narrow path was cleared ahead. Seeing this, he snorted coldly and effortlessly pushed his way through the crowd. Despite his high strength attribute, Gao Da Nian couldnt help but break a sweat from the effort of forcing himself out of the crowd. Casting a look back at the stumbling players, he snorted coldly again, put away his chest plate and started to walk down another street. Meanwhile, Song Jian, having just used his Morphing into Dark Cloud ability for the first time, found the experience interesting. He aimlessly floated in the sky. Due to the darkness of the night, he could only make out vague shapes below. He noticed that more monsters, much larger in size, inhabited the city centre. Additionally, on top of almost every tall building, there will be one or several monsters quietly lying there, waiting for the moon to rise. All of these monsters were at least elite level bosses. Song Jian even noticed on top of the highest skyscraper, a boss of higher level, a Lord-ranked monster lazily lying there. If not for the occasional wagging of its tail, Song Jian would have barely noticed it. Seeing all these bosses on top of every skyscraper, Song Jian felt his heart pounding. He wondered just how many powerful monsters resided in this city and how difficult it would be for him to survive in the city with his current abilities, much less leaving this city to explore other areas. Just then, the cloud cover in the sky dissipated slowly, revealing a pale sickle moon. All at once, the entire city erupted with roars. The monsters perched on the top of the skyscrapers rose to their feet and began to howl at the moon. Specks of silver radiance descended from the moon. The monsters began to compete for this light, opening their mouths wide and inhaling deeply, each trying to attract more of the light to themselves. Song Jian, transformed into the dark cloud form, slowly drifted towards his Manor Castle. As he passed by a six-storey building, he noticed that there was even a boss atop this building. This boss looked no different from a human, except for a silver vertical eye in the centre of its forehead. Damn, even Erlang Shen has come out! Song Jian thought to himself. This boss was called the Three-Eyed Zombie, a level ten elite boss. Right now, it was using its central silver vertical eye to absorb the drops of essence from the moonlight. Song Jian, in the form of a dark cloud, was directly above the Three-Eyed Zombie. All of the moon essence that the Zombie wanted to absorb was instead absorbed by him. As the moon essence entered his body, Song Jian could feel the Night Slayer Hexagram Array warm while a cool sensation seemed to be improving his body. The effect hadnt resulted in any stat change, but it was gradually shifting factorarily. At the same time, Song Jian felt a sudden surge of murderous desire welled up within him, causing him to feel restless. At this moment, the Three-Eyed Zombie boss seemed to sense something. It opened all three eyes and looked up at the dark cloud above it. Its sallow face contorted with anger, its body trembling, fists clenched, and let out a low roar at the cloud above. Chapter 149 - Chapter 149: Chapter 149 The Rocket Launcher is Broken Chapter 149: Chapter 149 The Rocket Launcher is Broken Translator: 549690339 Preventing ones cultivation is equivalent to murdering their parents. As Song Jian immersed himself in the absorption of the moonlight essence, he was completely oblivious that he was obstructing the Boss below from absorbing the moonlight and cultivating. All, this feels so good, as if my whole body is immersed in warm water and every cell is vibrating with joy Song Jian was feeling extremely warm, and his consciousness was gradually blurring. He just wanted to lie down like this forever. At this moment, a deep roar suddenly echoed in his ears, causing a fiery rage to surge in Song Jians heart, it was like throwing kindling on gasoline. Who is it? Kill him! A fierce roar emerged from Song Jians heart, filling his mind with a mad killing intent, he wished he could rip any living creature he saw into shreds. Just when Song Jian was about to lose his self-awareness, a refreshing chill welled up from deep within his mind. Song Jian regained consciousness and the fiery killing intent within his heart started to retreat gradually, as if it had encountered a splash of ice water. Whatwhat just happened to me? Night Slayer! Song Jian thought of the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest. Ever since he got the diagram, this underlying murderous intent sprouted like a seed within his heart, ever ready to trigger his rage. If it wasnt for my natural talent, 1 might have Song Jian couldnt help but be apprehensive. Every time when he was about to lose his consciousness, it would be this particular skill Thick-Skinned that saved him. At this moment, what Song Jian failed to notice was the black beacon in his accessory slot. The surface of the beacon was emitting a faint black light. Within a short ten minutes, the moonlight essence in the sky began to disappear. The agitation of the three-eyed zombie on the rooftop intensified, and the vertical eye on its forehead sparkled more brightly with silver light. Whoosh- A thick, silver beam of light fired out from the zombies vertical eye, targeting the dark cloud that Song Jian had morphed into. Boom boom boom boom- A series of MISS and several 10-point damages bubbled up from above Song Jians head. Damn, such high damage? Song Jian was frightened. In just a couple of seconds, his vitality points dropped by a hundred from over three hundred. After morphing into a dark cloud, Song Jian became immune to physical damage and his magic resistance increased by 100%. Yet, he still suffered a loss of over a hundred vitality points within a few seconds. The silver beam continued. The three-eyed zombie boss seemed to struggle with maintaining the beam, its body trembling, eyes gleaming with savagery. Song Jian quickly descended from the sky. Although he could fly after morphing into a dark cloud, his speed was too slow, even slower than walking, making it impossible to dodge the silver beam. In mid-air, Song Jian deactivated his dark cloud state and jumped down, landing on the rooftop of the building. Seeing Song Jian land, the three-eyed zombie boss stopped his beam, roared, and charged towards him. With a swing of his right claw, he slashed at Song Jian, leaving three claw marks on his chest. -52 -26 -13 Thisis this guy really this strong? After losing almost a hundred vitality points, Song Jians eyes twitched. His vitality points had dropped from over three hundred to less than a hundred. This level ten boss is much stronger than any other hed encountered before. Clang- Flung backwards by the strength of the attack, Song Jian stumbled several steps backwards. He crashed into the rooftops ventilation pipe, the rusty pipe couldnt withstand the impact and broke, falling off the building. Now its night time, the choices strength has fully recovered. 1 didnt expect that I wouldnt be able to defeat a level ten elite boss. Struggling to get up, Song Jian spat out a mouthful of blood, musing to himself. Boom- Three-eyed Boss fiercely stamped its right leg, and a three-inch deep footprint appeared on the rooftop. The whole building shook slightly, and propelled by the rebound, the Boss leapt high into the air, achieving an altitude of five or six meters. With its arms wide open, it resembled a giant bird swooping down on Song Jian. Enduring the pain, Song Jian grabbed the rocket launcher from his equipment and hoisted it onto his shoulder. This was the first time he had felt its weight, even though his strength had already reached 12 points. Squirt- He spat out another mouthful of blood. Realizing that the three-eyed zombie was getting closer, Song Jian fiercely pulled the trigger. Zing- A rocket with a glowing tail shot out and soared towards the airborne three-eyed zombie. Booom- A massive explosion burst in mid-air like a giant firework. An astonishingly high damage score of nearly 100 points sprung from the head of the zombie. Its fierce attack was immediately hindered as the explosions blast force flung it in the air only to then brutally smash into the small room near the rooftop entrance. With the debris scattering around, a corner of the small room collapsed, and the zombies body tumbled downwards. Heh heh- The three-eyed zombie was covered in filthy blood. Its left arm had been blown off, revealing the grisly sight of exposed bones at the shoulder, and traces of dark blood seeped continuously from its mouth. Its ghastly fangs were stained with dirty blood, and its injuries seemed fatal. Struggling to get up, the zombies aura did not diminish despite its injuries; instead, it became even more violent. It let out a series of low growls, its body slightly swaying, but still stepping persistently towards Song Jian. On the zombies forehead, its uncanny silver vertical eye started to shine a silver light, and a mass of silver light began to form in its eyeball. Damn it, this guy is going to launch his major attack! Song Jian was shocked. At this point, his vitality points were already below a hundred, and his skill to morph into a dark cloud was still cooling down. Having lost his immunity to physical attacks and the 100% resistance enhancement, if he were hit by the Bosss major attack, he would certainly be killed instantly! Damn, just fight it! Song Jian took a deep breath, only to feel a stabbing pain in his lungs, the rocket launchers weight on his shoulders becoming unbearable. Invisible Sword Qi, go all out! Song Jian growled, directing all his Invisible Sword Qi to the rocket launcher. The Sword Qi, initially at 100 points, was depleted instantly, and a basketball-sized silver light orb began forming at the rocket launchers muzzle. Kaka- Seemingly unable to bear so much Invisible Sword Qi, there was a faint noise of fractures emanating from inside the rocket launcher. Song Jian felt his heart drop and pulled the trigger forcefully. Shoot it out! Boom- A moment of delay made Song Jian feel as if he had plunged into hell. But then a burst of flame ejected from the muzzle, and a rocket wrapped in silver-colored Sword Qi flew out, leaving a long trailing flame; At this moment, a crack appeared on the barrel of the rocket launcher, stretching from the muzzle to the middle. The three-eyed zombie seemed to sense the threat, let out a low growl, its head pushed forward, and its right arm clenched into a fist. Every blood vessel in its body protruded out, and a silver beam as thick as an arm shot out from its vertical eye on its forehead. As this silver beam was discharged, a black liquid started to seep from the corners of the zombies eyes, looking like tears of blood. Boom- A brilliant explosion erupted between Song Jian and the three-eyed zombie. For a moment, the surroundings lit up as brightly as daylight. Song Jians eyes were so sore from the light that he could not open them, leaving him no choice but to shield them with his arms while he heard blood-curdling screams ringing in his ears. Chapter 150 - Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Vertical Pupils Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Vertical Pupils Translator: 549690339 The rocket launcher was destroyed! However, Song Jian couldnt care less about that right now. Enduring the sting in his eyes, he opened them as the shockwave from the explosion gradually disappeared, and the surroundings became darker, returning to their nighttime appearance. The three-eyed Zombie was lying on its back, convulsing. All three of its eyes were tightly shut, with black liquid seeping from the corners, flowing down its cheeks. It looked as if three wriggling earthworms were crawling on its face. Its still not dead? Song Jian was astonished. He knew that he had concentrated all of his Invisible Sword Qi on the rocket launcher, so the power of this strike was equivalent to that of a rocket launcher plus the power of a hundred Invisible Sword Qi. Even if the BOSS still had more than 80% of its Vitality Points, Song Jian believed that no monster could withstand such a terrifying blow. Slowly approaching the BOSS, Song Jian seemed to sense his closeness. The BOSSS body began to struggle, letting out low, hoarse roars. Its right claw scraped the floor, leaving a series of marks, and an aura of rage still emanated from it. But in Song Jians eyes, all he could see was its impending doom. The BOSS opened its two main eyes, revealing red glows emanating from the pupils. However, there was now a black crack in the center of each eye, splitting the pupils in two. The vertical pupil on the forehead also slowly opened, its original silver color now transformed into a dark, bottomless hole. The BOSS struggled to sit up, but no matter what, it couldnt stand. It seemed that its lower body was paralyzed. Hum- Silver Sword Qi, three meters long, burst forth from Song Jians left index finger and stabbed toward the BOSSS forehead. The silver Sword Qi pierced into the vertical pupil and protruded more than a foot out from the back of its head. The BOSSS entire body began to shake violently. Its body stiffened, its momentum reaching a peak for an instant before it quickly weakened. Heli- A puff of breath came from the throat of the three-eyed Zombie. Its breath rapidly faded, and its body went limp, seemingly hanging on Song Jians Sword Finger. Its right claw fell feebly. Whoosh- The three-meter-long silver Sword Qi disappeared, and the BOSSS upper body fell backward. System: You used the Sword Finger skill to kill a LVio three-eyed Zombie (Elite) and gained 1280 Experience Points. System: your Experience Points are now full. Please complete the promotion task as soon as possible; otherwise, your level will not be able to continue to increase. After seeing the system information prompt, Song Jian paused and hurriedly opened his personal attribute interface. Sure enough, the experience bar behind level 10 had reached 99%. It was only a tiny bit away from advancing to level 11, but it seemed like an insurmountable chasm. I must become a professional to continue leveling up? Song Jians face turned ugly. If that were the case, it would be difficult for him to maintain his level advantage. After all, player levels were now rising, most of them reaching level five or six, and some even reaching level seven or eight. Furthermore, these people had not completed the Safe House main quest. Once they started completing the Safe House main quest, their levels would skyrocket in a short period because killing all the monsters within one kilometer of the Safe House would be enough to raise their levels by two or three. Song Jian himself had gone straight from level seven to level ten after completing the Safe House creation task. Glancing at the main quest, he still needed to find seven combat mentors. Song Jian shook his head, closed the mission panel, and walked toward the corpse of the three-eyed Zombie. At this moment, the body of the three-eyed zombie began to burn with transparent flames, and some of its limbs had turned into black ash. However, the speed of the BOSS turning into ash was obviously slower than that of ordinary monsters; Next to the body of the three-eyed zombie, several items emitting various colors of lights were scattered. Among them, an item emitting a silver light caught Song Jians eye; Silver quality item, what great luck! Although he knew that hunting unique zombies would yield good rewards, Song Jian didnt expect the three-eyed zombie to actually drop a silver item. After all, Song Jian had hunted down many level 10 elite BOSSes, but the loot was not entirely satisfactory; Could it be that only when hunting them in their fully recovered state at night can these BOSSes drop good stuff? Song Jian speculated in his heart; However, this battle was really fraught with danger, nearly costing Song Jian his life. The attack power of the three-eyed zombie was just too ferocious. Before Song Jian even got close, he had already lost more than 200 Vitality Points; If it werent for the fact that he had risked his rocket launcher in the end, it would have been hard to say who would have died; Thinking of this, Song Jian looked at the rocket launcher lying in his inventory with a distraught expression. The material of the launcher couldnt withstand the full force of the Invisible Sword Qi. Although it barely completed one attack, the rocket launcher was damaged, rendering it unusable; At this moment, the attributes of the rocket launcher were marked with damaged, unusable, and it couldnt even be placed in the equipment slot; The effectiveness of the rocket launcher was exceptional, and it was one of Song Jians most powerful weapons. Now that it was damaged, Song Jians overall strength had weakened; Song Jian now pinned his hopes on the items dropped by the three-eyed zombie BOSS, hoping they would somewhat make up for his losses; What is this? Song Jian first picked up the item emitting silver light. This object had a metallic shine and was only about a third of the size of a palm. It looked like a half-opened eye; Vertical Pupil (Silver), External Equipment, Position: Forehead; Equipment Effect: All attributes +1, Special Effect 1: Piercing Illusion (Passive), enables the user to see through illusions, invisibility, and other false states up to level 6; Special Effect 2: Gaze of Death (Active), deals continuous damage (15+60% Physical damage +15+40% Mental damage) for 5 seconds; Skill Range: 15 meters; Skill Consumption: 50% Spirit Points; Special Effect 3: Weakness Removal (Passive), protects the head, increases head defense by 100%, your head will no longer be a weak spot on your body; Usage Requirement: Level 10; Can be brought out of the game: Yes External equipment, what kind of equipment is this? There isnt a slot for this in the equipment section! Song Jian closely examined the Vertical Pupil in his hand; The attributes of this item were very strong, with all attributes increased by one, which was equivalent to gaining seven attribute points and similar to consuming seven Attribute Fruits. This was a huge gain; The three additional special effects were also very practical. The first one, Piercing Illusion, allowed the user to see through illusions and hidden effects such as invisibility, so they wouldnt fear thieves stealth ability. Although it could only break through false states below level 6, Song Jian believed that no player would put all their skill points into this kind of auxiliary combat skill at this point; The second skill, Gaze of Death, was the ultimate move of the three-eyed BOSS, causing both physical and mental damage to targets simultaneously, with a combination of a fixed and percentage-based damage. Although it consumed a lot of energy, its power was terrifying. With Song Jians current attributes, he could cause (45+36) points of damage per second to a target. Even if the opponents defense and resistance were taken into account, the total damage shouldnt be lower than 50 points. With five seconds of continuous damage, the total damage would be more than 250 points. Song Jian believed that no player could withstand this attack from him at present; The third special effect provided complete protection to the head, so Song Jian no longer had to worry about other players sniping his head. Without the weak point, Song Jian believed that no player could defeat him in one hit; Ive hit the jackpot, not bad, not bad at all! Song Jian wore an excited smile on his face as he held the metallic Vertical Pupil and examined it over and over again; But, how should I use this? Chapter 151 - Chapter 151: Chapter 151 Bat-Wing Zombie Chapter 151: Chapter 151 Bat-Wing Zombie Translator: 549690339 Vertical Pupil is an external implant. Song Jian had never encountered an equipment like this before, and there seemed to be no slot for it in the equipment section. If its attributes state that its meant to be attached to forehead, suppose I can just attach it directly? Song Jian speculated and began to position the Vertical Pupil onto his forehead. The moment the Vertical Pupil touched his skin, countless tiny tentacles sprouted from its back, burrowing wildly into Song Jians forehead like sharks drawn to blood. A slight prickling sensation made the Vertical Pupil adhere firmly to Song Jians forehead. By the time Song Jian realised it, he was too late to take it off. The Vertical Pupil was rooted securely as though it had always been part of his forehead, immune to his attempts to remove it. I hope this thing isnt permanent. Parading around with a metallic eye on my forehead might be unnerving for some. Song Jian pulled at it robustly a couple of times. The Vertical Pupil, like a rooted plant, caused a raw pain each tug. Song Jian could feel countless threads extending from the back of the Vertical Pupil, piercing deep into his skull like nerves. Soon, Song Jian felt as if the Vertical Pupil had become an additional organ that he could manipulate, like he had acquired a third eye. Gradually, Song Jian could even perceive the world through the Vertical Pupil on his forehead. Three eyes remarkably expanded his visual field, and he could also shut the Vertical Pupil when required. The closed Vertical Pupil left only a faint silver scar that was quite inconspicuous unless scrutinized. Shortly, Song Jian acclimatized to the existence of a third eye. Overall, the extra Vertical Pupil was quite useful to Song Jian. At least, he could see much farther at night, comparable to daylight, and it was a massive improvement over before. From below, roars of monsters echoed up. The recent bout had attracted all the monsters in the vicinity. Standing on the roof and looking down, all the streets around were teeming with monsters, reminiscent of the onslaught when establishing safehouses. Thankfully, the battle was over, and he was too far for the monsters to detect him. They were just idling aimlessly in the surroundings. Phew, its getting dangerous here. I should return to the manor for safety. Song Jian thought to himself. Just as he was about to deploy his ability to Morph into Dark Cloud, the Vertical Pupil on his forehead spotted a huge mass of darkness in the distance flying towards him. Does someone else also have the ability to Morph into Dark Cloud? That seems unlikely! Song Jian squinted and strained his eyes. Upon closer inspection, he realised it was a large group of winged monsters flocking in the sky. Holy Cow! There must be hundreds of them! This is insanity! Song Jian was taken aback. These creatures appeared no different from common zombies, except, each one had a pair of wings resembling bat wings, with a thin layer of flesh coating the surface of the bones. Bat-winged zombies, level ten elite monsters. This is outrageous. Hundreds of level ten elite monsters Its too much Song Jian rushed into the big hole of the entrance room atop the roof, making his way into the building. Soon, the sounds of pitter-patter came from above. Peering through the cracks, over a dozen bat-winged zombies fell from the sky, encircling the half-burnt body of the three-eyed zombie boss. They voraciously tore at the remaining flesh of the boss. Some even gobbled up the nearby ashes when they couldnt get to the corpse. From the distant rooftop, monstrous roars echoed. The bat-winged zombies descended like assassins in the night on bosses that hadnt yet evacuated the rooftop. Packs of ten or even dozens of bat-winged zombies ambushed each elite boss. Some managed to escape inside the building while others were surrounded, killed and devoured by the bat-winged zombies. Song Jian had tucked himself away in a room. Peering out the window, he could see that the roofs of the surrounding high-rise buildings had been occupied by the winged zombies. The elite bosses stood no chance against these winged zombies. The sounds of battle gradually faded, leaving only the sounds of the winged zombies tearing apart the bosss bodies. I hope these monsters would quickly leave after feasting on the bosses bodies, thought Song Jian. With the sky taken over by a swarm of winged zombies, even if he were to morph into a dark cloud, escape would not be possible. The ground was teeming with even more monstrous creatures, making it more dangerous than the skies. Song Jian found himself trapped in this small building. While hiding in a room, he securely sealed all doors and windows, just like on his first day in the game, waiting for the break of dawn. All of the winged zombies had assumed control over the roofs of the high-rise buildings around him. Some of the winged zombies had even broken into the top-level rooms. They seemed to have claimed this area as a temporary habitat. Song Jian did not dare to make a noise, for fear of awakening the group of bosses. He had carefully kindled a bonfire in the living room and laid down by its side to rest. Although deliberate sleeping was not necessary in the game to restore energy, both vitality points and mental strength would quickly replenish during sleep. Although Song Jians vitality points had already been filled due to the speed of their restoration, the mental fatigue caused from continuous battling was not so easily alleviated. The night passed without a word. Early the next morning, as the fish-belly white spread across the sky, Song Jian was startled awake by a clamor of bellowing roars. Looking out the window, he saw all the winged zombies who had been roosting on the roofs for the night gathering and flying into the distance. Phew, they finally left. Hundreds of these level-io elite monsters are simply terrifying! Song Jian, whose heart had been hanging by a thread, finally let out a sigh of relief. He wondered how many elite bosses had fallen prey to these winged zombies over the night. Growl- Growl- Growl- Just then, Song Jian noticed that one winged zombie in a high-rise building opposite to his was stuck in the window. This particular winged zombie had broken into a room through a window for rest the previous day since there was no space left on the roof. Today, while attempting to leave, one of its wings was caught in the twisted steel protective mesh. The winged zombie struggled violently and managed to break a piece of steel rebar, which then bent at an angle and caught its main bone. At this point, unless the infected zombie was willing to rip off its right wing, it would be stuck there. What a nice early morning surprise to get a level-10 elite monster at my doorstep. Not bad luck, Song Jian said with a slight smile. Pushing aside the objects stacked next to the window, he craned his neck to look at the winged zombie that was a mere ten meters away, half of its body hanging from the window railing. Crackling- The window railing was being constantly tugged by the winged zombie, making rattling noises. The fixed rivets also began to loosen. It seemed as if the railing would be torn off by the winged zombie before long, and the creature would likely tumble down afterward. A fall from the tenth floor wouldnt kill you, let me help you out, muttered Song Jian to himself, as a thin, silvery veritical scar on his forehead slowly opened. Chapter 152 - Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Concussion Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Concussion Translator: 549690339 | Boom- A dazzling silver beam of light shot towards rhe helpless bat-winged zombie hanging on the window railing. Song Jian didnt even need to use his Minds Eye skill to lock onto ir and attack, as it was now a sitting target. Roar- The bat-winged zombie became even more enraged as it was hit by the silver beam. The sun had risen, weakening all its attributes by half. The zombie s vitality points were now less than four hundred, and each second, the Eye of Death caused over ninety points of physical and mental damage. The zombie s vitality points plummeted at an alarming rate. Finally, sensing that death was imminent, rhe bat-winged zombies crimson eyes revealed a hint of bloodlust as it glared at Song Jian. It let out an angry roar, and furiously twisted its body, not caring how this movement further damaged its trapped wing. Crack- A crisp sound of bone fracturing, followed by the sound of flesh tearing, signaled that the bat-winged zombie had freed itself from the window railing. With a push of its legs, ir lunged towards Song Jians location C seemingly determined to take him down with it before ir died. Mid-air, the bat-winged zombie contorted its body to dodge the silver beam, but its severely injured wing made ir difficult to maintain balance. If it hadnt already been high up, using inertia to glide a short distance, it wouldnt have been able to reach the building where Song Jian was hiding. After five seconds, the silver beam disappeared, and Song Jian suddenly felr drained. This wasnt physical fatigue bur mental exhaustion C feeling like hed been gaming all night. I just woke up Song Jian forced a wry smile, Seems like I still need to get used to this external gear. Just losing fifty percent of my spirit points leaves me feeling completely drained of energy. This was Song Jians first time using the Vertical Eye external gear. Some adjustment was necessary to avoid draining more spirit points than usual. With only about thirty vitality points left, the bat-winged zombies body fell unsteadily, twisting and tumbling in the air, appearing utterly pathetic. Thud- The zombies body violently crashed into rhe window of Song Jians room, breaking the old window and creating a large hole. Song Jian quickly stepped back. Die, die The bat-winged zombie, its mouth full of blood, clawed at the window frame, trying to squeeze in. its upper body was exposed, displaying numerous scars C some fresh, some old C suggesting it was a battle-hardened warrior. Snap- Grasping it had trapped its right wing, the zombie let out a low growl and bit down on the base of rhe injured appendage, tearing it off with all its strength. Crunch, crunch- Its sharp tusk-like fangs, like a knifes edge, sliced through the wings bones. After a short struggle, rhe bat-winged zombie let our a painful scream and chewed through its right wing. Its body squeezed through the window, leaving the broken wing hanging outside. Witnessing the zombies brutality, Song Jian frowned. He could imagine the cruel fate awaiting anyone who fell into rhe clutches of these monsters. Its better for monsters like you to die! Song Jian said, pulling out his Tusk Fang Stinger and pouncing on rhe critically wounded bat-winged zombie. At this moment, the bat-winged zombie was covered in blood with only about thirty Vitality Points left. Its chest, back, and ribs were all marked with burns, and the broken wings on its back were still slowly oozing blood. Its appearance was quite miserable, but the frenzied aura it emitted was almost solidifying, like transparent flames that would ignite upon contact. Even Song Jian felt a heavy pressure when he got within three meters of it. The bat-winged zombie let out a beast-like roar from its throat and raised its right hand, causing a black mist to slowly emerge and condense into a huge iron axe in mid-air. The axe was over a meter long, with an extremely large face, dark and heavy like half of a round table. If one had to estimate its weight, it would be at least hundreds of pounds. But when held in the hand of the bat-winged zombie, it seemed as light as a toy. Whoosh- The bat-winged zombie swung its right hand, and the huge iron axe chopped down at Song Jian with the force of a mountain bearing down on him. The fierce wind pressure blew air apart, and for a moment, Song Jian felt like he was suffocating. Not daring to continue charging forward, Song Jian hurriedly dodged to avoid the attack. The iron axe almost grazed his cheek, slicing a three-inch long wound, and blood instantly stained half of his face. Damn, my face is ruined! For a moment, Song Jian was furious, and the murderous intent in his heart ignited like dry firewood soaked in oil. His eyes filled with bloodshot veins. I want you dead! With a low growl in his throat, he stabbed at the bat-winged zombies temple with his dagger. Bang! The iron axe of the bat-winged zombie chopped heavily onto the floor, with more than half of the blade cutting in. A crack over three feet long appeared on the ground, as this strike split the hollow slate between two floors. Sensing the sound of air breaking near its ear, the bat-winged zombie released its grip on the iron axe. In an instant, the axe embedded in the floor turned into a puff of black smoke. With a wave of its left hand, the black smoke reappeared in the palm of the bat-winged zombies left hand and transformed back into an iron axe. The large axe face acted like a shield, blocking Song Jians attack. Sparks flew with a clang, and Song Jian felt a soreness in his wrist. Bang- The bat-winged zombie clenched its right fist and punched towards Song Jians head. He had no time to dodge, so he had to endure the blow. With a muffled grunt, Song Jian felt as if half of his face had gone numb. A surge of force sent him flying five or six meters away. His blood sprayed in mid-air, leaving a ghastly trail. When Song Jian struggled to get up from the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and even blood flowed from his ear and nostril. It looked like a small red snake trailing down his skin. His head buzzed, and his vision blurred. System: You are hit by LV10 Bat-Winged Zombie (Elite )s heavy attack, taking 68-29 points of damage for an actual damage of 39 points; System: You are currently in a concussion1 state, with a 50% decrease in vision, 30% decrease in accuracy, 10% decrease in attack, and 30% decrease in mobility, lasting for io seconds; Song Jian was shocked, his body seemed out of control, his feet feeling unsteady as if stepping on cotton. His hands waved wildly in the air, and as soon as he got up, he fell back down again. In this condition, it didnt matter if it lasted 10 seconds or just three seconds. He would die here. The bat-winged zombie, roaring and waving, pounced at him, and the chilling sound of the iron axe cutting through the air got closer and closer to his head. Chapter 153 - Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Strengthening Stone Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Strengthening Stone Translator: 549690339 A dangerous glint appeared in Song Jians eyes. Since he couldnt stand, he decided to stay lying down; Falling backwards, his body slumped onto the floor. Song Jian felt like he was floating on the ocean, waves rippling around him. A buzzing filled his ears and his entire head throbbed painfully; His vision blurred, but he could still sense a dark shadow slamming towards his head; Song Jians hands forcefully pushed against the floor, causing his body to roll to the side. He heard a chilling whooshing sound as the dark, huge axe swept only two feet away from his cheek and embedded itself into the floor. The sharp essence of the axe was so fierce it even snipped a strand of hair on Song Jians forehead, leaving another bloody trail on his cheek; Song Jian lay on his back, staring at the sky. The bat-winged zombie bent over, its muscular arm clenched around the axe, looking at Song Jian who was less than a meter away. A smirk appeared on its face, revealing a blood-stained tusk fang, exuding an intimidating aura; Song Jians vision doubled, blurring significantly. The vertical eye on his forehead, which had been closed, had unknowingly begun to slowly open; Suddenly, Song Jians view became clear. With two blurry eyes and one clear one, the sensation felt chaotic. Song Jian decided instead to close both eyes and rely solely on the vertical eye to survey his surroundings; At this point, the bat-winged zombie was less than a meter away. The minute it loosened its grip, its body straightened and the axe, which had been embedded into the floor, turned back into a wisp of black mist and floated back to the zombies hand; Eye Kill! Whoosh- A silver light beam shot towards the bat-winged zombies chest. Instantly, Song Jian felt a headache so unbearable that he couldnt help but moan in pain; Roar- A look of fear flashed across the face of the bat-winged zombie. It attempted to leap towards Song Jian, but the silver light beam hit it accurately. With only a little over twenty vitality points left, the bat-winged zombie couldnt withstand this attack. Its airborne body suddenly lost all strength and was pushed back five to six meters by the silver beam, harshly crashing onto the floor; Sensing that he had hit the bat-winged zombie, Song Jian immediately stopped the Eye Kill skill, cradling his head and rolling around on the floor. It felt like a red-hot iron rod had been thrust into his head and was fiercely twisting it. The depletion of his mental strength was unbearably painful, as if his head was about to explode; After what felt like an eternity, the pain started to subside. At this point, Song Jians face was pale and his forehead was covered in sweat. He looked as though he had just been fished out of water C his clothes were soaking wet and there was a puddle of sweat underneath him; So, so painful, Song Jian held his head and heaved a sigh, lying flat on the floor and taking in deep breaths of fresh air; The effects of the concussion had finally worn off, now he only had to deal with the aftermath of his depleted mental strength. His head ached sporadically as if it was circled by an iron hoop; After resting for over half an hour, the pain started to gradually fade. Song Jian wished he could just collapse into bed and sleep deeply. He felt extremely sluggish; After lying on the ground for another ten or so minutes, Song Jian struggled to his feet. His mental strength had only recovered less than 5%. As long as he didnt use any skills that consumed his mental strength, he should be okay; Song Jian walked over to a small pile of black ashes, which were the remnants of the bat-winged zombies body. Scattered around the pile were several items, which Song Jian picked up one by one; Two zombie cores, a piece of cooking material Bat-wing Membrane, and two pieces of medicinal materials zombie Tusk Fang. The items dropped by the bat-winged zombie were mainly composed of materials, which made Song Jian feel slightly upset; Even if it was an injured Level 10 Elite Boss, dropping these items was a bit too much! Song Jian muttered, slightly annoyed. A Level 10 Boss dropping only white quality items was quite embarrassing; Huh, whats this? A Enhancement Stone? What does it do? Song Jian picked up the last item, a stone emitting a white glow. It was about the size of his fist and looked no different from a normal rock; Enhancement Stone (White), Usage: Enhances equipment below +3, boosting the properties of the equipment! Boosting equipment properties, not bad! Song Jians eyes lit up, his interest piqued; Looking at the Enhancement Stone, two options appeared before his eyes: Use and Destroy. After selecting Use, a screen appeared where he could select his equipment; Song Jian immediately selected Vertical Eye. This was the only silver quality equipment he had after the destruction of the rocket launcher. The attack power of the externally attached equipment Vertical Eye was the most powerful, so naturally, it should be enhanced first; This item is too high grade and cannot be enhanced! After clicking Vertical Eye, a line of red text appeared from the system; Damn, it cant be enhanced? Song Jian was stunned and furrowed his eyebrows; Re-selecting his equipment, Song Jian chose Tusk Fang Stinger, but the system quickly displayed a message that said, This item is too high grade and cannot be enhanced; Even blue quality is too high? It cant be that it can only enhance white-quality equipment. He subsequently tried the zombie commander armor, but predictably, it also couldnt be enhanced. Finally, he tried his rings and accessories, but none could be enhanced; After trying all his equipment, the only ones that could be enhanced were the white-quality Tree Spirit Legguards and 101 Tactical Helmet; As expected, a white-quality Enhancement Stone can only enhance white-quality equipment. This significantly decreases its value! Song Jian shook his head and nonchalantly clicked the Enhancement Stone onto the Tree Spirit Legguards; Tree Spirit Legguards (White) +1, Leather Pants, Equipment effect: Physical Defense +5, Vitality recovery speed increased by 35%; Equipment requirement: Level 5, Able to bring out of game: No After enhancing to level one, the Tree Spirit Legguards physical defense increased by two points and the Vitality recovery speed had improved by 5%. The enhancement was better than nothing; Song Jian took another look around and found nothing else. He went downstairs to summon his motorcycle, then headed back towards his Manor Castle; Upon returning to the castle, Song Jian saw that quite a few pieces of furniture had appeared, and in the small courtyard, green sprouts had started to grow on the Spirit Field; Master, youve returned! The butler stood by the castle gate, bowing respectfully as Song Jian approached; Gardener John and Carpenter Tammy also put down their tools and bowed towards Song Jian; Song Jian nodded slightly, and in a blink of an eye, appeared on the third floor of the castle. The third floor wasnt as empty as it had been before. A wooden bed had been prepared with quilts and pillows, and next to it were a set of wooden table and chairs, and a wardrobe. The simple furniture filled the room with the scent of wood and traces of life. Even the radio was placed on a wooden table; Song Jian let out a small smile, glanced around briefly, then fell heavily onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep; Chapter 154 - Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Weakness Potion Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Weakness Potion Translator: 549690339 Sleep is the best way to recover mental strength, especially when Song Jian didnt have any potions for mental strength recovery. He slept until five or six in the afternoon. Only then did Song Jian wake up, fully invigorated. His stomach began to grumble. His hunger level had risen to 89%, and his stomach felt like it was on fire. Once hunger level rises above 80%, a characters attributes will decrease by 30%. If it increases to 90%, a characters attributes will decrease by 50%. Once it increases to 100%, a character will start to lose Vitality Points. Song Jian took out a piece of grilled meat and a bottle of clean mineral water from his bag and started to gulp it down. Master, are you awake? May I come in? The voice of the butler, George, came from outside the door. Uh-uh, George, come in, Song Jian choked a bit, and called out loudly. George pushed open the door, and Tammy and John carried a wooden table slowly in. Put it there! George pointed to a corner of the room. After Tammy and John placed the table in the specified position, they bowed to Song Jian and slowly retreated. Master, you can place a plant here, it will make the room feel more comfortable, George said with a slight smile. You handle the layout of the castle, do as you see fit, said Song Jian, glancing around the room with satisfaction. Then he pointed to the side of the radio and said, Put another table there. Of course, Master, it will be done quickly, George nodded, and with a moments hesitation said, Master, 1 think it would be advisable for us to hire a cook for our manor. That way, you wouldnt have to eat these coarse foods. A cook? Id like that! Song Jian was startled, then a bitter smile appeared on his face, A first-grade manor can only hire three servants, and weve already hired three. We dont have any more openings. For ordinary people, there is a limit, but Master, you are already level ten. If you become a professional, there will be no hiring limit, although it will cost 10% more each time. Of course, Butler George explained, you can also continue to upgrade the manor level. A second-grade manor can employ five servants. If I continue to upgrade the manor level, it wont attract an attack from monsters, will it? Song Jian asked with lingering fear. Of course not, as long as we have enough supplies, Master, you can keep upgrading without limit. Even if upgraded to a ten level manor, it will not attract monster attacks. George respectfully replied. I see, alright, 1 will upgrade the manor level as soon as possible. Song Jian nodded. After bowing to Song Jian, George slowly left the room and closed the door. It wasnt long before Song Jians hunger level dropped back down to below ten. Tammy and John brought in another table and placed it next to the radio. At this point, on the left of the room, there was a large bed. On the right, three wooden tables were arranged directly opposing the bed. There was an Engineering Crafting Table on one, a radio on the second, and the third was empty. Song Jian took out a briefcase from his bag and placed it on the empty table. He placed his right hand on the briefcase, and immediately, a green light appeared on the case, scanning Song Jians palm. The briefcase opened automatically revealing a set of complete Alchemy tools. A crucible, test tube, alcohol lamp, decomposition dish, decoction furnace, oh my goodness, this is a precise set of chemistry equipment! Astonishment crossed Song Jians face as he looked at the shimmering alchemy workbench. Portable Moveable Alchemy Workbench (Silver), Special Item, Usage Effect: Can produce various potions, increase success rate by 80%, enhance potion effect by 50%, has a certain chance of causing the created potion to mutate; Usage Condition: Mastery of Alchemy, These attributes are a bit exaggerated! A surprised smile appears on Song Jians face; just the potion-making success rate is increased by 80%, and he had learned Alchemy, a-level one Alchemy increases the success rate by 5%, just two more levels, and he can achieve a 100% potion-making success rate, its simply earth-shattering! Song Jian couldnt wait to give it a try. The only potion formula he currently master was for the Weakness Potion. The most important material for this potion was a Zombies tusks. Song Jian had eight zombie tusks in his bag, enough to make four Weakness potions. He put four solution mixtures and eight zombie tusks into the placement area of the workbench, four glass bottles into the output area, and Song Jian pressed the crafting button right away. Suddenly, the alchemy workbench surface emitted a silver glow, cloaking the entire workbench. Song Jian could see the workbench automatically decomposing, merging, blending, and brewing the ingredients. Soon, a gray liquid flowed out of the output, perfectly filling a glass bottle. In just ten short minutes, four bottles of Weakness Potion were completed, with the entire process being automated, requiring no intervention from Song Jian. Weakness Potion (Excellent): Inflicts a ranged attack on any target within six meters, causing 30 points of true damage, while weakening the targets defense by 35% for 65 seconds; Weakness Potion (Mutated): Inflicts a ranged attack on all targets within six meters, causing 30 points of true damage to all targets in the area, while weakening the targets defense by 35% for 65 seconds, causing a daze effect upon impact, lasting for one second; Hmm, this potion, its just Looking at the three enhanced potions and one mutated potion, Song Jian was extraordinarily satisfied with this silver-quality Portable Moveable Alchemy Workbench. The regular Weakness Potion only inflicts 10 points of true damage to the target, weakens their defense by 30%, and lasts for 60 seconds. The enhanced version of the potion boosts all attributes significantly. The mutated variant is even more terrifying. It not only changes from targeting single entities to area attacks but also causes daze effects. It will be surprisingly effective whether used for launching a preemptive strike or for escaping. Not bad, not bad. 1 thought 1 had been ripped off, but it turns out I made a huge profit. Hahaha! Song Jian laughed heartily. Right, I now also meet the conditions for crafting the T-11 High Explosive Hand Grenade, lets see what materials are needed for it. Saying this, Song Jian walked over to the Siege Crafting Table, and upon opening it, the option Craft a T-11 High Explosive Hand Grenade appeared on the screen of the Crafting Table. After clicking on the option, the required materials for crafting the high explosive hand grenades appeared. Wow, thats quite a lot of materials needed! Song Jian widened his eyes as he looked at the lengthy list of required materials displayed on the Crafting Table. Charcoal (3), Saltpeter (1), Sulfur (2), Suixing Silver (3), Refined Iron (5) Charcoal, saltpeter, sulfur, Suixing silver I have all these, they were all obtained in the subsidiary. But this refined iron, copper, stone wood, 1 dont have these five or six types of materials Song Jian frowned. The T-11 high explosive hand grenade is incredibly powerful, but it also requires a lot of materials. Song Jian only has two-thirds of the materials; one-third is still lacking. Forget it, Ill deal with that later. These materials must all come from mining. Opening the map, Song Jian sighed at the sight of a mine that was at least sixty to seventy kilometers away from him. To reach the mine, you have to cross the entire city. Even if you take the outer ring highway, its fraught with danger. Many places along the highway are closed, and some overpasses have even been cut off, requiring a detour; the number of creatures is no less than in the city, and the danger level is also not small. With Song Jians current strength, hes afraid to go there alone. Song Jian shook his head, put away the map, it looked like it was going to be a while before he could craft this T-11 High Explosive Hand Grenade.. Chapter 155 - Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Selling Equipment Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Selling Equipment Translator: 549690339 The workbench, engineering skills, blueprints were all there. Now lacking manufacturing materials, it seemed a bit of a wild goose chase. It looked like it will still be some time before acquiring the T-11 high-yield hand grenade; Well, now I have the Weakness Potion, it should be enough for most situations. Song Jian muttered to himself, turning around to glance at the pharmaceutical workbench. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the workbench, once again turning it into a briefcase, and placing it within his bag; This pharmaceutical workbench is portable and can be carried anywhere, allowing for the production of potions at any location. Its much more convenient than the typical siege weapon construction bench; The light outside the window gradually dimmed and the last ray of sunlight vanished as the sun sunk out of sight, returning the land to darkness; Thin clouds began to fill the sky, completely obscuring it. This happened almost every day. The moon only appeared at specific times, and only for a short duration, less than half an hour. This timing coincided with many monsters absorbing the essence of the moon; Having acquired the Hexagram Array Diagram of the Night Slayer, Song Jian now had the ability to absorb moon essence. Absorbing the moon essence could improve ones constitution. Song Jian had been absorbing for a few days, yet he didnt notice any increases in his attributes. He just felt more comfortable, as if impurities were being expelled from his body bit by bit; There must be benefits, so long as I persist, there will definitely be an improvement! Song Jian thought. However, every time he absorbed the moon essence, a desire to kill would well up in his heart. He would crave to charge into the monster horde with a blade, relishing in the thrill of slaughter. This made Song Jian somewhat wary. Once immersed in this pleasure of killing, it was easy to lose oneself, becoming a mindless killing machine; Song Jian sat cross-legged on the bed, listening to the sporadic roars of monsters outside the manor, quietly waiting for the moment the moon appeared. At midnight every day, the moon will appear for fifteen minutes Song Jian remained silent. As time passed, the Hexagram Star Array on his chest began to emit a faint glow. Unbeknownst to Song Jian, in his equipment inventory, a black stone tablet was also emitting a faint black light in concert with time; The manor fell silent. The butler George, the gardener and the carpenter had all rested. All the defensive measures of the manor were ready to spring into action. As soon as any monster crossed into the alert range of the defensive equipment, these arrow towers and catapults would automatically attack and kill the monsters; And the bodies and items dropped by the slain monsters, whether bodies or loot, were all dragged into the Spirit Field by the poisonous tree Alex to be used as nutrients; Caw, caw- A flock of blood crows flew out from the castle. They seemed to enjoy the poisonous tree Alex, always resting on it whenever they appeared; After a while, a strand of moonlight shone in through the window. Song Jian opened his eyes and willed himself to appear at the highest point of the castle; A strand of the silvery essence of the moon fell from the sky, melding into Song Jians body; Song Jian only felt a refreshing breath enter his body, flowing through his meridians and finally entering the Hexagram Star Array on his chest. After illuminating the Hexagram Star Array, it emerged again, integrating into Song Jians body; The refreshing breath that emerged from the Hexagram Star Array seemed more pure. The dim light radiating from the Hexagram Star Array pulsed in and out, like a beating heart; As the Hexagram Star Arrays light trembled faintly, an inexplicable desire to kill rose from the bottom of Song Jians heart. He became a little restless. However, the desire to kill surged abruptly, but it disappeared even faster. Song Jian now had the willpower to suppress this inexplicable urge; The fifteen minutes vanished in an instant, the moon essence disappeared. Song Jian exhaled a turbid breath, mixed with fine grey impurities. If one didnt look closely, it would be hard to notice the impurities; Song Jian slowly opened his eyes, ready to return to the castle, only to suddenly notice a rainbow light in the distance illuminating a large area; Doomsday Supermarket! Song Jians eyes lit up and he instantly became excited. This rainbow light was identical to when the Doomsday Supermarket first appeared; In the game, its been over a month. Could it be that the Doomsday Supermarket appears once a month? Thinking of the endless items in the Doomsday Supermarket, Song Jians heart thumped wildly; Opening his bag, Song Jian checked his Doomsday Coins first, having less than five hundred. But he did have a fair amount of items to sell, a load of roasted and fried meat, freshly made potions, and more My goodness, I cant believe this thing hasnt sold yet, I almost forgot! Song Jian looked at the pair of equipment in the package that emitted a deep green light, slapping his forehead as he spoke. The items in the parcel, if gathered together, could easily be sold for more than two thousand Doomsday Coins. If he also sold this, Song Jian felt certain that he could get three thousand Doomsday Coins without any problem. The skills in the supermarket priced at three to five hundred no longer interest me. This time, 1 want to carefully pick and see if there are any skills related to the Swordsman Immortal profession. If I can get one or two more, I am ready to switch to the Swordsman Immortal profession at level 10! Song Jian thought to himself. Turning on the radio, a burst of static noise followed, and then it was quiet. Perhaps because of the evening, there were not many people still using the radio. Cough cough, this is the City of Hope, I have two level-io equipment to sell, if interested, name your price! Song Jian then announced the properties of the two pairs of gloves. There was silence on the radio. Song Jian waited before calling out twice more, still no one spoke, and he was somewhat disappointed. It seemed there were too few people at night. Sell to the Doomsday Supermarket? If those two guys knew I sold it to the Doomsday Supermarket, theyd probably kill me! Song Jian looked up from the window at the rainbow light outside, shaking his head. One thousand Doomsday Coins! Suddenly, a voice was heard on the radio. The voice was soft, like a whisper. One thousand Doomsday Coins? Song Jians eyes lit up. This price exceeded his expectations. He was hoping he could sell it for seven or eight hundred Doomsday Coins. Before Song Jian could even respond, the radio seemed to explode with a series of cursing and bidding noises! Old Soma, you old fellow are still awake this late! A thousand Doomsday Coins to buy a set of level-10 equipment, are you still sleepy? I will pay one thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins! One thousand five? I bid one thousand eight, immediate transaction, my address is Two thousand, 1 am the housekeeper for the Baron of Casia from the City of Sin. If you sell these two pieces of equipment to us, you will gain the Baron of Casias friendship Baron Casia? That ass-selling Bunny Lord? Do you think everyone likes his stinky ass? Two thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins! Two thousand eight hundred Doomsday Coins, who dare to insult Baron Casia like this, dare to give your name? This is a provocation to the entire Casia family! Three thousand Doomsday Coins, I am the Legion Commander of the Hurricane Legion, kiddo, Im waiting for your revenge, hahahaha! Three thousand two, even though complete sets are rare, these are only level-io equipment, transition equipment, the value cant be too high Three thousand five, idiots, level-io equipment can already be considered professional gear, and its a complete set, just for that skill alone, its worth this price! Listening to the cacophony of bidding voices on the radio, Song Jian suddenly felt a little breathless. The items he originally thought were worth only seven or eight hundred Doomsday Coins were bid up to over three thousand in just a few minutes. Song Jians eyes flickered and he immediately understood why no one had responded after he had called out several times. These NPCs, trying to be so crafty. They all thought that others were asleep and wanted to buy things at a low price- Chapter 156 - Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Doomsday Blacksmith Shop Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Doomsday Blacksmith Shop Translator: 549690339 Four thousand Doomsday Coinsif theres anything higher, Ill give up. Its just a Level 10 suit of weapons after all; anything over four thousand would be a bit unworthy! A seductive womans voice rang out through the radio. This voice seemed imbued with a magical power that made listeners itch inside, making them desperately want to see the woman speaking; As her voice emerged, a brief silence fell over the radio. After a moment, an elderly voice sounded: Ahem, since the Queen of Sin has spoken, these gloves are worth no more than four thousand Doomsday Coins. The Sola family is out of the bidding! The Cassia Family is out of the bidding! The Storm Legion is out of the bidding! Song Jian was surprised. It seemed that this so-called Queen of Sin must have unimaginable power; otherwise, she wouldnt have made so many people back off; However, four thousand Doomsday Coins already exceeded Song Jians psychological expectations, and he wouldnt feel discontent. Moreover, the other peoples bids on the radio had already become cautious at 3,800 Doomsday Coins. Alright then, I will sell these gloves to you. Song Jian couldnt help but speak politely; Good, Ill be at the manor outside the city for the next few days. You just need to send them to ***, and that will be fine. Wait, uh, well, 1 dont have any stamps right now. I dont know if you can send me a stamp first. Of course, the cost can be deducted from the sale price Song Jian said sheepishly; It seems like a little friend whos new to the game got lucky and dropped these gloves. Congratulations! Hehe, you just need to upgrade your mailbox to Level 3, and you can send mail without stamps. If youre short on Doomsday Coins, I can send you the payment first, said the Queen of Sin with a giggle; This guy, does she have a naturally enchanting voice? 1 cant take it; Hearing her laughter, Song Jian felt a surge of impulse from the bottom of his heart and couldnt help but change color; You, arent you afraid Ill take your money and not send the item? Song Jian suddenly asked, as if compelled; The radio fell silent, and only the faint sound of electrical noise could be heard. After a long while, the Queen of Sin spoke leisurely: Nobody in this world would dare take my money and not give me anything. 1 am the Queen of Sin, after all! Queen of Sin? Could it be that the Queen of Sin is the de facto ruler of the City of Sin? Song Jian had a flash of insight and suddenly thought of Count Qian Dahai, who lived in the inner city of the City of Sin; Before long, Song Jian received a system notification about new mail! He went to the mailbox, opened it, and saw four thousand Doomsday Coins exactly, not a single coin less. After Song Jian withdrew the coins, the four thousand gold coins were automatically divided into three portions, leaving only a little over 1,300 gold coins in his inventory; He opened his mailbox settings and saw that it required 300 Doomsday Coins to upgrade to a Level 2 mailbox. Song Jian clicked to upgrade directly, and the ordinary mailbox outside the courtyard immediately shone with a dazzling light; System: Your mailbox has been upgraded to Level 2, allowing you to retain 10 more mail messages; Upgrading to a Level 3 mailbox required 500 gold coins. The over 1,000 gold coins he had just acquired were quickly reduced to 500; System: Your mailbox has been upgraded to Level 3, allowing you to retain an additional 10 mail messages; you can also send mail without stamps, with a daily limit of 3 times; After Song Jian sent the gloves, he felt a sudden sense of relief. The pressure from the Queen of Sin was simply too great. In Doomsday, someone who could control an entire city had more power than a mayor, perhaps even a governor, in the real world; I still have 500 Doomsday Coins, which isnt too bad. Now, I have at least 3,500-3,600 Doomsday Coins to spend. I should be able to buy one or two good things! Song Jian became excited again at the thought; The place where the shimmering rainbow light shone was far from Song Jians manor. If it werent for the night when the colorful light seemed to illuminate the sky like a searchlight, Song Jian might not have noticed its existence; Standing at the highest point of Manor Castle and looking towards the colorful light, the straight-line distance was at least 50 or 60 kilometers, reaching deep into the city. The level of the monsters there was likely over Level 10, and the exact location was not yet clear; It should be near Weihu Park. Song Jian opened the map and secretly estimated the location. Thinking of this, Song Jian looked around, gritted his teeth, morphed into a dark cloud, and flew toward Weihu Park. It was nighttime, so riding a motorcycle would probably be faster, but it would also make too much noise and attract many monsters at night. If he rode a motorcycle, he wouldnt make it a few kilometers before being surrounded by monsters, and he wouldnt stand a chance of entering the Doomsday supermarketnot to mention keeping his life intact; Transforming into a dark cloud and hovering in the air as he slowly flew toward Weihu Park, Song Jian was cautious all the way, fearing another encounter with the bat-winged zombies he had seen the night before. The thought of that swarm of hundreds of Level 10 Elite Boss bat-winged zombies was haunting. If he encountered them in the air, there would be no chance of survival; Fortunately, Song Jian didnt encounter any flying monsters along the way. After an hour and a half, he arrived at Weihu Park without any incidents; At this time, a building covering five to six hundred square meters appeared out of nowhere on a vacant lot next to Weihu Park. The building looked and felt out of place with its surroundings; Looking down at the building emitting colorful light below, Song Jians brow furrowed. This building looked much smaller than the three-story Doomsday supermarket; Is this the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop? Song Jian looked at the huge characters on the building and couldn''''t help but be dumbfounded. How could there be such a building? Descending from the sky, Song Jian found that there were already five or six people standing at the entrance of the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. All of them were dressed in green or blue quality gear, and each persons level was above Level 7. It seemed that anyone who could come to Weihu Park at night was already among the elite players in this city ;?> Seeing Song Jian descend from the sky, the several players surrounding the entrance of the blacksmith shop showed curious expressions, looking Song Jian up and down. None of them, however, approached him or tried to strike up a conversation. The atmosphere in front of the blacksmith shop was somewhat eerie; *Ding Ding Ding-* From within the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop came the sound of metal clashing, as if someone was forging something; Song Jian looked around and was about to push open the door of the blacksmith shop when he noticed that the surrounding players were giving him a mocking smile. He hesitated and stepped back, choosing to wait patiently like the other players outside the door; After a long while, the clanging of metal from inside the blacksmiths shop ceased. The door swung open, and a muscular dwarf, his beard full of iron filings, emerged from inside; Chapter 157 - Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Armed Miners Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Armed Miners Translator: 549690339 [LV30 Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeenj(Elite), Vitality Points: 3800/3800, Characteristics: Super Strength, Super Defense, Super Resistance, Skills: ???, Title: Senior Blacksmith Seeing the revealed attributes floating above the dwarf blacksmiths head, Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt expected his opponent to be a level thirty elite boss. Having experienced this situation before, Song Jian understood that for monsters or NPCs above level ten, one needed corresponding skills, such as Reconnaissance, to examine their attributes. However, even with such skills, you could only see a portion of the targets attributes, not their entire set, unless your skill level was high enough; Blacksmith Aberdeen had concealed his skill and did not wish to reveal it publicly. Even with just the displayed attributes, people were already astonished; Aberdeen exuded an aura of fireworks smoke, carrying a shiny, glowing longsword in his hand. The sword looked similar to Song Jians Guardians Sword, except it was twice the size. It was probably a double-handed sword, yet Aberdeen held it effortlessly in one hand; Are blessed ones of this city really so rare? It seems I wont make much money this time, Aberdeen muttered under his breath; However, his murmurs were as audible as a normal conversation, and several players nearby heard him clearly. Their faces displayed a mixture of emotions as they exchanged glances, seemingly conveying information with their eyes; Song Jian was also surprised by Aberdeens words, which revealed an obvious piece of information: there were players with similar divine statuses in other places as well; Could it be possible for players to arrive in other cities like those in the City of Sin? Or, are there more than one zombie-infested cities in this game? Song Jian wondered; *clap clap- Aberdeen swung his left hand, striking the blade of the double-handed sword with a resounding sound, attracting the attention of the surrounding players; You all did well by keeping quiet while I was forging. 1 like well-behaved children! Aberdeen smiled and continued, Then, this double-handed sword in my hand was just forged. You can have it at a discounted price starting from 500 Doomsday Coins, and the highest bidder wins! As he spoke, Aberdeens left hand gently grazed the blade, and seemingly using some skill, a faint white light enveloped the entire sword and then slowly faded away; The unremarkable longsword now radiated a blue glow with its attributes appearing before the several players; Keen Knights Longsword (Blue), Weapon, Double-handed Sword, Attack 36-49, Strength +2, Armor Break +1, Attack Speed increased by 10%, Special Effect: Charged Strike (active), charge for one second, deal 150% weapon damage to the target with a chance to knock back the enemy; Skill Cooldown: 10 seconds; Usage Requirement: Level 7, Cannot be taken outside of the game: No Among the blue quality weapons, this impressive sword could be considered a top choice. Though it didnt have any particularly extraordinary features, it was well-rounded with high attack power, decent attributes, and an additional attack skill. Song Jian felt that if they announced it on the radio, it could be sold for at least 1,000 Doomsday Coins; 500 Doomsday Coins! I want it! A player wearing metal chain armor, with a delighted expression in his eyes, shouted immediately; The double-handed knights sword isnt very useful to me, but my companion wants to choose a warrior profession, so he might be interested. Emmm, 550 Doomsday Coins! A player next to him, wearing leather armor and carrying a longbow, pondered and spoke after a moment; Only three or four players bid, and the prices didnt skyrocket. When one player offered 800 Doomsday Coins, no one challenged him further; Alas, what a loss. Just the materials for this sword cost nearly 500 Doomsday Coins! Aberdeen shook his head slightly and grumbled. It seemed the purchasing power of the blessed ones in this city was limited, so he was no longer interested in crafting more weapons for sale; After trading the longsword with the player who bid 800, Aberdeen shook his head and walked back to the blacksmith shop, seemingly intending to close the shop and retire for the day; *bang!* The door of the blacksmith shop closed, and the lights inside were extinguished. The colorful glow around the building faded, turning it into a rather inconspicuous establishment; Thank you, everyone! The player who bought the longsword raised his hands in appreciation to the others, a joyful smile on his face. He was the only one who gained something, while the rest had come to the blacksmith shop in vain; Your luck is quite good! If 1 were accustomed to using double-handed swords, 1 would have definitely competed with you this time, someone said, a bit frustrated; Sigh, who knew hed only sell one weapon! If only I had known, I wouldve competed as well. Even if this longsword was bought for 1,000 Doomsday Coins, it wouldnt be a loss. A level 7 blue-quality weapon could be sold out for 1,500 Doomsday Coins after some time when players level up! Ha, you would have to wait a while for that. Currently, players barely have money in their pockets. Its no wonder why the longsword was sold for merely 800 Doomsday Coins! The few players joked with each other as they left the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop, leaving Song Jian alone standing in front of the shop, daydreaming; Would someone who dares to name his shop after Doomsday just sell one weapon and leave? There has to be more, Song Jian thought as he stared at the darkened blacksmith shop; In other games, you could learn forging or mining skills in a blacksmith shop. 1 wonder if 1 can learn these skills in this Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. Having access to mining skills meant you could comprehend them as long as you found the ore, but unless you had a skill book, a mentor, or worked as a blacksmith in the real world, comprehending forging arts on your own was particularly difficult; As Song Jian stood outside the blacksmith shop for an hour with no movement inside, he couldnt help but feel anxious; Did I guess wrong, or is it that the dwarf blacksmith is dissatisfied with the players in this city and doesnt want to interact with them anymore? Song Jian wondered; Just as Song Jian hesitated and contemplated giving up, the door of the blacksmith shop suddenly opened, and the dwarf blacksmith Aberdeen came out; Little guy, why are you still standing here and not leaving? Aberdeen stared at Song Jian and asked in a deep voice; Um Dwarf sir, hello. I wanted to ask if you could teach me the forging arts to craft equipment? Upon seeing Aberdeen, Song Jian was overjoyed internally, but he displayed a polite demeanor as he bowed and asked; Aberdeen looked Song Jian up and down before saying abruptly, Young man, have you ever heard of the combat profession Armed Miner? Chapter 158 - Chapter 158: Chapter 158 Obsidian Chapter 158: Chapter 158 Obsidian Translator: 549690339 Armed Miner? At a first glance, its not quite mainstream profession, is it? Roughly translated, its probably a miner who can fight, right? Just like a King among Beggars no matter how gloried it sounds, its still a mining job, eh? Just adding the word Armed in front makes it extraordinarily high-end? Ive never heard of it. Could you explain this combat profession to me? Song Jian inquired respectfully. Even seemingly worthless professions deserve respect because after all, this guy is a Combat Mentor, and hes hinting at some progress in my main task. In this city teeming with monsters, finding a Combat Mentor is certainly a tough challenge. Hahahaha, this profession has remarkable combat abilities and is also skilled in mining. They can identify various types of ores and often stumble upon unexpected benefits. Aberdeen said with a face full of smiles, So, what do you think, lad? If youre willing to take on the Armed Miner profession, 1 can simplify your test task. How does that sound? Studying Aberdeens pyramid-scheme-entrepreneur-like face, Song Jian shook his head, I havent decided on any combat profession yet. 1 want to learn more before 1 decide! Well then Aberdeens smile faded, replaced by a serious look. He looked Song Jian up and down, muttering under his breath, In that case, I must choose your task more carefully Aberdeens right hand was constantly swiping in the air, as if there was a screen displaying a list of tasks for him to choose from. Gather Obsidian, thats a good task. Ill pick this one for you. This will also give you a taste of the allure of the Armed Miner profession! Aberdeen chose a task, his eyes sparkling. System: Combat Mentor Aberdeen has issued you a test task: Gather Obsidian. Task requirements: Collect loo units of obsidian and earn Aberdeens approval. Task rewards: Gain Aberdeens trust and receive information about the Armed Miner profession. Penalties: Loss of Aberdeens affection, reducing his favorability towards you to indifferent. Accept! Mentor, where can I find Obsidian? The city mines are just too far from here Song Jian said, a bit uneasy. Take out your map. Ill mark the locations where you can mine! Aberdeen replied. Song Jian smiles faintly. He had speculated that besides the mine, there must be other places in the city where ores could be collected. After he handed the map over, Aberdeen lightly marked a few spots and returned the map to Song Jian. You just need to go to any of these locations, and youll be able to mine obsidian. You might even stumble upon other, more valuable ores. If you do, you can sell them to me. 111 give you a good price. Aberdeen added, However, be careful. These places are just like the mines C filled with monsters. Youll have to eliminate the surrounding monsters to mine! Song Jian glanced at the map, nodded to Aberdeen, and started walking to the nearest mining location. Watching Song Jians retreating figure, Aberdeen shook his head slightly and stepped back into the smithy, shutting the door behind him. Song Jian quickly arrived at the location closest to him, an abandoned subway entrance. The entrance, which used to be an entrance to the citys No. 2 subway line, was now covered in green vines, concealing the entrance. Peeling back the vines, a pitch-black entrance came into view. Chilly winds blew out from the subway passageway, accompanied by the low growls of monsters within, making ones hair stand on end. Phew, I hope the level of these monsters isnt too high! Song Jians heart pounded with fear. Its the unknown thats truly terrifying. After a moment of hesitation at the subway entrance, Song Jian stepped onto the dimly lit stairs. The ivy quickly closed back up over the entrance, the last sliver of light disappearing. Alone, Song Jian slowly descended the stairs. It was pitch-black, one couldnt see their hand in front of their face. A mere thirty-meter staircase took Song Jian more than twenty minutes, as he had to carefully sense his surroundings with every step taken. At the bottom of the stairs was a spacious corridor lined with shops selling a variety of things on either side; In the middle of the corridor, the sign for a store was lit up, illuminating a large part of the area. Intrigued, Song Jian made his way towards this store; The store appeared to be a convenience store which wasnt very big, just about fifty square meters or so. At the entrance of the convenience store, as Song Jian approached, the glass door opened automatically and a welcome music started to play; Apart from the surrounding wall displays, there were no people in the store, indicating an unmanned convenience store. Walking in, Song Jian began to look around; The items at the front were various foods and drinks, which could reduce hunger and thirst and increase temporary attributes. Checking his inventory, he still had plenty of food, but not much water left; Mineral Water (White): Beverage, effects: reduces 45 points of thirst, increases spirit points recovery rate by 10%; Price: 10 Doomsday Coins Red Bull Drink (White): Beverage, effects: reduces 50 points of thirst, immediately recovers 30 spirit points; Price: 30 Doomsday Coins Freshly Squeezed Juice (White): Beverage, effects: reduces 55 points of thirst, increases defense by 5 points for 30 minutes; Price: 45 Doomsday Coins Just the beverages alone were over a dozen types each with different attributes, but the prices werent exactly cheap; Song Jian spent over a thousand Doomsday Coins and bought out all the beverages in the convenience store. Although these drinks were expensive, they were rare. If he didnt use them, he could resell them and make a good profit; Compared to the beverages, the food here had much worse attributes. Even his roasted or fried meat fare was better. After a brief glance, Song Jian lost interest in the food here; Beyond the food and drinks, the next cabinet was filled with various gathering tools including pickaxes, Fine Iron Pickaxes, mineral detectors, and mining ropes. Song Jian even spotted an automatic mining robot, but the price of ten thousand Doomsday Coins made him balk. It was too expensive. He wondered whether the minerals mined by this robot could ever cover its cost; Out of these tools, Song Jian only spent three hundred Doomsday Coins to buy a mineral detector and merely glanced at the rest without buying anything; The next display cabinet was filled with rows upon rows of weapons. All kinds of pistols, assault rifles, and even infantry landmines, hand grenades, and explosives. However, all these items were white quality items with low damage and average attributes. After some hesitation, Song Jian ultimately decided against buying them; If he bought all these items and sold them to other players, he could possibly earn a couple hundred Doomsday Coins, but Song Jian was only left with a little over two thousand Doomsday Coins, and he couldnt possibly afford to buy them all. Furthermore, itd be time-consuming to resell all these items and he wouldnt earn much money from it. Song Jian didnt want to become a full-time trader, so he just had a quick look and then turned to leave; Upon arriving at the last display cabinet, Song Jians eyes lit up. There was only one type of item in this cabinet and there were just three of them. The price was exorbitantly high, but Song Jian did not hesitate to buy one; After looking around the entire convenience store and finding nothing else of interest, Song Jian turned around and left, heading towards the subway station viewing platform; There will be another chapter at eight, well, everyone, please wait a bit! Chapter 159 - Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Blood Essence Stone Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Blood Essence Stone Translator: 549690339 Song Jian bought a machine called Ore Processing Machine, which combines crushing, decomposition, and extraction functions, allowing the ore to be directly refined into corresponding products; For example, putting in a unit of iron ore will directly decompose it into a metal iron ingot, and putting in a gold ore will directly obtain a complete piece of gold; The ore processing machine looks like a rectangular metal box, more than half a persons height. When in use, it must be taken out of the inventory and can be put back into the inventory when not in use, making it very convenient. This item is also extremely expensive, costing two thousand Doomsday Coins, which ordinary players cannot afford; Song Jian had a profound understanding of the price of materials and finished products after his first contact with the Doomsday supermarket. Selling a piece of zombie meat could only earn one Doomsday Coin, but making it into fried meat or grilled meat would be worth twenty to thirty Doomsday Coins, a twenty to thirty times increase in price; Obviously, if selling ore, it can only be considered as materials, and the price will definitely be very low, but if decomposing the finished product, the price will naturally increase accordingly; With the help of the light from the convenience store, Song Jian walked towards the subway platform. After walking a few hundred meters, a faint light appeared in front of him. When he got closer, he found that it was the ore from the subway tracks on both sides, emitting faint light; What used to be concrete passages on both sides of the tracks were now covered by a layer of rock, with colorful lights glowing inside, making them look dreamy and beautiful; In the depths of the subway track, Song Jian saw a heavily corroded subway that had derailed and lay horizontally in the tunnel, covered in a thick layer of green moss; Song Jian jumped down from the platform onto the rails and took out a palm-sized compass, exploring left and right; he had just bought it from the convenience store. It was an Ore Detector that could detect ores within a range of three meters; The Ore Detector looks like a radar with a metal shell and a transparent glass layer on the front. There is a pointer in the center, and under the pointer is an LCD screen displaying a thin line C like a life detector in a hospital, constantly making small jumps. As Song Jians position changed, the pointer of the Ore Detector also kept shaking; Song Jian walked along the rocks on both sides of the subway track. After walking about five or six meters, the Ore Detector suddenly issued a series of rapid beeps, and the pointer swiftly jumped to the far left. At the same time, the constantly jumping line on the LCD screen below the pointer began to jump violently; Song Jian followed the direction indicated by the pointer and found a rock wall emitting red light. As he moved up and down this rock wall, the entire Ore Detectors glass screen suddenly emitted a gentle green light when his left hand was one meter above the ground; This is it! Song Jian put away the Ore Detector and punched the rock wall; Bang, bang, bang- Cracks appeared on the hard rock wall, and debris flew. Song Jian felt a slight stinging sensation in his fist. It seemed that it would be more difficult than collecting rocks; After punching for about ten minutes, a red light emerged from the rock wall and entered Song Jians inventory; System: You have collected one unit of Blood Essence Stone, and your Mining Skill experience points increased by 25 points; Blood Essence Stone? Song Jians eyes lit up. To upgrade the Blood Pool from level one to two, he needed a hundred units of Blood Essence Stone. He originally thought about buying it, but the Blood Essence Stone was too expensive, so he put the matter aside. Unexpectedly, he could gather Blood Essence Stone here, which is a delightful surprise; Blood Essence Stone (White): Material, can be used for enchantment, engineering, and potion-making; Usage requirement: Possess the corresponding production skills; Looking at the Blood Essence Stone in the inventory that emits a faint red glow, Song Jian thought to himself, The application of Blood Essence Stone is really extensive, no wonder the price is so expensive. Could this be a Blood Essence Stone vein? If so, 111 be rich. Taking out the Ore Detector, Song Jian continued to explore; The Ore Detector was easy to use and accurately found the precise location of the ore, but it took a lot of time. In more than half an hour, Song Jian had only collected three units of Blood Essence Stone; Id better finish the test mission first, as long as 1 know the location of the gathering site, Ill be able to gather Blood Essence Stone sooner or later, Song Jian thought to himself. He gave up the red ore in this area and walked deeper into the tunnel along the tracks; Obsidian should be an ore emitting black light, and soon, Song Jian saw that on the rock wall beside the sideways train, there was indeed a black glow; He jumped on the train, took out the Ore Detector, and started searching; The Ore Detector could detect the specific location of the ore but not the type of ore it was, so Song Jian could only guess that Obsidian should be in this black-glowing area based on the name of the ore; Beep, beep, beep- The Ore Detector made a rapid sound again. Following the direction of the pointer, Song Jian stepped towards the middle of the train; This is it! Seeing the Ore Detector emit a gentle green light, Song Jian smiled and punched the rock wall; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly felt a slight tremor under his feet, followed by a deep growl that came from the train carriage below; Monster! A light flashed in Song Jians mind, and he quickly put away the Ore Detector, drew his dagger, and prepared to jump down; Boom- A big hole suddenly burst open in the compartment below him, and a dry arm stretched out from the hole, tightly grabbing Song Jians ankle; Then, a strong force came through, and the monster below seemed to want to pull him into the carriage; Song Jian frowned, and his body instantly turned into a cloud of black mist, floating upward; The monster reached out and groped around twice more. When it realized that it had lost Song Jian, it furiously roared and snarled, grabbed the metal around the hole with both arms, and forcefully tore to the sides. In a short while, it had torn a large hole large enough for a person to pass through; Soon, a zombie with a bare upper body crawled out of the hole and roared at the black mist above; This zombies body surface was covered with a thick layer of scales, emitting a dark glow as if it were draped in iron armor. Even its cheeks were covered with fingernail-sized scales; LV10 Armored Zombie (Elite), Vitality Points: 1100/1100, Features: Super Defense, Skills: ???? A level 10 Elite Boss, this will be a bit difficult! Song Jian stared at the roaring Boss below and felt a little overwhelmed. He came here not to fight monsters and kill Bosses, but to mine ores. However, without killing the Boss in front of him, he couldnt continue the mining process; If my Rocket Launcher wasnt broken, dealing with this Boss wouldnt be that difficult, but now Song Jian hesitated for a moment, controlling his body and gradually descending towards the Boss; Chapter 160 - Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Duel to the Death Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Duel to the Death Translator: 549690339 Morphing into Dark Cloud, duration 60 seconds, cooldown 30 minutes. Under Dark Cloud form, it consumes 1 point of Mental Strength per second. The state can be dispelled at any time, and cooldown begins after dispelling; While in Dark Cloud form, Song Jian is immune to physical damage. His magical resistance increases by 100%, and every ten seconds he deals damage (30+200%*Mental Strength) to any target within the cloud; Song Jian currently has 7 points in Mental Strength. This means, within 60 seconds, Song Jian could deal over two hundred and fifty points of damage to the Armored Zombie; A swirl of dark mist envelops the Armored Zombie. An injury of forty-three points emerges from above the zombies head. Seeing this, Song Jian feels relieved. It seems that the Armored Zombie only has strong physical defenses. Its Mental Strength is quite weak, or it would not have sustained such mental damage; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The Armored Zombie senses its enemys presence nearby but is unable to trace him. It swings its arms violently in all directions, hitting nothing but air, stone walls, and the rotten subway carriage. The intense force their swings create rips through the air; Song Jians feeling is peculiar, like he is hugging the Armored Zombie tightly with both arms, but the creature cant touch him at all. Boom C The Armored Zombie wildly swings its fists, striking the nearby rocks with a loud echo; From its mouth, it continuously emits beast-like growls. During this moment, the Armored Zombie is clearly flustered. It has never experienced something like this before, being able to sense an enemy and take damage from them, without even being able to touch the enemys clothes; With a misstep, the Armored Zombie rolls down from the subway carriage and crashes heavily onto the rail track. Crack, the Armored Zombie roars, grabbing and pulling the rail track. It breaks off a chunk of rail track thats two to three meters long. The rotten rail track has become brittle, snapping into two from either side. The Armored Zombie takes the broken piece and swings it all around; The sixty seconds pass quickly. The Vitality Points of the Armored Zombie drop by one-fifth. The surroundings are now a mess. A large section of rocks around have been shattered. The ground is filled with glowing rocks, and the subway next to them has been blasted open to reveal a few large holes. The carriage on one side has been split entirely. As Song Jians Dark Cloud form reaches its final few seconds, he flies seven to eight meters away from the Armored Zombie, reverting to human form; The Armored Zombies blazing eyes pierce through Song Jian. The formerly irrational creature becomes even more insane. Grabbing the rail track in its hand, it fiercely smashes it towards Song Jian; Song Jian ducks low, as the rail track whizzes over his head, the forceful wind messing his hair. With his right hand on the ground, a milky-white orb shaped like a tusk quickly forms; Earth Teeth Assault! Whoosh, whoosh- The sounds of sharp objects breaking through the air suddenly interrupt the silence. Leaving a straight mark on the ground, it charges towards the Armored Zombie; Bam! A loud bang C the tusk-shaped orb hits the Armored Zombie hard, the strong energy throwing it up in the air. Its body collides with the subway carriage; Squeak- lhe unpleasant sound of breaking echoes. The Armored Zombies body embeds itself into the carriage. A thirty-one point damage mark appears from overhead; Wow, its defense really is super strong. My Earth Teeth Assault skill only dealt thirty-one points of damage. Its like it has a built-in function to halve the damage! Song Jians cheeks twitch a couple of times, looking at the Armored Zombie struggling to escape from the carriage metal. He suddenly feels this might be a tough fight; Will I really be able to kill this thing?1 A question mark emerges in Song Jians mind, though for now, he has no other choice but to fight; Song Jian tightly clutches the Tusk Fang Stinger. A silver light gleams endlessly on the blade as Invisible Sword Qi keeps amassing around the blade; However, Song Jian dares not to use up all of his Invisible Sword Qi. The Tusk Fang Stinger is his only smooth weapon at the moment. If it gets damaged again, Song Jian wont bear the loss; Lets do it! Song Jian flies into a sudden rage. His eyes filled with bloodshot veins as if theyre blazing fires. He lets out a beast-like roar from his throat and throws himself at the Armored Zombie; Seeing Song Jian charging at it, the Armored Zombie takes a leap, appearing three meters ahead. It throws a punch at Song Jian; Faced with the zombie s punch, Song Jian successfully dodges it by bending down. And just like the deadly fangs of a venomous snake, he stabs his dagger right into the zombies chest; The dagger strikes the black scales on the Armored Zombies body, causing a spark of fire to erupt. A three-point damage floats up from the top of the zombies head; Song Jian is taken aback. These scales are like a thick layer of armor on the Armored Zombie. If he cant penetrate these scales, itll be difficult for Song Jian to inflict any significant damage; The Armored Zombie swings a counterpalm, hitting Song Jian squarely on his back and flinging him five to six meters away; Song Jians eyes are blood-red, as if fiery flames are burning inside them. He rolls over to get up, kneeling on the ground. Blood is already gushing from the corner of his mouth. His face is somewhat contorted with pain. Watching the Armored Zombie lunging at him, Song Jian pulls out a potion from his bag and throws it at the zombie; Weakness Potion (Superior): Carries out a ranged attack against any target within six meters, inflicting 30 points of true damage while weakening the targets defense by 35% for 65 seconds; As the potion shatters in mid-air, a puff of gray smoke engulfs the Armored Zombie. Tiny granules invisible to the naked eye burrow into the zombie s body. They are like bloodthirsty tiny insects, infiltrating the Armored Zombie s body through the gaps between its scales. In no moment, the Armored Zombies body is covered in a faint gray glow; Having thrown the Weakness Potion, Song Jian once again charges at the Armored Zombie fearlessly. This time, there is no other thought in his head except tearing his enemy into pieces; This time, Song Jians dagger easily penetrates the Armored Zombies scales. Nearly half of the blade stabs into the zombies body. Feeling the pain, the Armored Zombie also shows signs of insanity. It swings its fists frantically as if wanting to squash Song Jian into a pulp; Facing the heavy fist of the Armored Zombie looming overhead like a huge mountain, Song Jian has a sudden stroke of insight. He swings his left hand upward forcefully, releasing a dazzling silver Sword Qi from his index finger that cuts sideways across the zombies fist; Chapter 161 - Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Escaped Unexpectedly Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Escaped Unexpectedly Translator: 549690339 With barely any resistance, a glittering silver sword stroke sailed effortlessly through, severing the right arm of the Armored Zombie at the elbow. Clang- The severed arm fell to the ground, making a sound akin to a metallic impact. Cant believe its this powerful? Song Jian expressed his surprise. He knew that even though the physical defense of the Armored Zombie had dropped by 35%, compared to an ordinary tenth-level elite boss, its defense was much stronger. He hadnt expecting that the ability Sword Finger would directly cut off its arm. Taking advantage of the Armored Zombies painful roar, Song Jian created distance and took a swig of a newly purchased beverage he retrieved, his partially diminished Spirit Points had started to gradually replenish. The Armored Zombie, having lost an arm, became even more fearsome and enraged, its body even beginning to whirl with a black aura. Suddenly, a ghastly howl echoed throughout the subway tunnel. The scales on the Armored Zombies body emitted a grey aura, and its form surged like a feral beast towards Song Jian, its left arm swinging, the gale of its strike sweeping towards Song Jians head. Song Jian ducked his body lower to dodge, then charged forward swiftly. He slipped under the Armored Zombies ribs to get behind it. In the course of his forward dash, his right hand held a dagger horizontally, and aiming at the zombies ribs C he stabbed mercilessly. The sharp dagger easily cut through the somewhat curved and dried scales. A scar more than three inches long appeared under the Armored Zombies ribs, at the same time, a damage of over twenty points exploded above its head. Song Jian repeatedly launched the Tusk Fang Stinger, capitalizing on the huge drop in the Armored Zombies defense to slash multiple wounds on its body. Originally solid scales now easily broke apart, and in no time, over a half of the scales on its body had been slashed off, shattered into fragments. The Armored Zombie roared in anger, swinging its fists hard, the resulting force hitting the nearby rock wall. The hard rock wall which was radiating a black light, emitted a crisp shattering sound, instantly leaving a huge hole punched by the Armored Zombie. The shattered rocks flew in all directions. The Armored Zombie took advantage of this, grabbing a handful of broken rocks and hurling them backward, instantly covering a large area. The shattered rocks, like bullets, left behind black traces in the air that slowly disappeared. Song Jian, caught off guard, was hit by two pebbles the size of fingernails, causing his charge towards the Armored Zombie to stall momentarily, while he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Looking at the figure in front of him, much stronger than an ordinary human, a ruthless look flashed through Song Jians eyes. He pointed his left index finger forward. Whoosh- A three-meter-long silver Sword Qi stabbed into the ribcage of the Armored Zombie, quickly sinking deep into its body. Even though the silver Sword Qi lasted less than a second, the damage it caused to the Armored Zombie was massive. Explode! The five-layered Poison Mark activated, causing over a hundred points of damage to appear above the Armored Zombies head. A stench-filled black fluid gushed out from the wound, covering half of the zombies body. The Armored Zombie, with its right arm severed at the elbow, its defense greatly reduced, its body covered in blood and suffering from numerous wounds, appeared in an extremely sad state. However, the ferocity it exuded was akin to a wounded beast, even in death it desired to bite Song Jian. With one hand on the ground and another gripping his dagger, Song Jian kept his eyes fixed on the Armored Zombie at a distance. His vitality rose visibly. His Vitality Points, which originally reduced to one-half, was nearing 80%, and his Spirit Points had also recovered to around 65%. Roar- The Armored Zombies roar echoed in the tunnel, the sound causing a prickling sensation in Song Jians ears. Looking at the Armored Zombie charging towards him, a thin vertical line on Song Jians forehead slowly opened, revealing the Vertical Eye. It shone with a brilliant light, piercing through the dim tunnel like a brilliant silver gem. Whoosh- A silvery beam shot out from the vertical eye. Upon seeing this beam, the Armored Zombies body instinctively trembled. The previous two silver Sword Qi had already made it feel the threat of death. Now, another silvery beam was shot towards it. Despite its ferocity and aggression, the Armored Zombie felt a chill run through it. The silvery beam shot out from the vertical eye was not less powerful than the Sword Finger, but it lacked the sharpness. The beam hit the chest of the Armored Zombie and did not go all the way through. Instead, it seemed like an electrical welding, with countless silvery rainbows blossoming continuously, pushing the Armored Zombie back against the rock wall behind it. A series of damage numbers burst out from above the head of the Armored Zombie. The Spirit damage was okay, but the physical damage had been weakened by the opponents defense. Even with a reduction of 35% of the damage, the physical damage that could originally burst out forty to fifty points was now reduced to just over thirty points. -71 -68 -75 Five seconds later, the silver beam from the vertical eye on Song Jians forehead disappeared, and a hint of fatigue appeared on his face. Now, only a dozen or so spirit points were left, but all of it was worth it. The Armored Zombie had taken close to three hundred points of damage this time, and a bowl-sized wound was burned into its chest area. Scales and flesh had all disappeared, revealing several cracked ribs and a black heart behind them that had already stopped beating. Earth Teeth Assault! With over 500% recovery speed for Vitality Points, the skills that consumed Vitality seemed almost negligible to Song Jian now. He would use these skills as soon as their cooldown time was up. The Tusk Fang-shaped spirit cluster made a sharp sound as it tore through the air, ruthlessly hitting the Armored Zombie. Its left leg made a crisp fracture sound, and its massive body wobbled as it knelt down on one knee. The effect of the Weakness Potion had worn off. The Armored Zombies body surface had returned to its original dark metallic luster. Just then, another potion was thrown at the Armored Zombie. With a bang sound, the Armored Zombie was once again enveloped in a gray fog. As it felt its body gradually weaken, the Armored Zombie roared to the sky in unwillingness. Its blood-red eyes stared fiercely at Song Jian for a few seconds, as if to imprint his face on its mind. A sense of dread crept into Song Jians mind. This guy seemed to want to escape! Sure enough, the Armored Zombie, relying on a broken leg and its remaining limbs, jumped up like a beast and started running towards the deeper part of the tunnel. Song Jian lifted his foot and chased after the Armored Zombie. He had worked so hard, and he wouldnt feel at ease unless he killed it. After chasing for over a hundred meters, Song Jian noticed that the sounds made by the Armored Zombie were getting further and further away. He couldnt help but think to himself: Does this guy still run so fast despite half of his limbs being useless? Just as Song Jian was about to give up, he suddenly heard the painful screams of the Armored Zombie in the distance. Next, the system told him he had gained over 600 Experience Points. Did someone just kill the Boss up ahead? Song Jian was startled and immediately became more cautious. Chapter 162 - Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Ratman Miner Aekte Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Ratman Miner Aekte Translator: 549690339 Song Jian cautiously advanced several meters along the subway rails, finally spotting the body of the Armored Zombie lying across the track. Its body was slowly burning to black ashes, and several items were scattered around him. The one who killed it actually didnt take the opportunity to take the spoils? Song Jian was a bit surprised; the other party had dealt the final blow to the Armored Zombie, and was entitled to seize spoils of battle. Next to the Armored Zombies corpse, a small figure stood, resembling a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old child, about 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall. When Song Jian drew closer, he jumped in surprise: this person looked like a giant rat walking upright. Clasping his dagger, Song Jian seemed a bit tense. Greetings, human youngster. Dont be nervous, Im just a miner. The rat person surprisingly could speak: My name is Eckert Claw. I killed the Zombie when he charged at me while 1 was mining. I didnt know it was your prey. For this, 1 offer my apologies and hope for your understanding. Rat-person Eckert bowed to Song Jian, his right hand on his chest, bending towards Song Jian in respect. Song Jian didnt speak, staring at the rat-persons head. Soon, rat-person Eckerts attributes were revealed. LV30 Rat Miner Eckert (Elite), Vitality Points: ???, Traits: ???, Skills: ??? Apart from the level, race, profession and name, all the other properties were question marks, clearly hidden by Eckert. However, Eckerts entire attribute bar was light green, indicating that Eckert and Song Jian had a friendly relationship and wouldnt attack Song Jian unprovoked. Seeing this, Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Although his Vitality Points had fully restored after the fight, his Mental Strength was already on the brink. His battle power had drastically diminished, and even if in full form, he could not possibly match a level 30 Elite Boss. Hello, Mr. Eckert, Im pleased to meet you here. As it happens, Im also here to mine. Song Jian extended his right hand, giving Eckert a greeting. Oh, youre also a miner? What a coincidence! Eckerts eyes lit up, a hint of a smile on his face. Seeing a rat grin at you made Song Jian feel a bit bizarre, but he didnt show it on his face. Come, human lad, these are your spoils and should be yours. 1 again apologize for my recklessness. Eckert said with a smile. Dont say that. If it wasnt for you, the creature might have escaped. 1 am grateful to you for killing it and these spoils include your share as well, Song Jian hastily replied. Haha, it was just a level 10 monster. The items it dropped arent really useful to me. Moreover, this monster had been in the mine for too long, and almost all it dropped were ores. For a miner, theres nothing more common than ores. Rat-person Eckert burst out laughing. This time, Song Jian didnt refuseinstead, he nodded at Eckert and picked up all the items dropped by the Armored Zombie Boss. Three units of Obsidian and five units of Bloodstone, along with five or six other types of ores. Among these, two of them were materials for Song Jian to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenades, which brought him considerable joy. Hm? Theres even an equipment piece, Song Jian said, somewhat surprised, as he picked up a gauntlet. Miners Glove (White), Main Hand Weapon, Equipment Effect: Attack 1-1, enhances mining efficiency by 50%, automatic ore detection. Usage Condition: Level 10. Can the equipment be carried out of the game: Yes. It was another piece of equipment that could be taken out of the game, but for Song Jian, it seemed more useful inside the game. Equipping it means 1 cant use the dagger. Switching weapons during a battle would take a few seconds. Song Jian thought after stretching his fingers with the Miners Glove on. So you are a God Favored, and you have not yet taken up a profession! Rat-person Eckert eyed Song Jian up and down in surprise, exclaiming aloud. Yes, my name is Song Jian. Nice to meet you, Ekt! Song Jian said with a slight smile. Impressive, it seems youre quite powerful. Otherwise, you wouldnt have ventured here alone. You should know that even the weakest monsters here are level ten Ekt wore a face of admiration. Song Jians expression froze. The minimum level here is ten? Ekt gave a slight smile to Song Jian, pulled out a pickaxe emitting a faint golden glow, and began to strike the rock wall. Song Jian noticed that within a few minutes, five or six streaks of various colored light flew into Ekt. Are miners able to mine this fast? Song Jian was taken aback, but he quickly moved on and began to explore. The mining glove could automatically prospect, similarly to a prospector. On the back of the glove, there is a similar device. However, the range of the mining glove was slightly larger than the prospector, reaching five meters. The mining glove increased mining speed by 50%. A level 5 Mining Skill could also improve efficiency by 30%. Beating the wall with his fist, Song Jian could collect a piece of ore in just a few minutes. His speed wasnt slow, but when compared to Ekt, it was like heaven and earth. These gloves are quite impressive! Song Jian said excitedly as he touched the mining glove on his right hand. Thats just a novice mining gadget. For a true miner, its nothing more than a toy. Ekt suddenly remarked. Truthfully, Im not a miner. But, these gloves are quite useful to me, Song Jian chuckled. As an armed miner, Id be glad to give you some advice regarding mining. 1 dont know if youre interested in listening to my ramblings? Ekt suddenly offered. Armed miner? Really? Id love to know more about this profession. If you could explain it to me, Id be extremely grateful. Song Jian exclaimed, surprised and excited to have encountered an armed miner here. However, looking at Ekt, his combat strength didnt seem too powerful. An armed miner is still a miner at their core, whose primary profession is to gather various ores. Wherever there is a mine, there are armed miners. Ekt placed his faintly golden-glowing pickaxe aside, sat cross-legged on a rock, and took out a box of cigarettes. He lit one up. Seeing a giant rat smoking a cigarette in such a stylish manner, Song Jian felt this image was strange and off-beat. However, the more precious ores a mine produces, the more dangerous it is. This forces miners to learn some self-defense martial arts, hence the origin of the armed miner. A novice armed miners core skill is the Mining Skill. Only those with level ten or above Mining Skill are worthy of calling themselves miners. Additionally, there are dozens of skills related to Mining Skill, which include Prospecting Skill, Ore Seeking Skill, and Ore Identification Skill. As for self-defense martial skills, the core skill is Magma Body Refining Skill. It can absorb energy from various ores to strengthen oneself. With Magma Body Refining Skill as the core, many other martial skills can be developed, which you will need to choose again when you reach level thirty for the second class transfer Ekt talked incessantly and told Song Jian all the characteristics of the armed miner without any reservations. System: You attentively listened to Armed Miner Ekts explanation, the Skill Mining Skill (LV5) evolves into Mining Skill (LV3). [Mining Skill]: Passive, Level 3, when collecting ores increases efficiency by 35%, increases the probability of obtaining rare ores by 12%. System: After carefully listening to Armed Miner Ekts explanation, your Mining Skill levels up. [Mining Skill]: Passive, Level 4, when collecting ores increases efficiency by 40%, increases the probability of obtaining rare ores by 15%. Chapter 163 - Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Level 30 Elite BOSS Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Level 30 Elite BOSS Translator: 549690339 After spending more than half an hour, Ratman Ektor gave a detailed explanation of the characteristics of the Armed Miner profession and also taught Song Jian some mining tips, which transformed his Mining Skill and even upgraded it by one level; Thank you, Ektor, your explanation has been very helpful to me! Song Jian said gratefully; Its nothing. Its clear that youve already mastered the core skill of Armed Miners, the Mining Skill, which will be of great help to you in the future; at the very least, you wont have to worry about Doomsday Coins. You should know that all Armed Miners are very rich, hahaha! Ektor laughed heartily, seemingly proud of the Armed Miner profession; System: You listened to the Combat Profession Instructor Ektors explanation of the Armed Miner profession, and your main mission is 4/10 completed; Song Jian was surprised that the main mission was already completed, so did he still need to complete Aberdeens test mission? After thinking about it, Song Jian did not delete Aberdeens test mission and kept it; In the following time, the two continued mining, and tacitly split up, with one person on each side. Although Song Jians mining efficiency was not as high as Ektors, he could barely keep up with Ektors pace. It was clear that Ektor deliberately slowed down to accommodate Song Jian. After all, mining alone was quite boring, but with two people chatting and laughing, it was no longer dull; Ektor, is the pickaxe in your hand golden-quality equipment? Song Jian couldnt help but ask out of curiosity; Haha, I thought you didnt notice my baby. As far as 1 know, the God-favored ones are very sensitive to equipment and pursue it eagerly! Ektor laughed heartily and showed Song Jian the attributes of the pickaxe in his hand; Ektors Cross Pickaxe (Light Gold), Main-hand weapon, Attack 110-120, Strength +10, Agility +8, Attack (Mining) speed increased by 35%, Mining Skill level +1, Special Effect 1: Theres a chance to upgrade the quality of mined ores by one level; Special Effect 2: Doubles the amount of ore collected; Special Effect 3: Significantly reduces the influence on surroundings when mining, making it harder for monsters to find you; Usage Requirements: Exclusive to Ektor Blade; Hiss, is this exclusive equipment? Song Jian stared in awe. This kind of equipment is soul-bound to the owner, can only be used by the owner, and will disappear if the owner dies; Thats right, this is my exclusive equipment, which I created at a great cost! Ektor said proudly. Thats amazing. I wonder when Ill have my own exclusive equipment, Song Jian said with envy; Haha, youll have it. God-favored ones are the lucky ones blessed by gods, and youll definitely have your own exclusive equipment in the future, Ektor assured Song Jian; Ill take your word for it. Hehe! Song Jian scratched his head and laughed; This was the first golden-quality weapon Song Jian had seen, and for a miner, every attribute and characteristic of this weapon would make one drool; While talking and mining, most of the time Ektor spoke and Song Jian listened. Occasionally, Song Jian would also express his own views. The two seemed like old friends, making the boring mining work lively; Hours later, Song Jians bag was filled with various ores. He had collected 100 units of Obsidian for Aberdeens test, and 100 units of Bloodstones needed to upgrade the Blood Pool to level 2. He even collected all the materials needed to make T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenades and over 300 units of other various ores; However, Song Jian had no intention to leave. Its rare to meet a high-level NPC like Ektor, who made Song Jian feel very relaxed. Their intimacy level slowly increased, and Ektor often shared his past experiences in their conversations. To Song Jian, this information was invaluable and couldnt be bought with money; Just then, a rock wall not far away began to shake violently. Cracks appeared on the smooth surface of the rock wall, looking like a spider web. Be careful! Ektor said to Song Jian with a serious face; Bang! The cracked rock wall suddenly burst open from inside out, revealing a large hole with a diameter of over one meter. A monster covered in green scales crawled out from the hole. Its two blood-red eyes stared at Song Jian, and its long mouth full of fangs opened and let out a sharp roar. The monster looked somewhat like a pangolin, but it was much larger than a regular one. It was over two meters long and reached the height of an adults thigh. Its body was covered in pale green scales, its limbs were short and thick, and its claws were sharp. The hard rock wall was like tofu in front of it, easily crushed to pieces. LV30 Mutated Ore Beast (Elite), Vitality Points: 3200/3200, Traits: Intermediate Defense, Rock Breaker,??, Skills: Sonic Attack, Claw Clash,?? A level 30 Elite BOSS? Song Jian was shocked in his heart and couldnt help but take two steps back. There was such a terrifying creature in the mine! If Song Jian encountered it as soon as he entered the subway station, it would have been difficult to leave alive. The mutated Ore Beasts eyes were fixed on Song Jian, and its crimson tongue constantly flicked in and out. If it wasnt for Ekt standing next to Song Jian, the mutated Ore Beast would have already pounced. Its my mining activity that disturbed it! Song Jian looked at the mutated Ore Beast and suddenly understood. At this moment, he suddenly thought of Ekts pickaxe and its third trait and realized just how precious it was. Song Jian, let me show you the self-defense capabilities of armed miners and let you experience the power of the Magma Forging Technique! Ekt slowly walked towards the monster, speaking to Song Jian as he went. Seeing Ekt approaching, the mutated Ore Beast actually took two steps back and lowered its body, letting out a threatening warning roar towards Ekt. But Ekt didnt care at all, taking big strides towards the mutated Ore Beast. The monster became furious, swinging its limbs, and charged at Ekt like a black shadow. Bang- Ekt tightly gripped his pickaxe with both hands, swung it upward, and directly smashed the approaching mutated Ore Beast, sending it flying into the air. Roar- Ekt let out a skyward roar, and his body slowly swelled. Muscles bulged one by one, and his height rapidly increased. In no time, he had surpassed Song Jians height. Watching the body of the mutated Ore Beast being sent flying into the air, Ekt bent his elbow and stomped on the ground with a bang. He shot towards the airborne mutated Ore Beast like an arrow. Lines of creamy white energy appeared on the surface of Ekts elbow, striking the mutated Ore Beast in mid-air with great force. The creature let out a painful cry. With nowhere to exert force in mid-air, the mutated Ore Beast was like a live target. Ekt grabbed its neck and forcefully threw it down to the tracks below. With a bang, the mutated Ore Beasts body slammed onto the two rusted tracks, breaking them apart. A large pit appeared on the ground with the mutated Ore Beast lying in the center, struggling to get up. Ekt, suspended in the air, tightly gripped his pickaxe and slammed it down onto the mutated Ore Beasts head like a mountain. Chapter 164 - Chapter 164: Chapter 164 Obsidian Chapter 164: Chapter 164 Obsidian Translator: 549690339 The battle only lasted for a few minutes. Erik was like a strong man beating up a child, showering the Mutated Mine Beast with relentless barrage of punches that marked constant screams; This fighting style is so crude and wild, every punch landing onto flesh. But, I like it, hehe! Song Jians eyes sparkled as he watched Eriks build slowly transform from a robust man to a skinny rat-man, his vitality points remaining intact throughout the fight. Can one truly be so overwhelmingly powerful when facing an elite boss of the same level? Song Jian was astounded when he looked at the battlefield that was akin to being swept by missiles, and the Mutated Mine Beast lying on the ground, its limbs twitching sporadically. Hehe, what do you think of my strength? Not bad, huh? Erik looked at Song Jian with a face full of smiles. At this point, Erik in Song Jians eyes was simply a humanoid beast. No, a rat-shaped monster! So powerful! This Mining Warrior profession is incredibly powerful! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim out loud. At this moment, a barely noticeable hint of shyness flashed across Eriks face. He quickly waved his hand in dismissal and changed the subject, Lets see what loot this guy dropped for me. As he said this, Erik walked toward the Mutated Mine Beast, stepping on its neck. In an instant, it drained the last remnants of its vitality. The beasts carcass began to burn in a transparent flame, leaving behind three items that radiated white and green lights. Hmm, not bad, two precious ores and one green quality forging material! A satisfied smile appeared on Eriks face. Alright, Song Jian, its been a pleasure meeting you and becoming friends with you. Erik turned around to face Song Jian and said, But its time for me to leave this place. I recommend that you do the same as soon as possible. The monsters here are very powerful; before becoming a professional, it is best to avoid coming here. Alright, Erik, lets leave this place together, Song Jian hastily added. This place was too dangerous and even had a level thirty elite boss. If it werent for Erik, Song Jian would never have come to mine here. That dwarf seems to bear ill-intentions, sending me to such a dangerous place to mine obsidian! Song Jian felt a surge of discontent for the dwarven blacksmith, Aberdeen. The two quickly reached the subway entrance. After Erik had given Song Jian some more advice, he turned around to leave, disappearing into the dark. Song Jian glanced into the dark tunnel, which looked like a giant monster with its mouth agape, sending shivers down his spine as he hastily walked toward Wei Lake Park. As he watched Song Jians silhouette slowly disappear, a hint of a smile appeared on Eriks face. This Chosen One is quite interesting; in him, I see the potential for a unique profession. However, becoming a unique professional requires much more effort Erik put away his pale golden pickaxe, and with a wave of his right hand, a dazzling ball of lightning appeared in his palm. Like a waterfall, plasma coiled around his entire body and in a few moments, Eriks attire underwent a complete transformation. Prevaricating light emanated from head to toe, dressing him in an ensemble of purple-red equipment. This surpassed golden quality, reaching the level of legendary grade. In Eriks hand appeared a magic staff resembling a wolf tooth mace. This staff was taller than Erik himself, thick at the top and thin at bottom. At its tip, a crimson gem the size of a human head sparkled radiantly. He pulled out a lock buckle from his bosom, flicked it into the air and, like a transformer, the small piece started to shift and change its shape. As countless gears interlocked and spun, an airship appeared beside him in a short span of time. The attribute Mining Warrior above Eriks head also morphed into War Engineer. He jumped onto the small airship, and after a quiet rumble, it zipped into the blackness of the night like a streak of light. Song Jian stood on a rock in Wei Lake Park, looking at the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. The shop was still shrouded in darkness. It seemed Aberdeen had completely given up on the city, realizing that even if he crafted a legendary, or even an epic weapon, it wouldnt fetch a decent price. Song Jian stared coldly at the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. He didnt expect that the mining location pointed out by Aberdeen would be so dangerous. If not for his good luck in meeting Rat-man Erik, Song Jian might have died while completing this task. The opponent is after all a level thirty elite boss, 1 dont possess Eriks strength. If we fall out now, Ill be at a disadvantage, Song Jian contemplated. Looking at the wrecked rocket launcher in his package, Song Jian marginally smiled and started walking toward the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. There was not a single sound to be heard from within the pitch-black blacksmith shop. Song Jian wondered if Aberdeen was already asleep. He checked the time; it was already past four in the morning, and in an hour, the sun would rise. If nothing unexpected happened, Aberdeen would also leave the city by dawn. Thump! Thump! Thump! Song Jian knocked forcefully on the large door of the blacksmith shop. Coming, coming! Aberdeens voice echoed from inside the shop. Opening the door to find Song Jian, his eyes briefly betrayed surprise. However, he quickly regained his composure with an annoyed expression, as someone rudely awakened from sleep. What, have you finished the task that was given to you? Aberdeen asked grumpily. Im sorry, theres a level ten elite boss in the mine. Im not strong enough and only managed to mine three units of Obsidian, Song Jian said, expressing remorse while presenting the three shining black stones from his palm. Is it is it really obsidian? You actually managed to mine obsidian? Thats impossible! Aberdeen, his eyes wide open and staring at Song Jians palm, showed a puzzled look on his face. The obsidian mines are deep within the cave, and that place is full of level thirty Aberdeen abruptly looked up at Song Jian, glad he stopped talking just in time, or it would have been awkward. Sending an unexceptional level ten person to mine in an area where a level thirty elite boss roams was indeed not very honorable. Hmm, alright, the monsters in the mine are indeed very strong, and its good that you were able to collect three. However, this means I cant share with you the details of the Mining Warrior profession! Aberdeen said solemnly, But it wasnt a wasted trip. Im willing to buy these three obsidians for ten Doomsday Coins each! Chapter 165 - Chapter 165: Chapter 165 Repair Chapter 165: Chapter 165 Repair Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing Aberdeens offer to buy obsidian at the price of ten Doomsday Coins, Song Jian kept a calm face, but he couldnt help but curse inwardly. In his radio inquiries about the Blood Spirit Stone information, Song Jian learned that the price of a unit of Blood Spirit Stone was at least seventy to eighty Doomsday Coins and sometimes it could even sell for a hundred Doomsday Coins per unit. Compared to Blood Spirit Stone, obsidian is even more precious. Though Song Jian didnt know the exact price, he was sure that the price of an obsidian was at least over a hundred Doomsday Coins. After all, the area where obsidian deposits were located was where the level 30 elite BOSS lurked, whereas Blood Spirit Stone can be mined in the area plagued by a level 10 elite BOSS. Respected Dwarf sir, please give me another chance. I failed this time due to my damaged weapon. Otherwise, 1 surely could have harvested enough obsidian! But I need to ask a favor of you, if you could help me out, 1 promise I can harvest enough obsidian for you! Song Jian put back the three obsidians he gathered and pleaded earnestly. Your weapon is damaged? Aberdeen was taken aback but quickly became excited by Song Jians assurance. He rubbed his hands together and asked, Can you really gather a hundred units of obsidian? You know, the area where obsidian is Aberdeen hesitated as he was well aware that the obsidian mining area was guarded by a level 30 elite BOSS. Even with his power, he dared not venture there. Comparable to the ratman Ekut; Aberdeen wasnt even fit to lace his boots. Of course, theres no problem, respected Dwarf blacksmith. After all, Ive already obtained three units of obsidian, havent I? Song Jian quickly said. Very well, in that case, just state your request and Ill do my best to satisfy you, Aberdeen finally agreed after some hesitation. Actually, I only need you to repair my weapon. Im sure I can harvest enough obsidian if my weapon isnt damaged! Song Jian said. Show me your weapon then! Aberdeen had already anticipated Song Jians request when he mentioned his damaged weapon. He nodded for Song Jian to bring it forth. Song Jian withdrew his rocket launcher for Aberdeen to inspect. Upon seeing it, Aberdeens eyes lit up. He eagerly took it from Song Jian and gently ran his fingers over the icy metal shell. This is a work of art! Aberdeens face took on a serious expression. The sight of the cracks on the surface of the rocket launcher caused expressions of both pain and anger to flash across his face. You must have applied some sort of destructive energy in an attempt to enhance its power, but it ended up damaging the weapons internal structure! Aberdeens hands shook slightly as he pointed at Song Jian and said, You dont deserve to wield this weapon; its very presence in your hands is a waste! Master Aberdeen, about the obsidian Song Jian reminded him. Aberdeen paused and sighed heavily. He turned and walked back into the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop, cradling the rocket launcher. Follow me, Ill repair this weapon for you. But as a penalty, put a hundred units of obsidian in front of me before dawn or youll face the wrath of a level 30 elite like me! Aberdeen said. A smirk appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. When Aberdeen stated that the task must be completed before dawn, he had more or less confirmed his suspicions. He felt about 80% sure that the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop would disappear just like the Doomsday Supermarket after dawn. Regarding whether it would reappear, Song Jian believed that coming to this Zombie City cost Aberdeen a great deal, a price that was certainly higher than the punishment of a level 10 player without a career. Song Jian followed Aberdeen into the blacksmith shop, which was brightly lit. He noticed that it was a large room of over 600 square meters, far more spacious than it appeared from the outside. In the middle stood a seven to eight-meter high furnace, and rows of shelves ran along the walls. The shelves on the left boasted all kinds of equipment. Their quality was at least of blue grade, and Song Jian even saw silver and gold-grade equipment neatly arranged on the shelves. The shelves on the other side displayed various weapons that dazzled Song Jian. Not only were there cold weapons like swords, spears, and halberds, but there were also firearms like pistols, assault rifles, rifles, and sniper rifles. However, the number of firearms was far less than that of cold weapons. Respected Dwarf blacksmith, are these weapons for sale? Im willing to offer a satisfactory price! Song Jian couldnt help but ask, pointing at a sniper rifle of silver grade on the shelf that radiated chilling intent. These are my treasured collections and are not for sale! Aberdeen refused bluntly. Staring at these weapons, Song Jian swallowed hard. If he werent wary of Aberdeens strength, he would have seriously considered killing Aberdeen and seizing everything. Aberdeen placed the rocket launcher on a workbench, disassembled it into a pile of parts with a toolkit, and then began to inspect each part. What kind of mutant energy did you add that could cause such considerable damage? After carefully checking the damaged parts, Aberdeen seemed to have noticed something. He looked up at Song Jian, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes. Seeing Song Jians smiling silence, Aberdeen didnt press further, but his confidence in Song Jians ability to collect obsidian increased slightly. In total, thirteen components need to be reforged, and the launching tube also requires replacement. Give me your three obsidians! Aberdeen brusquely extended his hand. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian placed the three obsidians on the workbench. Hmm, wait, the repair will take half an hour! Aberdeen informed him. Will it regain its previous attributes? Can its features be preserved? Song Jian eagerly asked. Huh, who do you think I am? Do you think everyone and anyone can own a Doomsday Blacksmith Shop? You should know, as long as 1 have enough materials, I can forge Legendary or even Epic-grade equipment for you, let alone a lowly blue-grade weapon! Be patient. Youll find that with these three obsidians, the attributes of your rocket launcher will only get better! Aberdeen snorted and grabbed a handful of ore carbon powder, tossing it into the roaring flames. With a bang, the flames in the furnace flared up, even raising the temperature around them several degrees. Aberdeen lined up various forging tools on the workbench, from large to small, comprising more than ten types of different shapes. Alright, youre not needed here. You can wait outside! Aberdeen began to shoo him away. Song Jian, who originally intended to sneak a peek at Aberdeens weapon repair process to possibly understand the art of forging, wore an awkward smile and turned to leave the blacksmith shop. Before long, he heard the sounds of furious hammering, akin to that of a torrential rainstorm, coming from the blacksmith shop. Chapter 166 - Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Second-Level Manor Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Second-Level Manor Translator: 549690339 Song Jian waited patiently. Not even half an hour had passed, probably only about twenty minutes, when the door of the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop swung open from the inside. Aberdeen, with a face full of excitement, walked out carrying the repaired [Cobra-2X]. Hahaha, this is my best weapon repair job to date. Look, allow me to show you the skills of Aberdeen the blacksmith, Aberdeen handed over the [Cobra-2X] to Song Jian with a bit of reluctance. Upon seeing the restored [Cobra-2X], Song Jian also broke into a joyful smile. The Cobra-2X was quite powerful, he could use this weapon till level 15, or even level 20, without needing to upgrade. [Cobra-2X] (Blue): Rocket Launcher, two-handed weapon, Attack: 58-72, Explosion+3, Splash+3, Rocket speed increased by 25%, Ammo capacity +1. Special Effect 1: Autoreplenishes a bullet every thirty seconds. Ammo capacity: 2/2, Attack Speed: 3 seconds. Usage requirement: Level 10, Strength Attribute reaching 12 points. Excellent, excellent, Master Aberdeens craftsmanship is truly remarkable, llaha! Song Jian laughed heartily. The restored rocket launcher still boasted of its blue quality, but with greatly enhanced attack power, and a new 25% increased rocket speed attribute. All the other attributes and special effects were also fully retained, which was simply a pleasant surprise. Now, off you go. As long as you manage to collect a hundred units of Obsidian before dawn, not only will I tell you the characteristics of the Weapon Miner occupation, but I will also reward you with a blue quality strengthening stone. You can use it to further enhance your weapon, Aberdeen said, pulling out a transparent crystal emanating a blue aura from his pocket, and waving it at Song Jian. Song Jian paused, quickly weighing the value of a hundred units of obsidian against a blue quality strengthening stone in his mind. The repair was successful mostly because of your three Obsidian pieces. Without them, I could only have restored the weapon to its previous state. Any improvement would have been impossible, Aberdeen said thoughtfully. Oh, really? So, three pieces of obsidian are equivalent to one strengthening stone! Song Jian remarked, with a gleam in his eyes as if he was asking casually. Hmph, what do you know? Strengthening stones have a limited number of times they can enhance a weapon. The more times you use them, the lower the success rate. Ordinary strengthening stones can only enhance up to nine times. But obsidians can enhance a weapon infinitely. As long as your weapon has enough potential, you can use it ten or eight times without a problem, Aberdeen replied without batting an eye. On the other hand, your weapon has already been enhanced three times by obsidian, but its potential has not been fully tapped. I think you can at least use the obsidian to strengthen it seven or eight more times. After that, use the enhancing stone to enhance it. As long as it can be enhanced to +3, it will be equivalent to a precious item of silver quality. If you can enhance it to +9, it could be on par with an average gold quality weapon. Thats quite a consumption! Song Jian calculated silently in his mind, shaking his head slightly. Indeed, the consumption is significant. After the enhancement stone enhances the weapon to +3, each enhancement has a chance of failure. If it fails, the enhancement level decreases by one. If it fails after reaching +6, the weapon can burst Aberdeen explained. Haha, Im already very satisfied with the attributes of this weapon now, thank you, Master Aberdeen! Song Jian said, placing the [Cobra-2X] into his equipment column for two-handed weaponry, his face filled with a satisfied smile. Alright, go on. Theres only a little over an hour left till dawn. Youre short on time! Aberdeen said, turning around to return to the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. Song Jian smirked mysteriously. His body transformed into a cloud of black fog and he shot off into the distance. It seemed that the value of obsidian was much higher than that of the strengthening stone. In the sky, Song Jian glanced at his mission list, hesitating whether to directly delete his test mission. After some thought, he decided to wait until dawn to decide. If he didnt show up by then, Aberdeen might think that he hadnt gathered enough Obsidian. Compared to not collecting enough obsidian and deceiving Aberdeen, the former would be less infuriating to him. After all, upsetting a level 30 elite BOSS would be quite dangerous. He tricked me into a death trap, 1 took advantage of his repairs, were even now. Song Jian thought to himself. Upon returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian promptly upgraded it to level 2. Upgrading to a level 2 mansion required twelve thousand units of stone and eight thousand units of wood, as well as one thousand units of iron ore. For Song Jian, acquiring wood and stone was no longer a difficult task. He had been hindered from upgrading the mansion previously because of the thousand units of iron ore requirement. But having gathered ore this time around, not only had Song Jian collected enough iron ore, he even had some surplus. He opened up the mansion attribute panel, and directly chose Mansion Upgrade. A thunderous rumbling sound could be heard from outside the mansion. Song Jian didnt feel any tremors from inside the room, but he could see from the window that his field of vision was gradually ascending. The mansion upgrade took an extremely short time. Just about ten seconds later, the upgrade was finished. Song Jians safe house had become a level 2 mansion, with significantly improved defenses. With a flicker of thought, Song Jian headed down to the basement, the size of which had expanded significantly with the upgrade, now covering an area of 120 square meters. Walking over to the Blood Pool, Song Jian saw blood churning within it like boiling water. Song Jian tossed all one hundred blood stones into the Blood Pool. Very quickly, the speed of the blood churning inside the pool began to accelerate, and the water level started to rise, soon spilling over from the pool. Song Jian took a few steps back. Although the blood didnt overflow very quickly, within a few minutes, it had already covered an area of several square meters. Boom! A muffled sound resounded, and the ground shook slightly. The area of the Blood Pool expanded by more than half. Four stone pillars slowly rose up around the pool. The stone pillars were carved into the forms of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise, looking quite fierce and majestic. Blood water spouted continuously from the mouths of these four mythical animal sculptures into the Blood Pool. Yet the water level didnt rise at all. Blood Pool: Level 2 structure, Effect: Stores 8000 units of blood water. Blood Water Effect 1: Replenishes Vitality Points. Blood Water Effect 2: Cultivates blood monsters (Blood Ravens: 30, Blood Zombies: 30). Blood Water Effect 3: Can be used to make additives to increase product quality. Structure Explanation: The blood water contains micro-toxins. Drinking it for a long time can enhance ones constitution, but also affects ones consciousness and pollutes the soul. The blood water in the Blood Pool can slowly recover, but when completely depleted, it would take a lot of time and precious materials to replenish. Blood Pool Capacity: 5000/8000. Not bad, besides a three thousand unit increase in the blood water capacity, another type of blood monster has been added: Blood Zombie. 1 wonder how strong it is! After looking at the Blood Pool attributes, Song Jian mused to himself.. Chapter 167 - Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Making a Hand Grenade Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Making a Hand Grenade Translator: 549690339 Blood beasts nurtured in the Blood Pool were part of the manor, just like Alex from the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree, and could only serve as the manors guardian. Once they left the manor, they would lose blood continuously. The farther they were from the manor, the faster they would bleed. However, because Song Jians demonic summoning skill had mutated into the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, these blood beasts had become Song Jians summoned creatures, able to appear anywhere and assist Song Jian in battle; At this time, the Blood Pool had just been upgraded and the blood zombies had not yet been bred, so Song Jian could not immediately check the attributes of the blood zombies. After checking the materials needed to upgrade the Blood Pool to level three, 500 units of stone, 100 units of ruby, 100 units of Dragon Bloodstone, Song Jian memorized this silently and turned to leave the basement; He returned to the third-floor bedroom, opened the Engineering Crafting Table, and opened the blueprint for the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade at the same time, comparing the materials needed for crafting on the blueprint, and began to prepare; Hmm, wood, sulfur, saltpeter, crushed silver ore Song Jian followed the blueprint for the high-explosive grenade and put the materials into the material inlet of the Engineering Crafting Table; After all materials were inputted, Song Jian fiercely pressed the start button of the workbench. Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound came from inside the workbench, followed by the sound of crushing. The entire workbench began to tremble slightly; Now its crushing all these materials, then separating and purifying them. In fact, the process is not much different from that of the Pharmaceutical Workbench, both are idiot-proof level operations, Song Jian thought to himself; However, it didnt take long for the Engineering Crafting Table to tell Song Jian with facts that it was different from the Pharmaceutical Workbench; Boom- A muffled sound came from the outlet of the workbench, followed by a wisp of black smoke, and the workbench quickly quieted down; Were not the same, not the same Song Jian stood still in front of the workbench, feeling a powerful wave of disappointment wash over him. After a while, he mumbled to himself, Is this a failure, already? System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table) to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but the crafting failed and you gained 5 Crafting Experience Points; Isnt there a 30% crafting success rate bonus on this thing? What the hell! Song Jian angrily kicked the wooden table under the workbench; During this mining trip, Song Jian had gathered all the materials needed to craft the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but they were only enough to make twelve grenades. Now he had already wasted one set of materials; He originally thought that twelve T-11 High-Explosive Grenades would be enough for self-defense, but now it seemed that with these twelve sets of materials, no, now it was eleven sets of materials, if he could manage to craft three to five T-11 High-Explosive Grenades, Song Jian would be thankful; Following the materials list, he refilled the Crafting Table with another set of materials; Hum- Hum- Hum- Boom- System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table] to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but the crafting failed and you gained 5 Crafting Experience Points; Song Jian remained expressionless and continued to put in another set of materials; Hum- Hum- Hum- Boom- System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table] to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but the crafting failed and you gained 5 Crafting Experience Points; What the hell! Song Jian couldnt help but curse. Ten sets of materials, and yet not a single T-11 High-Explosive Grenade was made. This made Song Jian doubt whether the blueprint was fake; I accept one failure, two failures are fine, three failures, four failures, Im just unlucky, but ten consecutive failures, you have to show me some respect to probability, right? Song Jians mouth twitched involuntarily; However, after ten failures, the Crafting Experience of the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade had reached 50 points; Keep going, two more to go! Song Jian gritted his teeth. Even if they were all wasted, at least some inventory space would be saved. At the very least, by using up the materials, out of sight, out of mind; Hum- Hum- Hum- The workbench started working again; This time, it took a full ten minutes for the workbench to stop working; A metal ball the size of a fist, with a pockmarked surface, rolled out of the workbench; System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table] to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, crafting succeeded, you gained 20 Crafting Experience Points and 10 Engineering Experience Points; Phew, finally succeeded for once! Song Jian let out a long breath, the ten consecutive failures had made him hold his breath, almost going down the rabbit hole; Picking up the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, Song Jian began to check its attributes; T-11 High-Explosive Grenade (Ordinary): Consumable. Use effect: Throw at a target beyond a 5-meter range to deal 300 points of explosive damage. This damage can be increased with the level of the Throwing skill; has a chance to cause an additional 150 points of fire damage. Use requirement: Possess the Throwing skill; Heh, such a powerful damage, no wonder it took me so much effort to craft you. Song Jian held the high-explosive grenade, a satisfied smile on his face; Although he had not yet mastered the Throwing skill, such basic skills could be comprehended on their own. Just casually throwing a stone at a monster three times, he could comprehend it. This would not cause any obstacles for Song Jian; If I can make a large number of high-explosive grenades and find a place where monsters gather, wont my level increase as fast as a rocket? Song Jian couldnt help but think to himself; After placing the grenade into the inventory, Song Jian took out the last set of crafting materials and put them into the workbench; Hum, hum, hum- The workbench began to operate; What a pity, this workbench is only of ordinary quality. If only it could be like the Pharmaceutical Workbench. At this point, Song Jian realized how powerful the silver Pharmaceutical Workbench was; Boom- Another puff of black smoke came out of the workbench, and Song Jians mouth twitched involuntarily; Twelve sets of materials, only one finished product was made. With this 30% success rate, how on earth was it calculated? Wasnt it supposed to be three successes out of ten attempts? What Song Jian didnt know was that for some people, there wasnt much difference between 1% and 99%; After consuming all the materials, night had begun to fade, and the eastern sky was turning white; Song Jian vaguely heard the sound of an angry roar from a distance: Unforgivable, you deceived the great dwarf blacksmith Looking at the taskbar, the test task of the Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeen had failed, and Song Jians relationship with the Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeen had dropped to indifference; Phew, I hope that the next time we meet, he wont try to chop me with a knife. But the next time we meet, my strength will have surpassed his. A hint of coldness appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth; Chapter 168 - Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Harvest Ceremony Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Harvest Ceremony Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had already played around with the image of the dwarf blacksmith, Aberdeen, in his mind in countless ways. A strange smile appeared on his face, and his laughter made George the butler, who was standing outside the door, feel a chill down his spine. After hesitating for a while, he gently knocked on the door of the room. Knock! Knock! Knock! Who is it! Song Jian wiped off his saliva and asked; Master, the wheat and potatoes in the six Spirit Fields have matured. John would like to invite you to the Harvest Ceremony. Do you have time? Butler George asked respectfully from outside the door; Song Jian was perplexed. For just a couple of patches of wheat and potatoes, they needed to hold a ceremony? Did life have to be so ceremonious? Are they trying to show off their achievements to me, in order to ask for a raise in their salaries? Humph. Song Jian entered the room with a gloomy face; Lead the way! Butler George didnt dare to breathe heavily, not knowing what got into the master today, even the atmospheric pressure around seemed lower. On arriving at the courtyard, the Blood Spirit Poison Tree Alex was fast asleep. Seeing it, Song Jians face darkened again. This fellow was good at eating and sleeping, blackened quite a lot of Song Jians equipment, and was simply incomparable to Li Keers Fiana; If it wasnt for the fact that you could guard the house, I wouldve chopped you off long ago. The wood collected from you should be of at least grade three quality. Song Jian stroked his chin as he sized up Alex; Alex in its slumber suddenly felt a chill, its leaves shook slightly, causing the crows to all fly up, cawing chaotically; Master, look, all six Spirit Fields have yielded a bumper harvest. Butler George pointed at the remaining six Spirit Fields; Gardener John and carpenter Tammy, standing nearby, were also excitedly looking at the Spirit Fields, whispering to each other; Master, shall we begin the Harvesting Ceremony? Butler George asked softly; Song Jian nodded, saying, Lets begin.; Gardener John solemnly took out a sickle, the handle of which was tied with a big red satin flower. He lifted the sickle over his head with both hands and handed it to Song Jian; Master, please harvest the first bundle of wheat! John said excitedly; Song Jian: Song Jian, speechless, picked up the Red Flower Sickle, aimlessly swung it, whoosh a white light flashed, and a heap of wheat was reaped; Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! George, Tammy, and John behind him all began to clap; Should L. should 1 wave to them in acknowledgement? Song Jian felt exceedingly awkward; System: You have completed a Harvest Ceremony, Vitality Points limit increased by 10, skill[Cold Weapon (Pole Weapon) (Basic) Jacquired; [Cold Weapon (Pole Weapon) (Basic)]: Passive, Level 1, Increase the power of pole weapons by 5% Song Jian was startled: What is this situation? Gaining the skill Cold Weapon (Pole Weapon) (Basic) wasnt surprising to Song Jian, but his vitality points limit increasing by 10 was a rarity; When can we hold this Harvest Ceremony again? Song Jians eyes were sharp as he stared at gardener John; Master, every time a plant matures, we can hold a Harvest Ceremony. Holding a Harvest Ceremony will win the favor of the Goddess of Harvest. However, we must plant different crops each time. We currently only have wheat and potato seeds. If we plant them again, we wont be able to hold the Harvest Ceremony. John explained hastily; Pointing to another patch of mature soybeans, Song Jian asked, Can we hold another Harvest Ceremony? Sorry, Master, the Harvest Ceremony can only be held once a week. The next one you can carry out will be for harvesting soybeans, John said. 1 hope the Master can get more different types of plant seeds. The more varieties you have, the greater the reward from the Goddess of Harvest. Hmm, I need different types of plant seeds? Song Jian stroked his chin, handed his sickle to John and returned to his third-floor bedroom to switch on the radio. This is Nova Town, we found a group of level 10 wild boar men. They appear to want to establish a nest in the swamp. Is there any team willing to hunt them down? Wild boar men? Are there many of them? There are many professional hunters among the wild boar men. If its a large tribe, there will be wild boar men priests. If we can kill it, maybe we can get the skill of the priest profession, that would be a big score. Its just a small tribe, probably around thirty. There shouldnt be any wild boar men priests. Our scouts saw that they have hunters and warriors as their professions. This is Silver Moon Commerce, we are currently in Valan Canyon. We have a batch of goods that need to be transported to the City of Sin. We need to recruit ten to fifteen guardians of level 10 or above. Those interested can send me a private message, but it should include level, profession, and core skills! To go from Valan Canyon to the City of Sin? Seems like we have to pass through a Zombie City, right? Sigh, are you guys serious? Selling a level 10 blue quality spike hammer, one-handed weapon, attack 56-72, strength +2, Armor break +1, with a certain chance of causing shattering effects, comes with two special features, 800 Doomsday coins, those interested can send me a private message, highest bidder wins! Buying Yin Soul Grass, 30 Doomsday Coins per plant, no quantity limit, payment on delivery, mailing address**** Wanted mission, Gathering Area 101 issues bounty, one of our teams was killed in Zombie City 9, we need to hire warriors to investigate the cause. If they were killed by someone, we need the perpetrators head brought back. The mission reward is 5000 Doomsday Coins, plus one legendary profession core skill. There seem to be a lot of people on the radio now, publishing messages, recruiting manpower, selling items. It all sounds rather messy, but everyone who posts a message will appear on a small screen on the radio. If interested, one can write down the other persons radio number and chat with them privately. After waiting a while, Song Jian seized the opportunity to shout: Buying all kinds of plant seeds, no duplicates, direct delivery, address is City of Hope***, payment on delivery! In no time, the radio signaled that someone wanted to have a private chat. Song Jian glanced at the prompted channel and directly switched to another channel. Hello- Hello, this is Valan Town. We have wheat seeds, potato seeds, corn seeds, peanut seeds A somewhat hoarse male voice echoed over the radio; he continued to list over a dozen types of plant seeds. May I ask, which type of plant seeds do you need? The man asked. Aside from wheat and potatoes, Ill take all other plant seeds, Song Jian replied. Alright, how many? How much do you need? Lets start with one hundred of each! Song Jian said. One hundred seeds were just the right amount for one Spirit Field. Okay, let me calculate. Corn seeds amass 1 Doomsday Coin per seed, peanut seeds are 1.2 Doomsday Coins per seed, radish seeds are 1.8 Doomsday Coins per seed Song Jian couldnt help but gasp. Was seed sold by the grain? If thats the case, wouldnt it cost over a thousand Doomsday Coins? There are thirteen kinds of plant seeds in total, so you need 1,926 Doomsday Coins. For shipping, its 2,100 Doomsday Coins. So, all together, it will be 4,026 Doomsday Coins. No, is there no postage included? Song Jian asked. Sir, you must be joking. Using the mailbox system is expensive, but it is very safe. If we included shipping, wed be running at a loss, the man laughed. Okay, cash on delivery it is. How about a discount? Song Jian said after hesitating for a moment. Sure, lets say four thousand Doomsday Coins, cash on delivery. Ill go prepare right now. Thank you for your patronage, sir! Hope we can do business again! Chapter 169 - Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Setting up a Safety House in Groups Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Setting up a Safety House in Groups Translator: 549690339 Buying a single seed costs four thousand Doomsday Coins, and Song Jian only has just over a thousand in his pocket now. He still needs to figure out how to get more money; Do you buy plant seeds? Song Jian suddenly asked: I have recently harvested some wheat and soybeans Of course, wheat and soybeans are grains and theyre valuable in these times. However, we offer 8 Doomsday Coins for every hundred grains of wheat and 10 for every hundred grains of soybean. We buy as many as you have! Sheesh, these prices Youre even more ruthless than the system store! Song Jian exclaimed, thinking to himself; Heh, just kidding. Just send them over quickly. After saying this, Song Jian directly closed the radio; I might as well use these grains to enhance my cooking skills. I might even discover some new recipes! Song Jian thought to himself; Just then, from the window, Song Jian saw three green light columns emerge from the ground almost simultaneously; Someone is completing the main task of creating a safehouse! Song Jian had a thought and instantly disappeared from the room, appearing on top of the Manor Castle Towers; Looking towards the light columns, their locations were quite close and not too far away from the residential area where Song Jian was; It seems thats where the New Garden Residential Area is! Song Jian scratched his chin and muttered to himself, 1 should go and see. Once the safehouse is established, the whole area within a one-kilometer radius essentially becomes Song Jians territory, and other players would need his permission to establish their own safehouses here; However, before any safehouse is built, anyone can build one, which is why the three players had agreed upon building their safehouses together. But in the future, whoever wants to build a safehouse here will need the approval of all three of them; Song Jian quickly arrived near the New Garden Residential Area. By now, quite a few players had already gathered around, buzzing with discussion. These three guys are smart, banding together to create safehouses and fend off monsters. This way they all share the burden. Not bad, not bad at all! Isnt this just a game bug? The number of monsters within a one-kilometer radius is fixed. Three people defending against them instead of just one would obviously be much easier! Why dont you give it a try? Four people would surely be easier than three! I think Ill wait to see what happens. Such an obvious bug, 1 dont believe the game would just let it slide. A boss monster might appear and completely wipe them out. After hearing this, some players who had been keen on the idea of combining their forces immediately dismissed it. They decided to wait and see. If the three players succeed and the number of attacking monsters doesnt increase, it wouldnt be too late to establish their own safehouses together then; The three players stood amid the green light columns, constantly moving their hands in front of their chests as they set up defenses around their safehouses. With more than a month in the game time passed by, most players had gathered just about enough wooden and stone materials. As long as the game allowed, they could build any defense structure; Soon, the three green light columns shattered simultaneously, causing hundreds of monsters to swarm towards the three safehouses; Huh, it really works! The monsters are spread out and their numbers dont seem to have increased much! Someone exclaimed in surprise; No, theres been some increase, but it seems to be only by two to three layers! Almost, can we really build safehouses together? At this moment, almost all the onlooking players were excited; Lets wait. There may still be a strong boss yet to appear. Well see if they succeed. Qiang bro, it really works, haha, the monsters have been split off. We just need to hold this together! a player on the rooftop of a safehouse said, laughing and shouting towards another safehouse not ten meters away from him; Its all thanks to Qiang bros smart thinking, the boss really is the boss! another player promptly complimented; The three safehouses were arranged in a product line layout, each separated from each other by just eight to nine meters. The defensive structures they built were even connected, allowing them to concentrate their fire on a single monster, thus reducing the pressure on the safehouses. Moreover, it allowed them to easily fend off the attacking monsters. In just a short while, all three of them leveled up; Dont worry, as long as youre with me, I guarantee youll all be able to complete the main tasks! Qiang bro had a look of pride on his face; Qiang, Qiang bro, a BOSS, a BOSS is coming! a player suddenly pointed at a Level-5 elite boss in the distance and shouted out loud; Dont panic, its just a Level-5 elite boss. If it dares to come at us, well concentrate fire and bring it down instantaneously! Qiang bro squinted his eyes, looked at the boss for a long while, and spoke; All three had upgraded their safehouses to Level-3, and had built Arrow Towers. Twelve Arrow Towers combined to form a rain of arrows, making it extremely difficult for the monsters to even get close; Boss, the boss is coming! Zhao Liang had his eyes fixed on the boss. In his view, the regular Level-3 and Level-4 monsters would hardly cause any damage to the safehouses. The main threat was the boss. Once it entered the bosss attack range, the damage to the safehouses would be severe; Got it. Take control of the Arrow Towers and aim at that boss. As soon as it enters the attack range, start firing! Qiang bro took out a white-quality AK, aimed at the boss, and started to fire; The sound of three consecutive firings echoed each time, each hitting the bosss head and causing a lot of damage; The other two players also took out their long-range weapons and started firing at the boss; The boss, beaten to a roar, was blocked by the lower level monsters in front. Every meter it advanced, it had to bear a lot of damage; Hey, this boss isnt that tough! Seems it cant even get close to the safehouses. Were just lucky. Its a melee-attack boss. Well just aim to not let it get close to the safehouses and just knock it out. No sweat. Qiang bro was relieved, and shouted aloud; Not long after, the boss fell down three meters away from the safehouse that was closest to him. It burst out a piece of green-quality equipment and several white-quality materials; The three players eyes lit up immediately. Glancing at the surrounding monsters, they held their excitement back. But their eyes kept darting towards that piece of green equipment; The surrounding players, seeing the boss fall, gave out a cry of surprise; Its actually possible! Now with this, the safety of the main tasks has greatly increased! Yeah, they arent even scared of the boss showing up. Its actually like a huge gift pack giving away experience and equipment. What do you say, Old Li, why dont we find a place and build a safehouse together later? Sure, count me in, haha! Lets find more people. We can all complete the main tasks together! Song Jian looked around. With the death of the Level-5 boss, the atmosphere around had suddenly become lively; Chapter 170 - Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Bounty Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Bounty Translator: 549690339 In just half an hour, the three Alliance Game Houses managed to kill over three hundred monsters, with each players level rising by approximately one and a half levels. Compared to an individual creating a Game House, they received fewer Experience Points, but their safety significantly increased. This gave the onlooking players hope that they could successfully complete the main quest; This cant be as simple as it seems. Even though the monster count has tripled, compared to the strength of the three of us together, this increment in difficulty is nothing at all! Song Jian slightly furrowed his brows while looking into the sea of monsters; At that moment, the three players building the Game House had a sudden change of expression. They exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting mutual fear; Boss, what do we do, why did a level ten elite Boss appear? Zhao Liang said with a grimace; Yeah, boss. The three of us, even together, we cant possibly deal with a level ten elite Boss and all these other monsters. Were done for Another player, named Zhang Wei, also wore an expression of sheer terror. Not to mention a level ten elite Boss C even at the sight of a level five Boss, these two would immediately turn tail and run, completely unwilling to engage in direct battle with any Boss; Boss, in ten minutes it will be upon us, what do we do! A level ten elite, and I Im still only level seven. We cant beat him! Dont panic, well clear out the surrounding lesser monsters first! even though he was terrified, Qiang bro rallied. He couldnt deal with a level ten elite Boss either; Our Game House is only level one, its defense is not high, the remaining defense value now is only two-thirds. When the level ten elite Boss joins the fray, we wont be able to hold up, what do we do? Sweat pooled on Qiang Bros forehead, the look in his eyes becoming more frantic; Taking in the sight of the hundreds of onlooking players, Qiang bro came up with a plan immediately; Dont worry, there are so many players around us. A level ten elite Boss can drop good equipment C when the time comes, we can try and motivate them to kill the Boss. Qiang bro glanced at the other two and broached his plan; Qiang, bro, will they help us kill it? Wouldnt it be simpler for them to let the Boss scatter our Game House, then kill it? Zhao Liang asked hesitantly; Why would so many people gather when someone established a Game House? Isnt it because theyre waiting for the Boss and the Game Houses defenses to weaken each other, so they themselves can swoop in and benefit at no cost? With the Game House destroyed and the Boss seriously injured, it would be the safest time to go in for the kill. Thats why so many players watch as others Game Houses get destroyed, yet remain indifferent. No problem, when the time comes, Ill have a way to handle it! Qiang bros eyes reflected him inwardly wincing; Bro, youre not planning on using that thing, are you? Zhang Wei was aghast, and quickly questioned; Besides that thing, what other option do we have? Can you kill that Boss? Qiang bros challenging gaze had a frightening effect, and Zhang Wei almost fell off the perimeter wall; That belongs to boss. He gets to choose when and how to use it. Zhang Wei quickly added with a laugh; Right now, thats our only option. When the Boss shows up, well use it! Qiang bro gritted out, although he could visibly see he wasnt keen on the idea, but there didnt seem to be any better alternatives at the moment; But what about the reward? Zhao Ming seemed to have caught on and asked somewhat hesitantly; Yeah, what if the reward is too low and no one wants to do it? Zhang Wei chimed in with support; How many Doomsday Coins do you two still have on you? Qiang bro suddenly asked after careful thought; The two had a start and shook their heads immediately. Zhang Wei quickly responded, Bro, Qiang, all the Doomsday Coins we get every time are with you, right? Yeah, boss, we didnt dare to hoard any. We gave everything to you. Zhao Ming quickly added; Hmm, pretty words, as if I dont know you two? Qiang bro smirked coldly and continued: Hand everything over now, otherwise all three of us C tied by the same rope C if we cant get rid of that Boss, we die. Together. After he finished speaking, Qiang bro resumed shooting at the monsters approaching his Game House; Zhao Ming and Zhang Wei exchanged a glance and reluctantly fell silent. Their team had only recently formed up. Both just wanted to ride on Qiang bros coattails because he was at a higher level than they were, had three skills, and even his vitality was much higher. In every battle, Qiang bro was always at the forefront while they assisted from behind in safety. However, after a couple of battle experiences, Qiang bro proposed a distribution system based on need. If there were items that none of them required, they were to be kept by him. This included the Doomsday Coins, which were to be unified and allocated to him, but the spending of said coins had to receive agreement by all three players; Although Zhao Ming and Zhang Wei werent completely happy with it, they didnt voice any opposition. The raw materials from every battle were sold, and the Doomsday Coins earned were also handed over to Qiang bro. But this didnt mean that the two didnt have their secret stashes. After they had been playing the game for over a month, their privately stashed Doomsday Coins werent much fewer than other players; Boss, all our Doomsday Coins are with you. Ive been keeping track all along, and 1 think we should have around 3,560 Doomsday Coins there, right? Zhang Wei stated nonchalantly; Qiang bro was astounded by their accuracy, wondering if they were a professional accountant. Could they have memorized the Doomsday Coins they made from every single battle? This time well use up all our reserves. Ill add some of my own, 4,000 Doomsday Coins! Qiang bro gritted out: What good is having so many Doomsday Coins if we lose our lives? Well alright, Ill put in another 500. Thats all Ive got, but as long as we can establish the Game House, it will all be worth it! Zhang Wei gritted his teeth and declared, glaring at Zhao Ming as if he could draw blood; I, I well, 111 also add 500 Doomsday Coins. With both eyes on him, Zhao Ming was somewhat creeped out, and quickly agreed; Good, 5,000 Doomsday Coins, I dare those poor bastards not to be moved! Qiang bro mocked the onlooking players, sneering; At present, apart from the larger teams, hardly any player could bring out 5,000 Doomsday Coins. To the players, 5,000 Doomsday Coins were undoubtedly a colossal amount; Hearing Qiang bros decision, Zhang Wei and Zhao Ming both calmed down. Although every one of the three men was inwardly wincing, in order to complete the task, 5,000 Doomsday Coins was a sum they were willing to sacrifice; Before long, a level ten elite Boss made its appearance. This Boss was humanoid, but it was covered in spikes, looking like a giant human-shaped porcupine; [LV10 Spiked Zombie Kuka] (Elite), Vitality Points: 1100/2200, Traits: Super Agile, Damage Reflection, Abilities: Spike Throw, Spike Scatter, Waltzing Triple Strike. Thanks to yumile for tipping 1,000 Qidian Coins- Chapter 171 - Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Eating Alone? Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Eating Alone? Translator: 549690339 The emergence of a level 10 elite BOSS caused a stir among the onlookers. No one had expected the cooperative completion of the main quest to attract a level 10 elite BOSS. Many players had experienced the strength of a level 10 elite BOSS. A single level one safe-house couldnt possibly defend against it, let alone a level one manor, unless it possessed formidable defensive measures. The powerful attacks of the BOSS could easily penetrate the defenses of the safe-house. To prevent this, it had to be vanquished before it got close. A level 10 elite BOSS. Just as 1 expected. There are no bugs in this game. If they hadnt cooperated, it would have been a level 5 elite BOSS at most, definitely not level 10. Yeah, now theyve shot themselves in the foot. Its just a matter of how many level 10 BOSSes they can fend off. How many? This ONE is enough for them to choke on! Just wait and see, theyll definitely fail this time or Ill eat shit on a live broadcast! Easy on the trash talk, anything can happen in this game While the spectators began to mock and ridicule, Qiang suddenly pulled out a blue scroll from his package, opened it, and tore it fiercely. A semi-transparent curtain of light appeared in front of Qiang. He waved his hands continuously as if adjusting something or writing something into the light. Quickly, all players in the whole area received a system notification at the same time; System: An anonymous player has issued a kill order to all players within a kilometer radius. Your task is to kill the Spiky Zombie Kuka (Elite) of LV10 and obtain its skull: 0/1. Reward: 5000 Doomsday Coins! Everyone in the area is automatically given this task. There will be no penalties for task failure. The spectators around the area stiffened. They looked at each other, seeing the surprise in each others eyes. How did he post a mission? 1 cant do that. Are you blind? Didnt you see him using a scroll? Its probably a task posting scroll. How can you post a task without it? 5000 Doomsday Coins, thats a lot of money Is the guy who said he would eat shit on live broadcast still around? Are you freaking out now? The spectators began to get excited. To them, 5000 Doomsday Coins was a huge sum of money. However, hunting down a level 10 elite BOSS in a sea of monsters was no easy task. When the time comes, one only needs to inflict some damage on the BOSS to be eligible to pick up the loot. The main focus should be snatching the BOSSS head at the end. Almost all players thought the same. They set their sights on the level 10 elite BOSS, expecting someone to take the first move. The player to first attack the BOSS would bear the brunt of its hatred. Despite having its abilities halved, a level 10 elite BOSS was no joke. Seeing the players around him, Song Jian immediately pulled out the rocket launcher, aimed at the level 10 elite BOSS, and pulled the trigger. Whoosh- A rocket trailing a long flame flew towards the Spiky Zombie. The BOSS seemed to sense the danger and turned its head towards the rocket, letting out a roar. Two spikes came out of its elbows, which it threw at the incoming rocket. Inner Eye! A glint flashed in Song Jians eyes. Suddenly, the rocket slightly curved in the air, avoiding the two spikes. By the time the Spiky Zombie tried to dodge, it was too late. Because the modified rocket had a 25% increase in flight speed and was locked onto the target by the Inner Eye skill, the Spiky Zombie could only brace for the hit. Boom! Amidst the explosion, the Spiky Zombie let out a screech. Its menacing bloody eyes stared at Song Jian. Holding two foot-long spikes in its hands, it charged towards Song Jian. All the monsters in its path were torn to pieces by the Spiky Zombie. The monster hopped and spun with the two spikes in its hands as it raced towards Song Jian. Its spikes were like the death gods scythes, reaping the lives of any monster that dared to stand in its way. Its coming, its coming, get ready, get ready! The surrounding players were yelling and swiftly retreated. Within a short period, there was no one within a ten-meter radius of Song Jian. The other players also raised their ranged weapons, aiming at the level 10 elite BOSS. As soon as it was within range, they would attack without hesitation. Hey, this guy is quite daring. Now the BOSSS hatred is firmly on him. We dont have to worry about drawing the BOSSS attention anymore. A player glanced at Song Jian and murmured. There are still good people around! Hehe, its a windfall. The BOSSS head is mine! Back off! The BOSSS head is mine. As soon as it gets three meters closer, its within my attack range! Just at this moment, Song Jian pulled the trigger of the rocket launcher towards the BOSS yet again. Boom- This attack had a critical hit, a nearly 200-point critical hit, above the head of the BOSS. The explosion wiped out a large number of surrounding monsters, leaving the BOSS in the midst of a 3-meter radius cleared area; not a single small monster survived. At this point, the BOSSS health points dropped by one-third, leaving it with less than 800 points. Song Jian reloaded the rocket launcher. A silver vertical scar slowly opened on his forehead, and a silver beam shot out towards the BOSS. Boom Boom Boom Boom- A series of damage indicators sprang from the head of the BOSS. The CS couldnt maintain its balance and was pushed backwards by the silver beam. The surface of its body looked like it had been doused with sulfuric acid. After equipping the rocket launcher, Song Jians physical attack has massively increased. This resulted in the enhancement of his Vertical Pupil skill Eye Killer. The skill was dealing over a hundred points of mixed damage to the BOSS per second. Even more irritating was the fact that the silver beam from the Eye Killer pushed the BOSS back into the horde of monsters. After five seconds, a look of fatigue crept onto Song Jians face, but the BOSSS vitality had been depleted down to just over 200 points. As everyone watched in shock, Song Jian jumped off the roof and charged towards the Spiky Zombie BOSS. Holy shit, this guy wants to hog all the kill points. Everyone, get him! Snatch the BOSS, snatch the kill! Who is this guy? His damage output is too high. One round and he almost took out the level 10 elite BOSS. Terrifying! The spectators started panicking. They hadnt even touched the BOSS yet and it was about to die? This cant be happening! Instantly, the spectators broke through the monster horde and charged towards the Spiky Zombie BOSS. Just let me touch it once, let me touch it! All the players had bloodshot eyes. They held their ranged weapons tightly, shooting in the direction of the Spiky Zombie after rushing into the horde of monsters. Even if they werent in effective range, as long as a stray bullet hit the BOSS, they would be eligible to pick up the loot. Some brave players even aimed directly at Song Jians back. If Song Jian died, wouldnt all the loot from the BOSS become unclaimed property? System: Player Zhao Dong caused 16 ranged damage to you. You have the right to counter-attack. If you kill this player, your killing value will not increase; System: Player Zhou Guowei caused 13 ranged damage to you. You have the right to counter-attack. If you kill this player, your killing value will not increase; Chapter 172 - Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Stealing the BOSS Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Stealing the BOSS Translator: 549690339 Cant hit the BOSS, but can I still hit you? Seeing that the BOSS was about to be taken down by Song Jian alone, the players behind him immediately shifted their targets and started aiming at Song Jians back to attack him. Fuck, are you guys serious? Song Jian felt the full malicious intent coming from behind him, and his Vitality Points dropped from the full 400 points to less than 200 points in an instant. Song Jian glanced at the spike-covered Zombie heading towards him and turned directly to rush towards the players. You guys want to fight the BOSS, right? Ill bring it to you. Song Jian thought to himself with a cold smile on his face. This guy brings the BOSS over, hurry up and hit it, hit it! Great opportunity, BOSS is low HP, grab the BOSS, grab the kill, grab the equipment! For a while, the onlookers all turned their guns and started shooting at the BOSS. By now, the BOSSS hatred had been firmly attracted by Song Jian, so no matter how the surrounding players attacked, they wouldnt steal aggro and could safely unleash their strongest attacks to compete for the loot rights. Song Jian rushed into the crowd, not continuing to run forward, but darted around in the crowd like a fish, causing the BOSSS two spikes to constantly swing and its body to spin. A circle of black aura surrounded it, striking fear into the hearts of those that saw it, as the players who touched the black aura had their Vitality Points drained rapidly. Get out of the way, dont crowd, the BOSS is coming. In an instant, a storm of blood and gore erupted among the players. The vast majority of players were around level 5 or 6, mostly those who hadnt completed the main quest or set up Safe Houses. Facing the BOSS, they were like ants, their attacks dealing only single-digit damage, some not even able to break its defenses. In the BOSSS eyes, there was only Song Jian, but it would tear apart anyone who stood in its way, be it player or monster. Some players managed to escape by a hairs breadth, fleeing with low HP, while some were instantly killed by the BOSS before they even realized what was happening. Now, no more players wanted to compete for the loot rights, as they all howled like ghosts and ran off, trying to keep their distance from the BOSS. Other players faces turned green as they saw Song Jian rushing towards them, and they scattered before he even arrived, prioritizing their own lives over the quest rewards and BOSS drops. Song Jian stood in the middle of the street, and none of the surrounding players dared to meet his gaze. This guy is too vicious, deliberately luring monsters and killing so many players, hes a murderer! someone muttered quietly. Dont say anything, be careful not to get targeted by him, he wouldnt mind killing one more Players who attacked Song Jian would find themselves covered in a faint pink glow, visible only to the players targeted by him. That wave just now had killed more than half of the players who attacked Song Jian; having taken a look around, Song Jian suddenly turned and rushed down a nearby street. The players who were standing there panicked and scattered in all directions like birds and beasts. Fuck, hes back again. I told you not to hit him, but you didnt listen. Now hes seeking revenge with the BOSS, whatre you going to do? I said to attack him, and you all agreed, so why the hell are you blaming me now? Run, dont argue, that BOSS is too fierce, if it catches us, were dead! Song Jian arrived in front of the three players without speaking, only to hear a roar from the BOSS behind him. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Countless spikes rained down like a torrential downpour in Song Jians direction. Bang bang bang- Song Jians protective shield started shaking violently, and after the downpour ended, the shields defense dropped to zero. It shattered like glass, and Song Jians Vitality Points shot up again. While he was running towards the players, Song Jians Vitality Points had almost fully recovered. This time, his Vitality Points were restored to their maximum level. Meanwhile, the three players beside him were pierced by spikes all over their bodies, turning into three corpses. Song Jian scanned the area, and there were almost no players with the red glow left. Even if there were, they had already run far away, not daring to approach him in the slightest. Looking at the other players, at first, some were still excitedly attacking the BOSS, but after being kited around by Song Jian, amazingly, no players dared to attack the BOSS anymore. They all sheepishly put away their weapons with awkward smiles. Song Jian glanced at the T-11 High Explosive Grenade in his inventory, and then at the BOSSS just over 200 Vitality Points, and shook his head slightly before rushing towards the BOSS with his dagger clutched in hand. His dagger was thrust like a tusk towards the BOSSS eyes. The spike-covered Zombie raised both hands to block, its spikes stopping Song Jians attack. But Song Jian feinted, swiping his right hand across the Zombies arm, cutting a foot-long wound and drenching its arm in blood. -13 Song Jians head also showed a damage value of more than ten points. Rebound damage? How annoying! Song Jian frowned slightly. However, with his current rate of Vitality recovery, any real damage would be healed within a second. To him now, rebound damage was basically nonexistent. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Song Jian danced around, executing the basic moves of the dagger fighting technique, but when combined, these moves unleashed a significant amount of power. The spike-covered Zombies Vitality Points quickly dropped to below 100. With a long howl, the spike-covered Zombies muscles tightened as it released its power. All the spikes on its body began to tremble slightly and slowly protrude outwards. Run, the BOSS is about to use its ultimate move again! The onlooking players immediately ran towards the distance, while Song Jians mouth revealed a faint smile and he whispered a single word: Explode! Puff- The spike-covered Zombie trembled slightly and green smoke burst from its body, showing a damage value of over 100 points, which emptied its remaining Vitality Points. The BOSSS body slumped to the ground, scattering loot all over, leaving only a headless corpse. Song Jian picked up all the dropped items, including a small package displaying Kucas Head of the Spike Zombie. Opening the task interface, Song Jian directly chose to Complete Task, and the small package in his inventory disappeared, replaced by 5,000 Doomsday Coins. By now, Song Jians Doomsday Coins were close to 8,000. Now 1 have enough money to buy the seeds! Song Jians face showed a satisfied smile. Looking at the Safe House in front of him, without the level 10 elite BOSS, the three players main quest should be completed soon. Once they succeeded, future players would definitely follow their example, and even if it attracted a level 10 elite BOSS, it would still be much stronger than resisting the monster waves on their own. There was no reason to stay here any longer. Song Jians experience points were locked and would not increase unless he became a professional player. He turned to leave, but suddenly a voice stopped him. Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Hiring Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Hiring Translator: 549690339 Just as Song Jian was about to turn and leave, he was suddenly stopped by someone. Big bro, how about we pay you 3,000 Doomsday Coins to help us get through the main quest? A teenager who looked about 17 or 18, asked timidly. Behind him stood three other teenagers of the same age. They seemed somewhat afraid of Song Jian, avoiding eye contact and looking uncertain. They appeared to be students. Five thousand, and I keep whatever the BOSS drops, Song Jian said indifferently. The teenager looked troubled and said, Big bro, can you give us a moment? We need to discuss. The four teenagers huddled together for a moment before the one who stopped Song Jian first stepped forward and said, Big bro, well give you 5,000 Doomsday Coins if you can hold off the level-10 elite BOSS. You can also keep whatever it drops! Deal! Song Jian agreed with a slight smile. Big bro, my name is Yan Bo. These are my classmates, although were not all in the same class. We are in the same grade though. Hes Kong Ning, hes Ge Fan, and the youngest one is Fu Dong. We are all high school sophomores at Linhai High School Yan Bo seemed very happy as he introduced everyones background. When are you guys creating your Safe Houses? Song Jian listened patiently for three minutes but eventually had to interrupt Yan Bo since he showed no sign of stopping. Right now. Weve already picked a location not far from here. Theres a pedestrian street filled with shops. We chose a few of the largest ones, intending to create our Safe Houses together. We had doubts, but we didnt expect to meet others with the same idea today. What a coincidence! We wanted to come and observe, learn from their experience, otherwise Alright, lets go now. Were short on time! Song Jian wiped sweat from his forehead, finding Yan Bo very talkative. The other three classmates, on the other hand, seemed to be more reserved and quiet. The pedestrian street they chose was just over a kilometer away from New Garden Residential Area in a straight line. Their three Safe Houses were all located in the middle of the street C one was a bakery, one a bubble tea shop, and the last one was a convenience store and fruit shop. As Song Jian examined the buildings they had chosen, he couldnt help but take a closer look at the four teenagers. The shops they had selected held potential to become special Safe Houses, just like Li Keer. He wondered if they might be able to create something similar to the Sunflower Bar. Big bro, our choice of location is good, right? Theyre the largest shops on this pedestrian street. Yan Bo looked incredibly smug. Do you have enough materials? Song Jian asked hastily. Of course! We spent more than a month gathering materials. We barely leveled up at all but collected materials for twelve hours a day. It was even more tiring than studying. Look at my hands; Ive got calluses Yan Bo showed his hands to Song Jian, revealing the thick layer of calluses on his knuckles. Song Jian narrowed his eyes. Yan Bo might be chatty, but he was indeed persistent and tough. It was surprising to see he had gathered materials with his fists instead of using any tools. Alright, good. Lets start building. Song Jian glanced at Yan Bo and nodded. Okay, guys, lets complete the main quest! Ive been stuck in this game for over a month now and really want to get back to the real world. I wonder how worried my mom must be since Ive been missing for more than a month Yan Bo sighed. Dont worry. No matter how long youve been in the game, itll only be one night in the real world, Song Jian assured him. Really? Thats great, you have no idea Lets start building, time is of the essence, Song Jian said, a bit helpless. Alright, alright, well start now. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Four green beams of light shot up into the sky almost simultaneously. Song Jian and Yan Bo were in a bakery, watching Yan Bo control the Safe House creation interface. Soon, the original brick and stone structure of the bakery transformed into a small wooden house with a wooden fence surrounding it. If you have enough materials, upgrade the Safe House to level three directly! Song Jian instructed from the side. But wont upgrading it attract higher-level BOSSes? Yan Bo turned to ask. It wont be a problem as long as you dont upgrade it to the level of a mansion, Song Jian reassured him. Alright, well listen to big bro! Yan Bo immediately upgraded the Safe House to level three, and the surrounding wooden fence became a stone wall. He then set up traps and the Arrow Tower as well. Song Jian glanced at the other three. They had all upgraded their Safe Houses to level three. No special buildings have appeared! Song Jian frowned slightly. He had initially thought that these four would turn one of their chosen buildings into something like the Sunflower Bar, a special building. But it seemed that getting a special building was more difficult than he thought. Big bro, is this good enough? Yan Bo turned to ask. Have you built all your defense structures? If theres anything else you can build, build it all, Song Jian instructed. I can hire a baker, but I have to pay him a salary. He can make bread! Yan Bo suddenly said. I can hire a fruit seller who can sell various fruits! Kong Ning suddenly chimed in. I can hire a bubble tea girl! I can hire a convenience store owner! Song Jian looked startled. Wasnt the hiring system only available after the Safe House was created? How could they hire before completing the task? Could it be related to their chosen locations? Wow, you can hire a girl? Hire her quickly and let us see! Youre so lucky. If I knew, Id have picked the bubble tea shop too! The other three looked on enviously. Hearing about a girl, the initially silent teenagers began to show excitement. Before Song Jian could say anything, the four of them hired their respective NPCs at the same time. A short, bald, chubby middle-aged man appeared next to Yan Bo. Hello, boss! My name is Pig, the baker. Im glad to be at your service! Pig greeted Yan Bo with a smile and a bow. Song Jian glanced at the baker and noticed he was just an ordinary NPC, just like his butler, gardener, and carpenter. Hi, hi, just do whatever you can do for now. Yan Bo wasnt sure what to assign him yet, so he let him do his own thing. Boss, if I had an oven, wheat, and water C ideally some butter and malt sugar too C I could bake the best bread in the world! Pig looked around the empty Safe House with a hint of helplessness. But 1 dont have any of that right now, and I have to fend off these monsters. I wont have time to find these things for you! Yan Bo said, feeling helpless. Boss, do you have Doomsday Coins? Pig asked cautiously, with a smile on his face. Chapter 174 - Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Nine Entries and Twelve Exits? Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Nine Entries and Twelve Exits? Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing the words Doomsday Coins, Yan Bos head ached. The three of them had struggled to scrape together 5,000 coins. Plus, hiring the NPC, which wasnt free, had emptied Yan Bos pockets completely. Now, Yan Bos pockets were even cleaner than his face. No! Yan Bo said expressionlessly, while sneaking a glance at Song Jian, only to find that the latter was even calmer than himself. Well, theres nothing i can do. Bread maker, Peige, shrugged: I can buy these materials from the special store, but I cant do it without Doomsday Coins. Lets get through the creation of the safe house first, well have more Doomsday Coins eventually. Yan Bo gritted his teeth as he spoke. If I have these materials, I can also help Peige muttered under his breath. When Song Jian overheard Peiges muttering, his eyes lit up and he asked, How many Doomsday Coins do you need? Yan Bos face suddenly broke into a smile. Nine in, twelve out. A small loan. What do you say? Song Jian glanced at Yan Bo and suddenly asked. Brother Song must be joking, right? Yan Bo broke out in a cold sweat. Whats wrong, the money is supposed to come from you, right? Just say if you want to borrow it or not. Song Jian said nonchalantly. Boss, it doesnt take much money. I just need 300 Doomsday Coins. Bread maker Peige said softly. If its for 300 Doomsday Coins, Ill give you 270. Payback 360 in a week. Any problems? Song Jian asked. Ill borrow 400, and I dont believe I wont make any money once we create the safe house! Yan Bo gritted his teeth. Song Jian smiled slightly, took out 400 Doomsday Coins, and passed along a bag of wheat seeds as well. This is a gift. Yan Bos face finally looked a bit better upon seeing the bag of wheat seeds. After giving the Doomsday Coins and wheat seeds to bread maker Peige, it didnt take long for kitchen utensils, such as baking ovens, stoves, chopping boards, and rolling pins, to appear in the safe house. Having turned the wheat seeds into flour, Peige began kneading dough and making bread. Song Jian watched closely, noticing the occasional system prompts popping up in front of him, inducing a slight upward curve of his lips. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Bread, and gained 3 points in Cooking proficiency. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Bread, and gained 2 points in Cooking proficiency. Could it be that the produced bread can temporarily increase character attributes? Song Jian speculated in his heart. In a short while, dough balls were placed into the oven by Peige, who began making biscuits afterward. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Biscuits, and gained 2 points in Cooking proficiency. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Biscuits, and gained 4 points in Cooking proficiency. System: Your Cooking skill has been upgraded to Level 2, and you have gained the recipe Magic Bread C Magic Bread: Food, Usage effect: increases Hunger level by 30 points, Defense by 20% for 30 minutes. System: Your Cooking skill has been upgraded to Level 2, and you have gained the recipe Magic Biscuits C Magic Biscuits: Food, Usage effect: increases Hunger level by 25 points, Attack by 30% for 30 minutes. Indeed, they temporarily increase character attributes. Song Jian nodded slightly after looking at the recipes. Brother Song, lend me 500 Doomsday Coins. 1 want to buy goods in bulk! Brother Song, lend me 300.1 need start-up capital for making milk tea! Song Brother Song, I, I also need 600 Doomsday Coins. I can import a batch of small healing potions from my shop! The last person was Fu Dong, who treated the convenience store as a safe house. Hearing his call, Song Jian couldnt help but shudder. Small healing potions can be bought from the store now? Song Jian immediately distributed the required Doomsday Coins, and soon, there were ding-ding-dang-dang sounds coming from the other three safe houses. Soraya, Kuchi, Morashata Bread maker Peige suddenly recited some inexplicable incantations towards the oven and stove. Song Jian was stunned, but he could feel a mysterious force swirling around the surface of the oven and stove, seeping into the interiors in strands. In a short while, a shocking scene unfolded as the oven and stove automatically opened from the inside, and palm-sized bread and biscuits, which had sprouted tiny limbs, slowly crawled out and lined up on the ground, as if they were soldiers. Soldiers, its time to defend our homeland! Bread maker Peiges face was fierce, making him look like a commanding general of thousands of troops. However, the apron he wore and the flour on his face made the scene somewhat comical. Hooray-, the bread and biscuit people cheered in unison. Master, I wonder if there is any wood and stone left. My soldiers need to make some weapons and siege equipment! Bread maker Peige turned to face them, a pleading expression on his face, contrasting sharply with his previous fierce demeanor. Ho- How much do you need? Yan Bo also seemed astonished, staring at the large group of bread and biscuit people for a long time before raising his head to ask. Not much, not much. Just one unit of each will do. Bread maker Peige rubbed his hands together. Here you are! Yan Bo took out one unit of wood and one unit of stone, placing them on the ground. Lets get started, soldiers! Start making weapons and equipment. Lets fight a beautiful battle! Peige shouted loudly. Hooray-, hooray-, the bread and biscuit people rushed towards the wood and stone that looked like small hills for them, like ants. In a short time, accompanied by a series of ding-ding-dang-dang sounds, the wood and stone were turned into small shavings and formed into helmets, armor, and spears, as well as bows and arrows. What was even more surprising was that some of the little people had gathered to make ladders, movable platforms, lever cranes, and even primitive catapults, while others made stone projectiles from the stone materials. The little people, or rather, the bread and biscuit soldiers, worked at an incredibly fast pace, and in no time, a large number of weapons and equipment were produced. They then split up to carry other people and catapults onto the outer walls of the safe houses using ladders, lever cranes, and movable platforms. Each of them drew bows and arrows, looking ready to fight. At this moment, the green light columns on the surfaces of the four safe houses began to fade. Eventually, the light columns shattered with a crisp sound, turning into fine fragments. The surrounding monsters roared simultaneously and charged towards the safe houses. Chapter 175 - Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Activation Technique Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Activation Technique Translator: 549690339 Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- On the walls, biscuit soldiers and bread soldiers were firing arrows. The rain of arrows shot at the monsters seemed even more terrifying than the arrow towers on either side. Whoosh- Boom! Miniature catapults, only palm-sized, were shooting pebble-sized projectiles. These pebbles, whenever they hit a monster, would leave a bloody hole. Some ordinary level-one zombies were instantly killed if hit in the head. Such power! We might have succeeded in creating one even without uniting, Song Jian murmured, stroking his chin. Turning his head, Song Jian asked the Baker Master Pig, Could you teach me the spell you just chanted? 1 can pay tuition! Sorry, this is our Gnome bloodline magic, the Animation spell. Without Gnome blood, it cannot be learned, Baker Master Pig replied earnestly. Animation spell, is it that amazing? said Song Jian, unable to hide his surprise. At that moment, Song Jian saw that the safety house based on the fruit shop had various kinds of fruits standing on the walls. Pineapples, lemons, pomegranates, apples, watermelons, pears All kinds of fruits, with tiny arms and legs supporting their large bodies, looked somewhat comical. Just like the bread soldiers and biscuit soldiers, they were attacking the monsters outside the wall. Pomegranate soldiers were spitting pomegranate seeds as if they were machine guns. Groups of apples, pears, and lemons were holding hands and flinging their companions toward the horde of monsters. The thrown fruits exploded like bombs, clearing large areas. It was comical to see the watermelon. It was too heavy for any fruits to lift, so it had to bounce off the wall and fall into the monstrosity. A thunderous boom followed, and a red and green mushroom cloud rose. In the tea shop, cups of tea were animated. The wall was filled with cups of teas, thick as arms, their straws continuously spraying tea. The milk tea, once it touched the monsters, seemed more formidable than sulfuric acid. The monsters covered in it silently dissolved into pus, not even leaving a complete corpse behind. On the wall of the convenience store stood a row of plastic soldiers. Animated childrens toys, even tanks and planes, rushed out of the safety house and fired at the monsters. This is just like a fairy tale! Song Jian chuckled at what he was seeing. The monsters were being beaten so badly by these comical soldiers they couldnt even lift their heads. It was just like the game Plants vs. Zombies, with the monsters unable to approach the safety house. Time flew quickly. An hour later, the numbers of monsters were dropping fast. The levels of Yin Bo and the three others all rose to level nine. It seemed that, by the time the safety house was completed, the four could very well reach level ten. Just then, the ground began to tremble slightly. A zombie that looked like a mountain of flesh slowly walked toward the safety house. Every step it took made the ground shudder. Brother Song, the BOSS the BOSS is here. Its up to you now. Yin Bo looked at the BOSS in the distance and uttered with fear. Song Jian looked rather disturbed by the five-meter-tall and six-meter-wide BOSS lumbering in the distance. It was no longer walking, but more like a big meatbail dragging itself over. On its way, regardless of the number of monsters in front of it, it would absorb them into its body, making them part of itself. Its body surface still had many zombies that had not been completely dissolved. Some were two legs sticking out; some were an arm; some were half a body. From afar, it looked like a trash mountain. The worst part was that the BOSS stank tremendously. Before it came close, Song Jian could already smell its horrible stench. Zoomers could probably be the only ones to attack it. Meleers would all run away from it! Song Jian muttered, frowning. [LVio Corrosive Zombie Garmore] (Elite), Vitality Points: 1600/3200, Traits: Super Vitality, Super Smell, Skills: Devouring Dissolution, Poison Splash. Three thousand two hundred vitality points was higher than most of the level ten elite BOSSes, but thankfully it was daytime so its attributes were halved. Even then, one thousand six hundred vitality points were still higher than regular level ten elite BOSSes. Considering its skills, it probably also had the ability to attack from a distance. Song Jian didnt dare to let it get close. He immediately lifted his rocket launcher; there was no need to aim with the Eye of the Heart. Firing blindly ahead would hit the BOSS, as its movement speed was much slower than ordinary zombies. It could not avoid the attack at all. Whoosh- A rocket shell left a trace in the air as it moved towards the BOSS. As expected, even if the BOSS saw the rocket headed at it, it couldnt dodge and had to stand there as the rocket hit it square in the chest. Boom- The rocket performed an explosion. Suddenly, a large pit appeared on the BOSSS body, along with countless pus mixed with fragments of undissolved monsters scattered everywhere. An critical hit dealt with more than a hundred damage came out of the top of the BOSSS head. Roar- A sharp screech came from the BOSSS mouth as the pus flowed from its body to fill the hole in its chest. The BOSSS eyes were fixed on Song Jian standing on the wall of the safety house, as if it wanted to swallow him in one gulp. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- On the wall, miniature catapults were also firing towards the BOSS, but the pebble-sized projectiles, no matter how powerful, didnt do much damage to the BOSS, causing only about ten points of damage. But seven or eight catapults could deal almost a hundred points of damage at once. If it werent for the slow firing speed of the catapults, Yin Bo might have had a chance to grind this level ten elite BOSS to death. The BOSS looked at Song Jian and suddenly began to inhale, its body swelling up even more. Song Jian felt something was wrong. Before he could fire the second rocket, he quickly jumped off the wall and pulled Yin Bo, who was standing next to him, down at the same time. Brother Song, whats going on? Yin Bo was puzzled. Plop- A stream of pus was sprayed from the BOSSS mouth like a water truck, spraying towards the wall. The bread soldiers and biscuit soldiers on the wall, as well as their war machines, were all melting like ice under a fiery sun. In a short time, only a puddle of pale green, fishy fluid remained on the wall. The wall itself was also slowly being corroded, becoming crumbly and having its defense reduced. This this is too powerful, Yin Bo looked up at the green smoke still billowing from the pus on the wall and uttered in shock and trembling. This BOSS is quite tricky! After saying that, Song Jian jumped back on the wall, aimed at the BOSS, pulled the trigger, and a rocket shell whizzed at it. Chapter 176 - Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Snatching the monster Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Snatching the monster Translator: 549690339 Focus fire, aim all at that BOSS! Yan Bo jumped back onto the wall, swiftly controlling the Arrow Tower on the wall to shoot at the BOSS, not allowing it to approach. If it did, even the Level 3 stone wall wouldnt be able to stop its poison spray. Song Jian also targeted the BOSS. The second rocket whistled out with a Boom, causing over a hundred points of critical damage and blasting off nearly half of the BOSSS body. This BOSSS defense is not that strong, huh? Two hits, two critical strikes? Song Jian muttered to himself. Severely injured, the BOSS roared. Around its body, a fierce tornado started, drawing in all the creatures within a three-meter radius. At this point, the BOSS was among a horde of monsters, and there must have been twenty or thirty of them around it. Within a blink of an eye, it cleared the area, absorbing all the creatures into its body. Slowly, green numbers with a +3, +4 sign started floating above the BOSSS head. Its Vitality Points began to slowly increase. This creature can increase its own health? Everyone was instantly shocked when they saw this. Song Jian immediately pulled out a can of Red Bull and started chugging, and his Spirit Points also started to recover slowly. Brother Song, keep it up! Kong Ning, who was using a fruit stand as a safe house, shouted and threw an apple over. Catching it, Song Jian saw that it was a food item which could recover Spirit Points. He was instantly delighted, as this was far better than increasing the Spirit Point recovery speed. Thanks! Song Jian called out and started munching on the apple. The food didnt need to be completely consumed. All he needed was a few seconds of eating. In no time, Song Jians Spirit Points were fully restored. He tossed away the remaining apple, his vertical eye on his forehead slowly opened, and a dazzling silver beam shot at the BOSS. Bang, bang, bang- For five seconds, each second was accompanied by an explosion. A series of damage numbers popped up above the BOSSS head, and its Vitality Points were rapidly dropping. Song Brother Song, thats amazing. Is it, the Eye of Erlang? Yan Bos face was full of admiration. Good grief, does having an extra eye on the forehead mean 1 am Erlang Shen, Song Jian didnt even want to respond. After five seconds, Song Jian looked a bit tired. However, he could feel that when casting the Minds Eye, the burden was gradually decreasing. It was as if the third vertical eye on his forehead was slowly adapting to his body and truly becoming a part of him. Implantation, implantation. Dont tell me its going to become a part of my body like in the animated series, Song Jian wondered. SongBrother Song, its getting closer! Looking at the increasingly approaching boss outside, Yan Bo felt the urge to turn around and run. The BOSS was terrifying and rather disgusting. It was like a large rotting pile of snot bubbles, continuously rolling on the ground. The Minds Eye was Song Jians trump card, but even after this move, the BOSSS Vitality Points were still approximately half. Wait for me, wait for me to recover my Spirit Points. Then Ill hit it again, and its done! Song Jian pulled out another can of Jianlibao and started chugging. Woo woo- Just then, an air-raid siren sounded from the sky. Looking up, six palm-sized toy planes were diving down from the sky targeting the Level 10 Elite BOSS. Da da da da. A burst of machine gun fire hit the BOSS, splattering pus from its body. Several points of damage emerged above the BOSSS head. Furious, the BOSS spit out a foul-smelling toxic water towards the toy planes flying left and right. One plane got drenched in the toxic water, smoke billowing out of it as it crashed into the horde of monsters, triggering a small mushroom cloud. The remaining toy planes executed evasive maneuvers in the air, dodging skilfully. In no time, three bombers flew in from afar. Each bomber was the size of half a desktop, moving very slowly, but flying high, beyond the reach of the BOSSS toxin spray. The remaining five toy planes performed a beautiful curve in the sky, turned around, and continued to dive towards the BOSS. Their machine guns strafed causing more damage, knocking off over a hundred Vitality Points from the BOSS within moments. The toy bombers also slowly flew over. Its bomb bay opened and bombs the size of marbles fell towards the BOSS. Boom, boom, boom- Several dozen bombs hit the BOSS, making it howl in rage. Its resentment towards these toy planes surpassed its hatred towards Song Jian. The BOSSS gaze started tracking these toy planes. After exhausting all their bombs, the three bombers slowly headed back. Just then, seven or eight tentacles shot out from the BOSS, wrapping the bombers and forcefully pulling them down. The toy planes were, after all, not real planes, they were no match for the BOSSS power. They were drawn into the BOSSS body and slowly dissolved. The toy fighters immediately performed tactical flying maneuvers, not daring to get too close. However, the BOSS seemed to have an endless number of tentacles, which densely filled the air like a tentacle monster. The few planes only held on for a dozen seconds before being tangled by the tentacles and pulled into the BOSS. Everyone turned to look at the safe house built on the convenience store. Fu Dong shook his head with a pale face, indicating that there were no more toy planes. Its such a pity. If we had a few more, maybe we could have taken down this BOSS. Yan Bo said regretfully. At this point, the BOSS only had less than three hundred Vitality Points left and was less than ten meters away from Yan Bos safe house. Based on the BOSSS speed, it would reach the safe house wall in at most thirty seconds. Alright, leave the rest to me. Song Jian tossed the empty can and picked up the Rocket Launcher again. Whoosh, whoosh- Two rockets, spaced three seconds apart, exploded on the BOSSS body, inflicting over a hundred and fifty points of damage. Song Jian jumped off the wall, brandishing a dagger to kill a few nearby mutant zombies, a transparent light shield appearing on his body. He held off the monster attacks, and pressed his right hand on the ground. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped energy cluster rushed toward the BOSS, and all the monsters hit by the Earth Teeth Assault suffered over ten points of damage. The Earth Teeth Assault hit the BOSS, just like the BOSS had stepped onto a Landmine. A large amount of pus exploded from its lower body. Song Jian returned to the wall, checked his Mental Strength, and realized that only 55% had recovered. Although it was enough to cast the Minds Eye, there would only be 5% left after the casting. His head was bound to feel uncomfortable for a while. SongBrother Song, its only got under a hundred Vitality Points left. Yan Bo shouted excitedly. Song Jian hesitated. It was not worth spending 50% more Mental Strength to use Minds Eye for that small amount of health. With a dagger, a few slashes would suffice. But close combat with such a putrid BOSS was rather Just as Song Jian was still undecided, a gunshot echoed from afar with a Pang. A large amount of pus splattered from the BOSSS head. Its Vitality Points instantly dropped to zero, and it collapsed to the ground. Chapter 177 - Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Devouring Belt Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Devouring Belt Translator: 549690339 Looking at the BOSS that had fallen like a pile of mud, Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. Did someone steal my kill? Following the sound of the gunshot, he saw at a distance atop a building, a man in a black trench coat slowly rising to his feet with a silver sniper rifle in hand. Upon noticing Song Jians gaze, the man smirked at him before turning to go. Song Jian stared at the mans receding figure, a look of surprise crossing his face. This man was level eleven, one level higher than him. Could it be that hes already completed the main quest to become a professional? Otherwise, it wouldnt have been possible for him to level up to eleven. Song Jians face grew darker, suddenly feeling a heavy pressure. Lucky you ran quickly. If you dared fight me for loots, 1 would have beaten you to a pulp! Song Jian sneered, stretched, and casually sat down on the wall to watch Yan Bo. Dont forget to pay me back when the mission is over! Song Jian said to Yan Bo. Boss, 1 still have a part of my mission to complete. There are at least several hundred monsters left! Yan Bo responded somewhat helplessly. As long as there are no level ten elite bosses, the four of you wont have any issue. Song Jian looked at Yan Bos team with a hint of envy. They had been lucky to all get special buildings as their safe houses. The four employees who possessed the revive skill were clearly the perks of having special buildings. Why else would others need their safe houses to be fully operational before they could hire, while they could hire during their creation? Even though I did not learn the revive skill, at least 1 have mastered two recipes and leveled up my cooking skill by one level. Thats not too bad. Song Jian comforted himself, never taking his eyes off the spot where the level ten elite boss died. Following the death of the boss, a piece of blue quality equipment had dropped. Even though he could barely make out what it was, for Song Jian, a piece of level ten blue quality equipment was already a significant prize; Without the level ten elite boss, Yan Bo and the others finally managed to finish their defense without much ado. The whole area around their safe house was packed with dead monsters. When only a few monsters remained, Song Jian rushed over to pick up the blue-quality equipment. Brother Song, congrats on scoring the level-ten blue-quality gear, Yan Bo said cheerfully, not showing envy despite the envious expression on his face. Thank you, thank you. The four of you are at the top of the game now too, Song Jian laughed. Very few players were able to construct their safe houses. Most were still laboriously chopping wood and gathering materials. Not everyone was like Li Keer who had a one-time chance to finish a mission; naturally, the more secure, the better. Ha ha, were doing okay. Were changing this place into a bakery. My pastries can be sold, and its getting tougher to find food. In a while, everyone might have to come here just to buy bread. By that time, well have made a fortune, ha ha! Yan Bo was delighted. Song Jian felt a shock at his heart. He hadnt considered the scenario Yan Bo mentioned, but reflecting on it, the quantity of food available was indeed reducing as of late. However, his cooking skill could sustain him for now. If it ended up like Yan Bo said, with the available food to forage becoming rarer, should he start growing some crops in his manor and hire a cook? Brother Song, it might take me a while to pay you back. Opening up a shop requires a large investment Yan Bo scratched his head awkwardly. After a safe house is constructed, it would still need to be converted into a bakery. This was an advanced feature. The existing safe house was just the basic version. Changing it to a bakery would require a substantial amount of money. Thats okay, pay me back when you have the money. Song Jian shook his head. The 20% interest was just a joke. Just pay back what you owe. Yan Bo and the others eyes brightened up and they beamed, Thank you, Brother Song! Each one of their safe houses had its own unique feature, especially the fruit shop and the milk tea shop that could restore Spirit Points. He was bound to have frequent dealings with them. The 20% interest meant nothing compared to the potential friendship with them. Brother Song, whats the blue-quality gear you got from the BOSS? Show us and let us feast our eyes, Yan Bo asked cheerfully. The other three showed curious expressions.They had never seen a level ten blue-quality equipment before; even level five blue-quality equipment was rare to them. Its just a level ten belt with average attributes. Song Jian said nonchalantly. He then generously displayed the belt and its attributes for all to see. Devouring Belt (Blue), Belt, Equipment Effect: Physical Defense +4, Vitality Points recovery speed increased by 10%. Special Effect: Devouring, recover 5% Spirit Points for every monster killed. Usage Requirement: Level 10. Can the equipment be taken out of the game: No. An equipment that restores spirit points! lveIve never seen one before! Yan Bo exclaimed in surprise. Exactly, without this special effect, this belt would be ordinarily average. But with this special effect, the value of this belt has skyrocketed! Ge Fan adjusted his glasses and said. Behind him was a short, young girl who looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. With cat ears on her head and a long tail behind her, she looked a little frightened by the strange glances thrown her way. Meow- When she saw Song Jian looking at her, the cat girl seemed a little timid, gave a soft meow, and hid behind Ge Fan. This is my milk tea sister that 1 hired. Ge Fan blushed slightly as he explained. Hehehe- The other three people looked at Ge Fan with a weird grin on their faces. They exchanged glances, making the cat girl behind Ge Fan even more scared. Well, Song Jian smiled faintly, equipped the belt, and said to the four: Now that youve created the safe houses, you can add me as a friend in the game. Once you get some money, you can mail it to me in the game. Dont worry, Brother Song. Once we have the money, well mail it to you right away, Yan Bo patted his chest confidently. Alright, Im leaving! Song Jian said, summoning his motorcycle and heading towards the distance. There were already professionals in the game, and Song Jian was no longer in the lead. He had only completed half of the main quest. He still needed to find six combat professional tutors, complete their trial quests, and become a professional himself. The pressure from the sniper who stole the last hit on the BOSS earlier had made Song Jian feel a sense of urgency. There was no time to waste; he needed to finish the main quest as soon as possible. But where can I find the six combat professionals? Song Jian furrowed his brows in frustration. The city was so vast that even the outskirts had a range of several kilometers. He dared not venture any further due to the sheer number of monsters and bosses outside. One lapse in attention could mean death. Just then, a loud explosion could be heard from a distance. A dark mushroom cloud arose, and not long after, a shockwave rushed towards Song Jian. What happened? Did an arsenal explode? Otherwise, there wont be such a powerful explosion! Song Jian squinted, shielding his eyes with one hand until the shockwave passed. Looking towards the direction of the mushroom cloud, he saw the shadow of a massive monster vaguely visible amidst the thick smoke, accompanied by a series of sharp cries. Lets go and check it out! Song Jian turned his motorcycle around and drove towards the direction of the mushroom cloud. Chapter 178 - Chapter 178: Chapter 178 Black Dragon (Fourth Update) Chapter 178: Chapter 178 Black Dragon (Fourth Update) Translator: 549690339 Nearly all the novice zones players were attracted by a mushroom cloud billowing into the sky in the distance and the vague outline of a gargantuan creature appearing and disappearing in the cloud. The monsters size was colossal, almost as tall as a six-story building, with wings spanning at least thirty meters extending from its back. As the mushroom cloud ascended, the creature too was striving to soar towards the sky inside the cloud. Roar- A thunderous roar echoed from afar, instilling a sense of fear in everyone. This was a primal terror that felt like it was emanating from the depths of their souls, akin to a frog being watched by a venomous snake, the dread induced by a natural predator seeping into each individuals cells. The players who originally wanted to approach the beast immediately halted; the creature was not something they could approach at their current level. Or rather, for a long time in the future, they wouldnt be capable of going near such a horrific monster. That that creature it looks vaguely like the dragon from the legends! Professed a player abruptly, pointing at the monster in the mushroom cloud. Upon hearing his remark, everyone looked on and found the comparison more and more convincing, stirring excitement among them. A dragon, a creature from myths, was an apex entity in any game. The ultimate glory for any player was probably to personally vanquish a Giant Dragon. Some people began to stir, even though they shook uncontrollably, their cells continually alerting them of danger, but they couldnt resist the impulse within their hearts. Even a glimpse from far away would be worth it. Some started to run towards the direction of the mushroom cloud. Daytime was the best time for the players to venture out. By nightfall, this city would unequivocally become the monsters territory. Song Jian was the fastest among them. At this stage in the game, it was rare for a player to have a mount or vehicle. His gaze was fixated on the enormous creature tumbling in the air far away, its wings constantly flapping as if trying to thrust into the sky. Yet, it seemed to be restrained by something. Struggling vehemently, its angered roars echoed through the sky. It does look a bit like the Giant Dragon from the legends! Song Jians eyes gleamed. The beast appeared much like a massive lizard, with two curved black horns atop its head, black scales adorning its body, a thick tail ending in a large ball cloaked with sharp bony spines. The distance was too great for Song Jian to check the monsters attributes. He could only continue onwards. He had now entered the region containing level 10 monsters. The roar of his motorcycle drew all the shadow-dwelling monsters towards him, chasing after Song Jian. Despite being left far behind, they didnt give up. As long as they could hear the sound of the motorcycle, the monsters could continue to chase after it endlessly. Even the regular monsters have reached level 10, should I continue ahead? Faced with an increasing onslaught of monsters, Song Jian reluctantly dismounted the motorcycle, stored it away, and hid in a remote alley. Continuing further might lead to being besieged by the creatures. Even though he was very powerful, Song Jian could not possibly survive amidst hundreds of level-10 monsters, even if they all had their attributes halved. Roar- The roars of the beast grew more intense. Its enormous body moved with surprising smoothness, like a fish writhing. Each inch of its body exuded power. However, it seemed like the gigantic creature was truly being confined by something. After ascending to mid-air, it could no longer fly any higher. The distance was too far for Song Jian to see clearly, but he felt the beast possessed an overpowering sense of tenacitya sense of destructive force. Song Jian was brimming with excitement, every cell in his body trembling. It was a mix of fear and extreme exhilaration. This might be the most terrifying creature in the game, perhaps this is my only chance to see it! Thought Song Jian, Just like the figure that floated on the rooftop, absorbing the essence of the moon before, just like the gigantic skeleton that walked past the window, over a hundred meters tall There were too many powerful monsters lurking in this city. Song Jian had crossed paths with such formidable beasts twice before, and he still remembered the sensation he felt when that enormous skeleton passed down a street only a few dozen meters away from him. Song Jians figure swiftly darted through the city, the low growls of monsters echoing around him. Now, he had ventured into the territory of level 15 monsters. Even though he couldnt see them, he could sense the formidable aura radiating from the monsters nearby. Yet, these monsters aura pales in comparison to the colossal creature in the distance, like a firefly against the full moon. He was getting closer C close enough to see the giant creatures massive eyes. They were a pale golden color, slit pupils like those of a snake or lizard, gleaming with an unusual light. This gigantic creature occasionally exhaled plumes of heated black smoke, even spurting sparks from its nostrils. Its muscles bulged with explosive power, its black scales shone brilliantly, much like steel. However, there was a rope, rough as thick as a finger, tightly circling the colossal beast. Regardless of how much it struggled, it couldnt break free from this seemingly frail constraint. [Lv8o Black Dragon C Erbartlein] (Elite): Vitality Points:58oo/???, Traits: Super Resistance, ???, Fire Element Control, Lightning Element Control, ???; Skills: Vortex Fireball, Tail Whip, ??? Electro-Strike, ??? Its a level 80 Elite Boss, so terrifying! More than half of its attributes are invisible, perhaps I can only see these because its injured, or because its in a fight. Song Jian could feel every cell in his body trembling, screaming, even wanting to bow and worship the beast. This was the reverence of lower organisms for higher ones, at the cellular and genetic level. The closer he got, the more shivers ran through his spine. In the end, he couldnt even muster the courage to take a step forward. The Black Dragon Erbartlein grew increasingly violent, its mouth already starting to conjure a Vortex Fireball. All the monsters within several kilometers disappeared under its terrifying power. Lower level monsters could only run away, incapable of any other action. Its just a monster! No matter how high its level is, it is simply a monster. Monsters exist for players to level up and get equipment, but why am I still so afraid! Song Jians face was deathly pale, sweat pouring from his body, trembling uncontrollably. The vertical pupils on his forehead even opened wide, pushing him to his limit and on the brink of collapsing. Just then, the Hexagram Array on his chest suddenly erupted with dazzling light, its radiance shining through his armor, illuminating Song Jians face. The terror in his heart was being rapidly replaced by rampaging bloodlust. Song Jians face twisted into a fearsome grimace, his eyes gleaming with a lust for blood. Its only a big lizard! Whats there to fear? Kill it, skin it, rip its flesh, scoop out its bones, devour its heart C the Giant Dragon is nothing but my prey! Boom! With a stomp of his foot, Song Jian left cracks in the cement road. He propelled himself towards the Black Dragon in the distance like an arrow loosed from its bow. Chapter 179 - Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Dragon Hunter Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Dragon Hunter Translator: 549690339 At this point, Song Jian was like a humanoid behemoth, exuding a terrifying aura. With each step forward, he moved a distance of seven to eight meters, far exceeding the capabilities of a level ten player; The surrounding monsters continued to increase in level, fifteen, eighteen, twenty. Such levels of monsters where challenging to contend with even at half-strength and with Song Jian at full capability. But now, the mere aura emanating from Song Jian sent these monsters into disarray, prompting them to scatter and flee in panic; The closer he got to the terrifying beast, the fewer monsters there were around. In the end, on the empty streets, only Song Jians racing silhouette remained, crossing over abandoned vehicles and scaling walls with agility. Eventually, he arrived in the Black Dragons sector; Ahead, Song Jian jumped onto a three-story building of a hundred-meter-high skyscraper, tightly gripping the outer wall with his hands. His fingers dug deep holes into the concrete. Descending the rooftop with bare hands, he moved as deftly as a monkey. It was not before long that Song Jian appeared at the topmost part of the tall building. The Black Dragon, still struggling fiercely from its shackles, was less than thirty meters away from him. The thick smoke and sparks spewing from its mouth had already spread to Song Jians vicinity. With eyes full of murderous intent, Song Jians expression softened gradually. He looked around bewildered, as though he had just woken up from a dream; When Song Jian took sight of the beast in front of him, he shuddered, involuntarily stepping back two steps. Only then did he realize that he was standing at the rooftop of a hundred-meter-high building; Looking at his blood-soaked fingers, the memories from before flashed across his mind; Did I climb up here myself? Song Jian looked down and immediately felt dizzy; Who would believe that I climbed up a hundred-meter-high building with bare hands? I cant even believe it myself! After a while, Song Jian finally turned his gaze to the Black Dragon in front of him. At this point, he clearly saw the golden ropes enveloping the Black Dragons body. Some of the ropes had even embedded themselves between the dragons scales, seeping into its flesh. Fresh blood slowly dripped down, staining the entire rope in red, continuously dripping onto the ground; Woo Woo- The Black Dragon roared as it thrashed its wings. But it didnt make any height. Instead, it caused the golden ropes to sink in deeper; Whoosh- Another gold rope shot up from the ground. Flying in a beautiful arc in the sky, it coiled around the Black Dragons neck. Next, with a light Bing sound, the rope tightened, forcing the Black Dragon to jerk its head backward. Its massive body teetered backward and nearly lost its balance, on the brink of dropping from the sky; Roar- A resentful roar emerged from the Black Dragon. Muscles bulging, it struggled with all its might to escape, but over a dozen ropes tightly bound it. The other ends of the ropes seemed to be in the hands of a deity, immovable; Song Jian could sense that the aura emanating from the Black Dragon was gradually weakening, and its strength was slowly fading as it continued to bleed; The Black Dragon could no longer maintain its flying position. It crashed into the building next to it making the building collapse from the middle. Amidst the billowing dust, it struggled to get up; Hahaha, this will be the thirteenth Giant Dragon that I, Dragon Hunter Dierdeli, have hunted! A proud voice sounded from below the building. Song Jian looked down and saw a figure raising both hands high. Both her hands donned a pair of dark green gloves. The dozens of golden ropes binding the Black Dragon were shot from these gloves; At this time, Dierdeli controlled the gloves to wrestle with the Black Dragon. It was clear that Dierdeli had the upper hand, but achieving final victory wasnt easy. The Black Dragon just might manage to escape if she was not careful; [LV85 Dragon Hunter C Dierdeli ? Walker] (Elite), Vitality Points: ???, Spirit Points: ???, Characteristics: ???, Skills: ??? Damn it, all attributes except for level, profession, and name are question marks!; However, this was within Song Jians expectations. After all, it took a lot of luck to view other players attributes when they surpassed level ten. Attributes of level twenty monsters could be seen for the most part. With level thirty, you might not even see anything but the name and level. As for level forty, fifty, it was probably too much to ask to even approach; If it wasnt for the battle between the Dragon Hunter and the Black Dragon, if not for the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, Song Jian wouldnt even be able to approach within a ten-kilometer radius. Oh? Theres a human daring to approach the Dragon Hunters battle zone. Amazing! Haha, do you fancy coming down for a chat? Dragon Hunter Dierdeli seemingly noticed Song Jians presence and invited him over; The Black Dragon also seemed to notice the arrival of a third party and roared in anger towards Song Jian. At this point, Song Jian was as insignificant as an ant in its eyes. If it hadnt been for Dierdelis invitation, the Black Dragon wouldnt have even glanced at Song Jian. Song Jian took a deep breath. This was an eighty-five level elite boss. If it werent for her name in green, Song Jian wouldnt dare to approach. Just as Song Jian prepared to descend, the Black Dragon suddenly pounced towards him. Its massive body loomed over like an oppressive storm cloud. Its fierce dragon head opened wide for an attack with seething flames gathering in its mouth. Thick black smoke and sparks spurted from its nostrils, and in its golden vertical pupils, a crazy and brutal expression could be seen. How dare you! A sharp reproach sounded, and the dozens of golden ropes suddenly tightened. The Black Dragons body stalled mid-air, and the Vortex Fireball, originally coalescing in mid-air, abruptly dispersed, transforming into pure fire elements that evaporated into the air. A resentful wail erupted, and the Black Dragons eyes flashed with embarrassment and anger. To it, Song Jian was like a puny ant. Normally, it could obliterate him with one fiery breath, but now, its full-force attack was unable to kill him, which made the Black Dragon feel extremely angry and humiliated; As the golden ropes tightened, large chunks of the Black Dragons scales were scraped off, and its scalding dragon blood sprayed all around. For a moment, it even felt as if the surrounding temperature had risen a few degrees; Just then, the Hexagram Array Diagram on Song Jians chest suddenly burst out with a brilliant light. The dragon blood raining down from the sky was mysteriously drawn towards it, as if an invisible hand gathered all the droplets, channeling them into Song Jians chest; In an instant, Song Jian felt a burning sensation in his chest, as if was being branded with a hot iron. He couldnt help but groan in pain and stumbled forward; Chapter 180 - Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Dragon Sorcerer Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Dragon Sorcerer Translator: 549690339 Song Jian knelt on the ground with one knee, supporting his body with both hands, a sensation like branding iron constantly stimulating his nerves in his chest area, causing his body to tremble incessantly; Waves of heat spread from his chest to his limbs; under his exposed skin, his veins radiated a dazzling red glow, as if blood was replaced by lava. The burning sensation extended from his chest to every part of his body. Song Jians body simply couldnt withstand such torment akin to being scorched. His skin began to curl, a large amount of water evaporated from his body, wisps of green smoke emerged, making it seem as if he would burst into flames any moment. Song Jians Vitality Points dropped drastically. At first, only one or two points decreased every second, but soon it turned into three or four points, then seven or eight, and eventually dozens of points. In just a few minutes, Song Jians Vitality Points had decreased by thousands. If it wasnt for the SSS-grade mission reward, which increased his Vitality Points recovery speed by 500%, he would have already turned into a dried-up corpse. Now, with his own and his equipments Vitality Points recovery speed, Song Jian could restore thirty-eight Vitality Points per second. The rate at which his Vitality Points were dropping was only thirty points per second. As a result, despite his weak appearance, his Vitality Points remained full. Song Jian felt as if he had fallen into a pit of lava, and his consciousness began to blur. He didnt know how much time had passed before a cooling sensation gradually spread from his chest, encompassing his entire body, as if he had gone from being in lava to being in a crystal-clear stream. The burning fire within his body was covered by the cooling sensation; Song Jians body twisted like a cooked shrimp, his face distorted with pain, and his entire body looked like it had been soaked in water, damp all over. Beneath him lay a large white stain, a trace of his evaporated sweat. Whats happening to me? Song Jians consciousness slowly recovered, and his memory had a brief blank. It took him a while to recall that he had come here chasing something, and then Black Dragon! Song Jian was shocked to remember, and immediately got up. Just a few dozen meters away, the huge monster lay gasping atop half a building, its body bound by dozens of gold-glowing ropes. The creatures golden vertical pupils stared hatefully and angrily at Song Jian; Why are you glaring at me? Its not like I hit you, there are other people to blame for your grievances Song Jian suddenly remembered that the person who had beaten the Black Dragon into such a state was standing below, and couldnt finish his sentence. Opening his personal attributes interface, Song Jian saw a faint light emanating from the Hexagram Array Diagram on his models chest. One corner of the Hexagram Star was covered in red blood, looking like a red gem; Song Jian was shocked. He tore open his chest and found that the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest had indeed changed. A brilliant crystal, like a red gem, was now embedded in one corner of the Hexagram Array Diagram; Also, the attributes of the original Hexagram Array Diagram had changed; Night Slayer (Foundation), Category: Integrated Hexagram Array, Usage Effect 1: Boost hosts attack power by 30%; Usage Effect 2: Automatically absorb lunar essence during the night, enhancing hosts physical condition, can also absorb lunar essence in the real world; Usage Effect 3: Morphing into Dark Cloud (active), can turn into a dark cloud, immune to physical attacks, increasing 100% resistance, and fly while dealing (300+200%*Mental Strength) damage to targets within the range, additionally inflicting 50 fire damage per second. This skill is actively cast and can be dispelled early; (Morph into Dark Cloud lasts 15 minutes and has a cooldown of 60 minutes, with 3 Mental Strength consumed per minute.) Usage Effect 4: Can embed six talismans to further enhance strength. Number of embedded talismans: 1/6 Dragon Blood Talisman: Increases 200 Vitality Points limit, increases 100 Spirit Points limit, attacks deal an extra 30 Dragon Might damage, this damage is ineffective against creatures of higher rank than Black Dragon Albatrilaine; My attributes have increased so much? A look of joy appeared on Song Jians face; the original attributes that had only been effective during the night were now unrestricted. The first effects attack power boost had been doubled from 15% to 30%. The second effect, which had been unable to absorb lunar essence in the real world, could now do so. The third effect had removed the restriction on only being active at night while also adding 50 fire damage per second. Most impressive of all, the previously vacant positions for six talismans now held a Dragon Blood Talisman, with an increase of 200 Vitality Points and 100 Spirit Points. Originally, Song Jians Vitality Points were only 400, but now they had soared to 600, which was almost on par with a level five elite BOSS. Meanwhile, his original 70 Spirit Points also increased to 170. My strength has increased by at least a third compared to before; this is amazing! Song Jian clenched his fists, feeling the power surging in his body constantly. His weakened body gradually recovered and grew stronger; Human, youre still alive? Dierdelis surprised voice came from downstairs. Song Jian smiled faintly, activated the Morphing into Dark Cloud skill, and descended from the rooftop to the ground. The originally pitch-black dark cloud now emitted a faint red glow, giving off a dangerous feeling; Landing on the ground, Song Jian dismissed the dark cloud state and bowed to Dierdeli, Thank you for your assistance just now. Im deeply grateful! Just moments ago, the Black Dragon was about to spew Vortex Fireball at Song Jian, but it was stopped by Dierdeli. Otherwise, he would have been reduced to ashes by now; Gods Chosen? Dierdelis eyes lit up, recognizing Song Jians identity. She couldnt help but shake her head in admiration, You truly deserve the favor of the gods, daring to absorb the essence of the Black Dragons blood. Ordinary people who try would have been dead by now, but not only have you survived, you seem to have gained quite a few benefits. Have you gained the Black Dragon Bloodline? The Black Dragon Bloodline? What is that? Song Jian couldnt help but ask in amazement; Legend has it that those who bathe in dragon blood gain a powerful body resistant to weapons, and can even change their bloodline to possess the Dragon Bloodline. Those with a strong concentration of the bloodline can even master some Dragon Language Magic, becoming powerful Dragon Sorcerers! Dierdeli explained. Dragon Sorcerer, is that also a battle profession? Song Jian asked excitedly; Of course! Oh, havent you become a professional yet? Would you like to learn about the Dragon Sorcerer profession? Youve just bathed in the essence of the Black Dragon Albatrilaine, so maybe you have the qualifications to become a Dragon Sorcerer too! Dierdeli said with a smile. Chapter 181 - Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Injury Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Injury Translator: 549690339 Dragon Sorcerer? Song Jian instantly became excited. This profession sounded extraordinarily superior! Yes, its a profession with high requirements for bloodline. Without the Dragon Bloodline, no matter how hard you try, its impossible to gain entry. You should know, a Dragon Sorcerer is a rare profession. Very rare, indeed. Dierdeli said with a taut muscular grip around the golden rope in her hand. A rare profession? Song Jians heart skipped a beat and asked hurriedly, Respected Dragon Hunter, could you elaborate on the profession classifications? Are professions also divided into common and rare? Haha, you dont even know this. Dierdeli laughed heartily and looked Song Jian up and down. She nodded and said, It seems you need a responsible tutor to guide you. However, before that, I can tell you about the profession classifications. In this world, there are all sorts of combat professions. There are ten thousand common combat professions, three thousand elite ones, eight hundred are rare, one hundred and eight are legendary, and seventy-two are epic. Starting from the elite professions, each profession has a limited number. If a profession is full, no one else can take on this profession, unless someone already in the profession dies, creating a vacancy! The Dragon Sorcerer is one of the eight hundred rare professions. The number of people hasnt ever been filled because the entry requirements are too stringent, such as having your Dragon Bloodline concentration above 65% as the lowest threshold. Only those with a Dragon Bloodline concentration of 80%, or even 90%, have the potential to become formidable Dragon Sorcerers! Let me show you first how powerful a Dragon Sorcerer can be, and introduce you to the skills one can possess. Well talk about other things later. Oh, yes, to learn about the Dragon Sorcerer combat profession, you must pass a test first Hmm, let me see, 1 shall pick the simplest assessment for you. Ha, this one it is. As long as you can harm the Black Dragon, I will explain the traits of the Dragon Sorcerer profession to you. Dierdeli looked at Song Jian and added, Now, Elbandrean is severely injured and weakened. Do you have any long-range means of attack? If not, I suggest you give up this test. Even when weakened, a blow from Elbandrean would kill you instantly! System: Dragon Hunter and Combat Profession Tutor Dierdeli has assigned you a test mission: Inflict damage on the Black Dragon Elbandrean; Task Requirement: Inflict damage on the severely wounded Black Dragon Elbandrean; Time limit: 1 hour; Mission Reward: Receive Dierdelis praise, and she will explain information about the profession Dragon Sorcerer; Mission Penalty: Substantial decrease in Dierdelis favorability towards you, lose an opportunity to learn about the combat profession Dragon Sorcerer. Looking at the task bar, Song Jian found that completing this test mission would mean half the main mission is completed. He just needed to gain explanations from combat profession tutors five more times, then apply for a selected combat profession. Tutor Dierdeli, I happen to have a weapon suited for ranged combat, Song Jian said with a smile. He hoisted the Rocket Launcher. After unleashing a Hearts Eye skill on the Black Dragon Elbandrean, a giant blood-red crosshairs began scanning up and down the dragons body. Dierdeli seemed a bit stunned, detecting something. She turned to look at Song Jian, a smile creeping up on her lips. After a long while, the crosshairs finally stopped, locking onto the Black Dragon Elbandreans right eye. Bang- Song Jian pulled the trigger. A silver-glowing rocket flaming a long tail behind it, aimed for the Black Dragon Elbandreans right eye. In this shot, Song Jian had loaded the Rocket Launcher with 50% Invisible Sword Qi. He dared not add more, fearing it might break the Rocket Launcher again. Seemingly sensing danger, the Black Dragon opened its mouth wide and slightly tilted its head back. Elemental fire gathered in the air, quickly forming a fireball that spun like a nebula. Song Jians heart sank. If hit by the dragons Vortex Fireball, the rocket would surely explode and cause no damage to the Black Dragon. Dierdeli gave a subtle smile and yanked back the rope in her hands. Suddenly, dozens of golden ropes glowed brilliantly and pressed into the dragons flesh. Clack- Clack- The Black Dragon Elbandreans blood burst forth anew from its wound. A mournful dragons cry was heard as the Vortex Fireball, which was just about to form, collapsed instantly, turning into a cluster of shooting stars and a pillar of thick smoke jutting from the dragons mouth and nostrils. The rocket traced an arc in the air, pierced through the thick smoke, and aimed for the Black Dragons right eye. Boom- With a loud crash, the rocket hit the right eye of the Black Dragon. Instantly, a damage number of over thirty floated above the head of the Black Dragon Elbandrean. Huh! Dierdeli wore a surprised look on her face and turned to Song Jian. You actually managed to deal thirty-two points of damage. Thats truly astonishing. Oh, why do you say that? Song Jian could not help but ask in surprise. Well, you are only level ten, and Elbandrean is a level eighty elite BOSS. Even in his injured state, you could not possibly break through its defenses! The strength of a dragons body is harder than steel. They dont fear firearms. Even I can only slowly wear it out, depleting its energy and vitality to inflict damage. This process sometimes lasts for several hours, even days, just to kill a single dragon! I thought at best you could deal it one point of damage, but I didnt expect Hehe, impressive! Dierdelis face bloomed in admiration and nodded towards Song Jian. System: You have completed Dragon Hunter and Combat Profession Tutor Dierdelis test mission, and won Dierdelis favor! Now, let me take you into the Explanation Space for combat professions and allow you to comprehend the formidable strength of the Dragon Sorcerer profession! With that, a blur crossed Song Jians vision, and he found himself in a special space. Song Jian had been in this space before and did not exhibit any surprise. Only he was present in this space. Dierdeli had not entered with him. Quickly, Dierdelis voice resonated in the space. Along with her voice, a character appeared in the space, clothed in a long, golden robe and holding a Magic Staff made from dragon vertebrae. Chapter 182 - Chapter 182: Chapter 182 Forbidden Dragon Bloodline Chapter 182: Chapter 182 Forbidden Dragon Bloodline Translator: 549690339 In the spacious battle guidance Explanation Space, Dierdelis voice rang in Song Jians ears. As her voice sounded, the screen in front of him showed a man holding a Dragonbone Wand and wearing a golden robe, entering a battle state. Dragon Sorcerer, a powerful profession that utilizes the energy from burning their own dragon bloodline to master multiple draconic spells! Not only do they have an extremely high physique, but they also possess incredibly powerful magic! Bang- In the screen, swarms of monsters rushed toward the man, their numbers akin to a tidal wave. The man waved his hand, and a large number of ice spikes appeared out of thin air, covering a range of more than ten meters. Within this area, it was a forbidden zone for life; all creatures were completely frozen, some even pierced by the ice spikes, dangling in mid-air. This is the Dragon Sorcerer with the Ice Dragon bloodline, who can develop the power of ice to the extreme! In the screen, large flakes of snow fell, countless ice spells flew out from the hands of the sorcerer, reaping the lives of numerous monsters. A few minutes later, the man suddenly raised both hands as his body began to float. Surrounding him, ice crystals appeared and encircled him. Behind him emerged a gigantic white dragon phantom, and endless frosty aura emanated from his body. Finally, with him at the center, layer upon layer of ice crystals fell from the sky, and everything within sight turned into a vast expanse of ice and snow. All monsters transformed into ice sculptures, shattering to pieces. The entire world became an endless icy landscape. Ice Sealed Thousand Miles! This is one of the forbidden spells that the Dragon Sorcerer with the Ice Dragon bloodline possesses! The scene changed, and a man in a black robe appeared at the center of the screen. On the surface of his exposed skin, black dragon scales emerged, and his eyes turned into golden vertical pupils. When the Dragon Clans bloodline within a Dragon Sorcerers body exceeds a certain level, their body will be strengthened by the Dragon Clans genetic power, gaining a physique comparable to a giant dragon. At the same time, their body will partially transform, becoming a half-dragon! In the screen, facing the oncoming tide of monsters, this man charged right into them. His hands transformed into enormous dragon claws, effortlessly tearing the surrounding monsters apart. The monsters attacks couldnt penetrate the defense provided by his dragon scales, and he was like a tiger among a flock of sheep, causing a bloody massacre among the monsters. Only Dragon Sorcerers can have such a formidable body and powerful spells at the same time. The scenes in the screen kept changing, and each person with a Dragon Bloodline who became a Dragon Sorcerer possessed incredibly powerful capabilities. Song Jian even saw someone transform into a Giant Dragon in the screen; its boundless Dragon Flame burnt all the monsters to ashes. After more than ten minutes, Song Jian emerged from the Explanation Space but was still immersed in those scenes, his blood boiling with excitement. This was the profession he desired; comparing Musketeer, Street Thug, or Armed Miner to it was like comparing trash to gold! System: You have found a battle profession mentor and learned about the Dragon Sorcerer profession. Main Quest progress: 5/10. The progress of the Main Quest had advanced once more; after finding five more battle profession mentors, this quest would be completed. Is this the power of rare professions? Are all rare professions so powerful? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Thats right, this is the power of formidable rare professions. Those that can be called rare professions have similar power. Other rare professions also have their own strengths. So, are you interested in the Dragon Sorcerer profession? Dierdeli revealed a smile at the corner of her mouth and asked Song Jian. Its so powerful! Song Jian exclaimed, his heart filled with longing for the Dragon Sorcerer profession; Haha, this profession is indeed very powerful, but you must have the Dragon Bloodline to become one. Come, let me see how much of the Black Dragon Albertines essence blood you absorbed and how much it transformed. Dierdeli said. What do 1 need to do? Song Jian asked with an eager expression. Drip some blood out! Dierdeli said; Song Jian immediately cut his finger, and blood gushed out; Dierdeli was taken aback and looked up at Song Jian. Then, she wrapped the golden rope around her arm, freeing her palm, and a painful roar of the Black Dragon could be heard in the distance; Dierdeli grabbed Song Jians right hand and put the bleeding finger into her mouth to suck; Impossible! How can this be? Dierdelis face was full of astonishment; What, whats wrong? Is there something wrong with my body? Song Jian immediately became nervous; Just now, I clearly saw that your body absorbed a lot of Albertines essence blood, and your body has been significantly strengthened. Why, why isnt there a trace of the Black Dragon Bloodline in your veins? Dierdeli exclaimed in surprise. Even if it cant reach a concentration above 65%, it shouldnt be completely absent. Could it be that it has weakened to the point where it cant even invade the bloodline of an ordinary person? No, the powerful genes of higher-order beings cannot be resisted by lower-order beings. Even if its weakened, its impossible for not a single trace of bloodline to be transformed! Dierdeli muttered to herself, seemingly contemplating something. Upon hearing Dierdelis words, Song Jian understood that the Black Dragon Essence Blood he had absorbed was all transformed into the Dragon Blood Talisman by the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, without merging with his own bloodline. His body had become stronger because he had absorbed the Black Dragon Essence Blood, and his Night Slayer (foundation) attribute had become more powerful, enhancing his physical constitution; Could it be that you also possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline? Dierdeli suddenly brightened her eyes, as if she had discovered a treasure, and examined Song Jian up and down. Forbidden Dragon Bloodline? What is that? Song Jian couldnt help but ask curiously; Hahaha, I didnt expect to find a Forbidden Dragon Bloodline bearer in this abandoned city! Dierdeli laughed heartily, and her attitude towards Song Jian became even more friendly. The Forbidden Dragon Bloodline is a bloodline that has the ability to isolate the genetic invasion of higher-order beings. How one obtains this bloodline, no one knows, and those with this bloodline appear no different from ordinary people! Dierdeli explained: But this bloodline can isolate the invasion of higher-order bloodlines, such as the Dragon Clan, the Elf Clan, etc., and can draw power from these higher-grade bloodlines! You have to know that after being invaded by the bloodline of other high-level beings, if your willpower is not strong enough, you will gradually lose your self-consciousness and eventually become like a wild beast. For instance, Dragon Sorcerers can only control more power when their dragon bloodline is more concentrated, but the more concentrated the dragon bloodline is, the more it affects the Dragon Sorcerers. Many powerful Dragon Sorcerers ultimately cant withstand the endless erosion of their bloodline and lose their self-consciousness, becoming half-dragon beasts! Dierdeli sighed. Holy shit, its that dangerous? Song Jians eyes widened, and he immediately lost interest in the Dragon Sorcerer profession; Chapter 183 - Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Assessment Task Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Assessment Task Translator: 549690339 | The side effects of the Dragon Sorcerer profession made Song Jian somewhat apprehensive. Although powerful, the more powerful the profession, the greater the possibility of becoming a humanoid dragon beast. Song Jian could not imagine what it would be like when the concentration of dragon blood in his body reached one hundred percent. Would that still be considered a human? Thinking back to the professional explanation space where the warlocks with dragon horns on their heads, dragon scales all over their bodies, and ferocious faces like wild beasts, he had thought they were cool at the time. But now it seemed that those people might have been tortured to the brink of collapse by the Dragon Clans bloodline, becoming half-dragon beasts! Its too dangerous, too dangerous!1 Song Jian shook his head and said. Yes, in the pursuit of their own strength, humans will lose many things and in the end., they do not know whether it s worth it or not! Dierdeli sighed lightly. Respected combat mentor, can you explain the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline in detail to me? Song Jian asked. Although he was sure that the reason he was not affected by the dragon blood was mainly due to the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, it wouldnt hurt to learn more about the content of this game. He might encounter someone with a Forbidden Dragon Bloodline in the future; As I mentioned earlier, the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline can prevent the erosion of higher-level creatures bloodlines. In this world, when people think of powerful creatures, their first thought is often the Dragon Clan. So, this kind of bloodline that can prevent high-level bloodline invasion is called Forbidden Dragon Bloodline. However, in reality, there are too many creatures at a higher level than the Dragon Clan, and this ability to prevent the bloodline of higher level creatures is extremely rare! Dierdeli shook her head. If I possess such a bloodline, would I be able to take on an even more powerful profession? A bright idea suddenly flashed through Song Jians mind, and he couldnt help but ask. Hehe, youre right! Dierdeli looked meaningfully at Song Jian and said: I am someone who possesses the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline! You, a Dragon Hunter? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Haha, yes, a Dragon Hunter. Only those with the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline are qualified to become a Dragon Hunter! Dierdeli said proudly; I wonder if the mentor could explain the Dragon Hunter combat profession to me? Is it also a rare profession? Song Jians eyes lit up. Perhaps he could learn about another combat profession today; Haha, only those who possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline are qualified to learn about the Dragon Hunter profession! Dierdeli laughed: The Dragon Hunter is not a rare profession, its a legendary profession! Im looking forward to the day it becomes an epic profession! Anticipation appeared on Song Jians face as he stared intently at Dierdeli. Dierdeli smiled at Song Jian, as if looking at a successor. Ive heard of the Dragon Slayer technique. Are Dragon Hunters the ones who possess the Dragon Slayer technique?1 Song Jian asked curiously. Haha, Dragon Slayer technique? Only fools would claim to have mastered the Dragon Slayer technique. If such a guy can survive for two days, itd be a miracle. The true art of slaying dragons is not as simple as rushing into a dragon lair and challenging a dragon one-on-one! You have to track the Giant Dragon through endless wilderness, sneak up on it without being noticed, and strike it down when its least prepared. Speaking about the Dragon Slayer technique, Dierdelis face was filled with disdain. She gestured to the dying Black Dragon in the distance, Look, a true Dragon Hunter should be like me, hunting real Giant Dragons! A look of admiration appeared on Song Jians face. Dierdeli nodded and smiled, Do you want to learn about the Dragon Hunter profession? Do you want to become a real Dragon Hunter? Song Jian nodded eagerly; Then go to the lair of Albertlean and steal a Black Dragon egg for me! Dierdeli whispered. System: Combat profession mentor and Dragon Hunter Dierdeli issues you a challenge: Dragon Hunters Test; Task requirements: Enter the lair of the Black Dragon Albertlean and steal a mature Black Dragon egg; Task time limit: 1 hour; Task reward: Obtain Dierdeiis appreciation and teach you about the profession Dragon Hunter; Task penalty: Greatly reduce Dierdeli s favorability towards you, lose a chance to learn about the combat profession Dragon Hunter1; Task tip: Dragon Hunter is a legendary profession, please take the test seriously! Going to the Giant Dragon Lair? Stealing a dragon egg? Song Jian was shocked, but quickly realized that the Black Dragon Albertlean, who was on the verge of death, must have the safest lair right now. I dont know where its lair is. Im afraid 111 waste time if I cant find it! Song Jian said. Take out the map! Dierdeli said. Song Jian took out the map, and Dierdeli lightly pointed at it, saying, The place marked with a black mark is its lair. You need to speed up, as time is not very abundant! Once Albertlean dies, the dragon eggs it laid will shatter right away! Is it really that magical? Song Jian wondered in his heart. Alright, 111 go now! Song Jian glanced at the map, put it away, summoned his motorcycle, and drove to the marked location. Dierdeli watched Song Jians figure, nodding her head and saying, After more than a hundred years, I finally meet someone with the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline, and hes also a God-favored one. It seems that the Dragon Hunter profession can continue to be passed down in my hands! Albertleans lair was about seven or eight kilometers away from where it and Dierdeli had fought. The Black Dragon Albertlean had moved away from its lair, perhaps out of fear of harming its offspring. On the way, Song Jian didnt encounter a single monster. It seemed that the battle between the Black Dragon Albert lean and Dragon Hunter Dierdeli had driven all the surrounding monsters away; It was worth noting that the area was inhabited by level 30 monsters. Any ordinary monster could cause serious trouble for Song Jian. The level suppression at level 20 would cause Song Jians damage to be reduced by more than sixty percent; Driving his motorcycle at breakneck speed, Song Jian saw traces of destruction everywhere. Many roads were blocked by collapsed buildings, forcing Song Jian to take detours and waste some time. Twenty minutes later, Song Jian stopped his motorcycle in front of a cinema building. The only sign that it was a cinema was the large neon sign that read Eastern Cinema. The entire building was covered in a thick layer of steel, through which Song Jian saw traces of trains, cars, and other materials. It seemed that the Black Dragon Albertlean had collected all the steel it could find and melted it together with its Dragon Flame to create its lair; Before he even got close, Song Jian felt a wave of heat. Inside the building, which was covered in molten steel, there seemed to be a volcano ready to erupt, emitting rolling waves of heat; Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the building; Chapter 184 - Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Black Dragon Hatchling Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Black Dragon Hatchling Translator: 549690339 The closer Song Jian got to the building, the higher the temperature rose. He even felt as if the air around him was on fire. Once inside the building, Song Jian realized that there was no sign of any modern civilization. The building interior was like a deep cave with walls and pillars wrapped in thick rock. The rocks glowed with a dark red light, fissures branched out like veins, oozing a sticky red liquid. The liquid flowed slowly through these fissures, all converging into a bowl-shaped nest in the depths of the hall. The nest, with a diameter of more than ten meters, was carved out of hot stone, glowing with heat. Embedded on its surface were fist-sized mineral crystals. A thin golden string connected these crystals, their arrangement giving off a sense of a magic array. The closer one got, the more dangerous it felt. The bowl-shaped nest was like a pot filled with boiling magma, constantly churning in the nest and illuminating half of the great hall with a dark red glow. Song Jian did not know how the black dragon managed to source so much magma in such a modern city. It seemed that the magma was continuously heated, never hardening. At that moment, Song Jians gaze fell back on the surface of the nesting chamber. Could it be that the magic array, built from numerous mineral crystals, was heating the magma? Inside the nest stood three black dragon eggs, each taller than a person. Their surfaces emitted a blue glow, dotted with flickering silver lights, looking like stars. There are actually three black dragon eggs. Dierdelis test only required one. Could I take two for myself? Suddenly, a surprised smile appeared on Song Jians face. Song Jian briskly headed toward the Black Dragon Nest. Suddenly, the mineral crystals on the surface burst into brilliant light, sending a wave of heat spreading in all directions. Within moments, the temperature in the building rose drastically. Song Jian immediately felt as if he had entered a gigantic steamer, his Vitality Points started to drop rapidly. Thump- A heatwave swept over him, filling the entire hall. Song Jian had nowhere to hide and could only use his arms to protect his face. He lowered his body slightly, taking the blow head-on. Boom- The heatwave hit him, causing his body to shake. A burning pain transmitted from his skin, with a fire damage of more than a hundred points floating above his head. He was during the burning negative state. Burning (Level 1): causes the target to lose 10 Vitality Points per second, lasting for 60 seconds. Upon checking his Vitality Points, Song Jian was startled. He had just lost 180 Vitality Points. If it had been another level ten player, they would have been killed instantly. As for the level one burning status, with his current Vitality Points recovery rate, he could practically ignore it. Song Jian started making his way to the enormous nest in the deepest part of the hall, more than twenty meters away from the entrance. Just as Song Jian was about to approach the nest, the mineral crystals on the surface shone again. Another wave of scorching heat surged towards Song Jian. -218 Fire damage of more than two hundred points floated up above Song Jians head. The closer he got to the nest, the greater the damage he suffered. At the same time, the burning status that was originally at level one had now been raised to level two; the bleeding rate per second had increased from ten points to twenty points. At this point, Song Jian felt a sense of nervousness. Regardless of how quickly his Vitality Points were recovering, the two attacks he had just suffered cost him 400 Vitality points. Thankfully, The Dark Slayer (Foundation) had absorbed the Black Dragons Essence Blood and condensed the Dragon Blood Rune, adding 200 Vitality Points to him, otherwise, he would have been killed by the previous attack. The recovery speed was more than 500% of his Vitality Points, allowing him to maintain more than 300 Vitality Points and continue to recover at a speed of ten points or more per second. I am already suffering from a Level 2 burn. By the time it reaches levels three or four, my Vitality Points recovery rate will be offset. Then Ill be left with certain death and no chance of escape! Song Jian felt a sense of urgency. His life was in danger, he needed to act quickly. Just as Song Jian was less than a meter away from the nest, the mineral crystal on the surface once again emitted a dazzling light, this time at a shorter interval than the previous one, and the light was even more blinding. What was almost a substantial wave of fire had condensed into giant fire dragon illusions on the surface of the nest, rushing in all directions. Song Jians heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped by a giant hand. His pupils contracted abruptly. With a single thought, his figure disappeared instantly, replaced by a giant black cloud with a diameter of more than five meters. Whoosh- A fire dragon illusion passed through the black fog. A fire damage of 150 points rose above the black fog. Song Jian drew a long breath, having transformed into a dark cloud, his magic resistance increased by 100%. If he hadnt reacted quickly, the fire damage of this attack would surely have exceeded 300 points. Coupled with the third-degree burn, it would have definitely killed Song Jian. Fortunately, having transformed into a black cloud, he only suffered slightly over a hundred points of damage, and the burning condition was still only at level two. Song Jian didnt hesitate and immediately flew into the nest. Just as he was doing so, one of the dragon eggs close to the edge of the nest began to shake dramatically, and cracks started to form on the eggshell. Crack, crack- The sound of cracking echoed, and the dragon egg hatched completely in just a few seconds. A reddish, four-legged lizard that hadnt even opened its eyes climbed out of the egg, and fell directly into the magma. To Song Jians surprise, the dragonling hatched from an egg taller than a person was only the size of a palm. When the hatchling fell into the magma, not even a bubble surfaced, the shattered dragon egg also slowly fell into the magma, dissolving out of sight. Only two out of the three eggs are left? Surely this hatchling wont be scorched to death by the magma. Song Jian looked at the churning magma and thought to himself. Just as Song Jian was intending to grasp the other two dragon eggs, a red figure burst out from the magma. The palm-sized hatchling looked like a lizard with wings, and its scales gradually changed from red to green. There were only two bumps on its head, and the dragons horns had not yet grown out. [LV1 Black Dragonling] (Elite): Vitality Points, 200/200, Spirit Points: 50/50; Traits: Flame Strengthening, Low-Level Magic Immunity; Skills: Dive, Claw Clash, Flame Ejection. The black dragon hatchling, still dripping with magma, stared at the black fog above its head, feeling a sense of kinship from the fog. Mama! The black dragon hatchling bellowed at the black fog. Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Dragon Egg Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Dragon Egg Translator: 549690339 This little Black Dragons cry of Momma left Song Jian somewhat dazed. Could this little guy be a fool? He cant even distinguish between men and women! Song Jian thought to himself sarcastically. However, he quickly realized that he was currently just a mass of black mist, and there was certainly no distinction between male and female in this state. Whoosh, whoosh- The little Black Dragon flapped its tiny wings against its back and pounced towards the black mist that was Song Jian. Song Jian was startled and hurriedly dismissed his black mist mode. Even if the Black Dragon cub was first-rate elite, with the current damage of the black mist, it would only take a few seconds to turn the cub into a dead dragon. Standing at the edge of the nest, Song Jian gazed at the two dragon eggs in the lava and gritted his teeth as he jumped directly into the lava, swimming towards the nearest Black Dragon egg. As he entered the lava, he immediately activated the main skill of the Guardian Sword, the Knights Faith. A transparent light dome enveloped him, and his 500-point defence began to visibly decrease. A few seconds later, Song Jian rushed to a dragon egg, held it with both hands, and put it into his inventory. Another dragon egg was only five or six meters away from him, and the defence of the thought field shield had dropped to below two hundred. If he went to retrieve the remaining egg, the shields defence would definitely drop to zero, causing him to fall into the lava. Song Jian didnt think he was capable of swimming in lava given his current physical condition. When the Black Dragon cub saw the black mist disappear and transform into Song Jian, it looked at him with a bewildered expression, but quickly sensed a familiar bloodline from Song Jian. It flapped its wings and flew towards him. Splash- The little Black Dragon plunged into the lava, struggling constantly to swim towards Song Jian while continuously crying, Momma, Momma After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian immediately swam back to the edge of the nest. The moment he climbed up, the protection shield shattered, and his vitality points recovered significantly, now restoring more than seventy percent of his vitality points. As the Knights Faith skill was in cooldown, Song Jian began to walk along the edge of the nest towards the edge closest to the last dragon egg. As soon as the Knights Faith skill cooldown ended, he could retrieve the last dragon egg. Although he didnt know what the dragon eggs were for, anything that Dierdeli wanted was surely priceless. Momma, Momma! The little Black Dragon hopped out of the lava again, following right behind Song Jian, and closely following him along the nests edge. This little creature, I wonder if it could drop some equipment if killed. Though, Im afraid itd only be first-class equipment, which is not particularly valuable. Perhaps I should level it up to level ten and then kill it? Song Jian looked at the little Black Dragon that was constantly following him and calculated in his mind. Song Jian knew that many creatures would acknowledge the first creature they saw upon birth as their parent. He was surprised to find out that even the superior Giant Dragon species had such an inclination. However, the wisdom of a Giant Dragon was incomparable to other creatures. Once this little Black Dragon grew up, it would not take long for it to realize that Song Jian was not its parent, and it would inevitably attempt to kill him. As Song Jian was contemplating the Black Dragon cub following him, all of the glittering crystals on the surface of the large bowl-shaped nest shattered simultaneously. Instantly, the golden patterns on the nest surface dimmed, the surrounding temperature decreased rapidly, and the lava in the nest began to solidify. The fiery red lava turned into black hard rocks in a matter of seconds. The dragon egg sinking in the lava also became dull and lifeless, the silver glow that was previously bright as stars was gone, and the dull surface covered with a thin layer of rock texture became lifeless. All of this happened so suddenly that Song Jain was taken aback. When he reacted, everything had already ended. Song Jian was amazed and couldnt help stepping onto the lava that had solidified in the nest. The touch from his feet confirmed that the lava had indeed solidified into volcanic rock. At this moment, Song Jian heard a sorrowful dragon chant coming from a distance. It seemed that the Black Dragon, Elbatrilion, had sensed something. Song Jian approached the last dragon egg. It had blended into the solidified lava, devoid of any luster, without any sign of life. Oh, what a pity! Song Jian shaking his head, he could feel that this dragon egg seemed to have turned into a stone. The dragon inside died before it could be born. Momma, Momma! The Black Dragon cub flying around him kept shouting at him, making him somewhat annoyed. Poof- A spark of flame sprayed on Song Jians face. The Black Dragon cub sneezed at him, looking at him innocently. It looks like Im going to develop a new recipe! Song Jian caught the Black Dragon cub and tried to stuff it into his inventory. However, he found that no matter what he did, the Black Dragon cub could not be put into his inventory. System: Living organisms cannot be put into the inventory. If the Black Dragon cub is a living organism, then isnt the Black Dragon egg? Or does it not count if it hasnt hatched yet? Song Jian wondered. He was relieved that if the Black Dragon egg was also considered a living organism, he wouldnt be able to put it in his inventory. A Black Dragon egg as tall as a person weighs at least a few hundred pounds. How would he transport it to Dierdeli in the first place? Momma, Momma! The Black Dragon cub seemed to have a limited vocabulary. Perhaps due to the game mechanics, it only knew this single word. Song upheld the cubs neck and brought it to eye level, the Black Dragon cub was obviously uncomfortable and was struggling with quite some strength. Song Jian thought for a moment, took out a piece of Zombie meat from his inventory, and passed it to the cub. To his surprise, the Black Dragon cub bit the flesh and began to chew on it. Within moments, a chunk of Zombie meat almost the size of its body was fully in the Black Dragon cubs belly. Burp- A puff of black smoke mixed with sparks spewed out of the Black Dragon cubs mouth and nose. Then, breaking free from Song Jians right hand, the Black Dragon cub flew onto his shoulder. Its four claws firmly grabbed Song Jians clothes, and it nestled against his shoulder and fell asleep. This little guy is quite audacious. Song Jian shook his head, turned around, and walked out of the nest. Chapter 186 - Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Failure Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Failure Translator: 549690339 After a long while following Song Jians departure from Black Dragon Albatleons nest, the Black Dragon egg that had already turned into rock cracks with a round of shattering sounds. Finally, it becomes a pile of stone fragments scattered on the solidified lava; A hatchling, the size of a palm and in earthy grey colour, clumsily crawled out. With a sturdy body, the hatchling spread its two flesh wings that were as long as an arm, looking much like a huge bat; This grey hatchling, covered in grey scales, had a pair of eyes like two dull stones, stumbling on the lava field. Having stood for a short while, it fell again, its limbs struggled against the rock ceaselessly with sharp claws that left trails and trenches; Wha~ A roar echoed as the earth elements swiftly gathered in the mouth of the little dragon, and a stone spike over a foot long abruptly appeared, shooting towards the front, and blasted a giant hole at the rim of the bowl-shaped nest; This earth attribute hatchling seemed startled, puzzled for a while, and with flapping wings and paddling limbs, it crawled to the rim of the nest. In no time, it stood on the edge of the nest, gave a strong jump, vigorously flapped its wings, took to the air shakily. Looking back at the shattered stone egg in the nest, it turned its body and flew outward. In a short time, it disappeared into the city; Dierdeli looked with amusement at the Black Dragon hatchling climbing on Song Jians shoulder. The hatchling C its belly bulging, tightly clutching Song Jians Legion Armour with its four claws, and laying limp C intermittently exhaled a puff of black smoke mixed with sparks from its nostrils and mouth as it breathed; Black Dragon Albatleon was already gone by then. Only traces of the previous battle remained in the distance: collapsed high-rises, bricks, and stones melted by the scorching flames, with black smoke billowing everywhere; Is that Black Dragon dead? Song Jian curiously asked; Dead! Dierdeli shrugged and said: Did you get the dragon egg? To ensure you secured the dragon egg, I held back for a while before slaying it. You should know, once a Black Dragon is dead, all dragon eggs in its nest would be destroyed! I had just arrived, and this little guy was hatched already. There were two more dragon eggs, but I could only retrieve one; the other one is destroyed and turned into a stone egg! Song Jian pulled out the Black Dragon egg from his inventory, instantly, a giant egg over a person-high appeared beside him; Hey, you are lucky then! Dierdeli chuckled while taking out a palm-sized cloth bag. She scooped towards the dragon egg, putting away the person-high egg directly into the bag; Spatial equipment! Dierdeli showed the cloth bag in her hand to Song Jian, saying: I know you chosen ones naturally possess this sort of equipment, certainly more convenient than us. However, are you sure you want to raise this Black Dragon hatchling? You should know, the legacy of a Black Dragon is etched in its bloodline. As time passes, they will become more and more intelligent, be careful it may retaliate! Dierdeli cautioned, glancing at the Black Dragon hatchling sound asleep on Song Jians shoulder. One day, it will know you are not its kin. Its strange; you dont have a shred of Black Dragon Bloodline in you, why is it so close to you? I dont know either Song Jian scratched his head. Despite what Dierdeli said, he couldnt bear to kill this little guy. Okay, lets talk about the characteristics of a Dragon Hunter profession. Dierdeli shook her head and directly pulled Song Jian into the Explanation Space, starting to explain the characteristics of a Dragon Hunter; System: You have completed the trial of Dragon Hunter Dierdeli, greatly improving your favorability with Dragon Hunter Dierdeli; Dierdeli reveals information about combat job Dragon Hunter to you; Song Jian stayed dumbfounded for more than half an hour in the Explanation Space before emerging, shocked. After all, it was his first time encountering a Legendary Level profession. Indeed, a Legendary Level profession was inherently far stronger than other jobs; Just the professional inherent abilities alone were four, including absorbing dragon blood to enhance ones attributes, thus increasing attack, critical damages, and movement speed. When confronted with dragon-type beings, it can induce a sense of fear in them, lowering their defenses, and increase damage inflicted on them. After killing each Giant Dragon, a random perpetual status would be granted; The skills of a Dragon Hunter were numerous and immensely powerful. Just the core skills alone tallied up to dozens, and most importantly, all these core skills could be learned directly from Dierdeli, saving a lot of trouble; System: You have found a combat job tutor, understood the relevant content of the job Dragon Hunter, completed the mainline task 6/10; How is it? Interested in becoming a real Dragon Hunter? Dierdeli said with a beaming smile, sensing that Song Jian was already tempted. Of course, I wish to become a Dragon Hunter! Song Jian said excitedly. This was a Legendary Level job after all. In the entire game, there were only five spots available for becoming a Dragon Hunter. Once one spot was held, there was one less spot. Currently, three players had already become Dragon Hunters, only two spots left. Song Jian estimated that these three players were likely NCPs, as no player had yet become a Dragon Hunter; Then let me help you change your profession now! You will soon be a Dragon Hunter! Dierdeli smiled; But I have not yet completed my mainline task. I need to understand ten combat jobs before turning into one. Song Jian said with hesitation; No problem, you can first turn into a Dragon Hunter, then go understand other jobs. It wont conflict! Dierdeli explained. Alright. Lets get started. Song Jian drew a deep breath to calm his agitated feelings; Dierdeli raised her right hand, resting it on top of Song Jians head, and began chanting. Suddenly, a desolate and ancient voice rang near Song Jians ear, while different scenes appeared before his eyes. They were scenes of Dragon Hunters chasing Giant Dragons on the Wilderness, each Dragon Hunter wielded different weapons; some held spears emitting a blood-red aura, some held huge battle bows taller than a person. There were even those carrying a sniper rifle on their shoulder that had an opening as big as a fist engraved with complex Magic Runes Song Jian even saw a Dragon Hunter equipped with a pair of gauntlets identical to the one on Dierdelis hand, but that person was not Dierdeli; Just then, a sudden bang echoed near Song Jians ear. The scenes before his eyes shattered like glass, and in front of him appeared Dierdelis astonished face; Failed, it failed. How did it fail? Dierdeli muttered to herself, seemingly encountering such an event for the first time; Chapter 187 - Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Chat Channel Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Chat Channel Translator: 549690339 Seeing Dierdelis expression, Song Jian felt his heart sink, and it suddenly occurred to him that in order to become a Dragon Hunter, one must possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline. The reason why he had misled Dierdeli was because he had absorbed the Black Dragon Bloodline, but his own bloodline did not contain any trace of the Black Dragon Bloodline; Im done for. She misunderstood. Im not at all of the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline. The reason why 1 wasnt tainted by the dragon blood was mainly because of the Hexagram Array Diagram on my chest. The Black Dragon Essence Blood was all transformed into Dragon Blood Talisman by it, so there isnt a trace of Black Dragon Bloodline in my veins, but I still have the aura of the Black Dragon Song Jian thought to himself; Mentor, whats the situation? Song Jian asked softly; There was a trace of exhaustion on Dierdelis face as she looked meaningfully at Song Jian. After a moment, she shook her head slowly, without saying a word. She took two steps away, and then a golden rope suddenly shot out from her knuckle duster, wrapping around a distant building. Dierdeli leaped up with a sudden burst of speed, using the ropes force to fly into the air. Her other hand then shot out another rope towards the distance, and she moved like Spider-Man, disappearing into the steel jungle with a few flashes of her body; Song Jian sighed as he watched Dierdelis retreating figure, feeling at a loss. He didnt want to deceive Dierdeli, and he was also very interested in the legendary profession of Dragon Hunter, but unfortunately, he simply didnt have the qualifications to become one; Roar- Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a monsters roar from not far away. A creature resembling an ape emerged from a building; LV30 Mutated Ape Beast (Ordinary): Vitality Points: ???, Traits: ??? A level 30 monster! Song Jian was startled. Although absorbing the Black Dragon Essence Blood had greatly increased his strength, a monster that was twenty levels higher than him was still somewhat difficult to handle. Clearly, after the Black Dragon and Dierdeli had disappeared one after the other, more and more monsters would appear in this area. If he were to get entangled with this level 30 monster and end up surrounded by other monsters, Song Jian would have no way out; With that in mind, Song Jians body tensed up as he stared intently at the giant ape-like creature not far away; Unexpectedly, the Mutated Ape Beast just glanced at Song Jian from afar before turning around and running towards the building that the Black Dragon had demolished. It moved on all fours with incredible speed, and in no time, it climbed onto a chunk of concrete and seemed to be sucking on something; Song Jian slowly retreated, his figure disappearing from the area. In just a few minutes, he saw seven or eight level 30 monsters, rushing towards the location of the previous battle. Even when they saw Song Jian, they appeared not to care, as if they had more important things to do; Even at a distance from the area, Song Jian could still hear the faint sounds of monstrous roars and battles in the distance, as if they were fighting over something; Perhaps its the blood of the Black Dragon, or maybe its the shattered muscle tissue of the Black Dragon. Those monsters will gain even more powerful strength if they devour these things, and they might even have a chance to become Dragon Beasts! Song Jian thought to himself; This area was simply too dangerous, with high-level monsters everywhere. It was easy to lose ones life by being careless. Song Jian carefully dodged the monsters, narrowly avoiding being surrounded several times, but luckily he managed to escape using his Morphing into Dark Cloud ability; By the time Song Jian returned to the level 10 monster area, nearly two hours had passed. When he had first set off, it had only taken him a few minutes to reach the area, but now the return trip had taken him almost two hours; Although it was dangerous, the rewards were great. Ive made significant progress on the main quest, and even got a Dragon Blood Talisman! Song Jian looked at the Dragon Blood Talisman in his character attributes and smiled; The increase of two hundred Vitality Points and one hundred Spirit Points had brought about a tremendous change in Song Jians strength. With six hundred Vitality Points and a 500% Vitality Point recovery rate, he could now recover more than thirty Vitality Points per second. Even when facing a large group of monsters, he could charge in and kill a few times. It could be said that he was now in a dominant position in this level 10 monster area. However, since his Experience Points were now locked, killing more monsters wouldnt allow him to level up. His attention was now focused entirely on finding a combat profession mentor; At this moment, Song Jian noticed that there was someone talking in the chat channel; World Channel: (Zhao Lin) Haha, Im finally level 10! Let me gloat for a bit! Why isnt anyone saying anything? Could it be that Im the first level 10 player in the game? Haha, Im so proud! World Channel: (Wang Hai) 1 reached level 10 three days ago, bro! World Channel: (Zuo Zhiqian) Reached level 10 five days ago, bro! World Channel: (Su Zhi) Two days ago, 1 saw someone solo a level 10 Elite BOSS, can you believe it?! World Channel: (Zhao Lin) Ah, so many people have reached level 10 already, how embarrassing! Song Jian looked at the chat and smiled faintly. The chat channel was only accessible after reaching level 10, and when Song Jian had reached level 10, other players were still at lower levels. It had only been a few days, and now there were already so many level 10 players. Moreover, these players must have also completed the second main quest and created their safe houses; I just dont know if theyve come across the job-related main quest yet Song Jian thought to himself: If someone can access the job-related main quest, we might be able to share resources. Just then, someone in the chat channel suddenly asked about the information on combat profession mentors; World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Does anyone know about the combat profession mentor information? This main quest is so difficult. Ive only found two combat profession mentors in the past week Song Jians heart leaped with joy, and he quickly inquired in the chat channel; World Channel: (Song Jian) Bro, Im doing this quest too. Are those two combat profession mentors still in their original places? How about we exchange information? World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Sure, the two combat profession mentors I met were in a small villa courtyard next to Building 3 in Meidi Community C one is a boxer, and the other is a wandering monk with a profession in martial arts. However, that wandering monk has been gone for a long time now, so you can only try your luck at Meidi Community. That boxer is actually a rare profession, so 1 might choose it if 1 dont find any better options. Bro, what about yours? World Channel: (Song Jian) Do you know Sunflower Bar? Theres a bouncer named Zuo Ya who can give you information on the Street Thug profession. Also, this bar sometimes has wandering NPCs. Last time 1 met one, I got information on the Musketeer profession; Song Jian thought for a moment and continued; World Channel: (Song Jian) Do you know the Terrifying Underground Boxing Arena dungeon? Its a level 1 secret realm, and there are three bosses in there. If you can make it to the third level, theres a boss named Jia Ke Si who can give you the Weapon Master profession, which is also a rare profession; World Channel: (Jiang Hong) All, thank you, Brother Song! It seems like youve almost completed the quest! Well, actually, 1 know of another combat profession mentor, but the test for that mentor was too difficult, and 1 failed. However, that person seems to not have left yet Chapter 188 - Chapter 188: Chapter 188 Ancient Martial Arts Master Chapter 188: Chapter 188 Ancient Martial Arts Master Translator: 549690339 The test from the combat mentor is too challenging, failed? Song Jian was taken aback and asked hurriedly, Is that combat classes mentor still around, where is he now? World channel: (Jiang Hong) Brother, do you know the Tianfeng Building? That combat mentor is on the rooftop, dressed in black and carrying a long sword on his back. He seems like a swordsman or something, but all his attributes are hidden, you cant even see his level or name! Song Jian chatted in the channel for a while and found out that it seemed only Jiang Hong had encountered a professional task, others had just finished creating safe houses. He didnt exclude the possibility that some of them refused to share their experience with the combat mentor in the chat channel. Closing the chat channel, Song Jian decided to head first to the villa next to building number 3 in the Meidi district to look for that martial arts master. That should be easier. As for the Tianfeng Building, Song Jian found its location on the map. That area was teeming with level 15 creatures, and there might be a chance of running into a level 15 elite boss. Even for him, he would have to be careful. Song Jian placed his Black Dragon hatchling, who was sleeping soundly, in the villa and set off alone towards the Meidi district. The Meidi district wasnt far from Camel Square. Along his journey, Song Jian even found a few players who had also successfully set up safe houses. However, their safe houses were only level one and had no particular features. It was just a simple wooden wall and house. They didnt look very strong against wind and rain. He wondered how they managed to withstand the monsters attacks. As Song Jian arrived at the Meidi district, he saw seven or eight players surrounding a villa far ahead the moment he entered the districts gate. There were only five or six people in the chat channel just now, didnt expect so many people to be lurking! Song Jian thought to himself, and quickly made his way towards the villa. Guys, stop crowding here, Master Han isnt awake yet. Even if you guys huddle around here, its pointless. Master Han doesnt take disciples lightly. A teenager who looked about 13 or 14, dressed in dark blue clothes and sporting short hair, stood outside the villa with a helpless look, talking to the players around them. Lad, we just wanted to know more about the career characteristics of the martial arts master Han Hai. We dont necessarily want to become his disciples. Can you give us some leeway, or tell us about the career characteristics of the martial arts master Han Hai? a player who was tall and thin like a bamboo pole shouted out loudly. Yeah, Young man, how about you tell us about the career characteristics of the martial arts master Han Hai? the other players echoed. They had only come to complete the main task, they didnt necessarily want to become the disciples of the martial arts master Han Hai. Song Jian looked up to see that the boy was shaking his head and saying anxiously, Im just an apprentice, whos only been learning for two years. Im not qualified to be the combat mentor for you people. It seemed that the boy was not that naive. Despite his young age, he was not easily fooled. He knew what these players wanted. However, he was just an apprentice and had no qualifications to become a combat mentor. He would not help the surrounding players complete the quest by telling them about the professional characteristics of the martial arts master. The system just wouldnt recognize it. Song Jian thought for a moment and began sizing up the villa in front of him. The villa was about four or five hundred square meters and consisted of three courtyards. It was walled with red bricks on the outside, and there were several single-story houses inside. It had a front yard and a backyard. The building style wasnt that of a western-style stand-alone villa. Instead, it had the feel of a rural courtyard, with red bricks and tiled roofs. The courtyard was filled with bamboo plants and a few fruit trees. By the sound of it, there seemed to be a stream flowing. Song Jian went round to the backyard and faintly heard the sound of someone practicing martial arts, the sound was produced by the swift movement of the disembodied air by fist swings and sleeve movements. Song Jian made a slight jump, caught hold of the wall, and slowly peeked his head in to look inside the courtyard. The backyard had been converted into a practice field where a man in his forties was practicing martial arts. He was wearing a moon-white long gown, the lower part of which was tucked around the waist. [LV35 Ancient Martial Arts Master C Han Hai] (Elite) Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Attributes: High resistance, High defense, Swift, Air-tearing; Skills: Ancient martial arts (Advanced), Rhinoceros Fist, Burst Fist, Hurricane Fist. Watching Han Hai practice martial arts with such discipline, his movements fluid and his demeanor tranquil, filled Song Jian with a sense of excitement and utter thrill, he even felt as if he was a part of it. Suddenly, Master Han Hai stepped forward abruptly, shattering the green brick underneath his foot. Pieces of broken stones scattered, he then waved his hand and several pieces of broken stone flew towards Song Jian, who was laying on the top of the wall with half of his head sticking out. Song Jians body plunged downwards, hiding behind the wall, leaving only one hand grasping the top of the wall to support his body. The sound of the stones flying past his head, was terrifyingly sharp, causing Song Jians scalp to tingle. Since he had been discovered, Song Jian didnt bother to hide anymore. With a strong push of his hand the whole body leaped above the wall as if he were a large bird and landed within the courtyard. Song Jian made a fist salute and said to Han Hai, Master Han! Young man, youre nimble. But did you know, its taboo to spy on someones practice? Han Hai said in a deep voice as he appraised Song Jian up and down, with his hands behind his back. Im sorry, Master Han, I just wanted to understand ancient martial arts, so I came uninvited. I wonder if Master Han could explain it to me? Song Jian said frankly. All of youah, forget it, since I cant avoid it, lets discuss it together. Follow me! Han Hai sighed and headed out, shaking his head as he went. Song Jian followed Master Han Hai towards the front yard, passing through a walkway. There was a fake mountain pond on the side, the creek was babbling, and there were even a few koi fishes waving their bodies and occasionally splashing water in the pond. At the end of the walkway was a moon gate. Passing through the moon gate, both of them came to the front hall. Song Jian could already faintly hear the clamor of the players in front. The heart is not sincere or calm. How can martial arts be practiced well? Hmph, 1 wont accept such people as my disciples! Han Hai frowned as he looked at Song Jian and said. Feeling somewhat helpless, Song Jian just followed closely behind Han Hai as they arrived at the front yard. Pushing open the courtyard door, the figure of Martial Arts Master Han Hai appeared outside the small yard. Right now, his disciple was already sweating, and if it werent for him having a higher level than these players, he might have already been unable to stop the players from entering the villa. When the disciple saw Han Hai coming out, he let out a sigh of relief, and his face eased up. He hurried forward to bow and said, Master, they Han Hai waved his hand and said, I know all about it; you back down. His disciples backed off, and the surrounding players became quiet seeing the master outside, but their gazes all landed on Song Jian standing behind Master Han Hai. Chapter 189 - Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Fine Iron Boxing Gloves Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Fine Iron Boxing Gloves Translator: 549690339 Whos this guy? Why is he following the boxer around? Did he already become a disciple, becoming a student of Han Hai the Boxing Master? I just saw him. He arrived later than us. How could he have become a disciple? A crowd murmured quietly, Han Hai the Boxing Master swept a glance across the crowd, his gaze sharp. He lightly shook his head and shouted loudly, Are you all here to worship, to learn boxing? The crowd of players around him were mainly just beginning their professional quests. They didnt wish to choose the first profession they came across as their own, but didnt want to say they were just here to learn the ropes, so they all fell silent. Only the tall and thin one who spoke earlier glanced around, then stepped forward and said, Master, we want to understand the characteristics of the boxer profession first, then well compare it with others to see if were really suitable for learning boxing. If we are suitable, well naturally become disciples of yours and learn boxing skills! Yes, yes, we first need to understand it! the others exclaimed in conjunction. Well, thats fine. However, if you want to understand the profession of an Ancient Martial Arts Master, you must pass my test. Those who fail the test do not have the qualifications to access this profession! Han Hai the Boxing Master declared, his face displaying high arrogance. Were willing, were willing! the crowd chanted altogether. Alright, then go fetch me ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves. As long as you can complete this task, 1 will explain the characteristics of the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession to you! Han Hai the Boxing Master waved his hand and continued, Fine Iron Boxing Gloves can be dropped by the Iron Fist Zombies, although the drop rate is somewhat low, I hope you can hold out. Now go, stop standing around me! All the players simultaneously received a system prompt. System: Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai has issued you a challenge: The Boxers Test. Task Requirement: Hunt Iron Fist Zombies and obtain ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves; o/io. Time Limit: 3 hours. Rewards: Receive commendation from Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai and information on the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. Punishment: Greatly reduce Han Hais positive sentiments towards you, lose an opportunity to learn about the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. Damn, Iron Fist Zombies? Thats a Lvl 15 creature. One punch from it can decrease my vitality points by forty or more someone muttered in disbelief. A Lvl 15 monster? Are you serious? Is this test that hard? Song Jian was taken aback, immediately opening the chat channel. In it, people had already begun to privately message Jiang Hong to ask about the situation. World Channel: (Pan Ming) Brother Jiang Hong, are you there? Whats this boxing test you mentioned last time, is it to get ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves within three hours? World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves? No, the test 1 had was just to hunt ten ordinary Lvl 10 creatures. There was no time limit, and it was very easy to complete. World Channel: (Zhou Guang) What? You only had to hunt common Lvl 10 creatures? Why is our test so hard, requiring us to hunt Lvl 15 creatures? Why is there such a big difference between people? World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Lvl 15 creatures? Iron Fist Zombies? Heh, I wish you guys good luck. The World Channel was filled with wails of despair, however, since they had already accepted the quest, they had no choice but to try. Although Lvl 15 creatures were powerful, in the daytime, when their attributes were halved, they were only as strong as Lvl 7 or 8 creatures. Just after Han Hai the Boxing Master issued the task, Song Jian immediately summoned his motorcycle and rushed towards the area where the Iron Fist Zombies were located. That guy has a motorcycle already? How did he get it? Do monsters drop motorcycles? Did he make it himself or did a monster drop it? Are there mechanical monsters now? Impressive, there are so many experts in this game. It looks like hes already strong enough to solo Lvl 15 creatures, otherwise he wouldnt be in such a hurry! Soloing Lvl 15 common creatures isnt too difficult, we should all be able to do it. But obtaining enough Fine Iron Boxing Gloves from killing creatures within three hours Thats a bit more challenging! Those who had already leveled up to Lvl 10 were players with considerable strength, typically possessing two or three attack skills. With enough caution, they should be able to solo a Lvl 15 creature. Anyone want to team up? Were safer in a group, and most importantly, it will speed up our hunting! someone shouted. Does this game have a team setting? How are the drops distributed? In this game, as long as you inflict damage to the monster, even just a little, you are entitled to loot. As of now, there werent any team mechanisms for hunting in the wild, so once a monster was killed, chaotic looting was likely to occur. Lets take turns picking up! Trust in luck. Whoever gets the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves can keep them! That sounds good, Im Lvl 10 and have two long-range attack skills. Anyone want to team up with me? Outside the villa of Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai, several Lvl 10 players started forming teams in a lively and noisy manner. Seven or eight players ultimately formed three teams, preparing to head towards the area where the Iron Fist Zombies resided. The number of people in a team shouldnt be too few. If its too few, hunting becomes difficult. Conversely, if its too many, taking turns picking up loot means it might take a long time to have a turn, making efficiency potentially worse than solo hunting. Most people formed teams of three. While they were still busily forming groups, Song Jian had already arrived in the area inhabited by Iron Fist Zombies on his motorcycle. This area included a multi-purpose six-story mall, next to it was a three-story New China Bookstore, and in front was a plaza with a fountain. Long wooden benches were placed around the edge of the plaza. At this time, there were three or four people sitting around the fountain in the middle of the plaza. In front of each of them was a black cloth laid out with several objects flashing with colored lights. After checking their levels, Song Jian noticed that these people were all Lvl 10, their equipment completed and they looked rather capable. Huh, another ones come. Looks like well have to work harder, there are more and more Lvl 10 players! A player who was bored from manning his stall saw Song Jian approaching and his eyes immediately lit up. The other players followed suit. Weve been in the game for over a month now, and should have leveled up to Lvl 10 just from grinding monsters, not to mention the task of creating a safe house One of the players next to him snorted, But the ones who dare to come to a Lvl 15 monster area to farm are few and far between! Exactly, were five levels ahead in grinding. Other players at most dare to hunt Lvl 10 or even weaker creatures! Hey man, come take a look! All Lvl 10 equipment here, and also some rare materials. Certainly something will catch your interest! One of the players shouted towards Song Jian. Lvl 15 creatures dont necessarily drop Lvl 15 equipment, they could drop equipment from a lower level. But the lower the level of the equipment, the better the quality. The black cloth in front of the player was laid out with several green-quality Lvl 10 equipment pieces that caught the eye. Chapter 190 - Chapter 190: Chapter 190: For Forging Chapter 190: Chapter 190: For Forging Translator: 549690339 Song Jian walked up to a few stalls, swept a glance around, and his eyes immediately lit up; What are these boxing gloves made of? How much are they selling for? Song Jian asked, pointing at a few Fine Iron Boxing Gloves placed in front of a stall. Fine Iron Boxing Gloves (white), function unknown. My friend, you have good taste. This is a white-quality forging material, capable of producing level 10 blue-quality equipment, these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves are raw materials. They can also increase the success rate of forging. How about it? Want to buy a couple and test them out? Theyre cheap anyway, even if the forging fails, you wont lose much! The stall owner quickly said with a smirk. Can it really be used to forge level 10 blue-quality boxing gloves? Song Jian showed a skeptical expression, clearly unconvinced. Of course, look at its attributes. Even though its functions are unknown. But just from its name, you know. It can definitely be used to forge a full set of valuable materials. You can buy one for just five Doomsday Coins here. Even if you fail, how much would you really lose? It can be considered as spending money to buy forging proficiency, you wouldnt be at a loss! The man was insistent; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian nodded and said, Alright then, Ill buy all five Fine Iron Boxing Gloves here. I need to rush to practice my forging proficiency. Even if forging fails, I can still gain some proficiency points from the white-quality materials. Thats the spirit, bro, you absolutely wont regret it! The man was grinning from ear to ear. These Fine Iron Boxing Gloves were practically useless, and could only be sold back to the system store for one Doomsday Coin. They werent even forging materials. If they were thrown onto a forge, the system would just prompt this item cannot be forged. Hey, mate, I also have three Fine Iron Boxing Gloves here, Ill sell them to you for five Doomsday Coins each. To level up your forging skill, youll need lots of materials! Someone nearby quickly chimed in; Fine Iron Boxing Gloves could drop with a certain chance after killing an Iron Fist Zombies. Ever since these people reached level 10, they had been hunting monsters here, killing at least a hundred Iron Fist Zombies with each of them getting several Fine Iron Boxing Gloves. Song Jian bought all the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves from the stalls near the fountain, totaling twenty, costing him a hundred Doomsday Coins. After making his purchases, Song Jian was not in a hurry to leave. He glanced at the few people and asked, Have you guys completed your Safe House creation task? Yeah, we have. What about it, bro, havent you finished yours? Need materials? I still have some wood and stone! The man who first sold Song Jian the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves brightened up, and quickly asked; No, I was just wondering. Youve all accepted occupational tasks too, right? The one that requires finding ten professional Combat Mentors? Yeah, we all took on that mainline task. But finding Combat Mentors in this city is such a time-waste, we might as well level up while searching. Maybe well get lucky and bump into one! Someone else joined the conversation; Have you encountered any Combat Mentors? Song Jians eyes lit up. He had already found seven Combat Mentors and still needed three more. If he didnt count the one that Han Hai mentioned which failed the test, he still needed two more to complete the task; Nope, leveling up is more important. Ive leveled up to 56% of level 10 now. The amount of Experience Points required after level 10 is too high, otherwise, we wouldnt have to come here to hunt higher level monsters! No, no, this city is just too dangerous. Wandering around aimlessly, we might accidentally stumble into a monster nest. We wont even know how we died then. Lets just stick to leveling up by hunting monsters and leave it to luck. Yeah, weve already been grinding here for three days, and we havent even gained one level of Experience Points. This game is too hard! The stall vendors voiced their complaints one after another; Song Jian shook his head, it seemed that these guys were all crazy monster grinders. They didnt even know that their Experience Points would be locked and couldnt increase beyond level 10 if they didnt complete the occupational task; After glancing into the distance, Song Jian placed one Fine Iron Boxing Gloves in front of him and patiently waited; Hey, mate, arent you going to practice your forging skill? What are you doing here? The man next to him asked curiously. He looked at the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves in front of Song Jian and didnt understand what Song Jian was trying to do. Oh, 1 didnt learn the forging skill Song Jian said casually. Then you are Hey, bro, do you know what these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves are used for? Someone finally realized, and quickly asked. Hehe, youll know soon enough! Song Jian said with a laugh; Everyone exchanged looks, all having a bad feeling about this. What is that thing used for? The man who initially tricked Song Jian looked at the boxing glove in front of Song Jian with a puzzled face, muttering to himself; Didnt you say it increases forging proficiency? A man next to him gave him a sideways glance. Bullshit, wasnt I just advertising, just like the beef in the instant noodle commercials! Theres nothing about it in its attributes anyway. Anyway, I feel like, at five Doomsday Coins, you definitely sold it at a loss. Wonder how much this kid here is going to sell it for! Wait and see, an unknown function white item, how high can he sell it? I think five Doomsday coins are reasonable, What if its worth ten! Then we lost five! Song Jian listened to their muttered comments, smiled to himself, soon he saw a group of people running over from a distance. The Iron Fist Zombies should be around here, wonder if the drop rate is high. Three hours seems a bit tight! What if the drop rate is high? Maybe one Iron Fist Zombie can drop two, after all, it does have two hands You have a point, lets try it! Hey, look over there, someone is selling items. Isnt that a Fine Iron Boxing Glove? I wonder how much its for. If its cheap, we could just buy ten directly to complete the task, right? This guy looks familiar! Isnt he the guy who stood behind Fist Master Han Hai, and rode on a motorbike? Upon seeing Song Jian, and then looking at the boxing glove in front of him, they were all left speechless; How much are you planning to sell this boxing glove for? Someone tentatively asked; Lowest price fifty Doomsday Coins, highest bidder gets it! Song Jian said nonchalantly. Hiss- The nearby vendors gasped. The Fine Iron Boxing Gloves they sold for five Doomsday Coins each were now being resold for ten times the price. This was out of this world! Those Fine Iron Boxing Gloves, level 15 regular monsters drop them, fifty Doomsday Coins, youd have to be crazily poor. A man at one of the stalls folded his arms, sneering; Exactly, what a joke! The crowd showing disdainful expressions towards Song Jian. Why dont you try and kill them yourself to see. Song Jian remained unfazed, smiling; Lets go, lets go. Theyre only level 15 monsters, theyre nothing special, lets kill them ourselves! Right, well kill them ourselves. I refuse to believe that we cant get the items to drop! The crowd headed towards the distant high-rise building. It was daytime now, and the Iron Fist Zombies were all hiding somewhere not exposed to sunlight. The shopping mall opposite and the New China Bookstore next door were obviously places where the Zombies gathered; Song Jian wasnt in a hurry. He silently watched as the crowd entered the high-rise building. Soon enough, the sound of battle could be heard from inside. Chapter 191 - Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Now We Have to Set a Price Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Now We Have to Set a Price Translator: 549690339 Fifty Doomsday Coins, youre really selling them for that much! A man next to Song Jian gaped at him. Its not that hes selling them for fifty, its that the price starts at fifty Doomsday Coins, do you know what starts at means? Another person interjected. Hes acting as if this is an auction. The materials dropped by a level fifteen common monster are being sold for such a high price! Indeed, but it seems everyone here needs this thing. I wonder what theyre using it for It must be useful, we just dont know what for. However, fifty Doomsday Coins, heh heh A few people were whispering to one another nearby. By now, they had realised that this Fine Iron Boxing Gloves must have a significant use, otherwise, these people wouldnt have rushed over so hurriedly. Hey, bro, could you tell us what these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves are used for? A man with a stall leaned over to Song Jian and asked softly. This man was Miao Hong, the one who initially misled Song Jian by saying that the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves could enhance his forging experience. They are used for forging and can produce level ten blue-quality equipment. Even if you fail, it will still boost your forging experience! Song Jian glanced at him and responded coldly. Miao Hong: Was he mad at him? He had initially thought that Song Jian was an easy mark, but it turned out that Song Jian was pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger, tricking them all. But fifty Doomsday Coins, you dare to bid that price Miao Hong said, shaking his head. An enigmatic smile appeared on Song Jians face as he suddenly turned his head and asked, If I told you they all have a task requiring ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves each, and these need to be obtained within three hours, no, now its two hours and forty minutes, would you say that one Fine Iron Boxing Glove is worth fifty Doomsday Coins? It depends on the reward for that task. If the reward is a silver-quality weapon, Id dare to bid five hundred Doomsday Coins for these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves! Miao Hong was instantly excited. Its just a profession initiation task, a test set by a combat profession mentor! Song Jian said indifferently. What, a combat profession mentor? Where? Its been nearly a week, and we havent even encountered one combat profession mentor. Damn it, this game is too difficult to play Miao Hong looked shocked. What, Xiao Miao, you have information on a combat profession mentor? Where? Dont hog it, lets go together! Upon hearing this, a few vendors nearby also became excited and gathered around. Next to House No. 3 in the beautiful residential district, theres a villa courtyard where an Ancient Martial Arts Master named Han Hai resides. Song Jian generously shared the location of the combat profession mentor with them. Bro, youre generous. If I were you, 1 would sell one boxing glove for at least a hundred Doomsday Coins. You know, our survival here depends on the few of us fighting for four days to get this Miao Hong gave Song Jian a thumbs up, hastily packed up his stall and ran towards the beautiful residential district with the others. Song Jian smiled faintly. In fact, when he was buying these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves, he had already calculated their drop rate in his heart. It was too low. Probably Han Hai, the Martial Arts Master, had also ignored these people, hence choosing such a difficult test task. Otherwise, why was Jiang Hongs test task easy and theirs so difficult? Not much later, Miao Hong and the others, who had previously teamed up to hunt the Iron Fist Zombies, returned, grinning from ear to ear, and set up their stalls again. What happened Song Jian looked surprised. Haha, for some reason, the test task given to us by that Ancient Martial Arts Master, Han Hai, was to get twenty iron fist badges. These are also dropped by Iron Fist Zombies, but their drop rate and that of the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves cant be compared. After killing ten Iron Fist Zombies, at least eight or nine Iron Fist badges will drop. Weve already collected a bunch, which allowed us to complete the task right away, haha! Miao Hong said, laughing heartily. I think the profession of the Ancient Martial Arts Master is pretty good, powerful moves, cool actions. When you reach levels 30-40, with one punch, you can wipe out a large group of monsters. Simply formidable! someone nearby said, laughing. I also think its pretty good. Dont forget, in this game, you can take your skills out, so in the future, I might even be able to become a World Boxing Champion for fun! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. These people were first-timers in dealing with combat profession mentors. In reality, each combat profession mentor showcases the strongest sides of their profession. They tend to gloss over the weaknesses and shortcomings of the profession. If you dont specifically ask, they wont tell you. Initially, when Song Jian first exposed his Musketeer profession, his blood boiled with excitement, and he wished he could assume the Musketeer profession immediately. But after truly understanding the Musketeer profession, he instantly lost interest in it. Though Song Jian has not actually been exposed to the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession, this profession is merely a good one. Its not even a rare profession, let alone comparing it with the legendary profession of Dragon Hunter. Its definitely inferior. Therefore, Song Jian was not very interested in the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. He only wanted to complete Han Hais test task for the sake of completing the main line task. Actually, up till now, the profession that Song Jian truly wanted to pursue was the legendary profession, Dragon Hunter. However, the more powerful the profession, the greater the restrictions to qualify. The Dragon Hunter required one to possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline, which Song Jian hardly had, hence he couldnt qualify for this legendary profession. Alas, what a pity! Song Jian shook his head, glanced at the two core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession in his skill bar, and immediately became excited again. The unique ten professions: Immortal, Demon, Holy, King, God, Tao, Buddha, Prince, Scholar, Emperor! And the Swordsman Immortal is part of the Immortal, it would be wonderful if I could truly qualify for the unique profession! However, Song Jian also knew that even qualifying for a legendary profession was such a challenge, let alone an epic profession, followed by the unique profession. With this in mind, he could understand the difficulty of becoming a unique profession. After all, a unique profession signifies that in the entire game, only one person could qualify! Just as Song Jian was fantasizing about the future, the group of people who had gone to kill the Iron Fist Zombie walked out of the mall, looking dejected. Glancing at his task bar, Song Jians lips curled into a smile. As he expected, there were less than thirty minutes left for the test task. This group must have deeply realised the pitiful drop rate of the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves. Fifty Doomsday Coins, Ill take ten! A player with a darkened face walked up to Song Jian and said. Ahem, just now it was fifty Doomsday Coins. Now, after two hours, all of you have just experienced how low the drop rate is. The price needs to go up! Song Jian said somewhat apologetically. The players looked at each other. Are you even human? Seventy Doomsday Coins, 1 want eight! A young man nearby called out loudly. Song Jian was startled, turning to look at him. Not bad, kiddo. Youve gotten two in two hours. It seems like you have some good luck! Chapter 192 - Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Seven Tenths Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Seven Tenths Translator: 549690339 Whats the big deal about a Combat Mentor? I refuse to believe that hes the only one in this game. I might just not take on this test quest! Yeah, the guy thinks he can charge exorbitant prices because he knows we need him for our quests. If we give up on this one, there could be countless other possibilities in the future The players nearby started to express their dissatisfaction and murmur among themselves. Song Jian didnt mind their complaints, still wearing an indifferent smile. Some of them left disappointed, but none of those who were complaining about the cost of the quest task actually left. They all hoped that the price could be somehow negotiated down. He had initially been planning to sell the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves one by one, but after a moments hesitation, Song Jian pulled out ten pairs at once and shouted: Bundled sale, ten pairs for one thousand Doomsday Coins! If you want them, then pay up! No dilly-dallying! Time was running out for the test quest. As soon as Song Jian finished speaking, someone immediately handed over one thousand Doomsday Coins to him. While the others were still hesitating, this person had already packed the ten pairs of Fine Iron Boxing Gloves into their backpack. Make way, folks, said Fan Wei, politely excusing himself from the crowd, a calm look on his face. One thousand Doomsday Coins was not much money for the players present, what they were measuring was if a Combat Mentors test quest was worth it. Fan Wei had come across this main quest five to six days ago. He had tried searching for a Combat Mentor but failed to find even one. He knew the chances of finding a Combat Mentor were very low, let alone ten of them. Seeing the opportunity now, he wanted to seize it. After completing the transaction, Song Jian summoned his motorcycle and drove back to the villa where Han Hai, the Ancient Martial Arts Master was. There wasnt much time left for the test quest, and if he didnt leave soon, he might not make it in time. Seeing Song Jian leave, Fan Wei felt a tightening in his heart. He quickly said, Folks, Ill be going ahead. Song Jian quickly returned to the small courtyard of the villa, where he saw Han Hai sipping tea under a large tree in the courtyard. Master Han, Ive come to complete the quest! Song Jian laid out the ten pairs of Fine Iron Boxing Gloves on the table. Surprise flickered in Han Hais eyes. Amongst the group, he didnt have high expectations of anyone and had intentionally chosen the most difficult task. Unexpectedly, someone actually managed to complete it. Remaining expressionless, Han Hai gave a slight nod, then waved his hand to store the boxing gloves. Standing up, he slowly stated: Well done, to have gathered ten pairs of Fine Iron Boxing Gloves in such a short time! You flatter me, Master. I hope you can now enlighten me about the profession of Ancient Martial Arts Master! Song Jian respectfully requested. System: You completed the quest from Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai, greatly improving your affinity with him. He then explained to you the details of the Ancient Martial Arts Master class. Haha, the class of Ancient Martial Arts Master evolved from the national skills of the ancient Huaxia, its a killing art. Every move aims for a fatal hit, almost always causing harm or death in combat. Come with me to the Explanation Space, and you can understand more about the superiority of the Ancient Martial Arts Master class! Nodding, Han Hai directly pulled Song Jian into the Explanation Space. About ten minutes later, Song Jian emerged from the Explanation Space, a shocked look on his face. This Its like a human monster. They can really use just their hands to clash with a tank! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. He suddenly remembered the BOSS he encountered in the instance dungeon before, who could crush a rocket with its bare hands. It seems that mastering martial arts was just as good as using sophisticated weapons. Skills in the game can be used in the real world. If I could possess such martial arts in real life Huaxia is one of the countries with the strictest gun control. If my fists could combat rockets, wouldnt I be invincible, especially without the threat of firearms? Song Jian thought to himself. System: You found a Combat Mentor and gained knowledge about the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. Main quest completion: 7/10. Suppressing the excitement of immediately becoming a disciple, Song Jian looked at his taskbar. He had completed 70% of the main task, and he just needed to find three more Combat Mentors to complete the quest. This time, Song Jian had been in the game for more than a week. The sync between the game and real-world time was far from being well coordinated, and being in the game for too long could cause a person to feel disoriented when they come back to reality. Song Jian made a small bow to Han Hai, then turned to leave. He had decided to understand all the professions before making a choice. What a pity. I still havent encountered the Sword Immortal class. If I cant find a Combat Mentor, does it mean that I cant pursue the Sword Immortal class? After choosing another class, I wonder if those two Sword Immortal Techniques, Invisible Sword Qi, and Sword Finger, will still be preserved? Song Jian thought to himself. Invisible Sword Qi and Sword Finger were both very powerful skills. Invisible Sword Qi could not only provide energy for Sword Finger but also be attached to weapons to inflict additional damage. Sword Finger was powerful and swift in action and was hard to detect and defend against in close range. System: You have a new message. Please check it soon. The sky was gradually darkening. Song Jian was originally planning to go back to the roof of the Tianfeng Building to check if the Combat Mentor had left, but it seemed he would have to wait till the next day. The Tianfeng Building was a zone for level 15 monsters, whose battle power would fully recover at night. The level 15 ordinary monsters were even more troublesome than the level 10 elite BOSS during the day. If Song Jian was surrounded then, he most likely could only run away. If this led to the task being failed, it would be such a pity. Back at Manor Castle, Song Jian astonishingly found that the Black Dragon hatchling had awakened. It was flapping its wings, continuously spitting fire, and hunting level one mutant zombies along the wall of the castle courtyard. The mutant zombies were incessantly enraged, waving their arms and trying to jump up to attack the Black Dragon hatchling. The Black Dragon hatchling couldnt fly too high or it would automatically exit the combat mode, and the zombie would run away. It flapped its wings and moved nimbly, evading each of the zombies jump attacks while taking the opportunity to spit fire back. Not long after, the mutant zombie was defeated and turned into a pile of black ashes, and the Black Dragon hatchling flew off in search of the next target. If there were too many mutant zombies, the Black Dragon hatchling would lure them to the castle wall to let the Arrow Towers and Catapults take them down. It seemed quite smart. The items collected from the zombies were out of reach for the Black Dragon hatchling, thus all got taken by the Bloody Ghostly Poisonous Tree Alex instead. Buzz- A golden light radiated from the Black Dragon hatchlings body as it leveled up to Elite Level 2, and its size also increased. Seeing Song Jian return, the Black Dragon hatchling finished off the last zombie, flapped its wings and flew towards him. Special thanks to Bread84. for the donation of 100 Starting Coins- Chapter 193 - Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Territorial Expansion Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Territorial Expansion Translator: 549690339 Seeing Song Jian, the young Black Dragon showed its affection by flying onto his shoulder and lying down on it, looking very well-behaved; Song Jian checked the attributes of the young Black Dragon which was now at level 2, with 450 Vitality Points and 100 Spirit Points, but no other changes in its traits and skills; Song Jian smiled slightly, took out a piece of roasted meat from his bag, and offered it to the young Black Dragon. Watching it swallowing the meat, which was almost the same size as its body, Song Jian felt that something was off; It didnt call me its mother this time Song Jians heart sank. It seemed that the young Black Dragons bloodline memory was slowly recovering as it leveled up. The Dragon Clans lineage was passed on through their blood, so even if they slept for a hundred years right from birth, they would still obtain their clans inheritance memory and skills once they reached adulthood; It must have realized that Im not its mother but can still sense the Black Dragon Bloodline within me, so it remains affectionate. But when it levels up more and gains higher intelligence, it will surely understand that were not of the same kind. When that time comes, Im afraid Song Jian played with the young Black Dragon as he made his way to the third floor of the castle; In the third-floor bedroom, there was a one-meter diameter wooden bowl filled with dry straw. Song Jian had instructed the carpenter in his manor to make this as a Black Dragon Nest; Placing the yawning young Black Dragon in the nest, Song Jian turned to check his mailbox; There were more than a dozen letters in the mailbox, each containing a type of plant seed. He took out all the seeds, spending more than 4,000 Doomsday Coins. George! Song Jian shouted loudly; Yes, master, how can I help you? Butler George appeared in front of Song Jian immediately with a respectful tone; Give these seeds to John, let him choose and plant them. If theres a harvest ceremony, be sure to let me know immediately! Song Jian handed the dozen plant seeds to George; As you wish, master, Ill pass your order on to John and follow up. Once a harvest ceremony can be held, Ill let you know right away! George accepted the seeds and replied; Song Jian nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, Do we need to hire a cook? After all, the food we produce needs to be processed into consumable meals; Master, not only do we need a cook, but also a mill, and preferably some livestock George began to plan for the future development of the manor. Youve made some good points. Go ahead and follow your plans for development. Ive given you the authority, so the manors in your hands now. Song Jian smiled; Master, our most pressing issue right now is that we dont have enough land for building the mill and Livestock Pen George showed a troubled expression on his face; Song Jian nodded, knowing that his safezone now had the largest land area in the game, covering five to six hundred square meters. But apart from the castle and the six Spirit Fields in the yard, there was no more space for building anything else. Do you have any suggestions? Can we build anything outside the safezone? Song Jian inquired; Since anything built outside of Song Jians safezone did not belong to him, he didnt know whether he could build something on other lands; Master, I would not recommend building anything on lands that do not belong to us. It is very unsafe, and most importantly, if the building is not on our land and is destroyed, we will be left with nothing; George shook his head; Song Jian nodded, aware that if a building inside the safezone was destroyed, it could be rebuilt with very little materials. For example, the traps outside the walls, the Arrow Towers on the walls, and the Catapults on the castle could be rebuilt with only about a tenth of the materials if they were destroyed; However, if a building outside was destroyed, it would be a total loss, with all the contents inside disappearing as well, leading to even greater losses; If Song Jian were to build the mill outside, he would risk losing all the food stored inside if it were destroyed, becoming loot for others; But if the mill were built within the safezone and was destroyed, most of the food inside would be preserved; Can we continue expanding our current location? Song Jian asked; Master, in order to expand the safezone, we have to initiate an Expansion Battle, which is a very risky move. It should only be considered when we have absolute confidence, as failure may result in huge losses! George said with a serious expression; Are there any other alternatives for development? Song Jian inquired; George frowned deeply, thought for a moment, and slowly shook his head; Then lets initiate the Expansion Battle! Song Jian wore a determined expression on his face; Master, you can only initiate an Expansion Battle once a month. Once started, it will be a fight to the death. The battle will only end when one side is completely destroyed! Master, please be cautious! George sighed; Dont worry, there are no undefeatable enemies around us! Song Jian smiled slightly; With a thought, Song Jians figure appeared at the top of the castle, and as he looked around, he saw a few villas and a green jungle in the direction of Camel Square; Expansion! Song Jian summoned the safezone interface and made his move; Suddenly, a grand, low, and stern voice emerged from the castle and spread out in all directions; Territory Struggle, initiated! A blazing red light slowly seeped out from the castle, spreading in all directions and stopped ten meters away from the outer walls. The red light then came to a halt; System: No other safezones detected within the expansion area, would you like to occupy? Occupy! Whoosh- Inside the castle, a slowly expanding green light covered the original red light. The green light spread very slowly, as if waiting for something; After three minutes, the green light completely covered the red light, and the entire area became Song Jians external territory; Originally close neighboring villas disappeared under the green light, and a wide road outside the manor began to blur; Before long, all buildings and items on the ground within the green light disappeared, replaced by a large area of unexplored green grassland; The green light vanished, and Song Jian stared at the green grassland that suddenly appeared among the high-rise buildings with an odd expression. It was so strange that he even saw a half-cut villa standing eerily at the edge of the grassland; Master, congratulations on your brilliant victory! George said with an excited face; Chapter 194 - Chapter 194: Chapter 194 Tianfeng Building Chapter 194: Chapter 194 Tianfeng Building Translator: 549690339 Song Jian looked somewhat speechless at the ten-meter grassland extending beyond the wall; Such a big move, with such an imposing momentum, making people s blood boil, but you only extended by ten meters? Are you kidding me! My lord, it is a glorious victory. Congratulations, we finally have our territory! The butler George was excited. Song Jian stared at him for a moment, thinking George was mocking him, a lord with only ten meters of territory? Alright, George, now that weve got a place, hurry up and get to work. Build everything you can, and dont forget the defensive structures. We dont want our hard work destroyed by the monsters, Song Jian said; At your command, my lord! George respectfully bowed; With the ten-meter territory, George s form of address for Song Jian changed from master to my lord. But, being called my lord does feel pretty good, hehe! Song Jian was secretly pleased in his heart; George began to command Tammy and John to get to work. With the expansion of the territory, they could now hire more workers. George started recruiting workers one after another; in no time, the manor was filled with the noise of construction, as it turned into a bustling construction site. Song Jian returned to the third floor to make potions. Although he had only learned the formula for Weakness Potion, the high-quality Portable Mobile Potion Crafting Table could produce potions of even higher quality. In battle, an excellent quality Weakness Potion could change the outcome of a fight; Working until late into the night, Song Jian exhausted all the potion materials in his inventory. He now had over twenty bottles of Weakness Potion (Excellent) and seven or eight bottles of Weakness Potion (Mutated). Its a pity I dont have enough materials for high-explosive grenades. Now that would be a real killer! Song Jian sighed at the sight of the single high-explosive grenade in his inventory. Although potion-malting had a simple process, Song Jian was tired after spending most of the night on it. He glanced at the sleeping Black Dragon cub in the wooden nest and lay down to rest. At the moment Song Jian closed his eyes, the Black Dragon cub suddenly opened its eyes. A flash of brilliance in its golden pupils stared at Song Jian lying on the bed for a few seconds before closing them again. A quiet night passed, and when Song Jian got up the next day, he saw a newly built mill outside the manor. The seven- or eight-meter high mill had a massive windmill with a diameter of over six meters spinning slowly at the top; In the distance, a few NPCs were building a Livestock Pen. They appeared to have been working all night, their eyes red; Song Jian appeared in front of the unfinished Livestock Pen. At this time, George was also standing next to it looking tired. Tammy and John were leading a few NPC workers to construct the pen; At this moment, a countdown timer appeared in the empty space above the Livestock Pen, and it looked like it would be completed in about three hours; Noticing Song Jian approach, George prepared to bow. Song Jian waved to stop him. George, youve worked hard. After work is done, treat everyone to a good meal to thank them, Song Jian paused, seemingly thinking of something, and continued, You can go to the Sunflower Bar to buy some drinks so everyone can celebrate. George immediately shouted: Did you hear that, fellows? Work hard, and after its over, well have wine and meat! Our lord will be rewarding us! Suddenly, a cheer erupted from the working crowd; Long live our lord! System message: You spent 130 Doomsday Coins to boost the morale of rhe construction workers. Their building efficiency has increased by 30% Song Jian glanced at the countdown above the Livestock Pen, which suddenly jumped to two hours. At the same time, the Doomsday Coins in his inventory, which were almost depleted, disappeared by another hundred. Song Jian couldnt help but feel the pain. Spending over a hundred Doomsday Coins to save just over an hour seemed uneconomical. But when he thought of how these coins were going to buy wine and meat for the hardworking NPC builders, Song Jian felt much better; Summoning his motorcycle, Song Jian drove towards the Tianfeng Building. There should be a Combat Mentor there; The chat said that the assessment task given by this Combat Mentor is too difficult. It might be like Han Hais situation, where the Combat Mentor didnt think much of him and chose the hardest task. If the Combat Mentor considers me worthy, maybe theyll select a more manageable task Song Jian thought; Every Combat Mentor would issue an assessment based on the testers abilities. An easy task would be assigned to a player suited for the profession, while a more challenging task would be assigned to a player not suited for the profession; Driving his motorcycle, Song Jian was followed by a large group of mutated zombies. Despite being during the day, the noise from the motorcycle attracted many monsters; After about ten minutes, Song Jian left the level 10 monster area and entered the level 15 monster area. In this area, Song Jian didnt dare to drive his motorcycle recklessly anymore. If a few elite level 15 monsters were provoked, hed have no choice but to run; On the top floor of Tianfeng Building, a man wearing a black uniform stood at the edge, looking down at the entire street. Beside him, a thumbnail-sized metal ball constantly rotated around his body; The man saw Song Jian quickly rush into Tianfeng Building, followed by a sea of mutated monsters, and couldnt help but chuckle and mutter, Another fearless fellow! Song Jian panted as he dashed into Tianfeng Building and looked back at the tide of monsters, cold sweat appearing on his brow. Its terrifying. From now on, I shouldnt drive a motorcycle in the city. Mutated zombies are too horrifying they followed me for over ten kilometers without giving up Under normal circumstances, monsters have their specific zones to operate in. Level 5 monsters wouldnt enter level 10 monster zones, and level 10 monsters wouldnt venture into level 5 monster zones. They usually didnt interfere with each other; Song Jian thought the same, so he drove his motorcycle carelessly through the city. But the noise from the bike caused level 5 monsters to follow him into level 10 monster zones and not leave. Instead, they joined level 10 monsters and chased after Song Jian into the level 15 monster zone. By the time Song Jian realized something was wrong, it was too late. Hundreds of monsters had gathered behind him; Phew, Ill find the Combat Mentor first and then deal with you properly. Song Jian glanced at the high-explosive grenade in his inventory, resisting the urge to throw it into the monstrous horde, and ran towards the staircase; Chapter 195 - Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Sword Controller Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Sword Controller Translator: 549690339 The horde of monsters surged towards the Tianfeng Building. They had just reached the entrance when the monsters in the front suddenly halted their steps with a look of horror and continued to retreat. The monsters behind could not slow down in time and directly crashed into them, causing a scene of chaos. The roars echoed under the Tianfeng Building; Atop the building, a man in black grimaced, muttering irritably under his breath. Hum- The silver orb surrounding him began to vibrate violently, projecting an inch-long silver halo, inhaling and exhaling as if a living entity; Seemingly sensing the formidable force, the monsters below trembled all over, lying motionlessly on the ground while emitting faint wails. Scram! A single shout echoed from the top of the building, prompting hundreds of monsters to flee in disarray; Song Jian, who was climbing the building, heard these remarks clearly. He looked out of the window and saw hundreds of monsters fleeing, including several Level 10 and 15 elite creatures, which made his blood boil; A powerful shout and the monsters are pacified, when will 1 have such strengthwondered Song Jian whose eyes were filled with astonishment. By the time Song Jian reached the rooftop, the man in black was still standing by the edge of it, leaning against the wind, while a silver metallic orb was slowly rotating around him; Magneto? Song Jian blurted out involuntarily; The man in black turned around, a trace of helplessness in his eyes. Im not Magneto, nor do I possess the X-gene. I cant control metal. This is my weapon, the Sword Orb! Embarrassment flickered across Song Jians face. It seemed that many players had seen the man in black. Any player who saw the metal orb slowly rotating around him would be reminded of Magnetos escape from jail in the movie X-Men. Are you a Sword Immortal? Song Jian suddenly asked with a look of excitement; Sword Immortal? The man in black was taken aback, then shook his head slowly, A Sword Immortal is what 1 strive to become. Perhaps in the future, I will be a Sword Immortal, but not now. Currently, I am just a Sword Controller! Just as the man in black uttered the phrase Sword Controller, Song Jian was granted access to some of his attributes, which were previously obscured by question marks; [LV86 Sword Controller C Duan Jian] (Elite): Vitality Points: ??? Spirit Points: ???; Traits: Immortal Sword Body, ???; Skills: Sword Retention, ??? An elite BOSS of level 86? Even higher than the Dragon Hunter, Dierdeli Walker, Song Jian was taken aback and hastily bowed, Could you tell me about the special characteristics of the Sword Controller profession? Duan Jian gave a slight smile, scanning Song Jian before asking, Can you wield a sword? Song Jian felt awkward. Although his secondary weapon was the blue-grade one-handed Guardians Sword, he had never in fact wielded it in combat. Even the passive skill [Cold Weapon (Sword Type) (Basic)] that he learned was only at level one and he had never attempted to upgrade it; Song Jian responded, 1 have never encountered a swordsmanship master, so Im reluctant to learn from the unskilled! Duan Jian paused, laughing heartily: You are the second brazen person Ive met. In honour of the first one, Ill give you a chance! Use the sword you carry to slaughter a level 15 elite monster. If you do, 111 tell you the meaning of a Sword Controller! Duan Jian pointed at the Guardians Sword hung around Song Jians waist and spoke arrogantly; Can I only use this sword? Cant 1 use other weapons? Song Jian frowned and asked; Exactly. You can only use this sword. Once you employ a different weapon, even if you kill a level 15 elite monster, the trial will be deemed a failure. You will not need to see me again in such a case, otherwise, I will kill you! Duan Jian stared coldly at Song Jian as he spoke; Can I use my personal skills? Song Jian queried further; Duan Jian hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded: You can use the skills you have mastered, but Forget it. Lets talk about it once you pass the test! Duan Jian seemed to want to say something, but ultimately just waved his hand, signaling Song Jian to leave; System: The Sword Controller and Battle Job Instructor, Duan Jian, gives you a challenge: Kill a level 15 Elite BOSS, 0/1; Challenge Requirements: Use your sword to kill a level 15 Elite BOSS; If any other weapon is used, the mission will fail immediately; Challenge time limit: 24 hours; Challenge Reward: Earn Duan Jians admiration and enlightenment about the Sword Controller profession; Challenge Punishment: Duan Jian will negatively change his attitude towards you by a large margin, and you will lose a chance to learn about the combat profession C Sword Controller; Song Jian nodded his head, turned around, and left the rooftop; To kill a Level 15 Elite Boss, which has at least three to four thousand vitality points, even when its attributes are halved during daytime, is almost impossible without the use of the Rocket Launcher or Tusk Fang Stinger skills. Coupled with the onslaught from five levels above him, the endeavor to singlehandedly hunt down a Level 15 Elite BOSS seemed like an impossible task to Song Jian; Song Jian switched the Guardians Sword to his right hand and played with it as he walked along, trying to get a feel for it; On leaving the Tianfeng Building, there were no monsters to be seen. Despite practicing for a while with the Guardians Sword, Song Jian still felt a bit awkward; First, let me find some regular monsters to get used to it, who knows, I might even learn some sword skills on my own! Song Jian muttered to himself as he set off down a gloomy alley; First, he would test his skills on a Level 15 regular monster. If he cant even beat that, he might as well abandon the challenge. In the dark alley lay a ragged human-formed zombie, appearing like a corpse. Yet Song Jian knew that as soon as he strayed into its alert zone, it would instantly awake, relentlessly chasing him until he was dead; Earth Teeth Assault! Before it could fully awake, he chose to deplete its vitality points; The Tusk-energy ball lunged at the corpse and fiercely struck the zombies waist. This sent its body flying in the air; Roar- The mutant zombie slowly rose from the ground. Its blood-red eyes gradually opened, focusing on Song Jian and emitting a roaring sound; LV15 Mutant Zombie (Regular): Vitality Points 850/1700, Traits: Intermediate Defense, Primary Vitality Restoration; Skills: Gnaw. Seeing the mutant zombie pouncing towards him, Song Jian took a deep breath. Tightening his grip on the Guardians Sword, he sprinted towards the zombie; Whoosh- As soon as he neared, the sword in Song Jians hand sliced across the zombies head, inflicting over 60 critical damage points; Experiencing pain, the zombie became more frenzied, waving its hands, while its mutated nails, sharp as mini blades, carved streaks of white in the gloomy alley; Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Physique Increase Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Physique Increase Translator: 549690339 A level-five blue-quality one-handed sword dealt only around a dozen damage points to a level-fifteen ordinary mutant zombie, which was quite low; However, with a 500% increase in vitality recovery speed, it was nearly impossible for a level-fifteen mutant zombie to kill Song Jian. Even if it cost him blood, he would eventually bring down the zombie; In the dark alley, the mutant zombies roars continued to echo, perhaps due to rotting flesh all over its body. Its voice was deep and hoarse, but Song Jian was not worried about attracting nearby monsters as he continued to slash his sword; Minutes later, the level-fifteen mutant zombie finally turned into a pile of ashes, dropping two white-quality materials and five Doomsday Coins around its body; Ordinary level-fifteen monsters can drop Doomsday Coins? Song Jian picked up all the spoils of war and tore off his clothes, revealing the armor of the Zombie Commando; His original coat, which had no defense, had been scratched into a bundle of shreds by the mutant zombie, making it cumbersome to wear; Looking at his skill bar, he had not comprehended any sword-related skills, only the passive basic sword skill had increased some proficiency; Slash, chop, flick, stab Song Jian wielded the one-handed sword, feeling the sensation with every attack: Theres no other way now, lets start with these basic skills. Song Jian could only practice one-handed sword based on the method used for daggers, but he gave up after a while, feeling awkward. After all, they were different weapons, and if he practiced the wrong moves, it would take more time and effort to correct them; Ill explore gradually while fighting monsters. Only life-and-death battles can improve me the fastest, Song Jian thought as he carried the one-handed sword towards another building; As half a day passed, the sky began to darken, and mutant zombies appeared on the streets. The night belonged to the monsters. Most players hid in safe houses or places they thought were safe; At first, some players wanted to kill monsters and level up at night, but soon there were fewer and fewer such players. After all, everyone only had one life. Many people initially treated it like a game, but now there were fewer and fewer of those people since most of them had died. Song Jian estimated that in just two months, hundreds of people had probably died in Coastal City in the real world. He wondered if the police and others had noticed this situation; However, sooner or later, people would discover it, because Song Jian believed that more and more people would enter the game, and more and more people would die; There were still seventeen hours left for the task completion, plenty of time. Song Jian did not plan to go back to his territory, as there were many monsters on the way back. Even if he transformed into black mist, it would take more than an hour to go back and forth, which would not be worth it; Song Jian went straight back to Tianfeng Building, not going upstairs but finding a room on the first floor to rest. As long as Duan Jian didnt leave the building, it was the safest place in the level-fifteen monster area, without a doubt; Night fell, and the sky was covered with thick, gloomy clouds that brought pressure. Song Jian sat cross-legged on a shabby single bed, staring at the dark sky outside the window, quietly waiting; After a long time, a crack appeared in the heavy clouds, and a ray of moonlight seeped through. Song Jians spirit was energized, and he hurried to the window; A burning sensation came from his chest, and the Hexagram Array Diagram started to glow faintly. Tonight was a half-moon, and as the moon appeared, countless moon essences scattered across the city. Roars were heard from the tops of various tall buildings, as bosses began to absorb the moon essence to enhance their strength; Song Jian glanced around and noticed that within a few hundred meters around Tianfeng Building, not a single boss was on the rooftops, making him speechless; A stream of moon essence was drawn into the room through the window, merging into Song Jians body. Song Jian could feel the moon essence entering his body, slowly circulating through his blood vessels, and integrating into his body as it flowed, disappearing; This process was very comfortable, but there was a side effect. Whenever he absorbed moon essence, Song Jian could not help but feel a killing intent rising in his heart, wanting to kill anything in sight; However, whenever this killing intent emerged, a refreshing energy would appear in Song Jians mind, allowing him to maintain his self-awareness. Time always flew by when immersed in absorbing the moon essence, and soon the moon was once again covered by clouds; Song Jian sighed slightly, feeling the gradual improvement of his physical fitness with the influx of moon essence; At that moment, a system prompt appeared; System: You have absorbed enough moon essence, and your physical fitness has improved. Your physique has increased by one point; Finally, its increased! Song Jian thought; After absorbing more than a months worth of moon essence, although it felt comfortable, and he could feel his body becoming stronger, not receiving a system upgrade made him feel like something was missing; Checking his attributes, Song Jians physique had now reached nine points, and his vitality points limit had increased by 20 points, reaching 620 points, which was better than nothing; After half a day of fighting, Song Jians passive skill [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] had been upgraded to level two, and the proficiency at level two had also increased significantly, requiring only about ten more level-fifteen monsters to be slain before reaching level three. Song Jian felt that such passive skills were easy to understand and improve in the early stages. He didnt know if it was an illusion, but after the passive skill was upgraded to level two, he felt that swinging the sword was more agile; I cant waste the night. Its safe here, Im not afraid that the noise will attract monsters, so why not take this time to practice swordsmanship? Song Jian thought; With his one-handed sword and the blade pointed down, Song Jian stood at the center of the room; Ha! In a low shout, he swung his right arm in a circle, lifting the sword high over his head, and then slashed forward at a 30-degree angle; During the daytime battles, Song Jian had constantly summarized that this slashing method was the most energy-efficient and inflicted the most damage; However, this move had a major drawback: fatigue, and continuous swinging like this, Song Jian estimated that he would eventually develop shoulder inflammation; After practicing for more than an hour, Song Jian felt as if his right arm was about to dislocate, his whole body drenched in sweat like he was soaked in water. But he didnt give up and continued to practice, with the passive skill [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] slowly improving at a visible rate; Fool, thats not how you practice swordsmanship. You shouldnt treat the sword as a dead object! Just as Song Jian was concentrating on practicing his sword, a deep voice came from behind him. Duan Jian! A smile appeared on Song Jians mouth; Chapter 197 - Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Skill Improvement Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Skill Improvement Translator: 549690339 | While practicing dagger lighting technique at the Black Panther Gym in the real world) his coach once told Song Jian, regardless of the fighting style or the presence of weapons, from the moment of first contact, he must receive standard instruction and not blindly practice on his own. Once bad habits are formed, they are incredibly hard to correct. Adhering to wrong practices not only nullifies improvement but can also harm the body over time; Just like Song Jians situation C the sword move he had summarized from half a day of fighting was filled with errors. He knew this in his heart, but sword practice was not his true aim; he merely wanted to catch Duan Jians attention since they were both in the same building. After over an hour of the practice, Song Jian found his entire right arm numbing, with unbearable itching, swelling, and pain at the shoulder joint. He was drenched in sweat and about to give up when he finally heard Duan Jians voice. Master!11 Turning around with a weary face, Song Jian greeted Duan Jian respectfully. Swordsmanship is not practiced this way! Duan Jian shook his head, raising his right hand. The silver metal orb that had been revolving around him suddenly expanded into a long sword and flew into Duan Jians right palm. Holding the longsword, he oozed an imposing demeanor which forced Song Jian to involuntarily step backward until his back hit the wall. Even the continual echoes of monster roars around him came to an abrupt end, as if the whole world fell into silence; A sword is an extension of the arm, not just a dead object! Dont control your sword with your hand; control it with your will, your spirit, your soul Your hand can control the dimensions around your body, but your will and spirit can fill the space between heaven and earth. Control the sword with your spirit. Wherever the mind moves, the sword reaches Walking and talking about his understanding of the sword, Song Jian found his words somewhat inexplicable. He felt that he understood yet didnt understand at all. It was like when a post-doctorai mentor lectures first-year university students. What they impart is not just specialized knowledge of the first year but a concept, a direction, a guiding path. Maybe many students couldnt understand at that time, but if you persist, there will eventually come a time when everything seems illuminated. Only then will you comprehend the true intentions behind their teachings. Duan Jian was doing something similar now. He didnt tell Song Jian how to hold the sword, how to use it, or impart any substantial sword skills, but he was enlightening Song Jian with a certain ideology. After listening to Duan Jian for a long time, Song Jian looked at him perplexedly. Duan Jian, feeling his throat parched from talking, saw Song Jians excited expression and couldnt help but snort, Its impossible to carve rotten wood! Ready to leave with a swing of his sleeve, Duan Jian was stopped by Song Jian, who rushed towards him and grabbed his leg: Master, you cant leave! At the very least reach me one sword technique so that I can defeat a level 15 elite boss. Otherwise, do you really want to watch me blindly practice till 1 ruin my arm? Song Jian cried out, squeezing the corners of his eyes to try and force out a few tears, but to no avail. In the end, helpless, he applied saliva to the corners of his eyes. Enough, stop pretending you really are Duan Jian was a bit helpless for a moment before suddenly asking, Do you know a fat guy with the surname Mu? Song Jian was taken aback and shook his head. You two truly are alike. Thick-skinned! Get up. I ll teach you how to use a sword. After speaking, Duan Jian yanked Song Jian up by his left hand. Watch carefully. I will only demonstrate once. How much you can grasp is up to you! With that, Duan Jian began demonstrating the basic sword technique. Song Jian opened his eyes wide, not daring to blink, afraid of missing a single move. System prompts flooded his view like a waterfall. His passive skill, [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)], was rapidly improving. System: Sword Controller Duan Jian imparts basic sword technique to you, your [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] skill proficiency has improved by 20 points. System: Sword Controller Duan Jian imparts basic sword technique to you, your [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] skill proficiency has improved by 21 points. In just a few minutes, Duan Jian had finished demonstrating the basic sword technique. Turning around, he sent his sword flying into the air where it shrank back into the size of a finger before curling into a smooth, silver metal orb. This orb slowly floated back to Duan Jians side and began revolving around him like a satellite. Thats all the help 1 can give you. Anymore and I would be breaking the rules. It doesnt matter to me how much youve managed to grasp. Just know that if you havent hunted a level 15 elite boss by tomorrow, dont show your face to me anymore1. Duan Jian left after giving Song Jian a stern look. Song Jian wiped the sweat from his brow and stood still with closed eyes. Beneath his eyelids, his eyeballs were shifting rapidly. His right hand was twitching involuntarily, wanting to shake from time to time, as if it wasnt under his control. At this moment, in Song Jians mind, every details of Duan Jians basic sword technique demonstration was being replayed. After a long while, Song Jian let out a sigh, and a serious expression appeared on his face. He mused inwardly, The gap is truly enormous! Only after witnessing a real sword technique, did he realize his own deficiencies. Composing himself, Song Jian started practicing exactly as Duan Jian had demonstrated; In just a few tens of minutes, Song Jians passive skill, | Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)], rose from level two to five, improving at a terrifying speed; [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)]: Passive, Level 5, Increase in power of sword weapons by 30%, Armor Break +1. Now that he had started practicing, the skills improvement rate was extremely slow. One reason was the high level of the skill, which demanded higher proficiency. The other reason was the disparity between Song Jians and Duan Jians mastery of sword techniques, naturally causing their proficiency to be different. The night passed like this. As the sun slowly rose, Song Jian only then laid down his sword and sat down on his bedtorest. At this moment) Song Jians aura was drastically different from the previous day. The transformation over the night seemed to have allowed him to take an important step on the path of martial arts. Duan Jian stood with his hands behind his back, high on the rooftop, looking at the slowly rising sun. The corners of his mouth held a faint, indistinct smile. Chapter 198 - Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Severely Injuring the BOSS Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Severely Injuring the BOSS Translator: 549690339 Duan Jian didnt show off any sophisticated sword techniques. Instead, he demonstrated the simplest actions: thrust, cut, lift, chop, slash and how to form combinations of these basic moves into various attack techniques. This was the most elementary set of sword techniques yet, it seemed miraculous when executed by Duan Jian. Song Jian watched, fascinated, and spent the whole night trying to replicate every action of Duan Jian. And, just like that, the night passed. The moment day broke, Song Jian rested briefly and then left the building. He had about eleven to twelve hours left for the mission, the equivalent of one more day. If he didnt manage to hunt a level fifteen elite monster by evening, the test mission would be considered a failure. Practicing alone isnt very effective. I need to hone my skills from last night in real combat. Also, 1 need to start looking for the location of a level fifteen elite BOSS. Its best if I can find several, and then select the one most suitable for me Song Jian thought. He had spent yesterday afternoon hunting level fifteen monsters and seeking out an elite BOSS. Generally, unless it s a special boss like the Roaming Zombie, the regular bosses stay in fixed areas and only show up in these locations. The exception is when players kill large numbers of regular monsters, which could attract the bosses. Over the course of yesterday afternoon, Song Jian discovered two level fifteen elite bosses. One was a fiercely defensive Scaled Zombie, and the other, a giant yellow bird which was as big as a fully grown eagle with a length of one to two meters and wings that could stretch three to four meters long. Although it couldnt fly, it could glide through the air at an impressive pace. Both bosses posed quite a challenge for Song Jian. If he was limited to using the one-handed sword, it would be tough to kill them. As such, he considered these two bosses as alternative targets. Bloody hell! Finding a boss is harder than finding a wife! Song Jian muttered to himself, changing his direction and moving forward. Soon, from a shop ahead, noises emerged. A level fifteen regular mutated zombie had its left foot stuck between a collapsed counter. Oblivious, it kept trying to press onward, the rattling sound of the iron counter giving it away. There we go, a chance to test the skills 1 mastered last night. Song Jian, holding the Guardian s Sword, headed towards rhe shop. Once inside, the mutated zombie, sniffing out the presence of a living human, growled at Song Jian. It struggled to free itself, attempting to lunge at him. Without using any special skills, Song Jian swung his sword at the zombie. Thanks to his practice throughout the night, each strike landed with precision, causing bursts of forty to fifty points of damage on the zombie. This showed a three to four-fold increase in damage compared to yesterday. The mutated zombie became more furious. When its vitality points fell below half, it forcefully broke free from the iron counter and lunged at Song Jian. However, this desperate act came at a cost. Its left leg had a gaping wound that revealed the bone, with a dark brown pus oozing our. This move had injured its leg bone, causing it to limp and slow down significantly. Song Jian continued slashing with his sword and before long, the zombie had transformed into a pile of black ash. Feels great. The use of the long sword is very different from the dagger, but the theory is similar. Essentially, they are extensions of the arm. However, their practical uses still vary greatly.1 Song Jian twirled the long sword skillfully in his right hand, putting away the two dropped items, and continued down the street. Being taught by someone versus learning everything on your own made a huge difference. Now, Song Jian was more efficient with the long sword, killing at a pace several times faster than yesterday. Level fifteen ordinary monsters were no longer a threat to him. His experience points remained fixed. Even after hunting a level fifteen monster, he didnt earn any experience points. After a while, feeling like he had sufficiently mastered the sword techniques, Song Jian began looking for a level fifteen elite BOSS. Now as a melee profession, itd be best to find a boss that uses long-range attacks and isnt so strong up close. Also, itd be nice if the bosss defense isnt too high, and its vitality isnt too great Song Jian muttered as he kept walking. Why not just find a severely injured boss thats about to die? A voice suddenly rang in Song Jians ear. Thats a brilliant idea! Excited, Song Jians eyes sparkled. But then, alert, he held his sword in front of him and squinted towards where the voice had come from. Whos there! Song Jian backed away, pressing himself against a wall, looking around cautiously. As Song Jian prepared to open his vertical pupil in his forehead, a figure started to take form. Its me, its me, dont be alarmed. I just noticed you. Lin Shengs figure gradually materialised and he waved at Song Jian. Damn, you really do come and go like a ghost. Youre not worried about wandering into a level fifteen monster area Seeing a familiar face, Song Jian put down his sword, still irritated. He had been thoroughly startled by the sudden voice. Eh, youve switched to a long sword now. Wheres your dagger? Lin Sheng took note of the long sword in Song Jians hand, his eyes sparkling. Lin Sheng had been eyeing Song Jians Tusk Fang Stinger for a long time. While it was just a level five blue quality dagger, its inherent skill was hugely powerful, making it even better than some level ten daggers. I plan on becoming a swordsman, so I am getting used to it now. Do you want the dagger? Song Jian asked. Yes, yes, boss. Ive been coveting your dagger for a long time. I still havent found a good weapon. If 1 get your dagger, this level fifteen area will be nothing for me. Lin Sheng boasted. Youve leveled up to ten? Are you here for the Combat Mentor test mission? Song Jian questioned, looking at Lin Sheng. Yes, Ive hit level ten. This main mission requires finding ten Combat Mentors, and I havent found one yer. But Ive already made up my mind to become a thief. I came here to find a Thief Mentor, Im not interested in other professions! Lin Sheng said, holding his head high. Didnt the guide in the dungeon tell you to look for him once you reach level ten? You didnt go? That guy must be a combat mentor, and it might be a good fit for you, possibly even a Thief Mentor. Song Jian said. Dont remind me. He asked me to find him in a dungeon with real difficulty. Like I could handle that. 1 nearly died even in a simple-level dungeon Lin Sheng said grumpily. Heh, thats true. A dungeon with real difficulty isnt something we can handle right now. But remember, even if you find a Thief Mentor, youll still need to find nine other Combat Mentors to learn about different professions for the main mission to be considered complete.'' Song Jian laughed. Huh, how do you know? Lin Sheng looked surprised. Of course, I know it because a Combat Mentor told me!1 Song Jian glanced at Lin Sheng and asked, You said theres a level fifteen boss thats about to die? Where? Tell me, and this dagger is yours! Song Jian took out the Tusk Fang Stinger and teased Lin Sheng by waving it in front of him. Chapter 199 - Chapter 199: Chapter 199 Temporary Task Chapter 199: Chapter 199 Temporary Task Translator: 549690339 Looking at the blue-quality Tusk Fang Stinger in Song Jians hand, Lin Shengs eyes were full of little stars; Ill take you there! Lin Sheng said directly: Its just ahead, that boss has been injured, lost a leg, and its vitality points are less than half left, looking very desperate. Song Jian followed behind Lin Sheng, running and asking: Why didnt you finish it off yourself, a level 15 boss will definitely drop good loot! I cant beat it, it can see through my stealth, I cant even get close to it Lin Sheng said somewhat helplessly; Soon, the two of them arrived at a small residential area, in a central pavilion, Song Jian saw the heavily injured boss. The boss looked like an enormous beastman, with blue skin covered in lumps, two tusks protruding from its lips, and sanguine eyes emitting a bloodthirsty glow, looking very ferocious. Its massive body was squatting in the pavilion, looking like a meat mountain. Next to it, stood four wooden stakes, half a mans height, carved with complex magic runes on the surface. Rings of energy condensed into light, slowly rotating around the stakes; One stake was enveloped in a green glow, one stake was enveloped in a crimson glow, another stake was encompassed in a gray energy glow, the last one flickered with tiny currents; [LV15 Mutated Shaman Beast C Kuru Tutu] (Elite): Vitality Points 680/2800, Spirit Points: 250/800; Traits: Regeneration, Beasts Blood Boil; Skills: Summon Totem Pillar, Summon Beast Spirit, Death Ray, Ice Cone. This guy is a beastman, huh? Song Jian stared at the mountain of flesh in the distance, stroking his chin; Yes, it looks like a beastman. Do you see those three pillars next to it? Those are totem pillars, they can attack automatically. The damage isnt high, but they are very troublesome. Lin Sheng pointed at the three wooden stakes next to the Mutated Shaman Beast; Hey, it seems to be healing its wounds! Song Jian saw that every few seconds, a +5 green healing figure would jump above the bosss head, he couldnt help but say; There is a healing totem pillar! Song Jian pointed at the wooden stake surrounded by green light: You need to be faster, if it drags on, its vitality points will be fully restored. Its okay, didnt you see that it doesnt have much spirit points left? It looks like it has been through a big fight, youre really lucky! Song Jian said; Hehe, Brother Song is the lucky one, now its yours. Lin Sheng chuckled. Alright, give you the dagger, this boss is mine. The test required me to fight solo, so just guard the perimeter for me. Dont participate! As Song Jian spoke, he handed the Tusk Fang Stinger to Lin Sheng. Dont worry, Brother Song, 1 know the rules! Lin Shengs face broke out into a grin as he took the dagger, swinging it around a few times, looking thrilled. Song Jian slowly approached the boss with his sword. As soon as he stood around a dozen meters away from the boss, it stood up. Despite the imposing pressure from the one-legged boss, Song Jian hesitated whether picking this boss was a correct choice. Human, this is Kuru Tutus territory. If you dont want your soul to be tormented on my Flame Totem forever, leave now! The boss even spoke, surprising Song Jian; a monster capable of speech indicating it has consciousness, and a conscious monster is way tougher than a senseless one. Perhaps perceiving Song Jians hesitation, a hint of a smile appeared on Kulu Tutus face. Feeling the immense power within this human, Kulu Tutu himself was at a low ebb with barely over 200 spirit points left, just not enough to sustain a fight. Even if he could win, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. He could end up being taken down by an ordinary monster afterward. Human, if you leave now, youll gain Kuru Tutus friendship. I will also give you a gift! Kuru Tutu continued; System: Kuru Tutu is offering you a temporary mission, leave territory; Mission requirement: leave the area within one kilometer radius from Kuru Tutu; Mission reward: obtaining Kuru Tutus friendship; exquisite totem imprint; Mission failure: permanent reduction of 2 points in all attributes; Do you accept? Song Jian carefully read through the mission details word by word, and then chose to accept; As soon as Song Jian accepted, a smile crossed Kuru Tutus face, he threw something towards Song Jian; Song Jian caught it and checked the attributes; Exquisite Totem Imprint (Green): Inlay I Accessory, Accessory Attributes: Worn on the body, recovers 1 vitality point per second; can be inlaid on equipment, when inlaid on a helmet, vitality points increase by 100; when inlaid on armor, defense increases by 5 points; when inlaid on leg protectors, spirit points cap increases by 50; Not bad! Dont know if it can be used as a spirit talisman and inlaid on the Hexagram Array Diagram! Song Jian thought; Seeing Song Jian pick up the item and stand still, Kulu Tutus face darkened, yelled: Human, you have already accepted the task 1 assigned. Why havent you left? Are you willing to bear the punishment of the beast god? Song Jian threw the item into his inventory, lifted his head, glanced at Kuru Tutu, then turned around and ran towards the exit of the residential area; Seeing Song Jian leaving, Kuru Tutu let out a mocking smile as he slowly sat back down with the help of the pavilions pillar: Stupid human Lin Sheng watched as Song Jian rushed past him, completely baffled, only hearing Song Jian say to him: Just wait for me for a bit, Ill be right back! Soon, Song Jians figure disappeared from Lin Shengs vision; Song Jian kept running forward until a system prompt appeared in front of him, then he stopped; System: You completed the temporary mission, leaving the territory; System: You obtained Kuru Tutus friendship, you received the item Exquisite Totem Imprint; Seeing that the mission was completed, Song Jian turned around and ran towards the residential area; I need to hurry up, if any later, that bosss vitality points will be fully restored. Lin Sheng was a bit confused, standing in place waiting for a few minutes. Soon, he saw Song Jian hurriedly running back from a distance; What are you up to? Lin Sheng asked. His level was too low, Kuru Tutu did not offer him a temporary mission at all. Seeing him, it attacked, scaring him away. Doing a mission! Song Jian said while panting heavily: Stay here and wait for me. Dont help when I take action. Song Jian seemed a little worried and reminded him again; Seeing that Song Jian was charging back towards him once more, Kuru Tutus anger flared up; Shameless human! Kuru Tutu roared in his heart, suddenly standing up; Human, honesty is key! Kuru Tutu seemingly had fire coming out of his eyes, staring at Song Jian, and growled; Song Jian was stunned, opened the mission column, pointed at the completed mission, and said: But I completed the mission! Kuru Tutu:, you have a point! Chapter 200 - Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Beast Spirit Descent Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Beast Spirit Descent Translator: 549690339 Human, I dont want to be your enemy. As long as you leave my territory and never return, 1 will teach you a skill. This is a core skill that only Beastman shamans can learn: Totem Pillar! Kuru Tutu suppressed his anger and spoke solemnly. Song Jian quickly received a system prompt. System: Kuru Tutu has issued you a temporary quest: Leave the territory forever. Quest Requirement: Leave the area within a one-kilometer radius of Kuru Tutu, and never return. Quest Reward: Gain Kuru Tutus friendship and skill: Totem Pillar (Lightning). Quest Failure: Permanent loss of 2 points in all attributes. Do you accept? Song Jian carefully reviewed the quest requirements. After a while, a look of regret appeared on Song Jians face, there was no loophole this time. If it was just a level 15 elite BOSS, Song Jian might have accepted the quest, because even if he killed it, there was no guarantee of getting its core skill. But now, this weakened BOSS was related to the completion of Song Jians evaluation quest. If Song Jian couldnt even defeat a severely injured level 15 elite BOSS, then there was no hope of completing his evaluation quest. Song Jian sighed and chose to refuse. Kuru Tutus face suddenly became ugly. Human Song Jian didnt wait for the other party to speak. Holding the Guardians Sword tightly in his hand, he whispered, Lets fight. Kuru Tutus face revealed a ferocious expression. He picked up a bone wand from the ground and roared loudly. Lightning condensed on the bone wand and shot towards Song Jian. Song Jian directly activated the Guardians Swords inherent skill. A milky-white halo surrounded his entire body. The lightning struck the light shield, taking away more than a hundred defense points. Without slowing down, Song Jian roared and charged towards Kuru Tutu. He lifted his sword to his chest and stabbed forward fiercely. Breaking through the air, a silver glow appeared on the sword. Song Jian added Invisible Sword Qi to the surface of the sword. Just as he arrived in front of Kuru Tutu, the two Totem Pillars next to him started to shake violently. Lightning and fire burst out from the Totem Pillars and struck towards Song Jian. Totem Pillar (Lightning): Releases a bolt of lightning at enemies within attack range, dealing 60 points of lightning damage. Has a chance to trigger the Paralysis effect. This attack can only be released once every three seconds. Totem Pillar Defense: 50 points. Totem Pillar (Fire): Releases a stream of fire at enemies within attack range, dealing 50 points of fire damage. Has a chance to trigger the Burning effect. This attack can only be released once every three seconds. Totem Pillar Defense: 50 points. The two Totem Pillars around Kuru Tutu began to attack Song Jian. The other two Totem Pillars were the Revealing Totem Pillar, capable of revealing any invisible enemies within range, and the Healing Totem Pillar, which released healing light on Kuru Tutu to restore his vitality points. Lightning and fire struck the light shield on the surface of Song Jians body, causing the shield to tremble violently, but it still didnt break through the defense. Thud- Song Jians sword stabbed fiercely into Kuru Tutus plump body. More than a hundred critical damage points floated above Kuru Tutus head. Before Kuru Tutu could react, Song Jian flipped his wrist and pulled out the sword. He slashed it through the air in an arc, aiming for Kalu Tutus head. Unforgivable! Kalu Tutu roared angrily, waving his bone wand to block Song Jians attack. Just when the bone wand and sword were about to collide, Song Jian flicked his wrist, making the sword tip vibrate intensely. It covered Kalu Tutus skull, throat, and chest, making it impossible to tell where the sword would strike. In the moment of Kalu Tutus hesitation, the Guardians Sword had already pierced his chest. Pu- A thick, green jet of blood spurted out, and Kalu Tutus vitality immediately weakened; the heart was a vital point for any species. Beast Spirit Descent! Kalu Tutu struggled to stand up, raising his hands high, while his Bone Wand let out a rumbling sound and cracks appeared on its surface. Crack, crack- The wand, over a meter long, unexpectedly shattered inch by inch, turning into nothingness. A look of pain flashed in Kalu Tutus eyes, his aura increasingly weakened, and wrinkles spread across his entire face, making him seem a dozen years older instantly. This was the result of sacrificing 15 years of his life and his Bone Wand to summon the ancient beast spirits. The sky churned, and a whirlwind of dark clouds appeared above Kalu Tutus head, accompanied by thunderous roars. From the whirlwind, an ancient beasts roar emerged, sounding like an angry bellow of a primordial creature. A huge claw emerged from the whirlwind, reaching for Song Jian. This massive claw was like a skyscraper towering in the sky, pressing down on Song Jian. Goosebumps stood on the back of Song Jians neck as a powerful sense of threat rushed toward him. It felt like his body was locked in by something, no matter how he tried to dodge, he couldnt avoid this deadly blow. Pu- Song Jians body disappeared, replaced by a large cloud of black fog. After morphing into a dark cloud, Song Jian drifted toward Kalu Tutu, quickly enveloping him in the black fog. Within the pitch-black fog, Kalu Tutus damage numbers floated above his head. Being shrouded in black fog, he would suffer 300 fixed damage points and 200% mental damage. Kalu Tutus Vitality Points were already low, and after summoning the ancient beast spirits, he became even weaker, unable to withstand the damage caused by Song Jians black fog. Within the black fog, Kalu Tutu roared in anger, swinging his Bone Wand continuously, creating gusts of wind. However, all his efforts were useless, unable to cause any harm to the black fog. Crack, crack- Several Totem Pillars shattered one after another. The 50-point defense couldnt bear the damage from the black fog. Losing the healing from the healing Totem Pillar, Kalu Tutu became even more agitated. That huge claw above his head was like a massive pillar, pressing down on the black fog on the ground. Before it could even get close, Song Jian felt his mind waver, nearly unable to maintain the state of black fog. Song Jian couldnt help biting his tongue hard, and when the taste of blood filled his mouth, he barely broke free from the mental pressure, trying his best to maintain the black fog state. Always shrouded in black fog, the furious Kalu Tutu stumbled blindly, trying to shake off the entanglement of the black fog. However, all of this was to no avail. The more terrifying thing, in Kalu Tutus view, was that he could feel the massive claw above his head getting closer and closer. The giant claw, with a diameter of more than ten meters, could easily crush Song Jians black fog form. Correspondingly, the continuously fog-shrouded Kalu Tutu couldnt escape the fate of being struck by the earth-shattering blow of the beast claw. No! A look of despair appeared on Kalu Tutus face, staring at the ancient beasts claw with deep lines running through it like gullies, and he let out a desperate roar. Chapter 201 - Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Pet Contract Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Pet Contract Translator: 549690339 A gigantic beast claw descended from the sky, pulverizing a large area in the center of the neighborhood. The small pavilion where Kalu Tutu resided, right under the palm of the claw, was ground to a fine powder; Song Jian, transformed into a cloud of dark mist, was also suppressed underneath the claw. Wisps of black smoke gradually seeped out from the gaps between the beasts claws; After this blow, the beasts claw slowly vanished. The swirling black clouds flashing with lightning overhead also gradually dissipated, and the sky returned to its bright blue. Only a massive paw print, over fifteen meters in diameter, remained on the ground; Kalu Tutu looked like a broken rag doll with wounds cracking open all over its body. It lay on the brink of death in a pool of dark green blood; Song Jian was utterly shaken. That blow, although mostly physical, had also carried a trace of spiritual attack, similar to his Eye of Mind skill. The beast had first locked onto Song Jian with its mind, then unleashed this earth-shaking blow; Physical damage could be negated, but that trace of spiritual damage still inflicted Song Jian with over a hundred and eighty points of damage; Kalu Tutus vitality points had now dwindled to less than a hundred. With its every bone broken, it couldnt understand how the desperate finishing move it had deployed, had rebounded onto itself, while the enemy had barely been damaged; Song Jian returned to his human form, his face turning pale. He couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood while his mind was in tumult, and his head throbbed with pain. The image of the gigantic beast claws earth-shaking blow was deeply imprinted in Song Jians mind, as imposing as a massive mountain range in his consciousness. This is horrifying! This is nothing but a level fifteen Elite Boss. Yet, it could summon such a terrifying strike! And it was just a single giant claw. If the ancient beast were summoned in its entirety, the entire city might have vanished. Song Jian revealed a horrified expression; How how could this be Kalu Tutu looked up at the sky. It could feel its strength swiftly draining away from its body. It knew it was about to die; Watching Song Jian gradually approaching it, a puzzled look appeared in Kalu Tutus eyes, Human, how did you manage to do this? Song Jian remained silent, lifting his longsword to thrust towards Kalu Tutus head; Human, dont kill me. Dont you want to know about the Shaman profession Thunk- The longsword pierced straight into its brain, draining Kalu Tutus last bit of vitality. Kalu Tutu died in confusion, a transparent flame surfaced on its body; A few items exploded out, one of them emitting bright silver light; A silver-quality item? Song Jians face lit up with a pleasantly surprised smile. He reached out to grab the silver-quality item; Pet Contract (Silver): Consumable, Usage Effect: Apply to a beast class no higher than a Lord, turning it into a pet. The lower the beasts HP, the higher the success rate of the contract. Once the contract is successful, the pets level resets to level one. Uses: o/i. Usage Requirement: 9 points of Charm. Can it be taken out of the game: No. A Pet Contract Scroll? Song Jian was taken aback, then a smile spread across his face. He had always been wondering whether or not to kill the Black Dragon Hatchling. The Dragon Clan passed down its powers through bloodline. As the hatchling leveled up, it would grow rapidly, learning vast inherited knowledge from its bloodline. If the hatchling ever surpassed Song Jian in power, it might very well turn against him; Even now, Song Jian could sense some estrangement from the hatchling. It no longer felt as close to him as before and had become somewhat wary; Great! With this scroll, I can truly own a dragon pet. When that happens hahaha! Song Jian burst out laughing, hurriedly storing the scroll away in his inventory. Aside from this silver-quality pet contract scroll, Kalu Tutu also dropped a blue quality totem pillar, and the rest were some materials like linen; Healing Totem Pillar (Blue) C Consumable, Use Effect: Restores Vitality Points of all teammates within a five-meter radius by (5+10*120 Spirit/second), duration of 15 minutes; Usage: 1/1; Defense: 50 points. This is an item best used for dungeon raiding or on the battlefield. It would be a waste to use it during regular times. Holding the palm-sized totem pillar, Song Jian pondered; After collecting all the items, Song Jian was a bit uneasy. Although he had killed a level 15 elite boss, it was severely injured and its mental strength was almost exhausted with only a stroke of power left. He picked up a good bargain and wondered if Duan Jian would acknowledge his successful completion of the task. Upon opening his task bar, as expected, the task was not shown as being completed, causing Song Jians heart to sink; Brother Song, what was that just now? Was that your skill? That beast claw was terrifying After seeing the boss getting killed, Lin Sheng quickly ran over. The beast claw was overwhelming and Lin Sheng was filled with fear; If I could perform that move, wouldnt I wipe out anyone in my path? That was the bosss final counterattack, the trump card Song Jian rolled his eyes as he spoke; Brother Song, you endured such a terrifying move, my admiration for you is like a mighty river Lin Sheng revealed a surprised expression as he looked at Song Jian in disbelief; Alright, alright, I have a task to hand in. You go and find your Thief Mentor. With a wave of his hand, Song Jian took a few steps away before he hesitated and turned back to say to Lin Sheng, Lin Sheng, 1 still think that man who guided the dungeon is not as simple as he seems. If in the future you really have the strength to enter a realistic difficulty dungeon, you must go and meet with him again. Lin Sheng thoughtfully nodded, saying: I understand, Brother Song. Seeing Lin Sheng take the advice to heart, Song Jian turned around and dashed towards the Tianfeng Building; These days, Song Jian has encountered many high-level NPCs. He can clearly feel their power and even distinguish some of their strengths from the aura they emitted; When he initially entered the dungeon, the guide only showed to be at level thirty but the terrifying aura that Song Jian sensed from him was not less than Dragon Hunter or Duan Jian; Upon returning to the Tianfeng Building, there were still five to six hours left until the task completion deadline. Reaching the rooftop, Duan Jian looked at Song Jian speechlessly: You really 1 dont know what to say about you, but you are indeed lucky An awkward smile surfaced on Song Jians face. If Kalu Tutu hadnt been severely injured, Song Jian would have had to reveal his full strength to fight with it. The result turned out to be that Kalu Tutu was seriously injured. Not only did it lose a leg, its spirit points were almost depleted, only able to exert a weak final blow; That final blow happened to be restrained by one of Song Jians skills. As a consequence, not only did it not eliminate Song Jian, it instead gave it a fall, leaving Song Jians prepared trump card unused; Now thinking about it, even if Kalu Tutu wasnt severely injured, with Song Jians current strength, even without using the Rocket Launcher and the Tusk Fang Stinger, after a hard fight, he could have slain it; Safety first, safety first, hehe- Song Jian grinned while rubbing his hands together; Alright, 111 consider this a pass for you this time. Duan Jian let out a sigh of resignation and muttered under his breath, Just like that fat man, clearly having the strength to slay the boss, but still insists on finding loopholes to benefit. Chapter 202 - Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Raising a Tiger Invites Trouble Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Raising a Tiger Invites Trouble Translator: 549690339 After gaining Duan Jians acknowledgment, the assessment task in Song Jians task bar finally showed completed. It seemed that whether the task was completed or not was ultimately up to Duan Jian. System: Youve completed the Sword Controller Duan Jians test. Your favorability with Sword Controller Duan Jian has greatly increased. Duan Jian is now sharing the information about the profession Sword Controller with you. Upon receiving the systems notification, Song Jians vision blurred, and next moment, he and Duan Jian were in the Explanation Space. The Sword Controller is a legendary profession with the ultimate goal of becoming a Sword Immortal, Duan Jian waved his hand and a man clad in black and holding a long sword appeared before Song Jian. Sword Immortal? Song Jians eyes lit up. He was always looking for a profession with the goal of becoming a Sword Immortal, and he already possessed two inherited skills of the Sword Immortal. Right, a Sword Controller who does not desire to become a Sword Immortal is not a qualified Sword Controller. Duan Jian nodded and pointed to the black-clad man in front of Song Jian, Take a good look at the power of this profession. If you can become a Sword Controller in the future, these are the skills that you will need to masterwatch closely! On the screen, the black-clad man holding the long sword started to demonstrate an array of powerful sword techniquesthe Wave Treading Art, Yangguan Triple Stacking, Mount Tai Eighteen Bends, Flying Swallow Nine Linked Rings Countless monsters swarmed towards the black-clad man whose long sword was continuously waving, flashing like a ball of silver light around his body. Any monster that touched this silver sword light shattered and could not get close at all. Swooosh Swooosh Swooosh- Over a hundred archers in the distance drew their bows and shot a rain of arrows at the black-clad man. The cover-the-sky arrow shower gave one no chance to dodge. In the real world, even someone of high strength would find it impossible to survive such an arrow storm! Arrow Breaking Style! The long sword in the black-clad mans hand suddenly changed. In an instant, he swung his sword to create countless shadows that deflected dozens of arrows flying towards him, causing them to change direction and shoot towards the surrounding area. Suddenly, a large number of monsters were pierced by the arrows. Boom Boom Boom- Fireballs, ice bullets, all kinds of magic attacks were shot at the black-clad man. Spell Breaking Style! In Song Jians surprised gaze, all the magic shot at the black-clad man was deflected by his sword, resulting in a series of loud explosions around the black-clad man. This is, this is too outrageous, how could Song Jian couldnt help but look over at Duan Jian. Although Song Jian knew that in the Explanation Space, many instructors would greatly amplify the power of their own profession to arouse trainees enthusiasm to the point where they couldnt wait to switch to that profession right away. But the most basic principle must still be adhered to: Exaggeration is acceptable but outright fabrication absolutely cannot be allowed. Imagine, for instance, if the black-clad man on the screen was able to deflect various types of magic with his swordthat must mean he really can do so. Hmph, the power of a Sword Controller is not something you can gauge now. Keep watching! Duan Jian snorted coldly, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as he spoke nonchalantly. Later, the black-clad man on the screen seemed to transform into a God Slayer. Nohe became a Death God. With a several-meter-long sword light from his long sword, he swept across all the monsters around him, shedding blood and creating rivers of it. The most remarkable thing was that he was finally able to control the sword with qi, and he could manipulate the long sword, killing his enemies within a radius of about three meters around his body as if he were cutting melons and chopping vegetables. Phew- controlling the sword with qi is the most profound sword skill that a Sword Controller can master. Anything beyond it is in another realm! Duan Jian took a deep breath, waved his hand, and the space around them crumbled, and they returned to the rooftop. Controlling the sword with qi, huh? Song Jian mumbled to himself, glancing at the small silver metallic ball slowly rotating around Duan Jian. If you decide to become a Sword Controller, you can come to me, and 1 will give you a set of sword techniques as a gift for our first meeting, Duan Jian glanced at Song Jian and waved his hand, Alright, you can leave now. Remember, only with a brave heart and unyielding will, can you go farther and farther on the path of becoming a Sword Controller. System: You have found a combat profession instructor and learned about the profession Sword Controller. Main quest completed 8/10. Song Jian gave Duan Jian a bow, transformed into a cloud of black smoke, and flew back to his Manor Castle. With most of his main quest completed, Song Jians focus was no longer on finding combat profession instructors, but on choosing a profession. Among the eight professions he had come across, the Sword Controller had the most potential. Sword Immortal! Song Jians eyes were full of longing. The Sword Controller, like the Dragon Hunter, was a legendary profession. It had a naturally higher starting point than other professionsand whats morethe goal of the Sword Controller was to become a Sword Immortal. If the Sword Controllers goal is to become a Sword Immortal, then does that mean that the goal of all other professions that use the sword as a weapon is also to become a Sword Immortal? A thought suddenly occurred to Song Jian, Could it be that the ten unique professions are the common goals of all professionals? Think about it, among the thousands and thousands of professionals, only ten individuals could become the unique ones. Just thinking about it made him realize how difficult it was. However, Song Jian now had two inherited skills from the Sword Immortal profession. He was already one big step ahead of other players. Back at the Manor Castle, there were already seven or eight NPCs under the supervision of the steward, George, who were busy non-stopthe mill and livestock pen had been established. Next to them was a blacksmiths shop with a furnace burning brightly, and in front of it was a building under construction. Song Jian didnt pay too close of attention. He had given the construction of the manor over to steward George, basically putting the game on autopilot. As long as there were sufficient materials, construction of the necessary buildings in the manor would continue. The black dragon egg now stood over half a person tall. Its body was covered with a layer of fine black scales, and two protrusions on its head had risen significantly. It seemed that they would soon break open to form two dragon horns. Its leveled up to level five already? There was a look of surprise on Song Jians face. In only seventeen or eighteen hours, the black dragon had leveled up from level two to level five. As an elite boss, its leveling experience was much greater than that of ordinary monsters. The black dragon was hunting monsters. When it saw Song Jian return, it just turned its head and gave him a glance, then indifferently turned back, continued breathing fire, and turned the mutated zombies into ashes. If Song Jian could check the intimacy between him and the black dragon, he would find that the original friendly intimacy had rapidly declined to indifference. Looking at the black dragon with vitality points already exceeding one thousand, Song Jians brow furrowed. It cannot continue like this unchecked, otherwise itll be like raising a tiger for trouble Song Jian looked at the black dragon and couldnt help but feel a hint of murderous intent in his eyes. Chapter 203 - Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Sign It Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Sign It Translator: 549690339 Song Jian opened the manors property interface and began setting up combat equipment. Arrow towers and catapults were all loaded with ammunition. At the same time, he woke up the Bloody Ghoul Poison Tree from its deep sleep; Master, I have a As soon as the Bloody Ghoul Poison Tree woke up, it called out to Song Jian; Hold on, well discuss other matters later. Right now, I need you to do something. Later, you have to do this Song Jian interrupted what Alex was saying and directly gave his orders; The Bloody Ghoul Poison Tree had grown into a level-ten elite BOSS. Its Vitality Points exceeded two thousand; all Song Jian needed was for it to hold off the black dragon hatchling. He didnt want it to join the fight because there was a risk that it could accidentally kill the level-five black dragon hatchling; Alright, do you understand what to do? asked Song Jian; I understand, Master, but Alex seemed to be somewhat discontented and wanted to continue speaking; Good, as long its clear; well talk about the rest later. You better not mess it up later! After giving his approval, Song Jian headed towards the manor gate; Mas, Master okay! Alex sighed and the roots of the tree began to move slowly within the Spirit Field; Song Jian walked up to the black dragon hatchling and took out a piece of roast meat; The black dragon hatchling glanced at Song Jian and then at the roast meat, then with a contemptuous look in its eyes, it pounced on a mutant zombie and started tearing it apart. After a short while, it surprisingly killed the zombie effortlessly; Seeing the black dragon hatchling with blood all over its mouth and an aura of violence all over its body, Song Jian frowned; Little Black, come here! Song Jian called out in a low voice; Roar- The black dragon hatchling actually turned around and roared at Song Jian. The vertical pupils of its eyes flashed a hint of blood-red color; Song Jian knitted his eyebrows and his right hand slowly reached for the long sword by his waist; The black dragon hatchling seemed to understand something; its violent aura disappeared in an instant, making pleasing noises and trying to jump onto Song Jians shoulder; Get lost, get away! Youre so heavy now, how can 1 bear it? Song Jian playfully scolded it, using his right hand to push the black dragon hatchling away. He laughed heartily, walked towards the manor, and upon reaching the gate of the manor, he turned back and waved at the black dragon hatchling; The black dragon hatchling stared at Song Jians figure, opened its big mouth, showed its full row of sharp teeth, and let out a silent roar. It extended its front claws, which were flashing with a metallic cold light; By the time Song Jian turned his head to wave, the hatchling had once again assumed its adorable appearance, fluttering its wings and flying towards Song Jian; Song Jian slowly walked into the manor. The black dragon hatchling flew into the manor behind him; the manors gate started to close slowly. The arrow towers located at the four corners of the wall were gradually rotated, targeting the dragon hatchling; Underneath the ground, roots crawled like land dragons, rumbling slowly beneath the surface, following the movement of the black dragon hatchling. Even the fine dust on the ground began to vibrate slightly; When the black dragon hatchling was about to follow Song Jian into the castle, it finally sensed a threat. It stopped, flashed a look of confusion in its eyes, and started to look around; Whoosh- A sharp swishing sound suddenly rang out, and a sharp arrow over a meter long pierced through the left wing of the Black Dragon whelp and into its abdomen, causing over sixty points of critical damage, displayed above the dragons head. Whoooosh- In an instant, arrows from two arrow towers showered over the young Black Dragon, which thrashed and roared in response, flapping its wings in an attempt to stand once more. However, the barrage left it looking like a porcupine, its body bristling with arrows. Grr, grr, grr- The young Black Dragon wailed at Song Jian, blood seeping from its wounds. Despite its pleas, Song Jian only returned a chilly stare. Eventually, seeming to understand something, the dragon opened its blood-flecked jaws, revealing sharp teeth, and roared at Song Jian before struggling towards him. Whoosh- A tree root from the ground suddenly erupted and jabbed into the Black Dragon whelp, piercing its other wing. The dragon whelp that had managed to rise half a meter off the ground fell back into the dust. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Dozens of tree roots, snake-like, threw themselves at the dragon, turning it into something akin to a rice dumpling. Several small wooden thorns materialized on the tree roots, slowly digging into the spaces between the dragon whelps scales and began to drain its vitality. What no one expected, however, was that the tree roots that absorbed the dragons blood began to heat up almost instantly. In no time, they had turned red-hot before bursting into flame. As the roots wrapped around the young dragon turned to ash after sucking up the dragons blood, Song Jian frowned slightly, drew his long sword, and lunged at the dragon. His sword cleaved into its head, immediately resulting in over a hundred points of critical damage floating above the Dragon whelps head. By this point, the young Black Dragon had already lost over four hundred vitality points. It was stuck with more than a dozen arrows, with Alexs Poisonous Ghost Tree roots still incessantly shooting up from the ground, aiming for the young Black Dragon. Song Jian flipped his wrist and with a swift flick of his right hand, the long sword peeled open the dragon whelps neck, spraying fresh blood. The dragon whelp let out a painful cry, a hint of blood appearing in its golden eyes. Opening its mouth wide at Song Jian, a ball of searing fire began to take shape inside its mouth. Sploosh- In less than a second, a stream of fire five to six meters long shot out from the dragon whelps mouth. The heat filled the small courtyard, scaring the NPC workers into running into the sub-castle under the scolding of their butler, George. They peered fearfully out of a narrow window. Song Jian activated the innate skill of his long sword, enveloping his body in a milky-white glow. The intense fire licked at his protective field, causing several forty-point damages to pop up. Within seconds, the defensive capability of the shield had dropped to a third of its original state. Steadfast against the fire, Song Jian wielded his long sword and lunged at the Black Dragon whelp. The arrow tower continued to attack, and Alexs tree roots seemed endless. Even as some were destroyed, more would sprout and rush at the Black Dragon whelp. The Black Dragon whelp felt like it had fallen into a swamp, surrounded by enemies on all sides, its vitality points rapidly declining until it fell below half. Grrrr- With an angry cry, the Black Dragon whelp took a hard turn towards the wall. Its ragged wings continued their frantic beating, gripping the cracks in the wall with its claws. Spewing Dragon Flame from its mouth, the dragon burned away the roots entangling it and managed to scramble onto the wall. Song Jian looked up at the whelp on the wall, grinning faintly. He pulled out a scroll glowing with a silver light from his pack, and in a solemn voice, addressed the young Black Dragon, If you sign this Pet Contract, you will be allowed to live. Otherwise, you face certain death. Chapter 204 - Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Forced Signing Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Forced Signing Translator: 549690339 The Black Dragon cub stood on the wall, gasping for breath. Its two wings were already injured; being able to leap onto the two-meter-high wall meant it had already exploded its final potential, expending a great amount of energy. Hearing Song Jians words, the Black Dragon cub bared its sharp fangs at him, letting out a low roar. A trace of brutal murderous intent appeared in its golden vertical pupils. Although it wanted to kill the man before it, the Black Dragon cub knew how powerful the enemy was and that it was now injured. If it didnt run, it might die here. As its level increased, the Black Dragon cubs bloodline inheritance gradually awakened. It was precisely because it recognized Song Jians strength that it had been eager to raise its level. As long as it could reach level 10, it would be confident in escaping from here. If it could reach level 15, it would even have the confidence to kill Song Jian. With a leap backward, the Black Dragon cub jumped off the wall, fluttered its broken wings, and fled into the distance. Do you think you can escape? The Arrow Tower was still locked onto the Black Dragon cub, continuously shooting crossbow bolts at it. The three Catapults also made a creaking noise, with stones already prepared and aimed at the Black Dragon cub, adjusting their angles automatically. The roots of the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree, Alex, spread underground towards the manors exterior, breaking through the earth near the Black Dragon cub and stabbing its body like a spear. This was probably the only chance for the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree to devour the blood of a Giant Dragon. Even if it destroyed all its roots, it wouldnt miss this opportunity. Song Jian followed the Black Dragon cub at an unhurried pace. He couldnt afford to let down his guard for even a moment against a dragon, even if it was just a cub, for fear of capsizing in the gutter. Woooo- A deep whistling sound echoed through the air as three stones fell from the sky, blocking the Black Dragon cubs escape route. Several tree roots ruthlessly pierced the Black Dragon cubs abdomen, causing several blossoms of blood to burst forth, and the cub let out a painful roar. Boom, boom, boom- The three stones hit the Black Dragon cubs body, causing its vitality points to drop drastically. Song Jian was startled and quickly stopped the Catapults from attacking. If they continued attacking, they might just kill the Black Dragon cub directly. The Arrow Tower also stopped attacking, and now only the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree Alex was fighting against the Black Dragon cub. Root after root began to suck blood from the Black Dragon cub continuously. Wisps of smoke rose from the roots as the water inside evaporated, causing them to burn and turn to ash. However, Alex persisted stubbornly. One root after another wrapped around the Black Dragon cub, constantly sucking its blood, even though the blood was like molten lava to Alex. With too much vitality lost, the Black Dragon cubs health had already dropped to below a third. It fluttered its wings and struggled in vain, unable to break free from the shackles of the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree. Alex, be careful. Dont kill it, Song Jian warned anxiously. Master, Master, uh-, I will control The Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree seemed to have expended a lot of energy and appeared somewhat breathless. The Black Dragon cub was in a very sorry state at this point. Both its wings were pierced through by several tree roots that had burrowed into the ground, locking the wings in place. Its limbs were tightly wrapped by tree roots, while five or six roots continuously stabbed into its body, sucking its blood before burning and turning to ash. More roots would then continue to pierce the cubs body. The endless onslaught of roots left its body covered in wounds, making the Black Dragon cub feel desperate. Sign it, and you can live! Song Jian stood three or four meters away from the Black Dragon cub, holding the Pet Contract, and spoke to it. The Black Dragon cub seemed to ignore him, as if it had given up on struggling. Its wings would occasionally twitch, but its entire body lay on the ground, allowing the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree to suck its blood at will. The Vitality Points slowly decreased, and soon the Black Dragon cubs Vitality Points were reduced to just one-tenth. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, as this Pet Contract could only be used once; if the Black Dragon cub refused to submit, forcefully signing the contract could easily fail. Do I really have to kill it? Even if its part of the Dragon Clan, its just a Level 5 elite BOSS now. What kind of good loot could it drop? Compared to a giant dragon pet, the items it drops now are worthless. Looking at the still-defiant Black Dragon cub, Song Jian couldnt help but frown and become agitated. At this moment, severeral tree roots that had pierced the abdomen of the Black Dragon cub began to emit faint white smoke on the surface but did not catch fire. In the manor courtyard, the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree Alex suddenly roared. Sweet, crisp, and the flame of burning fire, this isthe blood of a giant dragon, roar! After the destruction of hundreds of tree roots, the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree finally adapted to the fiery poison in the blood of the Black Dragon. Of course, this was largely because the Black Dragon cub was too small; otherwise, daring to directly suck the blood of a giant dragon would result in the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree becoming a huge torch. -1 -1 -1 A series of -1 numbers began to float above the head of the Black Dragon cub, appearing so frequently that Song Jian thought Alex wanted to kill the Black Dragon cub. However, after losing just over thirty Vitality Points, Alex stopped absorbing and left the Black Dragon cub with just over fifty Vitality Points remaining. Become my pet, or die! Song Jian said coldly. The Black Dragon cub still struggled fiercely, trying to break free from the bondage of the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree, opening its mouth wide and roaring angrily at Song Jian. It seems like 1 have no choice but to kill you! Song Jian felt the unyielding spirit of the Black Dragon cub and disappointment appeared on his face. Although he wanted the Black Dragon cub to be his pet, Song Jian dared not continue to keep it without the game systems certification; otherwise, it would be like raising a tiger to invite trouble. As soon as the Black Dragon cub grew up, it would definitely backlash against him. Song Jian raised his sword and slashed heavily at the Black Dragon cub, finally reducing its Vitality Points to less than ten. Become my pet, or die! Song Jian still couldnt help but show the silvery Pet Contract Scroll in his hand to the Black Dragon cub. Roar- Understood! Song Jian raised his sword, preparing to end the life of the Black Dragon cub. Master, why not just try using the scroll directly? Steward George suddenly appeared at the entrance of the manor, shouting at Song Jian. Use it directly? If it fails, the scroll will be gone as well Song Jian hesitated. Its life value is already very low now. At this time, forcefully signing the contract will also have a high success rate George explained. Song Jian pondered for a moment and finally gritted his teeth, tearing the scroll in his hand and throwing it at the Black Dragon cub. Chapter 205 - Chapter 205: Chapter 205 Occupation Chapter 205: Chapter 205 Occupation Translator: 549690339 A silvery light flickered, and the Pet Contract Scroll transformed into a large net, descending upon the Black Dragon Cub; The moment it was trapped by the Contract Scroll, a hint of confusion passed across the eyes of the Black Dragon cub. Its ferocious aura rapidly weakened, and it was as if it had become a quail, crouched on the ground; System: You have successfully captured a Black Dragon cub as your pet; System: Congratulations! Youre the first player in the game to acquire a pet. After you complete the main quest and exit the game, the game will undergo its first maintenance. After the maintenance, you will receive a reward; System: You have obtained a Pet Space; you may place your pets in the Pet Space and summon them at any time. It takes five seconds to summon your pet. When your pet dies, it will automatically be revived within the Pet Space; Huh, 1 actually caught it? Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief. He had decided to kill this Level Five Elite Boss, the Biack Dragon cub. He never expected such a vicious creature to submit in the end; Their words say no, but their bodies are honest, huh! Song Jian rubbed his chin, looking at the battered Black Dragon cub, deep in thought; Damn it, I have to treat its wounds now, and its vitality points are less than ten. Dont let it die Suddenly, it seemed as if something dawned on Song Jian, he quickly ordered his Blood Soul Poison Tree to release the Black Dragon cub; Surgical healing! A white light enveloped the Black Dragon cub. Its initially broken and damaged wings rapidly healed, and its status of bleeding also vanished instantly. The Black Dragon cub let out a weak cry towards Song Jian, struggling to stand up; Song Jian promptly offered a piece of grilled meat that had the property of vitality restoration to the cub. Seeing it tearing at the meat bit by bit and its vitality points gradually increasing allowed him to finally breathe a sigh of relief; Just then, two consecutive system alerts brought a smile of surprise to Song Jians face; System: Since youve captured the first pet, the game has opened the rare profession Beast Tamer for you. You dont need to complete an assessment task to learn about the features of this profession; System: Since you have a Giant Dragon as a pet, the game has opened the epic profession Dragon Knight for you. You dont need to complete an assessment task to learn about the features of this profession; This is really like receiving a gift from heaven while sitting at home! Haha, Beast Tamer, Dragon Knight, these sound really cool! Song Jian burst into laughter; A rare profession and an epic profession, neither requiring any assessment tasks. This time, capturing the Black Dragon cub as a pet was truly a huge win for Song Jian; Especially the Dragon Knight profession, which is the first epic profession Song Jian encountered. If not for the chance to become a Sword Immortal as a Sword Controller, Song Jian would undoubtedly pick this epic profession without any hesitation; Other than the unique profession, it is one of the most powerful ones; To be a Dragon Knight, one must have a Giant Dragon as a prerequisite Looking at the obedient Black Dragon cub standing by his side, Song Jian thought to himself; Next, Song Jian followed the procedure, entered the Explanation Space for the two different professions, and quickly learned their characteristics; The Beast Tamer profession is mainly centered around capturing pets. It s a bit weak in the early stages, but once a vast pet squad is assembled in the later stages, its simply overwhelming. Even leveling a city is not out of reach; However, this profession doesnt amplify the strength of the Beast Tamer himself considerably. Almost all the skills are auxiliary. Once there are no pets, the might of this profession plunges; As for the Dragon Knight, this epic profession matched Song Jians prediction. It requires a Giant Dragon as a pet initially, only when one owns a Giant Dragon can they touch the threshold of this profession; The Dragon Knight profession is so powerful its almost dreamy. Super high defense, clad in heavy helmets and armor, even the vitality levels are so high its depressing. High-level Dragon Knights even possess the skill Life Link with their pets: as long as the pet is alive, the Dragon Knight wont die; Apart from having high defense and vitality, the attack of the Dragon Knight is also extremely formidable. Besides the handheld heavy swords, the most distinctive weapon is the profession-enhanced weapon the Dragon Lance a weapon that only Dragon Knights can equip. Its part of epic professions unique equipment; This huge weapon more than three meters long can kill almost any creature in seconds with the aid of a Giant Dragons speed; its terrifying; However, theres a minor issue for Song Jian if he chooses this profession. Almost all the Dragon Knights skills are required to be executed with the help of a Giant Dragon. Considering the young age of his Black Dragon cub, to bring out the true power of a Dragon Knight, Song Jian will have to nurture the Black Dragon cub into an adult dragon, meaning to raise its level to sixty first This is a bit awkward. Im afraid that before I could grow you up, Id be the one to die first! Song Jian rubbed his nose and mumbled, touching the head of the Black Dragon cub; After becoming a pet, the experience points gained from slaying monsterswill be split evenly between him and the pet. Of course, this can be adjusted from a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 50%; The wounds on the Black Dragon cub began to heal at a rapidly visible speed. After becoming a pet, the Black Dragon cub lost its vicious temperament, most importantly, it lost the eligibility to inherit its lineage. Its growth curve will now change to another system; System: You have learned about ten combat professions. Please choose one of them as your main profession. You may also choose other professions as your main profession, but you must have a combat profession certification! I want to choose the Sword Immortal as my combat profession! Song Jian tried probing; System: Please show the certification for the Swordsman Immortal profession! Helpless, Song Jian could only shake his head and say, I choose the Sword Controller as my combat profession! A golden light descended from the sky, enveloping Song Jian. At the same time, a surging force flowed from above his head into his body. System: Youve chosen the Sword Controller as your combat profession, you are now a Sword Controller! System: Youve obtained profession bonuses for your combat profession Sword Controller. Your strength attribute has increased by 5 points, agility attribute by 3 points, physique attribute by 3 points, and spirit attribute by 3 points; System: From now on, you can only use sword-type weapons as your combat weapons. If you use other weapons, the power will decrease by 80%; Holy smoke, isnt that a scam? Song Jians eyes landed on the last system prompt, and he felt like crying without tears. It looks like his secret weapon, the Cobra-2X Rocket Launcher, will be of no use from now on; Chapter 206 - Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Silver Moon Commercial Group Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Silver Moon Commercial Group Translator: 549690339 The [Cobra C 2X] Rocket Launcher is a level 10 blue weapon with decent damage. Not only does it automatically replenish ammunition, but it also has a premium attribute of +1 ammo capacity. Song Jian calculated that he should be able to use this weapon until at least level 20. But now after becoming a Sword Controller, he could only use sword-type weapons. The power of all other weapon types would decrease by 80%, making the Rocket Launcher instantly become useless. Thank god I already gave away that dagger, otherwise, the feeling of heartache would be doubled! Song Jian couldnt help but think. Only now did he understand the significance of the assessment task given to him by Duan Jian: to use a sword-type weapon and kill a level 15 elite BOSS by himself. Looks like from now on I can only rely on my good old sword! Song Jian muttered to himself. Initially, he gave the Tusk Fang Stinger to Lin Sheng not only to complete the task but also because the Tusk Fang Stinger was only a level 5 weapon with slightly insufficient damage. If it werent for its Poison Nova skill, Song Jian would have probably sold it off long ago. But the Rocket Launcher was different, it was a level 10 item; Forget it, selling it can still earn me a lot, Song Jian consoled himself. System: Youve completed the main storyline task. You may choose to leave the game now, or you may choose to leave in three hours. After three hours, you will be forcefully logged out of the game. Upon completing the main storyline task, Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. Fled spent over twenty days in-game on this excursion. Living cautiously each day in this monster-filled city was mentally exhausting, and he now keenly needed to return to the real world and relax. First, he placed the two jewels into the golden bag slot, then he headed towards his manor with the Black Dragon cub in tow. Upon entering the manor, the Black Dragon cub let out an angry roar towards the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree Alex. If Song Jian hadnt controlled it, he feared that another fight would break out between the cub and Alex; It seemed that the Black Dragon cub still retained its memories of the previous battle and was filled with hatred towards the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree. The Bloody Shadow Poison Tree, which had absorbed the blood of the Black Dragon, now had vivid red markings emerging on its trunk surface, stretching out to all its branches like blood vessels. Master evolution. sleep Tree Shepherd Alex seemed drowsy at the moment, his speech sluggish and choppy before it went completely silent. Alright, Lil Black, were all friends here, dont pick on Alex anymore! Song Jian said, patting the Black Dragon cubs head. Roar- The Black Dragon cub made an unwilling noise but obediently followed Song Jian. Even though he had a Pet Space, Song Jian still didnt want to place the Black Dragon cub inside it. Just because it had lost its bloodline inheritance didnt mean it would become increasingly stupid. On the contrary, with level ups, the Black Dragon cub would acquire wisdom and cunning to rival that of humans. Back on the third floor of the castle, Song Jian opened his radio. Since he couldnt use the Rocket Launcher, it was natural to sell it as soon as possible. Instead of selling it to other players, it would be more profitable to sell it to NPCs. Crackle Crackle After a burst of static, Song Jian heard a recruitment message that was being looped and broadcasted; This is the Silver Moon Merchant Guild, we are looking for ten professionals, level 10 or above. Outstanding and rare professionals will be given priority. Good treatment assured, please send your CV to the mailbox address **** The message continued to loop for ten minutes before it ended. Just when it ended, a slew of raucous cursing immediately filled the radio. Fuck, the Silver Moon Merchant Guild sure is full of itself, even occupying the radio channel to loop their advertisement, freaking hell How good it must be to have money, 1 wish I had enough money to dominate a frequency like the Silver Moon Merchant Guild What exactly is the treatment? Why dont they declare it directly on the frequency Money can make people capricious, those without just have to accept their fate. Young people should not complain about their situation, strive more while youre young. The next successful person might be you. Yeah, right, keep going, if you dont try your best, how would you know What is despair! Can you please not monopolize the public channel with such harmful advice, fuck you After listening for a while, Song Jian realized this radio was pretty effective. It automatically censored swear words. Ahem, 1 have a weapon for sale, [Cobra-2X] Rocket Launcher, blue-quality. Song Jian interrupted. He described the properties of the Rocket Launcher: Act fast, those interested can send me a private message for the price. I wont reply to messages without a price or those offering too low! After Song Jian finished describing the properties of the Rocket Launcher, the radio eerily became silent except for a faint hum of electricity. There were no other sounds. Just when Song Jian thought something was wrong with the radio, a timid voice piped up. Boss, are you really selling this weapon? Youre not joking with us right? That voice caused an uproar in the radio, sounding like a pot boiling over, with hushed voices jumping in one after another; A gods favored one! This boss must be a gods favored one, right? Only a gods favored one would have such financial clout to sell such a weapon! My god, this level 10 weapon is going to be against the heavens. If 1 had it, 1 could use it until level 15 I can use it till level 20 I could use it till level 30 I could use it for my fucking lifetime 5,000 Doomsday Coins, we from the Silver Moon Merchant Guild will purchase it. Were also curious if this Gods chosen one would be interested in joining our Silver Moon Merchant Guild. The hiring price is negotiable and definitely the highest in the industry. Were even willing to lower the usual requirements. If youre not already a professional, we can offer you three scarce profession scroll for free Song jian was taken aback. A simple level 10 blue-quality weapon could be sold for 5,000 doomsday coins? When he had originally sold two set armor pieces, he only got 4,000 Doomsday coins After waiting for a bit, no one offered a higher price. After the Silver Moon Merchant Guild made their bid, the radio fell silent, as if everyone was intimidated by the Silver Moon Merchant Guild, and they dare not raise the price. Could it be, the Silver Moon Merchant Guilds influence is really that big? Song Jian frowned. He needed to be careful when selling items over the radio in the future. Alright then, Silver Moon Merchant Guild, this weapon is sold to you. As for your hiring offer, lets forget about it. Besides, Im already a professional and currently have no intentions of joining any organization! Song Jian politely refused. Alright, you can mail the weapon to ***** Looking forward to our next deal! Chapter 207 - Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Broken Wing Dance Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Broken Wing Dance Translator: 549690339 After selling a level 10 blue quality weapon for five thousand Doomsday Coins, Song Jian was more than satisfied, although he couldnt help feeling a little reluctant to part with it. Oh well, out with the old and in with the new. Ill have even better weapons in the future. Song Jian comforted himself and recalled what the Sword Master Mentor had once said: If he chose this profession, he would receive a free sword technique, so he might as well use this time to learn it. Immediately, Song Jian sent his black dragon whelp to the Pet Space, as he didnt have much time left, and having the whelp follow him would slow him down. Morphing into Dark Cloud, Song Jian flew high into the sky, heading for the area where level 15 monsters were located. In reality, Song Jians flight speed while in the Dark Cloud form wasnt fast, and was equivalent to riding a bicycle. The advantage was that he could fly at a high altitude, making it the safest method to travel, as long as he didnt encounter any flying bosses. After spending more than half an hour, Song Jian arrived at Tianfeng Building, where Duan Jian was still standing on the rooftop, gazing into the distance with his hands behind his back. Seeing him, Song Jian couldnt help but want to tease him: Yo, what are you looking at all day long, are you waiting for your wife? Mentor! Song Jian flew to the rooftop, cancelled the Dark Cloud state, landed in front of Duan Jian, and bowed in salute. Well done! It looks like youve made the right choice! Duan Jian glanced at Song Jian, his face revealing a satisfied smile. Mentor, didnt you say I could learn a sword technique for free from you? Song Jian asked somewhat shyly. Yes, as your guide, you can learn a basic Sword Controller technique from me, Duan Jian nodded and said, But what you can learn depends on your luck! It relies on luck? Song Jian frowned but understood immediately. Duan Jian raised his hand, and more than a dozen cards with a faint golden light floated in front of him. Choose one at random, Duan Jian said casually. A gold-quality skill? Impossible, wasnt it mentioned that its a basic sword technique? Song Jian couldnt help but feel surprised, looking closely at the cards. The cards were all facing Song Jian with their backs, adorned with intricate patterns that resembled magic arrays. The patterns were all identical, making it hard to tell the differences with the naked eye. Song Jian closed his eyes, trying to discern the difference using his Mental Strength. As a Sword Controller, his mental attribute had been raised to 9 points, making his sixth sense much more intuitive, and he could even anticipate some impending dangers. He wanted to see if he could distinguish the value of these cards by using his Mental Strength. Unfortunately, the results were disappointing. The cards surface seemed to be covered in a faint layer of Mental Strength, blocking any sensing attempts. With his currently limited use of Mental Strength, he couldnt even touch the cards themselves, let alone tell any difference between them. A moment later, Song Jian shook his head, unable to discern any differences. He glanced at the smiling Duan Jian and casually chose a card from the middle. After choosing the card, the faint golden light on it slowly faded, leaving a card with a white glow. Skill: Broken Wing Dance (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: Activating this skill allows you to charge forward, initiating a surprise attack and can be activated twice more. First and Second Strikes: Slashes forward, dealing 50 + 0.5 * physical damage to all enemies touched. Third Strike: Leap into the air, then smash the ground, causing 60 + 0.6 * physical damage, and sending surrounding enemies flying away. Learning requirements: Sword Controller. This skill is quite good! It has strong attacks, includes a shifting ability, and even has control effects! Nice, nice! Song Jian was elated, immediately using the card to learn the Broken Wing Dance sword technique. However, he also became interested in the other cards, eyeing them curiously. Duan Jian smiled faintly, waved his hand, and turned over the remaining cards, which caused Song Jians face to change, his eyes widening in surprise. Damn, Six Vein Divine Swords (Incomplete) C Little Merchant Sword, Dugus Nine Swords (Incomplete) C Palm Breaking Strike, Tai Chi Sword Skill, Quanzhen Sword Technique, Jade Maiden Sword Skill, Three-part Swordsmanship Song Jians eyes bulged as he looked at the legendary sword techniques. He initially thought that Broken Wing Dance was already a remarkable technique; little did he know that among these sword techniques, it would rank at best as average. Dugus Nine Swords, Six Vein Divine Swords, Tai Chi Sword, and even Evil Warding Sword Skill Song Jian was speechless. There were so many legendary sword techniques that it was overwhelming. Alright, practice well. When you reach level 15, go to the Television Tower to find me, and Ill teach you a body refining technique! Duan Jian said, waving his hand, and all the cards disappeared. The Sword Orb around him transformed into a giant longsword, which Duan Jian jumped onto, and used the Sword Flight Art. Within a short while, he disappeared into the sky, becoming a small black dot. Sword Sword Flight Art? Is this also a skill that Sword Controllers can master? Song Jian asked in surprise. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from behind Song Jian. Turning around, he saw three or four players rushing to the rooftop. Seeing Song Jian standing on the rooftop, the players displayed a surprised expression. Sword Controller, are you the Sword Controller Mentor? asked a player wearing leather armor, shouting towards Song Jian. Since becoming a Sword Controller, Song Jian hadnt had the chance to hide his profession, so now his level and profession were exposed above his head. It shouldnt be, right? 1 heard that the Sword Controller has a level of seventy or eighty, this one is only level 10 Maybe hes a disciple of that Sword Controller, possibly our senior brother in the future Right, right! We have to be polite! Do you fellows need my master for anything? Song Jian asked with a smile. Master? It seems we guessed correctly. Hes indeed that Combat Mentors disciple Ahem, we also want to become Sword Controllers, is that possible? These players quickly asked. Of course, but it depends on how sincere you guys are Song Jians face was full of smiles as he stretched out his index finger, rubbing it against his thumb. Damn, is he asking for a bribe? Are the NPCs in this game so intelligent? Its so human-like Just give it, maybe itll make our assessment tasks easier These players hurriedly took out a handful of Doomsday Coins from their inventory, some gave thirty, others fifty, and the highest one gave a hundred Doomsday Coins. Looking at the Doomsday Coins in their hands, Song Jian sighed disappointedly and said, Your hearts are not sincere enough- Chapter 208 - Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Auction House Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Auction House Translator: 549690339 Several players looked at each other suspiciously, starting to doubt Song Jians identity; Im telling you, this guy looks like a player to me, someone muttered; Yeah, are NPCs really this smart? He even complains that were not giving him enough money! The man in leather armor looked up and down at Song Jian with suspicion; I think hes a fraud! Right, he looks like a player, and hes only level 10 The man in leather armor walked up, his face sour, and said to Song Jian, Hey, brother, stop joking with us, will you? Where did the Sword Controller class teacher go? Ha ha! Song Jian laughed and said, Im sorry, everyone, but Ive become a Sword Controller, and the combat class teacher has left. This is a legendary class, limited in number! Hearing Song Jians words, everyones faces darkened. In fact, they had a bad feeling in their hearts when they saw through Song Jians player identity, and they didnt expect it to become a reality; Wasnt the Sword Controller class test supposed to be difficult? How did someone complete it so quickly Yeah, I had to travel a long way to get here, and this place is a level 15 monster area. 1 was almost surrounded by monsters just now! Sigh, lets go, and try our luck somewhere else! A few players glanced at Song Jian, looking annoyed, and turned to leave the rooftop; Hey, man, youre good, a legendary class! A player turned back, gave Song Jian a thumbs-up, and said; Song Jian smiled slightly and watched them leave; System: You have 30 seconds left until you exit the game. Please be prepared! Soon, a flash of white light appeared, and Song Jians figure disappeared from the rooftop of the Tianfeng Building; The real world Song Jian opened his eyes to discover that the sun was already high in the sky. The window let in a cacophony of noise from the city: honking, hawking, the sounds of street vendors frying dough sticks, various noises amalgamating into a rich atmosphere of life; Phew, I only got an S-class rating for my last main quest. It seems that in the future, I cant give up quests so casually! Song Jian thought to himself. Pushing open the window and taking a deep breath, Song Jian showed a happy expression: Returning to the real world is much more comfortable. The game was just too oppressive. Ding dong- At this moment, Song Jians phone rang. Picking it up, he saw it was a delivery notification; Rushing downstairs to retrieve a cardboard box, Song Jian opened it up and couldnt help but smile with bitterness; It was a dagger he had bought online two days ago for over a thousand yuan. It hadnt been sharpened yet, and he had intended to practice dagger fighting techniques with it at home, but now it seemed a bit redundant; Looks like Ill have to buy a longsword now, huh- Song Jian sighed helplessly and set the dagger aside; After washing up, Song Jian went out for breakfast and made his way to Coastal Citys largest auction house. His pocket now contained two pieces of jewelry, and he planned to auction one off so that he wouldnt have to worry about money in the future, allowing him to focus on his practice. Jiade Auction House was the largest auction house in Coastal City. It was not only famous domestically but also held a place in the international market. Upon arriving at the auction house and stating his intention, Song Jian was led to a private room. The room was not very big, only about thirty or forty square meters, but the interior was luxuriously decorated. Song Jian sat on the sofa and waited for a moment. Soon, a man entered the room and was momentarily taken aback by Song Jian before his eyes flashed with disappointment; Zhou Li had been working at Jiade Auction House for almost five years, but he had always been the lowest-ranking appraiser, earning a few thousand yuan a month. His usual tasks involved appraising relatively cheap items, making him an invisible person in the auction house hierarchy; Seeing Song Jians shabby clothing, Zhou Li quickly deduced that the man in front of him was not in good financial shape. Usually, people like this would bring in items of low value for auction, often fakes; Hello, sir. Can you show me the item youd like our company to auction? Zhou Li asked with a smile; Despite his internal judgment, Zhou Lis professional courtesy showed through his polite manner and actions; Song Jian smiled faintly and took out the Jewel: Flame from his pants pocket, placing it casually on the velvet-covered table; Upon seeing Song Jian retrieve the item from his pocket, Zhou Lis heart sank. What kind of valuable item would be casually stored in a pants pocket? He probably doesnt even think his item is worth much. Zhou Li couldnt help but grumble to himself internally; When he saw the Jewel: Flame, the first thought that came to Zhou Lis mind was, What a huge piece of red glass this is! Zhou Li didnt even bother to take out his magnifying glass and said after an indifferent glance, Sir, in my opinion, this item is At that moment, a ray of sunshine from the window illuminated the Jewel: Flame on the table, and the brilliant red gem suddenly seemed to be engulfed in a flame. It shimmered in the air as if it were actually burning; Zhou Lis eyes widened, and his face was full of disbelief: How is this possible? Only a top-quality gemstone could have such a phenomenon! My God, this is a top-quality gem! Taking a deep breath, Zhou Li calmed himself down, walked slowly to the table, and took out his magnifying glass to examine the gem closely. In no time, his eyes were filled with intoxication; Its perfect, an absolute work of art. No, this can only be a treasure crafted by gods themselves, priceless! Zhou Li murmured as he continued to examine the gem; Um, can 1 ask how much this is worth? Song Jian asked from the side; Money? Zhou Li straightened up and put away his magnifying glass, his face serious: Measuring such a masterpiece with money would only tarnish it. Sir, I apologize for my rudeness just now. Id like to reintroduce myself. My name is Zhou Li, an appraiser of Jiade Auction House. Your jewel is priceless, and Im afraid I cannot represent Jiade Auction House to discuss the auction of this jewel with you. Please wait, Ill go and ask our general manager to come over and speak with you personally. Please wait a moment! Zhou Li bowed respectfully to Song Jian. Before Song Jian could respond, Zhou Li turned and left the room. Upon exiting, Zhou Li briefly stood outside the door and took out a set of keys from his pocket, locking Song Jians room from the outside; Calling over a service staff member, Zhou Li whispered, Stay here and watch this door. Dont let the person inside leave. Hes an important customer, and Im going to look for the general manager now. If I come back with the general manager and the guest is missing, you know the consequences! Y-yes, sir, Ill stay right here The 19-year-old teenager stuttered; Zhou Li stared at him for a while before rushing upstairs; Chapter 209 - Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Counterfeit Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Counterfeit Translator: 549690339 Song Jian sat in his chair, savoring his tea, clearly hearing the commotion outside. As for Zhou Lis secret shenanigans, Song Jian merely smiled. If Song Jian wanted to leave, not even an iron alloy security door could withstand a kick from him, let alone a wooden one. Despite returning to the real world and losing the additional attributes provided by the Ring of Strength and the Guardians Sword, his strength stat still reached an impressive level of thirteen. In reality, he could be considered something of a mini-superman; Meanwhile, Zhou Li was anxious. He never imagined that he would be the first to discover such a treasure. This could be an unexpected stroke of luck for him. If he managed to secure this deal, could his status at the Jiade Auction House experience a transformation as profound as an earth-shattering upheaval? This thought made Zhou Li laugh out loud; He was about to knock on the door of the General Managers office when the door swung open. A glowing man walked out of the office. Upon seeing Zhou Li, this man looked at him with contempt and said, Zhou Li, cant you just stay put instead of running around? You think a low-ranking employee like you can stroll into the General Managers office whenever you want? Do you want your bonus this month! Zhou Li looked up and saw Ding Yi, his superior; Manager Ding, a guest has brought a rare treasure to our auction house. Its out of my hands, and 1 believe the General Manager should take a look! Zhou Li took a deep breath and spoke; Zhou Li knew he had some disagreements with Ding Yi, who often made things difficult for him. He had been working at Jiade for five years and was still a low-ranking employee. Ding Yi was largely responsible for that; Pshaw, a rare treasure, how rare can it be? Ding Yi sneered. According to procedure, you should report to me first, and then I will decide whether to escalate it. Youre going directly to the General Manager, thats against regulation. Dont you understand? Youve been an old employee of the company. If you do not understand even this simple rule, it seems you dont intend to work at Jiade anymore! Zhou Lis face flushed. Ding Yi was correct; protocol indeed decreed that he could only report to his direct superior. He didnt have the authority to access the General Manager directly. However, Zhou Li knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance to change his fate. He had on countless previous occasions followed protocol and reported to Ding Yi. But each time, Ding Yi erased his contribution after escalating the matter. The past could be water under the bridge, but today it was different. The item the guest had brought was far too valuable; Jiade had not auctioned anything of its kind before. If Jiade managed to secure the right to auction this object, its reputation among peers and prestige in society would rise enormously. I cant back down this time. This is an opportunity for Jiade and a chance for me! Zhou Li had already made up his mind. Im sorry, Manager Ding, but I feel this matter has gone beyond your authority. Only the General Manager has the right to make this decision. Please step aside! Zhou Li spoke with a firm tone; Ding Yi was taken aback, his face immediately filled with anger; So its like that, Zhou Li. You dare to talk to me like this, do you want to quit! If you want to quit, you should tell me earlier. I will approve your resignation immediately! Ding Yi said, out of temper; Im sorry, Manager Ding, but time is pressing. I need to see the General Manager right away! Zhou Li pushed Ding Yi aside and knocked on the General Managers office door; Seeing Zhou Li enter the General Managers office, Ding Yi rolled his eyes and walked downstairs; Humph, Id really like to see, just what kind of customer Zhou Li is dealing with! Ding Yi muttered to himself; Generally, those who came to Jiade to handle auction matters would be led to the reception room. There were many private rooms there to ensure maximum privacy for the clients; Ding Yi began to roam around the reception room. He saw a nineteen-year-old standing at the door of one of the private rooms. Ding Yis eyes lit up, and he solemnly questioned him, What are you standing here for instead of working? The youth, recognizing Ding Yi, became somewhat nervous and explained quickly, Appraiser Zhou asked me to stand here and not let the guest in the room leave Alright, alright, get back to your post. Be careful, or your salary will be deducted! Ding Yi impatiently waved his hand and said; Yes, yes, Manager Ding! The youth hurriedly left in a fluster; Ding Yi narrowed his eyes and watched the young man run off. He pushed open the door to find that it was locked from the outside. He curled his lips, his curiosity about the person inside grew; Just who is it, and what treasure did they bring, that Zhou Li would treat them like this and even have the audacity to defy me? Ding Yi muttered, took out a key to unlock the door, and walked in; Sir, you As Ding Yi opened the door, a professional smile appeared on his face. But when he saw Song Jians attire, he glanced at the jewel on the table, and he couldnt help but feel a jolt in his heart; This fellow came here to scam Jiade out of money with a piece of red glass? This thought suddenly popped into Ding Yis mind; As a well-renowned auction house, those who manage to hold a managerial position in Jiade ought to be discerning. Ding Yi was recognized by Jiade for his sharp eye, capable of spotting even the smallest flaw; Lamedly dressed, Song Jian was given a quick once-over by Ding Yi, who immediately assumed that someone like Song Jian would not bring anything of great value. This mindset wasnt Ding Yis fault but was formed through experience dealing with hundreds of similar situations in the auction house. Without such keen observation skills, one cannot be a manager in the appraisal department. Moreover, the jewel that Song Jian presented was intricately carved. Both the material and craftsmanship were top-notch. However, anyone seeing the jewel for the first time would be attracted by the massive ruby. It was a natural top-grade ruby, completely unblemished and as translucent as glass. It felt unbelievable; A fake made of glass! Once this thought popped into Ding Yis head, he had no inclination to examine the other details of the jewel; Any work of art that reveals a flaw upon thorough inspection can be concluded as counterfeit; Is Zhou Li blind? Such an obvious fake, and he touts it as a rare treasure! Ding Yi sneered inwardly. He even alerted the General Manager. It seems this whippersnapper really doesnt intend to stay at Jiade. At this thought, a grin appeared on Ding Yis face as a proud look emerged. His eyes gazed fiercely at Song Jian: Sir, I am not sure who gave you the audacity to bring such a counterfeit to Jiade. Please note, Jiade Auction House has never received a counterfeit item since its establishment Chapter 210 - Chapter 210: Chapter 210: What If It Turns Out to Be True Chapter 210: Chapter 210: What If It Turns Out to Be True Translator: 549690339 Fake? Song Jian hesitated, then laughed incredulously, pointing at the Jewel: Flame on the table. Youre saying this is fake? By now, the sun had shifted angles, and the light no longer shone on the Jewel: Flame, hiding the flame-like haze on its surface. The ruby now appeared as a finely carved piece of red glass. Seeing Song Jians confident expression, Ding Yi hesitated, then took another closer look at the gem on the table. All, the craftsmanship is good, but the gem is incredibly fake. How could such a piece of jewelry be real? There has never been such a large ruby in the world. Are you saying that this man has brought forth the worlds largest? Ding Yi couldnt help but laugh at the thought. Even if this piece of jewelry were real, it certainly wouldnt belong to someone whose entire outfit doesnt even amount to 300 yuan! Thinking of this, Ding Yi looked up at Song Jian and couldnt help but admire Song Jians acting skills. Are scammers so professional these days that they remain so righteous even after being exposed? Alright, sir, take your toy and leave immediately, or 111 call the police! Ding Yi said seriously. Song Jian frowned, couldnt help but stand up, and a violent murderous intent surged in his heart. Luckily, his reaction was quick, and the murderous intent vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Ding Yi suddenly found that when the other party rose from his seat, he seemed like a ferocious humanoid beast, ready to pounce on and devour him in the next moment. All, you! Ding Yis face turned white. He hurriedly retreated a few steps, bumping into the door painfully. When he looked at Song Jian again, that feeling had suddenly disappeared, as if it had all been a figment of his imagination. Alright, since Jiade isnt willing to accept this auction item, Ill just find another company. Song Jian shook his head and said. Of course, you can. Haha, 1 suggest you try the Shengshi Auction House across the street. Their appraisers arent as professional as ours, so maybe theyll be fooled. Haha! Ding Yi laughed sarcastically, a contemptuous look on his face. He thought to himself, Anyone with a little appraisal experience would easily realize the truth. The people at Shengshi must be blind to accept this item Boom- The private room door was pushed open, and Ding Yi was sent flying towards the table by a strong force, hitting his head on the solid wooden table. Ouch, who is it? Anger rose in Ding Yis heart. He quickly turned and glared, but his expression quickly changed. The general manager has arrived. Ding Yis face revealed a flattering smile, followed by a stern scolding of Zhou Li, who was beside the general manager. Zhou Li, how could you casually bring out the general manager for any person and any item? Dont you have eyes to see that this is clearly a counterfeit? You made the general manager lose face by calling him down here. Do you not want your job? Counterfeit! General Manager Sun Yong hesitated, then glanced at Zhou Li with a hint of doubt in his eyes. Zhou Li has been a long-time employee of Jiade. He would not joke about his position, Sun Yong thought to himself. Counterfeit? How could it be? Even a blind person could see that the piece of jewelry is precious. How could it be a counterfeit! Zhou Li couldnt help but retort. Seeing Ding Yi preparing to argue, Sun Yong frowned slightly, waved his hand, and said, Alright, stop arguing. Let me take a look at the item first! It was unprofessional for two appraisers to argue in front of the client. General Manager, its the piece of jewelry on the table. Its a rare treasure. I believe that there will never be a second gem as brilliant as this one in the world! Zhou Li said excitedly. Song Jian: Haha! With Zhou Lis comments, Song Jian felt embarrassed to bring out the other Jewel: Deep Blue. However, Song Jian also knew that he couldnt present both pieces at the same time. Otherwise, it would be impossible to sell them at a high price. Sun Yong gave Song Jian a polite smile and then looked at the Jewel: Flame on the table. At first glance, he was amazed. Were people really so bold as to pass off glass as a gem now? But soon, Sun Yong noticed the fine craftsmanship of the piece. Even if it were just a piece of glass, the exquisite carving alone would make it worth over 100,000 yuan. Would someone really use glass for such craftsmanship? Wouldnt that be As this thought crossed Sun Yongs mind, he suddenly became excited. He carefully picked up the gem and took out a magnifying glass to examine it closely. After studying it for a full three minutes, Sun Yong quickly beckoned Zhou Li and said, Go and get Old Wang and Old Sun over here! Yes, General Manager! Zhou Li instantly showed an elated expression and hurriedly left the private room. General Manager, what are you Ding Yis heart sank, feeling that something was amiss. Dont speak! Sun Yong glared at Zhou Li. Haha, Im sorry. This appraiser said that my item is a fake and told me to try my luck at the Shengshi Auction House across the street. I wont bother you then. With that, Song Jian feigned an attempt to retrieve the gem and leave. Sir, please wait. As compensation, our auction house is willing to charge only a 3% commission fee. This is an offer that no other auction house can give. You should know that the usual auction fees range between 10% and 15%. 1 believe you wouldnt turn away from the offer because of the money, right? Sun Yong said with a smile. I believe that as long as I bring out this piece of jewelry, any auction house will give me the best commission rate. Some might even waive the fee entirely. What do you think? Song Jian shrugged and continued, Moreover, I am skeptical about the skill level of your appraiser, and what irritates me even more is his attitude towards me. If your company cant give me an explanation, 1 wont choose to work with you! If Ding Yi couldnt figure out what was happening at this moment, he would have wasted his years working in this field. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. How could this be? This item is obviously a fake. How could there be such a transparent and massive ruby in the world? Ding Yis eyes flickered, his heart filled with unease. Seeing Sun Yongs serious expression, a thought suddenly flashed through Ding Yis mind: What if the gem really is real? What should I do? As Ding Yi was in a panic, the door to the private room was pushed open, and two elderly men followed Zhou Li inside. Manager Sun, what cant you figure out that requires both of us old fellows to come? Quickly show us what it is and let this old man broaden his horizons! The elderly man in front chuckled. Ding Yi watched the two old men as a glimmer of hope rose in his heart, thinking, If the two old men also insist that its a counterfeit, then Chapter 211 - Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Thirty Million Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Thirty Million Translator: 549690339 Old Wang, Old Sun, come take a look at this item! The General Manager, Sun Yong, handed the Jewel: Flame in his hand to the two elders. Song Jian didnt mind, thinking that the more they could confirm the authenticity of the Jewel: Flame, the better he could negotiate with them. After all, Jiade is the largest auction house in the country, and its fame, both domestically and abroad, is incomparable to that of Shengshi. Seeing the jewel in Sun Yongs hand, the two elders revealed a touch of surprise in their eyes. After glancing at each other, they both showed a hint of a smile at the corners of their mouths. Alright, since Manager Sun has his eye on it, let me, an old man, take a look at it. Old Wang took the jewel from Sun Yong, and after just a few seconds, the smile on his face disappeared and was replaced by a serious expression. Seeing Old Wangs serious expression, a hint of surprise flashed in Old Suns eyes. Soon, Old Wang shook his head and sighed, handing the jewel to Old Sun beside him, exclaiming, 1 never thought Id see such a dazzling jewel in my lifetime C its worthy of a peaceful death! Ah, how is that possible! Hearing Old Wangs words, Ding Yis last hope was shattered, and he wore an expression of despair on his face. Sir, I, I, Im really sorry, I. Ding Yi looked at Song Jian with a bitter face. Alright, Ding Yi, Zhou Li, you two leave first. Sun Yong said directly. The two left the private room with mixed feelings. This jewel belongs to you, young friend. Its truly remarkable! 1 never thought there would be such a precious gem in this world; its simply unbelievable! Old Wang looked at Song Jian and praised, Does this jewel have a name? This jewel is called Flame, Song Jian said with a smile. Flame? Old Wang was puzzled for a moment and then slowly shook his head, saying, The name is too ordinary; it doesnt do this jewel justice! Song Jian smiled slightly, took the Jewel: Flame from Old Sun, walked to the window, and, facing the sunlight, lifted the jewel up. Suddenly, a crimson flame ignited on the surface of the ruby and spread throughout the entire jewelry piece. If someone were to wear it, it would appear as if a raging flame was burning around their neck. All, how is that possible My God, this is simply Sun Yong and the others watched, dumbfounded, as the jewel in Song Jians hand caught their eyes. Sun Yong even rubbed his eyes in disbelief, his face full of shock. Flame, Flame indeed, its truly a raging flame! No other name could be more suitable for this jewel; its a treasure only fit for the gods! Old Wang couldnt help but exclaim. Sir, we at Jiade Auction House are willing to auction this item without charging any fees. We implore you to choose our Jiade Auction House, please! Sun Yong bowed deeply to Song Jian. But 1 have doubts about the professionalism of your Jiade Auction House. Just now, someone said that what 1 brought in was a fake! Song Jian put the Jewel: Flame into his pocket casually. Seeing Song Jian put away the jewel, Sun Yongs heart sank, and he hurriedly said, Our Jiade Auction House enjoys a high reputation worldwide. We definitely wont allow that appraiser to continue working here; you can rest assured! Little Sun, what happened? Old Sun asked quietly, frowning. Ding Yi came in earlier and said this gentlemans jewel was a fake, which angered him! Sun Yong explained softly. What! How could this happen? Old Suns face darkened. As a rule, even if someone brings a counterfeit for auction, the auction house cannot directly accuse them of having a fake; this can easily offend people. Little Ding has been working here for many years now; how can he not understand this rule? Old Sun glanced at Song Jian and said to Sun Yong, People like him staying at Jiade will only tarnish the reputation of our Jiade. You are right, Old Sun. Sun Yongs gaze shifted to Old Wang. Old Wang nodded and said, I have the same opinion as Old Sun. Dismiss him directly. Feeling reassured, Sun Yong said to Song Jian with a smile, Sir, as you can see, we are quite sincere. We wont let this kind of person stay here at Jiade! Song Jian smiled slightly, took out the Jewel: Flame, and handed it to Sun Yong, saying, I am very satisfied with your sincerity. Please auction it off as soon as possible; I need the money urgently. Alright, theres an auction in three days. We can make this jewel the finale. Sun Yong smiled. Little Sun, wait a moment! Old Wang interrupted before Sun Yong could finish speaking. Frowning, he turned to Song Jian and said, Young friend, its too hasty to auction off such a treasure like this. Please give us a month. In a month, our Jiade will hold a special auction for this treasure. Only in this way can we do justice to this jewel! A month? Thats too long Song Jian shook his head slowly. A month is not long. In fact, by our calculations, just the promotion would take three months. We want every tycoon in every country on Earth to know about this jewels existence. When the time comes, itll definitely fetch a sky-high price at the auction! Old Wang said excitedly. But Song Jian hesitated. Sir, how much money do you need? Our Jiade can advance you 30 million RMB, and the auction proceeds will directly deduct this 30 million. Old Wang said directly. Song Jian was startled, then smiled and nodded, Then lets follow your arrangement. Old Wang and the two others exchanged glances, and their faces lit up with excitement. Three months, in three months, Jiade will hold an international auction! Old Wang declared resolutely. 30 million was transferred to Song Jians account immediately. At this time, Song Jian had just left Jiade Auction House. He was quite satisfied with Jiades efficiency. He didnt know how much effort Jiade had put in to quickly transfer the 30 million to his account, just to show their sincerity. Leaving Jiade Auction House, Song Jian headed towards the Black Panther Gym. Jiade Auction House, General Managers Office. Zhou Li, call Ding Yi over to my office. Sun Yong hung up the phone, his fingers gently tapping on the desk and his eyes slightly narrowed, seemingly deep in thought. In fact, for an appraiser, making a mistake is not a very serious issue. As long as it doesnt cause damage to the company, such cases are usually overlooked. In todays incident, even though Ding Yi behaved against regulations, the severest punishment would be demotion, not outright dismissal. After all, training an appraiser costs Jiade Auction House a lot of resources. Knock, knock, knock- Come in! General Manager, you wanted to see us. Zhou Li and Ding Yi walked in together. Sun Yong looked at Ding Yi, who had a very unpleasant expression on his face, and shook his head, saying, Ding Yi, go to the finance department to get three months salary. As you know, this is a chance for Jiade, and we cant give it up. Im sorry. Chapter 212 - Chapter 212: Chapter 212 Is he despising your cooking skills! Chapter 212: Chapter 212 Is he despising your cooking skills! Translator: 549690339 Ding Yis heart jolted, he quickly looked up at Sun Yong. Mr. General Manager, 1 know I misjudged this time, but Sun Yong waved a dismissive hand and said, Ding Yi, any appraiser is prone to make mistakes now and then. Misjudgment isnt a big problem as long as it doesnt cause any loss to the company. But what youve done today is a bit too much. Just as Sun Yong was about to continue, he suddenly paused and sighed, Ding Yi, your dismissal is the clients suggestion. We must seize this collaboration opportunity, so much so that our Auction House didnt even charge a fee. You know, when we dont charge a fee, it means we are operating at a loss. But even so, we have to secure this auction opportunity. You should know why. Therefore, we must meet his requirement and Im sorry that it means letting you go In fact, Ding Yi did everything wrong from the beginning. From breaking into the private room by himself and snatching other appraisers clients, straightforwardly declaring the clients item as fake, and even suggesting in a condescending tone that the client should go to Shengshi Auction House; Sun Yong didnt dare to imagine, if he arrived a few seconds later and the client directly left for Shengshi Auction House and started collaborating with them, the news would probably cost him his position as General Manager. Go. Sun Yong didnt want to say anything more and waved Ding Yi off. Ding Yi left the office like a walking corpse. Zhou Li, youve done a great job today. You deserve praise. From now on, the position of appraisal department manager will be yours! After Ding Yi left, Sun Yong switched to a warm expression and told Zhou Li; Song Jian arrived at the Black Panther Gym. As soon as he entered, he saw Wang Dan chatting with Sun Qian in the lobby. Seeing Song Jian, Wang Dans eyes lit up, she quickly gestured him over, Why are you here so late? Quick, come with me to the classroom, Ill teach you a new technique today Before she finished her sentence, Song Jian displayed an awkward expression, Master, I intend to stop learning the dagger fighting technique. Wang Dan was taken aback, blurted out, But you have just started, there are still more than ten lessons to complete! Well, Im interested in sword techniques now, I plan to learn how to use a longsword! Sword technique? Whats the use of learning that? Wang Dan replied discontentedly; This is modern society, you cant always carry a sword around, can you? Dagger is much better, just tuck it in your waist, no one will notice Master Wang, 1 may have to disagree with your opinion! Gu Bo casually walked over. Seeing Gu Bo, Wang Dan looked embarrassed, she bowed to Gu Bo and greeted him, Master! Gu Bo nodded slightly, turned around and smiled at Song Jian; Young man, youve been practicing the dagger technique well, why do you want to learn sword technique? Song Jian scratched his head, not knowing how to reply. Its not like he could say that he is playing a game, and has switched his class to Sword Controller in the game, so he can only use a longsword, and no more other weapons, right? Well, I suddenly became interested in sword techniques Song Jian said with slight embarrassment. Hahaha, good, interest is the prime motivator for learning. Come, follow me to the classroom, Ill teach you the sword technique! Gu Bo, looking quite pleased, led Song Jian to the classroom. Wang Dan: Looking at Sun Qians teasing laugh, Wang Dan complained, Is this considered undermining me? Its hard to find a promising student like this one, and I thought I could What were you thinking? Didnt you see the guy doesnt want to learn the dagger fighting technique from you? Probably because he thinks youre not good enough Sun Qian quietly chuckled on the side. Im no good? Wang Dans eyes widened, she started poking Sun Qian, Tell me, where am I not good? My dagger fighting technique is the most practical killing technique, it could save lives on the battlefield! Alright, alright, youre amazing, nobody can beat you! Sun Qian quickly pleaded for mercy, asking, If on the battlefield, you only have a dagger, and Master Gu only has a longsword, who do you think would survive? Wang Dan stood still, furrowed her eyebrows, pondered for a long time, then finally sighed, Where are we going for lunch? 1 think theres a new Sichuan restaurant next door, should we try it? Sun Qian: Inside the classroom, Song Jian held a training sword, watching Gu Bo demonstrating the basic sword techniques. Just like the Sword Controller Duan Jian in the game, Gu Bo also broke down the basic moves, demonstrating and explaining the details. However, Song Jian felt that Gu Bos swordsmanship paled in comparison to Duan Jians technique in the game; his grasp of the basic sword techniques seemed even better than Gu Bos. Nevertheless, Song Jian didnt show impatience, he patiently waited for Gu Bo to finish explaining. After more than half an hour, Gu Bo finally finished demonstrating the basic sword moves. He didnt withhold anything about every detail and movement key to pay attention to from Song Jian. How about it, want to give it a try?; Gu Bo put away the sword, looking at Song Jian excitedly. Sure! Song Jian responded with a slight smile. With a flick of his wrist, the scabbard of his sword flew off, accurately sticking on the weapon rack about five or six meters away from him. Hiss- Gu Bo looked astonished, involuntarily gasping at Song Jians stunt. He looked at Song Jian in disbelief. Song Jian simply smiled, walked a few steps forward to the center of the room, inhaled deeply, and started moving. The longsword in his hand made the crisp sound of cutting through the air. Chop, thrust, hack, slice, raise, wrap, twist. Song Jians basic sword technique swiftly appeared just like flowing water. Sharp sounds of splitting air followed his movements, causing Gu Bos face to change dramatically. Song Jians passive skill Cold Weapon (Sword Type) (Basic) had already reached level five. Demonstrating a basic sword technique, Song Jian could do it like its childs play. After the demonstration, Song Jian let out a sigh and steadied himself How did 1 do, Master Gu? Song Jian asked with a grin. Gu Bo: Isnt this guy here to show off!? Ahem, it seems like youre not entirely a beginner, you must have practiced for seven or eight years, impressive! Gu Bo grinned and said, Come on, lets spar a bit. And you dont have to call me Master Gu, we can just regard each other as equals. Alright, Master Gu, please! Song Jians face expressed excitement. After all, he had only fought monsters in the game and was unsure of his own level. He could finally take this opportunity to see how good he is! Chapter 213 - Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Underground Boxing Ring Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Underground Boxing Ring Translator: 549690339 Gu Bo clasped his hands around his sword and gave a bow to Song Jian, treating him now as a martial artist of equal stature. Once Song Jian had finished his bow, Gu Bo slowly drew his long sword and thrust it straight at Song Jian. Song Jian flicked his wrist, and with an outward bat, the sword that Gu Bo had thrust was instantly deflected, leaving his chest exposed. Gu Bo was alarmed. He quickly halted his attack, thinking, This young man is incredibly powerful! At this point, Song Jians strength was enough to suppress his opponent, but in order to better learn the techniques of swordsmanship, Song Jian chose to defend rather than attack, resulting in a fierce fight between the two. Outside the classroom, several coaches were watching and whispering. Isnt this the guy who pierced the human-shaped mold with a dagger yesterday? He is so skilled! Wang Dan, isnt he learning dagger techniques from you? Why is he practicing swordsmanship with Gu Bo now? Wang Dan didnt want to hear this, her face immediately darkened, so she chose to ignore the comment. Hey, Dan, did he reject you because youre too weak? He held his own against Gu Bo. If he fought with you, it would probably be quite a challenge. Do you think he can rank in the competitions next month with his current level? Unlikely. This little guy has a solid foundation, but he hasnt shown any signature moves yet. Hes only able to hold out against Gu Bo because of his strength. But after some time, when his physical strength starts to decline, he wont be able to keep up with Gu Bos speed Wouldnt this qualify as overpowering an enemy single-handedly? With such physical strength, he could potentially become a rough gem. 1 wonder if Gu Bo will With his physical condition, all he needs is some good training. He could at least rank in the city-wide competitions. If he trains for a few years, its not impossible that he could rank nationally! While the coaches were discussing this, the fight in the classroom had come to an end. Gu Bo feinted an attack then swiftly stabbed his long sword towards Song Jians shoulder. Before Song Jian could react, he felt a strike to his shoulder. He looked down, then shook his head at Gu Bo, saying, I lost! Indeed, Gu Bos Wudang swordsmanship wasnt bad. But if it came to a real fight, Song Jian was confident he could kill him within ten seconds. Even relying solely on swordsmanship, Song Jian hadnt used his ultimate move, the Broken Wing Dance. If unleashed, the tide of the battle could instantly turn. Its terrifying how in just two real-world nights, I went from an ordinary person to someone with such terrifying power. As time goes on, people like me will become more and more numerous, which may cause a serious impact on the real world Song Jian thought to himself. Young man, your talent is not bad. But you shouldnt behave recklessly. Train with me to become a master of the sword! Gu Bo said, his face wearing a smile, as he nodded at Song Jian. Forget it, Im not coming anymore! Song Jian suddenly felt quite bored. This type of practice resulted in such slow progress that if he wanted to, Song Jian could probably defeat all the coaches in the gym. He carelessly threw the practice sword into the equipment rack, then turned around and headed toward the exit. Hey, young man, wait a moment Gu Bo quickly tried to persuade Song Jian to stay, but Song Jian showed no signs of regret as he walked out the door. Amid the astonished looks of a few coaches, Song Jian left the Black Panther Gym. Outside the Black Panther Gym, Song Jian looked lost. He felt as if he was out of sync with the real world. Just then, a man walked out of the Black Panther Gym. He appeared to be in his thirties, sported a small mustache and sharp eyes. He walked up to Song Jian and said, Buddy, I watched your fight with Gu Bo. Youre impressive! Song Jian turned to look at him, and smiled, Too bad 1 still lost in the end! You held back, 1 could tell! The man with the mustache revealed a satisfied smile. He extended his right hand towards Song Jian, My name is Wu Xuan, you could consider me a talent scout. A talent scout? Song Jian was taken aback, Do you think 1 have the potential to be an actor? It seems Im so attractive now that 1 couldnt even hide it if I tried. Walking around on the streets, I could encounter a talent scout. Could it be that I might become a superstar? A smile appeared on Song Jians face, Which entertainment company are you from? Entertainment company? Wu Xuan was slightly taken aback, then quickly explained, Ahem, I meant underground boxing, you could be a fighter. You could earn a few thousand for each match, and if you win, you could earn tens of thousands. How about it, are you interested? Not interested! Song Jian was somewhat disappointed, underground boxing sounded too boring. Could real-life underground boxing compare to the dungeons in the game? All, dont go yet. Listen to me. A fitness gym like this isnt that interesting, theres not even any blood. I could see that you held back your sword technique. And if youre learning sword techniques, you must be interested in learning to kill, right? You cant learn that in a gym. Only in an underground boxing ring can you hone this skill Wu Xuan said as he kept pace with Song Jian, trying to persuade him. A thought occurred to Song Jian; indeed, he was learning sword techniques not for self-defense, but to kill enemies. You mentioned an underground boxing ring, can weapons be used there? Song Jian couldnt help but ask, out of curiosity. Of course they can. Underground boxing matches have both bare-knuckle fighting and weapon fighting! Wu Xuans eyes lit up. Hehe, it does sound a bit like the game, Song Jian murmured. What did you say? Wu Xuan didnt catch what Song Jian had said. Song Jian shook his head, Nothing, where is this underground boxing ring you mentioned? Take me to see. With a grin on his face, Wu Xuan grabbed Song Jian and led him down the street. Come on, follow me, this way! The two hurriedly made their way across two streets, eventually arriving at a high-rise building. This is the place, on the top floor! Wu Xuan declared. The outside of the building was lavishly decorated, glistening resplendently like a five-star hotel. Two Han white jade lions stood imposingly at the entrance. Upon entering the building, they encountered a spacious lobby. The decor was not dissimilar to a hotel, with three young and pretty girls stationed at the reception desk. Wu Xuan led Song Jian straight to the elevator. Soon they reached the top floor; As they exited the elevator, Song Jian saw two powerful men dressed in black suits standing either side of a large door. It was obvious from their bulging waists that they were armed. Hey, is Boss Wu bringing another fighter? A security guard glanced at Wu Xuan, then looked Song Jian up and down, commenting with a chuckle. Haha, its just a friend, a friend. Brought him here for a look, to broaden his horizons! Wu Xuan laughed heartily. With Song Jian in tow, they pushed the door open and entered, walking down a long corridor. Song Jian could hear faint sounds of shouting and clamor ahead. Just have a look first, and if you feel an itch to join in later, let me know. 1 can arrange for you to go up, Wu Xuan tapped Song Jians shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. Chapter 214 - Chapter 214: Chapter 214: The Han Sword Chapter 214: Chapter 214: The Han Sword Translator: 549690339 As he entered the top floor hall, Song Jian discovered that the interior was decorated similar to an NBA arena, with a boxing ring in the center, almost twice the size of an ordinary one. Above the ring was a projection television, displaying the ongoing fight on the ring. Surrounding the ring were tiered seats. There were not many spectators at the moment, only about a third of the seats were occupied. On the ring, two boxers were engaged in a fierce battle. Song Jian squinted his eyes, realizing both fighters were not wearing any defensive gear or boxing gloves. How is it, pretty realistic, isnt it? Only a place like this is perfect for you! Wu Xuan exclaimed passionately, pointing at the ring, As soon as you walked in here today, 1 could tell right away. Youre not like Old Man Gu, or any of the trainers at the gym. They may have been on the battlefield before, but do they still have a shred of their warrior spirit left? Even Old Man Gu, all hes doing now is taking care of his health. Studying swordsmanship with him is simply a waste for you! stated Wu Xuan. Song Jian looked at Wu Xuan in surprise. He had felt the same way when he was practicing with Old Man Gu. Thus, he didnt hesitate to leave. He didnt expect Wu Xuan to have noticed this. This guy had a sharp eye. Surprised, huh? Wu Xuan laughed, In our line of work, we rely on these two eyes. If you decide you want to step into the ring, just let me know. Without a manager to introduce you, you cant get on that ring! So, youre my manager now? Song Jian joked. Well, a mans got to eat! Wu Xuan nodded, laughing. Alright, sign me up for a match if theres one that uses weapons. But, I dont have a suitable weapon right now. You have to find me a sword, a good quality one. Also, what if what if I accidentally take someones life here Song Jian hesitated. Upon hearing Song Jians willingness to participate, Wu Xuans eyes lit up and he quickly waved his hand, saying: Dont worry, this place has robust backing. But you also need to be careful. If you really end up broken here, its Song Jian just nodded, saying nothing more. Wu Xuan patted Song Jian on the shoulder, instructed him to wait, and then rushed off to the office nearby. In no time, Wu Xuan returned to Song Jians side. Ive notified them. Youll be able to play after two more matches. This is the information about your opponent. Take a look! Wu Xuan handed Song Jian a sheet of A4 paper with the opponents details printed on it. In terms of weapons, youll have to choose your own. Most athletes bring their own weapons. Even though the weapons here are of decent quality, its always better to use your own weapons since youre accustomed to them. We still have time now, so we could go and pick it up Wu Xuan hesitated. Waving his hand, Song Jian said: Im good with the weapons here. Alright, follow me to choose a weapon! Wu Xuan instructed, leading Song Jian down the corridor to a room next door. The room was lined with racks of equipment filled with various weapons. A man in his twenties was sitting behind a wooden desk by the door, playing on his computer. Xiao Hui, its your shift today, huh! Wu Xuan handed over a voucher, and sneakily slipped in a pack of cigarettes. Hey brother Wu, found another good fighter? Xiao Hui lifted his eyes to look at Wu Xuan and then glanced at Song Jian, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Hi, let us pick a good sword first, were short on time. Wu Xuan hastily replied, clearly embarrassed. Fine, second row on the far left. Go pick one yourself. The company just received a new batch, the quality is not bad! Xiao Hui casually pointed to the left. Alright, you get back to work. Well have a look over there! Wu Xuan pulled Song Jian towards the direction Xiao Hui pointed. When they arrived at the designated place, there were three rows of weaponry racks filled with all types of long swords. Go ahead and pick one Song Jian, whichever feels right! Wu Xuan instructed. Song Jian reached for the closest sword, withdrawing it from its sheath to inspect it more closely. All of these swords looked as though they had just been forged. They were sharp but seemed unused. He gently flicked his finger against the blade and crack, a tiny crack spread across the blade from where he had hit it. What kind of junk is this! Song Jians expression instantly darkened. He returned the sword to its sheath, placed it back onto the rack. Standing aside, Wu Xuan was also taken aback, murmuring, Impossible, how can there be such poor quality? The kickback must have been quite vicious this time. Song Jian continued to test several swords, cracking them one after another; he was growing impatient. Eh, this ones not bad! Song Jian withdrew another sword. This one was somewhat heavier than the previous ones, the blade appeared to be long and narrow, ground into eight facets. With a light flick, a clear resonance rang out as the blade vibrated, reflecting light like a pool of clear water. Ill take this one! Song Jian returned the sword into its sheath, holding it in his hand with a satisfied smile showing on his face. As long as youre comfortable with it! Wu Xuan sighed in relief. The quality of weapons is crucial in a weapons match. An ineffective weapon could greatly diminish a fighters capabilities. After waiting for more than an hour, it was finally Song Jians turn. At this point, there were many blood stains on the ring, being wiped away by three or four service personnel. Only after ten or so minutes was the ring finally cleaned. Stepping on the hard rubber mat of the ring, Song Jian could still smell a faint scent of blood. He felt a chilling sensation in his heart. Once you step on this ring, its a matter of life and death. Even if you survive, you would have sustained serious injuries, and might end up spending the rest of your life on a bed or wheelchair. Song Jian took a deep breath, fixing his eyes on a man clad in a white long robe, clutching a long knife in his arms and a shorter one hanging on his waist. He stood tall, his gaze icy cold. He remained oblivious to the commentary from the announcer or the noise from the audience. The only thing in his eyes was his opponent. Why does this guy look somewhat like a Japanese? Song Jian squinted, looking the opponent up and down. Ding- The match begins! At the sound of the clear bell, the man in the white robe drew out his long knife and charged towards Song Jian, shouting as he went. Shit, a katana. He really is Japanese! Song Jian squinted and pressed the spring on his right hand C a portion of the sheath popped out immediately. He threw the sheath forwards with his left hand. The sheath flew towards the opponent swiftly like an arrow. Tyson! The Japanese man swung his katana forwards suddenly, cleaving the sheath into two. The sheer force of the killer intent was overwhelming. Song Jian swung his sword single-handedly, charging forwards whilst perpetually rotating his wrist. The long sword in his hand was as light as a wisp of smoke, emitting a low whistling sound. Die! Upon seeing the Japanese man head on, Song Jian waved his right hand and struck his long sword viciously towards his opponents head. Chapter 215 - Chapter 215: Chapter 215: The "Gods Favorite" Robber Chapter 215: Chapter 215: The Gods Favorite Robber Translator: 549690339 The Eight-sided Sword in Song Jians hand was much heavier than the katana wielded by the Japanese man. When he brought down his sword, it struck with the force of a thousand juns, leaving the Japanese stunned; Is this your sword technique? 1 know little of Chinese martial arts, dont try to fool me! The seemingly effortless move of Song Jian was powerful and heavy, leaving the Japanese no choice but to recover his stance and defend with his sword; Bang C As if a mountain was pressing down on him, the katana in the Japanese mans hand was forced towards his own shoulder. When it came to power, the two men were not in the same league. Song Jian overwhelmed him with his superior strength; N-nani! The Japanese mans face filled with surprise: How could this Chinese man be so strong? Could it be that he took some sort of drug? Too weak! Song Jian looked at the Japanese man dressed in a white shirt with disappointment in his eyes, deeply wounding the Japanese mans pride. All, I am a warrior of the Great Japanese Empire. Our warriors are invincible! Die- The Japanese mans face twisted in rage, and he abruptly released his katana, leaping towards Song Jian. The main reason he came to fight in these underground fights was because the organizers had a huge amount of influence. Even though people were seriously injured or even killed every day, it never caused any problems. The Japanese man and Song Jian had the same goal; both came here seeking to improve their martial arts skills through killing. However, he didnt expect to encounter Song Jian, a tough nut to crack, on his very first day in the ring. Knowing that Song Jian was powerful, the Japanese man made a desperate decision. As he leaped towards Song Jian, he drew a short blade from his waist and thrust it forward with all his strength; I told you, you are too weak! Song Jian sighed lightly, as the mans every move were transparent in front of his superior perception. With a flick of his wrist, the Eight-sided Sword flashed with white light and cut directly towards the Japanese mans right hand. A stream of blood spurted out, followed by a painful scream, and a hand holding a broken blade flew up in the air; Ahhh- The Japanese man, like a wild beast, opened his arms and lunged at Song Jians throat, in a posture to perish together. Song Jian did not retreat but pushed forward, lightly thrusting the long sword in his hand into his adversarys throat. A spurt of fresh blood shot out and Song Jian quickly withdrew his sword and stepped back to avoid the splash. Heh heh- The Japanese man staggered forward a few steps, his knees gave way, and he fell to the ground. We won! Ding Yi jumped up excitedly from below the stage. Song Jian walked down the stage expressionlessly. It was too easy and not even a warm-up for him. If the contestants here are all of this level, I wont be coming back here in the future! Song Jian glanced at the excited Ding Yi and shook his head. Ding Yis face stiffened, and he quickly said: 1 only brought you here for a look today. Normally, there are no experts here. You can tell by looking at the audience. The battles between the top fighters are notified and promoted in advance. Dont worry, if there are no skilled fighters here in Linhai City, there wont be any elsewhere either! Fine, let me know when theres a strong opponent, Song Jian said casually: Im taking this sword with me, thats no problem, right? Ding Yi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: No problem, you can take it. Song Jian nodded and walked away with the Eight-sided Sword; In fact, the fighters couldnt take the sword away, but Ding Yi was a familiar face here, a nominal manager. As long as he paid, he could buy the sword. However, there was no discount on the price, and the money had to come from Ding Yis own pocket. Song Jian took off his coat and wrapped it around the Eight-sided Sword to cover it a bit. The swords scabbard was damaged, and carrying it down the street would make people think he was crazy. As he walked down the street, Song Jian felt mixed emotions. This was his first time killing someone in real life. He had thought he would be uncomfortable, but unexpectedly Just as Song Jian was reflecting on his situation, he suddenly heard a scream from a distance: Ah-, catch the thief, the thief has stolen my purse, catch the thief- Song Jian looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young girl who had been pushed to the ground in front of him. It seemed that her ankle had been twisted and she was having trouble standing. She was screaming loudly and pointing at a young man running away ahead of her, she looked almost like she was about to cry. The young man who stole her purse looked around fifteen or sixteen. He was holding a ladies handbag in his hand and his face was filled with excitement. He was running very fast, easily jumping over a fence half his height. Stop, dont run! A traffic policeman, who had been issuing a parking ticket, heard the shout and turned his head to look at the fleeing boy. While he shouted, he also gave chase. Seeing the policeman, a look of panic appeared on the boys face and a white light suddenly bloomed at his feet. His speed boosted significantly, even leaving an afterimage, and whooshed past the policeman. The policeman instinctively tried to reach out and grab him but caught only air. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the boy. This is the Acceleration Skill from the game. Lin Sheng has used a similar skill before At the fact that this boy was using a game skill in broad daylight to steal bags, Song Jian was somewhat speechless. It was really embarrassing for the so-called Gods Chosen, like them. Even if he participated in a sports event and won some prize money, it would be better! A sense of heaviness crept into Song Jians heart. The skills they learned in the game could now be brought back to the real world, giving many people terrifying power overnight. However, these peoples character couldnt keep up with their skyrocketing power, often pushing them into the path of crime; This was evident in the news about people who won the lottery being unable to hang onto their windfall. Most of them ended up worse off than before they won. Looking at the spot where the boy disappeared, Song Jian shook his head and continued in the direction of his home. He walked into the housing complex and turned towards his rented room. As he passed a small alley, he noticed a boy in the shadows holding a white purse, rummaging through it, and randomly flinging makeup products about. What a coincidence, Song Jians lips twitched upwards as he turned towards the boy; Perhaps he noticed Song Jians gaze, the boy looked up and their eyes met. The boy made a vicious face, hoping to intimidate Song Jian but to no avail. Seeing Song Jians slightly upward-twitching lips, the boy felt provoked. He tossed the purse aside and drew out a switchblade from his pocket, gesturing threateningly at Song Jian. Stay out of this, or else, he growled menacingly. Chapter 216 - Chapter 216: Chapter 216 Update Chapter 216: Chapter 216 Update Translator: 549690339 Seeing the fierce yet tender expression on the young mans face, Song Jian chuckled and took two steps forward. Im warning you, dont come any closer or youll be covered in blood! the teenager shouted angrily, retreating two steps. The alley was dimly lit and had a strong smell of urine. Song jian didnt want to stay here much longer, so he waved to the boy and asked, What level are you in the game? The teenager was startled and asked, Are you a God-chosen too? Cut the crap, we re just players. Dont try to make yourself look good, said Song Jian. How did you end up resorting to robbery? You dont think youre tarnishing the name God-chosen? The teenager showed an awkward expression and scratched his head. Im just a beggar, 1 dont have any other skills besides stealing. So youve upgraded from begging to robbery? Song Jian waved his hand, Come on out, its too smelly in here. The teenager reluctantly walked out, holding his switchblade, but his eyes still showed a hint of vigilance. Whats your name? What level are you in the game? asked Song Jian as he walked ahead with the teenager following behind him. Im Zhang Ergou, level 10 in the game! the teenager answered quietly. Level io? Already built a safe house? Not bad! Song Jians eyes flashed with surprise. He knew that in the game, fewer than one in ten players had built a safe house. Just luck! Zhang Ergou s eyes showed a hint of pride. Cant you bring items out of the game? Wouldnt selling a few be enough instead of resorting to robbery? Song J ian was puzzled. I couldnt find anything valuable to bring out. All the items were useless Zhang Ergou was frustrated. He had been playing the game for over a month without finding any valuable items to bring out of the game. Song Jian smiled wryly, knowing that it really depended on their luck. So what are your plans for the future? Continue being a thug and stealing on the streets? Song Jian asked. Zhang Ergous face darkened, feeling his pride wounded. He snorted, Thats none of your business, hmph! With that, Zhang Ergou immediately jumped onto a nearby wall and landed on the roof. Standing on the roof, he shouted at Song Jian, Mind your own business, and be careful not to lose your life in the game! Song Jian was taken aback, watching Zhang Ergou disappear. He didnt know what to say. Zhang Ergou was the first player Song Jian had met in the real world. He originally wanted to develop a good relationship and possibly ally with him, but they had a falling out after just a few words. No wonder hes called Zhang Ergou. He really has a dog face, turning against me just like that, and 1 was even planning to give him ten or twenty thousand Song jian muttered under his breath as he walked towards the rental house with his sword. With two million in his pocket, Song Jian planned to buy a house first, so hed have a place to store items brought from the game. He didnt feel safe leaving valuable items in a rental house. After returning to his room and malting himself a simple lunch, Song Jian took a short rest and then picked up his Eight-sided Sword to practice indoors. The space in the room was limited, but it didnt stop Song Jian from practicing the basic moves of his sword technique. Half the day passed quickly, and darkness began to fall. Song Jian freshened up, changed into loose clothes, drank a glass of milk, and placed his phone on the bedside table before lying down quietly in bed. Soon, rhe phone on the bedside table lit up automatically, as did the Doomsday City game icon, which turned into a spinning red vortex. A skeletal arm emerged from the vortex, grabbed Song Jian, and pulled him into the phone. After a dizzying moment of weightlessness, Song Jian opened his eyes and found that he hadnt entered the game directly, but had arrived at the stage where mainline missions were calculated. Every time a player completed a mainline mission and left the game, they would enter this space for calculation. During his last mainline mission, Song Jian received an S-ranking reward: the next time he entered the game, his Vitality Points recovery rate would be increased by 300%. Song Jian roughly understood why his ranking was two levels lower this time; it was most likely because he had abandoned the side mission offered by the dwarf blacksmith from the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. This alerted Song Jian about the importance of side missions. If he completed them, his ranking would improve, but if he failed, it would decrease. It was a double-edged sword. But why didnt 1 enter the game directly this time? Why was 1 sent to this calculation space? Song Jian wondered. At that moment, rows of golden text appeared in front of Song Jian: After carefully reading through the information, Song Jian finally realized that the game had its first update. This update had a lot of changes, with the most significant ones being the cancellation of the requirement to complete mainline missions to leave the game; Additionally, some other updates made Song Jian feel quite surprised. The real world and game worlds time flow ratio is 1:24, so one hour in the real world makes one day pass in the game! Each time you enter the game, you can stay for at most one week, which is seven days in the real world. After the time is up, the game shuts down automatically! Added roaming NPC C Pet Merchant. You can buy pets if you meet them! Added Pet Contract Scroll to System Shop. When a monsters Vitality Points are below 5%, you can use the Pet Contract Scroll for a chance to capture it as a per! Added a special building C Auction House. There are City Auctions and World Auctions! No handling fees and mailing costs for City Auction House items; World Auction House will have high handling fees and mailing costs! Increased the number of side missions, lowered their difficulty, and added regional missions. Upon completion, players will receive numerous rewards! Song Jian carefully read through the densely packed update information and changes. The changes were made to avoid inconsistencies in the flow of time for players entering and leaving the game at the same time due to the difference in the completion speed of mainline missions. These inconsistencies would likely consume a significant amount of resources, malting the game difficult to maintain, and eventually had to be changed to fix the time flow speed between the real world and the game world. As for the other changes, they served to enrich the game content. Song Jian believed that this wasnt the last update, and more content would be added in the future. What is the ultimate purpose of this game? To create gods? Song Jian furrowed his brow, gazing at the starry-space-like settlement area beneath his feet while speculating silently. Chapter 217 - Chapter 217: Chapter 217: The Ten-Door Sword Technique Chapter 217: Chapter 217: The Ten-Door Sword Technique Translator: 549690339 Song Jian quickly emerged from the settlement space and entered the game; Huh, 1 remember when I left the game, I was on the top floor of the Tianfeng Building, so how come Im back in the Manor Castle after re-entering the game? Song Jian sat up from his bed with a slight frown. System: When a player logs off, please save your current location as the login point. This way, you will log in from the current location when you reenter the game; otherwise, you will log in from the games default location (safe house); Oh, 1 see! Song Jian nodded. If he were to return to the safe house every time he entered the game, it would be embarrassing if he went to a distant location, arrived at the destination, and then, after the game time was up and he logged in again, found that he had wasted his previous journey. Just then, a red liquid started to seep out slowly onto the wall opposite Song Jian. The liquid didnt drip down; instead, it coagulated on the wall to form a few lines of text. Main Quest: Swordsmanship Mission Brief: As a newly appointed Sword Controller, youve started to feel embarrassed about the number of sword skills you have. To become a true Sword Controller, you must master various sword skills. Only then can you become stronger and grow gradually! Mission Goal: Master ten sword skills. Progress: 2/10 Mission Tip: There are many ways to acquire sword skills. You can get them from monsters or learn them from other swordsmen. You can even purchase them from the auction house! Tip: The stronger the sword skill you master, the higher the completion degree of your main mission will be! Tip: The higher level the monster, the higher chance it will drop high-level sword skills! Tip: Humanoid monsters have a much higher probability of having sword skills than other monsters! Warning: If you die in the game, your identity in the real world will also be erased! You can view this mission in the mission bar at any time! The wall of blood letters emitted a faint glow for a few minutes before gradually disappearing, as if they were being reabsorbed into the wall. Ten sword techniques, this should not be very difficult for me. Song Jian looked at the main objective, which he had already completed two-tenths of. It seems that the system had counted his Sword Finger and Broken Wing Dance as part of it, but the passive basic sword techniques werent included. However, this was within Song Jians expectations. These basic passive abilities are easy to understand when you enter the game and are a kind of benefit for the players. But how powerful these passive abilities are is hard to say. Inside the Manors Spirit Field, the Blood-soaked Spectral Poison Tree, Alex, is still in deep sleep. Its level has been upgraded to level thirteen, and its aura is gradually becoming stronger. A touch of coercion is being released around it, and its branches and leave veins are becoming more vibrant. They were originally a sallow shade mixed with a hint of dark red. But now, they are visibly turning blood-red. The number of blood ravens on Alex seems to have decreased, perhaps only half of the usual. When they saw Song Jian, they didnt react. They shrank their heads and stood on the tree. It took them quite a while to twist their necks, making them look just like statues. All the other Spirit Fields were full of plants. This time, sweet potatoes and radishes were planted. They seemed to be growing well, and it wouldnt be long before another harvesting ceremony could be held. Compared with the Attribute Fruits dropped by monsters, the monthly harvesting ceremony has become Song Jians primary way of increasing his attribute points. Outside the walls of the manor, a few zombies with red skin and ragged clothes were wandering around. As soon as any mutant zombie approached, these zombies would rush to fight them until the mutant zombie was eliminated; These are the Blood Zombies bred after the Blood Pool was upgraded to level two. They have stronger bodies and faster speed than the level one mutant zombies. They dont have their abilities halved during the day, and they have a blood-sucking ability when attacking, which can completely crush mutant zombies of the same level; The most important thing is, these Blood Zombies can also upgrade their own levels by fighting monsters. However, their maximum level is limited by Song Jians level; they cant surpass Song Jians level; Now these Blood Zombies are still low level, only around levels two or three. But since Song Jians manor is built in the novice area where the monsters levels arent very high, the Blood Zombies can handle them. Master, youre here to inspect the territory again! The steward George appeared out of nowhere. When Song Jian wasnt paying attention, he appeared beside him and bowed, immediately starting to flatter, I believe that under your leadership, our manor will surely prosper. In the future, we will certainly have even more territories and a vast expanse of land Song Jian gave a slight nod. As for having a territory only within a ten-meter range, he felt somewhat helpless. But there were few players around building safe houses, so he believed that in a short period of time, he could safely invade and occupy territories. However, the rule that he could only expand once a month made Song Jian somewhat frustrated. After all, there were too many buildings that could be built. Right now, his territory only had one Livestock Pen and one mill. He was in the process of building houses, so later he could recruit more NPCs. When the scope of the territory expanded, he would be able to open up fields. Looking at the steady development of the manor, Song Jian was very satisfied. He nodded, then summoned the Black Dragon hatchling. After becoming a pet, the Black Dragon hatchlings level had dropped back down to zero and needed to be leveled up again. The area he was going to had high-level monsters and wasnt suitable to bring it along. In case it carelessly got killed, there would be a drop in intimacy level, so it was better to let it safely hunt low-level monsters to level up in this area. The Black Dragon hatchling was very intelligent and would hide in the manor if it encountered danger. Watching the Black Dragon hatchling eagerly pounce on a mutant zombie, Song Jian summoned a motorcycle and headed towards the area with level ten monsters. After becoming a Sword Controller, the level limit has been lifted, and he can continue to level up. Previously, Song Jian had noticed that many people had already reached level ten. Moreover, some of them had even become professionals earlier than he had, which made him feel somewhat threatened. Even if he couldnt maintain being the top player level-wise, he must at least stay in the leading echelon, and couldnt lag too far behind; All the way there, Song Jian saw many players hunting monsters to level up. When a monster zone was repeatedly cleared, the zone would stop refreshing monsters and would become a safe zone. Similarly, if a safe zone didnt see any players for a long period of time, the safe zone would be occupied by monsters, regressing back to a monster zone; The power dynamics between the players and the monsters waxed and waned. As more and more players entered the game, the area of the safe zone also continued to expand, accommodating more players. The roar of the motorcycle attracted quite a few monsters, but these level five or six monsters only glanced at Song Jian from a distance and then stopped chasing. Unless they were monsters that had completely lost their sanity, most monsters had an instinct to avoid stronger beings. Since they sensed Song Jians strength, they naturally wouldnt chase him to their deaths. Upon reaching the area with level ten monsters, Song Jian put away his motorcycle. The monsters here wouldnt shy away from him. If he attracted too many, he would be in danger. There were not many players here, just a handful scattered around, either hunting level ten monsters on the streets or searching for supplies in nearby shops. Song Jians gaze fell on a theater in the distance. Generally, the larger the buildings space, the more likely a BOSS could appear. And the probability of a BOSS dropping a skill, was obviously much higher than ordinary monsters. After looking around, Song Jian cautiously made his way towards the theater; Chapter 218 - Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Mutated Skeleton Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Mutated Skeleton Translator: 549690339 The perimeter wall of the theater had completely fallen, and most of the doors and windows were blocked by heavy stones, making it resemble a colossal tomb. Unlike other buildings, where monsters sheltering from the sunlight would occasionally emit roars, the theater was utterly silent, not a hint of sound escaping. There better be some monsters inside. Without monsters, a place like this is worthless. No one would even bother to explore, Song Jian secretly hoped. He stepped on the broken bricks and used the gaps in the wall to climb upward, trying to see if he could make his way into the theater from above. After all, removing the collapsed bricks in front of the theater would require a significant amount of time and energy. The theater was over a dozen meters high, but the collapsed wall in front represented a slope that he could climb to reach the top. This wasnt particularly challenging for Song Jian, who possessed superhuman physical capabilities compared to an average person. Grabbing the eave, Song Jian flipped himself onto the roof. Thump- His feet landing shattered a few tiles, and one of his feet sunk deep. Having been left unmaintained for years, this building was on the brink of collapse. The roof appeared intact, but it was brittle and decayed, unable to withstand any pressure. Song Jian looked up to find a sealed skylight in the roof, used for lighting in the theater. He walked cautiously along the roof ridge towards it, the creaking sounds from beneath his feet making him nervous, afraid of making a misstep and falling in. The closed skylight was embedded on a sloping surface of the roof. Some of the glass pieces were broken, and the others were covered in a thick layer of debris and dirt. Song Jian carefully climbed onto the skylight and knocked on it lightly. Crash- The frame of the skylight shattered, pieces of glass flying apart. He tapped a few more times until there was enough space for him to fit through. Only then did Song Jian leap into the skylight. Beneath the skylight was a small loft with some basic furniture. Straight ahead from the skylight, a white, fleshless skeletal figure leaned on a table, a decayed quill in its hand, and scattered papers on the floor. The writing on them was blurred, but they seemed to be some play scripts. This is indeed rare, a fleshless skeleton! Song Jian couldnt help but take a second look at the skull on the table. Though the city was filled with all sorts of monsters, most were zombies, still maintaining rotten flesh and skin. Upon seeing the skeleton, Song Jian was reminded of the gigantic skeletal giant he once saw walking through the city center, akin to a skyscraper. Crack- An odd sound echoed in the quiet loft. Song Jians gaze sharpened as he turned towards the skull. The skull, which was initially face-down, had twisted to one side. Just as Song Jian looked over, its right index finger trembled slightly. Is it coming back to life? Song Jian drew the Guardians Sword and lunged forward, slashing the sword towards the skulls neck. Click- The skulls left hand strangely flipped up and grabbed the blade, blocking the attack, but its body remained still on the table. At this point, a blood gauge and its attributes slowly appeared above the skull. LV10 Mutated Skeleton (Normal), Vitality Points: 4.00/800, Traits: Super Resilient, Dark Energy Just a level 10 normal monster. It scared me for a moment! Song Jian was always cautious around unusually looking monsters, fearing he might encounter a boss with special abilities. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian abruptly withdrew his longsword, his figure darting forward as if teleporting. The blade violently cleaved down on the mutated skeletons spine. This time, its claw reached out for nothing, its backbone taking a harsh strike. Clang- The collision sounded dull, almost as if he had struck gold or jade. As he unleashed this skill, Song Jian suddenly seemed to feel a powerful surge of energy within him, propelling his own body. He swiftly twisted and almost as if teleporting, rushed to the mutated skeletons left side, his sword sweeping horizontally towards its skull. Clang- Another resounding thud was heard. On the milky-white surface of the skull, a white mark remained. At this moment, the mutated skeleton seemed to have just awakened, attempting to rise to its feet. It was dazzled by the two blows, a harsh strike to the head causing it to lose its balance and stagger to the right. It extended its right hand and grabbed hold of the backrest of a chair to steady itself. But the chair, long decayed, crumbled into a pile of wood dust with a creak, and the mutated skeleton tumbled to the ground. Thud- Two eerie green flames were burning in the skeletons eye sockets. The scent of fresh flesh The mutated skeleton was suddenly engulfed by a green flame, preparing to rise, Song Jians Broken Wing Dance third stage had already been triggered. He leapt high into the air, his hands gripping the sword, and slashed down with all his might; Boom! The whole tower swayed slightly as the sword dispersed the green flame on the mutated skeletons surface and plunged into its shoulder, the blade lodged in its bones. Bang! The mutated skeleton suddenly extended its right hand and forcefully pushed Song Jians chest, flinging him three to four meters away. Song Jian rolled a couple times on the ground before standing up. On his zombie leader armor, there was a palm print half an inch deep. This blow had directly drained Song Jian of over sixty Vitality Points. Is this the defense and attack power of a standard-level 10 creature? System, is there some misunderstanding with the standard creature term? Song Jian couldnt help but spit out blood. After coughing up the coagulated blood, his chest felt a little relieved. While losing over sixty Vitality Points would seem a lot to other players, to Song Jian, it was only a tenth of his Vitality Points. Moreover, his Vitality Points recovery rate had increased by 300% recovering twenty-three Vitality Points per second. He would be at full health soon. Click click click- Slowly getting up, the mutated skeleton charged at Song Jian, the spine-chilling sound of its bones grinding against each other echoed in the air. Eye of Death! A silvery vertical pupil slowly opened in the center of his forehead, and a silver light column instantly targeted the skeletons head. Consecutive damage scrolled above the skeletons skull. For a moment, the mutated skeleton was restrained, its Vitality Points visibly diminishing rapidly; Seconds later, the mutated skeleton emitted a harsh shriek, bursting into flames, and turned into a pile of black ash. No matter how high the defense, or the attack, the Vitality Points are still that of a standard-level 10 creature! said Song Jian, as the silvery vertical pupil on his forehead slowly closed, leaving only a faint silver line: A standard creature simply cannot withstand the Eye of Death. It will be killed instantly! Among the black ashes that the mutated skeleton had turned into, three to four items were scattered around. Song Jian didnt pick them up, instead, he sat down to recover his Spirit Points. Chapter 219 - Chapter 219: Chapter 219: The Golden Jar Chapter 219: Chapter 219: The Golden Jar Translator: 549690339 After recovering his Spirit Points to over 80%, Song Jian approached the items dropped by the monster. It was a mutated skeleton. Although it was just a level 10 ordinary monster, the items it dropped were quite good. First, there was a blue-quality weapon, which even came with a skill C it could be considered a small top-quality item. [Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow] (Blue): One-handed weapon, Attack: 22-48, Fire damage +3, Agility +2. Special effect 1: Triple Shot (active), consecutively launches three crossbow bolts at the target, with the first dealing 110% physical damage, the second 90% physical damage, and the third 60% physical damage; Skill cooldown: 10 seconds; Special effect 2: Infinite Ammo: The weapon can automatically generate crossbow bolts; Usage requirement: Level 10; Can it be taken out of the game: No Aside from slightly low damage, this weapons other attributes were top quality, almost comparable to a silver-quality item. Although Song Jians attack damage would be reduced by 80% when using this crossbow, it could be equipped in the secondary weapon slot to enjoy the attribute bonuses, and it would also be very handy for luring monsters. Song Jian equipped it in his secondary weapon slot, finally raising his Agility attribute to double digits, reaching 11 points. Of the remaining three items, one was a white-quality necklace, another was a material, and there was also a small pile of Doomsday Coins. Getting a blue equipment and a white equipment from a level 10 ordinary monster could already be considered a pleasant surprise. [Frost Skeleton Necklace] (White): Necklace, Defense increase by 10%, additional Spirit Points recovery +2. Usage requirement: Level 10; Can it be taken out of the game: No [Bone Powder] (White): Material, can be used to make potions, usage requirement: Possess potion-making skill; [Doomsday Coins] (56): Currency, can be used to purchase items in the game; An item that could recover Spirit Points was a rare piece of equipment among rare pieces. Since entering the game, Song Jian rarely came across items that could recover Spirit Points. Besides the Devouring Belt in his possession, this would be the second item that could recover Spirit Points. Naturally, he put it on his neck without hesitation. As for the Bone Powder, although it was a material for making potions, without the corresponding formula, he didnt know what kind of potion it could be used for, so he could only put it in his inventory for now. Although the Doomsday Coins werent many, not every humanoid monster dropped them, so it was still a pleasant surprise. System: Your level has increased to 11, you gained one skill point. Song Jians Experience Points had long been stuck at level 10, 99%, and after becoming a Sword Controller, the level limit was removed. A level 10 monster was enough to raise him to level 11. He checked his skill bar, and at this time, all his active skills proficiency was not maxed, so he could only add the skill point to a passive skill. However, these basic passive skills could be improved through daily practice, so using the skill point on them felt a bit wasteful. In the end, Song Jian could only add this skill point to his natural talent skill Thick-skinned, raising it to level 8. At level 8 Thick-skinned, his defense was increased by 2%, resistance by 1%, damage forcibly reduced by 11 points, and there was a slight increase in resistance to negative effects such as taunts, charms, corpse poison, paralysis, and dizziness. However, these improvements could not be seen in the data. Just after adding the skill point, Song Jians gaze suddenly fell on his active skills, and an idea surfaced in his mind, his face full of regret. I, Im such a pig! Song Jian cursed. Both Earth Teeth Assault and Kick skills consumed Vitality Points, but now that Song Jian recovered 23 Vitality Points per second, he could fully withstand the consumption of these two skills. He could use them to increase his proficiency as long as the cooldown time was over. As for the Sword Finger skill, it consumed Invisible Sword Qi, which recovered extremely quickly. A hundred Invisible Sword Qi points, even if fully consumed, could be fully restored in just a few seconds. It was effortless to improve. The newly learned sword skill Broken Wing Dance consumed Spirit Points, and he could practice it intermittently as long as he ensured his Spirit Points remained above 80%. With this thought, Song Jian lifted his left hand, and a silver Sword Qi burst forth, directly piercing a bookcase in front of him. Next, he kicked his right foot forward, and a white light enveloped his right foot. Accompanied by a soft breaking sound, the white light flashed and disappeared. Seeing that the proficiency of both skills increased by one point, Song Jian regretted so much that he wanted to bang his head against the wall. Forget it, its not too late to start practicing now! Song Jian shook his head and continued to explore. There was only one mutated skeleton in this attic. After killing it, Song Jian slowly began to search the place. In this game, acquiring items was not limited to defeating monsters. Searching for supplies was also an important method of acquiring items in the game. Drawers, wardrobes, boxes, and even under the bed, Song Jian carefully searched every spot, and though he did not come up empty-handed, the items he found were not very useful to him. A firearms attachment, a 2x scope, and a miscellaneous item, a nail clipper. This nail clipper has the property of being able to be taken out of the game, but what use would that be for me? It even takes up one of my carry-out slots! Song Jian looked at the two items he discovered and couldnt help but chuckle ruefully. At least the 2x scope could be sold for some money, but this nail clipper is this a joke? After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian didnt throw away the nail clipper. Instead, he stored it in his inventory. Currently, he not only has a Storage Ring but also a backpack, so the storage slots were fairly open. If he really couldnt fit all the items, this nail clipper would certainly be among the things he would casually discard. After finishing his search, Song Jian came to a corner of the attic. On the floor here, there was a rectangular metal cover locked in place. This should be the passage to the theater! Song Jian broke the rotten padlock and threw it aside, then opened the metal cover. Below was a short flight of stairs leading to a slightly larger spacious room. This room seemed to be the backstage makeup room of the theater. There was a large mirror embedded in the wall, occupying half the wall, and below was a row of dressing tables. Directly across from the dressing tables were a row of dilapidated sofas. The large mirror seemed to have been struck by something, with a large chunk broken off, and a crack extending from the center to both sides, dividing the mirror into two halves. Numerous smaller cracks branched out from this central crack, creating countless tiny fragments. On the dressing table beneath the mirror, in the center, there was a pale golden jar. On the surface of the jar, twisted and deformed faces were drawn. These faces seemed to be enduring immense pain as they contorted and wailed, becoming completely misshapen. There were numerous faces, large and small, which looked quite eerie and made onlookers feel uneasy. Song Jian slowly approached the pale golden jar. Chapter 220 - Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Sniper Skill Stone Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Sniper Skill Stone Translator: 549690339 This was a pale gold porcelain jar, covered in gold foil, with countless twisted faces of agony etched upon it. From a distance, it gave off an eerie feeling. Anyone with a fear of crowds would undoubtedly feel nauseous upon seeing it. Song Jian leisurely walked towards the porcelain jar. The closer he got to it, the stronger the sense of danger he felt in his heart. There was also a bone-chilling feeling that wrapped around him, as if what lay before him werent a porcelain jar, but a massive, thousand-year-old chunk of ice. Maybe this is a treasure chest in the game, capable of yielding good loot! Song Jians eyes were gleaming, his mind filled with visions of silver-grade and gold-grade treasures. Upon closer observation, there was a rigid look in his eyes, as if he were being pulled forward by some unseen force. Stepping up to the dressing table, Song Jian extended his hand towards the porcelain jar. Hisss- Smoke resembling human faces wafted from the jar. Each face was screaming in torment as it seemed to bear an endless pain. They had already shattered. Come, join us, join us, join Im free, Im free, Im so hungry Kill you all, kill all, kill all A cacophony of screams and roars filled Song Jians ears, as if a vast crowd surrounded him, relentlessly yelling, irritating him, and causing his eyes to gradually fill with bloodshot veins. Groups of face-shaped dark smoke floated above the porcelain jar, repeatedly merging, biting, and swallowing each other. Eventually, they formed into one horrendous and resentful face, staring intently at Song Jian. Song Jians head was throbbing with pain, his chest felt as if a boulder was pressing against it. He tried to vomit but couldnt. Wave after wave of psychic attacks, like tidal surges, came crashing against him. Just as he was about to succumb, about to break down, a burst of cool energy emerged in his mind, instantaneously dispelling all negative energy. Song Jian regained his consciousness, panting heavily. His face was covered in sweat. Just now, he had faced a brush with death, and had almost lost his sanity! Looking up at that ferocious face, a trace of murderous intent flickered in Song Jians eyes. He lifted his left hand. Swipe- A streak of silver Sword Qi whizzed towards the floating face. The horrific face curled up at the corners of its mouth, with a look of mockery passed in its eyes: Your attack is ineffective, mortal, offer up your body, let me Whoosh- The silver Sword Qi flashed past, splitting the face in half. Dense smoke rose from the fractured wounds. The face looked horrified: How is this possible Puff The face turned into a cloud of dark smoke, wildly writhing in mid-air, as if trying to reform itself. However, it eventually dissipated. The chilling and bone-piercing feeling gradually faded, and the golden light that radiated from the surface of the porcelain jar dimmed. Crack- A crack appeared on the surface of the porcelain jar, followed by the sound of shattering. The entire surface of the porcelain jar was like a spiders web, covered in cracks. A sense of decay wafted from within the jar. Bang- The porcelain jar suddenly exploded, spewing out a heap of grey-black powder. This feels like the ashes left after the monsters die? Song Jian looked in confusion at the powder that continued to flow out. This time, he gained no benefits. Instead, he almost lost his life, leaving Song Jian a bit vexed. Swoosh, swoosh- As the porcelain jar exploded, the grey-black powder flowed out non-stop, trickling from the dressing table to the floor. Song Jian began searching other pieces of furniture in the room, possible sources of hidden items. One bottle of mineral water, one bag of chips, nothing else! Song Jian shook his head, stashing these two items into his inventory. Resources in the newbie zones were running thin. Only these high-level areas still had food and drinks. Back in newbie zones, these items that were essential for survival had started to slightly increase in price. I should scout other dressing rooms. Maybe I can find some good loot! As Song Jian was about to leave, he glanced unintentionally at the dressing table and noticed a flicker of light from the shattered jars ashes. Huh, theres something inside! Song Jians eyes lit up. He walked swiftly towards the porcelain jar, now reduced to a pedestal, and dug into the black ashes twice. He then pulled out a stone that shimmered with a silvery glow. It was a stone in opalescent white, semi-transparent, with a surface that was as smooth as pebbles. Engraved in the stone was the character for skill. What is this Holding the stone, Song Jian furrowed his brows. This was his first encounter with such an object, leaving him somewhat bewildered. However, the attributes of the stone soon appeared before his eyes. Sniper Skill Stone: Fatal Blow; Learning Requirements: Sniper class, Level 15; Usage effect: Once used, learn the skill, Fatal Blow. Fatal Blow: At the cost of 80% Vitality Points, deal 280% critical damage to the target, additionally, hit enemys vitals to stack extra damage on critical hits. A skill stone for snipers? This skill is a bit scary. A one-shot kill from a kilometer away must be a core skill for the sniper profession. As expected from Fatal Blow, it is indeed fatal! Song Jian was a bit astounded. This skill stone was extremely precious. With such severe damage output, it gave even Song Jian pause, fearing he might get one-shotted. As for other players with only a hundred or two hundreds of Vitality Points? I cant sell this skill even if it rots in my warehouse! Song Jian tightly clutched the skill stone. After pondering for a while, he put it into his inventory. Even though he found a valuable item, it brought little immediate benefit to Song Jian. After leaving the dressing room, he thoroughly searched all the other dressing rooms backstage of the theatre. He found a lot of food and water, as well as some ingredients for making medicine. With his portable medicine crafting station, Song Jian managed to create three high-quality Weakness Potions. Through a corridor, he pushed open a half-broken wooden door to enter a spacious front hall. As far as he could see, the hall was probably over two thousand square meters in size. There were over a thousand seats in front of the stage, although many of them were now in disrepair. Ribbit, ribbit- A series of low croaks resonated throughout the hall. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, noticing that under the seats of the hall, many monsters were sound asleep. These monsters looked like eight or nine-year-old children, dressed in simple dirty gray clothes, badly torn. Behind them were large black bat wings, making them look like giant bats. Zombie Bats, all of them are Zombie Bats! Song Jian was startled and quickly retreated. Chapter 221 - Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Regional Plot Task Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Regional Plot Task Translator: 549630339 Seeing so many bat-winged zombies. Song Jians heart skipped a beat, recalling the scene from that night. Even though these bat-winged zombies were level 10 elite bosses, the sight of a hundred of them flying low through the sky was absolutely terrifying. That night, Song Jian had seen numerous level 15 and even level 20 elite bosses fall under the bat-winged zombies onslaught and become their food. Just as Song Jian stepped onto the stage and prepared to retreat, he suddenly heard a cold, mechanical voice in his ear. Warning: You have entered a sensitive area, and the areas plot will begin!11 Warning: There is a Skill Book Stele in this area. Kill all the monsters in the entire theater to activate it. The stele will be available for 10 minutes, and you can purchase Skill Books that appear on it! Warning: You will automatically accept this task and cannot refuse. Fifteen seconds after accepting the task, all the monsters in the entire theater will launch an incessant offensive against you. Please be prepared! Tip: After the task starts, the entire theater will become a special structure, prohibiting other players from entering in any form and preventing you from leaving in any form until the stele appears. After 15 minutes, you can choose to leave. If you leave the special structure, the task will fail, the Skill Book Stele will disappear, and you will no longer be able to obtain this task here in the future! System: You have accepted a regional plot task, which will begin in fifteen seconds! System: Fifteen-second countdown begins: 15, 14,13, A regional plot task? Is it only available to the first person who enters here? Song Jian was puzzled. Glancing at the dense crowd of at least a hundred bat-winged zombies in the hall, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. Fortunately, these bat-winged zombies were only level 10 ordinary monsters, not elite bosses like the ones he had seen that night. Seeing their childlike bodies, Song Jian assumed it was because they hadnt fully grown yet. LV10 Bat-Winged Zombie (Young), Vitality Points: 550/1100, Traits: Flight, Strong Poison; Skills: Bite, Dive These bat-winged zombies were just level 10 ordinary monsters, but their attributes and skills were powerful. Although not as formidable as elite bosses, they were much stronger than regular level 10 zombies. The fifteen-second countdown ended quickly, and all the bat-winged zombies opened their blood-red eyes at the same time, staring at Song Jian. A hundred bloodthirsty red eyes stared at Song Jian, making him feel a tingling sensation on his scalp, as he slowly moved towards the backstage passageway. It was impossible for him to fight so many monsters in an open area. If he wanted to achieve victory, he had to rely on terrain. The passageway leading from the stage to the backstage could only fit two or three people side by side, giving him a distinct advantage over fighting the bat-winged zombies on the open stage. Moreover, Song Jian could retreat while fighting, and if he felt overwhelmed, he could hide in the loft he had entered the theater through. As long as he held the entrance, he could endure until the fifteen minutes were up. However, this would be his last resort. Until the very end, Song Jian wouldnt choose to hide in the loft and let the task fail. Plop! All the bat-winged zombies took to the air and attacked Song Jian. It looked like a massive wave of dark clouds rushing towards him. Seeing the swarming bat-winged zombies, Song Jians eyes lit up, and he took out a T-11 high-explosive grenade from his inventory, pulled the pin, and threw it at them. Boom! A loud explosion ripped through the crowd of bat-winged zombies, instantly sweeping away dozens of them. A large row of damage numbers appeared, creating a dizzying display. Ten-plus bat-winged zombies received critical damage, showing damage figures of over six hundred points above their heads and were instantly killed. They transformed into black ashes floating down from the sky. Many other bat-winged zombies lost half of their Vitality Points, their bodies drenched in blood and emitting painful screams. Some bat-winged zombies even caught fire, flying around in pain and causing other bat-winged zombies to stay away from their burning companions. Killing more than a dozen bat-winged zombies gave Song Jian a small boost in his Experience Points. He then took out a bottle of Weakness Potion and threw it at the nearest bat- winged zombie. Without checking the effect of the Weakness Potion, Song Jian turned and ran towards the passage behind him. What a pity. I only managed to make one high-explosive grenade. If 1 had three or five of them, it would be easy to wipe out these monsters! Furthermore, killing all these monsters would be enough to raise my level by one. Song Jian lamented as he ran. The T-11 high-explosive grenade was quite powerful, dealing 300 points of area damage to targets within a five-meter range and having a chance to inflict an additional 150 points of fire damage. If in the center of the explosion, there was a high chance of critical damage; the more densely packed the monsters, the better its effect. It was indeed a powerful tool for slaying monsters. But the success rate of crafting high-explosive grenades was low C even ten sets of materials might not guarantee the creation of one, and the materials required were numerous and challenging to gather. Otherwise, Song Jian could have mass-produced them and quickly reached the highest level possible. Upon reaching the passageway, Song Jian turned around, wielding the Guardians Sword, and stood one meter away from the entrance, waiting quietly. In no time, several bat-winged zombies covered in Weakness Potion rushed in, attacking Song Jian without hesitation. With a sudden forward thrust of the longsword in his hand, Song Jian pierced the head of the foremost bat-winged zombie, flung its lifeless body backward, and hit several others. Broken Wing Dance! With a soft shout, Song Jian lunged forward, his body slashing heavily into a bat-winged zombie covered in Weakness Potion, instantly cutting the half-health monster in half. Blood rained down on him. Buzz! A faint sound echoed, and a milky-white light shield appeared around Song Jians body, blocking the attacks of the approaching bat-winged zombies. The second stage of Broken Wing Dance was activated, and in the narrow passage, Song Jian could only move forward. At this point, he had reached the entrance of the passage, and if he continued forward, he would be in the middle of the swarm of monsters. Undaunted, he charged ahead, his longsword piercing another bat-winged zombie. Then, Song Jian leaped high into the air and struck down forcefully. With a bang, his sword smashed into a bat-winged zombies head, splitting it open like a watermelon. A shockwave spread in all directions, sweeping away the other bat-winged zombies that were within range. The damage numbers continued to rise as Song Jian retreated back into the passage. Chapter 222 - Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Translator: 549690339 The Broken Wing Dance skill, featuring impressive damage, mobility, and a powerful third-stage attack that can control opponents, can paralyze anyone hit by its energy wave, throwing them into the air. Its a versatile move that can be used for both offensive and defensive tactics. Splash- Upon seeing Song Jian retreat to a backstage corridor, the bat-winged zombies swarmed in, screaming. They piled on top of one another, desperate to squeeze into the tight space. They seem to have lost any sense of self-awareness Song Jian frowned, looking at the chaotic red eyes of the bat-winged zombies, filled with fury and a thirst for blood. Attack! Song Jian advanced instead of retreating, standing his ground in the corridor. He swung his sword, chopping at the monsters rushing towards him. These creatures had claws as sharp as metal. The tips of their claws gleamed with a green light. They launched themselves from the air at a furious speed, and any neglect on Song Jians part would result in them managing to land a blow. Thud- The Vitality Points of the bat-winged zombies were slashed to zero one by one. They burned in mid-air, dissipating into a cloud of black smoke accompanied by a pitiful scream, only leaving some black ash floating in the air. Sword Finger! A three-meter-long silver sword light suddenly flashed and stabbed forward, piercing the bodies of six or seven bat-winged zombies like kebabs. Plop Plop Plop- The bodies of three bat-winged zombies exploded, turning into black smoke and breaking apart. The rest were heavily injured, struggling on the ground of the corridor, their bodies continuously emitting black smoke. Song Jian fought as he retreated, quickly killing three to four dozen bat-winged zombies. The other zombies didnt hesitate in the face of their comrades death, throwing themselves at Song Jian one after another. Despite his vitality points recovering at a rate of twenty-three per second, Song Jians vitality points kept dropping. The bat-winged zombies attacks were all highly toxic. Each hit resulted in a burning pain at the wound site. System: Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted 55 points of damage on you, with an additional 15 points of Toxic Damage; your talent skill Thick Skin has activated, reducing 12 points of damage and immunizing against the Toxic Damage. After considering your physical condition and equipment defense, the Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted a final damage of 24 points on you. System: Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted 59 points of damage on you, with an additional 15 points of Toxic Damage; your talent skill Thick Skin has activated, reducing 12 points of damage and immunizing against the Toxic Damage. After considering your physical condition and equipment defense, the Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted a final damage of 28 points on you. Such combat prompts were falling like a waterfall, startling Song Jian. His talent skill was really powerful; it immunized him against every instance of Toxic Damage. Otherwise, Song Jian would have long since retreated, instead of standing his ground in the corridor, fighting against three to four bat-winged zombies. Soon, he reached the end of the corridor, which led to a hallway lined with dressing rooms. Song Jian retreated towards the dressing room he first entered, which had a staircase to the attic. If he couldnt hold them off, he would have to retreat to the attic and block the entrance. A thick layer of black ash now covered the corridor, with more than fifty bat-winged zombies dead. Among the black ash, various glowing items floated about. These were the items dropped by the bat-winged zombies that Song Jian had no time to collect. In actuality, this quest isnt designed for solo players but for a combat squad. Only with a well-organized and fully-equipped squad could one potentially block the suicidal onslaught of so many bat-winged zombies using this corridor. But unexpectedly, Song Jian, with his extraordinary vitality recovery rate and strong attacks, couldnt go as far as a full-fledged combat squad, but he came close. Relying on his strategy of retreat and fight, he managed to eliminate nearly half of the bat-winged zombies. The rest couldnt inflict fatal damage on him. As long as he had enough time, Song Jian believed he could wipe them all out before his Vitality Points run out. The speed of his Vitality Points depletion was very slow. At this moment, Song Jian still had more than 300 Vitality Points. If it were someone else, they would have hidden in a narrow place by now. But, Song Jian had killed fifty to sixty bat-winged zombies. Phew, that was refreshing! Song Jian wiped the jet-black blood splattered on his forehead, surprisingly a smile crept onto his face. Whoosh- He was hit hard on the shoulder again. Although he was immune to the poisonous damage, the moment he was attacked, he felt a burning pain in his shoulder, as if something was scorching and corroding the wound. The durability of the Zombie Leaders Armor also appeared, its durability had now dropped to 28/56. This made Song Jian a little worried. This piece of Zombie Leaders Armor was a minor masterpiece, and its a set with gloves that came with set-increased attributes. Once the armor is damaged, not only will he lose the attributes of an upper garment but the 3-point strength attribute bonus the set provides would disappear as well. That would be somewhat unbearable. Broken Wing Dance! Seeing that the cooldown of the sword skill Broken Wing Dance had ended, Song Jian immediately released this skill. With the Devouring Belt and Frost Skeleton Necklace, as long as Song Jian didnt expend high-consuming skills like Eye Kill, his Spirit Points would consistently remain above 90%. Phew, No more, 1 must replenish some Vitality Points, otherwise, its not sustainable. Even if 1 reach the attic, they will drain me to death! After casting the skill, Song Jian retreated. He checked his Vitality Points, which had dropped from over three hundred to just over two hundred and eighty. For others, more than two hundred Vitality Points might be their total, but for Song Jian, he had already reached a very dangerous zone. Blood Pool Summoning Skill! Song Jian murmured, and a Hexagram Magic Array materialized under his feet centered around him; Whoosh- A flock of Blood Ravens flew out of the Magic Array. Average level of the thirty-odd Blood Ravens was around five. Their sudden appearance startled the bat-winged zombies. Those that were about to pounce on Song Jian also halted, but they resumed their charge at the realization of the Blood Ravens strength; Level five Blood Ravens were no match for these bat-winged zombies, plus, bat-winged zombies could fly, nullifying the only advantage Blood Ravens had. However, Song Jian had not summoned the Blood Ravens to resist the bat-winged zombies C a mere few seconds distraction would suffice. The Blood Ravens were obliterated one by one by the bat-winged zombies, turning into splattered blood, dyeing the entire corridor in red. The sweet nauseating smell of blood filled the surroundings. The Blood Ravens bought Song Jian six seconds of recovery time, restoring his Vitality Points to over four hundred. As one by one the Blood Ravens were obliterated, red zombies emerged from the Hexagram Magic Array. Chapter 223 - Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Skill Stele Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Skill Stele Translator: 549690339 | Blood Ravens filled the sky, yet they were under siege by the bat-winged zombies. Periodic bursts of blood plasma were seen, and within the Hexagram Array, the figures of red zombies began to appear. These creatures were blood beasts called Blood Zombies, produced by the Blood Pool after being upgraded to the second level. These Blood Zombies, like the Blood Ravens, could kill monsters to level up. However, their maximum level was much higher than the Blood Ravens, reaching up to level ten. The Blood Zombies had not been around for long, so none of them had reached level ten. The highest among them was level six, while the lowest was only level three. All blood beasts would return to the Blood Pool to grow again once they died, and their levels would directly drop to level one. To regain their original levels, it would take considerable effort. T he blood beasts could level up in two ways. One was by killing monsters to gain Experience Points, and the other was through time C their levels would automatically increase over time. However, the latter method was time-consuming and greatly dependent on the level of the Blood Pool. T he Blood Zombies were considerably stronger than the Blood Ravens. As soon as they left the Magic Array, they roared and rushed towards the bat-winged zombies. Despite their lower levels, the Blood Zombies managed to fight on par with their enemies for a short period. While a Blood Raven could be defeated with two hits, each Blood Zombie would need to be hit about five or six times by the bat-winged zombies before it was killed. Song Jian smiled slightly as he watched his vitality points about to be fully restored. He then charged towards the bat-winged zombies. In just over ten seconds, the thirty Blood Zombies had been reduced to only seven or eight. Even though their vitality was drained, they had managed to buy time for Song Jian to recover. They had also managed to kill three or four of the bat-winged zombies. In contrast to the Blood Ravens, the Blood Zombies had certainly enhanced their combat power several times over. Sword Finger! Swish- A silver sword light about three meters long swept across and instantly bisected seven or eight bat-winged zombies. The bats screamed in pain and turned into black ash, sending a chill through the remaining bat-winged zombies and in the blink of an eye, Song Jian had charged into the hordes of bat-winged zombies, causing carnage. Weakness Potion! Bang! Another wealmess potion was thrown at the bat-winged zombies. As it shattered, a green powdery mist enveloped all the bat-winged zombies within six meters. The green particles seemed to burrow under their skin and entered their bodies through their mouths and nostrils. Suddenly, a greyish aura spread amongst the afflicted zombies. The potion caused thirty points of actual damage and reduced the armor defense of all enemies within its range by 35% for 65 seconds. Many bat-winged zombies turned into black ash before they could shake off the weakening effect. Kill! Kill! Kill! In his frenzied state, Song Jian charged around the hordes of bat-winged zombies without any regard for his defense as the bat-winged zombies claws left marks on his armor. The battle lasted for half an hour, with all the Blood Zombies killed and returned to the Blood Pool. Song Jian, completely exhausted, started laughing heartily amidst the black ashes and loot scattered around. He sat on the floor, leaning on his long sword. System: You have successfully completed the regional plot task, and the evaluation of the main task has been upgraded! System: The Professional Skill Book Stele will appear in three minutes, and its appearance time is ten minutes. Please prepare! System: The Professional Skill Book Stele only exists for ten minutes and will disappear after ten minutes. During this period, you cannot leave the regional plot task area, or the stele will disappear immediately! Song Jian struggled to his feet and began picking up the spoils of the battle scattered on the ground. All these items were dropped by level-ten monsters even their materials were more valuable than those dropped by previous monsters. He continued along the corridor, collecting items all the way onto the stage. Song Jians bag was filled, six slots of his Storage Ring were also occupied, with only the green-quality Postal Bag remaining empty. Sixty-four white-quality materials, thirteen green-quality materials, three summon card of bat-winged zombies, more than six hundred Doomsday Coins, one Vampiric Scroll, one Attack Scroll, haha, its well worth it! Song Jian looked at the items in his bag and an excited look flashed across his face. White-quality materials of the same type could occupy one slot, while green-quality materials had to be separately stored from the white ones, even if they were of the same type. This was why Song Jians bag was full. The summon cards of bat-winged zombies occupied one slot, and the Vampiric Scroll and Attack Scroll each took up one slot. After picking up the loot, Song Jian went to the spacious stage. At this point, countless shimmering dots of light, like fireflies, were dancing in the air, continuously merging towards the center to form a light pillar more than three meters high. The light pillar was emitting a soft glow, which got brighter as more dots of light joined. Looking at the time, two minutes had passed, and the Professional Skill Book Stele was about to appear. As more and more light converged on rhe pillar, it grew brighter and more intense. Eventually, Song Jian had to cover his eyes to avoid being blinded. Soon, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: The Professional Skill Book Stele has appeared, please select and purchase quickly. The stele will disappear in ten minutes! The light vanished in an instant, and Song Jian lowered his hand. Before him stood a three-meter tall cyan stele. This stele, carved from cyan stone, was wider at the bottom and tapered upward with complex magical patterns on its surface. Energy was flowing through these patterns, flickering in and out of sight. Song Jian stepped forward quickly, reached out his right hand and touched the surface of the stele. Instantly, a three by three grid appeared before his eyes. Each grid was occupied by a skill book. Song Jian had a cheerful smile on his face as he carefully looked at the contents of the nine skill books. The Professional Skill Book Stele was essentially a hidden store that only sold skill books for various professions. These books included skills for over ten thousand professions, from unique to common, each with dozens of skills. Finding a skill book for ones own profession from the vast number of skills was like finding a needle in a haystack. Soon, the smile on Song Jians face gradually faded and he looked somewhat distressed. Chapter 224 - Chapter 224: Chapter 224 Rapid Sword Chapter 224: Chapter 224 Rapid Sword Translator: 549690339 These are all skill books for other professions! After scanning the nine squares carefully, Song Jian couldnt help but frown. These nine skill books were: Warriors Fierce Strike, Holy Shields Charge Shield Strike, Demon Hunters Night Vision, Shamans Bloodthirst, Archers Triple Shot, Demolition Mans Fast Placement, Elemental Mages Great Fireball, Genetic Warriors Bloodline Potential, Wolf Riders Beast Perception. Not a single one was about Swordman or Sword Controller. Song Jian felt quite disappointed. He had put in so much effort to complete the regional task, but the reward, the skill book in the stone tablet, didnt contain a single book he could use. He couldnt help but think System, are you joking with me? Although these skill books were pricey, and with Song Jians current wealth, he could only afford three or four of them. But, if he were to put these books on the market, theyd fetch a return of multiple times their original cost. Even so, he still felt frustrated. Just then, a system notification appeared in front of Song Jian; System: You have completed the regional plot task and received the right to reconfigure the skill book. The system detects a silver quality skill stone in your inventory. By adding the skill stone, the quality of the next skill book reset can be improved. I have a chance for reconfiguration? Song Jians eyes lit up, and a glimmer of hope rose in his heart. The last bit about adding a skill stone made Song Jian hesitate. The skill stone in his inventory was of silver quality and seemed to be a core skill for a sniper. If he wasted it and the value of the skill book obtained was less than the value of the skill stone, wouldnt he be losing out? It wasnt a small decision, considering Song Jians current wealth, he wouldnt be able to buy many skill books. After struggling for a while, Song Jian gritted his teeth and took out the silver quality skill stone. Ill take the risk. Replace it! A silver light flashed, and the nine squares kept changing rapidly. At the same time, the skill stone in Song Jians hands turned into a stream of light and flew into the nine squares. Soon, each of the nine squares released a silver light simultaneously. What, have the nine skill books been promoted to silver quality? Song Jian was dumbstruck, feeling as if a pie had fallen from the sky right on top of his head. Damn, Im short of money! At this moment, Song Jian suddenly remembered the Doomsday Coins in his inventory. He only had a few thousand coins. With this small amount of money, the most he could afford was probably just one silver-quality skill book. It seemed like he was going to take a loss this time! If 1 had known Wait, system, are you playing with me? Song Jian sighed heavily, looking as if he was wronged. Soon, the changes in the nine squares stopped, and nine skill books, each emitting a silver light, appeared before Song Jian. Enhanced Stealth, Overlords Lifting Ceremony, Backfire Gun, Fear Technique Song Jian nervously went through the books. These skills were all of silver quality and appeared to be core skills of their respective professions. They were extremely powerful. Finally, Song Jians eyes lit up, Rapid Sword! Finally, amongst the nine skill books, a Sword Controller skill appeared. Skill Book: Rapid Sword, after use, you can master the Rapid Sword skill. User requirement: Sword Controller. Song Jian checked the price of this book and almost cried out loud; If 1 buy this book, 1 will only have one Doomsday Coin left in my pocket. System, are you determining prices based on how much money 1 have? Song Jian blurted out. The price was indeed very eccentric C both whole and fractional values. It felt like the price was chosen randomly! After purchasing the book and looking at the silver light emanating from it, Song Jian immediately chose to use it. Immediately, the skill book turned into a silver light and entered Song Jians forehead. Rapid Sword(Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After activation, the speed of using sword-type weapons increases by 35%, this effect lasts for 5 seconds, skill cooldown time: 60 seconds; This skill was simple and brutal. It simply increased ones attack speed. However, the extent of the improvement was astonishing. A 35% increase in attack speed meant that if previously three slices could be made, now four could be accomplished. Why was the Evil Warding Sword Skill so powerful? Why was the Sunflower Treasure Book the top martial arts book in the world? Wasnt it because they were fast? Before the other side could react, you could already kill them. How would they defend against that? Among all martial arts skills, any defence can be broken, except for speed! Hey, is the cooldown time of Rapid Sword a bit too long? 1 minute for just 5 seconds of action. Will 1 be called Fast Gun, or rather, Fast Sword in the future? Oh right, this should be considered a form of Sword Skill, right? Song Jian suddenly remembered, and quickly opened the task bar to check the main task. Alright, alright! Song Jian was relieved. The main task indicated that he has acquired three sets of sword skills. It seemed like Rapid Sword was also included in the list of the main tasks sword skill requirement. After activating the Rapid Sword effect for a try, Song Jian swung his long sword, and indeed, his attack speed was much faster. The Broken Wing Dance skill, which had a three-stage attack, each stage had a speed-enhancing effect. With the addition of Rapid Sword, the power of the Broken Wing Dance was significantly increased. He cast a regretful look at the other eight skill books on the Skill Stone Stele. These were all silver-quality skills. If he could buy them all and resell them on the radio, he could earn at least tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. What a pity! After 10 minutes, the Stele began to emit a white light again. When the light reached its peak, the Stele turned into a pillar of light, and then the pillar of light turned into countless crystalline light points. The light points then slowly vanished. The entire process was the exact opposite of the appearance of the Stele. Just then, Song Jian heard a faint voice from outside. Master Lin, I just saw lights glittering inside this theater. There must be something good, lets search carefully, maybe well find something unexpected. Be careful, many monsters are reported here, and they move in groups. Last time a squad rushed in recklessly and was completely wiped out! Dont be afraid, well just lure those monsters out if need be. You all saw the light just now, didnt you? If youre scared of death, you wouldnt crave treasures! Song Jian saw several faint figures moving around the window. It seemed that they had seen the disappearing light from the Stele earlier and wanted to explore inside. Not wanting to run into these players, Song Jian set off towards the backstage, planning to return the same way he came. However, at this moment, a crisp shattering sound came from behind him. The players had smashed the window of the theater and were about to jump in. Master Lin, theres someone in the theater. I just saw someone running backstage! One man standing by the window shouted. Chapter 225 - Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Goblin Merchant Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Goblin Merchant Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing that someone was actually inside the theater, Lin Dongs face darkened. The sudden burst of light from the theater had attracted one of their team members who had been out hunting monsters in the street. The others hadnt noticed the theater, but an archer resting and recovering his Vitality Points caught a glimpse of the light and called out loudly. Lin Dongs team consisted of five people, and upon seeing the light in the theater, they thought it might be some kind of treasure. They quickly abandoned their monster hunting in the street and began to surround the theater. In fact, this theater in the Level-io monster area was quite well-known. Previously, a team of three had tried to enter it to search for supplies, only to attract hundreds of Level-io monsters. Needless to say, the three-person team was wiped out, but other players witnessed the spectacle of monsters pouring out of the theater as well. As a result, the danger of the theater began to spread among the players, and in this Level-10 zone, it soon became an off-limits area. However, it wasnt long before people realized that as long as they didnt enter the theater itself, even yelling at the top of their lungs nearby wouldnt attract the attention of the monsters inside. Gradually, the theater began to be ignored by the players. At first, Lin Dong and his team were a bit hesitant, considering the sheer number of monsters inside. In the end, they couldnt resist the temptation. The plan was to have the person who smashed the glass draw all the monsters, and the rest of the team would enter the theater to search for treasure. The team member chosen to attract the monsters was a thief, who had a strong forced stealth skill. Just like the old temporary teammate of Song Jian, Lin Sheng. Even in battle, he could instantly enter stealth mode. Furthermore, the thief profession also had an Acceleration Skill, so as long as he was careful, even if all the monsters from the theater were drawn out, he wouldnt necessarily die. As long as he hid in a corner, the monsters would not find him and naturally return to the theater. By that time, Lin Dong and his team would have completed their search. Just as the thief broke the glass, he saw Song Jian running from the stage towards the backstage, and the stage was filled with slowly dissipating sparkling light points, indicating that the treasure had already been taken. He immediately began to yell in desperation. Lin Dong and the others were initially hiding in a shop across the street, waiting for the thief to attract the monsters so they could enter the theater. Yet, when they heard the thiefs sudden cry, they were startled and rushed over. Big Mouth, what are you shouting for? Theres someone inside? How is that possible? The archer who had first noticed the theaters light asked incredulously. The theater was filled with a swarm of monsters; who would dare to go inside and court death? The monsters inside are gone. I just saw the stage covered with light spots, which have now disappeared. The light that appeared earlier must have come from the stage; the treasure must have been taken by that person, the thief insisted anxiously. Everyone turned to look at Lin Dong. Lets go in and take a look! Lin Dong took the lead, jumping through the window and charging towards the backstage. The five of them chased after him, only to find that the person had already vanished when they reached the backstage. Split up and search. 1 dont believe it! Big Mouth, go guard the passage. Theres only one entrance and exit to this theater unless that person can fly! Lin Dong looked at the row of dressing rooms, his expression turning ugly. Master Lin, look at the black ash on the ground. Could it be that all the monsters here have been killed by that person? One of them carefully examined the ground Impossible! There were hundreds of Level-io monsters. That person isnt a god; how could they kill so many monsters? Master Lin immediately refuted. The thief stealthily walked towards the passage in the back, and the remaining four scattered to search the dressing rooms one by one. Master Lin, it seems like someone has searched through these dressing rooms! Someone shouted. Master Lin, someone has searched here too! Lin Dongs face grew darker and darker. This was a chance encounter they had just barely missed, and he couldnt accept it. Master Lin, I found an attic here! It seems like it can lead outside! Suddenly, a team member called out. Lin Dongs expression changed, and he hurriedly rushed towards the last dressing room. Climbing the stairs in the dressing room to the attic, Lin Dong looked at the gaping skylight above him and stomped his foot in frustration. At this time, Song Jian had already left the area and had headed to another street to hunt monsters. Having killed hundreds of monsters in the theater, his experience points for Level n had already reached 91%, and he would soon level up to Level 12. The only disadvantage of hunting monsters during the day was that he had to find them himself. These monsters were hiding in nooks and crannies, making them time-consuming and difficult to find. Since real alliance guilds hadnt yet appeared, many players were forming small groups to hunt monsters together. To find a monster, they had to pull it into the sunlight. Under the sun, the monsters defense and attack would decrease, and their movements would become somewhat slower, making them much easier to kill. After all, everyone had only one life, and most people chose safety first. But Song Jian didnt need to go through so much trouble since he could now completely crush monsters of the same level. A 35% increase in attack speed was no joke. Even merely using his basic attack, he could stand toe-to-toe with Level-10 monsters without any fear. In just over half an hour, over thirty monsters had died at the hands of Song Jian. However, the duration was mainly because it took a lot of time to find them. Following the road, Song Jian turned into a dark alley, where he faintly heard the roar of monsters. He walked more than a hundred meters down the alley and saw five Level-10 mutant zombies. It seemed that they were surrounded and fighting over something. You ugly creatures, leave me alone! I only have one piece of wild boar meat left, God, who will save me! Dont come any closer, fine, Ill give you one more piece. This really is my last piece! Im giving them all to you, really! Dont come any closer A sharp voice emerged from the group of zombies, sounding desperate and furious. Are these monsters attacking an NPC? Song Jian was surprised to discover that in front of the five zombies, a creature no taller than the thigh of an adult was carrying a large bag and constantly yelling. This creature had pale green skin, long ears, deep-set eyes, and a high, prominent nose. It was wearing a simple gray hemp garment and carried a package on its shoulder almost the same size as its body. The packages surface was covered with patches, making it look very worn. LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan: Vitality Points 1000/1000, Spirit Points 500/500; Traits: Stingy, Super-Speed; Skills: Miserly, You Cant Catch Me! Title: Miser. The five mutant zombies kept approaching, and whenever they were about to pounce on the Goblin Merchant, he took out a fresh piece of pork from his bag and threw it at them. Chapter 226 - Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Rescue Mission Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Rescue Mission Translator: 549690339 Clank- Song Jian unwittingly kicked an empty can in the alley, emitting a slight sound. The sound was soft to mutant zombies, but was noticed by the goblin merchant ahead. All, human, its great to run into a human at this time. It seems the revered Goblin God is watching over his faithful followers. I will definitely offer five Doomsday Coins when 1 return No, lets make it three, I will definitely offer three Doomsday Coins to thank the Goblin God! The goblin merchant, wearing a relieved smile like he had survived a disaster, shouted with excitement. Just then, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan has issued you a rescue mission: Kill the mutant zombies besieging him and get him out of danger! Task Requirement: Kill the five mutant zombies besieging the Goblin Merchant, Count: 0/5; Task Reward: Greatly increase intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan, and receive a 9.99% discount on any purchase from him! Failure Penalty: Greatly decrease intimacy with Goblin Merchant C Canaan; Human Ah, a respected Gods Beloved, please help, I cant hold off these monsters any longer! Canaan the goblin merchant stared at Song Jian, his eyes sparkling as he shouted loudly. 9.99% off, can you be any more stingy? Song Jian, somewhat helpless, raised his hand and directly chose to reject! This goblin merchant was shouting loudly, but his vitality points seemed untouched. The fresh pork he pulled out from his bag seemed to have a strong attraction for the mutant zombies. Throwing it out, he was immediately beset by five mutant zombies, who abandoned their pursuit of him. But the alley was too narrow C five mutant zombies blocked the path. Even with the goblin merchants small stature, there was no way of escaping. Wont shed a tear until he sees the coffin, the little dwarf isnt being genuine! Song Jian sighed and stood still, quietly watching the five mutant zombies tearing at a piece of pork the size of a palm. This small piece of pork couldnt satisfy the five mutant zombies. They were always hungry and a piece of pork this size could not delay them for long. Oh, God, you robbers, dont come here, do not come here! Damn, alright, okay, Ill give you another piece of meat, this is really the last piece, youve eaten eight pieces of my fresh pork, arent you full yet? Why are you so greedy? Goblin God, please punish these greedy monsters! With trembling hands, Canaan pulled another piece of meat from his bag and threw it at the five mutant zombies; Canaan was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when the zombies started fighting over the meat and stopped paying attention to him. He began to retreat slowly. This alley was a dead-end. Otherwise, the goblin merchant would have run away by now. Song Jian was not in a hurry and slowly followed the five zombies. After Song Jian rejected the temporary task issued by Canaan, the green-skinned dwarf looked at Song Jian with surprise and muttered, Whats going on? This Gods Beloved actually rejected my mission. Isnt it strange that these guys usually jump at the sight of a mission like a rabid dog at pig shit? Obviously, the goblin merchant Canaan was used to dealing with players. He knew their habits, preferred to issue missions with incredibly low rewards, and get players to do his bidding. Every time, he would trick players into running around in circles, taking complete advantage of them, which gave him great satisfaction. In fact, those players who accepted the tasks issued by the goblin merchant Canaan were not stupid. Every time they entered the game and successfully completed a temporary mission, their main mission was upgraded and they received other rewards. Replenishing their vitality points faster is what all players seek C the faster their vitality is replenished, the less likely they are to die. Moreover, the difficulty level of the missions issued by this goblin merchant was not high and could be easily completed. Therefore, what the players cared about was actually the evaluation of the main mission. As for the small rewards offered by the goblin merchant, few players even bothered about them. However, Song Jian was not willing to take this loss. He even wished that the five mutant zombies would kill the goblin merchant. His gaze was always on the big bag carried by the goblin merchant. That bag couldnt be full of meat, could it? Song Jian wondered. Okay, okay, greedy human, you win. I will satisfy you, accept my mission. You will get the friendship of the Goblin Clan! Canaan shouted. System: LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan has issued you a rescue mission: Kill the mutant zombies besieging him and get him out of danger! Task Requirement: Kill the five mutant zombies besieging the Goblin Merchant, Count: 0/5; Task Reward: Unlock the reputation of the Goblin Clan, greatly increase intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan, and receive a 10% discount on any purchase from him! Failure Penalty: Your reputation with the Goblin Clan will decrease to indifferent, and your intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan will greatly decrease; Goblin Clan reputation? Song Jian was taken aback: Is it difficult to earn a reputation with this money-grubbing race? Whats the use? Also, a 10% discount is such a cliched supermarket promotion C dont embarrass yourself, you stingy little green skin! The original price of something worth thirty being raised to three hundred and then offered at a 10% discount was a trick Song Jian was well aware of. Reject! Song Jian coldly looked at the goblin merchant Canaan. This green dwarf wasnt going to part with the good stuff until the very last moment. After all, when the five mutant zombies finished him off, Song Jian would still get his big bag. Perhaps he might get even more stuff. What was the hurry? While Canaan the goblin merchant was retreating, throwing out meat as he went, he finally backed up against the wall at the end of the twenty-meter-long alley. Looking at the two-meter-high wall, Canaans face showed a look of despair. Damn it, I sold the last jumping device at a high price, otherwise Canaan said resentfully. His hand froze when he reached back into the bag again, and a look of distress crossed his face. Song Jians lips curved up slightly.. Out of meat now, huh! Chapter 227 - Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Dont Leave Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Dont Leave Translator: 549690339 The fresh pork from Goblin merchant Canaans bag was all used up. It was unlikely it would carry fresh pork in its bag forever. The few pieces thrown out may have been its own rations. After all, he was a goblin merchant, not a goblin pork merchant. Ah, dont hit me, dont bite me, dont eat me, my meat tastes terrible, you hateful monsters! Without the attraction of fresh pork, five mutant zombies shambled towards the goblin merchant, constantly attacking it. What puzzled Song Jian was this Goblin merchant seemed to have no power to fight back. He seemed to have no combat power, only knowing how to dodge and wave his arms randomly. What a waste of your level fifteen! Song Jian shook his head speechlessly. This goblin merchant was five levels higher than these monsters. If a level fifteen player was similarly bullied by five level ten ordinary mutant zombies, they probably wouldnt be able to lift their heads. What surprised Song Jian even more was the goblin merchants defense or evasion attributes were extremely high. The zombies attacks could only forcibly reduce its Vitality Points by one each time, sometimes even resulting in a MISS. Clearly, these five mutant zombies could not break the defense of the goblin merchant. Damn it, this human is too cunning! The goblin merchant warded off the mutant zombies attacks while staring at Song Jian, who stood not far away with his arms folded. Human, my bag is a companion equipment. Once I die, the bag and all the items in it will be completely destroyed by the power of time and space! The goblin merchant shouted. Companion equipment? Song Jians expression changed; this was the first time he had heard of this type of equipment. What is a companion equipment? Song Jian curiously asked. Human, 1 would like to explain to you what a companion equipment is, but now, is this really the right time? Goblin merchant Canaan shouted in anger. I think its quite suitable. You have so much vitality, you couldnt die anytime soon. Why not we have a chat? Maybe if we enjoy our conversation, 1 may help you kill these five monsters? Song Jian shrugged and said casually. Companion Equipment, that is the Growth Equipment spoken in your Gods devotees terms. Once obtained, it is bound to the owners bloodline, growing with the enhancement of the owners level, it is a piece of equipment that can grow with people. Once the owner dies, this equipment will also shatter, sharing life and death with the owner! Goblin merchant Canaan didnt hesitate and quickly explained. Such equipment also has a cap, which is the ceiling mentioned in your Gods devotees terms, and normal growth equipment can only grow to the silver or gold quality at most, and thats the limit. Only a few companion equipment can grow with the owner for a lifetime, reaching the highest epic level, or even legendary level. Some people even say that there are companion equipment that grows into artifacts, but no one has ever seen it! Now I have told you all I know, can you please take action? Goblin merchant Canaan held his head to block the attack of the mutant zombie and shouted. So thats how it is. Thank you for the explanation. But if you want me to save you, you have got to bleed money. You have to at least give me a piece of equipment. Song Jian said with a laugh. Blackmail! This is outright blackmail, you, you Goblin Merchant Canaan roared angrily, his eyes filled with a hateful look. Trying to get a piece of equipment from it for free was like cutting a piece of meat from its body, which was something it could not tolerate. Dream on, human, this is impossible. We, the Goblin clan, have never given anything for free! Goblin merchant Canaan yelled. Is that so? Then Ill wait a little longer Song Jian said indifferently. Not only did the mutant zombies scratch with their claws, but they also gnawed at their targets. In no time at all, billowing tooth marks appeared on the goblin merchants arms. After ten minutes, the goblin merchants vitality points had dropped by more than a hundred, but it still clenched its teeth in resistance, staring at Song Jian with eyes full of anger. Song Jian was nonchalant. The zombies hate values were firmly locked onto the goblin merchant due to the fresh pork. Even if Song Jian walked up to them, they probably wouldnt attack him. Half an hour later, the goblin merchants vitality points had dropped by more than three hundred, nearly halving them. At this point, a touch of panic appeared on its face. It seemed to want to plead for mercy. It opened its mouth, but in the end, it didnt make any sound; it persevered with gritted teeth. 55%, 50%, 40%, 30% After more than an hour, Song Jian was getting a bit impatient. Even when hunting monsters, he could have killed a few dozen level ten monsters in such a long time. The spoils of war might even be more than this task reward. Hmph, youre still not coming to your senses! Seeing the goblin merchants vitality points fall below 30%, Song Jian coldly uttered a sentence then turned to leave. Seeing Song Jian actually turned and left, the goblin merchant started panicking. Dont go, dont go, and Gods devotee, please dont leave. Save me, Ill give you a handsome reward. We, the Goblin clan, keep our promises! The Goblin merchant Canaan started begging. A smile appeared on Song Jians face. He waited for over an hour; even though he was a bit impatient he wouldnt give up easily. The reason he turned around and pretended to leave was merely to put some mental pressure on this little green goblin. Are these your words? Song Jian turned around, a serious look on his face as he stared at the goblin merchant and said, 1 will pick an item at random from your bag. If you dont agree, then forget it! What, pick one item at will? The Goblin merchants face changed and he began to hesitate. But seeing Song Jian turning to leave, he quickly agreed, Okay, okay, no problem. You can pick one item from my bag as your reward! System: LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan is issuing you a rescue mission: Kill the besieging mutant zombies and free him from the dangerous situation! Mission requirements: Kill the five mutant zombies besieging the Goblin Merchant. Number: 0/5. Mission rewards: Greatly increase intimacy with Goblin Merchant C Canaan and randomly select an item from the Goblin Merchants merchant bag! Failure penalty: Reputation with the Goblin Clan will drop to hatred, and you will be hunted by the Goblin Clan! The intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan will be greatly reduced, and all Goblin Merchants will refuse to trade with you from then on! Chapter 228 - Chapter 228: Chapter 228: We Have A Contract Chapter 228: Chapter 228: We Have A Contract Translator: 549690339 Song Jian carefully read the content of the temporary task, and when he saw the failure penalty, he couldnt help but look up at the Goblin merchant Canaan. This little green-skinned dwarf was quite ruthless! Accept! Song Jian chose to accept the temporary task, and Canaan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a smile on his face, but a cunning look flashed in his eyes. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian held his long sword and rushed towards the five mutated zombies. With a 35% increased attack speed, the first segment of the Broken Wing Dances sprint was almost like teleportation. In the blink of an eye, the long sword had already struck a mutated zombies body. Before it could react, the second segment of the attack had landed on it. Roar- The mutated zombie roared angrily, turning around and extending its withered arm towards Song Jian. Its two palms had nails that shimmered with a metallic cold light, and there was a faint green trace on them. Before it could make a move, the third segment of the Broken Wing Dances attack arrived; Song Jian leapt high, and his long sword struck downwards. With a boom, the long sword cleaved the head of the mutated zombie, killing it instantly. A wave of air erupted from Song Jians long sword, spreading in all directions. Any monster touched by it lost control of their body, and the remaining four mutated zombies were sent floating by the air wave, with eighty-some damage numbers popping over their heads. Sword Finger! Before they could land, a silver sword light burst forth, sweeping across the bodies of the four mutated zombies, leaving deep sword marks on them. System: Combat Combo +1, targets damage received increased by 110%. Seeing this system prompt, Song Jian was stunned. Combat combo? What the hell is that?! As Song Jian was momentarily distracted, the four mutated zombies fell heavily to the ground, with over a hundred damage numbers popping over their heads. Swipe, swipe, swipe C Before they could get up from the ground, Song Jians long sword struck their bodies. Even with a normal attack, once Invisible Sword Qi was attached, it could cause considerable damage to these level ten ordinary monsters. Swipe- The cooldown of Sword Finger was extremely short, only five seconds. By the time the four mutated zombies got up, the five seconds had passed. A silver sword light burst forth, sweeping across the bodies of the four mutated zombies. When it swept across the waist of the fourth mutated zombie, there was a crack sound, and it was directly cut in half at the waist. Its foul-smelling intestines spilled onto the ground. This half-mutated zombie didnt die after being cut at the waist, and it let out a low growl as it crawled towards Song Jian with both hands. The smell of the mutated zombies guts was unbearable, so Song Jian covered his nose and retreated a few steps. He stomped his right foot hard, and suddenly a sharp, tooth-like energy condensed at his foot, emitting a piercing sound as it flew towards the nearest mutated zombie. There was no requirement for the Earth Teeth Assault skill to be triggered by hand, as it could be used with any part of the body. Even if Song Jian sat on the ground with his butt, as long as he thought about it, he could trigger the skill. Song Jian realized that every time he bent down to trigger the Earth Teeth Assault skill with his hand, it would be about one second slower. Triggering it with his foot was much faster. Bang- The mutated zombie closest to Song Jian was hit by this attack, its Vitality Points were emptied, its legs broke with a snap, and it lay weakly on the ground, turning into a lump of black ash. Only two half-zombies remained, both with low vitality. Song Jian wielded his sword and quickly harvested their Vitality Points. System: You have completed the temporary rescue mission issued by the Goblin merchant Canaan: Kill the mutated zombies surrounding him! System: Your intimacy with the Goblin merchant Canaan has greatly increased! System: You have the right to choose any item from the Goblin merchant Canaans merchant package! Hahaha, thank you, my friend, respected blessed one! It was you who saved me from these monsters. 1 praise you, and our friendship shall be like a surging river, endless, and also like The Goblin merchant Canaan opened his tooth-marked arms, walked towards Song Jian as if trying to embrace him, but with Canaans height, he could probably only embrace Song Jians thigh! Wheres my reward? Song Jian interrupted him, asking directly. The Goblin merchant paused, looking at Song Jians cold face, as if he wasnt interested in his embrace. Canaans outstretched arms seemed awkward and didnt know where to put them. Sheepishly lowering his arms, he placed the large package behind him in front of Song Jian. The Goblin merchant Canaan generously said, My friend, you saved my life. The Goblin Clan always keeps its promises and wont betray its friends. You can pick anything from my merchant package, take any item you like, and choose any two No, you can pick one item as my thanks to you! Song Jian nodded to the Goblin merchant Canaan with satisfaction, squatted down, and began to pick items from Canaans merchant package. In no time, Song Jian raised his head with a gloomy face, and asked indifferently, This is what you intended to sell? Youve come all this way to this monster-infested city just to sell this garbage? Hearing Song Jian call the items in his package garbage, the Goblin merchants face darkened, and he angrily shouted, Garbage? You dare to say that the great Goblin merchant Canaans items are garbage? Oh my god, Goblin god, this is the most vicious personal attack on me, Canaan! I am a great Goblin merchant, and the items I sell are valuable treasures. My reputation is known throughout the entire continent uh, along the entire west coast, and many people are proud to be able to buy my merchandise! I want you to apologize, friend. These items may not seem useful, but they actually are uh, cough, cough, just pick one, we have a contract, after all! In the end, it seemed that even the Goblin merchant Canaan was a little embarrassed. His initially angry expression gradually became unnatural under Song Jians emotionless gaze. In the end, he just looked up at the sky with a stubborn, pig-headed gaze. Of course, Song Jian would not believe that this Goblin merchant only sold garbage. He must have good things hidden somewhere on him! There were quite a few items in his package, dozens of them, but their quality was disastrously low. Most of them were actually gray-quality items, with only a handful of white-glowing items. Song Jian did not carefully check the attributes of these items. Just looking at the light they emitted, he felt his heart turn cold. Seeing the Goblin merchants expression that seemed to say we have a contract, and we must abide by it, Song Jian was momentarily lost for words! Youre a tough one! After gritting his teeth, Song Jian started to carefully check the items in the Goblin merchants package. Chapter 229 - Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Is My Face Clean? Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Is My Face Clean? Translator: 549690339 Huh, these items Song Jian looks at the myriad of items in front of him, a surprised expression graces his face. The items that the goblin merchant had brought out were mostly of junk quality, but surprisingly, these items had the attribute of Take out of the game: Yes. That is to say, these items, mostly, can be brought out of the game into the real world. Thus, Song Jians interest is piqued greatly. He knows that his two pieces of jewelry, while also classified as junk, resulted in millions of benefits for him in the real world. However, this isnt to say that all items that can be taken out of the game are useful. Some are worthless, applying no worth or use even if taken out of the game. After sifting through them for quite a while, Song Jian picked out a white-quality stone. He told the goblin merchant Canaan, This one is my choice! Control Guardian (White): Consumable, use effect: deploys a guardian that can monitor a nearby area, this item will reveal invisible entities and creatures around it, simultaneously, it can also monitor sounds and images in the immediate vicinity. The range of effect is 10 meters and the scope of monitoring is 500 meters. Guardian Duration: 3 days. Item Quantity: 3/3; Can be taken out of the game: Yes. This item could be considered the bane of all rogues, almost all of their initial skills require them to be stealthed. The moment a control guardian is deployed nearby, any rogue entering within a ten-meter radius will be revealed. Furthermore, it can listen and record nearby sounds and scenes. It can be used in the real world as a bugging device, making it one of the more valuable items amongst those displayed. Hmm, a wise choice indeed. This is an unused control guardian, brand new The goblin merchant Canaan stared at the control guardian in Song Jians hand while touching his chin, his face displaying a slight trace of pain. Alright, now that the task is completed, 1 should get going. So, farewell and may your business prosper! Song Jian waved at the goblin merchant Canaan and turned to leave. My friend, dont you intend to buy some items from me? You must know, I am a merchant after all Canaan slightly packed up his big bundle, slung it over his shoulder, and said to Song Jian. Figures, youve hidden all the good stuff, havent you! Song Jians eyes narrowed, a cold, murderous intent arose within him. Apologies, my friend, contract, contract! We did sign a contract, you only asked to pick an item from my big bundle Canaan, the goblin merchant wiped his sweat, speaking urgently. Very well, let me take a look. What good stuff do you have? He was about to refuse, as Song Jian didnt have a penny to his name, he had spent all his money on the skill Rapid Sword. However, on second thought, it didnt cost anything to look. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to find out where this green skinned dwarf hid his good stuff. Seeing the potential for business, Canaan was naturally delighted. He lightly stroked his right hand with his left, and in a flash of faint blue light, rather ancient looking rings appeared on three of his fingers. Damn, Storage Rings, I should have guessed! Song Jian cursed quietly to himself, he himself possessed a Storage Ring. As a merchant, how could Canaan not possess a similar storage equipment? The items within the three Storage Rings were displayed to Song Jian. Upon seeing them, his expression turned even grimmer. This goblin in front of him had indeed hidden the good stuff. The first ring stored all sorts of potions, from miniature healing potions and miniature spiritual recovery potions, to advanced healing potions and advanced spiritual recovery potions, to attribute-enhancing potions, and vitality points and spirit points enhancement potions, it had everything. There were even potions like the Weakness Potion, which could add negative effects to targets. The second ring contained numerous fighting scrolls, similar to the Vampiric Scroll and Attack Scroll in his bundle. They could be used during fights. Besides, there were many formidable scrolls like the Thunder Web Scroll, Flame Scroll, and Deadly Poison Scroll, etc. The third ring kept some equipment. All of the gear were at least level 10 with green quality. Among them, the highest quality items were three silver-level weapons: a long sword, a machete, and a spear. The long sword was a double-handed sword which wasnt suitable for Song Jian. The machete was single-handed, and the spear was a tyrant spear, merely the strength attribute required to use it was over 25 points; Is that all? Song Jian asked with a hint of dissatisfaction. The goblin merchant glanced at Song Jian, hesitating, under Song Jians gaze, the Goblin Merchant gave a forced smile and said, Of course theres more! As he spoke, the goblin merchant reached around his waist. A blue light flickered and revealed that his belt was also a storage item. Another interface appeared before Song Jian, surprisingly storing numerous skills, and the lowest quality was of a blue level. Sss, so many skills? A surprised look flashed in Song Jians eyes. Roughly seventy to eighty types of skills were stored in it, and over ten of those belonged to the swordsmanship category. Song Jian had the urge to rob the merchant! This goblin merchant had no offensive capabilities. Even a few level ten mutated zombies could corner him in an alley and pound him to death. If he was to do it himself, his chances of success were quite high. Seeing the malicious look in Song Jians eyes, the face of the Goblin merchant Canaan turned grim. He cautiously said to Song Jian, Dont think Im defenceless. 1 do have a trump card. Oh, you have a trump card? You were about to be killed earlier and 1 didnt see you pulling out your trump card, Song Jian snorted at the merchants claim. If it werent for his involvement, the green-skinned dwarf would probably be dead by now. Hmph, what do you think this is? Canaan pulled out a scroll and showed it to Song Jian. Town Return Scroll (Special) C Effect: Transports the user to a previously marked city. Requirements: none. Can be Taken out of the game: yes. A Town Return Scroll? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. He didnt expect this dwarf had such a valuable item in his possession. It was a life-saving artifact. Where did you pull that scroll from? A thought suddenly passed through Song Jians mind. He recalled Canaans movements from earlier. The scroll he held was not taken from the big bag, nor from the Storage Rings or the Storage Belt. This green-skinned dwarf has another storage item! Song Jian glanced at Canaan, realizing the truth. Why didnt you use it earlier? Song Jian maliciously asked. Do you think I came to this abandoned city for business? I have a mission. 1 need to Just as Canaan was speaking, he suddenly stopped, took a glance at Song Jian and snorted, In any case, just dont set your sights on me. Look, do you need any of these items? If you buy in bulk, I can even offer you a discount! Do you see any dirt on my face, is it clean? Song Jian asked out of the blue. Canaan was taken aback. After closely inspecting Song Jians face, he responded with confusion, Its very clean, theres nothing there. My pockets are even cleaner than my face! Song Jian announced, spared Canaan a glance, and then turned to head towards the alley entrance. Chapter 230 - Chapter 230: Chapter 230 Kantelu Ruins Chapter 230: Chapter 230 Kantelu Ruins Translator: 549690339 Gazing at Song Jians retreating figure, Canaan was momentarily stunned, followed by a flurry of expressions crossing his face, leaving him at a loss for words. Hey, 1 say, dont go. I have a hiring task here. Are you interested? Canaan suddenly shouted towards Song Jians retreating figure. Hiring task? Song Jian paused, stopped in his tracks, and turned around to ask, What hiring task? I need to go to the Kantelu Ruins, but there could be some minor dangers along the way. I need a powerful companion! The Canaan Goblin Merchant said, I dont know if youre willing to accompany me. Of course, Ill pay you. You can check my Before Goblin Merchant Canaan finished talking, Song Jian interrupted directly, Choose any Skill Book from your collection of swordsman skills, and I will accept your hiring task. Moreover, for your safety, 1 need you to provide me with the reward for the task in advance! How can that be? You havent escorted me yet, how can I give you the reward in advance? What if you run away after taking the reward? What if, what if the Goblin Merchants eyes darted around nervously, looking completely flustered. Well, whatever. The highest quality of your sword skill books is just a blue-quality skill. As for the Kantelu Ruins you mentioned, just from the name we can tell its not a friendly place. We dont know what level the monsters inside are, and you have no fighting power. Escorting you might even cost me my life. So, if you dont consent, dont bother with the task. Even if you offer, ill refuse! Song Jian said with an indifferent demeanor. But, but Canaan stammered anxiously. Although he was prepared for what lay ahead in the abandoned city, the number of monsters turned out to exceed his expectations. Despite having treasures that can reduce monster perception and provide invisibility, Canaan was cornered by a zombie in an alleyway. If Song Jian hadnt come along just in time, Canaan would have been left with no choice but to use a Town Return Scroll or become a corpse. After hesitating for a while, as Canaan watched Song Jian reach the alleys exit, he finally gritted his teeth and shouted: Alright, I agree to your terms! A smile flickered across Song Jians face. He was starting to understand this green-skinned dwarfs mentality. The dwarf would not yield until the last moment, and when pushed into a corner, he would quickly capitulate. Fine, post the task. And while youre at it, display all your sword skill books, ill just choose one, Song Jian said. He had already spent all his Doomsday Coins in buying the Rapid Sword; otherwise, he would purchase all the sword skills from Canaans pocket. If he did this, the task would be considered complete. System: The Goblin Merchant Canaan issued a temporary task to you: Protect; Task requirements: Protect the Goblin Merchant Canaan to Kantelu Ruins; If the Goblin Merchant Canaan dies, the task fails! The task reward: Choose a Sword Skill Book (can be acquired in advance); Task failure punishment: Permanently locking the relation with the Goblin Clan as hate, suffering assassination from the Goblin Clan! All attributes permanently decrease by 5 points; Do you accept? Wow, you little dwarf, youre ruthless! Song Jian looked at the penalty for task failure and couldnt help sucking in a breath of cold air, but he finally chose to accept! However, putting himself in Song Jians shoes, hed set the task failure punishment as: annihilation! If the task cant be completed, then you can accompany me in death! Alright, I have accepted the task. Hurry up and display all the Sword Skill Books! Song Jian urged. The Goblin Merchant Canaan presented all his Sword Skill Books. Song Jian immediately picked up the highest quality one, saying, Ill take this one! I knew it The Goblin Merchant Canaan mumbled under his breath. Most of the Sword Skill Books he carried were of white-quality, with two or three of green-quality. Song Jian had chosen the only blue-quality Sword Skill Book. Skill: Sword Silk (Blue): After use, learn the skill: Sword Silk; Usage requirement: Weapon is a sword-type weapon; Sword Silk (Active): Level 1, Skill effect: Condense Mental Strength to form three Sword Silk threads which randomly attack enemies within a 5-meter radius, each Sword Silk inflicting (3O+i5%*Mental Strength Maximum) damage; Cooldown time: 8 seconds; Skill cost: 30 Mental Strength points; Skill description: This skill can use Sword Qi instead of Mental Strength, and using Sword Qi increases the power by 30%; After upgrading the skill to level 10, it can be advanced to Silver-quality Sword SkillSword Web. This was the first time Song Jian saw an upgradeable skill. If sold, this Sword Silk Skill Book would be worth at least 8,000 Doomsday Coins. This mission was a good deal. Without hesitation, he learned the skill book, and there were some minor changes to Sword Silk. The original book was for swordsmen and should have consumed Sword Qi. Still, not all swordsmen have Sword Qi, so the cost had been changed to consume Mental Strength. However, once Sword Qi is obtained, the cost becomes Sword Qi, and the power of the Sword Silk condensed by Sword Qi will increase substantially, resulting in increased damage. Sword Silk (Active): Level 1, Skill effect: Condense Sword Qi to form three Sword Silk threads which randomly attack enemies within a 5-meter radius, each Sword Silk inflicting (45+io%*Mental Strength Maximum +io%*Vitality Points Maximum) damage; Cooldown time: 8 seconds; Skill cost: 30 points of Sword Qi Value; Skill description: This skill can use Sword Qi instead of Mental Strength, with Sword Qi increasing the power by 30%; When upgraded to Level 10, it can be advanced to Silver-quality Sword SkillSword Web. Because Song Jian possessed Invisible Sword Qi, the power of this Sword Silk skill was elevated to a new level. Although it is a blue-quality sword skill, it is now not weaker than an ordinary silver-quality skill. With a forward wave of the long sword in his hand, three silver lines of Sword Silk five meters long appeared by Song Jians side, each thread being condensed by Invisible Sword Qi, emitting a powerful aura. * smack smack smack* The three Sword Silks whipped against the nearby wall, and the wall more than half a foot thick was immediately torn apart by the Sword Silk. From the crack, you could even see what was on the other side. Impressive, impressive! Ilaha Song Jian burst out laughing. Now, Song Jians maximum Mental Strength was two hundred, and his maximum Vitality Points had reached six hundred and eighty. So, each Sword Silk thread could inflict more than one hundred and thirty points of damage. Although the Sword Silk randomly attacks nearby enemies, if Song Jian has only one enemy, then all three Sword Silk threads will attack this one enemy. This means the total damage inflicted on the target will be nearly four hundred points, making this an extremely terrifying skill. Moreover, this skill is still only at level one. When the level is increased, the power will become even more potent! Alright, lets go, to that whats-its-name ruin! Song Jian seemed brimming with confidence. Its Kantelu Ruins! Canaan quietly corrected him. Chapter 231 - Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Highly Toxic Skeleton Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Highly Toxic Skeleton Translator: 549690339 How do I get to the Kantelu Ruins? Song Jian asked. The entrance to the Kantelu Ruins is right under your feet! The Goblin merchant pointed at a sewer cover Song Jian was stepping on. You cant be serious Song Jian glanced at the sewer cover beneath his feet, feeling a sense of dread. I was wondering why you were stuck in this deserted alley. So its because the entrance is here. But are you sure we have to go through the sewer? Cant we just take the road above? Song Jian was inwardly somewhat resistant. Theres no other way. This is the only passage to the Kantelu Ruins. Getting to the Kantelu Ruins is no easy task; you must be prepared! said the Goblin merchant Canaan, with a serious face. If I had known I would have to crawl through a sewer, 1 wouldnt have taken this task! Song Jian mumbled, lifting the sewer cover with one hand, and a foul, rotten smell immediately struck him. Are you sure you want to go down? Song Jian pointed at the already lifted sewer entrance, seeking confirmation once again. Im very sure. Lets hurry up and not waste any more time. Dont forget, you signed a contract! Canaan took out a palm-sized mask from his parcel and threw it to Song Jian, saying, Wear this to filter the poisonous gas inside. It was a gas mask, shaped to fit exactly over the mouth and nose of a face. When put on, it covered the mouth and nose, but did not interfere with speech, albeit making it slightly muffled. The Goblin merchant looked at the large parcel on his shoulder, furrowed his brows, and then chanted a few spells. The parcel, almost the same size as his body, began to shrink slowly, finally becoming palm-sized and hung around his waist. After watching the Goblin merchant crawl into the sewer first, Song Jian hesitated for a moment before following. The sewer was not as filthy as Song Jian had imagined, but it was slightly damp. On the walls of the passage, there were algae plants emitting a faint glow. Although it was dark, the plants light allowed them to hardly see their surroundings. The moment Song Jian entered the sewer, he received a system prompt. System: You have entered a special area Kantelu Maze with a danger level of 3; System: The monsters in Kantelu Maze range from level 10 to level 30, with the minimum entry level for players being 10, and the maximum 15; Special area? Danger level 3? Damn it, there are level 30 monsters here! Song Jian was startled. He was only level 11 now, and although he was not far from level 12, it didnt make much difference against level 30 monsters; Did you know there are level 30 monsters here? Song Jian asked. Of course, why else would 1 hire you as an escort? The Goblin merchant Canaan glanced at Song Jian and said, If we run into really powerful monsters, your job is to hold them off and cover my escape! Song Jian: Was that too realistic? Canaan walked ahead, with Song Jian following behind him. After traveling less than ten meters, they encountered their first monster! It was a skeleton exuding a pale green aura, which had been leaning against the sewer wall. Sensing the presence of the living, the skeleton slowly stood up, with two clusters of ghostly green flames rising in its eyes. Lvio Venomous Skeleton (Ordinary), Vitality Points: 690/690, Traits: Rapid Attack, High Toxicity; Monster, Monster! Canaan jumped back in fright, hiding behind Song Jian, and shouted, Kill it, kill it! I know, its just a level 10 ordinary monster, can you be quiet? Song Jian was a little annoyed, Canaans shrill voice echoed through the sewer and gave him a headache. Perhaps because they couldnt see the sun in the sewer, the attributes of the monsters here were not halved, which made Song Jians task much more difficult. Clack clack clack- The Venomous Skeleton held a bone knife over a foot long and lunged towards Song Jian; Song Jian swung his sword and slashed at it; Sword Silk! Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Three silver threads with a sharp aura appeared in the air around Song Jian, and after exploring for a while like tentacles in midair, they simultaneously lashed towards the highly toxic skeleton. With a sharp sound of tearing through the air, the silver Sword Silks struck the highly toxic skeleton, immediately causing bone fragments to fly everywhere and more than half of its Vitality Points plummeted. Awesome! Song Jian had a satisfied smile on his face as his long sword fiercely chopped down on the highly toxic skeleton. Ignoring the heavy blow, the highly toxic skeleton still raised its bone knife and slashed towards Song Jian. The moment it high-raised the bone knife, its attack speed suddenly increased, leaving a faint afterimage in the air. Clang clang clang- Song Jian felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and in an instant, the highly toxic skeleton had actually slashed three times in a row. A ghostly green color emerged from Song Jians shoulder and began to spread. Youre poisoned, youve been poisoned! Canaan, hiding on the side, pointed at Song Jians shoulder with a terrified yell. Song Jian swung his left hand forward violently, and a silver light flashed briefly in the sewer. Sword Finger! The silver Sword Qi chopped down on the highly toxic skeletons shoulder, even severing its entire right arm. Boom! Song Jian suddenly kicked the skeleton with his right leg, pushing it back several steps and causing it to fall to the ground. It was then that Song Jian noticed the ghostly green on his shoulder. At this moment, the ghostly green color of the highly toxic poison, which had originally spread to an area the size of a palm, began to fade slowly and eventually disappeared. Song Jian grinned, as his innate skill Thick-skinned had been upgraded to level 8. With high resistance to the poisoned effect, it would be quite difficult for the toxin to take effect on him from a mere level 10 ordinary monster. Do you have Detox elixirs? With a puzzled face, Canaan looked at Song Jian and asked. Do you have any? Bring out a few bottles. The monsters here have a poisonous attack. If I get poisoned, dont even think of reaching the Kantelu Ruins! Song Jian asked casually. Originally it was just a casual question, Song Jian didnt think that the stingy goblin merchant would be willing to give him Detox Elixirs. Unexpectedly, Canaan hesitated for a long time and then took out a bundle of elixirs emitting a dark glow and handed them over. Song Jian was taken aback and grabbed it. Detox Elixir (Ordinary): After use removes a Level 3 or below poisoned effect and has a mandatory immune effect against that poison for the next 30 seconds. Thanks! Song Jian looked at Canaan with surprise and put the bundle of twelve Detox Elixirs into his inventory. The highly toxic skeleton on the other side had already wobbled up from the ground, its entire arm severed and the bone knife fallen on the ground. Yet, it still didnt give up attacking and continued to charge towards Song Jian. Earth Teeth Assault! Song Jian stomped his right foot on the ground, and an ivory-shaped qi gathered on the ground. With a whoosh sound, it rushed towards the highly toxic skeleton. Smack- Earth Teeth Assault hit the highly toxic skeleton and harvested the remaining vitality points. At that moment, the highly toxic skeletons body shattered like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball, and its body parts flew in all directions. Boom- A bundle of transparent flames burned fiercely, turning the highly toxic skeleton into a pile of black ashes. Several items scattered around the black ashes, radiating a milky-white glow. Chapter 232 - Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Labyrinth Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Labyrinth Translator: 549690339 It only took a few moves to kill a level 10 ordinary monster, and Song Jian was quite satisfied with his performance. The venomous skeleton didnt drop any valuable items, just a few materials. Song Jian glanced at them and put them into his inventory. Lets keep going, Song Jian said to the goblin merchant hiding nearby. Alright, lets go. This time, the goblin merchant, Canaan, didnt dare to walk ahead but walked side by side with Song Jian while guiding the way. At every intersection, Canaan would make a mark on the wall. After walking for more than ten minutes, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed: Why has it turned into this? Even though it was his first time entering the citys underground sewer network, Song Jian already noticed something was off. It was indeed like the name given by the system, a huge maze, rather than an ordinary city sewer. This is a moving maze. The path is different every time you enter. You need to explore carefully. Dont worry, Ive been to places like this more than once. If you follow me, you wont get lost. It will just take some time! Canaan said while drawing something on a piece of parchment. Song Jian took a glance and realized Canaan was drawing the path they had just walked. He couldnt help but say: Is this maze big? Exploring it like this is quite time-consuming. There is no other way. This maze moves once a month, and then all previous paths are invalidated, so you have to explore it again. But dont worry, if were lucky, it will only take a day or two for us to find the exit and reach Kantelu Ruins! Canaan said somewhat helplessly. What if were not lucky? Song Jian asked. The longest it took me to pass the maze was six days! Canaan glanced at Song Jian and said. As they were talking, Song Jian suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Several crossbow bolts suddenly shot out from the wall opposite them. Song Jian instinctively activated the Knights Faith, a skill that came with the Guardians Sword. Immediately, a milky white glow enveloped his body. Boom boom boom- The bolts hit the protective light barrier on Song Jians body, sinking one fingers length into it. The barrier shook violently, its defense dropping by more than half. The bolts lasted for a second or two before the kinetic energy dissipated, and they all fell to the ground with a clang. Oh, damn it, another trap! I hate traps! It hurts so much! The goblin merchant Canaan pulled out two bolts from his body, threw them on the ground, and stomped on them angrily. Song Jian looked at Canaan in surprise. These bolts were extremely powerful and could instantly kill any ordinary level 10 player without any defense. But the goblin merchant in front of him seemed unharmed, casually pulling out the bolts from his body and only losing two vitality points. Your defense is really strong! Song Jian exclaimed. Of course, any attack that doesnt exceed my maximum vitality will only reduce my vitality by one point! Canaan said proudly. So, having such strong defense comes at the price of no attack power, right? Song Jian asked. Canaan hesitated for a moment, then glared at Song Jian: Im a merchant, not a warrior. What use would attack power have for me? Lets move on. It seems that this passage should be the right one! Song Jian followed Canaan as they continuously navigated the maze. At first, he was able to remember some of the path features, but soon he gave up. There were too many passages, densely packed and seemingly identical. He simply couldnt remember the ones he had walked through before. On Canaans parchment, about a quarter of the area had been depicted. Song Jian remained silent, feeling numb after walking for several hours. We should go this way! Canaan pointed to the leftmost passage at a three-way intersection. As Song Jian walked along the passage, he suddenly heard a faint click. Startled, he instinctively jumped back. Whoosh- A huge ball of flame flared up, engulfing the spot where Song Jian had just been standing. This maze was extremely dangerous, full of traps at every step. Song Jian had to use the Black Mist Morph skill to narrowly avoid several traps when his Guardians Sword skill was on cooldown. The levels of the monsters encountered were getting higher and higher, from the initial level 10 venomous skeletons to level 15 monsters now. Surprisingly, Canaan seemed exicted: The higher the monsters level, the more it indicates that were on the right path! So in the end, will we encounter level 30 monsters? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. He could still handle level 15 monsters, but level 30 represented a huge gap. Due to the level suppression, Song Jian didnt even know if he could break through a level 30 monsters defense. Its possible, but even level 30 monsters couldnt outrun me! Canaan said proudly. However, Song Jians expression turned dark. Of course, its not certain. After all, there arent many monsters here and the Kantelu Ruins might not necessarily lie within the level 30 monsters territory! Sensing that Song Jians mood had turned sour, Canaan quickly added. Thus, a day passed, and Song Jian felt exhausted navigating the maze. Once they had replenished their food and water, they continued on the trail alongside Canaan. Over half of the map had been depicted by Canaan, and it seemed that they could cover the entire area within one more day. Be careful, we might encounter level 18 monsters further ahead! Canaan wore a serious expression as he spoke. On the way, they encountered numerous monsters. The last one they killed was a level 16 ordinary monster. Although it was defeated, Song Jian felt it was quite laborious, consuming more than two-thirds of his vitality to kill it. However, hunting so many high-level monsters had rapidly increased Song Jians experience points. He had already reached level 11 with 98% experience. If he killed seven or eight more monsters, he could level up to 12. Go this way! Canaan struggled to carve a symbol into a corner and pointed to a passage in front. Just as Song Jian was about to walk forward, he noticed a faint glow flickering in the left passage. Whats that over there? Should we go take a look? Song Jian pointed to the left passage and looked at Canaan. Chapter 233 - Chapter 233: Chapter 233 Golden Treasure Chest Chapter 233: Chapter 233 Golden Treasure Chest Translator: 549690339 Be careful! Canaan warned, The Kantelu Maze is filled with traps and dangers. Sometimes, you might see a treasure in front of you, but in reality, its just an illusion, charging in will lead to your instant death! Really? Doubt filled Song Jians eyes. I wouldnt lie to you. Of course, treasure chests also appear here, in all kinds of quality. It depends on your luck. Canaan revealed a strange grin, adding, As for whether its a trap or a treasure, that would depend on your discernment. If you cant tell the difference or make accurate judgements, 1 suggest its better to act like you didnt see anything. Song Jian slightly smiled and began to walk down the left corridor; After turning a corner, Song Jian found that the corridor was just five or six meters deep and ended in a dead-end. Yet at the far end, there was a box emitting faint golden light, which was precisely the glow Song Jian had seen earlier. Its a golden treasure chest! Excitement flashed across Song Jians face. Be sure to identify it carefully. It could be a trap, or it could be a monster disguising as a chest said Canaan, the goblin merchant, as he joined Song Jian. He peered at the chest with a greedy gleam in his eyes. Since you have such high defense, why dont you go and check? Song Jian shot the goblin merchant a sidelong glance, his tone filled with dissatisfaction. Before calling it a trap or monster, you might want to wipe the drool off the corner of your mouth. That would make your warning more persuasive! Song Jian smirked coldly and started walking slowly towards the chest. However, after taking two steps, his body stiffened abruptly and he slowly backed away. Whats wrong? Canaan, the goblin merchant, asked a puzzled Song Jian who had broken out into a cold sweat, fear in his eyes. The goblin shot another glance at the chest, his eyes flickering with a faint purple light. Theres nothing wrong, its a real treasure chest Canaan thought to himself. As a goblin merchant, discerning the true value of an item is a basic skill. Naturally, Canaan had his own ways of identifying the authenticity of a chest. Upon first seeing the chest, he knew it was a genuine treasure chest, a valuable golden one at that. He even used his Eye of Appraisal to confirm its authenticity; However, Song Jians reaction puzzled him; Back off! Its dangerous! Song Jian murmured softly. Youre just scared because of what I said earlier, arent you? Haha, actually Canaan didnt want to give up on this chest, so if this human refused to open it, the golden treasure chest would be his. Just as Canaan was about to open the chest, Song Jian swiftly pulled him out of the corridor; Watch where youre going, you idiot! Song Jian grumbled The Kantelu Maze is made up of a series of sewer lines spanning over three meters in width and five meters in height. Although some faint light is emitted from the algae on the walls, its hard for anyone to notice whats above amidst the dim lighting of the corridor. Following the direction Song Jian was pointing, Canaans gaze landed on the ceiling above the chest, immediately causing him to fall back onto the ground in fright; Right above the chest, at the top of the sewer line, was a massive white spider web. At the center of the web was a colossal spider, its body measuring over a meter in diameter, resting. Between the web and the chest was a thin strand of white spider silk. The moment someone opened the chest, the giant spider overhead would be alerted. LV20 Will-O-Wisp (Elite), Vitality Points: 2300/2300, Spirit Points: 360/360, Characteristics: Brutal, Trap-laying,??, Skills: Will-O-Wisp Burn, Spider Claw Strike, Spider Web Trap, ?? A Level 20 elite boss Canaan swallowed, backing away cautiously. What a pity. Its a real golden treasure chest Longing filled Canaans eyes as even he hadnt encountered a golden chest many times. If it were just a Level 20 ordinary monster, I could risk it, but an elite boss Song Jian frowned, contemplating how to defeat this elite boss. After pondering for a while, he eventually gave in with a shake of his head. Canan reluctantly headed down another corridor, muttering under his breath, A golden treasure chest, it was a golden treasure chest Song Jian noticed Canaan making a mark on his handmade map, marking the corridor where the golden chest was. The labyrinths interior was always dim, making it hard to tell day from night. However, Song Jians personal attribute interface displayed a countdown till the next time he could log out, so he could tell it was around 10:30 pm in the game time. Canaan, do we really have to explore this whole map to find these Kantelu Ruins you mentioned? Song Jian couldnt help asking. Of course not. I remember one time it only took me six hours to get through the maze because I found the Kantelu Ruins after exploring only a quarter of the map replied Canaan casually. Whats in the Kantelu Ruins that makes you keep coming back? Song Jian couldnt help asking. Its a magical place, once the dwelling of the Kantulu Clan. Although its now deserted, a prayer altar they built still remains and can Canaan suddenly stopped, looked at Song Jian, and turned away, saying, Youll know when we get there. Youre lucky this time to discover this secret. Without me guiding you, you wouldnt have even found the entrance here. Do you think any random sewer entry in the city leads to the Kantelu Maze? You mean the entrance changes along with the movement of the Kantelu Maze? Song Jian asked. Of course, even 1 have to put in some effort to find the entrance each time. Other people have no hope of finding it! Canaan gave Song Jian a glance and burst out laughing. Just then, they both heard faint sobbing of a girl echoing from the corridor ahead. The crying reverberated in the corridors, sounding somewhat eerie. How can there be anyone else here? Canaans face darkened. No sooner had he claimed that no one else could find the entrance than someone appeared to have found it earlier than they did. Be careful, something doesnt feel right. Song Jian gripped his sword tightly and cautiously moved forward. Soon, they saw a little girl in white pajamas crouching in the middle of the corridor. Her hands were wrapped around her knees, her head buried deep between her legs, leaving only a head of long hair scattered around; Her shoulders quivered slightly, sobbing sounds softly escaping her. Damn, how can there be a little girl here? Canaans face turned ugly. His eyes glowed purple as he studied the little girl. Chapter 234 - Chapter 234: Chapter 234 Necromancer Witch Chapter 234: Chapter 234 Necromancer Witch Translator: 549690339 The Eye of Appraisal of Canaan had zero attack power, but its ability to distinguish truth from falsehood and see through illusions was formidable. It even had a particularly high rate of appraising items whose true nature was hidden behind special energies. However, after using the Eye of Appraisal, Canaan found that the tunnel before them was empty. There was no crying little girl. If its truly an illusion, then whats with the sobbing were hearing? Canaan couldnt help but shrink back, saying to Song Jian, How about we try another passage? Song Jian nodded. They were still in the exploration stage and hadnt figured out the correct path, so choosing a different tunnel didnt make a difference. If the invisible phantasm-like creature was indeed blocking the right path, they would have no choice but to fight it with everything they had. But they werent at that point yet. The two slowly backed away and chose a different tunnel. As they moved forward, Canaan continued to map their path. After moving tens of meters forward, they heard the sobbing of the little girl again. Canaan shuddered, dropping the pencil he was using to draw the map, his normally pale green skin beginning to turn a pale white. What do we do? Its stalking us! Canaan said, with trembling words. What exactly is it? Havent you been here many times? Dont you even know the kind of monsters in here? Song Jian frowned, annoyed at the lack of information about the monsters here and Canaans evasive attitude. Its different, every time the location of the maze changes, the monsters inside change as well. Every entrance has different monsters. The giant spider from before was a new type, and this ghostly little girl is also new.Ive never seen her before. Canaan said with a trembling body. I honestly dont know how you managed to navigate this maze in the past! Song Jian commented, taking a step forward. Sure enough, after turning two corners in the sewer tunnel, they encountered the crying little girl again. She was squatting on the ground, hugging her knees. Moving closer, a silver vertical line slowly opened in Song Jians forehead. From this pupil, a silver light shined towards the little girl. Through Song Jians eyes, the crying little girl squatting on the ground turned into a floating ghost. Her head was disheveled, and she was wearing a tattered black robe. Her robe was so decayed that bits and pieces were floating away from it. Her hands had no flesh, just skin covered bones, as dry as tree branches. Her fingers were glowing with a black light. This ghost didnt have legs, her lower body was a cloud of black mist. She floated above the little girl while a handful of long, black hair covered her face. A pair of eyes, emitting a bloody red glow, peeked through the strands. LV15 Necromancer Witch (Elite), Vitality Points: 1900/1900, Spirit Points: 1000/1000. Traits: Undead, Soul Eater, Immune to Fear, Disease, and Bleeding effects. Skills: Soul Wail, Necromancers Aura, Phasing, Void Claw. The first thing Song Jian noticed was that this creature was a level 15 elite BOSS. Until encountering the Ghostfire Beast, Song Jian had always thought that there were no BOSS level creatures in the Kantelu Maze. After seeing the Ghostfire Beast, however, Song Jians views had shifted, and he became more cautious. If there was a level 20 elite BOSS, there would certainly be those of other levels. If they were to encounter a level 30 elite BOSS, Song Jian would certainly retreat without a second thought; Attribute points could be recovered, but lives couldnt. If they died, there would be nothing left. This is actually a magic-using elite BOSS. Seeing the Necromancer Witchs Spirit Points were at a thousand, Song Jian knew instantly that it was a magic-type monster. From his inventory, he took out a Weakness Potion, and threw it toward the little girl; With a pop sound, the potion bottle shattered, enshrouding the little girl in a cloud of green mist. Eye Kill Without saying a word, Song Jian directly activated the Vertical Pupils inherent skill. A dazzling silver beam of light shot towards the floating Necromancer Witch in the air. You missed, damn it, why did you release your skill towards the air? Canaan watched as the silver beam surprisingly shot towards a place more than a foot above the little girls head, and suddenly became flustered. But soon, it saw that the monster it had originally seen squatting and crying on the ground had disappeared. In its place was the monster floating above its head. A series of damage numbers floated up from above the Necromancer Witchs head. The power of Eye Kill was surprisingly large, causing over a hundred points of damage to the Necromancer Witch every second. I curse you, curse you, curse As wounds appeared all over the Necromancer Witchs body, black mist continually seeped out. It howled continuously, reaching out with its withered arms towards Song Jian, sharply pinching the air before him. Song Jian suddenly felt the heat around him being completely absorbed, as a bone-chilling cold rushed at him from all directions, causing him to shiver involuntarily. At the same time, he felt a pair of greasy, icy hands travelling along his shoulders, towards the sides of his neck, like two serpents slowly tightening around his neck, giving him a feeling of suffocation. System: You have been cursed by the Necromancer Witch; you will lose a total of 500 vitality points in 30 seconds. System: Your talent skill Thick Skin has been activated, the curse effect is weakened, the duration is extended to 60 seconds, and the loss of blood is reduced to 350 points. Song Jian was taken aback. This was the first time he had encountered a negative effect that his talent skill hadnt completely immunized against. However, his vitality point recovery rate was twenty-three points per second, so even if it hadnt been weakened, the curse would only suppress his vitality point recovery rate and wouldnt cause any damage to him. After releasing the curse, the Necromancer Witch seemed to have spent a lot of spirit points, which dropped by more than two hundred points. It floated in place, no longer releasing any other skills. The five-second Eye Kill had ended. Song Jian seized the opportunity to rush towards the Necromancer Witch. His long sword moved, with three sword silks appearing in the empty space around his body. After twisting and dancing in the air for a moment, they shot towards the Necromancer Witch in unison. Whizz, whizz, whizz- The three sword silks pierced through the Necromancer Witchs body, causing over five hundred points of damage, floating up from its head. The power of the Sword Silk has increased! Seeing the damage numbers floating above the witchs head, Song Jian was taken aback. Every skill he had released had dealt more damage to the witch than usual. Could this be because the witchs resistance was too low? Just then, the Guardians Sword had also slashed at the witchs body. An icy chill instantly spread from the long sword to his right hand. At that moment, Song Jian felt as if his entire right hand had been immersed in icy cold water. The chill was even flowing along his arm towards his shoulder. On the surface of the Necromancer Witchs body, a ripple-like undulation also appeared. This caused Song Jians strike to feel like it was sinking completely into a puff of cotton C void of any resistance whatsoever. Immune to physical damage? Song Jians eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the Necromancer Witch. Chapter 235 - Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Soul Wail Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Soul Wail Translator: 549690339 Song Jians skills dealt extra damage to the Necromancer Witch, but his ordinary attack, chopping down on her, was directly immunized. In fact, it was just the Necromancer Witchs skill Ephemeralization that temporarily immunized physical attacks. However, after being released, she suffered a 30% increase in Spirit damage. Swish- The witchs two withered hands grabbed forward, leaving five pale scratch marks in the air. Without even touching Song Jians body, he suddenly felt a strong force coming at him and the pain in his chest. Five damage numbers of over thirty floated above his head, and this attack directly removed nearly a hundred and eighty Vitality Points from Song Jian. Song Jian took two steps backward, withdrew his sword, and showed a flash of silver on the index finger of his left hand. With a forward-point, a three-meter-long sword light aimed at the skull of the Necromancer Witch. Muted flashes of silver light filled the dim passageway, here and gone in a flash. This attack directly pierced the skull of the Necromancer Witch, and the silver sword light emerged from the back of her head. The silver sword light vanished in a flash, and the Sword Finger skill dealt significant damage to the Necromancer Witch. After the sword light disappeared, a critical damage of over a hundred points floated above the witchs head, causing her entire body to tremble violently and let out a painful scream. Song Jian swung his right hand, and Invisible Sword Qi surged towards the Guardians Sword. The sharp blade flickered with silver light. A circle of grey light suddenly bloomed beneath the Necromancer Witch, rippling outwards like waves. A range of five to six meters was enveloped, including even the space beneath Song Jians feet. System: You are affected by the Necromancer Witchs skill C Necromancers Aura, losing 10 Vitality Points every second, Spirit Points consumption doubled, and self-attributes decreased by 30%. Swish- The witchs right hand swung high, leaving five pale scratch marks in the air that lingered for a long time. Again, five damage numbers of over thirty rose from Song Jians head. A feeling of weakness surged in his heart, and Song Jian frowned. The witchs attack was a bit too strong. These void scratches dealt considerable damage and had a short cooldown time, only slightly slower than the frequency of ordinary attacks. Whats more, there were no hints of a void scratch coming, making it nearly impossible to defend against. Each attack dealt over 150 points of damage. Even with his high Vitality Points, Song Jian found it hard to bear. And with the Necromancers Aura activated, Song Jians strength instantly dropped by more than 30%, increasing the damage he took. If not for his near 700 Vitality Points, if he were an average player, he would probably be looking for a way out by now. System: Your talent skill Thick Skin is triggered, weakening the effects of the Necromancers Aura. Your Vitality Points lose 6 points per second, Spirit Points consumption increased by 30%, self-attributes decreased by 10%. Fortunately, the talent skill Thick Skin remained as effective as ever. Though it couldnt completely immunize the Necromancers Aura, it could reduce its effects to an acceptable level. Just after the Necromancer Witch released the void scratches, Song Jian rushed forward with his long sword, a flash of silver light on the blade. His speed increased dramatically. Broken Wing Dance! One phase, two phases, three phases! Boom! An airwave erupted from Song Jians sword, and the Necromancer Witchs body lost control, tilted to one side. Song Jians eyes lit up, and he immediately activated the Rapid Sword skill. Swish, swish, swish C Even the ordinary attacks, with a 35% increase in speed, were as powerful as skill damage. The energy of the Invisible Sword Qi poured out like a flood, quickly depleting within a few seconds. The Necromancer Witchs body was not in control, and the defense on its bodys surface trembled violently like water waves, as if it was about to shatter at any moment. Pop- With a light sound, the Necromancer Witchs skill Nothingness finally reached its time limit. Although this skill could temporarily immunize physical damage, bearing too much would reduce its duration. However, by this time, the Necromancer Witch had also broken free from the control of the Broken Wing Dance, floating again and showing a hint of anger on her face towards Song Jians constant slashing. As Song Jian continued his assault, the witch suddenly opened her mouth wide, as if venting her anger, and a violent energy burst from her mouth. The sound was abrupt, like a needle piercing through a persons eardrum. But even covering both ears wouldnt help. The Soul Wail acted directly on the targets brain and spirit, spreading from inside to outside, to each corner of their body. While attacking, Song Jian suddenly felt a strong sense of fear surging from the depths of his heart, and instantly wanted to turn and run. At the same time, his vision blackened, his head spinning and his chest feeling stuffy and wanting to vomit. Stunned in place, Song Jians face turned pale, swaying unsteadily, his entire body trembling incessantly. The long sword in his hand felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, giving him a feeling that he couldnt lift it anymore. Swish- Another five pale scratches appeared in the air, and this time, Song Jian was blown backward by the attack. Blood sprayed from his chest, and five critical damage numbers of over sixty floated above his head. His Vitality Points were reduced by more than half, leaving only around two hundred. Although the Vitality Points were still slowly recovering, the curses and the Necromancers Aura continued to suppress his recovery rate. The Necromancer Witch was faring no better, with only about a third of her Vitality Points left. Due to the presence of Invisible Sword Qi, her Nothingness skill was virtually useless. Moreover, the continuous skill usage severely depleted her Spirit Points. Her crimson eyes stared at Song Jian as she hesitated, unsure whether to continue attacking or flee. At that moment, the Necromancer Witch noticed that Song Jian had broken free from the Soul Wail state. The negative effect that should have lasted for seven to eight seconds was on this human for less than three seconds. Seeing this, the Necromancer Witch hesitated no more and turned to flee towards the depths of the passage. However, her body was now emanating a black aura, making it appear much weaker and more transparent, as if it was about to collapse. Song Jian, having broken free from the Soul Wail state, looked at the crumbling Necromancer Witch about to vanish into the passage and a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes. After coming this far, theres no way he would let her escape! Earth Teeth Assault! A sharp fang-shaped air mass shot out with a piercing sound, heading straight for the Necromancer Witch. Chapter 236 - Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Ghostly Leather Armor Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Ghostly Leather Armor Translator: 549690339 Boom- With a muffled sound, the energy cluster in the shape of fangs exploded under the feet of the Necromancer Witch, causing more than eighty points of damage to float above her head. At this point, the witchs vitality points had already dropped below one hundred, and her body was practically invisible due to its transparency, even as she floated and moved slowly near the ground. How could they let such a piece of fat meat escape when it was so close to their mouths? Song Jian charged towards the Necromancer Witch while running and pulled out the Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow from his offhand slot, aimed at the silhouette of the witchs back, and pulled the trigger. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Three flaming crossbow bolts were fired at the Necromancer Witchs back, hitting the escaping transparent figure. Crackle, crackle, crackle- Three bursts of fire sparked on the witchs back, and the nearly transparent Necromancer Witch seemed to explode like fireworks, her wails echoing in the corridor for a long time. System: Your experience points are full, your level has been upgraded to Lv. 12, and you have gained one skill point. After killing the Necromancer Witch, Song Jian gained a large amount of experience points, which fulfilled his level upgrade requirement, going from level eleven to twelve. He glanced at the skill bar and saw that the proficiency of all the active skills hadnt been maxed; even if he practiced them continuously, the skills still took a long time to improve. The fastest among them was the Earth Teeth Assault, with 87% proficiency, while the others ranged from 20% to 30%. After some thought, Song Jian used the skill point to upgrade his talent skill Thick Skin to level nine. In battle, Song Jian was not afraid of enemies with high attack power but rather the countless negative effects they could inflict, making Thick Skin the perfect skill to counter such attacks. Tinkle, tinkle, clang- Several items fell from the sky, making a crisp sound, and one of them gleamed with a silver light so intense that it almost illuminated the entire corridor. Silver quality? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he sped up even more to reach the pile of loot, grabbing the silver-quality item. Ghostly Leather Armor (Silver), upper body armor; Equipment effect: Physical defense +10, magical resistance +8, damage +25, strength +5, constitution +2, + 5% damage bonus against monsters;, Special effect 1: When taking damage, theres a chance to trigger the skill Void. Void (Passive): Immunity to the damage from the current hit, reducing the damage taken from the next hit by 50%; this skill can only be triggered once every 60 seconds, Special effect 2: Shadow (Passive): Reducing your presence, making you less noticeable and reducing the detection range of monsters by 1 meter; during combat, the dodge rate gradually increases, up to a maximum of 30% dodge rate; equipment requirement: Level 15, Can it be taken out of the game: Yes. As expected from silver quality equipment! A satisfied smile appeared on Song Jians face; just based on the attributes, it was far better than the Zombie Overlord Set he currently had. Even if he lost the +3 Strength set attribute after changing, the Ghostly Leather Armor could still handle it and may even provide 2 additional points of strength attribute. Wearing this equipment would boost my attack power by at least 30%, Song Jian thought to himself. However, since the armor required level fifteen to wear, it had to be stored in his backpack for the time being. Of the remaining loot, there was an Advanced Enhancement Stone for enhancing any type of armor, and a Vitality Stone that increased vitality points recovery speed by 2% when equipped in the bag. In an emergency, it could be directly used to restore 300 vitality points, so it was quite a valuable item. In addition, the Necromancer Witch had dropped a Necromancer Crystal Core, a level 5 forging material that required at least an expert-level Forge Art to useobviously a good item. Not bad, it seems that hiring you to escort me to Kantelu Ruins was one of the wisest decisions Ive made. *cough* One of them! With the danger gone, the Goblin merchant Canaan followed along; watching as Song Jian collected the spoils of battle, a hint of envy appeared on Canaans face. However, being a Goblin merchant, silver-quality equipment may be rare but not unheard of. In his mind, only equipment with golden quality or above was the most precious; he had not even traded a golden quality item. A level 15 elite BOSS is no match for you. If you try your best, you might be able to defeat the level 20 elite BOSS. Do you want to give it a shot? Canaan spoke in a soft voice: There must be at least one gold-quality item in that treasure chest; if you dont need it, you can sell it to me, I promise to give you a fair price! Song Jian glanced at Canaan and shook his head, saying, If you dare to take on the BOSSS attacks upfront, we might have a chance to kill it together. But with just me alone, haha! Although the Goblin merchant Canaan had no offensive capabilities, his defense was extremely strong. Song Jian estimated that even against a level 20 elite BOSS like the Ghostfire Beast, it would only take single-digit damage at most. If Canaan was really willing to tank the BOSS in front, with the terrain advantage, they might have a high chance of taking down the Ghostfire Beast together; With an indecisive expression, Canaan hesitated for a while before ultimately sighing and shaking his head, saying nothing more. Song Jian looked at Canaan with a hint of contempt in his eyes. He wasnt sure if all the members of the Goblin Clan were like this or if it was because Canaan was a merchant. Song Jian believed they would have an 80% chance of defeating the level 20 elite BOSS if they worked together. Moreover, Canaan himself had an acceleration skill, which would allow him to escape faster than Song Jian if necessary. Yet still, he didnt want to join forces. This just showcased how much Canaan feared combat. Alright, lets continue going forward, said Song Jian. Canaan sighed and seemed to feel a little embarrassed, walking forward with his head down. On their journey, the pair encountered several traps and wiped out several waves of monsters. They had already mapped nearly half of the area when Canaan yawned and shook his head, saying, Lets rest here for a while. We have plenty of time; theres no need to hurry. Song Jian nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a rumbling sound came from ahead, resembling large rocks scraping against the ground. Haha, lets go, lets go! Were in luck! Canaan heard the sound, and his spirits immediately lifted. He ran toward the sound with a joyful expression, Song Jian closely following behind him. After running tens of meters along the corridor and turning several corners, they were suddenly met with a bright light shining in the dim passage. Both of them couldnt help but squint and shield their eyes with their hands. Hurry up, hurry up! We only have a few minutes before the door closes! Canaan shouted, running faster toward the light. In no time, the two of them entered the light. What what is this place? Could this be Kantelu Ruins? Song Jian looked around in amazement. They had somehow arrived at a valley surrounded by towering mountains. In the valley, there was a forest, and next to it, an abandoned village with a huge stone pillar standing in front of it. As Song Jian was astonished, the rumbling sound came again from behind. He turned to see two enormous rocks over ten meters high and more than a meter thick slowly closing together, blocking the entrance to the corridor they had just passed through. Chapter 237 - Chapter 237: Chapter 237: Medicine Gathering Skill Chapter 237: Chapter 237: Medicine Gathering Skill Translator: 549690339 Is this the Kantelu Ruins? Song Jian looked at the valley before him in surprise. He never expected that he could reach such a place full of green mountains and rivers by going through the underground pipeline network of the city. This place should no longer be within the domain of Doomsday City. This is the Katlu Ruins, not the Kantelu Ruins were looking for, the Goblin merchant Canaan took off the air filter from his face, looked around and shook his head. The filter on his face had the function of filtering poisonous gas and purifying the air. Without it, the two of them would have been vomiting in the sewer for such a long time by now. What do you mean? Song Jian raised his eyebrows, turned his head to look at Canaan, and opened the task bar at the same time. Sure enough, the task bar did not show task completed. This place used to be inhabited by the Kateru Clan, but now its abandoned. Its not wrong to call it the Kantelu Ruins, but its not where were supposed to go. The Kantelu Ruins were looking for are like a main city, while this place could only be considered a small village attached to the main city, Canaan shook his head. Song Jian nodded, knowing that Canaans goal was the Prayer Altar in the Kantelu Ruins. Only a place similar to the ancestral land of the Kantulu Clan would likely have such a structure. We can rest here tonight, as no monsters will appear here, Canaan showed a relaxed expression on his face and headed towards the abandoned village in the valley. As Song Jian walked, he looked around. The valley was vast, but the abandoned village within it was not very large, with only a dozen or so bamboo buildings gathered together. In the center was a large open space with a deep well in the middle, the wellhead covered by a large green stone. Most of the bamboo buildings in the village had collapsed, with only five or six left that were relatively intact. Canaan began to choose one for their rest, occasionally tapping it with his hand or shaking it forcefully to see if they were still sturdy. Song Jians gaze fell on the tall stone pillar at the front of the village, which resembled a totem pillar. It was relatively well-preserved, about a dozen meters tall, and the surface of the pillar was carved with various patterns, some intricate magical runes, and some fierce monster images that densely covered the entire pillar. Song Jian even found several monsters he had seen before in the carved patterns on the surface of the stone pillar. The ghost fire beast from the Kantelu Maze also appeared in the pillar and was in a high position, about five to six meters above the ground. This is the Guardian Pillar of the Kantulu Clan. See those monster patterns carved on it? If enemies invade the clan, they would activate this totem pillar, and these monster patterns will turn into real monsters, killing the invaders, Canaan explained, standing by Song Jian. So this pillar is a treasure? It could at least dominate one region! Song Jian raised his eyebrows, thinking that this pillar seemed very useful. Its impossible. Once the Guardian Pillar is erected, it cannot be moved, otherwise, the monsters on it will revolt. Moreover, without the bloodline of the Kantulu Clan, the Guardian Pillar cannot be activated, even if you know the ceremony to activate it, Canaan shook his head. Song Jian nodded, and if it was as Canaan said, it would explain why the village was abandoned and the Guardian Pillar remained intact. Its a pity. If I could move it and place it in my estate, I would have another defensive structure, Song Jian thought. You should rest soon. Well continue to explore the maze tomorrow. I estimate that we will find the real Kantelu Ruins in at most two more days. The Prayer Altar can only be opened once a month, we cant let others get there first, Canaan said and walked towards a bamboo building. Song Jian nodded, but did not rest. According to the in-game time, it should be around 1-2 a.m., but it was daytime in the valley. Although the sun couldnt be seen, there were blue skies and white clouds, and the soft wind in the valley gave a warm and cozy feeling, a sensation Song Jian could only experience in the real world. The valley was vast, and Song Jian wanted to explore it, thinking that he might find some valuable items here. Gently touching the Guardian Pillar, Song Jian couldnt see its attributes. He sighed, thinking that it seemed the pillar couldnt be moved and was just part of the background in the game. After a tour around the abandoned village, Song Jian didnt find any valuable items. The collapsed bamboo buildings had already rotted and mixed with the soil, and the few left that seemed intact were empty, nothing left behind. Leaving the abandoned village, Song Jian strolled slowly along the surrounding peaks of the valley. The peaks rose high into the clouds, and even if Song Jian morphed into a dark cloud and soared, he couldnt pass over them. The only way to leave was through the entrance he came in from. After spending more than three hours, Song Jian had walked around the entire valley following the mountain peaks. He found similar stone doors at the four cardinal direction points, seemingly as if there were four channels for entering and leaving this place. At the southernmost point, there was a forest and a small lake next to it, even with fish over a foot long jumping out of the water. There were signs of logging everywhere in the forest, and every tree there had rings indicating decades of growth. If cut down, they would provide a large amount of wood. But presently, Song Jian had no interest in these basic materials. He had so many NPC laborers that he could obtain large quantities of wood and stone materials every day. Otherwise, he wouldnt have time for anything else except chopping wood and digging for stones to build the entire estate. Standing by the edge of the forest for a while, Song Jian found it dense and vast, covering about a third of the valleys surface. There was no sound of insects or birds in the forest, and it seemed a bit too quiet. As Song Jian prepared to turn away and leave, he unintentionally noticed a small red grass at the base of a large tree glowing faintly. Is this an herb? Song Jian walked forward and carefully inspected the properties of the red grass. Red Blood Grass (white), herb, can be used to prepare low-level healing potions. Gathering requirement: level 1 Medicine Gathering Skill. Ive already learned Alchemy, so it would be best to master this Medicine Gathering Skill as well, Song Jian thought. Cautioning himself, he started digging out the soil next to the herb. He knew that gathering herbs required a tool like a medicine hoe, but he didnt have one at the moment, so he used his hands as a substitute. After spending ten or so minutes, Song Jian had dug down about three to four inches and finally unearthed the herb. System: You have gathered a broken herb, earned 1 gathering experience point, and comprehend the passive skill Medicine Gathering Skill. Chapter 238 - Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Purple Bamboo Pavilion Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Purple Bamboo Pavilion Translator: 549690339 After glancing at the now tattered Red Blood Grass in his hand, Song Jian threw it away casually. Broken herbs had no value, they couldnt be used for alchemy or sold. However, gathering just one allowed Song Jian to comprehend the Medicine Gathering Skill, which was a nice little surprise. Song Jian began to wander around the edge of the woods. This place must have existed for a long time, with plenty of herbs in the forest. He would find one every few steps. Canaan stood by the window of the bamboo house, watching Song Jian digging in the soil under the trees. He couldnt help but curl his lips and yawn, before turning and lying down on the cleaned bamboo bed. Song Jian was a novice herb gatherer and didnt have a suitable tool for gathering herbs. After gathering more than ten plants, he ended up with nothing but broken herbs, which made him feel a little impatient. Since being careful doesnt yield intact herbs and wastes time, its better to just use Experience Points instead. Song Jian thought to himself. The next moment, Song Jian approached a Red Blood Grass plant, inserted his hands directly into the soil and pulled the herb out. There was only a small section of the root left in his hand, with a long part of the root remaining in the ground. System: You have gathered a broken herb and gained 1 Gathering Experience point; Hehe. Seeing the system message, Song Jian laughed, threw the herb away casually, and continued towards the next plant. In this way, Song Jians speed in gaining gathering experience greatly increased. If this was in the real world, such gathering would bring no benefit and waste herbs; but now in the game, even the most broken herbs would add a point of gathering experience for Song Jian. In half an hour, Song Jian gathered more than sixty herbs, several times faster than before. Although he didnt have a successful gathering attempt, his gathering experience had accumulated to eighty-two points; With this gathering method, I dont believe that 1 will still get broken herbs after the level of Medicine Gathering Skill increases. Song Jian thought to himself. After twenty more minutes, Song Jian finally maxed out his gathering experience for his Medicine Gathering Skill. System: Your Medicine Gathering Skill level has increased to level 2. [Medicine Gathering Skill]: Passive, level 2,10% efficiency increase when gathering herbs, +1 gathering success rate. Seeing the +1 gathering success rate attribute after his Medicine Gathering Skill increased to level 2, Song Jian knew his efforts were in the right direction. Such gathering was very destructive, but these herbs were not painstakingly cultivated by Song Jian. He wouldnt feel bad even if he wasted them. After his Medicine Gathering Skill level increased, Song Jian continued his previous gathering style. The first herb he pulled out was still a broken herb, adding one point to his gathering experience. To advance his level 2 Gathering Skill to level 3, he needed 200 Gathering Experience points. For Song Jian, this just meant pulling out 200 herbs. After more than two hours, Song Jians Gathering Skill reached level 3. He was tired and sore from all the work, and there were broken herbs scattered all over the forest. Surprisingly, he hadnt managed to gather even a single intact herb during all that time. [Medicine Gathering Skill]: Passive, level 3,15% efficiency increase when gathering herbs, +2 gathering success rate After resting for a short time under a big tree, Song Jian walked deeper into the forest. Most of the herbs near the edge of the forest had been uprooted by him, so he had to search further in. There were many more herbs deep in the forest, but they were all low-level ones: Red Blood Grass for making basic healing potions, Silver Leaf Grass for making basic recovery potions, and Black Thorn Grass for making basic defense potions. These herbs were not valuable, and most importantly, Song Jian didnt have the related alchemy recipes. Even if he successfully gathered some intact herbs with great care, it would be useless. It was better to continue gathering quickly like this, at least he could increase his Medicine Gathering Skill level in a short time. After gathering more than a dozen plants in a row, the gathering experience increased by more than a dozen points. To advance his level 3 Medicine Gathering Skill, he would need three hundred gathering experience points. With Song Jians current speed, it would only take him a little more than three hours to level up his Medicine Gathering Skill again, as long as he had enough herbs. There are quite a lot of herbs in this area! After discarding a broken herb, Song Jian began digging out the herb next to it. The deeper he went into the forest, the more frequently he encountered herbs. Some of them even grew three or four plants under one big tree, saving him a lot of time searching for herbs. Song Jian inserted his hands into the soil, closed them together, and yanked upwards. His herb gathering movements were incredibly smooth by now. If any other herb gatherer saw this, they would definitely scold him for wasting herbs C but this didnt matter here. Just as Song Jian was forcefully pulling upwards, he suddenly felt the herb in his hand getting heavier, as if some force was resisting his gathering. At this point, Song Jians strength attribute had reached 17 points, so with a slight effort, the resisting force was immediately suppressed and a Blue Rat Grass with a long root was pulled out. System: You have gathered a Blue Rat Grass and gained 3 Gathering Experience points; Blue Rat Grass (white), herb, can be used to make Slow Medicine, gathering requirement: Have level 1 Medicine Gathering Skill. Huh, I succeeded in gathering? Holding the Blue Rat Grass in his hand, Song Jian was somewhat surprised. After all, he had gathered more than three hundred herbs and reached level 3 Medicine Gathering Skill before finally managing to gather a single intact herb. After playing with the Blue Rat Grass for a while, he put it into his backpack. This was a complete herb, which could be sold in the system store for a few Doomsday Coins, so he couldnt just throw it away. As he continued gathering along the way, Song Jian went wherever he found herbs. Soon, he arrived at the depths of the forest. Once again, after failing to gather, he casually threw away a broken herb and looked up. Huh, it seems theres an open space up ahead? Through the gaps between several big trees, Song Jian could see an area ahead that seemed to have been artificially flattened into an open space, and he could even vaguely see a row of bamboo fences. Song Jian walked quickly forward, covering a distance of five or six meters, and suddenly found this place was actually a herb field, about two acres in size. It was divided into more than ten sections, with dense herbs growing in each area. Next to this herb field, there was a bamboo house as well. This bamboo house was different from the ones they had seen in the village before. Those were made from green bamboo, but the one in front of him was built from purple bamboo. Song Jian glanced at the thriving herbs in the field and then at the Purple Bamboo Pavilion, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to search the Purple Bamboo Pavilion first. Chapter 239 - Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Medicinal Field Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Medicinal Field Translator: 549690339 The bamboo building next to the herb field was constructed from purple bamboo. Each bamboo stalk radiated a crystalline glimmer, semi-transparent, appearing as if made from Purple Crystal. Song Jian stepped onto the bamboo building. The steps underneath his feet creaked slightly, revealing an elasticity that suggested their durability. Most of the other bamboo buildings in the village had collapsed. The few that remained had started to decay and it wasnt long before they, too, would become ruins. However, this Purple Bamboo Pavilion gave an impression of being freshly constructed, still carrying a sense of freshness. Once inside the pavilion, Song Jian first spotted a skeleton seated on a bamboo chair. The skeleton appeared to belong to a human, but it had a foot-long horn on its head and there were bone spurs about two or three feet long on its arms. There was even a bony tail trailing behind the chair. Could this be the remains of a Cantru person? Song Jian stared at the skeleton for a long time before he was finally sure it was remains, not some sort of monster. Next to the skeleton on a table, there were three bamboo boxes, all covered in dust, evidently having been there for a long time. Song Jian quickly proceeded to the table and opened the boxes one by one. In the first box, there was a medicine spade. The handle was made of purple bamboo, the blade was fine iron C surprisingly, it was a silver-quality tool. Purple Bamboo Spade (Silver), Medicine Gathering tool, Equipment effect: Strength +1, Medicine Gathering speed +4.0%, Medicine Gathering success rate + 8, Medicine Gathering Skill +2. Equipment requirement: Medicine Gathering Skill Level 3. Can it be taken out of the game: No. Just as I was thinking about needing a pillow for sleep, they hand me one; Just as 1 was worried about the low efficiency of gathering herbs by hand, heres a medicine spade! Ha ha! Song Jian was quite pleased. He took out the Purple Bamboo Spade and put it in his bag. With this Purple Bamboo Spade, he would be able to collect the herbs in the field without damaging them. Without it, nearly all of them would be wasted. He could imagine that the herbs in the field would be far more precious than those growing in the forest. It would be such a pity to waste them like he did before. He opened the second box to find two scrolls. Upon unrolling them, he found they were Alchemy recipes for Slow Medicine and Fire Lizard Medicine. Medicine Recipe: Slow Medicine; upon use, it can produce Slow Medicine; Requirement: Mastery of Alchemy; Slow Medicine: Can be thrown at targets within a six-meter range, slowing the movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 30% of all targets within three meters for 60 seconds; Medicine Recipe: Fire Lizard Medicine; upon use, it can produce Fire Lizard Medicine; Requirement: Mastery of Alchemy; Fire Lizard Medicine: Changes the users and surrounding team members attack attributes to Fire, causing a certain chance of triggering a Burn effect upon attacking, lasts for 60 seconds. Acquiring two more Medicine recipes, the Slow Medicine could decrease the targets attack speed. Combined with Song Jians Rapid Sword skill, it could create a crushing attack effect and decrease the targets movement speed, making it impossible for the targets to escape. The Fire Lizard Medicine could increase his own attack attribute. Ordinary physical attacks could also become Fire attribute attacks. If he had used the Fire Lizard Medicine when hunting the Necromancer Witch earlier, the Witchs Etherealization skill effect would have been greatly diminished, making the battle much easier. Song Jian picked up the two recipes and learned them directly. The Slow Medicines main ingredient is Blue Rat Grass, while the Fire Lizard Medicine requires Flame Flower. Both herbs were present in the herb field he had seen earlier. Upon opening the third bamboo box, a look of surprise flashed in Song Jians eyes. In this box, there were three golden herbs. They were not golden in grade, but the entire herb radiated a golden light, as if they were made of pure gold. What a treasure! Having been preserved for so long, even if they do not attain the golden grade, the difference cant be much. It would be beneficial even if consumed as is, without making into a potion! A smile emerged on Song Jians face as he reached out to grab the three herbs. However, the moment his fingers touched the herbs, there was a soft pop sound. The three herbs surprisingly turned into a pile of ashes that scattered within the bamboo box. Song Jians expression instantly turned sour. These herbs had been here for too long. Although they seemed intact, they had in fact decayed. As soon as he opened the bamboo box, they turned to dust. He examined the golden powder with his fingers. It was slick and lacked any vitality. Shaking his head, Song Jian sighed and casually tossed the third bamboo box back onto the table. Having obtained a silver-quality medicine spade and two alchemy recipes, his luck could be considered pretty good. It would seem that he didnt have any fate with the three golden herbs. Having searched thoroughly without finding anything else of interest, Song Jian turned to leave the bamboo building and headed towards the herb field. The two-acre herb field had been artificially divided into several patches, within which the herbs grew luxuriantly, some even taller than a human. As he approached the field, he already smelled the strong scent of the herbs. At the edge of the field grew a large plot of Blue Rat Grass, roughly amounting to over a hundred plants. Carrying his Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jian began to dig them out one by one. With the silver-quality Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jians gathering went smoothly, with the gathering experience contributing significantly. After spending over an hour, Song Jian managed to collect all of the Blue Rat Grass. His Medicine Gathering Skill also smoothly leveled up to four. With the additional boost from the Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jians Medicine Gathering Skill had reached Level Six. With all the 113 plants of Blue Rat Grass collected without a single failure, Song Jian was slightly surprised. The difference between having the Purple Bamboo Spade and not having it was quite significant. After emptying the plot of Blue Rat Grass, Song Jian moved towards the Flame Flowers. The two new recipes he received required these two herbs as the main ingredients. In order to improve his Alchemy, he needed to prioritize their collection. Gathering herbs is a dull task. If an average player was to repeat this monotonous work, theyd probably go insane. Many players couldnt stick to collecting wood and stones in the past. Some even havent completed their first main quest yet. But Song Jian was still persisting, just like how he handed out flyers in the real world. Every day, he needed to hand out three thousand flyers; he wouldnt rest unless all were distributed. This kind of work, he continued for over a month. If it wasnt because of this game, he would probably still be distributing flyers daily; A few hours later, Song Jian had gathered from the fifth plot of the herb field, levelled his gathering skill up to five. Level five Gathering Skill, efficiency increase by 25%, gathering speed by 10%, success rate +3. With the additional two levels provided by the Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jians Gathering Skill had reached level seven; Just as Song Jian was done gathering from the fifth plot, and was on his way towards the sixth area, the goblin merchant Canaan appeared by the herb field. Gazing at the robust herbs in front of him, Canaan opened his mouth wide, looking astonished. He blankly stared at the few small plots of herb fields left. Chapter 240 - Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Enemy? Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Enemy? Translator: 549690339 Looking at the medicinial field in front of him, Canaan was enormously surprised. He could never have imagined that deep within this forest was a field cultivated by the Kateru Clan. Its simply unbelievable. Since when did the Kantulu Clan learn to grow herbs? Theyre infamous for being brutes whose heads are only full of muscle! Canaan exclaimed in surprise. Seeing Canaan appear, Song Jian felt a twinge of tension in his heart. He was the first to discover this field of medicinal herbs, but he couldnt stop Canaan from gathering them, after all they were on the same team now. Human, 1 give you three thousand Doomsday Coins, and the rest of these medicinal herbs belong to me, okay? Canaan shouted loudly. Song Jian looked up at Canaan, never expecting this green-skinned little dwarf to be so generous. Even if Canaan was competing with him for the herbs now, Song Jian couldnt find anything to complain about. Five thousand! Song Jian shouted back. Deal! Canaan responded immediately. Song Jian glanced regretfully at the remaining three or four plots of herbs. If he could collect them all, he could advance another level in his Medicine Gathering skill. However, if he sold them, he wouldnt be able to get five thousand Doomsday Coins for them. After trading five thousand Doomsday Coins, Song Jian stood to one side, curious to see how Canaan would go about gathering the herbs. The goblin merchant Canaan, after completing the trade, first walked up to each plot of herbs for a close inspection. Then, he took out two intelligent machines that were about as tall as him. These intelligent machines looked like eight-legged spiders, with six legs supporting their bodies. Two mechanical claws were used to harvest the herbs, and each time a plant was dug up, it was placed inside their elliptical bodies, which were obviously also storage devices. Their gathering speed was extremely fast, even more than twice as fast as Song Jian using his bamboo spade, thanks to the various tools on the mechanical claws. In just over half an hour, they had finished gathering all the remaining herbs. How about it? These are herb gathering robots, equipped with a level eight Medicine Gathering skill, suitable for any terrain. Even if the herbs are growing on a cliff face, they can collect them. Canaan bragged, It only costs ten thousand Doomsday Coins each, and if you need it, 1 can give you a discount of 99.9%! Forget it, I cant afford it! Song Jian shook his head and said. Hmm, these herbs can be used to make about a hundred bottles of potions. Each bottle of potion can be sold for between three hundred to five hundred Doomsday Coins. I should be able to make about twenty thousand Doomsday Coins this time Canaan took out a calculator, punched some numbers and then said in a low voice. Potions are so profitable? Song Jians heart stirred and he quickly asked. Canaan put away the calculator, looked at Song Jian, and said quizzically: Of course, potions are consumables. As long as there is fighting, they will be needed. They sell well, and due to the low success rate of potion-making, they have to be sold at a high price or else we wouldnt make any profit. Song Jian nodded, considering the idea of opening a shop specializing in the sale of potions in the future. Wouldnt it be easy to earn Doomsday Coins that way! Having finished gathering the herbs, Song Jian and Canaan left the forest and headed towards the passage they had entered through the day before. Canaan, after resting for a few hours, was full of energy, and though Song Jian hadnt rested, he didnt feel tired as long as his Mental Strength hadnt been fully consumed in the game. Standing in front of the passage, the stone doors were still closed. Canaan carefully sketched the symbols of the ruins onto the parchment. Song Jian, feeling curious, asked: Didnt you say this place moves every month and the maze never repeats itself? So whats the point of drawing this map? Obviously, to sell it! Canaan glanced at Song Jian and said, The Katlu Ruins exist for a month, and it only takes us two or three days to enter. With the remaining time, we can sell the map to others. Each person can only use the prayer altar once, and after we have used it, others can continue to use it. You really are cut out to be a merchant! Song Jian sighed. It seemed this green-skinned dwarf had truly ingrained the art of making money into his blood and bones. Of course, I am a goblin merchant, and my goal is to become a great space-traveling merchant, selling items on various planets all across the universe! The goblin merchant Canaan said excitedly. What a great ambition! Song Jian replied, unsure whether the concept of cosmic planets really existed in this game, and whether there were other planets. For now, he was still stuck in his own city, and had no conception of cosmic planets. While they chatted, they waited for the stone doors of the passage to open. In no time, the stone doors let out a rumbling sound and slowly began to slide apart. Its truly a marvel of engineering. The Kantulu people from over a thousand years ago were able to develop such mechanisms. This stone door, operating without anyone controlling it, has been running for more than a thousand years. Its truly astonishing. As Canaan watched the door slowly slide open, his eyes were filled with admiration. Soon, the stone gate opened, revealing the glowing passage inside. I really dont want to enter this smelly passage again. Canaan said as he drew a filter onto his face and stepped into the passage. As the foul smell from the passage slowly wafted out, Song Jian frowned slightly, also put a filter over his mouth and nose, followed Canaan into the passage. Having only walked about ten meters, a boom sounded from behind them; the stone door closed. The door only opened twice a day and each time lasted only three minutes. The fact that the two of them found this place was pure luck. We have explored more than half of the Kantelu Maze. We should be able to find the real Katlu Ruins today! Holding the parchment in his hand, Canaan whispered. Just then, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps from ahead, and both Song Jian and Canaan simultaneously stopped and looked at each other, both having a bad feeling. Hey, isnt this our green-skinned dwarf? The lesson 1 gave you last time wasnt enough, huh? You dare to venture into the Kantelu Maze again. Did you really think the words I said last time were just empty threats? A haughty voice rang out from the opposite side. Soon, a figure appeared before Song Jian. A girl clad in crimson armor, wielding a flame-burning war axe, followed by two beasts half a person tall, appeared in front of the two. Jierna, dont push things too far! This is the site of the Kantulu Clan. If you can come here, so can l! Canaan argued loudly, hopping up and down with frustration. It seems that you really want to fight with me over this! A trace of murderous intent appeared on Jiernas delicate face. She shouted, Red-tailed Beasts, attack! Roar- The two beasts behind Jierna roared into the sky and charged at Canaan. Chapter 241 - Chapter 241: Chapter 241: One-on-One Duel? Chapter 241: Chapter 241: One-on-One Duel? Translator: 549690339 The two Red-tailed Beasts behind Jierna looked somewhat strange. They were covered in thick shells everywhere else on their bodies, looking like a giant beetle, and only their tails were covered in red fur. As they ran and swung their tails, it looked like a ball of burning flames. Jierna was a level 15 elite BOSS, and the two Red-tailed Beasts behind her were level 10 elite BOSSes. Facing such combat power, even Song Jian felt somewhat tricky. Before entering the maze, you never mentioned that you had such enemies! Song Jian sighed, took a step forward, and stood in front of the goblin merchant Canaan. This woman is a madwoman, she wants to move the Prayer Altar in the Kantelu Ruins to her own home, and she will chase and kill anyone she sees in the maze! Canaan screamed loudly, looking at Jierna with fear and resentment in his eyes. The Prayer Altar is mine, and you useless lot dare to compete with me! Jierna raised her battle-axe with one hand and pointed at Canaan, shouting, Little green-skinned dwarf, 1 spared you last time, but 1 didnt expect you to be so small in stature yet so ambitious, so you really dare to compete with me for the Prayer Altar? You madwoman, you killed all my guards, the Prayer Altar is an artifact of the Kantulu Clan, just leave it there, cant you just go there once a month to exchange items? Why do you have to dismantle it and take it back? Are you not afraid of damaging it? The goblin hid behind Song Jian and screamed loudly. If I set my eyes on something, it belongs to me. Why should 1 share it with you trash? Die, Red-tailed Beasts, kill these two! Jierna carried her battle-axe and walked step by step towards the two. Song Jian took out a bottle of Weakness Potion from his package and threw it at the two Red-tailed Beasts. With a bang sound, the potion bottle exploded, and the two Red-tailed Beasts were enveloped in a cloud of green dust, causing a thirty-point damage floating above their heads. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian, holding the Guardians Sword, charged at the two Red-tailed Beasts. Eh, little dwarf, you found a pretty good bodyguard this time. Dare to fight head-on with my two Red-tailed Beasts. Those bodyguards you had before, they were so scared they ran away when they saw the Red-tailed Beasts, hahaha! Jierna seemed to think of something funny, pointed her battle-axe at Canaan, and laughed out loud. Jierna, have you found a way to move the Prayer Altar yet? Canaan suddenly asked. Jierna was startled, a trace of embarrassment flashed in her eyes, and she shouted angrily: Even if I havent found a way to move it, I wont allow you useless lot to use it! In case the altar is destroyed due to too much energy consumption, that would be my loss. As for the method to remove it, 1 will find it sooner or later! Jierna, you dont even understand the principle of the Prayer Altar, yet you want to move it. Youre simply deluding yourself! Canaan sneered. Eh, little dwarf, you dare talk to me like that? Jierna showed a surprised expression, glanced at Canaan, and then her gaze fell on Song Jian, who was fighting with the two Red-tailed Beasts. So, you found a powerful bodyguard, no wonder you have become so bold, hmph! Jiernas eyes flashed with a murderous intent, waved her battle-axe, and charged at Song Jian: Let me shatter your courage once more! Song Jians third strike of the Broken Wing Dance sent both Red-tailed Beasts floating in the air. Rapid Sword! While the two Red-tailed Beasts were floating, Song Jian used his Rapid Sword skill, increasing his attack speed greatly, waving his sword quickly and cutting through the beasts. The Red-tailed Beasts, which had already reduced their defense by 35%, were completely defenseless in their floating state. Even ordinary attacks could cause considerable damage, let alone Song Jians sword which also had Invisible Sword Qi attached. System: You deal 45 points of physical damage to the Red-tailed Beast, combo point+1, damage increased by 110% System: You deal 56 points of physical damage to the Red-tailed Beast, combo point+1, damage increased by 120% The Broken Wing Dance made the Red-tailed Beasts float in the air, and then connected with other attacks, which caused combo points, increasing the damage. However, the Broken Wing Dance was only level one, and the third strikes floating effect could only last for a short second. Soon, the two Red-tailed Beasts would fall down. Just as the Red-tailed Beasts were about to hit the ground, a silver light flashed on Song Jians left index finger, he slashed forward, causing both Red-tailed Beasts to let out painful cries, a damage number close to two hundred floated above their heads. As the Red-tailed Beasts landed, Song Jians Rapid Sword state had not yet disappeared. Sword light flickered, continuously slashing at the Red-tailed Beasts, and for a time, the two level 10 elite BOSSes couldnt fight back. Die! Just as Song Jian was constantly chopping away at the two Red-tailed Beasts, a yell accompanied by a surge of powerful force came rushing at him. Seeing Jierna, who was covered in red armor, lunging at him, Song Jian had no time to dodge, so he could only hold his long sword horizontally in front of him; Just as he raised his sword to his chest, Jiernas battle-axe had already arrived. Bang- With a crisp sound of metal clashing, Song Jian felt a sharp pain in his chest and a tearing pain in his right hand holding the sword, almost unable to hold the sword. Blood spewed from his mouth, and Song Jians body was knocked back. Dare not fight one-on-one? Song Jian climbed up from the ground, angry, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, yelling at Jierna. One-on-one? Jierna was stunned for a moment, and then burst out laughing, Did your human mind break? These Red-tailed Beasts are my pets, and also a part of my power. Why should I give up this power to fight one-on-one with you? Hahahaha! Pets are also part of your power, huh? Well, thats what you said! Song Jians eyes flashed with a cunning look. Soon, a Hexagram Star summoning array appeared under Song Jians feet. Whoosh! A large group of dark red blood crows flew out of the summoning array and pounced on Jierna. These blood crows were at least level 8, and some had even risen to level 10. Obviously, Song Jians summoned creatures had not been idle during his absence. Thirty blood crows crowded into the narrow, five-meter-wide, three-meter-high corridor. They were not used to such a cramped environment. As soon as they appeared, they swarmed towards Jierna; Seeing that Song Jian had summoned so many blood crows, Jierna was startled. However, after seeing their levels, a disdainful look flashed in her eyes. Red-tailed Beasts, kill this garbage! Chapter 242 - Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Tyrant Body State Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Tyrant Body State Translator: 549690339 The number of Blood Crows was considerable, but their combat power was weak. Their existence was not meant for direct attacks but for reconnaissance and early warning. Even a level 10 Blood Crow only had no vitality points and could not face the level 10 elite BOSS Red-tailed Beast head-on. Thats why Jierna sneered contemptuously once she noticed the strength of these Blood Crows. The corridor was crowded, and the Blood Crows couldnt fly, but under Song Jians command, they pounced on the Red-tailed Beasts, creating a sense of blotting out the sky in the narrow corridor. The Red-tailed Beast roared and swiped at the Blood Crows, leaving sharp claw marks in the air. With each swipe, it tore a Blood Crow apart, turning it into a cluster of pus and blood. Watching the number of Blood Crows diminish quickly, Jierna sneered, Pathetic. When all the Blood Crows were annihilated, Jierna suddenly noticed in front of her a row of blood-colored zombies. Thirty blood zombies waved their arms and pounced on the Red-tailed Beast. Although these zombies were also not high-level, around level seven or eight, their strength was clearly much higher than the Blood Crows. Even the Red-tailed Beast couldnt kill them with one blow like it did with the Blood Crows. The thirty blood zombies swarmed the Red-tailed Beast, piling up on it in a manner reminiscent of a human pyramid. The narrow corridor didnt provide any room for the Red-tailed Beast to dodge, and it was quickly pinned down under a swarm of blood zombies. It seemed to be carrying a mountain of flesh, roaring and struggling to escape from underneath the pile, but with its limbs tightly held by the blood zombies and more than a dozen more piling on its body, it couldnt break free. Seeing the Red-tailed Beast pinned down, Jierna snorted lightly, wielding her battle-axe towards one of the zombies on the beast. Song Jian tightly gripped the Guardians Sword and rushed towards Jierna, he couldnt let her attack the blood zombies. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians speed suddenly increased significantly, reaching Jiernas side as she just lifted her battle-axe over her head. Jierna wasnt expecting his speed to increase so quickly. Her face showed surprise as she hurriedly swung her battle-axe to block. Clang! A surge of great force came, Jierna almost felt like she couldnt hold onto her battle-axe, took several steps back to unload the force and regain her balance. An unnatural flush rose to her cheeks as blood began to seep from the corner of her mouth. Just as she prepared to speak, Jierna suddenly noticed that Song Jians speed had once again increased and he was rushing towards her. Bang- Jierna was unable to block in time. Song Jians sword fiercely struck Jiernas red armor. Sparks flew as the sword left a deep mark on the armor. Impossible! Jierna stepped back a few steps, vomiting blood. She felt the power and speed of Song Jians attack increasing with each strike. A piercing pain rose from her shoulder. His attack had slashed open her armor and struck her body. Just then, Jierna felt a shadow enveloping her. Looking up, she saw Song Jian leaping high up, almost touching the corridors ceiling. Watching as Song Jian hacked at her from the air, Jierna gritted her teeth, held her battle-axe horizontally, and faced him. Bang! Another violent collision occurred, as if a heavy mountain was pressing down on her. Jierna felt intense pain in her knee and involuntarily knelt on the ground. Boom! A shockwave burst from Song Jians long sword. Jiernas body involuntarily rose in the air, laying horizontally in mid-air in a humiliating posture. Levitation state! A thought flashed across Jiernas mind, her eyes revealed a look of terror. She knew what levitation state meant. In this state, she would be completely defenseless against any incoming attack. The damage she would suffer would also be multiplied. Rapid Sword! Song Jians attack speed suddenly increased. Multiple auras of silver light encircled Jierna as his sword relentlessly slashed her. For a moment, blood sprayed from Jierna who was under the levitation state, her vitality points were dropping quickly. Bang! As Jierna landed, a silver Sword Qi burst from Song Jians left index finger, piercing her body and pinning her to the ground. The series of attacks had reduced more than half of Jiernas vitality points. Once released from her levitation state and back on the ground, Jierna regained control of her body. Seeing Song Jian attack again, she roared, and a golden light flashed over her body. A wave of energy spread from her body in all directions. Song Jian was met head-on with the wave, forcing him to cover his head and face with his hands while his body was flung backward. Groans- The Red-tailed Beast behind her writhed wildly, its thick neck swaying from side to side, its sharp fangs fatally pierced through the bodies of the reachable blood zombies. Some zombies were already torn apart by the Red-tailed Beast, not even a complete corpse was left. Their vitality points reduced to zero and slowly disappeared into pools of pus and blood. With furrowed brows, Song Jian noted that although the blood zombies outnumbered the Red-tailed Beast by ten times, they were simply no match for it. So far, the two Red-tailed Beasts had only lost a fifth of their vitality points while already ten of the blood zombies had been lost. The remaining zombies were having trouble holding down the two Red-tailed Beasts. In about ten seconds more, the beasts would free themselves. The zombies would then be utterly useless. At this point, Jierna was radiating a golden light all over her body and charged towards Song Jian like a valkyrie. Tyrant Body State? Song Jian stared at the status bar above Jiernas head and exclaimed in surprise. Under the Tyrant Body State, Jiernas attack, defense and speed increased significantly, and she also became immune to some controlling effects such as levitation, knockback and dizziness. These effects lasted for a whopping thirty seconds. This made Song Jian feel a bit of a bind. Seeing Jierna rushing towards him, he opened his silver vertical pupil on his forehead. A silver beam burst out from his vertical eye shooting towards Jierna. Eye Beam Kill! Boom Boom Boom C The silver beam continually bombarded Jiernas body, each hit causing nearly a hundred points of damage. However, Jierna held her battle-axe in front of her and continued to move forward despite the onslaught of the silver beam. Silver sparks flowed from Jiernas body like lava. She growled lowly, her once delicate face becoming somewhat ferocious. Chapter 243 - Chapter 243: Chapter 243 Lets Unite Chapter 243: Chapter 243 Lets Unite Translator: 549690339 Jiernas strength was formidable, and she was currently in the Tyrant Body state, which gave Song Jian a great headache. The damage from the Eye Kill was high, but Jierna was surprisingly able to withstand the damage, step by step charging towards Song Jian. Her frenzied battle state took even Song Jian aback C he hadnt expected this girl to be a battle maniac! Five seconds passed, and a hint of fatigue flashed in Song Jians eyes. Jierna was now just three or four meters away from him and could reach him with just a sprint. Sword Silk! Song Jian swung his sword at Jierna, the sword and the battle-axe viciously collided, and a small piece of metal chipped off from the sword. A faint crack appeared on the surface of the Guardians Sword, spreading downward from the chipped area. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Three strands of silver Sword Silk appeared out of nowhere from Song Jians body surface and stabbed towards Jiernas body. One of them pierced Jiernas arm, one pierced her neck, and another entered her abdomen. Usually, it could cause close to four hundred points of damage, but for Jierna, who was in the Tyrant Body state, it only caused slightly more than two hundred and eighty points of damage. Die! Jierna swung her battle-axe towards Song Jian. Intense breaking wind sound suddenly resounded, as unsettling as ghost wails and wolf howls, giving one a headache. The strong winds met his face, cutting a few minor wounds on Song Jians cheeks. Fresh blood stained his entire cheeks in a flash. Buzz- A light shield appeared on Song Jians body surface as he gritted his teeth and stabbed at Jierna with his sword. He completely gave up on defense, acting as if he was fighting for his life. A cruel smile appeared on Jiernas face, her battle-axe didnt slow, and a jade necklace around her neck flash with a pale blue light. Bang! The battle-axe cleaved on the light shield, Song Jians sword also cleaved on a pale blue water screen. This strike, neither of them had inflicted damage on the other. You dare to fight for your life against me? You are not qualified! Jiernas eyes were fixed on Song Jian, her tongue licking the blood at the corner of her mouth, and she sneered. Roar- Behind him, two Red-tailed Beasts finally broke free from the Blood Zombies Human Pyramid. Shaking their heads and tails, they immediately flung several blood zombies hanging on their bodies. Slap- A Blood Zombie was thrown away by a Red-tailed Beast, happened to fly past another Red-tailed Beast, the Red-tailed Beast twisted its head like a lightning, biting the Blood Zombie in its mouth. With a hard bite, it immediately crushed the Blood Zombie into a puddle of pus and blood, exploding in mid-air. In an instant, the two Red-tailed Beasts were like tigers entering sheepfold, sweeping the remaining dozen of Blood Zombies. Jierna looked back at Song Jian with a wild smile on her face: The trash creatures you summoned are almost wiped out. Once my two Red-tailed Beasts finish off your trash, Id like to see what you can do to fight me! Jierna, youve gone too far! The Goblin Clan wont let you go! Canaan, hiding in the distance with a face full of rage, screamed. I should be scared of your short clan? Jierna showed a disdainful expression on her face, completely ignoring Canaans threat. Song Jian took out two potions from his pocket, threw one at the two Red-tailed Beasts, and the other at Jierna. Pat- Jierna swung her battle axe toward the sky, causing the potion vial to explode in the air. A cloud of green powder enveloped Jierna, but was blocked by the golden light around her bodythe Weakness Potion had no effect on Jierna in her Tyrant Body State. Is that the only trick you know? Jierna gave Song Jian a contemptuous smile and swung her axe toward him. Song Jian backed off hastily, knowing he was no match for Jierna in her current state. Just then, Song Jian felt two gusts of wind from behind him. He abruptly lowered his body, and two Red-tailed Beasts leapt over him. Grrr- The Red-tailed Beasts hit the ground, turned their bodies around, leaned slightly forward, and bared their fangs at Song Jian, growling lowly at him. H-Human, we are no match for that crazy woman, we should run away! Canaan said tremblingly from afar. Although Canaan had no attack power, his defense was formidable, and he had several Acceleration Skills. He had explored more than half of the maze here, so if they fled, Jierna wouldnt be able to catch up with him. Song Jian glanced at Jierna in her Tyrant Body State, and then at the two Red-tailed Beasts in front of her. He gestured with his left hand, and a summoning matrix appeared in the air. A Black Dragon hatchling appeared within the matrix. After taking a glance at Song Jian, it turned its head towards the two Red-tailed Beasts and let out a roar. The Black Dragon hatchling had now leveled up to level seven. Although it was still three levels lower than the Red-tailed Beasts, it totally overshadowed them in terms of attributes and skills. Most importantly, a faint Dragon Might emerged from it. The two Red-tailed Beasts tails were originally waving arrogantly in the air like two burning flames, but the moment the Black Dragon hatchling roared at them, the two flames instantly went out, and the Red-tailed Beasts tucked their tails tightly, bent their bodies, and let out mournful cries, their eyes filled with terror. They didnt have the courage to attack the Black Dragon hatchling due to the suppression of bloodline levels between creatures. Seeing the Black Dragon hatchling, then looking at the two Red-Tailed Beasts crouching at her feet, Jierna furrowed her brows, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Human, are you interested in joining hands? Jierna looked at Song Jian. Join hands? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked, Together, go to Kantelu Ruins and find the Prayer Altar? How about we team up to take down the green-skinned dwarf? Jierna licked her lips, glanced at Canaan with a smirk, and said. Canaan looked at Song Jian with a frightened expression and slowly backed away. We we have a contract! Canaan stared at Song Jian and said in a low voice. Hearing Jiernas proposition, Song Jian instantly frowned and tightened his grip on his longsword. Originally he had summoned the Black Dragon hatchling to hold back the two Red-tailed Beasts. He never expected that the two Beasts would lose their fighting spirit upon seeing the Black Dragon hatchlingthey probably wouldnt even dare to fight back if Song Jian were to take them down now. With the threat of the Red-tailed Beasts gone, Song Jians situation shifted from being outnumbered to having the upper hand. The change in the attacking and defending state was unfavorable to Jierna, which might be why she suggested joining forces. Seeing Song Jians reaction, Jierna raised an eyebrow and chuckled. I was just joking with you, human! How about we team up and look for Kantelu Ruins together? This time, Ill allow you to use the Prayer Altar once. But once youve used it, Im taking the whole Altar away! With that, Jierna voluntarily deactivated her Tyrant Body State and walked toward Song Jian. Chapter 244 - Chapter 244: Chapter 244 Map Copy Chapter 244: Chapter 244 Map Copy Translator: 549690339 Dont trust her, shes lying to you! Panic flashed in Canaans eyes as he roared loudly. Little dwarf, if you keep talking nonsense, Ill turn your green skin red. Jierna threatened Canaan with a menacing expression. Canaan immediately shrank back, looking wronged as he hid in the corner near the wall. Song Jian glanced at Jierna, seeing that she still had some tricks up her sleeve. It was unclear who would win if they continued to fight. Song Jians task was not to kill Jierna but to safely escort Canaan to the Kantelu Ruins. Alright, lets cooperate. My only goal is to bring this little dwarf to Kantelu Ruins and see if theres any advantage to be had. Continuing to fight would be pointless! Song Jian shrugged, speaking in a relaxed tone. Jierna hoisted the battle-axe onto her shoulders with her right hand. Hearing Song Jians words, she revealed a satisfied smile and slowly pulled her left hand out of her waist pocket. Haha, wise choice. Jierna walked up and kicked the Red-tailed Beasts twice before muttering, Get up, useless creatures. The Black Dragon cubs golden eyes were still fixed on the Red-tailed Beasts, as if ready to pounce and devour them at any moment. Even reprimanded by Jierna, the Red-tailed Beasts didnt dare to move under the pressure of Dragon Might, lying on the ground with exposed bellies and wailing pitifully. Hey, can you put your pet away? These two wont even dare to walk otherwise. Jierna looked at the Black Dragon cub, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes. A Dragon cub I never thought that this human could actually tame a Dragon cub as a pet Jierna pondered, her eyes darting back and forth. If the Dragon Clan finds out that someone has tamed a Dragon cub as a pet, this human in front of me will be in big trouble. Should I secretly inform the Dragon Clan? Song Jian raised his hand, and a summoning circle appeared beneath the Black Dragon cub, quickly absorbing it into the Pet Space. Since the Black Dragon cub had been hunting monsters near the mansion earlier, Song Jian needed to first retrieve it into the Pet Space and then summon it from there. Now, to dismiss the cub, he could only send it back to the Pet Space and not relocate it near the mansion. Alright, little dwarf, bring out the map of your exploration. Let me see how much ground youve covered, Jierna menacingly said as she grabbed Canaan, who was cowering in the corner. Canaan resentfully glanced at Song Jian and handed over the sheepskin scroll. Hmm, not bad. Youve already explored such a large area. This will save me a lot of time! Jierna scanned the scroll, her eyes lighting up, and she nodded with satisfaction. Jierna had only explored about a third of the area, also depicted on a sheepskin scroll. She combined the two scrolls with a flash of white light, merging them into one. Immediately, the terrain of more than half of the Kantelu Maze was revealed to everyone present. A magic map? Canaans eyes filled with envy. He murmured, A magic map can automatically record any place and path one has been to. Its like a divine artifact for explorers Arent you a great merchant of the Goblin Clan? Dont you have one of these? Song Jian turned to Canaan and asked. He also coveted the magic map. Compared to the Zombie City map given when starting the game, this was much more advanced. No! Canaans face darkened, thinking of something unpleasant. Jierna, are you selling this map? Song Jian asked. What do you think? Jierna rolled her eyes, snorted coldly, and walked ahead with an arrogant air. Song Jian shrugged, not paying it any mind as he followed behind Jierna. Jierna entered the ruins from a different entrance, covering a different area from Song Jians party. This meant that only one-sixth of the area remained unexplored, which must be where the Kantelu Ruins were located. Jierna ordered two Red-tailed Beasts to scout ahead. Their tough shells acted like steel armor, making it difficult for conventional traps to harm them. Whenever they encountered monsters, Jierna charged in without waiting for Song Jian, single-handedly slaughtering all the opponents. Too weak! These monsters are seriously weak! None of them can put up a fight! Jierna pulled her battle-axe from the skull of a level 20 ordinary monster and glanced at Song Jian as she loudly declared. Song Jian could also kill a level 20 ordinary monster, but he wouldnt look as relaxed as Jierna. Seeing her provocative gaze, Song Jian pursed his lips and looked away. Seeing Song Jian look away, Jierna smirked and snorted proudly. The magical map was amazing C without the need for continuous drawing, it accurately recorded the paths they had traversed. In less than three hours, the three of them managed to explore the remaining area of the maze and found the entrance to the Kantelu Ruins. Now, the trio stood at the end of a passage, facing a faintly gray, misty light-gate. On either side of the gate were stone carvings of two dragons dressed in heavy armor, howling at the sky C not images of the Kantulu Clan. This is the place! Canaans eyes lit up with joy, and he heaved a sigh of relief. Hmph, youre just lucky to have found a powerful guard. Otherwise, youd never have made it here, Jierna coldly snorted. Canaan chuckled, looking slightly ingratiating: Should 1 go in first and check if theres any danger? Since when did the Goblin Clan become so brave? Jierna mocked with a sneer, and gave Canaan a kick on the butt: Go on, scout ahead. The moment Canaans figure entered the light-gate, Song Jian received a system prompt that he had completed the protection task. The whole Goblin Clan is full of troublemakers C stingy, calculating sorts. Even if youre on guard, you cant help but be taken in by them! Jierna couldnt help but exclaim while looking at Song Jian. Song Jian nodded and said, Yeah, he tricked me from the start. He said 1 could take anything from his bag as a reward, but turns out he had multiple storage items, and the bag was full of junk! Jierna couldnt help but laugh, clearly delighted by Song Jians misfortune. Jierna took out the magic map and peeled off a layer. With a swish- A thin sheet of parchment was lifted off the surface of the magic map and handed to Song Jian. This is a replica of the Kantelu Maze. Im giving it to you! I see quite a few notes from the Goblin Clan on it, presumably theyll be useful to you, Jierna said. This was another feature of the magical map C the ability to replicate any map. Jierna was now giving Song Jian a map of the Kantelu Maze. As long as the maze didnt move within the next month, Song Jian could enter it repeatedly. Song Jians eyes lit up and, gratefully accepting the map, he said, Thank you, Jierna. Chapter 245 - Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Desert Scorpion Beast Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Desert Scorpion Beast Translator: 549690339 In this maze, Song Jian didnt care about other places, but the golden treasure chest guarded by the Level 20 Elite BOSS was extremely enticing to him. If he didnt have the map, it would take some effort to find that place. However, with the map in hand, Song Jian could easily locate the Level 20 Elite BOSS. If he prepared properly, he might be able to slay it. That was a golden treasure chest, after all. Inside, there was at least one gold-quality equipment, which, at this stage of the game, was almost like a divine artifact for players. Haha, youre not bad, human. From now on, youre Jiernas friend. When we have time, we can spar again, but no using pets! Jierna said, patting Song Jian on the shoulder. System: You have gained the favor of the game character Jierna. Your relationship with the game character Jierna has increased to Friendly. System: When your relationship with a game character increases to Adoration, there is a certain chance that you can recruit them as a Follower. After Jierna finished speaking, she casually led her two Red-tailed Beasts into the light door. Song Jian stood in front of the light door, staring at the system prompt for a long time before revealing a trace of a smile and stepping in. As Song Jian stepped through the light door, his vision blurred, and he felt a sense of weightlessness. A strong dizziness enveloped him. This experience was even worse than when he first entered the game. When the dizziness subsided, Song Jian lifted his head and immediately furrowed his eyebrows. At this moment, he was standing on a sand dune. The light door behind him was slowly shrinking, and by the time Song Jian noticed it, it had already shrunk to the size of a basketball. In a short while, it disappeared entirely, leaving Song Jian alone in the desert. Canaan and Jierna were both gone, seemingly teleported to different places. Song Jian looked around. This place was clearly much larger than the valley he had been in before. He was now in the middle of a desert, with no signs of life anywhere within a few miles. All he could see were rolling sand dunes. A blazing sun hung in the sky, and the air was miserably dry. The entire area was desolate and lifeless, with not even a single blade of grass in sight. I must have left the Zombie Citys boundaries, right? Song Jian thought to himself. After all, even during daylight hours in Zombie City, there was no sunlight, and the sky was covered with thick clouds, completely obscuring the sun. Glancing at the sun overhead, he quickly determined his direction. Song Jian picked a random path and began walking forward. In the endless desert, there seemed to be no boundaries, and Song Jian was the only one walking alone, leaving a long trail of footprints behind him. Along the way, he didnt find any traces of life or even a hint of it. However, he did find some ruins in the desert. There were some crude stone houses half-buried in the sand, along with a few dessicated skeletons scattered around. These skeletons looked exactly like the one he had found in the Purple Bamboo Pavilion earlier, with horns on their heads and rows of bone spurs on their arms. There wasnt anything valuable in these stone houses, so Song Jian quickly searched them and found only a tattered map. At the center of the map was a huge pyramid marked on it. There arent any altars marked on this, just this pyramid. Ill check it out first and see! Song Jian thought to himself as he put the tattered map into his bag. Following its directions, he headed towards the pyramid. In the desert, ones hunger and thirst depleted quickly. Without water, it wouldnt be long before the thirst gauge would hit zero. Afterward, his Vitality Points would begin to decrease. Without enough water, one could easily die of thirst here. Fortunately, Song Jian had plenty of supplies. He always carried a lot of food and water with him. When his thirst gauge dropped below half, Song Jian took out a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly felt faint sounds of combat coming from his left front. Accompanied by the roars of Red-tailed Beasts, he immediately rushed in that direction. A few miles away, Jierna was wielding an axe and, along with her two Red-tailed Beasts, was attacking a Level 15 Elite BOSS. The BOSS resembled a huge scorpion with six legs and a segmented tail. Its tail was hook-shaped and tipped with a bright red stinger. LV15 Desert Scorpion Beast (Elite), Vitality Points: 2200/2900, Characteristics: Enhanced Defense, Highly Poisonous, Skills: Sand Escape, Scarlet Poison Needle, Pincer Strike. Song Jian stood on a sand dune, squinting as he watched. Although it was three against one, the Desert Scorpion Beast was incredibly fierce, able to move freely in the sand without any hindrance. It brandished its giant pincers, creating sparks each time they clashed. The two Red-tailed Beasts appeared quite wary of the BOSSS formidable weapons, and did not dare to attack head-on, instead harassing it from the sides. Jierna, on the other hand, was the main fighting force and directly faced the scorpion beast. As he carefully observed from the side, Song Jian seized the opportunity to see just how strong Jierna was in combat and if she had any hidden cards. However, before he could watch for long, Jierna seemed to detect something and turned her head towards Song Jian. Since there was nowhere to hide on the vast sands, Song Jian, who was standing on a high sand dune, could not escape Jiernas gaze. The moment she saw Song Jian, Jierna raised an eyebrow, anger flashing across her face. Stop standing there and help! No longer able to watch the fight, Song Jian shrugged his shoulders, drew his Guardians Sword, and charged towards the Desert Scorpion Beast. When the Desert Scorpion Beast saw Song Jian approaching, it didnt pay any attention to him. In its eyes, power directly correlated with size. It even held some contempt for the seemingly insignificant Song Jian. However, it quickly realized its grave mistake. Song Jians attacks were extremely powerful and his damage high. With a swing of his sword, three silver Sword Silks pierced through the thick shell and penetrated the scorpion beasts body. With the silvery Sword Qi flashing on his sword, Song Jian effortlessly tore through the shell on the scorpion beasts body, causing massive damage to it. Even when its pincers clashed with Song Jians sword head on, the latter remained fearless. The Invisible Sword Qi made the sword incredibly sharp. Each clash shattered fragments of the scorpions pincers, leaving them pitted and ragged in no time. The Desert Scorpion Beasts Vitality Points rapidly decreased, and its eyes filled with fear when looking at Song Jian. Feeling the imminent threat to its life, the Desert Scorpion Beast actually turned and fled. After running some distance, it burrowed directly into the sand and disappeared. Chapter 246 - Chapter 246: Chapter 246: Scorpion Beast Helmet Chapter 246: Chapter 246: Scorpion Beast Helmet Translator: 549690339 Desert Shift! This is a defense skill of the Sand Scorpion Beast, whenever it faces danger, it tunnels into the sand to escape. What to do? Watch it run away like this? Song Jian looked regretfully where the Scorpion Beast dug a large hole, he couldnt chase it into the sand. Hmph, it cant stay beneath the sand indefinitely. Its skill also needs to cool down sometime! Jierna snorted, flicking her ponytail, she ordered the two Red-tailed Beasts: You two, track its trail, find where it comes out. After strolling around the big hole for a while, the two Red-tailed Beasts roared at Jierna before running toward the left. Follow them! After Jierna finished speaking, she jumped onto one of the Red-tailed Beasts, riding it to follow the other one. Although Song Jian owned a motorcycle, it couldnt run smoothly through the desert, with his own two legs the only option, he trailed behind the two Red-tailed Beasts, eating their dust. Because they were tracking the trace of the Sand Scorpion Beast, the Red-tailed Beasts werent moving very fast, which barely allowed Song Jian to keep up with them. After running for about ten minutes, there was a noise from the front, and the Sand Scorpion Beast finally emerged from under the sand. Attack, its Vitality Points arent plenty anymore. Knock it down, well share the loot! Jierna shouted to Song Jian behind her, instantly wielding her battleaxe and lunging from the back of the Red-tailed Beast, leaping mid-air. Die! Jierna yelled fiercely in mid-air. Her battleaxe, with a whistling sound, swung towards the Sand Scorpion Beast. Song Jian also charged at it. The ground quaked under his foot, and a sharp fang-shaped energy wave ripped through the sand, leaving a deep mark. After using the Desert Shift skill, the Sand Scorpion Beast seemed very exhausted. Crawling in the sand for about ten minutes without air and against much resistance burned a few times more energy than usual, so when it came out, the Scorpion Beast was panting heavily. Feeling the intense energy above its head, a look of annoyance flashed in the eyes of the Sand Scorpion Beast. It surprisingly rose its front body up, swinging the scorpion claw at mid-air Jierna. Boom! After the battleaxe and the Scorpions Claw collided, a loud boom followed by a shockwave rolled through, and the Sand Scorpion Beast retreated a few steps, surprise flashing in its eyes. It couldnt believe that such a tiny figure could wield such immense power. Just then, a sharp sound came from below. A fang-shaped energy wave hit one of its left legs hard. With a crack, the Earth Teeth Assault triggered a critical hit and broke off one of the Scorpion Beasts legs. A wave of intense pain washed over the Sand Scorpion Beast, causing it to tilt towards the left, losing its balance and rolling over. Well done! Jiernas eyes shone. She shouted, stomping under her foot causing a giant pit, her body sprung up, swinging her battleaxe towards the Scorpion Beasts stomach. Splash- The battleaxe easily ripped open the Scorpion Beasts soft belly, a stinky thick green liquid splurted out from the wound, staining Jiernas entire body green. The Scorpion Beast let out a series of frantic shrills. The Scorpion Tail swung from under its body, raising up high, a vivid red Scorpion hook launched towards Jiernas back. Buzz- A soft trembling sound echoed through the air as a three-meter-long sword light swept across, chopping the scorpion tail into two pieces. Sword Silk! Three silver sword silks appeared out of nowhere from the surface of Song Jians body. After briefly probing the surroundings, they lashed out at the desert scorpion beast with a swish. Thwack thwack thwack- The three sword silks struck the shell of the desert scorpion beast like a whip, splitting three wounds over a meter long. Blood splattered around, tinting the surrounding sand green. Still not dead? Jierna didnt even glance at the scorpion tail behind her, continuously swinging her battle axe and hacking at the scorpion beast. The beast writhed crazily, stirring up a cloud of dust and sand that cloaked everything in chaos. Jiernas growling and the scorpions beasts roar intertwined. The figure of the scorpion beast flickered in the dust, its thick green blood occasionally splattering out. Soon, the movement of the desert scorpion beast gradually diminished. The dust settled, and next to a small sand dune, the beast collapsed onto the ground. Jierna stood atop the beasts body, one foot stepping on its head, one hand holding the battle axe on her shoulder, looking at Song Jian. Impressive! Song Jian gave Jierna a thumbs-up, loudly praising her. Upon hearing Song Jians praise, a radiant smile spread across Jiernas face. You did pretty well too. If it werent for you, I might have been seriously injured this time. This guys tail is no joke! Jierna jumped off the massive body of the scorpion beast, delivering a hard kick to its corpse. An invisible flame began to burn on the surface of the scorpion beasts body, its enormous corpse sizzling in heat. A few items emitting a bluish-green glow emerged from its body. Jierna carefully examined the items. She immediately separated one piece of blue equipment and two pieces of white-quality materials into one pile, and the remaining three green items into another pile. Then she said to Song Jian, Lets split the spoils. You pick first! Song Jian stepped forward to take a look. Among the two piles of spoils, there was only one piece of equipment, which was the blue item. Scorpion Beast Helmet (Blue): Helmet, Equipment Effect: Physical Defense + 8, Vision +3, Attack +10; Special Effect: Summoning Scorpion Beast (Passive), when damaged, there is a certain chance to summon a Desert Scorpion Beast Soul to assist in battle. The Desert Scorpion Beast Soul lasts for 180 seconds, this skill can only trigger once every sixty minutes. Equipment requirement: Level 13, Can it be taken out of the game: No. A level 13 helmet. Song Jian was only at level 12, he needed to level up once more to wear it. The remaining two items paired with the helmet were white-quality materials: Scorpion Meat full of Fishy Smell and Broken Scorpion Shell. The former was a cooking material, the latter a forging material, both of not very high value. The other pile held three green quality items which were three Exquisite Scorpion Pearls, their usage unknown. But if sold, each can fetch a thousand Doomsday Coins. Song Jian glanced at them, then directly picked up the blue-quality helmet and the two white-quality materials. Jierna watched Song Jian, a mysterious smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she collected the three Exquisite Scorpion Pearls. Continue in this direction, and in about five or six kilometers, we should reach Kantelu Ruins. The Prayer Altar is there! Jierna pointed in a direction across the desert. Something clicked in Song Jians mind. The direction she was pointing to was where the pyramid was marked on the map. It seemed that the map he had found earlier was indeed the map of Kantelu Ruins. Chapter 249 - Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Altar of Prayer Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Altar of Prayer Translator: 549690339 | Canaan felt depressed inside. When they came to the Kantelu Ruins before, the labyrinth would be somewhat dangerous, bur once they entered the real Kantelu Ruins, there would be no danger. However, when they entered the Kantelu Ruins this time, he was chased by a large group of desert scorpion beasts, causing Canaan to waste several one-time acceleration items and many potions that restore Spirit Points. Later, when they entered the pyramid, he wasted a lor of porions that recover Vitality Points. This trip would be a great loss if he hadnt obtained good things at rhe prayer altar. Tve never been so unlucky before, nor encountered so many troubles Canaan muttered quietly. Jierna pointed at Song Jian and said, Youve never been with him before either! Canaan was stunned and then cast a resentful glance at Song Jian. Being chased by desert scorpion beasts before could be attributed to bad luck, bur the fact that they triggered the passive defense of the stone gate resulted in the damage and early activation of the gate. This subsequently led them to be hit by an ancient curse inside, and it was all Song Jians fault for carelessly trying to investigate it. But Canaan dared not blame Song Jian, so he could only quietly grumble while drawing circles in a corner. The three crossed the stone gate and faced a huge palace. In the center of the palace, there was an altar over a person tall, built from stone blocks. This is the prayer altar of the Kantulu clan. It can communicate with countless planes. Some items that you think are useless might be treasures in other planes, and some useless items on the other side could be treasures in our plane. Through this altar, we can exchange items with creatures from other planes!11 Canaan pointed at the altar in the palace and said. The probability of what you said happening is very small, right? Song Jian glanced at Canaan and said. Canaans face showed an awkward expression, scratching his head, he said, Thats what the senior who brought me here for the first time said. Anyway, Tve never encountered such a good thing before! How to activate it? Song Jian asked. Its not time yet; when it starts emanating light, it can be used. Canaan finished, suddenly alert and reminded Song Jian with a glance: Dont mess with it; this altar is the only valuable thing here. If something goes wrong, our trip will be in vain. You guys use it quickly, and after that, Im going to carry this altar away. Jierna said casually, and glanced at Song Jian, adding: We agreed on this beforehand. This thing is somewhat chicken ribs; it should also follow the principle of equivalent exchange Song Jian touched his chin and muttered quietly: For example, an Attribute Fruit may seem like a treasure to us, but in other planes, its probably not cheap, right? Not necessarily. What if theres a plane with trees full of Attribute Fruits everywhere? Itd be as common as ordinary fruits here! Canaan suddenly said. How can that be? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and said, If thats true, wouldnt people from that plane be incredibly strong? What if the people from that plane became immune to Attribute Fruits after eating too much, and the fruits only have effects on people from other planes? Canaan said casually: Anything is possible! Have you encountered any similar good fortune? Song Jian asked. Goblin merchant Canaans face suddenly darkened, and after a long silence, he shook his head and said: In most cases, its an equivalent exchange. However, some items from other planes dont exist in our world; they are non-renewable resources. Some big shots like to collect them, and they can be sold at a good price Song Jian didnt move, but Jierna began to circle the prayer altar, examining the placement of each stone block. It seemed like she really wanted to take this prayer altar back to her house. This altar had densely packed Magic Runes carved on its surface, numbering in the thousands. Even if Song Jian couldnt understand them, he felt a sense of inexplicable awe. Prayer Altar (Special Building), Effect: Offer an item of at least ordinary quality, use the altar to communicate with the myriad realms, and trade items with a certain probability of exchanging items of a higher grade; Usage conditions: Specific rime, once a month In other words, there is a chance to get an item of a higher quality than the offered item; if you offer a silver-quality item and get a gold-quality item, wouldnt that be a huge profit? Song Jian murmured to himself. It didnt take long for the three of them to witness the altar surface start emanating milky white light. The originally bluish-green stone gradually turned into a jade-like green color, and the Magic Runes carved on it also glowed with golden light. Its activated, the altar is activated. Whos going first? Canaan became excited and showed an eager expression. You go first; Im here to take it down! Jierna waved her hand and said. Canaan glanced at Song Jian, and Song Jian signaled him to go first. Canaan grinned, took out a silver-glowing item from his backpack, and walked towards the altar step by step. Wow, youre really generous! Song Jians eyes widened as he stared at the silver item in Canaans hand; he had never seen it before. It seems like this guy had some hidden storage items. The goblin merchant climbed the steps to the top of the prayer altar, placed the silver-quality equipment on it, and then began to pray silently with his palms together. In a short while, a silvery light bloomed on the altar. Another planes creature has taken interest in his item and is showcasing its exchange items. Unfortunately, only those who are on the altar can see the traded items! Jierna, who was also curious about the altar, explained to Song Jian, who was visiting the place for the first time. What if youre not satisfied with the item the other party puts out? Song Jian asked. Its not a trade with just one party or in a queue. As long as they are interested in the item on the altar, they can showcase their exchange item. When the time comes, you can just pick the highest value one from within, Jierna explained and added: Of course, if the items value is too low and no one wants to exchange it, then this opportunity will be wasted. You will have to wait until next month to try again! As they talked, Song Jian noticed that the silver-quality item Canaan had placed on the altar suddenly disappeared. Apparently, Canaan had successfully traded with a creature from another plane, but what item he got in exchange could only be known to him, as others couldnt see it. Seeing the satisfied smile on Canaans face, it seemed that he got what he wanted, and their trip to the Kantelu Ruins wouldnt be a waste. Its your turn! Canaan came down from the altar with a grin and said to Song Jian. Song Jian took a deep breath and walked towards the prayer altar. Chapter 250 - Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stood on the altar, unsure of what to do next, when a line of golden letters appeared before his eyes. Please place the item you wish to exchange. Can I only place one item? Then, what shall I choose? Song Jian opened his inventory to check. There was quite a lot of stuff cluttered in Song Jians inventory, a bamboo shovel, miners gloves, exquisite totem marks, batwing zombie summon cards, vampiric scrolls, attack scrolls, vitality stones, necromancer crystal cores, and so on. There was also a level 15 silver-quality leather armor and a level 13 scorpion beast helmet. These two items would probably be the most expensive equipment in Song Jians inventory, but unfortunately, these were items that Song Jian needed, he couldnt exchange them; what if the exchanged item wasnt something he could use? He would surely cry. After hesitating for a while, the countdown had started at the altar, and Song Jians gaze fell on an item. This was the only black quality equipment Song Jian had acquired. Although the attributes provided by this item were poor, only increasing the upper limit of ones vitality by a little, Song Jian always felt that this item was somewhat mysterious. Mutated Stone Tablet, this was the spoils of war Song Jian acquired when he had hunted that elite BOSS tombstone zombie. Until now, Song Jian hadnt seen any other black quality equipment, this was the only one. As if guided by some inexplicable force, Song Jian took out this accessory and placed it on the altar. As soon as Song Jian placed it, an item emanating a silver glow appeared before his eyes. Silver quality? Song Jian was surprised. He didnt expect that his item would be so valuable, enough to exchange for a silver-quality item. Phoenix Dance Singer (Silver), special item, effects: This Singer has mastered hundreds of dances, can enhance the grade of a banquet when used there, enthusiasm level +1. One of the Twin Legend set; can perform the Phoenix Dance with Phoenix Dance Singer. Silver-quality set? Song Jians expression became a bit peculiar. He had thought that sets would only be of deep green quality, he hadnt expected that there would be sets even among silver-quality. But this thing is a bit of a white elephant- Song Jian said, shaking his head as he touched his chin, this item was purely for showing off. It enhances the atmosphere during a banquet but offers no help in battles. Perhaps some big shots in other cities would be interested in it Just as Song Jian was deliberating whether to exchange for this silver-quality item, suddenly, the exchange list surged with hundreds of items appearing, each not lower than silver-quality. What, whats going on? Song Jians face showed surprise. You have to know that even if there is a chance to exchange for an item of a higher quality, usually only one item will appear. For example, if Song Jian were to put out an item of blue quality for exchange, most of the items that would appear in the exchange list would be of blue quality, with some even being green or white quality. But if a silver-quality item appears, at the most, only one would appear, unlike now, where there are hundreds. So many silver-quality items made Song Jians eyes dazzle, he could hardly read all the attributes in detail. Could it be that this black-quality Mutated Stone Tablet has other uses? As Song Jian carefully picked the exchange items, he started to hesitate in his heart. I feel like 1 got the short end of the stick, even though I dont even know what uses this stone tablet has! Song Jian muttered in his heart. Just then, a golden light appeared before Song Jian, and there was a golden-quality item in the exchange, outshining all the other items all at once. Gold, gold quality? Is there really someone willing to exchange a gold-quality item for this stone tablet? Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth Yin Yang Sorrowful Charm? This is a gold-quality skill book? What a strange name and it requires level 80 to learn, and also requires negative karma up to -10,000 to learn? Song Jian frowned, and for a moment, he had a feeling of indecision about whether to exchange for this skill book. He would likely be unable to use it for a long time if he traded for it. However, to exchange a piece of poor-quality accessory for a gold-quality skill, although this skill sounds quite abnormal and he couldnt use it at the moment, it was obviously a very worthwhile deal. Song Jian just had this feeling in his heart that he was still getting the short end of the stick. Whoosh- Suddenly, another item appeared in the exchange column flashing with light. Level Fruit? A gold-quality Level Fruit, after use, it directly increases the users level by 10? Simple and crude, but As Song Jian stared at the newly appeared Level Fruit, he became more convinced that his stone tablet was indeed a very special item, worth far more than he had imagined. Song Jian hadnt stared at the golden quality Level Fruit for long before another golden skill scroll appeared in the exchange list. Forge Body and Wash Marrow Primordial Breathing Method? Increases all attributes every time a level is gained? This technique can also be used in the real world, good stuff, indeed! Song Jians eyes lit up, while levels can be gradually raised, a skill that can increase body attributes was too rare. Just as Song Jian was about to select this skill, another gold-quality skill scroll appeared before him. Song Jian only took a glance and immediately chose to exchange for the newly revealed skill scroll. Skill Scroll: Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. After use, can learn the skill Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. Scroll Usage Condition: Main weapon is sword; Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After releasing this skill, the players all attributes +5, physical defense increase 30%, magic resistance increase 30%, negative effect immunity judgement +3, when using sword weapons, damage increase 50%, when releasing sword skills, power increase 30%. This effect lasts for 30 seconds, dispel, purify-type skills cannot affect this effect; Skill cost: consumes 30 Invisible Sword Qi on release, during its duration, consumes 1 Invisible Sword Qi per second. Skill Cooldown: 60 minutes; Skill Description: This skill is one of the inherited skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession. This was the third Swordsman Immortal profession skill book that Song Jian got. Seeing it, all other items were no longer appealing to Song Jian. After the exchange was done, Song Jian immediately used the skill scroll. In an instant, a golden light enveloped Song Jian, and the words Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body appeared in the skill bar. This skill had a rather long cooldown, and unless he was certain he wouldnt be in any fights, it would normally not be used casually, as it should be kept as his trump card. After the exchange was completed, Song Jian felt a force surging from the altar, pushing him to leave. This force was weak at first, but started to get stronger over time. One person could only exchange one item at a time, so there was no point in staying on the altar. So, Song Jian slowly stepped off the altar. Haha, is it my turn now? Jierna put away her battle axe and quickly walked towards the altar. Chapter 251 - Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Moving Out Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Moving Out Translator: 549690339 Jiernas goal was to move this entire altar, but she wasnt sure if it could still be used after moving it, so she decided to use it once beforehand. Wow, what extravagance, actually using a golden quality item to exchange! Canaan looked at the item in Jiernas hand and said jealously. Exchanging items with the prayer altar doesnt necessarily mean using gold-quality items, but the lowest quality that one could exchange was gold. If the item offered was unappealing, people from other planes wouldnt be fools to exchange their treasures, and they might even exchange silver or even blue-quality items. After placing the item on the altar, someone soon brought out their exchange item, Jierna selected one after some deliberation and completed the trade. Phew, she exchanged for a golden-quality weapon! Canaan, standing on tiptoes, saw the item in Jiernas hand and whispered. It looked like Jierna had exchanged for a gold-quality battleaxe, and she began brandishing it excitedly as soon as she got it. Jiernas item was merely a gold-quality material, but exchanging it for a gold-quality weapon was quite a bargain. Alright, now that both of you have finished exchanging, leave here quickly. Im going to move this altar! Jierna stared at Song Jian and Canaan and said fiercely. With a gold-quality weapon in hand, Jierna had more confidence. If it werent for seeing Song Jian exchange a golden quality skill earlier and mastering it right away, she might have attacked immediately. System: Jierna has proposed that you leave. You must leave within three minutes and be at least 100 meters away from her, otherwise her favorability towards you will decrease greatly. What? This NPCs favorability can change like this? Its already on friendly, but it could still drop so easily? Song Jian suddenly lost interest in favorability. Heh! This altar was built with the entire strength of the Kantulu Clan. If you so much as touched a single brick on it, the altars energy might detonate and destroy the whole pyramid! Canaan taunted Jierna with a sarcastic expression. Thats not your concern! Jierna said nonchalantly. You should leave quickly, in case the altars energy really detonates. Isnt it better if youre farther away? Hurry up, go! How are we supposed to leave with all those Desert Scorpion Beasts outside the pyramid? Song Jian asked. Thats not my problem. Anyway, you guys can stay here. Once I take the altar, therell be no problem with you staying here! Jierna looked at Song Jian and said. Lets go, lets go, wait in the stone corridor for a while Canaan pulled Song Jian and walked towards the outside. As they left the palace, Canaan whispered to Song Jian: Humph! That woman is crazy. Every time she comes, she says she wants to move the altar, but she never does it. Does she think this altar is so easy to move? She probably cant even understand the runes on it, let alone touch a single brick! The Kantelu Ruins have been here for thousands of years. If they could be moved, they would have been moved by someone else long ago, not left for this crazy woman! Canaan said disdainfully. The two reached the stone corridor and heard the snarls of the Desert Scorpion Beasts outside, which seemed to be guarding the pyramid relentlessly. This is troublesome; these monsters havent dispersed yet. Canaan frowned slightly before looking at Song Jian and saying, With your strength, those Desert Scorpion Beasts probably cant hurt you, but Im not so lucky. Time is money, my friend. Now that were done here, I have to leave immediately. Take care of yourself! As he spoke, Canaan took out a Town Return Scroll, tore it open, and was immediately enveloped in a milky white light. One last piece of advice: no matter what, dont go exploring the other pyramids; theyre all filled with level 30 elite bosses Whoosh- A beam of white light shot up to the sky, protecting Canaan as it tore through space. The walls of the pyramid couldnt block this white light, and a powerful spatial force formed a unique pathway to take Canaan away from the pyramid. Only Song Jian was left in the stone corridor, with intermittent tremors coming from the palace behind him. It seemed that Jierna had started to tamper with the altar. I hope you dont blow yourself up. If an item that connects all realms explodes, I fear that Stone City will be reduced to nothing but ruins. Song Jian thought to himself, feeling like he was sitting on a ticking bomb. As he watched the restless Desert Scorpion Beasts outside the stone corridor, Song Jian drew his longsword and charged out. Let me try how powerful this Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body really is! When the nearest scorpion beast was still seven or eight meters away, Song Jian stomped his foot, and a fang-shaped air mass whistled toward it. With a bang, a scorpion beast was knocked flying. Weakness Potion! A bottle of mutated-grade Weakness Potion shattered in the midst of the desert scorpion beasts, instantly enveloping seven or eight of them. Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a light shout, a faint golden light flickered around Song Jians body, and eight sword shadows circled him. The long sword in his hand sparkled with a silver glow as he charged at the desert scorpion beasts. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians figure darted wildly through the scorpion beasts, none of them able to stop him. As soon as he unleashed the Broken Wing Dance skill, Song Jians speed was almost like teleporting. After two consecutive attacks, Song Jian leapt high into the air and fiercely slashed down at the scorpion beasts on the ground. Boom! An airwave blew away all the surrounding scorpion beasts. Swish- The sword light in his left hand burst forth, and a three-meter-long silver sword light, accompanied by Song Jians body rotation, drew a perfect circle. Thud, thud, thud- More than a dozen desert scorpion beasts exploded in mid-air, leaving not a single intact corpse. The large group of scorpion beasts around roared in anger and rushed towards Song Jian, their giant pincers smashing down fiercely, the low sound of tearing air echoing above Song Jians head. Knights Creed! A white light shield protected Song Jian, who instead of retreating, advanced towards the scorpion beasts. All the attacks hit the white light shield continuously C the 500-point defense only lasted for seven or eight seconds before it shattered completely. Bang, bang, bang- The attacks from the scorpion beasts followed, and phantom longswords appeared on the surface of Song Jians body, surrounding and encircling him. All the attacks that hit Song Jians body only caused a series of single-digit damage. It should be noted that these were 20th-level ordinary monsters, eight levels higher than Song Jian. Feeling the slight vibrations from his bodys surface and the fact that his lost Vitality Points were recovering faster than the damage he was taking, Song Jians heart was reassured as he swung his longsword to kill enemies left and right among the scorpion beasts. Sword Silk! Rapid Sword, activate! Haha-, come, lets have a thrilling fight! Chapter 252 - Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Annihilation Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Annihilation Translator: 549690339 Once Song Jian opened the Immortal Sword Body technique, all his attributes increased by five points. His strength, now over twenty points, was supreme, with all other attributes receiving a corresponding boost. Other than his vitality points, all his attributes outclassed those of ordinary level twenty monsters. Add to that his high defense, resistance and unnaturally fast vitality recovery; it was clear that Song Jian could take whatever the desert scorpions threw at him. He moved with the fervor of a berserker amidst the desert scorpions, deflecting attacks left and right as silver light flashed and blood flew. The spectral swords that shone around him reduced the severity of their attacks before his equipped armor bore the remainder. The actual damage inflicted on him was minuscule; Further with his inherent skill Thick Skin forcibly reducing 12 points of damage, each desert scorpion could only inflict minimal damage on Song Jian. Given his current vitality points over 700, if only his Immortal Sword Body could last for more than 30 seconds, he might have slain all the surrounding scorpions; With five seconds of Immortal Sword Body left, Song Jian charged towards the pyramid. Within just twenty seconds, he had killed over twenty desert scorpions, boosting his experience points by 8%. The experience gained through killing monsters eight levels above him was substantial. Under normal circumstances, it would take him half a day of grinding comparable monsters to obtain such a feat. Whew, that was awesome! Song Jian staggered into the stone corridor, falling to one knee, sword propped on the ground. His zombie commanders armor was worn and torn, its durability drastically reduced. Despite that, his face wore an expression of excitement and wild glee. After a brief rest, upon standing up and turning to face the desert scorpions outside the stone corridor, the scorpions blocking the entrance instinctively retreated a few steps. The brutality of Song Jians onslaught earlier had left an indelible impression on them, akin to facing a natural predator. Rumble- A thunderous noise came from within the pyramids hall C Jierna had begun her assault. Song Jian was taken aback C she was seriously attempting to interfere with the prayer altar. Wouldnt I be doomed if she made a mistake? Song Jian couldnt help but worry. At this moment, the agitated desert scorpions outside the pyramid attempted to rush in. Yet, as they neared the stone corridor, they recoiled hissing, refusing to take a step further, even under the relentless attacks of their comrades. As the sounds of disturbance within the hall grew louder, waves of scorpions began converging towards the pyramid. Scorpions from behind were clambering over those in front, piling in layers and pressing closer towards the stone corridor. Five meters, four meters, three meters Finally, a scorpion was pushed into the stone corridor; Splash- Golden light erupted from the walls of the stone corridor, the numerous intricate magic runes taking form on the surrounding walls, continuously crackling with electricity; Boom- A bolt of lightning struck the squeezed-in scorpion, causing an instant reduction of over 1300 vitality points. These ordinary level twenty monsters had only 1450 vitality points to begin with, which was far less than that of the elite scorpion that chased Canaan in the past. The lightning left it at deaths doorstep with less than 100 vitality points remaining; As the second bolt of lightning formed, Song Jian dashed towards the nearly dead, shell-shattered desert scorpion, driving his long sword deep into its body. Having received a fatal blow, the almost dead desert scorpion was once flung up and heavily fell onto the ground, turning into a corpse. A transparent flame swiftly burned it into a pile of black ash. With the death of the scorpion, the lightning within the stone corridor slowly dissipated. The magic runes on the surrounding stone walls also gradually faded, returning to their original plain stone appearance. Most of the vitality points of this scorpion were stripped away by the pyramids defense measures which means that although Song Jian received all its experience points, it didnt drop any loot. Huh, this way of killing is faster! Realising this, Song Jian brightened up and threw a bottle of Weakness Potion towards the entrance of the stone corridor. Above the heads of a few dozen scorpions right outside the corridor, a whack sound resonated as the potion bottle exploded, causing 30 points of damage per scorpion, and drastically reducing their defense. Like rolling balls, the scorpions started getting pushed into the stone corridor, triggering the pyramids defense measures again. Bolt after bolt of lightning, like the whip of a thunderstorm, struck down mercilessly on the desert scorpions that dared intrude the pyramid. The flashes of electricity and the painful cries from the scorpions echoed within the stone corridor, leaving no scorpion capable of withstanding the whip-like blows. However, before they ended up in the corridor, all these scorpions were first subjected to Song Jians attack. Therefore, the system defaulted the experience points of these monsters to Song Jian. Rapidly, his experience points began to fluctuate. All he needed to do was continuously throw bottles of Weakness Potion at the desert scorpions about to be squeezed into the stone corridor. 15%, 30%, 45%, 60% Song Jians experience points increased at a fast pace, his Weakness Potions decreasing at the same pace; Soon, an hour passed with his experience reaching Level 12 at 94%, just one notch away from Level 13. The swarm of scorpions at the enclosed gate multiplied, seeming as if every desert scorpion in the area had poured into this Stone City. At first, these scorpions were just getting pushed into the corridor but eventually relying on their sheer toughness, they began braving through the stone corridors lightning to invade the pyramid. Each progressing step resulted in a few desert scorpions being annihilated by the corridors lightning. Nonetheless, the scorpions from behind trampled over the ashes of their comrades, inching closer and closer. Meanwhile, Song Jian could only keep retreating. Just then, a rumble eruption from behind him reverberated through the pyramid; the entire building trembling. It felt like an earthquake. A surge of air rushed out from behind, bringing with it an aura of endless death and decay, making Song Jians heart tighten; No time to dodge, Song Jian instinctively activated the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body again as it had just cooled down. He was enveloped in a golden light, with several ghostly long swords floating upside down rotating slowly around him. Boom! The torrent of air from behind clashed harshly against Song Jian, almost knocking him flat on the ground. His body shimmered in golden light, while the few sword-like figures rotated even faster to form a sword-like shield that blocked the airwave. Just like a tidal wave, the air mass rushed at Song Jian who was presently using all his strength to stand still. He leaned against the wall of the stone corridor like a boulder, with closed eyes waiting for the air mass to dissipate. After a long ten seconds, the energy wave full of deathly silence began to weaken and finally disappeared. Chapter 253 - Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Returning to the Maze Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Returning to the Maze Translator: 549690339 The wave of dead energy disappeared in the stone corridor, and Song Jian finally managed to withstand it, but his vitality points had dropped to a third. The stone corridor was quiet, and all the desert scorpions lay motionless on the cold stone slabs. You could see that their bodies had lost all moisture, looking like dried corpses. Plop- A desert scorpions body turned into powder, which seemed to be the beginning. Soon, the bodies of all the desert scorpions turned into piles of powder, including those outside the stone corridor. All these experience points! Song Jian thought, somewhat distressed. His experience was stuck at 94%. There were still hundreds of scorpions left, seemingly attracting all the desert scorpions in the world here. If Song Jian killed the remaining scorpions, he could not only level up to 13 but also gain another level C a chance that would be hard to come by outside of the Kantelu Ruins. Even with a monster tide, they wouldnt be able to kill all of them. What on earth happened in the palace? Did Jierna really dismantle the prayer altar? Song Jian curiously walked into the gold pyramid palace. As he expected, the prayer altar in the center of the hall was indeed dismantled, with no trace of its existence. Where the altar used to be was now a piece of floor tile, its wear and tear identical to those around it. Its really been removed? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. At that moment, cracking sounds like ka-ka came, and cracks suddenly appeared on the walls of the great pyramid hall. These cracks continued to extend towards the top of the hall, and Song Jian suddenly had a bad feeling. Sure enough, as Song Jian rushed out of the pyramid, the entire pyramid began to shake violently, and broken stones kept falling from above. Large green stones, measuring a meter on each side, fell from the top, creating crashing and crackling noises. With great difficulty, Song Jian managed to escape from the pyramid. It was a dangerous journey, and he almost got hit by the huge falling stones several times. Fortunately, the pyramid was tall enough to give him enough time to react and dodge. Looking back, the massive pyramid was shaking, and stone bricks were collapsing inwards. This spectacular scene showed the collapse of the grand, tens-of-meters high structure. As the largest gold pyramid in the center of Stone City collapsed with a rumble, monster roars and agitated howls could be heard from the dozen smaller gold pyramids around. It seemed that they could also feel the collapse. The collapse of the pyramid lasted for more than ten minutes. Eventually, the majestic building turned into a pile of ruins, and the monsters inside the smaller pyramids around stopped roaring, becoming utterly silent. Right in front of the collapsed ruins, a blood-red Teleportation Gate appeared out of thin air. There was also a five-minute countdown timer on the gate. Could this be the exit? Song Jian summoned a Blood Raven, ordering it to fly into the gate. After waiting for a while, the Blood Raven didnt die and return to the Blood Pool. Thus, Song Jian stepped into the teleportation gate, too. The stone city in the Kantelu Ruins fell into dead silence once again. At the moment when the countdown on the blood-colored teleportation gate disappeared, the gate itself disintegrated, vanishing without a trace. The moment the blood-red gate disappeared, all the bosses sealed in the gold pyramids roared together in madness. As the sealing runes in the small pyramids collapsed rapidly, the bodies of the smaller pyramids began to crack, just like the big pyramid had done earlier. Boom, boom, boom- The small pyramids in the center of Stone City exploded one after another, and level 30 elite bosses leaped out from the ruins, viciously looking around from their positions atop the collapsing pyramids. Although these bosses differed in appearance and had been sealed for an unknown number of years, each of them exuded a fierce aura and looked somewhat weak, seemingly lacking in vitality. These dozen or so level 30 elite bosses glanced at each other and seemed to see the intense killing intent in each others eyes. Fortunately, these bosses were still sane. They randomly chose a direction, left the Stone City, and ran towards the desolate desert outside. Song Jian stepped into the blood-red Teleportation Gate, and after a brief spell of dizziness, he found himself back in the Kantelu Maze. A Blood Raven stood dumbly in front of the gate. Feeling Song Jians arrival, it twisted its head 180 degrees and gazed at him blankly. Song Jian raised his hand, dismissed the Blood Raven, allowing it to return to the Blood Pool, and looked around. All around were cold stone walls, and since the area had already been fully explored, the maze was eerily quiet. Do they expect me to walk back on my own? Song Jian couldnt help but complain. If he didnt have a map of the maze, it would take him at least three to four days to leave, and Song Jian didnt have the same skills as Canaan. However, Jierna had made a copy of the maze map for him, and the maze would not change for a month. Song Jian took out the map and studied it carefully. It took him more than half an hour to finally determine his location. The place was vast, and every fork in the road looked identical, making Song Jian feel disoriented. Before leaving the maze, why not try to solo kill a level 20 elite boss? Im very close to the golden chest now. Song Jian stroked his chin, carefully considering. Although he was only level 12 now, his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body could crush ordinary level 20 monsters for 60 seconds. Add to that several attack skills, and he had a fair chance of taking on a level 20 elite boss head-on. It was well known that the Swordsman Immortal profession was the number one offensive role. Song Jian, with three Swordsman Immortal profession inheritance skills, might not be able to meet the requirements of a Sword Immortal, but his attack power was far beyond other professions. Little Black, come out! With a wave of his hand, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon cub from the pet space. Fighting together with the pet would share the battle experience. Previously, Song Jian was reluctant to share the experience gained from killing the desert scorpions with his pet. Now, he summoned the Black Dragon cub to tank the monster, thereby increasing their safety. As a level 7 elite boss, the Black Dragon cubs vitality points had exceeded 5,000 C more than double that of the level 20 elite boss ghost fire beast. Song Jian even suspected that if the ghost fire beast were let loose against the Black Dragon cub, the latter might end up surviving. Come on, its time to show your strength. Kill the giant spider and Ill give you an extra chicken drumstick tonight. Song Jian gently stroked the scales on the head of the Black Dragon cub and spoke tenderly. Chapter 254 - Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Red Fire Beast Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Red Fire Beast Translator: 549690339 Ever since the Black Dragon hatchling had transformed from a wild monster to Song Jians pet, it appeared to have suffered some kind of intelligence drop. The little creature would become excited at the promise of an extra chicken leg for the night, circling around Song Jian like a puppy, its tail, as deadly as a warhammer, swinging vigorously from side to side. It almost seemed like it had picked this behavior up from a local mutt. Accompanied by the Black Dragon hatchling, Song Jian set off towards the passageway where he had originally discovered the golden chest. The filter Canaan gave him had a time limit. When Song Jian realized that the filter had lost its function, he surprisingly found that he had grown accustomed to the awful stench lingering throughout the sewer-like labyrinth. Human adaptation is truly terrifying! Song Jian shook his head, took the filter off his nose and mouth, and tossed it onto the ground. The object, resembling something made of plastic, quickly dissolved in front of his eyes, leaving merely a faint grey stain on the ground. According to the map, Song Jian soon arrived at the tunnel where he had previously found the golden chest. The radiant chest bathed the entire corridor in a faint golden hue, yet it could not illuminate the giant spider web above them. Had Song Jian not had the intuition to glance upwards that day, he mightve become prey for the giant spider above him by now. The colossal spider web, which spanned over six meters in diameter, was spun from threads as thick as fingers. Its surface shimmered with a faint grey luster, as if coated with a layer of transparent slime. A faint indescribable odor reached Song Jians nostrils. Exceptionally conspicuous amongst the putrid stench of the sewer, Song Jian quickly distinguished this unique pungency from the overwhelming odors that filled the air. Looking upward, he noticed elliptical silk balls resembling cocoons hanging from the spider web. They were previous preys of the ghost-fire beast, now drained of fluids, shriveled and left to dry out on the web. A giant scarlet spider was lying dormant in the center of the web. Its eight legs, covered in long hair, were contracted around its body. One of its legs was accidentally stuck in the wall of a nearby tunnel, tearing through the hard concrete as if it were merely tofu, leaving a deep crack behind. Alright, Little Black, this is the large spider. Defeat it, and youll get an extra chicken leg tonight, Song Jian pointed at the scarlet spider and instructed the Black Dragon hatchling. Roar- A joyful dragons roar erupted, jolting the slumbering spider. Its multiple eyes slowly opened, surveying its surroundings nervously. Whoosh- A gust of wind billowed, and a mouthful of fiery Dragon Breath was exhaled towards the blaze beast basking on the spider web. The Blaze Beast unleashed an angry roar. Its multiple eyes stared at the Black Dragon hatchling, exuding an aura of fear. However, it was not deterred as mere ordinary monsters would be in the presence of a level-seven Black Dragon hatchling, even if it exhibited a dragons might. The Blaze Beast opened its mouth and spewed out a mouthful of flaming green venom, which collided with the Dragon Breath, causing a dull explosion. The two energies collided and annihilated each other. The provocation appeared to tick off the Black Dragon hatchling. Spreading its wings, it let out an angry roar and lunged towards the Blaze Beast. Splat- A load of milky-white venom erupted from the Blaze Beasts abdomen. In contact with air, the venom expanded around, transforming into a stench-filled net that enveloped the Black Dragon hatchling. Captured as a white cocoon, the Black Dragon hatchling roared and fell from the air, struggling ceaselessly. The sticky fluid smeared all over the net made it feel as if it was deeply mired in a swamp. The Blaze Beast slid down a thread from the web and landed on the ground with a thump. Its multiple eyes stared at the wriggling Black Dragon hatchling as it gradually approached it. Despite its apprehension, the Blaze Beast sensed the exceptional growth benefits it would reap by consuming this Black Dragon hatchling. Its level is still too low. Otherwise, how could a mere spider web trap a Giant Dragon? Song Jian sighed inwardly, clenching his sword and charging at the Blaze Beast. With a light step, Song Jian shot towards the Red Flame Beast like an arrow. The Red Flame Beasts compound eye coldly stared at Song Jian. Unconcerned, its nearest spider-leg on the left side suddenly sprung out, aiming towards Song Jian like a long spear. Song Jian leapt into the air, allowing the Red Flame Beasts spider-leg to narrowly miss him. Song Jian brandished his long sword, and a shimmering silver light burst forth from the blade as he fiercely swung sideways; Sssst- The long sword cleaved through the retracting spider-leg, easily bisecting it. Milky white fluid gushed from the wound, landing on the ground, eliciting a searing, sizzling sound. The Red Flame Beast, an appendage cut off, let out a pained howl as its body shook violently in anguish. Its compound eyes shifted from the Black Dragons whelp to Song Jian, displaying an aggressive, cruel glare. Before it could recover from its agony, Song Jian dropped to the ground, pointed his index finger forwards, releasing a blinding silver Sword Qi that pierced violently through the head of the Red Flame Beast. An onslaught of over 300 damage points floated up from its head. Squeee A heartrending wail was heard as the Red Flame Beast turned even more berserk. An invisible shockwave rushed towards Song Jian, dealing a hard blow to his body. A sharp pain assaulted his ears, as if a red-hot iron rod was violently stirring through his mind. He felt dizzy, as though a large stone was pressing onto his chest, even his breathing was somewhat strained. Song Jian could not help retreating a few steps, a mouthful of blood spurting out. His complexion paled rapidly, a dizziness symbol briefly flashed on his status bar before disappearing immediately, it didnt even last for a second. Obviously, the Thick Skin ability was as effective as ever, silently coming into play. A damage figure of more than a hundred points floated above him, but Song Jian didnt care, his body suddenly emanated a resplendent golden glow. Immortal Sword Body, activate! A surging force rushed towards his limbs, Song Jian pushed off the ground, causing pieces of concrete to burst and scatter. Appearing before the Red Flame Beast like an instant teleportation, he swung his long sword viciously at its head; Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian moved like a dancing butterfly, constantly attacking the Red Flame Beast. The long sword in his hand repeatedly slashed at the Red Flame Beasts body, but the enemy couldnt even touch Song Jians clothing. Boom! Leaping down from the sky, the long sword plunged into the Red Flame Beasts skull. An explosive wave ripped through, causing the Red Flame Beasts immense body to float off the ground. However, the Red Flame Beast only rose less than three feet off the ground before it started falling back down. Obviously, the time in the floating state was heavily influenced by the monsters size; the larger the monster, the shorter the floating period. Sword Silk! Before the Red Flame Beast could touch ground, three silver threads of sword silk penetrated the body of the Red Flame Beast, one of them hitting precisely into a compound eye. Immediately, a thick green fluid seeped out from the eye. The abrupt intense pain drove the Red Flame Beast to the brink of madness. Chapter 255 - Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Spider Spear Armor Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Spider Spear Armor Translator: 549690339 Boom! The surface of the Red Fire Beasts body roared with pale red flames, its vitality points began to drop rapidly; Whoosh- Several spider legs fluttered ceaselessly, like long spears, relentlessly attacking Song Jian, creating a flurry of activity hard to follow with the eyes; Rapid Sword! The flying sword wielded by Song Jian swung into a series of afterimages, defending against the assault of spider legs relentlessly. The silver-glowing long sword left a deep mark on the spider leg with each impact. However, the Red Fire Beast seemed not to feel any pain and continued to attack fiercely; Plop- After several defences, one spider leg finally broke through Song Jians defences, plunged mercilessly into his shoulder, and went right through his body; Song Jian remained impassive, he flipped his wrist, a sudden flash of silver erupted, and the spider leg plunged into his shoulder was instantly severed, leaving a foot-long broken limb inside his body. Biting down hard, Song Jian pulled the broken spider leg out of his shoulder. The fist-sized penetrating wound made Song Jians vitality points fall rapidly; Surgery! A milky white light glowed on the wound. Almost instantly, the wound which had been gushing blood began to heal rapidly. But even before he could catch his breath, several other spider legs lunged at him again; Song Jian flung his body backwards into a roll. Plunk! Several spider legs punched hard into the ground, piercing the hard concrete and exposing the black soil underneath. The Red Fire Beast, wildly waved the remaining six spider legs, and charged towards Song Jian. It seemed resolved for mutual destruction. Just then, the struggling Black Dragon cub let out a roar. The originally sticky spider web gradually hardened under the influence of the air, almost like a thick cocoon, was torn apart by the Black Dragon cub. The now freed Black Dragon cub rushed towards the lunatic Red Fire Beast, a hot mass of Dragon Breath spewed out from its mouth, burrowing into the back of the Red Fire beast like maggots in bone. The intense pain made the Red Fire Beast emit a harsh cry and ferociously smash into the tunnel on its side; Rumble- As if in an earthquake, the whole tunnel began to shake mildly. The Black Dragon cub pounced on the Red Fire Beast, its dragon claws plunging into the body of its adversary while it constantly tore at the shell covering the Red Fire Beasts body with its sharp teeth. The two creatures entwined and rolled together, emitting deafening roars. Song Jian took a swift step towards the Red Fire Beast. The Immortal Sword Body state hadnt yet faded, the long sword in Song Jians hand kept chopping on the body of the Red Fire Beast, absolutely fearless of the fire of vitality that was burning on the body of its opponent. Crack- Another spider leg was flung out. Song Jians long sword targeted the remaining spider legs of the Red Fire Beast. Once it lost these legs, the Red Fire Beast would be nothing more than a big ball of meat, devoid of any defense. At the moment the Immortal Sword Body state disappeared, Song Jian had already cut off six of the Red Fire Beasts spider legs, leaving only two barely supporting its body. But it was no longer able to maintain its balance. Under the onslaught of the Black Dragon cub, it kept tumbling and rolling. Its resistance grew weaker and weaker. Song Jians long sword kept stabbing into the body of the Red Fire Beast. Each impact made the beast let out a high-pitched wail. However, very soon, the beasts cries grew lower and lower, and eventually, it lay on the ground gasping for breath and convulsed incessantly, no longer as frenzied as it was before. The Black Dragon cub continued its attack relentlessly, and with the last claw swipe, a transparent flame ignited on the Red Fire Beasts body. Golden light simultaneously blossomed on the bodies of Song Jian and the Black Dragon cub. Both of them leveled up. Song Jian leveled up to 13, and the Black Dragon cub rose to level 8; Song Jian, now at level thirteen, added the newly obtained skill point to Thick-Skinned, promoting this innate skill to level 10. The level ten skill Thick-Skinned enhanced his defense by 40%, resistance by 50%, compulsorily reducing 15 effective damage points. The resistance to negative states had also reached a very high level, where it could even completely immunize against low-level mental attacks. Having reached level ten, it seemed that the Thick-Skinned skill had reached its limit. A MAX symbol appeared, and skill points could no longer be used for promotion. However, a line mixture appeared behind the skill description. After reading the details, it was found that when any skill reaches level 10, it cannot be promoted further with skill points. But, two level 10 skills can be combined to form a new one. Whether this new skill would be stronger or weaker was anyones guess. There must be some rules to mixing skills, but I have too few skills and a low level now, so its not the right time! thought Song Jian. At level thirteen, he could wear the Scorpion Beast Helmet. Song Jian immediately put on this blue-quality helmet, and his attack power increased significantly. The Red Fire Beast dropped three items. Among them was a silver-quality equipment of level 15, and the remaining two items were forging materials of level 20. Song Jian picked up the equipment and saw that it was pet equipment of level 15 with a silver glow. He felt a bit disappointed; Spider Spear Armor (Silver), pet equipment, equipment effect: Physical defense +10, Magic resistance +8, Bounce + 3; Special effect 1: Healing (passive), when vitality points drop below 30%, there is a certain chance to recover 15% vitality points after being injured; this special feature can be triggered only once every 10 minutes; Special effect 2: Spider Spear (passive), when attacking the target, there is a chance to create 1-8 illusions of Spider Spears to attack with the pet; the number of spears is random, they last for 30 seconds and disappear after 30 seconds; this feature can be triggered only once every 10 minutes; Equipment condition: pet level 15; Can it be taken out of the game: No Seeing the armor emitting a silver light, the Black Dragon cubs eyes showed a curious look. It constantly poked it with its right claw, seemingly eager to wear it. However, due to its insufficient level, no matter how much it tried, it couldnt get the armor on. In a fit of frustration, it cried out loudly at Song Jian and kept wheeling around at his feet. Song Jian couldnt help but laugh. He put the Spider Spear Armor into the carry-on bag, stroked the head of the Black Dragon cub, and said, If you want to wear it, level up quickly. Only at level 15 can you wear this armor! Only then did the Black Dragon cub calm down. It folded its wings and stood by Song Jians side. Its time to unlock that golden treasure chest! Song Jians gaze was directed towards the golden glow at the end of the tunnel. This is the first golden-quality item Ive earned myself. I hope its a piece of equipment! Song Jian thought to himself as he walked towards the chest. Chapter 256 - Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Translator: 549690339 This golden treasure chest was intricately carved on the surface, appearing as though it was held in the arms of a giant beast. At the moment Song Jians fingers touched the chest, a crisp click sound rang out from within, and the lid of the chest slowly opened, revealing a dazzling golden glow. He reached in and a long sword, emitting a golden light, appeared before Song Jian. Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword (gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment Effect: Attack 50-50, Armor Break +3, Penetration +3, Fire Damage +30, increased attack speed by 10%; Special Effect 1: Owner Recognition (passive), this item absorbs the users vital essence to recognize the owner, after the owner is recognized, the item cannot be destroyed or dropped, and never worn down; Special Effect 2: Growth (passive), this item is a growing equipment, starting at level 1, gaining combat experience to level up during combat, the higher the level, the stronger the characteristic of the item, the level of the item cannot surpass the users level; Equipment Requirement: Level 1; Set: 1/5. Can be carried out of the game: No Seeing these attributes, Song Jian almost trembled with excitement. A gold-quality, growing set weapon would even surpass the sword that had led him to become a Sword Controller, Duan Jians weapon! Blood recognition, blood recognition, first recognize the owner! Song Jian muttered to himself as he grabbed the blade with his left hand without hesitation and made a light cut. The fresh blood gushed out and startled him. Damn, its so sharp, I only just Just as Song Jian was hesitating whether to apply Advanced Healing Potion to himself, the gushing blood was completely absorbed by the sword, and the wound on his left hand healed instantly. The sword in his hand gave him a strange sense of connection, as if it were part of his body, connected to his flesh and blood. After absorbing the blood, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly emitted a crimson glow, which then slowly receded, even the golden light indicating the items quality was gradually receded into the sword. The aura receded, concealing the divine item! Whoosh- Before Song Jian could react, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword turned into a red light and entered his body. Immediately, he felt as if there was an extra object at his heart. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had transformed into a tiny one-inch sword, floating quietly within his heart. As his heart was pulsating, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was also slightly vibrating, absorbing Song Jians vitality, and emitting some surging energy which spread to every part of his body. With a thought, he loosened his right hand, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared from nowhere, tightly gripped by him. The moment Song Jian let go, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword turned back into a red light and returned into his heart. Hahaha! Song Jian burst out laughing. His goal was to become the only Sword Immortal among the top ten professions. As a Sword Immortal who prioritised offense, how could he be the best without a suitable weapon? After retrieving the long sword, the golden glow of the treasure chest gradually faded. It seemed the chest only contained one gold-quality item. However, obtaining the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had already made Song Jian very satisfied. The golden light began to dim, but the chest did not disappear, clearly there were still other items inside. Song Jian reached in and pulled out two bottles of Advanced Healing Potion and one bottle of Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion. These were potions that could be used in battle. Although Song Jian currently possessed an extremely high vitality recovery speed, he would still need these combat recovery potions if he encountered high-explosive monsters. After he took out the three potions, the treasure chest gradually faded and eventually disappeared. Song Jian smiled slightly and walked towards the exit of the maze marked on the map. By evening, Song Jian returned to his villa with the Black Dragon cub. The villa was still bustling, with new buildings continuously rising. Song Jian even noticed some players wandering around his territory, seemingly interested in the items sold in the grocery store. Master, youre back. The butler George spotted Song Jian and hurriedly ran to him, bowing respectfully and said, Master, most of the buildings that are possible to construct have been built, but there are still some empty plots. How should we utilize these spaces? Oh, do you have any suggestions, George? Song Jian asked casually. Master, I have three suggestions for you to consider. First, we could transform these lands into farmland. Food storage is crucial to all estates. If all we transform into farmlands, we can harvest a large amount of food each month. At this stage, having an ample food reserve is the best way to attract people. Second, we could build barracks and training fields to cultivate our armed forces. Third, we could rent the lands to those who want to settle down. These people might become your citizens in the future! Song Jian pondered for a moment and said, Lets start with the farmland. An ample food reserve is vital. Also, when can we expand further? 1 feel our territory is getting a bit cramped! Respected Master, it will be twenty-five days and seventeen hours until the next expansion campaign can be launched, Butler George replied. Good, remember to remind me in time! Song Jian nodded and said. At the Urban Waste Collection Center, by the side of a nearby highway. A level-five zombie was wandering aimlessly under the shade of the trees along the road, occasionally letting out a deep growl. Just then, a humming sound underlying the zombies surroundings, the space started to ripple, just like water. Hearing the noise, the zombie subconsciously turned towards the source, a light blue portal with a diameter of two meters began to gather energy around it. The energies in space around the portal started to fluctuate. The zombie had only taken two steps when the strong forces tore it into dust. Soon, the energies around the light blue portal began to stabilize, and a muscular man in full chain mail, with a shield on his back, walked out of the portal. The moment he steps out of the portal, the muscular man quickly makes room for a man in leather armor with two daggers at his waist, his face covered by a red triangular cloth. As soon as this man appeared, he too quickly made way for the third person to step out of the portal. Then came the fourth man, who collapsed to the ground as soon as he appeared, vomiting blood profusely. The first man who came out furrowed his brow, grabbed the fourth man by the collar, and dragged him aside. The first three men, who came out first, didnt pay any heed to their comrade still vomiting blood. Their eyes stayed on the portal as if they were waiting for something. After some time, an arm, tattooed all over, was flung out by an invisible force from the portal. The light blue portal began to become unstable, ripples vigorously fluctuating around it. Thud- The spatial energies dispersed, the portal disappeared, leaving only a twitching arm in its place. Chapter 257 - Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Chasing and Killing Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Chasing and Killing Translator: 549690339 Looking at the tattooed arm on the ground, Chu Pings face darkened, and he couldnt help but grip the dagger at his waist, cursing softly, Damn it! Ma Jiang stared at the arm for a moment, took off the battle shield on his back, secured it to his left arm, and said in a deep voice, Qi Yun, go check on Miao Wen and treat him! Understood! Wearing a robe and with a short staff at his waist, Qi Yun nodded and walked towards Miao Wen, who was vomiting blood profusely. Those bastards in the Gathering Area promised that this transmission channel could withstand five professionals! Chu Ping pulled out the two daggers hanging from his waist, spun them in his palms, gripped them tightly, his eyes fierce. If those so-called experts from the Gathering Area were in front of him, he would not hesitate to stab them with a few large holes. Qi Yun knelt on the ground, laying Miao Wens vomiting body flat and letting him lie down, then pressed his palm on Miao Wens brow and began chanting a spell. A white light burst forth from his palm, quickly covering Miao Wens entire body. Miao Wens vomiting stopped, but his face still looked terrible, his muscles twisting, and his hands constantly clutching at his chest. After a moment, a trace of fatigue appeared on Qi Yuns face as he gripped the short staff at his waist and waved it lightly over Miao Wen. A sacred light burst forth from Qi Yuns body, and tiny energy droplets like rain appeared in the air, falling onto the prone Miao Wen. Miao Wens face grew even more terrible, his eyes bulging out like a frogs, and his hands clutching desperately at his chest, making heh-heh gasping sounds. Having expended a healing skill called Sacred Rain with a cooldown time of 12 hours, Miao Wens condition still didnt improve and Qi Yuns brow furrowed. Looking at Miao Wen, he tore open the mans shirt. Captain! Qi Yuns face changed dramatically and called out. Ma Jiang, who was in a battle state, glanced over and saw a foot-long fissure on Miao Wens chest, right over his heart, as if it had been cut open by a blade. Over the fissure, the force of space constantly surged. Any healing energy that touched the wound immediately triggered a counterattack from the space force, rendering no effective healing. Ma Jiang went to Miao Wen and examined the wound closely. Now Miao Wen was hanging by a thread, his Vitality Points dropping rapidly. He could no longer speak, his mouth full of blood, and his body convulsing involuntarily, gripping Qi Yuns sleeve tightly. The force of space from the wound had already spread throughout Miao Wens body. By now, Miao Wens Vitality Points were reduced to just 3, but these last 3 Vitality Points seemed to be locked down, no longer dropping. Miao Wens body trembled constantly, sweat pouring from his brow and his body looking like it had just been retrieved from a pool. In just a short time, a puddle of water had formed beneath him. Qi Yun gritted his teeth, holding the short staff, about to perform another healing skill when Ma Jiang grabbed Qi Yuns hand and shook his head, We cant save him unless we dispel the space force from his wound. Chu Ping, give Miao Wen a quick end! Chu Ping took a deep breath, with flames of rage burning in his eyes, walked up to Miao Wen, knelt down on both knees, and gently placed a fang-like dagger on Miao Wens neck. Chh~ A flash of white light, a critical hit floated above Miao Wens head. With a soft breath and a faint sound from his throat, Miao Wens body lay limp. After death, Miao Wens body should have been incinerated by the transparent flame, but as soon as the flames began to burn, the force of space emerged and withstood the fire. Only when the force of space had been completely consumed could Miao Wens body be incinerated by the flame. Pack up, gather up his equipment, and lets continue the mission! Ma Jiang said indifferently. If that bastard hadnt killed people from our 101 Gathering Area, we wouldnt have taken this hunting mission in the first place. If we hadnt taken the mission, Miao Wen and Ka Ya wouldnt have died As Chu Ping walked, he grumbled angrily. The Institutes bunch of useless researchers claimed that this Transmission Array could bear five professionals, but in the end Enough, Chu Ping. Whats done is done. Our mission now is to find out what happened then and eliminate that Blessed One! Ma Jiang said coldly. Chu Ping stopped talking, snorted coldly, and gripped his dagger tighter. Soon, the three of them headed towards the Urban Waste Collection Center. The Urban Waste Collection Center was lined with several garbage mountains, and a faint stench spread into the surroundings. Low growls of zombies could occasionally be heard from behind the wire fence enclosing the area. The three of them went to the garbage station and lured all the monsters out before killing them one by one. Then they walked towards the rooms. The highest level of mutated zombies here was only five, and all three of them were professionals. Their captain, Ma Jiang, was already level twelve, and the other two were level ten. Dealing with these zombies was a piece of cake for them. Its been over a month since it happened, and many traces have disappeared, but their battle was intense, so there must still be some traces left! Qi Yun looked around and said. I dont need a complete reconstruction of the battle scene. 1 just need to know how many people killed the people of our 101 Gathering Area. Was it just this Song Jian, the Blessed One, or were there other accomplices? Ma Jiang said coldly, Any offender of our 101 Gathering Area must pay! Qi Yun nodded and began examining things carefully. After a while, Qi Yun walked a large circle around the garbage station, stopped for a moment at several special locations, and pointed to three barracks-like buildings, saying, There were two people at the scene. One did not participate in the battle, just watched from that room. Only one took action, and that must be the Blessed One mentioned by the system! Who is the one who didnt take action? Ma Jiang asked. The advance team sent a message at the time saying they had captured a scientist who could be sold for a good price. Presumably, the one who didnt take action is the scientist they captured. Chu Ping interjected. A scientist? Hmph, if he wasnt working with the Blessed One, why would he come to this desolate place to kill people? Ma Jiang sneered, He must have come to save the scientist. Both of them must die! Do we know the identity of the scientist? Ma Jiang turned and asked. His name is Dr. Ebsiting, and he lives on Fifth Avenue Chu Ping stopped typing on the computer on his wrist and looked up to say. Perfect. Lets kill the doctor first, and then go for the Blessed One! Finished, the three left the garbage station and headed for Fifth Avenue as marked on their map. Chapter 258 - Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Surveillance Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Surveillance Translator: 549690339 The area on Fifth Avenue was located in the Level-10 monster zone of Doomsday City. Prior to the doomsday, this was arguably the busiest street in the whole city. Of course, it was also one of the most severely devastated places after the disaster hit. Guided by an electronic map, Ma Jiang and his two companions began rushing toward this location. As a Hunt and Kill Squad that had been surviving in the Gathering Area 101, Ma Jiangs team had embarked on similar hunting missions more than once before. However, this mission proved to be their most devastating, as they lost two members while being transported through the Transmission Array. If Ma Jiang had known the outcome, he certainly would not have accepted this mission. Once were back, I will take those useless researchers to task. Miao Wen and Ka Yas deathscant just be in vain Chu Ping grumbled about the researchers all the while, criticizing their grand claims that the Transmission Array they modified from the prehistoric ruins could guarantee the safe transportation of five careerists. It is noteworthy that the previous Transmission Array could only transport amateurs below Level 10. Hence, the Gathering Area 101, despite knowing about the ambush by Song Jian, didnt send in their reinforcements right away. Other cities have long created Transmission Arrays that can send careerists safely. Only the Gathering Area 101 has just barely scratched the surface of the technology Qi Yun clearly harbored no good feelings toward the band of scientists either. The deaths of their two companions made their mission seem pointless. Even if they managed to complete it successfully and receive rewards, it wont make up for their teams losses. Alright, after we return, I will explain the situation to our leader. We will definitely receive more rewards to make up for everyones suffering. However, we must complete this mission first! Squad leader Ma Jiang said with a grim face. Fifth Avenue was not too far or close to the dump. Without any means of transportation, the three had to run all the way there while dodging mutated zombies. By the time they reached Fifth Avenue, it was starting to get dark. There are many shops on Fifth Avenue, most of which were collapsed and destroyed. Behind the shops were rows of detached villas. Comparatively, these were far more luxurious than the villa area initially chosen by Song Jian. The green space within the community is incomparable to that of the one chosen by Song Jian. But after the disaster, the entire city has turned into a Doomsday City. Even the greenery here was mostly mutated. The high-end community turned into a zone of death. Even ordinary mutated zombies wouldnt dare to approach it. For Dr. Ebsiting, this community was an excellent hideout. If he had stayed here from the beginning, he could easily have eradicated any number of militiamen from the Gathering Area 101. After replenishing the area surrounding his villa with some Strong Weed Killer, Dr. Ebsiting returned to his lab. Robert, the former Guardian of the city, had stolen some files before the disaster struck from a biotechnology company called Newborn. He hid these files in the dump and notified Dr. Ebsiting before the disaster. Robert, the former Guardian transformed into a roving zombie BOSS. Dr. Ebsiting had been lurking around Fifth Avenue and was lucky enough to have escaped the virus. A few months ago, he started going to the dump daily to look for the assets Robert concealed. If it werent for this, Dr. Ebsiting would probably have left this city a long time ago. But at some point, the citys periphery was enveloped in a black mist, and everyone who entered it disappeared without a trace. Thus, Dr. Ebsiting was trapped here. Luckily, a few days ago, Dr. Ebsiting finally found these files and began to research them. However, even after several days of research, he had not made any progress. After all, he was a doctor of physics and polymer science, not biochemistry. Therefore, he was struggling with an advanced level of professional knowledge. If only Sara were here, she would understand these things Dr. Ebsiting sighed and walked away from the experiment table. He took off his glasses, took out a photo, and started reminiscing. Abruptly, a harsh alarm echoed in the lab. Dr. Ebsitings eyes sharpened, and he left the lab heading toward the adjacent surveillance room. A few months ago, Dr. Ebsiting had installed many cameras and sensors around the streets. Now, an alarm would be automatically triggered if anyone entered this area. Watching the three fully-equipped men on the surveillance screen, Dr. Ebsiting furrowed his brow. Captain, have you noticed that there seem to be fewer and fewer monsters here? Chu Ping pulled a dagger out of a Level 10 ordinary zombies head and asked softly. Stay vigilant. There may be an Elite Level BOSS lurking here. Normal monsters wouldnt dare to encroach on its territory. Ma Jiang spoke with a furrowed brow. An Elite Level BOSS of Level 10 wouldnt pose them much of a challenge, but he was concerned about making too much noise in the fight, which might alert Dr. Ebsiting. What he didnt realize, however, was that at this very moment, every move they were making was under Dr. Ebsitings surveillance. Is it possible to accurately locate the doctor? Qi Yun cast a healing spell on Chu Ping and asked. He didnt personally participate in killing the militiamen, so the system cant provide his exact location. Were going to have to invest some effort in finding him ourselves! Ma Jiang said. What a shame. Why dont we go kill the gods favored first? His location is notified once every half-hour. He hasnt moved for two consecutive notifications! Chu Ping glanced at the captain and suggested. From the battle traces at the dump, it can be concluded that the gods favored is very competent. He wiped out an advance squad single-handedly. We need to make even more preparations. Ma Jiang analyzed: This Doctor is a researcher without any combat abilities. As soon as we find him, we can easily capture him. From him, we could gain more information about the gods favored Youre the captain, you have the final say. Its a pity. If Miao Wen were here, he would be able to hack into the citys surveillance system, which would make finding people so much easier. Chu Ping touched his nose and said. The city has been abandoned for years. The power system has been paralyzed long ago. The city surveillance system would have turned into a pile of junk! Qi Yun scoffed. Junk? How could it be? You see that surveillance, isnt it still working? Chu Ping pointed at a surveillance camera on a traffic light at a crossroad. A moment later, the three men seemed to realize something. They all turned their eyes to the surveillance camera blinking redit was in operation, watching over every move they made. Chapter 259 - Chapter 259: Chapter 259: Flee for Your Life Chapter 259: Chapter 259: Flee for Your Life Translator: 549690339 Seeing the surveillance device, the three mens faces suddenly turned unpleasant. They had initially thought they could conduct their search undetected, but unexpectedly, their adversary was so cunning, having laid a vast web of monitoring devices, like an omnipresent eye, watching their every move. Damn it! That doctor mustve set this up! Chu Pings eyes squinted as he pulled out a pistol from his backpack, aiming it at the surveillance device and pulling the trigger. Bang- A clear gunshot rang out, sparking a spray of sparks from the surveillance device. Weve been discovered. Start scattering and search, find that doctor as soon as possible. Should you find him, dont act rashly. Signal first, then attack when were together! Ma Jiang quickly instructed. Now that theyd been discovered, there was no more need for cautious investigation. Although Fifth Avenue was large, many of the buildings had already collapsed, so a thorough search wouldnt take too long. The target was merely an unarmed researcher. Against any one of them, he stood no chance of putting up a fight, so Ma Jiang wasnt worried that they would be defeated one by one. Understood! The three of them pulled out a device and began to act separately. It was a life-detecting device, and each team member had one, specifically used to search for targets hiding in the city. The range of the detector was only three hundred meters. To find a person throughout the entirety of Fifth Avenue, it would probably take a long time, especially since their target already knew about them. If Dr. Ebsiting took the opportunity to escape, their long effort would be in vain. So you have me cornered, thinking that even if 1 run, theres nowhere to hide? Ebsiting gazed at their unmasked search activities, revealing a trace of coldness in his eyes. Initially, he wasnt sure if he was their target. But after seeing their insignia and the series of actions that followed, Dr. Ebsiting was certain of their enemy status. I wont be caught a second time by people from the Gathering Area 101! Dr. Ebsiting murmured to himself, beginning to hastily gather his belongings, preparing to escape. Whatever could not be taken away would be destroyed. The entire lab was a mess. Every item here had cost Dr. Ebsiting plenty of time to find in the entire city, even nearly costing him his life. Looking at the chaos, a painful expression appeared in Dr. Ebsitings eyes. Sighing, he placed various precious materials and data on a silver metallic panel floating before him. Tapping lightly on the panel, it immediately began folding automatically. The initial one-square-meter metal panel, after several folds, turned into a palm-sized polyhedral metal sphere. Ebsiting grasped the metal sphere, putting it in his pocket. He slung a backpack as large as himself over his shoulders, sprayed an entire bottle of repellant on his body, and prepared to leave this safe house that he had personally created. Qi Yun, at this point, was also holding the life detection device, and had come near the residence where Ebsiting was based. Soon, a red humanoid figure appeared on the center of the device screen. Captain, I detected life activity. He seems to be preparing to leave this area! Qi Yun informed his two teammates through his shoulder-mounted radio. Hold your position! Ma Jiangs voice came through the radio. Minutes later, Ma Jiang and Chu Ping appeared almost simultaneously at the place where Qi Yun was. Is it this residential area? asked Ma Jiang. Yes. I was able to detect his life activity earlier, but its gone now. He must have left the detection range. replied Qi Yun. This blockI feel something eerie, like theres something that could threaten our lives Chu Ping said, furrowing his eyebrows and staring at the exuberant luxurious villa residential area in front of them. An ordinary researcher could survive here, why should we fear? Qi Yun sneered at Chu Ping. Are you saying youre not even as capable as an unarmed old man? If it wasnt for the captains orders, I might have already caught the guy by now. grumbled Qi Yun. Lets go in together and search, mark the last spot where the life activity disappeared! Ma Jiang said calmly, seemingly ignoring Qi Yuns complaints. Qi Yun touched the detector a few more times, marking where the life activity of Ebsiting disappeared, transmitted the information to the other two, and the three used each other as ladders to jump over the wall of the community and headed towards the marked point. Swish- The sound of wind rustling the leaves echoed through the residential area. Ma Jiang frowned, sharing Chu Pings intuition that there was something unnerving about this place. Such a large area, yet there wasnt a single creature, and the plants around were too densely grown and extraordinarily large, as if they had been growing for hundreds of years. Why is it so quiet here? Theres so much vegetation, yet theres not even a hint of insect or bird sounds! Qi Yun muttered while running. Suddenly, Ma Jiang was taken aback. He abruptly realized something C there was an unknown danger in this residential area. Be careful, theres something strange about this place! warned Ma Jiang. Just then, Ma Jiang noticed a shadow swooping in front of him. Instinctively, he put his left hand in front of him. Clang- With a loud noise, Ma Jiangs body was flung away like a baseball by a thick vine. After landing, Ma Jiang rolled twice on the ground. When he looked up, he was shocked to see that a gigantic willow tree had uprooted itself just three meters from where he had stood, and a grotesque human face appeared on the trunk. The vine that had flung him looked like a giant python, coiling around the tree. Mutated Tree Spirit, a level 10 elite Boss Mutated Tree Spirit! Chu Ping shouted, his face showing surprise. Plant-type monsters wouldnt reveal their properties unless they initiated an attack. Even if you walked right by them, you wouldnt see their characteristics until they attacked you. Rumble- All the plants in the entire residential area began to violently tremble. Even from a distance, a green giant figure emerged slowly from a vast lawn, with numerous weeds taller than a human winding around it like snakes, becoming part of the giant body. Roar- The tall and burly green giant let out a roar and strode towards the trio. Retreat, retreat, get out of here now! Ma Jiang pulled out a bottle of potion and gulped it down, shouting loudly. Soon, the three men were fleeing like scared dogs towards the place theyd first entered, followed by a large number of various plant monsters chasing them like a tidal wave. Chapter 260 - Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Theres a BOSS Here Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Theres a BOSS Here Translator: 549690339 The trio escaped from the neighborhood in embarrassment, all riddled with wounds. Behind them, the neighborhood seemed to have become a monsters lair, echoing with ear-splitting roars. However, those monsters, after threatening the trio with bared teeth and brandished claws as they left the perimeter of the neighborhood, retreated back to their original spots, reverting back to quiet plants. Qi Yun started casting Healing Skill to treat the wounds of the trio. Ma Jiangs face was grim; the three of them had managed to escape thanks to his use of two precious disposable items. These were supposed to be trump cards for a turnaround, yet they were wasted here. Most importantly, they completely lost track of Dr. Ebsiting. What should we do now, Captain? Qi Yun asked cautiously. Lets directly hunt down that Demigod! Ma Jiang gritted his teeth. This Doomsday City was fraught with dangers, and half of the monsters that pursued them in the residential area were Level 10 Elite Bosses, something that would never occur near the 101 Gathering Area. No wonder other Hunt and Kill Squads had declined as soon as they heard about a mission in Doomsday City. Only he, swayed by the rich rewards, had accepted the mission. Now, however, Ma Jiang felt some regret. Once we kill the Demigod, we leave immediately! Ma Jiang declared. Clearly, he had given up on pursuing Dr. Ebsiting any further, not wanting to stay in this city for even one more second. When Song Jian killed those 101 Gathering Area militia, his relation with the 101 Gathering Area had deteriorated to outright hostility. Moreover, his name had been posted on the top of the bounty list ever since. Accepting the mission would allow them to check his specific location every half hour. That Demigod is still in the Level 5 Monster Zone! Qi Yun readout from his wrist communicator. Ma Jiang nodded, and the three moved towards the Manor Castle where Song Jian resided. They didnt know how they would feel when they saw a defensively complete Level 2 Manor Castle. But now, they were convinced that Song Jian had not gotten much stronger during this time. Otherwise, why would he still be in a Level 5 Monster Zone? At this moment, Song Jian was fretting over the mainline mission. Although his Immortal Sword Body was one of the lineage skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, it wasnt a sword technique and hence wasnt counted in the mainline mission. After returning to the Manor, Song Jian had been stationing near the radio, hoping to buy some sword technique skills. However, after a while, he found that the number of buy offers was much more than sell offers. Even when a skill was occasionally available, it was like a meaty bone being fought over by a pack of rabid dogs. When Song Jian watched helplessly as a skill of ordinary quality was bidden up to over three thousand Doomsday Coins, he could only silently take out some of his unused equipment for auction. His 101 Tactical Helmet, the Guardians Sword, bat-winged zombie summoning card, vampiric scroll, attack scroll; all items which were not quite useful to him were sold over the radio. If he werent under the Level 15 restriction, Song Jian would have wanted to sell his Zombie Leader Armor as well. However, selling the Zombie Leader Armor meant also having to sell the gauntlet. A complete set of green equipment would sell for multiples of an incomplete set. His bag turned out to have quite a few empty slots, and his Doomsday Coins also reached over five thousand. At least he was no longer impoverished. But he hadnt yet managed to purchase a sword technique, his initial objective. Forget it. Even if a sword technique does appear, with my current wealth, I cant compete with this crowd. Better to go out and kill monsters and gaining from their loot song Jian frustratedly turned off the radio, ready to leave the Manor and hunt Level 15 monsters. Just then, he suddenly heard a dragons youthful growl from the outside of his Manor. Looking from his window, he saw a group of players wielding weapons, chasing a young Black Dragon. Boss, Boss, a Level 8 Elite Boss! Its a dragon; itll definitely drop good stuff! A Level 10 player holding a submachine gun was full of excitement, leading at the front. Seven or eight level 10 players also closely followed behind him, ready to surround and kill the young Black Dragon. Song Jian didnt know whether to laugh or cry watching the young Black Dragon. The little guy had no self-awareness of being hunted and was playing like it was just a game. Fliying slowly, crying occasionally, or even directly turning around to rush into the crowd of players and attack them. Fortunately, the young Black Dragon was only treating this as a game and had no intention to kill. Otherwise, at least three or four of this group would have already died. As a pet, the young Black Dragon didnt abide by the monster rule that whoever has higher damage gets attacked. Even though it might seem mentally handicapped near Song Jian, when it faces other creatures, its cunning or, as you might say, wisdom that has been inherited from the Dragon Clan, naturally reveals itself. Damn it, this Bosss attack is so high. Quickly, throw another herb to grab its attention! A Mage player, unable to withstand the young Black Dragons attack, shouted. Im telling you, Ive been the only one taking things out all this while. Are you guys planning to make a fortune without spending a dime? A young player protested unsatisfiedly. The Black Dragon had appeared because it was attracted by the herbs he was carrying. If it wasnt for him taking out a herb every now and then, teasing the Boss, it would have probably escaped long ago. But him being the only one to make a contribution left the Herbalist career player somewhat unsatisfied. Along the way, the consumed herbs were worth dozens of Doomsday Coins. Dont be stingy; once we kill this boss and it drops items, if it suits your profession, you get first pick! The player in the front with a submachine gun, shooting at the young Black Dragon, shouted. Yes, yes, if theres suitable equipment, you get first pick! The other players also shouted. In truth, among the group, he was the only Herbalist, so even if it dropped Herbalist profession equipment, other players couldnt use it. Seeing the others responses, the Herbalist hesitated for a moment. Then, from his bag, he took a red herb and threw it towards the young Black Dragon. The young Black Dragon who was attacking gave up the nearly dead Mage when it smelled the fragrance of the herb. It turned around, bit the herb and swallowed it, giving a pleasant dragons growl. Keep going, keep going. Its vitality points have dropped below half. Push harder; victory is at hand! Haha, a Level 8 Elite Boss! Itll definitely drop great stuff! Ive seen a Level 5 Elite Boss before; it was so fierce that 1 almost couldnt run away. 1 cant believe were hunting a Level 8 Elite Boss today After watching for a while, Song Jian finally understood why the young Black Dragon was fooling around with this crowd: it was for the herbs. This rascal! Song Jian was both amused and annoyed. Speaking about herbs, he had gathered quite a bit from the Kantelu Ruins. Even after creating some Weakness Potion and Fire Lizard Medicine, he still had a lot left over. With a thought, a Hexagram Star summoning array emerged under the young Black Dragon. The array shone brightly, enveloping the entire young Black Dragon. In the blink of an eye, the young Black Dragon had disappeared. The group of players looked at each other in bewilderment, momentarily dumbstruck. Chapter 261 - Chapter 261: Chapter 261: The Vegetarian Dragon Chapter 261: Chapter 261: The Vegetarian Dragon Translator: 549690339 Although this group of people has reached level 10, they havent experienced much of what the game has to offer and dont understand what summoned pets look like. They thought the scene they just witnessed was the Black Dragon hatchling casting some magic. Is that teleportation? No, more like a translocation! Surely theres a distance limit, right? It just vanished. If bosses can do this too, how are we supposed to play? Lets look around; it could be nearby Scour the area. Shout when you find it, well arrive immediately. Dont even dream of hogging it all for yourself; remember, its a Black Dragon A group of people then scattered to search for the Black Dragon hatchling while the lone alchemist player stood rooted to the spot, his face reflecting his wish for tears that wouldnt come. You little rascal, youve learned to scam players for herbs! Song Jian gently tapped the Black Dragon hatchlings head and derisively smiled. Grr- The Black Dragon hatchling was standing by Song Jians side, lifting its head with an expression that reflected more pride than shame. Its nail-sized tail was wagging with sheer speed. Just let me know if you need something to eat. Dont mess with the players again. Beware of running into a powerful one who might slay you! Song Jian commented, stroking its head. Whoosh- Hundreds of herbs magically appeared in front of the Black Dragon hatchling C golden, blue, crimsoncolorful herbs spread across the floor. The Black Dragon hatchling let out a joyful roar and started gulping down the scattered herbs. Arent dragons typical meat eaters? How did it become herbivorous as soon as it became a pet? Song Jian wondered, watching the Black Dragon who licked even the herb particles that had fallen from its mouth. After resting in the Manor Castle for several hours, Song Jian decided to advance to the level 15 monster area. A piece of silver-quality leather armor remained unwearable in his inventory, itching at his patience. In Doomsday City, most of the monsters were mutated zombies, ranging from levels 1 to 30. Song Jian didnt have access to areas with higher-level zombies yet, but he guessed such places wouldnt lack mutated zombies. The situation felt like Resident Evil, where a virus had turned the entire citys population into zombies, who could also evolve and become more powerful. Song Jian left the manor and drove his motorcycle towards the level 15 monster zone. On the way, he saw many players hunting down monsters. The number of players entering the game was steadily increasing, most of which, like him, were involuntarily pulled in. For some, entering this game could be disastrous; but for Song Jian, it offered opportunity and challenge. In reality, it had only been three or four days since Song Jian encountered this game. Coastal City might have seen hundreds of deaths during this short period, but Song Jian hadnt heard any such reports from the radio or TV broadcasts. It was as though someone was keeping it all under wraps. Song Jian arrived at the level 15 monster zone. Here, one could barely see any players. Most players had only recently reached level 10 and were fussing over choosing their professions. Generally, many preferred hunting monsters at lower levels for safety, given that one lost their life permanently upon death in this game. The level 15 mutated zombies had significantly higher vitality points, defense, attack, and speed. Their resistance to sunlight also increased substantially, maintaining all their attributes even in daylight. For other players, these monsters were like mini-bosses; it was no surprise that nobody was found in this area. With a flick of his right-hand, a warmth surged from his heart. In a flash of golden light, Song Jian wielded his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and charged at the level 15 mutated zombie. Whoosh- With a single swing of his sword, three silver sword silks materialized, cutting through the air like blades. Hiss- Three streams of dark brown liquid sprayed from the zombies body. The golden sword, although only level 1, inflicted higher damage than the level 10 Guardians Sword; each sword silk attack could deal over 150 damage. Once the sword silks vanished, the zombie, with just over 1000 vitality points, had less than half remaining. Such phenomenal damage startled even Song Jian. He had initially planned on activating the Immortal Sword Body, but no longer deemed it necessary. Broken Wing Dance! Boom, boom, bang! While airborne, a silver sword Qi that was roughly three meters long split the mutated zombies body in two. So it simply died like that? Song Jian looked surprised. He had just killed an ordinary level 15 monster with full attribute points within just a few moves, which was quite unlike his initial expectations. When he first encountered this creature, he had been prepared to give it everything he had. Whooo, whooo- One by one, mutated zombies crawled out of the dark corners, their bloodshot eyes fixated on Song Jian, filled with a primal desire to kill. Thump thump thump- Seven or eight mutated zombies from both sides of the road began charging at Song Jian. With just a thought, a Hexagram Star summoning circle appeared in front of Song Jian. A flash of white light later, the Black Dragon hatchling appeared, fluttering its wings and letting out an immature roar. The faint Dragon Might emanating from the Black Dragon hatchling failed to deter the mutated zombies, who continued charging at Song Jian. Sword in hand, Song Jian dashed toward the mutated zombies, releasing an onslaught of his skills. Silver light beams blossomed within the zombies as howls echoed through the scene. As more zombies appeared, Song Jians vitality points began to decrease, but the number of slain zombies also soared. Buzz- Song Jians sword suddenly began to tremble violently, as if trying to escape his grip. With the force proving too strong, Song Jian had to let go. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword zoomed into the sky. Golden light erupted in the sky, akin to a sunrise. Buzz buzz buzz- The hum of his sword grew louder. In a flash, several faint golden sword apparitions rained down on the mutated zombies in a ten-meter radius. Stereaks of critical damage floated above the zombies heads, accompanied by harrowing cries. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swiftly returned to Song Jians hand. Upon closer look, it had leveled up to 2. Its attack and properties had slightly increased, but what surprised Song Jian more was the dramatic spectacle of the sword leveling up. Almost 300 vitality points were drained from each mutated zombie within a ten-meter radius. All of them now glared at Song Jian, roars of rage filling the air. At this point, all of their aggression was firmly locked onto Song Jian. Chapter 262 - Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Sniping Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Sniping Translator: 549690339 Immortal Sword Body, activate! A golden glow enveloped Song Jian, and eight long sword illusions seemed to guard him, enhancing Song Jians strength significantly. His sword danced, revealing a silver light. Song Jian chose to advance rather than retreat, charging towards the incoming level-15 mutated zombies. As the battle went on, the violent killing intent in Song Jians heart surged once again, giving him a sense of absolute fearlessness and indifference to pain. The sense of coolness in his mind, however, sustained his sanity, preventing him from being drowned in madness and becoming a walking corpse driven only by a thirst for blood. Roar- A giant Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion, standing over two meters in height and over four meters in body length, appeared next to Song Jian. The moment it appeared, its scorpion tail pierced through a mutated zombie like a bolt of lightning, shattering the zombie with a gentle shake. The Desert Scorpion Beast charged into the horde of mutated zombies, reaping through them like a grim reaper. The zombies attacks phased through it as if attacking a shadow, causing no harm to the beast. But whenever the beasts body touched a zombie, the illusion turned solid in an instant, inflicting significant damage on the level-15 monsters. If the mutated zombies were capable of fear, the mere presence of the Desert Scorpion Beast would have sent them running in all directions. As time passed, the corpses of the mutated zombies around Song Jian continued to pile up. Transparent flames danced around him, seemingly never to extinguish. An hour earlier, the Black Dragon hatchling had its vitality points greatly reduced and was forced to retreat to the Pet Space, as it did not possess Song Jians restorative vitality. Fighting against the attack of the mutated zombies, Song Jian was surrounded by countless monsters. Even with a vitality recovery rate of 300%, his vitality began to slowly drop. Break! Swinging his left hand in an arc, a silver Sword Qi, three meters long, bisected seven or eight zombies attacking him. Panting heavily, Song Jian sprinted with increased speed, weaving through the ruins of a collapsed six-story building and diving into a deserted alley. Just moments before, Song Jian suddenly felt a strong sense of murderous intent. An immediate threat was closing in. He made a split-second decision to eliminate the zombies surrounding him, creating a breach in their circle, and made his escape. After several twists and turns, he took refuge in a residential building. As the monstrous roars gradually subsided, Song Jian heaved a sigh of relief, taking out food and water to replenish his strength. Earlier, Song Jian had slaughtered over eighty mutated zombies of level-15. The experience points he earned as a level-13 player had also increased slightly. However, the commotion they made was substantial. The mutated zombies roars sounded like they were drawing their comrades by communicating through sound. As a result, there were more and more mutated zombies surrounding Song Jian. If he hadnt realized something was wrong in time, he might have drawn every mutated zombie in the vicinity towards him. Looking down from the rooftop, Song Jian saw a horde of zombies spreading out before his eyes, like a tide. In the distance, a special mutated zombie stood, over three meters tall and with four arms, its body shimmering with a dark metallic sheen. Evidently, this was a level-15 elite boss, lured here by noises of the battle. At this sight, Song Jian couldnt help but shudder. Had he not detected the danger and acted when he did, he may have stayed to fight a little longer. By then, the four-armed elite zombie enticed by the noise of the fight, together with the tidal wave of regular mutated zombies, might have left him with no chance to escape. Just then, Song Jian felt a sudden sharp pain in his temples and looked up towards a distant skyscraper where a blinding light flashed. With a bang, his heart leaped at the sight of a blaze of fire spouting from the rooftop of the skyscraper. It was teeming with cold murderous intent. A sniper! The thought surfaced in Song Jians mind. The next moment, his body vanished, replaced by a large black mist spreading across the rooftop. Bullets were fast, but their speed was also relative. The skyscraper was some distance away from Song Jians location, and even a sniper bullet needed some time to traverse the gap. Song Jian could feel the frigid bullet swiftly piercing the black fog, easily drilling into the rooftop floor, leaving behind a fist-sized hole. Having narrowly escaped, Song Jian was covered in cold sweat. The bullet had very nearly struck him. If he had hesitated for a split second, the fist-sized hole in the floor would have been instead in his temple. Captain, the target was not hit! Qi Yun, lying on the edge of the skyscraper, reported through an eight-times magnification scope. He had witnessed Song Jian vanish, replaced by a black mist enveloping the rooftop. Although Qi Yun is a healer, it doesnt prevent him from mastering sniper skills. The sniper rifle in his hand is a level-10 silver weapon, and he aims for Song Jians head. They are unaware of Song Jians Vertical Pupil equipment. For a regular level-13 player, a direct headshot from a sniper rifle could be lethal. The target seems to have advanced classes and some strange skills at his disposal. Abandon the long-range ambush. Well move in for a close capture. Ma Jiang said dispassionately. Chu Ping, sneak in and confirm the targets specific location! Understood! Chu Ping chuckled. He sheathed his dagger, pulled out a rope, and began to rappel down the skyscrapers edge. In just a few seconds, ChuPing went from the top of a hundred-meter-high building down to the ground. With a swing of his arm, he gathered the rope and stuffed it into his backpack before sprinting towards Song Jians hiding spot. Lets go as well. Ma Jiang and Qi Yun quickly left the skyscraper and followed Chu Ping. Song Jian was now driven by anger. He had long forgotten his grudge with the Gathering Area 101 and never expected them to send assassins after him so long after the event. He assumed he had once again come across some other treasure-hunting player-killers. If you wish to die, 111 grant your wish! Song Jian was filled with rage. Coming face to face with Death in the previous encounter made him feel a strong urge to rip his enemies apart. Swoosh- A cloud of black smoke fell to the ground. Song Jian quickly deactivated his black fog and dashed towards the far-off skyscraper. Chapter 263 - Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Greed Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Greed Translator: 549690339 Ma Jiang and his two companions wanted to hunt down Song Jian. They originally thought that if they didnt kill Song Jian with one shot, he would definitely run away. But what they didnt expect was that Song Jian now wanted to kill them even more! Chu Ping, like a shadow, kept leaping and running on the dimly lit street, his speed extremely fast. He was afraid of repeating the previous experience when they tried to surround and kill Dr. Ebsiting, only to let him escape. Song Jians running speed was also extremely fast. In his mind, snipers always missed their shots, then disappeared miles away. If he arrived later, he might not even see the opponents back. And just like that, on a road more than four meters wide, the two unexpectedly collided head-on. Chu Ping looked at Song Jians name, red as blood, which was a distinctive feature of those hunted by the 101 Gathering Area. Only in the eyes of the hunters who took the bounty mission, Song Jians name would appear as blood-red as it was. Correspondingly, in Song Jians eyes, the 101 Gathering Area Hunter above Chu Pings head appeared bloody and scarlet, which was a unique characteristic of a hunters name in the eyes of the hunted. Seeing Song Jian, Chu Pings lips revealed a mocking smile. He did not expect the other party to not escape but instead boldly appear before his eyes. Is he going to counter-kill us? such a thought flashed through Chu Pings mind, and he couldnt help but laugh at the wanted person who didnt know his limits. When did the 101 Gathering Areas hunters become so unthreatening? Chu Ping looked at Song Jian rushing towards him, smiled faintly, and his figure slowly disappeared. Stealth! One of the core inheritance skills of the thieves profession. Chu Ping had even chosen the professions branch, the Assassin occupation. This occupation weakened the stealing ability while enhancing the combat and assassination skills. He was confident in killing targets of the same level or even higher than him. After entering stealth, Chu Ping did not directly rush towards Song Jian but turned into a side alley. He knew that Song Jian, seeing his stealth, would definitely use a wide-ranging group attack skill to strike the place where he disappeared and estimate his approximate location based on his movement speed after entering stealth. Under normal circumstances, the movement speed after stealth would decrease significantly. If the stealth skill was only at level 1, the movement speed would decrease by 60%, and the decrease would be less with higher levels. Chu Pings stealth level was not high, only level 3, with a 52% decrease in movement speed. But he had acquired a silver-quality thief skill book, Enhanced Stealth, which increased the stealth movement speed by 15% for 10 seconds. In other words, at this moment, Chu Pings stealth speed only decreased by 37%, which was equivalent to the effect of level 7 or even 8 stealth skills. However, what surprised Chu Ping was that Song Jian did not immediately release a wide-ranging attack skill when he disappeared. Instead, he stopped, looking forward with a cold smile. A bad thought suddenly rose in Chu Pings heart: Does this guy have any skills or items that can see through invisibility? Thinking of this, Chu Ping, who originally planned to attack Song Jian from behind, immediately suppressed his impulse to kill and slowly retreated into the dark alley. Sure enough, a faint vertical crease appeared on Song Jians forehead, emitting a silver light, and a vertical pupil slowly opened its eyes, looking forward. Chu Ping was startled, and the chill struck his back. He was lucky to be cautious. Otherwise, his figure would have been exposed by now. As an assassin, exposing oneself before a fight, unless the enemy was significantly weaker, the smartest choice was to run immediately. Is this a superpower, magic, or genetic mutation? Chu Ping wondered silently. Song Jians equipment and weapons had their aura hidden, looking no different from an ordinary close-combat profession. But at the moment when the vertical pupil opened, Song Jians importance in Chu Pings mind had instantly risen several levels. As ordinary fighters didnt have such means. Song Jian looked around, his brows slightly wrinkled. He still couldnt find any trace of the enemy. From the moment the enemy went invisible to when his vertical pupil opened, it only took a few seconds. How far could he have run in such a short time? Song Jian, with his vertical pupil open, slowly searched the surroundings. The vertical pupil was an external attachment. From the moment it was implanted, it became a part of his body. As long as he did not release skills, being open did not consume any energy. Chu Ping looked at Song Jians vertical pupil, which emitted a silver glow and remained open while scanning the surroundings. This state lasted for over ten minutes, and he was sweating cold bullets. Skills, magic, and even wrapped items couldnt last this long. So it must be something like genetic mutation or a biological warriors implant. However, biological warriors and genetically modified soldiers who strengthened themselves by merging other organisms genes always had many side effects, but Chu Ping didnt notice any obvious side effects on Song Jian! Could it be Just then, a thought flashed through Chu Pings mind, and he suddenly came up with another possibility, his eyes full of surprise and greed. An external attachment! It must be an external attachment! Chu Pings eyes lit up, and he couldnt help but slowly move towards the entrance of the alley overlooking the deepest part of it. An external attachment is equipment that can improve with the hosts strength. It can almost rival a growth-type equipment. Its incredibly valuable. If I can get it, even without this bounty reward, thats an external attachment! For a moment, Chu Pings palms were sweating and anxious. At this time, two figures appeared across the street. Ma Jiang and Qi Yun finally arrived and saw Song Jian standing alone on the street, looking a little confused. Where did Chu Ping run off to? Ma Jiang muttered to himself. Perhaps he hid. Look at the kids forehead; it should be some kind of ability to see through invisibility! Qi Yun stared at Song Jian and commented. The two of them had just arrived and hadnt linked the external attachment with Song Jian. After all, casually hunting a wanted person and encountering an external attachment sounded too good to be true. And if they were really hunting a wanted person with an external attachment, it wouldnt be their turn as a small team. Go, kill him! Ma Jiang said, drew a long knife, and rushed towards Song Jian. Qi Yun also climbed towards the high ground nearby. He had to choose a distance where his healing skills wouldnt exceed the range and not be too close to be easily attacked. The only one in the team who could provide long-range support was him. Seeing Ma Jiang rushing towards him, Song Jian abandoned the search for Chu Ping, tightly gripped his long sword, and slashed at Ma Jiang. The dark red blade flickered with a strange silver sword glow, and the invisible Sword Qi inside Song Jian surged, revealing a murderous intent in his eyes. Sword Silk, Slash! With a fierce shout, Song Jians long sword collided with Ma Jiangs long knife, creating a loud noise! Chapter 264 - Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Join Hands Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Join Hands Translator: 549690339 The long blade in Ma Jiangs hand is also a Tier 10 silver weapon, and he is a strength-specialist. Blessed by his full gear, his strength attribute has well surpassed fifteen points. One cleave from his blade could halve a man. Bang! The moment sword and blade collided, a powerful force exploded from the blades, causing a resonating roar. Ma Jiang grunted, surprise flashing across his eyes as he continuously stepped backward. Astoundingly, his opponents strength was slightly stronger than his own. Ding, ding, ding- just as Ma Jiang was forced to retreat, three silver Sword Silks appeared out of thin air. After hovering in the air for a moment, they darted toward Ma Jiang in unison. Crack, crack- Two of the Sword Silks hit Ma Jiangs shoulders, while the other pierced right through his stomach. Damage numbers began to float above Ma Jiangs head. In just one encounter, he was reduced to critical health. The damage in the hundreds caused Ma Jiangs steps to waver, and the Tiger Roar Blade in his hand became heavy. In his critically injured state, all his attributes declined by 30%. Hows this possible? Hes only at Level 13! Why is his damage so strong! Ma Jiang felt as if he were facing a Level 20 veteran, not a Divine Worshipper on his level. At that moment, a sprinkle of fragmented white light fell from above. Qi Yun was standing on the roof of a shop in the distance. The moment he saw Ma Jiangs Vitality Points dropped to one-fifth, he was taken aback and reflexively performed an instant Healing Skill. Ma Jiangs Vitality Points were restored to two-thirds, removing his critical injury status. Seeing Song Jian rushing toward him again, Ma Jiang gritted his teeth and chugged down a potion. Rage Potion! After use, attack power increases by 30%, attack speed increases by 15% for 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, all attributes decrease by 35% for 1 hour. This was one of Ma Jiangs trump cards, yet he had to use it after their first encounter. A crimson flame of vitality began to burn intensely on the surface of Ma Jiangs body. His eyes glinting red, Ma Jiang roared and raised his long sword, slashing towards Song Jian. For a moment, Ma Jiang was full of momentum. As he swung the Tiger Roar Blade, there was the resonating sound of a tigers roar that left Song Jian feeling agitated. Song Jian frowned slightly, feeling his opponents rapid increase in attack speed. A subtle smile pulled at the corner of his lips. With a flick of his wrist, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword emitted a sharp whistling sound. Rapid Sword! At this moment, Ma Jiang couldnt even see clearly where Song Jians sword was moving. His view was fuzzy as three or four long swords seemed to be stabbing toward him simultaneously. Woosh- Another beam of white light enveloped Ma Jiang, instantly raising his Vitality Points to 90%. Song Jian frowned slightly, unable to help stealing a glance at Qi Yun who was a dozen meters away. This healer is too annoying. 1 need to find a way to take him out first! Song Jian thought to himself. If he wanted to kill Ma Jiang, he had to take down this healer first. Otherwise, they might eventually wear him down. He hadnt forgotten about the Thief lurking nearby. Clang, clang, clang- Song Jian and Ma Jiangs movements were extremely quick; in just an instant, they had traded over ten blows. They appeared to be evenly matched, but Ma Jiang was internally distressed. His opponents attacks were faster than his own, so to keep up, he had to expend more effort, which meant greater consumption of his energy. Chu Ping, when will you finally make a move? What are you waiting for? Until Ive been cut down to a corpse? Ma Jiang roared. He could feel that Chu Ping was somewhere nearby. Chu Pings face turned pale. After realizing that Song Jian possessed an external weapon, his intention had changed. Even if this mission were to fail, if he could obtain the opponents weapon, hed still come out as a big winner. However, there was only one external weapon, but three people on their team. Initially, Chu Ping planned to let Ma Jiang, Qi Yun, and his opponent exchange blows till all were weakened. He could then swoop in at the end to pick up the spoils. But to his surprise, his opponent turned out to be so formidable. They were all locked in battle, evenly matched, and he even seemed to be gaining the upper hand. This made Chu Ping feel perilously uneasy. Ma Jiangs outburst was a byproduct of his despair. He had no idea this was what Chu Ping was actually thinking. But after witnessing Song Jians formidable strength, he felt certain Song Jian could kill both Ma Jiang and Qi Yun without losing much life. This made Chu Ping anxious. If Song Jian were indeed able to kill both Ma Jiang and Qi Yun, Chu Ping would also be unable to escape, and besides the external weapon, he might even lose his life here. After a moments hesitation, Chu Ping gritted his teeth and finally emerged from the alley, rushing toward the back of Song Jian. Ma Jiang valiantly resisted Song Jians assault, with his body teetering and about to fail, but he did not retreat an inch under Qi Yuns treatment. Qi Yun, who had planned to use his sniper rifle for ranged skirmishes, bore a bitter expression. He didnt expect their targeted fugitive to be so formidable. Despite only being at Level 13, the fugitive exhibited a strength that could rival that of someone over Level 20, leaving him no chance to pull out his sniper rifle. He could only desperately use his Spirit Points to replenish Ma Jiangs Vitality Points. As he watched Ma Jiangs Vitality Points fluctuate up and down, Qi Yuns heart pounded fiercely in sync. At this very moment, Qi Yun noticed a semi-transparent figure slowly sneaking up behind Song Jian. His face lit up with delight. If two of them attacked Song Jian at the same time, the pressure on him as a healer would certainly lessen. Die! The moment Ma Jiang saw Chu Ping appear, he started behaving aggressively. There wasnt much time left from the sixty seconds of his Rage Potions effect, after which all his attributes would reduce by 30%. He couldnt possibly match Song Jian then. He had to seize the opportunity to join forces with Chu Ping within the remaining time. He only hoped they could at least cause Song Jian some serious injury. Ambush! At this moment, Chu Ping had also closed in on Song Jian. His dagger, like a vipers fang, was aimed at the back of Song Jians head. Sensing a gust of wind behind his head, Song Jians figure bolted forward as if he had teleported, his aura growing violent and fierce. He slashed his sword towards Ma Jiang. Broken Wing Dance! Both Chu Ping and Ma Jiang didnt see it coming. At this moment, Ma Jiang felt like a massive wave was surging towards him. His face changed; he dared not resist head-on and quickly dodged to the side. Due to his failed ambush, Chu Ping, who was behind him, was revealed. Seeing Ma Jiang avoiding to the side, Song Jian didnt let the second strike of his Broken Wing Dance chase after Ma Jiang. Instead, he turned around and slashed towards Chu Ping. In his panic, Chu Ping didnt expect Song Jian to change his attack target so quickly. Hastily, he crossed his daggers to shield himself. Bang- The long sword and daggers collided harshly. An immense force was transmitted, and Chu Ping couldnt block it. He was blown into the air, leaving his chest vulnerable. In his horrified gaze, Song Jians figure leaped high into the air, and the dark red sword, emitting a dazzling silver sword light, struck down towards his head. Chapter 265 - Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Slaves Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Slaves Translator: 549690339 Boom- Song Jian moved extremely fast, and with a slash of his sword, he fiercely struck Chu Pings chest. The sound of bones cracking echoed, and in an instant, Chu Pings Vitality Points plummeted, with his chest bones completely shattered. Blood uncontrollably sprayed from his mouth, and he no longer had any strength in his body. With blood frothing at the corners of his mouth, Chu Ping tried to retreat, but suddenly felt a surge of energy rising from his feet, causing his body to uncontrollably float into the air. A floating state! Despair appeared on Chu Pings face as his heart sank. He knew that in this state, his body would be completely defenseless, and he would inevitably suffer even more damage than usual! Will I die here? This thought crossed Chu Pings mind for the first time. He has an ext. Chu Ping roared, trying to cause trouble for Song Jian before he died. Qi Yun had originally been focusing on healing Ma Jiang, but after seeing Ma Jiang being slashed apart by Song Jian, he quickly cast a Healing Skill on Ma Jiang. However, the situation changed in an instant, as it only took one strike from Song Jian to leave Chu Ping in a nearly dead state. Qi Yun hurriedly interrupted the Healing Skill he was casting on Ma Jiang, waving his Magic Staff, and shifted his focus to healing Chu Ping instead. Qi Yun quickly cast an instant Healing Skill on himself, slightly raising his Vitality Points. He then began chanting a spell, preparing to release an even stronger Healing Skill. At that moment, Song Jian raised his left hand, his index finger shining with a silver light. A terrifyingly powerful silver Sword Qi was released, directly piercing Qi Yuns forehead and penetrating his skull. Sword Finger! It was an incredibly swift and sharp strike that nobody saw coming. Chu Ping couldnt even see how this attack was executed. All he saw was a dazzling silver Sword Qi. Thud- Chu Pings corpse fell from the sky and landed on the ground, rolling twice before becoming still. Dumbstruck, Qi Yun stared at the system prompt: System: Your healing target has died, rendering your healing ineffective. The skill has failed, and has entered a cooldown period. He died just like that? Even with my healing, he still Qi Yun found it hard to accept the situation. Song Jian was simply too fast. He had initially been targeting Ma Jiang, but in the blink of an eye, he pivoted and, using the acceleration from the Broken Wing Dance, directed his remaining two attacks towards Chu Ping. In his floating state, Song Jian unleashed the incredibly swift Sword Finger. Even if Chu Ping had been at full health, the level two Sword Finger would have caused over 75 points of physical damage as well as an additional 80 points of Metal-element damage. Even if Qi Yun had managed to cast a Healing Skill on Chu Ping, restoring 50 Vitality Points, it wouldnt have changed Chu Pings fate in the end! After killing Chu Ping, Song Jian didnt even look at the loot he dropped. Instead, he turned towards Ma Jiang, stomping his foot and sending a fanged whirlwind roaring towards Ma Jiang. Ma Jiang glanced at Song Jian and unexpectedly turned around and ran for his life. He had less than ten seconds left until the effects of his Rage Potion wore off. Even with Qi Yun constantly healing him within this short period of time, it was impossible to kill Song Jian. Once the potions effect wore off and he entered a weakened state, with a 30% reduction in his overall attributes, there would only be one path left: death. At this moment, while the potion had not yet lost its effect, preserving his life was the most crucial thing to do! Boom! Earth Teeth Assault struck Ma Jiang from behind, causing a 50-point damage floating above his head. Ma Jiang stumbled, almost falling to the ground but ultimately managing to run towards the distance without looking back. Seeing Ma Jiang run away, Qi Yun was dumbfounded. He was the slowest member of their team. Watching his captains rapidly retreating figure and seeing the wanted criminal walk towards him step by step Captain, youre just going to run away and leave me behind? Qi Yun didnt know whether he should curse out loud or not. I never thought our captain was this terrible before. If I had known, I wouldnt have healed him and just ran away! Im a ranged attacker, and hes a melee fighter! Qi Yun felt like crying but had no tears to shed. I surrender, dont kill me! Qi Yun immediately raised his hands, looking at Song Jian with a frightened expression and shouting loudly. System: Gathering Area 101 Hunt Team member, Qi Yun, is forced by your prowess to surrender to you! Please choose one of the following three options: Option 1: Accept surrender, claim ransom. Option 2: Accept surrender, make him your slave. Option 3: Decline surrender, kill him! Please make a choice within ten seconds! Song Jian looked at Qi Yun closely as Qi Yun tried to give him a flattering but ugly smile. Do you have money? Song Jian suddenly asked. Qi Yun startled then pulled out all the money he had, saying, I only have 32 Doomsday Coins! The habit of the hunting team was to spend all of their money on strengthening their equipment or other items to enhance their personal strength or deposit it at the bank. They wouldnt carry too much money with them during missions. Seeing the 32 Doomsday Coins in Qi Yuns hand, Song Jian shook his head: Then become my slave! Song Jian directly chose the second option: Qi Yuns face showed a mix of anger and uncertainty, clearly not mentally prepared to become a slave. If you dont want to, Ill kill you! Song Jian said, his face filled with murderous intent. I Im willing to become your slave! Qi Yun eventually nodded reluctantly, his face full of humiliation. The moment Qi Yun agreed, a mysterious force surfaced on his forehead, imprinting a Magic Rune there. Qi Yun trembled, opening his mouth to let out a painful scream, but no sound came out. The mysterious force then disappeared, leaving Qi Yun lying on the ground like a bag of mud, gasping for breath. At this point, Song Jian discovered that he now had a slave interface, which showed all of Qi Yuns attributes. Moreover, he could strip Qi Yun of his equipment at will. Song Jian glanced over Qi Yuns equipment. Most items were of white quality, and even the Healing Short Staff he was holding was only of green quality. Only the silver-quality sniper rifle seemed valuable. Song Jian shook his head, removed the silver-quality sniper rifle, and put it in his own backpack. He then told Qi Yun, From now on, focus on healing. Be a good healer and dont think about attacking. As a main healer, Qi Yun primarily mastered common skills like the Eagle Eye Skill but could only perform basic attacks even with the sniper rifle. It was a waste of resources! Hearing Song Jians words, Qi Yuns face showed a mixture of shame and anger, but he ultimately nodded. System: You have deprived your slave, Qi Yun, of an item, lowering his Loyalty Points to you by 10. Qi Yuns current Loyalty Points towards you are now only 50. If they fall below 50 Points, there is a chance that your slave will try to escape! Chapter 266 - Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Let Me Show You My Safe House Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Let Me Show You My Safe House Translator: 549690339 Defecting? Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun and sneered, Dare to defect, and Ill kill you! No, no, I dont dare, I dont dare! Qi Yun shook his head repeatedly. System: You intimidate the slave Qi Yun, increasing his loyalty by 5 points; Song Jian was taken aback, this worked as well? Tell me, why did you come after me? Song Jian looked at Qi Yun and asked. Actually, we are members of the assassination team of Gathering Area 101. The reason we came here is that Gathering Area 101 has issued a warrant for you Half an hour later, Song Jian finally found out that it was still because of the trouble he had caused when he saved Dr. Ebsiting at the garbage station. Gathering Area 101? Haha Song C no, Master, you must not underestimate Gathering Area 101. It is one of the 500 safe havens created by humanity after the Doomsday catastrophe. By now, all other safe havens have been destroyed, leaving only this Gathering Area 101. Qi Yun said. All the other gathering areas have been destroyed, leaving only this one? Song Jian couldnt help but sneer, Then how did the City of Sin and the City of Holy Light come about? If Gathering Area 101 were really that strong, it would have become 101 City by now, rather than still being just a gathering area. The essence of a gathering area in the wilderness is no different from the level two Manor Castle built by Song Jian, except that Gathering Area 101 covers a larger area than Song Jians Manor Castle. Gathering Area 101 not only has complete facilities but also has many hunting teams, assassination squads, and even its own affiliated corps C Storm Legion! Qi Yun said. Storm Legion? This name sounds familiar; it seems like Ive heard it on the radio, Song Jian murmured, Thats right. How many people are in the Storm Legion? Storm Legion has a total of 800 elite professionals, Qi Yun said. Only 800 people? And they dare to call themselves a legion? Song Jian couldnt help but say. To support 800 people is already the limit for Gathering Area 101. However, if possible, Gathering Area 101 can launch a battle involving more than 30,000 people at any time! Qi Yun said, After all, Gathering Area 101 shelters many wanderers, many of whom have taken it as their home and are willing to fight for it. There is no shortage of such people! Moreover, according to rumors, Gathering Area 101 has already begun preparations for creating a city for the third time. If it succeeds, it will be on par with major forces like the City of Sin and the City of Holy Light. By then, even more, people would be willing to settle in Gathering Area 101! Qi Yun said. Song Jian nodded, his heart feeling slightly heavy. After all, it was a major power that had existed for decades after the Doomsday catastrophe. In the beginning, it was probably just an ordinary human without a background who had created Gathering Area 101 from scratch through his own strength. If what Qi Yun said was true, the person who created Gathering Area 101 was really remarkable. Now, such a force which has been developing for decades wanted to hunt him down. It would be false to say that he was not worried since, after all, he only had one life in this game! Okay, when do you think theyll send another assassination team after this failure? Song Jian stared at Qi Yun and asked. Qi Yun hesitated for a moment and said, Actually, there was a problem with the teleportation device we used. Our team originally had five members, but one of them was torn apart by the spatial forces during the teleportation. Another one was seriously injured and died shortly after arriving, leaving only three people The team leader, no, Ma Jiang, is now alone. He is likely to give up on the assassination mission and go back to report the information. I estimate that they wont dispatch another assassination team until the researchers have perfected the teleportation device. In the short term, there should be no more assassination teams entering this city Song Jian nodded slightly, realizing that he should be safe for the time being. Before Gathering Area 101 completed perfecting their teleportation device, he needed to improve his level and strength as much as possible. Lets go, continue hunting monsters. Keep an eye on my Vitality Points! Song Jian said as he summoned the wounded Black Dragon hatchling. Qi Yun immediately used her healing wand to restore the hatchlings vitality points to full. Roar- With a roar from the Black Dragon hatchling, five or six level-15 mutant zombies were lured out. Song Jian flexed his wrist, summoning the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a flourish, he jogged towards the monsters. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh C As Song Jian danced around, his dark red sword flew, releasing dazzling silver light. Facing five or six mutant zombies, Song Jian made no defensive moves, choosing instead to endure their attacks and annihilate them, displaying a reckless, do-or-die attitude. The Black Dragon hatchling nearby was also continuously spewing Dragon Breath, swinging its claws and tail, and tearing into the fallen mutant zombies. Gradually, the noise from the battle attracted a large number of mutant zombies. In no time, dozens of level-15 monsters surrounded Song Jian. Watch my health and heal me! Song Jian shouted, rushing into the monster horde without backing off, chopping down the nearby monsters. As Song Jians Vitality Points gradually decreased, Qi Yuns hands trembled slightly from a distance. After a while, she sighed helplessly, waved her short wand, and released Healing Skill to restore Song Jians Vitality Points. Song Jian, who was in the midst of the monsters, could feel the healing effect and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile. As for this slave whose loyalty was bordering on betrayal, he didnt fully trust her. Using only seventy percent of his strength, he left himself a small margin for safety. If Qi Yun dared to betray him, he could guarantee that he could break free of the encircling monsters. Like this, Song Jian continued to fight for several hours. Only when Qi Yuns Spirit Points were depleted did he use the Immortal Sword Body and make his way out with the Black Dragon hatchling. Although they had killed hundreds of level-15 mutant zombies, there was no noticeable reduction in the tide of monsters chasing after Song Jian. They pursued him relentlessly. Song Jian summoned his motorcycle, returned the Black Dragon hatchling to the Pet Space, and shouted at Qi Yun, Get on! Qi Yun hurriedly sat on the back of the motorcycle. With a roar, a plume of black smoke erupted from the exhaust pipe, and the motorcycle sped off like a bolt of lightning, heading towards Song Jians Manor Castle. Haha, this is the thrill of monster hunting! Song Jian laughed heartily against the wind. A complex expression appeared on Qi Yuns face as she stared at Song Jians back, deep in thought. The two quickly returned to Song Jians Manor Castle. Seeing the now level two safe house, Qi Yuns face showed surprise. Is this your safe house? You already created one for yourself? Qi Yun could hardly believe her eyes. This is Doomsday City, with so many monsters inside. Wont they attack here? Qi Yun couldnt help but ask. It should be noted that creating a safe house in the wilderness wasnt an easy task. Many ambitious individuals had attempted to imitate Gathering Area 101, creating their own safe areas, but in the end, they were all ruined under the siege of countless monsters. Although the overall number of monsters in Doomsday City was smaller than the wilderness, the density was considerably higher C at least ten or even a hundred times more! Song Jian smiled faintly but did not explain. Instead, he summoned the Black Dragon hatchling and let it play around on its own. After all, if a pet was kept in Pet Space for too long, its Intimacy Level would decrease. Come in and take a look. How many people do you think Gathering Area 101 will need to send to take down my Manor Castle? Song Jian turned around and stared at Qi Yun while asking. Chapter 267 - Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Your Warning Came Too Late Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Your Warning Came Too Late Translator: 549690339 Qi Yun stared at Manor Castle, somewhat entranced. This was a level two manor, and he had never heard of anyone being able to upgrade a safety house to a manor in the wild, except of course for the 101 Gathering Area. The latter was created by a huge group of people after decades of hard work and was the only one of its kind even after so many years! A safety house can be upgraded to a manor once it reaches the third level, and once a manor reaches the sixth level, it can be upgraded to a gathering area. When a gathering area reaches the ninth level, it can become a city! Qi Yun surveyed Song Jians manor and quietly said, Lu Jianglong spent decades upgrading the 101 Gathering Area from a level one safety house to a level nine gathering area. The hardship he must have gone through is probably known only to him. If your manor were in the wild, and he knew you had a level two manor, he would probably send the Storm Legion to level it. But in Doomsday City, the black fog outside the city provides natural protection. Although you cant go out, its not easy for them to get in! Even if the 101 Gathering Area sends many assassin teams, they probably wouldnt be able to conquer your manor! After giving Song Jian a glance, Qi Yun said, But they dont need to conquer this place to kill you. You cannot possibly stay in your manor twenty-four hours a day. If they send an assassin team when you are out, theres a high chance theyd succeed in killing you! Youre right, the manor, the army, they are all external forces. The most important thing is self-strength! Song Jian laughed, By the way, is this Lu Jianglong you mentioned the one in charge of the 101 Gathering Area? Qi Yun nodded and replied, Yes, the 101 Gathering Area was personally established by Lu Jianglong. However, he is old now and rarely shows his face. The person who actually controls the 101 Gathering Area now is his son, Lu Mao! The one who issued the arrest warrant for you is also Lu Mao. 1 heard it was because you disrupted one of his search missions and killed a scout team from the 101 Gathering Area. Ha ha, Lu Mao! Song Jian etched this name into his memory, asking, Whats Lu Maos profession? What level is he? Qi Yun shook his head and replied, Ive only seen Lu Mao a few times from a distance and never seen him in action. Im not sure what his profession is, but he is at least level 30. Level 30 Song Jian pondered, calculating that it would take him several months of game time to rise to level 30 from his current level 13. He wondered if the 101 Gathering Area could afford him so much development time. Ill play it by ear. The most important task for me now is to collect ten sword manuals! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, a familiar figure appeared within the boundary of Song Jians Manor. As soon as the figure approached the manor, he was stopped by two soldiers. These were non-player characters (NPCs) hired by housekeeper George. They were a team of ten vagrant NPCs, all of whom were low-level, around level six or seven. They wore simple leather armor and carried long spears, responsible for the day-to-day defence of the manor. Huh, isnt that Dr. Ebsiting? What is he doing here? Song Jian stared at the detained figure, wondering. At this moment, Dr. Ebsiting was in a terrible state, covered in dust and with dishevelled hair, strewn with dry leaves and branches. When the two NPC soldiers stopped him, he was very angry and shouted, 1 want to see Song Jian. He is in danger, damn it. You fools, your lord is in danger Whats wrong with him? Why say Im in danger? Could it be that he knows youre here to kill me? Song Jian asked, his face showing curiosity as he turned to look at Qi Yun. Qi Yun looked awkward, saying, We initially went after him, but he ran away. The small zone where he was hiding turned out to be a BOSS nest, full of elite bosses level 10 or higher. After we lost him, we came after you Hes a scientist without any combat capabilities and you failed to kill him? Song Jian asked, surprised. He is not on the 101 Gathering Areas wanted list, so we couldnt pin down his exact location. But your location will be revealed by the system every half hour Qi Yun explained. Ha ha, fine, hurry and bring the doctor here. After all, hes a familiar face, its not good to keep him waiting! Song Jian laughed, instructing housekeeper George sitting next to him. Yes, lord, they didnt realize he was your friend After a slight bow, George went down the castle and ordered his men to bring Dr. Ebsiting inside. As soon as he saw him, Dr. Ebsiting rushed towards Song Jian, shouting, Song Jian, you are in great danger! Someone is trying to kill you! I think its an assassin sent by the 101 Gathering Area. Be careful, they are formidable Doctor, doctor, calm down. Youre safe here. Rest assured, no one can harm you in my Manor! Song Jian comforted Dr. Ebsiting, holding his shoulder. Phew, there are three of them, well-equipped and all professionals. You need to be careful Dr. Ebsiting panted. Well-equipped? Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun standing next to him with a puzzled look. Apart from his silver-grade sniper rifle, Qi Yun didnt have much equipment worthy of being called well-equipped. At that moment, Dr. Ebsiting seemed to sense something. Following Song Jians line of sight, he glanced at Qi Yun next to him. After a close look, his face changed drastically. He pointed at Qi Yun, his face full of terror. He, he, he is Youre right, he is one of the three who chased after you! Song Jian shrugged, But he is now my slave. Speaking of which, isnt your warning a bit late? Slave? Dr. Ebsiting looked puzzled, looking at the magic rune on Qi Yuns forehead that signified servitude. Phew, having such a manor, the people of the 101 Gathering Area have certainly underestimated you. Failure was inevitable. Dr. Ebsiting sighed in relief. But you cant be careless. The 101 Gathering Area has set its sights on you. They will keep sending assassination teams Dr. Ebsiting said seriously, assuming that Song Jian was able to repel the three only by relying on his safety house. As far as he knew, Song Jian didnt have the power to kill three professionals directly. Chapter 268 - Chapter 268: Chapter 268 Follower Chapter 268: Chapter 268 Follower Translator: 549690339 Song Jian looked at the embarrassed state of Dr. Ebsiting and suddenly had an idea. He said to him, Doctor, 1 am already on the wanted list for the 101 Gathering Area, and now they think you and 1 are in the same band. What do you plan to do next? Return to Fifth Avenue, where level-ten elite bosses are all over the place? I cant go back there, its too risky Ive been exposed, Dr. Ebsiting answered, looking lost. As a researcher with no fighting abilities, he couldnt survive in the monster-filled Doomsday City. His existence had already been hard even before, now the search for food and water is becoming more and more difficult. Why not stay with me? I can set up a laboratory for you. What do you think? Song Jian said with a smile. At least here, you wont need to worry about safety, what do you say? Dr. Ebsiting fell silent. Although he was quirky, he wasnt stupid. In this city, probably only Song Jian was willing to shelter him. Fine, Ill have to rely on you from now on, Dr. Ebsiting sighed, a little depressed. He didnt want to lose his freedom but if he had decided to ally with a powerful force before the apocalypse broke out, he could have left the city with other big shots. System: You have agreed to shelter the plot character Dr. Ebsiting. As he was concerned about his safety, Dr. Ebsiting agreed to stay and became your Follower! System: When you enter and stay in the game, Dr. Ebsiting will continually consume Doomsday Coins as his salary. This stops when you leave the game. The stronger the Followers level, the more Doomsday Coins consumed. System: Your Follower is a Researcher type, possessing substantial knowledge reserves. You can select the direction of his research skill tree to develop more research skills. If he dies, all his skills will return to their initial state when he was recruited, and loyalty will randomly drop 10-30 points. System: If a Follower dies, you can find a Resurrection Altar to resurrect the Follower at a certain cost. However, if the Followers loyalty drops to the betrayal standard after death, they cannot be resurrected. System: Dr. Ebsitings current loyalty is 70. If it falls below 60, he will start to slack off. If it falls below 50, he may desert. System: You can view Follower Dr. Ebsitings attributes and initial skills, and can choose the direction of his research. Song Jian knew that Dr. Ebsiting was a researcher, so it was obvious that the latters research skill tree had already climbed to a very high level. If he changed the research direction now, it would mean a huge loss, so Song Jian decided to stick with Dr. Ebsitings current research skill base and continue to improve. Opening his followers personal attribute interface, Song Jian started to study it closely. Unlike Qi Yun, Dr. Ebsiting was Song Jians Follower, who had certain freedom and privileges. Even if Song Jian wanted to view Dr. Ebsitings attributes and skills, he needed Dr. Ebsitings permission. Soon, the attribute interface previously full of question marks was unrestrainedly revealed to Song Jian. Dr. Ebsiting (Song Jians Follower): This is a rare research-type Follower in the game, with a discovery rate of one in a thousand and a recruitment rate of one in ten thousand. Current level 15, experience points 3,351/8,000. After leveling up, his physical properties will also improve, and he can spend skill points to upgrade his research skills. Following were a series of physical attributes and mastered skills. For the sake of not flooding this with too much information, Song Jian didnt list them all. If he did, this chapter could end here. Expert Level Nine Engineering Manufacturing? Song Jians eyes lit up as he looked at Dr. Ebsiting like he was looking at a sparkling diamond. As everyone knows, the level of life professions cant be enhanced using skill points, they must be accumulated through proficiency. Initially, all life skills start at level one, then gradually improved to level two, three, and so forth up to level five. After reaching level nine, then only one could be a novice, further splitting into nine levels. After breaching level nine, there would be an improvement to intermediate, after intermediate level nine is senior. After senior level nine, then its expert. After expert level nine, its master, grandmaster, great grandmaster, and after great grandmaster its divine level. All of Song Jians life skills are still below novice. He didnt know when he would be promoted to novice. Hence, one could imagine how high Dr. Ebsitings Expert Level Nine standing was. Dr. Ebsiting, can you craft the T-11 High-explosive Grenade now? Song Jian asked expectantly. Dr. Ebsiting gave Song Jian a look and said somewhat irritably: The T-11 High-explosive Grenade was devised by me. What do you think, can I make it? And recently, I have developed a T-X High-explosive Grenade which is five times more potent than the T-11. However, to use this kind of grenade, you need to have a Throwing Skill of at least level 10! Level 10 Throwing Skill? Song Jian couldnt help but gasp. The only skill he had at level 10 was his innate skill Thick-skinned, which required a lot of skill points. The Throwing Skill was a basic passive skill, and he could learn it just by throwing a few stones, but Song Jian hadnt put much effort into exercising this ability, so his Throwing Skill was only at level one. High-explosive grenades are consumable and not considered weapons, so they wont be subject to the 80% power reduction limit. If I could get a large batch of these grenades, my leveling speed would definitely soar! Song Jian thought to himself. Heres the list of materials needed to craft the T-X High-explosive Grenade. As long as you can collect all these materials, 1 can make it for you. In this city, its the best for leveling. Dr. Ebsiting directly handed a list to Song Jian. Song Jian looked it over. Compared with the T-11 High-explosive Grenade, there were only two or three more materials, so he nodded and put the material list in his bag. Doctor, what about other weapons besides high-explosive grenades? Such as firearms, rocket launchers, missiles, etc. Can you make nuclear bombs? Song Jian asked, his eyes shining. Im a Ph.D. in Physics and Materials, not in Weapon Manufacturing or Weapon Research, I am ignorant in the field of weapon development. 1 know the principle of making nuclear bombs, but to expect me to produce a nuclear bomb by myself is a pipe dream, humph! Dr. Ebsiting looked a bit unhappy, gave Song Jian a penetrating look and said. Hehe, well okay, doctor, 1 apologize Song Jian said sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. Seeing Song Jians good attitude, Dr. Ebsitings face relaxed a lot. After hesitating a little, he said, Actually, I have also done some research on space science, like spatial equipment, for instance. If there are materials, 1 can make them. Chapter 269 - Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Rebuilding the Laboratory Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Rebuilding the Laboratory Translator: 549690339 Spatial equipment? Song Jians eyes lit up, then a look of joy spread across his face: Can you make a transmission array? A transmission array? Dr. Ebsiting looked blank before rage filled his face. Stomping his foot, he exclaimed, Are you crazy? Who do you think I am? A master of spatial magic? Even if I could make it, do you think I can just hammer out a transmission array with a hammer? Cool down, if you cant make a transmission array then forget it, anything else will do, Song Jian hurriedly consoled him. He knew from Qi Yun that a transmission array was standard fare for prominent powers. Even Gathering Area 101 had spent over a decade studying it, and they had only achieved minimal results. Research on a transmission array requires continuous investment, and during this period, there may not even be any results. If you cant bear with it and give up, then all your previous investments would be for naught. Even Gathering Area 101 had first established a stable foundation over decades before they dared to venture into this research. As for Song Jian, he was barely scraping by. He never had more than ten thousand doomsday coins. How could he research this high-end technology? Besides, Dr. Ebsiting only had a basic understanding of spatial equipment. He was not yet at a level where he could research the construction of a transmission array. At most, I can make storage equipment, like twelve-pocket storage packs. If you need it, collect the materials for me. Ill give you a 20% discount on the work fee! After saying this, Ebsiting handed Song Jian another list. A discount? What the hell? Arent you my follower? Why is there such a suffocating arrangement? Song Jian subconsciously received the list, murmuring to himself. Additionally, I need to create a laboratory. This was a promise you made to me. Heres a list of materials required for establishing the lab. Please collect them for me as soon as possible. I dont want to delay my research for too long Just like that, a third list landed in Song Jians hands. System: Your follower, Dr. Ebsiting, has issued a task for you: Rebuild the Laboratory. Task Description: As a researcher, without a dedicated laboratory, it is impossible to manufacture any items or upgrade ones research skills. You must create a fully-equipped laboratory for your follower, Dr. Ebsiting. Task Requirements: Microscopes: 0/1, Petri dishes: 0/1, Physical experiment station: 0/1, NMR machine: 0/1,; Time limit: 3 days; Task Failure Penalty: Dr. Ebsitings loyalty to you will drop significantly; Task Tips: After accepting the task, directions will guide you to the corresponding areas to search for items; Task Warnings: Some of the required items are guarded by powerful monsters; you must kill the guardian to retrieve the item; Task Warnings: Some of the required items only have one piece available in the city; if not obtained or destroyed, the task will directly fail; Task Warnings: Establishing a laboratory is a highly secretive task; please do not share this task with others, and do not seek help from the auction house or similar places. Revealing your intention to build a laboratory may attract unwanted scrutiny; Song Jian carefully scrutinized the task requirements, which included over a dozen different items. However, after seeing the task hints, Song Jian sighed in relief. Having instructions was ultimately the best thing; otherwise, it would likely take him more than thirty days to complete the task on his own, let alone three days. Having finished reading, Song Jian immediately chose Accept. In that case, Im going to rest now. Ill start work when youve completed the task. Dr. Ebsitings face relaxed slightly after seeing Song Jian accept the task. He nodded and said, Try to collect the materials on those other Wo lists as soon as possible. Theres no specific demand; Ill start working on the product as soon as you have everything. Song Jian nodded. Actually, those two lists were the most important to him. He would strive to collect the items even if Dr. Ebsiting hadnt issued a task. Dr. Ebsiting directly occupied a sub-castle on the right side of the Manor Castle. Initially, there was a sub-castle on each side of the main castle. Song Jian lived in the main castle, and the two sub-castles had always been idle until now. After occupying the sub-castle, Dr. Ebsiting started getting busy. Song Jian didnt know what he was so busy with and was slightly worried about the task. Underneath the list given by Dr. Ebsiting was a simple map marker indicating where each item could be found. Song Jian discovered that simple items, like petri dishes, could be found in at least four locations. But high-end items like Polymer Analyzer could only be found in a single location, and it was situated inside a level twenty monster zone. Given Song Jians current power, entering the level twenty monster zone would be a bit of a stretch. After hesitating for a while, Song Jian sighed, Never mind, lets search for the other items first. The items in the level twenty monster area can wait till the end! A quiet night passed. Although Song Jian didnt need to rest, for game natives like Qi Yun and Dr. Ebsiting, their life rhythm was no different from people in the real world; they needed sleep to replenish their energy. The next day was sunny with the dense clouds gradually dispersing. The sunlight occasionally shone through. Song Jian, along with Qi Yun, set out towards an abandoned school located in the level ten monster zone. The school was located in the level ten monster zone, surrounded by a fence made of iron bars. As soon as they entered the main gate, the first thing that caught their eye was a spacious playground. In front of the playground was a towering flagpole. The school had been abandoned for decades. The surface of the flagpole was rusty, but the red flag flying at the top was flapping in the wind, as if it had just been hung up. Thats a bit odd, eh! Song Jian walked forward, craned his neck and carefully observed the red flag on the pole. The surface of the flag is glowing slightly. It looks like a piece of equipment! Song Jians heart stirred. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed the rope on the flagpole, intending to lower the red flag. The moment he touched the flagpole, a system notification popped up. System: You have come into contact with a special object C the school flagpole, triggering a special entertainment task; Task Name: Raising the National Flag Task Description: The schools flagpole is malfunctioning and cant lower the school flag. You have to climb the flagpole and retrieve the school flag within 180 seconds; Task Requirement: Climb to the top of the flagpole; 0/18 meters Task Limit: Three minutes Task Reward: School Flag Task Failure Penalty: None Task Tips: To climb the flagpole, you need agility. If it were me, I would choose to train a lightweight skill to complete this task, preferably leveling Cloud Climbing Skill to level 3 or above; Task Warning: The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Make sure there is medical staff on-site before you complete the task. Task Warning: This task cannot rely on any tools such as ropes. Otherwise, the task will immediately fail. Chapter 270 - Chapter 270: Chapter 270 Climbing the Pole Chapter 270: Chapter 270 Climbing the Pole Translator: 549690339 | A special entertainment task? This was Song Jians first time encountering this type of task. With the flagpole reaching a height of eighteen meters, climbing it wouldnt be easy. If he were careless and fell, the risk would not be worth the reward. The Level 10 Monster Zone was where most players leveled up. Seeing someone entering the school and preparing to climb the flagpole, some spectators quickly gathered around. Bro, this task isnt easy at all. Even though its classified as entertainment, so far, nobody has accomplished it! warned a player who was holding a submachine gun and wearing a military green combat suit. Yeah, eighteen meters may not seem high, but it gets harder as you go up. Whats the current record again? another player added. I think its thirteen meters. Thats already the limit. As far as I know, no one has managed to climb above thirteen meters yet. I could only climb up to eight meters, then fell and almost broke a bone Thats because youre clumsy. Dont you know to wrap a safety rope around yourself? If you fall, youll only suffer internal injuries at most. Are you stupid? Which is harder to treat, a bone fracture, or internal injuries? Song Jian frowned slightly. An eighteen-meter height wasnt impossible for regular people to climb. Even if players could only gain one skill point each level-up, it seemed odd that among all these players, none had acquired a skill in agility. So why had no player climbed the eighteen-meter flagpole yet? Something was fishy here. With that thought, Song Jian leaped and jumped over three meters high, grabbing onto the flagpole. There doesnt seem to be anything unusual, said Song Jian, knitting his eyebrows. After a brief pause, he started climbing enthusiastically. Qi Yun stood at the base of the flagpole. After some hesitation, he waved his magic staff toward Song Jian, casting the Light Body Skill. The Light Body Skill improved his movement speed by 15% for five seconds. Even though Qi Yun had only leveled up once, the skill still provided significant help to Song Jian at this moment. Qi Yun was positioned as an aid in their hunting team, but he didnt want to depend on his teammates for his survival. Therefore, he also mastered some other attack skills. All of these skills, however, revolved around his silver- quality sniper rifle. Now that his sniper rifle was disassembled by Song Jian, those attack skills were useless. Localized in Qi Yuns skill set were five types of healing skills, and three other auxiliary skills, with the Light Body Skill as only one of them. With the aid of the Light Body Skill, Song Jian climbed faster. In a short while, he reached seven or eight meters high. Theres no difficulty at all; I should reach the top without any effort, thought Song Jian. Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt his body become heavier, as though he was tied to a large piece of stone falling downward. If he hadnt instinctively held onto the flagpole, the sudden increase in gravity mightve caused him to fall off the flagpole. As expected, theres something unusual! Song Jian quickly checked his status bar, and sure enough, there was a Level 1 Gravity negative effect. His talent skill Thick Skin could only resist mental negative effects and was useless against physical negative effects. Could it be that the higher I climb, the greater the level of this negative effect and the more obvious it becomes? wondered Song Jian. As expected, when he climbed to a height of ten meters, the Level 1 Gravity effect suddenly jumped to Level 2. Song Jian frowned slightly. This level of gravity was as if his body weight had increased by about thirty kilograms. It didnt impact him much, but as the negative effects continued to pile on, the difficulty of the task was undoubtedly rising. He continued to climb. Every meter he climbed, the negative effect would increase by one level. By the time Song Jian reached thirteen meters, the negative effect had already risen to Level 5. By then, he was essentially carrying over one hundred kilograms while climbing. After losing the three-point strength addition from the Guardians Sword, Song Jians strength attribute had decreased to fourteen points. The burden of one hundred kilograms was clearly taking its toll. As he climbed higher, his stamina was rapidly draining. Song Jians hands were beginning to tremble lightly. Immortal Sword Body, activate! thought Song Jian. A golden light emerged around Song Jian. The boost of five points to all attributes gave him the needed stamina to continue climbing. Thirteen meters, fourteen meters, fifteen meters With just five meters left, Song Jians hands were shaking more violently, and his forehead was covered in sweat. Maintaining his current position was becoming torture, let alone climbing further. Just then, Qi Yun cast another auxiliary spell on Song Jian to restore his stamina and another Light Body Skill. Still, climbing further up had become difficult. Song Jian shook his head slowly. He had already climbed up to fifteen meters. Even if he used up all his strength, he could only climb one additional meter before he couldnt hold on any longer. After taking some considerations, Song Jian sighed and was ready to give up the task. Hes at fifteen meters! This guy is amazing, hes breaking records! exclaimed the onlooking players. In reality, climbing one meter and seventeen meters yielded the same result: no reward. But that didnt prevent the players from using the task as a benchmark for measuring strength, and they enjoyed it thoroughly. Some players even applauded for Song Jian, who had already climbed to fifteen meters. Just three meters short Song Jian sighed as he looked at the nearby school flag. However, the last three meters were tougher to climb than the previous fifteen. Just as Song Jian was about to slide down, a light bulb went off in his head. Hmm, I wonder if this will work Boom~ Song Jians body disappeared, replaced by a large dark cloud floating in mid-air; This Dark Cloud Transformation skill allowed him to levitate and fly at heights of dozens of meters. For the eighteen-meter flagpole, reaching the top would only take a few seconds; Oh? My body is lighter noted Song Jian, who had transformed into the dark cloud. He realized the Level 7 Gravity negative effect in his status bar had disappeared. It appeared his physical immunity in the dark cloud status could resist even this physical negative effect. The task hasnt failed. It seems like I can still complete the task in this state! Seeing that the task in the task bar didnt display failure, Song Jian was relieved and started heading towards the top of the flagpole. Chapter 271 - Chapter 271: Chapter 271 School Flag Chapter 271: Chapter 271 School Flag Translator: 549690339 | With the flagpole wrapped in black fog, it slowly drifted upward. At the top of the flagpole, Song Jian canceled the black fog state. In an instant, a massive pressure acted on Song Jians body, adding at least 300 kilograms of weight on him. Such terrible gravity could instantly crush Song Jian, but luckily he was prepared. The moment he canceled the black fog state, he grabbed the school flag and slid down the flagpole. Boom~ In the end, Song Jian fell from the flagpole, his back slammed hard on the ground, causing intense pain and a damage value of over 200 points floating above his head. Damn, he actually got it! What just happened? How did he turn into a mass of black fog? Wasnt it said that he cannot leave the flagpole? Whats going on? Yeah, last time, someone turned into a crow and flew to the top, and the task failed. Why is it fine this time? Maybe its because he didnt leave the flagpole even if he turned into black fog? Is that still counted as climbing? Nobody cared when Song Jian fell from the flagpole, but as soon as he grabbed the school flag, it caused an uproar among the onlookers. It was known that as early as half a month ago, someone had discovered this task, but none could complete it. Having lost its flag, the school square was left with only a bare flagpole standing there, looking somewhat desolate. Fifth Middle School Flag (White): Two-handed weapon, evolvable, equipment effect: Agility +1, movement speed increased by 15%, defense increased by 10%; special effect 1: alumni team up (active): designate five people as alumni, team up, all attributes increased by 20% after teaming up; special effect 2: Brilliant Aura (passive), the flag holder and his teammates will receive the Brilliant Aura effect; Brilliant Aura, attack speed increased by 5%, damage +5; requirement: Level 1; can be taken out of the game: no Another evolvable item? Song Jians eyes shone brightly. In this game, there were only a few evolvable items. He didnt expect to get one accidentally. A two-handed weapon, perfect, my main weapon slot has been empty. Its perfect to be equipped. Song Jian happily placed the school flag in his main weapon slot. In fact, Song Jians most commonly used weapon was the one-handed sword in his right hand. He hadnt found any equipment with exceptionally good attributes for the two-handed weapon slot, so it remained empty. Now, although this school flag had no damage, the attributes it increased were excellent, and for Song Jian, it was even better than a two-handed weapon. After equipping the school flag, it appeared on Song Jians back with the words Fifth Middle School written on it. It looked somewhat funny, but the increased attributes were impressive. Especially now, there was a faint white halo under Song Jians feet that kept spreading out like ripples, disappearing slowly after three feet. Looking at the 3D model in his personal attribute column, Song Jian frowned. Having a flag stuck to his back was too conspicuous. Soon, he set the school flag to hide, and it slowly disappeared from his back but still maintained its effect. Lets go, Qi Yun, lets search the school first and complete the task immediately, Song Jian said with a smile. Under the watchful eyes of several players, Song Jian and Qi Yun headed straight for the school laboratory. As Song Jians figure disappeared, the players discussed the event, and the news of the Fifth Middle School flag being taken began to spread in the area. Song Jian didnt pay attention to those players and went straight into the school according to the task instructions. A few players wanted to follow them, hoping to take advantage of the situation. However, when they saw Song Jian and Qi Yun enter the school, they all stopped. Everything inside and outside the school had been searched several times, and everything valuable had been taken away. No one could be bothered to make a secret room in the school, as it wasnt like those mansions. Wiry are they going in there? The place has been searched hundreds of times, someone asked curiously. You know its been searched, but they dont. If they dont see it for themselves, would they be at ease? Werent you the same when you first went in to search? A companion rolled his eyes and glanced at him. That wasnt because I didnt trust you, I was The mans face reddened, and he hurriedly explained. Alright, dont explain. An explanation is just a cover-up. I reckon theyll be out in no time anyway. The place has been licked clean by dogs, other than a few useless tables, chairs, and bottles As expected, a while later, Song Jian led Qi Yun out of the school, expressionless. The players looked at each other with a hint of mockery in their eyes. In fact, the apparatuses were just ordinary background items in the eyes of other players, but from the perspective of Song Jian, who had accepted the task, their status changed. As Song Jian approached, the items would all become task items and even emit a faint light to remind him to pick them up. In the school, Song Jian obtained three task items and had to search elsewhere for the rest. Once he got the items, any identical objects in other places would disappear from the task map. Only the items Song Jian hadnt picked up would appear on the map. Both of them proceeded to the Level-15 monster area. Here, players were few and far between, and monsters were abundant. They moved cautiously but eventually attracted the attention of the monsters. At first, it was only three or four mutated zombies, but once they started fighting, the noise attracted all the surrounding mutated zombies. In no time, there were hundreds of monsters blocking their path. They were forced to retreat, killing and stopping intermittently, ending up back in the Level-10 monster area. After two more attempts, they couldnt get to the location indicated on the task map. You wait here, or go back to the manor first. Ill go try it alone! Song Jian said to Qi Yun. Qi Yun nodded, and as she watched Song Jians retreating figure, her face went through a series of emotions. Finally, she sighed and turned to walk towards the safe house. Although she was already Level 12, without the silver sniper rifle, she could barely protect herself. At most, she could hunt Level 5 or 6 monsters. These Level-10 monsters were still a bit difficult to handle. Just when she was about to leave, a figure emerged from a small alley nearby, shrouded in a gray cloak, his face hidden by it. Are you really content with being his slave? The mans voice was hoarse, but Qi Yun recognized him immediately. She turned abruptly and said in a low voice, Captain! Chapter 272 - Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Landmine Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Landmine Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian moved alone towards the Level 15 monster zone. Without Qi Yun, his movements were much freer. Whenever he encountered monster blockades, he would morph into a dark cloud, ascend into mid-air, and float off in the direction indicated on the mission map. The flying speed of his shadow cloud form wasnt particularly fast, comparable to a lazy jog, but without being hindered by mutant zombies, it proved to be much faster than traveling on foot. Shortly, Song Jian arrived at the central region of the Level 15 monsters. This place was also an abandoned school, but unlike the high school from before, this was a university named Abyss Ocean University . Standing on the main street, Song Jian looked ahead. In front of the university gate stood a gigantic stone relief, its surface covered in cracks. The words Abyss Ocean University etched on the relief had faded with time. This time, Song Jians destination was the physics laboratory of Abyss Ocean University. All the remaining mission items, save for one located in the Level 20 monster zone, could be found in this universitys physics lab. This was the crucial reason Song Jian had chosen this location as his second destination. Entering the school gates, ahead lay three teaching buildings, each towering ten plus stories high. The buildings, seemingly abandoned for a long time, looked somewhat dilapidated. Confident no one had searched this place before, Song Jian decided to first gather the mission items before making a thorough exploration of these buildings. Behind the teaching buildings ran a few small paths leading to the cafeteria and dormitory areas. Further along was a dense forest surrounding a small hill, upon which a pavilion had been constructed. It appeared to be a park-like area. Following the directions provided by his mission map, Song Jian walked towards the universitys physics building. Its strangely quiet here. Not a single monster. How is that possible? Song Jian frowned slightly as it seemed his earlier judgement was off the mark. Other players must have already ventured into this area before him and cleared the monsters. Otherwise, it wouldnt be this quiet. Upon reaching the physics building, Song Jian noticed a thin layer of black dust covering the ground in front of it. It was obviously the residue left behind after monsters had been burned to ashes by transparent flames. Song Jians brow furrowed. Two of the mission items here were unique. If destroyed, Ebsitings mission would fail. By that time, even if Ebsiting couldnt leave by himself, he probably wouldnt agree to become a follower or assist with anything again. He took a step towards the physics building but the moment he crossed through the gates, he felt a chill down his spine. The sound of a faint click came from beneath his foot. System: Youve stepped on a Pressure-Sensitive Infantry Landmine. The landmine will explode in three seconds! Damn it! Just as Song Jian finished reading the system prompt, an explosion sent him flying. The boom echoed in his ears, leaving his mind blank and his right leg numb. After a long while, Song Jian managed to sit up with some effort. Nearly seven hundred vitality points had plummeted to just over two hundred. This meant the infantry landmine had a higher firepower than his T-11 high- explosion grenade, causing over four hundred points of damage. This was actual damage after deducting the values added by his special ability and defense equipment. He felt something wet on his nose. Wiping it with his hand, he found it smeared with blood. Looking down at his right leg, it was clear the bone had been broken. It was at an awkward angle, completely limp. Surgical Treatment! A white light enveloped Song Jians right leg. There was a crack as the severed bones forcefully rejoined, slowly beginning to heal. Only then did Song Jian feel a sharp pain originating from his right leg, making him suck in a cold breath. After casting Surgical Treatment twice more, finally, his leg was healed. Luckily he had this healing technique; otherwise, Song Jian, with a crippled leg, would have to crawl back to the safe house. While waiting for his vitality points to slowly recover, Song Jian opened the combat record. System: Player Feng Kai has set a landmine that caused you 489 points of damage. You may exercise the right to legitimate self-defense. If you kill him within the next 180 seconds, you wont gain any infamy points. Feng Kai! Song Jians eyes narrowed, a hint of murderous intent showing through. Just then, a furious shout came from inside the physics building: Whos there? Whos so blind to have stepped on it? Damn it, how am I going to defeat this boss now? Song Jian paused. Soon, he saw a player rush down the stairs. Close behind him, a zombie wielding a silver longsword slowly gave chase. Upon seeing Song Jian near the entrance, Feng Kai was taken aback. Then, he gasped in shock, his face turning pale. Feng Kai knew exactly how powerful his own landmine was. It was his trump card to hunt the Level 15 elite boss. Any regular player stepping on it would be hard-pressed to retrieve their intact corpse, yet the man standing before him was completely unscathed. This was something Feng Kai couldnt accept. Was it you who stepped on the infantry landmine I placed? Feng Kai couldnt help but ask. Yes! A hideous smile crept onto Song Jians face. He drew his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and rhetorically said, It hurt like hell! Feeling the murderous aura coming off Song Jian, Feng Kai started to panic. Behind him was a Level 15 elite boss and, in front of him, a player who was able to withstand an infantry landmine without any apparent injury. His power was obvious. Brother, calm down! Feng Kai hastily waved his hands, That was a trap I set to kill the boss, not specifically for you! Heh-heh! Song Jian chuckled, before suddenly pouncing towards Feng Kai. Feng Kai screamed, and vanished on the spot, leaving only a wooden pole, about half a mans height, behind. The zombie boss, holding a silver longsword behind Feng Kai, swung his sword with a whoosh, cutting the wooden pole into two halves. The boss then looked around in confusion, stood motionless for a moment before turning around and walking towards the stairs. Song Jian had only been trying to scare Feng Kai. His real target was the boss wielding the huge sword. Sword Silk! Song Jian darted behind the boss and stabbed forward, three silver sword qi, thin as silk, materializing around his body, stabbing towards the boss. Showing an angry expression, the zombie boss swiftly turned around, his black eyes locked onto Song Jian. In an instant, the boss lifted its silver longsword and slashed it forward. Shhh~ A sword qi, icy and cold like frost, flew towards Song Jian. Chapter 273 - Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Cant Become a Concubine Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Cant Become a Concubine Translator: 549690339 1 Song Jian felt the chilling cold emanating from the opponents giant sword, and his face changed immediately. With a clang, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword collided with the opponents silver giant sword. A coldness transmitted through the opponents giant sword, and white frost spread from the point of collision towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, quickly covering the middle part of the blade. At that moment, the dark red Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword let out a humming sound, and a faint red flame shadow emerged on the surface, counteracting the coldness coming from the opponents giant sword. Swish swish swish- Three Sword Silks pierced through the BOSSS body, causing more than 300 points of damage. The BOSS was furious, letting out a roar. With both hands gripping the sword, it chopped at Song Jian, stirring up a sharp cold wind around it. Large snowflakes appeared out of thin air, dancing in the air. Large patches of ice spread from the ground in all directions, and soon, a thin layer of ice appeared on the surrounding walls. The temperature dropped by more than ten degrees in an instant. An ice and snow tornado over five or six meters tall came slashing towards Song Jian with the BOSSS sword strike, aiming for the ceiling above him. The ice tornado released a strong energy, like a giant white beast accompanied by a series of howling sounds. The stone pillars supporting the Physics Buildings hall could not withstand the impact, and one of them twisted and shattered with a piercing crackling sound, visible to the naked eye. Immortal Sword Body, activate! Facing this sword strike, Song Jian did not hesitate and directly activated his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. Golden light radiated on the surface of Song Jians body, and the eight long sword shadows spun around him. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian swung his dark red long sword, chopping fiercely at the ice and snow tornado. Bang- The long sword plunged deep into the tornado, and the massive impact force made the ice and snow dragon pause for a moment before a terrifying explosion followed. The collision of the two great forces shattered the ice tornado, and the surrounding area was filled with ice and snow debris. The cold energy filled the entire hall in an instant. The strike knocked Song Jian back two steps, interrupting his Broken Wing Dance, and he was unable to execute the next two attacks. Under the flurry of ice and snow, the Zombie BOSS wielding the silver giant sword slashed down at Song Jians head. Song Jian barely had time to react. He let out a low shout, swung his sword upward to parry the opponents weapon, and stabbed forward, sinking the dark red blade into the opponents throat. Before he could pull out the sword, Song Jian caught sight of a dark shadow striking towards his cheek. The Zombie BOSSS elbow directly struck Song Jians cheek, followed by a slash that released a wave of white light. Rapid Sword, activate! Enduring the pain from his cheek, Song Jian retreated and blocked the attack with his sword. The two figures quickly exchanged blows in the hall of the Physics Building. Song Jians attack speed increased dramatically, swinging his sword wildly and using the fastest speed to inflict oppressive damage on his opponent. Feng Kai, hiding behind a pillar, watched in astonishment as Song Jian and the Zombie BOSS fought fiercely. He never expected someone could actually fight against this level 15 elite BOSS. After more than ten moves, the two figures separated following a brief contact, and a great force sent Song Jian flying towards the main entrance of the Physics Building before rolling down the stairs. Bloodstains were left behind on the stairs from Song Jian. He got up from the ground, kneeling on one knee and gasping heavily for air. Cough cough- Feeling an itch in his throat, Song Jian coughed hard, blood filling his mouth and seeping out from the corner of his lips, looking extremely miserable. A towering figure wielding a silver giant sword appeared on the stairs of the Physics Buildings main entrance. With its appearance, the air began to fill with ice and snow. This BOSS is even more formidable than the level 20 elite BOSS Ghostfire Beast in the Kantelu Maze! Song Jian slowly stood up, thinking to himself. The attributes of this BOSS in front of his eyes clearly were not as formidable as the Ghost Fire Beast, but the opponents sword technique was too powerful, suppressing Song Jian from beginning to end, without giving him any chance. Swish- The Zombie BOSS suddenly leaped forward, and while in mid-air, swung its sword at Song Jian. A fierce cold aura gathered around its longsword, and in an instant, the surrounding frosty power rapidly condensed into a five-six meter long Ice Giant Dragon. It roared towards the sky and pounced downwards. A dragon? Haha! A mocking expression appeared on Song Jians face. Hum- With a soft sound, the Hexagram Summoning Array appeared beside him, and a half-human height black dragon hatchling appeared, roaring angrily at the ice dragon pouncing from the air; Roar- A hot Dragon Breath blasted at the Ice Giant Dragon. Instantly, the long dragon formed by the cold Sword Qi shattered inch by inch, unable to withstand the black dragon hatchlings Dragon Breath attack. Gazing at the Zombie BOSS pouncing towards him, the silver vertical mark on Song Jians brow slowly opened, and a silver light column shot out from the pupil, hitting the Zombie BOSS who couldnt dodge in mid-air. Eyes of Death! A series of damage numbers popped up from the top of the BOSSS head. The black dragon hatchling flapped its wings and rushed towards the Zombie BOSS in the air. A basketball-sized fireball condensed in its mouth, the color changing gradually from crimson to purple-black; Bang! A moment later, a purple-black fireball spewed out from the black dragon hatchlings mouth, striking the Zombie BOSSS body fiercely; After spewing the fireball, the black dragon hatchling showed a trace of fatigue on its face. Flapping its wings, it returned to Song Jians side, with its legs seeming to tremble slightly, clearly putting forth all its strength in that attack. The Zombie BOSSS momentum was halted, and then it was hit hard by a purple-black fireball, crashing towards the Physics Building. In the midst of a loud rumble, the Physics Buildings entrance shattered, and several pillars in front of the door were cut in half, splattering a large amount of smoke and dust. Song Jians heart tightened. The Physics Building began to shake slightly, and if the battle was too intense, causing the building to collapse, those mission items might cease to exist. Seeing a figure sneaking a glance at him, Song Jian waved his sword and pointed at him, shouting, Come here! After hesitating for a moment, Feng Kai finally walked out slowly, wearing a flattering smile on his face. Big brother, how can I help you? Hold this BOSS off for a few minutes; Ill go up and find something! Song Jian said, pointing at the Zombie BOSS that was slowly getting up in the dust. Feng Kais face showed fear, and he hurriedly said, Big brother, I really cant beat it, I cant withstand even one move If you cant, youll die now! Song Jians eyes showed killing intent as he held his sword against Feng Kais neck. Three, three minutes, I cant do it! Feng Kai had a grieved expression on his face. Fine, besides my black dragon pet, Ill find you a fewmore helpers! After saying that, Song Jian began to use the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, and soon, thirty Blood Crows and thirty Blood Zombies appeared beside him. Chapter 274 - Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword Translator: 549690339 Seeing Song Jian summon so many allies to help him, Feng Kais face immediately showed an expression of joy. However, upon inspecting the levels and attributes of these allies, a disappointed look quickly replaced his joy. These level-seven and level-eight creatures. Theyre not even fit to be cannon fodder, what use can they be? Feng Kai quietly mused to himself, but he didnt dare to voice his criticisms in front of Song Jian. Use them anyway you like, it doesnt matter if they all die! Song Jian, noticing Feng Kais displeasure, quickly offered consolation. Okay, okay, boss! Feng Kai replied, forcing a smile and nodding his head. At that moment, the Zombie Boss once again rose amid the crumbling bricks, charging towards Song Jian. Hold it back! Song Jian yelled. Although Feng Kai had been attacking the Boss, Song Jians damage was clearly much higher. The Bosss hatred had long been firmly set on Song Jian, making it quite a challenge for Feng Kai to lure it away. Boss, why dont you hold it off for fifteen seconds while I set up a landmine? Feng Kai quickly suggested, shouting out his idea. Before even waiting for Song Jians response, Feng Kai began setting up a landmine in the center of the vacant area before the Physics Building. The power of infantry landmines is formidable, but once placed, they cant be moved. Monsters must be lured into the trap, setting off the explosion. The act of deploying infantry landmines also required time, making it a restrictive weapon to use. Song Jian, who was originally about to charge into the Physics Building, turned his head back to glower at Feng Kai. However, as Feng Kai was concentrating on placing the landmines, he failed to catch Song Jians threatening gaze. Fifteen seconds passed in a flash. Song Jian, gritting his teeth, engaged in combat with the Boss. He dared not continue attacking and attracting its attention, he could only desperately block its onslaught. By the time Feng Kai had finished setting up the landmine, Song Jians vitality points had already dropped to less than half. Arent you done yet? Song Jian asked, his face pale. Done, done. Feng Kai wiped the sweat off his forehead and shouted loudly, Boss, lead it over here; be careful not to step on it yourself! Song Jian immediately turned pale. At his current vitality points, if he were to step on it, it would mean instant death. Aiming to help Song Jian, Feng Kai had marked a red circle around the landmine out of fear that Song Jian might not see it. After slight hesitation, Song Jian decided to use the School Flag to designate Feng Kai as his temporary teammate. Instantly, a white halo similar to the one under Song Jians feet appeared under Feng Kai. This was the bonus from the Brilliant Aura, which directly increased Feng Kais damage output. Simultaneously, the faint image of the landmine Feng Kai had deployed also appeared before Song Jians eyes. Just as Feng Kai had marked it, the landmine was right in the middle of the red circle. Seeing the image of the landmine gave Song Jian some calm. The power of infantry landmines had left a deep impression on him, and he was now a bit fearful of it. Clang! The Zombie Boss raised its massive silver sword, and the cold energy above its head condensed into several transparent long swords. Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword! The Zombie Boss let out a roar, and the transparent long swords on its head shook slightly, making a humming noise, as if they were preparing to launch. Song Jian felt a chill down his spine, a hair-raising feeling of terror. Like a frog being watched by a snake, he felt like he could be caught and swallowed at any moment. At this moment, the sense of danger the Zombie Boss gave Song Jian far exceeded that of the level twenty elite Boss, Ghoul Beast. Song Jian said nothing, turned around and headed to where the infantry landmine was located. Now, he had to shift the Zombie Bosss hatred onto something else so he could enter the Physics Building and search for the task items. With a boom, he pressed hard against the ground, causing two bricks on the ground to shatter, and rushed towards the Physics Building like an arrow. Die! The Zombie Boss squeezed out a silhouette from its throat, and, with a swing of its huge silver sword, the condensed cold long sword turned into a series of white light laces, shooting at Song Jian like guided missiles. Boom, boom, boom~ Explosions echoed everywhere, and the vacant lot not far away seemed to have been plowed. The brick-paved floor was blasted into crushed stone, and large sections of soil were turned over by the explosion. Song Jian was tossed aside by the explosion. Dirt and blood covered his body as he lay face-up on the ground. If not for his slightly undulating chest, Feng Kai would have thought Song Jian was already dead. Boss, boss Seeing Song Jians miserable state, Feng Kai didnt dare to approach. The Blood Crows and Blood Zombies standing behind him were also frozen in place, unmoving. The Zombie Boss slowly walked towards Song Jian. It could sense that Song Jian was still alive and was intent on delivering the killing blow to eliminate all threats. About three to four meters away from Song Jian, was the infantry landmine placed by Feng Kai. As the Zombie Boss approached, a red glow began to eminate from the surface of the infantry landmine, rippling outward in waves. The diameter of the glow was about a foot in length. As long as the Boss stepped into this range, it would trigger the landmine explosion. Song Jian struggled on the ground, trying to stand up, but he was unable to. His body was covered in blood and dust, and even his face was obscured by grime. Watching the Boss, Song Jian was constantly adjusting his position, slowly moving away from the infantry landmine. When the Boss was less than a meter away from the infantry landmine, Song Jian suddenly pulled out a potion and threw it at the Boss. Weakness Potion! With a bang, the potion shattered at the feet of the Boss, the dust from the medicine bottle covered the Boss. The next moment, the Boss stepped into the glow of the infantry landmine. Boom! With a loud noise, a powerful explosion roared under the Bosss foot. One of its robust legs was blown apart, spinning off to the side. A piercing scream resounded. The surrounding temperature dropped by a dozen degrees, and snow even began to fall from the sky, covering an area of several tens of meters. The moment the infantry mine was triggered, Song Jian quickly sprung from the ground and dashed towards the Physics Building. As he brushed past Feng Kai, he gave Feng Kai a you know look. At the same time, the previously motionless Blood Crows and Blood Zombies started to swarm the Zombie Boss. Despite their low levels and weak power, their sheer number could consume some of the Bosss time. The power of the infantry mine was unexpectedly formidable, and it successfully shifted the Zombie Bosss hate towards Feng Kai. Feng Kai let out a loud shout, and a spear emerged from his back. He grabbed the spear and lunged towards the Boss. Chapter 275 - Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Self-Destruct Device Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Self-Destruct Device Translator: 549690339 | At this moment, the Zombie Boss, with one of its legs already blasted off, remained in a crippled state, its mobility largely diminished. Feng Kai held onto his long spear, did not fight back directly, but kept harassing and attacking the Boss. The Blood Crows and Blood Zombies also rushed towards the Boss. Even though they were no match for the Boss, being cleaved into halves by the Boss, they successfully delayed the Boss, contributing their part. Now, around the Boss, ice and snow swirled around. Once the Blood Crows flew within three to four meters of the Boss, their speed dropped, and their bodies gradually began to freeze. Feng Kai noticed a Frost Laceration debuff in his status bar. This level three debuff reduced movement and attack speed by 30% if within five meters of the Boss. Theres also a certain chance of getting frozen. Feng Kai understood that the Boss had begun to fight desperately, which was not sustainable. His current task was not to kill the Boss, but to last until Song Jian emerged from the Physics Building since Song Jian would naturally deal with the Boss. Go for it, have a go! Didnt I originally want to fight this Boss alone? Feng Kai murmured to himself, gritting his teeth while fiercely jabbing with his spear. All of you will die! Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword! The one-legged Zombie Boss, the lower its vitality, the fiercer its fight. Amazingly, it used frost force to replace its severed leg, and soon enough, a large block of ice had taken its place. Though movements were still not very easy, turning around posed no real issues. So it can do that too? Hey pal, youre doing a pretty good job with your prostheses. Instead of staying here as a Boss, dont you think itd be more promising to work in prosthetics? Feng Kai quipped, retreating step by step. A dozen transparent icy swords emerged above the Boss, flying towards the retreating Feng Kai. Feng Kai fled towards a small grove in front of the Physics Building. With a series of booms, a third of the grove was blown apart, revealing the bare ground covered in frost. Even the trees near the edge of the explosion were covered in frost, giving off a chill of midwinter. Feng Kai slumped in front of a fractured tree stump, his face filled with terror. He had witnessed the Boss use this move against Song Jian. The effect seemed extreme, but Song Jian seemed to incur little damage. However, when the attack was directed at Feng Kai, he felt as though he had met his end. Too terrifying! Feng Kai murmured in terror. One of the frost long swords shadows hit him, dropping his vitality by a third. Thankfully, it was directional and not targeted. Otherwise, even leaving a complete corpse behind would be wishful thinking. Originally I wanted to take this boss on my own Feng Kai was in pain. Initially, he pinned his hope on landmines, but now he discovered that without the simultaneous blast of five or six infantry landmines, its challenging to inflict lethal damage on the Boss. However, he could only set up one landmine at a time, making things awkward. After the boss stepped on one and suffered severe damage, it became furious with Feng Kai. But he didnt have time to set up the second mine, and had to dodge the Bosss attacks. After releasing large magic tricks twice in a row, the Boss also seemed tired. It limped towards Feng Kai with an ice-block for a leg making a crac noise at each step, leaving traces of ice shavings. Feng Kai became afraid of the Boss. He didnt have many skills, only the ability to set infantry landmines and basic gunmanship. Taking setting up infantry landmines as his primary skill, Feng Kai hardly needed to produce the landmines, ten would generate each day automatically. With an increase in levels, their power would increase too, making them his most potent attack. Initially, he assumed that he could kill this boss alone. Now in retrospect, that was just his misinterpretation. Feng Kai felt an impulse to run away. The villain, although locked on him, wouldnt chase you endlessly like ordinary monsters, as long as you ran far away. Escaping should be easy. Three minutes, I said I could delay the monster for three minutes, but it has only been over a minute Feng Kai was in turmoil. Looking at the Boss slowly approaching him, he yelled and made a decision. He climbed up from the ground, held the long spear tightly, and rushed towards the Boss again. Ding Ding Dong Dong- In front of the Boss, Feng Kai had no resistance left in him. Due to the increased vitality recovery speed from the main quest, Feng Kai hadnt run out of vitality yet. In fact, Feng Kai fought so desperately not only because of the promised three minutes, but also because he had ambitions for the Boss. Such a powerful boss, if killed, would surely drop great loot. Of course, the main piece would be taken by Song Jian, but at least Feng Kai should get a share. Without any contribution, even if Song Jian gave him some goods, Feng Kai would probably feel embarrassed to take them. Three minutes, three minutes, ah~ Boom! Once again, Feng Kai was sent flying by a strike from the Boss. He fell heavily to the ground, feeling as though all the bones in his body were broken. Pu~ A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. Feng Kai glanced at his vitality, which had dropped to a third. With such low blood volume, if the opponent released another big move, he might die right there. Three minutes, three minutes. Feng Kai murmured, standing up once again with gritted teeth, gulped down a potion, and clung to his long spear with trembling hands. Just then, a severe explosion came from the third floor of the Physics Building. A figure flew out of the window, holding something shimmering with blue light. Thud-. Song Jian crashed onto the ground from the third floor, floating up a damage of over sixty points. Damn, theres even a self-destruction mechanism Song Jian was frightened. He nearly lost this unique device in the blast. Fortunately, he blocked with his body at the last moment and managed to retain the device in the last second. A light blue sphere was tightly grasped in his hand, with a mini operating table floating in the center of the transparent sphere. Seeing Song Jian coming out of the Physics Building, Feng Kais eyes lit up, calling out: Boss! Save me! Chapter 276 - Chapter 276: Chapter 276: Skill Scroll Chapter 276: Chapter 276: Skill Scroll Translator: 549690339 | The task of establishing the laboratory was ninety percent complete C all that was missing was the Polymer Analyzer from the level 20 monster area. Song Jian was quite satisfied with the progress of the task. Upon hearing Feng Kais shout, Song Jian carefully put the ball of light in his hand into his inventory, then turned to look at Feng Kai. Seeing the Zombie BOSS wielding a huge sword and slowly approaching the half-depleted Feng Kai, Song Jian gave a slight shake of his head, stomped hard on the ground with his right foot, and an energy cluster in the shape of a saber-tooth materialized rapidly in front of his right foot, before shrieking towards the BOSS. A deep groove was scored into the ground and the Earth Teeth Assault struck the BOSSS back with a loud bang. The entire energy cluster exploded, seeming like a vicious beast tearing savagely into the BOSS. Caught off guard, the BOSS staggered forward. Bang! A Weakness Potion splashed onto the BOSS, reducing its defense by 35%, a highly lethal blow for the BOSS! At the same time, Song Jian also used a bottle of Fire Lizard Medicine on himself. A flame appeared on the dark red blade, even Feng Kais long spear began to emit a glow of flames. Flearts Eye! Light gleamed in Song Jians eyes. A giant red crosshair appeared on the surface of the BOSSS body and began scanning the BOSS automatically. In the end, the crosshair settled on the center of the BOSSS back. Gaze Attack! The vertical pupil on Song Jians forehead slowly opened, and a dazzling silver beam of light burst forth towards the back of the Zombie BOSS creating an illusion like a laser. Boom boom boom- Every second, there would be a violent explosion on the BOSSS back. A series of damage numbers approaching one hundred were produced, causing the zombie BOSSS vitality to drop significantly in five seconds, finally stopping at one-third left. With a chilling roar, the BOSS turned around, its eyes bloodshot, its gaze fixed on Song Jian. The aggro had once again returned to Song Jian. Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword! With another hoarse roar, the Zombie BOSS bravely endured the attack, raised the silver long sword in its hand, and a rapid stream of cold air began to condense above its head. Damn, not this move again! Feng Kais face paled, he hastily rolled and crawled to a safer distance, looking at the Zombie BOSS in terror. What was I thinking before, courting such a horrific entity Fear welled up in Feng Kais heart. Without the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jian was forced to charge with his Crimson Fire Fleart Ape Sword against the BOSS, which had less than a third of its vitality left. For Song Jian, the current BOSS is akin to a gift bag that automatically walks around. Broken Wing Dance! Bang bang bang- Two impacts made the Zombie BOSS continually step backwards. With his last strike, Song Jian leapt up high and aimed a heavy blow at its head. The BOSS unleashed an angry roar, the dozen or so illusions of the ice swords above its head had not fully formed. Seeing Song Jian in mid-air slashing towards it, the BOSS sensed an enormous threat. It brandished its sword towards Song Jian, and the incomplete ice sword illusions flew towards him. Song Jians face changed slightly; hed felt the power of these ice swords firsthand. Flowever, now he was hovering in mid-air with nowhere to hide even if he wanted to, he could only grit his teeth and strike at the sword illusions head-on. Boom boom boom- Three or four sword illusions collided with the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, resulting in loud crashes, and Song Jian had to bear the heavy damage. Bang! Song Jians descended and landed as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword he was holding collided with the BOSSS silver giant sword, creating a thundery rumble. An energy wave directly lifted the BOSS into the air. The BOSSS body was left in mid-air. Song Jian forcibly repressed the urge to cough up blood, he swung his sword and three strands of sword silk appeared on the surface of his body. After using the Sword Silk skill, he immediately activated the Rapid Sword skill. In an instant, all his attacks were unleashed on the BOSS like a torrential rainstorm. The Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword he had taken recently had cost him nearly half of his vitality, his vitality points instantly dropped from nearly seven hundred to just over two hundred. Rawr- A huge Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion appeared next to Song Jian out of thin air. As soon as it appeared, its giant scorpion tail stabbed towards the BOSS. Hum- With a soft sword chant, Song Jian jabbed his left index finger forward, and a three-meter long silver sword qi plunged into the BOSSS back, piercing through its body. The BOSS, which was floating in mid-air, let out a painful scream. Its face twisted, and the blood vessels around its eyes swelled and protruded, as if they would burst open at any moment. Die! Song Jians burning sword once again stabbed into the BOSSS back, reaping its last bit of vitality. The BOSSS body heavily fell to the ground. In a state of defenselessness when airborne, all the damage it received was added on, attacking highly piled up. Song Jians final attack even dealt 180% substantial damage. Bang! The BOSSS body, like carved from ice and snow, shattered instantly when it hit the ground. Even the silver giant sword in its hand spun and got stuck in a broken tree stump. Feng Kais gaze was immediately drawn to the silver-glowing two-handed sword. His eyes gleamed. You like it? Its all yours! Song Jian looked at Feng Kai and said. Even though his occupation was sword controller, he still preferred the one-handed sword and held no love for the two-handed sword. Besides, his dual wield slot was occupied with a school flag. Even though its grade was considerably lower than the silver giant sword, it was a growing weapon, and its upper limit was unknown. And if not for Feng Kais help this time, he wouldnt have been able to collect all the task items so easily. Most importantly, he saw a few pieces of spoils amongst the scattered ones next to the BOSSS corpse, including a skill scroll that was emitting silver light. Song Jian went straight to the BOSSS corpse and collected all the spoils. Apart from the silver skill scroll, the rest were just materials and not worth much. Looking at this silver scroll, Song Jian felt an attraction as if it was faintly calling him. Could this be the sword technique used by the BOSS? Song Jian wondered, and immediately checked the properties of the skill scroll. The BOSSS Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword had left a deep impression on Song Jian, short cooldown, large power, and it was an area of effect skill. If he could acquire this type of sword technique, Song Jians strength would certainly increase significantly. However, Song Jian quickly became stunned. The silver quality skill scroll in his hand was not the BOSSS Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword, but another sword technique. Chapter 277 - Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Rebellion Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Rebellion Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian looked at the silver-quality skill scroll in his hand, Ins eyebrows furrowed, Spiritual Sword Control Technique? What the heck is that? Spiritual Sword Control Technique (Activated), Level 1, Skill Effect: Conjure a Spirit Sword, causing 150 points of Spirit Damage to a specified range of targets; Cooldown time: 30 seconds; Skill cost: 30 Spirit Points; Hiss, isnt this just the dirt-poor version of the Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword used by the Boss? After reading about this sword technique, Song Jian couldnt help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Nevertheless, he ultimately chose to learn it. The scroll turned into a silver light and disappeared. In Song Jians skill column, Spiritual Sword Control Technique was added, pushing his main quest another step further. With a thought, Song Jian swung his sword forward. His Spirit Points decreased by 30 points, and a translucent longsword gradually condensed above his head. Damn, this is ridiculous. They said it was instant, but the time it takes to form is too fucking long. Its been at least three seconds. My expression cant even keep up After the Spirit Sword finished forming, Song Jian discovered that he seemed to be able to control this longsword, as if controlling his own limbs. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Song Jian controlled the long sword, slashing and swinging it through the air. No one could see the sword, making it a perfect method for sneak attacks. However, just as Song Jian was overjoyed, the Spirit Sword hovering in the air exploded without warning. The explosion left his ears ringing, and it felt as if his brain had been hit by a heavy hammer, leaving him dizzy. System: Youve suffered a backlash from the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, taking 150 points of Spirit Damage. Hiss, this Spirit Sword is unstable. How did it explode suddenly? Thank God I have a lot of Vitality Points, otherwise, I could have just lulled myself Song Jian wiped the blood from his nose and thought grumpily. On the side, Feng Kai held a silver longsword, his face reflecting his indecision. The double-handed sword was clearly superior to his lance, but he didnt have a matching sword technique. To maximize the power of the longsword, he would need to study a matching sword technique. The double-handed sword conflicted with his lance. Both can only be selected as the main weapon, and it was hard for Feng Kai to decide. Song Jian bid Feng Kai a casual farewell, dissolved the temporary partnership, and headed towards the area filled with level 20 creatures on his own. Meanwhile, his slave Qi Yun hadnt returned to Manor Castle and was stopped by a man in a black cloak. Captain, how come youre here? I thought youd already left this city Qi Yun said, surprised at the sight of a gloomy Ma Jiang. Ma Jiang had abandoned him in the beginning, which had made Qi Yun angry. But after thinking about it, if Ma Jiang had chosen to save him, both of them wouldve been unable to escape. They would either both become Song Jians slaves, or both be killed by him. Qi Yun, are you really willing to be his slave? Even if he is Gods chosen one! A hatred flared in Ma Jiangs eyes. Captain, hes too powerful. We are no match for him. The information collected by the Gathering Area 101 was drastically incorrect Qi Yun shook his head. Its not that the information was incorrect, Qi Yun. We had also confirmed it on the battle scene, and his strength when he killed the vanguard team should not be much different from the information Ma Jiang stared into Qi Yuns eyes, It is just that the level of Gods chosen ones is rising too fast. They can level up themselves by hunting monsters, while we can only slowly cultivate our power. Captain, are you saying that Song Jian has grown from a common level five or six person to a careerist in just over half a month? Qi Yuns face showed a shocked expression. Its not impossible, Qi Yun! Ma Jiang stepped forward, clutching his shoulder, He has now become an archenemy of Gathering Area 101. If I report the situation now, by the time the next execution squad is sent, who knows how much he will have grown. Time is too crucial for us. Gathering Area 101 is our home, dont forget that your son is also in it Qi Yun shivered, his face reflecting the struggle within him: Captain, but I Qi Yun, once you kill him, you can be released from being a slave. He is only level thirteen now, and we still have a chance. If he continues to grow, we wont stand a chance. Ma Jiang slapped Qi Yuns shoulder heavily, his face showing an expression of disappointment. Qi Yuns innocent son came to his mind. If Ma Jiang reported the full process of this pursuit to Gathering Area 101 and they found out about his becoming Song Jians slave, his son would surely not survive. The thought broke something inside Qi Yun. He looked at Ma Jiang and nodded. Captain, Ill do whatever you tell me to. A satisfied smile spread over Ma Jiangs face. With our current strength, no, even with the full squad, we may not be his opponent. However, before entering the city, I bought a bunch of information about Doomsday City in the black market! A strange smile appeared on Ma Jiangs face, In the eyes of others, this city is known as Zombie City, but to me, its an undeveloped treasure. Do you remember the Zeus Shield Company? Zeus Shield Company? Qi Yun trembled. Before the great doomsday disaster, it was the most famous company worldwide. Their Gene Modification Liquid could make an ordinary person instantly possess superpowers and become a powerful genetic warrior. This city has a branch of the Zeus Shield Company; they must have stored plenty of Gene Modification Liquid. As long as we can obtain it, we will instantly gain great power. Killing a level thirteen Chosen One wouldnt be a big deal at all, said Ma Jiang fanatically. One of the reasons he had accepted this assassination mission was for the Zeus Shield Company branchs Gene Modification Liquid. He had originally planned to raid the company after completing the mission, but things had not gone as he had imagined Captain, Ill listen to you! Qi Yun was well aware of the power of Gene Modification Liquid. His eyes suddenly lit up. Looking at Qi Yun, Ma Jiangs face held a trace of a smile. Mentioning Qi Yuns son was a threat, but mentioning the Gene Modification Liquid was an outright bribery. After all, Qi Yun was forced to be a Chosen Ones slave. As long as there was hope, he could be won over. And indeed, he succeeded! At the same time, Song Jian, who was running towards the area with level twenty creatures, suddenly received a system prompt. System: Your slave Qi Yuns loyalty to you has decreased by 30 points. He could betray you at any moment. Betraying? Song Jians face darkened. Initially, since the other party was a healer, he thought Qi Yun had potential. He didnt expect him to decide to betray him eventually. Dont get it. Wiry would he betray me? Could it be that. Song Jian immediately thought of another person who escaped from their team, reportedly their captain. If they insist on refusing to repent, they might as well die. Song Jian smirked coldly, not worrying about Qi Yuns betrayal. He just continued to rush in the direction indicated by the task map. Chapter 278 - Chapter 278: Chapter 278 Zeus Shield Company Chapter 278: Chapter 278 Zeus Shield Company Translator: 549690339 | If the fifteenth-level monster area sees scant human activity, then the twentieth-level monster area can certainly be considered forbidden to current players. Song Jian treaded carefully on the street, fearful of attracting the attention of the beasts that lurked there. He was there to find the last Polymer Analyzer, not to hunt monsters and level up. According to the mission map, the last Polymer Analyzer should be on the 13th floor of the Zeus Shield Company building, as marked. That floor held a laboratory specifically designed for the research of Gauss weapons. By the time Song Jian reached the area indicated on the map, the enormity of his task dawned on him. An 18-story building now lay before him, still bearing the name of the Zeus Shield Company even after all these years. The building had been abandoned many years prior, and had clearly seen some turmoil since. At the seventh floor, an explosion had blown a massive hole, surrounded by charred marks. It had likely been the epicenter of a raging fire, turning the glass windows into layers of pitchblack. Just then, an enormous zombie, towering over three meters high, appeared before the opening, casting its view downwards. This behemoth was draped in heavy armor, which almost entirely enveloped its body, leaving only the red eyes and mouth visible. It held a Gatling-style weapon in its right hand, with a bullet chain stretching from the ammunition box on its back to the weapon itself. LV20 Zeus Shield Guardian (Elite), Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Spirit Points: 300/300, Characteristics: Ultimate Defense, Ultimate Attack, Skills: Firepower Suppression,? Looking at the creatures attributes, Song Jian frowned slightly. The creature had somehow managed to hide its characteristics. Only monsters above the tenth level were capable of this, but he was only seven levels below this one. The Zeus Shield Guardian gave Song Jian a chilly look, then resumed its path, disappearing back into the seventh-floor opening. A level-20 elite boss Song Jians heart sank. He wondered how many more such creatures loomed in this massive building, considering a single piece of task equipment now seemed harder to obtain. At that moment, silhouettes of monsters appeared on the first floor of the building. These significantly larger-looking zombies appeared equipped with simple protective armor and Uzi submachine guns. Each of them had a unique appearance C some had gray fur covering their bodies, others wore dark green scales, and one even trailed a long tail behind it. Level-20 ordinary monsters, Gene Zombies? Song Jian frowned, finding the situation somewhat tricky. Anyway, I have to give it a try and see if I can lure them out one by one and kill them. If it doesnt work, Ill have to resort to Morphing into Dark Cloud and flying there, said Song Jian, looking up towards the top of the building. Morphing into Dark Cloud would easily allow him to reach the thirteenth floor. However, if a fight breaks out, the clamor would definitely attract monsters from other floors, making Song Jian face the entire building of monsters with just a single attack. Whats worse, the Morphing into Dark Cloud skill would then be in the cooling period, leaving him no option but to fight without the chance to escape. Battling floor by floor would be somewhat time-consuming, but much safer). Soon enough, a Gene warrior spotted Song Jian as he approached the front door of the first floor. The Gene warrior rushed towards Song Jian, looking like the legendary werewolves with sharp fangs and two hands that had turned into wolf claws, bearing nails over a foot long that glittered with sharp, metallic light. LV20 Gene Zombie (Ordinary), Vitality Points: 1400/1400, Characteristics: Super Recovery, Skills: Claw Assault Its speed greatly exceeds that of the fifteenth-level monsters Sword Jian frowned slightly and directly activated his Rapid Sword skill, charging towards the monster. Only in this way could he keep up with the rhythm of the Gene Zombie. Broken Wing Dance! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in Song Jians hand effortlessly tore through the zombies protective clothes, slashing a wound more than three feet long on its body. However, Song Jian saw the wound healing astonishingly quickly as he withdrew his sword. In just a few seconds, there was no trace of it. The numbers +2, +3, +2 floated in green above the Gene Zombies head. Song Jian was taken aback and immediately accelerated his attack. Whoosh, whoosh- The first two attacks of the Broken Wing Dance landed on the Gene Zombie, and the third attack overpowered the beasts claw assault, knocking it into a state of suspension in mid-air. Song Jian waved his sword, causing three Sword Silks to appear out of thin air. With a sh- sh- sh-, they pierced through the Gene Zombies body. Roar- The suspended Gene Zombie roared defiantly, its hideous face distorted in rage. The bloodthirsty gleam in its crimson eyes seemed to declare a fight to the death against Song Jian. Fight to the death? You wish Song Jian scoffed coldly. With a flick of his left hand, a three-meter-long silvery sword light shot out, piercing directly through the creatures forehead and protruding from the back of its skull. In an instant, the monsters vitality dropped significantly. This attack had inflicted critical damage, substantially weakening the monster. Thump! The body of the Gene Zombie fell to the ground. In just a few moments, it had recovered over sixty Vitality Points. Startled, Song Jian observed that the greater the damage it suffered, the faster it seemed to recover. I cant drag this out. I have to take it down as quickly as possible, or Ill fall into its rhythm! With this thought flashing through his mind, Song Jian decided to use his newly acquired sword technique. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! His Spirit Points dropped a notch as an ethereal long sword condensed above Song Jians head, thrusting towards the Gene Zombie. At the same time, Song Jians own long sword did not idle, continuously hacking at the monsters body. The Sword of Spirit pierced the monsters chest in an instant and disappeared. The Gene Zombie suddenly started to tremble, clutching its head tightly with both hands. Ahhh- A shrill scream came from the Gene warrior, resembling a howl of a wolf. Bloodied snakes seemed to ooze out of its seven orifices. Startled by the monsters reaction, Song Jian instinctively retreated, a light blue 150-point damage amount floating above the monster s head. just 150 points of spirit damage, huh? The Sword Silk inflicted at least close to 400 points of damage earlier, and you did not react much. So, why the big fuss now? Song Jian wondered. Seeing the monster rolling on the ground, clutching its head in agony, Song Jian hurriedly advanced, slashing his swords at the monster and drained its last bit of vitality. Looking at the monsters body slowly burning to ashes, Song Jian frowned slightly, staring at the Spiritual Sword Control Technique in his skill bar and recalling the minute details of the just-concluded battle. Somethings up! Song Jian thought to himself. Chapter 279 - Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Gene Modification Liquid Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Gene Modification Liquid Translator: 549690339 , The power of the Spiritual Sword Control Technique surprised Song Jian; Is it because of the psychic damage? Song Jian theorized. But the Eye Killing technique also inflicts psychic damage, and I havent seen any monster react like this. Could it be that the Spiritual Sword Control Technique specifically targets a monsters consciousness and mental strength? Song Jian suddenly thought about how he had used the Spiritual Sword Control Technique before, and the pain of the backlash was so severe he felt as if his head would explode. It was worse than death! From the way this monster is reacting, could it be experiencing the same thing I went through? Song Jian speculated. Indeed, the Spiritual Sword Control Technique mainly damages the spirit, and its power is ten times greater than the backlash Song Jian experienced. The feeling is like having ones entire head cracked open, something no creature could endure. After thinking about it for a while, Song Jian still couldnt figure it out. He put it aside and focused on the loot dropped by the mutated warrior. It was a syringe emitting a white glow. Gene Modification Liquid (Damaged): Increases your strength attribute by 2 points permanently and hastens vitality recovery rate by 50%. Usage requirements: 10 points of body physique. Item description: This item was a biological weapon researched by Zeus Shield Company. Gives ordinary people great power in a short time. Those with less than 10 points in body physique can also use it, but there is a high chance of causing a genetic collapse; WARNING: It is an early-stage product, and it creates a severe mental flaw in the user, reducing psychic attack resistance by 50. After reading the items attribute description, Song Jian understood why all these zombies who had been injected with the Gene Modification Liquid had these mental weaknesses. This reduction in mental attack resistance was probably so extreme that their psychic resistance had become negative! This explains the strong reaction to the Spiritual Sword Control Technique. Although the item boosts 2 points of strength and permanently increases vitality recovery rate by 50%, the side effects are severe, so Song Jian just hesitated for a moment before storing it in his bag. After pinpointing a weakness in these Level 20 gene-modified zombies, the battles became much easier. More importantly, Song Jian was now killing monsters seven levels above him, which gave him a bonus in experience gain that other players would envy. System: Congratulations, youve successfully defeated a Level 20 ordinary monster seven levels higher than you, gaining a 700% experience boost. Youve earned 5,800 experience points! Song Jian1 s experience bar filled up substantially, making the next level up seem much closer. The Spiritual Sword Control Technique had a cooldown time of thirty seconds. It shouldnt take more than a minute to kill a gene-modified zombie, making it easy to clear as long as he didnt get swarmed by multiple ones at once. Half an hour later, Song Jian found dealing with these Level 20 monsters even easier than tackling the Level 15 ones he had faced previously. After he finished off all the gene-modified monsters on the first floor of the building, he leveled up to Lv 14 with an additional 14% progress. More surprisingly, his expertise in the Spiritual Sword Control Technique had also increased by 28%. Seeing that he had gained a skill point, Song Jian checked the skill panel. The Earth Teeth Assault skill was at Level 1 with 87% mastery, Kick was at Level 1 with 65% mastery, Sword Finger Level 2 with 77% mastery, Broken Wing Dance Level 2 with 91% mastery, Sword Silk Level 2 with 67% mastery, Rapid Sword Level 2 with 34% mastery, Immortal Sword Body Level 1 with 18% mastery. None of his active skills had reached full mastery to advance to the next level. His character skill Thick Face had already reached Level 10 and couldnt be upgraded further, and passive skills could only be improved through practice. Most importantly, these passive skills werent very powerful, and wasting skill points on them would be a squander. After some thought, Song Jian decided to hold on to his skill point and use it to upgrade the Broken Wing Dance skill once its mastery reaches 100%. The Broken Wing Dance had a short cooldown, was powerful and had strong crowd control, making it essential in every fight. Thus he could level up its proficiency pretty fast. Song Jian reckoned he needed to kill around ten more monsters to meet the criteria for upgrading this sword technique. At Level 14, just one more level up, he would be able to wear the Silver Quality Leather Armor in his bag, which he had been keeping for several days. Song Jian was confident that he could reach Level 15 and wear it upon finishing his current mission. Despite killing so many gene-modified zombies, the only loot was the Gene Modification Liquid. Song Jian had six tubes of the white quality Gene Modification Liquid in his bag, not every gene-modified zombie dropped this liquid. And these vials of liquid all increased different attributes, such as agility, defense, attack, or other attribute damage. But they all shared a massive drawback, which was to give the user a substantial mental flaw. They had barely any resistance to psychic attacks, and their psychic damage was even increased. This side effect deterred Song Jian from using the Gene Modification Liquid. Plus, only the same type of modification liquid could be used. Higher grade modification liquid could overwrite and absorb the lower-grade ones, but an overdose of the same quality liquid could cause genetic disorder, leading to death or insanity in most cases. Having cleared the first floor, Song Jian made his way up the stairs to the second floor. Just as he left the first floor, two figures emerged in front of the Zeus Shield Company building in the distance. Captain, is this the place? Qi Yun asked as he looked nervously at the towering building. With Level 20 monsters around, it was quite intimidating for him at Level 13. Deprived of his sniper rifle and any means of attack, he would never dare to step into an area filled with Level 20 monsters if left alone. Yes, it is. I had to pay a hefty price for this information! Ma Jiang exclaimed, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the Zeus Shield Company building. Inside was a treasure trove, vast quantities of Gene Modification Liquid that would fetch a significant price if brought out. More importantly, there was also a recently developed, perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid. This perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid was extracted from the fossil of an ancient creature that had survived for billions of years. That the fossil still had active genetic fragments was a miracle in itself. Before the apocalypse, it created a worldwide sensation, leading top biological scientists across the world to eagerly desire a membership in the Zeus Shield Companys laboratory. When Ma Jiang first heard that the Zeus Shield branch in Doomsday City held a perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid made from genetic fragments extracted from an ancient fossil, he was skeptical. But after purchasing the information at a high price, Ma Jiang was immediately pumped. The information included an abundance of pictures and videos that provided clear evidence that this perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid had indeed been transported to the building before the apocalyptic disaster. Its real. The perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid is indeed in this building! Ma Jiang muttered to himself as he strode towards the building. Chapter 280 - Chapter 280: Chapter 280: Searching for the Task Items Chapter 280: Chapter 280: Searching for the Task Items Translator: 549690339 | Ma Jiang and Qi Yun walked into the first floor of the building, only to discover that the lobby was filled with monster corpses burning with transparent flames. Seeing this, Ma Jiangs face instantly darkened. Were these the genetic warriors of Zeus Shield Company in the past? Qi Yun asked with a surprised expression. The power of genetic warriors had always been a legend among the survivors, but no one had ever seen them, since it was a matter of decades ago. Even if there were still genetic warriors, they wouldnt be accessible to low- level mercenaries like them. How did they all die? It seems they were just killed. Could someone have entered this building ahead of us? Qi Yun looked up at Ma Jiang and couldnt help but ask. Be cautious, that person must not have left yet. Dont draw their attention! Ma Jiang whispered. Captain, do you think it could be Song Jian? Qi Yun stared at the corpses of the genetic warriors, and couldnt help but speak, feeling something familiar about the wounds on their bodies. Him? Impossible. This is a level 20 monster area. These genetic warriors have superhuman bodies and immense strength, far beyond what he, a level 10-plus divine follower, could kill. Ma Jiang shook his head and sneered. In Ma Jiangs impression, Song Jian was indeed powerful, but to kill so many genetic warriors, he still didnt believe it. What he didnt know was that although these genetic warriors were powerful, they had obvious weaknesses. Song Jian happened to possess a sword technique that could target their weaknesses, making it even easier to kill these level 20 monsters than level 15 ones. He hadnt even activated his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body, but had already cleared the entire first floor. The one who killed these monsters must be an extremely powerful adventurer. Were no match for them, and their target might not necessarily be the perfect quality Gene Modification Potion Ma Jiang thought to himself. Follow me. Be careful not to let them discover us, Ma Jiang whispered. Captain, whats so precious here that its worth risking so much? Qi Yun hesitated. A person who could kill so many level 20 genetic zombies could easily kill the two of them too. Under normal circumstances, if they encountered such a powerful person, they would choose to leave quietly without disturbing the other party. However, Ma Jiang chose to follow this formidable figure for some unknown reason What could be so valuable that the captain is willing to risk his life to obtain it? Qi Yun guessed in his heart, Ordinary Gene Modification Liquid wouldnt make him give up his life. There must be some special treasure here! Thinking of this, Qi Yuns eyes revealed anticipation. It seems that youve guessed it! Ma Jiang looked at Qi Yun and said, Thats right, this company still stores large amounts of Gene Modification Liquid. As long as we obtain it, we can have incredible power and immense wealth, enough for us to choose a city and become permanent citizens. But more importantly, theres a perfect quality Gene Modification Potion here, made with the genes of ancient giants from billions of years ago. With it, we could become the top beings in this world! Just imagine, once we have that earth-shattering power, killing Song Jian will be a piece of cake. At that time, you can also get rid of your slave status. I promise that the commitment I made to you will be fulfilled. Ma Jiang patted Qi Yuns shoulder, looking full of confidence. Captain, Ill listen to you. Whatever you say, Ill do! Qi Yun immediately became excited. Power and wealth were the greatest pursuits of people after the apocalypse. Even if it meant taking some risks, it was worth it if they could achieve their goals here. Were lucky not to have encountered these monsters directly! Ma Jiang looked at the burning corpses on the floor and shook his head. His information didnt mention that this building had become a monster Gathering Area. With his and Qi Yuns strength, they might not even be able to defeat the level 20 genetic zombies on the first floor. Song Jian arrived on the second floor and pushed open the side door of the stairwell. A gene zombie covered in spikes suddenly turned its head, and their gazes met. The genetic zombie bared its sharp fangs and made a threatening gesture at Song Jian. The spikes on its body surface shot out in an instant, flying at Song Jian like bullets. Pop,pop, pop~ Seven or eight foot-long spikes pierced the side door behind Song Jian. He reacted quickly, rolled away from the genetic zombies attack, and swung his sword at it. Rat-tat-tat~ The genetic zombie held a submachine gun in its hand, firing at Song Jian, leaving several bloody holes in his body. A series of damage numbers emerged from Song Jians head. Bang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword cleaved the opponents arm and swept the submachine gun out of the genetic zombies hand. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An invisible long sword formed above Song Jians head, slashing down ferociously at the opponents head. Howl~ A miserable screech sounded as the genetic zombie clutched its head, its face contorted with pain, writhing on the ground. Song Jian quickly killed the helpless genetic zombie, gaining a Gene Modification Potion and two spikes from its body. These two spikes were also forging materials. After scanning them, Song Jian put them in his inventory. The second floor consisted of rooms, which appeared as labs. Song Jian took a step, ready to enter the second floor, but thought better of it and retreated. He took a steel bar from his inventory, inserted it into the handle on the stairwells side door, and twisted it into a corkscrew shape, completely sealing the door. Song Jian continued climbing upstairs. His goal was the Polymer Analyzer on the thirteenth floor, not to kill all the monsters in the building. However, after obtaining the mission item, there would be no harm in leveling up for Song Jian here. As long as he didnt encounter an exceptionally powerful BOSS monster, leveling up here might even be easier than in the level 15 monster area. So, every time Song Jian went up a floor, he would use some materials from his inventory to seal the stairwell side door. When he reached the seventh floor and sealed the side door, he heard heavy footsteps from within the floor. Thats the BOSS I looked at earlier Song Jians heart sank, and he didnt dare make a sound. He waited for the BOSS to walk away before he carefully continued to the next floor. Chapter 281 - Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Vampire Zombie (Extra rewards for every 10,000) Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Vampire Zombie (Extra rewards for every 10,000) Translator: 549690339 Zeus Shield Tower had a total of eighteen floors, with the strength of the monsters increasing as one ascended. The gene zombies found on the first floor were likely the remnants of early failed experiments. On the thirteenth floor, these genetic zombies possessed greater physical strength and were equipped with more advanced gear. Although they were also at level twenty, they felt like monsters from an entirely different league to Song Jian. Standing by the stairway door of the thirteenth floor, Song Jian carefully checked whether any monsters were guarding the door outside. Thankfully, outside the door were only two ordinary level twenty gene zombies. Both gene zombies were humanoid, with vacant eyes as they shuffled from one end of the corridor to the other. They wore no protective gear and had no weapons in their hands, so they looked no different from common mutant zombies. They shuffled about the corridor back and forth, as if they were robots programmed with a predetermined path and never changing their walking posture. According to the mission map, the Polymer Analyzer was in a lab diagonally across the side door. Going in there would certainly alarm these two monsters. Could Song Jian risk a battle in the lab that might damage the Polymer Analyzer? With this thought, Song Jian took a deep breath, gripped his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and waited patiently for the mutant zombies to approach. When the two mutant zombies drew near, Song Jian used the Spiritual Sword Control Technique instantly. The invisible Spirit Sword slashed towards the nearest mutant zombie. In an instant, a mournful howl echoed throughout the corridor, as the mutated zombie clutched its head and rolled on the floor. Its body underwent a horrific transformation, muscles bulging and covered in thick black hair. The clothes were ripped apart by the swelling muscles. The originally bloodless, pale face contorted and morphed as the sound of bones grinding filled the air. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a muscular werewolf over two meters tall. The other mutant zombie, whose gaze was originally vacant, snapped to attention the moment it saw Song Jian. A strange smile appeared on its face, its fangs emerged, and its crimson pupils twinkled with a bloodthirsty glow. Song Jian felt his vision going dark when the mutant zombie lunged at him with surprising speed, grasping his head, opening its mouth wide, and prepared to sink its teeth into Song Jians neck. Sword Finger! A silver Sword Qi pierced through the mutant zombies chest and shot out from the front. Bang! The zombie in front of him suddenly exploded into countless palm-sized bats, fluttering their wings as they flew backwards. Song Jian was stunned momentarily. It felt like he had seen such a scene somewhere, it seemed familiar. Not far away, those bats regrouped to form a middle-aged European man with blond hair, dressed in a black suit. His face was deathly pale, but his lips stood out from his face due to their excessive redness. As he stared at Song Jian, he elegantly pressed his right hand to his chest, made a slight bow and said, The taste of fresh blood, it has been decades since I last tasted such powerful blood. Thank you, stranger, for freeing me from that zombie-like state of chaos. In return, I can drain all the blood from your body and leave you with a complete corpse. After speaking, the gene zombie revealed a greedy and mysterious smile. Like a lightning bolt, it lunged towards Song Jian, leaving a deep scar on Song Jians chest. If Song Jian hadnt instantly retreated two steps back and used his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword to parry, this blow might have disemboweled him. Song Jian glanced at the werewolf still rolling in pain on the ground. He wasnt sure how soon it would recover from the agony of the Spirit Sword. This werewolf gene zombie was obviously a strength-based combatant, while the seemingly vampire-like gene warrior was agility-based. If the two of them teamed up against him, Song Jian would likely be forced to make a hasty retreat. A slight mistake could cost him his life here. Rapid Sword! Song Jians eyes couldnt keep up with the speed of the gene zombie. He could only rely on his instinct and the attack speed boosted by Rapid Sword to compete with it. The vampire zombie darted like the wind, each attack adding another mark to Song Jians body. Licking the blood on its fingernails, a sickly intoxicated look appeared on the face of the vampire zombie. In just a few seconds, more than a dozen wounds had been inflicted on Song Jian. Fortunately, though the opponents attackwas fast, the damage caused by each was insignificant C only around twenty or thirty points. With Song Jians vitality recovery rate, even if he took the blows head-on, it would still take dozens of minutes to deplete his vitality. However, it seemed that the werewolf zombie had recovered and though its eyes held some fear as it looked at Song Jian, there was more anger and cruelty. Whoosh- Another attack like the wind. By the time Song Jian felt the piercing pain in his shoulder, the vampire zombie had already quickly distanced itself by a meter or two. Sword Silk! Three silver threads materialized out of nowhere beside Song Jian. At that moment, the werewolf zombie roared and charged towards Song Jian, its front paws springing forth three sharp blades, glinting with cold metallic light. Thwack, thwack, thwack~ The three strands of Sword Silk, originally intended to attack the vampire zombie, sensed the approaching werewolf zombie, and immediately converged onto it. One strand of the Sword Silk whipped the opponents face, while the other two pierced its shoulder, nearly severing the entire right shoulder. Just as Song Jian let out a sigh of relief, the werewolf zombie glanced at its right arm, slightly adjusted the bone with its left arm, then twisted. In just two to three seconds, the right arm was reattached, completely unscathed. From the outside, there wasnt even a trace of injury. Song Jian inhaled sharply. This regeneration speed was even more terrifying than his own. To kill this werewolf zombie, it seemed that he might have to completely dismember it and burn its ashes. Luckily, the two gene zombies, although they appeared to be attacking together, didnt seem to have any coordination. The werewolf zombie often charged forward recklessly, blocking the vampire zombies attack path several times. It made the vampire zombie bristle with malice. Of course, these two gene zombies were more rational than the failed experiments below and did not stage a desirable internal strife in front of Song Jian. Song Jian also gave up his defense, waving the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, intending to trade blows and put his life on the line in a vigorous confrontation against them. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! The cooldown ended, another transparent spirit sword started forming above Song Jians head. The werewolf zombie seemed to sense something and quickly withdrew its blades from Song Jians shoulder, stepping back five or six steps in a row with a vigilant look on its face. Whoosh ~ Seizing the opportunity, the vampire zombie lunged at Song Jian, its fangs aimed straight at his neck. This power-packed vital blood was irresistible to it, enticing like a premium, irresistible delicacy. Chapter 282 - Chapter 282: Chapter 282: The Last Line of Defense Chapter 282: Chapter 282: The Last Line of Defense Translator: 549690339 | Boom! The Spirit Sword brutally hacked into the chest of the vampire zombie, instantly flipping it over on the ground; A sharp howl erupted from the mouth of the vampire zombie. The sound was so piercing that it shattered the window at the end of the corridor. A disdainful expression crossed the face of the wolfman zombie, who watched as the vampire zombie on the ground held its head and continued to roll around. After a moment of hesitation, the wolf man zombie continued to pounce towards Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian lunged at the wolfman zombie with his sword. After three waves of attack, the wolfman zombie had three deep holes in his shoulder, and in return, Song Jian had chopped off one of its arms. Song Jians mouth was full of fresh blood. Looking at the wolfman zombie trying to retrieve its severed arm, Song Jian brought his sword down on the arm on the ground and stirred forcefully, instantly mutilating the sturdy arm into a mess of flesh. An arm, the wolfman zombie could reattach. But this mound of minced meat, Song Jian doubted it could regenerate into an arm again. Roar- The wolfman zombie let out an Angry Roar and lunged at Song Jian; Immortal Sword Body, Activate! Upon uttering the command, a golden light emerged from Song Jians body. Eight long sword shadows appeared out of thin air, slowly revolving around his body. Thump! His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword collided with the wolfman zombies claws. Their eyes met, and to Song Jians surprise, a sense of panic registered in the wolfman zombies eyes. It seemed like it felt suppressed by his strength in that instant; Sword Silk! Three slender silvery lines rippled through the air with a whoosh, coiling around the wolf man zombies neck; Thump, thump, thump- The instant they coiled around the wolfman zombies neck, the three sword wires suddenly straightened, rigid as iron. With a whoosh, they cut three bone-deep slash wounds around the zombies neck. Song Jian could even see the bone of the spine peeking through the wound. Whoosh~ Before the wolfman zombie could react, Song Jians long sword traced a dark red trajectory in the air, brutally cutting across the wolfman zombies neck and chopped its head off. The Vitality Points of the wolfman zombie dropped significantly, but the decapitated creature still wasnt dead. Its limbless body lunged at Song Jian, both of its sharp claws piercing into Song Jians body. For a moment, blood splattered, and Song Jians Vitality Points dropped by a third. It doesnt die even if its head is chopped off? Song Jian was stunned. He lifted his right leg and forcefully kicked the wolfman zombie. He managed to completely deplete the wolfman zombies Vitality Points only after hacking at it several times with his sword. The body, now headless, swayed for a moment before collapsing limp. Before Song Jian could catch his breath, a shadow was already pouncing towards him from the front. The figure of the vampire zombie, moving like a violent whirlwind, seemed to sweep in from all directions. Its terrifying claw-like hands traced light streaks in the air, lingering in Song Jians pupils. Song Jian clenched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly in his hand, holding it in front of his chest, silently enduring the onslaught of attacks as fierce as a whirlwind and torrential rain, his vitality points plummeting rapidly. Bang- With a dull thud, Song Jian was pounded back five or six meters. The vampire-zombie let out a sharp, guttural roar, licking the fresh blood off its claws, its face twisting into a horrifying grimace. Underneath its skin, lumps began to protrude like little serpents wriggling around. Its originally pale face, slowly began to turn an iron blue hue, and its fangs radiating a cold light turned red from the root. The vampire-zombie became even more crazed and violent. Yet its eyes emanated a hint of confusion, as though its actions were close to primal instincts and its scant reasoning was slowly being lost. The vampire-zombie, now more bloodthirsty, shrieked and pounced at Song Jian. Its speed quickened, flickering like a shadow. Whoosh! A cold light streaked across Song Jians neck, and three streams of blood sprayed out. Three deep lacerations appeared in his throat, blood gushing outit looked as if he had suffered a brutal throat cut. Its speed is too fast; my eyes and senses cannot keep up with its movements. I can only passively endure this damage. I cant go on like this Song Jians eyes blazed with infernal determination as he pulled a potion bottle from his pocket and smashed it emphatically on the ground. At that moment, the vampire-zombie, driven by the scent of fresh blood, lost all reasoning and roared as it pounced at Song Jian, its craving for the hot fresh blood consuming its senses. Bang! The potion bottle shattered under Song Jians foot, enveloped by the obscured silhouette of the attacking vampire-zombie. Song Jian spread his arms open. As the vampire-zombies razor-sharp claws penetrated his body, he fiercely embraced its form. Roar- With a bestial roar, the vampire-zombie bent its head to bite into Song Jians shoulder, continuously sucking his blood. Refusing to show weakness, Song Jian opened his mouth and bit down hard on the creatures neck. He didnt suck the blood of the vampire-zombie. Instead, he tore savagely at its flesh, like a wild beast would. Simultaneously, as the thirty-second countdown elapsed, Song Jian swiftly deployed the Spiritual Sword Control Technique! A transparent spirit sword appeared above Song Jians head. Under his mental control, the sword struck continuously at the vampire-zombie. Just as the prescribed three seconds approached, Song Jian directed the spirit sword to viciously impale the creatures body. The vampire-zombie bled from its seven orifices and struggled violently, attempting to break free from Song Jians binding arms! Die! The sword in Song Jians hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, shortened into a dagger. Gripping it, Song Jian stabbed it relentlessly into the vampire-zombies back. Black smoke wafted from the vampire-zombies body. But just as Song Jian was beginning to believe the creature was dying, it broke free from his grasp. Holding its head and screaming, the creature darted towards the stairwell, disappearing into the staircase in no time. Song Jian dropped to his knees, his body fell sideways, and he was convulsing incessantly. His vitality points had dropped to barely one-tenth with no signs of recovery. It seemed like the rate of vitality restoration was inhibited by something. There was a toxin in the vampire-zombies fangs. If not removed in time, Song Jian would become a blood slave under the control of the vampire-zombie after some time. He would lose his self-consciousness, and without that, even if he could survive, what was the difference between that and being dead? The vampire-zombies poison spread within Song Jians body and swiftly flowed along his blood veins towards his brain. Once the virus infected his brain, he would truly become a walking corpse. However, the vampire-zombies poison only flowed to Song Jians neck, then halted. No matter what, it could not break through the last defense. In his skill bar, his inherent ability Thick Skinned was emitting a faint light. The tenth level of the Thick Skinned ability was Song Jians last line of defense, putting up a persistent fight against the poison of the vampire-zombie. Time trickled on, Song Jian didnt know how much time had passed, but he eventually regained consciousness. His originally bloodshot, red eyes reverted to their usual clarity. When he stood up, he felt a sudden lightness in his body, as if it had become somewhat more agile. Chapter 283 - Chapter 283: Chapter 283 Qi Yun Chapter 283: Chapter 283 Qi Yun Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian, regaining consciousness, had a baffled look in his eyes. He gazed at his hands, inspectively scanning up and down his body. To his surprise, he found his body totally unscathed, all previous wounds evaporated. Even the grisly gashes on his throat were vanishing without a trace. His Vitality Points were already refilled to the max. No, rather, their upper limit had ascended, boosted by one hundred and twenty, rocketing straight to eight hundred. This was almost equivalent to a mini-bosss vitality. Checking other attributes, his agility had astonishingly increased by five points. It was a miracle, equivalent to consuming five Attribute Fruits. His other attributes remained unaltered. Song Jian hurriedly checked the systems battle information. As predicted, the increase in all his attributes were due to the transformation initiated by the vampire virus erosion into his body. It was akin to having done a genetic modification on him. But thanks to his Thick-Skinned innate skill, the virus was expelled just in the nick of time, preventing a more drastic alteration of his physical attributes. The quest item! Song Jian suddenly had a thought and involuntarily sprinted forward. Putting forth a tad of energy, he ran five or six meters ahead, uncontrolled due to his newest modifications, nearly tripping. WhatWhat is His face displayed an expression of surprise. But soon, he realized that the additional five points in agility had significantly upgraded his bodys capabilities, to which he was still struggling to adapt. Slowly moving forward, step by step towards the laboratory door, as led by the quest map, Song Jian gradually adapted to his explosive agility, gaining control over his bodys movements. As he pushed open the laboratory doors, a gadget over two-meters tall emitting a white light came into his view. It was the final quest item that he needed. Walking briskly over to the device, the moment he touched it, the apparatus over three-meters wide and two-meters tall, weighing over five hundred kilos, instantly morphed into a palm-sized energy ball which Song Jian clenched in his hand. The last quest item was finally in his possession. Initially, the quests time limit was three days, but Song Jian was able to complete it within a single day. Its a pity, Im unsure where to search for the two missing inventory items; otherwise, I could have completed the tasks together Song Jian thought to himself. After rummaging through the entire thirteenth-floor, Song Jian didnt find anything else worth his attention and decided to commence cleaning upwards. After all, having the Spiritual Sword Control Technique meant he could inflict additional damage to the genetically modified soldiers here. Leveling up in this building was much faster than anywhere else. As Song Jian was descending the stairs, he suddenly realized that the staircase side doors, initially secured by him on each floor, had all been smashed open from the inside. The monsters inside had all disappeared, vanished without a trace. Promptly, on the staircase, Song Jian spotted two human mummies. One of them was his renegade follower, Qi Yun. After Qi Yun followed Ma Jiang to this building, he had betrayed Song Jian, and since then, Song Jian was cut off from him. Unexpectedly, Ma Jiang and he had both ended up dead here. The two bodies had been drained of blood, their skin tightly clung onto the bones, looking like Egyptian mummies. This seems a bit like the work of that previous vampire zombie After a close inspection, Song Jian speculated. On the neck of both bodies, there were two deep holes C traces left by the vampire zombies while sucking blood. Did these two come here seeking revenge against me? Song Jian wondered. But, I didnt tell Qi Yun that I was coming here. Howd he know Id be in this building? After contemplating for a while to no avail, Song Jian shook his head, brushed past the two mummified bodies, and headed towards the Manor Castle. For some unknown reason, all the monsters that infested this building had disappeared, even the elite level twenty boss Zeus Shields Guardian was nowhere to be found. It was unclear if they were annihilated, or if they had abandoned the building. Having guarded this building for decades, they wouldnt have left without a good reason. But currently, there was no logical explanation for their sudden absence. Song Jian felt slightly regretful as he considered this. After all, this place was like a holy land of leveling up for him. With the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, the monsters here were powerless, becoming mere experience packets for him to harvest. What a shame Song Jian gave a sigh as he glanced back at the building bearing the Zeus Shield Companys sign. The sky darkened gradually. Silence enveloped the surroundings and not a single sound came from the Zeus Shield Companys building. Just then, Qi Yun, who had turned into a mummy, started to stir. First, it was a finger movement, then his full arm. Ominously, his whole body rose from the ground at an odd angle. The personified Qi Yun no longer looked human; he was now just like a zombie. In his blood-red eyes peered a startled confusion. It seemed his past memories were lost; he looked at the mummified Ma Jiang next to him, having a familiar feeling but not being able to recall anything. After spending some time next to Ma Jiangs corpse, Qi Yun began to climb the stairs slowly. He didnt know where he was heading, but an idea would recurrently pop into his mind, urging him to reach the eighteenth-floor of the building. It seemed like something very precious awaited him there. Qi Yuns legs wouldnt bend. Each flight climbed consumed him greatly, even to the point of crawling on the stairs a bit by bit. The resurrected Qi Yun seemed to have simplified a lot. The lone thought in his head never dwindled. He continued to strive for it, entirely disregarding the price he was paying, not making any judgement or assessments, solely focusing on reaching the top floor of the building. After several hours of crawling, the gear Qi Yun wore was worn out to zero durability, beyond repair. But he finally made it to the eighteenth floor. Leaning on the wall, he wobbly pushed open the side door, managing to stand and get inside the 18th floor. On reaching, Qi Yun felt as if he had located something extremely crucial; an overwhelming craving gnawed at him, similar to a junkie longing for a fix. Stumbling towards a laboratory door, through the glass, Qi Yun spotted a metallic pillar in the center of the lab. The pillar, reaching well over a persons height, was topped by a transparent glass dome. Within the dome, a vial glowed with dazzling, multicolored light. The glass dome was covered with a thick layer of dust, but it failed to mask the radiance emitted by the vial within. L..need Dry, cracked lips slightly opened, and from his parched throat, two syllables were pushed out. Suddenly, Qi Yun began vigorously pounding on the laboratory door with his fists. Thud,thud,thud~ The heavy, repetitive knocking echoed in the vacant hallway, projecting an eerie sensation. Chapter 284 - Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Mermaid Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Mermaid Translator: 549690339 | Returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian arranged the task items from the package one by one, causing surprise to flash in Dr. Ebsitings eyes. How could this be, its only been a day Looking up at Song Jian, Dr. Ebsiting even suspected that Song Jian had collected these items long ago, and only went out to fetch them now. This is the equipment of Zeus Shield Company! While touching a symbol on the Polymer Analyzer, Dr. Ebsiting exclaimed, If 1 had known you could enter Zeus Shield Company, I wouldve asked you to grab more equipment. They are not short on funds. If not for a mishap, I wouldve been a member of their company Dr. Ebsiting fell into a reminiscence, sighed after a long pause and said, What a pity, I was too young at the time and not proficient in bioscience. My research scope conflicted with Zeus Shield, so 1 didnt join. The Zeus Shield, does it still exist? Song Jian suddenly asked. Of course, giants like them, even during an apocalypse, wouldnt disappear that quick. Moreover, I used to suspect that the zombie virus that destroyed this city originally spread from Zeus Shield Company, but I have no evidence to prove this After a brief chat, Song Jian was kicked out by Dr. Ebsiting, who could now continue his research. As for Song Jian, he still had two lists in his pocket, and if he didnt collect all the materials on these two lists, Dr. Ebsiting probably wouldnt pay any more attention to him. Song Jian left the Manor Castle, planning to upgrade to the fifteenth level monster zone, he was already at level fourteen, and only seventy percent more experience points were needed to reach level fifteen, then he could equip that leather armor in his parcel. During the previous battle at Zeus Shield Company, the proficiency of Song Jians skill Broken Wing Dance was raised to ioo% at level 2. With his level 14. reward skill points, he could upgrade to level 3. The third level of the Broken Wing Dance increases damage slightly. Meanwhile, the judgement on the third segment of Floating Point also increased a lot. After performing a Broken Wing Dance, even a level-15 monsters vitality points will decrease by almost three hundred. While Song Jian was passing through the level-10 monster zone, he suddenly saw a large group of players frantically running on the road, as if there were some terrifying monsters chasing them. Brother, run quickly, the monsters from Jinyang Lake have come ashore, there are so many of them, if you dont run you will lose your life! Seeing Song Jian standing still, a player in his thirties kindly reminded him. Old Li, dont bother with him, lets go back to the safe house quickly. Only the safe house can withstand those monsters His companion tugged him, looked at Song Jian, and showed a vigilant expression. Monsters, what monsters? Song Jian couldnt help asking. Fishmen, water elementals, so many monsters, all are level-15 monsters, run! The man referred to as Old Li briefly explained and then ran down the street with his companions. Soon, Song Jian saw a large group of creatures with fish heads, gills on both sides of their necks, covered in green scales, and standing only about 1.4 meters tall. They were holding round-headed sticks in their hands and lunged directly at any living creature they spotted. These fish monsters were all level 15 ordinary monsters. On their way, they not only hunted players, but also other monsters. They killed on sight. Song Jian personally saw several level-10 mutated zombies surrounded by a group of fishmen, constantly smashing the zombies with sticks in their hands. In no time, these level-10 zombies were nailed to the ground. After killing these level-10 monsters, the fishmen did not waste them. A few fishmen lifted the smashed mutated zombies and went back the way they came. The zombies killed by the fishmen did not ignite into transparent flames, they were no different from ordinary corpses. More fishmen stormed into the shops on both sides, searching for anything edible. These fishmen were like locusts crossing the border, the places they passed were completely ransacked. A level-10 player had just finished searching a building and came out from the entrance when he ran into this group of fishmen. Before he could react, the group of fishmen swarmed him as if they were flies smelling blood; The player screamed in fear, frantically casting skills, with thunder and lightning appearing in his hands, hitting the fishmen. The fishmen affected by the electric attack trembled in place, but more fishmen kept lunging at the man. In no time, that players mental strength was exhausted, he was knocked to the ground by a group of fishmen and soon, a mournful scream sounded. The group of fishmen was actually tearing the player apart in frenzy. Soon, a strong fishman leader in armor and carrying a long fork ran over. He roared at the surrounding fishmen, driving them away from the player they were biting. Then, it shouted at several fishmen and ordered them to lift the players corpse, going back the way they came. A level-15 elite boss Song Jian stared at the strong fishman in armor and carrying a long fork and murmured. Previously he thought about a fight, but seeing this level-15 elite boss, Song Jian halted his steps. If it were regular monsters, he could escape their siege, but with this elite boss, escaping from this group of level-15 monsters would be tricky. He ducked into a residential complex, hiding behind the door of a building. These fishmen were numerous but impossible to search the entire area of level 10 monsters, a lot of places would be missed out. Song Jian patiently waited for this group of fishmen to leave so that he could go elsewhere. However, before too long, Song Jian heard a few fishmen yelling as they rushed into the residential complex, they began to move towards the apartment buildings in small groups. Two of them selected the very apartment building where Song Jian was hiding. You two are just unlucky Song Jian summoned the Crimson Fire Fleart Ape Sword and tightly clutched it in his hand. Soon, a fishman slammed a half-opened building door with the stick in his hand and swaggered in, followed by a thin fishman cowering behind him. Compared to the fishman in front, that fishman behind looked like a child. The behavior of the timid fishman seemed to infuriate the one in front. After smashing the door open, it yelled angrily at the fishman behind, waving the stick in its hand and acting threateningly. At this moment, the fishmans face showed a terrified expression. Fie pointed behind the front fishman and screamed in fright. Chapter 285 - Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Regional Task Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Regional Task Translator: 549690339 | Looking at the terrified expression of the feeble little fish-man in front of him, the burly fish-man felt something was amiss and was about to turn around. Suddenly, he felt a pang of sharp pain from his back. Broken Wing Dance! Whoosh, whoosh- Two bursts of sword light flashed by, instantly slashing the vitality points of the sturdy fish-man significantly. Just as it was about to call out to its companions in fear and flee, a third attack came from the sky, cutting its head into two halves. The thin little fish-man was so scared that he dropped his weapon. As he was about to turn and run, a blast of air from behind shot him into the air. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Several more sword lights left dark red traces in the air. Song Jian easily took down this small fish-man too. After casually picking up the materials dropped by the two fish-men, Song Jian was about to rush out. Suddenly, he saw a large group of fish-men storm into the neighborhood. With a slight frown, Song Jian slowly retreated back into a dark corner. Soon, a few fish-men noticed the two dead bodies. After a bout of clamoring, they hoisted the corpses and retreated along their original path. It seemed the dead fish-men were no different from players and monsters in their eyes. They were treated as goods or food. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly noticed a red warning light flashing in front of his system screen. Upon checking, he triggered a regional task when he killed the first fish-man. System: Youve killed an LV15 Fish-Head Monster, triggering a regional mission, The Food Crisis of Fish-head Monsters. Mission instructions: Due to their overwhelming numbers, the Fish-Head Monsters of Jinyang Lake have inadequate food storage and have started to invade their surroundings to plunder food. Mission objective: First stage C kill 50 Fish-Head Monsters, the second stage objectives will appear after you complete the first stage; System: This is a special regional mission. It cant be rejected or abandoned. Mission failure penalty: Random decrease of two points in personal attributes. Mission reward: Five hundred Doomsday Coins. Looking at the mission targets, he had already killed two Fish-Head Monsters. He still needed to kill forty-eight more to complete the first stage of the mission. Originally, Song Jian only wanted to evacuate. After all, in this large-scale monster tide, individual strength was essentially useless and could even potentially trap him. However, upon seeing the words special regional mission, Song Jian immediately thought of the skill stone stele. The rewards from such sudden missions were considerable. Moreover, leaving now would result in an immediate loss of two attribute points, which was certainly unacceptable. With this in mind, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon hatchling. Now a level-nine elite BOSS, the hatchling could easily defeat a level-fifteen Fish-Head Monster in one-on-one combat. Its strength was not to be underestimated. As for the Blood Crow and the Blood Zombie, it would be better to not summon these cannon fodders and save himself the embarrassment. A tender dragon chant echoed, causing a few fish-men planning to explore the residential building to shudder. They looked at each other and simultaneously turned tail and fled. It seemed that Dragon Might was also effective against these Fish-Head Monsters. With this, Song Jians confidence soared. He stepped out of the residential building and charged towards a group of five or six Fish-Head Monsters. Weakness Potion! A potion bottle shattered under the feet of the Fish-Head Monsters. A cloud of gray powder, looking like fog, enveloped them. The Black Dragon hatchling pounced at them excitedly, continuously spitting out blazing Dragon Breath. The Monsters club hit the hatchling, apart from reducing its vitality points by a dozen or so and enraging it further, it had no other effect; Soon, these level-fifteen Fish-Head Monsters were killed by Song Jian and the Black Dragon hatchling. Although the experience points were not as rewarding as those from gene warriors, they were still decent. Song Jian had planned to level up by hunting down level-fifteen monsters. The commotion of the battle once again attracted other Fish-Head Monsters in the residential neighborhood. Within a short period, a dozen or so Fish-Head Monsters were lured over. Song Jian slowly retreated towards the residential building. In an open area, even if his strength were to double, facing off against dozens of level-fifteen monsters simultaneously was beyond him. Entering the residential building, its narrow staircase could only accommodate two people side by side. Once he secured such a terrain, killing the group of level-fifteen monsters was much simpler. It took Song Jian more than half an hour to kill all these Fish-Head Monsters. Along with numerous material drops like Fresh Fish Meat, Sharp Fish Bones, they surprisingly also dropped three pearls for Song Jian. Each of these pearls was over twenty millimeters in diameter and had a round and delicate texture. They were obviously invaluable. Even in the real world, they would be highly valuable. Exquisite Pearl (White): Valuable Item, Use Effect: Can be sold at the system store, each worth 100 Doomsday Coins, Can you take it out of the game: Yes. These three pearls amounted to three hundred Doomsday Coins, a small fortune for an average player. Song Jian played with them in his hand for a while. If he could find more pearls to make a necklace, the value would surely soar. Packing the three pearls into his bag, Song Jian stepped out of the residential building. At this moment, a Fish-Head Monster with a red crown was standing at the gate of the neighborhood, making a ka-ji ka-ji calling sound, seemingly signaling its companions who had entered the neighborhood. After calling out a few times with no response, it looked puzzled. It stood in place, craning its neck and tried to scan around for a long time, but couldnt find any abnormalities, so it turned around. Song Jian had originally intended to rush out and kill it, in order to prevent it from noticing the odd situation and leading the Fish-Head Monster infantry over. Surprisingly, this creature was skittish and left merely after looking around for a bit. Just as Song Jian was about to leave the neighborhood, he suddenly heard a hurried ka-ji ka-ji sound behind him. Turning around, he saw a Fish-Head Monster with a round club standing in front of the residential building he just vacated, wearing an expression of horror. Its call was shrill and piercing, like an air-raid siren sounding throughout the vacant neighborhood. Damn it! Song Jian quickly darted towards the Fish-Head Monster. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand flashed silver, and three Sword Silks appeared, lashing out at the Fish-Head Monster; A smack, smack, smack- The three Sword Silks hit the Fish-Head Monsters body, instantly shattering its scales. A huge force came over, and the Fish-Head Monster, now at half-health, was knocked flying like a ragdoll. With a stomp of his foot, a tusk-like aura charged at the Fish-Head Monster, striking it hard against a wall and leaving a bloody human-shaped imprint on it. The Fish-Head Monster struggled to get up and let out a piercing shriek. It turned to run into the neighborhood. Song Jian was about to pursue it when he heard a rapid thump thump thump of footsteps from behind. Turning around, he saw the Fish-Head Monster leader wearing armor and holding a long fork running towards the neighborhood. Chapter 286 - Chapter 286: Chapter 286 Fish-head Monster Squad Leader Chapter 286: Chapter 286 Fish-head Monster Squad Leader Translator: 549690339 Song Jian squinted at the Level 15 Elite Boss. LV15 Fish-head Monster Squad Leader (Elite), Vitality Points:i8oo/i8oo, Spirit Points:200/200, Traits:Underwater attack damage increased by 30%; Skill: Fountain Ejection, Trident Throw With only 1800 Vitality Points, it seemed that this Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was not very powerful, likely at the bottom in comparison to other Level 15 Elite Bosses. Looking around, Song Jian was hugely relieved to see that this Boss had come alone, with no other Fish-head monsters in sight. A single Level 15 Elite Boss, one of the weaker among its kind, and with no small monsters accompanying it, was a gift delivered to his doorstep. It must have heard the shout of the earlier defeated Fish-head monster and decided to investigate. Taking advantage of the fact that other monsters had yet to arrive, Song Jian would deal with this boss first. With this in mind, Song Jian held the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly, and charged towards the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. As they closed to about seven or eight meters, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader suddenly raised its right hand, lifting the trident high. Song Jian abruptly halted, realizing that his opponent was about to use the Trident Throw skill. As expected, with a whoosh, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader threw the trident directly towards Song Jian. The trident, rusted and dirty, looked nothing much but turned incredibly fast in midair. It left a white trail, aiming harshly at Song Jian. Song Jian swiftly sidestepped, and heard a loud boom. The power of the trident had far exceeded his expectations. It had transformed the ground where he had stood into a crater with a diameter of over a meter. The blast from the trident nearly tossed Song Jian into the air. A damage number in the thirties appeared above his head. Even from so far away, it caused damage! If I were closer to the center of the attack, wouldnt I have lost three to four hundred Vitality Points? Song Jian was shocked and instantly became more cautious. The Fish-head Monster Squad Leader roared in frustration at not being able to kill Song Jian. With a gesture, the trident that had been stuck in the ground disappeared and reappeared in its hand. Upon seeing the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader raising the trident again, Song Jian narrowed his eyes. 1 must not let it attack me indiscriminately! Earth Teeth Assault! A canine-shaped mass of energy flew towards the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. The Black Dragon fledgling, flapping its wings, and circled around a large area, then came out from the bush, it growled and spat Dragon Breath at the squad leader. Upon seeing the Black Dragon fledgling, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader began to tremble. It wailed loudly at the dragon, flapping its hand at Song Jian all the while. Thunk, thunk- Both Earth Teeth Assault and Dragon Breath had hit, making it roll forward and showing two damage numbers of above seventy points appearing on top of its head. Feeling that it was unable to explain itself, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader tightened its grip around the trident. It ignored Song Jian and turned to charge at the Black Dragon fledgling instead. The Black Dragon fledgling flapped its wings, engaging the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader in a fierce and chaotic battle. This time, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was emitting a faint red flame around its body. Seeing the Black Dragon Fledglings Dragon Might, it seemed to have developed some resistance. It looked as though it wanted to kill the Black Dragon fledgling. Song Jian also charged forward with his sword. Although the Black Dragon fledgling was powerful, it was just a Level 9 Elite. It was clearly at a disadvantage against the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. Many of its skills had been weakened due to the level difference, but the attacks from the Squad Leader actually had a level repression damage bonus. If it wasnt for Song Jian, the end result of this battle would surely be the Black Dragon fledgling becoming fodder for the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. With Song Jians participation, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was immediately at a disadvantage. It desperately resisted while calling for help, seemingly summoning other Fish-head monsters. Song Jian felt a sense of urgency. He cast all skills except Immortal Sword Body without reservation, concentrating firepower aimed at killing this Boss in the shortest time possible. Just when the Squad Leaders Vitality Points were down to less than a third, suddenly, a thick stream of water erupted from the solid ground. It lashed out like a tentacle, forcefully launching the Black Dragon fledgling away. The Black Dragon fledgling also had less than half of its Vitality Points left, and after being hit, its Vitality Points further dropped to less than a third. Song Jian knit his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand to recall the Black Dragon fledgling back into the Pet Space. The Black Dragon fledgling could slowly recover its wounds in the Pet Space. If it got killed here, the loss would outweigh the gain even if the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was killed in return. The water stream, which resembled a tentacle, continued to sway after launching the Black Dragon fledgling, and dissipated of its own accord, leaving no trace behind after three seconds. Before Song Jian could rush over, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader wielded the trident. A stream of water surged from the ground less than a meter ahead of it. The Fish-head Monster Squad Leader looked at Song Jian with a cunning glint in its eyes. There was already a commotion nearby, and many Fish-head monsters were rushing to gather here rapidly. If it dragged on any further, Song Jian would end up having to beat a hasty retreat, trapping him. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and the vertical pupil in the center of his forehead opened wide. A silver column of light shot out, heading directly towards the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. Boom boom boom- A wave of explosions echoed out as the silver pillar of light struck the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. It seemed to burn like a fierce flame, causing continuous bomb-like sounds. Consecutive damage numbers floated above the Fish-head Monster Squad Leaders head and its vitality points were quickly dropping. It wanted to evade, but the silver column of light seemed to have a strong suction power, making it impossible to escape, forcing the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader to feel endless pain. Bang! At the end of the Eye-beam skill, the squad leaders body was propelled backward, harshly colliding with the wall behind it. Before it could get up, Song Jian rushed forward. With a whoosh, a dazzling silver sword qi bloomed from his index finger, he brought it down harshly. The harsh qi slashed directly at the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. Rip- The Fish-head Monster Squad Leaders body was split into two pieces from the shoulder down, its foul organs spewing everywhere. Song Jian rushed forward, scooping up the few trophies that it had dropped, and sprinted towards the inner part of the district. At this time, a large group of Fish-head monsters had already started swarming frantically from the far end of the street. But by the time they reached the corpse of the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader, Song Jian had long disappeared without a trace. Chapter 287 - Chapter 287: Chapter 287 Jinyang Lake Chapter 287: Chapter 287 Jinyang Lake Translator: 549690339 | Ignoring how the fish-head monsters dealt with the corpse of their squad leader, Song Jian hid in a safe corner, examining the loot he had collected. The Fish-head Monster Squad Leader dropped three items in total: a pair of shoes, a black pearl, and an old-fashioned black wooden box. Fish Scale Boots (Green), shoes, equipment effect: increases movement speed by 8%, physical defense +3, magic resistance +2, special attribute: increase underwater breathing time by 50%. Equipment requirement: level 10. Can it be taken out of the game: no. Song Jian could just fit into these excellent quality boots, and he put them in his equipment bar right away. Black Pearl (White), valuable item, usage effect: can form a bubble underwater, supplying the user with oxygen. The effect lasts for 30 minutes. Cooldown period: 2 hours; can be sold for 1000 Doomsday Coins! Can it be taken out of the game: no. This item was decent, even for sale in the system shop, it was worth ten times as much as the ordinary pearls just now. Song Jian took a glance and placed it in his item inventory. The remaining item was a worn-out black wooden box, its surface engraved with strange raised patterns. It seemed ancient and grand, as if it had endured the passage of time. If in the real world, it could be collected as an antique. Opening the box, there was an old and tattered parchment inside; on it were simple strokes, seemingly a map. Jinyang Lake, Eye of the Fire God? What is this, a treasure map? Song Jian examined the map carefully and found it to be a treasure map leading to Jinyang Lake. In the center of the lake, there was a symbol of a ring with the words Eye of the Fire God next to it. Jinyang Lake was located at the edge of the city, also an area habituated by level 15 monsters. It was part of the Wetland Park and covered a large area. The fish-head monsters he was facing lived in Jinyang Lake. However, it wasnt inhabited solely by fish-head monsters. Some players had been there before. Under the water, though, even the attributes of ordinary fish-head monsters would increase significantly, making them more challenging to fight than monsters of the same level on land. Consequently, fewer players were willing to travel the long distance to Jinyang Lake to level up. Putting the treasure map back into the wooden box and stowing into his item inventory, Song Jian snuck over the wall in the outskirts and after figuring out the direction, ran towards Jinyang Lake. By then, most of the fish-head monsters in Jinyang Lake had already left to search for resources. There should be fewer monsters in their base. It was a good chance to see if he could snatch the treasure. The regional plot mission of hunting fifty fish-head monsters had no time limit anyway. Having already killed more than twenty, there must be many fish-head monsters in Jinyang Lake. It was also a suitable place to complete the mission. Song Jian ran all the way, avoiding the monsters he met and taking detours. It took him more than two hours to get to the Wetland Park. The Wetland Park was full of lush plants. The chromatic flowers bloomed brilliantly. Rows of man-made ditches overlaid the entire park like a spider web. However, they were dried up at the moment, covered in copious amounts of dust and fallen leaves. At the outer side of the park were few sparse level 10 fish-head monsters and minor water elementals. They werent different from other level 10 monsters, but they were few and far between, hundreds of meters apart. Killing monsters in this area would be too inefficient for leveling up. Moving further in, Song Jian quickly arrived at the edge of Jinyang Lake. Suddenly, there were more monsters, and their levels rose directly to level 15. At the edge of Jinyang Lake, one could see shabby houses built with wood. The food the fish-head monsters hunted was hung in front of the houses to dry, emitting a faint stench in the surroundings. This was the base of the fish-head monsters. Occasionally, semi-transparent figures of water elementals appeared under the water in Song Jians sight. Each of these level 15 water elementals was over two meters tall, their bodies full of surging water elemental power. On their wrists were two shimmering golden bracelets. On land, these water elementals had the same attributes as other monsters. However, in water, their power increased by 30%, and their movement speed would also increase significantly. Even though Song Jian was currently level 14, he had to proceed with caution. Finding some stray fish-head monsters around Jinyang Lake, he spent some time killing the required fifty monsters for the regional task, earning the first- stage reward of 300 Doomsday Coins. As Song Jian was waiting for the mission of the second tier to be issued, he received a sudden system notification. System: You have triggered the plot Defend the Base. The game system issues the plot mission Subdue the Fish-head Monsters. Completing the mission will yield generous rewards and war merits! System: The regional mission you triggered has been terminated. Please choose whether to accept the plot mission Subdue the Fish-head Monsters. With a creased brow, Song Jian speculated that the fish-head monsters were likely to return soon. There wasnt much time left for him to locate the treasure. Not heeding the Subdue the Fish-head Monsters plot, Song Jian took out the treasure map and started scrutinizing it intently. The location marked on the treasure map was clear. It was right beneath the fish-head monster base at the center of Jinyang Lake. Although most of the fish-head monsters had gone out to gather resources, there certainly wouldnt be a place near the base that was devoid of any fish-head. How to evade these fish-head monsters and get to the location marked on the map was a problem. Also, the water elementals in the lake were a headache. When not in combat mode, the water elementals in the lake looked like a mass of pale blue liquid flowing along, difficult to distinguish unless looked at closely. After observing for more than half an hour, Song Jian finally identified a pattern in the patrols of the fish-head monsters. There were six teams in total, each consisting of seven to eight fish-head monsters. Each patrol shift had only one team underwater. There would be a reprieve of approximately thirty seconds when the two teams switched positions, during which he could seize the opportunity to enter the location marked on the map. Apart from these six teams, there were also some scattered fish-head monsters near the base. They seemed to be juveniles, only at level 10, frolicking around. The other problem was the water elementals. If his sprinting made too much noise, he was liable to bump into a water elemental unknowingly. He must get into the water in advance, hide on the side, and wait for the changing of the fish-head monster guards. This waiting period in the underwater would be at least ten minutes, not including the distance from the coast to the center of the lake. However, with the Fish Scale Boots and the Black Pearl, Song Jian should have no issue slowly approaching the center underwater. Song Jian scouted around and chose a place where no monsters lurk to quietly submerge underwater. An ordinary player could only stay underwater for five minutes. With Fish Scale Boots, Song Jian could last six and a half minutes. Additionally, with the effects of the Black Pearl lasting for thirty minutes, he could easily stay underwater waiting for the guard-changing vacuum period. He quietly entered the bottom of the lake and slowly swam forward, cautiously avoiding wandering water elementals. Song Jian came to a large rock that was only seven or eight meters away from the fish-head monster base. He hid his figure behind it and waited quietly. Chapter 288 - Chapter 288: Chapter 288: Lord-Level BOSS Chapter 288: Chapter 288: Lord-Level BOSS Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had chosen a place teeming with water plants. It was hard to spot a person hidden behind the rocks unless one looked carefully. Six and a half minutes quickly passed and Song Jian immediately activated the Black Pearl, instantly wrapping himself in a bubble of air. As time ticked by, the troop of Fishhead Monster Guardians began swimming upstream to the lakes surface, ready to switch shifts with another troop. Song Jian too, slowly left the rocks and swam towards the main camps stone cave at the bottom of the lake. According to the treasure map, the Eye of the Fire God was hidden inside this cave. As Song Jian swam to only about 11 or 12 meters from the caves entrance, a sharp screech echoed from the shore of Jinyang Lake. A disheveled small fishhead monster was stumbling towards the lake, screaming loudly as it ran. If Song Jian could see it, he would recognize it as the very same fishhead monster that had escaped him before. Alarmed by the small fishhead monsters warning, the troops guarding the fishhead monsters main camp immediately plunged into chaos. They all jumped into the water and began to frantically search their surroundings. Upon hearing the commotion overhead, Song Jians heart sank. He immediately quickened his speed towards the stone cave. Suddenly, a sharp piercing sound echoed from behind him. He turned his head to see a harpoon whizzing through the water towards him, leaving a long trail in its wake. Song Jian veered sideways as the harpoon flew past him, embedding itself deeply into a stone at the bottom of the lake. Ive been discovered! Song Jian internally panicked as he turned to see a small squad of fishhead monster guardians swimming towards him rapidly. Underwater, these fishhead monster guardians were swift, their abilities having evolved considerably, comparable to level twenty monsters. To fight against a squad of fishhead monster guardians comparable to level twenty monsters, Song Jian might be able to annihilate them given some time. However, where was he? This was the fishhead monsters main camp. If fighting were to break out, it would surely attract other fishhead monster guardians. He might be able to take on three or five, but as the numbers grew, even ants could kill an elephant. By then, he would probably not even have a chance to escape. With this in mind, Song Jian immediately swam towards the nearby cave. Only by entering there could he escape the pursuit of these fishhead monsters. The invaders identified, within moments, a dozen or so fishhead monster guardians were hot on Song Jians tail. Their movement also alarmed the surrounding water elements. Massive amounts of water elements began to converge in their direction. Two light blue water elements even appeared ahead of Song Jian. At this point, Song Jian had no choice but to plunge forward. Soon, Song Jian entered the alert range of the two water elements. They turned around and began preparing Frost Arrows to shoot at Song Jian. Frost Arrows did not cause much damage, but they had an extremely annoying effect C chill delay. If they hit the target, it could slow the targets movement speed by 40%. Once hit, the target would be stuck until death. Song Jian quickly took cover behind a rock. The Frost Arrows left a long, white, frozen track in the water before smashing into the rock. Soon, a thin layer of frost covered the surface of the human-height rock, immediately lowering the surrounding water temperature by five to six degrees. Song Jians eyebrows knitted in a frown. The two water elements were blocking the entrance of the cave. To get inside, he would have to defeat those two water elements first. However, these two water elements were also level fifteen monsters. Moreover, they were underwater, all their attacks carried the chill delay effect. Even if he could ultimately defeat them, the time it would take for that would be enough for the fishhead monsters and water elements behind him to catch up. When that happened, death would be inevitable. Just then, a frosty white ice elemental Boss, made up of heavy ice blocks, slowly walked towards his location from about a dozen meters away from the cave. This Ice Elemental Bosss body was a full circle bigger than the regular water elements. Its eyes, like two huge sapphires, shimmered brilliantly. Its body was covered with an armor made of solidified ice blocks. In its hands, it tightly held a pale gold trident. LV15 Ice Elemental Overlord Frendzal (Overlord), Vitality Points: 4800/4800, Traits: Enhanced Coldness, Bloodline of Frost, Skills: Intimidate, Dominion, Frosty Current, Chilling Beam, Trident of the God of War. A Lord level Boss? Song Jian was shocked and quickly shrunk behind the rock, for this was the very first Lord level Boss he had ever encountered. The two water elements didnt give up attacking Song Jian and kept summoning Frost Arrows. At this moment, the Ice Elemental Overlord walked over and upon seeing the two water elements, stopped in its tracks, raising its trident in their direction. The Frost Arrow that had already been conjured immediately disintegrated into scattered water elemental energy. The two water elements looked surprised and turned to look at the Ice Elemental Overlord. Upon seeing the Ice Elemental Overlord, the two water elements quickly bowed in courtesy and slowly backed away, not even daring to speak. The moment the Ice Elemental Overlord appeared, all the water elements tailing Song Jian instantly stopped in their tracks, bending their bodies in his direction. They did not dare to move a step closer. The Ice Elemental Overlord commanded all the water elements in Jinyang Lake, but the fishhead monsters were not under its control. Seeing the Ice Elemental Overlord, the pursuing fishhead monsters also began to panic. They dared not continue their chase, fearing that they would cause a misunderstanding with the Ice Elemental Overlord and get themselves killed. Until a Lord level Boss appeared among the Fishhead Monsters, they wouldn t dare to approach this Elemental Master of Ice in the middle of the lake. I hope it hasnt noticed me Song Jian nervously hid himself behind the rock and in the dense underwater grass. A battle with this Elemental Master of Ice underwater was pure suicide, unless he could lure it onto the land where he stood a chance of killing it. This is a Lord level Boss, surely it will drop some good stuff after I kill it. Song Jians eyes glowed as he stared at the slowly approaching Elemental Master of Ice. But with his current strength, killing the Elemental Master of Ice underwater was nothing short of fantasy. All he could hope for was that its alert range wasnt too large to discover his presence behind the rock. Son, the Ice Elemental Overlord slowly moved away from the cave entrance and began his routine patrol around Jinyang Lake. As he started to fade out of sight, the fishhead monsters and water elements behind him became jittery. Song Jian immediately came out from behind the rock and swam towards the cave, followed by a swarm of monsters. The water elements in the vicinity also began casting Frost Arrows. Song Jian had to swim towards the cave with all his might, knowing that even a single hit from the horde of monsters could cost him his life. As Song Jian entered the cave, he felt like he had passed through a thin membrane. The cave was very dry, and the transparent membrane at the entrance kept all the water out. Chapter 289 - Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Eye of the Fire God Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Eye of the Fire God Translator: 549690339 | Boom boom boom- Several Frost Arrows bombarded the entrance of the cave, creating ripples on the transparent membrane, blocking all the attacks. Song Jian let out a sigh of relief and looked forward. This underwater cave didnt seem too big. A narrow staircase stretched from the entrance all the way down, leading to the depths underground. Following this staircase, he should be able to find the treasure marked on the treasure map C the Eye of the Fire God. As Song Jians figure disappeared into the cave, the fish-headed monsters and water elementals that had been chasing him lost track of him. After searching for a while, they dispersed. When the fish-headed monsters ran from Wetland Park to search for supplies, they alarmed many players. Some high-level players, hearing about the fish-headed monsters movements, not only didnt flee, but instead rushed towards the Level-io monster area. When they arrived in the nearby area, they received the same regional plot mission as Song Jian and began to form teams to hunt down these monsters. Just as they were enthusiastically hunting the fish-headed monsters, it seemed as if all the fish-headed monsters suddenly received a message, and they hurried back along the same path, heading towards Wetland Park. System: A player triggered a special plot, unlocking the plot Guarding the Base. Nearby players can choose to accept the plot mission Subjugation of Fish-Headed Monsters. Complete the mission and receive generous rewards and war merits! Originally hunting the fish-headed monsters, the nearby players were instantly excited, as they rarely encountered other side missions or plot missions besides the main mission. The reason they came to this Level-io monster area was because a regional mission had appeared. They knew that the more missions they completed, the faster their Vitality Points would recover when they received main mission rewards. This was the divine skill to ensure that they would survive the next time they entered the game. Who is so powerful that they can trigger a plot? What does this mean? The fish-headed monsters have run away, and I still have more than 20 fish-headed monsters left to complete my regional mission. What am I supposed to do now? Wetland Park? Where is that? Oh, a Level-15 monster area. How are we supposed to handle that? Its already difficult to fight in this Level-10 monster area. Level-15 is going to be deadly! Who can tell me what the use of war merits is? Whichever big shot triggered this plot, couldnt it have been half an hour later? Speaking of which, do you get extra rewards for triggering a plot? Does anyone know who triggered this plot? This sudden system message instantly caught the attention of all the players nearby. It was the first time theyd seen someone trigger a game plot, and they were immediately curious about the persons identity. Some even wanted to find the player and kill him to take his place, as being able to trigger a plot would surely yield a large number of extra rewards. In comparison to ordinary players, those who had already formed war alliances were even more excited. Only they knew the use of war merits C its a great thing to upgrade the war alliance level and purchase special items at the war alliance shop. Its much harder to obtain than Doomsday Coins. Apart from completing occasional extermination missions in the War Alliance, there was no other way to obtain war merits. Our war alliance is only 300 war merits away from being promoted to Level 2. We cant miss this plot mission. Everyone goes and tries to obtain more war merits! I already have my eyes on that Level-io silver-quality dagger in the war alliance shop. Ill take part in this plot mission for sure. After completing it, Ill have enough war merits to buy that dagger! Lets go, lets go. Wetland Park isnt close to us. We have to hurry over, otherwise, we wont even get a sip of the soup. This plot mission triggered by Song Jian practically alarmed half the players in Doomsday City. All players with a level above 10 flocked towards Wetland Park, leaving those who hadnt even chosen their professions behind, staring enviously at them. After all, that was a Level-15 monster area, and going there without a certain level of strength was simply seeking death; At this moment, Song Jian, who had invaded the fish-headed monsters HQ. and triggered the plot mission, was still slowly descending the staircase. The underground staircase was spiral-shaped, with mysterious Magic Runes depicted on the rocks on both sides. These Magic Runes glowed, illuminating the entire staircase. The narrow and long staircase was thankfully devoid of monster guards. Song Jian spent more than half an hour before finally reaching the bottom of the staircase and entering a spacious hall. The hall was about the size of a football field, surrounded by raging flames. The walls were carved with many paintings and strange characters. Numerous pillars stood on the ground, emitting a dark red glow. The entire hall resembled the Athenian Temple in the real world, with a rough architectural style, full of an ancient, barbaric atmosphere. At the depths of the hall, there was a brick-built altar, on which a golden treasure chest was placed. Flanking the altar, there were two massive knight statues wielding giant swords and wearing heavy armor, seemingly guarding the treasure chest. Is this the treasure marked in the treasure map? Song Jians eyes were fixed on the treasure chest on the altar: The Eye of the Fire God should be in this chest. It must be the most precious treasure inside, otherwise, it wouldnt have been marked in the treasure map. Song Jian walked towards the altar, his target being the golden treasure chest on top. This was the second golden treasure chest he had ever seen, and the Eye of the Fire God, according to his guess, must be a gold-quality item like the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. At this stage, players obtaining a blue-quality item were already incredible, and most players had not even seen a golden item. As Song Jian stepped onto the altar, he felt a cold chill, as if someone was looking at him with murderous eyes. This chill came from the huge statues wielding swords and guarding the altar on both sides. These two statues must be the guardians of the treasure chest. If 1 touch the chest, will they come to life and chase me? Song Jian hesitated for a moment. However, after only giving it some thought, he gritted his teeth and continued walking towards the top of the altar. This was a gold-quality item, and it was worth talcing some risks for it. Soon, Song Jian reached the top of the altar and slowly opened the golden treasure chest in front of him. Suddenly, a dazzling golden light burst from the chest, illuminating the entire hall. After that, the golden light retreated into the chest, and three items lay quietly inside. Song Jian didnt hesitate and quickly collected all three items. The first item to catch his attention was a ring emitting a faint golden glow. Made of crimson gold, the ring had a cats eye-like gem embedded in its band. Fluid colors swirled within the golden iris, making it look as if a real eye was staring at Song Jian. Chapter 290 - Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Auction House Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Auction House Translator: 549690339 | The Ring of Fire Gods Eye (Golden, Damaged), Ring, guaranteed drop upon death. Equipped, it increases damage by 15%; comes with the Fire God Shield, reflecting 30% melee damage. Special Effect 1: Grants permanent immunity against being slowed or frozen by ice-based damage. Special Effect 2: Occasionally triggers Wrath of the Fire God when dealing damage to a target, dealing an additional 300 points of fire damage; this effect can only occur once within a 30-second duration. Requirement: Level 1; Can it be taken out of the game: No. Item description: This item was the favorite possession of the Fire God, Hephaestus. Due to the fall of the Fire God, the item lost its godly status and became damaged, decreasing its value. However, if, one day, you manage to obtain the godly status of Hephaestus, you can repair this item back to its divine origin. Damaged gold grade? Divine artifact? Song Jian couldnt help but break into a smile of delight on his face; this item had the potential to turn into the divine artifacts. Players can only wear two rings at the same time, one on the left hand and one on the right; Song Jian currently wears the Ring of Storage and the Ring of Strength. However, he was able to use the Ring of Storage to expand his baggage section immediately, as he had not found any other rings before and had been carrying the Ring of Storage with him all the time to get a few more storage boxes. Now that he had the Eye of the Fire God, he naturally expanded the baggage section directly using the Ring of Storage. After clicking Use, the Storage Ring turned into a ray of blue light and directly integrated into the baggage area. Soon, the storage section, which had only sixteen spaces, quickly turned into a storage area with twenty spaces. Song Jian equipped the Eye of the Fire God instantly. All of a sudden, a warmth flowed out of the ring and surged through his entire body. After using the Ring of Storage, although the number of storage boxes decreased by a few, for Song Jian, who had just obtained a golden grade ring, the loss was still within the expected range. After putting on the Eye of the Fire God, Song Jian turned his attention to the two remaining items. These remaining two items were a small, deep-red, triangular flag and a Town Return Scroll. The red triangular flag, named Damaged Flag of the Fire God, is a white-grade item. When equipped, it can summon two fire elemental elves of the same level as the user to assist in combat every half an hour. The strength of these two fire elemental elves increases as the user levels up. If killed, they can only be re-summoned after a period of twelve hours. The remaining Town Return Scroll was something Song Jian had seen in the hands of the goblin merchant Canaan before. It was a life-saving artifact that, when torn in a dangerous situation, could directly return the user to a previously set safe place. This is really good. As expected of a treasure map, the rewards are indeed very generous! Song Jian looked at the Flag of the Fire God and the Town Return Scroll in his baggage section and was very satisfied. Just then, the statues guarding both sides of him suddenly started to shake. The rock shells on their surfaces shattered instantly, with their eyes glowing a bright red, locking onto Song Jian. Song Jian was taken aback, not expecting these two statues to actually move. He was already surrounded by fish-headed monsters and water elementals outside the cave, making it impossible to leave. Now, he was being hunted down by these two statues, with nowhere to run. It seemed like he was in a hopeless situation. Just then, Song Jian quickly drew a Town Return Scroll from his baggage section and tore it apart. Instantly, magic runes engulfed him entirely, turning into a white light and disappearing from the spot. The Town Return Scroll was arguably the safest life-saving artifact, only that it was far too scarce. Even among the players, its existence was mostly just rumors and none could truly own it, especially when the players only had one life in this game C the preciousness of the Town Return Scroll had been significantly elevated, and it was even comparable to a top-tier silver equipment. It was not easy for Song Jian to use this Town Return Scroll here without hesitation; just a slight regret would not have allowed him to use this Town Return Scroll. Right when Song Jian disappeared into the white light, the two statues on both sides brandished their massive swords at the altar, smashing it into a pile of rubble. At this time, players over level ten were rushing towards the Wetland Park, including some guild players with their guilds insignia, making them distinct from the ordinary loner players. However, Song Jian, the trigger of this storyline mission, had returned to his own Manor Castle. Since he hadnt set a safe return point, the system defaulted to using the Town Return Scroll and brought him back to his safe house. Feeling that Song Jian had returned, the butler George hurried over. Honorable Lord, 1 have a few matters to report to you! said George respectfully. What is it? George, as long as it is related to our domain, you can make decisions on your own. As I recall, Ive given you this authority before. Song Jian sat in a rocking chair and slowly closed his eyes. Being chased by a large group of fish-headed monsters and water elementals in the Jinyang Lake earlier had kept Song Jians nerves on edge, and any moment of carelessness could have easily cost him his life. Now he could finally relax and take a breather. Actually, my lord, our domain has been developing quite well recently. There are some things I need to report to you! George replied respectfully: The shops we built recently have started to make a profit. Over the past few days, weve earned 130 Doomsday Coins, but weve also spent 67 on buying food and 23 on buying seeds and other materials. Before George could finish, he was cut off by Song Jian, who waved his hand and said: George, you dont have to report such things to me. As long as the balance of income and expenditure can be achieved, thats enough. If there is a shortage of money, just ask me. In the future, you should take more care of the development of our domain. Also, if Dr. Ebsiting has any demands, they must be met promptly. If you cant meet them, remember to report to me. Song Jian waved his hand, ready to dismiss George, but George hesitated for a moment before continuing: Mylord, recently, some Gods Chosen have begun to build safe houses around our domain. This will affect our expansion plans in the future. Are there any with substantial abilities? Song Jian asked casually. We havent discovered any as of yet. Then continue the plan, and notify them to surrender when the time comes. If they refuse, wipe them out! Song Jian sneered. Yes, Mylord! George nodded, and continued, Theres a strange building that has appeared about ten kilometers away from our domain. According to the Gods Chosen, its called Auction House. 1 think this news might be useful to my lord. Auction House? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he quickly sat up from the rocking chair. Chapter 291 - Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Self-destructing Robot Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Self-destructing Robot Translator: 549690339 The Auction House, an addition from this game update, was designed exclusively for players. Before players, also known as Gods chosen ones as per the games NPCs, appeared, there were no auction houses in rhe entire game world. The Auction House is a convenient place where players can post items they no longer need. All players in Doomsday City can see these items; this is much more convenient than previous street vending. However, selling items in the Auction House incurs a 5% listing fee, so the prices of the items listed are generally quite high. Upon hearing the term Auction House) Song Jian became greatly interested. He could sell items to NPCs in various locations via the radio station, but this was highly inconvenient as it incurs hefty postage fees. It wasnt nearly as convenient as the Auction House. With this in mind, Song Jian couldnt sit still. He immediately stood up, got on his motorbike, and sped off toward the Auction House. Arriving at the Auction House, Song Jian found it to be a place similar to a Doomsday Supermarket. The surrounding area was quite empty, no monsters dared to approach this place, the area within a five-hundred-meter radius was devoid of danger. Inside the Auction House, Song Jian realized many items were listed by anonymous11 sellers. It seemed many didnt want others to know what items they had put up for sale. The Doomsday City game had been opened for some time now, and players had accumulated a lot of Doomsday Coins. Some war leagues had even collected a considerable amount of funds. Through the Auction House, the prices of everything were gradually returning to normal instead of being undervalued like before. if players were to vend like before, not only would the customer base be narrow, but they would also easily attract unwanted attention. This led to many players keeping high-quality equipment, they couldnt use, in their storage instead of selling them. After browsing the items available in the Auction House (none of which were cheap), Song Jians original plan to buy low and sell high through the radio station was shattered. Song Jian listed all the items he didnt need in his storage and then began searching for the items he did need. He was on the lookout for new equipment and skills. Soon enough, Song Jian found a diagram for engineering machinery. The starting price was 300 Doomsday Coins and had risen to 370. The buyout price was just 500 coins, and without hesitation, Song Jian bought it at this price. Engineering Blueprint: Self-destructing Robot; Use this to learn how to create the Self-destructing Robot. Usage requirement: Engineering Level 1. Self-destructing Robot: Once a target is locked, the robot will automatically initiate a suicidal attack, causing 250 points of explosion damage. The robots defense rate is 100 points, and it will automatically explode once it reaches zero! After directly buying the blueprint, it immediately appeared in Song Jians inventory. As he was about to put it to use, he remembered Dr. Ebsiting. Maybe he needed this blueprint more, and anything that needed to be crafted in the future could just be handed to him. As a leader, 1 should focus more on other things. I can delegate things like siege machinery and medicine production to my followers! Song Jian thought to himself. However, he soon realized that skills like the Medicine Gathering Skill and Mining Skill still needed to be leveled up to ensure he could gather materials efficiently when needed. He kept the two lists Dr. Ebsiting needed in his inventory, so that he would be able to collect the items as soon as he came across them. He put the blueprint back into his inventory and continued searching in the Auction House. Soon, Song Jian found two swordsmanship manuals. Both were low-grade quality and extremely overpriced, with only a few bidding on them. Sweeping Sword Style (Active), level 1. Skill effect: Causes 110% basic physical damage to the target after use. This skill can be released three times in a row, with damage to the target increased by 10% each time. Cooldown: 60 seconds; Equipment requirement: Sword. Sword Shadow Step (Active), level 1. Skill effect: After use, users transform into a shadow, with a 30% increase in movement speed and a 50% chance to dodge ranged damage. Duration: 7 seconds; Cooldown: 3 minutes; Skill consumption: 10 Spirit Points. Equipment requirement: Sword.11 These two skills were both applicable to his Main Quest, and were fortuitous finds for Song Jian. Song Jians Main Quest was currently 90% complete as he already had nine swordmanship skills, and he only needed one more to complete the Main Quest. However, after the update, whether he completed the Main Quest or not, he could freely exit the game, and the in-game time passed at a certain ratio to real-world time. Eight hours in the real world equated to one month in the game world. Only eleven days had passed in the game, and there was still plenty of time left for Song Jian to find the last swordmanship skill. And with these two new skills mastered, Song Jians strength had increased, making it easier to deal with level fifteen monsters. After spending more than an hour in the Auction House without finding any more needs, Song Jian shook his head and returned to his Manor Castle. He pushed open the door to the Sub-castle and quickly walked into Dr. Eb sitings laboratory. The doctor was conducting an experiment that Song Jian couldnt understand and looked very focused. After a long time, there was a soft shattering sound from the experiment table. Dr. Ebsiting took a deep breath, grabbed a few biscuits from near the table, stuffed them into his mouth, and lay down on a chair, resting with closed eyes. It seemed the experiment had failed and Dr. Ebsiting wasnt in a good mood. Doctor, Id like to give you a present. 1 hope you will like it! Song Jian carefully walked up to the doctor, took out the machinery blueprint and handed it to him. Dr. Ebsiting managed to swallow the biscuits with difficulty and glanced at the blueprint in Song Jians hand. Self-destructing Robot? 1 lost interest in this primitive toy when I was nine1 Dr. Ebsiting commented coldly, then closed his eyes to rest and cogitate again. Song Jians hand holding the blueprint froze instantly. He hadnt expected this outcome. How silly of me! Hes a Master Level character, how could he be interested in such a basic blueprint? Song Jian chastised himself. But does this mean he wont make any low-level items for me in the future? A thought suddenly popped into Song Jians mind. With his abilities now, the materials he requires for crafting will surely be of high-grade just like those two lists he gave me, still untouched in my inventory. But he refuses to craft the easy-to-collect low-grade goods. So, whats his use to me currently? Song Jian scowled at Dr. Ebsiting, his face turning grim. Chapter 292 - Chapter 292: Chapter 292 Help Chapter 292: Chapter 292 Help Translator: 549690339 Song Jian originally thought he would no longer have to craft engineering instruments and had even prepared to find other trade masters like Pharmacy Master, Forging Master, etc., to become his Followers. However, judging from Dr. Ebsitings attitude, the Blueprint for Self-Destructing Robots in Song Jians hands had no allure for him. For a Master Level figure like Dr. Ebsiting, he was not interested in crafting such low-level siege weapons. Here came the problem, Song Jian had no idea where to collect the materials for advanced items, and while the materials for these low-level items were easy to collect, Dr. Ebsiting didnt want to make them. So, what now? Well, there was nothing to it. He would just have to rely on himself and make do! Song Jian, with no other choice, had to learn the blueprint for the self-destructing robot himself. Making these robots was much easier than crafting T-11 High Explosive Grenades, though they caused less damage. However, in terms of cost-effectiveness, the robots were better. To construct a self-destruction robot, it required 5 pieces of standard iron ore, 3 batches of gunpowder, and 1 piece of magic stone. Making gunpowder required saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. Both the standard iron ore, saltpeter, and sulfur could be collected in ore mines, while charcoal came from refining standard lumber, and a magic stone had to be purchased at the system shop. Even if Song Jian didnt gather it himself, he could buy standard lumber from other players. When common players first get into the game, the quickest way to make money is to gather lumber and stone to sell. Some even bear the pain of gathering with their bare hands, so there is a large quantity of wood and stone available at relatively low prices. But there wasnt so much of the iron ore, saltpeter, and sulfur needed from the mines available. While there were job-class players above level 10 willing to search for and collect ores in the dangerous subway stations, only the boldest dare to go, and there were still not enough ores to go around despite the high demand, keeping prices high. Could it be that Ill have to spend some time as a miner, gathering ores? Song Jian asked himself as he assessed the situation. Just as Song Jian was wondering whether to go mining, he suddenly received a system alert: System Notification: The Gene Modification Liquid (Damaged) you consigned to the auction house has been sold. After deducting the handling fee, you received 483 doomsday coins. System Notification: The Gene Modification Liquid (Damaged) you consigned to the auction house has been sold. After deducting the handling fee, you received 398 doomsday coins. Song Jian had thrown all the more than twenty bottles of Gene Modification Liquid he got from the Zeus Shield Company into the auction house, and to his surprise, they sold out in no time. Although they all have the same name, these Gene Modification Liquids have different properties. Some increase strength, others agility, or endurance, and others offered additional properties like improving vitality recovery or night vision. Hence, they were in high demand. Despite the side effects, not many players or monsters could carry out psychic attacks at this point, so many players are willing to overlook the lowered psychic resistance side-effect. Its worth noting that these could increase personal attributes by two or even three points, which was similar to the Attribute Fruits. At present, a single Attribute Fruit could sell for over a thousand doomsday coins but was hard to come by, so these Gene Modification Liquids quickly became hot commodities as soon as they appeared on the market. The revenue of ten thousand Doomsday Coins in a flash made Song Jian somewhat wistful. He began to wonder where the monsters in the Zeus Shield Tower had gone. If he could wipe out all of them, maybe it would mean tens of thousands more Doomsday Coins in the bank. With this revenue, Song Jians Doomsday Coin count had risen above fifteen thousand, enough to make him something of a minor tycoon with every step he took now filled with confidence. Most common players, even if they constantly economized and hoarded Doomsday Coins, probably only had two or three thousand at most. Many more lived hand to mouth, with less than a hundred coins to their names. Even some of the smaller Guilds had less capital than Song Jian. Just then, Song Jian received a message from Li Keer. He hadnt heard from the girl in quite a while and was curious how she was doing, whether she had found a job, and what her current level was. Keer, do you need something? Song Jian opened a private chat channel and asked. Brother Jian, come to Song Gong River quickly. There is a Rock BOSS here and its tough. I cant beat it on my own, come help me! came Li Keers alarmed exclamation and some intense fighting sounds over the private chat channel. Song Gong River? Send me your exact location, Im on my way! replied Song Jian, his eyebrows knitted in concentration. Li Keer sent the coordinates to Song Jian who saw that it was located only about six kilometers away from his Manor Castle. Dont panic, hold out a little longer, Ill be there soon! Song Jian hung up the call, summoned his motorcycle and set off towards the coordinates Li Keer had sent him. As he left his territory, Song Jian noticed a new structure rising on his land: a tall chimney billowing out thick smoke. Half of the building was a huge furnace with NPC employees constantly feeding fuel into it. Before long the furnace was roaring to life. Is this a Forging Room? Song Jian, squinting, identified this distinctly odd structure. If a player chooses to learn the Forging Trade, they would need a Forging Room to create items and improve their forging skills. However, building your own Forging Room was not an easy task. It was not just expensive, but the land it occupied rivaled that of a safe house, so few players could afford to build their own Forging Rooms. As such, the solution for many was to rent. George, the butler, saw an opportunity here and decided to invest in building a Forging Room on Song Jians territory to rent out to other players for a profit. Song Jian had pretty much handed over all the management of his territory to his Housekeeper, George. He didnt feel he had the talent or the capability to manage it as well as the NPC, who had shown utter loyalty since he got him. They had even achieved a Great Trust intimacy level, just one level short of Adoration. Therefore, Song Jian was very comfortable entrusting George with the management. Song Gong River was a level 15 monster zone. It was not far away and took Song Jian just a little over ten minutes to arrive by motorbike. At this point, by the riverbank, a creature covered in a thickly armored shell C resembling a giant turtle was engaged in an intense fight with Li Keer. Chapter 293 - Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Rock Tortoise Beast Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Rock Tortoise Beast Translator: 549690339 | The Song Gong River cut across the entire Doomsday City with many monsters lurking along its shore. Li Keer currently stood in the area where the level 15 monster Mutant Rock Tortoise resided. Though the Mutant Rock Tortoise had high defenses, it moved slowly, making it an ideal target for a ranged fighter like Li Keer to kite around. At this time, Li Keer, donned in vine armor and wielding an even more exquisite looking silver crossbow, left a beautiful trail of scattered silver lights in her wake as she moved. Keer! Song Jian shouted from afar. By now, Li Keer had completed her main job quest, but Song Jian still couldnt figure out what job she had become. He guessed she was some kind of ranged fighter, perhaps an archer. Little Brother Song Jian, hurry over! This giant tortoise is so tough. Ive been hitting it for over half an hour! Li Keer brightened noticeably at the sight of Song Jian, a radiant smile plastering her face. Without wasting any time, Song Jian tightly gripped his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and charged at the level 15 elite BOSS, the Mutant RockTortoise Beast. Broken Wing Dance! In a dazzling flash, Song Jian sprinted forward and brutally hacked at the Mutant Rock Tortoise with his blood-red longsword. -45 -48 A pair of damage figures, both below fifty, popped up over the Rock Tortoises head. Caught off guard, Song Jian looked on, slightly baffled. His current attacks C even on a 20-level lord-level BOSS in Jinyang Lake C should yield higher damage than this. Launching the third strike of Broken Wing Dance, Song Jian vaulted high into the air to deliver a fierce chop onto the Mutant Rock Tortoise Beast; Boom! A powerful wave of energy erupted from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. However, the beast was hardly affected. Far from being lifted off the ground, the tortoises massive limbs didnt even shift. This giant tortoise is really tough to crack! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Yeah, its super tough. Otherwise, I wouldnt have bothered you, Little Brother Song Jian! Li Keer responded vigorously with an adorable nod. Despicable humans! The Rock Tortoise Beast roared in fury, stomping on the ground and sending a ripple of energy wave in all directions, causing the earth to ripple like water and send up waves of dust. With a powerful leap, Song Jian flung a Weakness Potion at the Rock Tortoise Beast while in mid-air. The beast had formidable defenses, but the Weakness Potion could reduce them by 35%- It was the perfect tool against high-defense monsters. Bang! The potion shattered beneath the Rock Tortoise Beast, shrouding the mountain-sized beast in a grey mist before slowly dissipating, leaving a grey hue on its body. Whoa! With a startled exclamation, Li Keer lost her footing and was thrown into the air. Seeing this, Song Jian expedited his attacks, intending to divert the tortoises aggression from Keer to himself. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian threw all his skills at the Rocky Tortoise Beast in one fell swoop, causing an instantaneous explosion of damage. The beast, which had just lunged at Li Keer, suddenly paused. Its eyes glowed blood red, and it turned its head, roaring at Song Jian. Boom, boom, booin Like a heavily armoured truck, the Rocky Tortoise Beast charged towards Song Jian. The power of the Spiritual Sword Control Technique remained unabated. Even though it didnt cause the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast to writhe in pain like those mentally deficient genetic zombies, it caused the beast to completely lose its sanity, becoming even more violent and wanting to tear the annoying human in front of it into pieces. The Rocky Tortoise Beast rushed up to Song Jian, raising its mound-sized forelimb, and stomped heavily towards him. Having been through so many fights, Song Jian wasnt disturbed in the face of the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beasts assault. With a thought, he immediately displayed the Sword Shadow Step, swiftly moving to the side of the Rocky Tortoise Beast, evading its tramping attack. He wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and frantically hacked at the BOSS. Equally not to be outdone, Li Keer swiftly got up after landing, aimed at the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast, and also began a full firepower attack. Various kinds of translucent crossbow bolts, each carrying different types of energies, were fired one after another at the beast. They were so fast that they appeared as a thin continuous line. Time passed quickly. Song Jian fought while constantly drawing the Rocky Tortoise Beasts ire, continually avoiding its attacks. On the other hand, Li Keer focused on aggressive, carefree offence. Half an hour later, the Rocky Tortoise Beasts Vitality Points had dropped by one-fifth. To Song Jians annoyance, the recovery rate of this Level 15 elite BOSSS Vitality Points was not slow. Its Vitality Points recovered by eighty or ninety points every few seconds. If the damage wasnt sufficient, it would not even be able to surpass the BOSSS restoration rate, let alone defeat the BOSS. Compared to other ordinary elite bosses, the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast could recover more than seven hundred Vitality Points a minute, essentially negating the damage of two or three of Song Jians skill attacks. If it werent for the potent Weakness Potion, they would probably have been unable to drain even one-fifth of its Vitality Points in half an hour. After fighting with high efficiency for more than half an hour, a trace of fatigue appeared on Song Jians face. At this moment, he had to avoid continuously not only to dodge but also launch frantic attacks. The high-intensity battle was quite draining, and if he wasnt careful, he could be attacked by the BOSS. Time passed by every second, and the Vitality Points of the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast slowly decreased. Now that they had gotten used to its rhythm of attack, killing it was just a matter of time. Little Cheap Brother, Im almost out of Spirit Points! Li Keer suddenly shouted from afar. Having been fighting for over an hour, Song Jian recognised that this was a war of attrition. So, he had very strictly controlled his spirit consumption. But now he was left with less than a third of his Spirit Points, not even enough to cast Eye Killing. Considering that Li Keer had managed to hold out until now, Song Jian was feeling quite pleased already. Then keep attacking it normally! Song Jian replied, simultaneously summoning the Black Dragon Hatchling with a wave of his hand. Although Li Keers normal attack damage was not bad, it was of no use against this massive Rocky Tortoise Beast. Each attack could only inflict a few tens of points of damage C even the BOSSS self-healing speed was faster than this. The difference was even more stark without Song Jians assistance. When the Black Dragon Hatchling appeared, it let out a dragons roar, but the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast appeared to completely ignore its Dragon Might. Its attacks did not weaken in the least, which made the Black Dragon Hatchling quite furious. Dont you even respect me, a high-level beast?! The Black Dragon Hatchling blew a breath of hot Dragon Breath at the mutated Rocky Tortoise, but it was blocked by its heavy rock shell, leaving only a burnt trace. However, the real damage inflicted was very limited. At this moment, the Rocky Tortoise Beasts Vitality Points had fallen by two- fifths, almost half. Suddenly, it took a deep breath and let out an angry roar. In the circle with a radius of around ten meters around its body, basketball-sized rocks appeared in the air. The surface of these rocks was burning with raging flames. At the Beasts roar, these hundred fiery rocks, like a meteor rain, heavily dropped to the ground, leaving a long tail flame. Damn it, such a terrifying group attack skill? Song Jians face changed drastically, unable to flee from the attack range, he could only resist it. For a time, explosions echoed around, engulfing Song Jian entirely. Chapter 294 - Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Upgrade Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Upgrade Translator: 549690339 | Faced with the sudden onslaught from the BOSS, Li Keers face changed dramatically. She was six or seven metres away from the BOSS when she detected something was wrong and immediately used a skill resembling teleportation to quickly escape the attack range. However, Song Jian wasnt as fortunate. By the time Li Keer reacted, Song Jian was already swallowed by an explosion. Little Brother Jian Li Keer was scared out of her wits, standing paralyzed in place, even forgetting to attack. Pfft, pfft~ Song Jian ran out from the smoke and dust, his face covered in soot, looking totally dishevelled. That previous big move had resulted in him getting hit by at least three burning rocks; his Vitality Points lost more than half instantly. If it werent for his current high Vitality Points, he might have been killed in one strike. After the big move, Song Jian still had an adverse Burned status, losing thirteen Vitality Points per second for eight seconds. Is the release speed of this big move so fast that it doesnt even give me time to respond? Song Jian couldnt help but quip. If there was a team, one move would wipe out more than half of us. After releasing the big move, the mutated tortoise beast looked visibly tired. It curled up its four limbs and lay down by the river bank, partially exposing its head. Song Jians eyes brightened and he rushed over without waiting for his Vitality Points to fully recover. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Broken Wing Dance! In an instant, the BOSS had several damage numbers of over a hundred floating above its head, and Fatigue Status appeared in its status bar. Keer, attack quickly! Seeing Li Keer in a daze at the side, Song Jian quickly called out to her. Okay, alright! Li Keer also had a look of shock on her face. She hadnt expected that the previous big move had no effect on Song Jian. Instead, it made him more aggressive and his damage had greatly increased. At that moment, a massive projection of a Desert Scorpion Beast appeared out of thin air and joined the attacking team. Under the onslaught of the team, by the time the BOSSS fatigue state ended, its Vitality Points had already dropped to one third. This fatigue state had at least saved Song Jian half an hours worth of attack time. The ensuing fight reverted back to the previous state of slowly whittling down the opponents Vitality Points. Song Jian had to carefully allocate his skill damage to counter the BOSSS Vitality recovery speed while also being alert for another big move by the BOSS. The Desert Scorpion Beast projection had disappeared and wouldnt reappear in a short time, which greatly reduced Song Jians damage. Song Jian was reluctant to haphazardly use Sword Shadow Step and was always ready to release Immortal Sword Body. The previous big move didnt cause critical hits, but if three critical hits had occurred in one go, it would have directly killed Song Jian. Although the probability was low, he had to remain vigilant. The Weakness Potion was used up quickly, already ten-plus bottles gone since the start. Without the defense reduction from the Weakness Potion, fighting the BOSS would have been even more difficult. When the BOSSS Vitality Points dropped to 15%, it finally launched another big move. This time, Song Jian released Sword Shadow Step and Immortal Sword Body. He charged at the mutated tortoise beast, amidst the falling burning rocks. Hearts Eye! Song Jians eyes sparkled. A giant crimson crosshair continuously scanned the body of the mutated tortoise beast. In no time at all, the crosshair stopped at the beasts left eye, its only weak spot. Sword Finger! Taking advantage of the roaring sound and the spreading smoke and dust, Song Jian withstood several burning rocks, rushed up to the front of the tortoise beast, and stabbed forward with his left index finger. A three-metre-long silver Sword Qi emitted dazzling light, shining brightly even in the smoke and dust. Pff- The dazzling Sword Qi pierced into the left eye of the tortoise beast. Blood sprayed out and a critical hit damage number of over three hundred floated up from the top of the beasts head. Roar~ The tortoise beast let out a crazed roar and raised its head as if preparing another skill. Foot Kick! Song Jian kicked the rocky tortoise beast hard, and his right foot felt as if it had struck a sheet of iron, causing a piercing pain. However, this hit interrupted the rocky tortoise beasts preparation to release its skill. Its roar stopped abruptly, and at that moment, a spinning purple-black fireball fell from the sky, striking the monsters held-high head dead on. Bang! The purple-black fireball exploded on its head in an instant, a wave of purple-black flames engulfed the rocky tortoise beasts massive body. Roar! A young black dragon let out a high roar, a hint of fatigue appearing on its face. Flapping its wings, it flew to Song Jians side. Song Jians attack didnt stop, he directly activated the Rapid Sword skill, drastically increasing his attack speed. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand left a trail of dark red streaks in the air, slashing fiercely onto the rocky tortoise beast. Fast, fast, fast! Song Jians attack speed seemed to break through the sky, even creating illusions in his swing. Taking advantage of the BOSSS fatigue status, he crazily output all his skills, dumping all of them onto the BOSS. -89 -96 -102 A string of damage numbers sprang from the BOSSS head. The mutated rocky tortoise beast, having fallen into a state of fatigue, seemed to sense its imminent death. Panic flashed in its eyes, but at this point, it couldnt move at all and could only passively receive a lot of damage. 3,2,1 The fatigue state ended, and the mutated rocky tortoise beast suddenly stood up, glared fiercely at Song Jian, and headed towards the Song Gong River. Shoot, its trying to run! Song Jian was alarmed and quickly checked his status. At this time, his spirit points had just recovered to 54%. Without wasting any more time, Song Jian immediately used the Eye-beam Kill! His vertical pupil opened, and a silver beam burst out, hitting the mutated rocky tortoise beast in the blink of an eye; Boom, boom, boom A series of explosions sounded on the rocky tortoise beasts body. Huge chunks of rock fell from it. Finally, with a miserable cry, it fell down on the ground, not even six meters away from the Song Gong River, turning into a pile of giant rubble. A golden light burst from the young black dragon, theexperience gained from defeating the rocky tortoise beast helped it level up, turning it into a level ten elite BOSS. The leveled-up black dragon let out an excited roar and even without Song Jians command, it entered the pet space by itself and started sleeping deeply. Song Jian was surprised and immediately checked the pets attributes. Finding no anomalies except for the deep sleep, he let out a sigh of relief and closed the pet interface. The experience from a level fifteen elite BOSS was plentiful, but not enough for Song Jian to level up again, it only increased his experience bar by 8%. Thats amazing, Brother Jian is amazing! Li Keer exclaimed excitedly and ran towards Song Jian. Song Jian smiled faintly, resisting the fatigue, he pulled Li Keer and walked towards the rocky tortoise beast; Chapter 295 - Chapter 295: Chapter 295: Mineral Seed Chapter 295: Chapter 295: Mineral Seed Translator: 549690339 Having defeated the enormous Rock Turtle Beast BOSS, Song Jian began to search through the pile of rubble. Although this Rock Turtle Beast BOSS was only a level 15 elite, its power was comparable to a level 20 elite BOSS. Even a well-organized team would struggle to kill it without strong DPS and an MT to hold its aggro. They might even end up exhausting their supplies and getting wiped out. Therefore, the items dropped by this BOSS would surely be much better than those of an ordinary level 15 elite BOSS; Song Jian was quite looking forward to it. Wow, not bad! It actually dropped a silver-quality shield! This can definitely be sold for a high price. Those warring alliances might even fight each other bloody over it, Song Jians eyes sparkled with delight. Rock Turtle Shield (Silver), Shield, Equip effect: Defense +10, defense rate +34%, strength +2, constitution +3, vitality points +200. Special effect: Boulder Fortitude (active), instant cast, increases self-defense by 30 after activation, reduces 25% of attack damage, reflects 10% of melee damage, self-immobility for 5 seconds; Equip requirement: 10 points in strength; Equip level: 15; Can be removed from the game: No Even among silver equipment, such stats were considered exceptional. Equipping it greatly increased ones defense, and vitality points were boosted by 260. Most level 10 players probably didnt even have that many vitality points. As for the 10 points in strength required, that should be easy for anyone in a close range defense profession to meet. As strength and constitution were core stats for them, they would spare no expense in increasing them. Apart from the shield, the BOSS also dropped a pet egg, a few pieces of dark iron ore, and an oblong grey stone the size of a fist, pulsating like a heart. Pet Egg C Rock Turtle Beast, after hatching, a level 1 elite Rock Turtle Beast pet will be obtained. Vitality 500/500, spirit points: 100/100, characteristics: ultra-defense, ultra-recovery, skills: taunt, reflect damage; pet description: this pet carries a trace of Black Tortoise bloodline, immune to intimidation from all creatures, purification of the bloodline can enable the pet to evolve. This pet egg is nice; a Rock Turtle Beast is a natural MT! Song Jian said, surprised. Turning to Li Keer, he asked, Keer, youre a long-range profession player. With this pet to tank for you, itll be much easier for you to level up. Do you want it? Li Keer frowned slightly, glancing at the BOSS that was now a pile of rubble and the dusty pet egg in Song Jians hand. After hesitating for a while, she finally nodded and reluctantly took the pet egg. Hatch! Li Keer immediately hatched the pet egg. A burst of light radiated from the pet egg, and more light shot out from within. In no time, countless rays of light enveloped the entire pet egg. With a crack, a mini-rock turtle appeared in Li Keers palm. Its so ugly! Li Keer complained. Take good care of it. Its a pet with a Black Tortoise bloodline. It might evolve into a divine beast someday! Song Jian consoled. Little Purple, come out and meet your new buddy! Li Keer raised her hand, and a jade-purple pet appeared above her head. This pet was Li Keers first, and it used to be the size of a palm. Now, it had grown to the size of a soccer ball and reached level 10. Unfortunately, although it looked pretty, it was just an ordinary quality pet, incomparable to the elite BOSS born Rock Turtle Beast pet. However, it was clear that Li Keer favored Little Purple over the Rock Turtle. The small Rock Turtle scrambled restlessly on Li Keers hands, making weak cries towards her. Li Keer seemed quite experienced, quickly taking out a finger-thick strip of meat from her inventory and holding it to the Rock Turtle Beasts mouth. The Rock Turtle Beast swallowed it in one bite. After several pieces of meat were fed to it, the Rock Turtle Beast warmed up to Li Keer and kept rubbing its head against her palm. Hehe, tickles! Li Keer laughed, then put the Rock Turtle Beast on the ground. The palm-sized Rock Turtle closely followed her, looking fearful and pitiful. Song Jian smiled faintly, his gaze falling on the remaining ore and the stone that resembled a beating heart. The ore was ordinary dark iron ore, a type of forging material that could also be used in the manufacture of engineering instruments. However, the pulsating stone seemed peculiar. Mineral Seed (Special), can be planted; Use effect: plant this item in the Spirit Field, and theres an 85% chance of harvesting 10 random 1st to 3rd rank ores, a 50% chance of harvesting 3rd to 5th rank ores, a 30% chance of harvesting 6th to 7th rank ores, a 10% chance of harvesting an 8th rank ore, and a 1% chance of harvesting a 9th rank ore! Planting time: 6 hours; Planting requirement: occupies two Spirit Field spaces; Item description: This item cannot be moved after planting, and after 300 hours, it will form a small ore mother, increasing production! This thing is quite good! Though the yield is a bit low. Song Jian looked curiously at the inconspicuous Mineral Seed. With this item, it was like having a small mine! To other players, this item might seem a bit useless. Besides occupying two Spirit Field spaces, it only produces ten ores every six hours. If you were to mine ores in a mine instead, even a beginner miner could gather dozens or even hundreds of times more ores in six hours. Now, players levels are low, and they dare not venture into the subway station to mine. However, as time passes, and players levels and strength increase, allowing them to safely enter and exit subway stations, the usefulness of the Mineral Seed would decline even further. By then, it might be more beneficial to use the two Spirit Field spaces for planting other things. It still has some value at this stage; Ill take it back and plant it to give it a try! Song Jian thought to himself. Keer, Im taking this Mineral Seed! Song Jian showed her the Mineral Seed and said. Li Keer glanced at the grey Mineral Seed and waved her hand nonchalantly. Take it, take it! She looked down at the small Rock Turtle closely following her and muttered, If I had known the spoils were these dusty items, I wouldnt have come to fight this BOSS. I dont like any of them! Neither of us can use this shield, lets sell it at the auction house and split the Doomsday Coins! Song Jian glanced at the silver-quality shield and said. He estimated that the silver-quality shield would be worth at least 5,000 Doomsday Coins. If several battling alliances competed for it, it wouldnt be surprising if the price exceeded 10,000 coins. Alright, big brother Song Jian, weve finished fighting the BOSS, so Im leaving. Bye! Li Keer waved at Song Jian and then summoned a red warhorse. She rode off on the warhorse and soon disappeared from Song Jians sight. Hey, I was going to say Before Song Jian had a chance to speak, Li Keer had already run far away. Shaking his head helplessly, Song Jian collected the items and rode his motorcycle towards his Manor Castle. Chapter 296 - Chapter 296: Chapter 296 Shadow District Chapter 296: Chapter 296 Shadow District Translator: 549690339 | Back at his Manor Castle, Song Jian immediately cleared two Spirit Fields and planted the Mineral Seeds, then instructed someone to guard it, collecting every six hours. Since the types of ores produced were random, although the quantities werent large, there was a great variety. Song Jian even allocated a large room to serve as a warehouse specifically for storing the ores produced by the Mineral Seeds. After setting everything in order, Song Jian went to the auction house and put his Silver quality Rock Turtle Shield up for auction, starting the bid at five thousand Doomsday Coins and a buyout price of twenty thousand Doomsday Coins. Inspecting his inventory, Song Jian saw a Damaged Fire God Battle Flag, a two-handed weapon that could summon two Fire Element Elves to assist in battle. However, the slot it occupied was already taken by the Fifth Middle School Flag he had equipped C a piece of gear that was more powerful and capable of evolution. He didnt have the heart to discard it. Considering the circumstances, it seemed that he would have to sell the Damaged Fire God Battle Flag for some Doomsday Coins instead. Just as Song Jian was about to pick up the Damaged Fire God Battle Flag to place it in the auction house, he unexpectedly received a system prompt: System: Your weapon Fifth Middle School Flag meets its evolution requirements. The system detects you have the evolutionary helper, Damaged Fire God Battle Flag. Do you want to consume the Damaged Fire God Battle Flag to evolve the Fifth Middle School Flag? It met the evolution requirements? How? What are the requirements? Song Jian was dumbfounded, not understanding what was happening. Nonetheless, he knew to evolve his School Flag so he immediately selected that option; A flash of white light, the Fire God Battle Flag disappeared from his inventory, and a layer of red flames ignited on the Fifth Middle School Flag in his equipment slot. The gear was now sealed with a progress bar beneath that would take about three hours to complete the evolution. Without the attribute bonuses from his school flag, Song Jians power took a slight hit. However, it didnt matter. In three hours, once the evolution was complete, the school flag would definitely be even more formidable. Closing his equipment window and preparing to leave, he suddenly heard a bystander exclaim, Damn, such a strong shield, and someones selling it?! Have they gone mad! What shield? Where? Let me see! Were short of a shield in our alliance C is it of Blue quality? another person promptly circled around upon hearing his words. Oh my God, its a Silver quality shield! I must notify our leader! With this shield, wouldnt the Underground Fight Clubs dungeon be a piece of cake Damn, the starting price is five thousand Doomsday Coins, and its already increased to seven thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins now, have people gone mad?! Our leader has given me an order C we must win this shield no matter what it costs. Ten thousand Doomsday Coins, hmph, lets see who dares to bid higher! Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt expected the auction house would go haywire over a Silver quality shield in just a few minutes. In Doomsday City, there are dozens of alliances. The price had already reached thirteen thousand Doomsday Coins within minutes. Song Jian felt a pang of regret. The buyout price he set was too low. Going by this speed, someone might really buy it out. Once an auctioned item is sold, it cannot be withdrawn. Even if Song Jian wanted to buy it back with his own money, it wouldnt be possible. He could only watch as the price of his shield steadily increased. Fortunately, when the price reached fifteen thousand Doomsday Coins, the number of bidders sharply decreased, and the increments of each bid also significantly dropped. It seemed like no result would be reached in a short while. Song Jian smirked and headed out of the auction house, setting off for the level 15 monster area to level up. Song Jian was only half a step away from level 15. The piece of leather armor in his inventory had been sitting quietly for quite some time now. He was eager and couldnt wait to put it on. In Doomsday City, there were quite a few level 15 monster zones. Song Jian chose the nearest one, the Shadow District. The Shadow District was dangerous with invisible Assassin class Zombies everywhere and it had the most roaming NPCs. Many level-i5+ professional players loved to hunt monsters here. On the one hand, they could drop an Assassin classs core Stealth Skill Book. On the other hand, they might get lucky and recruit the NPCs here as Followers. However, only those players confident in their own abilities would dare to venture mto this region. Many players would be stripped of all their belongings and equipment before getting discarded like a dead pig soon after entering the area. Song Jian chose to level up here mainly because the monsters here provided 30% more Experience Points than those of the same level in other areas, and it was the closest to the auction house. As for the monsters here being able to turn invisible, to Song Jian, who owned a Snakes Pupil auxiliary equipment, it was nothing. Song Jian went through a filthy alley and into the Shadow District. Upon entering, he couldnt help but frown. Everything in front of him made him feel like he had stepped into a slum. The area was full of decrepit old houses, sewage everywhere, and the air was filled with a faint stench. As soon as he entered, he could clearly sense several malicious gazes assessing him up and down. These gazes were filled with greed and malice, like wild animals in the dark examining their prey, making him very uncomfortable. Walking down the road, mysterious figures appeared on both sides from time to time. Some were rugged and brutal, looking like street thugs, while others were completely wrapped in black hoods, even hiding their names and attributes. Song Jian cautiously watched his surroundings, wary of every creature he could see. Just then, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. A gust of wind came from behind his head, and a sharp blade suddenly appeared mid-air, stabbing towards Song Jians back of the head. Spinning around, he flicked his left index finger, and a silver Sword Qi emerged with a dazzling light, illuminating the dimly-lit street around him; What appeared before Song Jian was a hunched semi-transparent figure. His right hand gripped tightly onto a dagger made of bone, thrusting it towards Song Jian. Thud! The figures bone dagger had struck Song Jian in the chest, colliding against his Zombie Overlord Chestplate, emitting a metallic clang. A damage count of over thirty floated over Song Jian, while his Sword Finger had swept across the figures shoulder, leaving behind a bone-deep wound. LV15 Mad Assassin Zombie (Normal), Vitality Points: 910/1100, Spirit Points: 300/300, Specialty: Bloodlust, Skills: Stealth, Deathblow. Upon inflicting damage, the Assassin Zombie, whose figure had gradually materialized, had blood-red eyes. Its entire face twisted into a grotesque shape as it made a hoarse growl from its mouth. Looking desperate, it charged at Song Jian. Chapter 297 - Chapter 297: Chapter 297: Hidden Mission Chapter 297: Chapter 297: Hidden Mission Translator: 549690339 | Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, charging towards the zombie assassin. After three moves, the floating zombie assassin roared wildly, but it was unable to control its own body. Rapid Sword! Song Jians attack speed instantly increased a lot. Even though it was just a basic attack, it created an illusion as if he was using a skill. A series of damage numbers floated up from the zombie assassins head. By the time the zombie assassins floating state ended and its body heavily fell to the ground, its vitality points had reduced to less than half. Then, before it even got up, a transparent psychic sword fiercely slashed towards it. This zombie assassin didnt even notice where the attack was coming from when it suddenly felt a sharp pain followed by the sensation as if its head was in a juicer. It immediately let out a mournful scream that made all the NPCs on the whole street shiver. Oh my, that was brutal! What did you do to that poor zombie assassin to make it scream so horribly? Several NPCs who originally poked their heads out of their doors were suddenly so scared that they shivered and immediately withdrew their heads. With a bang, they closed their doors tightly and hid inside the house, shivering with terror. For irrational monsters, the fear of the psychic sword was not weaker than gene zombies. Watching the zombie assassin rolling on the ground clutching its head, Song Jian didnt even bother using his skills and directly used basic attacks to harvest the remaining vitality points of the monster. With a clear and crisp sound, a skill stone rolled out from under the zombie assassins body. Song Jian picked it up and took a look, a smile appearing on his face. What a great start! The dropped skill stone was the core legacy skill of the assassin, Stealth. An assassin without stealth was like a tiger without claws and teeth, not even as good as a Hello KITI. Almost all professions could bully them. However, assassins who mastered Stealth suddenly became top-notch killers, feared by all other professions. In the auction house, the price of Stealth was consistently high. Some even directly offered 3,000 Doomsday Coins to purchase it but got mocked by a group of people. The price of such core skills was at least 5,000 Doomsday Coins, and they were rarely available. Good luck, the first monster dropped stealth! Song Jians face was filled with a satisfied smile, putting the skill stone into his inventory. He had heard that someone had hunted zombie assassins here for three days and nights without getting Stealth. It really depended on ones luck and face. After killing the zombie assassin, those malicious gazes secretly staring at Song Jian from the shadows all disappeared. Such a ruthless person was not someone they could deal with. Not wanting to wait, Song Jian directly opened his third eye and looked around. Soon, he discovered that there were at least a dozen stealthy zombie assassins wandering aimlessly on the whole street. The names of these zombie assassins were all blood-red, belonging to the actively attacking monsters. Once a player entered their alert range, they would actively attack the players. After opening his vertical pupil, Song Jian charged towards the nearest zombie assassin and struck it out of its stealth state with a single sword swing. Without stealth, the zombie assassin lost many of its powerful first-move skills and could only fight Song Jian head-on like a warrior. However, a zombie assassin that had lost its stealth and first-move skills had a strength barely comparable to a level 10 ordinary melee monster, and it was no match for Song Jian. After a series of skills, Song Jian hadnt even lost a tenth of his vitality points, yet he had already taken down a monster higher in level than himself. Although the experience given by the zombie assassins was not as much as that of gene warriors, they were much easier to kill. Song Jian could even fight three or even four of them simultaneously. His efficiency was somewhat faster than hunting gene warriors. Before long, Song Jian had killed a whole street full of zombie assassins. The mournful screams of the zombie assassins before death occasionally echoed through the entire street. Almost all NPCs hid in their houses, making the whole street deserted and forbidden. Having killed so many zombie assassins, only a pile of cloth and about three hundred Doomsday Coins had dropped, not to mention skill stones, not even a single ordinary material had dropped. However, being able to harvest one stealth skill stone made this monster-killing trip very profitable. Moreover, his level had also increased to 87% of level 14. He would soon reach level 15. At this moment, an old man in a clean white robe, shakily leaning on a walking stick, slowly walked to Song Jian. It was unexpected that an NPC dressed so spotlessly would appear in this street filled with garbage and sewage. There was a feeling of mismatch between this NPC and the environment. Thank you, heaven-sent divine follower, fearless warrior! Expressed the old man gratefully to Song Jian, Thank you for getting rid of the villains on this street. Because of these infected ones, we havent been able to leave our houses for a long time! Song Jian sneered in his heart. All the NPCs on this street were not originally from the Shadow District. The original inhabitants of the city were few and far between. Most of them appeared in the city only after the players showed up and under the arrangement of the systems divine will. This old mans posture as if he was a native of the Shadow District made Song Jian feel disgusted. Its nothing. Its what I must do! With an air of righteousness, Song Jian had naturally learned how to talk with these NPCs after being in the game for so long. He just needed to follow their lead to possibly get some side missions or even hidden missions. Moreover, it was obvious that the appearance of this old man was a kind of hidden reward for killing all the zombie assassins in the entire street. He must be able to benefit from this old man. Fearless warrior, I am the speaker of this district. In the depths of the Shadow District, there is a hidden library. However, this library has now been occupied by demons. I wonder if you could help us drive away the demons there so that the children here can learn some knowledge? The old man looked at Song Jian with hope in his cloudy eyes. Children? Are there any children here? Song Jian muttered in his heart. The whole street was full of adults, and he had not seen any trace of children. System: Do you accept the hidden quest Clean the Library? Of course, I am willing to accept this mission! Regardless of the complaints, the quest had to be accepted. The completion evaluation of the main quest was not only related to this but also the generous rewards of side quests. Please follow me, warrior! After Song Jian accepted the quest, a glimmer of light flashed in the old mans eyes, and he walked towards the depths of the Shadow District with the help of his walking stick. Chapter 298 - Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Mutated Soul Body Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Mutated Soul Body Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian followed the old man, heading towards the end of the Shadow District. Along the way, virtually all the NPCs in the houses began to whisper amongst themselves. Some even peeked out from the gaps of their doors. Another one So powerful, maybe he can Hes our, hopefully he can Whispers drifted into Song Jians ears. He couldnt make out what they were discussing, but clearly, it revolved around the task he had accepted. Cough cough- The old man suddenly coughed, glancing towards the houses on either side. His previously murky eyes now held a hint of sharpness, silencing the whispers around them as silence was restored. Warrior, this way, the library is just ahead! The old man looked frail, as if he might collapse at any moment. Song Jian nodded, becoming a little more cautious. It seems this hidden task of cleaning the library is not as simple as I thought Song Jian privately mused. Soon, led by the old man, Song Jian arrived in front of a dilapidated building. The building looked like a three-story country house, with much of the exterior paint already corroded and stripped off, revealing the blue bricks underneath. The surroundings were littered with rubbish and fallen leaves. It didnt seem anyone had cleaned up in a long time. Nobody has approached this place for a long time since demons have occupied it the old man sighed, Warrior, the demons are in the library. You must kill them all and restore the peace here! Song Jian nodded, not saying a word as he headed straight towards the library. The old man, leaning on his cane, stood by the door, his eyes following Song Jian until he disappeared inside the library. At that moment, a beam of slanted sunlight cast a shadow. The old mans shadow became distorted, appearing much taller and covered with sharp spines, even two curved horns appeared on his head. Quickly, the sunlight shifted, and the old mans shadow gradually disappeared, as though what just occurred was only an illusion. Song Jian entered the library alone. He looked around at the dust-covered tables and books, the thick layer of dust on the shelves indicating they had been untouched for decades. Instead of a library, it resembled a haunted house. Just then, a translucent Soul Body appeared from the corridor next to the bookshelf. On seeing Song Jian, it roared, Blasphemer, all you invaders will die! The semi-transparent Soul Body wore heavy plate armor and held a double-handed sword, much like a knight from the medieval times. -LV15 Mutated Soul Body (Normal), Vitality Points: 1900/1900, Spirit Points: 500/500, Traits: Ethereal Body, Skills: Slash, Leap Slash, Holy Light Slash Ethereal Body? Song Jian frowned. This name reminded him of a Soul Body monster he encountered before, except that monsters ability was called Void. Looking at the status bar, indeed, the Ethereal Body trait offered a 60% reduction in physical damage. Physical attacks likely wouldnt be of much use against this monster. If Song Jian were a mage, hunting this monster would undoubtedly be exciting. Regardless, Song Jian wasnt out of options. He pulled out a bottle of Fire Lizard Medicine and applied it. Instantly, a flicker of burning flame appeared on his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. The Fire Lizard Medicine imbued the attack with fire property. Coupled with Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi, dealing with this kind of Soul Body monster was quite simple. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An invisible long sword materialized above Song Jians head. As he swung his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, the invisible sword also swooped towards the Mutated Soul Body. Swish swish swish- A series of damages exceeding 200 points floated above the Mutated Soul Bodys head. The Spirit Sword damage was incredibly high, and almost every strike resulted in double critical hit damage. The Mutated Soul Body couldnt even close the distance to Song Jian, passively absorbing the endless pain the Spirit Sword awarded. Boom! As the three-second mark hit, Song Jian made the Spirit Sword explode, inflicting over 300 points of vitality point damage to the Mutated Soul Body yet again. Just one skill brought the Mutated Soul Bodys vitality points to below one thousand. This is even easier than the zombie assassins! Song Jian brandished the blazing long sword, applying other sword skills as he dashed towards the Mutated Soul Body. The Mutated Soul Body wailed continuously. It didnt even manage to use any skills before Song Jian exterminated it. A heavy sigh sounded as the Mutated Soul Body clasped its hands together. The armor across its body fell off piece by piece. The double-handed sword also disappeared. Finally, only a simple cloth robe remained. A beam of white light descended from above the deceased Mutated Soul Bodys head, sucking it into mid-air, where it vanished. All that remained was a gray orb burning with a white flame. Mutated Soul Seed (White): Consumable, increases Holy damage by 30 points, lasts 30 seconds. The effect can be stacked up to 100 times. Song Jian collected the Mutated Soul Seed. Although it was engulfed in a white flame, it didnt feel hot at all. This item would be most effective against specific monsters. After a glance, Song Jian stowed it in his inventory. Song Jian began roaming the library, hunting all the monsters inside. Do Soul Bodies also count as demons? And these Soul Bodies seem no different from humans, so they shouldnt be demons. Then where are the demons the old man from the district mentioned? Song Jian mused, becoming more curious about this hidden task he was given. Soon, a Mutated Soul Body rushed towards Song Jian from behind a row of bookshelves. They began to fight. In less than three minutes, Song Jian killed the monster. The Experience Points gained were handsome, and the Mutated Soul Body dropped another Mutated Soul Seed. Song Jian paid it no mind, picked it and stashed it in his inventory. In this manner, Song Jian began searching the first floor of the small building. In just over half an hour, he had searched the entire first-floor library and killed over thirty Mutated Soul Bodies. His Experience Points were at 93% at level 14. Moreover, oddly enough, besides the Soul Seed, these Mutated Soul Bodies had no other loot. All of them dropped a Soul Seed, and these Soul Seeds could be stacked. At this point, Song Jian had amassed thirty-nine Mutated Soul Seeds in his inventory. After combing through the first floor, as Song Jian approached the stairs to the second floor, he spotted a book emitting a faint white glow on a tilted bookshelf. Whats this? It seems like something I can pickup Song Jian couldnt resist walking toward the book. Chapter 299 - Chapter 299: Chapter 299 Sacred Parry Chapter 299: Chapter 299 Sacred Parry Translator: 549690339 | The bookshelf had been knocked over, leaning against the library wall and covered in dust. Beneath the thick layer of dust, a book was faintly emitting a white light. If Song Jian hadnt observed carefully, it would have been easy to overlook this book and proceed directly to the second floor. In the game, items worth searching for had their own white light, even those with miscellaneous attributes. If there was no visible glow, it indicated that the item had no value, and players didnt need to waste time and energy checking each one. For instance, there were hundreds or even thousands of books in this library. If each one were to be searched individually, it would waste too much time and energy. Therefore, most of the books without glow were worthless. Even if they were picked up and skimmed, the words on them were blurry and offered no benefit to the players. Song Jian stepped forward, dusted off the thick layer of dust, and picked up this book. Is this a diary? Havier must be the owner of this diary Song Jian casually flipped through it to find out that it was a diary of a low-level Priest named Havier, which recorded sporadic trivial things. May 18, the whole temple seems to be in a state of restlessness today, even the Red Cloak Priest doesnt have a smile on his face. I feel as if something big is going to happen May 21, today Vilanelle taught us the Sacred Prayer Skill. Vilanelle taught very well and had great patience. I spent more than an hour to grasp it. Im really stupid. The Sacred Prayer Skill is a necessary skill for the Dawn Priest. Perhaps in the future, I can also become a Dawn Priest. To prevent forgetting, Id better record the prayer while I remember it June 2, man-eating monsters have appeared in the city, the bishop told us that this is a devil invasion of the human world. It is the test of God, if we fail, the doomsday will come, everyone is terrified June 9, today Sofia Holy Knight gathered us and told us that it is becoming more and more dangerous outside. Maybe one day we will also take up arms and fight with those monsters. Sofia Holy Knight taught us a life-saving skill, Sacred Parry. This skill can allow us to escape from the threat of death once, I must record it in detail and strive to master it soon July 19, More and more people are starting to leave the city. Fewer and fewer believers come to the temple to pray. This morning, Karl told me that he heard strange voices talking to him in the library, he is scared July 29, The roaring sounds of the monsters outside are too loud, I cant sleep at all. I can only get up and pray to the deities to save us. The companions around me are starting to become more and more strange. They seem like strangers nowIn the middle of the night, there is a voice whispering by my ear, I cant hear it clearly, but it makes me feel comfortable, so comfortable September 3, Today Karl asked me to accompany him to the library. He said he had something to tell me. I wonder what he needed to tell me in the library. Karl is becoming stranger and stranger The diary ended here. This man named Havier must have encountered danger in the library, perhaps killed by a demon. Closing the diary, Song Jian sighed. From this diary, Song Jian gleaned a lot of information about the situation before the doomsday catastrophe. However, he did not find the temple mentioned in Haviers diary here. All he found was a library that had been abandoned for who knew how many years. This library could possibly be the one described in Haviers diary, but according to Haviers description, this library should be part of a temple. It was curious how it ended up in the Shadow District. Just then, the diary, which had been emitting white light, began to slowly break down into tiny sparkling white dots and float into the air after Song Jian read it. In just a short while, the diary vanished completely, as if it had never existed. Song Jian also received two prompts. System: You have read Haviers Diary, it gave you the method to practice the Sacred Prayer Skill. The system detected that you are not a long-range magic class, this method of practice has been removed; System: You have read Haviers Diary, it gave you the method to practice the Sacred Parry. The system detected you as a melee class Sword Controller, meet the conditions to practice this skill. You started to comprehend the method to practice Sacred Parry. Soon, a progress bar appeared in front of Song Jians eyes, slowly moving forward. In this state, Song Jian didnt dare to move. The text of Sacred Parry appeared in his mind. Five minutes passed, the progress bar finally reached the end. The system prompted Song Jian that he had mastered the skill Sacred Parry. Looking at the first system prompt, Song Jian felt a bit disappointed. If only he had come across this diary before accepting his occupation. He would have been able to learn the Sacred Prayer Skill, and might have encountered the occupation of a Dawn Priest, but now he had accepted the role of the Sword Controller, a melee class, he naturally couldnt learn this method of the Priest class skill. However, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to reach the Shadow District, this library, or this diary, had he not accepted his occupation. As a matter of fact, Haviers diary records quite a few skills of the Dawn Priest and the Dawn Paladin, but other skills did not describe clearly, clearly showing that Havier hadnt come across any profound skills, merely learning these skills through observing and chatting with others. Naturally, it wouldnt enable one to comprehend. Only the Sacred Prayer Skill and the Sacred Parry are the skills he himself mastered, therefore they are recorded with detailed practice methods. Though there are tens of thousands of player occupations, they can be roughly divided into ranged and melee; physical and magic. Hence, irrespective of the players occupation, as long as they find Haviers Diary, they can learn a skill from it. Although there was some regret, Song Jians attention was quickly caught by the Sacred Parry skill. Sacred Parry (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After release, it can block the next damage to oneself within the next three seconds, and simultaneously reflects 110% of the damage received into holy damage and attack the opponent; Cooldown Time: 3 minutes; Skill Consumption: 10 Spirit Points, successful parry returns consumption; Equipment Requirements: Melee Weapons. After reading the introduction to Sacred Parry, Song Jian couldnt help but reveal a joyous expression. As expected of a lifesaving divine skill, it could completely dodge the next damage he would receive. It was akin to the legendary divine skill Absolute Defense, if used properly, it could save his life once. What a pity that this skill isnt sword technique, or else I would have completed my main task. Though Song Jian voiced his regret, his expression showed no signs of being disappointed. After carefully searching again, he decided to head to the second floor. Chapter 300 - Chapter 300: Chapter 300: Sacred Spirit Chapter 300: Chapter 300: Sacred Spirit Translator: 549690339 1 Upon ascending to the second floor, Song Jian scanned the surrounding area. The second floor looked similar to the first, with several tables and chairs for reading and rows of bookshelves. Many of these wooden desks and shelves were dilapidated and crumbling, with a slight touch turning them into dust. Most of them were toppled over in a haphazard manner, coated with a thick layer of dust. There were also many mutated soul bodies wandering aimlessly around the second floor, passing through any obstructing bookshelves or tables. The appearance of these mutated soul bodies differed greatly from those on the first floor. The ones on the first floor were armored, gripping heavy swords in the form of knights, while the ones here were dressed in white long robes, some clasping a codex in their hands, others holding a short staff, resembling clergy. The number of mutated soul bodies here was higher than on the first floor. After scanning them, Song Jians gaze shifted to the disorderly bookshelves. The Sacred Parry he obtained on the first floor delighted him. He could only hope the second floor would hold similar surprises. Raising the Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow, Song Jian aimed at the closest mutated soul body. Whizz, whizz, whizz- Releasing the crossbows inbuilt three-shot skill, three flaming bolts shot towards the mutated soul body; -12 -8 -3 As a Sword Controller, the damage Song Jian caused using the Skeleton Crossbow was extremely low. Add to that, the mutated soul bodys inherent 6o% physical damage reduction, if it werent for the crossbows built-in fire damage, it would hardly scratch the enemys defenses. The damaged mutated soul body roared and pounced at Song Jian, stopping three or four meters away from him. The pages of the codex it held began to flip automatically while it started to chant a spell. Immediately, a small cluster of rotating dark clouds appeared above Song Jians head, and a thick bolt of lightning darted down towards him from the cloud. Is this a lightning spell? Song Jian hesitated briefly. In a split second, he executed the newly learned Sacred Parry. Suddenly, Song Jian, with the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in hand, made a charging movement, and a faint golden aura emerged on his bodys surface. Boom! The lightning strike descended right above Song Jians head, but was blocked by the light golden aura on his body surface. MISS The attack was parried, and afterwards, a radiant golden light enveloped Song Jian. A surge of power concentrated on his right hand which held the longsword. In one swift motion, he thrust it forward, a dazzling golden Sword Qi pierced towards the mutated soul body; Bam! With a muffled sound, the golden Sword Qi exploded on the mutated soul bodys chest, immediately causing it to stagger backward, and a damage number of over a hundred points floated above its head. This Sacred Parry skill, is really impressive! Song Jian cracked a slight smile and directly executed the Sword Shadow Step, charging towards the mutated soul body. The mutated soul body, which had been counterattacked by Sacred Parry, revealed a confused look. The scene before its eyes seemed familiar, yet it couldnt recall where it had seen it before. Seeing Song Jian transformed into a shadow and pounced at it, a fierce emotion welled up in its heart, it made a hehe roaring sound, and the flipping speed of the codex in its hand increased. Kick! Song Jian, who had rushed to the front of the mutated soul body, viciously kicked it. The chanting mutated soul body, now resembled as if someone had choked its neck, the spell was abruptly ended, a damage number of over eighty points immediately floated above its head. Sword Silk! Broken Wing Dance! Rapid Sword, activate! After a series of skills, the mutated soul body let out a tragic cry and turned into a soul seed, burning with white flames. Apart from this mutated soul seed, theres no other loot. But the experience is quite high, significantly higher than the level fifteen monsters I fought the day before yesterday. Song Jian thought to himself as he went for another mutated soul body. After spending a little over an hour, Song Jian exterminated all the mutated soul bodies on the second floor. His experience points increased to level fourteen, 98%, and he also harvested over sixty mutated soul seeds. Now, he had over a hundred mutated soul seeds in his bag, unsure of what they were useful for, he decided to stow them away for the time being. After clearing out the monsters on this floor, Song Jian began to meticulously search the books in the shelves, hoping to find a book that could record a skill. After spending about ten minutes perusing over ten rows of shelves, he didnt make any new discoveries, which left Song Jian feeling disappointed. With a sigh, Song Jian continued his journey to the third floor. Upon reaching the third floor, Song Jian found that the third floor was eerily empty, without anything, or so it seemed to be! Song Jian noticed a gigantic magic array etched on the floor of the third floor. The magic array was sketched entirely in a blazing red pigment, resembling fresh blood. Despite the considerable amount of time the place had been abandoned, the magic array looked vivid as if it had just been inscribed. Destroy it, destroy this magic array. Once this magic array is destroyed, you can eradicate the demon here and restore tranquility to the whole block From beside Song Jian, a soft voice suddenly rang out. The voice was full of allure, very pleasant to the ears, and it made people irresistibly want to do as it told. Song Jian looked dazed, stepping forward unconsciously. Suddenly, a refreshing energy surged in his mind freeing him from this bewitching state. Seeing himself less than a meter away from the magic array gave Song Jian a cold sweat. What happened just now? Song Jian opened the system information prompt, and sure enough, he had been tempted by some mysterious power. Fortunately, his inherent skill Thick Skinned came into play rescuing him from this state. Song Jian looked at his taskbar and discovered the original task of eliminating the demon in the library had been modified to Destroy the Magick Array in front of you. This made Song Jian frown. This task was too strange, making him have a vague bad feeling, as if he had been fooled. Just as Song Jian was contemplating whether to cancel the task, the hidden task underwent another change, an update appeared in the task reward column. Originally, the task reward was simply three thousand Doomsday Coins and ten thousand Experience Points. Now, however, it had changed to an item radiating a holy glow. Sacred Spirit? Using it can increase all attributes by two points? Thats amazing! Song Jian couldnt help but widen his eyes, staring at the reward column of this hidden task. Song Jian checked the hidden task once more, fearful that any loophole might lead to a trap. After a long inspection, he finally nodded. As long as he destroyed the magic array in front of him, he could directly receive the Sacred Spirit. It was an amazing object capable of increasing all attributes by two points, and Song Jian was not going to let it slip through his fingers. Taking a deep breath, Song Jian walked up to the magic array, brandishing the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and slashed fiercely at the magic array. Chapter 301 - Chapter 301: Chapter 301: The Seal Chapter 301: Chapter 301: The Seal Translator: 549690339 | The decision-maker of the Shadow District, an old man who seemed to be frail and on the brink of death, was standing in front of the library without moving an inch. His face looked somewhat distorted, and his eyes were full of anger. Sacred Spirit, this treasure that I carefully crafted from the souls of ten Dawn Paladins I killed myself, I have to give it to this greedy human, unforgivable Greed is the original sin, the original sin! Damn humans, they can even resist the Demons Voice A little bit more, just a little bit more, as long as I can destroy the Magic Array, I can truly gain freedom. This time it was the closest Go on, with just one sword stroke, the array can be destroyed. Your strength has already gained my approval, and it should be able to destroy this Magic Array that has imprisoned me for more than ten years Freedom, the breath of freedom. I feel like I have already touched it in advance Like a madman, the old man stood in front of the library muttering to himself. The NPCs of the Shadow District slowly approached him and stood silently behind him. They seemed to be waiting for something. Bang! A loud noise came out from the library. The entire library began to shake violently, as if it was about to collapse the next moment. Hahaha, we did it, we succeeded! The old man, dropping his cane, laughed loudly to the sky. His body began to slowly grow bigger. His skin cracked and opened, looking rather terrifying. The NPCs behind him also cried out in fright, and they violently scratched their own skin, as if it was a set of worn-out clothes. They crumbled it up in large chunks and carelessly threw it on the ground. Soon, the old man turned into a three-metre-tall Great Demon with two horns on his head and spikes all over his body. The NPCs behind him became smaller devils, with red faces and ferocious appearances. A golden item flew from the body of the strongest Great Demon, flying towards Song Jian. The demon stared at the golden item, his eyes revealing a sense of pain. The power of the contract must not be defied, any creatures that violate it will be suppressed by the system. Even the Great Demon, dare not resist this mighty power. Besides, this Great Demon has been imprisoned for more than ten years C the reason the Magic Array continues to exist is that it has been constantly absorbing its power to maintain the Magic Array. After more than ten years of power draining, the strength of the Great Demon has plummeted to its lowest point. Boom~ With a loud noise, the whole library collapsed. A human covered in dust emerged, holding a dark red sword in one hand, and in his other hand, held the Sacred Spirit that had flown off the Great Demons body. Thats mine! The Great Demons eyes revealed a greedy look, and it roared: Kill him! The variously shaped small demons behind him roared and charged towards Song Jian. Song Jian looked up, seeing the small demons swarming towards him and was taken aback. How come there were so many monsters in front of him? These small demons were only ordinary monsters of level 15, but their number was so large that even Song Jian couldnt resist them all. Just as Song Jian wanted to escape, a clear girls voice rang out in the air. Disperse all evil, Divine Seal! Song Jian looked up and saw a 17 or 18-year-old girl floating in mid-air in a red robe. Her golden hair was swinging in the wind, in her left hand, she held a Codex emitting golden light, and in her right hand was a Magic Staff almost as tall as her. Priestess? Damn it, how can Dawn Officers appear now, you should have already been exterminated! The Great Demon looked at the girl with fear in his eyes, and roared angrily. The young female Priestess, with a solemn expression, was staring at the small demons below. Disgust appeared in her eyes, countless golden divine words condensed in the air, eventually forming a golden Divine Seal floating in front of her. Suppress! With a stern shout, the golden divine seal flew towards the small demons. As it fell, the originally palm-sized golden divine seal quickly expanded, covering all the small demons. Boom~ There was a shaking explosion. The dust burst out, and the energy spilled over. All the hundreds of small demons were killed instantly. Their bodies turned into plumes of black smoke that dissipated slowly between heaven and earth. The priestess slowly descended from the sky, looking at Song Jian with an unhappy expression. Youve released the demon of the Abyss ahead of time. Otherwise, in a few more years, the Magic Array would have absorbed all its power and completely eliminated it! Im sorry, I was tricked by him too, I thought it was just a regular hidden quest! Song Jian slightly bowed to the girl and apologized, meanwhile, he put the Sacred Spirit into his bag. All demons are adept at deceiving people, and people are all excessively greedy! The Priestess said expressionlessly. Song Jian suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He had noticed a problem with the mission at the end, but for the Sacred Spirit, he ultimately broke the Magic Array and broke all the constraints on the demons. Theres still one Great Demon left, do we need to kill it? Song Jian pointed to a gruesome demon that was more than three meters tall in front of him and asked. The demon in front of him was extremely weak. It was just a level 15 elite BOSS. Song Jian alone was also confident of eliminating it. We cant kill it now. The Priestess shook her head: Its demon origin power has not been fully consumed. No matter how many times it is killed, it can come back to life! Speaking of that, the Codex in the Priestesss left hand started to flip pages automatically, and it started to look alike to the scene when mutated Soul Bodies attacked in the second floor of the library before. Divine Cage, Seal, Suppress! The Priestess swung her Magic Staff with her right hand, pointed it at the Great Demon, and shouted harshly. The Great Demons face suddenly turned ugly. He wanted to turn around and run away, but he was chased down and tightly bound by three golden Chains made up of divine words. The golden divine chains passed through the body of the Great Demon, suppressing its body and soul. Finally, the body of the Great Demon began to petrify from bottom to top. After a short while, it turned into a stone sculpture of a struggling Great Demon bound by three chains. Hahaha, you cant trap me, I wont give up, we will meet again, and by then, it will be the time of your death! A gruesome face appeared on top of the demon stone statue. The face laughed loudly. The words it spoke were full of killing intention, and cold to the bone. It stared at Song Jian with blood-red eyes, as if it wanted to swallow him whole. Chapter 302 - Chapter 302: Chapter 302 Purchase Chapter 302: Chapter 302 Purchase Translator: 549690339 | Staring at the face on top of the demon statue, Song Jian couldnt help but complain: Why do you hate me? Your men werent killed by me, and you werent trapped by me. Injustice has its source, debts have their debtor Just at that moment, Song Jian suddenly felt two ill-intentioned gazes on him. His voice suddenly diminished and he awkwardly rubbed his nose. Having sealed the Great Demon, the Goddess Priestess also showed a hint of fatigue with fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. Alright, it is now sealed. After a hundred days, the divine text chains will have absorbed all of its Origin Power. At that point, it will perish completely once killed and wont resurrect again. The Goddess Priestess said. What about this statue, do we just leave it here? Song Jian pointed at the ferocious face in the air above the statue and said, Are you sure youve completely sealed it? Thats just the last vestiges of its demonic aura, coalesced together. It will dissipate slowly, theres no need to worry. The Goddess Priestess glanced at Song Jian, The statue can only be left here, but dont worry, if anyone with malicious intent tries to free the demon, the divine text chains sealing the demon will automatically attack, theres no|5]?! Song Jian took a look at the Goddess Priestess. Although her level wasnt high, only around thirty, her strength was extraordinarily formidable. He wondered how she had cultivated her powers. Could it be that the Dawn Priest could evolve into a Dawn Officer in the future? Im leaving, stay vigilant! The Goddess Priestess gave Song Jian a meaningful glance before disappearing into the shadows. Stay vigilant? What should I be vigilant about? The Great Demon has been sealed. It cant come out Song Jian found it odd. Right at that moment, Song Jian received two system notifications: System: You have received the Abyss Demons Evil Curse, your Luck -3; System: The Abyss Demon has started looking at you. After a hundred days, the seal of the Abyss Demon will be broken, and it will come looking for you. If you are killed by the Abyss Demon, your body will be seized by it! Damn, what the hell, are you crazy! Song Jian couldnt help but swear, Injustice has its source, debts have their debtor. Go find whoever sealed you! Why are you coming after me, do I look like an easy target to you? This Abyss Demon was clearly trying to bully the weak, most likely feeling that it wouldnt be able to defeat the Goddess Priestess. As a result, all its hatred was targeted at Song Jian, especially since Song Jian had taken its Sacred Spirit, it naturally became the Demons priority. In the daytime, the Rune Chains will fully drain the Abyss Demons Origin Power, and it will no longer be able to resurrect. It only needs to be killed once to eliminate it completely. For the Goddess Priestess, this Abyss Demon no longer has the qualifications to be an enemy anymore, so might as well just hand it over to this human in front of her. Song Jian is now cursed by the Abyss Demon and his Luck has decreased by three. This means that the likelihood of triggering any skills with a certain chance will decrease by 3%. The drop rate for defeating monsters will also decrease by 3%, and opening any chest or such drops by 3%. Its truly an unlucky predicament. Only after killing this Abyss Demon can the evil curse be broken. Hence, a battle between Song Jian and the Abyss Demon is inevitable! The grotesque face on the statue of the Abyss Demon continually howled and shouted at Song Jian, but soon dissipated into the air due to a lack of energy. The entire Shadow District went quiet, devoid of a single human figure. Song Jian looked left and right before walking towards the district exit. He went to the auction house and listed the Stealth Skill Stone. Then he checked the silver-grade shield hed put up for auction earlier. It had reached a price of 18,000 Doomsday Coins and seemed to not rise any higher. This price had far exceeded Song Jians initial estimate. Even if he split this with Li Keer, theyd each get close to 10,000 Doomsday Coins. It was a pretty good deal. Now, his bag held more than 15,000 Doomsday Coins. Adding the price of the shield and the stealth skill stone, Song Jians final Doomsday Coins might exceed 30,000. Even the alliances in the city probably didnt have as many Doomsday Coins as Song Jian. Storing this many Doomsday Coins in his bag was a waste, he needed to convert it into his own strength as soon as possible. After using the Sacred Spirit, all of Song Jians stats increased by 2 points. Now, his highest stat was not Strength but Agility. Not counting the additional attributes from the Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow and the School Flag, his Agility had already reached 16, and with equipment bonuses, it could reach 19. Even counting the equipment, his Strength was only 16. He was only 2% Experience Points away from reaching level 15. His Sword Finger Skill had the highest proficiency, already reaching 97% at level 2. It seemed that he would spend his next Skill Point on Sword Finger Skill. Song Jian opened the auction interface and started searching. After a long while, Song Jian shook his head. The equipment listed couldnt even compare to what he had, which is why a silver-grade shield could reach such a high price. It seemed that there was a shortage of good equipment. How could anyone put it up for auction when they were using it themselves? Closing the equipment auction interface, Song Jian opened the skill interface. There were even fewer skills listed than equipment, only two pages and just over a dozen skills. These skills were weak. Either they were attack skills with too little damage, had too severe of side effects, or required a special lineage or special weapon. And the prices were high. The cheapest skill started at 5,000 Doomsday Coins. They were just treating the other players like fools. Hence, none of these skills listed had received any bids. They were hanging there alone, waiting to be delisted when the time ran out. The auctioning player would even have to pay a listing fee for this. It was simply a major loss. Next, Song Jian opened the materials interface. This interface was much richer, filled with an array of materials. The most common were wood and stone materials. Since they were so abundant, the prices were very low, only slightly higher than selling to the system store. The rest were various types of ores, which were quite costly, followed by numerous materials dropped by monsters. Cooking, Alchemy, Pharmacy, Blacksmithing, Engineering, all kinds of materials were available. Besides, there were some rare and odd items. Players didnt even know what they were used for. These were classified as special materials by the system and thrown into the auction house, priced ridiculously high, which deterred buyers. Song Jian searched for the materials needed for the high explosive grenades. Surprisingly, he found seven to eight kinds. Although they werent cheap, they saved Song Jian a lot of time and energy, so Song Jian bought them all. He then purchased a large pile of materials needed to make the Self- destructing Robot. In an instant, the over 15,000 Doomsday Coins in his bag was halved, leaving him with less than a thousand. However, once the shield and Stealth Skill Stone were sold, Song Jians purse would be filled again, so he wasnt worried. After buying a huge amount of materials, Song Jian headed towards his Manor Castle. Chapter 303 - Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Modification Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Modification Translator: 549690339 | Upon returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian could not wait to start manufacturing Self-destructing Robots. The Self-destructing Robots, being disposable items, can be used all at once. A single robot could cause 200 points of damage, and if ten were used simultaneously, that increased to 2000 points of damage, enough to kill a level-10 elite boss outright. After placing all the materials onto the Engineering Crafting Table, the machine began to operate automatically, subtracting, extracting, fusing, and processing the ores. In no time, Song Jian saw the pieces of the Self-destructing Robots taking shape. Since it was component manufacturing, and Song Jians crafting skill had already increased to level 2, the component crafting was highly successful with minimal failure rates. Nearly seven to eight parts were manufactured before there was a defective one. Having used up all the materials, a large number of parts were produced, and Song Jians crafting skill level also successfully advanced to level 3. Now, it was up to Song Jian to do the assembly. If there were mishaps during assembly, there would be no Self-destructing Robot. Song Jian divided the produced parts into over a dozen piles, and began to install them one by one according to the instructions on the blueprint. After all, this was just a game. It was not as demanding as the real world. Song Jian only needed to assemble the dozen or so parts in order. The process was similar to building a Lego set. Soon, Song Jian had assembled his first Self-destructing Robot. System: You successfully created a Self-destructing Robot, increasing your crafting proficiency by 3 points, leveling experience by 300 points, and likewise obtaining a poor-quality Self-destructing Robot. Song Jian checked it out. The robot he had produced looked dumb, like a toy sold in toy stores for more than ten dollars. Its power was not as great as stated on the blueprint, it could only cause 110 points of damage from a range explosion, almost weak compared to the original version. The first one is just for practice; its already good that I managed to create it, Song Jian shrugged and comforted himself. He didnt expect that assembling the robot himself would yield leveling experience. Prior production of T-11 High-explosive Grenades only increased crafting proficiency, without leveling experience. At the sight of the experience bar, which was only 2% shy of reaching level 15, Song Jians mood immediately improved. Once he assembled the remaining dozen Self-destructing Robots, hed likely get directly promoted to level 15. With the first one as practice, Song Jians mood improved, making his assembling actions quicker and lighter than before. Its as smooth as flowing water, the rhythmic assembly sounds even felt like a pleasing melody. One by one, the Self-destructing Robots were assembled by Song Jian. Starting from the second robot, the power of the Self-destructing Robot had already increased to 200 points. By the fifth and sixth, the quality had become excellent, increasing the power to 250 points. The power difference between the first and the last robot was like heaven and earth. When the last Self-destructing Robot was finally assembled, Song Jian abruptly came out of his previous concentrated state, staring at the silver Self- destructing Robot, dumbstruck. This last robot differed greatly from the previous ones in design and color, now faded silver. It was more lively than before and looked like a piece of art carved by a master. As expected, Song Jians level increased to 15. Before, he had been eager to reach level 15 so he could wear the Ghost Battle Armor. But now, all his attention was on the silver Self-destructing Robot in his hands. Aa perfect quality Self-destructing Robot? Shocked, Song Jian looked at the attributes of the robot before him. System: The player has produced a perfect quality Self-destructing Robot, increasing crafting proficiency by 10 points, leveling experience by 1000 points; System: Congratulations, player, for being the first person among the god- blessed to create a perfect quality item, awarding 10,000 points of leveling experience; reward: one Crafting Table Modifier Stone. System: Congratulations, player, you have acquired the right to engrave your unique seal on manufactured products! Crafting Table Modifier Stone (Silver): After use, it can improve the Grade of the Engineering Crafting Table by one level; Modifier Stone? Thats an incredible thing. But why can it only be used to modify the Engineering Crafting Table? Song Jian looked at the Modifier Stone, glowing silver, in his backpack and thought gloomily. He owned a Silver grade Portable Alchemy Crafting Table. If it could be used on it, it could be directly upgraded from Silver to Gold grade, having not an ordinary impact. On the other hand, his Engineering Crafting Table was only of ordinary White grade. If it was upgraded by one level, it would only reach Green grade. The effect would certainly not be as significant as that of a Silver grade improved to a Gold grade. In fact, now more than eighty percent of players do not own Crafting Tables. To create items, they have to search around the city for fixed Crafting Tables. And a vast majority of players who own Crafting Tables are limited to White grade. If they knew that Song Jian was dissatisfied with upgrading his Crafting Table to Green grade, they would undoubtedly drown him in their saliva. Since it could only be used to improve the Engineering Crafting Table, Song Jian directly used the Modifier Stone. Suddenly, the crafting table was engulfed in a white light, and a progress bar appeared above showing that the modification would take twelve hours; All his Self-destructing Robots were finished, and he didnt need the Crafting Table for now, so he could wait patiently. As for the systems hint about engraving his own mark on items, Song Jian pondered a bit, opened the system interface, and began to design his own mark. Soon, Song Jian designed a Clover emblem and engraved it on the last, perfect quality Self-destructing Robot. System: Clover Emblem registration successful. This emblem is now bound to your account. Others cannot use or design similar emblems. After finishing crafting all the Self-destructing Robots, more than five hours had passed. His School Flag and Battle Flag had combined a long time ago, and now, a strange flag appeared in Song Jians two-hand weapon slot. The flag had a sharp blade on top of it, more than a foot long, similar to a spear blade. The silk-smooth flag looked like it was cut from a piece of silk. Blue-red stripes, a flaming dragon occupying two-thirds of the flag, and on the far right of the flag, a deep blue pentagram pattern. The flagpole was more than two meters long, emitting a chill from its black body, and the attributes had also vastly improved. Fifth Battle Flag (Green): Two-hand weapon, can evolve; Equipment effect: Agility +3, movement speed increases by 20%, defense increases by 15%, damage increases by 10%; Special effect 1: Alliance, can designate five people as temporary allies, after allying all allys properties increase by 30%; Special effect 2: Brilliant Aura (passive), the Battle Flag user and their allies will gain the Brilliant Aura buff; Brilliant Aura, attack speed increases by 15%, damage +20; Special effect 3: Summon Fire Elemental Spirit (active), the Battle Flag user can summon two Fire Elemental Spirits with the same level as the user to assist in combat, the Fire Elemental Spirits will stay until their death, the Battle Flag user can dismiss them anytime, after the Fire Elemental Spirits die or are dismissed, they can only be summoned again after 1 hour; Item level: 10; Item requirement: Level 10; Can this item be taken out of the game: No Two-handed weapon Fifth Battle Flag underwent a massive change in attributes, Song Jians power improved significantly. Now, even if Song Jian faced a level 20 elite boss, he would be able to put up a fight. After checking the battle flags attribute, Song Jain collected all the Self- destructing Robots and walked away from the Manor Castle. Chapter 304 - Chapter 304: Chapter 304 The Little Match Girl Chapter 304: Chapter 304 The Little Match Girl Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian, now at the fifteenth level, with his Ghost Battle Armor and the enhanced Fifth Battle Flag weapon in his hands, was itching to test his increased power. This time, he skipped the fifteenth level monster zone and ran straight into the twentieth level monster zone. Most players nowadays cant even handle the fifteenth level monster zone, not to mention the twentieth level monster zone, which is completely dominated by mutant zombies. The mutant zombies here at level twenty dont differentiate between day and night. Even during the day, their attributes remain unaffected. Similarly equipped with Vitality Points, they arent much different from the bosses at the fifteenth level. Just as he entered the twentieth level monster zone, a mutant zombie draped in dark scales rushed towards Song Jian. Now, the mutant zombies were more like mindless humanoid beasts, exhibiting no human characteristics whatsoever. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An invisible Spirit Sword quickly formed above Song Jians head, and following his thoughts, quietly flew towards the mutant zombie. At the same time, Song Jian jolted and charged with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword to the zombie. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! With a series of sword techniques deployed, the mutant zombie was unable to fight back. It could only roar in anger and finally turned around and ran away, clutching its head. It seems to have lost its mind in rage, but it still has an instinct to fear death. These higher-level monsters are great pretenders! Song Jian was surprised. The mutant zombies below the fifteenth level wouldnt flee. They would fight to their very last blood, giving one the impression that they would rip a piece of flesh off you even at deaths door. However, the twentieth level monster in front of him, although it portrayed a sense of madness, ended up fleeing due to the fear of death. It was clearly not as mindless as Song Jian initially believed. Sword Finger! Song Jian quickly raised his left hand, forwards a stab. A silver Sword Qi promptly shot out, piercing the back of the mutant zombies head and exiting from the forehead. Song Jian, now on level fifteen, had used the skill point he earned from leveling up on his fully proficient Sword Finger. Now, the skill Sword Finger had evolved to third level. Its damage increased from 70-100 to 90-120, and the gold element damage increased by 30 points, reaching 100 points. In other words, Sword Finger could now deal approximately 200 points of damage to its target. Whoosh~ The Sword Qi was both swift in appearance and disappearance. In an instant, the three-meter-long Sword Qi vanished, leaving a deep hole in the skull of flie mutant zombie. The mutant zombie trembled all over and collapsed to the ground, as the Sword Qi drained its last bit of Vitality Points. My power has increased a lot! Song Jian said, his face glowing with a joyous smile. Ordinary monsters at level twenty no longer threatened him. Unless surrounded by hundreds or thousands of level twenty monsters, he was capable of calmly utilizing the terrain to kill them all. From now on, I can set my stage to the twentieth level monster zone! Song Jian mused, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Just then, Song Jian received information from the auction house. His silver- quality shield was sold at the bidding price, ten thousand Doomsday Coins was already in his inventory after the charges were deducted. Song Jian was startled and then sighed. There really were many rich people in this game. However, those who could afford to spend twenty thousand Doomsday Coms on a shield were most likely not individuals, but powerful alliances. Who bought the shield wasnt of much interest to Song Jian. He divided half of his Doomsday Coins, planning to send them to Li Keer later. He was looking forward to the auction of the Stealth Technique Skill Stone. He hadnt set a fixed price for the Stealth Technique, only a minimum bid. Therefore, the auction would take some time. He would have to wait patiently. After checking the system prompt, Song Jian swung his sword and lunged at the next level 20 monster. The day passed quickly and a sunset appeared on the horizon. Half the sky turned red. This was probably the most beautiful sight of the day. In the game, even during the day, the sun wasnt always visible. It was often hidden by thick clouds and only revealed itself for a few minutes at noon. Having a full day of sunshine was a rare occurrence. Thus, the evening had become a valuable time for players to admire the sun. At this time, most players would stop all their activities, sit on the rooftops of their safe houses, watch the beautiful red sky, and observe the sun as it slowly set. At night, the mutated zombies, whose attributes were halved during daytime, would regain their strength. Meanwhile, the level 20 mutated zombies, whose attributes did not weaken during the day, would increase their strength by 50%. Be it their attack, defense, or speed, all would experience a substantial increase. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then decided to retreat first and not hunt monsters during the night. After all, the night was a paradise for the monsters. Even those usually unnoticeable Elites and Boss-level monsters would begin to roam the streets. If he was spotted by these Bosses, it would be a life and death struggle. Even if Song Jian was confident, he wouldnt dare hunt and level up in the level 20 monster area during the night. Now, Song Jian preferred to fight against monsters five levels lower than him. His Experience Points increased significantly. After a day, his level 15 experience bar had already reached 34%. The proficiency of his skills Sword Silk and Earth Teeth Assault had both increased to 100%. He only needed skill points to upgrade to the next level and gain more power. Just as Song Jian was preparing to leave the level 20 monster area, he suddenly saw a little girl in a red cloak holding a bunch of matches walking towards him. Sir, its going to be dark soon. Do you need matches? I have the best matches in the city. A box is only one Doomsday Coin! The little girl seemed somewhat skinny, with a basket full of small paper boxes hanging off her left hand. Her bright big eyes full of anticipation nervously watched Song Jian. The Little Match Girl? No wait, a little girl selling matches? Song Jian couldnt help but take two steps back, watching the suddenly appearing girl with a vigilant face. This wasnt an ordinary place. It was a level 20 monster area where every few steps you could find a mutated zombie. Any level one NPC who dared to walk around here would find themselves getting dragged into an alley by a monster. Who are you? Song Jian gripped his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly and asked apprehensively. Sir, my name is Maria Susan. Can you please buy a box of matches? I havent eaten in a day The little girl looked pathetic, tears welling up in her eyes. Song Jians heart couldnt help but twitch as if a hand had clenched it tightly. After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian nodded, pulled out a Doomsday Coin and handed it to the little girl saying, Alright, Ill buy a box. Thank you, kind sir. Heres your box of matches. The little girl handed him a box of matches with a happy smile on her face. She took the Doomsday Coin, bowed to Song Jian, and turned to leave slowly. Song Jians eyes followed the little girl. He had once encountered a monster disguised as a little girl. A level one NPC appearing here was too strange. Song Jian felt a sense of unease. It wasnt until the girls figure disappeared into the sunset that Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. His eyes then fell on the box in his hand. Chapter 305 - Chapter 305: Chapter 305: Territorial Expansion Campaign Chapter 305: Chapter 305: Territorial Expansion Campaign Translator: 549690339 Song Jians matchbox had nothing special about it, feeling very light in his hand as if there were not many matches inside. The matchbox didnt even have an attribute description, just like an ordinary scene item. Upon opening the matchbox, there were only three matches inside. Magical Match (Special): Consumable, Usage Effect: Striking the match at night will lead to unexpected events. May good luck always be with you! Its a special consumable? Song Jians eyes revealed a look of surprise. He had heard of such items before, similar to treasure chests that could grant various items upon use. Just for one Doomsday Coin, I made a fortune. Any item I get could easily cover the cost. If I had known, I would have bought all the matches in her basket! Song Jian couldnt help but think, even wanting to run after the little girl. However, night was fast approaching, and the match-selling girl had already disappeared. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, ultimately shaking his head and turning to leave the area, heading for the Manor Castle. Nightfall arrived, and monsters swarmed the streets, letting out loud roars and howls. No matter how many the players hunted during the day, there were always a large number of monsters appearing out of nowhere at night, seemingly endless. At this time, the players could only hide in their safe houses, shivering in fear and praying that the monsters wouldnt attack their safe houses. In fact, the reason the system allowed players to create safe houses was so they could have a place to hide at night. As long as they didnt deliberately provoke the monsters that came out at night, the monsters wouldnt actively attack the players safe houses. Song Jians Manor Castle was brightly lit yet silent. The Black Dragon hatchling hunted happily around the manor, killing level-five monsters. Already a level- ten elite, it could no longer gain any experience from killing these low-level monsters, but it still enjoyed tearing them apart with its claws and teeth. Its golden vertical pupils glowed with a bloodthirsty excitement, as if the constant killing was a natural instinctive activity for it. Song Jian sat in meditation on the bed, patiently waiting as the Night Slayer faintly emitted a red light from his chest. After a short time, the clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing the bright moonlight. At this moment, the monsters roars and howls grew even louder, their eyes turning red as they excitedly swallowed in the direction of the moon. A moonbeam shone through the window, enveloping Song Jian in moonlight. A cool sensation washed over him from head to toe, causing him to let out a comfortable moan. The feeling of complete cleansing was simply too irresistible. Song Jian soon immersed himself in this sensation, unaware of time passing; Fifteen minutes later, the moon was once again obscured by clouds, and Song Jian slowly opened his eyes. He looked at his hands and arms, the skin was a glowing white, with veins and muscles clearly visible underneath. However, the unusual phenomenon soon subsided, and the cool sensation inside his body also disappeared, as if it had never existed. An urge to kill every living creature in sight surged in Song Jians heart, causing his face to become twisted and deformed. As the violent emotion rose in Song Jians heart, the Blood Pool in the basement suddenly began to churn, like boiling water. The blood-soaked zombies also raised their heads, making roaring and howling gestures, but without any sound coming from their mouths. At the same moment that violence flooded Song Jians mind, a wave of coolness fought back against the emotion, quickly suppressing it. The Blood Pool in the basement gradually returned to calm, and the blood-zombies sat back, only their heads above the surface. Song Jians face remained calm, seemingly accustomed to this. Absorbing the essence of the moon could enhance his bodys attributes but he wouldnt give up. Although the side effects were somewhat headache-inducing, he had the innate attribute thick skin and didnt worry about his sanity being eroded by the violent emotions. So, he didnt care. Though he suppressed the violent emotions, Song Jian still felt an itch to go and battle the monsters outside. After some contemplation, Song Jian sighed and took out the matchbox he had bought earlier. He lit one match in the box; a small flame instantly ignited. The matchbox had only three matches, which could only be used during the night. Song Jian was also curious and wanted to see what unexpected things would happen. As the match quickly burned out, Song Jian received a message from the system. System: Youve used Maria Susans Matches. An unexpected event occurred C Your vitality points decrease by 90%, and your monster kill experience reduces by 90% for 10 hours! Congratulations! Song Jian gaped, looking at the matchbox with the remaining two matches, fighting the urge to throw it out the window and douse it in water. This is indeed unexpected Song Jian grumbled to himself, holding back a string of curses. At that moment, Song Jian suddenly had an epiphany and slapped his forehead. Damn, Pin still under the curse of the Abyss Demon, with a luck reduction of three. I cant believe Im playing this treasure box game. Its like asking for death! Song Jian couldnt help but mutter to himself. In fact, during the daytime, when fighting monsters, Song Jian had already felt the effect of reduced fortune. His attack damage was consistently minimal compared to before. However, his increased strength allowed him to easily defeat the level twenty monsters, so he didnt care. Glancing at the matchbox with the remaining two matches, Song Jian shook his head and put it in his bag. Now was not the time to test his luck. The night passed quickly, and daylight returned. Song Jian stayed in the castle, his vitality points now less than too. Even against a level-ten monster, he might be killed in one strike. It would be better to wait quietly for the negative effect to disappear before venturing out again. Plus, there was only a little less than two hours left. Just then, Song Jian heard a rumbling from afar. A voice echoed throughout the Doomsday City. Player Sang Ge initiates a Territory Expansion Campaign. This will be a great battle. Congratulations to Player Sang Ge on a victorious start and obtaining more territory! Chapter 306 - Chapter 306: Chapter 306 Luo Tianyu Chapter 306: Chapter 306 Luo Tianyu Translator: 549690339 | At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, a solemn voice echoed over the city. Player Sang Ge has launched a territorial expansion campaign. This is to be a great battle. We wish player Sang Ge a successful start and more territories to conquer! Song Jian frowned slightly, standing in front of the window, as he watched a player near him excitedly expand their domain. Sang Ge stood exuberantly atop a tower, with a dozen other players behind him, watching as the range of his safe house slowly grew outwards. Boss, weve finally taken the first step in the games contention for power! one of the players behind Sang Ge exclaimed excitedly. Yes, in this regional mission, weve all fought hard to hunt down the fish-headed monsters. Our efforts have finally paid off. Our Brave World Alliance is probably the first alliance in the game to expand its territory Sang Ge said, filled with emotion. Haha, though we can only expand by ten meters for now, there will come a day when the entire city is ours to rule! We, the Brave World Alliance, are the top alliance in the game! Everyone began cheering excitedly, as if they could already see their glorious future. At that moment, Sang Ge received a campaign message. System: Your territorial expansion campaign has encroached on player Luo Tianyus safe house. Do you wish to wage an expansion campaign against this player? Sang Ges face suddenly changed, and he turned to ask, Are there other players who have built safe houses nearby? Shouldnt be. We thoroughly searched the area a couple of days ago. No player had set up a safe house around here, said a player behind Sang Ge, seeming a bit confused. Its just one player, we can simply bulldoze over her! said a burly warrior player impatiently. Exactly. Who has our Brave World Alliance ever feared? Were bound to take over the entire city sooner or later. Why should we fear fighting against a single player? All players behind Sang Ge raised their weapons high and shouted loudly. Sang Ge nodded, not particularly concerned in reality. They were just facing an individual player, with a newly-built safe house. Now that it had become an obstacle in the expansion of the Brave World Alliance, it would simply be kicked aside. Launch an expansion campaign! Sang Ge said with a serious look on his face. System: You have initiated an expansion campaign against player Luo Tianyu. Please completely destroy the other partys safe house within an hour! Brothers, lets go flatten that players safe house! Sang Ge yelled, raising his weapon high. The players behind him responded and bounded forcefully towards where the system led. Meanwhile, in the Level 15 monster area, Luo Tianyu was charging at a group of mutant zombies, wielding her Square Sky Halberd. Luo Tianyu, petite and adorable, was waving her Square Sky Halberd, almost as tall as herself, excitedly hacking away at the mutant zombies surrounding her. The Square Sky Halberd in her hands faintly emitted a silver glow, making a chilling, eerie piercing sound, and directly hacked Level 15 mutant zombies into chunks of flesh. Dressed in a silver helmet and armor, and holding a Square Sky Halberd, Luo Tianyu was like a female version of Lv Bu, rampaging through the Level 15 monster area, almost unmatched. After a long while, Luo Tianyu, panting heavily, retreated into a residential building and pulled food and water from her bag to recover her strength. Phew! If only I also had a war horse. Then who in this monster area would be my match? It would at least double my leveling speed! Luo Tianyu muttered. Just then, she received a system notification. System: Player Sang Ge has launched a territorial expansion campaign against you! You have the option to surrender or resist. If you surrender, your safe house will fall under player Sang Ges rule, and youll need to pay him a tribute of 10 Doomsday Coins daily. If you choose to resist, Sang Ge will launch an attack against you. You must defend your safe house for two hours. If you successfully defend it, Sang Ges territorial expansion campaign will fail, and you will receive a large number of campaign merits. If you fail to defend it, your safe house will be leveled, and all items within would be destroyed! Territorial expansion campaign? Luo Tianyu paused, then quickly became furious. Stabbing her Square Sky Halberd into the ground, she created a large pit. Ive barely established my safe house, and youre already trying to expand? Sang Ge, remember this. Ive got your name! Luo Tianyu bit down hard on her silver teeth, finally making her choice: I choose to resist! System: You will be automatically transported to your safe house in ten seconds. Please be prepared. Ten, nine, eight After the ten-second countdown, a flash of white light enveloped Luo Tianyu as she disappeared from her current location, instantly appearing in her safe house. Luo Tianyus safe house was a big tent, surrounded by an open space resembling a training ground. High walls surrounded the training ground, with four arrow towers on each side, doubling the amount of a regular players safe house. In front of the walls stood rows of caltrops, their sharp points glinting coldly. The tips even had half a foot of spikes embedded with steel. The whole safe house resembled an ancient military camp. Stepping out of the tent, Luo Tianyu looked at the distant tower, anger raging in her eyes. You want to fight? Well then, lets fight! Today, Ill show you what Im capable of! Luo Tianyu snorted coldly, holding her Square Sky Halberd, her figure flashing as she appeared on top of the wall. In the distance, a dozen players were charging toward Luo Tianyus safe house. Upon seeing Luo Tianyu standing on top of the wall, a gleam lit up in Sang Ges eyes. Luo Tianyu had fair skin, a delicate face, and a pair of vibrant, expressive eyes. Dressed in a silver helmet and armor and wielding her Square Sky Halberd, she had an unusual allure. Shes a girl. Boss, why not persuade her to surrender and ask her to be our sister-in-law! Haha! Yeah, boss, she looks quite good Boss, go for it! We all support you. You must win her heart! The group of players glanced at Luo Tianyu and began to chuckle, completely dropping their previous murderous looks. Sang Ge cleared his throat and stepped forward, stopping just outside the reach of Luo Tianyus defensive structures. He shouted, Miss, Im the leader of the Brave World Alliance. Our recent territorial expansion inadvertently encroached on your safe house. I do apologize. Would you be willing to join us at Brave World Alliance and strive for mutual greatness together? Enough talk! If you want to fight, fight! Luo Tianyu snapped sharply, stepping heavily on the ground, she leapt off the wall. Midair, she pointed her Square Sky Halberd directly at Sang Ge. Chapter 307 - Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Imperial Dragon Demon Palace Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Imperial Dragon Demon Palace Translator: 549690339 | Sang Ge never expected that there would only be one person on the opposing side, and they actually dared to rush out of the safe house directly. Usually, in territorial battles, wouldnt one have to rely on the defenses of the safe house to wear out the enemy before attacking? How was this girl not following the usual strategy? If Sang Ge had known that the girl would act so recklessly, he wouldnt have rushed to the front alone. Wait a minute, I still have something to say Sang Ges face changed, and he tried to stop Luo Tianyu. But at this point, Luo Tianyus momentum had already reached its peak, and her murderous intent was so strong it felt tangible. Even her body was wrapped in a faint red dragon-shaped vigor. Bang! With a loud noise, the Square Sky Halberd in Luo Tianyus hand emitted a screech like a ghostly wail, chopping down at Sang Ges head. Caught off guard, Sang Ge could only use his weapon to block, but it was useless. He was knocked to the ground by Luo Tianyus halberd, his vitality points plummeting to near-death as he fell into the pool of blood. The comrades behind him were all dumbfounded. They had initially thought it would be a simple battle of overpowering weaker players, but now their leader had been instantly killed by the enemy. This wasnt what they had expected at all! The Brave World Alliance members, who had been full of confidence when they started the territorial expansion battle, were now at a loss for words. Some even quietly retreated a few steps, hiding behind the others. Luo Tianyu, with the Square Sky Halberd in hand, strode forward to Sang Ge, stomped on his head, and ground it underfoot, looking down on him disdainfully. So it was you who wanted to destroy my safe house, forcing me to come back from the Level 15 monster area. Do you know how much time Ive wasted? Mis, miss, this is all a misunderstanding. Whatever weve lost, our Brave World Alliance will compensate you, double, double! Sang Ge spat out blood, waving his hands in terror. At this point, his vitality was less than 5%, and he seemed to smell death. No need, your head will do as payment. Luo Tianyu sneered, and stepped down hard on Sang Ges head. With a puff, Sang Ges eyes bulged out, bloodshot, as his body jerked one final time before losing all vitality. Turning to look at the rest of the dozen players, Luo Tianyu narrowed her eyes and showed a fierce smile, yelling, Whos next! What they had thought was a cute little girl turned out to be a fierce lady tyrannosaur. Even though there were more than a dozen of them from the Brave World, they all shivered with fear, shaking their heads and retreating. Hmph, trash! Luo Tianyu spat at them, then turned back to start searching the items on Sang Ges body, thinking that they were all her spoils of war now. With the death of their leader, Sang Ge, the territorial expansion battle was a complete failure. The Brave World players left in disgrace. Not only did they lose a massive amount of war merit and Doomsday Coins, but their safe house also dropped by one level. It had only recently been upgraded to a Level 1 Manor, and now it was knocked back down to a Level 3 Safe House. To upgrade back to a Manor, they would have to endure another monster siege. Remembering their previous experience, every players face turned ugly, not daring to reminisce about that battle. With the death of their leader, Vice Alliance Leader Zhou Jin became the new leader. Seeing the morale of the Brave World at its lowest point, he knew they would be entering a period of hibernation for some time. At this point, Song Jian was hundreds of meters away, watching the scene unfold. Luo Tianyus strength was beyond his expectations C she was so powerful that it was hard to believe she was a girl. Even Song Jian was surprised by the tangible murderous aura emanating from her. Just how many monsters did she kill to accumulate such an aura? Now, more and more players were setting up safe houses, and most were concentrated near the Level 5 monster area, surrounding Camel Square. If Song Jian wanted to expand, he would inevitably clash with other players. Could it be, during the expansion battles, Ill have to attack the impregnable safe houses on my own? Song Jian frowned. Like the events of today, if the dozen Brave World players were to attack Song Jians Manor Castle, they wouldnt even require Song Jians intervention. The defensive structures would be enough to slaughter the players on their own. However, while other players safe houses may not have as strong defenses as Song Jians, the system still provides plenty of arrow towers and traps. Penetrating the defenses of a safe house wouldnt be an easy task. Having more people is still necessary! Song Jian thought. At that moment, he suddenly remembered the Blood Pool in his basement. Now that it had been upgraded to Level 2, he could summon two types of Blood Beasts: the Blood Crow and the Zombie. Although the Blood Crow was weak and only good for harassment and reconnaissance, the Zombie could be upgraded. If leveled up, they could potentially be useful in breaking through defenses. More importantly, as the Blood Pool level increased, more powerful Blood Beasts could be developed. With a higher-level Blood Pool, he could summon more potent Blood Beasts, and with a wave of his hand, command hundreds or even thousands of Blood Beasts to attack others safe houses. The mere sight of this army would likely cause anyone to panic. Ive been somewhat neglecting the functions of the Blood Pool. I should take the opportunity to raise its level. Song Jian thought. He checked the requirements to upgrade the Blood Pool to the next level. He already had the necessary 500 units of stone, but for the remaining two conditions, he didnt know where to look. Rubies and Dragon Bloodstones should also be a type of ore, but Ive never heard of any place that can mine such ores Song Jian thought. He had been to a Level 30 ore site and never found any trace of Rubies or Dragon Bloodstones there. Do I have to ask about it on the radio? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, about to open the radio when a hazy green light suddenly rose from the ground in the distant sky, piercing the sky like a column of light. Whos building a safe house now? Song Jian squinted at the green pillar of light in the distance. Soon, all players felt a tremor coming from afar, as if the earth was about to crack. This caused everyone to feel some panic. No, its not a safe house being built. There wouldnt be so much commotion! Song Jian said solemnly. At this moment, all online players simultaneously received a system notification: System: The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace has opened. Players above Level 10 may explore. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace will be open for 12 hours, so act quickly! Chapter 308 - Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Stop Here Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Stop Here Translator: 549690339 The system notification rang three times in a row, making sure every player noticed it. Every online player felt the previous vibrations emitted from the ground, so naturally, they wouldnt ignore the cheerful system message. Imperial Dragon Demon Palace? What is this stuff? Is it another secret place similar to a duplicate world? Song Jian muttered to himself. NPCs often refer to these duplicate worlds as secret places, which, depending on their access requirements, are rated as first level, second level, third level Bloody Underground Fight Dungeon Song Jian established early, was a level- one secret place. Even though the minimum level to enter was five, many players only dared to try the regular difficulty dungeon after they became full- fledged professionals, as they only had one life after all. Song Jian hesitated for a moment before dashing in the direction of the green pillar of light. After all, this was a location announced by the system to be worthy of exploration; surely, there must be some good loot. Shortly thereafter, Song Jian arrived at an abandoned factory where plenty of players had already gathered. Through the many shadows, Song Jian saw numerous NPCs, their faces filled with excited smiles. At the abandoned factory, a dormitory building was split open right in the middle, revealing a large hole in the ground from which the green pillar was rising. Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, who would have thought it would appear here? What fantastic luck! The eyes of a Minotaur-like NPC twinkled with excitement as he muttered to himself. Why would the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace appear here? Isnt it supposed to be in larger cities and controlled by the big forces? A weakling like us doesnt even have the chance to approach it without being chased away Its a great opportunity, we must seize it! But there are too many Gods Chosen here, they are quite annoying! Hehe, the Gods Chosen may have great potential and improve quickly, but most of these present are only just becoming professionals. They pose no threat to us, so if theres a treasure later, lets not hold back! Most of these NPCs were transported here from elsewhere in the game, some with missions, some as combat trainers, and some seeking to trade with the Gods Chosen. Their presence in the game is solely to enhance players enjoyment and serve their needs. However, at this moment, these NPCs began to gather around the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, forming a loose alliance. Although their levels were higher than the players levels, they were heavily outnumbered. Some players had noticed the strange behavior of the NPCs but were powerless to stop it. They could only huddle together according to their own alliances. Those who had not joined any alliances were loosely scattered around. From the surface, it appeared that the NPCs had the upper hand. Just then, a trio of players tried to approach the cave but were stopped by an NPC. What are you doing? A player brandished his weapon at one of the NPC elves in anger. Stay back, round-ears. This is not a place you humans can approach. Dont risk your life! The elf NPC dismissed the trio with a cold glance. Damn, an NPC is so arrogant! Just a level 15 runt daring to block our path? Hes got a death wish! One of the three players, wielding a submachine gun and dressed in combat gear, glared at the elf NPC. Before his comrades had a chance to stop him, he aimed his gun at the blocking NPC and pulled the trigger. Dada dada~ Bullets fired in a continuous stream towards the elf. However, when they got within a foot of the elf, it was as if they hit a wall. Their kinetic energy depleted, they dropped to the ground. A wave of ripples fluttered through the air as the elf NPC flippantly retrieved a short spear from his back and thrust it at the gun-wielding player. The spear traced an arc in the air. The throw seemed slow, but the spear was incredibly fast and made a rushing sound as it flew toward the players chest. Before the two companions could react, the gun-wielding player was sent flying, his chest splattered with blood and directly dropping into a near-death state. All the players were startled. Having the strength to instantly kill a level-10 professional, such an attack far exceeded the strength of a level-15 elite boss. Stop fighting, lets get out of here! One of the companions shouted immediately. The elf NPC, not wishing to cause any more harm, snorted coldly, took back his spear with a wave of his left hand, and dismissed the three players with a glance. They had bitten off more than they could chew. The two companions quickly revived the near-death player, and the trio skulked back towards the back of the crowd. The remaining NPCs glanced at each other and began to chase away players, securing the entrance of the cave that emanated the green light pillar. Although the move infuriated the crowd of over a hundred players, they didnt dare to complain. Each of these NPCs had a strength exceeding that of a level- 15 elite boss. Some even had levels as high as twenty. Even if all the players at the scene teamed up, they wouldnt stand a chance against these NPCs. These NPCs are too domineering! They took all the good spots! Complained a player who was moved to the back. Right, theyre just in-game NPCs! Wait until I level up and Ill slaughter them all! Quiet, this is probably part of the game plot. When the time comes, well just follow behind them! Yeah, its probably part of the game plot. I mean, you see, they dare not even kill; at most, theyll severely wound Song Jian quickly arrived at the abandoned factory. He scanned the crowd and saw that there were hundreds of players gathered. His eyebrows creased in confusion. What was odd was that he couldnt spot a single acquaintance. He didnt even see Luo Tianyu, who he had just encountered. Did they not have any curiosity? Did they not want to partake in a storyline task announced by the system? Song Jian slowly walked towards the cave. The players at the scene were taken aback by the sight of Song Jian, a level-15 player, and led a path for him. A high-level player is here! Look at the armor hes wearing. Although hes hiding the glow, you can tell from the pattern and design that its definitely a silver-grade item. Why is his hand empty? Is he a boxer? But that doesnt make sense either, boxers usually have a pair of gauntlets, so whats his profession? The players speculated amongst themselves, while Song Jian, seemingly oblivious to their comments, continued towards the mouth of the cave. At this moment, a dwarf NPC gave Song Jian a glance. He somehow detected a distasteful aura from him, causing him to subtly signal his cohorts. Three level-15 dwarf warriors armed with war hammers, immediately stepped forward to block Song Jian with cold voices, Halt! Chapter 309 - Chapter 309: Chapter 309: Overwhelming Chapter 309: Chapter 309: Overwhelming Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian saw a group of NPCs gathered around the cave entrance, while the players stood at a distance. He already figured out what was happening, but he didnt care. The NPCs in front of him were not strong enough to scare him off. Seeing the three dwarf warriors blocking his path, Song Jian sneered and squinted his eyes, Whats the meaning of this? Is this your territory? The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace hasnt even opened yet, and you NPCs are already overbearing. Are you planning to seal this place off already? What, you want all the benefits for yourselves without sharing any? As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding players felt a bit displeased and looked at the NPC group, with most of them showing hostility in their eyes. At this moment, more and more players were rushing over, and the number had already exceeded 150. However, there were only about 50 NPCs surrounding the cave. Although some other NPCs were catching up, they still stood far away upon seeing the situation, apparently planning to watch the show first. It was normal for high-level NPCs to have an advantage over low-level players, so they tended to look down on them. Players wanting to get quests from NPCs would usually be polite, and some even tried to please the NPCs. However, when players united, their deterrence power was enormous. Moreover, players could kill monsters to quickly level up and surpass the effort of NPCs within a few months or years. This led to NPCs not daring to oppress the players too much and calling them blessed children. Seeing Song Jian agitating the players anger with just one sentence, the faces of the Dwarf Warriors changed at once, and they were so furious that they wanted to burst into a rage. We only said two words, where did you see us blocking this place? Players around started to slowly gather, with a hostile demeanor. The Dwarf Leader saw the scene and quickly stepped forward with a cold snort, Blessed children, dont listen to his nonsense. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is sealed with powerful monsters, and you are not strong enough to face them. Moreover, we didnt stop him because of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace! The Dwarf Leader pointed at Song Jian and shouted, His relationship with our Dwarf race is now one of hatred and enmity, and all dwarves will fight him to the death! Upon hearing this, all players were relieved, realizing that the NPCs blockade of the cave was indeed part of the games plot. They guessed that it would only be after fighting with the monsters inside that players would be allowed to enter. As the tension dispersed, the players lost their drive and returned scattered again. Some even started sizing up Song Jian with sinister intentions, wondering if they could be rewarded by killing him since he had a relationship of hatred with the dwarf race. Song Jian was taken aback for a moment, recalling the scene at the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. He had been tricked by the Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeen into gathering ore at a subway station, only to find out it was a level-30 monster area. If it wasnt for the ratmen, he would have been close to death. Afterward, he managed to deceive Aberdeen into helping him repair his weapons for free by promising to collect Obsidian. As a result, Aberdeen held a deep hatred for him, and incidentally caused his relationship with the dwarves to become one of hatred. Fight to the death? Song Jian sneered and looked at the four, With just the four of you, you dare to say such words in front of me? Haha! Song Jian was now quite confident as even a level-20 elite boss wouldnt pose a threat to him, let alone these four who were more like level-15 elite bosses. Arrogant! The Dwarf Commanders face turned red with anger and waved his hand. The three dwarf warriors silently swung their hammers and rushed towards Song Jian. Song Jian waved his right hand, and a stream of fire condensed into the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Such a display astonished all players, followed by intense envy. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians body rushed forward abruptly, his dark red Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword leaving a trail of crimson in the air as it swung towards the frontmost dwarf warrior. Before the sword could reach him, the dwarf warrior in the lead revealed a look of fear in his eyes. He had only ever seen such a fierce sword technique from level-20+ dwarf knights. By the time it reacted, it had already smelled the scent of death from Song Jians blade. There is great terror between life and death; it was just a guard of the Dwarf Commander and didnt want to lose its life here. Under this strike, it dared not continue to charge forward, immediately steadying its stance and guarding its chest with its war hammer. Its thick thighs, much like tree roots, stood firmly on the ground. Boom! A loud rumble echoed, and everyone around involuntarily covered their ears. Song Jians long sword and the dwarfs war hammer collided fiercely, the Sword Qi bursting forth. A sound of breaking bones echoed from the dwarfs arms. Power crushes, his strength can actually crush mine! The dwarf warriors fear intensified, and he looked at Song Jian as if he were a god or a demon. The dwarfs were known for their strength, but they never expected that this human could crush their strength, which was difficult to believe. Song Jians strength attribute had exceeded twenty points by now. Facing a dwarf warrior with a strength attribute of no more than fifteen points, it was quite easy for him to inflict crushing damage. After the first hit, the dwarf endured the blow, with a hundred and ten-point damage floating above its head. But it couldnt withstand the second attack that followed. The second stage of the Broken Wing Dance sent it flying directly, its body soaring backward and crashing heavily into its two companions. As the three of them struggled to get up, Song Jian swooped down like a majestic eagle, targeting the cattle and sheep on the ground and slashing at the dwarf warrior. A wave of qi was released from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and the three dwarf warriors simultaneously lost control of their bodies, floating in the air. While they were suspended in the air, Song Jian activated the Rapid Sword skill, and a flurry of sword shadows appeared before the three dwarf warriors. Sword Silk! Three strands of silver Sword Qi pierced their bodies directly, and without any resistance, blood soared out like arrows. Their Vitality Points rapidly decreased, making it seem like Song Jian was not facing three Level 15 Elite Bosses, but three Level 1 small monsters! How could this be? This is completely crushing strength! These are three Level 15 Elite Bosses, and theres actually a player who can suppress them like this? Am I seeing things? A spectating player blinked and muttered in a low voice. I I feel like Im in a dream, too. Its too exaggerated! Seeing that the three guards were about to be killed by this human, the Dwarf Commander became panicked and hurriedly held onto his scepter, wanting to rush over to help. At this moment, a giant Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion appeared out of thin air, swinging its massive stinger, and staring intently at the Dwarf Commander. Immediately, a look of hesitation appeared on the Dwarf Commanders face, and he stopped his steps. Just then, a sorrowful scream rang out, and the Dwarf Commanders face turned ugly. He glared fiercely at Song Jian, fuming with rage! Chapter 310 - Chapter 310: Chapter 310: Qian Xiaohao Chapter 310: Chapter 310: Qian Xiaohao Translator: 549690339 | Stop! The Dwarf Commander roared. However, Song Jian merely sneered coldly and, seeing that the three dwarf warriors were on their last straws, he swung his left hand violently and a silver Sword Qi of three meters long swept over them. Level three Sword Finger could cause about a hundred points of physical damage and also carried a hundred points of gold series damage. Physical damage could be mitigated by defence, while gold series damage could only be reduced by corresponding resistance. Damages appeared above the dwarf warriors heads, the first damage was over a hundred, and the second was a hundred gold series damages. Apparently, their resistance to gold attributes was zero. This single strike killed all three, leaving a piece of loot on each of their bodies; a level ten war hammer and armor. Song Jian picked them up and saw that all three items were of white quality. He couldnt help but purse his lips and thought to himself: cheapskates. You dared to kill them! The Dwarf Commanders face was flushed and his hands gripping the staff turned white from anger. Didnt we agree to fight till death separates us? Song Jian looked surprised and couldnt help asking. At this, the Dwarf Commander fell silent, then roared angrily and turned to run away, even giving up the entrance to Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The rest of the NPCs exchanged glances, a trace of relief in their eyes. It was fortunate they didnt rashly throw their fighters into the fray. This deitys power made him a match for a level-twenty elite boss. Song Jian glanced at the other NPCs, all of whom gave him room to pass without a word, settling disapproving eyes on him. Seeing Song Jian swagger over, players in the back began to argue, some wondering if it were a test C defeat an NPC to upgrade their position. Some people got restless, but a level-15 elite NPC versus their own abilities was like getting doused with cold water from head to toe. Maybe we can gang up against an NPC? speculated a player. But not one dared to try it out. Crack, Crack~ Suddenly a crack appeared at the mouth of the cave. The ground collapsed and everyone moved away. Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is about to emerge! An NPC hollered, his eyes gleaming. Just then, an oval-shaped portal materialized in the center of the abandoned factory, from which several people emerged. A team of more than a dozen humans, all above level ten, were made up of warriors, mages, assassins, and priests. Even facing an enemy several levels higher, there was no fear. At the forefront of the group was a handsome young man with a perpetual gentle smile. He gave off an unapproachable vibe, though his face was open to interpretation. Wearing a luxurious suit and devoid of any weapons, he looked around after stepping out of the portal, laughing: Dr. Mika-ras locator isnt half bad. Very precise. Youll see a 30% increase in your research funding for the next quarter. The group headed straight towards the cave entrance, ignoring the surrounding NPCs and players. In comparison to the first group of NPCs, these people looked more like elite soldiers, where the first group of NPCs seemed more like a wildling band. The son of Count Qian Dahai from the City of Sin, Qian Xiaohao! Proclaimed an NPC, recognizing the leading young man. The son of a count? Dammit, wherever there are benefits, there are these guys Ive heard that Count Qian Dahai is on his death bed. Qian Xiaohao is his only son, the title will surely be his eventually Hmph, thats not necessarily the case. Ive heard Count Qian Dahai sold a core skill from their family inheritance. Its crucial; if he cant become the character from the legend, even if he is the counts only son, he wont necessarily be Jis successor The City of Sin is a level-three city; the power that Count Qian Dahai wields as a count is formidable. Qian Xiaohao, being his only heir, commands respect despite not having total control over his familys affairs. Qian Xiaohao looks like a playboy, but in reality his level had already reached eighteen. He has got two level-twenty followers by his side, their power on par with a level-twenty elite boss. Qian has recruited them himself as his loyal sidekicks. The City of Sin is far from Doomsday City and its been less than half an hour since the appearance of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Yet, in such a short time, Qian Dahai had received the news and was transported nearby. Clearly, somebody in Doomsday City must have tipped him off. Song Jian slightly frowned upon hearing the NPCs conversations the name Count Qian Dahai was too familiar. Wasnt that the NPC that he had traded Sword Finger with? The core skill these NPCs were talking about was probably Sword Finger. Just then, an NPC with wings at his back approached, making a greeting at Qian Xiaohao and said: Young Master Qian, long time no see. Your messages are indeed swift. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace hasnt appeared for half an hour and youve already had your transmission array set up. The preciseness simply makes one gasp in admiration! Qian Xiaohao glanced nonchalantly at him, his smile not lessening. He casually returned a greeting: If it isnt the Soka familys Young Master Feiyu. I thought you were practicing in the wilderness battleground. How did you get here? Are your brothers aware of your presence here? Young Master Feiyus face changed. The Soka family followed the law of survival but at any cost, all family successors, after reaching adulthood, are sent away to fend for themselves. So, assassinations between brothers are common. As the ninth in line, Feiyu Soka had always claimed he was training in the wilderness battleground, but was actually sneaking into Doomsday City. If his older brothers found out, they would send a team of assassins after him. Young Master Qian, you joke too much. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is about to open, and why dont you stand next to me? Then, it would be easier to get the majority of the loot, Young Master Feiyu suggested. Chapter 311 - Chapter 311: Chapter 311: The Gate Chapter 311: Chapter 311: The Gate Translator: 549690339 | As soon as Young Master Feiyu spoke, the NPCs standing next to him began to secretly curse in their hearts. If you want to be a good person, why dont you use your own spot, but instead drive us away? However, when Qian Xiaohaos gaze passed over them, the NPCs all showed ingratiating smiles on their faces and automatically moved to make room. These were just the lowest-level adventurers, who, by sheer luck, had been randomly sent to this city by the system. In terms of strength, they didnt dare to offend the son of a count from the City of Sin. Qian Xiaohao laughed and walked with his group toward Young Master Feiyu: Thank you very much, Young Master Feiyu. With Qian Xiaohaos arrival, the abandoned factory became even livelier. Song Jian didnt care; as long as these NPCs didnt gang up on him, he would be in an unbeatable position. The more people, the better. The more people there were, the easier it would be for him to take advantage of the chaos. These NPCs seemed to know much more about the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace than the surrounding players; even if they hadnt entered it before, they had heard many stories about it. Compared to the NPCs, the players seemed completely clueless, knowing only that there would be treasures inside; as for the specific situation inside the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, they knew nothing. Time passed little by little, and more and more people gathered around, but everyone was quietly waiting without showing any signs of impatience. From the corner of his eye, Song Jian saw Young Master Feiyu seemingly whispering something to Qian Xiaohao, all the while glancing in his direction. The way Qian Xiaohao looked at Song Jian was like a venomous snake eyeing its prey. Song Jians heart sank could it be that he had exposed his Sword Finger skill and had been recognized by this so-called Young Master Feiyu? Just then, the cracks in the cave grew larger and larger. Suddenly, another surge of green light burst forth from within, and the entire ground began to shake. The cave entrance finally split open enough to reveal a huge passage that could accommodate three people walking side by side, with a stone staircase appearing before everyones eyes. All players received a joyful system message at the same time: System: The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is now open. Entry time is ten minutes; after ten minutes, entry will no longer be possible. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace will exist for twelve hours; after twelve hours, all players inside will be forcibly teleported out. Upon receiving the system message, everyones faces changed simultaneously, and they rushed chaotically toward the cave entrance. There were only ten minutes to enter if they missed this opportunity, wouldnt their entire trip have been wasted? As soon as the stone stairs appeared, the NPCs near the cave entrance all swarmed in. Song Jian didnt rush to the front, but instead waited for Qian Xiaohao and the others to enter before leisurely walking toward the stone stairs. No one knew what kind of monsters might be inside the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, so it was better to let these familiar NPCs go in and scout ahead. Even if they found any treasures, Song Jian could just snatch them back later. Walking down the stone stairs, everyone was surprised to find that they were incredibly long, spiraling down like a winding snake with no end in sight. It took more than half an hour to walk down these stairs, and the surrounding area was quite dim. Everyone proceeded carefully, fearing that they might fall from the stone staircase and plummet into the bottomless abyss below; whether they were level 15 or level 20, such a fall would undoubtedly be fatal. Fortunately, no monsters appeared along the way, and everyone safely reached the end of the staircase. At the very bottom, a colossal bronze gate appeared before them. The bronze gate was adorned with two ferocious dragon heads, their lifelike expressions seemingly ready to devour anyone who approached. Surrounding the dragon heads was a series of intricate magic rune arrays, shimmering with the glow of the array, though their brilliance had become quite weak by this point. A few fast-running NPCs had already reached the bronze gate and were pushing against it with all their might. However, the gate remained firmly in place. Qian Xiaohao witnessed this scene and chuckled softly, saying, The two bronze doors of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace each contain the power of a dragon. One must possess an attribute of at least fifteen points of strength to possibly move them! As he spoke, Qian Xiaohao gestured to several people behind him. Soon, several heavily armored warriors arrived in front of the bronze gate, intending to open it. All these warriors were level 15, with strength as their primary attribute. Qian Xiaohao had also spent a good amount of treasure to elevate their strength attribute to over 15. In the end, their combined efforts only managed to slightly shake the bronze gate, leaving everyone present to change their expressions and direct their gazes at Qian Xiaohao. How could this be? Qian Xiaohao furrowed his brows. He had also been to the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace before; on those occasions, the gate had always been opened by several people with strength attributes over 15. Why was it different this time? Seeing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace right in front of them but feeling unable to get in, people began to grow restless. Qian Xiaohaos face darkened, and he muttered under his breath, Useless! At this point, one of his followers whispered in his ear, Big brother, why dont I give it a try? Be careful, second brother! Qian Xiaohao nodded his head and said. The robust man smiled and walked one step at a time toward the bronze gate. With each step, he grew taller; by the time he reached the gate, he was over two meters tall, his whole body rippling with explosive power, and his armor seeming a size too small. He tore it off and threw it on the ground. He roughly swept away the people in front of the bronze gate, let out a loud roar, and his vitality and muscles surged, causing him to grow even taller. His whole body was covered in dense veins, and he looked like a monster. Song Jian drew in a sharp breath; this sturdy man was actually giving him a feeling of threatening his life. If they really fought, Song Jian would find it difficult to win. Another one of Qian Xiaohaos followers said excitedly, It seems that second brothers Gods Descending skill has improved again Qian Xiaohao also smiled faintly. These two followers were powerful with great potential. In order to win them over, Qian Xiaohao had even taken the oath of brotherhood with them. At this moment, the muscular man let out a beast-like roar and pushed against the bronze gate with all his strength. The immovable gate, which many NPCs could not budge, began to creak open under his force. However, as the gate opened, a cloud of black mist drifted out from within. It coalesced into the shape of a skull in the air, emitting a sharp howl as it pounced on the brawny man pushing the door. The muscular man, focused on opening the door with all his might, hadnt had time to defend himself and was quickly engulfed by the black mist, screaming horribly. This mist turned out to have an intense corrosive effect C the mans body visibly collapsed at an alarming speed, deflating like a punctured balloon. All of the people present quickly retreated, looking at the black mist with terror on their faces. Chapter 312 - Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Gem Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Gem Translator: 549690339 I Looking at the burly man struggling in the black mist, Qian Xiaohaos face turned ugly as he murmured to himself, Impossible, how could this be? The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace never had this black mist, why is it here now? Qian Xiaohao had entered the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace several times before and had never encountered such a situation. Otherwise, he would never have let his follower push open the gate. Big Brother, the Second Brotherhe Another follower behind him looked at the burly man slowly losing his vitality, and tears welled up in his eyes. The black mist began to disappear slowly after it corroded the burly man. By the time everyone was sure that the black mist had dispersed and the danger was gone, they found that the burly man was already lifeless; his body dehydrated and shriveled up into the size of a seven or eight-year-old child. The previous NPCs who had attempted to open the door were all relieved, thankfully, they lacked the strength to do so. Otherwise, they would have been the ones turned into mummies. However, Qian Xiaohaos face looked terrible. While it wouldnt matter as much for the others, these two followers were his own recruits, not belonging to the clans power. The loss of one of them made him feel heartbroken. The group waited again for a while, and when they confirmed that there were no abnormalities, they entered through the bronze gate. Inside the gate was pitch black, but there were twinkling stars overhead, as if they were outside. Depending on the starlight overhead, they could barely see their surroundings. By this time, the vertical pupil in Song Jians forehead had quietly opened, scanning the surroundings. The vertical pupil had night vision, allowing him to see further and clearer than others in the dark. Behind the bronze gate lay a structure similar to an underground palace, which was the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Once Song Jian entered, he couldnt help drawing in a sharp breath. This underground palace was filled with corpses everywhere; humans, elves, dwarfs, trolls, beastmen, almost all races could be seen here. Moreover, Song Jian also saw numerous remnants of other creatures. The palace was extravagantly decorated, with coiling dragon pillars towering high. These columns were also shackled with mummies wrapped in iron chains. Each of these mummies was holding their heads high, their mouths wide open, as if they were constantly releasing silent roars. There were also obvious bite marks on these shackled mummies, some of their faces were even completely devoid of flesh. One must wonder what terrifying tragedy took place here. Just then, the mummies lying on the ground as if they had sensed the presence of the living, began to revive one by one. Even those on the coiling dragon pillars started to tear the chains that bound them. These iron chains were already decayed, breaking apart one after another, the mummies instantly regained their freedom. Hehe~ Howls of mutated zombies were emitted from the mouths of these mummies. One by one the corpses slowly stood upright and pounced on the group. However, seeing this scene, it appeared to be within everyones predictions. All the NPCs drew their weapons and began battling these mummies. Damn, these mummies are all level 15 elite bosses, there are too many. This dungeon is a bit horrifying, isnt it? One of the players in the back screamed after checking the attributes of these mummies. Level 15 elite bosses? Impossible, how can there be so many? Damn, its true. They are all level 15 elite bosses. Luckily we have these NPCs with us, otherwise no matter how many people we bring, we would all be wiped out! Charge, lets go! We just need to deal damage with these NPCs tanking for us. If we can kill one boss, we kill one boss. All of these are bosses! Hearing this mans roar, all the players were stunned for a moment, then started rushing towards the monsters. For a while, various attacks flooded over the crowd of mummies like a torrent. Various colors of energy beams even illuminated the surrounding hall. The players powerful momentum gave the NPCs a good scare. Only when they realized that the players were attacking the mummies did they finally breathe a sigh of relief. After exchanging glances, all the NPCs began to be wary of the players behind them. Song Jian didnt care about this. Apart from keeping the Immortal Sword Body and Morphing into Dark Cloud skills at hand and not summoning any creatures, he immediately launched full firepower, rushing towards the mummies. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swung out, emitting a dark red light. The third stage attack directly threw seven or eight mummies into the air. Sword Finger! A silver light illuminated a large area around them in an instant. Qian Xiaohao squinted as he stared intently at Song Jian, who felt a gaze full of malice coming from the side. Turning his head to look, Qian Xiaohao had a trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded slightly towards Song Jian. Bang! A mummy fell to the ground, its vitality points reduced to zero. With a boom, a black flame rose directly, burning the mummy to ashes within seconds. Clang! A crisp noise resounded as a green gemstone the size of a fingernail rolled out from the ashes. Green Gemstone (White): Inlayable, Use Effect: Can be inlaid on helmets, chest armour, trousers, gloves, leggings, physique attribute +1; Use requirement: Inlayed items level 10. A gemstone that can enhance attributes? Song Jian looked at the green gemstone the size of a fingernail in his hand, a surprised expression appearing on his face. Song Jian had acquired inlayable items before, but he had never seen one that directly increased attributes. Seeing the green gemstone in Song Jians hand, all the NPCs had greedy looks in their eyes. If it werent for fearing Song Jians powerful strength, these people would probably try to snatch the gemstone directly. Gems, indeed, gems can drop in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace One of the NPCs stared at the gemstone in Song Jians hand in a daze, mumbling to himself. Haha, so many mummies, all mine, the gems are all mine too! Another NPC seemed to have been stimulated, breaking out his full strength and charging towards the mummies. Song Jian took a deep breath. It seemed that these gems were indeed valuable, or else these NPCs wouldnt be so fanatic. Could the red gems required to upgrade the Blood Pool be obtained here? A sudden spark of inspiration stirred in Song Jians mind. Upon this thought, Song Jian became excited, wanting to reveal all his cards and slaughter all the mummies. This mummy was killed by me; that gemstone is also mine. Why are you plundering my spoils of war! A not-too-distant NPC who was an archer pointed at a human NPC and shouted angrily. Just because you say you killed it means you did? I also contributed. As for the spoils of war, it naturally belongs to whoever grabs it. If youre too slow, who can you blame? The warrior NPC glanced dismissively at the archer and snorted coldly before throwing himself at a mummy nearby. Song Jian looked around and indeed, nearly all the NPCs were unleashing their wide-range group attack skills. They didnt aim to eliminate all the mummies, but at least dealt damage to them and acquired the right to pick up the loot. Seeing this scene, Song Jian smirked and couldnt help chuckling. Chapter 313 - Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Snatching the Monster Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Snatching the Monster Translator: 549690339 | Seeing the NPCs start to fight over the monsters, Song Jian began to laugh. Seeing a mummy that only had less than a tenth of its vitality points left, Song Jian immediately pulled out a self-destructing robot from his inventory and directed it toward the mummy. The self-destructing robots moved on tracks, their speed was incredibly fast, and their compact size made them nimble among the monsters. As it reached the mummy, its warning light started to flash urgently. Boom! A massive explosion resounded, causing a damage of over two hundred points to all the monsters and NPCs within a three-meter range. The mummy let out a roar and instantly turned into a pile of ashes, unfortunately, it didnt drop any gems. Song Jian gave a snort, his gaze shifted to other mummies. However, the explosion drew all of the NPCs attention to Song Jian. In particular, those NPCs who were just attacking the mummy looked horrified. One NPC was even blasted by the self-destructing robot to the brink of death. How dare you That NPC pointed at Song Jian, his face full of anger. Huh, the experience points from the final hit are quite high! Song Jian said with surprise. Human, your actions will provoke public outrage. Even if youre powerful, you cant possibly fight against so many people A bull-headed beastman shaman, holding a bone wand, turned towards Song Jian. What, only you guys can snatch the monsters, and others cant? Song Jian retorted. The shaman priest was at a loss for words, looking at the NPCs fighting over the mummies, he sighed and shook his head without saying more. The NPCs were not all on the same page. They belonged to different factions, some of them were even enemies. But because there were so many players, these NPCs felt pressure and nerves, forced to unite and form a loose alliance. However, this alliance couldnt hold up in the face of self-interest. Song Jian didnt care about that, seeing another mummy was almost out of vitality points, he immediately let loose another self-destructing robot. Ba-ba-ba~ The self-destructing robot rushed towards the mummy. At this moment, the NPC that had been hacking at the mummy saw its vitality points had fallen to half and immediately showed a drastic change in expression. Rather than being hit by the mummy, it rapidly retreated. The explosion radius of self-destructing robots was three meters. If it waited till the moment they worked their way over, it would be too late to escape. Boom! Another thunderous noise, the mummy with less than a hundred vitality points was blasted into pieces. The surrounding NPCs scampered away in panic, none dared to get within a 3-meter radius of the mummys corpse. Just then, Song Jians eyes brightened. He seemed to see a red gem roll down from the mummys body. Sword Shadow Step! A dark figure pounced at the mummy. Some NPCs seeing that Song Jian intended to snatch the gem began to attack him. Energy beams of various colors blasted at Song Jian all at once. Boom! MISS, MISS, Boom! About half of the attacks were directly dodged, Song Jian was taken by surprise, he swiftly scooped up the gem and turned around. Like a shadow, he rushed towards the NPC attacking him that was closest to him. Dont, Stop, 1 The face of that NPC changed drastically, it hadnt expected that Song Jian would actually dare to fight it amidst so many people. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! A series of attacks followed, instantly killing this NPC who had over eight hundred vitality points. Leisurely picking up the items dropped by the NPC, Song Jian looked around. His eyes were filled with killing intent, and a hint of black shadows began to float around him, like tentacles of a devil. Qian Xiaohao sneered, ready to step forward and reprimand Song Jian, even thinking about rallying everyone around to kill him and see if he could burst out the Sword Finger skill. But he was held back by his last remaining follower, who whispered in his ear, Young Master, look at the black mist on him, thats the mark of an abyssal demon. Hes been marked by an abyssal demon. If you kill him, I fear you will replace him, becoming the next target of the abyssal demon What? How could he possibly provoke such a terrifying existence? Qian Xiaohaos eyes were full of surprise. Staring at Song Jian for a while, there was struggle in Qian Xiaohaos eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he finally sighed; He can perform Sword Finger, he surely possesses Invisible Sword Qi, what a pity After Song Jian had killed an NPC, not all NPCs were stunned by his actions. Two of the level twenty NPCs snorted, about to step forward, but saw that Song Jian unleashed over a dozen self-destructing robots all at once that surrounded him. This moment immediately silenced everyone. Over a dozen self-destructing robots, each capable of causing over two hundred points of damage, this many self-destructing robots could instantly kill any one present. If Song Jian was heartless, he could even take a lot of NPCs down with him. Human, what do you want exactly? An elf NPC tightly clutched his battle bow, his face full of confusion as he asked. I need a hundred red gems! Song Jian replied with a slight smile. Impossible! Not every monster here can drop a gem, and not every gem dropped is necessarily red. Your request is impossible to fulfil! The elf NPC immediately rebutted, angered. Shrugging, Song Jian said: Well, Ill just farm for loot myself. Is that farming for loot yourself? Youre just stealing monsters, are you clueless? The elf NPC was left speechless in frustration. If Song Jian continued causing chaos, everyone would have to reserve some energy while fighting monsters. When would they be able to kill all these mummies? You have to understand theres more than just that in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace! I can give you all the red gems dropped by these mummies, plus an extra Life Fruit. Regardless of how severe your injuries are, you can fully recover by consuming it, what do you think? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, he only had a few more than ten self-destructing robots left. Even if he could snatch every time and every mummy he snatched could explode with a red gem, he could at most obtain a dozen more red gems. If he accepted the deal proposed by the elf NPC, his harvest would naturally be larger. Will they listen to you? Song Jian glanced at the other NPCs. Seeming to possess high status, the elf NPC looked around, his gaze only lingered on Qian Xiaohao for a moment. As Qian Xiaohao nodded slightly, the elf NPC showed a smidge of smugness in his smile: This, I will certainly guarantee for you! Chapter 314 - Chapter 314: Chapter 314: The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord Chapter 314: Chapter 314: The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord Translator: 549690339 Song Jian laughed and nodded, agreeing to the elf NPCs suggestion. The Elf NPC was quite generous, tossing a fist-sized red fruit to Song Jian. This was a Life Fruit from the Tree of Life, but it wasnt as precious as people imagined. It was at most equivalent to a full Vitality potion that removes all negative status effects. However, sometimes such a fruit could save ones life. Song Jian nodded, put the Life Fruit into his bag, but didnt take back the self-destructing robots. They still surrounded him, glaring intently at the NPCs who were hunting the mummies. For a moment, all the players looked at Song Jian with admiration; he was a ruthless guy! He even made the NPCs work for him? Without the self-destructing robots causing chaos, the NPCs finally relaxed and started to focus on hunting the mummies. Clang- At the sound of a crisp noise, Song Jian turned to look. A red gem dropped from a mummys body, and Song Jian couldnt help but smile, staring closely at the NPC who killed the mummy. The human NPC wore a conflicted expression. After picking up the red gem, he saw Song Jians wolfish gaze and couldnt help but tremble slightly, shaking his head with a bitter smile as he tossed the red gem to Song Jian. If he didnt hand over the red gem, not only would Song Jian not let him go, but the Elf NPC wouldnt spare him either. Although the red gem was precious, it wasnt as valuable as his own life. When inlaid on equipment, the red gem could increase ones strength attribute by one point, almost equal to a Ring of Strength. However, Song Jian wanted the red gems not for inlaying, but for upgrading his Blood Pool. Although the Blood Slaves created by the Blood Pool were currently weak, their potential was great and their levels needed to be increased as soon as possible. Soon, Song Jian collected more than ten red gems, while the other colored gems that dropped were collected by the NPCs themselves. Those who dropped red gems could only blame their bad luck. One unlucky player who luckily managed to deliver the last hit and received a gem from a mummy found out it was a red gem. He reluctantly handed it to Song Jian with a mournful face, leaving Song Jian both amused and helpless. Soon, the hundred plus mummies were all killed by the NPCs, dropping more than thirty red gems, all of which were pocketed by Song Jian. Without the interference of the self-destructing robots, the NPCs monster-hunting efficiency was quite impressive. With the mummies no longer being a threat, everyone continued to move forward. Soon, a Bronze Throne appeared before everyone. This is it, the Bronze Throne. Whoever possesses it will get a chance to compete for one of the top ten unique professions! Qian Xiaohaos eyes gleamed. He had spent a great deal of effort to enter Doomsday City, all for the sake of this Bronze Throne in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The Elf NPC also wore an excited expression: Is this the key to the top ten unique professions? Its so amazing, I finally see it today Qian Xiaohao excitedly rushed towards the Bronze Throne deep within the Underground Palace, but stopped halfway, his face full of doubt and suspicion. How, how could this be? Why is there still someone on the throne? It should be noted that the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace Qian Xiaohao had previously entered contained only a bare Bronze Throne. Although he didnt have the qualifications to compete back then, he remembered every detail of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace clearly. Could this be a trap? Qian Xiaohao couldnt help but take two steps back, while the follower behind him wore a puzzled expression, whispering, Young Master, whats wrong? Why dont you go and seize the Bronze Throne? Somethings not quite right Qian Xiaohao said with a frown. Since Young Master Qian is not interested, I, Ama Girel Star Moon, will take this Bronze Throne. The Elf NPC excitedly lunged at the Bronze Throne. Song Jian calmly followed behind the NPC. Regardless of who obtained the treasure, he would always get a share. He had the confidence and ability to do so. The Elf NPC charged toward the Bronze Throne and saw a black-robed skeleton sitting on it. Frowning, he tried to pull the skeleton down. The black robe on the skeleton was made of an unknown material. Even the iron chains on the Coiling Dragon Pillar had rusted away, but the black robe remained brand new, as if it had just been made. The flesh on the skeleton had long since decayed, leaving only the pitch-black bones, which radiated a faint luster from their surface, like black crystals. Ama Girel, just a small family of elves, dares to compete with me for the Bronze Throne, not knowing whether to live or die! Qian Xiaohao sneered, with his hands crossed on his shoulders, standing aside, wanting to watch Ama Girel mess up. As expected, the moment Ama Girel reached out, the skeleton on the Bronze Throne suddenly had oil-green light in its eye sockets. Slap- Ama Girels arm was grabbed by the skeleton; The stench of the Elves, I smelled it the moment you entered the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace The skeleton raised its head, its eyes glowing with green fire as it stared at Ama Girel, speaking in a hoarse voice. You, you are Ama Girels face turned pale; only then did the name and attributes of the skeleton appear above its head. LV15 Imperial Dragon Demon Lord (Lord): Vitality Points: 5000/5000, Spirit Points: 800/800. Special Features: Undead, Super Defense, Ghostly Strike. Skills: Instant Slash, Soul Drain, Summon Guardian. A level 15 Lord BOSS? Ama Girel was startled and hurriedly tried to break free from the skeletons grip, but the skeletons palm was like an iron clamp, holding his wrist firmly. Whoosh- Ama Girel suddenly felt a pain in his chest and saw a withered hand had pierced through it. His eyes were full of disbelief and terror. How, how is this possible? I have 860 Vitality Points, how could 1 Serve as the nourishment for my resurrection- The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord let out a satisfied moan, wisps of red Vitality flowing from Ama Girels body into the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. In no time, Ama Girel had turned into a mummy, his face still wearing a look of terror. At this point, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had fully regained his flesh, appearing like a man in his thirties with two huge dragon horns on his head and blue gem-like eyes. Seeing the NPCs and players gathered around, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords mouth curled into a cruel smile. Since you killed all my subordinates, youll now become my subordinates! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord laughed loudly, raising his right hand towards the sky. A dragons roar echoed throughout the Underground Palace. Chapter 315 - Chapter 315: Chapter 315: Attracting Hatred Chapter 315: Chapter 315: Attracting Hatred Translator: 549690339 The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord stood up from the Bronze Throne, and a pressure emanated from him. Everyone could not help but take a few steps back, their faces changing drastically. Is this the power of a Level 15 lord? How is that possible! Surprise appeared in Qian Xiaohaos eyes. He had only felt such a terrifying aura from those characters above Level 30. As the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord stood up, he raised his hand. A dragon chant echoed throughout the Underground Palace, and from behind the Bronze Throne, a colossal Bone Dragon over ten meters long slowly revealed its head. The Bone Dragons entire body was devoid of flesh, leaving only stark white bones. Two clusters of green flames burned ferociously in its eye sockets. Gray auras surrounded the Bone Dragon, giving people a dangerous feeling just by seeing them. Qian Xiaohaos face changed, and he shouted softly, Retreat! Instantly, he and the Follower retreated rapidly, heading towards the entrance of the cave. Adult members of the Dragon Clan were at least Level 60. Even if they turned into Bone Dragons after death, their levels would not be lower than 55. Even if everyone present joined forces, they would be no match for this Bone Dragon, let alone a Level 15 lord-class BOSS. How could a Bone Dragon appear here! Qian Xiaohaos expression darkened with terror. He even ignored his subordinates and only led his Follower, rushing towards the entrance of the cave. While running, the Follower unintentionally glanced back, and suddenly froze. Young Master, thats not a real Bone Dragon The Follower grabbed Qian Xiaohao and whispered. Qian Xiaohao turned to look and saw what the Follower meant. The Bone Dragon that had been summoned by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was not real. It was translucent like an illusion. Its second half seemed to be embedded in the wall behind the Bronze Throne, revealing only the front half of its body. Fifteen, Level 15? And an ordinary-quality monster? This, this After closely inspecting the Bone Dragon, Qian Xiaohao didnt know what to say. Everything before him made Qian Xiaohao feel as if he had lost control. Why did this Imperial Dragon Demon Palace seem so different from any other he had entered? Rumble! At this moment, the entrance of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace suddenly began to shake, and stones rolled down, sealing the bronze gate shut. A hideous smile appeared on the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords face, as he roared softly, All of you shall die! Speaking, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord grasped at his right hand, and a huge demonic blade over two-meters long appeared in his palm. He fiercely slashed forward, sending a black blade aura at the crowd. A NPC with a shield in hand shouted and stepped forward, grasping the shield tightly and smashing it into the ground. Shield Wall! As the command was uttered, the shields surface emitted a dense layer of white light, forming a huge wall made up of shields to block the path. Boom! The black blade aura shattered the white lights shield wall and viciously struck the shield. The NPC shouted, his forehead veins bulging, refusing to budge and firmly resisting the shield. Bang! With a loud noise, the NPC was pushed back by the blade aura, dragging him more than two meters away, as a damage number of more than 300 floated above his head. We can block it! Surprise appeared on the face of the Shield Warrior NPC. Whoosh! A white light flew down from above and immediately boosted his Vitality Points by more than 200. We can win! Everyone, lets fight together! This is a Level 15 lord-class BOSS, defeating it will surely grant us silver, maybe even gold-quality equipment! The Shield Warrior rallied the crowd, and almost all NPCs cheered in response. Qian Xiaohaos face became incredibly ugly. What the Shield Warrior did was what he should have been doing in the first place. But because he knew about the Bone Dragon, he panicked and wanted to escape the moment he saw it. His cowardice was apparent to everyone. Even if he rallied the crowd now, no one would respond except the people he brought with him. Young Master, what should we do? The only remaining Follower asked softly. Fight, we have to kill it! Only then can we obtain the Bronze Throne! Qian Xiaohao gritted his teeth. Understood, Young Master! The Follower pulled a rifle from his bag and held it. The rifle was even longer than a regular sniper rifle and possessed a technological appearance beyond its era. Energy lights on both sides of the gun flickered continuously, seemingly always in a charging state. This Gauss sniper rifle, powered by electromagnetic acceleration rails, fired metal bullets with incredible speed. They were virtually undeterred within a kilometer, with almost no recoil, and its power far exceeded regular sniper rifles. It was a weapon that every sniper-class player dreamt about. Be careful not to attract too much aggro! Qian Xiaohao cautioned before flicking his right hand down. The ring on his index finger burst into a sky-blue light, and a lightsaber appeared in his palm. It resembled the lightsabers used by Jedi warriors in the real worlds Star Wars films. The weapons performance was also analogous, being almost indestructible and extremely sharp. The blade dazzled in a light show, making it highly visually appealing. In the game, as long as a warrior could withstand the BOSSS attacks, the demise of the BOSS was already deemed inevitable. Seeing that the Shield Warrior NPC could withstand the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords assault, all NPCs confidence surged. After all, everyone present possessed at least the strength of a Level 15 elite BOSS. Surely all these people combined could kill a single Level 15 lord, right? Moreover, with hundreds of players continuously attacking from behind, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords Vitality Points visibly plummeted. When the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords Vitality Points had dropped by a fifth, it roared loudly. A strong energy wave erupted from its body, repulsing everyone who had been besieging it. Afterward, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord strode back towards the Bronze Throne and slowly sat down. Astonishingly, its Vitality Points began to recover slowly, and in a short time, regained more than 100 points. Everyones faces changed dramatically as they hurriedly charged towards it. As soon as someone came within five meters of the Bronze Throne, the enormous Bone Dragon Illusion suddenly emitted a dragons roar and spat out a gray Dragon Breath at them. Instantly, almost every melee class was engulfed by the gray Dragon Breath, causing their attributes to plummet by 30%. In addition, there was also a continuous damage effect applied to them. Panicking, the melee group retreated quickly. At this moment, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord revealed a cruel grin, stood up from the Bronze Throne, leaped, and pounced on the crowd. Chapter 316 - Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Focus Fire on the Bone Dragon Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Focus Fire on the Bone Dragon Translator: 549690339 All melee fighters hit by the Bone Dragons Dragon Breath were afflicted with an Aging debuff, their attributes reduced by 30%, and their Vitality Points continually dropping. The debuff lasted for three minutes. At this moment, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had already come down from the Bronze Throne and charged at the melee fighters. Three minutes was enough for it to kill all the melee fighters, making the situation chaotic. At this time, the Tauren Shaman Priest who had accused Song Jian earlier suddenly started chanting loudly, sticking a thick, half-human-height wooden stake into the ground. He bit his tongue, spraying blood onto the stake. In an instant, the stake began to vibrate, countless green powders fluttered off it, covering a five-meter radius. All NPCs and players who entered the range saw their Vitality Points rapidly increasing. Melee fighters retreat, enter the purification totem range! the Tauren Shaman Priest bellowed. All melee fighters showed a look of joy and rushed towards the stake, entering the area covered by the green powder. In an instant, the Aging status vanished, replaced with a 10% damage reduction status. For a moment, the melee fighters confidence surged. As long as they could withstand the BOSS, defeating it was only a matter of time. Whoosh- A dark blade aura struck towards everyone. The piercing blade aura seemed to split the space in two, emanating a chilling sound. The Shield Warrior at the front changed his expression as he sensed that this attack was more than ten times more potent than the ones he had endured before. Solid as Gold! The Shield Warrior roared, and a faint golden bell illusion descended from the sky, guarding him firmly in the center. This was the Shield Warriors ultimate skill, reducing 50% damage taken. It was his most potent damage reduction skill, but its cooldown was long, lasting thirty minutes. In most battles, it could only be used once. Clang- The blade aura struck the golden bell illusion, producing a deep resounding bell sound, starting with a low hum and becoming more and more piercing. The nearby peoples expressions changed drastically, and they retreated one after another. Many of them began bleeding from their ears, unable to withstand the sonic attack. With a bang, the golden bell illusion was shattered by the blade, and the Shield Warrior NPC spit out a mouthful of blood. The arms holding his shield felt weak and numb. Without his firm will, he might have collapsed on the spot. Crack- A crisp cracking sound echoed, and the Shield Warriors heart sank. A crack appeared on the surface of the shield he held, and its durability dropped to 12. I cant resist any longer. If I do, itll definitely kill me! The Shield Warrior NPC had a gloomy expression, glancing at his Vitality Points. That attack had dealt more than half of his Vitality Points, even after reducing the damage by 60%. If he hadnt used his life-saving ability immediately, he would have been slain instantly. At this thought, the Shield Warrior felt a chill creeping up his body and slowly backed away. Although the healing from behind constantly boosted his Vitality Points, he dared not continue resisting the boss, letting other melee fighters take the front line. Song Jian was also continually attacking, but his eyes were constantly scanning the field, watching everyones actions. When he saw the Shield Warrior slowly backing away, his attack hesitated. The skill he intended to use stopped, and he started dealing damage with normal attacks. Just then, Qian Xiaohaos Follower felt that the BOSSS aggro had mostly been attracted to the front-row fighters and gritted his teeth, pulling the trigger towards the BOSS. In an instant, an eerie chill surged through Song Jians heart, giving him the illusion of being stared at by the Death God. Before he could react, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord let out a piercing roar. A large, bowl-sized hole appeared on its left shoulder, and countless black miasma poured out from the wound. Its Vitality Points plummeted, dropping by 15%. & It could be said that the damage from this attack was higher than the damage dealt by others before. Almost all NPCs and players let out a triumphant cheer, but Song Jian felt a chill in his heart. Such a terrifying attack would likely instakill even him if caught off-guard. More importantly, the Followers shot was too fast, giving almost no time to dodge. How can there be such a terrifying attack? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he couldnt help but look at the Follower. At this moment, the Follower had a pale face, and only half of his Vitality Points remained. It seemed that unleashing that powerful attack also had a price, and he was unlikely to cause such terrifying damage again in the short term. Even with the power of just one strike, its still terrifying. If he wants to assassinate someone, theres likely an 80% chance of success. Song Jian thought to himself, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he looked at the Follower. Because of the Sword Finger, he and Qian Xiaohao could never be friends. There was a high possibility that one day the Followers shot would be aimed at him. He wondered if he would be able to avoid the fatal blow when that happens. Its best to keep him here forever! Song Jians eyes flashed with murderous intent, but it vanished quickly. The heavily injured Imperial Dragon Demon Lord glared at the Follower without pursuing, instead turning its head and walking towards the Bronze Throne. Its going to heal its Vitality Points again. Kill it, stop it! someone shouted. They had already reduced its Vitality Points by 20%. If they let it recover again, all their efforts would be wasted, and everyone became anxious. As they glanced at the Bone Dragon next to the Bronze Throne, they couldnt help but feel uneasy, turning their gazes to the Tauren Shaman Priest. The Priest sighed and said, The Purification Totem still has five minutes of cooldown time Upon hearing this, everyone halted their advance, watching the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord sit on the Bronze Throne and slowly recover its Vitality Points. You all will die! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord wore a cold smile, its eyes full of murderous intent as it stared at the more than a hundred NPCs and players present, its voice deep and ominous. Song Jian stared at it for a long time, then looked at the Bone Dragon Illusion, which had only half of its body exposed. He suddenly shouted, Ranged fighters, focus fire on that Bone Dragon! Chapter 317 - Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Destroying the Bone Dragon Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Destroying the Bone Dragon Translator: 549690339 | No one thought to attack the Bone Dragon since it was merely an illusion. Most people instinctively thought it was just a skill summoned by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. When everyone heard Song Jians yell, they were momentarily startled their gaze shifting towards the Bone Dragon. An archer in the distance tried to fire an arrow at the Bone Dragon and surprisingly, it actually inflicted over sixty points of damage. It can be killed, this Bone Dragon Illusion can actually be killed! Everyone was ecstatic as they watched the damaged Bone Dragon Illusion with a blood meter appearing above its head. Whenever the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord is injured to a certain extent, it retreats to the Bronze Throne to restore its vitality points. Because of the threat posed by the Bone Dragon, no one dared approach, having to watch as the Demon Lord restored his vitality. If this continues for another half an hour, everyones spirit points would be depleted. By then, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord would wipe everyone out. Seeing hope, everybody burst into cheers. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord snorted coldly as it rose to its feet and strode down from the Bronze Throne. Now, Suprisingly, Song Jian realized that the demon lord did not fully restore its vitality points. Instead, it only restored 5% before leaving the Bronze Throne. It also only restored by 5% the first time Song Jian recalled the first time the Demon Lord restored itself. At the sight of the Demon Lord regaining vitality points, everyone was thrown into confusion. Plus, with the Bone Dragon threatening everyone, most people didnt notice how much vitality the Demon Lord had recovered. Maybe, it can only restore 5% of vitality points at a time Song Jian speculated in his mind. After the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord descended from the Bronze Throne, numerous melee fighters started to resist despite their unease. Every time the imperial Dragon Demon Lord stepped down from the Bronze Throne, it would emit a sharp black Qi, even the initially resilient shield warrior had to use his life-saving skill to survive. Everyone wondered whether they could withstand the hit. However, speaking of the shield warrior, where had he gone? just as some melee fighters were looking around for the shield warrior, the imperial Dragon Demon Lord suddenly let out a roar and charged forward. There was a chilling aura emanating from its body. All the melee fighters who made contact with it were thrown off their feet. Fortunately, though they were thrown, the damage was minimal. -It somewhat resembles the warriors charge! someone muttered. On the outside, this technique indeed resembled the charging skill of warriors, but the warriors charging skill wasnt this formidable. It doesnt have the power to send many people flying. Typically, the charging skill targets the first person it encounters, with the skill ending upon contact. Yet, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords strike had sent each melee fighter in its path flying, at least seven or eight combatants. Who is its target? After a moment of relief, the melee fighters suddenly became anxious. Behind them were all ranged fighters. If the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord charged into their midst, then thered be no hope for survival. At this point, Song Jian wasnt too far from the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord and could feel the chilling wind against his face. Luckily, he wasnt within the Demon Lords attack range. He just watched as the Demon Lord charged towards Qian Xiaohaos follower. As expected, its target is the follower Song Jians lips curled upwards. The damage dealt by the follower in the last round exceeded the combined damage of everyone else. This was why he didnt launch an attack in the first round and instead waited until the second. He was probably worried that he might draw the bosss aggro by inflicting too much damage. Unexpectedly, even after waiting a round of attacks, his damage was still substantial enough to attract the bosss aggro. Song Jian took a look at the others who were all swarming towards the boss while he himself rushed towards the Bone Dragon next to the Bronze Throne. Its just a regular level fifteen monster. Killing it doesnt require activating the Immortal Sword Body. It can be disposed of with a succession of moves! Song Jian thought to himself. Seeing Song Jian charging towards it, the Bone Dragon let out a roar, spewing out a Dragon Breath. Song Jian immediately activated Sword Shadow Step, rushing to the Bone Dragon. He wielded his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, aiming it at its giant skull. Sword Silk! Three silken strands of Sword Qi appeared out of nowhere. They explored momentarily in the air like tiny tentacles. Then, with a swish, all three collectively plunged towards the Bone Dragon. Thud! The long sword in Song Jians hand brutally hack onto the head of the Bone Dragon, himself also getting engulfed by the Dragon Breath. Suddenly, a feeling of weakness welled up from Song Jians heart. However, a moment later, a cool sensation gushed through his mind, completely dispelling that feeling of weakness. The level ten innate skill Thick Skin had robust resistance and even immunity to any negative effects. Although the Bone Dragon is a creature at the top of the pyramid, its level was too low at this time. It was not even an Elite BOSS. Apparently, it merely bore the form of a Bone Dragon and lacked the kind of pressure found in higher beings. The Thick Skin skill easily immunized the Aging effect. Without the Aging effect, Song Jian didnt take the Bone Dragons attack seriously. Each time, it could only cause damage less than thirty points to Song Jian. It couldnt even match his vitality recovery, so Song Jians vitality points were always full. Broken Wing Dance! Rapid Sword, Activate! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! A series of sword moves constantly struck the Bone Dragons head. Just then, a mournful scream resonated from the distance. Song Jian turned his head to find the imperial Dragon Demon Lord lifting his long knife. Skewered on its blade tip was an NPC. Upon closer inspection, it was Qian Xiaohaos Follower. Qian Xiaohaos face turned terribly pale. To block the BOSSS attack on his Follower, he had even forcibly ordered others to stop the BOSS. But contrary to his expectation, the BOSSS strength was so extraordinary. Despite being besieged by everyone, it effortlessly dashed in front of his Follower and stabbed without hesitation. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord looked at the convulsing human overhead and laughed heartily as blood gushed out. It was so refreshing. Bathing in the blood shower, a trace of intoxication appeared on its face. It even stuck out its tongue to lick the blood on its cheek. -You all will end up like him! The hoarse voice of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord sounded again. But just then, a mournful dragons cry erupted suddenly from behind. The imperial Dragon Demon Lords face changed, and it abruptly turned its head. At that moment, Song Jian was leaping high in the air. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flashed a red Sword Qi, mercilessly hacking toward the Bone Dragon. -No! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lords face showed a look of terror, emitting a furious roar. Crack- Song Jian harvested the last bit of vitality from the Bone Dragon. The massive Bone Dragon burst open with a bang, countless bones collapsing and quickly forming a small mountain of bones. Chapter 318 - Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Restoring Vitality Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Restoring Vitality Translator. 549690339 | The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had charged too far away. Upon seeing Song jians final blow, he was riddled with fury, wishing desperately to rush to Song Jian to slice him apart. In the end, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord could only watch helplessly as the Bone Dragon Illusion turned into a mass of Bone Mountain. Then, a gust of wind blew, turning the great mound of Bone Mountain into a pile of pale ashes. Ao~ A dragons roar echoed throughout the entire cave. A huge Bone Dragon Illusion rose from Bone Mountain. At this time, the spiritual state of the Bone Dragon repeatedly charged towards Song Jian but could do no harm to him. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord gritted his teeth in indignation, let out a roar, and gave a tremble with his long knife. The body of the follower hanging on his knife tip was instantly torn to pieces by his energy, scattering all over the ground. Although Song Jian had inflicted no damage on the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, after defeating the Bone Dragon Illusion, the Demon Lords hatred had already locked firmly onto Song Jian. Die! cried the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord fiercely, not caring about anything else and rushing toward Song Jian. Some NPCs, seeing the Demon Lord sprinting toward Song Jian, intentionally or unintentionally made way for him. Song Jians heart tightened as he prepared for the looming confrontation with the imperial Dragon Demon Lord. The giant Bone Dragon Illusion kept circling around him, ceaselessly opening its mouth to attack Song Jian, but it could do nothing to injure him. At this moment, Song Jian felt that the Black Dragon hatchling in his Pet Space was emanating a restless mood. He quickly called out the Black Dragon hatchling. Upon appearing, the Black Dragon hatchling immediately raised its head and let out a tender dragon roar. Its pair of golden slit pupils were staring excitedly at the Bone Dragon Soul circling around Song Jian. Seeing the arrival of the Black Dragon hatchling in an instant, the Bone Dragon Soul felt a sudden shiver for some reason and couldnt help but retreat. The Black Dragon hatchling flapped its wings and lunged toward the Bone Dragon Soul. Before the Bone Dragon Soul could react, the hatchling opened its mouth wide and inhaled deeply. Suddenly, a strong wind was sucking the Bone Dragons soul, directing it into the mouth of the Black Dragon hatchling, Like drinking jelly, it took only a few seconds for the hatchling to swallow the Bone Dragon Soul, which was dozens of times larger than itself. After consuming the Bone Dragon Soul, the hatchling let out a satisfied burp, swaying and flying toward Song Jian with a drunken gait. Seeing that the Bone Dragon Soul was consumed by the Song Jians pet, the imperial Dragon Demon Lord was dazed, standing rooted to the spot, his expression devastated. The Black Dragon hatchling that flew beside Song Jian closed its eyes and fell. Song Jian quickly stored it back into his Pet Space. Looking at the Black Dragon hatchling, the Pet Space indicated that the hatchling is in an evolving state. It will take ten hours to complete the evolution, during which it cannot be summoned, or the evolution will fail. Its not going to turn into a Bone Dragon with a body full of white bones, is it? Song Jian became worried. Just then, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord let out a mournful roar, his originally green eyes turned into two balls of fiery red flames, burning fiercely in an instant. Die! Amid a roar, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord swung his long knife, hacking it violently towards Song Jian. The Bone Dragon was more than a mere pet to the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, it was his spirit beast. His ability to cheat death was all thanks to the existence of the Bone Dragon. Now, with the Bone Dragons soul being devoured by the Black Dragon hatchling, even if the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord were to slaughter all the NPCs and players in the Underground Palace, he still wouldnt be able to cheat death and truly resurrect. His power was confined to the current state, unable to advance further. For the imperial Dragon Demon Lord, this was even more unacceptable than death itself. At this point, Song Jian angered it even more than the follower from before. The long knife in the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords hand was already beginning to ignite with black flames. Song Jian was startled, he pulled out a bottle of Weakness Potion from his bag, aimed at the route the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was charging through, and harshly smashed it at the ground. With a boom, dust clouded the air as the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord rushed out, disregarding everything and swiped at Song Jian. Beep Beep Beep- Just then, the ten plus Self-Destructing Robots surrounding Song Jian, emitted blinding red light from their eyes, and collectively rushed towards the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Immortal Sword Body, activate! A soft shout, a flicker of golden light appeared on the surface of Song Jians body. Eight long sword illusions slowly circled around him, sharply raising his attributes, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand felt somewhat lightweight. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian rushed towards the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, and a sword clashed heavily together. With a boom, Song Jian was directly blown away, his Vitality Points dropped more than five hundred points. Even the Shield Warrior from before, if he had taken this strike head-on, would have surely died. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord was not feeling any better at the moment. After activating the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jians strength attributes exceeded 25 points. Even the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord did not have that level of strength. If it was not for skill bonuses, the one to have been blown away from this strike would have been the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. At this moment, a damage of over three hundred points was also floated above the head of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Nearly vomiting a mouthful of blood, it managed to forcibly suppress it and swallow it down. just as it was preparing to strike while the iron was hot and continue to attack Song Jian, the ten odd Self-Destructing Robots had already run to its front. Boom boom boom- The Self-Destructing Robots practically exploded simultaneously, and rising from the spot where the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord stood, a small scale mushroom cloud appeared. The terrifying explosion made the entire cave start to shake, with broken rocks falling from above. Everyones faces wore expressions of fear, terrified of being buried underground. You have to understand, that the spot where everyone was located was hundreds of metres away from the surface. If it collapses, no one will have any chance of survival. Leaning on his long sword, Song Jian slowly stood up. He glanced at the Life Fruit in his bag, hesitated a moment, but still did not take it out. He still had more than three hundred Vitality Points, and moreover, he could recover more than twenty every second. In just half a minute, his Vitality Points would be fully recovered, it wasnt time to use the Life Fruit yet. Glancing at the Bronze Throne next to him, Song Jian suddenly had a thought and directly turned, taking a seat atop the Bronze Throne. Until the imperial Dragon Demon Lord was killed, the Bronze Throne could not be retrieved. It was similar to an item of plot significance, Song Jian didnt know if it could replenish his Vitality Points, he just sat down with an attempt it mentality. Unexpectedly, the moment he sat on the Bronze Throne, a mysterious energy surged from the throne into his body. For a moment, his Vitality Points recovery speed greatly increased, and in just ten or so seconds, his Vitality Points were fully restored. When his Vitality Points were fully recovered, the mysterious energy suddenly disappeared. But then, in his eyes, a sixty-second countdown appeared on the Bronze Throne. -The throne can only be used to recover Vitality Points every sixty seconds? Excitement flashed in Song Jians eyes, he finally discovered the secret of the Bronze Throne, that the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord also couldnt recover Vitality Points all the time. As the dust cleared, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was now standing m a ragged state. His body was covered with wounds, countless black mist slowly seeping from these wounds. His eyes were dead set on Song Jian, who just stepped down from the Bronze Throne, wishing he could tear him to pieces. Chapter 319 - Chapter 319: Shattered Chapter 319: Shattered Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had obliterated the Bone Dragon Illusion, causing more damage to the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord than he had expected. The Bone Dragon Illusion was a manifestation of all the skills and mastery of the Demon Lord. Once it had absorbed enough vitality, it could merge with the Bone Dragon and increase its power significantly. At this point, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord regarded Song Jian with a deep-seated hatred, yearning to rip him apart with its own hands. The explosion of a dozen self-destructing robots inflicted over two thousand points of damage to the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, reducing his Vitality Points to less than half. Seeing that his Bronze Throne was also cooling down, he became even more furious, charging at Song Jian with his long sword ablaze with black flames. Song Jian had never fought a level 15 boss monster before. But after their recent clash, he could guess that none of the Demon Lords attributes would exceed twenty points. In this aspect, Song Jian had completely suppressed the Demon Lord. However, the Demon Lords skills were all extremely powerful and inflicting high damage, which made the fight difficult for Song Jian. Meanwhile, the surrounding NPCs saw that the Demon Lord was attacking Song Jian and curiously stood aside, allowing the Demon Lord to focus on Song Jian without any distraction. This was the consequence of Song Jians earlier threat to the NPCs with his self-destructing robots; practically all the NPCs present now held grudges against him. As a result, his relationship with these NPCs had most likely degraded to a point of indifference. They derived great pleasure from watching Song Jian struggle. The Demon Lords long sword was brimming with power, each swing carrying the force of cracking rocks. But Song Jian wouldnt be defeated easily. His Crimson Fire Heart Monkey Sword was suddenly enveloped with a veneer of crimson flame. The Fire Lizard Medicine! Song Jian, who had taken the Weakness Potion and Fire Lizard Medicine clashed with the Demon Lord. They traded blows for a while, none gaining an upper hand. Those watching were astounded. How can he be so strong? Qian Xiaohaos face darkened. He had considered the opponent just an adventurer who got lucky, with only potential at best. But the opponents actual power was beyond belief. Upon entering the city, other than searching for information about the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, Qian Xiaohao had always been ready to find the fortunate adventurer who traded with his father. If the adventurer had not learned the Sword Finger technique, he would attempt to trade it with him. If the adventurer had already learned the technique, then he would have no choice but to kill him to see if he could drop the Sword Finger technique upon death. When Qian Xiaohao realized that Song Jian had already learned Sword Finger, he became murderous. Although he tried hard to suppress his feelings, Song Jian soon noticed his hostility. If his two followers were still alive, Qian Xiaohao would have had the confidence to ambush and kill Song Jian. However, he currently lacked that confidence. This player is just too good, actually going toe-to-toe with a level 15 boss! Are we even playing the same game? The hundreds of other players present were equally surprised, they paused and watched Song Jians battle with the Demon Lord intently. By this time, the entire Demon Palace had become the battlefield for Song Jian and the Demon Lord alone. All the NPCs and players had merely become spectators. Song Jians Vitality Points kept decreasing, although the Demon Lords rate of decrease was faster. However, his attacks seemed to become more ferocious as his Vitality Points decreased. It seemed like the lower his Vitality Points were, the higher his attack power became. Gradually, Song Jian was finding it harder and harder to withstand the Demon Lords attacks, each hit causing him over a hundred points of damage. If he was hit with a skill, he would immediately lose five to six hundred Vitality Points. If got distracted he could potentially be killed instantly. At this moment, a gigantic Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion suddenly appeared out of thin air. As soon as it appeared, its enormous stinger immediately aimed at the Demon Lords chest. Get out of my way, inferior creature! The Demon Lord roared in fury, angered by the desert scorpions presumptuous attack. The strike that was originally aimed at Song Jian changed direction in mid-air and slashed towards the Scorpion Beast. This attack seemed to be able to shatter the void. The Desert Scorpion, which couldnt have been normally targeted, shrieked in agony as it was hit by the stroke. Its entire body was marked by a fine slit. Then, it shattered like glass and exploded into thousands of pieces. System: Your Scorpion Beast Helmet has been damaged, the helmets special ability cannot be activated for the next 12 hours; Song Jian felt a jolt of shock. Was the Demon Lords attack that terrifying? Even an innocent attack could kill the Scorpion Beast soul which couldnt be locked or attacked. If the attack had landed on his body, could he have endured it? After releasing this attack, the Demon Lord seemed somewhat energy-drained. It glanced at Song Jian and surprisingly turned around and walked toward the Bronze Throne. Oh no, its going to restore its Vitality Points again! Song Jian was alarmed. With a thought, two level 15 Fire Elemental Spirits appeared beside Song Jian and charged at the Demon Lord. Song Jian also leaped forward, stabbing his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword at the Demon Lords heart from behind; At this point, the Demon Lord had grabbed onto the hand of the Bronze Throne, ready to sit down. The Fire Elemental Spirits, over a meter tall, had started to gather fireballs to toss at it. Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had already pierced its heart. As soon as the sword pierced the Demon Lords heart, an angry roar echoed in the Demon Palace that sounded as divine and majestic as a god. The Demon Lord shivered, a look of disbelief filled its eyes. How can this be? Is this the wrath of the Fire God? A red damage indicator floated above its head. Finally, after a long time, the special effect of Song Jians ring, Eye of the Fire God, had been activated. The Wrath of the Fire God caused an additional three hundred points of fire damage to the Demon Lord. Click- With a soft snap, the Demon Lord had crushed the handle of the Bronze throne in his hand. Everyone present turned pale. The most valuable thing in the entire Imperial Dragon Demon Palace was probably this Bronze Throne, yet the Demon Lord had accidentally damaged it in his surprise. If we had acted earlier, we might have killed the Demon Lord by now, and the Bronze Throne would not have been damaged A thought like this was gnawing at everyones mind like a poisonous insect. At this moment, Qian Xiaohaos fists were clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white. His teeth were clenched so hard that a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he was unaware of it. His gaze was fixed on the damaged Bronze Throne. Chapter 320 - Chapter 320: No dropped items? Chapter 320: No dropped items? Translator: 549690339 | The Bronze Throne could actually be damaged, startling all the NPCs who were aware of its value; Qian Xiaohao was filled with a sense of utter despair. The Bronze Throne was a token, possessing it proved one to be qualified to vie for one of the only ten professions. Damn, I dont know if we can still enter that place with the damaged Bronze Throne Qian Xiaohao was nearly choked with anger. His eyes, when looking at the imperial Dragon Demon Lord, were filled with murderous intent, as if he wanted nothing more than to hack it into pieces. The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord looked surprised, even somewhat incredulous, as he noticed that he had squeezed and crumbled the handle of the Bronze Throne. Just then, an ethereal spirit sword materialized above Song Jians head, and he slashed it heavily on the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. A wailing scream echoed as the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord fell from the Bronze Throne. His long knife swept sideways, forcing Song Jian to retreat. The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord staggered to his feet, looked at Song Jian, snorted coldly, surprisingly plunged into the crowd of NPCs. He grabbed the nearest priest-type profession, violently stabbing him in the heart. The priests head instantly displayed around six hundred damage points, instantly killing him. The Demon Lord opened his mouth for a suction and the blood from the priests body promptly consolidated into red streaks of energy, rushing toward his mouth. 1 he Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, originally had only less than five hundred vitality points, recovered nearly three hundred points in just a few seconds. Dissatisfied with recovering only over two hundred vitality points, the Imperial Demon Dragon Lord discarded the dried-up corpse in his hand after sucking it dry. He snorted coldly and rushed towards another nearby NPC. Stop him, we cant let him continue to restore vitality! The NPCs cried out, causing chaos. They had been spectating for too long and had forgotten that the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord intended to wipe them all out here. In an instant, everyone C players and NPCs alike C attacked the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Countless colorful pillars of energy exploded on his body, the sound of powerful strikes filled the air. A black fog floated at the surface of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords body, drastically reducing all the damage dealt to him to single digits. The combined attack of hundreds of individuals only caused a mere three to four hundred total damage to him. You all will die! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lords vitality points were down to less than five hundred, but his arrogance made it seem as if he was pressuring hundreds of players and NPCs. In reality, it was indeed the case. The Imperial Dragon Demon Lords attack power had now reached a terrifying level. Even the Shield Warrior who initially blocked him had his shield split into two, reducing him to a near-death state. The others were no match for him. Whoever came close was either slain in a single stroke or had all their vitality drained. It was bizarre, however, that no matter how much vitality the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord drained from NPCs, his vitality seemed to be permanently stuck at five hundred points and could not be increased any further. Just then, a crack sound came from the Bronze Throne. Chaos ensued within the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The only one who heard this crack was Song Jian, who had been standing aside and watching the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord with folded arms. At first, Song Jian thought he had heard wrong and turned his head towards the Bronze Throne. He was startled to see that small cracks had started to appear around the handle that was accidentally crushed by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. These cracks were spreading out with continuous crack sounds. But this sound was extremely weak. If it werent for Song Jian, who was standing right next to the Bronze Throne, no one could have heard it. Like a frenzied maniac, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was killing left, right and center. Like a tiger amidst a herd of sheep, no one could match his power. Only then did people realize, to their astonishment, that someone had actually been able to battle with the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord for over ten minutes. It was virtually unbelievable. Boss, elite, lend us a hand. Do you really want to watch us all get slaughtered by this BOSS? Yes, if the BOSS drops any items, were willing to give them all to you, okay? Help! This BOSS can deal over two hundred damage with a single normal attack. We cant withstand it! The NPCs were too embarrassed to ask for help from Song Jian, but the players didnt care about that now. Even the vitality points of a Level 10 professional player didnt exceed three hundred. They couldnt withstand the BOSSS ordinary attacks, let alone using any skills. But no matter how loudly the players begged for help, even pleading desperately, Song Jian just stood in place without moving, his brows furrowed as he stared intently at the Bronze Throne. At this moment, no one noticed that the surface of the Bronze Throne was now covered in a dense network of cracks, like a spiders web. This most precious existence in the eyes of the NPCs was about to be completely destroyed. Crash- The Bronze Throne suddenly crumbled into tiny particles, like sand, collapsing m an instant. Amidst a pile of blue dust, a palm-sized, dazzling bronze box appeared in front of Song Jian. Theres actually a treasure inside the Bronze Throne? Song Jians eyes lit up. He rushed forward, picked up the palm-sized bronze box and immediately placed it in his inventory. The moment Song Jian put the bronze box into his inventory, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord seemed to feel something. After knocking an NPC away, he turned and looked at the Bronze Throne. When he saw the Bronze Throne had turned into fine sand, a look of despair appeared on the face of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. He yelled hysterically, No, it cant be Crack, crack- The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord began walking towards the Bronze Throne. After only a few steps, his legs started to stiffen and a hint of blue appeared on the surface of his body. After struggling forwards a few steps more, the entire body of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was covered in blue, looking like a bronze statue. Boom! The bronze statue that the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had turned into shattered, and horrific wails echoed throughout the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. At this time, a red light point suddenly appeared in front of the Bronze Throne. In an instant, this light point turned into a light door, with a five-minute countdown appearing above it. Did you just take something from the Bronze Throne? Qian Xiaohao suddenly pointed at Song Jian and shouted loudly. No one had seen the moment when the Bronze Throne had crumbled into fine sand. Everyone had been chased by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord as if they were mice, afraid that they would be cut to pieces if they were one step slow. However, after Song Jian took away the bronze box, an indentation in the shape of a box was left in the blue sand and caught Qian Xiaohaos attention. It was this detail that made Qian Xiaohao suspicious. He wondered if Song Jian had taken something. Song Jian glanced coldly at Qian Xiaohao, made a throat-slitting gesture, turned around, and disappeared into the red light portal. The players didnt notice the actions of the NPCs; they all swarmed towards the corpse of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, continuously flipping over each bronze fragment, hoping to see if the BOSS had dropped any items. However, to the disappointment of everyone, this powerful Level 15 Boss did not drop any items at all, leaving the players cursing out loud. This behavior gave the remaining NPCs pause and a look of astonishment spread across their faces. Chapter 321 - Chapter 321: A Black Object Chapter 321: A Black Object Translator: 549690339 Without having found any loot, the players left via the teleportation gate one by one. Only Qian Xiaohao approached the bronze throne, carefully sweeping his gaze across its surface. His face darkened noticeably. After a while, Qian Xiaohao stood up, his teeth gritted as he spoke in a low tone, Weve been played by that gods chosen! Sir Qian, what exactly happened? An NPC steps forward, interrogating. Look at this spot! Qian Xiaohao pointed at a hollow in the center of the bronze throne, There was something here, but that guy swiped it! Now Qian Xiaohao understood why the high-profile figures were all trying to seize the bronze throne C it wasnt for the throne itself, but for the treasure buried inside. Anyhow, Qian Xiaohao suffered a major loss this time. Once leading over a dozen people, only three now survived, including his two most loyal followers who died here. All for nothing, without obtaining any rewards. Sir Qian, we all know that the Bronze Throne within the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is the most precious, but its significance is still unclear. Could you explain its value to us? An NPC of the priest class suddenly asked. With a cold smirk, Qian Xiaohao denied. Such information had been tightly controlled by the influential factions and families. Ordinary people had no access to them. These NPCs, thinking they could obtain such valuable information for free, were simply delusional. just as Qian Xiaohao was about to refuse, a thought struck him, and with a chuckle, he replied, Actually, the bronze throne holds the secret to becoming one of the top ten unique professions. Whoever can acquire it will have the chance to stand atop the pyramid. Gasps filled the air among the NPCs. Dreams and greed gleamed in everyones eyes. To ordinary people, the top ten unique professions were no different from deities. Unbelievably, the Bronze Throne held the key to reaching such divinities. Now, the treasure has been taken by that gods chosen. If you want it, you should go find him. Qian Xiaohao smiled, turning around to step into the teleportation gate. With less than twenty NPCs left, they exchanged glances, each entering the teleportation gate one after another, leaving behind in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace only silence, shattered stones, and dry corpses. At this moment, the index finger of an NPC corpse twitched, displacing a small stone beside it. The little stone rolled forward with a clattering echo resonating in the empty palace. Exiting the transmission array, Song Jian returned directly to his Manor Castle. What a pity, I didnt get to loot the items dropped by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord! Song Jian thought regretfully. After Qian Xiaohao pointed out that he had taken something from the Bronze Throne, Song Jian immediately realized that he could no longer stay in the palace. Without the deterrence of the self-destructing robot, the remaining NPCs could end him with a single round of attacks. Nonetheless, having acquired the treasure hidden within the Bronze Throne, Song Jian was still mitigated. He was unaware, though, that over ten NPC professionals had already set their greedy eyes on him. When he opened the Bronze Chest, the first item that met his eyes was a silver priests magic staff of Level 15, named Life Anthem. Its properties were excellent, enhancing healing by 10%, in addition to raising all healing abilities by one level. It was definitely a superior magic staff for a priest. Also included was a Level 15 silver knight shield for knight class. Although its attributes were ordinary, any silver shield would be eagerly sought by players at this stage. If a team did not have a good MT (Main Tank), they would be unable to defeat high level bosses. Thats why every time a shield appeared in auction, players would scramble for it. The rest were three material items: a Dragon Bloodstone, a Ruby, and a black-quality token. The Dragon Bloodstone and the Ruby were materials for upgrading the Blood Pool, and Song Jian set them aside after a glance. The black-quality token, however, held Song Jians attention. He held it in his hand, playing with it non-stop. Since the beginning of the game, Song Jian had only obtained one black-quality item, the accessory he obtained from killing the Zombie Carrying Slab. That item had terrible attributes, adding only one vitality point, and in the end was discarded by Song Jian for other items at the Prayer Altar. It was that experience at the Prayer Altar that made him realize the value of black-quality items. Somehow, many people were willing to exchange gold-quality items and skills for a black-quality accessory with such poor attributes. This might be an item not less valuable than a gold-quality one, I should keep it safe! Song Jian thought. The properties of this token were very vague, with only one line reading Pass to the Land of Mystery! It did not specify where the Land of Mystery was or how to use the token. Yet, there was a property instruction that gave Song Jian pause C Will drop upon death. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian laughed slightly. In this game, he had only one life, and if he lost this life, why bother about the equipment? So, he put the token in the bag. Taking a look at the pet column, the black dragon hatchling was still fast asleep, with strands of a mysterious gray mist circling around its body. The evolution was still in progress. Although Song Jian was somewhat worried, there was nothing he could do. Interrupting the evolution prematurely might harm the black dragon hatchling. Patience was all he could afford now. After mailing Li Keer 9500 gold coins, Song Jian received the money for the Stealth Skill Stone. The Stealth skill sold for over 6,000 Doomsday Coins, which increased Song Jians funds to nearly 30,000 Doomsday Coms. This was a fortune. Even for many warring leagues at present, it wasnt easy to accumulate so much money. Having this much Doomsday Coins was kind of pointless if he was just carrying it around. It would be more useful to invest it in building his safe house, especially since in the entire Doomsday City, his Manor Castle was the only truly safe haven. After summoning George, his housekeeper, Song Jian began to inquire about the construction situation in his territory. Everything in the territory was progressing smoothly, but due to the lack of investment, many buildings could not be constructed. Song Jian directly allocated 20,000 Doomsday Coins to George, which immediately increased Georges loyalty to its maximum value. Honorable Lord, I will build your Manor Territory to be the grandest in the region! George excitedly declared, his face glowing with enthusiasm. Emboldened by Song Jians trust, George expressed his gratitude and quickly immersed himself in the development of the territory. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to sell the silver-quality knight shield and priest magic staff on the radio station. Chapter 322 - Chapter 322: The Devils Heart Chapter 322: The Devils Heart Translator: 549690339 Song Jian initially planned to sell the two items in the auction, but after a moment of hesitation, he changed his mind. Most players were only level 11 or 12 right now. Level 15 equipment was still too high-end for them. Even if someone were to bid for these items, the price wouldnt be high enough. It would be better to sell them on the outside world to NPCs via the radio. indeed, as soon as he mentioned the properties of the equipment on the radio, it instantly erupted with activity. Bidders came one after another, each one outdoing the previous in terms of price. Silver grade quality, my god, level 15 silver grade quality weapon and shield, which guild failed to grab this? -We, the Silver Moon Commerce, will take the shield, name any price! This Magic Staff, oh my god, it increases all healing skills by one level, this is like defying all laws, isnt it? Seeing so many people interested in his two pieces of equipment, an idea flashed across Song Jians mind. He suddenly said, Preferential consideration will be given to trade with the same grade sword technique! The radio fell into a moment of silence. After all, equipment could become outdated after some use, but skills never would. Even the lowest grade skills, once mastered to perfection, could be combined with other skills to form a new skill. -Ive got a white grade quality Tangling Sword technique, can I exchange it with that silver grade quality shield of yours? Of course, I can add some money A hoarse voice came from the radio. White grade quality Song Jian frowned slightly. Although he was missing only one sword technique to complete his main quest, the white grade quality sword technique was far below his expectations. -At the very least, 1 should exchange these two pieces of equipment for a silver grade quality sword technique, thats my bottom line! Song Jian insisted internally. Sorry, right now Im just looking to exchange for a sword technique Song Jian tactfully refused over the radio After an awkward silence, just as Song Jian believed the deal could not be concluded, a sudden voice rang out over the radio. -This is Silver Moon Commerce, we have a gold grade quality sword technique here. Do you have any interest? -Gold grade quality? A gold grade quality sword technique? Why would he use a gold grade quality sword technique to trade with me? Song Jian didnt feel delighted, but instead furrowed his brow, saying over the radio: 1 dont believe that these two items would be worth a gold grade quality sword technique Of course, apart from these two items, I also need your promise. If it is possible, this gold grade quality sword technique can be yours! a light chuckle came from the radio, 1 think we should proceed with the following negotiations in a more private manner. Let me have your communication number! The communication number is similar to an email address, making it possible for two people at opposite ends of the world to chat in real-time, just as convenient as video calls. However, this was a privilege reserved for level io professionals, ordinary people couldnt use it in this way. After sharing his communication number, Song Jian turned off the radio, and soon received an anonymous communication request. -Hello, Im an administrator in the Silver Moon Commerce, you may call me Miss Annie! A mature womans voice echoed in Song Jians ears. -On the radio just now Song Jian was puzzled as It was a mans voice over the radio, it sounded somewhat old, at least in his fifties. Hehe, that was Old John. He is in charge of gathering information on the radio, Annie chuckled softly. If Im not mistaken, you must be a Divine Chosen. Ahem, you can think that way! Song Jian wasnt accustomed to being addressed as such. in that case, let me get straight to the point, Divine Chosen! Annie s voice carried a hint ot charm, but Song Jian was not affected. He simply appreciated the pleasant sound. -We need the heart of a level 15 elite monster, the Demon Zombie. But this kind of monster appears only in cities that have been overtaken by monsters. The cost to get into such cities and to obtain a Demon Zombie heart is astronomical. For us, it might be a losing proposition, which is why we nee your help, Divine Chosen, Annie explained softly. Demon Zombie? A level 15 elite monster? Song Jians brow furrowed, Im sorry, but in the level 15 monster zones in my city, Im pretty sure there are no Demon Zombies! At this moment he remembered the Shadow District. Would those monsters be classified as Demon Zombies? -No they are only considered low-level demons. Being imprisoned for several decades, those low-level demons dont qualify as Demon Zombies! Song Jian reminded himself. Hehe, Demon Zombies are level 15 elite monsters, but their habitat isnt in the level 15 monster zones, rather in the level 20 monster zones, Annie clarified. What? A level 20 monster zone? Impossible. Song Jian found it hard to believe. There was a strict hierarchy among the various levels of monsters. They usually wouldnt leave their assigned zones. Higher-level monsters might wander into the lower-level zones, but lower-level monsters would never dare to venture into a higher-level monster zone. Demon Zombies are zombies infused with demon bloodline and are known for preying on the hearts of strong zombies. They are even given the title Zombie Killers Annie went on to give Song Jian a detailed explanation of Demon Zombies. Song Jian nodded slightly. With his current power, if he went all out, he could potentially handle a level 20 elite monster, let alone a level 15 elite monster. Alright, I agree! I can hunt this boss for you. But, to ensure the mission is accomplished, I need you to trade me the sword technique first. This can enhance my abilities and give me a better chance of succeeding, Song Jian stated. -Sure, there is no problem with that. We just need to sign a contract first. You can trade the two silver grade quality items with us now and mail us the Demon Zombies heart after you kill it, Annie explained. -Agreed, looking forward to a fruitful collaboration! Song Jian responded cheerfully. -I believe that this wont be our first time collaborating, nor will it be the last. Divine Chosen, you possess talent and potential that is enviable to us. I look forward to meeting you! With a sigh, Annie spoke sentimentally. in response, Song Jian merely gave a slight smile. He could sense the gap between players and NPCs in the game. Whether through leveling up or stall enhancement, players could easily outshine the NPCs. This is why NPCs referred to players as the Divine Chosen, those favored by the gods. This made the NPCs incredibly envious. in a while, Annie sent over a Contract Scroll. Once the contract was signed, a Skill Scroll emitting a golden glow appeared before Song Jian. Chapter 323 - Chapter 323 Debts Chapter 323 Debts Translator: 549690339 Tai Chi Sword Skill? Is it really that amazing? Its actually Tai Chi Sword Skill? Song Jian looked at the skill scroll in his hand with a surprised expression on his face. Without hesitation, he unfolded the skill scroll and started learning it. Soon, Song Jian received a system prompt informing him that his main quest was completed, and he could exit the game or continue playing without any time restraints. Now, the games time had changed compared to the real world. One month in the game was equivalent to eight hours in the real world, or one night. If Song Jian exited the game now, it would be around 5 or 6 a.m. in the real world. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to stay in the game, at least until he completed the Silver Moon Trading Companys task. As he looked at the description of the Tai Chi Sword Skill in his skill bar, Song Jian felt a slight movement in his heart. Tai Chi Sword Skill (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After casting, it can block 90% of damage, immune to all negative effects, and has a certain chance to reflect the enemys attack back, lasting for 5 seconds; Skill cooldown: 5 minutes; Skill consumption: 10 Spirit Points; Equipment requirement: One-handed Sword; This sword skill seems to be a combination of the talent Thick-Faced and Sacred Parry, but the duration is a bit short. I wonder if it will change as the level increases, Song Jian thought to himself. During the battle with the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, Song Jian had used the Sacred Parry skill to block several high-damage attacks. However, the skill only gained proficiency when successfully parrying, so he couldnt practice it like other skills during normal times. So far, he had only increased his proficiency by five or six points, making leveling up quite slow. By the way, Miss Annie, do you know if your trading company has these materials? Song Jian suddenly had an idea and sent Annie the material list for making the T-X high-explosive hand grenade, the Transmission Array, as well as the rubies and Dragon Bloodstones. These materials youre asking for are quite high-level. Let me see Annie laughed lightly. After Song Jian had mailed her the two silver-quality items, the two had established an initial trust, and their conversation became a bit more relaxed. Huh, why are there materials for building a Transmission Array here? Annie furrowed her brow slightly, thinking to herself, Could it be that hes already preparing to build a city-level Transmission Array? How is that possible? Transmission Arrays were strategic structures, and not just the materials but even the blueprints for constructing them were top-secret. Although the Silver Moon Trading Company also had materials for building Transmission Arrays, every piece was registered and prohibited from trade. Sorry, most of the materials are available at our company, but these few are prohibited items for constructing Transmission Arrays and cannot be traded. I apologize! After some hesitation, Annie spoke honestly to Song Jian, also subtly indicating the importance of the Transmission Array, hoping the favored one would understand her meaning. After hearing Annies words, Song Jian was taken aback. He had been a bit reckless, revealing important information about his ability to construct a Transmission Array through these materials. It seemed that he would have to collect the materials for building the Transmission Array himself, or else he risked exposing himself to potential danger if others found out. Song Jian didnt expect the Transmission Array to be so crucial, otherwise, he would never have casually shared the material list with Annie. Ah, I just wanted to hoard some materials to resell them later, but I didnt realize they were prohibited. Oh well, as for the rest of the materials Song Jian hurriedly laughed. Annie also smiled slightly, not minding Song Jians clumsy excuse, and continued, Sure, our trading company has the rest of the materials you require. However, the prices arent cheap. Ill send you a quote. Soon, a quotation was sent to Song Jian. Upon glancing at it, he couldnt help but gasp at the high prices. Each ruby cost 150 Doomsday Coins, and Dragon Bloodstone was even more expensive at 200 Doomsday Coins each. Just gathering these two items would cost almost 30,000 Doomsday Coins. Although the remaining materials were only several tens of Doomsday Coins each, Song Jian needed a large quantity of them. After roughly calculating, the manufacturing cost of a single T-X high-explosive hand grenade, excluding labor costs, would amount to 1,500 Doomsday Coins. He had initially planned to use them to upgrade, but it seemed like a costly endeavor now! Uh, can I get a discount? Song Jian asked somewhat sheepishly. Sorry, youre not a member of our trading company yet. You need to spend 100,000 Doomsday Coins in our company to become a first-level member and enjoy a 5% discount, Annie replied apologetically. Alright then. Please prepare 35 rubies, 100 Dragon Bloodstones, and as for the remaining materials, please prepare them according to the quantities listed! Song Jian scratched his head, finally deciding to make the purchase. However, he only bought enough materials to make ten T-X high-explosive hand grenades, as purchasing more would be too burdensome for him. After concluding the business, Song Jian found himself nearly 40,000 Doomsday Coins in debt. However, as long as he could complete the task assigned by Annie, the loot dropped from the Zombie Demon Boss alone would likely pay off more than half of the debt. The materials were quickly mailed to Song Jian, who immediately upgraded the Blood Pool. After consuming all of the Dragon Bloodstones and rubies, the water level in the Blood Pool began to drop slowly until only a thin layer remained at the bottom. Upgrading the Blood Pool would take twelve hours. Glancing at it, Song Jian proceeded towards Dr. Ebsitings room. Giving all of the T-X high-explosive hand grenade materials to Dr. Ebsiting, Song Jian returned to his room three hours later, holding eight T-X high-explosive hand grenades. The T-X high-explosive hand grenade had enormous power, capable of instantly killing a Level 10 player with a single grenade. It also had area-of-effect damage, making it a game-changer at this stage of the game. However, for these materials, Song Jian had incurred a debt of more than 30,000 Doomsday Coins, nearly reaching 40,000. If he couldnt pay it off within three days, his relationship with the Silver Moon Trading Company would become hostile, and he would be hunted down mercilessly. It was clear to see that the Silver Moon Trading Company had a vast influence. Song Jian didnt plan to oppose them over a mere tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. The debt had to be repaid as soon as possible. With this in mind, Song Jian immediately set off, leaving his Manor Castle and heading north. He would first complete the task Annie had assigned him. Killing a boss that treated Level 20 monsters as food would definitely yield plenty of valuable loot He could then sell it to the Silver Moon Trading Company. This way of leveraging resources was something Song Jian wouldnt have dared to think about before, but now, he was playing the game skillfully. Chapter 324 - Chapter 324: Accumulating Good Deeds Chapter 324: Accumulating Good Deeds Translator: 549690339 Leaving the Manor Castle, Song Jian immediately summoned his motorcycle. He sped along, unthreatened by low-level monsters of level five or ten. Even the loud sound of his motorcycle didnt provoke these lower-level creatures. Sensing Song Jians power, they became more aggressive but didnt dare to follow him closely like they used to. They could only roar at him from a distance. It wasnt until he reached the area inhabited by level fifteen monsters that Song Jian halted his motorcycle and proceeded on foot. The monsters here posed a threat to him, and a horde of them could potentially cause trouble. However, as he passed through the level fifteen monster area, he saw a few player corpses scattered haphazardly on the broad road. These players were mostly at level twelve or thirteen; attempting to hunt higher-level monsters had led to their deaths. Song Jian shook his head slightly. At the beginning stages of the game, players were cautious, wishing they could stay inside the Safe House all day. But as they got more familiar with the game, many began to treat it as a real game. Whether it was the potential benefits or their greed, they began taking risks. What they didnt realize was that failure came with a high price: their lives. At that moment, a commotion arose from a street in the distance. Song Jians brow furrowed, and he reached out his right hand. A warm current flowed from his heart and traveled along his meridian to his right hand, forming a dark red long sword. Soon, two level thirteen players dashed out from the street corner on the left side. They looked bedraggled, their battle suits stained with blood. Their Vitality Points were less than half, and one of them had lost his weapon. Upon seeing Song Jian, they immediately charged towards him without a word. Behind them, a group of level fifteen mutated zombies roared menacingly, their claws outstretched as they hotly pursued the two men. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, instantly understanding the two mens intentions. They wanted to divert their troubles onto him, using him as a buffer against the zombies. Kid, its your bad luck. Anyway, youre gonna die soon, so why not take on these monsters for us? Ill burn some extra paper money for you every year on this day! said an Assassin player with a sneer. At this, the two men activated their Acceleration Skill, their pacing increasing even more as they made a beeline towards Song Jian. Unfortunately for them, they had severely underestimated Song Jians capabilities. Just as the two men were about to brush past Song Jian, he grabbed them both and threw them forcefully towards the oncoming mutated zombies using his overwhelming strength. Even a level fifteen Lord-level BOSS couldnt match Song Jian in terms of strength, let alone two level thirteen Assassin players. Caught offguard, the two men felt a strong force propelling them into the air, giving them a sensation of weightlessness. Bang! I he two men landed in the middle of the mutating zombie horde. After knocking down several zombies, they were immediately surrounded. Damn you! Do you know who we are The assassin hadnt even finished cursing when several mutated zombies reached for him, aiming for the throat, cheek, and shoulder. A series of painful wails filled the air as the two players Vitality Points rapidly decreased. Song Jian, holding the Crimson Eire Heart Ape Sword, watched emotionlessly from a distance as the two men were completely swallowed up by the zombie horde. Their painful cries slowly faded until all that remained was the sound of the zombies gnawing. For such people, Song Jian had no sympathy. If they had fled in a different direction, they might have survived. Even if they had begged him for help, he wouldve intervened. Yet, their base human instincts led them to choose what seemed like the easier or smarter route. They didnt realize, however, that the man before them was far more terrifying than the mutated zombies behind them. As all the mutated zombies focused on attacking the two men, Song Jian saw the moment their Vitality Points hit zero and immediately activated the Broken Wing Dance, rushing towards the horde; The dark red blade emitted a chilling sound as it cleaved through the air. The attack instantly enveloped seven to eight mutated zombies within its range. The tier three Broken Wing Dance dealt over a hundred points of damage to each zombie, followed by a second attack that enveloped even more mutated zombies, again dealing over a hundred points of damage each. Amidst the zombies roars, Song Jian leaped up high, brandishing his long sword, and cut down towards the zombie horde. Boom! A muffled explosion sent all the zombies flying into the air in a state of weightlessness. Rapid Sword, activate! Song Jians attacking speed surged, his long sword swung to create dozens of afterimages. These phantoms attacked the surrounding zombies. Sweeping Sword Style! Each attack was stronger than the last. Several mutated zombies couldnt handle the increased damage and instantly turned into heaps of black ashes; Sword Silk! Pop,pop,pop- Three Sword Silks each attacked three mutated zombies. Although the damage was spread out, each Silk still managed to kill a mutated zombie; Thump, thump, thump- The zombies crashed back to the ground from the sky, roaring as they lunged at Song Jian again; Sword Shadow Step! Like a fish darting through the zombie horde, Song Jian harvested their Vitality Points while the zombies tried vainly to attack him. Their attacks yielded a series of MISS, and their speed was no match for Song Jian. Sword Finger! A soft whooshing sound and a flash of dazzling silver light emanated from the center of the zombie horde. Song Jian spun his body like a top, his silver Sword Qi drawing a circular arc. Instantly, over a dozen mutated zombies screamed and turned into black ashes. After a series of attacks, Song Jians Vitality Points had dropped by a third. The group of mutated zombies around him, however, had all been killed, turning into black ashes on the ground; Despite killing more than twenty level fifteen mutated zombies at once, not a single one dropped any items. No equipment, not even a single piece of ordinary material, which gave Song Jian a bad feeling. Damn it, when will this curse of lowered luck be lifted Song Jian frowned, surprised at the significant impact of the loss of three luck points. I guess Im accumulating good karma. Hopefully, the BOSSS drops wont be too affected! Song Jian muttered under his breath. Chapter 325 - Chapter 325 Assassination Chapter 325 Assassination Translator: 549690339 | With no players intentionally luring monsters, as long as Song Jian was careful, the beasts around him posed no threat. He easily moved through the fifteenth-level monster area and, after spending a little more than half an hour, arrived at the twentieth-level monster area. This was a pedestrian street, surrounded by a multitude of plants. Perhaps due to a lack of management or the climate, these plants were growing rampantly, making the entire pedestrian street look like a dense primordial rainforest. While Annie wasnt familiar with the environment of Zombie City and couldnt provide the exact location of the Demon Zombie, after Song Jian accepted the mission, the system automatically revealed the Demon Zombie BOSSS haunts. However, the area provided was vast, seeming like the BOSS was some kind of roving monster, not confined to a fixed location. To find his target, Song Jian would need to spend a lot of time and energy. Indeed, there are fewer mutant zombies here. I havent encountered a single zombie yet even though Ive been walking for so long! Song Jian was carefully searching the area. The surroundings were peaceful save for a few insect and bird calls. The absence of a zombies roar was eerily unsettling. Just then, a strange low groan came from a small alley on his left. Song Jian was about to turn his head to look when he suddenly felt a refreshing chill behind his head. Killing intent! After three months of grinding in the game, Song Jian had an instinctive alertness to danger. He was 80% sure that it was the Backstab skill of an Assassin class. Sacred Parry! With a thought, a golden glow radiated from Song Jians body. Mysteriously twisting with incredible speed, he held the longsword in front of his chest. Block! A metallic clashing sound echoed, and a MISS appeared above Song Jians head. In front of him, a figure was slowly appearing from an invisible state, a look of surprise on his face. Interesting! Excitement gleamed in the eyes of the shadowy figure who ignored the over two hundred damage points floating above his head. His figure retreated rapidly, just in time to avoid the Sword Finger skill released by Song Jian, as it missed by a hairs breadth. Having lost the element of surprise, this Assassin didnt seem to want to give up. A flash of white light blinked under his feet as he deployed an Acceleration Skill and charged straight at Song Jian. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Song Jian. He swung his arm to the side, making a wide arc. His body, as if driven by this arm, began to rotate, like a nimble hawk rolling in the air. The shiny dagger went for Song Jians back once again. The entire move was as seamless as floating clouds and flowing water. Song Jians face turned ashen. He had realized that the opponent was not weak, and his skill usage was just as good as his own. Sword Silk! Three strands of silver Sword Qi condensed into gleaming threads that writhed and retracted in midair like tentacles. In an instant, they lunged like a snake eyeing its prey, rushing towards the shadow; At the same time, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swept towards the enemy; The shadowy figure was taken aback. Song Jian was using a mutually destructive method without hesitation, but this was somewhat unprofitable for him. In a split second, the figure fiercely withdrew the dagger to block the attack. Clang, clang, clang Sparks flew in the air as the shadows dagger accurately blocked each Sword Silk and Song Jians long sword. Unexpectedly, he still lost over three hundred Vitality Points; Interesting, so its forced damage? The shadow retreated swiftly; after a series of attacks, his Vitality Points had dropped to nearly half, while the damage Song Jian suffered was negligible. As expected, hes the one who seized the treasure of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, he did not disappoint! The shadow let out a frivolous laugh as he didnt seem to be bothered by his loss. Song Jian stared intently at his opponent. The man had no name or properties above his head, donned in all black, with a piece of black cloth covering his face. Even his head was completely wrapped in a black turban. Only his eyes were visible. Who are you? Song Jian asked gravely. The aura emanating from his opponent was terrifying, just like a real assassin, silent and lethal. His moves were practiced and deadly. If there had been a slight hesitation or a mistake in response, Song Jian could have been assassinated. The treasure of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is not yours to keep. Someone has already initiated assassination orders with the Assassin Alliance. As long as you dont give up the treasure, you will always live in constant fear of being assassinated! This failure was due to my carelessness and lack of preparation. However, the next time we meet, I will take your life! The assassin finished speaking and turned to flee. Want to escape? Its not that easy! Song Jian scoffed and lunged at the assassin like a shadow. Having lost his stealth and surprise advantage, the assassin, one of the weakest classes in all professions when without these advantages, could be killed easily by an ordinary class warrior. Song Jian certainly wouldnt miss this opportunity. He tossed a potion at the assassin, but the assassin seemed prepared. He had a smoke bomb ready in his hands and slammed it to the ground. A cloud of smoke rose and when it dissipated, the assassin was gone. But at that moment, the Weakness Potion had just hit the spot where the assassin had been standing. Forced Stealth Skill? Song Jian frowned. An assassin who possesses the ability to re-stealth in combat has the chance to initiate again. No one wants to face such an assassin. Vertical Pupil! Song Jians vertical pupil in his forehead opened in an instant. He scanned his surroundings, but found no traces of the assassin. Hes too fast! Song Jian decided to retreat. His hand tightly clutched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword as he slowly retreated. Who was that guy, really? The Assassin Alliance he mentioned previously; could it be that he is a member of the Assassin Alliance? Song Jian thought to himself, It seems like the trouble stirred up at the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace earlier. I seized the treasure in the Bronze Throne, it must have upset someone who decided to post a hunting order with the Assassin Alliance! Just then, a name came to mind. Qian Xiaohao! Its likely that only Qian Xiaohao has the resources and power to post an assassination contract on me with the Assassin Alliance! Song Jian murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. Next time we meet, you wont be leaving alive. Qian Xiaohao was far away, but the assassin from the Assassin Alliance was just around the corner. Having such an assassin who could strike at any moment hot on his heels was putting a lot of pressure on Song Jian. Using Sword Shadow Step again, Song Jian fled to the distance. Chapter 326 - Chapter 326: Master Key Chapter 326: Master Key Translator: 549690339 | Not long after Song Jian left, a shadowy figure of an assassin slowly emerged from a large tree, staring intently at the direction where Song Jian disappeared, without uttering a word. Originally, after hiding, he had intended to strike again, but the vertical pupil in Song Jians forehead filled him with a sense of heart-pounding alertness. He can see through my invisibility! Although there was no evidence to prove that the vertical pupil on Song Jians forehead could see through invisibility, he was firmly convinced that it was true, so he suppressed his impulse until Song Jian left. The information provided by the employer is incomplete. The target has the ability to see through invisibility, which should increase the price by at least thirty percent, muttered the assassin to himself. Song Jian cautiously made his way to an abandoned shop, when he suddenly heard a sigh coming from within the shop. His heart stirred as he slowly approached the shop. Inside the abandoned shop, Song Jian saw a semi-transparent ghostly figure guarding a counter, staring at a key in the counter with a furrowed brow and a troubled expression. Yellow name, a neutral creature? Song Jian glanced at the ghosts name, and slowly put away his weapon; In the game, monsters that initiate attacks are red-named with hostile attributes, while yellow-named monsters are neutral, meaning they wont attack you as long as you dont attack them. Moreover, some NPCs initially appear as yellow-named, but when you improve your relationship with them, they will turn into green-named, friendly NPCs. Song Jian looked at this ghost and determined it didnt seem to be a mindless monster; rather, it was one that could communicate. Hello, is there anything 1 can help you with? Song Jian asked softly, looking at the ghost. This was the standard inquiry in the game to obtain tasks. If the other party had a task to offer, they would present the task requirements; if not, they would shake their head, refusing help. Seeing Song Jian, the ghost seemed to reveal a joyful expression in its eyes and hastily waved for him to come over, saying, There is a demon who has been hunting the residents around here and has killed many people. It has now discovered the hidden passage where we are hiding and has intruded. I took the opportunity to lock it up, but now the residents inside the passage cannot escape. I dont know if what 1 did was right. Warrior, can you help me kill the demon that has invaded the passage, and restore peace to this place? Song Jian hesitated for a moment. Ever since he was tricked by the Abyss Demon in the Shadow District, he had become more cautious about accepting tasks from NPCs. So, whats in it for me if I complete this task? Song Jian asked. He needed to know the task reward before deciding whether to accept it. Even with the Abyss Demon, once the task contract was confirmed, the task reward would be given without fail, regardless of the task givers will. This was the power of the game system, which no one could resist. Warrior, if you can kill this demon, 1 will give you a Master Key. This key can unlock any locked chambers, passages, or treasure chests in the world, the ghost said. A Master Key? Song Jians eyes lit up. He wasnt interested in unlocking locked chambers or passages, since there were too few of these in the game and they were very well hidden, making them difficult to find. What Song Jian really cared about was unlocking locked treasure chests. The lock-picking skill is a core skill for the Thief profession, one that other professions cannot learn. However, players of other professions can open locked treasure chests through other methods; the simplest one being using brute force, although this could easily damage the items inside the chest. Generally, using brute force would cause the items grade to be degraded by one level. An alternative would be Engineering, which can create single-use Master Keys for different grades of treasure chests C but there are limitations. A Master Key? Can I see the keys attributes? Is it a one-time-use item or permanent, and can it unlock all grades of treasure chests? Song Jian asked. This is our family heirloom, so its naturally not a disposable item, and it can unlock any treasure chest of Epic Quality or below! The ghost seemed very proud of its family heritage, boasting with an air of self-confidence. Youre a ghost, yet your expressions are quite vivid, Song Jian mumbled quietly. Since thats the case, I accept this task, Song Jian said. This ghosts task goal was likely aligned with the Silver Moon Merchant Guilds objective, so it was one of those tasks that could grant double rewards. Naturally, Song Jian wouldnt refuse. Warrior, take this key and open the secret chamber behind me. The demon is inside. Be careful though, it is very powerful, the ghost said, pointing to the bronze key in the counter. Song Jian nodded, took the key, and examined its simple attribute: Unlock Secret Chamber Passage. Hold onto it and dont lose it, the ghost said with an expression of reluctance as it watched Song Jian retrieve the key. Song Jian nodded and headed towards the secret chamber passage as guided by the ghost. If it wasnt for the ghosts guidance, Song Jian would never have discovered the secret chamber passage hidden in a shop like this. Now that Song Jian was being targeted by an assassin, if the Demon Zombie were in the city, he might not dare to make a move even if he found it. If the assassin attacked during the battle, Song Jian could easily die. Now, with the key to enter the secret chamber passage, his concerns were alleviated. Using the key to open a passage door disguised as a wall, a cold, gloomy breeze blew out from the entrance, accompanied by faint, eerie howls resembling those of ghosts and wolves. The passage was pitch-black, with no light in sight. Song Jian opened his vertical pupil, which granted him dark vision, allowing him to see his surroundings clearly even in total darkness. Song Jian carefully stored the key and stepped into the passage. Just after progressing a few steps, the passage door behind him closed, leaving him completely immersed in darkness. Whats this? Song Jian frowned, surveying his surroundings. Bones were scattered across the narrow passage, which was wide enough for only two people, and the surrounding walls were marred with battle scars. It seemed that a fierce battle had once taken place here. Song Jian cautiously avoided the bones underfoot and continued walking more than a hundred meters ahead, but still saw no end to the passage. At that moment, a low moaning sound echoed through the passage. Description: A group of pitch-black ghosts crawled out from the depths of the passage, attracted by the scent of the living. Their eyes turned blood-red, and they lunged at Song Jian with wild, clawing gestures.. Chapter 327 - Chapter 327: Underground Town Chapter 327: Underground Town Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian looked at the group of monsters cautiously. They were only level 20 ordinary monsters, their blood-red names indicating that they were the kind which actively attacked. Body, Skills: Claw Clash There were seventeen or eighteen of these Tunnel Wraiths. Given their strength, they could easily take down a team of five level 15 players. But the passageway was narrow and they could not all attack at once. Song Jian only had to face two Tunnel Wraiths at a time, significantly reducing the pressure on him. He summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and smashed a Weakness Potion at the feet of a Tunnel Wraith, causing a red flame to burst forth from the sword. All of Song Jians attacks turned into flame damage, which inflicted bonus damage on ghost-type monsters. Broken Wing Dance! Swinging his sword, Song Jian charged at the group of Tunnel Wraiths. Despite grappling with level 20 monsters and being suppressed by a gap of five levels, Song Jians attack power greatly exceeded that of ordinary level 15 players. He unleashed a series of skills, and above the Wraiths, a string of damage figures floated up. Just then, it struck him that holy attacks seemed to harm ghost-type monsters even more. Song Jian had a load of Mutated Soul Seeds in his bag. Using it would increase his holy damage by thirty points for 30 seconds, and these seeds could be used in combination as well. After trying one, a faint golden glow blossomed around him. When a Tunnel Wraith tried to attack him, its black claws touched the golden glow and began to smoke. Roar- The wraith let out a mournful scream and retreated. The pressure the Mutated Soul Seed put on them seemed even harsher than Song Jian had anticipated. This made the battle much simpler. The wraiths started fearing him and huddled together. The battle lasted only three minutes, after which all the Tunnel Wraiths had been wiped out by Song Jian and turned into a pile of black ash. -Level one Ghost Pearls? Only three Ghost Pearls were dropped from a dozen of the monsters, which made Song Jians face twitch a little. These should fetch a decent price as forging materials since they can increase the shadow resistance of equipment. He thought to himself, and stashed the three Ghost Pearls in his bag. System: You have defeated the Tunnel Wraith by exceeding five levels, and earned a 500% increase in battle experience points, obtaining 4800 Experience Points; System: You have defeated the Tunnel Wraith by exceeding five levels, and earned a 500% increase in battle experience points, obtaining 4800 Experience Points; A string of more than ten experience points appeared in Song Jians system notifications. With the Mutated Soul Seeds, the monsters here were almost the same as level ten monsters, but the experience points were ten times more. Song Jians experience bar had filled up quite a bit, reaching level 15 and 29%. This leveling speed was much faster than farming level 20 ordinary monsters outside. just then, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword dazzling gold light exploded, shooting out from Song Jians hand and piercing into the tunnels ceiling above him. Song Jian watched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword trembling constantly. It seemed like it was trying to break free from the tunnel. A look of surprise crossed his face: Is it going to level up again? The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was able to grow during battles. Currently, its item level was 2, but its attributes were already better than many level ten silver-quality weapons. Now that it had leveled up again, it would definitely become even stronger, and Song Jian was filled with anticipation. In a flash, the tunnel was filled with golden light, and a ray of light shot out from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. It seemed to be unhappy because it was unable to ascend into the air, so it flew reluctantly back to Song Jians hand, continuously vibrating and making a buzzing sound. Song Jian gently stroked the blade, comforting the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and proceeded to examine its attributes. Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword (Gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment Effect: Attack 70-95, Armor Break+5. Penetration+5, Fire Attribute Damage+50, Swing Speed Increase 18%; Special Effect 1: Ownership (Passive), this item uses the users blood to recognize its owner, after ownership has been claimed, the item cannot be destroyed, lost, or degraded; Special Effect 2: Growth (Passive), This item is a growth-type equipment, its initial level is level 1, it gains battle experience from battles to level up, the higher the level, the stronger the item attributes, the item level cannot exceed the users level; Special Effect 3: Ignore Level Suppression +5- Equipment Requirement: Level 31 Set: 1/5. Can it be taken out of the game: No The attributes had greatly improved and a new effect, Ignore Level Suppression +5, had been added. It was as if it had been tailored specifically for Song Jian. Now, with Song Jians strength, he could easily hunt monsters of the same level without feeling any pressure or challenge. He often came into contact with monsters above his level. Therefore, this new effect allowed Song Jian to bring out his full strength when facing level 20 monsters. He was no longer constrained by the level suppression effect. This effect was a perfect fit for Song Jian. He swung the dark red long sword in his hand C it had become a bit heavier after leveling up, but it was easier to wield. Song Jian nodded, satisfied. He continued on his way. The tunnel was winding and seemed to descend all the time. Half an hour later, Song Jian finally reached the end of the secret passageway and saw the exit. The whole tunnel was quite long. Along the way, Song Jian encountered five or six waves of Tunnel Wraiths attacks. But with the aid of the Mutated Soul Seed, these Tunnel Wraiths became Song Jians battle experience. Moreover, they exploded and dropped more than a dozen level one Ghost Pearls, which left him speechless. Although there were not many spoils of war, the battle experience was rich. It brought Song Jians experience bar up to level 15 and 78%. After a few more times, he would be able to level up to 16, which made him very excited. At the exit of the secret tunnel, a faint light came through. Before Song Jian had reached the exit, he could already hear roars and howls from ahead. It seems like theres a hall ahead. Could it be another Underground Palace? Song Jian thought to himself. He couldnt help but walk over to the exit and look out. Sss, its actually a village! Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. In front of him was an expansive space with all sorts of buildings and streets. It looked just like a small village. Black wraiths roamed endlessly around this underground village, constantly letting out heart-rending roars. LV2O Enslaved Evil Ghost (Ordinary), Vitality Points: 1800/1800, Traits: Undead, Slave Soul, Skills: Wailing Scream, Flash Claw- Enslaved Evil Ghost, compared to Tunnel Wraiths, were more vicious. Although they looked similar, Enslaved Evil Ghosts were not mindless like Tunnel Wraiths. From their movements, it could be seen that they had some level of intelligence. They seemed to be very agile, but their instinctive madness and sensitivity to flesh and living beings were the same as those of Tunnel Wraiths. Chapter 328 - Chapter 328: White Bone Altar Chapter 328: White Bone Altar Translator: 549690339 | Gazing at the closely-packed ghosts in the underground town, Song Jian glanced at the eight T-X High-explosive Grenades in his inventory. After hesitating for a moment, he mustered the courage and made a crazy decision. He planned to lure all the ghosts in the underground town and then gather them together, using the T-X High-explosive Grenades to kill them all. Eight high-explosive grenades theoretically could deal 2200 points of explosive damage, while each ghost had only 1800 vitality points. Moreover, the coverage of the grenade reached eight meters, meaning that within a diameter of eight meters, all ghosts could be killed instantaneously by the eight grenades. The main difficulty now was to lure all the ghosts in the town and gather them within an eight-meter radius. Few leaks wouldnt matter, but if too many ghost escaped, and he failed to kill them all, it could possibly trigger the Demonic Zombie Boss. Song Jian might not even be able to run away at that point. The plan was dangerous, but the gain was substantial. Not to mention anything else, the combat experience gained from killing so many level twenty monsters would be enough for Song Jian to level up. Besides, not clearing out these minor creatures would become dangerous once he encountered the Demonic Zombie Boss, as the battle noises might attract them to him. Having made up his mind, Song Jian began to run towards the underground town. Just as he jumped in front of a stone house, a roar suddenly came from inside. A pitch-black ghost broke through the door and came out, its blood-red eyes firmly locked on Song Jian, following close behind him. Instead of stopping, Song Jian rushed towards the center of the town. In no time, the roars of the ghosts echoed throughout the entire underground town. Ghosts continuously gathered from afar towards Song Jian. Within a matter of seconds, hundreds of ghosts from the entire town were lured by him. At this moment, Song Jian had reached the center of the underground town. It was a square where a Demonic Zombie Boss, clad in black armors, with goat-like horns on its head, and full of bone spikes all over its body, was incessantly kneeling and worshipping an altar at the center of the square. This altar, built out of countless white bones, had a palm-sized black flame burning in the center. The Demonic Zombie Boss was muttering words, making peculiar sounds from its mouth. Glowing black and gold runes formed in the void with its chanting before they flitted like moths into the black flame of the altars center. Demonic Zombie Boss! Song Jian felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He didnt expect his mission target to be located in this underground town. And by the look of it, these ghosts chasing his tail were also being enslaved by this Boss. Im still one step too late. It seems that this Demonic Zombie Boss has killed all the people. These enslaved ghosts might be the residents who hid in the secret tunnel After glancing at the White Bone Altar, Song Jian sighed inwardly. The mission that the ghost spirit gave him was to kill the Demonic Zombie Boss, not to save the townsfolk. Thus, Song Jian simply sighed faintly without showing much care. Seeing the Demonic Zombie Boss in the center of the town, Song Jian dared not rush forward. Instead, he changed his direction and continued to lead the ghosts in pursuit. The ghosts roared and bellowed, shaking the earth. Although they had attracted all the attention, the Demonic Zombie Boss as though deaf and blind, gave no care to Song Jian. Instead, it devoutly worshipped the black flame at the center of the White Bone Altar. As the Demonic Zombie Boss worshipped, the black flame flickered slightly, seemingly getting a bit bigger. Now that he had found his target, Song Jian had no time to deal with the Demonic Zombie Boss. He had a large group of ghosts chasing him from behind, the nearest of which was less than five meters away from him. Seeing ghosts from all sides rushing towards him, Song Jian immediately activated Sword Shadow Step, and his silhouette instantly became a cloud of black mist. His speed increased dramatically as he quickly rushed to a nearby stone house. Roar roar roar- The level twenty ghosts let out furious roars. The entire towns ghosts became agitated. The noise caused by Song Jian attracted their full attention. They completely surrounded the stone house where Song Jian was hiding. This stone house wasnt big, only about ten square meters. The entrance was a wooden door, which had long rotted away and shattered at the slightest touch. The door was wide open, but only two could pass through at the same time. Suddenly, pitch-black ghosts started pushing and shoving, trying to break into the stone house. These ghosts bodies looked like a cloud of thick and dark mist, even overlapping a small part with each others. It looked densely packed and chilling. As all the ghosts gathered at the door, Song Jian took a potion from his inventory and hurled it into the crowd of ghosts. With a bang, the Weakness Potion immediately enveloped dozens of ghosts. Next, a T-X High-explosive Grenade was thrown into the middle of the weakened ghosts. Boom! A loud explosion erupted in the crowd of ghosts. Countless ghosts were blasted into the air by the grenade, and rows of damage numbers floated above their heads. A violent shock wave spread in all directions from the center of the explosion, causing the surrounding ghosts to stagger. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian swung his long sword, rushed towards the ghosts blocking the door, and effortlessly killed them under the multiple skill attacks. But, new ghosts quickly filled up the gaps. Boom, boom, boom- Another series of explosions sounded. The ghosts, whose defenses had been reduced by 35%, simply could not withstand the power of the high-explosive grenades. Every ghost within the explosions range had damage numbers of over three hundred floating above their heads. Next, when Song Jians skill cooldown ended, he unleashed another series of skills, clearing out a large number of ghosts at the doorway. By the time all eight high-explosive grenades had been used, only about a dozen severely wounded ghosts remained outside the stone house. There was black ash everywhere, which was the remains of the dead ghosts. Seeing Song Jian charging out of the stone house, the remaining dozen wounded ghosts hesitated momentarily and then began to scatter in all directions. At this time, how could he possibly let them escape? Song Jian activated Sword Shadow Step and killed all the ghosts. Within less than five minutes, he had killed hundreds of level twenty monsters. His experience points broke through level fifteen and reached 9% of level sixteen. The extra skill point Song Jian earned was immediately allocated to the Earth Teeth Assault skill, which had been at 100% proficiency but could not be upgraded due to lack of skill points. Now, it was finally upgraded from level one to level two. Song Jian killed all of the towns ghosts, and began collecting the loot they dropped. Chapter 329 - Chapter 329: Savior Chapter 329: Savior Translator: 549690339 All the evil spirits in the small town were wiped out by Song Jian, covering the ground in a thick layer of black ash. There were quite a few spoils of war dropped, which took him more than ten minutes to clean up. Such an expensive upgrade, Im afraid not many people can afford it! Song Jian showed a bitter smile on his face. Just the eight T-X high-explosive grenades were worth more than 10,000 Doomsday Coins, let alone the Fire Lizard Medicine and Weakness Potion. However, after cleaning up the spoils of war, Song Jian made a rough estimation and found that he didnt actually lose much this time; Just the first-tier Ghost Pearls, fifty or so had dropped. These were great for adding shadow damage and shadow resistance to forged equipment, and each was worth at least 150 Doomsday Coins; In addition, the evil spirits also dropped more than 3,000 Doomsday Coins, three Mage Skill Books Shadow Arrow, and five I5th-level blue-quality equipment pieces. Each Shadow Arrow book could be sold for over a thousand Doomsday Coins, and I5th-level blue equipment, as players leveled up, each piece could sell for five or six hundred, especially one of the blue-quality long knives with extraordinary attributes, which might fetch thousands of Doomsday Coins at the auction house. A quick calculation shows that this trip alone could earn at least 15,000 to 20,000 Doomsday Coins. This was with Song Jians luck reduced by three, under normal circumstances, the items dropped by these monsters would definitely be more and of higher quality. I wonder if this is a one-time monster area, or if 1 can continue to farm monsters here in the future! Song Jian thought to himself. There were quite a few one-time monster spawning areas in the game, such as the previous Zeus Shield Tower and Shadow District, where once the monsters inside were killed, no similar monsters would ever appear again. The monsters here were also very special, belonging to ghost type monsters. If it was a one-time spawn area, Song Jian would have nothing to say, but if its like the outside, where the monsters respawn after a night, this would be a great place for Song Jian to level up. With all the evil spirits in the small town cleaned up, Song Jian casually arrived at the central square of the town. At this time, the black flame on the White Bone Altar in the central square seemed to have grown larger, becoming the size of a soccer ball. Song Jians mission target this time is a demon zombie wearing a pitch-black armor and carrying a long halberd on its back. The evil spirits in this small town are all enslaved by it. After Song Jian killed the evil spirits, the demon zombie seemed unconcerned and did not care. Whats so special about that black flame? Why is this BOSS constantly bowing and worshipping it? Song Jian frowned slightly. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly received a system prompt; System: Demon Zombie Campbell is worshipping the Third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame. In half an hour, the third-tier magic flame will grow to its full form, and then the Demon Zombie Campbell will use the Third-tier Demon Flame to open a passage to the Abyss from the human world, releasing countless demons from the Abyss. By then, the entire city will be occupied by demons! System: Honorable warrior, for the sake of all mankind, please defeat Demon Zombie Campbell. Countdown 30 minutes, you must kill Demon Zombie Campbell within 30 minutes, otherwise, when the Third-tier Demon Flame is completed, the Abyssal Gate will open, and the mission will fail! System: Mission reward: Obtain the title Savior. Mission failure penalty: Erasure! Savior? Erasure? Are you kidding me? Song Jian was startled when he saw the mission reward and mission failure penalty. Was it really that serious? The title of Savior sounded very high-end and sophisticated, much better than Song Jians current Survivor of Great Calamity and Junior Wine Connoisseur. Although he couldnt see the specific attributes of the Savior title for now, from the failure penalty, it was clear that this mission reward was no ordinary one. At this time, a 30-minute countdown suddenly appeared above the Third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame, making Song Jians heart tremble. This battle had to be swift, otherwise, even if he killed the Demon Zombie, he would still fail and be erased due to the timer. Thinking of this, Song Jian directly used the Earth Teeth Assault skill, attacking the demon zombie; After being upgraded to the second level, the Earth Teeth Assault not only dealt higher damage, but the attack range also increased from 10 meters to 12 meters, and the fangs-shaped air clusters were much higher than at level one. Boom! The Demon Zombie didnt dodge or avoid the attack, taking it head-on, and a damage number of over 60 floated above its head. LV15 Demon Zombie (Elite), Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Spirit Points: 500/500, Traits: Demon Body, Demon Flame Forging Body, Skills: Demon Roar, Demon Halberd, Summoning, Sky-reaching Demon Flame; Nearly 3,000 Vitality Points? Song Jian couldnt help but gasp. Ordinary I5th-level elite monsters would have at most over 1,000 Vitality Points. This Demon Zombie had doubled that number, and what surprised Song Jian the most was the Summoning skill in its abilities, which is a signature skill of a Lord-level BOSS. Could it be that this was a BOSS about to evolve to the Lord-level? Thinking of this, Song Jian frowned, not because he was worried that he couldnt kill the demon zombie, but because he was worried that he couldnt kill it within half an hour; I should have made more high-explosive grenades, or self-destructing robots! Song Jian thought to himself. If he had a dozen self-destructing robots, wouldnt it be easy to kill this BOSS? The injured Demon Zombie suddenly stood up, its body burning with black flames, towering like a Demon God in the center of the square. Lowly human, you dare to interrupt the great sacrificial ceremony. I will pull your soul from your body and roast it on the magic flame for ten thousand years! The Demon Zombie roared in anger. The Demon Zombie that stood up directly took the long halberd from its back. As soon as the halberd was in its hand, black flames burned on the surface and suddenly swung, turning the halberd into a black meteor that cut through the air, accurately aimed at Song Jians head. So fast! Song Jian was shocked by this terrifying attack, even he couldnt face it head-on. Sword Shadow Step! Song Jians figure turned into a black shadow, rushing towards the Demon Zombie. Boom! With a loud noise, Song Jian dodged the halberd strike, and it slammed into the square floor, creating a deep pit and splashing debris. Weakness Potion! A bottle of potion smashed at the feet of the Demon Zombie, kicking up a cloud of gray dust, which was burned by the black flame on the Demon Zombies surface. A huge Immune floated up from the Demon Zombies head. Insignificant tricks! The Demon Zombie sneered, raising its right hand, and the Demon Halberd returned to its hand with a howl, hacking down at Song Jian again. Chapter 330 - Chapter 330 Chapter 330 Translator: 549690339 Clang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword clashed with the Demon Halberd, emitting a thunderous sound and a cascade of sparks. Feeling the force transmitted down his arm, Song Jian was slightly startled. The opponents strength was on par with his own. It was surprising given that Song Jians strength attribute had already exceeded twenty points. Few level twenty elite bosses could match it, and yet this level fifteen demon zombie was evenly matched with him in strength, a fact that was simply hard to believe. With this attack, both individuals sustained over a hundred damage points. The black flame on the Demon Halberd was searing hot, continuously scorching Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. The area where the swords clashed was already turning red. Boom! On the surface of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, a surge of crimson flames suddenly rose, as if it had been stimulated by the battle with the Demon Halberd. The black and red flames intertwined and nullified each other. The sound of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword echoed in the air, inducing a feeling of angered intensity. The demon zombie looked at Song Jian surprised by his strength. But quickly, it swung the Demon Halberd a second time towards Song Jian. This time, the black flames on the halberd rose more than a meter high. Rather than retreating, Song Jian advanced, initiating his Sacred Parry . Instantly, his body was enveloped in dazzling gold light as he naturally guided his long sword towards the incoming Demon Halberd; Ding! With a crisp impact sound, the attack of the demon zombie was completely repelled. It staggered back several steps before it could steady itself. The floating damage figure above its head indicated over five hundred points; Sacred damage? The demon zombie had a look of fear in its eyes, staring intently at Song Jian, and for a moment, it dared not to move forward. Seeing the actions of the demon zombie, Song Jian had a sudden realization and berated himself for being a fool C of course, the demon, being what it was, would naturally fear sacred damage the most. Gazing at dozens of Mutated Soul Seeds in his possession, Song Jian couldnt suppress a smirk; Each seed could increase the sacred damage by thirty points, and the effect could be stacked. These dozens of mutated soul seeds could at least increase Song Jians sacred damage by a thousand points; However, Song Jian had no intention of using all the mutated soul seeds at once, as that would be too wasteful. Ill start with ten. If that doesnt work, Ill add more! Song Jian decided as he consumed ten mutated soul seeds. A faint golden light appeared on his body. Within his status bar, an effect displayed, Increase Sacred Damage by 300 points. Seeing the golden light appearing on Song Jians body, the demon zombie let out a roar filled with rage, appearing to dread the sight. The effect of the mutated soul seeds could only last for thirty seconds. Not wanting to waste time, Song Jian immediately launched his attack on the demon zombie after using them. Dogs of the Church, you will all die! All of you! The fire of the Abyss flickered in the eyes of the demon zombie whose body was now enveloped in an even thicker black flame. Every move Song Jian made was accompanied by sacred damage, greatly threatening the demon zombie. Every time his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Demon Halberd collided, a mournful wail could be heard from the Demon Halberd. The vitality of the demon zombie was continuously declining. Were it not for the Abyssal Flame it guarded, the creature would probably already have fled. Time was pressing. More than ten minutes had elapsed and the Abyssal Flame had now swelled to over half a humans height. The entire White Bone Altar was creaking as though it couldnt withstand the power of the Magic Flame. Song Jian was additionally anxious as the demon zombies vitality has halved, but there was little time left. If he could not kill the demon zombie in the remaining time, all of his efforts will be in vain; The consumption of the mutated soul seeds was enormous. For every thirty seconds, Song Jian directly used ten seeds. Now, there were only about thirty left in his inventory. In that case, I will use them all and obliterate it! he said, looking at the demon zombies vitality of just over a thousand with a relentless glint in his eyes. Boom! A ball of golden fire blazed on Song Jians body. His sacred damage had already exceeded one thousand points. The sacred flame burning on his body inflicted damage even if the demon zombie only came close; How is this possible? Are you the legendary Child of the Sacred? The demon zombie stepped back continuously, unable to believe that a legendary Child of the Sacred would appear in the world. It was only a creature with a trace of Abyss Demon blood, not a pure Demonic Abyss entity. The Child of the Sacred, renowned for possessing sacred blood, naturally aroused fear within it. This fear stemmed from the bloodline hierarchy, much like a beggar facing royalty among humans. Die! Song Jian could not afford to waste any more time, lunging with his sword towards his opponent; The demon zombie didnt even dare to raise its halberd in defense, seeking only to dodge desperately. It even wore a pleading look on its face. Song Jian paid no heed to the creature. Using his Sword Shadow Step, he chased closely behind the demon zombie, and continuously launched his skills. Every single use inflicted several hundred points of damage; In just over ten seconds, Song Jian had inflicted more than ten wounds on the demon zombie, all of which glowed faintly golden. Black tendrils of energy seeped from the edges of wounds; The vitality of the demon zombie wan weakened. Its vitality points were rapidly decreasing. Faced with Song Jians fierce attacks, the demon zombie didnt even get to launch a single significant counterattack from start to finish. Although it initially appeared fierce, it became incredibly timid. Any bystander would assume it was nothing more than a level fifteen creature; I did my best! The demon zombie uttered a heavy sigh in the end, its eyes revealing a look of relief as it fell to its knees at Song Jians feet. Instantly, Song Jians experience points increased by 5%. The rich experience gain made him gasp. However, the critical mission was not yet over. The countdown timer to the Magic Flame was still present, with less than ten minutes left. Song Jian frowned, quickly gathering the items dropped by the demon zombie without sparing any attention to them and rushed towards the White Bone Altar. How can this Magic Flame be extinguished? Song Jian pondered. Killing the demon zombie merely involved eliminating one guardian. If he didnt destroy the Magic Flame, the Deep Gate would eventually open and the mission would fail. With only a few seconds left of his Sacred Damage, Song Jian gritted his teeth, wielded his long sword and slashed towards the Abyssal Flame; Chapter 331 - Chapter 331: Demon Bloodline Chapter 331: Demon Bloodline Translator: 549690339 In the depths of the black flame that was more than a meter high, a bronze gate engraved with demon skulls seemed to be looming. When the Abyssal Flame fully grew, the Abyssal Gate inside would become completely stable. At that time, endless demonic armies would emerge from the gate, occupying the entire Doomsday City, and killing all the creatures in the city; If it could not be stopped, it would become a disaster for humanity and other races. Song Jian circled around the White Bone Altar but couldnt find a way to destroy the Abyssal Flame. Finally, when there were only a few seconds left of his Divine Attack, he gritted his teeth, leaped high into the air, swung his sword, and slashed at the black flame. Boom! The golden sword light and the black flame fiercely collided, emitting a thunderous explosion. The bronze gate within the black flame shattered completely, and the flame quickly shrank from over a meter high to less than three inches, flickering as if it would go out the next moment. Its effective! Song Jian rejoiced as he continued swinging his sword at the black flame. At this moment, the effect of the Mutated Soul Seed suddenly disappeared. Thirty seconds had passed, and the dense golden light on Song Jians body vanished. Without the suppression of the divine power, the black flame seemed to have the trace of reigniting. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashing on the black flame was like slashing on a phantom, without any effect. Whats going on? Song Jian furrowed his brow. Without the Divine Attack, could it be that there was no way to destroy this Abyssal Magic Flame? At this moment, the White Bone Altar suddenly made a noise as the bones were dismantled from the altar and transformed into a white light in the air. The ground beneath trembled as if the entire White Bone Altar was about to collapse. Song Jian hurriedly got off the altar. Soon, the bones automatically flew out from the altar and merged into the white light in the air. Before long, the entire White Bone Altar disappeared, and the black flame was left floating in midair. The white light in the air seemed like a liquid, constantly flowing. The bones continuously merged into the white light, and soon, a palm-sized Bone Box appeared in the air. The Bone Box opened, and a suction force emerged, drawing the black flame in the air into the box. System: You have completed the mission, received the title Savior; Savior: The one who saved the world from destruction once, respected by the entire world! Human reputation increased by 1000 points, reputation of other races increased by 500 points, all attributes +1, success rate of recruiting NPC Followers +30%, luck +5 (this title does not need to be equipped to take effect). This title is pretty good! Song Jian was surprised. The Savior title was purple, an Epic grade title that was truly unbelievable. Luck + 5, this should be able to offset the negative effects the demon curse has brought me. Song Jian looked at the words Luck +5 and breathed a sigh of relief. Clang- The Bone Box fell to the ground, and Song Jians eyes lit up. He quickly picked up the Bone Box and put it in his inventory. This was a Third-tier Demon Flame. Although he didnt know its use yet, it was definitely a precious treasure. With the mission complete, Song Jian leisurely opened his inventory to check the items dropped by the Demon Zombie Boss; First was the mission item, a pitch-black heart emitting a faint black aura. In addition, the Demon Halberd used by the Demon Zombie also dropped. This incredible level 15 Silver equipment had excellent attributes, which even surprised Song Jian, who wished he could use it himself. Demon Halberd (Silver), two-handed weapon, attack: 112-130, strength +3, Armor Break +5, damage increase 10%, ignore monster level +10, special effect 1: Meteor Throw (active), throw the halberd at a single target within 30 meters range, causing 300% damage; special effect 2: ignore defense, 35% chance to ignore opponents defense when attacking; special effect 3: demon curse: 30% chance to deal double damage when attacking, 10% chance to deal triple damage, 5% chance to cause weakness to the target; item level: 15, equipment requirements: strength 15 points, agility 10 points; can it be brought out of the game: no. This weapon is too exaggerated. If I were not a Sword Controller, I would probably want to change professions because of this weapon. Song Jian couldnt help but think. At this moment, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly quivered, as if it was dissatisfied with Song Jians thoughts. Song Jian suddenly realized that his own Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was definitely not inferior to this Demon Halberd. If it grew stronger, its attributes would be far superior to this halberd; Thinking of this, Song Jian smiled and turned his attention to the next item; It was a one-inch long glass bottle filled with black liquid that was slowly rippling. The black liquid seemed to be alive, continually climbing up the glass wall and pushing the bottle cap like a tentacle, as if it wanted to break free from the bottle. Demon Bloodline (Silver), single-use item, usage effect: after use, there is a 10% chance to obtain the Abyssal Demon Bloodline, a 30% chance to obtain the Zombie Bloodline, a 50% chance to obtain the Demon Zombie Bloodline, and an 80% chance to lose ones mind, becoming a powerful half-demon monster! Song Jians face darkened. Who would dare use such an item? While it was true that bloodline items were extremely rare and valuable, with an 80% chance of becoming a monster, no one would dare to use it directly. This shouldnt be worth much, right? Song Jian touched his chin, pondering, Never mind, Ill ask Annie later and see if she wants this Demon Bloodline. After all, its a Silver grade item Besides these two items, the remaining items dropped by the Demon Zombie were materials. These materials were all tainted with demonic energy and could be used to make powerful items. If sold, they could make a lot of money. At least the money owed to Silver Moon Merchant Group should be covered. Song Jian calculated in his heart and took a deep breath. Following the secret path back to the surface, the ghost that had been guarding the entrance of the passage had disappeared. Maybe it left or vanished because it sensed that everyone had died, as well as the death of the Demon Zombie. This made Song Jian a little depressed. He hadnt received the mission reward, the Master Key, yet. Just then, Song Jian suddenly remembered something and checked his inventory. Sure enough, the key that initially opened the passage door had changed its appearance and attributes, turning into the mission reward capable of unlocking locked treasure chests of Epic Quality and below. Hey, the Master Key. 1 can play the role of a lock-picking rogue later on. Song Jian thought to himself. With the mission completed, Song Jian returned to Manor Castle and began anxiously contacting Annie of the Silver Moon Merchant Group. Chapter 332 - Chapter 332: One Hundred Thousand Doomsday Coins Chapter 332: One Hundred Thousand Doomsday Coins Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian first mailed Anne the heart of the Zombie Demon, followed by displaying a Level One Ghost Pearl to her. Does your group accept this kind of forging material? Song Jian asked. Hed seen this material at the auction house before, but they were rare, selling for about one hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins each. If Anne gave an offer that was too low, hed take it to the auction for sale. A Ghost Pearl? Hmm, they are hard to obtain. I know of a Level Thirty secret realm, the Dark Castle. To pass its challenges, you need at least a hundred and twenty points in shadow resistance Annes voice was calm, but Song Jian could tell something was off, like when someone discovers a rare find in an antique store and tries to hide their excitement from the dealer. How much would your group pay for one? Song Jian interrupted Anne, asking her directly. Anne was quite excited at this moment. She hadnt expected Song Jian to actually possess a Level One Ghost Pearl. She had been trying to compose herself during the call, while contemplating what price she could offer for this pearl. A Ghost Pearl adds ten points to shadow resistance. While ten sounds negligible, in the Dark Castle, it could make a deadly attack become only slightly more dangerous, providing the opportunity for a priest to heal the Main Tank (MT) during a Boss fight. Hm, while Ghost Pearls are rare, they are just Level One materials. Our group cant offer a high price. If its a bulk purchase, we can talk, but for just one, Im willing to pay a hundred and eighty Doomsday Coins! Anne weighed up various factors for a long time before giving a price. Song Jian nodded satisfactorily. This price was slightly higher than the auction houses, and it met his expectations. But at that moment, a thought struck him. What did she mean by higher prices for more items? More items meant a higher price? Usually, wasnt it that the more you sell, the cheaper the price? Do you mean to say that the more I have, there would be a slight increase in the price? Song Jian asked. Yes, if theres more than ten, I can go up to two hundred Doomsday Coins! Annes heartbeat sped up slightly. Song Jian raising this question obviously meant he had more than just one pearl. And if I had more? Song Jian asked, testing the waters. Anne took a deep breath to calm herself, saying in a single breath, If its above thirty, two hundred and thirty Doomsday Coins, fifty for two hundred and sixty Doomsday Coins. If you have a hundred altogether, I can offer three hundred Doomsday Coins per pearl! After stating the price, Anne couldnt help but laugh. A hundred Ghost Pearls would require the hunting of at least a hundred and fifty ghost-class monsters that possessed a Demon Bloodline. Such beasts were usually much stronger than their peers at the same level, and they were not something an average ranker could handle. Leaving aside the difficulty of locating so many beasts, even if they were available, at least a team of three hundred rankers would be needed to hunt them down. I have a total of one hundred and ten Level One Ghost Pearls. Lets deal at the rate of three hundred Doomsday Coins per pearl as youd offered! Song Jian stated. Anne was stunned, unsure if she was hearing things. Can you please repeat what you just said? Plow many Ghost Pearls do you have? Anne could barely believe her ears. One hundred and ten! Song Jian responded, his voice clear and confident. How did you get so many? Anne was astounded. Could it be that there was a powerful legion behind him? Alright, that sounds good! Anne agreed immediately You currently owe the Silver Moon Commerce thirty-six thousand Doomsday Coins. For the sake of our good relations, you can just pay one hundred and ten Ghost Pearls. Also, you will be a VIP member of Silver Moon Commerce starting today. From now on, you will enjoy a five percent discount on all transactions! Song Jian smiled slightly. Not only did she offer a discount of three thousand Doomsday Coins, but she also bypassed the compulsory consumption requirement of one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins and allowed him to become a Silver Moon Commerce member, making purchasing materials from them more affordable in the future. Thats excellent! You can adjust the contract, and I will send you the Ghost Pearls right after. Song Jian said. Feeling relieved after the mission was completed, Song Jian thought hed have to sell all the loot dropped by the Zombie Demon to cover the debt. Now, just by selling the Ghost Pearls, he has already fulfilled the obligation. I have a few other items. Ive sent you their attributes. Would your commerce be interested in acquiring them? Song Jian instantly displayed the Demon Halberd, the Demon Bloodline as well as some other materials, all dropped by the Zombie Demon, to Anne. Upon glancing over them, Anne inhaled sharply. How is that possible? All of these items are loot from the Zombie Demon. Not one of them has been kept back? Are these excellent items below the procurement standards of their team? Anne was astonished. The sight of so many Ghost Pearls had initially made her stagger. The stature of Song Jian in her mind had risen rapidly to an astonishing height. If anyone were to tell Anne now that Song Jian was a city lord, she wouldnt even be surprised. How much are you looking to sell these items for? Anne asked cautiously. The Demon Halberd for fifty thousand Doomsday Coins, the Demon Bloodline for thirty thousand Doomsday Coins, and other materials for twenty thousand Doomsday Coins in total! Song Jian directly said his prices. One hundred thousand Doomsday Coins Anne mused for a while. With these items and over a hundred Ghost Pearls, she could establish a twenty-person elite squad capable of conquering the secret realm of Dark Castle on hard mode. Once that happened, her standing within the commerce would greatly improve. Upon hearing that Anne didnt reject it outright, Song Jian relaxed. It seemed like the amount of one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins was still within her limit. I can trade with you right now! After thinking it over in her mind for a long time, Anne finally made a decision. This time, she decided not to purchase in the name of the commerce, but in her own name. Only when she truly possesses power, would she truly be called strong. Anne had already planned to build her own formidable squad. The items that Song Jian was selling filled the gap that she urgently needed. Chapter 333 - Chapter 333: Encountering the Dwarf Commander Again Chapter 333: Encountering the Dwarf Commander Again Translator: 549690339 With the one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins in hand, excitement filled Song Jians face. This transaction exceeded his expectations by a lot, but it also aroused his interest in the level-30 Dark Castle dungeon. What kind of dungeon would make Annie invest so heavily? If she could spend a hundred thousand, then the output of this dungeon must be several times that. After considering for a while, Song Jian shook his head. The level-30 dungeon was not something he could enter at this point. After pre-ordering a batch of T-X high-explosive grenade materials from Annie, Song Jian went to the auction house to buy materials for making Self-destructing Robots. In fact, the biggest gain from this transaction, Song Jian felt, was the Third-tier Demon Flame within the Bone Box. However, he did not know how to use the Magic Flame yet and could only set it aside. As for Annie from the Silver Moon Commerce, he dared not even disclose it, lest he attracts unnecessary trouble. When Song Jian arrived at the auction house, he found that many players were excitedly discussing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Did you hear? That Imperial Dragon Demon Palace opening cost five or six alliances heavy losses, and they got nothing! Not only that, but 1 heard that there were at least a dozen NPC deaths, all of them level-15 elites. But the benefits were reaped by a single player! Impressive! Hmph, stand out, and youll get shot. I heard that the best stuff in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace was snatched by that player, and as a result, many NPCs have issued bounties on him. 1 heard the rewards are pretty good! 1 dont know what that guy got, but its causing so many NPCs to go green with envy. However, getting ten thousand Doomsday Coins just by killing him once, these NPCs are desperate! This game is too bizarre. NPCs can issue quests to kill players? Dont you find that strange? Whats so strange about that? The NPCs in this game are smart. If it werent for their status, I would hardly be able to tell the difference between them and the players! By the way, whats the name of that player who is being targeted by so many NPCs bounties? Hes pretty much my idol! I think his name is Song Jian. He must be a fierce person, able to make so many NPCs and alliances suffer. Ordinary players like us cant deal with him; its better to stay out of it and dont provoke him. Song Jian frowned, feeling like he had suddenly become famous, as many players were discussing him. This forced him to conceal all his attributes. In fact, many players were accustomed to hiding their levels and lives, keeping their heads bare. Only some particularly flashy players would display their names, attributes, and titles above their heads. After buying up all the materials for making Self-destructing Robots in the auction house, Song Jian, pretending to be curious, asked one of the players discussing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace excitedly: Where are those NPCs who issued the bounty quests you mentioned? Hey, bro, are you interested? Ten thousand Doomsday Coins arent that easy to come by. 1 heard that this Song Jian guy is incredible, with a terrifying combat power. He managed to keep a group of NPCs with level-15 elite BOSS power at bay. This task wont be easy. Wouldnt want you to get roped into it Players only have one life, dont be fooled by these NPCs as their pawn Not really, just curious Song Jian showed a shy smile, looking harmless. Most of the NPCs who issued the tasks are moving around, not staying in one place for too long. However, there is one NPC who opened a blacksmiths shop in the city, the kind that forges weapons and equipment. He also issued a task to kill Song Jian. You can go check it out there The player told Song Jian the exact location of the blacksmiths shop. Thanks. Song Jian smiled and turned to leave. In the World Alliance conference room, a group of people were gathered around an oval table discussing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Although they had set up an alliance, many people still preferred to call it a guild, and the leader of the alliance was called the president by these people. President, what exactly happened in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace that so many NPCs are now pursuing this Song Jian? Should we accept this task too? Ten thousand Doomsday Coins! Old Eight, if youre greedy for money, just go and accept this task, but don t drag us down with you A player sitting beneath the president with slanted eyes glared at the player who spoke: You werent there, so you dont know the strength of that player. Weve all witnessed it firsthand. Hmph, in fact, if it werent for Song Jian, our group might all have died in that demon palace! As he spoke, the player retold the events in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace to everyone. Many people couldnt help but gasp, their eyes full of disbelief. How can there be such a powerful player at this stage? Level-20 elite BOSSes are no match for him? What level is he? Self-destructing Robots? What are those, products of engineering? They can kill a level-15 elite BOSS in seconds? Are they really that strong? Even if he is that powerful, its just one person. 1 dont believe our alliance cant swarm and kill him! Is it necessary? For ten thousand Doomsday Coins, how many people do you think will die? Is it worth it? The conference room became noisy, with those who hadnt experienced the imperial Dragon Demon Palace not believing Song Jian could be so powerful. However, those who had witnessed it did not want to provoke such an existence. On the other hand, Song Jian had already appeared in a simple blacksmith shop. The owner of this shop was one of the NPCs who had issued a bounty on Song Jian. Its him? Song Jians eyebrows jumped, and a look of surprise flashed across his face as he looked at the NPC melting ores and making equipment in front of the blacksmiths shop. This NPC turned out to be the Dwarf Commander that Song Jian had encountered outside the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Back then, he had killed his three subordinates who had tried to stop him, while the commander had escaped and never entered the palace. Humph, since youre seeking death, dont blame me! A murderous intent emerged in Song Jians eyes. His relationship with the Dwarf Clan had been raised from hatred to indifference due to his title of savior. However, his relationship with this Dwarf Commander remained one of hatred. Clang clang clang- The Dwarf Commander clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, continuously hammering the clump of material on the iron anvil. In a short while, the shape of a long knife appeared on the anvil. Looking at the weapon about to take shape, the Dwarf Commander gritted his teeth, took out a piece of Obsidian from his parcel, and placed it in the furnace fire with iron tongs. Soon, ten minutes later, the Obsidian started to show signs of melting. The Dwarf Commander quickly grabbed it with tongs and fused it with the nearly finished weapon blank. As the long knife on the iron anvil neared completion, a look of frustration appeared on the Dwarf Commanders face. He shook his head and sighed, Its a pity that I had only ordinary flames during forging. If I had Strange Fire, even a first-tier one, this weapon would be at least silver quality. But now, its at most a top blue-grade weapon. As he was speaking, a dazzling blue light suddenly shone on the iron anvil. Chapter 334 - Chapter 334: Manhunt Mission Chapter 334: Manhunt Mission Translator: 549690339 The Dwarf Commander grasped the still-hot longsword on the iron felt and examined its attributes. Soon, a smile spread across his face. A top-grade weapon! Its really a top-grade blue equipment! Haha, with these attributes, its definitely comparable to a silver equipment of the same level. This is fantastic! The Dwarf Commander held up the longsword, which emitted a rich blue glow, and laughed heartily. At this point, the Dwarf Commanders actions had attracted the attention of many players. Seeing a crowd gathering, he directly displayed the attributes of the longsword. Blade of Breaking, these attributes are top-notch! Thats amazing! With this longsword, my strength would increase by at least one-third. Its attack power is insane, and it has Armor Break and double damage. One slash with this thing could instantly kill a player with less than 100 Vitality Points. Its ludicrous! My silver-quality one-handed sword actually does two points less damage than this one. Its simply outrageous Players started discussing among themselves, with some even eagerly asking about the price. Boss, how much for this longsword? Oh mighty Dwarf blacksmith, I offer 3,000 Doomsday Coins for this weapon. Would you be willing to sell it to me? 3,000 Doomsday Coins for a weapon with such top-notch attributes? You must be dreaming! Boss, 1 offer 5,000 Doomsday Coins! Ill give you 6,000, sell it to me! The people who had discovered this top-grade longsword were still few, and the players wanted to buy it before a crowd gathered. They knew that once wealthy and powerful alliances got wind of it, they stood no chance as lone players. Within a short time, the price of the longsword had risen to 8,000 Doomsday Coins. But thats as high as it got. With 8,000 Doomsday Coins already touching the baseline for silver-quality equipment, any higher would not be cost-effective. One might as well buy a silver-quality weapon directly. This is a weapon; if it were any other piece of equipment, it definitely wouldnt fetch such a high price. But weapons are a different story, especially a level 15 weapon like this one. Its so rare. A player whispered, looking enviously at the big shots bidding for the weapon. A top-grade weapon like this was nothing short of a pipe dream for players who had just crossed the level 10 profession threshold. They could only gather around to watch the excitement. 8,300! Any higher, and I may as well buy a silver-quality weapon! one player gritted his teeth. Hmph, you think you can buy a level 15 silver-quality weapon with 8,300 Doomsday Coins? Maybe you could buy a single piece of silver equipment, but a weapon? Forget it. Without 10,000 Doomsday Coins, its impossible. And right now, level 15 silver-quality equipment is incredibly scarce. Whenever it appears in the auction house, its immediately bought at the asking price! someone sneered. Ive seen a silver-quality one-handed sword sell for 30,000 Doomsday Coins. Its insane. It was snapped up not even five minutes after appearing in the auction house. Many people didnt even get a chance to see it! Another players eyes were filled with envy. As more and more players gathered around, a smile appeared on the Dwarf Commanders face. He held up the longsword, glanced around, and shouted, I dont intend to sell this Blade of Breaking. Instead, Ill offer it as a task reward. If any of you can kill the Song Jian, a Gods Chosen One, Ill reward you with 10,000 Doomsday Coins and this Blade of Breaking! Suddenly, the onlookers erupted into a commotion. The reward was too tempting: the Blade of Breaking was an exceptional blue weapon, and someone would surely be willing to pay 10,000 Doomsday Coins for it. With the previous 10,000 Doomsday Coins on top, the reward was equivalent to 20,000 Doomsday Coins, which made many players green with envy. Just how did this Song Jian offend an NPC so much that so many people are putting out a bounty on him? If I could kill him, wouldnt it be a huge payday? This could be a quest worth over 100,000 Doomsday Coins! a player whispered. Killing Song Jian would allow them to claim the bounties offered by over a dozen NPCs, worth a combined total of over 100,000 Doomsday Coins. This was an irresistible temptation for any player. To put it into perspective, 100,000 in-game Doomsday Coins were more valuable than 5 million in real-world currency. When the game first started, the exchange rate between Doomsday Coins and RMB reached 1:300. However, with the increase in player levels and strength, obtaining Doomsday Coins had become easier, and the exchange rate had dropped significantly, settling at around 1:50. Even at this rate, only a small number of players were willing to sell. Most players would rather hold onto their Doomsday Coins and buy treasures in the game. After all, enhancements made in the game could also be brought back to the real world. Boss, who is this Song Jian you mentioned? And where is he right now? a player shouted. Hes just a level 15 player like you guys. What is there to be afraid of? No matter how powerful he is, can he compare to a level 15 elite boss? From what I know, not just level 15 elite bosses, even the lord-class bosses have been defeated by someone! The Dwarf Commander said casually, If you accept the bounty task from me, you can get the targets location every half hour. You just need to kill him and the 10,000 Doomsday Coins along with this top-grade blue weapon will be yours. The Dwarf Commander continued to tempt players to accept the task. Due to system restrictions, he couldnt deceive them, but that didnt stop him from downplaying Song Jians strength. When the Dwarf Commander encountered Song Jian, his level was indeed only 15 as well. He had no idea that in such a short time, Song Jian had already leveled up. After reaching level 10, players needed a lot of battle experience to level up again. The battle experience required to go from level 10 to level 11 was equal to the total needed to go from level 1 to level 10. Not to mention leveling up from 15 to 16. Even if the Dwarf Commander knew about the players leveling up quickly, he wouldnt believe that Song Jian could level up within such a short period of one or two days. Fine, boss. Ill accept this bounty task! A player finally couldnt resist the temptation and accepted the task from the Dwarf Commander. Ill accept it too. If Im lucky enough to kill that guy, Ill be rich! I Ill think about it. Ive been tricked by NPCs before, and I always feel like theyre not telling the whole truth. Be cautious with what they say In a short period of time, seven or eight players had accepted the bounty task. Huh? The mission prompt Why does it say this guys coordinates are nearby? A player who accepted the bounty task exclaimed in surprise. Let me see Its true! The wanted guy is nearby! Damn, hes really bold! Hey everyone, lets search for him. Hes close by! If we kill him, well split the rewards! Suddenly, the players around the blacksmith shop got excited and started looking around. The Dwarf Commanders eyes revealed a hint of doubt. Hearing that Song Jian was nearby, his heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling washed over him. Chapter 335 - Chapter 335: Mechanical Puppet Chapter 335: Mechanical Puppet Translator: 549690339 Amid the flurry of discussions and searches, Song Jian slowly emerged from around a street corner. A dark red longsword in hand, his gaze fixed on the Dwarf Commander. Hey, that guy is hiding his name and properties. Could he be the one were searching for? A player perked up, pointing at Song Jian and yelled loudly. The Dwarf Commander turned his head towards Song Jian for a brief moment, his face drained of color. He shouted, Its Song Jian! Kill him, and the reward is all yours! No sooner had he said this than a middle-aged man, outfitted in heavy armor and brandishing an assault rifle, made his move towards Song Jian. Dadadada The muzzle spat out foot-long flames, the bullets in the magazine emptied out in mere seconds. Ha, looks like the mission reward is mine! The man grinned, dropping the empty clip casually onto the ground as he looked towards Song Jian. Cling clang clang- The deformed bullet casings rattled onto the ground, but Song Jian seemed no more aware of them than before, continuing his advance. Impossible, each of my shots should inflict over ten damage. I fired forty rounds, thats over four hundred total damage. How could it not even break his defense? The middle-aged mans face flushed, he looked as if hed just seen a ghost. Song Jians talent skill Thick Skin could negate any damage below fifteen, which made him the perfect counter to firearms relying on bullet quantity for damage. Earth Teeth Assault! An energy ball in the shape of a violent beasts fang flew toward the middle-aged man. The stirring dust from the ground made it seem as if there truly was a beast lurking below, rushing toward the man. Boom! The middle-aged man had no time to dodge and was sent flying by the Earth Teeth Assault. His vitality points immediately dropped by over 70 points; Nice defense! A smirk appeared on Song Jians face as he fixed his incisive gaze onto the middle-aged man, whose vitality points had decreased by one third. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian swung his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, creating an invisible mental sword that swooped down toward the middle-aged man above Song Jians head. None of the onlookers could see the trajectory of the mental sword. They simply heard the middle-aged man scream in agony as a number of a light blue 150 hovered above his head, and his vitality points plummeted to zero. What, what was that attack? Sword Qi? Impossible-Even if it was Sword Qi, there should be some kind of trace, but Curse, is it a curse? The spectators gasped in shock. Song Jian was at least seven to eight meters away from the middle-aged man, and with a simple swing of his sword, he depleted all of the mans remaining vitality points? He just killed an MT from the Iron Blood War Alliance. Song Jian is in big trouble now, said a player who recognized the middle-aged man. I have a feeling that its Iron Blood War Alliance whos in big trouble, added another player somberly. Are you putting a bounty on me? Song Jian approached the Dwarf Commander with a smile. Kill him! Everyone, attack together! Kill him and get a half-price discount on any items at my blacksmith shop! The Dwarf Commander retreated, shouting loudly. The players all began to slowly back away, leaving a wide-open space. None of those who had accepted the bounty mission dared to make a move. I he heart of an Iron Blood War Alliance couldnt survive two of Song Jians attacks; any other player who tried was surely asking for death. Looking down at the wooden box that exploded from the corpse at his feet, Song Jian opened it casually. Inside was a full set of level fifteen white quality defense equipment, along with a level ten white quality assault rifle. The only item of value was a level fifteen, blue quality shield. Unfortunately, the middle-aged man hadnt even had the chance to use it. Loose change. I reckon itll fetch two or three thousand Doomsday coins, Song Jian estimated as he took the loot. Seeing that none of the players dared to step forward, the Dwarf Commanders face turned white. He seemed to have lost all his courage and collapsed next to the furnace of his blacksmith shop. Dont kill me. I can cancel the bounty, and Ill give you adequate compensation! Dread filled the Dwarf Commanders eyes. Compensation? A cold smile appeared on Song Jians face. Then let me collect my compensation with your head! With that, Song Jian swung his sword at the Dwarf Commander. His dark red long sword streaked through the air and ruthlessly cleaved into the Dwarf Commanders shoulder. You dont need to push me! The Dwarf Commanders eyes filled with bloodshot strains as he waved the newly forged Blade of Breaking at Song Jian. 0 Heavy Chop! 1 he Dwarf Commander roared, his longsword bursting with brilliant white sword energy, sweeping towards Song Jian. Song Jian raised his sword to block, a great force surged from his sword, causing him to retreat a few steps, his eyes showing a hint of surprise. Not bad, a power enhancer? Song Jian whispered. At this point, Song Jians strength attribute, with the bonus from his equipment, had already reached twenty-two points, while the Dwarf Commanders strength attribute had just surpassed fifteen points. He was no match for Song Jian. But this stroke made him retreat. Obviously, this skill has a significant boost in strength, otherwise Song Jian would not retreat. It seems like he isnt going to beat this dwarf, A player gleefully whispered, as if he was itching to try something. Look closely, the dwarf used a skill, and he used a basic attack! His companion reminded, immediately extinguishing the budding flames of battle in his heart. Don t be impulsive. Lets watch, The onlooking players exchanged glances, understanding each others intentions. As soon as Song Jian seemed fatigued, they would swoop in like vultures. A bounty of 20,000 Doomsday coins was enough motivation for anyone to risk it all. Within a dozen moves, the Dwarf Commander was quickly overpowered by Song Jian. The longsword in the Dwarf commanders hands was discarded to the side, replaced by the scepter he had previously used at the entrance to the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The honor of the dwarves shall not be defiled! The Dwarf Commander, whose vitality points had dropped by over half, swiped the longsword he had thrown aside and tossed it into the air. Clatter clatter clatter- The longsword floated mid-air, cracks appearing on its blade. Within seconds, this freshly forged blue superior quality longsword shattered. The fragments vanished into thin air. A low roar came from the sky. A mechanical puppet, taller than three meters, appeared out of nowhere, leaped down from midair, and shielded the Dwarf Commander. Chapter 336 - Chapter 336: Are You Even Extorting an NPC? Chapter 336: Are You Even Extorting an NPC? Translator: 549690339 | The Dwarf Commander looked worn out. His once thick, pitch-dark hair, and beard, became almost white the moment the mechanical puppet appeared. The wrinkles on his face deepened, making him look like he had aged more than a decade in an instant. You forced me to this, you forced me to this,, The Dwarf Commander mumbled to himself, in a trance, clutching his scepter tightly. What the hell is this thing? Song Jian squinted his eyes. The mechanical puppet before him was clad in heavy armor, with intricate magical patterns etched on its surface. These patterns faintly glowed, giving it a mysterious look. The puppets body constantly emitted rumbling sounds and each step it took made the ground quake. Its footprints were visible on the solid mixed boundary. A Level 15 Elite Boss Song Jian felt a heavy oppression from the mechanical puppet, similar to when he faced the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Although it was just a Level 15 Elite Boss, the mechanical puppet had a shocking ten thousand Vitality Points, which made Song Jian gasp in surprise. Thats impossible, not even a Level 20, no, a Level 30 Elite Boss, could have such high Vitality Points! Song Jian silently muttered to himself. But soon, Song Jian saw a five-minute countdown timer above the mechanical puppets head. It can only be summoned for five minutes? Song Jian glanced at the Dwarf Commander slumped nearby and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Beep beep beep- A red light emitted from the eyes of the mechanical puppet, sweeping over Song Jian. Target located, beginning lock-on Target locked, mission directive: destroy target at all costs A series of mechanical noises emanated from the puppets body, as if an artificial intelligence was operating the puppet. Whoosh- The mechanical puppet swung its over-three-meter long axe towards Song Jian. The force of the swing created a gush of wind that made the surrounding air explode, causing onlookers to change their expressions. They felt a chilling wind, as if a blade was constantly slicing their cheeks, and instinctively drew back. Soon, only Song Jian and the mechanical puppet were left within a ten-meter radius. Song Jians expression changed, and he swiftly retreated. He lacked confidence that he could withstand this attack, so he could only dodge. Bang! The impact left a three-meter diameter crater on the ground with a large fissure spreading seven or eight meters from the hole. Even though Song Jian had dodged the attack, he still felt a strong force that threw him several meters back, and he rough fell to the ground. This, this, its like a war machine! A solemn expression appeared on Song Jians face as he looked up at the countdown on the mechanical puppets head. Song Jian, theres no way you can beat this mechanical puppet. Its the Dwarf clans war machine, just like the Ancient War Tree of the Elf clan. Its not meant to be summoned unless absolutely necessary The Dwarf Commander stood up, his aged face revealed a hint of relief. He pointed his wand at Song Jian and said, It took me the equivalent of fifteen years of life and a superior blue-grade weapon to summon it. Even faced with an army of a hundred, it could rout them all! Watching Song Jian play hide-and-seek with the attacks of the mechanical puppet made the Dwarf Commander let out a hearty, satisfied laugh. Seeing Song Jian at a disadvantage, the spectators became excited. But the mechanical puppets attacks impacted everything within a range, so some players retreated immediately upon nearing the puppet, nearly being killed. Song Jian looked at the mechanical puppet storming towards him with cold eyes. Suddenly, his figure flashed, turning into a shadow that rushed towards the distance. He, hes running? The Dwarf Commander was taken aback. While the mechanical puppet chased after Song Jian with huge strides, due to its colossal size, speed was not its strength. It couldnt catch up with Song Jian even if it tried. Such war machines are often used in battles of thousands of people, and as soon as the enemy flees, it signifies their defeat. The purpose of a mechanical puppet is to assault fortresses, not to chase scattered enemies. After tangling with the mechanical puppet for a while, Song Jian keenly noticed its weakness. He used his Sword Shadow Step and managed to distance himself by several meters. There were less than three minutes left of the mechanical puppets summoning and as long as Song Jian held out for this time, he could simply return later. He wondered how much life and superior weapons the Dwarf Commander could sacrifice. Seeing the cold smile on Song Jians face, the Dwarf Commander felt a chill ripple through him. After hesitating for a moment, he rushed into the blacksmith shop. Soon, he came out with a large bundle on his shoulder, looking ready to abandon his spot and flee. Hey, you cant leave. We accepted the bounty mission. If you run now, who will give us the mission rewards? A player, noticing the Dwarf Commander plan on running away, quickly intercepted him and yelled in discontent. Dwarf Commander: WIMP, shouldnt you know if you can complete the bounty mission? If you really could complete it, would I have tried to run away? You cant run! This bounty mission doesnt have a time limit. We may, possibly, perhaps, be able to complete it sooner or later. Where will we find you for our rewards then? You cant leave! Another player righteously grabbed the Dwarf Commanders arm and said. Even if youre this small, I could still beat up eight of you with one hand, believe it or not? The Dwarf Commander looked at the player who had just completed his promotion mission, a level ten warrior. He felt contempt for him. Soon, seven or eight players who accepted the bounty mission had the Dwarf Commander surrounded, refusing to allow him to leave. Are you going to get out of my way, or not? If not, 1 will have to resort to force! The Dwarf Commanders face turned gloomy. The summoning time for the mechanical puppet was about to end. If he didnt leave now, he wouldnt have another chance. We wont move, we wont move even if we die! A player shouted: Unless you compensate for our loss, we have accepted the mission. If you leave, the mission will fail. You have to compensate for our loss! Yes, you must compensate for our loss. Other players faces lit up with joy upon hearing this. The other players who hadnt accepted the bounty mission gasped, Youre even blackmailing an NPC, arent you asking for trouble? The Dwarf Commander looked at the players in front of him. None of them were above level thirteen and he regretted not setting a standard for the mission. Chapter 337 - Chapter 337: A White Blacksmiths Shop Chapter 337: A White Blacksmiths Shop Translator: 549690339 The Dwarf Commander was surrounded by a group of players in the center, unable to move forward or retreat. Seeing that the time limit for the summoning of the mechanical puppet was less than a minute away, he bit his lip in frustration, pulled out several green-quality weapons from the large bundle on his back, and carelessly tossed them aside as he said, Take these as compensation for your losses. Can you let me go now? All these weapons were level ten green-quality weapons, worth over a thousand Doomsday Coins. Expressions of elation instantly appeared on several faces C they had done nothing and yet had obtained a weapon for free. What a bargain! However, clearly a few players were not satisfied. How could an item worth 1,000 Doomsday Coins compare to a task reward worth 20,000 Doomsday Coins? It was peanuts! No way, unless you award us the mission reward, we wont let you go! A tall player held the Dwarf Commander, shouting loudly. Damn, thats quite a demand, brother. Youre like a mudslide in the world of extortion. You havent even completed the mission and you want the reward already? How thick-skinned are you! Some players were shocked, all their eyes turned to him, wondering what this bold player looked like. If they met him in the wild in the future, they would need to avoid him at all costs. You, you what? The mission target is right there. You go and kill him! If you kill him, Ill give you not only 20,000 Doomsday Coins, but even 200,000! The Dwarf Commanders beard was trembling with anger as he stomped his foot. The tall player was taken aback and quickly said, Theres no time limit for the mission. You can wait here, I will complete this mission sooner or later, you cant run away! If I die, the mission will fail, and you will get a failure penalty! The Dwarf Commander cried out. Failure penalty? Whats a failure penalty? Those who had accepted the bounty quest quickly opened their mission bars to check. They were all blinded by greed when they saw Song Jian show up. They took the bounty quest without thinking, not reading the mission description carefully. Your main attribute will be reduced by two points. Oh hell, this dwarf really played us, we cant let him go! A player cried out in anger. Players dont gain attribute points when they level up. To increase attribute points, they must find treasures in the game like Attribute Fruits, and if they are lucky, sometimes they can buy attribute-increasing treasures from NPCs. All in all, attribute points are crucial for everyone, and these treasures are not easily obtained. Right now, two attribute points are particularly critical for the players. Youre not going anywhere. You dare to trick us? How is it possible for us to kill that guy? Youre scamming us! A player said angrily. Right, scam! We, we will report you! Bastard, explain to us why two attribute points are deducted! For a moment, all the players who had accepted the quest became furious. After witnessing Song Jians strength, they wisely chose to give up. Ten seconds left The Dwarf Commander turned pale. Finally, he reluctantly said, Fine, fine, I will establish a contract with you guys. Just pretend this quest was never issued. No way, you have to give us the quest reward. You have to count as if we completed the quest, otherwise we wont let you go! The tall player still would not let up. Brother, let it be. Times almost up. If that guy turns around and really kills this dwarf, we wont get anything. Instead, wed lose two attribute points. Its not worth it! Some players couldnt bear it anymore and tried to persuade the tall player. No way, we cant just let this dude have it easy. When he issued the mission, he didnt mention that the players strength was so formidable. This is deception! He tricked us into offering our lives! The tall player said indignantly. This Just then, a low roar rang out from a distance. A silver light flashed across the sky, and the figure of the mechanical puppet slowly floated down from the sky into a portal that looked similar to a black hole. The Dwarf Commanders face turned pale. He hurriedly said, Let me go now, or we will all die here. With that, the Dwarf Commander pulled out a bomb from his package, casting a fierce glance at the surrounding players. The sight of the bomb in the Dwarf Commanders hand sent a chill down the players spines. They quickly backed away, some begrudgingly doing so, not daring to actually gamble with their lives. The Dwarf Commander snorted coldly, holding his staff in one hand and the bomb in the other. With a large bundle on his back, he quickly moved down the street. Soon, he disappeared into a narrow alleyway. Not long after, Song Jian, wielding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, appeared on the street. Despite the frantic chase just now, he didnt look the least bit hurt. Once the summoning time limit of the mechanical puppet was over, he immediately made his way back to the blacksmiths shop, intending to finish off the Dwarf Commander. Huh, where did he go? Song Jian stood in front of the blacksmiths shop, looking around. Master, the dwarf has already run away! A player shouted loudly. Yes, I saw him running down that alley. Master, go chase him! He surely hasnt gone far. The spectating players were all shouting. While the Dwarf Commander had run away, he couldnt escape from the blacksmiths shop. Although the Dwarf Commander had probably taken all the valuables, there would be plenty of items left behind. Several players had already set their sights on the blacksmiths shop. But as long as Song Jian hadnt left, they dared not approach and seize it. After all, the present owner of this blacksmiths shop, had been chased away by none other than Song Jian. In other words, the current owner of this blacksmiths shop was now Song Jian. Instead of chasing after the Dwarf Commander, Song Jian walked towards the blacksmiths shop. The moment he stepped into the blacksmiths shop, he received a system notification. System: You have chased away the owner of the junior blacksmiths shop and successfully taken over. System: You now own this blacksmiths shop. You can use it at will, hire a Forging Master to make equipment for sale, and so on. System: You need to pay a management fee of 100 Doomsday Coms every month. Otherwise, the system will automatically take back this junior blacksmiths shop. This blacksmiths shop is mine now? Song Jian was taken aback, thinking to himself. Suddenly, a golden light enveloped the entire blacksmiths shop and Song Jian. After a short while, the blacksmiths shop automatically changed its name to Song Jians Blacksmiths Shop, and Song Jian received an interface for constructing the blacksmiths shop, where he could hire a Forging Master and sell equipment and weapons. Well, it seems Ive managed to get a blacksmiths shop for free! Song Jian gave a slight smile. At this moment, the forge of the blacksmiths shop suddenly burst into flames. Simultaneously, the Bone Box in his inventory began to shake violently, and a shrill roar came from inside the Bone Box. Chapter 338 - Chapter 338: Abyssal Flame Chapter 338: Abyssal Flame Translator: 549690339 | Watching the anomalies occurring in the forges blazing furnace, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed. The demonic flame inside the Bone Box in his inventory seemed to have been provoked, as it suddenly ignited and even spread to the surface of the Bone Box. Whats happening? Song Jian asked in astonishment, looking at the Bone Box in his inventory that was now engulfed in black flames, his heart skipping a beat. Perhaps sensing the power of the Third-tier Demon flame, the forges fire promptly shrank in size, with all its fury subsiding, as if it had encountered the king of its kind. System: Would you like to replace the ordinary furnace fire in the Primary forge with the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame? Note: Using the Third-tier Demon flame to forge items will greatly increase the success rate, greatly increase the mutation rate, and greatly increase the items tier! Seeing the three greatly increased attributes in the system prompt, Song Jians face instantly lit up with joy. However, the system quickly provided another prompt: System: The Primary forge is detected to not have the qualifications to accommodate a Third-tier Demon flame. You must upgrade the Primary forge to an Advanced forge to accommodate the Third-tier Demon flame, or unforeseen losses may occur. Not qualified to accommodate? Must upgrade the forges level? Song Jian was dumbfounded, and quickly checked the requirements to upgrade the forge: Upgrading the Primary forge to an Intermediate forge requires 100,000 forging experience points, while upgrading the Intermediate forge to an Advanced forge requires 1,000,000 forging experience points! Upon reading this, Song Jian was momentarily speechless. He could barely accept needing 100,000 forging experience points, but 1,000,000? How long would it take to forge that much? With these thoughts, Song Jian decisively refused to let the newly acquired forge accommodate the Third-tier Demon flame. However, soon, the Bone Box in his inventory emitted a creaking sound, and fine cracks slowly appeared on its surface. Tiny, substantial black flames squeezed out from these cracks. The flames seem to be out of control, the Bone Box can no longer contain them. Will it destroy my inventory? Song Jians heart was startled, and he quickly retrieved the Bone Box. Boom! The instant Song Jian retrieved it, the Bone Box turned to ashes, leaving a black ember wildly dancing in his palm like a spritely elf. The scorching heat instantly raised the temperature around the forge. System: Do you want to bind the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame as your personal Strange fire? Binding? Can it be bound to a character? So, can I only fuse it with the forge after binding it? Song Jian thought to himself, but he didnt have time for that and directly chose to bind it. Lets see what it looks like after binding it as my personal Strange fire! Once he made his decision, Song Jian quickly clicked confirm! Suddenly, the Abyssal flame underwent a change, the small flame in his palm burning more ferociously and enveloping his entire body, from afar, Song Jian looked like a man on fire, engulfed in black flames. Song Jian felt an intense heat surrounding him, as if he had been thrown into boiling water, unbearable for anyone. In his ears, annoying and disturbing moans began to echo, filled with temptation and violence, causing dizziness and making his head feel like it was about to explode. At this moment, a slowly-moving progress bar appeared before Song Jians eyes: Integration with the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame 1% 2% 3% Integrating? Am I now merging with this flame? Its so unbearable! Song Jian clutched his collar, his face twisted in pain. Squeak, squeak, squeak Song Jian felt as if he could hear his flesh sizzling in flames. He even had the illusion that he was skewered on a stick and being roasted over a fire. He couldnt help but convulse involuntarily. Just then, a cool sensation surged into his mind like a bubbling spring, extinguishing all the flames. His mind instantly cleared, and his eyes regained their clarity. At that moment, the progress bar had just reached 10%. However, as soon as Song Jian regained his clarity, the progress bar instantly jumped from 10% to 90% and continued to move rapidly at a visible speed. Seeing Song Jian suddenly become a man on fire covered with black flames, all the surrounding players watching were startled and scattered away. This was their instinctive reactionfor them, safety always came first. This instinct had penetrated deep into their bones. Players without this instinct would have long been monsters food. finally, Song Jian saw the progress bar reach 100% and then disappear. System: The Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame has been bound as player Song Jians personal item. System: Integration with the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame completed. After the tempering of the Third-tier Demon flame, player Song Jians Vitality Points permanently increased by 200, Strength increased by 5 points, Agility increased by 5 points, Constitution increased by 5 points, Spirit increased by 5 points, Ice Resistance increased by 30 points, fire Resistance increased by 30 points, Water magic damage reduced by 30%, fire magic damage reduced by 30%. Permanent control of the Third-tier Demon Plame Abyssal Plame acquired. System: The player officially controls the Third-tier Demon Flame Abyssal Plame and can use it to open the Abyssal Gate and enter the Abyssal Land. The Abyssal Gate can only be opened once a month; Reminder: The Abyssal Land is filled with danger, and it is advised that players enter after level 30. How is this possible? Song Jian was dumbfounded. It was as if a gigantic pie had fallen from the sky and hit Song Jian squarely. The greatly increased benefits of the Third-tier Demon Flame alone were mouthwatering enough, and he didnt expect it to have so many additional attributes. Just the permanent increase of 200 Vitality Points alone had allowed Song Jians Vitality Points to break the 1,000 mark. Coupled with an additional 5 points in Constitution, Song Jian had already reached 1,160 Vitality Points. For any player at the current stage, Song Jian could now be considered a humanoid Boss. Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Spirit each increased by 5 points, solidifying Song Jians humanoid Boss title. Not to mention, the increases in Ice Resistance, Fire Resistance, and the weakening of Water and Fire magic. The most accessible profession for ordinary players was Mage, and the easiest mage specializations to master were Water and Fire Mages. With his Ice Resistance, Fire Resistance, and reduction in Water and Fire magic damage, Song Jian had become a Mage-killer against these two types of Mages. They had no chance against him. Magic that would have inflicted over a hundred points of damage to Song Jian before now only dealt ten or twenty points. Song Jian didnt even need to take a potion. Feeling the surging power within him, Song Jians face was filled with an ecstatic smile. The added attributes had gone far beyond Song Jians expectations. Chapter 339 - Chapter 339: Leaving the Game Chapter 339: Leaving the Game Translator: 549690339 With a thought, the black flames burning on the surface of Song Jians body suddenly disappeared. Then, lifting his right hand, a flicker of black flame appeared in his palm. Clenching his hand into a fist, the flame vanished, and with a boom, black flames surged once again on Song Jians body surface. Hahaha, thats amazing, absolutely formidable! With a single thought, the black flames disappeared again, but joy spread across Song Jians face. Perhaps I should learn the art of forging? A sudden thought popped into Song Jians mind. He knew that the Third-tier Demon Flame exuded a significant enhancement, which was like a divine tool for forging. With a blacksmith in possession and the Strange Fire, all Song Jian needed now were a Forging Skill Book and forging blueprints to start practicing Forge Art With the help of the Strange Fire, his forging skills would undoubtedly improve much faster than other players. Skill books and blueprints related to life professions were much sought after in auction houses. Generally, very few people would sell them, as most preferred to learn from it themselves. Even if they were sold, the prices would be extremely high. Song Jian remembered that the cost of a Forge Art Skill Book in the Doomsday Supermarket was only three hundred Doomsday Coins. However, the price of a Forge Art Skill Book had been inflated to over three thousand Doomsday Coins by the players. TH go back and make some Self-destructing Robots first. Ill learn forging if I get another chance. Song Jian hesitated before opening the Smithys settings options. After making some adjustments, he started to head towards his Manor Castle. This smithy now belonged to Song Jian as part of his territory. To occupy this smithy, one had to completely defeat Song Jian in a territory dispute. The primary purpose of the smithy was not to sell equipment but to create it. This one, built by the Dwarf Commander, had the immense benefit of improving the forging success rate by 5% compared to the smithy built by Song Jian in his territory. The Novice Smithy had five forging rooms. Players could make equipment by spending a certain amount of Doomsday Coins to enter these rooms. After Song Jian set the prices, he simply left the smithy to operate. Any player could enter the rooms to make equipment by paying the fee. After manufacturing equipment and gaining forging experience, a certain percentage would be reimbursed back to the smithy. Once the Smithy accumulates one hundred thousand forging experience points, it could be upgraded to an Intermediate Smithy. Watching Song Jian leave, the spectators around seemed to heave sighs of relief. I thought he was going to kill everyone who accepted the pursuit mission, scared me pretty good. A player clutched his chest and spoke. Lucky us! His skill that turned him into a black shadow; he was so fast. If hed pursued us, wed never escape. I already said there was something fishy about this mission but you wouldnt believe me. Scared now, eh? His companion on the side complained. Who knew he was so powerful? Besides, didnt you accept the mission in the end too? Its worth two thousand Doomsday Coins! Holy grass! Hes increased the forging fee by so much! It used to be just 5 Doomsday Coins an hour, but now it costs 20! Hes totally ripping us off! A player who had learned Forge Art exclaimed in anger. Let me see. Hey, its true! We give him forging experience when we forge here and help him upgrade the Smithy. This is a win-win situation. Hes just shamelessly increased the forging fee by so much; hes more cunning than that Dwarf! A slew of complaints followed from the players, but in the end, they had to unwillingly pay. After all, even a 1% increase in forging success rate was invaluable, not to mention a 5% increase. If they could forge an extra piece of equipment, theyd make back the forging fee in no time. Song Jian wasnt concerned about how the players complained about him. He didnt have the energy or time to manage the Smithy. He had already hired a Forging Master to manage the smithy in his territory. He would only send someone to manage this smithy after a disciple was fully trained there. Arriving back at the Manor Castle, Song Jian started making self-destructing robots. Soon, he was taking out the parts one by one, but there was a pleasant surprise when he started to make the explosives. System: The Standard Explosive you made has advanced to High Explosive- due to the influence of the Third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame. Engineering experience increased by 2 points. Due to the existence of the Third-tier Demon Flame, Song Jian didnt fail once when making explosives. Even the Standard Explosives had advanced to High Explosives. If these were used to assemble the Self-destructing Robots, their power would certainly be greatly multiplied. Indeed, after assembling the first Self-destructing Robot, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: You have modified the parts of the Self-destructing Robot and created a new item. Please name the new item! A new item? Isnt it still a Self-destructing Robot? Its just that the explosive power has been slightly increased. Does it need a new name? Song Jian hesitated but quickly typed Self-destructing Robot Type 2 into the semi-transparent screen in front of him. After renaming the robot, a flash of white light briefly appeared under the Engineering Skill in his skill list. Now, he could make two types of robots: Self-destructing Robot and Self-destructing Robot Type 2. With the enhancement of the Third-tier Demon Flame, he no longer needed to manufacture the first type of robot. The newly-created Self-destructing Robot not only had a power increase to five hundred points, but it also possessed corrosive damage that could reduce the targets defense by 10% for 30 seconds. If ten Self-destructing Robots simultaneously targeted an enemy, the enemys defense would be reduced by 100%. Even a level twenty boss with an extremely high defense would be instantly killed if attacked simultaneously by ten Self-destructing Robots. The mere thought of it made Song Jian shiver. After spending an afternoon, Song Jian had manufactured more than thirty Self-destructing Robots without a single failure. His engineering experience increased significantly, with not much experience left needed to reach level four. Just as he was about to continue, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: There are ten minutes left in your game session. Please place your items in a safe place to avoid loss. It is recommended that the players character returned to the safe house. Any accidents that occur will be the players responsibility. The system joyously sent out three consecutive notifications. It was only then that Song Jian realized that thirty days had unknowingly passed in the game. After packing away all of the Self-destructing Robot Type-2s and taking a last look at the Blood Pool, which was still evolving, Song Jian silently waited for the end of the game time. Soon, a flash of white light filled the room, and then it was empty. Song Jian had disappeared. Chapter 340 - Chapter 340: Investigation Chapter 340: Investigation Translator: 549690339 | When it was time for Song Jian to leave the game, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. This time in the game, he completed several tasks, including regional tasks, hidden tasks, and plot tasks. Just by these tasks extra points alone, his task evaluation will undoubtedly be the highest SSS rank again. For each main quests reward, a few thousand Doomsday Coins are no longer significant to Song Jian. Instead, the recovery speed of his Vitality Points for the next time he enters the game was becoming more and more critical. Many times, in his single-handed battles with bosses, Song Jian relied on his abnormal Vitality recovery speed, ultimately leading to victory. With an SSS-ranked task evaluation, the reward is a 500% increase in Vitality Point recovery speed. Given Song Jians Vitality Points of over 1100, the recovery speed per second surpassed 60, easily exceeding the damage from some small skills. Just as Song Jian was full of anticipation, a flash of light burst into view, and he found himself back in his rented house in the real world. Whats going on? Why didnt 1 receive the main quest completion evaluation? Song Jian was taken aback, and his face instantly turned grim. Could it be that the main quest evaluation had been updated out after the game was updated? Thats impossible. The original update contents did not include this! Just as Song Jian was perplexed, there was a sudden knock at the door of the rental house. Upon opening the door, he found two people in police uniforms knocking at the door. You are? Song Jian asked, wearing a puzzled expression. Oh, hello, sorry to bother you. Were from the Street Police Station. Were here to do an investigation and would like to ask you a few questions. Could you spare a few minutes? a policewoman politely asked. No problem, no problem. Please come in. Song Jian quickly welcomed the two of them into his house, and when he turned to close the door, he noticed several other police officers knocking on doors down the street. First, we need to ask about your personal information, your name, age, and where do you work? The policewoman took out a pen and paper and began the interrogation, while a young-looking policeman by her side kept scanning Song Jian up and down warily. After a simple registration of his personal information, the policewoman asked: Have you noticed any abnormalities in the past few days? Song Jian was startled and asked in a puzzled tone: Abnormality? What do you mean? For example, some people suddenly have extremely high strength, enough to lift a car single-handedly, or even perform incredible feats like walking on walls, the policewoman gave a few examples. Song Jian was slightly shocked. Although he had spent several months in the game, in the real world, only three to four days had passed. So soon, the police had started taking notice of the game players? Yesterday there was a guy who snatched a purse on the street. He ran exceptionally fast, and there seemed to be a white light beneath his feet. Does that count? Song Jian frowned slightly and spoke as if he was recalling. That certainly counts. The policewomans eyes lit up, and she quickly recorded it: Do you know that person? Have you seen him since? Can you describe his appearance, in as much detail as possible. When Song Jian was about to describe the appearance of the man who used the games Acceleration Skill to snatch a purse, he noticed the male police officers sudden change of expression. Following his gaze, Song Jian twisted his head and saw his Octagonal Han Sword on the table, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. After killing the Japanese man at the underground boxing club with this sword, he had casually thrown it on the table due to the damaged scabbard, and the police had arrived before he had time to clean up this morning. This sword was sharp-edged and couldnt be classified as an art piece. It was a controlled blade. Why do you have a sword here? the policeman stared at Song Jian and asked. Song Jian was taken aback and quickly replied, I am a sword enthusiast, and I use this sword for exercising. The young policeman was skeptical, looking at Song Jian as he made his way to the table. The policewoman seemed to sense something was off. Her courteous demeanor turned into a serious expression as she scrutinized Song Jians every move. This sword is sharp. Its a regulated weapon. According to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, we need to confiscate this sword and impose a fine of 200 yuan on you! The young policeman said without any leniency. Although Song Jians face looked somber, he felt relieved internally. For him, this kind of penalty was insignificant. His main concern was to keep his identity as a game player concealed. This sword is borrowed from a friend. I need to return it later. Its not mine, Song Jian defended himself. Thats not acceptable either. Weapons like this are too dangerous to keep at home. In case of an accident, you would regret it. We have to confiscate it! The male police officer showed no leniency and picked up the sword. Lets continue talking about the fast runner. Could you describe his features? The policewoman looked at Song Jian for a long while and found nothing unusual. Apart from a bit of dissatisfaction about the confiscation of his sword, he didnt show any drastic reaction. Feeling somewhat reassured, she continued with her questioning. Song Jian gave a vague description of the mans appearance without revealing the mans actual look. Perhaps the young policeman found holding the sword tiring, he put it on the table and started glancing around Song Jians house. The unexpected arrival of the two police officers had Song Jian on edge. He didnt fear their handguns because of his present strength. Even if hundreds of ordinary policemen were to confront him directly, he could escape at any moment. However, the consequence of fleeing was too severe. Song Jian knew that he couldnt afford it. No matter how strong he was, he was not capable of fighting with the state apparatus. After about twenty minutes of questioning, the two police officers exchanged a glance and slightly nodded. The policewoman put away her pen and paper, stood up, and thanked Song Jian: Thanks for your cooperation. If you encounter similar peculiar conditions in the future, please call 110 immediately. Song Jian let out a sigh of relief, and said with a smile on his face, Of course, of course, its each citizens responsibility. Given your good attitude, we wont impose a fine, but we must confiscate this sword! The male police officer balanced the sword on his chest, measured its weight, and said to Song Jian. Okay, okay. Song Jian, pretending to be reluctant, watched his sword. Just then, the male police officers complexion changed. He looked up and stared at Song Jian, backed up two steps, leaned against the door, and said, Why is there a smell of blood on the blade? Chapter 341 - Chapter 341: Identity Chapter 341: Identity Translator: 549690339 | Song Jians Octagonal Han Sword, which he had taken from the underground ring, had just been casually wiped down. A small bloodstain on the blade was hard to notice unless you took a close look at it. Furthermore, after being aired overnight, it didnt smell of blood. However, the fact that the officer managed to pick up on it caught Song Jian off guard. Upon hearing the male officer, the female policewoman who was about to follow Song Jian out also immediately became alert, and stepped backward, gripping her waist, ready to pull out her gun. Startled, Song Jians initial instinct was to resist, but his rationality won out. Just as he was thinking of making up a believable excuse, a shout from outside suddenly rang through, Freeze, dont run! Then came a burst of explosion and gunshots from outside, which shocked the two police officers. They didnt even care about Song Jian anymore. The female officer instantly pulled out her gun and ran outside, while the male officer, who was guarding the entrance, upon seeing that Song Jian had no intention of running away, hurriedly said, Stay inside and dont move! With that, the male officer too, sword in hand, rushed out. Stepping out of the room, Song Jian saw a complete mess downstairs. Two officers lay on the ground. The complexs gate looked like it had been blasted, with a fraction of it collapsed. Dozens of police officers were pursuing something outside of the complex. At this moment, nearly everyone from the complex was standing at their doorsteps, watching the commotion, conversations buzzing around. Soon enough, an ambulance drove into the complex. The remaining officers carried their injured comrades onto the ambulance and rushed them to the hospital. With that, all the officers inside the complex were gone. That was so dangerous! That guy just jumped so high and landed on the gate with such a force that it collapsed instantly, just like in a movie! Was that guy a superman or something? Bullets couldnt even hit him, and he moved so fast People nowadays dare even to assault police officers. I cannot believe it. He lived with us for so long! Hey, did any of you see who it was? Which house did he come from? Despite discussing for a long time, the residents couldnt figure out who the runaway was. Soon enough, they dispersed and went back to their homes. Looking at the pool of fresh blood on the ground in the courtyard, a contemplative look crept into Song Jians eyes. Is this a case of resisting arrest? Song Jian thought to himself, Should I take advantage of this situation to escape? But theyve already got my information. If I run away now, wont I be admitting guilt? And then I definitely will be wanted. What should I do? The thought made Song Jian feel flustered. Even if he was powerful, once the nations machinery was set into motion, he was no more than a mantis trying to halt a speeding train, powerless to fight back. Does this mean 1 have to hide for the rest of my life, living without seeing daylight? Song Jian hesitated for a moment and then quickly came to a decision. I cant run. I must come up with an explanation for the blood stain on the sword Just as Song Jian was thinking about an excuse, he noticed a dark figure moving slightly in the corner of the yard, which soon morphed into a man. Wang Dagang? Song Jian looked at the man, frowning. This man was not living in the apartment complex but was living not far from here. Song Jian had seen him a couple of times casually and even greeted him. Hed even seen him on the street outside the complex a few times while eating breakfast. Their relationship was more robust than with total strangers but weaker than that with the neighbors; What kind of skill is this? It doesnt look like an invisibility jutsu. Could it be that the police were actually looking for him? Song Jian wondered to himself. Wang Dagangs skill was very similar to Song Jians Morphing into Dark Cloud, except that he transformed into a shadow. Unless you looked closely, it was challenging to spot him against a dark backdrop. Wang Dagang, back in his human form, was covered in sweat, and a trace of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He had just created a decoy to distract the police officers, then transformed himself into a shadow. All this had consumed much of his mental strength. Now he needed to get out of here as soon as possible. If the officers who were returning found him, he wouldnt stand a chance against them; Just then, Wang Dagang looked up sharply. Song Jian was standing in the corridor looking down expressionlessly. His eyes were fixed on him. Im discovered! Wang Dagang was shocked, but soon realized Song Jian wasnt a police officer but just an ordinary resident. He chuckled, making a gesture telling Song Jian to keep quiet. Song Jian glanced left, then looked back at Wang Dagang with a peculiar look in his eyes. Wang Dagang was taken aback, finding Song Jians gaze strange. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he turned to look in the direction where Song Jian had been looking. Think you can run? A voice called out from the top of a large tree, looking down at Wang Dagang condescendingly. His dress uniform was cloaked in a black robe, billowing in the harsh wind; Wang Dagangs face paled, he turned to climb the wall in an attempt to escape. But then a silver glimmer flashed, and a foot-long iron arrow with a piercing whistle plunged into Wang Dagangs back, nailing him directly to the wall. Swoosh- The man in the dress uniform, with his cloak draped over him, jumped down from the tree over ten meters tall. His cloak spread out like a pair of black wings, lowering him gradually; Resisting arrest, assaulting a cop. You think you could be invincible because youve played in the game world for a few days? Naive! The officer sneered as he pulled out the handcuffs and cuffed the hands of Wang Dagang, who was still hanging on the wall. He then forcefully pulled out the iron arrow from his back; With a miserable cry, Wang Dagang became limp and fell to the ground, huffing and puffing heavily. A look of fear crossed his face as he looked at the officer. Go back in, its not safe here! Noticing Song Jian standing upstairs watching all of this, the officer frowned and shouted coldly at Song Jian. A trace of fear appeared on Song Jians face. He shrunk his neck back and reentered his house; The officers skill is so powerful. He must be a professional whos already been appointed! With a serious expression, Song Jian returned to his room and thought to himself. In the real world, you couldnt view players levels and properties, but you could estimate their capabilities based on their skills and power exhibited during fights. That cop earlier had reduced Wang Dagang to a near-death state in one swift move, indicating his unusual strength. Thinking about this, Song Jian broke out in cold sweat. If he had decided to run away earlier, he would definitely have used his skills. Then, the cop who was watching would have definitely noticed him. That was close. They nearly figured out my identity as a player! Song Jian felt as though there was a huge rock pressing on his chest, causing him to panic. Chapter 342 - Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Entering the Game Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Entering the Game Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian stayed in the rental room and didnt go out. After thinking for a long time, he decided to give the Octagonal Han Sword to Wu Xuan and claim he had borrowed it from Wu Xuan. As for the blood on the sword, Song Jian would feign complete ignorance, insisting he had just gotten the sword back; As for how Wu Xuan would explain, that wasnt Song Jians concern. Even if Wu Xuan implicated Song Jian, he believed that with the power behind the underground boxing ring, it would be easy to settle this matter. However, its better to give Wu Xuan a heads-up in advance. With that thought, Song Jian dialed Wu Xuans number. Hello, Old Wu? Alt, who is this? If theres something, say it quickly; Im busy! The call was noisy, and Wu Xuans impatient tone was laced with alcohol. At this time, in the largest KTV room in Coastal City, Wu Xuan was lying on the sofa with a phone in one hand and a beer bottle in the other, his eyes shining as he watched a young girl dancing in the middle of the room. It was also a chaotic dance of demons around him, a group of wine and meat friends reveling wildly and dancing; Its Song Jian! Song Jian, which Song Jian? Song Ah, its Brother Song! Wu Xuan seemed to remember Song Jian and was suddenly startled, breaking into a cold sweat in fright. He quickly lowered his voice and said, Brother Song, wait a moment; its too noisy here. Ill go outside to talk. After leaving the room, Wu Xuan carefully held the phone and spoke softly, Brother Song, is there something you need? The next fight might be in five days, and Im arranging it for you. Dont worry! Hehe, Ihaveafavor to ask, Song Jian chuckled. The police came to my door today and took my sword away, and theres blood on it, so I think there might be some trouble Upon hearing this, Wu Xuan immediately reassured him, Dont worry, Brother Song, its fine. The weapons in the club have marks on them, so even if the police take them, theyll return them to you soon. Dont worry. Song Jian was surprised, having not expected the underground boxing ring to wield such power. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful he hadnt fled; otherwise, he would have needlessly exposed himself. Alright, thats good. Notify me when theres a match, and Ill hang up for now. Song Jian hung up the phone and exhaled. Although there were still some troubles, at least they could be covered up for a while. It seemed he had to be more careful in the future, not giving himself away again. The identities of many players were already known. There was no pattern in this games selection of players. Clearly, the police had already become players and were using the means they had gained in the game to capture other players. Song Jian had to hide his identity and grow stronger gradually. A day passed quickly, and night fell. Song Jian lay flat on the bed, patiently waiting. Soon, the phone screen on the bedside table lit up. A skeleton hand emerged from the screen, grabbed Song Jian, and pulled him into the phone. Song Jian was always uncomfortable with the way he entered the game each time, feeling a sense of being forced in. After a strong feeling of weightlessness, he found that he hadnt entered the game directly but was instead in the settlement interface that appeared after each game. He was surrounded by a starry sky. Wiry is the post-level settlement now shifted to the beginning of the next game? Song Jian wondered aloud. Soon, the images from the last time he entered the game appeared before his eyes: each time he received a mission, fought a BOSS, obtained a sword technique, and completed a main quest System: Player has completed the main quest. Level evaluation raised upon mission completion; System: Player has completed regional quests System: Player has completed hidden quests System: Player has completed area plot quests System: Player has achieved a final level evaluation of SSS. Rewards: 5 free attribute points, 2 gold skill points; System: Players combat power has reached 10,000. From now on, there will be no more main quests released. Players will have greater freedom in the game. Please continue to explore this unknown world where anything is possible! Free attribute points? Gold skill points? No more Vitality Points recovery speed bonuses? Song Jian raised an eyebrow. Gold skill points were treasures that could directly increase the level of any skill, even those active skills that were not yet at the maximum proficiency; As for Vitality Points recovery speed, in comparison to the 500% Vitality Point recovery speed offered by the SSS rank or the five free attribute points and two gold skill points, it was far less valuable, but it ensured that Song Jian wouldnt be easily killed in the game. Now that this protection was gone, the game would become even more dangerous for him. From now on, there wont be any more main quests? But then, dont I lose my main quest rewards in the future! Song Jian furrowed his brows. Each main quest was critical for players, whether it was the Vitality Point recovery speed or the current free attribute points and gold skill point rewards that were crucial for the improvement of ones strength. Could it be that reaching 10,000 combat power is a milestone, and once you reach it, the previous benefits are gone? Song Jian guessed in his heart, but after much thought, he couldnt figure it out. He could only shake his head and passively accept the systems settings. As for the increased freedom, Song Jian was even more clueless about what it meant! With the free attribute points allocated as three points for strength and two points for agility, Song Jians strength attribute reached thirty, and his agility reached twenty-seven. For ordinary players, this was a desperate attribute. Even compared to a warrior class focused on strength, Song Jian could easily deal out crushing damage; As for the two gold skill points, Song Jian didnt hesitate to add them to the Chaos One Qi Indestructible Sword Body. This was Song Jians trump card; when deployed, its strength almost doubled, allowing him to contend even against level twenty Lord-level BOSSes. At the third level of the Immortal Sword Body, all attributes increased by seven points, defense and resistance increased by 40%, sword weapon damage increased by 80%, skill power increased by 50%, and the duration extended to fifty seconds, while the consumption was reduced to twenty-five Immortal Sword Qi points. Just as he finished using the free attribute points and gold skill points, Song Jians vision blurred, and he entered the game directly. As soon as he entered the game, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Your territory has been invaded by enemies. Three buildings within the territory have been destroyed, five farmland plots have been completely destroyed, and the warehouse has been looted, suffering a loss of 200 units of food. Under the leadership of the housekeeper George, the invaders were all driven away, achieving a glorious victory. War Merit increased by 300 points; Chapter 343 - Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Blood Wolf Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Blood Wolf Translator: 549690339 | An invasion on my territory? Insane! Who could it be? Song Jians face darkened, rage stirring within him instantly. He hurried to the window of Proud Castle and gazed outwards. He noticed that within the walls of his Manor Castle, nothing seemed damaged. However, practically all the buildings in the ten-meter span outside the walls were destroyed. Three structures had been utterly obliterated, reduced to charred ruins. In the distance, the unused pieces of land transformed into farmlands were also extensively damaged. Numerous NPCs were busy repairing the buildings and reclaiming the farmlands. Inside the territory, blood crows no longer perched on the Bloody Ghost Poison Trees but circled around the perimeter, their ruby-red eyes emotionless as they surveyed the area like radar. Gnarled zombies stained red roamed the territory, emitting deep growls now and then that underscored their ferocity. Their presence struck fear into all the NPCs working within the territory, who hastily kept their distance. What surprised Song Jian even more was spotting several fierce blood wolves within his territory. Their coats were blood-red like calves with a tyrannical aura surrounding them. Is this a blood-slave, the Bloody Huge Wolves, produced by a third-level Blood Pool? Song Jian examined their attributes, a look of surprise crossing his face. The Bloody Huge Wolves attributes matched those of level fifteen normal monsters. More importantly, these wolves had potential to level-up. It wouldnt be long before they could surpass the strength of level fifteen elite bosses. Thirty level fifteen elite bosses, who will dare to invade my land then! Song Jians eyes sparkled as he pondered the attributes of the upgraded Bloody Huge Wolves. Whoever this fool is must have a death wish to dare invade my territory! Song Jian hastily poured over the system notices. To his surprise, his opponents were well over a dozen NPC professionals, among whom was the Dwarf Commander. The Commander was responsible for destroying two of the three structures. Just like bothersome flies! Song Jian frowned. His relations with these NPC professionals had changed entirely to enmity. As per the new status quo, whenever Song Jian crossed paths with them, their names would flash in red as a sign of their hostile relationship. Luckily, three of the fools died on my territory. You steal a chicken and lose the rice, try daring to come again! When he reached the end of the system prompt, Song Jian saw that three level fifteen elite bosses had perished within his land. Apparently, after barging into his territory, they headed straight for the Manor Castle. The Bloody Ghost Poison Trees cooperating with the defenses of the castle resulted in their swift annihilation. Huh, even Dr. Ebsiting took action! The last guy was blown up by him! Upon reading the name of the last killer of the invaders as Dr. Ebsiting, Song Jian wore an expression of curiosity. Everyone knew that Dr. Ebsiting was as threatening as a chicken tied up for slaughter. As a man of science, he was without violent capabilities. Despite his high rank of fifteen, in a fight against even a level five ordinary player, he would be the clear underdog. He managed to kill an NPC of a level fifteen elite boss. What method did he employ? Song Jians curiosity was evoked. The system hint only showed that Dr. Ebsiting killed an invader without providing details on how he did it. Dear Lord, we are relieved youre back. The steward, George, looked rather out of sorts. His arm was bandaged and hung across his chest. Once Song Jian had arrived, George received the news and promptly rushed over to greet his lord. George, are you hurt? How severe are the losses to the territory? Song Jian was astounded, while damaged buildings could be rebuilt, the NPCs he personally recruited could not be resurrected once dead. Georges vitality points had dropped by a third, and the lost third wasnt recoverable. Only when his broken arm healed fully could the vitality points be completely restored. My Lord, the territory experienced a sudden invasion, causing some buildings to suffer damage. They also pillaged some of our food provisions and many laborers were injured. However, fortunately, the losses were not severe. George embarked on a thorough report of the damages to the territory. Song Jian nodded slightly. He had full faith in George and was reassured since he had taken steps to mitigate the damages immediately upon detecting the invaders. This time, it was thanks to the pets you raise, my lord, that the territory wasnt completely destroyed. Georges face showed visible relief as he continued, Especially those red giant wolves. Their sudden appearance ultimately drove all the invaders away. Song Jian chuckled to himself. These Bloody Huge Wolves, blood crows, and blood zombies were all level ten when he got them, more powerful than a standard level ten monster, albeit weaker than an elite level boss, they were akin to elite monsters of level ten. Thirty elite monsters, coupled with the defense measures within the territory, werent odd at all in thwarting the group of level fifteen elite NPCs. Moreover, following the battle, Song Jian noticed a few Bloody Huge Wolves had already leveled up to twelve and thirteen, appearing even more ferocious than before. Well, George, you have performed well and deserve a reward! Song Jian declared with a smile. He raised his hand, and a white light enveloped George. Surgery healing! Georges arm was restored in no time. Then Song Jian handed George five thousand Doomsday Coins to distribute among the NPCs who had contributed in the resistance against the invasion. Immediately, the morale among the NPCs within the territory surged. My lord, Dr. Ebsiting asked me to tell you to visit him if you return. It seems he has something to tell you, relayed George respectfully. Alright, I will see him, acknowledged Song Jian as he turned to head towards the laboratory of Dr. Ebsiting in the Sub-castle. Just as he entered the Sub-castle, Song Jian heard a loud detonation from a nearby room. Boom~ The entire Sub-castle shook with the impact noticeably. The color drained from Song Jians face, and he hurried towards Dr. Ebsitings lab. The explosion seemed to originate from there. Chapter 344 - Chapter 344: Chapter 344: Holy Flame Pearl Chapter 344: Chapter 344: Holy Flame Pearl Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian rushed into Dr. Ebsitings laboratory where the room was filled with thick smoke and the pungent smell of burning. A dark figure was continually swinging its arms in front of him, all while coughing incessantly. Dr. Ebsiting, are you alright? Song Jian incredulously looked at Dr. Ebsiting, who looked as dark as an African because of the smoke and exclaimed in surprise. Dr. Ebsitings white lab coat was a mess, and all over were traces of burns. The doctors face and arms had all turned black and were even giving off the scent of roasted meat. Doctor, are you alright? Not caring whether Dr. Ebsiting had a fracture or was bleeding, Song Jian immediately used a Surgical Healing on him. Cough, cough, the smoke here is choking, lets get out With his face all black with ash and unrecognizable, Dr. Ebsiting wave towards the door to indicate they should leave. The two men left the smoky laboratory. As soon as they were outside, Dr. Ebsiting changed back to normal as if nothing had happened. Not only his face and hands returned to their former shade, but even his badly damaged lab coat was replaced with a brand new one. However, Song Jian didnt pay much attention to this unique NPC changing skill. Doctor, what experiment were you conducting? Song Jian asked curiously. High explosives! Dr. Ebsiting replied, glancing at Song Jian. High explosives? But havent you already researched them? Song Jian was puzzled. Regardless of whether its the T-11 high-explosive hand-grenade or the more powerful T-X, the core component is high explosives. The stronger the high explosives, the more potent the grenade. What do you know, those are just ordinary high explosives. They are nothing. What I am researching this time, is a far superior high explosive. Dr. Ebsiting looked at Song Jian contemptously and spoke a bit impatiently, as if he doesnt want to waste time explaining. Superior high explosives? What are those? Song Jian was curious and decided to ignore Dr. Ebsitings attitude. Ordinary high explosives simply increase the power of the explosion. Dr. Ebsiting, seemingly a little helpless, had to explain: Superior high explosives, however, can add effects. Such as bleedings, inflicting burns, corrosion, paralysis, fractures, and even blindness. Only those high explosives that add damage effects are truly superb! Additional effects? Song Jian fumbled in his bag and handed Dr. Ebsiting a self-destructing robot: Doctor, do you mean like this one? What are you saying? Dr. Ebsiting sneered at Song Jian: I have been researching for so long, and you, a beginner, think you can create. But when Dr. Ebsiting noticed the mini self-destructing robot in Song Jians hand, an object that can transform into a flexible robot once activated, his words trailed off. Corrosion damage? So it really is a superior high explosive? Dr. Ebsiting looked as if he is frozen stiff, staring in disbelief. Where did you buy this? Dr. Ebsiting asked, raising his head. I made it myself. Song Jian replies grinning, extremely happy with himself. How is that possible, your understanding of manufacturing techniques is just at a basic level, how could you produce such an advanced high explosive? Dr. Ebsiting was on the brink of snapping. Even as a doctor skilled in siege manufacturing techniques, he had been researching for quite a while without any success in making superior explosives. He felt a deep sense of hostility from the world when Song Jian, who in his view was merely at an elementary level, claimed to have already created the finished product. Song Jian just smiles and puts away the robot. Waving his right hand, a black flame appears on his palm, dancing and wavering. The moment the black flame appeared, room temperature raised up by several degrees instantly, and an eerie aura spread around the room. This is, this is Aghast, Dr. Ebsiting could not help but lean toward the black flame. Boom! Perceiving a threat, the black flame promptly intensified, with the flames soaring over a foot high. Doctor, be careful, this Strange Fire is very dangerous! Song Jian quickly closed his palm to extinguish the flame. Dr. Ebsiting had an utterly terrified look on his face. Thats it Strange Fire that must be it. Dr. Ebsitings face fell as he shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. Your luck is really good. In this world, the number of Strange Fires is limited and decreases by one every time one is obtained. Considering you have to pass a test to acquire it and risk losing your own life, youre truly lucky! Dr. Ebsiting continues, apparently envious: Once the Strange Fire is bound to a host and the host later dies, the Strange Fire will vanish forever, and the world will permanently lack that kind of fire. You are truly a fortunate one! Dr. Ebsiting declared, looking rather envious. Well, you will know what real luck actually is once the Abyss curse on me is removed! Song Jian smiled lightly, shouting out in his mind. Oh right, Dr. Ebsiting, 1 heard from George that you were looking for me? Song Jian asked. Yes, your territory has just suffered an invasion, and one of the invaders even broke into the Manor Castle. With the help of Alex, I managed to kill one of them. He dropped quite a few items, most of which were devoured by Alex, and only one remained. 1 found it interesting and thought you might be interested in it! Ebsiting said seriously. With that, Dr. Ebsiting pulled a red bead from his pocket and handed it to Song Jian. The Holy Flame Pearl? The key to the Frost Cave Secret Realm? Song Jian was holding this reddish pearl, examining its properties. The pearl was giving off gentle, warm heat, heating up Song Jians body in no time. Where is the Frost Cave Secret Realm? Song Jian was somewhat puzzled, because in this world, what players refer to as secret realms, or dungeons, are quite numerous and spread out in different places. If this Frost Cave is inside the city, that would be the best. But if not, he would have nothing to do with it other than selling it over the radio. Just as he was pondering this, the Floly Flame Pearl suddenly emitted a red light, and an image of a snowy peak condensed from ice appeared before Song Jians eyes. Chapter 345 - Chapter 345: Chapter 345: Madman Chapter 345: Chapter 345: Madman Translator: 549690339 | The moment the Holy Flame Pearl started to radiate, an illusion unfolded before Song Jians eyes. In the illusion, he was surrounded by abandoned high-rise buildings. Only one building, a tower over thirty storeys high, and covering a few square kilometers, was enveloped in snow, forming a snow mountain. Around this snow mountain, a unique icy environment had formed. The streets and ground within several hundred meters around it were covered in a thick layer of snow. But beyond those hundred meters, the environment abruptly returned to normal. It was as if an invisible, intangible barrier had separated the snow mountain at the center and the immediate few square kilometers around it. This is inside Doomsday City! Song Jian glanced at a few gamers standing just a few meters away from that boundary line. Following another look at his surroundings, he thought to himself. Very soon, the illusion before his eyes vanished. Song Jian then determined that the location of Frost Cave, this copy, should be roughly placed between the level 15 to 20 monster zones. It was far away from his safety house at least twenty-something kilometers of distance away. Even if he rode a motorbike, it would take him more than half an hour. At this time, a group of fourteen to fifteen level gamers in the northeastern direction of Doomsday City were pointing at and discussing in front of the so-called snow mountain. Its been at least a week since this phenomenon appeared. What kind of information do we have on it? said a middle-aged man in a bulletproof vest with a solemn expression. Deputy Commander Sun, the environment inside is harsh. The temperature drops below negative thirty degrees Celsius and goes even lower near that snow mountain. Temperatures at the foot of the mountain even reach negative forty-seven! A muscular man dressed in armor, standing straight as a spear, reported to the middle-aged man. We found a sealed ice door at the foot of the snow mountain that is, at the entrance of the skyscraper. It seems to be a passage of considerable size. But regardless of what we tried, we couldnt open this ice door. It seems to be immune to any type of attack! Captain Zhou, that location is actually an instance in the game. We should call it a secret territory, and that ice gate serves as the entrance. However, we lack the key to open the instance, said a young man wearing glasses and holding a magic staff, after adjusting his glasses quietly. Councilor Wang, please tell us more about this instance! Deputy Commander Sun turned towards the man who had spoken and asked lightly. Yes, Deputy Commander Sun, Councilor Wang turned and looked at the distant snow mountain before speaking, This is a level three instance. Players levels to enter would be between thirteen to eighteen, meaning players must reach at least level thirteen to access, and any level above eighteen will be denied entry to the instance. Its obvious that there are many monsters inside, not to mention the Elite Level bosses. I suspect therere even level fifteen Lord-Level bosses inside. And yet, the items dropped inside the instance are of great value. It not only drops a level fifteen Ice-sealed Battle Armor set for a melee profession, but it also drops silver-class level fifteen armors and Frost Staves. Most importantly, it drops the alchemy formula for Melting Potions and their core ingredients, the Frost Crystal Cores. Consuming Melting Potions can increase Ice Resistance and provide immunity to freezing effects, playing a crucial role in our battle against the level fifteen Lord-Level Boss at Jinyang Lake. Are you referring to the level fifteen Lord of Ice Elements in Jinyang Lake? Deputy Commander Sun raised an eyebrow, particularly interested. Yes, Deputy Commander Sun. If we have Melting Potions, our success rate of taking down Lord of Ice Elements Frenzal, can at least increase by 30%, Councilor Wang responded with a smile. We absolutely need to conquer this instance as soon as possible! Deputy Commander Sun declared decisively, Captain Zhou, no matter what it takes, you must find a way to open this instance. The Melting Potion is of utmost importance to us! Well complete this task, Deputy Commander Sun! Captain Zhous eyes bore a glimpse of helplessness, but he still answered firmly. Captain Zhou, I suggest killing more monsters around the area. The key to unlock the instance might be on nearby monsters, Councilor Wang pushed up his glasses and suggested. Thank you for your suggestion, Councilor Wang! After saluting Councilor Wang, Captain Zhou then quickly devised a plan for his team to systematically kill the surrounding monsters. Soon after, fellow team members in groups of three scattered, leaving only Deputy Commander Sun and Councilor Wang behind. Deputy Commander Sun, the game settings wont change according to human will. If this were the real world, we would have countless ways to open the gate to the instance; but in the game, we can only oblige to its rules, Councilor Wang said in a low voice to Deputy Commander Sun. Whether in reality or in the game, all I want is results, Deputy Commander Sun responded coldly, his eyes remained fixed on the distant skyscraper engulfed in frosty ice. From the tens of thousands of players in the Northwestern Military Region, only about thirty entered the game. Half of them were not even level ten or had professions. As soon as this instance was discovered, Deputy Commander Sun gathered all players capable of entering the instance. But even after a week in the game, they still found themselves stuck outside the instance. As players levels were increasing rapidly, the price of level fifteen equipment also skyrocketed. The earlier they could kill the level fifteen BOSS at Jinyang Lake, the larger their profits would be. Just then, the sound of motorbike engines roaring from far to near caught their attention. An enormous group of level fifteen monsters was madly chasing after the motorbike. Has this person gone mad? To create such a hubbub in the city, isnt he afraid of the grave danger? Councilor Wang showed a terrified expression on his face as he looked around for a place to hide. Assemble the unit and prepare defense lines! Deputy Commander Sun ordered immediately after frowning. Just then, Song Jian made a swift turn and screeched to a stop leaving behind a black trail of tire marks on the pavement. He stepped off his bike. He smirked as he looked at the dozens of level fifteen mutation zombies chasing after him crazily. Song Jian waved his right hand, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared at the center of his palm. Broken Wing Dance! Rather than retreating, Song Jian chose to move forward and swung his sword at the monstrous horde behind him. The swords glittering radiance sped into the horde. Hes insane! Councilor Wang watched Song Jian charge fearlessly into the monster mob, his face displaying a blend of astonishment and horror. He Deputy Commander Sun shared a similar face of surprise, keeping his eyes on Song Jian cutting through the pack of monsters. Deputy Commander Sun, whats happening? Captain Zhou, along with a dozen soldiers, quickly reached Deputy Commander Song and saw the frantically roaring mutated zombies. He too registered a surprising look on his face. Use the terrain layout, establish defense lines, resist the monster onslaught! Deputy Commander Sun immediately commanded. Yes! Soon after, the soldiers swiftly built a defensive line with wood and stones on the road. They prepared a cover that was over a metre high and watched the horde of zombies approaching cautiously. Chapter 346 - Chapter 346: Chapter 346: The Ice Monster Chapter 346: Chapter 346: The Ice Monster Translator: 549690339 I Time quickly passed by for more than ten minutes, and Councilor Wang stood behind the shelter with a hint of surprise in his eyes, This player is so strong, he can actually withstand the onslaught of so many Level 15 monsters. Unbelievable! His information is all hidden; we dont know his name and level, but judging by his strength, hes at least Level 20, or even Level 25, Captain Zhou whispered. Impossible! After Level 10, the amount of combat experience required to level up is too high. Even if he played non-stop 24 hours since joining the game, he couldnt have reached Level 20! Deputy Commander Sun immediately shook his head. You see, these Level 15 mutant zombies can only cause him two or three points of damage at most, barely breaking through his defense. His defense is at least 50 points, but every one of his attacks can cut off hundreds of Vitality Points from the monsters. His skills can even cause 300 or even 400 points of damage This is simply a one-sided slaughter. If it werent for the fact that the mutant zombies lack intelligence and only act on instinct, they would have collapsed after losing so many! Captain Zhou shook his head and sighed. Try to get closer to this person; we must not become enemies! Deputy Commander Sun whispered. With the strength shown by Song Jian, he could easily eliminate all of them. Song Jians Vitality Points were now reduced to about half. Glancing at the dozen or so players off in the distance on high alert, Song Jian frowned and took out a few Self-destructing Robot Type 2s from his inventory. Boom, boom, boom- Over 30 monsters were directly blown away. In an instant, the monsters surrounding Song Jian were all gone. After harvesting the last bit of Vitality Points from some low-health zombies, Song Jians experience bar increased by a little more; Over 60 Level 15 mutant zombies dropped many zombie Crystal Cores and some materials, among which the most valuable were two Level 15 green-quality pieces of equipment: a Mages Magic Staff and a chainmail that increased intelligence and spirit. Song Jian took a look at the attributes, then stowed them in his inventory, put away his motorcycle, and walked towards the Snow Mountain in the distance. This is the place! Looking around the environment, Song Jian confirmed it was the same scene as shown in the Holy Flame Pearls illusion. The building completely sealed in ice in the distance was the location of the Frost Cave dungeon. As he walked towards the Frost Cave, Song Jian discovered that the players had built a shelter more than ten meters long and one meter high. The barrier was made of wood and stone materials, with a surprisingly high defense of 300 points. Is this a defense facility acknowledged by the game system? Song Jians eyes revealed a hint of surprise. Unofficial buildings would not have a defense value, so even if players built something with great effort, its defense value would still be zero, easily destroyed with a single attack. Making a product recognized by the game system is definitely not something ordinary players can do. Song Jian curiously looked at the group of players behind the barrier. Soldiers! Song Jians heart sank. Despite their diverse equipment, the unique aura emitted in their sitting and standing postures was completely different from that of a player-formed team. Hello, are you also here to enter the Frost Cave dungeon? A man with glasses stood up from behind the barrier, grinning as he greeted Song Jian. Yes! Song Jian nodded his head. He had seen these people when triggering the Holy Flame Pearls illusion, but couldnt get a clear look due to the high angle. It seemed that they had been here for a long time. He didnt know if they hadnt cleared the dungeon, or couldnt even enter it, so they just stayed here. This dungeon is not so easy to clear, ordinary people cant even get close, Councilor Wang adjusted his glasses, glanced at Deputy Commander Sun beside him, and smiled. Is that so? Song Jians mouth twitched slightly as he stepped towards the Frost Cave. Deputy Commander Sun and the others watched as Song Jian crossed the boundary without hesitation. Given his high strength, he probably wouldnt suffer any effects from the environment around the Frost Cave, Captain Zhou whispered. Not necessarily, Councilor Wang shook his head, This is the power of heaven and earth. No matter how high his attack power, if his resistance is too weak, its still hard to move inside. Even if he can withstand the cold weather, he still wont be able to open the dungeon gate. Its all in vain. Deputy Commander Sun shook his head. Deputy Commander, should we try to approach such a player and pull him into our alliance? If we can win him over, it will definitely help our exploration in the game, Councilor Wang said. We can. Deputy Commander Sun nodded, This game is too mysterious, and our country has already started paying attention to it. We have too few people entering the game. The district political commissar has suggested to those above us to recruit strong players in the game. On one hand, it strengthens our own power; on the other hand, it also helps control the danger level in the real world. You know, many things in the game can be brought into the real world. Deputy Commander, look, he doesnt seem to be affected by the cold climate inside, Captain Zhou suddenly said. Everyone looked at Song Jian, and indeed, ordinary people could only walk five or six meters before succumbing to the cold, but Song Jian showed no signs of stopping, having already gone more than ten meters deep and getting closer and closer to the Frost Cave. At that moment, Song Jian suddenly sensed danger and jumped to the side. An ice spike over three feet long appeared where he was standing just a moment ago. Not far away, an ice monster made of condensed ice slowly crawled out from the snow and roared at Song Jian. An Ice Monster, a Level 15 Elite BOSS. To kill it, at least five Level 15 players are needed. That player is in danger! Captain Zhou frowned. They had discovered this monster during their exploration, and it took more than a dozen companions, with five of them being seriously injured, to kill one Ice Monster. Since then, Captain Zhou rarely sent people to scout the area. Get ready to provide support at any time! Deputy Commander Sun commanded seriously. Wait a moment. When he asks us for help, thats when we step in. Its better to help him in his time of need, so he will be grateful, Councilor Wang whispered. Boom! A loud noise erupted in the snowy field. Song Jian, wielding his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, was actually fighting the giant Ice Monster that was over two meters tall. For a moment, ice and snow flew around, Sword Qi whirled, and the Ice Monster roared and growled. The ground even began to tremble slightly. Chapter 347 - Chapter 347: Chapter 347: Entered Chapter 347: Chapter 347: Entered Translator: 549690339 | At this time, Song Jian, having fused with the third-tier Demon Flame, the Abyssal Flame, was completely unaffected by the cold climate around him. He walked on the snow, only feeling a slight chill. The most troublesome aspect of the level-15 elite Ice Demon s attack was the icy slowness and freezing effect carried by all its attacks. Although not powerful, it was very torturous. Combined with the defense of the Ice Demon being as good as steel, even a five-member level-15 team would find it quite difficult to deal with. Yet Song Jian moved without any sign of sluggishness when battling the Ice Demon. A faint red glow would emerge from his body from time to time, which would be difficult to notice unless observed closely. This was a feature of the Ring of the Fire God, its inbuilt shield reduced 30% of melee damage and rendered all cold-induced slowness and freeze effects ineffective. Having the Ring of the Fire God, Song Jian practically counters the Ice Demons attributes. Adding the defense reduction effect of the Weakness Potion, the level-15 elite Ice Demon in front of Song Jian was, at most, just a common monster with more vitality points. Captain, look at his movements, theres no hint of sluggishness at all. How How A warrior watched, dumbfoundedly, as Song Jian sliced up and down around the Ice Demon with nimble movements, showing no signs of slows or freezes. He had participated in battles against the Ice Demon, and remembered being tormented by its slow and freeze effects. Could it be that he has some equipment that increases his ice resistance? Captain Zhous brow furrowed. He had realized that the opponent was likely a warrior-class occupation with no possibility of having fire magic. However, having fought for so long without a single slowdown or freeze effect, it was evident that his ice resistance had increased to a certain point. It feels like he could solo this boss, huh? Councilor Wang adjusted his glasses with a furrowed brow, noting the deviation from his plan, If he is really this powerful and manages to solo the boss, we wont be to offer much help. Deputy, how about we send someone to help him now? Councilor Wang proposed. If we had gone earlier, it would have been helping. But going now would just be kill-stealing, wouldnt it? The deputy frowned and glared at Councilor Wang, responding discontentedly. Look quickly, hes about to defeat that boss! Captain Zhou suddenly exclaimed. Everyone looked towards the Ice Demon. Sure enough, its vitality points had fallen to less than 500, entering a berserk state due to low health. He didnt get frozen once from beginning to end, nor showed any signs of ice slowdown Captain Zhou stated, somewhat speechless. Without the Ice Demons most troublesome ice slowdown and freeze effects, he wouldve been confident enough to grind it down alone. -Did you see the potion he used just now? It directly weakened the Ice Demons defense by 35%! Without this potion, he wouldnt have been able to defeat it so quickly! impressive, we must recruit this guy. It would be best if he could join our alliance! Councilor Zhou, go and talk to him. Be mindful of your attitude, even if he doesnt want to join us, dont leave him with a bad impression! Understood, deputy! Just as Councilor Zhou prepared to approach and greet Song Jian, he noticed that after picking up all the items dropped by the Ice Demon, Song Jian immediately headed towards the Frost Cave. Could it be that, he actually knows how to open the Frost Cave dungeon? The thought suddenly occurred to Councilor Zhou. How is that possible Very soon, Councilor Zhou was startled by his own thoughts. A self-mocking smile emerged on his face as he shook his head, talcing strides towards Song Jians direction. -My brother, please Before Councilor Zhou could finish, he saw Song Jian take out a red bead and walk towards the gate of the Frost Cave. Boom- The Holy Flame Pearl suddenly flared with raging fire, completely enveloping Song Jian. The flames appeared severe but Song Jian didnt feel a hint of heat, like an illusion. The flames carried flecks of gold, constantly combining, condensing, and vanishing, making it resemble some sort of special Magic Array. The Holy Flame Pearl, could this flame be the so-called Holy Flame? I wonder how it fares against the third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame? Song Jian wondered. Just as this idea sprouted in his mind, Song Jian felt a boom as a sphere of black flames ignited from within his body, resisting the Holy Flame; Flap, flap, flap- The Abyssal Flame was nearest to Song Jians body, with a very clear boundary line. The outermost part was burning with traces of golden light, the Holy Flame, which was now continuously compressing inwards as the black flame expanded outwards. At the boundary line, tiny sparks were continuously popping. Thunderous booming- The moment Song Jian approached, the Ice Caves door opened automatically. A cold chill greeted his face, which would have turned any player without a protective layer of flame into an ice statue. The temperature around the entire snow mountain dropped by seven to eight degrees in an instant. Song Jian stepped into the Frost Cave, the ice door behind him slowly closing. This left Councilor Wang, who had charged ten meters close to the snow mountain, dumbfounded. His raised hand made him look helpless. -He, he entered, he actually entered? Deputy Commander Suns serious face showed signs of surprise. How is that possible, it cant be Captain Zhou muttered to himself, a look of disbelief covering his face. He felt a significant blow, having wasted more than a week here, alongside an excessive amount of time and energy, just to enter this dungeon. But now, someone else had done it first Did you see what he took out just now? The deputy suddenly asked, remembering that Song Jian seemed to have pulled out something just now. Then, he was enveloped by flames and only after did he enter the Frost Cave. It looked like a red bead A warrior replied uncertainly. It was a red bead that ignited itself. However, the black flames seemed to rise up from that persons body An observant warrior nearby added on. It seems like that bead is key to entering the Frost Cave. To enter, one must possess this bead! The deputy hypothesized, his eyes glinting as he spoke softly. Captain Zhou, arrange for a few people to stay here with Councilor Wang and wait for that person to come out. Everyone else should investigate more about that bead. Be fast! Deputy Commander Sun quickly decided. Within a short while, three warriors were left behind, while everyone else formed teams and moved in different directions. Chapter 348 - Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Mutated Snow Fox Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Mutated Snow Fox Translator: 549690339 | At this moment, Song Jian was somewhat nervous, as two balls of flame were constantly clashing on the surface of his body. Their periodic explosive sounds made him somewhat fearful. Retract! Song Jian silently commanded, trying to control the Abyssal Flame. However, it stood completely still, refusing to be controlled. Soon, Song Jian realized that the Third-tier Demon Flame seemed to have the upper hand, as it started to corrode the golden patterns within the Holy Flame. After a few minutes, the Holy Flame was completely eroded by the Abyssal Flame, and the golden patterns turned into a shade of black and gold. The Holy Flame Pearl in Song Jians hand also began to shrink, eventually turning into a small pile of grey ashes. After eroding the Holy Flame, the Abyssal Flame was once again under Song Jians control. But now, it gave off a languid feeling, just like how a baby Black Dragon behaves after a full meal! The temperature inside the Frost Cave was much lower than outside. Despite losing the boost of the Holy Flame Pearl, Song Jian didnt feel cold at all. After merging with the Abyssal Flame, his Ice Resistance had reached thirty points, enough to withstand the low temperature of this dungeon. Having thirty points of Ice Resistance, along with a 30% reduction in water-type damage and the innate skill Thick Skin which forcibly reduces more than twenty points of damage, the normal ice damage in this place was nothing more than a tickle for Song Jian. If you consider the immunity to slowing and freezing effects granted by the Ring of the Fire God, it could be said that Song Jian could clear this fifteen-level five-player dungeon on his own, without the need for teammates. Once this was clear to him, Song Jian boldly delved deeper into the Frost Cave. The Frost Cave looked like a giant mountain formed from a frozen skyscraper from the outside. But once inside, Song Jian found it to be as complex as a spiders web, with countless narrow, winding paths resembling a labyrinth. However, no matter how many paths there were, none could be as intricate as the Kantelu Maze. Song Jian patiently started exploring from the far left, charting his route as he went along. After a while, Song Jian discovered a fifteen-level ordinary beast, a mutated snow fox, lying on a white ice rock. LV15 Mutated Snow Fox, Vitality Points: 1500/1500. Trait: Ice Reinforcement. The size of the Mutated Snow Fox was comparable to a small calf. Its crystal-white fur, gleaming in the light, made it hard to distinguish it from the snow if someone wasnt paying attention. The only contrasting color on it was its eyes; they looked like two rubies, emitting a red glow. By the time Song Jian found it, he had already entered its warning range. The Mutated Snow Fox suddenly stood up from the ice rock and stared at Song Jian. It growled angrily and with a light swipe of its hard claws, shattered the ice rock under its feet, leaving behind a layer of frost. Song Jian drew out his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and used a bottle of Fire Lizard Medicine. To deal with the creatures of this dungeon, fire damage had a bonus effect, and Fire Lizard Medicine was specifically designed to combat this dungeon. Dark-red flames rose from his crimson sword. The Mutated Snow Foxs eyes showed a solemn gaze. It watched the flame on the surface of the sword for a long time before jumping off the ice rock and pouncing at Song Jian. Song Jian cracked a slight smile. With a boom, his body was once again engulfed in a black flame. Alarmed, the Mutated Snow Fox let out a sharp cry, seemingly calling for its fellows. Song Jian charged at the Mutated Snow Fox, continuously slashing at it. Each attack inflicted hundreds of damage on the fox, rapidly depleting its Vitality Points. However, the pain also triggered its savage nature, making it less fearful of the flames and it retaliated by launching frantic attacks on Song Jian. Damage points from seven to eight sporadically appeared above Song Jians head, with the word immune mixed in. If ordinary players were to venture here, each of the Mutated Snow Foxs attacks would cause forty to fifty points of damage, along with annoying freezing and slowing effects. Even a full team of players would have to be extremely cautious to defeat this beast. Song Jian, after testing the ordinary monsters damage, raised his left arm and a silver Sword Qi pierced the foxs throat, sending it flying. He then unleashed a flurry of skills on the airborne fox, and before it could even hit the ground, it was already a corpse. It only took Song Jian a little over two minutes to kill an ordinary monster in the dungeon. He picked up a piece of Frost Crystal and several Doomsday Coins dropped by the mutated snow fox and continued deeper into the cave. Frost Crystals were fragmented forms of Frost Crystal Cores. It would take three Frost Crystals to combine into a Frost Crystal Core. Although it was somewhat troublesome, monsters in this dungeon had a high drop rate for Frost Crystals. As for the Frost Crystal Cores, they could only be obtained by defeating the dungeon bosses. The Frost Cave was brightly lit, with walls all around made from solidified frost that acted like mirrors. Ice stalactites hung around, and despite being cold, the cave felt like a fairytale Crystal Palace and was incredibly beautiful. The monsters inside the Frost Cave were not very powerful. If not for the additional freezing and slowing effects, the monsters here would have been weaker compared to the fifteen-level zombies outside. Moreover, the drop rate in this dungeon was much higher. If it wasnt such a hassle to get into, it would have already become a popular grinding spot for players. After spending more than an hour, Song Jian finally arrived at the core area of the Frost Cave. Along the way, he had killed fifty to sixty Mutated Snow Foxes alone. Because of his Savior title, Song Jians luck was equivalent to an extra two points, resulting in plenty of Frost Crystal drops. In just over an hour, he had gathered over thirty Frost Crystals and combined them into several Frost Crystal Cores. Much to Song Jians delight, he had also obtained an Alchemy recipe, a basic Ice Resistance Potion. After using it, one could increase their Ice Resistance by 10 points for an hour. An increase of 10 Ice Resistance points was just about enough to enter the Frost Cave. Otherwise, an ordinary player without the Holy Flame Pearl, upon entering the Frost Cave, would likely be frozen into an ice sculpture. For Song Jian, learning the basic Ice Resistance Potion allowed his Alchemy and Pharmacology skills to increase greatly again. Perhaps he might level up his Alchemy and Pharmacology skills again due to this recipe. The combat experience here gives a lot! Song Jian looked at his level and a hint of joy emerged on his face. His level had already risen to 16 with 68% of the way to level 17. The experience gain speed had almost doubled compared to killing monsters outside. Just then, a low growl came from afar, causing the entire Frost Cave to tremble slightly. The Boss, the Boss should be up ahead. Song Jians heart tightened, and he became increasingly cautious. Chapter 349 - Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Ice Naga Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Ice Naga Translator: 549690339 | By this time, Song Jian had arrived at a Frost Land. The surrounding area was all glistening ice walls, clusters of icicles jutted out from the walls like spears, looking as if a bunch of hedgehogs were clinging to the walls. The highest points of the open space were gleaming with huge ice crystals. They were like uncarved diamonds, reflecting dazzling light. The snow under his feet had thickened. Song Jian was stepping forward slowly, one foot deep into the snow then another close to the surface. It was easy to step into a pit hidden in the snow. Here, if one didnt have a high agility stat and couldnt control their body well, they would struggle to fight. The terrain alone could hinder the function of the tank class members by more than 10%. Song Jian looked up and saw groups of Level 16 advanced-quality monsters, wandering not too far from the Frost Land. Although advanced-quality monsters were more powerful than the normal ones, they were not as formidable as the Elite Level Bosses C their powers in between the two. These Level 16 advanced-quality monsters looked like half-snake creatures, dragging a long tail covered with green scales from the waist down. From the waist up, they had a humanoid appearance. However, they had four arms and each hand was armed with a long knife, crafting a ferocious look. Some of the monsters were holding two bows with their four arms, draped in crude leather armor, patrolling like guards, constantly roaming. LV16 Frost Naga Warrior (Advanced), Vitality Points: 2500/2500, Characteristics: Frost Enhancement, Hardy Body, Skills: Quick Slash LV16 Frost Naga Bowmen (Advanced), Vitality Points: 2000/2000, Characteristics: Frost Enhancement, Deep Wounds, Skills: Rapid-Fire Arrows After inspecting the monsters attributes, Song Jian looked towards the core central area. These advanced-quality monsters were mere minions. The deep roar he heard earlier must have come from the boss. There was an Elite Level Boss here. However, after scrutinizing for quite some time, Song Jian couldnt spot any irregular BOSS. Yet, at the center of Frost Land, he saw an over three-metre-high ice sculpture. This sculpture too, resembled a Frost Naga, except it had six arms, two of which were holding long knives, one pulling a bow and arrow, and a shield was held by the two remaining hands. There were colourfully glistening lights all around the Frost Land. The Frost Nagas didnt seem to have noticed Song Jians presence. They were swishing their long tails, leaving white trails on the ground as they roamed, frolicking and playing lightly with each other. However, no matter their movement, they maintained some distance from the ice sculpture in the center, as though they were afraid of it. Could that sculpture be the ultimate boss here? Song Jian wondered in his mind. To approach the ice sculpture, Song Jian had to destroy all the advanced-level monsters around it first. Given the dense monsters that were in close proximity, trying to lure them one by one seemed to be quite a tough job. Better draw them out step by step and deal with them slowly, Song Jian murmured. He finally chose a location with fewer monsters and snuck forward slowly. The advanced-level monsters had a vast warning range. Once Song Jian approached within ten meters of them, they would surely be alerted and would rush towards him, rapidly launching attacks. Therefore, luring these monsters out would require some skill. Song Jian trod carefully on the ice and snow. Every step made a light crack sound, which made him feel cautious. Soon, a Frost Naga near the edge of the ice wall spotted Song Jian. It shrieked sharply and pounced towards him brandishing its long knife. Song Jian, who had initially prepared to draw the monsters with his handheld crossbow, paused for a moment, immediately put away his crossbow, tightened his grip on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and retreated slowly. At that moment, perhaps due to the sharp shriek of the Frost Naga earlier, a dozen other Frost Nagas were attracted and quickly moved towards Song Jian. Come on, come on! Instead of panic, Song Jian showed a slight smile, turned around and ran towards the ice wall. The Frost Nagas were extremely fast. By the time Song Jian used the nearby ice pillars to climb up the ice wall, a Frost Naga had already chased behind him. Whizz whizz! A volley of cold-lighted arrows directed towards Song Jian flew in the air. Song Jian immediately took cover behind a thick ice pillar. All the arrows hit on the ice pillar and made continuous metallic collision sounds. Looking down, Song Jian saw three or four were Frost Naga archers, and the rest were sword-wielding warriors. The Frost Naga archers stood under the ice wall continuously shooting arrows, while the other warriors traced Song Jians climbing route and chased after him. Seeing the Frost Naga warriors close in on him, Song Jian swung his long sword and chopped off an icicle over two meters long. The icicle rolled off and crashed onto the Frost Naga warriors that were pursuing him, causing the archers down below to dodge swiftly. Looking at the tumbling Frost Nagas below, Song Jian showed a slight smile. He pulled out a Self-destructing Robot Type 2 from his bag and threw it down. The palm-sized robot expanded rapidly as it fell. By the time it touched the ground, it had transformed into a robot over one meter tall. The self-destructing robot gave off a series of urgent cries as soon as it made contact with the ground, with its eyes constantly flashing red lights; Boom- A loud explosion followed. The Self-destructing Robot exploded, creating a large pit in the ground. All the surrounding Frost Nagas groaned in pain. Ice shards scattered about and the frigid air was aggressive. Dozens of Frost Nagas growled furiously at Song Jian. Their blood-red eyes showcased their locked resentment towards him, looking as though they wouldnt rest till he was dead. Seeing a quarter of the Frost Nagas vitality points decrease instantly, Song Jian gave a slight smile and threw another two Self-destructing Robots. After a series of explosions, dozens of Nagas were marred, full of wounds and dripping red. Their vitality points were reduced to less than five hundred. Looking down, Song Jian smirked, jumped off the towering Ice Rock, slashing his sword left and right at the Frost Nagas with dwindled vitality. A series of skills were unleashed; within a minute, dozens of Frost Nagas were reduced to cold carcasses, dropping a pile of items. Chapter 350 - Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Rank Honor Board Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Rank Honor Board Translator: 549690339 | The self-destructing robots had a limited attack range, and the sizable bodies of Frost Nagas were also a factor. A single robot explosion could envelope at most a dozen Nagas, any more and it would exceed the attack range of the robot. After dealing with the wounded Frost Nagas, Song Jian looked at the strewn bodies all over the ground, a satisfied smile on his face. He had lured just the right amount of enemies this time and they were all within the range of the robots explosion. His experience points heightened slightly again. The experience points from Level 16 elite monsters were superior to regular monsters at the same level. Song Jians rewards were plentiful. Moreover, Frost Nagas had exploded into Frost Crystals all over the place, some even dropped Frost Crystal Cores. There was even a blue-quality accessory and dozens of Doomsday Coins, which were incredibly lucky drops. Accessories, rings, and badges had a very low drop rate, so some players were already at level 12-13 and still didnt own a single accessory. Although Song Jian owned two accessories, they werent exceptional and their attributes were terribly lacking. One was a Postman Bag, a green-quality accessory that could store twelve items. The other was an Exquisite Totem Mark, also green-quality. It only increased the Vitality Points recovery speed by a small amount when worn as an accessory, but it was excellent as a socketed item. Song Jian picked up the dropped accessory from the Frost Naga, hesitating as to which of his current two accessories it should replace. Heart of Ice (Blue), Accessory, Equipment Effect: Dexterity +3, Ice Resistance +15, Special Effect: Upon receiving damage, theres a chance to activate a Frost Shield with 800 defense points. This effect lasts for 30 seconds, but can only occur once every 60 minutes; Item Level: 15, Equipment Requirement: None, Can it be taken out of the game: No After much deliberation, Song Jian finally replaced the Exquisite Totem Mark with Heart of Ice. A 3-point increase in Dexterity directly increased his dexterity to thirty, and an added 15 points of Ice Resistance made him particularly suited for his current location. Now any damage inflicted on him by the Frost Nagas would have difficulty penetrating his defense. In particular, the Frost Shield was a life-saving skill. With a defense of 800 points, even a boss might be hard-pressed to break it in a short amount of time. A Level 15 accessory like this was worth at least three thousand Doomsday Coins, almost as much as a weapon of the same level. With his new equipment and the resulting increase in strength, Song Jian gained additional confidence. Time to clean up and get rid of the remaining Frost Nagas! Song Jians gaze landed on a group of Frost Nagas wandering around in the distance. From a distance of thirty meters, a few Frost Nagas were frolicking, their cold auras colliding and occasionally forming small ice spikes that crashed into each other. Song Jian carefully stepped forward. This time, he approached within fifteen meters before a Frost Naga suddenly wore a vigilant expression. He then halted his steps. He drew the Skeleton Crossbow in his left hand and attacked a Frost Naga Archer in the distance; swoosh a crossbow bolt punctured the air, shining with a fiery glow, it turned into a shooting star and almost instantaneously hit the Frost Naga Archer. Clang- A clear collision sound echoed, and the crossbow bolt, as if it had hit steel, created a white spot on the scale of the Frost Nagas body, then fell to the snowy ground. A small, 11-point damage indicator, including 3 fire damage, floated above the Frost Naga Archers head. Song Jian was unfazed by inflicting such minor damage; it was within his expectations. Seeing the Frost Naga Archer heading his way, Song Jian quickly put away the crossbow, held the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and waited for the fight to begin. Five Frost Nagas viciously glanced at Song Jian, let out a roar, and quickly twisted their bodies, sliding on the icy ground towards him. Only five? Song Jian frowned slightly and looked to his right; swoosh swoosh He pulled out the crossbow, aimed at a group of Nagas in the distance, and fired the crossbow. This attracted around seven or eight Frost Nagas rushing towards him. Song Jian only nodded in satisfaction, then turned to climb the icy wall. When more than a dozen Frost Nagas gathered under the ice wall and started climbing up to chase Song Jian, two self-destructing robots were thrown down from above. Boom- The same process was repeated over and over again. After equipping the new accessory, Song Jian had an additional fifteen points of Ice Resistance. Now, the damage inflicted by the Frost Nagas was minimal. In contrast, his damage to them was terrifying. In just two minutes, he killed more than a dozen Frost Nagas. In addition to contributing a pile of Frost Crystals and combat experience, they also dropped a green-quality level 15 Plate Armor. Afterward, Song Jian continuously repeated the process, attracting the surrounding Frost Nagas and reducing their numbers. Although continuously repeating the same process was somewhat boring, when he thought about the Frost Crystals and Crystal Cores that these Frost Nagas provided, along with the Level 15 equipment in his backpack, Song Jian still felt gratified. An hour flew by unconsciously. Almost all of the wandering Frost Nagas on the open ground had been eradicated. Song Jians level had also increased to Level 17, granting him another Skill Point. Song Jian added the Skill Point to the Sword Silk skill. The proficiency of this skill was already maxed out, but Song Jian hadnt had the appropriate Skill Point, so hed waited until now. With the Sword Silk skill at level 3, the power of each Sword Silk strand increased by 20 points and the attack range was extended by 1 meter. The skill change was only glanced at by Song Jian and wasnt paid much attention to, as the skill level of Sword Silk was still too low, and there hadnt been any significant changes. Just then, a ringing sound reverberated in Song Jians ears as a line of system prompt information appeared before him. System: The number of profession players in Doomsday City has reached one thousand, the level glory board has been activated! Your level is 17, with 14% progress to the next level. You are first on the level glory board, do you want to publish your information? Note, you can choose to hide, and the glory board will only show your ranking, your other information will not be displayed. Level Glory Board? Song Jian paused and, after a moments hesitation, chose to publish his information. Soon, a new Level Glory Board column was added to the system interface. Upon opening, it displayed the information of one thousand players in Doomsday City. At the top of the Level Glory Board was Player Name: Song Jian, Profession: Sword Controller, Level: 17 with 14%. Beneath him was the second player, Player Name: Luo Tianyu, Profession: Centurion, Level: 15 with 45%. The third-ranked player chose to hide their information. The displayed information is Player Name: Hidden, Profession: Hidden, Level: 15 with 43%. Chapter 351 - Chapter 351: Chapter 351: Lord-level BOSS Chapter 351: Chapter 351: Lord-level BOSS Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian looked at the Level Glory Board for a while and found that at least half of the people had chosen to hide their information. However, he also saw Li Keers name on the Level Glory Board, ranked at twenty-third, and Wang Qi was also on it, but his rank was a bit behind, already at over a hundred. With a faint smile, Song Jian closed the Level Glory Board. The revealed information was scarce and didnt have much impact on him. Moreover, being ranked number one on the Level Glory Board could have a deterrent effect on other players. Due to the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace incident, many NPCs had put bounties on Song Jian. Although Song Jian had shown some strength when hunting the Dwarf Commander, not everyone had seen it. Hunting down an ordinary player was completely different from hunting down the number one on the Level Glory Board. With such a deterrent, it could dissuade some players who wanted to hunt him down for the bounty rewards. After the Level Glory Board incident, Song Jian walked towards the Frost Land with a smile. When he saw the tall and majestic ice sculpture of Naga, he thought, Its about time to deal with you! As Song Jian slowly approached the ice sculpture, a low roar sounded, identical to what he had heard before. The entire Frost Land trembled, and the icicles above began to fall pitter-patter. At this moment, the ice sculpture of the Naga, which was originally just an ice sculpture, began to emit crackling sounds from within. Cracks appeared on the surface of the ice sculpture, and its ruby-like eyes slowly rotated and looked towards Song Jian. As Song Jian smiled and walked towards the ice sculpture, the sudden appearance of the Level Glory Board stirred up excitement among the players in Doomsday City. With Song Jian, a level seventeen ranked first on the board, some players who had already taken the mission to kill Song Jian suddenly felt flustered. Damn, that NPC set me up! This was almost the first thought that surfaced in the minds of all players who took up the bounty mission. They didnt take the mission from the same NPC. Those NPCs who issued the bounty made themselves look like wandering NPCs and turned the mission to hunt Song Jian into a hidden mission. At first, many players were secretly delighted to accept the hidden mission. But now, after seeing the Level Glory Board, they regretted it so much. Damn it, this mission cant be canceled. If I cancel, its a mission failure, and 1 will lose two points of my highest attribute. How can the NPC be so unkind! Ranked number one on the Level Glory Board? Crazy! Why did I accept such a mission? Its a total pitfall! Oh my God, hes level seventeen, and Im five levels behind him. Just the level suppression alone reduces my damage by more than 30%! How am 1 supposed to fight? Players who had taken the mission to kill Song Jian all started to grumble, their faces full of regret. At this time, in the five-person team dungeon Bloody Underground Boxing Arena, the leader of the Legendary Battle Alliance glanced at the Level Glory Board, and frowned. In a low voice, he said, Who knows this guy named Song Jian? See if you can pull him into our alliance. We can discuss the terms! Captain, hes already level seventeen. Im afraid it wont be that easy to pull him in, and even if we do, it might not be easy to manage! Someone cautiously replied with a hesitating look. Thats not for you to worry about. Just do what I say! The leaders face flashed a trace of coldness, making the speaker tremble and not daring to say another word. And also this Luo Tianyu, check him out too. Try to pull him in if you can! Yes, leader. After we finish this dungeon, we will go investigate At this moment, Song Jian had no idea that the sudden appearance of the Level Glory Board had caused such a stir. He was now continuously taking self-destructing robots out of his bag and setting them up in advance as powerful weapons while waiting for the ice sculpture to shatter and the boss to appear. I have eighteen self-destructing robots left, each capable of dealing 500 damage. Even without a critical hit, so many robots are enough to instakill any I5th-level or even 20th-level elite boss! Song Jian looked at the ice sculpture that had already completely shattered and revealed a smile. At this moment, the thin outer ice layer of the ice sculpture had completely broken apart, and a beautiful figure appeared in front of Song Jian. It was a monster with six arms and a long snake tail below its waist, but its upper body was no different from that of a human woman. She had a charming and seductive face that every woman would envy. Her eyes radiated a ruby-like luster, and she had a thick, glossy, black hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her delicate, fair skin shone brilliantly in the surrounding light, like the finest white jade. What was most attractive about her was her noble aura and her exotic beauty. She wore only a blue crystal silk wrap around her chest, which was enchanting to behold. Eighteenth-level, Lord-level boss? Song Jian suddenly felt a chill down his spine, looking at the bosss attributes above its head, and his heart sank. Originally, he thought it would just be a I5th-level Elite boss, but it turned out to be an i8th-level Lord boss. This made Song Jian feel a sudden sense of uneasiness. Its okay; her Vitality Points are only 5,4.00. My self-destructing robots can still instakill her. The higher the level, the stronger they are, and the better the items they drop. 1 should be happy! Song Jian muttered, but he always felt a shadow looming over his heart. Song Jian had encountered only a few Lord-level bosses, but each had been fierce. They were completely different from the Elite-level bosses of the same level. Lord-level bosses were more ferocious and threatening, especially when they kept summoning a bunch of minions, which made it difficult for players who wanted to defeat them. Human, youve intruded into my home and disturbed my sleep. How should I punish you? The Ice Naga boss swayed her waist and had a faint smile on her delicate face. Her long tail rubbed against the ice surface, making a rustling sound as she slowly swam towards Song Jian. The bosss voice was soft and enchanting, lulling those who heard it. It felt as if a small hand were gently stroking Song Jians heart, giving him an inexplicable sense of comfort. Song Jians eyes involuntarily revealed a fascinated expression, his face showing a look of intoxication. Seeing Song Jians appearance, the Ice Naga boss showed a trace of contempt on her face, and her swimming speed increased. Within a short time, she moved from a few meters away from Song Jian to right in front of him. Chapter 352 - Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Ice Coffin Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Ice Coffin Translator: 549690339 | Let your very life be the punishment you receive! Im going to use your skull to adorn my ice throne. Let your soul howl in the ice hell for ten thousand years! The voice of the Frost Naga Boss transformed, becoming as harsh as Siberias cold wind. The two long knives in her hand ruthlessly swooped down on Song Jians head. Clang- A crisp clash of metal rang out as Song Jian blocked the Frost Naga Bosss double blades with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Looking up with a slight smile gracing his lips, his eyes held no signs of enchantment. You you actually The Frost Naga Bosss face showed surprise. She hadnt expected this human to resist her charm. Why did he behave in such a way before? Not good, this is a trap, hes luring me closer to him! The Frost Naga Boss had a sudden realization as she laid eyes on the dozens of meter-tall robots beside Song Jian. Danger! Just as the warning flared in the mind of the Frost Naga Boss, a Self-destructing Robot charged towards her. Whoosh- With the movement of this robot, all the Self-destructing Robots started hurtling towards the Frost Naga Boss. I was afraid that if you were too far away, something unexpected could happen, Song Jian said with a smile. Song Jian, blessed with the Thick-Skinned talent skill was basically immune to all charm and control skills. The reason he acted like he was enchanted before was to lure the Frost Naga Boss closer to him. After all, she was a lord-level Boss and her strength was insurmountable. From such a great distance, he had no assurance that the Self-destructing Robots could get close to her. Boom! The explosion sounded and a strong blast rushed towards Song Jian. Song Jian quickly raised his hand to shield his face. Right before he did so, he saw the Frost Naga Boss, only two meters away from him, with a damage number of 500 floating above her head. Boom boom boom- The explosions continued one after the other. All the Self-destructing Robots burst open. Under Song Jians control, he was fully immune to their explosions, showing no concern while in the centre of the explosion. Did I waste 18 Self-destructing Robots? Well, she is the first lord-level Boss Im hunting, so using some extra robots could be considered her send-off, thought Song Jian. Soon, the explosions ceased. Surrounded by countless shards of ice like a veil of dust, Song Jian couldnt help but grin. Hed defeated a level 18 lord-level Boss so easily. He was eager to see what items she dropped. Maybe she even dropped a piece of golden equipment? Just as he was entertaining these thoughts, the ice dust began to fade. Song Jian felt a sense of wrongness and hurriedly scoured the system prompts. No, this Boss isnt dead yet. The system didnt display any battle experience gained! An illumination flashed through Song Jians mind, casting his face in shock. Just then, Song Jian saw a gigantic ice coffin materialize, with the entire body of the Frost Naga Boss ensconced in thick ice. Besides the one robot that managed to damage her with 500 points, all the remaining Self-destructing Robots were in vain and didnt even inflict a modicum of damage. Frost Barrier! This was the Frost Naga Bosss lifesaving skill, with an incredibly long cooldown period and which could only be used once per battle. What is this skill? Song Jian stood dumbstruck, gazing at the wreckage of the Self-destructing Robots, filled with regret. Crack- The ice coffin dissolved instantly. The boss, her face as frosty as ever, charged towards Song Jian, twin blades in hand. Swish swish swish- The Boss swung her blades rapidly, striking Song Jian repeatedly, leaving afterimages in the air due to the sheer speed. Thud thud thud thud- Blood sprayed from Song Jians body as his Vitality Points abruptly dropped by over 300. At this moment, a massive Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion manifested in front of Song Jian, letting out a roar at the Frost Naga Boss. Its gigantic stinger aimed at the Boss, causing a piercing howl to echo throughout the air. Song Jian hit the ground hard, rolling several times before managing to regain his footing. Wiping the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, Song Jians eyes flashed determinedly. Hed placed too much faith in the Self-destructing Robots and did not expect her to possess a skill that could resist all damage. Luckily, the special effect of the Scorpion Beast Helmet has recovered, or else Id be in danger, Song Jian ruefully thought. Now, however, was not the time for regrets. The Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion was not a match for the Frost Naga Boss. Furthermore, its attacks were like tickles to the Boss. The gigantic scorpion stinger struck the boss like stabbing ultra-strong alloy, only leaving behind white spots. A phantom, not to be feared, as irritating as a fly, the Frost Naga Boss tried to attack the Desert Scorpion Beast, but discovered it was as though they existed in different dimensions. She could not attack it, and out of necessity, she had to passively withstand its onslaught. She abandoned further attacks on the Desert Scorpion Beast, and locked her focus on Song Jian not too far away. Both her hands, now holding a bow and arrow, drew and aimed at Song Jian. Zoom zoom zoom- A series of ice arrows shot towards Song Jian. He waved his sword to block, shattering the arrows. But with every arrow he shattered, a fraction of the ice power seeped into his body. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jian waved his sword, a faint Tai Chi illusion appeared in front of him, continuously blocking the rain of ice arrows. Watching Song Jian nimbly parry the ice arrows, Frost Naga Boss displayed a strange smile that left no doubt of her confidence in winning. At this time, her two hands, each clenching a shield, were raised high up, covering her forefront and blocking the Desert Scorpion Beasts attacks. She constantly aimed her arrows at Song Jian. You can withstand the damage from the ice arrows, but how will you withstand the frost power? See how I deal with you once the freezing effect gets triggered! The Frost Naga Boss had already started daydreaming about tormenting her frozen prey, bursting into loud laughter along the way. However, the Frost Naga Boss soon realized that Song Jian seemingly had high resistance, as the freezing effect didnt trigger even once. Then, with a zoom, an ice arrow which collided with the Tai Chi illusion in front of Song Jian suddenly changed direction, hurtling towards the Frost Naga Boss at a faster pace. Thud- The ice arrow plunged hard into the Frost Naga Bosss shoulder, with damage points above too floating from her head. How is this possible? Why is his resistance so high that hes never been frozen? Looking at the ice arrow slowly melting in her shoulder, the Frost Naga Boss was consumed with fury. Chapter 353 - Chapter 353: Chapter 353: Broken Arm Chapter 353: Chapter 353: Broken Arm Translator: 549690339 | The arrows from the Ice Nagas bow were quite similar to Song Jians Sword Silk skill. The shot arrows would randomly attack all targets. The more targets there were, the more dispersed the attack would be. However, if there was only one target, all ice arrows would aim towards it. Even a defensive warrior could not withstand such an intense attack. Most importantly, each ice arrow had a chance of causing a freezing effect. Amongst the many ice arrows, there would always be some that triggered the freezing. Once frozen, the victim would be at the mercy of the Ice Naga boss to be slaughtered. However, Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill could grant immunity to 90% of the damage and all adverse conditions. Plus, with the special effect of the Ring of the Fire God, it was not easy to either instantly defeat Song Jian or freeze him in place. Seeing that her arrows posed too little threat to Song Jian, the Ice Naga surprisingly put the bow away. She withdrew two long knives from her back and lunged at Song Jian. Clang, clang, clang The Ice Naga relentlessly swung her four long knives at Song Jian; another shield kept blocking Song Jians attacks. In just a little while, Song Jians vitality points had dropped by over three hundred. Is this boss a melee fighter or a mage? Why is her close combat so fierce, and she even possesses mage skills like the Ice Coffin? Song Jian fought back continuously with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, but kept retreating in front of the Ice Naga boss. After all, the opponent had four extra arms, naturally suppressing him in attack speed. Were it not for Song Jians strong ice resistance and defense, he would have been slain by the Ice Naga in a short time. Given that his super vitality recovery speed had disappeared, Song Jian suddenly felt outmatched against this leader-class boss. Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body, activate! A light shout, and a golden light suddenly shone around Song Jian. The Tier 3 Immortal Sword Body was unleashed, instantly boosting Song Jians strength. Eight long swords constantly revolved around Song Jians body, blocking the Ice Naga boss attacks. Song Jians attacks grew even fiercer. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! A series of skills was all targeted at the Ice Naga boss, causing damage in the hundreds to appear above its head; -1S0 -198 -210 The vitality points of the Ice Naga boss were rapidly decreasing. For a time, Song Jian was on an equal footing with the boss. After activating the Immortal Sword Body, he managed to regain the upper hand in momentum. I will freeze your soul with my ice power! The Ice Naga gave a cold laugh when her vitality points fell below half. Her body overflowed with power, and she sent Song Jian flying with a push. Creating some distance, she suddenly put away all her weapons. Her six white jade arms fluttered ceaselessly. White currents appeared out of nowhere, gathering in her six palms; In a flash, her six palms emitted dazzling lights, illuminating the entire cave. The surrounding temperature plummeted abruptly. Even Song Jian felt as if he were naked in the cold Siberian wilderness. Suddenly, deep blue lights shot out from the Ice Naga boss fingers. One after another, like a heavy gatling gun firing wildly, flashes of fire were constant. As the six palms of the Ice Naga burst into radiance, Song Jian felt a chill crawl up his spine. Instantly, he used his Sword Shadow Step, transforming into a shadowy figure and began to dodge. Boom boom boom~ Deep-blue pillars of light chased after Song Jian continuously, one after another Just about every pillar of light shot out brushed past the corners of his clothes, hitting the Ice Rock behind him. Rumble rumble rumble The Ice Rock, as unyieldingly hard as alloyed steel, was piercing through like tofu. A chill, as cold as a spiders web spread from the resulting hole, freezing all objects touched into ice particles which cascaded down. At this moment, Song Jians mind was blank, he was dodging the deep-blue pillars of light chasing him on pure instinct. Coldness and a sense of pain emanated from his back. Then, Song Jian suddenly shivered, his eyes blanketed by a deep-blue light. The Ice Naga BOSSS six arms had come together, and a deep blue beam of light, nearly one meter in diameter, rushed towards Song Jian. Sacred Parry! Song Jian reacted instinctively, his survival move kicking in. A golden light emerged from him. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly crossed his chest, the blade tip slightly pointing outwards, and a streak of golden light floated along the blade edge. Boom! The massive blue beam of light brutally slammed into Song Jian, and after a colossal sound, Song Jian himself was embedded into the hard Ice Rock. Meanwhile, a dazzling blue light flowed on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand. Whoosh~ Another thick beam of light, similar to the one before, but with an even deeper blue glow, burst from the imprint of Song Jian embedded in the Ice. It rushed towards the Ice Naga Boss. With a shrill wail, the Ice Naga Boss collapsed onto the icy floor, sliding a great distance away. The Sacred Parry not only completely protected against a hit but also reflected back 110% of the damage. The cool-down time for this move was not short, meaning it had to be used at a critical moment. Song Jian struggled to free himself from the Ice Rock, his body felt as if it had been crushed. Despite not taking damage, he had still been embedded in the Ice Rock, an experience few could understand. He staggered to his feet. Song Jians Vitality Points were just over five hundred left, while the Ice Naga Boss looked even more miserable than he did. Its body was covered in cuts from ice shards with frost-bitten wounds, and only three of its six arms were left. Its long snake tail was also missing a segment, and light blue blood flowed out, utterly devoid of any warmth. Despicable human! The Ice Naga Boss, hair scattered, had a ruthless look in its ruby-like eyes. Gritting its teeth, she picked herself up, tightly gripping her long knife in her remaining three arms. She let out a roar, and brutally lunged at Song Jian. The Ice Naga Bosss Vitality Points had plunged below 30%, its attack speed went up another notch. It was only left with three arms, yet it was evenly- matching Song Jian who had activated his Rapid Sword skill. The state of his Immortal Sword Body dissipated, Song Jian suddenly felt weak, as if a physically strong individual had suddenly fallen ill or injured, struggling to adapt. Bang! The Ice Naga Boss swung her long knife towards Song Jians head. Song Jian deflected it with his hand and instantly felt a massive force conveyed through his sword. He was pushed seven or eight meters back along the ice surface. At that moment, the Ice Naga Boss abruptly threw her head back and shrieked. The piercing sound resonated through the ice cave, causing it to violently shake as if it was going to collapse at any moment. Chapter 354 - Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Joining the Army Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Joining the Army Translator: 549690339 | The Ice Naga Boss kept howling, and Song Jian clenched his sword, staring at it with a vigilant face. The cooldown time for the Tai Chi Sword Skill was already up, and if the situation turned unfavorable, Song Jian planned to use the Tai Chi Sword Skill to save himself first. The bosss howling continued for more than half a minute before it finally stopped. At this time, there were crackling sounds coming from the surrounding rock walls, and ice rocks were breaking apart. Semi-transparent figures seemed to be struggling, trying to escape from the ice rocks. In no time, more than a dozen four-armed Nagas made of ice broke free from the ice rocks, leaving behind a series of large holes. Seeing more than a dozen four-armed Nagas surrounding him, the Ice Naga Bosss face revealed a delighted smile: Human, you will definitely die here today! So many people, cant beat me without summoning your minions, huh? Song Jian stepped back, a sneer of disdain appearing at the corner of his mouth. Glancing at his Pet Space, the Black Dragon hatchling was still in its evolution state. It would take more than two hours for the evolution to be completed. Its body had grown much larger, already more massive than a cow. The scales on its body were thicker, and it had sprouted two horns more than a foot long on its head. Although it was still asleep, the heat radiating from its body was becoming increasingly intense. Song Jian closed the Pet Space and directly used the Blood Pool Summoning Skill. He left the blood crows and blood zombies to guard the territory while he summoned thirty blood wolves right now. All thirty blood wolves were as large as small calves. Their fur was as red as blood, and when they shook, they seemed like a ball of flames burning fiercely. By now, the level of the thirty blood wolves had risen to fifteen. Although their strength was still weaker compared to the sixteen elite four-armed Nagas summoned by the Ice Naga Boss, none of the blood wolves showed any signs of fear. They bared their teeth, growling threateningly, and surrounded these four-armed Nagas like a massive net. Lets see who will die here! Song Jian said coldly, rushing towards the Ice Naga Boss with his sword. The blood wolves also attacked at the same time. The thirty blood wolves moved as one, ferociously pouncing on the four-armed Naga, fighting intensely. Song Jian kept swinging his sword, chopping at the Ice Naga Bosss body, and fighting furiously with its three long blades. Blood kept spurting out from him and the Boss, and their vitality points kept decreasing. As soon as the cooldown time for the Sword Shadow Step was over, Song Jian immediately used it, and his speed increased again. He circled around the Boss, constantly attacking from strange angles. Even with three arms, the Ice Naga Boss couldnt help but scream in pain, only managing to defend itself. Just then, a system communication suddenly rang out. Song Jian checked it and found it was from an unfamiliar number. With a frown, he quickly hung up. Since the level honor rankings were released, many players tried to contact Song Jian, who was in the first place. Some asked him for quick upgrade methods, some for equipment and money, some for help leveling up, and others invited him to join their alliances. Is this the eighth or ninth stranger that has contacted me? Why doesnt this communication system have a setting to block calls from strangers? Its so outdated! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, the stranger called him again. Song Jian hung up in a second, but the communication device rang again after a few seconds. Like this, the other party was persistent and kept calling more than a dozen times, and Song Jian finally couldnt help but answer. Who are you? What do you want? Im busy fighting a Boss right now, do you understand? Song Jian growled, trying to suppress his anger. There was silence on the other end of the line, perhaps because the caller didnt expect Song Jian to answer. Sorry, I am Wang Runjie from the Coastal Military Zone. You can call me Councilor Wang! An middle-aged mans voice sounded in Song Jians ear: Weve met before, outside the Frost Cave. Are you currently fighting the Frost Cave Boss? Coastal Military Zone? Song Jian was stunned, and when he heard they met outside the Frost Cave, the figures standing as straight as pines behind the makeshift shelter appeared in his mind. Song Jians tone became much gentler, as he had previously guessed that those players were soldiers. Unexpectedly, they were all warriors from the Coastal Military Zone. Yes, I am currently fighting the Frost Cave Boss, the Ice Naga! Song Jian replied. Can I ask how you got into the Frost Cave? Weve been trying to find a way in for over a week, but we cant seem to enter! Councilor Wangs tone immediately became urgent, and he quickly asked. Song Jian hesitated for a moment before finally saying, Holy Flame Pearl. I accidentally obtained a Holy Flame Pearl, which allowed me to open the dungeons gate. However, the Holy Flame Pearl has disappeared now. It seems that a single Holy Flame Pearl can only open the gate once! The Holy Flame Pearl? I see! Councilor Wang recalled the red pearl Song Jian had in his hand and a look of epiphany spread across his face: What a pity Now that you are ranked first in the entire citys levels, are you interested in joining the military? What I mean is, in the real world, are you interested in enlisting and becoming a member of the Coastal Military Zone? Councilor Wang finally revealed the purpose of his call, still hoping to recruit Song Jian. Enlisting in the real world? Joining the Coastal Military Zone? How is that possible? Song Jian said with a smile. In reality, the Coastal Military Zone was the most unique and smallest of the several major military zones. Every soldier in the zone had the strength of a special forces operative. They usually didnt recruit soldiers from the public and only transferred them from other combat units. Without a certain level of ability, it was impossible to join the Coastal Military Zone, let alone someone like Song Jian, who was a civilian. If you agree, you can immediately become a member of the Coastal Military Zone, and you will even be granted the rank of Captain! Councilor Wang said with a smile. Naturally, such a decision wouldnt be made by Councilor Wang alone. Although it had only been a few days in reality, the Coastal Military Zone had already recognized the terrifying potential of the game. Even if it was just an ordinary person, as long as they didnt die in the game for just a few nights, they would possess strange abilities. Deputy Commander Sun was the best among them. He was originally just an ordinary captain, but after accidentally entering the game, he managed to defeat all ten elite soldiers in the Coastal Military Zone without having to fight back. Recruiting experts from the game into the Coastal Military Zone was being discussed among the higher-ups in the zone. Although no official orders had been issued yet, Councilor Wang felt that there was a great chance that this would become a reality. Consequently, recruiting some of the games top players in advance was only natural for Councilor Wang. Chapter 355 - Chapter 355: Chapter 355: Wrath of the Fire God Chapter 355: Chapter 355: Wrath of the Fire God Translator: 549690339 The unexpected recruitment by Councilor Wang was quite attractive to Song Jian. Even though he was very strong, he couldnt compare to the national machine unless he was willing to become a fugitive and cut off relations with everyone associated with him. The previous police search and questioning in the neighborhood had sounded an alarm for Song Jian. The emergence of this game had a huge impact on the real world, and the country couldnt just let it be. For players entering the game, the best treatment was probably surveillance and control, simply not being captured and dissected for research was a blessing. If Song Jian could really join the Coastal Military Zone, he would undoubtedly gain an extra layer of protection, at least in the real world, where he wouldnt have to bother with random police questioning. What do I need to do to join the Coastal Military Zone? Song Jian asked. Upon hearing Song Jians question, a smile crept up Councilor Wangs lips as if he had seen a big fish leap into his net. There are no specific policies in place for now, but in principle, we wont make any mandatory requests for players. You can just focus on your development. However, in some areas, we need you to have some inclination toward us, like selling unused equipment and items, which must be given priority to the Coastal Military Zone. Of course, the price will be determined by market value! Furthermore, if the military zone needs your help, you need to voluntarily provide assistance without compromising your development. In return, the military zone will compensate you appropriately! Councilor Wang listed a dozen conditions, causing Song Jian to frown slightly. It felt more like becoming an external member of the Coastal Military Zone, in cooperation with the military area. Of course, these are just temporary measures. The future policies are still being studied. Councilor Wang finally said. I see. Ill consider it, and let you know nar Ive made a decision. Song Jian hesitated for a moment. Councilor Wang was surprised, as he had expected Song Jian to agree directly. He didnt expect him to still be hesitating. Alright, no problem. We welcome your participation at any time. Lets add each other as friends for easier communication in the future! Councilor Wang hurriedly said. No problem! Song Jian quickly added Councilor Wang as a friend. In order to gain access to the communication system and the ability to add friends, one must complete the safe house mission; otherwise, its impossible to directly communicate with other players, let alone add friends. Ending the call, Song Jian pulled out two Vitality Stones from his inventory. The Vitality Stones were very precious, and when placed in the inventory, they could increase the Vitality Points recovery speed by 2%. If used directly, they could serve as a healing potion, instantly restoring 300 Vitality Points. Song Jian had only managed to obtain a few with great difficulty and was reluctant to use them regularly. He wanted to keep them as a trump card for turning things around. However, now that he had lost the powerful Vitality Points recovery speed bonus, if Song Jian didnt use them, he might not have a chance to use them in the future. Using two Vitality Stones at once, Song Jians health soared to over a thousand. At this point, the Ice Rock Naga Bosss Vitality Points had dropped to below 20%. The once charming boss suddenly became frightening. The formerly smooth and white cheeks suddenly became covered with blue veins, and the face caved in. A mouthful of sharp teeth appeared, two tusks protruded from the lips, and the tongue became a long snake-like filament, emitting a hissing sound. Die, human! I will freeze you in this cave! The Ice Rock Naga Boss roared, raising its three arms simultaneously. The entire cave began to shake violently, with icicles falling from the ceiling. A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the cave, and icy tornadoes appeared out of thin air, moving incessantly on the ground. The tornadoes were filled with suction force, causing the opponents, the Blood Wolfs, and the Ice Rock, to be swallowed up. The Blood Wolfs could only hold on for a short while in the tornado before turning into a puddle of pus and blood, returning to the Blood Pool. The Ice Rock Naga Boss, which seemed to be formed from ice, shattered into large chunks of ice, making clattering noises as they collided within the tornado. Boom, boom, boom~ Song Jian continually heard crashing sounds. The icicles falling from the ceiling were like bombs, creating large pits in the ground. Song Jian dodged left and right. The icicles falling from such a height were as powerful as ordinary shells. A casual hit could cause the loss of three or four hundred Vitality Points. Song Jian leaped towards the side ice rocks, successfully avoiding several icy tornadoes, and hid in a big hole in the ice rock. It was the spot where the Ice Rock Naga had broken free earlier. Although the space was not big, it was more than enough for Song Jian to hide. The icicles fell for a whole thirty seconds, and the tornadoes swept across the cave for three full minutes. A five-person team would not have survived the countless tornadoes if they had not found a hiding place. The temperature in the entire cave suddenly dropped by more than ten degrees. The current temperature had reached minus seventy or eighty degrees Celsius. Ordinary players could not survive in such an environment. If a player with no Ice Resistance appeared here, they would be frozen into ice sculptures in no time. Even with Song Jians Ice Resistance, he could not remain unharmed in such an environment. At this point, red -1 symbols appeared above his head. Fortunately, they only appeared once every three to four seconds, giving Song Jian enough time to keep going. A layer of frost over a foot high had condensed on the ground, flowing like mist along the surface. As Song Jian jumped down from the ice rock, he immediately felt an icy chill piercing through his feet, accelerating the loss of his Vitality Points. I cant delay this any longer. I have to finish this quickly! Song Jian thought to himself as he rushed towards the Ice Rock Naga Boss. The Ice Rock Naga Boss had just finished its powerful attack and was in a weakened state. In addition, the frost on the ground was a kind of protection for it. Any living being exposed to such frost would be highly susceptible to being slowed and frozen. In such conditions, however, the Ice Rock Naga Boss could recover quickly. Once its weakened state ended, its Vitality could be restored to 15%. But when it saw Song Jian charging at it without any hindrance, the Ice Rock Naga Boss revealed a surprised expression. How could this be? How could this human have never been slowed or frozen since entering this place? A thought suddenly crossed the Bosss mind: Could it be that this human has been blessed by the Fire God and is now completely immune to freezing damage? Thats impossible. Why would the Fire God bless an ordinary human being? And the Fire God has already fallen, so it s not possible At that moment, Song Jian had already reached the weakened Ice Rock Naga Boss and swung his sword fiercely at its head. Just then, his Ring of the Fire God triggered the Wrath of the Fire God skill. A low roar rang throughout the cave, and a scorching flame accompanied Song Jians sword as it slashed down. Chapter 356 - Chapter 356: Chapter 356 Frost Shield Chapter 356: Chapter 356 Frost Shield Translator: 549690339 | Wrath of the Fire God. The Eye of the Fire God, a built-in special effect, had a certain chance of being triggered, causing an additional three hundred points of fire damage to the target. Accompanied by this attack, a look of terror appeared in the eyes of the Frost Naga boss. Its body trembled as it fell into a helpless state, devoid of any power to resist. Boom! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword mercilessly struck the Frost Naga boss. The weakened boss had blue-black scales that scattered all around. The sword left a foot-long wound on its body. Following this heavy strike, three hundred points of fire damage floated up from the top of the Frost Naga bosss head. 17/o150/o13/oii% The vitality points of the Frost Naga boss kept dropping until it managed to recover from its weakened state. By this time, its vitality points had fallen below 10%. Most importantly, after triggering the Wrath of the Fire God, the Frost Naga bosss resistance became increasingly weak, as if it had been frightened. About ten minutes later, the Frost Naga boss let out a stern cry and collapsed at Song Jians feet. Before it died, a relieved expression appeared in its eyes. In an instant, Song Jians level increased by one, reaching 18 at 8%. The substantial experience gain surprised Song Jian. Shortly after, with a plop sound, a large batch of Frost Crystals and a pile of equipment items fell from the Frost Naga boss. Thats some great luck. Just two more points on my luck stat and so many items drop. If I wait for the Abyss Curse to disappear and my luck stat returns to 5, wont even more equipment drop? Song Jian looked at the items glittering in various colors scattered on the ground, a delighted expression on his face. In the game, if you want to acquire precious equipment, you must kill bosses. Also, your own luck stat cant be too low. The players luck stat and will attribute are both hidden attributes that usually dont display, but if you have equipment that increases luck, theyll have a noticeable impact on the amount and quality of loot when killing monsters. Increasingly more players are starting to pay attention to the luck attribute. However, at this stage in the game, there are almost no equipment pieces that increase luck. For dungeons, the first time you clear them the drop rate is much higher. Subsequent times, the drop rate drops significantly. This is why Deputy Commander Sun spent over a week to enter the dungeon after discovering it. This is absurd. The Frost Crystals dropped by one boss are almost equivalent to all the ones I collected previously. After organizing the dropped items, Song Jian was stunned. The Frost Naga boss dropped items that were both plentiful and of extremely high quality. While clearing out the smaller creatures in the dungeon, he had only gathered a little over sixty Frost Crystals. But the Frost Naga boss had dropped over seventy Frost Crystals. It was almost too good to believe. Besides the Frost Crystals, the most valuable items were equipment and recipe blueprints. In front of Song Jian was a pair of light blue elegant boots. They appeared as though they were composed of blue scales. There were three Frost Crystals embedded in them, emitting a faint glow, making the boots beautiful beyond belief. There even appeared to be a chilly mist lingering around the boots. Frost Boots: Leather armor, Gold quality. Equipment level: 17, Defense: +45, Resistance: +20, Strength: +3, Agility: +5, Constitution: +5, Movement Speed: +10, Ice Resistance: +15. Comes with the skill C Frost Sprint, enhancing movement speed by 100% for 10 seconds. Cooldown time: 120 seconds. Upon activation of this skill, a Path of Frost 1 meter wide is created. Any target moving on it will have their movement speed reduced by 30%. Gold quality equipment! Ive got a piece of gold quality equipment! Song Jians eyes sparkled as he swiftly put on the boots. True to their gold quality, the defense and resistance provided by these boots were almost equivalent to half of Song Jians total defense and resistance. In other words, these boots were worth about half of Song Jians total defensive equipment. Moreover, the attribute points increased by these boots alone were thirteen, greatly enhancing Song Jians strength. The boots accompanying skill was also extremely useful, whether it was for chasing down or fleeing from enemies. The Path of Frost, besides being extremely flashy, also hindered enemies pursuit, making these boots top-notch Golden Boots. Even if someone was willing to offer thirty thousand Doomsday Coins for these boots, Song Jian would not part with them. The Fish Scale Boots were naturally retired and put into his inventory. Although the blue equipment had mediocre defense, it could still be invaluable under certain circumstances. Song Jian couldnt bear to sell it just yet. In addition to the Gold Quality boots, the Boss also dropped its shield, a Level- 15 Silver Quality item with excellent attributes. Frost Shield. Shield. Silver Quality level 15. Requirement: Strength 15. Defense: +35, Block Rate: +40%, Defensive Level: +2, Strength: +2, Agility: +3, Vitality Points: +200. Passive Skill: Chilling Touch. Theres a chance when receiving damage to reduce the attackers movement and attack speed by 20% and 30% respectively. The effect lasts for 5 seconds. Even though it maintained only a Silver Quality, the defensive rating and the unique passive skill of the shield made it as good as common Gold Quality shields. Apart from these two premium pieces of equipment, the boss also dropped five to six Blue Quality and seven to eight Green Quality Level-15 items. Half of them were Mage class equipment, two were healing class equipment, one was a two-handed long axe, and two were long knives. The Level-15 equipment is high-end at the current stage of the game, and the first tier of players are around this level. All this gear should sell at a good price. Besides the equipment, the Frost Naga Boss unsurprisingly dropped a recipe blueprint for alchemy potions, a Lesser Ice Resistance Potion. Consuming this potion grants 10 Ice Resistance for an hour. The potion could be used up to three times, meaning that each player could get thirty points of Ice Resistance, enough to venture into this part of the dungeon. As for whether they could withstand the bosss ultimate move, that would depend on whether they managed to find and hide in the cave formed by the surrounding ice rocks. To successfully raid the Frost Cave, besides the Holy Flame Pearl, teams would have to buy the Ice Resistance Potion. It was conceivable that selling Ice Resistance Potions alone would net Song Jian a large sum of Doomsday Coins. Without a second thought, Song Jian learned the formula. The main ingredient in the Ice Resistance Potion was Frost Crystals, which Song Jian had in abundance, so he had no worries about making the potion. After killing the boss, a light blue teleportation portal appeared in the middle of the frosty field. Song Jian smiled faintly, stepped into the gate, and his figure disappeared into the dungeon. Chapter 357 - Chapter 357: Chapter 357: We Meet Again Chapter 357: Chapter 357: We Meet Again Translator: 549690339 | Once Song Jian returned to the Safe House, he immediately opened the Alchemy Workbench and began to make the low-level Ice Resistance Potions. Due to the workbenchs effect bonus, each Ice Resistance Potions effect was significantly increased, with the minimum increase being two points of Ice Resistance, and some even reaching a five-point increase. It took more than three full hours to use up all the Frost Crystal Cores, and placed before Song Jian were more than a hundred bottles of potions shimmering with a pale blue light. Having made so many potions, Song Jians Alchemy skill directly increased to level three, with his success rate jumping to 15%. Paired with the effects of the Alchemy Workbench, Song Jian rarely encountered any failures in his potion-making now. With the low-level Ice Resistance Potions completed, Song Jian prepared to batch them out to the auction house, when, at that moment, his steward George suddenly walked in and said, Master, we can start the territory expansion campaign now. A ten-meter territory is very cramped, making it impossible to construct many buildings! I can expand my territory again? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, a smile beginning to form C he knew that the opportunity to expand territory was only available once a month, so he needed to make good use of it. The larger the territory, the more NPCs would be attracted. For now, Song Jian only had a ten-meter territory, attracting just some ordinary construction workers and helpers, with no Followers worth recruiting. Once he expanded his territory to a certain extent, however, he might be able to find talents such as Dr. Ebsiting willing to follow him. Begin! Launch the territory expansion campaign! Opening the territory interface, Song Jian started the campaign directly. Quickly, a grand horn resounded in the sky above Song Jians territory, and a red light emanated from his Manor Castle, gradually spreading outward. All the NPCs touched by the red light became excited and agitated. Even Alex opened his eyes, waving his branches and roaring angrily. He wished he could leave the Spirit Field and go straight to the front lines of expansion. Watching the red light slowly expanding outward, Song Jian asked, George, how much will our territory increase this time? My Lord, our territory can expand an additional fifty meters outward this time! George replied respectfully. Fifty meters? Song Jian was surprised, having originally expected only another ten meters. He did not expect that the second expansion would already increase several times. Yes, my lord. If this expansion is successful, our territory will reach 300 meters during our next expansion! George continued. After estimating the pace of expansion, Song Jian realized that it wouldnt take long for his territory to cover the entire Camel Square and the beginner areas. By that time, he would likely begin to encroach on other players Safe Houses, leading to inevitable conflicts between players. I must strengthen my power quickly! Song Jian thought to himself. Opening the Safe Houses attribute interface, Song Jian looked at the properties of the Blood Pool. The power of his level 3 Blood Pool has become pronounced, and the level 15 Blood Wolves were powerful enough to fight on par with Elite level monsters. He was eager to see what kind of Blood Slaves the pool could produce once it reached level 4. Soon, the red light circle started to expand outward from Song Jians territory. Wherever it went, it seemed like a huge hand erasing all buildings on the ground, leaving behind only a stretch of lush green grass. A few residential buildings suddenly disappeared, and new players who were searching within appeared on the grass with a confused expression. Some even held food and drinks they had just found. When the red light circle had expanded to cover fifty meters, it disappeared entirely, and a resonant trumpet call echoed throughout the city. This is a glorious victory! An excited and emotional voice echoed over Song Jians territory, low and majestic, seemingly belonging to a middle-aged man. Praise the God of War! Steward George respectfully gestured a symbol on his chest and whispered. Song Jian smiled faintly. In the game, everything related to war was governed by the God of War. Opening the territory interface, Song Jian noticed several players Safe Houses less than ten meters away from the edge of his territory. It seemed the next expansion campaign would bring him into conflict with other players. However, those Safe Houses were all level 2 and posed no real threat. If they yielded willingly at that time, there would be no problem. But if they refused, Song Jian would not show mercy either and would completely destroy their Safe Houses. Just then, a dragons roar suddenly resounded in Song Jians ears. Having opened his pet space, he found that the Black Dragon had indeed awakened, and its level had been raised to 15. Immediately, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon. Now over three meters long and more than 1.7 meters high, it held its head high enough to lick Song Jians cheek if it wanted to. Heavier scales now covered the Black Dragon, and a bone spur similar to a mace coalesced at the end of its long tail. As it swung gently, sharp bursts of air followed, emitting a sense of oppressive power. Not bad, not bad. In a short time, I might be able to ride it in flight. Song Jian chuckled. At that moment, he remembered he had one Pet equipment left in his inventory that required a level-15 pet to ride. Now that the Black Dragon was level 15, it could naturally wear the equipment. Putting the Spider Spear Armor on the Black Dragon cub, it was immediately enveloped in silver light-emitting armor. White patterns on the armors surface appeared, looking like the gathered legs of eight spiders. The awakening of the Black Dragon further boosted Song Jians strength. Now, even against a level 20 elite boss, he had the confidence to slay it. Just then, an NPC guard walked in, saluted Song Jian, and said, Great Lord, a lady wishes to see you. She says she comes concerning the Demon of the Abyss. The Demon of the Abyss? Song Jian was taken aback. The Demon of the Abyss had supposedly been sealed away. There was still more than a month left before it was unsealed. Could it be that something had gone wrong? Please let the lady in, Song Jian nodded. Shortly after, a female Priest holding a golden Codex in her left hand and a Magic Staff in her right walked in, giving Song Jian a slight smile. Gods favored, we meet again. Chapter 358 - Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Light Strike Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Light Strike Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian glanced at the Priestess, saying with a hint of helplessness, It is indeed you. Didnt you seal the Abyssal Demon? Could it be that the seal was broken? The priestess shook her head slightly, The seal hasnt been broken, but I feel a mysterious power that seems to want to break the Demons seal. If they succeed, it will definitely cause a huge disaster! How does this concern me? Song Jian shrugged his shoulders, petting the Black Dragon cubs head as he spoke. The Abyssal Demon was only a fifteenth-level elite boss. Forget that Song Jian was already at the eighteenth level, even his pet, the Black Dragon cub, wouldnt necessarily view a fifteenth-level elite boss highly. If the Abyssal Demon really dared to appear in front of him, Song Jian would undoubtedly make it wish for death. After all, he was still suffering from the Abyss Curse, which reduced his luck by three points. The Abyssal Demon is currently extremely weak, and therefore its capabilities have dropped dramatically. Once it breaks free from the seals restraint, it will quickly recover its strength. Even if it only regains a little bit of its power, reaching the first order of Demon Lord, it will definitely seek revenge. The priestess said with a smile. First Order Demon Lord? Song Jian felt a sinking feeling in his heart upon hearing the term. It didnt sound like a good sign. Yes, typically at the thirtieth level, one can challenge those with the first order strength, and once successful, they undergo a substantial change in power, the priestess explained. Just like you? You now also possess first order strength, right? Song Jian suddenly asked. When the priestess made her debut, she was able to eliminate hundreds of monsters that possessed the bloodline of the demon with a single blow. Such fearsome power left a deep impression on Song Jian. Yes, I already possess first order strength! said the priestess candidly. Well then, what do you need me to do this time? Song Jian sounded a little helpless. Even if he had an additional months time, he wouldnt be able to level up to the thirtieth level. His only hope now was the priestess standing in front of him. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Cecilia Roland. Im a first order Dawn Priestess. You can refer to me as Priest Roland, or simply as Cecil. The priestess smiled, curtseying to Song Jian as she said this. Nice to meet you, Im Song Jian. He nodded slightly in return. Alright then, lets get down to business. Priestess Cecilia smiled and said, To break the seal of the Abyssal Demon, the Book of the Abyss must be used. The minions of the Abyssal Demon will surely do everything in their power to acquire the Book of the Abyss. You must stop them! The Book of the Abyss? What is that? Where can I find it? Song Jian frowned and asked. The Book of the Abyss is hidden within the Blood Demon Cave. You must get there first and secure the Book of the Abyss. As long as you can bring the Book of the Abyss to me, I will be able to use it to completely kill the Abyssal Demon, preventing it from ever regenerating! Priestess Cecilia said softly. But I dont even know where the Blood Demon Cave is! Song Jian was a bit frustrated. He was certain that there was no such place as the Blood Demon Cave within Doomsday City. As expected, Priestess Cecilia said, The Blood Demon Cave isnt in this abandoned city. To get there, you must first go to the Silver Moon Commerce. Find someone who manages the place and they will arrange for you to enter the Blood Demon Cave. Silver Moon Commerce, manager? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, muttering to himself, This sounds strangely familiar, it cant be Annie, can it? I wish I could help you, but as you know, with my current ability, I cannot leave this city. Song Jian shrugged and stated. Outside Doomsday City, layers of thick black fog prevent those within from leaving. As soon as Song Jian gets close to the black fog on the outskirts of the city, he feels a shudder through his body, indicating there must be something threatening his life within the fog. According to the NPC, there were indeed monsters hidden within the black fog outside Doomsday City, blocking anyone who wanted to leave. To leave the city, a Transmission Array is required. However, even in other cities, the construction of the Transmission Array would be a strategic project, and the materials needed for its construction were singulated items that couldnt be purchased even if one wanted to. Therefore, Song Jian currently doesnt have the ability to leave this city. I can help to open a teleportation gate for you to leave here. After youve completed the task, you will naturally be able to return here easily. Priestess Cecilia said with a smile. Lastly, one last question. Song Jian raised a finger and asked, Whatre the benefits for me if I accomplish this task? Isnt keeping your life the biggest benefit? Priestess Cecilias expression darkened a little and she answered in displeasure. Well, in reality, I dont have a pressing need to kill the Abyssal Demon. As you know, our divine followers can rapidly improve our strength. Maybe by the time the Abyssal Demon finds me, I will already have the power to protect myself. said Song Jian with a relaxed expression. Indeed, greed is mankinds greatest sin! Cecilia looked at Song Jian with a serious face and said, You divine followers will surely be destroyed by your own greed! Song Jian shrugged and stayed silent, just looking at the priestess. Finally, the priestess opened her mouth and said, Alright, if you can complete this task, then I will teach you a skill of the Dawn Knights. A skill of the Dawn Knights? A look of joy appeared on Song Jians face. Sacred Parry is a skill of the Dawn Knights, which is Song Jians lifesaver. It can even resist and counter a bosses special move. Gaining another skill of the Dawn Knights would definitely elevate Song Jians power significantly. Great, just ensure that I can use the skill you are teaching! Song Jian suddenly spoke, a light bulb going off in his head. After all, knights abilities could not necessarily be used by Sword Controllers. For example, skills involving a shields use, given to Song Jian, he will not be able to use them. Of course, its one you will be able to use. Its a sword technique. You could take an early look. Priestess Cecilia generously showed the technique to Song Jian. Now that shed made her decision, Cecilia was not going to be stingy. She told Song Jian, If you agree, I can give you the technique in advance. Light Strike? The power of this technique is amazing! Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. He nodded his head repeatedly, I accept the task. Ill handle it and ensure it will be completed successfully. System: Player accepts the first part of the Serial Quest, Delivering a Letter; Quest content: On behalf of priestess Cecilia, deliver the letter to Annie, the Manager of Silver Moon Commerce; Quest Reward: too points increase in intimacy with Priestess Cecilia; System: Priestess Cecilia has taught you the sword technique Light Strike., you have fully mastered the technique, and the current level of the technique is one. Chapter 359 - Chapter 359: Chapter 359: City of Hymns Chapter 359: Chapter 359: City of Hymns Translator: 549690339 Light Strike, Level 1, Skill Effect: Performs a Holy attribute attack on targets within to meters range, dealing (500 + 150% * self damage) Holy damage and an additional 200% damage to Shadow attribute creatures. The skill is instant and has a cooldown of 5 minutes; Skill consumption: 10 Spirit Points, equipment requirement: Sword-type weapon. Light Strike is a simple and powerful skill that deals high damage within a 10-meter range, which is already considered a semi-long-range attack. With Song Jians current damage, a single attack can deal more than 650 points of damage an amount that none of his other skills, even if all his Sword Silk attacks were concentrated on a single target, could reach. Furthermore, if the target is a creature with the Shadow attribute, such as the Abyssal Demons encountered before, then the damage dealt would exceed 1,200 points. Even ordinary Shadow attribute creatures could be killed in one hit, making Light Strike a very straightforward skill. The only drawback is its 5-minute cooldown time, making it slow to increase proficiency. However, Song Jian wouldnt consider these drawbacks right now, as he hasnt truly obtained the skill. He must complete the mission before he can officially acquire Light Strike. After receiving the Light Strike skill, Song Jian became enthusiastic about the task. The priest, Cecilia, didnt find this weird, as in her impression, the Gods chosen ones were always chasing benefits. Take this letter and find Annie from Silver Moon Commerce. She has a way to get you into the Blood Demon Cave. Once youre there, you must be careful If you die inside the cave, your body will be parasitized by the demonic creatures inside, and your soul will be trapped there forever! Cecilia Priest handed Song Jian a letter with a serious expression. Song Jian nodded, sensing that the mission might not be as easy as he thought. After taking the letter, he placed it into his inventory. Cecilia Priest began chanting spells as her golden Codex flipped through its pages without wind. Once it stopped, a golden glowing Teleportation Gate appeared in front of Song Jian. You only have thirty seconds to enter the Teleportation Gate. Hurry up; this type of Space-Breaking Array consumes a lot of my energy! Cecilia Priests face showed a hint of exhaustion. Song Jian didnt hesitate and stepped into the Teleportation Gate, disappearing from sight. After Song Jian vanished, the Teleportation Gate disintegrated. Cecilia Priest looked at the traces of the Gate left on the floor and sighed deeply. A severe dizziness forced Song Jian to close his eyes, feeling as if he were falling into a bottomless abyss. Even the furious roars and howls of monsters reached his ears, making him tremble with fear unsure whether it was an illusion or reality. Soon, Song Jian felt solid ground under his feet. As he stumbled forward and opened his eyes, he found himself already in a new city, standing right in front of the citys central Transmission Array. A short Goblin waved its arms and shouted at Song Jian, Dont stand in front of the Transmission Array! Hurry up and leave the area marked by the yellow line! Song Jian looked down and saw an obvious yellow circle with a diameter of about three meters surrounding the Transmission Array. With a faint smile, Song Jian stepped away from the Transmission Array. The Goblin guarding the Array muttered under his breath, Country bumpkin! as it shifted its attention elsewhere. System: You have discovered a new city, City of Hymns (Level 4), and gained 3000 experience points. City of Hymns? Sounds similar to the City of Holy Light! thought Song Jian. The architecture of the city resembled medieval European style, and so did the peoples clothing. He occasionally saw mercenaries clad in armor and wielding weapons passing by him. There are players here too? Song Jian, in disbelief, saw three players with obvious foreign features coming out of a tavern, loudly discussing a concert by a celebrity from the real world. The surrounding people seemed indifferent to their loud chatter, quickly avoiding them. It seems there are more players in this game than I thought, Song Jian felt a heavy weight on his chest. Such a large number of people entering the game and gaining extraordinary powers would definitely impact the real world. Song Jian initially thought this impact would be limited to Coastal City, but it turned out that it encompassed the entire world. The entire world is beginning to change, Song Jian whispered to himself. Just then, a carriage stopped in front of Song Jian. A man in his fifties or sixties sat in the drivers seat, sat up straight, and politely asked Song Jian, Sir, do you need carriage service? I can take you anywhere in the City of Hymns! Do you know how to get to Silver Moon Commerce? Song Jian asked with a smile. Of course! Silver Moon Commerce is the largest commerce company in the City of Hymns! Their residence is in District C, about five kilometers away. It takes about 20 minutes by carriage. The old man said proudly, I grew up in the City of Hymns, and I know every road here like the back of my hand. I will get you to your destination as quickly as possible. Alright, take me to Silver Moon Commerce. How much does it cost? Song Jian climbed into the carriage. Just three Doomsday Coins, distinguished sir! The old man seemed pleased to have gained a customer, smiling brightly. Let s go, Song Jian nodded and closed the carriage door. The carriage sped along the wide streets. Looking out of the window, Song Jian saw many players rushing through the city. Most were between levels 10 and 15, similar to those in Doomsday City. However, players who entered this city were obviously luckier than those who entered Doomsday City. Here, there were no monsters, and they didnt have to experience the dreadful phase of having their lives on the line when they first entered the game. Twenty minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a shop C the quarters of Silver Moon Commerce. Silver Moon Commerces shop was very luxurious, occupying the best location on the entire street. It had five floors and was one of the tallest buildings in the city. Standing at the entrance of the shop, Song Jian saw many players coming in and out, purchasing large quantities of items. Several attendants stood at the door, welcoming every visitor warmly. As Song Jian walked towards the shop, he unexpectedly received a joyous system notification; System: Congratulations to the Hammer of Thor Alliance for being the first team to clear the hard mode of the Bloody Sewers dungeon. All players in the team receive 10,000 experience points and 500 Doomsday Coins. A hard mode dungeon? Song Jian was shocked, not expecting that the strength of players in this city was still underestimated. They could even clear hard mode dungeons while, in Doomsday City, none of the teams could even clear the normal mode dungeons most accomplished only the easy mode dungeons. 1 have to speed up my progress, Song Jian thought. Chapter 360 - Chapter 360: Chapter 360: Why Didnt You Say So Earlier Chapter 360: Chapter 360: Why Didnt You Say So Earlier Translator: 549690339 | Instances inside the game are divided into four levels of difficulty: simple, ordinary, difficult, and real; And there are level restrictions for entering the instances. If you surpass a certain level, you cannot enter that specific instance. For example, if a player surpasses level 18, they can no longer enter Frost Cave Secret Realm. And when one first starts to conquer an instance, they have to start from the simple difficulty level. Only after successfully clearing it, they can choose the ordinary difficulty level, followed by the difficult one. After conquering the difficult level of the instance, one can enter the real difficulty level. It is said that once you successfully clear the instance at real difficulty level, the instance will no longer reappear. However, Song Jian has not heard of any instance at the real difficulty level being successfully cleared; In Doomsday City, not even a single player has cleared an instance at the difficult level. But as soon as he entered the City of Hymns, Song Jian learned that a player here, who was surprisingly from the Hammer of Thor Alliance, had successfully cleared an instance at the difficult level. Regardless of what level the instance was, being able to successfully clear one at the difficult level speaks volumes about the players strength. This system announcement made the players on the street suddenly excited, with many players even cheering aloud, reveling in the shared glory. This is a good way to enhance the reputation of an alliance! Song Jian thought to himself as he observed the players on the street. Only clearing an instance at the difficult level will give you this kind of system announcement, which is similar to appearing on TV. Simple and ordinary difficulty levels cannot receive this kind of opportunity. All players are unwilling to join a small guild, they all want to join a top-tier large guild. And one of the most important indicators of a guilds strength is the number of instances the guild has cleared. A guild that appears in such a system announcement will undoubtedly leave a deep impression on the players. Hammer of Thor, Ill remember the name of this alliance! Song Jian silently muttered to himself as he headed toward Silver Moon Commerce; He also had plans to create an alliance, but with his current strength, he could only establish a third-tier small alliance at the most. Even though being the first on the level glory list could attract many players to join, true experts dont place much importance on the level glory list. If he wishes to establish a first-rate guild, Song Jian currently doesnt have the wherewithal to accomplish this. There will be such a day! Song Jian glanced at the system announcement and continued his way to Silver Moon Commerce, in the first floor reception hall of Silver Moon Commerce, it was densely packed with people. It was like a mini-market, and all the transactions here targeted professionals. Equipment, weapons, potions, engineering items, magic scrolls and so forth, everything was available here. More than a dozen service personnel were constantly weaving their way through the crowd, guiding customers to the products they required; Shops and auction houses have differences. Auction houses require paying an expensive fee, therefore only scarce or high-value items can appear in the auction house. Shops are much simpler. Loads of players would rather spend a lot of time selecting items in shops than become a big spender in an auction house; -Respected god-chosen one, is there anything you need assistance with? Caisy would be happy to assist you! A decent and beautiful young girl walked up beside Song Jian, gave a slight bow and asked. Im here to see Annie. 1 wonder if shes in the shop? Song Jian asked. The Silver Moon Commerce couldnt possibly have only one manager, so he wasnt sure if Annie would be in this particular shop. However, since the Priest sent him to this city, the odds of Annie being at this shop were high; -May I ask what the reason of your visit to Annie might be? The young girl hesitated and asked in a soft voice. Cecilia Priest sent me, I have a letter to personally deliver to her! Song Jian said. Please wait a moment, I will notify Annie immediately! Caisy walked to a counter and murmured a few words. Very soon, the staff at the counter reported the situation to Annie via a communication crystal. After waiting for a few minutes, Caisy hurried back to Song Jian. I apologize for keeping you waiting. Annie is awaiting you in the conference room on the third floor, you can go right in. Caisy, pointing towards a nearby spiral staircase, said. Thank you very much. Song Jian nodded and headed towards the staircase; On reaching the third floor, Song Jian saw two level 6o warriors, dressed in plate armor, holding big swords, standing still at the stairwell. They looked like two statues, motionless. But Song Jian could feel a heavy oppressive vibe from them. Second-tier warriors! Song Jian looked at the heads of the two warriors and was taken aback; At level 30, after passing the assessment, one can reach the first-tier level. At level 6o, after passing the assessment, one is second-tier? Song Jian thought to himself. Seeing Song Jian ascend the stairs, the two warriors gave him a knightly salute, then led him to a room, opened the heavy wooden door, and gestured for him to enter; In the luxurious, spacious conference room, a woman who looked to be in her thirties, sat at a desk, her gaze piercing as she looked at Song Jian. -Youre the messenger from Cecilia Priest? Annie, with her low pitched voice, seemed a bit stern, completely different from their previous conversation. Yes, this is the letter from Cecilia Priest meant for you. Song Jian pulled out the letter from his package and handed it to Annie. Sit. Annie casually motioned towards a nearby chair, took the letter, and began reading it immediately, paying no mind to Song Jian; System: You have completed the first part of the chain task, intimacy with Cecilia Priest increases by too points; Song Jian didnt pay much attention to the system prompt. Instead, he sat on the chair opposite to Annie and stared at her. He couldnt connect the flirtatious, even seductive, voice he previously heard over the phone with the woman in front of him. It seems women do indeed have multiple faces. Song Jian thought to himself. -Blood Demon Cave? Not just any tom, dick, or harry can enter that place. Has Cecilia lost her mind, letting an 18-level god-chosen one go in there? Annie furrowed her brows, looked up at Song Jian as if she didnt believe him, and muttered to herself. Whats your name? Annie asked sternly, giving Song Jian the impression of an interviewer conducting an examination, sizing him up and down, studying him. My name is Song Jian. 1 think weve spoken over the phone before, and even conducted a transaction, Tai Chi Sword Skill, do you remember it? Song Jian calmly answered, an affable smile on his face. You, you are Annie immediately stood up, her face full of disbelief, This, this Why didnt you say so sooner? Annies voice softened, a wistful expression on her face as she looked at Song Jian, you made my emotions all over the place Chapter 361 - Chapter 361: Chapter 361: The Task Worth One Million Doomsday Coins Chapter 361: Chapter 361: The Task Worth One Million Doomsday Coins Translator: 549690339 | Just moments earlier she had an air of a powerful woman, yet now she had turned into a gently sensitive woman overnight, this allowed Song Jian to gain a deeper understanding of Annies capabilities in managing her responsibilities; How could you accept such a challenging task! Annie furrowed her brows, speaking in a low voice, The Blood Demon Cave is not easily accessible, theres a myriad of creatures inside, utterly dangerous. They are all at a minimum level of 20, elite level of monsters, and it is rumored that there are even stronger Elite Level bosses, even possibly a leader-level Boss. Over a dozen other teams have ventured to conquer it, but none have returned. And the adventurers that have died withincould be well over hundreds already Level 20? It seems like this is a Fourth-Level Secret Realm. Song Jian slightly tilted his brows, shrugged a little and said, Theres not much I could do, do you remember the Heart of the Demon you asked for last time? In order to obtain it, I clashed with a demon from the Abyss. Without the Book of the Abyss, I wouldnt be able to completely kill the demon, and the Book of the Abyss is within the Blood Demon Cave Song Jian said, shrugging lightly. Annie was at a loss of words, evidently, the problem traced back to her initially. After a while, Annie nodded her head and spoke: Alright, if you are determined to enter the Blood Demon Cave, I will do my best to help you. This is a map of City of Hymns and its surrounding areas; consider it a welcome gift. Annie handed over a parchment to Song Jian, after he opened it, he saw that it closely resembled the map of Doomsday City. It marked uncannily all the sites within the City of Hymns, even the secret entrances to some hidden places within the city; However, the scope of this map was much larger than that of Doomsday City, the surrounding locations for hunts, mountains, lakes, even the places where wild Bosses appear, were very clearly marked; This was the most detailed version of City of Hymns map. Most players had a simplified version. To get a map like this one, it would cost at least five thousand Doomsday Coins. Thank you for your help, Ill be taking off now and will try to finish this task as quickly as possible. Song Jian identified the location of the Blood Demon Cave, nodded his head, stored the map in his inventory, and got ready to leave. Ahem, in fact, the reason why Cecilia Priest directed you to me first was not to simply guide you to the location of the Blood Demon Cave, but mostly to amplify your power! Annie immediately stopped Song Jian from leaving and explained. Amplify my power? How would I do that? Song Jian asked curiously. The Silver Moon Commerce has its own armed forces, and amongst them, the finest force is a defense power named Dawns Song. You can employ the warriors of Dawns Song based on your level of intimacy with Silver Moon Commerce. Only with their assistance, you alone could possibly complete this task! Annie spoke softly: The existence of Dawns Song is itself a secret within the Silver Moon Commerce, with only a few managers aware of it. Fortunately, I happen to be one of them. Dawns Song? Does it have anything to do with Cecilia, the Dawn Officer? Song Jian wondered internally, but these didnt concern him whatsoever. How can I hire warriors from Dawns Song? You have three days to increase your intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce. If you reach Friendly, you can employ a level 15 elite from Dawns Song. Should you reach Respected, you can employ a level 20 elite. If you reach Revered, you can employ two level 25 elites. If you reach Exalted, you can hire three level 25 elites! So my current relationship with Silver Moon Commerce is Song Jian checked his system profile and noticed that even though he was a VIP member of Silver Moon Commerce, his relationship with them was at Neutral, however it was near to Friendly. Now, I cant even hire a level 15 elite warrior. Song Jian said with a slight frown. If there is an option to hire warriors from Dawns Song within the mission, then it would definitely help with the mission. Song Jian must try his best to gain the aid of Silver Moon Commerce. Otherwise, he would be risking his life by entering the Fourth-level Secret Realm all alone. So what am I supposed to do now? Is there any way to quickly increase my intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce? Song Jian asked. You have three days. There are many ways to increase your intimacy level, such as trading with Silver Moon Commerce, completing the tasks theyve given, manufacturing goods to sell at Silver Moon Commerce, and so on! Annie squinted, with a huge smile on her face: However, these generic methods only improve intimacy little by little. In three days, you may reach Respected at most. Its almost impossible to get Revered or Exalted! If its just Respected, I could only hire a level 20 elite from Dawns Song. Within a territory where the lowest monster level is 20, the help you could provide is quite limited. Is that so Song Jian furrowed his brows, contemplating in his mind whether he could clear the Blood Demon Cave instance with a level 15 Black Dragon Hatchling and a level 20 Elite Level Mercenary by his side. Of course, you can also hire professionals to safeguard you into the Blood Demon Cave, but Im sure youre aware, the Blood Demon Cave is considered forbidden territory within the City of Hymns. For now, Im afraid no team would be willing to accept your hiring mission. Annie glanced at Song Jian, sporting a cheerful look on her face. Do you have a way to quickly increase my intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce? All of a sudden, Song Jian asked Annie look. Keke, I knew you couldnt truck me! Annie giggled, giving Song Jian a flirtatious glance Considering our relationship, I naturally want to help you to the best of my ability. I do happen to have a task that can quickly increase your intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce in a short period of time. Are you interested? What task? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, asking curiously. I have in my hands a first level business, but its on the verge of bankruptcy because of mismanagement. If you manage to resurrect this business within three days and achieve a turnover of one million Doomsday Coins, your affinity level with Silver Moon Commerce would definitely reach Exalted level! Annie stared at Song Jian, a strange sparkle in her eyes, with a look full of expectations on her face. Three days, one million? Song Jian stupefied, said, How is that possible? Are you kidding me? This is the only way you can quickly improve your intimacy level. If you refuse, then it would mean you only rely on accomplishing tasks given by Silver Moon Commerce! Annie pouted, with a look of helplessness on her face. Where does the goods for sale in the shop come from? Song Jian hesitated for a long time before abruptly asking. Regular items will be supplied by Central Goods Supply, youll only get commission. Although, since its part of the task, your commission will be converted into intimacy points. If they are your handcrafted items, well provide you with unlimited raw materials, but the price needs to be split 80/20, we get 80, you get 20. Of course, a generous amount of intimacy points will be presented to you as compensation. We can provide as many non-regulated materials as per your needs. What do you say? Annie laid out all the terms in one breath, smiling softly as she looked at Song Jian. I see, I need to consider it. Song Jian lowered his head, silently made some calculations in his mind and very swiftly arrived at a decision: If I get to have the final say on the shops operation, Ill accept this task. Chapter 362 - Chapter 362: Chapter 362: Starfire Shop Chapter 362: Chapter 362: Starfire Shop Translator: 549690339 | Since Im delegating this shop to you, you are now the person in charge. Moreover, if its a success, this shop can even be sold to you at a low price! said Annie, laughing; What! How could that be? Song Jian was surprised. Shops in the game werent easy to acquire at all. Song Jian might have seized a dwarf lords blacksmiths shop in Doomsday City but comparing Doomsday City to the City of Hymns was like apples to oranges. If were talking about value, the most remote property in the City of Hymns is worth at least one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. As for the area where Silver Moon Commerce is located, without millions, or even tens of millions of Doomsday Coins, it cant be purchased. As for Doomsday City, as long as you have the ability, you can claim as much land as you want, and no one cares as long as you can hold it. Moreover, no one would ever want to spend even a single Doomsday Coin to invest in property there because it theres no investment value; Annie presented the location of the shop to Song Jian; even though it was quite a distance from Silver Moon Commerce in area C, it could still be considered a bustling area, worth at least three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. Even if nothing was done in such a shop and it was just leased out, it could still generate a monthly income of at least twenty thousand. If Song Jian owned this property, he would never sell it under any circumstances. As long as you complete the task and cultivate a worship-level intimacy with Silver Moon Commerce, you can transfer this shop to your name for just one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, said Annie with a smile on her face. Song Jian was silent for a moment. Suddenly, a grin appeared on his face, and he said, It seems that the difficulty of this task should be harder than I expected. The task of achieving one million sales volume isnt just due to the products, right? Annie, can you be more specific about whats inside this task? The tasks within the game always follow one principle: the greater the difficulty, the more significant the reward. A sales volume of one million is quite difficult. If the task reward was just reaching a worship-level with Silver Moon Commerce and employing three level twenty elite Dawn Warriors, the task difficulty and the rewards would just about match. But if the reward also added the transfer of a shop at a low price, its clear that the task reward far exceeds the task difficulty. In the City of Hymns, there isnt just one commerce guild. There are more than a dozen large and small, but those who can compete with our Silver Moon Commerce are only the SunFire Commerce from area B. That shop was our attempt to penetrate area B but has been severely suppressed by them! After hesitating for a moment, Annie said, In the past week, the turnover of this shop is Annie looked at Song Jian and showed a helpless expression as she said Zero! What, zero turnover in a week? Not a single item sold? Song Jian was a bit incredulous. What do you think? The power of Sunfire Commerce isnt much less than Silver Moon Commerce. What we have, they also have. They are currently using their resources to suppress us. Even if they have to sell at a loss, selling all the items we have at 10% less than our price, they dont hesitate, and this week alone, they have lost at least fifty thousand Doomsday Coins, Annie said with a helpless look in her eyes. I advocated for this attempt, and if it fails, I will definitely be the scapegoat and might be kicked out of the commerce guilds management team. For now, I can only pin my hopes on you, Annie said, looking at Song Jian with a hopeful expression. You have more confidence in me than I do in myself! Song Jian said somewhat helplessly. I am just one person, but you mentioned Sunfire Commerce. They are a huge power. How can I possibly compete with them? Because you can bring out so many Level 15 silver top-tier equipment! Annie spoke loudly. Even the Sunfire Commerce cant bring out equipment like that to sell. Top-tier equipment is too rare, and the good ones are kept for personal use first. The ones for sale are of lesser quality and attributes. If you can bring out a few more items like that, then a comeback isnt unimaginable So youre after the items in my pocket Song Jian was left speechless. Top-tier equipment has to be dropped by a boss; Song Jian couldn t possibly hunt bosses all day long. Besides, this method is like trying to put out a cart fire with a cup of water. How could it possibly increase the sales volume from zero to one million in three days? Forget it, let me think of a plan, said Song Jian, pondering a bit before nodding in agreement; Does that mean you agree? asked Annie, her face lighting up with excitement. Agreed. System: The player accepts the second part of the serial task, Saving the Failing Shop. Task details: The player becomes the manager of Starfire Shop and must increase the turnover to one million Doomsday Coins within three days. Task reward: achieving a worship-level relationship with Silver Moon Commerce; buying full ownership of the shop for one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins; Very well. As of tomorrow, this Starfire Shop will be attached to your name, Annie nodded, saying, Additionally, Ill send someone to help you. Let her know if you need anything. After Annie finished speaking, she clapped her hands, and a woman with golden hair and green eyes walked in from the entrance. This woman wore a fiery red luxurious dress, translucent at the hem which lay on the bright carpet. Her golden hair curled like waves, her pair of blue eyes as glittering as precious gems and her exquisite face always adorned with a tranquil and charming smile. This is my capable assistant, Vera. Starting from today, she will temporarily be your assistant, helping you manage Starfire Shop. Annie said, Vera, this is Song Jian. From today, you will be his assistant. You have to cooperate with him and do your job well, understand? Yes, manager. I will definitely not let Mr. Song Jian down. Then, Annie turned to Song Jian with a smile, Song Jian, Vera is very familiar with the operations of our commerce guild, and shes smart and competent. If you need anything, just let her do it for you. But remember, dont bully her, okay? System: The player triggers the NPC management system, opening the NPC management interface for the player to manage their subordinates. The NPC management system and follower system belong to two completely separate systems. The NPC management system is more focused on business development, whereas the follower system is more focused on combat; Song Jian nodded and opened the NPC management interface directly. In the interface, both the attributes of the Starfire Shop and Veras attributes appeared; Starfire Shop is just a Level one shop, where only nine different products can be displayed. In the shop, simple level 5 and level 10 white-quality equipment was displayed, making the place look shabby. Also, the shop funds were only an abysmal one hundred and ten Doomsday Coins; After briefly understanding the Starfire Shop, Song Jian then turned his attention to Veras attribute interface; Chapter 363 - Chapter 363: Chapter 363: Making New Products Chapter 363: Chapter 363: Making New Products Translator: 549690339 Vera (Song Jians Business Assistant), Gender: Female, Level: 20; Age: 19, Loyalty: 60/100, Charm: 91/100, Physique: 73/100, Wisdom: 98/100, Vitality Points: 3200/3200 This business assistant Vera has attributes with 100 as the maximum value, Charm 91 and Wisdom 98, which are already extremely high. It must have taken a lot of determination for Annie, the manager, to let Vera become her own assistant. This is also because the completion of Song Jians task is closely related to her otherwise it would be impossible to arrange Vera to help Song Jian. After accepting the mission, Song Jian, along with Vera, quickly appeared in front of the Starfire Shop. This shop only has one floor but covers a very wide area. After all, it is a bridgehead of Silver Moon Commerce. If it were too shabby, it would be embarrassing. For Silver Moon Commerce, this is just an attempt. Even if they fail, it will not hurt their foundation. However, for Annie, the manager, this is an extremely important strategic layout in business. If she fails, she might not even be able to keep her position as manager. At this moment, the door of Starfire Shop is wide open, and there is no one coming in or out. There is not even a single service staff member in the shop. Vera, why is there not even one service staff member? No matter how bad the business is, it cant be like this! Song Jian frowned and said. I think, maybe Silver Moon Commerce is going to give up on this place. Vera said somewhat helplessly: This is Area B, the stronghold of Sunnyfire Shop. If I were the manager of Sunnyfire Shop, I would also do everything I could to make this shop fail. Lord Song Jian, I believe you have accepted an impossible mission! Vera looked at Song Jian and whispered. Just then, a frivolous whistle came from across the street. A mans voice sounded behind Song Jian: Haha, let me see, isnt this Miss Vera? Why would you appear here? Let me guess, are you planning to close down this shop? Song Jian turned around and saw that there was actually a shop across the street, and it was a second-level shop. A well-dressed man was standing at the entrance, looking mockingly at Song Jian and Vera. Thats a Sunnyfire Shop, and that man is called Kagura C the manager of the shop. This shop was opened the day after Starfire Shop first appeared, with the sole purpose of crushing Starfire! Vera whispered in Song Jians ear. Vera, are you interested in helping me out? Annie is about to go under, so following her will not do you any good. Kagura laughed and looked at Vera with greedy eyes. Vera, it looks like youll be the manager of Starfire Shop for a while. Song Jian glanced at Kagura and didnt take him seriously. He pulled out some equipment from his inventory and handed it to Vera: Put these equipment up for sale first, Ill figure out howto get more items to sell in the future. A silver top-quality shield? Vera covered her mouth, her face showing an amazed expression. The equipment that Song Jian took out were obtained in the Frost Cave. Among them, the Frost Shield was a superior silver shield, and other equipment were level 15 blue- and green-quality. These items were almost impossible to find on the market, but Song Jian had no problem using them to bolster the reputation of Starfire Shop. Alright, master! Veras face was full of delight as she accepted the items and turned towards the shop. Kaguras face became ugly, staring at Song Jian for a moment, and snorted: Hmph, a desperate struggle! Starfire was about to be given up by Silver Moon Commerce. In this commercial battle, Kagura could be said to have already secured victory. But now, the other party seemed to be unwilling to admit defeat. Just relying on a few top-quality gears to turn the situation around is wishful thinking. Lets see what you can sell after you sell these! Kaguras face was gloomy as he turned and entered the shop. Song Jian glanced at the Sunnyfire Shop opposite and calmly walked into Starfire Shop. Vera, is there a forging room in this shop? Song Jian asked. Yes, there were originally three forging rooms in the shop, and three Forging Masters were employed. But now, they have all been transferred away by the headquarters. Vera said. Can you change one of them into an engineering manufacturing room? Song Jian asked. Of course. Do you want to? Vera looked at Song Jian somewhat surprised, guessing his true identity: Could Lord Song Jian also be an Engineering Manufacturing Master? Upon hearing this, Song Jian felt a cold sweat and quickly waved his hand: No, my engineering manufacturing skill is only level 3, nothing near a master. When Vera heard that Song Jians engineering manufacturing skill was only level 3, her hopes suddenly vanished. But she still followed Song Jians instructions and converted one of the forging rooms into an engineering manufacturing room. Send this list to Annie and have her send over as much as she can! Song Jian handed Vera a list and said. This was a list of materials for making T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenades and Self-destructing Robots. For Song Jian, collecting these materials would be troublesome, but for Silver Moon Commerce, it would be effortless; Alright. Vera took the list and glanced at it, frowning. As an assistant to a commerce manager, Vera had seen many material lists. Just by looking at the list, she could usually guess the final product with great accuracy. However, after looking at over a dozen materials on this list, Vera couldnt guess what item was being made. She could only be certain that these were indeed materials needed for engineering manufacturing. Veras efficiency was extremely high. In no time, she completed all the tasks Song Jian had given her. Not only did she transform one of the forging rooms into an engineering manufacturing room, she also brought over a large amount of materials on Song Jians list. Alright Vera, you go take care of the front of the shop. Try not to sell those equipment too quickly. Otherwise, we wont have enough to sell! Song Jian smiled. Master, do you want to use those top-quality items to attract customers and then sell the real goods? Veras eyes brightened, and she asked eagerly. Vera, youre really smart. Are you interested in working with me in the future? Song Jian smiled. Master Veras cheeks flushed slightly, she glanced at Song Jian and lowered her head. Haha, alright Vera, lets focus on our current task first. If we cant complete Annie s task, everything we talk about now is meaningless, Song Jian laughed, towards the front of the shop. Lets get started. These two items should be quite popular! Song Jian stretched his arm and murmured to himself. Chapter 364 - Chapter 364: Chapter 364 Attracting Customers Chapter 364: Chapter 364 Attracting Customers Translator: 549690339 | Vera placed the Frost Shield in the most eye-catching position in the store, so even as you walked by the stores entrance, you could easily see the shield, radiating an intense silver glow and filled with an icy aura; This move made Kagura, who had been paying close attention to Starfire Store, even more sullen. Struggling before death. Thats all there is to it. That shield is probably Annies private collection. Being willing to sell it shows a lot of guts, but it will all be in vain. Kagura sneered disdainfully. Attracting customers with high-grade equipment can only work occasionally and cant be employed for the stores long-term development. If theres no stable supply of goods, customers will quickly scatter again; Instruct them to sell all the products in the store at a 20% discount! Kagura ordered a server. 20% off? Sir, we are already selling at a loss. If we give a 20% discount again the server expressed in surprise. Stop stalling. Do as youre told! Angered, Kagura kicked at the server. Yes, yes, Ill change the prices immediately! The server scurried off to amend the prices. A cruel smile crossed Kagurs face: You want to compete with me? Even if I have to spend 10,000 Doomsday Coins a day, I wont hesitate to kick you out of Area B completely! As the flagship set up by the Sunfire Commerce to challenge his adversaries, Kagura would not tolerate even the slightest mistake. Winning on his own territory is not worth showing off. The key is to win impressively, so as to leave a good impression on the heavyweights of his Commerce and make them remember his name. City of Hymns Inn Some players who had just logged in left their rooms and replenished their hunger and thirst in the lobby while exchanging some intel. Logging off in the inn is not only safe, but it also allows for quick recovery of Spirit Points. Therefore, players born in the City of Hymns treat the inn as a base. Smaller transactions can even be completed in the inn, making the lobby always bustling. Hey, have you heard? Starfire Store is about to go under; even their servers have runout! Silver Moon Commerce must have lost a lot this time, right? I dont know what they are thinking. Instead of opening shop in a safe C zone, they had to open a branch in B zone. Do you think Sunfire Commerce would let them get away with it? They might not be at a big loss. On the contrary, Sunfire Commerce might be at a bigger loss. These days, they have been selling at a loss. Honestly, Im thinking of stocking up some goods when the two Commerces cut the prices. Such bargain is hard to come by. Yeah, I dont care whether its Silver Moon or Sunfire Commerce. Ill buy from the one selling cheaper. When the two fight, players like us are the final winners! Yeah, my monster-hunting cost has dropped quite a bit recently, thanks to them. I hope they can keep on fighting Just then, a player rushed inside from the entrance, Latest news! Sunfire Commerce is selling everything at a 20% discount! Hurry up, lets go get them! What, 20% off? Theyre going too far! Its not too far. Its Sunfire Commerces final blow. They want to completely crush their opponent. Lets go. Its now or never. The outcome will soon be decided. Suddenly, players in the tavern started calling together their friends, all rushing towards Sunfires shop. The threshold of Sunfire Commerce was almost trampled by the rush. Yay, they truly are giving a 20% discount, fantastic! Haha, I hope the offer is unlimited! Ill take five bottles of the potion to restore Mental Strength! Medicine, give me ten bottles of healing potions! Ill take this Level 10 white-grade equipment. I liked it earlier and wanted to buy it yesterday; I didnt expect to save fifty Doomsday Coins by hesitating. Nice, very nice! Kagura watched as the customers crowded in. His face did not show the slightest joy but appeared somewhat awkward. Already selling at a loss, to then discount by another 20%, seemed as though he was practically giving away the shirt on his back, losing more than the cost of the materials. As long as it causes my opponent to go bankrupt, the losses now are worthwhile! Kagura cast a sullen glance at Starfire Store across the street, muttering to himself. Just then, a player standing at the entrance yelled in surprise: Look at the store opposite, whats that thing? Its a silver-grade shield! What did you say, a silver-grade shield? How is that possible? A Shield Warrior exclaimed in surprise. The reaction silenced the patrons in the store momentarily; Lookfor yourself! Isnt that the silver-grade shield? Oh my God, its a high-grade item, with such good attributes, and even a passive skill! Lets go, we must take a look. I must secure this shield! This Shield Warrior immediately put down the item he had just picked up and headed towards Starfire Store. Lets go, lets go take a look at the high-grade equipment! Starfire Store has truly invested a lot. They are even willing to put up such a high-grade shield! Oh my God, there are also Level 15 blue-grade equipment, and with decent attributes! This Level 10 blue gauntlet is exactly what I need. How much is it, why is there no price listed! Frost Shield, a Level 15 silver high-grade shield, its perfect. Our Glory Alliance lacks a high-grade shield; with it, we can start exploring the Subterranean Cavern. This shield is ours, everyone else stop competing! Vera had just put up the items for sale and was about to set the prices, but she saw a large swarm of players rushing towards them. She quickly increased the original price by 30%. All of these items were provided by Song Jian and the most of the Doomsday Coins they earned from the sale would go to him. The store could only earn a little bit from consignment fees. However, the sales volume was calculated based on the total price of all the items; Soon, prices were attached to all the items just placed in the store; What, 100,000 Doomsday Coins, thats way too expensive! Seeing the price of 100,000 Doomsday Coins under the silvery glowing shield, all the players gasped. This Level 10 blue equipment actually costs 5,000 Doomsday Coins. Its too expensive! Can you give a discount? Poor ones, you want top-tier equipment without money to buy, 5,000 Doomsday Coins, Ill take it! The news that Starfire Store was beginning to sell a large number of high-grade equipment soon reached all the player alliances in the City of Hymns. Nearly all the alliances started furiously raising fund to try and secure all this equipment after receiving this news, especially the silver-grade Frost Shield. Chapter 365 - Chapter 365: Chapter 365 Bidding Chapter 365: Chapter 365 Bidding Translator: 549690339 | Starfire Shop was seeing a surge in crowd, attracting more and more players. Kagura, who was keeping a close eye on the activity from across the road, was green with envy. However, he knew that all of this was just like adding fuel to the fire, and that once all the equipment sold out and Starfire Shop could not restock, no matter how high the shop was currently held, it would fall just as hard. Humph, why dont you continue supplying epic-quality silver equipment? I dont believe the Silver Moon Commerce would strongly support you like this! Kagura spoke through gritted teeth. This time, because the Silver Moon Commerce was invading the Sunfire Commerce territory, the help given by the Sunfire Commerce was substantial. They had early on formed a consensus that they could not let Silver Moon Commerce step a foot in Zone B under any circumstance. However, within the Silver Moon Commerce, there was considerable controversy over Annies management and her actions werent supported all that much. The main support relied solely on Annies personal influence and connections. This was also the reason why the sales in Starfire Shop had been zero for more than a week. The senior executives of the Silver Moon Commerce were generally ambivalent about their operation, adopting a win-or-lose, it- doesnt-matter attitude. Within half a day, most of the other equipment in the shop were sold out. Even if their prices inflated by 30%, these players were still fervently grabbing at mainstream green and blue equipment with good attributes. Almost everyones gaze was now fixated upon the silver-quality Frost Shield; A hundred thousand! Thats crazy! I can buy a gold-grade equipment with that amount of money! Someone murmured. Exactly. Fifty thousand, the Blizzard Alliance is willing to offer fifty thousand Doomsday Coins for this shield. So, what do you say? Will it sell or not? You want to buy this epic shield with fifty thousand? Hehe, the Firefox Alliance offers sixty thousand Doomsday Coins! The leaders of many alliances in the City of Hymns rushed to Starfire Shop after hearing about the shield. Each leaving them drooling after seeing the attributes of the shield. But the cost of one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins was just too much. To spend that much on this one shield could affect the development of their alliances, leaving them bankrupt. The price of the shield finally stopped rising after it reached between sixty and sixty-five thousand. But Vera didnt budge. She pulled out an abacus and began to calculate todays sales; Five thousand three, plus two thousand eight, plus four thousand one Vera was calculating the price of the sold items, and was surprised to find that in just half a day, the sales had reached close to one hundred thousand. If this silver- quality epic shield sold, then it would be two hundred thousand in total revenue achieved. This meant that one-fifth of the task would already be completed, all within half a day! Thinking about this, a satisfied smile surfaced on Veras face. Just as players were discussing and hoping for Starfire Shop to lower the price, a rush of hooves was suddenly heard outside the shop. At this moment, a middle-aged man, dressed as a butler, jumped down from a horse and hurried into the Starfire Shop. Upon seeing the shield displayed, he let out a sigh of relief; Hey, its Butler Henry from the Violet Family, what is he doing here? Could it be that these NPCs also heard about the top-quality silver shield? The onlookers were taken aback upon seeing Butler Henry. The Violet Family, who told them? Theyre picking a fight with all the players! Damn it, with the NPCs stepping in, we cant get this shield. Why do good items always end up being snatched by them? Its so infuriating! Theres no way around it; theyre rich and powerful. Theyre more extravagant than we are, pity such an epic shield! Seeing Henry walk in, almost all of players looks became grim. In the City of Hymns, this was not the first time, and certainly would not be the last, that NPCs outbid players. Compared to NPCs, who had been in the game for decades or even hundreds of years, the players who had just begun exploring the game were unable to compete in terms of financial or actual strength. Once a desirable item appeared, there was hardly any chance of it ending up in a players pocket if these NPCs set their eyes on it. Is the steward here? Steward? Henry strode in and called out. Vera lifted her head to look at Henry and quickly moved forward to curtsy, Oh, isnt this Lord Henry from the Violet Family? What brings you to our humble shop? Gosh, because of this epic shield! When my young master heard that there was an epic silver shield for sale here, he immediately instructed me to rush over and buy it at all costs. As you know, my young master will be coming of age in a few months. Hes been chosen as the reserve knight by the Dawn Church, but hes lacking a suitable shield! Oh, is that so? If we had known, we would have sent the shield to your residence first for your young master to examine. We apologize for the oversight. However, as this item belongs to a consignor and is not the Silver Moon Commerces own property, we cannot provide any discounts. What should we Vera said, with a troubled expression. What discount? Just being able to buy it is good enough! Hurry up and wrap it up for me, so I can take it back! Henry pulled out several gold tickets from his robe, handed them over, and said, Here are gold tickets worth a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, count them. Vera was about to accept the tickets with a smile, but suddenly felt a slap aimed at her wrist. She retracted her hand reflexively and raised her eyebrows in anger. Ahem, the one who offers the highest price gets the item. Henry, are you trying to break the rules? An old man, who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, walked into the shop slowly, leaning on a cane; Tulip Viscount, Butler Henry of the Violet Family sends you his greetings and wishes you good health and longevity! Upon seeing the old man, Henrys face darkened. But he still respectfully bowed towards the old man; Fine, Henry. This shield, the Tulip family would like to have it. Im willing to pay one hundred and ten thousand Doomsday Coins! I believe that Silver Moon Commerce would not reject a higher price, am I right? The random gaze aimed towards Henry clashed with his eyes for a moment. Viscount Tulip turned to Vera with an edge of arrogance on his face and continued; This is really putting me in a difficult position Vera showed a troubled expression and looked at Henry. Feeling shocked internally, Vera originally marked this shield with a price that was almost impossible to sell, aiming to attract more peoples attention, but unexpectedly, she seemed to have underestimated the potential price of this shield. Apologies, Tulip Viscount, but our young master has said that he must have this shield! Henry, stark white and trembling slightly under Viscounts gaze, replied hesitantly, Im willing to pay one hundred and twenty thousand Doomsday Coins to purchase this shield! Wow~ The onlooking players gasped. This price was far beyond that of a silver quality shield! Chapter 366 - Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Best-selling Products Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Best-selling Products Translator: 549690339 120,000 Doomsday Coins! This is 120,000 Doomsday Coins! Even at an auction house, a Frost Shield might not be able to fetch such a high price! Kagura stood across the street and almost fell to the ground when he heard Henry s shout of 120,000 Doomsday Coins. His envious eyes were filled with bloodshot veins. How could it be so valuable? Where did Annie get this shield from? Does she have a secret elite team that specializes in hunting down Bosses? Kaguras face was gloomy as water, while the corners of his mouth couldnt stop twitching, and thoughts kept popping up in his mind. 120,000 Doomsday Coins; it seems that the Violet Familys recent foreign trade business is booming. They can casually take out 120,000 Doomsday Coms. Tulip Viscounts face looked a bit unpleasant, but he didnt care and just coldly snorted, 130,000 Doomsday Coins! Henry, the butler, immediately let out a sigh of relief. Competing with a Viscount for an item was too difficult for him. But the young master of the Violet Family had given him a bottom line C if it exceeded 12,0000 Doomsday Coins, he would give up! I apologize for my offense, your honorable Tulip Viscount. Im just a mere servant; how dare I compete with you for this item? Now, its yours! Henry, the butler, said humbly. Tulip Viscount was startled, then looked at Vera. He even suspected that Henry and Vera were teaming up to artificially raise the price. However, after thinking about it, these two people wouldnt be able to pull off such a big scam, daring to deceive a Viscount! Thinking for a while, Tulip Viscount seemed to understand. On his wrinkled old face, a hint of a smile appeared. Shaking his head, he didnt bother saying anything to Henry and just waved his hand at him. Henry, the butler, who was sweating profusely, gave a humble bow and left the shop. Tulip Viscount coughed, took out a few gold tickets from his pocket with his white-gloved right hand, and handed them to Vera. Your honorable Viscount, do you need me to wrap it up for you? Vera asked respectfully. With her current status, she couldnt afford to offend a Viscount. No need! Tulip Viscount waved his hand, even changing his cane to his right hand, and grabbed the shield with his left hand. The moment he equipped the shield, a hint of brilliance appeared on Tulip Viscounts face, and he suddenly exuded an aura. It seemed that when he was young, he had been a powerful professional. Its just unclear if he had reached the first-tier strength. Good, good. If I had such a shield back then, thensigh! Tulip Viscount muttered to himself, shook his head in the end, and let out a heavy sigh. Without saying a word, Tulip Viscount turned around and left Starfire Shop, climbed into a luxurious carriage. With the excitement over, the players immediately surrounded Vera. Manager, bring out more good equipment like this! Yeah, how many of this kind of equipment do you have? We want them all! There cant be just a few, right? Yeah, yeah, bring them out quickly! Vera suddenly felt flustered. All the equipment had been sold, but Song Jian still hadnt appeared. She didnt know what to do for a moment! Seeing the players surrounding Vera, Kagura, who had an insidious face, finally revealed a smile. He had waited so long just to see this scene. He was sure that the items just now were Annies desperate struggle. Once the equipment was sold out, Starfire Shop would return to its previous state of near-collapse. Let the commotion be bigger, the bigger, the better. When this reaches the ears of the Silver Moon Commerces president, Annie, your position as manager might not be so stable! Kagura said with a gloomy smile and muttered to himself. At this moment, a tired-looking Song Jian appeared in the shop. He saw a large group of people surrounding Vera, and all the equipment in the store had been sold out. Song Jian couldnt help but reveal a surprised expression. It seems that this shop has a good location! Song Jian muttered to himself. Soon, he placed the T-11 High-explosive Grenades and Self-destructing Robot 2 on the shops selling section. At the same time, he also placed Fire Lizard Medicine, Weakness Potion, and Primary Ice Resistance Potion up for sale. Throughout the morning, Song Jian made a large number of high-explosive grenades and Self-destructing Robots. His Craftsmanship skill had also been raised to Level 5 from making so many items. Afterwards, making more high- explosive grenades and Self-destructing Robots would no longer increase his Craftsmanship experience. Then, he began making potions. With the portable Alchemy Workstation, the quality of the potions Song Jian made was excellent, with the effects increasing by at least 15%. In this way, his Alchemy level also increased to Level 5. If it werent the case that making potions wouldnt increase his Alchemy experience any longer, he might not have even left the Alchemy room. Hey, new items popped up in the shop, take a look! a player shouted. Everyone was stunned and looked at the newly placed items. Fog Grass, High-explosive Grenade, 300 group damage? Are you kidding me? Thats so brutal! And a Self-destructing Robot, my God! 500 group damage. When the guild wars start, will there be any room for others to survive? Stupid, with these things, its a waste to use them in guild wars. Go find a place with lots of monsters to farm. With such high damage, you can blast a large number of monsters in just a few hits. Wont the experience skyrocket? No, these things must be bought in large quantities. When the time comes, Ill also pile up some levels on the Glory Rankings! Weakness Potion, reduces monsters defense by 35%. Damn, if I had this potion earlier, that Boss would never have escaped from me! There are also Fire Attribute Potions and Ice Resistance Potions. Hehe, now I can finally clear the Lava Cave dungeon! Seeing the new items, the players stopped crowding around Vera and began to buy potions, some three bottles, some five bottles. As for those high-explosive grenades and Self-destructing Robots, they were all bought up by members of a few war alliances within ten minutes of appearing. Phew, that was close. How could the items I spent half a day making sell out in less than half an hour? Song Jian was dumbfounded. Boss, maybe we should hire some more people to make these items. It seems that theyre selling very well. With these items, completing a million sales isnt impossible! Vera excitedly pulled Song Jians sleeve and hurriedly said. Yes, yes, indeed, we should hire people to do it. Relying on me alone would be exhausting! Song Jian repeatedly nodded. Just then, Song Jian suddenly received a message: System: Starfire Shops turnover has reached 500,000. Youve met the conditions to upgrade to Level 2. Do you want to start the upgrade? Chapter 367 - Chapter 367: Chapter 367 Recruitment Chapter 367: Chapter 367 Recruitment Translator: 549690339 | Fifty thousand commerce volume? Is that really fifty thousand commerce volume? Upon seeing the system prompt, Song Jian revealed a puzzled expression; Vera, what is our business volume for today? Song Jian asked. Two hundred and sixty-three thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins! Vera glanced at the sales volume and answered directly; But why does the system prompt me that the turnover has reached fifty thousand and the store can be upgraded to level 2? Song Jian asked strangely. In fact, he was able to see the business volume through the system interface, but he was just skeptical about this; That is the total turnover; the cumulative turnover of the Spark store since it was opened! However, thanks to today, we went up by more than twenty thousand! Vera was so excited she was practically jumping for joy: Boss, shall we upgrade to level 2? Yes, of course, by then, we could also transform more Forging rooms and Alchemy-Pharmacy rooms! Wouldnt our chances of completing the tasks improve by so much, Song Jian immediately said. Yes, boss, I was thinking the same thing too, but upgrading the shop requires a lot of Doomsday Coins, and upgrading level 1 to level 2 will require one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! Vera said: We dont have that much money in the Spark Store account! Didnt we sell more than twenty thousand today? Song Jian asked curiously; More than twenty thousand, most of which were equipment sold that you provided. The Spark Store only gets a small consignment fee, and those potions and engineering-made items, according to the share split, we only made less than thirty thousand Doomsday Coins. Moreover, we cant touch this money, we must hand it over to Silver Moon Commerce! Vera replied; You mean to say, more than twenty thousand, its all mine? Song Jian was startled, He only now realized that just the equipment he provided had sold for almost twenty thousand! No worries, use my twenty thousand first, upgrade the shop, the task is the priority! Song Jian hurriedly said. Now his chances of completing the task have increased. Eventually, the store will belong to him, so the upgrade should still go through. He cant delay making money! Soon, a golden light shone in the sky above the Spark Store, and in just a while, the originally single-storey store immediately transformed into a two-storey building. An upgrade! They dared to upgrade their store! How does Annie have the audacity to invest money in this soon-to-be-closed store! Markara was stunned: Impossible! Just then, Vera suddenly placed a sign at the door recruiting forging masters, engineering makers, and alchemy-pharmacy masters! This action thoroughly struck a nerve with Makara! Damn it, theyre getting ahead of themselves, even daring to recruit forging masters, unforgivable, utterly unforgivable! Makara, gasping, immediately turned and entered the shop. He started reporting the situation to the higher- ups of the Solar Fire Commerce via the crystal. Soon, Makara came out with a smile on his face, ordering: Increase the treatment for the forging masters, engineering makers, and alchemy pharmacy masters by 30%. We are also recruiting. Hmph, we must not let any life occupation player step into the gate of the Spark Store! In this business war, Silver Moon Commerce had already recalled their forging masters sent to Annie. If the Spark Store wants to continue recruiting workers, they must recruit independently. Boss, the Solar Fire Commerce across the street has started to compete with us. They have increased life workers treatment by 30%. What should we do? Vera glared at Makara grumpily, angrily finding Song Jian to speak: Shall we also increase the benefits? A price war, Im afraid we wont be able to compete with them! Song Jian said with a slightly furrowed brow; Why be afraid, as long as our turnover increases, we can always just make a little less! Vera said indignantly. No, let me think of another way! Song Jian shook his head. Makara, watching as life occupation players continuously entered the shop to inquire about treatment, the smile on his face becoming brighter and brighter. If you want to grow and strengthen your store, apart from having special commodities, without life profession players backing you, it would be like a castle in the sky, shallow water with no roots. Song Jian came to a forging room, gazing at the blazing furnace, and slowly extended his right hand. At this moment, a black flame appeared in his palm. The moment the black flame appeared, the flames in the furnace were immediately suppressed, shrinking into a ball, flickering on and off, as if it would extinguish at any moment. Song Jian, his forehead covered in sweat, pooled all his focus into the black flame in his palm. After a while, a fingernail cap-sized flame separated from the black fire and, under Song Jians mental control, slowly floated towards the furnace; Boom! The moment this small black flame entered the furnace, a burst of violent flame began to burn, and the temperature in the entire forge room instantly increased by ten degrees or so, even the furnace was glowing red; I succeeded! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Initially, this was just his speculation, after making an attempt, he didnt expect to actually succeed; After the store was upgraded to level 2, the three original forge rooms were converted by Song Jian into one engineering manufacturer, one pharmacy, and one forging master. Now the second floor has added five more rooms; Song Jian separated eight small flames from the Abyssal Flame and placed one in each of the eight rooms. You should know, whether its potion making, engineering manufacturing, or forging, flames are indispensable. With the bonus of third-tier magic flame, regardless of whatever item is manufactured, there is a high chance of mutation. For life occupation players, this is an absolutely deadly attraction; Makara watched as, to date, not a single life occupation player had gone over to apply, and immediately sat back relaxed in his chair; Sir, we have now recruited five junior life occupation workers, plus the three sent by headquarters, we are at full capacity! An employee respectfully said to Makara; Full capacity? You mean, there might be other life occupation workers applying across the street? Makaras brow furrowed immediately. Not at all sir, many junior life occupation workers have already signed contracts with other stores, those few were attracted to us as their contracts expired. If the stores across want to recruit, they can only recruit god-devotees, or mid-level, high-level occupation workers! The employee said with a confident smile. God-devotees, heh! A look of disdain appeared on Makaras face. There are few players in the God-devotees who choose life occupations. The vast majority are part-timers, only choosing one or two life occupations to study in order to save Doomsday Coins. Naturally, they cant compete with NPC life occupation workers; As for mid-level, high-level workers, nurturing such high-profile occupants in a small level 2 store is beneath them; Chapter 368 - Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Rejection Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Rejection Translator: 549690339 | The players of the City of Hymns, having entered the game for a short period of time, mostly had low profession levels, hovering around Level Two or Three. Calling them novices would make them blush. They could aptly be described as simply apprentices for professions. Another belief was that professionals who were not above Level Three could be considered apprentices; The NPCs in the City of Hymns who were real craftsmen had been in their professions for decades. Their experience and position in their fields far exceeded those of the players. Some of them even had apprentices who were qualified to be the players mentors; Those with a profession level under Ten were usually called beginners in their fields. Those who surpassed Level Ten but were under Level Thirty were called intermediate professionals, and those over Level Thirty were called advanced professionals; In the City of Hymns, there were fewer than ten people who held the title of advanced professionals, and they each belonged to different professions. This led to intense competition for even the intermediate-level players among major powers; As for the Favored Ones mentioned by the NPCs, meaning the players, they usually wouldnt hire them because of their low levels. Even if they were also beginners, an NPCs level could be Eight, Nine, or even Ten, while a players might be Two, Three, or potentially even One. The difference was too significant; Soon after the Sunnyfire Shop published its recruitment needs, a few players rushed in to apply; Is your boss here? We came to apply and want to discuss the terms, a strapping man with dark skin said arrogantly to Vera; NPCs look down on players with low profession levels, and innately, the players also look down on the NPCs, regardless of whether they are involved in combat or other professions. This is because players levels rise rapidly, and it is just a matter of time before they overtake the NPCs. Upon seeing Vera, Qin De merely treated her like a regular shop assistant NPC and didnt pay her much mind; Vera was well aware of the players attitudes towards her. She gave a slight smile and said, Sorry, but the boss isnt in the shop now. If theres anything you need to discuss, you can talk to me. With you? Can you make decisions? Qin De was taken aback and looked towards his companions. They were all players who aspired to become professionals. While they all also had combat professions, they usually spent most of their energy practicing their professions. They only go outside the city to kill some low-level creatures for materials when their fatigue for their professions was full and they couldnt gain experience; After all, the City of Hymns was a lot safer than Doomsday City. Even if their combat skills were a bit lacking, they could still survive; The gossip about Sung Jian, the new player owner of the Sunnyfire Shop, had already spread among City of Hymns players. This was the reason why these professional players came to apply as soon as the recruitment notice was posted, otherwise they wouldnt go to any NPC-owned shop to apply. It wasnt that they looked down on NPC-operated shops, but rather they couldnt compete Seeing several professional players walk into the Sunnyfire Shop, a sneer appeared on Makaras face; Humph, to think that Annie wants to turn the tides with these low-level apprentices! It seems she has gone mad! In the eyes of many NPCs, if a professional player was below Level Three, they were considered apprentices who had just touched the trades and were not eligible to be called beginners; We have already won this commercial war! Makara turned to a teenager following behind him and said, Start spreading the word. The Sunnyfire Shop will sell the Level Ten set of equipment called Warriors Song tomorrow. Supplies are limited C first come, first served! Warriors Song was a set of green equipment for Level Ten. Melee professionals who put it on could compete with those wearing blue-quality equipment. As such, it was highly praised. Makara was originally working on it secretly, planning to use it as a trump card at the last minute. Now that he had recruited many forging masters, the production speed had increased a lot. He had already accumulated six sets of Warriors Song; Through internal information from the Sunnyfire Association, Makara knew that the Sunnyfire Shop only had three days left. If the sales did not reach one million in the last three days, they would give up the shop; If I had known earlier, I would have released the equipment set Makara secretly calculated the Sunnyfire Shops previous sales, and instantly felt some pain. However, he had already decided not to give any chance to the Sunnyfire Shop and directly wooed all the customers over; Makara believed that the moment the Warriors Song set is launched, Sunnyfire Shop will definitely have no chance to turn the tables; Thinkingyou can turn the tables with these Favored Ones, Hah! Makara found this thought rather amusing; Inside the Sunnyfire Shop, Qin De and the others were looking at Vera in disbelief, unable to believe their ears; What, you said youre not recruiting beginners in the profession? Is your boss insane? What is he thinking! Qin De exclaimed; You dont even accept beginner NPCs, but you want to recruit intermediate professionals? I didnt hear wrong, did I? His companion also wore a surprised expression; Is this a joke? Sorry, this isnt funny at all. Do you really think that with your Level Two Shop, you can recruit intermediate professionals? Im really sorry, everyone, but these are the rules set by the boss. I really have no choice! There was a faint smile on Veras face that suggested she kept people at a distance; A Level Two shop, where not even beginner NPCs would want to work, brazenly is recruiting intermediate professionals, heh! Lets go, this guy is out of his mind. Lets not bother with him. I originally thought that since were all players, we could help each other out, but you cant take along an idiot! Several professional players walked out of the Sunnyfire Shop cursing and complaining. Makaras eyes lit up, So not even Favored Ones want to work in his shop, huh, hahaha, Annie, what else do you have to fight me with? Vera watched the players leave with a worried look on her face. After Song Jian had fiddled with something in several forging rooms and came out, he simply told Vera to only recruit intermediate-level professional players. He left without leaving any other instructions. Vera didnt even know where Song Jian was now. In a sense, she had already become the acting boss of the Sunnyfire Shop; How could she complete the mission like this? Vera frowned, doubting in her heart; Chapter 369 - Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Engineering Box Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Engineering Box Translator: 549690339 | For players who have learned a life profession, there is a certain limit of life profession fatigue value every day. Using life profession skills will increase fatigue value. Once the limit is reached, the production success rate of life professions will be terrifyingly low, and no experience points will be gained from successful or failed attempts. Creating items after reaching the fatigue-value limit is purely a waste of materials; Song Jians fatigue value had reached its limit. This was his first time reaching the limit. He had always stopped before due to running out of materials. With the unlimited supply of materials in Silver Moon Commerce under Annies management, he finally experienced the limit of fatigue value. The high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots he crafted were sold out, with the Starfire Store returning to its embarrassing state once again with no items for sale. Although people still had expectations of buying self-destructing grenades and robots the next day, it was impossible for Song Jian alone to complete the 1 million sales target within three days. He had to recruit other life profession players. Thats why Song Jian revealed the third-tier magic fire. He believed that with the help of the third-tier magic fire, he would attract high-level life profession players. After doing everything he could, Song Jian became idle. He had done his best, and the outcome was up to fate. Instead of staying in the shop, Song Jian decided to take advantage of the opportunity to explore City of Hymns, his first time outside Doomsday City; City of Hymns was much smaller than Doomsday City, probably around one-tenth the size, but its prosperity was ten thousand times that of Doomsday City! After all, Doomsday City was a destroyed city completely occupied by monsters, where players appeared in the weakest and least monster-populated areas. Even in these areas, player deaths were common occurrences. So comparing Doomsday City to City of Hymns was a boring endeavor. However, players being absorbed into the game and thrown into Doomsday City were like little sparks who might one day turn into small flames, eventually becoming a blazing fire. Maybe Doomsday City would be reborn in that blazing fire. City of Hymns had many NPCs and players, but the players here had lower levels than those in Doomsday City. Most players in Doomsday City were already over level 10 and had become professional players. In City of Hymns, however, professional players were very few in number. Song Jian encountered fewer than ten professional players on his journey; But the NPCs in City of Divinity were all high-levels, and level 30 NPCs with first-tier combat power were everywhere. Song Jian even spotted a few level 60 NPCs with second-tier combat power wearing exquisite armor. There are so many life profession players here! As Song Jian walked along, he couldnt help but marvel at the numerous shops on both sides of the street. There were more than a dozen blacksmith shops and a few engineer shops with items that even Song Jian found fascinating, so he couldnt help but buy some; However, these shops only sold finished products and did not sell blueprint drawings. Otherwise, Song Jian would definitely purchase a lot of blueprints. Hillock Engineering Store grand opening, all items are 20% off today! And a mysterious gift! Engineering boxes, hundreds of them waiting for you to unlock. Inside, you may find rocket boots, heart pacemakers, various blueprints, and more! Interested friends can come into the store to learn more! A goblin shouted loudly on the side of the street, casting his sales pitch. Behind him was a two-storey building with a brand new sign that read Hillock Engineering Store. At a casual glance, Song Jian was stunned by the goblins presence. This unassuming goblin turned out to be a Master Level engineer. Of course, this title was intentionally displayed by the goblin. Moreover, the goblin must be very high-level as all the other attributes could not be viewed bySong Jian besides this intentionally revealed title. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian couldnt resist walking into the store. Seeing Song Jian approaching, Goblin Xi Lockes eyes lit up, and he eagerly welcomed him with a warm smile; Welcome, divine envoy, to the Hillock Engineering Store! We hope you can find satisfying items here! Respected divine envoy, if you spend over 1000 Doomsday Coins in our store, you will have the opportunity to pick an engineering box. Whatever you win from the box will be given to you for free! Inside the engineering boxes are many treasures 1 have crafted, some with immense value, and even rarer engineering blueprints. It all depends on your luck! Xi Locke talked endlessly. Hearing him mention luck, Song Jian couldnt help but laugh; Although cursed by the Abyss Curse, due to the title of Savior, Song Jians luck was far better than the average person. If it were a luck-based box-opening challenge, he would have a greater edge over others. After hearing Xi Lockes words, Song Jian was instantly attracted to the Engineering Boxes and wanted to test his luck. Lets go have a look! Song Jian smiled. Welcome! Little Locke, come out and greet our distinguished guest, are you deaf?! Xi Locke barked at the store entrance; Suddenly, a human boy who looked about 12 or 13 years old rushed out of the shop with a panicked expression on his face, apologizing to Xi Locke: Im sorry, Manager, I was tidying up the goods inside and didnt hear you, 1 Hurry up and show our guest inside the store, take good care of him, or 111 skin you alive if it displeases our guest! Xi Locke threatened loudly. Yes, yes! Little Locke hurriedly invited Song Jian with a gesture, and said: Dear guest, please follow me. Ill serve you wholeheartedly and make sure youre satisfied! Song Jian frowned slightly. Although the young boy was a human, he was being scolded by a goblin, which made him feel uncomfortable. However, Song Jian didnt say anything. Instead, he nodded his head and followed Little Locke into the store. Perhaps due to the new shop, there were only two or three people casually browsing inside, obviously without a strong desire to buy anything. Song Jian gave a casual look at the counters and shelves. They displayed more than a dozen different kinds of engineering products. On the other side, occupying half of the store, there were hundreds of square metal boxes with intricate patterns on them. They looked mysterious but had no energy fluctuations, indicating that these were probably just decorative designs; Is this an engineering box? Song Jian asked, pointing at the metal boxes. Yes, Sir. These boxes can block any detection method, and you can only rely on luck when choosing them! Little Locke hesitated for a moment and said softly, Most of the items inside are worth nothing, and the store owner isnt willing to put anything valuable in there! Oh, so youre saying the items he mentioned earlier are not in these boxes? Song Jian asked, frowning. Chapter 370 - Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Selection Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Selection Translator: 549690339 | Certainly not, sir! Little Locke s face was white with fear as he hastily waved his hands, The boss may be a miserlygoblin, but he would never stoop to deceiving a customer. Whatever he promises, you can indeed find inside these mechanical boxes. However, the odds are extremely low, and each type only holds a single piece Among the hundreds of boxes, only a few contained good items. The odds were just a few percent, making the chances of obtaining something valuable extremely slim. Little Locke may have thought his boss was unscrupulous, but Song Jian had seen such tactics many times before. In the real world, anyone selling items would use similar methods to promote sales, though instead of mechanical boxes, they might use raffles or lucky draws. After hearing Little Lockes words, Song Jian naturally shifted his attention from the mechanical boxes to the actual items for sale in the shop. Rocket Boots? He spotted the item Xi Locke had mentioned earlier, one of the treasures potentially hidden within the mechanical boxes. Currently, a pair of bulky-looking red boots sat on the counter. Dark Gold Quality? Song Jian glanced at them and couldnt help but whistle. The boots were a level-thirty piece of Dark Gold quality equipment, with potent attributes ideal for either pursuit or escape. However, the price was staggering C one million Doomsday Coins! Are you saying your boss actually put a pair of Rocket Boots in a mechanical box? Song Jian pointed at the boots on the counter and asked with a smile. He couldnt possibly believe that if you bought an item worth a thousand Doomsday Coins, you could have a chance to win a product worth a million Doomsday Coins, even if the odds were only a few percent. The boss did put a pair of Rocket Boots in there, but they are just a level-fifteen piece of green quality geara failed prototype he made, Little Locke nervously explained in a low voice. Song Jian shrugged, his faint hope immediately dashed. But he quickly started to mock himself. If the goblin really had placed a pair of boots worth a million Doomsday Coins into one of the boxes, hed probably have exhausted the last coin in his pocket. After all, each box only cost a thousand Doomsday coins to open. With around a hundred boxes in sight, it would only cost him tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins to open them all, which seemed like a worthwhile gamble. However, spending such a hefty sum for a level-fifteen piece of green quality gear was obviously out of the question. Sir, would you be interested in this? Its a cardiac pacemaker. It activates thirty seconds after your Vitality Points reach zero, giving you a 15% chance of coming back to life! Little Locke led Song Jian to another counter, pointing at a palm-sized device resembling a pocket watch. Is thisa gamble on life? Song Jian asked, laughing somewhat incredulously at the contraption before him. This item had no attributes, but offered a 15% chance of resurrection after your Vitality Points hit zero. The catch was that it took up one accessory slot and only worked when equipped. Sure, you could swap it in when nearing death for the same effect, but amidst intense combat, it was questionable how many would have the chance to do so; Kind of useless, isnt it? Il get a few anyway C theyre not too expensive. Song Jian hesitated, but ultimately decided to buy a few. Each cardiac pacemaker cost a thousand Doomsday Coins, thus providing him a few chances to open the mechanical boxes. Seeing Song Jian buy the items, Little Locke was overjoyed and began enthusiastically introducing the various goods available in the engineering shop, hoping Song Jian would buy more. Song Jian discovered that the engineering shop indeed held lots of interesting items. For instance, there was a device called a Frost Bomb; though not made from Magic Flame, its creator had cleverly utilised other technology to create similar effects. Upon detonation, the bomb could freeze all living things within a five-meter radius. However, its damage output was somewhat underwhelming, inflicting only 45 points, and if the target had high Ice Resistance, it might not freeze them at all. However, for average adventurers, it was considered a very effective gadget and could save their lives if used correctly. Hence, the Frost Bomb wasnt exactly cheap, costing three thousand Doomsday Coins C almost the price of a level-ten green quality equipment piece. Song Jian thought for a while and decided to purchase a few. He was quite interested in the Frost Bomb, and he wondered if peering inside its casing might give him insight into its construction method. However, the chances of this were very slim; many engineering masters incorporate anti-dismantling mechanisms into their items. Normal use wouldnt trigger them, but any attempt to disassemble the item would result in its self-destruction, leaving you with nothing. Xi Locke, being a master engineer himself, would definitely have installed such a mechanism in his products. Regardless, Song Jian thought it might be worth taking the device back to Dr. Ebsiting to see whether they could disable the self-destruct mechanism. If Song Jian could obtain the blueprint for making the Frost Bomb, it would be an easy task for him, with his third-tier Demon Flame, to modify it into an even more potent explosive. Sir, take a look at this! Its a mechanical squirrel, proficient in over a hundred types of dances and can produce exquisite music. If you gifted this to your girlfriend, shed definitely love it! Little Locke gushed. Seeing that Song Jian had purchased over ten thousand Doomsday Coins of goods, he was thrilled. The commission would be enough to buy him a fresh loaf of black bread, which made him even more eager to sell. Unfortunately, despite the many potentially useful items in the engineering shop, Song Jian was only interested in the high-end ones that cost hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. The more affordable items failed to catch his eye. In the end, despite Little Lockes efforts, Song Jian didnt purchase any more items. Well, thats it for now. How much do I owe you? After another look around and finding no more items of interest, Song Jian shook his head and declined Little Lockes further sales pitches. That will be fifteen thousand Doomsday Coins, sir. This gives you fifteen chances to open the mechanical boxes, Little Locke quickly replied. After paying the bill, Song Jian stowed a few Cardiac Pacemakers and Frost Bombs into his bag and followed Little Locke to the other side of the shop. Hundreds of mechanical boxes lay before Song Jian, attracting the curious gaze of the nearby customers. Song Jian casually pointed at one of the boxes and said, That one! Chapter 371 - Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Slow Medicine Formula Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Slow Medicine Formula Translator: 549690339 | As Song Jian pointed at an engineering box, a faint green light descended from above, enveloping the box; Sir, are you sure you want to choose this engineering box? Little Locke asked from the side. Yes! Song Jian nodded his head. Click Click Click- Amid the sound of gears turning, the engineering box enveloped in the green light slowly opened to reveal a palm-sized oval metal egg, its surface adorned with tiny, intricate grooves. Congratulations, sir, youve won a mechanical egg! Little Locke exclaimed happily. Soon, someone presented the mechanical egg to Song Jian. After a burst of noise, the mechanical egg slowly unfolded, like a transformer, into a palm-sized quadruped that crawled up Song Jians arm and onto his shoulder. Looking at its attributes, Song Jian couldnt help but grin. This was similar to the mechanical squirrel Little Locke had mentioned C useless except as a toy. Well, I shouldnt have gotten my hopes up anyway! Song Jian shrugged, somewhat amused. Catching the envious gaze of a little NPC girl nearby, Song Jian scooped up the toy from his shoulder and handed it over. Thankyou, Uncle! The little girl glanced at the adult beside her. Seeing the adult nod with a smile, she quickly grabbed the mechanical crawler, expressing her gratitude. Uncle alright, you can actually call me Brother! Song Jian felt a stab in his heart. Sir, please continue making your choices! Little Locke said. Seeing someone choosing engineering boxes sparked the interest of the crowd. There were murmurs and whispers, and some bystanders began offering advice on Song Jians behalf. The little girl on the side was happily showing off her new gift to other children, basking in their envious stares. Even the stores owner, Xi Locke, had joined the crowd, discussing the engineering boxes with the other customers. Song Jian smiled slightly, and began to point out his choices at random. This one, this one, and this one, the one in the corner, yes, that one, hmm, I want this one too In no time, more than a dozen shafts of faint green light descended from the sky. Amid a succession of gear-turning noises, the boxes Song Jian pointed at slowly opened. Song Jian soon reaped a bounty of engineering products; A mechanical ring capable of emitting the roaring sound of a huge beast, a mechanical wand that could shoot fireworks every few hours, a mechanical piano that could play beautiful music on its own, and so forth. A dozen or so trinkets were piled next to Song Jian. Combined, these items would probably be worth less than a hundred Doomsday Coins, yet they drew whoops and cheers from the children watching nearby. I think if you sold childrens toys instead, youd make more money than running an engineering store! Song Jian joked. The bystanders all echoed with laughter. An awkward grin spread across Xi Lockes face as he glanced at Little Locke. Little Locke smiled and said to Song Jian, Sir, you have one more chance. The last one! Then Little Locke whispered in a volume only the two of them could hear, Sir, I recommend the third engineering box from the Southwest corner, you might have a surprise. Song Jian froze, smiled and pointed at the box Little Locke indicated. A faint green light enveloped the box, which slowly opened to reveal a scroll that floated in the air. Woah- The crowd gasped in astonishment at the sight of the scroll. This was an alchemy pharmaceutical formula worth three thousand Doomsday Coins! Seeing the scroll, a pained expression crossed Xi Lockes face. Sir, Sir, youve won the grand prize, the Slow Medicine formula! How lucky, congratulations! Little Locke exclaimed excitedly. Song Jian blinked, then broke into spontaneous laughter. He took out a hundred Doomsday Coins from his pocket and handed them to Little Locke, Your advice brought me good luck, this is my thanks for you! Little Locke paused, then swiftly pocketed the coins and giggled. Just when he was worrying about how to improve alchemy, he managed to procure an alchemic formula. Thrilled, Song Jian quickly studied it. Then he nodded towards Xi Locke, the shop owner. Slow Medicine: Performs a ranged attack on targets within six meters, causing a lag effect and reducing target movement speed by 25% for 10 seconds; Bidding adieu to the smiling proprietor, Song Jian left the engineering store. Thanks to his demonstration, more people began to frequent the store. Stepping out of the engineering store, Song Jian saw an NPC with messy hair and charred and corroded clothes racing towards the city center. On his way, the NPC was talking to a device on his wrist: Are you really telling me the truth? You know the consequences of deceiving a Forging Master, I swear, if youre lying, Ill make sure you cant stay in the City of Hymns! A hasty voice emanated from the device on his wrist: Just come and see for yourself. Ive heard Master Soloer has been notified, his senior disciple is already in the Starfire shop, negotiating terms with the shopkeeper. If youre late, Im afraid you might not have a chance! What, Master Soloer? Didnt he retire and vow never to pick up his forge hammer again? My God, could it be true? Has the Magic Flame really appeared? II Seeing the NPC hurry away, a slight smile flickered at the corner of Song Jians mouth. It seemed that his backup plan was working. Ive seen enough of the City of Hymns. Time to check on the status of my mission. Hopefully, Vera hasnt let me down! Song Jian thought, turning towards the Starfire shop. The City of Hymns was expansive. Song Jian had just toured a few blocks, and he couldnt access the residential areas where the nobles lived. He thought about going outside the city but decided to check the progress at Starfire shop first when he saw that the Magic Flame had been discovered. Soon, Song Jian returned to the Starfire shop, which by now was crowded with people, most of whom were well-known artisans of the City of Hymns. Respected Manager, Im an intermediate Forging Master. If Starfire shop could hire me, I would take only half the salary Sir, hes just barely crossed the threshold of being an intermediate Forging Master. I, on the other hand, am already a twenty-three level Forging Master. Hire me, I would also take half wages Sir, I am a thirty-two level Alchemist. I dont require any salary, just a share of the product sales. Of course, the share ratio can be negotiable Chapter 372 - Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Task Completed Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Task Completed Translator: 549690339 | Malaka, standing across the street from Sunnyfire Shop, suddenly felt as if his brain wasnt working and thought that everything happening before his eyes was an illusion. What is going on? Didnt they sell all their valuable items already? Werent they about closing down? Why is this happening? Isnt that Sora, the intermediate Forging Master? Last time I visited him, I didnt even see him, and an apprentice just dismissed me. Why is he now acting like a clown in front of Vera, nodding and bowing, humbling himself? Oh my god! A senior Forging Master actually applied for a job at a Level 2 shop?! This world has gone mad! Malaka felt chaos in his brain, dizzy and experiencing headaches. He couldnt help but step back, gasping for air. Go, go find out whats happening! Why, why Malaka pointed to the shop across the street with a trembling finger and yelled in a low voice; Yes, yes, boss. Ill go find out right now. One of the clerks looked at Malaka trembling in fear and quickly rushed out of the shop. In reality, the events at Sunnyfire Shop were quite simple. An intermediate Forging Master happened to be passing by and sensed the presence of the Third-tier Demon Flame; After paying a fee, using one of the forging rooms to successfully create an excellent weapon of terrific attributes, the news of Sunnyfire Shop possessing Magic Flame began to spread among the Forging Masters in the City of Hymns. In just over an hour, even senior Forging Masters had heard the news. Some younger senior Forging Masters came directly, and those older and more prestigious senior Forging Masters sent their apprentices to investigate; Vera, who had been sighing with sorrow in the shop, suddenly felt as if her head had been hit by a round pie when she saw one intermediate Forging Master after another surrounding her and speaking respectfully. But soon, she learned from these Forging Masters about the Magic Flame and couldnt help but feel a little helpless towards Song Jian. If he had told her earlier, she wouldnt have worried for so long. Since she knew what was going on, Vera naturally raised her standards for recruiting Forging Masters. If there werent so few senior Forging Masters in the entire City of Hymns, she would have wanted to recruit all of them, In a short while, Vera signed contracts with three senior Forging Masters and two senior alchemists. What surprised her the most was that an expert Engineer signed a product-sharing contract with her. As long as the products manufactured at Sunnyfire Shop were sold, the shop would receive a 30% share of the profits. This was unimaginable for a Level 2 shop. Not to mention the value of the items crafted by an expert Engineer, just the news of attracting an expert in a Life Profession would make Sunnyfire Shop famous throughout the City of Hymns. One million Doomsday Coins turnover, haha! Its too easy! Veras eyes were almost squeezed into a slit from laughing. When Malaka heard the news, he returned to his office, destroyed everything he could grab, vented all his anger, and still resentfully reported the news to the higher-ups of the Sunnyfire Commerce. After a long silence, the higher-ups of Sunnyfire Commerce finally gave an order: to abandon this battle and investigate the information about Magic Flame as much as possible. Malakas face turned pale after ending the communication. His dream of becoming a middle manager in the Commerce was shattered. He didnt even know how he lost the sure-win opportunity. At this moment, Malaka wished he could jump down from the second floor; Go, find out everything about Magic Flame! Malaka gritted his teeth and ordered. With all the prices adjusted back to their original levels, Sunnyfire Shop ceased its war and became low-key again. This made Sunnyfire Shop across the street even busier. Usually, to obtain an item crafted by a senior Forging Master, one would need to pre-order it days or even weeks in advance, and the price would be expensive. But now, they were able to buy equipment crafted by senior Forging Masters and potions refined by senior alchemists at an ordinary Level 2 shop. This made everyone who entered the shop dumbfounded, thinking they had encountered a mysterious store. As more and more people flocked to Sunnyfire Shop, the turnover soared: two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, four hundred thousand Within just one day, the sales volume of Sunnyfire Shop reached 430.000! This made Vera eager to report the good news to Annie, the shopkeeper. At this moment, Song Jian was on his way to Sunnyfire Shop, unaware of the shocking event that had taken place in Doomsday City. Seven or eight small fighting leagues suddenly united to form a fighting league called Waste Capital. On the first day of its formation, they cleared the dungeon The Bloody Underground Arena at the difficult level, appearing on Doomsday Citys television, and making the entire city aware of the existence of a fighting league called Waste Capital; However, Song Jian was in the City of Hymns at the time and did not receive the system notification. When the day passed quickly, Song Jian began producing Slow Medicine the next day. The silver-grade medicine production table could produce at least excellent-quality Slow Medicine and sometimes even one or two mutant-quality Slow Medicine; Excellent quality Slow Medicine increased the slow effect to 30%, while mutant quality Slow Medicine not only reduced movement speed but also decreased attack speed by 10%, surprising Song Jian quite a bit. Sunnyfire Shop, which already had Magic Flame, no longer needed Song Jian to craft items. Whats more, his level of craftsmanship was far inferior to those senior Life Professionals, as long as he ensured the stable supply of Magic Flame. However, with his current strength, he could only separate so many Magic Flames. If he tried to separate more, it would be difficult, and the separated Magic Flames could be recalled with just a thought, without the chance of being stolen. By the morning of the third day, Song Jian suddenly heard a pleasant system prompt in his ear. The turnover of Sunnyfire Shop had reached one million, the task was completed, and his relationship with Silver Moon Commerce instantly increased to Adoration; Also, he only needed to pay 100,000 Doomsday Coins to officially buy the Sunnyfire Shop in his name; You should know that even a Level 1 shop in the City of Hymns was worth several hundred thousand. Not to mention a Level 2 shop. And having a property in the City of Hymns was equivalent to having citizenship in the city; this was a dream come true for players around the City of Hymns. However, no player had gained this qualification yet. So as not to have a long night full of dreams, Song Jian directly deducted the 100,000 Doomsday Coins to formally transfer the ownership of Sunnyfire Shop to his name. At that moment, a system prompt suddenly appeared before Song Jian. System: You now own a shop in the City of Hymns. Do you want to set up the safe teleport location inside this shop? Chapter 373 - Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Blood Demon Cave Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Blood Demon Cave Translator: 549690339 | Can I set my safe space in the City of Hymns? Song Jian was taken aback. It was common knowledge that the environment of Doomsday City was harsh, and if they had the chance to leave, not a single player out of a hundred would choose to stay there. However, after considerable hesitation, Song Jian eventually shook his head and passed on the offer to set his safe spot in the City of Hymns. After all, he already had his own territory in Doomsday City, which, in terms of safety, was not inferior to the City of Hymns. Also, from a power leveling perspective, Doomsday City, though more perilous, offered significantly greater player enhancements than the City of Hymns. Song Jian, thank you so much. Without you, I this time Annie appeared at the entrance of Spark Shop. Identifying Song Jian, she dashed over excitedly, grabbed his hand, and seemed on the verge of bursting into tears. A mission that was initially considered hopeless was accomplished by Song Jian in just two days, turning the tables for Silver Moon Commerce. Actually, it was more like turning the tables for Annie personally. The turnaround was so stunning, it almost seemed like an unbelievable tale. Hence, it was no wonder that Annie was so emotionally overcome. Seeing Annies response, Song Jian was startled and quickly exchanged looks with Vera nearby. Chuckling, Vera stepped forward and gently pulled Annies arm, whispering, Annie, its really crowded here. Lets go to the office to talk! Right, right. I got carried away. Lets go upstairs to talk! Annies face blushed and, after giving Song Jian a quick glance, she followed Vera upstairs. Releasing a sigh of relief, Song Jian followed them. Song Jian, I really owe you this time. If it were not for you Annies emotions gradually steadied down as she looked at Song Jian, gratitude written all over her face. She initially approached Song Jian as a last resort, expecting him to risk everything on a single throw. She was utterly awestruck when he pulled it off. Hardly anyone in Silver Moon Commerce believed this plan would work. Annie was even prepared to step down from her managerial position within the commerce guild. Song Jian, even though this shop is now yours, I still hope youll join Silver Moon Commerce and become a part of it! Annie said, Of course, joining Silver Moon Commerce comes with benefits, which we can discuss later. Today, Ive brought the Dawn Warriors you wanted. Rest assured, these are the three strongest warriors I handpicked personally! Theyll be a great help to you when you enter the Blood Demon Cave. Song Jian waved his hands and said, I can consider joining Silver Moon Commerce. However, I want Vera to be the permanent manager of this shop. If you agree, Spark Shop will forever be a part of Silver Moon Commerce. This Annie hesitated. After all, Vera was her right-hand woman, with great potential to grow. With the success of this endeavor, Annies position within Silver Moon Commerce was bound to rise, and she would need talents like Vera to assist her. But if Spark Shop ceased to be a part of Silver Moon Commerce, it would greatly undermine the effectiveness of her strategic plan. Given this dilemma, Annie ultimately turned her gaze to Vera. Vera, would you like to stay at Spark Shop? Annie asked. I Vera hesitated. Over the course of their interaction, she realized that Song Jian preferred a hands-off approach, effectively leaving her in charge of the shop. Also, the shop currently had well-trained and experienced employees. Compared to being an assistant, Vera naturally preferred to stay at Spark Shop. But she also felt a sense of indebtedness towards Annie, who nurtured her and treated her like a siblings. Saying goodbye to Annie felt like betrayal. Seeing Veras indecisiveness, Annie easily picked up on her emotions. Pulling Veras hands gently, Annie whispered, Vera, stay here at Spark Shop and help Song Jian. He is no ordinary deity, and I believe this shop will eventually become more than just a shop. I trust that you will grow even more here. Vera welled up with tears and gave a vigorous nod. Soon enough, Song Jian received a system notification. Vera had become the manager of Spark Shop, and her loyalty went straight up from 60 points to too points, which took Song Jian by surprise. Annie, do you know anything about the Blood Demon Cave? asked Song Jian. Not really, I just know its a bottomless pit that devours lives! On hearing Blood Demon Cave, Annies expression instantly became serious. Looking at Song Jian, she said, Never underestimate it. Already, more than ten teams have perished within the cave. The teams Annie was referring to were NPC adventurers. The players of the City of Hymns were not yet qualified to go into the Blood Demon Cave. Song Jian, be careful. You have three Dawn Warriors with you. If you cant hold the line, they can escort you out of there! Annie, worried, voiced her concerns. She did not fully endorse Song Jian entering the Blood Demon Cave. Without a doubt, the cave was dangerous, and a careless mistake could cost lives. Song Jian chuckled softly, shaking his head resolutely. Once every chore was finished, Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors found themselves standing in front of Blood Demon Cave. Blood Demon Cave, located about sixty kilometers away from the City of Hymns at the base of a large mountain, looked like a mine entrance. Its entrance was shielded by rotating crimson light. In order to enter, you have to pass through this light barrier. An overpowering stench of blood pervaded the area around the entrance of the Blood Demon Cave dungeon spread out unceasingly. Wisps of red mist oozed out from the light barrier of the entrance. Within several tens of meters around the entrance, not a single living thing could be seen, only heaps of dried skeletons, their flesh apparently sucked clean. Upon seeing the Blood Demon Cave, the three Dawn Warriors following Song Jian exchanged glances. Their steadfast faces showed subtle signs of perturbation. As residents of the City of Hymns, they had heard about the infamous Blood Demon Cave, but never in their wildest dreams did they reckon they would one day explore it themselves. Lets go in. Said Song Jian, his face devoid of any emotion as he marched towards the dungeon entrance, stepping into the crimson light barrier. The three Dawn Warriors followed suit without hesitation, disappearing into the light barrier. Shortly after Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors entered the Blood Demon Cave, a group of ferocious trolls, brandishing large wooden clubs, came into sight. A muscular troll standing over two meters tall stood at the entrance of the cave. He inhaled deeply, his face revealing an intoxicated expression. Exquisite! I seem to smell the Abyss! This troll had deep green skin. Brown moss grew on his shoulders, cheeks, and arms, and he wore a simple suit of leather armor that was covered in scars from weaponry, indicating his significant battlefield experience. Four trolls, who bore similar appearances, stood behind him. They remained silent, their gaze fixed on the Blood Demon Cave. On their bodies, wisps of black demonic aura were continuously seeping out, mixing with the crimson blood aura in the surroundings, creating an eerie spectacle. Chapter 374 - Chapter 374: Chapter 374: Elite Level Monsters Chapter 374: Chapter 374: Elite Level Monsters Translator: 549690339 | The artifact to undo the Demon Lords seal is here. We must secure it! the leader of the trolls commanded with a raspy voice. When you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss stares back at you! four trolls whispered in unison. Duo Sa, do you truly trust the demon of the Abyss? Do you truly believe that it may redeem our troll race? A troll with a brown complexion hesitantly asked with a low voice. The leading troll halted briefly, then turned around, his scarlet eyes glaring at the troll who had just questioned him. The blood of the Abyss has already flowed within us. Do you seek to betray us now? he growled. A brutal aura permeated the air around Duo Sa. His powerful presence forcefully pushed the four trolls several feet away, their faces filled with trepidation. Duo Sa, the blood of the Abyss within you is becoming denser Lets go. We must obtain the artifact that can release the Abyss Demon Lord. We must succeed. Only then can our troll race find redemption, Duo Sa quietly said, leading the way towards the Blood Demon Cave. As Duo Sa approached the Blood Demon Cave, he suddenly halted, a look of surprise appearing on his face. There are people in the Demon Cave As Song Jian entered the Blood Demon Cave, he was immediately enveloped in darkness. Just as he prepared to activate his vertical pupils, a member of the Dawn Warriors at his side started to whisper a spell. A soft ball of light, the size of a basketball, ascended from the Dawn Warriors hand, hovering about a meter above their heads. The Dawn Warriors worshipped the Goddess of Dawn. Despite being warriors, they knew some auxiliary divine arts. This was one such art, akin to a light spell, which served to illuminate their surroundings. It consumed little energy and could last a long time, making it especially suitable for dark environments like this. Even the lowest-ranking creature within the Blood Demon Cave was an Elite Level monster. These monsters emitted a horrifying aura that made one shudder, wandering aimlessly around the cave in groups. Blood Mage Apprentice, Elite Level, Level 18, Vitality Points: 1500/1500, Traits: Specializes in blood magic attacks; Blood Mage Servant, Elite Level, Level 18, Vitality Points: 1800/1800, Traits: Specializes in close combat attacks; Each Blood Mage Apprentice was tightly followed by two Blood Mage Servants. These servants were decked in full chainmail armor, leaving only their menacing red eyes exposed. The Blood Mage Apprentices were clad in crimson robes and grasped a bone wand. Their skeletal figures looked like corpses stripped of flesh. Master Song Jian, how about we hold the frontline, while you attack from the rear? an older Dawn Warrior suggested. Okay! Be careful. Utilize the terrain here, it might lessen the pressure! Song Jian agreed, nodding. The Dawn Warrior nodded, casting a few auxiliary divine arts. Suddenly, several halos appeared beneath the feet of the three warriors. This divine art could only be extended to the followers of the Goddess of Dawn. Song Jian, unfortunately, was not a recipient. In the name of the Goddess of Dawn, accept judgment, monsters! A Dawn Warrior roared, waving his longsword. He pointed it towards the horde of monsters; two Blood Mage Apprentices were agitated, charging towards the Dawn Warrior. An enforced attack status appeared above the two Blood Mage Apprentices. This was a divine art that attracted the hatred of monsters. It was most effective on mage-class monsters, capable of confounding their minds in a short period of time, compelling them to launch physical attacks. The Blood Mage Apprentices abandoned their long-range magical offense and charged at the Dawn Warrior, screaming like men possessed. The Blood Mage Servants nearby hesitated, then followed suit, charging at the Dawn Warrior. The other two Dawn Warriors each positioned themselves at one side of a stone pillar, apparently planning to split and conquer the horde. However, Song Jian quickly called out, Keep them grouped together. The Dawn warriors looked at each other, but obeyed Song Jians command, adjusting their formation. The change greatly increased their pressure as they now faced simultaneous assaults from three to four monsters at a time. Song Jian reached into his bag and threw a Weakness Potion at the group of monsters; With a bang, the potion exploded amongst the monsters, its impact staggered them and caused true damage of 30 points to appear above their heads. The resulting gray dust cloud enveloped the monsters, reducing their defenses by a whopping 35%. The Dawn Warriors, their swords now slicing through the trolls as if they had no armor, wore expressions of surprise and delight. Song Jian reached for his bag again to procure a Slow Medicine, but after a moment of hesitation, decided against it. Slow Medicine could only slow movement speed, which was not particularly useful in a battle scenario. The variant Slow Medicine, capable of slowing attack speed, was in limited supply and would be wasteful if used on minions. Song Jian called forth his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and performed the Broken Wing Dance. He charged towards the horde of monsters. Boom, boom, boom~ Several damage points, numbering in the hundreds, appeared above the monsters heads. Song Jian leapt high, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand swung in a wide arc. Three slender threads of Sword Qi materialized out of thin air, harshly lashing the monsters, splattering blood everywhere. Incredibly high damage stummed the three Dawn Warriors. Goddess above, how is this possible Originally, they thought that they were the main force, meant to protect Song Jian. Little did they expect that Song Jians single attack would outmatch their combined efforts. Spiritual Sword Control Technique, Sweeping Sword Style! Song Jian plunged into the fray, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword unleashing vivid, crimson threads of Sword Qi. Countless hundreds of damage points floated up from the monsters heads. In an instant, Song Jian drew the monsters hatred away from the three Dawn Warriors. Six monsters instantly circled Song Jian. Sword Finger! Whoosh~ A three-meter-long silver Sword Qi suddenly emerged, quickly circling around Song Jian. The six monsters howled, a bright crimson light blooming around their waists. One of the monsters was even cleaved in half by the Sword Qi, its body separated into two halves. Chapter 375 - Chapter 375: Chapter 375: Dragon Chapter 375: Chapter 375: Dragon Translator: 549690339 The already injured monsters became even more frenzied. If they were ordinary level 18 monsters, Song Jian would have killed them with a single set of sword moves. However, these monsters were elite level ones, and Song Jians sword moves couldnt kill them all at once. The injured monsters launched a crazy attack at Song Jian, who waved his long sword and used his Tai Chi Sword Skill to firmly protect himself. Dont just stand there and watch, help me! Seeing the three Dawn Warriors staring dumbfoundedly at the battle, Song Jian roared in irritation. All, what, oh, on it! As if awakened from a dream, the three Dawn Warriors swung their swords at the monsters. Originally thinking they could attract the monsters hatred, all the hatred was instead drawn to Song Jian as the battle unfolded. A faint Tai Chi shadow appeared in front of Song Jian, making the monsters attacks feel like hitting cotton. Song Jian only suffered 10% of the damage, and occasionally counterattacked the monsters assaults. Thump thump thump- A Blood Mage apprentice broke free from the forced damage state, waved his Bone Wand and released a Blood Magic Sphere, hitting the Tai Chi shadow in front of Song Jian, splattering blood everywhere. Suddenly, Song Jian extended and rotated his sword, absorbing the Blood Magic Sphere at the tip of his blade. With a gentle flick, the sphere struck the nearest Blood Mage apprentice. Boom! With a muffled sound, the Blood Magic Sphere knocked the apprentice away, causing over 300 damage to his Vitality Points. Face your punishment, monster! A Dawn Warrior screamed, leaping high and slashing his glowing sword at the flying mage apprentice. Crack- The mage apprentice was split in half, turning into a puddle of bloody-smelling flesh. Seeing another Blood Mage apprentice concentrating on a blood sphere, Song Jian fiercely slashed at it, sending a transparent Sword of Spirit over the apprentices head to stab at him. Puff- The transparent Sword of Spirit stabbed viciously into the apprentices brow, stirring his spiritual sea. The nearly formed blood sphere collapsed, spewing a mouthful of blood. The apprentice became weakened, his body collapsing to the ground, twitching continuously. Although his Vitality Points were still about a third left, he was clearly unable to fight for now. Broken Wing Dance! As the Tai Chi Sword Skills continuous effect disappeared, Song Jian switched to the Broken Wing Dance. A series of damage numbers floated above the monsters heads, with the final moves internal force sending the remaining monsters flying and floating. Cross Star Strangle! A Dawn Warrior shouted, and the other two quickly took positions, forming a Sword Formation. Bright silver light shone on all three of them. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- The figures of the three Dawn Warriors moved like lightning among the monsters before finally forming a huge silver cross. Boom! With a loud noise, the silver cross shattered, and the powerful force swept towards the monsters like a tornado. The injured monsters were powerless to resist, and their bodies were torn to pieces, thrown against the surrounding rocky walls. Whoosh- whoosh- whoosh- The three Dawn Warriors knelt on one knee, their faces covered in sweat, looking exhausted. Even their hands holding the swords were trembling. Song Jian looked at the three Dawn Warriors in surprise. The move they just used was terrifying. One monster had just over half its Vitality Points remaining, with nearly a thousand left, but it was instantly killed by the Cross Star Strangle without any resistance. Song Jian reevaluated the combat power of the three Dawn Warriors in his mind. This is a joint battle skill that requires at least three Dawn Warriors. We can only barely perform it. But the next time we use it, it will be an hour later, as this skill consumes too much, a Dawn Warrior said, looking weary. For the next fifteen minutes, our attributes will decrease by 30%, and Im afraid we wont be able to protect you! Sir Song Jian, shouldnt we rest for fifteen minutes before going deeper? All their attributes were reduced by 30%, and judging by their exhausted faces, they couldnt fight any further. Song Jian nodded and said, You guys rest here. Ill go ahead and check it out alone, and you can catch up when youre ready. Sir, thats too dangerous. Let us go with you, the older Dawn Warrior exclaimed, struggling to stand up. No need. You rest. This move consumes too much, so dont use it again without my permission, Song Jian said, shaking his head and holding the warriors shoulder. Rest up, I have other help. With that, Song Jian started summoning the Black Dragon hatchling. A deep dragon chant echoed through the cave as the Black Dragon hatchling emerged from the Magic Array, wearing silver armor and exuding an oppressive power beside the three Dawn Warriors. This, this is a dragon? Seeing the Black Dragon hatchling, the three Dawn Warriors couldnt help but grip their swords tighter, their faces filled with shock as they backed away. Scoffing at their reaction, the Black Dragon hatchling snorted, spewing a spray of sparks from its nostrils. Okay, this is my helper. You rest up and catch up later, Song Jian patted the Black Dragon hatchling and said with a smile. As Song Jian and the Black Dragon hatchling continued deeper into the Blood Demon Cave, the three Dawn Warriors stared in awe. Dragon Warrior, so Sir Song Jian is actually a Dragon Warrior! No, that Black Dragon is still in its juvenile state. It probably needs hundreds of years to reach maturity Dont forget, Sir Song Jian is a favored one! Ah, yes, favored ones cannot be measured by ordinary standards. Perhaps he will become a Dragon Warrior. He might even become a Dragon Knight. It would be great if he could follow the Goddess of Dawn. If he becomes a Knight of Dawn, he will certainly become a Dragon Knight in the future. Yes, Knight of Dawn Glory to the Goddess of Dawn might shine upon him Chapter 376 - Chapter 376: Chapter 376: Luring the Monster Chapter 376: Chapter 376: Luring the Monster Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian, alongside the Black Dragon cub, made his way deep into the Blood Demon Cave; The density of monsters in this dungeon was terrifying to behold. This was likely why every team that had ventured here had either been completely wiped out, or retreated empty-handed. Song Jian and the dragon found themselves in a narrow passage, wide enough only for two to walk abreast. The passage wound around for about ten meters, its walls an unsettling deep red, as if it was bleeding. At the end of the passage was a confined cave. A cluster of monsters sat around a fire, tearing into the corpse of a human, letting out low growls as they fought over their meal; Amongst the monsters, only two or three were Blood Mage attendants, the rest were all apprentices. Although the cave was small, it could barely accommodate a five-member team for combat, but that would mean taking on around seventeen or eighteen monsters at once. But if they used the passage where Song Jian was, only encountering one or two monsters at a time, then after the Blood attendants charged in, almost all the Blood Mage apprentices would be able to harm the Main Tank (MT) with ranged attacks from behind. This would put immense pressure on the MT, and any lapse could spell death, leading to total team annihilation; Song Jian frowned slightly, realizing that he himself would not stand a chance against an onslaught from a horde of monsters. Using the Black Dragon cub as a shield wouldnt work either, its size would obstruct him impeding him from unleashing his full strength. If they let the cub take the brunt of the attack, its death would be a matter of time. Should we hold our ground here, waiting for the Dawn Warriors to catch up and charge in together? Song Jian pondered, giving the situation further thought. The monsters in the cave continued to squabble over the human corpse, hastily grilling chunks of the body over the fire before consuming them bloodied. Then theyd return to scrapping over the remains. The human corpse was not enough to feed all the monsters. The three Blood Mage attendants were shoved aside in the struggle, left to lap up the spilt blood from the ground to sate their hunger. A smirk appeared on Song Jians face, and he pulled out another piece of grilled meat from his bag and tossed it in their direction. The meat landed within a few meters of the three Blood Mage attendants, attracting the attention of the one nearest to it. The attendant raised its head at the sound, wiped the blood from its lips, grabbed its Bone Wand, and looked toward the source of the noise. Soon, it noticed the piece of grilled meat on the ground. Its exotic fragrance was incredibly enticingit instantly dropped its guard. This smelled far better than the stench of rancid blood. The attendant quickly picked up the meat and shoved it into its mouth. The bursting flavors filled his taste buds. This was a completely different taste from the bloody meat they typically ate, it was so much better. The attendant gulped down the meat eagerly, scanning the surroundings in hopes of finding more. Sure enough, it spotted another piece lying at the entrance of the passage. It had lost all wariness by now, and hurried toward the entrance, grabbing the meat and stuffing it into its mouth; Again, it caught a whiff of the same irresistible smell from within the passage. With two pieces of such tasty meat already consumed, it became oblivious to everything, even dropping its wand, and ran empty-handed into the passage; Shortly after, sounds of terror filled the eerie passage. The screams of the attendant however, were all too common within the Blood Demon Cave and attracted no attention from the other monsters. After the swift slaying of the Blood attendant with the aid of the Black Dragon cub, Song Jian collected the loot it had dropped. A gem? I didnt expect the monsters here would drop gems as well! Looking at a yellow gem the size of a nail in his hand, Song Jian wore an expression of surprise. This was a yellow gem that could be embedded into equipment to increase defense. Besides the gem, the attendant had also dropped a pair of level fifteen blue boots. The attributes were ordinary, but they were worth a few thousand Doomsday Coins. Song Jian glanced at it briefly before placing it in his bag. Next, Song Jian repeated the same trick, using the grilled meat to lure the monsters out of the cave one by one, disposing of them in the passage. However, a minor problem arose when he tried luring the Blood Mage apprentices. Two of them discovered the grilled meat at the same time. It seemed that they understood what the meat was and started fighting over it. Reluctantly, Song Jian threw out another piece of grilled meat, slowly luring the two monsters into the passage. The narrow terrain was a nightmare for magic users. Even when confronted by two level eighteen elite monsters, Song Jian felt no pressure, easily disposing them; Just then, the Dawn Warriors had recovered from their weakened state. The sight of the monster corpses within the passage left them taken aback. They were surprised to find that Song Jian had managed to kill so many monsters single-handedly; My lord, please allow us to join the battle as well, one Dawn Warrior pleaded. For you to be battling at the front while we hide behind is a humiliation we cannot bear! Yes, my lord. Allow us to fight alongside you, the other two Dawn Warriors chorused. Song Jian nodded, There are only eight or nine Blood Mage apprentices left in the cave ahead. Lets go in and finish them off together! Yes, sir! The Dawn Warriors responded with vigor. Roar~ With a roar, the Black Dragon cub hurried into the cave. As it opened its mouth wide, a surge of Dragon Breath consumed the apprentices; Before they could react, the terrifying Dragon Might filled the cave. The Blood Mage apprentices, who were just starting to cast their spells, wore looks of terror. They screamed and ran about in panic. We are under the protection of the Goddess of Dawn! The three Dawn Warriors shouted and charged at the panicking apprentices armed with their swords; Being confronted up close by melee fighters was an absolute nightmare for mage types. Their incantations were continually disrupted, and the Black Dragons intimidating demeanor added further tension. Ill-timed interruptions by the dragon further instilled fear into the mages. The remaining Blood Mage apprentices had their hopes of casting a complete spell shattered; Soon, all the apprentices in the cave were wiped out, leaving only Song Jian, the Black Dragon cub, and the three Dawn Warriors, and a still blazing bonfire. Chapter 377 - Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Bonfire Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Bonfire Translator: 549690339 | Phew, no wonder so many teams are stuck in this secret realm. The monsters inside are too hard to deal with. A Dawn Warrior took off his heavy helmet and sat on the ground. Although there were only seven or eight Blood Mage apprentices left in the cave, their attacks were still quite fierce. The heavy armor seemed to provide no defense against their painful attacks. The Vitality Points of the three Dawn Warriors were only half remaining. Song Jian was in a better state, with about two-thirds of his Vitality Points left. The Black Dragon whelp was attacked most frequently, and its Vitality Points had already dropped to less than half. After all, it was only a Level 15 Elite Level creature. Facing monsters more than three levels higher, it suffered from a natural level suppression, causing more damage. Lets take a break before we continue! Song Jian ordered. Without the addition of Vitality recovery speed, Song Jians recovery slowed down significantly, and he felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. The Level 18 Elite monsters not only dropped generous loot but also provided Song Jian with surprisingly large amounts of Experience Points. Killing only about twenty dungeon monsters had already increased his Experience Points by a small amount. He was now at Level 17 and 41%. It seemed that if they could clear this dungeon, reaching Level 18 would be no problem. This was much more efficient than leveling up by killing monsters in the wild, almost increasing the efficiency by several times. Huh, I feel like my recovery speed is much faster than usual? A Dawn Warrior said in surprise. Really? I feel like my strength is recovering faster than before too Sir, do you have this feeling too? Our Vitality Points, energy, and strength are all recovering at least 30% faster! The oldest Dawn Warrior said to Song Jian, his eyes full of confusion. Really? Song Jian frowned slightly, looking at his attribute interface. There was no sign of an accelerated recovery speed: I dont have that feeling Sir, please come here and feel it. The recovery speed is indeed much faster. A Dawn Warrior stood up and offered his seat. Song Jian nodded and took the spot. Whoosh~ A sudden breeze blew through the cave, causing the campfire beside Song Jian to flicker rapidly. Whats going on? Song Jian frowned, his gaze falling on the nearby campfire. Recovery Demon Flame: Level 1 Demon Flame. Effect: Within a 3-meter range, non-combat recovery speed is accelerated. Increases the success rate and recovery effects of crafting recovery potions. Level 1, Demon Flame? Theres actually a Demon Flame here? Song Jian widened his eyes in disbelief. However, as soon as he approached the campfire, the blazing flames seemed suppressed and weakened. It seemed that the Level 3 Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame, within Song Jian had a strong suppression effect on the Recovery Demon Flame. Damn, this is probably the biggest reward in Blood Demon Cave. However, I already possess one kind of Demon Flame. I wonder if I can accommodate a second one! Song Jian stared at the campfire, his eyebrows furrowed, and after some thought, he slowly extended his hand towards the fire. Crackle- Two sparks jumped from the campfire, and the flames retreated abruptly as if a small animal was afraid of and avoiding Song Jians touch. At that moment, black flames erupted from Song Jians outstretched hand, making a whooshing sound. The instant the black flames appeared, the entire campfire seemed to be extinguished. Only the fist-sized pale-white flame remained, hiding in the depths of the campfire, flickering continuously like a frightened child under the bed. Black flames began to slowly invade the campfire. In no time, the flames on the campfire rekindled, and a white stream of fire, like tentacles, spread out from the depths of the fire and entwined themselves around Song Jians extended arm. System: Level 3 Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame, begins to merge with Recovery Demon Flame, fusion progress 3%5% The black flames blazed in the campfire, raising the temperature in the cave by several degrees. The Dawn Warriors looked astonished and quickly moved back. Only the Black Dragon whelp seemed interested in the black flames. It approached and licked the flames with its tongue. Song Jian felt warmth within his body. It was much more comfortable than when he had merged with the Abyssal Flame. At that time, he felt like a piece of roasted meat, burning both inside and out. Now, it was like he had immersed himself in warm water, feeling very comfortable and drowsy. After an unknown amount of time, the warmth in Song Jians body disappeared. He opened his eyes to find that the milky-white flames were gone, replaced by a huge campfire with black flames. System: Level 3 Abyssal Flame has successfully merged. Your Fire Resistance has increased by 10 points, your Vitality Point recovery speed has permanently increased by 50%, and you have gained the Recovery Aura. Effect: For all teammates within a 5-meter range, Vitality Point recovery speed increases by 30%. Its a pity that its only a Level 1 Demon Flame. If it were of a higher level, the Abyssal Flame might have been able to level up! Song Jian thought to himself. The increase in fire resistance and Vitality Point recovery rate both strengthened Song Jian. This was even better than acquiring a new piece of equipment since this portion of his strength could be brought into the real world. The added Recovery Aura allowed the three Dawn Warriors to have a 30% increased Vitality recovery rate, whether in or out of combat. This significantly improved their safety and reduced the pressure of battling monsters. Lets continue! Song Jian stood up and led the way deeper into the Blood Demon Cave. The three Dawn Warriors glanced at the faint green aura beneath their feet, feeling the surging energy within their bodies. After exchanging a look, they followed closely behind Song Jian. Along the way, the cave tunnels were like a labyrinth, branching in all directions. The variety of monsters Song Jian and his party encountered also increased. In addition to Blood Mage attendants and apprentices, they faced Blood Demon Spiders, Blood Demon Hunting Dogs, Blood Witches, Blood Demon Warriors, and other creatures. The deeper they went into the Demon Cave, the more and stronger monsters they encountered. They had to carefully lure the monsters one by one to slowly kill them off. There were several times when they lured too many monsters. If Song Jian hadnt activated his Immortal Sword Body and firmly attracted the monsters hatred towards himself, they might have faced a total wipeout. However, despite the dangers, the rewards were plentiful. In addition to some gems and Level 15 green and blue equipment, they even obtained two Level 15 silver-quality items. One was cloth armor for a Mage, and the other was Mage shoes. Although Song Jian couldnt wear them, if he sold them at the auction house, they would be worth at least tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. Soon, the group arrived at a massive cave. The cave was set up like a laboratory, with delicate instruments surrounding them. A middle-aged man wearing a red robe was dissecting a human corpse. The whole cave filled with a strong smell of blood. Be careful! This is a Level 20 Elite BOSS! A cautious look appeared in Song Jians eyes. The monster before him was the first BOSS he encountered in Blood Demon Cave. If they didnt kill him, they would not be able to move forward. Chapter 378 - Chapter 378: Chapter 378: Bloody Baron Chapter 378: Chapter 378: Bloody Baron Translator: 549690339 As he observed the level 20 Elite Boss in front of him, a solemn look crossed Song Jians eyes. On paper, this boss was tougher than any level 20 Elite Boss he had encountered before-it could even be deemed comparable to the Lord level bosses hed faced. Bloody Baron Gurman, a semi-demonic creature, Elite Level Boss, level 20, with 5000/5000 Vitality Points. Traits: Demonic Skin, Bloodthirsty. Skills: Blood explosion, Blood Tide, Plague of Blood, Fatal Strike; I recognize him C he used to be a Baron of the City of Hymns. It is said his whole family has been exterminated, and he disappeared. I never would have expected that hed become a fallen demonic creature! One of the Dawn Warriors, furrowing his eyebrows, whispered while staring at the Boss. Be careful, he was once a grand knight; his strength is nearly on par with the Knight of Dawn! If its only us three, we wont stand a chance Everyone be careful, and dodge his skills, Song Jian softly said, ready up, Im initiating the attack! Previously, it was the Dawn Warriors who initiated attacks on monsters. But due to Song Jians high damage output, he easily attracted the bosss hostility; hence, he took on the responsibility of initiating the attack. Furthermore, given the Boss current strength, it seemed likely that the Dawn Warriors would struggle to take it down; Earth Teeth Assault! A tusk-shaped Qi mass howled towards the Bloody Baron. With a boom, the Baron, who was standing by the experimental table, was pushed back two steps. Unintentionally, he slashed with his surgical knife, causing a sudden outpour of blood from the humanoid creature on the table; Damn it, you ruined my experiment! The Bloody Baron roared in anger, pulling out a spear from a nearby cabinet, then growled as he charged towards Song Jian; Dawn Charge! A Dawn Warrior yelled as he charged at the Bloody Baron, ruthlessly slashing at him with his longsword. Dawn Charge! The remaining Dawn Warriors also deployed the charge skill, pouncing towards the Bloody Baron; At this moment, the Bloody Barons hatred was firmly locked onto Song Jian. The continuous charges only made his body slightly sway, not impeding his aggression. His resistances are so high, we can only stun him for 0.3 seconds, exclaimed a Dawn Warrior. His defense is also incredibly high. The damage from Dawn Charge is only in the tens. Be careful! Another Dawn Warrior shouted with a warning. Seeing the Bloody Baron charge at him, Song Jian pulled out a bottle of Weakness Potion and violently tossed it at him; Next, he took out a bottle of Slow Medicine and threw it down at the Bloody Barons feet; Immediately, the Bloody Barons speed went down and even his act of waving the spear slowed considerably; Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, ruthlessly hacking away at the Bloody Baron; With a roar, the Black Dragon cub shot into the air. A massive dark purple fireball was released from its mouth, striking the Bloody Baron directly. -113, -135, -145- A series of damages over 100 points appeared above the Bloody Barons head; Blood Tide! Suddenly, a powerful energy surge emerged from the Bloody Baron. Waves of scarlet energy, with the Baron at the center, expanded outwards, enveloping Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors. Both the Dawn Warriors and Song Jian saw numbers indicating a dozen or so damage points quickly float above their heads, while the Bloody Barons Vitality Points were rapidly reclaiming; Get out of the skill range! Song Jian bellowed. He transformed into a silhouette, hastily retreating in the distance. The Dawn Warriors also ceased their attacks, rushing towards areas far away from the Bloody Baron; The range of the Bloody Barons skill was enormously wide, almost taking up half of the cave, ranged classes had an opportunity to escape, but it was hard for close combat classes to dodge this attack. Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors barely managed to escape. Their vitality had plummeted over 300 points, while the Bloody Barons vitality was instantly replenished by nearly 500 points. The Black Dragon hatchling was still persistently attacking as it wasn t enveloped by the Blood Tide due to being in the air; The Bloody Baron was immobilized after he cast the Blood Tide. Seeing the four melee professionals leave, the Bloody Baron halted the Blood Tide, brandished his spear blade and pointed towards Song Jian; A crimson beam of light shot towards Song Jians back instantly; Blood Explosion! The Bloody Baron growled, with a trace of black breath in his eyes, revealing a fierce expression on his face. Just as the crimson beam reached Song Jians back, a faint golden glow burst from the surface of his body. His running body was turned around by a mysterious force, and he swung his long sword harshly in front of him; Sacred Parry! Clang- With a muffled noise, the crimson beam of light was shattered by Song Jians sword. Then, an identical crimson beam erupted from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, directed at the Bloody Baron; Thud- This crimson beam pierced through the Bloody Barons heart, exploded out from his back. A damage of over 600 points sprang up from above the Bloody Barons head; How could this be The Bloody Baron was dumbstruck, his eyes fixed on Song Jian, filled with intense dread. Knight of Dawn, this is the skill of the Knight of Dawn one of the Dawn Warriors shouted, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Song Jian; Praise be to You, Goddess of Dawn, your exclusive knight has finally reappeared in the mortal world Three Dawn Warriors cried out in unison, their eyes filled with the adoration of fans for their idol as they looked at Song Jian. System: Dawn Warrior C Qis admiration for you has greatly increased, reaching the level of reverence, you can initiate a recruitment request to him; System: Dawn Warrior C Songs admiration for you has greatly increased, reaching the level of reverence, you can initiate a recruitment request to him; System: Dawn Warrior C Yas admiration for you has greatly increased, reaching the level of reverence, you can initiate a recruitment request to him; A series of system prompts suddenly made Song Jian feel like he was hit by a pie. He had recruited these three Dawn Warriors through his worshipful relationship with the Silver Moon Commerce, regardless of whether he could clear this instance, they needed to be returned in the end; But now there was an opportunity to recruit these three level twenty elite warriors to be his followers right before his eyes. What should Song Jian do? What else could he do but recruit! Recruit, recruit, recruit! With twenty years of single and quick hand speed, Song Jian rapidly chose to recruit the three; Respected Knight of Dawn, Im willing to become one of your followers! A Dawn Warrior knelt on one knee, giving a salute towards the direction where Song Jian was located; System: Congratulations, you have recruited Dawn Warrior C Ya as your follower; However, the remaining two Dawn Warriors hesitated and eventually rejected the recruitment; I m sorry, my lord, I have my own duties and cannot follow behind you! Im sorry, my lord, I still have things I care about in the Silver Moon Commerce, and I cant leave! The two followers showed their remorse, shaking their heads as they rejected the offer. Continue the attack! After Song Jian issued the order, he couldnt help but lift the corners of his mouth. Even if only one Dawn Warrior was willing to follow him, he had struck it rich! This was a level twenty elite follower, entirely different from ordinary NPCs! Chapter 379 - Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Successful Recruitment Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Successful Recruitment Translator: 549690339 | Having recruited a Level 20 Elite Follower, Song Jian couldnt already be more satisfied. Praise be to you, Goddess of Dawn, I swear, Ill always follow devotedly behind your exclusive knight, never leaving or deserting! The Dawn Warrior, who had just become Song Jians follower, seemed inspired and yelled loudly, swinging his sword and rushing towards the Bloody Baron. Well, young fellow has quite the spirit! Song Jian revealed a smile. However, very quickly, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. What did he say Knight of Dawn, Goddess of Dawns exclusive knight, he will always follow oh crap, Im not a Knight of Dawn, nor do I worship the Goddess of Dawn. I just unintentionally learned a sword technique that potentially belongs to a Knight of Dawn Will he stab me with his sword if he finds out that Im not a Knight of Dawn? Mom, Im scared! At this thought, Song Jian suddenly realized that this freshly recruited Dawn Warrior had become a hot potato. He should have known not to recruit him! Roar- The Bloody Baron swung his spear and pierced the chest of a Dawn Warrior, hoisting him into the air before ruthlessly throwing him to the side. Splat- The Dawn Warriors vitality points had instantly dropped to a precarious level, the glaringly red vitality point gauge only had a bit left. Oh crap, is he gonna die right after being recruited? Song Jian was shocked, hastily casting a Surgical Healing on the Dawn Warrior who was thrown by the BOSS. As it turned out, the one the BOSS had just attacked was the Dawn Warrior Song Jian had just recruited. After stuffing the Dawn Warrior, who was leaning against the rock wall, with a potion of beginners healing and several pieces of roast meat, and ordering him to rest, Song Jian drew his sword and rushed towards the Bloody Baron. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! Encircling the Bloody Baron in a flurry of sword slashes, Song Jian swiftly drew its attention, reducing the pressure on the remaining two Dawn Warriors. Song Jians previous Sacred Parry technique had the BOSS feeling wary. It looked at Song Jian, its gaze full of caution. However, the spear in its hand still contained lethal force, constantly emitting a piercing whistling sound as it jabbed at Song Jian. The BOSSS damage was high, each strike causing fifty to sixty points of damage to Song Jian. When Song Jians vitality points fell to less than half, he had no choice but to use Tai Chi Sword Skill to fend off the BOSSS attack. The two Dawn Warriors behind him were also constantly attacking, with damage numbers steadily floating up above the BOSSS head. Its vitality points were slowly declining, shortly falling below half. In reality, among the group, Song Jian had the most powerful attack, next was only the young Black Dragon, the three Dawn Warriors attack power could only be ranked at the end. Watching the two Dawn Warriors strenuously swinging their double-handed swords, Song Jian couldnt help but complain: Considering how low your damage is, you should have just taken up a shield as a tank. Arent you just bringing doom to us by insisting on using the double-handed sword in a retribution style! Damned reptile, get lost! The Bloody Baron suddenly brandished his spear, harshly smacking towards the Black Dragon whelp in mid-air. It turned out while Song Jian was using the Tai Chi Sword Skill, the Black Dragon whelp jacked away the BOSSS aggro. The flying Black Dragon whelp didnt expect the BOSS to suddenly attack it. In a moment of distraction, it was knocked down by the spear, hurling toward the rock wall nearby. Boom- The entire cave began to slightly tremble, the Black Dragon whelp fluttered its wings, straining to stand up from the ground, and let out a roar towards the Bloody Baron. Whack- The Black Dragon cubs wing suddenly swatted a test tube on a cabinet, throwing it towards the rock face, where it shattered into pieces. The Bloody Barons attack faltered as he glanced at the crushed test tube, his eyes reflecting distress akin to physical pain. Visibly falling back under the relentless attack, Song Jians eyes lit up, Hey, it seems like this BOSS really cares about its lab equipment could it be With this thought, Song Jian immediately commanded his recuperating follower, Go! Destroy the lab equipment around you as much as possible! Although the Dawn Warrior had been receiving Song Jians vitality recovery buff, and been using basic healing potions and roasted meat, the time was short. He had only managed to recover less than a third of his vitality and could not engage in combat. However, he was capable of causing some damage to the surroundings. The Dawn Warrior, C Ya stood up, swinging his longsword towards a nearby experimental cabinet. Bang, bang, bang- As the crashing sounds echoed, the Bloody Baron trembled. He wanted to rush towards the Dawn Warrior who was wreaking havoc but his hatred was firmly locked on Song Jian. He was constrained by the rules of the system and could only watch helplessly as his precious lab equipment was destroyed piece by piece. Roar, you all will pay! The Bloody Barons anger flared, but half his attention was distracted by the destructive Dawn Warrior. He was too flustered to focus on the battle, releasing his skills haphazardly. Each move was either a miss or terribly off-target, greatly alleviating the pressure on Song Jian and his group. When the Bloody Barons vitality dropped below 80%, he finally started unleashing his ultimate move, the Fatal Strike! The BOSS swung his spear, as a surge of red energy converged at its tip. With a forceful thrust, he slammed it into the ground. BOOM! With a deafening explosion, five red beams burst forth from where the spear touched the ground, shooting towards Song Jian, the Black Dragon cub, and the three Dawn Warriors. Swish- The speed of the red light was incredibly fast. Before he could react, a red streak flashed before Song Jians eyes, and a cool sensation spread across his chest. MISS A faint blue text floated above his head. The Black Dragon cub was also hit by a red beam, but a large MISS also floated above its head. Song Jian felt a shock in his heart and quickly turned his gaze to the follower who was in the process of destroying the lab. The follower had only managed to recover 34% of his vitality so far, he would undoubtedly be killed if hit by the fatal attack. Luckily, MISS also floated above his head. Just then, one of the Dawn Warriors groaned, as though hit by a mallet, his body flew backward. Above his head appeared a damage number in the high hundreds, and his vitality plummeted to a little above thirty. This move from the Bloody Baron could randomly damage one person in the field and was unaffected by hate value. Seeing that the Dawn Warrior busy destroying his lab equipment hadnt taken any damage, disappointment flashed in the eyes of the Bloody Baron. His attacks became more aggressive. Song Jians vitality was dropping fast. Seeing that the BOSS had less than 20% of his vitality left, Song Jian gritted his teeth, and activated his Immortal Sword Body. A pale golden light immediately enveloped him, like a golden armor encasing his body. Die! With a flick of his wrist, Song Jian thrust the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword at the Bloody Barons heart from an unexpected angle. Chapter 380 - Chapter 380: Chapter 380: Blood Beheading Greatsword Chapter 380: Chapter 380: Blood Beheading Greatsword Translator: 549690339 | The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword pierced the bloody Barons heart, causing over three hundred critical damage points. The Baron swung his spear, swatting Song Jian away like a fly. Boom! A crimson wave of energy burst from the Bloody Barons body, knocking back the Dawn Warriors that had been chasing him, and then he charged towards Song Jian with large strides. Die, human! The Baron roared as he swung his spear, and a strong bloody aura burst from it, condensing into red lightning bolts that shot towards Song Jian. Boom, boom, boom~ The ground was struck with holes from the red lightning. Song Jian wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and used his Tai Chi Sword Skill to block the lightning bolts. At this point, Song Jian looked very battered, his face pale, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and he used all his strength to fend off the crimson lightnings bombardment. The Bloody Barons attack lasted for only five seconds. The red lightning disappeared, and the Bloody Barons speed suddenly increased. He raised his spear and viciously slammed it down on Song Jians head. Clang! With a faint sound, Song Jians Follower overturned a cabinet, spilling all the dishes inside, which broke all over the floor. The Bloody Barons body suddenly trembled, and his strike also experienced a brief delay. Song Jian took the opportunity to roll out of the attack range and used Sword Shadow Step to escape to a distance. At this point, he only had a little over four hundred Vitality Points remaining, barely enough to withstand two or three more attacks from the Bloody Baron. The Black Dragon hatchling and a Dawn Warrior continuously attacked the Bloody Baron from behind, causing his Vitality Points to drop rapidly. However, the Barons hatred was firmly locked on Song Jian, vowing not to rest until he killed him. Thud! Another Slow Medicine vial smashed at the Barons feet. Song Jian looked back and cast the Hearts Eye skill. A crimson cross constantly scanned the Bloody Barons body, finally stopping at his right shoulder. Song Jian suddenly stopped and held his longsword horizontally across his chest, striking the pose of Sacred Parry. Seeing Song Jian stop, the Bloody Baron roared and swung his spear downward with a flash of red energy that formed a thick blade edge. Clang! The spear and the longsword collided, and Song Jian was thrown into the air by the intense force. He did a backflip and landed steadily. The Bloody Barons powerful strike was completely counteracted, leaving him exposed, his spear almost flying out of his hands while he staggered back. Song Jian leaped forward, aiming his longsword at the Bloody Barons right side and slashing down fiercely. Light Strike! A brilliant golden light burst from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime. Admiration filled the eyes of the three Dawn Warriors, as the Light Strike was also a skill of the Knight of Dawn. This made Song Jians newly recruited Follower even more certain of his identity as a Knight of Dawn. Boom! The Blood Knight had just stabilized himself when he felt a deadly threat rushing towards him. The intense golden light made it impossible for him to open his eyes, and he could only squint ahead. In a golden light, a figure holding a dark red long sword pounced on it. There was no time to react as the sword emitting golden light fiercely chopped down on its right shoulder. Crack, crack- The sound of bones breaking could be heard as a damage value of over a thousand floated above the Bloody Barons head, completely depleting its remaining Vitality Points. In an instant, the momentum on the Bloody Barons body dissipated, like an old man in the twilight years, its body wobbling as it took two steps back. Salena, I havent resurrected you yet. I The Bloody Barons eyes showed a bewildered look, the black aura in its eye sockets growing thicker and its entire body enveloped in the black aura, as if it were burning. Boom, the Bloody Baron, enveloped in a thick black aura, collapsed with a thud, and a dazzling pile of items burst out. Big loot! Great, haha, my lucks not bad! Song Jians eyes were almost squinting. This time, more than ten items dropped, which had never happened before from a BOSS drop. Just as Song Jian was counting the loot, the faces of the five trolls at the entrance suddenly changed. They saw that the blood light on the door of the Blood Demon Cave, which originally was very thick, suddenly weakened a lot, turning pale red and losing its brilliance. Duo Sa, whats going on?! A trolls face showed a terrified expression as it pointed at the entrance of the instance and roared. Is this the work of those people who just entered? Im going to tear them apart! Roar! A troll swung its club in anger, unable to vent its rage, smashing a huge rock, more than one person tall, into pieces with a bang. Damn it, those humans have already killed one of the guardians in the Demon Cave. If they kill the final guardian and get the Book of the Abyss, this instance will disappear! Duo Sas face twisted, his right fist clenching tightly, his shaking arm trembling. He regretted being just a few minutes late. If they had been a bit faster, they certainly could have entered the secret realm before those humans. Duo Sa, do you think those humans will get the Book of the Abyss? a troll hesitated. Impossible! Duo Sa roared, Guarding the Book of the Abyss is a powerful being with the bloodline of an Abyss demon. He will definitely kill all the intruders! Duo Sa, dont worry too much. Even if they get the Book of the Abyss, as long as we guard this place, we can still snatch it from them when they come out! a troll said gravely. Yes, snatch it from them, the Abyss Demon Lord is watching us! Despite their anxiety, with five trolls present, Song Jian calmly checked the loot attributes. Two Dawn Warriors nearly died and were now sitting on the ground, regaining Vitality Points by eating grilled meat. With a grin, Song Jian looked at the dropped items in his inventory, pleased at his loot. This time there were a total of twelve weapons and equipment, which could be considered luxurious. Additionally, there were quite a few Grade 1 gems and precious materials. Out of the twelve equipment pieces, the lowest quality were four Level 15 blue-grade equipment: Druid gloves, Mage hat and leggings, and Summoner shoulder pads. Among the remaining weapons and equipment, there were four green and three blue Level 20 pieces. The best was a silver-grade Level 20 weapon, the Blood Beheading Greatsword. Blood Beheading Greatsword (Silver), Weapon, Double-handed Sword, Equipment Level 20, Attack80-95, Strength +5, Agility +3, Constitution +3, Crush +2, Special Effect: Blood Suck (Passive) C 15% of the attack damage is converted into Vitality Points for the attacker; Durability: 120/120, Equipment Requirement: Warrior Class; Chapter 381 - Chapter 381: Chapter 381: The Demon Knight Chapter 381: Chapter 381: The Demon Knight Translator: 549690339 | This silver-quality double-handed sword evoked looks of envy in the eyes of the three Dawn Warriors, who were all still dressed in level 20 white-quality gear. Song Jian thought for a moment, then directly handed the long sword to the newly recruited follower. He then sorted through the loot, picked out a few pieces of level 20 blue-green gear, and handed it over to Dawn Warrior C Ya. Thankyou, my lord, I swear Ill followyou unto death! Da? Warrior-Ya, emotion written all over his face, knelt on one knee and bowed to Song Jian. After changing into his new gear, Yas combat power had increased two or threefold. The Blood Beheading Greatsword he held incited envy in the other two Da? Warriors. Once everyones vitality points had fully recovered, Song Jian rose to his feet: Continue! The group followed the cave passage and moved on. On their journey, Ya was always at the very front, opposing all the minor creatures single-handedly, making the path afterward much easier. If it werent for the ten-year contract I signed with Silver Moon Commerce, I d want to follow this man too! a Dawn Warrior, enviously watching Ya, murmured quietly. After killing the Bloody Baron, Song Jian gained a great deal of combat experience. On the later journey, he killed over a dozen small creatures. A golden light burst from his body, and his level rose to 19. Song Jian used the additional skill point he gained to upgrade his Rapid Sword skill, extending its duration by two seconds from six to eight. After more than two hours, the group finally reached the deepest part of the Blood Demon Cave. It looked like a ruined great hall. Half of it had collapsed, with large chunks of rubble piled up. At the rear of the hall was something like a volcano spouting hot red blood, splashing around like magma. In front of this blood volcano was a seven to eight meters high throne, entirely made of black crystals, glistening under the light of the blood. A demon knight with horns on his head sat on the throne. As they entered the hall, the atmosphere changed as if an invisible force was binding them. Even the air became heavy. The three Da? Warriors looked at the throne with somber expressions and a look of despair in their eyes. How could this be, a real demon knight is guarding the Book of the Abyss? Three bosses? Song Jian was stunned, his face full of disbelief. So many bosses, no wonder no team has ever cleared the Blood Demon Cave so far At this point, two three-headed hellhounds lay at the feet of the demon knights throne. Each of their massive heads raised, riveted on Song Jians party, revealing monstrous expressions. If it were only one Demon Knight, Song Jian might have put up a fight, but the three bosses they faced now were something they couldnt handle. They didnt even have the courage to give it a try. Isnt this quest difficulty a bit too high? Is the Book of the Abyss really a task I can accomplish at this stage? Song Jian couldnt help but wonder. LV25 Abyss Demon Knight Kulun, Lord Level, Vitality Points: 8000/8000, Characteristics: Demonic Body, Super Damage, Skills: Demon Summoning, Hell Strike, Abyss Instant Slash. LV20 Three-Headed Hellhound, Elite Level, Vitality Points: 4200/4200, Characteristics: Demonic Creature, Super Sharp, Skills: Evil Breath, Dead Light Eye, Bite Assault. A level 25 Lord Level boss and two 20 Level Elite bosses C even if Song Jian were to ascend to level 20, he wouldnt stand a chance against them. Even with the addition of three Dawn Warriors and a Black Dragon Hatchling, theres no way they could defeat them. The Black Dragon cub sniffed out the scent of the demon, it became eager, let out a roar at the three bosses; two Hellhounds slowly stood up, fixing their eyes on the Black Dragon cub, they matched it in defiance and let out terrifying howls; The three Dawn Warriors stayed restrained, looking over at Song Jian, waiting for his command; Priest Cecilia would never give me a task that I cant accomplish. We will definitely kill these three bosses and obtain the Book of the Abyss! Song Jian said firmly. Asya, you go try out the damage on the demon knight, I will command the Black Dragon cub to attract the attention of the two Hellhounds. Song Jian turned to the remaining two dawn warriors saying: You assist with attacking from the side, if you notice something amiss, retreat immediately. Asya had changed into a new set of gear, Song Jian estimated that they should be able to resist attacks from the Abyss Demon Knight, but the other two Dawn Warriors might be knocked away as soon as they come into contact with the Demon Knight. Yes, Master! Asya yelled, The Goddess of Dawn is protecting me! Da? Charge! A glorious white light bloomed under Asyas feet, and as quick as an arrow, she charged at the demon knight; The Black Dragon cub let out a roar at the two Hellhounds, spouting hot Dragon Breath, rushing towards the two Hellhounds; The Goddess of Da? protects us! The two Dawn Warriors exchanged a glance, their faces filled with determination, and with a low growl, they also charged at the demon knight together; -58 -57 -55 Indeed, the power of a level 20 silver-grade Blood Beheading Greatsword was extraordinary, cutting down on the Demon Knight, even a common attack could cause over fifty damage. However, the other two Dawn Warriors, could only inflict about a dozen damage on the BOSS, sometimes, they could only cause single digit damage; Vermin! The Demon Knight gave a disdainful growl, randomly drew a halberd from beside his throne and fiercely stabbed it toward Asya; A sharp sound tearing through the air suddenly echoed, it almost pierced the Da? Warriors eardrums, all three showed pained expressions on their faces. Thud- The halberd cruelly pierced Asyas chest, instantly causing over five hundred damage, this attack made Asya, with only eight hundred Vitality Points, feel a wave of fear, this was her first time being so close to death; Why is the damage so high? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, this was just a casual strike from the BOSS, if their opponent used a skill, wouldnt that instantly wipe out Asya? The assisting Da? Warriors faces also revealed surprise, Asyas gear was much better than theirs, if they were the target of this attack, theyd probably be beaten to near death; We cant defeat it! Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, and after some hesitation, he jumped in, preparing to take Asyas place. Retreat, retreat, we cant win! Song Jian was anxious but at that moment, a milky white beam of light fell from the sky, enveloping Asya, her Vitality Points, which had already lost two-thirds, instantly filled up, and a thin light curtain appeared on the surface of Asyas body. The curtain kept circulating, sparkling with milky white light. Chapter 382 - Chapter 382: Chapter 382 Cecilia Chapter 382: Chapter 382 Cecilia Translator: 549690339 | The sudden turn of events left Song Jian somewhat surprised. He turned to look and a figure emerged from the passage outside the main hall. Priest Cecilia! A faint glow enveloped her as she continually waved her magic staff. Rays of light descended from the sky, falling upon Song Jian, the three Dawn Warriors, and the Black Dragon hatchling. Cecilia, why did you come? Song Jian asked excitedly. Guided by God, Cecilia replied with a smile. Song Jian noticed a new status effect in his status bar: Recover 15 Vitality Points every second, lasting 30 minutes. Flap-flap-flap ~ Cecilias codex in the left hand flipped pages on its own without any wind. As Cecilia chanted divine incantations and pointed at everyone, they were immediately shrouded in a milky-white glow. Divine Protection! Defense increased by 2000, damage from enemies reduced by 30%; Another powerful supportive effect. Song Jians face lit up with joy. With Cecilias assistance, beating the three bosses ahead suddenly seemed possible! Cecilia, this isnt the Dawn Divine Palace! The Abyss Demon Knight sneered, swinging his lance at the Dawn Warrior Ya with savage force. A dark demonic aura surged from the lance, and his eyes glowed with murderous intent. Move out of the way! Song Jian roared, rushing forward to stand in Yas place. Golden light radiated from his body as he assumed a strange stance with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Whoosh ~ The air within a three-meter radius seemed to be violently compressed. Song Jian felt a strong wind blowing in his face, making it hard to breathe. It felt as though countless sharp blades were stabbing into his body, and his protective armor seemed to lose its effect all of a sudden. Clang- A dull collision echoed in everyones ears. Initially, the sound was muffled, but it soon grew louder and more resonant. Finally, the sound reverberated throughout the temple, crashing against everyone like a tsunami wave after wave. Sacred Parry! Song Jian felt a huge force driving him backward. He was like a small stone being hurled into the air, smashing harshly against the temple wall. He then fell down from the wall. A damage indicator showing over nine hundred points popped up above the Demon Knights head. The searing pain caused the Demon Knight to growl in agony. Kulun, youve been away from the Dawn Divine Palace for too long. Youve even forgotten the signature move of the Dawn Knights. Cecilia revealed a mocking smile. She waved her right hand, and a ray of divine light fell upon Song Jian. With the super supportive Cecilia on their side, Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors were brimming with confidence. They charged fearlessly towards the Demon Knight Kulun. -12 -14 -18 -59 Broken Wing Dance! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Light Strike! With a Sword Shadow Step, Song Jian flashed behind the demonic knight, and unleashed a series of sword techniques at the BOSS, the Light Strike in particular inflicted double the damage on the demonic knight, Kulun. The initial damage of over six hundred points, but now reached one thousand two hundred points, immediately directing the knights attention towards him. Light Strike is a holy attack, specifically effective against demonic knights. Seeing Song Jian using Light Strike, Cecilias eyes twinkled, and an enchanting smile appeared on her face. Knight of Dawn, you damned guy! The demonic knight Kulun directly gave up on the Dawn Warriors and pivoted, swinging his halberd violently towards Song Jian. Even with Cecilia performing healing magic from behind, Song Jian dared not take a direct hit from the demonic knight and swiftly maneuvered to evade. With a boom, the ground split, creating a rift over three meters long from which hot, red blood, like lava, spurted out. Wielding his halberd, demonic knight Kulun, steady yet agile, resembled a mighty dragon. Despite being surrounded, he didnt seem pressured. Each of his techniques grew stronger. If it wasnt for Cecilia continually casting her healing spells from behind, the four of them, including Song Jian, would have been killed by the demonic knight. Song Jian observed that although the knights hostility was directed towards him, each of his attacks had a splashing effect, also causing damage to the three Dawn Warriors nearby. Even a basic attack could inflict two to three hundred points of damage on the surroundings. Moreover, as the Demonic Knight Kuluns Vitality Points could continue to decrease, its attack grew stronger. The initial basic attacks that caused two to three hundred points of damage now caused four to five hundred points. Despite Cecilias healing, the three Dawn Warriors felt restrained and dared not plunge straight into the fight. Boom! With a devastating sweep, the demonic knight sent a Dawn Warrior flying, dealing over seven hundred points of damage, sending him into a critical state. Cecilia quickly cast a healing spell, reviving him. Master, its attack is getting more fierce. We are struggling to resist! A warrior cried out. Hold on, it wont last much longer! Song Jian roared. Just then, a dragons roar echoed from the sky. Song Jian, startled, looked up only to see the half-blooded Black Dragon hatchling with a three-headed hellhound in its mouth, suspended in mid-air. The hellhound seemed to have lost all its strength, hanging limply. Despite being battered, the hatchling held its head high, proudly slamming the hellhound onto the ground. Good job! Song Jian couldnt help but cheer. Although the black dragon hatchling was only a level fifteen elite, it was able to kill one of the two level twenty elite BOSS, demonstrating its place at the top of the food chain. This also had a lot to do with Cecilias constant healing. Without the support of Cecilia Priest, the black dragon hatchling would not be a match for the two hellhounds. Damn it, reptile, Ill tear you apart and cast you into the abyss. Your soul will wail in agony for ten thousand years under the flames of the abyss! The demonic knight Kulun roared as he saw the falling body of the three-headed hellhound. Swinging his halberd, he struck the ground. Boom! An intense force burst from the ground, blasting everyone who was attacking him a dozen meters away. The demonic knight chanted a spell, slowly raising his left hand. Behind him, the volcano of blood erupted, the hot blood wave rising tens of meters high. A codex emitting a dark aura slowly ascended from the volcano opening. Come forth, my warriors, shred my enemies before my eyes! The demonic knights eyes radiated crimson as a ball of hot flames emerged from the Book of the Abyss and fell in front of him. A huge black bronze gate became clearer and clearer as it was engulfed in burning black flames, becoming larger and larger. Chapter 383 - Chapter 383: Chapter 383: Magic Flame Upgrade Chapter 383: Chapter 383: Magic Flame Upgrade Translator: 549690339 | Damn it, its summoning the Abyssal Gate! Stop it! Cecilias face changed drastically, and she quickly shouted. Soon, a five to six-meter tall bronze gate, emitting a dark aura, stood in front of everyone. On the surface of the gate was a carved relief of a demon skull; At this moment, the demon skull on the gate began to slowly open its eyes, and as the black flames on the surface of the gate burned fiercely, the gate also began to open slowly; This is the Abyssal Flame? Song Jians face showed a surprised expression. Its important to know that he had merged with the Abyssal Flame, and it burned inside his body. At this moment, as the Abyssal Gate slowly opened, a wave of demonic roars and howls came from behind the gate. Shadows loomed, as if a demon army was waiting behind the door; Whoosh ~ Just then, Song Jians body surface suddenly burst into a black flame, identical to the black flame in front of the demon knight. In the center of the black flame, there was also a faint outline of a bronze gate; How could this be Demon Knight Kulun revealed a surprised expression in his eyes. The Abyssal Flame is a unique Magic Flame from the Abyss, only found in the Abyss and only controlled by an Abyssal Lord level powerhouse that rules over a region; It was through the Book of the Abyss that Demon Knight Kulun could control the Abyssal Flame and open the Abyssal Gate to summon demon warriors; But the human in front of them was clearly not an Abyssal creature. Why did he also possess the Abyssal Flame, and it seemed that he could control it completely; The appearance of the two Abyssal Flames instantly surged, seemingly competing to prove who was stronger; The Abyssal Gate, which was already half-open, began to close slowly. This ball of Abyssal Flame had to use all its power to fight against the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body, and it could not continue to open the Abyssal Gate. The Demon Knights trump card was accidentally destroyed by Song Jian. Even Cecilia did not expect this scene to happen; The Abyssal Flame in front of the Demon Knight was raging, and in a short time, it had pushed down the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body. Originally rising two to three meters high, the flame had now been pushed to less than a foot away from Song Jians body surface; At this sight, the Demon Knights face revealed a ferocious smile, it seemed that the Abyssal Flame of the other party was still very weak and no match for the Abyssal Flame contained in the Book of the Abyss; Song Jian also felt a heavy pressure rushing towards him, as if carrying a mountain on his body, and this mountain was getting heavier and heavier. The Abyssal Flame within him was struggling, trying to counter the enemy, but was repeatedly suppressed once again; Creak creak~ Song Jian felt his Vitality Points were continuously dropping, and his whole bodys blood turned into fuel to support the confrontation of the Abyssal Flames. Checking his attributes, Song Jian couldnt help but curse, Fog grass.. His previous feeling was not an illusion, and his Vitality Points were really decreasing. From losing one Vitality Point per second, the loss increased to two, three, four, The Demon Knight seemed to have noticed Song Jians situation too, and started laughing out loud, with a delighted expression on his face. I didnt expect you to have already merged with the Abyssal Flame. It being suppressed is equivalent to you being suppressed. Its currently using your Vitality Points as fuel and will soon be consuming your flesh, bones, meridians, even your entire body, all of it will become its fuel. In the end, your spirit and even your soul will be burned clean! Hahaha, this is the most painful death. In the Abyss, only those who have betrayed the Abyss, the traitors, will face such an outcome! Cecilia was also looking at Song Jian with an anxious expression, continuously casting healing spells on him. However, Song Jians lost Vitality Points kept increasing, ten points, twenty points, thirty points, The Abyssal Flame absorbed more and more Vitality Points, but there was no sign of victory. The Abyssal Flame on the opposite side was too powerful, and it even had a hidden suction force, which seemed to want to absorb the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body and merge it with the other partys flame; The Book of the Abyss on the volcanos crater was also emitting light, supporting the Abyssal Flames suppression of Song Jian from behind; I cant lose, I cant lose! Song Jians whole body was tense, using every trick he knew, as if he was really fighting against a mountain! He fought against the flames in front of the Demon Knight together with the Abyssal Flame. Song Jian felt his whole body immersed in flames, every cell in his body was burning, even his soul emitted a searing taste; Hum~ With a soft sound, eight or nine fist-sized black flames appeared beside Song Jian. They integrated one after another into Song Jians body, merging with the Abyssal Flame on his bodys surface; Whoosh- The Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body suddenly surged, instantly suppressing the black flames in front of the Demon Knight. How is this possible! How could this happen! The Demon Knight was suddenly thrown into confusion, unable to understand how the Abyssal Flame within Song Jians body could be so powerful. What just happened with those few balls of fire? Why did they suddenly appear and merge directly with the other partys flame? This this is simply What happened just now had completely overturned the Demon Knights previous experience. It was known that Abyssal Flames repelled each other; once two balls of Abyssal Flame encountered each other, either one would suppress and absorb the other to strengthen itself, or it would be absorbed by the other party to strengthen them; Automatic fusion was absolutely impossible, but those eight or nine black flames had directly merged together; Its impossible, unless, unless those eight or nine black flames separated from his body A thought suddenly struck the Demon Knights mind. At this time, the black flames that once burned fiercely in the forging room of Starfire Shop suddenly extinguished, shocking all the Life Profession players crafting items inside, and this crafting attempt naturally ended in failure; After merging with the previously separated flames, the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body was instantly at an absolute advantage, completely suppressing the black flame in front of the Demon Knight. What panicked the Demon Knight even more was that the black flame in front of him was slowly approaching Song Jian, just like prey being gradually dragged into a hunters cave. No, this cant continue! The Demon Knight clenched his teeth, grabbed his long halberd, and prepared to charge towards Song Jian; At that moment, with a boom, the black flame finally couldnt resist any longer, and was absorbed by the Abyssal Flame inside Song Jians body. For a time, Song Jian seemed to be completely enshrouded in the black flame, which even condensed into a black armor on the surface of his body, firmly protecting him inside. At that moment, a system prompt suddenly appeared in front of Song Jians eyes; System: Congratulations, your Third-tier Demon Flame Abyssal Flame has been promoted to the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame Abyssal Raging Flame; Chapter 384 - Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Passing Through Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Passing Through Translator: 549690339 | Ive leveled up? Just like that Ive leveled up? Song Jian felt a bit surprised. He had hoped that the Abyssal Flame would level up after he absorbed the recovery flame before, but it had only enhanced his attributes. Unexpectedly, after suppressing another group of Abyssal Flame, he directly leveled up, becoming a Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, the Abyssal Raging Flame. Abyssal Raging Flame (Fourth-tier Demonic Flame): Damage increases by 100, ice resistance increases by 50 points, fire resistance increases by 50 points, the damage received from water-based magic is weakened by 50%, the damage received from fire-based magic is reduced by 50%; Feature: Can condense Abyssal Flame Armor, defense increases by 200 points, resistance increases by 150 points, attackers suffer a 150% fire damage rebound; Because of the Eye of the Fire God ring, Song Jian was already able to reflect 30% of melee damage. Now that he has condensed into a Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, the rebound effect has further increased significantly. Song Jian even suspected that if he stood in the crowd of monsters without taking any action, the rebound damage alone might be enough to wipe them all out. Damn, impossible, you actually stole the power of the Book of Abyss! The Demon Knight swung his long spear, smashing it hard on Song Jians shoulder, but was immediately repelled by the bounce from the Abyssal Flame Armor. Looking at Song Jian, his eyes were filled with a look of shock. Even Cecilias gaze at Song Jian was filled with surprise. But looking at the black flames burning on Song Jians body, a touch of worry flashed in Cecilias eyes. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian brandished the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and charged at the Demon Knight. With the black flames burning on him, Song Jian looked even more like a Demon Knight than Kulun. His longsword had also become sharper. After the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame increased Song Jians damage by a hundred points, even a simple strike could cause more than two hundred points of damage to the Demon Knight. If skill bonuses were added, a set of skills could even deal close to five hundred points of damage to the Demon Knight; Boom Boom Boom- The Demon Knight was forced to continuously retreat just by Song Jian, completely suppressed and unable to fight back. This scene left the three Dawn Warriors dumbfounded. They knew that before this, the Demon Knight was dominating, and if it wasnt for Cecilia providing continuous healing from behind, the four of them would have already been done for. The Demon Knight was aggrieved. He dealt a hundred points of damage to Song Jian, but in turn he received nearly a hundred and eighty points of damage. Even if his vitality was high, he couldnt handle this! Die! Song Jian, covered in black flames, appeared as if a god descended. As soon as the cooldown on Light Strike ended, he immediately executed it. He, shrouded in black flames, swung his long sword and condensed a golden Sword Qi that was more than a meter long, and fiercely slashed at the Demon Knight; With a thunderous boom, the Demon Knight was slashed in the chest by the substantial golden Sword Qi. His body flew backward and smashed into a stone pillar, shattering it, then flew another ten plus meters. The armor on his chest was completely broken, exposing his scale-like demon skin. The wound on his chest almost cut open his ribcage, you could even see his beating heart. This strike put the Demon Knight directly into a near-death state, making it extremely difficult for him to even get up. Impossible, how could this be The Demon Knights eyes were filled with terror. He struggled to get up, leaning on his long spear, staring at Song Jian with a ferocious look on his face. Looking at Song Jian covered in black flames, a strange smile suddenly appeared on the Demon Knights face, he murmured softly: When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you Boom! A loud noise, the Demon Knights body suddenly exploded, turning into countless fragments floating in the air, then all ignited, like a swarm of black butterflies fluttering in the sky; The moment the Demon Knight Kulun died, the three Hellhounds that were originally fighting desperately with the Black Dragon whelps suddenly let out a scream, and their bodies also began to burn. In a short while, they turned into ashes, sprinkling down from the sky. System: You have killed the final BOSS of Blood Demon Cave C Demon Knight Kulun, your actions have drawn the attention of the Abyssal Clan; System: You have cleared a unique instance, Blood Demon Cave, and gained 100,000 battle experience; System: You have cleared a unique instance, Blood Demon Cave. Your name will spread throughout the City of Hymns. Your reputation in the City of Hymns increased by 50 points; In the Sun Fire Business Association, several managers were sitting around a conference table, their expressions solemn. Silver Moon Commerce has really gone too far this time. Zone B has always been our territory, they seem to be trying to provoke a war! We were close to driving out that yes, the Starfire Shop this time, but against all odds it has revived, causing a thorn in our side in Zone B! I heard that Starfire Shop has been sold to a god-favored one, but this person has also joined Silver Moon Commerce. It seems like theyre planning to use this shop as a springboard to expand their influence in Zone B! Investigate this god-favored one. Hmph, Im going to show him what happens when you cross the Sun Fire Business Association! Sir, the owner of the Starfire Shop is called Song Jian, he has never been seen in the City of Hymns before Hmph, Song Jian, Makara, find some experts tomorrow. I dont want to see this guy in the City of Hymns anymore! Yes, sir, I think we can Just as they were discussing how to deal with Song Jian, a system broadcast rang throughout the City of Hymns: City of Hymns System Region Announcement: Congratulations to Song Jian for being the first to clear the unique secret realm, the Blood Demon Cave! Reward this player with 100,000 combat experience points and 50 prestige points in the City of Hymns! The secret realm of the Blood Demon Cave will now be converted into a regular secret realm. Its difficulty will be greatly reduced to simple, ordinary, difficult, and real. All teams are welcome to challenge it! This system announcement was sent out three times in a row. The people discussing in the Sun Fire Business Association were taken aback and fell into a brief moment of embarrassment; Sir, do, do we still proceed with A manager next to him cautiously wiped his sweat and asked in a low voice. Proceed with what? He alone has overcome a secret realm that hasnt been conquered in the City of Hymns for a long time. Who dares to mess with him now? Unless you can find a Tier One Combat Power expert, anyone below Tier One wont be a match for him, hmph! There are Tier One Combat Power experts in the City of Hymns The cost is too high! After a sigh, the scene fell into a silent and awkward atmosphere. The entire City of Hymns was bubbling after hearing the system announcement. The Blood Demon Cave was one of the taboo secret realms of the City of Hymns. It was out in the open without any restrictions to enter, yet till now, no one had managed to conquer it. For a while, the entire City of Hymns was discussing the name Song Jian, while Song Jian himself was happily picking up the items dropped by the demon knights. Chapter 385 - Chapter 385: Chapter 385: Return to the Manor Chapter 385: Chapter 385: Return to the Manor Translator: 549690339 | After killing the Demon Knight Kulun, Song Jians experience points skyrocketed massively. Coupled with the hundred-thousand battle experience gained from clearing the dungeon, Song Jian, whose experience bar had just levelled up to nineteen, leapfrogged to the position above half, reaching 19.78%. This was equivalent to the experience that Song Jian could gain from five or six days and nights of non-stop monster hunting. Besides gaining abundant experience, the loot dropped by the Demon Knight Kulun also amounted to eighteen pieces. Among them, twelve pieces were weaponry and equipment. The remaining included a blueprint for weaponry forging, a tailor design diagram, a magic inscription drawing, two tier-2 gems, and a piece of precious forging material, the Abyssal Demon Crystal. After the death of Demon Knight Kulun, the Book of the Abyss was naturally collected by Priest Cecilia to eliminate the Abyss Demon that was sealed. Song Jian began to sort through the loot. Among the equipment dropped, three pieces had a silver-quality property. The Abyssal Demon Helmet, a leather hat, was silver, equipment level 20, providing +38 Defence, +29 Resistance, +10% Total Defence, and +10 Fire Resistance. Special effect 1: Dark Vision (Passive), allowing the user to see clearly within a thirty-meter radius in dim or no-light conditions. Special effect 2: Abyss Demon Breath (Passive), the user gains the protection of Abyss Demon Breath, reducing all damage by 20%, and the probability of being critically hit is reduced by 30%. Equipment requirement: 18 Level; Can it be taken out of the game: No. This silver-quality hat was much better than the Scorpion Beast Helmet that Song Jian was currently wearing. Ever since the Scorpion Beast Helmet was damaged by an enemy, the chance of triggering the Desert Scorpion Soul seemed to have decreased a lot. Sometimes, even after several battles in succession, it wouldnt trigger even once. The most important feature of the Scorpion Beast Helmet was the triggering of the Desert Scorpion Soul to assist in battle. Without this feature, the value of this helmet was at most equivalent to a green-quality helmet of the same level. Now that he had a better silver-quality hat, naturally, he would replace it immediately. The remaining two silver-quality items were also level twenty equipment, but one was a pair of gloves for summoners and the other was a chest armour for hunters. Besides these three silver-quality items, the rest were all level twenty blue and green equipment. Song Jian glanced at them, and as there was none that he could use, he tossed all of them into his inventory. The remaining blueprint was for a halberd. Furthermore, this halberd had a 10% chance of being forged into a golden-quality weapon, a 70% chance of being a silver-quality weapon, and a 20% chance of being a blue-quality weapon. This harvest, its really not small! Looking at the loot in his inventory, Song Jians face revealed an excited smile. Priest Cecilia, having obtained the Book of Abyss, directly opened up a Teleportation Gate. Song Jian placed the Black Dragon whelp into Pet Space for rest and treatment, and entered the Teleportation Gate with his new followers, directly returning to Doomsday City. The remaining two Dawn Warriors followed Cecilia back to the shop where Annie of the Silver Moon Commerce was managing things. At this moment, several troll warriors who had been guarding the entrance of the Blood Demon Cave watched as the light screen at the entrance of the Blood Demon Cave gradually faded, causing their faces to turn drastically. Then, they heard the regional announcement. Duo Sa couldnt help but raise his head and let out a mournful roar, his eyes glowing red as he stared at the entrance of the mystery door, tightly clutching his weapon. Duo Sa, he A troll warrior stepped forward, wanting to appease Duo Sa. Shut up, today I must kill him, kill this Gods Chosen One called Song Jian and take back the Book of the Abyss. Roar! Duo Sa seemed to fall into madness, his eyes emitting a blood-red light, and turned his fiendish face to roar at his companion. For a moment, all the troll warriors were scared by Duo Sas murderous eyes and stood silently behind him. Just then, five or six teams appeared in the distance. Some were NPC teams, some were player teams. Upon hearing the system announcement, they prepared to challenge the Blood Demon Cave. The Blood Demon Cave has now become a general instance, which can accommodate all teams to challenge at the same time. Those who are the first to clear the difficult level of Blood Demon Cave can also make a regional announcement in the City of Hymns. Moreover, the loot dropped by the first team to clear the instance is often more rewarding. Duo Sa, we better leave here, otherwise if those people see us, it will definitely start a war! A troll warrior, looking at the vague figure in the distance, nervously said. Whether in the eyes of the Gods Chosen Ones or other NPCs in the City of Hymns, the troll clan was seen as the enemy. Once encountered in the wild, it often provoked a war. Currently, the opposing side had seven or eight teams, but Duo Sa and his group only had five people, they were no match for the team from the City of Hymns. Duo Sas anger caused his whole body to shake slightly, his heavy breathing sounded like thunder, his chest heaving dramatically for a moment before he finally gritted his teeth and growled, Go! In the end, Duo Sa didnt see Song Jian come out from the entrance of the instance, which foiled their ambush plan. Normally, after clearing an instance, you would be automatically teleported to the instance entrance. But who knew that this time the sudden appearance of Priest Cecilia would open a gate to Doomsday City for Song Jian. This was agreed upon between Song Jian and the others before he accepted the quest. Once the mission was completed, he would be teleported back to Doomsday City, not allowing him to stay outside. Soon, Duo Sas group disappeared into the dense forest, and the Blood Demon Cave greeted wave after wave of challengers. Song Jian was directly transported back to Manor Castle. Song Jian, who had just experienced an intense battle and intended to relax, suddenly found that the atmosphere throughout Manor Castle was very tense. Calling over Butler George, Song Jian asked with a frown, What exactly happened in the manor? Why does everyone seem so flustered? George wiped the sweat from his forehead and said softly, Not far from the manor, a military camp suddenly popped up. It seems that there are already quite a few soldiers training in there. My lord, they are less than three hundred meters away from us. If you decide to expand your territory further, well be sure to butt heads with that military camp! Military camp? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed. While his personal strength was already amongst the top players, territorial expansion warfare truly required an army that could conquer fortresses. Relying on an individuals power alone, it would be challenging to take over a manor with a complete defense system. Lets go and check it out. Song Jian thought for a moment and then headed for the castles exit. The Dawn Warrior Aze, like a guard, closely followed Song Jian. Chapter 386 - Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Dragon Might Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Dragon Might Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian stood at the edge of his territory, looking into the distance. Sure enough, a military camp had been set up about three hundred meters away from his territory. The camp occupied more than a thousand square meters. It wasnt very big, but the shouts and killing sounds from inside made Song Jians heart jump. In the center of the camp, only the top of a military tent was visible, with a flag flapping in the wind. The flag was emblazoned with a large character: Luo. In no time at all, the camp gate opened and a woman in a red armor, holding a Square Sky Halberd and riding a black horse, charged out from the camp. Behind her, thirty soldiers in leather armor and holding spears, followed closely. Luo Tianyu gestured with the halberd, pointed at Song Jian from atop her horse, and loudly asked: Are you the lord of the manor next door? Correct! Song Jian nodded. Watching the other party riding a horse, with thirty strong and silent soldiers behind her, he felt a sense of unyielding invincibility. Song Jian glanced at his butler George and the Dawn Warrior Ya beside him, suddenly feeling that his side seemed a bit weak. With a raise of his right hand, thirty blood corpses appeared out of thin air, shaking and groaning around Song Jian. Looking at the hunched, shaking blood corpses, Song Jian frowned deeper. Without comparison, theres no harm. When compared to the soldiers behind Luo Tianyu, his side looked more like a ragtag band of mercenaries. Song Jian raised his right hand, preparing to summon the Blood Wolves. The Blood Wolves were all at level fifteen, each as big and mighty as a calf. If summoned, they would definitely overpower the other sides momentum; However, after hesitating for a moment, Song Jian withdrew his hand. He needed to keep some cards in hand and not put all his forces on the table. Dare to fight me? If you can beat me, I am willing to ally with you! Luo Tianyu shouted. In Doomsday City, after the previous small war alliances merged into the Waste Capital, it posed an implicit threat to the surrounding players. Even Luo Tianyu was somewhat worried about the future invasion of the Waste Capital into her territory. She wouldnt be able to resist it alone. Her current foundation was acquired from a victory in a previous territorial expansion battle and used the war merits to buy horses and soldiers. However, this alone certainly wont be enough to resist the Waste Capital. At this point, Luo Tianyu turned her gaze to Song Jians Manor Castle. Within a kilometer radius, Song Jians Manor Castle was the strongest force. Large territory, many buildings, fully equipped defensive mechanisms, it had shown its power after two expansions. Many wandering NPCs had even joined. Due to the power of Song Jians manors territory, some players even gave up their safe houses and moved to other places. However, Luo Tianyu was reluctant to give up her hard-earned special building. This was her special reward she obtained after completing an extreme difficult task as a general, a treasure called the Tiger Talisman, which allowed her to transform her safe house into a military camp. With the military camp, Luo Tianyu could recruit and upgrade soldiers, she could even lead these soldiers to hunt monsters and level up. If the military camp was destroyed, Luo Tianyus power would decline by more than half, and it would be very difficult to survive in Doomsday City. However, she was reluctant to become the subordinate of others. She spent her days training soldiers in her camp, the purposefully resonating cries serving to attract Song Jians attention and invite him for a battle! If the opponent is too weak, she could take over the opponents territory. If the opponent is strong, then she could form an alliance, at least it would keep her military camp safe. Song Jian glanced at Luo Tianyus military camp. All kinds of defensive facilities were very well prepared. Some of the defensive facilities were unique to the military camp. If they were to launch a hard attack, it would be very difficult to conquer. If I win, are you really willing to become my subordinate? Song Jian chuckled. The power he now wielded, he believed he could kill even a level twenty-five elite boss. The power of the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, Abyssal Raging Flame, was not something the current players could withstand. A mans word is as good as a horses charge. As long as you win, 1 am willing to fight for you! Luo Tianyu shouted loudly. Alright, bring it on! Song Jian had a thought, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his hand, he shouted loudly. Dont say I didnt warn you! Luo Tianyu looked at Song Jian, the corner of her mouth revealing a strange smile. She spurred her horse toward Song Jian. Generals without a horse and with a horse were like two different classes. Many of the generals skills required the cooperation of a horse. Luo Tianyu, who was previously bankrupt, could only afford the cheapest horse after earning lots of war merits. This horses attributes were only slightly better than a regular mount, but with it, Luo Tianyu could exert 150% of her combat power; After the black warhorse trotted forward a few steps, it suddenly sped up. Luo Tianyu thrust her spear forward, and a brilliant white light enveloped her and the horse, as if they had become one. At the same time, the white light formed the shape of a long spear, the tip of which was the spearhead Luo Tianyu was holding. Spear Charge! This is a charge skill of the generals, not only fast but could also deal 180% damage to the target, and it even had a chance to inflict targets with piercing, dizziness, and bleeding damage; This move must be used in conjunction with a warhorse. Without a warhorse, one cannot use Spear Charge! Originally, Song Jian and Luo Tianyu were still seventy to eighty meters apart. As soon as this move was applied, Luo Tianyu instantly advanced more than ten meters. Her speed increasing, she would be able to reach Song Jian within three or four seconds. Such speed! Song Jians face showed a surprised expression. He could vaguely sense the huge power of this attack. If he were to get hit, hed immediately be at a disadvantage. He didnt believe that this was Luo Tianyus only move. If hit by her, her follow-up attacks would be endless. At this moment, Song Jians best option was to dodge with the Sword Shadow step, but he didnt move. Directly raising his hand, he summoned the Black Dragon cub. The Black Dragon cub had previously been heavily injured while battling two level twenty hellhounds in the Blood Demon Cave, killing one. It was still slowly recovering in the Pet Space. At this time, its Vitality Points had only recovered by 60%, and the wounds on its body were still evident, but once Song Jian summoned it, the Black Dragon cub immediately entered combat mode, issuing a dragons cry, its body radiating a strong aura. The dragons cry was no longer as immature as before, but now carried a killing intent. The Dragon Might spread out, the charging black warhorse suddenly stopped, rearing back to scream; Trembling, the black warhorse collapsed to the ground, breaking Luo Tianyus Spear Charge. Suffering from the backlash of her skill, she spat out a mouthful of blood and fell from her horse. Chapter 387 - Chapter 387: Chapter 387: The Abyss Demon Chapter 387: Chapter 387: The Abyss Demon Translator: 549690339 | The Black Dragon cub roared and fiercely pounced forward, pinning Luo Tianyus warhorse under its body. The frail warhorse had no power to resist, and let out a cry as the Black Dragon cub bit its neck and threw it into the sky. How dare you! Luo Tianyu rolled a few times on the ground without getting up, and saw her own warhorse about to become prey for the Black Dragon cub, her eyes flared with rage as she shouted. Whoosh- A scorching Dragon Breath burst from the Black Dragon cubs mouth, enveloping the black warhorse in an instant. In no time, the smell of roasted meat wafted from the horse as it fell from the sky, and the Black Dragon cub bit it and began tearing and devouring it vigorously, not paying any attention to Luo Tianyu nearby. Um, it recently developed a sudden fondness for cooked food, so it likes to roast things before eating them Song Jian put away his longsword and said awkwardly. You owe me a warhorse! Luo Tianyus eyes welled up with tears. As a warrior profession, she only got her own warhorse at level twelve, and although it was the weakest and lowest-quality warhorse, she cherished it dearly. Now it had become food for Song Jians pet, and Luo Tianyu couldnt bear the injustice. They had only agreed to a fight-how could he let his pet eat her warhorse? Uh, sorry about that. Ill compensate you for the warhorse, and Ill definitely get you a better one! Song Jian said apologetically, looking at Luo Tianyu, who was about to cry. Hmph! Luo Tianyu glared at Song Jian, grabbed her long halberd and turned around to return to the camp. The gate slammed shut. Would this count as her losing? Once my territory expands to here, she should choose to surrender, right? Song Jian asked uncertainly. My lord, I guess it would depend on when you give her a new warhorse, a Dawn Warrior beside him chuckled. Song Jian was about to speak when he suddenly received a system notification. His face turned pale, and he visibly worsened. System: The seal of the Abyssal Demon has been broken, and your aura has been locked onto by it. In 10 minutes, it will track your aura and come for you; System: For the next 10 minutes, you will not be able to log off normally. If the Abyssal Demon cannot find you, it will begin destroying your territory. System: If you are killed by the Abyssal Demon, your body will become its parasitic host, and your soul will serve as nourishment for its growth. Series of system notifications informed Song Jian that the Abyssal Demon, which had been sealed by the priest Cecilia, had now broken the seal and was coming to take revenge on him! Damn it! Wasnt acquiring the Book of the Abyss supposed to help me annihilate the Abyssal Demon? Why did the seal break prematurely? Song Jian couldnt help but curse. At first, he thought the Abyssal Demon was just an ordinary boss, but after so many incidents and clearing the Blood Demon Cave, Song Jian realized that the Abyssal Demon was no lone entity. It was the embodiment of the Abyssal Clans evil, and provoking one was the same as provoking the entire clan. Thinking about it made Song Jians head hurt. Whats more, Song Jian still had the Abyss Curse with a luck reduction of three on him, serving as GPS tracking and allowing the Abyssal Demon to locate him at any time. If you want to fight, then lets fight! This time, lets see who dies! Song Jian gritted his teeth. He didnt intend to hide anything, so he summoned both Blood Crows and Blood Wolves. Blood Crows didnt have much combat power, even if their level had been raised to fifteen, but their combat power wasnt even comparable to that of ordinary monsters of the same level. However, Blood Crows could fly, so Song Jian ordered them to fly to a height of 500 meters to scout for any movement. Blood Zombies and Blood Wolves spread out in the surroundings, while the Black Dragon cub stood by Song Jian, silently waiting for the arrival of the Abyssal Demon. Soon, several Blood Crows in the southwest direction suddenly lost contact with Song Jian. Just before their death, their eyes sent an image to Song Jians mind. It was a powerful demon with a pair of goat horns on its head, huge black bat wings on its back, a tall and strong body that seemed to be engulfed in transparent flames. Its here! Song Jians heart thumped as he tightened his grip on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Wasnt the seal supposed to be draining its power? This Abyssal Demon was supposed to be getting weaker and weaker, so why does it look so much stronger than before? Song Jian recalled the image, furrowing his brow. Boom boom boom- Several buildings collapsed in the distance, and a tall figure appeared amidst the dust and smoke. Human, its time to settle our old scores! The Abyssal Demon spoke in the abyssal language, causing dizziness and hallucinations in ordinary creatures who heard it. Although Song Jian couldnt understand what it was saying, the words entering his ears made him comprehend the meaning automatically. Kill it! Song Jian waved his sword and cried out loudly. The Blood Zombies roared and charged at the Abyssal Demon with their hands and feet. The Blood Wolves growled and started trotting, picking up speed as they went, their figures turning into red lightning as they rushed towards the Abyssal Demon. Trash! The Abyssal Demon looked at the Blood Zombies rushing towards it with a hint of disdain in its eyes. At this point, the Abyssal Demons level had reached twenty, and it was a lord-level boss, emitting a terrifying aura. Its body surged with energy like flames rising into the air. The thirty Blood Zombies had barely reached within a meter of the Abyssal Demon when their bodies suddenly paused and began to shake violently. Plop plop plop- One after another, the Blood Zombies bodies burst open, turning into a rain of blood that fell from the sky like drizzle. Song Jians eyes narrowed the Abyssal Demons strength had increased more than tenfold compared to when he had first seen it. What the hell is Cecilia up to? Was obtaining the Book of the Abyss meant to enhance the Abyssal Demons strength? Song Jian muttered under his breath. Awo- A mournful howl, the Blood Wolves charged at the Abyssal Demon one after another. On their bodies, crimson Vitality Flames ignited. A Blood Wolf broke through the Abyssal Demons energy barrier and viciously bit its neck. With a cold snort, the Abyssal Demon raised its hand and grabbed the Blood Wolfs neck. Its hand, covered in black scales, gripped tightly, instantly crushing the Blood Wolf into a puddle of fishy-smelling blood. One after another, Blood Wolves leaped towards it, but the Abyssal Demon snorted, its figure flickering as it punched one wolf after the other. The wolves bodies exploded one after the other, dying instantly. In a short while, the Abyssal Demon was immersed in a rain of blood, surrounded by the Sky-reaching Magic Flames. Chapter 388 - Chapter 388: Chapter 388: Eighth Demon General Chapter 388: Chapter 388: Eighth Demon General Translator: 549690339 | Insignificant human, prepare to die! The demon from the Abyss leaped forward, throwing a punch horrifyingly at Song Jian; Song Jian immediately felt as if an invisible force had tightly bound him. He was like a small bug trapped in amber, utterly powerless to break free; Light Strike! With a sword held in his right hand, Song Jian swung it forward, releasing a large golden glow from his sword Qi. It broke the invisible forces surrounding him and swung at the demon from the Abyss; Light Strike was undoubtedly the best choice against demons, not only because of its immense power, but it could also cause 200% double damage; A divine attack? Damn it! The demon from the Abysss face changed drastically as he felt the scorching divine power. Suspended mid-air, he had no opportunity to avoid the attack and could only brace himself to resist it. The fierce golden sword Qi, with its unstoppable momentum like a looming sea and towering mountains, heavily landed on the arms the demon from the Abyss used to shield his face, slicing open a deep, bone-visible wound. The body of the demon from the Abyss hit the ground like a falling meteorite. The side of a high-rise building was smashed into a huge indentation, and bricks and stones were raining down, burying the demon from the Abyss in the deepest part; Song Jian, seizing the opportunity after successfully attacking, without any hesitation, immediately performed the Sword Shadow Step. His body turned into a shadow, rushing towards the spot where the demon from the Abyss had fallen; Boom! With a loud noise, debris exploded off the demon from the Abyss. His face twisted in pain as he spilled his purple-black blood from his falling arms, while his body burned with transparent flames. Human, Ill roast your soul on the Flames of the Abyss for ten thousand years! The demon from the Abyss howled heart-wrenchingly, waving his arms and charging towards Song Jian; Bam, bam, bam- Song Jian battled fiercely with the demon from the Abyss, repeatedly chopping the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword onto the demon, creating sparks. The demon from the Abyss could only use his two arms to repeatedly smash Song Jian. The Dawn Warrior Yah stayed consistently by Song Jians side without uttering a word. He continuously attacked the demon from the Abyss, but the gap in strength was too significant. Even with the equipment Song Jian gave him, he was no match for the demon from the Abyss and could only assist in the attack. The entire street resonated with thunderous roars from their chronic battle. A row of shops had their roofs blown off, high buildings were leaning precariously from being sliced by sword Qi, and even the massive trees were being uprooted and falling in every direction; The street, already abandoned and decrepit, had turned into rubble under the explosive noises completely. Fly ashes danced in the air, apart from the impact rubble, nothing intact could be found on the ground anymore. Even the low-level monsters all around were fleeing in terror; Bam! After another violent impact, the demon from the Abysss arms were full of scars, and not a single scale could be found intact on the entire arm. However, his regenerative capabilities were formidable. The countless wounds on his arm healed rapidly at a rate noticeable to the naked eye; Grabbing the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly, Song Jian was panting heavily. Hundreds of exchanges had cost him. Although he managed to deduct more than three thousand vitality points from the demon from the Abyss, Song Jian didnt succeed without cost. He had lost more than three hundred vitality points after being hit hard by the demon from the Abyss. His right shoulder still ached relentlessly. If it hadnt been for the triggered special effect Void of his Ghostly Leather Armor, Song Jians vitality points might have already dropped below 50%; Pathetic! After punching Song Jian away, the demon from the Abyss directed a glance at the Dawn Warrior Yah. With a punch, he knocked him flying. The Dawn Warrior Yah was completely defenseless. After crashing through a wall, he fainted and was buried under a pile of rubble. Human, I smell the abyss on you. If you willingly serve me, I would make you my Eighth Demon General, ruling the abandoned city! The demonic Abyss swayed its bat wings, floating mid-air, looking down at Song Jian with a cold voice. The Abyss demon was also shocked to his core. He had not expected Song Jians growth to be so rapid. Initially, he planned to destroy Song Jians weapon directly, but found that his own power had no effect on this long sword. Instead, he momentarily lost his grip and was ruthlessly hit twice by Song Jian who seized the opportunity. Furthermore, during the fight, the Abyss demon felt a faint scent of the abyss radiating from Song Jians body which tempted him to recruit; System: The Abyss demon offered you a recruitment mission, do you accept? Note: This mission involves changing racial allegiances. Please choose carefully! Song Jian had a glance and refused without hesitation! After being refused, the Abyss demons eyes became sharp, and murderous intent blanket-covered towards Song Jian like a tidal wave. Song Jian chuckled coldly. Rather than retreating, he advanced and leaped towards the Abyss demon in the sky with his sword swung; Too naive! the Abyss demon sneered, looking at Song Jian as if he were a lowly ant lifting its forehooves towards an elephant. At this moment, a deep dragon chant sounded in the air, and a Black Dragon hatchling appeared beneath Song Jians feet. The hatchling flapped its wings and flew hard into the sky. Song Jian lightly stepped on the back of the Black Dragon hatchling. His figure instantly raised more than ten meters. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly ignited red flames in his hand and fiercely hacked towards the Abyss demon. How could this be The terrified Abyss demon raised his fist defensively, and there was a loud bang. A burning transparent flame arm spun into the air. It hit a tall building making a one-meter diameter hole in it. Song Jian cut off one of the Abyss demons arms. He was also somewhat surprised, he hesitated momentarily. The Abyss demon suddenly opened his mouth, a black beam of light shot out of it hitting Song Jian in the chest. The distance between the two was too close for Song Jian to react in time. He felt like hed been hit head-on by a heavy truck. Blood spurted out of his mouth while he crashed towards the ground like a cannonball. Damned human! The Abyss demon gritted his teeth with wisps of black smoke emanating from the wound in his left arm. The severed arm turned into strands of smoke and flew back towards the Abyss demon. In a short while, the severed left arm of the Abyss demon grew back. However, the lost vitality points could not be restored, and the vitality points of the Abyss demon had already fallen below 60%. The look in his eyes grew sharper when he looked at Song Jian. Song Jian, coughing up blood, struggled up from the ground and glanced at his vitality points which had fallen below half. A bitter smile appeared on his face, the opponent was too formidable that a casual attack could reduce hundreds of his vitality points. At this point, Song Jians vitality points were only slightly more than 1400, already four or five times that of other players. But compared to the Abyss demon, it was pathetically less. Taking a potion from his bag and swallowing it, Song Jian, sword in hand, looked at the Abyss demon in mid-air. Boom! The Abyss demon fell from the sky and step by step walked towards Song Jian. With every step, the earth would slightly shake. Invisible flames gathered above his head forming an enormous demon skull roaring silently at Song Jian. At this moment, a whoosh sound was heard. An arrow was shot at the Abyss demon. Chapter 389 - Chapter 389: Chapter 389: Sharp Formation Chapter 389: Chapter 389: Sharp Formation Translator: 549690339 The demon from the Abyss raised its right hand, seizing the long arrow. The black aura twined around the arrow, instantly turning it into ashes; Turning its head, the demon saw a woman clad in bright red armor, bending her bow to string another arrow, aiming at it. Behind this woman, thirty warriors had already formed a battle formation, on full alert. Humans, are you provoking the Abyssal Clan? The demon of the Abyss showed a scornful look on its face, with a hint of mockery in its eyes directed at Luo Tianyu. Youre all talk; youre just a Lord-level BOSS. Im about to beat the BOSS! Luo Tianyu shouted, releasing her grip on her right hand, letting loose the long arrow that shot towards the demon from the Abyss; This level of attack is barely a tickle to me. The demon of the Abyss sneered, staring at the incoming arrow, making no attempt whatsoever to dodge it; From that previous strike, the demon had already gauged Luo Tianyus offensive damage and consequently dismissed her as a threat, instead turning towards Song Jian and striding towards him. In its eyes, only Song Jian was its real opponent, and more importantly, Song Jians body was related to the demon-hosting ceremony it was planning to conduct and was naturally of great importance to it. Just after taking two steps forward, the demon from the Abyss heard a sharp whistling sound from behind. An alarm bell went off in its head and as it prepared to turn and defend, that seemingly insignificant long arrow suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light, accelerating rapidly, and like a streak of lightning piercing into the back of its head; Puff- A spray of purple-red blood gushed out, and the demons robust body shuddered before collapsing face-first onto the ground. A tremendous critical hit of more than six hundred points of damage floated up from above its head. Humph, naive! Luo Tianyu snorted coldly, putting away her bow and arrow, her face displaying a slightly abnormal pallor. The previous arrow was a regular attack; Luo Tianyu purposely appeared weaker. But this arrow was the warrior skill Shadowstrike Kill Arrow, one of the few warrior skills that Luo Tianyu could execute without the assistance of a warhorse. At the moment the arrow was fired, the power was not great, but during its flight, its might and speed rapidly and geometrically increased and became formidable. By the time the enemy noticed this move, it had already missed the best chance to dodge and would suffer immense damage; Despicable humans! The Abyssal giant monster roared, crawling up from the ground. Clutching the arrow lodged in his head, it yanked it out with force, threw it to the ground and looked at Luo Tianyu, its eyes filled with rage. Formation! Luo Tianyu raised her Square Sky Halberd and commanded loudly. Kill! Thirty pikemen shouted in unison, quickly moving into position and forming a pike-head-shaped formation in no time. Sharp Formation, all those in the formation, Attack +30, Penetration Damage +3, attacking enemies head-on, adding the Effect of Armor Break +5; The tip of the spear in the Sharp Formation was Luo Tianyu herself, gripping her halberd tightly and striding forward towards the demon from the Abyss. She and the thirty pikemen behind her were all connected by the formation, all of them enveloped by a thin white glow;; Kill, kill, kill! Follower pikemen charging behind Luo Tianyu shouted in unison. Luo Tianyu was irate at this moment. If she had a warhorse, she couldve led a charge at the front, greatly increasing the power of the Sharp Formation, a cavalry and infantry combination formation. But now, it could only be used as an infantry formation, reducing its power a bit. Thanks to Luo Tianyus formation, Song Jian finally found a brief respite. After quickly downing several healing potions, Song Jians Vitality Points recovered by over two hundred points, bringing it just over half. Seeing Luo Tianyu charging towards the demon from the Abyss, Song Jian also gritted his teeth, wielding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and pounced towards the demon from the Abyss. Immortal Sword Body, activate! A dazzling golden light enveloped Song Jian, as eight long sword shadows, like guardians, slowly swirled around him; Song Jians strength instantly increased by a large margin, and golden Sword Qi was slashing towards the Abyss Demon, continuously rending deep traces on the ground. With the boost of the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jians damage sharply escalated, countless Sword Qi slashed deep wounds on the Abyss Demons body, letting purple-blood spurt out. The Abyss demon let out a series of mournful screams, its transparent flames flickering unstably, its Vitality Points dropping continuously; Sharp Formation, attack! Luo Tianyu also took the opportunity to rush in front of the Abyss Demon, swinging the Square Sky Halberd in his hand, and slashing at the Abyss Demon. Boom! With a loud explosion, the Square Sky Halberd fiercely cut into the chest of the Abyss Demon, instantly hacking its enormous body, a damage points of over five hundred appeared above its head. Unforgivable! The Abyss Demon roared, standing up from a pile of rubble, numerous black flames emanated from its body, and in the ground below him, areas continuously emitted black breath. Withering Field! As the Abyss Demon roared, countless ghostly screams echoed around him, and the area continuously radiating black breath began to expand; At this time, Luo Tianyu was leading thirty spear-wielding soldiers, turned their heads and rushed towards the Lord of the Abyss, in an instant, they charged into the Withering Field of the Abyss Demon; Gusts of cold wind blew, a large section of the ground emerged covered in black cold breath, these black breaths were like claws, once attached to the legs of the spearmen, it immediately clamped tightly, attempting to trap them in this region; For a moment, Luo Tianyu and the thirty spearmen seemed to have fallen into a mire, their movement speeds greatly reduced. At the same time, as time passed, Luo Tianyu felt the power within his body being sucked away bit by bit, so much so he was even finding it difficult to hold the Square Sky Halberd in his hand. Many of the spearmens faces started to show shallow wrinkles, as if they had aged seven or eight years; Song Jian also charged into the Withering Field, but his body intermittently flickered with a golden light, resisting the magic invasion of the Withering Field, the black breath under his feet avoided him like the plague, moving far away from his surroundings; Youyoure immune to the erosion of Abyssal Power The Abyss Demon showed a surprised look in its eyes, watching in disbelief as Song Jian rushed in front of him and swung his sword at its neck. Broken Wing Dance! A white light blossomed on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, the Abyss Demon threw a punch to block it, bang a great force passed through, the Abyss Demon was pushed back a step; Impossible, how could your power The Abyss demons face showed a terrified expression, it discovered that Song Jians strength was abruptly larger than itself, which filled it with a hint of fear. Bang! The second strike came, slashing at him. The Abyss demon felt a piercing pain in its arms; Song Jian cut off a large chunk of flesh from its right arm, revealing the purple-golden skeleton within. The Level 3 Immortal Sword Body not only enhances Song Jians attack damage, but also adds seven points to all of Song Jians attributes. With these seven points of strength, Song Jians strength attribute has now reached forty points. No matter how strong the Abyss Demon is, its just a level twenty lord-level boss, its strength attribute hasnt even exceeded thirty points. At this moment, Song Jians power is completely overpowering it; Die! Song Jian leaped high into the air, like a hawk swooping on a rabbit he attacked the Abyss Demon from the air. This sword fiercely slashed at the Abyss Demons shoulder. A power of the five elements knocked the Abyss Demon into the air, momentarily losing control of its body. Chapter 390 - Chapter 390: Chapter 390: Abyssal Nightmare Chapter 390: Chapter 390: Abyssal Nightmare Translator: 549690339 | Light Strike! Seizing the opportunity when the Abyssal demon was in midair and its defenses wide open, Song Jian unleashed the most damaging move on it, the Light Strike. This strike landed on the demons waist, and a dazzling golden Sword Qi burst forth, its blinding light forcing Luo Tianyu to involuntarily close his eyes. Boom! Feeling suddenly lighter, Luo Tianyu opened his eyes again to find that the withered domain under his feet had vanished without a trace. However, the thirty spear soldiers who had been fighting alongside him were all sprawled across the ground, their Vitality Points low and growing weaker by the moment. These thirty soldiers with spears were the most basic rank of recruited troops, with an average status of no more than ten points. The Abyssal Power within the withered domain was simply too much for them to withstand. Witnessing the scattered spear soldiers collapsing behind him, Luo Tianyu felt a fire ignite in his chest. Without warning, he let out a roar and charged at the demon, crazily brandishing his Square Sky Halberd. Ive lost my war horse, and now my soldiers too! Damn it, youre all bullying me! Luo Tianyus eyes grew red with anger. Tiger Roar! With his hair disheveled and his killing intent solidifying around him like a tangible force, Luo Tianyu seemed aflame as fire surged across his bodys surface. In his hands, the Square Sky Halberd emitted a deep, roaring sound, akin to a ferocious tiger howling in the forest, causing all beasts to tremble in fear. In this moment, the top half of the Abyssal demon had been severed by Song Jians Light Strike, leaving it as two separate entities. The wound from where it was sliced emitted a dense, black mist. Yet, there was no sign of the demon succumbing to death. The top half of its body floated in mid-air, while the bottom half, only a pair of legs remaining, seemed to have its own consciousness and kicked at Song Jian. The demons body was as tough as steel, and even its two legs alone could put up a fight against Song Jian. When the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashed at the demons legs, a clash of metal rang out, sparks flying in every direction. Most bewildering of all, the upper and lower halves of the demon each had their own Vitality Points. As the sinister-looking top half of the demon floated overhead, gazing at Song Jian, it prepared to speak, but suddenly felt a powerful killing intent surging from behind. It turned to see Luo Tianyu brandishing his halberd while leaping into the air, his entire body emanating an aura that conjured the phantom of a White Tiger, teeth bared and claws striking towards the demon. Abyssal Sigh! The demons right hand lifted as countless black auras converged rapidly, forming an invisible wall before it. Boom! To the demons horror, the Wall of Sigh crumbled like paper under Luo Tianyus assault, easily shattered by the attack. Impossible! The demons eyes bulged in disbelief as it refused to accept its seemingly invincible Abyssal Sigh Wall was so effortlessly broken. After all, the Wall of Sigh was the most robust defense ability among the Abyssal magic. Splash- The Square Sky Halberd chopped deep into the demons shoulder, and even reached halfway through its neck. As the purple-red blood spurted out from Da Peng, an over eight hundred critical damage number floated up from the top of the Abyssal Demons head, taking away its last bit of Vitality Points; The Abyssal Demon looked at Luo Tianyu in horror, its lips trembling as if it wanted to say something, but in the end, its head tilted slightly, its Vitality Points went to zero, and it fell from midair; As soon as it hit the ground, the upper half of the Abyssal Demons body seemed to have been weathered for a hundred years and shattered into a pile of ashes; At this point, the lower half of the Abyssal Demons body, now only comprised of two legs, suddenly quivered and kicked away Song Jian, trying to escape towards the distance. It seemed that it sensed that its upper half had fallen and wanted to flee. Song Jian saw that Luo Tianyu had slain the upper half of the body and watched the fleeing lower half. His heart raced, and his right foot stomped fiercely on the ground. A fang-shaped energy cluster quickly condensed and rushed towards the half-body of the Abyssal Demon; Song Jian performed the Sword Shadow Step, his body transformed into a black shadow, chasing after the two legs of the Abyssal Demon; he had already seen that Luo Tianyu had destroyed the upper half of the Abyssal Demons body and only the lower half remained. If he didnt completely slay it at this moment, would he have to wait for it to recover and come to trouble him again?! Spiritual Sword Control Technique, go! Song Jian swung his sword towards the open space in front of him, and a transparent Spirit Sword quickly condensed and cleaved at the two legs that had been hit by the Earth Teeth Assault; With the main body destroyed and only two legs left, the defense and resistance of the Abyssal Demons body greatly decreased. Just now, a single Earth Teeth Assault directly took away more than a hundred Vitality Points. At this moment, a transparent sword slashed toward it, instantly turning it into a pile of minced meat; As the transparent sword disappeared, a mournful wail erupted from the pile of minced meat, and a translucent black shadow slowly emerged. The shadows surface was full of cracks, and golden light continuously bloomed from the gaps. The appearance of the shadow was ferocious, two lines of blood and tears flowing from its eyes; it glared at Song Jian with a murderous aura. However, before long, the golden light in the cracked gaps grew more and more intense, ultimately engulfing the entire shadow. System: Congratulations, you have killed the Abyssal Demon, and the Abyss Curse on you has been lifted; System: Congratulations, you have killed the Abyssal Demon, and your relationship with the Abyssal Clan has been locked as having enmity! As long as there are Abyssal Demons, they will consider you their primary target to kill; Song Jian was stunned. Are you serious, System? The first curse is lifted and congratulations are fine, but whats there to congratulate about the second system prompt? Just then, the Abyssal Demons body suddenly exploded with a bang and dropped seven or eight items. Among these, three were glinting with silver light, and one item surprisingly emitted a faint golden glow. Is this a big loot drop? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then his expression filled with excitement. After removing the Abyssal Curse, his luck was five points higher than that of ordinary people. Coincidentally, he had just killed a level 20 Lord-level BOSS, so having a big loot drop was quite normal. Song Jian directly picked up the item emitting the faint golden light and saw that it was a whip. Abyssal Nightmare Reins (gold), after use, can summon an Abyssal Nightmare mount; once this item is used, it will automatically bind to the user; after binding, it cannot be traded, sold, or dropped. A mount? Song Jians expression turned a bit strange as he looked at Luo Tianyu lying on the ground, panting heavily. Is it my luck thats exploding, or is it her luck? Chapter 391 - Chapter 391: Chapter 391: The Dwarfs Intimacy Decreases Chapter 391: Chapter 391: The Dwarfs Intimacy Decreases Translator: 549690339 | A level-twenty lord rank BOSS, and the only golden-grade drop it left is a mount. And the most important thing is, a certain girl just happens to be in need of a mount. Whats more crucial is that the girl used to have a mount, and that mount was killed by Song Jian And the most, most, most essential thing is, Song Jian had rashly promised to make it up to her with a better mount. Holding the Abyssal Nightmare Reins radiating a faint golden light, Song Jian felt like his heart was bleeding Im still only riding a white-quality motorcycle! The Abyssal Nightmare, the name itself sounds superior. I want it too! Song Jian threw his head back and sighed without shedding tears. Song Jian felt as if two little figures suddenly appeared in his mind. A little figure with devil horns said, If we hide this item, the girl would not know about it, right? After all, you didnt form a team with her! Another one with angel wings said, Yeah, you can give her the motorcycle summoning key and claim its a BOSS drop. A warlord on a motorcycle sounds pretty cool too Song Jian couldnt help but turn his head to look at Luo Tianyu, only to find her standing in front of a pile of corpses, her shoulders moving slightly as if she was sobbing. The dishevelled Luo Tianyu looked particularly desolate at this moment. Song Jians heart softened and he sighed. The two little figures in his mind vanished. No longer in the mood to look at the remaining loot, he put all the items into his bag, took the golden reins, and walked over to Luo Tianyu. Dont grieve. The dead cannot be revived Song Jian said consolingly. But but itll cost a lot of war merits, and Ive used up all of mine Luo Tianyu whimpered in a frail tone. Song Jian: So, youre not mourning these soldiers, but regretting the war merits spent? Song Jian couldnt help but feel sorry for these fallen soldiers for a moment; Here, take this! Song Jian gritted his teeth, a pained look on his face as he passed the reins to Luo Tianyu, This is the loot dropped by the BOSS and the better mount I promised you, which is even better than your black horse! What, a better war horse? Luo Tianyu turned around, her teary eyes meeting Song Jians. Upon seeing the properties of the reins, Luo Tianyus expression grew stiffened. The tears in her eyes miraculously disappeared, replaced with a face full of excitement. What! An Abyssal Nightmare. Oh, my god, is this really for me? This is fantastic! Ha-ha, thank you! Youre such a kind soul, thank you so much! Luo Tianyu grabbed the pale golden reins, tears still smeared across her cheeks, and she broke into a hearty laughter. Actually, this Abyssal Nightmare isnt really your style Song Jians face looked grim, and he made a last-ditch effort to change her mind. Unfortunately, Luo Tianyu, whod already set her heart on the Abyssal Nightmare, didnt even wait for a second after taking the reins and immediately summoned her Abyssal Nightmare. Song Jian was lost for words as black clouds of steam suddenly rose from the ground in front of Luo Tianyu. The clouds quickly solidified, forming a bizarre magic array. Next, amidst a flash of black light, a skeletal warhorse, entirely clad in armor and with black flames burning under its feet, emerged in front of Luo Tianyu. The warhorse, taller than an average man, exuded a black aura from its entire body. Its saddle, stirrupsevery accessory was intact. But the strangest thing was that the warhorse, only a skull left of its head, actually had a pair of curved horns, looking like goat horns, winding backwards along the armor that covered its skull. If it hit someone with its skull, it would definitely knock the target a few meters away. Luo Tianyu, with her mouth wide open, stared at the Abyssal Nightmare with twinkling eyes. Itsits perfect, just perfect! This is the mount of my dreams! Ha ha ha! Luo Tianyu couldnt resist leaping onto the Abyssal Nightmare, her thoughts racing. With a single command, the Abyssal Nightmare shot forward, so fast that all it left behind was a pair of weakly burning green flames. Its its so cool! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim, his heart aching as if it was being continuously mauled. It hurt too much! After a short while, Luo Tianyu returned riding on the Abyssal Nightmare, his face animated with excitement. Haha, splendid, youre remarkable, truly remarkable. Ill tag along with you from now on. If youre setting up an alliance, count me in. Luo Tianyu looked at Song Jian, saying earnestly. Having said that, he galloped away laughing heartily towards the barracks. Using an Abyssal Nightmare mount to secure an alliance, I wonder if it was a loss or a gain Song Jian stood in place, thinking for a while, but ultimately he shook his head, turning to walk towards his Manor Castle. This sudden appearance of the Abyss Demon concerned Song Jian. He held a quietly growing worry for Cecilia Priest since she had obtained the Book of the Abyss. By all accounts, Cecilia Priest should have already slain the Abyss Demon after the acquisition. Unanticipated^, it managed to break its seal and escape in the end. If the Abyss Demon had escaped, then Cecilia Priests situation was probably more dangerous than safe. Reviving the almost expired Dawn Warrior Ya from the brink of death, he noticed the ashamed expression on Yas face. Song Jian gave his shoulder a comforting pat. Ya, are you interested in becoming a Shield Warrior? Song Jian asked. What? Ya looked at him, his eyes filled with bewilderment. Think about it, becoming a Shield Warrior might be a good decision for you. At least, your survival rate would significantly improve. Song Jian suggested, smiling. He led Ya towards his safehouse, while still holding some worries for Cecilia Priest. But then, considering Cecilia Priest possessed first-grade combat power and the Abyss Demon before them was only a Level 20 Lord Class Boss, presumably not a match for Cecilia Priest. Song Jian pondered for a while, still not understanding the entirety of the situation. In the end, he decided to set it aside for the moment. It was going to be a while before the next territory expansion battle could be initiated, yet Song Jian held another planting ceremony. This time, he permanently acquired the effect of Chance to Obtain Magical Items +1%. Although it wasnt an attribute pointer and the effect was rather weak, it was better than nothing. There was no loss to Song Jian. Upon conclusion of the ceremony, Song Jian suddenly heard a series of rumbling noises pervading the airspace of Doomsday City, accompanied by a loud war trumpet and the ferocious roar of countless soldiers. Such a commotion was not new to Song Jian as it was typical of a player launching a territory expansion campaign. Looking towards the distant red halo, Song Jian fell silent. Doomsday City seemed to be on the verge of entering an era of warfare, where each player had started raising their butchers knife for their survival. This was not about justice, but about survival! This was a decision every player who did not want to be controlled by others had to make. Just as Song Jian lost himself in his thoughts, a series of system notifications unexpectedly reached him. System: Your relationship with the Mountain Dwarves has decreased to indifferent. System: Your relationship with the Forest Dwarves has decreased to indifferent. System: Your relationship with the Furnace Dwarves has decreased to enmity. System: Your relationship with the Black Iron Dwarves has increased to friendly. Chapter 392 - Chapter 392: Chapter 392: Warning Sign Chapter 392: Chapter 392: Warning Sign Translator: 549690339 Whats going on? Song Jian was stunned; However, he soon thought of the dwarf commander who had escaped earlier, and it had probably mobilized its related dwarf clan, causing the intimacy between Song Jian and the dwarves with a good relationship with the dwarf commander, to decrease. But it was obvious that the relationship between the Black Iron Dwarf and the dwarf commander was not very friendly. Surprisingly, the relationship between Song Jian and the Black Iron Dwarf had risen from strangers to friendly for no reason; Song Jian shook his head. Doomsday City belonged to a lawless place, and even if his relationship with all NPCs dropped to hatred, it wouldnt matter much. To enter Doomsday City requires too many resources and is simply not worth it. Even a large power like the gathering area 101, which was already prepared to be promoted to a city-level territory, temporarily gave up chasing after him after trying a few times; However, it was clear that the power of the dwarf clan was much stronger than that of the gathering area 101, but Song Jians strength was growing even faster, so he naturally wasnt afraid of them. George, can we form our own army now? Song Jian looked at the movements of other players expanding their territory at a distance, and summoned the butler George to ask. My Lord, we are currently unable to build structures like a soldier barracks and recruit soldiers! Butler George shook his head slightly and said; Soldier barracks? How many levels of the safe house are needed to build it? Song Jian asked. My Lord, the soldier barracks are a special building and can only be built when the manor reaches level six. Moreover, you must also have a blueprint for construction! George hurriedly explained. Manor level six, huh? Song Jian frowned slightly, as his safe house level was currently only at Manor Level Two, which was still far from level six. Focus on building and upgrading the buildings. Its time for our manor to be upgraded! Song Jian ordered. Yes, my lord. In six days, all the promotion buildings can be completed, but the promotion requires a lot of resources, and we still lack a lot, said Butler George. What resources are missing? Give me a list. Oh, and how many minerals have been produced by the mineral seeds recently? Song Jian glanced at the tall ore planted in the Spirit Field outside the window and suddenly asked. I he mineral seed was a spoil of war obtained by Song Jian previously. It can be planted like a plant in the Spirit Field and harvested every six hours, yielding ores of various qualities; My Lord, I have arranged for someone to harvest and store the output of the mineral seeds. There are currently 360 first-tier ores, 103 second-tier ores, and 67 third-tier ores. I have instructed the blacksmiths to smelt all of them into corresponding ingots, which can be extracted at any time! said Butler George; Youre doing a great job; feel free to use them wherever the manor needs them, said Song Jian with a nod. The mineral seeds can produce up to ninth-tier ores, but now they only produce low-tier ores. Song Jian wasnt even interested in taking a look at these ores; After the work report of the territory was completed, butler George left the room. Song Jian glanced at the attributes of the level 3 Blood Pool. At this time, the Blood Pool was breeding blood zombies and blood wolves. Previously, all the blood slaves had been consumed cleanly, reducing the defense power of the territory. The blood in the Blood Pool was constantly rolling, and blood cocoons the size of basketballs were rhythmically expanding and shrinking at the bottom of the Blood Pool, as if breathing. In a few more hours, these blood cocoons would birth new blood zombies and blood wolves, but Song Jian still had no clue about the materials needed to upgrade the level 3 Blood Pool to level 4; After killing the Abyssal Demon, Song Jian had already reached level 19, with 93% experience. He was just a little short of reaching level 20. After resting in the room for two hours, he was ready to leave and hunt monsters in the level 20 monster area to level up; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly saw a figure staggering towards the Manor Castle at the edge of the territory, falling to the ground directly before entering the territory, as if fainting; This person seems familiar Song Jian frowned slightly, and with a flash, he appeared at the edge of the territory and walked towards the person; Cecilia? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. It turned out that the person who had suddenly appeared at the edge of his territory was none other than the Dawn Priest Cecilia. Song Jian quickly stepped forward and helped Priest Cecilia up. At this time, Priest Cecilia looked somewhat embarrassed. The Codex was nowhere to be found, and her priests robe was dirty and even had a few holes. Her right hand held the Magic Staff tightly, but the gem on the staff had shattered completely, with its surface covered in cracks and no light shining from it; On Cecilias delicate cheeks, there was also a slash. Her pale face was devoid of any color, her brows furrowed, and she occasionally let out a faint moan of pain. Surgery! Although Song Jian didnt know what had happened to Priest Cecilia, and it didnt look like she was bleeding or had any broken bones, he still used the only healing skill he knew. Afterward, Song Jian took out a bottle of primary healing potion and poured it into Priest Cecilias mouth. Not knowing if it was the effect of the healing skill or the healing potion, Priest Cecilia finally woke up from her coma, slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Song Jian, she couldnt help but breathe a sigh of relief; The seal on the Abyssal Demon has been broken, and I dont know why, but the power of the Book of the Abyss has been greatly damaged. I wasnt able to kill it, but it banished me to the Abyssal Land. You, you have to be careful; it will definitely come for you, Priest Cecilia said, struggling. Song Jian: The Abyssal Demon had already come, okay? If I waited for your warning, Id be ashes by now; You just rest, the Abyssal Demon has already been defeated by me! Song Jian hurriedly comforted her. What, you, you killed it? How is that possible? Cecilia stared wide-eyed, with an unbelieving expression. Song Jian was speechless. Im pretty strong, too, okay?;) However, seeing Cecilias appearance, Song Jian suddenly became very interested in the Abyssal Land. The third-tier Magic Flame that he controlled, no, now it had evolved into a fourth-tier Demonic Flame, was capable of opening the Abyssal Gate and entering the Abyssal Land; However, the system also issued a warning that the monsters in the Abyssal Land were powerful, and it was best to wait until Song Jian reached level 30, complete the first-tier combat power assessment task, then consider entering the Abyssal Land; Seeing Cecilia s almost dying appearance, Song Jian had to temporarily give up his plan to fight monsters and level up, and first send her to the Manor Castle to rest and recover; Chapter 393 - Chapter 393: Chapter 393: Wilderness Instance Chapter 393: Chapter 393: Wilderness Instance Translator: 549690339 | Upon hearing that Song Jian had eliminated the Abyssal Demon, Cecilia, albeit somewhat incredulous, felt relieved and finally fell into a deep sleep. Song Jian noted that two conflicting forces vied within Cecilia. One was the familiar Abyssal Power, while the other seemed to be filled with light and vitality C the Dawn Divine Power. Despite being rootless and sourceless, the Abyssal Power was resilient and continued to erode Cecilias body bit by bit. Meanwhile, the Dawn Divine Power was resisting, eradicating the Abyssal Power in small increments. Although Cecilia was in a deep sleep, she occasionally let out soft hums and furrowed her brow in discomfort. As much as Song Jian wanted to help, he found himself powerless to do so. He was not a follower of the Goddess of Dawn and therefore couldnt provide aid to her priest, Cecilia. Master, please permit me to lend her a helping hand! implored one of the Dawn Warriors, Yadan, as he knelt on the ground. Can you help her? Song Jian inquired, taken aback. One was a warrior and the other a priest; both served the Goddess of Dawn, yet followed different paths. Yes, I can pray to the Goddess of Dawn on her behalf, helping her recuperate faster, declared Dawn Warrior Yadan. In that case, stay by her side and make sure she is tended to. If anything is needed, just give orders to the servants outside, Song Jian suggested. As you wish, Master! Once Yadan finished speaking, he knelt by Cecilias bedside, began praying devoutly to the Goddess of Dawn. After a while, countless minute, semi-transparent, silvery light spots appeared around Yadan. Cecilia, wrapped in these light spots, gradually relaxed her furrowed brow and started to breathe more smoothly. Occasionally, some of these semi-transparent, silvery light spots would enter her body, assisting her in combating the Abyssal Power within her. With Cecilias condition stabilized, Song Jian nodded in approval and left Manor Castle. Just then, Song Jian felt something trembling slightly in his inventory. Upon opening it, he discovered it was the black token he had obtained in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. At that moment, the token was constantly vibrating, its surface radiating an eye-catching glow that flickered, as though it were trying to remind Song Jian of something. Song Jian pulled out the token and held it in his hand. Immediately, several lines of system prompts appeared in front of him: System: The 137th Unique Profession Inheritance Test is about to begin. Anyone who possesses an exam token is eligible to participate. System: Players combat power detected to be below the first rank. Conditions are met to participate in the test. Would you like to participate in this inheritance test? System: This test triggers once every three months of game time. You have three chances to reject participation. You must participate on the fourth occurrence, else your exam token will be confiscated. Before Song Jians eyes, two options appeared: Participate and Do Not Participate. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian chose Do Not Participate. Although he was one of the higher level and stronger players, the exam wasnt exclusive to players. Many NPCs would participate as well. I should at least wait till I reach level thirty before taking the exam, Song Jian thought to himself. Otherwise, if I did not pass, I wouldve wasted an opportunity. Many players hadnt even come into contact with the ten unique professions. However, Song Jian had an opportunity to rise through the ranks in one step. He needed to seize it. Having learnt many Sword Immortal skills, Song Jian aimed to become a Sword Immortal, one of the ten unique professions. After Song Jian refused to participate this time, the black token in his hand gradually calmed down. The radiant glow quickly faded, and it returned to its original state. Song Jian stowed the token in his inventory and continued his journey outward. He had three chances to refuse the exam, one of which he had already used. This meant that in at most six months of game time, he would have to sit for the exam, otherwise, the exam token would disappear. I have three months to get to level thirty. This is going to be pressure, Song Jian thought to himself. The higher the level, the slower the rate of advancement. Countless NPCs spent years, even decades, struggling to reach level thirty. In this aspect, the system gave players an advantage in leveling up. Meanwhile, in Doomsday Citys Level 15 monster zone, Wang Qi and his companions entered a police station filled with variant zombies dressed in police uniforms. The monsters here boasted high attack power and could even use firearms. Some even wore bulletproof vests. Wang Qi and his companions had a hard time advancing within the police station. Despite the challenges, the items dropped by the monsters here were top-notch. Level 15 blue-quality Kevlar Bulletproof Vests, handguns and submachine guns excited Wang Qi and his companions.+ Weapons were becoming less of a threat to increasingly powerful monsters. As a result, many players were developing their ability to use melee weapons post-level ten. However, firearms naturally held an advantage over melee weapons. Even if the equipment wasnt used personally, it could fetch quite a sum of Doomsday Coins at an auction house. This place isnt too bad. The drop rate is pretty high, even common monsters can drop blue-quality equipment. If only we had discovered this place sooner said an enthusiastic warrior while holding his newly won Level 15 blue quality riot shield. The drop rate is high, but the monsters are also stronger than the ones elsewhere. Were using up too many resources. 1 am almost out of mental strength recovery potions a male priest complained with a furrowed brow. The team had only him as a healer, so the pressure to heal and recover was intense. His stock of more than ten low-level healing potions was nearly depleted. Zhou Qing, dont be stingy. Youre the only priest in the team. If Priest equipment is dropped, itll definitely be yours, a rogue player comforted him. Humph, there hasnt been a single piece of Priest equipment dropped so far. Everything thats been dropped is yours Zhou Qing mumbled with a grin. It was strange. Since stepping into the police station, despite more than ten items being dropped, not a single one was Priest equipment. One couldnt be sure if the team was unlucky, or if it was just Zhou Qing who was unlucky. Soon, the group reached an area where prisoners were held. When they pushed open the door, they saw a long corridor lined with cells on both sides. At the end of the corridor, a light-blue portal was visible. A dungeon! Theres actually a dungeon here! Upon seeing the dungeon, Wang Qi was instantly excited. This was a dungeon discovered in the wild, a detail that was previously unknown. Being the first to explore an unknown dungeon was a dream come true for every player and team. Chapter 394 - Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Is Your Friend a Big Shot? Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Is Your Friend a Big Shot? Translator: 549690339 | This is an undiscovered dungeon! The people in the team were stunned for a moment, then quickly became excited. Quick, check the level of this dungeon. Can we enter? the Thief class player who had just spoken yelled excitedly. A dungeon appearing in a level 15 monster area, we should meet the level requirement, but whether we can clear it, Im not sure. The warrior class player who had just obtained a new shield frowned. The monsters outside were already so tough, the ones inside the dungeon would definitely be stronger. Even if their team could enter, there was no guarantee theyd be able to defeat the monsters within. Well try anyway. Well be cautious and run if we cant defeat them. Wang Qi suppressed his excitement and spoke softly. Yes, survival is key. If things go sideways, we should leave as soon as possible. No unnecessary fighting! said the Priest, Zhou Qing, sounding a little stirred up as well. First, lets check the dungeon level and the number of players allowed The group quickly moved towards the entrance of the dungeon. Bloody Cage of Sin, this dungeon name sounds creepy The dungeon requires level 15 to 21 players. Good, we at least meet the minimum level requirements This will be tough, Im afraid we wont be able to clear this dungeon This is a five-person dungeon, we only have four, we need one more. Does anyone have a more powerful friend you could invite over? Indeed, preferably a higher-leveled one. I guess the final Boss of this dungeon could be level 18, or even level 20 Or we could just fight the minor monsters inside and not the Boss? Even the minor monsters in the dungeon have a much higher drop-rate -Are you kidding me? This is an expedition! Skipping the Boss is like throwing in the towel. If others find out, well be the laughingstock. The Boss represents high-level equipment. Clearing this dungeon, we all could get a full gear upgrade I wish that were true but Im afraid we might not defeat it, and end up losing our lives in the process The four of them started to argue. But soon, they switched to discussing about someone strong they could invite over. I know a level 16 Fire Mage. He has a level 15 silver-quality Magic Staff. His damage is incredible. Also, Fire Mages have the highest damage amongst all the Mages. What do you think about inviting him over? I know a level 18 Swordsman. His gear is average but hes highly intuitive. If we invite him over, he could be sub-tank and our team would be better off. I dont have anyone. All my friends are lower-leveled than I am Wang Qi opened his friend list and started browsing. Suddenly, he saw a familiar name and hesitated. Wang Qi, whats wrong? Do you know any stronger player? Seeing Wang Qis change of expression, the Priest Zhou Qing curiously asked. Ive never seen Wang Qi hanging out with friends. Most likely, he knows a bunch of dimwits like me. Said Tang Rong, a Thief, with a smirk. It isnt a big deal if we dont have anyone else, the four of us can give it a try. With this level 15 blue-quality shield, Im pretty sure I can at least withstand the minor monsters attacks until you manage to flee from the dungeon. The Guardian Ma Yu seemed pretty confident, thanks to his new blue-quality shield. Who said I dont have any powerful friends Wang Qi couldnt help but say, Im worried that their levels are too high for them to be interested in a small level 15 dungeon. Once Wang Qi finished, the rest of his team were dumbfounded. Wang Qi, I give you a 103 for showing off, one score for tolerance, another for understanding, and the last one as a token of fatherly love, hahaha A player who considers a level 15 dungeon too low? Haha, Wang Qi, could your friend be in the Top 10 Player Ranking? You know such a big shot? Exactly, if you really can get to know a player in the Top 10 Player Ranking, would you still be hanging out with us? Go ahead, invite one over. If you can really do that, you can be our team leader from now on! Yes, yes, we four have been working really well together, forming a permanent team isnt a bad idea. If you can actually invite a Top 10 Player over, the team leader position is yours! Agreed! But what if he fails to invite someone? The Priest Zhou Qing picked his nose, smirking and asked. All eyes fell on Wang Qi. I know one, but I cant guarantee he will come. After all, a level 15 dungeon might indeed be too low leveled for him Wang Qi struggled. Scoff, in the current Top 10 Player Ranking, apart from the Number 1 player who has already reached level 20 and might look down on a level 15 dungeon, Number 2 is just level 17.1 dont believe that a level 15 dungeon has no attraction for him. Exactly, unless his gear is all level 15 silver quality and he doesnt need anything from a level 15 dungeon. But how could a level 17 player possibly As they were talking, they suddenly fell silent. They looked at each other in amazement. Zhou Qing cursed, Holy crap, Wang Qi, you wouldnt happen to be talking about the Number 1 player in the Player Ranking, would you? It is Song Jian, the Number 1 player. He saved me once when I first started the game, and weve been in contact ever since Wang Qi said innocently. Holy crap, you know such a big shot and youve kept it from us till now, guys, what should we do? Beat him up! Right, right, cover your head, bend down, stick your butt out After their bout of playful scuffling, they became a bit more serious again. You know, hes already level 20, he might indeed not be interested in raiding a level 15 dungeon Exactly, what if he already has level 20 equipment Wang Qi, tell us honestly, how good is your relationship with him? Would he help us out? Wang Qi hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, Ill ask him first. But he is a Swordsman. If something drops in the dungeon that he needs, we should yield to him. Of course. As long as the big shot is willing to come, anything he needs will be his. I dont believe that every drop from this dungeon would be useful for a Swordsman Before talking about the equipment, even just for the experience, its worth it for us. After clearing the dungeon, I believe we could at least level up. I believe I could level up twice Wang Qi took a deep breath and opened his chat with Song Jian. As the call went out, his nervousness suddenly intensified. Chapter 395 - Chapter 395: Chapter 395: Agree Chapter 395: Chapter 395: Agree Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian was hunting in the area of level 20 monsters, and in just over two hours, he raised his level to 20. At this moment, he suddenly received a communication request from Wang Qi. After taking a glance, Song Jian directly connected the call. Big bro, are you there? Theres something 1 dont know if I can ask for your help with? Wang Qis slightly nervous voice came through. In fact, the two hadnt been in touch in the game for more than two months, and Wang Qi didnt know whether Song Jian would still give him any face. Help? Hehe, I wonder what kind of help you need, Wang? Its not that you found a special building and want to transform it into a safehouse, is it? Song Jian laughed. The last time the two met, they helped Li Keer build a safehouse together. At that time, Wang Qi was full of envy and wanted to find a special building and create a safehouse of his own. Song Jian promised that if Wang Qi found one, he would definitely help guard it. No, no, special buildings are too hard to find. I just chose a regular one and have already upgraded it to a level 3 safehouse. Remembering the time when they helped Li Keer build a safehouse, and the two of them didnt do anything but sleep and take advantage of the situation, Wang Qi revealed a trace of a smile. Oh, thats good, congratulations! Song Jian laughed, What can I help you with this time? Well, I and a few companions are in the level 15 monster area, and we discovered an unexplored instance. We only have four people, and were afraid we wont be able to beat it, so we want Brother Song to help and lead us to explore it Wang Qi stated his request and then anxiously waited for Song Jians answer. Exploiting a level 15 instance? Song Jian was somewhat surprised. The rewards for exploring an instance are absolutely substantial, even much greater than those from clearing a difficult dungeon later on. There are many special equipment pieces that only drop during the exploration difficulty and true difficulty, so for players, exploring dungeons is like a feast. However, the difficulty of exploring a dungeon is also great. Without any understanding of the dungeon, sometimes, players might not even see the boss before they are chased out by the small monsters inside. Although Song Jian is now level 20, some of his equipment is not very good. His leg guards are still just a level 5 white quality item with only one level of reinforcement. Alright, but if theres any equipment 1 need, as well as diagrams for Engineering or Alchemy and Pharmacology formulas, I have priority! Song Jian thought for a while and said. Wang Qi was taken aback. He wanted priority not only on equipment but also on engineering drawings and alchemy formulas? Well, equipment is no problem, but for the others, I need to discuss it with the rest of the team. Can you wait a moment? Wang Qi hesitated. Alright, lets discuss it first. Song Jian hung up the call. In fact, Song Jian was quite interested in exploring a level 15 instance, but many instances have a player limit. The more players allowed, the better the loot that drops inside. With these kinds of instances, Song Jian couldnt successfully explore them alone and had to rely on the power of the team. Maybe I should form my own elite team, or even create a guild? Song Jian patrolled his territory while thinking. On the other side, Wang Qi had a somewhat ugly expression after hanging up the call. Whats wrong? Did the expert refuse? Zhou Qing, a Priest, asked anxiously. He hadnt gotten a single piece of equipment yet and was eager to enter the dungeon. No. Wang Qi looked at his companions and said, But he demands priority on all suitable equipment, as well as engineering blueprints and alchemy and pharmacology formulas. What? Thats too much! Zhou Qing, the Priest, frowned and showed dissatisfaction. We can give priority to equipment for Swordsmen, but for the engineering blueprints, Zhou Qing has also learned Engineering, while Tang Rong learned Alchemy and Pharmacology. Moreover, if there are really blueprints and formulas, theyre definitely valuable Ma Yu, a shield-wielding Guardian, shook his head and spoke with some discontent. Since weve decided to form a fixed team, we cant give up on our crafting professions. And our chosen professions arent overlapping, so we complement each other well Yeah, the blueprints and formulas for crafting professions are hard to come by. The system store doesnt sell them, so its tough to level up. If we really get blueprints and formulas, I think we shouldnt just give them away. If necessary, the four of us can roll dice with him to see who gets them based on whose number is higher Tang Rong hesitated but suggested. They definitely wont agree to that. There are four of us, and hes alone. Furthermore, without him, we definitely cant clear it. Besides, its not even certain that therell be blueprints and formulas Zhou Qing said carelessly. Zhou Qing, dont jinx it. If we really get the engineering blueprints, wont you cry? Yu Ma laughed. Forget it, lets give it a try. Maybe the instance isnt as hard as we think. We might succeed with just the four of us, Tang Rong, the Rogue, said quietly, twirling his two daggers around his fingers. After some hesitations, the others nodded in agreement. Lets try, well go in first to see what the monsters are like. Maybe theyre really like Tang Rong said. Even if we cant beat them, we can agree to his terms later, it wouldnt be too late Yeah, lets give it a try first The four made their decision, exchanged glances, and walked towards the entrance of the instance. Five minutes later, a figure suddenly rushed out of the instance entrance. Tang Rong, the Rogue, collapsed on the ground in a disheveled state. He couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his face pale, and his Vitality Points reduced to less than one third. Next, the other three teammates ran out one by one. Ma Yu, the shield-wielding Guardian, was the last to leave. His Vitality Points were the lowest, almost reaching a near-death state. His arm, which held the shield, trembled constantly from exertion. Even the shield itself had developed a tiny crack. I cant heal fast enough, the small monsters do too much damage Zhou Qing, the Priest, complained immediately upon leaving the instance, constantly casting the Healing Skill on Ma Yu and the other two teammates. There are too many small monsters inside, and theyre all level 15 elite monsters. Theyre way stronger than the monsters we encountered in the police station! Wang Qi looked gloomy. If it wasnt for Ma Yu desperately blocking the attacks of four or five elite monsters, the other three might have all died inside. But the loot from the monsters inside is indeed good. Look at this! Ma Yu took out a dazzling white crystal from his bag and showed it off. Huh, you killed a monster? Zhou Qing was surprised. It was the one we were focusing on earlier. 1 saw it had very little Vitality left, so I wanted to try. 1 didnt expect that I actually killed it. I didnt expect the first monster to drop items. Ma Yu said with lingering fear. In order to kill this one monster, Ma Yu almost lost his life inside. A reinforcement stone? What is that? Tang Rong curiously asked, examining the reinforcement stone in Ma Yus hand. Reinforcement Stone (White): Special item, effect: after use, can reinforce equipment below level 20, enhancing its basic attributes; increases armor by 5 points of defense and weapons by 10 points of attack. Nice stuff! Zhou Qings eyes lit up. Chapter 396 - Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Entering the Subsidiary Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Entering the Subsidiary Translator: 549690339 | One enhancement stone could increase defense by 5 points, which was almost half of the defense provided by a level 15 piece of equipment. If one could enhance their equipment multiple times, the defense could be even stronger than silver grade equipment. Of course, the higher the equipments grade, the more attributes and features it would have. Some equipment could even come with skills, which couldnt be matched by enhanced low-level equipment. However, increasing defense by 5 points out of thin air was still very attractive. This is great, we should get more of these. If I can increase my defense, I can tank more monsters, and maybe the four of us might be able to complete this dungeon, Ma Yu said with shining eyes as he stared at the enhancement stone in his hand and chuckled. As a Shield and Sword Defenders class, Ma Yu valued defense more than other classes. He couldnt bear to let go of the enhancement stone and even had the urge to use it immediately. Ma Yu, your current equipment quality is average. I think its better to wait until you get better equipment before using this enhancement stone, at least a silver grade one, Wang Qi quickly stopped Ma Yu. Ma Yu thought for a moment, nodded, and said somewhat embarrassedly, So, is this enhancement stone temporarily assigned to me? Its yours, hold on to it. You risked your life to get it, his teammates assured him. If it werent for you blocking all the small monsters at the end, we might not have made it out The reason the four of them could often team up and level together was because they were able to be humble, considerate, and understanding. The enhancement stone was obtained through their collective efforts in fighting the monsters. If it werent for the other three nearly killing the small monster, Ma Yu wouldnt have been able to finish it off at the last moment; However, everyone agreed that as a Shield and Sword Defender player, 5 defense points meant a lot, so no one argued with Ma Yu. I wont take the next one we get, well take turns, said Ma Yu before storing the enhancement stone in his bag. Guys, what do you think? Weve tested the strength of the monsters in the dungeon, and with our current strength, we might not even see the first BOSS Wang Qi looked at the other three and said. The other three fell silent, and after a long while, Ma Yu sighed, We have no choice but to ask for external help. The dungeons output is much greater than we imagined. Even if we give the Swordman equipment, blueprints, and formulas, we should still make a profit. Just the enhancement stones alone had stirred their hearts, and there were even more valuable items rumored to be inside. Zhou Qing and Tang Rong eventually agreed, a little unwilling, but their combined strength wasnt enough. They couldnt give up just like that, could they? Wang Qis lips curled up slightly. Song Jians strength was increasing, and it wasnt a bad thing to stay in touch with him. If the four of them formed a fixed team, with Wang Qi as the leader, they would likely need Song Jians help many times in the future. Building a good relationship with him now would make it easier to ask for help later. Brother Song, my teammates have all agreed. When can you come over? Wang Qi asked, a bit excited. Song Jian was patrolling his territory when he received the call. He paused, then said, Im free right now, just send me the coordinates, and I can head over. Great, Brother Song. Well be waiting for you at the dungeon entrance! Wang Qi sent the location to Song Jian and said, Be careful on your way over, and make sure no one else sees you. Understood! Looking at the address, it was some distance from his safe house. Song Jian hung up and summoned his motorcycle, heading towards the location Wang Qi had specified. Wang Qi and the others were standing in front of the Sinful Bloody Cage dungeon entrance. In a few minutes, everyones status had recovered. While waiting for Song Jian to arrive, they entered the dungeon once more. Although theyd given up on the idea of beating it with just the four of them, they could still handle fighting the smaller monsters at the entrance. The group barely managed to kill a small monster before being forced to retreat. The monsters attacks were just too overwhelming, and their healing class could not keep up. Ma Yu, the Sword and Shield Guardian, couldnt withstand the attacks of three small monsters at once. After they finally killed one, they didnt even have time to pick up the loot before quickly leaving the dungeon. We cant handle it Ma Yu looked at his newly acquired level 15 blue grade shield with a pained expression on his face. These small monsters here are almost as powerful as Elite Level BOSSes outside. Its not easy! Tang Rong shook his head, completely dismissing the hope of completing the dungeon. Wang Qi, do you think Song Jian can really carry all four of us if he comes? Zhou Qing asked somewhat worriedly. They had confidence in Song Jians strength but not so much in their own. If even the first on the Level Glory list couldnt carry them, they would have to sell the dungeon location to another team and make a little extra money. Still, that was nothing compared to the rewards of completing the entire dungeon, which made it a painful thought. Lets wait and see for now. Just recover your status and hope he doesnt disappoint us, Wang Qi said, feeling helpless. Their combined strength was simply too weak, and he was unsure if Song Jian alone could carry them. Hey, 1 think I hear a motorcycle. Could it be the big shot is here? lang Rong s sharp ears picked up the sound of a roaring engine and he said cautiously. In a short while, Song Jians figure appeared in front of the four of them. Im not too late, am I? Song Jian smiled as he looked at the four players. These four were all level 15, their equipment was very average-mostly white grade with the occasional green or blue grade piece. Not at all. Were glad youre here, Brother Song, Wang Qi quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, Let me introduce everyone. This is our defense warrior, a Sword and Shield Guardian, Ma Yu. This is our melee damage dealer, a Thief class, Tang Rong. And the one next to him is our healer, a Priest class, Zhou Qing! Im a Musketeer, Brother Song, which is a ranged damage dealer class as well, Wang Qi lifted the strange-looking gun in his hand and explained. Hello everyone, I am Song Jian, a Swordman class! Song Jian smiled and glanced at the Sword and Shield Guardian, Ma Yu. He had a feeling that Ma Yus class wasnt just a regular defense warrior. To their surprise, the first on the Level Glory list didnt seem as arrogant as theyd imagined. They found him quite easy to get along with. Alright, everyones here. Lets go into the dungeon, Wang Qi looked at Song Jian and said. Lets go, Song Jian nodded and took the lead, heading toward the dungeon entrance. Chapter 397 - Chapter 397: Chapter 397: Reclamation Chapter 397: Chapter 397: Reclamation Translator: 549690339 | Bloody Prison Cage, this dungeon was not very complicated; it was just a temporary detention area for suspects at the police station. However, after the game expansion, it had become much more extensive, several times larger than the entire police station. Upon entering the dungeon gate, there were dozens of stone steps about seven or eight meters long, surrounded by no monsters; it served as an adaptation area after entering the dungeon. The dungeon was filled with a strong smell of blood; the surrounding walls were also smeared with dark red marks. In the deeper parts of the dungeon, horrible wails and brutal roars could be heard from time to time. The atmosphere of the entire dungeon was oppressive and irritable. At the bottom of the stone steps where the five stood was a corridor leading all the way to the end, less than a hundred meters away. Song Jian could even vaguely see a burly figure walking back and forth in an open room at the end of the corridor, occasionally letting out an angry roar. Brother Song, be careful. As soon as we descend these stone steps, it will immediately attract four small monsters to attack us Wang Qi whispered, explaining from the side. The four of them had entered twice before, but were stopped in front of the stone steps every time. No matter what they did, as soon as they stepped off the stone steps, theyd attract four small monsters. Four? Just Elite level small monsters, you four couldnt beat them? Song Jian asked, somewhat surprised. He had already seen four muscular zombies wearing police uniforms wandering around the stone steps. They are level 15 Elite monsters, much stronger than those monsters outside. Four at once, Ma Yu alone wouldnt be able to withstand them. Zhou Qing, a Thief next to him, said with doubt. Alright, Ma Yu and 1 will take two of them each. Song Jian glanced at the four of them, their equipment was indeed of low grade; it would be somewhat difficult to kill four level 15 Elite monsters at once. Arent you a Swordman? Can you withstand two small monsters? Mage Zhou Qing asked, surprised. It was well known that Swordmen could only wear leather armor. After reaching level 30 and learning the passive skill Scale Armor Mastery, they could wear the higher-tiered Scale Armor. Moreover, Swordmen couldnt equip shields, so they usually held a supporting role in output damage within dungeons. Many times, their output damage was even less than that of thieves, let alone mages. Lets try and see. Song Jian smiled. Fine, Brother Song and I will each take two small monsters. You guys should prioritize attacking the small monsters that Brother Song pulls, and use your full power. After we kill those, we will take care of the two Im holding, Ma Yu said, lifting his shield and yelling as he rushed down the stone steps. As soon as Ma Yu stepped onto the stone steps, the four patrolling police zombies immediately pulled out their batons from their waists, slapping them down with a swish sound while the formerly short batons instantly extended more than a foot long, emanating dark metallic luster. Bloody Guard Zombie: Elite Level, Level 15, Vitality Points: 1800/1800, Characteristics: Fury, Skills: Fists and Feet kicks. All four monsters lunged towards Ma Yu, who raised his shield and let out a loud roar. An invisible force erupted from him, instantly attracting all the monsters aggro onto himself. Brother Song, quickly take two of them! Ma Yu cant hold all four alone. Wang Qis face displayed anxiety. Song Jian nodded, stomped his left foot, and a fang-shaped air mass with a sharp whistling sound rushed towards a Bloody Guard Zombie. With a swish, the zombie that was targeted by Earth Teeth Assault was hit like it had been struck by a car, flying away and taking over a hundred damage points. The damage instantly stole aggro from Ma Yu. Then, Song Jian flicked his right hand, and a dark red long sword materialized in his palm. Song Jian gripped it tightly and slashed forward. A dazzling golden light blasted another monster lunging towards Ma Yu. This strike reduced the monsters Vitality Points by over five hundred. The three people behind him were dumbfounded. I didnt see it wrong just now, did I? Was that five hundred and ninety points of damage? Thief Tang Rong couldnt believe his eyes, rubbing them vigorously as he spoke. This is too exaggerated. 1 feel like theres no need for us to go up and help. He could clear this dungeon all by himself! Priest Zhou Qing showed an indescribable expression, seemingly a bit depressed. As expected, the person whos ranked first on the level glory list! Wang Qis face broke into a grin, not expecting Song Jian to be so powerful. Sweeping Sword Style! Watching the two small monsters rushing towards him, Song Jian brandished his long sword and chopped at them. Come on, come on, dont just watch, hurry up and output damage! If you dont contribute anything, how can you have the nerve to share equipment with others later? Wang Qi whispered a reminder, lifting his firearm and shooting towards the two monsters Ma Yu was holding. The original plan was to kill the two monsters Song Jian was holding first, then help Ma Yu, but after glancing at the two monsters being ravaged by Song Jian, the three of them targeted the ones Ma Yu was holding without any further discussion. Seeing his companions focus-fire the two monsters he was holding, Ma Yu couldnt help but become anxious. He thought there might be some conflict between his party members and Song Jian, and they wanted to harm the latter. Dont mind me, help Brother Song kill the monsters first! Hes only a Swordman, so he cant hold on as well as me Ma Yu anxiously shouted. Just take care of yourself. The two monsters Brother Song is dealing with are almost dead already. Tang Rong, who had activated his stealth ability, said irritably before brandishing his dagger and stabbing the back of a monsters head that Ma Yu was holding. What? Ma Yu was stunned. He glanced to the side and saw Song Jian easily handling his two monsters, and his eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth agape. Broken Wing Dance! Boom! Boom! Boom- Two monsters could only deal twenty to thirty points of damage to Song Jian. For a person with 1,460 Vitality Points like Song Jian, this damage was like a tickle. In just thirty seconds, Song Jian killed both monsters. He didnt even bother looking at the loot they dropped, and charged towards the monsters Ma Yu was holding. Soon, the remaining two guard dogs let out a miserable scream and fell to their knees, becoming corpses. Did we kill them just like that? Tang Rong couldnt believe it. Those four guard dogs had previously tormented them, almost killing all four of them. However, now, it took less than a minute to eliminate all four monsters. It made them doubt if they had entered the same dungeon as before. Brother Song, thank you so much. Wang Qi excitedly thanked him. No need, Song Jian smiled and said, The Experience Points from the small monsters in this dungeon is quite high. Its much more efficient than leveling up by fighting monsters outside. Because it was the first time clearing the dungeon, the monsters inside provided higher Experience Points than usual. Moreover, a five-person team would also get team rewards. Killing one small monster would grant 180% Experience Points per person on average. With such high Experience Points, Song Jian, who was already level 20, was quite satisfied. After clearing this dungeon, he might even level up again. Chapter 398 - Chapter 398: Chapter 398: Half-Beastman Thief Chapter 398: Chapter 398: Half-Beastman Thief Translator: 549690339 | Four minor monsters dropped a level 15 blue-plate helmet. When rolling the dice, all four people looked towards Song Jian. If Song Jian chose Need, Wang Qi and the other three would certainly choose Pass. Song Jian glanced at the item, immediately noticed it was plate armor, and chose Pass. Ma Yu breathed a sigh of relief and chose Need. Watching Wang Qi don the new blue-quality helmet, Wang Qi chuckled softly, What a lucky start!. In addition to the level 15 blue-quality plate helmet, the four minor monsters also dropped a bunch of materials. After Song Jian and the others casually rolled the dice to distribute these materials, they continued walking forward; After dealing with the four watchdog monsters, the remaining minor monsters were much easier to kill. Some of them didnt even leave their cages along the corridor, even though the cage doors were broken. Even when the group stood at the cage entrances to fight the monsters inside, they didnt move out one step, as if they hadnt heard. Sinful Prison Zombie, Elite level, Level 15, Vitality Points: 1600/1600, Trait: Cunning, Skill: Begging for Mercy. The remaining monsters in this dungeon appeared in small groups. If they were careful, they could usually lure and eliminate them one by one. Once they passed the four Guardian Zombies at the entrance, things would be much simpler. After killing seven or eight minor monsters, Song Jian realized that their progress was too slow. It took them more than half an hour to kill just seven or eight minor monsters, which caused Song Jians eyebrows to knit together in slight frustration. Should we try to speed things up? Song Jian couldnt help suggesting. Speed up? Were already fighting pretty fast! Ma Yu was surprised and asked in confusion. Does Brother Song mean we should lure more monsters at once? Wong Qi caught on immediately and suggested quietly. Exactly. Lure several at a time. Ill handle the aggro, and you all focus on dealing damage from the back, Song Jian agreed. The layout here was a straight corridor with cages on either side. As long as he could hold aggro for two or three mobs at a time, the monsters in the back wouldnt be able to get through to attack them. Isnt that a bit too dangerous? The priest Zhou Qing hesitated. If there were too many monsters, he, as the slowest team member, might not have enough time to run away when things went south. No problem, lets just try luring seven or eight at first, Song Jian suggested with a smile; Okay, Ill lure them. You guys wait a bit further back,. Thief Tang Rong activated his Acceleration Skill immediately. A white light appeared under his feet, and he became noticeably faster. He rushed into several cages, hit each monster once, and then turned around to run; In just a short while, Tang Rong had lured a dozen or so monsters to charge towards the dungeon entrance; Thats a bit too many. Ma Yu frowned slightly, raising his shield instinctively; No worries. Watch me! Song Jian said, rushing towards the monsters with his sword. Tang Rong, sweating profusely, passed by Song Jian; Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian swung his arm, slashing horizontally with his sword. A burst of Sword Qi scattered and hit a few of the nearest monsters, causing them to give up chasing Tang Rong and shift their attention to Song Jian instead. BangBang! Two dazzling bursts of Sword Qi bloomed amid the group of monsters. Finally, he leaped up for the last hit, a powerful downward slash that landed in the middle of the monsters. Is he trying to get himself killed? What if he gets surrounded? Ma Yus face showed a surprised expression. Genius takes bold risks? Tang Rong wiped the sweat off his forehead and murmured, still feeling a bit shaken. He vaguely felt a strong aura approaching when he was luring the monsters, which made him panic and cause a mistake. He intended to lure only seven or eight minor monsters but ended up luring thirteen. Do we even need to join in? It feels like we just need to cheer him on from the sidelines, Zhou Qing smirked and gasped for air. Feels like were playing a different game from him, Wang Qi sighed. Hed felt this way since meeting Song Jian. Song Jian threw out a series of sword skills one after another. Despite facing more than a dozen elite-level monsters, he gave the impression of dominating the monsters single-handedly, as if they existed just to be his fodder. I think I felt the presence of a very powerful creature in the corridor earlier, but 1 couldnt see what it looked like Tang Rong hesitated for a moment before finally sharing his suspicion in a whisper; You mean theres another boss in the corridor? Ma Yu was taken aback and asked immediately. Isnt there only one boss in this dungeon? Zhou Qing, pointing towards the room at the end of the corridor, asked in confusion. It was just a feeling, Im not sure if Im right, Tang Rong explained. It s like theres a knife pressed against your back. Even though you cant see it, you can feel something threatening your life. Could it be an invisible boss? Wang Qi had a sudden revelation, glanced at Tang Rong, and was taken aback. Just as Wang Qi was preparing to shout a warning to Song Jian, he suddenly noticed a semi-transparent figure slowly materializing behind Song Jian. This figure was a hunched monster, its face covered with a black cloth, wielding a dagger in its right hand and aiming straight for Song Jians head. Watc Wang Qi was shocked and shouted aloud, but before he could finish his sentence, he saw Song Jians body emit a golden light. Song Jians body turned at an unbelievable angle, and the dark red long sword in his hand collided fiercely with the dagger aimed at his head, creating a burst of sparks. Boom- The mysterious thief who had suddenly appeared was forced to retreat several steps. Over 300 damage points floated up above his head. The surprised down in his blood-red eyes, and his figure faded gradually from sight. It was during this moment that Song Jian managed to identify the creature. To his surprise, it was a boss with its own name C an 18 level elite. Half-Beastman Thief Zombie C Scufar, Elite Level, Level 18, Vitality Points: 3600/3600, Traits: Bloodthirsty, Cunning, Skills: Stealth, Deadly Strike, Ambush, Devastate, Garrotte. Scufar was a half-beastman with goblin bloodline. He was short and thin, standing only half the height of a typical adult male, and didnt have noticeable muscles. He looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. However, Scufar was a formidable thief. The day he turned into a zombie after the apocalypse, his goblin bloodline awakened, making him one of the most powerful bosses in the dungeon. Because he could turn invisible and wasnt bound to a specific area, Scufar liked to roam around the corridor while hidden. When Tang Rong was luring the monsters earlier, Tang Rong ran into Scufars warning range. If he hadnt sensed Scufars presence and ran out, Scufar might have kept him behind. Seeing Scufar, Tang Rong couldnt help but feel scared. If Scufar had caught up with him earlier, he would have been torn to pieces by the monsters he lured; That was too close! Tang Rong patted his chest, still shaken, and whispered to himself. The boss appeared, what should we do? Do we need to go and help? Ma Yu held up his shield and asked his companions while looking around. Do we even need to ask? Of course, we go! Wang Qi was the first to raise his weapon, aiming at a monster attacking Song Jian, and pulled the trigger. Lets go, lets take down the monsters that are low on health first! Tang Rong gritted his teeth, activated his stealth ability, and started heading towards Song Jian. Chapter 399 - Chapter 399: Chapter 399: Rare Profession Chapter 399: Chapter 399: Rare Profession Translator: 549690339 I Finding out about the stealth attack from this eighteenth-level elite BOSS, Song Jian was not alarmed but delighted. For him, a fifteenth-level dungeon was not that difficult, otherwise, he wouldnt have asked to lure a group of minions before killing them. With an additional BOSS, the loot would be considerable. After all, good equipment usually dropped from BOSSes. Using Sacred Parry to dodge the BOSSS ambush, Song Jian activated Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body and charged at the BOSS. Behind Song Jian, a dozen or so minions were howling and chasing after him. Tang Rong appeared behind the weakest little monster. The moment he emerged from invisibility, his dagger had already violently penetrated the little monsters skull. Numbers showing over a hundred points in critical damage floated ahead of the creature. However, at this moment, all the minions had their aggro firmly locked on Song Jian, so no matter how Tang Rong attacked, he couldnt divert the aggro. Hit this one. As he saw Ma Yu charging over, Tang Rong hastily called out. Wang Qi shifted his target as well. Within moments, the three men killed a nearly dead minion before swiftly advancing to the next one. At this time, Song Jian, under attack from two or three minions, was chopping at the BOSS. His third eye was glowing, and the BOSS invisibility had no effect on him. He could see the opponent directly. For the BOSS, without its invisibility, it was just like a super minion. Many of its skills must be used while invisible, so a regular strike from Song Jian could break its invisibility and prevent it from using many of its skills. Light Strike! Another dazzling golden slash sent towards the BOSS. BOSS brandishes two daggers to parry. With a boom, the Sword Qi slashes onto its body. Its frail figure was sent flying like a baseball, violently crashing into an old cage. With a clunk, the arm-thick bars of the cage bent under the impact of the BOSS, some even splintering. Sharp fragments pierced the BOSSS body, causing it to emit a series of mad roars. Song Jian turned his body, swinging his sword and performing Broken Wing Dance. The dozen or so minions were forced to retreat and were eventually thrown into the air by the force. Song Jian, who has activated the Immortal Sword Body, had attributes comparable to a twenty-fifth level elite BOSS, so his Broken Wing Dance caused huge numbers of damage to float above the minions heads, shocking Wang Qi and others. Zhou Qing waved his magic staff and cast a Healing Skill on Song Jian. Ever since Song Jian joined the team, the pressure on healing had significantly decreased. All the monsters were almost dealt with by Song Jian, and Zhou Qing only needed to occasionally restore Song Jians Vitality Points. At this time, his Spirit Points were still over 90%, and he had two healing skills with huge instant healing but long cooldown time in his hand. Even if there was an accident, Zhou Qing was confident that there would be no casualties. It was precisely because of Zhou Qing, the healer, that Song Jian was able to fight so freely. Seeing the BOSS struggling to extricate itself from the cage, Song Jian smiled faintly. Suddenly, a brilliant silver beam burst forth from his third eye. Boom boom boom- Like a laser, the silver beam struck the BOSS, tearing its flesh apart. The BOSS was grotesquely disfigured and continuously emitted pain-filled screams. The hit had deducted nearly eight hundred points of damage from it. Song Jian showed signs of exhaustion. Despite the power of Eye Slasher, it consumed a significant amount of Spirit Points. Swinging his sword, Song Jian kept casting sword skills at the group of minions behind him. Within a short time, he had killed seven or eight minions. Thanks to the existence of the Devouring Belt, Song Jian had mostly recovered his lost Spirit Points. The remaining minions are yours, quickly wipe them out! Looking at the remaining five or six weakened minions, Song Jian turned to Ma Yu and others. Dont worry, leave it to us. Ma Yu hastily said, charging into a minion that was pouncing towards Song Jian, repeatedly hacking at it with his single-handed sword. Brother Song, you just focus on the BOSS. Well handle the minions. Wang Qi kept firing the trigger, unleashing bullets that glowed with various energy colors onto the weakened minions. Song Jian nodded and activated Rapid Sword while the Immortal Sword Body was still activated. He continuously slashed his sword, even creating a streak of shadows with it. Even a regular attack could inflict nearly a hundred points of damage on the BOSS. If he used a skill, the BOSSS vitality points would be falling visibly like a broken dam. Die. Song Jian leapt high, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly ignited in a flame. A majestic voice resonated throughout the dungeon. Endure my fury. With this strike, Song Jian triggered the passive attribute of the Eye of the Fire God ring. The BOSS, which had been preparing to dodge, suddenly shivered, causing it to briefly stagnate. By the time it had reacted, Song Jians sword had already viciously struck its body. A heart-wrenching pain made the BOSS scream in crazed agony. Song Jians eyes lit up. He immediately used the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, and a transparent long sword fiercely penetrated the BOSSS skull. Pop- The BOSSS head exploded like a watermelon. Song Jian was stunned. He originally intended to use the Spiritual Sword Control Technique to make the BOSS lose its mind. However, he didnt expect that this mental attack would be the death of the BOSS, its head completely blew apart. The BOSSS vitality points instantly depleted, and its headless corpse fell to the ground, twitching continuously. Seven or eight pieces of equipment rolled out from underneath the BOSS, neatly arranged around its corpse. Brother Song, hang in there, were finishing up these minions and will come help you! Ma Yu was desperately attacking the minions when he heard the BOSSS roars from behind him. Thinking that the BOSS was suddenly going berserk, his heart dropped and he quickly shouted. Hmm. By the time you help, itll be too late. Brother Song has already killed the BOSS alone. Clear out these minions quickly! Wang Qi sneered and shouted. What, the BOSS is already dead? Ma Yu resisted the urge to turn around and look, his face full of surprise. That damage its simply terrifying. Every attack on the BOSS did hundreds of points of damage. Using a skill could deal three to five hundred damage. Wasnt it said that the damage of a swordman class isnt significant? Tang Rong couldnt help but complain. Well, you also have to consider whos the one playing the class. Can the class that Brother Song chose be an ordinary swordman? Wang Qi laughed. Ma Yu suddenly had an idea and asked: Brother Song, did you choose a rare class? Chapter 400 - Chapter 400: Chapter 400 Central Bank Chapter 400: Chapter 400 Central Bank Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian broke into a slight grin, charging towards the few remaining weakened monsters with his sword. Within moments, horrifying screams erupted as each monster fell, with equipment and supplies scattering all over the ground. Man, this is something youd only see in dreams, hahaha! Tang Rongs eyes sparkled as he burst into laughter, taking in the multitude of items on the ground, each emitting its own radiant glow. We really owe Brother Song for this one. Wang Qis face displayed sincere gratitude. Lets split the gear first. Song Jian suggested, smiling. Brother Song, you should choose first. After all, you took down most of these creatures on your own. Well take what you dont want Tang Rong offered, his face beaming. Before, Tang Rong had been upset that Song Jian demanded so many items, but now it was clear that Song Jian could have cleared the entire dungeon alone. They were practically unnecessary. Then, I wont hold back. Laughing, Song Jian quickly picked up a level 15 silver quality gauntlet, replacing his own Zombie Leader Gauntlets. Bloody Thug Gauntlets (Silver) Leather Arm Guard. Equipment level: 15. Effects: Defense +8, Resistance +4, Agility +3, Armor Break +2, Dexterity +2. Attack speed increase: 20%. Special effect: Bloodthirsty Fury (passive). When you inflict damage on the target, theres a chance to trigger Bloodthirsty Fury, increasing attack speed by 50% for 6 seconds. This effect can trigger only once every 5 minutes. Equipment requirement: Level 15. Available to take out of the game: No. This equipment could have been used by Rogues, but there was no hesitation in Song Jians eyes when he saw it. Besides, Tang Rong, who watched enviously from the side, had no other choice. Well, Ill just take this one. You can split the rest among yourselves. Song Jian gave a quick glance at the remaining items, shaking his head. Brother Song, are you sure you dont want any more? There are still two silver quality items left Wang Qi asked, his face filled with surprise. Enough, I have no use for the other two items. Song Jian responded, shaking his head. Brother Song, youre really generous! Wang Qi beamed, giving him a thumbs up. Tang Rong, why arent you thanking Brother Song yet? Theres a silver-quality dagger right here! What, a silver-quality dagger? Tang Rongs whole body quaked; he had been so focused on the silver gauntlet Song Jian picked up, that he had barely noticed the other items they got. Hearing about the silver-quality dagger made Tang Rongs heart start thumping wildly. Brother Song, are you really giving us this piece of equipment? Tang Rong asked, hardly able to believe it. You take it, I have no use for a Rogues dagger. Song Jian said, smiling. In actuality, a level 15 silver quality weapon, especially a dagger, thrown into an auction house, could easily get tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. However, Song Jian didnt want to appear too greedy while running a dungeon with his friends. He would only demand what was suited for him. He wouldnt intentionally hoard equipment just for a few tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. Eagerly, Tang Rong began using the dagger. His damage instantly skyrocketed, leading him to chuckle to himself in satisfaction Theres a silver-quality one-handed hammer left. Ma Yu, do you want to take it? Wang Qi glanced at the other silver-quality item, hesitant to suggest. Ill take it. I have the Blunt Weapon Mastery skill, hehe. Ma Yus face broke into a hearty grin. Zhou Qing, you can take this blue quality priests robe and leggings. Wang Qi directed. Alright. Zhou Qing agreed enthusiastically, having not received a single piece of equipment until now, he suddenly found himself in the possession of two level 15 blue quality pieces of equipment Ill stash the remaining items for now. We can sell them later and then split the money. Wang Qi had assumed the role of team leader and quickly stowed all the leftover loot again. Phew, this game is so bleak and oppressive. If it werent for the thrill of getting new equipment, Id have quit playing. Zhou Qing caressed his newly-acquired priests robe, a wistful expression on his face. Then you can go on vacation in real life, you know. Jiuzhaigou, Hainan C these are good places to go and admire the beautiful scenery Wang Qi felt obliged as a team leader to lift his teammates spirits and quickly suggested. Hmm, thats not a bad idea But Im broke, 1 cant afford to go! Zhou Qings face immediately fell at the suggestion. Wang Qi was momentarily flustered; his attempt at encouragement backfired, leaving his teammate more depressed. Well, 1 think the fountain park in the city isnt that bad he quickly offered. What the hell, team leader! Theres a huge difference between Jiuzhaigou, Hainan, and a park fountain! Ma Yu couldnt help but mock. What do you know? I often spend my time near the park fountain Wang Qi hurriedly countered. Dont you guys know that game items can be taken into the real world? Song Jian asked, somewhat baffled. Yes, we do know. Last time I found an awl that I could take out of the game. Zhou Qing admitted with a melancholic expression on his face. But what use do I have for an awl? I was so furious that I just tossed it. Items in the game with the attribute to be taken out are rare the more valuable the item, the rarer the attribute Tang Rong chimed in, appearing helpless. He had always hoped to find a take-out-able dagger, but to no avail. In reality, the value of items in the real world doesnt increase with their rank in the game Song Jian glanced around at the group, hesitating to continue. He was considering how best to explain it without hurting their pride. Boss, what do you mean? Wang Qi turned to him, puzzled. I once found a jewelry store where almost all the gold bracelets were considered junk in the game, but they could all be taken out! Song Jian blurted. What? Really, Brother Song? Zhou Qing jumped up from his spot on the ground, his face flushed with excitement. Yes, and Ive gotten some jewelry before. In the game, theyre considered junk, but in the real world, they could be sold for millions, or even tens of millions Song Jian continued. Zhou Qing and the others exchanged glances, suddenly catching their breath. Team leader, do you remember the Central Bank in the city where we were before? Zhou Qing abruptly shouted. Yes, yes, I do. At the time, we only searched the lobby and office areas and found a heap of worthless paper money. But their underground vaultwe couldnt get it open, so we just left Wang Qi recounted excitedly. Do you think that banks vault might have gold bars? Zhou Qings eyes started to sparide. Gold bars! Song Jians eyes lit up as well. It was highly plausible! After we finish this dungeon, lets go check that bank vault. Wang Qi suggested, his excitement palpable. Chapter 401 - Chapter 401: Chapter 401: The Star of Sin Chapter 401: Chapter 401: The Star of Sin Translator: 549690339 | Inspired by Song Jian, everyone immediately started to get excited; however, Ma Yu took no time to pour cold water on them: The safes in the underground vault, can you open them? Theyre sturdy enough to resist a bomb, and not to mention, the walls and the door itself are thousands of pounds of concrete And youre forgetting, there were high-level monsters in that vault last time. We nearly lost our lives down there Tang Rong added somewhat fearfully. Gold bricks, guys! Those are actual gold bricks that we can take back to the real world! Each of them worth hundreds of thousands; even if we can only take one out at a time, wed be rich! Zhou Qing protested reluctantly. I do have a master key, maybe it can open the door to that vault Song Jian suddenly suggested. What, really? Ha! What do we have to fear now? Even if the monsters in there are formidable, are they as terrifying as the ones in this duplicate world? Weve made it this far, so what should we fear from creatures in the underground vault? Zhou Qing exclaimed. After we finish this duplicate world, well head straight to the banks underground vault, Wang Qi decided. Alright, then well entirely empty out that vault. Ha! Were going to be rich! Finally, days without work and loads of freedom are within our reach! Everyone instantly became energized. After a short rest of about ten minutes, when everyones Vitality and Spirit Points were completely replenished, they started cautiously making their way deeper into the dungeon. I think we should kill all the prisoners in these cages, Zhou Qing articulated while witnessing the aimless pacing of the imprisoned monsters, finding something odd about the situation. Thats a waste of time. Why not just finish the boss, clear the dungeon and be done with it? Were in a hurry, after all, Tang Rong shook his head. An idea crossed Song Jians mind, and he hastily told Tang Rong, You infiltrate it, find out what kind of property this boss monster has. Elite Level or Lord Level? Tang Rong was taken aback for a moment but did not reject the proposal, instead, he skillfully performed a stealth maneuver, quietly advancing forward. There were quite a lot of monsters in the corridor. After cautiously checking the room at the end of the corridor, upon his return, Tang Rong mentioned to Song Jian 20th level, Lord Level boss. What, a 20th-level Lord Level Boss? Wang Qi and the others exclaimed in astonishment. For them, this task was practically unachievable. It appears we should first clear all the small monsters in these cages, Song Jian suggested with a bitter smile. Lord Level Bosses have a summoning skill. Its quite possible he will summon all the small creatures from the cages halfway through the fight. At that point, with so many small monsters, I may not be able to hold them back alone. Safety first, safety first! Wang Qi and the others responded in fear. Lets start with the cages on the left; there are only two monsters in there! Tang Rong pointed to a cage behind him. You guys group up into fours, Ill go solo. Split and act, itll be quicker. Song Jian proposed. Alright, Brother Song, If something happens, just yell and well come to your aid, Wang Qi immediately responded. Its more like if we run into something, well yell for Brother Song, Ma Yu smirked at Wang Qi. The monsters in the cages were much easier to handle than the ones in the corridor. They were all groggy and acted as if they lost their senses, only attacking the enemies who dared to enter their confinements. Moreover, they merely claw at their foes during the attacks. They did not possess any special traits or skills, just a higher amount of vitality than their outdoor zombie counterparts; Song Jian mopped up two or three cages in a row and after neutralizing a small monster in the fourth cage, found something was off about this cage; Not only did this cage contain a plain wooden bed, it also had a desk and a chair, while the rest of the cages were filled with nothing more than dry straws. Overcome by curiosity, Song Jian pulled open the drawer of the table, and inside, he found a decomposed notebook and a corroded pen. These two items werent even worthy of being considered odds and ends. The notebook crumbled to pieces at the slightest touch, and the pen was corroded to the extent that even the cap wouldnt come off. After thoroughly searching the drawer and finding nothing of interest, Song Jian shook his head, shifting his attention to the wooden bed. At this point, a thin mattress was resting on the plain wooden bed, covered with dirty stains. Song Jian walked up, grabbed it, and threw it away. Suddenly, a smooth wooden board appeared in front of Song Jians eyes. Numbers were carved into the board with fingertips. 2,7,13,45,- Two, seven, thirteen, forty-five? Song Jian frowned in confusion: What does this mean? After a while of thinking without coming to any conclusions, Song Jian shook his head in disappointment and left. Just as he was leaving the cage, the whole wooden bed started to decay rapidly, as if a few minutes had spanned several decades, or centuries. Even the wooden legs failed to support the bed, slowly rotting and collapsing. In a blink of an eye, the wooden bed turned into a pile of decaying ruins; At this moment, a metal plate appeared under the bed on the floor. Most of the plate was buried under the debris of the decayed bed, with only a palm-sized area exposed, and unless looked at closely, it could easily go unnoticed; Everyone together took more than two hours to clear off all the small monsters in the corridor and the cages. It appeared that there were only two Bosses in the entire dungeon, they had already killed one, so only one remained in the room at the end of the corridor; Only this one is left, kill it, and we can clear the entire dungeon, Ma Yu said, somewhat excited. Hey, do you think well be on TV? Tang Rong asked, laughing. I dont think so. Only by completing the highest difficulty in the dungeon, do we stand a chance to be featured on TV. Zhou Qing shook his head. May luck be with me, let a silver-quality shield drop for me! Ma Yu prayed with his hands together; Ha-ha, arent you afraid that a level twenty shield will drop? Then youll only be able to watch but not use it. Wang Qi laughed. As long as its a shield, Ill be able to use it sooner or later, Ma Yu retorted indignantly. Im going for it! Song Jian smirked, holding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand, heading towards the final room; Evil Star Samodo, Lord level, Level 20, Vitality: 8100/8100, Traits: Cruelty, Berserk, Skills: Star-breaking Slash, Imprison, Armor-breaking Strike, Angry Roar, Summoning, Slaughter; Song Jian was about to enter when he reconsidered and with a wave of his hand, he summoned two fire elves. Following that, he summoned his pet, the Black Dragon Hatchling. The two 20th level fire elves were considerably larger than Song Jian, their upper body wafting with heat, and beneath their waist was a blaze of fire. The searing temperature caused the surrounding air to warp and distort. Go, attack that monster! Song Jian pointed at the boss ahead and commanded. Chapter 402 - Chapter 402: Chapter 402: Slaughter Chapter 402: Chapter 402: Slaughter Translator: 549690339 | Song Jians summoned fire elemental had completely changed its appearance from before; previously, he would summon level ten fire elementals, but now that he had reached level 20, the fire elemental had also been upgraded to level 20, becoming more fierce and stronger. With a roar, the two fire elementals charged at the level 20 Lord level BOSS in a hall ahead with incredible speed. As soon as they entered the hall, the BOSS detected the intruders, let out a ferocious roar, and swung its giant blade almost as long as its own body at the fire elementals. Boom! Sparks flew as the fire elemental that had been targeted by the BOSS suffered over 300 points of damage, while the BOSS took over 100 points of fire damage. Broken Wing Dance! Swinging the longsword, Song Jian joined the fray. The Black Dragon whelp let out a dragon chant, soared into the air, and began spewing Dragon Breath and magic at the BOSS. Lets go! Zhou Qing, keep an eye on our vitality! Wang Qi shouted. A level 20 Lord level BOSS is usually a force to be reckoned with, so the four of them would surely turn and flee if they encountered it. After all, the level difference alone is enough to make their attacks less effective, while the BOSS could inflict exponentially more damage on them. If it werent for Song Jian drawing the aggro to himself, Wang Qi and his companions wouldnt have the courage to engage the BOSS. Within thirty seconds, the incredibly damaging BOSS had chopped both fire elementals to pieces, and turned its attention to Song Jian. Since the fire elementals had been summoned by Song Jian, killing them did not divert the aggro. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jians sword moves flowed like a tide, one after another, relentless in their pursuit of the BOSS. Every strike inflicted over 200 points of damage, causing the BOSS to bellow with rage as its vitality continuously dropped. Wang Qi and his companions dodged the BOSSS attacks carefully, dealing only ten or twenty points of damage each time, but they gritted their teeth and contributed their efforts. In the name of Samodo, I declare you guilty and incarcerated! Samodo knocked Song Jian back with a slash and pointed to the Black Dragon whelp in midair, which had been constantly raining fireballs on him, shouting angrily. Suddenly, countless strands of black energy appeared in midair and coalesced into black chains that shot toward the Black Dragon whelp. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Seven or eight chains danced around the Black Dragons body as if controlled by someone, quickly creating a black cage, locking the young dragon tightly inside. Aow! With a piercing cry, the Black Dragon whelp struggled, causing the black chains to grow taut and dig into the gaps between its thick scales. However, no matter how hard it struggled, the black chains remained unbroken. Bang! The young Black Dragon fell heavily to the ground. At this moment, its body, neck, wings, and even its mouth were bound by black chains, appearing like a large rice dumpling. Song Jians heart pounded, but after taking a closer look, he saw that the black chains had only ensnared the Black Dragon whelp without causing any actual harm, and relaxed. This level 20 Lord level BOSS was almost equal in strength to Song Jian, and just the wind from its powerful strikes left Wang Qi and the other melee characters struggling to breathe. Fighting this BOSS was especially difficult for them, even when it wasnt paying attention to them. Whoosh- A flash of white light fell on Song Jian from above, instantly restoring a portion of his lost vitality. Immortal Sword Body, activate! Song Jian gritted his teeth and activated his Immortal Sword Body, his strength soaring once more granting him a significant increase in all attributes by seven points. Now, Song Jian could overpower level 20 Lord BOSS Samodo. Boom, boom, boom- After several clashes, Samodo had an astonished expression on its face. The sudden increase in strength caught it off-guard. After exchanging blows several times, it was forced to retreat several steps, back now against the wall and with nowhere to run. Feeling humiliated, Samodo had never been pushed so far. With a loud roar, a bloody aura emanated from the BOSSS body, filling the entire room with the wails of ghostly cries akin to those of lamenting spirits. You idiots, hurry up and help! Samodo shouted, smashing its fist into the wall behind it to vent its anger. However, after a while, no one else had rushed into the room. At this point, Wang Qi and his companions suddenly realized their relief that they had cleared the cage of monsters first. If they hadnt, the monsters in the cage would have already swarmed into the room. Even with Song Jians strength, they would probably have to flee and rethink their strategy, while the four of them were likely to die in the fight. A chill ran down their spines as the four exchanged glances. Fortunately, while the BOSS was roaring, the group continued to deal damage with their unabated attacks, quickly reducing the BOSSS vitality by 700-800 points. Furious at the lack of help from the prisoners, Samodo gripped the massive handle of its weapon with both hands, held the blade horizontally, and started spinning like a top. Slaughter! The BOSS roared as it charged towards Song Jian. Fuck! Tang Rongs face changed drastically as he retreated, but he was still grazed by the swinging blade, reducing his vitality by half. He flew through the room like a pinball and slammed into the wall. Ma Yus reaction was a beat slower than Tang Rongs, making him take even more damage. However, Ma Yu was relatively unscathed, as he had a shield for protection, only losing about a third of his vitality. Looking at the new cracks in his shield, Ma Yu had a tearful expression on his face. The shields durability had already decreased by more than 20 points, leaving only about 15 points left. If the fight continued, the shield would likely be finished after the battle. Flash, flash, flash- Several beams of white light fell, and the vitality of Ma Yu and Tang Rong was quickly restored to more than half. As soon as Song Jian saw the BOSS roar and charge at him with blade spinning, he immediately used the Sword Shadow Step, fleeing toward the exit. Woo, woo, woo- Dark howls emanated from the BOSS, chasing after Song Jian at a rapid pace. Wang Qi and his companions were terrified. They couldnt withstand such attacks, and even if Zhou Qing used his ultimate healing ability, it would be too late to heal them. Now, only Wang Qi could attack, holding his weapon and continuously pulling the trigger to shoot at the BOSS. However, the bullets were all deflected by the BOSSS rotating blade, and a series of MISS texts floated above its head. Chapter 403 - Chapter 403: Chapter 403: Armor-piercing Explosive Bullet Chapter 403: Chapter 403: Armor-piercing Explosive Bullet The BOSSS final attack was increasing in speed as time passed, and a hint of crimson appeared on the spinning blade, the invisible force it generated was growing larger and larger. One meter, three meters, five meters, In the end, there was nowhere left in the room to dodge the BOSSS final attack. Out of options, Song Jian had to flee the room, sprinting towards the main door of the instance. Boom- The BOSS burst through the main door of the room, slicing the walls on either side and reducing them to a pile of rubble. The four teammates huddled in a corner, quivering with fear. If Song Jian hadnt lured the BOSS away, they would undoubtedly be corpses by now. This This is the power of a level 20 Lord-level BOSS? Zhou Qings eyes were filled with fear. The terrifying figure of the BOSS had left an indelible shadow in his heart. Should Should we go and help? Wang Qi asked in a weak voice. The room fell into silence. Melee fighters cant get close at all. Ma Yu cast a glance at Tang Rong, muttering under his breath. Yeah, we cant get close. Tang Rong was still shaken and almost got one-shotted by the BOSS earlier. Im a priest Zhou Qing glanced over at Wang Qi. He was grateful he was a priest who stood far back; otherwise, with his cloth armor defense, he would have been one-shotted by merely touching the BOSS. All eyes turned to Wang Qi. Captain Wang, why dont you represent our team and offer some assistance? Yes, we should help and not just spectate. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing when the spoils of war are distributed! Captain Wang, your class is the most suitable, you dont have to risk your life. Just stay at a distance and shoot, even failing to cause damage doesnt matter. The main thing is for our teams attitude to be shown. Yes, yes, attitude, attitude is very important!- The three discussed among themselves while Wang Qis face turned pale. The blade of the BOSS had whizzed in front of him earlier, and even the force of it had caused his cheek to sting. Under the expectant gazes, Wang Qi gritted his teeth, tightly clenched his weapon, and shouted in a low voice: Ill do it. Ill go help him! With that, Wang Qi charged towards the BOSS. What a man! Respect. With this kind of daring spirit, he really deserves to be the captain. If theres a chance to cover the rear in the future, dont fight him for it. Hell get annoyed. Yeah, yeah, rear-covering tasks can all be given to the captain in the future. He can handle it for sure. Although Wang Qi felt afraid, he also knew that Song Jian was currently holding all of the BOSSS aggro, and even if he fought desperately, he wouldnt be able to draw its attention. But still, he was afraid! Everywhere the BOSS went was like the passing of a violent storm, the cages were twisted and disfigured by the force of the BOSS, pressing and extending the corridor by three to four meters. Song Jian looked back, the duration of the BOSSS skill was quite long; it had been more than ten seconds already, yet it continued spinning relentlessly. The invisible forces around it had formed into a robust tornado. The multitude of sword forces within the tornado collided with each other, sparking bright sparks. If they continued running, they would exit the instance, and the BOSS would then turn its attention to Wang Qi and the others. Although Wang Qi looked terrified, he was still continually attacking the BOSS. Song Jian could not bear to cause trouble for them by leading the BOSS their way. Im going all in! Song Jian quickly weighed the options in his mind, gritted his teeth, and turned around to charge at the BOSS. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Waving his long sword, Song Jian amazingly collided with the sword-force tornado; Boom- With a loud bang, the entire game area trembled slightly. Song Jian felt a strong force surge towards him, forcing him to step back, but he soon stabilized, engaging his Hearts Eye skill. His eyes radiated faint glints of light; Clang! Clang! Clang! Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, always swung from an uncanny angle, tearing through the cyclone of blade energy that the BOSS generated. His sword clashed with the BOSSS long black blade; Once, twice, three times, Song Jians nerves were taut, like steel threads. His full attention was focused on every movement, every detail of the BOSS. Each clash of sword on blade was crucial; even a small deviation could cause Song Jian to lose all his progress, and be thrown into the air by the BOSSS powerful energy; lhe essence of the Tai Chi Sword Skill is the dissipation of force. The BOSSS cyclone of blade energy was likened to a massive wave, and Song Jian was like a solid rock. Collisions constantly occurred, but with each clash, he shattered the waves of energy; The proficiency of his Tai Chi Sword Skill was increasing at an astonishing pace. In a short span of time, his proficiency level had elevated to 100%; If Song Jian were to open his skill bar now, he would notice a constant golden glow within the Tai Chi Sword Skill column. The 100% limit seemed to blur, as though the level cap was being constantly honed; With every clash of sword and blade, the aura that the BOSS had built up slowly dissipated. Its once-fluid moves now seemed obstructed by a pebble, causing minor delays each time; Suddenly, the cyclone of blade energy the BOSS controlled could not be sustained any longer. It dissipated with a boom, leaving behind a burst of energy. Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill also ran its course at this point, and without his guard up, he was thrown into the air by the energy and harshly smashed into the wall near the entrance of the game area; Just then, Wang Qi was loading a bullet more than two fingers long into his gun. This was the Armor-piercing Explosive Bullet that Wang Qi had purchased from a wandering merchant for a thousand Doomsday Coins. You could not find this kind of bullet in the regular system shop. This was one of Wang Qis last resorts. Although costly, the damage inflicted by this bullet justified its price; At this moment, Wang Qi held the gun steady in both hands that appeared as still as if made of iron, his cheek pressed against the cold bolt of the gun. His right eye was peering through the scope, unblinkingly fixed on the back of the BOSSS head; Target locked Target hit location determined Energy charge-up Energy charge-up exceeds 120% Warning: This shot could deal 180% damage to the target, but will also inflict permanent damage on the firearm, reducing its maximum durability by 10 points permanently; The cold, mechanical voice echoed in Wang Qis ears, but he remained unfazed; Previously, he had fired at least a hundred rounds, but not a single one hit the BOSS amidst the blade energy whirlwind. Thats why he brought out this bullet. Wang Qi took a deep breath, finally pulling the trigger; Bang- lhe gun recoiled fiercely, the muzzle flashing with a light blue flame over a foot long; Crack- A clear shattering sound came from within the gun, causing Wang Qis face to go deathly pale. Despite the pain in his two arms, as if his bones had cracked, it was no comparison to the cold dread in his heart; Damn, seems like a low-probability event has occurred These thoughts ran through Wang Qis mind; At that moment, the blade energy cyclone from the BOSS had been shattered by Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill. Song Jians body had harshly smacked into a wall, and the BOSS, roaring, tottered backwards; Thud- A crisp sound of impact reverberated, the BOSSS body staggered briefly. Something seemed to have been shot out from between its brows, spraying a streak of blood; Chapter 404 - Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Distributing the Spoils of War Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Distributing the Spoils of War Watching the BOSS collapse, Wang Qi couldnt help but feel an incredible sensation. System: Congratulations, you have killed the final BOSS of the secret realm Sinful Bloody Cage and gained 120,000 battle experience. System: You and your friends have successfully explored the secret realm Sinful Bloody Cage, completing 80% of it. Your achievements will be forever recorded at the entrance, for all to see. Wang Qis strike had directly wiped out the nearly two thousand remaining Vitality Points of the BOSS. Seeing the -1897 damage numbers floating above the BOSSS head, Wang Qi felt as if he were dreaming. How how is this possible Wang Qi couldnt believe it in his heart, but immediately after, he felt immense surprise. I low is this possible!- Tang Rong was the first to exclaim. Only the five of them could see the system prompt. When they saw that Wang Qi had killed the BOSS, the other three members of the team couldnt help but feel absurd. Captain, did you steal Brother Songs BOSS? Ma Yu looked at his companion with a puzzled face. What do you mean steal Brother Songs BOSS? Arent we exploring and fighting the BOSS together? You can only say Zhou Qing pondered for a moment before continuing, The captain stole the last hit on the BOSS. Anyway, the captain did a great job this time. Since entering the instance, I felt awkward. We didnt seem to be playing much of a companion role, its like we were just trinkets hanging on the bosss leg. Ma Yu shrugged his shoulders and said casually. Quick, go see how the captain and Brother Song are doing. Zhou Qing put away his Magic Staff and walked toward the outside of the room. The most important thing is to see if the BOSS has dropped any equipment suitable for us, hehe. Tang Rong played with the newly acquired silver-quality dagger, chuckling. Seeing Wang Qi standing dumbly in the corridor, Zhou Qing walked up to him and patted his shoulder, saying, Hey, captain, well done. For that last strike, did you use a trump card? Captain, I told you to buy more of those bullets at the time, saying that once we missed that village, we wouldnt have that shop. You only bought one, now you must regret it. Tang Rong came out laughing. When they had met the wandering merchant, all of them were together. Wang Qi, with embarrassed pockets, only bought one bullet and was lectured by Tang Rong for a long time. When they had money later, they went to find the wandering merchant again but could never find him. At this time, Song Jian had already struggled out of the wall. Glancing at the BOSSS corpse lying in a pool of blood, he couldnt help but breathe a sigh of relief. The feeling just now, it was strange, as if 1 had entered a state of epiphany, Song Jian thought to himself. Opening the skill column, Song Jian was astonished. The level of his Tai Chi Sword Skill had reached level 2 at 89%. He remembered that his Tai Chi Sword Skill level had been only one before, and it was still quite a distance from being full. How could it suddenly break through to level 2 now, and not cost any skill points? Just as Song Jian was feeling astonished, he suddenly heard Tang Rong exclaim, Wow, golden equipment! Song Jian looked at the dropped BOSS loot. Amongst the seven or eight items, a ring with a faint golden glow was quietly lying there. Song Jian gave a slight smile and picked up all the items. Ring of Blood (Gold), Ring, Item Level 20, Equipment Effect: Strength +5, Agility +3, Constitution +3, Maximum Vitality Points +200, Special Effect 1: Vampiric (Passive), 15% of the damage dealt to the target will be converted into Vitality Points to replenish the user; Special Effect 2: Bloodthirst (Active), the user will gain a Bloody Shield with 1000 defense points, and 50% of the damage absorbed by the Bloody Shield will be converted into Vitality Points to replenish the user; After the Bloody Shield shatters, it will deal 500 true damage to all surrounding enemies and cause them to be unable to attack or move for 3 seconds; Skill Cooldown: 60 minutes; Item Usage Requirement: Level 20; Can it be taken out of the game: No 111 take this ring, is that okay? Song Jian asked, glancing at the others. Ma Yu, Tang Rong, and Wang Qi were all suitable for this ring. However, upon hearing Song Jians words, they all shook their heads hastily. Brother Song, if you like it, just take it. Dont ask us, Wang Qi said with a smile. Yeah, Brother Song, this ring requires level 20 to wear. Even if it were given to us, we couldnt use it, Ma Yu scratched his head and grinned. Feeling guilty, arent you? Tang Rong whispered in Ma Yus ear. Song Jian gave a slight smile, chose Need, and the four pals quickly chose to abandon it. Song Jian replaced the Ring of Strength with the Ring of Blood, putting it on. With this ring, Song Jians agility attribute finally broke through the 40-point barrier, and his Vitality Points reached 1,720. It was almost no different from a BOSS. Now, except for the lower Vitality Points, Song Jians attributes were almost no different from a Level 20 Elite BOSS. And once he activated the Immortal Sword Body, his attributes could completely crush a Level 20 Elite BOSS. In addition to the golden ring, the BOSS also dropped two silver attribute weapons. One was a gorgeous Level 15 weapon, the G24 Gauss Sniper Rifle. This sniper rifle had not only great power, but also a long range and a firing rate of one shot every 3 seconds. Moreover, its built-in magazine could automatically form a sniper bullet every minute, with a 10% chance of forming a special bullet. The built-in magazine capacity was twenty rounds, and once the bullet limit was reached, it couldnt continue to generate more. Song Jian directly threw the gun to Wang Qi. Wang Qi posted the attributes of the rifle, and it immediately attracted everyones gasps. From now on, Wang Qi would most likely become the main damage dealer of the team. Good stuff, good stuff! Tang Rong was so envious that his eyes were about to bleed. With this weapon, Wang Qis damage would at least double, and he would have the ability to generate bullets, malting up for the huge consumption issues faced by gunners. Theres also a silver-quality Codex, a priests off-hand equipment, for you! Song Jian threw the silver-glowing Codex to Zhou Qing. Is there one for me too? Zhou Qing asked, surprised. Upon receiving the Codex, Zhou Qing couldnt help but exclaim Damn and kissed it twice. Ranged professions off-hand equipment was originally scarce, and Zhou Qing hadnt acquired any until now, only using a two-handed staff. However, this Level 15 silver-quality Codexs attributes far surpassed his current two-handed staff, further solidifying his decision to switch to a one-handed staff. As for the remaining blue and green equipment, Song Jian glanced at them, found nothing he needed, and handed them all to Wang Qi to sell. Among them were four Enhancement Stones, and along with the previous ones dropped from monsters, the group had a total of twenty-two Enhancement Stones. Then, Song Jian showed the last item to everyone, waved it twice, and said with a smile, According to our previous agreement, this item belongs to me! Chapter 405 - Chapter 405: Chapter 405: Leaving Chapter 405: Chapter 405: Leaving Song Jian was holding a potion recipe diagram in his hand. Let me see what the recipe is? Tang Rong looked interested because he also studied alchemy and pharmacology as a side occupation. Song Jian generously showed the potion recipe. Brave Potion recipe. After use, you can learn how to craft Brave Potion1. Usage Requirement: Alchemy and Pharmacology level 5. Brave Potion: After consumption, all attributes increase by 10% with a duration of 30 minutes. You can only use one bottle at a time, and stacking is not effective. A status potion! My God, this is a potion you can use your whole life! Tang Rong exclaimed in surprise. This potion is almost useless for novices, but the higher the level and stronger the person using it, the greater the effect of the potion. For Song Jian, using this potion would increase attributes by 4 strength, 4 agility, 2 constitution, 1 spirit, 1 intelligence, and 1 charismaa total of thirteen attribute points. The higher the attribute value of a person, the stronger the increase effect. Even if Tang Rong and the others used it, they could increase their attributes by three or four points. Dont be envious. Even if I gave it to you, you couldnt learn it. As I recall, your Alchemy and Pharmacology level is only 1. Ma Yu looked at Tang Rong and said. Its already at 96% for level 1.1 will reach level 2 soon, thank you! Tang Rong replied without hesitation. Even if you reach level 3, you cant learn it. This recipe requires level 5. Thats quite a distance for you. Thank you for your reminder, but I can see the usage requirements of this recipe. Song Jian just smiled and, right in front of everyone, instantly learned the formula. The whole recipe transformed into golden fragments and surged towards Song Jian. This sight made Tang Rongs mouth twitch a bit. Did you really have to learn it right in front of us? Is it so great to have a high level in Pharmacology? Tang Rong howled in his heart. The others just sympathetically looked at Tang Rong without uttering a word. Brother Song, weve got twenty-two enhancement stones in total this time. How about we split them directly instead of selling them? Theyre hard to come by. Wang Qi hesitated for a moment before saying to Song Jian. Enhancement stones? Sounds good! Song Jian gave a slight smile. He wanted the enhancement stones, but he already took the most valuable things from the dungeon. Asking for enhancement stones now, even though Wang Qi and the others would surely give them to him, it would seem a bit greedy. Lets each have four stones, and the rest goes to you, Brother Song. Wang Qi handed over six enhancement stones. Alright! Song Jian glanced at the others and, seeing no objections, he took the enhancement stones. Heh, Im going to use mine on my codex! Zhou Qing said excitedly. Of course, Im using mine on my weapon. Tang Rong looked eager to try. Ding, ding, ding- Wang Qi, who had been silent all along, directly smashed all four of his enhancement stones onto his newly acquired Gauss sniper rifle. Four enhancement stones increased the rifles damage by 40. This damage was nearly comparable to that of a silver-quality weapon at level 20. Enhancement stones can enhance weapons and armor, but they cant enhance rings or other accessories. Song Jian thought for a while and directly smashed the enhancement stones onto his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Of the six stones, five were successfully enhanced, and one failed. The damage of his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword increased by fifty. It was terrifying how even a single normal attack could cause more than two-hundred points of damage. Brother Song, why is our dungeon exploration completion only 80%? Zhou Qing suddenly asked. You know, the higher the completion rate of the dungeon exploration, the more rewards you get. Having only completed 80%, clearly appears as if therere areas in the dungeon they havent explored yet. Im not sure, maybe there are places we havent explored yet? Song Jian frowned slightly he also saw the previous system prompt and was taken aback when he saw the 80% completion rate. Just then, the strange cage made of beds, tables, and chairs theyd discovered before, popped into his mind. Lets go check it out! Song Jian strode towards the previous cage. At this point, the wooden bed in the cage had already turned into rubble, and the table and chairs had been destroyed during the previous boss fight. But a strange pattern faintly appeared on the ground amidst the rubble. After sweeping away the rubble of the wooden bed, Song Jian found it to be a peculiar Hexagram Array Diagram. It looked somewhat similar to the summoning array he used for summoning Blood Servants. There might be a hidden boss in this dungeon Song Jian said in a low voice. However, now that the dungeon has been completed, they could only enter once a day. So, to verify Song Jians guess, they would have to wait until tomorrow. Shall we come back tomorrow and see? Tang Rong glanced at his companions and asked. All eyes turned to Song Jian. Song Jian nodded. He had nothing else to do anyway, and even if the items dropped from the dungeon were reduced by one tier, not all of Song Jians equipment was level 20. He might as well take this opportunity to complete his level 20 equipment set. Alright, so well come back tomorrow! Wang Qi said with a laugh. Lets rest for two hours now, and then go to the Central Bank together. How about it, Brother Song? After clearing a dungeon, Song Jian had used up a lot. He had exhausted all his Weakness Potions and Slowness Potions, with only two bottles of healing potions left. Wang Qi still had many dungeon drops that he wanted to sell off now. Song Jian nodded and said, Okay, lets rest for two hours and then go directly to the Central Bank. The Central Bank is marked prominently on Song Jians map. Its a level 20 monster areawho knows how Wang Qi and the others had dared to explore there before. Clearing a dungeon was exhausting. Song Jian was on the brink of mental breakdown, especially after the final boss fight. Although he had entered a state of understanding that greatly enhanced his Tai Chi Sword Skill, it took a heavy toll on his mental strength. His head was slightly aching at the moment, and he wished he could sleep right away. But when he returned to the Manor Castle and was about to rest, the butler George was still waiting outside his room. George, what is it? If it wasnt something important, George wouldnt do this. My lord, your female guest has woken up. She left with the Dawn Warrior you newly recruited. Heres a note she left for you. George handed a folded note to Song Jian. What? She left and took the Dawn Warrior I recruited recently? A stunned Song Jian quickly checked the follower interface. Fortunately, the Dawn Warrior had not betrayed him and his loyalty had not decreased either. I saved her life, and she ran off with my follower. Lets see what she has to say. A disgruntled Song Jian opened the note to read it carefully. Chapter 407 - Chapter 407: Chapter 407: The Holy Land, Do Not Enter Chapter 407: Chapter 407: The Holy Land, Do Not Enter Without Invitation Upon hearing the book detailing all herb locations in the game, Song Jian paused and couldnt help but ask, Theres a book like that? Of course! This is the citys largest library, Zhu Hao proudly exclaimed. From then on, Id come here every day to try my luck. Its a pity though, Ive never had another chance to enter ever since that one time. That is indeed a pity, Song Jian replied with a slight smile and began walking towards the steps. Ordinary people would probably be panting by the time they reached the library entrance at the end of these dozen steps. However, those who could stand here were elite professionals above level 10. Their physical stamina was robust, so such exertion was nothing for them. By the time Song Jian arrived at the library entrance, it was filled with people, including not just players but also numerous NPC professionals. They all stood quietly in their places, waiting silently. Cant we just go in? Song Jian asked quietly. Unless you can defeat the two guards at the entrance, Zhu Hao murmured. The guards standing at the librarys entrance were slightly different from those at other places. Their armour was more ornate, with purple magical patterns even painted on them. The aura they emitted was also more threatening than their peers. Even though the area in front of the library entrance was filled with people, nobody dared to approach them. Moreover, the levels of these two guards were not revealed. Their danger level was indicated only by two blood-red skull icons. Dont worry, a lucky person will randomly be chosen from everyone in ten minutes, Zhu Hao muttered, thinking Song Jian was getting impatient. However, what Song Jian was pondering at that moment was whether he could directly enter the library, as he was trusted with a mission given by Cecilia Priest. Just as Song Jian was hesitating, the library doors opened from the inside. A serious-faced young girl emerged from within. The young girl looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. She had chestnut-red hair, and her eyes shimmered with a deep blue reminiscent of the sea. Her delicate face was as exquisite as fine porcelain, inviting the urge to reach out and touch it. However, the girls expression held people back. As the girl emerged, almost everyone respectfully bowed to her. After all, she held the privilege of determining who could enter the library that day. She stood at the library entrance and scanned the crowd. Kulatu, come in, she said in a deep voice. With that, the girl turned and walked back into the library, her figure quickly disappearing within the entrance. She seemed to know the name of everyone present. After scanning the crowd, she randomly called out one name and left, not caring about anyone elses reaction. Cheers of joy and countless complaints resounded simultaneously. An NPC professional strode towards the library entrance. The two guards on either side made no move to stop him, and he soon disappeared inside the door. What the hell, this is the third time in a row that an NPC was selected! Yeah, I come here every day, but Ive never been chosen. Is my luck really that bad? It should be a players turn now, right? You cant discriminate like that! It would be better to choose two people at a time, one NPC and one player. Wouldnt that be fairer? Weary complaints came from all around, and the crowd began to dissipate. The players were grumbling, and while the NPC professionals didnt speak, their expressions were full of disappointment. Lets go, bro. We can only try again tomorrow, Zhu Hao sighed, addressing Song Jian. I want to try again, Song Jian replied with a slight smile, walking towards the door. Oh no, hold on, dude. Some people have done the same as you, trying to incite the library to increase the quota. They all got slashed by the guards, Zhu Hao cried out in alarm. He tried to stop Song Jian but hesitated upon glancing at the guards. Seeing Song Jian advancing towards the library door, some players couldn t help but stop and watch with mocking expressions on their faces. Hey, someone dares to challenge again! Has the lesson from last time not been enough or is this guy overestimating himself? Or perhaps he thinks the guards swords are blunt? Let me see the guards draw their swords again. The last time I watched, I felt like I was on the brink of realization Almost every day, these gamers would come here to try their luck. Some had been coming for over a month without ever being selected. Their pent-up resentment exploded upon seeing someone approach; everyone-with their mocking smiles-prepared to watch the guards slash this player away. The library doors hadnt closed yet, and seeing Song Jian approach, the guards eyes squinted, and a chilling intent radiated from them. It felt as though Song Jian was walking on a battlefield strewn with dead bodies. Anyone with weaker willpower would likely have been scared away by now. Stop! The guard on the left placed his long sword in front of him to block Song Jian, growling, Intruders with no qualification to access the Holy Land-death awaits! I am Song Jian. Cecilia Priest sent me to find Dr. Kang Lin, Song Jian replied with a slight frown. Dr. Kang Lin? The blocking guard hesitated, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he put away his sword, glanced at his companion, who nodded in agreement. Wait here. Dont wander off. With that, the guard turned and went into the library. After a short while, the guard returned from the library. His attitude was far more respectful. Dr. Kang Lin is in the library. You can go in by yourself. Song Jian exhaled in relief and nodded, walking towards the library. Behind him, Zhu Hao stood speechless on the library steps, his mouth agape in disbelief, frozen as if turned to stone. Song Jian stepped into the library, the interior seemed to transport him into another world where everything was even more grand and expansive than what he had seen outside. Song Jian remembered only having seen such a magnificent sight before at the Apocalypse Supermarket. The library was filled with rows upon rows of documents. In the centre, there was a huge sphere emitting a gentle light. Many people surrounded it, seemingly checking something. Looking at all the books around him, Song Jian couldnt help but murmur to himself, There must be more than a hundred thousand books here, right? The exact number is 1,975,463 volumes, a gentle voice sounded from the side. When Song Jian turned his head, he saw a friendly-looking man with long hair smiling back at him. Chapter 408 - Chapter 408: Chapter 408: Searching for the Book of the Abyss Chapter 408: Chapter 408: Searching for the Book of the Abyss Hello, 1 am Kang Lin, you must be the miraculous young man Cecilia talked about, Song Jian! Dr. Kang Lin reached out his right hand and said with a smile to Song Jian. Having shaken hands with Dr. Kang Lin, Song Jian couldnt help but ask: Can I know where Priest Cecilia is? Did she give you my information? She told me to find you, what is the matter? Also, is my Follower also here? Dr. Kang Lin was taken aback, then laughed: You have too many questions, why dont you ask Cecilia yourself? Please follow me! Song Jian glanced at the golden sphere in the middle of the library, nodded, and followed Dr. Kang Lin towards the passage ahead; The two of them walked along the interior passage of the library until they reached an elevator; Through the elevator, the two reached the third floor. In a spacious room, Priest Cecilia was sitting in front of a desk with a serious look. She was deeply engrossed in a thick book. There were also about ten other books scattered on the desk. It seemed she was looking for something in the books; Upon seeing Cecilia, Song Jian finally exhaled in relief. Although she looked a bit weak with a pale face, her breath was very stable, and it was clear that she had a good recovery; Cecilia! Song Jian couldnt help but call out, his tone full of resentment. Youre here, sit down and wait for me. Im reviewing some materials. Cecilia looked up at Song Jian and pointed casually towards the sofa next to her; At this moment, Dr. Kang Lin smiled slightly and left the room, closing the door behind him; Song Jian had no choice but to sit and wait patiently; After about ten minutes, Cecilia finally closed the book with a heavy sigh; Cecilia, where did you take my Follower? Seeing Cecilia finish reviewing, Song Jian couldnt help asking. He is a soldier of the Goddess of Dawn and naturally returned to where he should go! Cecilia said seriously: Your actions, to put it lightly, is an abduction of the Goddesss guardian, and to put it harshly, it is blasphemy! In ancient times, you would have been burned to death on a pyre by the followers of the Goddess of Dawn! But the goddess is merciful, she kept your merits in mind, thereby remitting your sins, and will not pursue this matter further. If 1 were you, I would go to the Dawn Temple, kneel before the Goddess and pray for a hundred days, thanking the Goddess for her mercy! Song Jian opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, and helplessly looked at Cecilia; Alright, Follower has huge potential and will surely become a Knight of Dawn. He is now receiving training in the Goddesss temple. Following you would only waste his talents! Cecilia looked at Song Jian and continued, Of course, you can continue to summon him for help in the future, but the frequency must be limited. You can only summon once a month at most. If too frequent, it would disrupt his training! What, 1 can only summon once a month? Song Jians eyes widened as he asked incredulously. Dont forget, he is a soldier of the goddess! Cecilias voice inadvertently rose a few degrees! Alright, you win! Song Jian sighed and said helplessly; Very good. Cecilias lips curled up slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, looked at Song Jian, showed a hint of softness in her eyes, and said softly: I also want to thank you for saving my life. Otherwise, the Abyssal Power might have corroded and destroyed my body! Right, I havent asked what happened yet? Song Jian seemed to recall something and asked hurriedly: Didnt you say that once we get the Book of Abyss, we can completely eliminate the Abyssal Demon? The Book of the Abyss contains the fundamental Abyssal Power. With it, we can completely kill the Abyssal Demon. However, I was ambushed by a group of giants while fighting against the Abyssal Demon after releasing its seal. The Book of Abyss was also snatched by those giants, and the Abyssal Demon banished me into the Abyssal Land while it got the chance Cecilia looked at Song Jian, a flicker of fright in her eyes. Fortunately, the place where it banished me to was the Desolate Highland of the Abyssal Land. There arent many powerful monsters there. I did my best to escape from there, but I was seriously injured. If it werent for your rescue, I guess I would have died now. Cecilia gave a faint smile, looked at Song Jian, and a hint of gratitude flashed in her eyes. Its good that the Abyssal Demon finally died at my hands. You said it wouldnt come back to life, would it? Song Jian said with some worry. The Abyssal Demon hates you even more than it does me. I didnt think it would come after you when it hadnt fully recovered. Cecilia seemed to think of something and couldnt help but chuckle: With the blessing of the goddess, if it had fully recovered, I guess you wouldnt be sitting in front of me now. But dont worry, even though I didnt kill it, the Book of the Abyss has reclaimed its resurrection power. After death, it wont come back to life again. Cecilia said; Thats good, by the way, you called me here for what? Song Jian asked. Im reviewing information about the giants who ambushed me Cecilia said: The giants spread around the world in the form of tribes. The ones who ambushed me are similar to the Abyss Giants in the legends. However, more than a thousand years ago, the Abyss Giants disappeared from this world. According to the data, their entire tribe entered the Abyssal Land and became real Abyssal creatures! You know, Abyssal creatures are repelled by the worlds forces when they enter our world. Its puzzling why those five giants can freely move about in our world Cecilia furrowed her brows slightly. Why think so much? Just find them and kill them, just like the Abyssal Demon! Song Jian stood up and said. Its not that simple, this involves the force of the world, Cecilia suddenly hesitated, looked at Song Jian, and said: Forget it, all this talking is useless, youre right, we must find them no matter what! Song Jian, I need your help. Can you help me find these giants and bring back the Book of Abyss they took? Cecilia stood up, looked at Song Jian and asked. System: Cecilia, the Dawn Officer, issued you the task Find the Book of Abyss, would you like to accept? Chapter 409 - Chapter 409: Chapter 409: Simple Task Chapter 409: Chapter 409: Simple Task Looking at the task posted by Cecilia, Song Jian pondered for a moment before raising his head and inquiring, Cecilia, are those five trolls at a high level and have strong power? A trace of embarrassment crossed Cecilias face as she shook her head and replied, Their levels are only at twenty, and one of them even possesses the combat power of a level twenty elite boss. However, I dont think they would be considered a significant threat to you. Then how did they manage to ambush you? You possess a first-order combat power! Song Jians face displayed surprise. To Song Jian, first-order combat power is like an invincible power. For instance, the guards outside the library exude an aura that makes Song Jian shiver slightly. If he was to encounter them head-on, he reckons that he could only summon seventy or eighty percent of his full power; They ambushed me when I was fully invested in the Book of the Abyss, trying to completely eradicate the demon of the Abyss, Cecilia explained with frustration. Otherwise, a single divine art from me could easily wipe all five of them out! Alright, alright. The trolls shamelessly ambushed you. Song Jian quickly commiserated. Why dont you go find them and retrieve the Book of the Abyss? With Cecilias first-order combat power, she could easily defeat five level twenty elite bosses. Not to mention, only one amongst the five trolls possessed the power of an elite boss, the other four merely had the strength of ordinary monsters. I I cant locate them for the time being, Cecilia responded helplessly. The Book of the Abyss is a treasure of the Abyssal Clan. If it remains in this world for too long, the Abyssal Power will spill over like a plague, transforming any creature it touches into an Abyssal devil! A light of realization dawned on Song Jians face. So, Cecilia knew that he was a patron of the gods, in other words, a player. Thats why she gave him this task to retrieve the Book of the Abyss. Once Song Jian accepts this task, the game system will automatically guide him to the hiding spots of the five trolls. Compared to Cecilia aimlessly running around in Doomsday City, this method is much more efficient; Alright, I am willing to take on this task, Song Jian nodded in agreement. As soon as he consented, the quest, Find the Book of Abyss, appeared in his task column. Kill five trolls and locate the Book of the Abyss, are the requirements of this mission. On the task map, a yellow area the size of an egg marks where the five trolls are hiding; I know where the trolls are hiding now. Do you want to come? Song Jian raised his head and looked at Cecilia as he asked this question. Puzzlement crossed Cecilias face as she retorted, Isnt this mission already yours? Why would I need to go? Song Jian: Watching Song Jians mouth twitch twice without uttering a word, he turned to leave. Cecilia hurriedly called out, Hey, since you hardly come in here, remember to try some of the tasks from the lobby on the first floor. If youre lucky, you might even get a Skill Book! Thanks for the reminder! Song Jian thanked her without any expression; When Song Jian arrived at the main hall on the first floor, he saw Dr. Kang Lin, standing motionless under the golden sphere, seemingly comminicating with it; Upon glancing at the shelves around him, Song Jian saw that a faint golden barrier floated on the surface of every shelf. This barrier seems to mean that the books here couldnt be touched casually; Looking around, the library was wide but there were hardly any people. It seemed like the librarys staff outnumbered the readers; As Song Jian approached the central golden sphere, a soft female voice echoed in his mind. How may I assist you? Startled, Song Jian asked the huge golden sphere in front of him, Are you the one speaking to me? Yes, I am the librarian. You can tell me anything you need! Song Jian hesitated for a moment before asking, Do you have any information or skill books on the Swordsman Immortal profession here? After a moment, the female voice in his head spoke again, We have thirtysix books regarding the Swordsman Immortal profession available, including Top Ten Unique Professions, Origins of the Swordsman Immortal Profession, Swordsman Immortal Beginners Guide, among others. Additionally, we have six skill books for the Swordsman Immortal profession. However, to access them, youll need the highest library management authority. There are books about the Swordsman Immortal profession? Song Jians face displayed surprise. Huh? Song Jian, do you need something? Just as the startled Song Jian turned to leave, Dr. Kang Lin, who seemed to have finished his search, looked over curiously, Oh, Cecilia told me to complete one of the library tasks. If Im lucky, I might get a skill book Song Jian replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment; Well, since you managed to get into the library, you obviously meet the requirement to acquire knowledge. This is an opportunity, but todays tasks have already been taken Kang Lin frowned slightly and thought for a while before suggesting, How about this? Ill assign you a task. Help me check the ninth-hundred-sixty-fifth shelf, third row from the top, sixth book from the left. Tell me the name of that book, and youll have completed the task. You can then randomly pick one book from the librarys millions of books. Is it really that simple? Song Jian asked excitedly; Dr. Kang Lin carefully looked around, raised his index finger to his lips, motioning for him to be quiet; System: Dr. Kang Lin has assigned you a temporary task to find a book, do you accept? Accept! Having accepted the task, Song Jian quickly headed toward the bookshelf; Rows upon rows of bookshelves stood like a primeval jungle. However, each shelf had a clear number and were divided into several large sections. Following the sector numbers and shelf numbers, completing Dr. Kang Lins task would be quite easy; Within a short while, Song Jian found the book Dr. Kang Lin had requested; Although the golden light curtain prevented Song Jian from physically touching the books, it didnt prevent the viewing of the books titles. The books title, On the Feasibility of Fusing Space Magic and Time Magic, was clearly written on the side; Running back, he told Dr. Kang Lin the title of the book. Dr. Kang Lin flashed a smile and said, Congratulations on completing the task, now lets see how lucky you are. After speaking, Dr. Kang Lin waved his hand, causing a semi-transparent roulette wheel to appear before Song Jian; it was filled with various books and scrolls; Chapter 410 - Chapter 410: Chapter 410: The Broken Scroll of Sword Control Skill Chapter 410: Chapter 410: The Broken Scroll of Sword Control Skill Dr. Kang Lin pointed to the spinning wheel and said, Start spinning, and after three seconds, say stop. The book the pointer points at will be your task reward. Start! Woosh- The wheel started spinning rapidly. After three seconds, Song Jian shouted, Stop! This kind of game doesnt have any skills. It depends entirely on luck. At this time, Song Jians luck surpassed that of the average person by 8 pointsa highly lucky situation. Therefore, he was very confident in this method of obtaining rewards based on luck. Soon, the wheel gradually slowed down to a stop, its pointer pointing at a small sector a fingers width wide. Suddenly, a silver light burst forth and a pebble-sized stone floated down from the wheel, landing in Song Jians hand. Silver quality? Doctor Kang Lin revealed a surprised look in his eyes, glanced at the Skill Stone, then laughed, Youre really lucky; you even obtained a reward of the highest quality! The task Dr. Kang Lin gave to Song Jian was of the lowest difficulty, so it was impossible for the task rewards to be of high quality. The highest quality would only be silver. Moreover, there were only a limited two or three types of skills with a silver quality; most of the dozens of other types were of white quality books. Unexpectedly, Song Jian directly selected a silver quality Skill Stone. Skill Stone: Sword Control Skill Luck Chapter. Use this to comprehend the way of luck in the Sword Control Skill. Requirement for use: Swordsman profession. Sword Control Skill? Luck Chapter? It seems to be a fragment of the full Sword Control skill. Song Jian looked at the introduction of the Skill Stones attributes and couldnt help but frown. A fragment of a full skill could actually reach silver quality. Then wouldnt the skill called Sword Control Skill be of at least a golden rank? A chapter of the Sword Control Skill? Dr. Kang Lin glanced at the Skill Stone, then raised his head and looked at Song Jian. He couldnt help but burst into hearty laughter, Fate! True Fate! 1 believe that you will become a great swordsman in the future. Song Jian gave a slight smile and directly used the Skill Stone. Soon, the Skill Stone turned into countless silver fragments and entered his body. Suddenly, within his dantian, a warm current started to surge, centered in the dantian, swirling like a vortex and gradually rotating. Next, wave after wave of warm current was flung out of his dantian by the vortex and flowed through Song Jians meridians to all parts of his body. In the skills column, the text Sword Control Skill C Luck Chapter had also appeared. However, there was no skill proficiency bar or level behind this skill. That is to say, Song Jian couldnt level it up at this time. But the warm current in his body was genuinely real, not an illusion. Moreover, what surprised Song Jian the most was the invisible Sword Qi, which originally had an upper limit of one hundred points, now started to slowly increase. It jumped every few seconds, from one hundred points, slowly increasing to one hundred and eleven, one hundred and twenty For a swordsman, the earlier you get this skill, the better. Although it doesnt have any power, it can constantly nourish your meridians and body, improve your physical fitness and Qi sensitivity, and establish a solid foundation. In the future, if you have the opportunity and learn the full Sword Control Skill, you will innately have superiority over others. Dr. Kang Lin said with appreciative enthusiasm. The upper limit of my invisible Sword Qi is also increasing Song Jian couldnt help but say. Invisible Sword Qi? You also cultivated invisible Sword Qi? Ha, ha, its really providence! Dr. Kang Lin, filled with surprise, looked up and down at Song Jian, as though he were inspecting an exquisite jade article. You are a lucky lad. It seems that your profession isnt an ordinary swordsman. Are you a cursed swordman, or a magic sword controller? No, no. A Sword Master? Are you a Sword Master? Dr. Kang Lin rubbed his chin and guessed, No, the Sword Master is an upgraded profession, the before set job should be Sword Controller. Ha, ha, Song Jian, are you a Sword Controller? Yes, Dr. Kang Lin, 1 am indeed a Sword Controller! Song Jian said with a face full of respect. No wonder, no wonder, ha, ha. The Sword Controller is known as the basic profession closest to the Swordsman Immortal profession. You have to seize this opportunity! Dr. Kang Lin immediately showed interest in Song Jian. His smile grew broader, he moved forward and patted Song Jian on the shoulder, saying, Your profession guide must be surnamed Duan, ha, ha. Keep striving, I am very optimistic about you. If you can reach first-order combat power, come visit the library again. At that time, I may need your help with something. If you can accomplish that, then I will give you the complete Sword Control Skill. The complete Sword Control Skill? A trace of joy appeared on Song Jians face, and he quickly nodded, No problem. Once I reach the first-order combat power, I will surely visit you again! Alright, off you go, complete the task given to you by the Priest Cecilia. Remember our agreement! Dr. Kang Lin gave Song Jians shoulder a patronizing pat and broke into hearty laughter. Watching Song Jians figure gradually leaving the library, Dr. Kang Lins smile gradually froze, and a trace of coldness appeared at the corner of his mouth, Hmph, a pupil of the Duan family! Song Jian didnt feel the ill-intentioned gaze behind him. He was elated over acquiring the Sword Control Skill after he reached level thirty, and he quickly walked out of the library. Just as Song Jian was about to head to the location guided by the task map, he suddenly received a communication request. When he opened it, he saw that it was a communication request from Wang Qi. He immediately slapped his forehead. He had completely forgotten his agreement with Wang Qi and the rest to visit the Central Banks underground vault and sell some gold. Although Song Jian was already a multi-millionaire in the real world, who wouldnt want to have more money? Brother Song, we are already at the entrance of the Central Bank; where are you now? Wang Qi asked through the communicator. Oh, there was a bit of a delay. Im at the New Media Library now, Ill be right there! Song Jian replied. The New Media Library was only a few kilometers away from the Central Bank. Even without a motorcycle, it would only take a few minutes. Soon, Song Jian arrived at the entrance of the Central Bank. Wang Qi and the others were standing at the entrance waiting for him. Since Song Jian had not used his motorcycle, he was delayed. Seeing the group, he greeted them apologetically, Sorry for being late, I got held up by some things. Its okay, Brother Song, we just got here too! Ma Yu stood up, patted the dust off his body, and said with a smile. Yeah, we just got here too! The others hastily echoed. Song Jian glanced at the chessboard on the ground that was already quite disorganized. He didnt expose them, just nodded his head, directly used the battle flags team-up function and invited Wang Qi and the others to become temporary teammates. Chapter 411 - Chapter 411: Chapter 411: Underground Vault Chapter 411: Chapter 411: Underground Vault Song Jian activated the innate skill of the Fifth Battle Flag, inviting Wang Qi and three others to become temporary teammates, increasing him with the Brilliant Aura, improving the teams attack speed by 15%, causing +20 damage, and also improving the attributes of the teammates by 30%, which equates to having an additional high-quality blue gear. The reason Song Jian hadnt set them as temporary teammates in the dungeon was mainly to evaluate their character. If their character was questionable, revealing the Fifth Battle Flag could incite envy, bringing about unnecessary troubles. Invited to be a temporary teammate? All four of them looked at the system prompt and chose to accept it. Holy smokes, is this powerful? Ma Yu glanced at the systems notification, amazed. Whats the matter, Ma Yu? Whats there to be surprised about? Tang Rong asked him with a puzzled look on his face. Are you guys not looking at the system prompts? Just take a good look, this effect is amazing! Ma Yu burst into laughter. The 30% increase of attributes has made his strength and constitution surpass 20 points, making him more resilient. As for the increase in attack speed and damage, it would allow him to cause more damage and hold aggro more stable; Compared to Ma Yu though, these effects were more important for Tang Rong, it had practically propelled his damage output to the next level. Brother Song, this effect is simply amazing. With my silver-quality dagger, I can cause more than a hundred points of damage even with basic attacks. This is so potent! Tang Rong exclaimed in excitement. Alright, lets go in. Song Jian laughed, taking the lead into the bank. The Central Banks lobby on the ground floor was quite vast. On the left was a large waiting area, on the right were seven or eight counters, and further in was the banks office area. However, at this moment, the bank was in disarray, with all the objects strewn about, and the place was covered in a layer of thick dust. Alongside the deep red dried traces on its walls and glass counters. The once smooth and clean floor was now full of cracks, as if someone with a massive hammer had been wreaking havoc in the building, with hardly any intact floor tiles to be found. Theres a smell of blood. Wang Qis nostrils twitched slightly as he whispered softly. Swoosh- Tang Rong immediately went invisible, while Ma Yu held up his shield in front of him, intentionally blocking Zhou Qing, Wang Qi retreated a few steps, distancing himself from the others, the Gauss sniper rifle in his hand at the ready. Zhou Qing chanted a spell, waving his magic staff, and immediately cast several spells such as Increase Recovery Effect, Increase Holy Defense, and Increase Negative Status Resistance on everyone. Has someone already investigated this place? Song Jian asked in a hushed voice, rubbing his nose. Considering this is a prominent building on the map, someone is bound to have looked into it. Judging by the state of things here, it seems like someone had been here recently, but its too quiet now. Perhaps, they were incapable of dealing with the monsters in the basement, they just swept the above-ground buildings and left. Wang Qi analyzed calmly. The monsters here respawns every night, saving us the time to clean up the lobby. Zhou Qing laughed. Gold, gold! Our target is gold. Gold that we can bring into the real world, heh heh! Tang Rong echoed with a greed-filled face in a low voice. Haha, gold digger! Wang Qi smirked, though excitement shone in his eyes. Lets continue. The entrance to the underground vault is just ahead. I assume this group of people were also stumped by the monsters in the underground vault. Those monsters are ridiculously powerful. Wang Qi headed forward first. Originally, there was an elevator that could go directly to the underground vault, but the elevator was already destroyed and the elevator shaft was blocked by a pile of debris, rendering it completely abandoned. They could only go down through the narrow staircase to the side. As everyone approached the staircase, Song Jian suddenly felt a chilly wind brush across his face, a faint smell of blood filled his nostrils and he faintly heard a heavy, barely perceptible panting by his ear. Swoosh- A spark of dark red light flashed in Song Jians right palm, and a long sword appeared out of thin air. Brother Song, whats wrong? Wang Qi, who was by his side, saw Song Jians alert posture and asked in a low voice. Be careful, I feel like theres danger below Song Jian looked towards the stairs downward, his face tense as if prepared for a major battle. Tang Rong and others also took out their weapons, their eyes fixed on the staircase. But there was nothing at the stairs entrance, just a cool breeze blowing gently. Everything was eerily silent. In Song Jians eyes, this stairway seemed like a giant beast lying in wait, its mouth wide open, waiting for them to walk into its lair. Lets go, lets go down and take a look After a while, Song Jian led the way down the staircase. The Central Banks underground vault was dug deep, tens of meters down. This staircase was only constructed for emergency use, and it was quite narrow. Given its long period of disuse, the stairs had fallen into disrepair and on the concrete walls on both sides, there was even some dark gray moss. Its so dark, theres not even a hint of light. Zhou Qing frowned and raised his hand. After chanting a few spells, a glowing sphere the size of a basketball appeared from his palm, floating less than a meter above his head, illuminating their surroundings. Song Jian glanced up and saw that Wang Qi and the others appeared to be quite used to Zhou Qing casting this spell in darkness. Be careful, theres a smell of blood. Tang Rong suddenly said in a low voice, and everyone immediately tensed up. Song Jian, who was walking in the front, found that the smell of blood became stronger the further down they went, as if someone had recklessly splashed blood everywhere. Soon, Song Jian saw a body ahead, the strong smell of fresh blood was emanating from this corpse. Upon closer examination, Song Jian realized that it was a players corpse. Fear was etched onto the face of the player who was clearly scared to death before dying, as if something unimaginable and terrifying had ended his life. Moreover, his body was covered in wounds. Some of these wounds looked like they were inflicted by a giant wild beast using its claws and teeth, while others appeared to be traces of magical attacks. Song Jian carefully inspected the corpse and deduced that the player had died more than half an hour ago. His body and equipment were decaying at ten times the usual speed. This rapid decay was so noticeable that even the naked eye could easily observe it. Song Jian estimated that at this rate, the corpse would fully decompose into ashes within half an hour. Soon, no trace of this player would be left in this game world or the real world. Wang Qi and the others glanced at the corpse and a wave of sorrow flooded their hearts. Most importantly, they discovered that the level of the deceased player seemed to be two levels higher than them, which made them feel a sense of unease. Chapter 412 - Chapter 412: Chapter 412: Mutated Demon Chapter 412: Chapter 412: Mutated Demon After carefully examining the corpse, Song Jian led Wang Qi and the others to continue walking downwards. Soon, as the group approached the underground vault, they encountered several more corpses. It seemed they were part of the same team as the one they had found earlier. At the moment, a few blurry figures were feasting on these corpses, emitting a strong stench of blood that made Song Jian and his companions feel uneasy. Perhaps it was the glowing orb overhead that disturbed the monsters while they were eating. One by one, their blood-red eyes stared at Song Jian and the others. These humanoid creatures, which resembled zombies, emitted low threatening growls and slowly crawled towards them. As they got closer, Song Jian could finally see their faces and attributes clearly. These were four-legged mutant zombies that looked like wild beasts. Perhaps it was because they had been in the dark for too long that their eyes had lost their original function and were now covered by a red membrane. Their eyes emitted a dark red light, similar to that of a devils gaze. Their noses had completely rotted away, leaving only two dark holes, and their lips had turned outwards, revealing the sharp fangs protruding from their mouths. These were glistening like blades and stained with bright red blood. Mutant Demon, Elite, Level 20, Vitality Points: 2000/2000, Attributes: Demonic Aura, Frenzy; Skills: Mad Slaughter. Ma Yu stood in front of everyone, glanced at the monsters, and couldnt help but exclaim in surprise. When we came here before, we didnt encounter these monsters. They were just ordinary Level 20 mutant zombies. How did they turn into Level 20 elite mutant demons? Elite monsters are a bit tricky. Do you think this place has become a dungeon too? Tang Rong, who was still invisible, didnt rush forward and whispered at the side. Let me test these monsters first and see how much stronger they are as elite monsters compared to before. Holding up his Gauss sniper rifle, Wang Qi aimed at the monster closest to him and pulled the trigger. Pu- With a soft sound, the Gauss sniper rifle had almost no recoil. A silver light shot out from the muzzle in a flash, leaving a dazzling silver trail on everyones eyes that lingered for a long time. The bullet was aimed at the head of the nearest mutant demon, but the demon seemed to sense the threat just as Wang Qi pulled the trigger, trying to dodge it to the left. However, the bullet was too fast, like a beam of light piercing through the demons right shoulder as it moved. A trace of black demonic energy flashed, causing the mutant demons entire right arm to be broken and fly off, with thick black energy oozing out from half of its body. A heart-wrenching scream of pain echoed in everyones ears, making them frown. Critical hit damage, 64.0 points! Wang Qi calmly reported the damage figure. Amazing! Tang Rong couldnt help but exclaim. Wang Qi had never dealt such high damage before. Just like Tang Rongs thief class, ranged physical classes once they get a good weapon, their damage output could be like night and day compared to before. Pu With another soft sound, the Gauss sniper rifles attack speed was not as fast as a submachine gun or pistol, but it was still relatively quick among sniper rifles. Wang Qi didnt hesitate to pull the trigger again, shooting a pale blue light towards the mutant demon. Aow- Realizing it couldnt dodge the attack, the demon roared loudly, causing the slowly encroaching mutant demons to suddenly charge towards the group like arrows off a bowstring. Bring it on! Ma Yu held a shield in one hand and a war hammer in the other. As he struck his shield with the hammer, he charged at the incoming monsters. Boom! Ma Yu collided heavily with the monsters, his sturdy body acting like a wall, preventing the mutant demons from moving forward. The demons were forced to step back helplessly. Ma Yu swung his war hammer, violently smashing a mutant demon. With each hit, a faint black energy welled up from inside of the demons body, displaying damage figures of fifty or sixty points above its head. Ha ha, this is awesome! With a powerful stomp of his right leg, Ma Yu unleashed his Battle Roar skill, releasing an invisible wave of energy from his body. All monsters touched by this energy went berserk and rushed towards him. This was Ma Yus only taunting skill, which he couldnt dare use in places swarming with monsters previously. However, now he no longer had any worries. He was confident he could withstand any number of monsters charge. Tang Rongs figure slowly emerged from behind a mutant demon, his dagger in hand. Like a wild beasts fang, he aimed it at the back of the monsters head. Song Jian swung his long sword as well, unleashing a Light Strike that instantly sent a mutant demon flying. A massive 1,100 points of damage floated above the demons head, causing everyone to be stunned. Over a thousand, is he still human? Tang Rong couldnt help but mutter softly. Sword Silk! Swish- Three sharp silver lines appeared out of thin air, aiming at the mutant demons around Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! Sweeping Sword Style! One sword technique after another was used, and the hatred of the mutant demons gradually shifted to Song Jian. Their deformed claws constantly swiped at him, but a faint gray energy surrounding Song Jian blocked the monsters attacks. They should have dealt over a hundred points of damage, but on Song Jian, not a single one exceeded thirty points. This made the mutant demons even more agitated, their roars echoing through the underground and sending chills down peoples spines. Twenty minutes later, the dozen mutant demons were all killed. Ma Yu laughed, sat down without minding the bloody mess, and panted heavily. Although Song Jian had drawn the attention of half of the monsters, Ma Yu still had to withstand the assault of six or seven of them. Fortunately, Zhou Qing gave him most of the healing, or else he might not have been able to last that long. Phew, that was refreshing. The experience these monsters give is really high! Zhou Qing couldnt help but exclaim. His level was already at 15 and 97%, about to reach the next level. Ha ha, Im about to be Level 16 too. So am 1. These are Level 20 elite monsters after all, and weve jumped five levels Song Jian glanced at his own Experience Points, also almost ready to level up, and couldnt help but smile. Chapter 413 - Chapter 413: Chapter 413: Dark Gold Treasure Chest Chapter 413: Chapter 413: Dark Gold Treasure Chest After a brief rest, everyone started picking up the war loot; These mutant demons had actually dropped quite a few Doomsday Coins, which surprised everyone. When picking up Doomsday Coins, they would automatically be divided into five portions, distributed among everyone. After a complete round of gathering, each person ended up with over a thousand Doomsday Coins. Does anyone want this Level 15 green gear? Wang Qi showcased the attributes of a piece of green equipment. Seeing that nobody responded, Wang Qi kept the equipment with the intention to sell it later; Now, should the team loot gear that someone could use, it would be purchased at an internal price. If not, Wang Qi would sell it and then the money would be split among everyone; Tve obtained a yellow key here Tang Rong suddenly held up a key radiating yellow light and announced loudly. I have one as well, but its blue. Zhou Qing also held up a key radiating blue light and said; Within a short period of time, Song Jian had also found a key giving off a green glow beneath the corpse of a mutant demon. He held it up to show everyone; Three keys, do you think these could be the keys to the vault door? Wang Qi asked in excitement. The four of them had come here before, but they were pushed back by the monsters. They couldnt even get close to the vault door, let alone find any information about these keys; However, inside this underground vault, the only use for keys was likely to open the vaults main door. Do we need three keys? Ma Yu asked, furrowing his brows. Perhaps its not enough. Judging by what we see, we will need to kill all the monsters we encounter; they might drop keys. Wang Qi shook his head. Lets continue. Song Jian advanced forward; After walking another thirty or forty meters forward, Song Jian suddenly stopped in his tracks. The others behind him also adopted vigilant expressions. As Wang Qi was about to speak, Song Jian pointed to a corner ahead and asked, What is that? Using the light from the orbs above their heads, they realized they were walking within a metal corridor, with the walls on both sides, the ground beneath their feet and the ceiling above their heads, all being made of metal. In the lower-left corner of the metal corridor in front of them, a chest twinkling with dark gold light rested quietly there. This is a treasure chest from the game! Ma Yu couldnt help but exclaim excitedly; Hey, this game really has treasure chests. This is the first time Ive ever encountered it. Interesting. Tang Rong also showed an excited expression, even rushing forward to continuously touch the surface of the dark gold treasure chest. This is a Dark Gold Treasure Chest, does it mean that a Dark Gold Quality piece of equipment can be obtained from it? Zhou Qing asked in a low voice. Probably. Thats usually how games are designed. In some games, Dark Gold treasure Chests can even yield epic-tiered equipment. Ma Yu chuckled. He held the chest with both hands, appearing as if he were about to open it; Damn it, this chest is locked! Ma Yus expression changed as he exclaimed in surprise. Locked? Are you kidding me! Tang Rong was also startled, hurriedly stretching his hand to press on the chest. His face showed an expression of despair: It really is locked. Oh well. So near yet so far. Thats what you get for showing off! Wang Qi said snidely, looking at the chest with a hint of disappointment in his eyes. lang Rong, arent you a rogue? How come you dont know how to pick locks! Zhou Qing complained. Arent you a priest? Have you learned the Resurrection Skill? Tang Rong glared at Zhou Qing and retorted irritably. Zhou Qing: Leave it to me. Song Jian stepped forward. Pulling out a key shimmering with a silver glow from his bag, he inserted it into the keyhole of the chest; The moment the key touched the chest, it began to melt slowly like liquid metal and continually change its form. When the key was fully inserted into the lock, Song Jian twisted lightly, and with a click, the chest was opened, revealing a dazzling golden light from the gap. A golden golden quality item Ma Yus eyes widened in envy. As the golden light disappeared, Song Jian reached into the chest and found that there were very few items inside; There were only two items in the chest, a golden quality breastplate, Demon Armor, and an alchemy prescription. Demon Armor, plate armor, chest, golden quality, equipment level 20, equipment requirements: Strength 20, Agility 15; equipment effects: Strength +8, Agility +7, Constitution +5, Defense +60, Resistance +4.0, Vitality Points + 5OO, Special effect: Demon Strength (passive), each instance of damage received increases overall defense by 5%, can stack up to 5 times, lasts 15 seconds; Looking at this equipment, Ma Yus eyes bulged; If I wear this armor, I could withstand even a Level 20 elite BOSS without problems! Ma Yu thought loudly to himself; Even though shields take up a the most prominent role in the defense gear of a warrior, followed by weapons, the price of armor still remained high. The main reason was that the defense added by the armor was the highest among all types of gear; This Level 20 golden quality armor perfectly exemplified this. It boasted high attribute bonuses, high defense and resistance, but most importantly, it added 500 vitality points. The vitality points it added were even greater than some frail vocations total vitality points; Even more crucially, its special effect increased overall defense by 25% after talcing five hits, this was almost equivalent to wearing another piece of defense gear. This point was especially significant for Ma Yu; The armor costs 100,000; are you interested? Song Jian waved the armor in his hand at Ma Yu and smiled; 100,000, it was almost like Song Jian was giving the armor as half a gift and half a sale. He now considered Wang Qi, and the others as part of his team, so giving an internal price wasnt a problem; Remember, this wasnt gear obtained by the five of them killing monsters; it was from the locked chest Song Jian had opened. Even if he didnt share a single piece of equipment, the others wouldnt have any objections; Hearing Song Jians words, a joyful expression appeared on Ma Yus face as he nodded repeatedly, Buy, buy, buy Song Jian smiled faintly then tossed the armor to Ma Yu. Ma Yu caressed the golden quality armor as if he were stroking his lovers cheek; This is a Level 20 piece of equipment Tang Rong said enviously from the side, as no one from their group had ever gotten a piece of golden quality gear. This was the first piece for Ma Yu; Level up, level up. Starting from today, I will grind and level up non-stop, no sleep! Ma Yu roared loudly; By the way, do you have 100,000 Doomsday Coins? Wang Qi suddenly asked; Ma Yus movement suddenly came to a halt, and his face froze. At that moment, he only just realized that he might not even be able to produce the 100,000 Doomsday Coins. Chapter 414 - Chapter 414: Chapter 414: The Insurance Vault Chapter 414: Chapter 414: The Insurance Vault For ordinary players, daily supplies and equipment repairs cost a large amount of Doomsday Coins, and monsters that directly drop Doomsday Coins are scarce. Almost every player is in a state of spending more than they can afford; Although the situation eases as the level increases, in the case of a level 15 player like Ma Yu, having a few thousand Doomsday Coins in their pockets is considered amazing. Bro, can you guys lend me some coins? 1 promise to pay back Ma Yu looked gloomy and spoke to Wang Qi and the others; Wang Qi and the others couldnt help but laugh out loud at Ma Yus almost tearful appearance, as they loved to see him boast like this; Alright, weve already listed several pieces of equipment in the auction house since we followed Brother Song, so I estimate each of us will get at least 30,000 Doomsday Coins. We can help you out then Wang Qi looked at the others around him and saw them nod slightly. He laughed heartily and spoke to Ma Yu; Thanks, brothers! Ma Yu gratefully said, then turned to Song Jian and said, Thank you, Brother Song! Song Jian just smiled without saying anything; Such a level 20 golden equipment wouldnt sell for much in the auction house, mainly because the players levels are not high and there are few who have reached level 20, meaning there wont be a bidding war; But if Song Jian shouted on the radio or directly sold it at the Starfire Store in the City of Hymns, it would definitely sell for a sky-high price, starting at least at 300,000 Doomsday Coins. As for the final transaction price, Song Jian couldnt predict it; Ill take this recipe. Song Jian waved the Alchemy and Pharmacology recipe in his hand and smiled at the crowd; Of course, of course. The others said hurriedly; Seeing the recipe in his hand, Song Jian couldnt help but smile on his face; Alchemy and Pharmacology Recipe: Advanced Recovery Elixir. Effect: Use to comprehend the production of Advanced Recovery Elixir; Usage requirements: Alchemy and Pharmacology Level 5; Advanced Recovery Elixir: Consumable, usage effect: Instantly restores 800 Vitality Points to the user; Each use must have an interval of no less than 10 seconds; Finally obtained the method to make healing potions. Song Jian yelled in his heart; Its really upsetting for Song Jian to have learned Alchemy but still not be able to make recovery potions. Although he didnt say it out loud, it was like a thorn in his heart. Ordinary effect potions are not very valuable. Having them in battle is good, but not having them doesnt affect much. However, healing potions can save lives, and their role in the game is particularly significant; But now, the system store only sells low-level healing potions, which instantly recover 100 Vitality Points when used, with a 15-second interval; For players just entering the game, recovering too Vitality Points at once is enough. But for Song Jian, who already has over 1,700 points of Vitality, recovering 100 Vitality Points is just a drop in the bucket; After looking at the materials needed to make the Advanced Recovery Elixir, there were only some second-tier and third-tier herbs, and none of them were particularly valuable. Song Jian could even plant them directly on his territory; Now Song Jian has two production recipes that can be used to upgrade his Alchemy and Pharmacology level; After getting back, I can upgrade Alchemy and Pharmacology again, Song Jian secretly thought; After a brief rest, Song Jian and the others continued forward. In just over half an hour, they encountered two more groups of mutant demons. After killing them, Wang Qi and the others leveled up to 16; As expected, they also dropped two more keys, one gold and one black. Now, Song Jian and his team had collected five different colored keys; With these two groups of monsters, Song Jian was now only a few combat experience points away from leveling up again. A few more groups of monsters and he could level up; Soon, the five of them arrived in front of the underground vault door. It was a large hall of over a hundred square meters, with the vault door occupying an entire wall on the opposite side. I heard that vault doors are several meters thick, made of the hardest alloys, and cant even be blown up with explosives Ma Yu looked up at the metal wall in front of them and couldnt help but exclaim; With such tight security, there must be a lot of gold in there, haha, were rich, were rich! Tang Rongs eyes almost turned into gold coins, showing a greedy expression; What if its just hiding a warehouse full of banknotes? Zhou Qing couldn t stand Tang Rongs greedy appearance and couldnt help but splash cold water on the situation; Impossible, this is the Central Bank of the whole city, not a branch. How could it not store some gold? There might even be other treasures! Tang Rong shook his head and said, Lets open it quickly, lest there be more complications. How do we open this? With Brother Songs Master Key or our five keys? Wang Qi hesitated, holding out the five keys and asking; The attribute descriptions of these five keys were very vague. They only mentioned that they could open the doors to mysterious places, but did not explicitly say that they could open the vault doors. Isnt there a keyhole here? Let me go check it out first! Song Jian walked up, inserted the Master Key, and gently twisted it; Click click click- There was a sound of gears turning inside the vault door, and a small wheel next to it began to rotate automatically; After half a rotation, it would pause for a while, and there would be a click sound inside the door. Then it would reverse for a few more turns, stopping at a certain number, as if an invisible giant hand was pulling it, It took a full five minutes before the sound of the gears meshing inside the door finally stopped; With a click, the vault door that was nearly half a wall in size finally opened, springing outward by three fingers long; Its open! Wang Qi and the others shouted in surprise, and everyone stepped forward, grabbing the handle of the vault door and pulling it outward with all their might; When the vault door was opened, a colorful light burst out from the vault, and the dazzling light made everyone close their eyes involuntarily. After a while, everyone looked into the vault, and Tang Rong exclaimed in disappointment, How could this be! Wang Qi and the others rushed into the vault, looking around, only to be disappointed to find that there was nothing valuable in the entire vault. There wasnt even a single banknote, let alone gold. It was completely empty, like a looted warehouse; The stuff in here must have been looted a long time ago, right? Wang Qi said in disappointment; It seems that way Zhou Qing also nodded in frustration; What is this thing under our feet, and why is it still emitting light? Ma Yu couldnt help but ask, pointing to a huge pattern under their feet that was glowing with colorful light; Song Jian looked down and saw a huge Pentagram Array Diagram engraved on the ground, with five colors of divine light blooming from it, illuminating the entire vault brightly; Is this a Magic Array? Song Jian frowned and observed it carefully; Chapter 415 - Chapter 415: Chapter 415: Transmission Array Chapter 415: Chapter 415: Transmission Array In everyones eyes, the ground was etched with a gigantic Magic Array. Its complex patterns left Song Jian dizzy after a mere two seconds of observation. The Magic Array radiated a surge of magic power akin to a tidal wave. If a mage were to cultivate in such an environment, their speed would likely double. At the five corners of the Magic Array, there were five inconspicuous keyholes. Song Jian stared at them for a moment before saying to Wang Qi, Align the colors and insert the five keys youve obtained into the keyholes at each corner. Keyholes? Oh, there really is a keyhole. Its so small and yet, Brother Song could still spot it. Impressive indeed. After a careful look, Tang Rong indeed spotted a keyhole on the ground about the size of a finger. Compared to the Magic Array, the keyholes size was akin to that of an ant beside an elephant insignificant. Wang Qi distributed the keys among the five members in Song Jians team. Each key corresponded to a different colored corner on the Magic Array. Soon, all five of them positioned themselves at the corners of the Magic Array, and inserted their respective keys. As the keys were inserted, a sudden suction effect firmly held the keys in place. No matter how they tried to twist or pull, the keys wouldnt budge, as if they were originally part of the Magic Array. Brother Song, Wang Qi began, but before he could finish, the Magic Array suddenly radiated a stronger force of magic power. This power, tangible as a substance, enveloped all five of them, making them as immobile as bugs trapped in amberincapable of even moving a finger. WHOOSH- A stronger light suddenly bloomed from the Magic Array. It was so bright that the team was forced to shut their eyes. When Song Jian opened his eyes again, all five of them found themselves teleported to a cave. Damn, that Magic Array was a Transmission Array! Song Jian had a sudden realization only now. System: You discovered a hidden area, the Lost Land. You gained 10,000 experience points. The Lost Land, so this is where the Realms indicated by those five keys were. Song Jian thought to himself, How are we supposed to get out of here? As Song Jian looked around, he noticed that Wang Qi and the others seemed to have blacked out from the teleportation. They were lying motionless on the ground. The cave was only about twenty to thirty square meters in spacequite narrowand to Song Jians left was a hallway emitting a faint light. After a glance at Wang Qi and the others, Song Jian deduced that they were just temporarily unconscious and would wake up soon. The cave, although constrictive, was safe as there were no creatures lurking. So, temporarily, it was safe to stay here a while longer. Song Jian got up to his feet and walked over to the faintly illuminated corridor. Piercing into the hallway, Song Jian found himself spellbound by the sight that lay before him: the walls were studded with gems of ores radiating a rainbow of light. These are all rich ores! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim, his face a picture of delight. He rapidly took out his Miners Gloves from his bag and, using the Mining Skill, started excavating. Song Jians Mining Skill had reached Level 4. In regular mines, he usually needed three to five minutes to excavate usable ores. But now, in this near-raw mineral corridor, he had netted a piece of Red Blood Ore in less than a minutes work. After a frenzied digging for about 10 minutes, Song Jians bag was filled with seven to eight slots of various ores. Upon looking at the never-ending corridor, he finally calmed down, sighing with relief. He knew he had no way to mine all the ores in the corridor in a short span of time. Ill mark this place and come back when I get a chance. Song Jian thought to himself. Song Jians position was untraceable on the novice map, but on his mission map, his current location and mission target could be clearly seen. Upon opening his mission tab, on the mini e-map for missions, Song Jians current coordinates surprisingly overlapped with the target area for the Search for the Book of the Abyss mission. What!? Could this be the place where those trolls dwell? Song Jian was struck by surprise. He quickly put away his mining gloves and cautiously proceeded down the corridor. Song Jian walked along the winding corridor for more than five hundred meters before he finally reached its end, which appeared to connect to the cellar of an underground winery. Barrels of wine, each as wide as three men, were horizontally arranged on the wine racks. Even from a dozen meters away from the corridors end, Song Jian could already smell the pungent aroma of wine wafting towards him. Soft chants emanated from the winery, as if someone was reciting conjurations or hymns. Their strange language pulsated into his ears, producing a headache and feelings of distress. Soon, his mind went blank, and he found himself involuntarily wanting to join in the chanting. However, a refreshing sensation quickly took over Song Jians mind, extinguishing the ill effects. Suddenly, the voices in his ears no longer held the same magical power as before. Abyssal Language! Song Jian exclaimed. It seemed only the Abyssal Language had the power to cause a person to unconsciously spiral into degeneration simply by listening to it. It really made Song Jian grateful that Wang Qi and the others were still unconscious. Had they been awake and accompanied him here, they couldve easily been bewildered by the Abyssal Language. Song Jian sprang forward into the winery cellar, and to his surprise, in the center of the large open space were five trolls who had constructed a small altar. At the altar, they worshipped the Book of the Abyss. The Book of the Abyss was slightly open, with tendrils of black flame intermittently rising from it. However, the black flame was too weak to coalesce and form into the Abyssal Demon Flame that could open the Abyssal Gate. The five trolls knelt devoutly beneath the altar, continually reciting the Abyssal Spell. Their Power of Faith materialized into a sustenance, constantly feeding into the Book of the Abyss, bolstering the fragile Abyssal Flames. Song Jian raised his right hand and executed the Blood Pool Summoning Skill. In an instant, a pack of robust red wolves appeared beside him. After summoning thirty blood wolves, he also summoned the Black Dragon hatchling. Kill them! Song Jian pointed at the five trolls and commanded. With the sound of a roar, the thirty blood wolves charged towards the trolls like arrows in flight. Intruder! Duo Sa tossed his head back, two crimson eyes blazing brilliantly. With a ferocious expression, he stood up, snatched a Bone Wolf Fang Staff, leaped into the air, and smashed downward at the incoming wolves. Chapter 416 - Chapter 416: Chapter 416: Abyssal Power Chapter 416: Chapter 416: Abyssal Power Blood wolves were creatures of level twenty, like the five trolls, with the exception of Duo Sa, whose power had reached elite boss status. Yet, by worshipping the Book of the Abyss day and night, the trolls had unintentionally absorbed some Abyssal Power. This power, visible as a grey aura constantly swirling around them, formed a layer of tough armor. The wolves biting and clawing could not break it. Simultaneously, the trolls attacks were laced with the same grey energy. Once unleashed, this Abyssal Power could deal significant damage to the blood wolves. It granted the four trollseach of equivalent strength to a level twenty creaturethe power to crushing blood wolves of equal level. Duo Sa, who already possessed the prowess of a level twenty boss, had grown even stronger, almost reaching the threshold of a level twenty lord. If allowed to continue worshipping, he would inevitably break through to become a level twenty lordit was just a matter of time. Not having a large space to fight in the underground cellar, the attack of the blood wolves was quickly blocked by the trolls. Wine casks were shattered, filling the tavern with a heady aroma. Traces of evaporating blood on the floor marked the spots where blood wolves had been slain and returned to the Blood Pool. Though the five trolls had managed to kill thirty blood wolves, they were not unscathed. The wolves persistent attacks may not have dealt much damage but slowly whittled down the trolls Abyssal Power. Despite maintaining a fierce demeanor, their wounds and harsh breathing told a different story. Human, your defenses are down. Leave now, and well spare your life, Duo Sa suggested, his crimson eyes streaked with traces of black energy that spider-webbed out of his sockets. Although eager to tear Song Jian apart, Duo Sa couldnt ignore the intimidating aura that the human released. Without the Abyssal Flame, the Book of the Abyssalthough still a treasure to the Abyssal Clanwas incapable of reopening the Abyssal Gate, a passage between this world and the Abyss. Duo Sa and his companions had to rekindle the Abyssal Flame using the Power of Faith. Picking a fight with a human as powerful as Song Jian was out of the question. Once the Abyssal Flame is revived and the Abyssal Gate opens, this world will grovel at the feet of the Abyssal Clan. This human, too, will become a slave to our clan. We must not rush, Duo Sa thought to himself. Song Jian chuckled. The blood wolves battle had shown him the true power of the five trolls. With the exception of Duo Sa, if it hadnt been for the Abyssal Power, they would have been devoured by the wolves. Abyssal Power, huh? I have that, too, Song Jian said, grinning. With a thought, black, flame-emitting armor appeared on his body. This was a special ability of the Abyssal Raging Flame, a Fourth-tier Demonic Flame. It could generate Abyssal Flame Armor to enhance the users abilities. Such a strong Abyssal aura could you be Duo Sa stammered, his face one of surprise. Seeing Song Jians strong Abyssal aura, he became disorientated. Just then, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword radiated an intense golden light. The overwhelming Divine Power sent Duo Sa recoiling and retreating in shock. Divine Powerimpossible! Duo Sa bellowed, unable to believe that both Divine Power and Abyssal Power, usually diametrically opposed, could coexist harmoniously within a single being. Impossible! Duo Sa roared, absorbing the dark gray aura seeping from the Book of the Abyss. His body began to swell and grow, skin torn apart by rapid muscular growth, revealing bloody gashes. This torturous pain made Duo Sa howl in agony, but these wounds were healing at visible speed. The newly grown skin had a metallic shine, covered in small scales. Duo Sas stature grew to almost three metersSong Jian looked like a child next to him. As soon as his growth came to a halt, Duo Sa seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He felt an endless power coursing within him, bringing him closer to the Abyssal Clan. Duo Sa roared, flashing his sharp teeth at Song Jian, and released a monstrous aura. Even his companions couldnt help but step back in fear. Light Strike! Song Jian, initially planning to eliminate one of the regular trolls first, swiftly changed his mind and targeted Duo Sa instead. A brilliant golden Sword Qi slashed toward Duo Sa. Abyssal Breath! Duo Sa opened his mouth and exhaled a gray storm of breath, directly colliding with the golden Sword Qi. With a loud boom, the golden Sword Qi, like a sharp hatchet, cleaved through the Abyssal Breath and struck Duo Sas forehead. Bang! A damage of over 14.00 points floated above Duo Sas head. His massive body was flung back and crashed into a wine rack a few meters away. All three casks on the rack shattered, burying Duo Sa in a pile of wood chips and wine. Impossible! Duo Sa gasped, his roar echoing from beneath the pile of debris. He couldnt believe that he was no match for the seemingly insignificant human in front of him. Staggering to his feet, Duo Sa seized the Bone Wolf Fang Staff and bellowed at Song Jian, Kill him! The four other trolls exchanged glances before their gray Abyssal Power erupted, and they launched themselves at Song Jian. Abyssal Power? But mine seems to be stronger! Song Jian raised his left hand, creating a black flame in his palm. A cunning, cold grin spread across his face. Chapter 417 - Chapter 417: Chapter 417: Stealing Monsters Again? Chapter 417: Chapter 417: Stealing Monsters Again? An armor of black demonic flame made Song Jian appear as a devil, and though he had the defense of the innate skill Thick-Faced, a wave of murderous intent still surged uncontrollably in his heart. At this time, the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest was emitting a faint glow, as if influencing something. Seeing the four trolls rushing towards him, Song Jian revealed a wicked smile. He turned his wrist, swung the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward, and charged at the four trolls; Broken Wing Dance! A brilliant Sword Qi made the four trolls stop in their tracks and hurriedly lift their weapons to defend. The collision of weapons sparked a glittering burst. The trolls felt the strength of Song Jian and, despite competing with him, felt suppressed. They shuddered in their hearts, and a sense of fear surged within them; Before they could react, the second attack of the Broken Wing Dance was already near. It was a sword Qi lashing from the lower left to the upper right, tearing apart the Abyssal Power from their bodies and leaving a bone-deep wound on them, blood splattering everywhere; At this moment, Song Jian had leaped up high, swinging the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and slammed it down onto the four trolls; Bang! The bodies of the four trolls shivered, and damage points of over three hundred floated above their heads. Their bodies involuntarily glided through the air, entering a state of suspension; Song Jian flickered, activated the Rapid Sword skill, his long sword leaving behind a series of afterimages as it slashed at the four trolls; Sword Silk Sweeping Sword Style Spiritual Sword Control Technique All the sword moves poured out, the four trolls screamed continuously, and their Vitality Points decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye; At this time, Duo Sa was continuously extracting energy from the Book of the Abyss to recover his injuries. But seeing that his four companions were about to perish under Song Jians sword, he immediately disconnected from the Book of the Abyss, grabbed the Bone Wolf Fang Staff, and rushed toward Song Jian with a roar; Song Jian took two steps back, included the rushing Duo Sa into his attack range. For a moment, the five trolls and Song Jian were fighting ferociously, with sounds of roars echoing constantly; With the addition of Duo Sa, the four trolls regained their vitality. Even though their Vitality Points are already less than a third, their mad and tyrannical aura did not weaken at all. They attacked crazily, with the intention to fulfill a mutual destruction with Song Jian. Song Jian was facing five enemies alone, but he hadnt fallen into a disadvantage at all. The attacks of the five trolls landed on Song Jians armor, which was burning with black flames, causing almost negligible damage. He was already on the undefeated ground from the start; As for the Abyssal Power protection on the trolls bodies, in Song Jians eyes, it was like a piece of thin paper. He easily broke through their defense, causing massive damage to them; After ten minutes, two of the five trolls had been killed by Song Jian. The other two trolls, having strength equivalent to ordinary monsters, had their vitality points reduced to the lowest. The red light was flickering on their health bar, and clear fatigue was reflected on their faces. At this time, Song Jian still had over 60% of his Vitality Points. The balance of victory had begun to tilt heavily in his favor. Light Strike! Song Jian sent Duo Sa flying with a single sword strike. Then raising his left hand, a silver Sword Qi, three meters long, emanated from his left index finger, easily penetrating the skull of the nearest troll; Seeing this troll collapse limply, Song Jian made a backhand swing and continued the endless succession of sword attacks, taking the life of another troll. Now, out of the five trolls, only Duo Sa with dwindling health was left; Seeing his companions body surface beginning to ignite with transparent flames, despair flashed in Duo Sas eyes. This human was too powerful; even with the help of the Book of the Abyss, Duo Sa was still no match for him. Seeing Song Jian clad in armor burning with black demonic flames, Duo Sas face suddenly revealed a faint smile. He muttered softly, When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you! Song Jian slowly walked towards Duo Sa, eyeing Duo Sa who was gradually slipping into madness, gripping his long sword tightly. When you harness the power of the abyss, the power of the abyss also alters you. Human, there will come a day when you will become just like me At the end of his sentence, Duo Sa let out an animalistic roar and, adopting a do-or-die posture, rushed at Song Jian, gripping his Bone Wolf Fang Staff firmly. Beep beep beep- Boom- A dazzling red beam shot from behind Song Jian. The distance between the beam and his cheek was no more than three inches, close enough for Song Jian to smell his hair scorching. The red beam penetrated Duo Sas chest, draining him of his last Vitality Points. Brother Song, are you okay? Wang Qis anxious voice came from behind. As Song Jian turned around, he saw the four teammates who had lost consciousness during the teleportation had now rushed over. Seeing Wang Qis anxious look, Song Jian was momentarily at a loss for words and in the end, could only offer a slight smile, choosing to ignore Wang Qis creature-stealing habits. Boss, it seems youve snatched Brother Songs creature again! said Tang Rong quietly, whispering into Wang Qis ear. Wang Qis body stiffened, he turned his head doubtfully to ask, Really? Is it really the case? It is! Ma Yu and the others all nodded their heads in agreement. Song, Brother Song, Im sorry Wang Qi immediately looked downcast as he apologized to Song Jian. Song Jian waved his hand dismissively and acted as though he didnt care. Upon a slight thought, the fiery demonic armor on his body immediately dispersed, leaving behind a feeling of weakness. Song Jian stood still for a long while before the unpleasant feeling gradually faded away. Song Jian ignored the five giant devils, including Duo Sas dropped items, and walked straight towards the altar where the Book of the Abyss was trembling and burning with black flames. It appeared the book was fearful of Song Jian. The moment Song Jian approached the Book of the Abyss, the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, the Abyssal Raging Flame within his body, burned all at once without Song Jians summoning. From afar, Song Jian resembled a towering figure of black flames. The appearance of the Abyssal Raging Flame caused the Book of the Abyss to tremble even more, seemingly more fearful of the Abyssal Raging Flame. Song Jian took one step after another towards the altar, reaching out to grab the Book of the Abyss. This was his first time touching the Book of the Abyss. The last time, when he had defeated the guardian of the Blood Demon Cave, Cecilia had been the one to take the book. As soon as Song Jian gripped the Book of the Abyss, he felt a strong suction force emitting from the book. The Abyssal Raging Flame inside him started to flow unceasingly towards the Book of the Abyss. This feeling of passive siphoning was unsettling, and as Song Jians body had lost control, he could only stand still, letting the Abyssal Magic Flame in his body drain entirely. In no time at all, the Abyssal Raging Flames on Song Jians body disappeared, leaving only the Book of the Abyss in his hand, a book blazing with black flames. Chapter 418 - Chapter 418: Chapter 418: Unexpected Fusion Chapter 418: Chapter 418: Unexpected Fusion Wha, what just happened? Song Jian looked at the Book of the Abyss in his hand with a sense of bewilderment. A brief blankness appeared in his mind, as if he had forgotten the Abyssal Raging Flame being drawn out of his body just moments ago. His right hand lifted unconsciously, revealing that the Book of the Abyss was now emitting a Dark Gold light. Wasnt this a quest item? How did it turn into an equipment item? After casting another glance at the Book of the Abyss, Song Jians face was filled with astonishment. The Book of the Abyss had turned into a Dark Gold Quality special equipment. Quickly, clarity returned to Song Jians eyes, and the events that just transpired replayed in his mind. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to throw the Book of the Abyss far away. But the system notification that appeared captivated him. System: You have obtained a special item, the Book of the Abyss. This item requires a blood oath to bind. Please drop a droplet of your blood on the artifact. System: This artifact is an Abyssal object. After binding, an unknown mutation may occur, which may cause great harm to the binder. Make your choice cautiously. Reading these two pieces of information, Song Jian briefly fell silent. Yet soon enough, he had made his decision. The Abyssal Raging Flame was too important to him. If he did not bind the Book of the Abyss, the Abyssal Raging Flame would also leave him. He cut open his finger with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, a drop of fresh blood fell onto the Book of the Abyss. At the moment the blood made contact with the Book of the Abyss, a heavy sigh seemed to emit from the book, the blood was instantly absorbed by it. A red light, akin to a streak of lightning, flashed across the entire book. System: You have begun the fusion process with the special item, the Book of the Abyss. Please refrain from interrupting the fusion process. Any interruption may result in permanent damage to the Book of the Abyss. The process of merging with the Book of the Abyss was astoundingly simple. Aside from enticing whispers echoing in his ears, Song Jian felt nothing unusual. In fact, it felt more comfortable than when he merged with the Abyssal Flame. Merging with the Abyssal Flame? Is it because I have already merged with the Abyssal Flame, that merging with the Book of the Abyss seems so easy? Song Jian speculated. The progress bar for merging with the Book of the Abyss proceeded rapidly. In under ten seconds, the system notified Song Jian that the process was completed. Once merged, the Book of the Abyss vanished. Nonetheless, Song Jian could feel it lying dormant within his body, ready to be summoned at any moment. Brother Song, Brother Song. Come quickly and look; these monsters dropped tons of equipment! Wang Qi called out cheerfully to Song Jian, gesturing him over as soon as he saw that Song Jian had returned to his normal state. Since Song Jian was the sole person responsible for killing these creatures, neither Wang Qi nor the rest of the three members in the group had taken the initiative to pick the loot up. But this obviously did not prevent them from checking out the stats of these items in advance. Twelve level-twenty white quality, five green quality, three blue quality, and one level-twenty silver quality equipment pieces C this kind of drop rate not only stunned Wang Qi and the others but also ignited envy within their hearts. Brother Song, do you perhaps have any items that boost your luck? Wang Qi could not resist asking. Five monsters, among which only one was a boss, the remaining four were ordinary monsters. Such an extravagant loot drop rate simply made other gamers disheartened. Its not equipment, its a title! Song Jian answered with a laugh. Equipment could be looted, but titles could not. Even if Song Jian were to be slain, this title couldnt be taken from him. Song Jian glanced at a silver quality equipment piece, the Abyssal Leg Guards, a look of joy spread across his face. He was still using the Tree Spirit Leg Guards hed equipped from the beginning, a mere level-five equipment. The equipment hed just gained could replace it at last. Abyssal Leg Guards (Silver), Leather Leg Guards, required equipment level: 20, Equipment Effect: Defense +11, Resistance +9, Vitality Points +100, Vitality Point Recovery speed +20%, Special effect: Abyssal Demon Breath (Passive), grants the user the Abyssal Demon Breath which reduces all damage by 20%, and decreases the probability of receiving critical hits by 30%. Equipment requirements: level 18, ability to take out of the game: no. This was another equipment piece possessing the Abyssal Demon Breath. Everything, from the name to its special effect, resembled the Abyssal Demon Helmet Song Jian was currently wearing. They might appear to be a set, but unfortunately, the two pieces did not constitute a set, and thus didnt possess set attributes. At this moment, the equipment Song Jian wore far exceeded that of other players; most of his equipment was of silver and gold quality. If he were to show off the special effects of his equipment, it would undoubtedly leave many blinded in astonishment. Having given a cursory glance at the remaining dozen or so items, Song Jian couldnt find any substitutes. Pick whatevers useful for you guys, and let Wang Qi sell off the rest. Then well split the money equally! Song Jian said with a grin. Thanks, Brother Song! The faces of the four individuals lit up with joy. They were only four levels away from level twenty; it was about time they gathered a set of level twenty equipment. They bought the equipment they took a fancy to at an internal discounted price. Song Jian collected over a thousand Doomsday Coins, but more equipment was left with Wang Qi. They decided to let Wang Qi sell the items and then divide the money. The original plan was to unlock the underground bank vault to acquire gold bars that could bring out of the game. They didnt expect to encounter their mission target, and thereby complete the task assigned by Cecilia. Gosh, what a pity! It looks like everything valuable inside the bank was cleaned out long ago! Tang Rong was still somewhat concerned about the gold that may not have existed at all. There might not be anything in the bank, but theres bound to be plenty of valuable goods in jewelry stores which can also be brought out of the game. If we get a chance, we should search around those places! Song Jian suggested casually. Alright, lets leave this place. Song Jian found the exit of the underground wine cellar. Exiting the cellar, the five of them found themselves in the courtyard of a villa. Roars of mutated zombies were audible from outside the courtyard. This turned out to be a twenty-five level monster zone. After bidding farewell to Wang Qi and the others, the four swiftly took their leave. Opening the map, Song Jian placed a marker at this location. After all, this was the entrance to the mineral-rich tunnel. If given the chance, Song Jian would undoubtedly return to mine the entire tunnel. After Song Jian and the others departed, silence descended upon the wine cellar once more. Before long though, the silence was shattered by the sound of crisp shattering. Suddenly, the altar that had been holding the Book of the Abyss formed a crack. Following that, the echoes of shattering sounds were heard; countless cracks appeared all over the altar. As time passed, the altar disintegrated, turning into fine grains of sand before being blown away by an invisible force. At the place where the altar had disappeared, a black fissure, the width of a finger, materialized in mid-air. It appeared as though an eye had opened in the sky. From this black fissure, black flames occasionally spewed out. Waves of black smoke permeated from the fissure, low, monstrous roars eerily echoed from the rift.. Chapter 419 - Chapter 419: Chapter 419: Formation of the War Alliance Chapter 419: Chapter 419: Formation of the War Alliance Back at the Manor Castle, Song Jian glanced at his task bar. The task of finding the Book of the Abyss showed as completed, but Song Jian had no way of returning to the library to submit it to Cecilia; The Book of the Abyss had changed from a mission item to a Dark Gold Quality item that had already merged with Song Jian. He definitely wouldnt want to submit it as a mission item again. What to do now? Should I submit this task or not? Song Jian was a bit vexed. The reward for this task surely wouldnt be a Dark Gold Quality item, it was highly likely to be a sword technique of the Knight of Dawn. Although Song Jian yearned for the sword technique, he couldnt bear to hand over the Dark Gold Quality Book of the Abyss that he already had. You should know that the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame alone from the Book of the Abyss, condensed into Abyssal Demon Armor, was already on par with a sword technique, let alone the other Abyssal abilities within the book. He opened the Book of the Abyss and found a skill tree. At that moment, all the skills were greyed out, except for the Abyssal Demon Armor at the bottom, which was lit up, indicating it could be used. There were six other Abyss magics on the same level as the Abyssal Demon Armor, such as Abyssal Breath, Abyss Wall, Abyss Spike, and more powerful spells like Abyss Shock, Abyss Blast on the higher level. With the Book of the Abyss, Song Jian could become an Abyssal Mage. It was just a pity that he could only use one spell C Abyssal Demon Armor. To activate other spells, he had to use battle experience points. To activate a spell like Abyssal Breath, he needed 100,000 battle experience points, and a higher level spell like Abyss Shock required 800,000 battle experience points. While Song Jian was exploring the Book of the Abyss, he suddenly received a message from Luo Tianyu; When are you going to form an alliance? If youre not going to, Ill join someone elses! Luo Tianyus impatient voice rang in Song Jians ear. Oh, has an alliance invited you to join? Song Jian laughed. Has an alliance invited me to join? Can you drop the Has part? There are too many alliances inviting me to join, all ranked in the top ten! Luo Tianyu shouted. Okay, Ill form the alliance now and invite you then! Song Jian said with a laugh. He opened the Manor Castle property system and chose Form Alliance. System: Please enter the name of the alliance you want to form. After thinking for a bit, Song Jian directly entered the four characters City of Hope. System: Checking System: The alliance name does not conflict, you can use this name to form an alliance. System: To form an alliance, you need to pay 100,000 Doomsday Coins. Do you want to pay? 100,000 Doomsday Coins? Song Jian was taken aback. Many players werent even able to fork out 10,000 Doomsday Coins. 100,000 Doomsday Coins would deter over 80% of players who wanted to form an alliance. Pay! To others, 100,000 Doomsday Coins maybe an obstruction, but to Song Jian, 100,000 Doomsday Coins was no big deal. After paying the 100,000 Doomsday Coins, the system sent out one final piece of information; System: Please select three players with safe houses to respond to your alliance formation. Once they respond, the City of Hope alliance will be successfully formed. If the required five players do not respond within 24 hours, the formation will fail. I need three players to respond? Song Jian was taken aback, his brow furrowed. He usually mostly played alone and seldom interacted with other players. Moreover, the three responding players couldnt be picked haphazardly. Once chosen, they couldnt be changed and had considerable authority in the alliance, second only to the alliance leader. If these three responding players conspired together, they could even reduce the Alliance leader to a figurehead, hence the choice had to be made carefully. After pondering for a while, Song Jian finally sent a response request to Li Keer, Wang Qi, and Luo Tianyu; Luo Tianyu and Li Keer responded quite quickly, but Wang Qi did not respond for a while. Evidently, he was discussing the matter with his companions. If Wang Qi became part of the alliance, the group they had just formed would surely have to join as well; Brother Song, are you forming an alliance? Wang Qi connected with Song Jians communications, asking: Can the rest of my squad join too? Of course, everyones welcome! Song Jian laughed; Thats great! Soon, Wang Qi also responded to the formation of the alliance. System: You have successfully established the City of Hope alliance. We hope that you can achieve the redemption of all mankind on this deserted piece of land! System: Will you use your territory as the alliance territory? After setting up an alliance, you can set your safehouse as the alliance territory, or choose any unoccupied area as the alliance territory; However, using your own territory as the territory of the alliance not only enhances the defense of the territory but also saves a lot of money for constructing initial buildings. Obviously, Song Jian set his own territory as the alliances, and soon, the original Manor Castle began to change rapidly. The surrounding walls slowly began to glow brilliantly; The castle steadily expanded outward, the walls grew taller, and the Spirit Field inside the walls also expanded outward with the expansion of the castle; The bloody ghoul poison tree, Alex, was even scared and jumped out from the Spirit Field, panickedly running outwards; In no time at all, a medieval European castle appeared in front of Song Jian. System: The safehouse has been successfully transformed into an alliance castle, it has both the properties of a safe house and an alliance castle, and will gain stronger properties after further upgrades; He opened the safehouse property interface, and there were plenty of buildings that only an alliance possesses, such as the Alliance Shop, Parliament Hall, and other special buildings. In the Alliance Shop, there were many siege engines that regular shops didnt have, like ladders, rams, battering rams, catapults, etc; With these war weapons, future territorial expansion campaigns would be much easier, but these siege instruments were by no means cheap, and their quality was only the lowest, white-grade. They werent durable and would be damaged after not very long. Moreover, these siege weapons were exclusive to the members of the City of Hope alliance and, most importantly, these siege weapons were limited supplies. Despite so many drawbacks, these siege instruments were still the best tools for attacking city defenses. It was simply impossible to break through a safehouse upgraded to a Manor level without siege engines. After forming the alliance, Song Jian was surprised to find that his territory had doubled in size, not only encompassing Luo Tianyus barracks but also several nearby players safehouses; However, at that moment, these players safehouses were showing glaring red on the alliance territory map; Chapter 420 - Chapter 420: Chapter 420 Recruitment Chapter 420: Chapter 420 Recruitment Seeing those irritating red areas on the territory map, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, and he contacted Luo Tianyu directly. Luo Tianyu, have you seen those players safe houses in the alliances territory? Go ask if theyre willing to join the alliance, and if not, advise them to move away from this area! Song Jian said. What if they dont want to leave? Luo Tianyu asked after a moments hesitation. Then tear them down! Song Jian replied: Before tearing them down, purchase some siege equipment in the alliances store. Just tell me how much it costs. Understood! Luo Tianyu finished speaking, ordering the newly recruited soldiers to head towards those players safe houses. Song Jian threw all the level 20 equipment in the package into the bar, set up the exchange contribution, and went to Dr. Ebsitings sub-castle. Doctor, Ive formed an alliance! Song Jian told the experimenting doctor. An alliance? Dr. Ebsiting shuddered, and a test tube filled with liquid suddenly burst into blue flames and a puff of black smoke came out. Throwing the scrapped test tube material into the garbage bin, Dr. Ebsiting gazed at Song Jian with a complex expression, I hope you can shelter more humans in this city in the future, becoming a refuge for humanity! Of course, theres no problem Song Jian was surprised at Dr. Ebsitings attitude but still agreed to his request. Doctor, I hope you can produce more engineering products in the future to serve as the alliances reserves. Song Jian said. If it were just Song Jian alone, he would not make such a request because his own engineering skills were enough. However, having only mastered level five engineering, Song Jian was clearly insufficient for an alliance. Yes! Dr. Ebsiting agreed without hesitation. The stark change from his previously unpleasant attitude was surprising to Song Jian, but he didnt say anything. With an engineering master in the alliance, Song Jian felt more confident, so he left satisfied. After Song Jian left, Dr. Ebsiting turned around and gazed at Song Jians retreating figure, as if recalling something. After a long time, a heavy sigh came from Dr. Ebsitings laboratory. Leaving the sub-castle where the doctor was located, Song Jian opened the map and saw that those red dots on the territory map had disappeared. There were no new players in the alliance interface, Song Jian was surprised: It hasnt even been 10 minutes, and Luo Tianyu has already conquered all their safe houses? Standing in the castle and looking into the distance, seven or eight catapults were slowly approaching from afar; clearly, Luo Tianyu had purchased all the limited stock of catapults from the alliance store and used their powerful firepower to level the safehouses of several players. Thisthis is too brutal! Song Jian couldnt help but shake his head. Soon, the bill for these seven or eight catapults appeared before Song Jian, costing more than 60,000 Doomsday Coins! It was too expensive! However, with so many catapults in the front yard, not to mention the players whose manors had not yet been upgraded, even Song Jians current manor walls would not withstand several rounds of catapulting. It made sense to level those safe houses within such a short time. Luo Tianyu, how did you deal with those players? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Riding on an Abyssal Nightmare and wielding a Square Sky Halberd, Luo Tianyu was clad in crimson armor that seemed like flames. He glanced at Song Jian and proudly said, I drove them all away, of course. What, are we supposed to have them stay for dinner? Song Jian nodded; after all, they were just a few level 10+ players who could live well in Doomsday City even without safe houses. His own territory and alliance territory merged, expanding several hundred meters outward. The territory was now nearly one kilometer in size. There werent enough NPCs in the territory, so they needed to recruit more helpers. Song Jian left it all to steward George. However, there was a monthly recruitment limit for NPCs in the territory, and it couldnt be unlimited. My lord, we should recruit wandering NPCs from the city to build our territory faster and more effectively, Steward George respectfully suggested. George, what do you recommend? Song Jian asked. Usually, when NPCs reported to Song Jian, his first response was this. After asking, NPCs would always provide great solutions, so Song Jian didnt have to worry. Song Jian just needed to choose the best solution from among them. My lord, I suggest building a tavern in the territory. With a tavern, there will be a steady flow of wandering NPCs visiting every day, and our recruitment opportunities will be much greater. George replied. Thats a good idea, George. Arrange for someone to build it. If theres no alcohol available, you can contact the Sunflower Bar and get a batch from them. Also, ask if they can help us train some bartenders. Song Jian nodded and said. Very well, my lord. I will carry out your orders and send someone to negotiate with the Sunflower Bar! Steward George nodded and said, Additionally, theres a recruiting hall in the city where you can recruit suitable talents! Recruiting hall? Song Jian was taken aback, as he had never heard this information before, not even mentioned in the game update content. Wheres the recruiting hall? Song Jian asked curiously. Its at the highest building in the city! George pointed at the Television Tower in the city center. From where Song Jian stood, he could only see the tip of the tower. It was indeed the tallest building in the city, but it was so close to the city center that Song Jian even suspected it was in an area populated by level 30 monsters. Ill check it out when I have the chance, Song Jian nodded. Level 30 monsters were still a challenge for Song Jian. He could handle one or two, but more than five would make him consider retreating. If he encountered a level 30 Elite Level Boss, Song Jian would likely turn tail and run immediately. Are there any other methods? Song Jian glanced at the distant Television Tower and casually asked. Theres another one, my lord! George nodded, Every month, several prisons will randomly appear in the city, holding some very powerful NPCs. If you can rescue them, you have a great chance of recruiting them! Very powerful NPCs? Song Jian was taken aback and couldnt help but ask, How did they get imprisoned, and why are they appearing in this city? Chapter 421 - Chapter 421: Chapter 421: Scare Away Chapter 421: Chapter 421: Scare Away Song Jians words left George a little helpless. He glanced at Song Jian and said, Actually, these powerful NPCs are criminals who have committed crimes. They have wandered into this city. If you can liberate them and give them another chance to regain their freedom, they would definitely be grateful to you. Of course, theres a small chance you might encounter some prisoners with quirky personalities who might attack you directly. Therefore, this is a very dangerous method and I dont recommend you to do it. George added. What are their levels then? Song Jian hesitated for a while before asking. The lowest is level 10, and it does not exceed first-order combat power. Because those prisoners with more than first-order combat power will not be exiled to our abandoned city, but will be sent to more dangerous places! George explained. Good, do you happen to know where the nearest prisoner is? Song Jian asked. He had already discovered that in this game, players could recruit many followers. The more followers a player had, the stronger the player would become indirectly, whether it was for territorial expansion campaigns or defending their own castle, a large number of people were needed. Some players rely on gathering more players, but Song Jian wanted to recruit more followers, because compared to players, followers are easier to control. My Lord, there is a prison in this level 25 monster area. If no one attempts to rescue the prisoner within a month, the prison will automatically open, and the criminal inside will mutate into a monster BOSS! George waved his hand and a semi-transparent map immediately appeared in front of Song Jian. Pointing lightly at the map, George said, In fact, the reason why there are so many BOSSes in this city is mostly because every month there are prisoners breaking out of their cages, turning into monsters. Very well then, Ill go and see if I can rescue him. Song Jian nodded and memorized the location. Be careful, my Lord. No one can guarantee how much strength that prisoner still possesses, nor can they promise that he will become your follower after you rescue him! George wore a worried expression on his face. Song Jian waved his hand to assure George and headed towards the manor. He had only taken two steps when he remembered something and quickly turned to George, Oh right, George, help me recruit or train some miners, the more the better. Ive found a rich vein, but I cant mine it alone. I need to form a mining team! Yes, my Lord, I will recruit miners right away! George said, bowing. The recruitment interface has various NPC skills available. Players can recruit according to their needs. Song Jian handed the recruitment authority over to George and many matters were taken care of by him. After he finished giving instructions, Song Jian headed towards the location George marked. There should not be many players hunting monsters in the level 25 monster area. The imprisoned NPC should also still be quietly waiting in the prison. At this point, there were almost no more monsters in the Level 5 monster area. All around were players and players safe houses. Most of the players would only upgrade their safe houses, without launching a territorial expansion campaign. Once they launch an expansion campaign, they might end up in a war against a dozen other players, considered a suicidal act. Therefore, most players grouped with their neighbors to form a war pact, which then integrates horizontally and vertically, convincing more players to join their pact. As the number of players and safe houses increased, the surrounding environment got badly destroyed, leaving no full path. As Song Jian passed along the road, he even met two groups of robbers. To avoid these disturbances, Song Jian directly displayed his level. As expected, no player dared to block his way afterward. Arriving at the level 25 monster area, the mutated zombies here were noticeably stronger. Their originally shriveled flesh was now filled up again. However, they no longer looked fresh like the living, instead, they emitted a purple-black glow. These mutated zombies had sharp fangs in their mouths, their fingernails shimmered with a dark metallic gloss, and even their bodies showed scale-like patterns, giving the impression of being covered in scales. These mutated zombies possessed immense power. A single punch could easily shatter a wall. As a result, this district was far less preserved than those occupied by lower-level monsters. Most of the shops and even the buildings had been turned into rubble. Under such conditions, the supplies that players were looking for were greatly reduced, and the terrain would not provide any advantages during fights, forcing them to fight head-on. Players with weak abilities would probably prefer to continue hunting lower-level monsters instead of coming here to level up. Perhaps because no players had come to level up, as soon as Song Jian entered the area, he saw a robust zombie over two meters tall. This zombies cheeks were covered with an exoskeleton layer, looking like it was wearing a giant helmet, and its upper body was bare. It held a huge double-sided battle-ax in its right hand, dragging on the ground, and in its left hand, it held an oil lamp, which looked quite bizarre. This monster was wandering aimlessly on the deserted street. Whenever it encountered a zombie blocking its way, its right hand would violently swing forward. The huge double-sided battle-ax would utter a heavy, beast-like roar, chopping the zombie that blocked the way into two halves. Even a casual glance at this level 25 elite BOSS robust mutated zombie would give one a tremendously heavy pressure. Seeing this BOSS approaching him, the oppressive feeling made Song Jian couldnt resist summoning the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, his left hand was also gripping a bottle of Weakness Potion, all caution was displayed. The enormous pressure the BOSS exerted on Song Jian made him, originally confident of effortlessly crushing a level 25 elite BOSS, instantly doubted himself. Just as the BOSS was getting closer and closer, and Song Jian could not help but think of launching an attack, a rebellious roar suddenly echoed from afar. The roar scared the robust BOSS in front of Song Jian, making it turn and run away instantly. It even knocked down dozens of mutated zombies along the way. In no time, the silhouette of this BOSS disappeared into the ruins in the distance. Song Jian, puzzled, looked toward the direction of the roar. That was precisely his destination, the place where the NPC criminal was being held captive. There certainly wont be any other players here. Could it be that roar was emitted by the captive criminal? Song Jian speculated in his mind: Merely with a roar, it was able to scare away a level 25 elite BOSS. How high is this criminals strength? Does it really not exceed first-order combat power? Chapter 422 - Chapter 422: Chapter 422: Beastman Warrior Chapter 422: Chapter 422: Beastman Warrior Song Jian walked in the direction of the sound, turned a street corner, and saw a low, squat building built of bricks and stone in the ruins of a residential building not far away. This low building looked quite crude, the stones were all hewed from large blocks, contrasting with the surrounding modern architecture. The door to this house was no more than an iron gate. The thicknesses of the iron bars were the size of an arm, deeply embedded into the stone. To get out would require breaking the surrounding walls, or somehow passing through the gate. In this cage, a beastman with green skin was imprisoned. This beastman had lost an ear. Trailing down its cheek was a hideous scar. Had this wound been a mere two millimeters away, it would have cost the beastman an eye. Scars covered his body, appearing like a weathered soldier. Upon seeing Song Jian, the beastman appeared to grow even more ferocious, his thick arms grabbing hold of the iron railing, shaking it constantly, looking like it wanted to attack Song Jian. Yet no matter how much force it used, the iron bars did not budge. Not even a speck of dust fell. Clearly, a special force was maintaining the prison, and the beastman could not break it. Abeastman? Song Jian, watching this muscular beastman, couldnt help feel a touch of disappointment in his eyes. He who is not of my kind has a heart of a different kind. Towards any other race, even in games, Song Jian always held a guarded stance. Can you understand me? Song Jian, unwilling to waste his trip, hesitated briefly but posed his question to the imprisoned beastman. Human I enjoy chewing your hearts! The beastmans large mouth split into a ferocious smile, his red, violent eyes emitting a strong murderous intent. Song Jians face darkened. Without another word, he drew his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and thrust it forcefully through the bars of the cage. Thud- A faint sound rang out as a magical barrier blocked the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Circles of ripples spread from the point of contact before slowly disappearing. The imprisoned beastman watched as Song Jian failed and immediately burst into laughter. Song Jians brows furrowed. He could sense that the enchantment blocking his strength wasnt very strong. If he were willing to put in the effort, he could still destroy this prison. The enchantment not only stopped the beastman from coming out, but it also protected him. Watching the beastman laughing heartily, Song Jian lifted the comer of his mouth slightly, sheathed his sword, and prepared to turn and leave after one last glance at the beastman. Seeing Song Jian turn to leave, the beastman warriors eyes filled with contempt and he broke into another round of raucous laughter. This beastman was powerful, equivalent to a level thirty elite boss. Song Jian didnt have the absolute confidence of defeating him. However, the beastman warrior had to stay in this prison for a whole month. Once the energy of the prison dissipated, it would be able to break out and transform into a boss. With a months time, Song Jian could easily level up to thirty and then return to take him down. Prisoners like this would randomly appear in Doomsday City every month. When the time came, George would naturally notify him of their locations. If he encountered subduable ones, he would subdue them. If he encountered ones like this beastman warrior, he would give up. There wouldnt be much loss for Song Jian either way. Just as Song Jian was about to turn and leave, he suddenly remembered a skill from the Book of the Abyss C Abyss Temptation. It only required one hundred thousand combat experience to unlock. With a thought, the black Book of the Abyss appeared in Song Jians hands. He turned to the section about the Abyss Temptation skill and began to read carefully. Abyss Temptation (Active): MAX. Skill Effect: After locking the target, chant the Language of Abyss Temptation at them, causing them to gradually lose their sanity. The stronger the targets willpower attribute, the greater the resistance against the Language of Abyss Temptation, causing the success rate of this skill to decrease. This skill lasts for 30 seconds and can be interrupted. The target might attack the caster during the charm. If the target meets the charm requirement after thirty seconds, they will receive the Abyss Slave Mark and the skill succeeds. If they do not meet the charm requirement after thirty seconds, the skill fails and they will take a Soul Shock for 500 spirit points of damage. Skill cost: 30% Spirit Points. This skill seems a bit situational, Song Jian contemplated while scratching his chin. In terms of casting time, applying the skill to the target required having the ability to trap them for thirty seconds. Otherwise, the results would merely be driving the target into a more feral state and there was a high chance it would attract the targets attacks. But for the beastman warrior confined in the cage, this skill seemed tailor- made. What Song Jian was considering now was whether it would be worth it to spend one hundred thousand combat experience to make the beastman warrior in front of him a slave. Song Jian was only 3% short of reaching the next level, so deducting one hundred thousand combat experience points was equivalent to losing ten percent of his total experience. After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian decided to unlock this skill. After all, prisoners like this only randomly appeared a few times a month. Whats more, even fewer were discovered by others. Most transformed into city monster bosses once their time was up. With a thought, Song Jians experience bar immediately decreased. On the Book of the Abyss, the dim skill icon for Abyss Temptation lit up, emitting a glow. A series of Abyssal phrases suddenly appeared in Song Jians mind, as if an invisible hand had physically shoved knowledge into his brain without consideration for his capacity for such information. After a moment of dizziness, Song Jian mastered the Abyss Temptation Language. The Language of the Abyss had an extremely strong charm function. Ordinary people hearing it would quickly fall and become abyssal monsters if they did not have strong willpower. The charm spell formed by the Language of the Abyss was even more potent, rendering normal monsters unable to withstand it. With the Book of the Abyss in hand, Song Jian turned to the Abyss Temptation section, fixed his gaze on the beastman in the cage, and began to softly chant. The beastman warrior, seeing that Song Jian had stopped and pulled out a book, instinctively felt something was amiss but could not identify the problem. Before long, the beastman warrior suddenly felt as if it was being watched by a savage beast. A pair of eyes filled with ferocity were fixed on its chest, sharp fangs seemed ready to pierce it at any moment. Whispered words of charm reached its ears, the sound was infuriating yet sparked an irresistible urge to continue listening. This sensation made the beastman warrior extremely uncomfortable, prompting an uncontrollable wild roar. Chapter 423 - Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Slaves Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Slaves The Beastman warrior, who had let out a roar, suddenly felt a refreshing sensation spread throughout his body. But following that venting roar, the uncomfortable feeling rushed back into his heart. The sound in his ears grew louder, making the Beastman warrior feel even more uncomfortable. In Song Jians eyes, the Beastman warrior at this moment seemed like a furious beast, instinctively releasing its ferocity. Time passed by second by second, and the Beastman warrior roared and growled non-stop. Blood was slowly flowing from the corner of his mouth, and the two blood-red eyes showed no sign of rationality, like a wild beast driven by instinct to go berserk. It used its head to ram repeatedly against the cage, its forehead covered in fresh blood. Much of the blood had even flowed down its cheeks, and the strong smell of blood filled the Beastman warriors nostrils. It felt as if it was back on the battlefield of the past, facing hordes of encroaching enemies. Despite being alone, it had no fear, charging towards thousands of soldiers and horses, and beginning a bloody carnage. Ten seconds, fifteen seconds, twenty seconds, twenty-five seconds, As Song Jian finished the last syllable of Abyss Temptation, a sudden wave of weakness came over him, and 30% Spirit Points almost made him faint and fall to the ground. However, Song Jian quickly recovered. This kind of feeling only occurred after releasing the Eye Kill technique. It was the aftereffect of a large amount of Spirit Points loss, and all he needed was a little rest. At this moment, the Beastman warrior had completely degenerated into a wild beast, constantly ramming its body against the bars. Even though its body was covered in wounds from the impact, it didnt feel any pain at all. The Beastman warrior now stood on all fours and began gnawing at the iron bars with its tusks after it had grown tired of ramming. It seemed to have completely lost its sanity. Just then, a black rune emerged from the Book of the Abyss, and with a whoosh, it shot toward the Beastman warriors forehead. A burning sensation was felt as the Beastman warrior let out a heart-wrenching roar. The black rune had branded itself onto the warriors forehead, and black energy emanated from it, spreading like a large net and wrapping around the Beastmans entire body. In a short amount of time, numerous black lines, resembling a web, appeared on the Beastmans skin. The black energy became increasingly denser, gradually covering the warrior and eventually transforming it into a cocoon over six feet tall, standing still in its place. This should be successful, right? Song Jian put away the Book of the Abyss, staring at the black cocoon in the cage and guessing to himself. It wasnt long before the Beastman warrior burst out of the black cocoon, tearing it apart from the inside. Upon seeing Song Jian, it showed an obedient expression, kneeling on one knee and touching its forehead to the ground, saying in a deep voice, Master! At this point, the Beastman warrior had completely transformed. On its once green skin, it was now covered with fine black scales, looking as if it were wearing black fish scale armor. Its scarlet eyes had turned silver-white, and a glowing black rune adorned its forehead. Its cheeks became thinner, and the tusks had shrunk slightly. Its muscular body seemed even more robust than before, filled with explosive power. Looking at the kneeling Beastman warrior, a rune was also flashing in Song Jians mind. With just a thought, the rune would shatter, and once that happened, this powerful Beastman warrior would lose its life in an instant. The skill has succeeded, and it has now become my slave! Song Jians face revealed a joyful smile, feeling very satisfied with the Abyss Temptation skill. The only drawback was that if a slave died, it would genuinely die, unable to be resurrected like the Black Dragon cub. Get up, Song Jian said, drawing his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and beginning to chop the prison bars. It took over half an hour for him to break the prison and free the Beastman warrior with his attack power. Once the Beastman warrior stood behind him, Song Jian realized that the warriors height had now exceeded two meters. Even without any weapons, the aura radiating from its body gave off an intense oppressive feeling. Wiry were you imprisoned in the first place? Song Jian asked, looking the Beastman warrior up and down. I apologize, Master. I cant remember anything. I only recognize you as my Master! The Beastman warrior said respectfully. Song Jian: Returning to his territory with the Beastman warrior, Song Jian was about to summon George and have him assign some work for the Beastman warrior. After all, he couldnt let such a powerful combatant follow him around as a bodyguard every day. Before he could summon George, the floor beneath Song Jian suddenly began to tremble. Looking out the window, the entire territory seemed to be shaking as well. Whats going on? An earthquake? Song Jians face changed, and at that moment, he suddenly heard a loud system voice in his ear. System: The war alliance Hand of God has declared war on the war alliance City of Hope. The war lasts 2 hours. If the City of Hope alliance core is destroyed or 2 hours pass, the war alliance conflict will end! What? An alliance dared to attack me? Raising an eyebrow, Song Jians eyes filled with surprise, followed by a wave of anger emanating from his heart. The trembling subsided, as this was simply a setup by the system. In actuality, it caused no damage to Song Jians territory but merely served as a reminder. However, what caught Song Jian off guard was that these tremors happened one after another. System: The war alliance Survive has declared war on the war alliance City of Hope. The war lasts 2 hours. If the City of Hope alliance core is destroyed or 2 hours pass, the war alliance conflict will end! System: The war alliance Little Bird Movement Team has declared war on the war alliance City of Hope. The war lasts 2 hours. If the City of Hope alliance core is destroyed or 2 hours pass, the war alliance conflict will end! In an instant, six war alliances declared war on Song Jian simultaneously! A virtual map appeared before Song Jian, which clearly marked his territorys position alongside the six war alliances. These six alliance territories were practically distributed all around Song Jians territory. Their combined area was at least twice that of Song Jians. Moreover, any further expansion would result in a border with Song Jians territory, leading to a territorial expansion battle. Thus, the six groups joined forces to strike first, intending to eliminate Song Jian and divide his territory among them. Chapter 424 - Chapter 424: Chapter 424: Catapult Chapter 424: Chapter 424: Catapult Little Brother Jian, someones attacking us, Im coming over right away! Li Keer was the first to contact Song Jian and said directly. Soon, Wang Qi and his team also said they would be there shortly; Song Jian turned his head to look at Luo Tianyus camp, and it didnt take long for Luo Tianyu to lead her troops out of the camp, standing on an empty space; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly noticed that on a vacant space in the southwest direction of his territory, a milky-white light suddenly burst forth, the light grew more and more intense, and in no time, a three-story bar appeared on the empty space; Li Keer walked out of the bars entrance, followed by a group of thugs dressed in bar attire; Brother Song, Ive moved the bar to the war alliances territory! Li Keer waved at Song Jian, her face full of smiles. Players who join the war alliance have one chance to move their safe house to the war alliances territory, but few people do so, because once their safe house is moved to the war alliances territory, if the territory is breached, their hard- earned safe house will be destroyed, returning to square one. Safe houses that are not inside the war alliances territory will not be affected even if the alliance is captured. Most players join a war alliance just to find a backer, so they rarely move their safe houses to the war alliances territory and share life and death with them. Theyll be attacking in a while, come and get some high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots first! Song Jian shouted to the two. There were many good things in the war alliances warehouse, but they could only be taken with Contribution Points, and high-explosive grenades and self- destructing robots were even more useful in wars. To defend his territory, Song Jian spared no expense and provided them all for free; Li Keer and Luo Tianyu each took ten high-explosive grenades and ten self- destructing robots, then Li Keer began setting traps around the territory. Song Jian ordered the Blood Crow to fly in all directions to investigate the movements of these six war alliances. Song Jian estimated that these six alliances should attack together rather than in separate attacks; After all, each of them was weaker than Song Jian, and if they attacked separately, they would likely be defeated one by one by Song Jian; Soon, Wang Qi and his teammates all arrived at Song Jians territory, ready for battle; Brother Song, just tell us how to fight, well listen to you! Wang Qi said; With a serious face, Song Jian looked at the war alliances store and directly bought all the defensive equipment in it. This time, more than 200,000 Doomsday Coins were invested, making him feel a tinge of pain; However, these defensive devices were all worth the investment. Row upon row of caltrops were placed on the streets along the six attackers approach routes, with shops and buildings everywhere. To attack, they had to clear these caltrops first; Next, six mobile arrow towers were placed by Song Jian at the sides behind the caltrops. Once the enemy approached, these mobile arrow towers would attack mercilessly; Then, Song Jian placed the bloody corpses around the arrow towers to protect them. These bloody corpses could act as cannon fodder, and even if they were all killed, Song Jian wouldnt care; The Blood Wolves, on the other hand, were scattered around the shops and buildings as ambushers. Once the enemy came, they could launch surprise attacks in the chaos. Since the war was about to begin, all the employees in the territory had already entered the Manor Castle, protected by tall walls, so the enemies wouldnt attack them for a while; If the Manor Castle couldnt protect them, it would mean that Song Jian had lost the war, and these NPCs would be taken away as resources; Luo Tianyu led fifty soldiers, guarding behind the defensive measures. In front of her was a more than 100-meter-wide open space. Once the enemy attacked here, Luo Tianyu would lead her soldiers to form a battle formation and launch an attack; Although the number of soldiers that could be led increased with level growth, Luo Tianyu was somewhat disappointed that she could only recruit the cheapest spearmen. If she could recruit cavalry, even if there were only a dozen or twenty of them, Luo Tianyu was confident that she could completely wipe out the attacking enemies; Everyone was on high alert, and half an hour later, a large group of people appeared at the edge of the war alliances territory. Jiang Shan stood among the crowd, looking at the dense caltrops ahead and the arrow towers behind them, his face suddenly became grim. Boss, theyre really well-prepared. How are we going to get through this? How about we change directions of attack? A scout-class player, who returned from the front, couldnt help but say after reporting the situation. Change direction? Can you be sure that there are no traps in the other directions? Jiang Shan said coldly, And how much trouble it is to move all our siege equipment back and forth? Time is against us. Once we change directions, they can adjust their defenses according to our movements at any time, and we can only waste time in vain! Frustrated, Jiang Shan turned to the other war alliance leaders and asked, What do you guys think? A chubby player hesitated for a while as he looked at the territory Song Jian had built, and finally said with a flattering smile, Jiang Shan is the leader this time around; we, of course, listen to Jiang Shan. The other people nearby also expressed their support, Yes, yes, we listen to Jiang Shan! Jiang Shan revealed a smile and nodded, Well then, lets bring the catapults over, demolish those caltrops first, and then well talk. Hmph, thinking these things will wear down our combat power is just daydreaming! Yeah, Jiang Shan has a good idea. Lets use the catapults to destroy all the caltrops. Haha, that way, these things will be useless, and theyll have wasted a large sum of money! Indeed, indeed, these caltrops are not cheap. Ive seen them in the war alliance store. This dense array must have taken at least tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins! Blow them up, blow them up! We cant risk our brothers lives for this! For a moment, everyone chimed in, and soon, several catapults were pushed over by a group of players; The catapults made a creaking noise as the long launch arms bent over, and large stone bullets appeared in their baskets. Little Brother Jian, theyre going to use the catapults to destroy the caltrops! Quickly, teleport me over, I can add defenses to the caltrops! Li Keer looked anxious as she jumped and shouted. The territory was an extension of Song Jians Manor Castle, where he could teleport freely and even assign any NPC to any corner within the territory; If the player agreed, Song Jian naturally could also move them to any corner within the territory; Upon hearing Li Keers shout, Song Jians mind moved, and her figure flashed, appearing tens of meters away from the caltrops; Chapter 425 - Chapter 425: Chapter 425: Clash Chapter 425: Chapter 425: Clash Li Keer chant a spell, raising her right hand, a white light fly from her hand towards the thickly scattered caltrops. Suddenly, a semi-transparent light shield envelops each of the caltrops; Seeing Li Keer has finished releasing her skill, Song Jian mentally beckons her back, that place is far too dangerous, the catapults have already begun to hurl stones at the caltrops. Seven or eight basketball-sized stones whistled towards caltrops, the moment they struck the light shield, the stones shattered into countless fragments that sprayed in all directions, causing secondary damage; Song Jians eyes twitch, these catapults look a lot more powerful than he had imagined; Brother Song, I dont think we can just sit and watch, why dont I take some fellows and flank them for a sneak attack? Wang Qi, looking at the distant group of around forty or fifty players, suggested with a stroke of his chin. The four of you, not enough for their full barrage! Song Jian glanced at Wang Qi and said, And how do you know they arent prepared? Do you see how many thieves there are in their team? Most of the players have chosen their professions by now, and their equipment corresponds with their professions, so its easy to tell them apart. Wang Qi looked up, out of forty or fifty people, there were only one or two thieves at the front of the team, this revelation sent shivers down his spine. It must be noted that the four main professions of warrior, thief, mage, and priest are the easiest to pick, and their skills are quite potent, hence why most players choose these professions. Moreover, these professions can later be transferred to other more powerful professions. Out of forty or fifty people, according to probabilities, there should be at least a dozen or so thieves, but right now there are only one or two, its apparent that other thief profession players are hiding around, waiting for Song Jian to send people for the ambush. So we can only watch as they break in? This is just too suffocating! Wang Qi said upset. Song Jian calmly stared at the six player guilds in front of him. These players arent of low level, the highest being level eighteen, the lowest being sixteen. Including the siege weapons of the six guilds, their combined force would make it fairly easy to destroy a guild. Song Jians guild was newly founded and hadnt had a chance to recruit many players, so they were at a numerical disadvantage. You guys hold your position here for now, lets see what happens when they attack! Song Jian instructed then turned and dashed towards another direction of his territory. The players from the opposing six guilds, were looking at the catapults continually bombarding the caltrops, their faces were flushed with excitement. Brother Shan, why dont we take this opportunity to bulldoze their constructions? A player excitedly roared; Are you a fool, huh, are you a fool? Jiang Shan stared at that player and yelled: It would waste so much time demolishing these constructions! We only have a little over an hour at most, breaking into their manor castle is most important. And once we seize their manor castle, these shops and constructions will become our war spoils! The player who had advocated for demolishing Song Jians territory was at a loss for words, he humbly scratched his head and burst out in sheepish laughter; Li Keers defense spell could only mitigate damage, not entirely neutralize it. After a few rounds of bombardments, the rows of caltrops began to fall apart; Jiang Shan glanced at the time, because of the slow movement speed of the siege weapons, they had spent over twenty minutes to get to the edge of Song Jians territory. Then they spent another ten or so minutes bombarding the caltrops, nearly forty minutes have passed and they had not spotted the opponents Manor Castle. Speed it up! Jiang Shan ordered, narrowing his brows. In no time, more than a dozen heavily-armored defense warriors, holding large shields, formed a row and positioned themselves at the front of the crowd. Behind them were the mages, archers, and other ranged attack professions. The warriors began to slowly advance holding up their shields. As for the mages and archers, they followed behind. Once the caltrops came into their attack range, they would initiate the assault. Clang, clang, clang- The defensive warriors were now close to the caltrops, entering within the attack range of the mobile arrow towers. The towers automatically locked onto the targets and shot arrows at them. However, the defense of the arrow towers was not high, against defensive warriors, they could only deal about a dozen points of damage. When spread out among so many defense warriors, it was relatively easy to withstand, some warriors even managed to defend and attack the caltrops simultaneously. The mages and archer profession players behind then entered attack range, one after another they attacked the caltrops, with their participation, the caltrops defense value dropped rapidly; Swiftly, in less than three minutes, rows of caltrops were all destroyed, then they rushed towards the mobile arrow towers, starting to take down these towers; Prepare yourselves, we are going to storm through! Jiang Shan noted that the opposing guild had not many players, which was within his expectation. A newly established guild would certainly not have had the chance to recruit players yet. But the quantity of NPC warriors that the opponent had surprised Jiang Shan, and the fifty spear soldiers behind Luo Tianyu made his brow furrow. However, if he didnt eliminate all the opponents troops, there would no way he could rest assured and attack the Manor Castle. General guardians would rely on castle walls for defense, these people actually gave up on the defense of the wall, opting for field battle. Actually, for Jiang Shan and the six guilds, this could work to their advantage; After another five minutes, all of the mobile arrow towers had been destroyed, with a wave of his hand, Jiang Shan made most of the players charge towards the center of Song Jians territory C the Manor Castle. They would only be victorious in this guild war if they secure that place; Forty or fifty players swarmed forward, leaving behind only half a dozen people to guard the siege weapons. Without the aid of the players, the movement speed of the siege weapons dropped significantly, only managing to inch forward; Once we beat these players, the siege weapons should have almost made it within attack range. Then well take the Manor Castle down in one go! Jiang Shan thought to himself, as he ran while drawing his weapon. Sharp Edge Formation! Luo Tianyu lifted his Square Sky Halberd, shouting fiercely. Charge! Fifty spear soldiers quickly moved about and swiftly formed the Sharp Edge Formation. They roared while charging towards the players; Lets go too! Wang Qi shouted, leading the way. He took aim at the player in the lead, pulled the trigger, and a flash of red light appeared as quick as a spark, instantly hitting the player 300 meters away. The bullet pierced right through his chest before he could react, his vitality points dropped by a third. Startled, he yelled Holy Smokes, and quickly dodged to the side; Suddenly, the two parties collided, cries for battle filled Song Jians territory. At this moment, Song Jian had rounded from one side of his territory to their rear. His vertical pupils in his forehead opened, a silver light radiated, revealing around ten invisible thieves distributed around the siege engines, like a big net waiting for ambushers to fall into; Chapter 426 - Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Retreat Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Retreat Song Jian hid on the rooftop of a shop, watching siege machines slowly moving into the territory, and the players guarding them also entered the territory. Targeting a stealthy thief on the outermost side, Song Jian had a thought, and his figure disappeared, appearing directly behind the thief. At the moment Song Jian appeared, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword mercilessly chopped towards the opponents head; Light Strike! A dazzling golden Sword Qi traversed the sky, and the stealthy thief didnt even have time to react before he was toppled to the ground. A damage of more than 500 points floated above his head, instantly killing him; By the time everyone reacted, Song Jians figure had already disappeared, only leaving behind a thiefs corpse and a piece of leather armor leggings that he had dropped; What happened? a stealthy thief asked nervously. It seems like someone attacked He can teleport, hes a mage! No, I saw his weapon was a one-handed sword, it should be a warrior-type profession How could a warrior profession teleport? Damn, this guy set the war league on his own territory, weve entered their territory! What should we do, theres no way to fight, why dont we just go and join the main force. What about these siege machines? Without them, how can we break their walls? Gather up, everyone defend together, keep an eye on every direction, I dont believe he can kill us all at once! Soon, the thieves guarding the siege machines began to gather, cautiously watching their surroundings with their backs to each other. Players can teleport within their own safe house, a setting that many players dont care about C it just saves some walking time, and its nothing amazing. But as the safety level of the players house increased, and the surrounding territory could be developed, this setting became a bit of a bug. Now, Song Jians attacks seemed to come out of nowhere, which made more than a dozen players fearful, and Song Jian was now invincible. As more than ten thieves gathered together, Song Jian felt a bit tricky, but seeing them so close to each other out of fear, a smile appeared on his face again; Soon, these stealthy thieves followed the siege machines for dozens of meters, and Song Jian did not appear, so they relaxed a bit. He seems not to dare to come out. Yes, even if he can teleport, there are a few seconds of cooldown between each teleport, its enough for us to focus fire and kill him. How dare he come out now? Just as these thief players relaxed, several humanoid robots, half a person tall, suddenly appeared from the road ahead and swayed towards them. What the hell is that? a thief looked at the robots with a puzzled face. Dont let them get close, I feel something is wrong! You two, go and get rid of those things! Two stealthy thieves charged at the five or six self-destructing robots; Clang clang clang~ Daggers scraped against the robots, bursting out a series of sparks; the defense of self-destructing robots was 1000 points, and the attacks of these thieves couldnt empty their defense at all; With the attack of the thieves, the speed of these self-destructing robots suddenly increased and rushed into the group of thieves; Boom! The explosion sounded, and more than a dozen thieves felt a wave of air rushing towards them. They were suddenly blown away, and their Vitality Points dropped sharply; Fog Grass, what the hell is this? The damage is so high! Boom, boom, boom~ Five or six self-destructing robots each targeted a thief, exploding near them, causing damage to all the thieves within a six-meter radius; The self-destructing robots achieved a great success with just one move, taking down nearly all the thieves. The combined damage of the six robots was close to 2,000 points, which was too much for the thieves, who only had 300 to 400 Vitality Points; A dying thief, with only a little Vitality left, watched as a figure slowly walked towards him. Regret filled his heart, and he muttered to himself, How is this possible, hes so strong! A long sword took away his last bit of Vitality, and his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness; Having killed all the thieves in the surrounding area and picked up all the spoils, Song Jian began to destroy the slow-moving siege equipment; At this moment, Jiang Shan was entangled in battle with Luo Tianyus warriors. The players strength was much greater than Luo Tianyus spear warriors. Although the Sharp Edge Formation had caused some damage to Jiang Shan and his team, the spear warriors were gradually falling, and Wang Qis party were steadily retreating; One after another, roaring blood corpses rushed into the enemys camp, but these ordinary monsters were quickly killed, merely consuming some of the enemys Spirit Points. The high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots had already been used up. At the beginning, they managed to kill seven or eight players while their opponents hadnt yet encountered them. However, once everyone started fighting, it was difficult to use these items without harming their own side. The Beastman slave that Song Jian had just recruited seemed to enjoy the killing. He grabbed two corpses on the ground as weapons and charged into the crowd, killing everyone in his way. However, he soon paid the price for his reckless behavior. Dozens of players focused their fire on him, and the Beastman Warrior only held on for a few seconds before he was heavily injured and began fleeing towards the Manor Castle. Sister Rain, should we retreat to the Manor? Wang Qi shouted loudly. Retreat! Luo Tianyu glanced at the surrounding players, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, and her face showed a reluctant expression. If only my military rank had been higher, allowing me to recruit stronger soldiers, I could have easily wiped the floor with you all on my own! Luo Tianyu thought bitterly in her heart. Wielding the Square Sky Halberd, Luo Tianyu fended off several players surrounding her. She pulled on the Abyssal Nightmares reins and ran towards the Manor, with more than a dozen remaining spear warriors covering their retreat. Seeing the enemy charge again, Luo Tianyu pulled out two high- explosive grenades and threw them toward the enemy; However, the opposing players simply activated their Acceleration Skills and dodged the grenades. Haha, Brother Shan, theyre running! Lets go! We won, we won, haha, they must be dreaming if they think they can beat our six war alliances with just a few people! A few war alliance leaders laughed heartily; Bring the Catapults, a few of you go and push them over here, speed it up! With the Catapults, well break their walls and turn their Manor Castle into a flat ground! Jiang Shan said passionately. At this moment, a players face changed greatly as he shouted, Someone is destroying our siege equipment! Everyone turned to look, and all that remained of their once abundant siege equipment were a few Battering Rams that were still being chopped by other players. The rest of the Catapults and other siege equipment had already become a pile of wood chips; Jiang Shan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Without the siege equipment, the idea of breaking the enemys Manor with their thirty-odd players in an hour was pure fantasy. Seeing the defensive structures of the enemys Manor, Jiang Shan felt a chill in his heart. They were already within the attack range of the enemys Manor Castle Catapults. Did they really have to use their own flesh and blood to fight against the heavily armed enemy Manor? Chapter 427 - Chapter 427: Chapter 427: Better off Dead Chapter 427: Chapter 427: Better off Dead Damn it, how did this happen! What the hell were those rogue professionals doing? How did they let one person launch a successful sneak attack! Jiang Shan cursed, his face beet red with rage. Brother Shan, what do we do now? The clan leader of a war guild asked, his face pale. Should we give it one more try? They only have a few people. We can surely win if we just break into the castle! A war guild leader gazed unwillingly at the not-so-distant castle and softly suggested. And how are we going to do that? With such high walls and so many defensive arrow towers, youll be turned into a pincushion before you even get close! Someone retorted discontentedly. Jiang Shan gritted his teeth fiercely. He originally thought he had victory in the bag, all according to plan. But unexpectedly, the tide of battle had turned dramatically. Just a moment ago, their path was clear and straight, and now, they were poised on the edge of a steep precipice. Brother Shan, how about we take out that guy first. Someone pointed at Song Jian, who was cutting down the last battering ram, and shouted. Yes, kill him first! Killing him would be worth it, and worst-case scenario, we can try again once weve regrouped. We have the numbers, whats there to be afraid of! Lets go, brothers! We take that guy down first! Jiang Shan raised his arm in a battle cry, shouting loudly. This war guild war could be considered a thorough failure. More than twenty of his side had died whereas not a single player from the other side was dead, only a bunch of NPC spear soldiers. All the siege equipment had been destroyed, leaving them powerless to attack the manor. Their morale had sunk to the lowest point, now they could only try to regain some confidence by dealing with the person who had launched the surprise attack. As around thirty players charged towards Song Jian, he had already destroyed the last siege equipment. Seeing the crowd rushing towards him, a cruel smirk appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. With a thought, thirty blood wolves squeezed out from various buildings. Each wolf was as big as a small calf, with sharp fangs glittering metallically, and their eyes shone with a bloody glow as they growled and closed in on Song Jian. Kill them! Song Jian commanded. Howl- A wolf howled, and the thirty blood wolves leaped towards the crowd. Then, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon cub. A nearly two-meter Black Dragon flew up into the sky, roaring as it sprayed a hot dragon breath over the more than thirty players. Song Jians figure flickered, appearing behind a cleric. His dark red longsword easily pierced through the clerics defense, going right through his chest. The clerics vitality points suddenly plunged. Then, Song Jian pointed his left index finger at his forehead, a silver Sword Qi pierced through his forehead. Before the cleric could even scream, Song Jian had instantly killed him. A nearby warrior, consumed by rage upon seeing his companion attacked, instinctively used his charge skill to hurtle towards Song Jian. Sacred Parry! A golden light flashed on Song Jians body, and he positioned his long sword in front of his chest. Defense- The charging warrior felt as if he had slammed into a wall. The counter-attack force made his skeleton issue a crunch crunch sound, and the damage dealt to him was over sixty points. More importantly, the stun status, which should have been inflicted on his target, appeared on this warriors status bar instead. Stunned, how could I be the one stunned? The dazed warrior was greatly frightened. At that moment, a golden Sword Qi descended from above. Light Strike! Although this player wasnt a dark creature, nearly six hundred damage points were more than he could bear. His vitality points immediately plunged to the lowest, leaving him with less than a hundred residual health points. Song Jian easily swept his right hand and dwindled down this armored warriors entire vitality points with a mere chopping slice. Bump bump bump- Several spells struck Song Jians body, causing a gray aura to circulate around him, reducing nearly 60% of the damage, which made Song Jian even more resistant than the defensive warrior. -11 -15 -17 A series of damage points floated up from Song Jians head, causing the surrounding players to twitch in surprise. How could a swordsman in leather armor have such formidable defense and resistance! At this moment, the blood wolves also charged into the group of players. These blood wolves were as tough as elite monsters, not mere cannon fodder like blood zombies. Their formidable attack power instantly turned the scene into chaos, with players scattered and disoriented. Kill this player first! Jiang Shan shouted angrily, pointing at Song Jian after slashing a leaping blood wolf away. Song Jian glanced at Jiang Shan, smiled faintly, and then his figure suddenly vanished into thin air. Damn, hes the lord of this territory! Jiang Shan cursed quietly, glancing at the other players before pulling out a dark grey stone from his bag and crushing it in his hand. The crushed stone emitted a faint grey glow that disappeared quickly. At the same time, Jiang Shans figure also vanished. He wants to trap us all here! In his invisible state, Jiang Shan looked back at Manor Castle with a face full of hatred and thought bitterly. Everyone for themselves at this point, he thought. With other players still attracting aggro, escaping was the wisest move. From within Manor Castle, Luo Tianyu, watching Song Jian reappear and wreak havoc among the players, mounted his Abyssal Nightmare and charged towards the enemy with excitement. Lets join the fight and kick them while theyre down! Tang Rong roared, activating his Acceleration Skill and charging forward. Wang Qi stood on the ramparts, observing the battlefield through a magnifying scope. Bang! Simultaneously with the sound of a gunshot, a priest on his last legs only felt a pain in his forehead before losing consciousness. That single shot instantly killed him. After taking down one player, Wang Qi didnt even spare him a glance, and instead quickly shifted his target, aiming at another injured player and pulling the trigger. The battle ended quickly, with over thirty bodies of players lying on the ground and their gears scattered all around. Song Jian, frowning slightly, glanced at the system. All the enemies had been defeated and this Alliance Battle should be over, but the system still showed that there was more than forty minutes left. Whats going on? Could there be someone left? Song Jians eyes widened, and as he looked around, his suspicions were confirmed. About a hundred meters away, a faintly transparent figure was slowly retreating towards the border of the territory. Jiang Shan, now in a state of invisibility which had reduced his movement speed by 40%, moved as slow as a tortoise. He had reached the edge of the territory and was just a few meters away from seeking shelter in the buildings. Song Jian sneered, and his figure flickered, disappearing on the spot. Jiang Shan suddenly felt a strong wind blowing from behind his head and swiftly swung his sword to deflect it. Block! With a sharp noise, Jiang Shans figure gradually became visible. Seeing Song Jians shining silver vertical pupil, he immediately understood the situation. Spare me, and Ill join your Alliance! Jiang Shan pleaded, a look of terror on his face. No need, I think its better when youre dead! As Song Jian said this, he swung his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, slashing at Jiang Shan. Chapter 428 - Chapter 428: Chapter 428: Airdrop? Chapter 428: Chapter 428: Airdrop? System: Congratulations, youve achieved a glorious victory! A war that was still almost forty minutes away from ending was abruptly concluded when Song Jian killed Jiang Shan, ending the ordeal with a one-on- six skirmish that saw the City of Hope Alliance withstand the trial of battle. We have emerged victorious! Everyone began to cheer. Captain, I believe we should relocate our safe houses here. The defensive measures are excellent and quite sturdy. Zhou Qing looked around and suggested quietly. Yes, it is safer for us to be grouped together. Ma Yu nodded in agreement. The levels of their safe houses were fairly low. They would certainly struggle to fend off any attempted territory expansion attacks against them. Alright, Ill ask Brother Song. If he agrees, we should all move over here. Living in a larger group will also be more lively. Wang Qi nodded. Song Jian was pleased to hear that Wang Qi and the others were willing to move into the territory. The more players, the stronger the alliance. Some alliances would even force joining members to relocate to alliance territory but Song Jian didnt resonate with that; opting for freedom. In this alliance war, Song Jian earned a large number of war merits while every participant also received plenty. Luo Tianyu saw the war merits she received, she was so ecstatic that she couldnt close her mouth. For her, desperately in need of an upgrade in troop types, war merits were even more precious than Doomsday Coins. As for the six alliances that lost the war, all their territories became ownerless. The NPCs they hired in their territories began to scatter everywhere. At this moment, these six territories were like six delicious cakes. All it would take was for Song Jian to initiate the next territory expansion campaign to swallow them all up. By annexing these six territories, I can save a lot of development time. Ill just need to re-plan everything afterwards. Song Jian gazed into the distance, a smirk played upon his lips. Upon checking the remaining time for the territory expansion campaign, there were just a few days left. By then, Song Jians territorial expanse would at least double. Song Jians victory was an earth-shattering event for the other players. In fact, many of them had witnessed the whole process of this war firsthand. They could not believe that Song Jian, with just a few people, had defeated an alliance army ten times their size. If they hadnt seen it with their own eyes, they would consider it as unbelievable as a fairy tale. Perhaps I should join this alliance! Many players began to entertain the thought of joining the alliance, and subsequently, a dozen or so players showed up in Song Jians alliance application list. The upper limit for a level one alliance is one hundred members, but very few alliances manage to reach that number. An alliance with thirty to forty members is already considered a large alliance. Many alliances, like the City of Hope, only have a handful of members, possess weak combat power and are usually made up of like-minded small teams themselves. After all, this game cannot be treated like a game; nobody would willingly entrust their safety to others. In an alliance, the alliance leader has substantial power over alliance members. Once you join an alliance, youd be subject to many constraints, as such, many players would rather go solo than join an alliance. Song Jian did not just accept the players who applied to join the alliance. They had to undergo a strict vetting process before they could be integrated into the alliance; otherwise, it would be easy for someone from another alliance to infiltrate and cause damage. With the war over and each member of Wang Qis four-man team having moved their safe houses into Song Jians territory, they went back to farming and grinding levels. Given their low levels, they were only considered as a second-tier team, hence they had to work harder. Luo Tianyu started working on how to upgrade her troops. With an excessive amount of war merits, it was crucial she converted them into fighting power. Li Keer wasnt too interested in farming and leveling up. She spent most of her time joking around in the bar. Surprisingly, her level hadnt lagged behind. She was already at level eighteen, even higher than Wang Qi and his team. Song Jian returned to the Manor Castle and began researching how to make the Advanced Healing Potion. With it, future battles for Song Jian would become much easier. By the time Song Jian had made about a dozen advanced healing potions, it was gradually getting dark. After replenishing his high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots, Song Jian stepped outside the Manor Castle. The NPCs who have been hired completed their days work and returned to their huts. The scattered lights inside the territory made it seem like a warm star-studded night sky. In the distance, the growl of a mutated zombie added a layer of blood-red rays to this warm ambiance. Song Jian looked up at the sky, anticipating the moonrise. He had only fifteen minutes each night to absorb moon essence and enhance his physical quality because of his Night Slayer ability. Just like other boss monsters, he never missed out on this fifteen-minute daily exercise. However, the moon never appeared. The dark clouds seemed like a thick blanket, completely engulfing the sky. Could it be that the moon isnt going to appear today? Song Jian frowned. Such instances had occurred before, where the moon wouldnt appear for a day or two in a month. However, Song Jian felt that this situation seemed to be happening rather frequently of late. Just as Song Jian was about to leave in disappointment, he suddenly felt something was amiss. There seemed to be something in the sky, but it was so dark that he couldnt make out what it was. Just then, a silver light emerged from Song Jians forehead and his vertical pupil slowly opened. His surroundings became clear, and he found a ship several hundred feet long hovering in the sky. It moved silently like a huge whale. This massive ship had three tall masts with black sails hanging from them. There was a large propeller at the stern of the ship silently rotating. The entire ship was moving slowly like a lazy beast. Is this a ship? A flying ship? Song Jian was taken aback. The pitch-black ship above his head was enormous and seemed to be moving at a slow pace. The ship had no lights on it, and it looked like a ghost ship. Just then, Song Jian saw numerous large boxes being dropped from the ship. Those boxes were attached to big parachutes and were slowly descending towards Doomsday City. Watching these boxes gently swaying in the air, Song Jian was struck by the absurd notion that supplies were being dropped for people trapped in a crisis. Lets go see whats in these boxes A thought crossed Song Jians mind and he started running towards the nearest wooden box. Chapter 429 - Chapter 429: Chapter 429: Cemetery Chapter 429: Chapter 429: Cemetery Hundreds of wooden boxes flew overhead, fluttering in all directions; Song Jian found it strange, however, that these boxes seemed to methodically avoid zones populated by monsters under level thirty, particularly player gathering areas. Not a single box drifted there. This could not help but arouse suspicion. It was as if someone deliberately arranged for this to happen to prevent players from getting those boxes. More boxes drifted towards the murky, city edges and vanished completely once they entered the dark fog. Surrounded by frenzied, aggressive monsters, Song Jian set his sights on the nearest box. By nightfall, even lower-level monsters, undeterred by the aura of power emanating from Song Jian, recklessly charged at him whenever they detected his presence. In such an environment, Song Jian dared not emit even the slightest bit of noise, let alone summon his motorcycle. He could only rely on his two legs to run. However, considering his current physical condition, his running speed was not much slower than if he had been on a motorcycle. Using his Sword Shadow Step and morphing into a dark cloud, he managed to evade wave after wave of monster attacks. After more than an hour, Song Jian finally reached the area populated by level thirty monsters. On his way there, he did not encounter a single box, suggesting that they would not fall into zones easily accessible to players, just as he had suspected. Standing on top of a tall building, Song Jian looked ahead. The box was descending very slowly and was still floating in the sky, but on the ground below, Song Jian could already see several figures racing towards the box. Are thoseNPCs? NPC professionals! Song Jian frowned slightly and watched the figures below, musing to himself. No wonder so many NPC professionals venture into this dangerous city ruins full of monsters. It seems that these mysterious boxes are also one of their targets! Song Jian thought to himself. Once again, he glanced at the box floating in the sky. It appeared suspended in the air, motionless, descending at an extremely slow speed. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian leaped from the building, following the NPC professionals. Soon, Song Jian followed the NPC professionals to a graveyard built within the city. Shouldnt burial sites like this be on the outskirts or in the mountains? Using such a large piece of land as a graveyard, what were the people at the time thinking? Song Jian, looking at the densely packed tombstones in front of him, couldnt help but comment. The lamb that believes in God will return to Gods embrace! Inscribed on the arch of the gateway guarded by two stone angel statues were two sentences. A tarnished metal cross stood on top of the semi-arched entrance. Song Jian looked up into the sky. The floating box was slowly descending into the depths of the graveyard. Several NPC professionals were standing in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary in the cemetery, eyeing the box in the sky intently. The graveyard gates were wide open, and much of the surrounding fence had collapsed. Even most of the marble tombstones inside were broken, and some areas even bore signs of having been dug up. Song Jian didnt move forward. Instead, he stood around three to four hundred meters away from those NPC professionals and quietly watched them. Its a little bit too quiet here Song Jian frowned slightly and scanned his surroundings. At that moment, a semi-transparent figure radiating a white light emerged from a tombstone. From a distance, it looked like a ball of white ghostly fire. Mutated Soul, Level 30, Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Characteristics: Soul Body, Null, Skills: Soul Spikes. A level thirty ordinary monster with these attributes is almost on par with a level twenty BOSS. Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim, holding his breath, fearing that the monster would detect him and start a fight, alerting the NPC professionals in the distance. This Mutated Soul resembled a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. For a moment after emerging from the graveyard, it seemed somewhat confused, its eyes lifeless as it looked around. Then, it seemed attracted by the NPC professionals aura and slowly drifted toward them. In a short while, dozens of Mutated Souls emerged from the graveyard. Most of them drifted toward the NPC professionals, but a few were attracted by Song Jians living aura, due to their proximity to him and came his way. Song Jian, staring at the two Mutated Souls drifting towards him, began to feel nervous. In the game, the ghosts names and attributes were highlighted in yellow, indicating they were not monsters that attack proactively. However, as they got closer and closer to Song Jian, their names turned light red. The originally white soul light also started to acquire a blood color, and their calm, blank faces began to twist grotesquely. Initially, they were instinctively attracted by Song Jians living aura, but once they got closer, the souls became violent and evolved into monsters that launched the first attack. Song Jian gasped and looked toward the NPC professionals in the distance. They seemed to understand the traits of these Mutated Souls. They readied their weapons in prepared positions in anticipation of the monsters closing in on them. At the moment, Song Jian didnt want them to notice his presence. With a thought, his whole body transformed into a shadow, and he ran into the distance. In no time, he left the range where the two Mutated Souls could track him. The Mutated Souls, which had taken on a blood-red glow, slowly faded back in color and regained their initial ignorant state once they lost their target. After staying still for a while, they instinctively set off towards the NPC professionals once more. Lute looked up anxiously at the box that hovered motionlessly in mid-air, growling under his breath, Damn it, why isnt it falling down! Sophie looked at Lute, the half-beastman covered in fur, a disdainful look in her eyes, and replied coldly, Its a gift from the gods. You should be grateful, not whining like you are now! I only care about the proof of job advancement inside. All other items can be yours! A humanoid creature covered in wooden texture glanced coldly at the others. Hmph, youd better hope youre blessed by the gods then. Out of hundreds of boxes, only a few contain proofs of job advancement. How can you be so sure this box contains what you want? A nearby NPC professional laughed with an evil grin. If theres none, then all the items will belong to you! The creature, who looked like a treant, declared. The remaining NPC professionals exchanged a look, appearing relieved. From all of them, only this treant-like creature was of level thirty. The rest were only level twenty-seven or eight, hence their demand for proof of job advancement was less urgent. Chapter 430 - Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Tree Fortress Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Tree Fortress Hey, can you guys stop staring up there all the time? Look around, were already surrounded by monsters! An NPC professional frowned, clenching his weapon and yelled. Theyre just ordinary ghosts, not malicious spirits, whats there to be afraid of! Another NPC professional said disdainfully, but there was a cautious look in his eyes as he drew the longsword hanging from his back and held it in his hands. The melee professionals took two steps forward, guarding the mage and ranged professionals behind them. Soon, this group of NPC professionals tacitly formed a temporary small team. The surrounding mutated ghosts slowly drifted towards them, and within a five-meter range, the ghosts suddenly bloomed with a bloody glow, their eyes turned blood red, revealing a crazed and irritable expression. With a sharp scream, these mutated ghosts suddenly accelerated, pouncing on the NPC professionals, the battle was on the verge of breaking out. Song Jian, at this moment, was standing at the edge of the graveyard, watching mutated ghosts slowly drift out one after another from the graves. It seemed endless, as they instinctively drifted towards the NPC professionals. Although they were slow, they would go crazy as soon as they got within five meters of a living person. Watching countless white dots floating up, Song Jian couldnt help but shudder. Fortunately, he had decisively left. Otherwise, being surrounded by a group of level 30 monsters, he might truly die here. After all, these mutated ghosts could launch spiritual attacks, and even if Song Jian could morph into a dark cloud, he couldnt dodge so many ghosts Soul Spikes skill. Seeing the countless white ghosts around them, the pressure on the group of NPC professionals doubled. Damn it, how long do we have to hold on! An NPC Musketeer muttered, filling the gun chamber with silver bullets emitting silver light. These were silver bullets specifically designed to kill soul-type monsters, with tremendous power, but the cost was high. After this battle, if they dont get a rich harvest, this Musketeer might go bankrupt instantly. At most half an hour, this damn wooden box will fall down. Mage professional Sophie looked up at the floating wooden box and gritted her teeth. Half an hour? I think I can last at most for ten minutes! an NPC warrior with a shield shouted and swung a long sword towards a mutated ghost. The mutated ghosts claws scratched the shield, making a sharp friction sound that was annoying to hear. The nearly physically immune mutated ghost rendered most of the warriors attacks ineffective. Sorry, everyone, I have to leave. If I keep holding on, Im afraid I might stay here forever. A short-statured halfling NPC said apologetically. Then, his body gradually became transparent and eventually disappeared. The halfling thief directly cast an invisibility spell and began to accelerate towards the graveyards exit. Once past the surrounding red-crazed ghosts, the ghosts in the distance were still in a confused state, unable to see through his invisibility. As a result, the halfling quickly left the area. Leaving this graveyard meant giving up all the items in the wooden box above, but precious items could be abandoned compared to ones life. The departure of the halfling seemed to shake the entire temporary team, with several NPC professionals flickering their eyes, seemingly hesitating whether to leave as well. Hold on! The wooden box will only stay for ten minutes after it falls. Once we leave, well miss this opportunity! Sophie seemed to notice peoples wavering and immediately shouted. Just then, the wood-textured guy suddenly roared, and his body quickly swelled up, his two legs transforming into roots that plunged into the depths of the earth. Su Te, you should have done this earlier! Sophies eyes lit up with surprise, shouting towards the treant. Hold on! Treant Su Te roared with a deep voice, transforming into a towering tree with a height of seven or eight meters. Numerous branches drooped from the sky, piercing into the soil, eventually forming a hemispherical tree fortress protecting everyone. The tree fortress only left an opening wide enough for one person, acting as a wall blocking the mutated ghosts from the outside. The pressure on the group was greatly relieved. Well done, SuTe! Thanks to you, Su Te. We wont fight with you for the promotion certificate if there really is one in the wooden box! Transformed into an ancient tree, Su Te withstood the attacks of more than a dozen mutated ghosts. His vitality points were decreasing at a visible rate, but hearing the shouts of the others, he still revealed a gratified smile. Su Te had been stuck at level 30 for too long. Without a professional certificate, he could only stay at this level and would not be able to advance in strength. Thats why this item was a must for him. Every time the wooden box dropped, his figure wouldnt be missing. However, he hadnt encountered a single box containing a promotion certificate for so long. It could only be attributed to bad luck. With Su Tes help, the NPC professionals were reassured. Two healing professionals even kept casting healing spells on Su Te. As long as his vitality points were full, Su Te could continuously drop branches to form a solid tree wall protecting everyone. Song Jian looked at the fighting NPC professionals in the distance, frowning. With this situation, they could definitely hold on until the wooden box fell. Could it be that Ive come here in vain? Song Jians face turned gloomy. However, he soon had a sudden thought: Since the wooden box is still floating in the air, why dont I directly go up there! With a thought, Song Jians figure disappeared instantly, replaced by a large black fog that appeared on the spot. This fog enveloped an area of more than ten meters in diameter, but the fog began to roll towards the center as soon as it appeared. In no time, it formed a dense fog only three meters wide. This is the limit I can compress now! Song Jian sighed in his heart. Although morphing into black fog also had attack effects, the most significant effect was still escaping, so Song Jian spent much effort on it. If he wanted, he could scatter as a fog and cover an area of almost thirty meters. If compressed inward, it could also become what it is nowa three-meter- wide dense fog. After turning into this three-meter-wide black fog, Song Jian slowly drifted towards the wooden box in the air. Chapter 431 - Chapter 431: Chapter 431: Empty Box? Chapter 431: Chapter 431: Empty Box? A cloud of black fog drifted into the sky. From a third-person perspective, Song Jian thought the compressed fog was too thick. Even in the darkness of night, anyone who looked up could notice something was amiss. So, Song Jian quickly dispersed the dense fog. The larger the area it covered, the lighter its color became. The fog, roughly twenty square meters, floated mid-air, disguising itself as a giant dark cloud under the cover of night, drifting towards the wooden box. Upon reaching the wooden box, Song Jian immediately cancelled the black fog state. He lay atop the box, a large parachute drifting above him, gently guiding the box towards the ground. At this rate, it would take at least half an hour before the box reached the ground. On the ground, a group of NPC professionals were surrounded by a swarm of ghosts, patiently waiting for the wooden box to fall from above. They didn t know that someone was already on top of the box, ready to take whatever was inside. The moment Song Jian touched the box, a system prompt suddenly appeared before him. System: You obtained the supply box. Do you want to open it? With the hint of a smirk, Song Jian thought, This worked out too easily! Open! Soon after, a progress bar appeared before Song Jian. The bar moved rather slowly, and as it did, the wooden box started to fall faster. Song Jian was taken aback. This is getting out of hand!1 Su Te, who had transformed into a tree fortress, accidentally looked up. The supply box was falling much faster. The news delighted him. Dozens of mutated spirits continually assaulted the tree fortress. Despite the efforts of two healers constantly replenishing its vitality, Su Te was almost running out of energy. Seeing the supply box descending rapidly, a smile spread across Su Tes face. He called out to the NPCs he was protecting, Hang in there for 5 more minutes. The supply box is about to descend! Since they were in the tree fortress, they couldnt see the sky. So, when they heard Su Tes yell, they were shocked. How is that possible? Shouldn t it still take 30 minutes for the box to fall? Maybe the wind is blowing it down The wind would blow it away, not accelerate its descent. Whatever, lets charge out and see whats going on! Hearing about the imminent delivery of the supply box made the NPC professionals hiding in the tree fortress restless. Every box contained valuable items which they could use to greatly enhance their abilities. That was one of the main reasons why theyd come to this city filled with monsters. Hey, guys, lets charge out and see whats going on! exclaimed a half beast-man brandishing an axe, charging out of the tree fortress. Once they emerged, they noticed the wooden box descending at a much faster speed. Their faces automatically lit up with joy. Song Jian, who was still clinging onto the box, dared not move, for fear of interrupting the boxs opening progress and having to start over. As the box descended faster, the opening progress bar finally reached the last mark. Upon hearing a faint click sound, a translucent screen appeared before Song Jian, displaying a dozen items. Without even reading the descriptions, he instantly swept all the items from the screen into his inventory. Then, with a leap, he transformed into a cloud of black fog and drifted away. Boom! Only a dozen seconds after Song Jian left, the box plummeted from the sky. With a loud thud, it landed in a graveyard several tens of meters away from the group of NPC professionals. Upon landing, it instantly shattered into wooden scraps. Its landed! Its landed! The NPCs, forgetting they were in the midst of a spiritual monster hunt, charged to the place where the box had fallen. Su Te, who had transformed into a tree fortress, let out a roar. Drawing back his branches and roots, he transformed into a seven or eight-meter tall treant. He charged towards the fallen box by taking long strides. Su Te was slow, but with every step, he covered four or five meters. The other NPC professionals were held back by the wave of spirits and could only watch Su Te rush towards the box. Hahaha, everything in the box is mine! Su Te laughed heartily. Soon, Su Te arrived at the place where the box had fallen. He swiftly reverted to human size, brushed away the wooden scraps, and started looking for items. What, nothing? How is that possible? Su Te had scattered the wooden scraps everywhere but could not find anything from the box. Su Te looked lifeless, as if hed been hit hard. He was ignoring the spirits that were gradually closing in. How can thiswhy is this possible Su Te seemed deeply affected. At that moment, a group of NPC professionals struggled to catch up to him. Hey, Su Te, any proof for profession change? Sophie shouted loudly. She remembered Su Te had said that he wouldnt take anything except the profession change certification. I bet there is none. If there was any, he would be jumping for joy by now. An NPC professional murmured. Phew! At least the trip wasnt wasted. Lets quickly share the items. Maybe we might have another chance to get a box! Dream on. Most of the boxes have flown to the edge of the city and into the mist. The remaining ones are in the area occupied by high-level monsters. And these boxes only exist for ten minutes after landing. Its a miracle if we can get even one. I hope there is a weapon for me. Hehe! Ive long wanted to switch my weapon! Seeing the group gather around him, Su Te, with a mournful face, shook his head and said, There was nothing in the box. It was empty. What, empty? How is that possible? I have never heard of cases of empty supply boxes! Su Te, did you take all the items? Thats not honorable of you Yeah, didnt you say that you wont take anything other than a profession change certification? When the group heard Su Te say the box was empty, they were initially stunned but then became furious. They all accused Su Te. Sophie also looked suspiciously at him. It was indeed an empty box! Banging his fist on the ground, Su Te created a large hole. Countless green cracks spread out from the hole in all directions, and Su Te himself began to expand uncontrollably. Hey, hey, calm down, Su Te. Okay, it was an empty box. Yes, I believe you. It was an empty box, right, everyone? Sophie gestured with her hand as if to stop Su Te, but her other hand was gripping the magic staff tightly behind her. She yelled this out and turned to look at the other NPCs. The other NPC professionals glanced at the mutated spirits swarming around them and the now shattered box with annoyance. But after looking at the most powerful Su Te, they nodded reluctantly, acknowledging Sophies statement. Chapter 432 - Chapter 432: Chapter 432: Golden Demonslaying Sword Chapter 432: Chapter 432: Golden Demonslaying Sword Damn it, an empty box, Ive participated in at least six supply box searches and Ive never encountered an empty box before An NPC profession cursed under his breath, venting all his anger on the surrounding mutated phantoms. Enough, are you planning to argue with that big guy? Its already at level 30, and supposedly almost at the threshold of first order combat power. Why is it so hell-bent on getting a job change certificate, if not for upgrading to first order combat power? Yeah, are you planning to fight it here? Just so you know, I definitely wont help you when the time comes. Su Te can morph into an Ancient War Tree, after all The NPC profession muttered as he rushed towards the exit of the cemetery. If he didnt leave now, they would be surrounded by the mutated phantoms again. This time, Su Te was probably not going to morph into a tree fortress to shield them from the elements. Alright, Su Te, I hope your job change is successful! Sophie looked at Su Te with mixed feelings, patted its arm, held the magic staff, and also rushed towards the cemetery exit. Damn it, why dont any of you believe me! Su Te felt extremely aggrieved, his chest feeling as though it was about to explode. Just then, a mutated phantom roared at him and pounced, only to run straight into the muzzle of his gun and be torn to pieces by Su Tes two hands. After venting his anger, Su Te, covered in wounds, cursed loudly and, like a bulldozer, broke a path and rushed towards the exit of the cemetery. The mutated phantoms, having lost their target, transformed back into white. Now aimless, they began to drift around. The entire cemetery seemed to be burning with tufts of white flames, creating an eerie scene. At this moment, Song Jian, morphed into Dark Cloud, was roaming above the cemetery. Seeing that all the NPCs had left, Song Jian immediately descended to the edge of the cemetery and began checking his inventory to see what he had obtained from the supply box. Wow, look at this, its a design drawing for an intelligent rocket-car! Does such a thing even exist? God, with this thing, who would dare to fight me! Song Jians gaze first landed on a booklet emitting golden light. The cover of the booklet read Intelligent Rocket-Car Design Drawing. However, judging by the thickness of the book, it would likely take a significant amount of effort to completely build this self-propelled car; Even if constructing this self-propelled car is challenging, Song Jian would spare no effort to make it; You need to be level eight in Engineering Craftsmanship Skill to learn it. Okay, Ill save it for later. Im only three levels away. Ill meet the learning requirements soon. Song Jian glanced at the conditions for learning from the design drawing, shrugged, and shifted his gaze to the other items. Ugh, clean water, compressed food, and first aid supplies. Its true that these are the most urgently needed supplies in an apocalypse, but theyre of no use to me! Song Jian pulled a face. The supply box was filled with food, water, and medicine, but these basic living supplies were no longer a concern for someone who owned an estate. Besides these supplies, the rest were weapons; two handguns, three MP5 submachine guns, and universal bullets for the handgun and submachine guns; Alright, I shouldnt have expected too much. With that design drawing, Ive already made a profit this time. Cant be too greedy; greed is the original sin! Although Song Jian was slightly dissatisfied, he comforted himself. Just as Song Jian was about to close the inventory, he was suddenly attracted by a golden glow. Upon a closer look, there was a long sword entirely made of dark gold in the last row of the inventory. Golden Demonslaying Sword (Gold), one-handed sword, equipment effect: Attack 87-96, Critical Hit +5, Knockback +3, Demon Slayer +1, Attack Speed +7, Gold Damage +35, Outstanding Strike Rate +10%; Special Effect 1: Master (Passive), the item absorbs the users essence blood for recognition, after master recognition the item cannot be destroyed, dropped or worn out; Special Effect 2: Growth (Passive), this item of equipment grows, initial level 1, the higher the level achieved by gaining battle experience, the stronger the item attributes, but the item level cannot exceed the user level; Wearing requirement: Level 1; Suit: 1/5. Can it be taken out of the game: No Hiss, this is another piece of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword set! Song Jian was taken aback, but then he was covered with immense joy, and he couldnt wait to jump up and celebrate right then! You need to know that the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand is not only a growing weapon, but also part of the gold suit C Song Jian had always thought that the remaining parts of this suit would be armors or something similar; he never imagined that the other parts of the suit turned out to be long swords. Song Jian took the Golden Demonslaying Sword out of the inventory and held it in his hand. The sword was dark gold all over, extremely gorgeous. On the ridge of the sword, a golden line extended like a long dragon from the hilt to the tip, making it look like a kings sword! As Song Jian held the Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his heart seemed to sense its existence and started to tremble slightly. Patches of aura emerged from his heart and traveled along his meridians to his right hand; Soon, the Golden Demonslaying Sword also began to shudder slightly with the exact same frequency as the other sword; Looks like Im going to be fighting with dual swords from now on! Song Jian glanced at the dark gold long sword in his hand and thought to himself. After dripping a drop of blood onto the Golden Demonslaying Sword, an intense golden light burst out from the sword, shooting straight into the sky. But the light only appeared for an instance before disappearing, making Song Jian think that it may have been an illusion. After recognizing the master with blood, Song Jian felt a slight connection with the long sword in his hand. He could control it as easily as if it were an extension of his arm, just as flexible and natural as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Just then, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly shot out from his heart. Even without Song Jians summoning, it hovered closely in mid-air. The Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand also began to shake violently, as though it was trying to break free from Song Jians control; Song Jian had a hunch and immediately opened his hand. Sure enough, the Golden Demonslaying Sword flew towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and the blades of the two long swords began to stick to each other, slowly starting their fusion process. Song Jian watched all this in amazement. To Song Jian, all this was simply too miraculous. If this were the real world, theres no way this could happen. In no time, the two long swords merged into one and turned into a long sword that fell towards Song Jian; Grasping the fused long sword, Song Jian felt as though he was holding two long swords at the same time. With a thought, the long sword in his hand turned into the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, while the Golden Demonslaying Sword became a phantom shadow and attached itself to the side of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With another thought, the long sword immediately transformed back into the Golden Demonslaying Sword, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword became a phantom shadow on the Golden Demonslaying Sword. Looking at the long sword that could change at will, Song Jian couldnt help but burst out laughing. Chapter 433 - Chapter 433: Chapter 433: Master of Evil Spirits Chapter 433: Chapter 433: Master of Evil Spirits The mutant phantoms were like lanterns emitting white light, illuminating the graveyard as if it were daylight. As Song Jian was inspecting the attributes of his fused long sword, a special phantom slowly emerged from the center of the graveyard. Before ordinary phantoms encounter a living creature, they emit a milky white glow, within which was a semi-transparent human figure, faint but discernible. Upon closer inspection, one could even make out the features and body shape of this figure C the phantoms appearance in life. However, this special phantom radiated a bloody red glow like a burning flame. The figure within was a woman wearing a crown with a magnificent dress. This woman must have been beautiful when alive, but as a phantom, her face had twisted into an image of savagery and bloodlust. Upon the appearance of this unique phantom, the ordinary mutant phantoms seemed terrified, hastily drifting away. As soon as this special phantom appeared, it furiously hunted down ordinary mutant phantoms, tearing each one into pieces and devouring them. With each phantom she tore apart, a chilling scream would resonate around her, as if she was entrapping their souls. Each phantom she absorbed made her grow larger and her savage aura stronger. By the time Song Jian noticed her, she had already devoured over a dozen mutant phantoms and grown over two meters tall. From a distance, she seemed like a massive moving torch chasing little white lanterns. Master of Evil Spirits? A level thirty Elite Boss? Song Jian squinted and analyzed the attributes of this enormous creature. As it turned out, this suddenly appearing Master of Evil Spirits was the Boss of the cemetery. It seems to gain strength by absorbing ordinary mutant phantoms. If its allowed to consume all the phantoms in the graveyard, wont it easily break the Elite level limitation and evolve into a Lord ranked monster? No current player could defeat a Lord-level monster of level thirty Song Jian pondered, unsure if, having gained the Golden Demonslaying Sword and significantly increased his strength, he could handle a level thirty Elite Boss. When she had grown almost three meters, she abruptly stopped chasing and devouring phantoms, appearing satiated and lackadaisical, losing interest in the mutant phantoms around her. Even when an ordinary mutant phantom accidentally touched her, she simply scared it away, without tearing it apart. It seems that theres a limit to how many mutant phantoms she can absorb in a day. Any more, and she could be harmed instead of strengthened. Like a king surveying his territory, the satiated Master of Evil Spirits began to patrol around the cemetery. Ordinary mutant phantoms hurriedly kept their distance. Some even dared to stand afar and roar angrily at her, but she seemed to pay no heed to these provocations. It seemed that Song Jian was directly in the path of her patrol. As the Master of Evil Spirits drifted slowly toward him, he couldnt help but grip his long sword tighter. This graveyard is quite conducive to leveling up. She cant be allowed to keep absorbing. If shes allowed to truly grow, Im afraid no one in the city could suppress her! Song Jian held his sword, itching for action. Just as she was about ten meters away, the Master of Evil Spirits seemed to sense something and turned her head toward Song Jian, who was standing at the edge of the graveyard. Her blood-red eyes were filled with greed. With a shriek, the Master of Evil Spirits suddenly increased her speed. A chilling wind stirred around her, and the heartbreaking screams of countless spirits grew louder as she approached Song Jian. Song Jian stomped his right foot, and a tusk-shaped energy cluster roared toward the Master of Evil Spirits; Earth Teeth Assault! Facing the attacking Master of Evil Spirits, Song Jian showed no fear. He cast his skill first to test her strength. The tusk-shaped energy cluster collided with the Master of Evil Spirits, creating countless sparks, yet her body only trembled slightly before continuing to move toward Song Jian. The Level 2 Earth Teeth Assault only dealt about thirty points of damage to the Master of Evil Spirits. Considering she had over five thousand Vitality Points, this attack was as insignificant as a tickle. She seems to be an ethereal entity, but her defense is formidable. The attack of Earth Teeth Assault has been reduced by at least half! A wave of realization crashed over Song Jian, as he understood the strength of the Master of Evil Spirits. Light Strike! Song Jian swung his sword, casting his most damaging skill at the Master of Evil Spirits who was only three to four meters away. A dazzling sword Qi shot towards the Master of Evil Spirits; She let out a surprised shriek, as if extremely frightened of the holy power of the strike. Her hands frantically moved in front of her chest, conjuring a furious wind around her. Icy mists began to condense, forming a gigantic half-arc shield in front of her. Wall of Shadows! The sound made by the Master of Evil Spirits was like a claw scratching on a glass. Boom! The golden Sword Qi struck the half-arc shield, causing a violent explosion. The shield shattered instantly, and the golden Sword Qi was countered and disappeared. A sense of relief flashed across the face of the Master of Evil Spirits. However, just as she pulled back her arms, a golden Sword Qi as thick as an arm fiercely slashed through her body. -980 A damage figure close to a thousand floated above the head of the Master of Evil Spirits, causing her to freeze mid-air and let out a heart-wrenching scream. This is secondary damage? Song Jian was somewhat surprised, but his sword quickly transmitted an intel. After fusing with the Golden Demonslaying Sword, every attack of Song Jian could cause secondary damage. Even a regular strike was equivalent to the attack of two swords; For Song Jian, this almost doubled his damage dealt. Regardless of the skill used, it would cause secondary skill damage to the target, and the second attack was more subtle than the first. This was why the Master of Evil Spirits was caught off guard and hit by the second wave. This is incredibly powerful! Song Jians confidence increased, he brandished his sword and lunged at the Master of Evil Spirits. Chapter 434 - Chapter 434: Chapter 434: Soul-shattering Sting Chapter 434: Chapter 434: Soul-shattering Sting Boom! A surge of black flame rose from the surface of Song Jians body. With the appearance of the flame, it seemed like someone was softly chanting an unknown language around him, compelling people to completely relax, not wanting to think or do anything, then continuously sink deeper The black flame converged into a black armor appearing on the surface of Song Jians body. This armor had no weight, but its properties were far stronger than typical equipment. At this moment, the Master of Evil Spirits stood three meters away from Song Jian, its hands swinging incessantly. Each swing drew forth a grey current that, like a sharp blade, flew towards Song Jian. Song Jian attempted to strike a current with his longsword. The moment the sword collided with the current, his entire body trembled. The impact of the current was just like a full-force strike from him. For Song Jian, he wouldnt be able to withstand it after a few times. When the second current rushed towards him, Song Jian could only dodge to the side. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The attack speed of the Master of Evil Spirits was getting faster with the passage of time. The currents it released were like artillery shells, shattering surrounding rocks into pieces and causing utter chaos. I cant let it continue attacking like this!, Song Jian thought darkly. Grinding his teeth, he displays the Sword Shadow Step, his body forms into a shadow and charges towards the Master of Evil Spirits. Broken Wing Dance! Boom, boom, boom- A series of damage numbers floated above the head of the Master of Evil Spirits. Each attack caused it twice the damage. When the skill, Broken Wing Dance, ended, the Vitality Points of the Master of Evil Spirits decreased by nearly a thousand. But the third move of the Broken Wing Dance, the airborne state, did not come out. It only made the Master of Evil Spirits move back a little. The airborne state is affected by the strengths of both sides, and also has a significant relation to the targets size. Although the Master of Evil Spirits was a Soul Body, its size was already close to three meters. The airborne state effect of the Broken Wing Dance was too poor. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian raised his longsword high, slashing it vigorously forward. Two transparent longswords condensed above his head, one normal size and the other half as small, looking like a small version of the Spirit Sword. The Master of Evil Spirits is a Soul Body, its resistance to spiritual damage should be low!, Song Jian thought to himself. Bang, bang! The two Spirit Swords nearly simultaneously stabbed into the Master of Evil Spirits. The giant body of the boss trembled violently, cracks appearing on its surface like a damaged glass cup. Even the red light on the surface of its body also trembled violently as if it were to extinguish at any moment. But this situation only lasted for less than a second, and the Master of Evil Spirits then quickly recovered. Ah! With a mad roar, the Master of Evil Spirits became even more ferocious. The Spiritual Sword Control Technique seemed to have enraged it, gusts of yin wind kept blowing up around it, causing Song Jian to lose his balance and retreat backwards. Gulu, gulu- Giant rocks over one person tall were whipped up by the strong wind and scattered all over the place. The Master of Evil Spirits directly grabbed a rock with a diameter of more than 5 meters and smashed it towards Song Jian. Seeing the massive rock like a small mountain smashing down and himself being completely engulfed in the shadow of the rock, Song Jian was scared and immediately dodged aside. Boom! The rock smashed heavily onto where Song Jian had just been standing, shattering like a bomb. Numerous fragments flew towards Song Jian like a rainstorm. This time, Song Jian could no longer dodge, he could only cover his head with his hands, and crawl on the ground, the power of these debris was not weak, damage points of fifty or sixty floated above Song Jians head. Once the debris finished spraying, Song Jians vitality points had lost over three hundred points; After unleashing this move, the Master of Evil Spirits seemed to have expended a lot, standing still at the original place. A trace of fatigue began to show on his twisted face. Song Jians eyes lit up, and he directly activated the Immortal Sword Body; A dazzling golden light burst forth from his body, and eight long sword phantoms slowly circled around his body. Song Jian felt a powerful force surging within him; Sweeping Sword Style! Sword Silk! Broken Wing Dance! For a moment, Song Jian went all out, displaying all his sword techniques, and a series of damage numbers floated above the BOSSS head. Each move was able to inflict double damage, as if there were two Song Jians full force attacking it. The Master of Evil Spirits vitality points rapidly decreased and half an hour later, the vitality points of the Master of Evil Spirits dropped to below 30%. The Master of Evil Spirits, who was already enraged, his pair of blood-red eyes emitted a malicious glow, staring at Song Jian unblinkingly. I curse you, I curse you, I curse you The Master of Evil Spirits gnashed his teeth, throwing the most vicious curses, its body also began to slowly shrink, after a short while, it transformed into the size of a normal human; Meanwhile, the original bloody red glow around it turned into a deep black color as if ink was splashed on it, with the curses one after another. Soul-shattering Sting! The Master of Evil Spirits suddenly let out a sharp roar, the black lights all over his body all concentrated on one point between his eyebrows, looking like a third black eye had grown on him. An instant later, Song Jians body was covered with goosebumps, feeling as if he was naked standing in the cold Siberian snowstorm, the threat of death, like a giant beast, was already opening its mouth to pounce on him; Im going to die! A lightning bolt seemed to flash through Song Jians mind, he cried out unconsciously and instinctively posed the Sacred Parry stance; A dark black light as dense as ink shot out from the Master of Evil Spirits eyebrows, forming a cone in mid-air, shooting towards Song Jian; After releasing this attack, the Master of Evil Spirits let out a scream, its body collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, obviously, this move was its last resort, and it absolutely would not use it under normal circumstances. The ink-like arrow shot towards Song Jian, he only felt a numbness in his arms, almost couldnt hold his long sword, his body involuntarily retreated several steps backwards, stumbled against a stone stele, and finally came to a stop. Thump- Song Jian felt a sharp pain at his back, as if his chest was severely shocked, his throat was itchy, and he couldnt help but coughed out a mouthful of blood, only then he felt slightly better. The right arm holding the long sword was involuntarily twitching slightly, Song Jian felt he couldnt even muster the strength to lift his little finger. On the dark red long sword, a streak of black fluid, like a small snake, twisted its way into the sword blade, only to be blocked by a flame. At the same time, streaks of golden light shot out from the long sword into the black snake. Each time it was stabbed, the black liquid snake would thrash its body violently and let out a piercing shriek. Several dozen seconds later, when Song Jians right arm regained sensation, the black liquid snake on the sword blade also gradually turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared. Chapter 435 - Chapter 435: Chapter 435: Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard Chapter 435: Chapter 435: Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard The black liquid snake attached to the long sword was actually a part of the previously mentioned black spike, and was entirely brought into existence by a malicious curse. Once contaminated, one would suffer from endless torment of the curse, eventually leading to a tragic death with no spiritual release. If Song Jian had not acquired the Golden Demonslaying Sword, trying to dispel the curse using solely the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword would have been impossible. The consequence could have been substantial damage to the Ape Sword, requiring a long time for restoration. The Golden Demonslaying Sword possesses properties to destroy evil which counteracts such attacks. Coupled with Song Jians execution of the technique of the Sacred Parry, the majority of the curse was deflected. This made the curse easily dispelled. At that very moment, Song Jian heard a piercing scream of fear coming from the bosss location. He turned to see that the Master of Evil Spirits seemed to have fallen into a large vat of black ink. The inky substance covered its entire body like a huge net. Black streaks like tentacles climbed towards its head. No, no, why is this happening, why is the curse rebounding! The Master of Evil Spirits, terrified, tried to swipe off the black liquid from his body but to no avail, only making the black area larger. Very soon, its whole body was covered in black. The original 30% of the Master of Evil Spirits Vitality points reduced to 5% after being affected by the rebound of Soul-breaking Sting. Following the spread of the curse over its entire body, damages in hundreds floated over its head. It was on its last legs and lost all energy to resist. I wonder if I can enchant him to be my slave now! Looking at the Master of Evil Spirits hanging by a thread, a glint appeared in Song Jians eyes. He struggled to stand, summoned the Book of the Abyss, and turned to the chapter of the Abyss Temptation to begin casting the spell. Strange syllables came out from Song Jians mouth, creating an unsettling feeling in the Master of Evil Spirits C as if a thousand insects were crawling into his brain through its ears. Song Jians voice grew louder and louder, eventually sounding divine. Every syllable made the Master of Evil Spirits tremble. Its mind went blank, and he felt torn apart. This, coupled with the eruptive curse of Soul-breaking Sting, made the Master of Evil Spirits long to die at once. Song Jian repeatedly chanted the words of Abyss Temptation. The more he read, the more pressure he felt. Every syllable drained a massive amount of Spirit Points. The rapid consumption of his Spirit Points rendered him powerless to continue. Chanting the enchantment was abruptly interrupted. Song Jian collapsed with weakened knees, dropped the Book of the Abyss, and was covered in sweat, looking as if he had just been dragged out of a pool. His face was pale, and his head felt like it was being stirred by a red-hot iron needle. The next moment after Song Jian stopped casting the spell, the Master of Evil Spirits head exploded with a pop, and its entire bodys curse fluid transformed into a fiery flame that burned intensely. Within moments, it was reduced to a pile of ashes. A golden light burst out from Song Jian, forming a dragon shape and disappeared into the sky after a sharp dragon chant. Song Jian finally broke through to level 21. If it wasnt for comprehending the Abyss Temptation skill, Song Jian would have reached level 21 a while ago. Using his newly gained skill point on the Spiritual Sword Control Technique and since it was already at a 100% proficiency level, it instantly upgraded to level 2. The skills damage increased from 150 points to 180 points, with no other changes. Song Jian did not want to waste skill points, thus he took the opportunity to upgrade skills already at maximum proficiency. The Master of Evil Spirits dropped a silver quality shoulder guard of level 25. Song Jian had yet to fill the shoulder armor slot in his equipment slot and now he finally got one. The loot was quite satisfactory. Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard (Silver), Equipment Level: 30, Equipment Effects: Strength +3, Agility +2, Constitution +2, Defense +35, Spell resistance +23, Full property resistance +10%, Vitality recovery speed +15%, Special effect 1: Ghost Step (passive), 15% increase in movement speed; Special effect 2: Evil Spirit Protection (passive), when under attack, there is a certain chance to trigger this effect, reducing the damage of that attack by 40%. This effect can occur once every 10 minutes; Equipment requirement: level 25. Can it be taken out of the game: No. The equipment attribute was good, and it was a level 30 silver shoulder guard. Unfortunately, it required a level 25 to equip, and Song Jian had only just reached level 21. He was still quite far from being able to wear it, so he could only drool over it. Placing the shoulder guard into the bag slot and collected the remaining boss drop materials, Song Jian glanced at the graveyard and began to head towards Manor Castle. Upon returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian began to inspect todays loot- the design of the intelligent rocket self-propelled car and Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard. They were not immediately usable and were stored in Manor Castle for now. In addition, he had a bunch of supplies and weapons obtained from supply boxes in his package slot, Song Jian directly threw them into the grocery store in his territory. The most significant gain this time was acquiring the Golden Demonslaying Sword. Song Jians attack power almost doubled, every move was equivalent to being attacked by two swords at once, which was simply too overpowered. Furthermore, this belonged to a set, and there were obviously three other long swords waiting for Song Jian to fuse. Who knew how the properties of the long sword would turn out after collecting all five swords for fusion. But just thinking about it made Song Jian extremely excited. At this moment, Song Jian received a delightful system message. System: your friend, Wang Qi, has sent you a new message. Startled, Song Jian then remembered the equipment that was previously dropped during their team mission. Looks like all the equipment has been sold, I wonder how much money Ill get! Song Jian was quite looking forward to it. Good quality equipment that could be used were internalized by their team, the items sold were mostly equipment that conflicted with their job classes. Upon opening the email, Song Jian did not expect nearly ninety thousand Doomsday Coins in the attachments. Considering the loot was split among five people, Song Jian was satisfied with the amount he received. Ill take a short break, and then set up leveling in the cemetery. Song Jian thought to himself. That was a leveling treasure trove. For Song Jian right now, who had jumped nine levels, he could gain a significant amount of overleveled experience. Most importantly, the damage of the Mutant Ghost, as far as Song Jian was concerned, was entirely bearable. Furthermore, he stored the Advanced Healing Potion as a trump card. He can definitely farm in there all night long. Chapter 436 - Chapter 436: Chapter 436: Monk Chapter 436: Chapter 436: Monk Nightfall descended, and Song Jian, who had slept all day, was spirited and full. After a meal, he checked his supplies and headed toward the cemetery he had visited the day before. The cemetery still bore the signs of yesterdays battle, with many tombs shattered. Song Jian could see bones overturned, glowing with a phosphorescent green light under the cover of night. Sword in hand, he cautiously made his way deeper into the cemetery. As he passed each tomb, he prepared for the possibility of spectral ghosts lunging at him. He walked more than ten meters without encountering any spectral ghosts. A furrow settled on Song Jians brow, Whats going on? Could it be that after yesterdays battle the spectral ghosts got scared and dare not come out? Thats impossible! Just then, he suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet. A skeletal hand emerged from the dirt and clutched Song Jians ankle. The night was still. Surrounded by the silence of the cemetery, anyone else might have been so scared their soul would fly off in terror, but Song Jian kicked forward and freed himself from the skeletal hands grasp, stepping back two paces and preparing for anything. Song Jians strength was now at thirty-seven points, on par with the previous level thirty boss, the Master of Evil Spirits. There was no way the hand, possessing only the strength of an average adult, could hold him down. Splash! A white skeletal monster emerged from the ground where the hand had surfaced, with green ghost-fires burning fiercely in its hollow eye sockets. Crack, crack, crack, crack! This was a standard level thirty skeletal monster, and it tottered toward Song Jian. He heaved his sword and struck at it. It took just over a minute to reduce his adversary into a pile of bone dust. Glancing at the skeletal monster at his feet that hadnt dropped any loot, Song Jian couldnt help thinking, This must be the weakest ordinary monster at level thirty. To Song Jian, this skill-less skeletal monster was just a beefy, high-defense meatbag, or perhaps an Experience Points gift box. His Experience Points had gone up a bit, and he was pleased with the increase. Even if it didnt drop a single piece of loot, the battle experience awarded by a level thirty monster was unmatched anywhere else. Song Jian began stepping over each tomb, trying to draw out more skeletal monsters. After battling in the cemetery for over four hours, Song Jians level rose from level 21 with 1% progress to level 21 with 73% progress. If he fought until dawn, he could certainly level up again. Levelling up in one night was an achievement enjoyed only by players under level ten. Players over level ten who grind monsters the same level as themselves need at least three to four days to level up. It would take at least twenty days, or even a month, grinding same-level monsters to level up past level twenty. Despite this, Song Jians strategy of leveling up by fighting monsters nine levels higher allowed him to level from 21 to 22 in a single night. His progress would surely turn many players green with envy. As the night deepened, white spectral ghosts began to drift out of the tombs. Spectral ghosts were standard level thirty monsters too, but they were clearly much more formidable than the previous skeletal monsters. The Void characteristic itself reduced the damage Song Jian could inflict on them by a third. In addition, the spectral ghosts could use a move called Soul Spikes. Although the move wasnt up to par compared to the Master of Evil Spirits Soul-shattering Sting and had no curse effect, the move would induce shock and fear if it hit. Even though Song Jians Thick Skin talent could perfectly counteract this shock effect, each triggering of the skill still came with a brief reactivity window of less than a second. If tens of spectral ghosts were to relentlessly fling Soul Spikes at him, in theory, they could keep Song Jian trapped until his death. However, spectral ghosts werent that smart. As soon as Song Jian entered their range, they would pounce at him like a Shi Lezhi, with reckless abandon. The Experience Points awarded from killing spectral ghosts was one-third more than those from killing skeletal monsters, and they dropped loot. Although they were tougher to defeat, Song Jian still preferred hunting spectral ghosts. As long as he paid attention during the fight and didnt stay in one place for too long or get surrounded by spectral ghosts, Song Jian found leveling up here quite easy. After another hour, Song Jians level went up to 21 with 97% progress. In less than half an hour, he would reach level 22. At that moment, Song Jian realized that the number of spectral ghosts in front seemed to be decreasing. And they didnt disappear because he had hunted them. They just vanished inexplicably. He wondered, Whats happening? Could it be that another Master of Evil Spirits has shown up? Song Jian suddenly became alert and cautiously surveyed his surroundings. In no time, he noticed several spectral ghosts, apparently drawn by something, that were slowly gathering toward him, only to suddenly turn around and float towards a small forest beyond the cemetery. Intrigued, Song Jian quietly followed. The spectral ghosts were slow drifters. Song Jian just needed to avoid getting too close to the other spectral ghosts, so they wouldnt notice and become agitated, attacking him. The spectral ghosts effortlessly passed through the cemetery fence, disappearing into a nearby small forest. Looking at the pitch-black forest, Song Jian furrowed his brows. He felt as if the forest was concealing something, perhaps a monster too powerful for him to handle. After all, this was a region of level thirty monsters. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to venture inside and see what was hidden. Morphing into Dark Cloud! Song Jian transformed into a black cloud and slowly floated up, moving towards the little forest. Very quickly, he noticed the spectral ghosts that had entered the forest earlier. They were continuously passing through the large trees, going straight towards the heart of the forest, as if something there was strongly enticing them. Song Jian followed these spectral ghosts, quickly arriving at an open space in the center of the forest. A bald monk, around twenty years old with three scars on top of his head, was sitting cross-legged on a tree stump. He emanated a faint golden glow and incessantly recited sutras, sounding like he was chanting a melody. Around the monk were between thirty and forty spectral ghosts. They stood quietly, seemingly listening intently to the recitation of the sutras. The golden glow radiating from the monks body transformed into tiny sparks and constantly drifted into the bodies of the spectral ghosts. Each time they absorbed some of the sparks, they seemed to respond with satisfaction, and their hazy faces started to become clearer. Chapter 437 - Chapter 437: Chapter 437: The Hippogriff Beast Chapter 437: Chapter 437: The Hippogriff Beast Is that a player? Song Jian looked at the monk with a surprised expression on his face. Zhang Hong, level 19, occupation: Martial Monk, vitality points: 800/800 This player didnt hide his name and attributes, which were boldly displayed above his head. As Zhang Hong intoned scriptures, each mutated ghost, covered in golden light, eventually awakened its self-awareness. With tears streaming down their faces, they bowed gratefully to Zhang Hong before gradually disappearing. As each mutated ghost was reincarnated, sweat began to bead on Zhang Hongs forehead. The strains of chanting took their toll, his voice growing lower and lower. Half an hour later, the surrounding mutated ghosts were all reincarnated and vanished, with no new ghosts arriving. Zhang Hong sighed softly, then took out a bottle of mineral water and a compressed ration from his bag and started to eat. After eating, Zhang Hong brushed the crumbs off himself and called out in the direction of Song Jian: Dear donor, youve been watching for so long, why not come down and chat? Song Jian was taken aback. He was currently in a state of black mist, how did he get detected? However, there were countless scouting skills in the game. For a martial monk capable of reincarnating level 30 ghosts, it was possible that he had some special scouting skill. Song Jian floated down slowly. After cancelling his black mist state and returning to human form, he made a gesture of salute to Zhang Hong, smiling: Im sorry, I came to grind levels in the graveyard up ahead. I noticed some unusual activity from several mutated ghosts, so I followed them here. It was not intentional, my apologies! Zhang Hong slowly stood up, shaking his head with a smile: Amitabha, you are too polite. As I chant the scriptures and promote the Dharma, naturally the more listeners the better! Song Jian looked puzzled. He had a gut feeling that the man before him was acting quite oddly. It seemed as if he was a monk in the real world too. He couldnt help but probe: Are you a monk in the real world too? Zhang Hong pressed his palms together and bowed to Song Jian: Im a monk at Qingquan Temple in the real world, my dharma name is Hongyi. Qingquan Temple is a temple on Wangyue Mountain in the outskirts of Coastal City. There is a tens-of-meters-tall seated Buddha statue there, said to be constructed during the Southern Song Dynasty. It is considered a local attraction, and Song Jian had visited it with friends before. Song Jian knew that there were only two or three real monks in Qingquan Temple. The majority of the staff were local villagers who also ran small businesses selling incense and souvenirs. It was said that the real monks in Qingquan Temple seldom showed themselves. He never thought hed meet one in a game. Are you leveling up here too? Song Jian asked curiously. To level up, this humble monk not only needs battle experience, but also merits. Helping these lost souls can earn merits, but their levels are too high. I can only help a few at a time Zhang Hong said with a furrowed brow. The occupation of martial monk needs merits to level up? How peculiar is that! Song Jian thought to himself. After some casual conversation and adding each other as friends, Song Jian turned to return to the graveyard. Watching Song Jian dissapear, the smile on Zhang Hongs face faded and he stared expressionless towards denser part of the forest. Rustle- Several semi-transparent souls emerged from the surrounding trees, surrounding Zhang Hong. These souls emitted a faint golden glow, their bodies robust and possessing meter-long wooden sticks in their hands. One of the souls drifted over and whispered something in Zhang Hongs ear. Zhang Hong slowly shook his head: This man is capable of hunting in an area with level 30 monsters. He is probably one of the top three players on the level honor board. Attacking him rashly, the odds of success are low, and it may just alert him to our presence That soul whispered a few more sentences, making Zhang Hong smile and nod: Indeed, he is indeed the ideal candidate for the Dharma Protector Vajra. Hehe, we can observe slowly, there is no need to rush. He will likely be leveling up in this graveyard in the coming days, we still have a lot of time Song Jian was on his way back to the graveyard, he looked serious. All the way back, he held his sword tightly in his hand. The monk gave him a feeling of extreme peace, and if he hadnt felt that something was spying on him, Song Jian would not have suspected him. From the looks of it, that monk was affecting me somehow all this while, trying to get me to like him. There is no harm in this influence, hence my innate ability couldnt detect it Song Jian thought to himself. This man is too dangerous. Even though his level is lower than mine, I dont know why I feel a sort of apprehension towards him! Song Jian shook his head, looking back at the forest. He suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Just as Song Jian was about to continue leveling up in the graveyard, he suddenly felt something rapidly falling from above. The whipping wind made him look up, and what he saw made him jump. There was an enormous shadow overhead, like a giant bird, swooping down rapidly. Crash! Like a falling meteor, this monstrous bird landed in the graveyard. The aura that it emitted made Song Jian shiver. This creature had a head that resembled an owl, but its body and limbs were like those of a lion. It had a pair of large wings on its back and a tail that looked like a snake. As soon as this creature, which seemed to belong to a mythical story, appeared, Song Jian immediately hid behind a tombstone, cautiously peeking out. Hippogriff, elite boss, level 30, first-order combat power, vitality: 8000/8000, characteristics:??, skills:?? An elite boss with first-order combat power? Song Jian jumped with surprise. This was his first encounter with a first-order monster. As soon as the Hippogriff landed in the graveyard, it started gobbling up the mutated ghosts like a baby chick pecking at grains. The level 30 mutated ghosts stood no chance against the Hippogriff, they were like insects being swallowed one by one. Song Jian dared not make a sound. If it was just a level 30 elite, he might have taken a risk. However, he knew that once a monster possessed first-order combat power, even if it was the same level, the power it had would be drastic. He was no match for this Hippogriff. Im definitely not its match. Looks like I cant level up to level 22 today. Song Jian regretfully glanced at his experience bar, which was already at 97%, and slowly began to retreat. Just then, Zhang Hong appeared at the edge of the forest. He was also attracted by the commotion made by the monster. Upon seeing the Hippogriff, which was taller than three meters, a look of joy appeared on Zhang Hongs face. Chapter 438 - Chapter 438: Chapter 438: Flash Thunder Strike Chapter 438: Chapter 438: Flash Thunder Strike A battle beast, this is a perfect battle beast! My luck is just too good, haha! Zhang Hongs face showed a crazy expression, completely different from his previous peaceful demeanor. The Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast, once it reaches adulthood, it can rival the existence of a Giant Dragon. As long as I sign a contract with it Zhang Hong muttered to himself, as his body emitted a dazzling golden light, like he was wearing a golden armor. Come on, Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast, let me, Master Hongyi, become your master, and you will become the first battle beast under the future Buddha Hongyi! Zhang Hongs eyes were filled with fanaticism as he charged towards the Lion Hawk Beast. Bang! The Six-Ring Tin Staff, glowing with a golden light, fiercely struck the Lion Hawk Beasts body, causing a large bruise. The Lion Hawk Beast cried out in pain, unable to stop itself from letting out a sharp howl. Seeing the damage numbers floating above the Lion Hawk Beasts head, Zhang Hong laughed out loud: Great, I can break its defense! Youre mine now, this Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast definitely belongs to me! Hiss- The tail behind the Lion Hawk Beast suddenly lifted up, and a triangular snake head hissed angrily and bit towards Zhang Hong. Bang! Like a black lightning bolt, the snake-like long tail of the Lion Hawk Beast fiercely bit towards Zhang Hong, but it was blocked by a thick layer of golden light around his body. Although the snake tails attack was blocked, its power still seeped through. Zhang Hong, who was only an 18th level player, was like a tiny bug to the Lion Hawk Beast, which had a first-order combat power. It was an absolute crushing situation. The attack sent Zhang Hong flying like a cannonball. He crashed through two stone tablets before coming to a stop, blocked by a large tree. Zhang Hong held his Six-Ring Tin Staff tightly, wearing the dazzling golden armor, as he struggled to stand up. He couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood. With his current strength, even fighting with a level 30 ordinary monster was strenuous. If it werent for his natural suppression of soul bodies, he wouldnt even be in this place. Not to mention an elite BOSS with first-order combat power like the Lion Hawk Beast, even an ordinary level 30 elite BOSS would send Zhang Hong running. This Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast was just too rare which made Zhang Hong couldnt resist taking a risk. Esteemed friend, I wonder if you could help this poor monk hold off the monster. In doing so, you will not only gain my friendship but also a handsome reward afterwards! Zhang Hong looked at Song Jian with a smile on his face. Although Zhang Hong seemed a bit embarrassed at the moment, his golden aura was as peaceful and kind as Buddha while speaking to Song Jian, making it hard for anyone to refuse his request. Song Jian, his eyes filled with confusion, was about to agree when a cool stream suddenly flowed through his mind, instantly sobering him up. As he looked at Zhang Hong with a sharp gaze, a sense of danger emerged. Before, Zhang Hong had only used some methods to make Song Jian have a favorable impression of him, which did not have any adverse effects on Song Jian. As a result, Song Jians natural talent didnt trigger. However, now, Zhang Hong had obviously used a skill similar to Charm Magic. This naturally touched the forbidden area of Song Jians natural talent, activating it and eliminating Zhang Hongs influence. Buzz- Zhang Hongs face suddenly turned pale, and he staggered back a couple of steps. It was a skill backlash! Zhang Hong looked at Song Jian in surprise, unable to believe that his skill had failed! Damn it, I was too reckless! What should I do now? Zhang Hong panicked and quickly spoke to Song Jian: Im sorry, esteemed friend, it was just that this poor monk was a bit too anxious earlier, and I lost my composure. Please forgive me, Im willing to pay you 10,000 Doomsday Coins as compensation! At this moment, a system notification suddenly appeared before Song Jian: System: Player Zhang Hong has sent you a trade request. He will trade 10,000 Doomsday Coins to you. Do you accept the request? Song Jian sneered in his heart, but on his face, he pretended to be hesitant, wanting to take advantage of the situation and directly chose to accept. Soon, 10,000 Doomsday Coins entered Song Jians inventory. 10,000 Doomsday Coins, even players at this stage, could consider this a small fortune. Song Jian showed a relieved smile on his face, nodding at Zhang Hong to signify that their past quarrel was erased. Zhang Hong was overjoyed and hurriedly said: Esteemed friend, please lend me a hand and help me subdue this monster. I will definitely reward you greatly! As he spoke, Zhang Hong summoned several semi-transparent soul bodies and directed them towards the Lion Hawk Beast. These soul bodies were battle spirits that Zhang Hong had secretly converted while liberating mutated souls. Each battle spirit required a hundred mutated soul bodies to successfully convert. Once converted, these soul bodies would treat Zhang Hong as their master, obeying him without question, even if he ordered them to die without a moments hesitation. The battle spirits fought with the Lion Hawk Beast wielding their long staffs. However, it was clear that they were no match for the Lion Hawk Beast. For now, Zhang Hong was only using them as cannon fodder to buy some time. Sir, have you reconsidered? As a monk, I do not lie, and I will not deceive you. As long as you help me catch this monster, I will definitely give you a great gift! Zhang Hong said with an anxious expression on his face, as he could feel that he was losing contact with his painstakingly converted battle spirits one after another. In reality, for the Lion Hawk Beast, which fed on soul bodies, these few battle spirits were nothing more than slightly stronger ants when compared to the ordinary mutated souls around them. The Lion Hawk Beast could still eat them up one by one, and they even tasted much better than regular mutated souls. Youre only level 18. What good things can you have? If you want me to help you, you have to give me the items for the trade first, then Ill help you! Song Jian disdainfully looked Zhang Hong up and down while revealing his level. Seeing that Song Jian was already level 21, Zhang Hong immediately felt surprised. At this point, he had also realized Song Jians identity C the first person on the level honor rankings! Soon, Zhang Hongs face was full of smiles again as he said to Song Jian: So its Sir Song. Seeing that youre holding a sword, you must be a swordsman class. I happen to have a suitable sword technique for you! With that, Zhang Hong took out a golden scroll and unfolded it to show its attributes to Song Jian. Skill Scroll: Flash Thunder Strike; Usage effect: Learn Sword Technique C Flash Thunder Strike; Usage requirements: Weapon type C Sword; Flash Thunder Strike (Active), skill effect: Borrow the power of thunder to deal three instantaneous damage to the target. The first damage is 150% of physical attack, the second damage is 110% of physical attack, and the third damage is 70% of physical attack. The three damages are thunder attribute damages, with a very small probability of making the target stunned for 1 second; cooldown time: 10 seconds; skill consumption: 30 points of Sword Qi. A gold-quality sword technique, and its pretty powerful! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he was instantly tempted. Chapter 439 - Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Besieged Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Besieged First, give me this sword skill. Once I learn it and become stronger, itll benefit you too! Song Jians eyes shone brightly as he shouted. This Zhang Hong hesitated. We can sign a contract and have the system certify it! Song Jian yelled. It was obviously impossible for Zhang Hong to just hand over the sword skill, but Song Jian didnt trust Zhang Hong either. Just because he was a monk didnt mean he couldnt break his word. With the systems certification and a signed contract, both of their interests would be guaranteed. Zhang Hong hesitated for a moment before eventually gritting his teeth, nodding his head, and turning a little pale. This was a golden-quality sword skill, which could be sold for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. It was impossible not to feel heartache giving it away so easily. Zhang Hong hadnt cultivated to the realm of detachment from material possessions. After signing the contract, Zhang Hong handed the sword skill to Song Jian and said urgently, My Battle Spirits cant hold on any longer. Youre responsible for holding back this monster. Its best if you can reduce its Vitality Points to less than a third! For the best chance to turn a monster into a pet, its ideal to reduce its Vitality to less than a third. This way, the success rate will be higher. Song Jian nodded, directly learned the Flash Thunder Strike, and waved his longsword as he charged towards the lion-eagle beast. Flash Thunder Strike was similar to Sweeping Sword Style, but it was a continuous attack with one move following another, causing three instances of damage in an instant. When used with the Golden Demonslaying Sword, the Flash Thunder Strike dealt damage equal to six instances in an instant, causing the damage to explode! Song Jian arrived next to the lion-eagle beast. Zhang Hongs Battle Spirits had already been completely devoured by the lion-eagle beast. The well-fed lion-eagle beast seemed quite pleased, raising its head and letting out a cheerful cry. It even burped and looked at the surrounding mutant ghosts without the previous excitement, appearing somewhat lazy and uninterested in eating. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian waved his long sword and slashed it on the lion-eagle beast. A series of damages floated above its head, causing the beast to lose more than a thousand Vitality Points. The lion-eagle beast was enraged and flapped its wings violently. Even Song Jian struggled to stand, as if he was a bug struck by a powerful gust of wind. The lion-eagle beast turned its colossal body to stare at Song Jian. With a flap of its wings, its massive body came charging at him like a small mountain. Song Jian climbed up from the ground, spat out some sand, and looked up. The lion-eagle beast instantly reached Song Jian, and its two front claws fiercely stomped towards him. Boom! The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. The lion-eagle beasts footprints were two deep pits, and a crater over three meters in diameter appeared around it. If this strike had hit Song Jian, he would have nearly been killed. At this point, Song Jian didnt dare to resist head-on and could only desperately run away. The lion-eagle beast chased him like a madman, continually attacking him. With the lion-eagles first-tier Combat Power, even a casual hit was more than Song Jian could handle. Are you just going to watch?! Song Jian couldnt help but yell at Zhang Hong, who stood motionlessly to the side. Zhang Hongs face turned slightly red. In fact, he was frightened by the lion-eagle beasts attack. Seeing a whole forest flattened by the beast, Zhang Hong felt a chill run down his spine. This was not something he could handle at this point. Avalaya, Xidian Dusuo Not daring to fight head-on, Zhang Hong could only stand at a distance and chant Buddhist scriptures, using the unique skills of martial monks to harm the lion-eagle beast by casting spells. As Zhang Hong chanted, one golden rune after another flew out of his mouth and formed a huge golden net in the air, which flew towards the lion-eagle beast. Whoosh C All of the lion-eagle beasts attention was on Song Jian, so it did not notice the large net descending in midair, which wrapped it up tightly; Hiss- Once the golden net enveloped the lion-eagle beast, every strand of silk emitted a divine light, as if they were extremely hot branding irons. A burnt smell wafted in the air, and chains of tens of damage points floated above the lion-eagle beasts head, forming a dense patch. Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian turned around and unleashed a series of sword techniques, inflicting heavy damage on the lion-eagle beast. Seeing Song Jians attack, a smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Hongs mouth. Truly worthy of being the first on the level honor list, his attack was strong. If it were just him alone, he would never reduce the lion-eagle beasts Vitality Points to below a third. However, the golden net only lasted for less than five seconds before the lion-eagle beast bit and tore it to shreds. Seeing the lion-eagle beast break free, Song Jian immediately stopped a half-released sword technique and turned to run. He wasnt capable of facing the lion-eagle beast head-on and could only rely on sneak attacks. Attacking the lion-eagle beast was just a transaction, and Song Jian wouldnt risk his life for it. In just five seconds, he had caused the lion-eagle beast to lose more than 1,500 points of damage, bringing its Vitality Points down by a quarter. Such a powerful attack made even Zhang Hong feel a little uneasy, looking at Song Jian with deep wariness in his eyes. What are you waiting for?! Use all your moves, or dont blame me for leaving by myself! Song Jian shouted at Zhang Hong. Even if the lion-eagle beast ran away, there would be no loss for Song Jian. The contract only stipulated that Song Jian had to assist Zhang Hong in capturing the beast. If Zhang Hong held back and failed the task, Song Jian would not take any responsibility. As for the traded items, Song Jian had already learned the skills, so they couldnt delete them. Therefore, Song Jian hadnt used the Immortal Sword Body skill and considered it as a trump card, unafraid of Zhang Hong turning against him. Hold on! Zhang Hong threw Song Jian a skill similar to Light Body Skill, increasing Song Jians movement speed by 5%. Then, he began preparing another spell. Mountain-moving Spell, go! After chanting Buddhist scriptures, Zhang Hong shouted and pointed at the lion-eagle beast. A mountain suddenly appeared in the air and smashed towards the beast. Boom! The mountain slammed heavily on the lion-eagle beasts back, blood splattering everywhere. The beasts wings broke and hung limply on both sides of its body. The lion-eagle beast let out a sharp scream, struggling to get up. For a moment, its movement speed was significantly reduced. Hurry up, the slow effect will only last for three seconds! Zhang Hong shouted, swinging the Six-Ring Tin Staff in his hand and drawing a dizzying, complex pattern in front of him. Chapter 440 - Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Pet Contract Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Pet Contract Song Jians lips curled into a slight smile. He had noticed that most of Zhang Hongs attack methods carried negative effects, but their actual damage wasnt high. For ordinary players, these constant negative effects were like a nightmare. With Song Jians unique skill Thick-faced, his immunity to negative effects had reached an unimaginable level. Once he pits against Zhang Hong, if Zhang Hong doesnt use his trump card escape skill, Song Jian is confident he can finish him in less than five minutes. Under Zhang Hongs skill restrictions, the lion-eagle beast seemed like a strong and bulky yet slow-moving giant, toyed around by the two players. After half an hour, the lion-eagle beast was bathed in blood, covered with wounds, and one of his front claws had even fractured. Its enormous body lost its balance and collapsed, stirring up countless pebbles and dust. The lion-eagle beast was on the brink of death, unable to stand up no matter how hard it tried. Its vitality points had already dropped below 10%. For Zhang Hong, this was an optimum opportunity to recruit. Good job! Zhang Hong cheered with a full face of smiles, but a flash of fear appeared in the depths of his eyes. Song Jians damage was incredibly high, volumes higher than any typical player of his level. Zhang Hong leaped forward, came before the lion-eagle beast, and bowed. He muttered, In the past you have been trapped in bitterness, today, I will help you free yourself! With a hop, Zhang Hong climbed onto the lion-eagle beast, pressing his hand against its head. Hahaha, my beast defender, youre mine now! Zhang Hong couldnt hold back his excitement; he was on the cusp of success. His laughter echoed under the sky, his face full of unrestrained joy. The lion-eagle beast grew furious sensing Zhang Hong on its back. It let out angry roars and attempted to shake Zhang Hong off. Unfortunately, its injuries were too severe, barely lifting its wings before they dropped down weakly. From his bag, Zhang Hong pulled out a scroll emitting a silver radiance, pressing it against the back of the lion-eagle beasts head. A Pet Contract Scroll! Song Jian watched the energy-rich scroll with a slight smile at the corner of his lips. Ordinary shops only sell low-quality Pet Contract Scrolls and those can only be used on common beasts. Unique creatures like the lion-eagle beast, especially one thats an elite boss at level 30, couldnt be captured by a low-quality scroll. A higher-quality scroll is required for that. The silver-level Pet Contract Scroll that Zhang Hong held was worth at least 100,000 Doomsday Coins. This was a rare item and the price was beyond what many beasts were worth. It was something ordinary players had only heard about but never seen. Song Jian watched Zhang Hong use the scroll, and shook his head slightly. What a waste. If Zhang Hong was also level 30, then using this silver-level Pet Contract Scroll could have had a capture success rate of over 80%. However, currently at level 18, the level gap with the lion-eagle beast is just too wide. Even with this high-quality scroll, the capture success rate wont be more than 30% Such level disparity was something every player hoping to capture a beast needed to consider. Either Zhang Hong has forgotten it in his excitement, or hes taking his chances, ignoring the level gap. After all, encountering a lion-eagle beast opportunity is rare and once lost, there may not be another chance to find such a unique creature. At this moment, a look of excitement crossed Zhang Hongs face. With trembling hands, he pressed the Contract Scroll closely against the lion-eagle beasts head and began reciting the contracts chant. As he recited the chant, the scroll emitted a dazzling light and began to slowly disintegrate, transforming into countless silver runes that embraced both Zhang Hong and the lion-eagle beast. If the contract fails, all the runes would vanish and the high-quality silver scroll would be wasted. Zhang Hong anxiously watched the silver runes around him, fearing theyd disappear at the next moment. Bang! A blinding silver radiance burst from the runes, driving Zhang Hong into fits of laughter. This signified the first step was successful, which was the most important step. If the runes assembled into a contract formation next, he could force the lion-eagle beast into signing the contract and becoming his beast. The silver light continued to circulate as the silver runes gradually coalesced, forming a strange contract array adorned with intricate patterns and mysterious symbols. Come now, become my beast defender. Under the Buddha in the future, you will enjoy endless glory! Zhang Hong murmured to himself. From the contract array, a milky-white light emerged, heading straight into Zhang Hongs forehead. This light outlined all the clauses in the contract like a legal agreement in the real world, demanding strict adherence once signed. Another white light shot out towards the forehead of the lion-eagle beast, leaving a faint black mark on it. This was the beast-mark. Once the lion-eagle beast submits, this mark would accompany it for life. The contract obligations were laid out in both Zhang Hongs and the lion-eagle beasts minds. Zhang Hong was not unfamiliar with this, he chose to agree without hesitation. On the other hand, the contracts terms were displayed in a way that the lion-eagle beast could understand. The stringent conditions instilled a profound sense of humiliation. It knew that agreeing to the contract would save its life but its freedom would be lost forever. The lion-eagle beast struggled, resisting the white light from entering its forehead and rejecting the black mark on its forehead. Hurry, hurry, submit to me! Cold sweat dripped from Zhang Hongs forehead as he watched the struggling lion-eagle beast impatiently. After activating the Pet Contract Scroll, he needed to maintain it using his mental strength. Given the vast power gap between him and the lion-eagle beast, maintaining this contract was strenuous. Submit to me, and you will rank under one and above all, forever Zhang Hong shouted ferociously. His face twisted, veins bulged on his forehead, his expression no longer calm and peaceful. The lion-eagle beast let out a piercing shriek, the whitelight from the formed contract finally entered its forehead. Zhang Hongs face twisted into an ecstatic grin. I made it! Zhang Hong roared. Just then, something unexpected happened. The lion-eagle beast seemingly regained its strength, abruptly standing up and throwing Zhang Hong off its back. Chapter 441 - Chapter 441: Chapter 441: The Kill Chapter 441: Chapter 441: The Kill How could this happen? Bloodlines eruption? The astonished Zhang Hong, who had been thrown back, struggled to stand amidst the debris and looked at the increasingly crazed lion eagle beast while mumbling to himself. The Hoplarch Lion Eagle Beast is a magical creature; adult Hoplarch Lion Eagle Beasts can rival Giant Dragons. Their bloodline contains mysterious bloodline power, and once triggered, they can obtain even greater power. This is why Zhang Hong would rather waste a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll to capture it. However, the lion eagle beasts explosion of power did not originate from its bloodline, but from the level gap between them. The difference of twelve levels made it seem as if there was a chasm between Zhang Hong and the lion eagle beast. Without Song Jians help, Zhang Hong wouldnt stand a chance against the beast, let alone break through its defense. Moreover, just as Zhang Hong was devoting himself to subduing the lion eagle beast, Song Jian slightly raised his right hand, using a surgical healing to heal the broken wing of the lion eagle beast, thus giving it the strength to hurl Zhang Hong away. Surgical healing can only restore a small amount of Vitality Points but can remove negative effects such as fracture, bleeding. Song Jians movement was small, and Zhang Hong, who was focused on subduing the lion eagle beast at the time, did not notice his subtle action. As a martial monk, Zhang Hong could easily employ numerous spells. Although they didnt cause high damage, their endless negative effects were alarming for Song Jian. If Zhang Hong gained such a magical creature as a battle pet, his last weakness would be patched up, something Song Jian didnt want to see. Boom! A powerful Mental Strength burst forth, instantly repelling the white light enveloping his eyebrows and the black seal. A look of defeat appeared on Zhang Hongs face as he witnessed the Contract Array tremble violently before shattering with a bang. With the capture attempt failed, the lion eagle beast let out a relaxed and joyful cry, turned around, and stared at Zhang Hong with eyes full of anger, yet tinged with a touch of deep fear. The loss of a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll pained Zhang Hong. Although the capture attempts failure didnt cause substantial damage to him, he felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his chest, making him want to vomit blood. When a pet capture fails, there are certain aftereffects. At this point, the lion eagle beasts entire hatred had been transferred to Zhang Hong, and this hatred would lock on to him for three minutes, launching relentless attacks. Seeing the lion eagle beast charging towards him, Zhang Hongs face turned pale, and he hurriedly ran towards Song Jian. Help, help me! Zhang Hong begged Song Jian with a pleading look on his face. The lion eagle beast spread its wings and instantly closed the seven or eight meters distance, its sharp beak aimed like a razor at his heart. Feeling the chill of the wind, Zhang Hong sensed the threat of death quickly approaching and threw a triangular amulet in a panic. The amulet flew into the air, bursting into dazzling light before turning into a Light Shield protecting Zhang Hongs back. In the center of the shield, a golden Buddha handprint slowly opened. One-time-use defensive amulet? Song Jians eyes lit up, recognizing the triangular amulet, and he looked envious. This single-use amulet had various effects. Even though they could only be used once, their power was significantly greater than ordinary equipment or even skills. Moreover, they were rare. Even Song Jian hadnt encountered one yet. The beak struck the center of the Light Shield, followed by a crack sound as the shield shattered into crystal fragments and disappeared in midair. However, the lion eagle beasts attack was entirely blocked. Not only that, but part of the beasts beak cracked, making it cry out in pain. Save me, save me! We had an agreement! Zhang Hong had lost his previous repentant composure, looking disheveled and scared as he grabbed Song Jians hand and begged loudly. Do you have any more high-quality Pet Contract Scrolls? Song Jian tightly held his sword and glanced at Zhang Hong, saying, If not, well have to kill it. Zhang Hongs face showed reluctance. He had suffered considerable losses this time, not only giving Song Jian a sword technique worth tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins but also wasting a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll and a precious defensive amulet. Even the Soul Bodies he had painstakingly recruited earlier were all consumed, making him feel like he had wasted ten years of hard work. I dont have any more. Kill it! Zhang Hong said helplessly. Having a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll was already incredibly lucky for Zhang Hong, let alone having a second one. Song Jian nodded, guessing that the likelihood of Zhang Hong having a second one was low. Keep using those techniques to trap it. Well split the loot from killing it! Song Jian said. Hearing Song Jians words, Zhang Hongs face looked slightly better. After all, the level 30 Elite Boss with Tier 1 Combat Power was bound to drop valuable items, at least slightly making up for his loss. Song Jian leaped forward and slashed at the lion eagle beast with his sword. With his current strength, facing a level 30 Elite Boss with Tier 1 Combat Power was still somewhat difficult. If it werent for the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Swords ability to deal double damage with each strike, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to hold out for long. After the lion eagle beasts Vitality Points dropped, it erupted with even fiercer fighting power, as if having a resurgence of energy before its death. Each strike would deal three to four hundred points of damage. If it werent for the Advanced Healing Potion, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to withstand the attack for long. Zhang Hong watched as the lion eagle beasts Vitality Points continued to decrease, his face full of unwillingness. In reality, he had several healing techniques but didnt use them on Song Jian. He couldnt help but have some unusual thoughts in his heart, wanting the lion eagle beast and Song Jian to perish together. That way, he could recover his losses from Song Jians corpse and the beasts drops. If things went as he planned, he would not only make up for his losses but might even profit from them. But to his disappointment, even when the lion eagle beast cried its final painful cry and fell, Song Jian still stood firmly in place without showing any weakness. Chapter 442 - Chapter 442: Chapter 442: Half for each person? Chapter 442: Chapter 442: Half for each person? Finally, we killed it! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Zhang Hong from the corner of his eye, and saw a trace of disappointment on his face, which made him couldnt help but sneer in his heart. Although his Vitality Points were now less than half, only about 500, in his inventory, he had seven or eight Advanced Healing Potions. He also had many Weakness Potions, Slow Medicines, and Brave Potions. Even if Zhang Hong turned against him right now, Song Jian would not be afraid. Whoosh ~ Seven or eight items burst out from the corpse of the Lion Hawk Beast, each shining with special glows of green, blue, silver, and even one emitting bright golden light. A golden quality item! Zhang Hongs gaze first fell on the golden quality item, revealing a pleased expression on his face. But quickly, as if he thought of something, he looked at Song Jian, and the unwilling expression on his face became stronger. He knew that even if this golden quality item was not useful to Song Jian, he would not let it go to him. Without any hesitation, Song Jian picked up the golden quality item. It was a scroll-like item with the four golden characters Sword Art Outline written on the side. Sword Art Outline (Golden), one-time use item, Usage effect: Raise any sword-skill not above level 5 by three levels, with a certain chance to produce a mutation effect on the skill. Requirement for use: This item must be used within ten minutes; A surprised look appeared on Song Jians face as he rapidly considered which of his skills to use it on. What is this? Zhang Hong couldnt help but ask as he approached. Seeing the eager look on Zhang Hongs face, Song Jian laughed and directly displayed the attributes of the Sword Art Outline. Even if he gave it to Zhang Hong, Zhang Hong probably wouldnt be able to use it; In fact, Zhang Hong actually had learned two sword arts, one was called Dharma Sword Art, and the other was called Vajra Subjugation Sword. Both were extremely powerful, but to raise the levels of these two sword arts, not only skill proficiency and skill points were required, but most importantly, there needed to be Buddha-nature. Zhang Hong had already raised the proficiency of these two sword arts to the maximum, and he also had skill points, but had been unable to raise these two sword arts by one level, mainly because his Buddha-nature was not yet full; This was why he came to this tomb area, constantly reciting Buddhist scriptures and releasing the souls of the dead. Doing so did not yield any combat Experience Points, but he gained one point of Buddha-nature for each soul released; In fact, for Zhang Hong, Buddha-nature was far more important than any experience points, skill proficiency, or even skill points. Even the spells he learned required Buddha-nature to be upgraded; If he were to obtain the Sword Art Outline, it would not make a drastic difference to his strength, but it would still serve as a compensation for the shortcomings of one of his sword arts being raised by three levels. Therefore, when Zhang Hong saw the Sword Art Outline, he couldnt help but feel envious. Just as he hesitated whether to ask if he could exchange something for the Sword Art Outline, Song Jian directly clicked on use; The Sword Art Outline immediately turned into a golden light enveloping Song Jian, gradually fading away after a short while. After hesitating for a long time, Song Jian had too many sword arts and techniques to choose from, all of which were essential to him. In the end, he decided to use the Sword Art Outline on the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. He now had mastered three skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession: Sword Finger, Invisible Sword Qi, and Immortal Sword Body; in use, he found that the power of the Sword Finger was average, probably just an ordinary skill of the Swordsman Immortal profession, while the Invisible Sword Qi, since possessing the Sword Control Skill of Luck, had increased the upper limit value to more than 200, and even if it was upgraded, the effect would not be obvious. On the other hand, the power of Immortal Sword Body terrified him. Although it had a cooldown time of one hour, once activated, it definitely had the ability to reverse the situation. Furthermore, Song Jian estimated that even among the Swordsman Immortal profession, the Immortal Sword Body was probably one of the core skills. Therefore, he didnt hesitate to use this Sword Art Outline on the Immortal Sword Body; Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body (Active), Level 6 (38%), Skill effect: After activating this skill, players all attributes +10, Physical Defense increased by 60%, Magic Resistance increased by 50%, negative effects immunity judgment +8, Damage increased by 110% when using Sword weapons, Power of Sword skills increased by 80%, this effect lasts 120 seconds, Dispel and Purify skills have no effect on this effect; Skill consumption: Use consumes 25 Invisible Sword Qi, Additionally, 1 Invisible Sword Qi is consumed every second during the duration. Skill cooldown time: 60 minutes; Skill description: This skill is one of the Swordsman Immortal professions inherited skills. The power of the level 6 Immortal Sword Body increased significantly, the duration also increased to two minutes, and although the consumption was higher, the increased upper limit of Invisible Sword Qi allowed Song Jian to bear the consumption; If I could always use the Immortal Sword Body, I might be able to defeat even a level 30 elite BOSS with first-order Combat Power! Song Jian clenched his long sword, thinking to himself. With his mouth open, Zhang Hong was about to speak when he saw Song Jian directly using the Sword Art Outline. He immediately froze, sighed after a while, and shook his head slightly; There was one silver-quality item in the spoils from the Lion Hawk Beast, along with five or six blue and green items. The silver-quality item was a piece of equipment. Feather of the Lion Hawk Beast (Silver), belt, Equipment level 30, Equipment effect: Strength +4, Agility +2, Defense +28, Resistance +20, Vitality recovery speed increased by 20%; Special effect 1: Add 16 instant use inventory slots! Special effect 2: Automatically recovers 1 Spirit Point every 10 seconds; Usage requirement: 15 points of Mental Strength; Can it be taken out of the game: No Is this a belt for magic-based professions? Seeing the requirement of 15 Mental Strength points, Song Jian frowned slightly. It should be known that for ordinary people entering the game, all attributes are usually around five points, some even only three points. Unless they obtain treasures like Attribute Fruit, it is difficult to raise an attribute. Only when they get their first job do their attributes increase according to their profession. For a non-magic profession, it is very difficult to raise Mental Strength to 15 points. However, this was not a problem for Song Jian. At this time, his Mental Strength attribute was exactly 15 points; Song Jians original Mental Strength attribute was only five points. After eating an All Attribute Fruit, he gained 1 point, 1 point from the Vertical Eye on his forehead, 2 points from the Sacred Spirit, 1 point from the Savior title, 3 points from joining the Sword Controller profession, and finally, 5 points from the Abyssal Flame tempering. Song Jian showed the attributes of this belt to Zhang Hong and happily replaced it with the Devouring Belt he was wearing. Song Jian believed that the Monk profession was more inclined to physical attacks, and Zhang Hong was only level 18 and probably couldnt even reach 10 points of Mental Strength. Naturally, this belt belonged to Song Jian himself. Chapter 443 - Chapter 443: Chapter 443: Wizards Soul Chapter 443: Chapter 443: Wizards Soul Seeing Song Jian put on the Winged Lions Feather directly, Zhang Hongs eyes almost bulged out. Zhang Hong, though a combat monk, was not a melee attacker, but a caster. His specialty was using various Buddhist spells. Thus, although he was only level 18, his Mental Strength had already broken through to 17 points, two points higher than Song Jians. Naturally, Zhang Hong could also wear the Winged Lions Feather belt. After all, it was a level 30 silver grade equipment. Werent we supposed to share the loot? Youve already taken the best stuff for yourself. Zhang Hong struggled to suppress the urge to roll his eyes and screamed inwardly. Song Jian glanced at the remaining blue-green items, picked up a blue-quality Bloodline Essence and put it into his inventory, then threw all the remaining materials over to Zhang Hong. I only took three items; the remaining five are for you, Song Jian said with a smile. Zhang Hongs mouth twitched as he looked at the items Song Jian handed him: only one was of blue quality, and the rest were green quality. More importantly, all of these items were materials, not equipment. He doubted that current players in the auction house would be interested in such high-level materials. Thankyou very much! Zhang Hongs face reluctantly showed a smile, and he accepted all the items from Song Jian. Although these materials were high-level, players trade skills would eventually progress, and these materials would become valuable after some time, especially since they were from magical creatures. After killing the level 30 elite boss, Song Jian finally reached level 22 and even exceeded 6%. Song Jian hesitated for a moment after looking at the three 100% proficiency skills, Kick, Sweeping Sword Style, and Sword Shadow Step. Eventually, he still spent the skill point on Sword Shadow Step. He had enough damage-dealing skills, but not many life-saving ones. So naturally, he would prioritize upgrading his escape skills. Upgrading Sword Shadow Step to level 2 increased the movement speed from 30% to 35%, and the duration increased from 7 seconds to 8 seconds, a small improvement. The Winged Lions corpse slowly decomposed and burned, and if they had the Dissection or Skinning skills, they could extract some materials from the body. However, neither Song Jian nor Zhang Hong possessed these trade skills, so they could only watch the valuable corpse turn into ashes. It took them over an hour to kill the Winged Lion. The sky had become white, and the ghosts in the graveyard had gone back into their tombs. Only a few crows occasionally cawed, making the whole graveyard quite peaceful. Amitabha, Mr. Song, we shall part ways now. I hope to see you again in the future! Zhang Hong returned to his high monk demeanor, his face serious as he clasped his hands together and bowed to Song Jian before leaving. Well, Master, we shall say our goodbyes then, laughed Song Jian as he nodded in agreement. As he watched Zhang Hong drift away, a cold smile crept onto Song Jians face. Zhang Hong had failed to steal the prize, and had instead lost more than he gained. If he had succeeded in obtaining the Winged Lion as a combat pet, his Combat Power would have at least doubled. Song Jian had sensed a threat from Zhang Hong in the woods when they first met C the look in Zhang Hongs eyes when he first saw Song Jian was identical to when he first saw the Winged Lion. I hope that when I see you next time, youll have become much stronger. Right now, you really dont even arouse my desire to fight! Song Jian muttered softly. Just then, an old voice spoke into his ear. Young man, you made a grave mistake by letting him go like that. In the future, he may grow into a power that youll be forced to look up to! Startled, Song Jian instinctively clenched the sword in his hand, taking a defensive stance as he looked around. Whos there! Song Jian demanded in a low voice. Cough, cough. Dont be so tense; Im just a captive soul, incapable of causing you any harm, the old voice replied with a hint of weakness. However, Song Jian remained vigilant, still tensely looking around. The graveyard was eerily silent with not a soul in sight. What kind of hero hides behind a veil? If youve got the guts, come out and meet me! Song Jian raged, even more anxious since he couldnt sense any presence whatsoever. Hehe, I wish I could come out, but Im trapped in an impenetrable prison, unable to even move The old voice chuckled weakly. If you really want to see me, continue down the white stone path, take a left at the thirteenth step, and youll find me in the sixth tomb. Song Jian hesitated. While battling the Winged Lion earlier, the conflict had spread around the area within a few dozen meters. The location indicated by the old voice was at the edge of the previous battle area. Song Jian had not found any traps or anything of the sort during the prior fight. So, after a moment, he followed the voices guidance towards the tomb. Upon arriving at the tomb, he looked at the tombstone. There wasnt much difference between this one and the surrounding ones, except for the faint golden Hexagram Array that appeared on this tombstone. If he hadnt taken a closer look, Song Jian would have thought it was just a blank tombstone. Young deity, I was once a human mage with Tier 1 Combat Power. During a battle, I accidentally injured a civilian and was sentenced to death, with my soul exiled Seeing Song Jian coming, the old voice slowly recited its story. Song Jian listened attentively. As it turned out, this mages soul, like the Beastman soldier George had guided Song Jian to recruit, was also a convict exiled to Doomsday City. The soul had been lingering in the graveyard for more than twenty days, and if no one came to its rescue, it would turn into a monstrous creature that only knew how to kill once the time was up C something the mages soul did not want. When Song Jian and the NPC professional players first arrived at the graveyard for the supply box, the mages soul had already spotted them. Instead of hurriedly summoning someone to save it, the soul patiently observed them. If there was no choice, the soul would have urgently sought help from the first person it saw. However, since there were so many people, the mages soul naturally wanted to find the strongest person to ally with. After observing for two more days, especially after witnessing Song Jian and Zhang Hong slay the Winged Lion with Tier 1 combat power, the mages soul finally made up its mind. Chapter 444 - Chapter 444: Chapter 444: Bloodline Wizard Chapter 444: Chapter 444: Bloodline Wizard If you truly can rescue me from this cage, then I, Wallace Laman, in the name of the God of Truth, pledge my loyalty to you as your vassal! Laman muttered. Laman, arent you afraid that after being freed on day one, you might never return here? Song Jian laughed. No, your level might not be high, but you already have the strength to solo kill an elite, level thirty boss. This area is full of level thirty monsters. I know, you Gods Chosen have a magical skill that allows you to hunt monsters in this world and level up quickly. This area of level thirty monsters is a leveling treasure chest. Youll definitely come back here to level up! Laman confidently replied. Your judgement is very accurate, so, lets sign the contract. Once the Followers contract is signed, Ill set you free from this prison. Song Jian laughed. NPCs recruited within the estate system are very weak characters, considered commoners among NPCs. No matter how long they train, at most they can become home guard militia with very limited growth potential. These NPCs recruited from the estate system can only serve as wait staff, construction workers, apprentices and the like. Only NPCs recruited from these outdoor cages exhibit unique skills. Take the Beastman Warrior that Song Jian met previously for instance. Not only was he individually powerful, but he also had the talent to tame beasts. He could domesticate normal beasts into war beasts to assist in battles, maybe even using them as mounts to form a Beast Cavalry. The human soul captured before his eyes C in his previous life he was a wizard with the power of the first order. You should know that wizards, also known as scholars, possess an abundance of knowledge, even if they have lost their bodies and their combat power has declined, that knowledge remains a valuable asset. As much as Gods Chosen select Followers, Followers also choose their Gods Chosen. Clearly, Laman is very satisfied with Song Jian, so he willingly signed the Followers contract. It took Song Jian more than half an hour to destroy the stone tomb and release Laman. A semi-transparent pale blue figure floated out of the tomb, took a deep breath, and emotionally said: I never thought I would get the chance to breathe freely again! After a moment of emotion, Laman knelt on one knee in front of Song Jian, placed his right hand on his chest respectfully and said: Wallace Laman the wizard will become your Follower, never to leave you! Wallace, I accept your loyalty! Song Jian said as he helped Wallace up. The moment Wallace pledged his loyalty, all his attributes were openly revealed to Song Jian. Wallace (Soul Body), Job: Bloodline Wizard, Level 30, Strength: 30, Agility: 25, Stamina: 33, Spirit: 50, Mana: 500/500. In the Followers interface, there are many attributes of Wallace described in detail, including traits, skills, and even his past experiences. Wallace, why have so many of your skills been sealed? While Song Jian was carefully reviewing Wallaces attributes and skills, he couldnt help but frown. This situation had never happened before. Even the previous Beastman Warrior, despite becoming a slave, had retained all his skills. I apologise, Master. In my previous life, I was a Bloodline Wizard. All my power came from my bloodline. Now that Ive lost my body, many of my bloodline spells can no longer be cast. Wallace explained apologetically. Although Song Jian had speculated this might be the case, he felt slightly disappointed when it was confirmed. After all, Wallace had once been a first- order wizard. If he were to preside over the alliance, Song Jian believed, no alliance would dare to invade them at their current state. How can we restore your former power? Song Jian pondered for a moment. Turning Wallace into a logistical officer like Dr. Ebsiting would obviously be a waste. But if Wallace couldnt regain his previous strengths, then in the future he could only provide Song Jian with advice based on his extensive knowledge. There are two ways to restore my power. One is to switch and practice as a Soul Body Wizard from now on. This is the easiest way, but it would take a long time since I would have to start over from level one and adapt to this new role. It was clear Wallace had thought deeply about this, and he spoke quickly. The second way is to rebuild my previous body. I would need a powerful new body with the bloodline of an ancient creature. The stronger the bloodline, the more powerful I will be. This is the quickest method, but obtaining a body with the bloodline of an ancient creature is extremely difficult. Wallace, with a look of regret in his eyes, said: My previous bloodline was from the Flame Giant Wolf, which is only of average grade among Bloodline Wizards. Song Jian had a thought, finally understanding why Wallace willingly approached him to become his Follower after he killed the Gryphon Beast. You want to use this blood essence to recreate your body so that you can have the bloodline of the Hopla Gryphon Beast, right? Song Jian took out the blood essence that emitted a blue glow, held it in his hand, and laughed as he said to Wallace. Wallace knelt on one knee, touching his forehead almost to the ground, and said: Yes, Master. Please forgive my selfishness. The Hopla Gryphon Beast is a magnificent creature. Its bloodline is much superior to the Flame Giant Wolf, it is only second to the Dragon Bloodline. If I can recreate my body with its bloodline, my power will quickly recover to the first order, and I may even have the potential to break through to a higher level of power! Song Jian said nothing, playing with the blood essence in his hand, a playful smile on his face as he gazed at the kneeling Wallace. Wallace, can I trust you? Can you forever be loyal to me, never betraying me? Song Jian slowly said. Master, I swear on my soul as a Bloodline Wizard, if you can recreate my body for me, I will forever be loyal to you, never betraying you. Even if the whole world were to be destroyed, I will always stand behind you! Wallace lifted his head; determination etched on his face. Out of nowhere, Song Jian felt a thread of contract energy connecting him to Wallace. If Wallace were to break his promise in future, his soul body would suffer massive damage, weakening his soul severely, or worse, causing him to dissipate completely. With a slight nod, Song Jian laughed: I think the Hopla Gryphon Beasts bloodline is not suitable for you. Maybe, you should have a superior bloodline! Chapter 445 - Chapter 445: Chapter 445’- Bloodline Spirit Symbol Chapter 445: Chapter 445- Bloodline Spirit Symbol When Wallace heard Song Jian say that the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline was unsuitable for him, his face instantly fell into despair. He had put everything he had on Song Jian. If Song Jian couldnt help him rebuild his bloodline, he would never be able to recover and become a bloodline wizard; Wallace had studied bloodline wizards for centuries. If he had to switch to becoming a soul body wizard now, everything would have to start over. In this world of destruction, weakness is a sin. After becoming a soul body wizard, it would definitely take a long time to regain the first level of combat power, and Wallace wasnt sure if he had that much time. But when he heard what Song Jian said after that, a look of doubt appeared in Wallaces eyes. To him, a Lion Hawk Beast was already a higher-grade bloodline than what he had before. Could it be that this young over-blessed one in front of him possessed even higher-grade bloodline essences? How is that possible? Although this world has many powerful creatures, with his abilities, how could he possibly acquire a higher-grade bloodline, not to mention, even the Lion Hawk Beast, is beyond his capabilities. Without the help of that monk, he wouldnt be able to kill the Lion Hawk Beast, let alone have a higher-grade bloodline? Wallaces eyes flickered and his mood fluctuated, causing his soul body to sway slightly. Song Jian gave a faint smile and summoned the Black Dragon hatchling directly. The Black Dragon had been slumbering in the Pet Space for a long time. As soon as it was released, it immediately gave off a joyous dragon chant. Its wings spread out, instantly giving people a feeling of overwhelming darkness. At this moment, the Black Dragon hatchling had grown to over four meters in length and was almost two meters high. There was an aura of majesty in his golden, upright pupils. A faint black smoke and sparks spewed out from his nostrils with each breath, spreading out a faint sense of Dragon Might in all directions. hA gi_j a giant dragon, how how is this possible Wallaces soul body started to tremble violently, seemingly on the verge of disintegration. It was obvious how much his emotions were profoundly stirred at this moment. Wallace even wanted to reach out and touch the Black Dragon hatchling s scales, but as soon as he extended his hand, it felt as if he had been burned, forcing him to let out a painful grunt and immediately retract his hand. Master, could it be you intend to use Wallace looked at the Black Dragon hatchling, his eyes revealing a look of joy. Black Dragons were a type of ancient Giant Dragon and were considered top-tier bloodlines that all Bloodline Wizards dreamt of having. If Song Jian was truly willing to use Black Dragon Essence Blood to rebuild Wallaces body, then Wallaces growth potential would be limitless in the future. Indeed, I am willing to use the Black Dragons bloodline to rebuild your body! Song Jian nodded and confirmed. Overcome with excitement, Wallace immediately dropped to his knees, unable to utter a word. For him, this was an extraordinary opportunity. Alright, once were back at my manor, you can begin researching how to rebuild your body using the Black Dragon Essence Blood. But you must ensure that my Black Dragon wont be severely harmed, Song Jian declared. Of course, of course, Master. I promise not to harm your war pet irreversibly. At most, it will only be weak for a few days before it quickly recovers, Wallace eagerly assured him. Back at Manor Castle, Song Jian directly assigned a lab to Wallace and gave him a drop of the Black Dragon hatchlings Essence Blood so that he could research how to use the Black Dragon Essence Blood to rebuild his body. After all, witnessing such a top-notch, priceless bloodline from the Black Dragon was something Wallace had previously not even dared to think about, let alone encounter. Thus, running experiments before completely rebuilding his body was absolutely necessary. After settling Wallace in, Song Jian took out the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline essence. At that moment, the bloodline essence looked like a red gem, emitting a dazzling light, with a rich purple-red blood seemingly flowing through it. Song Jian undressed his upper body to reveal the Hexagram Array tattoo on his chest. At the moment, the Hexagram Array was glowing, with one corner adorned with a red gem. This gem was the Dragon Blood Talisman formed from the Essence Blood of a mature Black Dragon he had absorbed previously. Now that he had obtained the Essence Blood of a Lion Hawk Beast, he wondered whether it could turn into another talisman as well. He carefully moved the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline essence closer to the Hexagram Array Diagram. Sure enough, a strong suction came from the Hexagram Array. Song Jian smiled faintly, loosened his grip, and the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline essence was instantly absorbed by the Hexagram Array Diagram. Soon, a dazzling gleam slowly emerged in the second corner of the Night Slayers Hexagram Array Diagram. The vacant spot was filled by a second talisman, the Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm. Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm Enhancement: Strength +5, Agility +3, Constitution +5, Special Effect: Iron Wings (Active), can summon a pair of Iron Wings that last for 1 hour with a cooldown of 3 hours; Under the summoning Iron Wings state, overall defense increases by 30%, resistance increase by 30%, wings can automatically block any damage under 50 points; capable of flying with a speed of 280. So strong! Song Jian could not help but clench his fist, sensing the potent power surging within his body. The attribute boost this time was incredibly significant, even more so than the previous Dragon Blood Talisman. After all, the initial Dragon Blood Talisman had used most of its power to reshape the foundation of Song Jians body, and the attribute increase wasnt entirely displayed. But the second Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm fully unleashed its power. Just the added 13 attribute points alone made Song Jian feel incredibly delighted, not to mention the Iron Wings powerful ability. As soon as he summoned the Iron Wings, Song Jians defense could probably rival that of a heavily armored defensive warrior of the same level. Iron Wings! With a thought, a dazzling light burst forth from Song Jians back, and a pair of wide wings enveloping a metallic luster appeared behind Song Jian, nearly covering his entire body. Song Jian felt that these wings were like a part of his body, just as flexible to control as his own limbs. With a thought, the Iron Wings violently fluttered, and Song Jians body shot off like an arrow, flying out of Manor Castles window. Song Jian, who was in the air, was initially a bit clumsy, but he quickly grasped the trick to flying, soaring freely in the air like a giant bird. This exhilaration was far beyond what one could experience from flying in an airplane. Just as Song Jian was soaring in the sky, a massive flock of strange bird-like creatures flew towards him in huge numbers. Their shrill cries forced Song Jian to cover his ears. Mutant Vulture Birds, level forty creatures? My God, where in heavens name did I fly off to? Startled, Song Jian turned around and flew back towards his manor. Chapter 446 - Chapter 446: Chapter 446: Magic Source Stone Chapter 446: Chapter 446: Magic Source Stone Unbeknownst to him, Song Jian had accidentally flown into a territory inhabited by level-Forty creatures. He was chased by a flock of level-Forty mutant carrion birds and barely escaped back to the Manor Castle. Phew, that was a close call. I almost didnt make it back, Song Jian said, looking at the slowly dispersing flock of carrion birds in the distance, and feeling a lingering fear. The flock of carrion birds chased Song Jian all the way to the level-ten creature zone before slowly backing off. If it wasnt for his wing made of steel that allowed him to fly slightly faster than the birds, Song Jian would be in real danger. This narrow escape dampened his cockiness after his recent power increase, reminding him that there are still many creatures in the Doomsday City he shouldnt mess with. The construction of Manor Castle was progressing methodically. Buildings sprouted up within the alliances territory. After the previous alliance battle, few alliances dared to mess with the City of Hope. My Lord, the Manor has reached its development limit and must be upgraded to a level four Manor! Upon seeing Song Jians return, steward George hurried over with a thick ledger to report. Good job, George. The manor has developed so well and so quickly thanks to you! Song Jian laughed, Go ahead and upgrade it if it satisfies the criteria. In reality, Song Jian had little involvement in the development of the Manor. Aside from gathering special materials when needed, George made all the important decisions. Song Jian would not object to the idea that George single-handedly developed the Manor. My Lord, in order to upgrade the Manor Castle to level four, we need to construct a Magic Tower. Only with a level-one Magic Tower can we advance to level four, George reported, bowing down. A Magic Tower? Go ahead and build it! Song Jian frowned slightly, Are we lacking certain materials? We can buy most materials from the Starfire shop in City of Hymns. However, to construct the Magic Tower, we need a Magic Source Stone. Its a controlled matieral that is difficult to procure on the market, George explained, Additionally, we need a resident Mage in the Magic Tower. My Lord, it would be best if you could recruit an NPC Mage. No need to recruit a separate Mage NPC. 1 have a Follower who is a Bloodline Wizard. I can station them in the Magic Tower. Song Jian laughed, But concerning the Magic Source Stone, I need to ask: how many do we need to construct a Magic Tower? My Lord, not a lot. One kilogram will suffice, George replied. Alright, I got it. You may leave now, Song Jian said, nodding his head. Magic Source Stone was something Song Jian had never heard of. He cannot possibly know everything about all the strange things in the game. Damn, couldnt they have a gaming website for easy searching? Now I have to find out about these things the hard way! Song Jian shook his head in frustration. When it comes to the Magic Source Stone, the first person Song Jian thought of was Annie from the Silver Moon Commerce. He immediately contacted her and she soon responded to his request. Annie, can I inquire about the Magic Source Stone from you? Song Jian asked. Magic Source Stone? That is a controlled material. Even our Silver Moon Commerce cant legally sell it. If you are caught selling over ten grams of Magic Source Stone, you will be executed! Annie exclaimed. I am just asking, where does this Magic Source Stone come from? Song Jian initially planned to buy directly from Annie, but upon hearing her words, he promptly abandoned the idea. Well, of course, 1 can tell you that. The Magic Source Stone is not a mineral, but rather a gastric calculus of a certain creature. You can only obtain the stone by killing this creature Annie chuckled. Let me guess: this creature is not easy to kill, right? Song Jian grumbled. Hehe, of course! The creature is called the Demonic Bat. An adult Demonic Bat is as strong as a level-thirty Elite Boss. Whats more, they are gregarious creatures, usually seen in herds numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Even the most daring adventurers would think twice before messing with them. Hiss- Thousands of level-thirty Elite Bosses. Song Jian took a deep breath, Thats hard to believe. Im wondering how the very first Magic Source Stone was obtained. Hehe, naturally you wouldnt want to face such terrifying groups head-on, Annie laughed, When the Demonic Bats have stayed in a place for a while, theyll give up their nests and move on to another location. You can usually collect some Magic Source Stones in these abandoned nests. Note that Magic Source Stones are not just used for constructing Magic Towers. They can also improve your physical condition, extend your lifespan, and enhance your skills. Some people even consider them a more solid currency than Doomsday Coins! Oh, really? Song Jian looked surprised and then lowered his voice to ask, Are you saying that no one takes the risk to smuggle these? I believe there is a price for any good. Can you tell me how much Magic Source Stones cost on the black market? It took Annie quite a while to answer, If 1 had Magic Source Stones, I would never sell them for Doomsday Coins. Usually its a barter system. But if you really want a price tag, I guess one gram of Magic Source Stone for one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins would be a fair price. After these words, Annie hung up. Song Jian was left with a shocked expression. One gram of Magic Source Stone for one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! When George said constructing a Magic Tower required one kilogram of Magic Source Stone, Song Jian didnt think much of it. Now he realized that even selling off his own territory might not be enough to afford one kilogram of Magic Source Stone. Thats equivalent to one billion Doomsday Coins! My God, can anyone really afford to upgrade their safe house to a level four Manor? Song Jian couldnt help but grumble. Ding Ding Ding- Just then, his communication device rang. It was Annie. He quickly answered. By the way, Song Jian, I forgot to tell you earlier. The Demonic Bats infect nearby creatures, resulting in similar species. I remember you once sold some Bat Wings materials. Im guessing that those were dropped by relatives of the infected Demonic Bats. If you go and look around the place where you found the creatures that drop Bat Wings, I believe youll find something worthwhile, Annie said, hanging up immediately after she finished her sentence without waiting for a response. Curled up in thought, Song Jian stared at his cut-off communicator. Annies implying that the Bat Wing Zombies were infected by the Demonic Bats. So, if I go to the place where Bat Wing Zombies appear, I should certainly find the Demonic Bats, right? Chapter 447 - Chapter 447: Chapter 447: Level Ten Instance Chapter 447: Chapter 447: Level Ten Instance Speaking of bat-winged zombies, Song Jian had encountered a large number of them on a rooftop of a high-rise building. These mature bat-winged zombies were all level 10 elite BOSS. However, the place wasnt their nest, they were merely passing by. In another place, the theater, I defeated a sizable number of level 10 bat-winged zombie juveniles. That must be their nest. There might be a nest of mutated bats nearby. That would explain the huge presence of bat-winged zombie juveniles! A glint appeared in Song Jians eye as he recalled the time when he hunted the juvenile bat-winged zombies. Back then, wiping out those juvenile bat-winged zombies was extremely difficult for Song Jian at the time. But now, let alone normal level 10 monsters, even if he encountered a group of mature bat-winged elite BOSS zombies, he would be able to compete. He wouldnt be like before, forced only to flee. That area is just a level 10 monster zone. Ill search the surrounding areas first! Song Jian decided in his heart. When Song Jian returned to the theater, it was desolate without a single monster in sight. Judging by the traces, many players had thoroughly searched the place, even clearing the rubble piece by piece, hoping to find hidden items underneath. As expected, these juvenile bat-winged zombies are not monsters that can respawn endlessly. Song Jians mouth turned up slightly at the corners. Ordinary mutant zombies, no matter how many you kill, will respawn the next day in the game system, endlessly. Only unusual, story-related monsters wouldnt reappear once killed. This scene seemed to prove his guess; this group of bat-winged zombie juveniles must have appeared due to the radiation pollution of the mutated bats, becoming an existence similar to story-related monsters. Once exterminated, they would not respawn. The mutated bat nest I need to find now should not be far from this theater. Its hard to imagine that a level 30 mutated bat would be in this level 10 monster zone! Song Jian strolled along the silent street. The surrounding level 10 common monsters just glanced at Song Jian from afar and immediately turned to leave. Even those mindless mutant zombies would instinctively stay away from Song Jian. Song Jian came around two blocks with the theater as the center but found no clue of the mutated bat nest. However, he was not anxious. If the mutated bat nest were that easy to find, the players would have discovered it and spread the news. After all, the appearance of a level 30 monster in a level 10 monster area would undoubtedly be explosive news for players. Just then, Song Jian suddenly looked up at a building not far away. There came a strong wave of energy. Is there a battle there? Looks like a Fire Mage is fighting! Song Jian murmured to himself. Within a short time, a man in a black mages robe, holding a giant codex, rushed out of the building. Damn it, I was just looking for some supplies and came across a level 10 elite BOSS. What rotten luck Zhao Jun looked distressed, glanced back at the burly zombie BOSS, stuck in the narrow, falling unit exit. For the time being, it couldnt get out, so it was violently destroying the walls around the block exit. Chunks of bricks and concrete were flying about. In no time, a big hole appeared in the wall. The burly mutant zombie, nearly three meters high, rushed out of the building, bellowing. Damn, you should have been hired in real life to work in the demolition office! Zhao Jun muttered, and his codex opened automatically with a rustling sound. jklasdkfk, dkalds Zhao Jun chanted the spell, and a few seconds later, a red light flew out from the codex, landing in front of the zombie BOSS. FireWall Skill, rise! Bang- A massive flame rose into the sky. There were roaring flames all around the zombie BOSS within three or four meters. The color of this flame was not red but black, similar to the Abyssal Raging Flame controlled by Song Jian. However, it didnt bear the terrifying aura of the Abyssal Raging Flame. Zhao Jun glanced at the Firewall behind him, smirked, and turned to run. After running for a few steps, Zhao Jun saw a teenager standing dumbstruck on the street. Apparently, the commotion from his fight with the BOSS had attracted him. Zhao Juns face changed, and he hurriedly waved at Song Jian and shouted, Run, run! Theres a level 10 elite BOSS here. Zhao Jun was level 12. But to solo-kill a level 10 elite BOSS was difficult for him, especially given the large number of mutant zombies nearby. If the battle dragged on for too long, it would attract a large number of zombies. By then, even running would be too late. Seeing that Song Jian remained motionless, Zhao Jun ran over, gripped Song Jians arm, and yelled, Are you nuts? Youve seen the elite BOSS and you still arent running, do you not value your life? Hehe, can I ask if there is somewhere nearby that has bat-related monsters? I have a mission to hunt them! Song Jian laughed. Zhao Jun tugged at Song Jians arm a few times but couldnt move him. However, since he was a mage and physical strength wasnt his forte, he didnt make much of it. Bats? Theres a level 10 instance in that building, Bat Shadow Demon Traces, which has some level 10 mutated bats Zhao Jun hesitated, then casually mentioned. Suddenly his face turned white, and he yelled, BOSS, a level 10 elite BOSS, for heavens sake, cant you see it? As he was speaking, the burly zombie BOSS had already rushed out of the building and was pouncing toward Zhao Jun. The robust zombie BOSS, its body shimmering with a black metallic luster, had a body as tough as iron or steel. Even when it was within the Firewall, the most it could take was single-digit damage. A level 10 instance, Bat Shadow Demon Traces, huh? I see. Song Jian stood there as if deep in thought, seemingly not paying attention to the BOSS charging at him. Zhao Jun saw Song Jians nonchalance and made a run for it. Sorry, but Im not willing to risk my life here Zhao Jun thought to himself. Just as he had run a few dozen steps forward, he suddenly heard a shrill screaming of a mutant zombie from behind. Zhao Jun shivered and turned around to take a look without much thinking. The towering zombie BOSS was now lying on the ground, its vitality points depleted. The man who had been standing still was now holding a sword and standing in front of the BOSS. Zhao Jun was stupefied, his mouth agape, looking utterly incredulous. How is this possible? He He actually killed the BOSS Chapter 448 - Chapter 448: Chapter 448: The True Difficulty Chapter 448: Chapter 448: The True Difficulty An Elite Level 10 boss, with only over 1,600 Vitality Points, couldnt withstand even a combination of strikes from Song Jian. Now, Song Jian, using the fused Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, even an ordinary attack could deal more than 300 points of damage. It was simply more than an Elite Level 10 Boss could bear. Ill give you the item drops from this boss as a consultation fee, Song Jian said to Zhao Jun with a slight smile. Watching Song Jian disappear into the building, Zhao Jun was wide-eyed in disbelief. When did a Level 10 Elite Boss become so weak, or is that guy just too strong? he mused. Soon, Zhao Juns gaze landed on the items dropped by the Level 10 Elite Boss. His eyes lit up, and he quickly darted over to collect them. Bat Shadow Maze, its just a Level 10 dungeon. How could there possibly be demonized bats in there? Song Jian furrowed his brows as he walked towards the source of the greatest energy fluctuations in the building. Magic Source Stones are only ever dropped by Level 30 demonized bats. This Level 10 dungeon he trailed off. Song Jian soon arrived at an open room. On one wall of the room was a pale blue portal. A group of players was resting in front of the portal, eating and drinking. When they saw Song Jian approaching, they didnt even stand up. They glanced at him briefly, then looked away. These players were sitting in small clusters, forming several different teams. It seems they were preparing to raid the dungeon, or rest after exiting it. Hey, nice gear, man. What level are you? Wanna team up for this dungeon? An armored player, shield in hand and shotgun slung on his back, sized up Song Jian with a gleam in his eye and eagerly waved him over. While Song Jian had turned off the glow signifying the quality of his equipment, keen observers could still tell from the design and texture that they were top- tier. Those who looked closely could discern the quality and level of gear the other was wearing. Song Jian looked over at the player with the silver shield who was showing off with a beaming face. At this stage in the game, having a silver shield was highly sought after. As long as one could withstand a bosss attack, they could easily form a team to raid a dungeon. Song Jian smiled back at the man, shaking his head in polite refusal. These players were all around Level 10, and could, at most, only tackle the easier dungeons. Song Jian doubted he would even be able to enter such dungeons. He walked over to the dungeon entrance, examining it closely: The entry level for a simple difficulty dungeon was Level 8 to Level 12, normal difficulty was Level 10 to Level 15, hard was Level 15 to Level 21, and real difficulty was Level 22 to Level 28. It looks like Ill have to try a real-difficulty dungeon. Besides, if there really are demonized bats in this dungeon, they could only be in a real-difficulty dungeon, Song Jian pondered, standing before the dungeon gate. Seeing Song Jian standing alone at the dungeon entrance, the resting players exchanged wary glances, looking at him with doubt. Whats this guy trying to do, solo-raid a dungeon? someone muttered quietly. Thats impossible. Even the regular mobs in dungeons are Elite Level, far tougher than anything outside. Even a full party needs to be extra cautious inside or they could easily be wiped out Yeah, and there are loads of dangers in this game, with only one life. Safety first! Ive never seen anyone do a solo raid before Look, hes really going in someone whispered excitedly. Indeed, Song Jian, standing in front of the dungeon gate, had straight away chosen the real difficulty. The originally pale blue portal began to glow crimson. An incredibly intense, bloodthirsty aura emanated from the blood-red portal, causing the players lounging beside it to scatter like startled rabbits. Is he out of his mind? Hes going for real difficulty? Thats a Level 22 dungeon Level 22? Him Its Song Jian, number one on Level Rankings! someone exclaimed. Song Jian hadnt bothered to hide his ranking. At Level 22, he was someone all players had to look up to. They watched as Song Jians figure disappeared into the crimson dungeon gate. The red glow of the gate slowly faded back to blue, and everyone got excited again. The news of Song Jian beginning to raid a real-difficulty dungeon quickly spread among the player base. As soon as Song Jian entered the dungeon, he was hit by an intense wave of heat. A narrow stone pathway spread out before him. Looking around, he saw nothing but skeletal remains everywhere. Dark flames erupted from the cracks in the ground, burning everything they came into contact with. Even the trees on either side of the path were ablaze with black flames. Everything was silent, with no living thing in sight. If you dont have at least 50 fire resistance points, you wouldnt even qualify to enter this place, Song Jian thought to himself as he surveyed his surroundings. An arrow marker appeared on the ground in front of him, indicating that he was to follow the path. Is this showing me how to complete the dungeon? Song Jian pondered, following the arrow. Soon, he arrived at a large pit filled with severed limbs and skeletal remains. A palpable tension filled the air from the pit. Creak creak creak In the pit, something was churning at the bottom. Soon, a large mass rose up, the pile of skeletons on top sliding off to the side. Humans, you do not belong here! A deep, raspy voice echoed from the pit as a skeleton wreathed in black flames emerged from the pile of bodies. This was a humanoid skeleton, its body gleaming metallically. But there were a pair of broken wings on its back. The skeleton held out its right hand, and instantly, a gale of black wind swept into its palm from the pit, forming a large, two-meter-long battle-axe. Song Jians eyes narrowed as he examined the monster before him. Skeleton Demon General, Level 20, Elite Level BOSS, Vitality Points: 2800/2800 Any living creature in my sightline will die! roared the Skeleton Demon General as it lunged towards Song Jian. Chapter 449 - Chapter 449: Chapter 449 Outsiders Chapter 449: Chapter 449 Outsiders An elite level 20 BOSS C before now, Song Jian would have had to expend a considerable effort to defeat it. However, to the current Song Jian, this skeleton warlord is just a slightly more robust ant. With axes in both hands, the skeleton warlord launched a hefty assault from the air on Song Jian who, rather than dodging, met the attack with his long sword, causing a collision with the cross-axes. Clang! With a crisp sound, Song Jian felt his arms sinking and a strong force pressing his hands down involuntarily. However, a look of disdain appeared on his face. He only has a strength of thirty points at most C no threat to me at all! Song Jian muttered to himself. The cross-axe is a heavy weapon and the skeleton warlord, by attacking from above, has every advantage. However, it couldnt even make Song Jian step back. Song Jians current abilities far exceed those of the skeleton warlord. For other teams of players, this skeleton warlord serves as a kind of gatekeeper, measuring their strength, causing weaker players to fail repeatedly. But in Song Jians eyes, this skeleton warlord is just slightly more powerful than ordinary monsters. Even without using his Immortal Sword Body, he can easily crush it. Broken Wing Dance, activate! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ The long sword in Song Jians hand danced with such force that it gave the impression of a heavy weapon. With just two moves, the skeleton warlord was forced back five or six steps, almost being knocked back into the Pit of Ten Thousand. Boom! As the final attack, Song Jian leaped high, his long sword leaving a dark red mark in mid-air, slicing fiercely towards the skeleton warlord. The furious Qi left the warlord roaring with its huge body still hovering in mid-air. Die! Song Jian bellowed, directing all sword skills towards the skeleton warship. Sword Silk, Sweeping Sword Style, Flash Thunder Strike, Despite the incessant roaring of the skeleton warlord, it had no room for counterattack. By the time it landed, its vitality points had dropped to a third. Even a level 30 elite BOSS would struggle to withstand the damage inflicted by Song Jian, let alone a level 20 skeleton warlord! Light Strike! Before the skeleton warlord could rise from the ground, a radiant golden sword qi swept across its body, accompanied by a deep howl. As the skeleton warlord, initially about to rise, came to a sudden halt, the black flames covering its body, as if extinguished by a strong wind, disappeared. Bang! With a dull thud, fragments of bone burst out from the body of the skeleton warlord. Like a sand tower collapsing, the huge body crumbled into a pile of fine bone fragments; This gatekeeper that caused so many player teams headaches was easily defeated by Song Jian. If the players gathered at the dungeon entrance knew that Song Jian had taken down the first BOSS of the real difficulty dungeon in such a short time, they would be flabbergasted. The skeleton warlord dropped a skills stone C Fierce Strike. It requires a long weapon to unleash and can deal 180% physical damage to the target. This skill has a great damage output and, most importantly, consumes very little energy. With only a 3-second cooldown time, it can be considered a regular skill. Such a skill would certainly be popular among players. If placed on the auction block, it would fetch a handsome price. Besides this skill stone, the skeleton warlord also dropped a piece of level 20 blue quality equipment, the Skeleton War Armor. This is a plate armor for warriors with extremely high defense. Additionally, it has a passive skill that gives a 30% chance of afflicting attackers with a weakness curse when taking damage. It can be considered quite top tier. On top of these items, the skeleton warlord also dropped two rubies and a Shattered Skull. This can be infused into equipment to improve its attributes. As my first time exploring a dungeon on the real difficulty level, the drops arent bad! Song Jian looks at the spoils in his bag, a satisfied smile on his face. Bypassing the Pit of Ten Thousand, Song Jian continues along the path. Along the way, several level 20 elite mutated zombies appear, either shooting out from the surrounding woods or surfacing from the ground beside the road. Even some half-corpses lying beside the road, that seem to have died a long time ago, growl lowly as Song Jian passes, attempting to crawl over and attack him. Such sudden attacks may catch regular teams off guard, potentially leading to unnecessary casualties. However, for Song Jian, these are just monotonous additions to his journey. Moreover, these elite monsters in the dungeon not only yield ample combat experience, but the quality and quantity of loot is much higher compared to the regular drops. Song Jian has already picked up nearly 5000 Doomsday Coins alone, making the rewards quite bountiful. Just as Song Jian wonders if this narrow path has an end, he suddenly hears yelling in the distance. Tony, stop resting beside the corpses, even if one of them was your companion who just died in combat! Amir, go notify the village chief quickly. Ask him to organize another group of villagers and bring some Holy Water. To deal with these nasty creatures, nothing works better than Holy Water. Susan, quickly gather people to burn these corpses. You certainly dont want them to stand up again to battle you! After a sprint, Song Jian finally reaches the end of the narrow path where a village lies. Epitomizing a fully armed fortress, the village is surrounded by caltrops and its walls are built with robust tree trunks, looking quite sturdy. On these walls are burning bonfires and villagers armed with bows and arrows, anxiously peering below the walls. In front of the village gates are dozens of strewn corpses. Despite the distance, Song Jian can clearly smell the stench of decay. A robust man clad in leather armor and wielding a broadsword is commanding a dozen villagers to clean up the battlefield. Upon spotting Song Jian, both the villagers on guard duty and those cleaning up the battlefield quickly aim their weapons at him. Looking at these level 22 villagers and the robust man, with a strength equal to a level 25 elite level BOSS, Song Jian cant help but furrow his brow. With his current abilities, there is no way for him to seize such a tightly guarded village. Stand where you are, outsider! State your business! The man at the village gate points his heavy sword at Song Jian and shouts. Chapter 450 - Chapter 450: Chapter 450: Assistance Chapter 450: Chapter 450: Assistance Song Jian stared down the barrels of dozens of weapons trained upon him. Many holding them were so nervous they were shaking, their fingers hovering over the triggers of their crossbows. He hurried to say aloud, I am but a mere traveler passing by and I mean no harm to anyone. To his eyes, all the guardians of this village were labelled in yellow, indicating their relationship with him was currently in a fragile indifference stage, which could turn hostile at any wrong move. The village stood in the way of Song Jians journey, posing a challenge. If he wanted to avoid hostilities with the entire village, hed have to quickly ease the tension between them. Oh Lord, captain, I think I saw Paul move! I swear, I didnt see it wrong! cried a militiaman holding a long spear suddenly, his face stricken with terror. All the militia cried out in fear and horror, backing quickly away from the village gates. Calm down, men! We came out here to eliminate these disgusting creatures! Consider your families back in the village your parents, spouses, and children. Do you want to let these monstrous creatures in?, a burly man wielding a double-handed sword shouted, swing his blade downwards and severing the head of a recently deceased comrade. Coal fire oil! Bring the coal fire oil quick and pour it over these monsters! Well burn them to ashes!, ordered the burly man. From the surrounding forest emerged the growls of more mutated zombies. Shaking and stumbling, they slowly exited the woods and moved towards the village. At this point, no one was paying Song Jian any more attention. Just then, Song Jian received a system notification: Kill at least three mutated zombies or village militia to choose your current faction. Faction? There are factions to choose from in this dungeon? Song Jian checked his reputation page. Having received the title of The Savior, his reputation with the human race was well into Revered. Like theres any other option; its not like theyre going to make me join the zombie monster faction, Song Jian muttered, shaking his head and swinging his sword at a mutated zombie that had crawled out from the burning forest. Seeing Song Jians actions, Falakfu breathed a small sigh of relief. He was the captain of the village militia and was the most powerful among them. He felt a powerful aura emanating from Song Jian. If Song Jian chose to attack the village at this critical moment, he might completely destroy the village that had survived for decades. The mutated zombies crawling out from the burning forest were all level 25 elite monsters. Their strength surpassed that of the village militia. Void of intelligence, they were urged by bloodlust to treat any living creature as food. They had no tactical formation and charged at the militia like wild beasts. With Falakfus leadership, although they were fearful of the monsters, the militia stood firm against the waves of monster attacks like a reef against the ocean; After Song Jian had slaughtered three of the monsters, he received a system prompt: During the in-dungeon faction selection, you have chosen the Human Defense faction. You will gain reputation by killing monsters in the dungeon. This reputation is not transferred out of the dungeon and is only used for transactions with the in-dungeon humans. Brave warrior from afar, we need your help! After Song Jian picked the Human faction in the dungeon, he unexpectedly heard Falakfus desperate calls for help from afar. Looking at him and the other militia, their names color had turned light green. Is this for real? Song Jian murmered, as he swung his sword to cut down the zombies, and rushed towards the villages gate. System: You have slain a level 25 in-dungeon mutated zombie (elite). You have gained 1200 combat experience points and 3 dungeon human reputation points. System: You have slain a level 26 in-dungeon mutated zombie (elite). You have gained 1500 combat experience points and 4 dungeon human reputation points. With each monstrous kill within the dungeon, Song Jian gained not only combat experience points, but also reputation points with the dungeon humans. However, these reputation points were separate from those he had previously acquired. Every mutated zombie he killed brought him 3 to 4 reputation points with the dungeon humans. With Song Jians assistance, the defense of the village significantly stabilized. In addition to their ferocious attacks, these mutated zombies carried infectious viruses. If one were scratched by them, immediate detox elixir would be required to avoid zombie infection. Should any of the militia be killed and their bodies not handled within a set amount of time, they would 100% evolve into zombies, reanimate, and become monsters once more. Young man, you are a mighty hero. My name is Falakfu. I am the captain of this villages militia. After this battle, I insist you join me at the Bullhorn Bar for a drink! Seeing Song Jian effortlessly slay the mutated zombies, Falakfu shouted, his heart filled with both astonishment and respect. I look forward to it, Song Jian replied with a nod, retracting his sword and droplets of zombie blood splashing off the blade. These in-dungeon mutated zombies were not only stronger, but their blood viruses were also significantly more potent compared to the ones outside. The battle went on for a good half hour. The caltrops by the village gate had all been destroyed by the mutated zombies, and out of the remaining militia, less than ten were still standing. There would be no complete corpses left behind. However, the number of mutated zombies was diminishing. The battle appeared to be nearing its end in favor of the village defense. Just as a smile of relief started to form on everyones face, a deep roar echoed from the depths of the burning forest, causing their faces to instantly drop. Even Falakfu looked tense. Watch out, a big one is coming! he warned, glancing at Song Jian. A big one? The second boss? taken aback, Song Jian quickly realized what he meant and smiled, thinking, I thought Falakfu was the second boss of the dungeon. I didnt expect that after joining the human faction, the system would add a monster boss Boom, boom, boom! Large trees from the forest were hurled into the air by an astounding force. A mutated zombie with a body emitting a metallic glow and wielding a massive bone club let out an angry roar toward the village gate; Chapter 451 - Chapter 451: Chapter 451: The Demonized Bat Chapter 451: Chapter 451: The Demonized Bat Seeing the towering zombie that was over two meters tall, Falakfu tightly held his great sword, glanced at Song Jian and said, Be careful of the Zombie Commander. Legend has it that he has received the power of the devil, capable of commanding all mutated zombies, he is the king among zombies! Song Jian took a look at the boss in front of him, and couldnt help but gasp. He didnt expect that this was only the second boss in the instance, yet it was already a level 25 lord-level boss. Mutated Zombie Commander, Level 25, Lord level, Vitality Points: 9000/9000 Its just a level 25 lord-level monster, it shouldnt be a big problem! Song Jian glanced at Falakfu standing beside him. Even without the help of this level 25 elite, Song Jian alone was confident that he could take out this Zombie Commander. Now with Falakfus aid, dealing with the boss should be even easier. Just then, a black speck suddenly appeared in the distant sky, and a piercing cry resonated in everyones ears. The militiamen couldnt help shouting, throwing down the weapons in their hands, and covering their ears. Despite this, many of them had fresh blood oozing from their ears. Damn it, another one is here! Falakfus face changed drastically, he trembled and looked upwards into the distant sky. A giant black bat was rapidly approaching from the distance. Its two eyes were blood-red, and it fixated on Falakfu. Its furry body had a huge scar that seemed to have just healed, surrounded by a ring of pink, raw flesh. Mutated Bat Leader, Level 25, Lord level, Vitality Points: 5000/10000 Damn it, even this bat has come to join the fray. I should have killed it completely earlier! Falakfu roared angrily, glancing back at the village gate, his eyes filled with deep worry. If it was just the Mutated Zombie Commander, as long as it couldnt break through the village gate, it couldnt harm the villagers inside. But this Mutated Bat Leader was different. It could bypass the villages defenses and enter the village to kill the inhabitants. It was because of this bat that dozens of villagers were killed during a previous night raid. Although Falakfu managed to seriously wound it, he didnt expect the Mutated Bat Leader to appear in front of him once again, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the mutant zombies attacking the village. It seemed that it was here for revenge. Mutated Bat! Song Jian looked at the giant bat and felt a thrill of excitement rather than fear. The main reason he had chosen to venture into this real difficulty instance was to obtain the Magic Source Stone from the Mutated Bat. He did not expect to encounter the bat so soon. As Falakfu was about to speak, Song Jian interjected: You deal with the Zombie Commander, the bat is mine! After saying this, Song Jian jumped into the air, sprouting a pair of iron wings from his back and flew towards the giant Mutated Bat. Falakfu knew that without Song Jians help, he wouldnt be able to defend the village. Although the Mutated Bat was injured and had only half its vitality points left, it could fly, making it a tougher adversary than the Zombie Commander. Falakfu initially intended to take on the bat himself, yet Song Jian had chosen the most difficult opponent. This filled Falakfu with gratitude. May the Holy Light bless us! Falakfu roared, holding his double-handed sword high in the air. A brilliant golden light radiated from his sword, covering all the militiamen. A faint golden circle even appeared under Song Jians feet. Holy Light Blessing? All attributes increased by 10%, vitality restoration rate increased by 30%, the effect is quite good! Song Jian looked at his status bar and nodded slightly in approval. Swish ~ On seeing Song Jian rushing at it, the Mutated Bat Leader immediately gave up its original target and pounced at Song Jian instead. The bat leader radiated a black aura, and its claws, resembling sharp blades, seemed to shred the air to pieces. Its shrill cries emitted from its mouth, each one like a sharpened arrow, leaving Song Jian with no chance to dodge, forcing him to endure the force of the BOSSS sonic attack. Clang, clang, clang~ Song Jians steel wings, as though conscious, fluttered continually, maintaining their flight while simultaneously launching themselves toward the demonic bat leaders claws, defending against its damage. Song Jian, of course, showed it no mercy, his long sword consistently chopping at the demonic bat leaders body. Streams of purplish-red blood splattered out, and tiny bits of fur were shredded by the Sword Qi. Within three minutes, the demonic bat leaders Vitality Points had plummeted down to less than 30%, leaving it looking haggard. At this moment, Song Jian still had half of his Vitality Points left, over one thousand points. He initially struggled with aerial combat, but later was able to deftly navigate the battlefield, actively evading the demonic bat leaders attacks. Squeak,squeak, squeak A burst of frantic, piercing noises sound out. Song Jian was preparing to deliver his most powerful blow to finish off the demonic bat leader, but upon hearing its urgent cries, he immediately halted. Its summoning small monsters! A look of excitement emerged on Song Jians face, as he waited for the BOSS to summon the small monsters. Before long, a black fog appeared in the distance and tens of level 25 Elite Level demonic bats rapidly descended upon Song Jian. Just what I wanted! Song Jian thrust his sword into the demonic bat leaders chest, then fiercely dragged it downwards. The wound that had been stricken by Falakfu once more splintered open, causing over a thousand points of critical damage, floating up from the head of the demonic bat leader. A mournful scream erupted as the demonic bat leader shook uncontrollably. Its massive wings lost all strength and it plummeted down like a stone, squirming helplessly on the ground. Without sparing another glance at the bat leader, who was on the brink of death on the ground, Song Jian began to charge towards the monsters it had summoned. The skies were soon filled with demonic bats which plummeted to the ground like dumplings boiled in water. Those who were critically wounded but not dead struggled on the ground, unleashing pitiful cries. Meanwhile, Song Jian was covered with minor wounds. These demonic bats had tough skin and their small sharp teeth inflicted high damage. Eventually, Song Jian also suffered considerable damage, with his Vitality Points falling below three hundred. Phew, I underestimated them. I didnt expect these little creatures to be so formidable. I nearly got surrounded and killed by them. Song Jian pulled out an Advanced Healing Potion and gulped it down. At this moment, the zombie war general had pushed Falakfu to the village gate, with all the remaining militia heavily injured and carried back into the village. The heavy gate was closed, left outside were only Song Jian and Falakfu. Up on the ramparts, the militiamen continuously used crossbows to attack the zombie war general. However, their arrows could not break through the zombies defence, sparking off its body like they were hitting metal. Falakfu was a mess. The once vibrant golden glow surrounding him had dwindled to a thin layer barely clinging to his bodys surface. The back of his sword was marked with a crack; it seemed likely it would shatter before much longer. Humans, die! The zombie war general swung his enormous bone club, ruthlessly hammering it toward Falakfus head. Chapter 452 - Chapter 452: Chapter 452: Holy Water Chapter 452: Chapter 452: Holy Water Boom! Falakfu, like a ragged sack, slammed heavily onto the village gate, causing a trembling and shaking, with dust rustling falling down. Seeing Falakfu severely injured, lying limp beneath the gate, the militia on the wall let out a cry of amazement, their faces filled with horror. However, not one of them dared to open the gate to rescue him. The zombified war general stepped forward and grabbed Falakfu by the collar, lifting him halfway. A mocking smile spread across the terrifying face of the undead general. Humans, how pitiful that your companions have abandoned you Falakfus mouth was full of blood, struggling to say something, but not a single word came out. Come, let me grant you even greater power, and become a member of the Undead! The zombie general opened his mouth wide, and a dark mist spewed from its fang-filled maw, tunneling into Falakfus nose and mouth. Light Strike! At the sound of a sharp rebuke, the zombified war general suddenly felt a horrifying fear from his back, immediately interrupting the transformation ritual. He tossed Falakfu aside and swung his bone staff at the source of his agitation. Bang! A dazzling golden Sword Qi directly severed the zombie generals bone staff. The hot golden Sword Qi slashed across the zombie generals body, as hot as molten rock. Countless dark mists erupted from its wounds, and the zombie general let out an earth-shattering roar, swinging both of its massive hands towards Song Jian. Flash Thunder Strike! Swish swish swish ~ Three thunder attacks appeared from nowhere, as the flash of Song Jians sword followed like a pale blue blade, slashing onto the zombie generals body. Steaming heat constantly emerged, and the powerful force of the thunder attack flowed on the surface of the zombie generals body, causing him to twitch involuntarily. Song Jians figure shifted and moved to the side of the zombie general. Broken Wing Dance! The zombie general with both hands protecting its chest bore the brunt of Song Jians attacks. Each strike created a devastating blow on its hands. The zombie general felt as if it was being repeatedly hammered by a heavy mallet. The creaking sound from its arms seemed unable to withstand the pressure and would break at any moment. How can it be so powerful! The zombie general retreated several steps, its eyes filled with astonishment. Kill it, it is the origin of all the mutant zombies. As long as you kill it, the town will never be troubled by zombies again Falakfu struggled to stand up and roared in a hoarse voice. At this moment, his face was covered in black mist, and these mists were like countless little snakes crawling across his face. Song Jian glanced at Falakfu; his Vitality Points were less than a hundred. Moreover, there seemed to be a strange energy within his body, constantly corroding him. Falakfus body kept twitching, losing all of his strength, and he couldnt even stand up. The zombified war general threw away the remaining half of his bone staff and raised his right hand into the air. His palm was empty, but it seemed to be holding an immensely heavy object, making his arm tremble uncontrollably. Crack, crack, crack~ An intense commotion erupted from within the zombie general, as if bones were snapping. In no time, countless dark bone spines shone from within its body. Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, Destruction! The black mist coursing through the zombie generals body gradually condensed into full body armor. Like a porcupine, countless black spines of varying sizes erupted from its body. Each spine radiated a metallic luster, with a flame-like black mist flowing on the surface. Song Jian swung his sword and chopped at the zombie leaders body, clang clang clang, a series of crisp sounds, as if hacking at alloy, leaving only a white mark. How could this be, its defense has become so strong! Song Jian was horrified. Now every time he dealt damage, it was only a single-digit number. Not even a level 30 lord-level BOSS should have such a defense. The transformed zombie leaders right hand kept lifting into the air, unaffected by Song Jians attacks and not retaliating. When its right hand could not hold on, its left hand forcefully gripped the right wrist, as if lifting something with all its strength. Song Jian sensed something wrong, but looking at the zombie leaders right hand, he couldnt see anything, as if it were holding an invisible weight. What, what is going on! Song Jian couldnt help but step back, feeling a strong sense of threat, as if a large net was looming over him. Stop, stop it Falakfu rolled, using all his strength to stretch out his right hand, as if trying to grab Song Jian, his face filled with urgency and desperately yelled, Its summoning a hell demon, stop it, or this place will become a demon domain, and no living thing will exist here Song Jian was shocked, thinking that there were too many traps in this dungeon. A level 25 lord BOSS could turn the entire area into a demon domain? What should I do? My attacks cant break through its defense! Sung Jian frowned and shouted. At this moment, a hideous smile appeared on the face of the transformed zombie general. Its right arm was almost over its head. When its arm was fully raised, that would be when the hell demon appeared. Holy water, use holy water to attack it! Falakfu yelled at the wall. Panicking, the militiamen began searching for it. In no time, five or six holy water bottles were thrown from the wall and hit the transformed zombie leaders body. Like concentrated sulfuric acid, as soon as the holy water touched the BOSSS body, it directly dissolved its demonic armor. The holy water, like a living thing, continuously burrowed into its body, causing severe pain, making it let out a piercing scream. A series of damage numbers in the dozens floated from the zombie leaders head. Shaking violently, it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment, but it still held on stubbornly. A few drops of holy water inadvertently splashed onto Falakfu, causing his body to emit a wisp of blue smoke as if the holy water was also attacking him. Not enough, not enough Falakfus face twisted, his body trembling slightly as he looked at the transformed zombie leader and yelled at the wall. Captain, were out of holy water! A panicked militiaman on the wall shouted. Light Strike! Song Jian glanced at the skill, and as soon as the cooldown for Light Strike ended, he immediately swung his sword and performed the holy-powered sword technique, targeting the right arm of the transformed zombie general. The dazzling golden light, like a scorching sun, made everyone shield their eyes. The transformed zombie leaders eyes bled black tears, and smoke billowed from its body as if it were being burned. With a piercing scream, a severed arm as thick as a grown mans thigh spun toward the distance, smashing a burning black tree into two. The transformed zombie leaders face was full of despair as it knelt on the ground, holding the remaining half of its right arm in its left hand, and yelled out a miserable scream. Soon after, black flames erupted from the transformed zombie leaders feet, and in no time, it became a human-shaped torch. The intense heat made Song Jian step back involuntarily. Quickly, the transformed zombie leader turned into a pile of black ashes, with black mist continually drifting around and floating into the air, slowly dissipating. Chapter 453 - Chapter 453: Chapter 453: Dissection Chapter 453: Chapter 453: Dissection Weve won, weve won! After a brief silence, all the militia members cheered, some even crying tears of joy as they covered their faces. Two lord-level monster bosses had been killed, so it was unlikely that any monsters would threaten the village for a long time. Those who had survived were filled with relief. Song Jian looked at the pile of dark ashes from the Zombie Warlord and a smile appeared on his face. The monsters defense had reached its peak just before he killed it. Even with Song Jians terrifying attack power, he could barely break through the bosss defense, causing single-digit damage. This level 25 lord-level boss surprisingly had the trump card of summoning hellish demons. If it had successfully summoned one, it would have been an arduous battle, and the entire village might have been destroyed. Fortunately, I detected your weakness at the last moment, or I might not have been able to stop you Song Jian thought to himself as he looked at the pile of ashes. The Zombie Warlords body was covered in black bone spikes, but his right arm had none. Song Jian detected this weak point, and with a quick Light Strike filled with divine power, he severed the arm. It seems like this was the only way to complete the mission. Under such a terrifying defense bonus, I dont believe there are other players who could break through its defense at this stage! Song Jian thought, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Captain, what happened to you? The village gate slowly opened, and a swarm of militiamen rushed out. Seeing the black energy covering Falakfus face, they looked frightened. At this moment, Falakfus body was covered with streaks of black energy like chains, and his eyes filled with terrifying bloodshot veins. Even his muscles began to bulge, their surface emitting a metallic sheen. Hes turning into a demon! The captain is turning into a demon! A militiaman pointed at Falakfu in horror, stepping back. Roar! Falakfu suddenly let out a roar, dropped on all fours like a wild beast, and swiftly dashed toward the burning forest. The militiamen surrounding him were afraid to get contaminated by his energy and didnt dare to stop him. Song Jian saw a dark shadow flashing past him, and by the time he looked up, Falakfu had already rushed into the burning forest, leaving only a blurry figure for Song Jian. It seems the threat to this village hasnt disappeared; this Falakfu may become the next Zombie Warlord Song Jian thought. The Zombie Warlord dropped a level 25 silver-quality plate armor and a silver- quality two-handed battleaxe. There were also some level 20 materials, all of which Song Jian collected. The demonic bat leader was still flapping its wings in a struggle to escape. However, being on the verge of death now, it had no strength left to fight back and could be easily killed even by an ordinary militiaman. Song Jian quickly walked up, stabbed his sword into the demonic bat leaders body, and depleted its last bit of Vitality Points. The bat leader exploded with a soft bang and a pile of items dropped. After examining the loot, Song Jian couldnt help but curse, What a bunch of junk! From this level 25 lord-level boss, he had only received a pile of materials, not a single piece of equipment. The total value of those materials wasnt even worth the price of the silver-quality battleaxe dropped by the Zombie Warlord. Perhaps its loot was reduced because it had been severely injured to begin with, Song Jian could only speculate. However, his main concern, the Magic Source Stone, was not among the loot. This puzzled him. After all, this was a demon bat leader. If even it didnt drop a Magic Source Stone, wouldnt the drop rate for ordinary demon bats be even lower? Sir, sir? A timid militiaman went up to Song Jian and bowed. The village chief has invited you to rest in the village, sir. There is also an important matter he wishes to discuss with you. Song Jian glanced at the demonic bat leaders corpse with a gloomy expression, then looked at the militiaman. A trace of murderous intent in his eyes caused the militiaman to step back involuntarily. Wait a moment, I have something else to do first. Song Jian replied irritably. Sir, do you want to dissect these demonic bats? I have a dissecting knife! Seeing Song Jian still staring at the bat leaders corpse, the militiaman assumed he wanted to dissect it and hurriedly took out a dissecting knife to please him. The knife hadnt been well maintained. There were traces of rust on the handle and some notches on the blade. However, its attributes caught Song Jians eye. Old dissecting knife (white), item level 1, effect: Damage 3-7, increases dissection efficiency by 5%; usable condition: level 1. Dissection, dissection Song Jians eyes brightened, and he suddenly remembered that Annie had mentioned that the Magic Source Stone was a gastric stone that aided digestion in the demon bats stomachs. Just as realization dawned on him, Song Jian couldnt help but laugh. If thats the case, thank you very much! Song Jian accepted the dissecting knife from the militiaman with a smile. Splat! With the dissecting knife, Song Jian easily opened up the demonic bat leaders stomach and took out a black crystal the size of a fingernail. When he saw the stone, Song Jian couldnt help but burst into laughter. I didnt expect it to be hiding in the stomach. I almost missed it. Hahaha! Though the Magic Source Stone wasnt large, it felt heavy in Song Jians hand, weighing around thirty grams. After a thorough search of the bat leaders stomach, he found no other rewards and walked towards the other level 25 ordinary demon bats, dissecting knife in hand. After spending ten minutes dissecting those bats, Song Jian ripped open all their stomachs. Not every demon bat had a Magic Source Stone in its stomach; in the end, he only collected about fifty grams. The Magic Source Stones had various sizes, and the strangest thing was that when placed together, they would attract and merge with each other. In no time, they fused into a slightly larger black crystal. Thankyou! Song Jian handed the dissecting knife back to the militiaman with a smile. The militiaman glanced at the Magic Source Stone in Song Jians hand and hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something. Song Jian suddenly asked, Have you seen this kind of black crystal before? Sir, we have these black stones in our villages general store! The militiaman scratched his head, perplexed as to why Song Jian would collect these black crystals, a look of doubt in his eyes. Chapter 454 - Chapter 454: Chapter 454 Village Chief Chapter 454: Chapter 454 Village Chief Upon hearing the militia say that there were Magic Source Stones for sale in the villages general store, Song Jian was overjoyed. The reason he had explored this realistic difficulty replica was to obtain Magic Source Stones. However, this time he had only collected fifty grams of them. To gather enough stones to build a Magic Tower, it would take him a long time. If he could buy Magic Source Stones in this village, that would be the best news for Song Jian. Lets go; take me into the village and have a look! Song Jian put away the Magic Source Stones and said with a smile. When Song Jian entered this village, he saw an old man dressed in a gray linen robe, with a wrinkled face and snow-white hair. Leaning on his crutch, the old man stood in the center of the village surrounded by people. Upon seeing Song Jian, the old man trembled as he approached and paid his respects, saying, Warrior, I am the village chief of Fok Village, Zola Fok. Thank you for saving our homes and sparing the lives of hundreds of innocents Song Jian hurriedly rushed to help the old man up and said with a righteous look, I am just a wandering swordsman. Seeing such monsters, I naturally couldnt stand idly by. Regrettably, I wasnt able to save Falakfu; he was a brave guardian! Falakfu was a good boy. I hope his soul finds rest. Village Chief Zola said softly, seemingly unfazed by the loss of their strongest combatant. Upon hearing Village Chief Zolas words, a faintly strange feeling welled up in Song Jians heart. This was highly unusual. However, Song Jian didnt continue the conversation, but asked, Respected village chief Zola, I came here for a magic material, the Magic Source Stone, which is this black crystal. It only exists in the bodies of demonized bats. I want to ask if you know any nearby places with demonized bat nests? These black crystals can often be picked up by villagers when they go out. Although we dont know what its used for, carrying it around often helps to avoid pain and illnesses, so many people have some with them. Village Chief Zola opened his collar and showed Song Jian a Magic Source Stone. It was about half the size of a fist and weighed over three hundred grams, making Song Jian somewhat envious. You can go to the general store at the front of the village to have a look; they have them for sale. Chief Zola looked at Song Jian up and down, seemingly assessing his strength, and then said, As for the den of demonized bats, if you follow the path from the back door of the village straight ahead, youll find it at the north-facing cliff in the Mourning Wasteland. Theres a huge cave there with many demonized bats. The Mourning Wasteland? I see, Song Jian nodded his head. Soon, Song Jian found the general store the village chief mentioned. It not only had a large number of Magic Source Stones, but also many other valuable items. Song Jian even saw a gold-quality musket. Although its properties were average, a gold-quality musket outside this area was worth at least 100,000 Doomsday Coins. The items in the store had to be purchased with replica human prestige, which was of no use outside the replica. It could only be used here as currency. I need to grind this replica for at least half a month to buy the gold-quality musket Song Jian calculated in his heart, shook his head, and ultimately gave up the idea of continuing to grind this replica. He exchanged all his replica human prestige for Magic Source Stones, and combined with what he had already obtained, Song Jian now had more than three hundred grams of Magic Source Stones. This is worth thirty million! Song Jian held the small bundle of Magic Source Stones in his hand, a bitter smile on his face. A short stay in the village before moving to the villages back door, Song Jian found himself at the back gate of the village. With the village backed against a cliff, the so-called back door was, in fact, the only escape route for villagers. In case the village gate was breached, the villagers could flee through here. At this moment, Village Chief Zola was standing at the back door. Seeing Song Jian approaching, Zola took out a yellowish parchment scroll from his bosom and handed it to Song Jian, saying, Warrior, you saved our village, and I have nothing to repay you with. This is a map of the entire Mourning Wasteland, including a small part of the Nest of Mourning, the den of the demonized bats. I believe it will certainly be of help to you. Zolas expression was very sincere, which surprised Song Jian. Even when they lost their militia captain, who had always guarded the village, the village chief had not shown such an expression. Upon glancing at the map, Song Jian could see that it detailed the Mourning Wastelands topography and even marked the locations of powerful monsters. It was quite thorough. In the lower right corner of the map, it depicted a small section of the Nest of Mourning, marked with numerous holes and passages. It looked like someone had explored it for a long time before drawing it. It was detailed but only showed about less than a third of the entire nest. Based on the markings on the map, it appeared that there might also be a second layer to the Nest of Mourning. However, since nobody had fully explored it, this was just speculation. Thank you, village chief! Song Jian put away the map and thanked Zola with a smile. Regardless of the purpose for giving him this map, it did save Song Jian a lot of exploration time. Otherwise, he would have had to spend at least a few days in the Mourning Wasteland to find the den of demonized bats. In fact, there were many more side quests and hidden quests in this village that could be dug up. If a small team entered here, they could benefit greatly, but it would also take more time. After all, this was just a level 10 realistic difficulty replica. The items within it were not that interesting for Song Jian. It was better to find the demonized bats nest as soon as possible and obtain the Magic Source Stones. Watching Song Jian holding a torch and disappearing into the rocky passageway behind the village, a trace of a complex expression flickered across Village Chief Zolas face. Under the dim light, it seemed like a dark snake-like aura was nestled between his eyebrows. The rocky passageway behind the village was spacious and bore traces of artificial chiseling. Creating such a passageway would have taken at least several decades of efforts by the entire village. Holding a torch, Song Jian walked for more than twenty minutes before finally seeing light ahead. Finally made it out. Song Jian said as he walked quickly to the end of the passage. As soon as he stepped out, a miserable scream rang in his ears. This sudden howl startled Song Jian, making him shiver. He couldnt help but summon his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, gripping it tightly in his hand as he anxiously looked around. Chapter 455 - Chapter 455: Chapter 455: Dwarf Guardian Chapter 455: Chapter 455: Dwarf Guardian Leaving the rock wall passage, Song Jian saw a vast expanse of dark brown land. The ground was covered in gullies and countless large and small cracks, giving a sense of nowhere to set foot. As gusts of harsh wind blew, ghostly wailing sounds emerged from these cracks in the earth, as if countless people were crying in unison. No wonder its called the Mourning Wasteland. It must be because of this bizarre terrain! Song Jian thoughtfully observed. In this land, not even a hint of green vegetation could be seen, indicating that it was severely barren. This was also why the villagers, despite suffering from zombie invasions, were unwilling to migrate here. Song Jian summoned all his blood crows and, following the maps guidance, had them fly ahead to scout and locate the Nest of Mourning. Soon, based on feedback from a blood crow, Song Jian determined the specific location of the Nest of Mourning. After half a day, he arrived at the lair of the demonic bats, the Nest of Mourning. At first glance, the Nest of Mourning appeared like a gigantic blade that had fiercely cleaved into the towering rock wall, leaving behind a massive crack. From this crack occasionally came piercing howls, while an ice-cold chill poured out from the nest. At the edge of the nest, thick black ice continually spread outward. Outsider, halt! This is not a place you should be! a deep voice sounded from within the nest. Song Jian squinted his eyes, and shortly after, a short and stout figure emerged from the nest. A dwarf? Song Jian murmured with narrowed eyes. The dwarf before him was clad in thick heavy armor, with magic runes flickering faintly on its surface. The armor radiated a silvery glow, suggesting that it was a set of magical battle armor. Both the silver-quality suit and the warhammer in the dwarfs hand emitted a faint silvery light and were quite valuable. The dwarfs hair and beard were entangled, and apart from a pair of sharp eyes and a high nose bridge, no other facial features could be seen. Who are you? Song Jian furrowed his brows and scrutinized the dwarf. Strangely, he was unable to detect any of the dwarfs attributes or information, as if they were concealed from him. I am Kambia Ironhammer, the guardian of this cave. Countless monsters lie within, and once one unintentionally ventures inside, it is difficult to come out alive. To prevent the needless loss of innocent lives here, I must stand guard. The dwarf Kambia shook off the frost from his beard and spoke. You are diligently guarding this place simply to dissuade strangers from venturing into the nest and losing their lives? Song Jian asked, his eyes flashing. Yes, young man, leave this place quickly. Even without encountering the monsters in the cave, the chilling winds that blow from within carry the breath of hell that can harm your body. The dwarf patiently advised. Im sorry, but I came here to hunt the monsters inside! Song Jian shook his head. Hunt monsters? The dwarfs face darkened, and he stared at Song Jian. Young man, do you know how powerful those monsters inside are? Each one is at least level 30, and they number in the tens of thousands. Even a level one combatant would struggle to emerge unscathed. Youre just a level 22 adventurer, so how can you arrogantly claim to hunt monsters? The dwarf took a couple of steps forward, and his aura emanated, revealing his previously hidden attributes and information. An elite level 28 Boss? Song Jian glanced at the dwarf. This was his first encounter with an NPC who could hide their information; he had always assumed that this ability was exclusive to players. If you can withstand my three attacks, you will be qualified to enter the Nest of Mourning! The dwarf roared. His aura surged like a tide, shattering the frost on his body as he lunged toward Song Jian. What if I defeat you instead of just enduring the three attacks? Song Jian laughed, gripping his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a backhanded sweep, he unleashed a dazzling Sword Qi that rushed toward the dwarf. Bang! The longsword and warhammer collided fiercely, producing a deep, muffled clash. The sheer energy surrounding them caused a rumbling noise from the rock wall above, and the falling debris was ground to dust by the surrounding force. Dwarf Kambias complexion changed, and from the power transmitted through his warhammer, he could sense that the human standing before him wasnt much weaker than himself. Very well! You are powerful and a worthy opponent! Kambia yelled as he leaped into the air. Bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, converging towards the warhammer in his hand. In an instant, his entire body surged with electric plasma, making him look like a thunderbolt incarnate. Thunderstrike! Kambia roared, hurtling toward Song Jian like a bolt of lightning. This power Song Jian narrowed his eyes and a solemn expression crossed his face. Although he had also mastered the lightning-infused sword technique Flash Thunder Strike, it was vastly different from Kambias Thunderstrike, like comparing an earthworm to a giant dragon. Such terrifying lightning power made it believable if Kambia claimed to be the Son of Thunder. Sacred Parry! Song Jian tightly gripped his longsword, adopting a defensive stance. Bang! A force ten times stronger than before struck Song Jian. Within a radius of ten meters, lightning filled the air, melting more than half of the black ice at the entrance of the Nest of Mourning. As the blue lightning energy enveloped the area, a flash of brilliant golden light appeared and pierced through the surrounding lightning energy like a sharp blade. Bam! A dark shadow violently slammed against the rock wall, leaving a deep crater. Dwarf Kambias eyes were filled with disbelief, and despite the pain coursing through his body, he shouted at Song Jian, What power is this? Staring at the long, deep gouges under his feet, Song Jian panted and replied, Divine Power! Dwarf Kambia jumped down from the rock wall, and his right hand, still gripping the warhammer, involuntarily twitched. He looked at Song Jian with a stunned and cautious expression. You are a warrior with great power! The dwarf Kambias eyes flickered, seemingly reluctant to continue the fight. He nodded towards Song Jian and said, With my power, I cant stop you. You are qualified to enter the Nest of Mourning. Song Jian nodded, preparing to enter the Nest of Mourning. Still, he heard Kambia speak again, However, even with your strength, it is impossible to penetrate the depths of the Nest of Mourning. There are simply too many monsters inside. By the time you discover them, it may already be too late to escape Chapter 456 - Chapter 456: Chapter 456 Nest of Mourning Chapter 456: Chapter 456 Nest of Mourning Whoo- The icy cold wind howled past Song Jians ears, sounding as if someone was sobbing loudly next to him. The fierce wind was like little daggers on his bare skin, causing a stinging sensation as he rapidly slid downward. After an indefinite period, Song Jian felt a jolt throughout his body as he landed firmly in a layer of black snow. This depth I must be a few hundred meters underground by now, Song Jian looked up and thought. Accompanying the howling cold wind were wailing cries, as if countless individuals were sobbing together, creating an urge to retch over time. The surroundings of the Nest of Mourning, deep underground, were pitch black, like a void. A vertical eye opened slowly on Song Jians forehead, and its silvery light illuminating the surroundings, revealing a clear view. Song Jian found himself in a cavern-like ice cellar, surrounded by countless holes similar to a beehive. Numerous air flows gushed out from these holes, creating a cacophony reminiscent of hundreds of wails. The surrounding rock walls were covered in a thick layer of Black Ice. Song Jian even found some animal carcasses frozen within it. Thump, thump, thump~ A sound of beating wings echoed from the holes. Startled, Song Jian quickly closed his vertical eye, plunging the surroundings back into darkness. The sound of flapping wings grew louder as countless basketball-sized black bats flew out from the holes, following the path Song Jian had slid through previously and flying upwards. These ink-black bats had crimson eyes and sharp fangs, emanating a demonic aura. Their gaze was filled with bloodlust and brutality. Squeak,squeak, squeak- A sharp squealing resounded as the horde of these level thirty monsters surged upwards, as if something above was attracting them. They did not notice Song Jian hiding behind an ice rock at all. It was not until the bats had flown away, leaving silence in their wake that Song Jian stepped out from his hiding spot. There were at least a hundred of these demon bats, but they definitely did not constitute all of the Nest of Mourning. There must be many more within the nest. Song Jian sighed. Facing such a dreadful creature would be a daunting task even for a top-tier professional squad with reasonable coordination and decent equipment. They would need to take advantage of the terrain to defeat it. As for Song Jian, dealing with so many demon bats single-handedly would be an uphill battle. After some hesitance, Song Jian boldly proceeded into the tunnel. He believed that with his abilities, even if he couldnt exterminate all the demon bats, he could at least escape them. Taking out the map, he followed its guidance, continuing down the current passageway towards a stone forest, a sanctuary of the demon bats. The passageways in the entire Nest of Mourning intertwined just like a complex labyrinth. Without the guidance of the map and Song Jians markings along the path, it would have been easy to get lost. The stone forest marked on the map is ahead. The map states that there are at least two hundred demon bats here, but theyre all regular monsters, no bosses, Song Jian looked up at the way forward. The vertical eye on his forehead emitted a slightly silver glow. He then pocketed his map, and moved on. Outside the entrance to the dungeon, about a dozen players were gathered, staring at the gloomy, glowing entrance in a daze. The dungeon allowed multiple teams or individuals to challenge it simultaneously. However, once the True difficulty was activated, only heroes at this level were allowed to challenge the dungeon. As the dungeon only allowed egress and not ingress, many aspiring conquering players were waiting outside the massive gate. Has someone truly dared to enter the dungeon at True difficulty? This must be the first time it has been activated, right? Are you kidding? This is a level twenty-two dungeon, probably only one person in the whole Doomsday City is eligible to enter. As the crowd chirped in surprise, a group of players walked in. Among them, a middle-aged man of over forty, was overjoyed to see the entrance of the dungeon. Unbelievable! The info from that merchant was actually true; there is a dungeon here! Captain, check what level it is. Can we enter? a young archer in the team shouted. Eh, why is this dungeon red? Arent all the dungeons usually light blue? a player of the priest class in the team furrowed his brows in confusion. This this is the True difficulty, someone is challenging it! The middle-aged man seemed to have realized something, causing his expression to shift dramatically. True difficulty? Captain, are you talking about the Final Battle of the dungeon? Once someone conquers the True difficulty, this challenge would disappear forever The priest players face fell. Once a dungeons certain level disappeared, the items that could be obtained from this level would become unique reflexively. If they had any special effects, their value could potentially skyrocket several times. How is that possible? Is there already a team ready to challenge the True difficulty? Even the level five dungeons havent been conquered by any team, let alone this being a level ten dungeon The middle-aged man was dazed, muttering to himself. Regarding the current player levels, many already meet the criteria to enter the lowest-level dungeons, the level five dungeon, at True difficulty, but no one has successfully conquered one yet. The middle-aged man player was already at level nineteen, and had once tried to challenge a level five dungeon at True difficulty. But, not long after entering the dungeon, they were driven out by a boss. Since then, no one in his team dared try to challenge the True difficulty level in a dungeon anymore. A team? What team? This dungeon at True difficulty requires at least level twenty-two to enter. Look at the current level leaderboard, see how many players qualify to enter! a player waiting on the side, looking enviously at the scarlet dungeon entrance, chuckled. The middle-aged man checked the level leaderboard and was shocked. He fixed his gaze on the player and asked, Are you suggesting that only one person is challenging the True difficulty of the dungeon? Exactly, its Song Jian, the first on the level glory leaderboard. Hes the one challenging this dungeon at True difficulty! Just one person The team that just arrived exchanged glances with each other, unable to believe what they had just heard. At that moment, Song Jian had already arrived in the underground stone forest. It was a huge cavern with robust stalagmites rising from the ground. Many brown mosses and small plants were growing on the ground, completely exposed. The temperature here was much warmer than in the tunnel, devoid of any frost. Standing outside the passageway, staring at the stone forest in front of him, Song Jian was taken aback. What whats going on here. Chapter 457 - Chapter 457: Chapter 457: Dissection Technique Chapter 457: Chapter 457: Dissection Technique The stone forest before him was indeed as described on the map C the dwelling place of a swarm of demonized bats. There were numerous Level 30 bats here. However, apart from the demonized bats, Song Jian was surprised to discover another creature in the stone forest. These were giant scorpions, their bodies gold as if draped with a layer of golden armor. They had two large pincers in the front and a segmented, curved tail with a venomous stinger on the back. Even when climbing the rock wall, they moved quickly and effortlessly. At the moment, these golden scorpions were burrowing out from various underground caves, spreading like tides against the rock walls, battling the demonized bats that were fluttering in mid-air. The claws of the demonized bats could easily break the defense of the golden scorpions, and their sonic attacks could make the golden scorpions lose control of their bodies and fall from the rock walls. On the other hand, the huge pincers of the golden scorpions were formidable weapons against the demonized bats. They could easily sever a demonized bat in half, and the scorpion tail was swift and accurate as a piercing spear, even the bats flying in the sky could accurately be nailed by it. Any demonized bat stung by the scorpion tail would be dyed a light green and corrode into a sludgy liquid in no time. The corpses of the golden scorpions and demonized bats rained down, amassing a thick layer on the ground in no time. The situation was grim. Both sides fought ferociously, neither willing to back off, hundreds of golden scorpions and demonized bats ended up as broken bodies. At this point, Song Jian dared not make a sound or even step into the stone forest. He could only silently wait for the end of this battle. Seeing all the corpses, Song Jian thought to himself, Good, this saves me a lot of trouble; I dont have to lure them out one by one. Song Jian had originally planned to slowly lure out three to five of them one at a time. He had chosen several terrain depressions on his way here, perfect for solo hunting monsters. But doing so would certainly take a lot of time. The sudden battle presented him with a straightforward way to obtain the Magic Source Stones. In fact, this battle was precipitated by Song Jians elimination of the lead demonized bat. The demonized bats became weak, and the golden scorpions took advantage, causing this battle. And more importantly, its implausible that a task in the game would be impossible to complete. Given the number of demonized bats in this habitat, let alone one Song Jian, even if there were ten times as many people, even a team of ten attempting to raid this location would ultimately return empty-handed. Song Jian was powerless in face of the rush of hundreds of demonized bats. After this major battle, most of the demonized bats would die off. The remaining ones could meet the kill quota for a small team and would not appear too odd. Song Jian simply had to wait patiently. Charging in now would be pinpointing his own grave. Half an hour later, the battle in the stone forest was drawing to a close. Right now, of the entire stone forest, there were no more than dozens of demonized bats left. The remaining golden scorpions had also fled back through the underground caves they had originally emerged from. Many of them were dragging the broken bodies of the demonized bats into the caves. Even so, there was a thick layer of corpses of demonized bats and golden scorpions decorating the ground of the stone forest. Seeing this, Song Jians eyes brightened. After all, he had not come here to clear out an instance; he had come for the Magic Source Stones. Now he didnt have to kill the demonized bats one by one, seeing all these bat corpses strewn around. The remaining demonized bats flew to the uplands of the stone forest to rest. Song Jian cautiously entered the stone forest and took out a dissection knife to poke at the bodies of the bats. The dissecting knife was a bronze knife he had purchased with reputation points in the village before this instance. The knife was substantially better than the one the militia had lent him before. This green-quality weapon not only increased the chance of successful dissection by 10% but also increased the chance of acquiring items by 5%. Unlike other players who perform dissection carefully, making light incisions to get more monster body materials, Song Jian was intending to look only for Magic Source Stones. Thus he did not operate like other players. Instead, he jammed the knife directly into the body of the demonized bat and fiercely tore downwards, making a huge wound in the bats abdomen. Afterwards, he ran his hands inside the bats stomach. Each Magic Source Stone was tiny, some were even smaller than half a pinkie fingernail. There would be residues of undigested food in the bats stomachs, making the search quite troublesome. On some occasions, after a long search, Song Jian would find that the bats stomach did not contain a Magic Source Stone. After dissecting tens of demonized bats stomachs, Song Jian finally received a system alert: System: You have learned the life skill C Dissection Technique (Level 1). {[Dissection Technique]}: Passive, Level 1. Increases dissection efficiency by 5% when dissecting a creatures corpse. Phew, Ive finally mastered this dissection technique, learning skills is so much harder now than when I first entered the game! Song Jian shook his head, thinking to himself. When they first entered the game, players quickly mastered any skill. Most attack skills could be mastered by attacking monsters effectively three times and mastering the corresponding passive skill. One could master a life skill by successfully completing a task once on their own. For skills like the Dissection Technique, if one were just starting the game, Song Jian would have stood a great chance of mastering it after dissecting just one monster. But now, he has dissected nearly a hundred demonized bats, which goes to show how difficult it is to learn a skill now. Of course, this also had something to do with Song Jians technique. Song Jian was only concerned with the bats stomach. One cut from him would practically split the demonized bat in half. To call it dissection was somewhat of a stretch. There were over a hundred demonized bat corpses on the ground. This would be a fantastic opportunity for those who had mastered the techniques of skinning or dissection to level up. But Song Jian was only after the Magic Source Stones. The fact that he had mastered the Dissection Technique was just a pleasant surprise. The monster corpses he had dissected collapsed and decomposed much faster, turning into a pile of black ash in a mere few seconds. Song Jian moved quickly; in no time, there were fewer and fewer demonized bat corpses scattered across the ground. As he was dissecting another demonized bat, one injured bat that was hovering on a stalactite noticed him. Its little red eyes stared intently at the human intruder in their habitat. Its sharp fangs revealed, it looked ready to strike. Chapter 458 - Chapter 458: Chapter 458: Escape Chapter 458: Chapter 458: Escape Squeak~ The monster bat that spotted Song Jian suddenly let out a shrill shriek, plunging towards Song Jian with its wide wings spread out, like a dark shadow swooping towards him. Song Jian was startled and ignored the body of the monster bat already ripped open. He jumped backward swiftly, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through his neck. More than sixty damage points floated above Song Jians head. Touching his neck, he felt three blood trails slowly oozing blood. Song Jian struck back and his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword left a trail of marks in the air, chopping the severely wounded monster bat into two. However, the earlier shriek from the monster bat had alarmed the rest of the bats resting overhead. Whoosh- The sound of flapping bat wings echoed, and their shrill cries reverberated throughout the stone forest. Song Jian quickly summoned two Fire Elemental Spirits. Though these Fire Elemental Spirits of above-level twenty didnt pose much of a threat to monster bats, they could relieve some pressure from Song Jian. And even if they perished, Song Jian wouldnt have a heartache over it. The Black Dragon hatchling was too low leveled. Summoning it now would mean sending it to its death. Also, due to the blood sampling process, the Black Dragon hatchling was in a state of weakness. Even if it was summoned, it wouldnt be of much help. If the monster bats killed it, it would probably leave Song Jian devastated. A big swarm of monster bats descended all at once, instantly overwhelming Song Jian and the two Fire Elemental Spirits. The level twenty-two spirits lasted less than a minute before being killed by the bats, turning into a pile of crimson crystal shards. Fighting while retreating, Song Jian finally retreated into an indented rock wall, which significantly reduced the damage received. Upon checking his vitality points, he found that he was left with fewer than five hundred. You should know that his Vitality Points were at nineteen hundred and forty, nearly reaching two thousand, which were almost similar to an elite BOSS of the same level. However, while confronting dozens of monster bats, Song Jians Vitality Points were plummeting fast. After quickly gulping down an Advanced Healing Potion, Song Jian felt slightly relieved. He swung his sword, doing his all to chop down the monster bats in front of him. Hearing two crisp bangs in the distance, he instantly lost contact with the Fire Elemental Spirits. Ten more monster bats flew over, immediately putting him under greater pressure. Thankfully, he had retreated to the recess of the rock wall. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to hang on for long under the siege. Relying on the terrain and potions, Song Jian managed to barely hold on. In a short while, over a dozen monster bats were chopped into halves by him, but the consumption of Advanced Healing Potions was also high. Song Jian would immediately gulp down a bottle as soon as the potions cooldown time ended. However, even then, his Vitality Points were constantly decreasing. Immortal Sword Body, Activate! Boom! A strong surge of golden Qi erupted intensely from Song Jians body. The monster bats in front of him were all subjected to a strong impact force and were involuntarily thrown backward. At level six of the Immortal Sword Body, all attributes increased by 10 points, defense went up by 60%, and resistance by 50%. At this moment, Song Jian was like a humanoid mecha. The damage that the demonic bats originally inflicted on him, around fifty to sixty points, suddenly dropped to just over twenty. Broken Wing Dance! With the Immortal Sword Body still in effect, Song Jian unleashed his full firepower, throwing out sword skills with abandon. Thanks to the presence of the Vitality Chapter of Sword Control Skill, the maximum limit of Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi had increased to over two hundred points. Coupled with the rapid recovery of the Invisible Sword Qi, he was completely capable of recklessly using various sword techniques while the Immortal Sword Body was active. In an instant, the demonic bats were hacked down in droves. With a resounding Boom, black flames suddenly erupted from Song Jians body. The Abyssal Raging Flame was released by him, ultimately forming a black armor around his body. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The demonic bats attacked Song Jian, but their damage was reduced to mere tens of points. However, for every attack they made, the reflected damage above their heads reached over thirty points. For a while, the entire stone forest echoed with the furious shrieks and tragic howls of the demonic bats. At that moment, several Golden Scorpions poked out half of their bodies from the holes in the stone forest. They had just experienced a great battle, but not all the Golden Scorpions had left. The combat between the demonic bats and Song Jian had attracted the attention of many Golden Scorpions. Once they got a clear view of the battle between the demonic bats and Song Jian, the Golden Scorpions slowly crawled out of their holes and surrounded Song Jian. Seeing the Golden Scorpions slowly closing in, Song Jians heart sank. The duration of his Immortal Sword Body was only a dozen seconds left. If he was surrounded by these Golden Scorpions again, Song Jian feared he would be in danger of falling. With a single blow, Song Jian sent a demonic bat flying and immediately used the Sword Shadow Step. At the same time, he activated the Frost Sprint ability of the Frost Boots. His figure, like a flash of lightning, rushed towards the nearest passage. A demonic bat attacking Song Jian, with a large mouth full of fanged teeth, kept emitting sharp shrieks. As its figure spun in mid-air, ready to pursue Song Jian, it was impaled by the sudden appearance of a Golden Scorpions tail. With the sound of rustling, dozens of Golden Scorpions began to attack the remaining demonic bats. At this time, the number of Golden Scorpions was several times greater than the remaining demonic bats. The demonic bats couldnt resist the attack of the Golden Scorpions, and in the end, only a few demonic bats were able to escape the stone forest. The remaining demonic bats were all killed by the Golden Scorpions. The Golden Scorpions, having wiped out the demonic bats, didnt leave. Their long scorpion tails trembled continuously in the air. Then, like a tide, they surged towards the passageway where Song Jian had escaped, as if hunting dogs chasing after Song Jian. At this point, Song Jian was unaware of the pursuit behind him. His figure was moving extremely fast, darting through the passageways, which were like a maze, until the duration of his skill ended. Only then did he stop. Looking back, a faint line of icy frost was slowly melting on the ground; it was the Path of Frost left by the Frost Sprint skill. Any chasing creature stepping on it would have its movement speed reduced by 30%. Where on earth have I escaped to? Song Jian looked around the passage, and took out a map to check carefully. After a while, a bitter smile appeared on Song Jians face. He had been too panicked during his escape and was no longer able to determine his location from the map. However, Song Jian estimated that he had probably run off the charted area of the map. After all, the map he held only covered a small portion of the Nest of Mourning. Just then, Song Jian heard an angry roar echoing from a distance, followed by rumbling that seemed to shake the entire Nest of Mourning, as if it was about to collapse at any moment. A deep, strange voice sounded from afar; Stop struggling, Begs. You should know the gap between us. Submit to me and I will grant you even greater power! Chapter 459 - Chapter 459: Chapter 459: The Scorpion King Chapter 459: Chapter 459: The Scorpion King Song Jian had a thought and started to move forward stealthily; After rounding a bend, Song Jian reached the end of the passage and a huge cave appeared before his eyes, at least twice the size of the previous stone forest; The cave was very hot, Song Jian could feel it even just standing in the passage, the warm breeze coming from the cave. The cave was full of golden light. The surrounding rock walls were embedded with fist-sized golden ore crystals, radiating light and heat. In the center of the cave, a huge monster wrapped in black ropes was struggling mightily; This enormous beast had six jointed limbs, its massive body covered in layers of shell-like armor, and a gigantic scorpion tail, of which only half remained, with the other half stinger being chopped off and thrown aside. The upper body resembled an adult male, with his arms turned into gigantic pincers, desperately tearing at the black ropes entwining him. Is this Song Jian narrowed his eyes, looking at the huge monster: This is the leader of the golden scorpions, the Holy Sun Scorpion King? But he looks quite miserable right now! Across from the Scorpion King, a black, ragged cloak was floating in mid-air, it seemed to be supported by a mysterious force, but Song Jian didnt find any creature in the cloak and couldnt see its name or attributes either. Begs, stop struggling. Accept enhancement by demonization and become one of the Abyssal Clan. This is a great honor for you! A deep voice filled with temptation came from the cloak, making Song Jian feel slightly dizzy. Abyssal language? Song Jian was surprised and began to closely inspect the black cloak. Finally, he found that there seemed to be a transparent spirit body in the black cloak. The black ropes on the Scorpion King seemed to be its handywork. At this moment, it was trying hard to control the ropes and prevent the Scorpion King from breaking free. The Scorpion King roared constantly, but its struggling became increasingly weak. At this moment, a cracking sound suddenly came from the cave walls. The golden ore crystals embedded in the rock walls were shattering one by one. Golden scorpions the size of a fist were breaking free from the crystals and crawling towards the Scorpion King. Is this your last struggle? What use are these newly-born scorpions? You think they can save you? A mocking laughter came from the cloak. These newborn golden scorpions launched themselves off the walls at the black cloak. As they entered attacking range, they exploded like grenades one after another. There seemed to be special defense energy around the black cloak. With the explosion of the golden scorpions, a light gray energy shield appeared around the cloak and began to ripple. Is this your trump card, Begs? Hahaha! The transparent soul body stretched its arms wide as if it didnt take the impending suicide soldiers seriously. Rings of black energy emanated from its body and spread around. Song Jian, standing at the entrance of the passage, felt the explosive power of the golden scorpions. The level of explosion could match his high-explosive hand grenades and self-destructing robot. But the numerous suicide attacks of the golden scorpions couldnt even break the opponents defense. While Song Jian was astonished, he also became cautious with his breathing, fearing to be detected by the transparent spirit body. The strength of this guy must surpass a level 30 elite BOSS. It might even possess first-tier combat power! Song Jian observed the miserable state of the level 30 elite BOSS Scorpion King, and looked at the black cloak with extra caution. Rings of black aura were being emitted from the cloak, as if a door to hell was opening, with black flow turning into screaming faces; The cave, which had been radiant with warm golden light, was quickly covered in a layer of pale gray, as if dust had settled on its surface. Eventually, all creatures will succumb to the Abyss A long sigh came from the black cloak. With a swish, it flew towards Begs and grabbed him by the neck with a translucent soul hand, lifting the massive creature. Submit to me, otherwise, I will extract your soul and roast it on the Abyssal Flame for ten thousand years! The soul body within the black cloak let out a roar; Just then, a system prompt suddenly appeared before Song Jian; System: Neiyem, the Abyss Demon General, is the final BOSS of this instance. Killing it will clear the instance! Warning: If Neiyem extracts the soul of the Holy Sun Scorpion King, its power will massively increase! Shit, why didnt you say it earlier! Song Jian glared upwards to see a translucent soul almost completely extracted from the Scorpion Kings body by Neiyem. In at most ten seconds, the soul of Scorpion King Begs would be completely extracted by Neiyem. According to the system hint, if Neiyem completely extracts the Scorpion Kings soul, its power would undergo a drastic change. Considering that Neiyems current strength already amazed Song Jian, any further enhancement might make Song Jian lose his confidence in completing the instance. With a leap, Song Jian swung his sword and struck at the soul body in mid-air; Light Strike! With a shout, a dazzling golden Sword Qi lit up the entire cave. The sacred Sword Qi hurt Neiyem before it even got close, creating countless black auras that crazily emanated from the black cloak, forming a shield in mid-air; The power of Holy Light, this disgusting aura Neiyem interrupted the soul extraction which was already half-way done, and tossed Scorpion King Begs away. Turning around, eight lines of dark aura surged from behind Neiyem, eventually solidifying into eight spider leg-like weapons, trembling slightly as they cut through the Sword Qi of Light Strike; Despite saying he held it in contempt, Neiyems actions showed his fear of holy power. Bang,bang, bang- The eight spider leg-like black auras kept slashing on the golden Sword Qi of Light Strike, creating repeated explosions. Every explosion shattered a spider leg and depleted a portion of the golden Sword Qi. All eight spider legs disappeared, the Sword Qi of Light Strike had shrunk to half of its size. The remaining Sword Qi still fiercely shattered the black shield and slashed at Neiyem. Boom! The black cloak shook vigorously, and damage of over three hundred points floated above Neiyems head. Then a golden Sword Qi suddenly appeared out of nowhere and struck Neiyem. This blow caught even Neiyem by surprise. Being hit by this heavy blow, even Neiyem let out a painful roar. Chapter 460 - Chapter 460: Chapter 460: Seizing the Body Chapter 460: Chapter 460: Seizing the Body Song Jian rushed forward, finally experiencing just how strong Neiyem was. Even though he hasnt reached the first rank in terms of combat power, it probably isnt far off, Song Jian thought to himself. Sword Silk Flash Thunder Strike Sweeping Sword Style Spiritual Sword Control Technique Even without wielding the Golden Demonslaying Sword, Song Jians offensive power significantly surpassed the other players. When he merged with the Golden Demonslaying Sword, his other attributes werent as remarkable C however, when it came to attack damage, he could fully contend with a Level 30 Lord level Boss. Each attack greatly disrupted the protective force around Neiyems body. Like ripples in water, its frequency and amplitude were increasing. Under Song Jians continuous assault, Neiyems protective force finally produced a sound suggestive of shattering under the strain. Crack- Countless transparent crystal shards splashed around Neiyem. His defense significantly weakened momentarily, allowing Song Jian to inflict over five hundred points of damage with only a standard attack. Once Neiyems defenses were broken, his vitality points plummeted drastically. However, due to high-end healing potions, Song Jian managed to maintain his vitality points around a thousand marks. When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you! Neiyem, perhaps foreseeing his own downfall, suddenly emitted a ring of dark aura that repelled Song Jian. His blood-red eyes emerged from his cloak and stared at Song Jian as he spoke in a low voice. Abyssal Land, heh, Ill visit someday, Song Jian stabilized himself and lightly laughed while looking at Neiyem. Neiyem had less than 30% of his vitality points left. In under ten minutes, Song Jian could vanquish him. His gaze at Neiyem also grew strange, as though he was looking at a bundle of equipment. The final bosses of dungeons like this often dropped high-quality items. Song Jian estimated that at least one golden-tier equipment piece could be obtained this time. Maybe because Song Jians gaze had enraged Neiyem, Neiyem roared loudly and his black aura surged out like a tidal wave, transforming the surrounding tens of meters into an area engulfed in swirling thick black mist. Heart-wrenching screams emanated from the black mist, causing the entire cave to faintly tremble, with pebbles starting to fall from above. In the center of this black mist, a black spatial rift slightly wider than a finger suddenly appeared. It was as if an eerie eye had suddenly opened within the black mist. At that moment, Neiyems roar became even more frantic. Song Jian cautiously looked up, staring at the rolling black mist at a distance. He did not want to be caught off guard by any unexpected big moves from Neiyem, so he unconsciously prepared the starting move of Sacred Parry. At this moment, all the black mist suddenly surged towards the barely alive Begs, just like a tide. The black mist swarmed into Begs through its facial features. Begs, who was on the brink of death and had nearly had its soul extracted, had no capacity to resist and could only passively accept it. Its massive body slowly began to float. The black mist entered Begs like a multitude of snakes through its eyes, mouth, and ears. Begss body was constantly trembling, seeming to be in extreme pain, but it could not even utter a single groan. Song Jian stood aghast, preparing to step toward and attack. However, a system message blocked his attempt, saying Unable to lock onto attack target, this left him with no choice but to stand by and watch. Quickly, all the black mist from Neiyems transformation entered Begss body. The once golden and shining Emperor Scorpion had now transformed into a pitch-black hue. Even its broken scorpion tail had regrown. However, the new tail was flashing with a black metallic luster, distinctly different from the rest of Begss body. Boom! The Emperor Scorpions eyes abruptly snapped open. Their original azure blue color had shifted to a blood-red, as a surge of hot black flame ascended around its body. The Abyss is watching you! Begs said slowly, his tone and rhythm exactly like Neiyems. At that point, Song Jian noticed a spatial rift, about as long as a finger, appearing not far from Begs. The rift was unfathomably deep and pitch black, continuously emitting black mist. These black mists were as if they possessed a consciousness. As they emerged from the spatial rift, they furiously surged towards the surrounding cavern walls. In no time, the originally golden glowing cave was covered in black and began to emit a black glow. Its recreating its environment! Song Jian suddenly had this realization. Only in the abyss can you truly understand its greatness! Begs waved its two giant pincers around as if embracing something, there was an intoxicated expression on its face. In an abyssal environment, except for abyss creatures, all attributes would forcibly be reduced by more than 30%. This was the abysss suppression of other creatures and could not be mitigated. If it werent for you, I wouldnt need to resort to taking over this waste! Begs, with blood-red eyes fixed on Song Jian, had an angry countenance. If looks could kill, the fire in Neiyems eyes would have long burned Song Jian to ashes. Neiyem, who was originally just a soul body, could have greatly increased its strength by seizing a stronger physique. Maybe it could even break through the first rank of combat power. However, it reluctantly had to take over Begss body on the brink of death. In Neiyems eyes, the level 30 Lord level Begs was merely a good mount and pet. But now, it could only occupy a pets body, completely destroying its future potential, taking away all hope of returning to the Abyss for competition. You blocked my path of advancement, Ill let you know the consequence of becoming an enemy of the Abyss! After briefly adjusting to Begss physique, Neiyem launched a fierce attack on Song Jian. in its perspective, Song Jian, who had had all his attributes reduced by 30%, was no longer its match. Even with only 30% vitality left, it could still suppress its opponent. But after engaging in combat, Neiyem discovered to its horror that Song Jians strength had unexpectedly increased, not decreased. Initially, it had a slight advantage, but now it was being completely overwhelmed. This cant be, cant be; what happened!! Neiyem roared with a panic-stricken face, looking completely lost. Boom! Song Jian smiled faintly, a surge of black flame ascended around his body as well. This flame held a higher temperature than the flame on Neiyems body and looked even more profound. Chapter 461 - Chapter 461: Chapter 461: Black Fog State Chapter 461: Chapter 461: Black Fog State Seeing the black flames rising on Song Jians body, Neiyems face revealed a look of shock, and he continuously backed off. Th-this is the aura of the Abyss, how, how is this possible, you Song Jian let out a cold chuckle, and with a thought, the rising Abyssal Raging Flame instantly transformed into a set of black armor, covering his body. Immortal Sword Body, activate! A dazzling golden light enveloped the armor and eight long sword shadows began to rotate tirelessly around him. With the enhancement of the Immortal Sword Body and the Abyssal Demon Armor, Song Jian moved faster than Neiyem could track. A shadow flickered past, leaving only a black mark on the surface of Neiyems eyeball. By the time Neiyem noticed, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. Lowering his head, he saw a dark red sword blade buried in his chest. As he reached out to grasp the blade, it suddenly disappeared, followed by a plume of blood spurting from Neiyems chest. With a sharp scream, the scorpion tail behind Neiyem started to whip wildly, and the shadow of the tail filled an area of three to four meters. The sharpness of the tails poison hook was as deadly as any weapon. The overlapping sounds of cutting air resonated as it sliced through, as if it were even cutting through the air itself. Song Jian was accidentally hit on his left arm, causing a brilliant light to explode. The eight sword shadows surrounding him disappeared one by one. An injury number of over three hundred floated above Song Jians head, while a dark green mark started to spread from the wound on his shoulder. The sword shadows around Song Jians body could lessen the damage he received eight times, but they couldnt completely immunize him, especially against harmful effects like toxins. However, the Immortal Sword Body couldnt resist such damage, but Song Jians unique skill Thick Skin could. The max level Thick Skin had a very high resistance to toxin damage and various negative effects. In addition to the resistance of the Immortal Sword Body and Abyssal Demon Armor, the dark green poison on Song Jians arm only spread less than an inch before it gradually disappeared. Although the attack from Neiyem was aimless, it nonetheless interrupted Song Jians offense. Upon noticing that Song Jian was exposed, Neiyem exploded with fury. His six legs moved quickly, instantaneously arriving in front of Song Jian, bringing down his giant pincer. Song Jian raised his sword to block. In front of Neiyems pincer, Song Jians long sword seemed as insignificant as a toothpick. But this toothpick managed to fend off Neiyems pincer, utterly disregarding Neiyems powerful strength. But just as Song Jian fended off the gigantic pincer above him, he was caught off guard by a shadow blindsiding him. Another pincer from Neiyem was already clamping towards Song Jians waist. Boom! Boom! Boom! Another round of fierce explosions. The seven remaining sword shadows on Song Jian shattered almost simultaneously. Even the Abyssal Demon Armor on the surface of Song Jians body started to crack, with some weak areas even beginning to break and deform. An injury number of over six hundred popped up above Song Jians head. His vitality points, which were already down to a thousand, plummeted even further after this hit. Startled, Song Jian quickly activated the Morphing into Dark Cloud skill to break free from Neiyems pincer, enveloping Neiyem entirely within the dark cloud. Inside the dark cloud, Neiyem suddenly felt separated from the surrounding Abyssal environment, gradually becoming weak. At the same time, damage kept inundating him from all sides. His vitality points dropped rapidly, but he couldnt find any source of attack. Damn it, get the hell out, get out! Neiyem wildly swung his pincers and tail, carving marks within the rolling dark cloud, but they were quickly covered by the cloud again. These actions from Neiyem were just physical attacks. After Song Jian had morphed into the dark cloud, he was completely immune to physical damage, which could not harm him at all. While Neiyems attack contained damage from Abyssal Power, for Song Jian who had also mastered Abyssal Power, damage from the same property was negligible and he could afford to disregard it. Taking advantage of his state as the dark cloud, Song Jian consumed an Advanced Healing Potion, increasing his vitality points that had fallen to a hundred something. This allowed him to breathe a little easier. The attack from Neiyem had caught him off guard. Neiyem was indeed formidable with power rivalling a first-class combatant. A slight lapse in concentration could have cost his life. The dark cloud state could last fifteen minutes. It could cause almost six hundred points of damage to Neiyem, during which Song Jian could recover some vitality points. Six hundred points of damage was a heavy hit for Neiyem at this point. Originally, he had less than one-third of his vitality points left, but after fifteen minutes, they fell below the 20% mark. Just as Song Jian was recovering from the state of the dark cloud, a dazzling golden Sword Qi slashed towards Neiyem. Light Strike! By this point, Neiyem had been tormented by the dark cloud until he was utterly exhausted, no longer showing the agility he possessed as a spirit creature. Despite this, when the dazzling golden Sword Qi slashed towards him, Neiyem still instinctively raised his two giant pincers in defense. Crack- The golden Sword Qi passed by as if encountering no resistance, leaving a mark on Neiyems body. The sound of bones breaking came from inside Neiyems massive body. Crack- The two giant pincers fell to the ground, and Neiyems lifeless eyes stared ahead. A deep heh heh breath escaped from his mouth and a stream of dark green blood spurted from his body. His body split into two, sliding sidewards. An injury number of over a thousand points floated above Neiyems head. Neiyem, whose vitality points were now at zero, did not even leave a complete body behind. Song Jian took a few quick breaths. The energy required to maintain the dark cloud was substantial. After using a few skills, Song Jian didnt have much mental strength left. After morphing into the dark cloud, his mental strength was nearly depleted. After executing the Light Strike, Song Jian could barely stand. It seems, I must acquire some potions or recipes for quick mental strength recovery, Song Jian thought to himself. It should be known, potions for mental strength recovery are ten times more valuable than those for vitality recovery. Although Song Jian had the ability to make Advanced Healing Potions, he couldnt even make a novice-level mental strength recovery potion. Thud! A series of sparks exploded like fireworks from Neiyems large body. Items of various colors traced clear marks in the air, then quickly fell around Neiyems dead body. Song Jians eyes lit up, and he quickly rushed towards Neiyems corpse. Chapter 462 - Chapter 462: Chapter 462: Sudden Update Chapter 462: Chapter 462: Sudden Update Gold quality Song Jians eyes lit up, staring at the firework in midair, blooming with golden light! Song Jian leaped, catching the item in hand before it fell, and carefully examined it. Abyssal Shadow (Gold), Cloak, Equipment Level 30, Equipment Effects: Damage increase by 15%, All attributes +1, Attack speed +10; Special effect 1: Ignore monster level +10, 50% chance to deal 2x damage when hitting targets; Special effect 2: All skill levels +1; Special effect 3: Abyssal Phantom (Active), using Abyssal Power, instantly creates a Doppelganger Illusion with 70% of the users attributes and all skills, duration 1 minute, cooldown 10 minutes; Special effect 4: Equipment requirements -5; Equipment Requirement: Level 25. Can this item be taken out of the game: No. An item with a level of 30 that only requires level 25 to be equipped, and can be equipped at level 20 with its gold quality? Song Jian looked at the entirely black cloak held in his hand, the corner of his mouth revealing an excited smile. This was the first time Song Jian obtained back equipment, and he immediately equipped it on himself as he met the requirements. Quickly, a heavily worn black cloak, almost decayed and about to crumble, appeared on Song Jians back, completely wrapping around his body. If other players saw this cloak, they would definitely think it was a gray-quality item, but no one would have guessed that it was actually a level 30 gold piece of equipment; After wearing it, Song Jian immediately felt a significant increase in his strength, as just the 15% increase in damage alone added nearly forty points to the damage dealt; the effect would increase more as Song Jians power improved. The bonus of +1 to all attributes delighted Song Jian, who initially thought it only added six points to all attributes. To his surprise, though, his luck and willpower attributes, which had already manifested, also increased by a point, bringing Song Jian unexpected joy. Attack speed is an attribute that can never have too much. An increase of 10 points meant that Song Jian would always have an extra attack every five or six when compared to other players. None of the special effects were garbage properties, and there was even an active skill that could create an Abyssal Phantom. It was almost like having a doppelganger, even though it lasted only a minute; whether for attacking or escaping, this skill would provide unexpected effects; This might be the first back equipment to appear in the game! Song Jian touched the silk-like fabric, thinking secretly. At least, he had never seen other players wearing similar equipment before. Most of the remaining items were level 30 blue-green equipment, which many players probably couldnt wear at this stage. Song Jian could directly sell these in the City of Hymns Starfire Shop, as the games NPCs would eagerly bid for these items. Oh, theres even a Magic Source Stone this big! Song Jian looked at the unique glowing crystal on the ground, his face showing a joyful expression. The reason he entered this dungeon was for the Magic Source Stone; he had already collected around 800 grams of it and needed about 200 more grams to build a Magic Tower. He didnt expect that the last boss would actually drop a Magic Source Stone. After this stone merged completely with the previous ones, Song Jian obtained a total of 1067 grams of Magic Source Stones, which was enough for building a Magic Tower. As Song Jian looked at the enormous body of the scorpion king, then back at the Magic Source Stone in his hand, a bizarre thought crossed his mind: Could it be that there are Magic Source Stones in the stomachs of these golden scorpions? Like weeds, this thought rapidly grew in Song Jians mind. Just as he was hesitating whether to return to the stone forest and dissect a few golden scorpion corpses, the entire cave began to shake violently. Originally, the Spatial Rift in midair suddenly extended from the length of a finger to nearly a meter long. Crack, crack, crack, crack~ Countless tiny cracks spread from the rift, like tentacles probing the space in all directions. All players in the game suddenly received a red game alert: System: Dear players, the games new version Abyssal Shadow will be launched soon. For your safety in the game, please secure your belongings within ten seconds, and find a safe place for your game character to avoid accidents! Ten, nine, eight, seven, Song Jian was dumbfounded, as the entire cave began to shake violently. Huge rocks fell from above as he felt like he was on a rocking boat, barely able to stand. At that moment, a pale blue teleport gate appeared in front of Song Jian. Seeing the countdown had less than five seconds left, Song Jian dashed towards the gate without hesitation; The instant Song Jians silhouette disappeared into the gate, all the online players were simultaneously kicked out of the game and returned to the real world. As Song Jian opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the hard bed in his rented room. The window seemed not to be properly closed, and the wind kept blowing in with a whoosh.; It seemed to be late at night, around four or five oclock. Song Jians head felt a little messy as he sat up, and it took him a while to recall the recent memory fragments. The game suddenly kicked all players offline, and it seems to be related to the suddenly appearing Spatial Rift in the dungeon! Song Jian murmured to himself, That Spatial Rift seemed to be filled with the aura of the Abyss! In fact, Song Jian guessed correctly. The game had kicked all the players out because more and more Abyssal Rifts had appeared, not only in dungeons but also in many places in the game. Similar rifts had appeared everywhere; just a few seconds before Song Jian went offline, those rifts suddenly exploded. The areas that were originally just tiny cracks suddenly expanded to several dozen centimeters or even one or two meters long, nearly causing the entire world to collapse. He picked up his phone and saw that the game icon had turned gray again. After a few taps, there was still no response, so it seemed that he wouldnt be able to enter the game again today. Just as Song Jian was about to put down his phone, the communication app suddenly sent out a series of urgent beeps, as if a dozen messages had arrived at once. Song Jian opened his phone to find that all the groups in the app were frantically forwarding a message: Do you believe in a game where people can die? If you die in the game, youll also disappear in the real world, leaving no trace. Its terrifying! There was also a link below the message. Song Jian casually clicked on it, and his phone screen immediately turned black. An abandoned city slowly emerged from the center of the screen. Clicking on the abandoned city again, Song Jian entered a web page where the header read Doomsday City in large characters. Chapter 463 - Chapter 463: Chapter 463: Website Chapter 463: Chapter 463: Website Song Jian opened a website that was quite straightforward in content. On the homepage, there was an article on the Apocalyptic Theory, detailing the existence of the game Doomsday City, followed by a series of videos. The content of these videos was quite startling, akin to supernatural phenomena. For instance, there was a teenager walking down a dark alley, accompanied by a skeletal arm that seemed to follow him like a servant. After a few steps, the teenager seemed to sense someone watching him; he turned around, his crimson eyes causing the camera to shake violently. There was another video of a female student vanishing in the middle of a street while carrying her backpack, only to reappear in a spot ten meters away after some time, an occurrence that was quite eerie. Yet another set of videos took place overseas, with two sides armed with guns, engaged in a shootout on the street. Suddenly, a soldier stood up from a cove, raised his hands, and a huge fireball appeared above his palms. He then launched the fireball towards the adversaries, turning an armored vehicle into pieces, although the soldier was soon riddled with bullets from multiple submachine guns. It appears as if all these are skills obtained from the game! After viewing a few more videos, Song Jian put his phone away. This game was beginning to impact the real world. Although Song Jian has always been prepared for this, upon the actual arrival of the day, he felt rather complicated. There were people from the military appearing in the game, and the police were conducting door-to-door investigations in the real world. The number of new players entering the game every day probably exceeded ten thousand and a good deal of players died within the game. Though these numbers were minuscule in comparison with the total population of over seven billion, traces would still be left behind, which could attract attention from the observant. Currently, the power of players in the real world, without the bonus of game equipment, was still incapable of resisting powerful weaponry. Intelligent players would try their utmost to conceal their player identities and not exhibit any abnormalities before the might of the government. Song Jian did not know what would happen to those who revealed their player identities, but losing some freedom was inevitable. There might even be the establishment of a unique department specifically for recruiting players in the future. However, for many players, absolute freedom was still more important. Players yearning for actual freedom would, at least, need to have the capability to face powerful weaponry head-on even when stripped of their game equipment bonuses. However, with the continuous upgrade of player levels and the increasing obtainment of treasures within the game, such circumstance should seem inevitable. Eventually, the real world might be thrown into chaos. Whatever, as long as Im living well. Song Jian murmured to himself, looking out of the window at the bright moonlight. He then sat cross-legged on his bed, absorbing the moons essence to enhance his physical body. With Song Jians current physical quality, he could ignore small-caliber handguns even without the equipment bonuses. However, for more powerful weapons, he was still apprehensive. The next day, early in the morning, Song Jian left his rented house and walked to a real estate agency. Through the agency, Song Jian selected a villa in a scenic area. After paying the deposit, he also reserved a car that cost more than three hundred thousand. He then headed back to his rental. He now had several million cash in hand and, at most, another twenty million incoming in three months. It was almost like a dream, getting rich overnight and suddenly becoming a millionaire. After settling the house and car issues, Song Jian felt a sense of loss C he didnt know what to do next. When Song Jian returned to his rented apartment community, he noticed two police cars were parked at the entrance. Song Jian immediately went on high alert. Instead of entering his community, he walked to a nearby store across the street. After purchasing a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, he took one out and offered it to the shop owner. Nodding towards the police cars at the entrance of the community, he asked, Hey, buddy, whats the situation over there? Why are there cops? Well, who knows? Maybe they are here because of that superpowered person from yesterday, the retailer replied nonchalantly, accepting the cigarette with obvious pleasure. The superpowered person from yesterday? Havent they caught him yet? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked. Is it that easy to catch him? The guy can run on walls, how could anyone catch him? The shop owner looked around and whispered, Those two police cars have been there since the morning, and havent left. I reckon they are conducting door-to-door investigations. I dont know whats going on these days; it feels like all manner of bizarre things are happening After smoking a cigarette with the store owner, Song Jian took one glance at the two police cars at the entrance of the community and left for a narrow path nearby. Whether these cops were here for him or not, Song Jian did not want to interact with them this early. Although he knew that it was inevitable that they would find him, given his strength was not strong and his player identity could be possibly exposed extremely late in the game, it would be better. By the evening, Song Jian arrived at the scenic villa he bought earlier in the day. It was a fully furnished terraced house covering more than three hundred square meters, with two floors. In Coastal City, it would only be considered mediocre at best. Yet, this house almost exhausted all the cash Song Jian had, leaving him with only around ten thousand yuan in his account. As for the car that cost more than three hundred thousand, it would take about ten days before he could pick it up, as there was no existing stock in the 4S shop. After arriving back at the villa, Song Jian tried to open the link released last night on his phone, but found the site to be inaccessible C it seemed to be blocked. The game also seemed to be in maintenance. Song Jian waited until midnight when the game icon on his phone finally turned from gray to color. Phew, its finally ok again. I thought I wont be able to enter the game today. Song Jian let out a sigh of relief, his anxiety finally eased. He constantly felt like a giant net was closing in on him. Even without the game equipment, Song Jians actual strength was less than a third of what it was in the game, but his keen intuition for danger made him feel incredibly insecure. It seemed that he would only feel safe when he was inside the game. Upon clicking the icon, a huge skeletal arm emerged from the phone screen, grabbing hold of Song Jian and pulling him inside the game. Damn, its like this every time Chapter 464 - Chapter 464: Chapter 464: Game Update Chapter 464: Chapter 464: Game Update Returning to the game once again, Song Jian felt an inexplicable sense of security. Standing under the dazzling stars, he stared wide-eyed at the game updates that flowed like a waterfall before his eyes. What on earth happened within just one day? Song Jian looked at the update content in surprise, checking every detail carefully, fearing he might miss a single word. System: The new version of the game, Abyssal Shadows, has been updated. Players can now choose their own Abyss faction! Note: There is no unique method to choose the Abyss faction; players can explore it themselves. Warning: Once a faction is changed, it cannot be reverted; players previous game experiences will cause significant changes; System: The game time has been altered from the real time scenario, where 4.8 hours in the game world would be equivalent to 1 hour in the real world. Players can exist for a maximum of 8 hours in the real world; if the time is exceeded, they will be forcefully kicked out of the game; System: The players safehouse will now have an Occupation mode. During territorial expansion wars, players can opt to flee in advance; System: The cooldown time for territorial expansion wars will be reduced from one month in-game time to 8 hours; Song Jian carefully read through the multitude of updates. It took him almost half an hour to read all of them. This game is getting more and more realistic. Song Jian felt a sudden sense of heaviness in his heart, unsure why he felt this way. It seemed as if the game was actually another real world. Bang- A crisp sound shattered the starry expanse beneath Song Jians feet, turning it into countless fragments. He plunged downwards, the feeling of weightlessness making him panic slightly, but all his skills were rendered useless. Both Morphing into Dark Cloud and Steel Wings lost their effects, as if he had suddenly reverted to an ordinary person. Ah! Song Jian broke into a cold sweat, sitting up abruptly in bed; Where is this? Song Jian looked around in a daze, finally recognizing the space he was in: This is my Manor Castles bedroom. Could everything that just happened have been a dream? Song Jian shook his head, summoning his attribute menu, and carefully observed it. Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to flash in his mind, and he appeared to remember something: No, I was just entering the game before! Shock spread across Song Jians face as he momentarily believed that the virtual game was the real world. The existence of the safehouse, personal attribute menu, skill bar, task bar, and inventory seemed like genuine parts of that world with no inconsistencies. Whats wrong with me? Why did I treat this game as the real world? Song Jian lifted the covers and walked to the window, gazing into the distance. The lush farmland, the overlapping medieval buildings, and the passing NPCs finally made Song Jian aware of the games presence. At this moment, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he noticed thick black smoke rising from distant abandoned skyscrapers. There were at least a dozen such instances in sight. In the center of the city, where once a television tower stood as the tallest building, a dark pyramid now stood in its place. The pyramid reached a height of almost too meters, and even from where Song Jian was, he could see it clearly. A dense black aura enveloped the surface of the dark pyramid, the smoke-like blackness rising into the air and forming a fiendish demon face with two horns on its forehead. The face wore a sly smile, and despite being suspended in mid-air, it seemed incredibly tangible. Song Jian couldnt help but feel an instinctive sense of dread as he looked at the monstrous, grinning visage. However, this feeling was soon dissipated by a wave of chill; Is this the new Abyss Demon Cave instance in the new version? Song Jian murmured to himself. With this game update, more game content was revealed. In the new version, numerous Abyss Demon Cave instances had appeared throughout the world. These instances were categorized as level 5, level 10, level 20, level 30, and the final Abyss Territory instance; Within Doomsday City, the towering black smoke signified the presence of Abyss Demon Caves, while the black pyramid at the center of the city represented the final Abyss Territory instance. Moreover, the entry requirement for the Abyss Territory instance was to reach Tier-1 combat power. Only players who passed the test and reached Tier-1 combat power were eligible to enter the Abyss Territory instance. The Abyss Territory instance holds clues to advanced professions. It is a place that every player must enter after reaching level 30 Song Jian muttered as he gazed at the distant black pyramid. At that moment, Song Jians bedroom door was suddenly pushed open with a bang. Bloodline Wizard Wallace floated in excitedly, fell to one knee before Song Jian, and said in an uncontrollable, excited tone, Honorable master, my research has finally succeeded! I have created a perfect Black Dragon Bloodline body. In the near future, you will have the most powerful Bloodline Wizard at your disposal, the Dragon Wizard! Wallaces sudden entry took Song Jian by surprise, and he frowned, about to rebuke him. However, upon hearing Wallaces explanation, Song Jians face broke into a smile. Wallace, have you succeeded? Have you created a real body for yourself? Song Jian asked. Yes, master, I have succeeded! Wallace lifted his head and looked at Song Jian with gratitude, saying, I would like to invite my master to witness my resurrection ceremony! For Wallace, the soul body fusion resurrection ceremony was crucial, equivalent to a new birth. If the ceremony failed, not only would the newly created body be destroyed, but Wallaces soul body would also suffer a severe blow, perhaps losing any chance of regaining a body in the future. Therefore, most Bloodline Wizards would hold the resurrection ceremony in the most secluded places, never inviting any friends to watch. During the resurrection ceremony, Wallace was even more helpless than a newborn baby. Even an ordinary adult man could easily disrupt the ceremony. Song Jian was unaware of the importance of the resurrection ceremony for Wallace and thought it was similar to the harvest festival. He smiled and nodded, saying, Of course, my friend, after your true resurrection, I will hold a large celebration for you. Also, I will build you a Magic Tower! Wallace was taken aback, and even his soul body seemed unstable. Stuttering, he asked, M-master, are you serious? Are you really willing to build a Magic Tower for me? This is its just Sorry, I forgot to update today! Apologies, apologies! Chapter 465 - Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Resurrection Ceremony Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Resurrection Ceremony For a mage or wizard, owning a Magic Tower is something they dream about. Even though Wallace once had the power of a first-order Bloodline Wizard, he never had a Magic Tower of his own. When Song Jian said he was willing to build a Magic Tower for him, it made Wallace excited and grateful, raising his appreciation to a new level. System: You promise to build a Magic Tower for Follower Bloodline Wizard- Wallace; his favorability towards you greatly increases, and the relationship between you and Follower Bloodline Wizard-Wallace is elevated to Admiration! Just by making a promise, I can greatly increase the favorability of my Followers? Song Jian laughed and thought to himself: Thats so simple. Maybe this is a loophole, a way to quickly increase favorability for Followers or even NPCs. However, Song Jian also knew that this promise, over time, would lose its effect very quickly if it was not realized. The favorability would drop even faster and more than how much it had increased, perhaps eventually turning the relationship with the Follower into hatred and ultimately leading to betrayal. This shortcut, though fast, had more severe consequences if not handled with confidence, especially when making promises to NPCs or ones followers. Alright, lets go and check out your resurrection ceremony first. Song Jian stood up and said with a smile. Master, I have one more request! Wallace knelt on one knee, his head bowed low. What is it? As long as its not too much, I will agree, Song Jian said. Master, I know theres a Blood Pool in the basement of the Manor Castle Wallace said nervously, If the body I am going to fuse with my soul can be soaked in the Blood Pool for some time, it would help me recover my strength greatly. Blood Pool? Song Jian furrowed his brows and asked after a moment of contemplation, How did you know theres a Blood Pool in the basement? The basement was a forbidden area, which Song Jian used as a safe keeping place for items from his inventory that he didnt need at the time. Even the butler George didnt know about the basement, let alone Wallace. In the entire Manor Castle, apart from Song Jian, the only other entity that possibly knew about the existence of the Blood Pool was the Blood-chilling Shadow Tree Alex. However, Alex was usually in a dormant state and would only wake up when enemies invaded the Manor Castle. Moreover, Alex couldnt communicate with anyone else. So how did Wallace learn about the Blood Pool? Did he sneak into the basement when Song Jian wasnt looking? With this thought, Song Jians expression became stern, and he stared intently at Wallace, waiting for an explanation. Master, after I created the body with the Black Dragon Bloodline, I tried to fuse with it once. Although the effect wasnt great, I suddenly gained a special ability when I entered the body, Wallace said quietly, I seem to be able to sense the existence of the blood slaves on the territory, and I can also communicate with the blood wolves What, you can sense the existence of blood slaves? Song Jians face showed a surprised expression. The blood crows that served as scouts and the blood zombies and blood wolves that served as guardians were thought to be Song Jians summons, and others didnt know about the existence of the Blood Pool. Moreover, these blood slaves would only obey one persons command C the person who built the Blood Pool. And since mastering the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, Song Jian had grown deeper with these blood slaves. In the depths of their souls, Song Jians mark had been engraved, allowing him to annihilate the blood slaves with a single thought C preventing them from being resurrected. Can you order them to do things? Song Jian asked seriously. No, I cant, Wallace said nervously. Right now, I can only communicate with the blood wolves, while I can only vaguely sense the existence of the blood crows and blood zombies due to their low intelligence and inability to communicate. So, it was the blood wolves that told you about the Blood Pool? Song Jian asked in a deep voice. Yes, Master. I was curious about the blood wolves with red fur, and I accidentally asked one of them about their origin, which is how I learned about the Blood Pool, Wallace lowered his head even more, his soul body trembling slightly. Alright, I understand. You have my permission to use the Blood Pool! Song Jian contemplated for a long time and decided to observe for a while longer. After all, Wallace was once a first-order Bloodline Wizard, and both his strength and knowledge were something that Song Jian longed for. Song Jian was now at level 22, and reaching level 30 wasnt that far away for him. Once he reached level 30, Song Jian would have to undergo the test to reach the first-order Combat Power, and Wallaces experience in this area would be of great help to him. Thank you, my Master! Wallace was so excited that he knee-walked a few steps and gently kissed Song Jians boot. Lets go take a look at your laboratory first, I presume your resurrection ceremony will be held there? Song Jian glanced at Wallace and asked. Yes, Master, its there! Wallace replied. With a thought, Song Jians figure vanished and reappeared inside Wallaces laboratory. As he entered Wallaces laboratory, Song Jian felt a sense of resistance, as if some mysterious force was trying to prevent his entry. In this lab, Song Jian had complete control over the entire Manor Castle and all its surrounding territories. After entering the lab, he frowned and looked around. At this point, Wallaces lab seemed to be enveloped by a semi-transparent shield of energy. On the surrounding walls, there were hundreds of complex golden runes with pulsing lights, like breathing, connecting them mysteriously. Is this a Magic Defense Array? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Although he could see that this was a magic defense array set up by Wallace, he didnt know specifically what kind of defense array it was. He was still severely lacking in knowledge about magic C he could only recognize one or two of the golden runes on the walls. After waiting in the laboratory for a while, Wallaces soul body passed through the wall. Upon seeing Song Jian, Wallace greeted him nervously. Im sorry, Master, I forgot to turn off the magic defense array! Wallace said nervously. Chapter 466 - Chapter 466: Chapter 466: Black Dragon Essence Blood Chapter 466: Chapter 466: Black Dragon Essence Blood In reality, it wasnt that Wallace forgot to close the door, but rather that Song Jian had come too quickly, not even giving Wallace a chance to close the door, let alone explain in advance. However, Wallace knew clearly that within Manor Castle, no matter how formidable the defense array was, it couldnt stop Song Jian from entering. Song Jian waved his hand, indicating he didnt mind. His gaze swept over the lab, finally resting on a nutritive tank in the middle of the lab. This was a tank similar to a glass coffin, filled with a light green liquid. Suspended within the liquid was a human body, with tentacles reminiscent of arthropod joints spreading out from the interior wall of the tank, intermingling with various parts of the body, providing the nutrients the body needed. Song Jian examined this human body carefully. Pale skin, tightly closed eyes, a somewhat thin body with not much muscle, and a quite handsome face. He judged the age to be between twenty and thirty. Master, this is how I looked when I was young Wallace glanced at the human body in the nutrient tank. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Very good. Are you sure you can fully fuse with this body? Song Jian nodded. If Wallace truly could recover to a first-grade combat power, it would be of great assistance to him. Of course no problem, but Master, I still need a drop of Black Dragon Essence Blood to serve as the fuse for integration! Wallace said nervously. Wallace had conducted dozens of experiments before, but every time after entering a body, it wouldnt be long before his soul would be automatically rejected by the body. After extensive research, Wallace finally found the cause. The body he had created possesses the Black Dragon Bloodline, but his soul had no trace of the Black Dragon Bloodline, naturally, making a complete fusion impossible. This was why he had been hesitant to merge with the body. He had to absorb a drop of Black Dragon Essence Blood during the complete fusion process. At this moment, Song Jian seemed to hear a roar of anger from the Black Dragon Hatchling inside the Pet Space. The Dragon Hatchling despised the soul who wanted its essence blood and wished it could swallow it whole. The reason why Song Jian hadnt summoned the Black Dragon hatchling to assist in battle was because it had lost a considerable amount of blood due to Wallaces previous experiments, causing it to remain weak. It was unable to level up. Now, they were asking for another drop of the Black Dragon Hatchlings essence blood. Song Jian worried that this might cause fundamental damage to the Hatchling. If that were the case, Song Jian would rather Wallace not fully fuse and resurrect. After all, in terms of potential, the potential of the Black Dragon Hatchling outstripped Wallace by a long shot. Wallace, my battle partner, this Black Dragon is still in its juvenile period. Would taking a drop of blood essence cause fundamental harm to it? Would it affect its future growth potential? Song Jian asked, staring seriously at Wallace. Master, I swear upon my soul that it wont irreversibly harm your Battle Pet. At most, it will prolong its time of weakness. And it will not affect the Hatchlings potential for growth, Wallace solemnly stated. Moreover, Master, if I can perfectly fuse with this body, my strength will recover quickly. I pledge to you that as soon as I regain first-grade combat power, I will find a stalk of Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass for your Battle Pet to enhance its capabilities! Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass? This was the first time Song Jian had heard of this medicinal herb. He closed his eyes slightly, his consciousness entering the Pet Space. The Black Dragon Hatchling had a pure lineage. The heritage of the Dragon Clan depended on their bloodline genes. With the increase in age, the knowledge contained within their bloodline would gradually be released. Although the Black Dragon Hatchling was only at level fifteen and not yet mature, the inheritance of thousands of years had opened a door for it. Song Jian believed that if the Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass could truly help the Dragon Clan, the Black Dragon Hatchling would certainly gain the related knowledge. Upon hearing the words Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass in the Pet Space, the Black Dragon Hatchling suddenly paused. Then, a look of intense excitement crossed its face. It began jumping around continuously in its space, reflecting the ecstatic feeling in its heart. Clearly, it was highly desirous of the Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass. For the Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass, the Black Dragon Hatchling agreed readily after only a slight hesitation, despite it cost a drop of its essence blood. Seeing the Black Dragon Hatchling agree, Song Jian didnt quite understand the usage of Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass, but he knew that it must have a special significance to the Dragon Clan. Very well, remember your promise! Song Jian nodded at Wallace. Wallace wore an excited look. It was only after losing his power that he realized how valuable it was. Now having a second chance, he certainly didnt want to let it go. He had to seize it firmly. With a thought from Song Jian, a drop of essence blood from the Black Dragon Hatchling floated up from the Pet Space. The Black Dragon Hatchling, having lost some essence blood, immediately fell into a deep sleep. It seemed like it would be a long time before it could be summoned for battle again. This drop of essence blood, looking like a ruby, even exuded a flickering energy aura, as if it were a flame. Th-thankyou, Master! Excitement filled Wallaces eyes. After such a long period of experimenting, he was finally at the last step. This drop of Black Dragon essence blood could completely change his future. As a Bloodline Wizard possessing the Black Dragon Bloodline, he had the potential to become the strongest. Wallace walked to the control panel and began to feed a series of precious synthesis drugs into the nutrient tank, continuously injecting them into the human body lying inside. This was Wallaces final enhancement to the quality of this human body. He didnt want to resurrect as a weakling. The human body inside the nutrient tank, which had been lying quietly in the green nutrient fluid, suddenly began to shake unnaturally, as if it had come alive. Its thin frame, as if blown up by a balloon, began to swell rapidly, the muscles bulging, the stature growing at a visible speed. Wallace stared nervously at the body inside the nutrient tank. This was the most crucial step. He had tested all the other steps before, but he couldnt test this step. After all, those precious drugs werent easy to come by. He had no control over what might happen at the last moment. He could only pray silently in his heart for the final step to be successful. Boom! The lid of the nutrient tank was suddenly kicked up by a powerful force. The nutrient fluid inside splashed all over the place. But Wallaces soul body was so excited that it seemed about to leap up. Now is the time! Wallace exclaimed involuntarily, his soul body pouncing towards the human body in the nutrient tank. Chapter 467 - Chapter 467: Chapter 467: Constructing the Magic Tower Chapter 467: Chapter 467: Constructing the Magic Tower The moment Wallaces soul body plunged into the nutrient tank, the originally violently struggling body suddenly stiffened and then slowly sank, becoming quiet. Under Wallaces skin, merged with her soul, strings of energy were constantly flowing as if they were like little snakes crawling everywhere. Is thisa success? Song Jian glanced at the Black Dragon Essence Blood still floating in mid-air and then at Wallace in the nutrient tank, seemingly sleeping, and thought to himself. Just then, the body in the nutrient tank began to tremble. Wallaces soul was being pushed out by a force of rejection. Wallaces soul struggled desperately not to leave his body. But the speed of being pushed away was slow and steady. At this rate, within a minute, Wallaces soul would have completely left his body. At this moment, the Black Dragons Essence Blood floating in mid-air suddenly dropped down and landed right on Wallaces forehead. Alt a shrill scream burst out from the body in the tank. A burning sound was heard from the forehead, and a wisp of green smoke began to waft from his body. Song Jian saw that the drop of Black Dragons Essence Blood, as soon as it touched the skin on the forehead, seemed to possess consciousness as it dug into the body. Numerous filaments finer than hair tendrils also extended from the Essence Blood, spreading all around. In no time, this Black Dragons Essence Blood was like a red gem embedded in the bodys forehead. Around this red gem, numerous thin tendrils were deeply imprinted into the skin. Wallace suddenly opened his eyes. He could feel the intense pain from the Black Dragons Essence Blood on his forehead, but he could also feel that not only pain but also an endless power was nourishing his body and soul. Due to the nourishment offered by the Black Dragons Essence Blood, this body began to accept Wallaces soul. However, to achieve a full fusion, it would require a lot more time. Success, Ive finally succeeded! Wallace exclaimed enthusiastically; in his emotional upheaval, his eyes suddenly changed into a pair of golden vertical pupils, just like the eyes of a Black Dragon. Damn it, the body has mutated! Wallace was immediately anxious. Bloodline Wizards were prone to ancestral regression, a partial mutation in their bodies. This mutation could grant the Bloodline Wizards a portion of their ancestors power, but it could also change the wizards personalities drastically and without warning. In severe cases, they would even lose their sense of self and turn into a crazy, raging monster. This was the thing Bloodline Wizards were most afraid of. Boom~ With a loud bang, the nutrient tank suddenly shattered. The lab was swept up as if in a violent storm, with a gust tearing up everything into pieces. In the instant the explosion struck, Song Jian, with a thought, left Wallaces lab immediately. As a defensive array was arranged in advance, the explosion was contained within the lab. After a while, a tense-faced Wallace, wrapped in a half sheet, came out of the lab. Seeing Song Jian standing at the labs doorway, he quickly knelt before him. Master, my apologies. While the resurrection ritual was successful, there are still many side effects. I, I wish to request to recover in the Blood Pool immediately Wallace said hastily. The sudden surge of Bloodline power had temporarily been suppressed using a clarity potion, but if the situation continues without remedy, even the clarity potion would lose its effect on him. Go ahead, I hope you can recover your former power soon! Song Jian nodded. Wallaces figure suddenly crumbled like yellow sand; a strange breeze blew and the sand pile instantly vanished completely. But Song Jian, with his senses, could clearly see that Wallace had already entered the basement and had laid down impatiently in the Blood Pool. The Blood Pool was where the Blood Slaves were born. Once a Blood Slave has died, he would be resurrected in the Blood Pool. As all of the Blood Slaves were in their territories now, the Blood Pool had been idle. As soon as Wallace entered the Blood Pool, the blood water inside began to boil, just like boiling water, bubbling continuously. But Wallace, lying in the Blood Pool only with his head showing, demonstrated a relaxed expression on his face and even emitted a moan of relaxation. Song Jian glanced at the ruined lab, shook his head, stepped out of the castle ignoring Wallace; Now, Song Jian had decent equipment, and his skills were more numerous than that of the average player. Not only was he ranked first in level, but his power also greatly surpassed other players. As he walked out of Manor Castle, he looked at the black pyramid in the distance, his eyes full of ambition. The black pyramid situated in the middle of the city must be the highest-level instance dungeon in the city. Currently, players couldnt even get near to the dungeon, let alone pioneer it. That is, at least, the instance dungeon you need to possess first-order combat power to enter Song Jian looked at the black pyramid and sighed. Just then, a tremor came from afar, and a red beam of light shot into the sky; the light then began to slowly expand outwards. A loud voice resounded in the ears of all the players in Doomsday City. Song Jian looked at the red beam of light in the distance, murmured to himself: The Territorial Expansion Campaign, the cooldown time changed from a month to eight hours. This should be a strategy by the game developers to expedite the growth of the war alliances choosing the strongest war alliance as quickly as possible, and then focusing all their efforts on the Abyss Demon Clans invasion! Song Jian couldnt confirm his speculation, however, the Territorial Expansion Campaign had inevitably unfolded among the citys war alliances. Song Jian glanced at his own alliances territorial expansion campaign cooldown time, which had already expired, gave a slight smile, and immediately chose to launch the territorial expansion campaign. The territory, which was initially several hundred meters in scale, once again spread out all around. Some of the weaker players, watching the spreading red light, then looked at Song Jians Manor Castle in the distance, had no choice but to abandon their safe houses and flee. This time, to Song Jian, the Territorial Expansion campaign encountered no worthy resistance. His territory spanned a radius of five hundred meters now, but due to the absence of the Magic Tower, all new buildings within the alliance couldnt be constructed. Master, the Manor Castle must be upgraded to level four. Only then can all the new buildings be unlocked! said Butler George, looking somewhat helpless. Within his territory, Butler George had already reserved a spot for the construction of the Magic Tower. Song Jian walked into the empty space and took out a Magic Source Stone the size of a human head from his backpack. He instructed George: George, start constructing the Magic Tower. Chapter 468 - Chapter 468: Chapter 468: Shadow Circus Troupe Chapter 468: Chapter 468: Shadow Circus Troupe With the most critical material, the Magic Source Stone, the construction of the Magic Tower became smooth and seamless. More than a dozen construction NPCs pushed various building materials to the open space. In just a short while, a rough foundation was built. Master, because we dont have special building blueprints, we can only build the most basic Magic Tower. Its effects may not be very significant, the housekeeper George said nervously. Building blueprints for the Magic Tower? Song Jian was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. There were various types of building blueprints in the game with many ways to obtain them. Furthermore, many blueprints were unique, so many players territories had a variety of styles. One notable example was Luo Tianyus military camp. Song Jian believed that Luo Tianyus safe house was built into a military camp model because he acquired a special building blueprint. As long as it doesnt affect the upgrade of Manor Castle, its fine, Song Jian said indifferently. The Magic Tower was a special building in the territory, and the material, the Magic Source Stone, was incredibly precious. Song Jian knew that a single Magic Tower could make players trying to upgrade their safe houses desperate. As for the special building blueprints of the Magic Tower, they were rare treasures. Even if they appeared in the auction house, Song Jian wouldnt be able to afford them, let alone other players. Even if someone had a special building blueprint for the Magic Tower, constructing it would probably be very difficult, at least ten times harder than building an ordinary Magic Tower. If it slowed down the safe house upgrade, Song Jian would rather not go through the trouble. Hearing that Song Jian had no complaints, George finally breathed a sigh of relief. In his heart, the safe house upgrade was the top priority, so he immediately began building the Magic Tower after Song Jian took out the Magic Source Stone. Master, the Magic Tower will take three working days to build. Once its completed, should we upgrade the Manor Castle immediately? housekeeper George asked. h Upgrade it right away! Song Jian nodded in agreement. Song Jian delegated many safe house authorities to George, but George still sought Song Jians opinion on important matters. George nodded and left. Song Jian glanced at the New Media Library and then at the Book of the Abyss in his hand, letting out a sigh. The task of the Cecilia Priest had been hanging on him and had never shown failure, but Song Jian couldnt return the Book of the Abyss to the library as a task item anymore. After all, the Book of the Abyss was now a Dark Gold Quality equipment. Cecilia would not be generous enough to give Song Jian the Dark Gold Quality equipment as a task reward. I wonder how my follower Ya is doing now! Song Jian glanced at the follower interface, where both Ya and Wallace were in an unsummonable state. Song Jian looked at his level and then at a black pillar of smoke in the distance. If I cant fight large Abyss Territories, can I still fight small Abyss Demon Caves? Song Jian thought to himself. As Song Jian was about to head towards the nearest Abyss Demon Cave, a noisy sound suddenly erupted from the edge of his territory. Song Jian frowned and looked in that direction, only to see a team of dozens of people slowly approaching his territory. This team was composed of more than ten large caravans pulled by huge, but gentle Kodo beasts. The drivers of the caravans had weather-beaten faces and exhaustion written all over them. A few performers dressed as clowns were playing with rattle drums, making pleasant music while singing and dancing, attracting a crowd of onlookers. It seems like a circus troupe? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he noticed large cages at the back of the caravan, holding tigers, lions, bears, and other beasts. These animals had lost their ferocity and lay lazily in their cages. Even when poked by children with sticks, they would just lazily brush them away without getting angry. The team stopped at the edge of Song Jians territory, where a large area was just grassland without any buildings. As soon as the caravan stopped, several people jumped off and began unloading things and setting up tents. Are they crazy? In this apocalyptic-themed game, theres a circus troupe wandering around performing shows? Arent they afraid of being swallowed by monsters in the wild? Song Jian was dumbfounded, feeling like everything happening in front of him was like an illusion. All he could confirm now was that everyone in the circus troupe was an NPC in the game, and there were no players present. At that moment, a beastman with a full-faced beard jumped off one of the caravans. This beastman seemed very old, with a wrinkled face and a broken tusk protruding from his mouth. Song Jian couldnt sense any aggressive aura from this beastman, who seemed harmless with a friendly smile on his face. However, Song Jian didnt dare to underestimate him, because this beastman was at a higher level than him! Level 30,1 wonder if hes passed the first-class Combat Power assessment, Song Jian thought to himself. When Song Jian looked at the members of the circus troupe again, he was even more shocked. Over half of them had reached level 30. Several performers painted as clowns and making funny expressions were putting on a show for the oncoming crowd. These clowns were actually first- class thieves by profession. These people they all have the ability to level my territory! Beads of sweat formed on Song Jians forehead. Seeing Song Jian, the elderly beastmans eyes lit up, and he quickly approached. He took off his worn-out cowboy hat and bowed respectfully to Song Jian, saying, Honorable lord, I am Hakus Stanley from the Northern Wastelands, offering my sincerest blessings to you! Song Jian stared at the beastman in front of him and asked, Who are you and why have you come to my territory? Honorable lord! The beastman Hakus had a flattering smile on his face, not looking down on Song Jian even though his level was much lower, and his tone was humble: We are a wandering circus troupe, the Shadow Circus Troupe, originally planning to perform in the City of Sin, but as we passed by, we wanted to rest here for a while and provide some interesting shows for your people! Shadow Circus Troupe? Song Jian looked at the people who were busily setting up tents, his face thoughtful. Chapter 469 - Chapter 469: Chapter 469: Increasing Favorability Chapter 469: Chapter 469: Increasing Favorability People in the Shadow Circus Troupe are mainly professionals, and theyre all high-level professionals, which is why they can enter Doomsday City with impunity. What Song Jian currently cares about the most is how this circus troupe managed to cross the black fog outside Doomsday City. It must be very dangerous in that patch of black fog. If not for a random system teleportation or having teleportation door technology, no NPC would be willing to enter Doomsday City through the black fog. However, this is just his first interaction with the Shadow Circus Troupe. The old beastman standing before him seems to be the troupe director, and since theyre performing near his region, there will be many chances for further encounters. He can ask questions later. After finishing his conversation with Hacus, Song Jian suddenly received a system notification: System: Your territory has attracted the Shadow Circus Troupe, the satisfaction of residents in your territory increases, and all NPCs will have their work efficiency increased by 30% during the stay of the Shadow Circus Troupe; Hint: The Shadow Circus Troupe is a hidden group within the game. Players could obtain numerous valuable items through it, so players should explore by themselves; Work efficiency increased by 30%? Many valuable items? Song Jian was slightly stunned as his gaze shifted to the constructing Magic Tower. Indeed, the efficiency of the dozen or so construction workers seemed to have significantly increased. Joy filled their faces and each of them brimmed with energy. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian decided to postpone his plans to explore the Abyss Demon Cave. From a distance, he regarded this strange circus troupe with a keen interest. It seemed like this circus troupe did not aim for profit. The performance venue they built was open, with no walls or fences, nor anything like a ticket booth. Anyone who was interested could come and go freely. By the time the circus troupe finished setting up their performance venue, it was already evening. All the NPCs in Song Jians territory started to rest. After changing their clothes, they walked towards the circus troupe in small groups; Only then did Song Jian realize how many NPCs were in his territory. From a distance, the number already exceeded one hundred. Moreover, the Shadow Circus Troupe didnt only attract NPCs from Song Jians territory. Even the NPCs from other players and those from several streets away were drawn in as well. This area had pretty much become a safe zone. Unknown to Song Jian when it started, no more NPCs were refreshing on the streets. But some resources would refresh inside the abandoned buildings. Every day, some low-level players would search for resources in the buildings. The performances of the circus troupe were splendid, prompting sighs of awe or laughter from the watching NPCs now and then. They clapped their hands enthusiastically. Song Jian observed them from the afternoon until he noticed that the troupe consisted of quite a number of rare professions. The Beast Tamer who performed animal training, the Flying Knife Master who performed masked knife-throwing, the highway knight performing stunts on a motorcycle through a ring of fire, they were all rare professions. If any players below level ten who hadnt undergone a profession change found out about this place, it would be a blessing for them. There were still many ordinary professions in the game. For every ten professions that one came into contact with, there would be only one or two rare professions. If they wanted to acquire a more powerful profession, they would have to try their luck in areas with higher-level monsters. Many players died in those high-level monster areas for this reason. The circus troupes performances went on until around ten oclock at night. They performed for six to seven hours straight. For the Shadow Circus Troupe that had just come to a new place, such a long performance was quite strenuous. I wonder how long theyll stay here? Song Jian watched the busy circus performers and pondered. Honorable Lord, what do you think of our performance? Old Beastman Hacus strolled over and asked with a smile. Song Jian glanced at Hacus. Hacus had just performed a magic trick, controlling five or six burning fireballs to dance around him. He even made several seemingly dangerous moves, causing the surrounding spectators to gasp in amazement. Excellent, a spectacular performance! Song Jian praised with a smile. At this moment, an idea flashed through his mind. He said to Old Beastman Hacus, As a token of my gratitude to the Shadow Circus Troupe, I would like to provide you with some provisions. As he spoke, Song Jian summoned his steward, George, and whispered a few words to him. Moments later, a group of NPCs brought a batch of food over. Most of the food was meat, with many pieces of bread and cakes as well. There were vast farms and a Livestock Pen in Song Jians territory, which provided more than enough food for self-sufficiency. This is marvelous, thank you, merciful Lord! Hacus expressed his gratitude with a look of appreciation. System: You have provided a large amount of food to the Shadow Circus Troupe, earning the gratitude of the Troupes leader, Hacus. Your relationship with the Shadow Circus Troupe has improved to a friendly status; As expected, giving gifts to NPCs is the best way to improve relations! Song Jian thought to himself. After enhancing his relationship with the Shadow Circus Troupe to Friendly, Song Jian discovered while walking around the circus that the staff of the circus troupe would greet Song Jian when they noticed him. Some of them would even offer Song Jian a toast. The evening celebration entertained not only the members of the Shadow Circus Troupe but also the NPCs in Song Jians territory. After all, big celebrations like this were rarely held in his territory. The loyalty rating of many residents towards the territory increased by three to five points. It was a clear benefit for the NPCs to boost their loyalty towards their territory. Not only would they work harder normally, but NPCs with high loyalty would also fight back when the territory was invaded. To them, defending their territory meant defending their homes. In contrast, those NPCs with less loyalty would panic with aimless running or even flee when there was an invasion. The population was also a crucial element for a territory. If the NPCs started to flee as soon as a war broke out, it would impact the development of the territory. At night, Song Jian returned to Manor Castle. After absorbing the essence of the moon for fifteen minutes, he slowly opened his eyes. At this growth stage, his sense of touch was the most acute, so he suddenly felt a hint of coldness in the room. Swoosh~ The vertical eye on his forehead instantly opened, emitting a silver glow, and a semi-transparent figure appeared in the room. The Eye of Discernment? A hoarse voice echoed around the room. The once semi-transparent figure wavered like water and materialized out of thin air. Chapter 470 - Chapter 470: Chapter 470: Qi Yun Appears Again Chapter 470: Chapter 470: Qi Yun Appears Again At this moment, a person wrapped in thick black cloth, with only a pair of eyes exposed, appeared in Song Jians room. The pupils of this persons eyes were as tiny as sesame seeds, surrounded by dead-white eyes. Regardless of it being late at night or even in broad daylight, being stared at by such eyes would make anyone feel a chilling sensation. The man in black stared at the vertical eye on Song Jians forehead without saying a word. It seemed that his interest in the vertical eye was much greater than in Song Jian himself. Who are you, and what do you want from me? Song Jian tensed up, staring at the man in black and asked. There was no information revealed about this man in black. It seemed that players could hide their information, just like Song Jian, who had nothing displayed above his head. However, Song Jian couldnt sense any players presence from the man in black. Instead, there was a gloomy feeling, as if suddenly possessing great power but unable to control it, unconsciously leaking energy. Such a situation would not happen to a player. Even if a player had an adventure and suddenly gained strength, they would master their power in a very short time and not give others this kind of feeling. Song Jian, dont you really recognize me? The man in black spoke, his voice rather hoarse, as if his throat was being gripped. The black cloth wrapped around his head began to unravel, controlled by a mysterious force. A pale, jade-like skull appeared in front of Song Jian. You are Song Jian slightly frowned. The man before him was not a real skeleton, but there wasnt a trace of flesh on him. The skin, which was emitting a faint white light and tightly covering his skull, made him look like a skeleton. You dont recognize me anymore, do you really not recognize me anymore, ah~ The man in black let out a miserable scream, sounding both angry and sad. There was a soft sound as the black cloth wrapped around the man disintegrated in an instant, revealing his body. He only wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt and pants. His exposed body, like his head, was wrapped in a crystal-clear skin that made him look like a skeleton. Hearing the other partys wailing, Song Jian suddenly felt it was familiar. In his memory, he seemed to have heard the other partys voice somewhere. You areQi Yun? Song Jians eyes widened as he looked at the monstrous Qi Yun in front of him and shouted. Qi Yun, Qi Yun, hahaha, thats my old name. I didnt expect you to remember A complicated expression appeared on Qi Yuns face as a gray tear rolled down from his eye. At that time, Qi Yun was forced to become Song Jians slave. However, for some reason, he broke the slave contract later. Song Jian thought Qi Yun had died, but he didnt expect him to turn into such a ghostly appearance. Did you use Zeus Shield Companys gene potions? Song Jian asked, staring at Qi Yun. Yes, I was in a coma at that time, but if I wanted to survive, I had to inject those gene potions. Fortunately, my luck wasnt bad. In the laboratory of that building, I got a perfect-quality Gene Modification Potion Qi Yun stared at Song Jian. Perfect quality Song Jian looked up and down at Qi Yuns current appearance. If someone said that Qi Yun had turned into a skeleton soldier, Song Jian wouldnt have doubted it. A perfect-quality gene modification potion turned you into this? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Hahaha, isnt this great? Invulnerable to swords and spears, possessing immense strength, a long life, and even the ability to control the power of shadow A strange smile appeared on Qi Yuns face, and a ball of shadow flame appeared in his raised right hand. In that flame, there were painful wails, as if countless souls were burning in it. At this point, Qi Yuns attributes slowly emerged above his head. Qi Yun, Level 26, Occupation: Shadow Priest, Vitality Points: 3200/3200, Spirit Points: 1500/1500 A Shadow Priest? I remember you werent Song Jian was surprised. He wanted Qi Yun to become his slave because Qi Yun was a healing priest who could help him recover his vitality. Unexpectedly, when they met again, not only had Qi Yuns appearance changed completely, but his occupation had also changed. All of these, I can thank you for. If it werent for you, I wouldnt have injected this perfect-quality gene modification potion, I wouldnt have possessed the Shadow Priests bloodline, and I wouldnt have met you again! Qi Yun roared loudly. So, you came here for revenge? Song Jian sneered. It was impossible to assassinate Song Jian here in his territory. Not to mention the ability to teleport anywhere within his domain, in Song Jians senses, the blood-stained, gloomy Alex had already woken up from his slumber. If anyone looked out the window at that time, the entire outer wall of the Manor Castle was filled with Alexs thick roots, which would attack Qi Yun instantly if he made any ill-intentions. Now, the castle where Song Jian resided had become a cage, and it would be impossible to escape from it without special means. Revenge? Why would I want to take revenge on you? Qi Yun suddenly revealed a strange smile: If it werent for you, I wouldnt have such great power. I came to thank you! Is this how you show gratitude? Breaking into my bedroom quietly at night without my consent, just like an assassin? Song Jian laughed. Song Jian wouldnt believe a single word that Qi Yun said. If their positions were switched, Song Jian would want to kill himself immediately. I came to you to seek cooperation. If you help me, I can let go of all the past events! Qi Yun said seriously. Cooperation? What kind of cooperation do you need from me? You should know that your strength now far surpasses mine! Song Jian laughed. At the moment, Song Jian was only Level 22, and Qi Yun was six levels higher. In many peoples eyes, Qi Yun, who was four levels higher, had an overwhelming advantage over Song Jian. Moreover, Qi Yuns occupation as a Shadow Priest was no less inferior to Song Jians position as a Sword Controller. Before Qi Yun could speak, Song Jian suddenly looked outside the window: Is your target them, the Shadow Circus Troupe? Chapter 471 - Chapter 471: Chapter 471: Shadow Crystal Chapter 471: Chapter 471: Shadow Crystal On the first day the Shadow Circus Troupe appeared, Qi Yun also showed up. Song Jian couldnt help but suspect that there might be something Qi Yun wanted in the circus, or perhaps Qi Yun had already infiltrated the troupe and had been following their movements. How did you know? Qi Yun was taken aback, surprise showing in his eyes. Hehe, tell me, what is it in the circus that you want? Song Jian smiled slightly, sat down on a chair, and looked at Qi Yun as he spoke. Qi Yuns face darkened. Since he had injected the perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid, his strength had greatly increased, and his potential had also grown. The Gene Modification Liquid had unearthed and strengthened the most powerful genes in him. Originally possessing only a slight healing talent, Qi Yun had almost instantly gained the genetic talent of a Shadow Priest, greatly enhancing his power. Even now, he still couldnt fully control the immense energy within him. The actual purpose of this circus is to escort a Shadow Crystal to Dark Castle! Qi Yun hesitated for a long time before finally saying. Shadow Crystal? Dark Castle? Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. The name Dark Castle sounded oddly familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Are you talking about the level 30 dungeon, Dark Castle? Song Jian suddenly remembered and quickly asked. Dark Castle was located in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. In the City of Hymns, Song Jian had heard that the professionals of the city considered clearing Dark Castle a great honor. Dungeon? Qi Yun was puzzled, as if he hadnt heard the term before. Song Jian immediately realized that dungeon was a term used only by players. In the game, NPCs called them secret realms. Secret realm, I meant secret realm! Song Jian said. Thats right. This circuss true destination is the Dark Castle secret realm. They want to deliver this Shadow Crystal to the Dark Castle! Qi Yun said, My goal is the Shadow Crystal! Why do they want to transport the Shadow Crystal to Dark Castle? Song Jian suddenly asked. This is the circuss highest secret. Do you think I would know? Besides, what does it have to do with me? I just need that Shadow Crystal! Qi Yun cracked a smile and said. Whats in it for me if I help you? Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun, summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and placed it horizontally on his lap. Seeing the sword, Qi Yuns eyes showed a cautious look. He hadnt expected Song Jians strength to have increased so quickly. If he hadnt inherited the bloodline abilities of the Shadow Priest, he might not even have had the qualifications to stand before Song Jian. What do you want? Equipment? Skills? Treasures? Qi Yun stared at Song Jian, asking, Everything you want is in the Shadow Circus Troupe. If you can wipe them all out, everything in the troupe can be yours. And I just want the Shadow Crystal! Hehe, you can leave now. Song Jian sneered, his eyes suddenly sharpening. Whoosh~ A thick tree root broke through the window, turning into a giant python that hissed deeply at Qi Yun. Boom! The shadow energy on Qi Yuns body suddenly erupted, creating a phantom of a giant beast around him. Its eyes turned into a ghost-like green flame. Youll regret this~ Qi Yuns hoarse voice had a chilling undertone. Do you believe I can prevent you from leaving this room? Song Jian laughed, standing up and gripping the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hands. Qi Yun was immediately speechless. This was Song Jians territory, and if Song Jian really didnt want to let him go, he could definitely keep him here! Qi Yun didnt dare to continue talking, snorted coldly, turned into a cloud of black mist, and disappeared. Alex, if you see him again in the castle, just attack! Song Jian, touching the tree roots beside him, whispered softly. At this time, Alex had fully mutated, and even the surface of his tree roots was covered with black scales, emitting a metallic luster. Honored, master! A resounding voice came from the courtyard. Alexs roots were actually spread throughout the area centered on Manor Castle, covering a radius of dozens of meters. After this incident, Alex had memorized Qi Yuns aura, and if Qi Yun dared to step into the castle again, Alex would definitely be alerted. The Shadow Crystal must be of great help to Qi Yun C just by looking at his occupation, one could tell. Qi Yun, the Shadow Priest, would undoubtedly resort to any means necessary to obtain shadow power. But for Song Jian, he had no idea what the Shadow Crystal could be used for. Moreover, what he wanted to know the most now was the relationship between the Shadow Crystal and Dark Castle, and what exactly the Shadow Circus Troupe intended to do with the Shadow Crystal. To think that he wants me to go provoke the Shadow Circus Troupe, thats insane! Doesnt he know how powerful this circus is? Idiot! Song Jian muttered, staring at the still brightly lit circus camp in the distance. The next morning, Song Jian found that more and more players came to visit the circus. Various tasks could be taken from the Shadow Circus Troupe, from supplying materials to hunting monsters, and the rewards were quite good. The arrival of the Shadow Circus Troupe had attracted more and more players after just a day. What excited Song Jian the most was that many players became interested in his Alliance of Warfare and started contacting him to join. After all, the territory of his alliance seemed huge to the players, and such a large territory meant that the alliance must have formidable strength. Song Jian left the recruitment of new alliance members to Wang Qi and the others, and recruits had to go through strict scrutiny. Strolling through the Shadow Circus Troupe, Song Jian saw various amusement facilities open even though there were no performances at the moment. The troupe members also took the opportunity to sell small souvenirs, and there were even chances to take photos with wild animals such as tigers and lions. Kind Lord, welcome to the circus. Hacus suddenly appeared beside Song Jian, always wearing a friendly smile. Just looking around. Song Jian laughed. He wanted to see if he could sense where the circus had hidden the Shadow Crystal, but found nothing after walking around. If it werent for Qi Yun telling him the night before, Song Jian might not even have thought about it. As for the use of the Shadow Crystal, Song Jian was completely clueless. However, he was certain that the Shadow Crystal was definitely a treasure. Chapter 472 - Chapter 472: Chapter 472: Epic Level Task Chapter 472: Chapter 472: Epic Level Task Song Jian stared at the elderly beastman in front of him. It looked about seventy or eighty years old, its face wrinkled, adorned with a kind smile. From him, Song Jian could sense no air of a strong warrior, yet he knew that this elderly beastman might be the most powerful person in the entire circus troupe. To manage such a large circus troupe, more than half of which are professionals, some even having grade-one combat power, this old beastman is certainly not as simple as he appears, thought Song Jian. My Lord, do you know, our journey has been extremely difficult, with the wilderness teeming with monsters and plagued by bandits. I recall one time when we were passing through the Desolate Mountain Range, we encountered over a dozen bandits, they were vicious, The old beastman started prattling on about the troupes experiences on the road while casually scrutinizing Song Jian. After listening for a few minutes, Song Jian noticed Hacus showing no signs of ending his ramblings, which prompted him to furrow his brows; he didnt have time for the old beastmans idle chatter. Besides, Song Jian noticed that while the other man was speaking, he kept subtly sizing him up as though he had something to say. By fog grass, is this guy trying to give me a task? Song Jian thought, watching Hacus appear to struggle to articulate his words. Hacus, is there anything I can help you with? Song Jian raised the question using standard task-undertaking parlance. Hacus felt he was running out of things to say. Hed even recounted his childhood story about nearly drowning while catching fish in the pond, and yet, the other man seemed not to be catching on at all. Right when Hacus was thinking about how to subtly pass the task onto Song Jian, Song Jian finally asked the question signaling readiness to undertake a task. For Hacus, these words were a godsend. Hahaha, Lord, I do have an epic task that I wish for you to undertake! Hacus laughed out loud, speaking in the quietest voice possible. What, an epic task? Song Jian was taken aback. He knew the rewards for epic tasks were usually epic items. A player being assigned an epic task wasnt short of divine favor. Given the tier of this task, Song Jian naturally couldnt resist and quickly asked, Troupe Leader Hacus, could you please elaborate on the task? Lord, do you know why we decided to stay in your domain? Hacus asked. Didnt you say yesterday that you wanted to rest a while before moving on? Was that not the case? Song Jian asked, raising an eyebrow. Of course, haha, of course it is. You know, journeying is a particularly strenuous task, and its an honor to rest in your domain for a while! Hacus hastily said. However, on our journey, a large Demonized Ant Group blocked our way, and I hope, my Lord, that you could help us kill all those Demonized Ants! I see, but why dont you make this a public task? The more people undertake the task, the higher the chances of success, right? Song Jian asked curiously. Sorry, my Lord, as you know, the perimeter of the city has the protection of the divine. One or two people can use artifacts to navigate through the fog, but if there are too many, they will undoubtedly encounter misfortune in the mist Hacus shook his head. At present, with our capabilities, we can only allow one person to pass through the fog surrounding the city! What, youre capable of enabling people to pass through the outer fog? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise: Are you sure that you can traverse through the fog rather than opening a teleportation gate? Lord, opening a teleportation gate requires specific coordinates. Our entrance into the city also involved sending one person in first, then opening the teleportation device to allow others to enter! Hacus explained. Could I ask how many members the Demonized Ant Group has, and whats their maximum combat power? Song Jian hesitated for a moment before asking. Song Jian knew that there were many in the circus troupe who were higher in level and stronger than him, and yet Hacus was offering the task to him. He wasnt sure what Hacus was playing at. If he couldnt figure it out, even if it was an epic task, Song Jian wouldnt accept it. After all, no treasure was worth more than his own life. My Lord, there are many ants in the Demonized Ant Group, at least a thousand, each one above level twenty-five, and among them, there is a level-thirty elite boss. Their Ant King possesses grade-one combat power! Hacus said seriously. Hacus had a clear understanding of the strength of this Ant Group. In fact, within this ant colonys cave, two level-thirty bandit NPCs had met their untimely end. Only one grade-one combatant boss? Why are you afraid, then? With the strength of your circus troupe, you should be able to easily wipe out such a group. Isnt that right? Song Jian asked in surprise. He had seen more than one professional in the circus troupe with grade-one combat power. How could such a group fear a Demonized Ant Group? Was Hacus joking? Well Im sorry, the people in our troupe cant make a move. They um they have other tasks to fulfill Hacus looked uncomfortable, as if there was some secret he wasnt sharing. Just as Song Jian was about to press on, the system issued a sudden warning; System: Beware, your questioning has probed into the core secret of the Shadow Circus Troupe. Continuing to question may cause Troupe Leader Hacus of the Shadow Circus Troupe to become hostile! Hostile? Song Jian was taken aback. Suddenly, he remembered the Shadow Crystal Qi Yun had mentioned the night before. Could the high combat power individuals in the circus troupe be protecting the Shadow Crystal, hence they cant fight the Demonized Ant Group? But isnt there only one grade-one combat power Ant King in that group? With so many grade-one combat power individuals in the circus troupe, it would be a walkover to kill the group and it wouldnt conflict with protecting the Shadow Crystal, would it? Song Jian was at a loss, but seeing Hacuss troubled expression, he knew he couldnt pursue it further, so he quickly said, Hacus, Im willing to take this task, to eliminate the Demonized Ant Group! Upon hearing Song Jians words, Hacuss eyes lit up, and immediate joy washed over him. He patted Song Jians shoulder and said, Haha, I knew you would take this task. You will forever be a friend to the Shadow Circus Troupe! Chapter 473 - Chapter 473: Chapter 473: Concealment Ring Chapter 473: Chapter 473: Concealment Ring System: You have obtained the epic quest Eradicate the Clan, task content, to hunt and stop the Demonized Ant Group of the Dark Night Circus; Task target: Demonized Worker Ants: 0/500, Demonized Soldier Ants: 0/100, Demonized Ant King: 0/3; Task reward: Epic Treasure Chest (1); Upon accepting the task, Song Jian looked at the epic task description in his taskbar and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He had initially prepared himself to fight against an Ant King with the first level of combat power, but he hadnt expected that the task target was actually three Ant Kings! Are you sure there is only one Demonized Ant Clan there? Song Jians face suddenly turned ugly. Definitely. It is detailed information that I obtained at the cost of two lives! The old beastman, Hacus, said confidently. Although those two sacrificed professionals hadnt reached the first level of combat power, hardly anyone rivaled them in stealth and reconnaissance. But why does my task involve hunting three Demonized Ant Kings? Song Jian said a bit angrily. Players cant display task contents like NPCs can; otherwise, Song Jian would surely throw this task in the face of this old beastman. Impossible! As a clan, Demonized Ants would have only one Ant King. Even if another Ant King were born, the new Ant King would leave the clan to establish its own. Its never possible to find two Ant Kings in one clan, let alone three Hacus nearly jumped up, shouted loudly. What Song Jian said went against common sense and seemed unbelievable to Hacus. Youre deceiving me. I think the constitution of this task violates the principle of fairness and equity. Im going to ask the system gods to cancel this task! Song Jian said seriously. No, no, please, dont do that. Hacus was shocked and hastily stopped him. Ill compensate you. Ill compensate you in a way that will certainly satisfy you! Hacus took out a light blue ring from his chest and handed it to Song Jian with an expression of loss. This is the Concealment Ring. It was originally just on loan to you, but now, as compensation, its yours. With it, you have the ability to enter the Protection Black Mist freely Concealment Ring (Blue), an item of level 20. Equipment effect: Gains invisibility, can converge all traces, rendering one undetectable. Once hostility is shown towards a target, the invisibility effect disappears. Item description: This ring is an alchemical item and needs to recharge every use, with an automatic recharge time of 12 hours. Equipment requirements: 10 Spirit Points. Song Jian took the ring and saw that a golden gem was embedded in it. In the center of the gem was a vertical slit, like a crack, resembling an eyeball. Song Jian was about to put on the ring for a try when Hacus immediately stopped him. Once the ring is used, it needs 12 hours to cool down. I suggest you get ready and put it on when entering the Protection Black Mist. Song Jian nodded, put away the ring, and Hacus seemed to heave a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, We cant stay here for too long. You have at most three days to complete this task. This is the location of the Demonized Ant Clan. Just follow the instructions on it, and you will find them soon. Having said that, Hacus handed Song Jian a piece of beast skin, marking the route to the Demonized Ant Clan. Song Jian glanced at it and put it into his pack. It simply marked the direction to Doomsday City and the location of the Demonized Ant Group. From this map, the Demonized Ant Clan was not far from Doomsday City, probably less than a kilometer away. The task only lasts for three days? The time is quite tight Watching the old beastman leave, Song Jian murmured to himself. After Song Jian accepted the task, Hacus just left. For him, protecting the Shadow Crystal was the priority. Soon after Song Jian left the circus, Hacus went to another player, coughed twice, and said to the player with a solemn face, Brave warrior, I see that you are quite strong. I have an epic task here. I wonder if you are interested Song Jian did not know that Hacus had issued this so-called epic task to many players. As long as Hacus thought their power had reached a certain level, he would issue this task to them. After all, the task reward would ultimately belong to only one person. And the more people who accepted the task, the lower the probability of completing it. Song Jian quickly reached the edge of the city and looked at the rolling black mist in front of him, which surrounded Doomsday City like a wall. The closer to the black mist, the more fear and terror he felt. This was not a bad effect, but it could trigger the deepest fear in peoples hearts. Even the profession with the lowest spirit perception could feel the danger in the black mist. Song Jian solemnly put on the Concealment Ring that Hacus gave him. To wear this ring, Song Jian had specifically removed the Ring of the Fire God. He now had two rings of gold quality. The Ring of the Fire God focused on attack power, and the other, Ring of Blood, focused on defense. It could activate a Bloody Shield with a defense of one thousand, during passing through this black mist, Song Jian obviously focused on defense. After putting on the Concealment Ring, Song Jians figure vanished on the spot. Even Song Jian himself felt as if his body had become somewhat translucent. With all smells and traces completely wrapped up by a layer of invisible mysterious power, not a bit was leaked. Even stepping on the grass, the weeds didnt bend, as if he had turned into an energy body. In Song Jians status bar, there appeared a concealed status, which could last as long as Song Jian didnt initiate an attack. This feeling was quite special. The instant he turned invisible, Song Jian no longer felt the oppression and fear caused by the Protection Black Mist ahead. After turning invisible, Song Jian slowly walked into the black mist. Soon, his figure was swallowed by the thick black mist. Not long after Song Jian left, several players arrived at the edge of the city. Staring at the black mist that seemed to be alive and constantly rolling, they all showed fear on their faces. They clenched their fingers with the Concealment Ring, turning their finger joints somewhat white, and their faces drenched in sweat. Even their bodies couldnt stop shaking. Does this ring really work? Cao Shuis heart was pounding violently. He felt that there was a tremendous threat hidden in the black mist, as if a giant beast was opening its mouth wide to trap them. This is an epic task. The reward is an epic chest. It might be the first epic item in the game. If you guys are scared, just cancel the task and go back. Fan Jin, a warrior, looked at the others with disdain. He snorted, put on the Concealment Ring, and walked towards the black mist. Chapter 474 - Chapter 474: Chapter 474: Protection Black Mist Chapter 474: Chapter 474: Protection Black Mist What kind of crappy mission is this that disallows teaming up, damn it. What if all other monsters have been gathered, but there is one modifying worker ant missing, am I supposed to cry? After glancing at the others, Lv Pei put on the Concealment Ring and said to the other players, Im out, good luck!. Watching the players vanish one after another with their rings, Cao Shui thought of the epic treasure chest mission reward, gritted his teeth, and put on the Concealment Ring. After sensing the changes in his body, Cao Shui, bracing his fear, headed into the black fog step by step. Soon, all players were in the black fog. Song Jian moved slowly within the black fog. In the black fog, his sense of direction seemed entirely lost, the grass beneath his feet turned into gravel land after a few meters of progress. In the dense fog, he could barely see his fingers even with the vertical eye, only able to see about five meters around him. There seemed to be a strong interference here, blocking the sensory perception of the players. How big is this black fog, how long do I have to walk to get out? As Song Jian carefully groped forward, he started to talk to himself. He was unaware that several players were entering the Protection Black Mist like him. Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a rumble in the distance. The ground was slightly trembling, as if a giant was approaching him. Although he had concealed his form, Song Jian froze up instantly, standing in place without daring to move. Before long, he saw a robust skeletal foot stepping down from mid-air. As the foot landed, the ground trembled violently, leaving an imprint nearly ten meters deep. Song Jian looked up to see a giant skeletal figure faintly visible in the mid-air. It reminded him of the giant skeleton he had once seen from afar on a night in Doomsday City. The skeleton is right in the Protection Black Mist. I havent seen it since that time! Song Jian exclaimed. The gigantic skeleton was less than ten meters away from Song Jian. Looking up, Song Jian could only see the two skeletal legs, and nothing above the waist. Standing still, Song Jian felt the giant skeleton slowly distancing from him. Still, just when it was about to leave, it suddenly stopped and picked up a giant Skeleton Longbow from behind and shot a bone arrow towards where Song Jian was. The bone arrow, full of jagged barbs and piercing through the air, was as hefty as a siege crossbow, measuring about twelve to thirteen meters in length. The arrow tore open the Protection Black Mist, revealing a giant passage with a diameter greater than five meters, forcing Song Jian to step back a few paces involuntarily. Bang! The arrow hit the ground at an extremely high speed, causing a loud explosion. Song Jian heard a terrified gasp from behind him, but the sound quickly faded. There are people behind me The look of surprise spread across Song Jians face. He didnt expect to find that there were living beings inside the Protection Black Mist. Cao Shui was trembling as he gazed at a deep pit less than three meters away from him. A bone arrow, the size of a pillar, was stuck in the middle of the pit. The pit was full of blood and chunks of flesh and bone. He had witnessed a fellow player who had entered the black fog with him get instantly killed by the arrow, leaving not a single intact body behind. Cao Shui covered his mouth, forcing back the urge to retch, trying to push away the image of his companions body exploding. But a wave of nausea still whitened his face. The person before had been too nervous and wet his pants, which the giant skeleton had noticed, resulting in his demise. Cao Shui knew if he vomited, he would share the same fate. The Concealment Ring couldnt save his life. The players who had accepted the task stood motionless in place, maintaining a distance of at least seven to eight meters from each other, afraid of drawing the attention of the cataclysmic skeleton and endangering themselves. Boom, boom, boom~ The shaking of the earth slowly died down as the giant skeleton distanced itself. Cao Shui fell hard on the ground, feeling a violent wave of nausea. He couldnt contain the lunch he had earlier any longer and threw up. Seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of game monsters killed by Cao Shui, and none of them died as terribly as this. The pungent smell of blood coming from the pit made him want to vomit. He crawled away quickly. A few players moved close to the pit, seeing the bone arrow stuck in the middle of the pit, which was emitting a heavy smell of blood. Their faces turned pale. They could imagine what had happened here, even if they hadnt seen it themselves. This, this is too gruesome Lv Pei glanced into the pit and dared not look again, speaking in a frightened tone. Lets get out of here fast. This place is too dangerous. Id rather fight with a level-thirty Ant King than see that massive skeleton again someone whispered and quickly ran away. Song Jian also started perspiring profusely. Hed seen that arrow clearer than anyone else, and its image kept replaying in his brain. If that arrow had been aimed at me, could I have escaped or defended myself? Song Jian wondered, and the conclusion sent a chill down his spine. If he had indeed been the target of the arrow, there was no doubt hed be dead. The arrow had targeted all of the players breath entirely. Even as a bystander, I couldnt move a muscle, then how could the target of the arrow dodge or resist? Song Jian thought. Shaking his head, Song Jian tried to forget the scene. The giant skeleton was too powerful. Compared to it, Song Jian felt the gap between them was like an ant to a Giant Dragon. There was no comparison at all. I need to leave here as soon as possible. This place is too dangerous. Even with the Concealment Ring, its not a hundred percent safe. Song Jian thought and quickened his pace. After another two hundred meters, Song Jian suddenly saw a flicker of light from the corner of his eye and instinctively froze, standing still. The Protection Black Mist was fraught with peril, and Song Jian was on high alert. Anything unusual immediately made him pause and assume a defensive posture. Chapter 475 - Chapter 475: Chapter 475: Legendary Herbs Chapter 475: Chapter 475: Legendary Herbs What is that thing? Song Jian turned his head and looked into the distance. His current field of vision was only within a radius of five meters, and that was due to the vertical eye on his forehead. Otherwise, in this black mist, even his perception was compressed to a minimum. A player who entered this area could see only the surroundings within less than a meter. Song Jian stared in the direction where the glittering light had just flashed. Shortly, another burst of light flashed very quickly. If Song Jian hadnt been staring in that direction, it would have been difficult for him to notice. After some hesitation, Song Jian slowly moved towards the position of the flashing light. In no time, Song Jian saw a verdant plant about a foot high growing on a desolate land filled with rubble. This plant was jade-green all over as if carved out of jadeite. It had only seven leaves from top to bottom. The entire plant emitted a faint green glow, which resisted the invasion of the surrounding black mist. The black mist around it, constantly transforming into tentacles, attempted to uproot this plant but ended up being shattered by the plants glowing surface. The green glow on the surface of the plant was very faint. Beyond a distance of one meter, no one would notice the plant. However, after every certain period, a palm formed from the surrounding black mist would emerge and try to slap the plant as if it wished to destroy it completely. At such times, the whole plant would emit dazzilng light that shattered the black hand. What Song Jian had seen earlier was the plant emitting that bright light. Seven Stars Shard (Legendary), Herbal plant, Harvestable, Usability: 1. One of the main ingredients to make Pill of Tribulation; 2. When used on pets, it can significantly enhance their potential; 3. Successful harvest can directly increase the Medicine Gathering Skill by one level; Harvest requirements: Gathering Skill Level 7; Damn, a legendary herb After reading the attributes of this herb, Song Jian could not help but catch his breath. He had never seen a legendary herb before. Unexpectedly, for the first time, he discovered one in the Protection Black Mist. Moreover, harvesting this herb required the Medicine Gathering Skill to be at level seven. It was a rarity for ones Medicine Gathering Skill to reach level seven. Even Song Jian only had a Medicine Gathering Skill level of five. Luckily, I have the gear to compensate for my lack of level! Song Jian pulled out a spade from his inventory and equipped it. This spade was a silver-quality spade that Song Jian had obtained, known as the Purple Bamboo Spade. It was quite powerful, with attributes like Increase Medicine Gathering Speed by 40%, Medicine Gathering Success Rate +8, and most importantly, Medicine Gathering Skill Level +2. After equipping the Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jian met the requirements to harvest this herb. The moment Song Jian swung the Purple Bamboo Spade and started digging the ground, a light blue progress bar appeared in front of him. Tenten minutes? To harvest this herb, it takes ten minutes? Song Jian felt surprised. This was the time after increasing the gathering speed by 40%. Normally, it took him only a few seconds to gather herbs. As expected of a legendary quality herb The progress bar moved slowly. Song Jian dared not move while maintaining his herb-gathering posture. Although the Purple Bamboo Spade provided a +8 Medicine Gathering Success Rate, Song Jians Medicine Gathering Skill barely met the requirement for gathering the Seven Stars Shard, hence it did not guarantee 100% harvesting success. Just as the progress bar was about to finish, Song Jian suddenly heard the voices of a few players behind him. The light I just saw was in this direction Be careful, this Black Mist is too strange. Be careful with your life, it could be some powerful monster I dont think so, its probably a treasure. Lets go take a look. Fortune favors the brave. If youre scared, dont follow us! Yes, this place has never been entered by players before. If there is a treasure, it makes sense. We are the first batch of players to enter here. If we miss the treasure by chance, wont we regret it to death Song Jians heart sank as he glanced at the progress bar which indicated that he had more than fifty seconds left for successful harvesting. In no time, Song Jian saw about six players emerging slowly from the left side. All of these players were above level twenty. Judging by their gear, they were quite powerful, and among players, they were considered the cream of the crop. See, I told you there was a treasure, and you didnt believe me one player pointed to the Seven Stars Shard herb and exclaimed excitedly. Mist Weed, a legendary-ranked herb! someone cried out in astonishment. Heh, buddy, finders keepers. You cant monopolize this herb Stop talking and attack him. Interrupt his gathering! Right, right, we cant let him succeed! All at once, the players pulled out their long-range weapons and aimed at Song Jian. They only used normal attacks, without using any skills, as they merely wanted to stop Song Jian from gathering, not kill him. If they had really used skills, they would become mortal enemies with Song Jian, which would result in a fight to the death; Thirty-six seconds left Song Jian could feel the ill-intention from these players. Seeing them raise their weapons towards him, Song Jian was taken aback. Abyssal Phantom! With a thought, a semi-transparent, grey shadow appeared beside Song Jian. The blurry figure was similar to Song Jian in stature and wore identical gear. During the gathering process, Song Jian could not suffer any damage, or else it would interrupt the gathering. Once the gathering of ordinary herbs was interrupted, it could cause irreversible damage to the herb. If the gathering of this legendary herb was interrupted, there was a high chance of it being ruined; The gear on the Abyssal Phantom matched Song Jians exactly, but it was mere appearance without any attributes. If the Abyssal Phantom could also copy the attributes of Song Jians gear, that would be way too overpowered. Thud, thud, thud~ Several attacks were shot at Song Jian, but they were all blocked by the Abyssal Phantom. Instantly, the phantoms 1000 vitality points decreased by more than half. To serve as Song Jians shield, the phantom couldnt move or dodge, and so had to bear all the attacks; Keep attacking, lets burst this thing first! someone yelled, the muzzle of his gun started emanating a dazzling red light. The players were blinded by the legendary herb, and all they could think about was gaining the treasure. While they were attacking, they failed to realize that once they attacked a target, or were damaged themselves, the effect of the Concealment Ring would dissipate; As they were jointly attacking Song Jians phantom, they didnt notice that their figures had already begun to appear gradually; Crack~ A faint cracking sound echoed, but it was drowned out by the roar of their attacks; Song Jian nervously watched the last bit of the progress bar, turned back to look at those players, his eyes gradually sharp. Chapter 476 - Chapter 476: Chapter 476: Sending to Death Chapter 476: Chapter 476: Sending to Death Bang! With the combined fire of five people, the Abyssal Phantom finally could not withstand the attacks. Its Vitality Points were depleted, and its body shattered like a bubble. Just as Song Jian saw the progress bar reach its end, a crisp ding sounded in his ear. Without even looking at the system prompt, he shoved the Seven Stars Shard into his inventory and quickly rolled away from his standing position. Whiz-whiz~. Several bullets pierced the ground where Song Jian had just stood, raising clouds of dust. Kill him! Thats a legendary-quality herb! It can definitely enhance physical abilities! Cao Shui gritted his teeth and shouted loudly. It was well known among players that certain special herbs could improve their attributes. Not to mention a legendary-quality herb, even a gold or silver-quality one could increase a players attributes by one or two points. The attributes enhanced by a legendary-quality herb would, of course, be much higher. The pursuit of self-improvement was the primary goal for players, especially since enhanced physical abilities could be brought back to the real world. Who wouldnt want to become a superhero in reality? Is this really a good idea? Some hesitated, sensing that Song Jian was not weak. Hes just one person, and we are five! Whats there to be afraid of? Follow me! If he doesnt hand over that herb, he wont be able to leave this Black Mist! After a brief discussion, the players formed a temporary alliance. Initially, they didnt intend to kill Song Jian but merely disrupt his gathering so they could negotiate ownership of the herb together. However, Song Jian proceeded to gather the herb without offering any benefits, which left the five players feeling unjustly treated. Song Jian glanced at the Seven Stars Shard in his inventory. It was in good condition, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked back. The dense black mist obstructed his vision, making it impossible to see the positions of the five players. Song Jian felt an impulse to charge in and kill them all, but considering his current situation, he quickly dismissed the thought as if being doused by a bucket of cold water. After a moment of contemplation, Song Jian turned around and dashed forward. If he wanted to take revenge, he would have to leave this area first. The five players, including Cao Shui, were unaware that their concealment had worn off. They slowly crept forward, assuming that Song Jian also wanted to retaliate after being besieged for so long. Huh? How can I see all of you now? A player suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Earlier, while attacking Song Jian, the five had deliberately huddled together, making them aware of each others presence but invisible to each other. However, now they could see one another. Damn, my concealment effect is gone One person cried out in shock. So is mine, and my Concealment Ring is broken and unusable. What now? We shouldnt have attacked him earlier. What if we encounter that monster again? None of us will be able to escape. The players immediately panicked and started running without targeting Song Jian. After exchanging glances, they sprinted desperately forward. Gulu-gulu~ As the players sprinted, the ground suddenly began to shift, with debris rolling around. Pulled together by a mysterious force, the rocks fused to form gigantic stone monsters seven or eight meters tall. As Cao Shui ran desperately forward, a shrill scream from his left made him shudder. He continued running forward, stumbling and falling several times, his nose and face bruised and swollen, but not daring to slow down. Suddenly, Cao Shui saw a shadow approaching from the front. In a panic, he held his weapon horizontally to block it. Bang! Cao Shui felt a powerful force hit him, and his weapon let out a piercing screech. A sharp pain traveled up both his arms. A seven- or eight-meter-tall stone monster charged toward Cao Shui, lifting its foot to stomp on him. A level-30 elite boss? Cao Shuis eyes widened in surprise. At least its not that huge skeleton from before. The earlier skeleton boss had made Cao Shui give up any thoughts of fighting back. However, though the stone monster was several levels above him, it did not instill that same sense of despair. Even if I cant beat it, I can still run. Cao Shui thought. But just as he had this thought, he found himself surrounded by seven or eight stone monsters, all trying to block his escape route. How did this happen Despair colored Cao Shuis face. He might have had the confidence to deal with a single level-30 elite boss, but the sheer quantity of bosses overwhelmed him. I shouldnt have attacked earlier! Cao Shui regretted his actions. Soon, he was engulfed by a swarm of stone monsters. If the Protection Black Mist wasnt covering the area, one could see from a birds-eye view that at least hundreds of stone monsters were frenziedly charging at the players who had lost their concealment effect. Upon hearing the rumbling sounds and the shrill death screams of her companions, Lv Pei was enveloped by a feeling of terror. She glanced at her shattered Concealment Ring, gritted her teeth, and took out a scroll from her inventory, tearing it open. Immediately, a blue light enveloped Lv Pei, who vanished from the spot in a flash of light. This was a Town Return Scroll she had earned from a quest, which could mark her location in her safehouse. If she encountered danger, tearing the scroll would instantly teleport her back to her safehouse. This was Lv Peis trump card, and she had never told anyone about it. Back at her safehouse, she panted heavily, her face full of fear. Before teleporting away, Lv Pei had seen more than a dozen seven- or eight-meter tall monsters rushing toward her. Had she been even a little slower and dragged into battle by those monsters, Lv Pei would have been stuck in the Protection Black Mist, unable to use the Town Return Scroll. As he ran forward, Song Jian heard the screams from behind him. He hesitated for a moment but quickly accelerated again. This was why Song Jian did not immediately seek revenge on the players. The Protection Black Mist was full of hidden dangers, and the slightest carelessness could cost him his life. This is an epic-tier quest. Did you really think it would be as easy as just killing monsters? Song Jian thought to himself as he continued running without looking back. Chapter 477 - Chapter 477: Chapter 477: Demonized Worker Ant Chapter 477: Chapter 477: Demonized Worker Ant Song Jian had been walking within the Protection Black Mist for over an hour. Only then did the dense mist began to fade away. The mist blanketed a vast area, blocking all detection methods and withheld powerful monsters. Without the Concealment Ring, it was impossible for Song Jian to escape this area based on his strength alone. Finally made it out! Song Jian looked back anxiously at the swirling black mist. He would never have ventured into this region if not for this epic mission. It was far too dangerous. All the other players, who had accepted the same mission, had perished within the black mist. Their greed had caused the Concealment Ring to malfunction. However, this area was simply too dangerous for players of their level. Song Jian looked at the Concealment Ring and was surprised to notice another vertical scrape mark on it. The ring could only withstand another use. Damn it, I knew that old Beastman Hacus was too kind. This ring actually has a usage limit! Song Jian instantly became discontent. In fact, the ring gifted by Hacus to Song Jian was already exceptional. The Concealment Rings granted to other players could only be used once. Any anomaly would cause the ring to shatter, rendering it useless. After exiting the black mist and crossing a field, Song Jian finally saw a wide tarred road. However, the road was now covered in wild grass. If not for the abandoned cars left on the road, Song Jian might not have even noticed its existence. The nest of the Demonized Ant Group was near this road. By following this road, he was bound to encounter the Demonized Ants. Looking at the rusting scrapped cars, Song Jian lost all interest in scavenging for supplies. Generally, it was quite challenging to find supplies in the wilderness. Most materials had decayed under the exposure to the elements. Even equipment would have rusted and rotted from the weather, quickly becoming similar to these scrapped cars. But, out here, materials like herbs were incredibly abundant. As long as plants could grow, herbs were sure to be present. The higher level the area, the higher the quality of herbs that could be found. Along the journey, Song Jian gathered quite a number of herbs of blue-green quality. Although not very valuable, they were ideal for creating potions. What Song Jian found puzzling was the fact that he didnt encounter a single monster along his journey. It was widely known that even within Doomsday City, monsters ruled. The wilderness, being the natural Gathering Area of monsters, felt almost desolate. Only when Song Jian saw a wolf-sized ant dragging a monster ten times its size, did he realize that this entire area was claimed by the Demonized Ants. No other monsters could survive in their territory. Any that did dare enter were like the monster dragged by the ant, ending up as ant food. Finally running into a Demonized Worker Ant, Song Jian quickly whipped out his hand crossbow, shooting the ant. Despite being weakened by 80%, the crossbow bolt should still be sufficient to distract the ant. Flamed bolts shot towards the Demonized Worker Ant. The bolt was deflected, leaving behind a white mark on the thick ant shell. Watching as a -1 damage popped up above the ant, Song Jian was stunned. It actually didnt pierce the ants defense? This was merely a level 25 ordinary monster, there was no way Song Jian, even after reducing his damage by 80%, couldnt breach its defense! Upon being attacked, the Demonized Worker Ant immediately flared up in anger. It dropped the food it was carrying and charged at Song Jian. Its so fast! Song Jian thought to himself. He quickly summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and slashed towards the ants head. Clang! Song Jian felt a vibration within his arm as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword chipped off a large chunk of shell from the ants head. Despite being a normal attack, Song Jians attack was as potent as a two-hit attack from other players. Two instances of nearly 200-point damage floated up from the ants head. The Demonized Worker Ant had incredible defense, matching even level 30 monsters. Hitting it also caused a small counter shock. Over time, it would accelerate stamina consumption. The injured Demonized Worker Ant became even more aggressive, its robust jaws jittering, making a clashing sound. Song Jian stared at the serrated jaws of the Demonized Worker Ant, his expression changed. He really didnt want to directly experience the sensation of being clamped by those jaws. Sword Finger! Song Jian raised his left hand, a silvery Sword Qi shot forward, hitting the ants forehead. This sudden strike flopped the ant over. By the time it managed to struggle back to its feet, an ominous red long sword was already hurtling towards it from mid-air. The Demonized Worker Ant might have had a high defense, but it was still just a level 25 monster. When Song Jian got serious, a few sword techniques were all it took to slice this food hauling ant into two halves. Staring at the Demonized Worker Ant, its health had depleted, its body was sliced into two halves, but it was still twitching its antennae and jaws. Song Jian couldnt help but marvel, These giant ants are quite resilient. Are they even able to move after their health is fully depleted? Suddenly, a cluster of black flame engulfed the ant, fiercely burning. In no time, the ant was cleanly burned up to ash, leaving behind a palm-sized shell that shone with a black metallic luster. Upon killing the Demonized Worker Ant, no items were dropped. Initially, Song Jian felt a little disappointed but upon seeing the ant shell left behind after being burnt to ash by the demonic flame, his face lit up with excitement once more. Fine Quality Demonized Ant Shell (Blue Grade), Material, Usage Effect: Can be used to create Demonized Worker Ant Set. When constructing, there is a chance to increase the gear quality by one grade! Usage requirements: Forge Art Level 5. Demonized Worker Ant Set? Has a chance to increase grade by one? Doesnt this mean that I could create a silver-grade Demonized Worker Ant Set? thought Song Jian. One must know, an individual silver-grade piece of gear cannot compare to the attributes of a gold-grade gear. However, a complete set of silver-grade gear is much stronger than several pieces of gold-grade gear. If Song Jian could truly create a silver-grade Demonized Worker Set, his strength would surely skyrocket. However, to construct the set, he would need the corresponding blueprints. Plus, this small ant shell wasnt enough to complete a set. Song Jian stashed the blue-grade material into his bag, took a final look at the ants prey lying by the side of the road, and continued on his journey along the main road. Chapter 478 - Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Ant King Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Ant King As he continued down the road, the number of demonic worker ants increased. These level 25 common monsters had great strength and high defense, but no other advantages. Unless surrounded by hundreds or thousands of them, they posed no threat to Song Jian. Throughout the afternoon, Song Jian hunted down these demonic worker ants. After killing several of them, Song Jian discovered that they didnt just drop materials, but also other items, albeit at a low drop rate. In the afternoon, Song Jian managed to kill more than a hundred demonic worker ants. Besides collecting over seventy blue-quality ant shell materials, he also obtained a silver-quality throwing knife, several dishes that could replenish Vitality Points during a battle, and two pieces of level 25 green-quality plate armor. The quantity might not be vast, but the quality was quite good, at least compensating for the effort he put. Although the demonic worker ants did not pose much of a threat to Song Jian, if their number exceeded five, he would have to pay a price to kill them all. As dusk fell and the surroundings became hazy, Song Jian hadnt noticed that the trees on both sides of the road have started rustling. The noise was akin to the sound of a spring silkworm munching on mulberry leaves, just ten times louder. After Song Jian killed another demonic worker ant and picked up the dropped materials, he checked his task counter. He had already killed more than a hundred and seventy demonic worker ants. To complete a task of killing five hundred, hed need another three to four days. Initially, Song Jian was worried about monster scarcity making it hard to complete the task, but he realized here that the demonic worker ants were overwhelmingly numerous, in thousands and tens of thousands. It would be impossible for Song Jian alone to eradicate the entire horde. No wonder the old Beastman offered this mission to so many players. What a shame, they didnt leave the Protection Black Mist. Otherwise, we might have formed an alliance Song Jian thought. However, if those players had truly left the black mist, Song Jian would probably be the first to attack them; if he even received the slightest damage within the black mist, the Concealment Ring would lose its effectiveness, and his fate would be no better than the other players. Swish Swish Swish~ Song Jian suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as if a massive threat was charging at him. Turning his head, dozens of demonic worker ants popped out from the trees around him. Behind these worker ants, there were larger ants, as big as calves and with wings on their back. Demonic soldier ants? Shit, have I already arrived at their nest? Song Jian was shocked. The crowd of demonic worker ants alone was too much for him, let alone the soldier ants. In a split second, Song Jian turned into a shadow and dashed towards the back. Sword Shadow Step! It could increase his movement speed by 35%, and had a 50% chance of evading ranged damage for 8 seconds! When the group of demonic worker ants saw that Song Jian was trying to escape, they sped up. Those demonic soldier ants flapped their wings and quickly flew towards him. The speed of the demonic soldier ants was too fast, like bombers swooping down from the air towards Song Jian. Song Jian immediately pulled out two high-explosive grenades from his inventory and threw them behind, which exploded mid-air. Two demonic soldier ants that were less than three meters away from Song Jian were capsized in the air. Two damage points of over two hundred appeared above their heads. On the ground, a carpet of densely-packed demonic worker ants was rushing towards Song Jian. In the air, dozens of soldier ants were shrieking eerily, trailing closely behind Song Jian, spurting out pools of corrosive liquid that carried a strong acidic smell. This specific attack called Acidic Splurge was a special ranged attack of the soldier ants, extremely powerful and corrosive. Even though it was slow, several tens of soldier ants attacking together gave Song Jian a feeling of being overwhelmed. He was hit twice in the back. Suddenly, intense pain surged from his back. Song Jian could feel that his defense equipment had completely failed, and the muscles on his back were nearly corroded away. Two damage points of over three hundred floated above Song Jians head, accompanied by the lasting effect of Acidic Corrosion, which would decrease his Vitality Points by 10 every second for 30 seconds. Song Jian stomped on the ground, his speed increased by a large margin instantly, leaving behind a white Ice Path. This was a life-saving skill from Song Jians gold-quality boots called Frost Sprint, which could increase speed by 100% for 10 seconds. When he used this move, almost all of the demonic ants got left behind. The ants Acidic Corrosion attacks that had been spat out towards him landed on the road instead, corroding it and forming holes. To kill the enemy, one must first injure oneself. Song Jian took out a high-level healing potion and gulped it down, replenishing his lost Vitality Points. However, he couldnt instantly mend his damaged equipment. The durability of Ghostly Leather Armor dropped from 100 points to 63 points, nearly halved. If he took a few more hits from the demonic soldier ants, his silver-quality armor would be completely ruined. Although the Ghostly Leather Armor was only a level 15 silver-quality armor, its properties and special effects were quite powerful. Song Jian was unwilling to replace it. If it got destroyed due to this mission, Song Jian would definitely have tremendous heartache. As Song Jian was sitting under a big tree to recover his vitality, he suddenly heard a terrifying roar of a beast coming from afar. Song Jian immediately stood up and rapidly climbed up the tall tree behind him to get a good look. In the middle of the wide road, a huge ant, over three meters tall and five meters long, demolished everything in its path just like a heavy armored tank. It casually tossed the abandoned vehicles parked by the road. Its jaws, over a meter long and glistening like metal, effortlessly snapped small cars in two. This giant ant was completely different from the worker ants and soldier ants previously encountered. Not considering its immensely larger body, just the thick layer of armor covering its body was enough to make anyone lose confidence in fighting against it. Is that the Ant King? Song Jian was completely taken aback. He had no idea that there could be an Ant King here. Could it be that he had killed so many demonic worker ants that he drew the attention of the Ant King? Arent you supposed to be at the deepest part of the ant nest, waiting for warriors to challenge you? Why are you here? Song Jian muttered, furrowing his brows, and spread his senses to estimate the number of ants following. Eh, theres only one Ant King? Song Jians eyes lit up. This was a perfect opportunity to kill it. Even though this Ant King was at level 30 and had the combat power of the first level, it would be much easier to kill it here than to venture into the nest. Chapter 479 - Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Terrifying First-Order Combat Power Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Terrifying First-Order Combat Power The demonized Ant King, after charging recklessly for dozens of meters, seemingly sensed the presence of Song Jian and roared towards the sky. The monstrous creature then blusterously charged towards the forest. The color in Song Jians face drained. At this moment, he was over fifty meters away from the Ant King. Such a distance would usually make one undetectable, yet it seemed to have noticed his presence. Clearly, its mental strength was not inferior to his own. Creak, creak~ One tree after another was sent flying as they were struck. With only a casual swing of its mandible, as though it were a serrated scythe, rows of huge trees were cut down at their base, leaving behind surfaces as smooth as mirrors. Facing such a terrifying beast, Song Jian didnt dare approach; the mere power radiating from it could overwhelmingly crush him. Song Jian retrieved a potion from his pocket and forcefully threw it at the Ant King. Suddenly, the humongous figure of the demonic Ant King was shrouded by a gray dust. Its originally shimmering black metallic shell also became cloaked in gray. Eyes of Doom! On top of a great tree, Song Jian opened the vertical eye in his brow. A dazzling silver beam, like a lightsaber, pierced towards the demonized Ant King. In an instant, light scattered in all directions. The silver beam striking the Ant King abruptly halted it. The Ant King let out infuriated roars as its six legs continuously dug into the ground, trying to surge forward against the beam. However, its body was as if blocked by a thick barrier, unable to advance even slightly. It dug out several large pits beneath it in the process. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Every second, the silver beam caused the Ant King over three hundred points of damage. This damage was not just physical, but also included mental damage. Its originally sturdy shell, weakened by 35% in its defensive degree, couldnt withstand such a vigorous attack. Its hard shell began to crack like tofu under the silver lightsabers onslaught, revealing the purplish-red flesh within. Large spurts of fresh blood and coarse muscle fiber flew in all directions. It was as if a rain of blood and flesh had fallen in the surrounding forest, where dozens of trees were splattered with blood and flesh, sizzling like they had been doused in sulfuric acid. Exhaustion appeared on Song Jians face as he hurriedly drew a vial of potion for rapidly replenishing Mental Strength from his pocket and drained its contents. He was incapable of producing this kind of potion; every bottle used reduced his inventory. He had been reluctant to use it, but if he didnt use it now, he might never get another chance. The Ant King, in tremendous agony, spewed a jet of green thick liquid at Song Jian. The liquids intense sour smell reached Song Jians nostrils from afar, turning his face instantly pale. Song Jian swiftly jumped up, and in mid-air he unfolded a pair of steel wings from his back, carrying him off to one side. The green liquid soaked the entire tree he had been standing on, from top to bottom. In a matter of seconds, the tall tree, standing several meters high, was corroded into a pool of foul-smelling liquid. Song Jians figure swirled in mid-air, tracing an arc, and charged back at the Ant King. In his hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword carved a dark red trajectory in mid-air, savagely hacking into the back of the Ant King. Immediately, a deep scar emerged on its tough shell. The Ant King, with its bulky body, found it hard to turn around. Song Jian, now with a pair of steel wings, continuously maneuvered to the sides and behind the Ant King to launch his attacks. His Rapid Swords attack speed was astounding, leaving the demonized Ant King unable to react. In vain, it kept spinning its body, kicking up clouds of dust, and letting out frustrated howls. Song Jian didnt dare linger after launching an attack. He would swiftly move on to the next target location. It didnt take him long to slice off one of the Ant Kings hind legs. With the loss of one of its hind legs, the Ant Kings eyes gleamed a sinister red. Lowering its head, like a heavy armored vehicle, it suddenly accelerated. This seemed to be one of its skills, the strength of which lay in the fact that it didnt require much acceleration time to unleash its maximum power, thereby greatly reducing the limitations imposed by the terrain; Moreover, the sprint was incredibly fast, even faster than Song Jian activating his Frost Sprint. Plus, given the massive size of the mutated Ant King, once this skill was activated, its power was simply unstoppable. Song Jian slashed his sword through the air, striking the ground. By the time he looked up, the mutated Ant King had already charged tens of meters away, plowing a giant path through the forest. The broken trees lay haphazardly around him; This fellow actually knows how to keep a distance? Song Jian was surprised. It seemed the monsters intellect was not much inferior to that of a human. The distanced mutated Ant King slowly turned its head around, its blood-red eyes fixed on Song Jian. It lowered its head and activated its sprint skill once more; Damn it, does your skill not have a cooldown time? Song Jians face turned pale. Before he could react, the mutated Ant King was less than three meters in front of him. Its speed was almost like teleportation. Instinctively, Song Jian held his long sword across his chest, his body reflexively performing the Sacred Parry. Boom! Song Jian felt as though he had been hit by a train, his entire skeleton made a frail sound, as if it would break at any moment; Both his arms were inundated with severe pain as if his bones were shattered to pieces. Huh~ Song Jians body, like a baseball, flew into the air, only to rapidly descend; he hit a large tree with a pattering sound, leaving a fresh, vicious streak of blood; The vitality that had been almost full was instantly reduced by a third. This was still under the assumption that he fully resisted the assault of the mutated Ant King. If Song Jian was directly hit, even if his vitality was full, he would have been instantly killed by the mutated Ant King. Spurt~ A mouthful of blood was spat out. Song Jians teeth were streaked with blood, making him appear particularly miserable. He struggled to stand up from the ground, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes as he looked at the mutated Ant King; Is this the strength of a first-order BOSS? Its even more formidable than the lion eagle beast by three points! Song Jian thought. As miserable as Song Jian was, the mutated Ant King was even worse off. The previous Sacred Parry had fully rebounded the Ant Kings powerful attack back at it; The mutated Ant King now had a huge fissure on the shell of its head, one eye already burst open. The entire skull looked like it had been smashed hard. If it werent for its strong vitality, it would have been impossible to rise again from such a severe injury if it were a human. The mutated Ant King was now in a state of dizziness. Seeing this, Song Jian clenched his teeth, activated the Sword Shadow Step again, and pounced towards the mutated Ant King; Ive got to risk it! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword began to emit a dazzling golden light. A fierce Sword Qi slashed towards the immobilized mutated Ant King. With a cackling sound, the mutated Ant King let out a piercing scream, a powerful aura suddenly exploded from within it. Within a radius of ten meters, it was as if a giant palm was pressing down from the sky, shattering all the trees into powder. Even the ground sank more than a foot in depth; Chapter 480 - Chapter 480: Chapter 480: Golden Ant King Youngling Chapter 480: Chapter 480: Golden Ant King Youngling It exploded? Song Jian was flung seven or eight meters away by a powerful force, aching all over, and he didnt even want to get up from the ground; Many BOSSes, when nearing death, would trigger a self-destruct-like skill. This type of skill could inflict massive damage to both enemies and the BOSS themselves. The BOSS would only use this move if it was at its last resort. Of course, some BOSSes would flee instead of exploding when theyre close to death. They often have a special acceleration skill that could only be used when their vitality points decreased to a certain level. These BOSSes were the most hated by players: they fought for a long time only to let the BOSS escape, a feeling worse than if the BOSS yielded a bunch of useless garbage equipment. Song Jian panted heavily with a pale face. At this moment, his status bar contained the negative effects of fracture, bleeding, and his vitality points had reached a dangerous level. The BOSSs explosion was too fast for anyone to react to. Since the high-level healing potion was still on cooldown, Song Jian, leaning against a tree, slowly stood up. He first cast Surgery on himself to remove the negative effects, and then looked at the BOSS. After the explosion, the BOSS was no longer a threat to Song Jian. At this time, its whole body was covered with cracks, and some parts even exploded directly, revealing the purplish-red muscles inside; The pair of wings on its back broke apart, and the Ant King, which had been transformed by magic, now had trouble standing up. All six of its legs, except for the one that Song Jian had cut off, were broken, bending at strange angles. At this point, the magic-transformed Ant King had only a sliver of health left, less than 100 vitality points. Song Jian took a deep breath and stuffed a piece of food that could replenish vitality points during battle into his mouth. When his vitality reached one-third, he slashed at the magic-transformed Ant King that was on the verge of death. Before he could reach the creature, he heard a pop. A crack suddenly exploded on the magic-transformed Ant Kings back, extending from its neck all the way to its tail. As the shell, which was originally shining with a black metallic luster, weathered and decayed rapidly, a wet ant struggled to crawl out through the crack on its back. What is this? Song Jian was taken aback. He pulled back the sword that he had raised and retreated two steps, feeling cautious about the strange situation before him. In the game, monsters possessed various skills. Some seemingly unremarkable skills could cost players dearly. When encountering an unfamiliar monster, many players would hold back a bit to prevent an unexpected skill from causing them trouble. The ant trying to crawl out of the magic-transformed Ant Kings body looked similar to an ordinary magic-transformed worker ant. Its size was many times smaller than the BOSS and even smaller than a magic-worker ant. However, this struggling ant was golden in color, and even the two antennae on its head emitted a dark gold glow, making it look like an exquisite artifact carved from a solid gold block. Level 1? Just level 1? Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim as he saw the attributes displayed on top of the Golden Ant. Golden Ant King Juvenile, Rare, Level 1, Vitality Points: 500/500, can be captured Song Jian paused, seemingly realizing something, and immediately opened the taskbar to check. Sure enough, the task target Magic-transformed Ant King: 0/3 had already changed to Magic-transformed Ant King: 1/3. The Magic-transformed Ant King died? Song Jian was surprised but found no loot scattered around the surrounding area. This was a level 30 elite BOSS with tier-1 combat power, far stronger than an ordinary level 30 elite BOSS. Logically, when a BOSS like this was killed, the loot should be much more abundant and valuable than that of an ordinary level 30 elite BOSS. However, Song Jian saw no spoils around the Magic-transformed Ant Kings corpse. Next, his eyes fell on the Golden Ant King Juvenile struggling to crawl out. Could it be that this capturable Golden Ant King Juvenile is the spoils of killing the Magic-transformed Ant King? Song Jian muttered to himself. Song Jian was right: the Golden Ant King Juvenile was indeed the most valuable loot dropped by the Magic-transformed Ant King BOSS. Its value was even higher than a gold-class weapon; Certainly, it couldnt compare to a Black Dragon hatchling, but the Golden Ant King Juvenile had enormous growth potential, making it much more precious than ordinary combat pets. Moreover, the probability of obtaining a Golden Ant King Juvenile as loot was not high. If it wasnt for Song Jians high luck and that it was his first time hunting the Magic-transformed Ant King, he wouldnt have had a chance of getting this rare pet. Most importantly, if the capture attempt failed, the Golden Ant King Juvenile would still run away and eventually grow into a level 30 elite BOSS, the Magic-transformed Ant King. As it was a spoil of war, the combat pets level was only 1. Thus, capturing the Golden Ant King Juvenile would be easy with just a white-quality Pet Contract Scroll, which had a high chance of capturing it. White-quality Pet Contract Scrolls could be purchased in system stores, and players generally carried several of them when fighting monsters since even ordinary monsters had a certain probability of dropping combat pets. However, Song Jian didnt have any Pet Contract Scrolls in his inventory because he already had a Black Dragon hatchling and didnt care for ordinary combat pets. Seeing that half of the Golden Ant King Juveniles body had crawled out and that it would escape soon if not captured, Song Jian immediately took out the Book of the Abyss and started using its Abyss Temptation skill. The Abyss Temptation skill had many disadvantages compared to Pet Contract Scrolls: longer summoning time, the need for the target to be immobilized, and the creature becoming an Abyss creature once successfully tempted, bearing a trace of Abyss aura. Moreover, pets captured using Abyss Temptation had a much higher chance of betrayal than those captured with Contract Scrolls. However, Abyss Temptation also had many advantages: high success rate and the ability to tempt creatures of any quality, unlike Contract Scrolls, which required higher quality scrolls to capture higher quality pets. Song Jian opened the Book of the Abyss, targeted the Golden Ant King Juvenile with the Temptation skill, and started casting. A series of bizarre syllables came out of Song Jians mouth, and black flames ignited on the surface of the Book of the Abyss. An abyss aura emanated from the book, coalescing into chains in the air that wrapped around the Golden Ant King Juvenile. Chapter 481 - Chapter 481: Chapter 481: Ant King Slave Chapter 481: Chapter 481: Ant King Slave The Golden Ant King Juvenile was only at level one, so even a common white Pet Contract Scroll could capture it, let alone the Abyss Temptation. The possibility of failure of the capture was minimal since it was a spoils of war from killing the Mutated Ant King. Black gas materialized in mid-air, forming three black chains that bound the Golden Ant King Juvenile firmly. The juvenile, who was still struggling to get out of the Mutated Ant Kings carcass, gradually felt stiff all over its body as the black chains tightened. The black abyssal aura emanated from the chains, continuously burrowing into the Golden Ant King Juvenile. Before long, the original golden ant shell had been coated in a layer of black aura, making it look like a mini Mutated Worker Ant at first glance. The Abyss Temptation skill ended, and Song Jian was drenched in cold sweat, feeling almost drained. Casting this skill not only tempted the target with the Abyssal words, but the caster themselves would also be tempted by the waves of Abyssal words. If they were careless, they might fall into corruption, be eroded by the abyssal aura and become an abyssal creature. System: You have successfully released Abyss Temptation on the Golden Ant King Juvenile, it has become your second slave, and you can rename it. Warning: You are not an abyssal creature; each casting of Abyss Temptation will increase the temptation of the Abyssal words on you. After three times, if you cast Abyss Temptation again, you will definitely change your racial traits and become a member of the Abyssal Clan. Upon seeing the system prompt, Song Jian frowned. This warning hadnt appeared the first time he used it, and he suspected its appearance now had something to do with the game version update. Moreover, he could feel that the temptation of the Abyssal words in his ears was much stronger than the first time he used Abyss Temptation. If he used it a third time, Song Jian truly didnt know whether his innate skill could withstand the temptation of the Abyssal words. I dont want to become a member of the Abyssal Clan! Song Jian thought to himself, deciding never to use the Abyss Temptation skill again. Looking at the now freed Golden Ant King Juvenile standing quietly beside him, Song Jian stroked its head. The touch from his fingertips felt as if he were stroking icy steel. He opened the attribute panel of the level one Golden Ant King Juvenile. Its attributes were already higher than many ordinary level five monsters, and it also possessed two other skills. One was Pursuit Slaughter, the acceleration skill previously used by the Mutated Ant King. The skill effect allowed the user to run at a frantic pace for thirty seconds. If the user collided with a target during that time, the skill would be interrupted, dealing physical damage equal to the users strength minus the targets strength multiplied by ten. The target would also be stunned for three seconds. This skill could be used for chasing enemies or escaping, as well as a control skill to deal damage to enemies. It could be employed in various tactics, making it a decent skill. The other skill was a passive one called Spiked Aura. Within a 5-meter range around the Golden Ant King Juvenile, all allies could gain effects such as defense increased by 30% and 10% damage reflection. The Golden Ant King Juvenile was now no different from Song Jians pet. It was not only more obedient than pets but also had a loyalty level of adoration. Even if Song Jian asked it to commit suicide, the Golden Ant King Juvenile would carry it out without any hesitation or resentment. This was the difference between a slave and a pet, but the downside was that the Golden Ant King Juvenile couldnt be stored in the Pet Space like the Black Dragon hatchling. Moreover, once it died, there would be no chance of resurrection. The most important thing now is to raise your level so you wont die so easily here Song Jian whispered as he stroked the head of the Golden Ant King Juvenile. This area was filled with level 30 Mutated Ants. Even if the level one Golden Ant King Juvenile had great growth potential, it was no match for a regular Mutated Worker Ant. Since it couldnt be stored in the Pet Space, death would be irreversible. Night fell, and Song Jian spent the night hugging the Golden Ant King Juvenile on a large tree. The strength of monsters increased during the nighttime. Some players tried to hunt monsters at night to level up, but few persisted for long. One reason was the increased strength of the night monsters, but another was the appearance of powerful monsters at night. Escaping was even more difficult during the night, and many players found more and more monsters chasing them as they ran. Some even unintentionally ran into monster dens Nighttime outside Doomsday City was even more dangerous. Song Jian could hear the frenzied howls of the Mutated Worker Ants in the woods. This place was about seven or eight miles away from the area where Mutated Soldier Ants appeared. Although there wouldnt be any flying Soldier Ants, it was still part of the Mutated Worker Ants territory. If any monster entered this area, it would attract swarms of Mutated Worker Ants. The sounds of battles came from all around, and the aura of slaughter made the Golden Ant King Juvenile in Song Jians arms feel restless. However, it was obvious that the intelligence of the Ant King wasnt much lower than a humans. It simply wriggled slightly in Song Jians arms and let out a low-pitched hiss. The next day, as soon as day broke, Song Jian saw an injured Mutated Worker Ant, dragging its broken body to leave the area. The Mutated Worker Ant was heavily injured; almost half of its body had been bitten off by a monster, showing signs of being gnawed on. Its Vitality Points were less than one-third, and it moved very slowly. Song Jian knew that this severely injured Worker Ant intended to move away from its group to die alone, but for Song Jian, it was one of his mission targets. With a thought, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his right hand. Song Jian leaped forward, and before the severely injured Worker could react, the sword had already pierced its skull. Flash Thunder Strike! Pop, pop, pop~ Six damage figures appeared above the Worker Ants head, its Vitality Points instantly depleted. To deal with this severely injured Worker Ant, Song Jian only needed to use one sword technique to kill it. Swish, swish, swish~ Eight rays of light appeared on the Golden Ant King Juveniles body, raising its level from one to nine. Checking its Experience Points, the Golden Ant King Juvenile was only a little over three hundred Experience Points away from level ten. The Experience Points from a level 30 monster were simply too abundant for a level one Golden Ant King. Song Jian glanced at the Ant King, which had nearly doubled in size, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. With the help of this Ant King slave, completing the epic mission would be much easier. Chapter 482 - Chapter 482: Chapter 482: Forming a Team Chapter 482: Chapter 482: Forming a Team After killing an injured demonized worker ant, Song Jian set the Ant King slave to Follow. The level nine Ant King slave was incapable of assisting Song Jian in combat. If involved in battle, it was likely to die; Only by leveling up this Ant King slave could it take part in combat; Moreover, Song Jian had learned his lesson from yesterday. He couldnt get too close to the Demonic Ant Nest, otherwise, he would be surrounded by the demonized soldier ants. He himself could obviously escape, but the recently obtained Ant King slave, which he had gone through great lengths to obtain, would surely die there. Song Jian began to search in the forest. The quantity of demonized worker ants here was minimal. Perhaps it was because he had killed too many yesterday. Song Jian spent more than half an hour searching but didnt discover a single demonized worker ant; Just then, Song Jian suddenly smelled a rich aroma, causing his throat to involuntarily swallow. At this moment, he noticed that he seemed to have skipped breakfast. Following the aroma, Song Jian found a human adolescent, about seventeen or eighteen years old, attentively applying condiments to a grill. On the grill, a worker ants thigh was getting roasted to a golden brown. The hot oil droplets on the charcoal emitted a rich fragrance; Song Jian looked at the top of the boys head. There was no displayed information. This meant the juvenile had hidden all his personal information. Most of those who did this were players. Though this juvenile seemed no older than seventeen or eighteen, he exuded a unique charisma, not unlike a battle-hardened veteran who has gone through life and death experiences. The scent of gunpowder still lingered around him. Are you a player? Song Jian tentatively asked. The teenager looked up at Song Jian, then focused his attention on the Ant King Slave by Song Jians side for a moment. He released a look of admiration, but quickly turned his head back towards the roasted ant meat. You must be hungry, come join me the teenager invited. Song Jian sat down, took out some drinks from his storage column, and speaking to the teenager, said, Im Song Jian, here hunting demonized ants for a mission! Lu Mingyuan. My target is the demonized Ant King! the teenager replied in a deep voice. Thats good, how about we team up? Itll be much safer and more efficient to hunt together! Song Jian suggested cheerfully. The teenager glanced at the Ant King slave again, hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement to Song Jians teaming up request; Song Jian smiled slightly, using the Fifth Battle Flag to invite Lu Mingyuan to become a teammate; Suddenly, a pale-blue halo surfaced under Lus feet; You can use team skills? surprise flashed through Lu Mingyuans eyes. Having seen the increase in his own attributes, his astonishment became even more profound. This is a skill that my equipment has. Its not mine. Song Jian frankly revealed some of the attributes of his Fifth Battle Flag for Lu Mingyuan to see, while carefully observing the teens facial expression. If this teenager showed any sign of greed, Song Jian wouldnt consider teaming up with him. Fortunately, after glancing at the attributes of the Fifth Battle Flag, Lu Mingyuan only revealed understanding, without expressing any interest in claiming it as his own. Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. There are no restrictions in the game, and the only constraints a player has to adhere to are their own moral standards and abilities. Betraying and killing another player over an equipment is common in the game. Fortunately, Lu Mingyuan is not such a person. Otherwise, whether for Song Jian or for himself, this would not bode well. Where were you born? Is there a city nearby? Song Jian asked curiously. I was born in the wild Lu Mingyuan spoke in a low voice, his face full of melancholy. Song Jians face filled with sympathy. For average players, being born in the wilderness meant a 90% chance of failure. Even for Song Jian, if he had been born in the wilderness, he dared not guarantee that he could still be alive now. Everyone knows the dangers of the wilderness are ten times, no, a hundred times higher than those in Doomsday City; Though, since there are players who can be born into the safety of the City of Hymns, being born in the wilderness is not that hard to accept. Life must be tough in the wilderness, right? Song Jian asked. Lu Mingyuan fell silent, the muscles on his face started to twitch. He seemed unwilling to recall the memories of his early days in the game, he shook his head and said, Its okay. This meat. Can we really eat it? Song Jian frowned at the grilled ant meat. Lu Mingyuan nodded, smiling slightly, Yes, you can eat it. The taste is not bad. You can try it later. After grilling for another ten minutes or so, Lu Mingyuan took out a small knife and cut the grilled meat into slices. It was placed onto two plates. He handed one to Song Jian. Song Jian picked up a slice and tentatively bit into it. Instantly, his mouth was filled with the rich aroma of roasted meat. The demonized ants looked terrifying, but their meat was unexpectedly tender and delicious when cooked; After eating seven or eight slices of roast meat, Song Jian downed a large gulp of his drink. Then, he let out a content sigh saying, This is truly delicious. Hehe, my cooking skill is already at level eight. If it wasnt, I wouldnt be able to get rid of the Abyssal Demonic Aura in the ants Lu Mingyuan explained with a laugh. Level eight? Thats incredible! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. However, he quickly realized that if Lu Mingyuans cooking skill was not high-level, he would have probably starved to death since he was born in the wilderness. Oh right, where did you catch this ant pet from? Ive tried to catch one myself but Ive never succeeded. It would be much easier to hunt these beasts if I had an ant pet here. Lu Mingyuan glanced at the Ant King and asked. Song Jian smiled slightly. Lu Mingyuan had been staring at the Ant King since they first met, his question must have been nagging at him for quite a while. Noticing Song Jians smile, Lu Mingyuans face blushed. Before he could speak, Song Jian spoke up, I caught it when I happened to encounter a young spawn after hunting a demonized Ant King. You hunted a demonized Ant King? Lu Mingyuan looked shocked. He stood abruptly, his movement so large it nearly knocked over the grill. I was lucky only and found a solitary Ant King. Song Jian nodded and replied. Why dont I have such good luck! Lu Mingyuan expressed in a gloomy voice. Considering he dared to hunt demonized Ant Kings, it was clear Lu Mingyuan was confident in his abilities. Having such a strong teammate made Song Jian believe there was a higher chance of completing the mission. Lets go, Song Jian said nonchalantly as he stood up, Weve eaten enough and the demonized ant population in this area is abundant. There must be more than one Ant King. Well surely encounter another Ant King as we continue on. Lu Mingyuan nodded, packed up the grill, and the two set off along the road; Chapter 483 - Chapter 483: Chapter 483: Perfect Cooperation Chapter 483: Chapter 483: Perfect Cooperation Although Song Jian had become team members with Lu Mingyuan, he did not fully trust him. For instance, he did not share the details of his epic-level task with Lu Mingyuan, who, in return, did not inform Song Jian of his reasons for hunting the mutated Ant King. The pair had barely walked ten meters along the main road when a mutated worker ant rushed out from the nearby woods and crashed onto an abandoned truck. With a boom, the truck was overthrown and rolled onto the road. The mutated worker ant seemed a bit dazed and stood in the middle of the road, shaking its head. Soon, the ant spotted Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan, and, turning toward them, gave a loud roar. At the stretching of Lu Mingyuans right hand, a delicate magic staff appeared in his palm. The completely crimson staff, which looked like red crystal and was just over a foot in length, held a fist-sized red gemstone at its top. Fireball Spell! Pointing the magic staff towards the mutated worker ant, the red gem at the top instantly glowed brilliantly. A hot energy gathered in the air, quickly forming three basketball-sized fireballs. Boom, boom, boom! Without any distinction in timing, the three fireballs smashed into the mutated worker ant. Damage points amounting to more than 300 each began showing above the ants head. At this point, Song Jian understood that Lu Mingyuan was a Fire-element Mage. The vitality points of the mutated worker ant had fallen by a great deal. Burn marks appeared on its body. The injured ant suddenly became enraged and, roaring, it charged towards Lu Mingyuan. At this point, Lu Mingyuan suddenly put down his magic staff and glanced at Song Jian. Song Jian immediately realized that Lu Mingyuan wanted to assess his capabilities. If Song Jian proved to be weak, their partnership would probably end immediately. Even though he knew that Song Jian had solo killed a mutated Ant King, without witnessing Song Jians abilities firsthand, Lu Mingyuan would remain unsure. With a thought, Song Jian summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Lu Mingyuan glanced at the dark red long-sword in Song Jians hand, a surprised look in his eyes. Weapons that could merge into the users body were not common. Lu Mingyuans magic staff was one such weapon. Naturally, he understood the value and rarity of such weapons. Sword Silk! Three silver threads appeared beside Song Jian. Beside the three silver threads of Sword Silk, there was an illusory Sword Silk which was challenging to notice unless scrutinized closely. Song Jian swung his sword towards the charging mutated worker ant, sending it flying with one stroke. Snapsnap~ Six consecutive sharp sounds exploded on the mutated worker ants body, causing its carapace to break, blood and flesh to splash around, and its vitality points to plummet to a third of its total. Song Jians attack left Lu Mingyuan amazed. He had not expected that Song Jian could cause such incredible damage. Broken Wing Dance! The long-sword struck the mutated worker ant again. The ant, the size of a hunting dog, was helpless against Song Jian. It could only suffer the damage passively, like a punching bag, as it was sent flying by Song Jian. Swish~ Song Jian lightly flicked his dark-red long-sword from bottom to top. The head of the mutated worker ant fell off instantly. The headless body trembled slightly as if it wanted to continue its attack, but it was merely a muscular reflex. It only managed to take two steps forward before falling with a thud, leaving behind a palm-sized piece of chitinous ant shell. By now, Song Jian had collected more than a hundred ant shells, sufficient to craft a full demonic worker ant suit. The only issue was that he still needed the blueprints. He would have to exchange them for mission points at the Shadow Circus Troupe. Clap, clap, clap~ With a beaming smile on his face, Lu Mingyuan walked towards Song Jian while applauding. I didnt expect to encounter such a powerful teammate like you! he exclaimed. Likewise, likewise! Song Jian replied with a grin. Despite only having used an instantaneous skill, Lu Mingyuans triple cast of Fireball Spell knocked off nearly a thousand Vitality Points from the demonic worker ant. Such devastating damage, even Song Jian couldnt help but feel taken aback. It was clear that anyone who dared to hunt the demonic Ant King alone must be a formidable individual with full confidence in their own abilities. Swish, swish~ Two rays of light simultaneously rose up. Both Song Jian and the Ant Kings Slave had levelled up at the same time; Song Jian had advanced to level twenty-three, while the Ant Kings slave had reached level ten. Song Jian smiled slightly as he allocated his newly acquired skill points into Sword Silk, upgrading it to level four. The level ten Ant King let out a painful roar as its body violently trembled. From its back came a series of crackling sounds, reminiscent of something shattering. In no time at all, two tender shells protruded from its back and a pair of transparent wings as thin as cicada wings gently unfolded. Is this evolution? Song Jian asked in surprise. Indeed, worthy of the Ant King. Not only can it aid in attack when it matures, but it can also serve as a flying mount Lu Mingyuan said, clearly envious. His goal had been to hunt the demonic Ant King, with the hope of acquiring an Ant King larva not absent from his mind. As for the spoils, Song Jian received the dropped materials, while the body of the demonic worker ant went to Lu Mingyuan. Lu Mingyuan pulled out a small knife from his bag and began dissecting the worker ants corpse. Song Jian also had Dissection Technique, but his was only level one and paled in comparison to Lu Mingyuans skill. Lu Mingyuan had advanced his culinary skills to a high level, so it was clear to Song Jian that his Dissection Technique must also be highly advanced. The materials obtained from the dissection were more than ten times the amount of dropped materials. However, most were of white quality, with only a few green quality pieces and no blue quality ones. After cleaning up their loot, the two delved deeper. Song Jian engaged in close combat while Lu Mingyuan provided long-range support. They quickly found their rhythm and started to effectively hunt the demonic worker ants, considerably faster than Song Jian alone. They had killed three hundred and seventeen of them by the afternoon, completing nearly half of Song Jians mission. Moreover, their margin for error had noticeably increased now that they were together. Even when faced with seven or eight demonic worker ants at once, they could calmly eliminate them. If Song Jian were alone, he could kill all of them but would undoubtedly have to pay a hefty price. Lets call it a day here. Im nearly out of mana. Lu Mingyuan, his face slightly pale, declared loudly. Song Jian looked out into the distance. A mere two or three miles ahead was the place where he had been surrounded by demonic soldier ants the day before. Originally, he thought that with Lu Mingyuans help, they could avenge that loss. It seemed like that would have to wait until the next day. As dusk fell, Song Jian lit a campfire and sat down for a rest. The Ant Kings Slave had reached level nineteen. Its size had grown more than tenfold compared to when it was first born, almost equivalent to two demonic soldier ants. Its shell had become significantly thicker and it had sprouted numerous sharp spikes. Its passive skill, Spiked Aura, had advanced to level three and its stats dramatically increased. Its jagged mandibles looked even more menacing, and the fine barbs resembled a sickle, capable of easily tearing a crack in the shell of an ordinary demonic worker ant. Lu Mingyuan sat by the bonfire, entering a shallow meditative state to restore his mana. The surroundings were eerily quiet. Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from the distant forest, abruptly pulling Lu Mingyuan from his meditative state. With wide eyes, he exchanged glances with Song Jian. The two stood up simultaneously, prepared for battle. Chapter 484 - Chapter 484: Chapter 484: Mysterious Gold Ant-Eating Beast BOSS Chapter 484: Chapter 484: Mysterious Gold Ant-Eating Beast BOSS Lu Mingyuan quickly got to his feet and retreated cautiously about five or six steps, a distance of at least three meters from Song Jian and the bonfire. As a mage, distance provided a semblance of safety. Three meters already pushed Lu Mingyuans response boundary to the limit. Any closer, and hed barely have any time to react or cast a spell if something unexpected arose. Song Jian swiftly put out the bonfire, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness. From the middle of his forehead, the vertical eye embedded in Song Jians brow radiated faint light, providing clear visuality within the encircling darkness. From afar, a cacophony of growls approached, sounding like a pack of monsters frantically charging their way. The two men shared a quick look and began to climb up the nearby tree. Song Jian noticed Lu Mingyuans eyes glowing with an unusual bluish light, indicating that he too had the ability to see in the dark. Climbing up a tree about ten or more meters high was not a problem for the two of them. Given the urgency of the situation, it was the best available option. Before long, they saw dozens of demonic worker ants and soldier ants running towards their location. Some soldier ants seemed to sense something and glanced up at the tree where Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan were perched. Their eyes glinting menacingly. Yet, they didnt stop, swiftly scurrying past the mens tree, as if some terrifyingly fierce creature was chasing them. After the swarm of demonic ants gradually disappeared, Lu Mingyuan put away his short staff and asked Song Jian with some uncertainty, They should have noticed us just now, but why didnt they attack us? Whether it was the worker ants or the soldier ants, all were aggressive creatures with wide alert ranges. A slight lapse in attention could attract the attention of two to three demonic ants simultaneously. What should we do now? Lu Mingyuans voice was filled with nervousness. He could feel the place was no longer safe. However, it was nighttime, and they were near the Demonic Ant Nest. If they ran, they risked stumbling into a herd of demonic ants. Song Jian responded with a wry smile, It seems were not safe here anymore. Why dont we return to where we met this morning? We should encounter fewer demonic ants there. Thats the best we can do Lu Mingyuan nodded, seemingly relieved. Just as they slid down the tree to leave, they heard a sudden hissing noise growing from far to near. Song Jian reacted by quickly rolling to hide behind a large tree. With a thump, blood splattered, and a mutilated corpse of a demonic soldier ant flew past and hit a large tree, slowly sliding down, leaving behind a gruesome, purple-red blood trail. The mens eyes naturally followed the direction from which the ants body had been flung. Their eyes widened in shock, and they held their breath. A blurry figure was slowly coming towards them. The figure stood as tall as a building, with a length of least eight or nine meters. To this creature, the demonic ants seemed like babies standing next to a burly adult man. As the silhouette came into clear view, they realized it was a gigantic ant-eating creature. It stuck out its long tongue and wrapped it around the mangled body of the soldier ant, rolling it into its mouth. Its two sinewy forelimbs, like sickles, easily tore apart the lengthy ant. The insects exoskeleton was fragile like a sheet of paper in comparison. The rounded head of the creature plunged into the ants body, gnawing continuously. Its bodys dark green scales shimmered even in the darkness of the night. After eating a few bites, there was little flesh and blood left on the soldier ants body, leaving behind only the broken shell. The ant-eating creature tossed the shell away and turned its head, focusing on Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Its triangular eyes, beneath the dark green scales, glowed with a savage madness. Its muscles swelled, and it lunged towards them, revealing its sharp teeth smudged with fresh blood and released a fearsome, shrill roar. Mystery Gold Ant-Eating Beast, Level 30 Lord-class BOSS, First Order Combat Power, 9,800 Vitality Points As Song Jian reviewed the beasts attributes, he was stunned. The creature before them was a Lord-class BOSS with First Order Combat Power, something too formidable for him to tackle, even with the aid of Lu Mingyuan. Song Jians heart skipped a beat as he looked at the beasts slender, sharp teeth stained with blood veins. He knew better than anyone how high the defensive capabilities of the ants exoskeleton were. Yet, the ant-eating creatures teeth could easily slice through it. If they were bitten, their equipment would likely be torn to shreds. Glancing at the beasts long, resilient tongue that could firmly grip a demonic ant, incapable of freeing itself, Song Jian doubted if his long sword could even sever it. Seeing the ant-eating beast looking at him, Song Jian instinctively drew his long sword but dared not make any move as its tongue was remarkably versatile. If he aggravated it, he feared he wouldnt even have the chance to escape. Lu Mingyuan also recognized the attributes of the ant-eating beast, his heart racing, and his hands sweaty gripping his magic staff. Seeing the beasts attention drawn to Song Jian, he felt a sense of relief. Watching the ant-eating beast lunging at Song Jian, Lu Mingyuan seemed to realize something and yelled out, Its targeting your Ant King pet! Seeing the ant-eating beast charging towards him, Song Jian initially planned to dodge, but upon hearing Lu Mingyuans shout, his heart dropped. His Ant King slave was currently only Level 19. Even if it were upgraded to Level 30 and had First Order Combat Power, Song Jian believed it would be no match for the beast they were currently facing. If Song Jian dodged, his Ant King slave would undoubtedly be captured, and the Ant King, which hed worked so hard to obtain, would meet an inevitable death. Because of the Abyss Temptation, once the Ant King slave died, it could never be resurrected. With this in his mind, Song Jian steadied himself, drew a Weakness Potion from his inventory and threw it at the charging beast, simultaneously stabbing his long sword towards it. Are you insane? Lu Mingyuan yelled, looking at Song Jian in astonishment. Reflexively, he began to retreat. They were currently in a team, and if he got too close, it would automatically put Lu Mingyuan in battle mode. Kill it! Theres a chance it could drop some item that can restrain the demonic ants! Song Jian yelled back. Lu Mingyuan paused, showing a hesitant expression. After a moments thought, he gritted his teeth, waving his magic staff. A dense ball of magical energy started to form in his palm. Chapter 485 - Chapter 485: Chapter 485: Long Tongue Chapter 485: Chapter 485: Long Tongue The Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS was extremely fierce, and Lu Mingyuan was disinclined to provoke it. His target was strictly the mutated Ant King. However, a single statement from Song Jian was enough to pique his interest. The mutated ants, in the presence of the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS, became not but fodder. Whether it was a mutated worker ant, or a mutated soldier ant, neither stood a fighting chance against the beast, their only option was to run away in a scramble. Lu Mingyuan believed that even the mutated Ant King itself, facing the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS, would also be in for a tough fight. Maybe if I kill it, I might come across an item that could subdue the mutated Ant King. If I were to have such an item, I need not form a team with Song Jian. The spoils from killing the mutated Ant King would be all mine Once the thought struck, it spread throughout Lu Mingyuans mind like wild weed. Glancing at Song Jian with an odd look, Lu Mingyuan joined the battle. Seeing Song Jian daring to rush and attack it, the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast grew even more irate. In its eyes, even a mutated soldier ant was better than Song Jian. Humans were too insignificant in its view. Had it not been for the Ant King by its side, which attracted the attention of the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast, this colossal BOSS might not have even cast Song Jian a glance. As the seemingly insignificant human launched an attack, the rage of the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast was palpable. Bellowing in fury, it opened its gaping jaw, filled with jagged teeth, and its fluid, tough tongue whipped out against Song Jian. The beasts attack was incredibly swift, with multiple afterimages appearing mid-air, making it impossible to discern its actual target. This kind of soft weapon, similar to a whip, could not be fended off with a long sword. Song Jian could only leap into the air, but the beasts tongue followed suit, its serpentine antenna swiftly snaking around a large tree behind Song Jian and circled back towards Song Jian in mid-air. Once caught by the beasts tongue, Song Jian would face the same fate as the corpse of the mutated soldier ant, getting pulled into the beasts mouth and ripped apart by its sharp teeth. Iron Wings! With a mental command from Song Jian, a pair of wings glistening with metallic radiance suddenly sprouted from his back. With a sound of whoosh, Song Jian accelerated in mid-air, leaving the Ant-eating Beasts extended tongue clutching at thin air. Though the Beast had shifted all its attention to Song Jian, Lu Mingyuan continued to observe from a distance. Thick magic energy swelled up around him, but he dared not release a spell. At this moment, Song Jian had not inflicted any damage on the Beast. In other words, Song Jian had not firmly drawn the Beasts aggro onto himself. The moment Lu Mingyuan entered the clash, the Beasts aggro would quickly switch to him. Song Jian, hovering in mid-air, was also acutely aware of this. Seeing the Beasts tongue retract, Song Jian raised his sword and slashed at the Beast with all his might. Light Strike! A dazzling golden light suddenly illuminated the surrounding darkness as bright as day. The golden Sword Qi mercilessly slashed at the Beasts back, causing over a dozen black-green scales to shatter instantly. As Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast was not a shadow creature, Song Jians holy attack was not able to deal double damage. Therefore, this strike only caused the Beast to suffer around two-three hundred Vitality Points of damage. The Beast let out a painful roar. It turned around and swung its right claw in the direction of Song Jian. Three blade-shaped light traces appeared out of nowhere in midair, emitting a sharp whistling sound, and swooped towards Song Jians chest. These three light traces left white striae in the air as if they were tearing the space apart. The light traces were incredibly fast; Song Jian had no time to dodge. By the time he noticed the light traces and planned to evade, they had already arrived at his chest. The Iron Wings sprung forth as if they had a mind of their own, quickly furling over from both sides to shield Song Jian. Clang, clang, clang~ The crisp sound of impact echoed in mid-air. The Iron Wings gained three significant scratches, scattering countless dazzling sparks; the Iron Wings had a damage immunity limit. Song Jian suddenly felt a tearing pain in his chest, taking over eight hundred points of damage. This amount of damage to an average level 20 player would cause severe injury and life-threatening damage, even if it didnt result in instant death. The damage is too high! Song Jian exclaimed. After all, the equipment on him was of a far higher quality compared to average players. Even though he wore leather armor, Song Jian was confident that even a defensive warrior in plate armor wouldnt have much more defense and resistance than himself. After dealing a successful hit, The Ant-eating Beast BOSS suddenly lunged at Song Jian mid-air. Song Jian was shocked. He didnt expect such a huge Ant-eating Beast to have an amazing leaping ability. Hastily, he controlled his Iron Wings to dodge laterally in mid-air. Whoosh~ The Beast in mid-air shot out its long tongue towards Song Jian again, and its blood-red tip darted out like an arrow. Just as Song Jian evaded the Beasts leap by drawing an arc in mid-air, he had not expected the Beasts tongue to coil around his right leg from behind. Alarmed, Song Jian turned around to strike the tongue with his sword. The Beasts tongue was as resilient as old cowhide. Even after four or five slashes, Song Jian failed to leave a single cut, dealing only five-six hundred points of damage to the Beast. When Song Jian raised his sword again to strike, a strong force pulled his right leg, making him lose balance. No matter how hard he flapped the Iron Wings, he was unable to control his body mid-air, and the flying sword in his hand was thrown away. The head of the Ant-eating Beast BOSS fiercely jerked down, causing Song Jian to fall from the sky like a meteorite and crash into the ground, creating a huge crater. Song Jian spat out a mouthful of blood, and his vitality points decreased suddenly by more than three hundred. Seeing Song Jian in a miserable state, Lu Mingyuan, who was prepared to attack, hesitated again. The fireball he had conjured in his hands had yet to be unleashed. Song Jian gritted his teeth, and with a thought, two burly Fire Elves suddenly appeared next to him. As soon as they appeared, they spewed scorching flames toward the long tongue wrapped around Song Jians right leg. The Ant-eating Beast BOSS, in what seemed like a reflexive action, began to shake its tongue and growled. It tried to pull Song Jian into its mouth. Song Jian clutched the long tongue with both hands, pushed his feet against the inner wall of the crater, and pulled back. For a moment, both the Beast and Song Jian were engaged in a tug of war with the long tongue stretched taut. The Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS let out a thunderous roar, and the force it exerted suddenly increased. Song Jian felt his body being pulled by a massive force, causing his body to get hauled toward the Beast. Chapter 486 - Chapter 486: Chapter 486: The Final Blow Chapter 486: Chapter 486: The Final Blow Lu Mingyuan watched as Song Jian and the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast Boss fought only for a few rounds before falling into a disadvantageous position, with their Vitality Points dropping to less than half. He couldnt help but tremble in fear, and was already prepared to flee. Even the fireball he had been gathering in his hand for so long dissipated directly. Song Jians heart raced as he faced the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast, which already had an overwhelming advantage in terms of strength. Its attack and defense was extremely strong, and he knew if he was caught in the enemys mouth with his current vitality, he would surely be defeated in an instant. Seeing the two Flame Elementals constantly spouting flames and scorching the Ant-Eating Beast Bosss long tongue, Song Jian gritted his teeth and issued a command for the Flame Elementals to self-destruct. Boom, boom! As they lacked intelligence, the Flame Elementals only listened to Song Jians command. After he ordered them to self-destruct, the two Flame Elementals didnt hesitate to charge at the Ant-Eater Beast Bosss long tongue and exploded directly. The intense explosion caused the ground to tremble endlessly. Within a radius of ten meters, it appeared as if a meteorite had struck, breaking all the trees. The dense fire elements rampaged fiercely, and almost all the trees were set ablaze. A mushroom cloud rose in the sky, and the scorching flames almost lit up half of the sky. The Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast let out a painful scream, and half of its tongue already lost sensation. Song Jians eyes flickered, and with a wave of his right hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flew back into his palm with a spin. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian slashed at the long tongue coiled around his right leg. At this moment, the tongue had lost its original flexibility and toughness, and had mostly turned black, losing its vitality. It was like a weathered oxhide. Whoosh! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword easily cut off a section of the blackened tongue, revealing a touch of deep red at the very center. After freeing his right leg from the blackened long tongue, Song Jian threw it aside and glanced back at Lu Mingyuan. He didnt say a word as he took an Advanced Healing Potion from his bag and gulped it down before rushing towards the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast, which was constantly shaking its head. With a single thought, Song Jians running figure suddenly blurred and, in the blink of an eye, split into two identical shadows charged at the Ant-Eating Beast. Song Jian felt a peculiar sensation as he was somehow able to control both bodies simultaneously, as easily as lifting a finger. There was no delay in issuing commands; he just needed a single thought to control the Abyssal Phantom, as if it were simply an extension of his own body. Without its long tongue, the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast Boss lost its mid to long-range attack capabilities. All it could do was rely on its sharp fangs and claws on its forelimbs to battle Song Jian. The two identical Song Jians continuously attacked the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast, leaving the Beast Boss unable to discern which was the real body and which was the phantom. The Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beasts Vitality Points kept dropping, and in a short while, its Vitality Points plummeted below 50%. At this time, Lu Mingyuan finally rejoined the fight, with a swirling flame spreading out beneath the Bosss feet within a radius of five to six meters. Song Jian was startled and hesitated for a moment, missing the perfect angle to attack the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beasts neck with his sword. However, he quickly realized that the flames at his feet didnt cause him any damage, and he felt relieved. It seemed that forming an alliance with Lu Mingyuan beforehand was the right choice, as teammates were immune to each others damage during battle. The Ant-Eating Beast stomped the ground within the flames, sending a wave of air outward. Song Jian lost his balance and fell to the ground with over a thousand points of damage floating above his head. Almost two thousand damage points floated above the Abyssal Phantom, causing its figure to disappear like a bubble with a puff sound. The Ant-Eating Beast Boss leaped up once again, this time reaching a height of three to four meters in the air. Its massive body was like a meteor, charging towards Song Jian. Aerial Strike! If this attack landed, Song Jians recently restored Vitality Points would likely plummet again, entering a near-death state, or even be instantly killed. Song Jians pupils contracted as he activated his Immortal Sword Body state. He raised his sword high and suddenly leaped towards the Ant-Eater Beasts abdomen. At this moment, Lu Mingyuans fireballs also struck, but the Ant-Eating Beast seemed to have entered a Tyrant Body State. Dozens of fireballs struck its body, causing less than three hundred points of damage. Light Strike! Brilliant golden Sword Qi erupted, forming a beam of light that shot towards the Ant-Eating Beast Bosss abdomen. The Ant-Eating Beast Boss felt a tingling sensation in its belly, as if it was being propped up by something. Its enormous weight, combined with the additional power from its skill, made it descend rapidly. This also meant that if there was an indestructible object beneath it, the backlash damage would be immense. At first, the Beast Boss didnt feel anything due to the skill, but it soon felt as if a burning iron rod had penetrated its abdomen, breaking through its scales and burrowing into its body. Bang! With a loud shout, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword shone brightly as it fiercely slashed at the Ant-Eating Beasts stomach. The sword easily pierced the Ant-Eating Beasts abdominal scales, tearing through its defenses. The Beast felt an intense tearing pain in its abdomen, causing its huge body to lose balance in mid-air and tumble down. Boom! The Ant-Eating Beast Boss fell from the sky, crashing through five or six large trees before coming to a stop. Copious amounts of blood gushed from its stomach, and even pieces of its internal organs spilled out of the wound. The rich scent of blood filled the surrounding area for several meters. Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief. Even if his attack was powerful, it should not have caused such devastating injuries to the Ant-Eating Beast Boss! As they saw the Ant-Eating Beast Bosss Vitality Points rapidly depleting, Lu Mingyuans eyes lit up. He tightly grasped his Magic Staff and began to chant spells. Magical energy surged wildly towards him, and even Song Jian noticed the abnormal fluctuations in the air. Watching Lu Mingyuans actions, Song Jians mouth curled into a cold smirk. It seemed like this guy wanted to snatch the final blow on the Boss. A level 30 Boss would grant massive experience points, and the players who scored the first and last blow would receive a large amount of experience. Song Jian stomped his right foot hard, sending a fang-shaped Qi cluster at the struggling Ant-Eating Beast Boss. Transforming into a shadow, he rushed towards the Beast Boss, aiming to kill it before Lu Mingyuan could intervene. Chapter 487 - Chapter 487: Chapter 487: Silver Suit Chapter 487: Chapter 487: Silver Suit Flash Thunder Strike! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ Six flows of intermingling virtual and real lightning erupted from Song Jians long sword, striking the body of the Mysterious Metal Ant Beast. Subsequently, he activated his Rapid Sword skill, and his attack speed greatly increased; Though the ant beasts scales had high defences, under the effects of the Weakness Potion as well as Song Jians relentless rapid attacks, a long wound was finally torn open. The Mysterious Metal Ant Beast roared painfully, a blood arrow spraying from its vast body; The magic energy behind him intensified, leaving very little time for Song Jian. He directed all his skills toward the wound on the ant beast. The Mysterious Metal Ant Beast, originally struggling fiercely, gradually weakened. In the end, the Ant Beast Boss staggered and lifted its head, letting out an eerie howl. The flickering life light in its eyes gradually dimmed until it finally fell, heavily, to the ground; Just at that moment, a gigantic fireball, over three meters in diameter, was speeding toward the Ant Beast Boss. It smashed fiercely into the lifeless body of the beast, blowing its enormous corpse to smithereens; Too late! A smile emerged on the corner of Song Jians mouth; Lu Mingyuan swiftly rushed toward the remains of the Ant Beast Boss. If he could not claim the Experience Points, he would absolutely not give up the battle loot; This is the boss that sometimes drops loot that counters the Magic Ants Lu Mingyuan thought internally, his eyes full of anticipation. During the earlier hunting of the Magic Ants, the two had a good partnership and divided the spoils according to certain rules. However, in front of the loot dropped by the Mysterious Metal Ant Beast Boss, such an understanding did not exist anymore. But no matter how fast Lu Mingyuan ran, how could he be faster than Song Jian? As a melee combatant who had dealt the final blow, how could he possibly let Lu Mingyuan snatch away the bosss drop? Song Jian stretched out his hand and grabbed the three pieces of equipment. The Boss dropped a total of seven or eight items. Song Jian got the three most valuable ones, leaving the rest as inferior equipment or materials; This boss could be said to have been hunted by Song Jian alone, as Lu Mingyuan didnt offer much help. To leave him some leftovers, Song Jian was already quite gracious. Buzz~ A shimmer flashed, and the Ant King Slaves level was abruptly improved. It shot up from level 19 to level 25, even higher than Song Jians level; It was due to the existence of the Ant King Slave that had drawn the attention of the Mysterious Metal Ant Beast. During the battle, the Ant King Slave kept hiding far away and dared not participate at all, but after the beast was killed, since it was Song Jians slave, it gained a large amount of battle experience. Song Jian checked out the Ant King Slaves properties. The physical attributes of this Golden Ant King had improved tremendously. Its skill Spiked Aura was also upgraded to level 6. Spiked Aura, Level 6, within a 10-meter radius around the Golden Ant King larva, all teammates can get a defense increase by 80% and reflect 40% of the damage effect; The Ant King had been hiding too far away, so Song Jian could not benefit from the Spiked Aura. However, after upgrading to level 6, the range of Spiked Aura increased to 10 meters. If Song Jian encountered a similar ant beast in the future, the Ant King Slave could provide the effects of Spiked Aura even if it was hiding far away. Upon reaching level 25, the Ant King Slave had gained a new skill: Acid Spray; Acid Spray, level 1, sprays acid at enemies within a 10-meter radius, causing 500 points of acid damage, with an additional Acid Corrosion effect: targets defense decreases by 50%, and it loses 10 Vitality Points per second. This effect lasts 10 seconds; The level 25 Ant King Slave finally possessed a long-range attack skill. This attack skill was also quite powerful. Ordinary creatures rarely had acid resistance. Once hit, defenses would prove useless. All 500 points of acid damage would definitely be inflicted, and the subsequent acid corrosion effect would also bother the attacked creature. Continuous blood loss wasnt a big deal, but a 50% decrease in defense was absolutely distressing. Even defense warriors in full plate armor would feel withered when hit by the Acid Spray attack. After checking the attributes of the Ant King Slave, Song Jian turned his attention to the three pieces of equipment obtained earlier; The first one was a peculiar-looking weapon that looked like a long knife. However, the tip of the blade was jagged like a saw, and several fang-like spikes extended from the back of the blade, making it look very ferocious. Savage Blade (Silver), one-handed weapon, Item Level 25, Equip Effect: Attack 87-108, Strength +5, Agility +3, Weapon Life Steal +3, Special Effect 1: Unending Bleeding (Passive). When damaging the target, there is a certain probability that the target will continuously bleed for sixty seconds, losing a total of 300 Vitality Points; Special Effect 2: Savage (Active). Once activated, attack speed increases by 30% for 5 seconds, can only occur once every 5 minutes; Note: This item is one of the components of the Savage Set. After completing the Savage Set, special attributes will appear and be shown when equipped; Equipment Requirement: Strength 30, Constitution 25; Can this item be taken out of the game: No A silver quality set weapon? Song Jians eyes lit up. Originally he thought that he had just acquired a silver quality weapon, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a silver set weapon. This immediately increased the value of the Savage Blade substantially; If I can gather a full set of Savage Gear, the value of this weapon could rival that of gold quality ones! Song Jians face showed a pleasantly surprised expression. Keep in mind, once the Savage Set was completed, the set attributes of this weapon would make themselves known. The originally top-tier weapon, with the addition of set attributes, could absolutely rival gold quality gear; Aside from this weapon, Song Jian also received a scroll and a gem. He had originally thought that the silver set weapon was the most valuable item dropped by the boss, but unexpectedly, this scroll turned out to be worth far more than even the Savage Blade; Scroll C Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion Recipe: Using it, you will learn how to make an Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion. Usage Requirement: Alchemy Level 5; In the game Song Jian had not yet seen potions that recover Spirit Points. Most items that restored Spirit Points mostly came from cooking or supplies discovered by players. For this reason, consumables that restore Spirit Points were far more valuable than those that restore Vitality Points; Even those consumables that restored Spirit Points which couldnt be used in battle, once they appeared on the market, were fervently sought after by players. If Song Jian could indeed make an Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion, the players who wanted to buy it might well break down the doors of his shop; Chapter 488 - Chapter 488: Chapter 488: Saving People Chapter 488: Chapter 488: Saving People Song Jian glanced at the recipe for the Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion and chose to use it right away. His Alchemy skill met the requirement, so naturally, he was able to learn this formula easily. Checking the materials required to make the Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion, he found that a substantial number of them were items dropped by level 20 monsters or herbs from areas with level 20 monsters. This, for Song Jian, was quite easily accessible. With both the Advanced Vitality Recovery Potion and the Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion, Song Jians monster hunting and leveling up had become safer and more enduring. Indirectly, it also augmented his power. Lu Mingyuan picked up the remaining items, checked their attributes, and his face darkened slightly. After giving Song Jian a cynical huff, he drew out his dissecting knife and started to slice up the shattered corpse of the Ant. Having seen Lu Mingyuans reaction, Song Jian gave a slight smile and began to examine the last orb. Ant Soul Orb (Silver), Accessory, item level 30, equipped effect: +5 Agility, +15% damage, special effect: each time a Demonic Ant is killed, you gain its soul. Once a sufficient number of souls are accumulated, it can produce a daunting effect on Demonic Ants. The more Demonic Ant souls, the more significant the daunting effect. The highest daunting effect can reduce the Demonic Ants defense by 50%, deduct 30% damage, and slow down the targets attack speed by 30%. Number of souls: 0/1000; Requirement: Level 20; Can be taken out of the game: No. Song Jians eyes sparkled, he looked at Lu Mingyuan, he himself hadnt expected that this Xuanjin Ant would indeed drop an item that could counter Demonic Ants. Although this accessory was of the silver quality, it was extremely target-specific. It was perfect for dealing with Demonic Ants. However, besides Demonic Ants, the special effect of this accessory would lose its power, leaving only the basic attributes. Song Jian seemed hesitant for a moment, but he put away his postmans bag. The postmans bag was a twelve-slot bag that took up one accessory slot. After being removed, the items inside could still be taken out, but nothing could be put back in. Song Jian put twelve temporarily unnecessary items into his postmans bag and then unloaded the bag from his equipment slot, putting it into his inventory slot. After equipping the Ant Soul Orb, Song Jian would need to kill 1000 Demonic Ants to bring out the real power of this silver accessory. Having gone over the spoils of battle, Song Jian saw Lu Mingyuan stand up, having finished dissecting the Ants corpse. Judging by his appearance, it seemed that Lu Mingyuan had managed to extract quite a few useful things from the Ants carcass, and his resentment noticeably dissipated. The presence of the Ant caused all the Demonic Ants within a kilometer radius to vanish. The two decided to rest there for the night. Regarding the item to counter Demonic Ants, Lu Mingyuan did not inquire whether Song Jian had obtained it. His face looked very calm, and Song Jian had no way of guessing what he was thinking. The following day, the two of them got up early and continued towards the Demonic Ant Nest. Now with the enslaved Ant King, their speed at killing Demonic Ants had become much more efficient. In less than half a day, Song Jians task of killing 500 worker ants was finished, and they had even slain over a dozen soldier ants. Nonetheless, with the increase in the number of Demonic Ants killed, the number of ant souls captured by Song Jians Ant Soul Orb also grew. He had now stored the souls of over two hundred Demonic Ants. Song Jian realized that, once the Ant Soul Orb had acquired the souls of one hundred Demonic Ants, it would exhibit its special effect. The effect of one hundred souls was a reduction of 5% defense, 3% damage, and 3% attack speed of the Demonic Ants; The effect of having two hundred souls was a reduction of 10% defense, 6% damage, and 6% attack speed of the Demonic Ants; Killing off the level 30 monsters gave Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan a huge amount of experience points. Song Jian had already leveled up to 23.70%, and it was estimated that he would level up again after killing several dozen more Demonic Ants. Lu Mingyuan, an hour ago, had already shown a promotion glow. The Ant King slave had leveled up to level 25, giving off a fierce aura. The shell of its body had become similar to spiked armor, with sharp spikes covering its whole body. Its two blood-red eyes radiated an endless brutal temperament. As soon as a Demonic Ant appeared, the Ant King slave would be the first to pounce. Not a single Demonic Ant it killed had a complete body as all were bitten into multiple pieces. The ferocity in its fighting chilled even Song Jians heart. Each time it killed a Demonic Ant, the Ant King slave would look back at Song Jian. Underneath its calm exterior, it seemed to be hiding a turbulent undercurrent. This pet of yours wont turn against you, will it? Lu Mingyuan looked at the frenzied Ant King slave in battle. When the fight ended and the Ant King slave quietly walked next to Song Jian, Lu Mingyuan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldnt help asking. Song Jian was also a bit worried as the downside of Abyss Temptation was that the chances of turning the charmed creatures into traitors were incredibly high. However, now was not the time to tell Lu Mingyuan the truth, so he just silently glanced at him without saying a word. Just then, Lu Mingyuans actions came to a sudden halt, pointing down the road he said, There seem to be other players fighting up ahead! Song Jian looked up, and sure enough, before long, a figure was seen running desperately on the road. The person turned out to be Lv Pei, who had previously used a Teleportation Scroll to escape back to Doomsday City through the Protection Black Mist. For some reason, he had reappeared here and was now being chased by a large group of Demonic worker ants, with five to six Demonic soldier ants constantly spitting acid balls at him from the air; Without hesitating, Song Jian exclaimed, Save him! As they proceeded, the number of Demonic Ants became increasingly larger, and the two were starting to feel overwhelmed. To hunt down the Demonic Ant King, they would have to penetrate into the heart of the Demonic Ant Nest. Given their strength, approaching, let alone entering deep into the nest, would probably be extremely difficult. Now, one additional person meant one extra strength in the group. At crucial times, even if there was just one more pawn, it would still give them a higher chance of escape. Even if Lv Pei died here, it would not benefit Song Jian or Lu Mingyuan in any way. And now, saving him wouldnt require a lot of effort either. Song Jian glanced at Lu Mingyuan. If it came down to the range of attack, Song Jian was no match for Lu Mingyuan. At this point, Lu Mingyuan had already started calculating Lv Peis running speed and timing his attack. Lv Pei felt overwhelming regret. He hadnt expected that after leaving Doomsday City again, he would be teleported straight near the Demonic Ant Nest. As soon as he appeared, he was chased by a huge swarm of Demonic Ants. Just as Lv Pei felt his strength dwindling, he spotted two players standing on the road ahead. His face instantly lit up with joy as though hed survived a calamity. Without even taking a second to discern their faces, he shouted, Help me! towards Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Chapter 489 - Chapter 489: Chapter 489: Upgrading Chapter 489: Chapter 489: Upgrading Fiery Rain Skill Suddenly, Lu Mingyuan raised his Magic Staff, pointing in Lv Peis direction. Lv Pei instantly felt a surge of magic energy around him, causing his heart to sink. Above Lv Peis head, a large patch of crimson clouds formed. The heavy clouds began to churn, absorbing surrounding magical elements. Soon, droplets of rain began falling from the sky, enveloping the demonic ants behind Lv Pei; The wings of the airborne demonic soldier ants quickly burnt in the fiery rain, causing them to tumble down from the sky, and crash into the swarm of demonic worker ants below. Dozens of demonic ants, covered by the vast fiery rain, shrieked and roared crazily. Each raindrop only inflicted a low amount of damage, about five or six points, on the demonic ants, but within the area covered by the fiery rain, hundreds of raindrops fell every second. This damage spread densely over the heads of the ants, causing unease to anyone with acrophobia; Lv Pei rolled and crawled over, revealing a look of fear when seeing Song Jian. However, he soon calmed himself, deeply bowing to both of them, saying, Thank you for saving my life! Song Jian glanced at Lv Pei and thought he looked somewhat familiar. Furthermore, he noticed that despite the fleeting expression of fear on Lv Peis face when he first saw him, the look was captured by Song Jian. Could it be that he was part of the group that attacked me within the Protection Black Mist? A thought flashed across Song Jians mind, and his gaze became more playful as he looked at Lv Pei. No problem, were all players. We should naturally help each other Song Jian glanced at the charging demonic ants saying, Lets get rid of these demonic ants chasing you first, then we can talk later. The demonic ants who had experienced a round of Fiery Rain Skill were all wounded. They had lost more than a third of their Vitality Points. Moreover, most of the demonic ants were afflicted by the adverse Burning effect, their bodies turning crimson, and their surfaces ablaze with flames. The Burning effect would decrease 5 Vitality Points every three seconds. Every few steps, a burning injury floated above the head of these demonic ants; With a sharp roar, before Song Jian could charge up, the Ant King Slave led the flight with its wings open, pouncing on the swarm of demonic ants. A stream of acidic liquid was sprayed towards the demonic ants, soaking several soldier ants from top to bottom. Then, its massive mandible crushed the head of a demonic worker ant, while its forelimbs brutally tore the unfortunate demonic worker ants body; In no time, the Ant King Slave appeared like a tiger among sheep, wildly attacking the demonic ants. In a short while, the hatred that the demonic ants had for Lu Mingyuan was overtaken by the Ant King Slave; Seeing the falling Vitality Points of the Ant King Slave, Song Jian was startled and hurriedly leaped forward to assist. Lv Pei hesitated for a moment, before drawing out a mechanical crossbow to attack; Even though their level was much lower than the demonic ants, their momentum was like a rainbow. Further supplemented by Song Jians Ant Soul Orb, which reduced the demonic ants attributes, they immediately took the upper hand. The battle began a one-sided slaughter. After about fifteen minutes, the last demonic soldier ants head was crushed by the Ant King Slave. The ants headless body convulsed as it was ripped apart by the Ant King Slave, finally bringing the battle to an end; The souls of the demonic ants absorbed by Song Jians Ant Soul Orb reached three hundred, changing its special effect to reducing the defense of the demonic ants by 15%, inflicting 9% damage, and reducing the attack speed of the demonic ants by 9%. A ray of light flashed by, and Song Jians level increased to 24 with 2% experience. Looking at his skills, only the Sweeping Sword Style had reached a proficiency of 100%. So, Song Jian directly assigned the skill point to Sweeping Sword Style. Song Jian felt helpless regarding the upgrading of skills. Sometimes, two or three skills would reach 100% proficiency at the same time. On the other hand, sometimes he would have a skill point but no skills that met the upgrading conditions. As of now, Song Jian had adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards upgrading skills. Anything that had a skill point and whose proficiency was at 100% would be upgraded without a second thought. He was quite looking forward to what changes would occur when other skills reached 100% proficiency. Moreover, when the skills reached level 10, they could be evolved by melding with each other. Therefore, all skills were useful to him. Maybe merging two average skills could create a god-like skill. Seeing Song Jian advancing another level, envy appeared in Lu Mingyuans eyes as he nodded at Song Jian, saying, Congratulations! Congratulations, congratulations! Lv Pei also said, smiling broadly. Having had a personal experience of Song Jians capability, Lv Pei was amazed by his ability to react instantaneously and avoid all harm despite being ambushed by so many people. Lv Pei admitted to himself that even if he increased his level by ten, he probably wouldnt be able to react as quickly as Song Jian. Lv Pei had originally escaped, using his Town Return Scroll to return to his safe house. However, after returning to Doomsday City, the more Lv Pei thought about it, the more frustrated he became. This was an epic quest, but he had failed at the very first step. He didnt even manage to leave Doomsday City and even lost a Town Return Scroll in the process. After thinking for a day, Lv Pei couldnt accept his failure. So, he went to the Shadow Circus Troupe and found the old Beastman leader, who gave him one last chance, using the Transmission Array to teleport him out of the city. As a result, Lv Pei was successfully teleported out of Doomsday City. His destination turned out to be less than a kilometer away from the Demonic Ant Nest. Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan hadnt reached here yet so the area was teeming with demonic ants. The moment Lv Pei appeared, a large swarm of demonic ants chased after him. Fortunately, he encountered Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Otherwise, without a Town Return Scroll, Lv Pei would likely have perished here. Lv Pei was somewhat anxious, unsure if Song Jian recognized him. He spoke cautiously, not even explaining to the two why he had turned up here. What he didnt know was that his cautious demeanor only confirmed Song Jians suspicion that Lv Pei had been among the group that attacked him in the Protection Black Mist. Lets move ahead, were likely very close to the Demonic Ant Nest. Song Jian said; The appearance of the demonic soldier ants indicated they were near their nest, and their current location was also the place where Song Jian had been ambushed; To hunt the Demonic Ant King, they would have to delve deep into the nest. Previously, Song Jian was incredibly fortunate to encounter a Demonic Ant King that had left its nest to chase him. After picking up the spoils of their battle against the swarm of demonic ants and waiting for Lu Mingyuan to finish dissecting them one by one, the three of them set off towards the Demonic Ant Nest; Chapter 490 - Chapter 490: Chapter 490: Nest Chapter 490: Chapter 490: Nest The closer the three of them got to the Demonic Ant Nest, the more monsters they encountered. At first, only two or three would appear, but later on, groups of a dozen or more began to emerge. Oftentimes, before they could finish off one swarm of demonic ants, another swarm would discover them. Do you see it? The Demonic Ant Nest is right ahead Lv Pei pointed and exclaimed loudly. Suddenly, a sharp scream echoed through mid-air, and demonic ants surged towards them. With Song Jian and the enslaved Ant King as the spearhead, they stood their ground like a solid rock, unfazed by the waves crashing against them; Under the influence of the Ant Soul Orb, the attributes of the demonic ants attacking them were significantly weakened. The trio fought their way through, feeling invincible. The closer they got to the nest, the fewer worker ants appeared, and the number of soldier ants began to increase steadily. Finally, they were surrounded by winged demonic soldier ants. These demonic soldier ants were agile attackers, coming at them from front, back, left, and right, as well as from the air above. At a distance, it looked as if the three of them were buried by demonic soldier ants. At this point, all three of them were fighting back-to-back against the attacking demonic soldier ants, their roles no longer distinct as close-range or long-range fighters. We cant go on like this. I wont last much longer Lu Mingyuan furrowed his brow and shouted loudly. Lv Pei was even more beleaguered. Two cuts on his face were bleeding profusely. Song Jian had not added him to the team lineup, so Lv Pei had not enjoyed the attribute buffs, and the demonic soldier ants killed by Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan were not credited to him. Only the monsters he killed himself counted towards his quest target; By now, they had been trapped for more than ten minutes, with demonic soldier ants continuously pouring out of the nest in front of them, surrounding them. Song Jians heart sunk as the numbers of demonic soldier ants grew increasingly dense around them, with the air above them turning dark as well. If they didnt change their strategy soon, they could very well die here. The nest is less than 500 meters ahead. Shall we charge into it or retreat? Make a decision quickly! Lu Mingyuan yelled anxiously. The current situation left them with two choices: either retreat and abandon their mission or charge into the Demonic Ant Nest and hope to use the terrain to their advantage against the soldier ants. After hesitating for a mere two seconds, Song Jian shouted decisively, Charge forward! Well enter the nest! By now, Song Jian had killed over a hundred demonic soldier ants as part of his quest objective. Based on their current attacking power, they would be able to complete the soldier ant quest in at most another hour. Moreover, the Ant Soul Orb was already close to having 500 souls. The more they killed, the more powerful the Ant Soul Orb became. Even with demonic worker ants blocking their way, it would be more challenging to retreat than to charge into the nest, especially with the Demonic Ant Nest so close at hand and their entire retreat path swarming with demonic ants; Ill clear the way! Lu Mingyuan shouted, swapping positions with Song Jian. Holding the Magic Staff firmly in both hands, he waved it horizontally and chanted an incantation loudly. Scorching Disintegration Ray! Boom! A dazzling crimson pillar of light burst forth from Lu Mingyuans Magic Staff, like a laser beam, piercing through the bodies of dozens of demonic soldier ants in front of them. One after another, damage values appeared above the heads of the affected demonic soldier ants, their Vitality Points visibly draining away rapidly, their bodies starting to disintegrate under the impact of the light beam. Having killed the demonic soldier ants blocking the way, Lu Mingyuan began to slowly rotate his body, sweeping the Scorching Disintegration Ray around him, taking out the surrounding demonic soldier ants. This move was the perfect counter to the tightly packed formation. The area around the trio was completely filled with monsters, and this single attack displayed its full power instantly. This skill is quite similar to the Eye-kill technique, but it is several times stronger! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. The red disintegration ray stretched for more than ten meters, quickly eliminating the Demonic Soldier Ants within its range. In one strike, at least twenty to thirty Demonic Soldier Ants were killed, clearing a path more than two meters wide. Go quickly! Lu Mingyuan shouted with a fatigued expression. The greater the power of the skill, the more it consumed. The Scorching Disintegration Ray could continuously attack as long as Lu Mingyuan provided it with enough mana. However, Lu Mingyuan didnt dare to use up all of his mana now. After clearing a path, he stopped using the skill, saving at least half of his mana. The trio rushed up a mound of dirt, and before them was a huge hole more than ten meters wide. The Demonic Soldier Ants continuously flew out from the hole. This is the entrance to the Demonic Ant Nest, lets jump down from here! Lv Pei shouted excitedly. The mission interface clearly marked the location of the Demonic Ant Nest. Lv Pei was almost scared to death when he first teleported out. Lu Mingyuan took the lead and jumped into the hole. Mid-air, his body seemed as light as a feather, falling slowly. Lv Pei smiled at Song Jian and took out a pale-green potion from his bag. After drinking it, he closed his eyes and jumped into the hole as well. Song Jian recognized the potion; it was called the Light Body Potion, which could reduce body weight by 60% and decrease fall damage by 80%. After drinking the potion, even a fall from a hundred meters would only result in a numb feeling in the legs, without causing any harm. With a thought, Song Jian sprouted a pair of metallic wings from his back. He leaped into the air, folded his steel wings, and dashed towards the bottom of the nest like an arrow. Above, the Demonic Soldier Ants swarmed like a tornado towards the nest. The slower they descended, the more attacks they would suffer mid-air. During the fall, Song Jian didnt receive any attacks from the Demonic Soldier Ants. His speed was too fast, and many Demonic Soldier Ants didnt even have the chance to react before he passed them by. As he approached the bottom of the cave, Song Jians wings suddenly spread open. Flapping them powerfully, he executed a sideways roll in the air, completing five or six rolls before landing firmly on the cavern floor. Upon landing, Song Jian smelled a foul odor, similar to the stench of something rotting. His vertical eye in the middle of his brow opened, and he saw that the bottom of the cave was filled with countless bones of various creatures. It resembled a bloodbath slaughterhouse, sending shivers down peoples spines. Right then, Lu Mingyuan suddenly fell with a loud thud, looking somewhat disheveled. His hair was messy, and his dark gray cloak seemed to have been slashed apart, reduced to pieces of rag hanging off his back. I havent seen him wear this cloak before. It seems to be one of his trump cards, Song Jian thought after a glance, But its obvious that, whether its completely damaged or not, its no longer usable. Just as Song Jian was about to speak, a terrible scream came from above, and a few drops of liquid fell onto his shoulder. When he touched it, his fingers felt slippery. Blood? Song Jian looked up, his brows furrowed. Chapter 491 - Chapter 491: Chapter 491: Disperse Chapter 491: Chapter 491: Disperse In midair, Lv Pei was surrounded and furiously bitten by a group of demonized soldier ants, looking as if he were being torn apart, his body covered in wounds. As someone chosen by the Shadow Circus Troupe leader to take on an epic quest, Lv Peis strength should not be underestimated. However, when compared to Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan, the gap was apparent. Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan dared to jump down because they had their own trump cards to ensure their safe landing at the bottom of the cave. However, Lv Pei thought that a bottle of Light Body Potion would suffice for him to safely reach the bottom, clearly underestimating the demonized soldier ants swarming behind him. Plop! A severed arm fell from the sky, and Lv Pei let out a piercing scream. It seems he is done for Lu Mingyuan looked up at Lv Pei, who was increasingly enveloped by demonized soldier ants, and said emotionlessly. Weakness is a sin. In this insane game, bystanders might watch with indifference as you are killed by monsters, then loot the boxes left behind after your death. Song Jian understood Lu Mingyuans question C should they save him? Upon landing at the bottom of the cave, Song Jian had already observed the surroundings. The entire cave was surrounded by deep tunnels, each over three meters in diameter. The demonized ants entered and left through these tunnels, leaving and returning to the lair. Save him, having an extra scout is better than none, Song Jian shrugged nonchalantly. Lu Mingyuan nodded, waving his magic staff and releasing a string of fireballs towards the demonized soldier ants in midair. Boom, boom, boom~ As the fireballs exploded in the sky, they instantly attracted the hatred of the demonized soldier ants. Lv Pei, covered in blood and wounds with one arm severed, fell to the ground like a corpse. With only a fifth of his Vitality Points left, Lv Pei crashed onto a rock at the caves bottom, and after spitting out another mouthful of blood, passed out. If not for the faint movement in his chest, Song Jian would have thought he had died from the fall in an instant. With the Ant Soul Orb in hand, Song Jian was much more at ease when facing the onslaught of demonized soldier ants. Swinging his sword in hand, it left dark red streaks in midair. The Ant King Slave roared, and the demonized soldier ants seemed to fear it and didnt dare to attack it proactively. The Ant King Slave, however, ferociously attacked the demonized soldier ants as if they were hell-bent on mutual destruction. Leaning against the cave wall, a transparent light barrier appeared around Lu Mingyuan as he continuously used instant-cast magic to attack the demonized soldier ants approaching him. As the number of demonized soldier ants increased, Lu Mingyuan furrowed his brows, coldly saying, If we dont leave now, we may not have a chance to leave later. The bottom of the cave was not very spacious, and in a short while, Song Jian was surrounded by a dense mass of demonized soldier ants, with no room to even stretch his foot. Glancing at Lv Pei, who still lay beneath the rock, Song Jian noticed that his wounds were healing at a visible rate, and his Vitality Points, which were originally down to one-fifth, had already recovered to nearly half. Stop pretending to be dead and get into the nearest tunnel, Song Jian ordered coldly, not even looking at the other two as he commanded the Ant King Slave to open the path and headed toward the nearest tunnel. Lu Mingyuans eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Song Jian, seeming to want to say something. In the end, he only shook his head, glanced at Lv Pei lying on the ground, snorted coldly, and threw a firewall into a tunnel on the side. A path instantly opened up, and he disappeared into the tunnel. As the two vanished into the tunnel, a chill ran down Lv Peis spine. He quickly scrambled to his feet and hurriedly followed Lu Mingyuan before the demonized soldier ants could encircle him. While battling the monsters, Song Jian had deliberately kept some distance from Lu Mingyuan and Lv Pei, and thus, they didnt enter the same tunnel. He had teamed up with Lu Mingyuan previously to complete the task, as their efficiency in defeating monsters as a team would be much higher. But now, Song Jians task was more than half completed. The number of demonized worker ants met the requirements, and he was less than a hundred demonized soldier ants away from his goal, with only two more demonized Ant Kings needed. Moreover, with the Ant Soul Orb, Song Jian no longer cared about having teammates to help. All along the way, Song Jian felt that Lu Mingyuan seemed to harbor ill intentions towards him. If Lu Mingyuan had wanted to use Song Jians assistance to hunt the demonized Ant Kings earlier, now, Song Jians value might be much higher than the demonized Ant Kings in his eyes. Taking advantage of their entry into the demonized ant lair, Song Jian deliberately separated himself from the duo and entered a tunnel alone. This tunnel was spacious enough for two demonized soldier ants to walk side by side. The walls were made of hard rock, with corrosive acid traces visible on them. Darkness enveloped the tunnel. With his vertical eye, Song Jian quickly dashed forward, soon leaving the cacophony of demonized soldier ants behind. Song Jian glanced at the Ant Soul Orb, which had collected the souls of over four hundred demonized ants, nearly approaching five hundred. Within the tunnel, the rustling sounds of something swiftly crawling could be heard from time to time. In no time, Song Jian saw a demonized soldier ant in front of the tunnel. Before he could act, the Ant King Slave growled, spread its wings, and pounced at the demonized soldier ant. Before the demonized soldier ant could react, it was overturned by the Ant King Slave. The serrated mandibles easily tore through the demonized ants carapace, violently ripping apart the purple-red muscles within. Watching the howling demonized soldier ant, Song Jian pointed his left finger, and a golden Sword Qi blossomed from it, piercing the demonized ants skull and vanquishing its last trace of Vitality. The Ant King Slaves mandibles and fangs were covered in purplish-black blood. Seeing Song Jian kill the demonized soldier ant, it seemed to ignite its ferocity as it turned its head, opened its mouth wide, and let out a threatening growl at Song Jian. Startled, Song Jians face darkened. Perhaps to other players, an Ant King pet would be precious and needed to be carefully looked after, but Song Jian did not care. Even killing the Ant King would not make him hesitate. With a thought, a black rune formed on the Ant King Slaves forehead, radiating dazzling light. A wave of black aura spread through the dungeon, like blades surging towards the Ant King Slaves joints. Soon, the Ant King Slave lost all strength and slumped to the ground. Whip-like black auras formed small knives inside its body, relentlessly slicing it and causing it great pain. Chapter 492 - Chapter 492: Chapter 492: Ant Eggs Chapter 492: Chapter 492: Ant Eggs The Ant King slave writhed, convulsing all over its body, its mournful howls weak and feeble. Purple-black liquid seeped from its bloodshot eyes. In a short time, the Ant King slave collapsed like a corpse, its six legs twitching sporadically. Remember your status! Song Jian said coldly to the Ant King slave with the language of the Abyss. The Ant King slaves level now surpassed Song Jians, making the probability of a rebellion even higher. However, the superiority of Song Jians strength ensured that even without a slave mark, he could easily kill it. Feeling Song Jians chilling aura, the Ant King slave finally snapped out of its bloody frenzy. Staggering to its feet, it hung its head and let out a series of appeasing hisses after Song Jian paused his punishment. Continue forward, kill all mutant ants! Song Jian commanded. The Ant King slave obediently let out a low hiss and led the way down the corridor. The nest harbored even more mutant worker ants, and the connected tunnels spanned over a hundred kilometers in total. However, within the tunnels, the mutant ants were unable to surround Song Jian as before. Now, he only had to face two at a time, greatly reducing the pressure. Any mutant ants appearing within the tunnel could only hope to escape. As Song Jian advanced, the bodies of many dismantled mutant ants were left in his wake. The number of souls collected by the Ant Soul Orb had surpassed six hundred. Song Jian had already slain enough mutant ants, and the only objective remaining for the epic quest was two mutated Ant Kings. Song Jian knew that mutated Ant Kings only resided at the deepest parts of nests. Therefore, no matter how diverged the tunnels were, he persistently chose to delve deeper. Soon, at a crossroad, Song Jian wanted to go straight ahead, but the Ant King slave stood at another entrance, emitting a low hiss at him. What, you choose this path? Song Jian asked. The Ant King slave gave a slight nod, glancing back at its path before returning its gaze to Song Jian. Fine, Ill trust you this time! Song Jian laughed. The Ant King slave had never behaved like this before. Clearly, the tunnel it had chosen contained something of interest. They continued along the path chosen by the Ant King slave. Before long, a large swarm of mutant ants rushed out, swelling like a long black snake attacking Song Jian. Upon seeing so many mutant ants, Song Jian was unperturbed and even a little joyous: Looks like theres something valuable ahead, otherwise there wouldnt be so many soldier ants guarding it The Ant King slave charged ahead, Song Jian at its side. From the Ant Soul Orb he wore emanated a faint gray aura which rendered the mutant ants charging towards him sluggish, as though bewitched, and their sturdy shells became brittle. With one swipe of his sword, blood geysered from the cracks in their shells. The intelligence of the mutant ants seemed low. No matter how many they were, they only charged forward one by one. The remaining ants could only emit anxious hisses and spin around in place, not even capable of spraying acid. Only after their vanguard was eliminated, the following ants would charge to fill the gap. The majority of the mutant ants attacks were absorbed by the Ant King slave. Thanks to the weakening effect of the Ant Soul Orb, the damage caused to the Ant King slave was minimal, but it cut down the ants as easily as slicing through butter. The number of soldier ant souls captured by the Ant Soul Orb kept increasing six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred With every step Song Jian took forward, there were two or three corpses of mutant ants under his feet. If this place were open, there would already be a mountain of these corpses. If it were a situation like the previous cavern floor, he would have been engulfed by the swarm. It was thanks to the narrow pathway that Song Jian could kill so many. His movements became numb, and he swung his longsword mechanically, mindlessly reaping one mutant ant body after another. As soon as his skill cooldowns were up, he would throw them towards the mutant ants in front of him without even looking. Like most players, Song Jian once fantasized about such a situation, where monsters would line up for him to kill. However, after experiencing it in reality, Song Jian felt somewhat overwhelmed. This kind of hunting was indeed convenient, and the battle experience accumulated fast, but seeing the endless line of mutant ants was a deep blow to his mentality. Song Jian even doubted whether he would fully exterminate the mutant ants in front of him. It was like laboring on a factory assembly line. This grueling battle lasted over two hours. Song Jian had used up all the consumable items in his inventory, and the durability of his equipment had fallen to a third. When Song Jian killed the last mutant ant, he slumped to the ground, feeling like he could not get up again. If I hadnt leveled up halfway through, I probably wouldnt have made it. Song Jian looked at his 25th level status, a wry smile crossing his face. The Ant King slave had now reached level 28, and Song Jian had leveled up too. The level 30 monster had given him a plentiful bounty, but as Song Jians level went up, these rewards would decrease. Now, the most abundant item in Song Jians inventory was the blue-quality ant shell, a key material for producing Mutant Worker and Mutant Soldier Ant equipment sets. With the ant shells Song Jian had currently, he could produce dozens of sets. Unfortunately, he still had not obtained the set recipe. The information about the Mutant Worker Ant equipment set came from the Shadow Circus Troupe, perhaps the set recipe can be obtained from there. Song Jian thought to himself as he lay on the ground. After a short rest, Song Jian continued onward, reaching the end of the tunnel. A huge cavern opened at the end, filled with white ant eggs over a meter tall. From afar, there were at least thousands of densely packed ant eggs. Is this the incubation room for the mutant ants? Song Jian asked in surprise. The Ant King slave let out a joyous hiss and charged towards the cavern. It rushed to an ant egg, bit into the white shell fiercely, tearing it open to devour the immature young ant within. You lead me here just to pig out yourself? Song Jian gaped in astonishment at the Ant King slave greedily consuming the eggs. After a moment, the Ant King slave, which was enjoying a lavish feast, suddenly felt a chill go down its spine. Turning its head, it looked at Song Jian who had murder in his eyes. Squeak squeak squeak~ In a panic, the Ant King slave quickly rolled an ant egg to Song Jians foot, pointing to it and chirping as if offering a treasure. Chapter 493 - Chapter 493: Chapter 493: The Ant Kings Guard Chapter 493: Chapter 493: The Ant Kings Guard Song Jian snorted coldly, placing his hand on the ant egg to examine its attributes. A look of surprise quickly washed over his face. Ant Egg (White), Rare item, Usage effect: Can enhance ones own attributes after use, with strength+1 and defense+3%; this effect is only valid for the first three uses. What a great item! Song Jians face lit up with joy. Nowadays, it was getting increasingly difficult to improve his personal attributes. When he first started playing the game, he frequently ran into miraculous items like the Attribute Fruits, but once he crossed level 20, such items had become scarce. He hadnt come across any since level 20. Although equipment could increase his attributes considerably, most couldnt be taken out of the game, except for the players inherent attribute skills. With his current strength, Song Jian could be considered superhuman in the real world. In a serious fight, even if hundreds were to attack him without using any firearms, he wouldnt fear. But Song Jians goal now was to compete against firearms, so, of course, the more items he had to increase his attributes, the better. What a pity, only the first three are effective. Looking at the nest filled with ant eggs, Song Jians eyes revealed disappointment. Use! Song Jian placed his hands on the ant egg, whispering in his mind. Suddenly, the white egg, nearly the height of Song Jians chest, began to dissolve slowly, turning into a warm current flowing into his chest. In no time, Song Jian felt a warm sensation throughout his body. Exhausted from the previous battle, Song Jian felt like all his cells were rejoicing and cheering, bursting with excitement. This feeling, its truly addictive! Song Jian sighed as the warm current gradually dissipated. Using one ant egg, Song Jian moved to the next one. After using three of them in succession, he reluctantly looked away. When Song Jian found out that the ant eggs were valuable, he tried to store them in his inventory but was rejected by the system C it clearly said that the item could not be stored in the inventory. Otherwise, Song Jian would have cleaned out his inventory to store all these ant eggs. Even if he failed this epic task, it would be worth it if he could bring all these eggs back, but unfortunately It seemed that the usage limit of the ant eggs did not apply to the Ant Kings slaves. Seeing Song Jians happiness, the Ant Kings slave breathed a sigh of relief and started to tear and devour the eggs. By the time Song Jian absorbed three ant eggs, the Ant Kings slave had already consumed over ten eggs. The size of the eggs it consumed was many times larger than its own body, but it showed no signs of stopping as it continued to eat. Bzzz~ A white light erupted from the Ant Kings slave, and its level rose by one, reaching level 29. Song Jian was startled; he hadnt expected that these ant eggs could increase the Ant Kings level. What surprised him more was that every time an egg was destroyed, the number of souls that the Ant Soul Orb could contain also increased. In other words, destroying an ant egg was equivalent to killing a mutated ant. This place is simply a paradise for farming Ant Soul Orbs! Song Jian burst out laughing, swinging his sword and releasing a destructive Sword Qi. A dozen ant eggs were split in two, spewing out a milky white liquid that looked like milk. The Ant Kings slave gave Song Jian a pitiful look, speeding up its consumption of the ant eggs. The Ant Soul Orb had already absorbed nearly a thousand souls after the previous battle. After Song Jian continuously chopped dozens of ant eggs, the number of souls absorbed by the Ant Soul Orb reached the maximum capacity of one thousand. In an instant, the Ant Soul Orb emitted a strong grey aura. The aura ascended to the top of Song Jians head, taking the form of a phantom of a mysterious golden anteater beast. It roared silently towards the sky, its posture arrogant and savage. The Ant King slave appeared to be frightened and immediately jumped out, looking at Song Jian with a terrified gaze. At this moment, a terrifying aura suddenly appeared in the hatchery. At the depths of the cave ahead, hundreds of ant eggs burst open simultaneously. A creamy liquid flowed out, filling the entire hatchery with a sweet fragrant smell. On the ground where the ant eggs exploded, the earth slowly heaved upward and a giant Ant King soon burrowed up from the ground. Its pair of crimson eyes fixated on the phantom of the mysterious golden anteater beast above Song Jians head. It stretched its neck and let out a shrill howl. Clap, clap, clap~ All the ant eggs in the hatchery burst open at once. This gigantic mutated Ant King, looking at the creamy liquid flowing on the ground, revealed a hint of pain in its eyes. Theres actually an Ant King guarding here? Song Jian exclaimed with wide eyes, hardly believing his discovery. Roar~ The Ant King slave let out a hiss and, without any command from Song Jian, charged directly at the mutated Ant King ahead. The Mutated Ant King, looking at the spiky Ant King slave, showed a hint of hesitation in its eyes. But soon, it seemed to understand something and became furious. Even its dark carapace was exuding a red glow of extreme heat. The two Ant Kings collided fiercely. The Ant King slave was obviously no match for the mutated Ant King and was thrown backward. Before it could get up, the mutated Ant King had already lunged towards it, its giant mandible aimed at the slaves skull. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped air mass whistled towards the mutated Ant King and exploded violently at its side. The powerful shockwave caused the mutated Ant King to sway for a moment, its massive body wavering. Seizing this opportunity, the Ant King slave got up and, swinging its huge mandibles, let out a howl at the mutated Ant King. Seeing the Ant King slaves bravado, the mutated Ant King became even more furious, completely ignoring Song Jian and rushing towards the Ant King slave like a bolt of lightning. It seemed determined to kill the Ant King slave, even at the cost of its own injury. Song Jian wouldnt let it succeed. He swung his sword at the mutated Ant King, letting loose a series of sword techniques that caused massive damage to the mutated Ant King. As soon as Song Jian got close, the mutated Ant King instantly felt a strange power entangling it. Its body became weak and its movements restrained, as if tethered by something. Even its attacks became sluggish. Seeing the state of the mutated Ant King, Song Jian was instantly delighted. The effect of the Ant Soul Orb on the mutated Ant King was successful; it had reduced its defense by 50% and weakened its damage and attack speed by 30%. Even if the mutated Ant King possessed first-tier combat power, it could only end up crippled now. The Ant King slave seemed to sense the weakened state of the mutated Ant King and immediately pushed off its hind legs, charging towards it. The spikes on its carapace pierced through the tough exterior of the mutated Ant King effortlessly, like a hot knife through butter. The intense pain caused the mutated Ant King to let out a painful roar towards the sky. Chapter 494 - Chapter 494: Chapter 494: Silver Suit Chapter 494: Chapter 494: Silver Suit The recently emerged demonized Ant King, for some unknown reason, harbored great hatred towards the slave Ant King, and its attention was completely focused on the slave. No matter how much Song Jian attacked, its target was always the spiky slave Ant King. Thanks to the existence of the Ant Soul Orb, the difficulty for Song Jian and the slave Ant King to besiege this Ant King Guard was much simpler than hunting the previous demonized Ant King. Half an hour later, the Ant King Guard was finally killed when the slave Ant King had less than a fifth of its Vitality Points left and had lost one of its front claws. After killing the Ant King Guard, the slave Ant King immediately rushed up, tore open the thick armor, and devoured the purple-red flesh within. After devouring this Ant King Guard, the broken front claw actually grew back slowly. Although the shell of this front claw still looked somewhat tender, it would be exactly the same as before as time passed. Regeneration of severed limbs? Interesting Song Jian watched the fierce slave Ant King thoughtfully while stroking his chin. If this slave Ant King could really devour the flesh of other creatures to replenish energy and regenerate severed limbs, then the idea of using it as a disposable consumable would have to change. Because slaves who have undergone Abyss Temptation cannot be revived once they die, they were considered cannon fodder in Song Jians mind. Even if they were severely injured, Song Jian would consider abandoning them. However, if this slave Ant King could regenerate even severed limbs by devouring flesh, there would be no problem with ordinary injuries. At that point, there would be no risk of being fatally injured. As long as it didnt die instantly, even if it had only a breath left, the slave Ant King could recover its combat power by devouring flesh. Well done! Song Jian patted the slave Ant Kings head with a smile on his face. The Ant King Guard dropped a blueprint, Demonic Ant Queens Skull (Helmet) Forging Blueprint, and a large pile of ant shell materials, among which three pieces were of silver-quality. Song Jians inventory was now almost full of blue-quality demonized ant shells, but this was the first time he encountered silver-quality ant shell materials. Seeing the silver-quality demonized ant shell and the forging blueprint, Song Jian had a bad feeling in his heart. Picking up the blueprint, sure enough, the Demonic Ant Queens Skull blueprint was indeed part of the Demonic Ant Queen Set; and crafting this helmet required silver-quality demonized ant shells. Lucky me, I thought I could only get a set of demonized worker ant or soldier ant armor. I didnt expect it to drop the Ant Queen set directly Song Jian glanced at the blueprint and thought, Its just that the materials are hard to come by; I guess they can only be obtained from the demonized Ant King. To craft the Demonic Ant Queens Skull (Helmet), twelve silver-quality demonized ant shells were needed, meaning Song Jian still needed to find nine more. Moreover, the attributes of a single Demonic Ant Queens Skull (Helmet) were already of silver quality. If an entire Ant Queen set could be assembled, the overall equipment could be comparable to that of gold quality. Unfortunately, the forging blueprint required Forge Art Level 8 to be used. Song Jian had recruited several intermediate Forging Masters at the City of Hymns Starfire Shop. He just needed to find a suitable Forging Master, sign a contract, and give them the blueprint for them to forge it for him. It would be great if I could collect a complete set of Demonic Ant Queen blueprints. Song Jian couldnt help but think. Blueprints like these were known only to be dropped by the demonized Ant Kings; other soldier ants and worker ants could not drop them. Moreover, not every demonized Ant King would drop them. The first one Song Jian hunted did not drop the corresponding blueprint. To gather a full set, it was estimated that he had to hunt dozens or even hundreds of Ant Kings. With Song Jians current strength, having the aid of the slave Ant King and the Ant Soul Orb, he could deal with a single demonized Ant King, but if the number exceeded two, he would most likely run away. Also, with the overwhelming tide of demonized worker ants and soldier ants, hunting enough Ant Kings was virtually impossible. I dont even know if there are twenty Ant Kings in this ant nest Song Jian said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. After the Ant King Guard was killed, the slave Ant King seemed to sink into exhaustion, its body swaying and trembling slightly before slowly lying down and remaining motionless. Song Jian frowned slightly, with only one more demonized Ant King left before the task could be completed. Once it was found and killed, he could return to Doomsday City and obtain an epic-quality item. If he lost the help of the slave Ant King at this point, the difficulty of the task would increase drastically. Could it be because the battle just now was too intense, and its consumption was too great? Song Jian guessed in his heart and couldnt help but reach out to shake it a few times. But just as he touched the slave Ant King, he suddenly received a system prompt; System: Your slave Golden Ant King is currently in the process of evolution. Disturbing it will cause irreversible effects. Do you wish to continue? Song Jian was startled and instinctively pulled his hand back. Evolution? At this point, Song Jian suddenly remembered the slave Ant King devouring many ant eggs earlier, Maybe its because it devoured so many ant eggs? If he were to disturb its evolution at this moment, there was a high chance that it would anger the slave Ant King. Song Jian hesitated for a long time before shaking his head and walking towards the tunnel entrance. Because of the slave contract, once the slave Ant Kings evolution was complete, it would instinctively seek and return to its master, Song Jian. Thus, he was not worried about the slave Ant King getting lost. However, there were too many demonized soldier ants in the Demonic Ant Nest at this point, and without the help of the slave Ant King, things would become troublesome. The system did not provide a duration for the evolution. It seems that I wont be able to rely on it for now! Song Jian thought to himself. Song Jians figure vanished into the egg-chamber. The entire floor of the egg-chamber was covered in a thick layer of milky-white liquid. The slave Ant King suddenly opened its eyes, and a dazzling golden light bloomed in its blood-red eyes. It stared fixedly in the direction Song Jian had left, motionless for a long time before slowly closing its eyes again. At this moment, a strong suction force emerged from within the slave Ant Kings body. The surrounding milky-white liquid began to ripple slightly, and then all rushed towards the Ant King, forming a giant white ant cocoon over three meters tall in a short time. Chapter 495 - Chapter 495: Chapter 495: Black Lake Chapter 495: Chapter 495: Black Lake Song Jian returned to the previous fork and chose another passage to continue forward. Demonic Soldier Ants swarmed towards him; each time Song Jian advanced one meter, he had to kill several, even a dozen of them. Without the Ant Soul Orb, regardless of Song Jians strength, he could only seek to retreat under the tide-like attack of Demonized Soldier Ants, and it would be impossible to continue deeper. The Demonic Ant Nest was dark and gloomy, and Song Jian didnt know how long he had been killing. Unconsciously, the number of Demonized Soldier Ants blocking his way had become fewer, while more and more bodies of the slain ants were left behind. If it wasnt for their self-immolation after a while, the entire passage would be full of Demonized Soldier Ant corpses. After an unknown period, Song Jian suddenly found himself in a bright open space, and a vast black lake appeared before him. Above the lake, a five or six-meter-long spatial rift stood in mid-air. Endless black breath came out from the rift, which both consolidated the rift and continuously merged into the lake below. The black lake covered a large area, and Song Jian couldnt see its end. As the black breath infused the lake, its surface continuously churned and occasionally bubbles emerged, like boiling water. In the black lake, there was a small island where nothing grew, only a huge, golden ant lay, bound tightly by black chains. Some chains had even embedded themselves into the hard shell of the golden ant. Song Jian saw that numerous golden ant eggs radiated around the golden ant, forming an incubation chamber similar to the previous one. The only difference here was that the ant eggs were much larger, while their quantity was several times less. Just then, a huge golden ant egg suddenly burst open, and a wet ant squeezed out. As soon as it appeared, it flapped its wings and gave a roar towards the big ant bound by black chains. This is an Ant King? Song Jian stared in amazement at the newly hatched golden ant, not expecting that all the golden ant eggs would hatch into Golden Ant Kings. Buzz~ With a soft vibration, the newborn Ant King rushed towards the ant bound by the black chains, and the moment it approached, it flapped its mandibles savagely biting the chains. Puff, puff, puff~ Acid continuously sprayed from the Ant Kings mouth. Upon contact with the chains, it caused a violent reaction, and the sound of corrosion was endless. However, as soon as the black chains were damaged, the spatial rift above released a vast amount of black breath, which continuously attached to the chains, repairing them. The huge ant bound by the black chains didnt move at all, as if dead, allowing the Golden Ant King to struggle against the chains using its acid. But it didnt take long for the surrounding black breath to surge towards the Golden Ant King. Numerous strands of black breath transformed into ropes and bound the Golden Ant King entirely before slowly dragging it into the black lake. Song Jian suddenly found this scene familiar, as if it resembled the Summoning of the Abyss he used previously to enslave the Golden Ant King. Abyssal Power, I didnt expect this place to be corrupted by the Abyssal Power too Song Jian was at a loss for words. Although he also borrowed the power of the Abyss, seeing this scene made him feel a sense of heaviness in his heart. Song Jian observed that golden ant eggs continuously hatched, and all the emerging ants were Golden Ant Kings. Their first action after hatching was to pounce on the huge golden ant bound by black chains, using acid, mandibles, fangs, claws, and any means necessary to try to free the giant golden ant. However, due to the existence of the spatial rift in the air, black Abyssal energy continuously surged out. If the black chains were damaged, it would quickly merge with them and fully repair the damage. Song Jian was convinced that the black chains on the giant golden ant were condensed by Abyssal energy, and were very much similar to the chains he summoned during the Abyss Temptation. The newly hatched Golden Ant Kings were soon bound by the ropes condensed from the Abyssal energy and dragged into the black lake, never to be seen again. Song Jian could sense that the giant golden ant on the island was resisting the Abyssal Power with all its strength. A thin golden light barrier enveloped its body, and it continued to resist the invasiveness of the black chains even though they had deeply buried into its shell. However, all it could do was resist with all its might. But due to the existence of the spatial rift in the air, the continuous flow of Abyssal energy meant that, if it didnt have any other means, it would eventually be corroded by the Abyssal energy and turn into an Abyssal creature. At that moment, Song Jian saw that the edge of the black lake began to churn vigorously, as if bubbling like lava. A pitch-black Ant King slowly emerged from the water. A Demonized Ant King, this is a Demonized Ant King? Song Jian stared at the Ant King that had just emerged from the lake, with a look of surprise on his face. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. Could it be that all the Demonized Ant Kings in this nest were produced like this? Were the Golden Ant Kings dragged into the lake, transformed into Demonized Ant Kings after being corroded? But this didnt add up! The Demonized Ant King that emerged from the lake turned its head to look in the direction of the island. Its crimson eyes glared and opened its mandibles, roaring loudly before slowly walking towards a passage. At this moment, Song Jian saw the motionless golden ant suddenly open its eyes to look at the Demonized Ant King, its gaze full of helplessness and sadness. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, glanced at the newly transformed Demonized Ant King, and moved towards the black lake. He could sense that the black lake was filled with rich Abyssal Power, and any ordinary creature that came close would likely be transformed into an Abyssal creature immediately. The moment Song Jian approached the black lake, five or six black tentacles suddenly shot out from the churning waters, flying towards him. Chapter 496 - Chapter 496: Chapter 496: Legendary Creatures Chapter 496: Chapter 496: Legendary Creatures These several black tentacles shot towards Song Jian, attempting to confine him. The Abyssal Power harbored a greed that wished to transform all entities into Abyss creatures. As soon as it perceived the presence of other organisms, it would adopt this coercive means to make others succumb; Boom~ Suddenly, a raging flame erupted on the surface of Song Jians body. The black flame was far darker than the surrounding lake, immediately causing the tendrils that were reaching out at him to stiffen, hanging in the air in a flustered manner. Song Jian summoned the Book of the Abyss. A rich Abyssal aura emanated from it. The few black tentacles originally stretched out towards Song Jian, suddenly softened down and lay on the ground as if subjects beholding their monarch. The black tentacles began to disintegrate, turning back into liquid, and slowly flowed back into the lake. Upon witnessing this scene, Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. As his thoughts stirred, the burning black flame on his body instantly transformed into a suit of armor, protecting him all around. Song Jian slowly stepped towards the black lake. The moment he stepped on the lakes surface, a sudden feeling of hardness was felt underneath his feet, as if walking on solid ground. A thought arose in Song Jians heart, and he moved forward. Indeed, with every step he took, the churning water of the lake quieted down, turning into a solid-like entity, supporting Song Jian to walk forward; Soon, Song Jian arrived on the island in the middle of the lake. Calling it an island is a bit far-fetched; in reality, its a massive rock devoid of any vegetation. The jet-black rock was indistinguishable from the black lake water. Only after Song Jian stepped onto the island did he realize that the massive golden ant in front of him was even larger than the one he had seen on the lakes edge. This giant golden ant was more than ten meters tall, comparable to a tower. Its entire exoskeleton was streamlined, exhibiting a strange sense of beauty. The hard shell shimmered with a golden luster, akin to an armor. Underneath the hard golden shell, Song Jian could sense chunks of flesh filled with power releasing a vigorous life force, conveying a sense of strength and vitality. A series of question marks hovered over the head of this giant golden ant, faintly yellow in color, indicating that this is a neutral-type monster; Thick black chains were wound around every joint of this giant golden ant. These Abyssal Chains had merged with the small black rock island beneath its feet, making it impossible for it to break free; As soon as Song Jian set foot on the island, the giant golden ant seemingly sensed his presence. It abruptly opened its eyes and stared at Song Jian. The eyes of this giant golden ant were like massive flawless jade blocks, emitting a dark green radiance. Human, I can sense that your soul has not been corrupted by the Abyssal Power. Why are you here? The voice of the giant golden ant resounded in Song Jians mind. The voice was deep and husky, calm, unencumbered by the shackles of imprisonment; I am just an adventurer who stumbled upon this place Song Jian stared into the eyes of the giant golden ant as he spoke. The enormous monster before him was the second-largest creature he had ever encountered in this game, surpassed only by a gigantic skeleton towering over a hundred meters high. In this game, a monsters power was often proportional to its size. The larger the monster, the stronger it was. Although this golden ant was tightly bound by the black Abyssal Chains, Song Jian could still sense the formidable vitality within it. The closer he got to the giant golden ant, the stronger this feeling became. Song Jian even had the illusion that if this giant golden ant wished, it could escape the shackles of the Abyssal Chains at any moment. Adventurer The giant golden ant fixated on Song Jian, his voice reverberated in Song Jians mind, You carry the scent of my spawn, uncorrupted by the Abyssal Power. Although I am restrained here, I can still sense their existence. An idea came to Song Jians mind. The ant the golden ant mentioned must refer to his enslaved Ant King. With a slave contract in place, Song Jian naturally bore a trace of the Ant Kings scent. I have a Golden Ant King as a battle partner. We have fought together, but it is currently on the brink of evolution, so it is not with me at the moment, said Song Jian. He did not disclose that he had a young Golden Ant King as a slave to the colossal golden ant. If the creature learned of it, the giant golden ant would probably, in its fury, struggle free of its shackles and kill him immediately. You are fortunate, so is my spawn that encountered you The giant golden ants antennae twitched and it pointed at Song Jian. A white light enveloped Song Jian entirely. You will have my blessing and I hope it will assist you, the voice of the giant golden ant echoed in Song Jians mind. System: You have received the blessing of a legendary creature, the Emperors Mark. It intimidates all species whose rank is lower than that of a legendary creature; Intimidation effect? Surprised, Song Jian raised an eyebrow. Any creature of lower rank than the massive golden ant here would first response upon meeting Song Jian would be to flee. Even if they were to fight Song Jian, they wouldnt be able to unleash their full strength. If this effect persists on Song Jian, it would make his future monster hunting and leveling up much easier; Thank you, honorable legendary creature, for your blessing. Is there anything I can do to assist you? Song Jian said as he bowed to the golden ant. After bestowing the blessing, the giant golden ant showed signs of exhaustion and its antennae drooped. It then said to Song Jian, This is your due, and moreover, theres something I need you to do for me. A faint smile crawled up Song Jians lips. As expected, the giant golden ant blessed him because it had a request. It might have sensed the pure Ant King scent on Song Jian, but it surely needed something from him. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please let me know. Song Jian said. Do you see that spatial rift in the sky? Thats a spatial crack leading to the Abyssal Land. I want you to mend it for me. said the golden ant. Mend the spatial rift? Surprise flashed across Song Jians face, he replied, Given my current strength, Im afraid I might not be able to complete this task. Dont worry, as long as you do as I instruct, it will be easy to accomplish this task the golden ant assured, If you can mend this spatial rift, I will present you with a treasure as your task reward. Chapter 497 - Chapter 497: Chapter 497: Ant Kings Treasure Chest Chapter 497: Chapter 497: Ant Kings Treasure Chest After listening to the colossal golden ants words, Song Jian hesitated. He could feel a lack of sincerity from it, thus insisting to hear the details of the task before making the decision whether to accept it or not. It had been a long time since he joined the game, and Song Jian had realized how merciless the games tasks could be. Moreover, not all tasks could potentially be completed with his current strength C many of the NPCs which assigned tasks often had ill intentions. Young human, this really is an extremely simple task, particularly for you. I can sense that you have a strong power within you, said the golden ant. The golden ant eyeing Song Jian, slowly closed its emerald eyes and spoke, This rift is a passage for the Abyssal Land to violate the Space Law and invade reality. If overlooked, it will continue to grow larger, eventually forming the Abyssal Gate. By then, the abyssal forces will keep showing up here To seal this rift, a treasure with the power of space is necessary. This black lake was originally my dwelling place, but it has transformed into its present state due to the invasion of Abyssal Power I need you to delve into this lake, and find a necklace from within. Only by finding the necklace, will it be possible to mend this spatial rift System: Do you wish to accept the commission from the Legendary creature, Torros the Progenitor of the Golden Ant King? Find the Temporal Spatial Chain, Time Limit 1 hour. Penalty for Mission Failure: Level drops by 1; One hour? This lake is so big, its impossible for me to retrieve a small necklace from the bottom of the lake within such a short time! Song Jian looked at the system notification. Surprisingly, the giant creature before him was the Progenitor of the Golden Ant King. This revelation caused quite a surprise, but seeing the time limit and punishment for the task, he couldnt help but furrow his brows. In reality, you wont need the full hour The item is at the depths of the lake under my feet. You just need to dive down following this islet and circle around it at most once to find the necklace. Moreover, there are other treasures along with the Temporal Spatial Chain. If you find them, they are all yours as a gift Just circling around the bottom of this small island lake? After eyeing the piece of black rock under Torres, the Progenitor of the Golden Ant Kings feet, Song Jian mulled it over for a long time. Finally, he nodded and agreed. Upon seeing Song Jians agreement, a heavy burden lifted from Torres. A smile spread across his face, human-like. Even though his eyes were shut, he still managed to nod towards Song Jian. Currently, all his energy was being used to resist the erosion of the Abyssal Power. Any movement would drain his energy significantly, which was why he dare not move at all. System: You have accepted the commission from the Legendary creature, Torros the Progenitor of the Golden Ant King; As Song Jian saw the countdown appearing in his task bar, he leapt into the black lake. Torros opened his eyes, watching Song Jian dive into the lake, stirring ripples in its wake. His eyes held a trace of expectation. The Abyssal Power concentration in the lake matched that of the real Abyssal Land, threatening to corrupt any creatures that entered and rob them of their consciousness, turning them into creatures of the abyss. Only Song Jian, who could control the Abyssal Power, could leap into the lake unscathed and search for the Temporal Spatial Chain at the bottom. Upon entering the lake, Song Jian could barely see his own hand in front of his face. It was as though he had jumped into a vat of ink. Furthermore, the lake was full of Abyssal Power. After entering, he could even feel the water around him turning into countless tentacles, trying to wrap around him. However, as these tentacles approached him, they sensed the aura of his Abyssal Demon Armor and retreated instantly, leading Song Jian to sigh in relief. With the help of the Abyssal Demon Armor, Song Jian managed to descend to the bottom of the lake without any hiccup. The Vertical Eye on Song Jians forehead emitted a faint light about three inches long. It was barely enough for him to see his surroundings within a meters radius. In such a low visibility environment, finding a necklace was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, Torres had given Song Jian the search parameter, otherwise, even if he were to search the lakebed for three days and nights straight, it would be impossible for him to locate the quest item. Song Jian arrived at the bottom. He seemed to have stepped on something, which on closer investigation turned out to be a crispy and brittle skeleton. Ant King? Song Jian was startled and he focused on it intently. Indeed, underneath him was the skeleton of an Ant King. It was unclear how long it had been dead C its flesh had completely decomposed, only leaving the shell covering its body. The shell, however, had already been eroded by the Abyssal Power, becoming brittle and rotten. A simple touch would cause a massive hole. Suddenly, Song Jian recalled the Golden Ant Kings dragged into the lake by the water. It seemed as though not all Golden Ant Kings had been transformed into demonized Ant Kings. Many had simply perished in the lake. Upon realizing this, Song Jian was taken aback. Within his field of vision, at the bottom of the lake, lay a thick layer of Golden Ant King skeletons. It seemed that many Ant Kings died here without turning into demonized Ant Kings. Song Jian shook his head slightly. Just one Abyssal Rift had wreaked such havoc upon an enormous species. Should such a rift appear in the Doomsday City, the whole city might eventually become Abyssal Land. No, its not like there arent any Abyssal Rifts in the Doomsday City. Its just that those places have evolved into instances of special Dungeons Limit in the game, securely restricting the scope of the Abyssal Rift, preventing it from spreading out like it has done here Song Jian thought of the towering columns of black demonic fog he had seen before, and of the black pyramid in the middle of the city, which caused him to shudder involuntarily. I have no clue where the Temporal Spatial Chain is. Fortunately, this island isnt large. It should be easy to search Song Jian started to look around slowly, moving along the huge black rock beside him. Torros had mentioned that the Temporal Spatial Chain and a pile of treasures were together, and would be conspicuous. Now, Song Jian had no other choice but to broaden his search as much as he could. After all, he could only rely on his Vertical Eye for now. Soon, Song Jian circled to the back of the island. On an outcropping rock, he saw a golden treasure chest over a foot tall, radiating dazzling light. Amidst the black lake water, it shone like a radiant sun. Ive found it! A look of elation crossed Song Jians face. Chapter 498 - Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Abyss Ant Kings Skeleton Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Abyss Ant Kings Skeleton Upon catching sight of the golden chest before him, Song Jian finally heaved a sigh of relief. After all, this mission was time-sensitive and the penalty for failure was a reduction of one level. Song Jian was already at level 24, and every increase in level required several times the prior experience. Falling a level meant that all his efforts over the past few days would be for nothing. Checking the time, Song Jian saw that he had more than forty minutes left. He should have ample time. He carefully approached the golden chest. The closer one gets to completing a mission, the more cautious one has to be. He wasnt sure if one more step would render the mission accomplished and reward him handsomely or turn out to be a trap, a metaphorical abyss that would cost him his life. Just as Song Jian was about to reach the chest, he suddenly felt a dark shadow rushing towards him. There were two balls of green flame burning in the shadow, which stared at Song Jian as if regarding him as prey. What is this? Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt anticipated the presence of a monster in this lake filled with Abyssal Power. His previous caution paid off. Song Jian quickly reacted, pushing off a rock beneath the chest with his foot and propelling himself backward. Woosh~ A sharp streak of white light flashed by, cutting through the lake where Song Jian had just been standing. Only then did he get a good look at the creature. It was a skeletal creature made entirely of ant bones. Although its size was significantly smaller than that of Toro, the golden ant gladiator, it was still twice the size of a typical charmed Ant King. Its entire body was constructed from a black shell, but at the joints and seams of the shell, it was clear that there was not a shred of flesh inside this giant creature. Deep green light emanated from these joints and seams. It had a pair of broken wings; black wisps hanged from the edge of the wings, making it look like their extensions. Abyssal Ant King Skeleton, Level 30, Lord-level, first-stage combat power, Vitality Points: 9000/9000 The Abyss is watching you The abyssal ants skeleton moved its lower jaw slightly, uttering a deep voice in Song Jians mind. The language of the Abyss Song Jians heart tightened. The creature in front of him, although it was only a skeleton, was a genuine abyssal entity. Most of the entities Song Jian had encountered so far were creatures or monsters corrupted by the power of the Abyss and possessed only a trace of the abyssal aurathey were not fully transformed. Even the charmed Ant Kings could not be considered true abyssal entities because they did not understand the language of the Abyss. Only a creature that understood the language of the Abyss could be identified as an abyssal entity. After finishing its speech, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton opened its mouth wide and a sharp energy burst forth. This energy stirred the lakes water, forming a water dragon that charged towards Song Jian. Song Jian swung his sword at the water dragon, and with a loud explosionreminiscent of a dynamite blasta column of water shot five or six meters into the air. Over Song Jians head, there floated a figure indicating over a hundred points of damage. Despite shattering the water dragon, it had exploded into countless black icicles that hurled towards him. The Abyssal Ant King Skeleton moved swiftly in the lake that was saturated with Abyssal Power. Just as Song Jian steadied himself, the Abyssal Ant King was already charging towards him. A ball of pitch-black liquid spewed from the Abyssal Ant Kings mouth. Song Jian had no time to react before the black liquid slammed into his chest. A critical damage point of over six hundred popped up over Song Jians head. The burning pain in his chest made him groan in agony. Staring at the green flames burning in the eye sockets of the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton, Song Jian gritted his teeth. A roar burst from his throat, and his sword radiated a dazzling golden light. He swung his blade upwards, striking a golden Sword Qi. The sword energy sliced through the black water and heavily slashed at the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton. With that, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton was thrown back. Its massive body leapt high and let out an eerie shriek in mid-air, before it heavily plummeted back into the lake. Divine Power inflicted the most damage on abyssal entities. Caught off guard, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton was unable to withstand the Divine Power that was seething within its body. Crack, crack~ Boom! Halfof the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton began to shatter piece by piece. A sudden surge of intense, golden energy burst from within, causing its hard shell to explode. For a moment, a green light, akin to blood, ejected from the Abyssal Ant King Skeletons body, splattering everywhere. A hint of a smile appeared on Song Jians lips. He glanced down at his chest. He saw his previously silver armor had been heavily corroded, its durability decreased to less than ten points. Even the flesh on his chest started to dissolve, and his vitality was continuously decreasing. Song Jians eyebrows furrowedthe Ant Soul Orb he was wearing seemed to have no effect on the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton. Just then, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton suddenly let out a stern howl. The bubbling water of the lake started to continuously wash over its body. The green light that was previously gushing out began to recede back into its body, and its exploded body began to repair itself surrounded by streams of black mist. In no time, the severely injured Abyssal Ant King Skeleton had completely recovered. With eyes wide and mouth agape, Song Jian suddenly realized how foolish it was to battle an abyssal creature in this environment saturated with abyssal energy. Damn it A thought crossed Song Jians mind and a pair of steel wings sprung from his back. His body shot toward the sky like an arrow, leaping out of the black lake and flying into mid-air. However, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton didnt lag behind. With one flap of its broken wings, it followed Song Jian out of the lake. In mid-air, Song Jian and the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton faced each other. On the island below, the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan, Toro, lifted its head to look at the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton and showed a hint of surprise. This this is It couldnt sense any trace of the Golden Ant Clan from this Abyssal Ant King; it was an entity entirely formed by the power of the Abyss. Only its shape and the material that constituted its bodythe shells and bones of the Golden Ant Kingresembled the Golden Ant Clan. Sacrilege, this is a sacrilege against the Golden Ant Clan! Toro, the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan, suddenly became infuriated and let out a roar that shook the sky and earth. Chapter 499 - Chapter 499: Chapter 499: Ten Seconds Chapter 499: Chapter 499: Ten Seconds In the eyes of the Golden Ant King Toros, all members of the Golden Ant Clan were its children. Even those who were tainted by the Abyss and had become part of the Magical Ant Clan were merely temporarily fallen. As long as the gap in the Abyss was filled and the Abyssal energy was completely dispelled, these Magical Ants would eventually return to being part of the Golden Ant Clan. However, it never expected that deep within the black lake, there were indeed Golden Ants who had completely fallen and become Abyssal creatures. There was not a trace of the Golden Ant Clans aura on the Abyssal Ant Kings corpse, which was fighting Song Jian in mid-air. The appearance of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton made Toros feel a thread of fear. Once they had completely become creatures of the Abyss, there would be no turning back. Angry Toros began to struggle. Even though it was tightly bound by Abyssal Chains, it exerted its full strength, with energy surging like tidal waves throughout its body. Boom! The entire black rock carrying Toros trembled, and the black Abyssal Chains squeezed even tighter. Some had even embedded themselves into Toross shell; if not for the faint golden light barrier blocking it, these black chains would have shattered Toross entire shell, dealing a fatal blow. Crack, Crack, Crack~ One by one, the Abyssal Chains were broken by Toros, and the Abyssal energy could not repair them in time. Toros suddenly stood upright, although several Abyssal Chains were still tightly bound to the lower half of its body, its height had already reached that of Song Jians. Annihilation, blasphemers! Toros roared in anger, causing the entire cave to tremble slightly. Its massive front claws swung towards the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton, and three brilliant waves of energy radiated dazzling light as they flew towards the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton. Inexplicably, the Abyssal Ant Kings skeletons body stiffened, and it didnt even attempt to dodge the three dazzling golden energy waves. Swipe~ A crisp tearing sound, and the body of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton, was directly torn apart by the three brilliant golden energy waves. Song Jian was stunned; he hadnt expected that despite being bound by the Abyssal Power for countless years, Toros still possessed such terrifying strength. After releasing this attack, Toros still wore an angry expression; its body began to plummet towards the ground. Boom! With a loud crash, Toross body slammed onto the black rocky island, and the surrounding lake water surged violently, rising to a height of several dozen meters. Song Jian watched the shattered body of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton fall into the lake, feeling a sense of unreality. When he looked back at Toros, though, he sensed intense sorrow in its eyes. Countless black mists poured from the gap in the Abyss and transformed into thicker and stronger chains that wrapped around Toros. Toros didnt move, allowing these Abyssal Chains to tightly bind it. Song Jian frowned slightly as if detecting something. His steel wings flapped, and his figure shot into the black lake like an arrow, diving into the depths. Song Jian could feel the Abyssal Power in the lake quickly surging towards the spot where the body of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton had fallen. It seems that in such an environment, Abyssal creatures are immortal Song Jians heart sank as he quickly rushed towards the Ant Emperor Treasure Box. Song Jian didnt know if Toros could still burst forth again; if the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton truly recovered in this environment, he would have no chance of defeating it with his current strength. Song Jian dashed to the treasure chest and touched its lid; System: Do you want to open the Ant Emperor Treasure Box? Warning, if you open the box without the permission of the Ant King ancestor, you will be pursued relentlessly by the Golden Ant Clan; Open it! Song Jian immediately chose this option, as every second was crucial. He could feel that the Abyss Ant King ancestor was rapidly recovering; A progress bar appeared before Song Jians eyes, indicating that it would take thirty seconds to open the treasure chest; System: Ant Emperor Treasure Box opening 3%5% Roar~ A beast-like roar exploded in Song Jians ears; he felt that the flow of water beneath the black lake suddenly accelerated, as if someone was stirring the lake water vigorously; At this point, the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton had fully recovered with black air lingering around its body. Its figure seemed to have grown larger, and a sharp horn grew on its forehead. Its wings turned into bat-like wings, with black wings and dark red meridians. At the joints, a bone claw was slowly emerging Song Jian remained motionless, nervously opening the treasure chest, its progress inching forward. He could feel the horrifying aura emanating from the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton, which had now fully recovered and was even stronger than before. Song Jians Vitality Points had dropped to less than a thousand, and all his supplies had been used up. He could only rely on his Vitality recovery speed to regenerate, but he was no match for the Abyss Ant King at this moment; Hurry up, faster Song Jian was extremely anxious in his heart. Every second of the thirty felt like torture. If the Abyss Ant King interrupted his progress of opening the chest, he might never get another chance to touch it. Boom~ The Abyss Ant King soared into the sky, and its ghostly green eyes stared intently at Song Jian, who was opening the treasure chest. The black lake water seemed unable to block its vision, and it didnt even glance at the Golden Ant King ancestor. Song Jian suddenly felt his muscles tense and his hairs stand on end, as a huge sense of threat enveloped him like a net, immobilizing him; Its noticed me! Song Jians heart sank, and he immediately felt despair; It would take another ten or so seconds to open the chest, but Song Jian knew that the Abyss Ant King wouldnt give him those extra seconds; Ten seconds, I only need ten more seconds Song Jian screamed in his heart. He hoped that the Golden Ant King ancestor could help him stall the Abyss Ant King for a moment, but the Golden Ant King ancestor was firmly bound by a dozen Abyssal Chains, unable to move at all. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly remembered that he still had the Abyssal Phantom skill, but the clone it created would be illusory, so he wasnt sure if it could fool the Abyss Ant King. With a thought, a replica identical to Song Jian appeared next to the chest. As soon as the doppelganger appeared, it burst out of the lake, brandishing its longsword and rushing towards the Abyss Ant King; The Abyss Ant King showed a human-like confused expression on its face, glancing at the approaching clone, then looked back at the treasure chest beneath the lake, completely ignoring the incoming clone. It folded its wings and dove towards the location of the chest; Chapter 500 - Chapter 500: Chapter 500 Book of the Abyss Chapter 500: Chapter 500 Book of the Abyss Song Jian saw the Abyssal Ant King skeleton charging straight towards him, and his heart suddenly sank. Could it actually distinguish between the Abyssal Phantom and the real body? Is it because of the thick Abyssal aura on the Abyssal Phantom that it was detected by the enemy? There were less than ten seconds left to open the treasure chest, but ten seconds was enough for the Abyssal Ant King to kill Song Jian three or four times. Under Song Jians control, the Abyssal Phantom swung its sword and rushed towards the Abyssal Ant King. But first it struck, only to be blown away by the opponents wing. The sharp bone claw created a wound over a foot long on the Abyssal Phantoms chest, with dense black qi spewing out like blood. In an instant, the Abyssal Phantom became much more illusory, its figure slightly flickering, as if it would disappear at any moment. Song Jian was greatly surprised that the Abyssal Phantom was no match for the Abyssal Ant King skeleton! Roar~! The Abyssal Ant King spread its wings and roared at the black lake surface. In an instant, an invisible tornado rose from the lake surface, and a large amount of black lake water was rolled up to form a true black tornado; Song Jian suddenly felt lighter around him. In a radius of ten meters around him, there was not a single drop of lake water, all of it being rolled up into midair. The Abyssal Power formed a circular wall, blocking the surrounding black lake water outside, creating a depression in the area. Song Jian pressed his left hand on the Ant Emperor Treasure Box, his right hand clenched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and, looking up, saw a hint of mockery in the eyes of the Abyssal Ant King skeleton. The Abyssal Ant King tilted its head back and gathered a thick black qi in its mouth. Soon, it condensed a huge black energy ball with a diameter of over one meter; Now, Song Jian couldnt move at all, like a fixed target, and could only let the Abyssal Ant King accumulate power and perform its most powerful attack; I cant go on like this. I must find a way not only to open the treasure chest but also to avoid being killed by the opponent in one hit! Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, cold sweat running down his cheeks. The Abyssal Ant King skeleton, after being revived, was even more formidable than before. Otherwise, the Abyssal Phantom, possessing 70% of Song Jians strength, would not have been so severely injured that it couldnt even withstand a single confrontation. Song Jian thought quickly: What methods do I have to stop it? Just then, the Book of the Abyss in his dantian suddenly bloomed with dazzling brilliance. Song Jian was startled, and delight appeared on his face: Damn it, how could I forget the Book of the Abyss? With this thought, Song Jian sent a mental command, and the Book of the Abyss flew out of his body and floated in front of him. Splash~ The Book of the Abyss opened itself, its pages flipping rapidly. When the pages stopped, a heavy sigh suddenly echoed across the entire lake surface. Upon hearing this sigh, the Abyssal Ant King, which had been charging towards the lake surface like a cannonball, suddenly stiffened and stopped abruptly. A look of terror appeared in its ghostly green flame eyes. Immediately, its six legs lay on the cold lake surface, its flesh wings drooped, and its head did not dare to rise, looking like a giant reptile trembling all over. The black tornado had already begun to attack Song Jian, but the moment the Abyssal Ant King skeleton lost control, the uncontrolled tornado suddenly exploded with a loud bang, instantly shattering. Tons of black lake water fell from the sky, as if it was a heavy downpour. Due to the protective wall formed by the Abyssal Power around Song Jian, not only was the black tornado explosion blocked, but even the heavy rain was kept outside. Seeing the Abyssal Ant King in such a state, Song Jian was overjoyed. Only a few seconds were left to open the treasure chest, but he didnt expect that the Abyssal Ant King skeleton would actually be so humble in front of the Book of the Abyss. What Song Jian didnt know was that, the moment the Book of the Abyss appeared, the Priestess, who was originally sitting and reading a book in the New Media Library, suddenly paused, closed the book, and looked towards the direction of the Demonic Ant Nest. Her deep gaze seemed to be able to penetrate through millions of obstacles, and after a long time, the Priestess sighed deeply, her eyes filled with a touch of sadness and compassion. Standing up, the Priestess drew a pale blue portal in the air, and stepped into it, disappearing from sight. In a temple of the Goddess of Dawn, a brave Dawn Knight was kneeling on one knee, holding a sword in one hand and pressing it against his chest, bowing his head in prayer to the goddess statue; At this time, a pale blue portal appeared behind him, and the Priestess Cecilia stepped out of the portal. Seeing the praying Dawn Knight Ia, a smile appeared on her face, and she nodded slightly; Ia! The Priestess called out; Ia raised his head, revealing a handsome and resolute face. Since being brought back to the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn by Cecilia, Ia had been under the tutelage of the Knights of Dawn. By now, Ias level had reached 30, and as long as he passed the first-order combat power test, he could be promoted from a Dawn Knight to a Knight of Dawn. Lord Priestess! Ia stood up and bowed deeply to Cecilia, speaking respectfully. Ia, the power of the Abyss is growing stronger and stronger. I need you to return to Song Jians side and help him fight against the Abyssal Power! Cecilia said. As the spokesperson of the Goddess, it was normal for the priestess to command the Goddess Guardian Knights. All the Knights of the Goddesses must obey the priestess orders. Upon hearing this, Ias eyebrows furrowed, and he looked into the priestess eyes and said, Lord Priestess, although Song Jian is a God-favored one, he is not a follower of the great Goddess of Dawn. Moreover, I can also sense the presence of Abyssal Power on him Didnt you also feel the presence of divine power on him? the priestess suddenly retorted. Ia remained silent. The main reason he was willing to follow Song Jian and become his Follower was that he sensed the Divine Power on Song Jian, and since Song Jian could also use the sword technique that only Knights of Dawn could use, Ia naturally considered him a follower of the Goddess of Dawn. However, after being brought to the Goddess temple by the priestess, he realized that Song Jian was not a follower of the Goddess of Dawn. As a result, he didnt care much about being his Follower and didnt even want to return to Song Jians side at all. All of this is the Goddess will! the priestess emphasized, You must do your best to assist Song Jian, even if it means sacrificing your life! Ia shuddered, surprise appearing on his face. But when he saw Cecilias determined expression, he bowed his head and knelt on one knee before her, promising, Dawn Guardian Knight Ia obeys Lord Priestesss command! Chapter 501 - Chapter 501: Chapter 501: Backlash Chapter 501: Chapter 501: Backlash Song Jian was chanting an Abyssal Spell, casting the Abyss Temptation skill on the corpse of the Abyss Ant King. Applying Abyss Temptation to an Abyss creature seemed to be highly successful; the Abyss Ant King, which had already reached the surface of the lake, was frozen in place, and its eyes full of fear were glowing like ghost fire. If the Abyss Temptation was cast for too long, once other creatures sensed the power of temptation, it would surely incite them into rage. No matter how strong their previous enmity was, they would charge directly at Song Jian if not restrained. Yet the corpse of the Abyss Ant King did not dare to move. It was lying on the surface of the lake, wailing constantly. Even the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan opened its eyes to look over, the surprise evident in its gaze. A soft click. Song Jian had successfully opened the Ant Emperor Treasure Box. As Song Jian reached into the bottom of the box, he quickly took hold of a cross necklace tinged with a deep hue of purple that had become entangled around his hand, drawing it out. Then, he found a palm-sized pet egg. The egg was entirely snow-white, with faint golden patterns shimmering on its flawless, crystal-clear surface. Song Jian was overjoyed. He hadnt expected to acquire a pet egg. Typically, the chances were high that a pet egg found in the nest of the Golden Ant Clan would also be from the Golden Ant Clan. At the very least, it was an Ant King egg if it was stored inside the Ant Emperor Treasure Box. Song Jian placed the pet egg in the bag, felt around the treasure box a bit more, and found a gauntlet that resembled an ant leg. At that moment, due to the interruption of Abyss Temptation, the Abyss Ant Kings corpse gave out a mournful roar and struck violently towards the surface of the lake. With a bang, water sprayed several meters high. Song Jians surrounding wall of abyssal aura also collapsed at once; wave after wave of lake water tumbled toward him like a charging mountain. Grabbing the gauntlet, Song Jian rummaged through the box a couple more times. Finding nothing else, he leaped out of the water. How do I use this? Song Jian shouted to the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan, clutching the Cross Light Sword Necklace. Throw it into the Space-Time Rift! The progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan had excitement in its eyes. It roared with a voice that echoed fortissimo in Song Jians heart. It was likely the only chance for the Golden Ant King to escape his predicament. If he failed, no matter how strong his power, he would eventually sink under the relentless, drip-by-drip erosion. With a roar, Song Jian threw the Cross Light Sword Necklace towards the Space-Time Rift. In mid-air, the necklace suddenly burst into a dazzling purple-red light, transforming into a giant cross sword. The sword blade was aflame with golden fire. The cross sword struck the Space-Time Rift ruthlessly as if wielded by a person. The golden fire spread, engulfing the entire cavern in its flames. Boom! A loud noise reverberated, causing the entire underground cave to shake violently. Debris tumbled from the ceiling, and the black lake, seemingly enraged, raised a series of high tides that pummeled the surroundings. The corpse of the Abyss Ant King let out an angry roar. Under the illumination of the golden flames, its enormous body began to erode and burn, quickly crumbling into sand-like particles that were blown away, leaving no trace behind. Song Jian also felt an intense burning sensation. Seeing that bubbles started to form on the surface of his Abyssal Demon Armor, he dismissed it in the blink of an eye. With no trace of abyssal aura remaining on him, the curtain of golden light felt warm on his skin, replacing the searing temperature he had previously felt. The Space-Time Rift in mid-air disappeared, as did the Cross Light Sword Necklace. They seemed to have destroyed each other, or perhaps, the necklace had filled the rift. The golden flames still roared in the cave. Black water in the lake started boiling, with towering flames ignited on its surface, seemingly burning down the Abyssal Power within the lake. With an excited roar, the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan used its six sturdy legs to lift its mountain-like body. Crack, Crack, Crack One after another, the Abyssal Chains wrapping around the body of the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan shattered, but at this point, there was no more Abyssal Power to mend these black chains. In just a short while, the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan regained its freedom, but upon shattering the chains, it seemed to have exhausted too much strength, collapsing back onto the ground, panting heavily, its visage fatigued. Thank you, human warrior, you have saved the Golden Ant Clan. From now on, the Golden Ant Clan will forever be your friend. The progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan looked at Song Jian and spoke gratefully. System: You have been recognized by the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan. Your relationship with the Golden Ant Clan has been elevated to reverence! Song Jian was taken aback, a smile spreading across his face. This relationship is upgrading at a fast pace. To think that Ive advanced directly to reverence, Im just one step away from awe! Thank you, great progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan, I also hope to become forever friends with the Golden Ant Clan. Song Jian said, bowing to the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan. At that moment, something stirred within Song Jian, and he turned to look at the tunnel from whence he came. An Ant King covered in spikes and cloaked in a tough, black shell shuffled out from the tunnel, fluttering its wings. The behemoth, its eyes blood red, was three to four times the size of a typical Mutant Ant King. Each step it took etched a deep scratch on the ground. Is this the evolved Ant King servant? Song Jian, startled by the faint connection he felt with the creature in front of him, wore an expression of shock. At this point, the power of the cross-shaped Temporal Spatial Chain had completely counteracted the Space-Time Rift, and what was left were massive areas of golden flames burning vigorously on the black lake surface. Evidently, the flames wouldnt be extinguished until they fully consumed the Abyssal Power within the lake. The level of the Ant King servant had reached thirty, and it had evolved into a Level 30 Elite BOSS. It roared in fury at Song Jian, flapping its wings and charging at him like an arrow. A backlash? Song Jians face clouded over. Although he had already expected it, the rebelling Ant King servant still incited a rush of anger within him. Chapter 502 - Chapter 502: Chapter 502: Ant Emperor Pearl Chapter 502: Chapter 502: Ant Emperor Pearl Song Jian gritted his teeth, leaped with all his might and swung his long sword, hacking at Slave Ant King. Though Slave Ant King had become a level thirty elite boss, it had never achieved the first rank in combat power. The gap in strength between it and the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton was vast, not to mention compared to the Ancestral Golden Ant King. Song Jian had managed several rounds with the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton, so dealing with a level thirty elite boss, six levels higher than him, was a piece of cake. After several dozen rounds with the Slave Ant King, Song Jian had almost fully grasped the Slave Ant Kings skills. Yet, the Slave Ant King had never seen Song Jians trump cards. After fighting on the ground for several rounds, Slave Ant King soared into the air, and a jet of black blood slowly trickled out of its jagged mouth, dropping onto the lake surface ablaze with golden flames. Boom~ A bushel of golden flames suddenly flared up, burning away all the black substances. Slave Ant King seemed to feel the power in the golden flames and its eyes showed a hint of terror. It involuntarily rose higher into the air. Song Jian snorted coldly, and slowly spread a pair of wings, which shone metallically, out from his back. With a flick of these wings, Song Jian rocketed towards the Slave Ant King. Since you could become my slave, I can subdue you! While he was fighting the Slave Ant King, Song Jian suddenly thought of Qi Yun, who had now become a Shadow Priest. Qi Yun had also been his slave once. Die! Song Jian swung his sword, sending a scintillating golden Sword Qi, more than ten meters long, slicing toward the Slave Ant King. Bang~ A loud noise rang out as half of the Slave Ant Kings body was obliterated by the golden Sword Qi. Its hard black shell was instantly turned into ashes, purple blood was splattered, and even one of its legs was severed at its base. Although the Slave Ant King could still stand, its agility had evidently decreased significantly. Just as Song Jian was about to pursue a killing strike against Slave Ant King, the Ancestral Golden Ant King behind him heaved a heavy sigh, stopping him: Human warrior, could you spare its life? After all, it has only been corrupted by the Abyssal Power. As long as the Abyssal Power is expelled, it will remain a member of our Golden Ant Clan! Song Jians sword-swinging arm halted, and after watching the Slave Ant King, who was still defiantly glaring at him, deliberated for a moment. Then he snorted coldly, sheathed his sword and stepped aside. Seeing Song Jian giving up on killing Slave Ant King, the Ancestral Golden Ant King revealed a gratified smile and said to Slave Ant King: Come, my child! Slave Ant King sensed a strong threat, and immediately shifted its gaze from Song Jian to the Ancestral Ant King on the rocky island. Hiss, roar~ With a roar, expressing fear in its heart, Slave Ant King stepped back to the path behind it. At that moment, a strong force tightly bound Slave Ant King, as if it were holding a sandbag. It was hauled into the air and flew toward the rocky island. Song Jian watched as the Slave Ant King lightly landed on the island. The Ancestral Golden Ant King exhaled a breath of golden air towards Slave Ant King. In an instant, starting from the antennae of Slave Ant King, the black on the surface of its body gradually receded, and golden light burst out again. Just then, Song Jian was startled and suddenly felt that the connection between him and the Slave Ant King shattered abruptly. His face turned white, and he couldnt help spitting out a mouthful of blood. The Abyssal Power in Slave Ant King was completely expelled by the Ancestral Ant King, and even the spikes on the shell covering its body retreated one by one. It returned to the streamlined shape of Golden Ant King. As he watched Song Jian spit out blood, the Ancestral Golden Ant King revealed a regretful look. He spewed out a golden bead from his mouth and presented it to Song Jian. Human warrior, my child can no longer assist you in battle from now on; it has regained its freedom. This is compensation for you; I hope it can slightly make up for your loss Song Jian picked up the golden bead and immediately broke into a joyous smile. Ant Emperor Pearl, a wonder. Usage effect: After consumption, it can increase Vitality Points by 200 and increase one attribute point immediately. Usage requirements: It must be a gifted by an Ancestral Ant King and the user must be revered by the Golden Ant Clan. It was evident that the Ancestral Ant King had seen Song Jian spit out blood earlier, so he compensated him with this pearl. And, this pearl could only be used by Song Jian. If given to others, they would not be able to use it. Without wasting any time, Song Jian swallowed the bead. The Ant Emperor Pearl melted as soon as it entered his mouth and turned into a warm current that rushed into his stomach. A surge of power erupted from Song Jians body. The increase in two hundred Vitality Points allowed Song Jians Vitality Points to break through the two thousand mark, reaching two thousand one hundred and sixty points. And that extra attribute point was added to Song Jians strength attribute. At this point, Song Jians strength attribute, along with various items bonus, had reached fifty points. The moment Song Jians strength hit fifty points, he suddenly felt something inside his body break, as if a shackle binding him had suddenly come off. System: Player Song Jians strength attribute broke through fifty points. He qualified to challenge the first rank of Combat Power. Would you like to challenge the first rank of Combat Power immediately? What, I already qualify to challenge the first rank of Combat Power? Wasnt it said to be available for challenge only at level thirty? Song Jian looked astonished. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian asked: If I give up now, will I be able to challenge again in the future? Soon the game system gave a reply. System: Can be challenged at any time before level thirty. If the players level reaches thirty, a challenge will be compulsory. If the player fails the challenge, then the players level can never be advanced. So, thats how it was. Song Jian suddenly understood. It seemed that he didnt need to worry about challenging the first rank of Combat Power until he reached level thirty. Moreover, only his strength attribute had reached fifty points at the moment. If he could raise his other attributes to the fifty-point limit as well, it would further enhance his strength. Wouldnt that make the challenge simpler? Just as Song Jian was contemplating the attribute limit, he suddenly heard a rustling sound from the surrounding channels. Soon, he saw countless Abyss Ant Kings emerging from the tunnels in droves, jumping into the lake ablaze with golden flames, without any reservations. There are so many Abyss Ant Kings? Song Jian looked surprised as the number of Abyss Ant Kings that appeared before his eyes had already exceeded a hundred, and the number was still increasing. What surprised Song Jian even more was that behind the Abyss Ant Kings, lines of Abyss Soldier Ants and Worker Ants crazily followed the Abyss Ant Kings and jumped into the lake. The calm lake surface began to ripple. The Ancestral Golden Ant King, with a look of sorrow on his face, watched all these happen without moving an inch. Chapter 503 - Chapter 503: Chapter 503: Transformation Chapter 503: Chapter 503: Transformation Song Jian watched as groups of black ants fearlessly jumped into the burning lake, but only a handful could crawl back out and transform into golden ants; Earlier, the golden Ant King ancestor had several light gold ant eggs around him. After the newly hatched Ant Kings were dragged into the lake, they sank and became Demonic Ant Queens. Only one or two of them out of more than ten could crawl back onto land. Now, these Demonic Ant Queens wanted to transform back into members of the Golden Ant Clan, but the trials they faced were more than ten times as difficult as before; Among hundreds of Demonic Soldier Ants and Demonic Worker Ants, only one or two could transform back into Golden Soldier Ants and Golden Worker Ants. After watching for a while, the Golden Ant King ancestor trembled and slowly closed its eyes, two large tears running down its hard cheeks. Although the vast majority of the Demonic Ants couldnt make it out of the burning lake, this didnt stop them from eagerly rushing into the water. All the ants that had transformed back into members of the Golden Ant Clan climbed onto the rocky island together, surrounding the Golden Ant King ancestor and cheering excitedly. My children The Golden Ant King ancestor looked at the increasing number of Golden Ants on the island with a complex expression. As Song Jian saw fewer and fewer Demonic Ant Queens coming out of the passage, he felt a strange sense of forgetting something. After a long while, Song Jian finally realized: Mistgrass, if they all turn back into the Golden Ant Clan, what will happen to my epic task? Keep in mind, Song Jian had only killed two Demonic Ant Queens, but his task required him to kill three. If all the Demonic Ant Queens turned back into Golden Ant Queens, his task would surely fail. To fail at the last moment, Song Jian would definitely lose his mind. Upon checking his task list, Song Jian was surprised to find that his task had already been completed; How is this possible? I only remember killing two Demonic Ant Queens Confused, Song Jian opened the task information panel and flipped through it. Oh, after obtaining the Temporal Spatial Chain and filling the Space-Time Rift, this epic task was completed. Does this mean the Abyssal Ant King skeleton that was destroyed by the Divine Power counts as a Demonic Ant Queen as well? Song Jian stared at the task information panel and speculated. Keep in mind, the Demonic Ant Queens were merely Ant Kings that had been corrupted by Abyssal Power. The Abyssal Ant King skeleton, on the other hand, was a dead Ant King that had been completely corroded by Abyssal Power, turning it into a true Abyssal creature. Compared to the Demonic Ant Queens, the Abyssal Power in the Abyssal Ant King skeleton was ten or even a hundred times stronger. It wasnt impossible for the system to consider it as a Demonic Ant Queen as well. Looks like I got lucky! Song Jians mouth curled slightly into a joyful expression. At that moment, a golden Teleportation Gate suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian; Friend, I hope you dont mind if I give you a ride. Song Jian heard the voice of the Golden Ant King ancestor in his mind. Song Jian looked up and saw the Ant King ancestor nodding at him. With a slight smile, Song Jian stepped into the golden Teleportation Gate and disappeared. Not long after, Lv Pei, who had lost an arm, and Lu Mingyuan, in a disheveled state, crawled out of the passage. They stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before them. Both of them had chosen the same passage, but the swarming Demonic Ants were like a tidal wave. The two were forced to collaborate, fighting and retreating. If the passage hadnt been so narrow, they wouldve been swallowed by the Demonic Soldier Ant army long ago/> Just when they were about to give up, the Demonic Soldier Ants attacking them suddenly retreated and quickly climbed along the passage, their actions full of urgency. Out of curiosity, the two followed the Demonic Soldier Ants all the way to the cavern. How how is this possible? The two looked at each other in astonishment. Countless Demonic Ants rushed into the lake that was burning with golden flames. A giant golden ant stood like a ruler on a huge rocky island. Immovable, body-surface shimmering with golden light, the ants followed it without a sound. How there are so many Demonic Ants Lv Pei hadnt even fulfilled the required number of Demonic Worker Ants in his epic task, let alone Demonic Soldier Ants and Demonic Ant Queens. If it came to a one-on-one fight with a Demonic Worker Ant or even a Demonic Soldier Ant, Lv Pei had confidence in defeating or even killing his opponent. However, with his current strength, it would be very difficult for Lv Pei to kill a Demonic Ant Queen by himself. This was the reason why he wanted to team up with Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Lu Mingyuans target was the Demonic Ant Queen. With his strength, if he met a Demonic Ant Queen alone, he could kill it with some effort. However, encountering a lone Demonic Ant Queen in this lair was almost impossible. Along the way, he and Lv Pei had cooperated to hunt down many worker ants and soldier ants, but they had not encountered a single Ant Queen; Thats why they had followed the passage all the way here. There are so many Demonic Ant Queens Lu Mingyuan exclaimed in surprise. Ming, brother Ming, do you think theyre are they committing suicide? Lv Pei pointed at the ants jumping into the lake with a stunned expression. After watching for a while, Lu Mingyuan slowly shook his head and said, Theyre trying to expel the Abyssal Power from their bodies and return to their Golden Ant Clan status But A puzzled look spread across Lv Peis face. He pointed at the lake, unable to think of what to say. Keep in mind that only one or two out of nearly a hundred Demonic Ants could transform back into members of the Golden Ant Clan. The rest would dissolve and vanish at the bottom of the lake. In Lv Peis eyes, there was no difference between this and suicide. What a pity. It seems my mission cannot be completed Lu Mingyuan sighed and shook his head. The number of Demonic Ant Queens was dwindling, and there were quite a few Golden Ant Kings. Unfortunately, they were all clustered around the Golden Ant King ancestor. Even if Lu Mingyuan was confident in himself, he didnt think he could handle the challenge of reaching the island to kill an Ant King. My mission thats right, my mission! I havent completed it yet! As if remembering something, Lv Pei glanced at the dwindling number of Demonic Ants in the passage and his face became flustered. At that moment, Lu Mingyuan suddenly noticed that the halo beneath his feet had disappeared. Startled, he called out, Song Jian, where did Song Jian go? Chapter 504 - Chapter 504: Chapter 504: Magic Tower Chapter 504: Chapter 504: Magic Tower Lu Mingyuan and Lv Pei suddenly realized that Song Jian seemed to have left the ant nest. Looking at the mission bar, Lv Pei noticed that more than a hundred Demonic Worker Ants, over sixty Demonic Soldier Ants, and three Demonic Ant Queens remained unslain, and his face immediately fell into despair. He knew he had lost his eligibility to complete this epic-level task. If only I had his power Lv Pei silently thought to himself, glancing at Lu Mingyuan. Lv Pei had not fully appreciated Song Jians ability. Inside the Protection Black Mist, he had assumed it was merely a stroke of good luck for Song Jian. However, in the tunnels of the nest, faced with countless creatures, he and Lu Mingyuan were forced to collaborate. Lu Mingyuan had revealed nearly eighty to ninety percent of his strength, which not only surprised Lv Pei but also ignited a slow burn of jealousy within him. Meanwhile, Song Jian had returned safely to Manor Castle through the golden Teleportation Gate. Although the intense monster hunting had significantly increased his level, the mental exhaustion couldnt be alleviated by a few potions. Song Jian inspected his gains: over a thousand pieces of blue-quality Ant Shells, three silver-quality Ant Shells, a blueprint of the Demonic Ant Queen Sets gauntlet, and a Golden Ant King Egg. In exchange, he had completely depleted the supplies in his inventory, even the high-grade healing potions, and, more critically, lost a powerful Demonic Ant Queen slave. However, the minions gained through the Abyss Temptation skill had a high chance of betraying and backfiring. Should their power surpass Song Jians, the likelihood of betrayal would shoot up to nearly one hundred percent. With this in mind, Song Jian resolved to treat any minions gained through the Abyss Temptation skill as expendable resources rather than dedicating himself to training them as combat pets. Now, the only thing troubling Song Jian was the Golden Ant King Egg. Song Jian already had a Black Dragon hatchling, an elite companion. He felt it would drain him to nurture another Golden Ant King; but then again, an elite flying pet like this was a rare find, and he was reluctant to sell it. Ill keep it in my inventory for now and turn in the epic task first. Ill decide what to do based on the task reward, Song Jian decided, glancing at the Ant King Egg in his hand. He shook his head and put it away again. Leaving Manor Castle, Song Jian headed towards the Shadow Circus Troupe on the border of his territory. It had only been two or three days, but the Shadow Circus Troupes reputation had already spread throughout Doomsday City. The circus was now swarming with people. Aside from the multitude of leisurely NPCs, the number of players had also multiplied. Hey, Ive been given another scavenger hunt task. The reward is a silver-quality shoulder pad. Incredible! So what? I heard someone received an appointment task here and gained a rare profession Have you seen that Night Elf lady? I heard if you build up your relationship with her to worship status, you can invite her to be a follower Most of the players visiting the Shadow Circus Troupe were there for the missions it offered. The rich mission rewards of the Shadow Circus Troupe attracted a considerable number of players. As Song Jian approached the circus, a deafening rumble suddenly resonated in his ears, as thunderous as a clap of thunder, making everyone in the territory gasp. He turned his head and saw a seven-story tower in his territory emitting radiant, colorful light. Intense magical energy was blossoming from the pinnacle of the tower, flowing down the left side and seeping into the towers base. Then, the magical energy flowed from the towers base to its pinnacle via the right side, forming a constant cycle. Is this the Magic Tower completed? Song Jian wondered to himself. Once the Magic Tower was built, as long as a Mage resided in the tower, the safety level of Song Jians Safehouse could be elevated another level. Behold the Magic Tower! Hahaha, my Master built this for me. Praise be upon you, my greatest Master! Youve breathed new life into me. Your servant, Wallace, pledges undying loyalty to you! In mid-air, a naked figure suddenly flew out of Song Jians Manor Castle, hovering and laughing in ecstasy. Wallace, put some clothes on! Song Jian yelled, furrowing his brow. Clothes Oh my god! Wallaces figure suddenly dispersed, transforming into a swarm of red bats and flying towards Manor Castle. It seems the Mage presiding over the Magic Tower is already in place, Song Jian shrugged, continuing his journey to the Shadow Circus Troupe. As soon as he entered the circus, he saw Hacus the old beastman leaning on a cane, slowly walking towards him. Hacus, Im delighted to see you! Song Jian laughed, opening his arms and walking towards Hacus. I seem to recall that you didnt have this cane the last time we met. Why are you using it now? His gaze fell first on Hacuss cane. The cane appeared to be carved from a single piece of wood, its surface ornate with intricate designs. Some details were indistinct due to years of use. The cane radiated a sense of the passage of time and the weight of history. Having handled various valuable items, Song Jian had developed a strong ability to assess them. He noticed the cane the moment Hacus appeared on the stage. If this cane is a piece of equipment, its at least silver-quality, or perhaps even higher, Song Jian thought to himself. Ahem, Ive been hit with a chill these days. My strength is greatly reduced, and even moving around has become harder. I had no choice but to rely on my old friend here Hacus coughed, smiling weakly. Song Jian was taken aback. When he focused his attention on Hacus again, he realized that Hacus did seem much weaker than before. He had felt threatened by Hacuss power when they had first met, but it seemed like Hacus had suddenly lost most of his strength, becoming a true old man. The loss of power, a common cold couldnt cause such significant damage This thought immediately flashed through Song Jians mind. However, he didnt show any confusion on his face, but gently patted Hacuss shoulder and said with concern, My old friend, you must take good care of yourself. Its all destiny! Hacus gave Song Jian a meaningful look. I can tell that youve perfectly completed the task I gave you. Heres your reward. I hope it satisfies you. With that, Hacus handed Song Jian a treasure chest the size of a soccer ball and slowly walked away. Chapter 505 - Chapter 505: Chapter 505: Blueprint of the Suit Chapter 505: Chapter 505: Blueprint of the Suit System: You have completed the epic quest given to you by Shadow Circus Troupe leader, Hacus, and have obtained an Epic Chest; your favorability level with the Shadow Circus Troupe has been elevated to Respect; you have gained 500 Shadow Circus Troupe points; Upon seeing the system notification, an excited smile appeared on Song Jians face instantly; An Epic chest, this is truly an Epic chest! If it yields any gear, it would probably be the first Epic gear in the game. Compared with the Epic gear, the favorability level, the Shadow Circus Troupe points, they all were trivial and unworthy of mention! Song Jian didnt even glance at what purpose Shadow Circus Troupe points served, his eyes were solely fixed on the chest in his hand. However, this is not the place to open the Epic chest, so Song Jian suppressed his excitement, and stored the chest in his inventory. The abnormality in Hacuss behavior that he displayed earlier, Song Jian had already forgotten about it, his whole being was fully engrossed in the Epic item. As he was eagerly turning around to return to Manor Castle to open the chest, a player suddenly yelled out loud, Hahaha, I finally traded for the blueprint of the Golden Worker Ant Set! Song Jian froze for a moment, turned his head to look, not far away, in front of a tent, a player wearing leather armor was waving a forging blueprint in his hands, showing off excitedly; The blue set blueprints indeed good, but do you have the materials to forge this gear? a player next to him snorted disdainfully. What do you understand, since we can exchange for blueprints, we definitely can obtain the forging materials, its just that we havent found it yet The player who received the forging blueprint calmed down a bit, glanced scornfully at the mocking player, and stored the blueprint in his inventory. Exactly, and most importantly, this circus wont stay here forever. Once they depart, the Golden Worker Ant Set will become out of print another player sighed. As we know, once any item in the game becomes out of print, it will be adored by a vast number of players. Remembering that the items exchanged from the Shadow Circus Troupe would no longer appear in the future, a large number of players instantly became restless and blocked the tent where the blueprints could be exchanged. Seeing that he couldnt squeeze in for a while, Song Jian glanced at a player next to him, nudged toward the crowd with his lips, and asked, Hey, brother, can you tell me what that guy has traded for? You, you just got, got internet connection, dont you even know, know this? This player was actually a stutterer. He looked down at Song Jian and his tone was filled with an inexplicable sense of superiority: You, you, you just have to complete, complete the tasks, tasks posted by the circus, then, you, you can get, get, get points. You, you, you can use these points to exchange, exchange for a lot of out, out, out-of-print treasures Although the players speech was strenuous to listen to, Song Jian attentively listened and soon understood that so many players came to do the tasks published by the Shadow Circus Troupe not just for the hefty task rewards. Each completed task not only gave out task rewards, but also provided points which could be used to exchange for a lot of good stuff from the Shadow Circus Troupes staff; Hey, I traded for a helmet blueprint of the Golden Soldier Ant Set, who wants to buy it? Highest bidder gets it, no poor offers! At that moment, a player flourishingly waved his forging blueprint, emerged from the tent, and yelled loudly as he walked. Asssembling a Set requires too many forging blueprints. If you only get one or two pieces, you cannot fully utilize the advantage of the Set, so some players often sell the blueprint after trading for it; The Gol, Golden Soldier, Soldier Ant Set is better, better than the Worker, Worker Ant Set by a long shot! The stuttering player adjacent to them said enviously. Golden Worker Ant, Golden Soldier Ant, then is there an even better set? A thought occurred to Song Jian and he quickly asked. Of, of course there is, compared, compared to Golden Worker Ant and Soldier Ant Sets theres the Demonic Worker Ant, Demonic, Demonic Soldier Ant Sets Hearing Song Jians query, the player next to him immediately answered, as if knowing something Song Jian didnt made him something of a higher rank. Song Jian just smiled, not minding the stuttering players attitude, and continued to ask, Are there even better set blueprints? The stuttering player paused, looked Song Jian up and down, and said with surprise, It, it seems you, you really are a bit not, not ordinary Of, of course there are better set blueprints, but, but Im, Im afraid it, it, it will scare you! The stuttering player glanced at Song Jian and said, Gold, Golden Ant King Set, Demonic Ant, Ant King Set, these, these two sets are the, the top tier sets, but, but pity that you cant, cant trade for them Golden Ant King Set, Demonic Ant King Set? A corner of Song Jians mouth slightly turned up, seems like his guess was correct, the Shadow Circus Troupe really did have the blueprints for these two sets; If only there was Golden Ant King Ancestor Set Song Jian secretly thought to himself. You, you know something The stuttering player deliberately looked around then whispered something in Song Jians ear. What? According, according to rumors, the Shadow Circus Troupe has, has, has gold quality set, set blueprints The stuttering player spoke softly. Gold quality set blueprints? Song Jian was startled, as we know, the Worker Ant and Soldier Ant sets were blue quality, and the Ant King sets individual pieces were already silver quality. If there really are Gold quality set blueprints, then it must be the individual pieces of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set So there really is an Ant Emperor Ancestor Set? Song Jian spoke to himself. What, what, what did, did you just, just say? The stuttering player asked, puzzled. Oh, nothing, who can I get the Gold quality set blueprints from? Song Jian asked. Hey, anyone else wouldnt know this The stuttering player grinned proudly: But, but I, I happen to know While saying this, he stretched out his right hand, and rubbed his thumb and index finger in front of Song Jian a couple of times, raised his eyebrows, and looked at Song Jian with a smile on his face. Song Jian paused, took a deep breath, took out a thousand Doomsday Coins from his inventory, and handed them to the other party; Only, only one thousand Do you want it, or should I take it back Song Jians face sank as he spoke. One thousand, one thousand is, is okay The stuttering player quickly took the Doomsday Coins and whispered into Song Jians ear: According, according to rumors, you can get the, the news of, of, of the gold-quality set blueprints from the circus, circus, circus leader Hacus? An astonished look appeared on Song Jians face. Chapter 506 - Chapter 506: Chapter 506: Equipment Box Chapter 506: Chapter 506: Equipment Box Eh, you actually, actually know, know the name of the circus, circus, circus boss? The stuttering player looked at Song Jian in astonishment. Song Jian gave a faint smile, and after observing for a while, slowly exited the crowd. The stuttering player glanced at Song Jians fading figure, appearing as if deep in thought. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and followed Song Jian out of the crowd. Hacus, I cant believe he actually possesses the blueprint for the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set Song Jian mumbled to himself as he walked. After asking around, Song Jian arrived at Hacus tent; despite being the leader of the Shadow Circus Troupe, Hacus dwelling was far from conspicuous. The tent was small and an unremarkable grey, its edges weather-worn, and a large patch of white cloth sewn into the left side. If Song Jian hadnt triple-checked, he would never have thought that Hacus lived here. There was no guard outside the tent, only a half-rolled curtain; Song Jian approached, lifted the curtain and saw the old Beastman Hacus sitting at a wooden table, slowly sipping a thick, green liquid. Seeing Hacus weary expression, it was obvious the green liquid was as unpleasant as the smell it gave off. Hearing the curtain rustle, and sensing someone come in, Hacus eyed his visitor warily, his right hand quickly moving to his waist; Why, its you? Recognizing Song Jian, Hacus immediately relaxed, then frowned and took another sip of the green liquid, coughing twice as he asked. Are you ill? Song Jian sniffed the pungent smell in the air, recognizing one or two of the herbs. However, with his basic knowledge of alchemy, Song Jian could only identify a few of the components; Cough, didnt I tell you, a bit of a cold Hacus squinted at Song Jian and asked, What brings you here? Song Jian smiled slightly. The excuse of a cold was absurd, and probably even Hacus didnt believe it. Song Jian, however, didnt call him out on it; I heard you know about the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set? Song Jian asked straightforwardly. By now, his favourability with the Shadow Circus Troupe had reached Reverence, so asking Hacus for information wouldnt be rejected. If it were any other player, without reaching a certain level of favourability, not only would they be unable to inquire from Hacus, but they would probably also face Hacus wrath just by entering his tent. Hacus was silent for a while, then asked Song Jian with a strange look, Havent you looked at your task reward yet? Too many people, havent had time to open it, plan to look at it when I get back! Song Jian casually remarked with a shrug. Why not open it now? Hacus suggested. Song Jian paused, seemed to realize something, then took the epic-level chest from his inventory and placed it on the table. Open it now? Song Jian rubbed his hands and glanced at Hacus. Hacus smiled and nodded; Song Jian placed his right hand on the epic-level chest. The reward chest of the task doesnt require time to open, it can be opened directly; Ka-chuck~ The epic-level chest opened, a faint purplish-red light emanated from the chest, though the glow was very weak. Song Jian opened the chest completely, and the epic-level chest disappeared. In its place on the wooden table was a square metal box with a handle. On the four sides of the metal box, there was a relief of a giant golden ant; This metal box looked rather old, with rust stains at some corners, and numerous marks of cutting and hacking on its surface, as if it had been through many battles. Hacus Equipment Box (Special Item), Epic level, Item Description: This is Hacus former battle gear. It has accompanied him through countless battles and is his most intimate companion; Equ, equipment box? Song Jian looked at the attributes of this metal box and was stunned. Open it and see. Looking at the metal box, a gentle smile surfaced on Hacus face. Song Jian grabbed the round handle of the box and pulled hard; Clatter~ The sound of gears grinding and turning came from within the box. The entire box opened completely to reveal a model of a golden ant regally roaring towards the sky; No, no, this isnt a model, this, this is, this is equipment, this is a complete set of equipment! Song Jian was dumbfounded. He didnt expect that the reward for the epic-level task assigned by Hacus would be a full set of equipment; This, is the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set! Hacus sighed softly as he touched the set. Golden quality, golden quality, it is, it is all golden quality Song Jian carefully examined each piece of equipment in the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set. Each individual piece was of golden quality, and the full set combined was of epic level; Level 30 equipment, but, this durability is a bit too low, isnt it? Song Jian scanned it carefully. Upon completion, he couldnt help but frown. The set was complete with a helmet, chest armor, shoulder guards, gloves, trousers, leg guards, hand guards, boots and a beltnine items in total. And two pieces of equipment together added an extra attribute. Each extra piece added another attribute. With nine pieces, there were eight additional attributes in total. These eight additional attributes made the whole set of epic level. What slightly upset Song Jian was the low durability of this set. All were below ten points, the chest armor durability was even reduced to three points. Song Jian suspected that if he wore this set of equipment, roughly half the setup would be ruined after fighting for five or six hours. Although its epic level, if the durability is too low, the value will be much less Song Jian looked somewhat pained. Moreover, the most important thing was that, currently, the blacksmith shop could only repair silver quality equipment. Any equipment exceeding silver quality required a Master Level Forging Master for repairs. Even in the City of Hymns, there had never been a Master Level Forging Master. Even high-level Forging Masters were extremely rare. Therefore, theres no way to repair this Golden Ant King Ancestor Set. Who said this set of equipment cant be repaired? Hacus looked up at Song Jian and said, We have people in the Shadow Circus Troupe who can repair it What, really? Song Jians eyes sparkled with glee, he asked in surprise. Chapter 507 - Chapter 507: Chapter 507: The Art of Throwing Knife Chapter 507: Chapter 507: The Art of Throwing Knife If this set of epic-level equipment could not be repaired, Song Jian would only treat it as a decoration, something to occasionally take out and admire. Now that he had the chance to repair it, Song Jian would definitely seize it; Hacus, youre not honest at all. As a quest reward, why not give me a brand new set? Giving me a used set is forgivable, but its even about to become scrap metal Song Jian complained. Hehe, do you think I dont want to repair it? You should know that it has accompanied me for decades. If it were not for it, I would have died without even leaving a corpse behind. Hacus said with a bitter smile. Enough, enough, tell me who can repair this set of equipment, I want to fix it as fast as possible, Song Jian remarked. Although this set of equipment requires a level 30 to be worn, Song Jian levelled up quickly. It wouldnt take long for him to wear it if he focused on leveling up. Once the equipment is repaired, and he reaches level 30, he can put on the epic-level Golden Ant King Ancestor Set and ride the Black Dragon mount. By then, challenging first-rank Combat Power would be much easier. If he can reach this goal, Song Jian would undoubtedly be the number one player in the game. Go to the tent at the far left of the circus, the one embroidered with a burning rose. Look for a girl named Betty there, and tell her that old Hacus sent you, Hacus said, shaking his head. Hacus touched the side of the metal box, and the whole box closed up again. Alright, leave it to me. Song Jian put the equipment box into his inventory and couldnt wait to leave Hacuss tent. Far away, Yuan Peilong watched in surprise as Song Jian walked out of Hacuss tent, mumbling: I didnt, didnt expect, he, he actually knows, knows the head of the circus Song Jian quickly found the tent embroidered with the burning rose. At that moment, a red-haired girl was practicing throwing knives at a wooden target five meters away in front of the tent. This girl looked only seventeen or eighteen, she was quite short but had a great figure. She wore a tight leather armor on her upper body, revealing her shoulders and arms, a battle skirt on her lower body, engraved with glimmering metal protective plates. Moving inward, she was wearing a loincloth, with tall boots on her feet; She wore a belt round her slim waist, crammed with throwing knives, and in her hand, she held four or five more knives; There was a black cloth covering her eyes, and she was throwing the knives solely by perceptual ability. However, she was extremely accurate with her throwing knives; all the knives stuck deep into the center of the target, and together, they made the pattern of a blooming rose; Song Jian waited quietly by her side, waited until all her throwing knives were stuck in the targets heart, waited till she took off the black cloth from her eyes, and then walked up to her and said, Hello, my name is Song Jian, Hacus asked me to find you. He said you could help me repair this equipment Song Jian took out the equipment box and placed it on the ground; Betty raised her eyebrows, her gaze fell first on the equipment box, then on Song Jian. A meaningful smile appeared on her face as she whispered: I didnt expect that old man to actually give you this equipment set When she finished speaking, Betty walked towards the wooden target and pulled out the throwing knives, slipping them back into her belt; Indeed, I can repair this set. But why should I help you? Betty looked Song Jian up and down, a proud look on her face. What do I need to offer to earn your assistance? Song Jian asked with a smile; If that old man gave this set to you, it seems that he values you greatly Betty stroked her smooth chin thoughtfully, and mumbled to herself, That old mans vision is usually accurate. Could this guy really have something special about him? After hesitating for a moment, Betty revealed a mischievous smile as she stared at Song Jian, making him uncomfortable. Well, if you help me practice my knife-throwing skills for a while, I promise to help you fix this set, Betty said cheerfully. Is it that simple? Song Jian became suspicious. The equipment had never been repaired during Hacuss time. If its really so simple to fix, why didnt Hacus do it himself? Its just that simple, Betty affirmed, nodding her head. Okay, Ill do it, Song Jian hesitated for a moment, but eventually agreed. Great. Betty giggled, pulling Song Jian in front of the wooden target and saying, First of all, I will tie you to this wooden target, then I will stand at a distance and throw knives. The knives will stick precisely at your surroundings You saw my knife-throwing skills just now; its very precise. Ill absolutely not hit you Betty said seriously. When Song Jian heard that they planned to rope him to the wood target, he immediately knew what Betty intended to do. It startled him, and he carefully looked at Betty twice. Level 30, first-rank battle power Song Jian was speechless for a moment. He didnt expect that this petite girl before him would be so strong. You really wont hit me? Song Jian asked. I promise, I absolutely wont! Betty said quickly, her face serious. But the teasing look in her eyes didnt escape Song Jians notice. Song Jian looked at the wooden target, then at Betty, hesitating for a long time before he slowly nodded. Great, this will be my grand finale as Betty the One-Blade Piercing Heart Throwing Knife. She cheered, and dragged Song Jian to the wooden target where she bound his hands and feet in a big shape. With my strength, even if she stabs me a couple of times, she cant kill me instantly. Plus, I also have a shield skill, as well as the Morphing into Dark Cloud ability. As long as she doesnt kill me instantly, this task is only thrilling but not dangerous, Song Jian thought to himself. Betty walked to a place five meters away from the wooden target and was about to throw a knife when she suddenly stopped. She seemingly remembered something. Then, Song Jian saw Betty continue to backtrack until she was eight meters away from the wooden target. Betty stopped and nodded to herself. Good, this time, Im going to challenge an eight-meter throwing knife skill. Lets do it! Betty cheered for herself; Swish~ Before Song Jian had time to react, a shining blade was already lodged into the wooden target near his temple. The blade of the knife was less than three centimeters from his eye, he could even feel a slight chill coming from the knife; -210 A damage number popped up from Song Jians head. Feeling the blood slowly dripping from his brow, Song Jian suddenly had a bad feeling. Chapter 508 - Chapter 508: Chapter 508: Almost Died Chapter 508: Chapter 508: Almost Died She didnt even hit me directly, just the daggers energy, and I already lost 200 Vitality Points Song Jians face turned pale, and a bad feeling surfaced in his heart. Yay, perfect! Far away, Betty clenched her fists and raised them in excitement, cheering aloud. Can we please wait a moment Song Jian shouted loudly. Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ This time, three daggers circled around Song Jians head, with one of them slashing through his cheek before embedding into the wooden target. -172 -150 -280 Three more damage numbers floated above Song Jians head, his over two thousand Vitality Points had almost plummeted by half. What the hell! Betty has more than ten to twenty daggers on her waist, and my Vitality Points are already almost halved after just four throws. The most important thing is that these are just simple scratches. Song Jian now believes that Betty definitely has the strength to kill him instantly. Buzz~ With a thought, Song Jian activated the Heart of Ice, and a pale blue Frost Shield appeared around his body. With 800 Defense Points on the Frost Shield, it should be able to block at least four more daggers, right? Song Jian thought to himself. Upon seeing the Frost Shield surface around Song Jians body, a smirk appeared on Bettys lips. She suddenly feigned realization and yelled, Oh no, how could I forget? I usually perform blindfolded! With that, Betty took out the black cloth used earlier, wrapped it around her eyes twice, and tied it shut. Holy crap, is she insane?! In Song Jians mind, a million horses galloped past. Why am I upgrading the set? Why do I need to upgrade the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set? Are my Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword not good enough, or can I not single-handedly defeat elite bosses anymore? My equipment already surpasses most players, so why do I need to upgrade this set? Song Jian felt bitter, wanting to cry. Screw this, Im not playing anymore! With a thought, Song Jian instantly tried to Morph into a Dark Cloud, seeking escape from the wooden target. However, he soon received a skill release failed notice. System: You are in a state of Sealed Escape Skills, Morphing into Dark Cloud skill release failed. Sealed Escape Skills? Can I even play properly anymore Feeling helpless, Song Jian couldnt help shedding tears of frustration. Unexpectedly, his trump card became useless before it even saw action. In a panic, Song Jian began struggling vigorously. The wooden target shook, creaking loudly, revealing his incredible strength reaching an astonishing 50 points, bordering on a superhuman level. Although sealed on the target, the restriction only limited his skills, not his physical attacks. Amidst Song Jians struggle, the shackles binding his hands and feet started to sway, and small cracks appeared at the connection point with the wooden target. Frowning, Bettys face turned cold, with an icy aura as she snorted. Like a razor-sharp line, she shot the dagger at Song Jian; Clang clang clang~ This time, the daggers drew even closer to Song Jian, with almost every single one cutting into the Frost Shield. The collision created cracks and shattered the shield completely, the defense instantly reduced to zero. As all the daggers embedded into the wooden target, Song Jians Vitality Points barely hung on, with less than 500 left. Im going to die! Song Jian broke out in cold sweat, not hesitating to activate the second shield, the Bloodthirsty Shield. This was a golden-grade equipment of Song Jian, a special effect of the Ring of Blood; Bloodthirsty (Active): Upon activation, the user gains a Bloody Shield with 1000 defense points. 50% of the damage Bloody Shield takes will be converted into Vitality Points for the user. When the Bloody Shield shatters, all enemies within range will take 500 true damage and be inflicted with a trembling state, preventing them from attacking or moving for 3 seconds; Cooldown: 60 minutes This ability was much stronger than Frost Shield, but with a long cooldown, Song Jian rarely used this skill, only using it as a last resort in life-and-death situations! Huh, you have quite a few life-saving skills! There was a hint of astonishment in Bettys eyes. Though her eyes were blindfolded, her strong perception allowed her to detect everything around her, making the blindfold essentially no hindrance; Bettys lips curled up, staring at Song Jian with great interest. For Betty, this was an unconventional challenge. Her thrown daggers had to bring Song Jians Vitality Points to the lowest without making any contact, whereas Song Jian only needed to ensure his own survival. At this point, Betty still had eight daggers on her C four in her hand, and four tucked in her waist; Her fingers danced, and the four daggers gracefully leaped in Bettys right hand like mischievous elves, yet completely under her control. With a flushed face, Song Jian clenched his right hand and broke free from the handcuffs on the wooden target with a bang. Before Song Jian could show any joy, Betty snorted coldly, and a flash of cold light swiftly flew through the space connecting the handcuffs and the wooden target, nailing the handcuffs firmly back onto the target. Dont move, these daggers dont have eyes! Betty warned coldly. Song Jian instantly felt a chill run up his legs, daring not to move; Wham! Wham! Wham~ Three more daggers flew past Song Jians body and penetrated the wooden target. This time, the red light of the Bloodthirsty Shield violently trembled but remained unshattered; Huh, interesting Betty appeared to take the challenge more seriously. She drew the remaining four daggers from her waist, clasping her hands together and throwing them with all her strength towards the wooden target; Pop! Pop! Pop~ The Bloodthirsty Shield finally shattered after three explosive sounds. At the moment the shield shattered, a green light fell on Song Jian from above, raising his Vitality Points from just over 400 to 820; Simultaneously, a surge of energy erupted from Song Jians body. Unable to withstand the 500 true damage, the wooden target behind him broke apart. Pop! Pop! Pop~ The wooden target disintegrated into countless fragments, scattering in every direction. Song Jian was instantly freed and fell from the target to the ground; At this moment, the last dagger flew at Song Jians chest. Had the wooden target not shattered and Song Jian still bound, the dagger would have only struck the left side of his waist on the target. However, as Song Jian fell to the ground, the daggers trajectory shifted abruptly from his waist to his chest; Watch out! Bettys face changed dramatically. She had only meant to scare Song Jian, not kill him. Seeing the dagger aiming for his chest, she panicked. At the critical moment, a black shadow suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian, transforming into his double; Abyssal Phantom! The moment the phantom appeared, the dagger pierced its chest. A damage figure of over 1800 emerged from the phantoms head, causing the just-summoned Abyssal Phantom to shatter like a soap bubble. Chapter 509 - Chapter 509: Chapter 509: Blueprint Chapter 509: Chapter 509: Blueprint Betty didnt expect Song Jian to break free from the wooden target on his own; this was completely beyond her expectation. If Song Jian didnt move, the last flying knife would just graze his body and embed itself into the wooden target, leaving him in a near-death state at most. However, now Song Jian had broken free, his position changed, and the last flying knife posed a risk to his life. Since Song Jian could take out the equipment box, it was evident that he had a good relationship with Hacus. Everyone in the Shadow Circus Troupe knew about this set of equipment. If Betty accidentally killed Song Jian this time, Hacus would probably be furious. Fortunately, Song Jian had many life-saving skills. Abyssal Phantom appeared, and the flying knife instantly killed the Phantom Clone. Song Jians face was pale; the power of this knife astonished him. Even he himself would find it difficult to instantly kill Phantom Clone since it had seventy percent of his attributes. Betty patted her chest, scared out of her wits. Seeing Song Jian still alive, she showed a relieved expression on her face, but it quickly faded. She walked up to Song Jian, tossed a purple potion at him, and said with distaste, Youre so weak. My flying knife didnt even touch you, and you look like youre about to die. Were you scared? Song Jian gave a bitter smile, took the purple potion, and was stunned when he looked at it. Full Recovery Potion? Instantly fills 100% Vitality Points, with a cooldown time of 30 seconds? Song Jian exclaimed. All right, drink it quickly, and dont tell the old guy about it. It was just for fun, and youre just too fragile Betty said nervously. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, ultimately putting the potion into his inventory. As for his lost Vitality Points, he wasnt in battle right now, so he could just wait for them to recover slowly. It would only take two or three hours for Song Jians Vitality Points to be fully restored. Do you have the Alchemy formula for the Complete Recovery Potion? Song Jian asked, glancing at Betty. I dont know Alchemy Betty rolled her eyes. Song Jian nodded. Hacus told him to find Betty to repair the equipment. Obviously, her Forge Art must have reached a high level. It was reasonable that she didnt excel in Alchemy, but there must be someone in the Shadow Circus Troupe who was an expert in Alchemy. Um, my equipment Song Jian pointed at the equipment box. Of course, since I promised you, Ill fix it for you Bettys eyes gleamed slyly and nodded. Thank you so much Song Jian nodded, his heart filled with tears. After all, he had just risked his life for this chance to repair the equipment! Dont be in a hurry; I havent finished talking Betty waved her hand, and Song Jian suddenly felt a sense of unease. I can repair this equipment, but you have to provide the materials required for the repair said Betty. May I ask what materials are needed and how much of them? Song Jian asked cautiously. He finally understood why after so many years, Hacus hadnt repaired the equipment. Apparently, the last difficulty must be the materials required for the repair. Youll need the Ant shells from the Golden Ant Clan Betty said. Thats easy Song Jian sighed in relief. He had plenty of ant shells in his inventory, which was almost full. Golden-quality Ant shells Betty added. Song Jian: Ordinary soldier ants and worker ants would only drop blue-quality Ant shells, while the Ant King would have a chance to drop silver-quality ones. To get golden-quality Ant shells, they had to hunt down the Ant King Progenitor. If Song Jian hadnt witnessed the power of the Ant King Progenitor, he would have agreed to do it. However, now that he had seen the power of the Ant King Progenitor, he didnt dare to say he could kill it, even if he reached level 30 and attained the First-Order Combat Power. No wonder Hacus hasnt been able to repair this equipment for so many years Song Jians face suddenly darkened. This equipment was just his gear before he gained First-Order Combat Power. Theres no need to repair it at all. After he gained First-Order power, he stopped using this equipment Betty said, sticking out her tongue. Is there any other way? Song Jian asked tentatively. Regular blue Ant shells will also work, Betty suddenly said. But you must have a large number of blue-quality Ant shells. I can merge blue-quality Ant shells into silver-quality and then use silver-quality to merge into golden-quality Song Jians face showed a hint of joy; Betty glanced at him and said, To fully repair this equipment, youll need at least eight thousand blue-quality Ant shells. Also, theres a failure rate in the merging process. Lastly, I wont merge them for free. Ill need a certain amount of labor fees No problem! Song Jian waved his hand. The labor fee will be about 1.3 million Doomsday Coins Betty said. Song Jians waving hand suddenly froze. Originally, he thought it would only cost a few thousand Doomsday Coins, but he didnt expect it to be 1.3 million Doomsday Coins. Miss Betty, isnt this price a bit too high? Song Jian said with a bitter face. Although Song Jians current financial strength far exceeded that of ordinary players, 1.3 million Doomsday Coins was still beyond his means. Arent you a lord? Betty looked surprised, thinking that lords were supposed to be wealthy. Sorry, do you have a misunderstanding about lords? Song Jian said helplessly. Even if I sold my entire territory, I wouldnt have 1.3 million Doomsday Coins Fine, then give me 130,000 Doomsday Coins Betty waved her hand. Song Jian: Im so tired! Just when Song Jian was about to take out the money, he suddenly remembered something, took out a forging recipe from his inventory, and asked Betty, Can I use this recipe to substitute the 130,000 labor fees? Forging recipe? Betty looked interested. Let me see. Song Jian handed over the Demonic Ant Queen Set Gauntlet recipe he obtained from the Golden Ant Clan lair. The Demonic Ant Queen Set? Not bad. Let me see. Hmm, the forging method is somewhat different from what I know, but the handling of the forging arc is excellent Betty took the recipe and studied it carefully. After a long study, Betty seemed to remember that there was another person beside her. Looking slightly embarrassed, she coughed and raised her head, saying, All right, Ill accept this recipe for the labor fee Seeing Bettys excited expression, Song Jian wondered if he had just sold the recipe for too little Chapter 510 - Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Shadow Giant Dragon Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Shadow Giant Dragon In fact, after Song Jian gave most of the ant shells to Betty, the blueprint for the forging of the Demonized Ant Kings gauntlet had lost its value. Without the Demonized Ant Shell, it was impossible to forge this gauntlet, and importantly, Song Jian only has the blueprint for this gauntlet, without any blueprints for other parts. Even if he managed to make it, its value would be much diminished. Once he got the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set, Song Jian lost interest in the Demonic Ant Queen Set. These ant shells of yours are tainted with the aura of the Abyss; it would take a lot of work to rid them of it, Betty said while frowning, looking at the pile of blue-quality ant shells that resembled a small mountain. It would be a bother if you could do that, consider these as extra craftmanship cost, Song Jian took out a little over a thousand ant shells, chuckling as he did. Seeing Song Jian took out over a thousand ant shells, Betty looked slightly happier. Now Song Jian didnt have a single ant shell left from his Ant Cavern haul, but these materials didnt hold much value for him anymore. Compared to the thirty-level epic armor set in front of him, all this did not amount to much more than mere recycling. Leave it to me; come back for the equipment in three days, Betty swept the ant shells resembling a small mountain into her storage space with one wave of her hand and entered her tent. It was lively in the Shadow Circus Troupe, the equipment repair issue had been settled, and Song Jian was not in a hurry to level up, but began leisurely making his way around the troupe. Having only interacted with the Shadow Circus Troupe a few times, Song Jian rapidly discovered that the troupe harbored deep secrets. It was bolstered by impressive resources, such as the Complete Recovery Potion in the storage section, which piqued his curiosity. His Advanced Healing Potion was pretty decent, but compared to the Complete Recovery Potion, it was practically garbage. If only I could get my hands on the formula for the Complete Recovery Potion Song Jian muttered to himself. But he also knew that the difficulty of attaining the brewing method for the Complete Recovery Potion would be akin to the epic level mission he had previously completed. While Song Jian was wandering around, someone suddenly bumped into him, and a note found its way into his hand. Song Jian watched as the figure that had bumped into him quickly melted into the crowd, frowning slightly as he did. He opened the note to a drawing of a skull, and an address followed by the signature, your old slave. Qi Yun? Song Jian frowned. As far as Qi Yun was concerned, Song Jian remained indifferent. Even though Qi Yun had advanced to the profession of Shadow Priest, with colossal potential for the future, Song Jian felt that his Sword Controller was not any worse. Moreover, he was much higher in level than Qi Yun and could easily overpower him in head-on combat. However, it now seemed that Qi Yun had infiltrated the Shadow Circus Troupe. If conflict arose, it might disrupt the restoration of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set. Lets see what mischief this guy is up to, Song Jian began walking toward the address penned on the paper. Soon, Song Jian arrived at the edge of the Shadow Circus Troupe. There was an inconspicuous low tent, where a man with golden vertical pupils, fully wrapped in black cloth, was standing at the entrance. Upon spotting Song Jian, Qi Yun started to cough and laugh, emitting a creepy voice as if he was forcing it out from his throat. You finally came, Qi Yun said in a hoarse voice. What do you want? Out with it Song Jian said impatiently, If its about the same thing as last time, save it. The fact that I didnt report you to the Shadow Circus Troupe is a favor enough. Dont you get it! I called you over to offer you a good deal. Arent you going to listen? said Qi Yun. A good deal? What good deal? Song Jian scoffed. He found it hard to trust Qi Yuns words. If he were Qi Yun, he would probably wish the worst on himself. Hehe, are you going to discuss this out in the open? Qi Yun looked around and said, Lets go inside the tent. I trust you wont be afraid. Dont try to goad me, it wont work, Song Jian responded disdainfully, walking towards the tent. Qi Yun glanced around before entering the tent right behind Song Jian. The interior of Qi Yuns tent was very simple, comprised of a bed and several stools. Standing inside, Song Jian felt as if his head was about to touch the top of the tent. What is it? Song Jian asked. Qi Yun began by setting up an anti-spying enchantment in the tent. Soon, soft lights were emitted from the four corners of the tent. Song Jian felt as if the entire tent was enveloped in a bubble. If any mental strength tried to probe this place, he would be immediately found. However, the enchantment had no defensive capabilities. It could be effortlessly broken from the inside or the outside. Ive told you before, this Shadow Circus Troupe, in reality, is transporting a Shadow Crystal to the Shadow Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range Qi Yun spoke slowly. Song Jian listened attentively, with an initially dismissive expression that quickly changed into a serious one. So youre saying that there are shadow dragons in the Shadow Castle? And that the entire Shadow Circus Troupe is basically this dragons slave? Song Jian asked, stunned. Indeed. This is the information I gathered after joining the Shadow Circus Troupe. The reason why they are transporting the Shadow Crystal is because this Shadow Dragon is getting old and needs the crystal to sustain its life Qi Yun laughed, coughing as he did. What does this have to do with me? Song Jian asked, his face impassive. In fact, Song Jian was greatly shocked. Any dragon of any attribute was at the peak of the food chain. In this game, defeating a dragon would instantaneously make a player a fortune. Moreover, this was an elderly dragon on the brink of death, providing a tantalizing opportunity for Song Jian. However, Song Jian was clearly aware of his strength. He hadnt even reached the first combat power level yet. A large number of people in the Shadow Circus Troupe had already reached level one in combat power, and they were still reduced to being the Shadow Dragons servants, let alone Song Jian himself. A dragon isnt enough to whet your appetite? Qi Yun chuckled. Heh, you think too highly of me Song Jian shook his head and calmly said, although, he was now fully interested in this Shadow Dragon. Even if it is an aging dragon on the brink of death, it still has a few years, or even a decade of life left. I can afford to wait until Im stronger before hunting it down Song Jian thought to himself. Thats fine, since youre not interested in the Shadow Dragon, how about resurrection after death? Are you interested in that? Qi Yun asked, watching Song Jian closely. Resurrection after death? Song Jian felt a jolt run through his body. He stared at Qi Yun, his face filled with surprise. Chapter 511 - Chapter 511: Chapter 510: Signing the Contract Chapter 511: Chapter 510: Signing the Contract What is it that makes players fear this game? Isnt it that dying in the game means losing ones life in the real world? It is important to note that the danger level in this game is a thousand times, even ten thousand times higher than in the real world. Pick any dungeon or monster encountered on the road, and there is a possibility of losing ones life. Thus, after seeing so many people die, players in this game have become more cautious, willing to be conservative, missing out on some opportunities, but also ensuring their lives are safe. Are you saying you possess a resurrection skill? Song Jian asked in surprise. It is normal for a priest to possess the Resurrection Skill, but in this game, Song Jian has never heard of any priest who possesses it. Qi Yun laughed and took out a dazzling crystal ball and displayed it to Song Jian. Skill Crystal C Rebirth in Fire, special player skill. Skill Description: When a player with this skill has zero Vitality Points, they will be reborn in a nearby place with fire. After being reborn, the player becomes weakened, attributes decrease by 80% for one hour; Skill cooldown time: 24 hours; Usage requirements: Player. It really is a resurrection skill Song Jians eyes gleamed, and for a moment, his thoughts raced as he looked at Qi Yun with a malicious gaze. The good feelings between Song Jian and the Shadow Circus Troupe have already risen to admiration. If he kills Qi Yun now, the good feelings with the Shadow Circus Troupe will undoubtedly be affected; However, in front of the Rebirth in Fire skill, Song Jian did not care about any loss of goodwill with the Shadow Circus Troupe or even the entire territory of Doomsday City. Kill him, kill him and get this Skill Crystal Evil thoughts arose in Song Jians heart as sweat appeared on his forehead, and unconsciously, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword materialized in his palm. In Song Jians ear, barely audible moans were heard, as if someone was whispering in his ear, reciting something in the language of the Abyss. A hint of black aura appeared in Song Jians brows; At that moment, a cooling flow rushed through Song Jians head, waking him instantly; Whatwhat happened to me? Song Jian looked at the faint black aura that emerged around his body and could not help but feel a chill. Abyssal aura, I didnt expect you to have it too haha~ Qi Yun seemed to see something interesting, looking at Song Jian up and down and laughing. When you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss stares back at you Qi Yun suddenly said. Huh~ Song Jian took a deep breath, just now he really wanted to kill Qi Yun, even resorting to killing and looting here, he had to obtain that skill. Noticing Song Jians intentions, Qi Yun played with the crystal ball in his hand, This kind of Skill Crystal will be lost once it shatters, and this crystal is very fragile, even the slightest force could break it. What will it take for you to give me this skill? Song Jian asked with a stern face. His previous performance was too obvious, and Song Jian no longer had a chance to negotiate. No matter how harsh the conditions Qi Yun proposed, Song Jian could only grit his teeth and accept them. Even if it meant Slaughtering the entire Shadow Circus Troupe, gambling with the entire territorys resources, Song Jian would most likely agree. Resurrection and rebirth skills are simply too valuable for players. Dont worry, the task I have for you is definitely within your capabilities Qi Yun smiled, now in control of the situation. No matter what you ask me to do, I need to get this skill first Song Jian insisted, cutting off Qi Yun as he began to speak, These are the prerequisite conditions, or else we have no need to continue talking. Song Jian had made up his mind, once negotiations broke down, he would use any means necessary C steal or rob C to obtain this Skill Crystal even if it cost him everyone in the Shadow Circus Troupe. Seemingly noticing Song Jians determination, Qi Yun hesitated for a moment and slowly put away the crystal ball. Tell me, what do you need me to do Song Jian asked, Help you get the Shadow Crystal? No problem. Qi Yun glanced at Song Jian and slowly shook his head, This Shadow Crystal within the Circus Troupe seems to have a problem; my target is no longer it. What do you need then? Song Jian frowned. You know my profession Qi Yun looked at Song Jian, sighed, and said, To advance, I need a large number of Shadow Crystals. Since this Shadow Crystal cant meet my requirements, then I need to find another one. You want me to find another complete, problem-free Shadow Crystal for you? Song Jian asked in surprise. No, I need you to escort me to the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range and lure out the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour Qi Yun said. What, you actually Song Jians face was full of astonishment, he couldnt believe Qi Yuns audacity in targeting the Shadow Giant Dragon. Its a fully-grown Giant Dragon, I wouldnt stand a chance, let alone half an hour, Id probably be killed in an instant Song Jian shook his head. Compared to fighting a Giant Dragon for half an hour, killing Qi Yun seemed much easier. Dont worry, how could I give you a task you cant complete? Qi Yun looked at Song Jian and quickly said, It is said that the Shadow Giant Dragon took a serious irreparable injury during its maturity period. Its strength has significantly weakened; otherwise, it wouldnt be alone in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. With your strength, holding it off for half an hour is not an issue, and killing it may even be possible. Kill it? Song Jian was astonished, then he suddenly realized that the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range was only a level 30 dungeon after all. If he leveled up to 30 and gained the combat power of a first-order, then it might be possible for him to clear the dungeon. It seems that the injured Shadow Giant Dragon should be the final boss of the Dark Castle dungeon Song Jian guessed. Alright, if its really like you said, then Ill have no problem holding off that Shadow Giant Dragon. But I still need to get this Skill Crystal first Song Jian stared at Qi Yun. After pondering for a moment, Qi Yun said, If you can sign a Spirit of Authentication contract with me, then I can give you this skill first. In fact, Qi Yun didnt expect Song Jian to care so much about this skill. He didnt dare to keep it for himself any longer; perhaps Song Jian would agree now and then turn around and assassinate him to snatch the skill back. Qi Yuns strength was too weak, and this Skill Crystal was like a hot potato that he desperately wanted to discard. Agreed! Song Jian nodded without hesitation and quickly said. Chapter 512 - Chapter 512: Chapter 512: Skill Fusion Chapter 512: Chapter 512: Skill Fusion When players take on quests, they are essentially signing contracts with the NPCs who issue those quests. The game system supervises these contracts, guaranteeing rewards upon completion and imposing penalties if the quest fails. However, the indigenous inhabitants of this game world were not aware of the game system; they preferred to have a Spirit of Notarization to supervise when making agreements. Regardless of the supervisor, as long as Song Jian accepted the task, it would simply appear as a quest in his quest log. Qi Yun pulled out a small silver knife and cut his finger. A drop of dark red blood flowed out. Then, Qi Yun signaled for Song Jian to do the same. After cutting their fingers, Qi Yun recited an incantation. Summoning the Spirit of Notarization to oversee the contract was a skill that ensured both parties abided by the terms of the contract. Once breached, the consequences would be severe. Suddenly, the light in the tent dimmed. In the space between the pair, a milky-white light appeared out of thin air, followed by a translucent, octopus-like shadow. Qi Yun dripped his blood onto a parchment detailing the quest requirements, then handed it to Song Jian. Song Jian carefully read through the quest requirements and found no traps. He also dripped his blood onto the parchment. The Spirit of Notarization waved its tentacles and rolled up the parchment, slowly reading it out loud. Its voice manifested directly in their minds, leaving the tent in silence. The contract is established. Violators will be erased at a soul level! The voice of the Spirit of Notarization echoed in the depths of their minds. Agreed! Agreed! Both of them said. Whoosh~ The parchment burned in the Spirit of Notarizations tentacles. Then, it sent two translucent tentacles towards the pair, wrapping around them before the spirit slowly disappeared. Song Jian felt as if something was entangling his soul, leaving him with an uncomfortable sense of restraint. A quest notification appeared in his quest log. However, at the bottom of the notification, there was a line of small red text: The contract may be nullified by using Blood of Blasphemy. Seeing this last line, Song Jian couldnt help but smile. It seems that this so-called Spirit of Notarization is of a much lower grade than the game system Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun and thought, Moreover, not every NPC in the game has the right to issue quests! If Qi Yun could directly give quests to Song Jian like the Shadow Circus Troupe leader, there would be no need for the Spirit of Notarization. Using the so-called Spirit of Notarization not only required blood, but the contract could also be nullified by Blood of Blasphemy, a perfect method to avoid penalties for failed quests. After signing the contract overseen by the Spirit of Notarization, Qi Yun seemed relieved and directly handed the Skill Crystal over to Song Jian. Song Jian looked at the Skill Crystal and chose to use it without a second thought. Boom~ A burst of black flame suddenly erupted from Song Jians body, emitting an intense aura that forced Qi Yun, who was caught off guard, to retreat two steps, his back pressing against the tent. This what is this? Fear flickered in Qi Yuns eyes as he stared at the black flame surrounding Song Jians body, disbelief evident in his gaze. System: You used the player-specific skill Rebirth in Fire! This skill perfectly resonates with Abyssal Raging Flame. Do you want to bind these two skills? Note: If bound, a special unforeseen effect may occur, making the skill potentially more powerful or weaker. Fusion mutation? Song Jian was startled but quickly showed a look of joy. This kind of skill upgrade fusion rarely occurred before both skills reached level 10. Since the system already indicated a perfect fusion, there was a high probability that merging them would result in an even more powerful skill. Fuse! Song Jian declared inwardly. The black flame on Song Jians body gradually diminished and disappeared. The Rebirth in Fire skill he had just acquired also began to change. Enemy of Death God (Passive): Level MAX. Skill Effect: After Vitality Points reach zero, gain invincibility for 10 seconds, removing all skill costs and cooldown times. Skills on cooldown can still be used normally. After 10 seconds, the player can revive at any location within a 1000-meter radius. Upon revival, both Vitality Points and Spirit Points are restored to full, and all skills enter a cooldown period and cannot be used. Cooldown time: 12 hours. Skill Description: Fire is not synonymous with destruction. It also possesses the power to nurture life. This power is so potent that even the Death God cannot face it directly. Those who wield this power are considered the Death Gods greatest enemies! Perfect! Song Jian looked at the new skill that had formed from the perfect fusion of Abyssal Raging Flame and Rebirth in Fire, his face breaking into a delighted smile. The 10-second invulnerability and the ability to ignore skill costs and cooldown times gave Song Jian incredible retaliatory power. Even an enemy with one-grade combat power would be unable to withstand Song Jians 10 seconds of all-out assault. Moreover, after the 10 seconds, Song Jian could revive at any location within a one-kilometer radius. Though his skills would enter a cooldown, his fully restored Vitality and Spirit Points would grant him over 80% of his total combat power. This would allow him to choose his revival location based on the situation at hand. After the fusion, the cooldown time was reduced by half, down to twelve hours. In other words, after a fight, Song Jian could sleep and wake up with the skill available for use once more. Once the fusion was complete, the Abyssal Raging Flame skill disappeared and was replaced by Enemy of Death God. For Song Jian, this only meant that he couldnt benefit from the bonus of the Abyssal Magic Flame during secondary professions like alchemy or engineering. He rarely had the opportunity to use Abyssal Raging Flame during regular combat anyway. After the black flame vanished from his body, Qi Yun stared at Song Jian with a puzzled expression: What was that? It seems that this skill clashes somewhat with the power of the Abyss, Song Jian smiled and casually replied. As for whether or not Qi Yun would believe his explanation, Song Jian didnt concern himself with it. He just didnt want Qi Yun to know that the Rebirth in Fire skill had already fused and changed, significantly altering its properties. If Qi Yun ever tried to thwart him based on the effects of the Rebirth in Fire skill, Song Jian would deliver a significant surprise. Chapter 513 - Chapter 513: Chapter 513: A Series of Tasks? Chapter 513: Chapter 513: A Series of Tasks? They agreed that Song Jian would follow the Shadow Circus Troupe in secret to the Shadowfang Mountain Range, three days after their departure from Doomsday City. Having agreed on the details, Song Jian left the tent. Qi Yun sat inside the tent, tapping his fingers lightly, seeming deep in thought. The dark flame on him radiates an aura of the Abyss Qi Yun pondered, Could it be that he has become an Abyssal creature? No, thats not right. Abyssal creatures are always filled with murderous intent. He couldnt possibly be one of them. But, that dark flame The Level Four Abyssal Raging Flame on Song Jian greatly alarmed Qi Yun. Such advanced Magic Flames were typically known only to the mighty Abyssal Lords. Just then, Qi Yun sensed someone outside of his tent. Whos outside my tent? Qi Yun called out sternly. Hearing his voice, the person outside the tent noticeably trembled, and after a moment, a nervous Yuan Peilong peered inside. Upon seeing Qi Yun, he was visibly taken aback by his appearance, stiffening on the spot. What brings you here? Qi Yun asked Yuan Peilong gravely. Yuan Peilong swallowed hard and stuttered, Is there is there anything I I can assist you with? That phrase was typically used by players accepting quests from NPCs. Hearing that, Qi Yun formed an idea. Perhaps I can With that thought, a hint of a smile crept onto Qi Yuns face. Yet, due to the bandages that wrapped tightly around his body, Yuan Peilong could not discern Qi Yuns expression. Indeed, I do require your assistance Qi Yun gave a slow nod and retrieved a parchment from his pocket, starting to write on it. Yuan Peilong took the parchment to find a quest contract has been penned on it. Quest Name: The Threat of the Shadow Dragon. Stage One: Tracking? Upon carefully reading the contract, he was shocked and began trembling slightly. This this is a chain quest, a quest chain! Yuan Peilong roared in his heart. He had only heard of such quests before and had never seen one himself. The final reward of a quest chain was typically substantial, having the power to completely transform the abilities of an ordinary player. Chance! This is my golden opportunity! I, Yuan Peilong, am about to strike it rich! Yuan Peilong thought to himself excitably. If youre willing to accept this quest, place a drop of your blood on it Qi Yun instructed coldly. Blood? Alright, alright! Yuan Peilong had complete confidence in the quest and hurriedly dripped his blood onto the contract. Chain quests really are unique. Even the way of accepting them isnt like ordinary quests Yuan Peilong mused. The appearance of the Spirit of Verification made him appreciate the distinctiveness of chain quests. Even when he saw the note at the bottom of his quest log, Yuan Peilong scoffed. This level of quest was so sought after that it was impossible for anyone to revoke it willingly. You must keep this quest a secret, tell no one! All you need to do is report this persons daily activities to me. If Im satisfied with your report in three days, Ill give you the next step in the quest, Qi Yun stated. No, no problem! Yuan Peilong nodded in agreement. Looking at the reward of 5,000 Doomsday Coins for the first stage of his quest, Yuan Peilong was immediately thrilled. If the reward for the first stage was this generous, he couldnt even begin to imagine how grand the final prize would be upon the quests completion. Epic-quality gear? Special skills? Top-tier pets? Just thinking about it was enough for Yuan Peilong to start salivating. Watching the excited Yuan Peilong leave, Qi Yun scoffed with a look of disdain on his face, Pathetic god-favored. Upon returning to his territory, Song Jian noticed an increase in the number of players in his land. Checking the guild, he saw that the once sparse group had ballooned to a cohort of about forty players. Looks like Wang Qi and the others have been doing well while I was away! Song Jian commented with a smile. Oh, Guild Master, youre finally here! Seeing Song Jian standing in front of the Manor Castle, Wang Qi wore a delighted expression and hurried over. In reality, Song Jian had noticed Wang Qi quite early. Wang Qi was currently arranging the guild members Safe Houses. After several territorial expansions, Song Jians territory had become the largest safe zone in the area, and his status as the top player on the Honor Leaderboard had drawn many players to join Song Jians guild. However, Wang Qi and Luo Tianyu followed a quality over quantity approach in managing the guild members and had instituted strict selection criteria. Hence, despite its popularity, the guild only had about forty members. Otherwise, the guilds membership could have easily reached its limit. Have there been any significant problems with the guild? Song Jian asked, smiling. Wang Qi momentarily fell silent. Trying to develop the guild presented a multitude of challenges such as managing relationships among the guild players, arranging Safe Houses, organizing guild activities, scavenging for resources, and scouting the surroundings of the guild territory. He was so busy each day that his leveling was getting delayed. Unsure of where to start, he eventually responded with a succinct, Its manageable. Song Jian nodded. The guilds smooth development was largely attributed to Song Jians combat power and his territory. Since the construction of the Magic Tower, Song Jian could upgrade his Manor Castle again. The Level Five Safe House was already considered the highest level in Doomsday City. The towering Manor Castle could be seen clearly by all the players in the safe zone, making it the most prominent building nearby and attracting lots of players to join the guild. Just then, a player rushed over and reported to Wang Qi, Vice Guild Master, Ive found a Level 25 field boss. It seems to be injured and is hiding in a garage to rest A Level 25 field boss? Wang Qis interest was piqued. He ordered the player, Sun Li, gather our forces. Were going to take on this boss. Most players had already reached Level 20 or above, so a Level 25 field boss would naturally have enticing drops. Okay, Vice Guild Master. But well need to gather more people for this. While the boss is injured, it has summoned too many minions, at least a hundred Sun Li warned in a low voice. Over a hundred minions? What level are they? Wang Qi asked, startled. The lowest is Level 18, the highest is Level 20, Sun Li answered. Thats a bit troublesome Wang Qi frowned. If it was only an injured Level 25 field boss, that would still be manageable. However, with so many minions, even if every guild member participated, it might not be enough. Players in this game greatly cherished their lives as they were only granted one life. They would rather level up by killing lower level monsters than risk their lives battling higher level opponents. With so many minions, merely clearing them out would likely take an entire day. Perhaps we should forget about it. Its too risky After pondering for quite a while, Wang Qi eventually shook his head. Gather our forces. Ill also participate in this operation, Song Jian announced upon hearing Wang Qis decision. Wang Qi was taken aback, staring at Song Jian in surprise. He was about to say something, but seeing that Sun Li was still standing beside them, he simply nodded and instructed Sun Li, Gather our forces! Chapter 514 - Chapter 514: Chapter 514: War Alliance Activity Chapter 514: Chapter 514: War Alliance Activity Ever since the creation of the guild, Song Jian had never participated in any guild events, so much so that many new guild members have not met him even once till now. If it were not because his name constantly hanging under the guild leaders title in the list of guild members, many players would probably mistake the guild as a scam. Sun Li, in order to convene the guild members, looked at Song Jian with a somewhat mocking smile as he walked off, So the guild leader finally decided to participate in a guild event? Whatever the guild needs me to do in the future, just let me know. Song Jian said with a smile. Wang Qi nodded, he knew well that Song Jian often liked to go leveling in dangerous areas where normal players could not venture into, making it impossible for them to see him. However, Wang Qi understood that the guild could function without anyone, except they cant be without Song Jian. Half an hour later, more than 90% of the guild members gathered at Wang Qis call, totaling thirty-one people. All of them had gathered in an open area to the left of the guilds territory. A crowd of more than thirty people stood in a disorderly manner, curiously observing Song Jian, and carried out discussions among themselves. Wang Qi reported the situation to Song Jian. Two members are in dungeons, one member cant be contacted temporarily, the rest are all here. Wang Qi laughed, This is the largest gathering we had for a guild event since I became the Vice Alliance Leader. When Wang Qi usually organizes events, at most only a dozen or so people would come, of whom three or four would be close friends. Generally, the guild activities include hunting powerful bosses which are very dangerous, hence many people werent willing to participate. However, upon hearing that the guild leader would be participating today, many people were intrigued. Moreover, since the leader was present, the difficulty of the boss should not be too high; therefore, almost all guild members turned up. Hey, since I joined the guild, I havent seen the guild leader even once. A member who was looking at Song Jian murmured under his breath. Exactly, this is the number one in the glory rankings, he doesnt look that impressive! Not impressive? You all should take a close look at his gear and ring before you speak, theyre not bad. Dont disgrace yourselves Gear? He turned off the special effect of his gear, how do we see it? Saying youre dumb is really not wronging you, you cant even see the design and texture of the gear? Can common gear be compared to silver or gold quality gear? Gold quality gear? Are you saying he has gold quality gear on him? Very likely, and not only one piece The crowd was buzzing with chatter, it was just like a market place, without any form of discipline. But there was nothing that could be done, these people were all ordinary folks in reality. Those who could survive until now in the game all had some skills. If Song Jians strength were a bit weaker, he might not have been able to keep them in check. With these types of players, regardless of how many there are, they cant possibly defeat an army Song Jian muttered to himself a bit disappointedly in his heart. He had once encountered people from the Coastal Military Zone, and their meticulously disciplined appearance left a deep impression on Song Jian. A strategist from the military had previously invited him to join the Coastal Military Zone with the position of a junior officer, but Song Jian felt that his rank was too low and till now, he has not been in contact with them. Guild leader, would you like to say something to everyone? Wang Qi asked Song Jian in a low voice beside him. Forget it, lets head straight to the boss. Song Jian shook his head. Originally, he was full of expectations for the guild members, but after observing them, they were just undisciplined ragtag individuals which resulted in him losing interest. Sun Li, come out here quickly, tell us where to go. If we dont hurry, the boss will be snatched away by others. Wang Qi shouted loudly. Here, here, its at the Songhui Intersection. Everyone should be more cautious, this is a level 25 monster zone Sun Li shouted loudly. Most of the guild members have reached level 20 or above now, but a lot of them have never been to a level 20 monster zone. They generally stayed in the level 15 monster zone to grind, where it was not too dangerous even in unforeseen situations. Hey, I say, Sun Li, youre quite something, dare to venture into a level 25 monster zone? someone exclaimed in surprise. Hes a thief, capable of becoming invisible. He can easily escape from the monsters even if they discover him. Right, moreover, the higher the level of the monster zone, the higher the chance to find high-quality items. Ah, why didnt I think of this before, if I knew earlier I would have been a thief too! A group of people chatted and laughed as they headed towards the level 25 monster zone. Even though they have never been there, they roughly knew the location. Song Jian followed behind and he appreciated the way these players formed a subconscious formation as they moved along. Tanks walked along the outer circle, to protect the magic users in the middle. The rest of the party also moved to positions suitable for their own classes, impressed, he nodded. Although they were undisciplined ragtag individuals, each of them was meticulously selected by Wang Qi. All of them had notable strengths, and their team coordination was better than most. The team soon arrived at the location where Sun Li discovered the level 25 boss at the Songhui Intersection; On the road, there was a large group of level 20 monsters wandering around. These creatures bent their backs stooped and were short, resembling 13 or 14 year old zombies. They had a stiff grey shell on their back and crystalline gemstones shimmered from the joints of their bodies. These, these small monsters are all level 20 elites! Looking at these monsters, some members felt intimidated. Forget about level 20 elite monsters, even regular level 20 monsters were not something many in the guild had slayed before. There are so many someone swallowed nervously while fear could be seen on their faces. The number of monsters in front of them was at least fifty or sixty, occupying the entire street. If they were to be surrounded, they would not even have a chance to escape. Eh, why did they all run to the street, when I last saw them they were all hiding in the garage over there dont they run out? Sun Li said with some confusion. Garage? Do you mean the one in front over there? Wang Qi pointed at a three-story building in the distance and asked. Yes, thats the one Sun Li answered. Wang Qi frowned slightly. He had organized hunts several times before, but they were all against level ten elites. He had never seen so many small monsters. Even if we manage to defeat these monsters, the losses will be huge, and we might even lose lives here Wang Qi thought to himself, deciding to give up this activity. Guild leader, maybe we should Wang Qi said hesitantly. Isnt it good that the small monsters are out? We dont need to lead them out. Just let the range attackers lure them one by one! Song Jian ordered immediately. This, all right then. Wang Qi reluctantly nodded and started to arrange the formation. Chapter 515 - Chapter 515: Chapter 515: Solo Kill Chapter 515: Chapter 515: Solo Kill Soon, a few plate-armored defense professionals with shields and swords stood at the front of the team, while the attack and healing professionals stood at the back. Who has the monster-attracting skill? Wang Qi asked, It must be a skill that doesnt easily attract hate value. Usually, monster-attracting is the task of ranged professionals in the team, but many ranged attack skills are unsuitable for this purpose. Some cause splash damage, easily attacking nearby monsters, while others generate a large amount of hate, attracting other monsters. Vice President, how about my Chaos Fang? It can seal a monsters senses and prevent it from calling out to other monsters! A player with a bow raised his right hand and shouted. Forget it, your Chaos Fang has a chance to trigger a small monsters mental destruction effect, causing it to run randomly and attract a bunch of monsters to us. Wont we all be wiped out here? someone immediately refuted. It only has a 3% chance of triggering The archer muttered softly. Vice President, my newly acquired skill, Traction Rope, can bind and pull small monsters from a distance, a magician with a magic staff said softly. Will it attract a lot of hate? Wang Qi asked. It shouldnt, but its prone to causing collateral effect, binding nearby monsters together The mage said. You might as well let Sun Li throw his flying knife! Wang Qi glared at him and said. Hehe, thats true. But my flying knife has a certain chance to trigger rebound, hitting a maximum of five monsters Sun Li grinned and quickly replied. The skill settings in the Doomsday City game are different from other games. Every skill has a small chance to trigger special effects, such as paralysis, bleeding, rigidity, etc. Many ranged attack skills will trigger group attack effects. In battle, this increases the power of the skill, but its not very suitable for attracting monsters. Forget it, Ill do it myself. I have the longest attack range and the lowest threat value A player with a sniper rifle spoke up. Your gunshot is too loud. To avoid attracting other monsters, you need to be at least a kilometer away Wang Qi frowned at the sniper. Song Jian watched their arguments and furrowed his brows. Usually, fighting monsters doesnt require such caution. However, the monsters on this street are too close to each other, so its easy to accidentally attract neighboring monsters. The level of these monsters is high, so no one wants to cause a team wipe by attracting too many. Ill do it. Song Jian stepped forward to the front of the team. At this moment, everyone fell silent and looked at Song Jian. Wang Qi had confidence in him and nodded repeatedly, Yes, its still up to the Alliance Leader! Song Jian locked onto the closest monster, stomped his right leg, and a strident howl came from a fang-shaped Qi mass as it rushed towards the monster. Bang! Earth Teeth Assault hit a Cave Zombie hard, immediately tearing open a huge wound on its leg. Blood gushed out, and the Cave Zombie let out a miserable scream, its eyes turning red as it swung its claws and charged at Song Jian. As the Cave Zombie approached, the two closest to it were also attracted by its howl, stirring their hatred and charging alongside it towards Song Jian. Three of them, its okay, its okay Wang Qi sneakily glanced at Song Jian and said. The other players had strange expressions in their eyes. Attracting three monsters was an ordinary feat that any of them could achieve. But just then, the sound of the three monsters running actually alarmed two more Cave Zombies hiding in a nearby shop, causing a total of five Cave Zombies to swarm at Song Jian. Defense, get ready to intercept the monsters! Wang Qi suddenly became nervous. If there were only three, the defense line could manage one each, but now that there were five, the pressure on the teams defense had doubled. Damn, Vice President, my equipment cant handle level 20 elite monsters! A warrior with a round shield complained with a mournful face. Cant you handle it for just ten seconds? We have so many people, just one round of firing can kill them all!, Wang Qi said irritably. The warrior suddenly fell silent, his face looking terrible. A single critical hit from a level 20 elite monster could take away 300-400 Vitality Points from him. If he was unlucky and suffered multiple critical hits, he could be killed instantly. This monster-attracting technique is so amateurish! a player from a war alliance whispered in the crowd. Exactly, I thought he was a top player, but hes just bronze What a waste of that good equipment! Well, hes the war alliance leader; its easy for him to get good equipment, right? Sigh, although the equipment is part of the strength, the technique is even more important Murmurs of complaint arose from the crowd, but Song Jian paid no attention. He raised his right hand, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. With a leap, he charged towards the five monsters. Holy shit, what is he doing? Is he trying to die? Apologizing with his death? He cant be that stubborn! Everyones eyes widened in disbelief. Five level 20 elite monsters could deal 500-600 Vitality Points damage in a single attack, and even a defense warrior with over 1000 points could be killed in one hit with a critical strike. Based on Song Jians equipment, he was a Swordman, wearing leather armor. Even if the equipment grade was high, it still couldnt handle five monsters at once! Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians figure danced, his sword swept across, instantly blocking the offensive of the five monsters. Each monsters head showed two 400+ damage points, instantly reducing their Vitality Points by two-fifths. With such high damage, he firmly attracted the monsters hate value, and before they could react, the second stage of Broken Wing Dance followed, dealing two more 300+ damage points to each monster. With that hit, the monsters Vitality Points suddenly dropped to less than half. Level 20 elite monsters had a Vitality Points cap of only around 2700. Song Jian had not taken any damage yet, but had already cut the monsters Vitality Points by half. Such powerful attack power stunned everyone, and they even forgot to attack. In the third stage of Broken Wing Dance, Song Jians figure leaped high into the air, and his sword ruthlessly slashed down at the monsters. Boom! A surge of Qi wave burst from Song Jians sword, and the five monsters bodies bounced into the air, floating. Sword Finger! Song Jians left hand released Sword Qi, and a silver three-meter-long Sword Qi swept past the floating monsters. Whoosh! Instantly, three monsters were cut in half, while the other two fell to the ground with only a sliver of Vitality Points left, entering a dying state. They struggled weakly on the ground, but couldnt get up. Chapter 516 - Chapter 516: Chapter 516: Golden Thigh Chapter 516: Chapter 516: Golden Thigh Having harvested the last slither of vitality points from the remaining two elite monsters, Song Jian picked up the dropped items and turned around. The surprised expressions on almost everyones faces seemed to ask, Are we playing the same game? They looked as if they had just seen a ghost. Song, Brother Song, did you just solo five level 20 elite monsters? Wang Qi stuttered. And he soloed them without injury! Our leader didnt lose a drop of blood! someone nearby exclaimed, as if they had just realized something. Only then did everyone notice that Song Jians vitality points indeed hadnt dropped at all. In other words, Song Jian had killed all five monsters before they could attack him. If I didnt see this with my own eyes, I would never believe it, no matter how convincingly someone told me! One of the Alliance players stood still, mumbling to himself in shock. It was too incredible to believe. If Song Jian could solo twenty-level elite monsters, no one in the alliance would be surprised. If he couldnt, he should step down as their leader. Soloing five level-20 monsters would surprise them, but soloing five level-20 elite monsters without losing a single vitality point C that was an absolute tall tale. Even as they witnessed it, they couldnt believe it. In fact, the reason Song Jian could create such a gap with ordinary players was because many players were too conservative. They were afraid to take risks, face high-level challenges, or fight bosses they were uncertain about. Although they quickly levelled up by diligently killing monsters, their equipment and skills were significantly lacking. A lot of over-level-20 players were still wearing level 10 or level 15 equipment, some didnt even have a single piece of blue-quality equipment. Thats why these players felt tied up when facing same-level elite monsters. Even with more than thirty people, they only dared to pull one or two monsters at a time. All right, its just a level 25 Overlord BOSS, and its already injured. Theres no need to panic! Song Jian brushed off his hands and said. If he had said this before, these Alliance players would have sneered at him, even if they didnt voice their contempt. Boss, however you say we should fight, we will follow. We will obey you! someone in the crowd suddenly shouted. Yes, leader, you take command, well follow you! Yeah, following the leader is definitely the right move, theres loot to share around! The players in the City of Hope Alliance suddenly erupted in high spirits and excitement. They initially thought Song Jian was here to freeload, taking the BOSSs loot while they did all the work. Some even planned to leave the alliance after this event. Unexpectedly, Song Jians performance in his first battle impressed everyone. Now they were all glad to belong to his alliance. What a big, shining, golden leg he has to stand on, Li Xiu wiped the corner of his mouth, looking at Song Jian with shining eyes. Li Xiu was a level 21 Curse Master, skilled in various curses and negative magic. Although his damage was lower than that of a mage at the same level, his endless negative effects could torment opponents to the point of madness. He joined this alliance just for safety in numbers since the territorial wars had started and he didnt even own a safe house anymore. Li Xiu hadnt participated in the few Alliance events held by Wang Qi before. He was fully capable of soloing those level 10 elite BOSS es. Why would he join up with the others? But this time, Song Jian had joined the event and they were going to fight a level 25 Overlord BOSS. After much thought, Li Xiu decided to join. On one hand, he wanted to check out Song Jian, the mysterious leader. On the other hand, he wanted to see if the admin team would skim any of the loot under various pretexts. If the alliance was a personal playground for some, then Li Xiu would have to plan his exit. The alliance wont last long in that case. Seeing just how powerful Song Jian is, Im stunned, Li Xiu blurted out. The leader of the alliance is much stronger than I expected! Those were five elite monsters at level 20, and he killed them without taking a single hit. Such strength would conquer the game! With a big tree like him around, I wouldnt mind even if all the BOSS loot goes to him! Li Xiu mused to himself. Considering Song Jians strength, maybe he could single-handedly kill the level 25 Overlord BOSS. Why would he care about the drops from the BOSS? Even if he didnt share any of the loot with the others, just the abundant monster experience and loot from the small monsters would satisfy Li Xiu. Now everyone, follow my lead! Song Jian yelled loudly. Merely by soloing five monsters, Song Jian quickly established his prestige. Nobody dared to ignore his words; everyone listened attentively. Now, form teams with one defender, one healer, and three damage dealers each! Song Jian ordered. Soon, over thirty people formed five teams. But since there were only four healers, Song Jian restructured the teams into four. One team, which had a weaker defense, was given two defenders. Once the teams were sorted, Song Jian stood by and let them start pulling monsters in their team groups. This increased the efficiency greatly. Originally, Wang Qi planned to spend an entire day clearing these smaller monsters, but with this four-team approach, Wang Qi estimated that all the monsters on the road could be cleaned up within three hours. Soon, the four teams began pulling monsters methodically. The defenders stepped forward to engage the monsters, the healers provided healing, while the remaining three spilled out their attacks confidently. Even if a team pulled too many monsters at once, it didnt matter; they just had to yell, and Song Jian would instantly step in to kill the excess monsters. Hey, these monsters can drop gems, which can enhance equipment attributes! a player exclaimed. You could guess that just by looking at them. Did you have to yell so loud? You scared me! Haha, these gems have pretty decent attributes. If you embed these into an entire set of equipment, its almost as good as wearing an extra piece of armor The fact that gems could drop excited everyone. Even without getting any equipment drops, getting some gems would be excellent. Everyone became instantly much more enthusiastic! Because of Song Jians presence, nearly all the players were more relaxed. Some, who had been holding back their final moves, also began to use them, greatly improving their efficiency in fighting monsters. For the distribution of the spoils, Song Jian didnt require them to turn in the items for a contribution-based distribution. The items each team obtained belonged to them. The extra equipment could be traded among each other, exchanged for contribution points at the Alliances warehouse, or even sold directly. This distribution method had everyone cheering instantly. Chapter 517 - Chapter 517: Chapter 517: Tactics Chapter 517: Chapter 517: Tactics The reason why free players would rather their safe houses be invaded and destroyed than join a guild is because once they join a guild, the administrators of the guild would use all sorts of excuses and methods to exploit the free players benefits. Song Jians way of allocation is almost no different from their self-teaming monster hunting, and there is a great master for protection, naturally gaining the support of many people. Guild leader, this way of allocation is simply no organization and no discipline. It may make people happy in a short time, but in the long run, its detrimental to the guilds development Wang Qi frowned slightly, reminding Song Jian in a low voice. If they cant even distribute the items that they drop from hunting monsters themselves, who would want to join the guild in the future? Song Jian asked. Wang Qi hesitated for a moment and asked, What if its items dropped by the BOSS? Shouldnt the guild have a universally recognized DKP system? Dont tell me you havent set one up by now? Song Jian turned his head and asked, surprised. Wang Qi was stunned, then he realized and nodded, not saying another word. Song Jian did this not to please the guilds members, a proper system for distributing loot is the foundation of a guilds existence. If this system makes everyone unsatisfied, the guild will have a problem. However, no one dared to claim that the monsters Song Jian killed single-handedly were lured by them, everyone accepted the principle of reward proportional to effort. Even if good items were dropped, they just watched Song Jian pick them up with envy and didnt snatch them. Within less than three hours, the small monsters on the street were wiped out. Looking at the empty streets and the burning remains of the monsters, everyone felt as if they were dreaming. Its really all cleared up, its incredible! Yeah, so many elite level 20 monsters, we didnt lose a single person Although most of the guild members were above level twenty, many of them had never fought level twenty monsters. Hehe, Ive got two pieces of level 20 green equipment A player exclaimed joyfully, touching his head and saying. Me too, one green and one white Looking at the highly motivated members, Wang Qi was very satisfied, he nodded, shouted loudly: Dont be happy too soon, theres still a BOSS in the garage, whether we can kill it depends on all of you! With the guild leader here, what are we afraid of! Someone in the crowd yelled, immediately causing laughter all around. Unknowingly, Song Jians prestige among the guild members grew higher and higher. Everyone came casually to the entrance of the garage, looking inside. The garage door had already been destroyed by the monsters, the area inside was vast. A BOSS, much taller than the elite Cave People Zombies, stood at the deepest point of the garage. Even though its back was hunched, it was over three meters tall. Looking from a distance, its physique was very imposing, muscles bulging, full of power; Its joints were adorned with jewels that were different from the other cave people, emitting a rich purple glow. Most importantly, unlike the ordinary elite little monsters, this BOSS was holding a sturdy spear in its hand. This spear, in the eyes of ordinary players, was like a dragon spear, about five or six meters long. But in the hand of the Cave People Zombie BOSS who was over three meters tall, it didnt seem awkward at all. Standing next to this BOSS were elite Cave People Zombies, about the same number as those on the street, around fifty or sixty. But, their levels were two higher than the monsters outside. Seeing the BOSS and its minions, everyone fell silent. Monsters that existed with BOSS and those that didnt were completely different types of creatures, not to mention that these monsters were two levels higher than the ones they previously fought. Dont look down on this two-level gap, because of this gap, an attack might be dodged or a monsters attack might become an overwhelming one and it could lower the hit rate of ranged professions. A small change could cause a team wipe out. Li Xiu, wheres Li Xiu? Hurry up and come see how we should fight this BOSS! Wang Qi suddenly yelled. Then, Wang Qi explained to Song Jian in a low voice: This guy Li Xiu is a curse master, a rare profession. Hes very adaptable and he was responsible for formulating some of the strategic behaviours we used to tackle bosses, very reliable! Li Xiu, upon hearing Wang Qi call his name, immediately came out standing tall, nodding at Song Jian and displaying a flattering smile. Hello, guild leader! Li Xiu greeted respectfully. Song Jian sized up Li Xiu, a young man of about the same age as himself. He wore a gray mages robe with silver magic runes embroidered on it, occasionally emitting streaks of silver light. What set him apart from other mages was that Li Xiu wasnt holding a magic staff, but a jewel. At first glance, it looked like a crystal ball, but it was filled with profound magical energy and a sense of mystery emanated from it. Li Xiu, how are you planning to fight this BOSS? Song Jian asked. Guild leader, lets have the person who first found this BOSS introduce its situation first, Li Xiu said with a smile. Song Jian looked at Wang Qi, Wang Qi nodded, and called Sun Li out again. Not everyone would have an opportunity to be in front of Song Jian. Like Li Xiu, Sun Li made a gesture of respect to Song Jian and said, Hello, guild leader. Song Jian nodded and said, Sun Li, tell everyone about how you found this BOSS. No problem, guild leader. In fact, the discovery of this BOSS was also accidental. At that time, I was Sun Li recounted how he had found the BOSS in detail. On the side, Li Xiu listened attentively, occasionally interrupting Sun Li to ask a few questions. Soon, Li Xiu nodded to Song Jian, Guild leader, hunting this BOSS wont be easy, firstly we need to confirm one thing. If we start attacking the minions around it, will it trigger the BOSS? If attacking the minions can also trigger the BOSS, I think we have no chance of hunting it. Song Jian nodded, each BOSS had different characteristics. Some BOSSes would be indifferent even if all the surrounding little monsters were cleared, but others would be immediately provoked if their nearby minions were attacked, attracting a lot of hatred. Lets try it, everyone back up, if that triggers the BOSS, then well figure it out! Wang Qi looked at Song Jian and said loudly. This was the first time Song Jian participated in a guild event, and if they couldnt kill this BOSS, the event would end in failure. Even if Song Jian doesnt pursue it, Wang Qi would feel humiliated. No need, you handle the minions, leave this BOSS to me! After staring at the BOSS for a while, a smile formed at the corner of Song Jians mouth. Chapter 518 - Chapter 518: Chapter 518: Leading the Strangeness Chapter 518: Chapter 518: Leading the Strangeness What? Thats a level 25 Lord BOSS. Even if its injured, it Li Xius eyes widened in shock. Though he admired Song Jians strength, that was a boss of his level. Even if all of them attacked together, they might not be able to defeat it. Brother Song, isnt this a little too risky? Wang Qi looked at Song Jian with worry. No problem. If attacking the smaller monsters triggers the bosss aggro, Ill handle the boss. If not, just proceed as you suggested, stated Song Jian. For this operation, Song Jian felt that he was providing a safety net and also showcasing his strength to these guild players. In his opinion, a level 25 Lord boss pose little threat to him. He had even eliminated several level 30 bosses with first stage combat power. Lets bait one beast to test it, finally suggested Wang Qi. Should I do it? Wang Qi turned towards Song Jian and asked. Stay calm, boss. Dont make a move! Wang Qis face changed drastically. He had witnessed Song Jians baiting skills; there were many more small monsters here than there were on the road previously. If Song Jian were to bait the monsters, the entire garage of monsters might go wild. Ill bait the monster instead, Li Xiu sighed and offered. Alright, you handle it, Song Jian shrugged, not really bothered. Li Xiu held the orb and locked on the nearest monster. Its image immediately appeared in the orb. As his lips parted slightly, Li Xiu gently expelled a musical note. The sound was akin to a womans moans. Almost everyone turned to him with odd expressions, causing Li Xiu to blush from embarrassment. This was also why he hadnt volunteered to bait the monsters before. Using this skill was simply too embarrassing. He was reluctant to use it in front of everyone else. Abyss language? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he turned to look at Li Xiu. The musical note released by Li Xiu resonated in the ears of the targeted zombie. Its previously blood-red eyes gradually showed bewilderment. Wordlessly, it started to walk towards Li Xiu in what appeared to be an aimless manner. Perfect! Wang Qi couldnt help but exclaim. Turning his head, he said to Li Xiu, Li Xiu, I didnt realize you had this trick up your sleeve. From now on, you are our guilds professional baiter! Li Xiu, where did you learn that? That sound it made my bones go soft. Fortunately, youre not a woman A nearby player snickered as he put his arm around Li Xiu. If I were a woman, I still wouldnt want you. Get lost! Li Xiu grumbled and pushed him away indignantly. If not for wanting to show off in front of Song Jian, Li Xiu would absolutely not use this trick with so many people watching. Observing the orb in Li Xius hands, Song Jian appeared deep in thought. Li Xius move seemed similar to Abyss Temptation, but its power was evidently weaker. It could only control monsters for a short period of time. When the small monster approached them, the zombie boss in the distance suddenly turned its head to look over. No good, weve triggered the bosss aggro! Wang Qis heart dropped. This was a situation that nobody wanted to confront. Indeed, the boss who had been standing quietly unleashed a roar and charged towards them with its spear. On the way, it knocked away the small monsters in its path and quickly arrived in front of them. Seeing the ferocious boss, everyone instinctively retreated a step, and then all their gazes turned to Song Jian. Sung Jian gripped his sword and sprung into the air. He unfurled a pair of steel wings that shimmered with a metallic luster from his back. He made a twirl mid-air and ruthlessly swung his sword towards the boss; Hehe can fly!? He has wings. Li Xiu exclaimed in surprise, looking up. Stop gawking, start directing attention away from the bosss minions! Wang Qi smacked Li Xiu on the back of his head and shouted. The fight between Song Jian and the boss attracted the surrounding small monsters. At least a dozen or so of the monsters roared and ran towards Song Jian, only to be drawn away and taken down quickly by the other players; Song Jian, who was facing both the boss and the minions attack, directed all his sword skills at the boss; Flash Thunder Strike! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian had many sword techniques at his disposal. After one set of combos, the bosss Vitality Points were reduced by more than two thousands, but Song Jians Vitality Points were also reduced by half. These damn monsters are too dense and annoying Song Jian said, frowning at the swarm of monsters surrounding him. His fight with the boss wasnt confined to a single spot. During the battle, he was bound to attract more nearby minions. Even though the other players were pulling them away one by one, there were always a dozen or so monsters chasing behind Song Jian. Even if each small monster only took away ten or so Vitality Points, coupled with the bosss damage, the toll was starting to add up over time. Frost Shield! Song Jian activated his shield, and the monsters attacks set off countless tiny icicles; The eight hundred defense points held up for less than ten seconds, but these ten seconds allowed Song Jian to reduce the bosss Vitality Points by more than a thousand. Insight! A bright light flashed in Song Jians eyes, and a blood-red crosshair appeared, scanning the bosss body; He quickly found his target C a spot on the bosss wounded leg, where a purple gem was embedded. The gem was full of cracks, as if it were about to shatter. The crosshair lingered on the gem for a few seconds before vanishing. During the subsequent fight, Song Jian noticed the boss was always unconsciously placing its injured leg behind and its movements seemed forced. It was as though a tiny stone was stuck in a tight mechanism, causing an overall sluggish performance. The boss also knew its vulnerable spot and would always keep its center of gravity low and guard it diligently. Attacking this spot proved to be a challenge. Song Jian focused on the bosss wound, attacking it multiple times, only to have the boss dodge every attempt; This guys intelligence isnt much lower than that of humans. Its noticed that Ive found its weak spot, Song Jian squinted at the boss whose blood-red eyes were flashing cunningly. Spear Thrust! The boss suddenly roared and thrust its five to six-meter-long spear towards Song Jian. Its speed increased drastically, leaving several afterimages in the air. Chapter 519 - Chapter 519: Chapter 519: Underground Zombie Lord Chapter 519: Chapter 519: Underground Zombie Lord BOSSs attack caught everyones attention. The three-foot-long spear tip gleamed with dazzling white energy, leaving a burning trail in peoples vision; Be careful! Wang Qi couldnt help but exclaim. Although Song Jian was taking on the BOSS alone, his every move was being watched by everyone. Once Song Jian couldnt take the BOSSs attack, most people in the field would immediately use their last-resort escape skills and flee in all directions; BOSSs speed was extremely fast, and Song Jians attention was entirely focused on its injured leg. By the time he reacted, BOSSs spear tip was already less than a meter away from him. Instinctively, Song Jian placed his sword across his chest, almost reflexively using the Sacred Parry skill; Clang! A crisp collision sound was heard as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the spear collided fiercely, setting off a large burst of sparks. Taking advantage of the moment, Song Jian executed a backward flip, landing steadily in place. Meanwhile, a damage of over 1,200 points and a three-second stun effect floated above the BOSSs head; Awesome! Amazing! Cheers burst forth from the crowd, knowing that as long as Song Jian could withstand the BOSS, they could draw out and eliminate all the smaller monsters one by one. Everyone, split into groups and continue as before, forming four teams to each pull a small monster. Lets relieve our leader of some pressure! Li Xiu suddenly shouted. After Song Jian blocked the BOSS, Li Xiu had been directing everyone to hunt down the smaller monsters; It was indeed much safer if everyone was attacking a single small monster, and no one would be in danger. However, this method was also very inefficient and couldnt provide support to Song Jian; Subconsciously blocking the BOSSs deadly attack, Song Jian instantly boosted everyones confidence, making Li Xiu grow somewhat anxious. As the commander of this operation, Li Xiu was supposed to be in the spotlight, but if they continued like this, even if Song Jian didnt voice it, he would probably be unhappy with him. We must make a change! Li Xius mindset quickly shifted, and he immediately made the decision to alter the strategy. Dividing into four small teams to hunt the smaller monsters was a bold choice, because they dared to do so only when Song Jian was around to protect them in case they attracted too many monsters at once. But now, Song Jian alone had pinned down the BOSS C in other words, the BOSS had dragged down Song Jian. If any of the four teams made a mistake, it could immediately lead to a total wipeout; Sun Li, your team doesnt need to pull any monsters. Act as the mobile team and be on standby for reinforcement! Wang Qi suddenly shouted. Li Xiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood, looking at Wang Qi with admiration in his eyes. Even if only three teams were pulling monsters, the efficiency would be improved several times. The additional team was, in fact, playing the role of Song Jian, significantly increasing the safety of the others. With this team in place, the other three monster-hunting teams felt much more confident. As expected of our vice president, your arrangement is absolutely brilliant! Li Xiu said with a smile as he stood beside Wang Qi. Alright, lets perform well and not let our leader look down on us! Wang Qi smirked, glancing at Li Xiu with a hint of warning; Watching the BOSS retreat several steps, Song Jians eyes lit up as he glanced at the shattered purple-red gem on its injured leg. Then, raising his left index finger, he sent a silver Sword Qi through the air and directly at it. BOSS had no way to defend or dodge and could only endure the hit; If it had hit any other part of its body, the BOSS wouldve most likely lost only three to four hundred Vitality Points. However, this was its weak point and the injured area; With a snap, the gem on the inner part of BOSSs thigh shattered, and a stream of black-red blood spurted out like an arrow; -1800 A critical damage of nearly two thousand floated above the BOSSs head. Just then, the BOSS suddenly broke free from its stun state, letting out a heartrending scream, dropping its spear, and clutching at the injured part of its leg as it wailed in pain. The whole of BOSSs right leg had become as stiff as a piece of stone, unable to move at all, causing the BOSS to lose balance even while standing. As it staggered back, the BOSS suddenly fell to the ground, like a wild beast on all fours, its dark, rigid shell on its back flashing with a dark glow. Roar~ With a roar, the BOSS raised its head and howled, looking like a real beast, its bloodthirsty eyes filled with murderous intent; Is this the second phase? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, guessing internally. Many BOSSes would go berserk once their Vitality Points were reduced to a certain level. Some would use powerful special abilities, while others would change forms. It seemed that this BOSS belonged to the latter category; Once transformed, the BOSS lost all traces of rationality and had become a wild beast. Its sole target was to tear Song Jian to shreds; With a roar, the BOSS charged straight at Song Jian. Although its right leg had become a burden and could only be dragged on the ground, the remaining three legs did not slow down at all; Seeing the BOSS charging towards him, Song Jian gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with determination! Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a soft cry, Song Jians body shone with a golden light, his attributes soaring. Slowly orbiting around his body were eight phantom longswords, and even the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand seemed sharper; Light Strike! With both hands gripping the sword, Song Jian raised it overhead, slashing fiercely at the oncoming BOSS. A brilliant golden sword energy drew an arc in the air, heading straight towards the BOSS as if to split it completely in two. At that moment, the BOSS hesitated in mid-leap, unsure whether to dodge or take the hit. However, it was too late as the golden sword energy rained down on its head; The BOSS swiftly turned around, exposing its back to Song Jians golden sword energy; Boom! Amidst the loud explosion filled with power, the entire garage shook violently. Song Jian felt a strong backlash coursing through his arms, causing numbness and almost making him lose grip on his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword; Looking carefully, Song Jian saw a deep sword mark on BOSSs back shell, almost cleaving the whole top shell in half. A damage of over four hundred floated above BOSSs head, and just then, the BOSS suddenly counterattacked and quickly approached Song Jian. Both hands reached forward, and its sharp claws madly scratched at him; Song Jian thought quickly, and the steel wings on his back enveloped him like two large hands, providing sturdy protection; Clang clang clang clang ~ A series of rapid metallic clashing sounds echoed. Song Jian felt the steel wings violently trembling while a burst of intense pain shot from the connecting point at his back. Biting the bullet and enduring the pain, Song Jians mouth corner oozed a trace of blood; Chapter 520 - Chapter 520: Chapter 520 Golden Quality Equipment Chapter 520: Chapter 520 Golden Quality Equipment Song Jian resisted the BOSSs attack for a full ten seconds. When the steel wings were stretched out again, a large pile of iron scraps appeared on the ground. They had all been scratched off the steel wings by the BOSS. Looking at the broken and disorganized steel wings, only half remained making them hardly recognizable as wings. Song Jian was relieved, Luckily this is just a skill, not equipment. If it were equipment, it probably would have been completely ruined by now, with no value left to repair. After the BOSS used this skill, it seemed somewhat exhausted, squatting in place and gasping heavily, a trace of fatigue evident on its face. Sweeping Sword Style! With the BOSS clearly flagging, Song Jian showed no mercy. He brutally hacked at the BOSS who roared like a beast, raising its right claw to block. Song Jian barely suppressed a smile, to say he possessed first-order combat power was a bit of an overstatement. Even though he had killed a few elite bosses with first-order combat power, he hadnt done so on his own. For some of the peak creatures with first-order combat power, such as the Ant King skeleton he had encountered before, Song Jian could only stand up to a few rounds. However, taking on this Level 25 Lord level BOSS one-on-one posed no problem. Moreover, this BOSS was injured and clearly showed weak points. The long sword and the BOSSs front claw collided forcefully. The chopping three times, each one fiercer than the last. On the final strike, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword finally cut through the bone seam of the BOSSs front claw. An over six hundred points critical strike popped up from its head. At that moment, even the BOSS itself probably foresaw its own destruction, a hint of desperation appearing in its eyes. Abyssal Power remains indestructible! In the final moment, the Cave Lord seemed to recover some of its sanity. A bitter look in its crimson eyes, it roared and unleashed a suicidal attack on Song Jian. As Song Jian was about to counterattack, he suddenly felt an incredibly turbulent power erupting from the Cave Lord BOSS. Is this guy going to self-destruct? Song Jian squinted. He had encountered monsters that could self-destruct before. On sensing their impending demise, these bosses would use their own bodies as a weapon to take the enemy down with them. Everyone get out of the garage, NOW! Song Jian yelled. An Abyssal Phantom Clone charged out from his body towards the BOSS, while he himself quickly retreated. Boom~ A loud explosion, the garage was scattered with gore. The explosive force flung the surrounding Cave Zombie Lord into the air, some smashed into the walls of the garage, instantly turned into dark crimson filth. This explosion killed at least twenty to thirty ordinary elite Cave Zombie Lords. The surviving Cave Zombie Lords sensed their boss had perished and let out a shrill scream, scattering and fleeing. Several defenders within the War Guild were severely injured from protecting others and were blown into a near-death state by the blast force. Thankfully, several healers reacted quickly, shielding and healing their teams defenders with swift spells and saving their lives! This BOSS is too terrifying. We are lucky Song Jian was taking it on by himself, if we had all been involved, at least a third of us would have died Wang Qi said, his face reflecting having survived a disaster. Song Jian was also taken aback. This BOSSs self-destruction technique was the most powerful one he had ever seen. Fortunately, he had many Acceleration Skills. Combining Sword Shadow Step and Frost Sprint increased his speed to the limit. The Abyssal Phantom Clone bore the brunt of the self-destruction force, enabling Song Jian to come out unscathed. At this moment, several players in the War Guild leveled up and golden light erupted from their bodies. The group having killed over a hundred Cave Zombie Lords, after dividing up the experience points among them, this allowed several close-to-leveling players to advance a level. Golden light also erupted from Song Jian. He had already gained 95% of his experience points from completing the epic quest earlier. Although Song Jian had been playing a supporting role, he had indeed killed many Cave Zombie Lords, and the final boss experience points allowed him to level up, too. Level 26, my god, the gap on the Level Honor Board between him and the second place is only getting wider~ Wang Qi saw the leveling-up golden light on Song Jian and immediately opened the Level Honor Board to check. When the Level Honor Board was first opened, Song Jian was two levels ahead of the second-ranked player, but now the gap had grown to three levels. He casually added the skill points to his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. The Immortal Sword Body had now been upgraded to level 7, only three levels away from the maximum. Because the Immortal Sword Body was too powerful, once deployed, Song Jians strength increased more than double, persuading him to consciously train the Immortal Sword Bodys proficiency during normal practice. However, the Immortal Sword Body had a long cooldown time of one hour. If a battle broke out, this trick was reserved as a last resort. Only when not fighting could Song Jian ensure he is able to use it every hour to accumulate proficiency. Ive been at Level 25 for quite a long time, its time to level up, Song Jian smiled at Wang Qi, Have our men search and see if there are any spoils of war! The earlier twenty or thirty elite Cave Zombie Lords had died due to the BOSSs self-destruction, but the system attributed their kills to the players and not the BOSS, so they dropped loot too. Under Wang Qis command, several players rushed into the garage. In a short while, some players came out holding a pile of items, their eyes shining. We struck it rich, haha, we got a pile of stuff. We only picked up this much. Theres still a lot inside. Send a few more people in to loot! One player shouted ecstatically. Upon hearing his shouting, everyone was stunned. Without needing Wang Qi to speak, several people sprinted towards the garage, with some even activating their Acceleration Skill, a ball of white light glowing at their feet as they rushed off. The spoils of war belonged to the War Guild. Without getting permission from Song Jian or Wang Qi, they could not transfer the items into their own inventory. So, they could only hold them like this and take them out. Crash~ Several players stacked the items in front of Song Jian, looking up to him with reverence. Were it not for Song Jian, they would not have such abundant spoils of war. The War Guilds operation this time could be said to have been a complete success. Golden-grade equipment, it actually dropped golden-grade equipment? Wang Qis gaze immediately landed on a robe radiating a soft golden light. He couldnt help reaching out to pick it up. Chapter 521 - Chapter 521: Chapter 521: The Oath of Loyalty from the Cave Lord Chapter 521: Chapter 521: The Oath of Loyalty from the Cave Lord Hearing Wang Qis shout, Golden quality robe!, everyones gaze turned towards him; What, golden quality equipment dropped? Where is it? Let me see? Damn, golden quality, its the first time Ive seen golden quality equipment drop Did you drop it? Dont flatter yourself, it must have been dropped by the BOSS! The alliance players were instantly excited. A player possessed of a blue grade item was already considered very impressive. If they had a silver item, they probably would not even want to turn off the equipment glow and would love it if everyone saw the silver light emanating from their gear; Even for Wang Qi, this was the first time he had seen a golden quality item. Seeing the wolf-like eyes of the surrounding players, Wang Qi quickly posted the equipment attributes in the team chat; Cave Lords Robe, cloth top, gold level, item level 25, defense 34, resistance +25, wisdom +6, spirit +8, constitution +5, spirit point limit +200, special effect 1: Magic Ripple (Active), the robe can absorb the surrounding free magic power, filled up in 2 hours; when damaged, it triggers a magic ripple effect, reducing 80% of damage received for 10 seconds; special effect 2: Lords Fury (passive), increases magical attack power and healing effects by 30%; special effect 3: Phase Out (Active): After casting, your body will gradually become transparent, effectively reducing the monsters threat value towards the caster, and increasing movement speed by 50% for 8 seconds; equipment requires: level 20; whether it can be taken out of the game: No Seeing the attributes of this item, everyone who played a magic-based profession gasped. The robe was of extreme high quality, it would greatly enhance the survivability of a typically fragile magic-based professional; One passive special effect, two active ones, these were godlike abilities for magic-based professionals. If one were in danger, they could immediately activate Magic Ripple, reducing 80% of damage. Even a BOSSs damage could be reduced to a very low level. Moreover, Phase Out not only increases movement speed but also quickly reduces monster hate, making escape easier; In addition, as the body becomes transparent, it is nearly equivalent to a rogues stealth ability. Even if in front of other players, there is still a good chance to save ones life. Boss, how are we going to distribute the spoils of this battle? Suddenly someone yelled out loud. All eyes instantly turned to Song Jian, a keen desire evident in their gaze. Distribute? Are you guys blind? The equipment must have been dropped by the BOSS. Did any of you even touch the BOSS? Wang Qis face turned stern, it was clear that the distribution of spoils at this time was to claim the golden quality robe. Song Jian smiled slightly, glanced at Wang Qi, raised his hand, and gestured for him to stop; All spoils of this battle will be distributed according to everyones contribution points! Song Jian yelled. Everyone was stunned, and immediately someone asked, Even this golden robe will be distributed based on contribution points? As I said, all items! Song Jian gave that person a look, calmly stating. Wow~ Everyone was overjoyed, their faces showing expressions of excitement. In their eyes, the so-called alliance members were merely seeking the protection of the alliance, working diligently for the boss. If a boss was defeated, high-quality equipment usually went to the boss, who might offer subordinates a scrap if he was generous, and that would be considered good enough. This time, hearing Song Jian proposing to distribute all spoils according to contribution, nearly everyone was in disbelief. Brother Song, this is not quite right. You soloed this BOSS. Wang Qi said in a low voice with a slightly upset expression at Song Jians side. No problem. From now on, we will use this rule for all alliance events. Song Jian patted Wang Qis shoulder and said. What are you so happy about? Even if it is distributed according to contribution points, this equipment is none of our business. Dont forget, the boss soloed a BOSS. Even according to contribution, his contribution points would be the most! Suddenly, someone in the crowd coldly said. All the excitement seemed to be doused with a bucket of cold water. The previous enthusiasm seemed to be extinguished all at once. Everyone stared blankly at the person who had spoken. Song Jian laughed and said loudly, Lets set another rule. From now on, for alliance events, if it is not an equipment unique to your profession, you cannot compete for it with contribution points! As soon as Song Jian said this, everyones eyes lit up and they immediately started cheering. This rule set by Song Jian was equivalent to him renouncing the golden robe because Song Jian was a swordsman, and leather armor should be his equipment of choice. Upon hearing Song Jians words, Wang Qi also showed a look of admiration in his eyes. This was a golden quality item even if he didnt use it, it could be sold at an auction house for at least hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins; Such a big benefit, Song Jian was willing to give up directly, which was very admirable! In the end, this robe was obtained by Li Xiu who had spent all his contribution points. Seeing Li Xius proud face made many people green with envy. The spoils were not only a golden robe, but also a large number of blue and green items. Almost everyone got one or two items with contribution points, and everyone had a joyful look on their faces. Boss, look at this item. Wang Qi held an old parchment scroll in his hand and handed it to Song Jian. What is it? Song Jian paused. He did not intend to keep any equipment from this BOSS hunt, seeing it as a kind of benefit for the alliance members. No one wanted this thing. But it looks like it dropped from the BOSS. I think it should be no ordinary junk. Wang Qi scratched his head and said. Cave Lord Zombies Oath of Loyalty, junk, white quality, item description: This is the oath of loyalty given by the Cave Lords Zombie to a more powerful entity, filled with revolting flattery. If sold to a system merchant, a reward of 10 Doomsday Coins will be given! For a piece of junk worth 10 Doomsday Coins, no one would want to buy it with contribution points, and it ended up back with Song Jian. Strange, thats a level 25 boss. To drop such junk, its too stingy. Wang Qi muttered under his breath. Perhaps its a quest item, and we just didnt handle it properly. Song Jian laughed, opened the Oath of Loyalty scroll, and began reading it carefully. Honorable Ninth Demon of the Abyss, your glance alone causes me to shiver. I am willing to lead the entire species of cave people and swear allegiance to your immense abyssal power. I will (the following part is missing) The Ninth Demon of the Abyss? Is this the Cave Lord Zombies oath of loyalty to the Ninth Demon of the Abyss? With raised eyebrows and a surprised look in his eyes, Song Jian pondered. Chapter 522 - Chapter 522: Chapter 522: Is someone following? Chapter 522: Chapter 522: Is someone following? Abyss, something else related to the Abyss Song Jian frowned, looking at the battered piece of parchment in his hand. At that moment, Song Jians finger touched a section of this oath of allegiance, and a faint black aura suddenly began to emit from it. The emanation was so weak that even Song Jian did not notice. System: You have obtained a mission item, the Oath of Allegiance from the Dungeon Zombie Overlord. You will receive a hidden mission, The Secret of the Dungeon Zombie Overlord. Do you accept? Mission item, hidden mission? Song Jian was taken aback, but quickly chose to accept. System: You have accepted the hidden mission, The Secret of the Dungeon Zombie Overlord. Please deliver this Oath of Allegiance from the Dungeon Zombie Overlord to the Hellish Arachnid, Wenrui Si. Who is the Hellish Arachnid Wenrui Si? Where is he? The mission didnt specify, and Song Jian didnt even know if they were in Doomsday City. How was he supposed to deliver this oath? Ill hang on to it for now and see if I can get more detailed clues in the future. Song Jian was helpless and could only stash the mission item away for the time being. With the BOSS killed and the union event ended, everyone was preparing to leave when a player wielding a bow and arrow suddenly approached Wang Qi and whispered something in his ear. Wang Qis expression changed, and he immediately said to Song Jian, Someone has been watching us nearby, could it be players from another union? Song Jian glanced at the archer player and said to Wang Qi, The BOSS has already been killed, so it doesnt matter if they keep watching us. Then, Song Jian turned to the archer player and asked, Whats your name, and how did you know someones watching us? Song Jian was puzzled. With his perception, he hadnt noticed any other players nearby. How did this longbow-wielding player discover it? My name is Zhou Kai, and my profession is Pursuer. I have a detection skill that lets me scout out any humanoid creatures within a one-kilometer radius The player with the longbow excitedly explained to Song Jian. Zhou Kais Pursuer profession was also rare, somewhat similar to a Hunters profession. He had an active skill called Detect Humanoids. This skill consumed very little energy; once activated, he could continuously scout all humanoid entities within a one-kilometer radius. He had noticed someone following them since they left the union territory. Initially, Zhou Kai didnt think much of it, as there were many people in the vicinity of the union territory. However, during their union event, this person was always stationary in the distance, clearly observing them, which made Zhou Kai become more cautious. Soon, the unions players all went their separate ways, and Zhou Kai accompanied Song Jian toward the player who had been watching them. The two of them killed monsters and moved forward, looking as if Song Jian was coaching Zhou Kai on leveling up. Over half an hour had passed, Zhou Kai continually reported the players location. They kept changing positions, and the distance to the spy was reduced from the initial 700 meters to just over 200. His position hasnt changed, but Im sure that hes been following us from our unions territory Zhou Kai whispered. It seems hes not surveying our union, hes surveilling me Song Jian revealed a hint of a smile, apparently finding this observation interesting. With his current distance, Song Jians perception could only vaguely sense that he was being watched, but that too only in a dedicated exploration. Otherwise, he would not be able to detect the persons presence at all. It seems this person has excellent tracking skills, perhaps some similar abilities as well Song Jian pondered. With his formidable perception, he could only vaguely feel someone observing him from about 200 meters away if he specifically focused. Song Jian didnt believe that there were people whose skills and abilities were several times his, who could observe his movements within a one-kilometer radius without using any abilities. Union Leader, should we quietly creep up on him and take him down? A hint of murderous intent flashed across Zhou Kais eyes. The rules of survival in the game world and the real world are entirely different. Its evident the deliberate tracking and surveillance have revealed hostility, and now it would only be proper to take the initiative to strike first. Wait a moment, let me see who he is? Song Jian said, revealing a faint smile. He split off an Abyssal Phantom Clone from his body, which quickly moved towards the persons location. Soon, the phantom clone arrived in front of a three-storey building, where Yuan Peilong was standing atop the roof, peering in Song Jians direction with a high-powered telescope. Its him? Song Jian quickly recognized this somewhat stuttering player from the Shadow Circus Troupe. Why is he here? Could it be, has he been following me from the Shadow Circus Troupe? Song Jian wondered internally, took another glance and dispelled the Abyssal Phantom skill. Turns out its an old friend! Song Jian laughed. What, Union Leader, do you know that person? Zhou Kai asked curiously. Thats enough. Leave this to me, and you can return to the union, Song Jian said. He had brought Zhou Kai along to prevent the one spying on him from escaping, but now that he had recognized who it was, there was no reason for Zhou Kai to continue tagging along. Seeing Zhou Kai suddenly leave, Yuan Peilong didnt mind; his target was Song Jian. As long as he kept an eye on Song Jian, everything would be fine. Just then, Yuan Peilong saw Song Jian smiling in his direction through his telescope. In the lens, Song Jians face was right before his eyes, and it seemed as though he was staring straight at Yuan Peilong. Bad news, hes spotted me! Yuan Peilong was immediately covered in a cold sweat. During the time Song Jian had singlehandedly fought the BOSS, he had realized that he was no match for Song Jians strength. If he were discovered, his ending would be tragic. But Yuan Peilong was unwilling to give up this hard-earned hidden mission. While he was in a dilemma, Song Jian had already discovered him. How could his perception be so high? An incredulous Yuan Peilong fumbled his climb down from the roof, packed up his tool, and tried to escape into the distance. Song Jian transformed into a shadow, his speed dramatically increased, and he dashed in Yuan Peilongs direction. For the 200-meter distance, Song Jian took only thirteen seconds to reach. By the time he got there, the effect duration of his skill had ended, and his speed decreased, but he could already see the rapidly retreating figure of Yuan Peilong. You still want to run? Song Jian squinted, metallic wings sprouted from his back, and his figure soared into the air, charging towards Yuan Peilong. Yuan Peilong turned back and glanced at him. With a horrified scream, his figure suddenly split into four and escaped in different directions. Song Jian was taken aback. This guy had a skill similar to phantom cloning and even a high-level one that could create three clones. Song Jian stopped in mid-air, watching the four Yuan Peilongs who looked almost exactly the same and were extremely fast, disappearing in a blink of an eye. There is one more chapter, the one that repeated yesterday needs to be changed to todays chapter, so you guys wont have to pay to read it again. But I cant change the chapter name right now, youll have to wait. Chapter 523 - Chapter 523: Chapter 523: Leaving Chapter 523: Chapter 523: Leaving Yuan Peilongs speed was incredibly fast, not even giving Song Jian a chance to open his vertical eye. In no time, he disappeared without a trace, and Song Jian couldnt even determine the direction in which he had escaped. This guy Song Jian was speechless. In the game, even the weakest players would have a couple of life-saving skills up their sleeves, and no one could be underestimated. Why is he spying on me? Could it be that hes also aiming for the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set? Song Jian furrowed his brows and thought to himself. The reason he knew Yuan Peilong was precisely because of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set. Perhaps Yuan Peilong had been following him since then. I was too careless! Song Jian shook his head and became more cautious. Three days passed quickly. Whether Song Jian was leveling up by fighting monsters outside or building infrastructure in his territory, he always felt he was being watched by a pair of eyes. During these three days, the Shadow Circus Troupe had stopped performing and started packing up, as if they were ready to leave for a long journey. This made many players feel regretful. After all, in the Shadow Circus Troupe, many rewarding tasks could be obtained, in addition to a lot of experience, and many rare skills and equipment. After three days, Song Jian arrived at Bettys tent early in the morning. At this time, all the items around Bettys tent were packed up, and Betty was rolling up the tent. Upon seeing Song Jian, Betty pointed to the side with her lips and said, You must be anxious. Your equipment box is over there! Song Jian followed Bettys direction and saw the equipment box of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set under a big tree nearby. After opening the equipment box and checking each piece one by one, Song Jian found that all the set components had been completely repaired. He couldnt wait to reach level 30 and put on this set of equipment. With this set, I should be able to challenge first-order combat power with ease, right? Song Jian speculated in his heart. Thank you, Betty! Song Jian shouted loudly. Betty waved her hand at Song Jian without saying anything. She had to collect all her belongings by ten oclock when the Shadow Circus Troupe would leave the city. If she didnt catch up, she might forever be left behind. Song Jian returned to his territory, watching the busy scene of the Shadow Circus Troupe from afar. Just then, a skinny old mouse emerged from the ground and ran towards Song Jian. The voice of Qi Yun came from the mouses mouth, Are you ready? The Shadow Circus Troupe is leaving today. Dont forget our agreement Dont worry, as long as nothing goes wrong on your end, I wont break our agreement. Song Jian looked at the skinny mouse with an indifferent expression. Thats good! The mouses face showed a human-like smile, and then its body began to rot rapidly. In no time, it turned into a stain on the ground. A chill ran through Song Jians heart as the Shadow Priests methods seemed somewhat bizarre. The mouse had a strong smell of decay, obviously it had been dead for a long time. Qi Yun had controlled its body to deliver the message, a technique quite similar to the Necromancers Corpse Manipulation. The vehicles of the Shadow Circus Troupe began to slowly move out of Doomsday City towards the rolling black mist outside. Everyone was surrounded by a faint blue light, and even a dozen carriages had a blue light shimmering on the surface. With the appearance of this light, Song Jian could see the massive convoy with his eyes, but once he closed them, he couldnt feel anything. As the circus entered the swirling black mist, no one appeared nervous. They all remained silent, apparently having experienced similar situations many times before. Song Jian took out the Concealment Ring and put it on his finger. There were now two cracks in the ring, and it could only be used once more before being useless. With a thought, Song Jians figure gradually disappeared in place, accompanied by a faint, crisp shatter sound. By now, Song Jian had entered the Protection Black Mist for the second time. He followed the Shadow Circus Troupe from behind and left Doomsday City through the black mist. Once inside the Protection Black Mist, Song Jians feeling of being watched finally disappeared. It seemed that Yuan Peilong couldnt enter the black mist like he could. Visibility was almost nonexistent in the black mist. Song Jian couldnt let the circus know he was following them, but he also couldnt lose track of their whereabouts, so it was difficult to trail behind them. It seemed as if the circus was trying to evade something. They didnt follow a straight line in the black mist, instead, winding around a long detour. It took more than two hours to finally emerge from the black mist. Alright, tell everyone to rest here for a while. Well rest here for half a day and continue on our journey tomorrow! The old beastman leader, holding a wooden staff, spoke with a tired expression. Everyone had expended a lot of energy coming out of the Protection Black Mist, and it wasnt safe to continue traveling without resting. It was better to rest for a while and continue on their journey the next day. Since they were only resting temporarily, everyone simply erected their tents without unpacking other items. At night, the sky was filled with brilliant stars, and a bright moon hung high above. It had been a long time since Song Jian had seen such a dazzling starry sky in the game world. The night in Doomsday City was completely different from the night in the wilderness. Song Jian sat cross-legged, absorbing the essence of the moon. In Doomsday City, he could only absorb it for fifteen minutes at specific times, but there was no such restriction in the wilderness. In no time, Song Jian immersed himself in the comfort of absorbing the moons essence, as if he were in a deep sleep with a blank mind. His whole body emitted a silver light, looking like a light bulb from afar. If he hadnt chosen a hidden spot, he might have been exposed by now. System: Youve absorbed the essence of the moon, and your physical fitness has been slightly improved. System: Youve absorbed the essence of the moon, and your physical fitness has been slightly improved. Messages like this appeared in the notification bar every few dozen seconds. Finally, after hundreds of similar messages appeared, a special light yellow message stood out. System: Your body has been tempered by the essence of the moon, and all attributes have increased by 1 point. After this message appeared, Song Jians body shook violently, and he suddenly woke up. His eyes were still filled with confusion after waking up, and it wasnt until he regained consciousness that he realized he had been absorbing the moons essence for more than two hours. What happened? At this moment, Song Jian noticed the hundreds of system messages in his notification bar and the final message about all his attributes increasing by one point. What a pleasant surprise! Song Jian looked up at the moon, which had shifted positions, with an excited look on his face. Chapter 524 - Chapter 524: Chapter 524: Small Town Chapter 524: Chapter 524: Small Town With a gain of one on all attributes, it was a pleasant surprise. Previously, when he was in Doomsday City, he could only absorb lunar essence for fifteen minutes daily. The effect was not particularly significant as Song Jian often found it ending before he even felt anything. He didnt expect such a significant harvest after leaving Doomsday City today; Perhaps it was because the lunar essence within his body had become plentiful. No matter how Song Jian tried to activate the absorption of lunar essence, it was impossible to enter the absorption state, so, he had to give it up eventually. In the middle of the night, Song Jian suddenly felt someone approaching, immediately became alert, as a dark shadow slowly moved towards his location. When the shadow was about seven or eight meters away from where Song Jian was, it stopped in its tracks; Whos there? Song Jian clenched his long sword and demanded in a low voice. Who else could it be? Qi Yun seemed quite amused at Song Jians alarmed state, took off his hood and revealed a gnarled, emaciated face. At this point, Qi Yun had removed all the black cloth strips wrapped around his body. His exposed skin was an abnormal shade of blue and was without any flesh. He looked more like a skeleton wrapped in skin than a human. Why have you come so late? Hasnt the circus uncovered your real identity yet? Song Jian asked, his brows slightly furrowed. You dont need to worry about me, just do as I instructed, Qi Yun glared at Song Jian and replied. It seems like you dont need me to stay with the circus anymore. So Ill head directly to the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range to wait for you! Song Jian said, his face somber. Arent you curious about this Shadow Circus? Qi Yuns red eyes pierced Song Jian. A thin smile emerged upon his dried lips. It is a rare occurrence that they are having problems with their shadow crystal. The Circuss high-level fighters have to expend their own strength every day to maintain this shadow crystal. This is the best time for us to attack them Song Jian considered Qi Yuns words carefully, recognizing that there indeed lay many valuable items within the Circus. Just the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set he had obtained was enough to provoke intense envy. Moreover, he knew the circus also possessed a Complete Recovery Potion. Song Jian had discovered that among the troupe, there was a master level alchemist who could possibly have created this potion. After some hesitation, Song Jian eventually shook his head and said, I just want to complete the mission as soon as possible. I dont want any more complications! Although he could terminate the contract with Qi Yun, Song Jian had no way of finding the Blood of Blasphemy, so he would need to stick to the contracts terms in good faith. Hehe, just because you have no interest in the Circus doesnt mean others wont Song Jian was startled and quickly asked, Are you suggesting that someone plans to ambush the circus on the road? You are totally ignorant of this Shadow Circus, it happens to be one of the dragon servant troops that the Shadow Giant Dragon values the most Qi Yun stared pointedly at Song Jian, then slowly his body turned into a pile of black sand and vanished. Looking at the place where Qi Yun had disappeared, Song Jian wore a contemplative look on his face. The reason he hasnt agreed to stay with the Circus was that he believed that with his current ability, he wouldnt be able to gain any advantages there. No matter what the problem was, to safely reach the Dark Castle in Shadowfang Mountain Range, he would need the guarantee of several high-end fighters. Therefore, no matter what Qi Yun said, Song Jian would never believe that all high-end fighters from the Shadow Circus could be considerably weakened due to the shadow crystals issue. But if someone was genuinely planning an ambush on the Circus, then this could potentially be an opportunity for him. In the past, they only agreed to meet once after leaving Doomsday City. After that, Qi Yun would no longer concern himself with Song Jians itinerary. Song Jian just needed to reach the Dark Castle in Shadowfang Mountain Range within the stipulated time. In fact, Qi Yun was constantly alluring Song Jian to attack the Shadow Circus, even consistently hinting that he could derive immense benefits from it; Perhaps, as you mentioned, there will be an ambush on the Circus and Ill be able to profit from it. But Song Jians eyes grew sharper, and he chuckled, I dont trust you! Turning into a dark cloud, Song Jian floated off into the distance. Not too far away, behind a rock, Qi Yun watched the shrinking cloud with red eyes and a disappointed expression on his face. . Song Jian only knew the general direction to Shadowfang Mountain Range. Although Qi Yun had given him some information about the Dark Castle, Song Jian realized after leaving Doomsday City that without a detailed map, it was incredibly easy to lose his way if he traveled blindly. After walking in the wild for three continuous days, Song Jian saw no trace of any modern civilization. All he saw was barren, infertile land strewn with rubble and full of mutated, corrupt creatures that crazily threw themselves at him without caring for their strength mismatch. This was entirely different from the monsters in Doomsday City, who seemed more rational. Even the most crazed of monsters there knew to steer clear of powerful players. At first, Song Jian would kill them, but there were so many creatures that he started growing impatient. With these low-level monsters offering insignificant experience points and dropping nothing more than garbage, Song Jian, having limited inventory space, couldnt possibly pick up all the junk, leaving it abandoned in the wilderness. Taking the form of a dark cloud, Song Jian was flying in mid-air, continuing towards Shadowfang Mountain Range. The skies above the wilderness were dangerous as flying monsters tended to be stronger than their same-level counterparts that couldnt fly. Song Jian proceeded cautiously, evading whenever he encountered large amounts of flying creatures and continuing on his journey only after they had flown far away. That day, Song Jian unexpectedly saw a deserted town ahead and immediately flew towards it; In the wilderness, finding an abandoned town was quite a fortunate occurrence because it offered a place to rest and shelter from the weather. System: You have discovered Garden Town and earned 2000 Experience Points; A wide asphalt road was laid out head of Garden Town, although the road was hardly recognizable now, completely covered by overgrown weeds. It was challenging to discern that it had once been a road unless one looked closely; Near the road, there was a massive gate with the words Garden Town engraved upon it. This entrance had collapsed halfway, leaving the words Garden remaining. There were several shops and houses built beside the gate. These structures were still mostly intact. Moving further in, there was a deserted plaza with an enormous flower bed in the center, filled with a variety of vibrant flowers; Song Jian glanced towards the flower bed, feeling an unsettling eeriness about it and a sense of discomfort. Just as Song Jian was about to investigate the flower bed, a voice behind him warned, If I were you, I would never approach this flower bed! Chapter 525 - Chapter 525: Chapter 525 Materials Chapter 525: Chapter 525 Materials Song Jian turned around and noticed a young man wearing a black robe, holding a bone wand in his hand, standing about five or six meters away from him. He was looking at Song with an affable smile. The young man had silver shoulder-length hair, piercing purple eyes, and a handsome face. He appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. Next to him stood a skeleton warrior gripping an sharp ax. Its crimson eyes appeared somewhat dim, unmoving and obedient. It seemed to be a summon of the young mans. Are you a necromancer? Song Jian ventured to ask. I guess you could say that. Tang Ming eyed Song Jian up and down, his smile broadening. He then inquired, Who are you? Why are you here? I am Song Jian. I am heading to Shadowfang Mountain Range. I saw this small town and decided to take a break here. Song Jian responded with a smile, Is this your hometown? Its quite remote. There was no information above the youths head, indicating that he was also a player. Very few players come here. Likely, Im the only one to have spawned here. Tang Ming lamented, Since starting the game, Ive been playing solo. Ive never interacted with other players. It seems youve had some poor luck, randomly spawning in such a desolate place. Song Jian shook his head. Its not too bad. At least Im still alive. By the way, my names Tang Ming. Youre the first player Ive met! Tang Ming said. Song Jian nodded, then pointed to the flower garden and asked, You mentioned earlier not to approach this flower garden. Does it pose a danger? Indeed it does! Tang Ming nodded, It hides a level 30 monster with significant strength. Any creature that comes within three meters of the garden will be snatched up and swallowed by it! So dangerous? Song Jians brow furrowed, wondering if the hidden monster had Tier 1 Combat Power. If it was just a level 30 ordinary monster, or a Boss without Tier 1 Combat Power, then Song Jian was confident he could kill it. Not particularly dangerous, as long as you keep your distance. And its presence actually helps me survive in this town Tang Ming said, a shiver running down his spine. Is this town dangerous? Song Jian looked around and asked. Its fine during the day, but at night, powerful spectral monsters appear in the town. So, I generally try not to leave the house after dark. Tang Ming explained, Ive never ventured beyond a five kilometer radius of the town, so I have no clue where Shadowfang Mountain Range is. Could you tell me about the world outside? Of course! Song Jian replied enthusiastically, glancing at the garden once again. Interestingly, it seemed as if this creature served as a protector. Though the creature itself probably had no awareness of this, and simply hunted anything that approached it; However, such behavior could be manipulated by players seeking to protect themselves. Lets head to my safe house first. It will soon be nightfall. Tang Ming glanced at the setting sun and urged Song Jian to follow. Song Jian nodded, and they both headed towards Tang Mings safe house. Tang Ming led Song Jian to an old two-story building and walked in through the front door. This is your safe house? Song Jian was taken aback. Surveying the room, he noticed the house was very dilapidated. There was no defensive wall and the ground floor had a large hole in the wall that appeared to have been caused by an impact. Such a safe house barely offered any defense. Song Jian wondered how it could have withstood the monster attacks it wouldve faced during construction; If Tang Ming hadnt brought him here, Song Jian would have never considered it a safe house. Technically, we havent entered the actual safe house yet. Tang Ming revealed a mysterious smile and headed towards a fireplace on the wall of the living room. Song Jian paused for a moment, then followed Tang Ming. Indeed, Tang Ming walked directly into the abandoned fireplace and was out of sight. After some hesitation, Song Jian followed suit. As he walked through the fireplace, he felt as if he were passing through a thin bubble. Once he entered the fireplace, he discovered a spiraling stone staircase leading underground. My safe house is built underground. Its safer and easier to defend here, Tang Ming explained, descending the staircase. Magical lanterns were embedded in the walls on either side of the staircase, illuminating the way down. Soon, they arrived in a spacious room. Song Jian glanced at the ceiling and estimated they were about tens of meters underground. It was clear that Tang Ming had put a great deal of effort into this safe house. Please feel at home. Youll be the first player to visit here. Tang Ming said, smiling. Thank you for your hospitality. Otherwise, I would have to spend another night in the wilderness. Song Jian replied, his face flashing a bitter smile. Spending the previous two days in the wilderness had been tough. He couldnt even light a fire, making it impossible to cook. He had to snack on hardtack and sleep in trees; Thankfully, it hadnt rained these last two days, otherwise Song Jian might have found himself in even greater hardship; Stay as long as you like! Tang Ming cheerfully insisted. After a hearty dinner, Song Jian retired to his bedroom for rest. Having seen Song Jian enter the room, Tang Mings warm smile suddenly morphed into a sly grin. Surveying the rather simple bedroom, Song Jian had a strange feeling; Isnt Tang Ming being a little too enthusiastic towards me? Its unusual. Song Jian thought, But then again, having never met another player since entering the game, his overexcitement upon meeting one is not too strange. After watching Song Jian enter the bedroom, Tang Ming went to another room. It appeared to be a lab; a large experimental table was filled with beakers and test tubes. Across the room a small crucible bubbled viscously with red liquid, filling the air with a sweet aroma; In the middle of the lab, a complex magic array flickered with light. At its core stood a coffin-like crystal trough. Through the crystal, it seemed as if there was a person lying inside. Upon examining the crystal trough, a smile crossed Tang Mings face. He gently patted the skeleton warrior that stood guard beside him and whispered, Soon you will gain a new comrade. Today is indeed a lucky day for me. Not only will I acquire another skeleton warrior, but I will also obtain a potential for a skeleton champion. Chapter 526 - Chapter 526: Chapter 526: Bone Bead Chapter 526: Chapter 526: Bone Bead In the deep quiet of night, Song Jian lay sleeping peacefully in his bed, his chest rising and falling slightly, indicating he was fast asleep; Just then, the bedroom door was slowly opened without making a sound. A figure cloaked in black appeared at the doorway, and behind him were two skeletal warriors, wielding axes and emitting a chilling pale glow. Tang Ming looked at the sleeping Song Jian, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He had sprinkled some sleep-inducing powder in the room earlier on. It was faintly scented, just enough to escape the notice of most people. Such a drug had no harmful effects on the human body, it simply made those who were asleep to fall into an even deeper slumber, making it impossible for even the most alert person to detect its existence. Shadow Binding! With a wave of Tang Mings right hand, a grey mist burst from his Bone Wand, stealthily flying towards the beds occupant. The instant it reached Song Jian, it transformed into black chains, binding him tightly. Looking at Song Jian securely tied up, a smirk of satisfaction appeared on Tang Mings face. Hahaha, Success! Song Jian, let me give you a lesson today. This game is extremely dangerous! Never let down your guard against strangers! Gazing at the immobile Song Jian, Tang Mings joy was palpable. Come now, the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were strong, which is why youll become my most powerful skeletal warrior! At that moment, Song Jian on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Tang Ming. A strange smile appeared on his face. Tang Ming was taken aback for a moment, as if he was thinking of something. His face turned pale, and he quickly retreated. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped mass of energy shot up from under the bed towards Tang Ming, its sharp whistling sound piercing the air. Block it! Tang Ming shouted, and a skeletal warrior behind him advanced a step forward, shielding him with its body. Bang! This Earth Teeth Assault triggered a critical strike. The skeletal warriors body jolted violently, and with a crack, one of its femurs shattered, causing a number depicting over two hundred damage points to float above its head. Damn it, youve shattered the leg of my painstakingly created skeletal warrior Annoyed, Tang Ming directed another skeletal warrior to attack Song Jian. Observing Song Jian, bound by black chains and immobile on the bed, Tang Ming finally realized C the one trapped was merely Song Jians clone. The real Song Jian was likely hiding under the bed. Sword Shadow Step, Broken Wing Dance! A shadowy figure suddenly dashed from under the bed, sword swinging at the two skeletal warriors. Upon entering the bedroom, Song Jian immediately sensed something was amiss. However, he didnt suspect Tang Ming. He just felt an intangible unease which wouldnt let him sleep, and so he never truly went to sleep. Only when he heard deliberately muffled footsteps outside his door at night, did Song Jian realize something was wrong. It seemed like Tang Ming harbored ill-intentions towards him. He quickly activated Phantom Clone, letting his clone lie on the bed while he hid underneath. Unexpectedly, Tang Ming truly had malicious intentions. Glancing at the black chains on his clone, Song Jian realized he couldnt even cancel the clone as it seemed to be completely bound. Hearing Tang Mings words, Song Jians anger surged inside him: You actually use players bodies to create skeletal warriors! Tang Ming waved his Magic Staff, launching a Shadow Arrow at Song Jian and directing his skeletal warriors to attack. Hehehe, their bodies have been transformed into undying skeletal warriors; they should feel honored! Tang Mings face twisted into a sinister smile. He fished out a Bone Bead from his pocket and tossed it at Song Jian. Song Jian and the two skeletal warriors were locked in combat, their level of strength equivalent to that of ordinary Level 20 monsters, they couldnt stop Song Jian. Each of Song Jians sword swings left deep marks on the skeletal warriors. In just a little while, the skeletal warriors bodies were left in a terrible state, their Vitality Points reducing to less than a third. When he saw Tang Ming throw a Bone Bead at him, Song Jian felt a chilling sense of impending danger and swiftly activated his Frost Shield! Boom! The Bone Bead exploded in mid-air. Song Jian felt an intense surge of energy. The Frost Shield shattered instantly, and his body felt as if it had been hit by hundreds of bone shards, causing waves of piercing pain. Song Jian was thrown back by the force of the explosion, crashing into the bedroom wall. His chest felt tight and nauseous, and he couldnt help but vomit blood, which made him feel a bit better. He checked his damage, the explosion had reduced his Vitality Points by over six hundred. The power was even more significant than an improved Self-Destructing Robot or a powerful hand-grenade. However, numerous damage immunity notifications appeared in his combat information dashboard, which gave Song Jian pause. System: You received splash damage from the Bone Bead explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points, talent Thick-skinned takes effect, this damage is immune. System: You received splash damage from the Bone Bead explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points. The Ghostly Leather Armors Void effect is triggered, this damage is immune, and the next damage received will be reduced by 50%. System: You received splash damage from the Bone Bead explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points. Your talent Thick-skinned takes effect, this damage is immune. A series of immune damage notifications left Song Jian startled. Looking at dozens of bone shards in his body, Song Jian estimated that had he not been immune to the harm, these shards would have caused more harm than the previous explosion. If it werent for the damage reduction, a single Bone Bead could cause thousands of damage points? This could instantly kill a player with a weaker Vitality level. Song Jian couldnt help but gasp in surprise, silently cursing in his heart. However, objects causing splash damage are more potent in confined spaces. If used in an open area, the splash damage would drastically decrease. Seeing that Song Jian was still standing even after facing a Bone Bead, Tang Ming wore a shocked expression. Truly, youre worthy of being the powerful skeletal warrior Ive chosen, possessing such an excellent physique. Hahaha, the better the bodys quality, the higher the chance of success in creating a skeletal warrior. Today is indeed my lucky day! With that, Tang Ming took out three Bone Beads from his pocket, hesitating a little. There was a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but he soon steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and threw the three Bone Beads at Song Jian. Chapter 527 - Chapter 527: Chapter 527: Destroy Chapter 527: Chapter 527: Destroy Seeing the three Bone Beads flying towards him, Song Jian got a scare. He instantly activated the Bloodthirsty Shield while a pair of steel wings spread out from his back, firmly protecting his body. Boom, boom, boom~ The Bloodthirsty Shield shattered as the sound of steel wings being struck like rain hitting banana leaves echoed. One MISS after another floated up above Song Jians head. The moment the steel wings spread out, his defense significantly increased. Moreover, it automatically nullified damage below 50 points. Coupled with Song Jians natural talent, if the damage dealt didnt exceed 65 points, he would remain completely unharmed. When the Bloodthirsty Shield broke apart, Song Jians Vitality Points suddenly increased by more than 500, completely replenishing the previously lost Vitality Points. Tang Mings eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him. Just by throwing one Bone Bead earlier, he managed to deal more than 500 damage to Song Jian. Now, he had thrown three beads at once and expected that at least it would leave Song Jian severely injured, if not kill him outright. But why did the opponent not receive any damage, and his Vitality Points even restored? Could it be that my three Bone Beads have a healing effect? Feeling the effect of the Bone Beads fade, Song Jian fiercely lunged forward. An icy path appeared beneath his feet as he passed between the two Skeleton Soldiers. His powerful sword cut through the air towards Tang Ming. Death Shield! Tang Ming calmly wielded the Bone Wand, causing a grayish shield to appear around him instantly. As Song Jian rushed towards him, a smile appeared on Tang Mings face. Embrace death. My Skeleton General, feel the Force of Death. One day, you will understand its greatness! Death Shield, Tang Mings strongest defense, would cause any living creature that attacked it to suffer from the Force of Death, reducing their attributes by 30%. Moreover, the Death Shields defense value was as high as 1,200 points. Even the Bone Bead needed two beads to break its defense. Watching Song Jian wielding his sword, slashing towards the Death Shield, Tang Ming seemed to have already seen his weakened opponent. A complete body was a prerequisite for creating a Skeleton General. With Song Jian in a weakened state, it would be easier for Tang Ming to obtain his intact corpse. Clang~ With a crisp shattering sound, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword easily tore through the defense of the Death Shield, ruthlessly striking Tang Mings shoulder. A stream of black blood spurted out, and Tang Ming felt an intense pain in his shoulder, giving him a sense of unreality. How could this be Subsequently, Tang Ming saw the deep wound on his shoulder, reaching the bones, and became enraged. Ill kill you! Ill sink your soul into the flames of Hell and burn it for a hundred, a thousand years! Tang Ming gritted his teeth. His body suddenly transformed into a pool of black blood seeping into the ground and disappeared. The two Skeleton Soldiers still rushed at Song Jian aggressively. However, without Tang Mings command, these two puppets had become even weaker than ordinary monsters. Song Jian quickly shattered them into a pile of bone fragments. Skeleton Soldiers like these had to be present in large quantities to showcase their true power. An endless sea of skeletons in the wilderness could terrify any class of players. Unfortunately, Tang Mings current strength still had a long way to go to reach such a level, and it might be impossible for him to ever create such a scene. Seeing the black traces remaining on the ground, Song Jian couldnt help but frown. Tang Mings methods were too strange; he effortlessly turned into blood and merged with the earth. Killing him was becoming increasingly difficult. This place was Tang Mings safe house, and he couldnt get away from here. Song Jian believed Tang Ming was still inside the safe house and hadnt fled too far. While searching the safe house, Song Jian quickly found Tang Mings laboratory. Entering the room, he could sense a strong force of death. The smell of rotting corpses made any living creature feel uncomfortable. Song Jian carefully left everything on the experiment table untouched due to his cautious approach to unknown things. The nutrition tank in the middle of the laboratory had been opened with some thick green liquid inside. A strong force of death emanated from the nutrition tank. Upon closer inspection, the entire set of experiment equipment was actually a set of blue-quality Skeleton Soldier conversion apparatus. It could be used to transform player corpses into Skeleton Soldiers. There was a slight chance that powerful player corpses could be transformed into Skeleton Generals, and an even smaller chance to be transformed into Skeleton Kings. However, the apparatus conversion rate was reduced. Even the lowest-tier Skeleton Soldier only had a 10% success rate, and each conversion took seven days. Looking at the laboratorys left wall, Song Jian found a cabinet filled with a row of corpses. Taking a closer look, these were all players below level 20. It was unclear how Tang Ming managed to preserve these player corpses. This guy must be a lunatic in the real world! Song Jian couldnt help but feel disgusted by the sight of the player corpses, his face grimacing. If I destroy this place, I wonder what Tang Mings expression would be like. Im looking forward to it. A slight smirk appeared on Song Jians face as he took out two high-explosive grenades from his inventory and placed them beneath the experiment table and nutrition tank. There was nothing worth taking in the safe house except for the valuable Skeleton Soldier conversion apparatus. Song Jian didnt want to use it to harm others and decided to destroy it instead. Reaching the stone steps to leave the safe house, Song Jian took out a Self-destructing Robot and controlled it to walk towards the laboratory. Sword Shadow Step! Transforming into a dark shadow, Song Jian dashed towards the outside of the safe house. The power of two high-explosive grenades and a Self-destructing Robot was enough to send the safe house flying, and Song Jian didnt want to get caught in the destruction. Bang! With a single sword strike, Song Jian slashed open the entrance to the safe house and quickly dashed towards the outside of the town. Before he could leave the town, Song Jian felt the ground violently tremble. A muffled explosion rang out behind him. The powerful force tore down the buildings around the safe house, causing large cracks to form on the cement road. Song Jian stumbled and fell on the ground, unable to balance himself. He turned to see the safe house now reduced to a sunken crater. No! Behind him, Tang Mings mournful roar echoed as a dark shadow slowly floated into the air. Tang Ming was disheveled at this point, never expecting Song Jian to possess high-explosive grenades and a Self-destructing Robot. Caught off guard, the Tang Ming hidden underground was also affected and blasted out. Chapter 528 - Chapter 528: Chapter 528: Death Thorn Chapter 528: Chapter 528: Death Thorn Tang Mings black robe, resembling bat wings, was spread out behind him, but it was clearly torn in a few places, and the edges of the robe bore scorch marks; At this point, Tang Ming had only less than 60% of his Vitality Points left. His face was filled with rage, gritting his teeth at Song Jian; Despite his serious injuries, Tang Ming didnt mind, even if he had to abandon his body, Tang Ming could exist in another form. But the safe house was destroyed, especially the laboratory, the set of equipment that had been painstakingly collected was utterly destroyed, this was what truly caused Tang Ming indescribable pain; I am going to kill you, I am going to kill you, Ill show you the miserable fate of angering a Death Summoner! Tang Ming roared, starting to chant the incantation of Death Magic, while his Bone Wand also started to emit a grey glow. Death Thorn, seize the life of the enemy before me! Tang Ming whispered, pointing his Bone Wand to the ground; Whoosh~ A burst of breaking soil sounded, a rich aura of death pierced the sky, like a black beam of light, then, this black beam of light started to twist, as if a black serpent was waking up. Whoosh~ The black beam violently sprouted numerous tentacles, turning into a huge thorn vine. At the tip of this barrel-thick vine, a mouth filled with fangs extended a blood-red tongue at Song Jian; Whoosh~ This vine, filled with the Force of Death, was covered in over a foot-long sharp spikes. Dancing, these spikes easily scratched deep marks on the walls of the houses around, looking sturdier than metal. What on earth is this? Song Jian frowned slightly, he suddenly felt, some vaguely malicious energy and bodies were closing in on him. Vertical eye! Between Song Jians eyebrows, a silver-eye opened, looking around; Indeed, around Song Jian, transparent human-shaped souls were slowly clustering towards his position, these souls with grimaces and full of madness and greed, all absent of intelligence; Is this the ghost monster Tang Ming mentioned? Song Jian whispered. Death Soul, Level 25, Vitality Points: 3000/3000, characteristics: immune to physical attacks; Song Jian, you cant escape! Tang Ming clenched his fist fiercely, the Death Thorn vine let out a sharp roar and rushed quickly towards Song Jian; Whoosh~ Like a black python, the Thorn vine almost slid on the ground, leaving deep marks on it; Song Jian advanced instead of retreating, holding his sword with both hands and raising it above his head, the dark red sword emanated a dazzling golden glow. Light Strike! With a stern shout, Song Jians long sword violently chopped forward, sending a burst of dazzling golden Sword Qi, wave-like, chopping towards the Death Thorn vine; At the moment the golden Sword Qi burst, the Death Souls around Song Jian suddenly let out a sharp scream, as if they had encountered something terrifying and scattered in fright, some slower Death Souls started to phase out, like they were made of wax; The golden Sword Qi easily pierced through the defense of the Death Thorn vine, almost severing it completely. Thick black blood spurted out like a spring from the wound, the Death Thorn vine writhed violently and let out a series of mournful screams; Divine Power? Hmph, do you think those gods are really reliable? Only death is the true eternity! Tang Ming let out a roar, waved his Bone Wand, and fired a Shadow Arrow at Song Jian. Sacred Parry! Song Jian placed his long sword horizontally in front of his chest. A sphere of energy emitting gray light came crashing towards him. He violently shook as a golden light flashed, and his body tumbled backwards onto the ground in a stable manner. The Shadow Arrow disappeared. Moments later, where the arrow and sword had collided, another Shadow Arrow materialized out of thin air and shot towards Tang Ming. A surprised look flashed across Tang Mings face. He looked somewhat flustered. Bang! An energy arrow emitting gray light appeared in front of Tang Ming instantly, piercing his chest fiercely. Tang Mings body slightly shivered. A corrosive sensation came from his chest. A mouthful of fresh blood welled up, but he forcefully swallowed it down. However, a trickle of black blood slowly seeped out from the corner of his mouth. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian cast a brief glance at Tang Ming who was suspended mid-air. He leapt up, his long sword lit up with lightning. Three flashes of Sword Qi fiercely hacked at the Death Thorn vines. The already dying Death Thorns split into two sections. The bisected Death Thorn vines didnt die immediately. Instead, like snakes, both sections kept jumping on the ground. The front section even had a large mouth. It attempted to bite Song Jian, but Song Jian sent it flying with a slash of his sword. Seeing that the Death Thorn was of no use, Tang Mings face darkened. He waved his Bone Wand fiercely. A heavy death energy radiated from him, gathering into large patches of black fog in mid-air. This is my home ground! Tang Ming waved his Bone Wand, pointed at Song Jian. The black fog above his head immediately began to churn like boiling water. Within the fog, appeared to be a huge monster swimming around. Hmph, youre trying to fool me! Song Jian sneered coldly, leaped forward with his steel wings spread out, and charged at Tang Ming with his sword. Bang! Song Jians dark red long sword violently collided with Tang Mings Bone Wand. Song Jian used the force in his arms to push against Tang Ming. At this point, Song Jians power had already surpassed fifty points. Not to mention Tang Mings role of a mage, even a melee role with strength as the main attribute might not be as strong as Song Jian. With the long sword pressing against the Bone Wand, it slashed towards Tang Ming. Oh, quite strong, arent you? Looking at the long sword just a few centimeters from his face, Tang Ming could feel the chill coming from the blade of Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. But he didnt seem flustered in the slightest. He met Song Jians eyes with a teasing look. A sudden fear swept over Song Jian. He quickly used the Foot Kick skill and kicked Tang Mings lower abdomen hard, then jumped back with a flutter of his steel wings. Just as he jumped backward in mid-air, the black cloud above him suddenly twisted into a black skeletal Giant Dragon. The sharp claws fiercely scratched at the place where Song Jian had previously stood. Just when the claws of the skeletal Giant Dragon were about to touch Song Jians body, his steel wings flipped, drawing an arc in the air and avoiding the attack. Thinking of dodging now? Isnt it a bit late? Tang Ming looked at Song Jians figure in the air and quickly uttered a few syllables. The black skeletal Giant Dragon, over ten meters long, flipped in the air and pounced at Song Jian. Chapter 529 - Chapter 529: Chapter 529: Skeleton Giant Dragon Chapter 529: Chapter 529: Skeleton Giant Dragon This skeletal giant dragon wasnt a genuine giant dragon, but a creation of Tang Mings spell. Yet, the power of the skeletal dragon was not much weaker than that of a true giant dragon; Splat~ Tang Ming vomited another mouthful of blood. At this point, his magical power had been exhausted, and he had lost 10% of his Vitality Points. Furthermore, he was in a weakened state. All these sacrifices were made to summon the skeletal giant dragon to exist for only thirty seconds; This was Tang Mings most formidable move, which he could only use when faced with life or death situations. He believed that even if Song Jian was strong, it would be impossible for him to withstand the skeletal giant dragon for thirty seconds. Whooosh~ The skeletal giant dragon blew a gray Dragon Breath at Song Jian, carrying the Force of Death. The dragons breath left a long-lasting trace in the air, corroding a large area of the void. Seeing this, Song Jian felt a chill in his heart and did not dare to underestimate it. He quickly swung his steel wings to dodge to one side. Just as he stabilized, the skeletal giant dragons tail, like a bone hammer, viciously smashed towards him; Boom! With wide-open eyes, Song Jian saw a mass of shadows rushing over. Before he could react, his chest was hit by a sharp pain. Only then did the sharp whistling sound of the skeletal dragons tail slicing through the air reach his ears; Like a stone, Song Jian fell from the sky and crashed heavily into the ground, causing dust to rise. This hit made him lose more than 500 Vitality Points, and even added a negative effect of bone fracture to his status window; Cough-cough~ Song Jian was full of blood foam in his mouth, with intense pain radiating from his chest. It felt as if his lungs were on fire. The broken rib seemed to have punctured his lung, making each breath feel like tearing pain; Physical Treatment! Song Jian raised his right hand, and a white light enveloped him. It then gathered at his chest, and his broken bones were instantly repaired; Boom! The skeletal giant dragon fell from the sky, stirring up clouds of dust on the ground as it walked towards Song Jian step by step; I cannot face this behemoth head-on! Song Jian thought. In the previous confrontation, Song Jian had already observed the strength of this skeletal giant dragon. From its power to its speed, it had surpassed the first-order combat power and was not something he could face now; Tang Ming hasnt even reached the first-order combat power. How could he summon such a terrifying skeletal giant dragon? Song Jian wondered suspiciously. Previously, he had met a Beastman Shaman who, after completely depleting his vitality and spirit, had summoned only a giant beasts right palm and nothing more. Now, this skeletal giant dragons aura felt very close to that of the previously seen giant beast. Since he summoned such a terrifying dragon, it must have come at a great cost. Now he should be at his weakest point. I just need to kill him, and this summoned creature will naturally disappear. With this thought, Song Jians feet flashed with white light, and his figure shot towards Tang Ming like an arrow, leaving behind an ice path with chilling cold air. The most direct way to deal with a powerful summoned creature is to kill the person who summoned it. When the summoner is dead, the summoned creature loses its reason to exist in this world; Upon seeing Song Jian charging towards him, Tang Ming revealed a sneer of disdain on his face. Even though he was powerless at this moment, there was no way the skeletal giant dragon would let anyone hurt him; Indeed, just as Song Jian was about to reach Tang Ming, he suddenly sensed an immense threat and hurriedly flipped aside to escape; Boom~ With a loud bang, a bone hammer fell from the sky, landing at the spot where Song Jian had just dashed. A deep pit over six meters long appeared on the ground. If Song Jian hadnt dodged and continued to charge forward, this attack could have directly smashed him into a puddle of flesh. Damn it! Song Jians face was unpleasant as he looked at Tang Ming, who was only five or six meters away from him, with a frustrated look in his eyes. At this moment, the skeletal Giant Dragon guarded Tang Ming, and there was no way to break through the dragons protection and hurt Tang Ming. Song Jian, give up your dream of killing me! You cant do it. Just wait for me to lead the skeleton army to flatten the safe house you have built. Hehe~ Tang Mings face revealed a hint of madness as he burst into arrogant laughter. Song Jian squinted his eyes, staring intently at Tang Ming. In his heart, he had sentenced the opponent to death. However, the skeleton Giant Dragon was indeed troublesome, so he could only retreat temporarily and come back later when there was an opportunity. Just as Song Jian considered retreating, a dragons roar suddenly echoed in his heart. The Black Dragon cub, which had been asleep in the Pet Space, had awakened at this moment. The awakened Black Dragon cub seemed a bit weak since it had consumed a lot of its blood to create a body for Bloodline Wizard Wallace. It was already lucky that the cub had not dropped its rank, and now Song Jian would need to find some treasures to replenish its strength. Thinking about this, Song Jian suddenly realized that he had gathered a legendary medicinal herb, the Seven Stars Shard, while in the Protection Black Mist. This medicinal herb was one of the main ingredients for the Breaking Tribulation Pill, and could also directly enhance pet aptitude, which was extremely beneficial to pets. Although he did not know what the Breaking Tribulation Pill was for, Song Jian knew that a pill that used a legendary medicinal herb as the main ingredient could not be garbage, and no one would believe it if he said it was. However, the Breaking Tribulation Pill was too far away from him, while the second effect of the Seven Stars Shard could be used now. With that in mind, Song Jian directly gave the Seven Stars Shard to the Black Dragon cub. Suddenly, in the Pet Space, a green medicinal herb with seven leaves, carved like jade, appeared. The Black Dragon cub had just awakened and seemed somewhat listless. Then, it caught the scent of the medicinal herb, looked up, and showed excitement in its golden vertical pupils the moment it saw the Seven Stars Shard. It swallowed the Seven Stars Shard in one bite. Swish, swish, swish~ Golden light burst out from the Black Dragon cubs body as it began to grow rapidly. Its scales became wider and heavier, and its height doubled from just under three meters to nearly seven meters. With just one medicinal herb, the Black Dragon cub had grown from infancy to adolescence. Its level jumped from 15 to 30, surpassing Song Jian, its master. Song Jians heart stirred, and he quickly summoned the Black Dragon cub. Now a majestic young Black Dragon, it was no longer a cub. Excited for its first time out of the Pet Space, the Black Dragon raised its head and let out a roar. The sound waves vibrated in the air, smashing some ghost-like monsters into pieces instantly, while the remaining ones fled in fear. After a short time, there were no ghost-like monsters within a radius of several hundred meters. The skeletal Giant Dragon seemed to feel its authority being challenged and roared angrily at the Black Dragon. How, how is it possible, a real Giant Dragon A surprised expression appeared in Tang Mings eyes, quickly followed by ecstasy. A Giant Dragon, a real Giant Dragon! If I could possess its body, I could create a truly powerful skeletal Giant Dragon instead of this imitation Tang Ming licked his lips, greed showing in his eyes. Chapter 530 - Chapter 530: Chapter 530: Guardian of the Small Town Chapter 530: Chapter 530: Guardian of the Small Town Kill him, kill him, just kill him, and this Black Dragon is mine! Tang Mings eyes gradually turned red, and his face became ferocious, Even a level 30 Black Dragon cant be a match for my Skeleton Giant Dragon. As long as I kill Tang Ming, this Black Dragon is mine! Song Jian, do you think summoning this adolescent Black Dragon can kill me? If you cant kill me today, you will forever live in my nightmare. One day, my skeleton army will cover every corner of this game, and you wont have anywhere to hide Song Jian raised his eyebrow with contempt, You have only managed to transform two skeleton warriors in all this time. By the time you have a skeleton army, I am afraid I will have become a god Tang Mings face turned gloomy. The low success rate and long transformation time, especially the difficulty of sourcing materials to transform into a skeleton warrior, all limit the number of skeleton warriors. At this time, the Skeleton Giant Dragon has already pounced towards Song Jian. The Black Dragon roared and leaped towards the Skeleton Giant, the two titans fighting in mid-air, their battle waves continuously destroying the buildings in the small town. Just then, in the vivid flower bed at the door of the town, a pair of emerald eyes suddenly opened, looking up at the sky. The disturbance caused by the fighting dragons had already aroused the attention of the towns Guardian. Song Jian, if you hand over this Black Dragon to me, then you can earn my friendship! Tang Ming licked his lips and said. Ha ha Song Jian laughed awkwardly, did Tang Ming think he was a three-year-old child, and easy to fool? Die! Song Jian swung his sword and charged at Tang Ming. Deprived of the protection of the Skeleton Giant Dragon, Tang Ming was like a fatty lump on a chopping board, ready to be butchered. When Tang Ming saw Song Jian charging at him, he gritted his teeth, took out a scroll from his bag, tore it, and threw it at Tang Yun. Cloud of Death! The torn magic scroll changed into a cloud of death energy, flying towards Song Jian. Frost Shield! A pale blue ice shield appeared on Song Jians body, resisting this cloud of death energy while charging towards Tang Ming. Sizzle~ When the shield and the Cloud of Death came in contact, corrosive burning sound could be heard from the shields surface, its defensive power was rapidly falling. Tang Ming was taken aback when he saw Song Jian charging over directly, and hastily retreated. Kill me, and you will be relentlessly hunted by Deaths Scythe! Tang Mings eyes showed panic as he quickly spoke. Song Jians sword had no hesitation, and he hacked down viciously at Tang Mings body. Ahh~ Tang Ming let out a blood-curdling scream, a damage score of over six hundred floated above his head. For a magic professional like him, damage over six hundred points was enough to take him down. Feeling its summoner was threatened, the Skeleton Giant Dragon slapped the Black Dragon away with its claw, coiled its body, and pounced at Song Jian. Get lost! Song Jians eyes were fierce. He swung his sword again, slashing out a golden Sword Qi. Light Strike! The Light Strike, filled with divine energy, was the ultimate nemesis of death energy. The Skeleton Giant Dragon took the hit straight on and let out a shrill scream. Its huge body, as though hit by a large hammer, swayed backward. Tang Ming took the opportunity to run towards the flower bed by the town gate. The reason he had been able to survive in this abandoned town in the wilderness for so long was because of a neutral monster in the town. Each time Tang Ming encountered a monster he couldnt defeat, he would lead it to the flower bed in the town and use this neutral monster to kill it. This time, Tang Ming wanted to repeat his old trick, lead Song Jian to the flower bed, and kill him there. If he killed Song Jian, not only could he obtain a players corpse that could be transformed into a skeleton warrior, but there was also the chance to get a Black Dragon. If he managed to make a real Skeleton Giant Dragon out of the Black Dragon, Tang Mings strength would instantly make him a top player in the game. As he approached the flower bed, Tang Ming took out a potion from his bag and drank it directly. Soon, the effects of the potion took hold, causing an agonizing expression to appear on Tang Mings face, but he still gritted his teeth and bore it. In no time, Tang Mings body gradually turned semi-transparent, like a ghost. The Force of Death radiated from his body. There was no longer any trace of life in him. Come on, come chase me. You will soon find out what it means to wish for death! Tang Ming looked back at Song Jian, who was chasing him, and a sneaky grin appeared on his face. Just then, a vine as thick as a water bucket emerged from the flower bed. This vine, covered in obscure black runes that flickered faintly, was so dizzying that it could make ones head spin just from looking at it. The vine didnt seem to detect Tang Ming presence. It silently stretched out of the flower bed like a snake. Song Jian saw Tang Ming turn semi-transparent and noticed his fearless posture beside the flower bed. This reminded him of what Tang Ming had said before: that there was a powerful monster within the flower bed. So, he halted his steps. Seeing that Song Jian didnt come chasing after him, Tang Ming was slightly disappointed. He sneered at Song Jian, You cant kill me! Well see about that! Song Jian responded, taking out two high-explosive grenades from his bag. Tang Mings face changed immediately. He had felt the power of these grenades before. Even if he hid underground, the blast wave had still forced him out. Song Jian looked at the grenades, hesitated for a moment, and put them back. The materials for making high-explosive grenades were not easy to gather. Song Jian had only three left in his bag, and was a bit reluctant to use them. Then, Song Jian pulled out a Self-destructing Robot and controlled it to walk towards the flower bed. The Self-destructing Robots caterpillar tracks rolled quickly towards Tang Ming, who let out a cry of fear and quickly hid far from the flower bed. The Self-destructing Robot was even more powerful than the grenade. If it got close to Tang Ming in his weakened state, he would likely be killed in an instant. Boom! A violent explosion stirred up a roar next to the flower bed. Tang Ming felt like he was hit in the back by a heavy truck. He was sent flying forward, the pain from the explosion was intense. His bones seemed to be shattering one by one, and his head was ringing, causing a splitting headache. At this time, Tang Ming, half-naked, had many of his equipment damaged. His body was full of burnt-black marks, his limbs twitching involuntarily, he seemed to be in a near-death state, only half a step away from real death. Just then, a shrill roar came from the flower bed, and several thick vines rose into the sky, intertwined in mid-air, and eventually formed into a thick plant with a diameter of more than ten meters. Chapter 531 - Chapter 531: Chapter 531: Hundred-eyed Vine Tree Chapter 531: Chapter 531: Hundred-eyed Vine Tree Song Jians self-destructing robot was chasing Tang Ming, exploding just before reaching the flower garden. Almost all of its power was absorbed by the garden, while Tang Ming only suffered some aftershocks; The flower garden, originally made of green bricks, had collapsed more than half at this time, and the soil inside was scattered everywhere, along with the colorful flowers, like wilted flowers and broken branches; This directly enraged the guardians of the flower garden in the small town. Several thick cyan vines emerged from the ground, intertwining in mid-air and forming a large tree; This trees roots were twisted, and its branches were stout. Every green vine was covered with large and small eyes, looking very frightening when seen up close; When these hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at Song Jian together, even he couldnt help but feel goosebumps and retreated involuntarily; Hundred-eyed Vine Tree, Level 30, Neutral, First Order Combat Power, Vitality Points: 14000/14000, Status: Enraged; 14,000 vitality points? Song Jian felt surprised instantly. A level 30 monster, even if it was a lord-level, shouldnt have 14,000 vitality points. Could it be that the tree in front of him was much more powerful than a lord-level monster? Whoosh~ A vine as thick as an arm whipped towards Song Jian like a whip. Song Jian instinctively swung his sword to block it; Bang~ A strong force came, and Song Jians arm felt intense pain. His fingers loosened, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was flung away; How could this happen Song Jian retreated in a hurry, his face showing a look of horror. The power of this tree monster far surpassed his own! Fighting it would mean death! Song Jian realized in his heart and immediately lost the will to fight the tree monster; with a wave of his right hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, which was stuck diagonally in the ground, flew towards him as if controlled by an invisible hand and was caught by Song Jian; It seems that I cant kill him today. Song Jian glanced at Tang Ming, who was in a semi-conscious state, feeling a little annoyed. Tang Ming was lying within the attack range of the Hundred-eyed Vine Tree. Even if Tang Ming had only one breath left, one ordinary sword strike could take his life. However, that one sword strike was something Song Jian just couldnt land; Its a pity. If only I had long-range attack abilities, Song Jian sighed in his heart. Sword Controllers belonged to the Swordman class, and all their skills were either close-range or mid-range combat. Among all their skills, Earth Teeth Assault had the longest range, reaching 12 meters. However, even then it was still within the alert range of the Hundred-eyed Vine Tree, and once Song Jian entered this range, he would have to bear the attack of the tree first; Just then, an angry roar suddenly sounded from the sky. The skeleton giant dragon had already pressed the Black Dragon beneath it. The Black Dragon was bleeding all over its body, even the roots of its fangs were filled with blood. At this time, one of the skeleton giant dragons front claws was grabbing the Black Dragons neck, while the other huge claw was pressing down on its head; However, at this moment, the summoning time of the skeleton giant dragon had run out. The thirty seconds it had were fleeting. Looking at the struggling Black Dragon, which still refused to admit defeat, the skeleton giant dragon let out an angry roar. Its figure gradually became illusory; The Black Dragon turned over, flapping its meat wings and looking around with a confused expression. Soon, it gave up on searching for the figure of the skeletal giant dragon, turned around, and flew towards Song Jian. Before Song Jian could call to it, the Black Dragon turned into a black shadow and automatically entered the Pet Space. Song Jian looked at the Black Dragon. By now, it had been seriously injured, with less than a third of its vitality points remaining. As it entered the Pet Space, it lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The Pet Space had the function of slowly healing injuries. As long as the pet didnt die immediately, no matter how severe its injuries were, it could slowly recover after entering the Pet Space; Closing the Pet Space, Song Jian looked at Tang Mings location; At this time, Tang Ming had actually woken up from his coma. Although he looked disheveled, there was a victorious smile on his face; Song Jian, I told you, you cant kill me! After laughing, a ferocious expression appeared on Tang Mings face: I told you, from now on, youll live in my nightmare forever. Just wait, one day, my army of skeletons will level your safe house, and I will present your corpse in front of me, my skeleton warrior! Song Jian stared into Tang Mings eyes with a calm expression and said, I also said that I will kill you! Tang Ming was taken aback, suddenly feeling a strong sense of threat emerging from his heart. Impossible, what means can he use to kill me within the alert range of this small town guardian? Tang Ming suddenly felt a sense of panic in his heart. Just then, the Hundred-eyed Vine Tree suddenly shook violently. A shrill roar came from the tree, and the thick vines with the thickness of an arm emitted a sharp breaking sound as they shot towards Tang Ming; Tang Ming was startled, but soon found that the target of these vines was not him; At my back! Tang Ming was about to turn around when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a dark red sword tip protruding from his chest. This is Song Jians weapon. How, how did he do it Tang Mings right hand tightly grasped the sword tip. He looked up and saw Song Jian in the distance, staring at him coldly. Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was tightly gripped in his hand; Its his Phantom Clone, I was careless! Tang Ming suddenly understood and fell to his knees; As the Abyssal Phantom Clone stabbed Tang Ming, it was also pierced by the trees vines and torn into pieces. However, at this point, the Phantom Clone had already fulfilled its mission, so its disappearance didnt matter. When I was unconscious just now, the Shadow Binding had already dissipated Tang Ming coughed up blood and regretted in his heart. If he hadnt been unconscious and lost control of the Shadow Binding, Song Jians Phantom Clone would still be tied to the bed in the basement, buried underground along with the entire safe house. Because of the Shadow Binding, the Abyssal Phantom Clone could not disappear even when its duration was over and was trapped underground. However, once the Shadow Binding was gone, the Abyssal Phantom Clone was just a mass of energy and floated out from underground, launching a suicidal attack on Tang Ming; Cough, cough. Song Jian, even if you kill me, you wont get off easy. Deaths Scythe wont let you go. From now on, youll live in the fear of being hunted down at any moment. Hahaha. Tang Mings laughter abruptly stopped, and his body fell heavily to the ground. Soon, the effects of the potion he had taken disappeared, and his body returned to its normal state; At this moment, a thick vine stretched out and wrapped around Tang Mings corpse, slowly pulling it into the collapsed flower garden. Chapter 532 - Chapter 532: Chapter 532: The Hunt Chapter 532: Chapter 532: The Hunt Upon seeing Tang Ming fully dead, his body even used as fertilizer by the hundred-eyed vine tree, a sense of relief washed over Song Jians face. Finally, its over. Using dead players to create skeleton warriors, its downright perverse! Song Jian sighed. But at that moment, Song Jian suddenly received a system alert, and his expression changed dramatically. System: Youve killed a member of the Deaths Scythe organization, lowering your relationship with them to hostile. Deaths Scythe will send assassins to kill you. You must survive three assassination attempts for them to temporarily give up on hunting you! How could this be, what exactly is this organization, Deaths Scythe? Song Jian frowned. In the game, there were all sorts of factions. Song Jian had already had a previous encounter with a faction called 101 Gathering Area. He had killed a few militiamen from the 101 Gathering Area that were trying to enter Doomsday City and had thus incurred their wrath. As a result, he was nearly killed. However, even after killing the militiamen of the 101 Gathering Area, the game didnt send out a warning of oncoming hunters like this one. Worse, he must fend off three assassination attempts for it to be over temporarily. I assume the assassins abilities will increase with each attempt. If I can resist them three times, theyll deem my strength beyond their estimation. Continuing to chase me would then harm the organization, hence the temporary halt. Song Jian managed a bitter smile and shook his head. If he were back in Doomsday City, in his own Manor Castle, even if this Deaths Scythe organization sent a killer of the first-order combat power, hed be confident of overpowering them. But now he was in the wilderness on his way to Shadowfang Mountain Range. If he was hunted down now, he could only count on his own strength, which was tricky. Song Jian looked around. The small town had been almost completely destroyed by the battle, leaving only a few remote buildings relatively intact, everything else was completely leveled to the ground. He glanced at the hundred-eyed vine tree still standing in the garden and heaved a sigh. Although he had destroyed Tang Mings safe house in the battle and the equipment that harmed people, Song Jian gained nothing, moreover, he had wasted two high-explosive grenades, and two self-destructing robots. If I could kill this level thirty monster, I might receive lots of nice loot. Song Jian glanced at the hundred-eyed vine tree, a hint of greed gleaming in his eyes. However, Song Jian quickly suppressed his greed. His quest was to fight a real Shadow Giant Dragon. If all his hidden cards were used up here, then his quest might not only fail, but he might also lose his life at Shadowfang Mountain Range. He gave the hundred-eyed vine tree a regretful look and marked the location on his map. Once he reached level thirty, put on the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, passed the first-order combat power test, and if he had a chance to leave Doomsday City, he would pay a visit to this hundred-eyed vine tree with over ten thousand vitality points. Three days went by in a flash. The wilderness outside Doomsday City was desolate, with large chunks of rubble everywhere. Sandstorms blew from time to time. Song Jian often walked dozens of kilometers without seeing any living creatures, except for monsters occasionally. Speaking of green plants, it was a luxury to see a single green weed in the wilderness. However, after leaving the town, Song Jian did stumble upon a small green forest. Inside, trees the thickness of an arm grew neatly, and hearing the birds chirping among them was melodious. If it were the real world, these scenes would be nothing special, but in this desolate ruin game world, Song Jian felt an eerie sensation and didnt dare approach, taking a wide berth around the area. At dusk that day, Song Jian set up a campfire behind a huge rock to prepare his dinner. At that moment, not very far from where Song Jian was, a fist-sized screen of light appeared. It expanded and distorted like a living thing until it was over a meter tall. A man shrouded in a black cloak, emitting an aura of death, walked out of the light screen with his head bowed and his arms crossed. This man had dark skin, frighteningly bright eyes, a hooked nose in the center of his face, spoiling his overall look and giving him a fierce and sinister appearance. What a terrible environment, I wonder what the boss was thinking, even allowing membership in such a place Looking at the endless sandstorms and the coarse stones under his feet, the man couldnt help but complain Narrowing his eyes and relying on his senses, a grim smile crossed the mans face: I have found you, humble crawler. No one survives after killing a member of Deaths Scythe. Prepare to meet your death! With a cold laugh, the man turned into a puff of black smoke, scaling towards Song Jians location with the force of the wind. Song Jian was roasting a piece of meat on the fire. The meat sizzled as the hot oil dripped, emitting a tantalizing aroma. Song Jian took out his spice box and carefully scooped out a small bit, spreading it on the roast meat. Before setting out, Song Jian had prepared various food supplies. However, he didnt carry many spices, with no way to replenish them in the wilderness. He treasured every bit of it. This should be ready to eat! Song Jian looked at the fragrant piece of roast meat, nodding in satisfaction. Once in the wilderness, Song Jians cooking skills soared, now at level three. He had also figured out five or six recipes for roasting meat. Just as Song Jian was about to taste his handiwork, his expression changed. His body turned into a shadow and he abruptly sidestepped to the left. Bang! A sharp bone spear fell from the sky, piercing the burning campfire. Immediately, sparks flew and the intense shockwave scattered the burning wood everywhere. Huh, good reflexes! A surprised voice called out from the air. Song Jian looked up to see a man in black floating mid-air, his black cloak fluttering like a pair of wings. Deaths Scythe! Song Jians eyes narrowed, growing serious. This man looked identical to Tang Ming, especially the robes allowing them to float in the air, giving the impression of wings. You insignificant crawler, it seems you know who I am. So be quiet and accept Deaths Scythes punishment. Let your soul fall into the endless hell to make up for your disrespect to Deaths Scythe. The man, with an arrogant expression on his face, pointed at Song Jian and murmured: Finger of Death! Immediately, a bolt of black light, reminiscent of lightning, shot straight towards Song Jian. Chapter 533 - Chapter 533: Chapter 533: The Sanction of Deaths Scythe Chapter 533: Chapter 533: The Sanction of Deaths Scythe Song Jian found that for a Sword Controller, attack range is a large weakness. Its fine if the enemy engages in close combat, but if they were ranged classes like mages, capable of launching attacks from tens of meters away, Song Jian would be put in the awkward position of taking hits without being able to retaliate. Song Jian always felt that his Invisible Sword Qi should be an energy higher-grade than magic power, but the way it was released, that is, the sword technique, minimizes the effect of the Invisible Sword Qi. The executioner of the Deaths Scythe opposite to him lightly pointed at Song Jian. A black lightning bolt instantly rushed towards Song Jian at an extreme speed. Subconsciously, Song Jian cast a Frost Shield. The magic Finger of Death collided with Frost Shield, resulting in a dull explosion. Boom, the Frost Shield directly shattered. A thousand points of defense were like a piece of thin paper before the Finger of Death. Such a feeble defense! A disdainful expression surfaced on Nasos face. It seemed a bit of a waste that he had to chase after someone so weak. The Finger of Death easily tore through the defense presented by the Frost Shield, hitting the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in front of Song Jians chest. Hum~ With a soft sound, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword burst into dazzling gold light. Song Jians body immediately fell back and stood firmly on the ground. Huh? A surprised look appeared on Nasos face. Although this move, Finger of Death, seemed casual, it was one of the strongest skills Naso had mastered. Not to mention a level 26 Gods Chosen, even a level 30 person possessing first-order combat power could be seriously injured if caught off guard. Its no wonder that the organization sent me here, it seems this Gods Chosen person does possess some strength Nasos face showed a trace of relief. Naso is a game NPC, possessing the strength of a level 25 elite boss and the class of a wizard proficient in death magic. Just when he thought Song Jian was quite powerful, his face suddenly changed, and he screamed. The ring on his left wrist suddenly burst into dazzling light. A faint light, kindled from Nasos ring, wrapped around his entire body. The silver-gray light quickly formed into a phantom-like armor surface, emerging on Nasos body. Naso, now clad in silver-gray armor, looked like a formidable Holy Knight, but his face was filled with terror. How can this be Naso exclaimed. A black lightning bolt suddenly appeared out of thin air and shot at Naso. It was so fast that Naso could only manage to release the defensive spell saved on his left wrist ring. Boom~ The black lightning bolt fiercely bombarded the silver-gray armor on Nasos body. A clear shattering sound rang out, and the ring on Nasos left hand directly shattered into countless crystal spots, dissipating in the air. Spurt~ A mouthful of blood spat out. Naso looked at the slowly dissipating light spots with a painful expression in his eyes. He momentarily forgot about the corrosion inflicted by the Finger of Death. Damn it, that was my Naso angrily roared. He took out a fang-shaped knife from his waist and fiercely sliced open a wound on his left palm. In an instant, blood spurted out. Nasos face rapidly turned white, but soon, his entire left arm gleamed with a silver light. His muscles bulged, and his entire arm swelled in size. His fingernails rapidly elongated, hooked inwards as the tips shimmered with a metallic sheen. One by one, cyan-black scales slowly came out from under the skin of his left hand. His entire arm looked like it had changed from a human arm into a beasts claw. Claw of Death! Naso roared, raising his left hand high and fiercely slashing it down at Song Jian; Four sharp, light-grey claw marks emanated a piercing howl in the air, as if they could puncture a persons eardrums; Light Strike! Song Jian held his sword with both hands, and with a fierce slash forward, the dazzling golden Sword Qi illuminated the surrounding space. The four sharp claw marks collided brutally with the golden Sword Qi, triggering a thunderous blast; Crack crack~ Naso exclaimed in shock as the golden Sword Qi severed the four claw marks directly, leaving a foot-long sword scar on Nasos chest. Blood gushed out, and a faint golden glow permeated from the wound, shattering the gathering black aura and preventing the regeneration of Nasos wound. Seeing that Nasos vitality points had fallen below half, Song Jian revealed a bizarre expression in his eyes. Your power is not even equal to Tang Mings, and yet you dare to pursue me? Song Jian laughed wildly, spreading out the steel wings behind him. With a leap, he brandished his sword and charged at Naso. At this point, Naso seemed quite disheveled. The four fingers of his left hand had been chopped off at the base, and blood from his chest had stained half his body red. The two powerful spells he released not only failed to harm Song Jian, but they also led to the loss of a precious defensive magical artifact and severe injuries to himself. What, you dare underestimate me! A burst of anger appeared on Nasos face. He moved his thoughts and concentrated on the Force of Death, which surrounded his left hand and had already lost four fingers. This Force of Death condensed into four sharp claws on his fingers, then the black aura spread along his arm, creeping towards the elbow. In no time, his entire left arm seemed to be fitted with a black metal claw cover. Today, Ill let you personally experience the terror of the Death Gods Scythe! Naso swung his left arm, blocking Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a bang, sparks flew, and the black claw cover formed by the Force of Death exhibited an indestructible strength. Even the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was unable to shake it. Death Binding! Naso uttered softly, spreading his right hand and stretching it towards Song Jian. Five streams of black Force of Death shot out from his palm, forming five black chains in mid-air and binding towards Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback, as this move was similar to Tang Mings Shadow Bind; With a thought, a shadow surged from Song Jian, quickly condensing into a phantom clone, standing in front of him. Almost simultaneously, the five chains tightly bound the phantom clone. Looking at the surprised expression on Nasos face, a smile emerged at the corner of the phantom clones mouth; Whoosh~ A sword reached out below the phantom clones ribs, its dark-red blade pierced easily into Nasos abdomen, spewing out a jet of blood; No! Naso roared, swinging his left claw and tore the bound phantom clone to pieces; Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian cut him again, and Nasos vitality points were left with only about one-tenth; Feeling his strength rapidly depleting, a fierceness flashed in Nasos eyes. With gritted teeth, he roared, No one can escape the sanction of the Death Gods Scythe! Chapter 534 - Chapter 534: Chapter 534: The Abandoned Military Camp Chapter 534: Chapter 534: The Abandoned Military Camp Song Jian suddenly sensed an uproar of the Force of Death within Naso and immediately realized what he intended to do. Self-destruction? Attempting to achieve mutual destruction? Song Jian narrowed his eyes as a flicker of coldness formed at the corner of his mouth. Naso, sensing his impending death, had chosen self-destruction. As part of the Deaths Scythe, he feared no death. As long as his soul remained intact, there were many ways for him to revive within the Deaths Scythe. Whoosh~ A chilling glint crossed Song Jians face. Just before the Force of Death within Naso reached its apex, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword mercilessly strove for his neck. Bang! Nasos head, full of unwillingness and regret, flew high into the air before landing on the ground, his eyes wide open in death. His decapitated body underwent a series of violent explosions. The out-of-control Deaths Force collided within him, causing his body to explode into pieces. A badge, radiating a silver glow, rolled out from his corpse. It was the only spoil of war fallen from the slain Naso. Upon picking it up, Song Jian found it to be a silver-grade accessory. Death Gods Badge (Silver), Equipment Level 28, Equipment Effect: Agility +4, Skill Damage Increase 40%, Special Effect: After wearing it, it can disguise as a senior member of Deaths Scythe. Note: There is a certain chance of being uncovered by the real Deaths Scythe member who will then relentlessly hunt the wearer down. Equipment Requirement: Level 25. Can it be brought out of the game: No. The most potent attribute of this silver-grade equipment is probably the increase in skill damage by 40% C almost equivalent to enhancing the skills power by three to four levels. Regarding disguising as a senior member of Deaths Scythe, this effect has no practical meaning for Song Jian currently. Though it might be useful later on, Song Jian had no plans to wear this badge now. The two accessories that Song Jian is currently wearing include one blue-grade Heart of Ice, which can unleash a Frost Shield, a beneficial effect that he frequently uses. The other accessory is the silver-grade Ant Soul Orb. Although its actual effect, intimidating the Magical Ant Clan, is no longer needed by Song Jian, its base attributes of increasing agility by 5 points and damage by 15% are excellent, making Song Jian reluctant to replace it. The Death Gods Badge had potent base attributes, but the special effect was indeed a double-edged sword with significant side effects. After some hesitation, Song Jian added it to his bag. Two more times Song Jian looked at Nasos mangled corpse, musing to himself. The first assassin dispatched was of only the Elite Level 25. Next time, it might be a Level 30 assassin. The strength of each sent assassin is much greater than the last. Song Jian wondered if he could hold on until the end. Shadowfang Mountain Range Song Jian consulted his rudimentary map. He felt that he had lost his way, being unable to locate the abandoned military camp marked on his map. Once he found this camp, he would only need to continue traveling south for 300 kilometers to see the Dark Castle of the Shadowfang Mountain Range. I hope I can resolve the pursuit from Deaths Scythe before entering the Shadowfang Mountain Range Song Jian sighed, speaking to himself. Had he known it would be this troublesome, he might have decided to spare Tang Mings life. Since he had already destroyed the equipment he used to create the skeleton soldiers, he certainly wouldnt have been able to create more in a short amount of time. After completing the mission in the Dark Castle, Song Jian could conveniently kill him on the way back. However, its too late for regrets now since he has already killed him. Theres no use in having regrets. Deaths Scythe, I will root your organization out sooner or later, Song Jian stated fiercely. Though it might be too early to talk about taking down Deaths Scythe given Song Jians current strength, it is not necessarily impossible in the future. Upon checking his map, Song Jian realized that the abandoned military camp should be nearby. He wondered why he had not found it yet and figured that he must have gone off course. Just then, he heard the sound of cartwheels crushing the ground from a distance. Turning his head, he noticed a giant beast pulling a peculiar four-wheeled cart. This beast looked terrifyingly similar to an alligator but had two curved horns on its head. Its limbs were muscular and full of strength. The name above this beasts head appeared green, followed by a subtitle that read, Player Jiang Shuangs Pet. Dedicated Cart One. It looked like this beasts name had been changed by a player named Jiang Shuang, thought Song Jian. The cart pulled by the beast was peculiar. It seemed to be a pickup modified with sections of iron welded all over it, making it look patchy. Seated in front of the cart was a goblin, controlling the beast. Upon spotting Song Jian, the goblin halted the cart and lifted his worn-out felt hat, greeting, Hello there, honored god-blessed. Hello there. I wonder where youre headed? Song Jian glanced into the cart, which was mysteriously empty of people but piled high with goods. Although it clearly wasnt a cargo cart, it was filled with goods. Moreover, the cart-pulling beast was obviously a players pet, yet Song Jian couldnt spot any players nearby. God-blessed, you can call me Torolf. My master is also a god-blessed. Im currently hauling goods for his shop! the goblin cheerfully explained. Judging by his wrinkled face, this goblin was quite old. Shop? The word caught Song Jians attention. He quickly asked, Could you tell me where your masters shop is located? Sure! Its just ahead in the military camp town, about ten kilometers from here, replied Torolf, pointing forward. Military camp town? Could this town be the abandoned military camp marked on my map? Song Jian wondered to himself. Torolf, my name is Song Jian, and Im an adventurer. Could you give me a lift to the military camp town? I need to purchase some supplies, Song Jian requested. Of course, theres no issue with that. If my master knows Ive assisted a god-blessed, he would surely praise me, Torolf humbly replied, moving aside. However, I must apologize. The goods have filled up the cart, so you can only sit beside me Many thanks, Torolf! Song Jian expressed his gratitude and sat next to the plump goblin. Not at all. I might have even brought a new customer back for my master, humbly replied Torolf. You mentioned earlier that you needed supplies? Haha, Torolf, youre a natural businessman, Song Jian laughed. Of course, I am a goblin after all, sir! Torolf laughed heartily, guiding the cart forward slowly. Chapter 535 - Chapter 535: Chapter 535: Old Military Camp Hotel Chapter 535: Chapter 535: Old Military Camp Hotel The monster pulling the cart seemed uneasy at the presence of a stranger. After Goblin Torolf scolded it a few times, however, the powerful creature quieted down. Torolf, can you tell me about Military Camp Town? This is my first time going there, Song Jian said. He wanted to know if Military Camp Town and the abandoned army base on the map were the same place. Actually, my master and I decided to settle down in this town not too long ago, Torolf replied. I heard that the towns predecessor was an abandoned army camp. Someone discovered it and turned it into a gathering area using the resources found there. Over time, it grew into a small town Song Jian nodded. It seemed like the Military Camp Town was indeed the abandoned army base marked on the map Qi Yun gave him. So it took a decade to develop an abandoned army camp into a town I wonder when this map was drawn, its so unreliable Song Jian muttered to himself. Are there many god-blessed people in the town? Song Jian asked. Not too many, Torolf glanced at Song Jian and shook his head, There used to be a few dozen, but now theres probably less than ten Song Jian remained silent. Players born in the wilderness had to endure harsher environments compared to those born in bigger cities like the City of Hymns who, at least, had their basic survival guaranteed. The danger in the wilderness was ten times worse than in the City of Hymns. One could easily encounter high-level monsters at any moment and lose their lives. Even if they hadnt met any monsters, gathering supplies would be much more difficult than in other places; However, in such harsh environments, the players who managed to progress could potentially gain many more opportunities and become much more powerful! Just like Tang Ming, who was born in the abandoned town and surrounded by dangerous environments, but could obtain rare jobs and summon terrifying skills such as the skeletal giant dragon. He even managed to join a powerful force like Deaths Scythe. If it werent for meeting Song Jian, Tang Ming could have easily been a protagonist with great potential for growth; Along the way, Song Jian continued chatting with Torolf and managed to gather quite a bit of information about Military Camp Town. After more than two hours, Song Jian finally saw the solid walls of the town. God-blessed Sir, thats Military Camp Town up ahead, Torolf excitedly shouted. Roar~ The monster pulling the cart became excited as well and let out a roar to the sky; Song Jian noticed that, while the cart-pulling monster didnt have a fast speed, its strength was truly immense, walking effortlessly all the way to their destination. Song Jian followed Torolf into the Military Camp Town and arrived in front of a general store called Guns and Roses. A chubby young man was sitting at the counter with a worried look on his face, sighing from time to time. Master, we have returned! Torolf parked the cart in the backyard of the general store and led Song Jian to the counter. Alright, good job, Torolf. You can go rest now, and dont forget to feed our monster some fresh meat, the young man said, not even looking up. Master, this is Song Jian, a fellow god-blessed. Hes planning to go to the Shadowfang Mountain Range and wants to buy some supplies at our store! Torolf hurriedly explained. Buying supplies? The young mans eyes lit up as he looked at Song Jian. You seem to be new here, is this your first time in Military Camp Town? The young man smiled widely, My name is Wang Chui, and Im the owner of this store. If youre heading to Shadowfang Mountain Range, I have all the supplies you need! Boss, do you have any maps here? Song Jian asked. Qi Yuns map was so old that many places had either disappeared or changed, causing Song Jian to have quite a tough journey; A map? Wang Chui hesitated, then quickly said, Of course, I have the latest version here! Not only does it cover all the gathering areas, monster leveling zones, and dungeons within a few hundred meters radius, it even includes a small part of the Shadowfang Mountain Range. The location of the level 30 dungeon Dark Castle is marked very clearly too How much for a copy? Song Jian asked, pleasantly surprised to find a map with such clear markings in this small town; Wang Chui raised a finger and said, Ten thousand Doomsday Coins for one! Song Jian was startled, Boss, your map isnt cheap, is it? Well, with this map, youll save quite a bit of trouble. They say youre heading to Shadowfang Mountain Range, right? That area is a level 30 monster zone, so without this map, you might accidentally wander into a monsters lair and suffer great losses C far more than ten thousand Doomsday Coins Wang Chui spoke as if he was truly concerned for Song Jians wellbeing. Alright, Ill buy it. And give me some supplies, too, Song Jian said. Wang Chuis face broke into a huge smile C it seemed he had found a big customer. Song Jian had bought the map for the whole price without bargaining. In fact, the cost of producing the map was only three thousand Doomsday Coins. Wang Chui had initially planned to sell it for six thousand Doomsday Coins, but seeing as Song Jian had bought it without batting an eye, it motivated Wang Chui to prepare more supplies for him. Brother, whats going on in Shadowfang Mountain Range lately? Why are so many people heading there? Wang Chui asked while packing the supplies and chatting with Song Jian. Song Jian paused, then quickly asked, Have a lot of people been going to Shadowfang Mountain Range recently? Yeah, in just the past two days, Ive seen two groups of people, all players, and just like you, they spent money like they didnt care about the cost, Wang Chui said in awe. Two groups of players? Song Jian frowned, asking, Did they mention where they were going in Shadowfang Mountain Range? Not really, but judging by their direction, I think they were heading to the Dark Castle, Wang Chui replied. The players in these two groups were not weak, at least level 23 or 24, and their equipment was pretty good. Perhaps they plan to be the first to conquer the Dark Castle? Song Jian asked casually. Heh, its not so easy to be the first to conquer the Dark Castle, Wang Chui snorted. Thats a level 30 dungeon. Their strength may be impressive compared to ordinary players, but it wont be that easy to clear a level 30 dungeon. By the way, is there a hotel in this town? Song Jian asked. After spending so many days in the wilderness, Song Jian felt as though fleas might start breeding on him soon. He desperately needed to take a hot shower, eat a big meal, and get a good rest on a bed. There was still half a month left until the time he agreed to meet with Qi Yun, so there was no rush. Theres only one hotel in town. Just walk straight down this street for about two hundred meters, then turn left, and youll find the Old Army Camp Hotel. You can rest there. I recommend trying their honey wine C it has a rich and sweet flavor and can also replenish Spirit Points! Replenish Spirit Points? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he couldnt help but smile; Chapter 536 - Chapter 536: Chapter 536: Beastman (Extra Chapter as a Reward for "Chopsticks Li") Chapter 536: Chapter 536: Beastman (Extra Chapter as a Reward for Chopsticks Li) In Doomsday City, the number of food and drink that could replenish Spirit Points in a non-combat state was dwindling, let alone potions that could restore Spirit Points during combat; The price of these supplies had almost doubled since Song Jian first entered the game, making it impossible for him to use them as normal consumables. Now, hearing that this military camp town had items to restore Spirit Points, whether for non-combat use or for in-combat use, Song Jian planned to stock up on them first. Following Wang Chuis guidance, Song Jian arrived at the only inn in the small town, the Old Army Camp Inn. Standing outside the inn, Song Jian heard faint noises come from inside: swearing, the sounds of rowdiness, and the loud laughter of a group of people. As he pushed open the door, a surge of noise mixed with the smell of alcohol and sweat assaulted his senses. Song Jian couldnt help but frown, approaching the counter of the inn that seemed more like a bar. I need a quiet room for the night, Song Jian asked, How much is a single room per night? Youve come at the perfect time. Come any later, and Im afraid all rooms would be taken, a one-eyed, bearded old man cleaning a glass of wine, took a few gulps of the half-empty bottle of liquor set next to the counter before squinting at Song Jian and saying, A single room costs eight hundred Doomsday Coins a night, including breakfast! Thats not cheap at all Song Jian said speechlessly. Eight hundred Doomsday Coins were what he made from lumbering trees for three whole days when he just started the game. As he handed over eight hundred Doomsday Coins to the innkeeper, Song Jian casually asked, This place seems deserted, but it has many visitors? From his previous conversation with the goblin Torolf, Song Jian learned that this military camp town didnt have many inhabitants, probably just a few hundred. Since it was located in a remote place, it was rare to even see a person for months. This locality served as the nearest restocking station to the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range and gave occasional sightings of adventure teams. These small teams consisted of seven or eight people at most, considered a small relief to the monotonous lives of the towns residents. Who knows? The innkeeper shrugged, carefully checked the Doomsday Coins, stuffed them into the drawer beneath the counter, took a glance at Song Jian, and said, Maybe adventurers like you are getting stronger and feel like exploring the Dark Castle. Weve seen a lot of people coming here recently, but not many are returning Song Jian couldnt help but chuckle, shaking his head. He initially intended to discuss the mead with the innkeeper. Seeing the noisy lobby, however, he decided it wasnt the right place for conversation and told the innkeeper, Prepare a meal and send it to my room. Is that okay? Of course, a roast deer leg, half a pound of ginger sugar bread, and a bottle of mead, totaling six hundred Doomsday Coins. When the food arrives, you can pay the waiter directly, the innkeeper said. He then seemed to lose interest in Song Jian and turned his head to yell, Pike, Pike, take this guest to the last single room quickly. Remember to send him a dinner of roast deer leg, bread, and mead. Dont mess it up again, or Ill throw you into the wilderness for your relatives to roast you into meat skewers Coming, sir, your humble servant obeys your order. Is it this guest? Please, follow me, honorable guest. Pike will take you to your room. Please watch your step; theres a threshold here A goblin waiter in grey clothing materialised from somewhere, genuflected with a respectful demeanour, rested his right hand on his chest, and bowed to Song Jian. He then led Song Jian upstairs. Song Jian raised his eyebrows. He noticed that this town seemed to favour goblins as their labour force. As he followed behind the young goblin, Song Jian casually asked, Its been busy around here recently, with all kinds of people coming in Yes, honorable sir, Pike hasnt been this busy in half a year. Weve had especially many guests recently Pike said as they walked along. After reaching the second floor, they followed the corridor with Pike in the lead. As they walked a few steps further, a guest room door suddenly opened, and a beastman cloaked in black emerged. Song Jians body tensed up. He sensed a strange energy from the beastman a force similar to the Abyssal Power but radically different. This force was filled with chaos and evil as if a tranquil lake concealed a vehement torrent of magma beneath its surface. Shorty, does your place sell or rent mounts? the beastman looked at Song Jian for a moment before blocking Pike, asking loudly. Honorable beastman sir, theres a Beast Tamer located at the northern wall of the town. You can purchase combat pets and mounts from there. However, considering your size and weight, sir, he probably doesnt have mounts that can carry you, the goblin Pike bowed to the beastman, careful not to offend. Sorada, I told you to lose weight a while ago, but you didnt listen. If all of us ride mounts tomorrow, you might have to run after us, a seductive and charming female voice resonated from the room. Sorada, cant you summon demons from Hell? Let it carry you, just be careful with your ass, dont let the demons flames cook it, another voice, a young mans taunting voice, came from the room. Damn it, I should have thrown you bastards into the Dark Castle, and let that giant worm turn you all into its slaves The beastmans face soured. He cursed under his breath and headed downstairs on his own accord. Upon hearing the word Dark Castle, Song Jian felt a jolt in his heart. He didnt show anything on his face but followed Pike to his room. Honorable guest, your dinner will be served shortly. Please wait Pike bowed and backed out of the room. That beastman and his companions target is clearly the Dark Castle. What on earth is going on? Why are so many people focused on the Dark Castle recently? Did Qi Yun sign that contract with me because he noticed something as well? Dammit, theres information hidden in this that Im not aware of Song Jian looked gloomy. He hated feeling manipulated and in the dark. He needed to gather more information. Chapter 537 - Chapter 537: Chapter 537: Battle Chapter 537: Chapter 537: Battle Song Jian had been in the room for half an hour when Pike, the goblin, came in with a large tray containing Songs dinner. Roasted deer meat: Food, Use effect: Recovers 500 Vitality Points in 30 seconds. Must be consumed in a non-combative state. If consumed for more than 15 seconds, you will achieve a fully satiated effect, increasing both physical strength and Spirit Points by 2, lasting 1 hour. Gingerbread: Food, Use effect: Recovers 450 Vitality Points in 30 seconds. Must be consumed in a non-combative state. If consumed for more than 15 seconds, you will achieve a fully satiated effect, increasing strength by 3, lasting 1 hour. Honey wine: Beverage, Use effect: Recovers 300 Spirit Points in 30 seconds. Must be consumed in a non-combative state. If consumed for more than 15 seconds, you will achieve a fully satiated effect, enhancing Spirit Point recovery speed by 30%, lasting 1 hour. These are some good food attributes, especially the honey wine. It recovers 600 Spirit Points in 30 seconds and gives a fully satiated effect. If consumed before a battle, you can still enjoy the effect of a 30% increase in Spirit Point recovery speed during a fight, Song Jian said with a look of pleasure on his face. What mattered most is that the honey wine was inexpensive here. All together, these three items only cost 600 Doomsday Coins. Song Jian estimated that if he could sell honey wine in Doomsday City, he could sell a single bottle for more than 500 Doomsday Coins. A single item slot can carry up to 200 units of the same item. If Song Jian wasnt busy with other tasks, he could stockpile thousands of bottles of honey wine and easily make a two to three times profit upon selling them in Doomsday City. Just then, an explosion sounded from outside the inn, and the room slightly shook. Startled, Song Jian quickly looked out the window. The black-cloaked beastman Song Jian had seen before was fighting two others. The black beastman kept trying to distance himself while casting Shadow Magic on the two adventurers. Both adventurers retaliated with sword qi reaching five to six meters long, pressuring the beastman. He was making roaring noise in anger and confusion. Scum of Death Gods Fang, dare to ambush me! I will make you pay dearly for offending the Shadow Council Alliance! roared the beastman. Sorada, hand over the Shadow Crystal you have, and we might spare your life! a warrior in chainmail armor demanded sternly. Hand over the Shadow Crystal, or die! the other warriora femalelaid out their only two options. It would have been impossible to guess her sex had she not spoken; her attire did nothing to betray her gender. Why should I hand over the crystal we fought hard to obtain from the dragons minions, to a pack of jackals like you! Sorada roared, gripping a Magic Staff as though it were a warriors weapon and lunged at them. Just then, Song Jian heard some noise from the neighboring roomsomeone had seemed to have jumped out of the window. Two of Soradas companions leaped down from mid-air, landing beside him. One of the two was a man dressed in an elegant red suit, looking extremely handsome save for the pair of fangs protruding from his lips that ruined his appearance. The other one was a tall woman wearing a crown of thorns. Her clothes, made from woven vines, were rather revealing, merely covering private parts. Her body was somewhat visible amidst the entanglement of the vines. Upon seeing Soradas two companions, the two warriors of Death Gods Fang hesitated and took two steps back. Both parties stood facing each other on the street, and for a while, even the air seemed to stagnate. Actually, we dont have to began the warrior who initially demanded the Shadow Crystal. He fell silent for a moment before continuing. Chichichi~ The moment he opened his mouth, the vine-dressed woman waved her hand, and a circle of pale green light radiated from her hand. Several dark green vines tipped with thorns shot up from the ground, like pythons, pouncing towards the two warriors. Why waste breath? If you want the Shadow Crystal, show us that you have the skills. With a stern shout, the vine-dressed woman began controlling the dark green vines, continually altering their attack direction. I am thirsty for the taste of your blood, murmured the vampire-like man beside the beastman. With those words, he unsheathed a short sword from his waist. His body seemed to teleport, and he appeared instantly in front of one of the warriors of Death Gods Fang. Damn! Its a Shadow Assassin! Run! We are no match for them Red light suddenly burst forth from the warriors, looking like flames. The force from the qi caught the vampire, who was about to stab his dagger into his victim, off guard and sent him flying. He managed to steady himself in mid-air and made a threatening gesture at the two warriors, floating like a bird. Do you really want to be enemies with the Death Gods Fang? The warrior, shrouded in red qi, shouted angrily, but the spectators could hear the fear in her voice. Kill them all! The beastman roared, his staff aloft. He slammed it onto the ground. An explosion. A crevice appeared where the staff struck, and hot magma poured out. A claw covered in scales reached out and gripped the edge of the crevice before a huge figure leaped out. Oh, my God, a demon! What the hell is that? Itll destroy the town! Onlookers were frightened at the sight of the creature that emerged and scrambled in every direction. Damn it, Sorada, how could you summon a Hell Demon here! complained the vine-dressed woman angrily. Oh, Sorada, youll destroy this town, chimed the vampire man with a mischievous smile on his face. Run! The two warriors exchanged a glance and immediately turned tail and ran towards the town gates. Chase them! I want to tear them to shreds and banish their souls to burn in the flames of Hell for 10,000 years! roared the beastman. Enraged to the point of madness, he started chasing the warriors. Soradas lost his mind again; we need to follow him. Why did I have to end up in a group with him? the vine-dressed woman complained angrily. Vines sprouted from the ground, raising her up, and carrying her like she was flying. This way is more interesting, isnt it? The vampire man chuckled, shaking his blood-red robe. He looked like a large bird as he flew after the beastman. Chapter 538 - Chapter 538: Chapter 538: Queen Bee Wine Chapter 538: Chapter 538: Queen Bee Wine Song Jian stood at the window of the second-floor inn, looking at the traces left by the battle in the town. The fight between the two sides had been brief, but the damage caused was extensive. The entire street was in complete disarray, a seven- or eight-meter-wide crack dividing the street in two. Molten magma surged within the crack, sporadically spewing outwards and igniting various flammable materials around it. Many townsfolk had begun to fight the fires, but even more, were frantically fleeing towards the towns outskirts. Deaths Fang, such a name sounds vaguely familiar. Song Jian watched as the group disappeared into the distance, pondering to himself. Deaths Scythe, Deaths Fang, whats next, Deaths Skull, Deaths Hand? Why not just be direct and call themselves the Death God Knock Knock Knock~ A knock echoed as Pikes voice carried in from beyond the door. Dear guests, are you still there? I hope the commotion earlier didnt bother you. You know, Ive been in the Garrison Town for over three years, and this is the first time Ive encountered such a situation. I swear, things like this dont happen often here. I believe it wont be long before someone steps forward to take care of this mess. Of course, the boss has said that perhaps we might have to adjust your accommodation costs due to this incident Alright, Pike, dont worry about it. In fact, you can come in and talk to me. Song Jian drew the curtains and walked towards the dining table. Cold venison shanks were no treat. Pike carefully stepped in, let out a sigh of relief when he spotted Song Jian enjoying his venison, and apologized: I hope I didnt disturb your dinner, esteemed guest Song Jian waved his hand at Pike to cut him off and asked directly: Do you know who was involved in the fight just now? Pike hesitated for a brief moment before whispering, I apologize, esteemed guest. Neither of those two parties are locals. They are outsiders, and it seems their destination is the Dark Castle about 300 miles from here. They had both inquired about the Dark Castle with me Indeed, it fits my premonitions. Song Jian quietly sighed with relief. Pike, Im fine, you should go and assuage the other guests. The hotel is quite packed today Song Jian said with a laugh; Please accept my sincere apologies once more. The boss will be personally paying you a visit shortly to apologize. If theres anything you require at this moment, feel free to let me know. As long as it isnt too demanding, I believe the boss will try his best to accommodate. Pike said. Oh, is that so? Could the boss bring me a bottle of honey wine then? I really adore its flavor. Song Jian replied with a chuckle. I believe the boss should be able to fulfill this small request. Please wait a moment. Pike said with a smile as he carefully backed out of the room. Before long, the tavern owner, an old man with only one remaining eye, came into Song Jians room bearing a bottle of honey wine. Honored guest, I have come here to express my apologies for the fight earlier The tavern owner said as he bowed. Please sit, may I ask your name Song Jian rose from his chair, pulled out another one for the old man, smiling as he asked. Poke Basto, but you can call me Old Boke. Everyone in town calls me that. The innkeeper sat down, placed the honey wine on the table, and said, This is a bottle of my treasured Queen Bee Wine, made from the honey of the twenty-fifth-level Wild Queen Bee. Its much more mellow and rich than ordinary honey wine. I would like to offer it to you as an apology, and I hope you can accept it. Queen Bee Wine? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he picked up the bottle, which appeared to have been aged for quite some time. Queen Bee Wine: Beverage, usage effect: restores 1000 Spirit Points in 30 seconds. Must be out of combat when consumed. If you spend over 15 seconds consuming it, you will achieve a well-fed status, increasing the speed of Spirit Point recovery by 50% for one hour. As I thought, the effects have improved substantially. Even for someone skilled in magic, this one bottle alone would allow them to fully recover their combat capabilities in just thirty seconds! Song Jian exclaimed with delighted surprise. I greatly appreciate this, Old Boke. Actually, theres a matter I wanted to discuss with you. Song Jian replied with a broad smile as he stored away the Queen Bee Wine. His current Spirit Point cap was barely over two hundred, so regular honey wine would be sufficient for his needs. Using the Queen Bee Wine would be somewhat of a luxury. Oh, what seems to be the matter? Old Boke asked with a hint of confusion in his only eye. I am interested in purchasing a large quantity of your honey wine. If you have more of this Queen Bee Wine, that would be even better! Song Jian stated directly. A large purchase? Old Bokes face showed clear relief. May I ask how many bottles you were thinking of buying? I would like to buy two thousand bottles for the first purchase! Song Jian replied. What? Two thousand bottles? Thats the entire towns consumption for a year! Old Boke cried in surprise. If possible, I would like to establish a long-term trade relationship with you. I have a store at the City of Hymns and I would like to sell the honey wine there. Song Jian stated. It was impossible to establish trade relations with Garrison Town due to the Protection Black Mist around Doomsday City. Even though the City of Hymns had a greater distance from Garrison Town than Doomsday City, establishing a regular trade route shouldnt be a problem. The City of Hymns? Poke responded in shock. Its over a months journey from here. Thats quite far If its not convenient for you, I can send a caravan specifically to buy from here. However, in that case, I expect some concessions on the price Song Jian suggested. Hiring a caravan in the City of Hymns would not be expensive. Song Jian could even hire a Silver Moon Commerce caravan to help him purchase honey wine. Esteemed guest, the amount you require is simply too much. Our small inn alone wouldnt be able to meet your request. With our production capabilities, we can only produce at most two hundred bottles of honey wine per month. Old Boke regretfully admitted. Only two hundred bottles? Thats a shame Song Jian expressed his disappointment. Two hundred bottles really were too few. The profits might hardly cover the hiring costs for a caravan. After hesitating for a while, Old Boke tentatively asked, Honored guest, since we are unable to produce a large volume of honey wine, maybe you would be interested in purchasing the recipe to produce it? Song Jians eyes sparkled, and he immediately asked, The recipe for honey wine, are you willing to sell it? Old Boke laughed, Of course, provided you have an appropriate offer. I would be more than happy to sell you the recipe for honey wine. Chapter 539 - Chapter 539: Chapter 539 Wild Bee Forest Chapter 539: Chapter 539 Wild Bee Forest Song Jian, judging by his own standards, always thought that such a precious honey wine recipe wouldnt be sold by the tavern owner. However, he didnt realize that the honey wine recipe he found so valuable was not as important to the tavern owner. After all, in the garrison town, the honey wine of the tavern owner, although famous, was always sold as ordinary wine at a relatively low price that the average residents of the town could afford. How much does this recipe cost? Song Jian felt he might have overestimated the importance of the recipe and was afraid hed be at the mercy of the tavern owners pricing. Hehe, three thousand Doomsday Coins, how does that sound? Old Boke asked with a broad smile on his face. What, three thousand Doomsday Coins? Song Jian looked surprised. He thought not that the recipe was too expensive, but that Old Boke was selling it too cheap. In his view, as long as the price was under ten thousand Doomsday Coins, he would buy it. Yes, three thousand Doomsday Coins! Old Boke confirmed, placing a rolled-up piece of parchment on the table. Song Jian nodded without hesitation and paid three thousand Doomsday Coins, taking the recipe in his hand. Recipe: Honey Wine. Cooking formula. Use: Teaches you a more efficient way to make honey wine. Usage Requirements: Level 3 Cooking. Ingredients: Grains (3), wild honey (1), clean water (1); If you want to make a higher-grade royal jelly wine, you just need to replace the wild honey in it with royal jelly. Old Boke explained with a smile. Song Jian nodded and, unable to wait, unfolded the recipe and used it. The requirement for making honey wine is only to have a Cooking skill level of three. Song Jians Cooking skill had long reached level three, naturally meeting the learning requirements of the recipe. After using it, the recipe in Song Jians hand turned into a ray of white light and disappeared, and all the information about making honey wine instantly appeared in Song Jians mind. Closing his eyes and going over the method of making honey wine in his mind, Song Jian found that its method of preparation was not complex, otherwise, a mere level three Cooking skill wouldnt be sufficient for one to learn it. Acquiring grains was not difficult, as they could be grown in Song Jians territory. However, the biggest challenge in making honey wine was finding wild honey. Without it, there would be no making of honey wine. Boss, where can I get wild honey? Song Jian asked. Walk ten miles south from the garrison town, and there is a Wild Bee Forest. By killing the wild bees there, you have a chance to get this wild honey. Once a month, a wild bee queen appears there. If you kill it, it will drop royal jelly, which you can use to make royal jelly wine! Old Boke revealed, without any reservation, the location and methods to obtain wild honey to Song Jian. Thank you, boss. Song Jian nodded and said. Dont mention it. But be careful when you go to the Wild Bee Forest. The bees there are all level twenty-five. The bee queen is even a level thirty elite BOSS. Moreover, there are a large number of wild bees there. If you attract too many, even a ten-person adventure team will suffer big losses. Old Boke reminded him. I got it. I certainly wont risk my life just for a bottle of wine! Song Jian laughed. The next day, early in the morning, Song Jian left the garrison town and headed towards the Wild Bee Forest. In reality, the map he bought from Wang Chui clearly marked the location of the Wild Bee Forest, including the types and levels of monsters inside. However, it only indicated the levels of ordinary wild bees and did not mark the bee queen. If he were to rely solely on this map, he would definitely suffer a big loss. With still a bit of time before his meeting with Qi Yun, Song Jian decided to go to the Wild Bee Forest first to gather some materials for making honey wine. After leaving the inn, Song Jian only bought twenty bottles of honey wine. These bottles were just enough for his personal use and could not be sold for profit. Although Song Jian has a fief in Doomsday City and a shop in the City of Hymns, and could earn nearly ten thousand Doomsday Coins a month even without doing anything, as his level and strength grow, the money would no longer satisfy his needs. He planned to take advantage of this time to gather more wild honey. If he could get two or three thousand portions of ingredients, when he returned to Doomsday City, he could sell a large amount of honey wine and make a profit of at least a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. Song Jian, following the maps guidance, quickly arrived at the Wild Bee Forest. Only then did he realize that the Wild Bee Forest was not a wood but a large stone forest. Ugly stalagmites stood erect here, big and small, high and low. The distance between these rock pillars was very narrow, allowing only one person to pass through. The low buzzing sound emanated from the stone forest, and Song Jian saw fist-sized black wild bees constantly flying in and out of the forest. When Song Jian looked at the wild bees at the edge of the stone pillars, he found that there were no lone bees. They all moved in groups of three to five, and the distance between each group was quite close. Thank goodness, these are only level twenty-five ordinary monsters. As long as Im careful, there shouldnt be a problem, Song Jian reassured himself. Taking out a banner with a red edge, Song Jian waved it vigorously. Immediately, two beams of light emerged from the Fifth Battle Flag, transforming into two fire elementals about a meter in height on the ground. Song Jian put away the flag and directed the two fire elementals to lure the monsters. His own attack range was too short, and if he tried to lure the monsters on his own, he might attract too many. By using fire elementals to draw monsters, this situation could be avoided. Even bees ten meters away could be attacked by the fire elementals, which would then lure them over. Bzz, bzz, bzz~ The three bees that were attacked immediately flew towards the fire elementals. These bees could even use semi-ranged attacks. When they flew to a distance about a meter from the fire elementals, they suddenly stopped, lifted their tails, and shot venomous stingers at the fire elementals. Shoo, shoo~ The black stingers, each about a finger long, looked like crossbow bolts fired at the fire elementals. These little guys, they have quite strong attacks! Seeing the damage numbers floating above the fire elementals heads, Song Jian was taken aback. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian could not afford to wait and see. The vitality points of the two fire elementals were falling quickly. It wouldnt take long before they dropped to less than half. Once these two fire elementals die, it would take an hour to summon them again. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword viciously cleaved into one of the bees, making it somersault backwards. These level twenty-five bees had a rather high defense. Even Song Jian could only deal two to three hundred points of damage per hit. Having attracted the aggression of all three bees, Song Jian swung his sword and began to focus on one, dealing all-out damage. Chapter 540 - Chapter 540: Chapter 540: Wilderness Poisonous Bee Chapter 540: Chapter 540: Wilderness Poisonous Bee Wild Poison Bee, Level 25, Vitality Points: 3000/3000, Characteristics: Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Toxicity, Skill: Poison Sting; These wild bees were resilient with high defense; even with the sharpness of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, it was still challenging to break the monsters defenses all at once. A single slash only sent these bees flying, and once they paused slightly in mid-air, they instantly recovered and continued to launch their toxic stings at Song Jian. Pfft pfft~ The poisonous stings hit Song Jians body, held at bay by his Ghostly Leather Armor, producing a muffled sound. Numbers representing damage floated above Song Jians head, in the range of fifty to sixty points each time. Although this type of damage was bearable for Song Jian, the simultaneous attack of the three bees also made it hard for him to hold on for long. His only option was to finish the fight quickly, rapidly casting his sword skills one after another towards these bees. Thanks to the aura aspect of the Sword Control Skill, Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi now reached almost three hundred points, enough to support him in casting all his skills at once. Smack smack smack~ Three lightning-fast Sword Qi strikes hit the same bee, finally breaking through its defense, and with a pop sound, the bees entire body exploded with a light yellow liquid splattering everywhere, filling the air slowly with a light sweet fragrance. As the rest of the bees felt the death of their companion, they became even more crazed. A layer of crimson glowed on their dark bodies, increasing the frequency of their poison sting attacks, which hurt Song Jian significantly, reducing his vitality rapidly. Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ With both wild bees firing their stingers, Song Jian felt as if a line of soldiers was firing at him simultaneously. Plop~ With a soft sound, Song Jian felt a numbness at his neck, followed by a burning pain spreading out from it, making him inhale sharply. Flash Thunder Strike! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Traces of dark red streaks appeared in the sky as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swung through the air. Each attack took away more than three hundred vitality points from the bees. Song Jian noticed that the Flash Thunder Strike, which causes lightning damage, and the accumulatively damaging Sweeping Sword Style, did particularly high damage to these defensively enhanced bees. But his previously unbeatable Light Strike did only moderate damage. Song Jian changed his strategy, started to apply sword techniques specifically and simultaneously activated the Frost Shield, completely protecting his body. More than a minute later, the two wild bees were finally cut in half by Song Jian, falling on the ground, their bodies twitching slightly. Out of the three bees, only one dropped wild honey and nothing else. The bees bodies could have been used to extract some materials using a skill like the Dissection Technique, but Song Jian had acquired this technique too late and its level was still only one, rendering it unable to decompose the bodies of the level twenty-five wild bees. So he had to leave the bodies to gradually burn to ashes. At this point, the burning pain on Song Jians neck was intensifying. He could feel a hot breath gushing out from the wound, like a wildfire trying to spread to other parts of his body. But it was quickly crippled by a refreshing energy from his mind. Upon opening the battle damage information panel, Song Jian saw a screen filled with poison damage. System: You have been affected by the fire poison damage of the Wild Poison Bee, losing 30 vitality points per second. This damage triggers the talent skill Thick Skin, reducing the damage taken. Final loss: 15 vitality points; This sort of fire poison damage message, flickering more than a dozen times without stopping. Every few seconds, a fifteen-point damage would pop up above Song Jians head. These wild bees are far stronger than regular level twenty-five monsters. I wonder how the innkeeper managed to gather so much honey. The fire poison on the wild bees stingers was so potent that even the talent skill Thick Skin couldnt negate it; it could only weaken the damage. Even an elite-level boss would probably not have such strong poison damage. Song Jian touched his neck, where a small lump was emerging, one-third of the stinger that had hit his neck was still protruding from the wound. Song Jian took hold of the tail end of the stinger and yanked it out forcefully, instantly pulling out the finger-long stinger from his neck. After removing the poisonous sting, the fire poison damage Song Jian was receiving gradually weakened until it was finally suppressed by the talent skill and slowly faded away completely. At this point, Song Jians vitality was just over five hundred points. These three bees deal almost as much damage as a level twenty-five elite-level boss. With so many wild bees, its going to be a slow and steady process to whittle them down one by one, Song Jian exhaled. For now, he had only found out that these bees were not very resistant to lightning damage, yet, they had high resistance to both fire and holy damage; While skills like Sweeping Sword Style, that pile up force, also deal considerable damage to them, it seems I should use Flash Thunder Strike and Sweeping Sword Style more when attacking them, thought Song Jian. He glanced at the long sword in his hand and with a thought, the golden long sword shadow on his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly materialized, while the dark red Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword turned into a shadow, attached to the golden sword conducting a faint golden glow. Since they are resistant to fire damage, lets see if gold attribute damage can break their defense. Song Jian thought, looking at the Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand. After sitting down and fully recovering his vitality, Song Jian, with the fire element elf in control, triggered three wild bees again; Sweeping Sword Style! The Golden Demonslaying Sword fiercely slashed against the hard shell of the bee. With a slight flash of light, a smooth cut was made on its shell. The bee let out a shrill scream and, trembling, lost control over its body and plummeted to the ground; The effect is good! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he immediately started to swing the Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand like a madman, attacking the three bees; Golden Demonslaying Sword (Gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment effect: Attack 87-96, Critical Hit +5, Strike Back +3, Evil-destroying +1, Attack Speed +7, Gold Attribute Damage +35, Excellent Strike Rate +10%; The damage of the Golden Demonslaying Sword was slightly lower than the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, but the bees had no significant resistance to the golden attribute. Added with the increased critical hit and excellent strike rate, the bees were frequently incurring massive damage. It took just over thirty seconds for Song Jian to eliminate all three bees. Picking up the two pots of wild honey dropped by the bees, excitement budged in Song Jians eyes as he looked towards the stone forest. There are many types of monsters in the game, and each one has its distinct features. When players encounter a monster for the first time, they will carefully probe the characteristics and weaknesses of the monster. Once mastered, they can develop highly efficient hunting methods specifically tailored for that monster, turning it into an object for leveling and collecting items. After having probed twice, Song Jian had also discovered the characteristics and weaknesses of the Wild Poison Bee. The efficiency of the second hunting round had improved at least twofold compared to the first round. Excitement filled Song Jians heart. Hearing the buzzing in the stone forest, his ears began to find it pleasing. Chapter 541 - Chapter 541: Chapter 541: Wild Honey Chapter 541: Chapter 541: Wild Honey Wild Honey, ingredient, edible, Effect 1: Direct consumption can restore 300 Vitality Points and 150 Spirit Points within 30 seconds. If you take more than 15 seconds to consume it, you will gain a full meal effect, increasing your Spirit attribute by 1 for an hour; Effect 2: Can be used to make honey wine. The wild honey dropped by the Wilderness Poison Bees is not only one of the ingredients for brewing honey wine, but it can also be directly consumed, restoring both Vitality Points and Spirit Points. Most importantly, there is no restriction on using it in non-combat situations, meaning that it is a replenishing item that can be used directly during combat. This characteristic makes wild honey much more valuable. If it werent for its small one-time recovery of Vitality Points and Spirit Points, selling it might make more money than honey wine. Having found a highly efficient way to hunt Wilderness Poison Bees and being enticed by the benefits of wild honey, Song Jian dives into a frenzy of monster killing. For an entire day, Song Jian fought monsters on the edge of the stone forest until the sky gradually darkened. Reluctantly, he stopped and headed towards Army Camp Town. In a single day, Song Jian had hunted nearly a thousand wild bees with minimal consumption of resources. Aside from the initial probing of the Wilderness Poison Bees weaknesses, he spent the rest of the day completely recovering through brief rest. In one days time, Song Jian had collected over 300 pieces of wild honey, enough for him to make more than 300 bottles of honey wine. At the same time, his combat experience also increased by 21%, bringing him a small step closer to Level 27. Returning to Army Camp Town, Song Jian went straight to the Old Army Camp Inn. Initially, he planned to stay only for a day and head to the Dark Castle in Shadowfang Mountain Range after confirming the direction. It seemed like he would have to spend a few more days in this small town. As the lava in the huge crack on the street outside the inn lost its magic energy support, it gradually dispersed, leaving only a seven or eight-meter-long and more than one-meter-wide gap. Still, one day was enough for the townspeople to repair the crack, and when Song Jian returned to the inn, the crack was no longer visible. Seeing Song Jian walking into the inn, the one-eyed innkeeper Old Boke raised his eyebrows, sniffed, and his face broke into a broad smile. He opened his arms and shouted loudly: Welcome back to Old Bokes inn, brave divine protector! I bet youve been hunting wild bees in the Wild Bee Forest all day, otherwise, your body wouldnt have such a strong Wild Bee honey scent. Haha, lets toast to the warrior! Clang, clang, clang~ Old Boke shook a small copper bell on the counter, making a pleasant ringing sound. Everyone raised their glasses and shouted loudly towards Song Jian: To our warrior! Song Jian was taken aback, then he picked up a glass of beer and shouted loudly: To the Old Army Camp Inn! Everyone drank and laughed heartily. Some played the violin, some sang valiant military songs, and even more people punched the tables along with the beat. The atmosphere in the inn instantly reached a climax. Old Boke, you got a hounds nose Song Jian took a few strong sniffs of himself but didnt smell anything. Haha, how many Wilderness Poison Bees did you kill today? Fifty or a hundred? Otherwise, there wouldnt be such a strong sweet scent! Old Boke patted Song Jian on the shoulder vigorously and said, There are too many wild bees in the Wild Bee Forest. Im afraid one day theyll swarm the town, and if that really happens, I believe the Army Camp Town wont stand a chance. You can post hunting quests. I believe if the rewards are reasonable, divine protectors would be willing to accept the quests, Song Jian shrugged and said. Although there arent many players in Army Camp Town, those who can survive in this harsh environment are all elites. The wild bees are thorny, but they are no match for these players. The players lack of interest in the Wild Bee Forest is just because its not attractive enough. I cant afford to offer quest rewards, even for the wild honey needed for brewing honey wine every month, it already emptied my pockets, Old Boke shook his head and said. Honey wine is the specialty of the Old Army Camp Inn. To maintain this reputation, Old Boke had to spend at least half of his profits each month to hire divine protectors to hunt Wilderness Poison Bees and acquire honey. Song Jian shrugged, thinking that honey wine could be considered Army Camp Towns specialty. If it could be traded with other places, it would not only eliminate the monster threats around the town but also bring prosperity to the towns commercial activities. However, this had nothing to do with Song Jian, as he couldnt stay here forever. By the way, did the group who fought yesterday come back? Song Jian asked. They dare to come back? Hmph, the damage they caused to the town yesterday exceeded a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. They have been marked as the least welcome people in town and wont receive any service or help in the future! Old Boke said angrily. Those who have been living in Army Camp Town for a long time have already considered it their home and do not allow anyone to destroy it. The two Death God warriors and the three Dark Council Alliance members from yesterday will most likely never be able to set foot in the town again. I think Ill be staying here for a few more days. Prepare a dinner for me, just like yesterdays, Song Jian had a couple of drinks, chatted casually with Boke, and then returned to his room to rest. No problem! I hope you can kill all those creatures in the Wild Bee Forest! As Old Boke watched Song Jians back, he lifted his glass of wine and shouted loudly. For several days, Song Jian tirelessly hunted Wilderness Poison Bees, obtaining more than 2,000 wild honeys. His inventory was nearly full. There were no more Wilderness Poison Bees at the edge of the Wild Bee Forest. One had to go nearly a hundred meters deep into the stone forest to find traces of wild bees. As Song Jian looked at the dense rows of wild honey in his inventory, he nodded in satisfaction: The time is almost up. I should go meet Qi Yun at the Shadowfang Mountain Range. This past few days of grinding wild bees has made me sick. Just as Song Jian was about to turn around and leave, a wild bee the size of a basketball appeared before his eyes. Wilderness Poison Queen Bee? Song Jians eyes lit up; he had hunted so many wild bees but hadnt encountered a single Poison Queen Bee. The Queen Bees respawn time was once a month. Song Jian thought he wouldnt encounter one, but it respawned today. Queen Bee Honey, this is a good item for making Queen Bee Wine. Im lucky today. Song Jian gripped his long sword, a smile appearing on his face. He controlled the fire elemental elf and threw a ball of flame at the Poison Queen Bee. Chapter 542 - Chapter 542: Chapter 542: Wild King Bee Chapter 542: Chapter 542: Wild King Bee Boom, Boom~ Two hot balls of fire hit the Wild King Bee, immediately grabbing its attention. A low hum as loud as a bomber filled the air, the Wild King Bee moved with astonishing speed, leaving after-images as it rushed towards the two fire-elemental elves. Swoosh, Swoosh~ As soon as it was about three meters away, the Wild King Bee shot two poisonous stings. The finger-long stings, emitting purple-black light, left a trailing afterimage on Song Jians cornea before directly hitting the bodies of the two fire-elemental elves. Bang! Bang! The sharp poisonous stings, like two sniper bullets, blew a large hole in the chests of the fire-elemental elves. The purple-black poison spread in an instant, coloring their entire bodies, turning even their surface flames into purple-black fire. After shooting out its stings, the Wild King Bee charged violently at one fire-elemental elf, and after a series of chomp and bite sounds, the elfs head showed a successive loss of fifty to sixty vitality points. In less than three seconds, this fire-elemental elf exploded completely. After killing one fire-elemental elf, the Wild King Bee rapidly flew towards the other one, but this time, instead of using its chomp and bite skill, it used a normal attack. It took a good ten plus seconds to kill the second fire-elemental elf. Just as it finished off the two fire-elemental elves and was preparing to target Song Jian, Song Jians Golden Demonslaying Sword had already viciously slammed onto it. With a thump sound, the Wild King Bee was sent somersaulting, tumbling several rounds in the air and emitting a hum. Swoosh, Swoosh~ Two more poisonous stings were shot at Song Jian. Ordinary Wild Bee stings, he could resist relying on his equipment, but the stings of the Wild King Bee, Song Jian didnt even dare to try, directly activated his Frost Shield and darted aside. Thump, Thump~ With two muffled sounds, the poison stings grazed the edge of the Frost Shield and flew away, causing a large part of the ice shield to explode. Song Jian had a scare. The two near misses reduced the shields 800 vitality points to critical red. Only a thin layer of the Frost Shield was left on the surface of his body. Sword Silk! Song Jian wielded his long sword in the air, and three strands of hair-thin Sword Silk appeared out of thin air, lashing viciously on the carapace of the Poison King Bee, leaving three white marks. -122 -142 -135 -56 -75 -68 Three damage points of over one hundred, and three slightly smaller damage points floated up from the top of the Poison King Bees head. Song Jian spun around, his dark gold sword blade flickering with a trace of blue electric light. Flash Thunder Strike! Crackle, Crackle, Crackle~ Three sword Qis carrying lightning damage hit the Poison King Bee almost simultaneously, instantly cracking its hard exterior shell. The King Wasp let out an angry, piercing shriek, its form shooting towards Song Jian like lightning. The sharp tool on its mouth was full of fierce barbs, once it used its Sting Bite technique, it could easily tear open any sturdy defense; Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jian swung his long sword, and a light flow of creamy white Qi began to encircle his body; Ding Ding Ding Ding~ A flurry of sounds like rain striking banana leaves rang out. Over Song Jians head floated words like Evade and Resist. Even when damage was dealt, it amounted to just single digits, so insignificant it could be disregarded; Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill was only Level 2, too low to cause serious damage or break through the King Wasps defense. But the essence of Tai Chi Sword Skill lay in its defense; no attack, however powerful, could break through it; It could not only weaken an enemys attack, but also make one immune to all negative states, and even had the chance to rebound enemy attacks. If anyone claimed Tai Chi Sword Skill to be the ultimate defensive sword skill, Song Jian would not disagree; After the King Wasps Sting Bite technique was used, it caused less than thirty points of damage to Song Jian, even less than a normal attack; This was the attacking pattern of the Boss that Song Jian had figured out by sacrificing two Fire Elemental Sprites. He temporarily had no good way to deal with the King Wasps quick double poison needle attack and could only put up a defense shield to resist it. His Tai Chi Sword Skill was indeed the perfect counter to the Sting Bite technique, a damage-over-time skill. Sweeping Sword Style! The long sword in Song Jians hand suddenly grew heavy and swung thrice in succession at the King Wasp. The intense Qi overlapped and exploded within the King Wasps body; Boom, Boom, Boom~ Three times the damage, each time more intense than the last, causing the King Wasp to stagger slightly in the air; Flash Thunder Strike! Three sword Qi C each with the attribute of lightning C once again struck the King Wasp. The Flash Thunder Strike, with a cooldown of only ten seconds, could almost be considered a standard attack. Moreover, its lightning attribute perfectly countered the King Wasp, causing tremendous damage; The fight continued. Song Jian mercilessly executed sword skills to attack the King Wasp while remaining vigilant for any potential new techniques the King Wasp could unleash; The King Wasps vitality kept decreasing, and after more than ten minutes, its Vitality Points had dropped to quarter. A hint of joy appeared on Song Jians face. At this rate, in another five to six minutes at the most, the already deeply wounded King Wasp would meet its demise under his sword; A few minutes later, just as Song Jian was preparing to reap the fruits of victory, he suddenly detected a whiff of blood. Song Jian, who was in the midst of attacking the King Wasp, seemed to sense something. The sword strike he had already launched was swiftly drawn back, and he lashed out with a slash of sword Qi behind him based on instinct; Clink~ The figure of a rogue slowly appeared, with crossed daggers in his hands, employing the Parry skill to repel the sword Qi released by Song Jian. How did you detect me? Kun Jue asked in surprise, looking at Song Jian. As a top-ranked assassin within the Death Gods Scythe organization, Kun Jue was known for his unpredictable appearances. This, in no small part, was due to his stealth technique having reached the maximum level 10. Even when passing by high-level creatures with great power, Kun Jue would go unnoticed; Some even met their end at his hands without having any clue who attacked them. Deaths Scythe? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he squinted at the strange symbol on Kun Jues leather armor; The Death Gods Scythe had dispatched a second assassin at this time, but how they learned that the first assassin had died was anyones guess. Kun Jue was level thirty and had picked the suitable profession of a rogue for the assassin. Had Song Jian not detected him earlier, he might have fallen into a pincer attack just now. Such persistent ghosts! Song Jians eyes narrowed as a chilling murderous intent surfaced. Chapter 543 - Chapter 543: Chapter 543: Smoke Bomb Chapter 543: Chapter 543: Smoke Bomb Song Jian was caught in a pincer attack between the wounded Wild King Bee boss in front and the level-30 Deaths Scythe assassin pursuing from behind. Go to hell! Kun Jue revealed himself, but instead of retreating, he charged like a warrior towards Song Jian, his dagger slashing towards Song Jians neck like a hunters fang. Song Jian saw a flash of white light and quickly raised his sword to block. With a clang, the dagger was stopped inches from his face. A dark green flash crossed the blade of the dagger and a nauseating stench drifted from it. Song Jians heart sank. The dagger was poisoned! As Kun Jues dagger was almost knocked away, he stabilized it with effort. He felt a numbness in his arms and was taken aback. Although Song Jian had hidden all his attributes, they were still revealed under Kun Jues inspection skill. Song Jian was only level 26, four levels lower than him, giving Kun Jue a psychological advantage. However, during their collision, Kun Jue discovered that Song Jians strength had far surpassed his own, causing his face to darken. However, the battle-hardened Kun Jue did not feel discouraged. Many of his assassination targets had greatly exceeded his own power, but in the end, they were all killed by him. Such a small surprise was nothing to Kun Jue. Like a swallow, he suddenly flipped and stabbed at the back of Song Jians head. This was one of Kun Jues signature attacks, the Side Flip Chisel Attack, a rare skill owned by assassins. It was a reward he obtained after laboriously accomplishing a special task. Such tasks were so rare that they did not come across by every one in a thousand assassins, and perhaps only one or two in a hundred who received such a task could complete it and receive the reward. Kun Jue was one of them. This unexpected move had turned defeat into victory many times for him. However, just then, Song Jian surged forward, his long sword cutting down violently, causing Kun Jue to miss. Realizing Song Jians move, Kun Jue hesitated for a moment before understanding that Song Jian was using a skill that forced a displacement, evading his fatal strike. The Broken Wing Dance! After Song Jian made a vacant slash in front, he immediately turned around and slashed at Kun Jue. Clang, clang~ Reacting swiftly, Kun Jue used his dagger to block, leaning back like a willow leaf to offset the force of the blow. Two numbers over thirty floated above his head, signifying the damage he had taken. The opponents damage is too high. Even though I successfully blocked it, I still got hurt. Kun Jues heart sank. He had underestimated his opponent and thoughts of a thousand mile escape arose in his mind. In truth, Kun Jue should have retreated immediately after Song Jian discovered him and broke his invisibility status using Sword Qi. This was a basic instinct of an assassin when a strike misses, retreat thousands of miles. Song Jians level 26 status misled Kun Jue, making him overconfident and causing him to believe he could kill Song Jian in a direct fight, even if he didnt get the first strike. But the ensuing confrontation went beyond Kun Jues expectations. Song Jians strength attribute completely dominated his own despite being four levels lower. Kun Jue noticed for the first time that there seemed to be something wrong with the information on Song Jian. At this point, if Kun Jue had given up the assassination and retreated immediately, Song Jian would have had to deal with the attacks of the Poisonous King Bee and probably wouldnt have pursued him. Kun Jue only needed to regain Song Jians information and form a new assassination plan. However, he decided to take the chance, believing that his assassination experience could help him overcome this little setback. However, when Song Jians formidable damage was laid bare before Kun Jues eyes, it was like a bucket of cold water poured on him from head to toe. The chilling feeling made him feel as if he were standing naked in the Siberian wind. Danger! This thought flashed through Kun Jues mind. He was ready to retreat. Just then, a burst of Qi exploded from Song Jians long sword. Kun Jue felt a loss of control over his body, which was launched into the air, now weightless. Damn it, how did this happen! Kun Jues face turned ghastly pale, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks. It doesnt matter. Even if he takes this opportunity to attack me, it would only result in serious injury. He cant kill me. I can use Doppelganger Illusion and Aurora Shadow to escape safely. Kun Jue comforted himself internally. Even though he had lost control of his body, he quickly formulated a number of escape plans should he regain control. He had confidence to escape. Just then, Kun Jue realized that Song Jian did not continue to attack him but moved to the side. Why did he not take this golden opportunity to severely injure me? Kun Jue was puzzled. Although he didnt know why, he felt that there was a bigger threat waiting for him. As expected, just as Kun Jues body began to fall and was about to regain control of his body, a buzzing sound of rapidly flapping wings sounded in his ears. The Wild King Bee! Kun Jues heart plummeted. He instantly understood Song Jians plan. The latter was preparing to use him as a shield to block the Wild King Bees attack! Damn it, how could this happen! A look of despair washed over Kun Jues face. His initial plan was to ambush Song Jian when he was absorbed in battling the nearly-dead boss. He didnt expect his own steps to be detected early, and worse still, he ended up becoming the target of the Wild King Bees attack due to Song Jians tactics. Whoosh, whoosh~ Two purple-black poisonous needles were shot at Song Jian, who sneered. Transforming into a black shadow, he slid away from the airborne Kun Jue and gave him a kick, sending him flying towards the needles. Thud, thud~ Both poisoned needles hit Kun Jue with deadly accuracy. One drilled into his chest and the other into his ribs. It felt like corrosion was spreading from the punctured areas, and soon the rest of his body. Kun Jue crashed to the ground, rolled a couple of times, and biting down on his teeth, quickly took out a smoke grenade and smashed it onto the ground. Boom! After a spark, a thick white smoke began to spread around them. In no time, everything within a few dozen meters became completely invisible. Chapter 544 - Chapter 544: Chapter 544: Forced Stealth Chapter 544: Chapter 544: Forced Stealth Flash Thunder Strike! Without giving Kun Jue a glance, Song Jian turned around and rushed towards the Wild King Bee. A streak of lightning flashed three times in quick succession. The Wild King bee let out a piercing shriek, as it exploded into fragments, as though a delicate porcelain was smashed to pieces. Song Jian was stunned for a moment. He didnt expect such a strong reaction from the death of the Wild King Bee. However, now that it was dead, Song Jian casually picked up the few items it had dropped and glanced cautiously around him. Although Kun Jue seemed to have left, Song Jian believed he wouldnt give up so easily. He was likely still lurking in the vicinity, perhaps even gritting his teeth and staring at him bitterly. Those two Bee King Poison NeedlesI wouldnt dare to let them hit me casually. The venom alone it would be enough to drive a person mad, Song Jian thought of Kun Jue tormented by the venom of the Wild King Bee, a faint smile appearing on his face. After waiting for a while, as Kun Jue didnt show up, Song Jian carefully exited the stone forest. The monster respawn rate in this area was rapid, and carelessness could result in being swarmed by wild bees. Once he was out of the stone forest, Song Jian began to examine the spoils in his inventory. First was the almost guaranteed drop of Wild King Bee honey. This time, he had gotten three portions. These could be used to brew three bottles of Bee King Wine but after looking at the properties of the Wild King Bee honey, Song Jian became hesitant, unsure if he should brew into a Bee King Wine which only restored Spirit Points. Wild King Bee Honey: ingestible and used in brewing. Effect 1: Immediate consumption restores 800 Vitality Points and 200 Spirit Points, and continuously restores 500 Vitality Points and 150 Spirit Points over the next 30 seconds. Upon first use, permanently increases physical attribute by 1 point. Subsequent uses will not increase attribute points. Effect 2: Can be used for brewing Bee King Wine. The properties of the Wild King Bee Honey were so great, it made Song Jian feel that turning it into Bee King Wine, besides the taste and the restoration of 1,000 Spirit Points, didnt have any other benefits. For magic users, maybe the wine would be better, but for Song Jian, the honey was more suitable, especially the permanent increase in physical attributes after direct consumption. After reviewing the properties of the Wild King Bee honey, Song Jian turned his gaze to the next item. Soul Capturing Bead: Special Item, Silver Grade, Item Level 28, Usage Effect: Allows players to store Spirit Points/Mana Points/Magic Points and other types of energy. When players have exhausted their energy, they can continue using the stored energy in the bead. The beads maximum storage capacity is 0/2000. This item can be used while stored in the inventory. Can only be used by players of Level 25 or above. This is useful, but not for me. I can only put it in the guild warehouse and see if others need it, Song Jian muttered with some disappointment. This item could be viewed as a permanent energy potion which did not clash with recovery potions used during the cooldown period. It might save the lives of magic users at critical moments. However, it had limited value for Song Jian. His Invisible Sword Qi recovery speed was swift, he didnt need to store it. But magic users might find it particularly useful. Many magic users might not even have 2,000 mana points, but with this bead, they could go all out with their spells in battle, instantly transforming into an artillery platform with infinite firepower, truly terrifying. Song Jian was confident that once this item hit the auction house, all magic users would try to get their hands on it. They would spend their fortune, if necessary, to possess the bead. Apart from these two items, the boss also dropped some materials for forging like the Bee King Poison Needle and Bee King Wing as well as some for making potions like the Bee King Poison Sac and Bee King Honey Gland. All items were of blue quality and had a high value. After checking his gains, Song Jian stood under a massive rock, his mind whirring as a pair of iron wings appeared behind his back. He fanned them a couple of times, before loudly stating, If youre not making a move, Ill leave Before he completed his sentence, a dark figure dropped from midair with a dagger in hand that let out a harsh shriek as it aimed for Song Jians head. I knew you wouldnt let it end! Song Jian sneered, stamping his foot and flapping his wings twice quickly. His figure moved sideward with the swiftness of electricity. Ever since Song Jian left the stone forest, he felt as if he was being watched, as though a thorn was pricking at his back. He knew Kun Jue, the assassin of Deaths Scythe, lied in wait in the vicinity. Kun Jue could not accept his defeat and would definitely attack again. Song Jian displayed his iron wings to send a message to Kun Jue that if he did not strike soon, Song Jian would take to the skies, at which point locating him would be much harder. Furthermore, he had carefully chosen this spot. Within a few hundred meter radius, there was only this massive rock. By standing with his back against the rock, he protected himself from an ambush from behind. Assassins had many high burst skills that required launching from behind their target. By leaning against this rock, Song Jian could avoid being killed by Kun Jue in an instant strike from behind. The time and location were almost entirely dictated by Song Jian. The second assassination attempt had lost its element of a surprise attack. Yet, what surprised Song Jian was that Kun Jue had been hiding on top of the rock behind him and had launched an attack straight downward. Kun Jue descended from the sky, his dagger aiming for Song Jians head as he executed the Knockout skill. If the attack landed, Song Jian would be stunned for a solid eight seconds. Even though one could wake up with a shock of damage, Kun Jue could take advantage of this gap to select the perfect position and finish him off. Song Jian flapped his wings and held his longsword vertically in front of him. With a clang, the dagger and longsword clashed, releasing a burst of golden light. With a flip in mid-air, Song Jian retreated a couple of steps. However, Kun Jue felt a severe pain in his forehead, and his body became stiff and unable to move. A stunned symbol appeared in his status bar. How can this be Kun Jue was furious. His own skill was reflected back on him. Not only was the damage reflected, but also the negative status effect. This was impossible! A hint of a smile crossed Song Jians face. His longsword, crackling with electricity, swung straight at Kun Jue. Flash Thunder Strike! Six damage figures floated above Kun Jues head in an instant, and his Vitality Points shrank by a third in a flash. This damage startled Kun Jue, and his body released a puff of white smoke and disappeared. Forced Stealth! Song Jian frowned. A skill to enter stealth mode in combat was definitely a rare skill. Having so many rare skills, Kun Jue must be one of the elites in the Deaths Scythe. Chapter 545 - Chapter 545: Chapter 545: Night Chapter 545: Chapter 545: Night Kun Jue felt his cheeks burning hot, two consecutive failures made a ball of fire rise in his heart, his two red eyes twisted his face into a fierce and distorted expression. During his first ambush on Song Jian, he was poisoned by the wild bee king. This kind of continuous damage made it impossible for him to use his stealth skills. Once he got injured in his invisible state, he would automatically reveal himself; Left with no choice, Kun Jue could only use a smoke bomb to escape; In order to get rid of the bee kings poison from his body, Kun Jue even used a super antidote potion. This kind of potion could only be made by a master pharmacist. Kun Jue had only obtained it by accident after completing a task. He had spent a precious detox elixir but failed to kill the target, which made Kun Jue feel utterly humiliated. Once recovered, Kun Jue couldnt wait to strike again, but he never expected that Song Jian could reflect his attacks, and the opponents damage was extremely high; one move could take away a third of his vitality points. If Song Jian was allowed to attack, Kun Jue might be instantly killed by him. Am I supposed to admit defeat? Let those in my organization mock me? No, I have to kill him, kill this god-favored one! Kun Jue gnashed his teeth, blood seeping between them, but he didnt seem to feel any pain. Song Jian stared at the empty wilderness and put away his iron wings, feeling a little regret in his heart; Though his damage was already strong, he didnt have much control over his abilities. Professionals like Kun Jue, who could fight and run as they pleased, gave him a headache. Being watched constantly felt like a dark cloud hanging over his head and just wouldnt go away. In response, Song Jian hesitated for a moment before deciding not to return to the military camp town but headed towards the Shadowfang Mountain Range instead. Song Jians map was far more detailed than the simple version provided by Qi Yun. According to the maps directions, it would only take four or five days to reach the Shadowfang Mountain Range at Song Jians speed. If he could hire a mount in the military camp town, he could potentially arrive one or two days earlier. As night fell, large dark clouds appeared in the sky, looking just like in Doomsday City. Song Jian sat before a bonfire, sighing quietly. It seemed impossible to absorb moonlight essence tonight. However, even if he could absorb it, Song Jian wouldnt dare to do so now. The feeling of being watched was always lingering in his heart. The opponent was unlikely to give up in the night, an environment perfect for ambushes. With a thought, thirty blood crows appeared beside Song Jian. In no time, the crows were evenly distributed within a hundred-meter radius around him. Any slight movement or sound would prompt him to discover it and react; While blood crows had a weak attack, they could fly for a long time without eating, drinking or resting, making them excellent scouts; they could even be compared to wild zombies; Next, Song Jian summoned thirty blood wolves, spreading them out, so that it would be impossible to conceal their scent from these sharp-smelling creatures even if Kun Jue were to enter a stealth state; Only after setting up layers of defenses did Song Jian lay down to rest. He didnt believe that the blood crows and blood wolves alone could stop Kun Jue. However, it would be incredibly difficult for Kun Jue to approach him unnoticed. As long as the blood crows and blood wolves could detect Kun Jues traces, Song Jian was confident he could kill his opponent, or at least force him to retreat. Time passed quickly, and soon it was late at night. The bonfire slowly dimmed, and Song Jian lay motionless by its side. With only the slight rise and fall of his chest, it seemed he had fallen deep into sleep. Suddenly, Song Jians eyes snapped open. A cold chill crawled from his chest and spread throughout his body. Alarm bells rang in his heart. Although the blood crows and blood wolves hadnt signaled to him any danger, Song Jian knew that he was in grave danger; A phantom clone appeared in Song Jians resting position. Song Jian rolled to the side, hiding in a dark corner; Whats going on? How did he manage to silently break through the defenses of the blood crows and blood wolves? Song Jians forehead was drenched in sweat. At first, he felt slightly drowsy, but now it was like he had been doused with cold water, and he was wide awake; Just then, Song Jian saw a bean-sized red dot appear on the chest of the phantom clone lying on the ground. The dot quickly moved up to the clones head and stayed there for a moment before it moved back to its chest, remaining still; Is this an infrared sight? Song Jian narrowed his eyes as he stared at the red dot and suddenly understood the opponents tactic; The Death Gods Scythes killer also possessed long-range sniping capabilities that he hadnt revealed during the day; Using the infrared sight, his position should be between three hundred and five hundred meters away from here Song Jian glanced into the pitch-black wilderness following the direction of the infrared line, a fierce glint flashing through his eyes; Suddenly, a cloud of black mist floated upwards from where Song Jian had been and flew towards the distance; At that moment, a muffled sound came from a distance. While the sound wasnt loud, it was carried clearly into Song Jians ears in the dead of night; He even installed a silencer So his firing range has been reduced, it should be within three hundred meters! Without even looking at the phantom clone, Song Jian flew straight towards where he believed Kun Jue was hiding; At this time, Kun Jue was lying on top of a rock, observing Song Jian through the night vision scope of his sniper rifle; Since Song Jian had laid down, Kun Jue had patiently waited, just like a hunting cheetah prey. Waiting for hours wasnt a problem as long as he found the perfect time to strike; When Kun Jue believed Song Jian was sound asleep, he finally set up his sniper shot. To improve accuracy, he had also installed an infrared laser sight. But as he pulled the trigger, he realized something was awry when the bullet penetrated the targets chest without any blood pouring out. His face changed, heart sinking; How could this be, how did he find out about me?! Kun Jue hammered the rock beneath him with anger, quickly packing up his sniper rifle and getting ready to leave; At that moment, he didnt notice a cloud of black mist slowly approaching him from above. Chapter 546 - Chapter 546: Chapter 546: Seeing Through Chapter 546: Chapter 546: Seeing Through Song Jians killing intent grew even more intense. This Deaths Scythe assassin, like a bone-devouring maggot, refused to leave him be. Kun Jue had already sensed the threat approaching and had prepared to retreat and leave after finding out he hadnt killed Song Jian, but only eliminated one of his clones. At this moment, he was more than 250 meters away from the bonfire Song Jian had lit. He thought it was impossible for Song Jian to locate him so quickly. However, unbeknownst to him, Song Jian had already morphed into a dark cloud and appeared in mid-air less than ten meters away from him. Warnings of impending death resounded continuously in Kun Jues mind. The more assassination attempts there were, the more cards Song Jian revealed, making Kun Jue feel he had a better chance of victory. But what he didnt know was that the more times he tried to assassinate Song Jian, the more Song Jian learned about him. Whoosh~ A breeze swept by, and Kun Jue suddenly found himself enveloped in a dark fog. He couldnt see his hand in front of his face. The fog continuously caused him harm, not much, but enough to unsettle him. How can he pinpoint my location so quickly? What kind of skill is that? Why cant I even sense anything one meter outside this thick fog Kun Jue immediately activated his Acceleration Skill and dashed in one direction. However, no matter how fast he was, he couldnt escape the area covered by the dark fog. The fog seemed to cling to him like his shadow; wherever he went, it followed. Come out and fight me for three hundred rounds if you have the guts! Kun Jue roared in madness, swinging his dagger frantically in the dark fog as if his enemy were right before him. It seemed as if Kun Jue had fallen into despair and lost control due to being cornered, but in reality, as a battle-hardened assassin, how could he go mad over such a minor setback? Everything Kun Jue did was meant to lower Song Jians guard, hoping that he would become complacent and reveal a weakness. Song Jian remained still, as he naturally understood that the damage caused by the dark cloud to Kun Jue was minimal, and it was impossible for him to crumble so easily from just being suppressed and occasionally hit by some unexplainable attacks. The two opponents had actually begun a psychological contest at this point. Fifteen minutes passed in a blink of an eye, and Song Jians Morphing into Dark Cloud ability was about to end. Now calm, Kun Jue drank a potion continuously restoring his Vitality Points, his face cold. Do you think you can kill me with such weak damage that cant even kill a mosquito? Kun Jues expression was full of disdain, but in reality, his palms gripping the twin daggers were already sweating slightly. This seemingly endless and inescapable dark fog state made Kun Jue increasingly tense. Even if the damage he sustained each time was minuscule, his potions were limited. If he were forced to endure this for three or four hours, his death would be certain. Fifteen minutes, although not enough for him to lose control, had already made Kun Jue anxious. Just then, Kun Jue suddenly saw light as the dark fog disappeared. His senses could finally extend outward once more, and his heart soared with joy. Light Strike! A soft shout erupted overhead, and dazzling golden Sword Qi instantly dispelled the surrounding darkness. Startled, Kun Jue hurriedly activated his Acceleration Skill and dodged to the side. Whoosh~ As the golden Sword Qi changed from slashing to sweeping halfway through, it struck Kun Jues waist with a combined damage of over 600 and 300+ points. The numbers floated above Kun Jues head. Song Jian dropped from mid-air and, with a push of his feet, pounced towards Kun Jue like an arrow. The blood crow and blood wolf guarding the bonfire also rushed toward him, encircling Kun Jue. Without noticing the blood crow and blood wolf, Kun Jue sidestepped, executed a critical attack, and sliced a wound in Song Jians waist. Then, his dagger poised like a beasts fang, he stabbed towards Song Jians chest. Song Jian parried with his sword, and the two engaged in close combat. After more than a dozen rounds, Kun Jue discovered that Song Jians equipment was even better than his own. Song Jian, too, found that the assassins skills were bizarre and he had numerous life-saving tactics. This cant go on, or hell escape again, Song Jian frowned. Although his damage was overwhelming Kun Jue, the assassin was like a slippery mudfish whose whereabouts couldnt be grasped. Five minutes later, Kun Jue felt the urge to retreat. After several skirmishes, he realized that it was impossible to kill Song Jian head-on! Sensing that Kun Jue seemed to be planning another escape, Song Jian took a Weakness Potion out of his bag and threw it violently onto the ground. A gray smoke rose, enveloping Kun Jue. Kun Jues face turned pale when he found that his bodys surface seemed to be covered in a layer of gray dust, reducing his defense by almost half. What kind of potion is this! Alarmed, Kun Jue immediately used his Vanish skill. A puff of white mist appeared and quickly dissipated, revealing Kun Jue had vanished from Song Jians sight. I wont let you escape this time! Song Jian muttered with a hint of coldness in his voice as he controlled the remaining twenty-nine blood wolves to search and attack freely. Quickly, a blood wolfs howl came from less than ten meters away, causing all other blood wolves to charge in its direction as if they heard the call to action. Chapter 547 - Chapter 547: Chapter 547: Shadowfang Mountain Range Chapter 547: Chapter 547: Shadowfang Mountain Range The figure of Kun Jue was once again forced out of his stealth state, glaring at the blood wolf who had found his scent and was now lunging at him. Kun Jue wished to tear it to pieces, but right now, every second made the difference between life and death. Sprint! At Kun Jues thought, his speed instantly increased, leaving phantom images behind him. From a distance, it appeared like a veil of illusion. Sword Shadow Step! Song Jians figure too, turned into a shadow. His speed surprisingly increased, keeping a close pursuit behind Kun Jue. Earth Teeth Assault! A tusk-shaped energy mass burst from beneath Song Jians feet, with a sharp shriek lunging at Kun Jue. The hard ground displayed a mark as though scraped by a long sword. Bam! The Earth Teeth Assault slammed into Kun Jues back, causing him to stumble. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An ethereal long swords illusion emerged over Song Jians head. As he swept his sword forward, the ethereal sword whizzed towards Kun Jue. Bang! Kun Jue immediately felt as if his head had been severely chopped. After a moment of dizziness, sharp pain surged into his mind. It felt like his soul had been sliced by a sword, which made him let out a painful cry. As an elite assassin of Deaths Scythe, Kun Jue could endure any physical injury. But this time, the pain was like his soul was being torn apart, which he couldnt bear any longer. He held his head in his hands, incessantly rolling on the ground. Song Jian rushed over in a few strides and swung his sword down at him. Flash Thunder Strike! Crackle, crackle, crackle~ A few flashes of lightning passed, and Kun Jue, who had previously only recovered about half his vitality points, was once again left in a near-death state. Dont, please, dont kill me! Im a senior member of Deaths Scythe. If you kill me, the organization wont let you off! Kun Jue stopped Song Jian, who was showing no mercy and was about to slash at him. With a cold expression on his face, Song Jian thrusted his long sword into Kun Jues throat. A fountain of blood spouted out, draining his last strand of vitality points. Hehe~ Kun Jues eyes bulged, a look of disbelief appearing on his face. The dagger dropped from his hands onto the ground. His hands tightly clung to Song Jians long sword. It seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he fell heavily, collapsing onto the ground, dead. Finally hes dead! Song Jian removed his sword, taking a deep breath. Kun Jues assassinating capability was truly intimidating. Even though in a direct confrontation he had been slightly inferior to Song Jian, his presence still lurked, ever ready to strike like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness. In such a pursuit, Song Jian was ceaselessly in a state of extreme alertness. If this condition persisted, Song Jians capabilities would reduce by at least a third in three days. In fact, every passing day had escalated Kun Jues probability of successfully assassinating Song Jian, which was why Song Jian intended to kill Kun Jue as soon as possible. My attack is sufficiently deadly, but I severely lack control abilities. If I had one or two control skills, this prolonged struggle wouldnt have occurred. In the end, I had to rely on the blood wolf to kill him. Song Jian, glancing at Kun Jues body, thought to himself. He casually picked up the two daggers Kun Jue had dropped. This was the spoils of battle he left behind after his death. The two daggers, one of silver quality, the other, surprisingly, a growth-type gold quality dagger. It wasnt far off in comparison to the long sword in Song Jians hand. He had already withdrawn the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Golden Demonslaying Sword back into his body. Playing with the growth-type gold quality dagger, a mischievous smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. This dagger must not be sold. It can be given to a best friend or it can be a spare weapon for me. If I sell it and it ends up in the enemys hands, thatd be me shooting myself in the foot. Song Jian thought to himself. Having killed Kun Jue, Song Jian could finally rest. The blood crows and blood wolves, as previously arranged, were dispersed around him while Song Jian himself laid by the bonfire, deep in slumber. His careful journey continued over the next few days. But the Deaths Scythe didnt seem to send another assassin his way. He had fended off two out of the three assassination attempts. If the Deaths Scythe failed again with the last one, it would probably stop dispatching assassins to hunt Song Jian, at least for a while. The second time was a level 30 assassin; could this third time be an assassin with a first-rank combat adept? Song Jian thought to himself. Perhaps the Deaths Scythe was evaluating Song Jians actual strength. With Song Jian having killed their level 30 assassin, Kun Jue, the person in charge of the Deaths Scythe had raised Song Jians appraisal to a very high level. Nonetheless, there werent many first-rank combat adept assassins even within the organization. To summon a first-rank combat adept assassin would require some time, which was why Song Jian hadnt encountered another assassin for several days. Two more days passed and Song Jian finally entered the Shadowfang Mountain Range. This mountain range was filled with dense shadow energy. Large purple-grey trees covered the entire range, and the beasts within were all shadow beasts filled with shadow energy. Their bodies were semi-transparent, revealing their true forms only when attacking. This presented the adventurers in the Shadowfang Mountain Range with quite a headache. Song Jian opened his map and glanced at it. If he bypassed the not-so-far-off level 30 monster domain and travelled another ten li, he would reach Dark Castle. The meeting spot he and Qi Yun had agreed on was in a small valley not far from Dark Castle. The monster domain ahead is the territory of the level 30 shadow leopard. According to the map, not only are these beasts formidable, they are also extremely fast. If targeted, its hard to escape. The most important thing is that these monsters are usually in a stealth state, blending with their surroundings. Its only when they strike that their existence is revealed. But when you notice that, its too late Song Jian frowned slightly. If he could cross this area, it would save at least half a day. To bypass it, he would have to travel an additional forty kilometers. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to bypass this area, considering the scarcity of supplies here. The closest supply base, a military camp, was three hundred li away and was impractical for resupply. If he were to get caught up in a battle with the beasts here, even if he made it out alive, the expenditure would be too great, rendering the gains not worth the losses. In the event that he encountered issues due to a lack of supplies during the battle with the Shadow Giant Dragon, the results could be fatal. As Song Jian was about to find an alternative route, he suddenly heard a scream and a low growl from ahead. Not long after, a group of people crawled out of the forest ahead, looking panicked. Chapter 548 - Chapter 548: Chapter 548: Indifference Chapter 548: Chapter 548: Indifference Among the group, a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy was leading the charge, dressed in a flamboyant outfit which makes him appear bloated. His body was adorned with numerous pieces of jewelry; he wore three necklaces alone, and each finger of his hands bore a ring. He also had two bracelets on each wrist. The boys long, golden hair shone under the sunlight, giving him a rather handsome appearance, but his panicked expression slightly diminished his charm. Right beside him, five or six armored guards followed closely, protecting him within their center. Upon spotting Song Jian, the boys face lit up and he hurriedly called out, Adventurer, I am Solando, the son of the City of Sins lord. Now, I command you, in my capacity as a Viscount, to protect me, and hold back the monster chasing us! At this point, a girl by the boys side, dressed in black, bow at her hand, and a short sword swaying at her waist, angrily replied, Solando, mind your status! How can you utter such words? The beast chasing us is the Elite Level Boss, Shadow Teeth! How can you ask a stranger adventurer like us to fend off this calamity for us? Indeed, Young Master, the lady is right, this is beneath your dignity. A middle-aged knight standing near the boy softly suggested, More importantly, do you think this adventurer can stall the monster behind us? And even if he can, for how long? A second? Or five seconds? Solando gave a hostile glance to the middle-aged knight beside him, turned around and yelled at the girl, Anna, you are just my cousin. If our Sakel family hadnt taken you in, you would have been long dead. Thus, you have no right to lecture me! You. Annas eyebrows rose sharply, her face turning red in anger. She swiftly pulled out the short sword hanging from her waist and glared fiercely at Solando. Solando immediately began to tremble. Although he knew that Anna wouldnt damage him, seeing her with the drawn short sword, he couldnt help but be overcome by fear; A thousand Doomsday Coins. As long as you can lure the monster away, I will give you a thousand Doomsday Coins! Solando loftily pointed at Song Jian. A thousand Doomsday Coins was a considerable fortune for an average adventurer. However, compared to barring a Level 30 Elite Boss, it was too cheap of a price. Song Jian smiled slightly, realizing that this entire group was made up of native game characters, or in other words, NPCs in the game. Naturally, he would not take them seriously. Whoosh~ A shadow leapt out of the forest, knocked down an armored warrior before Song Jians narrowed eyes. He immediately felt a chill down his spine. It was an entirely ink-black panther, its body radiating a phosphorescent glow. Not a speck of impurity tainted its fur. Its eyes, however, were blood-red, flashing a cruel, bloodthirsty light. With a roar, the panther clawed at the fallen warrior. A sharp, grating sound reverberated as the hard armor seemed to tear open like paper under the panthers claws. Then, just like consuming pre-cracked walnut kernels, the panther proceeded to rip the warrior to pieces, the screams incessant. Being eaten alive by a panther, experiencing its teeth tearing flesh off his body and swallowing it, reduced the warriors sanity to tatters. He screamed in immense pain, loudly begging his companions to end his life. Nonetheless, everyone was guarding Solando and Anna, maintaining their distance from the powerful panther Boss. Shadow Teeth, is this the Shadow Teeth theyre talking about, a Level 30 Elite Boss? Song Jian already had the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword summoned, firmly gripped in his hand. Initially, hearing about a Level 30 Elite Boss, Song Jian did not think much of it. However, upon witnessing this panther, he immediately understood. This Elite Boss, known as Shadow Teeth, definitively possessed First Order Combat Power. At such a speed, I simply cannot resist Song Jian looked serious as he slowly moved backward; The terrifying speed, coupled with a potent attack power, made the Shadow Teeth an absolute overlord in the surrounding Shadowfang Mountain Range. Even though the Dark Castle populated by the Shadow Giant Dragon is less than ten miles away, the Shadow Teeth show no fear and become the most terrifying existence in this monstrous region. It is not to say, however, that the Shadow Teeth have the power to rival the Shadow Giant Dragon. It just implies that the Shadow Teeth have the ability to escape when the Shadow Giant Dragon in the Dark Castle notices it. Craack~ Just like claws scraping across glass, an ear-piercing sound resonated continuously. The Shadow Teeth directly shredded the armor of the soldier beneath it into scrap metal. Its tusks, covered in fresh blood, pierced through the soldiers body and ripped him out from his now useless armor; The high pitched scream gradually dwindled, finally turning into a powerless whimper, then all that remained was the sound of the Shadow Teeth chewing and tearing; What, what do we do now? Solando turned pale as a ghost, watching the guard who was just beside him now reduced to a mess of flesh. He felt like vomiting, a sour taste persisting in his mouth; Lets hope its full now and wont trouble us anymore. Anna gripped her dagger tightly, her face full of tension as she spoke. At this point, she had slung her longbow on her back. With the speed of the Shadow Teeth, there was simply no opportunity for her to draw her bow and shoot; Young Master Solando, rest assured, as long as I, Kalen, am breathing, I will not let this monster harm you! With a determined face, the middle-aged knight who had been protecting Solando spoke. Hearing Kalens reassurances, Solando exhaled deeply, his heart relaxing. At this moment, however, he saw Song Jian gripping a long sword with a vigilant expression, his eyes fixed on the boss monster, and anger welled up within him; Adventurer, you refused a viscounts offer of friendship! Solando glared at Song Jian and threatened, Since you refused to grasp the hand of friendship I extended to you, be prepared to face my high raised sword and imminent death. Song Jian was momentarily stunned, suddenly receiving a system prompt; System: You have elicited the disdain of the son of the City of Sins lord, your relationship with the City of Sin has dropped to Indifferent; Ind, indifferent? Song Jian was astonished. Even if he hadnt been to the City of Sin before, relations with human-dominated cities for all players were generally neutral. Then, by completing tasks, you could gain the citys reputation points, and gradually improve your relationship with the city. If your relationship with a particular city is reduced to Indifferent, then the citizens of that city wont offer you any tasks. It means your relationship with that city will never improve, and once you enter the city, you would find it difficult to make any progress; However, Solando is just the son of the city lord, and not the city lord himself. Otherwise, if it was the City of Sins lord that Song Jian angered, a single word from the lord could reduce Song Jians relationship with the City of Sin to Hatred, placing him on the citys most wanted black list. Interesting~ A hint of a smile crept up on Song Jians face. He initially intended to hold the fort for a while and save these NPCs, but he didnt expect this to happen Upon seeing Song Jians lack of fear and his nonchalant expression, Annas face changed instantly. Only at this moment, did she realize how different Song Jian was; God, Gods Chosen One, he is a Gods Chosen One! Anna exclaimed; Chapter 549 - Chapter 549: Chapter 549: Epic Level Task Chapter 549: Chapter 549: Epic Level Task Only NPCs in the game refer to players as Gods Chosen, players among themselves dont use this term, deeming it somewhat embarrassing; The games natives have always held a reverence towards these god-chosen players who can disappear without a trace and possess massive growth potential. My apologies, my Lord of the Gods Chosen, we were incredibly rude just now! Anna quickly apologized to Song Jian. Gods Chosen? Solandos eyes lit up. He immediately took the short sword hanging from his waist and shouted loudly at Song Jian, Gods Chosen, I have a task for you C if you can escort me safely out of here, this precious Elf Sword is yours. System: The son of the City of Sins Lord, Solando, has issued you an escort task. Task Requirements: Successfully escort Solando to a safe area. Task Reward: Elfs Sword, 500 points of goodwill from the City of Sin, Task Failure Penalty: None; Solando may be somewhat dissolute, but he is incredibly smart. He knows what a player values most. It seems like Anna has quickly understood as well, and she looks at Solando appreciatively. Song Jian gave a cold chuckle, and without even giving it a glance, he flatly refused. Solando and Anna were stunned as they watched Song Jians ice-cold figure retreat and escape into the distance. Hearing the faintly resonating high-pitched screams from behind, Song Jian sighed slightly in his heart; The strength of the Shadow Teeth was far from ordinary. Song Jian had no confidence in escorting Solando and the others to safety. Against a beast with formidable defense or attack, Song Jian could still try his luck. But against the speedy Shadow Teeth, its already a challenge for Song Jian to escape by himself, let alone protect such a large group of people. Another reason was that the Elf Sword was nothing more than a piece of silver-quality equipment. It was nothing compared to the dangers Song Jian was about to face. Just as Song Jian was about to leave, he suddenly received a red system prompt; System: You have obtained an epic level task C Rescue; Task Content: Protect Anna Katerina and escort her to a safe place; Task Reward: Receive Anna Katerinas gratitude, raise goodwill to Friendly; Task Failure Penalty: Anna Katerina dies, task fails, attribute points decrease by 5, do you accept? The dark red text sparkled in front of Song Jians eyes. Epic level task? Song Jian was immediately excited. You see, getting an epic level task in this game is very difficult and the rewards are always substantial, containing at least one epic level item. Just like the task Song Jian accepted earlier, he obtained a complete set of gold-quality equipment that could combine to form an epic level set; Such a task is a rare opportunity, even if it presents some risk to Song Jians life, it must be accepted and completed! The task reward is just Annas goodwill, but the failure penalty is 5 attribute points. The reward and punishments are utterly disproportionate. Could it be that this epic level task is part of a quest chain? Song Jian wondered. After carefully reading the task content, Song Jian chose to accept it, then turned around and walked towards the group of people; At this moment, a 10-minute countdown appeared before Song Jian, he didnt fully understand it, but he knew he needed to reach Anna as quickly as possible; One by one, Solandos escorts were brought down and killed by the Shadow Teeth, leaving only Anna and the middle-aged knight, Kalen. We will all die here Solandos face was as white as a sheet, despair evident in his eyes. The Shadow Teeth in front of him seemed like Death Gods pet, constantly reaping the lives of the escorts. Furthermore, with the strength of the Shadow Teeth, it could kill all of them, but it patiently took them down one by one, playing with the remaining people like a cat toying with a mouse. Fear loomed in everyones hearts. The Shadow Teeth slowly came down from a corpse. It had only eaten the victims heart, unlike the first guard where it ate everything; Looking at the bloody face of the Shadow Teeth and its threatening fangs, Kalen gritted his teeth, firmly held his knight sword, and shouted without turning his head, Young Master, Miss, run! Ill hold it off! Kalen! Solandos face turned pale, full of regret. If he hadnt insisted on adventuring in the Shadowfang Mountain Range, he wouldnt have ended up in such a dangerous situation. Whats worse, Kalen was the City of Sin Lords trusted aide, and was assigned to protect him. If Kalen lost his life because of him, his father would be furious. It needs to be known, Solando isnt the only son of the lord of the City of Sin. If Solando falls out of favor with his father, he will have no future. Solando, run! Dont let Kalens sacrifice be in vain! Anna picked up the almost crumbling Solando and shouted loudly into his ear. At that moment, Shadow Teeth glanced at Kalen, its eyes brimming with mockery. It roared at Kalen and charged as swift as lightning; Whoosh~ Kalen only felt a gust of wind brushing past him, it seemed like the Shadow Teeth had vanished from sight. Roar~ A low growl came from behind. Kalens face changed dramatically, he quickly turned to see that the giant black Shadow Leopard had suddenly appeared in front of Solando and Anna, blocking their escape; It wants to keep us all here! Kalens face turned ghostly pale, instantly understanding the intentions of the beast. Anna tightly held her short sword and positioned herself in front of Solando. Even though she was terrified and nervous, she knew that if Solando died here, even if she safely returned to the City of Sin, the citys Lord would still be furious with her. Using courage in the face of death, to fight for hope of survival! Anna murmured to herself, the short sword in her hand began to glow brilliantly. Just then, a dazzling golden light burst forth in the distance, slashing towards Shadow Teeth; Light Strike! The dazzling golden Sword Qi tore through the sky. As it was about to reach Shadow Teeth, the black Shadow Leopard let out a large roar and spun around fiercely, swiping a claw towards the sword qi from behind. A sharp sonic boom suddenly sounded; Claw Clash glimmered with ferocious light, even leaving traces in the air that lingered for quite some time; Thump! With a muffled sound, the Shadow Teeth let out a painful howl, its massive body was lifted and thrown like a ripped bag towards a Shadow Tree; Boom C The back of the Shadow Teeth collided with the tree causing a clear breakage sound and then tumbled onto the ground. Chapter 550 - Chapter 550: Chapter 550: Resistance Chapter 550: Chapter 550: Resistance Song Jian blinked, surprised at the force of his own attack, which had immediately landed a critical hit, depleting a third of Shadow Teeths Vitality Points. Youyou came back? Annas face lit up in pleasant surprise as she exhaled deeply. She had already decided to tap into her latent life force. Thankfully, Song Jian arrived just in time, otherwise, if she had exhausted that life force, Anna would have died quickly afterwards. It was a secret technique of the Elf race known as Elf Anthem that had massive power C it could detonate ones life energy accumulated over decades in just an instant; Because Anna had Elf blood in her veins, she could use this secret technique, something ordinary humans didnt have the ability to master. Having pushed back Shadow Teeth with a single blow, the countdown that lingered before Song Jians eyes disappeared. Looking at a visibly relieved Anna, Song Jian realised that if he hadnt made it to her in time, Anna would have been killed by Shadow Teeth and his epic-level task would have ended in failure. Actually, Song Jian didnt realize that if Anna used the Elf Anthem technique, his mission would be considered failed too. Luckily, he made it in time, saved Anna, and in doing so, rescued his own five ability points. Beloved of God, oh great Beloved of God, save us. I am the son of the lord of the City of Sin. As long as you can save us, I promise anything! Solando suddenly rushed over to Song Jian, desperately clinging onto the sleeve of his robe as he begged. Alright, hide behind me and slowly move back. Leave this place immediately, Song Jian ordered, keeping his watchful gaze on Shadow Teeth, not even sparing Solando a glance. Kulun had already moved to stand next to Solando, giving Song Jian a sombre look, and then whispered something into Solandos ear. The three of them hid behind Song Jian and, rather than leaving immediately, they stuck close to him. Song Jian was surprised, believing that this was a task requirement and must guard the people he was to protect C he didnt pay this much mind and focused on Shadow Teeth, gradually moving backward. Anna and the other two mirrored Song Jians movements, keeping close to him. The dramatic scene of Kulun defending against Shadow Teeth had left a profound impression on them C if they strayed too far from Song Jian, Shadow Teeth could catch up to them in an instant with its speed. Only by staying near Song Jian would they be safe. Shadow Teeth had been dangerously wounded and had fallen from a tree. It got up and stared menacingly at Song Jian, letting out a thunderous roar before launching itself at him like a bolt of black lightning. Immortal Sword Body, activate! Song Jian shouted, immediately playing his trump card. His body began to glow gold C the seventh level of the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body technique, enhancing all his abilities by eleven points. This spell caused Song Jians strength to shoot up drastically, and its safe to say that the Song Jian with the Immortal Sword Body activated and the Song Jian without it were two entirely different people. Before using the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jian could barely perceive Shadow Teeths movements. Each time, all he saw was a streak of black lightning left on the surface of his eyes. Even when attacked, he was unable to come up with an effective defense; After using the Immortal Sword Body, to Song Jian, Shadow Teeth was still lightning fast, but it was no longer swift enough to prevent him from tracking its movement; Flash Thunder Strike! Upon seeing Shadow Teeth charging at him, Song Jian swung his sword C three waves of Sword Qi imbued with the power of thunder and lightning struck Shadow Teeth fiercely. Simultaneously, Shadow Teeths claws struck Song Jians shoulder heavily. A damage point of over three hundred floated above Song Jians head C just a casual attack from Shadow Teeth had already resulted in Song Jian losing more than three hundred Vitality Points; Sword Finger! Song Jian raised his left hand and a silver Sword Qi burst forth, stabbing fiercely into the abdomen of Shadow Teeth. At the same time, Shadow Teeth let out a roar, releasing an unseen wave of sound attack covering a fan-shaped range of sixty degrees before it. This sonic attack caused them to lose their footing. Solando was even knocked to the ground, rolling about. Anna and Kalen could only manage to stabilize their bodies by violently shaking; Song Jian felt dizzy but thankfully only for a brief moment, less than a second. And then suddenly, Shadow Teeth accelerated its speed, leaping into the air to swoop down on him. Its sharp claws, flashing coldly, whistled through the air. Its blood-red eyes exuded a brutal glow, as if it wanted to tear Song Jian apart; Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jians movements suddenly became gentle, a mysterious aura emanating from him. Under the assault of Shadow Teeth, Song Jian was like a fragile blade of grass in a storm, bending but not breaking, his sword clashing time and time again with the sharp claws of Shadow Teeth, ringing out with the sound of metal on metal. Using the momentum from Shadow Teeths charge, each clash would push Song Jian two steps backwards. After a series of attacks, Song Jian had already retreated more than a dozen meters. Hehes incredible. He can actually fight Shadow Teeth to this extent! Anna stared at Song Jian in awe. Even Kalen C looking shocked C was staring at Song Jian. He hadnt expected this seemingly young Beloved of God to actually be capable of saving them from the clutches of Shadow Teeth. Ding, ding, ding, ding Shadow Teeths attacks were continuously deflected by Song Jian. After six seconds, when the duration of the Tai Chi Sword Skill came to an end, during a break from his offensive, Song Jian heard a roar and a powerful force hit him hard in the chest; An enormous force propelled Song Jian backwards in the air; -680 Song Jian was sent flying with almost seven hundred points of damage floating above him. His Vitality Points had now fallen to about half, and a stabbing pain shot through his chest. Song Jian fell from mid-air, braced himself with his left hand and rolled over twice before he steadied himself. The moment he was steady, Shadow Teeth was already in front of him. Song Jian took off running, his footsteps flashing white. A glowing Ice Path was left behind him, full of cold air; Seeing Song Jian escape, Anna and the others also started running towards Song Jian. Shadow Teeth stepped onto the Ice Path C every two steps forward, its limbs were frozen stiff by the freezing air, causing it to be rooted to the spot. Struggling free and taking another two steps forward had it frozen again, slowing it down considerably; Hearing the angry roar coming from behind, Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at the three panting figures, he said in a low voice: Were not safe yet get away from here as soon as possible Anna and the others nodded their heads eagerly, not daring to look back. They trailed behind Song Jian, running into the distance; Chapter 551 - Chapter 551: Chapter 551: The Second Ring Chapter 551: Chapter 551: The Second Ring The Ice Path gradually melted, and the Shadow Teeth recovered its previous speed. Having suffered significant damage, it gave up the chase after pursuing in the direction Song Jian had escaped for several more meters. It cast the direction a regretful glance and emitted an angry roar before turning to rush towards the Shadow Forest. Not until the Shadow Teeth had returned to the Shadow Forest did Song Jian receive a notification that he had completed the system task. System: You have completed the first link of an Epic-level quest C Rescuing Anna Katerina, and you have earned her gratitude. Your relationship with Anna has improved to friendly. As expected, this is an Epic-level quest chain, and Ive only completed the first step, which is probably the simplest one! A wry smile appeared on Song Jians face. The simplest first step had nearly cost him his life. If it hadnt been for his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body that endowed him with the power to confront the Shadow Teeth, the level-30 elite boss, with the combat power of a first level fighter, it could definitely have killed everyone at the scene. Having completed the first part of the Epic-level quest, the task in his taskbar did not disappear, indicating that the second part of the mission required Song Jian to find a trigger himself. If Song Jian couldnt trigger the second part, the task would be stuck here. I guess were safe now Song Jian let out a sigh and said. Ththank you, reincarnate! Anna bowed to Song Jian in gratitude. Thank you for saving us. If you ever come to the City of Sin, Ill treat you to a good drink. Carter gave Song Jian a knight salute. Youve gained the friendship of the Sakel Family in the City of Sin, Divine One. Solando struggled to compose himself, glanced at Song Jian, and spoke somewhat arrogantly: Given your abilities, youre qualified to become my Guardian Knight. If you pledge loyalty to me, youll hold the title of a knight and become a member of the nobility! Song Jian smiled faintly, ignoring Solando and turned to Anna, Is there anything else I can assist you with? Solando was the son of the Lord of the City of Sin. However, according to Solandos previous remarks, Anna was not a member of the Sakel Family, but a relative living under their roof. Although the servants referred to her as young lady, her status was not comparable to Solandos. However, the Epic-level quest released by the system was to rescue Anna, not the nobler Solando. Clearly, the game system believed that Anna was much more important than Solando in the game. No one told Song Jian this, but as a player, he understood that only those favored by the game system would become big shots in the future. These were the ones players needed to establish good relationships with. Perceiving the indifference from Song Jian, Solando turned livid, clenched his teeth silently, and sneered inwardly. He had no choice but to snort coldly, his dislike for Song Jian deepening. Reincarnate, we came here in search of the Dark Castle. According to legend, the Dark Castle hides a Goblet of Life. Any water held in the Goblet of Life turns into holy water that can cure any ailment. Our aim is to find this Goblet of Life. Could you help us retrieve it? Anna inquired. Anna, how dare you disclose such confidential information to him, to a stranger! Solandos face darkened, and he glared at Anna in dissatisfaction. Solan, do you think we can obtain the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle with our current abilities? Anna turned her head and asked Solando. Solando grew silent. An elite knight squad had almost been wiped out; it seemed impossible for the remaining three of them to even approach the Dark Castle, let alone enter it to retrieve the Goblet of Life. Right after Anna made her request, Song Jian received the second link of the Epic-level task. System: You received the second link of an Epic-level quest, Recover the Holy Grail. Task Objective: Retrieve the Holy Grail from the Dark Castle and hand it over to Anna Katerina. Task Explanations: The Holy Grail is one of the treasures of the Dark Giant Dragon, you must enter the treasure room of the Dark Castle to obtain it. Task Reward: You will earn funds with Anna Katerina and your relationship will upgrade to respect. You will also receive a skill point. Task Failure Punishment: Your relationship with Anna Katerina will downgrade to indifferent. Having seen the contents of the second link of the mission, Song Jian was slightly worried. It seemed that the first few links in this Epic-level quest were all for the purpose of improving his relationship with Anna which appeared much more difficult than the first. In the first link, he just had to deal with a level 30 elite boss with the combat power of a first stage fighter. However, in the second link, he may have to face the Dark Giant Dragon, making the risk increase exponentially. Yet Song Jian had set out precisely to enter the Dark Castle and engage in combat with the Dark Giant Dragon for half an hour. It turned out that in the process he could complete the second link of the Epic-level task. Of course, it would be my pleasure, madam. I will fulfill your wish and deliver the Holy Grail to you! Song Jian gave Anna a bow and assured her. Thank you so much, brave warrior. If you complete this task, you can find me at Aromatic Castle in the City of Sin to deliver the Grail! Anna smiled charmingly and continued, However, make sure you are quick. The Grail must reach my hands within a month! Alright, I understand. Within a month, I will deliver the Grail to you. Song Jian nodded in acknowledgment. As they watched Song Jians departing figure, Solando sneered, Anna, do you truly believe that a god-chosen who hasnt even reached level 30 can retrieve the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle? Solan, remember, you are not the only son of my uncle. You are the sixth in line to succeed. Do you think, if my uncle doesnt make it through this time, that you will still have the same status once your elder brother becomes the lord? Anna glared at Solando dismissively. Solandos face turned ashen. He coldly snorted and fell silent as though something had occurred to him. Kulun stood still behind Solando like a statue, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. You should pray that he succeeds because this is your only chance! After giving Solando a look, Anna turned around and left. God damn it, I hate the way you talk to me. Solando muttered under his breath and staggered after Anna. Chapter 552 - Chapter 552: Chapter 552 Magical Formation Chapter 552: Chapter 552 Magical Formation Song Jian took a large detour through the Shadow Forest, arriving at a small valley less than ten miles away from the Dark Castle; Standing at the entrance of the valley, Song Jians brow furrowed slightly as he sensed a hint of death energy emanating from the valley, identical to the energy waves emitted by those who possessed Deaths Scythe. Shadow and Death energy waves were similar, and many people often confused the two, but in reality, they were completely different energy systems; However, in some places, the two could be combined, such as the Shadow Arrow in Shadow Magic. Tang Ming had previously used it, but the Shadow Magics Arrow focused on corrosion, while the Shadow Arrow of Death energy emphasized damage; Whats the matter, reached the destination but didnt dare to enter? A mocking voice suddenly came from the mouth of the valley, as Qi Yuns voice rang in Song Jians ears. Song Jians brow furrowed slightly, as Qi Yuns voice now sounded even more hoarse than before, to the point that it no longer sounded like a human voice, but rather like the voice of an undead creature. It seems you arrived quite early? Song Jian entered the valley and found that Qi Yun, wrapped in a long black robe, was sitting at the center of a Magic Array. It was a Hexagram Star Magic Array, with each corner possessing a crystal emitting a grayish light. One of the crystals had developed a crack within it, with the surface shimmering light inconsistently. Is that the Shadow Crystal from the Shadow Circus Troupe? Song Jian asked in surprise, looking at the cracked Shadow Crystal. He didnt expect that with Qi Yuns strength, he really managed to steal this crystal from the Shadow Circus Troupe; I just borrowed some external power Qi Yuns eyes gleamed with a smug expression, as obtaining this Shadow Crystal from the Shadow Circus Troupe was a very difficult task. There were at least ten people in the circus whose strengths were stronger than Qi Yuns. There were more than five people who possessed Tier 1 Combat Power alone, so under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Qi Yun to obtain this crystal from the troupe. Actually, Qi Yun had contacted a thief group, disguised as bandits, to ambush the Shadow Circus Troupe halfway. Originally, he planned to kill Song Jian as well, but Song Jian did not choose to stay with him. You should rest for now. Well enter the Dark Castle in three days! Qi Yun glanced at Song Jian and said, then closed his eyes, ignoring him. Song Jian noticed that Qi Yuns level had suddenly risen to level 27. The Magic Array he was in was continuously drawing energy from the six Shadow Crystals to be infused into him. The shadow aura around him seemed to grow denser. However, what puzzled Song Jian was that he sensed a faint trace of death energy from Qi Yun. If his perception had not been so sharp, he might not have noticed it at all. Whats going on? Although Death energy is similar to Shadow energy, the two energies cannot be absorbed together, and cannot be merged. Once the two energies clash, there can only be one outcomebeing blown to pieces. Song Jian frowned, thinking to himself. Whether it was a player or an NPC, once they chose a profession, they also chose the path they would follow in the future. Qi Yuns Shadow Priest profession could not fuse with the Force of Death. It could be used, but absorbing this energy into the body was simply playing with fire; It was the same with Song Jian. His foundation was the Invisible Sword Qi, and although he often used Abyssal Power, he never dared to introduce Abyssal Power into his body alongside Invisible Sword Qi. From the moment Song Jian entered the valley, he felt a thick force of death. At first, he didnt pay much attention to it, but now it seemed that this was also due to Qi Yun. Just then, a white light suddenly flashed on Qi Yun, and his level unexpectedly rose from 27 to 28. This caused a surprised expression to appear on Song Jians face. This Magic Array can actually increase levels! Song Jian thought to himself, his focus involuntarily gathered on the faintly glowing Magic Array on the ground. Just staring for a few seconds, Song Jian felt dizzy. The Magic Array was too complicated, composed of thousands of Magic Runes. Each Magic Rune appeared to Song Jian like ever-moving tadpoles, staring at them for a while made his chest feel stifled and nauseous; This is really difficult. Its much harder than comprehending ordinary skills Song Jian thought to himself. Both Chopping Skill and Mining Skill, which Song Jian currently possessed, were the simplest and most basic skills. Ordinary people could even comprehend them just by watching for a while; But compared to the Magic Array before him, these skills were like a small mound compared to the Himalaya Mountain. Boom~ Song Jian felt a sudden tremor in his mind and let out a muffled hum, as blood flowed from his nostrils; System: You forcibly tried to comprehend the knowledge about Magic Array and suffered backlash, losing 30 Vitality Points; Song Jian fell to the ground, closed his eyes and rested for a while, then stood up again; The system only said that I would suffer backlash when trying to comprehend but didnt say that I couldnt comprehend! Song Jians eyes sparkled, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth; It was impossible for Song Jian to fully understand the entire Magic Array that could directly level up in one go. Therefore, Song Jian began to focus his gaze on a small corner at the edge of the Magic Array, where three Magic Runes formed a simple loop circuit. Song Jian had no foundation in the knowledge of Magic Arrays so he could only note one Magic Rune at a time. As he stared at the three Magic Runes, Song Jians right hand involuntarily began to trace the three Magic Runes; This time, Song Jian stared at the three Magic Runes for ten minutes before he suffered another backlash; System: You forcibly tried to comprehend the knowledge about Magic Array and suffered backlash, losing 60 Vitality Points; This time, Song Jians knees weakened, and his entire body knelt on the ground. Blood seeped from his nostrils, ears, eyes, and mouth, making him look very miserable; It took more than half an hour lying on the ground before Song Jian could barely control his body to crawl up slowly; For him, as long as the system did not explicitly say he could not comprehend, he would persist on. He believed that even if he couldnt fully comprehend the complete Magic Array that could level up directly, he should be able to comprehend the basics of Magic Array knowledge. If I cant comprehend a serial loop circuit, then Ill start from the most basic Magic Rune. I dont believe that I cant remember a single tiny Magic Rune! Song Jian wiped the dried blood from his nostril, his eyes revealing a fierce expression; Chapter 553 - Chapter 553: Chapter 553: Understanding Skills Chapter 553: Chapter 553: Understanding Skills Be tough on your enemies and even tougher on yourself, Song Jian once again focused his gaze on a tiny magic rune at the edge of the magic array. This magic rune was rather simple. Under Song Jians continuous watch, the tiny rune slowly began to gain three-dimensionality. At this moment, Song Jian realized that the rune, smaller than a little fingernail, was actually split into two layers, and its magic structure was far more complex than he had imagined. He cant help but start imitating this magic rune, his right index finger moving slowly. This time, for more than half an hour, Song Jian was absorbed in the task of imitating this magic rune. The drawing of a magic rune must be completed in one stroke. Song Jian continuously imitated it. Slowly, under his right hand, an invisible screen appeared, leaving obvious marks as his finger moved across it. When Song Jian had just copied a third of the rune, the markings on the screen suddenly shattered into light spots. Song Jian, sensing this, started over again from scratch. Once, ten times, a hundred times The magic rune under Song Jians hand disintegrated time and time again. Every time it dissolved, he restarted from the beginning. At this point, he seemed like a novice rock climber attempting to scale a mountain with bare hands. From his first grip on a protruded chunk of stone on the mountainside, he kept falling off. He did not stop until he could scale halfway up the mountain. To stand on the peak, he fell over and over again. But each fall gave him a better understanding of what he should do next time he reaches that spot. If he fails once, he tries twice, and if twice doesnt work, ten times Song Jians understanding of this magic rune was rapidly improving After an unknown amount of time, he was finally able to completely imitate this simplest magic rune. As soon as the rune was successfully engraved on the screen under his right hand, Song Jian came out of his state of enlightenment. He was now a mess, his Vitality Points and Spirit Points dangerously low. Startled, Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun in the middle of the magic array. Qi Yun, encased in a light shield, was deeply absorbed in the experience of absorbing shadow energy and oblivious to his surroundings. System: You have observed, imitated, and acquired the skill Magic Rune Engraving. Skill level: 1, number of magic runes mastered: 1. Song Jian sat aside and took out some supplies to recover his Vitality Points and Spirit Points. He had plenty of honey, which he had originally planned to use to make honey wine once he returned. However, at this point, it was more important to recover quickly and focus on learning these magic runes. After recovery, Song Jian couldnt wait to start imitating the second magic rune A day passed quickly and night fell, darkness enveloping the surroundings, and the magic array was the sole source of dim light. By this time, Song Jian had successfully imitated all three magic runes and the Magic Rune Engraving skill had been elevated to level three as well. Magic Rune Engraving: Active, Level 3, basic understanding of magic runes, capable of producing accurate magic runes, number of magic runes mastered: 3. These three magic runes make up a simple circuit, and once energy is activated in this circuit, it is transferred to the next set of magic runes. Now, I need to figure out how these three runes form this circuit Song Jian focused on the three runes, brooding over them. He was in a situation somewhat similar to learning three English words and trying to understand English grammar to form sentences with these words. The difficulty multiplied by more than one any simple imitation. After an entire night, Song Jian finally, by a mixture of guesswork and cogitation, had understood the principles and functions of the three simplest runes in the loop. System: Youve understood the skill Magic Rune Array, Level 1; [Magic Rune Array]: Active, Level 1, have the most basic understanding of the magic rune array, understanding how to build the simplest magic rune array; Just the simplest, most basic rune loop took Song Jian a day and a night to figure out. The magic array in front of him was a thousand times more complex and larger in scale than what he had just comprehended. It seemed impossible for him to fully comprehend this magic array given the time left. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian finally decided to give up on continued comprehension. He sighed, ate some food and drank some water, and started to rest; Half a day later, Song Jian was once again full of energy. Looking at the magic array, he thought to himself, It would be nearly impossible to learn how to construct a magic array by self-comprehension. If only I could get a corresponding Skill Book. With this thought, Song Jian involuntarily glanced at Qi Yun in the center of the Magic Array. Since he could set up this magic array, then he must have mastered this skill. If I kill him, I might be able to get the corresponding Skill Book Engrossed in the process of increasing his strength, Qi Yun suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He almost broke out of his ascension state and his brows furrowed slightly. But as he did not sense continued danger, and the magic array was designed to protect him, he ignored it, thinking of it as his imagination. After three days, the six dark Shadow Crystals on the magic array became increasingly dim, as if all their energy had been drained, only the Shadow Crystal with the internal crack still emitted a brilliant glow. Bang~ At this moment, a dim grey crystal suddenly exploded. The magic array flickered, and one after another, more Shadow Crystals exploded. These Shadow Crystals had been drained of all their energy and could no longer withstand the impact of the magic arrays energy. In just a short time, five Shadow Crystals had exploded, leaving only the Shadow Crystal with an internal crack to maintain the array. Song Jian could clearly sense that the magic array was drawing power from this single Shadow Crystal at six times its original rate. A large amount of shadowy energy was rapidly drawn from the crystal, even forming small magic whirlpools in its surroundings. The energy of the magic array began to fluctuate wildly. Originally designed to run on six Shadow Crystals, it now only had one. This situation not only damaged the magic array, but also the remaining Shadow Crystal. If this had been an ordinary Shadow Crystal, it would have shattered from the instability. However, what surprised Song Jian was this Shadow Crystal, despite having a crack, seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of energy that managed to support the entire Magic Rune Array; Qi Yun, who was currently absorbing dark energy to improve his strength, also found this situation unusual. According to his estimates, the six Shadow Crystals should have been depleted by now, and the magic array should have stopped running. How can this be? Just as Qi Yun was doubting his senses, a wave of unfamiliar energy surged from the magic array, flooding into him; Qi Yuns eyes opened wide. A swirl of dark energy coiled around his eyes, and his flesh began to wither rapidly, making him look thin and emaciated. What is this Qi Yuns eyes blazed with anger. He tried to stand up, but found himself inexplicably bound, unable to move even a finger. Chapter 554 - Chapter 554: Chapter 554: Temporary Task Chapter 554: Chapter 554: Temporary Task Watching Qi Yun now enveloped by a mass of black fog, Song Jian couldnt help but take two steps back; This energy was all too familiar to him, as it was the Force of Death, a power only found in Netherworld Hell; How could this be Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as his eyes suddenly locked onto the cracked Shadow Crystal in the center. At this moment, tendrils of black mist were surging out of the crack in the Shadow Crystal, as if the fissure connected to another dimension, reminding Song Jian of the Space Rift connecting the Abyss. Could it be that the crack in the middle of this Shadow Crystal is not a break but rather a Space Rift connected to Netherworld Hell? Song Jian had a look of astonishment on his face. At this point, Qi Yun felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, with his body no longer under his control, defenses wide open, allowing the Force of Death to surge into his body; A tremendous amount of Death Force caused changes in Qi Yuns body. Originally injected with the Perfect Gene Potion, Qi Yun had eliminated the defects in his genes, and his entire body was always kept at its peak, being the perfect man in the eyes of the world. However, to avoid attracting attention, Qi Yun had been using illusionary techniques to disguise his body. He never expected there would come a day when his body would become withered like this. But now, Qi Yun no longer resembled his former self, with his flesh and blood constantly being eroded by the Force of Death, muscles withering, skin losing moisture and luster, appearing to have aged by more than a decade. Even his once-black hair gradually turned pale and fell out in large amounts; The Shadow Energy within Qi Yun, sensing the invasion of foreign energy, instinctively began to resist. As the Shadow Energy and the Death Energy clashed and eroded each other, using Qi Yuns body as a battlefield, Qi Yun felt as if every part of his body was being torn apart. Blood seeped from his pores, and soon, he was completely drenched in blood; The oozing blood quickly dried up, leaving Qi Yuns withered skin tightly clinging to his skeleton, looking like a zombie from a video game. Save, save me! Qi Yun pleaded with a desperate look on his face, using his eyes to signal Song Jian to destroy the only Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array. Are you issuing a task to me? A smile emerged on Song Jians face. By now, Qi Yuns level had been raised to 30, and the aura emanating from his body was much more formidable than that of ordinary Level 30 monsters, second only to Level 30 Elite Level Bosses with Tier 1 combat power. Song Jians strength could initially completely overwhelm Qi Yun, but now, Qi Yun possessed the power to fight against Song Jian; The Death Force eroding Qi Yun was not a bad thing for Song Jian. This excess energy would not increase Qi Yuns strength but would weaken him, and could even possibly kill Qi Yun; However, if Qi Yun were to die at this point, it would not align with Song Jians interests, as killing Qi Yun without going through Song Jians hands would not yield any loot. Looking at Qi Yun in the Magic Arrays light barrier with a pained and distorted expression, Song Jians face remained calm. What, what do you want? Qi Yuns face was now riddled with fine wounds, looking like many small mouths had opened up. Ive recently developed an interest in Magic Rune Arrays and want to learn more about them, Song Jian laughed, pointing at the Magic Array beneath Qi Yun. As long as, as long as you break that crystal and save, save me, I, Ill fulfill your request! Qi Yun struggled to say. System: Shadow Priest Qi Yun has issued a temporary task to you, Rescue; Task content: Destroy the Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array and free him; Task target: Destroy the Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array, Quantity: 0/1; Task reward: Magic Rune Array Analysis; Task failure penalty: None; Task time: 3 minutes; Song Jian was taken aback. Qi Yun actually had the authority to issue tasks to players through the game system! Before, when Qi Yun gave Song Jian a task, he had to summon the Spirit of Public Notary to sign a task contract under its power of contract; Such contracts, witnessed by the Spirit of Public Notary, had loopholes that could be exploited and were far from being as secure as issuing tasks to players through the game system. It seems that Qi Yuns strength has indeed increased a lot, otherwise he wouldnt have been granted such privileges. Song Jian thought inwardly, raising his evaluation and vigilance of Qi Yun in his mind; Task accepted! A three-minute countdown suddenly appeared in Song Jians eyes; The time limit for the task is three minutes, which should be his limit, Song Jian looked at the three-minute countdown with a smile on his face; Fast, break the crystal quickly The aura of Death Force surrounding Qi Yun intensified. Wait a little longer Song Jian whispered softly as he slowly approached the Shadow Crystal; Three minutes, two minutes, one minute, forty seconds, Standing in front of the Shadow Crystal, Song Jian carefully observed it with a faint smile on his lips. The more Death Force that invaded, the harder it would be for Qi Yun to expel it afterward, and the more severely his strength would be suppressed. For Song Jian, this was more than ideal, as Qi Yuns current strength was making him feel somewhat wary; Hurry destroy At this point, Qi Yuns Shadow Energy had been completely suppressed by the Force of Death, and his body had begun to transform into a being of death; Qi Yun was filled with terror. If he were a professional who controlled the Force of Death, then this moment would have been the most exciting time for him. But as a Shadow Priest, once completely invaded by the Force of Death, he would become a mindless undead creature; Thirty seconds, twenty seconds, ten seconds, Qi Yuns consciousness was already blurring, as the Death Force began to erode every cell in his body. Song Jian glanced at him and swung his sword at the Shadow Crystal; Golden Sword Qi burst forth, and with a clear shattering sound, the Shadow Crystal cracked like glass, its translucent fragments scattering in all directions; The Death Force polluting Qi Yun gradually dissipated, allowing the Shadow Energy within his body to slowly recover. Looking like a corpse, Qi Yun suddenly moved a finger, his emaciated body violently trembling as he let out hehe gasps of breath; By the time Qi Yun regained consciousness, he found that Song Jian was standing in front of him with a sword in hand. The task has been completed. Can you give me the task rewards now? Song Jian said with a smile, extending his hand towards Qi Yun. Chapter 555 - Chapter 555: Chapter 555: Passage Chapter 555: Chapter 555: Passage Looking at Song Jians faint smile, Qi Yun clenched his teeth in resentment, the corners of his mouth twitching relentlessly. If it werent for the fact that he couldnt beat Song Jian right now, Qi Yun would probably have turned on him directly. It was because Song Jian had delayed for more than two minutes, cutting off the source of the Force of Death at the last moment, that Qi Yun was in his weakest state at this moment. Although the Force of Death in his body had lost its source, the infiltration had gone deep, and removing the Force of Death completely from the cellular level required a significant amount of time, energy, and precious treasures, all of which would increase exponentially. Before the Force of Death was completely removed, half of the Force of Shadows in Qi Yuns body had been used to fight it, making Qi Yuns strength seem shackled, unable to be fully manifested. Is this what you wanted? Qi Yun stared at Song Jian with crimson eyes and chilly expression on his face. At this point, he had not yet used any illusion, and the erosion of the Force of Death made Qi Yun look like an undead creature. Task reward! Song Jians face darkened, his eyes chilling as they stared at Qi Yun. Qi Yun opened his mouth but could not make a sound. He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly took out a black book from his bosom and handed it to Song Jian: Book: Magic Array Analysis. Item description: This book contains the basic knowledge of magic rune arrays, granting 5000 points of magic rune array proficiency and mastery of three hundred magic runes upon use. To use this book, please choose a quiet location. It takes one hour to study. Song Jian glanced at it and put the Skill Book into the inventory column. With three magic runes, he directly upgraded his Magic Rune Inscription skill to level three. With three hundred magic runes, this skill should be able to reach the advanced level; Life skill Level 10 is a milestone: up to Level 10 is primary level; up to Level 20 is intermediate level; up to Level 30 is advanced level. As for the 5000 points of magic rune array proficiency, Song Jian estimated that it should at least bring his magic rune array skill to the intermediate level; However, using this book requires a quiet place and an hours study time, so Song Jian cannot learn it for now. Lets go to the Dark Castle! said Song Jian. You should have a map of the Dark Castle now, so give it to me. I will hold back the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour. I dont care what you do during this time, but once the half-hour is up, Ill retreat directly. Youll have to manage the time yourself C dont blame me if the Shadow Giant Dragon corners you! As long as you put your heart into it, this situation will never happen. Qi Yun handed an old sheepskin scroll to Song Jian, his face ashen. Song Jian took a look and saw that the Dark Castle was completely built inside a mountain in the Shadowfang Mountain Range, almost hollowing out the entire mountain peak, with an area similar to a small town; You need to enter from here Qi Yun pointed to a small path and said, This is a secret passage of the Dark Castle, left by the dwarves who originally built the castle After briefly mentioning the secret passage, Qi Yun began explaining Song Jians task in detail. Just like that, you only need to inform me when the battle with the Shadow Giant Dragon begins using this Remote Crystal, and you dont need to do anything else! Qi Yun handed a transparent crystal ball the size of a fist to Song Jian. Song Jian glanced at the crystal ball, the corner of his mouth curled up and put it in the inventory column, saying, You two signed a contract, though. If something goes wrong during the task, I cant afford the penalty for failure! Qi Yun was momentarily taken aback, then nodded his head and said, Lets get started. Im going to sneak into the Dark Castle and get more of those Shadow Crystals! Song Jian smiled faintly and turned away. The crystal ball Qi Yun gave him was not actually a Remote Crystal but a Detection Crystal, which allowed Qi Yun to observe everything within a hundred-meter radius of the Detection Crystal. He was also afraid that Song Jian would not give it his all, and if he gave wrong information, maybe his life would be lost in the Dark Castle. After all, their enemy was a Shadow Giant Dragon, and what they were doing now was like dancing on a knifes edge, one misstep could lead to irreversible consequences; Song Jian naturally understood why Qi Yun did this, simply because he didnt trust him completely. So even though he saw through it, he didnt say anything, but just took the crystal into his inventory column and walked towards the marked secret passage; The Dark Castle was a Level 30 dungeon, and many teams exploring it often entered from the main gate of the castle. At the main gate, there were two powerful half-dragon guards, and only by defeating these two half-dragons could they enter the Dark Castle; These two half-dragon guards were referred to as gatekeepers by many player teams, and some Level 25 players were brutally beaten by them and eventually gave up on exploring this dungeon. But they didnt know that there was another way into this dungeon, which could bypass the two half-dragon guards and enter the castle directly. At this moment, Song Jian stood below a cliff. The original builders of the Dark Castle, the dwarves, had left a passage that was actually a sewage outlet, located several dozen meters above the cliff. Therefore, even if someone knew about this passage, not everyone could enter C they had to have some flying ability. This was, in fact, a form of entry threshold, and it served the same purpose as the two half-dragon guards at the main entrance of the Dark Castle. With his steel wings spread out, Song Jian easily flew to the entrance on the precipice. Because of the long disuse, the sewage in the cave entrance had dried up, leaving only large patches of dirt. With his back bent, Song Jian walked along this passage. It was pitch black inside, and he could only open his vertical eye to see the surroundings. This passage was winding and had many exits, but Song Jian didnt look at them as he walked straight towards the depths of the castle; Soon, Song Jian arrived at a barred gate. Using his sword to chop open the barrier, he entered and found himself before a spiral stone staircase. The staircase spiraled downward, and from below, a series of dark, cold breaths and faint, bloody smells wafted up; Theres a dungeon down there, and past it is the Shadow Giant Dragons treasure room! Song Jians mouth curved into a smile. Not only did Qi Yun give Song Jian a map of the Dark Castle, but Anna had also told him the exact location of the castles interior, because the Goblet of Life she needed, also known as the Holy Grail, was hidden in the deepest treasure room of the Dark Castle. As for the Shadow Giant Dragon, it preferred to stay in the Chamber of Shadows due to its large size. The place where Song Jian was now was still several hundred meters away from the Chamber of Shadows; Chapter 556 - Chapter 556: Chapter 556: Regional Tasks Chapter 556: Chapter 556: Regional Tasks To enter the Treasure Hall, one must pass through the underground prison. Song Jian was uncertain if this prison was still in use, so as he descended the stone steps, he moved cautiously, afraid to make a sound. The underground prison was dim and damp. As he reached the end of the stone steps, a system prompt immediately popped up; System: You discovered the Underground Prison and gained 100 experience points. Song Jian entered, finding the area chaotic. In the middle of the prison was a corridor wide enough for two people to walk side by side. There were iron cages lined up along the corridors, filled with hay and some of it spilled onto the corridors. Some of the cage doors were broken, but others were intact C and unbelievably, still housed some prisoners. There were humans, elves, and Song Jian even spotted a Minotaur Beastman among the prisoners. In the corridor, several half-dragon guards, wielding tridents, were patrolling back and forth. The half-dragons had bodies like humans but heads like dragons, with long, spindle-shaped tails. They were covered in dark purple scales, giving them the appearance of wearing thick suits of armor. Each of them held in their left hand a leash attached to a giant black wolf. These wolves, towering over humans, closely followed their half-dragon masters. Shadow Seat Wolf, a level 25 elite BOSS? When Song Jian saw the attributes of these wolves, a look of surprise crossed his face. If the combat pets were level 25 elite BOSS, how powerful were these half-dragon guards? Song Jian quickly turned to look at the half-dragons. As expected, these half-dragons were all level 28 elite BOSS. Facing such a combination, even Song Jian felt a bit of a headache. Just then, a half-dragon leading a Shadow Seat Wolf approached the entrance where Song Jian was. He quickly retreated up the steps. However, he soon heard a low growl of the wolf, as if it had sensed him. A sinking feeling filled his heart and Song Jian quickly moved backwards. Not long after, a gigantic black wolf appeared in his sight, charging at him along the stone steps. Since the fight was inevitable, Song Jian readied himself. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flickering with a dark red light, he swung it towards the oncoming wolf. The collision caused both to grapple, and a figure of damage floated above Song Jians head C 160 points. Above the wolfs head, however, there were two hundred plus points of damage. I can fight it. This Seat Wolfs defense is lackluster. I should kill it before the half-dragon guard comes. Song Jian muttered with determination, speeding up his attack. While fighting, he retreated. Soon, the half-dragon guard rushed towards him, swinging his trident. But he couldnt get close to Song Jian because of the wolf in front. A sneer appeared on Song Jians face. He had been worried earlier about being surrounded and attacked. Now, it seemed that the spiraling staircase would lighten his burden. A level 25 elite BOSS wasnt too challenging for the current Song Jian. In less than three minutes, he had killed the Seat Wolf, and then he moved on to face the half-dragon guard. Obviously, the level 28 half-dragon guard was much stronger than the wolf. The dragon scales on his body alone were far more superior than the wolfs. His trident was also extremely sharp, and though it was less powerful than the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, it could still inflict two to three hundred points of damage. Broken Wing Dance! Light Strike! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Sweeping Sword Style! Song Jian could now adeptly deploy various sword techniques he had mastered. Each move seamlessly flowed into the next, forming an incessant attack that flowed like clouds and water. Sparks flew as Song Jians sword clashed with the half-dragon. Its impact on its body seemed like striking steel. However, even the toughest steel would become scrap metal under Song Jians attack. Soon, he broke through the half-dragons defense, piercing its heart and killing it. Lucky me. It actually dropped a Silver Quality Dragon Scale Armor! Picking up the loot, Song Jian smiled. His only complaint was that he killed two elite BOSS, but only the half-dragon guard dropped loot. The level 25 elite BOSS Seat Wolf dropped nothing. This spiraling staircase was an Achilles heel for these half-dragon guards. By leading them over one by one, Song Jian could first kill the Seat Wolf before dealing with the half-dragon guard, avoiding the situation of being surrounded and attacked. Thus, Song Jian lured and killed the half-dragon guards one by one. It took him more than an hour to clear the underground prison of the half-drangon guards. The loot was good. Song Jian got three pieces of level 25 blue equipment and five pieces of level 25 green equipment. However, for silver equipment, only the first half-dragon guard dropped the Dragon Scale Armor. Besides that, there were quite a few gray pieces of equipment. These gray equipment were of little use and could only be sold in shops. Even so, they could still fetch about three to four thousand Doomsday Coins in total. Moreover, Song Jians combat experience had grown swiftly. It was now at 96%. Perhaps it wont be long before he levels up again. After clearing out the guards, Song Jian restored his Vitality Points and Spirit Points to their maximum, then slowly walked into the prison. The confined prisoners wouldnt attack Song Jian on sight, instead begging for freedom when he approached. Oh, chosen one, please rescue me. Im just a pitiful person who was captured Please, save me save me Oh Lord, my prayers have been heard. Are you here to rescue me? Seeing Song Jian, the prisoners became excited, gripping the thick bars of their cages and looking at him in anticipation. Just then, Song Jian received another system prompt. System: Youve triggered a regional mission: liberate the imprisoned. Mission Requirement: Release the prisoners in the Dark Castle Underground prison (0/10). Rewards: 1,000 points reputation in the City of Sin, random rewards. Punishment for failure: Loss of 500 points reputation in the City of Sin. At this point, Song Jians reputation in the City of Sin had dropped to indifferent because of Solando. If he lost another 500 points, he would be on the brink of being detested, and would not be able to enter the city and could even be chased away by city guards. After considering for a moment, Song Jian accepted the mission. System: You have accepted a regional mission. Please kill the prison warden to obtain the keys to the cages. Suddenly, a virtual map appeared before Song Jians eyes, showing the location of the prison warden. The map only lasted for five seconds, but Song Jian quickly memorized the entire map. The prison warden was in a small house next to the entrance he had come from. Having memorized the map, a sinister smile crossed his face. I should have known you didnt have any kind intentions Chapter 557 - Chapter 557: Chapter 557: Treasure Map Chapter 557: Chapter 557: Treasure Map The warden of the underground dungeon was a level 30 Elite Level BOSS named Longya Suoli. However, Song Jian was not interested in that. What he cared about was the virtual map that had just been revealed to him and the map that Qi Yun had given him, which had a significant discrepancy. The main difference was that the location of the treasure room, which Song Jian had originally thought, was not necessarily through the underground dungeon but in another place. In fact, the room accessed through the underground dungeon was a hatchery containing a Shadow Giant Dragon egg. Perhaps knowing that it was severely injured, the Shadow Giant Dragon had laid down an egg with all its essence a long time ago. The reason it needed a large number of Shadow Crystals was for both its own healing and the hatching of the dragon egg, which required a large number of Shadow Crystals. One could imagine that where the Shadow Dragon egg was stored would definitely be the most heavily guarded place in the entire Dark Castle. Song Jian would likely trigger an alarm the moment he stepped into the room, and then he would have to face the wrath of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Qi Yun probably had calculated this in advance, and his goal was for Song Jian to confront the Shadow Giant Dragon head-on. However, Qi Yun could not have anticipated that Song Jians luck would be so good, completing a quest and obtaining a 5-second glimpse of the Dark Castles map. Song Jian took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. He figured Qi Yuns target must be the treasure room, and stealing Shadow Crystals was merely a bonus. Finish this quest first, then go to the treasure room, Song Jian thought to himself. He approached the first prison cell, carefully examined the lock on the door, and pulled out an item like half a piece of wire from his inventory. This was a Master Key that Song Jian had obtained from a previous quest. It could open any locked treasure chest of Epic Level or lower. If it could open Epic Level treasure chests, the prison cells in front of Song Jian should pose no problem. Song Jian inserted the Master Key into the keyhole, and moments later, with a gentle twist and a click, the lock was indeed opened. The person imprisoned in the cell was a human commoner NPC. Seeing that Song Jian didnt hunt down the warden but took out a piece of wire instead, the NPC let out a long sigh. He didnt think Song Jian could open the lock with a half piece of wire, as he seemed to be a Swordsman rather than a Thief. But as the click sound was heard and the lock opened, an incredulous look of ecstasy appeared on the human NPCs face. Opened?! He rushed to the cell door, trembling as he opened the door and walked out. Im saved! The human NPC cried tears of joy, covering his mouth as he sobbed quietly. Soon, he took out a silver coin from his pocket and handed it to Song Jian. Thank you, blessed one, this is my gratitude, please accept it, the human NPC said in a low voice, pushing the silver coin into Song Jians hand, and then turned around to run towards the stairs. Song Jian didnt know how he would escape the Dark Castle, but as soon as he released the man, his quest showed that he had rescued a prisoner. Song Jian looked at the silver coin in his hand, only to realize it was actually a valuable item, which could be exchanged for 200 Doomsday Coins. He smiled bitterly and put the silver coin away in his inventory. So, Song Jian proceeded to save the prisoners one by one, receiving their gratitude and various small gifts, such as precious little mirrors, delicious pastries, exquisite harmonicas, and so on. These items could be sold for 300 to 500 Doomsday Coins each, and if all were sold, he would earn a few thousand Doomsday Coins. It would be considered a sizable fortune to ordinary players, but it wasnt particularly exciting for Song Jian. Hmm, whats this, a treasure map? Song Jian received another small gift C an old piece of parchment that looked like it had been stored for several decades. This is a treasure map that has been in my familys possession. As a token of my gratitude, Ill give it to you! The human NPC, who seemed to be a noble, gave Song Jian a bow before walking calmly towards the stairs, in contrast to the panicked escape of the others. Song Jian examined the map carefully and found that the location marked was in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. It seemed that this person had also been captured because of the treasure map. It would be nice to check it out after completing this quest, Song Jian thought to himself. By now, Song Jian had rescued nine prisoners, leaving only one last one C the bull-headed Beastman. Human, have you come here for the Shadow Giant Dragon? The bull-headed Beastman stared at Song Jian as he picked the lock, showing no urgency on his face, as if Song Jian wasnt there to rescue him. Shadow Giant Dragon? Song Jian opened the cell door, looked at the bull-headed Beastman and laughed, Do you think I can defeat it? Its an adult dragon, after all! Not an adult dragon, but a dragon that has weakened to the point of near death! The bull-headed Beastman slowly stood up and said. Still a dragon! Song Jian shrugged. The bull-headed Beastman laughed and said, I have nothing to give you, but if you want to deal with the Shadow Giant Dragon, I can help you! Help me, are you serious? Song Jian asked in surprise. Of course, a Beastman always keeps his word! The bull-headed Beastman nodded, turned around, pulled a huge wooden hammer from the hay, carried it on his shoulder, and walked out of the cell. Song Jian stared at the mighty bull-headed Beastman, then at the wooden hammer on his shoulder, and asked curiously, How did you manage to carry this big thing with you all the time? Didnt the people who imprisoned you confiscate your weapon? The bull-headed Beastman looked at Song Jian and said solemnly, This is a soul weapon; no one can separate it from me. You should know this better than anyone since I can sense the existence of soul weapons on you. Song Jian wondered if he was talking about the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Golden Demonslaying Sword. At the moment the bull-headed Beastman stepped out of the cell, Song Jian received a quest completion notification. System: You have completed the regional quest, The Imprisoned. Your City of Sin reputation increases by 1000 points, and you are now Friendly to the City of Sin. Song Jian checked his reputation in the City of Sin and saw that it had jumped from Indifferent to Friendly, relatively high within the Friendly range, only a step away from Revered. If it wasnt for Solando, I might be Revered by now, Song Jian thought to himself. Looking at the bull-headed Beastman standing like a guard next to him, Song Jian nodded and said, Lets go, lets meet the real owner of this Dark Castle! Chapter 558 - Chapter 558: Chapter 558: The Holy Grail Chapter 558: Chapter 558: The Holy Grail The treasure room within the Dark Castle was as large as a football field, crammed full of gold, jewels, and diamonds making the entire room appear extraordinarily chaotic and congested. Among all these, two small hills composed of stacked gold coins were prominent. At the very top of one such hill sparkled a diamond as large as a human head, radiating dazzling multi-colored radiance all around. This place is simply magnificent, Song Jian exclaimed, casually picking up a gold coin to put into his bag, but suddenly received a red system prompt; System: This coin is imbued with the magic of the Shadow Giant Dragon. As soon as you put it in your bag, it will trigger the magic, provoking the Shadow Giant Dragons rage and it will hunt you down relentlessly; Thats perfect, attracting the attention of the Shadow Giant Dragon is exactly what I aim to do. Song Jian said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smirk as he casually threw the coin back. Dont touch anything here, it is all guarded by magical alarms! Song Jian advised the Bullman. The Bullman, with his wooden hammer, did not utter a word but only nodded in acknowledgment. Even if he wanted to attract the Shadow Giant Dragons attention, one coin wouldnt be enough. After all, the Holy Grail was also in this treasure vault, but there were so many gold coins and jewels that many things were buried. By the way, whats your name? Song Jian turned to ask the Bullman. You can call me Cain, Cain Blackhoof, the Bullman replied in a deep and resonant voice. Alright, Cain, help me find a cup to hold water. It should be in this treasure vault, but it might be buried under all this gold Song Jian scratched his head, frowning as he spoke. A cup for water? Cain pointed to a rough stone pillar less than one meter tall in the center of the treasure vault and asked, Are you referring to that one? Song Jian turned to look, and saw a crude cup made of gray wood, about the size of a palm, sitting atop a rough stone pillar surrounded by a pile of gold coins and jewels. The wooden cup looked just like a piece of wood, simply hollowed out in the middle, with distinct wood grain visible both inside and out. It appeared rather coarse and simple. What Im looking for is the Holy Grail, which can turn ordinary water into the Water of Life. How could it possibly be this thing? Song Jian shook his head, picking up the wooden cup. He found it strange that such a crude wooden cup would be in the treasure vault of the Shadow Giant Dragon. But the moment he picked up the cup, he immediately received a system prompt; System: You obtained the Goblet of Life (Holy Grail), please hand it over to Anna Katerina of the City of Sin; Surprised? Song Jian stared at the wooden cup in his hands with a face full of surprise. The handle was so rough there were even splinters remaining. It felt incredibly coarse in his hands; This is the Goblet of Life? Song Jian exclaimed incredulously. In life, its often the ordinary ones that turn out to be priceless treasures! Cain Blackhoof observed Song Jian deeply and said. Alright, Cain, is there anything you need here? If not, you might as well take some of these gold and jewels because the moment I put this wooden cup away, its definitely going to alert the Shadow Giant Dragon! Song Jian said. Cain hesitated for a moment before saying, Actually, the reason I came here was to recover a lost relic of our tribe, the Bloodthirsty Totem. I dont know if its in this treasure vault! Alright, lets move quickly. If that thing you speak of is truly a treasure, it must be in here, Song Jian nodded, holding the Holy Grail in one hand while beginning to dig through the gold coins with the other. No need for that. The artifacts from our tribe all bear the mark of our ancestors. I can identify its exact location based on that. The Bullman stopped speaking, put down his wooden hammer, brought his hands together, and started chanting. Cain seemed to be chanting a historical epic his voice was deep and desolate. Song Jian could even hear a trace of melancholy. Before Cain even finished his chant, he abruptly stopped, quickly walked over to a corner of the treasure vault, and forcefully uncovered a thick layer of gold coins to pull out a robust stone pillar just over a meter tall from underneath; This stone pillar weighed at least a ton and was carved with various patterns flowers, plants, and wild animals filled its surface, creating a dizzying sight. Cain grabbed the stone pillar and swung it around like a heavy weapon momentarily. He made it look as though this stone pillar didnt have any weight at all. Is this a Dark Gold tool? Song Jian looked at the glaring Dark Gold radiance emanating from the surface of the stone pillar and couldnt help but express his astonishment. Dark Gold quality tools are the pinnacle of the Gold stage many say that Dark Gold equipment has the potential to advance into the Epic stage. Song Jian never expected the item Cain was looking for to be of Dark Gold Quality. This is a relic that our tribe has passed down for hundreds of years. As long as I can take it back, I will become the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe! Cain gripped the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar tightly, his face full of excitement. Just then, a shadow suddenly appeared in the treasure vault. Song Jian felt an intense Force of Death and instantly summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, swinging it at the shadow; One needs to know, reapers from Deaths Scythe can appear at any time. Such an intense Force of Death could only come from a reaper of Deaths Scythe. You, why are you here! The shadow removed his hood, revealing a face resembling a skull, and stared at Song Jian in shock. Qi Yun? Song Jian was taken aback and sheathed his sword. In a flash, he understood why Qi Yun was here. It seems that when you asked me to distract the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour, it was so you could search for treasure here and escape safely, right? Song Jian chuckled, a chill flashing in his eyes. It seems that you have already grabbed what you need, hand it to me! Qi Yun stared at the wooden cup in Song Jians hands and demanded. Your goal was the Shadow Crystal, why do you want this Goblet of Life? Song Jian gripped the wooden cup tighter upon hearing Qi Yuns words. Isnt it all thanks to you! My body has been completely corroded by the Force of Death, even a hundred shadow crystals are useless in purging it A look of resentment flashed through Qi Yuns eyes as he spoke, Now, my only way out is to use the power of the Goblet of Life to counteract the Force of Death within my body. To completely purge the Force of Death, I must use the Goblet of Life. The power of life, for ordinary people, can prolong life, alleviate physical ailments, and even rejuvenate. Its a divine power that drives people to madness. But for those infected with the Force of Death, its extremely toxic; Using the Goblet of Life to eliminate the Force of Death within his body was Qi Yuns only chance at survival; Chapter 559 - Chapter 559: Chapter 559: Shadow Giant Dragon Chapter 559: Chapter 559: Shadow Giant Dragon Upon hearing that Qi Yuns target was the Goblet of Life in his possession, Song Jians lips curled up slightly and said, Im sorry, but this was not part of our agreement. Upon hearing Song Jians response, Qi Yuns face darkened instantly, and intense murderous intent surged in his heart like a wave. Originally, he had no intention of sparing Song Jian. Hence, the map he gave him was a modified version where the locations of the Treasure Vault and the Shadow Giant Dragons eggs were swapped. Ninety percent of the content was true; If he were Song Jian, the first room he would reach upon entering the Dark Castle would unmistakably be the Treasure Vault. Once Song Jian followed this map into the room with the Shadow Dragon eggs, it would trigger an alarm and incur the pursuit of the Shadow Giant Dragon; This way, he could easily enter the Treasure Vault, secure the Goblet of Life at his leisure, and leave; However, to his surprise, Song Jian reached the Treasure Vault before he did. While Qi Yun was still pondering why Song Jian was here, he suddenly saw that the latter had already obtained the Goblet of Life that he desired. Speak, what would it take for you to hand over the Goblet of Life to me? As long as I can offer it, I will give it to you, Qi Yun exclaimed angrily, taking a deep breath. Talking about these things now is pointless. Song Jian laughed heartily and said, I just want to ask you one thing. Are you ready? Ready? Ready for what? Qi Yun asked in confusion. Ready to face the wrath of the Shadow Giant Dragon together with me! Song Jian laughed, skilfully stowing away the Goblet of Life into his bag. Upon losing its sense of the Goblet of Life, the Shadow Giant Dragon in the grand hall of the Dark Castle let out an angry roar, stood up and strode towards the Treasure Vault; Thieves, despicable thieves, daring to steal within the grand Bladesedge Castle, unforgivable! A violent roar that made the entire Dark Castle slightly tremble; Youre courting death! Qi Yuns face changed drastically. Just as he was preparing to flee, the door of the Treasure Vault was blown open with a thunderous boom by the Shadow Giant Dragon. A huge head pressed through the doorway; This creatures head alone was the size of a truck, followed by a neck as large as a giant python, covered in thick scales. Its strong forelimbs managed to fling the thick door away just like that, and its entire body barged into the Treasure Vault. Thick gold coins and jewels flowed from beneath its massive claws and with each step it took, it left a giant pit in the ground. Are you three the petty thieves? Daring to steal in front of the great Bladesedge, this makes me very angry. Now, youll face the punishment of the Shadow Giant Dragon, Bladesedge, roared the Shadow Giant Dragon at the three of them; This creature, nearly a hundred meters long, had enormous wings that could conjure a storm capable of destroying a city, sharp claws that rivalled divine weapons, able to tear open any solid armour; corrosive Dragons Breath was brewing in its huge mouth, with the Dragon Flame in its throat flickering; Compared to it, Song Jians Black Dragon seemed like an infant; However, Song Jian noticed a seven or eight-metre wound at the root of the Shadow Giant Dragons right wing. The wound emitted a faint golden light, inhibiting the dragons self-healing. Besides, the dragon seemed rather aged, its body exuding an aura of decay and senility. Kane roared loudly, wielding the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, and heavily slammed the ground. Suddenly, several totems as thick as human arms appeared around them; A defence totem, a healing totem, a Flame Totem, a Steel Totem, a binding totem Kane deployed all the totems he possessed at once, then heaved heavily, his face pale as a sheet. I love defiant little rats. The more you resist, the more excited I get! The Shadow Giant Dragon roared, stomping its forepaws. Its upper body lunged forward and stood up, then it stomped heavily on the ground; Boom~ A loud noise sounded, and a shockwave radiated from its feet, scattering all the heavy gold coins and jewels on the ground, exposing the floor of the Treasure Vault. Song Jian and his companions were unable to hold their footing and were hurled back by the blast, crashing hard into the stone pillar within the Treasure Vault. Blood spurted out, and Song Jian discovered with shock that his Vitality Points had plummeted by more than five hundred; This Is the attack power of the Shadow Giant Dragon too formidable? Song Jian looked alarmed. His Vitality Points were just above two thousand. In one hit, a quarter of those points were gone. How was he supposed to continue the fight? How did you assure me earlier that I could hold it off for half an hour? Song Jian turned his head, staring at Qi Yun as he asked. Qi Yun: Earlier, Qi Yun had planned for Song Jian to die at the hands of the Shadow Giant Dragon without considering that he himself would have to face the beast. Activate Immortal Sword Body! Song Jian activated the Immortal Sword Body without hesitation and charged towards the Shadow Giant Dragon; He He actually dares to fight this Shadow Giant Dragon? Qi Yuns eyes widened in shock. This Shadow Giant Dragon was the final boss of the Dark Castle, and killing it would at least require the combined effort of ten players, all at level thirty with tier-one combat power. Song Jian was actually charging at it alone now. Wasnt this courting death? Such speed! The shadow giant dragon, Bladesedge, was taken aback at the sight of Song Jian charging towards it. Boom! Song Jian leapt high, and his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashed towards Shadow Giant Dragons torso; The dragon was too massive; every part of it was a potential target. However, for the dragon to attack Song Jian, it would have to use large-scale skills. Thud! With a loud sound, Song Jian shattered several of Shadow Giant Dragons thick scales. The dragon hollered in pain and viciously swung its tail towards Song Jian; The spindly tail covered in thick scales, like a giant hammer, tore through the air, making a sharp, shrill sound; The strength attribute the Shadow Giant Dragon possessed far exceeded Song Jians. At this point, Song Jian dared not confront it directly; he could only dodge nimbly; Watching as Song Jian and the Shadow giant dragon tussling together, the Minotaur, Kane, let out a thunderous roar. From the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar he held, a dazzling red light burst forth. Instantly, Kanes body swelled up, radiant with red light. His eyes were filled with bloodlust, and he seemed to turn berserk all of a sudden. He brandished the totem pillar and charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon; For glory! Kane roared, lifting the Totem Pillar and smashing down on the dragon; Woosh~ The Shadow Giant Dragon let out a roar, waving its wings, and knocked Kane away fiercely. Its sharp talons ripped three bone-deep wounds on his chest. Chapter 560 - Chapter 560: Chapter 560: Shadow Whirlwind Chapter 560: Chapter 560: Shadow Whirlwind While the Shadow Giant Dragon was focusing its attention on the Minotaur Kane, Song Jian seized the opportunity to mercilessly strike it a few times. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword kept hacking away at the Shadow Giant Dragon, easily shattering its scales. Enraged, the Shadow Giant Dragon opened its mouth wide and let out a roar as hot Dragon Breath surged from within. It was like a massive waterfall, or rather a scaled-up Flame Ejection; This Dragon Breath, imbued with the Force of Shadows, completely melted the gold coins on the ground into juice before they solidified. With the movement of the Dragons head, the Dragon Breath covered a radius of several dozen meters all around; This, this is too terrifying! A look of terror emerged on Qi Yuns face. This incandescent Dragon Flame was uncontrollable for an ordinary person. Song Jian instantly deployed his Frost Shield and initiated the Frost Sprint. His body became a shadow, and he began to dodge around the Shadow Giant Dragon. The Shadow Dragon Flame grazed past Song Jian, practically chasing him as it spurted out. The temperature in the blink of an eye was enough to melt gold and smelt iron; Song Jian, who had activated the Immortal Sword Body, was incredibly valiant. With steel wings spread out behind him, he amazingly flew onto the back of the Shadow Giant Dragon, swinging his long sword and hacking away; The scales on the giant Dragons back were the thickest, and its defense was the strongest. Sparks flew as Song Jian hacked, and it took at least three to four swipes of the sword to shatter a single scale on the Dragons backbone. Feeling Song Jian land on its back, the Shadow Giant Dragon became even more enraged. Besides the Inverted scales located around its neck, another taboo area was its back. In its rage, its neck, like a giant python, twisted and writhed as the Dragon repeatedly spewed five or six bouts of Shadow Dragon Breath at Song Jian; The battle instantly went into full swing. Knocked away, Kane got up and shook his head. His bulls eyes, full of blood vessels, revealed a hint of confusion, but he quickly regained his senses and roared as he charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon again; Get yourself some armor, gear up and then return to the fight! Song Jian yelled at Kane; At this point, Kane only wore a worn-out linen shorts, with his upper body garment in tatters. It was no different from being bare; Kane like this couldnt handle the front-on attacks from the Shadow Giant Dragon. A critical hit might kill him instantly; In the Treasure Vault were not only gold coins and jewels but many weapons and armors as well. The equipment hoarded by the Shadow Giant Dragon in the Treasure Vault were naturally extraordinary, at least of gold grade or above; Kane hesitated a moment before immediately turning around and beginning to search the Treasure Vault. Armor suitable for Kanes size was not easy to find, and the gold coins and jewels scattered everywhere made searching more difficult. Song Jian turned back to Qi Yun and shouted, What are you standing there for? If you dont want to die with me, better start fighting now! The Shadow Giant Dragon did not know Song Jians relationship with Qi Yun. In its eyes, the three intruders in its Treasure Vault were no different; thieves coveting its treasure. It had long sentenced all three to death in its mind; As soon as Song Jian were defeated or killed, Kane and Qi Yun would have to bear the wrath of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Damn it, how did it turn out like this! Qi Yuns face was filled with rage, but at this moment, if he didnt join forces with Song Jian, he would undoubtedly die here; Boom! A ball of Shadow Flame erupted from Qi Yuns hand, brutally smashing into the chest of Shadow Giant Dragon. A damage value of over thirty points floated up from the top of the Shadow Giant Dragons head; Upon seeing that Qi Yun only inflicted such little damage, Song Jian was speechless. He wasnt sure if it was because Qi Yuns body had been corroded by the Force of Death, causing severe damage, or because the Shadow Giant Dragon was highly resistant to the Force of Shadows. Qi Yuns full-force attack only resulted in about thirty damage points. For the Shadow Giant Dragon, with its health points surpassing nine thousand, this damage was no different than a tickle. Although Song Jian could cleave through the Shadow Giant Dragons scales, the dragons outer skin was also incredibly tough. When he struck it with his sword, not only was he unable to break through its defenses, but there was also a slight rebounding force that almost made Song Jian lose his grip on the longsword. The Shadow Giant Dragons body was overwhelmingly strong. Even without the protection of its scales, it was not so straightforward to break through its strong defenses. Thinking of this, Song Jian took a Weakness Potion out of his parcel and fiercely smashed it against the Shadow Giant Dragon. With a puff sound, the grey potion spread out, but it only corroded a small area before slowly disappearing. A resistance floated up from the top of the Shadow Giant Dragons head. Resistance? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he gritted his teeth, As long as its not immune, I can just use more potions. The level of the Weakness Potion was too low and was unlikely to have an impact on the Shadow Giant Dragon. Song Jian took out the Weakness Potions from the parcel, one by one, and smashed them on the Shadow Giant Dragons back. Almost all of the potions were resisted by the dragon. After using up the Superior Quality Weakness Potions, Song Jian directly utilized the Mutated Weakness Potions. These Mutated Potions were much superior to the previous ones and, after smashing three of them, the huge body of the Shadow Giant Dragon was cloaked in a grey aura. The Weakness Potion (Mutated) reduced the targets defense value by 55%. Additionally, the attack interval was extended by 60%. This was the best Weakness Potion that Song Jian managed to create, finally affecting the Shadow Giant Dragon. Song Jian clutched the sword in both hands and fiercely thrust it into an area where the scales were shattered. Pu-chi` The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword plunged halfway in, and a stream of hot dragons blood spurted from the wound, resembling a blood arrow. An agonized roar echoed, filling the Treasure Vault with the enraged voice of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Youve finally enraged me, you lowly creatures! Youve provoked the great Shadow Giant Dragon. I will roast your bodies into charred ashes with Dragons Flame. Your souls will be banished to Shadow Hell and will forever sink! The Shadow Giant Dragon went berserk, waving its wings and instinctively thrashing wildly, trying to shake off Song Jian from its back. By this time, Kane had already put on half a set of armor and eyed a two-handed sword almost taller than a person. Seeing the Totem Pillar in his hand, he hesitated for a moment. Kane still choice the Totem Pillar. Holding the Totem Pillar, he charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon with an accepting of death demeanor. Accursed pests! The Shadow Giant Dragon flapped its wings vigorously, and bands of grey Shadow Whirlwind began to swirl in the Treasure Vault. Song Jian suddenly felt the dragons back tremble violently, and a powerful force lifted him and sent him flying off. The coins and jewels of the Treasure Vault began shaking and flying in the direction of the dozens of Shadow Whirlwinds. As soon as they approached, they were ground to dust by the powerful whirlwind. What horrified the three of them was that these dozens of Shadow Whirlwinds around them were producing a powerful attraction, pulling them involuntarily towards the whirlwind. Chapter 561 - Chapter 561: Chapter 561: Dragon Horn Chapter 561: Chapter 561: Dragon Horn Dozens of shadow whirlwinds, spread out in several rows like a large net, slowly moved towards the trio. They sucked in anything they passed over, grinding it into powder; Countless coins and jewels were sucked in, as if there were millions of blades within the whirlwind, turning them all into dust. All of you, will die! The Shadow Giant Dragon roared madly, raising its head. With this skill, we must either resist or pass through the gaps in these shadow whirlwinds Qi Yun said, looking at Song Jian. To resist is to die! Song Jians thought, as a red bloody light grew on his bodys surface. The Bloody Shield activated, his most potent protective shield. Entering will be what leads to death! Qi Yun sneered. These shadow whirlwinds moved slowly but kept shifting. There appeared to be a repelling force between them, pushing each other away if they got too close. Dozens of whirlwinds filled the hall. It wasnt as simple as getting past one, there were at least five or six layers. Any slight mistake could result in being sucked into a whirlwind. Song Jian did not spare a glance at Qi Yun and transformed into a shadow, rushing forward; Even before he got close, Song Jian could feel the harsh momentum emanating from the whirlwinds. It felt like a small knife, the gaps between them seemed to be filled with this force turning them into countless blade edges. Song Jians Bloody Shields defense level began to decline, like rain falling into a river, ripples continuously spread. Qi Yun watched Song Jian with a cold smile: He still has a chance to retreat now. If he goes any further, Im afraid he wont even have the chance to retreat and will just be shredded by the whirlwinds. Kane, the Minotaur, glanced at Qi Yun, roared, lifted a helmet onto his head and with the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar in his arms, blindly charged into the gap between the shadow whirlwinds; Qi Yuns face darkened, it seemed that the Minotaur was willing to believe Song Jian over him. Looking at the Minotaur taking multiple hits with five to six points of damage each time, Qi Yuns lips curled into a cold smile. Following this rate of damage, the Minotaur would be killed by the force, without even needing to be sucked into the shadow whirlwinds; Waving its wings, the Shadow Giant Dragon sent out countless Shadow Arrows at the trio. Song Jian was startled, this boss was too terrifying, with far too many group attacks, all of immense power. Even a team of ten might not be able to succeed in vanquishing it. Sacred Parry! His sword drawn sideways, a halo of gold bloomed. Song Jians body jolted, reflecting the shadow arrows aimed at him back, continuing his forward charge; Expending nearly eight hundred Vitality Points, Song Jian finally broke through the shadow whirlwinds large net. With the flap of his iron wings, Song Jian leaped high into the air, stabbing at the Shadow Giant Dragons skull with his sword; Meanwhile, the Minotaur warriors pace was slowing down. His armors durability was plummeting, and his Vitality Points had dropped to less than a third. His exposed skin was covered with bloody gashes, making him look rather pitiful. He was right in the center position of the shadow whirlwind. Whether he went forwards or retreated, the damage taken would be nearly the same. He had fallen into the predicament that Qi Yun had warned of earlier where advancing or retreating was impossible. Qi Yun smirked, a mocking look in his eyes: This is what happens when you believe him! Kane, the Minotaur, took off his single-digit durability helmet, horribly panting. His eyes were bloodshot but still displayed an unyielding spirit. Blessing of the ancestors! Kane let out a earth-shattering roar. The Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar in his hand suddenly burst forth with a bloody glow. A giant Minotaur phantom appeared above Kanes head, shaking the sky with a roar while brandishing two gigantic axes; Thump, thump, thump~ Profound war drum sounds resonated. Surprisingly, a set of seemingly simple armor appeared on Kanes body. The armor, made by binding a few pieces of iron with animal skin, was very crude, protecting only a few critical areas. Yet Kanes face revealed a surprised and joyous expression, he couldnt help but roar, his eyes filled with tears; This ancestral battle armor could only be worn by the bravest warriors of the tribe. Only those who received the recognition of the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar could summon this armor. With this ancestral battle armor, the damage Kane took was reduced to a terrifying level. The damage that would usually deal more than a dozen points, was directly reduced to single digits; Moreover, wearing this battle armor increased Kanes attributes, almost doubling them. Holding the totem pillar in his hands, he too broke through the blockade of the shadow whirlwinds, roaring as he charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon. Qi Yuns face turned deathly pale. He slowly backed away from the slowly approaching shadow whirlwinds until his back hit the icy rock walls of the treasure vault, and he finally stopped. Damn it! Qi Yun was quickly getting nervous. The coins and jewels within the treasure vault were all turned into powder by the shadow whirlwinds. This filled the vault with a golden fog. The originally grey shadow whirlwinds had now also turned golden. I have to charge out. If I continue to stay, Ill only face death. Qi Yun gritted his teeth, preparing to charge out, but suddenly noticed that the shadow whirlwinds were beginning to change. The originally repelling shadow whirlwinds started to attract each other and merge. Four combined into two, two into one. In less than ten seconds, dozens of shadow whirlwinds had merged into one giant cyclone, with a diameter of over ten meters. This golden cyclone, like a giant dragon, let out sharp roars. Its powerful suction shook the vault itself. No, how can this happen! Qi Yun looked at the cyclone over ten meters high, despair evident in his eyes. His body involuntarily flew towards the cyclone, and in no time, his entire person disappeared within it. Song Jian, however, had not realized that Qi Yun had been sucked into the cyclone. His sword ruthlessly stabbed into the Shadow Giant Dragons forehead. He then swung himself onto the Dragons head; holding onto one horn with one hand, he started attacking with his sword in the other; Bang, bang, bang~ Sounds of iron striking landed on the Shadow Giant Dragons skull. Song Jians sword pierced through the dragon scales, but failed to break through the dragons cranial defense. Even after using the Weakness Potion, reducing the overall defense of the Shadow Giant Dragon, it was still not possible to penetrate the skull, the hardest part of its skeleton, with the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, at least not immediately. Chop off its horn, and itll lose its power! Kane swung his totem pillar, fiercely smashing it on the Shadow Giant Dragons leg. Seeing Song Jian fiercely chopping the Shadow Giant Dragons skull, he roared loudly. Chapter 562 - Chapter 562: Chapter 562: The Hunt Chapter 562: Chapter 562: The Hunt Hearing Kanes roar, Song Jians eyes lit up, gritting his teeth to raise his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, with all his might, he hacked towards the horns of the Shadow Giant Dragon; Boom! Boom! Boom! With every slash, a cluster of brilliant sparks erupted from the dragons horn. Song Jian found that the hardness of the Shadow Giant Dragons horns was slightly higher than its scales, but it was far from the hardness of its skull. After a few slashes, a deep groove had appeared on the horn. Feeling Song Jian hacking at its horn, the Shadow Giant Dragon was suddenly filled with fear and rage. It let out a roar, flapping its wings to fly into mid-air and rolling madly in the sky, constantly twisting its neck to ram against the rock wall of the Treasure Vault. The entire Dark Castle, which is constructed by hollowing out an entire mountain peak, had several walls in the Treasure Vault which were actually heavy rock walls. After a few collisions, not only did the Shadow Beast suffer considerable damage, but Song Jian also felt a little dizzy and lost five or six hundred Vitality Points. Just as Song Jian was about to give up, he suddenly received a system prompt: System: Under the witness of the Spirit of Notary, the client who issued your task has died, and your task has been revoked; Song Jian paused for a moment, then a look of ecstasy appeared on his face. His task was to hold off the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour. At this point, not even ten minutes had passed, and Song Jian had almost exhausted all his trump cards. Half an hour, even Song Jian himself wasnt confident he could hold on to. If it werent for this task, like the Sword of Damocles was hanging over Song Jians head. If he hadnt already collected the task reward in advance, Song Jian would have given up and fled a long time ago. That guy really held on well! Song Jian suddenly thought, Qi Yun had been swept into the huge shadow tornado, and it had already lasted for nearly a minute, not expecting him to only die now, it looked like he had exhausted all his cards before finally being killed. Since the task has already been terminated, Song Jian didnt need to desperately fight the Shadow Giant Dragon. At this point, he had the idea of retreating. Just then, the Shadow Giant Dragon made a head bash towards the rock wall; The sharp dragons horn, like cutting through tofu, easily pierced the rock wall. Song Jians body shook violently and was fiercely smashed against the rock wall; A damage of over three hundred points floated up from Song Jians head; Just then, Song Jian heard a slight crack sound. The constant collisions had cracked the interior of the horn that he had slashed a flaw in. By this time, the duration of Song Jians Immortal Sword Body state had long since ended. After constant collisions, Song Jian couldnt hold on any longer, his hand loosened, and he fell from the head of the Shadow Giant Dragon. As he fell, Song Jian looked at the horn he had already cut in half, and a ruthless look appeared in his eyes. Even if I cant kill you, Ill still give you a good bite! Song Jian thought in his heart. Light Strike! A bright golden sword Qi struck towards the horn that was about to break off; With a crack, the Shadow Giant Dragon let out a painful sizzle. The entire Treasure Vault started to shake violently. The rocks from the ceiling kept falling down; Ding~ A clear sound echoed as a dragons horn, as long as an arm and sharp as a dagger, was embedded slantingly in the stone pillar in front of Song Jian. For the glory of the tribe! Kane roared, lifting the Totem Pillar and preparing to charge at the Shadow Giant Dragon; Song Jian stopped him and said, This Giant Dragon isnt something we can kill right now. Lets retreat for now, build up our strength, and hunt it down when were stronger! Since theres no need to complete the task anymore, Song Jian lost the meaning to continue the fight with the Shadow Giant Dragon. The Shadow Giant Dragon now was far superior to first grade Combat Power, which he and a half-baked Tauren Warrior could not kill. To hold on for more than ten minutes under a Shadow Giant Dragon, that was already a spectacular accomplishment for Song Jian right now. Hearing what Song Jian said, Kane hesitated, looking at the Shadow Giant Dragon rolling wildly in mid-air, his eyes showing reluctance. Kane also understood that, although this Shadow Giant Dragon had suffered irreversible severe injuries and was also in its old age, its strength was undeniable. If the fight continued, he and Song Jian would both be killed here; This time we take away its horn. Next time we take its life. Song Jian pulled out the broken horn from the stone pillar and handed it to Kane. Alright, let it live for a little longer then Kane held the horn tightly, speaking grudgingly. Damn pests, how dare you damage the body of the great Blade of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Unforgivable! The Shadow Giant Dragon opened its huge mouth, and its lava-like flame spewed at the two of them; Run! Song Jian let out a loud shout, his figure turned into a dark shadow, and he sprinted towards the gates of the Treasure Vault; Kane followed closely behind Song Jian with large strides. The scorching Dragons Breath swept over their feet, causing the rocks on the ground to slowly start to melt. The two of them quickly rushed out of the Treasure Vault, the Shadow Giant Dragon was flapping its wings, catching up to them; Song Jian saw that Kane was preparing to run towards the main door of the Dark Castle, he quickly pulled him by saying, Lets go to the sewer pipe! With that, he hurried towards the entrance of the pipe they had entered when they first arrived at the Dark Castle. Hearing about the sewer pipe, Kane was stunned, but he followed Song Jian closely, and soon, he saw the sewer pipe; Seeing Song Jians figure disappear at the entrance of the sewer pipe, Kanes eyes lit up, without hesitation, he hoisted up the Totem Pillar and crawled in as well. As soon as Kane crawled into the pipe, he could feel a strong collision from behind him. The Shadow Giant Dragons front paw had slammed heavily on the stone steps. The intense shaking caused the first section of the pipe to collapse; The Shadow Giant Dragons body was too massive for it to crawl into the pipe. Even the Dragons servants probably never paid attention to this place. Dragon servants, capture those mice who like to burrow underground for me! A furious roar of the Shadow Giant Dragon sounded from behind Song Jian. System: You have stolen the treasure of the Shadow Giant Dragon, the Goblet of Life, and your relation with the Shadow Giant Dragon is locked as a permanent enmity! It will send a massive amount of Dragon servents to hunt you down! Every half an hour, the magic on the Goblet of Life will be triggered, allowing the Dragon servents to sense your location, lasting for 10 minutes; System: You must hold on to the Goblet of Life for twenty-four hours to possess its ownership! System: You can also discard the Goblet of Life to avoid being hunted down by the Dragons servants! System: Once you discard the Goblet of Life, your relationship with Anna Katerina will be reduced to indifference! System: The Goblet of Life will significantly affect the future course of the story, please make every decision carefully! Chapter 563 - Chapter 563: Chapter 563: Worship Chapter 563: Chapter 563: Worship Noticing the series of system prompts, a serious expression appeared on Song Jians face. He had gone through considerable trouble to steal the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle. It was impossible for him to just let it go now. Besides, not all the dragon servants possessed the same combat power. Moreover, Anna had told him earlier that the City of Sin was less than two hundred kilometers away from the Dark Castle. With Song Jians speed, he could reach the City of Sin in less than twelve hours; Once inside the City of Sin, even the strongest of the dragon servants would not dare chase and attack him in a city filled with humans. The two quickly left through the passage and entered the Shadowfang Mountain Range. My human friend, you saved me, and you helped me find my tribes totem. You will always be a friend of the Blackhoof Tribe! Kane, the beastman, embraced Song Jian tightly, expressing his gratitude. System: Your relationship with the Blackhoof Tribe has been upgraded to friendly, and your relationship with the beastman Kane has been upgraded to revered; Not bad! A smile danced on Song Jians lips. Kane was not only a beastman warrior, but he also had shaman abilities. Now that he had retrieved the tribes Totem Pillar, there was a high likelihood he would become the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe. Having such a revered relationship with an NPC was indeed a rare occurrence for Song Jian. This is the dragon horn that you cut off yourself. I cant take it! said Kane, pulling out the dragon horn from his chest and returning it to Song Jian. With a serious look, he continued: This is your feather in the cap. I need to earn my own honor. The other horn of the Shadow Giant Dragon has my name on it! Great, make sure to inform me next time you go to claim it. Well do it together! Song Jian laughed, punching Kane lightly. Of course, friend, I wont forget you. But you must also strive hard, dont let me surpass you. Kane laughed. Kane is excited because with the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, his strength would undergo a tremendous transformation when he becomes the tribe leader; Oh, by the way, heres a treasure map for you. The location marked on it is somewhere near Shadowfang Mountain Range. I hope it will be of help. Song Jian handed over the treasure map he had obtained earlier. The rescue mission was not hard, and Song Jian predicted that the reward wouldnt be much. The rewards given by other rescued characters werent valuable. The treasure in the map was either already taken by someone, leaving only worthless stuff, or the treasure itself wasnt worth much. Song Jian couldnt spare the time to hunt this treasure at the moment. His time was precious. He had to race against time to march towards the City of Sin. But this belongs to you. How can I. Kane stared at Song Jian, astonished. Consider it a gift from me. You must accept it. Saying this, Song Jian put the treasure map into Kanes hand. This This is Kane was so touched and excited, he was momentarily speechless. System: You gifted a treasure map to Kane, significantly improving your rapport with him. Your relationship with the beastman Kane of the Blackhoof Tribe enhances from revered to worshiped level; System: You can try to recruit Kane as your follower. You have a high chance of successfully recruiting Kane; Song Jians heart leaped with joy. Gifting valuable items to NPCs could enhance Song Jians affinity with them.; Song Jian estimated that his rescue and help in retrieving the Bloodthirsty Totem had already pushed their relationship to the peak of reverence. Now, giving just a not-very-valuable item had allowed him to break through reverence to reach the level of worship; Alright, lets not waste any more time. I have to head to the City of Sin! Song Jian told Kane. After bidding farewell to each other, Song Jian immediately cast his acceleration skill, rushing towards the City of Sin; A distance of two hundred kilometers would have taken Song Jian at least three or four days at his previous speed. However, the dragon servants were hunting him, there were killers lurking everywhere. Song Jian had to move as quickly as possible; Song Jian fled to the Shadow Forest. It was already dark, so he lit a bonfire preparing to rest. However, the Goblet of Life stored in his bag unexpectedly emits dazzling rays of light. A mysterious fluctuation was spreading from his bag; The players bag was equivalent to another dimension. Anything placed in the bag would lose all physical effects on this plane; However, the magic on the Goblet of Life was able to penetrate Song Jians bag, emit fluctuations, and alert the dragons servants. This left Song Jian flabbergasted. At this moment, outside the Dark Castle, a team of half-dragon beings rode grey war bears. Their formation was orderly, at least dozens of them; Their leader, riding a colossal raptor, was fixated on the compass in his hand; Soon, the compass needle began to spin. A grotesque, scale-covered face revealed a smile. He roared, In that direction, charge! He pointed, and dozens of war bears roared, shaking the earth as they quickly dashed towards the direction their leader pointed; The magic fluctuation from the Goblet of Life in Song Jians bag went on for tens of minutes before it gradually died. However, he knew that the pursuers behind were aware of the direction he had fled in and were still rapidly chasing him. He could not afford to delay even by a minute, or they might catch up. Song Jian glanced at the Black Dragon in his pet space. The Black Dragon was currently in deep slumber. Yet, from the status displayed in the pet space, the Black Dragon was in unusually good health. Moreover, it seemed to be in some sort of special condition. Its level and power were automatically increasing. By now, the Black Dragon was at level twenty-eight. This baffled Song Jian, who couldnt understand what was happening to his Black Dragon. If only it could wake up now. With its help, dealing with those pursuers behind us would be a lot easier, at least it could carry me and expedite our journey. Song Jian thought internally. The Black Dragon was large enough to carry Song Jian with ease; Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt the ground vibrating rhythmically, as if something was charging towards him; Theyre so fast? Song Jians heart sank. He hadnt expected the pursuers to be faster than him. He had been using his acceleration to speed up, but he hadnt thought that these pursuers would be mounted; Blood Raven, come out! Song Jian thought, summoning several Blood Ravens, which he directed towards the approaching pursuers; With the help of these Blood Ravens, which extended his sense of perception over a long distance, he quickly got a clear visual through their eyes on the situation behind him. When he saw the half-dragon troops, who looked like a miniature army, and the war bears beneath them, Song Jian found himself drawing a sharp breath. Chapter 564 - Chapter 564: Chapter 564: Ambush Chapter 564: Chapter 564: Ambush The soldiers pursuing from behind were all level thirty, but only the leader riding the Velociraptor had the strength of first grade. From their overwhelming aura, Song Jian even suspected, were they iron-blooded warriors from some army? Could they merely be the servants of a giant dragon? You must know, the servants are merely slaves of the Shadow Giant Dragon, the overwhelming aura these people had, anything but what a slave army could carry; Just as Song Jian was observing through his Blood Crow, the group suddenly stopped. The leader servant retrieved the longbow from the back of the Velociraptor and aimed at the Blood Crow; Oh no, it spotted me Song Jian gasped in his mind, just as he was about to command the crow to flee, and a sharp bone arrow pierced through the air like lightning, hitting the Blood Crow and bursting it into pieces; It detected that I was watching Song Jians face turned dreadfully gloomy. He didnt expect the pursuers sent by the Shadow Giant Dragon to be so formidable; Merely by fixating his eyes on them for a little longer, he managed to alert them. Their keen perception rendered any ambush or surprise attack boundary impossible; to defeat or to kill them, he had to face them head-to-head in battle. Initially, Song Jian thought of turning around to annihilate his pursuers, but now it seemed that continuing to escape was the right choice. Without time to extinguish the fire, Song Jian opened his wings of the steel on his back, and shot skyward, eventually disappearing into the night. The half-dragon leader that took down the Blood Crow commanded the group in an offensive formation to furiously pursue Song Jian. But when they arrived, all they saw was a burning bonfire; The half-dragon leaders face turned icy. He prowled around the fire, smelling, then raised his head, fixed his blood-red eyes upon the dark night sky with a sharp, not-so-easy-going look. In the desolate wilderness, not daring to stop for a moment, Song Jian deployed all his acceleration skills just as their cooldowns ended. At this time, he was immensely grateful for the tons of honey he had previously gathered for brewing honey wine. Otherwise, faced with so much exertion, he would have collapsed on the road by now. Escaping from the night to daylight, and from daylight till dusk again, Song Jian was caught up with and battled a few times with the half-dragon pursuers, before escaping again; With the Morphing into Dark Cloud and Wings of Steel, on top of the Frost Sprint and Sword Shadow Step, if Song Jian wanted to flea, itd be quite difficult to capture him. Moreover, Song Jians secret weapon, the passive skill of Enemy of the Death God, ensured him of revival even after death. In the wasteland, not a single plant was in sight, only coarse gravel and boulders. Song Jians Wings of Steel gradually disappeared as he descended down from the sky. Just as he was leaning against a giant rock and panting heavily, he suddenly felt a chilling sensation. It seemed as if a huge beast was right in front of him, baring its bloodthirsty jaws; A surge of potent death energy was gathering fast in front. Song Jian suddenly opened his eyes wide and raised his head to look forward; From behind were pursuers, and from the frontan ambush; Song Jian was frantically forming ideas in his mind. All his acceleration skills were on a cooldown, so he summoned a phantom clone to shield himself in the front. Boom! An enormous surge of death magic energy exploded violently in front, the shockwave and the aftermath completely shattered the phantom clone into pieces, despite it having seventy percent of Song Jians strength, wasnt much different from a typical level thirty monster combat attribute. Song Jians face sank, he quickly turned to dodge. If he had taken the hit head-on, even if he wasnt dead, he would be severely injured and lose his combat power; Got you, boy, did you think you could evade the Deaths Scythe hitmans pursuit? As the blasts shockwave began to settle and the smoke cleared, a man clothed in a black cape was seen floating in midair. The face concealed beneath the cape emerged, revealing a hideous expression, and his gaze shot towards Song Jian. You are a killer from the Deaths Scythe? Song Jians face darkened. He hadnt expected that at this time, the final pursuit of the Deaths Scythe would arrive as planned. This man, from his outfit, seemed exactly like the killer from the Deaths Scythe that he had encountered earlier. So you do know, why not surrender then? Dont worry, I will be gentle. I wont hurt you. The killer from Deaths Scythe showed a strange smile on his face. Seeking death! The assassins words evidently angered Song Jian; he squinted his eyes as he leaped high in the air. In mid-air, he lifted the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand, and sent a dazzling golden sword qi sweeping towards him. The maximum attack range of Light Strike was ten meters. Song Jian was too far from the target, so he had to leap into the air. Without waiting to see if he could hit his target, Song Jian fell heavily to the ground. After rolling for some distance, Song Jian finally raised his head to look at the assassin in mid-air; The golden sword aura, when it was three feet away from the killer, seemed to have struck something, giving a roar. The air around the killer twisted, and a clear cracking sound came from the air. The defense was broken, but the killer seemed indifferent, still showing Song Jian his cold smile. Finger of Death! The killer pointed a finger at Song Jian, and a zapped of black lightning burst from his finger, shooting towards him; Song Jians face changed drastically. This was one of the trump cards of the second killer he previously faced C so powerful and extremely fast. In a blink, it had reached Song Jians chest. Song Jian instinctively held Long Sword to his chest, and a touch of golden light just shone from the long sword, and it suffered a heavy blow; Boom! Song Jian felt as if he were hit by a heavy hammer and his body involuntarily moved backward; Song Jians feet heavily dragged on the ground, sliding more than five or six meters before stopping; Seeing that the black lightning was reflected back by the target, the face of the Deaths Scythes killer changed color; Youve got some skill, no wonder you killed two previous groups of our organizations killers! said the killer. Just then, a roar echoed from behind Song Jian, the raging howl, like a thunderbolt, resounded from the distance. The Shadow Giant Dragon is watching you! You cannot escape the thief! Song Jians face changed; The half-dragon pursuer was so fast! The killer from Deaths Scythe suddenly laughed heartily when he saw Song Jians complexion change for the worse: Hahaha, should I say that you are fearless or stubborn? You dared to provoke a Shadow Giant Dragon after already angering the Deaths Scythe? Looks like you stole something from the lair of the Shadow Giant Dragon, otherwise, it wouldnt have sent a pursuer after you! The Deaths Scythe killer looked at Song Jian thoughtfully, and a glint of greed flashed in his eyes: If youre willing to give me the treasure you stole from the lair of the Shadow Giant Dragon, not only will I not kill you, but I will also help you repel the people who are trying to kill you. Moreover, I can recommend you to join the ranks of Deaths Scythe. What do you think? Chapter 565 - Chapter 565: Chapter 565: Unable to Withstand Chapter 565: Chapter 565: Unable to Withstand As soon as the assassins words fell, Song Jian received a system prompt: System: Gold Assassin William of Deaths Scythe is offering you a loyalty mission: Hand over the Goblet of Life to William, and hell give up pursuing you and help you fend off the Half-Dragon pursuit. Afterward, you will become an affiliate member of Deaths Scythe: Do you accept? System: Warning, this mission will have a significant impact on your game progress. Please make a careful decision! Song Jian didnt even look at it and directly chose to refuse! As for the Goblet of Life, Song Jian would not hand it over to anyone other than Anna. Moreover, the organization of Deaths Scythe was clearly not suitable for Song Jian, as the power of death wasnt something ordinary people could touch; In that case, Ill just search for it on your corpse. A ruthless look emerged in Williams eyes. Just as he was about to make another move, he suddenly heard the roar of beasts in the distance and saw a group of Half-Dragon pursuers appear not far away, while he was in mid-air. It seems that the pursuers behind you have arrived. Maybe Ill let you fight it out before making another move. A malicious smile appeared on Williams face, and his figure floating in the air gradually disappeared like mist. Song Jians face was extremely gloomy. He was already having a hard time dealing with the pursuers behind him and having an assassin hidden in the dark as well, Song Jian did not doubt that the moment he reveals any flaw, William will absolutely appear first and stab him in the heart. With a thought, thirty majestic blood wolves appeared beside Song Jian. Escaping now was pointless; he was less than two hours away from the twelve-hour protection time. The City of Sin was less than twenty kilometers away from his current location. If he let the Half-Dragon pursuers chase him all the way to the City of Sin, it would be too humiliating. Lets decide the battle here and now! Song Jian decided. Soon, dozens of Half-Dragon pursuers riding battle bears appeared in Song Jians sight. Having chased for more than ten hours, most of the Half-Dragon pursuers were already exhausted. Moreover, their mount battle bears had also lost their combat abilities due to the long-distance galloping. Once they stopped, most battle bears collapsed on the ground and refused to move. Seeing Song Jian standing still, the Half-Dragon pursuers eyes erupted in excitement, and they all screamed in excitement. They clenched their long spears and rushed towards Song Jian; The Half-Dragon Leader riding a Velociraptor gestured a throat-slitting action at Song Jian, dismounted from the Velociraptor, and gave Song Jian a vicious smile, shouting, Lowly thief, you cant escape! The eyes of the Giant Dragon will always lock onto you! Song Jian waved his hand, and the thirty blood wolves let out a howl together and then quickly charged towards the Half-Dragon pursuers; The number of Half-Dragon pursuers was almost three times that of the blood wolves, but the blood wolves showed no fear and rushed towards the Half-Dragon pursuers frantically; The Half-Dragon Leader grabbed a blood wolf that pounced towards its throat, and looked at the blood wolf in his hand, struggling madly and trying to bite him. The Half-Dragon Leader squinted his eyes and directly tore the level 30 blood wolfs body in half with his hands. Do you think, that with this trash, you can resist us? Thats too naive! The Half-Dragon Leader roared, not realizing that the blood wolf he tore in half did not leave a corpse but turned into a pool of blood and merged into the ground. Powerful strength, a first-order Combat Power Elite! William, hiding in the dark, saw the Half-Dragon Leader tearing a Level 30 Blood Wolf in half and his eyes brightened, a look of appreciation appearing on his face. A glimmer of schadenfreude flashed in Williams eyes. As a first-order Combat Power Assassin himself, he knew what this kind of power represented. In his opinion, Song Jian was as good as dead this time. As far as William was concerned, as long as Song Jian died, the mission would be considered complete. He didnt care whether Song Jian died by his hand or not. When he fought with Song Jian earlier, he discovered that Song Jians strength was not weak, and even if he could kill Song Jian, he might also suffer some injuries. But now, being able to make Song Jian fight the Half-Dragon pursuers to the point of exhaustion was the outcome William most looked forward to; If any accidents happen in the end, William would naturally be able to kill Song Jian with little effort; Williams lips curled up in a smile; the battle in front of them continued, with the Half-Dragon Leaders figure suddenly becoming faint, and Song Jian leaving where he originally stood; After testing the strength of the blood wolves, the Half-Dragon Leader directly targeted Song Jian; In its view, the strength of the blood wolves was about the same as the Half-Dragon pursuers, but the number of Half-Dragon pursuers it brought was three times that of the blood wolves. It was only a matter of time before they wiped out the blood wolves; Their ultimate target had always been Song Jian. Only by capturing or killing Song Jian and bringing him or his body to their master, the Shadow Giant Dragon Blade Spear, would their mission be considered complete. Song Jians and the Half-Dragon Leaders bodies continually collided in the wilderness, and every impact caused thunderous roars. A faint golden light appeared around Song Jians body, and eight illusory long swords circled around him. At this time, he had already activated the Immortal Sword Body, and only Song Jian, with the Immortal Sword Body activated, was qualified to fight against the Half-Dragon Leader with first-order Combat Power. Otherwise, the only thing awaiting him would be the Half-Dragon Leaders merciless crushing. Their weapons in hand constantly collided, and strong auras destroyed everything within several meters. The rocks, several meters high and hardened over time, were turned into powder in an instant due to the energy stirred up by the two of them in the battle. These two seemed to have transformed into ancient behemoths, recklessly unleashing the endless violent energy in their bodies; The Half-Dragon Leader stabbed its claw-like fist towards Song Jians brow, but Song Jians expression remained unchanged. He raised the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand, and collided fiercely with the Half-Dragon Leaders fist; Bang! It was as if a bomb exploded, sending a hum through the air. Countless fragments flew all around like bullets from a machine gun, causing dust to rise and forming a gray fog in the air. From the fog, two figures flew out in opposite directions; Boom, boom! Like cannonballs, the two crashed into massive rocks; I didnt expect you to have such formidable strength! No wonder you could steal that treasure from our masters Treasure Vault! The Half-Dragon Leader looked at Song Jian with a cautious look on his face. Song Jian waved his tingling right hand, his face extremely gloomy; Only he himself knew that his current state could not last too long. The seventh-level Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body could only last for 150 seconds, and there wasnt much time left for him now. Chapter 566 - Chapter 566: Chapter 566: Departure Chapter 566: Chapter 566: Departure Song Jians strength far surpassed the half-dragon leaders expectation. Unaware that Song Jian had used a special ability, he mistakenly thought this was Song Jians inherent strength. Human, I underestimated you! The half-dragon leader slowly rose from the ground, debris scattered behind him. He ripped off his tattered felt shirt, revealing his dark green scales as sturdy as armor. However, regardless, you must die here today. Nobody can offend the Giant Dragon Pavilion and continue to exist in this world. The half-dragon leader smirked menacingly at Song Jian. Song Jian was half-bent, using his long sword as a crutch to prop up his body. He could feel the power of the Immortal Sword Body slowly receding from him. After using two pieces of wild honey, Song Jians vitality and spirit points had been restored to their peak state. However, there were less than ten seconds left before the cooldown of the Immortal Sword Body ended. More importantly, he could sense that his summoned blood wolves were being slaughtered one after another. Of the original thirty blood wolves, less than ten remained after a little over two minutes. Once the blood wolves were completely wiped out, these half-dragon pursuers would join the battle to kill him. By then, he would be a sitting duck. Song Jian looked around. It was getting dark. The assassin of Deaths Scythe was hiding somewhere, yet Song Jian could feel his malignant gaze on him. Am I going to die here today? Song Jians face was grim. If it was only the half-dragon pursuers, his passive skill Enemy of Death God might have tricked them, but the assassin of Deaths Scythe would not be deceived so easily. He knew that once he resurrected, his corpse would disappear. This strange phenomenon would definitely attract the attention of the assassin. Just then, a clear dragon chant echoed in Song Jians mind. He could sense that the black dragon in his pet space had awakened and was urgently calling out to him. Upon awakening, knowing that its master was in immediate danger, the black dragon couldnt wait to join the battle. Song Jian opened the pet space and caught a glimpse. The joy on his face was unstoppable. The black dragon had now grown to be five to six meters high and more than ten meters long. Although it couldnt compare with the thousand-year-old Shadow Giant Dragon, the black dragon could effortlessly carry Song Jian and fly at this moment. The black dragon had also leveled up to level thirty, surpassing the elite level directly to become a Boss. The words First Order Combat Power in its attribute introduction gave Song Jian a sense of ecstatic joy. Song Jian, with a relieved smile on his face, stared at the half-dragon leader. I think I can live a long time. On the other hand, you and those half-human, half-dragon monsters behind you might have a hard time getting out of this wilderness! The half-dragon leader felt that the power in Song Jian that could contend with him was quickly fading, and suddenly understood. A cruel smile appeared on his face: Empty threat! At this moment, the last blood wolf was also killed by the half-dragon pursuers. They wiped off the blood on their blades and slowly surrounded Song Jian. William, hiding in the shadows, looked excited. Song Jians Immortal Sword Body had ended. Not to mention nearly a hundred half-empty pursuers, even a single half-dragon leader could kill Song Jian. Will you obediently come back with us, or should we bring your corpse back? The half-dragon leader stepped towards Song Jian. All of you must die! Song Jian growled lowly, and with a thought, a gigantic figure covered the crowd up above them. Roar~ A crisp dragon chant sounded, immediately throwing the half-dragon pursuers into chaos; As dragon servants, they had absolutely no resistance against a giant dragon. Some of the half-dragon soldiers even kneeled down on the spot, terrified to raise their heads. This is the sorrow of being a dragon servant, this is the belief ingrained deep within their souls, this is the shackle they are bound with for life. Even if thoughts of resistance rise within their hearts, a pain akin to cellular tearing would pervade their bodies. M-mighty Giant Dragon! The half-dragon leader kneeled on one knee in a panic, deeply burying his head between his knees, his entire body trembling slightly. Despite being on the same level of combat power, under instinctual restraint, the half-dragon leader didnt dare to stand before the Black Dragon. Seeing a figure who could easily decide his fate now kneeling before him like a humble ant, Song Jian experienced a fleeting sense of loss. The present Song Jian could easily kill these helpless dragon servants, but he had absolutely no interest in exterminating these powerless half-dragon people. The Giant Dragon fanned its wings, stirring up a fierce wind, then slowly landed beside Song Jian. Looking at this behemoth, William, who was hiding in the darkness, had an astonished look on his face. The shock nearly revealed his hidden position. H-how is this possible he has a Giant Dragon as a battle pet! Williams lips trembled, and his forehead was covered in sweat. At this moment, he was overwhelmingly relieved. Thankfully, this group of half-dragon soldiers arrived; otherwise, he would have been the one facing this giant dragon. Even as arrogant as he was, he dared not consider a giant dragon as his enemy. Everyone in the intelligence department should be hanged! William wiped the sweat off his forehead, glanced at the Giant Dragon before retreating quietly, disappearing into the wilderness. Feeling the ominous surveillance on him disappearing, Song Jian knew that William had escaped. The third assassination had quietly passed. Song Jian believed that once the news of his Giant Dragon battle pet reached the Deaths Scythe, this organization probably wouldnt send any more assassins after him. Song Jian approached the half-dragon leaders velociraptor mount. This creature, taller than a man, had collapsed to the ground, exposing its white belly and letting out mournful cries ever since the Black Dragon made its appearance. As Song Jian had now gained the upper hand, he naturally did not want to travel on foot. This rough and brutal velociraptor was perfect as his mount to the City of Sin. Song Jian forcefully pulled up the velociraptor, mounted it, and was about to drive it towards the City of Sin when he heard the Black Dragon let out an angry roar. A spurt of hot dragon flame sprayed out, incinerating the velociraptor into charcoal. Song Jian jumped up from the ground in surprise, looking at the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon slowly lowered its body, gently nudging his body with its head, implying for him to mount. A smile appeared on Song Jians face. The Dragon Clan was the most conceited of all species. The reason why he had not immediately mounted the Black Dragon was because he was worried the Black Dragon would resist. It seemed that the Black Dragon had fully accepted him as its master now. He mounted the area where the dragons neck and back converged, a flat and comfortable seat. The Black Dragon let out a soft chant, spread its wings, and took flight. In no time, it had disappeared with Song Jian into the dim sky. Chapter 567 - Chapter 567: Chapter 567: City of Sin Chapter 567: Chapter 567: City of Sin Only when the Black Dragon disappeared did the Half-Dragon Leader dare to lift his head, looking up at the sky with eyes filled with terror and despair. He he actually possesses a Giant Dragon as a war pet The Half-Dragon Leaders feelings were in turmoil. As a slave of a Giant Dragon himself, it was shocking to witness an individual less powerful than he, viewing such creatures as mere war pets. If it werent for the Half-Dragon Leaders unwavering will, he wouldve crumbled by now. Return, report to the master! The Half-Dragon Leader directed towards a war bear. As their mission had failed, all they could do was return and accept their punishment from the Shadow Giant Dragon, but the emergence of the Black Dragon was simply insurmountable for them. I hope the master will spare us the Half-Dragon Leader silently hoped. At this moment, Song Jian was soaring through the sky on the back of the Black Dragon, a sensation entirely different from flying on his own. There are numerous airborne monsters in the game. Usually, Song Jian would not dare to fly too high, yet now, the aura exuding from the Black Dragon sent hundreds of creatures into a panic and scrambling to escape. Song Jian could even spot fleeing monsters from a distance. Many of them outclassed the Black Dragon when it came to levels, yet they were still seen scurrying. The hierarchical suppression of species was deeply ingrained in their genes; the slightest hint of Dragon Might was enough to send these monsters into frantic retreat. The Black Dragon travelled at an incredible speed, and in less than half an hour, Song Jian could see the city walls of the City of Sin. He landed in a grove some distance away from the City of Sin and put the Black Dragon into his inventory. Flying into the city on the dragons back would draw too much attention. He feared the City Defense Army would treat him as an enemy before he could even reach the City of Sin. After getting himself presentable, Song Jian treaded along a wide stone path towards the City of Sin. Not long after, he noticed that the City of Sin was far more flourishing than he had pictured. He passed three to four convoys within just a few hundred meters, each loaded up to the brim with goods heading towards the city. The closer he got to the centre, the wider the road became and the more people there were. Along the way, he saw no monsters in the vicinity of the City of Sinit appeared as though someone was routinely clearing the city of them. Observing closely, Song Jian found many players in the City of Sin. They rode various mounts towards the city. Warhorses, wolves, bearshe even saw a little girl flying less than a metre off the ground on a broom. Seeing Song Jian staring at her broom, the little girl glowered at him and yelled, What are you looking at? Never seen someone with a fear of heights riding a flying broom, huh! Apart from these, there were also motorcycles, military jeeps, and even regular cars. On the whole, Song Jian deduced that the City of Sin was at least ten times more bustling than the city of Hymns. Seeing someone riding a motorcycle, Song Jian also took out his own, taking his time driving towards the city. Accompanying Song Jian, apart from players, were NPCs, or commoners, who were driving spacious carts laden with vegetables, fruits, and other commodities. These NPC commoners seemed to hold players in awe. Whenever they encountered players, they would make way and let them pass first, often doffing their hats to salute the players. It seemed to Song Jian that in their eyes, players were treated no differently from nobles. Players born in this city are indeed quite fortunateat least their safety is guaranteed! Song Jian observed an NPC on a cart, who saluted him, and greeted him with a nod and a smile. In time, the scenic view in front of Song Jian opened up. To his surprise, a vast amount of crops were being cultivated around the City of Sin. The green waves, reminiscent of sea tides, gently rustled in the breeze, filling the air with an earthy aroma. Given this desolate games setting, this idyllic scene in front of him felt dreamlike to Song Jian. How incredible, Song Jian disembarked from his motorcycle to gaze in awe at the boundless green expanse. Hmph, country bumpkin! A player on a tall horse glanced greedily at Song Jians motorcycle before sneering at him. Henry, dont speak to other players like that, a girl riding a red warhorse next to him scolded, before turning to Song Jian with an apologetic smile, Im sorry, hes not usually like this. This is your first time in the City of Sin, isnt it? The girl was dressed in a white robe, a string of pearls draped across her chest and a headpiece made of silk and sapphire adorning her forehead. Although not extraordinarily beautiful, her smile gave off a warm and comforting aura. Her calm demeanour made Song Jian feel as if he was speaking to a caring elder sister. Though she was only level twenty and appeared to lack the intimidating aura of an experienced fighter, it was surprising how easily she approached Song Jian without any guard. If Song Jian were to attack her at this distance, he could have her severely injured or even killed instantly without her putting up any resistance. Hello, I am a player raised elsewhere, and indeed it is my first time here, Song Jian greeted her with a gentle smile, looking utterly harmless as he introduced himself. My name is Caisy. Im a priestess. Are you surprised seeing these crops? Caisy asked, proactively engaging Song Jian in conversation. Seeing Caisy chatting happily with Song Jian, the man who had sneered at him earlier looked a bit put out, though he said nothing and simply trailed behind Caisy on his horse. Yes, as you know, vast farmlands like this are quite rare in this game. Sometimes, its difficult to even find green plants, Song Jian remarked with a hint of wonder. All this is thanks to the Science Academy of the City of Sin. You will understand once you enter the city. Many players long to be a member of the academy, but getting an admission is challenging. There are over five thousand players in the City of Sin, but only a handful, three or four, actually make it into the academy! Caisy responded with a mysterious and eager glow in her eyes. Caisy, I believe you too can make it! Henry, who had been silent, suddenly interjected. I hope so, Caisy responded to Henry with a forced smile. Song Jian felt as though Caisy was like a sheltered maiden who hadnt seen much of the outside world and bore no suspicion or caution towards anyone, but could a player who had levelled up to twenty really be this innocent? Chapter 568 - Chapter 568: Chapter 568: Epic Profession Chapter 568: Chapter 568: Epic Profession Ever since stepping into this game, human natures ugliness had been amplified indefinitely. Those who kill for a piece of equipment or a Skill Book were rampant. One needed to understand that death in the game also meant death in the real world. Therefore, there was no difference between killing in the game and killing in reality. The only difference was that there were no laws in the game to restrict players. Having been in the game for so long, Song Jian had become wary of everything and everyone and would not easily trust others. Along the way, Song Jian and Caisy chatted happily, but most of the time, it was Song Jian probing Caisy for information. Through her words, Song Jian learned a lot about the City of Sin. As they moved forward, nearing the city gate, a sound of iron hooves suddenly echoed from afar. A team of soldiers in heavy armor, wielding sharp spears, swiftly charged out of the city gate. All the people, including players, scurried to hide on the sides of the road; Who are they? Song Jian asked in a low voice. These are the City Lord Mansions guards. It is said that the Lord of the City of Sin has fallen seriously ill which has caused some unrest within the city. You need to be very cautious when you enter the City of Sin. Caisy reminded quietly. Song Jian nodded, he had previously suspected that Annas aim of getting the Goblet of Life was to save the life of the Lord of the City of Sin. Looks like he was right about his guess. Upon entering the City of Sin, Song Jian bid farewell to Caisy and, as per the address given by Anna, proceeded to meet her for task submission. At this moment, Anna sat in her room, her face full of despair. Im so useless, I couldnt help at all! Anna shook her head: Uncles illness is getting worse, if we dont find a solution, I fear he might A female warrior in plate mail consoled her, Miss, you mustnt think like that. Remember how you almost got into trouble before when you dared to accompany Master Solando to the Dark Castle; were you planning to steal the Goblet of Life from the hands of the Shadow Giant Dragon? Yes, Kalen, thats exactly what we planned! Anna said with determination: As long as I can get the Goblet of Life and save my uncles life, even if it costs me my life, I wont feel any regret! Miss, its not about regretting or not. The problem is, by taking Master Solando on a risky adventure, you both almost never returned. The Lord is already in this condition, have you ever thought about what would happen if Master Solando got killed in the Dark Castle? Kalen advised with genuine concern. Havent you noticed, since you two have come back, the attitude of many people towards you has subtly changed? Ive never thought about these things, I just want to cure my uncles illness! Anna said, hanging her head. Just then, a servant walked in, bowed to Anna, and said, Miss, a Gods Chosen is looking for you. He says he completed your task and has come to submit it. A Gods Chosen? Anna looked puzzled and mumbled to herself, I dont know any Gods Chosen. Also, what task submission is he talking about? After leaving the Shadowfang Mountain Range, Anna had completely forgotten about Song Jian. In her eyes, Song Jian, being a mere level 27 Gods Chosen, simply lacked the strength to steal the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle; Its known that when she had gone with Solando earlier, they had brought an entire team of thirty-level guards, who totaled twenty in number. Yet in the end, only she, Solando, and Solandos guard Carter returned to the City of Sin alive; Miss, do you want me to drive him away? The servant, seeing Annas furrowed brow and the obvious rejection in her eyes, asked quietly. Wait, let me think Anna waved her hands and said. It took quite a while for Anna to slowly recall the Gods Chosen who had saved them from the Shadow Teeth in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. Song Jian, is his name Song Jian! Anna suddenly leaped from her chair, her face glowing with surprise. Is he here to submit the task? Could it be that he really stole the Goblet of Life from the Shadow Giant Dragon? At this thought, Anna immediately got excited and quickly rushed out of the room; It must be Song Jian! Anna mumbled to herself, her eyes full of anticipation. As she rushed out of the room, Anna saw a man standing in the courtyard. On a closer look, if this man was not Song Jian, who else could it be? Song Jian, did you really you really completed the task I entrusted to you? Anna shouted upon seeing Song Jian. There were many people around, and Anna didnt want the others to know about her acquiring the Goblet of Life, so she did not ask directly. Yes, Miss Anna, as expected, I have brought that object back for you. Song Jian responded with a smile. Quick, come in and rest, you must be exhausted! Anna immediately walked over, took Song Jians hand, and led him into her room. Kalen, please stand guard outside the door and ensure that no one disturbs us. Anna instructed Kalen. Kalen was originally Annas guard. She immediately saluted Anna and shut down the main door. Did you, did you really bring it? Anna asked excitedly. Mission accomplished! Song Jian said smilingly, taking out the Goblet of Life from his bag; Upon seeing the Goblet of Life, Anna paused for a moment, looked up at Song Jian with bewilderment and said, This is what the Goblet of Life looks like? The Goblet of Life looked like a simple wooden cup. If Song Jian hadnt said it was the Goblet of Life, Anna would probably not even give it a second glance. This is the Goblet of Life that I found in the Treasure Vault of the Dark Castle! Song Jian handed the Goblet of Life to Anna. The Goblet of Life had the ability to transform ordinary water into holy water which could prolong life span and cure all diseases. But in Song Jians hands, it was just displayed as a Task Item. Anna hesitantly took the Goblet of Life. The moment her hands touched it, a gentle energy radiated from the Goblet, seeping into her body. In an instant, a strong white light burst from Annas body, illuminating the whole room; System: Anna Katerina has received the energy of the Goblet of Life, triggering her bloodline talent, and advanced to the epic profession C Life Priest; System: Anna Katerinas all attributes increase by 10 points; System: Anna Katerina comprehends the epic skill C Life Blossom; System: Anna Katerina comprehends the epic skill C Life Anthem; System: Anna Katerina comprehends the epic skill C Resurrection Skill; Chapter 569 - Chapter 569: Chapter 569: The Water of Life Chapter 569: Chapter 569: The Water of Life Seeing the system notifications appear on the screen like a splash, Song Jian was dumbfounded. When completing this mission, the system mentioned several times that any decision made by Song Jian could change the course of the game. Song Jian was originally referred to as the City Lord of the City of Sin by the game system, but surprisingly, it turned out that the game system was actually referring to Anna herself. If Anna couldnt get in touch with the Goblet of Life, she wouldnt be able to awaken her bloodline potential and couldnt advance to the epic career, Life Priest, which would have a significant impact on the games progress. Upon advancing her career, she instantly learned three epic-level skills. The effects of the first two skills were unclear just by looking at their names, but the third skill Resurrection Skill amazed Song Jian. Resurrection Skill is the signature profession of priests in all games. If a priest doesnt know the resurrection skill, they would definitely be called a fake priest; However, what was strange about this game was that there wasnt a single priest who knew Resurrection Skill. Now, Song Jian finally understood that it turned out that only Life Priests would know the Resurrection Skill, and whats more, the grade of the skill was not low, as it was an epic-level skill; Even if a player could become a Life Priest, it would probably take a considerable effort to master the Resurrection Skill; The Goblet of Life, this is really the Goblet of Life! Anna held the Goblet of Life tightly in both hands and exclaimed excitedly. At this moment, her entire body was glowing faintly, making her look like a goddess who had come down to earth. A stream of water was poured from the kettle on the table into the Goblet of Life, and a melodious song by a woman echoed through the room as the water rippled gently in the goblet. The ethereal and beautiful melody of the song that appeared out of thin air struck a chord in the hearts of both Song Jian and Anna, making them immerse involuntarily in the music; Having no idea how much time had passed before the singing stopped, Song Jian felt a sense of los in his heart. Is this holy water? While looking at the slightly rippling, milky-white liquid in the Goblet of Life, Anna asked in amazement. As Song Jian lowered his head to look, the liquid in the Goblet of Life emitted a sweet, plant-like fragrance and appeared as thick as milk. If Song Jian hadnt seen Anna pour the water into the Goblet of Life with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the thick white liquid was transformed from the clear water she poured in. It really turned into holy water! Anna covered her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes, and couldnt help but sob quietly; After enduring all this pressure for so many days, Anna was finally able to let it all go today. System: You have completed the second part of the epic-level quest. Anna is filled with gratitude towards you, and your relationship with her has been promoted to Respect. You have gained one skill point; System: Because of your actions, Anna Katerina has obtained the epic-level profession Life Priest. Your behavior greatly influenced the games progress, and the game system highly approves of everything you have done. You are awarded 150,000 experience points. A ray of light rose from Song Jians body, and his already nearly filled experience bar was instantly replenished. After being promoted to level 27, it jumped forward by a small margin, reaching 27 level 13%; The experience reward given this time was extremely generous, almost equivalent to the experience points Song Jian would gain from killing monsters for a week; With the two additional skill points, he upgraded his Flash Thunder Strike to level 3. The damage from level 3 Flash Thunder Strike improved from the original 150%, 110%, 70% to 210%, 170%, 120%, further increasing its power; Song Jian, thank you so much. This cup of life water, Ill give it to you to drink. Anna grabbed Song Jians hand and handed him the Goblet of Life. Song Jian took the Goblet of Life and began to examine its properties. Goblet of Life (Holy Artifact), Effect: The holder of this item will receive the protection of the Goddess of Life, be immune to bad luck, and will not lose their life due to accidents; Vitality Point recovery rate increases by 300%; all properties increase by 15 points; the power of all life magics increases by 50%; Special Effect 1: Life Water (Passive), pour clean water into the Goblet of Life, and the water will turn into holy water. The first time a person drinks the holy water, their Vitality Points will increase by 500, and their cellular activity will be greatly improved; at the same time, all negative states will be removed from their body, and their Vitality Points and Spirit Points will be fully restored. This effect is only effective the first time it is used, and subsequent uses can only remove negative states and restore Vitality Points and Spirit Points; Cooldown: 24 hours; Special Effect 2: Life Shield (Active), activating this skill will trigger an 8000-defense shield around the users body for 30 seconds. While under the protection of the Life Shield, the user recovers 5% of their Vitality Points per second; this skill can be used only three times a day; Special Effect 3: ???; Special Effect 4: ??? Item Description: This item is Soul Locked to Anna Katerina, and no one else can use it. A Holy Artifact, this is actually a holy-level item! Song Jians eyes shone, and he could hardly believe what he was seeing. This was the first time he encountered a holy-level item in the game. Furthermore, the attributes of this item were just too good. Having it was like being almost invincible. Just the 15-point increase in all attributes and the 300% increase in Vitality Point recovery rate alone were enough to make Song Jian salivate, not to mention the four special effects; Apart from Life Water and Life Shield, there were still two special effects that werent activated yet. Once activated, they would likely be two powerful skills; If it werent for the fact that this item was already Soul Locked to Anna, Song Jian would have probably been willing to risk failing the epic-level quest just to claim the item for himself; After reading the properties, Song Jian raised his neck and drank all the Life Water in one go. His original Vitality Points of 2,260 instantly increased to over 2,700. With such high Vitality Points, it would be hard to disagree if someone called Song Jian an elite-level BOSS; As for the significant increase in cellular activity, Song Jian didnt feel any different, only feeling much lighter, as if he had taken off a burden weighing several hundred pounds; Song Jian, I really dont know how to express my gratitude towards you! Anna appeared flustered as she said to Song Jian, I dont know if you could accompany me to the City Lord Mansion tomorrow to help treat my uncle? Song Jian handed the empty Goblet of Life back to Anna and immediately received a system prompt; System: Anna issues you the third part of the epic-level quest: Escort; do you accept? Mission content: Escort Anna to the City Lord Mansion and assist her in successfully treating City Lord Kayne Sacke; Mission rewards: Obtain permanent residence rights in the City of Sin; promote your relationship with Anna Katerina to Admiration; Mission failure penalty: significantly reduce the favorability of Anna Katerina, and downgrade your relationship with her to indifference; Accept! Song Jian accepted the mission, having already completed the first two parts, there was no reason to give up; After carefully reading the mission content, Song Jian had a smile at the corner of his mouth, It seems that this escort mission wont be easy. There must be many people in the City Lord Mansion who dont wish the City Lord to get better! Chapter 570 - Chapter 570: Chapter 570: The Lady of the City Lord Chapter 570: Chapter 570: The Lady of the City Lord City of Sin City Lord Mansion At this time, the City Lord Mansion was heavily guarded, with soldiers stationed every few steps. Almost all the finest soldiers in the City of Sin were dispatched here. Hows the old man doing? a woman in luxurious clothes, sitting in the lords seat, casually asked as she sipped from her wine glass. Madam, the city lord is still unconscious, and Suravi is constantly at his side, a frail doctor answered with a trembling voice. A wild look flashed in the womans eyes, and her gaze turned fierce. She said contemptuously, This old bastard sure knows how to hang on This woman was Onika, the new wife of Kayne, the lord of the City of Sin. Ever since she married him, Kaynes health gradually declined until he became bedridden and unconscious. The doctor, trembling with fear and keeping his gaze lowered, did not dare to utter a word. He wished he could cover his ears. Ever since the city lord fell into a coma, his wife had become more unbridled. The doctor feared he might hear too much and hence, become silenced permanently. Get out and remember to keep your mouth shut. If I hear any bad rumors, your entire family will be annihilated, Onika said, a hint of a bloodthirsty glow in her eyes. Y-Yes, I dare not the doctor murmured, clutching his medicine box, and ran cowered out of the City Lord Mansion. Its so boring. When will I actually become the master of this castle? Onika muttered to herself as she caressed the lords chair with a tinge of melancholy. When Kayne was healthy, he used to sit here and discuss important matters with his subordinates. This was a seat reserved only for the city lord. Ha-ha, the Blood Queen, are you struggling even with a mere human? A man whispered into Onikas ear. Suddenly, her hair began to dance as though in the wind, wildly twisting and twirling. A giant brown bat flew in through the window, transforming into a man in a red suit. He had fair skin, a face bearing a trace of decadence, and ruby eyes that hinted at a violent temperament. Just as he appeared, Onika vanished from sight. In an instant, her pale right hand grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall. An oomph sound echoed, and the man crumbled against the wall, causing several cracks to appear. His body made crunching noises as though bones snapping, and bloody froth spilled from his mouth. His once handsome face was now a ghastly sight, as crimson fangs slipped through his parted lips. When did a mere viscount dare to play the fool before me? As Onika spoke, a pair of silver fangs glimmered while her eyes were bathed in a bloody glow. Onika, are you betraying the Dark Council Alliance? the man roared furiously. The Dark Council Alliance? Onika gave a disdainful smile. The hand holding the mans neck gradually turned pale and shriveled. Her nails grew sharply, piercing into his neck. When I fully control the City of Sin, even the Elder Council of the Alliance will grovel at my feet! Onika howled, thrusting the man onto the hard floor. As the man was about to hit the floor, his body dissolved into countless fist-sized bats and flew to the other side of the hall. Onika raised her left hand, but after a moment of hesitation, slowly lowered it back down. Her murderous aura did not fade away. Speak. What is the Elder Council up to now? Onika glared at the man, now restored to human form. The man touched the wound on his neck, his face twisting with resentment. Lifting his head, he coldly said, The council is dissatisfied with your slow progress of taking control of the City of Sin. They hope you can speed up! Ha! Whose fault is that? Onika sneered. Half a year ago, I reported to the Elder Council that if we could kill Suravi, Kaynes wizard, I could easily become the master of this city. But how did that turn out? Onika returned to her previous elegant demeanor, took a leisurely stroll up to the lords seat, and sat down. She had the sophistication of a noble lady and radiated the charm of a mature woman. The man couldnt help but admire how she effortlessly switched between bloodthirsty ferocity and gentle nobility. But he had a mission to accomplish, that was to convey the decision of the Dark Council Alliances Elder Council to Onika. Over the past half a year, the council has dispatched many assassins for nine assassination attempts. The mans face was grim as he gnashed his teeth, But not a single mission succeeded. Moreover, not one of these assassins returned alive! The council suspects theres something wrong with your information, leading to the failure of The mans words were cut short by Onikas screech, Thats your incompetence! Suravi is just a thirty-fifth level wizard with first-tier combat power. Even if there are discrepancies in his level, he definitely does not possess second-tier combat power! But three of the assassins who targeted him were fifty-level powerhouses with second-tier combat power! The man stepped forward, growling lower. This left Onika speechless. She panted heavily, her chest heaving. After a long silence, she slowly said, He must have a secret weapon that we are unaware of, a hidden secret! These are all your problems! the man said coldly, If you fail again this time, the Elder Council will no longer tolerate you. Theyll not only punish you for this, but theyll also hold you accountable for the deaths of those assassins! They dare to! Onika stood up abruptly, her powerful aura bursting out. Even the man couldnt help but retreat. Even without the City of Sin, I am still the lord of the City of Blood. Those stinky, decaying elders want me to withdraw from the Dark Council Alliance! Ha-ha-ha! Onika laughed hysterically. Chapter 571 - Chapter 571: Chapter 571: Joke Chapter 571: Chapter 571: Joke The man and Onika parted on bad terms, turning into a black shadow flying out of the window and disappearing into the air. Onika stared at the window, her left hand constantly swirling with a crimson energy, but it did not launch even as the man disappeared. With a wave of her hand, she dispersed the energy, snorted coldly, and turned to enter the room behind her. Just then, a servant came to report: Madam, Miss Anna has brought a Gods Chosen One, claiming that they can cure the city lords illness! Anna? Hmph! A disdainful smile appeared on Onikas lips, and she said, Tell Anna that the city lord is resting in bed and cannot be disturbed. Also, tell her that those Gods Chosen Ones are frauds, and they have no ability to save the city lord! The City of Sins city lord had fallen ill, and the news had not been concealed for long. Players who were born in the City of Sin were ecstatic at the news because if they could cure the city lord, they would not only receive generous rewards but also increase their intimacy with the city lord. This hidden benefit attracted every player born in the City of Sin. In the beginning, the people in the City Lord Mansion were full of expectations for those players who claimed to be able to cure the city lord. However, soon they discovered that these so-called Gods Chosen Ones were all frauds. They came with some basic healing elixirs or Detox Elixirs to heal the city lords illness. Before they even met the lord, they were exposed by the city lords attendant wizard, Suravi, and driven away. After several incidents, the people in the City Lord Mansion developed a strong dislike of the Gods Chosen Ones. However, Onika was happy with this situation. The city lords disease was, in fact, a slow-acting poison she had administered. Onika knew its potency well. When she saw the Gods Chosen Ones pull out basic healing elixirs or basic Detox Elixirs, she almost laughed out loud, but her acting skills stopped her from revealing her thoughts. During the time the city lord was in a coma from the poison, Onika began to extend her reach into the City of Sins guards. Almost half of the guards had pledged allegiance to her. As for the guards that didnt want to defect to her, their commanders were assassinated by her, or she sent their entire army out of the City of Sin. Now, only the Science Academy and the City Lord Mansions Guard hadnt been controlled by her. More importantly, the commander of the City Lord Mansions guards, the wizard Suravi, had already become suspicious of her and was now residing in the City Lord Mansion, guarding the city lord around the clock. Moreover, Suravi had somehow suppressed the toxins in the city lords body, allowing him to cling to life up to now. Otherwise, the city lord should have died from the poison a month ago. Yes, madam. I will persuade Miss Anna to leave, the servant bowed to Onika and prepared to leave before suddenly being called back by Onika. Wait, Susan! Onika resumed her gentle and noble demeanor, smiling slightly, I have been worried about the city lords safety these past days, causing me to become somewhat neurotic. Since Anna is here, let her go and see the city lord. Gods Chosen Ones are people who can create miracles. Perhaps they have a way to cure the city lord. Because of the city lords illness, the Gods Chosen Ones abilities had slowly spread throughout the City of Sin. Now, the whole city mocked the arrogant Gods Chosen Ones. Although they would pay respects when encountered, in their hearts, they treated the Gods Chosen Ones as the biggest joke in the City of Sin. The servant seemed accustomed to Onikas capriciousness and nodded, expressionless. After bowing, Susan headed toward the hall. Miss Anna and this honorable Gods Chosen One, please follow me. Madam has instructed me to lead you to the city lords bedroom, the servant spoke respectfully at the entrance of the City Lord Mansion. Song Jian, lets go in. Im sure we can cure my uncle this time, Anna declared confidently. Her confidence not only stemmed from the Goblet of Life but also her own awakened epic profession as a Life Priest. Even if the city lord was dead, she could bring him back, let alone his current unconscious state. Song Jian noticed that people in the City Lord Mansion, from the passing servants to the guards around, were casting strange glances at him. Feeling perplexed, he heard Anna calling him and nodded slightly before following her into the City Lord Mansion. As they walked, Song Jian suddenly overheard some servants whispering. Although they were seven or eight meters away and their voices were low, Song Jian could hear their conversation clearly with his current physical condition. Did you see that? Another Gods Chosen One! A servant smirked, deliberately emphasizing the last few words. So ridiculous. I heard that these Gods Chosen Ones cant even enter the City Lord Mansion anymore Hmph, theyre all a bunch of liars. Wizard Suravi easily debunked their tricks. Do they think that our City Lord Mansion can be deceived like the other people in the city? I heard that these Gods Chosen Ones are now targeting other people. Lord Solando has even recruited some of them, and they claim to have a way to cure the city lord already Hmph, if they really had a way, they wouldnt have waited until now. Lord Solando shouldnt let himself be fooled by them See? Miss Anna has brought a Gods Chosen One here too. These people really never give up! After listening to the servants conversation for a while, Song Jian couldnt help but be speechless. The players still considered this game too simplistic. As a city lord holding absolute power, the resources at his disposal were far beyond what new players could match. If the city lord couldnt solve the issue himself, how could the players have such confidence in basic healing elixirs or basic Detox Elixirs? What a bunch of arrogant fools! Song Jian shook his head, thinking helplessly. However, this was unavoidable. There were simply too many players in the City of Sin, and in this environment, as long as a player didnt take risks, it was hard for them to die. Unlike other places where harsh environments eliminated a large number of people. After entering the backyard of the City Lord Mansion, Song Jian saw a noblewoman in a luxurious dress enjoying flowers in a garden. She revealed a kind smile when she saw Anna and nodded, asking, Anna, is this the Gods Chosen One you found? The one who can save the city lord? Chapter 572 - Chapter 572: Chapter 572: Self-confidence Chapter 572: Chapter 572: Self-confidence In front of Song Jian was a noble lady who looked to be in her thirties. Every smile and frown exuded warmth and generosity, her dignified beauty radiating a kind and benevolent aura. Her gaze towards Anna was filled with affection. She reached out and held Annas hand, bringing her to her side. After glancing at Song Jian, Onika whispered something in Annas ear; Anna immediately blushed and began shaking her head as if explaining something, not daring to gaze in Song Jians direction. Onika chuckled softly, turned to Song Jian and said, Looking at you, I wouldnt have guessed you possessed the skill to save the city master. However, you chosen ones of God are all quite mysterious, appearing and disappearing without a trace, always capable of producing miracles. I have high hopes for you. Song Jian bowed respectfully to Onika without uttering a word. In reality, when Song Jian first saw Onika, his instincts were screaming alarms in warning. This woman held a presence not weaker than Shadow Giant Dragon. If not for Song Jians composure, he might already be drenched in sweat, shaken to his core. This strong scent of blood is as if I am standing before an endless sea of blood Song Jian thought to himself. Though his face remained expressionless, the clenched fist in his sleeve betrayed his inner thoughts. Song Jian, this is the city masters wife and my aunt, Lady Onika! Anna introduced. Greetings, respected Lady Onika! Song Jian bowed to Onika. As he heard she was the city masters wife, the puzzle in his mind clicked, connecting all the clues. Perhaps, the reason for the city masters unconsciousness lies right in front of me! Song Jian thought. He became even more humble, wishing he could become invisible to avoid Onikas attention. However, Onikas gaze remained on Song Jian. Her face wore a kind smile, but her eyes held a discerning light. Youre a good lad. Keep it up! Anna is the young princess of the City of Sin Onika jokingly insinuated. Aunt Blushing intensely, Anna promptly tugged at Onikas hand to halt her amused teasing. Enough joking now. You should go check on Kayne. Oh God, why did you have to let this disease torment Kayne? I would rather bear this pain for him Onikas face fell, showing a hint of sorrow. Aunt, everything will get better, Anna quietly comforted. Song Jian stood to one side, remaining as still and silent as if he were a wooden statue; even his movements were minimal. After chatting with Onika for a while, Anna led Song Jian towards the masters chamber where Kayne was recovering. Onikas gaze was still focused on Song Jians back. She could see through Song Jians abilities: just a man who had not even reached the first Combat Power level. Such a person could not possibly dispel the poison she had unleashed. Even though the chosen ones of God had become the citys laughingstock, Onika still wanted to judge him with her own eyes, to prevent any unwelcome surprises. Another pitiful fool, huh! A cold smile surfaced on Onikas face. With a harsh rub of her fingers, she ground a flower into dust. Song Jian followed Anna through the City Lord Mansion, where armed soldiers in armor were visible everywhere. These are my uncles guards, loyal to him alone. Since my uncles sickness, they have been stationed here in the City Lord Mansion to protect him, Anna whispered. Song Jian nodded in understanding. If not for these loyal soldiers, the city master might have died long ago. In a moment, you will meet Sir Suravi. He leads the mansion guards and is my uncles most trusted man. He has been by my uncles side this whole time, so you must be extra respectful to him, Anna reminded. Song Jian nodded in understanding, suspecting that this Suravi likely possessed strength comparable to Lady Onikas. I never thought that so much power would be concentrated around one city master! Song Jian mused, But one day, my territory will spread across the entire Doomsday City, and by then, I will be a true city master! The area of Doomsday City is similar to that of the City of Sin. However, one is a city in ruins, while the other is bustling with prosperity. Comparisons between the two are futile. But if Song Jian could truly expand his territory to encompass an entire city, perhaps there would indeed be an opportunity for him to compete with the City of Sin. Song Jian, following Anna, arrived at a three-story house. It was unremarkable from the outside, but Song Jian could sense that within a hundred meters of this house, heavy guards were stationed. The aura emanating from these soldiers C each seasoned and hardened from countless battles C ensured this place was impervious to intrusion, not even a mosquito could sneak in. After a thorough search, Song Jian and Anna were led to the city masters sickbed. A middle-aged man in a gray robe stands nearby, casting a weary glance at Anna and Song Jian. Miss, you have come to visit the master again! Suravi faintly smiled, nodding towards Anna. Sir Suravi, good day! Anna curtsied to Suravi, saying, This is Song Jian. Although he is a chosen one of God, he possesses an artifact capable of curing my uncles illness! Suravi didnt even glance at Song Jian as he shook his head, Miss, the city master is not sick, hes been poisoned. The poison hes afflicted with is highly lethal, even I cant completely eliminate it. I can only slow it down, but recently, the poison has shown signs of spreading. Ive already dispatched soldiers to the City of Hymns to purchase sufficient life potions Sir Suravi, I understand my uncle is poisoned. Yet, I believe the artifact Song Jian has can heal him fully! Anna interrupted Suravi, her voice filled with confidence as she nodded towards Song Jian. Chapter 573 - Chapter 573: Chapter 573 Holy Water Chapter 573: Chapter 573 Holy Water Annie gave Song Jian a sign, and Song Jian nodded. From the bag, he pulled out the Goblet of Life and handed it to Annie. Lord Suravi, this is the Goblet of Life that Song Jian got from the Treasure Vault of the Shadow Giant Dragon in the Dark Castle. It can turn ordinary water into holy water that heals any injuries and detoxifies any kinds of poison. Annie explained to Suravi, holding up the Goblet of Life. Suravi, the magician, stared at the crude wooden cup in Annies hand, felt it quietly, but didnt sense any energy fluctuation from it. Shaking his head, Suravi said, I didnt feel any energy fluctuation from this cup. Its impossible for it to be the Goblet of Life! Not to mention Suravi glanced at Song Jian, a dash of disdain flashing in his eyes, and stated, I do not believe that he, with his current abilities, could have stolen the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle! What kind of place is the Dark Castle? Its the nest of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Even if the dragon had been seriously injured and was now dying, the threat of a dragon couldnt be underestimated. Most importantly, how could this crude wooden cup possibly be the Goblet of Life? Even a child wouldnt use it as a toy. It looked simply terrible. Annie didnt say anything. Ever since she touched the Goblet of Life, it has become more ordinary, giving a feeling that this divine artifact was self-concealing. Only Annie herself could feel the potent life energy brimming within the Goblet of Life. Lord Suravi, could you give me a bottle of clear water? Annie insisted. Sighing inwardly, Suravi shook his head slightly. It seemed that Annie had been seriously tricked by this devotee. With just a wave, Suravi motioned towards the table, Thats fresh water a servant just brought in Annie walked over there, slowly poured the clear water from the bottle into the Goblet of Life; At first, there was no anomaly. But when the water level reached the rim of the cup, an odd energy began to radiate from the water. Suravi clearly felt the ripple of this potent life force. One of his brows lifted, and he couldnt help but make a surprised sound of Eh. The clear water in the holy grail began to ripple. A silver glow burst from the water, and a surging life energy began to spread around. It really is it really is the Goblet of Life! The look of wild joy on Suravis face was unmistakable. The city lord had been poisoned for so long, and Suravi had been under extreme pressure. He had nearly exhausted all his energy in suppressing the spread of the poison. Even knowing that Lady Onika was seizing power, he couldnt spare any effort to stop her. He could only keep a firm grip on the City Lord Mansions guards, letting them protect the safety of the mansion, while he stayed by the city lords side all the time. Feeling the life energy emanating from the holy grail, Suravi was filled with deep emotion, his eyes welling up with tears. He bowed deeply to Annie and Song Jian, full of gratitude and regret, I apologize for my previous attitude towards you, Miss, and the devotee. I didnt expect I didnt expect At that moment, Onika was holding a glass of red wine, figuring out how to install her men into the Mansion guard. As long as the city lord was not dead, she could not rest. She had arranged for her men to be around all the offspring in the mansion. Once news of the city lords death was conveyed, they would all die on the same day. Then, Onika, with power in her hands, would become the master of two cities. When I fully control the City of Sin, naturally there will be a seat for me in the Council of Elders. Hmph, then, Ill make those old farts Just as Onika was secretly pleased, she suddenly felt a surge of life energy coming from the backyard. Onika frowned. What was happening? Suddenly, she thought of the place where the energy fluctuation was strongest, apparently where the city lord was lying unwell. Her face turned white abruptly. Her right hand clenched tightly, the glass in her hand was instantly shattered. Onika rose to her feet, her beautiful face instantly turned fierce, she roared in a low voice: Impossible! Whoosh~ A black whirlwind blew over, and Onikas figure disappeared from the room. Suravi slowly helped the sallow middle-aged man on the sickbed to sit up. Annie was holding the Goblet of Life, prepared to pour the holy water into the mans mouth. Just then, a violent argument came from outside. It seemed like the guards of this room were quarrelling with someone and had started fighting. Ignore whats happening outside and continue! Suravi furrowed his brows and said firmly. Annie nodded. She touched the holy grail to the City Lords lips. The city lord seemed to sense something, his body involuntarily started to suck, and the thick milk-like holy water started to flow into his mouth; Bang! The door of the room was pushed open. Blood-stained Onika, her aura as fierce as ever, stormed in; What are you giving the city lord to drink? Onika asked abruptly. Feeling no movement behind Onika, Suravis eyes showed a trace of sorrow. He rose to his feet, standing in front of the sickbed. Onika, what on earth do you want to do! Suravis robe started to ripple with no wind. The aura radiating from his body was on par with Onika. It felt as if a whirlwind had blown up in the room. All the furniture and utensils were ground into dust by the conflicting energies. However, the city lords bed was safe and sound, guarded by Suravi; This is Song Jians eyes showed a horrified look. These two peoples strength had certainly exceeded the first-order combat power, even somewhat similar to what he felt when he confronted the Shadow Giant Dragon. Suravi, you conspired with Annie and this devotee to poison the city lord. Today, in the city lords name, I will punish you! On Onikas face, a black aura emerged. Her cheeks slowly sunk in, two fangs gradually protruding from her lips, her fair arms started becoming withered like branches. Her hands, like the claws of a devil, shimmered with a metallic cold light. It really is you A trace of understanding appeared in Suravis eyes. He had long suspected Onika but had no evidence. In front of others, Onika always acted very well. He didnt expect that she would lose her temper today, and reveal her true nature. City lord of the City of Blood, Blood Queen Onikxia! Suravi broke Onikas identity. With his right hand grabbing into the empty air, an exquisite magic staff that was over a foot long appeared in Suravis hand. Roar~ Onika roared like a wild beast at Suravi. Behind her, a colossal phantom slowly emerged, displaying its arrogant posture. Chapter 574 - Chapter 574: Chapter 574: Dragon Soul Chapter 574: Chapter 574: Dragon Soul Get out of here! Suravi roared, wildly waving the magic staff in his hand. Instantly, countless light arrows shot towards Onika, like a sudden downpour. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, focusing on the shadowy figure behind Onika. This ethereal shadow gave Song Jian a strange feeling, both familiar and unfamiliar. Onika let out a shriek, retreating from the room and into the courtyard. Suravi followed close behind, and Song Jian glanced at Anna. At this moment, she was holding the Goblet of Life, staunchly standing guard by the City Lords sickbed. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian rushed out of the house. The chance to witness combat between two individuals who had exceeded the first-tier of combat power, was exceedingly rare. If Song Jian could spectate, it would potentially be greatly beneficial to his future growth. However, battles of such caliber were fraught with extreme danger. Mere aftershocks from the fighting would be more than enough to overwhelm an ordinary person. Many who had stumbled upon such scenarious not only failed to benefit but ended up losing their lives. Suravi floated in mid-air above the City Lord Mansion. The elegant robes Onika was wearing had vanished, replaced with pitch-black form-fitting scale armour. In her hands, she held two short swords that shimmered with a sinister green light, evidently coated in potent poison. Blood Queen, the City of Sin is not yours to touch! Suravi thundered as dark clouds roiled above him, streaks of lightning darting through the sky like silver dragons. Behind the Blood Queen, the illusory form of a dragon was roaring at the heavens, exuding an imposing aura. A thick, blood-red aura emanated from her body, making one feel as if gazing upon a mountain of corpses bathed in blood. Song Jians gaze showed relief. The discomfort he had felt ever since first meeting the City Lords wife now made sensehe had felt as though he was standing before a tumultuous sea of boiling blood. He had initially assumed it was an illusion, but it seemed that the City Lords wife had managed to hide her true nature under a deep disguise. The fight between Suravi and Onika escalated, causing many buildings within the City Lord Mansion to crumble into ruins. However, soon a barrier of light enveloped the entire mansion, shielding it from the aftereffects of the battle. The battle moved from the ground to mid-air, splitting the sky in two. One side was covered in dark clouds with flashes of lightning, while the other half roiled like a sea of blood with massive waves. Such a battle was astonishingly spectacular, leaving Song Jian yearning for the day when he might possess such terrifying power. Roar~ The shadowy figure behind Onika suddenly let out a roar, spewing a jet of black flame at Suravi. Suravi swiped his right hand in front of him, creating a shield of light that blocked the flaming onslaught from the shadowy figure. Dragons Breath! Song Jian murmured, eyes narrowed. This attack was all too familiar to Song Jian; the Shadow Giant Dragon, and even his pet, the Black Dragon, both employed Dragons Breath as their primary attack. Simple as it was, the attack packed a tremendous punch and was hard for most to withstand. What kind of ability allows for the summoning of a Black Dragons illusion? And moreover, why does it bear little difference to a real dragon? Song Jian frowned, carefully analyzing the abilities used by both combatants. Suravi was a wizard, although Song Jian didnt understand all of his abilities, he was able to relate the basic energy usage and some other magical aspects to similar occupations. On the other hand, Song Jian didnt have a clue about Onikas profession. Her equipment and weapon suggested that she was a melee fighter, but she also seemed to have the ability to conduct magical attacks and even summon an image of a dragon. Seemingly undefeatable, as the time passed, Onika gradually began to gain the upper hand. Suravi increasingly adopted a defensive stance, hardly ever attacking Onika anymore. Song Jians heart sank. If the current situation persisted, Suravi was bound to be defeated. Once that happened, who would be able to resist Onika? Just then, a beam of white light descended from above Suravi, momentarily restoring a small portion of his Vitality Points. Song Jian turned his head and saw Anna, supporting a middle-aged man standing at the mansions entrance. The man looked drained, but his eyes shimmered with determination. The pain was evident in his eyes as he gazed at Onika. The healing light on Suravis head was released by Anna. As a Life Priest, Annas healing ability was undoubtedly the most formidable amongst priests of equal level. With Annas help, Suravi quickly regained his footing and stabilized the situation. Onika, why have you become like this? Whywhy have you tried to kill me? The City Lords face was scored with pain as he bellowed out loud. Dont call me Onika. My name is Blood Queen Onikxia! Onika roared back, the dragonic shadow behind her letting out an angry roar towards the City Lord. Just then, Song Jian suddenly sensed strong fluctuations coming from his Pet Space. When he checked, it was his pet Black Dragon, roaring furious and signaling to him its strong desire to join the fray. Song Jian thought against summoning his Black Dragon at that moment, knowing it would make no difference in the outcome of the battle. However, going against the dragons will could seriously affect the loyalty of his pet. With a mere thought, the Black Dragon, massive in size, appeared beside Song Jian, roaring furiously at Onika in the sky. To Song Jians surprise, the Black Dragon decided to take matters into its own claws, flapping its wings, and charging directly at Onika. Song Jian was taken aback. Although the Black Dragon commanded first-tier combat power, it still was no match for Onika. Its Dragon Might was unlikely to have much effect on a formidable opponent like Onika. A dragon? A young dragon! Suravi looked surprised as he turned to look at Song Jian. Anyone capable of owning a dragon as their pet was sure to be someone extraordinary. Young man, call back your pet. Even though its a dragon, its still growing and is no match for Onika or rather, the Blood Queen! Suravi advised Song Jian with a nod and a friendly demeanor. II cant control it. I dont know why, but it was being restless in the Pet Space. The moment I let it out, before I could command it, it just charged straight into the fight, Song Jian explained with a bitter smile and a shrug of his shoulders. Suravis eyebrows furrowed. After pondering for a while, his gaze returned to the dragon shadow behind Onika and an expression of astonishment crossed his face. This this isnt mimicry magic. This this is a dragons Dragon Soul! Suravi exclaimed in shock. Onikxia, you dared to refine a dragons Dragon Soul! Suravi roared, Your audacity knows no bounds! Arent you afraid of incessant, relentless retaliation from the Dragon Clan! Chapter 575 - Chapter 575: Chapter 575: Griffin Knights Corps Chapter 575: Chapter 575: Griffin Knights Corps In fact, initially, Suravi did not recognize the phantom behind Onika as the soul of a true Giant Dragon. Its important to realize that in this game world, there are numerous magics that can imitate the form of a Giant Dragon, even Suravi can imitate it to some extent with his witchcraft. But these simulations yield negligible practical effects. Only some distinct magics can mimic the true power of a Giant Dragon. However, the anger exhibited by Song Jians battle pet, this young black dragon, prompted Suravi to realize that the huge dragonish phantom shadow behind Onika was not some magic simulation, but rather a Dragon Soul. Such a being can only be formed by personally slaying a Giant Dragon, then extracting its soul and refining it with special magic. But this method is exceedingly cruel; those utilizing dragon bodies as material for crafting equipment and weapons are seen as enemies by the Dragon Clan. If discovered, it ensures a fight to the death. Although Song Jians Battle pet is merely a maturing Black Dragon, when it sensed that Onika had refined a Dragon Soul, it attacked her in rage, knowing it couldnt win. This is the pride of the Dragon Clan; an unending war between the Dragon Clan and the offenders! Such behavior of Onikas was sacrilege against all the Dragons. Once this news leaks out, even though she was the ruler of a city, the angry dragons will not hesitate to completely destroy her City of Blood until the Dragon Soul she had refined is set free. Onikas face changed drastically. She did not expect to encounter a true Giant Dragon in this place. She had been adept at hiding the Dragon Soul she had refined and even used it numerous times during battles, but no one ever recognized it. Even if they vaguely detected it, it couldnt be confirmed one way or the other. But today, Onikas secret was finally exposed. For her, the consequences were far more severe than failing to capture the City of Sin! Being pursued and hunted by the Dragon Clan across the entire continent turned her blood cold. Damn it! Seeing the Giant Dragon lunging toward her, a vicious expression flashed across Onikas face. She wished she could tear this young Dragon to shreds, extract its soul, and torment it for ten thousand years. Just as she was about to make her move, she suddenly saw dozens of multi-colored energy rays shooting from Suravis hand. Like birds, these energy rays flew in all directions. This isa magical message! Onikas face changed dramatically. Onika, no, Blood Queen Onikxia, I have disseminated the news of your Dragon Soul refinement to neighboring cities. I believe it wont be long before the news spreads across the entire continent. The time left for you is not much. Even if you completely destroy the City of Sin, what would it mean? Suravi then flashed a smile, looking like he had the winning hand. Just then, a beast-like roar emerged from a distance and a large group of warriors riding Gryphons appeared in the sky, heading their way. The Academy has reacted too! Suravi thought to himself. Gryphon riders belonged only to the Academy of the City of Sin. They were a military force that the Academy held control over, and their might was even more formidable than the city guard under Suravis control. Their only drawback was their limited number and the difficulty in replenishing their ranks once diminished. Otherwise, the City of Sin would entirely focus on raising Gryphon riders! Onikxia, you have failed! Suravi declared victory! This matter will not end here. I will return one day! The Blood Queen let out a roar, shot a hateful glance at Song Jian, and repelled the Black Dragon lunging towards her with a red pillar of light before disappearing into the distance. Upon the Blood Queens departure, Suravi finally heaved a sigh of relief, exhaustion visible on his face as he slowly descended from the sky. Master, you have finally come to your senses! Suravi dropped to one knee in front of the Lord of the City. Suravi, even though I was unconscious, I was aware of everything happening around me. You have worked hard during this time, the City Lord said with a gratified smile, raising Suravi from the ground. Suravi was his playing mate since childhood. He was the person the City Lord trusted the most in this world. And Suravi had indeed justified his trust. In this period, had it not been for Suravi, the City of Sin would have fallen into others hands a long time ago. At this moment, the Gryphon knights in the sky descended one after another. A man wearing silver armor dismounted from his Gryphon, got down on one knee before the City Lord. Master, you have finally awakened! he said respectfully. This man was Yin, the leader of the Academys Gryphon knights. Amid the City Lords unconsciousness due to poison, only Suravis city guard and the Academy not been won over by the Blood Queen. Because of Suravi, the city guards always firmly stood by the City Lords side and worked tirelessly to save him. But the Academys attitude was ambiguousthey hadnt completely sided with the Blood Queen, nor did they make efforts to save the City Lord; they seemed to display a neutral stance to the outside world. This time, they had hurriedly dispatched the Gryphon Knight legion only upon learning of the City Lords awakening. Even though its referred to as a legion, there are fewer than a hundred Gryphon Knights under the control of the Academy. Rise, Yin! Your arrival here with the knights in my hour of need brings me great comfort! the City Lord said, smiling. He helped Yin rise and then placed a hand on his shoulder. Alright. Dismissed. Yin, notify the Academys Dean Kormit, therell be a meeting in my mansion tomorrow, ordered the City Lord. I obey, Master! Yin respectfully saluted and then led the Gryphon knights back to the Academy. The City Lord watched the Gryphon knights in the sky until they disappeared from view. Suravi, Anna, and you Song, Song Jian, come with me, I have something to The City Lord hadnt finished speaking when a warhorse came galloping towards the city lords mansion. Upon seeing the City Lord, the rider showed evident delight, then immediately spurred his horse towards the crowd. Claw, whats wrong? Has anything happened to young Master Solan? Suravi asked, seeing the knight and immediately changing color. In fact, on the day the City Lord fell ill, Suravi had deployed soldiers to protect all the City Lords children. Claw was one of the soldiers assigned to protect the young Master Solan. Master, Chief, not only young Master Solan, Haben, Ennis and young Master Angrade All have been have been assassinated! Claw said, kneeling and hanging his head. Upon hearing this, the City Lord felt as if a huge hammer had struck his chest. A wave of darkness washed over him, and he spouted a mouthful of fresh blood. His body swaying, he fell backwards. Chapter 576 - Chapter 576: Chapter 576: Viscount Chapter 576: Chapter 576: Viscount Controlling all of Lai Yins heirs and then killing them at the right opportunity was originally part of Blood Queens plan. But her plan couldnt be so simple and crude; it must be like causing the death of the City Lord, either by poisoning or by creating various accidents, definitely not like now, with several heirs being assassinated at the same time; Although Suravi sensed something wrong, he sent the City Lord Mansion guards to the side of each heir with inheritance rights, claiming it was for protection, but in reality, it was surveillance. Once City Lord Lai Yin died, Blood Queen controlling the entire city as the City Lords wife would not be very reasonable. The best approach would be to support an heir, make them the City Lord, and gradually insert her own confidants. Once all the rights in the City of Sin were in her hands, it would no longer matter whether there was a City Lord. However, no one expected Blood Queen to be so ruthless; after her conspiracy failed and she had to flee, she directly killed all of the City Lords heirs with inheritance rights, which was a blatant revenge on the City of Sin. City Lord, whats wrong with you? Suravi saw the City Lord fall backward and quickly stepped forward to support him while shouting, Call for a doctor, get a doctor right away! Song Jian followed Anna and temporarily lived in the City Lord Mansion. No one knew whether Blood Queen would reappear and assassinate the City Lord. Although her actions of concocting Dragon Soul had already spread throughout the continent, and she must be in a desperate situation now, not even daring to go back to her own city, City of Blood. But with Blood Queens ruthless character, no one could guarantee that she wouldnt return to City of Sin and assassinate City Lord Lai Yin. If City Lord Lai Yin died and all the heirs with inheritance rights were also dead, then the City of Sin would definitely fall into chaos due to the struggle for the position of City Lord. Suravi had just experienced a great battle, and although Anna had healed all his injuries, his mental fatigue could not be entirely eliminated. Instead of resting, he had to guard the City Lord due to the Lords sudden unconsciousness, just like the time when he was poisoned. Anna, as a Life Priest, naturally had to stay by the City Lords side. As for Song Jian, he had no choice but to follow Anna because of the mission. The third ring mission was considered complete, and his relationship with Anna had jumped from respect to reverence. However, the other reward was long overdue, which was the reason Song Jian had to follow Anna. The permanent residency right in the City of Sin was still very attractive to Song Jian at the moment. This city was prosperous in development, not just a city of technology but also a city of trade. Most importantly, it had the most significant number of players Song Jian had ever seen. In such a city, he wouldnt be surprised if any miracle happened. To obtain permanent residency in this city, one must own a property in the city, just like Song Jian owning a 100% personal store in the City of Hymns, so he could apply for permanent residency with the municipal government. The reward for successfully completing the third ring was to grant Song Jian permanent residency in this city, which meant that Song Jian would obtain a property in this city. As for the type, size, and location of the property, Song Jian couldnt control it; he had to wait for the City Lord to wake up. Suravi had already ordered the City Lord Mansion guards, who had been sent out, to be summoned back. In fact, City Lord Lai Yin himself was a strong man not weaker than Suravi, but the death of all his heirs had dealt a massive blow to Lai Yins spirit. At his age, if he had no heir, it would be difficult for him to have another one in the future. Blood Queens move had indeed struck Lai Yins weak spot. Everyone stayed in the City Lord Mansion, waiting for Lai Yin to wake up. One day passed quickly, and it wasnt until the evening of the next day that Lai Yin slowly opened his eyes. Suravi was very excited to see City Lord Lai Yin wake up, but when he saw Lai Yins lifeless eyes, his originally excited body suddenly slowed down; Lai, City Lord, whats wrong with you? Suravi carefully asked. Lai Yin, are all my bloodlines really cut off? After a long time, Lai Yin asked softly. Suravi was at a loss for words, as he had carefully examined the bodies of all Lai Yins heirs and preserved them in ice; Soladu, Haben, Ennis, and young Master Angrade, their bodies have all been preserved in the underground ice cellar, and you can check them at any time Suravi hesitated for a long time before whispering. Angrade was only eight years old, how could she do it! Lai Yin suddenly roared with anger and a ferocious expression. Suravi, I want to issue a City Lord mobilization order, summon all the soldiers, and declare war on the City of Blood! Lai Yin roared with a hateful face. Suravi hesitated for a moment before saying softly, Lai Yin, now is not the best time for revenge. While you were unconscious these months, many people have secretly pledged allegiance to the Blood Queen Suravi stopped there. In the past, everything in the City of Sin was decided by Lai Yin, who had absolute power to control the city. But now, many people had betrayed Lai Yin. As soon as Lai Yin woke up, a purge was inevitable; otherwise, if a war with the City of Blood broke out, those who had already betrayed Lai Yin would push the City of Sin into a desperate situation. Lai Yin fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Suravi and asked, Who are they? Suravi saw the anger in Lai Yins eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, Lai Yins eyes were filled with deadness, and Suravi was afraid that he would give up and sink into despair from then on. But seeing Lai Yin now, Suravi was relieved. Even if his heart was filled with rage, it was still a hundred times better than giving up and sinking. The two talked in the room for a long time, orders were issued one by one from the room, until late at night, when Song Jian was suddenly woken up by a servant and brought to Lai Yins room. Greetings to City Lord! Song Jian placed his right hand over his chest, saluting the half-lying City Lord Lai Yin. In addition to Lai Yin in the room, there were also Suravi and Anna, both of whom smiled at Song Jian. This time, saving Lai Yin could be considered Song Jians greatest achievement. Not only did he obtain the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle, but his battle pet, Black Dragon, was also the first to detect that she had actually concocted Dragon Soul when Blood Queen freaked out. This discovery allowed Suravi to frighten Blood Queen away. Song Jian, I want to thank you for saving my life and the city of City of Sin! Lai Yin nodded to Song Jian and slowly said, To express my gratitude to you, I have decided to confer a nobility title upon you. From today on, you will be a Viscount of the City of Sin! Chapter 577 - Chapter 577: Chapter 577 Servant Chapter 577: Chapter 577 Servant A noble title? Song Jian was taken aback. Knowing that for players to acquire a noble title in the game was incredibly difficult, even impossible at the current stage. On one hand, the NPCs in the game were amazed at the potential of the players and respected them greatly. Ordinary citizens even regarded them as nobility, offering them greetings when they met. On the other hand, the real nobility were on their guard against players, considering them no more than brawlers, hardly different from the mercenaries in the Mercenary Guild. Until now, let alone noble titles, there were even very few players who had become knights within the game. The knights in this context werent players profession, but rather a rank. For example, in the game, the person who owned a city would automatically be given a dukes title, like the Blood Queen or Lai Yin. By the way, the Blood Queen title of Onikxia was self-proclaimed. She should actually be known as the Blood Duke, as she only had a dukes title and had no right to be called a queen. However, she had taken the moniker Blood Queen for herself. Many people, including players, had grown accustomed to this name. But among true nobles, they scorned her actions and not a single one acknowledged her title. Following the rank of duke were marquis, count, viscount, baron, and then knight. Knights were essentially in reserve for the nobility, but even then, becoming a knight was an incredibly difficult task. Yet now, Song Jian had jumped straight to the title of viscount, which was simply unbelievable to others. In the city, you will have a mansion of three hundred acres, you will have the right to assemble your own private army, the number of which cannot exceed three hundred men. You can create your own family insignia, and Suravi was detailing to Song Jian his rights and responsibilities upon becoming a viscount. System: You have completed the third cycle of the epic task and have performed perfectly in the process, earning the praise of City Lord Lai Yin; System: The City Lord of the City of Sin, Lai Yin, has appointed you a viscount. You now have the title of Viscount. System: You have become the first player in the game to obtain a noble status, awarded a level up. A light radiated from Song Jian. He had just reached level 27 but now instantly advanced to level 28. The additional skill points were used on Broken Wing Dance. The fourth level of Broken Wing Dance significantly increased the damage, and the control range of the final strike also increased slightly. Conferring the viscount title was a very significant matter for the nobles of the City of Sin, and usually would require a grand ceremony. However, since the city lord was in ill health, a simple ceremony was chosen instead. The next day, Song Jian left the City Lord Mansion for his own estate. The epic-level mission had not ended. Although he had completed the third cycle, the fourth cycle had not yet begun. Song Jian could only wait patiently. The City of Sin was lively during the day, remaining unaffected by the combat that had taken place in the sky above the City Lord Mansion two days ago. The only difference was that there were more soldiers patrolling the streets than usual. Walking down the street, Song Jians first impression was that the city was incredibly crowded. Players typically didnt loaf about in the streets; most of them were out of the city, leveling up by battling monsters or going to the Mercenary Hall for quests. Even when they appeared in the streets, they would be hurrying to their destinations. The NPCs and the shops and stalls lining the street were more plentiful here. The noise of haggling, hawking, and soliciting was cacophonous, but it also gave a sense of peace when one was immersed in it. Many NPC adventurers in armor were arguing with the vendors, their faces turning red, yet once the transaction was completed, they embraced like old friends, patting each other on the back. This is almost like a real-world marketplace. Song Jian thought while walking and observing, No, its even livelier than a real-world marketplace. After all, in real-world markets, Song Jian had never seen members of the Alien Clan, Goblins, Beastmen, Half-beastmen, Jackalmen, or the Gill-faced Fishmen Clan. In this city, they were accepted just like humans. They werent discriminated against but rather welcomed for the unique resources their races bring. Song Jian saw a stall owned by a member of the Fishmen clan swarmed with people, as they vied for a fist-sized pearl. Esteemed god-favored one, is this your first time in the City of Sin? Song Jians relaxed and curious demeanor drew the attention of many, including a small boy with a pair of beast ears, who squeezed out from the crowd, bowed before Song Jian, and with a flattering smile, asked, Sir, do you need a guide? I grew up in the City of Sin and Im familiar with every inch of it. Plus, my rates are the cheapest. Do you know how to get to Champs Elysees Street? Song Jian asked. Champs Elysees Street? Of course, its the most famous street in the City of Sin. Those who live there are all of noble status! The small boy looked Song Jian up and down, responding with surprise. Whats your name? Song Jian questioned, eyeing the boys pair of beast ears. This was a human with Beastman lineage. These half-beastmen would often die prematurely if they were in other places. Humans rejected other races and saw these Beastman-blooded humans as monsters. In many places, Song Jian would rarely encounter members of the Alien Clan, just as in the City of Hymns. Suoen, my name is Suoen, sir! The boys heart lifted upon seeing he might get his chance at some business. Sir, it will only cost you twenty Doomsday Coins to hire me as your guide to Champs Elysees Street. I can assure you, I will take you there via the fastest route, Suoen confidently promised. Alright, Ill entrust you with that then. Song Jian nodded and smiled. A look of joy appeared on Suoens face as he led the way. After weaving through the crowded streets and even forcefully pushing away a couple of pickpockets approaching Song Jian, Suoen led him to a road crossing after half an hour. This location was much more tranquil compared to other places, but the surrounding streets were noticeably wider and the buildings were arranged more methodically, in stark contrast to the disordered and chaotic areas he had previously seen. Sir, this is Champs Elysees Street. If you follow this road, you will find the famous Mandel Auction House, Suoen replied regretfully. However, people of my status are not permitted to enter Champs Elysees Street. I can only take you this far. Song Jian nodded and handed him fifty Doomsday Coins. Suoen was a clever kid, and on the way there, he shared several rumors about the City of Sin. He seemed to know every bit of street gossip and even revealed to Song Jian several places frequently visited by players. What an interesting little fellow, Song Jian muttered under his breath. While watching Song Jian walk down Champs Elysees Street, Suoen held onto his fifty Doomsday Coins with a conflicted look on his face rather than leaving. After a pause, he suddenly ran toward Song Jian, calling out as he did. Sir, sir! Do you need a servant? I grew up in the City of Sin, and know it like the back of my hand. I can definitely be of help. Song Jian paused, turned around, and looked at the panting boy before him, a playful smile playing on his lips. Chapter 578 - Chapter 578: Chapter 578: The Fourth Ring Chapter 578: Chapter 578: The Fourth Ring Early in the morning, Song Jian pushed open the window of his bedroom, and fresh air washed over him. Before him lay a vast plaza, in the middle of which was a fountain gushing with clear water. Some servants had begun to clean the entire mansion early on. This was a manor spreading over three hundred acres; such manors were rare in the City of Sin, reserved only for those of high standing. I originally thought I would only get a normal residency, but I never expected to gain such a large place. This is almost as big as the land I own in Doomsday City! Song Jian stood on the castle, overlooking the entire manor as he reflected. Upon gazing at the estate, Song Jian felt a sudden impulse to relocate his safe house here. After all, the City of Sin is far safer than Doomsday City. After breakfast, Suoen approached Song Jian, holding a pile of magical materials. Suoen, now dressed in servant attire, respectfully said to Song Jian, Master, I have gathered all the materials you need. Song Jian had been in the City of Sin for almost a week. On the third day after acquiring this estate, City Lord Lein held a grand knighting ceremony for him. Everyone in the City of Sin knew that a new lord had been born. Suoen was ecstatic, and for several nights, his excitement had prevented him from getting a good nights sleep. He now acted as Song Jians attendant, serving a distinguished Viscount. Normally, he wouldnt even have the chance to approach such an influential character. It took Song Jian half a day to learn the Magic Rune Array skill from Qi Yun. Then, he began to set up a defensive magical array around his estate. The Magic array required numerous materials, some of which were even controlled supplies that ordinary supply stores did not sell. This was when Suoens local knowledge came in handy; being well-versed in the citys alleys, Suoen knew about almost every black market and underground trading area. It took Suoen only two days to purchase all the materials Song Jian needed. Song Jian was very pleased. He inspected the magical materials Suoen brought back. Soon, he nodded in satisfaction. The quality of these materials was good, entirely suitable for constructing a magical array that could defend the entire estate. Having left Doomsday City, Song Jian could not return for the time being. The concealment rings usage limit had already been depleted. If he wished to return, he would need to find a transfer gate that could bring him directly back to his safe house. This type of gate was typically set up by the game system, so encountering one relied on luck. Another method involved the Transmission Array to return to Doomsday City. However, the main problem was that Doomsday City did not have its own Transmission Array yet. So, for now, Song Jian had to purchase materials to build a Transmission Array in the City of Sin; then, he would have to figure out how to use the in-game mailing system to ask other guild members to build the Transmission Array. The materials required for the Transmission Array are all controlled materials! Song Jian shook his head. He had once asked Annie of the Silver Moon Commerce from the City of Hymns to purchase these materials, but ultimately, she did not succeed. The Transmission Array and the Magic Tower were the special buildings required to upgrade a safe house to a city. Without the Transmission Array, the safe house could not be upgraded to a city. Suoen, heres a list. I want you to buy the materials on it. Remember, even if it costs a lot or takes a long time, the most important thing is to keep it a secret! Song Jian handed Suoen a list of materials needed for the transmission array and said solemnly. Taking the list, Suoen glanced at it. Astonishment flashed across his face, but he didnt ask any questions and only safely put the list away. He said, Master, rest assured, as long as these materials can be found in the City of Sin, I will buy them all. Ill be discreet! Song Jian nodded and said, These are materials for building a transmission array; they are all strictly controlled. You have to be careful! Despite his young age, Suoen was well experienced in dealing with such matters, so Song Jian didnt need to worry for him. Soon, Suoen left the manor with the money Song Jian gave him. Im currently at level 28. Just two levels to go before I reach level 30, at which point I can wear the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set. At that time, I can challenge the first-tier Combat Power! Song Jian contemplated. At the thought of the Ant King Ancestor Set, Song Jian was filled with anticipation. This was an epic level set, and wearing it would significantly improve his abilities. Taken by this thought, Song Jian was eagerly considering heading out of the city to hunt monsters and level up. Suddenly, a servant entered the room and bowed, saying, Sir, a lady named Anna is here to meet you! Anna? Song Jian was taken aback, then promptly responded, Please let her in. Before long, Anna, dressed in a white dress, came in. Seeing Song Jian, a smile spread across her face, Song Jian, are you settling in well here? Im fine, thank you for your concern! Song Jian bowed his head. Ever since he moved into the Viscounts mansion, he hadnt had any contact with Anna. However, he still paid attention to her whereabouts as the epic level quest on his plate was closely related to her. Ever since all of City Lord Lai Yins children were killed by the Blood Queen, Anna had moved into the City Lord Mansion. It also seemed like Anna had not yet disclosed her job class as a Life Priest. I came here because I have something that requires your help, Anna got straight to the point. Song Jian felt a stirring in his chest. It seemed like the fourth phase of the epic quest was about to begin. Seeing Annas hopeful expression, Song Jian quickly nodded, No problem. Ive been looking for something to do. Anna clapped her hands to her chest in relief, I was worried that you might be too busy after becoming a Viscount. With your help, I feel so much more assured. What is the problem? Can you explain the situation to me first? Song Jian asked. This time, its about my profession advancement. I need to gather a Bloodline Vine flower from the Mysterious Garden. With the Bloodline Vine flower, I can use the power of the Goblet of Life to improve my constitution and breakthrough to the next realm! Anna said solemnly. Mysterious Garden? Song Jians brows furrowed. The name was strange and unfamiliar to him. He had never heard of it before. The Mysterious Garden is a secret location not far from the City of Sin, located in a valley of Thunder Beast Mountain. However, it lies within the territorial reach of the Minotaur Black Hoof Tribe. These beastmen are very wary of humans, we need to approach with caution, Anna explained. System: Anna has issued the fourth phase of the epic quest to you: Gather Bloodline Vine Flowers. Do you accept? A secret location? The Black Hoof Tribe? I might even run into an old friend, Song Jian smiled, No problem, Anna. Im ready to leave anytime and accompany you to the Mysterious Garden at Thunder Beast Mountain. Chapter 579 - Chapter 579: Chapter 579: Thief Chapter 579: Chapter 579: Thief It was said that the Mysterious Garden was a place created by a research institution prior to Doomsday. They had accidentally discovered a particular plant, capable of extracting a substance from it that could delay aging, hence, it resembled a laboratory. In addition to studying this plant, they also cultivated many rare plants for research. After Doomsday, this place gradually fell into disrepair and turned into a secret realm of the 30th level where many plants became aggressive. Anyone who trespassed here would be attacked by them. The most significant thing was that this secret garden was very discreet, and its information was deliberately concealed. Even players born in the City of Sin were rarely aware of it. From Anna, Song Jian learned that the level of this secret garden was far lower than that of the Dark Castle. It was merely a small three-person dungeon, without any first-order combat creatures inside, so Song Jian was quite at ease accompanying Anna there. After all, with Song Jians current strength, unless assisted by someone else, when facing a creature of first-order combat power, once the duration of his Immortal Sword Body expired, he would be suppressed on all sides and could only escape. Now, with the assistance of Anna, a Life Priest, Song Jian believed that just the two of them could clear the entire dungeon. After a brief preparation, Song Jian and Anna set off towards the secret garden. Although the difficulty of this secret realm is not high, it takes some effort to approach it, Anna explained to Song Jian: It lies within the territory of the Blackhoof Tribe of the Tauren Tribe, which is very watchful against humans. We must sneak in during the night The two rode on their warhorses for a day, arriving at a mountain range by dusk, densely covered with towering trees, resembling an untouched primordial forest. Since leaving Doomsday City, Song Jian had passed through a vast desert and few green plants. The crops outside the City of Sin had already astounded Song Jian, let alone the existence of such a large primordial forest here. The Thunder Beast Mountain is ahead, and beyond that lies the territory of the Blackhoof Tribe. You guys should go back and inform my uncle that we will return in about three to five days. Anna handed the reins of her warhorse to her guards. Besides Song Jian and Anna, three guards from the City Lord Mansion also accompanied them. Although they were elite, they were of little use in getting into the Mysterious Garden. They had now completed their task of escorting Anna to Thunder Beast Mountain. Miss, Sir Song, be careful! A middle-aged man in armor took the reins of the two warhorses. I wish Miss and Sir Song triumph! The guards pounded their chests with their right hands, saluted, and shouted loudly to them. Watching the three leave, Song Jian said to Anna: How about we rest here for the night and climb the Thunder Beast Mountain tomorrow? Anna shook her head: We need to sneak in during the night when the Taurens are not paying attention so we can get into the Mysterious Garden. There are too many Taurens nearby during the day. Song Jian nodded, wondering if Kane had returned to the Blackhoof Tribe after their separation and whether he had become the chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe with the help of the Totem Pillar. If they rashly visited and found that Kane hadnt returned, or failed to seize the chieftain position, wouldnt it be awkward? The night in the forest was not quiet. This was when many wild beasts came out for hunting. Song Jian saw a black panther that was five or six meters long perching on a big tree, staring at them with its emerald green eyes. A giant snake as thick as a water bucket and tens of meters long slithered past them. The wild beasts in this forest were all no lower than the 25th level. The level of the black panther and the giant snake he saw earlier were even at the 30th level which was higher than Song Jians level. This area belonged to the high-level monster zone, which the players hadnt dared to venture into yet because their levels were still low. But as the players levels grew higher, whether this original forest on Thunder Beast Mountain could be preserved was uncertain. Strange, why dont the wild beasts in this area attack us? Song Jian was somewhat puzzled along the way. The names of the wild beasts in this forest were all red, which meant they were creatures that launched attacks actively. Once anyone entered their alert range, they would launch an attack. However, Song Jian and Anna didnt intentionally avoid them, but the beasts did not launch an attack even when they noticed the two of them. This is my passive ability taking effect, Life Affinity! Anna laughed: No living creature will attack me on its own. Song Jian was stunned, taking a sharp intake of breath. This passive ability is too powerful. Why did his Sword Controller seem so weak compared to this epic profession? Compared to this Life Priest, my Sword Controller profession is so shabby that its embarrassing to mention! Song Jian thought, shaking his head. The two walked for most of the night and finally arrived at a valley. Anna pointed to the valley ahead and said: The entrance to the Mysterious Garden is in that valley. Look at the place with the burning torches, thats the Blackhoof Tribe Song Jian looked ahead. Around 500 meters away from them was a sunken area. Looking into it from the entrance, the valley was bald without any plants. This was in sharp contrast to the luxuriant forest around it, as if someone had plucked out a patch of the forest. In more than an hour, it will be dawn. This is the perfect time for us to enter the Mysterious Garden! Anna said, showing a trace of fatigue on her face. After walking one night in Thunder Beast Mountain, even without the disturbance of wild beasts, they had expended a lot of energy, even Song Jian felt some fatigue, not to mention Anna, a young girl. Just as the two were preparing to move towards the valley, a frightened cry for help suddenly came from a distance. Following that, a small, thin figure ran towards them in panic. He looked a little ragged, as if he had been greatly frightened. Player? Song Jian looked at the mans face and then glanced at the top of his head. The mans information wasnt hidden, which meant he was a player. Ye Tong, Level 25, Thief, Vitality Points: 1100/1100, Spirit Points: 300/300 Hes a Gods Chosen! Anna murmured. NPCs couldnt see a players information, but Anna obviously had her own way to identify them. Song Jian frowned slightly, summoned his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and assumed a defensive posture. He originally thought that no player would appear on Thunder Beast Mountain, but unexpectedly, he encountered a player being chased here. Meanwhile, Ye Tong, who was being pursued by something at the moment, was running for his life in terror. Upon seeing Song Jian and Anna, a gleam of joy flashed across his face, and he hurried towards them. Chapter 580 - Chapter 580: Chapter 580: Life Chain Chapter 580: Chapter 580: Life Chain Seeing Song Jian, Ye Tongs face lit up with joy. Although the information above Song Jians head was all hidden, she immediately recognized him as a player. Hey, brother, help, save me! Ye Tong shouted as she ran. Players in the game were a strange group. They could easily become enemies over a piece of equipment, but when in danger, they would ask the nearest player for help, even if they hadnt met before. This phenomenon seemed odd to NPC adventurers in the game, but not to players. As a rogue, Ye Tong came to the Blackhoof Tribe to complete a mission but was discovered by the tribe members during the mission and had been pursued until now. My level is still too low. If I were two levels higher, I wouldnt have alerted anyone when leaving, Ye Tong thought with some regret. This mission was important to her and couldnt be easily given up. Seeing Song Jian, she saw her last straw and hurried towards him without hesitation. Song Jians face darkened. He and Anna originally came here to quietly enter the Mysterious Garden dungeon without alerting the Blackhoof Tribe, but now their whereabouts were likely exposed, and it became doubtful whether they could enter the Mysterious Garden. As for Ye Tong, although she was also a player and a female player at that, Song Jian didnt trust her easily. He had seen several instances of people bringing trouble upon others and then slipping away. More importantly, Anna, a Life Priest, had weak combat capabilities, and he had to ensure her safety. Ye Tong saw that Song Jian only had a guarded expression and didnt come forward to help, which made her feel disappointed and lost. But this was her only chance of survival, so she stumbled and gasped for breath as she ran towards Song Jian. Song Jian stared at her with his longsword tightly held in his hand, protecting Anna behind him, without obstructing her actions. This gave Ye Tong a slight hope, and she ran faster. Be careful, there are beasts chasing me! Ye Tong whispered. Afterward, a loud roar was heard from the depths of the dense forest behind her. It was full of dominance, like the king of beasts, almost shattering the air. The strong energy swept the forest ahead, and all the trees seemed like they were about to be crushed. Song Jian gave Ye Tong a cold stare, aware of her malicious intentions, but now that he was involved, he had no choice but to confront the enemy. Im s-sorry, I had no choice Ye Tong stood a few meters away from Song Jian, panting heavily, with her hands on her knees. She knew she had done something inappropriate and gave Song Jian an embarrassed smile. At that moment, three huge black tigers emerged from the woods, each seven or eight meters long. Their massive claws gripped the ground as they encircled the group in an arc formation. Their eyes glinted with bloodlust, and they wore vicious expressions, even when facing Anna. Theyve been controlled. My passive ability is useless against them, Anna said, her face pale. The three black tigers put tremendous pressure on her, reminding her of the Shadow Teeth she had encountered before in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. This thief even brought two helpers! Tuya, go inform the chief, Ill hold them off! a deep voice rang out, and soon after, two burly Tauren emerged from the dense forest. What did you steal from them? Song Jian grabbed the retreating Ye Tong and stared into her eyes. Its my mission item! Ye Tong struggled but couldnt break free from Song Jians grip. How could his strength overpower mine? Ye Tong thought. As a rogue, her main attribute was agility, but close combat professions would also add some strength. Ye Tong had obtained two Strength Fruits and one potential crystal, and with her equipment, her strength had exceeded thirty points. His strength must be at least forty-five points, or even higher! Ye Tong guessed. Is your life important, or is the mission item important? Song Jian retorted. If you block them for me, Ill split the mission reward with you! Ye Tong clenched her teeth. Ill say it again, hand over the mission item, or Ill throw you to those beasts! Song Jian said impatiently. Ye Tong narrowed her eyes, and a snake-blade dagger appeared in her right hand. You forced me into this, Ye Tong gritted her teeth and thrust the dagger towards Song Jians chest. Humph, na?ve! Song Jian snorted coldly, grabbed Ye Tong by the collar, and with a terrifying burst of strength, lifted her up and threw her violently onto a nearby tree. Ye Tong flew through the air like a stone towards a tree, but at the last moment, she managed to control her body, performed a mid-air flip, and landed firmly on a tree branch. Hey, thanks for the help, brother! Ye Tong gave Song Jian a triumphant smile and a flying kiss before turning to leave. Song Jians attack hadnt harmed her but indirectly helped her escape. Not good! Song Jians face darkened. If Ye Tong escaped, he and Anna would face the wrath of the Blackhoof Tribe. Even if Kane had become the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe, he couldnt explain away aiding Ye Tongs escape. Life Chain! Anna raised her hand, and a milky white chain shot towards Ye Tong. Ye Tong paled and suddenly emitted a puff of black smoke that enveloped her body, making her disappear. She had been saving this powerful invisibility skill for a while but hadnt used it because the beasts could still detect her using their sense of smell. After turning invisible, Ye Tongs speed was reduced by 40%. As she took a step to run, the white chain curved in mid-air and wrapped around an empty space. Slowly, Ye Tong reappeared, her entire body bound by the milky white chain, unable to move. How did you find me? Ye Tong looked at Anna with an incredulous expression on her face. Chapter 581 - Chapter 581: Chapter 581: Meeting Kane Again Chapter 581: Chapter 581: Meeting Kane Again Anna flashed a slight smile and pulled her right hand with force. Ye Tong involuntarily flew in the direction of Song Jian, her entire body now out of her control. With Annas Life Chain, as long as it locks onto a target that possesses vital life force, it can automatically track and bind them, no matter where Ye Tong hides, as long as they are within a certain range. Take out the item, or we will hand you over to them! Song Jians face turned ugly, he threateningly said to Ye Tong, who had almost managed to escape due to his lapse in judgment, almost making him and Anna scapegoats for her actions. But that is my quest item! Ye Tong protested, but when she saw the three black tigers and the robust Minotaur, she finally admitted defeat: If you keep binding me like this, how can I retrieve it? Wont you let me go? Song Jian glanced at Anna, he was a bit concerned. If they released Ye Tong, she might take the chance to escape; No problem, if she runs again, I can just bind her back! Anna confidently assured. Song Jian gave a slight smile and nodded his head. At Annas thought, the chains binding Ye Tong suddenly transformed into a radiant white light, vanishing into thin air. Ye Tong gave Anna a curious look, then turned to Song Jian enviously: You are really lucky to have recruited such a formidable Follower. Cut the crap and hand over the item! Song Jian retorted impatiently. Fine, Im giving it to you, no need to be so fierce! From her belongings, Ye Tong took out a stone carving and handed it to Song Jian. Song Jian accepted the carving and saw it was a well-crafted stone statue of a Minotaur. The Minotaur was depicted wearing simple clothes, one hand held behind his back, the other molded into a knife shape. The sculpture was brought to life with such detail that even the prideful expression of the Minotaur seemed lifelike, as if nothing in the world could faze him. Upon holding the carving, Song Jian discovered it had no special attributes, just a simple item. But if it were merely a trinket, the Blackhoof Tribe wouldnt have guarded it so strictly. After Ye Tong stole it, they quickly noticed it was missing and sent two experts to pursue. This is the statue of our Blackhoof Tribes ancestor, give it back to us! The remaining sturdy Minotaur watched Song Jian vigilantly, his eyes occasionally glancing at the stone carving in Song Jians hand, the Minotaur appeared very tense. Hey, now that Ive given the item back to you, I can leave, right? Ye Tong glared at Song Jian and hollered loudly. After handing over the item, Ye Tongs mission was directly flagged as a failure, which irritated her, but she was helpless. Fine, you can go now. Song Jian waved a hand dismissively at Ye Tong, appearing impatient. Hmph, Ill remember this! Ye Tong rolled her eyes at Song Jian, activated her Acceleration Skill, and quickly disappeared into the jungle. Just then, a deep drum beat suddenly echoed from the direction of the Blackhoof Tribe. Thud, thud, thud. The low and rapid drum beats made ones heartbeat follow its rhythm involuntarily. Upon hearing the drumbeats, the Minotaur who was keeping an eye on Song Jian and Anna showed a hint of joy. The three black tigers also began roaring towards the sky in unison. The tigers roar echoed throughout the forest, causing all the surrounding animals to flee in alarm. Who dares to steal from the Blackhoof Tribes territory! A loud roar echoed, and a group of Minotaur warriors in leather armor emerged from the woods. The Minotaur in the lead appeared especially robust, towering over the others. Over his shoulder, he carried a massive stone pillar. Kane, do you remember me? Upon seeing the Minotaur leading the group, Song Jians face lit up with joy as he hurriedly shouted. Song Jian, is that you? Kane looked startled for a moment, but then recognized Song Jians voice and burst into loud laughter, striding towards Song Jian and Anna. My friend, have you come to visit me? It excited Kane to see Song Jian, and he enthusiastically hugged Song Jian, patting him on the back and saying, You said you would come to see me. I knew you would keep your word! Song Jian was a bit embarrassed; he hadnt intended to visit Kane on this trip. He didnt even know if Kane had become the Chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe, so how could he visit recklessly. Chief, he is with the woman who stole our sacred object! A young Minotaur whispered into Kanes ear. Nonsense, Song Jian is my friend, my benefactor. He rescued me from the Dark Castle of the Shadow Giant Dragon, and also helped me retrieve the tribes Totem Pillar! How could he possibly be with our enemy? Kane released Song Jian, glared back with his bulging ox eyes, and scolded. Kane, its true, I dont know that woman. However, I have retrieved the item she stole. Song Jian explained, at the same time he handed the Minotaur stone carving to Kane. Kane held the stone carving above his head with both hands and shouted, See this! My friend Song Jian has retrieved our sacred item for us! ROAR~ All of the Minotaurs shouted as they held their weapons high. Song Jian, come on, lets return to the Blackhoof Tribe, and well celebrate! Kane slapped Song Jian on the shoulder, his face beaming with smiles. It was almost dawn by the time Song Jian had followed Kane back to the Blackhoof Tribe. And he was directly led to the tribal square where Kane lit up a three-meter tall bonfire. He hosted a grand welcome celebration for Song Jian. Goblets of wine were raised, huge mouthfuls of meat were ingested. Horns and war drums sounded together, accompanied by earth-shaking songs. Dozens of Minotaurs danced around the bonfire, performing a unique tribal dance. The celebration lasted for over three hours. Song Jian drank until he passed out and was carried into a tent. All Anna could do, with a helpless look on her face, was to stay at his side and take care of him. By the time Song Jian woke up, it was already late afternoon. Noticing Anna, who had been by his side the whole time, Song Jian felt a pang of guilt and immediately apologized: Anna, Im sorry for the delay weve caused going to the Mysterious Garden. Anna cuts him off, shaking her head: I didnt expect you to be friends with the Chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe. If we had known, we wouldnt have had to sneak in. I met Kane in the Dark Castle. Back then, he wasnt the Chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe yet. After obtaining the Goblet of Life, we parted ways, and I was not informed of his latest situation At this moment, Kanes voice echoed from outside the tent: Song Jian, are you awake? Song Jian quickly got up and called out, Im awake, come in! The tent curtains lifted, and Kane entered. Seeing Song Jian, Kane couldnt hide his delight. He said to Song Jian, Song Jian, you have come at a great time. Today is the day of our Blackhoof Tribes ritual ceremony. During the ceremony, the young people of the tribe will have the chance to understand their natural talents. For this ceremony, I want to invite you to take part. At that time, lets see if you can win the favor of the ancestors of our Blackhoof Tribe! Chapter 582 - Chapter 582: Chapter 582: The Existence of Mother Earth Chapter 582: Chapter 582: The Existence of Mother Earth By the time evening arrived, the Blackhoof Tribe was bustling with more people than yesterday when Song Jian was welcomed; for today was the annual sacrificial ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe. The young minotaurs of the tribe had been preparing their bodies and minds at home, hoping for the blessings of their ancestors and the chance to acquire better skills through the sacrificial ceremony. Xerxes was one of the most outstanding warriors in the Blackhoof Tribe. He had spent a month alone in Thunder Beast Mountain to train before the sacrificial ceremony, only returning to the tribe three days ago. Once he returned, he locked himself in his room, refusing to talk to anyone as he tuned his body and mind to its peak condition. The more robust the body and spirit, the longer one can withstand the test, the higher the chance of acquiring a superior skill! This time, I must get an epic-level skill. It would be perfect if I could obtain the War Stomp skill, Xerxes contemplated as he sat, adjusting his breathing. As he was thinking, suddenly there was a knocking sound at his door. Before Xerxes could answer, the door was banged open, and a young minotaur with wide shoulders and a massive physique, albeit with a slightly childish face, barged in. Xerxes, the sacrificial ceremony is about to begin, why arent you getting ready? Im almost dying of anxiety! The moment he entered, the young minotaur sat on the stone chair, grabbed a piece of cold roast meat from the table, and started eating. Like a solid tower, the young minotaur sat down, and the stone chair creaked as it endured his weight. Kalu, when will you stop being so impulsive? Luckily I sensed it was you before you walked in. Otherwise, you might have been a corpse by now Xerxes released a puff of white air, which remained suspended like an arrow after shooting more than a foot from his mouth. He glanced at the young minotaur sitting on the stone chair and sighed slightly. Hey, of course, I knew you would recognise me, Xerxes. I wouldnt do this in anyone elses house Kalu replied nonchalantly. Kalu, hows your training with the Powerful Bull Demon Fist that I taught you last time? Xerxes stood up slowly, his muscular upper body naked. His body was not as robust as Kalus, but it was well-proportioned, full of explosive power. If Kalus body was an unrefined iron ingot, then Xerxess body was already a piece of fine steel. Elder brother Xerxes, that Boxing seems great, but its not very powerful. You said there was a current in my body, but I cant feel it Kalu scratched his head, showing a worried expression. You fool, this boxing practice is not for fighting. Its to refine your spirit and harmonize it with your body. In the future, with each punch you throw, you can utilise 100% of your power without hurting your body Xerxes shook his head, showing a slightly exasperated expression as he looked at Kalu. Kalu was Xerxes cousin and has been following him since childhood. He is Xerxes most loyal follower. By the way, Xerxes, this time, the chief invited a human to attend our sacrificial ceremony. Many in the tribe object, but the chief insists, even the elders cant convince him. Kalu suddenly mentioned. A human? Xerxes frowned, thought for a while, and then said, I read in our tribes records that, hundreds of years ago, our Blackhoof Tribe was the most prosperous among the tribes on Thunder Beast Mountain, with a population of over ten thousand. We not only invited humans to our sacrificial ceremony but also many other allied races. However, after the war that nearly wiped out our tribe, this tradition stopped What? Other races were invited to our sacrificial ceremony? Kalu looked surprised and dubious. Xerxes shook his head. He knew Kalu would prefer fighting a beast over surveying the tribes records. Talking to him about it was really a pointless endeavour. Xerxes patted Kalus shoulder and said, You look so eager. Lets go and attend the tribal sacrificial ceremony. Besides, I want others to know that not just anyone could attend the Blackhoof Tribes sacrificial ceremony hundreds of years ago! The sacrificial ceremony was a tradition of the Blackhoof Tribe and deemed a very important event. Even during the tribal war hundreds of years ago, the tradition was never discontinued. This was a source of immense pride and considered sacred by the minotaurs of the Blackhoof Tribe. In Xerxes view, even if Kane was the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe, he wouldnt dare to desecrate this sacred tradition in the hearts of his tribesmen. If you insist on inviting a human to participate in the sacrificial ceremony of our Blackhoof Tribe, then I will challenge him according to tradition, to see if he is worthy of receiving the blessings of our minotaur ancestors, Xerxes thought to himself. The now hungover Song Jian was unaware of the pressure Kane was under to allow him to participate in the sacrificial ceremony. After quickly freshening up, he sat cross-legged on the ground, adjusting his body state, as per Kanes instruction. You need to sense the existence of the Mother Earth and appreciate her gifts! Thats why you should sit on the ground, Kane had advised before leaving. Song Jian, do you feel the presence of Mother Earth? Anna sat on a stone chair and curiously asked Song Jian, who seemed no different from someone fast asleep. No, but I can feel the presence of the god of sleep. Im so sleepy! Song Jian yawned, rubbing the corners of his eyes, looking like he had just woken up. He had not slept all night and had been drunk and carried back in the early hours of the morning. He had barely woken up before he was roused by Kane to prepare for the sacrificial ceremony. If not for the fact that this was a game world, Song Jian would have collapsed. I wonder what the sacrificial ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe looks like. Theyve always been very secretive, isolated from the world, and rarely interact with other races Anna played with the Goblet of Life, speaking in a low voice. Song Jian glanced at Anna. Since becoming a Life Priest, she was softer, but her equipment was quite ordinary, usually just the Goblet of Life. I need to get Anna some equipment when I have a chance Song Jian thought to himself. At that moment, Kane walked in looking a bit worried, The sacrificial ceremony is about to start, Song Jian, lets go. Chapter 583 - Chapter 583: Chapter 583: Bull Head Man Language Chapter 583: Chapter 583: Bull Head Man Language The Ritual Ceremony is the most sacred ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe, and only invited guests can participate. Anna can only stay in her room until the ceremony is over. As they walked, Kane explained some matters of attention to Song Jian; Finally, after a moment of hesitation, Kane said to Song Jian, During the Ritual Ceremony, you may be challenged by warriors from the tribe during the ancestors protection segment. You need to be prepared! The Ritual Ceremony consists of many steps and rituals that elicit the talent skills of each young Tauren warrior, particularly in the final ancestors protection segment. In the past, being invited to participate in the Ritual Ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe was considered the highest honor among other races. Moreover, each participating non-tribal person was also an elite member of their respective race. Facing the challenge of the young Blackhoof Tribe warrior in the ancestors protection segment was an essential part of the ceremony. If you could successfully defeat the challenger, you would naturally continue to participate in the ancestors protection ritual, and you might even gain a valuable talent skill. However, if you failed, it would mean that you were not the best, and naturally, you would not be able to continue with the ancestors protection segment. Song Jians heart sank, but he soon realized that this must be a test, just like defeating a boss in a game. In order to obtain good equipment dropped by the boss, you must first kill the boss. There must be a proportional relationship between the harvest and the difficulty, otherwise, the game would not allow Song Jian to gain an opportunity to increase his talent skills easily. This was a talent skill, after all, something that each person would only acquire when entering the game. Some players didnt even have a talent skill after birth, and only obtained one after reaching level 10 and gaining a profession. Therefore, talent skills were much more valuable than other ordinary skills; No problem, Kane. I am willing to accept anyones challenge! Song Jian laughed. Kane nodded. He was well aware of Song Jians strength. Anyone who could fight the Shadow Giant Dragon for a few minutes, not to mention the young Tauren warriors of the Blackhoof Tribe, even an empowered Kane himself would not be confident that he could definitely defeat Song Jian. Thunder Beast Mountain, the Blackhoof Tribe; Atop Mount Dagogya All the important figures of the Blackhoof Tribe were gathered here. Standing in front of the crowd was the tall figure of Kane, the chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe and now the strongest in the tribe. Even the Blackhoof Tribes sacred relic C the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar C had already recognized him as its master. He looked around and nodded, announcing, It seems that everyone has arrived. So, I hereby declare the Blackhoof Ritual Ceremony to begin now! Boom, boom, boom~ War drums were struck. At first, only one person was drumming vigorously. Soon, another person joined, and two war drums were struck simultaneously. Before long, there were three, four, ten, and finally, a total of thirteen war drums were struck at the same time. Xerxes, who was standing amidst the crowd, stared at the drummers and sighed in his heart; The tribal chronicles once recorded that at the height of the Blackhoof Tribes power, during the Ritual Ceremony, more than a thousand war drums were struck simultaneously. Someday, under my leadership, the Blackhoof Tribe will definitely return to the glory of our past! Xerxes clenched his fists and swore in his heart. A bleak song echoed on Mount Dagogya, resonating across the mountain. The song was mournful and sad, like a mothers lament, making every member of the Blackhoof Tribe feel a pang in their heart. The song was initiated by a few elders of the tribe. Soon afterward, Kane loosened his throat and joined in. In no time, all the members of the Blackhoof Tribe who were standing on Mount Dagogya began to sing together; Song Jian felt a bit embarrassed as everyone else around him was singing, and he was the only one who hadnt opened his mouth. However, the melody and lyrics of the song were quite simple, and it kept looping as it was sung. Song Jian listened to it two or three times and had already memorized it. When the song came around for the fourth time, he joined in quietly. At first, Song Jian was merely imitating. As time went by, however, his voice grew louder. As it blended with the surrounding sounds, he became immersed in a mysterious state. Although he initially didnt know the meaning of the lyrics, somehow, after a while, the meaning of the entire song manifested itself in Song Jians mind. Humility, bravery, honor! Mother Earth watches over you! Our tribe has faced numerous disasters, Struggling at the edge of death and destruction. The cries of children, the sighs of the elderly, tears in the eyes of our sisters all fill me with shame! The roar of beasts, the laughter of enemies, and the corpses of our companions lie before my eyes! Warriors of the Blackhoof Tribe, remember every night of the battle to eliminate our race! Do not forget the shame of our ancestors, do not let that night descend upon us again! Mother Earth watches over us! Song Jian sang this ancient song over and over again, not even knowing when the lyrics had become deeply engraved in his mind. By the time the drums stopped, Song Jian suddenly realized that, like the other Tauren, he was already in tears. System: You have learned Tauren language! A simple prompt appeared in the system bar, but it brought Song Jian an exhilarating feeling. It should be noted that in the game, all races communicate with players using a universal language. However, each race actually has its own unique language. If you dont understand the language of a race, many things you may obtain cannot be used, including but not limited to various racial skills, racial recipes, and racial blueprints. One can say that from now on, the Tauren race would have no secrets left for Song Jian. Song Jian didnt know if it was just his imagination, but after the song had ended, the eyes of the Tauren around him seemed to have softened quite a bit, even Kane was showing him a gratified smile. Each phase of the Ritual Ceremony unfolded, paying tribute to the ancestors and the tribe members who had died in wars. This continued for a long time, until late at night, when the full moon rose above them. Finally, the last part of the ceremony arrived C the Ancestors Blessing, for unlocking talent skills. At this moment, all the young Tauren under the age of thirty stood up excitedly. A dozen arm-thick stone pillars slowly rose atop Mount Dagogya. Some pillars had stone-carved Tauren statues displayed on them, while others were bare, displaying nothing. Song Jian glanced and saw that the empty pillars and those with stone statues were about half-and-half. The stolen statue he had retrieved from the thief earlier was placed on one of the pillars. Choose the ancestor you worship and pray to them devoutly. If the ancestor acknowledges you, you can unlock your talent skill under their blessing! Kane shouted at the young Tauren. The young Tauren began to walk towards the pillars with statues, gathering around them. Kane motioned for Song Jian to follow. As he was about to step forward, a voice suddenly called out. Wait, chieftain! According to the customs of our tribe, I want to challenge this human participating in the Ritual Ceremony! Xerxes stepped out from the crowd, his eyes firm as he looked at Song Jian standing beside Kane. Chapter 584 - Chapter 584: Chapter 584: Challenge Chapter 584: Chapter 584: Challenge During the sacrificial ceremony, challenging other racial elites who were invited was a tradition of the Blackhoof Tribe, as well as a means for the tribe to showcase its strength to the outside world. Elites from other races could refuse the challenge, but by refusing, they would automatically lose the qualification to participate in the upcoming ceremony. Facing Xerxes challenge, Song Jian stepped forward and shouted loudly, I accept the challenge! In response to Xerxes challenge and Song Jians acceptance, all members of the Blackhoof Tribe let out a unanimous cheera show of appreciation and support for both Xerxes and Song Jian. Xerxes pulled out a pair of metal gauntlets from his chest and wore them on his hands. The gauntlets surface was built from countless metal scales, resembling snake scales. On the knuckles of the gauntlets, there were wild beast fangs inlaid and protruding outward, looking extra ferocious. Song Jian squinted. The surface of Xerxes gauntlets emitted a dark gold glow, indicating they were Dark Gold Quality weapons. In terms of grade, they were not much different from his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a thought, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. The two of them faced each other, their auras constantly building and the battle ready to ignite. Be careful! Xerxes shouted in a low voice, his gauntlet-covered fist striking down towards Song Jian. The fangs on his gauntlet shimmered with cold light, closing in on Song Jians face in an instant. So fast! Song Jian was startled. Even though Xerxes was a few levels lower than him, only level 26, he felt Xerxes was even stronger than a level 30 elite. Song Jian brandished his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword to block Xerxes punch, then took the opportunity to thrust his sword forward at Xerxes neck. Xerxes body was like a python, swaying gently, barely dodging yet giving Song Jian an intense sense of danger. The sword in his hand was less than three centimeters away from Xerxes neck. With a slight extension, it could penetrate through his throat. However, Song Jian retreated hastily with a look of surprise on his face, as if he wasnt about to pierce Xerxes but rather Xerxes was stabbing towards his throat. In the blink of an eye, Xerxes let out a growl, and a strong surge of energy suddenly erupted from his body. The surrounding air burst into a thunderous roar, and the solid rocks beneath their feet trembled violently. Many places cracked open, revealing finger-width fissures. Seeing Song Jian evade in time, Xerxes also revealed a moment of surprise in his eyes. Song Jians sensitivity to danger had exceeded Xerxes expectations. With a twist of his body, Xerxes leaped into the air. The momentum between his fists was like a hurricane, emitting a piercing scream. A tremendous force burst out from Xerxes fists, like a mountain pressing down, rushing towards Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! A dazzling Sword Qi blossomed from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Facing Xerxes, Song Jian fiercely slashed towards the sky. For a moment, the two of them exchanged blows, the sound of intense clashes occasionally erupting like thunder on the peak of Mount Dagoa. It didnt take long for them to exchange dozens of moves, with the battle reaching its boiling point. The unrestrained Sword Qi and surging fist force forced the onlookers to retreat three or four meters away. The fierce battle between the two men stirred the blood of the young minotaurs all around, who couldnt help but cheer excitedly, clapping their hands. Kalu was left dumbfounded. Its the first time Ive seen Xerxes unleash his full strength Kalu stared intently at the battling duo, his eyes filled with admiration for Song Jian. Xerxes was the most formidable among the young minotaurs and was heralded as the Blackhoof Tribes most promising young warrior. Minotaur warriors of his age could hardly put up a fight against him. Kalu hadnt seen Xerxes unleash his full power in a long time. To be able to fight like this with Xerxes, the strength of this human is not to be underestimated! An elderly minotaur next to Kane, leaning on a cane, remarked solemnly. The old minotaur was an elder of the Blackhoof Tribe who had been strongly opposed to Song Jian participating in the sacrificial ceremony. Now that he had seen Song Jians strength, he had come to acknowledge and accept Song Jians abilities. Kane remained silent, enjoying the show of the two warriors. Although they seemed to be fighting fiercely, Song Jian had not yet unleashed his full strength. At least, he had not used the power that could double his abilities and directly compete with the Shadow Giant Dragon. If Song Jian were to unleash his full power, Xerxes would not stand a chance against him. After another exchange, Song Jian and Xerxes were separated by a distance of three to four meters, standing face to face. I can feel that youre still holding back. Next, I will unleash my strongest move. If you can withstand it, I will admit that you have the qualification to participate in the upcoming sacrificial ceremony! Xerxes stared into Song Jians eyes, speaking word by word. Xerxes could clearly sense that Song Jian had not given it his all, which was something he found hard to accept. While Song Jians strength was indeed high, the gap between them should not be so vast. Song Jian smiled slightly and held his sword across his chest, saying to Xerxes, Come on. Xerxes hands spread open in front of him like claws, ready to pounce like a ferocious beast. His lower body stood firm, his upper body leaned forward, and his waist slightly swaying, exuding a violent, bloodthirsty air. Tiger Demon Fist! Xerxes let out a roar akin to a tigers growl, the air trembling in response. In an instant, he transformed into a terrifying whirlwind, swirling around his body. Song Jian suddenly saw a blur before his eyes. The next moment, he felt a violent pain in his abdomen. As the pang of pain crept up his chest, it felt as if he had been bitten by a wild beast. Xerxes figure turned into a terrifying tornado, and Song Jians eyes couldnt even capture his movements. He could only passively endure the onslaught of attacks. One punch, two punches, three punches Song Jian was battered around like a human punching bag, without any room for retaliation. The young minotaur observers erupted in exultant roars, their excitement palpable. Song Jian was hit by several heavy punches, his Vitality Points dropping by a third. Xerxes speed was too fast for the naked eye to catch, making it seemingly impossible for a level 26 Minotaur warrior to bear. He wont be able to hold on for much longer! Song Jians eyes narrowed, and his sword started to move automatically in his hand. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Clang! Clang! Clang! A series of crisp collision sounds rang out as countless sparks exploded around Song Jians body. Each burst of sparks was the result of a collision between Xerxes metal gauntlets and the sword. With the seemingly slow yet swift Tai Chi Sword Skill, Song Jian blocked almost all of Xerxes attacks. Despite a few punches slipping through, their damage had been reduced by 92%, preventing Xerxes from causing any further harm to Song Jian. Chapter 585 - Chapter 585: Chapter 585: Discarded Chapter 585: Chapter 585: Discarded Xerxes moves extremely fast, and to the other minotaurs, he seems to be at a complete advantage, leaving Song Jian unable to resist and forced to adopt a defensive stance. In reality, Xerxes felt like vomiting blood in frustration. Each of his blows, no matter how fast, always landed on Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. And the force transmitted from the sword felt incredibly tenacious, like an old cowhide, which no matter how powerful the impact upon it, it would quake violently and then quickly dissipate the force, causing no harm at all. Well done, Xerxes! Truly worthy of being the finest youth of our Blackhoof Tribe! Hes completely dominating! He has completely suppressed his opponent! Who would have thought Xerxes was this powerful! What kind of skills is he using? How can he be so fast? This is just terrifying! The younger minotaurs around began to clap and cheer, but the elders among them remained silent, wearing furrowed brows. Some venerable minotaurs with a chill in their aura exchanged looks among themselves, subtly shaking their heads. Chief, this cant go on. If they continue to fight, Xerxes will get hurt. He is the most promising youth of the Blackhoof Tribe whispered a minotaur with a broken horn on his left on Kanes ear. Kane nodded, and holding his Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, he took a step forward. He was just about to stop the fight, but the situation in the ring suddenly changed. Xerxes suddenly slowed down, stumbled a couple of steps and knelt to the ground. His face was flushed red and his skin reflected a swirl of currents underneathlike insects squirming within his body. Spewed A mouthful of dense blood gushed out of Xerxes mouth, and his aura was suddenly low; When Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill finally ended, he sheathed his sword and stood in place. Seeing Xerxes suddenly fall, he looked surprised. Tai Chi Sword Skill had a certain chance to rebound the opponents attacks. But Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill was only at level 2, making the probability of triggering a counterattack very small. He normally used it as a defensive measure in battles. But today, under Xerxes storm-like attacks, the sword skill actually triggered a counter effect; Even if it did trigger a rebound, it shouldnt have caused him this much damage. What exactly happened? Song Jian was puzzled and didnt know how to react for a moment. Xerxes! Kalu cried out in a loud voice, rushing forward to hold onto Xerxes. He glared at Song Jian, his eyes filled with rage. Xerxes was the person whom Kalu admired the most. Seeing him being defeated, a fury filled his heart, and he desperately wanted to fight Song Jian himself. It was just a friendly match. How could you hit him so hard? Kalu yelled. At this moment, Xerxes looked extremely frightening, continuously vomitting blood from his mouth while drenched in sweat. He lay curled up on the ground, his body was involuntarily convulsing, as if all his muscles were contracted together. Kalu, dont be rude! An elderly minotaur leaning on a walking stick came over to examine Xerxes. Before long, the old minotaur let out a sigh, slowly stood up, and said, He overused his Tiger Demon Fist. The surging fist energy has broken through his meridian restraint and begun rampaging within his body Elder, please save Xerxes. He cant be injured! Kalu was instantly panicked and begged the old minotaur. Kane and several elders of the Blackhoof Tribe surrounded them. Xerxes was the most promising young tribal member. If he was injured and had to delay the triggering of his innate skills, it would already be quite unacceptable. If he was really incapacitated, it would be devastating for the Blackhoof Tribe. Several elders of the Blackhoof Tribe began to examine Xerxes. When they finally stood up, they shook their heads gravely at Kane. His meridians have been damaged severely. It would be a miracle if he survives one elder said with a sigh. The Tiger Demon Fist is too demanding for him at his current state. It would have been better if he had waited until he was at level 30 before using it! The energy from the Tiger Demon Fist has already flooded every part of his body. Even if he can be healed, he would likely be bedridden for the rest of his life What a shame. This is a loss our Blackhoof Tribe cant afford The elders eyes reflected their heartache. Xerxes was the most promising among the younger generation, and seeing him get crippled in a friendly match was just unbearable. However, none of the elders blamed Song Jian. On one hand, Xerxes injury was primarily due to his poor control over Tiger Demon Fist. His state now was akin to getting possessed by a devil and had little to do with Song Jian. But the younger minotaurs glared at Song Jian in anger. They believed that it was the friendly match with Song Jian that led to Xerxes condition. They viewed Song Jian as the culprit. Alright, the winner of the challenge is Song Jian! Kane announced with a grim face. Quickly take Xerxes for medical treatment. The ceremony will continue! The ceremony couldnt be interrupted just because of Xerxes, but everyone from the Blackhoof Tribe, including Kane, felt heavy-hearted and were worried about Xerxes. Just at that moment, Song Jian suddenly raised his hand to stop the minotaurs from carrying off Xerxes. Wait! Song Jian looked at Kane and said, My friend Anna came with me. Shes a Life Priest. She may be able to heal Xerxes. Kanes eyes lit up and he quickly stopped the minotaurs from moving Xerxes. He asked Song Jian excitedly, Brother, are you sure? Can she really heal Xerxes and restore him to his original state? Anna is a Life Priest. If even she cant heal him, then Im afraid theres no one in this world who can, Song Jian said quietly, glancing at Xerxes. The power of life is the best healing energy in the game. There is virtually no disease or wound that Anna cant heal in this world. Quick, bring Miss Anna here! Kane quickly said to a minotaur nearby. A Life Priest? The tribes record seems to have mentioned them! The elderly minotaur who examined Xerxes earlier had a reminiscent look on his face. Soon, under the guidance of a minotaur, Anna arrived at the mountaintop. Chapter 586 - Chapter 586: Chapter 586: Ancestral Stone Sculpture Chapter 586: Chapter 586: Ancestral Stone Sculpture Anna arrived at the peak, and Song Jian quickly explained what had happened. Anna, can you cure him, restore him back to normal, without affecting his strength? Song Jian asked. Anna glanced at the twitching Xerxes and said, her eyebrows slightly furrowed: I can heal his body, no problem. But whether it will affect his strength, this I do not know. Really, can his body be healed? Kane exclaimed excitedly, As long as his body can be healed, the impact on strength isnt important. Yes, as long as the body is healed, its fine if the strength slowly recovers. The other elders also said comfortingly. Anna met Song Jians eyes, Song Jian gave a slight nod, and Anna took out the Goblet of Life and said to Kane, Could you get me some clear water? Shortly, a jug of clear water was fetched. Anna poured the clear water into the Goblet of Life, and in no time a surge of vibrant life energy began to ripple from the Goblet of Life. The originally tormented, twitching Xerxes gradually calmed down; Anna gestured for two people to hold up Xerxes, she brought the Goblet of Life to his lips. Xerxes, who had slipped into a coma, surprisingly began to sip instinctively. In a short span of time, the liquid in the Goblet of Life was drained. Xerxess twitching body had calmed down, his complexion rosy. He looked as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. Only when Xerxes finally settled down, could all of the Blackhoof Tribes minotaurs breathe a sigh of relief. Anna, we are truly indebted to you this time for saving the life of one of our tribe members! Kane acknowledged Anna with a solemn salute. Anna seemed a bit shy and she shook her head a little. Life Priest, Life Priest, oh my god, the epic occupation recorded in the scriptures really exists! An elderly minotaur couldnt help but blurt out in excitement, seemingly remembering something. Elder, what is this? Kane looked at him, puzzled, not understanding what he was saying. That is an epic occupation. Our Blackhoof Tribe has existed for nearly a thousand years and in this long history, only one person possessed an epic occupation. The elderly elder was very excited. His gaze involuntarily darted towards a stone pillar in the distance. What, Elder, are you talking about the Quel Blade Master? Kane couldnt help but scrutinize Anna from top to bottom, his face drawn by surprise. As the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe, Kane was naturally very familiar with the tribes scriptures. Hearing the elder comparing Anna with legendary figures like the Quel Blade Master was quite astonishing. You should know that throughout the nearly thousand-year history of the Blackhoof Tribe, only one Quel Blade Master ever emerged. It was precisely because of his existence that the Blackhoof Tribe thrived for over a hundred years. His tales were still enjoyed by the tribespeople today. Kane could hardly imagine that the seemingly frail girl before him could be compared to the Quel Blade Master. Eh, Brother Xerxes moved. Kalu, who had been fixated on Xerxes, suddenly exclaimed and pointed at him, I just saw Brother Xerxess finger twitch. All eyes were turned to Xerxes; Soon, Xerxes slowly opened his eyes, a look of confusion appearing in them: Whatwhat happened? Xerxes, you woke up! Kane helped Xerxes up, his face revealing a look of relief. Xerxes was the hope of the Blackhoof Tribe, and the one Kane personally groomed as the next leader. Seeing that he was able to recover fully, Kane was very happy. I, I was fighting against someone Xerxes started to recall slowly, his face suddenly changed: Tiger Demon Fist! Xerxes, dont practice the Tiger Demon Fist C its too dangerous. At least not until youre level 30, said Kane in a serious tone, You were lucky this time. We happened to have an epic occupation Life Priest in our tribe, or else, you could have ended up totally paralyzed, bedridden for life, if you survived at all! What, paralyzed? Xerxes was scared, his whole body broke into a cold sweat from the thought of himself paralyzed for life. Remember this lesson! Kane slapped him on the shoulder, harshly. Yes, Chief, I will remember this lesson! Xerxes said earnestly. Good. Remember, you are the hope of the tribe. You must think things through before you act, dont disappoint me again! Kane hugged Xerxes tightly after speaking. Xerxes, looking rather mortified, expressed his thanks to Anna and Song Jian, then stood aside in silence. Continue with the Ritual! Kane shouted, all of the minotaurs shouting excitedly in response. Kalu looked worriedly at Xerxes and asked him quietly, Xerxes, are you feeling better? Hows your body? Will there be any effect on the upcoming activation of your talent abilities? The activation of talent abilities only has one chance. Even if he were to skip the opportunity this time, it would still be the same next time. However, once a challenger participates and fails to activate his talent abilities, he will not be able to activate them in the future, no matter how many times he participates. Kalu was worried that Xerxes, due to his bodily condition, would have his talent activation affected. Xerxes remained silent for a moment, then a strange look appeared on his face. He whispered, Its strange. Not only did I fully recover, but it seems my strength has even increased a bit! The water of life not only healed injuries but for its first users, also enhanced their attributes. Xerxes could clearly feel the changes in his body. Young tribesmen, choose the blessing of our ancestors, ignite your natural talents. Now, make your choices. Kane shouted. Dozens of young Minotaur began to sit around the stone pillars on the peak, reciting hymns; The stone pillars around which these Minotaur were sitting all had Minotaur stone sculptures placed on them. These stone sculptures had different appearances that clearly displayed their occupational characteristics. Song Jian walked towards the stone pillars under Kanes gesture; After succeeding in the challenge, he had earned the chance to receive the blessings of the ancestors of the Blackhoof Tribe. Although the ritual might not necessarily activate talent abilities, such an opportunity would undoubtedly result in cutthroat competition among other players if they knew about it. Song Jian went to the stone pillar nearest to him. As soon as he approached, a system prompt appeared before him; System: You found an ancestral stone statue of the Blackhoof Tribe C Elemental Shaman. Within a three-meter radius of the statue, you have a chance to comprehend one Elemental Shaman skill to become your talent ability. Chapter 587 - Chapter 587: Chapter 587: The Fist Sect Chapter 587: Chapter 587: The Fist Sect Elemental Shaman? Song Jian subtly shook his head, thinking this profession was far too different from his own. Even if he obtained one of its abilities as his own talent, it would just be the icing on the cake and wouldnt fully utilize the original profession capabilities. Its contribution to his strength would be limited. He walked towards the next stone pillar. Each time he drew near a pillar, the effects of the minotaur stone statues formed in his mind. The Blackhoof Tribe has been around for nearly a thousand years; those whose professions have been carved into the ancestral statues all contributed significantly to the tribe. However, after a tribal annihilation war that took place hundreds of years ago, many ancestral stone statues have been lost, leaving only half of them. Finding the lost ancestral statues is the responsibility every member of the Blackhoof Tribe is born with. As Song Jian looked upon each statue, in the end, he stopped in front of a pillar. The ancestral statue on this stone pillar was the statue Song Jian had recovered earlier from the thief Ye Tong. System: You found the ancestor statue of the Blackhoof Tribe, profession C Minotaur Swordsman. Within a three-meter range of the statue, there is a probability to obtain a skill of the Minotaur Swordsman profession as your innate skill. Song Jian was initially startled, then his face lit up with joy. The skills of a Swordsman perfectly align with my Sword Controller profession! He inwardly rejoiced, I choose you! Having made his decision, Song Jian immediately took a seat around the Minotaur Swordsman statue. It was then that he noticed the majority of the tribe chose the Minotaur Swordsman statue; nearly one-third of the minotaurs did, making it quite crowded within the three-meter radius around the statue. Song Jian sat tranquilly, cross-legged, amidst the other minotaurs who were chanting praises in the minotaur language with closed eyes. These songs were all to express reverence to the ancestors, praying for blessings. Being not part of the Blackhoof Tribe, Song Jian felt it inappropriate to join their chant. So he sat quietly without uttering a word. Soon, he felt a strange force emanating from the statue and flooding towards him. This energy was peculiar, faint but it perfectly merged with the Invisible Sword Qi within his body, once again slowly increasing the caps of his Invisible Sword Qi. Originally, the cap of Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi was only a hundred points. However, after obtaining the Sword Control Skill-Qi Circulating Chapter, the cap of his Invisible Sword Qi began to slowly escalate. It had risen from a hundred points to 278 points, but the rate of increase gradually decreased from once every tens of minutes to every few hours, and even tens of days. Now, more than half a month had passed by and the cap of his Invisible Sword Qi hadnt risen a bit. It stayed at 278 points. Now, as the energy from the ancestral statue flowed into his body, his Invisible Sword Qi cap increased by five points within mere minutes. This change delighted Song Jian greatly. An increase in the Sword Qi cap was equivalent to a disguised enhancement of his strength. In other words, the higher the cap, the better. This opportunity was rare, so Song Jian quickly closed his eyes and started to circulate the Invisible Sword Qi within his body to accelerate the absorption of this mysterious energy. As time passed, Song Jian realized this energy was going through a transformation; from its initial gentle state, it was gradually becoming sharper. This feeling was like a needle prick. There wasnt much pain, but it was discomforting, with a tingling sensation similar to that of an electric shock coursing through his entire body. At this moment, among the young minotaurs seated around the statue, continuous roars peppered the silence as different colored lights emanated from their bodies. Among these lights, most of them were grayish. Occasional flashes of green and blue could be seen too. The faces of the spectators from the Blackhoof Tribe were filled with joy as they pointed towards the seated young minotaurs, engaging in excited discussions. Kane was delighted; these lights represented the awakening of the minotaurs bloodline talents. The tribesmen who had awaken these talents would all become the tribes warriors. It looks like this time, there are quite a few tribesmen who have awakened advanced abilities. An elderly minotaur declared with satisfaction. Yes, if only one or two could obtain the War Stomp talent. Minotaur warriors are the bravest and strongest warriors in this world! I hope that a few more minotaurs will master the Elemental Shaman skills; abilities like the Chain Lightning and Hurricane Assault can display extraordinary effects during wars. Heh, curious to see the talents Xerxes will unlock this time. Lets just hope he isnt affected by the previous battles Dont worry. It wont be a problem. Xerxes has recovered very well, there wont be any issues unlocking his talents. Its now just a question of what kind of talent he will unlock. The gazes of nearly all the minotaurs fell on Xerxes, who was sitting on the ground. The ancestral statue in front of him was of a minotaur wielding two fists and roaring towards the sky. Boxing Clan, sigh, after all, he chose this path! commented an elder reluctantly. Xerxes has always loved boxing. Being able to master the Tiger Demon Boxing skill at level 26 shows his extraordinary talent in this field. Who knows, our tribe could have another Boxing Clan someday! another elder remarked nonchalantly. But however formidable a Boxing Clan is, its only a rare profession in the end. How can it compare to a Swordsman? Considering Xerxess potential, if he could unlock a Swordsman talent, his future would be boundless! The former elder sighed. Yes, he might be the one to revive our Blackhoof Tribes prosperous golden age. If only a Swordsman could emerge As the discussions among the elders continued, Kane involuntarily clenched the totem pole in his hand. The talent Kane had awakened was the War Stomp. Although it was a powerful ability, it was only a general minotaur warriors talent. It could never be compared on an equal footing with a Swordsman, let alone a Boxing Clan. If he hadnt retrieved the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, their tribes inherited artifact, from the Shadow Giant Dragon, he would not have even been considered worthy of the chieftains position. A powerful profession doesnt necessarily mean that the one who inherits it is powerful. Even as a regular warrior, Ill revive the Blackhoof Tribes golden age and make it even more prosperous than in its historic past! Kane made a promise to himself. Just then, Xerxes, sitting on the ground, began to change. Chapter 588 - Chapter 588: Chapter 588: Double Talent Chapter 588: Chapter 588: Double Talent Quick, look! Xerxes seems to be comprehending his talent skills shouted an elder. All eyes immediately followed the shout and focused on Xerxes. Xerxes face was distorted, his eyes tightly shut as he let out a deep roar. In an instant, a gray and a silver light emanated from him. How is this possible, he actually awakened a dual talent! An elders face showed a look of surprise as he couldnt help but exclaim. Dual talent? Hahaha, the Blackhoof Tribe is about to rise again! This is incredible! In history, the instances of dual talent awakenings within the Blackhoof Tribe are extremely rare. And among these talents, theres clearly a superior skill! I wonder what it is. Its going to take him some time to stabilize Everyone expectantly looked at Xerxes, waiting for him to finish his awakening. Soon, the glimmer on Xerxes increased in intensity until it reached its peak and became blinding, with even the figures of those around him being obscured by the light. After a while, the light around Xerxes gradually converged and dimmed, eventually clinging tightly to his skin, giving the appearance of wearing a silver-gray armor. Xerxes stood up, his eyes shining with two sharp gleams, and left the stone pillar to walk towards the crowd. When Xerxes entered the crowd, he was immediately surrounded, with everyone taking turns congratulating him. Xerxes, can you tell us about your dual talents? asked an elder hesitantly. Typically, one would not share their awakened talents with others, as it was considered private. The elders question was somewhat inappropriate in that regard. However, throughout the Blackhoof Tribes history, there had only been a handful of people with dual talents, so many were curious. Hearing the question from the elder, those around quieted down, looking at Xerxes in anticipation, waiting for his answer. Xerxes, if you dont want to answer, you dont have to, said another elder suddenly. Right, right, that previous elders face showed an apologetic expression as he hastily added, Im just curious. If you dont want to say, you dont need to Xerxes smiled faintly and said, I have nothing to hide. This time, I gained two talent skills C one of them is the Half-step Rush Punch! Xerxes suddenly moved, taking only half a step forward, his right fist pierced forward like a spear. An intense qi gathered around his right fist, creating a white light as the air exploded with a boom, similar to thunder. Bang! Those standing next to Xerxes were caught off guard and felt the ground shaking beneath their feet. The shockwaves in the air, like ripples in water, spread out in all directions. What a powerful move! someone exclaimed. This Half-step Rush Punch skill of Xerxes was not only fast, but it also possessed immense power. In a fight, the distance between opponents was short. Executing this move suddenly would make it difficult for the opponent to react. The other one is a passive skill called Fist Dominator! smiled Xerxes, It allows me to increase the power of my fist moves by 50%, and theres a chance for an additional punch! An increase of 50% power, heavens, this is terrifying! I think the chance for another punch is even more terrifying. Its like dealing double damage, plus the 50% increase in power. Its equal to the effect of three punches in one Xerxes, youre so lucky Indeed, even in history, dual talents are very rare, only a handful have appeared Xerxes responded with a smile, but in reality, he hadnt revealed all the information about his gained talents. Half-step Rush Punch was only a gray talent, while Fist Dominator was a silver talent, and its effects were far more powerful than what Xerxes had shared with everyone. Fist Dominator (Talent Skill), Level 1, Passive. Skill effect: Permanent strength +3, agility +5, constitution +3. When using fists as weapons, damage is increased by 50%, power of fist moves increased by 80%. When attacking targets, theres a chance to trigger the Fist Emperor Shadow effect; Fist Emperor Shadow creates an invisible burst of qi, dealing triple Armor Break damage to the target and restoring 15% of the damage dealt as Vitality Points for the caster. Kane was watching Xerxes, and when he heard the words Fist Dominator, his eyes flashed. In the tribal records, there was a book accessible only to the chief that recorded the skills of mighty warriors throughout the history of the Blackhoof Tribe. One of them was the skill of a minotaur Fist Emperor. In part, the reason why this minotaur became a Fist Emperor was because he comprehended the Fist Dominator talent skill. The book recorded detailed information about Fist Dominator, so Kane knew Xerxes was hiding some attributes of the skill. However, it was normal for a warrior to keep some of their cards hidden, and no one would reveal everything to others. It seems another Fist Emperor is about to emerge in the Blackhoof Tribe; I must say, Im quite envious! Kane thought secretly while looking at Xerxes. Its important to note that a Fist Emperor is a legendary-level profession, far superior to any warrior, boasting tremendous potential and a smoother development path. Witnessing Xerxes being surrounded by the tribe members, Kane decided that more tribal resources should be allocated to him. I wonder if Song Jian will be able to stimulate a talent skill Kanes gaze lingered briefly on Xerxes before moving to Song Jian, who was seated next to the minotaur swordsman statue. For the other races, comprehending talent skills was extremely difficult, with only one or two people out of every ten managing to do so. This was an incredibly low probability compared to minotaurs, who had a seven in ten chance or even higher of awakening a talent skill. One by one, the Blackhoof Tribe members sitting next to Song Jian at the minotaur swordsman statue welled with light and began roaring before standing up and leaving. The sacrificial ceremony continued late into the night. The number of minotaurs seated next to the stone pillars had dwindled, and as time went on, the chances of awakening a talent skill grew ever slimmer. Out of dozens of tribesmen, only five or six had failed to awaken one, a number already considered quite high. Chieftain, do you think we should announce the end of the sacrificial ceremony? asked an elder softly, standing by Kane. Due to Song Jian, the sacrificial ceremony had already been delayed by half an hour, but there was still no sign of light emanating from him. Kane shook his head slightly, it seemed Song Jian would not be able to gain a talent skill. Just as Kane stepped forward to announce the end of the sacrificial ceremony, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth from Song Jian. Chapter 589 - Chapter 589: Chapter 589: Holy Sword Chapter 589: Chapter 589: Holy Sword From the start of the sacrificial ceremony, Song Jian had been diligently absorbing the energy radiated from the stone sculpture; The energy given off by the stone sculpture would slowly increase over time, and then start to gradually decrease after reaching a peak, until eventually, no more energy could be absorbed; On the contrary, those who sat around the stone sculpture would stimulate their own bloodlines and gain innate skills when this energy reached its peak. If they still failed to stimulate their innate skills at this time, the likelihood of success would decrease considerably thereafter. With Song Jian seated around the stone sculpture, he felt the energy surging into his body increasing. The upper limit of his Invisible Sword Qi increased at a faster pace, pulsating every few minutes; Furthermore, what was most surprising was that this force entering Song Jians body, instead of falling after reaching a peak, kept gushing into Song Jians body in a steady stream. The upper limit of Invisible Sword Qi began to spike wildly. This pace terrified Song Jian. His body appeared to be a bottomless pit. No matter how much his Invisible Sword Qi increased, there was no sense of overflow. A massive amount of Invisible Sword Qi began to gather in Song Jians dantian. As time went by, the Invisible Sword Qi in Song Jians dantian started to slowly rotate. In no time, a small silver vortex had formed. Song Jian could feel that the number of Minotaurs around him was gradually decreasing. By now, the upper limit of Invisible Sword Qi had exceeded eight hundred points, a number that continued to steadily rise. The faster the silver vortex in his dantian spun, the stronger the slamming noises resembled tidal waves crashing against rocks ringing in Song Jians ears. Kanes gaze had been locked onto Song Jian the entire time, only after a reminder from an elder did he slowly step forward, ready to declare the end of the sacrificial ceremony. It is important to note that once the sacrificial ceremony ends, these stone pillars venerating the stone sculpture would sink into the peaks. Anyone who had not triggered their innate skills would lose all chances to do so. However, just at the moment when Kane was about to announce the end of the ceremony, a dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from Song Jian. This light illuminated in a flowing pattern which seemed almost corporeal. At the same time, a brilliant speck of gold suddenly flashed within the rapidly spinning silver vortex inside Song Jians dantian. The brightness of this golden speck almost overshadowed the entire silver vortex. An image of a Minotaur suddenly appeared in Song Jians mind, looking exactly like the stone sculpture. Sword Saint! Song Jian was taken aback. However, this image that appeared in his mind looked like it was in the third-person perspective, making it impossible to communicate; All things under the heavens, sliced by my sword! A bold voice echoed in Song Jians mind; The Minotaur figure in his mind suddenly stepped forward, raising its right hand, and brilliant golden Sword Qi burst from its right arm; His right arm swung forward forcefully, the golden Sword Qi rushed forward in an unstoppable manner, severing everything in front of the Minotaur Sword Saint. Song Jians head buzzed, two small streams of blood seeped from his nose, his face pale, but a look of extreme excitement was plastered on his face. System: You observe the Minotaur Sword Saint sculpture, Invisible Sword Qi reaches the limit, you attained an advancement; Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi changed from the previous silver Sword Qi to golden Sword Qi. Meanwhile, the energy value of the Invisible Sword Qi became one hundred points; Although the upper limit of the Invisible Sword Qi decreased, it underwent a substantial transformation; Invisible Sword Qi (Golden): Increases the Sword Qi energy slot. When using any melee weapon, the Invisible Sword Qi can be attached to the weapon to increase the weapons power; Damage increased by 30%, Armor Break +3, Sharpness +3; The advancement of the Invisible Sword Qi elevated Song Jians strength significantly, dealing much higher damage. Even an ordinary attack could cause a level of damage that other players could only achieve by using skills; Besides getting an upgrade in Invisible Sword Qi, Song Jian also awakened another innate skill; Holy Sword (Innate Skill), Level 1, Passive. Skill effect: Permanently adds +8 to strength attribute, +5 to agility attribute, +5 to physique attribute, and +5 to spirit attribute. When using sword-type weapons, damage gradually increases over time, up to a maximum increase of 100%; Sword technique skill cooldown reduced by 50%, a certain probability to trigger the Indestructible effect when inflicting damage on targets. Indestructible, has a destructive effect on any item, and this effect has a priority in the field; Holy Sword, is this the sword swung by the Minotaur Sword Saint that appeared in my mind? Song Jian was thrilled. The golden Sword Qi that the Minotaur Sword Saint had swung with his arm earlier, gave him the impression that it could split a mountain in half. Such Indestructibility and unstoppable momentum had deeply shaken Song Jian. Seeing the golden light shine from Song Jian, all the Minotaurs expressed surprise on their faces. Xerxes stared at Song Jian with a serious expression, knowing all too well that the achievement of the Minotaur Sword Saint was far greater than that of the fist master of their past; they simply were not at the same caliber. Kane laughed heartily, giving off a very pleased look. The stronger Song Jian was, the greater the help to him; With Song Jians awakening of the Holy Sword innate ability, the Blackhoof Tribes sacrificial ceremony drew to a conclusion. This sacrificial ceremony brought a huge boost to Song Jians strength, significantly increasing his damage output. Even those with Tier-1 Combat Power might not be able to surpass him in this regard. One could say that Song Jian now had one foot in the threshold of Tier-1 Combat Power. Later that night, in Kanes room, Kane lifted his horn mug, indicating to Song Jian and Anna, before downing the drink in one go; Song Jian, congratulations! I can feel your strength growing by leaps and bounds! Kane wiped the drink from his mouth and laughed heartily, Facing you now, Im starting to feel like how I did when I first encountered the Shadow Giant Dragon Song Jian shook his head with a smile, despite his great increase in strength, he was still no match for a fully-grown Shadow Giant Dragon. However, with the blessing of his Immortal Sword Body now, cracking the Shadow Giant Dragons defense would be easier than before. If he were to seize an opportunity, he might be able to seriously wound the Shadow Giant Dragon. Kane, in fact, Anna and I came to Thunder Beast Mountain to enter the secret realm of the Mysterious Garden! Song Jian said to Kane. Participating in the sacrificial ceremony could be considered a stroke of luck for Song Jian. But his and Annas actual goal was to enter the Mysterious Garden and find a treasure, the blooms of the Bloodline Vine, that could help Anna advance. Mysterious Garden? Upon hearing this, Kanes eyebrows furrowed. Chapter 590 - Chapter 590: Chapter 590: Can You Introduce Us? Chapter 590: Chapter 590: Can You Introduce Us? The Mysterious Garden is a very dangerous place Kane mused. We used to consider it a trial ground for our tribe, but we soon discovered that it was far too perilous. Any plant within carries a profound potential for attack. Furthermore, there are plants capable of sowing their seeds within organisms, controlling their bodies as though they were puppets. Hundreds of warriors from the Blackhoof Tribe fell into this trap we remain unsure whether they are dead or alive. Countless adventurers attempt to explore it every year, but the majority never return The Blackhoof Tribe lives near the Mysterious Garden secret realm and has gathered much information about it. Kane told Song Jian everything, emphasizing above all its terror and danger. The horror of the Dark Castle comes from the Shadow Giant Dragon, but the horror of the Mysterious Garden well, no one can really articulate that, Kane concluded. Song Jian nodded knowingly. Both the Mysterious Garden and the Dark Castle were Level 30 dungeons, however the Mysterious Garden is considered less difficult since it didnt have a BOSS with first-tier combat power. But after hearing Kanes introduction, Song Jian realized that the horror of the Mysterious Garden was more concealed, more insidious. The next day, under Kanes guidance, Song Jian and Anna went to the valley where the Mysterious Garden is located. The valley was a barren place, with no plants or even a single weed growing in it. Amid the lush Thunder Beast Mountain, this valley was a stark anomaly. At the entrance of the valley, Song Jian felt sharp gazes being shot towards him. Probably due to the presence of Kane, these gazes circled around him twice before retracting. Soon after entering the valley, Song Jian felt another five or six prying eyes on him. These eyes belonged to highly skilled individuals, not quite reaching first-tier combat power, but not far off. I had no idea the Blackhoof Tribe is even more formidable than it appears Song Jian thought, utterly astounded the further he ventured. If we were to sneak in here at night, we would definitely be spotted Song Jian glanced at Anna, silently deducing. Once they entered the valley, they saw a partially transparent, multicolored screen stretching across the middle of the valley, dividing it in half; below it stood a huge stone door, wreathed by the broken light, adorned with intricate carvings that curled around it like a vine, as if a beast baring its fangs and claws all over the door. To enter the Mysterious Garden, you need a key seed, do you guys Kane seemed to suddenly recall something and opened his mouth to ask. Before he could finish his sentence, Anna pulled out a bluish seed the size of a fist from her pocket. The seeds surface was ragged and radiated a dim blue light. Anna stepped forward, inserting the blue seed into a softly-planted niche at the bottom of the stone door. Soon, a blue beam of light emerged, tracing the vine pattern etched into the door until it enveloped the entire gateway. Boom! The stone door shuddered. A beam of white light spewed out from the gap, giving the appearance of some space-time fluctuations. As someone familiar with the power of space, Song Jian knew that behind this stone door lay a portal of sorts; Lets go inside. Anna said to Song Jian, taking the initiative to walk towards the open stone door; Each time the stone door is opened, theres only a minute to enter, and it can only accommodate up to five people at once, Kane reminded from the side. In fact, it is quite difficult for the player to open the Mysterious Garden dungeon. Firstly, they need to enhance their familiarity with the Blackhoof Tribe, spending at least half a month to generate enough reputation to be respected by them, only then can they have the privilege to enter this valley. An alternative method would be to force their way in, however this requires annihilating the entire Blackhoof Tribe, which if a player possesses such power, this dungeon wouldnt pose any significant assistance to them. Once the reputation of the Blackhoof Tribe is elevated enough to be respected, the player will need a key seed. The acquisition of this seed is relatively easier C the creatures within Thunder Beast Mountain may occasionally drop the seed. If you are lucky, you can get one from killing two or three beasts, if unlucky, several days may pass by without obtaining a single one. Each key seed allows a small team of five to enter, and if they fail to navigate the dungeon, they must kill more monsters on Thunder Beast Mountain to obtain another. After Song Jian and Anna vanished from the spot, Kane just stood there watching the stone door close gently, not choosing to leave immediately. It seemed like he was waiting for something. A bar in the City of Sin Ye Tong pushed the door open with a sour face. The bar door hit the wall with a loud bang and bounced back fiercely; A glass of Hot Red Lips, no water, no ice! Ye Tong walked up to the bar counter and slapped her hand forcefully on the hard surface as she shouted. Oh, isnt this the darling of the night, Ye Tong? Why are you so upset today? Do you need me to help you vent some steam? Ha-ha-ha, a scornful laughter rang out in the bar. Ye Tong turned her head to see a middle-aged man with a scar on his face wearing leather armor, holding a large glass of beer and staring intently at her. Ghost Face, you dare to mock me? Do you really think I cant poison you into impotence? Ye Tong threatened viciously. Ha ha ha ha~ Ye Tongs menacing threat ignited an uproarious laughter throughout the bar; Ye Tong, theres really no need to be so angry even if your mission failed! A burly bartender handed a large glass of blood-red cocktail to Ye Tong. Damn it, success was already within my grasp! If it werent for that meddling man, theres no way I would have failed! Ye Tong gulped down the alcohol in one go, releasing a big breath afterward, a hint of abnormal red flushing her cheeks. So, someone edged you out? Someone capable of doing so must be quite skilled! The bartender wore a look of admiration. His strength attribute is extremely high and he completely overwhelmed me! Ye Tong grumbled. Whats so amazing about that? Even in this bar, there are at least a dozen people with strength attributes high enough to crush you! The bartender flexed his arm and his muscles bulged, giving him an iron-like appearance; His perception attribute is not low either, making ambush impossible. Ye Tong carried a terrible, menacing look on her face and the glass in her hand squeaked under pressure; So what? Many classes give perception bonuses, as far as I know, some even specialize in hunting monsters in the city sewers to level up. The bartender seemed unimpressed. Ye Tong: He also recruited a young, beautiful female Follower! Ye Tong suddenly added. The bartenders eyes lit up, a look of amazement appearing on his face: This brother must be incredible! If theres a chance, could you introduce us? Chapter 591 - Chapter 591: Chapter 591: Breaking In By Force Chapter 591: Chapter 591: Breaking In By Force Just when Ye Tong was left speechless, the bar door was abruptly flung open, and three burly players walked in. After briefly scanning the room, the leader of the trio announced in a deep voice, Mysterious Garden instance; three present, two needed. Anyone interested in joining us? These guys they seriously want to try their hands on the Mysterious Garden? Ye Tongs grip on her glass tightened, but her face remained void of expressions. Hahaha, these three noobs think they can pull off the Mysterious Garden a middle-aged man, drunk and bleary-eyed, pounded the table while pointing at the trio, laughing uproariously. His words caused laughter to ripple through the bar, as everyone seemed to look at the trio as some sort of joke. The three men ignored their ridicule, their faces unchanging. The leader reiterated, Ill repeat once more, Mysterious Garden instance, three present, two needed. Any takers? His words only brought about louder laughter, and a hint of disappointment flashed across the eyes of the three men before they turned to leave the bar. However, at that moment, Ye Tong abruptly stood up holding her right hand high and shouted, Ill go, count me in for the Mysterious Garden instance! The three burly men looked somewhat surprised. They turned back to evaluate Ye Tong, while the leader gave a slight nod and said, Keep up! As the trio left the bar, Ye Tong quickly downed the last of her drink, and dashed out while calling out, Keep a tab for the drink. Ill return and pay you double! Did that damsel lose her mind thinking anyone could just waltz into the Mysterious Garden? A man with a scarred face turned to the bartender in surprise. These three, theyre not to be underestimated! the bartender responded, wiping the glass from which Ye Tong had just drunk. Hmph, underestimate, whats there to underestimate! The scarred man snorted dismissively and ordered another pint. The bartender glanced at the scar-face, lowered his eyes, and whispered, They are very strong. Any of them could easily take on the whole bar. Scar-face shivered and looked at the sleeping drunk on the table, shaking his head, That lucky bastard! Ye Tong followed the trio out of the bar, watching as they headed towards the outskirts of City of Sin. Hey, you three, wait for me, Ye Tong implored. Only if you can keep up, will you have the privilege of becoming our teammate. One of the men uttered coldly, without turning his head and not slowing down in the least. Ye Tong looked slightly surprised, then a playful expression appeared on her face, and she muttered to herself, Heh, a speed contest against me, an agility class With a flash of light on her feet, Ye Tongs speed increased markedly. The men stopped only at the foot of Thunder Beast Mountain, where they looked up at the mountain range. Before long, Ye Tong arrived, panting hard and glaring at the men, What on earth is your class? These three were clearly not of the agility class by their build, yet they had run all the way from the City of Sin to Thunder Beast Mountain at a speed faster than hers, a rogue. Impressive, youre not too bad! The leader among the hulks looked at Ye Tong, nodded slightly, and asked her, Are you familiar with the terrain of Thunder Beast Mountain? Do you know the way to Mysterious Garden? Ye Tong leaned back against a large tree, took a couple of deep breaths, and responded with an odd look on her face, Yes, its in a small valley on Thunder Beast Mountain, less than three miles from here. The burly men looked at each other, nodded, and the leader introduced himself, Now that were teammates, let me introduce myself. Im Eagle Flight, and these are my brothers Eagle Soar and Eagle Sprint. We only need a guide. Once were in the instance, you just need to stay close and take care of yourself. If any equipment that suits you drops, its all yours! Im Ye Tong, a rogue, Ye Tong replied honestly. Can you tell me what you plan to do in the Mysterious Garden? Theres one more thing you need to remember. Eagle Flight added in a solemn voice, Dont ask anything youre not supposed to. Ye Tong : After entering Thunder Beast Mountain, Ye Tong led the way with the trio closely following. Oh yes, to enter the Mysterious Garden, you must raise your reputation with the Blackhoof Tribes Tauren, at least to honored, otherwise youll have to force your way in! Ye Tong suddenly remembered something and quickly added, Moreover, opening the instance requires a seed. Killing the beasts in Thunder Beast Mountain has a chance of it dropping. Without it, you can forget about entering the Mysterious Garden instance. You neednt concern yourself with that. We have our ways of getting in, Eagle Soar, standing beside Eagle Flight, remarked confidently. Soon, the four arrived near the Blackhoof Tribe. See that barren valley over there? The entrance to the Mysterious Garden is there. But beware, at least tens of level 30 elite Taurens guard it, and were too close to the Blackhoof Tribe here. Once they raise the alarm, the whole Tribe could swarm out, Ye Tong pointed at a small valley ahead and whispered. Thats not a problem. Just follow us, Eagle Flight replied in a deep voice, striding towards the small valley. As soon as they entered the valley, they were stopped by several Tauren. This is a restricted area of the Blackhoof Tribe. Outsiders are not allowed! A Tauren with a nose ring stretched out his hand to stop them. At that moment, Eagle Sprint, speechless until then, stepped forward. His eyes turned a strange shade of red. Look into my eyes Eagle Sprints voice, hoarse and low, sounded like sand rubbing against glass. The Tauren unwittingly looked into Eagle Sprints eyes, which emitted a crimson glow that left them blank-faced. Lead us to the entrance of the Mysterious Garden! Eagle Sprint commanded in a low voice. The Tauren turned like puppets and walked stiffly into the valley. Lets go. Just follow them, Eagle Sprint glanced at Ye Tong and took the lead in following the Tauren. Ye Tong was startled by Eagle Sprints skills. He had immediately taken control of several level 30 elite Tauren. It was terrifying. I really dont know if joining them on this journey is a blessing or a curse, Ye Tong murmured to herself. Seeing the men walking away, she quickly followed after them. Chapter 592 - Chapter 592: Chapter 592: Guarding the Devil Vine Chapter 592: Chapter 592: Guarding the Devil Vine Song Jian felt a bout of dizziness, and upon recovering, he found himself standing on a stone platform; Phew~ He took a deep breath, rubbing his brows. No matter how many times I experience this, I can never get used to it. Its simply too uncomfortable. Song Jian, this place is so beautiful! exclaimed Anna, her bright eyes radiating surprise as she surveyed their surroundings. From their perch on the stone platform, wilderness teeming with lush plants spread before them, and flowers of all colors vied for attention. A sweet scent permeated the air. Song Jian looked up, the sky above seeming as clear as a flawless sapphire, the brilliant sunlight warming everything beneath it. Didnt we infer this place to be dangerous? It seems more like a tourist spot to me. murmured Song Jian. No place, be it this apocalyptic world or the real one, could compare to the beauty before his eyes. Anna, can you sense the location of the item we seek? Song Jian asked. No. Anna shook her head. I know its in the Mysterious Garden, but I have no idea where exactly. We might as well look for it while exploring then. Song Jian shrugged and suggested, Since this place used to be a lab, we should find that first. Maybe there are some clues. Anna nodded in agreement, and the two descended the stone platform via the stairs. Just as they stepped off the platform, Song Jian suddenly felt a strong threat approaching him. Almost instinctively, Song Jian summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, held defensively in front of his chest, performing the Sacred Parry skill. The moment he completed the skill, a purple-black vine as thick as an arm suddenly sprung from the ground. Like a sharp spear, it aimed straight for his chest. Clang~ Feeling a great force through his sword, Song Jian involuntarily stepped back. Gold light flashed and the purple-black vine that sprung out suddenly split, foul smelling liquid sprayed out from the wound, filling the air with a pungent smell. Song Jians face darkened. The intensity of that strike was not weaker than that of a full-force strike from a level 30 elite boss. If he had not leveled the Holy Sword skill during his times with the Blackhoof Tribe and gained many attribute points, this strike, even with his Sacred Parry, would have left him in disarray rather than as composed as he was now. Anna, you best stay on the platform! Song Jian said in a low voice. He suspected that the platform might be the only safe zone in the area, given they were attacked the moment they stepped off it. As Song Jian was on high alert, the ground suddenly began to rumble. With a sloshing sound, dozens of purple-black vines rose from the ground, twisting and coiling into a creature resembling a python in mid-air; Guarding Devil Vine, Level 30, Vitality Points: 3500/3500 A level 30 regular monster! Song Jian readied himself as the Guarding Devil Vine paused in mid-air, before launching itself towards him. In mid-air, the Guarding Devil Vine shot several purple-black vines from its surface, striking at Song Jian like long whips. The silhouette of Song Jian flickered as he swung his sword at the incoming vines; Clang, clang, clang~ His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword clashed against the vines, creating a sound reminiscent of metal on metal. Remarkably, these vines were as hard as steel. Sword Silks! In an instant, three strands of fine Sword Qi appeared around Song Jians body. The three strands of Sword Qi traced an arc in the air as they each wrapped around a vine. Once they tightened mercilessly, they issued a series of sounds like cracking and three purple-black vines as thick as a mans arm dropped to the ground. After twitching like a snake twice, they grew still. Smack~ A vine coiled around to Song Jians back and hit him hard, causing him to stumble forward. Song Jians heads-up display showed a damage of over a hundred points from the hit. Song Jian swung his sword backhand, unleashing a golden Invisible Sword Qi. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword now looked as if it was coated with a layer of gold, bursting with dazzling brilliance. Whoosh~ This time, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword cut through the vine like a hot knife through butter, unopposed by any resistance. Song Jian was taken aback. Had his Invisible Sword Qi become so powerful after his promotion? Inspecting the battle log, Song Jian understood. His last strike had activated the Indestructible effect. It seems that adding Invisible Sword Qi makes it easier to trigger this effect, Song Jian speculated. However, now his maximum Invisible Sword Qi was only a hundred points and most of his sword techniques consumed it, so maintaining it all the time was impossible. While fending off the vines assault, Song Jian moved closer to the Devil Vines main body, even if it meant taking a few hits along the way. He realized that severing the tentacle-like vines inflicted only minimal damage on the vine. To defeat it, he had to damage its main body. Swish~ A ray of white light poured down on Song Jian. His Vitality Points, which had dropped by a third, were fully restored. With Anna at his back, Song Jian boldly rushed to the front of the Devil Vines main body. The main body of the vine was formed from dozens of vine stems as thick as arms. Transformed and entwined in the air, it resembled a ferocious python. Broken Wing Dance! His long sword darted up and down, leaving multiple scars on the Devil Vines main body. The tentacle-like vines kept shooting out at Song Jian, but he was fearless. He was willing to take a damage exchange, to risk his life in this fight. In the heat of the battle, the Indestructible effect was triggered occasionally. Soon, cut vines were scattered all around him. Although severing the vines caused minimal damage to the Vines main body, the Vines sole means of attack was through these vines. After losing a significant number of tendrils, the Vines damage to Song Jian decreased drastically. Finally, after triggering the Indestructible effect once more, Song Jian slashed through the Vine. A look of joy crossed Song Jians face as he observed the vine pieces scattered all around. Not counting the enhanced Invisible Sword Qi he had gained after his promotion, just the activation of the Indestructible effect of the Holy Sword delighted Song Jian. No matter how infrequent the effect was triggered in a battle, it was enough to make a decisive impact. Song Jian, are you okay? After the battle ended, Anna came down from the stone stage to ask. Im fine. With you here, how could I be in danger? Song Jian replied with a smile, picking up the blue equipment dropped by the Devil Vine. Robe of the Vine Guardian, cloth armor, quality: blue, equipment effect: physical defense +7, spell resistance +5, Intelligence +3, Spirit +2, special effect 1: improves all spell damage and healing effect, up to a maximum of 10%; special effect 2: recover 600-800 mana points immediately upon use, with a cooldown of 5 minutes; item level: 32, required level for use: 28. Anna, this equipment is for you, Song Jian handed the blue-quality item over to Anna. Chapter 593 - Chapter 593: Chapter 593: Blocking the Way Chapter 593: Chapter 593: Blocking the Way The Robe of the Guarding Devil Vine, while merely being of blue quality, has excellent attributes, nearly comparable to a silver quality cloth armor. It has two very practical special effects. The first one improves Annas healing efficiency, while the second one is equivalent to having a free mana potion that recovers between five hundred and eight hundred points every five minutes; This is equivalent to giving Anna an extra five hundred to eight hundred mana points compared to ordinary players, which is quite a significant advantage; The robe has a green foundation interspersed with purple magic patterns, clearly distinguishing it from ordinary items. Upon wearing the robe, Annas demeanor immediately changed, giving her an air of mysterious elegance. Song Jian, do I look good? Anna twirled in her Robe of the Guarding Devil Vine and asked, full of anticipation. Not bad, you look good in anything. Song Jian took a careful look and teased her lightheartedly. Annas cheeks blushed slightly, appearing a bit shy; Anna, its dangerous here, be careful. Song Jian reminded her; Yes, Ive done my homework before coming here. Anna nodded, Over the years, several hundred adventurers have died here. This place was once open to everyone for free, but due to the high death count, my uncle ordered the Blackhoof Tribe to mark this place as forbidden, denying entry to most people. Song Jian nodded, what Anna said mirrored Kanes warning about the dangers of the Mysterious Garden! They continued to move forward, amidst the dense vegetation, formidable monsters could appear any time. Thankfully, there was a manmade path leading away from the stone platform, and they followed it carefully; Before long, Song Jian felt a sudden chill wind blowing, immediately giving him a feeling of being watched; Theres an enemy nearby! Song Jian squinted and surveyed the area, immediately spotting several dark shadows moving between the large trees ahead; Be careful, there are monsters up ahead! Song Jian warned in a low voice. Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt as if he had stepped on a rope. As his vigilance elevated, the rope-like object underfoot twisted like a live serpent and wrapped around his ankle, as if trying to hoist him up. It was actually a dried vine curling like a snake, seemingly lifeless, and indistinguishable from a withered vine. In reality, its appearance was but a trap to fool people. As soon as anyone touches it, it would immediately wrap around them and hoist them up. Just as Song Jian was about to be hoisted, a faint golden Sword Qi bloomed from his left index finger, cutting the vine wrapped around him in half; These dried vines were extremely tenacious; ordinary people would find it hard to break free once entangled. But for Song Jian, his strikes were these monsters nemesis. His sharp Sword Qi easily split them in two; Just when Song Jian thought he was out of danger, the large tree standing beside him suddenly came alive. All the dried vines entwined around it seemed to be activated at once. They slithered towards Song Jian like snakes, and the tree itself even sprouted eyes, nose, and a mouth, transforming into a Tree Demon with a roar; Dried Vine Tree Demon? Song Jian was taken aback, and after glancing at the monsters properties, he quickly ordered Anna to retreat; Rather than backing off, Song Jian ran towards the Tree Demon, sword in hand. With a loud thud, his sword mercilessly slashed the Tree Demon, easily tearing its defense; The Dried Vine Tree Demon distinguishing trait was its strong defense, and it could also control the dried vines on its body to bind enemies. Even for a five-player team, this monster was a real headache. Luckily, the Dried Vine Tree Demons attack was not strong; a five-player team could defeat it as long as they stayed calm and spent a little more time on it. However, the Tree Demons defense was a joke in front of Song Jian. His formidable attacks made the Tree Demons defenses irrelevant. The only thing that gave Song Jain trouble were the dried vines on the Tree Demon that would occasionally slither like snakes, trying to bind him and distract his attention. Song Jian swung his long sword, continuously hurling strikes at the Tree Demon. Wood chips splashed off the Tree Demons body constantly. Anna occasionally healed Song Jian and he was at ease, his Vitality Points never dropped below 80%. It didnt take long for the Dried Vine Tree Demon to let out a heartrending scream and turn into a pile of wood chips. The dried vines on its body also lost their vitality and lay motionless on the ground. Did it drop anything good? Anna asked, her face brimming with excitement. Song Jian bent down, picked up the items left by the Tree Demon, and handed a green belt to Anna. It dropped a green-quality belt. The attributes are mediocre, but it should be better than what you currently have. This belt only increased spirit by two points. However, it had the special effect of having four storage slots for holding potions, making their use more convenient. Anna happily fastened the belt. She seemed to have discovered the fun of defeating monsters and gaining loot. Upon encountering monsters, her feelings of worry were replaced with excitement. Apart from this belt, the Dried Vine Tree Demon had also dropped some materials needed for pharmaceutical and forging use. If sold in the auction house, they could bring in several thousand Doomsday Coins. The Mysterious Garden truly lives up to its name. Just killing the monsters here can make you a small fortune. Song Jian chuckled and his mood tuned cheerful all of a sudden. They continued to move forward, but the path was teeming with annoying plants. Just any old weed could attack Song Jian like a snake, which annoyed him immensely. Thinking for a moment, thirty Blood Raptors and thirty Blood Wolves suddenly appeared by his side. Go scout ahead! Song Jian commanded. The Blood Raptors flew into the air while the Blood Wolves dived into the bushes, making Song Jians journey much easier. The Blood Wolves dashed in front of him like a demining team, coming into contact with many dry vines. Some vines remained motionless, while others tried to wrap around the agile Blood Wolves, albeit unsuccessfully. The Blood Raptors also dispersed and rushed at the suspicious-looking trees. Before the Tree Demons had any chance to react, the Raptors gestured agilely and flew back to the sky; With the help of Blood Raptors and Blood Wolves, Song Jian was able to distinguish between ordinary plants and monsters disguised as ordinary plants. They avoided any identified creatures as much as possible, only attacking when it was impossible to bypass, neutralizing the threat. They made progress smoothly, but soon Song Jian discovered a group of monsters blocking their path ahead. Chapter 594 - Chapter 594: Chapter 594: Golden Backpack Chapter 594: Chapter 594: Golden Backpack In the dense jungle in the distance, a group of strange monsters were moving ahead, completely blocking the road. These monsters were of various shapes, there were minotaurs, fishmen, werewolves, and even a few that looked human. Green plants covered their bodies, and a brightly colored red flower bloomed on their heads. Upon closer look, the flower was surprisingly rooted in the skulls of each creature. Song Jian controlled a blood crow to approach slowly, about seven or eight meters away from the monsters. The monsters appeared to sense its presence and turned to look in its direction. Song Jian was startled and quickly ordered the blood crow to land on a tree. Seeing the crow not making further movements, the monsters returned to their aimless wandering. Are thesePuppet Beasts? Song Jian closely observed through the eyes of the blood crow. It turned out that these creatures had been parasitized by plant seeds, not controlling their actions, turning them into puppets. The puppet beasts, completely controlled by the plants, had their potential fully stimulated, greatly enhancing their power. However, in such a state, they could not last long, at most a month, before their potential would be exhausted, their bodies would wither, and the parasitic plants inside them would emerge, taking root in the soil to continue growing. Song Jian carefully counted, there were in total fourteen puppet beasts here, blocking the small path tightly. Their vitality was about 40% more robust than the Tree Demons, and they even retained some of their original skills from when they were alive. Even if a five-person squad encountered these monsters, they would find them tough and tricky, let alone only two as they were now. No matter how powerful Song Jians attack was, faced with this group of puppet beasts at the elite BOSS level, he would also be besieged to death. There are too many monsters ahead, lets pause first. Song Jian said to Anna. Whilst Anna possessed an epic profession, she currently lacked effective attack skills and could not protect herself well. She could revive others, but if she died, she could not be resurrected again. Anna was pampered from a young age. Even though her family had fallen into hardship, the lord of the City of Sin was her uncle. Usually, she had very few experiences in battles and adventures. The most dangerous time was probably the last time when she was tricked into going to the Dark Castle and encountered Shadow Teeth. Are the monsters ahead very powerful? Anna whispered, Are they more formidable than the Shadow Teeth? The most powerful creature Anna had ever encountered in her life was probably Shadow Teeth; the black panther still haunted her dreams. They are not as powerful as Shadow Teeth. Song Jian shook his head, But their number is too large. Even Shadow Teeth would have to retreat if all of them charged together. So what should we do? Should we find a way around? Anna asked with a frown. If theres really no way, we can only detour. Song Jian shook his head. In the Mysterious Garden, the monsters often appear alone, whether they were the Devil Vines or the Tree Demons. Another monster wouldnt appear in one monsters alert range. Having so many puppet beasts gathered here, was there something special about this place? Using the eyes of his blood crow, Song Jian took a closer look. He quickly noticed something unusual; In the middle of the puppet beasts lay a corpse. The corpse was completely rotten, with only a skeleton remaining. A thick layer of broad-leaf plants covered the remains. Among the pile of plants, a backpack was emitting a dark gold light. Because the thick plants concealed the backpack, Song Jian hadnt noticed it initially. This time, a beam of golden light penetrated the gap between the plant leaves and caught Song Jians attention. The backpack was strapped to the skeleton, hidden by the broad-leaf plants. If it werent for the golden light it emitted, even if he stood close, Song Jian would have found it challenging to discover it. A Dark Gold Quality backpack? Could it be that these Puppet Beasts are guarding it? Song Jians eyes lit up, staring unblinkingly at the concealed backpack. Whats up, Song Jian? Did you notice something? Anna asked, seeing Song Jian standing still, she gave him a gentle push. Theres a Gold Quality piece of equipment over there. It seems to have been left behind by a dead adventurer. Song Jian said excitedly, pointing ahead. The equipment left by an adventurer after death is usually preserved for a period of time. The higher the quality of the equipment, the longer its preserved. Gray and white equipment lasts for a maximum of three days. Green and blue equipment even longer. As for silver equipment, they are preserved even longer. Gold and above items, if not meeting special geographical conditions, would almost never corrode. Gold Quality equipment? Anna also became excited. Let me see if I can lure these monsters one by one. Song Jian jumped onto a big tree and controlled the five or six blood crows to fly towards the group of monsters from all directions. During usual control of the blood crows, Song Jian just had to issue them a simple command. No matter how many blood crows there were, Song Jian could control them. But now, Song Jian needed to use the vision of the blood crows. The difficulty had increased more than tenfold, even hundreds of times. Having six different images appearing in his brain at the same time, and having to divide his attention amongst them for an extended period, made Song Jian feel dizzy and weak. Faced with such a large group of monsters, the general practice was to use ranged attacks to lure a few, the fewer the better. Luring monsters was the most challenging test for players, even if a little biased, it would touch all the monsters, leading to the total annihilation of the party. Even some well-coordinated teams could not guarantee success every time. After observing for a while, Song Jian couldnt find any opportunity and finally determined bitterly. Song Jian controlled all the blood wolves and blood crows to surround these monsters from all directions. When the blood wolves and crows entered the alert range of the Puppet Beasts, the Puppet Beasts immediately became violent, their bodies enlarged and a red hue emerged on their surfaces. They roared and pounced on the blood wolves and crows. The Puppet Beasts were very powerful. Even though the number of blood wolves and crows was several times higher, the Puppet Beasts still had the upper hand. Just at the initial contact, seven or eight blood wolves were torn to shreds by the Puppet Beasts. Disappear! Song Jian gritted his teeth to bear the headache and issued a command. Immediately, the remaining blood wolves and crows ran in all directions. To the Puppet Beasts with no rationality, the smell of blood was the biggest stimulation, and they roared and chased after the blood crows and wolves. Song Jians figure immediately turned into a shadow, and a path of icy air appeared under his feet. He rushed towards the corpse guarded by the Puppet Beasts as fast as lightning. Chapter 595 - Chapter 595: Chapter 595: Magic Wand Chapter 595: Chapter 595: Magic Wand Upon reaching this skeleton, Song Jian didnt dare to hesitate. He grabbed onto a backpack emitting a dark gold glow, intending to pull it off, but suddenly felt a severe pain in his wrist. He looked down to see several green vines had wound themselves around his wrist. Song Jians heart sank. He hadnt expected that the plants growing on this skeleton would also attack strangers. He tugged hard several times, but with his current strength attribute surpassing sixty, he couldnt break away from the vines, which took him by surprise. One should know that with a strength attribute of sixty, he could even snap a piece of rebar, but these vines seemed even tougher than steel bars. Song Jian extended his left hands index finger and pointed at the vines. Swish~ A golden Sword Qi emitted from the tip of his finger, easily cutting off all the green vines entwined around his wrist. The severed vines appeared to have been frightened, squirming wildly and emitting a sharp screech from beneath the carcass. Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian broke free and fled. As soon as he left, he heard roars from the Puppet Beasts echoing from behind. The Puppet Beasts that had been pursuing the blood wolves and blood crows had actually given up their chase and started to return. That screech just now was summoning these Puppet Beasts! Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his brow, thinking to himself. The Invisible Sword Qi has upgraded, almost all sword techniques have improved because they consume Invisible Sword Qi, but the skill that improved the most is the Sword Finger. There is a stark difference between the Sword Finger with silver Sword Qi and the Sword Finger with golden Sword Qi. The latter, with a mere sweep, can cut in half the vines that were tougher than steel bars. Hearing the roars of the Puppet Beasts, Song Jian grabbed Anna with one hand and the dark gold glowing backpack with the other, then bolted into the distance. After he grabbed the backpack, he wanted to put it into his storage slot but was notified by the system that it couldnt be placed there. So, he had to keep holding it in his hand. After running a few hundred meters, the roars of the Puppet Beasts slowly faded. Song Jian wiped his sweat; it was fortunate that the Invisible Sword Qi upgraded. Had he been unable to break free from the vines, even a few seconds delay would have led to an attack from the Puppet Beasts. Even with his abilities, facing a dozen of Puppet Beasts equivalent to level thirty elite bosses, he would have ended up dying there, perhaps even triggering the Enemy of Death God effect. That was a close call! Anna had a look of relief on her face. She patted her chest, her gaze drifting towards the hand where Song Jian was holding the backpack. Hey, a golden-quality backpack! Song Jian lifted the backpack, excitedly announcing. Huh, there seems to be something inside Song Jian froze, opened the backpack and started searching inside. Song Jian soon pulled out a dark gold Magic Staff from the backpack. The staff, just over a foot long and exquisitely made, looked like a piece of art. At the top end of the staff, eight gems about the size of fingertips were embedded, guarding a fist-sized golden crystal. Even when the glow of the staff was turned off, faint rainbows still danced around it. As soon as the staff was brought out, Annas eyes lit up and she looked pleadingly at Song Jian. Its yours. Song Jian gave a slight smile, handing the staff to Anna. The staff had excellent attributes, perfectly suited for Anna. With this staff, Annas basic self-defense capabilities would be ensured. The Staff of Elunes Prayer, single-hand staff, Dark Gold tier, equipment level 35, ranged damage 268-321, speed 1.8, +5 to all abilities, +8 attack speed, +10 critical strike, all attributes increased by 10 points; Special Effect 1: Brutal Damage (Passive), automatically switch to the property that restrains the target during the locked target attack. If all the targets resistances are positive, it automatically switches to true damage; Special Effect 2: Life Drain (Passive), while dealing damage, 45% of the damage value is converted into self-sustain; Special Effect 3: Gaze of Elune (active), applies a mark on the target. After the mark is cast, the target receives 50% more damage, and healing received is increased by 100%, and critical strike chance is increased by 1. This skill lasts 10 seconds and can only be used once per hour; only once every three hours for Special Effect 4: Blessing of Elune (active), after casting, the user will be protected by Elune, reducing all damage taken by 98%, resistance increased by 100 points, immune to all negative states, movement speed increased by 150%, this effect lasts for 10 seconds. This staff is simply the best of the best, its attributes can even rival those of an epic staff. With this staff, Anna even has the capital to compete with close combat professionals. Unless she is targeted by a bunch of people, few could directly contend with her. Anna clutched the staff, a bright smile on her face as her gaze towards Song Jian softened even more. Song Jian didnt notice the soft look in Annas eyes, his attention was all on the backpack in his hand. After taking out the staff, the dark gold glow on the surface of the backpack began to slowly disappear. Apparently, the light wasnt emanating from the backpack but from the staff that had just been taken out. After taking out the staff, Song Jian pulled out a scroll made of fine sheepskin from the backpack. It was a letter. Research in the lab has been forcibly halted. They were too reckless; they dared to touch Gods realm, and thus suffered the consequences All experimental subjects have lost control. They we cant do anything anymore The energy has leaked out; everyone is starting to mutate. I can also feel my own body Oh my God, there really are creatures that can absorb such energy, it is becoming more powerful The lab base is too dangerous, I have to escape immediately. My body has started to mutate, and the speed of mutation is accelerating I escaped, but I am too weak now, I might die soon If someone sees this letter, I hope you can go to the lab and kill that creature. Otherwise, it will destroy everything, consume everything. No one can escape! Many places in this letter were smeared but from the context, Song Jian could guess roughly what it was about. After reading the letter, a task dialogue box suddenly appeared before him. System: You have received a Strange Letter. This item will trigger a task. Do you accept? Chapter 596 - Chapter 596: Chapter 596: The Airborne Pyramid Chapter 596: Chapter 596: The Airborne Pyramid Song Jian carefully studied this letter again. Although the task did not explicitly state what it was, Song Jian deduced from between the lines that this task was likely to enter the experimental lab base and kill the suddenly more powerful experimental subject. Annas target is the flower of the Bloodline Vine, and its information should also be obtained from this experimental lab base. Its a good opportunity to do this task at the same time. Song Jian thought secretly and immediately chose to accept it. Sure enough, this task was a Level 30 task. The goal was to kill the most powerful boss in the lab base, the Fallen Puppet Beast, Hisemanthi! Song Jian continued to rummage around but quickly withdrew his hand in disappointment; besides the magic staff in Annas hand and this letter, there was nothing else in the bag. Song Jian took another look at the bag in his hand. It was a special item, a fourteen-slot bag, which could be used to expand his bag bar. Song Jians equipment was gradually becoming more abundant. The previous postal bag and storage ring had been replaced by other equipment, and the bag bar was crowded. With this newly added fourteen-slot bag, Song Jian would no longer need to pick and drop some junk when he encounters good equipment in the future. Im taking the bag! Song Jian happily said to Anna. Okay! Anna obediently nodded. If it werent for the need to advance her profession, Anna would not have come to such a dangerous secret realm, and she didnt have many opportunities for adventure in the future. This bag is more useful in Song Jians hands. The two continued to move forward. Without the exploration of the blood crows and blood wolves, their journey became difficult again. The monsters in the Mysterious Garden disguised themselves as ordinary plants. Unless you enter their alert range, even the sharpest perceptions wont be able to discover them. Song Jian stumbled along the way, but after getting familiar with the attack patterns of the monsters in the secret realm, Song Jian became more and more relaxed. As soon as a monster was spotted, Song Jian would charge straight at it, fully utilizing his firepower. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword whirled about, the golden sword qi was rampant, and before the monsters could react effectively, they would be hacked into a pile of wood chips by Song Jian. With a mournful roar, a puppet beast with a piece of deadwood on its back fell to the ground with a thud. The moment it fell, its body shattered like rotten wood. Song Jian searched around the corpse and found two silver coins and a skill book. These two silver coins were not a currency and could not be traded. But they were valuable items. Selling a silver coin to the system shop could be exchanged for 500 Doomsday Coins. The skill book was a universal skill book that could be used by players of all professions. Skill Book: Agile Evasion. Skill Description: Passive skill, enhances the players ability to perceive and dodge attacks; Skill attributes: Gain an additional Intuition Evasion check +3, Perception check +1, passive parry chance increase by 10%; Usage limit: All professions. Although this skill book can be used by all professions, its obviously more suitable for melee professions. Anna gave it a glance and then gave up on this skill book. Song Jians attack was very fierce, not even inferior to some people with tier one combat power. But his defense attribute was average. When fighting monsters, he usually relied on footwork and rapid attacks to kill opponents to cover up this weakness. After acquiring this skill, Song Jians defense will have a significant improvement. After learning this skill, Song Jians Intuition Evasion and Perception improved substantially. A passive skill that adds permanent attributes is far more valuable than a piece of equipment. The two continued following the path while intermittently battling. After spending most of the day, they arrived at a small hill. When they climbed over the hill, Anna suddenly pointed forward in surprise and shouted, Song Jian, look over there, what is that? Song Jian looked up and saw a black pyramid hanging in the air about the size of a small hill. The pyramid was a hundred meters off the ground, and for some reason, it floated motionlessly as if it had no gravity. Song Jian always thought that, even before the apocalypse, the level of human development in the game world should be similar to that of the real world. But now, he realized how absurdly wrong he was. The ability to make such a massive pyramid float in the sky, this technology is not something humans in the real world could grasp. That should be the lab base, right? Song Jian exclaimed. This massive pyramid has obvious signs of human activity. Besides those mad humans who create so many monsters, Song Jian could not think about who else could build such a magnificent building in this secret realm. The two started walking towards the huge pyramid floating in mid-air. Anna kept staring at it all the way. Song Jian, this building seems to be more than just a lab base Anna suddenly said, It has obvious magical cannon muzzles and launch racks, its a military base with weaponry, even a large airship! How do you know so much? Song Jian asked in surprise. Similar weapons exist in the City of Sin, as for the rest, I read about them in some books in my family. Anna glanced at Song Jian, If this is truly a large airship, even one of these can form a considerable airship formation, which is a strategic weapon that could deter a country before the apocalypse. A large airship naturally couldnt form an airship formation by itself. The number of escort ships alone would be in the hundreds. This might indeed be an airship left by a certain country before the apocalypse Song Jian had a look of envy in his eyes. If he could have this floating black pyramid in the sky, then wouldnt he be unstoppable in this game world! Such a strategic weapon could contend with a superpower. The cities in the game, whether it be the City of Hymns or the City of Sin, simply could not compete with it. But this thought could only cross Song Jians mind. Not to mention getting control of this base. Even if Song Jian truly had control, moving it would not be attainable by one or two people. Thousands of professionals would be needed to make it work. Lets go, lets check it out over there. The clue to the Bloodline Vine should be in that base! Song Jian said with anticipation. Chapter 597 - Chapter 597: Chapter 597: The Man-Eating Flower Chapter 597: Chapter 597: The Man-Eating Flower Finally here, huh? Song Jian stood below the black pyramid, gazing upward; Upon getting closer, the enormity of this black pyramid was felt even more, like a small mountain, the pyramid eerily suspended in mid-air. This gripping sensation made ones heart palpitate. Song Jian, howhow do we climb this? Anna asked, her brows furrowed, staring anxiously at the looming shadow overhead. There must be a passage to get up there, lets look for it. Song Jian responded. Soon, both of them found a wrecked transportation aircraft nestled in a hollow; the engine on the left wing of the plane was severely destroyed, revealing a huge hole. The fuselage was filled with fractures, half of the cockpit was embedded in the hollow. After the crash, the aircraft caught fire, leaving burnt marks all over the plane. Luckily, the fire stopped, possibly due to rain or some other reason, preserving most of the aircraft intact. This appears to be a plane used to transport personnel and supplies to the base Song Jian said, pointing out the label which read Carrier 152 on the surface of the aircraft. What a pity that it is no longer operational, said Anna in disappointment. Let me see if I can find some useful things, said Song Jian before climbing into the wrecked aircraft. Not long after, Song Jian emerged with a small black metal box from the remains of the plane. This is a recognition device for the base. As long as we approach the base, it will automatically open the gate. Revealed Song Jian, holding up the metal box. But how are we going to get up there? Anna furrowed her brow. Ill go up first to check it out. You wait here. Just as Song Jian finished speaking, a pair of metal wings unfolded from his back, and with a flap, he soared towards the pyramid above. Soon, Song Jian reached the bottom of the pyramid. The base of it appeared to be made from a giant sheet of iron, not a single crack was visible. Even when he tried to feel for any joints with his hand, there was no trace of them. Song Jian hovered around the pyramid base, and when he reached the lower left-hand corner, a section of the base melted away like ice and snow, revealing a large hole. Song Jian perked up, flew towards the hole. Once Song Jian entered, the opening quickly restored itself, leaving no trace behind. Upon entering the base, Song Jian stood before a metallic hallway, a pair of steel wings slowly disappearing from his back. Embedded sidelights emitted a soft glow on either side of the corridor. It appeared that some basic facilities of the base were still operational, even without human control. Being unfamiliar with the base, Song Jian had no choice but to wander aimlessly. The structures within the base were all interconnected by corridors, much like a spiders web. Initially, Song Jian managed to draw some rudimentary maps, but as he ventured deeper into the base, it got overwhelming. The base was as vast as a medium-sized town. With Song Jian delving further into the base, it was evident that the bases defensive forces strengthened significantly. Puppet Beasts appeared one after the other in the corridor. The Puppet Beasts consisted of various races, but they all shared the same characteristics C vegetation covered their bodies, and their movements were controlled by these plants. The narrow metal corridor was rather convenient for Song Jian; most of these Puppet Beasts were at levels 26 to 29, and posed little threats to Song Jian. This only contributed to Song Jians battle experience. Even though he lacked a map, Song Jian could rely on his instincts and ventured deeper into the base. After an hour, he reached the heart of the base. It was much more chaotic here compared to the entrance, with corpses and bloodstains everywhere. The Puppet Beasts vanished, and in their place, towering man-eating flowers replaced them. Roots of these carnivorous plants had evolved into an existence resembling octopus tentacles, which moved freely across the ground. Tube-like bodies still grown with leaves, but at the top was a gigantic mouth, filled with double layers of sharp teeth. Long tongues stretched out from the mouths, swayed as they moved along. It was a rather disgusting sight. The levels of these carnivorous plants ranged from 28 to 29, with occasional ones at level 30. During attacks, they continually lashed at their victims with their tongues and when the victims Vitality Points dropped to a certain level, they would suddenly snap up the target. Upon seeing the slimy tongues of these carnivorous plants, an offensive odor drifted over. Song Jian looked sick and had no intention of going near these abhorrent creatures. His vertical eye at the center of the brow opened, sending out a silver column of light, which struck the nearest man-eating flower. With the dazzling light flaring, the man-eating flower let out a shrill cry and started moving towards the source of the silver light. Watching the Vitality Points of the man-eating flower drop drastically, Song Jian displayed a cold smile; with a powerful stomp on the ground, a sharp, fang-shaped energy cluster sprang forth towards the man-eating flower. The energy cluster exploded upon impact, reverberating loudly. For a moment, the nauseating odor in the corridor intensified. The attacked man-eating flower sprayed out pungent liquid from the wound, its Vitality Points plummeted drastically. Light Strike! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian stepped back leisurely, swinging the Invisible Sword Qi around casually as if it cost him nothing. The golden Sword Qi exploded, immersing the whole corridor in a golden hue. Man-eating flowers let out mournful cries, their volume gradually lowering over time. Unable to get near Song Jian, their Vitality Points hit zero, collapsing lifelessly onto the cold ground, leaving only a withered corpse. Song Jian sliced his way through, and soon, he spotted an open room filled with control panels and equipment. His eyes lit up immediately. This should be the central area of the base, perhaps the control center of the entire base! speculated Song Jian, heading towards the room ahead. Arriving at the entrance, Song Jian kicked the partially ajar door wide open, startling the man-eating flowers and Puppet Beasts in the room. Song Jian immediately summoned the Abyssal Phantom Clone and activated the Immortal Sword Body. He charged into the room and after about ten minutes, he had eliminated all the creatures, leaving traces of foul-smelling fluid from the man-eating flowers stained on him. After clearing the room, Song Jian proceeded to the largest control panel; Chapter 598 - Chapter 598: Chapter 598: Small Probability Explosion Chapter 598: Chapter 598: Small Probability Explosion The huge screen on the control console was now shattered in the bottom left corner, which seemed to have been caused by a stray bullet hitting the area. The cracks from the circular hole spread outward, with one of them even splitting the screen in two. There were three rows of buttons on the control panel, with several of them constantly emitting sparks. Most of the remaining buttons seemed to have lost their function, leaving only seven or eight still lit up, indicating they could be used normally. Song Jian carefully pressed one of the still-lit buttons, and after waiting for a while and not noticing any anomalies, he directly pressed all the remaining buttons one after another. Perhaps triggered by one of the buttons, the shattered screen suddenly started up. After a burst of static noise and snowflakes, an image of a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and glasses, with a thin figure appeared on the screen. He was sweating profusely and even had bloodstains on his white work clothes. Behind him, a huge creature over three meters tall, with grotesque lumps of muscle all over its body similar to tumors, bent down and squeezed into the laboratory. It grabbed a retreating researcher with one hand, let out a low growl, and tore the researcher apart with just its two hands. Blood and viscera were spilled all over the floor as the giant monster started eating the two pieces of the corpse in its hands; In the screen, the disheveled-looking middle-aged man frantically pressed buttons on the screen while shouting: This is the control room of the mysterious base. The experimental subject has gone out of control and is rampaging through the base. Many experimental specimens have been released by it. The vine of life has also escaped its confinement, and the base is in chaos To prevent the secrets of the base from being leaked, I have no choice but to activate the self-destruction device and release the Shafilin virus! The middle-aged mans face was pale, and he seemed completely unaware that the giant monster behind him was slowly approaching. Finally, he yelled, Himan, my son, I love you! Then screamed, Long live the empire! The giant monster appeared behind him and reached out with its large palm-like hand. With a slap, it crushed the mans head. The last image on the screen showed the giant monster continuously licking the blood and brain matter from the palm of its hand; Could the final boss mentioned in the mission, the Degenerate Puppet Beast, be that giant monster in the screen? Song Jian wondered. Moreover, the self-destruct device was activated by the man in the screen, but the base is still intact. I wonder if someone shut it down in the end or if the self-destruct device didnt activate at all? Song Jian carefully recalled every detail of the screen, trying to uncover some hidden secrets. Just then, a sudden burst of sparks erupted from the control console, and several buttons that had previously been extinguished flashed twice in quick succession. Then, the entire console went dark, completely damaged and unusable. Song Jian suddenly felt a slight vibration beneath his feet. Immediately, the metal bottom plate beside the console silently slid open to both sides. A rotten, foul-smelling stench rushed out, making him want to vomit; Turning his head, Song Jian saw a 30-degree downward slope appearing beside the console, appearing like a hidden passage leading to the control rooms lower level. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian walked along the sloped passage heading downwards; The space below was surprisingly large. As if sensing his arrival, a series of shrill, mad screams erupted from below. The chaotic, violent sounds intertwined, making peoples eardrums ache and causing a dizzying sensation. Below there should be the monsters captured as experimental subjects by the bases researchers. I didnt expect them to still be alive after all this time C no, thats not right. Their bodies must have all been invaded by the strange plants in this place, turning them all into Puppet Beasts. Song Jian speculated. Just as he reached the end of the passage, Song Jian saw two dark shadows pouncing towards him. Upon closer examination, they were actually two man-eating plants with flesh wings. However, these two man-eating plants had rather small body sizes, while the flesh wings on their backs were extremely large, appearing to be two to three times the size of their bodies. What kind of research is being done here that can create such disgusting monsters! Song Jian felt increasingly disgusted by this place. These two winged man-eating plants were not very strong, and Song Jian easily killed them without much effort. After killing them, there was a small probability of a drop; these two ordinary level 28 monsters actually dropped a golden-quality ring; Bloodied Man-Eating Flowers Claw, Ring, Golden Grade, Item Level 30, Equipment Effect: Intelligence +8, Constitution +7, Increases magic damage or healing effects by 50 points; Special Effect: Light Body Skill (active), once activated, it makes the wearer as light as a swallow, falling from a high place at a slower speed, avoiding any damage; the effect lasts for 8 seconds, and can only be cast once within 30 minutes; The attributes are average, but its still a golden-quality ring suitable for Annas use. Song Jian wiped the ring clean and stored it in his inventory. After killing these two monsters, Song Jians gaze fell on the cells here. The top layer of the cells was about five to six meters above the ground, covering an area the size of a soccer field. The dark metal grid walls separated the space into twenty or thirty independent compartments. Song Jian walked over to one of them and gripped the thick metal bars, exerting force on them. His face suddenly changed as there was no response to his grip on the metal bars. It should be noted that Song Jians strength attribute had already exceeded sixty points, which could be considered as extremely powerful, but it had no effect on these iron bars. How did those monsters escape such sturdy cells? Song Jian wondered as he continued walking along the central aisle between the cells. At this point, the cells were empty except for large areas of dried, dark brown stains. Song Jian reached the deepest cell without discovering anything. Just as Song Jian sighed and prepared to turn around and leave, he suddenly noticed that the strange letter stored in his inventory began to emit dazzling light. Song Jian took out the thin sheepskin letter and immediately felt a burning sensation coming from it. Instinctively, he let go of the letter. The letter actually floated in the air, and started burning slowly; A piercing, heart-wrenching cry echoed through the empty room; Chapter 599 - Chapter 599: Chapter 599: Rebellion Chapter 599: Chapter 599: Rebellion In the empty room, a sudden heart-rending cry rang out, startling Song Jian. Even with his strong psychological endurance, the abrupt wail made his heart pound. Fortunately, the cries slowly faded as the mysterious letter burned to ashes. Song Jian collected himself, noticing a strange smile appearing on the wall in front of him. It looked as if it had been drawn with the smoldering ashes. Song Jian was certain that before he took out the strange letter, there was nothing on the wall; Playing tricks! Song Jian gave a cold hum and summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He struck the wall fiercely. A golden Sword Qi flashed, making it feel like he was slashing at a mass of cotton, unable to channel his strength. Suddenly, the sound of shattered glass echoed in his ears. Just then, the wall unexpectedly caved in with a rumble, revealing a pitch-black hole. The black hole was completely dark; he could not make out what was inside; Just then, a chilling roar pierced through from the black hole. A pair of crimson eyes, like two lights in the darkness, shone onto Song Jian; Who are you? Another reckless adventurer? It is quite commendable that you managed to find this place a strange voice echoed in Song Jians ear. It sounded like two dry pieces of wood rubbing against each other. Who are you, and what are you doing here? Song Jian clenched his sword, his face full of vigilance. The red eyes in the darkness stared at Song Jian for a long time, finally letting out a sigh; Next, faint red light illuminated the surrounding area, revealing the rooms interior to Song Jian; It was a chamber of about twenty square meters with an empty surrounding, except for a stone platform rising waist-high in the center. A creature that appeared to be human was tied to it. This creature was almost identical to a human, except that its body was nearly naked, save for a piece of cloth around its waist; What surprised Song Jian was that the surface of this human-like creature was marked with patterns resembling tree bark. If not for its red glowing eyes, Song Jian would have thought it was a tree sculpture; Surprised, arent you? Do you think Im a monster? Its mouth curled into a mocking grin. The red eyes stared hard at Song Jian, What if I told you, I was once a human? Would you believe me? Have you been poisoned? Has your body mutated? Song Jian asked with a slight frown. Actually, I was a researcher on this floating base! The bound wooden man said helplessly: During the research, a sudden rebellion broke out in the base, most researchers were killed, and I was infected with the Shaferin virus, a virus that turns people into wood. If it had not been for the antidote, Id have long rotted into a pile of decaying timber. A rebellion? What rebellion? And what were you researching? Also, who are you? Since you were poisoned, why are you tied up here? Song Jian asked a series of questions, his brows furrowed. The base has been deserted for God knows how many years, and its incredible that some of the original researchers are still alive; You have too many questions. As for the rebellion, I dont know much. I guessed it was because there was a significant breakthrough in our research, which some people wanted for themselves, thus the rebellion ensued. As for me, you can call me Simon, just a humble researcher on this floating base! Our research, hahahaha. Do you want to know what we were researching? Simons wood-textured face broke into a crazy grin, laughing wildly: Our research is something everyone who is alive cares about; no matter their influence, or their wealth, once our research results are published, it will be a mad scramble. Our research is Simon stared at Song Jian and said clearly, Our research is on immortality! Immortality? A sarcastic smile appeared on Song Jians face, Are you implying eternal youth? Stupid mortal, you dare mock the great Simon seemed enraged by Song Jians facial expression, his voice suddenly booming. But quickly, he noticed something, gave a cold hum, and explained, Humph, you wouldnt understand. What do you think thousands of the empires most outstanding biologists were doing in this giant metal cage all year round, deprived of daylight? Do you think your intellect and knowledge can compare to those of the thousands of elite biologists of the great empire? Simons words made Song Jian fall into deep thought. Could it be that everything this strange fellow said is true? The original research of this floating base was to pursue immortality, not to produce Puppet Beasts and other war weapons? Song Jian had always thought that the bases research was for military purposes. He never expected that his conjecture was wrong from the start. Can you tell me more about your research, Simon? Song Jian asked curiously. Of course, its not a problem! A mysterious smile spread across Simons face, This should start when the empire discovered a peculiar plant. At the time, I was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old greenhorn Simon began to recount the entire event to Song Jian. Initially, a massive empire discovered a plant full of life energy, the same Life Vine that Anna mentioned. The juice extracted from the Life Vine had a miraculous effect that could save the critically ill. Ingesting one drop of its essence could rejuvenate a person by at least twenty years; This discovery drove the empires nobles insane. They assembled all the biologists in the empire and brought them to this floating base to research this plant; During the study, they found that the Life Vine emitted energy fluctuations or radiation all the time. Any organism frequently exposed to this radiation environment would experience mutations; These mutations could be good or bad, but the unknown always sparked human curiosity. Some researchers gradually changed their research direction towards triggering evolution after discovering this characteristic of the Life Vine. This was the root cause of the many Puppet Beasts and other plant monsters in the replicas; Researchers of immortality and evolution began to diverge significantly. Ultimately, when no one could convince the other, a purging massacre was inevitable. Chapter 600 - Chapter 600: Chapter 600: Heisman Ti Chapter 600: Chapter 600: Heisman Ti And so, the last researcher activated the bases self-destruct mechanism and released the Sand Phili virus. For some unknown reason, the self-destruct mechanism was ineffective, and the Sand Phili virus filled the entire base instead sighs Himan, a complex expression on his face. All the researchers here, except for you, are dead? Song Jian asks in surprise while also feeling worried. He has already been inside the base for nearly two hours. If the Sand Phili virus is still present, he might have already been infected unknowingly. Yes, theyre all dead. Theres no cure for the Sand Phili virus. The so-called antidote can only suppress and alleviate the symptoms. Otherwise, I wouldnt have ended up like this Himan stretches out his hands, showing a bitter smile. Song Jians face immediately darkens. Himan seems to have guessed his thoughts and smiles lightly, saying: Dont worry. Sand Phili virus decomposes quickly. Not only does it dissolve in water, but it can only exist in the air for twenty-four hours. If the ventilation system is good, it should be completely decomposed in eight hours Song Jian breathes a sigh of relief. If he really was infected by the Sand Phili virus, he would have to use the passive skill Enemy of Death God once. Is there anything I can help you with? Song Jian glances at the chains that bind Himans limbs and asks. A smile emerges on Himans face. Hasnt he said so much just to let Song Jian ask this question voluntarily? Song Jians identity as a god-favored one was known to Himan the moment he opened the mysterious cave, but Song Jian still doesnt know who or what He is. Himan is unlike any creature Song Jian has encountered in the game. His attributes are all hidden, just like a player. This makes Himan the strangest creature Song Jian has met since entering the game, not quite a player, but possessing some basic rights of a player. After Song Jian asks the unique players task inquiry, a smirk sneakily appears on Himans dry face before he quickly covers it up. Himans gaze at Song Jian feels like that of a spider who sees its prey struggling on a spiders web. You are a god-favored one? I know there is an incredibly precious treasure for god-favored ones inside this base. It can greatly enhance your strength! After carefully observing Song Jian for a moment, Himan suddenly says: If you can rescue me from this prison, I can take you to acquire that treasure! System: You have received a branch missionBreak Free. The missions difficulty is unknown. Mission objective: Help the creature in front of you break free from its binds and regain its freedom. Warning: Due to the presence of other missions involving this creature on your person, accepting this mission will greatly increase the difficulty of the other missions. Please choose carefully. System: Do you accept this mission? Yes/No? Song Jian raises his head and smiles gently, and says, Before I accept this task, can you tell me how to get you out of here? The chains that bind you here must not be ordinary, right? Of course! These four chains and the entire secret chamber were made using the latest materials researched by the empiremeteorite alloy. Not only is it incredibly hard, but it also possesses the self-repairing ability of living organisms. Ordinary weapons couldnt possibly cut through it, Himan says with an excited smile. So, what should I do? If its so sturdy, Im afraid I wont be able to rescue you. If I accept and fail this mission, wont I also be punished? Song Jian shows an apparent hesitant expression. No, this mission is quite simple! Himan quickly says, You just need to go to Laboratory 6 in the base. Stored there is a corrosive solution extracted from plant bodies. You just need to bring it here, and itll corrode the four iron chains binding me. Song Jian nods and smiles, Laboratory 6, huh? Where is this Laboratory 6, and how do I get there? The floating base is too vastSong Jian hasnt even explored one-tenth of it. If Himan doesnt point him in the right direction, he probably wouldnt find Laboratory 6 after an entire day of searching. Seeing Song Jians calm face, Himan suddenly feels somethings off and says, You must accept the mission first; as soon as you do, I will provide you with a detailed map of the base. Song Jian doesnt say anything, continuing to stare intently at Himans woodgrain face. Finally, after a long pause, he sighs, saying, I initially thought your imprisonment for so long would have rendered your mind dull, but it seems I was wrong Himan suddenly realizes something is amiss and Song Jian moves at that moment. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand emits a golden Sword Qi, swiftly stabbing toward Himan on the stone platform. How dare you! Himans face fills with rage, and murderous intent is seen in his red eyes. Swish~ Himan opens his mouth, and a bloody tongue shoots out like a spear aimed at Song Jian. Song Jian swings his sword to slash, drawing an arc in the air with his long blade, chopping towards Himans long tongue. With a clang, the sword slashes the tongue, sounding like the clash of gold and steel. Sparks burst out, and a soybean-sized notch is cut into Himans tongue. Himan howls in pain, expressing shock in his eyes, as he had not expected Song Jians sword to be so sharp. Withdrawing his tongue, Himans mouth slowly oozes a dark red blood. Why, why? Himan yells angrily. Song Jian is the first living creature he has encountered in so many years that could enter the floating base. He had originally intended to deceive him into helping him break free but never thought he would see through Himans schemes. How did you know? Himans face becomes dreadfully dark, and he wonders when Song Jian started suspecting him. You have too many flaws! Song Jian shakes his head, speaking slowly, Firstly, the virus killed everybody in the base, but you survived. Your identity must not be that of an ordinary researcher, as you claim to be. Secondly, how did you, a person who has been imprisoned for so many years, even know about god-favored ones? Song Jian smiles coldly. Furthermore, its your eyes. Ive been observing your eyes since I first saw you Song Jians eyes sharpen like knives, staring at Himan, Your eyes are identical to those of the final recorded BOSS in the control room! You are not called Himan; you should be called Xisimante, shouldnt you? Song Jian questions. Chapter 601 - Chapter 601: Chapter 601: The Three Eagle Brothers Chapter 601: Chapter 601: The Three Eagle Brothers Xisumante! The corrupted Puppet Beast that Song Jian must kill for his mission! Roar! Ximan, nay, Xisumante, suddenly became enraged and let out a bellow towards Song Jian: Dont utter that name to me! With Xisumantes roar, his body expanded rapidly. He went from an original size of one and a half meters to a towering three meters in height in an instant. On his body surface, lumps appeared like nodules, clustered together layer after layer, which looked incredibly revolting. At this moment, his name and attributes appeared above his head. Just as Song Jian guessed, this was the final boss in the floating base, the Corrupted Puppet Beast, Xisumante. Thirteen thousand vitality points? Upon seeing Xisumantes attributes, Song Jians eyes betrayed a look of shock, and he involuntarily took a sharp intake of breath. Xisumante raised his arm high and fiercely hammered it down onto the ground. Boom~ An explosion, a wave of strong force, sprang up towards Song Jian. He, like a small stone, was flung far away, hitting the wall at the entrance hard with his back. In an instant, a severe pain erupted from his back, and a damage of more than five hundred points hovered above his head. An enemy with first-order combat power? This cant be! A look of disbelief surfaced on Song Jians face. This Mysterious Garden instance was only a level-thirty instance, not high enough to contain a monster with first-order combat power. At this moment, Song Jians gaze fell on the iron chains bound around Xisumantes limbs. As Xisumantes body rapidly expanded, the black chains binding its limbs did not change, causing the muscles near the iron chains to squeeze together, the chains deeply embedded into its flesh. Xisumante swung his arm madly, but couldnt break free from the chains. Looking at the continuously roaring Xisumante, Song Jian slowly retreated from the room. It was these very chains that deprived Xisumante of his original battle strength despite his first-order combat power. Even with the chains restraining it, killing Xisumante wouldnt be an easy task Song Jian glanced at the task bar, shook his head slightly, and thought silently. Xisumantes long tongue could reach three to four meters, and the attack that sent Song Jian flying had a range of seven to eight meters. If he were to fight Xisumante in that chamber, it would be impossible to dodge its attacks. With this in mind, if he wanted to kill Xisumante in the chamber through battle, the impact of the chains wouldnt be as significant. The best way to kill it would be to stand in a spot Xisumante could not reach and injure it from there. If it were a team of five, there would be long-range professions among them who could easily kill this boss. If I truly kill it this way, the quality of the items dropped by the boss will undoubtedly be considerably reduced. However, my main purpose here is to obtain the flower of the life vine for Anna, followed by completing the task of killing Xisumante. Losing the quality of the drops is acceptable. Song Jian thought privately. To safely kill Xisumante, Song Jian must attack it from a distance of ten meters. However, there were not many skills Song Jian had that could reach ten meters. Looking at Xisumantes large physique, one could tell that it was a boss specialized in health, with thirteen thousand vitality points. If the damage did not reach a certain degree, killing this boss would take a long time. Therefore, Song Jian planned to search other parts of the base first. If he could find the Life Vine, that would be great. If not, finding other powerful weapons to use against Xisumante would also be helpful. Just as Xisumante mentioned the corrosive solution, if Song Jian could find Laboratory Six and obtain this solution, then he could easily kill this boss by applying the solution to Xisumante. There were still many Puppet Beasts and plant monsters remaining in the base. These monsters levels were mostly between twenty-seven and thirty. Their strength was, of course, insignificant to Song Jian. If not for Anna waiting outside, Song Jian would not want to delay too long here. The efficiency of grinding levels here was at least three to four times faster than outside. Nevertheless, throughout his search, Song Jians combat experience escalated rapidly, almost reaching half of the required points. He was only two levels away from level thirty. After reaching level thirty, Song Jian could wear the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set. That was an epic-level set. After putting it on, Song Jians strength would undergo drastic changes. Then, even soloing Xisumante would be an easy task. During his exploration, Song Jian had encountered a few base storage rooms. Most of the things inside had corroded beyond use, but even so, Song Jian still found materials worth several thousand Doomsday Coins, so it was not a total loss. The most important thing was that, in a small lab, Song Jian had found an incomplete diary. This diary surprisingly contained a small section of the base map. Clearly, the owner of the diary had encountered the same problem as Song Jian when they first entered the base. In this broken map, Song Jian saw the specific locations of Lab Number One, Two, and Three, and most importantly, a strictly guarded major lab in the base was also marked. This should be the lab where the life vine is researched. Song Jian tapped on the central lab on the map and smiled. As Song Jian made his way towards the large lab in the center of the base, outside the instance, Ye Tong and the three Eagle brothers also arrived at the entrance of the instance. This should be the place, Eagle Yang muttered as he looked at the stone door at the entrance. Eagle Fei pulled out the Seed of Opening, saying, Lets go, elder brother. We dont have much time. We need to hurry. Eagle Yang nodded, glanced at Ye Tong, causing Ye Tong to feel a chill down his spine and stammer, You you arent planning to eliminate the witness, are you? Eagle Ji laughed out loud: Theres no advantage in killing you. Follow us closely once were inside. This is a level-thirty instance. Given your level, things could be quite dangerous. Ye Tong released a sigh of relief. The pressure from these three was too much. Surrounding them were five or six Tauren that stood still just like wooden stakes. They were members of the Blackhoof Tribe controlled by the three brothers. Eagle Fei stepped forward and placed the Seed of Opening into the lower alcove of the stone door. After waiting for a while, the door to the instance showed no sign of opening. The faces of the Eagle brothers changed dramatically as they shared glances. Elder brother, someone started the scenario task first. We have to wait for him to leave before opening the instance! Eagle Fei said with a worried look. Chapter 602 - Chapter 602: Chapter 602: Blood Sacrifice Chapter 602: Chapter 602: Blood Sacrifice In the game world, instances, also known as dungeons, were parallel spaces that players could enter. Inside the instances, players would only encounter their teammates and not run into other players. However, there existed a highly exceptional situation within the instances: when special mission events that could affect the games progress occurred, the involved instance would temporarily turn into a one-time-use instance. The instance would only revert to its former state once the special event was concluded. While carrying out a special plot mission, unrelated players and teams would be temporarily blocked from entering the instance. Annas need for a flower from the Life Vine was precisely such a special plot mission. At this point, Song Jian was unaware that he was participating in a storyline mission that drove the games progress. Only when Anna obtained a flower from the Life Vine, or when Song Jian failed to help Anna get the flower, would the Mysterious Garden instance return to its original state. Big brother, what do we do? Eagle Fly nervously asked Eagle Soar. We must be involved in this plot mission! Eagle Soar contemplated for a moment, a vicious determination on his face. He gritted his teeth and said, Perform the Blood Sacrifice to forcibly break open the gate! Eagle Fly and Eagle Swift trembled as the Blood Sacrifice was not a trivial undertaking. Failure was highly likely, and even if they succeeded, the damage inflicted on the trio would be severe. Each person would have to pay the price of losing three permanent attribute points. This plot mission is crucial, and if someone completes it before us, we will have to pay an even greater price! Eagle Soar gritted his teeth, for their trio was unwittingly part of a mission involving the games progress. However, their mission was different from Song Jians, and they were a day slower. Otherwise, it would have been Song Jian and Anna standing gloomily outside the gate. Understood, big brother! Eagle Swift nodded, controlling several minotaurs towards the entrance of the instance. Ye Tong stood dumbfounded nearby, not understanding a single word of what Eagle Soar and his brothers said. However, she could feel the intense sense of danger conveyed by the words Blood Sacrifice. In an instant, Ye Tong was filled with regret as she had wanted to follow them to benefit from their actions. Little did she expect to encounter such ruthless individuals. Even her strength was incomparable to theirs. If the trio were to harm her, she wouldnt stand a chance of resisting. Plup plup plup~ The minotaurs unhesitatingly slit their own throats, their blood spattering like arrows onto the stone gate outside the instance. Eagle Swift began chanting the incantation for the Blood Sacrifice. His voice resembled the fluttering wings of an insect. As he continued chanting, the blood from the minotaurs gushed outward as though from a fountain. Despite this, none of their faces showed any emotion, as if they couldnt feel their life force draining away. In just a few seconds, the blood from the minotaurs splattered outward, their imposing bodies withering at an alarming rate. Their dried wounds spurted blood once again. The sight before her terrified Ye Tong. She instinctively backed away, prioritizing her life over the allure of valuable in-game equipment. The unmistakeable sense of looming danger was rapidly closing in on her. Soon, the blood from the minotaurs bodies was completely exhausted. Their desiccated corpses fell to the ground and instantly turned to dust. The tightly shut stone gate at the entrance was now entirely covered in blood, an intricate web of bloody veins blanketing its surface. These blood veins writhed like living creatures, as if they were absorbing something. After finishing the incantation, Eagle Swifts face flushed an unnatural red. He turned to Ye Tong with a cold stare and said, We still require one players soul sacrifice Ye Tongs face twisted in terror as she screamed. With every acceleration skill activated she ran towards the valley, trying to flee for her life. Whoosh~ A pitch-black whip lashed out, entwining itself around Ye Tongs ankle and yanking her to the ground. The strike was swift and precise, as if meticulously planned. Eagle Soar slowly reeled Ye Tong back in, expressing his regret, We intended to bring you into the instance, but unluckily for you Ye Tong struggled desperately, crying out, Please spare me! Dont kill me! Please, dont kill me! The games progress has been disrupted. This was originally our chance, but someone beat us to it. You should blame the person who entered the instance first and carried out the plot mission, Eagle Fly coldly retorted, his gaze on Ye Tong as if looking at a corpse. The whip in Eagle Soars hand reached its end, and he grabbed Ye Tong by the collar, tossing her to Eagle Swift. Plup~ Eagle Swift flipped his right hand, brandishing a foot-long dagger that plunged into Ye Tongs heart with deadly precision. Ye Tong felt a sharp pain in her chest, her strength draining away as her body went limp. Look into my eyes! Eagle Swift grasped Ye Tongs throat, his low voice resonating in her ear. Ye Tongs convulsing body gradually calmed. Unfazed by the dagger embedded in her chest, she stared blankly into Eagle Swifts eyes. The sacrificial incantation sounded once again from Eagle Swifts mouth. Ye Tongs body suddenly ignited in a translucent flame, countless radiant specks of light bursting forth. They slowly drifted towards the stone gate, while her vitality points rapidly depleted, a series of damage numbers appearing above her head. The specks of light quickly melded into the gate and vanished. As they did, the gates surface erupted in dazzling brilliance, illuminating the entire valley. After several seconds, Ye Tongs body was no longer able to produce any more light specks, and her vitality points hit zero. She became a lifeless corpse. That should do it! Eagle Swift callously threw Ye Tongs corpse aside like a piece of trash. Boom boom boom~ The stone gate, glowing with a crimson hue, slowly creaked open, revealing a narrow passageway that could accommodate only one person at a time. Quickly, it will only be open for five seconds! Eagle Swift yelled, his figure dashing towards the center of the gate like a bolt of lightning. Eagle Soar and Eagle Fly swiftly followed, their forms disappearing into the gate just before it slammed shut with a thunderous crash. The valley became tranquil once more. However, outside the gate now lay several withered skeletons and the corpse of a female player. Chapter 603 - Chapter 603: Chapter 603: The Gate Chapter 603: Chapter 603: The Gate At this moment, Song Jian had no idea that several other players had entered the duplicate where he was. He made his way along the metallic corridor towards the deepest part of the floating base, quickly arriving at the largest laboratory marked in the discarded diary. This laboratory had no number, but the researchers in the base referred to it as Laboratory Zero. The floating base had been unused for a long time, many of the rooms entrances had lost their resistance. However, the laboratory in front of Song Jian had all its facilities intact. Even the two laser cannons at the laboratory entrance were still operational. Caught off guard, Song Jian was severely attacked twice, losing over 1,900 of his over 2,000 vitality points. He almost died, inducing cold sweat across his forehead and a wave of fear. Damn it, I assumed that all internal defenses in the base are defunct, disregarded this place toohow careless! Song Jian exclaimed. He sat at a curve in the metal passageway, taking out supplies and started to recover his vitality points. The diary did not lie; this must be the lab for studying the life vines, the most important place in the entire floating base. Otherwise, its defenses would not have been preserved this well! Song Jian reflected. These two laser cannons would indeed pose a threat to Song Jian if operated by someone, but currently, they could only act defensively and couldnt stop Song Jian at all. With a thought, a pitch-black figure appeared before Song Jian. It looked almost identical to him, even its equipment. Abyssal Phantom Clone! A phantom clone made using the Abyssal Power has seventy percent of Song Jians attributes and skill power and also inherited all equipment attributes; Swish, swish~ A white light suddenly appeared under the clones feet, and a chill emanated from its feet. Its body was also covered in a layer of grayCblack, appearing like a dark shadow. At the same time, Song Jian mirrored the actions of the phantom clone. Swish~ The clone rushed towards the laboratory door. The lightning-fast figure couldnt react in time, and the clone was directly transformed into a cluster of black fog, slowly dispersing, after being hit by the laser cannons. Song Jian had already reached his attack range at this point. The long sword in his hand was swung forward, sending a golden Sword Qi towards the left laser cannon; While the two laser cannons were turning their barrels to lock onto the returning Song Jian, the one on the left side was directly hit by the golden Sword Qi and exploded; Following the release of Light Strike, Song Jian immediately held his long sword horizontally to his chest. As he saw the right laser cannons muzzle flashing, he directly used the Sacred Parry skill; Whistle~ A dazzling laser shot towards Song Jian. His body shone with a golden glow as he instinctively parried; Bang! A loud boom; the rapidly advancing Song Jians body jerked to a stop as he felt a strong force from his sword, causing him to stumble backwards two steps before releasing this force; The laser which was originally shot towards Song Jian disappeared into thin air, but soon it reappeared in midair, retracing its path and directly destroying the right laser cannon; With both laser cannons destroyed, the entire passageway lit up with glaring red lights, and an alarm suddenly sounded; Alert, alert! A humanoid life-form has breached the laboratory! A humanoid life-form has breached the laboratory! An emotionless mechanical voice echoed throughout the passageway. The door to the laboratory, originally made of tempered glass, suddenly had two metal alloy doors descend over it from above and the left, blocking the entrance completely. Song Jian sneered, swinging his sword towards the metal alloy door; Ding~ A dull sound echoed as sparks scattered, leaving Song Jians arm numb. Looking at the metal alloy door, only a white sword mark remained on the surface. As he lightly brushed his hand across, the white mark disappeared, leaving only a shallow sword mark on the door. Song Jian was taken aback. What on earth was this material made of? His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword with the colorless Sword Qi had only left such a shallow mark? Thisthis material seems to be the same as the chains that bound the fallen puppet beast! Song Jian, touching the cold metal alloy door, showed a surprised look in his eyes. No wonder its so hard but thinking that such thing could stop me is rather naive! Song Jian laughed, continuing to hack at the alloy door; His newly gained Holy Swords passive talent was, when using a sword weapon, the damage increases over time, up to 100%. And during attacks, he could trigger the Indestructible effect. He could cut through anything in the world with a single blow; Thump, thump, thump, thump~ In the metallic corridor, a dull sound of hacking echoed. Song Jian kept hacking for over thirty times before finally triggering the Indestructible effect; Crack~ A slight noise sounded, and incredibly, the robust metal door cracked open, leaving a sixteen-inch gap through which one could see the other metal door inside. Damn it, my sword! Song Jian suddenly noticed that after triggering the Indestructible effect, although he managed to open a gap in the metal alloy door, the durability of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand dropped drastically by over thirty points. It wont last for more than two more rounds, rendering the sword useless. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Golden Demonslaying Sword were Song Jians most potent weapons. Even the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set didnt have any weapons. If he wore out the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword here, it would be too tragic for Song Jian; Moreover, judging by the metal alloy door, despite the over a foot-long gap made by hacking, if he wanted to destroy the entire gate, he would need to trigger the Indestructible effect, at least a dozen times. By then, even if the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was worn out, he still wouldnt be able to break open this gate, even if he were to wear out the Golden Demonslaying Sword. Also, dont forget, there are two metal alloy doors, after breaking one down, there is still another. If the door cannot be hacked open, but if it was the chain that bound the fallen puppet beast, it would probably be cut easily! Song Jian suddenly remembered the four black chains he had seen binding Hesmant. Song Jian, heartbroken, glanced at the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, his gaze wandering to both sides of the metal passageway. The door is made of special meteorite alloy, but I dont believe the entire laboratory is built from such alloy. Since I cant enter the door, its just the same if I enter from other places! Song Jian squinted, rushing toward a metal room on the side. Chapter 604 - Chapter 604: Chapter 604: Life Vines Chapter 604: Chapter 604: Life Vines Lab Zero is the largest of all the laboratories situated in the Floating Base. Despite being unoccupied for several decades, the internal support system continues to function seamlessly; In the center of Lab Zero, within a tens-of-square-meters glass chamber, is a two-meter-high vine. The vines trunk, roughly the width of a bucket, bears patterns reminiscent of snake scales. Innumerable branches sprawl from its main body, enveloping the entire glass chamber; Atop the vine, three flowers bloom, each the color of purple-red. Glowing subtly, their surfaces resemble the sheen on a ceramic glaze, appearing as fine pieces of art. The glass chambers intelligent system continues to regulate the temperature, humidity, and nutrient supply. Thus, even after the passage of decades, the plant thrives. Today, Lab Zeros peace is abruptly shattered. Out of nowhere, a sword tip emerges from a wall. Soon, an irritating scratching noise fills the air, quickly followed by a gaping hole breaking through the iron-forged wall; On sensing the damage to the structure, the emergency system in Lab Zero activates, bathing the lab in intermittent dark-red light while a high-pitched alarm blares out. Lab Zero, being the most important section of the Floating Base, is designed to be sealed off and surrounded by guards within ten seconds of the alarm going off. But presently, the alarm does nothing more than create noise. Song Jian breaks through the wall and steps into Lab Zero. The steel wall, over half a foot thick, crumbled like tofu before him. As soon as he steps into Lab Zero, a gender-neutral voice rings in his ear. Adventurer, you should not be here. Leave immediately, or you will suffer devastating consequences! Devastating consequences? Based on what? Song Jian sneers at the hostility, staring at the plant within the glass chamber, he retorts, Are you, a mere research subject caged within a glass chamber without any freedom, supposed to threaten me? Moreover Song Jian eyes the dwindling layer of nutrient feed at the bottom of the glass chamber, a smile spread wide across his face, Looks like your nutrient supply is running low. I wonder how long you can survive once its gone? A day? A week? Or a month? With the Floating Base on lockdown since the catastrophic disaster, the amount of nutrient feed left in Lab Zero, which lasted this long, has already exceeded Song Jians expectations. In fact, he had worried all along that the vine would wither and die from lack of attention. To his surprise, this vine has actually evolved consciousness, and can communicate with people through something similar to brainwaves; Human, state your purpose here. This lab is no cage for me. If I want to leave, no one can hold me back, announced the gender-neutral voice, calmly. I need one of your flowers! Song Jian cuts to the chase; Impossible. It takes me ten years to produce a single flower. The fact that Ive survived this long is entirely due to the energy I absorb from the flowers. Do you really believe this lab contains such an abundance? Anger resonates in the vines voice. You can grow flowers from yourself and then swallow them? Song Jians face mirrors his surprise. Is that so strange? Havent many of you humans committed acts of child exchange and subsequently consumed them? More importantly, this flower is merely an organ of my body, responded the indifferent vine. Well, if youre not willing to offer it, then Ill have no choice but to take it myself. Song Jian shrugs nonchalantly. How dare you! The vine instantly loses its cool. Within the glass chamber, the branches of the previously idle vine shudder, thrashing about like a horrifying tentacled monster; A mere level 30 elite Boss, I wonder who gave you the courage to talk to me in this way. Song Jian chuckles, shattering the glass chamber in the center of the lab with a single strike, and storms toward the vine; Smack, smack, smack~ Several dozens of vine tendrils lash out at Song Jian like a torrential downpour. Each vine is coated with hair-like fibers that deliver excruciating physical hits and toxic attacks to any organism they come in contact with. The vine secretes a bio-toxin, resulting in sustained vitality loss and, when stacked, the side effect of reducing attack and defense power, slowing attack speed, and increasing failure rate of ability usage; Unprepared parties of five face certain defeat against this vine Boss. However, the immunity to poison damage granted by Song Jians maximized Thick Skin talent renders the vine toxin ineffective; System: The vine uses the Whip skill to attack you, dealing 167 physical damage. In addition, you have been inflicted with Toxin Attack (Layer 1). Your talent and gear defense mitigated 123 physical damage, you ultimately sustained 44 physical damage. Thick Skin (MAX) negates the toxin damage; The vine has several dozen tendrils that can perform area of effect attacks. When dealing with a single target, toxin attacks can stack over ten folds instantly, preventing the inflicted party from escaping if struck even once; While Song Jians immunity negates the serious toxin damage, he still suffers over 400 vitality points in one attack. Even he wont be able to withstand multiple attacks from the vine; Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a call, Song Jians body emanates a dazzling golden light. Eight phantom long-swords orbit his body at a leisurely pace. At a thought, a pair of wings sparkle with a metallic sheen unfurled behind Song Jian. Resembling a conscious being, they flit back and forth to parry the raining vine attacks; The steel wings can automatically block damage below fifty points. After deploying the steel wings, Song Jians overall defense and resistance increase by 30%. Coupled with the Immortal Sword Bodys additional effects, each of the Vines attacks only manages to deal about thirty points of damage. Surprisingly, the Steel Wings negate every bit of it. Its fair to say that, at this point, the vine is unable to deal Song Jian any damage. Song Jian chuckles, leaps toward the main body of the vine. Hes at the pinnacle of his might. Even the Shadow Giant Dragon possessing a super first-tier combat power only provides a close match, let alone the vine that hasnt even reached a first-tier combat power! Swish, swish, swish~ Golden Sword Qi dances around him, causing the vine to unleash heartrending screams. Countless vines are sliced apart, filling Lab Zero with a strong scent of sweetness. Chapter 605 - Chapter 605: Chapter 605: Seed of Life Chapter 605: Chapter 605: Seed of Life The rich, sweet scent filled the entire Lab Zero. Song Jian, who had initially lost a quarter of his Vitality Points, actually felt invigorated upon smelling this fragrance, his Vitality Points gradually starting to recover. Although the recovery wasnt substantial each time, predominantly ranging around five to six points, to Song Jian, it was still an excellent healing effect. In actuality, when the Life Vine was injured, its body fluids would radiate into the air, providing a sustained recovery effect for Vitality Points to all who were exposed. Essentially, this was a method of compensating for the strong toxic damage inflicted by the Life Vine. As long as one could withstand the initial attack of the Life Vine and cause some damage to it, this recovery effect would subsequently manifest. Otherwise, dozens of vines attacking simultaneously can instantly stack multiple layers of toxin damage. No matter how formidable a warrior might be, they wouldnt be able to endure such onslaught, and healing would be utterly futile. If it was indeed the case, even though the Life Vine might not possess a first-order Combat Power, its actual damage would far exceed that, hence the need for this type of compensation. Yet, to Song Jian, who was entirely immune to toxin damage and unaffected by physical damage, the diffusion of the Life Vines body fluids wasnt a compensatory measure, it was a direct benefit to the enemy. Before long, Song Jians nearly 500 lost Vitality Points were fully recovered, while the Life Vines Vitality Points had been gravely decreased to less than a tenth. Spare me, spare my life. I, Ill give you a flower! A terrified voice of the Life Vine suddenly echoed in Song Jians mind. A cold sneer flickered across Song Jians mouth, paying no attention to the Life Vines pleas. The attack speed of his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword even increased, continuously slashing onto the main body of Life Vine, his golden Sword Qi easily piercing its defense, causing it to continuously spurge body fluid from every wound, equivalent to blood for the Life Vine. If you dont stop your attack, I will destroy the flower, and wont let you attain it! The Life Vine roared, and a purple-red flower on its crown quickly withered at visible speed; in an instance, it lost all its moisture, energy surged, and turned it into dust. Seeing the flower of the Life Vine destroyed, Song Jian paused, This BOSS is truly vicious, harsh on its adversaries and ruthless on itself. One must know, the flower was an organ of its body, and also its most critical means for perpetuating life. Song Jian reckoned that at most, it could blossom thrice and then gradually digest these flowers, conserve the energy, and then foster new flowers. For decades, the Life Vine had probably been surviving this way, along with the nourishing fluid stocked in Lab Zero, dragging on till now. If it was without a flower, this BOSS might not be able to prolong its own life. Yet, even so, facing Song Jians life-threatening assault, the Life Vine did not hesitate to destroy one of its flowers. In ten years, I can only foster three flowers. If theyre all destroyed, youd be unable to obtain a flower for at least the next ten years, the firm resolution in the voice of Life Vine surfaced in Song Jians mind. Looking at the remaining flowers, Song Jian hesitated; The flower was an item Anna needed for her job advancement, and also the primary reason for their visit to the Mysterious Garden. If the Life Vine indeed destroyed the flower then Song Jians epic-level mission chain would fail. Raising an eyebrow at the remaining Vitality Points of the Life Vine, Song Jian reluctantly agreed, nodding, Alright, as long as you give me a flower, Ill spare you! System: The Life Vine has issued you a task, Redemption of Life. Task content: Bring a seed of the Life Vine out of the Mysterious Garden and plant it in an environment suitable for its growth. Upon accepting the task, your relationship with Life Vine elevates to friendly, making it impossible for you two to harm each other. Task reward: Flower of Life Vine, quantity 1. Penalty for task failure: Permanent loss of 5 maximum attribute points. Plant the seed? Song Jian looked at the mission with a frown and sighed, Dont push your luck. How do I know that after obtaining the flower, you wont turn against me? The Life Vine replied, And I have already destroyed a flower. If I cannot purify everything into a Seed of Life and replant it, then my life will be coming to an end By suitable environment for your growth, what do you mean? Song Jian asked, considering the loss of five maximum attribute points seriously. It would be best to plant near a Spring of Life replied the Life Vine. Song Jian widened his eyes at the Life Vines reply which immediately added, If you cant find it, then any fertile land will suffice. I have four empty Spirit Fields in my Manor Castle where I can plant it, huh, lets see how youd threaten me under my domain, Song Jian muttered to himself and decided to accept the mission. Upon accepting the mission, the color atop the Life Vines head instantaneously changed to light green, and Song Jian could no longer attack it. Remember your promise! The voice of the Life Vine echoed in Song Jians ear as a puff of transparent flame emerged from its body and quickly began burning. Song Jian was taken aback as he prepared to depart when one of the remaining two flowers of the Life Vine voluntarily detached itself and drifted towards him, while the other remaining flower became even more vibrant, but soon began to shrivel slowly, revealing a seed the size of a fist at the center of the flower. Song Jian heard an ethereal, melancholy song in his ears that moved him towards tears. Before long, Life Vine burned to ashes, leaving behind a shiny Seed of Life. This Seed of Life bore an outer surface nearly identical to the texture of snakes scales and felt somewhat chill to the touch. System: Youve obtained the Seed of Life! Song Jian stashed the Seed of Life along with Life Vines flower into his storage tract. His primary objective had been accomplished. However, he still had a mission to kill the Fallen Puppet Beast. The mission did not provide any reward items but offered an enormous amount of battle experience. If Song Jian could complete it, his level would instantly rise by one. Song Jian was just about to turn around and leave when he suddenly saw a streak of Dark Gold from the ashes of the Life Vine. His heart leapt with joy, and he quickly stepped forward, sifting through the ashes. A weapon radiating a Dark Gold light appeared before Song Jian. Chapter 606 - Chapter 606: Chapter 606 Engineering Drawings Chapter 606: Chapter 606 Engineering Drawings Although Song Jian did not deliver the final blow to the Life Vine, in practice, the kill was credited to him. Therefore, when it died, the Life Vine also dropped an item. It was a green long sword, its blade shimmering with a glaze-like glow. It looked more like a work of art than a weapon. Verdant Crystal Wood Sword (Gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment Effect: Attack 98-112, Poison Attack +3, Corrosion Damage +5, Life Recovery Speed +10%, Wood Attribute Damage +35, a certain chance to trigger double damage effect. Special Effect 1: Binding (Passive), this item absorbs the users blood for binding. Special Effect 2: Growth (Passive), this item is growth-type equipment, initial level 1, gains combat experience to level up in battles, the higher the level, the stronger the property of the item, item level cannot surpass the users level. Equipment requirement: Level 1; Set: 1/5. Can it be taken out of the game: No. Another set sword! Song Jians eyes showed a surprised look, without hesitation he cut his own wrist, and dripped blood onto the green sword. Like a sponge absorbing water, all the blood droplets on the sword were swallowed clean, without leaving a trace on the sword. After losing more than a thousand Vitality Points, the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword turned into a green light and merged into the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With this, Song Jians damage had increased significantly. All three swords were growth-type weapons. As Song Jian leveled up through fighting monsters, they could automatically absorb combat experience. Aside from the just-obtained Verdant Crystal Wood Sword, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had already reached level seven, and Golden Demonslaying Sword had upgraded to level four. Even with Song Jians regular attacks, he could deal three times the damage, totaling over three hundred points. Normal level 20 players only have just over a thousand Vitality Points. Even when considering damage reduction from defenses, Song Jian could severely injure opponents with just one encounter. With the use of skills, he could take out an opponent with one move. Just thinking about it felt brutal. Carefully examining it again, Song Jian found no other discoveries and walked out of Lab Zero, heading towards the other labs. Lab One, Lab Two, Lab Three Song Jian continued to search for supplies in the lab, finding three standard laser guns and some valuable materials needed for engineering studies. However, he still didnt have a good plan to kill the Corrupted Puppet Beast. If all else fails, Ill just have to brute force it to death! Song Jian thought to himself. The Corrupted Puppet Beast is formidable with a wide range of attacks. Its restrained from moving, but its strong attacks and first-order combat power make it challenging for Song Jian to fight against it. If he couldnt take advantage of its immobility, the battle would be no different from fighting with a first-order BOSS. If he did that, Song Jian would be at a great disadvantage. The BOSS might not be killed, but Song Jian himself might. The diary only recorded the locations of Lab Zero and six other labs. If he continued to search, time would be of the essence. When Song Jian searched to the fifth lab, he saw a blueprint emitting a pale white light on an experimental platform. Schematic: crude magic cannon, requires level 6 engineering to learn. Instruction: teaches you how to craft a crude magic cannon. Crude Magic Cannon, a defensive artillery, can only be constructed in a fixed location, it is immovable once built. Every 10 seconds it automatically generates a magic crystal shell, cannon range 500 meters, splash damage 680-980, with a certain chance to trigger a knockback effect. Crafting requirement: Rosan Wood (3), Magic Crystal Energy Core (2), Hardened Gold Fine Pipe (2), Mystic Steel Stabilizer (3). Upon seeing this blueprint, Song Jians eyes lit up. Wasnt this the perfect weapon for a long-range attack against the immobilized Corrupted Puppet Beast? Because of his profession, Song Jians damage would be weakened when using any weapon other than a sword. But this magic cannon isnt a weapon, its defensive artillery that should be built on city walls and is immovable once constructed. But for the immobile Corrupted Puppet Beast, this magic cannon is its nemesis. Engineering requires level six, and Im now only level five. However, the proficiency is high enough. If I fabricate these parts, Ill probably be able to level up to six. As for the materials, Ive already searched enough from the previous labs. A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Deciding to do it, Song Jian started to work. The lab was equipped with a testing table and tools. Before long, Song Jian had a pile of components glowing with white light in front of him. A white light flashed, and Song Jians engineering level increased to six. He immediately learned the crude magic cannon blueprint. Song Jian collected the components and quickly made his way to the vault where the Corrupted Puppet Beast was being held. Anna must be getting anxious waiting outside the base, I need to speed up! Song Jian thought. By this time, Anna had been waiting under the floating base for over two hours. Not knowing how Song Jian was doing, Anna was very anxious. Suddenly, she sensed three powerful life energies rushing towards her. Who is it? Anna was alert and quickly hid in the shadows behind a rock. Before long, the three Hawk Brothers headed straight for the floating base. Is it, is it a Gods Chosen? How is that possible, why would there be other Gods Chosen here? A look of surprise appeared on Annas face. Anna understood the rules of the secret realm better than anyone. She had never seen others being able to invade someone elses secret realm before. This is not a public secret realm, how could this happen Anna frowned. Big Brother, the item to open the floating base must be nearby, should we search for it? Hawk Fei looked at the looming floating base above their heads and asked. No need, the person who wanted to enter this secret realm must have already entered the floating base. We dont have time to waste. Hawk Yang looked solemn, took a palm-sized bomb from their package and handed it to Hawk Fei, Go, blow up an entrance. Hawk Fei nodded, took the bomb, and with a thought, a pair of bat-like wings appeared on his back, and he soared into the sky. Bang! A loud explosion sounded, thick smoke billowing out. The entire floating base slightly shook, and a hole with a diameter of over three meters appeared on the floating base. Soon, a rope fell from the hole. Hawk Yang and Hawk Ji both used both hands alternately to climb up the rope and quickly disappeared into the hole. Chapter 607 - Chapter 607: Chapter 607: Task Completed Chapter 607: Chapter 607: Task Completed The moment the Eagle Brothers entered the levitating base, Song Jian had already arrived at the entrance of the secret chamber where the Corrupted Puppet Beast, Hismenti, was imprisoned. Even with all of the components, assembling a Rudimentary Magic Cannon would take a long time. Upon sensing Song Jians arrival at the door once again, the dark secret chamber echoed with the crazed roars of Hismenti. It seemed to foresee its own doom and began to violently struggle. You will not succeed, you will not succeed, I will kill you, kill you! Hismentis voice pierced Song Jians ears, causing a sharp, painful sensation, as if a giant hammer was violently pounding away in his mind; This made the already slow construction process even slower. Damn it, whats the use of your stalling? Do you think anyone will come to your rescue? I have wiped out all the monsters nearby. There wont be anyone to save you. Why cant you just die quietly? Song Jian thought to himself. Seeing the progress bar crawling forward at a slow pace, Song Jian became slightly restless. This was because his Engineering level was too low. It barely met the requirements to build a Magic Cannon, resulting in an extremely slow manufacturing process with a decent chance of failure. Song Jian had enough materials to build three Magic Cannons as a backup plan in case of failure, but it seemed it wouldnt be necessary to use the materials designated for the other two. After dozens of minutes, the progress bar was two-thirds complete. Just then, Song Jian felt a tremor beneath his feet, and the entire levitating base seemed to sway slightly. His heart pounded suddenly with apprehension. What happened? Why is there vibration? Panic filled Song Jians eyes. The whole floating base was as big as a town. The only cause for such a shake could be a seismic event; Could it be that there is a problem with the levitating system of the base, and the whole base is about to collapse? Song Jian wondered. At this moment, he was not aware of the presence of other players in the instance. He could only speculate that there was an issue with the levitating system. Fortunately, the shaking wasnt severe and didnt affect the construction of the Magic Cannon; After a few more minutes, the construction progress bar finally reached the end, and a Magic Cannon consisting of a base + barrel appeared before Song Jian. The Magic Cannon was indeed very rudimentary, taller than half a persons height with four steel claws reaching out from the base to grip the ground firmly. A barrel about thirty centimeters in diameter extended outwards, aiming at the entrance of the secret chamber; At the back of the barrel, an oval ammunition depot started charging. A shot every ten seconds was extremely slow in comparison to other weapons, but it wasnt too slow for a defensive cannon; Just as the depots charging reached its peak, a dazzling white light suddenly flashed from the pitch-black barrel; An intense white light, solidified yet scorching, burst out from the barrel. The massive recoil caused the Magic Cannon to let out a sonorous roar, like the howling of a wild beast. A violent vigor shot out from the Magic Cannon, taking Song Jian by surprise and causing him to step back three to four steps before steadying himself. Then, a painful wail from Hismenti echoed from the chamber. In the pitch-black chamber, a ball of white light exploded. It seemed to have encountered a severe invisible resistance, spraying out a blazing light and vigorously shooting inwards; Boom~ A loud rumbling erupted, and the ball of light shattered, scattering in all directions. However, right at the center of the explosion, a damage number exceeding five hundred floated above Hismentis head; Five hundred points of damage, it will take more than twenty cannons to kill it! Song Jian frowned. The power of the Magic Cannon was massive. If a normal player was shot, it could potentially deal over eight hundred points of damage which would instantly push them into critical condition. But when the shot hit Hismenti, it only dealt a little over five hundred points of damage, proving that the defense of this BOSS was not as weak as Song Jian had assumed; Ten seconds later, another dazzling ball of white light shot into the chamber. After a rumbling noise, Hismenti let out a bestial shriek, struggling more violently. The chain that bound it clanged but no matter how it struggled, it couldnt break free from the lock chain made of meteoric metal. Song Jian waited patiently. With each blast, the durability of the Magic Cannon began to decrease slowly. With continued use, every shot decreased the Cannons durability by one or two points. After killing Hismenti, this Magic Cannon would likely be on the verge of destruction. However, its mission was to kill Hismenti. As long as it could kill the BOSS, its mission would be accomplished. Even if it didnt break down, Song Jian would destroy it. Time slowly ticked by, and Hismentis roar grew weaker until it could no longer struggle and roar, like a giant mountain of flesh, it lay on the ground motionless. If not for the faint movement of its body, anyone would have mistaken it for a corpse. Hismentis lumpy tumors were mostly shattered, its body flowing with stinky pus and blood. Large patches of charred marks littered its body, emitting white smoke. The mixture of the smell of charred flesh and stinky pus and blood filled the chamber with a nauseating stench; Job done! Song Jian clapped his hands, a smile appearing on his face. The fact that he was able to kill a first-grade BOSS without any danger brought him immense satisfaction. However, it was clear that using this kind of sneaky method to kill Hismenti might complete the quest, but the quality of Hismentis drop would greatly decrease. If he could get a blue-quality equipment, it would mean that Song Jian was incredibly lucky. Boom! With the final strike, Hismentis massive body was blown into pieces. It was as if a blood rain descended in the whole chamber, and the stench of blood suffused the room; Song Jian glanced at his task bar. The quest triggered by a weird letter was completed. As Song Jian clicked to receive his quest reward, a beam of light shot out from his body, boosting his level to 29; Song Jian gave a slight smile and added the newly gained skill point to Earth Teeth Assault; This was the first active attack skill he gained after entering the game. It had been at level 2 with maxed experience for a while but lacked the skill points to upgrade it; When Earth Teeth Assault upgraded to level three, it directly reached max level, unable to be further upgraded. Its attributes had undergone a dramatic change. Song Jian frowned, stared at the description of Earth Teeth Assaults attributes, and numerous thoughts raced through his mind. Chapter 608 - Chapter 608: Chapter 608: Siege Chapter 608: Chapter 608: Siege Earth Teeth Assault (Active), Level 3 (MAX), Skill Effect: Launch a tooth-shaped attack on the target in front, dealing 90-110 damage and reducing the targets movement speed by 40%. Attack Range: 13 meters, Cooldown: 10 seconds, Skill Consumption: 15 Vitality Points. After the upgrade of Earth Teeth Assault, the damage and attack range were both increased. That wasnt much, but the reduce targets movement speed by 40% effect was new. Moreover, most importantly, Earth Teeth Assault at level 3 had already reached max level, and couldnt be further upgraded, which made Song Jian somewhat puzzled. He knew that his talent ability Thick Skin had been upgraded to level 10 before reaching max, and he had several skills that had been upgraded past level 3 without showing MAX and being unable to upgrade further. When Song Jians gaze landed on Earth Teeth Assault, a prompt suddenly appeared behind the skill: Please select a skill to fuse with. This was a prompt that appeared after all skills reached max level. When Thick Skin was upgraded to max, a similar prompt appeared, but at that time, Song Jian only had this one skill upgraded to the max level; he couldnt fuse even if he wanted to. Song Jian tried to fuse Earth Teeth Assault with Thick Skin. Soon, a furnace-like illusion appeared before his eyes, with two empty slots in it. Song Jian dragged the two skills into the slots, and a Fusion symbol appeared on the illusory furnace. System: Skills C Earth Teeth Assault and Thick Skin are starting to fuse. Confirm? Yes/No System: Detection shows that the success rate of these two skills fusing is 0.12%, the failure rate is 98.72%, and the mutation rate is 1.98%; If the fusion is successful, the two skills will become a new skill with the characteristics of both skills; If the fusion fails, both skills will be permanently removed; If the fusion mutates, the two skills will become one, and the new skills power and effects are unknown. What?! A success rate of only 0.12%? Song Jian was startled and quickly chose to cancel the fusion. If the Earth Teeth Assault skill disappeared upon failure, so be it, but if his talent skill Thick Skin disappeared, Song Jian would cry! Losing Thick Skin would reduce his strength by at least 30%, making him unable to resist some skills with special effects. After he canceled the fusion, Song Jian stepped towards the secret chamber. Even if the item drop from the Fallen Puppet Beast was greatly reduced, it was still an elite level Boss with first-order Combat Power, and Song Jian didnt want to leave its dropped items lying there for nothing. After taking just two steps, Song Jians face drastically changed. In front of him appeared an invisible but solid barrier that blocked his path; even the hard metal ground began to emit a stench of liquid and mud, like a swamp, with disgusting bubbles rising constantly. Numerous emaciated, fleshless arms emerged from the ground, groping and grabbing at everything, making it difficult to move. System: You are under the attack of player Swift Eagle, and youll have the right to fair defense for the next 30 minutes. Killing him wont increase your evil points; System: Upon detection, player Swift Eagle is a red-named player; killing him can earn a large number of justice points. Song Jian took a deep breath. He could feel two powerful forces condensing rapidly at the end of the passage. Both forces had different attributes but shared a common feature C long charging times and astonishing power when unleashed. The goal was to kill him in one hit, leaving him no chance to counter. Turning around, Song Jian saw three burly men standing at the end of the passage. One of them held a Bone Wand, muttering incantations. The top of the Bone Wand was inlaid with a palm-sized skull, which was emitting a rich green light. The skill trapping Song Jian had a mysterious connection to it. The other two were also preparing their moves. One raised an oversized hunting bow more than two meters long, and a metal arrow more than one meter long was gathering crimson flame energy, which was full of explosive power and felt ready to explode at any moment. The other man held both hands above his head with a painful and twisted expression. In front of him was a bizarre Magic Array emitting a dark purple light. Song Jian narrowed his eyes; it was a Summoning Array, and the man was summoning evil creatures to assist in battle. From the Magic Array, he could sense the strong aura of Abyssal Power. Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a soft cry from Song Jian, a dazzling golden light burst from his body. Eight long sword illusions circled his body, slowly rotating. As he stomped his foot, the emaciated arms clutching his ankle were torn apart. Song Jians figure transformed into a mass of black mist, charging towards the three enemies. At level 7, the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body increased magic resistance by 60%, immunity determination to negative effects by +9, and coupled with the level 10 talent skill Thick Skin C which raised resistance by 50% and provided immunity to taunts, slow, charm, corpse poison, paralysis, and other adverse effects C the binding effect of the Yn Hn J Mi Array was almost completely nullified for Song Jian. How can this be A shocked look appeared on Swift Eagles face as he controlled the Yn Hn J Mi Array. The opponent could actually break free from the arrays restraints and move freely? No one whom Swift Eagle had encountered since learning this skill could break free from the Yn Hn J Mi Arrays binding; even level 30 elite level Bosses were limited by the array, having their duration shortened at most. No Boss had ever broken free, let alone other players. As long as a player was trapped in the array, they could only await death. This was also the reason the other two could boldly charge their long-duration skills. But as they hesitated whether to abandon the skills they had charged, Swift Eagle controlled the Yn Hn J Mi Array and yelled: Dont be afraid! Even if he is immune to the binding effect, he wont be able to break through the arrays defense in a short time! The other two looked at each other and decided to trust their teammate instead of canceling their skill. At that moment, a brilliant golden light burst through the Yn Hn J Mi Array, and a crisp sound like shattering glass rang in the three mens ears. Swift Eagle spat out blood, collapsing weakly to the ground with a look of horror in his eyes. Stammering, he muttered: How how could this be? The Yn Hn J Mi Array, with a defense rating of 2800 points he destroyed it in one hit? Chapter 609 - Chapter 609: Chapter 609: No Other Choice Chapter 609: Chapter 609: No Other Choice Eagle Yang watched as Song Jian broke through the Soul Destruction Array, grit his teeth, and released the longbow he had been charging, a long metal arrow covered in magic patterns. The arrow whistled sharply and shot towards Song Jian. The whole arrow exuded dazzling white light, like a meteor, dragging a long, hot tail, leaving an afterimage that could not dissipate for several seconds in the air. Thud~ Eagle Yang spouted a mouthful of blood. He released the skill when it had only been charged two-thirds of the way, and therefore naturally suffered some backlash. But his condition was much better than Eagle Speeds; he merely coughed up blood and the backlash damage was negligible. Despite sustaining backlash damage, a shadowy smile spread across Eagle Yangs face. Comet fall! Even if its only charged two-thirds, you cant withstand this arrow~ Eagle Yangs mouth curled upward as he looked expectantly at Song Jian. This shot was equivalent to a long-range heavy sniper rifle, consuming more than half of Eagle Yangs Spirit Points. It was originally intended to be fully charged over a period of fifteen seconds. However, despite being released in just ten seconds, the shot dealt a whopping damage exceeding one thousand points. On the other side, Eagle Fly was shrouded with black mist. His eyes were bloodshot and a bizarre symbol appeared on his forehead. In front of him, towering black flames soared upwards. A black crack split open at the center of the magic array, from which a beastly roar emanated. A claw covered in purple-black scales extended from the crack, gripping the edge of the magic array as it struggled to free itself. Upon breaking the Soul Destruction Array, Song Jian was neither surprised nor alarmed at the damage he had caused. Instead, with a forward momentum, he charged towards the three men. Having made only two strides forward, Song Jian suddenly felt a tightness over his skin, as a chill rose up from his tailbone, reaching the back of his head in an instant. Song Jian felt as though a fierce beast was pouncing on him. Its fangs were already touching his forehead. The breath of death was bearing down on him. A brilliant white arrow, trailing a lengthy tail as if a comet, rushed towards Song Jian at an incredible speed, leaving a long hollow image in the air. Sacred Parry! Song Jian instinctively swung the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward. He immediately felt a tremendous impact against it which sent a numbing sensation up his arm and made the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tremble violently. Song Jian himself was thrown backward. Bang! As Song Jian skidded along the metal wall, he crashed into the floor. Half of his body was numb and he had no idea when the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had slipped from his palm and embedded diagonally into the wall of the adjacent metal passage. Song Jian coughed up a mouthful of blood. At that moment, his whole body emitted golden light, with countless tiny particles falling from him and dissipating in the air. Eagle Yang, mouth agape, watched as Song Jian managed to get up, using one hand to support his entire body on the ground while the other hung limply at his side. His eyes, like those of a wolf, stared fiercely at Eagle Fly, and a trace of crazed laughter appeared on his face. Song Jian could now estimate the opponents power level based on the feeling he had from using Sacred Parry. He knew that the damage from Eagle Yangs last move was at least over a thousand points. He stared ahead intently, wanting to see whether Eagle Yang could withstand his attack. A brilliant white long arrow suddenly appeared out of thin air from mid-air. About to launch itself at Eagle Yang, it replayed the entire scenario when Eagle Yang stored his attack. Rebound damage, can it even rebound a long-range attack? How is this possible Eagle Yangs face was filled with fear. He couldnt believe one day he would bear the brunt of his own most powerful hit. No! Eagle Yang let out a horrified roar, a desperate look in his eyes. At that moment, he suddenly noticed Eagle Speed, limp on the ground in front of him. An insidious look flashed across his eyes and with a swift kick, he sent Eagle Speed hurtling towards the incoming arrow. Big brother, you Eagle Flys eyes displayed surprise and his hand, which was summoning the abyss demon, trembled unconsciously. Eagle Yang didnt reply and stared ahead, his face pale. Eagle Speed was currently in a state of skill backlash, his body weak and all attributes reduced by 70%. His vitality points were less than one-third of the original. Under such conditions, not to mention taking a hit from Eagle Yangs full-strength assault, he wouldnt be able to withstand even a normal attack. Boom~ An explosive noise echoed as Eagle Speed was blasted to pieces. A look of disbelief crossed Eagle Yangs face. He can actually rebound skill damage Eagle Yang shouted involuntarily. From the time he entered the game up until now, Eagle Yang had never seen anyone who could fully rebound an opponents attack back onto them. It was beyond his imagination. So it wasnt an illusion Eagle Yang lowered his head, looking at Eagle Speeds mutilated corpse, a feeling of fear welling up in his heart as he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. At that moment, a demon of the abyss, its body ablaze with grey flames, wriggled its way out of the magic array before Eagle Fly. The Abyss watches you! The demon of the abyss, standing nearly three meters tall, with two legs, winged back, and a fearsome face stood in the middle of the magic summoning array, roaring towards the sky. After summoning the abyss demon, Eagle Fly backed a few steps, standing on one side of the metal passage. Intentionally or not, he created a distance between himself and Eagle Yang. Kill him, and you will receive a reward in return! Eagle Fly coldly stated. The Abyss Demon turned back to look at Eagle Fly, a greedy smile spread across its ghastly face as it growled, The soul of this man is not considered as part of the reward! Third brother, cooperate with this Abyss Demon to kill this guy as soon as possible! Eagle Yang glanced at Eagle Fly and whispered. Big brother, having summoned this Abyss Demon, Ive exhausted all my Spirit Points and only have less than half of my Vitality Points left. Im out of strength to continue the fight. Eagle Fly glanced at Eagle Yang, his expression cold, and wariness flickered in his eyes. Third brother, I had no choice earlier Eagle Yangs face was horribly gloomy. I know, big brother. Eagle Fly had quietly closed all his attributes by then. In fact, he had not exhausted all his Spirit Points. He still had at least one-third remaining, and he had more than eighty percent of Vitality Points left. But the motions Eagle Yang made earlier deeply chilled his heart, making him wary and cautious of his older brother. Alright then, third brother, take a rest at the back. Me and this Abyss Demon are enough to kill him. Afterwards, we will share the mission reward equally! Eagle Yang turned back, a strong intent to kill flashing in his eyes. Chapter 610 - Chapter 610: Chapter 610: Betrayal and Unfaithfulness Chapter 610: Chapter 610: Betrayal and Unfaithfulness Feel the wrath of the Abyss, and die! The demonic creature of the Abyss roared and charged at Song Jian. Even though the demon had no weapons, its burning fist was more terrifying than any weapon. Song Jians momentum suddenly faltered as he helplessly had no choice but to block with his sword. The Abyss demons long-awaited right fist, burning with gray flames, had a touch of dark blackness at the edge of the gray flame, making it look like a giant fist outside of a flaming boxing glove. When it was still about five or six meters away from Song Jian, the demons right fist swung violently. The intense pressure made it difficult for Song Jian to breathe, as if he were in a hurricane. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword collided fiercely with the Abyss demons right fist. Feeling the powerful force, Song Jians sword was deflected. Immediately after, the flaming fist struck Song Jians chest with a heavy blow; The demons power attribute its actually stronger than mine? Song Jians eyes revealed a look of surprise. The punch was extremely powerful. Although it did not cause a crushing effect, the damage to Song Jian was significant. A burnt fist mark appeared on his chest, his body was thrown three or four meters away, and a mouthful of blood spurted out, his chest experiencing severe pain. Crack~ A few faint sounds of cracked bones were heard, as the chest of Song Jian collapsed inward; Life Recovery Surgery! Song Jian waved his left hand, a beam of white light fell from the sky, blending into his chest. His slightly cracked bones began to heal quickly; Broken Wing Dance! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian became more cautious. The power of the Abyss demon was far more powerful than that of a level 30 elite BOSS, even if it didnt reach the combat power of tier one. What was even more terrifying was that at this moment, Yng Yng had put away his longbow and was holding a wolf-tooth-like dagger in his left hand and a short sword in his right hand. Both weapons emitted a silvery-gray light. A silver set of weapons? Song Jian revealed a look of surprise. He never expected that Yng Yng would be able to obtain a complete silver set of weapons. It seemed that in the game, he wasnt the only one with good luck. Phantom Clone! Song Jians thoughts moved, and a dark shadow condensed in front of him, quickly transformed into his likeness, wielding his sword at Yng Yng; Just as the Phantom Clone appeared, the Abyss demon hesitated for a moment. The high-raised fist stopped, its eyes stared at the phantom clone, showing an expression of bewilderment. Song Jian was taken aback, and then seemed to think of something, letting out a cold smile. A black flame suddenly rose from the surface of his body and enveloped him completely; Next, the black Level 4 Magic Flame, Abyss Raging Flame, continued to change, eventually forming a fierce-looking set of armor that clung to his body. At this moment, Song Jians body emanated a strong Abyssal Power, looking more like an Abyssal creature than the Abyss demon itself; No, it cannot be; how could you? The giant Abyss demon, facing Song Jian, actually displayed a look of fear, retreating step by step, as if Song Jian was more terrifying than itself; Seeing this scene, not only Yng Yng, but even Yng Fi, who was preparing to strike from a distance, had a look of terror in their eyes;` How how could this be? The demon from the Abyss is afraid? Yng Fi felt that the thought itself was absurd. The demon from the Abyss was the most powerful being among the creatures he could summon from other dimensions in battle. As soon as he could summon the demon, he could sit back and watch the fight; No one could match the demon from the Abyss, no one! But today, the performance of the Abyss demon had overturned his previous understanding, making him feel a chill quietly rising from his spine. Cold sweat was beginning to form on his forehead; Its impossible, impossible for him to be this strong, its just breaking the game balance Yng Fi murmured to himself, his body instinctively retreating slowly. He suddenly had the urge to turn around and run; Song Jian, clad in black Abyssal Demon Armor, wielded his sword and lunged at the demon. In fact, his Abyssal Demon Armor was not a piece of equipment, but similar to an effect that enhanced his abilities; But the naturally thick demonic aura in his magical armor seemed to have an extremely powerful deterrent effect on the Abyss demon; For now, Song Jian waved his long sword, slashing it continuously upon the demons body, but the demon desperately used both hands to block, not daring to launch a counterattack against Song Jian. Its mouth continuously wailed; My lord, my lord, I meant no offense, please spare me~; The suppression between Abyss creatures of different levels was clear. The demon of the Abyss saw Song Jian as an Abyss aristocrat, believing that only an aristocrat could control such a high-level Abyssal Fire; Song Jian halted and pointed his sword at Yng Yng and Yng Fi, shouting, If you want me to spare you, kill these two for me!; The Abyss demons face showed a look of relief as it spoke solemnly, As you command, my lord!; Yng Fis face suddenly turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood. His aura withered, and the demon severed the connection between them, turning to strike Yng Yng with one fist; What are you trying to do! Yng Yngs face showed an angry expression. raising his silver set of weapons, he actually blocked the demons heavy punch. Although the force of the punch pushed him back two or three meters, he didnt suffer any damage; Yng Yngs performance took Song Jian by surprise. Apparently, Yng Yngs power had far exceeded his expectations; Youve hidden very deeply, Song Jian murmured to himself; Luckily, the Abyss demon, fearing the magic flames on Song Jians body, had betrayed him and attacked. If Yng Yng were allowed to join the battle and launch a surprise attack, such a secretly powerful opponent could cause fatal damage to Song Jian when the demon joined forces; Damn it, how could this happen! Yng Yngs face turned dark, his originally well-planned ambush turned into a disaster. He had already sensed the failure of his plot; Third brother, quickly banish it back to the Abyssal Land Yng Yng shouted without looking back; The Abyss demon was summoned by Yng Fi and he surely had the ability to send it back; Third brother, Third brother? Yng Yng called out several times and found there was no response. Turning around to see, there was no one behind him. He was extremely shocked and couldnt believe it.; Yng Fi, you treacherous traitor! I will not let you go! Yng Yng furiously roared with rage; Chapter 611 - Chapter 611: Chapter 611: Interrogation Chapter 611: Chapter 611: Interrogation At this moment, Eagle Flights face was flushed with an abnormal tint of red. Grasping his chest with his right hand, he staggered toward the floating base exit. The moment the Abyss Demon severed its connection with him, Eagle Flight had immediately decided to flee. Without the Abyss Demon, even if both he and Eagle Soar worked in unity, they could never kill Song Jian, let alone now when they were disillusioned with each other. Their defeat was only a matter of time. What a pity. I cant believe the storyline chapter has failed like this. Im not willing to accept it! Eagle Flight coughed, spitting out bloody froth, filled with resentment. But even if the mission failed, it was better than losing his life. Though he might have the ability to banish the Abyss Demon back to the Abyssal Land, it would consume his last remaining bit of mental strength. This was not something Eagle Flight could possibly accept. Big brother, since you were ruthless, dont blame me for being unjust. By doing this now, Ive also avenged our second brother, Eagle Flight thought as he was escaping. Meanwhile, Eagle Soar was on the losing end against the Abyss Demon. At this point, his hair was dishevelled and his body was awash with burn marks. A faint trace of Abyssal energy lingered around his wound, hindering the healing of his vitality. Song Jian, fight me one on one if you dare, fight me one on one! Eagle Soar was yelling furiously, his eyes bloodshot. The Abyss Demon let out a gruesome laugh, with a whoosh of his right fist he swung it upwards and landed a hit on Eagle Soars abdomen. The punch took all the strength the Abyss Demon could muster, causing Eagle Soars eyes to bulge out. A massive force propelled him upwards, sending him airborne. The Abyss Demon roared loudly; its robust arms, their muscles as tense as steel, emitted an explosive power. Dark green veins, slithering like tiny snakes, ran across its muscular arms. Its huge hands tightly gripped Eagle Soars neck, hanging him up high as if executing him. The strength in the demons hands made Eagle Soar feel suffocated. The sense of oxygen deprivation darkened his vision. His body writhed like a fish gasping for air, while his neck emitted cracking sounds. Heh heh, this is what you get for offending His Highness! The Abyss Demon revealed a hideous grin, roaring loudly. In its eyes, the crueler its torture on Eagle Soar, the more delighted His Highness behind it would be. This Abyss Demons strength was probably at the lowest level in the Abyssal Land. Otherwise, Eagle Flight would not have been able to summon it. However, even the weakest existence in the Abyssal Land is a terrifying being that ordinary players cannot resist. Eagle Soars vision was growing darker. He was on the verge of death, but in his mind, he kept calculating the time the Abyss Demon could remain in this plane. It was important to note that extradimensional creatures like the Abyss Demon, once they lose their connection with their summoner, would be repelled by the current dimension. This repulsion would grow over time, and no creature, no matter how strong, could resist the force of an entire world. Ultimately, it would be driven back to its original dimension. Eagle Soar did not know if the Abyss Demon had forgotten or deliberately failed to remind Song Jian of this. Perhaps at this moment, it, too, was waiting to be forced back to its own dimension by the force of the world. At this critical juncture in the struggle for his life, Eagle Soar knew he lacked the strength, and after trying in vain to break free from the Abyss Demons grip, he turned his attention to Song Jian. Alright, finish him off quickly and dont forget, one of them has already escaped. You shouldnt let him get away! Song Jian said coldly. Song Jians indifferent tone sent chills down Eagle Soars spine as he struggled desperately, pleading, Wait, wait a second, I.. I have valuable information, extremely valuable information Hmph, dont you know villains die from talking too much? Song Jian sneered. You think I would give you a chance? You dont you want to know how we infiltrated your instance dungeon? Eagle Soar choked, his face flushed red. The giant hands of the Abyss Demon on his neck felt like an iron clamp, making it very difficult for him to breathe, let alone beg for mercy. Something stirred in Song Jians heart, he was indeed curious about how the Eagle triplets had managed to break into the instance dungeon. Such a disruptive ability made him extremely cautious. Let him go! Song Jian looked up and ordered the Abyss Demon. As you command, master! The Abyss Demon responded to Song Jian, releasing its grip, and Eagle Soar fell to the ground like a dead weight. Cough, cough~ Eagle Soar was a miserable sight, kneeling on the ground, propped up on his hands, coughing incessantly, panting heavily. Speak, how did you infiltrate my instance dungeon? Song Jian stared at Eagle Soar and asked indifferently. Youre youre doing a storyline chapter too, right? Eagle Soar raised his head, a sycophantic smile on his face. Indeed, Song Jian nodded in confirmation. Actually, we too were doing a storyline chapter Eagle Soar drawled, casting a glance at the Abyss Demon and noticed its form was becoming more transparent, as if shrouded in a thin layer of fog. A subtle smile flickered on the edges of Eagle Soars mouth. He incessantly panted laboriously, clutching his throat. He seemed in great pain and his words were broken and hard to understand. We, cough, cough, we paid a hefty price to create an array. Eagle Soar explained the workings of the Blood Sacrifice Array to Song Jian. It was through this method that we, cough, cough, managed to infiltrate your instance progress. Song Jian nodded, understanding that this kind of method was unconventional and came at a steep price. Furthermore, mastering the Blood Sacrifice Array was particularly challenging. Since Eagle Rapid, the one who knew this array, was already dead, there probably wouldnt be another opportunity to infiltrate someone elses instance dungeon in the future. You just said that you guys also received a storyline chapter? A light flashed in Song Jians mind, prompting him to ask suddenly. Yes, our our storyline chapter was was to release a prisoner held captive here, named Hismenti! Eagle Soar glanced at Song Jian and whispered. Hismenti? Song Jian paused, then his face lit up with a smile: So when you guys encountered me, it was also the moment when your mission failed, right? Yes, but after the mission failed, we received a new one to kill you and a NPC.If we kill you and a NPC named Anna Katerina, our storyline chapter would be considered complete, Eagle Soar declared. Anna? Song Jian squinted his eyes, his heart sinking. Just then, the Abyss Demon let out a heart-wrenching roar, its silhouette gradually turning illusory, eventually dissipating into the air like fog. Chapter 612 - Chapter 612: Chapter 612: Hidden Card Chapter 612: Chapter 612: Hidden Card Seeing the Abyss demon disappear, a strange smile appeared on Ying Yangs face. Its not a creature of our plane, once it loses its connection with the summoner, it will be rejected by the world power. Even if the summoner does not banish them, they will be expelled from this plane by the world power over time! As Ying Yang spoke, he slowly stood up, a jade-green light shimmering around him. His vitality points, originally reduced to less than half, soared back up; Now, you can no longer command the Abyss demon, and your damage reflection skill, I suspect, is still in cooldown, isnt it? With both hands at his waist, his silver suit weapon shone brightly in his hands. Song Jian paused, then broke into laughter, Do you think I cant defeat you without the Abyss demon? Why dont we test that? With twin blades in hand, Ying Yang advanced, his daggers and sword shimmering as he hacked at Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword blazed, radiating a dazzling golden Sword Qi. As for the suit weapon, Song Jian also held one in his hand. Although it wasnt a complete set, the quality and quantity of his outweighed Ying Yangs silver-grey suit weapon. Twin Blade Execution! Ying Yang cried out, his weapons exploding in a silver-grey aura more than a foot long, rushing straight for the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Boom! With a loud crash, the two weapons collided violently, gold and silver-gray light bursting forth. An intense force spread outward, causing Ying Yang to grunt, feeling a powerful surge and losing his balance, he staggered a few steps backwards. Before he could regain his balance, Song Jians second attack was already hacking towards him. Ying Yangs face changed drastically, no longer daring to meet him head on and resorting to dodging instead. Before the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword hit down, it made an arc in mid-air and swept upwards at Ying Yang, who had no choice but to dodge again. The sword brush past the tip of his nose, and a drop of blood slowly seeped from it. Before he could react, a surge of force appeared out of nowhere under his feet, propelling him into the air. Ying Yang lost control of his body. Aerial state! Ying Yang felt a sinking feeling, as most of the skills that could induce negative effects in the game were precious and rare. He possessed only a single skill that could inflict the crippled effect and was well aware of the value of such abilities. I cant let this continue! Ying Yang thought while in his aerial state, his defense dropped by 100%, and the critical hit rate would increase exponentially. In such a situation, allowing Song Jian to continue his assault would leave Ying Yang without any retaliatory force. Even now, Ying Yang didnt want to abandon his storyline mission. Being able to participate in a storyline mission was considered extremely lucky, even if it was dangerous, the rewards would also be extraordinary. Previously, when Song Jian reflected Ying Yangs Comet Strike back at him, it raised Song Jians threat level a few notches. But now it seemed that he had underestimated his opponent. With a flash of white light, the hovering Ying Yang suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was at the end of the metal corridor, tens of meters away from Song Jian. Song Jian, you forced me into this! Ying Yang gritted his teeth, pulling a white crystal from his pack. The moment it appeared, the temperature in the entire metal corridor dropped instantly, even Ying Yang himself was covered with a thin layer of frost. Ying Yang did not dare to hold onto the white crystal for long. As soon as he took it out, he bit his finger, letting his blood drip onto the crystal before flinging it violently towards Song Jians direction. Craaack~ In mid-air, the white crystal began to fracture, much like a spider web. Then, it smashed hard onto the ground, shattering into tiny fragments. A handful of cold spring water appeared out of thin air on the metallic floor. It looked like a phantom, but Song Jian could sense the clear vital energy surging within it. In no time, a two-meter-tall Water Elemental Elf formed from the cold spring water. The Water Elemental appeared as a middle-aged man from the waist up, while the bottom half was a rolling mass of water. Both arms bore silver arm rings adorned with intricate magic patterns. As soon as the Water Elemental appeared, it stretched its hand into the spring, took out a semi-transparent ice sword, and unleashed a high-pitched roar at Song Jian. A level 30 elite boss? Song Jians eyes narrowed, his eyes fixed on the tall Water Elemental. A cold smile played around his lips. From his point of view, as long as there was no existence with a first-level battle power involved in the fight, the outcome was simply the same for him. Looking at the Water Elemental before him, Ying Yangs eyes revealed a sense of distress. This was previously obtained from a hidden task, a last resort hed been saving. He never expected he would have to use it today. As long as I can kill him and find that NPC named Anna to complete this storyline mission, even if I waste a summoning crystal, the rewards will be more than enough to compensate, thought Ying Yang. Song Jian, go to hell, Ying Yang growled and charged towards Song Jian. Meanwhile, the Water Elemental swung its sword, unleashing an icy Sword Qi towards Song Jian, causing frost everywhere its path. Song Jian conjured two Flame Elementals, both of which were only at the level 30 normal monster strength and much smaller compared to the Water Elemental. Without hesitating, the Flame Elementals flung their balls of Flame straight into the icy Sword Qi. Boom! The two opposing elements collided inside the metal corridor, creating a violent blast. The shockwave hit the metal walls, causing them to cave in on both sides. Song Jian tightened his grip on his long sword and charged towards Ying Yang. Clang~ The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword clashed with Ying Yangs twin blades, sending out a shower of sparks. Ying Yangs strength was inferior, and as such, he couldnt face Song Jian squarely. The moment their weapons contacted, Ying Yang rolled to the side, his left-hand dagger akin to the teeth of a wild beast, aiming at an odd angle towards Song Jians ribs. Chapter 613 - Chapter 613: Chapter 613: Killing Chapter 613: Chapter 613: Killing Eagle Yang glanced at the two fire elementals opposite him, feeling a sink in his heart. Initially, he thought that with the assistance of the water elemental elf, defeating or even killing Song Jian would not be a problem. However, unexpectedly, the other party had summoned two fire elemental elves as well. Although the two fire elemental elves were no match for the water elemental elf in terms of grading or strength, they were suppressed by the water elemental elf as soon as they appeared. Their defeat was only a matter of time. However, even so, it wouldnt be a problem for the two fire elementals to hold down water elemental elf for a while. In this time, Song Jian would have enough time to kill him. I should have let the water elemental elf cover my retreat earlier, Eagle Yang thought with regret. The water elemental elfs attacks had a high probability of triggering a slowing effect. If Eagle Yang had wanted to flee before, he might have been able to escape, but he was too greedy and wanted to complete the plot mission. Kill! Song Jians cold gaze fixed on Eagle Yang, as if he was looking at a corpse, making Eagle Yang shudder. Broken Wing Dance! The golden Sword Qi burst out, and Eagle Yangs face changed drastically. His left hands dagger had not yet been withdrawn, but his right hands short sword was pressed against his chest by the longsword. Eagle Yang did not dare to take it head-on. He knew that Song Jians move had a forced floating effect, so he retreated continuously, desperately swinging his dagger and short sword to protect his chest. However, Song Jians damage was too high. Despite Eagle Yangs desperate defense, his head was continuously showing three-digit damage scores. Clang, clang, clang, ~ Their weapons collided continuously, and within the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than a dozen moves. With each collision, Eagle Yang had to step back to unload the force, defending desperately without the power to fight back. Bang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword struck the short sword again, and Eagle Yangs body arched backward involuntarily. Song Jian seized the opportunity to kick him in the abdomen, sending him flying out and slamming hard against the metal wall at the bend of the corridor. Before Eagle Yang could even stand up, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was already coming down on his head. His face twisted in a ferocious expression, and he let out a roar before throwing his short sword at Song Jian and turning around to run away. Clang~ The longsword swiped sideways, sending the short sword flying. Song Jians face showed a cold smile as he watched Eagle Yang staggering away. Earth Teeth Assault! He stomped his right foot on the ground, and a sharp-toothed air mass flew towards Eagle Yangs retreating figure. Upon hearing the sharp whistling behind him, Eagle Yangs heart sank. He desperately rolled and dodged to the side. But unexpectedly, the Earth Teeth Assault abruptly curved and struck him directly. A searing, tearing pain enveloped his entire body, causing him to let out a painful howl. Just as Eagle Yang struggled to stand up and continue running, he suddenly felt his foot being tripped and fell to the ground. Only then did he realize that his speed had become slower. When he looked at his status bar, he found a debuff Movement speed reduced by 40% hanging on him. Hehe actually mastered two skills that inflict debuffs! Desperation was visible in Eagle Yangs eyes, but he still tried to crawl forward with all his might. Dont kill me, dont kill me! Eagle Yang screamed in terror, seeming to be on the verge of madness. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian strode forward and swung his sword lightly in the air. Suddenly, three transparent sword shadows appeared, one large and two small, flying towards Eagle Yang. Puff, puff, puff~ Three transparent sword shadows struck Ying Yang, who seemed oblivious and still struggled to stand up, staggering to run outside. However, his running speed was now slower than that of an ordinary person walking. A second or two after he was struck by the three transparent sword shadows, Ying Yang suddenly let out a beast-like roar, clutching his head and falling to the ground, rolling continuously. It was then that three pale blue damage numbers floated above his head; Spiritual Sword Control Technique was a sword technique that directly attacked the opponents mind and soul, making it difficult to defend against. Its attack method was extremely strange. Sometimes, the victim didnt even know when they had been hit; Song Jian dashed forward a few meters, raising the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword high, the dazzling golden Sword Qi as thick as burning flames. Light Strike! The dazzling Sword Qi filled the entire metal corridor, as scorching as flames, enveloping Ying Yang entirely. Boom! The golden Sword Qi exploded, and the staggering Ying Yang was blasted away sharply, then heavily fell to the ground. Song Jian took a step forward, raising the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand and chopping down at Ying Yang, who was covered in blood and wounds. Dont! Ying Yangs dagger had already been lost somewhere, revealing a begging expression in his despairing eyes. He weakly raised his right hand as if to resist Song Jians next strike. Thump~ Song Jian hesitated for a moment before changing his chop to a thrust, stabbing his sword into Ying Yangs throat. A jet of blood spurted out, and Ying Yang made a hissing sound from his throat. His neck turned, and his eyes lost their luster. After killing Ying Yang, Song Jian immediately turned around. At this point, only one of the two Fire Elemental Elves was left, and the remaining one had been driven back into a corner by the Water Elemental Elf. The Water Elemental Elf continuously slashed its ice sword at the Fire Elemental Elf, a burning shield appearing on the surface of the Fire Elemental Elfs body as it struggled to resist. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jians figure turned into a cloud of black mist and pounced on the Water Elemental Elf. Such one-time consumption summons had powerful monsters, which were overwhelming to ordinary players. The only limitation was the summoning time. Ordinary players encountering such creatures always retreated and waited for the summoning time to end, thereby eliminating the danger. However, Song Jian chose a different approach, wielding his sword and standing up against the Water Elemental Elf, treating it like a BOSS; Boom, boom, boom~ The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the ice sword collided with each other. Each collision had a high probability of triggering freezing, slowing, or decelerating effects. However, the words Immune and Dodge kept floating above Song Jians head, showing that he didnt care about the Water Elemental Elfs attacks. The battle lasted for more than ten minutes. The Water Elemental Elfs Vitality Points were down to less than a third, while Song Jian still maintained 80% of his Vitality Points; If this continued, the Water Elemental Elf would be slain by Song Jian. However, at this moment, the Water Elemental Elfs summoning time ended. From bottom to top, the Water Elemental Elf was directly frozen, turning into an ice sculpture; Bang! With a crisp, shattering sound, the ice sculpture exploded, turning into countless crystal shards that sprayed all over the place; Song Jian glanced at the messy corridor, shook his head, and turned to walk towards the chamber where the Puppet Beast was imprisoned. Chapter 614 - Chapter 614: Chapter 614: Professional Advancement Chapter 614: Chapter 614: Professional Advancement The secret chamber imprisoning the fallen Puppet Beast was drenched in blood, with a thick layer of blood covering the ground. On the stone platform, four powerless iron chains that had lost their captive hung down, and in the center was a blood-red bead; Song Jian stepped forward, picking up this blood-red bead and taking a closer look, only to find that it was another augmentation equipment; Puppet Armor (Blue), external augmentation equipment, installation location: skin; equipment effect: This item can merge with the user, enhancing the users physical condition; after integration, Physique +5, Strength +3; special effect: Covers the bodys surface with a layer of blood and flesh armor, increasing overall defense by 80%, Vitality Points +200, Vitality Points recovery speed increased by 40%, this effect lasts for 5 minutes, and can only be used once within 6 hours; item description: This item contains the evil remnant soul of the fallen Puppet Beast, Hesmanth, once merged with the user, the evil soul of Hesmanth may corrupt the users soul, with a chance of turning the user into an Abyss creature! When Song Jian saw the items attribute description, he couldnt help but reveal a delighted smile on his face. This attribute could be fully comparable to a silver quality equipment. However, when he saw the items description, his face immediately darkened; No wonder its only a blue-quality equipment. Without Hesmanths evil soul, Im afraid this equipment would be at least silver-grade! Song Jian thought to himself with a touch of regret. Regardless of silver quality, gold quality, epic quality, or even legendary quality, with such major side effects, Song Jian would never consider using this item. After the new version, players can change their profession to an Abyss profession, or even directly change to an Abyss attribute. If I encounter such a player, I might be able to sell this thing for a good price. Song Jian held the red Blood Bead, pondering in his heart. Putting the item in his inventory, Song Jian strode towards the outside of the floating base; By the time he arrived at the nearest passage to the bases foundation, he realized that a large hole had been blown open below the floating base. Those three people must have entered from here, Song Jian thought to himself. At that time, the entire floating base shook, and Song Jian had thought it was due to a problem with the floating system, not suspecting that it was these three guys who had blasted an entrance; With the Wings of Steel unfolded, Song Jian flew down; At this moment, he was worried for Anna, unsure if she had encountered the fleeing player. Although Anna was an epic profession, she didnt have many offensive skills. If she really encountered the escapee, Eagle Fly, she would likely be caught in a few encounters; Fortunately, when Song Jian came down from the floating base, he saw Anna emerging from behind a rock and cheering, running towards him; Song Jians heart was instantly relieved. He quickly held Anna and asked, Anna, did you see anyone coming out of the floating base? I did, Anna nodded, Just now, three people blew open the floating base, but about ten minutes ago, only one person ran out from inside. He looked like he was being chased by something behind him and appeared rather disheveled. Song Jian nodded, took out the flower of the Life Vine from his inventory, and handed it to Anna, saying, This is the flower of the Life Vine. Annas face lit up with joy as she reached out to take it, gratefully saying to Song Jian, Song Jian, Im really, really grateful to you. System: You have completed the fourth part of the Epic-Level mission, gaining Annas gratitude. Your intimacy with Anna has increased to worship! System: You may attempt to recruit Anna Katerina as your Follower; since you already have one Follower, you will need to pay the price of a permanent decrease in your highest attribute point if you wish to recruit Anna Katerina as a Follower; System: After detection, the game character Anna Katerina is an important figure related to the games story and progress, and players cannot recruit her as a Follower; System: Epic-Level mission, The Birth of Queen Katerina complete, your mission rewards will be issued once you return to the City of Sin! A series of drip drip drip system notification sounds filled Song Jians ears, with a waterfall of information displayed in his info bar. First, Song Jians relationship with Anna leveled up to worship, which meant that Anna fully trusted Song Jian, likely considering him as her closest person, which met the players recruitment conditions; Since Song Jian had previously recruited a Knight of Dawn, Ya, as his Follower, although Ya was tricked away by the female Priest, his Followers quota still occupied; If Song Jian wanted to recruit a second Follower, he would need to pay the price of a permanent loss of one highest attribute point. Now, Song Jians highest attribute point was in Strength, followed by Agility. If he could really recruit Anna as his Follower, Song Jian wouldnt be stingy with his attribute points. After all, Anna was an Epic-level profession, a Life Priest, and also possessed the Resurrection Skill, which was a divine skill for the current players. Spending an attribute point to have her as a Follower was definitely worth it for Song Jian; However, the subsequent system notice quickly extinguished Song Jians eager thoughts to recruit, as Anna was involved in the games story direction. He knew this, but he didnt expect her status to be so important that even recruiting her as a Follower was outright denied by the game. Whats more important was that the mystery of this chain of missions Song Jian had been doing was finally revealed; Song Jian looked at Anna in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that the slightly dazed and clumsy girl in front of him would grow up to be a queen. Looking at Annas dazed face, Song Jian pointed at the flower in her hand and said, You should need a quiet illusion to advance, so why not do it in this instance? I think this is the quietest and safest place now. Where else could be safer than an instance? Song Jian didnt believe that another group of people would break in. The chances of such a continuous invasion were slim, almost negligible. In addition, dont forget that Song Jian was no pushover. If they happened to fight, Song Jians current damage could be on par with that of a First Order Combat Power expert. Then.. then wait for me. It might.. it might take some time! After glancing at Song Jian, Anna carefully held the flower and walked over to a rock and sat down; With her eyes closed, Anna began chanting a ballad. Song Jian was stunned, realizing that the ballad Anna was chanting was exactly the same as the one sung by the Life Vine when it was ending its life and condensing the Seed of Life. Soon, the purple-red flower in Annas hand slowly glowed, and the petals began to disintegrate one by one, turning into fine, sandy specks of light and floating away. Chapter 615 - Chapter 615: Chapter 615: The Flying Eagle Chapter 615: Chapter 615: The Flying Eagle The flower of the Life Vine took more than an hour to completely decompose into tiny specks of light, all of which seeped into Annas body. The singing stopped. Anna looked tired but joy was reflected in her radiant eyes, affirming her successful healing session. At Annas feet, a green halo appeared and expanded from under her feet, radiating like ripples in the water. As Anna stood up, she waved her hand and a white light fell on Song Jian, instantly sweeping away the injuries and mental fatigue he sustained from the previous battle. Song Jian looked at Anna in surprise. Her ability to restore his Vitality Points and Spirit Points was not surprising. However, the fact that she could eliminate mental fatigue stunned him. Mental fatigue is a similar to a value of exhaustion, which slowly accumulates whether through battling or other activities. Once it reaches a certain level, it impacts ones health and can only be eliminated through means such as sleep or meditation; If fatigue could be removed, Song Jian could actually battle non-stop twenty-four hours a day. Thank you, Anna! Song Jian smiled with a touch of regret in his heart, It is a pity that I couldnt recruit you as my follower. Dont mention it! Anna replied with a radiant smile. Anna, what is your profession now? Song Jian asked curiously. After Annas upgrade, her attributes had been completely hidden. From his perspective, apart from her name, all he could see were question marks; I have been promoted to the legendary occupation of Life Guardian. Unfortunately, this occupation has reached its peak at the legendary level and cannot be further enhanced. There was a hint of disappointment in Annas eyes, but it quickly disappeared and she said with a smile of joy, However, I now have the ability to fight. If similar situations occur in the future, even if Im alone, I can complete them! Song Jian nodded and the two walked towards the exit of the instance run; To enter the Mysterious Garden instance run, one needs to activate a seed. But to leave, no such object is required. When they arrived at the entrance platform, a light door already existed there, waiting for them to exit. As he looked at the light door, Song Jian thought, If only it could transport me back to Doomsday City. Without the Concealment Ring, Song Jian could no longer enter Doomsday City through the Protection Black Mist. Moreover, there was no Teleportation Array in Doomsday City, so if he wanted to return, he had to use the spot-teleportation technique. There is a distinction in the spot-teleportation, mainly in terms of success rate. Simple spot-teleportation has at best a 50% success rate. The more reliable the spot-teleportation, the more valuable it is. The most advanced technique in the City of Sin could reach a success rate of 89%. If push comes to shove, Ill have to ask Anna for a spot-teleportation device! thought Song Jian in his heart. Spot-teleportation is somewhat dangerous. Not only is the success rate variable, but the so-called spot it refers to is only a designated area. I cant guarantee that the destination after teleportation is safe. If he had the choice, Song Jian wouldnt want to use it. The safest and quickest method would be like the light door in front of him, a product of the system, ensured to be good quality. Song Jian and Anna entered the light door one after another, leaving the instance run. The scenery blurred. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing in front of the stone door in the valley. At this moment, Kane, along with a big group of his people from the Blackhoof Tribe, stood in front of the instance run door as if they were waiting for something. Seeing Song Jian coming out, Kane breathed a sigh of relief, looking as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Song Jian, are you alright? Kane walked up to him, gave him a heavy hug, patted his shoulder and asked. Im okay, there were three rat-men who broke in. Two were killed by me, and one escaped, Song Jian laughed, But we achieved our goal. Anna has successfully advanced to the legendary profession, the Life Guardian. What, a Legendary profession? Kane was shocked. In the hundreds of years history of the Blackhoof Tribe, only one Epic level professional has ever appeared. The legendary profession, to them, was akin to a deitys spokesperson on earth. There was a buzz of discussion among the Minotaurs behind Kane, all their eyes filled with awe as they looked at Anna. Oh, right, why are you all standing here? Song Jian asked curiously. There was a much larger group sending him off into the instance run this time than the last, with more than a hundred Minotaur warriors gathered. They all had stern expressions and weapons in their hands as if preparing for a battle. The three rat-men you mentioned used an evil spell to break the taboo of the secret land gate, killing some of our tribesmen, said Kane solemnly. We detected this and called our warriors here to investigate! We were lucky. After arriving here, we caught the man who escaped from the secret land. He must be the one that got away that you mentioned, Kane said gravely. Bring that guy over! Soon, under the escort of four Minotaurs, an eagle took flight. Looking at Song Jian and Anna, the eagles face showed despair: I didnt expect even Eagle-Yang to be no match for you Song Jian gave the eagle a cold glance. This creature was capable of summoning abyssal demons. Although they were just the lowest ranked demons, possessing such abilities still made it an elite among average players. Song Jian nodded and said, These were the three. I killed his two partners. As for this one, Ill leave him to you. Kane looked at the eagle with cold eyes, cracked a smile and said, They used the blood and lives of our tribesmen for their evil ceremony. We will do the same with their blood and lives to give our people peace. Take him away, and we will hold a sky worship ceremony in a few days to let the spirits of our tribesmen rest. Upon hearing the words sky worship ceremony, the eagle showed a look of horror and despair, struggling violently, No, no, kill me now, kill me now, ah~ Seeing the fear in the eyes of the eagle and its futile struggle, it was clear that it knew about the content of the sky worship ceremony, which was not a very friendly or even a bloody event for the one being sacrificed. Song Jian didnt bother with him. He was about to return to the Blackhoof tribe with Kane when suddenly a shining point of light appeared in the sky and quickly flew towards them, crashing down into the valley like a shooting star; Its an urgent message from the City Lord Mansion! Anna looked up at the light and showed a serious expression, This kind of communication is only used when an emergency occurs. Something important must have happened in the City Lord Mansion. The light soon flew to Anna, floating in front of her, and countless particles of light dispersed in all directions. An anxious voice echoed in the air; Anna, the City Lords health is deteriorating rapidly. You must rush back to the City Lord Mansion as soon as possible! Chapter 616 - Chapter 616: Chapter 616: Return to the City Chapter 616: Chapter 616: Return to the City In the radiant orb, Suravis anxious voice could be heard. Anna was greatly alarmed, her face instantly turning pale, and her body tottering as if she was set to faint any moment. How could this be Anna muttered to herself, her entire body shaking slightly. The communication sphere quickly disappeared, and Anna was so anxious that tears were rolling in her eyes; Song Jian, we As Anna grabbed Song Jians sleeve and was about to speak, tears began to uncontrollably trickle down her face. I understand. Song Jian consoled her, patting her shoulder. Kane, Im sorry, we cant go to the Blackhoof Tribe anymore, we need to hurry back to the City of Sin. Song Jian said, looking at Kane. I understand, do you need any help with transportation? With our tribes Kodo beasts, you could return to the City of Sin in half a day. Kane responded. Ordinary mounts were unable to enter Thunder Beast Mountain. Previously, the soldiers of the City of Sin only escorted the two to the foot of Thunder Beast Mountain. Ordinary warhorses found it near impossible to advance in Thunder Beast Mountain and were easily targeted by beasts, attracting unwanted trouble. On the other hand, the Kodo beasts raised by the Blackhoof Tribe were naturally strong creatures. After being tamed by the Tauren of the Blackhoof Tribe, they became docile and incredibly speedy, navigating through Thunder Beast Mountain as though it was flat ground. Thank you, but that wont be necessary. Song Jian responded, and summoned the Black Dragon without further ado; The magic of the Pet Space was that no matter how wounded a combat pet was, it could quickly recover. As soon as the Black Dragon emerged from the Pet Space, it spread its wings and flew into midair, letting out a dragons roar. Get down, you fool! Song Jian scolded. The once proud Black Dragon immediately stiffened, obediently descended, and lay on the ground, letting out pleasing purrs; Its its a Giant Dragon! The members of the Blackhoof Tribe let out a gasp, retreating as their faces bore expressions of terror. In the game, a Giant Dragon was at the top of the food chain. Even a young ones faint Dragon Might was unbearable for the members of the Blackhoof Tribe. A relieved expression appeared on Kanes face. He had already known that Song Jian possessed a Giant Dragon as a combat pet from their encounter at Dark Castle. This second encounter only increased his awe of Song Jians fortunes. Anna, lets go! Song Jian picked up Anna and leaped towards the back of the Black Dragon; After giving the Black Dragons head a pat, Song Jian commanded, Lets go back to the City of Sin! The Black Dragon lifted its head and rose to its feet. With a few beats of its wings, a gust of wind swept up, and the Black Dragon launched its massive body into the sky; A Giant Giant Dragon, a living, breathing Giant Dragon! An elder from the Blackhoof Tribe sighed in amazement after the Black Dragon had disappeared into a tiny dot in the sky. Its just a young dragon, but you can already sense the immense power emanating from it. This dragon has a pure lineage and might grow into an Ancient Giant Dragon in the future! Another elder lamented nostalgically, In the old days, there used to be a Dragon Knight in the Blackhoof Tribe Chief Kane, this god-blessed friend of yours is really extraordinary. You should interact with him more often Yes, indeed, this young friend called Song Jian is not only able to control a Giant Dragon, it seems he has a good relationship with the City of Sins City Lord Mansion. We are not far from the City of Sin and our relationship with them has always been delicate. Our tribe often needs to trade in the city and having a good relationship with him might make it easier for us Blackhoof Tribespeople to go to the City of Sin in the future. Kane didnt respond, but deep inside, he held even more respect for Song Jian; The Black Dragon flew at an extremely fast speed. In a little over an hour, they could already see the towering walls of the City of Sin. Should we land here, or fly directly in? Song Jian asked. The Black Dragon made a huge commotion and flying directly into the city would likely cause panic. Furthermore, Song Jian did not want others to know that he had a Black Dragon as a combat pet. After all, there were a lot of players in the City of Sin. Fly directly to the City Lord Mansion, Song Jian. Im worried about my uncle! Anna said pitifully, clutching Song Jians sleeve as though she was about to cry any moment; Song Jian nodded and, without any hesitation, steered the Black Dragon towards the City of Sin; The soldiers on the walls of the City of Sin noticed a Black Dragon flying towards them from afar, and their faces paled with fear. Most of these soldiers were NPCs, with a minority being players who had joined the city defense force for patrol quests; Upon seeing the Black Dragon, the soldiers went pale, their eyes filled with despair. Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Ring the alarm bell, we need reinforcements! A player bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, managing to snap himself out of shock and immediately began to howl for backup; At this, the other soldiers finally came to their senses. Some shouted about the enemy attack and aimed their bows and arrows at the Black Dragon, while others ran into the guard towers; In no time at all, the alarm bells tolled and alert beacons lit up one after the other, exploded into a giant red fireball in the sky, glowing brightly. Seeing the commotion below on the city walls, Song Jian forced a bitter smile. But, he had no time to worry about that and flew directly towards the City Lord Mansion; As they approached the City Lord Mansion, a voice sternly demanded, Who goes there, daring to cause trouble in the City of Sin? Are you not afraid of being wanted across the entire continent! Uncle Suravi, its me, Anna! Anna shouted from atop the Black Dragons back; Suravi was currently in the air, using a levitation spell. Even though he looked stern, his palms were drenched with cold sweat. Seeing Anna, Suravi immediately let out a sigh of relief. When he saw Song Jian, standing atop the Black Dragon, his eyes filled with astonishment. Anna, lets go down. Controlling the Black Dragon, Song Jian slowly descended onto the plaza in front of the City Lord Mansion. After patting the Black Dragons head which had nuzzled against him, Song Jian stored the Black Dragon back into the Pet Space. Uncle Suravi, what happened to my uncle? Anna ran forward anxiously to ask. The City Lord was perfectly fine initially, but for some reason, he suddenly fainted in the backyard at noon, and his vitality is rapidly declining Suravi replied, his brows knitted together and his face filled with worry. Quickly, take me to see him! Anna dragged Suravi by his hand as both of them swiftly walked towards the City Lord Mansion; Chapter 617 - Chapter 617: Chapter 617: City Lord Seal Chapter 617: Chapter 617: City Lord Seal Anna looked at the city lord on the sickbed, who seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably; Uncle~ A brilliant golden light burst from Annas body, and behind her, a tall goddess phantom with a kind smile on her face appeared, looking down at the city lord on the sickbed. The goddess phantom bent down, gently touched the city lords forehead with her finger, and then let out a sigh. The entire phantom broke apart, turning into countless shimmering light spots scattered over the sickbed. Annas face suddenly turned pale as snow as her body weakened. As she was about to fall to the ground, Song Jian caught her and gently placed her in a chair nearby. Sigh of the Life Goddess~ Song Jian stared in disbelief. He had heard from Anna that the cooldown time of this skill was extremely long and that it could only be used once a month. It consumed all the users spirit and locked the users Vitality Points to a tenth of their original value, only able to recover after a month; Despite its great consumption, the power of this skill was astonishing, healing any injuries as long as the target still had a breath in them, even if the person was just a severed limb or a head. It could heal them back to a complete body. Moreover, this skill could remove any toxins, curses, diseases, and other negative effects. No matter how powerful, they could all be dispelled; It could be said that this was an epic skill, second only to the Resurrection Skill. Anna was so anxious about the city lords condition that she went all out from the start. As the city lord lay in bed, his face gradually turned ruddy, breathing heavier, eyelashes twitching, looking like he was about to wake up soon. City Lord, City Lord? Suravi quickly leaned in close to the city lords ear, calling out softly. Song Jian stared at the city lord, carefully observing him. Although Annas previous skill completely restored the city lords condition, Song Jians eyes saw that the city lords upper limit of Vitality Points was constantly decreasing, already more than halving since he first saw the city lord. This was the upper limit of Vitality Points. Once the upper limit hit zero, no matter how powerful the recovery skill was, it couldnt save him. Suravi, what is happening to me? The city lord opened his eyes, stared at Suravi right before him, and looked weak. My Lord, you fainted. Fortunately, Miss Anna arrived in time and saved you, Suravi whispered. Anna, that child The city lords lips lifted a little, they looked to see Anna sitting weakly in a chair, her face showing a loving expression. City Lord, you should rest. We wont disturb you further! Suravi pulled the blanket up slightly on the city lord and whispered. No, Suravi, gather the ministers. I need to announce my successor! The city lord slowly sat up, speaking determinedly. My Lord, your current condition? Suravi sighed worriedly. Although the city lords face was currently rosy, looking as if she had recovered, Suravi could keenly sense that the city lords life force was gradually weakening. Call everyone here. I want to appoint Anna as the heir to the throne of the City of Sin! The city lord whispered in a low voice, Suravi, I hope you can assist Anna just like you assisted me. She needs you! My Lord, I I understand, Suravi choked and quickly left the room. Anna, come here! Seeing Suravi leave, the city lord glanced at Song Jian. His eyes were sharp like an eagles, seemingly scrutinizing, but Song Jian was unfazed, calmly looking back into the city lords eyes. The city lord smiled faintly and no longer paid attention to Song Jian, turning his head to signal Anna to his bedside; Anna leaned against the bed and couldnt help but embrace the city lord, sobbing loudly; The city lord sighed softly, stroking Annas hair, and whispered in a low voice, Silly child, you cant always cry like this after becoming the city lord. I really had no choice but to force this burden on you. I am sorry Anna, extremely sensitive to life force, had felt long ago that the city lords life force was weakening, even though Suravi could only just sense it. However, she was powerless to do anything, as his life force was naturally decaying. It wasnt a disease or an injury C it was as if a persons life had reached its end, having exhausted their life potential. Uncle, I I cant do it Anna cried out loud; The city lord sighed and fell silent, waiting for Anna to express her grief; After a long time, Anna finally quieted down a bit, and continued to sob. The city lord then spoke, Your brothers have all been killed by the Blood Queen. The hatred of the entire Sakel Family must be borne by you. It is your responsibility! No matter how long it takes, you must kill the Blood Queen! A pained expression flashed across the city lords eyes. He and the Blood Queen had been husband and wife for almost three years, and some affection still lingered in his heart. However, the Blood Queens actions were too cruel; after her failure and escape, she had killed all his offspring. This complexity in the city lords feelings for the Blood Queen made things complicated. However, for the sake of the Sakel Family, the Blood Queen must be killed! I understand, uncle! Anna agreed while sobbing; At this moment, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from outside the room, showing that all summoned ministers had already arrived at the City Lord Mansion. Also the city lord lowered his voice and whispered in Annas ear, You can trust Suravi, but you must kill the Dean of the Institute, Bonis. Only by killing him can you control the Institute yourself. The City Lord Mansions guards and the Institute must be firmly controlled by you, so you can become a true city lord! Anna was astonished, seemingly wanting to say something. However, she eventually just nodded vigorously; Good girl! The city lord revealed a relieved smile, took a trembling hand from his breast and pulled out a gold seal, handing it to Anna, Drip your blood onto it, and from then on, this City Lord seal will be bound to your soul, and you will have control over everything in the city! Seeing the City Lord seal, a thought crossed Song Jians mind. This seal represented the power to control an entire city. He already had ambitions of taking over Doomsday City entirely, so now was the perfect time to gain more experience in this area. In the future, I will definitely have a City Lord seal of my own! Song Jian thought to himself. Being away from Doomsday City for so long, Song Jian wondered how things were progressing, an intense yearning filled his heart. Anna took the heavy City Lord seal, bit her fingertip, and dripped a drop of blood onto it. Instantly, the City Lord seal emitted a dazzling light, and the whole room was enveloped in golden light. At that moment, a tumultuous clamor of argument came from outside the room. The city lord glanced towards the door, a hint of coldness flickering at the corners of his mouth. Chapter 618 - Chapter 618: Chapter 618: Acting City Lord Chapter 618: Chapter 618: Acting City Lord Outside the City Lords sickroom, several key ministers of the City of Sin had already been summoned; The City Lord fainted suddenly in the backyard, such a thing could not be concealed for long. Those present exchanged glances, speculating that the City Lords health was likely in serious trouble. Some were worried, some delighted, and some simply watched coolly. Yet none showed their actual emotions, maintaining a business-as-usual demeanor. Suravi, do you know why the City Lord has gathered us all here? Is there something he wishes to announce? a stout middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit and glasses asked softly. Dean, please calm down. The City Lord does indeed have an important announcement to make, which is why I called you all here, Suravi replied quietly after giving him a glance. Is the City Lord intending to name a successor? Haha. 2019Dean, watch your tongue. Such words shouldnt be coming from you. The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses and smiled but spoke no more. This man was the Dean of the Institute of Scientific Research, Bonis. Despite the City Lords illness and the Blood Queens aggressive courting of influence, the Institute remained neutral. It seemed to be loyal to the City Lord Mansion, but in reality, Bonis had even deeper plans. After they waited for a while, a dazzling golden light suddenly emanated from the City Lords sickroom at the Mansion. Everyone was stunned, and a look of surprise flashed across Bonis face, which quickly turned to anger. How how can this be? How can he Bonis roared, his face flushed with rage. How can the City Lord pass on the City Lord Seal unofficially? That goes against the constitutional laws of the City of Sin! There must be a majority of us present in agreement for the City Lord to confer the seal onto someone else! Oh, Bonis, getting upset that the City Lord isnt passing the City Lord seal to you? A man dressed in black armor sneered. Dont forget, the City Lord seal will only pass within the line of the City Lord, as stipulated by the constitution of the City of Sin. You neednt harbor such wild fantasies. Without the consent of over half the Executive Ministers, this does not count. The City Lord seal must be reclaimed and Bonis face turned sullen and his mind was thrown into disarray. Fine, lets vote on the City Lords intentions here and now. Regardless of who the Lord confers the seal to, I will vote in favor. How about you all?! The man in black armor slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and shouted. Im in favor. Suravi looked at Bonis with a smile, then turned her gaze to other Executive Ministers. A few ministers ignored them, gazing up at the sky, while others furrowed their brows, seemingly weighing their thoughts. I agree! Im in favor! Agree Eventually, a few more voices expressed their agreement, but at least two-thirds of the Executive Ministers did not immediately speak up. This was certainly not a formal occasion, especially given that the City Lord was not present. It seemed rash to vote in such circumstances. Those of you who havent spoken, what is it? Do you harbor the same thoughts as Bonis? The man in the black armor turned towards the remaining silent ministers, his face was full of hostility. Adela, what are you trying to do, are you trying to force the other ministers? Bonis stood up abruptly, a savage, beast-like power radiating from him as his eyes glowed with a vengeful blood-red light. Adela was the commander of another legion in the City of Sin. His regular duty was to eliminate all monsters within the City of Sin and expand its sphere of influence. Ever since the City Lord had recovered from his poisoning, he had been urgently summoned back. Collectively, the Mansion Guard and his legion accounted for over eighty percent of the entire military strength of the City of Sin. At that moment, a deep voice from the City Lord came from the sickroom. Everyone get in here! What are you grumbling about outside? At the City Lords call, everyone fell silent. Some of the ministers looked surprised. City Lord! The ministers saluted towards the sickroom door. Then the door opened, and they walked in one by one. The City Lord was propped up by Anna, sitting up against his pillow and covered with a brocade blanket. He seemed frail, but showed no sign of illness on his face. His eyes were shockingly bright. Even though he was sitting on his sickbed, he seemed to be sitting in the City Lords seat in the City Lord Mansions meeting hall. There was no trace of his illness. Imposing even when ailing, the City Lord squinted at the assembled individuals. What were you arguing about just now? he asked. City Lord, Bonis is initiating a revolt! Adela burst out. Everyone looked at Adela in surprise as Bonis, seething with rage, pointed at Adela, unable to speak. Adela, what nonsense are you spouting? Are you looking to be stationed at the Dark Forest? The City Lord snorted coldly, shooting Adela a fierce glance. I wouldnt dare, my Lord! Adela trembled, hastily gesturing denial. The Dark Forest is no place for people. Just breathing the air there made me feel like I was turning into a shadow creature myself. Hmph, then next time, remember to watch your mouth! The City Lord huffed, before turning to the others. I summoned you all here to announce something. The heir to the City of Sin will henceforth be Anna. Remember to assist her accordingly. Having said that, the City Lord, with the steely expression of a beast, watched the faces of the gathering, waiting for their reactions. Bonis shivered slightly, adjusted his glasses, and looked incredibly gloomy. He glanced at an Executive Minister standing next to him but said nothing. The minister Bonis glanced at hesitated, appearing as though he wanted to speak, but suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness sweeping over him, as if he was under the gaze of a beast ready to pounce and tear him apart if he dared utter a word. Shivering, the minister broke into a cold sweat, lowered his head, and dared not say one word further. The City Lord fixed his gaze on several other ministers who had not yet spoken, and not a single person dared to open their mouth again. The overwhelming atmosphere enveloped the entire room. Even Suravi started to feel anxious. What is the true state of the City Lords health? Is he faking his illness to deceive us? The same question arose in almost everyones minds. The City Lords comportment wasnt at all reflective of a dying patient. Since no one objects, then let it be so. I have handed over the City Lord seal to Anna. While I am ill, Anna will act as the City Lord. All matters are to be reported to her. The City Lord swept everyone with his gaze, gave a satisfied nod and said. Alright, you all may leave now. Suravi, stay. The City Lord closed his eyes and said leisurely. Chapter 619 - Chapter 619: Chapter 619: Level 6 Manor Chapter 619: Chapter 619: Level 6 Manor Everything that happened in the sickroom, Song Jian had been a bystander, not speaking a word, but he was also shocked in his heart. He knew that the City Lords life was constantly being consumed, and this was the loss of life energy, something no treatment could mend. To remedy this situation, perhaps only the Goddess of Life herself could intervene and make up for the City Lords loss of potential life. However, even so, the City Lord still managed to deter all the high-level members of the City of Sin with his residual power. When he opened his mouth and made decisions, no one dared to object. It could be imagined that in the City of Sin, as long as the City Lord was there for even a day, no one would dare to have any strange thoughts. The City Lord gave a few more instructions to Anna and Suravi, and then went to sleep. He did not ask Song Jian to avoid these matters, nor deliberately ask for his opinion, as if he didnt exist. Song Jian knew that although he was a Viscount of the City of Sin, such a status would not be worthy of the City Lords attention. The reason he could stay here was still because of Anna. Perhaps he already sees me as a similar character to Suravi, Song Jian thought to himself. In the following days, Anna had been staying in the City Lord Mansion. After casting Sigh of the Goddess of Life, Anna was now in the most vulnerable state. Besides being able to cast a few healing spells every day, she had no self-defense capabilities; The City Lord Mansion was the safest place in the entire City of Sin, and Anna didnt have to worry about herself here. During these days, Anna had started to get involved in the City of Sins government affairs. Under Suravis assistance, Anna methodically undertook all the responsibilities and power of the City Lord, and things were slowly and steadily transitioning. All of this was actually because the City Lord was backing her. Although his vitality points were decreasing day by day, and he was becoming more and more haggard, as long as he was there for a day, the City of Sin would be stable for a day. In this short period of time, Anna had to grow rapidly. In these many days, Song Jian also didnt sit idle. He borrowed all the books about Magic Rune Arrays in the City Lord Mansion and studied them carefully. His Magic Rune Array skill was rapidly improving; A week later, Song Jian had finished reading all the books about Magic Rune Arrays, and his Magic Rune Array skill had been raised to Level 7, even able to set up some simple Magic Rune Arrays now. On this day, Song Jian left the City Lord Mansion and returned to his own Viscount Mansion. As soon as he entered the gate, Suoen immediately came to meet him; My lord, youre finally back. A smile appeared on Suoens fuzzy face, seemingly very excited. Suoen, have you completed the task I assigned to you? Song Jian looked at Suoen and asked with interest. Yes, my lord. The materials you ordered to buy were really hard to find. I went to great lengths and asked many people to collect some. Suoen smiled and handed Song Jian a small bag; The bag was only palm-sized, light in the hand as if it had no weight at all, but Song Jian knew that this was a one-time storage bag. The magic materials he had ordered Suoen to buy for building the Transmission Array were all inside. Once the items were taken out of the bag, the storage bag would be scrapped and could no longer be used. However, even so, such a storage bag still sold for more than 100,000 Doomsday Coins, which was not something ordinary people could afford. Song Jians spirit dove into the bag and carefully checked the magic materials. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, nodding and saying, Very good, Suoen, youve done a great job. Hearing the praise, Suoens face showed an embarrassed expression, and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart; This was the first thing Song Jian had arranged for him after he joined his service. If he hadnt satisfied Song Jian with this task, he might have been driven out of the Viscount Mansion. He was able to purchase these materials so smoothly on the black market this time, in part because of the contacts he had made previously, and also because everyone knew that he had joined a newly promoted Viscount of the City of Sin, and was now a popular figure. Some large businessmen who had previously disregarded Suoen now even actively contacted him and provided him with supplies, making it easier for him to handle this task. Now that he had the magic materials, he still needed to find a mage to build the Transmission Array. It should be known that with the current level of Song Jians Magic Rune Array, he could only set up a few small Magic Arrays at most. For a strategic Magic Array like the Transmission Array, one would need to have mastered the Magic Rune Array to be able to understand even the blueprint. Since the task was completed, Song Jian prepared to return to Doomsday City. After all, that was where his foundation lay. A few days later, Anna visited Song Jians Viscount Mansion; Song Jian, are you leaving the City of Sin? The first thing Anna asked when she saw Song Jian was. Ive been away from Doomsday City for too long; I should go back and check on it. Im a little worried! Song Jian spoke candidly. Ever since the cool-down time for the Territorial Expansion battle had been shortened in Doomsday City, there had been almost continuous warfare. During the days he was away, Song Jian learned through his communicator that his Manor Castle had been upgraded to Level 6, even having built a Warrior Camp. He now had more than 300 warriors, and although their levels were only in the teens, they could still be upgraded. Many players in the War Alliance used their Contribution Points to upgrade these warriors for their protection, as well as to increase the levels of the warriors recruited from the Warrior Camp, killing two birds with one stone. However, if these warriors were killed during the hiring process, a large number of Contribution Points would be deducted, and if this happened too often, it would even affect the players evaluation within the War Alliance. In the worst case, they would be kicked out of the War Alliance. Song Jian was already eager to see what his Level 6 Manor looked like; A Level 6 Manor has already reached the standard of upgrading to a City-Level Safe House, but to upgrade to a City-Level Safe House, special buildings need to be constructed first, and the Transmission Array is one of them, Song Jian thought. Song Jian, I heard that youve been collecting magic materials for building a Transmission Array recently. Is there anything I can help with? Anna asked. Song Jian was taken aback, but soon understood. Suoens actions in purchasing materials were too conspicuous and certainly reached the ears of the City Lord Mansion. After all, these materials were all strategic restricted materials. Furthermore, without the tacit consent of the City Lord Mansion, it was doubtful that those merchants would dare to openly sell these materials to Song Jian. Chapter 620 - Chapter 620: Chapter 620: Goblin Merchant Chapter 620: Chapter 620: Goblin Merchant Looking at Annas sincere gaze, Song Jian chuckled and said, Ive nearly gathered all the materials. If Im able to build a Transmission Array in Doomsday City, Ill contact you at once. Then, you could also use the Transmission Array to travel to Doomsday City. I look forward to that day. Anna smiled and replied. Over the past week, Song Jian hardly saw Anna. Although she appeared the same as before, Song Jian noticed a hint of exhaustion deep in her eyes. If you ever need my help, dont hesitate to contact me. Ill come to your side as soon as possible. Song Jian looked at Anna and said softly. Upon hearing Song Jians promise, Annas eyes sparkled, and she revealed a sweet smile, nodding. Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon and climbed onto its back, heading towards Doomsday City. He had gained much from this trip. Not only had he obtained an entire set of level-30 epic gear, but he also obtained the title of Viscount in the City of Sin. Most importantly, his relationship with the future mistress of the City of Sin, Anna Katerina, had risen to the level of adoration. This was crucial for his future development, and even for Doomsday Citys future growth. With his position now, Song Jian was already actively participating in the games progress. Shes destined to become an Empress. With the chilly wind in the sky, Song Jian couldnt help but smile, feeling like hed hitched a ride on a rising star. After several days, Song Jian finally arrived at the edge of the Black Mist that enshrouded Doomsday City. Looking from above, the entire region was covered in the mist, impenetrable, as high as dozens of feet, surrounding the city completely. Even the skies above Doomsday City were covered by an invisible dome. Without close inspection, it was hard to detect this layer of light. Furrowing his brows, Song Jian suspected the Black Mist wasnt naturally occurring C it seemed heavily man-made. He even vaguely sensed that it was actually a massive Magic Rune Array. But, with his current understanding of Magic Rune Arrays, he couldnt see any further clues C it was just a hunch. Song Jian mentally summoned a blood crow, instructing it to fly towards Doomsday City from above. As the blood crow neared the dome, it suddenly vanished. In his mind, the connection with the crow was abruptly severed. Song Jian had a solemn expression on his face. He had suspected that there would be certain defenses in the air preventing access to Doomsday City, but this sudden, silent disappearance sent chills down his spine. After observing for a while, Song Jian slowly landed the Black Dragon on a hill outside the Black Mist. Being unable to enter via the air and with dangerous monsters lurking within the Black Mist on the ground, Song Jian shifted his attention to the underground. However, after careful probing, a look of disappointment appeared on Song Jians face. It seemed like the places shrouded by the Black Mist had been dyed with an ink-like substance. He was sure that, no matter how deep he dug, he wouldnt be able to create a tunnel under Doomsday City through the ground. It seemed easy when the Dark Night Circus entered Doomsday City, but surprisingly Song Jian spoke with a bitter smile on his face. While Song Jian was at a loss, a Goblin suddenly appeared in the distance, riding a Thunder Lizard several times larger than himself. The Thunder Lizard was burdened down with goods, filling almost every spot on its body. Seeing Song Jian standing nearby, the Goblins eyes brightened, and he steered the Thunder Lizard towards Song Jian. Hey, my friend, it seems like you could use some help? The Goblin jumped off the Thunder Lizard, patting Song Jians knee as he convincingly said, I bet you could use my goods, theyre quite remarkable. Who knows, they might help you out. Of course, we can discuss the price. I can give you a 99.9% discount. Do you have anything that could help me pass through this Black Mist? Song Jian inquired, pointing to the rolling Black Mist. Pass through it? Why do you need anything special? Just walk straight through it. The goblin was puzzled and looked at Song Jian as if he were a fool. Song Jian was left speechless, and said, But there are many dangerous creatures inside Thats an entirely different problem. The Goblin chuckled, a scheming look in his eyes. So, how much do you want? Song Jian asked, resignedly. I could tell you a method to pass through the Black Mist freely, without any charge at all. The Goblin grinned widely at Song Jain. Song Jian shook his head and said, In this world, the most expensive things are those said to be free. Name your price. Is it ten thousand Doomsday Coins? Or a hundred thousand? Its genuinely free! The Goblin chuckled, rubbing his hands and responding, All I need is for you to provide me with a space in your Alliances settlement where I can set up a shop. Of course, Ill pay the monthly rent. Do you know who I am? Song Jian asked, a surprised look on his face. Of course, how could I not recognize the master of the City of Hope Alliance? Ive visited your Alliances territories countless times. If I want to make a living on your grounds, how could I not know whos in charge? The Goblins face broke into a flattering smile, You just dont recognize me, thats all. Alright, as long as you can tell me, how to safely enter and exit the Black Mist, Ill give you a shop. The area should not exceed one hundred square meters. Song Jian generously offered. In the past few months, although he had been briefed on the progress of the Alliance, he didnt have a specific understanding of it. He didnt know that in the City of Hope Alliance, a shop was like a golden goose. Even if people were waving cash to rent, it was impossible to secure a spot, let alone buy one. What, youre giving me a shop of one hundred square meters? The Goblins eyes widened disbelievingly, You are the great master of the City of Hope Alliance, you cant deceive a small Goblin like me! Its just a shop, no big deal. Why would I need to deceive you? Song Jian chuckled at the absurdity. As his territory expanded, what seemed to be a precious shop to others wasnt worth much to him. But even so, when he returned to the territory of the Alliance and understood the value of retail space within his territory, he was filled with regret. The current price of the shops was at least ten times higher than what he had envisioned. My dear lord, you are indeed very generous. The Goblin was so excited that he was trembling slightly, on the verge of fainting, as he praised Song Jian with clasped hands. Enough, just tell me now, how do I safely pass through the Black Mist? Song Jian replied, shaking his head with a smile. The method to safely pass through this Black Mist is actually worth nothing. I will tell you now, my lord! The Goblin chortled, Actually, its like this Chapter 621 - Chapter 621: Chapter 621: Earth Spirit Bead Chapter 621: Chapter 621: Earth Spirit Bead Song Jians eyes flickered as he saw thousands of Earth Elementals within the Protection Black Mist, as well as Earth Elemental Bosses with tier one combat power, and even a Giant Earth Elemental Dragon sleeping inside? How is it possible? How did they appear here and why? Song Jian asked in astonishment. Alliance Leader, you may not know that this black mist is actually a huge magic rune array, serving as the defense array for this city. These Earth Elementals are the guardian spirits of the city. As for the Earth Elemental Giant Dragon, it is actually just a Dragon Soul. The powerful creator of this magic rune array forcibly extracted the soul from a Giant Earth Dragon and integrated it into the array to become the arrays spirit! the Goblin explained. Song Jian was dumbfounded. This information was simply shocking. The person capable of creating this magic rune array was a figure so high above that Song Jian could only see their back. Its simply unbelievable! Song Jian shook his head and sighed. Yeah, the original owner of this city was one of the most powerful figures on the entire continent. But for some unknown reason, they left the city they personally built. As a result, the city was abandoned and eventually became a paradise for monsters, the Goblin lamented. Back then, this city was the most bustling city in the world. Its a pity, sigh. Alright, tell me how to get in first, Song Jian asked after a long silence. Its simple. As long as you have an item containing Earth Elemental energy, you can safely enter and exit the black mist. The Earth Elementals inside will not attack you as long as they sense the Earth Elemental aura on you, the Goblin explained, taking out a fist-sized stone ball from his pocket and showing it to Song Jian. This is an Earth Spirit Bead. Wear it, and your aura will be covered by Earth Elemental energy. The higher the grade of the Earth Spirit Bead, the greater the area it covers. This one can cover a radius of six meters, enough for me and my Thunder Lizard to pass through freely. If its any bigger, it wont work. Once youre outside the coverage of the Earth Spirit Bead, the guards inside will initiate an attack. Song Jian nodded. The function of the Earth Spirit Bead was similar to that of the Concealment Ring. The Concealment Ring would mask all auras, making it seem invisible, while the Earth Spirit Bead would cover ones aura with Earth Elemental energy, causing the Earth Elementals to mistake them for their kind. Though the items were different, their principles and effects were similar. How much for this Earth Spirit Bead? Ill buy it! Song Jian said. Sorry, I only have this one. If I dont have it, I wont be able to enter and leave this city freely in the future. So I cant sell it to you, the Goblin shook his head and said. Besides, I cant take you in. The Thunder Lizards size is too large. If I bring you along, our aura may be easily exposed, which is too dangerous. This Earth Spirit Bead was actually a treasure passed down through the Goblins family for hundreds of years. It was thanks to this bead that the Goblins family had been able to travel between Doomsday City and the City of Hope, engaging in smuggling activities for a long time, though Doomsday City had not been called by that name in the beginning. After the monsters occupied the city, the Goblins family gradually declined. It wasnt until the recent arrival of the chosen ones that the Goblin saw a business opportunity, took out the Earth Spirit Bead, and resumed the smuggling business of their ancestors. If I cant go back, then I wont be able to give you the shop. After all, the transfer procedures for the shop must be personally approved by me, Song Jian smiled and said. Goblin: Alliance Leader, rest assured, since Ive told you this method, I will naturally help you obtain an Earth Spirit Bead, the Goblin hurriedly said. Since this magic rune array contains rich Earth Elemental energy, many Earth Elementals have been bred around it. By killing these Earth Elementals, you may potentially obtain Earth Spirit Beads. You mean, you want me to kill these Earth Elementals to get an Earth Spirit Bead? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked. Yes, you can go and kill these Earth Elementals. They are all level 30 monsters and shouldnt be too difficult for you, the Goblin nodded and said. This Goblin was already at level 35, but his combat abilities were extremely poor. The skills he usually learned were mostly related to concealment, escape, and business. It could be said that he had no combat power at all. You dont have any combat power, yet you dare to venture alone into Doomsday City for trade? Song Jian looked at him with a surprised expression. It was well known that the outside world in the game was a hundred or even a thousand times more dangerous than the cities. Goblins were also one of the most timid races. Could it be that this Goblin was a rare talent with astounding courage among the Goblin race? Hehe, my Thunder Lizard will eliminate anyone who has ill intentions towards me! The Goblin patted his mount with a smile on his face. Thunder Lizard? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. It was at this moment that he noticed the huge Thunder Lizard was actually an elite Boss with tier one combat power and had reached level 35. Song Jian nodded slightly. A level 35 elite Boss with tier one combat power would be hard-pressed for nearby monsters to target. Alright, you go in first. Ill go get an Earth Spirit Bead. As for the shop, you can find me at the Alliance headquarters once I return, said Song Jian as he nodded and walked in the direction the Goblin pointed. Watching Song Jians figure disappear, the Goblin muttered to himself: Its extremely difficult for ordinary Earth Elementals to drop Earth Spirit Beads. The probability is perhaps one in ten thousand or even one in one hundred thousand. Only the Earth Elemental Lord Bosses with tier one combat power have a higher chance of dropping Earth Spirit Beads. However, even my Thunder Lizard is no match for them. Im afraid With some regret, the Goblin shook his head and thought, It seems that theres no hope for the City of Hope Alliances shop. If he finds out I didnt tell the truth, I wonder if hell ban me from entering his Alliance territory in the future. Id better sell off these goods as soon as possible and close up shop for a while to see how things turn out. Alas, business is getting harder and harder, the Goblin muttered to himself while riding the Thunder Lizard toward the rolling black mist. In no time, he vanished into the mist without a trace. Chapter 622 - Chapter 622: Chapter 622: The Lord of Earth Element Chapter 622: Chapter 622: The Lord of Earth Element The location that the goblin mentioned was a marshland more than ten miles to the northeast. Within this marshland, besides countless soil elemental creatures, there was also a type of slime monster that gave Song Jian a big headache. The slime monsters level was slightly lower than the soil elementals, being only level twenty-eight. Its power was not strong, but the slime monster was like a puddle of mud, exuding a rotten stench of decayed food. Its attacks were splash attacks, spraying large clumps of foul-smelling mud from its mouth. The odor of the mud lingered no matter how much one washed, leaving a faint smell, which was a huge nuisance to Song Jian. Light Strike! Earth Teeth Assault! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Upon encountering such creatures, Song Jian would use abilities with a large attack range. He would kill the slime monsters before they could get close; this was the only way Song Jian found to get rid of the smelly odour. The nauseating stench of the slime monsters was headache-inducing, but the items they dropped after being killed were excellent. Sometimes they even dropped treasure chests of various qualities, ranging from broken to ordinary, complete, and exquisite. Different quality chests could contain equipment of varying qualities. Song Jian even opened a silver-quality single-handed axe from an exquisite chest. Naturally, he couldnt use such a weapon, but other players coveted silver-quality weapons. If he placed it in the auction house, it would be sold out instantly. There were a vast number of soil elemental monsters here, and their defenses were at least 30% higher than monsters of the same level. If one were not careful, they would provoke a large group of them. For players of slightly weaker strength, it was impossible to farm and level up here. Not only would their weapons be damaged, but attracting a large group of monsters could prove less efficient than farming somewhere else. However, this place was a leveling paradise for Song Jian. The defense of the soil elementals was nothing to him. Even if they were numerous, they couldnt pose a threat to him. In just one morning, Song Jians experience points increased by a third, which pleased him. He even felt the urge to stay here for a few more days to farm monsters and level up. However, what regretted Song Jian was that after killing hundreds of soil elementals and raising his experience points to level 29 and 34%, he hadnt obtained a single Earth Spirit Bead. According to the goblin merchant, the Earth Spirit Bead also had grades. The higher the grade of the Earth Spirit Bead, the more abundant the soil elements contained within, and the greater the range it could cover. Song Jian was intent on obtaining a high-quality Earth Spirit Bead that could shield the Black Dragon, which would then allow him to ride the dragon into the Protection Black Mist. Everyone knew that the area covered by the Protection Black Mist was substantial. Initially, it took him almost a day to walk out of the Protection Black Mist with the Shadow Circus Troupe. In the evening, after farming the soil elementals all day, Song Jian looked at the scattered rocks in the marsh and couldnt help frowning. Is the drop rate so low, or is that goblin merchant just cheating me? In a days time, Song Jian had killed at least two hundred soil elementals, and countless slime monsters. His experience points had risen to 49%, yet he still hadnt found a single Earth Spirit Bead. Just as Song Jian was hesitating, the marshland beneath his feet suddenly shook. At a distant part of the ground, a small hill suddenly rose from the ground as if it were a living being. Song Jian furrowed his eyebrows. This sudden hill gave him a dangerous vibe. Rumble~ Mud and water splashed everywhere, and a giant rock monster slowly stretched out its body. Song Jian stared at the rock monster in the distance, which looked like a small hill, with surprise. This was simply a larger version of the soil elementals. It stood over ten meters tall, its body composed of numerous rocks. Even the slightest movement it made caused a rumble noise. Soil Elemental Lord? A level thirty Boss? And its a Boss with level one combat power? Song Jian said, narrowing his eyes as the properties of this giant monster flashed in front of him. Human, you randomly kill my kin, are you declaring war against the mighty king of soil elementals? The giant Soil Elemental Lord uttered in a low voice, causing Song Jians head to buzz. After hearing the Soil Elemental Lords words, Song Jian finally understood why it had appeared. It seemed that he had farmed the soil elementals too egregiously today, which had provoked it. Damn, I was careless! Song Jian slapped his forehead, cursing under his breath. When he first started playing this game, Song Jian realized while leveling up by killing the games monsters, that farming monsters in one area for too long would provoke the Boss. But because he wanted to obtain an Earth Spirit Bead, Song Jian disregarded this unwritten rule of the game. He had farmed the soil elemental monsters for an entire day and ended up provoking the Soil Elemental Lord, Boss. Ordinary soil elemental monsters have a very low drop rate, I wonder if you, as a Boss, would drop an Earth Spirit Bead for me! Song Jian said to himself as he focused on the Soil Elemental Boss. Song Jians damage now could be on par with level one combat power. However, his other attributes couldnt match up to those possessing level one combat power. But Song Jian was not alone. With a thought, a dragons roar echoed across the world, and the Black Dragon, flapping its wings, appeared in mid-air. The Black Dragon was currently over six meters in length, but compared to the over ten-meter tall soil elemental, whether in terms of size or momentum, it was slightly deficient. Nevertheless, the Black Dragon continued to roar at the Soil Elemental Boss next to Song Jian, demonstrating a preparedness to fight. Dragon Clan, do you truly wish to make an enemy of the soil elementals? The Soil Elemental Lord bellowed upon seeing the Black Dragon. The Dragon Might of the Dragon Clan had almost no effect on elemental creatures. Therefore, the Soil Elemental Lord showed no signs of fear and instead seemed a little angry upon seeing the Black Dragons appearance. Song Jian couldnt care less. He summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and rushed towards the Soil Elemental Lord. The Black Dragon flapped its wings and sprayed a hot Dragon Breath towards the Soil Elemental boss. The Soil Elemental Lord let out a roar of fury. It raised its hands towards the sky, and suddenly, a stone sphere more than one meter in diameter was formed and thrown towards the Black Dragon in the air. Song Jian showed a trace of a smile. The Soil Elemental Lord subconsciously considered the Black Dragon as the primary threat and ignored his existence. But this was normal. Regardless of size or level, the Black Dragon was much stronger than Song Jian, and to the Soil Elemental Lord, which already possessed level one combat power, only the Black Dragon, which had level one combat power, was qualified to be its opponent. Song Jian reached the foot of the Soil Elemental Lord and slashed his sword at its leg. A flash of golden light, and Song Jian felt as though hed met no resistance. His sword had effortlessly sliced through the Soil Elementals leg. The unique ability, Holy Sword, was activated from the first slash. This was a pleasant surprise. Boom! A section of the rock leg more than a meter long was directly severed and flew toward a nearby marsh pit. Suddenly, Song Jian felt himself swallowed by shadow. An angry roar echoed from above. Looking up, he saw the massive Soil Elemental Lord leaning towards him, like a person losing balance and falling over. Song Jians face changed drastically. His figure turned into a cloud of black mist, and with a dramatic increase in speed, he moved away. Chapter 623 - Chapter 623: Chapter 623: The Wrath of the Earth Chapter 623: Chapter 623: The Wrath of the Earth The first strike activated the passive skill Holy Sword, which took Song Jian by surprise. The defense of the Earth Element Lord was several steps above the lesser earth element beasts he had faced before; its whole body was as tough as iron-like rock. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword struck against it, sparks flying, leaving only a faint mark. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, having fused with two set swords, could deal damage comparable to an epic weapon. But Song Jians ordinary strikes could only cause two-digit damage to the Earth Element Lord. His ordinary sword skills could only cause less than two hundred points of damage. For the Earth Element Lord who had more than seven thousand vitality points, killing it with that amount of damage would be a formidable challenge. I wonder how an ordinary player would feel when facing the Earth Element Lord BOSS! Song Jian couldnt help but think. With such terrifying defense, most people wouldnt even break through its defense. It would either display a series of dodges and resists, or forcibly deduct a vitality point; After one of its legs was severed, the Earth Element Boss toppled over with a thud, like a giant collapsing. Boom! A loud noise echoed, and the entire swamp slightly trembled, mud splashing around. The black dragon pet seized the opportunity to breathe several Dragon Breaths at the Earth Element Lord. The black dragons fangs and claws inflicted minimal damage on the Earth Element Lord, and Dragon Language Magic, was beyond the comprehension of the current black dragon. Therefore, it could only use its innate Dragon Breath to attack the Earth Element Lord. Splash! The fallen Earth Element Lord suddenly disintegrated, transforming into stone spheres about a meter in diameter, which began to roll on the ground; Even the severed rock leg broke down into several smaller stone spheres rolling towards the body of the Earth Element Lord; Damn, its healing itself Song Jians face darkened as he swung his sword at the nearest stone sphere; The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashed fiercely on the stone sphere, Bang! still, the stone sphere shattered into several pieces. Over three hundred points of damage floated from the shattered stone, which then quickly broke down into even smaller stone spheres. Wow, the defense of the BOSS drops markedly after it decomposes! Song Jians eyes lit up, his expression joyful. He was originally prepared for a protracted battle, intending to wear down this BOSS with its astonishing defense, but unexpectedly, the opponent would automatically decompose after the body was mutilated, and then recombine; After decomposing, its defense significantly dropped, to the point where even ordinary players could easily shatter it; Song Jian laughed out loud, as long as they found the weakness, no BOSS could not be killed by the players; Sword Silk! Rapid Sword! Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian moved like a whirlwind, slashing at the giant stone spheres around him. Sword Qi raced through the air, and wherever Song Jian passed, a series of crackling explosion sounds followed. One by one, the meter-wide stone spheres exploded into heaps of rubble, and then re-condensed into smaller stone spheres; The smaller the stone sphere, the lower the defense, and in the end, even a casual squeeze could turn it into mud; However, there were too many stone spheres around, and even if Song Jian was fast, he couldnt stop these stones from reassembling; Human, youve angered me! The reassembled Earth Element Lord let out an angry roar. Its two fists clenched and hammered the ground; At this point, the Earth Element Lord, after reassembling, had directly lost over a thousand vitality points. Damage caused by Song Jian after its disintegration did not constitute actual harm to its body, but was deducted at a certain ratio. If not, the Earth Element Lord could have been unable to reassemble. When Song Jian caused it to break down into countless stone spheres, he dealt tens of thousands of points of damage to it. Seeing that the Earth Element Lords vitality had dropped by over a thousand points, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. If he wanted to deal over a thousand points of damage right now, it would take at least half an hour. But in just a few minutes, he had already lost an eighth of its vitality. Boom! The fists of the Earth Element Lord fiercely smashed into the swamp, immediately starting a rain of mud. A wave of air hit the surface of the swamp, arousing a mud-wave that spread out in all directions. Song Jian stomped his feet, his figure leaping into the air. In mid-air, a pair of wings gleaming with metallic luster appeared on his back. With two flutters, his body rose even higher; The Earth Element Lord raised his head and stared at Song Jian in mid-air. Opening his mouth, a jet of gray mud spewed out towards Song Jian; Song Jian had just risen into the air and was unable to dodge in time. By the time he reacted, the mud was already rushing towards him from everywhere; Boom! Song Jian felt as if hed been caught in a mudslide, a five-hundred points worth of damage floated overhead. His body became uncontrollable, wrapped in the mud, and he fell towards the ground; By the time Song Jian managed to get up from the ground, he found his body felt dozens of kilograms heavier, and every step he took was a struggle; Taking a glance at himself, Song Jians face displayed a bitter smile. At this moment, he looked as if he had just crawled out from a squelch of mud, his body entirely covered in it. Checking his status bar, there was a new debuff labeled mud bind. Not only was his movement speed and attack speed reduced by 30%, even his physical attributes temporarily dropped by 5 points. Feel the wrath of the earth! The Earth Element Lord roared, raising its hands abruptly. Within a radius of dozens of meters, all the mud in the swamp congealed into dozens of thick mud pillars, which rose from the ground like tentacles, lashing out at Song Jian and the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon let out an angry roar, being wrapped up directly by five or six mud pillars of the size of water buckets. It struggled mightily at first, easily breaking free of the mud pillars constraints. But each time it broke free, some mud was left on its body, the more it left behind, the slower the struggle became. In the end, the Black Dragon was heavily wrapped by more than a dozen mud pillars and pulled from mid-air to the ground. It looked as if it was wrapped in a thick cocoon, leaving only a dragonhead, bellowing in anger; Meanwhile, around Song Jian, the pillars of mud went erect, one after the other, crashing down towards him; Boom, boom, boom ~ Each mud pillar came down, colliding violently with the ground, the impact sounding like a landslide. Song Jian tried to dodge, but still got hit hard twice, his vitality immediately plunged considerably; I cant keep going on like this, or Ill have to use the Enemy of Death God skill. Song Jian glanced at the incapacitated Black Dragon, thinking to himself. Chapter 624 - Chapter 624: Chapter 624: Level Thirty Chapter 624: Chapter 624: Level Thirty Immortal Sword Body! With a light shout from Song Jian, a dazzling golden light radiated from his body. Eight long sword phantoms appeared and began to slowly rotate around him. The original Mud Binding effect slowly disappeared as the Immortal Sword Body came into effect; the mud on his body shattered under the pressure of his strong aura. The previous shallow imprints left by his sword strikes on the body of the Earth Elemental Lord C the Boss C turned into deep incisions; each attack scattering numerous small rocks. Light Strike! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly erupted with a golden Sword Qi several meters long, slashing towards the Earth Elemental Lord; Glug glug! Golden Sword Qi left a one-inch deep cut on the body of the stone elemental, the wound filled with golden Sword Qi that caused the surrounding rocks to collapse continuously; The Light Strike was primarily targeted towards creatures of darkness attribute, but this didnt mean its power would diminish when attacking creatures of other attributes. In fact, Light Strike was always Song Jians strongest attacking skill, dealing even more significant damage to creatures of darkness attribute; The Boss roared and raised its foot towards Song Jian. Song Jian gathered his sword aura and moved aside; A massive boom echoed as the ground within a ten-meter radius sank a foot deep. A shockwave sent Song Jian flying, resulting in over three hundred points of damage. Its hard to avoid the Bosss area attacks, Song Jian grumbled, taking out an Advanced Healing Potion from his bag and gulping it down; Roar~! A dragon roar echoed as the mud binding the Black Dragon was turned into a thick shell by the searing dragons breath and lost its adhesive nature. The Black Dragon broke free and regained its freedom; Seemingly irritated by the Earth Elemental Lord that had brought it down from the sky, the Black Dragon flew up and opened its mouth wide. From the depths of its throat, an impressive red light was gathering; Seconds later, the red light morphed into a red vortex filled with the volatile essence of flames; Boom! A rapidly rotating Vortex Fireball spewed out from the Black Dragons mouth, harshly slamming into the Earth Elemental Lord. The fiery energy, like a drill, bore into the body of the Earth Elemental Lord. The rocks in contact with the Vortex Fireball turned red hot, and lava even started flowing at the areas closest to the fireball; When the Vortex Fireball could no longer penetrate deeper, the violent flames burst out all at once. The powerful explosion created a pit over a meter in diameter on the body of the Earth Elemental Lord, scattering numerous rocks and spraying hot lava; The blow caused significant damage to the Earth Elemental Lord, an injury exceeding a thousand points appeared above its head. Half of its body was blown up, and it let out a painful roar. Its previously raised arms slumped, and its body disintegrated again; Song Jians eyes lit up. This time, the disassembled rocks of the Earth Elemental Lord were even smaller than before, each barely measuring a foot in diameter; Black Dragon, use an area attack on these scattered rocks Song Jian ordered. The Black Dragon, weakened after using the Vortex Fireball, dove towards the ground, spewing flames as it flew. Song Jian, with his long sword, rapidly slashed at the surrounding rock spheres. The defenses of the stone spheres greatly decreased as they crumbled into smaller ones. However, Song Jian turned his attention to the initially disassembled rocks; The Black Dragon dove down, spewing fire as it flew, turning the smaller rock spheres into ash. A gust of wind blew, and they turned into dust. After ten seconds, all the stone spheres began merging again. However, the fully fused Earth Elemental Lord was now half its original size, measuring only six to seven meters tall; An injury of over two thousand points floated above the newly formed Earth Elemental Lord; Lets see how many times you can regenerate Song Jian squinted, determinedly declaring. With a thought, a figure made of shadows appeared before him C an Abyssal Phantom C who together with Song Jian, charged the Earth Elemental Lord from both sides. Though unable to activate the Holy Sword skill, the Abyssal Phantom was able to draw the Earth Elemental Lord Bosss attention. Song Jian activated his Rapid Sword, and his attack speed increased instantly; At this point, Song Jians Immortal Sword Body was about to reach its time limit. Once the effect ended, Song Jian would not be able to fight the Earth Elemental Lord head-on. Thud, thud, thud~ The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword continuously hit the Earth Elemental Lord. Song Jian hoped to activate the Holy Sword effect by increasing his attack speed, but the effect did not activate before the Rapid Sword effect wore off; Song Jians expression darkened. If he could not shatter the Earth Elemental Lord again, once his Immortal Sword Body effect wore off, his only option would be to flee. However, at that very moment, Song Jian suddenly received a system alert; System: You have completed the Epic Task, Queen Katerina. Anna Katerina has officially taken her first step to becoming Queen. Task reward: Level increased by 1, all attribute points increased by 2; A ray of light emerged from Song Jian. The twenty-ninth level Song Jian instantly became level thirty; His Vitality Points that had dropped to 60% also immediately replenished to full; Eye of Doom! Song Jians vertical eye on his forehead opened, shooting a dazzling silver beam towards the Earth Elemental Lord Boss. The Boss has a stout physical defense, but its mental resistance should be slightly weaker. Song Jian had never come across a Boss with robust physical, magical, and mental defenses; The silver beam hit the Earth Elemental Lord, immediately causing countless sparks. The impacted area started cracking quickly, shedding stone powder; The Earth Elemental Lord let out a fearful roar as it stuck its hand into the swamp mud. In no time, the murky mud followed its body towards other parts, quickly coating the Earth Elemental Lord Boss; The silver beam from Eye of Doom continued to hit its target, continuously opposing the mud, and after five seconds it had only caused slightly over two hundred points of damage after an initial damage of over eight hundred points; It appeared that the mud layer covering its body was aimed at resisting mental damage and increasing its mental resistance; Chapter 625 - Chapter 625: Chapter 625: The Body Becomes Smaller Chapter 625: Chapter 625: The Body Becomes Smaller After leveling up to 30, Song Jian used the extra skill point to upgrade Sword Silk. The sixth level Sword Silk was more powerful, increasing the number of sword silks from three to five, and each one dealt more damage. Moreover, the attack range increased by two meters, making it even stronger. Once Sword Silk is upgraded to level ten, it evolves into a more powerful skill: Sword Web. Song Jian was eagerly anticipating this advanced skill. With only one-third of its Vitality Points remaining, the Earth Elemental Lord Boss was nearing defeat. Once its shattered again, it would be possible to deal massive damage as it crumbled into pieces, thereby finishing off the boss. Surging abruptly to level thirty left Song Jian feeling frantic. The system kept issuing alerts, but the Bosss attacks were so intense that Song Jian didnt have time to check and could only destroy the Boss first before dealing with anything else. With the effects of the Immortal Sword Body worn off, Song Jian could no longer face the Earth Elemental Lord Boss head-on and had to navigate around its enormous body. His long sword kept chopping at the body of the Earth Elemental Lord. Previously, Song Jian was only able to reach its lower legs, but now he could slash at the thighs. For the moment, sparks flew off the body of the Earth Elemental Lord. Intense counter-impact forces kept hitting Song Jians right arm, but he gnashed his teeth and persistently kept slashing. At this time, the Black Dragon, continuously spewing Dragon Breath, suddenly extended a few phantom spider legs from the Spider Spear Armor it was wearing. Each leg, with the likeness of a spear, targeted the Earth Elemental Lords body. Clang, clang, clang~ The phantom spider spears kept hitting the body of the Earth Elemental Lord, giving off a metallic clanking sound and leaving only superficial marks but not even a small dent. A series of -1 floated above the head of the Earth Elemental Lord Boss, and its defense wasnt breached. Although the Spider Spear Armor is a silver-grade piece of equipment, its level is too low, just level 15. The spider spear attack it triggered inflicted almost no damage on the Earth Elemental Lord Boss, but inexplicably drew its aggro. The Earth Elemental Lord, which had fist clenched and was about to smash Song Jian, suddenly roared at the Black Dragon, locked its gaze on it, and started absorbing Earth Elemental Energy from the swamp. In just a short while, a stone ball with a diameter of over one meter appeared in its right hand, and the surface of this stone ball constantly oozed foul-smelling mud. At this time, the Black Dragon looked exhausted after casting the super-grade skill Vortex Fireball and continuously spewing Dragon Breath. In its weakened state, it failed to notice that the Earth Elemental Lord Boss had shifted its attention to it. Song Jian had a quick thought, and the moment the Earth Elemental Lord took action, he put the Black Dragon into the Pet Space. The mud-covered stone ball passed through the afterimage of the Black Dragon and slammed into the distance. After being put into the Pet Space, it would take at least ten minutes before the Black Dragon could be summoned again. Moreover, once the Black Dragon entered the Pet Space, it would fall asleep and couldnt be counted on for the battle. Song Jian aimed at the right leg of the Earth Elemental Lord and continued his relentless chopping there. Each stroke landed almost at the same spot. When it lost track of the Black Dragon and turned to attack him, Song Jian had already chopped a three-inch-deep cut at the root of the right leg of the Earth Elemental Lord. I refuse to believe that, without triggering the passive talent skill of the Holy Sword, I cannot hack off one of your legs! Song Jian declared forcefully. He moved agilely around the massive body of the Earth Elemental Lord, continuously dodging its attacks. A boss of such size is naturally less agile. Using the bosss huge body to dodge its attacks isnt a new trick invented by Song Jian. This kind of dodging method requires not only a high level of player perception and insight but also agility attributes that are at least one level higher than the monster. This is like dancing on a knifes edge, playing with a broadsword on a tightrope. A momentary lapse can not only fail to dodge the bosss attacks, but it can also lead to heavy injuries. Most importantly, this method is only effective against bosses like the Earth Elemental Lord, which have massive bodies and lack agility. Song Jians nerves were on edge. The skills of the Earth Elemental Lord mainly dealt area-of-effect damage. If he wasnt timely with his dodges, he could be affected, and most of its skills also had dizzying and slowing effectshe found it a headache. Just as Song Jian thought that it would take him more than half an hour to sever the right leg of the Earth Elemental Lord, suddenly a flash of gold flickered. With a hefty swing of his sword, he surprisingly slashed through the base of the thigh of the Earth Elemental Lord without any resistance. Song Jians eyes lit upThe effect of Holy Sword had been triggered! Boom, boom, boom~ A thick stone leg fell, and the boss let out an angry roar. Its entire body crumbled into countless stones which were about 30 to 40 centimeters in size and rolled all over the place. Song Jians heart leaped with joy. A golden Sword Qi bloomed from his left index finger. With a sudden swipe, several stones around him shattered. Sword Silk! Whoosh, whoosh~ Five golden silks, each carrying a vicious Sword Qi, whipped out in all directions, shattering seven or eight stones instantly. These five golden sword silks were highly condensed Sword Qi, with a sharpness equaling the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. In just a matter of seconds, Song Jian shattered dozens of stones. On the one hand, going up a level had undoubtedly made him stronger. On the other hand, the stones from the Earth Elemental Lord, once it crumbled, became even more brittle, almost no different from ordinary rocks. Song Jian used his full strength to continuously shatter each stone. This was the Earth Elemental Lord Bosss weak point when it was crumbling into stones. It was the only time when massive damage could be inflicted. Otherwise, facing the Earth Elemental Lord Boss, whose body was as hard as the toughest alloy in the world, Song Jian would likely need to grind for several hours to kill it. However, in front of a Tier One Boss, it was impossible to hold out for several hours, let alone several minutes, without the Immortal Sword Body enhancement. Ten seconds later, all the remaining stones began to gather towards the center. In no time, they solidified into an Earth Elemental Lord over three meters tall. This height would already be considered that of a giant among humans, but compared to the Earth Elemental Lord, which was previously over ten meters tall, it was merely a child. The moment the Earth Elemental Lord returned to human form, a damage reading of 1800 floated above its head. Song Jian swung his sword, giving it a harsh slash. With a swoosh sound, a golden Sword Qi created a wound over three feet long and deeper than a finger at the chest of the Earth Elemental Lord Boss. Huh, it seems its super defense has vanished after it shrunk? Song Jians eyes brightened, and a smirk appeared at the corners of his mouth. Chapter 626 - Chapter 626: Chapter 626: Stone Man Battle Pet Chapter 626: Chapter 626: Stone Man Battle Pet The Earth Elemental Lord with its giant body over ten meters tall, crumbles and disintegrates every time it receives severe damage, only to reform anew. However, as it fragments into countless small stone spheres, its defense drastically weakens. Failing to deal substantial damage during this moment would mean its inevitable reconsolidation, by which all wounds on its body are healed as if new. After several episodes of disintegration, Song Jian inflicted considerable damage. Each blow reduced the height of the Earth Elemental Lord. Now, its body had shrunk from over ten meters to barely three. Moreover, as its height decreased to three meters, its defense became much weaker. Thump! The Earth Elemental Lord swung its arm, smashing violently towards Song Jian. Song Jian defended himself with his sword, but the moment it made contact with the blow, he was sent flying backward, taking more than three hundred points in damage. Although it has fallen in stature, its attack power remains unchanged Song Jian muttered, narrowing his eyes. Broken Wing Dance! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword left traces in midair, slashing repeatedly at the Earth Elemental Lord. Its defense drastically reduced, the Lord was beset by a flurry of stone shards, with each hit doing over three hundred points of damage. The smaller Earth Elemental Lord could no longer dodge attacks by relying on its huge yet unwieldy body. With its significantly lowered defense, even though Song Jians Immortal Sword Body had been activated, he could still compete briefly with the Earth Elemental Lord. The vitality points of the Earth Elemental Lord plummeted rapidly. With its weakened defense, it stood no chance against Song Jian. A few minutes later, its vitality points dropped to zero, and deep cracks began to appear on its large body. Cursed human, the Earth Elementals will remember what youve done! roared the Earth Elemental Lord, snarling its final wrath. Boom! With a thunderous explosion, the body of the Earth Elemental Lord splintered into countless fragments, scattering across a fifteen-meter radius. System: The Earth Elemental Lord cursed you before its death, lowering your reputation with the Earth Elementals to indifferent. Song Jian was left speechless. His reputation with the Dwarven clan had already dropped to hostile, and now his reputation with the Earth Elementals, one of the elemental beings, had dropped to indifferent. If he continued playing this game, he might gain the title of public enemy. However, upon seeing the experience points he had obtained from the battle, he immediately placed his reputation with the Earth Elementals to the back of his mind. Such a large amount of experience? Song Jian exclaimed, looking at his slightly elevated experience bar. His experience, which had initially almost reached halfway, had risen by an eighth, and was now almost 70% towards level 30. After surveying his battle experience, Song Jian turned his attention to searching for the Earth Spirit Bead amongst the BOSSs dropped items. This BOSS dropped over a dozen equipment and items, amongst which was only one bead-like object. Song Jian picked it up and found that it was indeed an Earth Spirit Bead. Flawless Earth Spirit Bead (Silver Grade), Special Item C Effects: Constitution +3, Physical Defense +300; Possesses significant elemental earth energy, allows its bearer to disguise as an Earth Elemental being; The effects of the item are activated the moment it is placed in the equipment slot; Usage Level: 1; Can it be taken out of the game: Yes. This Earth Spirit Bead has a much higher quality than the one sold by the goblin merchant! A look of delight crossed Song Jians face. The bead sold by the goblin merchant had no properties, it just claimed to possess a significant amount of elemental earth energy, enough to conceal someones presence. However, this bead not only has the property of Constitution +3, Physical Defense +300 but can also allow its bearer to disguise as an Earth Elemental being. With this thought in mind, Song Jian immediately placed the Earth Spirit Bead into his equipment slot and sure enough, a new skill named Disguise as an Earth Elemental being appeared. After it was activated, Song Jians image instantly transformed into a dorky stone man. However, this was merely an illusion that was shaped by the elemental earth energy. The moment a battle begins, the surface layer of this energy will be disrupted. Furthermore, this transformation skill couldnt be used constantly. Its cooldown time was as long as half an hour. After trying out the transformation skill, Song Jian shifted his attention to other dropped items. Very soon, the items dropped by the Earth Elemental Lords BOSS had been sorted out by Song Jian. Apart from the Earth Spirit Bead, there were six green-rated level 30 equipment, two blue-rated level 30 equipment, and a Battle Pet Stone that could summon a rock man from the Earth Elementals as a battle pet. There was no limit to the number of players battle pets. Only when recruiting NPCs to become followers would the increasing number carry penalties. Song Jian thought for a moment, then summoned the rock man himself. Suddenly, a rock man under a meter tall appeared by Song Jians side. Luckily, the starting level of this rock man was already level 30, so Song Jian didnt have to help it level up. A level 30 rock man had attributes far superior to most players and could almost rival a level 30 elite BOSS. Squeak squeak squeak~ This rock man, who only reached Song Jians thigh, began looking around curiously as soon as it appeared. Upon spotting Song Jian, it immediately ran over, hugged his thigh, made a sound similar to a chicks chirping, and looked up at Song Jian pitifully. What do you want? Song Jian inquired, looking down. Squeak squeak squeak~ The rock man hugged onto Song Jians thigh, looking very anxious. It then started to nibble on his leg. After a brief pain, a lightbulb lit up in Song Jians head as he realized something. Are you hungry? Song Jian asked. Squeak~ The rock man nodded vehemently, a look of longing on its face. What do you want to eat? Dirt? Song Jian pointed at the muck in the swamp as he asked. The rock man looked to where Song Jian was pointing and immediately kept shaking its head, a look of distaste on its face. So, what do you want to eat? Song Jian felt a headache coming on, feeling as if he had just adopted a baby. The rock man looked around, and suddenly spotted the stone fragments left behind after the death of the Earth Elemental Lord. Its eyes sparkled, and it rushed toward the rock fragments, picking them up and starting to nibble. You eat rocks? Song Jian was stunned, then took out a unit of rock from his inventory. Seeing the rock in Song Jians hand, the rock man immediately threw aside the rock it was eating, opened its arms and ran over to Song Jian. It let out a sound similar to a kittens meow as it eagerly embraced the rock in Song Jians hand. Song Jian handed the rock over and the rock man grabbed it, starting to devour it with big bites. Youre actually quite easy to take care of. Song Jian patted the smooth head of the rock man, chuckling to himself. Chapter 627 - Chapter 627: Chapter 627: The Campaign of Territorial Expansion Chapter 627: Chapter 627: The Campaign of Territorial Expansion Within Doomsday City, the territory of the City of Hope Alliance was continuously expanding, and Song Jians castle manor became increasingly magnificent. The players who had joined the City of Hope Alliance had surpassed two hundred, and their safe houses were almost all connected to form a large area. It could be said that the City of Hope Alliance had become the largest alliance within Doomsday City. The promotion of a safe house to the next manor level only requires approval from the Vice Alliance Leader. However, to promote a Level 6 Manor to a Level 1 City, the Alliance Leaders approval is required. In addition, a special building, the Teleportation Gate, has to be constructed before it is eligible for promotion. Wang Qi, how is the construction of the Teleportation Gate? Li Keer sat in the main seat of the conference room, leaning forward, her two hands on the table, and asked earnestly. Keer, Wallace could construct the Teleportation Array, but what we lack now are the magical materials for constructing it. These are forbidden goods in the game, and no Commerce Group is willing to sell them! Wang Qi helplessly spread his hands. Miss, the Teleportation Array belongs to special buildings for territory promotion. All cities strictly control its distribution; even the Silver Moon Commerce cannot supply us. The likelihood of other Commerce Groups selling is even lower. The butler George said with a troubled face. This is unacceptable. When Song Jian returns, we must be ready to construct the Teleportation Array. This way, when he returns, we can immediately upgrade to a city-level Alliance territory! Li Keer said grimly. But this is too difficult I just want to know, can it be done? If you cant do it, well let someone else who can be the Vice Alliance Leader! Li Keer stared at Wang Qi and asked with a serious expression. Even though her face was stern, her young age devoid her of any imposing aura, making her appear rather adorable instead. Well, Ill do my best. I will mobilize everyone in the Alliance to search for these construction materials Wang Qi gritted his teeth. Good, very good! Li Keer nodded with satisfaction, acting like a leader commending her top-performing manager. Just then, a player hurried into the conference room and shouted, Vice Alliance Leader, the cooldown period for the territory expansion battle is almost over! The nearby Summit of Heroes Alliance rejected our proposal to unite. They have begun to dispatch troops to areas adjacent to our territory! What, how dare they Wang Qi raised his eyebrows, about to slam his hand on the table and stand up; But then, he heard Li Keer gently cough twice. Wang Qi instantly froze and silently mouthed to the player, Dont you have eyes, cant you see the leader sitting there? Make your report to her first! The player wore an embarrassed expression and quickly saluted to Li Keer, Young leader, the war between our City of Hope Alliance and the Summit of Heroes Alliance is imminent. Please give your instructions! Hmph, leader is leader, why call me a young leader? Li Keer snorted coldly and stared at the player. Are you looking down on me? In fact, Li Keers current level was twenty-eight, three levels higher than the player. But her youthful appearance, no matter how mature she tried to behave, couldnt command respect from others; Yes, thats my fault. I should have said, leader, leader! The player lightly slapped his own cheek and quickly apologized. Alright, go now. Let sister Luo Tianyu lead the citys defense force to prepare for the enemy. Wang Qi, you go and gather the other players, prepare for the guild war! Li Keer ordered. Yes, leader! The player saluted again, quickly turned, and left; Wang Qi also stood up with a wry smile on his face and walked out; Both Li Keer and Wang Qi were Vice Alliance Leaders of the City of Hope Alliance. But no matter how thick-skinned Wang Qi is, he wouldnt compete for authority with a little girl. Every time there was any Alliance matter, it was Li Keer who made the final decisions. But Li Keers commands were always not only playful but also targeted. Despite her youthful demeanor, she already exhibited the demeanor of a female CEO. I wonder what kind of family Li Keer comes from in the real world! Wang Qi, shaking his head, walked out of the Alliance building. At this time, Luo Tianyu, riding a war horse and wearing shiny red armor, held a Square Sky Halberd glowing with a dark golden aura. This Square Sky Halberd was over two meters long, so long that even while she was riding the war horse, its tip dug into the ground; Behind her there were three square arrays of one hundred soldiers each: one consisted of sword and shield infantry, another of long spear infantry, and the last of longbow archers; Scattered around these three arrays were fifty lightweight cavalrymen clothed in leather armor. On the left side of these light cavalrymen hung a long spear, and on the other side, a war knife. They all carried double-barreled hunting rifles on their backs, making them look rather peculiar; Tianyu! Wang Qi greeted Luo Tianyu. Luo Tianyu nodded and asked, How much longer until the cooldown period for the territory expansion battle? Less than an hour! Wang Qi checked the Alliance panel and said. Good, Ill go to the border and set up our formation, you send people to guard all around, be careful of the enemys detours and ambushes! After Luo Tianyu finished speaking, she raised her halberd. The soldiers standing behind her gave out a unified shout, then, following Luo Tianyus lead, they headed towards the outskirts of their territory; Watching Luo Tianyus figure, Wang Qi shook his head slightly. A lovely girl like her who loves to fight and turned her safe house into a military camp to train her soldiers was really unusual; When the Alliance upgraded to a Level 6 Manor and could construct a soldiers military camp, Wang Qi immediately set the camp next to Luo Tianyus safe house. This way, the two military camps were both under Luo Tianyus command; However, the Alliance members could rent soldiers from the military camps to assist in battles based on the contribution points they earned. During the war period, all NPC soldiers were commanded exclusively by Luo Tianyu; Several territory expansion battles later, Luo Tianyu became adept at commanding forces. She had never lost any direct battles; even when facing players twice her number, she always emerged victorious. But while Luo Tianyu feared no one on the front line, many Alliance players would attack the City of Hope Alliances hinterland from other directions. They snuck into the hinterland to cause destruction. Given that the cooldown period for the territory expansion battle had shortened significantly, they couldnt construct defensive walls like they used to while setting up their safe house; If they started to build a wall, they would probably end up having territory that expanded hundreds of meters outward before the construction was completed. Thus, they couldnt defend their territory like an impenetrable fortress, leaving no opportunities for the enemy. They could only dispatch more personnel to guard around and form another team to counter-attack once the enemy was found; While the territory expansion battle raged on, a stone man over two meters tall and a small stone man just over one meter high emerged from the Protection Black Mist and entered Doomsday City. Chapter 628 - Chapter 628: Chapter 628: The Surprise Attack Squad Chapter 628: Chapter 628: The Surprise Attack Squad After leaving the Protection Black Mist, Song Jian was somewhat surprised to discover that the territory of his Alliance had expanded to the outskirts of the city, all the way to the Black Mist of the Pixiu Tigers; The moment he stepped out of the Protection Black Mist, he received a system notification. System: The location youre now in belongs to the Hope Alliance. You must abide by the rules of the Hope Alliance. Violators will be punished, and in serious cases, you may be expelled. System: Welcome home, Alliance Leader! Has the territory of the Alliance expanded this much? Song Jian was somewhat surprised and quickly opened the Alliance interface to have a closer look. During his absence from the City of Hope, many players were weakened, including communication, alliance information, etc. Now that he had returned to the City of Hope, everything had returned to normal. What surprised Song Jian was that the area of the Hope Alliance was ten times larger than when he left. At this point, the territory of the Hope Alliance encompassed the novice area he was in when he first started the game, taking up nearly a tenth of the city. Impressive. It seems like Wang Qi really has the potential to be a leader. Without me, hes been doing an exceptional job. Excellent! Song Jian praised happily. The Alliance only has two Vice Alliance Leaders, one is Wang Qi, and the other is Li Keer. Li Keer was too young, and Song Jian did not believe that the Alliances prosperity was due to her. However, reality is always more exciting than ones imagination. Song Jian would be astonished to realize that the Alliances decisions and development direction have all been controlled by Li Keer. Just then, Song Jian suddenly noticed that seven or eight players were sneaking over from a distance, and all their names were in red. Song Jians eyebrows furrowed. Red players only exist in two situations: those who have killed too much and have a high sin value, and those who are part of Alliance guilds in territorial expansion battles. Hey, look, therere two Stone Men over there A player from the Summit of Heroes Alliance suddenly notices two Stone Men, one large and one small, standing beside the Black Mist in the distance, and immediately points and whispers to his companions. Monsters? Isnt this the territory of the Hope Alliance? Why would monsters still spawn here? Another player wondered. At this point, both Song Jian and the Stone Man had red names while maintaining the image of Stone Man. Upon first glance, players would instinctively see them as monsters. Song Jian, haha, this monster has a strange name. But why does it sound familiar? A player, staring at the name above Song Jians head, laughed. Song Jian, Song Jian A player with a red mole on his forehead frowned in concentration, as if recalling something. Moments later, his face paled, and he cried out, Fog grass! Isnt this the first ranked player on the Honor of Level List and the leader of the City of Hope Alliance? City of Hope Alliance? Impossible. Hasnt that player disappeared for a while? If it werent for the Honor of Level List still having his name, many people would think he was already dead! A player argued in disbelief. Fog grass, look for yourself, see if the name of that Stone Man is Song Jian or not! The player with the mole pointed exasperatedly in the direction of Song Jian. Ehh, it really is him. Could it be a case of the same name and surname? Are you an idiot? How could there be a person with the same name and surname! But hes clearly a monster. Maybe hes even a BOSS. Look, he even has minions Because of Song Jians transformation into an Earth Elemental, this led to a dispute among the players from the Summit of Heroes Alliance. Their small groups purpose was to sneak attack the Hope Alliances interior. If they cant breach the Alliance Crystal in the Manor Castle, they will seek to destroy as many of the City of Hope Alliance buildings as possible, delaying its development. There were three groups like these. There werent many players in the Summit of Heroes Alliance. Their alliance was only level four, and they had not managed to build a barracks yet. On the frontlines, they still needed a lot of players to resist. Lets not bother with the details. Lets just kill him first! The leading player narrowed his eyes, releasing an intimidating murderous aura. Above Song Jians head, only his name was displayed, not his level or Vitality Points. If all his attributes were displayed, these players would probably lose their courage to fight. Whoosh, whoosh~ A rain of arrows came flying towards Song Jian. It was actually just a dozen arrows. This was only possible because the raiding party from Summit of Heroes had a long-range archer. Without him, they wouldnt have had the first strike advantage. After all, a stealthy rogue was the most suitable for sneaking in. Song Jian sneered, stretching out his right hand to summon the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He activated the Rapid Sword skill, using the long sword in his hand to parry the incoming arrows. After a series of clinks and clanks, the dozen or so arrows were all deflected away by him using ordinary techniques. This move stunned everyone, and they all stared open-mouthed at Song Jian, then turned to glare at the archer. Did did you go easy on him? a rogue ventured hesitantly. Ill kick your The archer was almost bursting into vulgarities. Just as he was about to explode, a rogue suddenly pointed at Song Jian and exclaimed, Quick, look! Only then did the group realize that the Stone Man had transformed into a human. Fog Grass, its Song Jian, Song Jian, the leader of the City of Hope Alliance! someone yelled in alarm. What are you afraid of? Theres only two of them, and we have eight! Were the majority! The leader gritted his teeth and said. Thats right, this is a golden opportunity. As long as we kill him, we can directly swallow their alliance! Another rogue, his eyes glazed with fervor, roared like a gambler. Lets do it. Perhaps we can really kill him. Hes the top-ranked player on the Honor of Level List! The other players exchanged glances, each seeing a burning ambition in the others eyes. Seven rogues simultaneously entered Stealth mode and spread out to approach Song Jian. As for the archer, he continued to hold his bow and arrow, aiming at Song Jian. He didnt hope to deal much damage, only to obstruct Song Jians movements to the best of his ability. Song Jian completely ignored the existence of the archer. A semi-transparent aura appeared around him, emitting a bloody red light. Then, an eye slowly opened on his forehead C a Vertical Eye. A silver light shimmered within the Vertical Eye, immediately revealing the movements of the seven sneaking players with perfect clarity. Youre all going to die! Song Jian muttered with a cold, sinister grin at the corner of his mouth. Chapter 629 - Chapter 629: Chapter 629: Annihilation Chapter 629: Chapter 629: Annihilation Upon seeing a distant archer aim at Song Jian, the little stone figure at his side was momentarily taken aback. Then, with a furious shriek that sounded like Ji Ji Ji Ji~, the figure plunged both hands into the ground. Like water, the surrounding soil swiftly flowed towards its hands, forming a basketball-sized stone in no time. With a mighty heave, the figure hurled the stone at the archer. The stone whistled sharply through the air at high speed. The archer, who at the moment was taking aim at Song Jian, noticed a dark shadow flying towards him. Before he could react, he felt a powerful impact on his chest. Sharp pain erupted from his chest, and the bone-cracking sound of Ka-cha, ka-cha echoed in his ears. He was sent flying like a scarecrow far into the distance. Spurt~ Blood spewed from his mouth. The archer realized in horror that he had lost two-thirds of his Vitality Points in one hit. It had almost instantly killed him. What What kind of damage is this? Is he a level thirty Elite Boss? the archer asked, gaping at the mini stone figure, who was not even a meter tall. He couldnt reconcile the idea of this little stone figure dealing such a powerful blow at all. The stone figure pumped its fists in a triumphant display, continuing to emit a stream of Ji Jis after clocking the archers bewilderment. Meanwhile, Song Jian was all too aware of the seven robbers that were moving in on him. However, a smirk crept onto his face. Robbers that revealed their whereabouts were not much of a threat, regardless of their numbers. One of the robbers had snuck within two meters behind him. His dagger was already aiming for the back of Song Jians head. The other robbers watched with amusement, waiting for their companion to strike Song Jian unconscious, so they could attack him one by one like a relay race and bring him down. Die, stone monster! The robber behind Song Jian tensed, intending to plunge his dagger into the back of Song Jians head like an animals fang. Heh, gotcha! The other robbers, seeing the action, had smiles creeping onto their faces, and the second relay player was already subtly moving towards Song Jian. Just as the robber behind Song Jian was about to make his move, a dazzling golden light burst forth from Song Jian, forcing everyone watching him to involuntarily close their eyes due to its intense brightness. The thief behind Song Jian also instinctively shut his eyes, and the very next instant, he felt a surge of danger engulfing him. This is bad! He had barely registered this feeling when he felt a piercing pain in his chest, as if something sharp had penetrated his body. Blood came surging out, and the robber felt his strength rapidly ebbing away as his body slumped to the ground. Just before he died, he finally saw what had ran him through C a dazzling golden Sword Qi that was radiating from Song Jians left index finger. Song Jian didnt even turn around but simply used Sword Finger to take out the robber whose Vitality Points werent even up to 800. Instant kill? How is this possible? The remaining robbers rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Upon witnessing Song Jians terrifying damage, two of the robbers shivered and began to retreat. Not one of you will escape! Song Jian snarled, his figure dissolving into a dark fog as he dashed towards the remaining robbers. Whoosh~ His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword easily tore through a robbers weakly defensive armor, and he slashed off half of the robbers Vitality Points with a mere regular attack. The robber was visibly terrified. How could his damage possibly be this high! the robber cried out, deflecting Song Jians attacks with a flurry of dagger swings. Help! he yelled to the others. Clang, clang, clang~ Sparks flew as the metallic weapons clashed. Every blow pushed the robber further back, until his back harshly met a wall after stumbling seven to eight steps backward. His arms were too weak to even grip his dagger anymore. Petrified, he saw Song Jian brandishing his long sword, aiming a heavy blow at his head. The golden Sword Qi that shimmered on the surface of the long sword was as fierce as a burning flame. No! the voice ended abruptly, and another robber fell under Song Jians attack. All of you are going to die! Song Jian said coldly. A pair of iron wings spread wide behind him, more than doubling his speed. The remaining robbers turned cold, no longer caring about anything else as they activated their Acceleration Skills and fled in all directions. Despite their best efforts, they were no match for Song Jians combined Frost Acceleration, Sword Shadow Step, and the enhancements of his iron wings. Song Jian defeated them one by one. Even the seriously injured archer was eventually slain by the small stone figures attack. Seeing Song Jian return, the stone figure pointed at the archers corpse and started to crow, obviously pleased with its recent achievement. With a faint smile, Song Jian patted the smooth head of the stone figure. He hadnt expected the figure to be so powerful in its attacks. While it wasnt as formidable as the Black Dragon, it showed great potential to be a valuable ally in the future. At this point, a sound came from the archers body. Ci Ci~, Ci Ci Ci ~ Undercover Team 3, Undercover Team 3 respond please. Teams 1 and 2 are already at predetermined locations, ready to act. Please report your progress! Song Jian looked over and saw a black walkie-talkie still functioning amidst the crushed corpse of the archer. Half of the walkie-talkie was smashed in, making it look like a piece of junk. Surprisingly, it was still working, albeit with some interference. Picking it up, Song Jian examined the device, only to find that it was something a player had created. I didnt realize that players could create these things already, Song Jian said, slightly dazed. Besides, this walkie-talkie was a product of engineering manufacturing. If there were blueprints, Song Jian could make it too. Why would players use this instead of the more convenient communicator for adding friends? Song Jian studied the walkie-talkie, flipping it over numerous times. Chapter 630 - Chapter 630: Chapter 630: Where is the Third Explosion? Chapter 630: Chapter 630: Where is the Third Explosion? The walkie-talkies range was only ten kilometers, which was no comparison to communication with friends. Song Jian held this walkie-talkie, thought for a moment, and began to disassemble it. The item was not of a high level. With Song Jians engineering skills, he was fully capable of analyzing it. Moreover, disassembling engineering items had a certain chance of understanding the blueprint of the item alone. However, in order to understand the engineering drawings on his own, the item must not be of high grade and there must be limitations on the quantity. It was impossible to disassemble only one item and directly understand the engineering blueprint of the item. Soon, the walkie-talkie in Song Jians hand was disassembled into several parts; Hmm, what is this? Song Jian picked out a metal ring and inspected it closely. A tracking device? Interesting! Song Jian smirked, it seemed that the Summit of Heroes Alliance did not trust them who had infiltrated their team. They were even tracking their location through the walkie-talkie. After disassembling the walkie-talkie, Song Jians engineering making skills gained two points. After that, he smashed the tracker into dust. This team is only the third infiltration team, there should be a first and second team too! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, two roars were suddenly heard from far away, and two plumes of black smoke billowed up. Song Jians face fell, it seemed that his act of killing this infiltration team had been discovered by the enemy, and they had directly ordered the remaining two teams to act. Because the territory had become increasingly large and the areas to defend had also increased, building walls was impossible, thus creating many vulnerabilities for enemies. The citys defense troops could at most protect important buildings, such as buildings affecting territory promotion like the Magic Tower. It would be very difficult to rebuild if these types of buildings were destroyed, whereas other buildings like shops would be much easier to rebuild if destroyed. Song Jian looked in the direction of the explosion. One of them was the location of the Magic Tower. The other place was where he had expanded after leaving, which must also be an important building. What is Wang Qi doing, not defending such an important place? Song Jian was somewhat irritated. He was quite happy when he saw the development of the territory after returning to Doomsday City, but now it seemed that there were many problems. With a thought, Song Jian stored the Stone Man into the Pet Space, flapped his iron wings, and flew towards the nearest position of the Magic Tower. Upon arriving, Song Jian found that there were already two groups of players engaged in a fierce battle, and the buildings around the Magic Tower had all been shattered. A transparent screen appeared on the surface of the Magic Tower, reflecting the sunlight. A muscular mage was standing on the third floor of the Magic Tower, looking down at the two groups of people fighting beneath him. You are seeking your own deaths, thinking that you can destroy my Magic Tower with a little bit of explosives! Bloodline Wizard Wallace roared, continuously waving the bone wand in his hand, releasing a barrage of magical attacks on the enemies below as if he was a turret. Retreat, retreat, retreat! The intel is wrong, the defense of this Magic Tower is too strong, the TNT cant even break it! a thief yelled, glancing frantically in all directions, looking for a way out. However, players from the Hope Alliance were continuously pouring out from the streets and alleys, completely blocking their retreat. This is a trap! One of the players from the Summit of Heroes roared in anger just before dying. Haha, still realizing now? Its too late. Even you know that the Magic Tower is an important building, dont you think we do? We were just waiting for you fools to fall into the trap! The players from the City of Hope all burst into laughter. The City of Hope had a larger number of players in the beginning. In addition, Luo Tianyu on the front lines was equal to an army. Even with battle pets, less than two hundred players simply couldnt resist her, which also resulted in the City of Hope having plenty of manpower for internal defense in the territory. Hmm, strange, why were there only two explosions? According to the intelligence, the Summit of Heroes sent three infiltration teams, didnt they? Wang Qi stood in the headquarters building of the alliance, overlooking everything around him. Seeing that only two buildings had exploded, he was immediately puzzled. From the third level of the mansion, each level up requires a special building. Now the sixth level League territory, in addition to the Magic Tower and auction houses, also includes a library. These are special buildings, and destroying these three buildings would significantly slow down the advancement speed of the City of Hope Alliance. Theoretically, if the Summit of Heroes Alliance wanted to delay the development of the City of Hope Alliance, they shouldnt have attacked only the Magic Tower and the auction houses. However, there had been no sound of explosions at the location of the library. The news from the one hundred elite players lurking around it stated that there is no movement at all, which made Wang Qi feel as if things were getting out of control. When Song Jian saw the light curtain on the surface of the Magic Tower and the players of the Summit of Heroes being killed on the ground, he breathed a sigh of relief; It looks like Wang Qi did a good job, even learning wartime strategies now. A slight smirk curled up at the corner of Song Jians mouth. Just then, a fight broke out in the distance, with shouts that rocked the skies. Squinting, Song Jian looked far out to where the territory borders the land of the Summit of Heroes where a large group of people were fighting fiercely. The most noticeable was a female general dressed in red armor, wielding a Square Sky Halberd. Luo Tianyu? I didnt expect her to have grown so much! Song Jian said in surprise. Previous Luo Tianyu could only command thirty to fifty soldiers. Now, she was able to command hundreds of soldiers and players to fight, even effortlessly. The Summit of Heroes Alliance simply was not her opponent. Now already showing signs of collapse, they seemed likely to be defeated soon. Song Jian glanced at the alliance interface. If they won this territory expansion campaign, the territory would expand to an extreme. If they dont upgrade the level-six manor to a level-one city, they might not be able to expand the territory in the future. The territory of the City of Hope Alliance only accounted for a very small part in the entire Doomsday City. If it can be upgraded to a level one city, they would encompass one-fifth of the entire City of Hope. It would also become the largest territory among all alliances in Doomsday City. Sooner or later, I will dominate the whole Doomsday City, becoming the true city lord! Song Jian looked at the map of Doomsday City, involuntarily clenched his fist. Chapter 631 - Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Magic Material Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Magic Material We won! All players from the City of Hope Alliance cheered out loud. The Summit of Heroes Alliance was absolutely crushed; even their territory was seized by the City of Hope Alliance. The area occupied by the City of Hope Alliance had almost doubled, taking up a fifth of all Doomsday City. Hmph, we told you to merge, but you refused. Now youre the stray dogs you deserve to be! Li Keer sat at the head of the conference table, waving her small fists in the air, venting her resentment. Wang Qi! Li Keer suddenly turned her head and shouted at him. Wang Qi shivered involuntarily. He was afraid whenever the little tyrant called his name; every call always meant trouble. Little tyrant, I mean, leader, whats your order? Wang Qi replied helplessly. Li Keer, drumming her fingers on the table, frowned and said, Ive urged you countless times. When are you going to collect all the magic materials for the Transmission Array? Old Wallace cant wait any longer. Without creating a Transmission Array, how can we upgrade the city or maintain our position as the top alliance? Wallace, sitting at the conference table, remained silent with an innocent look on his face, feeling like a bystander. Damn, didnt we just talk about this this morning? Theres no way I could pull this off in such a short time, even if you sold me! Wang Qi nearly fainted in frustration. Hmph, useless. If Song Jian was here, he wouldve collected all these magic materials by now. Li Keer rolled her eyes and said disdainfully. Wang Qi felt a lump in his chest and was speechless for a while. Finally, he managed to choke out, Even if our leader were here, he couldnt gather all these magic materials either. These are items banned from trading in all cities! Suddenly, a voice echoed in the conference room. Well, thats not necessarily true! Song Jian walked in. He had absolute control within the entire territory, and could freely access anywhere and could set permissions for others. Song Jian! Li Keer jumped up from her chair and pounced on Song Jian, You finally came back, I was really worried something happened to you! Leader! Lord Leader! All the people in the meeting, started saluting to Song Jian. Wang Qi was incredibly excited. Since Song Jian left, everyone seemed to lose their confidence despite the smooth growth of the City of Hope Alliance. Song Jian took a look around the room. There were some faces he recognized and some that were new. As the City of Hope Alliance expanded, there seemed to be more and more management personnel. After walking naturally to the head of the conference table, Song Jian laughed and said to Li Keer, Keer, introduce me to everyone. Seeing Li Keer sitting at the head of the conference table, Song Jian realized that this elementary school girl was now in charge of the City of Hope Alliance. Li Keer introduced everyone Song Jian didnt recognize. Just as Song Jian thought, they were managers in charge of different duties. Hey? Wheres my Beastman slave? Why dont I see him? Song Jian asked with a frown. The Beastman Warrior he was referring to was the one he had enslaved using the Abyss Temptation spell. However, Song Jian hadnt seen him during the territory expansion war nor the present meeting. Theoretically, the Beastman Warrior was entitled to sit in the conference room based on his strength. Are you referring to the Beastman Warrior you brought back last time? Li Keer asked. Yes, him, Song Jian replied with a nod. Hmph, ever since you brought these sorts of riffraff to our Alliance, one of them has disappeared without a trace. We thought he was lost and went to great lengths to find him but to no avail. Li Keer said indignantly. Once Song Jian left Doomsday City, the Beastman Warrior began acting erratically. Not long after, the Beastman Warrior ran away. Some people saw him in other parts of Doomsday City. Song Jians face darkened. The flaw of the Abyss Temptation spell became increasingly apparent. While it has a high success rate, if the tamed slave doesnt stay with the master for a long period, theres a big chance of betrayal. Song Jian glanced at Wallace, another recruit hed brought in. However, his performance had consistently been excellent. After Song Jian appointed him to supervise the Magic Tower, he became even more active. His attendance at this meeting was proof enough that he had truly become one of them. Wheres the doctor? Song Jian asked. Doctor Ebsiting spends all day in the lab. Besides when he comes out to eat, we never see him, Li Keer complained. At one point, during a territory expansion war, a thief from an opposition alliance sneaked into Manor Castle. If not for the Bloody Ghost Poison Tree that detected his presence, Dr. Ebsiting might have been assassinated. Song Jian was startled. Someone had infiltrated his Manor Castle? Among all the territories controlled by the alliance, Manor Castle had the tightest defenses. Not only did it have a Bloody Ghost Poison Tree, but also numerous Bloody Ravens, Bloody Wolves, and NPC soldiers guarding the castle. Despite such strong defenses, someone still managed to sneak in. It appeared there were quite a few proficient players amongst them. All of Doctors needs have to be met immediately. He is a treasure of our alliance, Song Jian said solemnly. His safety is of paramount importance, and we must protect Dr. Ebsiting at all costs. By the way, what were you discussing before I came in? About constructing a Transmission Array? Song Jian asked with a laugh. Yeah, the territory of our alliance has already expanded to its limit at Level 6 Manor. If we want to expand further, we must upgrade to a Level 1 City. However, to upgrade to a Level 1 City, we need a special structure like a Transmission Array. Wallace knows how to build it, but we lack the magic materials needed. Its really troubling us. Li Keer sighed like an adult and glanced towards Wang Qi. Then, she shook her head. Wang Qi: So its my fault, huh? Enough. Dont worry anymore. Ive already gathered all the materials needed to construct the Transmission Array. Song Jian glanced at Wallace. He was always worried about finding someone who knew how to build the array, and unexpectedly, Wallace was capable of it. However, thinking about it, Wallace used to be a Tier 1 wizard and belonged to a large magic organization. The knowledge about constructing a Transmission Array could only be kept a secret from outsiders but, among the wizards who researched magic daily, this information wouldnt be kept so secretive. Seeing Song Jian throwing a small pouch onto the conference table, Li Keer dove to check its contents immediately. Ha ha, its all here. What do you say to that, Wang Qi? Li Keer proudly held up the storage bag. Wang Qi: Chapter 632 - Chapter 632: Chapter 632: First Order Combat Power Qualification Assessment Chapter 632: Chapter 632: First Order Combat Power Qualification Assessment With the magical materials at hand, Wang Qi and his companions didnt bother with gaining new territories but immediately headed to the central square of the City of Hope territory. In fact, this area used to be Camel Square, with a fountain garden in the center. It was the place where the original Doomsday Supermarket had descended. After their alliance territory was upgraded to a Level 6 Manor, everyone had decided to build a Transmission Array at Camel Square. The Transmission Array wasnt that large. From the outside, it looked like a five-meter diameter circular platform, but it involved the extremely advanced skill of Magic Runes. Normally, the installation would have required the efforts of more than a dozen mages and even more apprentices. However, currently, in the entire City of Hope, only Wallace knew how to build a Transmission Array. At most, just over a dozen mage-class players could help, which made the construction quite slow. However, as long as they could construct the Magic Array, the development pace of the City of Hope Alliance was sure to enter a rapid growth period. Within the entire Doomsday City, there were more than just one alliance who owned a Level 6 Manor, but only the City of Hope Alliance could construct a Magic Array. We need to pay attention to our defenses and not start any territorial expansion for a while. Also, keep an eye on all the other alliances that have upgraded to Level 6 Manors, Song Jian advised. Dont worry. We have our inside people in all alliances that are Level 4 and up, Wang Qi reassured. Keer ordered so very early on when we upgraded to a Level 5 Manor. Song Jian was surprised and looked at Li Keer. He hadnt expected the mature Li Keer to be so adept with these deceptive tactics. I learned all of them from my mom! Li Keer said, her head held high and looking somewhat proud. Song Jian nodded, saying nothing. Just then, he felt a vibration from the token in his inventory that he had gained in the Imperial Dragon Devil Cave. He opened his inventory to see an invitation: System: The unique profession promotion competition has started. Do you accept the invitation to participate? System reminder: This is your second invitation. This token only has three chances to invite you. You only have one last invitation chance left. System warning: Until you attain First Order Combat Power, accepting the invitation will result in a high probability of challenge failure, with a death rate of 98.97%. Song Jian felt a weight in his heart. He had just leveled up to level 30 and hadnt completed the First Order Combat Power test. He might waste this chance. Decline! The vibration from the token in his inventory started to fade, as though it had never happened. I must join the last invitation; its the chance to get a unique profession! Song Jian decided inwardly. His Sword Controller, though an epic profession, wouldnt be able to attain the final Sword Immortal profession through either re-profession or leveling up. He could only become a Sword Immortal through the unique profession competition. The construction of the Transmission Array would take at least a month. After resting for half a day at the Manor Castle, Song Jian started to apply for the First Order Combat Power qualification test with the system. As a player with Level 30, he could apply for a First Order Combat Power evaluation competition. If he passed, he would gain many attribute and skill points and be awarded a Skill Book of his own profession, which would certainly be a rare one. A player with First Order Combat Power could undoubtedly crush any opponent of the same level who had not yet passed the First Order Combat Power evaluation. The next day, Song Jian put on his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set and applied for the First Order Combat Power qualification test. A flash of white light later, he disappeared from the Manor Castle. When Song Jians vision cleared, he found himself standing on a teleportation stone platform. The stone platform was in a castle that was about seventy to eighty feet tall and more than ten feet long, looking very much like a plaza because it was so spacious. In the center of the castle was a statue of a dwarf holding a knife in one hand and an axe in the other, as though he was roaring at the sky. Many people were gathered around this dwarf statue, seemingly doing something. After descending from the stone platform, Song Jian moved towards the dwarf statue. When he got to the statue, he noticed that there were more than a dozen oval-shaped teleportation gates encircling it, each with a crowd of people around it. Most of these people were NPCs, with only a few human players. These players were all gathered in front of a pale-green gateway. Song Jian had discovered long ago that he was the highest-level player on the honor rankings, but that was within Doomsday City only. Other than him, there were also over a dozen players at level 28 and over a hundred at level 27, totaling just under five thousand people on the list. Song Jian didnt know how many players were in the entire game, but combined, there were over ten thousand players in the City of Sin and the City of Hymns alone. As time passed and more people entered the game, the total number of players was already more than a hundred thousand. Therefore, seeing that over a dozen players had reached level 30 and were prepared to challenge their First Order Combat Power, Song Jian didnt find it strange. The other teleportation gates were surrounded by NPC professionals, so naturally Song Jian headed towards those players. As soon as he reached the pale-green teleportation gate, he heard the players murmuring among themselves. How many worlds did you clear today? Four. But the difficulty level seems so highan A-rank, two A+ ranks, and an S-rank. Ill probably wait until tomorrow if it still doesnt work. The higher the rank of the world, the more rewards you get in the end. If its an A-rank world, we can still try to fight it! Anyone want to form a team to conquer this A-rank world? No, an A-rank is too difficult. If we fail, well have to wait a month for the next chance. By then, someone might have already leveled up to 35, so its not worth it! Exactly, it would be great if we could draw a B or B- rank world Song Jian silently listened to the chatter and put his hand onto the teleportation gate when he had understood the basic situation. Soon, several lines of system messages appeared before him: Do you want to conduct the First Order Combat Power trial? Yes/No Please choose a trial world that matches your own strength. During the trial, players will not die C they will be automatically transported out the moment before their health points hit zero if their life is in danger; Failure in the trial task means you will have to wait for a month to reselect the trial task; Please choose from the following trial worlds for the First Order Combat Power qualification test. The higher the level of the world, the more rewards you receive upon successful completion; Trial World 1: A-rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 15 points, +5 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than blue quality; Trial World 2: B-rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 10 points, +2 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than Gold quality; Trial World 3: A+ rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 18 points, +6 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than Dark Gold quality; Trial World 4: S-rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 25 points, +8 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than Epic quality; Chapter 633 - Chapter 633: Chapter 633: SS-Level Trial World Chapter 633: Chapter 633: SS-Level Trial World The first-tier Combat Power assessment test requires choosing one world to enter out of the four that refresh daily, once the assessment task is completed, the test is passed, and one-tier Combat Power rewards are obtained. If the assessment task fails, it enters a cooldown period, during which a first-tier Combat Power assessment cannot be conducted for a month; The Assessment Worlds range from the lowest grade C-Class to S-Class, refreshing randomly daily. The C-Class Assessments are the simplest, but the rewards for completing tasks are the least, awarding a few Stats Points and Skill Points but no Skills. Whereas, the S-class world, upon completion, offers the most generous rewards, not only numerous Stats Points and Skill Points, but also a chance to receive a high-tier job Skill Book; In the game, gaining stats points are relatively easy. Certain tier equipment would increase stats points. If one wishes to have permanent increases, Attribute Fruits, Attribute Gems and the likes were not uncommon items. However, acquiring skill points were more difficult. Some quests offer skill point rewards, and some items can increase stats points directly; As for Skills, they were coveted by all. During job apprenticeships, instructors usually gifted one or two. After that, learners had to acquire them by themselves; Skills of inferior quality were relatively easy to acquire, but those of high tiers were something one could stumble upon but not pursue. Many common players still havent set eyes on what silver-tiered skills look like. Song Jian clicked on the first world, a system notification immediately popped up; System: The world is A-Class with a minimum Combat Power entry of 15,000; Do you wish to enter? Yes/No ?There are entrance requirements?? Song Jian paused, checking his own Combat Power; Equipping the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, Song Jians Combat Power soared impressively and has now reached 68,000. To regular players, an A-Class world is very difficult, but to Song Jian, it was almost too simple to bother about; Song Jian skipped over the A+ Class World and looked at the entrance requirement for an S-Class World; The entrance requirement for an S-Class World is merely a Combat Power of thirty thousand Song Jian frowned; Other players find these worlds exceedingly challenging, conversely, Song Jian found them too simple. Given my current Combat Power, venturing into these worlds seems somewhat wasteful Song Jian thought. At that moment, a red teleportation gate beside them shimmered. The NPCs around them collectively gasped in surprise; It refreshed! A spontaneous refresh. God, such a difficult world has actually appeared Spontaneous refresh? How could we have run into it, jeez Haha, no need for assessment today. Spontaneous refreshes only start from S-level. Impossible for anyone to enter such a difficult world! The players around the light green gate take pleasure in the misfortune of NPC professionals surrounded by the crimson red teleportation gate. The light green gate is a first-tier Combat Power Assessment. While the gates behind it lead to the worlds of second-tier Combat Power, third-tier warriors, and even higher Combat Power Assessments; Currently, players who could participate in the first-tier Combat Power were few and far between. In Song Jians vicinity, there were only about ten. Other teleportation gates had more NPCs, and some couldnt even get close to the gate, having to line up behind; Each teleportation gate would have a time of spontaneous refresh once a month, and these occurrences were random. Once it spontaneously refreshed, the difficulty level of the world the gate leads to would be at least S-Class; Many people who encountered the spontaneous refresh time would consider themselves unlucky and then wait until the next day to continue. Those who wanted to challenge a difficulty above the S-Class, however, would wait at the gate each day, anticipating the day of the spontaneous refresh. Thats because under normal circumstances, the highest difficulty level world the gate could lead to was S-Class; Song Jians eyes lit up, and his hand, which had already clicked on the S-Class world, paused; Spontaneous Refresh? I wonder when this one-tier Combat Power Assessment gate will spontaneously refresh. Song Jian thought to himself. Since theres a choice, I should choose a world close to my Combat Power limit. Thats the only way to get maximum improvement. According to my Combat Power, I should aim for at least an S+ or even more challenging worlds! Its just wasting a few more days, even if I have to wait an entire month, Ill wait for that spontaneous refresh! Song Jian withdrew his hand, standing in the crowd like an observer, listening to the conversations around him to pick up useful information. Wow, thats the fourth-tier Combat Power Assessment gate, right? It even had a spontaneous refresh today It doesnt matter now, the fourth-tier Combat Power players, wishing to refresh a suitable world, some have waited more than a month already, they wouldnt mind an extra day or two. Dont even mention them anymore. Didnt we also wait a week just to refresh a B-Class dungeon? Sigh, the rewards of an A-Class world are so good. Stats points and skill points are fine, but getting that Gold-Tier Skill Book is really tough Yeah, skills are the hardest to get, I currently only have three or four attack skills A group of players were discussing, soon their attention returned to the entrance of the first-tier Combat Power Assessment world; Its A-Class now, Ill choose A-Class world. Anyone wants to team up with me? Theres no limit to the number of players in a world. Even though our assessment tasks may not be the same, we can still help each other. The difficulty could be reduced to a certain extent, probably similar to B+ Class a thief wearing leather armor gritted his teeth and shouted out. With a combat power of fifteen thousand, I wont even qualify to enter, at best I can only enter B- Class someone expressed regretfully. Im just short of getting into A-Class, I can only make it into A- Class I, I think Ill wait one more day. Maybe a B-Class world will show up tomorrow, a blue-tier Skill Book isnt too bad Seeing that no one was willing to enter an A-Class world with him, the leather-armored thief turned his sights onto Song Jian, who was new. Hey, new guy, are you interested in going on an A-Class world trial with me? Song Jian glanced at him and slowly shook his head; A person on the side mocked: Arent you being desperate, Da Yong? How could he, a newly upgraded level thirty player, possibly have a combat power of fifteen thousand? Exactly, he probably can do the same as us at most, waiting for the B-Class world to refresh! Might even be waiting for the C-Class world, haha! At this moment, the light green gate flashed, and the four random worlds immediately disappeared. In their place were four S-Class trial worlds; One was S-Class, two were S+ Class, and there was even an SS-Class world; What on earth! Even the first-tier Combat Power trial world has a spontaneous refresh! a player with an incredulous look on his face exploded. What does two S mean here? Dual S Class world? There are actually SS Class worlds? Holy hell, the difficulty level! Even the entrance requirement is a Combat Power of fifty thousand Double S-Class trial world? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he immediately clicked to check it out. Chapter 634 - Chapter 634: Chapter 634: Assessment Task Chain Chapter 634: Chapter 634: Assessment Task Chain Oh my god, there really is a double S world, I thought it was just a rumor before! A player exclaimed. Hmph, youve just entered the game for a while, and you really think youve seen everything? But on the other hand, the upper limit of the double S world is very high, and if you really do well, you might get even more benefits in the trial world than the rewards. Fifty thousand combat power is just the entry condition, there must be second-tier combat power in this world So envious, the task reward is so generous, a legendary-quality skill book or higher, do you think theres a possibility that a skill book beyond legendary quality will appear? Beyond legendary quality? Whats that? Ive never even heard of an item of higher quality than legendary, divine tier? Hehe A group of players were discussing, and no one paid attention to Song Jian, the newcomer. At this time, Song Jian was seriously checking the information of the SS-level Assessment World. Trial World 1: SS-level world; task reward: all attribute points are increased by 45, skill points +12, and a skill book of no less than legendary quality is randomly obtained. The trial tasks must be received after entering the world. However, these task rewards indeed made Song Jian gasp. Forty-five attribute points, probably not even the main attributes of current players might reach 45 points, let alone other attributes. Right now, without equipment, Song Jian only had his strength and agility attributes above forty-five points, while his physical attribute was forty-four points, and other attributes were all below thirty points. If all attributes really upgraded by 45 points, it would give those who havent completed the first-tier combat power assessment, and even those who have completed lower difficulty players, the power to crush their opponents. Ill choose this trial world! Song Jian made up his mind in his heart, just with the attribute points, it was worth trying. With this thought, Song Jian directly clicked on entering the SS-level trial world. Soon, a flash of white light passed, and Song Jians figure disappeared from the trial hall. This scene was noticed by the surrounding players, and they were all shocked. He, he actually chose the S-level trial world, is this newcomer that strong? Just reaching level thirty and being able to enter the S-level trial world, are all newcomers so fierce nowadays? I need to hurry up and complete the trial assessment, or Ill be overtaken by others. S-level? Look carefully, its not just S-level, he entered the double S-level trial world! Suddenly someone exclaimed. Originally, there was the number of players who entered the trial behind each trial world. Now, in the three S-level worlds, the number of players who entered the trial was all zero, while in the double S world, the number of players who entered the trial was one. At this moment, almost everyone was speechless. They were all frightened, and after a while, a player voiced everyones thoughts: Its best if he falls in this world, otherwise, there might be one more divine-level player in the game in the future. After choosing the double S-level trial world, Song Jian was immediately wrapped in a ball of white light, and his whole body was in a state of weightlessness. He didnt know how long it took before Song Jian suddenly opened his eyes. He was lying in a simple wooden hut. In the room, besides the hard wooden bed underneath him, there was only a large wooden chest and a table. Whats more, his body seems to have returned to the quality of an ordinary person before entering the game. He opened the game interface and saw that his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set had been sealed and lost its effect. And his level had also become level one, and his attributes returned to the status when he first entered the game, but all the attributes were there, and they were all in a sealed state. Skills were the same, except for his innate skills Thick Face and Holy Sword which were not sealed. Only a max-leveled Earth Teeth Assault skill could still be used, and all other sword skills were sealed, and the level to unlock various skills would vary depending on the skill tier. For example, Sweeping Sword Style would require level ten to unlock, and Immortal Sword Body would require level thirty to unlock. His life skills were all usable, but this didnt help him much in terms of strength enhancement, so Song Jian ignored it. The Vertical Eye, the Hexagram Array Diagram on my chest, and the Zombie tattoo, they are all sealed. Im no different than a newbie who just entered the game, how can I play like this? After checking himself, Song Jian got up from the bed and muttered to himself. Fortunately, there were explanations behind all the seals, as long as Song Jian reached level thirty, his strength would be completely restored. Is this trying to make me play the game again? Song Jian shook his head and said. He felt dizzy, like he had a cold. Since entering the game, Song Jians physical fitness had greatly improved, and he hadnt been sick for a long time. Wait, why is there suddenly an extra memory in my mind? Song Jians face changed, and he quickly checked the strange memory that appeared in his mind. His last 20 years of memory had been added to his mind, and this kind of ability was horrifying. It was like watching a movie, Song Jian browsed through the sudden extra memories in his mind. He found that the memories were like a movie, and didnt affect him at all, just like the background information of this trial world. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief. Im now the lowest-level handyman disciple of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Ive been here for three years and havent even learned the most basic introductory sword technique. In three days, there will be a Sect assessment. It seems like Im about to be kicked out of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Song Jian looked at the game background in his mind and shook his head with a bitter smile. Although its called the trial world, its actually like a big dungeon; the dungeons Song Jian encountered in the game were mostly a castle, a cave, or a building. Some larger areas might be a manor or a town, but the copy he currently was in was a complete world. Just as Song Jian understood the background of this trial world, a system prompt suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. System: Trial player Song Jian has entered the SS-level trial world. Do you want to start the first-tier combat power trial task immediately? Yes/No. Song Jian chose Yes. A semi-transparent screen immediately appeared with the trial task description. First-tier combat power trial task, part one: assessment; task content: you must get the first place in the Qingyun Sword Sect disciple assessment three days later; if not achieved, the trial task fails, and you will be forced to leave the trial world; if achieved, the second task will be started. This is a task chain? Song Jian frowned. For this kind of task, the beginning is usually a relatively simple task content, such as courier tasks. Afterward, the difficulty of the tasks will gradually increase. So players familiar with the game usually judge the difficulty of the entire task chain based on the opening of the task chain and the rewards obtained. To let an ordinary person who hasnt even learned a basic sword technique get first place in the Qingyun Sword Sect disciple assessment, this task chains opening is simply hellish. Song Jian muttered to himself: But for me, it shouldnt be a big deal! Chapter 635 - Chapter 635: Chapter 635: Task Chapter 635: Chapter 635: Task Song Jian picked up a sword from the wooden table and hung it around his waist, slowly walking out of the room. At this moment, he discovered that the entire Qingyun Sword Sect was stationed on a mountain peak. The higher status disciples lived closer to the top of the mountain, while the menial disciples, like him, could only live at the mountains base. A lot of people entered and exited the Qingyun Sword Sect, with most of them wearing the same gray attire as Song Jian. It seemed that this was the standard clothing for menial disciples. The most important thing now is to find a way to level up. I am only at level one, and if I want to get first place in the assessment three days later, I need to raise my level to at least ten so that I can at least unlock the Sweeping Sword Style, Song Jian muttered to himself. Although his two talents had not been sealed, and he still had an attack skill called Earth Teeth Assault, it would be scrutinized if he used this skill during a sword sect assessment. Just then, a group of disciples dressed in menial attire came in from outside, cursing as they walked. Those bandits on Blackwind Mountain are too arrogant, daring to rob near our Qingyun Sword Sect. They really dont know when to stop! Hmph, sooner or later, our Qingyun Sword Sect will wipe out all the bandits of Blackwind Mountain. Hey, with so many skilled disciples in our Qingyun Sword Sect, why cant we take down Blackwind Mountain? I heard that the leaders of Blackwind Mountain only have first-order combat power We can only blame our own disciples for not being competent enough. Although there is a mission to eradicate the bandits within the sect, no one has been able to complete it. Im afraid our overall evaluation will be lowered a grade this year, sigh! Suddenly, the group noticed Song Jian standing outside the wooden shack, they paused before walking past him as if they hadnt seen him at all. Even if our evaluation is lowered by a grade, Im afraid it wont have anything to do with Song Jian. In three days, hell be kicked out of the Qingyun Sword Sect anyway. Heh, not being able to learn the most basic Qingyun Sword Skill in three years is merely a miracle. How could such a fool stay in the sword sect for three years, wasting resources. Exactly, he cant even defeat a disciple who has just entered the sect for a year. We, who entered the Qingyun Sword Sect with him, are all ashamed. Its a wonder he dared to continue staying here. If it had been me, I would have quietly left by now. It seems like my status in the Qingyun Sword Sect is quite low, Song Jian bitterly smiled to himself. With the long sword at his waist, Song Jian headed to the task receiving area for menial disciples. In the residential area for menial disciples, there was a three-story wooden house. On a rocking chair, a chubby man was reclining with his eyes closed. Disciples coming in and out seemed to respect him, walking around him when they entered the building. Song Jian glanced at the chubby man, not paying much attention, and went straight into the building. The chubby man was named Wang Dafu, who looked unassuming but was actually a Swordmaster of the Qingyun Sword Sect. He had first-order combat power but had suffered serious injuries in a battle, causing his strength to decline. He was sent here as the task manager of the task building, essentially retiring. Although he had fallen from first-order combat power, in Song Jians eyes, this man called Wang Dafu could rival a level 30 elite level boss. There were quite a few menial disciples who received tasks inside the building. The resources they obtained were the least among the entire Qingyun Sect. If they didnt take on some tasks here, they would not be able to practice at all. New menial disciples were only taught a basic sword technique, the Qingyun Sword Skill, and received some meager resources every month. Anyone with a bit of ambition would come to the task building, take on suitable tasks, and exchange the rewards for cultivation resources after completion. This is probably the first time in three years that Ive entered the task building, Song Jian bitterly smiled to himself. Previously, he hadnt even learned the most basic Qingyun Sword Skill, so why would he come to the task building to receive rewards? Hey, isnt this Song Jian? Are you here to see what the task building looks like before you leave the Qingyun Sword Sect? A menial disciple noticed him and instantly sneered. In the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian had already become somewhat of a celebrity among menial disciples. To stay in the sect as a waste for three entire years was something most people couldnt do, simply because their faces wouldnt be thick enough! Ignoring the taunts of others, Song Jian picked up a task, and under the strange gazes of everyone, turned around and left the task building. Brother Wong, what task did that guy take? Someone curiously asked the disciple who had given out the task. The disciple known as Brother Wong glanced at him and whispered, Kill the head of Blackwind Village! What, Blackwind Village? Almost everyone gasped. Blackwind Village was less than ten miles away from the Qingyun Sword Sect, but up until now, it had still managed to stand strong without being wiped out. While the Qingyun Sword Sect aimed to hone their disciples in battle, the fact that Blackwind Village hadnt been eradicated already indicated its unusual strength. An ordinary person who hadnt even learned the basic Qingyun Sword Skill taking on a task to kill the head of Blackwind Village was simply courting death. He wont just take the task and never come back, right? Suddenly someone spoke in a gloomy tone. For a moment, everyone had a look of sudden realization on their faces. Exactly, in three days, whether Song Jian wanted to leave Qingyun Mountain or not, he would be kicked out. Why not take a task to leave the mountain and never return? At the very least, he left the mountain with a task that no one else dared to accept, saving face to the very end. Heh, whats the point of that? We all know what kind of person he is, right? A menial disciple sneered. Yeah, hes known as the man with the thickest skin among Qingyun Sword Sects menial disciples! Hahahaha! As everyone ridiculed Song Jian, he had already left the Qingyun Sword Sect and was heading towards Blackwind Mountain. At this time, his battle pets were sealed. Black Dragon could no longer be used in this world, and Little Stone Man could only be unsealed at level 30. As for Follower Ya, he could not be summoned in this world either. Many items in Song Jians inventory were also sealed, including the motorcycle. Moreover, the identity he inherited was extremely poor, unable to even rent a regular horse for transportation. Song Jian could only rely on his own legs to run to Blackwind Mountain. Blackwind Mountain was about several miles away from the Qingyun Sword Sect. It took Song Jian half a day to finally reach the foot of Blackwind Mountain. Chapter 636 - Chapter 636: Chapter 636: One Person Short Chapter 636: Chapter 636: One Person Short Looking up from the foot of the mountain, a massive village loomed halfway up the slope. A towering flagpole stood in front of the village gate with a black flag fluttering in the wind. A bright red Hong character seemed to dance against the black cloth. A winding path led up to the village from the base of the mountain. As Song Jian prepared to follow the path, a middle-aged man with a crooked mouth and a twisted face suddenly emerged from the trees lining the path. With a cleaver in his hand, he pointed its tip at Song Jian and sneered, Hey, kid! What are you doing here all by yourself? Do you have any idea where you are? Is Blackwind Village up there? Song Jian asked with a smile as he looked at the level three Blackwind Mountain Bandit before him. Oho, is another one coming to join us? The middle-aged mans eyes lit up as he sized up Song Jian. After a moment, his face suddenly stiffened and he said, Your clothes I feel like Ive seen them somewhere Without another word, Song Jian stomped his right leg on the ground, sending a fang-shaped air mass whistling towards the level three Blackwind Mountain Bandit. With a loud thud, the bandit was struck by the Earth Teeth Assault and sent flying back, a damage burst of over a hundred points rising above his head as he fell, instantly dead. System: You have killed a level three Blackwind Mountain Bandit and gained 36 Experience Points. As expected, killing gave him combat experience. This would be helpful in leveling up quickly. As long as he could reach level 30, he could unlock most of his strength. Song Jian shook his head and didnt even glance at the dead bandits body. He continued slowly up the path towards Blackwind Village. Three days later, the Qingyun Sword Sects menial disciple exam proceeded as scheduled. Hundreds of disciples clad in gray robes lined up neatly at the square at the foot of the mountain. Everyone stood up straight, not daring to say a word. The hundreds of people resembled statues, not moving an inch. On the stands overlooking the square, several middle-aged men in blue robes seemed to be in high spirits, talking and laughing. Their relaxed attitudes didnt match the solemn atmosphere of the square. Master Wang, I didnt expect that you would preside over these menial disciple examinations this year. Is the Sword Casting Hall short on manpower? A middle-aged man with three long whiskers asked with a laugh. The burly man beside him laughed heartily and said, Weve just forged a blue-quality longsword. I thought Id take a break. Blue-quality? The scholarly-looking man with long whiskers looked amazed and complimented, Your craftsmanship is becoming more and more refined, Master Wang. It wont be long before you become a Master Level blacksmith. Ah, its still too early for that title. Im not like Qin Hua. She became a Dan Master at such a young age. Even the Sect Leader cant stop raving about her Seven Treasures Pill! A young woman nearby showed a slight smirk, her lips curling slightly as she nodded to Master Wang. Master Wang, Qin Hua, since its getting late, why dont we start the examination of these disciples? Li Guiqing stroked his long whiskers and suggested with a smile. Out of the three, his strength was the greatest; a level 30 Swordmaster with tier-one combat power. The other two were slightly weaker. The man addressed as Master Wang was Wang Hai, a forging craftsman. Although his strength was average, he was a senior blacksmith in Qingyun Sword Sects Sword Casting Hall. He was an expert-level blacksmith who could become a Master Level at any time. The other was even more remarkable C a newly ascended Dan Master of the Alchemy Hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Though a woman, she was not to be underestimated. Her Seven Treasures Pill could not only heal internal injuries but also assist in cultivation. Even the Sect Leader was full of praise for her, and she was the current favorite within the Sect. Naturally, Li Guiqing wouldnt dare to offend either of them and always maintained a modest attitude. Haha, actually, we dont know much about these exams. Li, you arrange it. Qin Hua and I are just here for the fun, Wang Hai laughed heartily. Qin Hua raised her pretty eyebrows slightly, shot Wang Hai a glance, but didnt object to his words. Alright, lets begin! Li Guiqing stood up and announced in a loud voice, The triennial examination for the outer menial disciples will now begin! Li Guiqing looked at the crowd on the square. Seeing so many people, his brow furrowed. In the inner court battles, two people would be selected for each arena. If the methods used in those inner court competitions were applied here, it would take three days and nights to examine these hundreds of menial disciples. These outer menial disciples were not highly valued by the Qingyun Sword Sect, and their role was similar to the gold prospectors panning for gold in a riverbring in talent to serve the sect. Even if they couldnt find talent, it would not impact the sect. Checking the roster, Li Guiqing discovered that the number of examining participants this year was exactly three hundred. Suddenly, a bright idea came to him. He announced, This year, there are three hundred examination candidates. So, divide yourselves into groups of one hundred each. Stand independently, fight amongst yourselves, and whoever is left standing in the end shall be the victors, allowed to enter the inner sect! All the menial disciples were momentarily stunned at hearing this unusual examination method. But since the examiner had said so, they had no choice. Quickly, they divided the three hundred people into three groups, occupying the entire square. Wang Hai patted Li Guiqing on the back, This is a good idea! Easy without wasting time and able to pick out the real talents. Lightheartedly, Li Guiqing, stroking his whiskers, said, Its not worth wasting the valuable time of you two on these outer sect disciples. Hmm, one of the groups seems to have only ninety-nine people instead of a hundred Qin Hua suddenly interjected. Upon hearing this, Li Guiqing frowned, checked the roster again, and summoned a disciple to investigate. It didnt take long for the disciple to return with an explanation that brought understanding to Li Guiqing. Qin Hua giggled, Someone escaped? One person has undertaken the mission to eliminate the Blackwind Mountain bandits and slay the leader of their village, Li Guiqing explained. They have yet to return. Wang Hai and Qin Hua couldnt hide their astonishment, wondering how such a situation could have occurred. Chapter 637 - Chapter 637: Chapter 637: The Examination Begins Chapter 637: Chapter 637: The Examination Begins The Qingyun Sword Sect has used the Blackwind Village as a test subject for its disciples for a long time. However, despite its longevity, the sect has been unable to eradicate the village, which has somewhat tarnished the sects reputation. If the task remains unaccomplished, the masters of the Qingyun Sword Sect plan to take action. However, this would downgrade the overall assessments of all disciples present today. Within the sect, rumors about this situation spread like wildfire. Naturally, Qin Hua and Wang Hai had heard these rumors and were extremely surprised when they suddenly heard that a mere menial disciple had accepted the task of eradicating Blackwind Village. Could it be that there is such an extraordinary swordsmanship prodigy among the menial disciples? Wang Hai wondered in astonishment. In the sect, many of the core or directly taught disciples look down on menial disciples and treat them with contempt. It was unthinkable that a menial disciple could accomplish what even the core or direct disciples wouldnt dare to undertake. Singularly taking on thousands of bandits with only a sword has the bold style of an ancient swordsman. Qin Hua expressed her admiration. As the path leads, I will follow, no matter the odds. How heroic! Listening to their praise, Li Guiqings face revealed a hint of embarrassment. He coughed and said, This person is no genius. I heard that he has been a menial disciple for three years and hasnt even mastered the basic Qingyun Sword Skill Qin Hua: Wang Hai: The two exchanged glances, both feeling a bit embarrassed. Forget it, if he isnt here yet, lets not wait. Maybe he ran off somewhere else Li Guiqing said after coughing twice. Boy, such a slow learner is indeed a rarity in this world Wang Hai shook his head in sigh; three years and still hasnt learnt the simplest beginner swordsmanship. If it were him, he would have run down the mountain in humiliation. Li Guiqing stood up, ready to announce the start of the assessment. Suddenly, he squinted his eyes, and his right hand instinctively clenched into a fist. This was his instinctual reaction to danger; he wanted to grip his sword hilt, but he didnt have his sword with him as he was here to assess the menial disciples. From the entrance of the Qingyun Sword Sect, a figure slowly walked up. This figure was clad in grey menial disciple clothes, which was so soaked in blood that its original color was almost unrecognizable. Even from a distance, Li Guiqing could smell the sharp scent of blood emanating from him. Song Jian, with a face full of determination, was carrying a cloth bag and took step by step toward the square. Apprentice Song Jian, I have finished eradicating Blackwind Village, but due to this, I am late for the assessment. I ask for your understanding and a chance to participate! Song Jian threw the cloth bag aside and shouted at the three people on the viewing platform with his fists crossed in front of him. What? You have achieved the task of annihilating Blackwind Village? Li Guiqing shook all over with disbelief on his face. The BlackwindVillage is home to over 3,000 bandits, with five chiefs each at level 30, and the main head having level 1 combat power. Even Li Guiqing himself didnt have the confidence to defeat them, let alone eradicate the whole Blackwind Village with just a single sword. Impossible, did he wipe out the entire Blackwind Village by himself? Nearby, the Forging Master Wang Hai muttered under his breath. Li Guiqing was also doubtful and reluctant to believe Song Jians words. However, the killing intent still lingering on Song Jian and his blood-soaked clothes all testified to his feat. Whats in your cloth bag? Qin Hua pointed to the blood-soaked cloth bag beside Song Jian and asked. Its the item for my task! Song Jian made a fist-palm salute toward Qin Hua and politely replied. Task item? You mean? Wang Hai stood up abruptly and exclaimed in surprise, Thats the head of the main leader of Blackwind Village? Since he brought the head back, it cant be faked, right? Qin Hua gave Wang Hai a sidelong glance and said in a low voice. Li Guiqing glanced at the cloth bag beside Song Jians foot and composed himself. He smiled and said, You have just returned from a task. Would you like to rest a bit? We can put off the assessment for a while. The assessment was postponed because of one person, something that was likely to only happen with the menial disciples. Thats unnecessary. Its unreasonable for so many fellow disciples to wait for me. Besides Song Jian glanced at the three locations prepared for the assessment and smiled, The assessment should not take long. Hearing his confident words, the three examiners approved, but the rest of the menial disciples showed expressions of resentment. Song Jian was popular among the menial disciples. It enraged them to see someone usually looked down upon now bragging here. If not for the three examiners presence, Song Jian would have probably been drowned in spit by now. Alright, you areSong Jian, correct? Li Guiqing stroked his long beard and smiled, So be it, you can participate in the assessment. Join the third group. Song Jian saluted the three of them, picked up the head of the main leader of Blackwind Village, tucked it into his waist, and strode toward the third group of one hundred people. Song Jian, now at level 30, had all the seals on his skills and equipment lifted. However, he couldnt show off too extraordinary skills or equipment right now; otherwise, he would be suspected, unless he could kill everyone present. After recovering, Song Jian, facing these menial disciples whose levels were at most level 10, was unassailable even if he let them attack while he stood still. The greatest gain for Song Jian from journeying to Blackwind Mountain was finding a way to level up. This world was no different from other levels; he could level up just by killing monsters. Let the assessment begin. The last three to stand on the stage will be promoted to core disciples! After Li Guiqings loud announcement, everyone swung their wooden swords almost simultaneously at the person next to them. There were shouts and cries everywhere. Of the hundred people in Song Jians group, 99 of them spontaneously rushed at Song Jian. Youre nothing but ants! The corner of Song Jians mouth twitched as he beat a disciple with his wooden sword. A great force flowed through, knocking down the menial disciple instantly. System: You defeated a menial disciple and gained 1,000 experience points; Oh? Even without killing these disciples, I can gain experience points? And this amount of experience is quite high! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he saw these disciples as large experience gifts. He swung his wooden sword and charged at these menial disciples. Chapter 638 - Chapter 638: Chapter 638: Inciting Public Outrage Chapter 638: Chapter 638: Inciting Public Outrage Song Jian spent a full three days, exterminating all the bandits on the entirety of Blackwind Mountain. The few leaders possessed first-tier battle strength, and Song Jian relied on his stone figurine and surprise attacks to kill each of them. Especially during the fight with the head leader, he even used the passive skill Enemy of Death God. With the effects of Enemy of Death God, he suddenly experienced a pseudo-death and revival before dealing a severe blow to the head leader, killing him and taking his head. This was the toughest battle Song Jian had ever faced. Now, however, each disciple, who were mostly at the eighth or ninth level and not exceeding the tenth, was giving him more points than twenty-level monsters. How could Song Jian not be thrilled? Even without using any special skills, and just relying on physical strength, Song Jian was capable of mowing down every disciple with a single sword sweep, leaving them all flattened on the ground. If he wasnt afraid of intervention by the examiners, he wouldnt have even shown mercy. Seeing Song Jian dominating the hundred-man team where no one could withstand a single move from him, surprise was written over all three examiners faces. I knew he was strong, but I did not expect him to be this strong! Whats more, he seems to wield the sword by sheer brute force, with no sword skills at all. Yet the power he unleashes is so great No, although he is using brute force, traces of sword skills can still be discerned in the transmission of his power. He does know swordsmanship, it has been deeply embedded into his blood and bones. Even a casual swipe from him can convey the presence of Sword Intent. Li Guiqing, the most accomplished in swordsmanship, was also filled with astonishment when looking at Song Jian. Sword Intent? Li, are you talking about Sword Intent? Am I hearing things? Wang Hai turned sharply towards Li Guiqing with a tense look. How is that possible? Hes just a lowly servile pupil Qin Hua too, was looking at Song Jian with a shocked expression. Whats wrong with being a servile pupil? Dont forget our Sect Leader was also a servile pupil before Li Guiqing looked around before murmuring quietly. This brat, how can he be compared to the Sect Leader Wang Hais eyes flickered uncertainly. What a shock to him, if he had not used his sword talent earlier, how could he have ended up in the Sword Casting Hall, becoming an apprentice swordsmith? Sword Intent, huh even among official Swordmasters, there arent many who can comprehend Sword Intent. Qin Hua sighed and shook her head. Li Guiqings mouth twitched a littlehe was one of the official Swordmasters who had not comprehended the Sword Intent. Indeed, it is Sword Intent. But he has only just barely scratched the surface, its not yet what one would call true Sword Intent. However, given his age and talent, grasping the true Sword Intent is only a matter of time. Even though Li Guiqing himself had not grasped the Sword Intent, his eyes were sharp enough to tell. Do you think it could be because he single-handedly wiped out Blackwind Village? Qin Hua suddenly speculated. Li Guiqing shook internally, thoughts whirling in his mind. Should I also go eradicate a bandit camp or two to try and attain Sword Intent? As Li Guiqing gazed at the blood-covered Song Jian, a single sentence from Qin Hua had rooted itself in his mind, sprouting wildly like weeds. In just the time it takes to brew tea, Song Jian had felled all the disciples around him. Most of them were unconscious, while quite a few had their bones broken by Song Jian, clutching their hands or feet in pain on the ground, moaning in pain. Alright, we have our winner. Have someone take the injured for treatment. Li Guiqing frowned, sneering at the disciples rolling in pain on the ground and ordered. Bring Song Jian over. We ought to get closer to him. With his abilities, before long, hell catch the eye of the elder and perhaps even the Sect Leader, and become a direct disciple. Li Guiqing muttered to the two people beside him. Qin Hua and Wang Hai glanced at each other and subtly nodded. They were already plotting what kind of gift they should give this servile disciplesomething that would be accepted yet not appear too sycophantic. At that moment, much to their surprise, they saw Song Jian charge towards the scene of another hundred-man trial, mowing down the disciples around him with his wooden sword, like a tiger among sheep. What what is he doing? Qin Hua spoke, flabbergasted. Ahem, did he arrive too late and missed the competition rules, and assumed that he must defeat all competitors to pass? Wang Hai coughed twice, offering an explanation. Maybe, just maybe? Li Guiqing wore a stunned look, aware that Wang Hai was making excuses for Song Jian. That said, after having toppled so many competitors, how much energy must this kid have left? Wasnt he tired? He was courting everyones ire! When Song Jian burst into the second hundred-man team, the 70 or 80 members were quickly scattered, like the ones before, into unconscious or groaning heaps clutching their limbs. After taking a look at his level, Song Jian found that he had soared to level thirty at 69%. The experience was freely gained without any effortit was incredibly satisfying. Most importantly, he wasnt doing this for some qualification to join the inner sect. From start to finish, Song Jians goal was one and onlyto clinch first place in this disciple trial. How could he secure the first position without defeating everyone else? However, after defeating the second hundred-man competition team, Song Jian was panting a bit. When he turned his gaze to the third competing team, the remaining dozens of people actually stopped their fights unanimously and looked at Song Jian in unison. Almost every disciples eyes were filled with fury. At this moment, it seemed as though Song Jian had truly become everyones enemy. Phew, damn, Ive overdone it Song Jian looked at the remaining disciples, a bitter smile creeping onto his face. Having already defeated more than a hundred trial disciples, even though their levels were much lower than Song Jians, it also drained him of a substantial amount of energy. Seeing the remaining trial disciples unexpectedly stopping in unison, the three examiners glanced at each other. Not only did they not stop Song Jian, but they wore interesting expressions: Heh heh, this is getting interesting! Song Jians strength had already received their recognition, but if he could not beat the remaining disciples, he would not be able to pass this trial test. If he fails, Ill take him as my disciple! Li Guiqing stroked his three strands of long beard, his face breaking into a smile. If Song Jian really passed the trial, with his talent, he would definitely be accepted as a disciple by an elder or possibly the Sect Leader. Then, he wouldnt have any chance. At that moment, Li Guiqing found himself hoping that Song Jian would fail the trial. Come on! With a wave of his wooden sword, Song Jian shouted at the remaining disciples. Before the others could react, the thoroughly bloodstained Song Jian, his spirit still burning bright, plunged alone into the crowd, sword in hand. Chapter 639 - Chapter 639: Chapter 639: The First Person in the Assessment Chapter 639: Chapter 639: The First Person in the Assessment Song Jian held a wooden sword and charged towards a group of fifty to sixty people. In the eyes of many, this was tantamount to suicide. After all, Song Jians demonstrated strength hadnt yet reached a level where he could ignore such numbers. Song Jians dismissive attitude angered the remaining disciples, who swung their swords and charged at him in rage; even those who were initially intimidated by his strength. Hes underestimating us, this guy who hasnt even mastered the Qingyun Sword Skill in three years. How dare he look down on us! Yes, lets surround him. I think his stamina is almost exhausted. Lets immobilize him first! Dozens of people attacked Song Jian simultaneously. Some even threw their wooden swords away and lunged at him, arms wide open, trying to pin him down. At this point, Song Jian couldnt even muster a tenth of his combat power. Almost all of his skills were unusable, his equipment unshowable. Even his physical attributes were suppressed. It was like he was fighting this group with chains wrapped around him. In this SS-ranked trial world, he wasnt the first player to enter. During his battle with the Black Wind chieftain, he was quickly recognized by his opponent. The initially retreating chieftain, once discovering that Song Jian was not of their world, became frenzied. In the end, he attempted a murder-suicide. Faced with his opponents immense combat power, Song Jian was forced to use Enemy of Death God. This made him more secretive about his foreigner identity for fear of getting exposed. The risk of being hunted down was one thing, but if the trial failed, that was a massive loss. A bit overconfident arent we? But I am curious to see my own limits. A devilish smile appeared on Song Jians lips. His sword suddenly became lively, accurately piercing the approaching disciples from unexpected angles. He kept moving back, not giving them a chance to surround him. It took Song Jian more than half an hour to defeat the remaining fifty or sixty people, twice as many as the two competing teams he defeated before. Leaning on his sword, Song Jian laughed heartily while looking at the defeated disciples on the ground. The relief he felt was even greater than when he took down several first-order leaders of the Black Wind fortress. Just as he took down the last individual, he suddenly received a system prompt indicating that the task was completed. System: You have completed the first part of the trial task. Reward: Level increased by one, +2 free attribute points. Would you like to claim them now? System: This reward is separate from the assessment completion reward. If claimed, it will not affect the assessment completion reward. If not claimed, it will accumulate for the next step. The more you accumulate, the bigger the final reward. However, if the subsequent tasks fail, the accumulated reward will disappear. Song Jian was taken aback. He didnt expect each part of the assessment task to contain a reward, and that it was separate from the final success reward of the assessment. Should I claim the reward for each part? If accumulated, the reward would definitely be higher than claiming each parts reward. However, if I fail in the future tasks, even this reward will be gone. For a moment, Song Jian was hesitant. After some deliberation, he gritted his teeth and chose to accumulate. In his heart, he understood that claiming the rewards now would be the safest bet. Even if he failed the final mission, he would not end up empty-handed after a months wait. But Song Jian was thinking that if he was going to win, he wanted to win big. If he was going to lose, he wouldnt take anything with him. This was a clear gamblers mentality. After choosing to accumulate, the second part of the mission immediately appeared before Song Jian. Assessment task part two: Annihilate the Qingyun Sword Sect, kill the Sect Leader Liu Qingyun! Song Jian was almost knocked off his feet when he saw the second part of the assessment task. Was the mission already so difficult at the second part? Annihilate the Qingyun Sword Sect? Just with him alone? Even if Song Jian had reached the first-order combat power, it would be impossible to annihilate a sect with over ten thousand members with a single strike. Even if I were to unlock Black Dragon its impossible. Even if Black Dragon is unlocked, I wouldnt be able to annihilate the Qingyun Sword Sect with one strike! Song Jian was stupefied. If he had known the second parts task was this, he should have claimed the reward for the first task! While Song Jian was worrying about the second task, three examiners strode over, all smiles. Congratulations, Song Jian. You passed this exam and even became the first rank with an absolute advantage! Li Guiqing said with a smile. Young man, I see great potential in you. Are you interested in joining our Sword Casting Hall? We need disciples like you in our hall! If you choose to become our disciple, we can guarantee you the best benefits in the entire sect. Furthermore, your weapons would be taken care of by the Sword Casting Hall. Wang Hai said cheerfully. Master Wang, why waste his potential in the Sword Casting Hall? Qin Hua glanced at Wang Hai and said, Hed better come to our Alchemy Hall. Here, he wont have to worry about his future cultivation pills and can even eat them like jelly beans, how could his cultivation not make great strides? You two Li Guiqing didnt know whether to laugh or cry at their words. Hahaha, were just joking. Brother Song will eventually become an elder or even a personal disciple of the Sect Leader. How can he possibly join us? Wang Hai laughed and gave Song Jian a badge, saying: This is our Sword Casting Halls Martial Order. With this order, you can choose a weapon of blue quality or higher in the Sword Casting Hall. Consider it a gift to celebrate your passing the exam! This is the Pill Order from our Alchemy Hall, you can use it to get ten Qi Boosting pills. Keep it well. Qin Hua also gave Song Jian an order with a smile. Song Jian took the two orders with a smile, thanked them, and then turned his eyes to Li Guiqing. This Li Guiqing immediately felt his scalp prickle. He originally intended to host a random disciple exam and have some fun. He hadnt expected to have to pick up the tab. Both the Martial Order and Pill Order were given by Wang Hai and Qin Hua, but the resources consumed came from the Sword Casting Hall and the Alchemy Hall. They managed to curry favor without spending any of their own money. However, whatever gift Li Guiqing might give would definitely come out of his own pocket. After hesitating for a moment, Li Guiqing pulled out a notebook from his robe, gave it to Song Jian, and said: These are my personal insights on practicing the Qingyun Sword Skill. Take it. I know you may not care much for this basic sword skill of the Qingyun Sect, but let me tell you. Practically all of the advanced sword skills of the Qingyun Sect evolve from this basic skill. Learning this will greatly assist you in mastering more advanced sword skills in the future! Chapter 640 - Chapter 640: Chapter 640: Doubt” Chapter 640: Chapter 640: Doubt Song Jian hadnt learned the Qingyun Sword Skill in three years, and the three examiners had known it long ago. But now it seemed that Li Guiqing had misunderstood that Song Jian didnt disdain the Qingyun Sword Skill and was unwilling to learn. However, what they didnt know was that Song Jian had never learned the Qingyun Sword Skill at all. Seeing Li Guiqing hand over his own cultivation experience, Song Jian respectfully took it with both hands and thanked him. Song Jians attitude made Li Guiqing feel very satisfied. He nodded with a smile and stroked his long beard lightly. Alright, the test is over. You should go back and rest now. Take a good wash, the smell of blood on you is too strong. Li Guiqing laughed, Come to the Qingyun Hall tomorrow, the Sect Leader and the elders of the sword sect will personally assess you. If you catch their attention and become their personal disciple, you will soar to the heavens in one step. Yeah, perform well during that time! Wang Hai laughed heartily. Im rooting for you! Qin Hua smiled, covering her mouth, an enchanting expression on her face. After exchanging pleasantries with them for a while and obtaining their contact information, Song Jian smiled and watched the three leave. After the test, Song Jian didnt go straight back to his lodgings. Instead, he headed towards the mission tower to collect the reward for exterminating the Blackwind Village, which he had not claimed yet. As the Blackwind Village had not been eliminated for a long time, the reward for this mission had been constantly increasing. It had now reached a level that even official swordmasters were envious of. Seeing Song Jian, who was covered in blood, enter the room, even Wang Dafu, who was sunbathing outside the mission tower, was startled. You really destroyed the Blackwind Village? Wang Dafu asked in amazement. The leader of Blackwind Villages head is right here! Song Jian raised the cloth bag and said. Good, good, good! Wang Dafu exclaimed three times, his face full of admiration, I didnt expect it, but you really soared to the skies after three years of silence, stunning everyone! Hehe, thank you, thank you. Song Jian cupped his hands in gratitude, handed over the cloth bag, and said, Please, Manager, check it! For such an important task, ordinary disciples definitely had no qualifications to check the mission item, only the manager could do so. Wang Dafu opened the cloth bag, glanced at the bloody head inside, nodded, and said, Alright, leave it here. If there are no issues in three days, the mission reward will be given to you! For such an important mission, they naturally couldnt just rely on a bloody head. The sword sect would send someone to Blackwind Mountain for a detailed investigation. Song Jian nodded and left the mission tower. This kid Wang Dafu shook his head and said, I never expected that I, Wang Dafu, would misjudge someone. This useless mud can actually turn into a gem! When it was known that Song Jian had single-handedly defeated the remaining 999 people in the disciples test, it caused a commotion among the inner court disciples. The disciple assessment of the Qingyun Sword Sect was not only for the odd-job disciples, but the inner court disciples as well. At the end of the day, when all assessments were completed, the information of the outstanding disciples was immediately sent to the Sect Leader and all elders. In the main hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect, a middle-aged man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, who appeared to be in his thirties, was carefully reading the data in his hands. The other elders were also sitting together, going through the information of outstanding disciples from the test, to see if they could find some good seeds to accept as personal disciples. Song Jian, the only winning disciple among the odd-job disciples? An elder with white hair held Song Jians information in his hand, looking very interested. Oh, odd-job disciple? Isnt it that they should take the top three every year? How come theres only one qualified this year? Another elder asked curiously. Hehe, he single-handedly beat the other 999 participants, so he was the only one who came out on top! Eh, thats interesting, let me look at his information. Whats his name, Song Jian? The elders began searching among the information in their hands and pulled out Song Jians information. This disciple is quite interesting, he hasnt even learned the Qingyun Sword Technique in three years. But in just three days, he exterminated the entire Blackwind Village. I heard that the leaders are quite strong, especially the main leader; even I wouldnt dare to say that I could definitely defeat him! The difference in strength displayed before and after, isnt it too disparate? Could it be Elder Zhao hesitated. It shouldnt be, look at the evaluation below. This disciple has extraordinary talent, and seems to have sword intent in his gestures. His moves are natural and flawless, without any hint of artificiality. Hes like a piece of jade, with great potential! An elder pointed at Li Guiqings evaluation and said, Obviously, he doesnt know any sword skills or other abilities. Which of the invaders from the other world doesnt possess strange skills or sword techniques weve never seen before? Lets send someone to check the battle traces at the Blackwind Village first. If theres no problem, let him join the inner court. The Sect Leader pondered for a moment and said. Ahem, by exterminating the Blackwind Village, he has earned the reward of becoming an inner court disciple. An elder reminded. Well, since thats the case Sect Leader Liu Qingyun looked at the other elders and smiled, Any of you elders willing to accept this disciple as a personal disciple? Sect Leader, his identity hasnt been investigated yet. What if hes an invader from another world An elder frowned. Yes, his combat power is suspicious. Its hard to believe that one person could destroy an entire Blackwind Village! Whats so unbelievable about it? The test evaluations stated that the disciple had a hint of sword intent. Isnt it normal for a disciple with sword intent to defeat enemies of a higher level? Lets investigate it first. Otherwise, it will make people feel uneasy! Well, lets investigate it first. If theres no problem, Im interested in him! Sword intent its really hard to believe. I dont know what kind of sword intent he has comprehended, if it is Elder Hong, youre overthinking it. With his current age, its most likely that hes only touched the threshold of sword intent. To form a true sword intent of his own is simply impossible. There are not many geniuses like our Sect Leader in this world who can do that! While the Qingyun Sword Sects higher-ups were discussing, Song Jian was in his room reading through Li Guiqings Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique which was given to him. In addition to the complete Qingyun Sword Skill, it also contained Li Guiqings experience with every move and every form. This was a formal swordmasters experience; it could not only allow people to quickly understand the Qingyun Sword Skill but also guide their future sword path. Its value was immeasurable. After browsing through the entire booklet, Song Jian suddenly saw a golden light in front of him, and the system prompt followed; Chapter 641 - Chapter 641: Chapter 641: Summoned Chapter 641: Chapter 641: Summoned Song Jian was unaware that annihilating Blackwind Village had aroused suspicision among the higher ranks of the Qingyun Sword Sect. In spite of this, the village, being the closest bandit hub to the Qingyun Sword Sect, was inevitable in Song Jians path to a fast recovery of his powers. Rather than sneaking there, he considered it more sensible to openly accept the mission, and once the battle was over, Blackwind Village was reduced to ashes by Song Jians hand. He doubted anyone would manage to unearth any evidence from the piles of ash. In the aftermath of his assault on Blackwind Village, the looted gold, silver, and jewels alone were worth hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. The regular bandits didnt drop much, mostly gray miscellaneous items and ordinary goods which Song Jian couldnt care less about. However, the bosses surprisingly dropped some valuable items. Each of the five bosses dropped two to three golden tickets for Song Jian which could be exchanged at any shop in the game for either a hundred liang of gold or ten thousand Doomsday Coins. Besides, the chief boss dropped his skill book, Ghost Howl Blade Skill, which was of blue quality. Although Song Jian could not use it, he could sell it for a good price; Song Jian planned to exchange this skill book for a sword skill book of the same grade. He had already mastered many skills, but was stuck due to a lack of skill points for upgrading. If he passed the test mission, he would receive a lot of skill points. At that time, he could merge his maxed out skills to create an even more powerful one. As such, his demand for sword skills was growing. The mission rewards for wiping out Blackwind Village offered by the Sect were also tempting. He could become an inner sect disciple directly and even get a significant amount of pill cultivation and custom weapons. Song Jian didnt care much about the status of being an inner sect disciple nor the weapon, but he was quite interested in the cultivation pills. Alchemists held a prestigious position in this world, as they were not only capable of creating pills that rivalled Advanced Healing Potions, but could also create pills that could recover Spirit Points during battles or even permanently increase his attributes, a true eye-opening experience for Song Jian. If it werent for needing to focus completely on the examination tasks, he would have contemplated learning the Alchemy Skill; The next day, Song Jain dressed in a clean grey robe and made his way towards Qingyun Hall, the conference hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect. As he neared the hall, Song Jian was led into a side house which served as the reception of Qingyun Hall. It was required to wait here until being summoned by the Sect Leader or the Elders. Also seated in the side house were a few other disciples, all clad in white robes, much more luxurious than the grey one Song Jian wore; Inner Sect disciples Song Jian thought to himself; These were the top performers in the inner disciple examination. Upon seeing Song Jian arrive, a peculiar light flickered in their eyes, observing him up and down as if he were some exotic creature. Under their probing gazes, Song Jian remained indifferent, instead proceeding to sit down at a tea table nearby. He poured himself a cup of tea and began to leisurely have his snack. The other inner sect disciples were nervous in anticipation of the summons from the Sect Leader and the Elders. Even while sitting, they maintained an upright posture, sitting impeccably straight and properly. Observing how Song Jian casually helped himself to refreshments, drew both contempt and admiration from the inner sect disciples. You must be Younger Brother Song Jian, said a man who looked to be in his twenties. Weve heard about how you single-handedly annihilated Blackwind Village, and demonstrated your might in the disciple examination, defeating over nine hundred opponents alone. We admire your courage, he complimented Song Jian with a bow and a smile; You flatter me, elder brother, responded Song Jian, returning the polite gesture. The second phase of the mission required Song Jian to destroy the entire Qingyun Sword Sect and even kill the Sect Leader. Having been operating around the base of Qingyun Mountain for the past three years, his knowledge of the Sect was nearly non-existent. He didnt even know who the Elders were, let alone their individual strengths. With such scarce information and no knowledge of the Sects high-ranking members, attempting to destroy it was laughable. This was why Song Jian had decisively attacked Blackwind Village, not only to restore his Combat Power, but also to draw the attention of an Elder or even the Sect Leader, in hopes of being taken in as a direct disciple. This would allow him to learn more about the Qingyun Sword Sect and devise a plan to annihilate it. Song Jian had already become more or less part of the inner disciples after he destroyed Blackwind Village. Taking into account his performance in yesterdays examination, he was likely to be summoned by the Sect Leader and the Elders, potentially becoming a direct disciple. So, while the successful inner disciples held some distaste for him, they always maintained a friendly expression, hoping to establish a congenial relationship with Song Jian. The atmosphere in the side house was harmonious, with everyone discussing which Elder was most powerful and who was the best at mentoring disciples. Compliments were freely given. Song Jian listened attentively, enjoying their conversations about the Qingyun Sword Sect Elders and subtly gathering information from them. About half an hour later, another disciple entered and said indifferently to everyone, The Sect Leader and all the Elders have summoned you. Follow me. Thank you, brother! The inner disciples promptly rose and bowed to the man who was dressed in a purple robe. Song Jian also stood up and followed suit, showing respect. Wearing a purple robe was a privilege for only the Sect Leaders and Elders direct disciples. Although they didnt recognize this disciple, his status as a direct disciple was enough for them to show respect. The disciple barely acknowledged them with a nod and led them out of the side house. The group hastily followed him. They soon arrived at Qingyun Hall, one of the most important buildings in the Qingyun Sword Sect where regular official discussions and receptions took place. The grandeur of the building was awe-inspiring, especially the plaque above the main entrance bearing the inscription Qingyun Hall. It radiated an extraordinary aura and the vigorous strokes of the inscription hinted at a violent Sword Intent that set the heart pounding upon viewing. The mere sight of the inscription made Song Jian go cold. It seemed that the second mission was far more challenging than he had anticipated. Chapter 642 - Chapter 642: Chapter 642: Sword Intent Chapter 642: Chapter 642: Sword Intent Here we are, this is Qingyun Hall. You can enter by yourselves, said the core disciple indifferently. Pushing open a large green metal door, Song Jian and the others headed towards the hall of Qingyun Hall. The hall was spacious and somewhat vacant, Sect Leader Liu Qingyun and more than a dozen elders turned their gaze simultaneously towards Song Jians group. Greetings, Sect Leader, greetings elders! The group respectfully greeted. Each of these dozen or so elders emitted fluctuations of Tier-1 Combat Power, surpassing ordinary Tier-1 combatants. Song Jian had felt this level of intimidating might only once before, on the leader of Blackwind Village. As for Liu Qingyun, seated on the Sect Leaders throne, even Song Jian couldnt discern his actual strength. To what extent had he reached? The only descriptor in his mind was unfathomable. No need for formality, you all represent the future of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Weve asked you here mainly for us old fellows to meet you, and as a reward for your performance yesterday, Liu Qingyun said amiably. We are willing to serve the Sect! Song Jian and the others bowed and shouted in unison. Good, other than Song Jian, all of you are inner disciples. Several elders appreciate you a lot and wish to take you as their direct disciples, said Liu Qingyun. The inner disciples looked at each other in surprise, then burst into excitement. Becoming a direct disciple of a master, was like taking a step up into the heavens. Not all successful participants in the disciples trial could become direct disciples, they must be selected by the elders. Chu Qiang, Hao Dadong here, you must have heard of me. Today, I wish to take you as my twelfth direct disciple. What do you think? A burly white-haired old man stood up and shouted loudly. The disciple who had spoken with Song Jian earlier stood up, his face glowing with excitement. Holding his fists in respect, he bowed to the old man and said, Disciple, disciple is willing! Liu Chunhua, old man One by one, elders stood up, taking the internal disciples as their direct ones. The information of these disciples was already known to them, so it was more a matter of formality. Those who became direct disciples would see their status greatly improved. No inner disciple would refuse to acknowledge this favor. All the disciples who were accepted as direct disciples stood behind their masters, leaving only Song Jian standing alone in the middle of the hall. Everyone quietly watched him. Song Jian, can you tell us how you managed to annihilate the whole of Blackwind Village by yourself? Liu Qinghuan asked slowly. The Qingyun Sword Sect had already sent people to examine Blackwind Village. It turned out that it was completely empty and had been burned down. The bodies of the people had been burned to ruins and no trace could be found. Some elders were even preparing to strike. As soon as Song Jian showed any indication of weakness, they planned to launch a powerful attack to kill him on the spot. Sect Leader, Honorable Elders! Song Jian responded without arrogance or humility, When I initially accepted this assignment, I did not plan to annihilate the entire Blackwind Village. I knew my own strength. I was not, at the time, capable of completely annihilating Blackwind Village. My intent was only to kill some ordinary bandits, and earn some cultivation pills in the process. However, after killing the ordinary bandits, I suddenly entered a strange state. I dont even know what I was doing, I just moved continuously towards the Blackwind Mountain Village. When I came to my senses, the bandits of the entire Blackwind Village had been killed by me! I was afraid at the moment, so in my panic, I over turned a brazier, and fled back here overnight. Song Jian added. What is this strange state you are referring to? An elder asked with wide eyes. I I dont know With a slight frown, Song Jian shook his head. The elders closest to Sect Leader Liu exchanged glances before looking back at him. With a hint of a smile, Liu Qingyun asked, Can you enter that state again? A few elders eyes brightened. This was exactly what they wanted to know. If Song Jian said he couldnt enter again, his suspicion would greatly increase. If he could, but his strength didnt change at all after entering the state, he would not be able to prove his innocence, and would definitely be under intense scrutiny in future. I can! Song Jian replied, Afterwards, I attempted to enter that state multiple times. After numerous trials, I can now deliberately enter and exit that state. Can you show us now? Liu Qingyun asked with a smile, appearing relaxed throughout, unlike the tense elders around him. The rest of the elders were mostly like spectators, sitting quietly, saying nothing. Song Jian nodded, lightly closed his eyes and tensed his muscles, seemingly using all his strength. After a moment, Song Jian activated his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body technique, causing a keen aura to radiate from his body. Golden Sword Qi swirled around, and eight sword shadows slowly rotated around Song Jian. Song Jian was taking a gamble. The concept of Sword Intent was well-known in the Qingyun Sword Sect. Their sect leader had been considered a genius in his youth for his independent comprehension of Sword Intent. Due to the enthusiastic endorsement of some people, the types and strengths of Sword Intent were a common topic among the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Song Jian found that the so-called Sword Intent was akin to a boost in status. Depending on the specific Sword Intent, the effect varied. His Immortal Sword Body greatly resembled this amplified state. Although Song Jian didnt know if there were any Sword Intents similar to the Immortal Sword Body in this world, he felt that his chances of winning this bet were high. Sword Intent, its really Sword Intent. This isnt just touching the threshold of Sword Intent, this is complete Sword Intent! An elder stood up in shock, staring at the Song Jian, who was exuding a fierce aura with golden Sword Qi swirling around him, and cried out in surprise. Liu Qingyun squinted his eyes, involuntarily squeezing the armrest of his throne. A crack sound echoed as the sturdy armrest developed a crack. What kind of Sword Intent is this? It feels powerful, definitely capable of contesting a Tier-1 combatants strength All the elders turned their gaze to Sect Leader Liu Qingyun. Among them, only a few had touched the threshold of Sword Intent. In the entire Qingyun Sword Sect, only Sect Leader Liu Qingyun had truly mastered Sword Intent. Chapter 643 - Chapter 643: Chapter 643 Sword Formation Chapter 643: Chapter 643 Sword Formation Liu Qingyun stared at Song Jian and said slowly, Indeed, this is Sword Intent! The moment his words fell, the gazes of several elders became red-hot as they looked at Song Jian. Even disregarding Song Jians potential for now, just his comprehension of the complete sword intent was enough to spark the elder disciples envy. If they could personally teach him, wouldnt their chances of understanding sword intent increase significantly under his influence? Ahem, Sect Leader, now that Song Jian is cleared, can I An Elder rose and hinted with a respectful bow towards the Sect Leader. Before he could finish his sentence, a robust man interrupted him, Old Hu, why are you always trying to hog everything good for yourself? Havent you already taken a disciple directly under your wing? Greediness isnt virtuous. Let those elders who havent taken any disciples yet have a chance. As for Song Jian, I would I also havent taken a direct disciple yet. I think Song Jian is quite suitable. My Duan Yue Sword Skill is very suitable for him A few elders ranked higher clamored with an eagerness to take Song Jian as a direct disciple. Initially, the elders ranked lower also shared the same thought, but seeing the current situation, they all gave a bitter smile and shook their heads, just watching the scene while sipping tea. Enough already. We are all experienced people, yet were bickering like kids, arent we setting ourselves up for ridicule? Liu Qingyun frowned at the incessant arguing elders and finally reprimanded them. Once everyone had quieted down, Liu Qingyun addressed Song Jian, Song Jian, are you willing to become my disciple? Upon hearing Liu Qingyuns words, the Elders wore various expressions. The in-door disciples who were just taken in as direct disciples all watched Song Jian with envious looks. I am willing! Song Jian respectfully replied. Good! Liu Qingyun expressed his satisfaction with a smile, From now on, you are the third disciple directly under my wing. Congratulations to the Sect Leader for taking another direct disciple. What a joyful occasion! All elders congratulated in unison. Finally, Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Although his involvement in the Blackwind Bandit raid was concealed, his possession of Sword Intent was exposed, and he was accepted as a direct disciple by the Sect Leader himself. As such, his reputation spread throughout the Qingyun Sword Sect, making him known to almost everyone. This made him step more cautiously than ever. Once Song Jian became a direct disciple of the Sect Leader, he was allocated a separate small courtyard. His attire was changed from the simple gray robes to a splendid purple robe, and he even had two maid-servants at his command, which essentially catapulted his status within the Qingyun Sword Sect. A few days later, the rewards for eliminating the Blackwind Bandits were distributed. Moreover, with the welcome gifts offered by several examiners during the disciple assessment, Song Jian spent several days engrossed in the study of swordsmanship in his courtyard, politely declining all disciple visits. In this world, I can study new sword techniques that dont need skill points to level up! Song Jian exclaimed in wonder, carefully examining a scroll. This scroll was the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique, given to him by Swordmaster Li Guiqing during the disciple assessment. As he studied it, his proficiency in Qingyun Sword Skill gradually increased. When his proficiency reached 100 percent, a golden light suddenly appeared, and the level of Qingyun Sword Skill had leveled up. At this point, Song Jians Qingyun Sword Skill reached level eight. Its highest level is nine, much higher than many of Song Jians other skills. Although learning new sword skills didnt require skill points in this world, other skills like Flash Thunder Strike and Broken Wing Dance still required skill points for upgrades, making them seem oddly out of place. This world is truly a haven for swordsmanship cultivation. If I study and master more sword skills and constantly integrate them, maybe Ill be able to develop epic or even legendary-level sword skills. If I succeed, my rewards in this world will be far greater than mission rewards. Moreover, even if I fail, I can still carry those sword techniques back with me. A smile couldnt help but creep across Song Jians face. Several other disciples resided around the small yard where Song Jian lived, who were all elder disciples. Song Jian was supposed to visit his two senior brothers, i.e., Liu Qingyuns other two direct disciples, first, but they were both out on tasks, and he had no other option but to let it go. However, a disciple living next to his courtyard would often come over to see him. After many refusals, Song Jian finally decided to maintain civility with his neighbor. Qi Leng, cant you learn a bit of courtesy like Elder Wans direct disciple? Song Jian helplessly watched the young man clad in a purple robe jump over the wall and walk straight to the stone table in the courtyard. He picked up a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth while savoring each bite. That bookworm is such a pushover. People like him are bound to lose out. Qi Leng replied with a self-satisfied expression. Song Jian referred to Elder Wans direct disciple, his neighbor on the other side. After being refused by Song Jian once, he never returned. Also, can you please enter through the main gate next time instead of always hopping over the wall? It doesnt reflect well on you. Song Jian said, rubbing his forehead. I cant help it. This route is more convenient for me. If you dont like it, you can buy a sword formation from the Sect and set it up around your house. Qi Leng seemed to choke on his words and drank a large cup of tea to wash it down. Then he continued, I know you are super wealthy now. Even we other direct disciples looked greedily at the rewards you got for eliminating the Blackwind Bandits. Moreover, dont tell me that you gained nothing from eliminating the entire Blackwind Bandits. Song Jian smiled faintly. His assets probably were a lot more abundant than those of average direct disciples. For his everyday cultivation, he used Dan pills like candy, which greatly sped up his progress. He could afford to practice the Qingyun Sword Skill with no restrictions on the usage of Dan pills Sword formation? What do you mean by that? Song Jian asked, intrigued by Qi Lengs words. Indeed, with Song Jians expertise in magic runes, setting up a defensive magic array in his yard would be a piece of cake. Doing such a thing, which would blatantly reveal his true identity, was something only novices who were new to this world and knew nothing would do. This Qi Leng took out three transparent crystal stones from his pocket and tossed them on the ground. The crystal stones automatically arranged themselves in a triangle, and a sharp Sword Qi rose from the middle of the triangle and slashed towards Song Jian. Chapter 644 - Chapter 644: Chapter 644: Trading Zone Chapter 644: Chapter 644: Trading Zone Seeing the Sword Qi approaching, Song Jians brows raised. He formed a sword with his right hand, lightly tapping the Sword Qi. Bang A sound like metal clashing rang out in mid-air, and a strong force burst forth, causing a gust of wind in the small courtyard. Song Jians eyes lit up. The power of this Sword Qi was almost on par with his max-level Earth Teeth Assault. Moreover, from these three transparent crystals, Song Jian felt a familiar sensation. This is the most basic Sword Qi array, formed with three Sword Stones. Those who can create Sword Stones are called Sword Array Masters. If youre interested, you can look into it, Qi Leng smiled and said, You can go to the trading area in the sect, where youll find everything you want. Song Jian nodded and put the matter aside, chatting casually with Qi Leng. After Qi Leng left, Song Jian continued to level up his Qingyun Sword Skill until it reached max level. Then he put away the book Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique. Now, the skills Song Jian had mastered included Earth Teeth Assault at max level, which could be fused. However, when he put Earth Teeth Assault and Qingyun Sword Skill into the fusion column, he found that their fusion rate was only 2.32%. It seems that to fuse skills, you need to choose those with similar types and effects. The fusion rate will be higher, Song Jian thought as he closed the fusion column. After making simple preparations, Song Jian left his residence directly. This place is like a small town! Song Jian walked in the trading area of Qingyun Mountain and looked at the buildings on both sides of the mountain road with a surprised expression on his face. Those entering included inner disciples, direct disciples, and Swordmasters of the Qingyun Sword Sect, making the place quite lively. There were numerous shops in the trading area, mostly owned by Swordmasters, and the majority of the customers were inner disciples. Song Jian casually glanced at the shops on both sides while walking towards the center of the trading area. At the center of the trading area, a stone pillar stood erect. Many people were gathered around the pillar, seemingly examining something. With the stone pillar as the center, a circle with a diameter of ten meters was drawn on the ground. As Song Jian stepped into the circle, he instantly felt a breath drilling towards his forehead. This breath touched the skin of his brow, giving a tingling sensation like being electrocuted. Instantly, a large amount of information composed of text and images flashed before Song Jians eyes. Eventually, the information twisted and condensed into a thick book that appeared in his mind. With a thought, Song Jians consciousness made contact with the thick book and gently flipped to the first page. Weapons, Materials, Pills, Sword Techniques, What first caught Song Jians eyes was a densely packed index. He hesitated for a moment and directly chose Sword Array. Hum~ A soft buzz sounded in his mind, followed by a plethora of information regarding sword arrays. Basic Sword Array Course Completed Sword Arrays for Sale Sword Array Materials Sword Array Shops All sorts of information related to sword arrays appeared before Song Jian. After looking through them for a while and gaining a general understanding, he then moved onto the Sword Techniques section. All kinds of sword techniques appeared before him. Some were already fully mastered by the Qingyun Sword Sect. If these techniques were chosen, a specialized Swordmaster responsible for explaining them would be available, in addition to the technique books. However, there were many other sword techniques that the Qingyun Sword Sect had obtained from other places, with few practitioners. If such techniques were chosen, self-exploration would be required, and the possibility of encountering various issues was high. As expected, the higher the tier of the sword techniques passed down by the Qingyun Sword Sect, the higher the required level of the Qingyun Sword Skill! Song Jian thought as he browsed through the information. Cultivating sword techniques on my own is too slow. Unless I can get a book like the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique, its better to level up sword techniques during combat Song Jian thought, I should follow my original plan and learn more about sword arrays. Soon, after filtering, Song Jian was left with only a few pieces of information. Course: Basic Sword Array, Instructor: Zhao Tianliang, Array Level: Advanced, Class Time: Every Wednesday 9 am to 11 am; Fee: 2 points. Buying 10 grams of Mysterious Iron Pure Gold at a reasonable price, items for trade available: White Tiger Sword Formation Analysis, Cloud-rising Steps, Roaring Tiger Sword Techniques, Flowing Cloud Sword (blue), Golden Silk Armor (blue), Items sold in-store: Basic Sword Array Analysis, Sword Spirit Grass, Sword Stone (blank), Spirit Accumulation Pill, Blood Replenishing Pill, It doesnt seem easy to learn about sword arrays Song Jian frowned. There were specialized teachers in the sect to teach sword array knowledge, but it required points. These points were like the currency circulating within the Qingyun Sword Sect, and any item could be exchanged with points. As a direct disciple of the Sect Leader, Song Jian received a welfare of 100 points a month. However, the class time was short, and there were still five days until the next class. Song Jian couldnt wait that long. As for the remaining options, Song Jian didnt have the items they wanted in exchange. It seems like I can only check out those shops selling sword array knowledge, Song Jian thought to himself. Among the information he chose, there were three shops selling basic sword array knowledge. Song Jian headed directly towards the one closest to him. According to the information left on the webpage, Song Jian quickly found a shop. This shop was located at the end of a narrow alley on a mountain road, built on a huge rock. The shop was a bit remote, so there were no customers inside, making it very quiet. Inside the shop, there were shelves lined with various items, making it look like a general store. What do you need? A middle-aged mans face emerged from behind the counter. He looked somewhat chubby, with round, rosy cheeks and a pair of small, shrewd eyes. I need some basic books on sword arrays, Song Jian said. The middle-aged man stuck his head out, looked Song Jian up and down, and upon seeing the purple clothes on his body, he muttered quietly: Another brother who has been promoted from inner door to direct disciple. Do you really think learning sword arrays is so simple? Better to buy some finished products for self-defense instead of wasting energy and time to learn this As he said this, the middle-aged man came out from behind the counter and picked up a thin booklet from the shelf. He handed it to Song Jian and said, Ten points. Also, the items sold in this store are non-refundable. Chapter 645 - Chapter 645: Chapter 645 Sword Array Hall Chapter 645: Chapter 645 Sword Array Hall Song Jian bought a few more blank Sword Stones and a Sword Array Talisman Cutter, spending all his hundred points, before he left the shop. Is this guy trying to squeeze every last point out of me? Song Jian looked at the bulging small cloth bag in his hand and thought to himself. Back at his residence, Song Jian instructed his two maids not to disturb him, took out the Basic Sword Array Analysis and started studying. After carefully flipping through the entire book, the word Sword Array appeared in Song Jians skill bar at level 1; System: You have learned the basic Sword Array, mastered the skill of setting up Sword Array, and obtained the title of Junior Sword Array Master. Junior Sword Array Master (Title): Equipping this title increases the speed of setting up a Sword Array by 5% and the success rate by 5%; Not bad! A smile crept onto Song Jians face, with the help of the gaming system, he could learn any skill quickly as long as he had a Skill Book. This Basic Sword Array Analysis only includes a simple array, the Blazing Blade Array. He could carve the array diagram of the Blazing Blade Array on a blank Sword Stone, and once successful, he could activate the array diagram on the Sword Stone for attack at any time; He continued to flip through the book, and each time he gained proficiency in Basic Sword Array Analysis. He spent an entire afternoon almost memorizing the entire book, and his Sword Array level only increased to level three, and his proficiency could no longer increase. After a light dinner, Song Jian took out a blank Sword Stone and a small wooden box the size of his palm. Opening the box, there was a silver needle as thin as a hair. The needle was only a knuckle-long, sparkling like a star. This was the Sword Array Talisman Cutter, which cost Song Jian sixty points alone. Song Jians eyes focused on the silver Talisman Cutter. In a short while, the Talisman Cutter began to vibrate slightly, slowly floating in mid-air as Song Jians Mental Strength began to slowly consume; The so-called carving of a Sword Array involves using Mental Strength to control the Talisman Cutter to carve a complete array diagram on the Sword Stone. Song Jian looked at the trembling Talisman Cutter in front of him and frowned, he took back the Sword Stone in his hand, it would be a waste to carve the array diagram on the Sword Stone in this state, a waste of Sword Stones, a waste of points. Its like using a trembling hand to embroider, the final result is just wasting materials; I have to practice controlling the Talisman Cutter first. Song Jian thought to himself. However, not long after, Song Jian felt dizzy, and the silver Talisman Cutter fell onto the table with a clatter. It consumes too much Mental Strength Song Jians face was gloomy, he took out a pill and swallowed it, gradually recovering his Mental Strength. It seems that learning the Sword Array is much harder than I thought In fact, with the help of the system, Song Jian was already much faster than others. Ordinary people who first learn the Sword Array cannot master it, even after one or two years of hard work, and he only took a short afternoon to become a junior Sword Array Master. Although he still cant produce any Sword Array Stone, he already has the qualities of a Sword Array Master. After resting for a while, when his Mental Strength recovered, Song Jian began to control the Talisman Cutter again. He spent three straight hours and consumed enough pills to bankrupt an inner disciple, but the level of his Talisman Cutter control didnt improve. Why is it so hard? No wonder the shop owner looked at me like I was wasting time learning the Sword Array. It seems only real Swordmasters can learn the Sword Array! Song Jian thought, unwilling to concede. The so-called Swordmasters are those with first-tier Combat Power, their attributes are much higher than ordinary disciples, so they naturally have no problem controlling the Talisman Cutter. Song Jian was holding a pill, about to put it in his mouth, but suddenly felt nauseous. The faint fragrance emanating from the pill became a repulsive smell his nose; I cant eat any more, my body is sending a warning, if I eat more, Ill develop pill toxin, which is harmful to the body! Song Jian frowned. The pills in this world do not have a cooldown time, they can be used consecutively, but if you eat too many at once, they can produce toxins in the body. Am I to just give up? Song Jian frowned, then an idea hit him, he picked up the silver Talisman Cutter. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Suddenly, a transparent Spirit Sword condensed from Song Jians forehead, he controlled this Spirit Sword to shoot at the silver Talisman Cutter; As soon as the Spirit Sword neared the Talisman Cutter, it immediately entered it. Suddenly, Song Jian controlled the silver Talisman Cutter as if it was second nature, flexible and nimble, as if he had been practicing for a long time. What made him even more delighted was that after the Spirit Sword was integrated into the Talisman Cutter, controlling the Talisman Cutter no longer required the consumption of Mental Strength. That is to say, each time he made a Sword Array Stone, he only needed to consume thirty points of Mental Strength and he could control the Talisman Cutter indefinitely to make Sword Array Stones. Even a Swordmaster with first-tier Combat Power couldnt do this. It was as if Its like a glitch in the system Excitement shone in Song Jians eyes. For more than a month, Song Jian stayed home. Every day, he instructed his maid to go out and buy Sword Stones for him. When he ran out of points, hed exchange his gold, silver, and jewels. There were several baskets of defaced Sword Stones, each time the two maids watched as the ruined Sword Stones were removed, they were speechless. One day, Song Jian was controlling the Sword Array Talisman Cutter to engrave the Sword Array diagram on the Sword Stone, and six shining Sword Stones were already placed on his table. At this moment, a maid suddenly shouted at the door: Young master, the Sect Leader wants to see you! Song Jian jolted, and with a crack, the Sword Stone in his hand emitted a slight shattering sound. Song Jian expressionlessly threw the ruined Sword Stone in his hand into the trash bin, taking the remaining six Sword Stones, these are the ones he had prepared for creating the Seven Stars Sword Array, he only needed one more to complete the set. This time the summon was not a formal one, Song Jian arrived at Sect Leader Liu Qingyuns private courtyard. I heard that youve been secluded at home lately, studying the way of the Sword Array? Liu Qingyun laughed when he saw Song Jian enter. Song Jian nodded, this was not a secret in the Qingyun Sword Sect. At this time, his Sword Array skill had reached level nine, and he was about to be promoted from Junior Sword Array Master to Intermediate Sword Array Master. There were only a few in the entire Qingyun Sword Sect who could reach the level of Intermediate Sword Array Master, and there wasnt a single Advanced Sword Array Master. Closing yourself off from the world wont work. Liu Qingyun smiled, Since you like to research into the Sword Array, then go to the Sword Array Hall. You wont need to waste points purchasing those materials Song Jians eyes lit up, it seemed that his foster father was specially taking care of him. However, he soon realized that his mission was to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect and kill the man in front of him. His heart suddenly became conflicted. Chapter 646 - Chapter 646: Chapter 646: Awe of Getting off the Horse Chapter 646: Chapter 646: Awe of Getting off the Horse The next day, under the guidance of a disciple, Song Jian arrived at the Sword Array Hall. The Sword Array Hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect was surprisingly located in the belly of the entire mountain, almost hollowing out Qingyun Mountain, utilizing the Earths vein firepower to refine sword arrays. Next to the Sword Array Hall was the Sword Casting Hall, both entrances very close to each other. Eh, Song Jian, what are you doing here? A familiar voice sounded. Song Jian turned to look and saw that it was Swordmaster Wang Hai, who had assessed him before. Master Wang! Song Jian respectfully bowed and greeted him. No need for that, youre a genius who has comprehended Sword Intent and the Sect Leaders personal disciple. If anything, I should be the one bowing to you. Wang Hai hurriedly waved his hand and stepped aside. Why are you here? Could it be that you joined the Sword Array Hall? Wang Hai glanced at the entrance leading to the Sword Array Hall and asked. Yes, my master knew that I like to study sword arrays, so he let me come here to learn. Song Jian said with a smile. Wang Hai gave Song Jian a meaningful look, nodded without saying anything, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then turned and left. Watching Wang Hais retreating figure for a while, Song Jian followed the disciple guiding him and entered the Sword Array Hall. Master Song, Ive brought the person! The disciple guiding the way saluted a middle-aged man dressed in white and said. Song Jian looked up and saw that the man appeared to be in his forties with an average build. Although his face showed no wrinkles, there was a wisp of white hair at his temples. He doesnt look like a Swordmaster but rather like a scholar! Song Jian wondered in his heart but didnt hesitate at all. He took a step forward and bowed to the Hall Master of the Sword Array Hall, Greetings, Hall Master. Good, good! A smile flashed across Master Songs face, and he raised a hand in a light gesture, You are the Sect Leaders personal disciple, no need to be so restrained. The Sect Leader told me that you like to study the way of sword arrays, but to truly master sword arrays, one must possess at least first-order Combat Power, otherwise, a careless mistake could cause severe damage to ones Mental Strength. I heard that you have already comprehended complete Sword Intent, so you should be able to break through and become a real Swordmaster soon. By then, you will truly understand the power of sword arrays. Master Song said, smiling. Thank you, Master Song! Song Jian clasped his hands in a salute. You will be assisting Master Sun, acting as his deputy for now. Master Sun is our most experienced Junior Sword Array Master in the Sword Array Hall. Learn from him well. Master Song turned to an elderly man with white hair and a beard and said with a smile, Sun Changlin, Im leaving the Sect Leaders personal disciple to you. Dont hold anything back, teach him well, and our Sword Array Hall may have another Sword Array Master, and youll be credited for it. Cough, cough, thats fine. Im getting old, my Mental Strength is weakening a lot, and even holding a talisman blade makes me tremble now. Im afraid it wont be long before I cant even make the simplest Stone-splitting Array. Sun Changlin seemed somewhat weak, coughing twice, But teaching this little kid here shouldnt be a problem. Follow me. Sun Changlin took Song Jian to a small room and handed him a four-finger-thick book, saying, First, understand what a sword array is. These are all basic knowledge about sword arrays, and you must memorize them all. However, its necessary to read through them at least once, and preferably, read them thoroughly. This is the most comprehensive basic knowledge regarding sword arrays in the entire Sword Array Hall. Song Jian looked at the book in his hands and was dumbfounded. The title of the book was also Basic Sword Array Analysis. What, is there a problem? Sun Changlin glanced at Song Jian and asked. I had previously bought a book about basic sword arrays as well Saying that, Song Jian took out the book he had bought for ten points from his bosom. Bought it from the trading area, right? Sun Changlin just glanced at it and said, Most of the books sold in the trading area are written by memory from the disciples of the Sword Array Hall. If you buy ten such books, the content inside each of them might be different. Song Jian was somewhat speechless, but his face soon showed excitement. His sword array skill had already reached Level 9, but no matter how he practiced creating Sword Stones, his proficiency could not be improved. It seemed that he had reached a bottleneck. But the book in front of him might just help his sword array skills continue to improve, and he might even have a chance to break through the Junior Sword Array Master level and reach the Intermediate Sword Array Master level. From then on, Song Jian began to lead a life of two points and one line. He paid no attention to anything else in the Qingyun Sword Sect, and even the first-order Combat Power assessment task was put aside. Of course, with his current strength, even if he wanted to complete the assessment task, it would be beyond his reach. The Qingyun Sword Sect was not something he alone could eliminate. Half a month later, just like before, Song Jian left his residence and headed towards the Sword Array Hall. He was currently only doing some tasks to assist Sun Changlin, such as organizing sword array drawings and collecting materials for making Sword Stones. However, in fact, Song Jian was already an Intermediate Sword Array Master with his sword array skills breaking through Level 10 and reaching Level 14. In the entire Qingyun Sword Sect, there were only a few people with higher sword array achievements than him. Perhaps the key to completing the assessment task lies in this sword array technique. Song Jian walked and thought with his head down. Just then, a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy ran toward Song Jian, panting. Brother, the Sect Leader summoned you! The young boy said, gasping for breath. Song Jian smiled gently and said, Linger, speak slowly and dont rush. The boy called Linger was Sect Leader Liu Qingyuns pageboy, making him something like half a personal disciple. The other two personal disciples of the Sect Leader have returned to the sect. The Sect Leader, he wants you to meet your other two senior brothers. Linger said. Song Jian was slightly startled. Since he was accepted as a personal disciple, he had never met these two nominal senior brothers. He didnt expect they would have already completed their tasks and returned. Lets go quickly. Song Jian said as he followed Linger towards Liu Qingyuns estate. The moment Song Jian stepped through the main gate of the estate, he immediately felt a chilling murderous intent. Inside the estate, it seemed as if thousands of sharp swords were stabbing towards him. Subconsciously, Song Jian activated his Immortal Sword Body, condensing a mental longsword over three feet long in his brow and slashing it fiercely forward. Bang! A dull sound echoed through the air. Song Jian felt as if the mental longsword he had condensed had struck a thick steel wall, sending a strong rebound sensation through his mind. Song Jian grunted, blood streaming from his nostrils. Chapter 647 - Chapter 647: Chapter 647 Senior Brother Chapter 647: Chapter 647 Senior Brother Is that Song Jian? Come in quickly! Liu Qingyuns voice came from the mansion hall. Song Jians face was somber. He wiped off the blood seeping out and headed toward the mansion. As soon as he entered the gate, Song Jian saw a man wearing an iron mask, looking at him with a mocking face. It seemed that the man who had just taught him a lesson was this man. The mans iron mask only covered half of his face. The mask was shaped like a soaring hawk. Seeing Song Jian, he revealed a sarcastic expression, Is this the genius who has grasped complete Sword Intent even before becoming a Swordmaster, whom my Master has taken in? To me, hes nothing special! Jian Qi, say less. At his age, you were no match for him. Said a man wearing a black robe, glancing at him. Humph, eldest brother, why are you so eager to play the good guy? I think our little junior brother isnt so simple! Jian Qi snorted coldly and turned his head. Alright, I have only taken in three disciples. I hope you all get along and support each other. Im not asking you to make me famous. Liu Qingyun, sitting at the main seat, glared at Jian Qi. Jian Qi, with an unconcerned look, shrugged his shoulders at Liu Qingyun. Greetings, Master! Song Jian bowed his head and saluted. Song Jian, I asked you here to introduce you to your two senior brothers. This is your eldest brother, Chang Qinghe. The one wearing an iron mask is your second brother, Jian Qi. Liu Qingyun explained. Greetings, eldest brother and second brother! Song Jian saluted. The eldest brother smiled and nodded back, while Jian Qi snorted coldly, a hint of disdain on his face. The aura around the eldest brother, Chang Qinghe, was dense and deep, like a surging river. In contrast, Jian Qi exuded a fierce aura. It was as if he were a longsword freshly forged from the furnace, his blade glowing red-hot, while his sharp Sword Qi held a touch of flame. Both of them had reached the first level in Combat Power. Chang Qinghe was at level thirty-six, while Jian Qi was at level thirty-two. Song Jian, how have you been doing in the Sword Array Hall recently? Any gains? Liu Qingyun asked with a smile. Quite well. I feel that Ive gained a lot Song Jian nodded and said. Psh, you havent even reached the first level in Combat Power and you dare to learn sword arrays. Can you even hold the talisman blade firmly? Jian Qi disparagingly remarked. Liu Qingyun snorted coldly. Jian Qi froze, bowed his head, and began to drink his tea. As long as you gained something. Liu Qingyun nodded and said. The two of you executed this mission very well. Liu Qingyun spoke a few words with Song Jian, then turned to Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi. Especially Qinghe, the quality of the Xuan Tian Snowmans heart is extremely high. It will significantly enhance the power of my Sword Talisman War Soldier. Sword Talisman War Soldier? Song Jians heart skipped a beat. It seemed there were several things Liu Qingyun had up his sleeve that he wasnt aware of, like this Sword Talisman War Soldier C this was the first time hed heard of it. Song Jian perked up his ears, eager to learn more about the Sword Talisman War Soldier, but Liu Qingyun merely mentioned it in passing without further explanation, and swiftly changed the topic to their respective progress in cultivation. The morning slipped away like this. For the most part, Liu Qingyun doing the talking, while the trio listened. Between analyzing the internal situation of the Qingyun Sword Sect, Liu Qingyun suggested improvements to the trios sect techniques and cultivation progress. Song Jian discovered that Liu Qingyun was lax and allowed them leeway; he would occasionally offer guidance when he was in the mood but let things be when he wasnt. Alright, stay for lunch. Its been a while since we teacher-and-disciple have eaten together! Liu Qingyun laughed and added, Next time you two go into the secret realm, take your junior brother along for some experience. Song Jian noticed that after Liu Qingyun finished his sentence, the look his two senior brothers directed at him had become strange. Master, junior brothers strength is still weak. The monsters in the secret realm, even the weakest, have the first-level Combat Power. It would be dangerous for junior brother! Chang Qinghe said hesitantly. Master, if we bring him in, its not just risking our own necks, but if something happens to him, wed have a hard time explaining it to you! Jian Qi glanced at Song Jian and remarked. Hmph, do you think that your junior brothers strength is weaker than yours? Liu Qingyuns face darkened as he snapped, He has grasped the complete Sword Intent. Once he enters Sword Intent state, he can match the first level Combat Power! What, is that possible? Liu Qingyuns eyes widened in surprise, and he looked up and down at Song Jian. Comparable to first level Combat Power? How is that possible? Jian Qi jumped from his chair, his face full of disbelief. What, you think your Master would lie to you? Liu Qingyun snorted coldly and, giving them both a look, he left flapping his sleeve. Little junior brother, when you have time, let your brothers bear witness to the true Sword Intent! eldest brother Chang Qinghe laughed. Yes, yes, we are not qualified to see Masters Broken Water Flow Sword Intention. We have always heard that Sword Intent is indeed very mighty, but weve never seen anyone use Sword Intent! Jian Qi looked at Song Jian, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. Broken Water Flow Sword Intention Song Jian thought to himself, it seems I should interact more with these two cheap senior brothers to learn more about Liu Qingyun. After lunch, Song Jian continued on his way to Sword Array Hall. In the Sword Array Hall, Song Jian had mastered numerous powerful sword arrays. Although they were only blueprints, Song Jian was confident that as long as he had enough materials, he could produce the Sword Array Stones needed for these sword arrays. Come, Song Jian, today Ill teach you how to make Sword Array Stones! Sun Changlin saw Song Jian come in and quickly waved at him. Make Sword Array Stones? Song Jian was taken aback. After all, to make Sword Array Stones in Sword Array Hall, one had to have the first level Combat Power, an unwritten rule in the Sword Array Hall. What, you dont want to learn? Sun Changlin asked with a straight face. I do want to learn, Id love to! Song Jian laughed. Sun Changlin laughed, took out an empty Sword Stone, handed it to Song Jian, and said, I know you have a Talisman Blade. Come, try it out and show me how far youve come. Song Jian smiled slightly, took out a wooden box, pulled out a silver Talisman Blade from inside it, and with a thought, the silver Talisman Blade slowly floated up, transformed into a silver light, and burrowed into the empty Sword Stone in Song Jians hand. Sun Changlin was stunned, a look of surprise in his eyes. After looking at Song Jian, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Chapter 648 - Chapter 648: Chapter 648: Official Sword Array Master Chapter 648: Chapter 648: Official Sword Array Master Sun Changlin looked at the silver talisman knife controlled by Song Jian, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. You are holding the talisman knife very stably! Sun Changlin said in astonishment. Song Jians mouth curled up slightly, his formation skills were much higher than anyone had imagined. He only revealed a little, and it had already shocked the junior Sword Array Master. The Sword Stone in Song Jians hand kept flashing, and inside, it seemed as if there was a small silver fish swimming constantly. Fine gold! Song Jian whispered. Sun Changlin was stunned for a moment and then immediately realized. He took a wooden box from the shelf, opened it, and inside was golden powder as fine as sand. Swish~ As if a breeze blew, a thin layer of the fine gold powder was scraped from the wooden box. It looked like a golden thread, rushing towards the transparent Sword Stone in Song Jians hand. Sweat began to trickle down Song Jians forehead, making him appear very exhausted. However, in reality, forcing out sweat was even more laborious than making the simplest Sword Array Stone in his hand. Dragging the creation process for almost one-third longer than usual, the Sword Stone in Song Jians hand suddenly burst out with a dazzling white light. The Sword Array was recorded, and a fresh Sword Array Stone was produced. The silver talisman knife seemed like a stream of light, flying out of the Sword Array Stone and landing in the wooden box. Song Jian seemed to be drained of strength as he collapsed into a chair, and the Sword Array Stone also fell from his hand and landed on the table. Seeing Song Jian gasping for breath, Sun Changlin fell silent. He could not remember how long it had taken him to finally make his first Sword Array Stone in his early days, but it was definitely much longer than Song Jians time. Although Song Jian tried his best to hide it, many details revealed his proficiency in making Sword Array Stones. This guy must have made a Sword Array Stone before, even though its just the simplest Starlights Sword Array Stone. Sun Changlin thought to himself. Ordinary Sword Array Stones could only release one Sword Qi at a time, and based on the power of the Sword Qi, they were divided into Starlight, Moonlight, and Sunburn. The complete set of Seven Stars Sword Array Stones that Song Jian had successfully made earlier was even more powerful, capable of easily slaughtering a hundred-man squad. Not bad, not bad. Although its just the simplest Starlights Sword Array Stone, it can actually be triggered three times, which is considered a minor extreme quality. Sun Changlin picked up the Sword Array Stone on the table and examined it carefully. The originally transparent Sword Array Stone now had golden patterns within, like fine hairs. These patterns were like a spider web, wrapping around the entire Sword Array Stone. With just one use of internal breath, such a Sword Array Stone could shoot out a Sword Qi towards the enemy. Moreover, the quality of the Sword Array Stone that Song Jian made was quite high. It could accumulate and trigger three Sword Qis before it would be scrapped. I originally wanted to teach you something, but I didnt expect that you had already taught yourself to this level. Its really amazing Sun Changlin looked at Song Jian with complex emotions. Taking a porcelain bottle from his bosom, Song Jian took out a pill and stuffed it into his mouth. His face gradually regained its color. Hearing Sun Changlins praise, a smile appeared on Song Jians face. Alright, with this Sword Array Stone, youre now considered a junior Sword Array Master. Ill talk to the Hall Master and sign an official contract with you. From now on, youll be a formal member of the Sword Array Hall! Sun Changlin said as he waved the Sword Array Stone in his hand. Song Jian nodded slightly, still seemingly exhausted. Sun Changlin knew the feeling of depleting ones mental strength. He gave a few instructions and told Song Jian to go back and rest directly. Holding the freshly made Sword Array Stone, he went to find the Sword Array Hall Master. It didnt take long for the entire Sword Array Hall to learn that Song Jian, after only a little over a month of practice, could independently produce a Sword Array Stone, albeit the lowest ranked Starlight Sword Qi Array Stone. Song Jian, can you deal with this Sword Stone? There seems to be some purity issues. Every time it reaches the Qi attraction point, theres some blockage. Has the Jin Yanghua arrived yet? Send someone to urge them. We cant afford to delay the Sect Leaders task. Song Jian, go and remind them! Although he had become an official Sword Array Master, Song Jians displayed strength was limited to producing only one Starlight Sword Array Stone per day, which was too slow. As a result, most of the time, he was busy with miscellaneous tasks. Despite this, many people were still amazed by Song Jians progress in learning Sword Array techniques. As the days went by, Song Jian didnt seem to be in a hurry to complete the second round of the assessment task. He knew that in this world, his strength could never break through to the first-tier Combat Power. Only by completing the assessment task and leaving this world would it be possible. If he couldnt break through, he would arouse suspicion from others sooner or later. Three months later, Song Jian gradually revealed his true strength. Having previously only been able to make one Starlight Sword Array Stone per day, he could now, like the other Sword Array Masters in the Sword Array Hall, complete daily tasks. Song Jian took three months to reach this point. Although his progress was astounding, nobody had any suspicions about his performance when he and the other Sword Array Masters worked together to make Sword Array Stones. One day, Song Jian was working on some blank Sword Stones at the public workbench in the main hall of the Sword Array Hall. At that moment, a figure walked in through the door of the Sword Array Hall. Everyone, this months task has arrived. The quantity of Sword Array Stones has increased by 25% compared to last month. Master Song said with an uneasy expression. What, it increased again? In recent months, the task quantity has been increasing continuously. Our current tasks are more than double those of a few months ago Yes, recently, when I sleep every night, I feel a headache coming on. If this continues, Im afraid my consciousness will suffer permanent damage Master, you must report this to the Sect Leader and the other elders. We cant hold on much longer like this Hearing that this months task had increased again, it immediately caused an uproar among the Sword Array Masters. Theres no other way. The conflicts within the Holy Yuan Secret Realm have intensified, and our disputes with the Red-sun Sect are growing. In the past month, there have been more than a dozen small-scale battles. Our fellow apprentices in the secret realm have a great demand for Sword Array Stones. Everyone, please hold on a little longer. The Sect Leader has already ordered that all your benefits will be doubled during this time, and once we defeat the Red-sun Sect, there will be rewards based on your contributions. Everyones efforts wont go unrewarded! Master Song comforted them. The monthly tasks were determined by the higher-ups of the Qingyun Sword Sect, and the Sword Array Masters couldnt resist. Their complaints now were merely a way to vent their frustrations. Upon hearing about the compensation, everyone quieted down, as continuing to make a fuss wouldnt benefit them. Song Jian smiled faintly. A month ago, he had noticed that many of the materials in the Qingyun Sword Sect, including pills, talisman paper, weapons, and equipment, had risen in price. In particular, the prices of auxiliary combat items like Sword Array Stones were increasing rapidly. It seems that the Qingyun Sword Sect is not the only dominating power. The key to destroying the Qingyun Sword Sect might be in this Holy Yuan Secret Realm Song Jian thought to himself. Chapter 649 - Chapter 649: Chapter 649: Entering the Secret Realm Chapter 649: Chapter 649: Entering the Secret Realm Seeing that the Sword Array Masters stopped complaining, Master Song smirked and continued: Additionally, theres another thing I have to announce. This month, we need to send two Sword Array Masters to the Holy Yuan Secret Realm. No need to get anxious, everyone. The other halls will also need to send personnel to the Secret Realm. Theres nothing much to say about this; its a must-do task. Lets discuss who to send this month. As for the situation next month, we will decide then! Master Song looked around and said. Sect Leader, why send us to the Holy Yuan Secret Realm? Arent new Sword Array Stones being sent to the Secret Realm every day? Why assign two Sword Array Masters there when theyre not needed? Isnt this redundant? A Sword Array Master asked curiously. I heard that some incredible treasure has been discovered in the Holy Yuan Secret Realm, so the sect is increasing its efforts in the exploration of the realm. In the future, the entire Sword Array Hall and even the whole sect may move into the Secret Realm. For now, we are just laying the groundwork! Master Song responded: The daily tasks for those going will be the same as here; repairing damaged Sword Stones and creating new Sword Array Stones. Theres no need to fight anyone! Also, in addition to the regular monthly benefits, those going to the Secret Realm will receive an extra reward of 300 points! Master Song announced. Hum~ The Secret Realm was dangerous, so many people were reluctant to go. However, upon hearing that the reward was so generous, many people were tempted and began discussing it among themselves. Actually, as long as we dont enter those disputed areas, its not as dangerous as people say in the Secret Realm A young Sword Array Master hesitated. The reward is high, but its risking our lives Sun Changlins face was somewhat ugly. Secret Realm? Is it very dangerous? Song Jian feigned curiosity. Oh, I forgot, Song Jian. You were just promoted to a direct disciple not long ago and probably dont know much about the Secret Realm. Sun Changlin slapped his forehead and said. Song Jian, what do you think is most important to you right now? Sun Changlin asked. Cultivation techniques, skills, pills? Song Jian pondered. Resources, ultimately, it all comes down to resources! Sun Changlin said: The equipment you wear, the sword in your hand, the pills you use regularlyCall of these things are resources! Secret Realms represent a massive amount of resources! Some realms are naturally formed, containing many natural treasures like precious herbs and minerals, fertile Spirit Fields, and various types of spirit beasts. Some realms are created by ancient practitioners who cultivated their private worlds. Such realms are even more valuable than naturally formed realms. The Holy Yuan Secret Realm is the kind of realm created by ancient practitioners. Besides the resources found in natural secret realms, the most important thing is the blessings left by the ancient practitioners. The cultivation methods inherited from ancient times are worth a fortune each. This is why our Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-sun Sect have been fighting for so long. I guess that an ancient relic left by ancient practitioners has been discovered in the Holy Yuan Secret Realm Sun Changlin glanced around and whispered: Song Jian was stunned. What Sun Changlin described was different from what he had imagined. In the gaming world, secret realms were merely instances for leveling-up and acquiring high-level equipment. However, here, it seemed more like the private garden of some ancient powerhouse. Im getting old, and the Secret Realm is too dangerous for me! Sun Changlin turned to Song Jian and said: Youre still young, and you should seize the opportunity to explore the Secret Realm. Who knows, you might get lucky and obtain a cultivation technique left by an ancient practitioner. That could propel you to great heights! Song Jian, Li Xi, this month, you two go to the Secret Realm. Stay in Qingyun Town and dont go out. Just make a few Sword Array Stones and repair some damaged Sword Array Stones every day. Think of it as a change of environment to relax! Master Song called out their names directly. Song Jian was taken aback, not expecting Master Song to pick him to go into the Secret Realm. In fact, he had already seen a few Sword Array Masters showing their intention to go, but Master Song ignored them and picked him instead. Master Song, Ive only just started learning sword arrays, Im afraid Im not qualified yet? Song Jian showed a bitter smile on his face as he spoke to Master Song. Its okay. The task in the Secret Realm is much easier than outside. You are now a qualified Sword Array Master and can fully take on the task! Master Song grinned; Song Jian nodded and didnt refuse any further. In fact, he was quite interested in the Holy Yuan Secret Realm and wanted to take a look. At present, most of Qingyun Sword Sects strength had been focused on the Holy Yuan Secret Realm. If anything were to go wrong there, the strength of Qingyun Sword Sect would be greatly diminished. This was advantageous news for Song Jian. The next day, Song Jian and another man named Li Xi followed Master Song toward the back of Qingyun Peak. Along the way, the three of them passed through five or six checkpoints and numerous hidden guards. Song Jian could feel the gazes coming from the shadows. The entire back mountain area seemed unremarkable, but surprisingly, it was the most tightly guarded place in the entire Qingyun Sword Sect. The trio walked all the way to a secluded valley at the rear mountain, where they saw a man sleeping on a huge rock, holding a sword in his arms. Next to him was a wine gourd, from which a strong aroma wafted out and gradually dispersed. Honorable Uncle, by the sect leaders orders, Im bringing my disciples into the Secret Realm. Please check and verify! Master Song respectfully bowed to the man who was sound asleep. Alright, just go in. Dont disturb my sleep! The man on the rock, seemingly annoyed, turned over and said. Lets go. Master Song shook his head and smiled bitterly, leading Song Jian and the other person toward the cliff in front of them. The entrance to the Secret Realm was hidden within this cliff face. Master Song took out a token and pressed a seemingly inconspicuous spot on the cliff. Soon, the surface of the rugged cliff began to ripple like water waves. A dazzling white light shot out from the center of the waves, and then spread out in all directions. Eventually, an oval-shaped white light gate formed and slowly stabilized. This is the entrance. Follow me in, one at a time! After finishing his words, Master Song took the lead and stepped into the light gate. Chapter 650 - Chapter 650: Chapter 650: Map Chapter 650: Chapter 650: Map Song Jian felt a blur before his eyes, as if he were suddenly plummeting from a great height. His body felt weightless, and he lost control. However, Song Jian quickly felt solid ground beneath his feet. Instinctively taking a couple of steps forward to regain his balance, he rubbed his swollen eyes and thought to himself: This has been the most uncomfortable teleportation Ive ever experienced, bar none! Upon opening his eyes, Song Jian found himself standing on a giant platform. This platform was over thirty meters in diameter, surrounded by a circle of smaller platforms about ten meters in diameter. There were many other disciples moving around these platforms. Around this platform was a small, careful town. Beyond that was an endless green plain, dotted with fields of medicinal herbs and the glow of various protective formations. So this is the Holy Yuan Secret Realm. Its much bigger than I imagined! marvelled Li Xi, who stood by his side, his face filled with surprise. Alright, lets go and check in first. Youll have plenty of time to explore this place later, said Master Song, leading them towards the town. This is Qingyun Town, where you will be living for the next month, instructed Master Song as they walked. This area that extends for five miles is Qingyun Sword Sect territory. Id advise against venturing beyond its borders without notifying authorities. It might be tempting to explore the Secret Realm for opportunities, but remember its also fraught with danger. Even a random beast encountered might possess the combat power of the first order After they had reported their arrival and Master Song had organised their work and accommodation, he left the Secret Realm, leaving only Song Jian and Li Xi in town. Seven days later, having completed his task of making three Moonlight Sword Array Stones for the day, Song Jian stretched his back and walked out of the room. Life in the Secret Realm was indeed more comfortable. As long as he completed his daily tasks, no one bothered him, and he was free to explore the area outside the town or wander around the town itself. Within Qingyun Town, the other disciples respectfully saluted Song Jian upon seeing the distinctive uniform of the head disciple. Without a care, Song Jian headed straight for the centre of the town. In the Secret Realm, the town centre of Qingyun was a trading area. Many disciples and even Swordmasters would sell items they discovered whilst exploring the Secret Realm here. Song Jian had discovered by chance that rare treasures from the Secret Realm could be bought quite cheaply in this area. Hey, Song Jian, youre here! Come in, come in. I have lots of new goods today, come see if anything catches your eye! a middle-aged man, barely more than a meter tall, called out to him, his eyes lighting up. Song Jian chuckled. So, have you got any more of those fruits? The shop was a simple log cabin, a two-story building constructed from raw logs, the bark not even removed from their surfaces, giving it a rugged, rustic feel. A few days ago, while browsing, Song Jian had stumbled upon a fruit in this shop that could increase attribute points. Initially, he had wanted to purchase it with points, but the dwarfish shopkeeper had taken a liking to the mead that Song Jian had been carrying at the time. Eventually, Song Jian had traded ten bottles of mead for the fruit that could increase his strength attribute by one point. Heh, Ive got something even better than that fruit, the shopkeeper said with a mysterious grin. Come on, step inside and take a look! Song Jian followed him to the second floor of the shop where, among a pile of junk, there sat a black coffin. With a wicked grin, the shopkeeper slid open the coffin to reveal a set of stark white skeletal remains. A skeleton? Song Jian furrowed his brows. I think theres been some sort of misunderstanding here. Why would I be remotely interested in a skeleton? Just wait a moment, wait a moment! The shopkeeper motioned with his hands and glanced outside the window. Youll understand once the sun sets. This here is a rare treasure. Youll have to exchange it for, not five, but ten boxes of mead! Song Jian shook his head, looking quizzically at the shopkeeper. He couldnt sense any energy fluctuations from the skeletonit seemed like a common corpse. After waiting for over an hour, the sun finally began to set, with half the sky blushing into a deep red. Just then, the skeletal finger of the right hand lying peacefully in the coffin twitched. Song Jian tensed up as the sight before him defied all logic. He knew that there were no energy fluctuations emanating from the skeleton, so how could it possibly move? Soon the skeleton began to rise slowly from the coffin, with a hand continuously sketching something on the ground. Song Jian took a couple of steps back, unable to take his eyes off the skeletons movements. After a while, he asked, Whats going on here? Do you see what its drawing on the ground? Doesnt it feel familiar? the shopkeeper asked, pointing towards the pattern being slowly etched by the skeleton. Is this a map? After squinting for a moment, Song Jian excitedly exclaimed, This is a map of Qingyun Town! Heh heh, keep watching, the shopkeeper remarked with a mysterious smile. Soon, the map being depicted by the skeleton started to extend beyond Qingyun Town. Eventually, an incomplete map of the Secret Realm appeared before Song Jian. It seems this isnt a complete map of the Secret Realm, Song Jian muttered to himself. Its not the whole map, but its much more detailed than what we have. Even the maps of the Secret Realm in possession of the Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-sun Sect arent as comprehensive as this, the shopkeeper exclaimed proudly. So, youre planning to sell me this skeleton? Song Jian suddenly asked. Exactly, the main focus is this map, the shopkeeper replied, indicating towards the floor. Although most of this incomplete map has been explored by the Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-sun Sect, about two or three-tenths of it still lies in the unexplored territory. And let me tell you, the resources in these unexplored areas are far more abundant than in those explored by the Qingyun Sword Sect or the Red-sun Sect! The shopkeeper tapped his finger lightly on a location labeled Sword Control Hall. Is this a relic? Song Jians eyes widened. So, is it worth ten crates of mead? the shopkeeper laughed heartily. But its a relic Why dont you explore it yourself? Song Jian asked, a puzzled expression on his face. One needs to know ones limits the shopkeeper smiled cryptically. Song Jian nodded and, pulling out his sword, chopped the skeleton and coffin into pieces. He then turned to the shopkeeper and said, Ten boxes of mead. Come to my place to collect it tonight. Chapter 651 - Chapter 651: Chapter 651: Relics Chapter 651: Chapter 651: Relics Watching Song Jian leave, the shopkeeper took out a stack of parchment from his bosom. Carefully examining it, each sheet was imprinted with the map depicted by the skeletal figure, with the location of the Sword Control Hall specifically marked in red ink. How can I only sell each map once? The shopkeeper selected a sheet from the pile and placed it on the counter. He stashed the remaining papers back into his robe, muttering to himself, At least I sold you the original. You didnt suffer a loss. Still, I dont know if anyone will want these maps without the skeletons performance The skeletal remains and the coffin were real. Every sunset, the skeleton would creep out of the coffin to depict the fragmented map. The shopkeeper then made several identical copies of the map. However, without the performing skeleton, many people might doubt the maps authenticity, considering it contained locations unexplored even by the Qingyun Sword Sect or the Red-sun Sect. Upon returning home, Song Jian took out an empty Sword Stone to craft a new Sword Formation. The capabilities of regular Sword Array Stones were no longer sufficient for him. Nowadays, Song Jian quietly produced large scale Sword Formations, such as the Seven Stars Sword Array and the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array he intended to create that day. Song Jian found that his Light Strike skill was perfect to incorporate into the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array. Here, it was inconvenient for him to deploy Light Strike. But if he used the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, no one would suspect anything even if they saw him. Moreover, the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array was powerful, comparable to simultaneously executing five or six Light Strikes. Whether in single combat or facing a group, it was very effective. The Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array was composed of five Sword Stones. The more complex the Sword Formation, the more Sword Stones were required. A single Sword Stone could not accommodate the complete formation it could only store part of it. To use, multiple Sword Array Stones needed to be applied together to form the full Sword Array. Having completed the final stroke, a silvery light flew out from the Sword Stone in Song Jians hand, lightly landing into a wooden box beside him. This newly created Sword Array Stone suddenly burst into a dazzling golden light. The other four Sword Array Stones on the table also emitted light simultaneously, as if responding to each other. The golden light merely shone for a moment before slowly fading. In its place, the previously transparent Sword Stones had turned into Sword Array Stones emitting a faint golden glow. Whew, its finally finished Song Jian looked slightly weary. The more complex the Sword Formation, the more delicate the operation required. Any minor mistake could potentially render the entire Sword Stone useless. The creation of the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array had taken up four to five days of Song Jians time. He used over a hundred Sword Stones just for testing, but it was all worth it for a successful creation. The Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array and the Seven Stars Sword Array are the most powerful attack Sword Arrays I have mastered. Song Jian placed the finished Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array into his inventory and began pondering the type of Sword Array to create next. Just then, a voice suddenly sounded outside his door. Is Song Jian living here? Song Jian realized he should craft a defensive Sword Array next. It didnt need to be highly protective, but at the very least it should have soundproofing and sonic transmission capabilities. Had someone called him while he was crafting the Sword Array, it would have distracted him and affected the creation of the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array. Coming! Song Jian quickly tidied up his table, got up, and walked towards the door. Upon seeing the people standing outside, Song Jian was taken aback. Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother. What brings you two here? Song Jian asked in surprise. Standing outside his room was Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi. Haha, Song Jian! Our Master asked us to bring you into the secret realm and look after you. But we didnt expect you to enter the secret realm before us. Chang Qinghe laughed. Jian Qi maintained his cool demeanor, not uttering a single word C his expression somewhat arrogant. Hehe, Senior Brother, I was suddenly assigned to a task by the Sword Array Hall. There was no time to report to our Master, Song Jian laughed. Are you going into the secret realm to complete tasks or delve deeper into the exploration? The full extent of the Holy Yuan Secret Realm was still unknown. Apart from the Gathering Area, Qingyun Town, the secret realm was brimming with dangers. Many disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect didnt return after leaving Qingyun Town. But despite the dangers, the rewards were equally significant. Almost every day, Song Jian heard stories of disciples finding treasure while exploring the secret realm and making great advancements in their cultivation. This led to an increasing number of Qingyun Sword Sect disciples venturing to explore the secret realm. However, this was a result deliberately encouraged by the Qingyun Sword Sect. Hence, Song Jian wasnt surprised to see his senior brothers. We discovered some ruins last time. It seems that a capable individual once lived there for a while and left quite a lot of valuable items. Chang Qinghe shared. We only explored the outskirts with Jian Qi last time. Were planning to delve deeper this time. How about it, junior brother? Would you like to accompany us? Ruins? Song Jian felt a bit uneasy. He was worried that the ruins his senior brothers had found were the Sword Control Hall depicted by the skeletal remains. Im relatively weak. If I tag along, Im afraid I might slow you two down, Song Jian laughed, shifting his gaze to Jian Qi. Hmph, stingy! Jian Qi rolled his eyes at Song Jian. I underestimated you before. I didnt expect you to become a Sword Array Master in such a short time. It seems I misjudged. Im apologizing for the things I previously said to you. Happy now? Ever since the news of him officially becoming a Sword Array Master spread, Jian Qi, who previously underestimated him, changed his attitude. However, despite his apology, he still came across as quite domineering. Stop joking, Second Senior Brother, Song Jian said with a smile. As long as you two arent bothered by me, I would be happy to explore the ruins with you. Great! We knew our junior brother wasnt a coward! Chang Qinghe clapped. But to be clear, in the ruins, each of us will acquire treasures relying on our own ability. If the three of us spot something simultaneously, the division will be based on the amount of effort each put in. Sound fair? Fair enough! Song Jian nodded in agreement. Alright! If there are no issues, lets set off now. The location of the ruins is quite far from Qingyun Town. After a simple preparation, Song Jian, with a regular longsword slung across his back, followed his senior brothers out of Qingyun Town. Chapter 652 - Chapter 652: Chapter 652: Wandering Soul Chapter 652: Chapter 652: Wandering Soul On the outskirts of Qingyun Town, there was a dense forest where three people were running through at top speed. Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi seemed to be trying to test Song Jian, without slowing down their pace. However, to their surprise, Song Jians running speed was hardly slower than theirs, keeping only two or three steps behind them. Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi exchanged glances, both seeing the astonishment in each others eyes. Although the two of them were not speed-type Swordmasters, their physical fitness had greatly increased after reaching the first level of Combat Power, which ordinary warriors could not match. What they didnt know was that although Song Jian had not reached the first level of Combat Power, his physical fitness was only slightly worse than theirs. With the attribute bonus from his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, there wasnt much difference between their body attributes. In some individual attributes such as strength and agility, Song Jians were even slightly higher; Though Song Jians equipment had been unlocked in the equipment column, it could be hidden, leaving no trace on the surface, and even someone using Mental Strength to search for it would find no sign of it. However, the downside was that in this world, Song Jian could not obtain any attribute bonus from his equipment, and could only use them as if they were cosmetic items. The further they ran, the heavier Song Jians heart became, as they were running straight towards the Sword Control Hall; I must have terrible luck. The ancient ruins they discovered might be the Sword Control Hall! Song Jian thought to himself. After acquiring the map, Song Jian had been preparing to explore the ancient ruins of the Sword Control Hall and making the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array for that purpose. He had not expected that his two senior brothers would discover the Sword Control Hall before he was ready. The ancient ruins were exploring this time are an abandoned hall. There are countless monsters around the hall, as if they were endless. We fought for three days and nights before, but we couldnt kill them all. Chang Qinghe said to Song Jian while running beside him, Inside the abandoned hall, theres an imposing aura with divine lights shining from within. There must be plenty of treasures! Junior Brother, if I set my sights on any treasure, you cant fight me for it! Jian Qi glanced at Song Jian and said loudly. No, if its something my senior brothers want, Ill back down! Song Jian smiled. Hehe, wise choice! Jian Qis face showed a satisfied smile. Chang Qinghe also smiled slightly at Song Jians words. They had brought him along not only because of their masters order but also because Song Jian was weaker than them and would not fight for any treasure with them. Otherwise, anyone would be unhappy if a treasure that originally had to be shared among two people now had to be shared among three. Dont worry, Junior Brother. If we find anything suitable for you, well let you have it! Chang Qinghe assured him with a smile. Song Jian smiled and said nothing. His current goal was to complete the assessment and improve his strength along the way. Just being able to learn about Sword Formations here was a bounty in itself. Since his senior brothers had discovered these ruins earlier, he wouldnt hold any illusions about them. If it werent for the similarity between the name of these ruins and his Sword Controller occupation, Song Jian might not have even followed them here. Soon, the three of them passed through the forest, crossed a lake, and arrived in a hilly area. Deep within the hills, there was a half-buried hall surrounded by hundreds of ghost-like monsters that wandered around it; These are the monsters. As long as we get close to the ruins, theyll attack us furiously Chang Qinghe pointed ahead and frowned. Song Jian was now sure that these ruins were the same ones marked as Sword Control Hall on the map. The entire hall was almost buried in sand and stone. It was difficult to notice its existence unless one looked closely. His two senior brothers might not even know that this hall was the Sword Control Hall; So, shall we eliminate these ghosts first? Song Jian asked. Of course, we wont be able to enter the ruins without killing them, Jian Qi added immediately. But to kill them, we have to work together. Eldest Senior Brother will deal with the ghosts in front, Ill deal with the ones on the left, and the right ones will be left to Junior Brother, how about that? Jian Qi turned his head and asked Song Jian. Song Jian looked at the dense ghosts ahead, a slight smile spreading across his face, and nodded, No problem, leave it to me. Seeing Song Jian agree, Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi exchanged glances, seemingly relieved; Remember not to be greedy, dont go too deep, and if youre in danger, just shout for help, and well come to your aid! Chang Qinghe instructed. I know! Song Jian nodded and went towards the right group of ghosts. What do you think? Can he handle that big guy? Jian Qi whispered as he watched Song Jians departing figure. Even if he cant, he should be able to buy us some time. Just one teas time will be enough for us to rush into the ruins. After that, whether or not he survives will depend on his luck! Chang Qinghes face darkened as he muttered, staring at Song Jians figure. We dont seem like good senior brothers! Jian Qi suddenly laughed lightly. Hmph, good senior brother? Do you think I cant see through it? Chang Qinghe said unhappily, Our master didnt have good intentions when he accepted him. Have you seen our master teach him anything all this time? He didnt even reach the first level of combat power when he was thrown into the Sword Array Hall to fend for himself. Its just that we didnt expect him to turn things around. Its really strange. He hadnt even reached the first level of Combat Power, yet he managed to become an official Sword Array Stone. And I heard he could even independently make Moonlight-grade Sword Array Stones. What an anomaly! That just means his Mental Strength is superior. Thats just his talent. Theres no point in being envious! Chang Qinghe sighed, Its just like Sword Intent. Only one person in the entire Qingyun Sword Sect can have Sword Intent. Dear Junior Brother, if you must blame something, blame yourself for having possession of a valuable treasure. Sword Intent, huh? I havent seen what his Sword Intent really looks like yet! Jian Qi said with a hint of regret. Stop daydreaming. Sword Intent is not something we can aspire to! Chang Qinghe said seriously, When we go back, just say that something unexpected happened. Our master probably wont blame us too much. Alright, Senior Brother, lets get to work, or well regret it if the opportunity arises and were hindered by these monsters! Alright, be careful yourself, these ghosts are very difficult to deal with, dont get overwhelmed by too many After speaking, the two of them charged towards the wandering ghosts outside the hall; Chapter 653 - Chapter 653: Chapter 653: Seven Stars Sword Array Chapter 653: Chapter 653: Seven Stars Sword Array Song Jian stared at the semi-transparent soul bodies that kept wandering in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed. These wandering soul bodies were of level thirty-two with no tier-one combat power. Despite their numbers, how could they possibly hinder the progress of two swordmasters with tier-one combat powers towards the main hall? Having a tier-one combat power and not having a tier-one combat power were akin to being two completely different beings. No matter how many of these ghosts there were, they couldnt possibly form a qualitative leap and hinder the steps of two powerfully skilled fighters. It seems there must be something strange about these ghosts, I should tread cautiously! Song Jian mused. These ghosts retained a human-like appearance, and one could vaguely recognize their mysterious facial features. However, the gazes of these creatures were vacant, showing only a slight wit once they became aware of Song Jians presence within their alert range. The number of ghosts in front of him was tremendous, clustered closely together. Luring them one by one was not an option, hence Song Jian took out three sword array stones and threw them into the air. A strand of Sword Qi entered the sword array stones, instantly activating the sword array within them. The three sword array stones transformed into three streams of Sword Qi, each over a foot long. They circled slowly around Song Jian like fishes in water, capable of attacking any hostile target that got close. Each stream of Sword Qi was equivalent to a full strength attack by Song Jian. Moreover, each Sword Qi could be used ten times. After that, they needed to be recharged with Sword Qi by Song Jian. This Sword Qi array was Song Jians improvement on the standard Sunburn Sword Array Stone. The ordinary Sunburn Sword Array Stone couldnt provide a protective effect as it did now. Qingyun Sword Technique! Wielding his long sword, Song Jian lunged at the ghost that was closest to him. Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe were not too far from him. If he used other sword techniques, it could easily arouse their suspicion, and thus, Song Jian had to use the basic Qingyun Sword Technique for battling. Although the Qingyun Sword Technique was the most fundamental sword technique at the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian with the help of the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique written by an official swordmaster, had cultivated it to level nine. However, it could only be cultivated up to level nine. Any improvement thereafter would not be possible via the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique. Qingyun Sword Technique (Active), Level Nine (1%), Skill Effect: Sword Damage Boost by 45%, Attack Speed Boost by 15%, Block +3; Skill Description: Basic entry-level sword technique of Qingyun Sword Sect. Although the damage it causes is average, it is a prerequisite for all other sword techniques at the Qingyun Sword Sect. The examiner had once told Song Jian that the Qingyun Sword Technique was the foundation of all the advanced sword techniques of the Qingyun Sword Sect. To master other more profound techniques, one must first master the Qingyun Sword Technique. The phrase Qingyun Sword Technique breeds Qingyun meant that all sword techniques within the Qingyun Sword Sect originated from the Qingyun Sword Technique. Song Jian had been a named disciple for several months now, but he had never learned other sword techniques. Currently, he could only use the most fundamental Qingyun Sword Technique. Fortunately, Song Jians Qingyun Sword Technique was at a considerable level. Coupled with his innate skill bonuses, combating these regular level thirty-two monsters was somewhat effortless. The three Sword Qis circling his body incessantly cleaved the ghosts rushing towards him, and in no time, a small area was cleared. These monsters give a lot of experience points! Song Jian astonishingly discovered that these level thirty-two ghosts provided experience points two to three times higher than monsters of the same level in the outside assessment world, which excited him immediately. Ten minutes later, Song Jian had extinguished more than twenty ghosts. However, he still lingered on the periphery of the monster region, without delving deeper in. As for Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe, they were clearing the surrounding ghosts while advancing towards the main hall a few hundred meters ahead. Could it be that Ive been overly cautious and misunderstood them? Song Jian watched his two senior brothers delving deeper, feeling puzzled. Just then, a roar like a thunderclap rang out from in front of Song Jian. Large swathes of black mist surged up from underground, roiling and condensing in mid-air, eventually forming into a giant black ghost over ten meters tall. Just as this giant black ghost let out an angry roar, Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe suddenly accelerated towards the main hall. Sharp Sword Qi, like a downpour of rain, fell on the surrounding ghosts. Dozens of ghosts hadnt reacted when their bodies were torn apart by Sword Qi, they were unable to stop the twos forward charge. The moment Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe started their sprint, Song Jian understood their true purpose for bringing him to these ruins was to have him distract this giant boss attention, so they could make their way into the main hall smoothly. A lord-level boss with tier-one combat power! Song Jian squinted his eyes as he watched the gigantic black ghost that was as big as a small hill rushing towards him. The moment this black ghost appeared, almost all the other ghosts became frenzied. Their semi-transparent bodies turned crimson as though in a rage, gnashing their teeth and growling fiercely as they surged towards Song Jian. From a birds-eye view, it almost looked like a dark tide converging towards a single point. Ive been tricked! Song Jian thought to himself, preparing to retreat. His current position was on the edge of the monster area, with no ghosts behind him. Escaping should be quite easy. However, when he cast his eyes towards his two senior brothers, he suddenly paused and stopped in his tracks. At that moment, the figures of Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe had already dashed into the half-buried entrance of the main hall. I can run away, but then wouldnt I be benefitting them for nothing! This thought flashed through Song Jians mind. Hmph, I refuse to be manipulated by you! Song Jian was indignant. Gritting his teeth, he chose to advance instead of retreating. His figure turned into a cloud of black mist and he rushed towards the horde of monsters. Seven Stars Shine! With a soft yell, Song Jian threw out seven sword array stones glittering with brilliant starlight. This was the Seven Stars Sword Array he had prepared beforehand. He input a strand of Sword Qi into one of the sword array stones. Crack With this noise, the seven sword array stones shattered almost simultaneously. Song Jians eyes revealed a hurt look. The Seven Star Sword Array was immensely powerful, but it could only be used once. Its array diagram was extremely complex and crafting it was extremely tedious, with a high failure rate. Song Jian was lucky enough to have successfully produced one set! As soon as the Seven Stars Sword Array was activated, an area of five hundred meters in radius turned instantly into darkness, with the sky above sparkling with stars. Seven shining stars, like meteors, plummeted towards the ground. The ordinary ghosts had no consciousness, and were simply crazily rushing towards Song Jian. However, the gigantic black ghost with tier one combat power sensed the massive threat overhead. It roared towards the sky and incredibly, threw a punch towards a falling meteor. Chapter 654 - Chapter 654: Chapter 654: Entering the Great Hall Chapter 654: Chapter 654: Entering the Great Hall Song Jian looked at the giant black ghost boss, who was actually swinging at one of the meteors in the Seven Stars Sword Array, and a cold smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. This is a sword array that only a middle-level Sword Array Master can create. Its power is comparable to the full blow of seven Swordmasters with Tier-One Combat Power. How can you withstand it on your own? These seven meteors were the core of the Seven Stars Sword Array. Each one contained hundreds of fierce Sword Qi, which even Swordmasters with Tier-One Combat Power dared not confront head-on. They could only retreat. Boom~ The fist of the black ghost boss, and the bright silver meteor falling above his head, collided fiercely. The air immediately exploded with a violent tremor. An invisible surge of energy spread in all directions, like a whirlwind. This meteor suddenly glowed, just like a full moon emitting a silvery radiance. The ghost boss let out a mournful howl, seemingly severely wounded. In an instant, the silvery moon above its head shattered into hundreds of Sword Qi, swooping towards the boss. Thump thump thump thump~ Wounds exploded continuously on the bosss body, releasing a dense black aura. A damage value in the hundreds floated above its head. For a while, the boss couldnt fight back against the Sword Qi, and could only endure the hits with its enormous body. The remaining six meteors also fell towards the ground one after another, and the ghosts that came into contact with them were crushed into dust without being able to resist. Boom! The six silver meteors exploded almost simultaneously. The ground blossomed with six full moons, spreading out their silvery light like the day while Song Jian rushed towards the main hall in front of him. When the six meteors splintered apart, thousands of Sword Qi nearly covered an area of four to five hundred meters. All the ghosts within this range were hit by over a dozen Sword Qi without having time to react; they were instantly annihilated. Any Sword Qi approaching Song Jian seemed to have its own consciousness, actively evading him, passing by his side in an arc to pursue the ghosts. Song Jians Experience Points surged forward drastically. Then a ray of light erupted from his body: He had directly leveled up. Level 31! This leveling speed is like riding a rocket! Too bad the cost is slightly high! Song Jian thought ruefully. Making the Seven Stars Sword Array was somewhat difficult. This one-off array had powerful might, but only a handful of people in Qingyun Sword Sect could actually create it; So far, Song Jian had only made one set. If he hadnt wanted to test its power today, he wouldnt have dared to use it. The power of the Seven Stars Sword Array satisfied him, but when he thought about the production cost, Song Jian couldnt help but wince. If converted into Doomsday Coins, the cost of such a set of Seven Stars Sword Array would be at least over half a million. Ordinary people could hardly afford it. Even if they forcibly obtained a set, they would only use it as a trump card to save their lives. They wouldnt use it to fight monsters and level up. That would be too extravagant! In an instant, all the ghosts within a few hundred meters were wiped out cleanly. The remaining dozen or so Sword Qi, lacking attack targets, surprisingly turned back and flew towards the black ghost boss; Thump thump thump~ Dozens of Sword Qi chopped the black ghost boss again, the surrounding Sword Qi having been consumed, and the boss, full of wounds from which black energy was continuously seeping, became the only surviving monster. The boss was a sorry sight. When it looked at Song Jians retreating figure, its blood-red eyes showed a hint of fear and panic. It hesitated whether to continue pursuit. At this moment, Song Jian had already rushed into the main hall, which was half buried in sand and gravel, and disappeared. The ghost boss seemed to sigh in relief, and let out a roar in the direction of the main hall before transforming back into a ball of black fog and disappearing underground; Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe successfully broke into the main hall. Before they could celebrate, they heard the howls of a large group of ghosts coming from outside the hall. The two looked at each other in unease, uncertainty in their hearts. Is this commotion a bit too big? It seems like the ghosts in the whole area have been enraged. Could it be that our junior brother is now fighting with all the ghosts besides the black ghost boss? Jian Qi said in surprise. As long as the boss appears, all the ghosts in this area will go berserk. If we dont run away in time, Im afraid well never get another chance to Chang Qinghe sighed, with a hint of coldness appearing at the corner of his mouth; Hehe, it would be a good thing if he did something useful before dying! Jian Qi laughed. Brother, the interior of this main hall is vast. Why dont we split up to search? Okay, you go left, Ill go right. An hour should be enough to search the entire main hall. Then, we can meet back here. Chang Qinghe nodded and agreed. Then I wish my brother all the best in finding the treasure he desires! Jian Qi gave Chang Qinghe a salute with a smile at the corner of his mouth, and then he dashed towards the left annex hall; There were plenty of ghosts guarding outside the main hall, so it wouldnt be empty of monsters inside. But both men clearly didnt want to stick together. Instead of being on guard against each other, it would be better to go their separate ways. Even if they found something valuable, the other wouldnt know about it. Chang Qinghe watched Jian Qis figure disappear, then rather than rushing to the right passage, he began to observe the arrangement of the surrounding hall. After searching for a while and gaining nothing, Chang Qinghe shook his head, heading towards the left passage. His figure quickly disappeared from sight. Not long after the two disappeared, Song Jian entered the main hall. Heh, that boss only has one-third of its Vitality Points left. If I grind for another half an hour, I can definitely kill it Song Jian thought to himself. But the most important thing now is to search this Sword Control Hall. I always feel that there is some connection between this place and my profession Song Jian did not want any treasure related to his vocation to be seized by Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi because of one boss. The hall he had just entered was covered by sand up to one-third of its area. Apart from several standing stone pillars, there was only a stone statue standing upright in the front. It seemed to be a human statue, but unfortunately, half of the statue had cracked open, looking rather broken. Other than that, there were no other items, making it seem rather empty. Song Jian thoroughly searched and tapped on each pillar. There was nothing unusual, so he shook his head and walked towards the passage on the left of the hall. Chapter 655 - Chapter 655: Chapter 655: Skill Book Chapter 655: Chapter 655: Skill Book Song Jian entered a narrow passage, with both sides lined with stone walls covered with scratches and fissures, creating a sense of antiquity. It wasnt long before Song Jian saw a pile of scattered bones on the stone floor ahead, as if a skeleton had been shattered into pieces. Song Jian moved closer to examine the remains; the bones seemed to have shattered from within, but the skull had been cleanly cut in half, likely by a sharp Sword Qi that left a smooth, mirrored surface. As he touched the smooth cut, Song Jians fingers felt a tingling sensation, as if an electric current was present at the cut. This Sword Qi should have been released by Jian Qi; only he could have such a chilling Sword Qi! Song Jian thought to himself as he rubbed his fingers, stood up, and looked ahead with a smile on his face. Continuing forward, Song Jian quickly came across a fork in the road. Without hesitation, he chose the left path. He walked about ten meters further and encountered another fork, maintaining his emotionless expression as he continued down the left passage. After several minutes, Song Jian had encountered more than a dozen similar forks. Despite always choosing the left path, he began to suspect something was amiss. A maze? Or has the space been altered? Song Jian furrowed his brow: Although the hall is vast, it shouldnt be this extensive The length of the passage Song Jian had traveled could easily encircle the entire hall and then some, making it clear that the situation was not as simple as he initially thought. Looking back, the winding passageway now seemed blurred, as if a thin layer of fog had enveloped it. As Song Jian tried walking backward, he found the air becoming viscous, hindering his retreat. The further back he went, the greater the resistance, and he felt like a bug trapped in resin, unable to escape its entrapment. After he hesitated for a moment, Song Jian turned around and continued forward. As he did, the airs viscosity and resistance gradually decreased, and quickly returned to normal. A strange place! Song Jian kept an increasing sense of caution in his heart. At that moment, a ghostly, white-haired skull appeared before him, its gore-filled, blinded eyes an utterly miserable sight. What technique should you use to counter the 17th move Turning Glance of the Swallow from the Returning Swallow Sword Technique? Which Sword Technique must be mastered to complete the Spiritual Snake Sword Technique? The skull relentlessly fired questions at Song Jian through its shattered eyes. Song Jians face darkened as he slashed his sword, unleashing a dazzling golden Sword Qi that filled the passage. Light Strike! Light Strike was extremely effective against these dark creatures. As the golden Sword Qi passed, the inquisitive old skull vanished. Still wearing a grim expression, Song Jian continued walking forward. He didnt receive any confirmation for killing the monster nor gained combat experience, suggesting the encounter was either an illusion, or his attack had not harmed the opponent. This hall is more dangerous than I thought! Song Jian said to himself. After another half hour of monotonously traversing the identical stone passages, Song Jian eventually reached the end of the hallway. A small room appeared before him, spanning around 20 square meters, with minimal furnishings except for a stone platform, upon which stood a monster over two meters tall. Song Jian squinted at the motionless monster, before his attention was drawn to an item on the stone platform behind it. It was a Skill Book, illuminated with a golden glow. A Skill Book? Song Jian was delighted, but to obtain it, he first needed to defeat the BOSS guarding it. Song Jians gaze once again focused on the monster in front of the stone platform. This monster looked like a wooden puppet, composed of thousands of wooden planks, and it firmly gripped a seven-foot-long sword that shimmered with a chilly gleam, seemingly unaffected by the passage of time. This sword also looks like a treasure! Song Jians eyes lit up, his fondness for one-handed swords undiminished despite already owning the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Set. I dont need to hide anything here; I can unleash my full power! Song Jian put away his regular sword and, with a thought, summoned a dark red, glowing sword into his hand. At the same time, an entire set of Dark Gold armor appeared on his body, clearly part of the same set based on their design and style. The Ant Emperor Ancestor Set appeared in this world for the first time; Song Jian, enveloped in the Dark Gold armor, looked imposing and fierce, resembling a humanoid beast. A level 35 Swordwood Puppet BOSS with first-grade Combat Power. Let me see just how big the gap between my current strength and first-grade Combat Power really is! Song Jian muttered to himself. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians figure dashed towards the Swordwood Puppet BOSS; The seemingly statue-like Swordwood Puppet instantly detected Song Jians hostility and opened its eyes, glowing with a red light. Clang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword fiercely clashed with the Swordwood Puppets sword, sending a shower of brilliant sparks flying as the blades connected; Clang, clang~ Two more strikes landed on the Swordwood Puppets sword, accompanied by the dance of two more sword shadows, one emitting a pale golden light and another a greenish-blue hue. Song Jian remained motionless as his frontal attack caused the Swordwood Puppet to stagger and step back. His confidence soared, and a sense of surprise filled his heart. With the Ant Emperor Ancestor Sets enhancement, my strength has more than doubled. I now have the ability to resist a first-grade Combat Power BOSS! Previously, Song Jian could only face a first-grade Combat Power BOSS after employing the Immortal Sword Body. This Skill Book will be mine! Song Jian glanced at the stone platform, his eyes shining with determination. Chapter 656 - Chapter 656: Chapter 656: All Foreigners Must Die Chapter 656: Chapter 656: All Foreigners Must Die The Puppet Boss made of Swordwood was pushed back, but it didnt pause at all. Its long sword danced in its hands, and its body became light and graceful, its flexibility even exceeding that of Song Jian by a noticeable margin. Song Jian squinted his eyes. How was it that this wooden puppet was giving off the feel of a living persons sword dance? He looked closer and saw that every movement of the Swordwood Puppet Boss comprised thousands of wooden components. It seemed that the body of the puppet was made not of cold wood but was akin to the musculature and skeletal system of a living being. The long swords in their hands collided continuously. Their figures lunged at each other like lightning, clashing many times in an instant. The defense of the Swordwood Puppet Boss was formidable, but under Song Jians incisive attacks, every hit left a scar over an inch deep. Beauty Sword Skill, first move, Drunken Royal Consort!, a synthesized voice low and deep came from the Swordwood Puppet Boss. It sounded a bit weird, but with that voice, the long sword in its hand suddenly became muddled. Clang, clang, clang~ Song Jian displayed his Broken Wing Dance. His figure was as intimidating as a roc in flight, but in front of the Swordwood Puppet Boss, it was as if he was ensnared in a silk net, even the final aerial effect of his attack was resisted by the Boss. After exchanging a dozen or so moves, Song Jian found no way to overcome the Swordwood Puppet Boss. All his attacks were dismantled, and the words dodge, parry, lost target floated above his head, indicating the dismantling of his attacks. After the Swordwood Puppet Boss finished a sequence of the Beauty Sword Skill, it began to alternate every move freely and smoothly, from any angle, at any position. Every sword strike that Song Jian made was parried by the Swordwood Puppet Boss. It continued to strike him with its sword, each strike taking only a small amount of Vitality Points, but over time, Song Jians Vitality Points gradually started to dwindle. Song Jians total vitality was less than the Swordwood Puppet Boss. Although it looked as if they were evenly matched, in reality, Song Jian was already at a disadvantage. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian used all the techniques he had mastered but the Swordwood Puppet Boss countered all of them perfectly with the Beauty Sword Skill. He hardly inflicted any damage. Ever since it started using this strange sword technique, I havent been able to hurt it Song Jians heart sank. The joy he felt from his increased strength disappeared without a trace, replaced by a sense of helplessness. Beauty Sword Skill, first move, Drunken Royal Consort! The voice of the Swordwood Puppet Boss rang out again, it was launching the first move once more, attacking Song Jian. A strange thought crossed Song Jians mind. Could it be is it trying to teach me its sword technique? Once this idea popped up, he couldnt dismiss it. So, gritting his teeth, he decided to follow the Puppets moves and began to practice the Beauty Sword Skill with the Boss. For a time, Song Jians figure also became flexible. His sword technique resembled a graceful dance. Clang, clang, clang, clang~ A series of crisp block sounds echoed. This time, Song Jian completely withstood the attacks of the Swordwood Puppet Boss. Although he wasnt able to harm it, it didnt land any attacks on him either. For a moment, he got excited and threw all his attention into the study of the Beauty Sword Skill. Before he knew it, he had received a system prompt. System: You have grasped the Silver Level Sword Skill Beauty Sword Skill, currently at Level 1. Its simply teaching me its technique? Song Jian was stunned as he stared at the Swordwood Puppet Boss, and the Beauty Sword Skill continued to flow from his hands. Beauty Sword Skill (Silver), Level 1, Skill Effects: Physical damage increased by 12%, resistance +11, evasion +5, dodge +3, parry +7, attack speed increased by 5%; Skill Description: This sword technique divides into nine moves, each named after a beauty. The implementation of this sword technique is graceful, pleasing to the eye; Special Attributes: If the practitioner is female, the power of the sword technique increases by 100%; Looking at the skill column, Song Jian was speechless at the last special attribute mentioned in the description of swordplay. At this moment, this special attribute appeared in his skill column in gray, showing that this attribute was not activated; So Ive learned a sword technique for women Song Jian was slightly dumbfounded. He felt that without the power boost from the special attribute at the end, the power of this technique would probably compare to the Qingyun Sword Skill. Clang clang~ Without employing any other skills, Song Jian used the Beauty Sword Skill to battle the Swordwood Puppet. As the battle continued, the skill level of the Beauty Sword Skill also swiftly increased. It quickly rose from level one to level five, becoming increasingly powerful. Drunken Royal Consort, Xishi Wraps the Yarn, Goose Fall Strike, A Smile to Overwhelm the City, With his sword dances whirling, a small smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. His eyes softened, and a strange aura surrounded him. Clang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword broke through the Swordwood Puppets defense and pierced its chest; Crack~ A sharp sound erupted from inside the Swordwood Puppets body. Its entire body stiffened, and the long sword in its hand slowly fell; Beauty Sword Skill, assessment passed! A deep voice echoed from within the body of the Swordwood Puppet. Song Jian was stunned, glancing at his skill column. Unbeknownst to him, the Beauty Sword Skill had already progressed to level six; As it turns out, one just needs to defeat this BOSS with the sword skill it teaches Song Jians face bore an expression of realization. However, just as Song Jian was about to walk past the Swordwood Puppet to get the scroll on the stone platform, the Puppet suddenly moved again. The long sword in its hand emitted a low whistling sound, sweeping towards Song Jian; First Style of Wind Spirit Sword Skill, Sweeping the World! Not again! Song Jian screamed, instinctively performing the Sacred Parry. Immediately, a burst of golden light radiated from his body and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand collided fiercely with the long sword of the Swordwood Puppet; Boom! With a loud noise, Song Jian was tossed against the stone wall of the room. The Swordwood Puppet, hit by the first style of its Wind Spirit Sword Skill, had a foot-long crack appear at its right shoulder. A faint oily scent wafted out from the opening. Drip, drip, drip, drip~ The Puppets scarlet eyes began flashing rapidly, and an alarm-like sound emitted from within its body; Significant damage sustained. Beginning analysis of combat process Enemy performed unknown sword skill, not present in records Beginning search in foreign skill database Beginning analogous matching search Probability that enemy used foreign skill is 99.8% Target determined as foreigner, activating level one alert, entering combat mode Foreigners, must die! The Swordwood Puppet roared in a deep voice. Its figure suddenly grew taller by tens of centimeters. Astonishingly, from the back of its shoulder blades, another pair of arms emerged. Together with the left arm, they held a longsword withdrawn from its body. Now, each of the Puppets four arms was holding a longsword, all pointed menacingly at Song Jian. Chapter 657 - Chapter 657: Chapter 657: Jian Qi Chapter 657: Chapter 657: Jian Qi Seeing the Swordwood Puppet BOSS suddenly becoming berserk, Song Jians heart sank, and his face instantly turned ugly, as he once again felt this worlds deep malice towards outsiders. How many challengers have entered this world in the past, bringing so much damage to this world, that every person in this world holds such deep hostility towards outsiders? Song Jian thought to himself. This relic called Sword Control Hall has existed for hundreds of years, and even in the configuration of this Swordwood Puppet, there is a deadly command against challengers like him. It can be seen that hundreds of years ago, there were challengers who entered this world and caused great harm to it, otherwise, outsiders would not be as unwelcome as stray dogs now. Watching the Four-armed Swordwood Puppet rush towards himself, Song Jian felt regretful in his heart. If he had not subconsciously used Sacred Parry just now, this Swordwood Puppet would not have discovered his true identity, and he might have been able to learn more sword techniques from it. It is well-known that in this world, upgrading sword techniques doesnt have skill point restrictions, as long as the proficiency is sufficient, it will automatically upgrade. Learning more skills in this world, even if the final mission fails, it wont be too much of a loss; Die now, foreigner! The Four-Armed Swordwood Puppet roared as if it had a vendetta against Song Jian. It waved its four long swords at Song Jian, seemingly like four well-coordinated Swordmasters attacking him at the same time. Even if Song Jian had not yet reached the first tier of Combat Power, facing this Swordwood Puppet would be challenging for a first-tier Combat Power peak expert. A faint grey and white aura emerged around Song Jians body. As the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword danced, the grey and white aura slowly flowed, forming a faint Tai Chi Yin-Yang fish pattern around Song Jian. When the Swordwood Puppets attacks touched Song Jians body, they would be drawn away by the Yin-Yang fish pattern formed by the grey and white aura, unable to damage Song Jian. But this effect could not last long. The short six-second duration soon passed, and Song Jian gritted his teeth, cast the Immortal Sword Body directly, and Summoned the small stone man to run to the side, throwing stones from a distance to harass the Swordwood Puppet. Although the little stone man was also level 30, it hadnt reached the first-tier Combat Power and could not compete with the Four-armed Swordwood Puppet. However, it had a skill called Throwing Stone Blocks, which was like a natural skill for the stone man, consuming very little energy but with decent power. If it hit the target, it could cause 150 damage points each time, and there was a certain chance to stun the target for 3 seconds. With the Immortal Sword Body activated, Song Jians strength increased significantly. The level 8 Immortal Sword Body allowed him to maintain a certain advantage against the frenzied attacks of the Swordwood Puppet. Although he could not avoid losing some blood, his damage to the Swordwood Puppet was greater. Bang! A stone hit the head of the Swordwood Puppet hard, and the previously frenzied Puppet suddenly stalled, with a stun symbol appearing above its head. Song Jians eyes lit up, and the sharp blade in his hand quickly cut off the already injured arm of the Puppet. Sword Silk! Flash Thunder Strike! Light Strike! Since his cover was blown, Song Jian had no scruples. He unleashed all his powerful skills at once, aiming to cut the injured arm of the Swordwood Puppet at the shoulder blade. The three seconds were not enough to cause huge damage to the Swordwood Puppet, but it was more than sufficient to destroy one of its already injured arms. Quickly, the arm holding the long sword was chopped off by Song Jian; The moment this arm fell to the ground, Song Jians eyes brightened. Although he didnt know the quality of the long sword used by his opponent, the fact that it had lasted so many years without rust indicated that it was likely of high quality. Song Jian took a step towards the severed arm, but before he could reach it, the hard outer wood of the arm slowly turned grey and black and turned to ashes in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the long sword held by the arm seemed to have experienced thousands of years of erosion. In an instant, it rusted and eventually became a pile of iron slag. Song Jian was stunned, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face. It seemed that there was no way to get the Swordwood Puppets weapon now. Just then, the Swordwood Puppet had already awakened from its daze and, seemingly unaffected by the loss of an arm, roared and rushed towards Song Jian; Checking the remaining time for the Immortal Sword Body effect, there was nearly two minutes left. Song Jian turned around, brandishing his long sword, and fiercely collided with the Swordwood Puppet. Jian Qi looked at the scene ahead with a sullen face, feeling as if he had entered a labyrinth. No matter how he walked, he couldnt find any way out. At first, he was able to rely on his memory to remember the passages, but as more forks appeared, Jian Qis memory began to blur. His mind felt like a confusing web. Click, click, click~ A familiar sound came from the front, and a skeleton holding a long sword appeared before him. He had already encountered dozens of such monsters, sometimes in groups of three or five and sometimes just one. Although these sword-wielding skeleton monsters were at level 35, they did not possess first-tier Combat Power. Jian Qi could easily deal with them, but the chaotic passages and endless skeleton monsters made Jian Qis mood increasingly worse. Damn it, what is this place? Why are there so many forks and passages Jian Qi angrily cleaved the sword-wielding skeleton monster in front of him into pieces, unable to restrain himself from roaring out loud. Just then, a rumbling tremor came from the distance, sounding as if something had suddenly started up. Finally, something unusual happened. Jian Qis eyes lit up, and he sprinted towards the source of the sound. After enduring more than an hour of boredom, Jian Qi was about to go mad. Even if there was a first-tier Combat Power BOSS ahead, he would rather fight it than continue wandering aimlessly in the endless passages. Following the passage forward for more than ten meters, Jian Qi finally saw a side hall ahead. This side hall was only about twenty square meters, surrounded by huge stone walls. A monster covered in hard steel armor was slowly relaxing its body. Behind this BOSS, there was a gorgeous weapon rack, on which a long sword was placed diagonally. It emitted a dark golden light, shining brilliantly! Jian Qis eyes lit up, and his face was filled with ecstasy. Unable to restrain himself, he burst into laughter. Chapter 658 - Chapter 658: Chapter 658: Self-Destruction Chapter 658: Chapter 658: Self-Destruction Jian Qi could not help but fixate his gaze on the long sword that radiated a dull gold light, and an exhilaration filled his heart. I indeed made the right choice, these ruins do contain treasures! Jian Qi stomped his foot, his figure darted like lightning towards the iron-armored beast guarding the treasure. Sword Qi filled the air, causing an intense tremor. The light of the sword flashed. The iron puppet let out an infuriated roar, its double-handed sword whistling through the air like the wind, entangling itself with Jian Qi. Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword continually slashed at the other arm of the Swordwood puppet. He was determined to chop off the opponents arm, even if it meant taking a few hits from the Swordwood puppet. In just a few minutes, Song Jian had attacked the Swordwood puppets other arm dozens of times. A large crack appeared at the puppets shoulder area. Not long after, Song Jian had chopped off the other arm of the Swordwood puppet. Now, it only had the pair of arms on its back left. These two arms were not as agile as the previous ones. Moreover, the wounds on the left and right shoulders of the Swordwood puppet also affected these two arms. The swordplay performed by these arms was already less coordinated than before, the two long swords even collided with each other at times; Boom! Another stone hit the Swordwood puppet. Even though it did not trigger a dizzying effect, it made the puppet wobble a little, disrupting its attack rhythm. Seizing this opportunity, Song Jian swiftly moved to the left side of the Swordwood puppet boss and violently stabbed its wound. Crack~ The long sword pierced into the body of the Swordwood puppet. Song Jian stirred it vigorously, causing a shattering noise from within the puppet. A critical damage point of over a thousand was lifted from the top of the Swordwood puppets head. A smile surfaced on Song Jians mouth. The Swordwood puppets movement was slowing down significantly. Song Jian could already sense the advent of victory beckoning to him, and his gaze fell once again on the stone platform behind the boss. A dark gold quality skill, I wonder what kind of swordplay it is! Song Jian speculated in his heart. At this moment, the vitality points of the Swordwood puppet had dropped to less than one-third. Suddenly, a red light emerged on the surface of its body and started flashing rapidly. Song Jian immediately sensed a massive threat rushing towards him. His body stiffened and he hastily retreated; Damn it, I was too careless. I didnt expect this BOSS to explode! Song Jians face instantly turned ugly. His rapid increase in strength made him somewhat complacent. Despite not having first-order combat power, he was able to kill a BOSS with first-order combat power. All these altered Song Jians mentality. However, the scene before his eyes felt like a cold bucket of water drenching him from head to toe. Before he could exit the room, the Swordwood puppet BOSS exploded like a bomb; Song Jian had just enough time to use Iron Wings to protect himself. He didnt have time to activate the bloody shield that inherently came with his ring. He was directly blasted off by the explosion. Boom~ A thunderous roar shook the stone house, causing everything to tremble violently. Song Jian felt as if he had been hit by a heavy punch. He lost control of his body and charged forward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the stone wall. Crack~ Fragments of stone flew around, and Song Jian felt as if all the bones in his body had shattered. His entire body ached, his mouth was full of blood, and his vision turned black. He seemed to have lost all his strength. Looking at his vitality points, there were only double digits left, and he was afflicted with impairments like bone fractures and bleeding; Struggling, Song Jian performed a surgical treatment on himself. He eliminated the status of bone fracture and bleeding, then fumbled out a bottle of healing potion from the bag and drank it painfully. What an oversight, I didnt expect it to explode Song Jians face was pale, and his expression was full of fear. His Iron Wings were now shattered, barely recognizable. Fortunately, it was a skill, not a piece of equipment. Otherwise, it probably would have had zero durability and be ruined. I was so close, so close to triggering the Enemy of Death God. Damn it Gasping heavily, Song Jian sat up. In the distance, Jian Qi had already knocked the iron-armored puppet to the ground, but he himself had sustained considerable injuries. A wound more than a foot long was slashed on his left shoulder, the muscles were exposed, revealing the crimson flesh inside. The blood continued to pour out, quickly soaking half of his clothes, making him look quite in a sorry state. Sitting on the ground, Jian Qi took out a bottle of pills from his pocket, popped a red and a green pill into his mouth, and started to channel his energy to accelerate the absorption of the pills. After a short time, his face regained its rosy color. The frightening wound on his shoulder had also grown a thin layer of flesh on the surface and stopped bleeding. At this moment, a thunderous boom came from afar. Even the ground under him trembled slightly, causing him to frown and look towards the direction of the explosion. Could it be the senior brother? Jian Qi murmured to himself. However, he quickly shifted his gaze back and headed towards the weapon rack in the center of the side hall. The dark gold quality long sword was worth a fortune, much better than his current weapon. Song Jian sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed, silently recovering his vitality points. After a short while, Song Jian felt something nudging his calves. He opened his eyes and saw the little stone man was laying on the ground, continuously nudging him with its head. Song Jian gave a small smile. The damage caused by the little stone man was quite substantial. Most importantly, it had stunned the BOSS at least three times. It was during those times when the BOSS was stunned that Song Jian had the opportunity to chop off the sword-wielding arm of the BOSS; During the BOSS explosion just now, the little stone man was at a distance due to its ranged attacks and hence received less damage. Its vitality points were still nearly half left. However, it still looked pitiful at the moment. Almost half of its body was shattered by the explosion. It was also missing an arm, and its steps were faltering. It seemed like it would be unable to continue fighting anytime soon. Song Jian patted its smooth head and put it into the pet space. In the pet space, regardless of how serious the injuries were, they could gradually recover over time; After Song Jian felt that his condition had mostly recovered, he stood up and walked towards the stone platform. This is a dark gold quality skill book, which for Song Jian, might be the biggest gain from this assessment world. As he was walking towards the stone platform, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a golden glow among the scattered remains of the Swordwood puppet. His face instantly lit up with delight. This guardian BOSS had actually dropped a golden quality item. Chapter 659 - Chapter 659: Chapter 659: Book of Fusion Chapter 659: Chapter 659: Book of Fusion Many times in the game, Bosses guarding treasures didnt drop items. The treasures they protected were actually their loot. However, the fact that the Swordwood Puppet also dropped an item and that of high quality, gave Song Jian an unexpected thrill. Song Jian was originally going to retrieve the Dark Gold Quality Skill Book, but he casually picked up the golden item dropped by the Boss as well. Skill Book: Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Usage Effect: The user can learn the skill Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique after usage. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique (Gold quality): A sword technique created by perceiving natural forces such as wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. The technique contains twelve moves, each can harness the power of nature to deal extra damage to the target. A sword technique that uses the power of nature? Song Jian frowned slightly as he read the skill introduction. This sword technique was somewhat vague and didnt specify its attributes. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian decided to learn it directly. The Skill Book turned into a golden light and disappeared. Instantly, a stream of information containing the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique flooded into his mind. Ouch~ Song Jian didnt expect the content of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique to be so vast. He momentarily felt as if his brain was being hit with a heavy hammer. He immediately felt dizzy, and blood trickled from his nostrils. Evening Snow, Lightning Thunder, Wind Sweeping Clouds, Torrential Rain, Nine Suns Shining the Sky, Stars Surrounding the Moon, In his mind, a figure appeared, constantly brandishing a long sword, where every stroke and every move could trigger the transformation of natural phenomena. Song Jian was stunned. He didnt expect the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique to be so powerful that one sword strike could harness the natural forces within several hundred meters for his own use. This this is unbelievable, is this a sword technique, or sorcery! Song Jian exclaimed: However, although this sword technique is powerful, mastering it is not something that can be achieved in a short time Each move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique can harness a different natural force such as thunder, fog, frost, and even the power of the sun, moon, and stars. After resting for a while, Song Jian stood up slowly. In his skill bar, the icon of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique had already appeared. However, of the twelve sword moves, now only the first one Evening Snow could be used. The other eleven were all in an unusable grey state. Song Jians gaze fell on the second move and found it could only be unlocked when the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique reached level 2. It seems that each time the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is upgraded by a level, a corresponding move can be unlocked Song Jian mused. Song Jian removed his eyes from the moves of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique and walked towards the stone platform. The dropped sword technique from the Boss was an unexpected delight, but Song Jian didnt forget that there were more precious items awaiting his collection. It seems to be another skill book. I wonder what skill it will be this time. Probably another sword technique. Well, with so many different sword techniques, which one should I practice? Song Jian immediately fell into a happy confusion. Other players complained about having too few skills, while Song Jian was worried about which sword technique to focus on. However, when Song Jian picked up the book on the stone platform, he was taken aback. Its not a Skill Book but an item? Song Jian was surprised. Song Jian had one book type item before, the Book of the Abyss, which almost allowed Song Jian to impersonate another profession, similar to an Abyssal Mage; However, all the skills in this book required a vast amount of battle experience to activate. So far, Song Jian had only activated the basic two skills: Abyss Magic Flame Armor and Abyss Temptation; The Book of the Abyss covered a complete skill tree, and if all the skills on it were activated, Song Jian could completely impersonate an Abyssal Mage. Book of Fusion? What is this! When Song Jian examined the book sparkling with dark gold light in his hand and figured out its use, his face lit up with ecstatic joy. This, how is this possible, how can there be such an overpowered item? Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. Book of Fusion (Dark Gold): Special item, Usage Effect: Can fuse two skills into one; Method of Usage: Set one skill as the primary skill and another as the secondary skill, for upgrading; Upgrade Effect 1: The secondary skill will disappear, and the primary skill will acquire the corresponding level increase; Upgrade Effect 2: Both primary and secondary skills will disappear, giving birth to a new skill which will cover all the characteristics of the two skills; Usage Requirement: None. Without the Book of Fusion, if one wants to fuse two skills, both skills must be upgraded to the max level. This requires a considerable amount of time and energy to raise the skill proficiency, and a vast number of skill points for skill progression. However, with this special item, the Book of Fusion, all previous limitations are removed, and two skills can directly be fused into one. Moreover, the biggest benefit of the Book of Fusion is that there is no possibility of failure. Either the proficiency of the primary skill increases, thus upgrading the level of the primary skill, or a stronger new skill will emerge after fusion. After obtaining this item, Song Jian had an urge to fuse all his skills immediately; However, Song Jian soon calmed down. Certainly, it was impossible for this book to be flawless. The most critical point was that after using the Book of Fusion, regardless of the outcome, two skills will always transform into one skill. If he used this item frequently, he could end up with fewer skills in the end, leading to a potential decrease in power. After some thought, Song Jian finally decided to first fuse two skills of lesser importance to see the results; After selecting from the skill bar for a while, Song Jian finally picked two skills, the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique and the Qingyun Sword Skill. The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is a sword technique that borrows the power of nature, while the Qingyun Sword Skill is a sword technique realized by the state of natural flowing clouds. The core of both is very similar, its just that Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is more comprehensive pondered Song Jian. He opened the Book of Fusion, set the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique as the primary skill and Qingyun Sword Skill as the secondary skill and started the fusion process. Whoooosh~ The Book of Fusion slowly floated up, hanging in mid-air with the pages flipping automatically. The two original skills turned into two swirling energy balls, and under the pull of the Book of Fusion, slowly came together and gradually fused into one. A flash of white light, and the Book of Fusion flew back into Song Jians hand. At this time, his skill bar had changed. The Qingyun Sword Skill which had been cultivated to level nine had disappeared, replaced by the proficiency level of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, which had significantly increased. The first situation occurred. The secondary skill disappeared, and the primary skill gained proficiency? Song Jian frowned slightly, opened the fusion information and started to read. System: You used the Book of Fusion, set Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique as the primary skill and Qingyun Sword Skill as the secondary skill, and began fusion System: Fusion successful, Qingyun Sword Skill disappeared, Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique gained three hundred and twenty points of proficiency. The second move of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Wind Sweeping Clouds, has its effect strengthened; Wind Sweeping Clouds skill power increases by 15%, attack range +3. Within the skill range, the lagging effect is triggered, changing from the original movement speed decrease by 30% to movement speed decrease by 45%. Chapter 660 - Chapter 660: Chapter 660: Occupational Advancement Chapter 660: Chapter 660: Occupational Advancement After merging, it not only enhances proficiency but also improves skill effects? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Its a pity, however, the second move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique can only be unlocked at Level 2. Even if the power and effect of the Wind Sweeping Clouds is enhanced now, Song Jian cant feel it yet. It requires two sword techniques with compatible inner nature to potentially enhance the corresponding skill effect and power Song Jian pondered for a moment, before shifting his gaze onto the Flash Thunder Strike. Flash Thunder Strike carries electrical attributes. If it is fused with the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, it might be able to enhance the power and effect of the Electric Thunder Strike sword move; Nevertheless, even if it could be enhanced now, Song Jian had no intention of doing so. Having more skills is not necessarily better, but having fewer isnt better either. Enhancing it now would not only erase the Flash Thunder Strike, but the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique couldnt be immediately enhanced either. There would be no use for the Electric Thunder Strike sword move for a while, and strength would be reduced instead of increased C it wouldnt be worthwhile. Ill continue to merge other skills after mastering the first move Song Jian thought to himself. He puts away the Book of Fusion and continues forward; Jian Qi, at this moment, was also holding a longsword emitting a dark gold glow, laughing heartily towards the sky; After many twists and turns, Chang Qinghe finally exited the passageway, arriving at a place that resembled a back garden, filled with various planted flowers and plants. However, due to years of neglect, it appeared somewhat disarrayed; At the center of the garden was a pond, which looked like a huge sapphire, without a single ripple on its surface. What was most strange was the complete silence in the area, it was utterly eerie; Chang Qings brow furrowed in suspicion. Hesitating for a moment, he remained vigilant as he slowly approached the pond; Is this place still part of the main halls ruins? Or was I unknowingly teleported somewhere else? Chang Qinghe wondered. As he stood by the pond, he suddenly spotted a dazzling golden glow emitting from the light-blue bottom of the pond. A golden quality treasure? Chang Qinghe was delighted, but soon a trace of doubt surfaced on his face: Why would such a valuable treasure appear at the bottom of the pond? Could someone have discarded it here? After pondering for a while without figuring it out, Chang Qinghe was still very tempted by the golden quality item. He had no intention of leaving; A gift from heaven, missed, must bear its curse! Chang Qinghe gritted his teeth: This treasure appearing before me must mean its mine. Upon this thought, Chang Qinghe takes a step forward, stepping on the edge of the pond as the water quickly soaked his shoes. At that moment, the originally calm water surface suddenly began to ripple. Soon, the gentle ripples turned into violent undulations; the entire pond seemed to be boiling, tumbling violently. I knew it wouldnt be so simple Chang Qinghe retreated a step, drawing his sword in preparation. In no time, all the clear water in the pond started to gather toward the center. A huge elemental water monster rose from the pond, roaring at Chang Qinghe; This elemental water BOSS was made entirely of pond water. Its waist and below had merged with the pond. Its muscular body was light blue, with prominent muscles; Intruder, Intruder detected, Destruction, all creatures are enemies of Gulras! The elemental Water Boss Gulras roared. With both hands held in front of his chest and cold Ice elements constantly condensing there, a cold and chilly ice sphere soon appeared in its palm. Frost Arrow! With a roar from Gulras, the ice sphere in his hands, trailing a long icy tail, shot towards Chang Qinghe like an arrow. Wielding his long sword, Chang Qinghe shouted: Water has no definite shape, one sword can break it! A dazzling Sword Qi, radiating the aura of surging waves, swept towards the Frost Arrow like a great river; Boom~ The collision was fierce as cold air spread out. The intense force sent Chang Qinghe back by two steps, his face turned pale and he felt a slight stifling sensation in his chest. This BOSS is so powerful? Chang Qinghe exclaimed in surprise, but his face did not show fear, instead, he was delighted. The stronger the guardian beast, the more precious the golden quality item must be. Chang Qinghe let out a big laugh, his body suddenly emitted a brilliant light, and three iron chain-like shadows appeared on his body, tightly binding him. Ill let you witness my real power today! Chang Qinghes face was all smiles. Gathering up his strength, he shouted: Open! Crack! A crisp shattering sound was heard. The three iron chain shadows wrapped around his body suddenly shattered into pieces. Chang Qinghes aura soared, and behind him emerged a shadow of a turbulent, roaring river; Furious Waves! Chang Qinghe stomped his foot, and his entire body shot into the air. His sword let out a dazzling light as he slashed towards the water elemental BOSSs head; Song Jian tidied up a bit, put away the Book of Fusion, and then walked through the stone room and down the corridor in front; The subsequent passage seemed much simpler. After walking for only a tens of minutes, Song Jian arrived at a spacious hall. This hall was as large as three or four basketball courts. Every few meters, a tall stone statue stood. These statues were of various races, including humans, beastmen, elves, and even one that had a head similar to an octopus. The common thing between all the sculptures was that they each held a long sword in their hand, gripping the hilt with both hands, pointing the blade downward in front of them. The moment Song Jian stepped into this hall, a grand voice sounded in his ears; To control the sword with the body, to master the sword with the mind, to break through ones limits. If you wish to advance your occupation even further, you must undertake a more rigorous trial. Are you ready? Advance my occupation? Song Jian paused, then became ecstatic; he had stumbled upon an occupation advancement trial here C it was an unexpected joy; When he first obtained the Sword Controller occupation, his occupation mentor, Duan Jian, had said that continuing along this path, the next level was the Sword Master, followed by an even higher-level occupation, and the final occupation would be one of the ten singular occupations C the Sword Immortal! Im ready! Song Jian immediately shouted. In the hall, the deep voice echoed once again; Choose your trial target. Each one of them was once a formidable swordsman. Defeat them with your sword, and you will gain a more powerful occupation! During the battle, no one is allowed to assist you. If you receive any help during the fight, the trial will be deemed a failure! Chapter 661 - Chapter 661: Chapter 661: Duan Wudi Chapter 661: Chapter 661: Duan Wudi Song Jian glanced at his own status and found that after taking on the trial, his Pet Space had been directly sealed. He had lost all contact with his pets; whether it was the Black Dragon that could not be summoned in this world, or the small stone man who was recovering from its injuries in a deep slumber, he could not reach any of them; His Follower Asia could no longer send him any messages; he was also unable to transmit any messages in this world; The Blood Pool Summoning Skill was sealed too. But even without the seal, a group of blood birds, blood corpses and blood wolves, without any first-grade combat power, most likely couldnt provide much assistance; Please choose the trial target you want to defeat! The voice sounded again, as if urging him to make a selection quickly. Song Jian turned his gaze toward the statues in the hall. Though these statues were all of formidable swordsmen, there would certainly be differences in their capabilities. Even if their strength was at the same level, the sword techniques they excelled at could never be identical. If he could select a target that he could counter, the fight would undoubtedly be much easier; Song Jian looked over each of these statues in turn; Kuto, Human, born in Dark History year 1187, died in Light History year 117, devoted his life to the liberation movement of the world, killed 7,900 aliens, known as Nightmare of Aliens, skilled in sword techniques C Wailing Sword, Ten Directions Strangling Sword Technique, etc. His swordsmanship is bold and confident, and its especially suitable for battlefield environments Wu Luer, Beastman of the Fox Clan, Sword Saint, born in Dark History 1153, died in Light History 120, skilled in Beast Blade Roar, Spirit Flash Sword Skill, etc. His swordsmanship is as fast as lightning, with an offensive as thunderous, extremely fast, suitable for close combat As Song Jian approached each statue, the information about the statues past life would appear in his mind. From these details, he could understand the sword techniques used by the statue and the style of its swordsmanship; After checking out seven or eight statues, Song Jian came to the last one. The material used for this statue was the poorest, but it was the most intricately carved one. Each detail was brought to life, as if it wanted people to recognize it at first glance. The armor this man is wearing looks somewhat familiar Song Jian inspected the statue from head to toe and began to read its information. Duan Wudi, an alien, arrived in Light History year 101, disappeared in Light History year 105, killed seventy-eight powerful figures with the title of Sword Saint. His most famous battle was the one after his alien identity was revealed, where he was ambushed by hundreds of Sword Saints, but managed to escape by killing more than ten people at the cost of sustaining severe injuries. This battle was dubiously known as the Battle of Shame. He was adept at the sword techniques C Dugus Nine Swords, Formation Breaking Blade, Middle Rushing Sword Finger, Young Merchant Sword Finger, Sword Twenty-Three Duan Wudi, an alien? Is this an NPC from the game world? A wry smile spread across Song Jians face, surprised that among his trial targets, there was someone from his own world, and also an NPC. This mans surname is Duan too, I wonder if he has any connection with my Combat Mentor Duan Jian. Song Jian thought secretly: Even if he did, he probably wouldnt know who Duan Jian is, given the age difference, Duan Jian might be centuries apart from him Well, lets choose him then. After all, we both come from the same place. Hes a fellow townsman. Song Jian muttered to himself, choosing the statue in front of him, named Duan Wudi; Do you confirm your trial target? Confirm! Cra-ck Cra-ck Cra-ck~ An echoing series of cracking sounds rang out, and the statue of Duan Wudi began to reveal spiderweb-like fractures on its surface. In no time at all, with a loud boom, Duan Wudis statue exploded into pieces. In its place, a figure began to slowly transition from illusion to reality. Tsk, tsk, tsk, cant you guys who come for class advancement not choose me every time? Amongst the rubble, a figure that seemed rather flustered appeared in front of Song Jian. Did an alien eat your rice? You choose me every time during class advancement. Do you think Im easy to bully? A fairly young man, who was the spitting image of Duan Wudis statue, appeared in front of Song Jian. Senior! Song Jian saluted with his fists. Huh? Duan Wudi was taken aback as he carefully examined Song Jian. Haha, youre just like me, youre also Duan Wudi pointed at Song Jian and started to laugh uproariously; I didnt expect, truly didnt expect, that Id meet someone from the same world here Holding his belly, laughter brought tears to Duan Wudis eyes. Oh my, this is hilarious. I wonder if those who placed me in the Trial Hall ever expected this day to come, that an alien would enter the Trial Hall. I wish I could see their faces! Duan Wudi leaned on his knees, laughing for quite a while before finally stopping. Senior, are you being imprisoned here? Do you need me to help you get out of here? Song Jian asked. Apparently, this mans existence had been a trial target for a long time, and Song Jian wasnt sure how many years he had been here. However, it should have been several centuries at least; No need, I am just a fraction of Duan Wudi! The man in front of him waved his hand and said: When they severely injured Duan Wudi in the past, they used a secret method to extract a piece of his spirit and created me. As soon as I leave this hall, I will disappear. Then, Senior, shall we start? Song Jian made a fist with one hand and placed it in the palm of the other hand, Please show mercy! Come on, show me your most powerful sword attack. Let me see what level of strength the youths of our world are at now! Duan Wudi adopted a pose with a sword in his right hand, the tip of the sword pointing down, while his left hand was held behind his back. He had a smile on his face, the demeanor of a grandmaster, appearing to be an enlightened being. Well, I wont be polite then! With a thought, Song Jian activated the Immortal Sword Body immediately, and his aura soared; Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, First Style, Twilight Snow! With a soft shout, the Invisible Sword Qi within Song Jians body, in an instant, all rushed towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his right arm; The entire hall was covered in a thin layer of frost, snow actually began to fall from the ceiling of the hall. In no time, the hall was filled with snow, and the temperature dropped by twenty to thirty degrees; The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique? Haha, this was that old mans most powerful sword maneuver, and youve learned it? A surprised look appeared in Duan Wudis eyes. At this moment, his feet were deeply buried in the snow, and his legs from the knee down were encased in thick ice, completely immobilized; Song Jians figure had disappeared in the heavy snow. Now, at this moment, all the snow in the sky was rapidly converging onto Duan Wudi, with each snowflake made from condensed Sword Qi; Youve mastered it somewhat Duan Wudi still maintained the light smile on his face. Watching the snowflakes rushing towards him from all directions, the next moment, the long sword in his hand suddenly began to whirl; Dugus Nine Swords, Arrow Breaking Style! With a soft cry, vibrant Sword Qi suddenly began to shine within a three-foot radius around Duan Wudi. His figure began to move correspondingly, but only the part of his body from the waist up. His feet remained stuck in the ice and snow. Chapter 662 - Chapter 662: Chapter 662: Sword Master Chapter 662: Chapter 662: Sword Master Ding ding ding ding~ A rapid series of collision sounds echoed around the hall. Around Duan Wudis body, snowflakes made from condensed Sword Qi continuously shattered. With each exploding snowflake, countless tiny needle-like Sword Qi would shoot out in all directions C but they were unable to penetrate Duan Wudis immediate vicinity. Three feet around his body, it was as if an invisible air wall blocked all the Sword Qi. The snowflakes in the air grew more numerous and dense, but Duan Wudi exhibited no signs of exhaustion. The speed of his swaying body increased; Song Jian could only watch as countless sword lights bloomed around him. In the instant when all the snowflakes shattered, a chill light appeared behind Duan Wudis head. Song Jians figure appeared behind Duan Wudi, and the chill light was the long sword in his hands. You have the same habits as that old man, preferring to strike with the final sword from behind? Duan Wudi chuckled, as he surprisingly swung his long sword from below his ribs at a bizarre angle, stabbing towards Song Jians forehead. Song Jian was taken aback. If he continued his strike, before his sword could even touch the back of Duan Wudis head, he would smash into Duan Wudis sword tip. Senior, how are you so familiar with this sword technique? Song Jian promptly stopped himself, performing a backflip to dodge Duan Wudis long sword. He stumbled back two steps, a look of surprise on his face. Hahaha, the guy who created this sword technique fought with me a dozen times. One of his eyes was taken by me, how could I not be familiar with his sword technique? Duan Wudi heartily laughed. Song Jian glanced to the left. Indeed, one of the statues in the hall was blind in one eye. However, there was no mention of him excelling at the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique in his description. Yes, that old man Duan Wudi laughed. Come on, dont try to fight me with the sword techniques you learned in this world. Ive encountered at least 90% of the sword techniques. As long as its a somewhat famous sword technique, I have a way to counter it! Song Jian nodded and started using other sword techniques. However, no matter what sword technique he used, Duan Wudi was always able to counter with another technique. Even though the strength Duan Wudi was currently exhibiting was barely that of a first-grade combatant, Song Jian was left feeling helpless. Just as Song Jian was about to give up, he suddenly remembered one of his auxiliary battle skills C the Minds Eye! With a thought, a crimson cross appeared around Duan Wudis body, an aiming crosshair that was undetectable by Duan Wudi, only visible to Song Jian. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jian drew upon the Tai Chi Sword Skill. The grey and white energy quickly concentrated around his body, shaping into a phantom image of the Yin Yang fish that symbolises Tai Chi. Tai Chi Sword Skill? Interesting! A smile appeared at the corner of Duan Wudis mouth, he seemed to have thought of something. He retracted his long sword and surprisingly reinitiated Dugus Nine Swords. Song Jian was only using the Tai Chi Sword Skill to stall for time, not to defeat Duan Wudi. Three seconds later, the crosshair moved to an empty space three meters away from Duan Wudis side and began to blink without moving. Song Jian was taken aback, but decided to trust his skill. In the middle of his brow, the Vertical Eye slowly opened. A dazzling silver beam of light shot out towards the location indicated by the crosshairs. Boom, boom, boom~ A series of explosions sounded. Duan Wudi, who had been facing Song Jian, suddenly vanished, and a figure slowly emerged from the bombarded location. You were able to find my true body? Duan Wudis voice suddenly echoed, filled with a tone of surprise. The power of Minds Eye was variable, causing damage that was based on a percentage. The stronger Song Jian became, the greater the damage Minds Eye inflicted. With Song Jians current strength, the damage caused every second had already exceeded five hundred. If you fully bore the damage from Minds Eye from start to end, the final damage could exceed two thousand C and thats without a critical hit. The moment Duan Wudis real body appeared, a system notification sounded next to Song Jians ear. System: You have completed the profession upgrade task. Your epic profession, Sword Controller, has been promoted to Sword Master! System: You have comprehended the core skill of Sword Master, Sword Control Skill! System: You have comprehended the core skill of Sword Master, Creation of Sword Spirit! System: Your strength attribute permanently increases by 5 points, agility attribute permanently increases by 8 points, physique attribute permanently increases by 5 points, and spirit attribute permanently increases by 50 points. In an instant, Song Jian felt as if his head had been struck hard. Something exploded in his mind, causing him to lose consciousness. Blood streamed from his seven orifices, giving the appearance of imminent death. Watching Song Jian collapse onto the ground, Duan Wudi smiled slightly. His figure slowly faded, eventually disappearing completely. His previously shattered statue began to show a phantom image. This phantom gradually solidified with the passage of time. It wouldnt be long before it returned to its original state. Song Jian lay motionless on the cold ground for an unknown amount of time before slowly opening his eyes. Within his eyes, a star-like radiance flickered brightly, only slowly fading after a long while. What happened to me? Touching the dry blood on his face, Song Jian looked confused. However, he quickly regained his memory. Ive successfully advanced! A joyful expression emerged on Song Jians face. He then realized that his memory seemed greatly enhanced. He could clearly recall things from his childhood that hed forgotten, even every lesson hed learned in elementary and middle school. He could remember how he had entered the game, his fighting and slaughtering adventures in the game, and all the detailed experiences. Reaching into his chest, he took out a blank Sword Stone. With a thought, a silver talisman knife flew out. Without using the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, Song Jian was able to control the talisman knife as easily as his own limbs, carving the blank Sword Stone. Other auxiliary materials automatically flew into the blank Sword Stone. In a short while, a Sunburn-class Sword Qi Stone was successfully finished. Nine times, a Sword Qi Stone that can release Sunburn-class Sword Qi nine times! Looking at the golden Sword Qi Stone in his hand, Song Jians face lit up with a joyful expression. The 50-point enhancement to his Spirit attribute transformed Song Jian. Now, he could almost be compared to a magic-related profession which specialized in the Spirit attribute. Moreover, the Spirit attribute had become his highest attribute, even exceeding his strength, agility, and physique. Am I even considered a melee class now? A peculiar expression appeared on Song Jians face. Chapter 663 - Chapter 663: Chapter 663: Sword Control Skill Chapter 663: Chapter 663: Sword Control Skill Song Jian checked his status; his strength attribute had exceeded sixty-five points, agility attribute reached sixty points, constitution attribute reached forty-nine points, and spirit attribute reached seventy-four points. Song Jian discovered that his perception now enveloped the entire hall, and any minor changes within it couldnt escape his detection. This sudden increase in spirit made Song Jian feel like he was in control of everything. However, Song Jian knew that this was just an illusion, and this feeling would gradually disappear once he adapted to his current state. As Song Jian was slowly adapting to his new status, his eyes suddenly widened, seemingly perceiving something. At that moment, a figure appeared behind him. Jian Qi looked at the hall and the statues in it, a surprised expression on his face. Heritage Statues? Are these Heritage Statues? Jian Qi couldnt help but shout. But when he saw Song Jian sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and the last statue turned into a phantom, his expression instantly darkened, and a touch of sinister flashed in his eyes. Second Senior Brother, youre here too? Without turning his head, Song Jian spoke, a trace of coldness on the corner of his mouth; Little Junior Brother? Jian Qi was startled, seemingly not expecting to see Song Jian in this place. However, he immediately thought about the statue that had turned into a phantom and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes. Song Jian, how did you enter this ruin? Jian Qi asked harshly. Second Senior Brother, your question is a bit strange. Isnt it you who invited me to come explore this ruin together? Song Jian slowly stood up, turned around, and looked at Jian Qi with a half-smile; Jian Qi was momentarily speechless. He and Chang Qinghe had invited Song Jian without any good intentions, they merely wanted to use Song Jian as cannon fodder to attract the attention of the guardian BOSS outside. However, unexpectedly, the other party did not back down but instead entered the ruins as well. Could it be that he killed the BOSS? Jian Qi wondered in his heart, but quickly dismissed the idea. With the strength of that BOSS and the hundreds of ordinary ghosts surrounding it, even if Chang Qinghe and I joined forces, it would be impossible to kill all these monsters. Once those ghosts enter a berserk state, even we would have to retreat. How did he break in? I never thought that Little Junior Brother was so good at hiding his true abilities! Jian Qi sarcastically said. I have to thank both of my Senior Brothers for bringing me here; otherwise, how could I have obtained such a great opportunity? Song Jian displayed a happy smile on his face. Jian Qis face became even more gloomy, and he sneered: Little Junior Brother, it seems that you have already obtained the inheritance of this powerful person. I wonder what kind of inheritance youve gained. Can you show it to your Senior Brother? Senior Brother, why dont you have a look yourself? I just obtained it, and my control over it is not very good yet! Song Jian laughed, showing a shy expression on his face. This hall was his professional advancement assessment, but for the people of this world, it was the Heritage Hall, where one could accept the inheritance of any statue. It was nothing short of a pie falling from the sky for the people of this world; Jian Qi glanced at Song Jian and slowly walked towards the statues; Its better for the inheritance you received not to be too outstanding; otherwise A trace of fierceness flashed in the depths of Jian Qis eyes; In reality, not all the inheritances from these Heritage Statues were powerful; some of them had a very specific orientation. If Jian Qi encountered such an inheritance, he likely wouldnt accept it either; Little Junior Brother, perhaps you dont know that the inheritances in this Heritage Hall can only be passed on to one person every hundred years. Afterwards, you must wait for a hundred years for that Heritage Statue to recover before it can continue to be passed on to the next inheritor. Jian Qi slowly spoke as he walked. Moreover, the most important thing is, if you havent left this ruin, by killing you, the inheritance you just obtained will drop in the form of an inheritance scroll Jian Qi coldly glanced at Song Jian and then placed his hand on the phantom statue of Duan Wudi. With his eyes slightly closed, Jian Qi examined Duan Wudis information. Although the summaries of these statues did not contain inheritance content, by examining the deeds of the person in front of the statue, one could roughly guess the strength he possessed and the possible inheritance he left behind. A foreigner? He killed seventy-eight powerful Swordmasters? Under the siege of hundreds of Swordmasters, he counter-killed more than ten and successfully escaped? Jian Qis arm trembled slightly, as he had never heard of such a powerful Swordmaster before; Although hes a foreigner, his power is beyond doubt. This- this is just Jian Qis face was filled with astonishment. Why did Song Jian receive his inheritance? Why not me? Jian Qi looked regretful as he thought: If it werent for the prolonged battle with the Dark Gold Quality Guardian BOSS, maybe I would have been the first one to enter this Heritage Hall! No, this inheritance must be mine! It must be mine! Jian Qi trembled all over, his face twisted in greed. If he didnt know about this, it would have been fine. But now that the inheritance had almost brushed past him, it was like millions of little worms were gnawing at his heart, causing him unbearable pain, and his eyes starting to redden; Song Jian! Jian Qi turned his back to Song Jian, slightly bowed his head, and his Sword Qi surged like scorching flames: Its not that I dont have the spirit of camaraderie, its just that this foreigners inheritance is too important for me! So, please die. Jian Qi turned around, the longsword in his hand emanating a hint of Dark Gold light. A dazzling Sword Qi slashed towards Song Jian; Sword Twenty-Three, Sword Twenty-Three, this is that persons inheritance, how could I possibly give it up! Jian Qi screamed crazily and charged at Song Jian; If this were before entering this hall, I might not be a match for you. But now A touch of coldness appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth, and behind him, three longswords slowly unfolded like the tail of a peacock; Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, Golden Demonslaying Sword, Verdant Crystal Wood Sword C all three were of Dark Gold Quality, emitting a strong radiance. Each sword was enveloped in a golden Sword Qi, resembling three feathers swaying gently in mid-air; Sword Control Skill! The three longswords, as if controlled by three invisible arms, hacked at Jian Qi, wildly spraying Sword Qi in the air and performing three different sword techniques; Broken Wing Dance Flash Thunder Strike Sweeping Sword Style The three longswords attacked Jian Qi from three different directions, one of them clashing head-on with Jian Qi. Golden Sword Qi and white Sword Qi collided and intertwined, emitting a deep rumbling sound; How is this possible Jian Qi busied himself with dealing with the three longswords attacks. Meanwhile, Song Jian stood at a distance with a cold smile on his face, as if watching a prey struggling in a net; Chapter 664 - Chapter 664: Chapter 664: Rules of the Sect Chapter 664: Chapter 664: Rules of the Sect Song Jian wielded three long swords to attack simultaneously, appearing as though he still had plenty of strength left. The staggering increase in his Spirit attributes made Song Jians strength vastly different. From his current attributes, he was no weaker than someone who had just passed the B-level assessment with the strength of a first level combat power strongman. If he activated his Immortal Sword Body, with Song Jians current strength, he could fully compare to a strongman who had just passed an A+ level assessment of first level combat power. In other words, he now technically had first level peak combat power. Jian Qis strength was at most on par with a first level combat power strongman who had just passed through the B+ level Assessment World. Faced with Song Jians Sword Control Skill, he had no power to resist. At first, we was able to hold out for a while, but soon, scars began to appear on Jian Qi. How, how can he be so strong! Jian Qi was sliced again by the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and fresh blood spurted out. His face showed an expression of disbelief. Is that mans legacy really that strong? In fact, if Song Jian really got Duan Wudis legacy, his fighting power would certainly be much stronger than it is now. But to get such a strong power like Duan Wudi, there was a process which must be followed. Even if all of Duan Wudis sword techniques were taught to Song Jian, to master such a strong power, Song Jian needed to practice diligently for a long time. For a Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Song Jian didnt know when he would be able to learn all twelve moves. If Song Jian really got Duan Wudis legacy, it would also not be possible to immediately raise such a huge fighting power. The main reason why Song Jians strength had changed dramatically in just a few hours was that he had passed the profession upgrade assessment, upgrading from Sword Controller to Sword Master, achieving an essential evolution. Power, agility, and physical strength all gained a permanent increase, but more importantly, the spirit attribute directly increased by fifty points. Spirit power would probably not exceed fifty points for most magic power strongmen who had not yet achieved first-level combat power. Boom! Long sword in Jian Qis hand struck harshly against the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword in mid-air. He staggered back a few steps, while the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword merely twirled in mid-air before continuing to attack him. The use of the Sword Control Skill continuously depleted mental strength, but now Song Jians Spirit Points had surged from over two hundred to eight hundred and ninety. The Sword Control Skill consumed one spirit point every three seconds. For Song Jian, this could be considered a regular combat method. Song Jian, do you really want to kill your fellow disciples? Jian Qis clothes were already dyed red with blood, with his Vitality Points dropping to one third. He had already been seriously injured in the previous fight with the Guardian boss. Now, after fighting Song Jian for so long, he was injured even more. Most importantly, Jian Qi saw no hope of winning. The Qingyun Sword Sect rules prohibit killing fellow disciples. Those who violate this rule will have their martial arts destroyed and will be expelled from the Sect. Jian Qi cried out, his eyes filled with panic. How could he be so strong? Even if he did get that guys legacy, it shouldnt make him this strong. Multiple thoughts arose in Jian Qis mind. Unless, unless hes been hiding his power all along Also, why does he have three Dark Gold Quality long swords? Even the eldest brother, who is a direct disciple, may not have such high-quality long swords, yet he has three Song Jian, as long as you let me go this time, I will pledge my allegiance to you in the Qingyun Sword Sect. If you aim for the sect leader position in the future, I will do my best to support you! Jian Qi begged. His current state was equivalent to fighting three individuals with similar strength to him. Song Jian was on standby nearby, it wasnt that he didnt want to attack Jian Qi, but the three swords alone were enough to disempower him. Jian Qi was filled with doubts, but now was not the time for him to clarify them. As long as I can survive this time, I will pay you back a hundred times over for the humiliation I suffered today, Song Jian! Jian Qi roared in his heart, but his face showed more and more humility. Song Jian, we are brothers of the same sect. I can act like nothing happened today. I will cover for you with the master, do you really want to kill everyone? No matter what you say, I will not let you off today. Youd better give up on that. Song Jian sneered, controlling the three long swords to accelerate the speed of the siege. Controlling three long swords, executing three different sword techniques, it was still a great burden for Song Jian. Despite Jian Qis many wounds and bleeding status, which depleted his Vitality Points below one thousand, he still didnt give up and fought back. Song Jian, dont forget, not only are we two in the ruins, theres also eldest brother. Arent you afraid that your murder will be revealed and the eldest brother will hunt you down! Jian Qis eyes were filled with desperation. He was just resisting stubbornly at this point, and defeat was just a matter of time. As long as I kill you here, no one else will know. Song Jian sneered. That may not necessarily be the case! A cold voice came from the entrance of the passageway behind Song Jian. Eldest brother! Jian Qi cried out in surprise, a joyous smile appearing on his face. His gaze at Song Jian immediately became vicious. Song Jians heart sank. Chang Qinghe always gave him a feeling of being unfathomable. Even now, with his increased mental power, he couldnt sense how strong Chang Qinghe truly was. Just from him, he could feel a breath that came from the sect leader of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Eldest brother, he has obtained an extremely strong swordmaster inheritance. We can get the Sword Twenty-Three if we kill him! Jian Qi yelled. Song Jians inheritance had been lost to Jian Qi, but if he could kill Song Jian, he could get some form of revenge. Besides, he and Song Jian had now become mortal enemies, only one of them could survive. Jian Qi was completely overwhelmed by Song Jians strength. If he wanted to kill Song Jian, he had to borrow Chang Qinghes hands. Upon hearing the words Sword Twenty-Three, Chang Qinghes eyes narrowed and his right hand clenched instinctively. After a while, Chang Qinghe sighed and said to Song Jian, Junior brother, dont you know that same-sect killing is forbidden within the Qingyun Sword Sect? Eldest brother, would you believe me if I said Jian Qi started it? Song Jian said slowly. At this time, he was still controlling the three long swords and had Jian Qi surrounded, but did not launch an immediate attack. Chang Qinghe glanced at Jian Qi, shook his head slowly and said, Junior brother, you say Jian Qi started it, but I did not see. I only saw you attacking Jian Qi relentlessly and even wanting to kill him! Now, I have no choice but to apprehend you and take you back to the Sect to have the master decide what to do! Chang Qinghe declared righteously. Chapter 665 - Chapter 665: Chapter 665: Im Determined to Kill You! Chapter 665: Chapter 665: Im Determined to Kill You! Hearing Chang Qinghe speak, Jian Qi burst out laughing, a smug expression overtaking his face. Song Jian, did you not hear what elder brother had to say? better put down your sword and surrender. Youll answer to the master when we get back to the Sect! Seeing his elder brother, Jian Qi became arrogant once again. Ever since he first saw Song Jian, Jian Qi had taken an instant dislike to him and had intimidated Song Jian as soon as they met. Now looking at Song Jian humbled before Chang Qinghe, Jian Qi was filled with malignant glee. He wished he could be the one pointing his sword at Song Jian instead of being on the receiving end. Elder brother, his three swords are all of Dark Gold Quality. I think, till master forgives him, you should hold on to them, Jian Qi said with a cruel smirk. Elder brother, do you really have to do this? Song Jian asked without turning back, seemingly indifferent to Jian Qis words. Thats the rule, I cant help it! Chang Qinghe said calmly, his eyes falling on the three longswords controlled by Song Jian. A sparkle of desire flashed in his eyes. Song Jian slightly smiled and nodded, as if resigned to his fate. Alright then, I will go back to the sect with elder brother and see what the master says. A satisfied smirk spread across Chang Qinghes lips at Song Jians words, but it quickly disappeared. Jian Qi, on the other hand, burst out in boisterous laughter. Even though Jian Qis vitality was less than a third of the others, he still had enough strength to fight. Moreover, Chang Qinghes abilities were unfathomable. Even Jian Qi himself had no clue how far his elder brothers abilities could stretch! Now it was two against one, this was unfavorable for Song Jian! Jian Qi concluded in his mind that surrender was the only option left for Song Jian. But at this moment, Jian Qi suddenly felt a chill run through his body as if he had been thrown naked into a pit of ice. A look of fear crossed his face. You actually Just when Jian Qi prepared to mobilized his vigor, three loud blasts echoed around him. Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh~ A sound of cleaving air suddenly rang out, almost synchronizing into one noise. Jian Qis brow, throat, and heart were simultaneously pierced by a longsword, sending out three spurts of blood. How dare you! Chang Qinghe roared in rage from behind him. Unbelief was etched across Jian Qis face as he slowly fell forward. Feeling a tsunami-like force rushing at him from behind, Song Jian turned into a shadow and dashed towards the passageway in front of the hall. Clank~ With a crisp sound, the Dark Gold Quality longsword that Jian Qi had just obtained fell to the ground. As Song Jian brushed past him, he casually picked up the fallen longsword and popped it into his inventory, not having a moment even to look at it, and dashed straight towards the passageway ahead. You want to run? Think you can escape! Chang Qinghe roared out in anger, swinging his longsword. The air around him exploded into a roaring sound akin to a tsunami. Is that Sword Intent? Song Jian was shocked and didnt dare to look back. Grinding his teeth, he activated his Bloody Shield and continued to charge forward. Unpredictable water form, sever with a sword! Chang Qinghe shouted: Broken Water Flow! A white silken Sword Qi slashed towards Song Jians back. It sounded like a surging wave approaching his ear. Song Jian gritted his teeth, turned back and thrust his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward. Sacred Parry! A dazzling golden Sword Qi burst from the longsword. Clang~ The sound of a resonating bell echoed. The river-like Sword Qi vanished into nothingness. Song Jian, on the other hand, utilized the impact force to somersault backwards, landing steadily on the ground. After a glance at Chang Qinghe, a serious look appeared in Song Jians eyes. He didnt expect Chang Qinghe to comprehend Sword Intent, and even the Broken Water Flow Sword Intention of the Sect Leader of Qingyun Sword Sect! It seems that among all the disciples, only Chang Qinghe is the real direct disciple accepted by the Sect Leader! Song Jian thought to himself: Until his death, Jian Qi probably didnt realize that he wasnt important in Liu Qingyuns eyes! Chang Qinghe watched in amazement as his all-out attack vanished without a trace. But soon, a fierce Sword Qi mixed with an overwhelming wave-like Sword Intent slashed towards him. This is my Broken Water Flow Sword Intention? Chang Qinghe was stunned. Then, as if he had thought of something, he roared wildly. Foreigner, Song Jian, you are a foreigner! Correct, I am a foreigner, and Ive also obtained the inheritance of the strongest Swordmaster. Want it? Song Jian coldly stared at Chang Qinghe, As long as you kill me, you can have this inheritance to yourself. If not, youll have to hand it over to others! Boom! Caught by surprise, Chang Qinghe was hit by his own full-strength attack and was sent flying. A damage of over 1600 points floated above his head. Pallid-faced, Chang Qinghe slowly got up and looked at Song Jian, who was at the entrance of the hallway on the opposite side. You cant escape. Once your identity is exposed, the whole world will become your enemy. No matter where you run, endless pursuits would follow, he said. Youre right! A faint smile crossed Song Jians lips: However, once you step out of these ruins, you wont have any chance to obtain the strongest inheritance again. You can check under the Heritage Statue to see how formidable the inheritance I obtained is. Chang Qinghes face was dark and terrible. He knew that once he left the ruins, even if he managed to kill Song Jian in the future, thered be no chance of obtaining the inheritance on him. To get the inheritance, he had to kill Song Jian within the ruins to cause a drop! Watching Song Jian gradually retreat, disappearing into the passageway, Chang Qinghe stood still. I wager you wont leave! Song Jians voice echoed from the distance. Chang Qinghe walked slowly towards the statue that had become a shadow, his brows furrowed and his face ferocious. His expression alternated constantly as if he was in the midst of a fierce mental struggle. Foreigners are the enemies of the world. Whoever discovers them must alert the entire continent. Chang Qinghe had discovered Song Jians identity and should have left the ruins immediately to report back to the Qingyun Sword Sect about Song Jians identity. But if he did that, he would only receive a meager reward. Compared to the potential gains he could get from staying in the ruins, it was negligible. Chang Qinghes eyes burned with passion as he silently reviewed Duan Wudis information. Sword Twenty-Three, it really is Sword Twenty-Three! Chang Qinghe murmured to himself, staring fixedly at where Song Jian disappeared, and whispered: Youve won the wager! Finishing his sentence, Chang Qinghe stomped on the ground, making a loud sound. With the speed of lightning, he pursued Song Jian towards the passageway from which he left. Now that he had made up his mind, he wouldnt allow for any hesitation! Song Jian, youre as good as dead! Chang Qinghes eyes were filled with a strong intent to kill. Chapter 666 - Chapter 666: Chapter 666: Abyss Temptation Chapter 666: Chapter 666: Abyss Temptation Although Duan Wudi was considered an enemy by the people of this world, no one would turn down his legacy; Being a Sword Saint was already the most revered title in this world, and they were the strongest group of people in this world. Yet even such powerful people could not stand a chance against Duan Wudi in battle; In order to kill Duan Wudi, hundreds of powerful people bestowed with the title of Sword Saint joined forces to ambush him. Such an astonishing event would be unbelievable if it were to be told, but it really happened. This subverted everyones perceptions; most importantly, the ambush failed, with Duan Wudi killing more than ten of the powerful attackers; This was an extremely humiliating event for the entire continent. If Duan Wudi could have been killed, it would have been a different story. But the fact that so many top-notch powerhouses from the continent had failed to ambush him had filled people with anger and humiliation while also leaving them in awe of Duan Wudis strength. Jian Twenty-Three, a sword technique that was widely circulated during the ambush, was highly praised by almost all sects. That was why Jian Qi was so eager to kill Song Jian when he saw Jian Twenty-Threes sword technique amongst the heritage statues, in order to acquire the inheritance. This was also why Chang Qinghe was willing to momentarily put aside his hatred towards foreign people and pursue Song Jian alone! If word gets out that the inheritance is here, I am afraid that even the Sword Saint powerhouses will be attracted Chang Qinghes eyes were burning with fervor; Even his master, Liu Qingyun, a powerful swordmaster who had comprehended sword intent, was not qualified for the title of Sword Saint. If Chang Qinghe could obtain Duan Wudis inheritance, he would definitely become a Sword Saint C and not just any Sword Saint, but the most top-notch, formidable Sword Saint. Such temptation was irresistible for anyone who practiced swordsmanship. Song Jian swiftly traveled through the passages. Regardless of the type of intersection he encountered, he did not hesitate to randomly choose a direction and rushed past. In a short amount of time, he had already gone through more than twenty intersections. Even with his formidable memory, he would have difficulty retracing his steps should he reattempt the same path; My strength has increased too rapidly, I must adapt. The probability of me winning against Chang Qinghe in my current state is low! Thoughts raced through Song Jians mind as he continuously assessed the strength comparison between himself and Chang Qinghe; Chang Qinghe also possessed sword intent, which was, in a sense, similar to Song Jians Immortal Sword Body skill; The Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body was Song Jians core skill as a Sword Controller. Its appearance was similar to the sword intent possessed by this worlds swordmasters, which was why so many people had mistaken it; Song Jian had previously researched the sword intent of this world and found that there were many types C Broken Water Flow Sword Intent, which was comprehended by Liu Qingyun and Chang Qinghe, was just one of them; Unlike the Immortal Sword Body, Chang Qinghes sword intent did not consume much energy when activated, so he could maintain it for hours. In contrast, Song Jians Immortal Sword Body, now at level eight, could only be sustained for a mere three minutes. If he were to be caught in a stalemate, it would be highly unfavorable for him; Furthermore, due to the sudden increase in his attributes, Song Jian was unable to properly control his own power. At this moment, he just wanted to find a safe place to carefully experience and familiarize himself with his newly advanced profession; A Sword Master was obviously much more powerful than a Sword Controller. One could see the difference from the core skill of Sword Control, which, when activated, was almost equivalent to fighting against four opponents with similar strength to Song Jian. This skill alone possessed enough power to crush opponents of a comparable strength; The Sword Control Skill is already so powerful. I cant help but anticipate the power of the other core skill, creating a Sword Spirit! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, he wished he could immediately go into seclusion to thoroughly study his newly advanced profession. However, he could not allow Chang Qinghe to leave the ruin. Once his identity as a foreigner was exposed by Chang Qinghe, he would find it impossible to venture around this continent, let alone complete the first-ranked battle power assessment mission. Chang Qinghe must die here! A resolute look flashed in Song Jians eyes. As he continued to travel through the web-like passages, Song Jian suddenly felt as if he had broken through a thin film, facing very little resistance. If not for his greatly increased mental strength, he might not have noticed the anomaly at all; He stopped abruptly and looked back, only to find nothing unusual about the passage behind him. It was no different from the passages he had traversed before; When Song Jian turned his head back, he was shocked to find that the scene before him had suddenly changed; Previously, there was just a straight passage ahead of him. However now, before his eyes, appeared a lush valley. At the center of the valley stood a huge golden pyramid, which was black and shimmered with a metallic luster. The golden runes on its surface appeared and disappeared intermittently. What, what is this place? Wide-eyed and stunned, Song Jian realized that he must have just passed through some sort of barrier; He looked back again, and while the passage was still there, ahead of him was the valley. It felt as though the space at his current position had been split into two and then mysteriously glued back together; Just then, a weird voice suddenly sounded in Song Jians ears. Young man, do you want to possess great power? Become my follower, and I shall grant you the power to conquer this world! The voice was filled with temptation, but it sounded somewhat familiar to Song Jian, who couldnt help but smirk and mutter to himself, Abyssal Language, I never thought that the power of the Abyss would also exist in this world! Ever since he entered the game, Song Jian had noticed that the power of the Abyss seemed to be constantly eroding the gaming world. Before the new version of the game was launched, many places held traces of the Abyssal Power; After the launch of the new version, the Abyssal Power had flooded the entire world overnight. Just in Doomsday City alone, there were dozens of Abyssal instances, which had also opened up the possibility for the Abyssal Clan and professions! Come to think of it, the Abyssal instances in Doomsday City do share a resemblance with the mysterious black pyramid before me! Song Jian said softly as he gazed at the pyramid in the valley. Song Jian leaped onto a large rock at the edge of the valley and peered inside. At the same time, a figure suddenly rushed into the valley several hundred meters away from him. Upon closer look, it was none other than Chang Qinghe; At this point, Chang Qinghe seemed to be oblivious to Song Jian and was only startled by the scene before him. However, his eyes soon fell upon the huge golden pyramid in the center of the valley, and his body began to uncontrollably tremble, his eyes losing focus as if he was lost in some memory; Song Jian stared at Chang Qinghe and smirked with a hint of wonder, whispering, Not everyone can handle the abyssal language. Chapter 667 - Chapter 667: Chapter 667: Crafting the Sword Spirit Chapter 667: Chapter 667: Crafting the Sword Spirit Song Jian had a long-standing contact with the Abyssal Power, and held a certain resistance towards the Abyssal language. The charmers power seemed to be greatly suppressed; the allure of the Abyssal language had almost no effect on him. However, for Chang Qinghe, caught off guard, he had absolutely no power to resist. Furthermore, his heart was filled with desire to obtain Duan Wudis legacy and become a Sword Saint, which naturally created a vulnerability in his spirit which the Abyssal Power exploited. The allure of the Abyssal language easily affected him. Watching Chang Qinghe stumble towards the black pyramid like a walking corpse, Song Jian felt amused. The person he initially saw as a formidable enemy had easily fallen in this way. Song Jian sat cross-legged on the rock, ignoring the Abyssal language. He began to closely comprehend the various changes that came with advancing in his profession. He found that his original profession as Sword Controller had progressed to the Sword Master, gradually changing from short-distance to semi-long and even long-distance. The reason why this was so is because the Sword Masters core skill, Sword Control Skill, had no concepts of attack range. As long as your Mental Strength was strong enough, anywhere within the range of your Mental Strength was within your attacking range. Song Jians present Mental Strength perception could reach up to almost 100 meters, beyond which it became somewhat fuzzy. But if he were to use the Sword Control Skill, the most suitable attack distance would only be between 50 to 60 meters C any further would be more difficult to control. Moreover, after the significant increase in Mental Strength, Song Jian could easily control two or even three or four swords simultaneously. At his limit, Song Jian could control four long swords at the same time, and if he activated Immortal Sword Body, he could easily control five long swords. This meant his enemy would have to face five simultaneous attacks from him; if the enemys strength was equivalent to Song Jians, they would likely be at a disadvantage from the start. Am I invincible at this level? Song Jian laughed to himself. Song Jian began to closely examine the Sword Masters other core skill while adapting to his rapid increase in power C the creation of Sword Spirits. Its actually a supportive skill Song Jians brows creased. Supportive skills generally did not provide direct combat power, but in the game, the effect of a good support skill was not inferior to combat skills. Similar to Song Jians talent skill, Thick Skin, which was also a supportive skill, has saved Song Jian from the brink of death multiple times. Swallow the Essence of the Five Elements, nurture your own Sword Spirit After carefully reading the skill introduction, Song Jians face turned pale. The so-called Sword Spirit production involved using a weapon as the main body, then continually devouring other high-quality weapons. The main weapon would then nurture its own spirit so that the weapon and the users consciousness could become one. If a weapon produced a Sword Spirit, it would be essentially a division of the users consciousness. Controlling it would be as easy as moving a limb, according to the users will. If one were to use the Sword Control Skill to control a weapon with a Sword Spirit, it wouldnt consume Mental Strength, and the difficulty of control would also significantly decrease. In conclusion, this skill complemented the Sword Control Skill. If a Sword Master did not possess a long sword with a Sword Spirit, theyd feel embarrassed to claim they were a Sword Master! Has this game finally begun to make people spend money? Song Jian asked emotionlessly. To create a Sword Spirit, you need to start with a simple blood acknowledging ceremony, but the following step of devouring the Essence of the Five Elements is like a black hole. Good weapons of higher tiers C and an indeterminate amount at that C the higher the main weapons tier, the more youll have to devour. This game is practically forcing players to spend money! Song Jian shook his head, sighing. Moreover, Song Jians weapons were sets, and if fully collected, would make five. The consumption would be five times that of other Sword Masters. However, speaking of high-quality weapons, after killing Jian Qi, it seems I dropped his weapon! Song Jian suddenly remembered that there should be a Dark Gold quality long sword in his inventory, which would be perfect for creating a Sword Spirit. Removing this Dark Gold quality long sword from his inventory, Song Jian found that its attributes were excellent. If it were not for the fact that he already had the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Set, he would probably use it as his own weapon. Even if sold, this level thirty Dark Gold quality long sword could raise hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. Throwing away that kind of money feels like throwing it into water! Song Jian couldnt help but feel a pang of regret. Cutting open his finger, he let the fresh blood drip onto the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He drew a complex guiding rune on the blade of the sword. Luckily, thanks to his previous study of array formations and magic array, Song Jian was familiar with runes; for someone without any familiarity, trying to draw guiding runes with their blood could possibly be filled with failure and end up making them lose too much blood. With blood as the guide, and shared spirit C Sword Spirit, awake! Song Jian shouted lightly and the guiding rune on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword glowed, the fresh blood slowly seeped into the sword and disappeared. At this point, when Song Jian looked at the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword again, an option for Devour was now available, along with a slot to insert items. Song Jian sighed lightly, placed the newly obtained Dark Gold quality long sword in the devouring slot and with a trembling hand clicked on it. The long sword, worth hundreds of thousands, was immediately deconstructed and disappeared. The progress bar for the creation of the Sword Spirit only moved about one-tenth of the way. Does that mean that to make the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword produce a Sword Spirit, I need to at least get ten similar quality and level weapons? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Level thirty Dark Gold quality weapons were priceless, with none available on the market. At this stage, no equipment of Gold quality would appear on the market. Even if one or two items were to appear, they would be snatched up in an instant. There are even fewer Dark Gold quality weapons. Its unheard of C dont even think of getting it on the market! It seems that in the future, Ill only be able to get it to devour weapons of Blue or Silver quality Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, a roar came from afar. Song Jian looked up to see Chang Qinghe, now less than 100 meters away from the black pyramid. He was roaring loudly, and his aura was crazily growing. Sword Qi was pouring out uncontrollably in all directions, forming the illusory image of a great river dozens of meters long behind him. Whats happening to him? Song Jian stood up and looked at the scene ahead with a serious face. Chang Qinghe seemed to be stimulated by something and expressed all his power as well as his Sword Intent to the extreme. This made Song Jian fully understand Chang Qinghes power. This is close to the power of an elder from Qingyun Sword Sect. I didnt expect him to hide his strength this deeply A pensive expression appeared on Song Jians face as he intently watched Chang Qinghe from a distance. Chapter 668 - Chapter 668: Chapter 668: Joining Hands Chapter 668: Chapter 668: Joining Hands No one knew what had happened, but just as Chang Qinghe was about to enter the pyramid, he seemed to realize something and began to struggle violently. It appears that this abyss creature isnt that powerful either, letting the meat that was at its mouth fly away A sneer appeared on Song Jians face. Abyss Temptation would increase over time, the fascinating effect getting stronger and stronger. Once one couldnt break free at the initial seduction, it would be hard to get rid of later. However, surprisingly, Chang Qinghe began to break free just as he was about to enter the pyramid; Boom! With a loud explosion, the river phantom, condensed by Sword Qi, behind Chang Qinghe completely shattered. The rampant Sword Qi filled almost the entire valley. Flowers, plants, and trees were shredded into fragments by the Sword Qi in an instant. Even the black pyramid was left with countless white traces from swords, and the entire pyramid rumbled tremulously. Whos fooling around? Show yourself! Anger flashed in Chang Qinghes eyes. Upon entering this strange space, his mind had been manipulated, leaving a massive vulnerability in his spirit. To improve his cultivation in the future, the energy and time required would multiply. After unleashing all his power, the burden on Chang Qinghe was also tremendous. At this moment, he, panting heavily, stared at the black pyramid ahead, a trace of fear in his eyes. Mortal, submit to me, and I will bestow you with immense power. You will become the ruler of this continent! A hundred-meter tall phantom of a colossal demon loomed over the black pyramid. This demon possessed all the characteristics of an Abyssal Demon, radiating black abyssal aura. As soon as the phantom appeared, Song Jians face suddenly changed. From this Abyssal Demon, he felt an infinite Abyssal Power; This, this isnt an ordinary Abyssal Demon, this is an Abyssal Demon Lord Song Jian said in surprise. You should know that the limit of an ordinary Abyssal Demons power is simply first-tier Combat Power. However, the Abyssal Demon Lords, in the Abyssal Lands, rule vast territories and their power is at least of the second-tier Peak Combat Power. The stronger ones can even reach the third-tier Combat Power, and they are absolutely invincible to the current Song Jian. Just this phantom alone emits such a powerful aura, reaching the peak of first-tier Combat Power. Such a powerful being, how on earth was it sealed here? Song Jian was astonished. Human, you cannot resist the will of Lord Soloer. Submit to me, and you will gain even greater power! The Abyssal Demon phantom laughed wildly, pointing a finger at Chang Qinghe. Countless black abyssal auras gathered at his fingertips, and in an instant, these black auras intertwined and turned into two black chains that entwined towards Chang Qinghe. Abyssal Chains~ Song Jians eyes narrowed, this skill seemed universal amongst all high-level Abyssal beings. When used to restrain someone weaker than themselves, it was almost invariably successful. Furthermore, this skill seemed to have a certain chance to hit directly, making it extremely challenging to dodge. Using this on Chang Qinghe seems like a bit of an overkill. I wonder if this Abyssal Demon Lord has lost his senses due to being imprisoned for too long or is just overly confident! Song Jian murmured to himself. Chang Qinghes displayed strength had already reached the peak of first-tier Combat Power. The Abyssal Temptation couldnt hold him, let alone the Abyssal Chains. As expected, as soon as the two Abyssal Chains bound Chang Qinghe, without much effort, he directly broke free from the restraints of the Abyssal Chains. Abyssal Demon Chang Qinghe seemed to have also recognized the identity of the floating phantom above the pyramid. After hesitating for a moment, he actually turned around and sprinted towards the passage he had just entered. Abyssal creatures liked to invade other worlds. Almost all worlds discovered and targeted by them couldnt escape their clutches. Evidently, this trial world was also one of the objectives of the Abyssal creatures. The imprisoned Abyssal Demon Lord in this black pyramid had comparable strength to Chang Qinghe, just from a phantom. Its actual body must be inconceivably powerful. Although its actual body had been sealed, who knew how long the effects of this Sealed Tower could last after all this time? It seems that it wont be long before this Abyssal Demon can break free! Chang Qinghe thought to himself. It already can emit its own aura, making it clear, that this sealed tower, before long, would lose its sealing effect. We are too close to the Qingyun Sword Sect here. Once this demon breaks free, it would need a countless amount of human souls and flesh to recover its strength; the Qingyun Sword Sect would be its first target. I must rush back to the sect and report this to the Master, thought Chang Qinghe anxiously. We cant let him escape just like that! Song Jian stared at the figure of Chang Qinghe, murmuring under his breath. Once Chang Qinghe got back to the Qingyun Sword Sect, not only would the news of the Abyssal Demon Lord spread across the entire mainland, but Song Jians identity would also be revealed to everyone. Then, traversing this world would become impossible for him. The difficulty of his assessment task would increase a hundredfold, a thousandfold. Hence, Song Jian absolutely would not let Chang Qinghe escape this place alive. Suddenly, Song Jian employed the Sword Shadow Step and charged towards Chang Qinghes location. Sword Control Skill! Shrr Shrr Shrr~ Three long swords, gleaming with Golden Sword Qi made a sharp piercing sound in the air, heading straight towards Chang Qinghe. Song Jian! Chang Qinghe roared. Once this Abyssal Demon broke free, not only the Qingyun Sword Sect, but it would be a catastrophe for the entire mainland. An Abyssal Demon with second-tier peak combat power would virtually be invincible within a range of thousands of miles. No individuals or sects could stand a chance against it. Thousands upon thousands of people would die innocently due to the breakout of this Abyssal Demon. Thats why he would rather abandon Duan Wudis inheritance and leave this place. But all this was irrelevant to Song Jian. Getting into this world had just been part of his trial quest. Chang Qinghe also understood this, so he didnt bother to extensively engage with Song Jian, and as he fended off the three long swords attacks, he strived to run towards the passage. The moment he got into the passage, he could leave this sealed land. The actions of Song Jian had taken the sealed Abyssal Demon by surprise, but the demon laughed uproariously in no time, combining two abyssal chains and winding them around Chang Qinghe. Seeing the Abyssal Chains, Chang Qinghe changed color and yelled to Song Jian, The Abyssal Demon is an enemy to humanity, Song Jian, colluding with it wont end well for you too! Flash Thunder Strike! Sword Silk! Broken Wing Dance! The three long swords sometimes split apart, chopping at Chang Qinghe from different positions and angles with different sword strokes, and at other times, they regrouped into one long sword to inflict three times the damage on Chang Qinghe. Moreover, with the Abyssal Chains wrapping round him, there was no chance for Chang Qinghe to break into the passage. Song Jian, it wont be easy for you either. Colluding with the Abyssal Demon, youll become an Abyssal Demon yourself, and live worse than dead! Chang Qinghe roared defiantly, struggling fiercely. This time, however, he just couldnt break free from the Abyssal Chains. Song Jians eyes flashed with intent to kill, and the three long swords constantly aimed at Chang Qinghes vital points. Chapter 669 - Chapter 669: Chapter 669: True Name Chapter 669: Chapter 669: True Name The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, the Golden Demonslaying Sword, and the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword: these three long swords were being manipulated as if by three invisible hands, crazily attacking Chang Qinghe with a clear intention to kill him. From the hands of the Abyssal Demon Lord project in the mid-air of the Sealed Tower, two chains exuding black aura tightly locked around Chang Qinghe, binding and restricting his movement. For a moment, Song Jian and the Abyssal Demon Lord formed a silent pact to besiege Chang Qinghe. Song Jian, no matter which world you are from If you let the Abyssal Demon Lord replace you, he can descend on your world through you Chang Qinghe struggled, desperately blocking the three swords. However, as the Abyssal Chains increasingly bound him, he could only watch helplessly as the three swords aimed at his vital points. You will become the sinners of your world, and your world itself will ultimately be corroded by the Abyssal Power and become a part of the Abyssal Land! Struggling fiercely, Chang Qinghe wielded his sword, slashing at the Abyssal Chains that bind him. Thud! Thud! Thud! Without mercy, Song Jian controlled the flying swords to penetrate Chang Qinghes brain and heart. Three consecutive fatal blows left a wounded Chang Qinghe unable to withstand any longer, spewing out black blood. A helpless bitter smile appeared on his face as all his strength seemed to be drained in an instant and his body collapsed. Crackle! The black chains held up Chang Qinghes body, preventing him from falling. Wisps of vitality were extracted from Chang Qinghes body, passed through the black Abyssal Chains, and transferred to the shadow of the Abyssal Demon Lord above the black pyramid. Before long, Chang Qinghes body turned into a pile of dried up corpses, without a trace of moisture. It fell to the ground with a thud, turning into ashes. Ah~ The Abyssal Demon Lord issued a satisfied moan, tremblingly said, A thousand years Ive been imprisoned for a thousand years. I have not tasted human flesh and blood for a thousand years Song Jian observed the Abyssal Demon Lords projection on top of the black pyramid. It seemed more substantial after absorbing Chang Qinghes flesh and blood. Human, you did very well! The Abyssal Demon Lord opened his crimson eyes, staring at Song Jian with a smile, From you, I feel the aura of another world. Perhaps you could tell me what your world is like. If I get a chance, Id definitely like to see it! Whats your name? Song Jian asked. My name? Hahaha, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord looked at Song Jian, seeming somewhat amused, You actually inquire about the name of an Abyssal Demon Lord. Puny human, you arent worthy of knowing the true name of a great Abyssal Lord. All you can do is offer your flesh, your soul, and the memory coordinates of your world deep within your soul to me, a mighty Abyssal Lord. `Offer all of you to me, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared. The black aura burned around the projection like flames. From the outside, Song Jians current strength seemed much weaker than Chang Qinghe, the peak combat power of the first order. Even Chang Qinghe was not considered by the Abyssal Demon Lord, let alone Song Jian! Pledge your faith, dread me, damn me, become my slave, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord was reciting in the Abyssal language. The power of the Abyss Temptation rushed towards Song Jian wave after wave. In the eyes of the Abyssal Demon Lord, Song Jian was like a tiny boat out at sea, at the brink of annihilation any time. A cold smile flashed across Song Jians face. Thats not to mention that his innate passive ability Thick Skin had strong resistance to the Abyssal Temptation, even without this skill, the Book of the Abyss within him could protect him from the corruption of the Abyssal Power. A mere prisoner, what right do you have to demand my allegiance? Song Jian laughed coldly. Huh, youre actually not affected by the Abyssal Powers temptation The Abyssal Demon Lord expressed surprise. In his memory, there were almost no life-forms that could resist the temptation of the Abyssal Power. Put away your pathetic tricks. Tell me your real name and then tell me why you are imprisoned here! Song Jian shouted, staring at the Abyssal Demon Lord, If you continue to play these ridiculous tricks, Ill turn back immediately and spread the news of your impending escape widely across the continent! Human, you cant Seemingly panicked, the Abyssal Demon Lord falls silent for a moment before speaking to Song Jian, Human, remember my true name. I am Saffer Lance Tuya Salla, the Blade of the Abyss. A string of strange syllables came from the Abyssal Demon Lords mouth, a string of names each with hundreds of syllables. The Abyssal Demon Lord has existed for thousands, or even tens of thousands of years. His family lineage has lasted for tens of thousands of years. Their names incorporate the names of their ancestors, right up to their first direct ancestor. The names, like an old womans foot binding, were smelly and long, but this was their tradition! Human, my name is too long. You can call me the Blade of the Abyss! The Abyssal Demon Lord explained. Hehe, Blade of the Abyss Saffer Lance Tuya Salla Song Jian smiled slightly, repeating the hundred-syllable name of the Abyssal Demon Lord. Human, you The Abyssal Demon Lord was taken aback, a trace of fear rising in his heart. In this world, there are many ancient curses. Knowing its true name could invoke similar curses against it. Never underestimate anyone! Song Jian laughed. Human, are you willing to sign a contract with me? As long as you free me, I can grant you the title of viscount in my dominion, allowing you to own vast lands within my territory! The Abyssal Demon Lord proposed. A viscount of the Abyssal Land? Song Jian chuckled, Do you think I, a human, would be interested in the title of the Abyssal Land? The Abyssal Demon Lord was temporarily speechless, but then became furious and roared, I have been imprisoned for a thousand years, apart from territory, Ive got nothing else! What would your strength be like once you are free? Song Jian suddenly asked. Judging by the current strength of the Abyssal Demon Lord, he was only on par with the peak of the first-tier combat power. Song Jian hoped that his strength could be stronger, at least to help him complete the assessment task! Chapter 670 - Chapter 670: Chapter 670: Contract Chapter 670: Chapter 670: Contract The Abyssal Demon Lord is powerful, definitely not as it appears now. Even though it has been imprisoned for thousands of years and weakened significantly, as long as it can get out of the Sealed Tower, it wont take long for it to return to its peak state. Although the assessment task has no time limit, Song Jian doesnt want to stay in this world for too long. If he can use the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian can complete the assessment task in the shortest time possible; How strong are you at your peak? Song Jian asked. Hahaha, the power of the Blade of the Abyss is not something that a small mortal can comprehend The Demon Lord laughed heartily. Have you reached the second tier in combat power? Song Jian asked; Demon Lord: Song Jian speculated that to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, at least a second tier combat power is needed. The Sect Leader of the Qingyun Sword Sect, Liu Qingyun, gave him an unfathomable feeling. After witnessing the peak level of Chang Qinghes first tier combat power, Song Jian believed that Liu Qingyuns strength was definitely much higher than Chang Qinghes, at least at the early stage of second tier combat power; One has to reach level fifty to be eligible to challenge the second tier combat power, which means that Liu Qingyuns level is at least above fifty Song Jian speculated in his heart; Leveling up in this world is not as easy as in Doomsday City. In Doomsday City, there are many monsters, and they refresh every day. As long as one is willing, there is no shortage of monsters to level up. However, in this world, Song Jian cant go on a killing spree, he can only level up by hunting bandits and the like, which is very slow; And most importantly, this world is his Assessment World. No matter how high his level increases, it is impossible for him to break through the first tier combat power. It is very difficult to complete the assessment task with his own strength alone. Every Demon Lord has third tier combat power! The Blade of the Abyss roared, seemingly dissatisfied with Song Jian belittling its strength. Third tier? Song Jians eyes brightened. If this Abyssal Demon Lord could reach the third tier, it should be very easy to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect. Even if there were a few hidden Grand Elders in the sect, their strength could not reach the third tier. After all, the Qingyun Sword Sects foundation is not deep, and it is a sect that has existed for less than a hundred years; Very well, if I release you, I need you to go to the Qingyun Sword Sect and retrieve an item for me! Song Jian said. He dared not reveal his true intentions to the Demon Lord. It is known that betrayal and deception are ingrained in their beings. Anyone who tries to cooperate or trade with these creatures usually ends up regretting it. Once the Abyssal Demon Lord knows that he wants to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, it might create a lot of trouble; If he lets it steal an item from the Qingyun Sword Sect, then with its character, it will definitely attack the sword sect directly. Once conflicts break out, all the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect will be seen as food to replenish its energy, and it wont spare a single one. Hahaha, I could destroy a human sect with just a flip of my hand. I will kill them all, and you can have anything you want! The Blade of the Abyss laughed heartily. It had been sealed for thousands of years, and its body had been severely weakened, its power plummeting from the early stage of third tier combat power to first tier combat power. However, its level and strength still remained, and as long as it was given time to recover, it would quickly return to its peak; Very well, lets sign a contract then. As long as I release you from the Sealed Tower, you will destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, and then I just need to retrieve an item from it. Song Jian smiled; A contract, I love signing contracts with humans! The Blade of the Abyss laughed, plucking a golden scroll from the air, which fell into Song Jians hands; Upon opening it, he saw the contract written in both the Abyssal language and human language, surrounded by a circle of intricate patterns; System: You have obtained an Abyss Contract. Only when you voluntarily sign your name on it will the contract take effect; System: Warning, warning, this Abyss Contract is suspected of fraud. Please inspect carefully before signing! Song Jian smiled slightly. Even without the systems warning, he wouldnt sign this contract. The contents of the contract were written in two languages, and the Abyssal language content was completely different from the human language content. Once he signed the contract, Song Jian would immediately lose his freedom and become a slave to the Abyssal Demon Lord before him; The content of the Abyssal language and human language in your contract is completely different. Im sorry, I cannot sign this contract! Song Jian shook his head; Hahaha, I didnt expect you to understand the Abyssal language? The Blade of the Abyss laughed, not feeling embarrassed at all. With a wave of its hand, the contract in Song Jians hand turned into a cloud of black mist and dissipated in the air. Then, the Blade of the Abyss brought out another contract and told Song Jian, There were some errors in the previous one, but I believe you will be satisfied with this one. System: You have obtained an Abyss Contract. Only when you voluntarily sign your name on it will the contract take effect; System: Warning, warning, this Abyss Contract is suspected of fraud. Please inspect carefully before signing! Song Jian frowned. In this contract, the Abyssal Demon Lord had removed the Abyssal language and only left the human language. The content seemed to have no problems; However, the system still gave a hint of suspected fraud for this parchment contract. Obviously, there were still traps that Song Jian had not noticed. Im sorry, I cant sign this contract either! Song Jians expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Human, do you think you can offend a Demon Lord of the Abyss without any punishment? The tone of the Blade of the Abyss became unfriendly. If you continue with this attitude, I think there is nothing left for us to talk about. You might as well stay in this Sealed Tower and enjoy the rest of your life. Song Jian said coldly. Song Jian believed that, compared to him, the Abyssal Demon Lord probably desired to sign this contract even more so that it could escape the Sealed Tower sooner. The Blade of the Abyss fell silent. Playing small tricks in the Abyss Contract was something they enjoyed the most. The look on the faces of those who signed contracts with them and were ultimately deceived or even betrayed when they learned the truth was their favorite thing to witness. In this contract, not only were there problems with the surrounding patterns, but there was also another layer of contract content written with special ink after the formal contract. Only by using special means would the true content of the contract appear. Such a method could only be found among the Abyssal Demon Lords and was not even understood by ordinary demons. The Blade of the Abyss did not understand why this human could be so certain that there was a problem with the contract; Human, I hope you will not regret your decision today! The Blade of the Abyss said softly, pointing at the contract and causing the golden parchment to once again turn into black mist and vanish; Chapter 671 - Chapter 671: Chapter 671: Core Area Chapter 671: Chapter 671: Core Area The Blade of the Abyss once again condensed a contract scroll, this time, the scroll was clean without any decorative patterns or mysterious techniques; Song Jian took the scroll, and this time the system did not give a suspected fraud prompt for the contract; a smile appeared at the corner of his lips; If it were someone in the game, they might have fallen for the deception of the Abyssal Demon Lord, but Song Jian was a player, and for such transactions, the game would give prompts; Very well, I hope you will keep your promise! Song Jian laughed, forced a drop of blood from his finger, and pressed it onto the contract; Boom~ A flame rose from the golden contract scroll, and in a short time, it burnt up completely; Talking about keeping promises with an abyssal demon, Hehe~ Blade of the Abyss showed a mocking expression and muttered to itself. Alright, now you can tell me how to get you out of the Sealed Tower. Song Jian laughed; he had received a system prompt that the contract was established. Without system assistance, not a single word from the Abyssal Demon Lord could be trusted, let alone a punctuation mark. The Blade of the Abyss suddenly became excited, being imprisoned for thousands of years; although the seal of the Sealed Tower had loosened a bit, its current strength had been weakened to the extreme, so it had no way to escape on its own. It seemed that whoever sealed it had already calculated this situation. With the failure of the Sealed Tower, it would lose all its power and be killed by the remaining power in the moment the Sealed Tower collapsed; Rather than sealing it, it was more like using the power of the Sealed Tower to destroy this Abyssal Demon Lord; The Blade of the Abyss understood this too. After thousands of years, it finally met Song Jian, an outsider who might help; it was afraid that Song Jian would just walk away; Enter the Sealed Tower, find the sealing core, and as long as you break it, I can escape from here! Blade of the Abyss roared. Finally seeing a chance to escape, The Blade of the Abyss became very excited; Song Jian hesitated for a moment and then walked toward the black pyramid; Chang Qinghe was right, dealing with abyssal demons was like striking a bargain with a tiger, like dancing on the tip of a needle, and any carelessness could lead to self-destruction. But for the sake of completing the assessment missions, he had to take this risk. Looking at the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array made up of five Sword Stones in his inventory, a sense of security settled in Song Jians heart. At the base of the black pyramid was a stone door wide enough for one person. After entering the door, there was only a two-person-wide passage. If one followed the passage straight, they could reach the core area where the Abyssal Demon Lord was imprisoned; In the passage, numerous monsters emitting demonic energy lay on either side, their crimson eyes staring at Song Jian, looking eager and ready to pounce at any moment. These were ordinary creatures transformed by the Abyssal Demon Lord using its own demonic energy after the seal had loosened. These monsters were all above level thirty, each possessing elite-level power. Although they were not genuine abyssal creatures, they were somewhat stronger than ordinary abyssal creatures; If Song Jian had not reached an agreement with the Abyssal Demon Lord, he would have had to put up quite a fight to reach the core of the Sealed Tower; After walking a few hundred meters, Song Jian saw a giant tree tens of meters tall. The thick tree was covered with purple-black, scale-like bark, and its branches and leaves were also purple-black, emitting a rich abyssal aura; Upon seeing the tree, the Book of the Abyss in Song Jians body suddenly throbbed; A level 35 elite BOSS with first-order combat power? Song Jian narrowed his eyes; this demon tree in front of him was different from the monsters he had seen before, and it was a genuine abyssal creature that had been transformed by the Abyssal Power for hundreds of years; Hehe, how is it? I havent been idle for thousands of years! The voice of the Blade of the Abyss resounded in Song Jians ears, apparently very proud of its creation; How did you do it? Song Jian asked curiously; If anyone knew that the person who sealed it in the first place, they would definitely not think that it could seal any other abyssal creature. Obviously, this Abyssal Demon Lord had used its own Abyssal Power to transform this Abyssal Demon Tree. The people who sealed me left a seed, and after I discovered it, I spent hundreds of years using my Abyssal Power to transform it into a demonic seed filled with Abyssal Power! The Blade of the Abyss said proudly, And then it took hundreds of years to grow into what it is now! Song Jian shivered; the demon in front of him was a deep schemer, just from an unintentionally left seed, it could play such tricks. No matter how careful he was, it would not be enough; Its just a pity that although it has grown up, it cant get any closer to the sealed area. Otherwise, I should have escaped by now! The Blade of the Abyss sighed; In fact, it had a great use for this Abyssal Demon Tree; at the last moment when the Sealed Tower lost its effect, there would be a final Sword Qi to wipe it out. By then, it would have been worn down by the Sealed Tower to the extent that it could no longer withstand the attack. It spent so much effort cultivating a seed into an Abyssal Demon Tree just to use it as a shield to bear the last Sword Qi in the end; This was just its last gamble, as no one knew whether the final Sword Qi would strike it or the Abyssal Demon Tree. At most, it only had a 50% chance of survival, which was also the reason why it wanted to sign a contract with Song Jian. As Song Jian passed the Abyssal Demon Tree, he carefully observed its attributes. This Abyssal Demon Tree was very powerful, having reached the peak of first-order combat power. With Song Jians current strength, it would be pitifully slim to kill it successfully without resorting to his trump card. After bypassing the Abyssal Demon Tree, Song Jian arrived at the core area of the Sealed Tower. It was a hall with thousands of square meters of space. Around the walls of the hall sat stone statues. Song Jian glanced around and counted nineteen statues altogether, each of them pointing to the center of the hall, where a golden cage composed of Sword Qi was located; Power was drawn continuously from these statues, merging into the golden cage, maintaining the sealed state of the cage, which contained a huge, slow-beating heart; Chapter 672 - Chapter 672: Chapter 672: Destruction Chapter 672: Chapter 672: Destruction Before entering the Sealed Tower, Song Jian had wondered what a state the Abyssal Demon Lord, being sealed for thousands of years, would be in. However, he hadnt imagined that it would lack a complete body. Staring at the heart, the size of a basketball and colored purple-black before him, Song Jian fell into deep thought. Its unclear how long it would take to restore such an Abyssal Demon Lord. Would it be worthwhile to wait? Human, if you destroy these stone statues, I can break free from this cage! The demon heart suspended in midair seemed to beat faster, showing its excitement. Song Jian realized that the entire black pyramid was a sword formation, constantly absorbing energy from the outside. These nineteen stone statues were the nineteen core nodes of the entire sword formation. They transformed the energy absorbed by the pyramid into true Sword Qi to confine the heart. The whole sword formation would collapse once these statues were destroyed. These probably arent just statues, but real people! Song Jian became silent. These nineteen human statues should have been powerful swordmasters in their lifetime. In order to seal the Abyssal Demon Lord, they sacrificed their lives and used their own flesh and blood to constitute a part of the Sealing Sword Array. They spent thousands of years just to destroy this heart of the Abyssal Demon Lord. Any creature with Abyssal Power that approaches them will be met with a fierce attack. Only you, as a human, can destroy them! The Blade of the Abyss became somewhat frantic. After being imprisoned for thousands of years and now on the verge of escape, any being would become excited. Song Jian furrowed his brow. He himself possessed Abyssal Power. Both the Book of the Abyss and the Abyssal Demon Flame made him emit an aura of Abyssal Power. He wondered if the statues could detect this. With a thought, the Book of the Abyss within him became motionless. The black flame burning on the surface also slowly extinguished. Song Jian stepped towards the closest statue. As soon as he got close, this statues surface burst into radiant, golden Sword Qi. A phantom image appeared above the statue and swung its sword at Song Jian. Golden Sword Qi rushed towards Song Jian like a thunderbolt. How is that possible Red eyes emerged on the surface of the purple-black heart, looking towards Song Jian. Song Jian felt a shock in his heart, could it really still not work? A thought crossed his mind, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. He casually waved, releasing an abundant Sword Qi from the Light Strike, which collided with the golden Sword Qi rushing towards him. A muffled sound echoed in the hall. Song Jian was thrown back by a powerful force, smashing violently into the hard wall of the hall. He spat out blood. His pallid face revealed a significant loss of over a thousand Vitality Points. Peak First-Tier Combat Power! Song Jians face was filled with terror. It merely senses your strength and responds accordingly! If you continue to attempt to destroy them, the power of these statues will further increase! The Blade of the Abyss suppressed its rage and roared in a low voice: Human, tell me now, why would they attack you? They should only be wary of Abyssal beings! Its hope of escape had been destroyed. The Blade of the Abyss no longer needed to coax Song Jian and directly revealed its true face. An angry phantom image of the Abyssal Demon appeared in the hall, roaring loudly at Song Jian: You deceived me, you deceived a great Abyssal Demon Lord The wind was harsh in the hall. The Blade of the Abyss vented all its rage. However, just at that moment, a faint golden light burst from the nineteen statues. Above each statue, a human phantom image appeared. The swords in their hands pointed at the Demon Lords heart caged in golden Sword Qi. The phantom image of the Blade of the Abyss suddenly froze. If it behaved, it could still survive for at least hundreds of years more. If it tried to break free now, it would trigger the entire Sealing Array. Song Jian, we did sign a contract. If you fail to complete your part, you will suffer severe damage too! The Blade of the Abyss angry roar was thoroughly stifled in the hall, filled with Sword Qi. Shut up, and let me think! Song Jians face was gloomy. He didnt know if these statues rejected his approach due to the Book of the Abyss within him or his inadvertent exposure to the Abyssal Power. It must be noted, although the Abyssal Clan and Abyssal classes were stronger than ordinary classes after the games new revision, Song Jian always felt a certain risk. If he ended up turning into an Abyssal being because of too much exposure to the Abyssal Power, it was definitely not a result that Song Jian would want to see. Song Jian contemplated, and the Book of the Abyss soon appeared before his eyes. The Book of the Abyss, burning with fierce, fourth-tier, black flames, immediately bathed the entire hall in dazzling golden light on its appearance. What are you doing, put it away quickly The Abyssal Demon Lord roared loudly. The phantom image in the hall was torn apart by Sword Qi, and the imprisoned Demon Lords heart stopped beating too. Song Jian immediately stashed the Book of the Abyss into his bag. He felt it was too dangerous to keep such an Abyssal item within him all the time. After the Book of the Abyss disappeared, the Sword Qi in the hall gradually dissipated, restoring its original state. The Blade of the Abyss rematerialized a phantom image with a terrified look, staring at Song Jian without uttering a word. At this point, Song Jian cautiously approached the statues again. This time, these statues did not prevent him from getting close. Soon, he was right next to the statue. Good, thats how you do it. Destroy it, as long as you destroy these statues, I can break free from this damn cage. I can regain my freedom! The Abyssal Demon Lord felt like an Abyss, going from the peak to the valley and back, all in one day. Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like the Book of the Abyss within him had set off the alarm on the statues and not him. Looking at the statue before him, Song Jian hesitated a bit. These statues represented the powerful beings from a thousand years ago. They sacrificed themselves to eradicate the Abyssal Demon Lord, becoming part of the Sealing Array. Song Jian deeply respected this spirit. But now, for the sake of his mission, Song Jian had to destroy them. After glancing at the expectant eyes of the Abyssal Demon Lord behind him, Song Jian could only apologize silently, Im sorry, then he lifted his sword. Chapter 673 - Chapter 673: Chapter 673: Exorcising Demons Chapter 673: Chapter 673: Exorcising Demons Song Jian knew that if he swung his sword down, the hard work and efforts of these nineteen powerful beings over a thousand years would be in vain. The Abyssal Demon Lord who was trapped and was about to be freed would inflict tremendous harm to the world. It may even cause the entire continent to fall, becoming a vassal to the Abyssal Land; No wonder the locals are so hostile towards the outlanders A bitter smile appeared on Song Jians face. As he was not from this world, he found it hard to empathize with it. Even if this world was completely destroyed, as long as he had completed his mission, Song Jian wouldnt feel sad; Its a little annoying to be me right now! Song Jian sighed. Gritting his teeth, he swung his sword hard at the statue beside him; Crack~ A crisp shattering sound echoed C a fissure formed on the statue in front of Song Jian. A phantom appeared from the fissure, looking at Song Jian with complex eyes, let out a deep sigh, and slowly vanished into thin air; Thud~ The statue turned into ashes in an instant, scattering all over the ground; The entire pyramid suddenly trembled slightly. Having lost the supply of Sword Qi energy from this statue, the golden Sword Qi Cage restraining the Abyssal Demon Lord faintly swayed and its glow dimmed; Hahaha! Thats it, Song Jian! Just keep going like this, destroy all the remaining statues, and I will be free again! The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed wildly. The demonic heart contained in the golden Sword Qi Cage began to beat violently; Song Jian expressionless, destroyed all the remaining eighteen statues. Without the statues to supply energy, the golden Sword Qi Cage began to crack. In just a few minutes, the cage shattered into countless specks of golden light that dissipated into the air; A purplish-black heart swelled in mid-air and black smog, like tendrils, spread out from the heart. In no time, the body of an Abyssal Demon Lord almost two meters tall was reformed. His blood-red eyes fixed on Song Jian. The Abyssal Demon Lord extended his long, snake-like tongue to lick a piece of broken flesh stuck to his cheek and let out a hearty laugh, Freedom, after more than a thousand years, I am finally free. I owe it all to you, human, my friend, hahaha! Just then, a deafening sound echoed throughout the pyramid. Suddenly, the hall was filled with dazzling golden light, and a human phantom appeared in mid-air, a hint of a smirk on the corners of his mouth as he coldly eyed the Abyssal Demon Lord whose body had already taken shape; Damn demons! A booming voice echoed in the hall. As the voice rang out, images of the nineteen statues, previously destroyed by Song Jian, appeared out of thin air; The shadow figures paid no attention to Song Jian, their icy gaze solely fixed on the Abyssal Demon Lord. Now, the entire hall was enveloped in golden Sword Qi, making it impossible for anyone to leave. As I thought, despicable humans! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared angrily, yelling towards the hall entrance: Numan, its time for you to do your part! Outside the hall, the Abyssal Demon Tree let out a low growl and awakened from its slumber; His thick roots struggled free from the ground, transforming into a huge tree man over fifteen meters tall, marching rapidly towards the hall; As he came near the hall, golden Sword Qi struck him, leaving deep marks on his body; The Abyssal Demon Tree screamed in pain, but its movement didnt falter at all. It kept on striking the golden Sword Qi Cage around the hall; Damn demons! The nineteen shadowy figures of the sculptures in mid-air, yelled in unison, their swords also blazing with dazzling golden Sword Qi!; Numan! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared angrily, fear showed on his face for the first time; Song Jian was also taken aback. The twenty human apparitions floating in the air currently started burning with a faint golden flame. They were clearly burning their final soul imprints, ready to land their strongest attack; Once their soul imprints are burnt out, these people will be gone forever, unable to reincarnate; Theyre at the peak of the first tier. No, their aura has already far surpassed the apex of the first tier. This, this is a second-tier combat power! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise; The aura of these twenty human apparitions kept on rising, to a degree that Song Jian could not decipher; Slam, Slam, Slam~ The Abyssal Demon Tree, Numan, was still relentlessly smashing into the golden Sword Qi Cage covering the hall. Even at the cost of burning its Abyssal Demon Core, it was determined to break into the hall! Twenty dazzling Sword Qi erupted and converged over the Abyssal Demon Lords head, forming a three-foot-long golden sword; Damn demons! The twenty human apparitions became fainter, as if all their power had been transformed into the golden long sword. Boom! The Abyssal Demon Tree, Numan, finally broke through the golden Sword Qi Cage and stormed into the hall; The moment the Abyssal Demon Tree broke in, the golden Sword Qi Cage instantly repaired itself, covering the large opening rapidly. Song Jian narrowed his eyes C the golden Sword Qi Cage seemed to allow the Demon Tree to enter deliberately; Could it be, they want to kill this Demonic Tree along with others? A thought shot through Song Jians mind, but his face instantly turned pale as soon as he considered the possibility. Damn it, theyre planning to annihilate everyone in the hall! Song Jians expression changed wildly. Given his current strength, he had no way to withstand an attack from these twenty human apparitions; Now, their strength had reached a realm, so high that even Song Jian could not discern. If they strike with all their might, even if he wasnt the target, he would be unable to withstand even the residual waves of their attack; Morning light, Dew, Waterdrop, Rock Sword Formation, awake! With a yell, Song Jian quickly cast three Sword Qi Stones around himself, setting up a defensive Sword Formation; On top of that, Song Jian summoned his Iron Wings, wrapping them tightly around his body, then activated his bloody shield and Frost Shield; Multiple layers of protection, like a turtle shell, enclosed Song Jian in its center; Song Jian waited quietly. Before long, a huge boom echoed from within the hall. Brilliant golden light filled the entire hall. Song Jian couldnt open his eyes and had to keep them tightly shut; The alarmed screams of the Abyssal Demon Lord alongside explosions reached his ears. The layers of defense set up by Song Jian had been pierced through as if they were paper; Even the residual waves from the explosion were unbearable for Song Jian. His body felt like a tiny pebble violently thrown against the hard walls of the hall by a giant; With a loud bang, Song Jian only felt a pain surge through his entire body before losing consciousness completely, oblivious to everything; Chapter 674 - Chapter 674: Chapter 674: Betrayal Chapter 674: Chapter 674: Betrayal Song Jian didnt know how much time had passed before he finally woke up, surveyed his condition and found the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set broken beyond recognition. Almost all components were down to less than 10 durability. If he didnt repair them soon, the set, which is of epic level, might become unusable. Did I, did I actually survive? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. His Vitality Points had dropped below the danger level, but the passive ability Enemy of Death God hadnt been triggered yet. It seems that I survived, thanks largely to this armor. Thought Song Jian, somewhat relieved. The Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, each individual piece is of gold rank, wearing the complete set, supplemented by its set attributes, is completely on par with epic equipment. Song Jian credited his survival largely to this set of armor. Looking around at the hall, it was a total mess. There were broken rocks everywhere and many parts of the surrounding rock walls had collapsed. A charred, sturdy tree trunk stood before his eyes. The Abyssal Demon Tree Song Jian looked somewhat speechlessly at the charred remains of the tree in front of him. The massive demonic tree, which had towered over fifteen meters high, was now reduced to an under two meters high trunk. Around it lay charred remains scattered, all chopped and burnt to a crisp by countless slices of Sword Qi. A level thirty-five elite BOSS with peak first tier Combat Power was slain just like that! Song Jians face darkened. Even he would not dare to provoke such a BOSS, yet it was instantly killed here. A world that could possibly possess third tier Combat Power Song Jian sighed. Ever since he entered this world, he had encountered too many strong opponents, leaving him a bit numb. Wheres the Abyssal Demon Lord? Surely it couldnt have been slain as well? Song Jian frowned, starting to search around. The entire Sealing Array targeted the Abyssal Demon Lord. Almost over ninety percent of its power was used to counter it. Song Jian merely endured some aftershocks and despite that, he almost died. The damage must have reached the second tier, otherwise wouldnt end up in such a sorry state! Song Jian thought. Looking at the Abyss Contract he had signed, it was still effective. Apparently, the Abyssal Demon Lord and the Blade of the Abyss were still alive if they hadnt been for the appearance of Song Jian, and after more than a hundred years, the strength of the Blade of the Abyss would have been exhausted. Even with the demon tree, it wouldnt have survived when the Sealing Array collapsed. I I survived, haha, I survived! An exhausted voice echoed in the hall. The phantom of the Abyssal Demon Lord again appeared in the air of the hall, but at this point, his phantom was so weak that it was almost invisible. The crimson eyes stared at Song Jian, scrutinizing his current state. Human, you did well! The Blade of the Abyss chuckled. Swish~ Under the remnant of the withered Abyssal Demon Tree in the ruins, a demonic heart that was only a third of its original size rolled out. The surging purple-black blood flowed out from this broken heart and quickly gathered into a mass. A nude middle-aged man then stepped out from the pool of blood. He beckoned with his right hand, and an endless stream of black abyssal qi gathered around him, coalescing into a black armor around him. I like how I am now, this is reminiscent of my joyful conquering days in this world a thousand years ago! The Abyssal Demon Lord said to Song Jian with a laugh. The Abyssal Demon Lord at this moment was probably at its weakest primit, but its aura still maintained a first-tier caliber, completely unlike its weak form when it just escaped from the Sealed Tower. He was as suave as a distinguished noble. Now its your turn to fulfill the contract! Song Jian was on guard, holding the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array in his hand, prepared to deal a fatal blow to the Abyssal Demon Lord at any time. Although the current Abyssal Demon Lord didnt seem to show any weakness, its strength was still at a first-tier level. Song Jian might not be outmatched against it. Humans, yes, now it is my turn to fulfill the content of the contract, but The Abyssal Demon Lord showed a smile and said, Im too weak. As you can feel, my strength is less than one-thousandth of my peak status. Its really hard for me to fulfill the contract with my current strength. Im afraid Ill need a long time to recover Song Jians heart sank and a mocking sneer appeared on his mouth. As expected, dealing with an abyss demon means being prepared for them to back out at any moment. So, you have no intention of fulfilling the contract? Song Jian asked. Of course not, the Abyss Contract must be kept. The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed elegantly, Its just as I said before, I need time to recover, a lot of time. Song Jians face turned pale, and his eyes were instantly filled with murderous intent. Originally, he had always felt guilty and uneasy about releasing this Abyssal Demon Lord. If it really had no intention of fulfilling the contract, he wouldnt hesitate to kill it on the spot. Ive killed a monster with first-tier Combat Power before, and I can just figure something else out for the evaluation mission Song Jian gritted his teeth, gripping the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, ready to give the Abyssal Demon Lord a harsh blow. However, if you help me, my recovery time could be significantly reduced! The Abyssal Demon Lord seemed to sense something and hurriedly said. Song Jian paused, and asked, Help you, how can I help you? You were attacked by the Sealed Tower because it mistook you for a creature of the abyss due to an abyssal treasure, right! The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed, As long as you give that abyssal treasure to me, I can regain my strength quickly and then help you retrieve the object you want from the Qingyun Sword Sect. This will save me a lot of recovery time, and thereby saving you a lot of time as well. Its a good deal, isnt it? Song Jian suddenly realized that this Abyssal Demon Lord was eyeing his Book of the Abyss. Could it be any more? Are you talking about this? Song Jian took out the Book of the Abyss from his package. A strong black aura emanated from the Book of the Abyss. A look of ecstasy appeared on the face of the Abyssal Demon Lord, and he nodded repeatedly. Yes, it is this one. As long as you give it to me, I can regain my strength in the shortest time possible. Then I can help you Perhaps, I dont need to give it to you, and you can directly regain your peak strength! Song Jian glanced at the Abyssal Demon Lord, opened the Book of the Abyss, and his gaze fell on the second tier of the Book of the Abyss Skill Tree. Chapter 675 - Chapter 675: Chapter 675: Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array Chapter 675: Chapter 675: Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array In Song Jians hand, the Book of the Abyss is actually a complete skill tree with nine levels. The first level has only two skills C one is Abyssal Demon Armor, and the other is Abyss Temptation. The Abyssal Demon Armor is formed by using the fourth-tier Abyssal Raging Flame to condense a full body armor on the surface of the body. However, this armor only enhances resistance and does not provide defense power. Song Jian would only summon this armor when facing Abyssal creatures. The other skill, Abyss Temptation, not only has an extremely long casting time but can only be used when the target is immobilized or even severely injured and loses the ability to resist. Another drawback is that the longer the effect lasts, the higher the chance that the enchanted creature will betray. After trying it a few times, Song Jian never used it again. These two skills were not very helpful to Song Jian, so he did not continue to activate the skills on the skill tree of the Book of the Abyss. However, at this moment, facing the betrayal of the Abyssal Demon Lord, Song Jian suddenly felt that one of the skills on the second layer of the Book of the Abyss was perfect for dealing with it: Abyss Skill C Shackles Mark: Use the targets flesh and true name to brand its soul with the Shackles Mark. The mark lasts for three months. During the existence of the Shackles Mark, you can torment the targets soul at any time or even directly destroy its soul! This skill requires 230,000 combat experience points to activate! This skill can only be used once on the same target! This skill is tailor-made for you! Song Jians mouth curled slightly, and he hesitated not to illuminate this skill. His experience, which had originally risen to level 31 and 29%, instantly became level 31 and 2%. You want this, dont you? Song Jian shook the Book of the Abyss in his hand and smiled at the Abyssal Demon Lord. Yes, give it to me! The Abyssal Demon Lords eyes revealed a greedy expression. The middle-aged man in his original human form began to show purple-black scales on his body, and the demon horns on his head faintly appeared. Then I need you to exchange something with me! Song Jian held up the Book of the Abyss and walked step by step towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Exchange? What things? The Abyssal Demon Lords face darkened, and he spoke quietly: I already mentioned that I have nothing now but this broken body! What I want is your broken body or, to be precise, your broken demon heart! Song Jian narrowed his eyes and pointed his right hand at the Abyssal Demon Lord. Five Sword Qi Stones floated around his body and flew towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom~ Five booms resounded around the Abyssal Demon Lord, and five scorching golden light orbs rose simultaneously, just like five proud suns. Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, slash! Song Jian let out a soft shout, and the five raging suns above the head of the Abyssal Demon Lord burst into endless golden Sword Qi. Each Sword Qi could rival Song Jians skill Light Strike! Human, what are you trying to do? The Abyssal Demon Lords human body swelled violently, transforming into a demon giant over three meters tall. This was the true form of the Abyssal Demon Lord, almost identical to the phantom it had previously shown in the sky. This is your punishment for not honoring the contract! Song Jian shouted in a low voice, his figure flashing like electricity as he charged towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Dont think that I will be afraid of you like this, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord said viciously, I am already free now, and although I am very weak, do you think that your itchy sword array alone can kill me? How ridiculous! A nearly two-meter-long black blade appeared in the hands of the Abyssal Demon Lord. The blades edge was extremely sharp, while the back had several huge serrations. The blades surface was burning with raging black flames. Abyssal Strike! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared in a low voice, swinging the blade in the air, unleashing a dazzling black blade qi that slashed towards a raging sun. Boom! With a loud bang, the entire hall shook slightly, and dust fell rustlingly; The sun-like formation made of golden Sword Qi was shattered, making the Sword Formation incomplete and losing one-fifth of its power; However, the remaining four suns were continuously emitting endless golden Sword Qi, like the rays of the sun, constantly slashing on the body of the Abyssal Demon Lord; The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed heartily. Although damage of over a hundred points kept floating above his head, it did not bother him, as his Vitality Points were already over 50,000. This little damage didnt mean anything to him, but instead, gave him the feeling of returning to the battlefield; This damage, not even reaching a first-tier combat level, is like tickling to me! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared, Ill help you destroy this fragile Sword Formation. The Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array could kill hundreds of monsters above level 30, but for the Abyssal Demon Lord, the damage was not fatal! At this time, he had lost over 5,000 Vitality Points, but he still showed a nonchalant expression on his face, waving a black long knife and continuing to slash at the remaining four suns; Break, break, break, break! Destroy everything! Boom, boom, boom, boom! The violent explosion made the already fragile Sealing Hall even weaker, with large rocks falling from overhead and huge cracks appearing on the surrounding walls, as if the entire hall would collapse at any moment. After five consecutive full-force attacks that broke the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, the Abyssal Demon Lord became somewhat exhausted. This Sword Formation had already depleted over 8,000 Vitality Points from him. Destroying it was not as easy as it seemed for him, who was now in an extremely weakened state; Use all your means and display them, human. After its all over, Ill replenish my strength with your blood and flesh! The Abyssal Demon Lords eyes became fierce. The contract did not stipulate that they could not kill each other; as long as he killed Song Jian and then destroyed the Qingyun Sword Sect entirely, the terms of the contract would still be fulfilled, and he would not be impacted by the backlash of the contract; After breaking the Sword Formation, he suddenly discovered that Song Jian had vanished; Human, where are you hiding? The Abyssal Demon Lords heart sank, could this human have run away during the chaos? Just then, a brilliant golden beam suddenly stabbed out from behind him, piercing through his body and emerging from his chest; A critical damage of over 3,000 points surfaced above his head; At this moment, Song Jian was standing behind him, his left index finger pointing diagonally upward, and the golden Sword Qi was emanating from the tip of his finger; Human! The Abyssal Demon Lord became furious. If his body was damaged, he could recover without any limits, but if his heart was damaged, it would cause irreversible harm. Song Jians strike was aimed right at his broken heart. With a large hole opened in his back, Song Jian had a thought, and his steel wings unfolded with a whoosh, propelling him toward the Abyssal Demon Lords body; Chapter 676 - Chapter 676: Chapter 676: Shackles Mark Chapter 676: Chapter 676: Shackles Mark With a flap of his steel wings, Song Jian rose into the air, charging towards the back of the Abyssal Demon Lord; He wrestled the disrupted heart of the Abyssal Demon Lord from a gaping wound in the demons back. Whispering in the demons ear, Song Jian said: I told you, I want your flesh and blood. Blade of the AbyssSaffer LanceKutoyaSara, Song Jian murmured the true name of the Abyssal Demon Lord. The heart he held, now little more than a third of its size, reacted as if frightened, its beats wildly intense; The Book of the Abyss emerged before Song Jian, its pages flipping as if caressed by an unseen wind. An enigmatic black aura began to waft from the book; Hearing his true name spoken, the Abyssal Demon Lord felt uneasy. The unease was amplified by the sight of Song Jian holding his heart; Human, what do you think you are doing? Do you believe that heart is indispensable to me? The Demon Lord began to panic a bit. Losing his heart would set him back an epoch of years to regain his peak state; Give it back to me! Because the Abyssal Demon Lords true name was so long, Song Jian rapidly recited it, but he couldnt stop the demon from trying to snatch back his heart. However, just as the Abyssal Demon Lords massive hand reached for Song Jian, an unseen transparent barrier enveloped and protected Song Jian; The Abyssal Demon Lord, could only futilely claw at the barrier, causing ripples but not able to penetrate the defenses; Binding with your true name, certified by your flesh and blood, Shackles Mark, apply! Song Jian extended the hand holding the heart towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Suddenly, a black flame appeared out of nowhere and flew towards the demon lord; Sizzle~ At the centre of the demons forehead, a black lotus bloomed, its radiant glow, stunning. The Abyssal Demon Lord let out a shrill scream, clutching his head and rolling on the ground; Song Jian glanced at the heart in his hand, now reduced to a quarter of its size after casting the Shackles Mark, leaving a barely recognizable, bruised fleshy lump as a demons heart; Nonchalantly tossing the remaining heart back to the writhing Abyssal Demon Lord, Song Jian, with an expression of disgust, wiped off the purplish-black blood on his right hand, then stared coldly at the demon Lord; What did you do to me? You damned human, Ill kill you! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared, charging at Song Jian with bared fangs and claws; Shackles, Pain! Watching the monolithic Abyssal Demon Lord rushing towards him, Song Jian stood his ground and said a single word; Suddenly, the Abyssal Demon Lord felt as if his head was splitting apart, as if someone was repeatedly striking his skull with an axe or as if a red-hot needle was being stirred inside his skull; This pain was not physical, it originated from the depth of his soul; The agony endured for fifteen long minutes. The Abyssal Demon Lord had lost all his strength, collapsed on the ground like a heap of mud, his body convulsed non-stop, a faint hint of blood appearing from his seven orifices; No, mercy, spare me, I will honour our pact, as soon as I recover a bit, I will immediately help you claim the treasure from the Qingyun Sword Sect! Finally, unable to endure the soul-wrenching agony, the Abyssal Demon Lord begged for mercy from Song Jian; Song Jian smirked, with a mere thought, the Abyssal Demon Lord instantly felt relief from the pain; What what did you do to me? The Demon Lord asked weakly; Nothing much, just a little trick to ensure you comply with the pact! Song Jian responded, lightly kicking the shoulder of the Abyssal Demon Lord, and said: Stop playing dead, get up and recover your strength quickly. As long as you help me annihilate Qingyun Sword Sect, I will cancel this Shackles Mark! After a long while, the Abyssal Demon Lord reverted to a human form. With a conflicted expression, he struggled to his feet and looked at Song Jian: Human, I hope you keep your word! Do you think I am an Abyssal Demon? Song Jian scoffed and turned towards the exit; A month later, Qingyun Town, the closest settlement to the ruins, had been utterly destroyed. The entire town was so deserted that not a single corpse was to be found; This towns humans were too weak, I couldnt replenish enough energy from them, not even as much as the previous town, the Abyssal Demon Lord, garbed in a black cloak, complained; The moment Song Jian and the Abyssal Demon Lord emerged from the ruins, they promptly laid waste to the several towns within the secret realm controlled by the Red-sun Sect. The flesh and blood of every human was used to restore the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord; At this point, the Abyssal Demon Lords power had finally been restored to the early stages of a second-tier combatant, his level had also soared to level fifty-one. However, even though the demon lords power had surpassed Song Jians by far, the effect of the Shackles Mark on his soul had not weakened. This subdued the Abyssal Demon Lords budding aspirations; So Ive heard, there are quite a few treasures in this secret realm! Song Jian stared into the distance, rubing his chin thoughtfully. I can steal all the treasures for you if only you release this Shackles Mark, the Abyssal Demon Lord said quietly. Never mind that, the Qingyun Sword Sect is the priority! Song Jian hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he abandoned the tempting idea; After all, with the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord, he could sweep across this secret realm unchallenged; Unless there were more powerful beasts hidden in the secret realm. But if that were the case, Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-Sun Sect would have known by now; The effect of the Shackles Mark lasts for only three months. Restoring the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord to the early stages of a second-tier combatant already took a month. If they really explored the secret realm for treasures, time would quickly run out. So when that happens, Song Jian would no longer have the means to restrain him, causing the assessment task to be indefinitely postponed. What a pity that this skill can only be used once against the same individual. Otherwise, I could have him following me around all the time, Song Jian muttered under his breath; Exit through this Transmission Array. Be careful, on the other side lies the backyard of Qingyun Sword Sect, home to several powerful beasts. You may not be powerful enough to face them right now, so be cautious and hide. Once youve regained your strength, you can then take them on, he ordered, pointing at the Transmission Platform. No worry, we Abyssal Demons are the unparalleled masters of disguise, the Abyssal Demon Lord chuckled, his body rippling like water. In a moment, he had taken on the appearance of Chang Qinghe; He gave Song Jian a nod, then stepped onto the Transmission Platform. With a flash of white light, the Abyssal Demon Lord disappeared. Chapter 677 - Chapter 677: Chapter 677: Identity Exposed Chapter 677: Chapter 677: Identity Exposed Song Jian was quietly guarding in front of the teleport stone platform. A day later, he stood on the teleport stone platform and was a bit uneasy about letting the Abyssal Demon Lord return alone; All the humans in the hidden realm had been slaughtered by the Abyssal Demon Lord. Taking advantage of the fact that the news had not yet spread, Song Jian had to leave here. Otherwise, once the news got out, Song Jian would arouse suspicion from others. Then, if the teleport stone platform were to be sealed, Song Jian wouldnt even be able to escape; With a flash of white light, Song Jian disappeared from the hidden realm; At Qingyun Sword Sects back mountain, Song Jian stood on the teleport stone platform with a vigilant look on his face, casting cautious glances around. The valley was quiet, seemingly devoid of people. It must be remembered that this was the most important area of the entire Qingyun Sword Sect. When he entered here last time, there were at least dozens of disciples with first tier combat power guarding this place. However, now, despite his powerful perception, spreading around like mercury, Song Jian couldnt find a single person; In just one days time, did it kill everyone? Song Jian was somewhat puzzled. The Abyssal Demon Lord only possessed the initial power of the second tier combat power, which was already stronger than a few elders of Qingyun Sword Sect. But Sect Leader Liu Qingyuns power was probably slightly stronger than the current Abyssal Demon Lords; Together with the foundation of Qingyun Sword Sect, if the Abyssal Demon Lord dared to set off a massacre as soon as it arrived, it could be facing a second sealing; Its really strange that there isnt a single person. Song Jian stepped off the teleport stone platform and continued walking towards Qingyun Hall; In the task bar, the second round of the assessment task had not been completed, indicating that Qingyun Sword Sect still existed, and Liu Qingyun certainly wasnt dead; Song Jian, why are you here? One of the direct disciples suddenly rushed out, revealing a surprised expression when he saw Song Jian. Chu Qiang? Song Jian froze. This disciple was Chu Qiang, who was promoted to be a direct disciple with him. He was taken in as a direct disciple by an elder at the time. The two had seen each other a few times afterwards, Song Jian didnt expect that the first person he encountered after leaving the hidden realm was him. What happened in the hidden realm that made such a monster come out! Chu Qiang yelled out angrily, his face filled with rage. Where are the Sect Leader and the elders? Song Jian asked. Chu Qiang spoke with an anxious expression, Everyone is in Qingyun Hall. You better come with me quickly. Right now, the entire Qingyun peak is surrounded by monsters! Song Jian was caught off guard. He didnt expect that the Abyssal Demon Lord would act so quickly. In just one day, it had already reached this point; Lets go, the Sect Leader is looking for you everywhere! Chu Qiang said, rushing forward to grab the sleeve of Song Jians robe; You said, the Sect Leader is looking for me? Song Jians heart lurched, he hurriedly asked, And what about Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi? Did the Sect Leader mention them? No, he just ordered the disciples that if they see you, they should immediately bring you to Qingyun Hall. Chu Qiang hesitated and said; Song Jian nodded slightly and said, Alright, lets go to Qingyun Hall quickly! Chu Qiang was inwardly pleased. Finding Song Jian carried quite a reward, and he didnt expect that he would be the one to run into him; Just then, Chu Qiang suddenly felt a pain in his back. When he looked down, he saw a sword tip poking out from his chest; Turning his head, Chu Qiang saw Song Jian pulling out the sword from his chest with an expressionless face; Wh-why Chu Qiangs eyes suddenly lost their light, and he collapsed onto the ground; When Chu Qiang fell to the ground, his body seemed to have been drained by an invisible force, turning into a pile of ashes. The vitality that was drawn from his body turned into a bright red flow of energy, rushing towards the foot of Qingyun peak; It seems that Liu Qingyun already knows that his two disciples are dead. However, whats more puzzling is, how does he know Im still alive? Song Jian muttered under his breath; Staying in Qingyun Peak was too dangerous now. Once someone found his traces, it would be hard for Song Jian to escape even if he had wings; With a thought, Song Jians figure instantly transformed into a ball of black fog, flying into the half-empty space; Just then, in Qingyun Hall, the usually meditating Liu Qingyun suddenly opened his eyes, his face showing anger. Crack~ A crisp breaking sound was heard, as the hard armrest was crushed by him; Foreigner! Liu Qingyun growled lowly, his body darting out of Qingyun Hall like electricity; Song Jian had just risen into the air when he felt as if he was being tracked. The opponents mental strength seemed to bind him like a rope. Liu Qingyun! Song Jians heart sank, and he immediately canceled the black fog state. In mid-air, Song Jian sprouted a pair of iron wings from his back. He flapped them hard a couple of times and shot down towards the foot of the mountain like an arrow; The black fog state was a balance of offense and defense and was immune to physical damage. But its weak point was its slow flight speed, which wasnt as fast as Song Jians speed when he used his iron wings; At this time, Song Jian could see from the air that the entire Qingyun Mountain was surrounded by dense, black Abyssal Demons. There were at least hundreds of thousands of them, and more Abyssal Demons were continually converging towards Qingyun Mountain; In just one days time Song Jian looked at the swarm of demons below that were like a tide and was speechless; These were not Abyssal creatures, but ordinary creatures tainted with Abyssal power. There were wild beasts, and there were humans. Song Jian did not know how the Abyssal Demon Lord had managed to gather so many creatures in just one day. Song Jian! A shout came from behind, and overwhelming sword qi surged towards him like a tidal wave. At the top of Qingyun Mountain, a huge river of sword qi was set off, just like a heavenly river; Second Tier Combat PowerPeak! Song Jian was dumbfounded. He didnt expect Liu Qingyuns power to be so formidable. At this moment, Liu Qingyun, who was in mid-air, was standing on a flying sword. He pointed at Song Jian, and immediately, the river of surging sword qi that was like Mount Tai on top of his head came crashing down on Song Jian; Im going to die! Song Jians hair stood on end. He felt as though he had been locked in place, the entire surrounding space seemed to have solidified. He felt like a bug trapped in amber, utterly unable to dodge; Blade of the Abyss! Song Jian roared. In an instant, the power of the Shackles Mark was released to its maximum; Roar~ At the foot of the distant mountain, a beast-like wail echoed out, and a big shadow rose from the ground, like a column of black smoke; Stop! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared, staring fixedly at Song Jian. The deep red eyes revealed unstinting killing intent; If I die, you die too! Song Jian said coldly; The Abyssal Demon Lord hesitated immediately. After contemplating for a moment, he glanced at the surging sword qi that was pressing on Song Jian like Mount Tai, and there was a look of humiliation in his eyes. Abyssal Strike, Break! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared in anger, waving the black long knife in his hand, throwing himself towards Liu Qingyun; Chapter 678 - Chapter 678: Chapter 678: Qingyun Sword Array Chapter 678: Chapter 678: Qingyun Sword Array The Demons Blade had detected Song Jian suspended in mid-air and Liu Qingyun a while ago, but it hadnt made any move, even deliberately concealing its aura. Once hes killed, the contract with him will be null and void! The Demons Blade sinisterly thought to itself, And the curse he cast on me will be lifted with his death! The Demons Blade has always believed that Song Jian had cast some sort of curse on it. As an Abyssal Demon, it naturally knew the severity of curses. Once the curse-caster dies, all the curses they had cast would gradually disperse over time. The Demons Blade was eagerly awaiting the moment when Liu Qingyun would behead Song Jian. However, Song Jians roar made it slightly panic. It didnt believe that it would die along with Song Jian, but evidently, Song Jian had the ability to disperse his soul upon acknowledging his impending death. The heart-wrenching pain started again. With no other choice, the Blade of the Abyss revealed itself and bellowed with rage. Focusing all its fury towards Song Jian into its swing, it cleaved at Liu Qingyun. Boom~ The black blade energy shattered the sky full of sword Qi, like a tidal wave. In an instant, the Blade of the Abyss and Liu Qingyun had crossed blows over ten times, punctuating the sky with explosion sounds akin to thunder. Song Jian was impacted by the aftershock of their battle, hitting his back and sending him crashing to the ground, creating a large crater. As he climbed out from the crater, Song Jian saw countless Abyss demons all around him, their crimson eyes filled with greed. Hmph! Song Jian snorted coldly as black flames ignited on his bodys surface. These flames converged to form a black armor, covering his entire body. The pure Abyssal aura emanated from Song Jian caused all the nearby Abyssal demons to tremble, not daring to even take a step forward. Looking up, Song Jian saw the sky split into two halves, one side pitch black, the other azure. The auras from both sides were constantly rolling and colliding violently. The Abyssal Demon Lord and Liu Qingyun fought evenly matched. In a single day, the Abyssal Demon Lord had progressed from the initial stage of second-tier combat power to the peak of second-tier combat power. Within the same tier, progress was merely a matter of accumulating power; given sufficient resources, this progression was not impossible within a day. More importantly, while it was extremely difficult for Liu Qingyun to progress from the peak of the second tier to third-tier combat power, it was quite simple for the Abyssal Demon Lord, because he had once attained that level. I was too careless! Song Jian focused fiercely on the battling silhouettes in the sky, clutching his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh. The current Abyssal Demon Lords power had only improved to roughly match Liu Qingyun. If it had waited a few more days, destroying only a few human towns first, the Abyssal Demon Lords power could naturally ascend to third-tier combat power. At that time, exterminating the Qingyun Sword Sect would be too easy. Couldnt you delay a couple of days, wait until youve fully recuperated, then challenge the Qingyun Sword Sect! Song Jian was irritated. Attacking the Qingyun Sword Sect with such fanfare would no doubt be noticed by many. Once the news of Abyssal Demon Lords appearance spread, the whole continent would be shaken. Song Jian did not believe that the highest combat power in this world was only the third tier. Were the millennial, even older, clans to learn of the Abyssal Demon Lords presence, they certainly would dispatch forces to exterminate him. What mattered most was that Song Jians identity had now been exposed. If the annihilation of the Qingyun Sword Sect were to fail, he would become a public enemy, hunted down by countless individuals. Then he would have no choice but to abandon the examination task, wait a month, and then select another task to complete. However, this couldnt be blamed entirely on the Abyssal Demon Lord. Within a thousand miles, the Qingyun Sword Sect was the largest sect. Eliminating it would allow the Abyssal Demon Lords power to return to its peak directly. Then whether continuing to invade this world or returning to the Abyssal Land, he would have full flexibility. He probably never expected that within the Qingyun Sword Sect, there would be one who could hold him at bay for so long. As the battle progressed, Song Jians heart became heavier. Within the same tier, few races could match humans. Apart from creating countless powerful techniques, humans also possessed many unforeseen offensive methods. The Qingyun Sword Array that Liu Qingyun was now deploying was one of them. During his time in the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian had never known that Sect Leader Liu Qingyun was also a master of arrays, and his level had definitely surpassed that of a senior. Hes harnessing the power of the entire mountain range to set up this sword formation! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Using the power of nature, borrowing the might of heaven and earth to set up a sword formation is the most advanced method. While human energy could be exhausted, the energy of the heavens and earth was infinite and could not be countered by humans. The Abyssal Demon Lord was now at a disadvantage under the pressure of the Qingyun Sword Array. In not too long, he would likely be suppressed by the Qingyun Sword Array leading to total defeat; Again with this, again with this, Why are you humans so sly? Cant you fight me head-on! the Abyssal Demon Lord roared loudly, feeling abandoned by the world. Within thousands of kilometers, wherever it tried to hide, endless attacks would rain down on it. Heaven and Earth Grinding Plate! Liu Qingyuns face wore a serious expression. Sweat started to bead on his forehead, and his movements grew heavier. Controlling the Qingyun Great Array and mobilizing such massive power from the mountain range was also very exhausting for him. It felt like a wooden lever trying to pry a huge mountain. If not careful, the wooden lever could easily snap. I cant let this continue, or the Abyssal Demon Lord will be defeated! Song Jians brows furrowed. Even if defeated, Liu Qingyun wouldnt be able to annihilate the Abyssal Demon Lord, but he would certainly make the existence of it and Song Jian known to the world first thing. Then, the hunt would ensue, and there would likely be no more chances to wipe out the Qingyun Sword Sect. Song Jian focused on the array nodes formed by hundreds of Sword Qi Stones floating in the sky and began to carefully observe them. If he could break the Qingyun Sword Array, just the backlash from the array would cost Liu Qingyun half his life. The hundreds of Sword Qi stones flickered in the void, forming a complex and mysterious array. Given Song Jians current level, he could only perceive some vague patterns. Trying to find the key node and destroy the entire array was wishful thinking. Damn it! Determined, Song Jian took out the Book of Fusion, prepared to fully upgrade his Array level. Chapter 679 - Chapter 679: Chapter 679: "Formation" Upgrade Chapter 679: Chapter 679: Formation Upgrade The power of the Book of Fusion lies in empowering the primary skill set without any dependency on the compatibility of fuelling secondary skills. It could even promote skills with properties totally against each other. Theoretically, Song Jian could merge all his skills to generate a full-level skill. But doing so without identifying the quality of the primary skill would only weaken him. Set Array Formation as the primary skill! Song Jian decisively dragged the skill into the primary skill slot. He then scanned through other skills and finally selected Magic Rune Inscription and Magic Rune Array to be consumed. Magic Rune Inscription was only a third-level skill, but Song Jian had already promoted Magic Rune Array to seventh level. Both skills could supply a lot of proficiency for the promotion of Array Formation. Song Jian was immediately greeted by a system notification after dragging the two skills into the secondary skill slots: System: Would you like to merge skills Magic Rune Array and Magic Rune Inscription with skill Array Formation? [Yes/No] System: Confirmation of the fusion will erase skills Magic Rune Array and Magic Rune Inscription. You have a chance to develop a new skill or a chance to enhance the Array Formation skill. If fusion fails, proficiency will accumulate towards Array Formation to boost the skill level. Fuse! Song Jian instantly clicked the Fuse button. The Book of Fusion radiated a white light, and the two skills in the secondary skill slot gradually vanished, yet the Array Formation skill in the primary skill slot sparkled with glorious radiance. System: Your skill Array Formation has been promoted from intermediate to advanced. System: Your skill Array Formation gains enhancement; formation time reduced by 50%, power of formation increased by 30%, formation analysis+2, key point detection+3, formation comprehension+5. A smile crept up to Song Jians face. He was considering filling in several more skills. But now, it seemed unnecessary. Indeed, enhancing fusion success rate is more likely if the skills being fused are of close attributes, Song Jian mused. A significant reduction in formation time and power boost wouldnt mean much to him right now. But formation analysis and the two features C key point detection and comprehension C were of paramount importance. In practice, these features needed to be combined with formation comprehension. When faced with a formation never encountered before, there was a chance to learn it. But for Song Jian now, he didnt need to learn the Qingyun Sword Array, he just needed to break it. Demolition was always easier than construction. The more intricate the formation, the more easily it could be influenced by some key nodes, thus making it unstable. It was just like setting up dominoes. With just a light touch at the right place, the entire array could be affected. Once the Array Formation skill was fused, a massive flow of information instantly flooded Song Jians mind. But with Song Jians strong psychological attribute, all he felt was a slight dizziness. In no time, he had fully comprehended all the information. Now when Song Jian looked up at the Qingyun Sword Array above, he found the array much clearer. To invoke the power of the entire mountain range, Qingyun Sword Array is indeed extraordinary, Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. The higher the level of the formation, the more clearly Song Jian could see the extraordinariness of the Qingyun Sword Array, and his respect for Liu Qingyun arose from the bottom of his heart. Liu Qingyun was indeed worthy of the character who founded a sect based on his extraordinary talents. But the brighter Liu Qingyun shined, the more Song Jian wanted him eliminated. Not only because of the mission requirement, but most importantly, being the enemy of such a person, Song Jian would never be able to sleep soundly at night. Although the sword array is profound, I dont need to break the whole formation. I just need to sever the link between the sword array and Qingyun Peak so it can no longer draw strength from the mountain! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, the Abyssal Demon Lord was struggling mightily. The aura of the abyss that once filled the sky was now shattered by the Qingyun Sword Qi and barely covered half of its previous area. If this continued, defeat was inevitable. Damn it, just give me a few more days, and Ill recover to my peak strength. Then you, a mere human, wouldnt stand a chance against me! roared the Abyssal Demon Lord. If it could recover its third-tier strength, no matter how strong the Qingyun Sword Array was, the Abyssal Demon Lord could break it with mere brute force. At that point, it could crush the entire Qingyun Peak with a simple flick of its hand, and the Qingyun Sword Array powered by Qingyun Peak wouldnt stand a chance. Your existence has already been communicated to the neighbouring sects of the Qingyun Sword Sect by my flying sword messenger. Before long, your existence as a Abyssal Demon Lord will be known all over the continent. You will never have the time to recover to your peak strength! Liu Qingyun shouted with a deathly pale face. Controlling the Qingyun Sword Array had drained much of his energy. All he could do now was to hope that the Abyssal Demon Lord would retreat, give him and the Qingyun Sword Sect a breather for a day or two. Help from neighbouring sects would arrive soon, and in due time, a small Abyssal Demon Lord like it would soon be suppressed. At this point, the Abyssal Demon Lord was wavering. Qingyun Sword Sect was a tough bone to chew, he thought he could find a couple of human towns and offer their flesh and blood as a sacrifice to recover his third-tier combat power quickly. Human, how about we temporarily withdraw? In just two to three days, I could The voice of the Abyssal Demon Lord echoed in Song Jians ears. Hold on, I can break this formation soon! Song Jian cut off the Abyssal Demon Lord. The Blade of Abyss hesitated, disbelief in its voice: How could that be possible? This is I know what Im doing, just remember, you must keep on fighting until I say we can retreat! Song Jian declared firmly. But Or would you prefer to experience your soul being torn apart again? , alright, I obey your command! Under Song Jians stubborn persistence, the Abyssal Demon Lord had no choice but to continue fighting. However, roars and howls echoed in his heart. Damn humans, wait for your day. One day, I will tear your body to pieces and cast your soul into the misery of the Magic Flame in the Abyss for ten thousand years! While the Abyssal Demon Lord was desperately fighting against the Qingyun Sword Array, Song Jian, who had been observing for a long time, finally brightened his eyes and a smile spread across his face. I found it! Song Jian muttered to himself. Chapter 680 - Chapter 680: Chapter 680: Third Stage of the Assessment Task Chapter 680: Chapter 680: Third Stage of the Assessment Task The complexity of the Qingyun Sword Array exceeded Song Jians imagination, as he had never seen such a massive sword formation before. Even the Sword Array Master at the Sword Array Hall who held the title of a high-level Sword Array Master couldnt set up such a huge formation; However, after Song Jian had used the Book of Fusion to upgrade his Sword Array skills, he gradually grasped the intricacies of this massive formation; This sword formation is truly profound, and even with my current level, I cannot set up such a massive sword formation! Song Jian exclaimed, However, if its just about destroying it, its not as difficult as I thought! Song Jian took out a blank Sword Stone from his package. With a thought, a silver Rune Blade flew out and quickly began to inscribe on the Sword Stone; Various auxiliary materials continuously poured into the Sword Stone, and in no time, Song Jian created a Sword Qi Stone that emitted a faint golden glow. This was merely an ordinary Sunburn-level Sword Qi Stone. With Song Jians current strength, it only took him a few seconds to make it. To build a skyscraper, it might take years, countless materials and manpower. But to destroy it, you only need to blow up a few key support points! Song Jian muttered to himself and quickly made several more Sunburn-level Sword Qi Stones; For such a profound sword formation, even a high-level Sword Array Master can hardly set it up, but if you want to break it, just a few Sword Qi Stones that a junior Sword Array Master can make will do. Song Jian whispered. He raised his right hand, and the newly made Sunburn-level Sword Qi Stones quickly rose into the air. They disappeared into the invisible Sword Array in the sky. In no time, these Sword Qi Stones had become identical to the other ones in the Qingyun Sword Array, appearing faintly in the void; Seeing all the Sword Qi Stones had integrated into the Sword Array, Song Jians mouth curved slightly upward, and he gently shouted, Break! Boom! There was a loud noise, and the void suddenly trembled. Liu Qingyuns face changed drastically, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out, his eyes filled with horror. How is it possible Liu Qingyun muttered to himself; Break, break, break! Song Jian whispered as the void shook violently. The sky full of azure Sword Qi instantly shattered inch by inch. Without the support of Qingyun Peaks power, Liu Qingyun alone couldnt maintain such an immense Sword Array. A look of despair appeared in Liu Qingyuns eyes as he lowered his head and stared at Song Jian. His hands couldnt help but tremble; The biggest mistake I made in my life was taking you as my disciple! Song Jian shook his head slightly and said, No, the worst thing you did was to let me into the Sword Array Hall! Although Song Jian had previously masked his intentions, Liu Qingyun had never trusted him. After all, no matter how it was explained, anyone would doubt how he could destroy the entire Blackwind Mountain by himself. But at that time, there was no evidence. According to the sects rules, Song Jian should have either been promoted to an inner disciple or become a personal disciple of an elder. However, Liu Qingyun was already suspicious of Song Jian, so naturally, he wouldnt let him be in a place where he couldnt keep an eye on him. So, he took Song Jian as his personal disciple and kept him under close observation. Although Song Jian had become Liu Qingyuns personal disciple, Liu did not teach him for a single day, and did not pass on any Qingyun Sword Sect sword techniques to him. Despite receiving the same benefits as other personal disciples, he was actually being closely monitored by Liu Qingyun. If Song Jian could have quietly stayed by Liu Qingyuns side for a few years, he might have won his trust, but Song Jian didnt have that much time to waste, so he had to find another way; Subsequently, Song Jian began to learn sword formations, which Liu Qingyun readily accepted. After all, for ordinary people to study the way of Sword Array, it was extremely time-consuming and energy-consuming. Some people spent their whole lives without achieving anything remarkable; Even when it was later reported that Song Jian had become a formal Sword Array Master in just over a month, Liu Qingyun didnt take it seriously; Because Liu Qingyun was a Sword Array Grandmaster, he naturally understood the mysteries of Sword Arrays. Song Jian hadnt even reached the first level of combat power, so to study more advanced Sword Arrays would be impossible for him. However, Liu Qingyun never expected that the one thing he least cared about would become the key to the destruction of the entire Qingyun Sword Sect; I hate this! As the azure Sword Qi in the sky dispersed, Liu Qingyun was hit by the backlash of the Sword Array. His whole body appeared as if it was made of porcelain, with fine cracks appearing on the surface of his body; Thud~ With a muffled sound, Liu Qingyuns entire body exploded into a cloud of blood, not leaving behind a complete corpse; Hahahaha~ the Abyssal Demon Lord laughed wildly. With Liu Qingyuns protection gone, the entire Qingyun Sword Sect was nothing more than a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered in its eyes, just nourishment to restore its strength; Abyssal creatures, like a dark tide, surged from the foot of the mountain in the direction of Qingyun Peak. In no time, the entire Qingyun Peak was occupied by Abyssal creatures, and the whole mountain was filled with the roars and howls of these monsters. With the Sect Leader dead and the sect occupied by Abyssal creatures, almost all the disciples became sacrifices for the Abyssal Demon Lord to restore its strength. Only a handful of people managed to break through the encirclement of the Abyssal creatures and escape; Regarding these few insignificant beings, the Abyssal Demon Lord didnt care at all, as its eyes were always on the elders in the Qingyun Hall. At the moment when Liu Qingyun died, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Liu Qingyun is dead, your contribution value is 78%; System: Qingyun Sword Sect is destroyed, your contribution value is 61%; System: You complete the second phase of the First-Level Combat Power Assessment Task; System: The third phase of the First-Level Combat Power Assessment Task is released, and you need to kill a Third-Level Combat Power expert in this world; After reading the system prompt, Song Jian almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. This ghostly task had a third phase, and it was about killing a Third-Level Combat Power expert; Do you have any misunderstanding about third-level combat power experts? Song Jian couldnt help but roar loudly, This is my first-level combat power assessment! Although Song Jians current strength was completely capable of fighting head-on with a First-Level Combat Power expert, no matter what, he was just an occupation without even reaching the First-Level Combat Power. Even if a Third-Level Combat Power expert stood still, didnt fight back and let Song Jian hit him, the speed of the damage Song Jian could inflict would not be as fast as the automatic recovery of the expert; System: Then, do you have any misunderstandings about the SS-Level Assessment Task? Double-S Level difficulty means sending me to my death? Song Jian sneered; System: Assessment tasks will not issue certain death missions. Sometimes, seemingly difficult tasks only require a change of mindset. Song Jian was taken aback, and as if understanding something, he turned his head and looked at the Abyssal Demon Lord, who was constantly devouring the vitality of the Qingyun Sword Sect disciples. Chapter 681 - Chapter 681: Chapter 681: Leaving Chapter 681: Chapter 681: Leaving The Abyssal Demon Lord mercilessly slaughtered the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect, extracting every last bit of their vitality; Those disciples drained of their vitality turned into dust, leaving no trace of their bodies; Looking at the demonic shadow that nearly obscured half the sky, a smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth; I never expected that Ive hit the nail on the head and had locked onto the target of the third task in advance! Song Jian murmured, Maybe luck is part of strength? Who said that again? As it consumed more and more vitality, the aura of the Abyssal Demon Lord grew heavier and more dense. Song Jian squinted and watched it closely. It was currently breaking through from the peak of second-tier combat power to the third tier, a transformation that Song Jian could learn from. If he could advance without completing the assessment, he would have never entered this world; The Abyssal Demon Lord was also quickly enhancing its strength, and when it looked at Song Jian, it felt a sense of wariness; I wonder if elevating to third-tier combat power can dispel this Shackles Mark, damn it! What the hell is this thing that can ignore level suppression! The Abyssal Demon Lord grumbled darkly. Regardless of the control technique, as long as the disparity between the caster and the recipient is large, the technique will be weakened. However, the Shackles Mark did not behave this way. After the Abyssal Demon Lord elevated to the peak of second-tier combat power, it did not feel the effect of the Shackles Mark weaken at all; By the time the Abyssal Demon Lord had devoured all the living beings on Qingyun Peak, its aura explosively increased; Ha ha ha, I have finally recovered to third-tier combat power! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared in midair, its level had risen to eighty, and its strength restored to the level of third-tier combat power. At its current strength, Song Jian wasnt even qualified to be its opponent, but due to the Shackles Mark, the Abyssal Demon Lords soul was manipulated by Song Jian; The restrictions of this skill are high, but the effects are surprisingly perfect! A smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. After the Abyssal Demon Lord had restored its third-tier combat power, he tried to find that the concealed effects of the Shackles Mark had not weakened at all, and it had no effect on physical strength. This world will bow at my feet! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared. It never forgot why it came to this world. At the third-tier combat power, it could create a larger Abyssal Demon Legion, or even change a piece of land into a territory for Abyssal Demons, opening the Abyssal Gate, and guiding the Abyssal Demon Legion to continuously enter this world; At that time, this world would carry the unique mark of its Blade of the Abyss, it would become a resplendent addition to its war record; I will become the pioneer of this world, maybe I could even become a noble duke, ha ha ha! The Abyssal Demon Lord was lost in thought. Though it was not at the top in this world, it had enough strength to protect itself. As long as it was careful, the confinement seal from thousands of years ago would never befall it again. But at this moment, a piercing pain erupted in its soul. The Demon Lord opened its eyes wide and roared at the ground, Song Jian, what are you trying to do! However, to his surprise, he couldnt find a trace of Song Jian, as if he had never been there at all. The tearing sensation in his soul intensified. It felt as if a pair of hands were continually kneading and pulling at his soul. Yet, it was powerless to stop them; Song Jian, killing me wont do you any good! The Abyssal Demon Lord was panicked. It could not figure out any reason for Song Jian to kill it. Has he gone crazy? Is my value when alive less than my body after death? What on earth does he want to do? The Abyssal Demon Lord was furious but helpless. It could only beg Song Jian loudly, willing to be his loyal slave to save its life; A few minutes later, the Abyssal Demon Lord felt its soul increasingly weak, to the point where it could no longer control its powerful body. It sensed Song Jians determination to put it to death; Song Jian, your fate will not be much better than mine. One day, you will die miserably amidst painful wails! The Abyssal Demon Lord released its most vicious curse with its dying breath; Thud~ A faint sound echoed as a dazzling light flew out of the top of the Abyssal Demon Lords head like fireworks. It propelled into the air before exploding, turning into a rainbow that lit up the entire sky; An intact body of the Abyssal Demon Lord fell from the sky onto Qingyun Peak. Instantly, countless black fog rose from Qingyun Peak, quickly spreading out in all directions; Centered on Qingyun Peak, black fog enveloped areas of several thousand kilometers, within which all animals, plants, and soils underwent earth-shattering changes. All Abyssal Demons let out a shrill roar, feeling an inexplicable joy towards the change in the environment; This was the pure Abyssal Power, released by a third-tier Abyssal Demon Lord. The area of several thousand kilometers, for thousands of years to come, would become a hell filled with death for ordinary creatures; But for the hundreds of thousands of Abyssal Demons created by the Abyssal Demon Lord, this was an excellent land for evolution. Maybe in hundreds of years, all these Abyssal Demons could become the purest Abyssal organisms. System: You have completed the third part of the first-tier combat power assessment. Your trial task is completed! You will leave this world in sixty seconds, please get ready! 60, 59, 58, Song Jian emerges from the shadows, putting away the three Sword Stones around him. This was a concealment sword formation, capable of hiding his form and launching a killer move on approaching enemies; It was not easy to use the Shackles Mark to kill the Demon Lord. If it sensed his intent, it would retaliate at its dying moments. Song Jian had no confidence that he could resist the sudden counterattack of a third-tier combat power, and so he had to rely on the sword formation for concealment. Its all over! Song Jian looked at the spreading black fog and sighed; With a flash of white light, Song Jian disappeared, completely leaving this world; Chapter 682 - Chapter 682: Chapter 682: After-effects of a Sudden Increase in Power Chapter 682: Chapter 682: After-effects of a Sudden Increase in Power The vision in front of Song Jian blurred, and when it cleared, he realized he hadnt returned to the Assessment Hall, but directly to his safehouse, in the Manor Castle. No one noticed his appearance, nor cared about it. The existence of the City of Hope Alliance relied on Song Jians strength and his Manor Castle. But during its development process, Song Jians presence was largely overlooked. For the rest of the Alliance, Song Jian being gone for several months was a common occurrence. Even the new players who had joined the Alliance loved to share stories with their friends about their mysterious and elusive Alliance leader. In the end, it was the house steward George who predictably appeared before Song Jian. Master, welcome home! George said, bowing respectfully. Song Jian smiled faintly, George, give me a report on how the territory has developed these past few months. Yes, Master, in the three months and 27 days you were absent, the development of the territory went as follows As George gave his report, Song Jian laid in a rocking chair, with his eyes half closed, attentively listening, but his mind was focused on other matters. Ive completed my first rank battle power assessment mission, but why hasnt my mission reward been given to me? It wasnt swallowed by the system, was it? Song Jian had completed the double-S difficulty assessment, for which the reward included an increase of 45 attribute points, and 12 additional skill points, along with a skill book of at least legendary quality. In addition, with the accumulated rewards from every stage, Song Jian was able to upgrade directly by 4 levels and gain 10 additional attribute points. Such a generous reward and yet, he had not received any system information after completing his assessment. This aroused his suspicion. Individuals with first rank battle power can completely overpower those who havent reached the first rank. Moreover, I completed a double-S difficulty assessment, so I should hold a crushing advantage over players who only have completed B or C ranked assessments. Yet, when will this reward be given?, Song Jian thought, his brows furrowing slightly. Just as Song Jian was feeling puzzled, a surge of enormous power erupted from within his body, and his body shot up from the chair, and hovered, floating in midair. George, who was meticulously reporting, was startled by this scene. But soon, he was gently pushed away by an unseen, gentle force. George, you may leave, Song Jian said, struggling to suppress his discomfort. Yes, Master, George murmured, his lips moving as if he wanted to ask something, but in the end, he quietly shut the door and left the room. Damn it, is it necessary to make issuing a reward this painful?, Song Jian gritted his teeth. He felt his body being compressed into a fine powder by a tremendous force, and then reformed bit by bit. Despite being in enormous pain to the point of losing consciousness, every cell in his body was being shattered and reassembled, and Song Jian felt this process vividly. Those 10 minutes felt like years to Song Jian. His overall attribute points increased by 45, transforming him entirely. Every single cell in his body was reshaped and optimised. Song Jian lay on the floor, panting heavily. His armour was soaked with sweat, and although his complexion was rosy and he radiated vitality, a trace of untouchable fatigue swirled in his eyes. At this point, his power had undergone a earth-shaking transformation. He felt capable of destroying the entire Manor Castle with a flick of his finger. The feeling of being able to obliterate a planet with a single punch made Song Jian extremely cautious. He did not even dare to move a finger, and continued to lay on the floor, reflecting on the feeling. A day passed in this manner. The last rays of the sun slowly disappeared from the window, and soon the moonlight shone into the room, illuminating Song Jians body. Instinctively, the mark on Song Jians chest began to glow, slowly absorbing the essence of the moon. Fifteen minutes later, the moon was again hidden behind thick clouds, and the room returned to darkness. After some time, Song Jian slowly stood up from the floor. His body was extremely light, as though a gust of wind could blow him away. He moved slowly to the bed, and once he lay down, the wooden bed made a crisp creaking sound. Soon thereafter, all was quiet, and Song Jian quickly fell into a deep sleep, his steady breathing the only sound that could be heard. The night passed without incident. The next day, Song Jian rolled over and sat up. After a day and night of adjustment, he could finally control his drastically increased power, at least enough to drink without crushing the cup and to sleep without collapsing the bed. Wang Qi and others who knew about Song Jians return had come to the castle. Watching Song Jian eat his breakfast in slow motion, they exchanged glances. Li Keer even burst out laughing. Song Jian, whats happened to you? Are you ill, or injured? Asked Wang Qi, his brows furrowed. The City of Hope Alliance was developing rapidly, but also facing increasing pressure and resistance. If it werent for Song Jian consistently holding the top spot on the Level Honor Board, the pressure on the Alliance would be even greater. Its nothing. Itll be fine after a while, Song Jian said, not willing to explain too much, and asked, So hows the development of the Alliance recently? Weve actually constructed the Transmission Array, and have also gained access to other cities, Wang Qi said excitedly, Although right now, the only city willing to open access to us temporarily is the City of Sin. Song Jian was taken aback, but quickly understood. It seemed that in order to use the Transmission Array to reach other cities, not only did one need to construct their own Transmission Array, but they also needed to get permission from the other cities to connect to the Transmission Network. However, for now, having a link between the City of Sin and Doomsday City via the Transmission Array was enough. If they wanted to go to other cities, they could just make a detour via the City of Sin. Also, the City of Sin has supplied us with a lot of upgrade materials, so we should be able to attempt to upgrade to a Level 1 City soon! Wang Qi said excitedly. Song Jian smiled slightly. Upgrading to a city was just a matter of time. He not only intended to upgrade his territory to a city, but also to expand until it included the entirety of Doomsday City. Considering the area of Doomsday City, we would need to upgrade to a Level 9 City at least, to incorporate it all, Song Jian thought. By the way, has anyone left via the Transmission Array since it was built? Song Jian asked. There are a few, but not many, Wang Qi said. Besides, some have left and then returned. Song Jian smiled slightly. Although the living environment of Doomsday City was harsh, it offered many opportunities and no restrictions. Other cities may be safer than Doomsday City, but fixed social hierarchies had already formed in these cities. For players to stand out in these cities, the difficulty would be much higher than that in Doomsday City. Chapter 683 - Chapter 683: Chapter 683 Pantheon Battle Alliance Chapter 683: Chapter 683 Pantheon Battle Alliance In Doomsday City, newcomers could establish their own safe houses step by step according to the system prompts. Even if an alliance expands in the future, as long as they didnt oppose the alliance and chose to join, their safe houses would still be protected by the system. However, in a city like the City of Sin, wanting to own a property required a significant investment. If you wanted to live more comfortably in a larger house, you would need to possess a noble rank within the city. Ordinary players in such cities could only rent homes designated for civilians, and these were quite expensive. Moreover, the monsters surrounding the city were regularly cleared out by the city guard forces, and those who wanted to level up by fighting monsters had to travel far and engage in combat with higher-level monsters. This setting was in stark contrast with Doomsday City, so it wasnt impossible for some players to choose to return to the latter. Oh, right, theres also this. After the Transmission Array was activated, it automatically connected to an unowned Transmission Array located in a place called the Valley of the Undead, said Wang Qi. Once a Transmission Array is established, it will automatically search for other Transmission Arrays within a certain range. For cities like City of Sin and City of Hymns, their Transmission Arrays would give access rights. The owners of these cities would have to allow the connection for the Transmission Array to operate effectively. But if the other party refused to link their array, then the newly created Transmission Array would only show the existence of the other partys array in its listing, but would be unable to teleport anyone there. However, there were some unowned Transmission Arrays that didnt require access rights. As soon as they were discovered, they could be automatically linked. Most of these areas were uninhabited monster territories. The Valley of the Undead? Song Jian looked up at Wang Qi, puzzled. Is there anything peculiar about this place? The entire valley is filled with poisonous mist. As soon as you enter, you continuously lose vitality. The longer you stay, the faster you lose vitality. And the valley is filled with monsters above level 30! explained Wang Qi. Song Jian looked at Wang Qi, waiting for him to continue speaking. However, this valley produces this Wang Qi took out a pitch-black stone, the size of a fist, from his pouch and laid it on the table. This is Song Jian picked it up and looked at it, surprise taking over his face. A Shadow Stone? If used to craft a weapon, it has a certain chance of boosting shadow damage that ignores defense? Shadow Stone (Low grade), forging material, usage effect: can be used to create weapons up to level 10, has a certain chance of adding the attribute increase of shadow damage that ignores defense; Requirement to use: Level 3 Forging Art. There are a lot of these ores in the Valley of the Undead. Theyre easy to gather, and the people from the City of Sin have said they would buy these ores. Theyve quoted a high price, said Wang Qi excitedly. Currently, they were the only guild in Doomsday City that had established a teleportation array. This means that only members of the Hope Alliance can access the valley and gather Shadow Stone. If successful in mining the ore, the Hope Alliances power within Doomsday City would no doubt grow exponentially within a short period. Are there only low-grade stones? Song Jian asked. After all, weapons at level ten werent worth much money now, even those with attributes that ignored defense. There are high, medium, and low grades! Wang Qi exclaimed, According to explorers, there may even be Shadow Stones of higher grades, but the monsters there are too high-level and can nullify invisibility effects. They werent able to get close they only caught a glimpse from afar. Song Jian nodded. If only low-grade ores were available, then the place wouldnt be of much value. Level 10 weapons were only useful for newcomers to the game who didnt possess a lot of Doomsday Coins. By now, the main player group of Doomsday City had already reached level 20, with many even achieving level 25 or higher. The current top ten players ranking revealed that they were all at level 30. Song Jian, somebody reached level 31, Li Kerer suddenly announced. Everyone was startled, hurriedly checking the Level Honor List. Its the leader of the Pantheon! Wang Qis face fell, and he muttered, That guy in the final stage of his delusions. The Pantheon? Another alliance? Song Jian asked, curious. Its a group of people who fancy themselves as a new breed of humans. No, not new humans, they actually consider themselves gods. Theyre a bunch of lunatics! Wang Qi grumbled. Oh? Gods? Song Jian chuckled, suddenly interested in this alliance. Tell me more about this alliance. Wang Qi began to thoroughly explain the organization dubbed The Pantheon. Song Jian listened attentively, nodding his head periodically. So, like I said, all the players who join The Pantheon have issues. They actually consider themselves gods. Childish! Wang Qi exclaimed, clearly annoyed. You seem to have a lot of issues with this Pantheon alliance? Song Jian looked at Wang Qi curiously. Upon hearing this, Wang Qi was momentarily speechless. He dueled with one of the deputy leaders of The Pantheon in the arena and lost. He felt humiliated! Li Keer laughed. The Pantheon is quite strong with many players joining. At least five of them are within the top ten ranks on the leaderboard! Luo Tianyu suddenly added. So, it seems a lot of players want to become gods, huh! Song Jian chuckled. What is a god? Many people believe that gods are simply a group of stronger individuals. From this perspective, all the players who entered this game were gods! The Pantheon has always used this as a selling point, attracting many players to join. They were now the second-largest alliance outside of the City of Hope Alliance. However, their territories were quite far from those of the City of Hope Alliance, so it would take some time before they could make contact. Even so, The Pantheon continued to regard the City of Hope Alliance as their imagined enemy, always attempting to suppress them. Song Jian opened the Level Honor List, and his expression turned curious. Did you guys just say the second person on the list is the leader of The Pantheon? Song Jian looked at everyone and added, This guy called Zeus, is his real name Zeus? Players entering the game would always use their real names. However, the second person on the Level Honor List had his name displayed as Zeus. Which set of crazy parents would name their child Zeus? He didnt always go by that name. We heard that he used a name change card and changed his name in the game to this, Wang Qi explained. There sure are a lot of odd things in this game! Song Jian laughed. Song Jian, Ive heard that members of The Pantheon have been alternating turns to reduce monsters vitality to a sliver, then letting him, Zeus, deliver the finishing blow. This is to boost his leveling speed. They want to snatch the title of Top Player on the leaderboard! exclaimed Li Keer frantically. No need to worry about that. Let him snatch it if he wants to, Song Jian nonchalantly replied. A smirk spreading across his face as he added, Plus, this is something that you cant necessarily snatch even if you want to. Chapter 684 - Chapter 684: Chapter 684: Scramble Chapter 684: Chapter 684: Scramble Song Jian is still at level thirty-one, only having received the reward for the first-order combat power assessment mission yesterday, but he has not yet accumulated the rewards for each part of the mission process; The total reward for the three-phase mission is a four-level advancement and ten free attribute points. Currently, Song Jian has twelve skill points in his hand as well as the right to receive a skill book of no lower than legendary quality. To players who have not yet reached the strength of the first-order combat power, this is an invincible status. Song Jian glanced at Zeus, who was ranked second, whose level was already thirty-one. He merely caught up in levels, but didnt attend or pass any first-order combat power assessment. Facing Song Jian, who had broken a hundred points in three attributes, Zeus probably couldnt even lift a sword. Even if this guy who had changed his name to Zeus surpassed Song Jian in levels, he wouldnt remain first for long. Once Song Jians full mission rewards are distributed and he instantly advances to level thirty-five, it will induce deep despair in his opponents. They all take turns to level up this guy named Zeus, we can do the same, and we have many more people than they do. Suddenly, Ma Yu spoke out. Ma Yu is right, we can also get people to grind mobs, to raise the guild leaders level! said Wang Qi, nodding his head. In reality, in this game, the level isnt really that important. Leveling up only gives one skill point, it doesnt help as much with the improvement of ones abilities Luo Tianyu commented. Thats not acceptable, the Honor Rankings are our banner, the first place must be our City of Hope Alliances leader! Wang Qi said decisively. Song Jian finished his meal and was about to stand up, with a light press on the table; Crack~ A clear sound of shattering rang out and a crack several feet long appeared on the sturdy wooden table, extending outward from Song Jians palm. Song Jian frowned slightly. His elevation in power had been too quick, he still couldnt properly control his strength, often unintentionally causing damage to his surroundings. A great strength is harmful rather than beneficial to me if I cant control it well! Song Jian thought to himself. Guild Leader, whats happening Wang Qi asked, looking at Song Jian with astonishment. Sorry, my power has been growing a little fast recently! Song Jian said with a smile, Continue your discussion, dont mind me. With that, Song Jian slowly made his way to the castles exit with movements were exceedingly slow, as if he were walking in space. The group exchanged glances, all equally surprised; What were you doing in the months you were absent, Guild Leader? Luo Tianyu curiously asked. I was completing a first-order combat power assessment mission! Song Jian replied with a smile. First-order combat power? Surprise flooded everyones faces. None of them had reached level thirty yet and hadnt encountered the concept of first-order combat power. First-order combat power, isnt that something only a boss possesses? Can players have it too? Luo Tianyu asked in astonishment. Indeed, but bosses who possess first-order combat power are really tough to beat. So does that mean players who possess first-order combat power would become stronger than ordinary people? Wang Qi asked curiously. Once you reach level thirty, you will encounter your first-order combat power assessment mission. I spent these months completing my assessment. Song Jian said with a chuckle. Crack~ The hard marble tiles under Song Jians feet shattered entirely. Frowning slightly, he walked slowly out of the castle. I believe we should solidify our position as number one on the Honor Level Ranking before we discuss anything else. Wang Qi stated: The game only opened the Honor Level Ranking for now, which is in essence an advertisement. As the top guild of Doomsday City, we need to keep that number one spot. We cant let Pantheon snatch it away! Right, I concur. The top spot on the Honor Level Ranking is like a live advertisement, our banner, we cant give it up so easily! said Ma Yu as he nodded in agreement. Yeah, Song Jian, the first-order combat power may enhance our abilities, but many players dont know that. What they can see is the Honor Level Ranking! Li Keer also nodded. The top spot on the Honor Ranking, he wont be able to take it! said Song Jian, now standing outside the castle, gazing at the lush vegetation of the Spirit Field with a smile. At the northern breeding ground of Doomsday City, on the other hand, A group of people were viciously killing monsters of level twenty or so in the breeding ground, while even more people were luring the monsters towards them from a distance. The people who were struggling with the monsters down below would stop attacking when the monsters vitality points were reduced to one-tenth. Standing beside the building, a mage alternated between the Fire Rain and Snowstorm area-of-effect spells to deal the final blow to the monsters; A dozen healing professionals were busy replenishing the vitality of those embroiled in the fight with the monsters; Upon careful counting, there were actually more than a hundred people serving this mage. Although the mage was already at level thirty-one and the monsters of level twenty-five or twenty-six yielded very little experience, the sheer quantity of monsters, nearly endless, meant he was leveling up much faster than usual; Boss, that guy from the City of Hope Alliance hasnt increased his experience points for a while. According to our speed, we should be able to surpass him in six or seven hours, then you will be the first one in the Honor Level Ranking! a priest standing beside Zeus whispered. Our Pantheon will be the largest guild in Doomsday City, and we aim to become the largest guild in this game as well! Zeus confidently declared, In due course, we wont just be known in the game, but in the real world as well. Well establish our own organization, and with great power, each one of us will become a true god, ruling the entire world! Zeus looked as if he was in his twenties, yet he exuded a sense of wise maturity. He was constantly instilling the concept of becoming a god in the people around him, attracting a large number of ambitious players. Boss, people have found a thirty-level elite BOSS. Do you want to go beat it? a hunter from below shouted loudly. Ignore it for now, dont alert any of the BOSSes that are found, draw only the regular monsters here. Our current goal is to help the boss climb the Honor Level Ranking as fast as possible! the priest beside him shouted in response. Understood! While Pantheon was giving their all to help Zeus level up, Song Jian, on the other hand, was presented with a semi-transparent roulette, laden with dozens of shining books. Epic quality items are purple, legendary items are orange, and above legendary is mythic. Mythic items are brilliantly multicolored. The books placed on the roulette were all shining with an orange or multicolored light. These are all no less than legendary quality books specifically for the Sword Master class, lets see if my luck allows me to get a book of a higher grade! Song Jians gaze fell onto the three books emitting a multicolored light. He blew on his palm and spun the wheel. Chapter 685 - Chapter 685: Chapter 685: Sword Core Chapter 685: Chapter 685: Sword Core Up till now, Song Jian had not come across a skill book of epic quality or better, let alone legendary quality. The opportunity in front of him represented a certainty of getting a legendary skill book tailored for his chosen profession. However, since there was also a possibility to draw from the divine quality skill books, Song Jian naturally hoped to land one of the three divine-quality skill books displayed on the wheel. As the wheel spun, Song Jian stared at it nervously. Once the wheel began to spin rapidly, all the icons on it became colors as brilliant as a flowing rainbow. The wheel was a reward from Song Jians assessment task, only visible to him. To others, it looked as if Song Jian randomly waved his hand in the air and then continued to gaze tensely at the empty space in front of him. Whats going on with Boss? Ma Yu whispered. Wang Qi shook his head slightly. Having not seen Song Jian for a few months, he found Song Jian had changed quite a bit and was hard to read. At that moment, everyone saw Song Jian burst into loud laughter as a look of wild joy flashed across his face. Skill Book C Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue (Divine Myth). Skill book, Use: Can learn Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue skill; User restriction: Sword Master; Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue: Can condense the essence of five elements to forge a sword core, which can be hidden in the soul during usual times to immunize from all types of soul damage. Sword Core is a soul attribute equipment that doesnt occupy an equipment slot, and only one can be forged in a lifetime. It can accumulate power and after three hours, it guarantees a critical strike on the target. Attributes of Sword Core will vary based on the forging material, and the better the material, the stronger the Sword Cores attributes. Please use a weapon endowed with Sword Spirit as priority for forging. A divine myth-class skill book! I cant believe I actually won a divine myth-class skill book! Song Jian exclaimed with a beaming face. However, as he examined the skill book carefully, his eyebrows furrowed. This skill will merely give me an additional weapon, although it carries accumulative effect, guaranteeing a critical strike. But the fact that I am required to forge the sword core in advance Song Jian hesitated, considering the skill book a bit of a white elephant. His current weapon set was of golden quality, and if collected as a complete set, that would mean attacking with the force of five long swords. Thus, gaining the skill from this book would only grant him one more scoring weapon, Sword Core. He didnt expect a significant increase in his power. Maybe its because the Sword Core can protect the soul? Song Jian speculated. His passive skill Thick-skinned could only counter unfavorable conditions, but it was ineffective against soul damage. Song Jian glanced at the Shackles Mark skill in the Book of the Abyss, its most terrifying attribute being that once a target is marked with the Shackles, regardless of its formidable strength, it disperses the targets soul instantly, killing on the spot. There must be similar soul-attacking methods in this gameif I encounter those Song Jians expression suddenly turned serious. The condition of deploying a Shackles Mark requires not only the targets true name but also a form of horrific blood sacrifice, making it extremely difficult. Yet, once executed, it creates a defense that is impossible to break, indicating an impending attack not to be taken lightly. Forging a sword core does seem to be a good precaution, Song Jian secretly thought. Just then, the skill book in his hand, which was radiating a flowing, multicolored light, started to vibrate slightly. A piece of information was transmitted from the book and shot straight into Song Jians forehead. Suddenly, an image appeared in Song Jians mind. A middle-aged man in a white robe stood alone in the void, his feet resting on a long sword. Around his body, a metal ball the size of a nail was constantly revolving. In front of the middle-aged man, hundreds of monsters of the same level swarmed towards him like a tidal wave. Go! With the mans commanding shout, the revolving metal ball expanded instantly to form a dagger three inches long. Whiz~ A dazzling blade three feet long flew from the dagger towards the monsters, leaving a long-lasting white mark in the air. This three-inch blade flew among the monsters, slitting their throats as though it had a consciousness of its own. A fountain of blood spurted out as it moved unstoppably through the monster crowd, with a slew of damage points popping up, almost overflowing Song Jians field of view. Howhow is this possible? Song Jian stared dumbfounded. Even those in the profession with the strongest AoE attack, would not be able to confront hundreds of same-level monsters simultaneously. Critical Strike, Critical Strike, Critical Strike! All the monsters had taken critical strike damages. Is this the result of Charge Up? No, the Charge Up effect only guarantees critical damage for the first attack, yet not all of these attacks are critical As Song Jian closely observed, he finally figured out why all the floating damage points were critical strikes. Every Sword Core attack hits the enemys weak point. So, it could automatically locate and attack the creatures weak point? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise, It must be the Sword Spirit! The Sword Spirit must have played a key role! A small Sword Core alone slew hundreds of monsters, leaving them all sprawled on the ground, defeated. The man in the white robe, throughout the ordeal, remained standing in the empty air, stepping on his flying sword. Thisthis is beyond cool. Song Jian was amazed and his eyes lit up with a fervent glow. I must make this Sword Core! As expected of a divine myth-class skill! With the Sword Core, he didnt need other weapons. Glancing at the three long swords in his dantian, Song Jian made up his mind. Since Im going to make a Sword Core, I am going to make the most powerful Sword Core! With this thought, Song Jian chose to use the skill book. A burst of multi-colored light sank into his forehead. Then the skill Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue appeared in his skills column. Upon opening this skill, a slot for an item appeared along with a system prompt: Please choose a weapon equipped with Sword Spirit to forge the Sword Core! I can only put in one weapon. Seems like the higher the quality of the weapon, the more formidable the Sword Core thats forged. Song Jian thought to himself. Song Jians current three long swords are all set weapons. Each one alone is of gold level, but if he could collect all five long swords, they would become an epic level weapon set. I need to collect the remaining two long swords so that I can use the complete set to make the Sword Core! Song Jian planned in his mind. Wang Qi? Song Jian called out, Start collecting weapons of gold level or above, level 25 or higher. The more, the better! Gold level weapons? Wang Qis face changed. Boss, that would require a large sum of money. Our alliance is currently focusing on upgrading to a Level 1 city. If we start purchasing weapons now, it will put a strain on our finances. Song Jian frowned slightly. Upgrading the Alliances territory was also a crucial matter. Any delay would have significant repercussions. Wont we have more than enough funds after weve taken down the Valley of the Undead? Li Keer interjected; Song Jians eyes lit up, and he respond immediately, Lets arrange this quickly then. Well go to the Valley of the Undead tomorrow to examine the situation and aim to seize it directly! Chapter 686 - Chapter 686: Chapter 686: Upgrade Chapter 686: Chapter 686: Upgrade Doomsday City, the northern breeding ground. Endless monsters were gathered in the center of the breeding ground. As Zeus drank potions to replenish his mana, he watched the players below beat the monsters Vitality Points to the very last shred before standing up and releasing powerful area-of-effect magic attacks. Guild leader, you only need 2% more Experience Points to catch up with Song Jian and become the number one on the Glory List! Zeus face flushed with excitement, becoming the number one on the Glory Level List had always been his dream. If he succeeded, the Pantheon becoming the number one power in Doomsday City would be just around the corner. Why did the City of Hope Alliance develop so fast? Isnt it just because Song Jian has always been holding the number one spot on the level rankings? If I become number one on the level rankings, the Pantheon will also become number one! Zeus thought confidently. The players below, handling the monsters, had already been replaced twice. Over eighty percent of the members from the Pantheon were helping Zeus level up. Almost there, the guild leader is about to become number one! Haha, our hard work over the past week hasnt been in vain! It seems Song Jians experience has never increased. Doesnt he care about the top spot on the level list? Of course he cares, its just that they arent as united as we are, and no one is willing to help him level up! Hahaha, thats right, its our Pantheon that is the number one power in Doomsday City! At that moment, a player casually glanced at the level ranking and was immediately dumbfounded, not even reacting when a monster charged at him. Dude, what are you doing? Are you trying to get killed, getting lost in thought at a time like this? Another player immediately lured the monster away and yelled at the stunned player. Look at the level ranking! Damn it, there must be a bug in the game! The player yelled, his face full of shock and horror. Almost everyone opened up the Glory Level rankings, their eyes glued to the screen. There were no changes in the level rankings from before; Zeus was still in second place, and Song Jian was still in first. However, at this point, Song Jians level had changed. It was no longer level 31 but had jumped to level 35, a whole four levels higher! Impossible! How could he have leveled up four levels at once? There must be a BUG! Is there a game GM? I want to report this! How could this game have a GM? He must have mastered some method that we dont know! How did he suddenly increase four levels? How did he do that? Players from the Pantheon were immediately in an uproar, the sudden shock too much for them. They had been pulling monsters and killing them tirelessly for a week, and just when they were about to succeed, they were once again slapped down by their opponent. Even Zeus was dumbfounded, his face full of shock. He didnt know what went wrong and why the other party could instantly raise four levels. How could this happen? The nearby priest furrowed his brows, considering all possibilities. Damn it, hes playing us! Zeus roared in anger. He was so close, just 2% Experience Points away from surpassing Song Jian and becoming number one in the level rankings. Now, Zeus felt that if he continued and caught up to Song Jians level, would Song Jian instantly level up another four or five times, slapping him back down from the sky to the ground? With this in mind, even Zeus felt somewhat disheartened, and the other players could only heave sighs of defeat. Everything they had done now lost its meaning. After being silent for a while, Zeus finally spoke with a haggard expression, Tell everyone to disperse, let our brothers rest. Guild Leader, are we not chasing anymore? The nearby priest asked, Theres no way he can do this a second time, so we Even if its only once, the gap has now widened to four levels. Thats not just a 4% difference Zeus said, Do you know how big a four-level gap is? The priest remained silent. After level 30, the required experience for leveling up increased exponentially. Just a 1% or 2% difference required them to chase for hours. Now, the gap was four levels. It was chilling even to think about, let alone catch up. In the end, the Pantheon members dispersed quickly, and the leveling operation came to a failed end, with everyone feeling the sting of failure. From then on, no one spoke of surpassing Song Jian to become the top name on the Glory List. Inside Song Jians Manor Castle, Wang Qi sighed as he watched Zeuss rapidly increasing combat experience. He knew the importance of being the number one on the Glory level list, but it seemed that Song Jian didnt care about it. Perhaps, with his current strength, Zeus couldnt defeat Song Jian. However, many ordinary players didnt know this. The level list was the most realistic ranking, and once the number one spot was snatched, many players, even those from the City of Hope Alliance, would become disappointed in Song Jian. Better think of a solution for Brother Song getting caught up, Wang Qi said quietly. Sigh, its too hard. With all those people grinding for experience, its practically cheating! someone shook their head and said. Whats the use of talking about it now? Besides, with the guild leaders current rate of growth in strength, going to kill monsters to level up isnt very realistic. Its better to let him adapt to his improved control as soon as possible! Forget it, lets prepare for our trip to the Valley of the Undead tomorrow. Theres a calamitous poison fog there, and if not managed properly, our numbers will be reduced significantly! At that moment, Song Jian received a system notification that he had received the rewards for passing the assessment tasks, instantly raising him four levels and granting him 10 additional free attribute points. Song Jian slightly smiled and immediately added the free attribute points to his mental attribute. Now, Song Jians mental attribute had been raised to 129 points, and with just a thought, all the actions within the Manor Castle appeared in his mind. Having received all assessment task rewards, Song Jian still had sixteen skill points left, but many of his skills in the game needed to be fully proficient before skill points could be used to upgrade them. So, all those skill points could only be put aside for now. You guys, quick, look at the level list! someone suddenly exclaimed. What, has Zeus surpassed Brother Song? Wang Qi sighed as if already predicting it, opened the level list to take a look, and instantly wore a shocked expression on his face. Holy crap, Song Jian, what did you do? Little Jian Brother, are you cheating? Li Keer shouted loudly. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Song Jian, who was slowly walking in the courtyard to adjust to his body. How did his level suddenly rise to level 35 in such a short period? How did you do it? Wang Qi asked blankly. Didnt I say, dont care about the level list? Even if he takes the top spot, he wont be there for long, Song Jian laughed. Chapter 687 - Chapter 687: Chapter 687: Venturing Deep Alone Chapter 687: Chapter 687: Venturing Deep Alone Valley of the Undead This is a small valley over two hundred kilometers from Doomsday City, so remote that its not even mapped. Currently, Song Jian and over twenty players from City of Hope stand upon a decrepit transmission array within this valley. Weve already collected most of the nearby shadow stones. If we want a greater yield, we need to delve deeper into the valley, Wang Qi said earnestly. However, before we can enter the valley, we must first grapple with the calamitous poisonous mist pervading it. Song Jian nodded and began his careful scrutiny. The valley was bereft of vegetation, filled only with pitch-black rocks. A grey-green mist permeated the valley, but around the transmission array C a radius of about three meters C a thin curtain of light kept the corroding mist at bay. What are the effects of this grey mist? Song Jian asked. It causes continuous loss of vitality. Initially, you lose just one point every five seconds, but the deeper you go, the faster the loss. The effect is cumulative. Our team could only withstand up until we were losing ten vitality points every five seconds. Even with potions, we couldnt hold on. Furthermore, there are many monsters inside Wang Qi explained, Theres also a fixed effect reducing all attributes by 10%! Song Jian nodded. A 10% reduction in attributes he could handle, but the continuous loss of vitality, coupled with the increased speed the deeper one ventured, made further exploration impossible even with advanced healing potions. Given that the valley was also teeming with level thirty monsters, this place was strictly off-limits for players who were only around level twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Lets go and take a look! Song Jian decided, stepping out of the light curtain protecting the transmission array first. The moment the others followed him inside the valley, the grey-green mist swirling in the air surged towards them like a pack of sharks catching the scent of blood. Soon, everyone was seeing -1 damage figures floating above their heads, while words like Immune and Resistance floated over Song Jians head. Checking his status, Song Jian noticed that he did not have the negative status of reduced attributes by 10%. He smiled faintly, pleasantly surprised by his talent skill Thick Skin yet again. Guild Leader, whats going on? The other players stared at the words floating above Song Jians head, speechless. You guys stay here. I will investigate alone! Song Jian said. Be careful, Guild Leader! Wang Qi said. Song Jian nodded and moved forward. Watching Song Jians retreating figure, Wang Qi sighed quietly. From the moment he met Song Jian, he felt as if they were playing two completely different games! Song Jian carefully explored the Valley of the Undead alone. He discovered that the valleys mist not only decreased attributes and drained vitality, but also suppressed perception. Despite his currently potent mental attributes, his sensory coverage was restricted to a radius of just a few meters within the valley. Soon, Song Jian encountered the monsters of the valley C two skeletons emitting a dark green aura. Toxic Skeleton, Level 31, Vitality 4000/4000, Traits: Toxic Attack. These mere level thirty-one monsters might have given ordinary players a headache with their additional toxic attack. However, they posed no threat to Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword radiated a sharp Sword Qi as it lunged at the two toxic skeletons. With his first-order combat capabilities, Song Jian made quick work of them. Damage figures in the hundreds continually floated up from the two toxic skeletons, and in less than half a minute, they were reduced to mere bone fragments. Huh, a silver-grade weapon dropped? Nice! Song Jians eyes lit up as he pulled out a double-handed sword from the pile of bone fragments. Blade of Deadly Poison, an attack with additional poison damage, and also two special effects. Not bad! Song Jian smiled faintly. Unexpectedly, upon entering the valley, he had already found an excellent silver-tier level thirty weapon. He didnt know whether it was because the drop rate here was higher, or he was just lucky. Looking over the swords attributes, Song Jian hesitated, ultimately deciding to put it in his storage. Silver-tier weapons can also speed up the gestation progress of the Sword Spirit in his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. However, the progress added by the silver-tier weapon is too little. Compared with the attributes of this long sword, it wouldnt be worth keeping, so its better to sell this long sword and buy an ordinary gold-tier weapon instead. After all, the price difference between an exceptional silver-tier weapon and a gold-tier weapon with standard attributes is not that significant. After dealing with the two toxic skeletons, Song Jian continued forward. His exploration speed was significantly faster than the previous exploration team. On the one hand, he crushed any monsters he encountered, and on the other hand, he was not bothered by the calamitous poisonous mist and did not feel the same level of psychological pressure. After encountering several more batches of monsters, Song Jian crushed them all with ease, only losing a little over a hundred vitality points in total. He didnt even need to drink any potions. His vitality recovery speed alone was enough to refill his vitality pool. However, the quality of the items dropped later was rather mediocre, mostly white-grade materials. Continuing deeper, Song Jian found many quality shadow stones along the way. He realized that this valley was a treasure trove. Not only were there shadow stones, but there was also a shadow forest towards the north-western part of the vallet. As long as a players lumbering skill was at level eight, they could hack down the shadow trees in this area. Players could gain quality shadow wood from these trees. These possessed stronger defensive capabilities compared to ordinary wood and had high resistance to both fire and shadow damage, making them suitable for construction. Soon, Song Jian crossed the perimeter of the Valley of the Undead and reached the central region. A shadow river extended from east to west, along which a seven-storey tower made entirely of superior shadow stones stood. Such extravagance. A multitude of weapons could be forged with all these shadow stones, Song Jian remarked. When he turned his gaze towards the shadow river behind the tower, his face took on a stupefied expression. Ge-Gems. There are so many gems? Song Jian noticed that the rivers bed was covered with a thick layer of gems of all colors. All of these could be embedded in weapons and gear. These gems were worth a fortune and were usually only dropped by Boss monsters. Before him, however, was an entire river bed filled with them, just waiting for him to collect. Strike rich! Just these gems alone could double the entire guilds power. They can even foster the Sword Spirits in my five swords, he thought, avarice lighting up in his eyes. Load failed, please RETRY Chapter 688 - Chapter 688: Chapter 688: Black Warrior Chapter 688: Chapter 688: Black Warrior The Valley of the Undead is in a harsh environment, yet it is like a treasure trove with valuable resources everywhere, simply waiting to be picked up with no effort at all. The only thing that causes a headache is the Calamity Poisonous Fog permeating the whole valley. At the location where Song Jian currently is, the damage caused by the poisonous fog has reached as such that it decreases 30 Vitality Points per second. Even for a level 30 beefy warrior, their current vitality points wouldnt exceed five thousand. They definitely wont be able to linger here for long, as they would be forced to retreat soon. This Calamity Poisonous Fog has limited the development of the Valley of the Undead. I wonder if theres any way to eradicate this poisonous fog or to become immune to the damage caused by it, Song Jian thought to himself. Since his innate skill can make him immune to the damage from this poisonous fog, there must be other ways to become immune to or mitigate the effects of this poisonous fog. Right then, a hoarse voice came from the stone tower beside the Shadow River. Who dares to trespass the territory of the Undead Sorcerer, Lord Saramo? Song Jian looked up and saw a humanoid creature standing at the top of the dark tower, wearing a black robe and holding a bone wand; The distance was too far for Song Jian to see the creatures face, but he sensed a familiar aura from it. Undead Sorcerer? A sneer appeared on Song Jians face: Then why does it reek so strongly of the Abyss? Rumble~ The huge door at the base of the tower opened, and twelve Skeleton Warriors and a warrior wearing pitch-black armor, holding a two-handed giant sword, came out. Twelve level 32 Skeleton Warriors and a level 35 Elite BOSS Black Warrior? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise, You can actually control the Force of Death! Saramo, standing at the top of the stone tower, was radiating with a strong Abyssal Power, yet he was able to control these undead creatures. Clearly, he also possessed the Force of Death that allowed him to control the undead. Could it be that this Saramo has dual professions? Song Jian frowned, his heart sinking. If the opponent could indeed control both the Abyssal Power and the Force of Death, the opponents strength wouldnt just be a simple addition of the two. It would grow by geometrical multiples. But if he didnt eliminate the opponent, Song Jian wouldnt dream of claiming the treasure-filled Valley of the Undead as his own. Twelve Skeleton Warriors are just ordinary monsters, the Black Warrior is a level 35 Elite BOSS with the power of a first-order. If its only these, I can still manage on my own, but theres also Saramo I have no idea if hes an Abyssal Wizard or an Undead Sorcerer Song Jian hesitated. Song Jian had grown significantly stronger now and wasnt afraid of dealing with ordinary monsters, no matter how many came at him. However, facing two creatures with the power of a first-order at the same time would be quite challenging. Whats more, Song Jian couldnt identify Saramos specific attributes. He wasnt clear whether Saramo was an Abyssal Wizard or an Undead Sorcerer. If a fight were to break out, there would be too many variables; But just as Song Jian was hesitant, the Black Warrior and Skeleton Warriors at the entrance of the stone tower had already rushed towards him; Without having to make a choice, Song Jian charged towards them, engaging in a fierce battle with these undead creatures; Frigid Falling Snow! With a swing of his sword forward, a flurry of large snowflakes suddenly fell from the sky. In a matter of seconds, a layer of snow more than half a foot thick quickly covered the ground; The Black Warrior and Skeleton Warriors legs were buried deep in the snow, significantly slowing their movement speed down. They were also covered in a layer of frost, reducing their defense by 20%, and increasing the chances of inflicting critical hits by 10%. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian lightly tapped his foot, charging towards a Skeleton Warrior. The effect of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique didnt apply to him, so walking on the thick snow didnt slow him down in the slightest; With the flickering sword light, ordinary monsters were no match for Song Jian. In a short while, two Skeleton Warriors were chopped into fragments by Song Jian; Just then, a glint suddenly shone in the Black Warriors crimson eyes, brandishing his bone sword that was now tinged with a reddish hue, hacking down towards Song Jian; Bang! His back received a heavy slash, causing him to stumble forward for several steps, while an indicator of over-300-point damage floated above his head; Looking at the Black Warrior, it seemed to have shaken off the slowing effect of the snow, charging towards Song Jian like a heavy truck, plowing a path more than a meter wide through the thick snow; Rage? Song Jian squinted his eyes, brandishing his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, clashing in a fierce fight with the Black Warrior; Though Song Jian had a significant advantage over the Black Warrior, the fight was still difficult due to the aid of the Skeleton Warriors. His Vitality Points quickly dropped below 60%. However, Song Jian swiftly took down six Skeleton Warriors, and also depleted more than half of the Black Warriors Vitality Points; Defeating these creatures in front of me is merely a matter of time. The key is Saramo! Song Jian couldnt help but look up at the dark tower. To his surprise, Saramo, who had been standing at the top of the tower, had vanished. Damn it, the effects of the fog are too strong. Its suppressing my senses. I didnt even notice when he disappeared Song Jian furrowed his brows. Forget him, lets clear these creatures in front of me first! Song Jian quickly made a decision; Light Strike! A dazzling golden sword light slashed towards the Black Warrior. Against these undead creatures, Light Strike would inflict double damage and there was a high chance of it triggering critical damage; Boom! The golden Sword Qi heavily bombarded the Black Warriors chest, knocking him catapulted backward; Damage of more than 1800 points floated above the Black Warriors head, reducing his vitality to critical conditions; When a creatures Vitality Points dropped below 10%, it would trigger a weakening state, with both movement and attack speed decreased by 30%; Song Jian glanced at the struggling Black Warrior trying to get up, directed his sword against the remaining Skeleton Warriors. At this moment, the Black Warrior was no longer a threat to him. While it had not yet risen, it was better to take down these Skeleton Warriors first; Chapter 689 - Chapter 689: Chapter 689: Entering the Undead Tower Chapter 689: Chapter 689: Entering the Undead Tower Once free from the restraint of the Black Warrior, these common monsters were no match for Song Jian. And within no time, all the remaining Skeleton Warriors had turned into a pile of shattered bones. After collecting the materials dropped by the Skeleton Warriors, Song Jian took out an Advanced Healing Potion from his bag and drank it, slowly restoring his Vitality Points. At this time, the limping Black Warrior was making its way towards him, its bone knife radiating a striking red glow. Song Jian slightly furrowed his brows. The Black Warrior in front of him strangely seemed devoid of intelligence, acting like a mere killing machine without any regard for its own safety. Superior-level humanoid creatures wouldnt act like this Song Jian thought to himself. However, facing the severely wounded Black Warrior, he swung his long sword, depleting its last bit of Vitality Points. It only dropped a white quality material? Song Jian picked up the item dropped by the Black Warrior, and upon inspecting it, he couldnt help but shake his head, disappointment evident on his face. This was a level thirty-five elite BOSS with first-order combat power, and it didnt even drop equipment, only dropping a white quality material. It was even worse than the previous low-level monsters, a disgrace to its BOSS title. The chance of a BOSS dropping a white quality item was about the same as a low-level monster dropping a silver or higher quality item. Unexpectedly, Song Jian had encountered such an occurrence here. At this time, the doors of the black tower swung wide open, like a beasts wide-open mouth, waiting to swallow its prey. Are you inviting me in? Song Jian looked at the open door of the black tower, a smile appearing on his face as he walked towards it without hesitation. At the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead, the players of the City of Hope Alliance were somewhat disheartened. I feel like we are a burden Li Keer softly mumbled. Our leader can resist the plague fog here, but we cant. Theres no way, we can only wait here What if our leader encounters a monster inside? The monsters here are all above level thirty! If the monster our leader encounters is something he cant handle, do you think we could handle it with a few more players? We cant! Just when everyone was feeling downcast, the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead suddenly lit up. The players of the City of Hope Alliance were immediately put on alert, and they all drew their weapons. In a short while, several figures emerged from the Transmission Array. Song Jian stepped into the black tower, and the door behind him closed with a rumbling sound. The inside of the tower was pitch black. System: You have entered the territory of Abyssal Wizard Saramo. In this Undead Tower, your attributes are suppressed, weakening by 10%. Abyssal Wizard? As expected, another abyssal creatures invasion. They are everywhere, lingering like ghosts! Song Jian muttered with a cold snort. An Abyssal Wizard who can summon undead creatures, the secret must lie within this Undead Tower. A 10% attribute degradation was not much of a concern for Song Jian now, as it actually allowed him to better control his power; Bang~ With a light sound, green firelight burnt up on the walls around him every few meters apart. Human, this is not a place where you should tread! rasped a voice, As punishment, I will leave your body here. I believe your corpse should suffice to make a Death Knight! The Death Knight, the only creature among the undead capable of overkill, has an inherent attribute C Fatal Strike which can inflict tenfold damage. However, this passive effect has a rather low occurrence rate. As the raspy voice echoed again, Song Jian noticed pairs of crimson eyes lighting up, and behemothic wolves, exuding a dark aura, stepped out from the shadows. Abyssal Demon Wolves, each a level-thirty elite BOSS with first-tier combat power? Song Jian blinked in surprise, realizing that he was surrounded by nine such massive black wolves. Kill him but try to keep his body intact. The more complete his body is, the stronger the Death Knight that can be made of it! At Saramos command, the nine gigantic black wolves growled and lunged at Song Jian- You think these big dogs can kill me? Isnt that wishful thinking? Song Jian sneered, taking out a few rocks emitting milky white light from his bag, and hurled them around. Thud! Thud! Thud~ A few crashing sounds, and a dense white fog suddenly surged around Song Jian, enveloping him and the black wolves, spreading through the entire hall on the first floor of the Undead Tower. This white fog also had the effect of suppressing senses, Saramo found that he had unexpectedly lost contact with the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves and could no longer control them. What the hell is this! Saramo, standing at the top of the Undead Tower, watched the white mist on his surveillance monitor. His face darkened with anger. In the center of the seventh-floor hall of the Undead Tower, there was a stone platform, above which hovered a black crystal over a meter high. Saramo stood in front of this crystal, monitoring Song Jians every move. But now, all he could see was the white mist rolling into the hall on the first floor. Mist Shadow Sword Array! This was a primary sword formation that Song Jian had mastered, and it proved highly effective against this sudden onslaught and encirclement. The Mist Shadow Sword Array not only shields against external sensory probes, but it can also severely suppress all investigative abilities of enemies trapped within the formation. The Abyssal Demon Wolves, despite their sharp vision and keen senses, were utterly blinded. They couldnt even detect their comrades who were only a foot away. However, Song Jian, who was inside the sword array, faced no such impediments. Thump! A rock the size of a human head suddenly hit an Abyssal Demon Wolf. The creature crashed against the hard wall behind it, letting out a dreadful scream- At that moment, Song Jian had summoned his rock golem to hide and launch ranged attacks on these bewildered Abyssal Demon Wolves. He himself charged at the wolf that was closest to him. In a one-on-one situation, these Abyssal Demon Wolves were not his match. The Mist Shadow Sword Array not only concealed the sounds made by these wolves, but it also blocked all noise. The other wolves couldnt hear their companions roars and screams. An Abyssal Demon Wolf, riled up in the white mist, suddenly ran into a sharp Sword Qi, which directly cut off one of its ears. As it roared and clawed in the direction of the Sword Qi, it saw nothing. Thus, Song Jian, like an assassin, kept darting in and out among the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves. After each successive hit, he immediately disappeared into the white fog, leaving the beasts no trail to follow. The vitality of the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves steadily dropped, while Song Jians remained at maximum. Thump! Another stone hit an Abyssal Demon Wolfs head, triggering a stunning effect. As it was immobilized, Song Jian rushed out of the fog and directly removed a third of its vitality with a series of sword techniques. Just when it was about to snap out of the stun, he vanished back into the fog. Chapter 690 - Chapter 690: Chapter 690: Double-Headed Giant Chapter 690: Chapter 690: Double-Headed Giant Nine Abyssal Demon Wolves, all of which were Level Thirty Elite Bosses with a first-rank combat power, were extremely difficult to deal with, even for Song Jian. Even if he could ultimately triumph, it would likely be a Pyrrhic victory; However, after using the Mist Shadow Sword Array, Song Jian managed to defeat each of the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves individually with ease; About twenty minutes later, the white fog in the hall began to fade. The effect of the Mist Shadow Sword Array, a basic formation, could only last for thirty minutes. Soon, the suppressing effect of the sword formation started to weaken and Saramo could vaguely see a few demon wolves and the figure of Song Jian through the surveillance screen; Damn it, hes on the left, surround and kill him! roared Saramo; The Nine Demon Wolves seemed to have received Saramos order. They turned around simultaneously and pounced towards Song Jians position; The tiny stone figure behind Song Jian was throwing stone blocks at the pack of wolves desperately. However, the cooldown time for its stone-throwing skill was three to four seconds, which was inadequate to suppress them; Watching as the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves drew closer and closer, a mocking smile appeared on Song Jians face. He stood still and exclaimed, Mist Shadow Death Strike, Sword Formation, arise! In an instant, the white fog inside the hall of the Undead Towers first floor roiled fiercely, collapsing instantly. In mid-air, dozens of chilling, fog swords materialized; Whiz~Whiz~Whiz~ Dozens of white fog swords, seemingly manipulated by an invisible hand, constantly struck at the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves; Faced with this sudden attack, the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves could only passively endure it, unable to even locate their enemy; Following a series of mournful howls, the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves, already severely injured by Song Jian, turned into corpses lying across the cold floor; Eventually, the demon wolves transformed into black mist, slowly dissipating in the air; Saramo, staring at the surveillance screen, raised his head. His crimson eyes radiated anger, but deep down, he couldnt help but feel a sense of trepidation; These nine Abyssal Demon Wolves were one of his trump cards. Even he himself would not escape unscathed when facing them. Yet, this human before him managed to kill them all without sustaining any injuries despite his suppressed condition. His power exceeded Saramos expectations; What power does this human possess to be so formidable? Saramo growled. But soon thereafter, a faint smile appeared on his thin, withered face and he said; The stronger the body, the higher the chances of producing a Death Knight. I look forward to your upcoming performance Having killed the nine Level Thirty Elite Boss Abyssal Demon Wolves with first-rank combat power, he received nothing. All the Demon Wolves turned into a black abyssal aura that dissipated in the air; However, after the death of these nine Demon Wolves, a rotating staircase leading to the second floor appeared on the side of the first-floor hall of the Undead Tower; Is this some sort of test, climbing up one level at a time? A change flashed across Song Jians face, he muttered to himself; There were seven levels in the Undead Tower. If each level contained enemies, by the time Song Jian reached the seventh floor where Saramo, the Abyssal Wizard, was, he would most likely be left with only a fraction of his power. How was he supposed to fight Saramowho would remain in peak conditionat that time? Song Jian sneered, brandishing his long sword. He swung it fiercely towards the ceiling. A sharp Sword Qi whirled and whissed through the air, striking the ceiling above him. Frustration creased Song Jians brow as the Sword Qi disappeared instantly upon contact with the ceiling, nullified by a mysterious power. Ripples spread across the ceiling before everything returned to normal; The Undead Tower itself cant be attacked? Song Jian mused. This was an open strategy. Song Jian could refuse to continue climbing the tower and turn away. Saramo would not pursue him outside the Undead Tower. Now, it did not have any certainty of defeating Song Jian either. However, Song Jian should not expect to take over the entire Valley of the Undead for the City of Hope Alliance. After all, as long as the Abyssal Wizard, Saramo exists, no one dares to fight him under the invasion of the plague fog. The treasures of this valley, most of them cannot be taken away either. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then took a step towards the stone stairs. In no time, he arrived in the hall of the second floor. As soon as Song Jian stepped into the second-floor hall, a strong smell of blood and rot hit his nose. Upon entering, he saw that the whole hall was filled with mangled corpses. A large two-headed giant was snoring, sprawled among the pile of bodies. Drew, wake up. Ive brought food for you! Saramos hoarse voice echoed on the second floor. The two-headed giant twitched its ears, both heads opened their eyes simultaneously and roared loudly: Drew likes food, Drew is hungry! The two-headed giant, Drew, got up from the floor. Only now did Song Jian notice that this monster stood over three meters tall. Its strong body was layered with bulging muscles, and a layer of purple-black scales faintly appeared on the skins surface. Another first order elite BOSS Song Jians lips curled into a mocking smile: Nine first-order elite BOSSes couldnt even cause me the smallest injury before. Now theres only one. How long do you think it can hold me off? One minute or thirty seconds? Hehe, lets see, Drew will give you a surprise! Saramos hoarse laugh echoed in Song Jians ear. Although Song Jian said nonchalantly, this two-headed monster in front of him was probably more powerful than the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves on the first floor combined. Otherwise, it wouldnt be allowed to reside on the second floor. Thump thump thump~ The two-headed giant beat its chest furiously, letting out a roar like a gorilla. With a grab, Drew pulled out a giant war blade over two meters long from the pile of corpses and gripped it tightly in his right hand. Then his left hand fumbled around where he was sleeping and seized a magic staff. He then swung it forcefully at Song Jian. Swoosh swoosh swoosh~ Dozens of Frost Arrows condensed in the air and shot towards Song Jian. Song Jians face changed instantly and he quickly dodged to the side. The Frost Arrows were swift and hit the spot where he was standing in an instant, exploding on impact with the floor. Boom boom~ An area of about ten square meters was instantly covered in frost. Although Song Jian was not hit directly, he was swept by the residual force and half of his body was covered with frost, heavily slowing his movement. Instant-cast group Frost Arrows? Song Jian was stunned by the two-headed giants move. He had never seen a mage who could cast a group Frost Arrow spell, let alone instant-casting it. Seeing Song Jian avoiding the Frost Arrows, the two-headed giant wielding the two-metre-plus war blade, charged at him. I recommend everyone a book, Super Private Server, where spiritual energy disappears, alien races roam, and Chen Tian obtains a legendary private server, fighting across the heavens! If it sounds good, everyone can go have a look! Chapter 691 - Chapter 691: Chapter 691 Chaotic Blade Sword Array Chapter 691: Chapter 691 Chaotic Blade Sword Array Is this guy a melee class or a magic class? As the dual-headed giant rushed at him, Song Jian quickly brandished his sword to block it. With his strength attribute surpassing a hundred points, even without using his sword skills, Song Jian could still stand firm against the dual-headed giant without losing ground. Broken Wing Dance! Sweeping Sword Style! When Song Jian unleashed his sword techniques, the dual-headed giant struggled to fight back, bearing numerous sword scars on its body. Although the giant was bare-chested, its skin was incredibly tough. The layer of purplish-black scales on its body surface greatly reduced the damage it took. Even though it looked suppressed and miserable under Song Jians attack, in reality, its Vitality Points hadnt decreased much. Just a big punching bag Song Jian smirked coldly, crouched slightly, and stabbed his longsword from under the giants ribs into its lower back, but a burst of sparks emerged as the tough scales blocked it. Roar~ The dual-headed giant swung its war saber upward, forcing Song Jian to dodge quickly. As he readied himself to charge in, he suddenly saw a dazzling crimson light emitted from the magic staff in the giants left hand. A fireball, as big as a basketball, was rapidly forming at the top of the magic staff, and before Song Jian could steady himself, the fireball was already pummeling towards him. Instant Fireball Spell! Song Jian cried out in surprise as he was too late to dodge. He was directly hit in the chest by the fireball, forcing him to stagger backwards five or six steps before brutally colliding with the wall. A damage of over three hundred floated above Song Jians head. His face turned grim: the dual-headed giant, though it looked like one individual, fought as though a mage and a warrior were working together. Moreover, any magic cast from the staff in its left hand was instant- in the close combat, there was no way to dodge in time. Song Jian gritted his teeth, gave a cold snort, and directly summoned the little stone man. After appearing, the over one-meter tall little stone man seemed very cheerful, continuously jumping around and making incomprehensible noises. Hit its head! Song Jian ordered. Forceful Strike! the right head of the dual-headed giant bellowed. Its right hands war saber traced a red mark in the air. The scorching aura raised the surrounding temperature by a few degrees. A ball of flame emerged from the surface of the war saber, chopping down towards Song Jian. Flash Thunder Strike! Electric light flickered on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword as it collided hard with the war saber. At this moment, a rock as big as a human head flew towards the giants head. The target was the left head of the dual-headed giant, whose left hand was stealthily directing the tip of the magic staff at Song Jians abdomen. At the tip of the staff, a seething breath was condensing. Boom~ The stone ball hit the left head of the dual-headed giant, thrusting the head backward. Although it didnt trigger a dizziness effect, the energy gathered at the top of the staff surged and then quickly dispersed. A rebound damage of over five hundred floated above the giants head. Well done! Song Jian laughed. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Snow at Dusk! Song Jian let out a low roar and swung his longsword violently. It seemed as if a tornado brewed in the air, and suddenly, snowflakes were drifting in the entire second-floor hall. In a few seconds, a thick layer of snow covered the floor, and all the bodies were buried underneath. As Song Jian swung his sword, the snowflakes in the air spun towards the dual-headed giant. Each snowflake was a condensed Sword Qi. The moment they approached the giant, their speed increased sharply, leaving a three-inch-long sword mark on it with a breaking-the-air sound. Plop Plop Plop~ With Song Jians sword dancing, a series of damage points, sixty or seventy points each, floated above the two-headed giants head, and its body surface was also covered with a layer of frost making its movement and attack speeds significantly slower. Boom, boom, boom~ The little stone man on the side was shouting while continuously forming stone balls and aiming them at the two-headed giants skull. Light Strike! A dazzling golden Sword Qi harshly slashed onto the two-headed giants shoulder. Although it was not a shadow undead creature, the damage from this strike could rank within the top three of all of Song Jians sword techniques. Roar~ The dazzling Sword Qi directly broke through the two-headed giants defense, leaving a wound over a foot long on its shoulder. The flesh was turned inside out, revealing the white bone inside. The two-headed giant suddenly raised its magic staff with its left hand and then heavily struck the ground with it. Boom! With a soft sound, Song Jian suddenly felt a surge of energy emanating from the two-headed giant sending him flying. Countless dark grey energy light points appeared around the giant. Starburst Skill! Damn, another instant spell! Song Jian glanced at his Vitality Points; this strike had directly dealt over eight hundred points of damage. What bad luck, it even scores a critical hit! Song Jian took out an Advanced Healing Potion and drank it. Blade Dance of Bloodshed! The right head of the two-headed giant roared, swinging its war blade faster, stirring up waves of crimson energy and dispersing all the surrounding snow. Startled, Song Jian quickly used the Rapid Sword skill. Clang, clang, clang~ A series of clashes occurred dozens of times in an instant. Even though Song Jian had used the Rapid Sword skill, he still couldnt completely block the two-headed giants attacks and was hit several times. However, each blows damage was not high, and by the time the effect of the giants skill ended, Song Jian had only lost over five hundred points of Vitality. This is only the second level and its this difficult, and there are at least four more levels to go Thinking about it, Song Jian couldnt help but feel gloomy. After achieving first-order Combat Power and experiencing a powerful surge in strength, Song Jians mentality had slowly changed. However, he was no longer the same as he was before. From the package, he took out three sword stones and threw them into the air, which resulted in the appearance of a saber-toothed shadow in the air. Chaotic Blade Sword Array! In the air, dozens of round-shaped Sword Qi about three feet long slowly emerged. As Song Jian ordered, Kill!, these sword edges, like wild animals fangs, began to spin in the air and hack towards the two-headed giant. Although this sword array was also a beginner level, it was among the most fierce in terms of attack within the beginner-level sword arrays. It didnt have any other additional effects; it purely pursued attack. As the sword array was released, the two-headed giant couldnt resist. Its hands flailed wildly as it roared, continuously retreating. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~ The fierce Sword Qi easily tore apart its scale defense. In no time, the two-headed giant was bloodied all over, its Vitality Points rapidly decreasing. Id like to recommend a book to you all, Super Private Server. When spiritual energy has vanished and alien races roam freely, Chen Tian obtains a legendary private server and fights across the heavens! Its quite good, you all should check it out! Chapter 692 - Chapter 692: Chapter 692: The Stitched Monster Chapter 692: Chapter 692: The Stitched Monster Sword Formation, is a skill that Song Jian obtained during an assessment task, and its been elevated to a high level, allowing him to create advanced Sword Formations. But creating an advanced Sword Formation drains too much energy and time. After Song Jian returned, he didnt have time to create them, and could only manage to put together a few primary Sword Formations and two sets of intermediate ones for self-defense. Unexpectedly, he got to use them. Even though the Chaotic Blade Sword Array is a primary Sword Formation, it managed to inflict over three thousand points of damage on the double-headed giant, virtually obliterating over half of its scales, drastically reducing its defense. Snowfall at dusk! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword danced, and a cold wind swept through the second-floor hall, causing the dissipating snow to pile up once again, and snowflake-like Sword Qi whipped up in the air. The snowfall at dusk attack was like the Chaotic Blade Sword Array, but it also carried the effects of slowing down the movement and reducing the defense of its target. The attacking strength of the snowflake Sword Qi was far less than that of the Chaotic Blade Sword Array, and once an attack was launched, the snowflake Sword Qi would dissipate, unlike the tooth-like Sword Qi in the Chaotic Blade Sword Array, which was capable of relentless, repetitive attacks. Swish, swish, swish, swish~ The chill wind whipped up snowflakes, ceaselessly battering the double-headed giant, even obstructing its sight. Initially, it could only inflict double-digit damage, but after the giants skin and scales had been slashed apart, each drop of blood resulted in three-digit damage. Soon, after Song Jian finished his Snowfall at dusk swords move, the double-headed giant swayed twice before crashing heavily onto the floor. Song Jian heaved a sigh of relief. As the entire second floor was covered in snow and the smell concealed, Song Jian took out food and honey wine, slowly recovering his lost Vitality Points and Mental Strength. Well done, but youve only cleared the second floor. You still have four floors to breakthrough. Every floor is more difficult than the last, but I hope you can face me in the end, hehehe~ Saramos voice echoed in Song Jians ear once again, the coarse voice sounding as irritating as two broken pieces of glass grinding against each other. Song Jian snorted, choosing not to reply. If things really were as Saramo said, with the defense power on each ascending floor being stronger than the last, even if Song Jian could reach the top of the seventh-floor tower, he would be powerless to fight against Saramo. Damn it, why should I follow his path? This Undead Tower isnt very tall, only about thirty meters. My steel wings and Morphing into Dark Cloud, could both fly up there Song Jian thought to himself, eyeing the appearing staircase. Once he recovered, Song Jian didnt immediately go up to the third floor. Instead, he turned and headed first floorwards. You felt like you couldnt continue and youre planning to leave, are you? Saramos taunting voice echoed in Song Jians ear again. Youre just going to give up like that? Dont you want to try again? Perhaps the upper floors arent as I described. After all, such a powerful Guardian cant be easily subdued! This Undead Tower, it controls the entire valley. Aha, it seems Ive caught some interesting images. Ha ha, those people who came in with you seem to be pursued by others. Do you want to go help them? Perhaps directly ascending the tower is the right choice. Because right now, you dont even know where your companions are. But now all you need to do is defeat me, take control of this Undead Tower and you can control the whole valley. Maybe you can still save them. Why dont you have a try? Song Jian felt a sinking feeling, Saramos words made him hesitate. Maybe hes deceiving me, or maybe its true. After all, the Transmission Array in this valley can be linked not only by us, but also by anyone nearby Maybe what you said is right, now they must not be near the Transmission Array, and instead of searching blindly in the valley, its better to kill you directly and control the Undead Tower! Song Jians eyes flashed with a strong intention to kill. There must be surveillance equipment in the Undead Tower, otherwise, Saramo wouldnt be intimately familiar with Song Jians actions. Therefore, theres a high likelihood that Saramo is right. By controlling this Undead Tower, the entire valley can be controlled. But as to how to control it, that can only be known after ascending to the seventh floor of the Undead Tower. Just as Song Jian was about to rush out to the first floor, the two heavy stone doors suddenly closed automatically. You want to escape, huh? Ha ha ha, how could I possibly let you go? Youre the Death Knight Ive chosen! The sound of Saramos insane laughter echoed in the first-floor hall. The attributes of the stone doors are the same as the Undead Tower, immuno-attack damage. After trying twice, Song Jian had no choice but to turn back and continue towards the stairs to the second floor. In actual fact, flying directly to the seventh floor from the outside would be possible, but it would require the person controlling the Undead Tower to open the permissions. Given Song Jians current state, even if he flew up from the outside, he would be blocked by the protection facilities outside the Undead Tower and would not be able to approach it. In order to seize the authority of the Undead Tower, one must travel up floor by floor, defeating the Guardian of each floor before meeting the actual controller of the Undead Tower. This advantage of the terrain gives the controller of the Undead Tower a significant advantage. The Guardian of the third floor is a grotesque Stitched Monster, bloated with various parts of different beasts stitched onto its body. The entire body sagged into a gigantic pile, just like a meat mountain. One cant even discern where its head ends and where its rear begins. Right in the middle of this meat mountain, theres a huge mouth continuously murmuring Kurasomodo. Above this huge Stitched Monsters head was a display of its attributes. Abyssal Stitched Monster- Kurasomodo (Tier One Combat Power), Elite BOSS, Level Thirty-Five, Vitality Points: 8500/8500, Features: Decay, Super Recovery Looking at the meat mountain that occupied half of the hall, Song Jians face darkened immediately. This gigantic Stitched Monster, besides having a ghastly and disgusting appearance, gave off a very unpleasant odor all over. Even standing at the doorway, Song Jian got the feeling akin to being in a dump. Battling such a monster would certainly be a severe psychological test. Ha ha ha, Kurasomodo is my favorite Abyssal Stitched Monster. See the beast remains stitched onto it? They were all captured by me and merged into its body. Its my most perfect masterpiece, and it even has a soul. Ha ha ha ha, I am the greatest Abyssal Wizard! The sound of Saramos insane laughter echoed in the hall once again. Three huge eyes had been stitched into the body of the Stitched Monster, each one about a meter in diameter. Besides these three large eyes, a dozen more human-sized eyes had also been stitched in. Hearing Saramos voice, all the eyes of the Stitched Monster opened and stared at Song Jian. Froth spewed from its tusk-filled mouth, creating a putrid odor. It kept murmuring: Kurasomodo I wish to recommend a book to everyone, Super Private Server. The spiritual energy disappeared, and the alien races ran rampant. Chen Tian obtained a legendary private server and embarked on a journey across various worlds! Its a good read, and everyone can check it out! Chapter 693 - Chapter 693: Chapter 693: Abyssal Wizard Saramo Chapter 693: Chapter 693: Abyssal Wizard Saramo Looking at the towering mass of flesh in front of him, Song Jian frowned, this sort of monster didnt even inspire a desire to fight, he simply didnt want to get near it. However, upon hearing the stitched monster repeatedly calling its own name, an idea crossed Song Jians mind about a skill he possessed, the Shackles Mark; Once you know your opponents true name and have some of their flesh, you can infuse it with the Shackles Mark, leading to the direct destruction of their soul; Kurasomodo, I like this name. Song Jian said with a small smile, and then with a swing of his sword, he cut into the monster, slicing off a piece of rancid-smelling flesh before it could react; Roar~ The stitched monsters senses appeared remarkably dull, it wasnt until Song Jian retreated that it realized it was in pain. It let out an angry roar, and opened its fanged mouth to spew a thick green venom at Song Jian; Song Jian hastily dodged, the venom splattering on the floor where he had just been standing. Hiss~ Grey bubbles began to appear on the floor, the corrosive venom continually eating away, yet, because of the Undead Towers special properties, there was an unseen mystical power counteracting the corrosive force of the venom. Waves rippled across the floor, spreading out in all directions; You idiot, didnt I tell you not to use this corrosive venom inside the Undead Tower! roared Saramo, his voice echoing through the hall; Kurasomodo is in pain, I want to eat him, gobble him up! The stitched monsters numerous limbs flailed violently, exerting its rage as its tremendous body writhed towards Song Jian; Kurasomodo Song Jian utilized the Shackles Mark, the piece of flesh in his hand igniting, enveloped in black flame, the pure essence of the Abyssal Demon Flame embodying an intense Abyssal power; The essence of the Abyss Abyssal Demon Flame! No, human, why do you possess this power that does not belong to you? Saramo, who seemed to constantly be monitoring the hall, cried out in alarm at the sight of the black flame in Song Jians hand; Song Jian ignored Saramos enraged cry and continued softly reciting the spell; Using its true name as a guide and its flesh as authentication, the Shackles Mark, MARK! Boom! The Abyssal Demon Flame flared up, quickly reduced the flesh in Song Jians hand to ashes. Then it condensed into an odd Abyss Rune and flew towards the stitched monster; Hiss~ On the monsters body, a black lotus opened, emitting an eye-catching light. The stitched monster gave out a dreadfully shrill roaring shriek. Its massive form uncontrollably thrashed about on the floor, splotches of blood emerged all over its body, looking as though it would collapse at any moment; What the hell did you do to it! Saramo roared, but at this point, all he could do was watch helplessly, unable to inflict any harm on Song Jian; Mark, Pain! Upon seeing the stitched monster writhing on the floor, Song Jian spoke under his breath; Roar~ A sorrowful roar burst from the monsters mouth. Blood began to seep from its three gargantuan eyes. Even the areas where it had healed and fused together flawlessly begun to bleed slowly. Its colossal form seemed like it could crumble at any second; It seems that the mark has taken effect! A hint of a smile formed at the corner of Song Jians mouth, he then yelled out: Mark, Annihilate! The monsters roaring suddenly halted. Its enormous form, like a fish out of water, bounced up and then smashed back down heavily. The entire Undead tower quivered as though it had experienced an earthquake; Hehe~ The noise coming from the stitched monster sounded like a traveler, who had been wandering the desert for a dozen or so days without a single drop of water. The sound, filled with despair and desolation; Thin rays of light began to rise from the monsters body and wisp away slowly in mid-air. As the light particles overflowed, the stitched monsters body began to slowly harden, its Vitality Points visibly falling at an alarming speed; With no soul, the body has no reason to exist, even for undead monsters. They may not need flesh and blood, but they must have a soul to continue surviving; Not much later, Song Jian felt the connection between the Shackles Mark and him disappear, signifying that the powerful stitched monster before his eyes was utterly and completely dead; And in fact, it was just as he thought; bloody stitches appeared on the surface of the stitched monster, all the integrated animal limbs had begun to rot and crumble. Within a mere few seconds, the stitched monster was releasing a strong stench of rotting flesh; Looks like this place would need a thorough cleaning ten times over before anyone could live in it again. Song Jian said softly, as he ran for the stairs that had appeared; Floors Four, Five, Six, they were all infested with formidable monsters possessing Stage One Combat Power. But all of their names and attributes were clearly visible above their heads, and they were all beings of flesh and blood. After a simple fight, Song Jian harvested their flesh, then using the Shackles Mark, he slaughtered them all; Damn it, what kind of technique is that? Why does it carry the essence of the Abyss when I have never seen it before! Saramo bellowed, his eyes reflecting a touch of trepidation; Saramo did not know what the Shackles Mark was, but he instinctively feared it. It was an unsettling skill, one that even he himself did not wish to have cast on him; To run away again like a fleeing dog? Saramo muttered to himself: No, no, Ive already run away once, I dont want to do it again. I refuse to believe that a skill that potent and terrifying comes without any repercussions! Rumble~ The stone door of the seventh floor of the Undead Tower gradually opened, and Saramo finally faced Song Jian; Are you the one controlling the entire Undead Tower? As soon as he entered, Song Jians eyes were drawn to the black crystal on the pedestal next to Saramo. Such an eye-catching sight; You think youve won? All because of that peculiar skill of yours! Saramo roared, his black cloak billowing around him though there was no wind. He slowly began to ascend into the air; Abyssal Wizard Saramo. Song Jian asked with an easy expression: Just to confirm, Saramo is your real name right? Saramo is my name, but not my surname. I belong to the Abyssal Clan and my family name is Modo Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off in Saramos mind and he clamped his mouth shut, his eyes immediately gleaming with excitement as he began to guffaw: Hahaha, does that peculiar skill of yours need to know our true names to cast? Hahaha, I wont tell you my true name! Without it, that terrifying skill of yours cant touch me! Chapter 694 - Chapter 694: Chapter 694: Flame Lord Chapter 694: Chapter 694: Flame Lord There are no small number of monsters who can hide their true names and information, and the more intelligent the species, the deeper the hiding of their own true names; Only the words Abyssal Wizard Saramo were shown above Saramos head, but obviously, Saramo was only a part of his name, not all of it. What a pity! Song Jian felt a little regretful, as the effect of Shackles Mark was really too powerful and could completely enable him to kill monsters of higher tiers, no matter how powerful they were. Even those with first, second, or even third tier or higher combat power could be instantly killed once affected by the Shackles Mark; Shadow Arrow! Saramo launched the first attack, raising his Bone Wand and casting an Abyssal magic spell at Song Jian; When Song Jian saw Saramos arm holding the magic staff, the disappointment in his eyes deepened; Although Saramo in front of him was an Abyssal Wizard, he was an undead creature without any flesh and blood, so even if his true name was known, there was no way to use the Shackles Mark on him; Gloomy Snowfall! With a swing of his sword, snowflakes began to float around Song Jian, and the ground quickly began to accumulate snow. As Song Jian deepened his understanding of this move, the originally less than one-foot deep snow now buried people up to their knees, reducing their movement speed by at least 40%; Boom boom boom~ Countless snowflakes surged towards the Shadow Arrow, and each snowflake collision would cause a roar, weakening the power of the Shadow Arrow. Under the sweep of countless snowflakes, Saramos move directly collapsed midway, causing no harm to Song Jian; But the remaining blood flowers flew towards Saramo like moths to a flame; Abyss Shield! With a wave of Saramos Bone Wand, three translucent shields appeared in front of him, arranged in a triangle pattern to protect him. Then, Saramo began to retreat rapidly; The seventh floor hall was less than a hundred square meters, but as Saramo withdrew rapidly, the space seemed to expand infinitely. In a short while, Song Jian found that the space of the seventh floor hall had exceeded half the size of a football field; Is this the advantage of controlling the Undead Tower? A look of envy appeared in Song Jians eyes; Bang bang bang~ Snowflake Sword Qi constantly struck Saramos conjured shield, and the sound of explosions was heard one after another. The three Abyss Shields surfaces were all marked with deep sword marks; Crack~ With a crisp shattering sound, one Abyss Shields energy was exhausted and was finally shattered by the Sword Qi, but the remaining two Abyss Shields persisted; Blade of the Abyss! Saramo swung his Bone Wand at Song Jian, and a crescent-shaped gray air mass over a foot long flew towards Song Jian; This crescent-shaped gray air mass had a metallic luster on its edge and moved with extreme speed, making a sharp whistling sound in the air; Earth Teeth Assault! Song Jian stomped his right foot, and a fang-like air mass emerged from the ground, rushing towards Saramo at the same speed; Boom~ The two air masses collided with each other, causing a thunderous explosion and the release of intense energy; Up to this point, Saramo had only used low-level Abyssal spells, and Song Jian had not put in his full strength, seeming to be testing each others limits; However, after several exchanges, both sides realized that continuing in this way would never cause fatal damage to their opponent; Song Jian suddenly rushed towards Saramo, turning into a hazy gray mist, moving extremely fast, while Saramo quickly chanted incantations, chanting enchanting Abyssal words from his mouth, and the strong Abyssal Power began to ripple violently around him. In an instant, both of them started to unleash their full power to attack. Song Jian had found out that after advancing from Sword Controller to Sword Master, his attack methods had gradually transitioned from close combat to long-range attacks. The significant increase in mental attributes became Song Jians main attribute. Moreover, after grasping several core skills of the Sword Master, he had to make changes. However, before giving birth to a Sword Spirit and crafting his Sword Core, Song Jian had to continue using his previous fighting style. Closing the distance between them was the only way to achieve victory. Wings of Steel! Behind Song Jian appeared a pair of wings flickering with metallic cold light. With a fierce flap of the wings, his speed instantly surged to the next level. Saramo watched as the distance between him and Song Jian grew closer without any sign of panic on his face. Instead, a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Kuladisa, Xiwa! Just as Song Jian was about to approach him, Saramo finally finished reciting a long incantation. Boom! The entire hall resounded with a thunderous roar, and the Abyssal Power within the hall became almost tangible. Even on the ceiling seven or eight meters above, there appeared a huge black vortex formed by the Abyssal Power. Saramos body began to violently expand, his skeletal frame started to be covered in flesh and hard scales, and his limbs grew thicker. A huge tail emerged from his back, and sharp bone spurs sprouted from his spine. Even a pair of dark red flesh wings appeared behind him. The black cloak was torn apart by the expanding body, and Saramo transformed into a true Abyssal Demon. Roar~ Saramo let out an angry roar, sparks flying from his mouth and nose, exhaling a scent of molten lava and sulfur. A Flame Lord of the Abyssal Demons? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he stared at the transformed Saramo and spoke in a low voice. At this moment, Saramos body radiated intense heat, and dark red flames rose around him. There were many creatures in the Abyss, and demons were just one of them, belonging at the top of the food chain. However, there were many types of Abyssal Demons, with the Flame Lord being just one of them. The most proficient race in controlling Abyssal Magic Flames among the Abyssal Demons Song Jian was somewhat speechless, looking at the Abyssal Flames burning on his opponents body, which should be the lowest level of Magic Flames in the Abyss. Did you think Im just a fragile Mage? Youre wrong! The body of the Abyssal Demon race is harder than steel! Saramo roared, filling the air with thick smoke and the smell of sulfur. Whoosh~ Saramos flesh wings flapped violently towards Song Jian, sending a scorching hot airflow mixed with the breath of flames at him. Flame Flow Impact! Song Jians face changed, and he swung the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward. A dazzling Sword Qi collided with the scorching air, causing a loud explosion. Flame Giant Blade! Saramo roared, and the Bone Wand in his hand ignited into raging flames, in the air it condensed into a three-to-four-meter-long flaming blade, ruthlessly slashing down at Song Jian. Chapter 695 - Chapter 695: Chapter 695: Slave Chapter 695: Chapter 695: Slave The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Bone Wand in Saramos hand collided fiercely. The Sword Qi directly broke the Flame Giant Blade, hitting the Bone Wand and leaving a deep mark on it; At this moment, Saramo discovered that the Flame Giant Blade condensed on the surface of his Bone Wand seemed to cause no harm at all to Song Jian, like an illusion; You, is your Fire Resistance so high? Saramo exclaimed in surprise, and at the same time, his heart sank, having a bad feeling; Transforming into the Flame Lord was his most powerful move. The Flame Lord not only possesses the robust body of an Abyssal demon but also excels in using flame spells. He is equally strong in both melee and ranged combat, a fairly balanced warrior race; However, if the opponent has high Fire Resistance, it would be equivalent to severing one of Saramos arms, leaving him to fight with only one arm; Fire Resistance? Hahaha, do I need that thing? Song Jian burst into laughter, and a surge of black flame suddenly rose on his body surface; Magic Flame of Abyss? Saramos eyes showed horror, he backed away, shouting, How can a human have such pure Magic Flame of Abyss, no, no, this is not just Magic Flame of Abyss, it is the advanced Abyssal Raging Flame! Saramos face expressed shock. He was a pure Abyssal demon and a Flame Lord who excels in Abyssal Flames. He could only control the lowest level of Abyssal Flames, but the human in front of him controlled an advanced Abyssal Raging Flame that was many levels higher than his. Everything happening before him made Saramo feel like he was dreaming, and it was the most unrealistic kind of nightmare; A human holds control over the Abyssal Raging Flame, something that even an Abyssal demon doesnt have control of, this, this is simply Saramo roared in his mind, but he couldnt change the reality unfolding before him; Song Jian was covered in demonic flames that coalesced into a suit of black armor. Saramo suddenly realized that the Abyssal Flames which once felt like a part of his body, were beginning to break free of his control, and were starting to harm him instead; This was not just like severing one of his arms. It was as if somebody had taken control of it to attack him; Saramo suddenly realized, his decision to transform into the Flame Lord didnt seem like a good decision; But, at this point, he couldnt revert to his previous form of Undead Skeletons. If he really did that, he would probably die faster facing the closely-approaching Song Jian; No, this shouldnt be happening! Saramo howled in despair. He was originally a wandering wizard expelled from the Abyssal Land. Due to an accident, he became an undead creature, and surprisingly found fortune in his misfortune. He took over the Valley of the Undead and became the master of the Undead Tower. He originally wanted to take his time to grow here, but he never expected that someone would break into this valley, fight past the six guardians of the Undead Tower, and confront him directly. The most important thing was that this person was controlling the Abyssal Raging Flame, which suppressed his power. This filled Saramo with deep despair. It made all his efforts feel meaningless, with death slowly approaching him; I have already died once, I dont want to taste that desolate flavor again, death is too terrifying! Saramo let out a despairing roar; Human, I am willing to offer you this Undead Tower. With it, you can control the entire Undead Valley and even save your companions Saramo finally pleaded Song Jian; Upon killing you, I can still control this Undead Tower! Song Jian remained unmoved, he continued to wield the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, hacking at the Flame Lord Saramo; Having lost the power of Abyssal Flames, Saramo was now simply a larger foot soldier, inferior even to the six tower guardians; Human, if you spare me, Im willing to serve you as my master and become your slave! Saramos Vitality Points kept dropping. He had no trump cards left and had nothing that could convince Song Jian apart from himself; Bang! Song Jian knocked Saramo flying with a slash of his sword, with a hint of a smile on his face, he said: Are you really willing to respect me as your master and become my slave? A glimmer of joy flashed across Saramos face. He stumbled towards Song Jian and kneeled with one knee on the ground. With one hand propping him up and the other on his chest, he bowed his head to the ground and roared: I, a humble Abyssal demon, the Flame Lord, offer my loyalty to my great master! I am willing to become a slave to the master and never betray! Never betray? A cold smile crept on Song Jians face, he said, This is not something you just say. Saramo suddenly felt something was amiss. He looked up with a puzzled look on his face and asked, Master, do you want to make a slavery contract with me? Its possible.I am willing to sign a slavery contract with my great master Theres no need. Any contract will have loopholes, also, anything so powerful cant be bound by a piece of paper, Song Jian said solemnly: Now, tell me your true name! Even the slave contracts provided by the system couldnt guarantee that a slave will never rebel. As soon as the slaves level and the masters level become significantly differed, its pretty easy for a rebellion to occur; Tr, True Name? Saramos face wore an expression of terror. He hesitated and asked in a low voice, Master, you are you going to use that move on me? Its just a method of control. As long as you obey me, I wont resort to it. After all, a living Abyssal demon is worth more than a dead one! Song Jian laughed; Saramo hesitated. His lips moved, but he didnt speak his true name. A voice deep within him was defiantly telling him not to tell Song Jian his true name; Saramo wanted to believe his intuition, unwilling to give his True Name to Song Jian. However, Song Jians smile gradually faded, replaced with a fierce expression and the glint of murderous intent in his eyes. Saramo suddenly realized that if he didnt say his True Name now, he would have to die. If he told Song Jian his True Name, he might die, but there was a chance he might not; Master, my True Name is Saramo Karishis Mote Saramo finally revealed his true name. A smile spread across Song Jians lips. As soon as Saramo finished speaking, he suddenly swung his sword and hacked fiercely at him; Chapter 696 - Chapter 696: Chapter 696: Ancient War Tree Chapter 696: Chapter 696: Ancient War Tree Seeing Song Jians sword slashing towards him, Saramo instinctively wanted to dodge backward, but upon seeing Song Jians gaze, he couldnt help but shiver and remain motionless, clenching his teeth to endure the strike; Thud~ The sword cut into Saramos arm, scraping off a fistful of bloody flesh. Saramos pained face was distorted, but he didnt dare to move; Saramo, youre doing very well! Song Jian nodded; Saramo immediately knelt down on one knee and respectfully said, Great Master, everything of Saramos is yours Song Jian didnt pay him any attention, directly grabbing the bloody flesh and began casting the Shackles Mark; Saramo instantly felt an irresistible mysterious force heavily binding him, but upon slightly moving his body, he found nothing unusual about it; Soul! He has imprisoned my soul! Saramo roared in his heart, but his facial expression became even more respectful; Watching the bloody flesh in Song Jians hand slowly being burned to nothing by black flames, Saramos eyes flashed with a trace of understanding; So, its necessary to use my true name and flesh to cast this skill. If only I had known earlier Saramo felt endless regret in his heart. If he hadnt transformed into an Abyss demon, how could an undead creature possibly have any flesh and blood? Furthermore, he had guessed earlier that the other party needed his true name, but in the end, why did he still let this human cast such a terrifying skill; Saramo knew that from now on, he would probably become this humans lifelong slave; After casting the Shackles Mark, Song Jian finally let out a sigh of relief, looking at Saramo with a hint of a smile in his eyes; Saramo, youre doing great. Now, tell me how to control this Undead Tower and how to control the entire Undead Valley. The Shackles Marks duration was only a month, but Saramo was no Blade of the Abyss, and his current strength was just at the first rank of Combat Power. Even Song Jian could easily kill him now; The only reason to keep Saramo alive was for Song Jian to gain control of the Undead Tower more quickly; On the other side, Wang Qi and his group were currently fleeing in disgrace within the Valley of the Undead. Behind them, a standard five-member team was easily pursuing them, occasionally attacking them as if they were toying with mice. They, they seem to want to drive us deeper into the Valley of the Undead Luo Tianyu panted, her armor severely damaged. The durability of some parts had been reduced to zero, and the equipment disappeared. It would only reappear after being repaired. There was also a bloody mark on her cheek, seemingly cut open by a sharp blade; Damn, the effects of the Heavens Disaster Poison Fog have already stacked up to three layers. We lose 15 Vitality Points per second and cant hold on much longer. Just who are these people? Why are they so powerful? We couldnt even defeat them with our group of over twenty. Wang Qi angrily roared; You guys, dont you notice that the aura they emit is very similar to the one radiated by Song Jian? Suddenly someone reminded. Song Jian? First Rank Combat Power? All of them have First Rank Combat Power! Wang Qi and the others were dumbfounded, not expecting there were even players who possessed first rank combat power at their level, moreover, a whole well-coordinated team; Even if they were merely first rank combatants who had only passed the Class B assessment, all their attributes could be increased by more than 10 points. Combined with the advantages of having higher levels, killing players below level 30 like Wang Qi and the others was extremely easy; Moreover, it seemed that these five were at least Class A or even Class A+ players. Any of these attributes could crush anyone in Wang Qis group; Tulu, is there any fun in driving them like this? Do you really think they can make it deeper into the Valley of the Undead? A lazy archer shot an arrow ahead and said somewhat discontentedly. Its just for a little extra insurance. With them scouting the path ahead, wouldnt it make things easier for us? a man with animal ears shrugged indifferently and said, If youre willing to take the lead, I dont mind just killing these guys now! Just based on these God-favored ones? Hmph, I think they will die from the poison fog before they even reach half the way! The archer pursed his lips and said, but he didnt complain any further. These God-favored individuals sure have great potential. In just a few short months, they have almost reached level 30. If we let them grow, they would pose too great a threat to us! A man wearing fluffy animal skin clothes stroked the black giant wolf by his side. In his eyes, which lingered on Wang Qi and the others, there was a deep killing intent; Why else would they be called God-favored? People who are favored by the gods I can see that they are almost unable to hold on. Huh! Theyve found a Shadow Forest! Thats a great find! Just this Shadow Forest alone, our trip wouldnt be a loss! Hurry up and keep up! Cant let them get away; their equipment is pretty good, and losing even one of them is our loss! Hmph, where else can they run? Weve blocked their way back, and running deeper is suicide. Theres no need for us to do anything; theyll be poisoned to death! Wang Qi looked at his companions around him. They were all injured, and their vitality was less than half. They were all relying on Advanced Healing Potions to hold on. However, Advanced Healing Potions also had a cooldown time, and the Heavens Disaster Poison Fog currently stacking on them made the effect of these potions weaker and weaker; Theres a forest up ahead! Lets go quickly! A player wearing a robe suddenly pointed ahead and shouted loudly. Ziqiang, are you thinking about summoning a Tree Shepherd? One of his companions beside him, with brightened eyes, shouted; Thats right, my class is Tree Shepherd! Im invincible in a forest! Zhang Ziqiangs face was filled with excitement. Hurry up! Try to stall for time. The Alliance leader will definitely come and save us! Wang Qi shouted loudly; Since Song Jian was in the Undead Tower, he had been cut off from all contact methods, and they couldnt even get in touch with him; The group quickly rushed into the Shadow Forest. Ancient Shadow Tree! Great! The quality of the trees here is extremely high. Perhaps we can summon a golden Ancient War Tree! Zhang Ziqiang touched a huge tree that required several people to embrace and excitedly roared; After a series of incantations, the Ancient Shadow Tree that Zhang Ziqiang touched suddenly shook violently. An old face appeared on the sturdy trunk, and the branches coiled together, forming two robust arms. The roots buried in the ground became two stout legs, struggling to climb up from the soil; Ancient War Tree of Shadows, I salute you, great master! The resurrected tree-man roared and knelt on one knee before Zhang Ziqiang; Chapter 697 - Chapter 697: Chapter 697: Assassination Chapter 697: Chapter 697: Assassination Summoned by Zhang Ziqiang, this Ancient War Tree Shadow stood over ten meters tall, and upon seeing its attributes, a shocked expression appeared on Zhang Ziqiangs face. My God, I can actually control such a colossal tree man! First-stage combat power, haha! This Ancient War Tree also possesses first-stage combat power. My God, I cant believe I can actually summon a tree man with first-stage combat power! Zhang Ziqiang exclaimed excitedly. Dont just gawk, quickly make your tree man fight these people. Also, everyone, give Zhang Ziqiang all your Mental Strength recovery potions! Wang Qi urged nobly. First-stage combat power, haha! This Ancient War Tree also possesses first-stage combat power. My God, I cant believe I can actually summon a tree man with first-stage combat power! Zhang Ziqiang exclaimed excitedly. Understood, Vice Alliance Leader. As long as we can defend this place, Im certain we can hold on until the Alliance Leader saves us! With renewed confidence, Zhang Ziqiang controlled the Ancient War Tree and charged towards the five-member team. Boom, Boom, Boom The Ancient War Shadow moved towards the group, and after drinking a bottle of Mental Strength recovery potion, Zhang Ziqiang placed his hand on another robust Ancient Shadow Tree. An Ancient War Tree? Dammit, they have a Tree Shepherd among them! Tulu changed color and swore softly. Its not an ordinary Tree Shepherd, the Ancient War Trees he has summoned all have first-stage combat power! Salin, the archer, exclaimed surprisedly. What, he can summon beyond his level? No, this should not be his unique ability, it should be the Shadow Forest being unusual! We need to be careful! No worries, look at them, they only have one Godfavored with the profession of a Tree Shepherd. How many Ancient War Trees can he summon? You all hold these tree men back, Im going to eliminate other Godfavored! Then an individual holding a dagger appears with a cruel smile, and his figure gradually faded out of sight. Suddenly, three Ancient War Trees came roaring out of the Shadow Forest. Ive reached the Summoning Limit! Normally, I could summon five tree men Zhang Ziqiangs face turned pale as he went. Itll do, three Ancient War Trees with first-stage combat power should be able to hold up for a while. Ziqiang, you take a break first, Wang Qi said. Even with Mental Strength healing potions, using up all his Mental Strength three times in a row would put tremendous strain on Zhang Ziqiangs body. Hey, they are one fewer now! One person is missing! One of the players seemed to have found something and raised his voice to alert others. A chill ran through Wang Qis heart, and he immediately shouted, Everyone, huddle up. They have an Assassin who can turn invisible, hunters, releases flares, Shadow Warlocks summon the Eye of the Demon, Priests release Light of Purification Mutula, you resist one tree man, Miss, your pet also resists one, Salin, you lead one away, walk far, lets first kill a tree man together! Kulu instructed. Perhaps before we kill one, Lachi can finish them all! Salin aimed her arrow at an Ancient War Tree. It seems they have discovered something, looks like they know of Lachis profession, and they are deploying invisibility-breaking skills! Miss was ever so curious, shivering as she stroked the black giant wolf by her side, donned in her furry beast hide. There are more than twenty of them, can Lachi kill all of them alone? Mutula, a sturdy figure dressed in plate armor, said worriedly. No need to kill all, just have to kill that Tree Shepherd. Kulus mouth curled into a cruel smile. If they expected Lachi to kill all these twenty or so Godfavored, some of them might have doubted Lachis ability. However, if the task is only to assassinate a Tree Shepherd, they have a hundred percent faith in him. However, this point seemed to be clear to Wang Qi and his crew too. They circled Zhang Ziqiang, who was the center of attention. Only if Zhang Ziqiang was alive, they would have the chance to wait for Song Jians support. If Zhang Ziqiang were to die, the odds of winning against this five-member team were less than grim. Among the twenty or so, nearly half were close-combat professions, including six Sword and Shield Guardians. Since they followed Song Jian into the Valley of the Undead, the professions chosen by Wang Qi were mostly tough and highly resistant, making them capable of enduring longer periods in the Valley. The six Sword and Shield Guardians formed a ring around Zhang Ziqiang, and the other close-combat players around them. Further inside were some hunter, mage, and other attack professions, though they were few. Even further inside were the priests with healing professions, and Zhang Ziqiang was at the very center. Attempting to bypass everyone else to kill him was virtually impossible. Just at this moment, a gory trail gushed out at the neck of a Swordman on the outermost ring. His Vitality Points plummeted, and he shouted, Someone attacked me! Lachi, a first-stage combat power Assassin, had very potent attacks. This strike almost halved the Vitality Points of this 28-level Swordman. Maintain the formation, mages attack, hunters mark, priests quickly heal! Wang Qi shouted. This was a standard method of hunting bosses, but the person in front of them was far more challenging than any boss with a first-stage combat power. Firstly, the priest shielded the Swordman, and then started using Rapid Healing. Just then, smoke billowed out from the semi-visible Lachi, and when the clouds cleared, Lachi was nowhere to be seen. Hunter? Wang Qi bellowed. He vanished too quickly, we couldnt mark him! Two hunters wore a grin of bitterness; the opponent had seized the initiative too perfectly. Just in the moment they were about to raise their hand and release their skills, Lachi had cast a skill that resembled smoke cover, obstructing their sight. If they couldnt visually lock onto Lachi, it would be impossible to cast the mark. Just then, a grappling hook shot out from an Ancient Shadow tree and went around Zhang Ziqiangs neck. Instantly, Zhang Ziqiangs face turned red, he gripped the rope with both hands and struggled to break free. Soon after, a strong force yanked Zhang Ziqiangs body off the ground and sent him flying towards Lachi, who was standing on the Ancient Shadow Tree. This happened too fast, all within a moment. Everyone else had no time to react; by the time they noticed, Zhang Ziqiang was already in mid-air. Ziqiang! Wang Qis eyes were filled with compelling fury. With Zhang Ziqiangs Vitality Points, he would not survive an attack by a first-stage combat power Assassin. It was almost certain that if Zhang Ziqiang fell into Lachis hands, a single combo would kill him instantly. Without needing Wang Qis commands, the two mages and some distant professions fired their skills as they targeted Lachi who was on top of the Ancient Shadow Tree. Moreover, a bright red arrow marking appeared above Lachis head. Chapter 698 - Chapter 698: Chapter 698: The Effect of the Poison Fog Disappears Chapter 698: Chapter 698: The Effect of the Poison Fog Disappears A brutal smile spread across Lachis face. His left hand clung to the lock, while his right hand gripped a dagger with a sharp tooth over a foot long. With a ferocious stomp of his foot, he dashed towards Zhang Ziqiang who was flying towards him. Both of them toppled onto a sturdy tree branch. Zhang Ziqiangs Vitality Points were less than a thousand. Lachis attack caused his Vitality Points to plunge to under half instantly. Two critical hits popped above Zhang Ziqiangs head, making him feel the touch of death brushing his nose. Void! A faint yell rang out from the crowd. A mage clad in a grey robe waved his Magic Staff and Zhang Ziqiangs body was cloaked in a light grey haze, fading into a phantom-like presence. Immune, immune, immune All of Lachis attacks were nullified. Looking at Zhang Ziqiang, who now had less than one-tenth of his Vitality Points, a hint of regret flashed across Lachis eyes. If only one more critical hit had landed, he would be dead now! Lachi cursed inwardly. Void could confer immunity against all damage, lasting for 10 seconds. Lachi knew hed likely missed his best chance to kill this Tree Shepherd. Instantly, he retracted the rope, leaping onto another Ancient Shadow Tree, disappearing from sight once more. After reappearing from the Void, Zhang Ziqiang looked at his remaining tenth of Vitality Points with lingering fear. This was his closest brush with death. He wished to return to the crowd, but being in the state of Void made him immobile, forcing him to wait out the skill duration. Priests, time it right. That Assassin is nearby. Dont give him another chance to strike! Wang Qi yelled. Understood! Three priests responded, sweat dripping from their foreheads. A glance at one another revealed mutual tension. The enemy Assassin was putting immense pressure on them. No one could say they would undoubtedly rescue Zhang Ziqiang from his enemys hands. Wang Qi knew the Assassin must be hiding near Zhang Ziqiang, waiting for the Void skill to end. The storm of attacks that would follow would be overwhelming. Wang Qi wasnt confident that he could save Zhang Ziqiang in time. If only Song Jian was here! Wang Qi couldnt help thinking. Zhang Ziqiang also knew the formidable Assassin must be lurking nearby. His mind was fraught with tension. With his current Vitality Points, forgetting the Assassin, even the Valleys Catastrophic Poison Fog could kill him in a few seconds after the Void ended. Three, two, one, release! Wang Qi yelled warningly. The moment the grey mist around Zhang Ziqiangs body disappeared, a priests Light Shield enveloped him. At the same time, a flash of white Rapid Healing light fell on him, instantly boosting his Vitality Points from less than a tenth to about half. At that moment, everyone suddenly screamed, Watch out, Ziqiang, hes behind you! Zhang Ziqiang spun around and just a fraction of a second later, a metallic glint appeared in his vision C Lachis counterattack. This time, it was clear that Lachi was intent on delivering a killing blow. The Void skill could not be used consecutively and was currently cooling down for a minute. Whoosh~ Another healing light flashed above Zhang Ziqiang, instantly restoring his partially-healed Vitality Points to full. Among the three priests, one gave a shield to Zhang Ziqiang, another used an immediate healing skill with moderate healing power, and the remaining one used a skill that required chanting but offered extensive healing. Combining their efforts, they successfully healed Zhang Ziqiangs Vitality Points to full before Lachi could strike again. However, even with his Vitality Points fully restored, Zhang Ziqiang would not be able to hold on for long against Lachi. A combo attack could instantly kill him. Zhang Ziqiang watched as Lachis dagger struck twice, piercing through the priests Light Shield and into his chest, but he remained unflustered. Twig Activation Skill, Twig Entwining Skill, Twig Restraint Skill! Zhang Ziqiang unleashed three skills in a flash, instantly draining more than half of his Spirit Points. On the Ancient Shadow Tree where Lachi stood, two robust twigs creaked as they extended, like two arms restraining him from behind. Following that, five or six slimmer twigs snaked towards Lachi, wrapping him completely. Zhang Ziqiang had already reached the limit of how many Tree Shepherds he could summon and couldnt summon another Ancient War Tree. But this limit didnt apply to some other activation skills. Seeing Lachi restrained, Zhang Ziqiang finally let out a breath of relief, clutching his wound while he jumped down from the Ancient Tree, and returned to the crowd. Well done, Ziqiang! Wang Qi said, giving Zhang Ziqiang an enthusiastic pat on the shoulder, exclaiming excitingly. The three Ancient War Trees Zhang Ziqiang had summoned would not disappear as long as he stayed alive. Lachi was temporarily immobilized, so all the long-range fighters unleashed their most potent skills on him, one after another. Youre all going to die! An angry expression twisted Lachis face as he let out a furious roar. A golden light burst out from his body, instantly shredding all the twigs binding him, in a surge of frigid qi. Boom, boom, boom~ All the ranged attacks hit Lachi one after another. However, they caused no damage. The golden light emanating from his body actually blocked all forthcoming attacks, creating an invincible effect similar to Zhang Ziqiangs Void. In the midst of this, Zhang Ziqiangs expression suddenly changed as he shouted, Theyve downed one of the Ancient War Trees! All of them felt their hearts lurch at this. To their shock, Lachi leaped forward, charging straight at more than twenty players. He was preparing a single, powerful attack, aimed directly at more than twenty players. Ziqiang, quickly summon another Ancient War Tree! Wang Qi yelled anxiously. Zhang Ziqiang pressed his hand against an Ancient Shadow Tree, teeth gritted, a regular Tree Shepherd soon emerged, struggling to rise from the soil, with thunderous rustling. This this is just an ordinary Tree Shepherd, not an Ancient War Tree! Zhang Ziqiangs face turned pale, a trace of despair flashing in his eyes. A regular Tree Shepherd, both in level and tier, couldnt surpass its summoner. This Tree Shepherd was only a level 28 Silver Quality creature, not possessing any Combat Power. Zhang Ziqiang could summon a more significant number of these beings, but it would not be as helpful as one Ancient War Tree with Combat Power. After witnessing Lachis horrifying damage, Zhang Ziqiang no longer dared boast, In the forest, I am invincible. He now had this feeling, that even if he could turn all the Ancient Shadow Trees of the forest into Tree Shepherds, it would still not be enough to stop Lachis assassination attempt on him. Just then, a violent tremor came from deep within the Valley of the Undead. A surge of qi swept across the entire valley. The Ancient Trees in the Shadow Forest shook violently, rustling loudly. Wang Qi was surprised to find that the accumulation of the three tiers of Catastrophic Poison Fog had mysteriously disappeared. Moreover, Song Jians voice echoed in his ears. Chapter 699 - Chapter 699: Chapter 699: Departure Chapter 699: Chapter 699: Departure Wang Qi, lead your men to retreat deeper into the Valley of the Undead! Song Jians voice echoed in Wang Qis ear. Brothers, our Alliance Leader is coming to reinforce us. Follow me and retreat deeper into the valley, Wang Qi shouted. The effect of the poisonous fog has dissipated, were no longer losing Vitality Points! someone exclaimed. Retreat quickly, quickly! This tree-man wont hold out much longer! Zhang Ziqiang also started yelling. Inside the Undead Tower, Song Jian first shut off the Transmission Array in the valley, then one by one he granted access to Wang Qi and the others, preventing the Catastrophe Poison Fog from affecting them. Then, he increased the effects of the Catastrophe Poison Fog to the maximum, changing it from a loss of 1 Vitality Point every 5 seconds to losing 30 Vitality Points every second on the periphery. Near the Undead Tower, Vitality Points fell by a whopping 80 points per second. Even the most robust among them perhaps couldnt last long here. This entirely precluded strangers from entering the Valley of the Undead. However, this also significantly increased the consumption of the Catastrophe Poison Fog. Originally, the Catastrophe Poison Fog could exist continuously for 24 hours. But now, the Catastrophe Poison Fog can only last eight hours, after which it will enter a cooldown time. Only after another eight hours could it be activated again. Saramo, take control of the Undead Tower here, cause unlimited trouble for these few people. Better yet, annihilate them. Im going to assist my friends! Song Jian instructed. Honored, great master! Saramo, now restored to the form of an undead skeleton cloaked in a black cape, replied respectfully. At this time, Song Jian had full control over the Undead Tower, becoming the lord of the entire Undead Valley. But to manipulate the entire Wangling Valley, he needed to stay on the seventh floor of the Undead Tower. Wang Qi and his part were suffering continuous defeat. The Ancient War Tree could no longer hold off the five-man team. If Song Jian didnt step in to help soon, Wang Qi and the others would quickly be caught. It would then turn into a massacre. My third tree-man has been killed. I now only have one Ancient War Tree left and its Vitality is less than half. Zhang Ziqiang, looking grim, said to Wang Qi. Dont panic. Our Alliance Leader is on his way, when he arrives, well be safe! Wang Qi said helplessly. Their only hope was now placed on Song Jian. But, our Alliance Leader has only just stepped into the first rank of Combat Power. The five people behind us are all of first rank Combat Power. Five to one, our Alliance Leader doesnt stand much chance! a player hesitated. The combat strength of the five people behind them was truly terrifying, causing some of the players from the City of Hope Alliance to shiver. Wang Qi also had no confidence, but he could only forcefully say: The Alliance Leader now controls the entire valley, he must have a way to deal with them! Right now, their only hope was to rely on Song Jian, they had no other way. There are ancient trees up ahead, lets go there. Ill summon some more tree-men to delay them! Zhang Ziqiang spotted a few large trees ahead, his eyes lit up and he shouted. When they reached these large trees, Zhang Ziqiang discovered that although they were old, they were not Ancient Shadow Trees. Even if he did summon, he feared he wouldnt be able to summon the Ancient War Trees that had first rank Combat Power like before. Zhang Ziqiang gulped down a potion to restore his Mental Strength. He was already feeling dizzy and understood that frequent use of the restoration potion had backfire effects. If he were to continue like this, he might suffer permanent damage to his mental attributes. However, now, in order to escape, he disregarded all this. Zhang Ziqiang placed his hands on two of the ancient trees and chanted the summoning spell. In a short time, both trees turned into tree-men, struggling to rise from the ground and guarding Zhang Ziqiangs rear. Zhang Ziqiang glanced at the two tree-men, his eyes showing disappointment. Indeed, the summoned beings were only Level 30 Giant Tree-men, devoid of first rank Combat Power. After summoning two Giant Tree-men, Zhang Ziqiang didnt stop. He continued to summon and quickly, five towering tree-men over ten meters in height appeared before everyones eyes. However, the previously summoned Ancient War Trees possessing first rank Combat power had all been killed by the pursuing five-man squad. Zhang Ziqiangs Mental Strength once again depleted, he felt dizzy, even standing was becoming difficult. But in his heart, he felt pity for the previous Ancient War Trees. It should be known that these summoned Ancient War Trees could have had the opportunity to sign a contract with him and become his guardian tree-men, but now they had all been obliterated. Support Ziqiang, lets move swiftly! Wang Qi instructed two Sword and Shield Guardians to support Zhang Ziqiang and the group continued to flee deeper into the valley. The five Giant Tree-men that Zhang Ziqiang had summoned were left behind as rearguards. These rats have summoned five more tree-men, dammit! Lachi looked irritable. He hadnt managed to kill Zhang Ziqiang, which was a blow to his ego. After all, their opponent was a group of newcomers who hadnt even reached the first rank of Combat Power. Even if Lachi charged head-on, he had a chance to kill them all. Damn it, why is the effect of this Catastrophe Poison Fog so intense? Im losing thirty-five Vitality Points per second? We still arent too deep in the valley, why is our Vitality decreasing so horrifically! Salin, the archer, suddenly screamed. She took out a healing salve from her bosom and took a gulp. The others responded similarly and detected that their Vitality Point losses had significantly increased. How can this be? It would appear as if the group ahead doesnt seem to experience much Vitality loss. Were barely able to hold on, how come they seem fine? This is too strange. By all means, they couldnt have lasted until now. This frightful rate of Vitality loss, even Mutula couldnt stand it for long! Miss ran her hand over her fluffy fur coat, a white light radiated out, and her Vitality loss speed significantly dropped. Kulu, I cant hold on any longer, cant continue the pursuit. My Vitality Points have already dropped to less than half. If we continue, even if we kill them all, Im going to be left here to become an undead creature! A touch of impatience crossed Lachis face. Among everyone, his Vitality Points were the lowest. He was already struggling to keep up. Damn it. Lets go back and report the situation here to the Captain. I think just the Shadow Forest can earn us quite a bit of military merit! Kulu touched a piece of dark grey wood in his pocket and shook his head. The dark grey wood was Shadow Wood, a spoil of war obtained from killing the Ancient War Tree, an evidence that could back up their claims. The group reluctantly glanced ahead and turned to rush in the direction of the Transmission Array. Chapter 700 - Chapter 700: Chapter 700: Slaying Chapter 700: Chapter 700: Slaying Theyve retreated, theyre not chasing us anymore! Haha, thats great! Weve finally managed to save our lives! Huh, why arent they chasing us? Theres no reason not to, could it be theres an even more powerful monster up ahead? Stop guessing. We were saved by the Alliance Leader. Just follow me and keep moving forward! Wang Qi looked irritably at his companion next to him and said. Zhang Ziqiang breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the five Giant Tree-men to return and guard this group of people as they continued their journey forward. The pressure those five individuals put on them was immense, so seeing them retreat gave everyone a sense of escaping a sure death. As they continued forward, it didnt take long for them to quickly reconvene with Song Jian. Song Jian had initially prepared himself for battle, but he didnt expect the Disaster Poison Fog to be so effective as to drive away the pursuers directly. Under Song Jians lead, everyone finally arrived at the base of the Undead Tower. My God, Shadow River, an entire Shadow River! Its the main ingredient for crafting Shadow Defence Elixirs! Only three drops of Shadow Water are needed for one bottle. How many elixirs could this craft! exclaimed a player with Alchemy as his life skill, looking awestruck. Shadow River water was the purest form of Shadow Energy and a superior ingredient for some potion crafting. The income from selling the water from this river alone could be massive, and its value lay not just in crafting Shadow Defence Elixirs. Just this river could probably nurture hundreds of Alchemy Masters. Look at the riverbed, what are those? Gems? someone pointed at the riverbed and shouted loudly. Theyre gems, gems that can be embedded into equipment! Haha, so many! Im gonna fill my equipment with gems! Look at that mountain! It is full of Shadow Stones, and they are of the highest quality! We need lots of miners, we have to encourage Alliance members to quickly improve their Mining Skills! Looking at the players in the Alliance thrilled by the abundant resources, a smile spread across Song Jians face. Once they secure the Valley of the Undead with plentiful resources, the strength of the Alliance would greatly improve. Not only would they be able to upgrade to a city-level, his Sword Spirit would presumably birth quickly as well. Sword Core An image emerged in Song Jians mind once again C a man alone with a sword, facing thousands of soldiers, and a tiny Sword Core killing hundreds of monsters from hundreds of meters away. The scene of damage was so overwhelming that it left Song Jian still shaken to this day; he couldnt stop longing for it. With a thought, Song Jian returned to the seventh floor of the Undead Tower. Saramo was much more proficient in controlling the pivot of the Undead Tower than Song Jian, having done so for several years now. Saramo, whats the situation with those men? Song Jian asked. They have escaped to the Transmission Array, but they dont have the authority. They cant use the Transmission Array to leave! Saramo said respectfully. Be careful not to let them destroy the Transmission Array! Song Jian reminded. Rest assured, great master. The Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead is protected by Magic Rune Array. If they dare to attack the Transmission Array, they will suffer the backlash from the Magic Rune Array which would leave them no chance of survival! Saramo explained respectfully. Song Jian nodded, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes as he looked at Saramo. The Shackles Mark only lasts for a month. After a month, the Mark would disappear. When the time comes, Song Jian will have to make a choice: either offer Saramo a slave contract or kill him outright. Song Jian cant possibly stay in the Undead Tower indefinitely. If under Saramos control, it would be ideal. However, the Undead Tower is too crucial, and if Saramo were to have any devious plans, he could potentially manipulate it to cause the death of all members of the City of Hope Alliance in the Undead Valley. What a pity! Song Jian thought to himself. At the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead, a look of terror crossed the faces of Kulu and his men. They discovered that the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead seemed to have ceased functioning. Regardless of how they tried to operate it, they couldnt teleport out. What frightened them the most was, even after hiding here, the effect of the Disaster Poison Fog showed no signs of weakening. Why is this happening? Its not supposed to. Why would the Transmission Array shut down?! Lachi roared in anger. A look of despair flashed in his eyes. His Vitality Points had dropped to about one-third, and there were only two potions left to restore his Vitality Points. He couldnt hold on much longer. Damn it, the effect of this poison fog isnt weakening at all when we first entered, it only took one Vitality Point every five seconds Someone must be targeting us. They can control the whole valley! Whoever you are, stop hiding and come out! The group screamed in a frenzy, but in Song Jians eyes, it was nothing more than their futile struggle before dying. We are warriors of the Crow Legion from the 101 Gathering Area. If you spare us this time, youll gain the friendship of the 101 Gathering Area! Kulu suddenly shouted into the air. 101 Gathering Area? Song Jian squinted his eyes. He and the 101 Gathering Area were arch-enemies. They had thwarted his operations in Doomsday City several times, and he didnt expect to encounter their members here, of all places. It seems like the 101 Gathering Area is preparing the upgrade to a city-level too! Song Jian thought to himself. The 101 Gathering Area had been around for over a decade and had profound resources. Their advancement to city-level had been hindered by the Transmission Array building for a long time, and unexpectedly, they had successfully built one already. It seemed that it wouldnt be long before the 101 Gathering Area would become the 101 City. Since you are from the 101 Gathering Area, I cant let you leave alive even more! A hint of killing intent flashed across Song Jians eyes. He placed his hand on the control crystal and with a thought, the Disaster Poison Fog near the Transmission Array started to boil and formed a gigantic vortex above the five of them. Soon after, several tentacles, each hundreds of meters long emerged from the vortex, waving and intertwining towards the five individuals like octopus tentacles. Each of these tentacles possessed the power of a first-tier warrior, way beyond the capabilities of the now seriously injured Kulu and his men. A few minutes later, Lachi, the assassin, let out a dreadful scream before spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsing weakly. One after another, the rest also ended up as corpses. Just before dying, Kulu looked up at the enormous poison fog vortex above him with an enlightened look on his face, realizing that the person controlling the Undead Valley must be an enemy of the 101 Gathering Area. What a pity I cant pass this information to the leader A regretful look flashed across Kulus face just as he drew his last breath and passed away. Chapter 701 - Chapter 701: Chapter 701: Sword Core Chapter 701: Chapter 701: Sword Core The plan to develop the Undead Valley was soon under way; Wangling Valley was rich in resources, but it was impossible to sell them all at once. Doing so wouldnt fetch a good price. Song Jian instructed Wang Qi and the City of Sin to jointly develop the valley, and then left the matter in their hands. Half a month later, Song Jian acquired dozens of Level 30 Gold Grade weapons. Looking at the dazzling array of weapons in front of him, he couldnt help but feel a little extravagant; These weapons had average attributes, but were hastily purchased, so the sellers took advantage of the urgency. However, Song Jian, with his vast wealth, didnt care about this. In comparison to the resources of the entire Valley of the Undead, these were just a drop in the ocean; I guess Im a man with a mine at home now! Song Jian thought to himself as he touched the weapons; He took out the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, intending to birth a Sword Spirit in it first; After devouring more than a dozen Gold Grade weapons, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword successfully birthed a Sword Spirit; In the center of the blade, a faint dark red halo pulsed like a heartbeat, continuously absorbing and emitting light, transmitting it to every part of the sword; Song Jian detached a sliver of his consciousness, slowly connecting with the halo. Since the birth of the Sword Spirit required Song Jians blood nurturing during activation, it was not unfamiliar with him. Sensing Song Jians consciousness, the Sword Spirit of the sword actually moved closer to him on its own. A tendril-like light string touched Song Jians consciousness, and he instantly understood the Sword Spirits abilities; It even has an independent consciousness, and can learn sword techniques! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise; System: You have successfully birthed a Sword Spirit in the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. A newborn Sword Spirit can learn three sets of sword techniques. Please specify three sword techniques for it to learn, which must be ones you have already learned and mastered; System: Please continue to nurture the Sword Spirit of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. As the spirit grows, it can learn more sword techniques! Song Jian directly let the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Swords Sword Spirit learn the Broken Wing Dance, Sword Silk, and Sweeping Sword Style. Soon, he saw the sword perform the three sets of techniques on its own, without his control. What astonished him the most was that, as the Sword Spirit practiced these techniques, the skill proficiency of these three sets of sword techniques in his skill bar was slowly increasing; It can even improve skill proficiency! Song Jians face showed a hint of delight. After reaching the Tier 1 Combat Power, he had obtained twelve skill points. However, since none of the skill proficiencies were full, he had been saving up these points, not using them. Now that the Sword Spirit could practice sword techniques on its own and help him improve his skill proficiency, these skill points could soon come in handy. Once used, his strength might increase significantly; With a thought, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flew to a corner of the room and practiced the sword techniques on its own. Song Jian took out the Golden Demonslaying Sword next; He continued to devour Gold Grade weapons to birth Sword Spirits, and in no time, the Golden Demonslaying Sword also nurtured a pale golden halo; This time, Song Jian specified the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, Tai Chi Sword Skill, and Light Strike as the three sword techniques. Then he controlled the Golden Demonslaying Sword to fly to one side and practice the techniques on its own, increasing its skill proficiency; Next, Song Jian let the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword devour all the remaining Gold Grade weapons to birth a third Sword Spirit. A pale green halo slowly pulsed, emitting joyful emotions towards Song Jian; Assign Flash Thunder Strike, Sacred Parry, and Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique as the three sword techniques! Song Jian instructed; Soon, the Verdant Crystal Wood Swords Sword Spirit mastered Flash Thunder Strike and Sacred Parry, but it could not imprint the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique on the sword; System: The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is too high in grade for a beginner Sword Spirit to learn. Please upgrade the Sword Spirit to a higher level before learning; Song Jian paused, surprised that the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique could not automatically increase in proficiency. He then reluctantly gave up; Actually, the skill Song Jian wanted to improve the most was the Immortal Sword Body. However, although it was a core skill of a Sword Controller, it wasnt a sword technique and couldnt be learned by a Sword Spirit; In the room, sword Qi crisscrossed, and fierce winds howled. The three longswords occupied a corner each, continuously practicing the sword techniques they learned. Song Jian found that although he didnt need to control the swords, he could still maintain a connection with them at all times. If he wanted them to do something, a single thought would suffice, as if they were extensions of his body, without any delays; This power if used against an enemy, it would be a crushing force! Song Jians face showed a look of excitement. Controlling the three swords now was much easier than when he had used the Sword Control Skill to control the swords against enemies in the Assessment World. His Spirit Points consumption was almost negligible, as if he was physically controlling the swords; Most importantly, the power of the swords was several times stronger than when he used the Sword Control Skill. Previously, when using the Sword Control Skill, there would always be a brief pause when switching sword techniques, no matter how proficient he was. But now, the three longswords could independently perform their techniques, with no delays when fighting an enemy. However, conversely, each sword could only perform three sets of sword techniques. Moreover, the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword could only learn two sword techniques because the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was too high-grade and Song Jian didnt have a suitable alternative; To craft a Sword Core, I need a longsword with a Sword Spirit. I wonder what grade of Sword Core I can create when I combine these three longswords! A thought suddenly crossed Song Jians mind; Opening the Sword Core crafting interface, Song Jian combined the three longswords. Two phantom longswords appeared on the blade of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Next, he placed the combined sword in the crafting interface for the Sword Core; Soon, the originally dim crafting button lit up, indicating that it was ready to craft; System: Do you want to craft a Sword Core? Once the crafting process begins, it cannot be stopped, and the materials used will disappear upon completion; Song Jian glanced at the Sword Core after crafting, which looked like a ball of fog. The attributes displayed were Unknown. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to cancel the crafting; If he were to craft a Sword Core, he would want to make the strongest one possible. The combination of the three longswords was not the limit. Song Jian decided to wait until he had collected the entire set of longswords before attempting to craft the Sword Core; Just then, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Your in-game time has reached six months. Do you want to leave the game? If you choose not to leave, your next departure time will be postponed to six months later in game time; Chapter 702 - Chapter 702: Chapter 702: Rejection Chapter 702: Chapter 702: Rejection Can I leave the game now? Song Jian was taken aback. Unaware, six months had passed in the game. This stirred up a sense of nostalgia in him. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian chose to leave the game. Before his eyes, he found out that instead of entering a virtual space for mission conclusion, he had returned directly to the real world. It appears that those so-called initial missions were merely benefits from the newbie period, only to aid players in adapting to the game world! murmured Song Jian. You finally came out! A voice suddenly echoed in the room. It was the middle of the night. The room was shrouded in darkness. Song Jian had just exited the game and his mind was caught in a momentary lapse. Otherwise, with his first level combat power, he wouldnt have missed another presence in his room. After leaving the game world, almost all the equipment couldnt be brought out, but the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Book of the Abyss integrated into his body could enter the real world with him. Add to that, Song Jian had completed the first-level combat power assessment mission. The added attributes had made him capable of exhibiting seventy to eighty percent of his in-game strength in the real world. Before, Song Jian was somewhat afraid that the large-scale city-wide arrest would pose a threat to him. But now, unless a nuclear bomb was used to wipe out his entire city, his current strength left him fearless of any threat from the real world. Councilor Wang? Song Jian squinted his eyes, as an image of a glasses-wearing military officer flashed across his mind. After the rapid enhancement of his spiritual properties, Song Jians memory power had greatly strengthened. He could instantly recall any incident that had occurred or any person he had met. Although he could only see the silhouette of the man in the darkness of the night without discerning any facial features, Song Jian was familiar with the mans voice. When he was in level twenty-plus, Song Jian had obtained a Holy Flame Pearl, the key to unlocking the Frost Cave instance. He had once encountered a group of soldiers while going to the Frost Cave. Councilor Wang was one of them. Unexpectedly, you still remember me! Wang Zi was surprised. He had only met Song Jian once and didnt expect that Song Jian would recognize him so soon after only uttering a sentence. Your strength is higher than we estimated! Wang Zi turned on the room light, looked at Song Jian, and said enigmatically. What is the reason for Councilor Wang visiting me so late at night? Song Jian asked, taking a seat at the couch in front of Wang Zi. His senses spread around like quicksilver, and he found out that all his neighbors were gone. In their stead were countless soldiers armed with guns, surrounding the place. By only looking at the numbers, there were probably more than five hundred soldiers. This made Song Jian a little surprised. This kind of manpower, just for him, was quite overwhelming. And that was only within his sensing range. He didnt know how many more were beyond that. Mr. Song, what do you think about our last proposal? Wang Zi asked with a smile. Song Jian glanced at Wang Zi. His level wasnt high, just twenty-one. In a time where most players were already at levels twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and even level thirty players had emerged, such a level was considered low. Opinion, haha, I dont have any opinion! Song Jian shrugged and sneered. Surrounding his home with this many men, they obviously had the intention to resort to force if necessary. If this was the case, then there was nothing much he could say to him. Mr. Song, we really are sincere in inviting you to serve the country! Councilor Wang exclaimed cheerfully. Is surrounding my place heavily with hundreds of soldiers your sincerity? Song Jian laughed. Wang Zi finally changed his expression. Song Jian had just come out from the game. How could he know that there were hundreds of soldiers outside? Wasnt a players strength supposed to decrease heavily when returning to reality from the game world? Wang Zi, also a professional, knew well that a large portion of a players strength comes from their equipment. When they leave the game world, their abilities decrease significantly. Some skills might even get weakened due to the decrease in personal attributes. As per his understanding, Song Jian was a melee professional, and his weapon was a one-handed sword. All sword skills required attribute support. Without equipment, his swordsmanship would lose its power. Even if his abilities were strong, they would be undermined. Why did he know immediately after coming back that there are so many soldiers surrounding him? Wang Zi adjusted his glasses and thought to himself, Could it be that he has developed a skill with scouting functionality? Mr. Song, as you know, this is merely a security measure. We wont really use it against you. Wang Zi said with a smile, We just want to request you to join the special squadron of the Southwest Military Region. Also, since I heard you are the guild leader of the largest guild in Doomsday City, we could let you be the squad leader of this unit. What do you think? The players that entered the game all used their real names. Since Song Jian was quite renowned in Doomsday City, it was very easy to investigate him. Therefore, Wang Zi knew much information about Song Jian. Not so good! Song Jian stood up and said to Wang Zi, If theres nothing else, I would like you to leave. I am preparing to rest. Wang Zis face turned grim, but he knew that Song Jian must have his own cards and confidence. Starting an argument now would only disadvantage him. Moreover, if it truly came down to a confrontation, Wang Zi didnt know how many soldiers would he have to sacrifice to catch Song Jian. The most likely outcome would be sacrificing hundreds of soldiers and letting Song Jian escape. Capturing a batch of players while they were still weak was the strategy of the Southwest Military Region. They had already recruited hundreds of players of various professions. However, there were still many players who refused to be recruited. These players were under strict surveillance. If thats the case, then Mr. Song, lets talk next time. Wang Zi managed a smile and turned to leave. Song Jian stood quietly, waiting for the moment when soldiers would storm in. But soon, he noticed the soldiers gradually retreating. They didnt rush in to arrest him. Only when the soldiers left did Song Jian startlingly realize that one-third of these soldiers were professionals. Although their levels werent as high as his, the lowest ones were still at level twenty-five. Song Jian gave a faint smile, shook his head, and turned to lie back down on his bed. A night passed without a word. Just as day broke, Song Jian opened his eyes forcefully and stepped out of his room. He looked back, a complex expression on his face. He probably wouldnt be coming back to this place again. Walking down the street, even though no one was bothering him anymore, Song Jian could still sense someone monitoring him nearby. However, the person was too far away to be detected. Just then, Song Jians phone suddenly rang. Chapter 703 - Chapter 703: Chapter 703: Fifty Million Chapter 703: Chapter 703: Fifty Million From the auction house? A smile emerged at the corner of Song Jians mouth. A month had passed in the real world, and his two pieces of jewelry probably hadnt been sold yet. He wondered why the auction house was calling him now. Hello, Mr. Song, came the voice of the steward who had received him at the auction house. What can I do for you? Song Jian asked. The thing is, Mr. Song, there is a client who wants to purchase your two pieces of jewelry in advance. He has offered to buy them for 50 million! The steward carefully continued, We believe that even if these were auctioned off, they would not reach this price. We recommend that you sell the jewelry directly to this client. Fifty million? Song Jian was taken aback. The initial assessment from the auction house was 23 million for the two pieces. Even in a bidding war, it would not have exceeded 30 million. But now, someone was willing to almost double the price to buy these two pieces of jewelry. Song Jian was immediately puzzled. After a moment of thought, he asked, Does this person have any additional conditions? Yes, Mr. Song, he would like to meet you and invite you to dinner, the steward replied. Song Jian gave a slight smile, and said, Then sell it to him. Dinner is unnecessary, but I can chat with him face to face. Very well, Mr. Song! The steward hung up the phone. Shortly after, Song Jian received a message from his bank. Fifty million was directly deposited into his account, and the auction house didnt charge any fees. Soon, Song Jians phone rang again. Mr. Song, the money has been transferred to your card. Please check it. In addition, the client wishes to meet you at Tianxi Building. You can choose the time! Ive received the money. Ill be at Tianxi Building in an hour, Song Jian replied. Alright, Ill pass the message along. The client will meet you at Tianxi Building in an hour! The steward seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. An hour later, Song Jian stood at the base of the Tianxi Building. The Tianxi Building is probably a landmark building in Coastal City and the second tallest building there. Wanlong Group Song Jian murmured. When the steward from the auction house mentioned Tianxi Building, Song Jian already knew who the client was. Mr. Song, this way please, Mr. Gao has been expecting you! A man in a servants costume quickly came out to greet Song Jian. Song Jian nodded and followed him into Tianxi Building. Soon, the two took the private elevator to the eighteenth floor. A middle-aged man with a smiling face came over to greet them. Welcome, Mr. Song, Im Gao Da Nian. Please follow me! The Chairman of Wanlong Group, Gao Da Nian. Nice to meet you, Chairman Gao, Song Jian said with an unsurprised smile. Tianxi Building was owned by the Wanlong Group. Song Jian had suspected something might be up when he knew the meeting place was at Tianxi Building. Soon, the two arrived at a large hall. After some small talk, Gao Da Nian took out the two pieces of jewelry that Song Jian had sold at the auction house and asked, Mr. Song, these two pieces of jewelry are not ordinary. Can you tell me where you got them? Given Mr. Gaos capabilities, shouldnt you already know where that is? Song Jian replied with a smile. Those chosen by the game were not required to keep it a secret. Plus, as the gap between time in the game and the real world was getting shorter and shorter, many people who hadnt entered the game also knew of its existence. Many even hoped they could be selected to enter the game. This time, the time ratio between the game and the real world changed to six to one, and players time inside the game had noticeably increased. Clearly, the game was encouraging players to spend as much time in the game as possible to avoid causing too much disruption to the real world. Song Jian had noticed that Gao Da Nian was not a player. However, his demeanor had made it clear to Song Jian that he knew about the game. Doomsday City, correct? Gao Da Nian asked, playing with the two pieces of jewelry Song Jian had brought from the game. Yes, Mr. Gao. Did you request this meeting to learn more about the game? Song Jian asked. No. Gao Da Nian shook his head. Song Jian was taken aback as he had assumed that Gao Da Nian had asked to meet out of curiosity about the game. In fact, my understanding of this game might be no less than yours! Gao Da Nian smiled, gestured to someone standing behind him, and received a briefcase. Gao Da Nian opened the suitcase. Song Jian noticed several items inside, including a red potion, a ring emitting a green glow, a light blue ore, and others. These items all had the property of being able to be brought out of the game. Mr. Gao, are you collecting items from the game? Song Jian asked. Not just collecting. I want to go into the game! Gao Da Nian said, a fervent look in his eyes. Get into the game? Song Jian shook his head and said, Im afraid I cant help with that. I dont know how to enter the game. I was chosen because Song Jian told Gao Da Nian about how he first entered the game and then said, Since then, I havent seen that old man again! Ive said before, my knowledge of this game might be no less than yours! Gao Da Nian laughed after listening to Song Jian, It might even be more than yours! Oh, does Mr. Gao have a way? Song Jian raised an eyebrow. It seemed Gao Da Nian knew quite a bit! Have you ever heard of a game invitation card? Gao Da Nian asked. Invitation card? Song Jian slowly shook his head. He had never encountered such a thing in the game, and no one in his guild knew about it. However, he couldnt be sure if such a thing existed in the game, given the variety of items. I also heard about it from a friend. I havent seen one either, Gao Da Nian said, but he seemed very confident. Mr. Gao is interested in invitation cards? Do you know how to get them? Song Jian asked. Of course, the reason I invited Mr. Song to meet with me is that I hope you can help me. I want to get a game invitation card, Gao Da Nian said with a smile. That might be difficult, Song Jian remarked after glancing over at Gao Da Nian. Of course, its not going to be easy, Gao Da Nian laughed. He snapped his fingers and said to Song Jian, But the reward Im offering will surely satisfy you! PS: Something came up today, so there will only be two updates. The missing one will be made up for tomorrow. My apologies! Chapter 704 - Chapter 704: Chapter 704: The Fourth Long Sword Chapter 704: Chapter 704: The Fourth Long Sword Since Gao Da Nian had called Song Jian over, naturally, he had the ability to let Song Jian help him solve the problem of the invitation card. After a snap of his fingers, in a while, a long-haired girl walked in, holding a wooden box; Song Jian was stunned, the girl who looked to be in her early twenties was a player too. Moreover, her level was quite high, already at level twenty-nine. Furthermore, she was wearing three pieces of equipment brought out from the game world: a headband that emitted a blue glow, a brilliant blue gem embedded at the position of the forehead, a pair of green-quality wrist guards, and a green-quality belt; In the game, equipment that can be brought into the real world either would have a low quality and level or would be high-grade goods like the Book of the Abyss that Song Jian had. Its hard for regular silver-quality or gold-quality equipment to have the property to be brought out of the game; The girl curiously glanced at Song Jian, placed the wooden box on the table in front of him, then stepped back behind Gao Da Nian; Open it and see. If you can bring me a game invitation card, then its yours, Gao Da Nian signaled for Song Jian to open the wooden box; The wooden box was not locked. As soon as Song Jian lightly opened the wooden box, his eyes light up; The moment the wooden box was opened, a dazzling Dark Gold glow burst forth from the box; What reflected in Song Jians eyes was a long sword. As he gently stroked the spine of the sword, its properties instantly appeared before his eyes. Surging Wave Breaking Sword (Gold), one-handed sword, Equipment effect: Attack 91-108, Slow +3, Critical Strike +5, Penetration +5, Water-element Damage +40, 15% of the damage inflicted upon a target will restore the users Vitality Points. Special effect 1: Ownership (passive), the item absorbs the users essence blood for recognition, after recognition, the item cannot be destroyed, cannot be dropped, never wears out. Special effect 2: Growth (passive), this item is a growth-type equipment, starting level is level 1, obtaining battle experience and leveling up in battle, the higher the level, the stronger the item attributes are. The item level cannot exceed the users level. Equipment requirement: Level 1. Set: 1/5. Can it be brought out of the game: No This is, this is my set sword A surprising expression appeared on Song Jians face. Mr. Song, are you satisfied with the rewards? Gao Da Nian laughed. How did you know that I need this long sword at this moment? Song Jian suddenly realized that everyone seemed to know about his information. Mr. Song is the first person on the Doomsday City leaderboard. Many people hope to make friends with you, haha! Gao Da Nian laughed. I cant refuse this reward, Song Jian said. However, theres a question. This long sword cannot be brought out of the game, right? How did you get it out of the game? To bring something that cannot be taken out of the game into reality, the cost is great! Gao Da Nian shook his head: Its cost is not less than that of a gold-quality equipment, but its not that theres no chance at all. If thats the case, then why didnt you contact me in the game? You know, I cant refuse this long sword! Song Jian glanced at the girl behind Gao Da Nian and said. This sword was not intended for you in the beginning! The girl behind Gao Da Nian said: This was originally meant to be given to Sister Dan Shut up! Gao Da Nians face sank, and he glared at the girl behind him. He apologized to Song Jian: The girl was reckless. I apologize for any offense it might have caused. Song Jian waved his hand and said, Im the one who took what wasnt meant for me. But Im sorry, this long sword is indeed very important to me! If so, can we continue the discussion? Gao Da Nian laughed. Yes, tell me, how can I get a game invitation card? Song Jian nodded and said; In the real world, there is an arena. As long as you defeat ten opponents in a row in this arena, you can get a game invitation card! Gao Da Nian said. This doesnt sound very difficult. Youre quite capable, buying one shouldnt be a problem, right? Song Jian said, surprised. But in reality, its very difficult! A bitter smile appeared on Gao Da Nians face: So far, no one has been able to obtain a game invitation card! Does this arena have any connection with the game? Song Jian was taken aback and suddenly asked. Its inextricably linked to the game! Gao Da Nian nodded and said: We even suspect that this arena is a part of the game! What? The game content can extend into the real world? Song Jian wore a shocked look on his face. Of course it can extend. How else did the long sword in front of you come out? The girl behind Gao Da Nian retorted. A thought flashed through Song Jians mind. Yes, not only the items, even the players themselves, arent they from the game world extending into the real world! I never really thought about this issue before! Song Jian shook his head. This arena appeared out of thin air. Not many people in Coastal City know about it yet. However, over a hundred people have died in this arena already! They were all skilled fighters invited from all over the world! Gao Da Nian said. Who were their opponents then? Song Jian asked. Monsters! A nostalgic look appeared in Gao Da Nians eyes, followed by a look of horror: Ive never seen such beings before. They, they They are all monsters from the game world. Some I recognize, some I dont even know what they are, but they are definitely monsters from the game world! The girl behind Gao Da Nian affirmed. Couldnt even you beat them? Song Jian cast a curious glance at the girl and asked. With the strength of this girl, plus her three pieces of equipment, Song Jian was sure that none of those so-called martial arts experts in this world could face off against her. No, each challenge will steadily increase the strength of the opponents. The first challenger randomly selects from monsters of levels 1 to 3, the second selects from levels 5 to 8, the third from levels 10 to 13, the fourth from levels 15 to 18, the fifth challenger is already at level 20, the sixth is at level 25. By the time of the seventh challenger, it is a level 30 monster The girl shook her head: The eighth challenger has never appeared before, so we dont know how many levels the eighth, ninth, and tenth challengers have! And their grades? Song Jian asked. All of them are elite bosses The girl said. Chapter 705 - Chapter 705: Chapter 705: Transaction Chapter 705: Chapter 705: Transaction All of them are monsters with elite BOSS strength! the girl said. From the first challenger? Song Jian asked. Yes, from the first challenger! Song Jian nodded. Even a level 1 elite BOSS was likely as strong as real-world professional fighters. Without a player status, without skills and equipment from the game, a regular person, no matter how tough, could only pass the first couple of stages. A level 10 elite BOSS would send players of the same level running in fear, let alone a regular person without any skills. However, it appeared that this girl knew about the seventh challenger, which probably meant that players had been competing in this arena before. A level 30 elite BOSS wasnt much to Song Jian, but the three challengers that followed could possibly be level 40 or above. Most importantly, it was likely that any BOSS above level 30 would possess Combat Power of the first order. Mr. Gao, this long sword isnt easy to come by, Song Jian murmured, brushing his fingers lightly over the cold spine of the sword in the wooden box, a wry smile on his face. This is a gold-quality set, forcibly brought out from the game world. My father wouldnt have offered it as a reward if not for the invitation card, the girl huffed. Ha ha ha ha, Miss Gao is right! Song Jian laughed uproariously. His hand on the hilt of the sword, he said to Gao Da Nian, Mr. Gao, I can accept your request and win ten consecutive matches to get you an invitation card, but I want to take this sword now. After all, the strength of the last three challengers is unknown. It might enhance my strength a bit, making it more likely for me to complete the task. What do you think? Well Gao Da Nian hesitated, glancing at his daughter. What if you take the stuff and dupe us? the girl cried out. Thatll require some gambling on Mr. Gaos part, Song Jian chuckled. The strength of the final three challengers in the arena is unknown. That I dare to accept this task is also gambling. Mr. Gao hiring me is also gambling. You can gamble on whether Id go back on my words and fail to complete the task after receiving the weapon. If Mr. Gao isnt willing, we can cancel the task or find someone else to do it! Finishing, Song Jian lightly pushed the wooden box in Gao Da Nians direction. At Song Jians action, Gao Da Nian paled and hurriedly waved his hands. Since we invited you, we naturally have faith in you, Mr. Song. Please accept the weapon. As for the arena challenge, when would Mr. Song be free? Ha ha, excellent. Mr. Gao is straightforward, and so am I! Song Jian instantly lifted the sword from the box, twirled it skillfully, and chuckled, Why delay? Is this afternoon a good time? Hearing that Song Jian planned to go to the arena that afternoon, Gao Da Nian let out a sigh of relief. His face relaxed, he nodded approvingly. Good, good. Mr. Song, you go and rest first. After lunch, well go to the arena. Song Jian nodded, stored the sword in his bag, and then turned to leave the room. Seeing Song Jians departure, Gao Da Nian let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair, the fatigue showing in his eyes. Dad, how could you agree to give him the weapon in advance! Gao Dongxin shook Gao Da Nians shoulder, complaining. Little Xin, be gentle. Your dad isnt a player. Dont shake my old bones apart! Gao Da Nian patted his daughters hand and shook his head with a smile. Dad, you havent told me why you gave him the weapon first. What if he Didnt he already promise? Gao Da Nian laughed. This afternoon, hes accompanying us to the arena What if he reneges at the last minute? So far, no one has been able to win ten consecutive matches. Didnt you hire a level 30 player before who couldnt even pass the 28th level BOSS in the 6th round? And thats supposed to be an expert! Gao Dongxin huffed. Well, that player was just unlucky to encounter a monster that countered his class. Otherwise, he should have made it through the seventh round Gao Da Nian replied. And all Song Jian has to his name is the level-35 mark? Youre sure he can make it to the final BOSS? Gao Dongxin grumbled. Only level 35? Gao Da Nian shook his head. Among the thousands of players in Doomsday City, there are less than ten who have reached level 30. The others have mostly just reached level 30. With the information we have, the battle experience required for leveling up beyond 30 increases geometrically. So, Song Jians level advantage isnt just one or two levels, but four or five. And he managed all this without the aid of a guild. Isnt that reason enough for us to place heavy bets on him? But the sword Did you notice his eyes when he pushed the sword forward a bit? Gao Da Nian suddenly asked. His eyes? Gao Dongxin hesitated, shaking her head. No, what I did! Gao Da Nian cut her off, saying, His eyes were determined! He fully expected to win. Determined? You mean Gao Dongxin exclaimed. Gao Da Nian hurriedly swung his hand in a zip-it motion before heaving a sigh. Who knew that hed Gao Dongxin muttered. Lets stop here and not mention this again! Gao Da Nian said. Take him to the arena this afternoon. I wont be going. That place is too bloody, seeing it once is more than enough Alright, Ill go with him this afternoon. I hope he ends up the same as the rest dead Gao Dongxin grumbled. Hmph, is that how you should be talking? You should be hoping that he wins! Otherwise, wouldnt we have spent our money for nothing? Be nice when you take him down there. Gao Da Nian huffed. Gao Dongxin stuck out her tongue, not daring to continue. That afternoon, Gao Dongxin drove Song Jian to the outskirts of Coastal City. Along the way, Gao Dongxin didnt give Song Jian a chance to chat, nor did she say a word. Song Jian sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, conserving his energy. After more than an hour, the two arrived at a rural estate. The estate looked like a holiday resort from the outside, full of new buildings seemingly just constructed. Here we are. The arena is inside. Follow me. Gao Dongxin parked the car and huffed as she walked towards the main building of the estate. Song Jian smiled faintly, unfazed by her attitude. After all, this was a mutually beneficial agreement. He had gotten closer to obtaining the Sword Core, which filled him with joy. Chapter 706 - Chapter 706: Chapter 706: Arena Chapter 706: Chapter 706: Arena After the fourth longsword was fused, another set attribute appeared: Attack +100, which greatly increased Song Jians damage output; Even with just a normal attack, he could deal six to seven hundred points of damage, and when up against those fragile professions who had not passed the first level of Combat Power assessment, two or three hits would be enough to kill them instantly; Song Jian and Gao Dongxin entered the mansion, and a man with a smile on his face immediately came forward to greet them; Miss Gao is here again, welcome, welcome. Are you here to challenge the arena again? Wang Shuyu said enthusiastically. This time my father invited an expert specifically to challenge the arena, Manager Wang, please arrange it. Gao Dongxin said expressionlessly. Wang Shuyu glanced at Song Jian, nodded slightly, and smiled: It seems like this is the expert brother, welcome, welcome! At this moment, a car drove into the estate from outside. Gao Dongxin took a look and immediately showed a hint of joy. Before the car stopped, Gao Dongxin rushed up to it. Sister Dan, why are you here too? Gao Dongxin happily exclaimed while holding the hand of a girl who had just gotten out of the car. Take it easy! Zhao Dan patted Gao Dongxins shoulder gently and said. Dont worry, Sister Dan, I am a Chosen One, nothing will happen to me. Gao Dongxin said with a grin. Im afraid youll damage my car! Zhao Dan said irritably. If I break it, Ill buy you a new one! Gao Dongxin laughed, Sister Dan, why are you here today? I heard that the Gao family is challenging the arena again, so I came to take a look! Zhao Dan laughed, Your father never gives up, huh? At least ten players have died at your hands just for that invitation card, right? No choice, who asked my good-for-nothing younger brother to be jealous of his sister? Gao Dongxin sighed. Zhao Dan laughed, At least with you around, if your brother becomes a player, you can take care of him a little. Not like us What about us? We still survived, didnt we? And we became strong! Gao Dongxin clenched her fists and said defiantly. Strong? Zhao Dan smiled and shook her head, If youre really strong, the Gao family wouldnt need to hire other players to get this invitation card. By the way, who did you hire this time? Sister Dan, youre so well-informed, dont you already know? Gao Dongxin chuckled and, without beating around the bush, pointed at Song Jian and said, Its him, Song Jian, the number one on the Doomsday City Level Rankings, impressive, right? Song Jian? Zhao Dans eyes lit up, and she exclaimed in surprise, You actually invited him? Hes not just the number one on the Level Rankings, hes also the leader of Doomsday Citys First Alliance. According to our analysis, his City of Hope Alliance might already have the qualifications to advance to a first-class city! Hmph, so what? He is still here just for a golden weapon, Gao Dongxin rubbed her nose and said, Such a person has limited ambition! A golden quality weapon? Zhao Dan frowned slightly, shook her head, and said softly, He doesnt lack golden-quality weapons. Perhaps if it were legendary or mythic, he might be tempted, but golden Really, Sister Dan, Im not lying to you! Gao Dongxin said anxiously, Its really a golden-quality longsword. Oh, right, its not just an ordinary golden-quality one, its part of a golden set! Golden set? Zhao Dans eyes showed a touch of relief. She nodded and said, No wonder. His current weapon is a golden set, and we suspect that he has already collected at least two set longswords Miss Zhao seems to know a lot about me! Song Jians voice suddenly rang out beside Zhao Dan; Aiyah, youre trying to scare me to death! Gao Dongxin exclaimed in surprise before glaring at Song Jian and rolling her eyes at him. I heard you guys seemed to be discussing me? Song Jian helplessly shrugged his shoulders. Gao Dongxin was momentarily at a loss for words, her face slightly flushed. She was enjoying the chat with Zhao Dan so much that she almost forgot that Song Jian was with her. Hello, my name is Zhao Dan! Zhao Dan smiled faintly and reached out her right hand; Song Jian shook her hand gently and said with a smile, Song Jian! Im really looking forward to Mr. Songs performance today! Zhao Dan said. Just fulfilling my obligations as requested by others! Song Jian laughed. Maybe we can collaborate with Mr. Song in the future, heres my card! Zhao Dan handed Song Jian a business card; Song Jian took it with both hands, glanced at it, nodded, and smiled, Lets first see if I can make it out of the arena alive this afternoon! After entering the mansion and waiting for more than an hour, Song Jian was taken to an elevator, which went down. Soon, Song Jian arrived in front of a Teleportation Gate. Teleportation Gate? Song Jian raised his eyebrows. In the game world, teleportation gates were not uncommon, but he didnt expect that they would appear in the real world as well, giving him a faint feeling of unease; As soon as Song Jian walked into the Teleportation Gate, he was surprised by the loud, chaotic noise. Judging by the sound, there were definitely not just tens or hundreds of people, but rather thousands of them, making heart-wrenching screams; What is this Song Jian said in astonishment. Hehe, these spectators are not real, just a kind of background presence. As long as the arena is open, these spectators will appear automatically! The guide by his side explained with a smile. Really? As Song Jian entered the arena, a minotaur came forward, looked him up and down, and laughed loudly, The arena has finally welcomed a decent challenger! This is the arenas receptionist, his strength is very high, so you should be very respectful to him. The man who brought Song Jian over whispered in his ear. As if hearing the mans words, the minotaur laughed loudly, No need to be so nervous, Im actually very easygoing too! The man looked a little embarrassed, and said to Song Jian, I can only bring you here, and for the rest, just follow this gentleman. After that, the guide walked towards a private room without looking back; Humans, such an interesting race, arent they? The minotaur split its big mouth and showed Song Jian a smile. Hello, my name is Song Jian, may I have the honor of knowing your name? Song Jian asked respectfully, bowing to the minotaur. Hahahaha! The minotaur laughed and said, Ive received many challengers, but none of them have ever asked for my name. Why do you want to know? Because I believe that the strong deserve respect! Song Jian said; The minotaur looked at Song Jian once again, smiled, and nodded, Youre right; the strong deserve respect! Then listen well, my name is Indra Ironhoof! Chapter 707 - Chapter 707: Chapter 707: Elite BOSS Chapter 707: Chapter 707: Elite BOSS Self-proclaimed as Indra Ironhoof, the minotaur leader was a level 50 powerhouse. Without him willingly disclosing his level information, even Song Jian might not have known his current level. Hes not just a level 50 powerhouse, the most important thing is, he also possesses a second-tier combat power! Song Jian secretly thought. Although the minotaur had not revealed any other information besides his level, just by the aura emitting from him, Song Jian could affirm that his adversary was a second-tier combat power contender. This was something he had witnessed firsthand when he was in the first-tier combat power Assessment World and encountered contenders with second or even third-tier combat power. Youre not bad either, I believe, today we might welcome the first challenger to defeat ten opponents! the minotaur chuckled. Hopefully! Song Jian responded with a smile. In no time, under the guidance of the minotaur, Song Jian reached the center of the arena. As he stepped into the arena, a strong scent of blood filled his nostrils. Looking around, stair-tiered spectator stands surrounded him on all sides. Spectators of various races were shouting at Song Jian inside the arena. Their collective roars were so loud that Song Jian could not discern what they were saying. These arent just any audience Song Jian shook his head. All these individuals were characters within the game, appearing as NPCs in the players eyes. Above the stair-tiered spectator stands were private boxes which only real-world individuals could access. This preferential treatment aimed to favor native humans. At present, most of the boxes were already occupied. The reason for waiting over an hour before entering the arena was due to the need to inform these influential individuals to watch the arena match! In one of the boxes, Gao Dongxin was anxiously watching the fight below. Zhao Dan joked, Didnt you say you didnt care about that guy? I dont care if he drops dead! Gao Dongxin cried out. Im just worried that the rewards would be wasted. Hey, Dan, do you think we can retrieve our equipment if he dies? What are you thinking of? Zhao Dan responded gruffly. If he dies in the arena, let alone getting his equipment, you wont even be able to claim his body! Ah, I hope he lives up to the title of number one in Doomsday City. Otherwise, our Gao family will suffer a huge loss! Gao Dongxin sighed. Taking out equipment not designed to be taken out of the game came with significant costs. The Gao familys investment didnt just lie in a golden-quality longsword; if calculated properly, Song Jians expenditure on this occasion was worth at least an epic-grade piece of equipment. The arena was almost as big as a football field. Song Jian stood in the middle, waiting for a few minutes until he furrowed his brows. He felt like a monkey in a cage on display for people to watch. Soon, however, slow thuds sounded as the cage doors gradually opened and a giant, crimson-colored bat with wide wings started to fly out. This bat was as big as a cow, and although it had wide wings, it couldnt fly too high, only managing to hover about two or three meters above the ground. A Level 3 Elite Boss, the Bloody Bat-Winged Beast. This guy is really unlucky! Gao Dongxin shook his head. To him, it should be just a piece of cake. Theres a big level gap, so I dont think hell tangle with this Bat-Winged Beast for too long! Zhao Dan shook her head. If the first challenge is this tough, there will certainly be stronger Bosses appearing later Gao Dongxin said despairingly. Having already witnessed dozens of arena fights, Gao Dongxin had discerned some patterns: the stronger the Boss in the first round, the stronger the Bosses would be in the subsequent rounds within the allowed rules. The previously hired level 30 powerhouse from the Gao family was eliminated before even reaching the sixth round because a level three Twin-Headed Wolf Boss showed up in the first round. You should have faith in him. After all, hes the number one in Doomsday City, hehe! Zhao Dan laughed, her eyes sparkling. Hmph, if you knew the weapon that was supposed to be given to you was taken by this kid, Id like to see if you could still force a laugh. Gao Dongxin muttered under his breath. Suddenly, a dazzling Sword Qi appeared in the center of the arena, startling both of them. An instant kill? He actually instantly killed a Level 3 Elite Boss! Gao Dongxin jumped up from his seat, his face full of astonishment. Zhao Dan was also taken aback, a serious look on her face. She approached the railing of the stand to get a better view of the arena. At that moment in the center of the arena, the giant crimson bat was seven or eight meters away from Song Jian. Its body, however, had already been cleft into two, and its foul-smelling blood dyed the ground of the arena red. The stadium fell silent for a moment before erupting again in a far more intense cacophony of roars and howls. Click, Click, Click~ The cage doors on the opposite side slowly opened again without giving Song Jian any time to rest. The second Elite Boss rushed out. A Level 8 Ghost-Faced Vicious Bear Boss, even a five-member, level 10 squad might not be able to defeat it Zhao Dan exclaimed, a hint of surprise in her eyes. Today, the Bosses dispatched by the arena are all top-tier creatures! This gigantic black bear stood at over three meters tall. On its chest was a patch of white hair that looked like a grimacing ghost face. Dan, will he be able to persevere to the end? Gao Dongxin asked nervously. Zhao Dan slowly shook her head. I dont know. But if I were to fight this Level 8 Elite Boss now, Id probably have to make sacrifices to kill it. Dan, how is that possible? You are already level 30! Gao Dongxin expressed his surprise. But my attributes arent much higher than this Level 8 Elite Boss! Zhao Dan gave a bitter smile. Improving attributes in gaming was easy to say but incredibly hard to achieve. Attribute-enhancing treasures were outrageously expensive. Even though Zhao Dan had been using all her real-world money to buy Doomsday Coins, she had only managed to purchase ten Attribute Fruits over an extended period. This raised her intelligence attribute to over thirty points, but all her other attributes remained below ten points. The Ghost-Faced Vicious Bear now appearing in the arena had a high magic resistance. Not to mention needing to sacrifice something to kill it, even losing to it was a possibility. Roar~ Again, in the arena, another sword light gleamed brightly, followed by the anguished screams of the Ghost-Faced Vicious Bear. Another instant kill Gao Dongxin couldnt believe his eyes. Zhao Dan also let out a cry of shock. Both of them stood on the viewing deck, staring at Song Jian, who was still standing in the same spot as before, not having budged an inch. Chapter 708 - Chapter 708: Chapter 708: Items Dropped Chapter 708: Chapter 708: Items Dropped Third, fourth, fifth, sixth It was not until the seventh one, a Level 32 elite BOSS, that Song Jian got serious; This was a huge earth elemental, towering over three meters tall, its body made of solid rocks, its eyes were two large sapphires, and in the middle of its forehead, there was a diamond-shaped black crystal; Earth Elemental Leader Ulath (Elite), Level: 32; Vitality Points: 9800/9800; Special Traits: Super Defense, Damage Reflection; Its over, were up against a melee nemesis! despair appeared on Gao Dongxins face. Previously, Song Jian had taken down the lower-leveled bosses with ease which had thrilled Gao Dongxin, however, this newly appeared boss had challenged them twice before. Both previous times had ended with the same result: it reflected high defense and melee damage, irrespective of the attack. The two melee challengers were killed by the reflected damage. Song Jian primarily used his one-handed sword as his weapon, which gave Gao Dongxin the impression that he was a swordsman, a class of melee combatants. This earth elemental boss seemed to have a crippling effect on him. Maybe he can create a miracle? Zhao Dan comforted, but a trace of helplessness appeared on her face. Thats the risk of arena challenges. If a creature that you can suppress shows up, it doesnt matter if its higher level than you. But if you encounter a creature that suppresses you, your outcome is certain death; Thats why, even though Zhao Dan was already level 30, she hadnt thought about attempting to score ten consecutive wins. After all, the reward for ten wins was more than just a game invitation card; When everyone in the audience saw the seventh monster, an Earth Elemental Leader, they all started buzzing. They, too, knew that this boss was a melee nightmare, and this human challenger was in big trouble. Tear him to shreds, big stone, avenge your fallen comrades! This human is no match for you, take him down, Ill reward you with a magic crystal! The arena spectators could reward the combatants based on their performance, but it seemed that they knew that the challengers were all Earth humans, so none of them ever rewarded the human challengers. Their rewards went to the monsters that killed the challengers; Magic crystals were like a tasty treat for earth elemental, one of their favorite foods. But these magic crystals were expensive and difficult for them to obtain normally; The earth elemental moved slowly, shaking the ground with each step. The arena floor vibrated with its movements; A smirk appeared on Song Jians face as he summoned a meter high little stoneman beside him; Gulu, Gulu~ As soon as the little stoneman appeared, it hugged Song Jians thigh, mumbling as though upset about being left alone for so long; Alright little guy, its time for battle. Song Jian patted the smooth head of the little stoneman and smiled; Gulu Gulu~ Upon hearing about the battle, the little stoneman instantly became alert and turned to look at the Earth Elemental Leader approaching step by step; Seeing the form of the Earth Elemental Leader, the little stoneman looked down at itself, its eyes filled with confusion. Song Jian then brandished his sword, sending wave after wave of Sword Qi towards the Earth Elemental Leader, attacking it from a distance of five to six meters. Even so, he was still subjected to reflected damage, albeit weaker than close combat; Song Jian frowned and stopped attacking, instead, he gave a push off the ground and quickly retreated; The little stoneman also joined in the attack, throwing stone balls the size of a human head at the Earth Elemental Leader like bullets. But these rocks caused little damage, it could be said that the little stonemans attack was completely countered by the Earth Elemental Leader. Although the damage was insignificant, the little stoneman, following Song Jians command, continued to throw stones at the Earth Elemental Leader; See, hes not the Earth Elemental Leaders match. This monsters damage reflection is too powerful! Gao Dongxin looked at Song Jians rapid retreat, disappointment smeared across his face as he remarked. Not necessarily, look at his Sword Qi attack just now, it did quite some damage to the Earth Elemental Leader! Zhao Dan suggested. The higher his attack damage, the higher the reflected damage hell suffer. The Sword Qi attack is too short, even though it can weaken the reflected damage, how could his vitality points compare to that of the BOSS? Hell be killed by the BOSS eventually. Gao Dongxin sighed, saying. Why did he summon a little stoneman? Its hilarious. He did no damage, not even a minor disruption. Look, the Earth Elemental Leader doesnt even care about it! Zhao Dan pointed at the little stoneman and laughed. Its over, its over, we Gao family have really lost this time, both the lady and the army, a golden set weapon! Gao Dongxin gave out a howl, directly lying on the sofa, not wanting to continue watching. Just then, a quiet command echoed in the middle of the arena: Sword Control Technique! Hum~ He threw his long sword into the air. With a soft sound, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword instantly split into four long swords, flying towards the Earth Elemental Leader like meteors; Broken Wing Dance! Flash Thunder Strike! Sweeping Sword Style! Light Strike! Each long sword launched different sword techniques at the Earth Elemental Leader. At this point, Song Jian was at least twenty meters away, dividing his mind into four to control the four long swords as they continuously slashed at the Earth Elemental Leader; A series of critical damage floated above the Earth Elemental Leader, it roared in anger, its fists flailed at the swords flying in the air. But the mental control over the swords made them extremely agile, the leader couldnt touch them at all; This twist of events made the entire audience of the arena roar in rage, yelling at Song Jian in protest. Zhao Dan covered her mouth, her face full of astonishment as she looked at the arena. When the BOSSs vitality points dropped to half, it finally reacted and roared as it charged at Song Jian. Seeing the Earth Elemental Leaders bulky body rushing towards him, Song Jians face couldnt help but form a smirk; Sword Shadow Step! Song Jians figure turned into a cloud of black fog and swiftly retreated into the distance. The arena was spacious, it was impossible for the slow-moving Earth Elemental Leader to catch up with Song Jian. About ten minutes later, the Earth Elemental Leaders vitality points were finally depleted. Its massive body exploded, scattering countless shards of rock that covered an area of five to six meters around it.; Huh, whats this? Song Jian glanced at the scattered stones of the Earth Elemental Leader and found an item shimmering with a golden light, which intrigued him. PS: Thanks to Fiery Moon O Night for the gift of 100 star coins~ Chapter 709 - Chapter 709: Chapter 709: Fire Elemental Lord Chapter 709: Chapter 709: Fire Elemental Lord Weve won, weve won! Song Jian has won! Hahahaha! Gao Dongxin happily jumped up; It seems like I came at the right time, someone actually passed the seventh round! Zhao Dan whispered to himself. Song Jian picked up the golden item dropped by the Earth Elemental Leader, his face full of surprise. Killing a BOSS in the arena even drops items? But why didnt the previous BOSS drop any items? Song Jian found it strange and couldnt figure out the reason after thinking about it for a while. So, he decided to stop thinking about it and carefully studied the dropped item instead; Earth Elemental Crystal Core (Gold), Special Item. Usage effect: This is the essence of the Earth Elemental Leader, which can be used on flesh-and-blood creatures to turn them into Earth-attribute creatures. If used on Earth-attribute creatures, it will greatly enhance their quality! Is this prepared specifically for this little guy? Song Jian glanced at the bewildered little stone man beside him and thought to himself. Seeing Song Jian look at him, the little stone man happily called out, Gulu, Gulu~ Song Jian smiled slightly and handed it the Earth Elemental Crystal Core; The little stone man took the Crystal Core with a puzzled face, examined it left and right, tried to bite it a couple of times, had his eyes light up, and then stuffed it straight into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound; After eating, the little stone mans eyes became hazy, he yawned, lay down slowly, and shrunk into a stone ball about one meter in diameter; Before Song Jian could react, the stone ball turned into a white light and entered the Pet Space; Song Jian took a look and immediately received a system prompt; System: Your pet Stone Man is undergoing evolution, the evolution time is unknown. If you forcibly summon it during the evolution process, it will cause permanent damage to the pet; Song Jian just glanced at it and closed the Pet Space. The little stone man fell into evolutionary slumber, and the Black Dragon seemed to sense that Song Jian was viewing the Pet Space. It roared discontentedly; Dont worry, Ill let you out soon to get some fresh air. Song Jian sent a message to the Black Dragon and then withdrew his mind from the Pet Space; At this time, the bars on the opposite side had not yet opened, and angry curses came from the audience seats of the arena. Some people even threw garbage directly at the entrance of the bars, and in a short while, the entrance was filled with various trash; Perhaps unable to withstand the audiences noisy curses, the bars on the opposite side finally started to rise slowly, and a massive Fire Elemental Lord drifted out; The moment this Fire Elemental left the bars, the temperature in the entire arena increased by more than ten degrees, and the garbage that had accumulated at the entrance of the bars instantly ignited. In no time, it turned into a pile of ashes; Fire Elemental Lord, Level 35 Elite BOSS, Tier 1 Combat Power! Song Jian stared at the Fire Elementals attributes and whispered with a smile, A BOSS with Tier 1 Combat Power has finally appeared, huh! Song Jian had long anticipated that a BOSS with Tier 1 Combat Power would appear. Sure enough, it appeared right after the never-before-passed seventh round. This Level 35 Elite BOSS is the same level as Song Jian, he should be able to beat it, right? Gao Dongxin hesitated as she spoke. This isnt just a matter of level! Zhao Dans face showed a cautious expression as he said, You should have seen that this BOSS has Tier 1 Combat Power! Tier 1 Combat Power? What is that? Gao Dongxin wondered; Youre not Level 30 yet. When you reach Level 30, youll receive a mission to assess Tier 1 Combat Power! Zhao Dan explained, This mission is very difficult, even the simplest C-rank task might take several years to complete! Several years? Gao Dongxin exclaimed, Why is it so hard? Thats also the reason why I havent taken the assessment yet! Zhao Dan glanced at Gao Dongxin and continued, Even a player who has only passed the C-rank assessment can crush players of the same level who havent passed the assessment! What, crush? How is that possible! Gao Dongxin exclaimed; Do you know the rewards for passing the assessment? Zhao Dan questioned, Its an all-property reward, equivalent to an increase of dozens of attribute points. If you can pass B-rank, or even A-rank, not only are there all-property rewards, but also skill points, profession skill books, and rare Skill Books! Gao Dongxins mouth was agape, her face showing a shocked expression. Then, as if realizing something, she looked at Song Jian; He, he Gao Dongxin pointed at Song Jian; Youre right, he must have passed the Tier 1 Combat Power assessment, and at least an A-rank one at that, or even an A+ rank Zhao Dans eyes showed a complex look as he watched Song Jian, who was relentlessly fighting the Fire Elemental Lord in the arena; This Fire Elemental Lord was far stronger than the previous Earth Elemental Leader, most importantly, in its hand was a burning hammer radiating scorching heat. Even though Song Jian deployed the Sword Control Skill and attacked it simultaneously with four long swords, the Fire Elemental Lord still blocked all the attacks with its flawless hammer technique; Clang, clang, clang, clang~ Brilliant sparks exploded continuously in the air from the four long swords. Each impact sent a trembling sensation through Song Jians mind, with 30-40 points of damage floating above his head; Fire Elemental, huh! Song Jian wiped the blood from his nostrils and, with a thought, had his four long swords simultaneously launch the first move of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Evening Snowflakes; In an instant, the entire arena was filled with snowflakes as thick as goose feathers, and a thick layer of snow accumulated on the ground. The flurry of snowflakes swayed in the wind along with the constant movement of the four long swords. In a short time, four snow dragons fluttered in the air of the arena and pounced on the Fire Elemental Lord; Boom~ The four snow dragons slammed into the Fire Elemental Lord, extinguishing its blazing flames in an instant, and even covering its surface with a layer of frost. Four critical hit damages of over a thousand points floated above the Fire Elemental Lords head, making it look like a Snow Elemental Lord rather than a Fire Elemental one. Only one of the four long swords was engraved with the Evening Snowflakes of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, the other three were conjured by Song Jian. The consumption was also quite high for him, but now that the Fire Elemental Lord was suppressed, it was time to strike while the iron was hot. Song Jian gritted his teeth and went all out with his full power, making the four long swords fly up and down around the ice-covered Fire Elemental Lord. The bursting Sword Qi continuously slashed at it, with several hundred points of damage floating above the Fire Elemental Lords head; Chapter 710 - Chapter 710: Chapter 710: Self-Destruction Chapter 710: Chapter 710: Self-Destruction Snow and fire counteract each other. If Song Jian were to only use a long sword to execute Snowy Dusk, the sword qi of snowflakes appearing for an instant would be immediately reduced to nothing by the fire of the Fire Elemental Lord. However, using four long swords simultaneously to employ Snowy Dusk puts the Fire Elemental Lord at an immediate disadvantage; The surface flames are extinguished by the snowy sword qi, but an endless amount of fire elemental power still resides within the Fire Elemental Lord; The more suppressed it gets, the more fiercely the continuing fire elemental energy within its body responds. With the snow and ice piling on, Song Jians remaining Spirit Points are already insufficient to deploy four sets of Snowy Dusk simultaneously; But it is no problem just using a single long sword. At this time, snowflakes began to drift again throughout the entire arena. Although the power was much weaker than when the four swords were used together, and it was no longer able to gather a snowy dragon, these injuries are more than enough for the Fire Elemental Lord, now covered in snow, to contend with; Snowy Dusk, Snowy Dusk The four long swords successively employed Snowy Dusk: the accumulated snow on the ground of the arena now reached Song Jians knees and the Fire Elemental Lord was covered in a massive ball of snow, unable to even swing the flaming hammer in its hands, unable to oppose the four long swords in any way; As instances of Snowy Dusk are continually unleashed, Song Jian seems to reach a profound state where his execution of this sword technique becomes smoother and faster; initially, Song Jian controlled three other long swords and executed other sword techniques, but quickly, he abandoned the other techniques to focus solely on Snowy Dusk; As one sword is exercised, the other three swords just silently float in the air C though this certainly wasted some attack damage, by now Song Jian was fully immersed in the sword technique of Snowy Dusk, as if about to break through any moment. However, just at this moment, Song Jian felt a sudden, intense sense of danger in his heart. The ongoing sword technique was immediately interrupted, and he rapidly retreated back; the four long swords turned into a meteor-like stream, following Song Jian; Boom~ In the center of the arena, a violent explosion suddenly occurred. The Fire Elemental Lord, covered in layers of snow, actually self-detonated, an explosion from a first-tier fire elemental, powerful enough to flatten all buildings within hundreds of meters radius; Buzz~ In the mere moment when the explosion erupted, the arena was suddenly enveloped by a transparent light screen, restricting the force of the explosion within the arena only; The transparent light screen, washed over by the scorching flames, turned red. The force of the explosion incessantly bombarded against the screen, making its surface ripple like water, but it never broke through the screen. The thick snow in the arena vaporized in an instant, engulfing the entire arena in a dense mist; It was not until the explosion ended that Gao Dongxin exclaimed in horror: If that explosion just now If it hadnt been for that protective screen, the entire arena would have blown away! Even as players, we would have died just now! uttered Zhao Dan, a hint of fear in her eyes. Just then, an automated voice rang out from the booth: The defensive shield of the arena can withstand a tenth level forbidden spell. Unless a second tier power were to self-detonate, it is impossible to break through the shields defense. Furthermore, the treasure chest youre in has a strong defensive array, enough to ensure the safety of our esteemed guests! Who are you? Zhao Dan shouted in surprise, having visited this booth at least a dozen times without ever hearing this voice. I am the Arena System Manager, you may call me, Elf! the automated voice explained; System Elf? Zhao Dan and Gao Dongxin exchanged looks, both seeing the surprise in each others eyes. You may also address me that way! replied the System Elf; Why havent you appeared before? wondered Gao Dongxin. I only appear when Im needed The System Elfs voice gradually faded away. System Elf, System Elf? called Gao Dongxin. Stop calling, better focus on Song Jian. Zhao Dan said grumpily: Such a strong explosion, even if there were protection around, the area would have been already leveled to the ground. Do you think he could still be alive? Right, right, what happened to Song Jian? Gao Dongxin suddenly became anxious: He cant die, otherwise our Gao family Alright, alright, its just a set of golden quality equipment, is it necessary to keep mentioning it? snorted Zhao Dan, walking to the front of the stand, looking down; By this time, the thick fog in the arena gradually dispersed. The Fire Elemental Lord originally had one third of its vitality left. Nevertheless, the continuous squeezing and pressure from Snowy Dusk enabled the fire energy within the Lords body to continuously compress and gather. Once it self-detonates, the strength increases by more than a third. Even if Song Jian had sensed it beforehand and hid in the furthest corner, the severe injury was inevitable. Without the protection of the equipment, Song Jian was beaten to near death by the Fire Elemental Lords self-detonation, if it hadnt been for the Book of the Abyss automatically protecting its master at the last moment, melting out the Abyssal Flame Armor, Song Jian might have perished along with the Fire Elemental Lord. He fished out an advanced healing potion from his pack and began slowly recovering; After finishing off an advanced healing potion, Song Jian then pulled out a bottle of honey liquor and gulped it down; See that? The healing potions he has are all high-quality! Zhao Dan motioned towards Song Jian and said, envy filling her eyes. Currently, there arent many players who can afford advanced healing potions, let alone potions that replenish mental strength. Some elementary mental strength recovery potions can be found on the market, but intermediate and advanced mental strength healing potions are basically unseen, the occasional ones are immediately purchased; Watching his slowly reviving vitality and mental strength, Song Jian felt a surge of fear, if he hadnt noticed something was off and retreated in time, even with the protection of the Book of the Abyss, he would have perished along with the Fire Elemental Lord. The most annoying kind of monsters are those who can self-detonate! Standing up, Song Jian summoned the four swords that had been blown away, they vibrated with a hum and returned to his side, slowly revolving around his body like satellites, protecting him. Squeak, squeak~ At this moment, the gate on the opposite side opened slowly again. This time, two level 35 elite BOSS monsters with first-tier combat power emerged simultaneously. Chapter 711 - Chapter 711: Chapter 711 Undead Knight Chapter 711: Chapter 711 Undead Knight Undead Knight, the ninth challenge is an Undead Knight! Gao Dongxin exclaims with surprise, followed by a furious expression. This is cheating, that undead horse is even an elite level 35 boss! Additionally, that mount itself has tier one combat power. Its strength is probably slightly lower than the knight, Zhao Dan shakes his head. Besides, its not just any undead horse, its an Abyssal Nightmare, skilled in fear magic. How can we fight this? Even though Song Jian has first-tier combat power, its two against one; how could he possibly win! Gao Dongxin said indignantly. They are already at the ninth level, getting closer to success. Gao Dongxins anticipation is getting higher, but now, the appearance of the Undead Knight was like a bucket of cold water poured over him. Song Jian stands up, looking at the Undead Knight slowly stepping out, with a sober expression on his face. The Undead Knight is dressed in dark metal armor, only two eyes are glowing with a bright red light. Underneath is the Abyssal Nightmare, flames burning on its four limbs, wrapped in battle armor. The Abyssal Nightmare is similar to an undead creature, with scarce flesh and most of its bones exposed, emitting a black abyssal aura. The Undead Knight is a formidable being with a Fatal Strike passive capability and is the only first-tier combat power creature capable of killing a second-tier combat power creature. Accompanied by its Abyssal Nightmare, the combination of two elite bosses with first-tier combat power, the effect would definitely be more than one plus one. Seeing the Undead Knight coming towards him, Song Jian steps forward and calls out: My name is Song Jian, who are you, the knight of which undead duke? With the Undead Knights rarity, each one inherently holds a noble title upon their creation. Only a noble of Count level and above would have the privilege to recruit them. My name Her the Undead Knight began, but stopped after just two words. A moment of pause later, the Undead Knight spoke, Human, do you wish to know my true name? When I kill you, I will tell your corpse my name. If possible, I could turn you into an undead creature, becoming my servant. Song Jian was a little disappointed, but since the opponent was an undead creature, it probably wouldnt have much flesh. Even knowing the true name, he didnt know if the Shackles Mark skill would work on it. With a neigh, the Abyssal Nightmare suddenly accelerated towards Song Jian. This is the Undead Knights charge ability, boosting its speed by 150% in an instant, causing a 30% damage boost on impact and a high possibility of causing a stun effect. Boom! Suddenly, Song Jians body was engulfed in raging black flames, filling the air with a strong abyssal aura. Swish~ The Abyssal Nightmare had already sprinted to a distance less than ten meters from Song Jian. But the moment the abyssal flames rose, the Abyssal Nightmare abruptly stopped. With its forehalf raised high, its hooves swung wildly in the air. Fearful, it looked at Song Jian and lowered its head towards him. The charge was interrupted by its own mount, the Undead Knight suffered a backlash. Over a thousand points of damage floated above its head, leaving it stunned for three seconds. The Undead Knight probably never expected its own mount would betray itself. This has never occurred since the day it became an Undead Knight. The fourth-tier Abyssal Flames on Song Jian, now bestowed with first-tier combat power, gave off a terrifying aura. Despite both the Abyssal Nightmare and the Undead Knight being elite level 35 bosses with first-tier combat power, they were on completely different standings. Undead Knights are part of the undead aristocracy, but Abyssal Nightmares are only strong common beings in the abyssal world. Confronted with Song Jians terrifying abyssal aura, the natural hierarchy discouraged it from initiating an attack on Song Jian. Stupid! The Undead Knights eyes blazed with a bright red light, kicking the belly of the Abyssal Nightmare repeatedly, desperately tugging the reins to make it move. However, no matter how hard he tried, the Abyssal Nightmare remained stationary, constantly letting out a mournful neigh. Waste! The Undead Knight struck at the head of the Abyssal Nightmare, dismounted, took out a lance hanging on the Nightmare, intending to rush at Song Jian but hesitated. He put the lance back onto the Abyssal Nightmare, took out a two-handed greatsword from the other side, and rushed towards Song Jian. Without the speed boost from the Abyssal Nightmare, the Undead Knight was essentially just an oversized foot soldier. Many of its skills, which require a mount to execute, were unusable, making a fight against it extremely dangerous. The Undead Knights passive ability Fatal Strike could trigger anytime, whether in a mounted fight or close combat, with melee combat seemingly having a higher chance. I cant engage in close combat with him! Song Jian thought, repeating the fight strategy used against the Fire Elemental Lord. Controlling four long swords and constantly unleashing Snowy Night, keeping a safe distance from the Undead Knight using Sword Shadow Step. After losing the speed boost from the mount, the Undead Knight wasnt fast to begin with. Under the heavy snow, his speed was slower than a normal person. Seeing Song Jian continuously kiting the Undead Knight around the coliseum while the Abyssal Nightmare was harmless, standing in the middle of the coliseum causing an uproar in the spectator stands; they didnt seem satisfied with the situation in the coliseum. Cheating, this is cheating! An Undead Knight without a horse- still call it a knight? Unfair! Damn it, you cant do this. This kind of battle is completely unwatchable! Kill him, we want to see bloodshed, not some pansies fighting! What the hell are they up to? Just now, against two Level 35 Elite Bosses, they never once shouted! Gao Dongxin angrily hit the observation deck. They just want to see how these monsters kill real humans Zhao Dan said. Those bastards! Gao Dongxin cursed. As long as Song Jian sticks to this plan, Its possible to wear down the Undead Knight. If the ninth level could be passed this easily, then the chances of achieving ten wins in a row are much higher. Suddenly, an Undead Witch in the spectator stands stands up and shouts out, I am willing to offer a pair of speed boots to this pitiful knight, request for a bloodletting judgement! Chapter 712 - Chapter 712: Chapter 712: Bloody Judgement Chapter 712: Chapter 712: Bloody Judgement Just as Song Jian was on the verge of victory, having already whittled down the Undead Knights Vitality Points to below 70%, a female Undead Witch suddenly stood up in the audience, shouting loudly, I want to provide this poor knight with a pair of Acceleration Boots! I request a Bloody Verdict! The audience beside the Undead Witch cheered loudly and shouted together, Bloody Verdict, Bloody Verdict! Soon, the entire audience stood up and roared in unison: Bloody Verdict, Bloody Verdict What what are they doing? Gao Dongxin said in surprise. Bloody Verdict? Whats that? I havent seen it in previous duels Zhao Dan also looked astounded. At this moment, the system Elfs voice rang out across the arena: Bloody Verdict is a sacred verdict initiated by the live audience. To activate a Bloody Verdict, one million Doomsday Coins must be consumed. The verdict allows the audience to provide help to any duelist in the arena by giving them a single item! Arena duels are sacred and fair. Regardless of the tier or level of the equipment provided by the audience, an equivalent item must be given to the opponent as compensation! Bloody Verdict cannot be refused and can only be activated once during a duel! Bloody Verdict will upgrade the reward for ten consecutive victories! Gao Dongxin exclaimed in shock, This this is cheating, right? This is cheating, cheating! In the last two sentences, he even leaned on the railing and shouted. I never thought there would be so many rules in the arena! Zhao Dan appeared thoughtful and whispered, Previous challengers were too weak and couldnt gather any information. It seems that today will be different. I have to write down all this information! System Elf: Undead Witch Susanna pays one million Doomsday Coins to initiate Bloody Verdict! System Elf: Undead Witch Susanna hands over a level 35 Gold Quality item Rowells Charging Boots to the Undead Knight. System Elf: Undead Witch Susanna hands over a level 35 Gold Quality item Stealth Orb to Challenger Song Jian. Song Jian, who was more than a dozen meters away from the Undead Knight, suddenly found an extra item, the Stealth Orb, in his inventory. Stealth Orb (Gold), special item, usage effect: Immediately takes effect when placed in the backpack, allows the user to automatically master max level Stealth Technique, movement speed increased by 5% while stealthed, detection probability reduced by 30%. Seeing the attributes of this orb, Song Jian revealed a bitter smile on his face; This piece of gold equipment was very valuable, and the Stealth Technique was the core skill of thieves and assassins alike; currently, not a single player could level up their Stealth Technique to max level. The most important thing was that the Stealth Technique learned by players reduced movement speed during stealth; level 1 Stealth Technique reduced movement speed by 50%, whereas max level Stealth Technique reduced movement speed by only 5%. However, this orb increased movement speed by 5% during stealth and reduced detection probability by 30% a highly valuable item. Such a treasure would surely be fiercely contested by players in the auction house, especially for those professions that relied on stealth; they would be willing to spend their entire fortune to acquire this item. However, this equipment had no use for Song Jian at the moment, as Stealth Technique could not be used during combat. This piece of equipment, as good as it was, could not immediately enhance his power. The boots obtained by the other party, as their name suggests, are ones that increase the users movement speed and undoubtedly possess an acceleration skill, greatly benefiting the current Undead Knight. As long as the Undead Knight can catch up to Song Jian, the situation would immediately turn around. In a close combat situation, the Undead Knight is even capable of fighting against someone with second-tier combat power. If the passive skill Fatal Strike activates during close combat, it would be an instant kill for anyone. Song Jian could clearly see that the Undead Knight had changed into a pair of boots, which are visibly different from the rest of its equipment. Apparently, the previous ensemble was a set, and replacing the boots now could mean a loss of a set attribute. Nevertheless, the change in the Undead Knights speed was apparent after equipping the boots. Most importantly, the thick snow seemed unable to slow it down. It moved as if gliding on the snow towards Song Jian. Immunity to slow status? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. He originally thought the boots would carry some acceleration abilities or an active ability to temporarily remove slow debuffs. However, he didnt expect these scorpion boots to possess a passive skill with immunity to slow effects. This puts a big restraint on Song Jians Snow Dance Sword technique. You think I can only restrict your speed? Song Jian snorted coldly, counterattacking and charging directly towards the Undead Knight. Seeing Song Jian ready to face the Undead Knight head-on, the audience roared with excitement! Fatal Strike, Fatal Strike, Fatal Strike! The Undead Witch stood up, clenched her fists, and shouted loudly. Following her lead, almost everyone in the audience rose from their seats and roared, Fatal Strike, Fatal Strike They all wanted to see Song Jian being killed by the Undead Knights passive skill, the Fatal Strike. All humans in the treasure chests looked somber. In room 102, a middle-aged man stared at the field intently and whispered, Fortunately, these monsters wont appear on Earth That may not be true. They have already appeared before our eyes. How can you be sure that they wont show up on the streets or even in your own home in the near future? Clutching the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, Song Jian battled against the Undead Knight. At his side, the three longswords moved as if controlled by invisible hands, thrusting at the Undead Knight from various angles. For a moment, it was as if four master swordsmen were besieging the Undead Knight. The clamor about the Fatal Strike irritated the Undead Knight, whose passive skill, Fatal Strike, was not something it could activate at will. Sometimes it wouldnt even trigger in several battles, but since the effect is so strong, the chances of it activating are extremely low. Soon, the Undead Knight found that in close combat, it was no match for Song Jian. By the time it managed to land a blow on Song Jian, he had already slashed it four or five times. Song Jians vitality points loss would be around 300 compared to the Undead Knight, who would lose 1,500 to 2,000 vitality points. Why is your damage so high? The Undead Knight couldnt help but roar out. Although its vitality points were five or six times that of Song Jian, by now, the Undead Knight had lost more than half of its vitality, while Song Jians vitality still remained above 60%. Most importantly, during the battle, Song Jian could actually take out items to restore vitality and spirit points from time to time. How could the Undead Knight bear this? Its irritation grew increasingly, to the point where the Undead Knight finally couldnt take it anymore. With a low growl, it swung the double-handed sword, sending two longswords in mid-air flying. The Undead Knight leaped high into the air; A brilliant crimson glow flashed across the blade of the double-handed sword, and Song Jian immediately sensed a colossal threat charging towards him. Instant kill? Song Jians face finally changed, and the sharp-eyed spectators in the audience excitedly yelled out. Chapter 713 - Chapter 713: Chapter 713: The Deadly Strike chapter 713: chapter 713: the deadly strike the fatal blow! the undead knight finally triggered its passive talent, fatal blow! regardless of the opponents strength, defense, or how much vitality points they have, there is a great chance of killing the opponent instantly! this is the terror of the undead knight, the only first-tier combat power that can kill a second-tier combat power; its the fatal blow, it triggered the fatal blow! someone in the audience shouted out loud, his face glowing red with excitement. the chance of triggering fatal blow is extremely low. very few people have been able to witness the power of the fatal blow. most of the people who have seen the fatal blow were already dead. now, the audience had the opportunity to witness its power, they all became immediately excited. the entire audience was buzzing, even the humans in the boxes had all stood up, nervously looking towards the arena; this was the first time a human had reached the ninth round, and almost all the audience was cheering for song jians opponent. unconsciously, all the humans in the boxes were emotionally standing behind song jian. die! the undead knight growled, a surge of joy rushing to his heart. no matter how formidable his opponents attack, as long as he triggered the fatal blow, the opponent would have no chance of surviving; what a pity for that stealth orb! a strange thought suddenly surfaced in the undead knights mind; at that moment, a brilliant golden sword qi suddenly exploded onto song jians crimson fire heart ape sword. the undead knight sneered to himself internally that no matter how hard the opponent struggled, there was no technique that could defend against the fatal blow! sacred parry! song jian muttered, his crimson fire heart ape sword and the undead knights double-handed sword violently collided with each other; pop~ just like a bubble bursting, all the power of the undead knight disappeared, the red light on his sword blade also vanished, and both of them were thrown towards the back after the collision; song jian struggled to get up. a foot-long sword wound appeared on his chest, and blood was gushing out; surgical treatment! song jian swiftly cast a healing skill on himself to stop the bleeding, then took out a bottle of honey wine to slowly recover; the undead knight, on the other hand, rolled over twice on the ground before struggling to stand up; how did you not die? the undead knight said in surprise; just then, a red light suddenly appeared in the sky, slashing fiercely towards the undead knight; crack~ the red light flashed through the undead knights body and disappeared. the standing undead knight wobbled for a moment, then suddenly split in two and fell onto the arena floor; the arena fell silent, then after a while a heartbreaking scream rang out from the audience stands: no! heracles! looking up, the undead witch who had called for the bloody judgment was furiously screaming, her piercing screech echoed throughout the entire arena. i curse you, human, i, susanna, swear on my life core, you will the undead witch, susanna, glared at song jian with vicious eyes, and started to chant a curse loudly; just then, a peal of thunder sounded in the sky over the arena, a sword formed of thunder, the sword of divine punishment, stabbed down at the undead witch, susanna; boom~ with a muffled crash, the thunderbolt sword brutally hit the undead witch. without even letting out a scream, the undead witchs body turned into ash instantly; the rules of the arena are sacrosanct and inviolable. anyone who dares to offend will be punished! the voice of the system elf echoed throughout the entire arena. this time, its voice was loud and resonant, filled with an endless sense of authority; the audience fell silent, no one daring to challenge these events, all out of fear. song jians lips twitched into a small smile; it looks like one of his enemies had just disappeared. the opponent had even given him a thirty-five-level gold quality item. the undead knight was killed by the sacred parry, which rebounded his passive skill fatal blow. after it died, the abyssal nightmare let out a long hiss, its figure gradually fading away, returning to the abyssal hell; he did it, song jian won! gao dongxin excitedly hugged zhao dan, starting to bounce in joy. what skill did he use? zhao dan wore an astonished expression. she was surprised by song jians combat power when he was previously fighting the undead knight head-on. after the undead knight triggered the fatal blow, an unbeatable skill, song jian was able to use a rebound skill, bouncing the opponents passive skill effect back. this gave zhao dan an almost unbelievable feeling. i dont know. whatever it was, he won! he won! gao dongxin exclaimed excitedly; alright, theres still the last round. dont celebrate too early! zhao dan patted gao dongxins shoulder and said. no problem, he will definitely be fine! gao dongxin laughed: even the undead knight couldnt beat him, and the abyssal nightmare was scared stiff by him, he will definitely win the tenth round! youve become song jians little fan girl now, so much faith in him? zhao dan joked; gao dongxin blushed slightly, huffed, and ran back to the grandstand to watch the arena carefully. song jian sat in the arena, slowly recovering his status. without the addition of all his equipment, his actual combat power had declined by more than three levels, otherwise, he wouldnt have been injured; most of the players who came to the arena to challenge were in the same situation as him, without the enhancement of equipment. many players were not used to this and overestimated themselves, which usually resulted in a bitter defeat. after song jian had fully recovered, the opponent for the tenth round still hadnt shown up. the railing gate on the opposite side was tightly closed, and the audience around was silent. it seemed that everyone was waiting for the tenth round opponent; whats happening? dont tell me they dont have an opponent for the tenth round? gao dongxin complained discontentedly. by now, more than ten minutes had passed and she was growing impatient. isnt it good to give song jian more recovery time? zhao dan laughed; hmm, he has long been ready. didnt you see him preparing? gao dongxin grumbled; oh, so youre not worried about the tenth round opponent, but youre concerned that song jians been waiting too long! zhao dan laughed; gao dongxin was stunned, then her face turned red: dan sister, why do you also like to tease people while zhao dan was teasing gao dongxin, in the arena, the rail gate opposite song jian slowly opened, his opponent for the tenth round had finally appeared. Chapter 714 - Chapter 714: Chapter 714: Gladiator chapter 714: chapter 714: gladiator the arenas fence slowly opened, and a gladiator clad in simple armor, wearing a big red cape, holding a spear in his right hand and a shield in his left hand, slowly walked out of the fence; level 35, tier one combat power? song jian squinted his eyes, examining the opponent who walked out of the fence: with strength less than an undead knight, how could he possibly be the tenth guardian? song jian was puzzled, but soon, his face changed because he saw that behind this gladiator, more than ten similarly dressed gladiators walked out in a row; all level 35, tier one combat power! song jians face turned gloomy, the previous undead knight, although the cheating was somewhat hidden, since the abyssal nightmare was the mount of the undead knight, it barely made sense; but now, this was blatant cheating, as a total of twelve level 35, tier one combat power gladiators walked out of the fence; the most important thing was that after these gladiators came out, they automatically formed a square, raising their spears high and shouting, sparta, sparta, sparta! damn it, this isnt cheating! song jian was instantly furious. after all, he was only a level 35 player with a tier one combat power, and all his equipment was left in the game. if he were allowed to wear all the equipment, he would still have the confidence to fight the twelve spartan gladiators. but now, his strength was less than sixty percent of what it was in the game. to battle against these twelve well-coordinated tier one combat power elite bosses would be no different from courting death; the audiences noises surged, whistling, cheering, and boisterous laughter filled the air; this is simply murder! zhao dans face changed dramatically, never expecting the arenas tenth stage to feature a small squad of elite bosses with tier one combat power. no player would be able to win at this stage! its over, i didnt expect this arena to be a trap! gao dongxin revealed a look of despair on his face. other spectators in the stalls also shook their heads, some even got up and left, and it was unlikely that anyone would challenge the arena again for a long time to come. you want to compete on numbers with me? song jian sneered. opening the skill bar, song jian directly cast the blood pool summoning skill, and soon, he received a system prompt; system: do you want to use the blood pool summoning skill in the real world? in the real world, the cost of using blood pool summoning skill is doubled! system: casting blood pool summoning skill in the real world may have some adverse effects, do you want to continue? song jian hesitated, wondering about the adverse effects? what did that mean? the system did not provide an answer; summon! song jian said silently in his heart; whoosh- streams of red light flashed beside song jian, and thirty red crows appeared around him. as soon as they appeared, they began to fly around haphazardly, soon landing on the walls around the arena; these blood crows were the size of basketballs, spreading their wings like small eagles. their eyes emitted a demonic, scarlet glow that released a strange energy when staring at a person, causing confusion; level 30 summoned creatures? is song jian a summoner too? zhao dan exclaimed in surprise. only summoners in the game could summon so many battle pets at once. ordinary players only had one or two pets, and having more would come at an increasingly higher cost. but that wasnt all, song jian quickly summoned thirty blood corpses and thirty blood wolves; next, song jian opened the skill bar and put a skill point into the blood pool summoning skill.; as the blood pool had not leveled up further, song jian could not summon any new summoned creatures. however, after upgrading the blood pool summoning skill, all the summoned blood creatures had their levels raised to 35, and even gained a passive critical strike blood-sucking effect; the spectators were stunned. they were now somewhat confused about the profession of the human in the arena; a two-headed troll with meaty wings sneered: does having a lot of summons make him great? humph, even if they are all raised to level 35, these summoned creatures still lack tier one combat power against the twelve spartan gladiators; annihilation is just a matter of time., exactly. hes obviously a swordsman, yet hes diverting his attention to so many pets. its a total lack of focus! ha ha ha, i remember the spartan gladiators have a passive skill called bloodthirsty cruelty. the more enemies they kill, the more powerful their attack. is this human here to make a joke, deliberately boosting the enemys attack power? seeing song jian summon so many pets, the twelve spartan gladiators didnt show any fear; on the contrary, they roared excitedly, victory, victory, victory! the chief spartan gladiator, wielding a spear, pointed at song jian and roared, charge at the enemy! its skull will become the glory of the spartans! boom- twelve spartan gladiators charged together, raising an unstoppable momentum; song jian looked at the spartan gladiators rushing towards him and a sneer appeared on his face, do you think this is over? too naive! with a thought, a black giant dragon, about seven or eight meters long, appeared above song jians head. with a spread of its wings, a crisp dragon chant echoed throughout the arena; a dragon, a black dragon, how is this possible? how could he have a giant dragon as a battle pet! in the stands, countless races of various appearances all stood up in surprise, staring in disbelief at the black dragon flying in the arenas sky. although it hasnt grown into adulthood, it is indeed a member of the dragon clan, and even the most formidable black dragon among the five-colored dragons damn, giant dragons have a natural order difference. even within the same combat power tier, these spartan gladiators cannot defeat a black dragon! no, it hasnt fully grown yet; its still young. the spartans still have a chance! have you forgotten the human who summoned it? do you think hed do nothing while those muscle-brained spartans attack the black dragon? so, is this human going to achieve the ten consecutive victories? impossible, this is absolutely impossible! in the spectator stands, the noise grew louder, and everyone seemed to have forgotten about the arena duel itself, focusing entirely on the black dragon summoned by song jian; just then, an angry voice rang out from the stands: human, you dare to capture a member of the dragon clan as a battle pet! this behavior is unforgivable! prepare for being hunted down by the dragon clan for eternity! ps: thank you to scarlet moon o night for the reward of 100 qidian coins~ Chapter 715 - Chapter 715: Chapter 715: Ancient Red Dragon chapter 715: chapter 715: ancient red dragon the very instant song jian summoned the black dragon, everyones attention in the spectators seats was already completely transfixed on the black dragon. nobody cared anymore about whether the spartans could kill song jian. then, at this moment, a voice roared furiously, human, you shall face the relentless pursuit of the dragon clan, for you have insulted a mighty race! song jian lifted his head to find an elderly figure in a bright red robe hovering in the air above the spectators seats, standing like a deity in mid-air. the furious look in his eyes was enough to set song jian alight. hovering behind this elder was the terrifyingly powerful spectral projection of an ancient red dragon. practically all of the spectators around it were trembling, falling to their knees at its feet. dragon might! this is a mature giant dragon! moreover, it has tier three combat power! song jians heart sank. at this moment, song jian suddenly received a system notification. system: youve been marked with a dragon mark by an ancient red dragon, your reputation within the dragon clan has dropped to hostility; system: the dragon mark emits a unique signal that only the dragon clan can detect. within a thousand meter radius, any dragon clansmen will proactively attack you relentlessly; system: due to the dragon mark, all dragon beasts, dragon servants, and half-dragon beings of impure lineage will fear you. as long as they detect your presence, they will flee and dare not to face you in combat directly! i knew something like this would happen sooner or later! song jians face turned grim as he sensed the faint dragon might emitting from his body. just then, three golden chains materialized out of thin air around the ancient red dragon, binding it tightly. following this, a black whip about thirty feet long appeared in mid-air; ancient red dragon, youve violated the arenas rules. due to minor charges, you are sentenced to three whippings! the voice of the systems elf resonated within the entire arena; smack, smack, smack~ the black whip lashed ruthlessly against the ancient red dragon. blazing radiance exploded from its robe as if a defense mechanism was activated. however, it was useless. the first strike shattered its robe and left deep gashes across its body, some of which were so severe that the bone was visible; human, the pain ive suffered today will be returned to you a hundredfold! i swear on the name of the ancient red dragon tuya tymas edisia, i will hang your head on the red dragon cliff before it could finish its threat, the second strike of the whip severely lashed its body; the three dragon punishment strikes leveled the ancient red dragon with tier three combat power to the brink of death; after the punishment ended, the ancient red dragon collapsed from the air and slumped onto its seat. it took a few gasps for breath, shot two malicious glances at song jian, then slowly faded from its seat, seemingly having left the premises entirely. tuya tymas edisia, huh? a chill flashed across the corners of song jians mouth; after the spectacle, everyones eyes returned once again to the arena. the appearance of the black dragon immediately sent the morale of the twelve spartan fighters plummeting. although they mustered their courage and shouted at the black dragon, they immediately halted their charge when the black dragon released its dragon might; spartans fear nothing! shouted the leader, brandishing his spear and throwing it at the hovering black dragon; the spear, as swift as lightning, punctured the body of the black dragon dealing over six hundred damage. the other spartan fighters seemed encouraged and joined the leader in throwing their spears; the black dragon roared, beating its wings so that a wild wind arose, scattering the spears. in the end, they only inflicted double-digit damage to the black dragon; at this point, song jian had summoned four long swords. he held one in hand, while the remaining three orbited him like satellites, rushing towards the spartan gladiators. the weaponless spartans could only engage with song jian bare-handed. in a short time, their bodies were riddled with sword cuts, causing their vitality points to plummet. shield strike! the gladiators gripped their shields in both hands, using them as weapons to hurl a fierce blow at song jian. clang, clang, clang, clang~ song jians vitality points dramatically dropped, almost halving instantly. tai chi sword skill! a faint stream of grey energy revolved around song jian, deflecting all incoming attacks. at that moment, the black dragon above let out a roar, blasting a scorching dragon breath towards the spartan gladiators. boom~ over each spartan gladiators head floated more than a thousand damage points. along with the burning effect, the dragons flaming breath ignited on their bodies. the blood wolves and blood ghouls summoned by song jian also roared, pouncing towards the spartan gladiators. a grand melee ensued within the arena. with the aid of these summoned creatures, song jian suddenly had his hands free. he used the four long swords simultaneously to unleash a flurry of snow-covered attacks, covering the entire arena in a thick layer of snow. the flurry of sword qi swept across, slashing the spartans repeatedly. a blizzard of damage numbers floated up from their heads, looking brutally relentless. at this moment, a spartan gladiator suddenly leaped high, picking up a long spear flung aside by the black dragon, and lunged at the blood ravens perched on the arena wall. his aim was to stack the passive exploitable effects of the blood ravens, which among the summoned creatures, seemed easiest to kill. the chosen blood raven merely tilted its head without flying away. its blood-red eyes twinkled with an eerie light. just then, the leaping spartans sharp gaze grew misty. he seemed to forget what he was doing and abruptly thrust his spear into his own thigh. thud~ a gush of blood sprayed out from his leg. the pain brought him to his senses, but his body uncontrollably plummeted to the ground. his self-inflicted wound was so powerful, it caused a disabled effect to appear in his status bar. at song jians command, the golden demonslaying sword traced an arc in the air, sparking with electricity. it viciously hacked into this already disabled spartan gladiator. flash thunder strike! fast beyond the spartans reaction time, the golden demonslaying sword slashed him hard across his back, eliciting a tragic scream. the slashing continued relentlessly. by the time he fell, he was already a lifeless corpse. upon sensing their comrades death, the remaining spartan gladiators let out sorrowful howls. astonishingly, they clawed deep bloody marks on their own chests, looking at song jian with furious eyes and roaring loudly: blood fight, blood fight, blood fight! Chapter 716 - Chapter 716: Chapter 716: Fight to the Death chapter 716: chapter 716: fight to the death the spartans roared for a bloody battle, which meant they were determined to fight to the death, but in the arena, only one would stand in the end, whether challenger or defender. thus, their cries for a bloody battle had no meaning; with a thought from song jian, thirty blood crows flew towards the spartans, targeting a spartan gladiator with his vitality points reduced by half using a control skill; the spear that originally aimed at song jian suddenly weakened. song jian took advantage of this, controlling four longswords and launching four flash thunder strikes onto the spartan, each attack dealing over a thousand damage; these spartan gladiators originally had less than 8000 vitality points. with this round of damage, the injured gladiator was instantly killed. the second one! song jian whispered. after leveling up the blood pool summoning skill, these originally scouting blood crows had now also gained a control skill called enchantment, which was difficult to guard against due to its stealthy release. however, the skill duration was very short, lasting less than two seconds and was difficult to use repeatedly on the same target. when used for the second time, the odds of being resisted would increase significantly; however, for song jian, he didnt need to keep these spartans controlled. as long as there was a brief pause, he could deal heavy damage to them and even instantly kill some injured spartan gladiators; sparta a scream rang out as another spartan gladiator was hit by a vortex fireball sprayed by the black dragon. engulfed in scorching dragon breath, he couldnt finish his last words before dying; the remaining spartan gladiators showed sorrowful and furious expressions. one of them fiercely thrust his spear into a blood wolves body, before unleashing a skill and launching a fierce attack. in an instant, dozens of spear phantoms relentlessly stabbed the blood wolf, turning it into a pool of blood; as he excitedly raised his spear, preparing to shout, two blood wolves targeted him and pounced; with the black dragon in the air not daring to attack, these spartan gladiators who couldnt fly could only desperately dodge the dragons assaults. however, song jian was surrounded by at least four gladiators, while the rest were fending off the monsters he had summoned. fighting with the strength of a tier 1 elite, they could completely crush these blood zombies and blood wolves, however, the number of these creatures was several times that of the gladiators. they knew no fear and would even risk severe injuries to bite a gladiator, causing considerable trouble for those left; most importantly, song jians formidable attack power could not be resisted by just one or even two gladiators. even with four gladiators attacking song jian simultaneously, under the powerful assault of four longswords, they could only retreat incessantly; all the blood zombies were killed, only seven or eight blood wolves remained, and even the flying blood crows had been skewered to death by the gladiators with their spears; only the black dragon continued to wreak havoc, breathing fire and launching vortex fireballs. at level 35, the black dragon had learned a new skill C meteor fall strike! meteor fall strike was a composite magic, dealing triple damage to the target through fire, earth, and physical impact. however, with the black dragons current strength, it could only release one meteor at a time and needed a long rest in between; at this moment, the gladiators were glowing faintly crimson, a result of their passive skill bloodthirsty cruelty, which stacked their attack power based on the enemies they killed. the effect lasted a long time, up to 120 minutes; moreover, with each enemy slain, the duration would refresh. the more enemies the spartans killed, the stronger they became; the gladiator with the most stacked bloodthirsty cruelty was the leader, who had already gained twelve stacks and increased attack power by 120%. this effect could be infinitely stacked, and if allowed to do so, no one could withstand their attacks; spear throw! the leading gladiator roared, and his spear drew an arc in the air, piercing a blood crow and causing it to explode. his bloodthirsty cruelty effect immediately added another stack; song jian frowned, as by now the blood crows had all used their enchantment skill on the gladiators and the chances of being resisted again were huge. the skill had lost its usefulness in battle. now, the blood crows had become tools for the remaining gladiators to stack bloodthirsty cruelty. with a thought from song jian, the remaining dozen blood crows turned back into blood and returned to the games blood pool; roar~ two blood wolves tackled a gladiator to the ground, their sharp fangs fiercely piercing his throat and instantly killing him; on the other side, a gladiator who had been constantly attacking song jian couldnt take it anymore, and he roared, charging towards the two blood wolves. he thrust his spear into one of the wolves before lifting it up and smashing it into the other; even though the gladiators strength far surpassed that of the blood wolves, by facing seven or eight of them at once, they showed no fear. the cunning wolves didnt fight gladiators in good condition. instead, they continuously moved around, targeting the severely injured ones; the number of blood wolves was also dwindling, and by the time song jian killed another gladiator, all of the blood wolves in the arena had been wiped out as well. at this point, apart from song jian and the black dragon above him, there were only five spartan gladiators left. though among these five, besides the leader who still maintained over 60% vitality points, the other four were all severely injured, with scars and wounds all over their bodies; however, the momentum of these gladiators remained strong, giving off the impression that they could fight against a hundred enemies despite being only five in number; the remaining gladiators were all covered in a strong red glow, with at least ten stacks of bloodthirsty cruelty on each, while the leader had already gained eighteen stacks; sparta! two gladiators shouted, holding their spears and initiating an attack on song jian; at this moment, the black dragon in the sky suddenly launched a meteor fall strike towards the two of them. a flaming meteor, the size of a grinding stone, appeared out of thin air in mid-air and fiercely crashed down; boom! the two spartan gladiators were directly sent flying, with their already low vitality points hit hard by this attack, bringing them to the brink of death; at this moment, the leading spartan gladiator suddenly roared, rushing towards the two injured gladiators, and viciously thrust his spear into their throats, finishing their last sliver of vitality points; Chapter 717 - Chapter 717: Chapter 717: The Twenty-Second Floor Chapter 717: Chapter 717: The Twenty-Second Floor After the leader of the Spartans gladiators reaped two more of his comrades, the effect of his savage carnage stacked to twenty layers, his body ablaze with a fiery red glow that rose like flames into the sky. The remaining two gladiators looked at each other, deserted their shields, and threw them at Song Jian, then rushed at him with long spears in a desperate kill-or-be-killed approach. Grrr~ The Black Dragon spewed another stream of scorching Dragon Breath at the two men, who, instead of evading, charged at Song Jian enduring the Dragon Breath. They thrust their spears frantically, relentless as a rainbow. Song Jian, taken aback, stumbled back five or six steps to regain his footing. Clang, clang, clang~ The constant clattering of metal resonated in the air as the two gladiators were hit directly by the Dragon Breath, causing their Vitality Points to plummet drastically. Their bodies cloaked in roaring flames, their bright red cloaks caught fire as well, which they swiftly yanked off and discarded. Splat, splat~ Song Jians shoulder and abdomen were pierced by the long spears of the two gladiators, creating two bloody holes. Thud, thud, thud~ Song Jian withdrew a dozen steps, the blood spouting from his wounds like a fountain. He immediately employed surgical treatment to stop the bleeding. Lifting his gaze to the two gladiators, a look of astonishment crossed his face. At this moment, these two gladiators appeared beyond recognition, their bodies burnt and no intact skin in sight. Covered in sword wounds, their injuries were at least five or six times worse than Song Jians. These two managed to land their hits by completely foregoing their defense, allowing all four of Song Jians long swords to slash across their bodies on a counterattack. Sparta! Both gladiators roared in unison, raising their long spears imbued with their last vestiges of energy. Their bodies arched backward like drawn bows, before they hurled their spears almost simultaneously. After releasing their final blow, the two Spartan gladiators knees buckled and they slumped to the ground drained of all energy, their heads still held high, their gaze tracking the trajectory of their thrown spears towards Song Jian. Witnessing the two spears spearheading his way like shooting stars, Song Jian wore a serious expression on his face. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Dusk-Drifting Snowfall! Song Jian brandished his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and initiated the first move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. At his side, the three long swords maneuvered spontaneously, their movements identical to those of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in Song Jians hands. Snow fluttered throughout the sky, forming four ice-encrusted dragons that bellowed, their claws reaching out to snatch the two flying spears. But as soon as the four frosty dragons touched the spears, they were instantly shattered by the concentrated energy emanating from them. Did they have the certain-hit attribute? Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. His figure swiftly retreated, instantly arriving at the lower wall of the arena. The two spears adjusted their angles in midair and continued to surge towards Song Jian, with no decrease in their speed. Tai Chi Sword Skill! With no other choice, Song Jian had to resort to his strongest defensive skill, the Tai Chi Sword Skill. The four long swords initiated the Tai Chi Sword Skill simultaneously, the four hazy streaks of energy coalescing into a massive yin-yang Tai Chi insignia that slowly began to rotate beside him. Upon contact with the Tai Chi insignia, the two long spears visibly slowed down, but continued their unwavering trajectory towards Song Jian. Thud, thud~ The two long spears pierced Song Jians shoulder almost simultaneously, but this time they barely penetrated an inch before they fell limply to the ground. The two fallen Spartan gladiators wore disappointed expressions. They turned their heads to look at the last standing Spartan gladiator in the arena. The Spartan, burning with a flame-like, crimson energy, showed a face full of determination. With a leap, he landed in front of his two fallen comrades, thrusting his long spear into their backs to reap the last remnant of their Vitality Points. Boom! The crimson energy on the Spartan gladiator intensified like scorching flames, making him appear like a man of fire. Sparta! The Spartan gladiator, now with twenty-two layers of bloody cruelty stacked, leaped high into the air, charging at the Black Dragon hovering in midair. The Black Dragon, at this moment, was more than thirty meters above the ground. Yet this Spartan gladiator was soaring towards its belly as if he was flying. With half his body shielded by the shield, the long spear in his hand, akin to a beasts fangs, brutally impaled the Black Dragons belly. A painful roar echoed throughout the arena as torrents of fresh blood gushed from the Black Dragons belly, causing its Vitality Points to drop by more than a third in an instant. Song Jian was shocked, not anticipating that the enemy would target the Black Dragon. Watching the severe injury of the Black Dragon, Song Jian immediately cast surgical treatment on the Black Dragon and withdrew it back to the Pet Space. Although the final Spartan gladiator managed to critically wound the Black Dragon, he was also pretty battered, being fiercely slapped to the ground from midair by the Black Dragons claw. Three severe wounds extended from his shoulder to his ribs, deep enough to expose the bone. How did his damage stack up to such a terrifying extent? Song Jian was surprised as he observed the wilting Black Dragon in the Pet Space. Prior to this, the Spartans gladiators barely made a dent to the Black Dragon. Their spears couldnt even puncture the Black Dragons robust scales! But now, the Spartan gladiator before him not only broke through the Black Dragons defense, but also critically wounded it. What Song Jian didnt know was that once the Spartans gladiators bloody and savage effect stacked over twenty layers, it triggered a burst effect that raised critical hit rate by 50%. Each subsequent kill provided an additional 5% increase in critical hit rate, up to a maximum of 80%. At this point, his bloody and savage effect reached twenty-two layers, with a bone-chilling 60% critical hit rate. Coupled with the 220% increase in damage, the strike just now would have instantly killed any other player if they had taken the hit. After rolling twice on the ground, the final Spartan gladiator, disregarding his grave injuries, held a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. Crying out his battle cry, he charged at Song Jian again. With a thought in his mind, Song Jian merged his four swords into one and softly exclaimed, Immortal Sword Body! A brilliant golden radiance enveloped his body as eight shadows of long swords slowly revolved around him. A powerful force welled up from within. The Immortal Sword Body was Song Jians real trump card. The merging of the four long swords boosted his damage four-fold, along with the additional benefits from the Immortal Sword Body. Now, even a basic slash from Song Jian could cause a damage of a thousand points. If the Spartans gladiator in front of him was a sharp spear, then Song Jian was his sharpest Heavenly Sword, countering attack with attack. The domineering crimson aura and the golden Sword Qi filled the air above the arena. The two opposing forces constantly clashed, causing a stalemate. Song Jian and the Spartan gladiator fought fiercely, their spear and swords colliding countless times. Both gave it their all, vying to kill the other. PS: Thanks to Scarlet Moon O Night for the reward of 500 QiDian coins~ Chapter 718 - Chapter 718: Chapter 718: Competitive Treasure Chest Chapter 718: Chapter 718: Competitive Treasure Chest Boom! Another fierce collision took place. They then separated, with Song Jian sustaining two bloodied gashes. His gladiatorial opponent was in a worse state. His entire left arm was rendered non-functional, hanging limp aside. He had three broken ribs, and the most dangerous strike had split the area beneath his ribs. His bloody wound was gaping, reminiscent of a childs mouth, his heart beating violently within view. This was the last gladiator, his vitality points were already down to just over 800, almost low enough to be killed with a single strike. But Song Jian couldnt land the killing blow on the man, whose fighting skills had been honed to perfection. Eventually, Song Jian could only resort to offensing at the expense of his own defense. After applying a bandage to himself to stop the bleeding, Song Jian took out a bottle of honey wine and downed it. Now, Song Jian was at his wits end. If he were in a fully-equipped game mode, it wouldnt have been this brutal. Unfortunately, this was reality. Seeing Song Jian slowly regaining his vitality and mental strength, the Spartan gladiator narrowed his eyes. He knew he couldnt drag the fight out any longer since he would never manage to defeat this opponent before him. Sparta! the gladiator cried, bounding like a spring until he was about seven or eight meters high. Hovering slightly in mid-air, he then bolted down towards Song Jian, landing like a meteor with a long trailing blaze. This deadly dive from the sky was the gladiators last-ditch effort, akin to self-destruction, ensuring his death no matter the outcome of the attack. Crucially, this skill, like the previous Spear Throw, had an attribute of certain hit C it was unavoidable. To execute such a skill, the gladiator used up most of his vitality points and defence points in addition to consuming a significant amount of mental strength, a choice only made by gladiators resigned to mutual destruction. The falling gladiator left Song Jian preparing to dodge, but he suddenly felt a sense of dj vu, much like when he was previously confronted with two long spears. Its that certain hit attribute again! Song Jian wrinkled his brows. There was no escaping this type of attack, neither could skills be used to hide during battles, as once this skill was executed, the target was already locked on; forced to endure the blow passively. Having glanced at his skill bar, he noted that the Sacred Parry had cooled down. As the gladiator plunged down, Song Jian mimicked a throat-slitting action and raised his sword to his chest. Just as the gladiators spear was less than three meters away from Song Jian, a golden light radiated from him, and he fiercely swung the sword at the oncoming gladiator. Ding~ The clear sound of collision echoed around the arena, sending Song Jian flying backwards. The intense impact made him spit a mouthful of fresh blood again. Pulling himself off the ground, the beaten and battered Song Jian began to laugh heartily while tilted head back. The gladiators expression was one of disbelief. He had definitely struck his opponent, yet the inflicted damage was minimal. Impossible! In that moment, the gladiator was sent airborne by a sudden attackan over-3000-point critical hit popped from above his head and onto the display, instantly draining his vitality points. By the time his body hit the air, the gladiator was already a corpse, without even a moment to react. As the gladiators corpse landed with a heavy thud, the entire arena erupted with the roars of firecrackers and fireworks. Above the arena, a dazzling array of fireworks lit up the sky. All the spectators who had come to watch the duel started to leave, cursing as they did. One by one, their figures disappeared from the stands. Those who were in the boxes were all looking at Song Jian, standing in the center of the arena, drenched in blood and utterly disheveled. Their faces portrayed sheer disbelief. He He won? Gao Dongxin couldnt believe his eyes. He even pinched his cheeks hard until they turned red. Only then did he begin to jump around with excitement. Zhao Dan, too, looked at Song Jian, ecstatic. She was startled to find that he finally won under the assault of twelve elite first-tier bosses. Moreover, Song Jian had managed to summon a Black Dragon in the end, which was beyond her wildest imagination. As a player, Zhao Dan knew how hard it was to capture high-grade battle pets in the game! At present, many players cumbersome pets were too weak to assist in combat. The stronger creatures were beyond their capabilities and couldnt be captured; hence, many players didnt have battle pets. In the auction house, the powerful monster cubs or pet eggs were sold at sky-high prices, and they were in such high demand that they were always out of stock! A dragon, it was a dragon Zhao Dans eyes were misty, What battle pet could possibly have greater potential? Stronger power than the Dragon Clan? However, having a dragon as a battle pet would mean not only that you had strong forces, but also that youd be pursued incessantly by the Dragon Clan! After his victory, lines of system prompts appeared in front of Song Jian, just like in-game alerts. System: Congratulations, you have achieved a great victory in the real world! System: You have received the title of Arena Slayer. Title effect: Intimidate your opponents in the arena, causing them to fear when they battle with you. The effect of this title exists whether it is worn or not; System: You have received an Arena Treasure Chest! In the center of the arena, a magnificent chest slowly emerged. This chest was more than half the height of a person, over a meter long. It was adorned with various precious gems and complex golden magic runes, hinting it was no ordinary item. Song Jian walked up to the chest, opened it up, and a radiant purple-golden light emanated from within. System: You received a special item: Game Invitation Card. Game Invitation Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to become a player and enter the game; System: You received a special item: Game Unbanning Card. Game Unbanning Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to unban the Cannot be Taken Out of the Game attribute of an in-game item, which makes it possible for the item in question to be brought from the game into the real world; System: You received a special item: Game Follower Card. Game Follower Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to capture a creature in the real world as your follower and bring it into the game. This follower will not count towards your number of followers in the game, and you dont have to pay an extra cost for this; System: You received a special item: Game Bag Expansion Card. Game Bag Expansion Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to unseal the sealed slots of the bag. This allows any item in the real world to be brought into the game, as well as the ability to bring any item with the attribute of can be brought out from the game into the real world; Chapter 719 - Chapter 719: Chapter 719: Special Task Chapter 719: Chapter 719: Special Task Song Jian put away four cards glowing with a purple-gold light, and the treasure chest in the center of the arena gradually disappeared. Congratulations, Song Jian. I didnt expect that you actually achieved the remarkable feat of ten consecutive victories! Gao Dongxin looked at Song Jian with a look of surprise and joy on his face. Song Jian had fully recovered now, but there was still a hint of fatigue in his eyes. The previous battles did not consume much, but from the moment he started fighting the Undead Knight, the drain on Song Jians strength started to grow bigger. In the final fight against the twelve Spartans, he had to use all his hidden cards and fight with all his might. Im honored to fulfill your expectations! Song Jian said with a smile, handing over a Game Invitation Card that was also glowing with a purple-gold light to Gao Dongxin. Among all the previous rewards, this card was of no great use to Song Jian, but for those who desired to enter the game to enhance their abilities, this card was an invaluable treasure! Zhao Dan was looking at the card in Gao Dongxins hand with envy. Although she was already a player, many people in her family wanted to join the game. Mr. Song, I wonder if you could cooperate with us, the Zhao family as well? We also need the Game Invitation Card! Zhao Dan laughed and said, And besides, there must be more rewards from the ten successive wins, right? If Mr. Song has other things and is willing to sell, our Zhao family is willing to offer a high price! Song Jian chuckled, I am not considering selling the other rewards for the time being. If you want me to sell, its pretty simple, just bring out something that interests me! Zhao Dans smile froze for a moment, and she could not help but shake her head helplessly. Considering Song Jians current strength, how could ordinary items interest him? If Gaos Family hadnt offered a part of his equipment set, believing an equipment of Gold quality could make Song Jian sell its utterly unimaginable! Leaving the Manor Castle of the arena, a satisfied smile spread across Song Jians face. Although there had been some unexpected turns in the battles in the arena, the rewards were fairly generous; The Game Unsealing Card for Song Jian was simply the more the better. If he could bring all of his equipment from the game to the real world, then he wouldnt have had to fight so hard in the arena; A Game Follower Card could bring creatures in the real world into the game, and of course, it could bring humans in as followers. Sometimes, the Follower Card was even chased after more by big shots than the Invitation Card; As for the Bag Expansion Card, it could be said that was the biggest gain from this arena trip for Song Jian. By unlocking all the bag slots, Song Jian wouldnt have to worry about what to bring out of the game every time he left, because so far, he could only bring two items out of the game at a time; Before leaving the arena, Song Jian had already used the Bag Expansion Card, and every single grid in his bag turned into a light gold border. Song Jian hadnt decided which equipment to use the Unsealing Card on, and the creatures in the real world, even tigers and lions, were not as powerful as the monsters in the game. Currently, the Follower Card had no use for Song Jian, so he could only store it inside his bag. Song Jian no longer intended to return to his previous rented room and believed that with the strength of the Southwest Military Region, the villa he had previously bought was definitely within their surveillance range. Thinking of this, Song Jian walked directly towards Coastal Citys largest port; In the Manor Castle of the City of Hope Alliance in the game, a flash of white light passed, and Song Jians figure appeared in the castle. As soon as he entered the game, Song Jian received a message from the system. System: City of Hope Alliance has successfully created a first-level city. You automatically become the city lord of the City of Hope Alliance (first-level city)! System: You have received the City Lord seal of the City of Hope! The seal is currently in a sealed state; System: You automatically received a special task, I am a city lord! Depending on how you complete the task, youll receive different evaluations and the seal of the City Lord will be unsealed to varying degrees! Basic completion: 50% function of the seal will be unsealed, Excellent: 65%, Perfect: 98%, Extraordinary: 110%; The perfect rating only unseals 98%? How do you get the extraordinary rating, shouldnt the maximum unsealing be 100%? What is this extra 10%? Song Jian frowned slightly and immediately opened the task bar to view the special task he was automatically assigned; Special Task: I am the City Lord! Task Content 1: As a great city lord, you must first have enough resources! Please collect the following resources within a month! Food: 300,000 units, Timber: 200,000 units, Stone: 150,000 units, Gold: 50,000 units, Gems: 30,000 units; Task Content 2: As a great city lord, you must ensure the safety of all residents in your territory. Please clear all the monsters inside your territory within a month. During the task, the monsters that you kill will not respawn. After the task ends, for every extra monster, the task rating drops 1%; Task Content 3: As a great city lord, you must ensure the safety of the entire city. Please create enough defensive buildings within a month. After the task ends, the total defense value of the defensive buildings you created must reach 100,000. For every point less, the task rating drops 1%; Task Content 4: The final test: As a newly created city, you must go through the trial of blood and fire before you can truly become a shelter for humanity! A month later, you will experience a most brutal monster siege! If you successfully resist, the city will be established; if you fail, all your previous efforts will be in vain, and the City of Hope Alliance territory will become a wasteland! Song Jian carefully read every word of this special task. Each of the four tasks was not easy, whether it was resource accumulation or monster removal. It required mobilizing the entire Alliance to complete; The moment Song Jian received the task, all the people in the City of Hope Alliance received this special task. Everyone was immediately excited; I was saying, we have already completed all the steps to create the city, why isnt there a successful establishment prompt, turns out we need to complete this special task first! Wang Qi shouted in the Alliance channel. This task is too twisted*! All these resources, the time limit of one month is too tight! No matter how twisted* it is, theres no other way. We can only do our best to complete it, otherwise, all our hard work in this long time will be wasted! Yes, we need to complete it even if we have to grit our teeth, we are the first ones to create a city in Doomsday City, we must succeed! After thinking for a while, Song Jian directly said, Wang Qi, bring your team to the Manor Castle, lets have a meeting to discuss! Soon, a dozen of the City of Hope Alliances administrators gathered in the conference room. They all wore serious expressions; this task could be said to be the biggest challenge the City of Hope Alliance was facing! Chapter 720 - Chapter 720: Chapter 720: Sword Formation Chapter 720: Chapter 720: Sword Formation Boss, resources are no problem. We now have more than 800 members in our alliance. With this many people, we can gather all these resources in a month! A middle-aged man with a rough face shouted loudly. Song Jian looked up at him and found that he didnt recognize the man, who seemed to be a new player recently absorbed into the alliance; We cant have everyone gather resources, but we can increase the development effort in the Valley of the Undead and buy the resources directly. I think, as long as the price is right, it should be easy to gather these resources! Wang Qi nodded and said; Song Jian nodded. Food, wood, and stone are the most basic materials. Even if buying them from Sin City, it wont cost much money. Gold and gems must be mined from the caves. The most important thing is that gold can be processed into gold bricks. During the process of making gold bricks, there is a chance to produce gold bricks that can be brought into the real world. Therefore, many miners like to mine gold ores, which makes gathering 50,000 units of gold in a short period difficult. As for the gems in the resources, they are not the ones found in the Valley of the Undead that can be embedded, but a material that accompanies all ores. When mining any material, there is a certain probability of obtaining it, and the higher the grade of the ore, the more likely it is to produce this kind of gem; The demand for this kind of gem on the market is not huge, and purchasing them is not difficult. The main issue is that gathering 30,000 units in a month may cause the price of these gems to rise sharply; However, since obtaining the Valley of the Undead, the City of Hope Alliance isnt short of money lately. And many players, upon learning about it, want to join the City of Hope Alliance. After all, apart from the resources in the Valley of the Undead, there are numerous undead creatures C countless Skeleton Soldiers! These monsters have high levels and low strength, so leveling up here using AOE skills is incredibly satisfying! Lets leave the matter of supplies to Wang Qi. Can you gather all these supplies within 20 days? Song Jian asked. Wang Qi shook his head and said: As long as there is enough funding, these are just ordinary materials. Moreover, our Transmission Array has opened connections with two other cities, so we can purchase supplies from them! Song Jian nodded. If these materials are placed in one alliance, the amount is massive, but if they are distributed among several major cities, they might not even cause a ripple. As long as the operation is done correctly, the price may only increase by 10 or 20% in order to gather all the required supplies; As for the second task Before Song Jian could finish speaking, Luo Tianyu interrupted him: Dont worry about the second task. As soon as our territory expands, well first clear out the small monsters in the area. Its already been done many times! We must not be careless; we need to check every nook and cranny! Wang Qi said, Especially those monsters that can go invisible but dont attack proactively. We might not notice them if they hide in some corner After thinking for a moment, Song Jian asked, Did you clean the sewers? Several people were astonished and looked at Song Jian; Damn, if you didnt remind us, we might have overlooked the monsters in the sewers Yeah, who goes in the sewers to fight monsters and level up? The environment there is terrible. But, indeed, there are quite a few monsters in the sewers. Ive been in there when doing a quest Boss, what about the sky? Do the monsters in the sky count? Someone suddenly asked. Only the territory counts, not the airspace! Song Jian said immediately, if the task included the monsters in the sky, probably no player could complete this task perfectly; So we just need to organize people to clear out the monsters in the sewers again! We must check carefully multiple times and not miss a single monster! Song Jian said with a serious expression. Although clearing out monsters seems simple, it is challenging to thoroughly clean all the monsters hiding in the corners. Players dont frequently visit some places, and some monsters can turn invisible; these factors need to be considered. The people brainstormed and came up with several targeted suggestions, all while looking at the third task; The defensive buildings provided by the system, including city walls, gates, Arrow Towers, Caltrops, and even moats, can only provide a little more than 60,000 defense points when added together! Wang Qi frowned and said. Song Jian was taken aback, how could this be? Are you sure? Song Jian asked. Definitely, even if we build all those that we cannot currently use, its only a little over 60,000! Wang Qi said; Song Jians brow furrowed. The third task seemed independent of the other tasks, but it was closely related to the monster siege in the fourth task. If the defense facilities are insufficient, it will be tough to resist the monster invasion. Therefore, Song Jian estimated that 100,000 defense points might be the minimum requirement. To successfully defend against the monster siege in the fourth task, the constructed defense facilities must have at least 150,000 or even 200,000 defense points. However, the system has provided only a little more than 60,000 defense points worth of defensive buildings. In one month, they not only need to build but also find new defensive buildings C this is probably the most difficult part of the task. Wang Qi, first order our brothers to build the available defense buildings, then send people to other cities to find new blueprints. If there are none, invite the master builders from other cities to construct them for us.. Song Jian said. Wang Qi nodded, clearly realizing that this defense building task is the most difficult among the four tasks. After some discussion, everyone left the Manor Castle and started getting busy; Song Jian suddenly remembered the defensive array that the Sect Leader of Qingyun Sword Sect used during his battle with the Demon of the Abyss in the assessment mission world C the Qingyun Sword Array! If we can set up a city-defending grand array similar to the Qingyun Sword Array, it would definitely meet the tasks defense requirement! Song Jian thought silently in his heart. With Song Jians current mastery of sword arrays, setting up a Qingyun Sword Array that relies on the power of heaven and earth is far too difficult, but arranging a simpler defense array shouldnt be a problem; However, the most important thing is that Song Jian doesnt have many sword stones left. As the carrier of the sword array, the more complex the sword array, the more blank sword stones are required, and since Song Jian returned from the assessment mission world, he has discovered no more sword stones, and the stored sword stones have been almost consumed. Song Jian looked at the remaining thirty or so blank sword stones in his inventory, and couldnt help but frown. Chapter 721 - Chapter 721: Chapter 721: Stealth Orb Chapter 721: Chapter 721: Stealth Orb Song Jian sighed, looking at the thirty-odd blank sword stones on the table, pondering what kind of city defense sword formation he could create with these stones. If he was using it himself, these thirty-odd sword stones would be enough for Song Jian to use for a few months. However, if they were used to set up a large formation for city defense, he could only create a sword formation that could defend a single city gate at most. This would only increase the defense of the city gate by a few thousand degrees. When compared to the defense of the entire city, it wouldnt be much use. The task of ten thousand defense units is merely a baseline, utterly insufficient. If we want the city defense to be easier, we need at least two hundred thousand, or even three hundred thousand defense units! Song Jian gritted his teeth. Now, in the game, the players only have one life. If things are too dangerous, the majority of players will directly abandon the city defense task and flee. Therefore, if the citys defensive infrastructure is insufficient, there may be many players who wont even set foot on city walls. They would rather resign. After all, the City of Hope Alliance currently occupies only one-third of the area of Doomsday City, and there are plenty of areas to house these players who have lost their safe houses. Just then, Li Keer walked in with a red fox wrapped in her arms. Brother Song Jian, what are you doing? Li Keer asked. Li Keer was too young, and rarely got involved with the alliances affairs. Having stayed in the alliance for a while and finding it boring, she had been hanging around in her Sunflower Bar. The second floor of the Sunflower Bar was now open to players as well, causing the most common lower-level zombies in Doomsday City to become endangered species. As soon as they refreshed, they were immediately exterminated by patrolling players. Additionally, the value of the crystal cores dropped by zombies had increased multiple times. Although the probability of the slot machine yielding good objects was very low, many players still took a chance and won good items. The zombie crystal cores and those good items couldnt be compared. It attracted many players, even spawning a group of professional player merchants who sold crystal cores directly in front of the slot machine. Having heard that Song Jian had returned, Li Keer had come specially to play with him. Seeing Li Keer, Song Jian gave a slight smile and said, Big brother received a task, and is thinking about how to complete it. Whats Keer doing? Is this a pet youve caught? Song Jians gaze casually swept over the small red fox in Li Keers arms and immediately noticed something unusual. This small fox was entirely red, without a single stray hair. In Keers arms, it looked like a ball of flame. However, it seemed a bit lazy, lying motionless on Li Keers arm. Only when it heard Song Jians words did its ears twitch. This is Little Li, who I happened to catch in the wild! Li Keer laughed, her eyes almost squinted shut, then she patted the foxs head and said, Little Li, say hello to Brother Song Jian! Little Li lazily opened his eyes and looked at Song Jian. He curled his mouth, revealing sharp teeth, then returned to curling up in Li Keers embrace. Song Jian was taken aback. The moment this little fox showed its teeth, he found that this seemingly harmless, pet-like fox actually possessed first-tier combat power! Little Lis already reached level thirty! Li Keer said proudly to Song Jian. Song Jian shook his head internally. Li Keer was only at level twenty-nine. He really didnt know how she had tamed this fox with first-tier combat power. Moreover, from the sound of it, it seemed like she had directly tamed it in the wild rather than having captured a cub or received a pet egg to raise. Pets caught from the wild could instantly gain combat powers. However, such pets required a lot of time to cultivate loyalty. Otherwise, they could easily run away. Pets raised from newborns or pet eggs would have high loyalty from birth. Nevertheless, it would still take a lot of time to raise their level and combat power. The time spent on both types was about the same. Brother Song Jian, do you like these white stones? Li Keer asked. I found plenty of stones that looked like white crystals in the valley where I found Little Li! As she spoke, Li Keer took out two white stones from her bag that were significantly larger than the sword stones on Song Jians table. Song Jian looked up and saw them, instant happiness spreading across his face. What Li Keer had was the most primitive ore. With a little cutting and carving, they could become blank sword stones that could be used to create a sword formation. Keer, big brother currently needs a lot of these white stones. Can you tell me where you found these stones? Song Jian picked up one of the stones and examined it carefully. The two sword stone ores that Li Keer had brought out were of extremely high quality and could be used to create top-quality sword stones. Its in the southwest of Doomsday City. Theres a resort there with a big lake nearby, which is so beautiful. Next to the big lake, theres a small valley. These white stones were found in that valley! Li Keer, stroking the little fox in her arms, said with a laugh. Li Keer had two little tiger teeth that looked very cute when she smiled. She felt very happy to be able to help Song Jian. Song Jian knew the place Li Keer was talking about. It was a thirty-five level monster area. Few people usually went there. Li Keer was only level twenty-nine, and she dared to run to such a dangerous place alone. He didnt know whether to call her brave or foolhardy. Thats a thirty-five level monster area! Song Jian exclaimed. Arent you afraid, Keer? I didnt know that, I just saw the lake was beautiful and went to take a look! Li Keer replied, But the lake has monsters. They are very powerful, and they can even rush ashore. Song Jian big brother, you have to be very careful if you go there! Song Jian thought for a while, then took out the Stealth Orb and handed it to Li Keer. Keer, I will give you this orb. Use the Stealth spell in advance if you are in danger in the future! The Stealth Orb was a trophy Song Jian had won in the arena. It could cast stealth spells at the highest level and increase stealth effects. It was much more powerful than the stealth spells of current thief class players. Li Keer liked to run around in the game. Giving her this orb would at least improve her chances of survival. As soon as he took out the orb, Li Keer liked it right away and took it happily, saying, Thank you, Big Brother Song Jian! The little fox in her arms opened his eyes to look at the Stealth Orb, slightly curling his lips, showing a look of disdain, and then curled up again. He wrapped himself up with his large tail and fell into deep sleep in Li Keers arms. Chapter 722 - Chapter 722: Chapter 722: Deepwater Crocodile Beast Chapter 722: Chapter 722: Deepwater Crocodile Beast The Lanscape Love Resort, strictly speaking, should be considered beyond the scope of the Doomsday City, and belongs to the suburban area. However, this place still falls within the range of the Protection Black Mist, and therefore is also regarded as a part of the Doomsday City; The next day, Song Jian arrived at this place. It took him more than two hours to drive here from the City of Hope. Along the way, he passed through two Level 30 monster areas and was pursued for a while; The entire resort looked desolate. On the left was a large villa area, from which came occasional howls of mutated zombies. On the right was a blue deepwater lake, with several yachts moored by the shore. These yachts, however, were already corroded beyond recognition, half sunk in the water and half leaning on the shore; With exception of the villa area, the whole resort was eerily silent. It was as if it was a dead zone where not only monsters, but even ordinary small animals were absent; Li Keer mentioned that powerful monsters lived in the lake. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Song Jian avoided the lake and walked around it. His goal was to check the valley Li Keer mentioned and see how many Sword Stones were there. If there were many, Song Jian could use these Sword Stones to set up a defensive Sword Formation. Even with his current strength, he could not set up one that harnesses the power of heaven and earth like the Qingyun Sword Array, but a simple defensive Sword Formation wouldnt be a problem. If necessary, he could set up more, and win by numbers! The valley Li Keer mentioned was on the opposite side of the lake. Song Jian spread his wings and flew up, but as he prepared to cross the lake, he suddenly felt a strong sense of caution. Almost subconsciously, he descended to the ground; At this moment, a few violent ripples suddenly appeared on the lake, as if something was rolling around underneath. Is even the air a forbidden area? Song Jian wondered. Although he didnt have a chance to identify what kind of monster was in the lake or at what level, the warning he just felt signaled that continuing flying might pose a danger to his life! It seems I have to walk around the lake! Song Jian shook his head. This huge deepwater lake might contain countless monsters, and if they were disturbed, Song Jian might not be able to enter the valley even if he finds it. Although Song Jian didnt want to provoke any mishaps, he found himself at odds with the monster in the lake. In the middle of the deepwater lake, a giant crocodile over ten meters long, like a piece of weather-beaten driftwood, slowly rose from the bottom of the lake. Its eyes, half-submerged in water and glittering like lanterns, were fixated on Song Jian, who was swiftly passing by the shore. Li Keers valley was less than five hundred meters away from him, and Song Jian could already see the giant rock at the valley entrance, resembling a rhinoceros; If it wasnt for this rhinoceros-like rock, I wouldnt have noticed anything even standing right at the valley entrance, Song Jian stared carefully at the entrance for a while, finding no sight of it anywhere; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly felt an almost invisible stare was fixated on him; Song Jians body stiffened as he ran, but he quickly recovered. He laughed coldly in his heart; he came here for Sword Stones and didnt want to cause trouble. If any monster lays eyes on him, he wont back down. With all his equipment on in the game, Song Jians strength was top-tier even among all first-order Combat Power. He didnt fear the first-order Combat Power elite bosses at all. If he fought with those Sparta fighters now, one slash would drain one-third of their Vitality Points; An explosion resounded in the sky just as Song Jian was about to reach the valleys entrance; Boom~ Numerous droplets of rain shot towards him like arrows, showering the area within tens of meters around him. A huge figure by the lake quickly swam towards him and the moment it emerged onto the shore, the creature picked up speed. Like a heavy-duty tank, it rumblingly charged at Song Jian; Deepwater Crocodile Beast (Elite), Level 35, First-Order Combat Power, Vitality Points: 12000/12000 A level thirty-five elite boss appeared. It seemed that this beast was proficient in Water Magic and its physical attacks were not weak either. At this moment, it was using a skill similar to a warriors charge; Snowy Twilight! Song Jian somersaulted backward and chopped down with his sword. In an instant, countless flakes of snow appeared accumulating heavily on the ground while snowflakes started to float in the air. The rain droplets flying towards him instantly turned into icicles and fell with a clinking sound. Even the huge crocodile rushing towards him got slowed down by the thick snow, making strenuous efforts to move its limbs and let out a painful howl. Song Jian flicked his wrist, pointed his sword at the giant crocodile, and all the snowflakes rolled toward it, as if caught up in a whirlwind, they all surged towards the Deepwater Crocodile Beast; Whizz Whizz Whizz~ All the snowflakes condensed into sharp thin blades as long as a finger, continuously leaving trails of sword wounds on this Deepwater Crocodile Beasts surface. The health of this first-order combat power elite boss fell in steady numbers; It has a strong defense! Song Jian was taken aback. The Snowflake Sword Qi could only leave white marks on the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts surface and couldnt break through its defense. Song Jian had already noticed the first flaw of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. The first move, Snowy Twilight, could limit the targets speed and lower its defense, but the attack was too scattered. If it was used against weaker monsters, it was as strong as a Mages Blizzard. But against a first-order combat power elite boss, these scattered attacks couldnt even break its defense; Thinking of this, Song Jian immediately retracted his sword and promptly changed his attack method; Light Strike! A dazzling golden Sword Qi slashed towards the Deepwater Crocodile Beast. With its speed greatly reduced, the crocodile could only withstand the blow head-on; The golden Sword Qi directly hit one of the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts front legs, immediately severing it; The sound of the crocodiles thick leg, larger than Song Jians body, breaking echoed in the air, followed by fresh blood gushing out like a fountain. The Deepwater Crocodile Beast let out a terrible scream. It gave Song Jian a vicious look, and abruptly turned around and rushed back into the lake; Song Jian was taken aback. Even though he had severely injured this Deepwater Crocodile Beasts front leg, it had only lost less than a third of its Vitality Points. Why would it turn and flee so abruptly? In the blink of an eye, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast had already entered the lake, and a trace of blood spread out on the lake surface. The crocodile quickly disappeared, and the lake surface became calm again. Chapter 723 - Chapter 723: Chapter 723: Limb Regeneration Chapter 723: Chapter 723: Limb Regeneration Song Jian suddenly found that this Deepwater Crocodile Beast was extremely fast at fleeing, and had vanished into the lake without a trace after he hesitated for a moment. Song Jian stood for a while, shook his head, and turned to walk toward the valleys entrance. The entrance of the valley was obscured by countless vines at this moment, and if Song Jian hadnt known there was a small valley inside, he might not have dared to venture further in. Pushing aside the vines, a narrow and winding path appeared before Song Jian. The path was difficult to traverse, full of protruding rocks with sharp edges like knives; just a little carelessness could result in an injury. After walking along the path for about ten minutes, Song Jians view suddenly opened up, revealing a small valley about ten acres in size. Inside the valley was an open grassland where several rabbits were grazing on the grass. Hearing the commotion, they looked up towards Song Jians direction, stood still for a moment, and then vanished with a swish. As Song Jian surveyed the valley, he quickly discovered a white crystal the size of a human head lying on the ground. Picking it up, he realized it was Sword Stone Ore, which could produce five or six blank Sword Stones! However, at this moment, the ore was simply labeled Special Ore, and its properties were unknown. Most players would probably consider this kind of ore to be trash and sell it to the system store if it were given to them. Only Li Keer thought these white crystals looked beautiful, so she picked up two and took them back. Otherwise, Song Jian might not have known that there was Sword Stone Ore here. However, this area was inhabited by level 35 monsters, and even the large lake at the entrance of the valley housed a level 35 elite BOSS. Most players in the City of Hope Alliance had yet to reach level 30; venturing here to mine Sword Stone Ore would be nothing short of suicide for them! Left with no choice, Song Jian had to gather the Sword Stone Ore himself. Sword Stone Ore was scattered on the grassland throughout the valley, and Sword Stone Ore veins surrounded the valley. Song Jian first collected the scattered Sword Stone Ore on the grassland, then began to use his Mining Skill, sweating as he worked to gather more Sword Stone Ore. Fortunately, after these Sword Stone Ores were mined, they were automatically stored in his inventory bar, with each slot capable of holding 200 units of Sword Stone Ore. Song Jian spent three consecutive days in the valley, filling every remaining space in his inventory slots with over ten thousand units of Sword Stone Ore before finally stopping. These Sword Stone Ores are enough to refine more than 30,000 high-quality Sword Stones, which is more than enough to set up a Qingyun Sword Array! Song Jian thought as he looked at his bulging inventory. To learn the Sword Formation skill, one had to visit the world of Song Jians previous double S-ranked assessment mission, where it was unlikely any player could acquire the skill. Moreover, the most important factor was that skills learned from the assessment mission world didnt require skill points to upgrade; as long as the proficiency was reached, they could be directly upgraded. In the assessment mission world, Song Jian had already achieved an advanced level in his Sword Formation skill. However, the skill level in the game world was different from that in the assessment mission world; an advanced level there was merely level eight in the game world. Song Jians current Sword Formation skill was at level eight, with about a third of the proficiency still required before it could be leveled up again. With this many Sword Stone Ores, Song Jian could raise his Sword Formation skill to over level ten in a short period of time. Song Jian glanced at the valley surroundings. The amount of Sword Stone Ore he had gathered was a drop in the bucket compared to the valleys Sword Stone Ore veins. Ill leave the rest here for now since these Sword Stones are no different than regular rocks to other players at the moment, Song Jian thought as he turned to leave the valley. At the entrance of the valley, Song Jian thought for a moment and took out more than a dozen Sword Stones to set up a large concealment array, completely covering the entrance to the valley so that no players would accidentally come across it. Having done all this, Song Jian left the valley; The moment he stepped out of the valley, he suddenly heard an angry roar, and a huge shadow charged straight towards him; Upon closer inspection, Song Jian realized it was the Deepwater Crocodile Beast from three days ago; This guy, its actually holding a grudge! Song Jian thought, and four long swords appeared around his body, like shooting stars, slashing towards the Deepwater Crocodile Beast; Four sets of sword techniques were executed simultaneously, with Sword Qi surging and constantly slashing at the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, stopping its attack; I didnt pay close attention before and let you escape, but now youre just asking for death by coming out again? Song Jian snorted coldly, using the Surging Wave Breaking Sword to perform Frosty Snowfall, completely cutting off the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts chance to escape back to the lake. The other three long swords continuously executed their imprinted sword techniques, consuming virtually no energy from Song Jian. For now, Song Jian had only nurtured the Sword Spirit of three long swords, and the newly obtained fourth Surging Wave Breaking Sword didnt have enough golden quality weapons to ferment a Sword Spirit; Originally, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast was no match for Song Jian. However, during their last encounter, Song Jian had only slightly revealed some powerful damage, which scared off the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, causing it to misjudge Song Jians strength; As a result, when the four long swords attacked it simultaneously, their power had increased several times since their first encounter, making the Deepwater Crocodile Beast terrified and trying to turn back and flee into the lake; However, at this point, the area within several dozen meters was covered in a thick layer of snow, and even the edge of the big lake was frozen with a thick layer of ice over a distance of more than ten meters. Escaping into the lake like last time was now impossible; In the end, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast found that its only choice was to turn and attack Song Jian, depleting some of his Vitality Points before dying; Several minutes later, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast humiliatingly died in the thick snow, its body slashed with countless sword marks. If Song Jian knew the skinning skill, he would only get a worthless, tattered hide from it; Looking at the two materials dropped by the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, Song Jian couldnt help but look disdainfully at its corpse, as it was a level 35 elite BOSS with loot not even equivalent to a level 35 ordinary monster. Huh, strange? Song Jian looked at the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts corpse and suddenly felt that something was off. At this moment, he realized that the monsters right claw was completely intact! Didnt I cut off this elite BOSSs right claw before? Why did it grow a new one? Could it be that the Deepwater Crocodile Beast has the ability to regenerate severed limbs? Song Jian wondered; However, he knew that the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts size and strength should have already exceeded 60 points, but its recovery ability was really average, otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to kill it so easily; Song Jian examined its right claw more closely and found that it had indeed just grown, and even the color of its skin was different from the surrounding areas. Transparent flames slowly burned the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts corpse, as Song Jian raised his head to look at the calm lake, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. I didnt expect there to be unexpected surprises! Chapter 724 - Chapter 724: Chapter 724: Electric Energy Stone Chapter 724: Chapter 724: Electric Energy Stone The lake was enormous, and Song Jian knew, there were more monsters lurking within than just the Deepwater Crocodile Beast he was currently facing. There might even be more vicious ones. However, Song Jian was confident that the treasure which enabled limb regeneration was indeed located beneath this lake; After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian slowly sank into the water, opened his eyes, and began intently observing his surroundings. The amount of time he could spend underwater was only 15 minutes. If he exceeded 15 minutes, he would start losing Vitality Points increasingly faster. And in just a few seconds, he would lose all of his Vitality Points; The lake was crystal clear. Song Jian spotted many monsters underwater, including dozens or even hundreds of Deepwater Crocodile Beasts. Other monsters, similar to fish with no legs were also plentiful; Furthermore, the lake contained an abundance of water-elemental creatures, similar to those Song Jian had previously encountered in Jinyang Lake, but markedly larger and more formidable; Song Jian was there not to hunt monsters and level up, but in search for the limb-regenerating treasure. As such, he carefully avoided any confrontations. When running out of breath, he would swim up for a rest before diving back; After a little over an hour, he had covered less than a tenth of the area. Despite all the efforts, he didnt find anything except a horde of monsters at the lake bottom. Should I try cutting off another monsters limb and observe its regeneration process? Song Jian pondered with a frown; Suddenly, a strong water disturbance was felt ahead. Glancing forward, Song Jian saw a cloud of silt being churned from the lake bed. It seemed like two monsters were fighting; All of the surrounding monsters were drawn to the commotion but are soon scared away; Before long, all the other monsters had completely retreated from the fighting duo; Song Jian examined the stats of these two battling monsters. Both had first-tier Combat Power. One was a level 35 Deepwater Crocodile Beast, and the other was a level 38 Deepwater Lake Eel; The battle was intense. As Song Jian moved closer, he saw the two monsters tiring. Suddenly, the tail of the Deepwater Lake Eel swept around, releasing a huge electric shock attack at the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, flinging him away; Boom! The Deepwater Crocodile Beast was propelled five or six meters away, as if it hit an invisible wall underwater, creating a dull sound; In the void, a crack seemingly appeared and vanished almost immediately in the water. However, its brief flash caught Song Jians eye, and his heart brimmed with anticipation. Could there be something similar to a hidden realm at the bottom of this lake? He thought to himself. Resting his impulsive urge to investigate, he decided to wait for the two monsters to finish their duel; Before long, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast lost and retreated. The victorious Deepwater Lake Eel was also severely injured and didnt pursue its defeated opponent. In time, the fleeing Crocodile Beast disappeared, and the Eel remained in place, curling its wounded body; Song Jian noticed the Deepwater Lake Eel seemed to be guarding a dazzling stone. This stone was the size of a human head and was partially buried in the lakebed but was exposed during the fight; This stone emitted a strong, pale blue light. Its surface crackled with small arcs of electricity. The Deepwater Lake Eel frequently licked the surface of the stone, seemingly obtaining pleasure from it; Just then, four sharp long swords raced through the water like lightning. Before it could react, the Deepwater Lake Eel, already gravely injured, was sliced into several pieces. It died without even catching a glimpse of what Song Jian looked like; Song Jian swam over, picked up two items dropped by the Deepwater Lake Eel, then turned his attention to the brilliant blue stone; Since the Deepwater Lake Eel had been severely injured in a lengthy battle with the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, it was not too challenging for Song Jian to kill it. Therefore, the quality of the items it dropped was not much to look at. After a brief glance, Song Jian threw them into his inventory; The pale blue stone, however, was a Power Stone. It could trigger evolution in pets and potentially bestow electric attack skills; The energy contained in this Power Stone was too robust for the Deepwater Lake Eel to devour directly, as it would likely burst. Hence, it was absorbing the energy slowly; As a result, the Power Stone ended up being a steal for Song Jian; Looking at the stone-person and the Black Dragon in his Pet Space, Song Jian hesitated. Who should he give the Power Stone to? The stone-person, who had swallowed the core of an earth-element lord, was currently in a deep sleep. It had grown significantly, now nearly as tall as a grown man; The Black Dragon, having healed, was dozing idly. Sensing Song Jians attention on him, the dragon abruptly opened its golden eyes and roared a profound dragon chant, seemingly sending a greeting to Song Jian; Song Jian smiled slightly. The stone-person was merely a common beast and didnt even possess the first-tier Combat Power. If it tried to absorb this electric Power Stone, who knows how long it would take. It would be better to give it to the Black Dragon. With the Black Dragons ranking, it probably wouldnt struggle as much as the Deepwater Lake Eel in absorbing the stone; Song Jian held the Power Stone and selected use for the Black Dragon. Instantly, a pale blue Power Stone, crackling with electricity, appeared in front of the Black Dragon in the Pet Space; Seeing this Power Stone, the Black Dragon pawed at it curiously and then popped it into its mouth as its eyes gleamed with anticipation; Zzzzt! Electric currents ran across the dragons scales, emitting increasingly intense dragon chants. These sounds didnt seem painful but rather enjoyable; This is pretty much like an electric massage Song Jian watched the Black Dragon roll around in the Pet Space, occasionally being zapped by a surge of electricity. However, it was clear that the dragons strength was swiftly increasing, and its level was rapidly climbing, from 30 to 32, and still rising; Looks like this wont be over any time soon. Ill check once it fully absorbs the Power Stone. Song Jian shook his head, closed the Pet Space, and walked towards where hed noticed the spatial crack; Chapter 725 - Chapter 725: Chapter 725: Underwater Palace Chapter 725: Chapter 725: Underwater Palace Song Jian swam to the place where he had seen the spatial rift light flash earlier and began to investigate carefully; If he hadnt noticed it before, it wouldve been very difficult to detect any abnormalities around him, considering the vast lakebed. It would be practically impossible to see any clues within a short time, but knowing the specific location now made the search much easier; Soon, Song Jian felt a faint aura of a formation. This aura was extremely weak, and the surrounding lake water was constantly flowing. If Song Jian didnt know the exact location and investigate carefully for a long time, it would be very difficult to discover its existence; Song Jian slowly walked across the lakebed, his steps appearing rather mysterious. Often after taking two steps forward, he would step back towards the left rear or right rear, then spin around and jump onto a protruding rock, and then leap down from the back of the rock, appearing as if hes moving along an extremely narrow path. In no time, Song Jians figure suddenly whooshed and disappeared from the lakebed; Made it in! Song Jian looked around and a joyful smile appeared on his face; There was indeed a large formation at the bottom of the lake, but it was only a concealment and defensive formation, without any offensive effects. Perhaps due to some reasons, the offensive part of the formation had already failed; The most important thing was that this formation had existed for too long, and many parts had already been damaged. Otherwise, Song Jian wouldnt have discovered it so easily; When entering the formation, Song Jian felt it even more clearly. He could distinctly sense the flow of aura within the formation, and he caught a glimpse of the content of this formation, which could greatly help improve his sword formation; Truly amazing. Not only does the Assessment World have sword formations, but so does the game world! After entering the space, Song Jian looked around with an admiring expression on his face; Looking up, Song Jian found himself in a vast space. The entire space seemed to be covered by a transparent bowl, shielding it from the surrounding lake water; However, this transparent bowl seemed to have some damage, and occasionally it flickered with rays of light, revealing spatial rifts. These spatial rifts appeared and disappeared quickly, as if the entire formation was constantly repairing itself. Just then, a dozen meters away from Song Jian, a damaged spatial rift light flashed and disappeared. Subsequently, a two-meter-tall Water Elemental BOSS appeared in the space. As soon as it entered the space, it detected Song Jians presence and growled at him, then quickly ran away; Below the Water Elemental BOSSs waist was not a pair of legs, but a mass of constantly flowing water, allowing it to move very fast. Song Jian had an idea and hurriedly followed the Water Elemental BOSS closely. In no time, Song Jian saw a palace buried deep underground. One-third of the palace was sunk into the ground, with the remaining two-thirds exposed above the surface, surrounded by broken bricks and tiles, looking desolate; The Water Elemental BOSS rushed into the palace and never came out again. Song Jian waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and finally went to the palace, unable to resist his curiosity; After leaping down from the broken gate, Song Jian looked around. Being buried underground made the surroundings a bit dim, but there was a dazzling light deep in the palace, flickering on and off; Song Jian charged towards the light and, before he got close, heard a roar. The Water Elemental BOSS was guarding the entrance, trying to prevent Song Jian from going in; At the moment, the Water Elemental BOSS seemed to have grown even larger compared to when it first entered. It had grown at least a foot taller, and its upper body, which was originally made of rolling water, now displayed strong and muscular lines; It seems the treasure Im looking for is inside! Song Jian was overjoyed and immediately drew the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, charging towards the Water Elemental BOSS blocking the entrance; Seeing Song Jian rushing towards it, the Water Elemental BOSSs face showed anger. The human who interrupted its promotion actually dared to attack first, making it furious; The Water Elemental BOSS rubbed its two hands together continuously, and within a second, a Frost Arrow had formed in its palm. With a whoosh sound, it shot towards Song Jian; Song Jian tried to dodge, but the Frost Arrow seemed to have a tracking function, constantly adjusting its flight path during its journey, drawing an arc in the air and striking Song Jians chest; Boom! A muffled sound echoed as a powerful force hit Song Jians body. His momentum slowed, and his entire body was covered in a thin layer of light blue frost, causing his movement speed to drop by 50% 500 damage? Song Jian was shocked. His current Fire Resistance and Ice Resistance had already reached a high level. Moreover, he was wearing a full Gold-quality set. The combined sets attributes made the equipment comparable to Epic-quality items. Usually, he could resist or only suffer single-digit damage from Elemental magic attacks, but now, a single ordinary Frost Arrow caused him to lose 500 damage points; If it were an ordinary player, they might have been killed instantly by this attack! Song Jian couldnt help but marvel, becoming cautious; Sutset snow! With a swipe of the sword, snowflakes danced around the palace, and a thick layer of snow covered the ground. A cold chill ran up the Water Elemental BOSSs body, and in no time, the Water Elemental transformed into a huge block of ice; Crack~ Just as Song Jian was about to swing his sword to break the frozen Water Elemental BOSS, cracks appeared on its surface. A huge Ice Elemental BOSS appeared before Song Jian; Bang! The sword chopped down on the already frozen Water Elemental BOSS, leaving behind a white mark, and ice shards scattered around. Song Jian also felt a strong rebound force; Whoosh~ The Water Elemental BOSS swung its huge fist and smashed it towards Song Jian. The frozen Water Elemental BOSS, its body harder than steel, hit Song Jian like a heavy hammer, sending him flying away. Damn it, it backfired. Now its defense increased dramatically, and its attacks seem even more powerful too. Song Jian rolled on the ground twice before spitting out a mouthful of blood. He stared at the Water Elemental BOSS charging towards him with a gloomy look in his eyes. Chapter 726 - Chapter 726: Chapter 726: Treating the Goddess Statue Chapter 726: Chapter 726: Treating the Goddess Statue After the Water Elemental Boss was frozen, it transformed into an ice elemental Boss, breaking free of the freezing effect. Its strength increased dramatically, and it chased after Song Jian, punching him one after another. Thud~ The Ice Elemental Bosss punch created a large pit in the ground. Song Jian dodged the attack and took the opportunity to slash at the Boss once more. After a while fighting, Song Jian suddenly realized that although the Ice Elemental Boss had increased defense and strength, it seemed no longer able to use magic, resorting to close combat attacks instead. After several tests, Song Jian finally confirmed that the Water Elemental Boss had switched from being a long-range mage to a close-combat fighter, but with none of a fighters special skills, relying solely on its fists to flail wildly. Even if it managed to hit Song Jian, the most damage it could do was reduce his Vitality Points by just over two hundred, which was much weaker than its magic attacks. Rapid Sword! Song Jian used his speed-enhancing attack skill, and the attack speed of his four longswords suddenly increased dramatically. Ice splinters flew everywhere, and a continuous stream of damage numbers floated above the Ice Elemental Bosss head. The Boss roared loudly and swung its fists repeatedly, but couldnt even touch the hem of Song Jians clothes. It now seemed like a giant punching bag to him, posing no threat at all. After fighting for more than ten minutes, the surface of the Ice Elemental Boss started to show cracks. Through the cracks, it was clear that its body contained flowing water, indicating that the icy state was about to end. Song Jian controlled his Surging Wave Breaking Sword and cast Frosty Dusk once more, freezing the Boss again and returning it to its Ice Elemental state. It took Song Jian over an hour to finally defeat the Boss, which shattered into several huge blocks of ice. After the Boss died, it dropped only one item, of silver quality. Song Jian picked it up and after a glance, an interested expression appeared on his face. Transformation Orb (Silver), accessory, Item Level 35, Equip Effect: Spirit+15 points, Ice Resistance+30; Special Effect 1: Transform into a water elemental after use, granting the ability to breathe freely underwater for 1 hour; transformation effect is removed when taking damage or entering combat; cooldown: 30 minutes; Special Effect 2: Frost Shield, unleash all energy within the orb to create a Frost Shield with 3000 points of defense and +50 Ice Resistance, lasts 30 seconds before the shield is destroyed; cooldown: 1 hour; Item Equip Level: 30, Can be taken out of the game: No. After defeating so many monsters, Ive finally found a decent item! Song Jian looked at the Transformation Orb, nodding in satisfaction. He removed the Heart of Ice from his equipment and replaced it with the Transformation Orb. Although Song Jians defense equipment and weapons were decent, his accessories, necklaces, and rings had very average quality, most of which were level 10 or 20 items. Now, he finally had a better accessory. With the addition of the Transformation Orb, Song Jian could now disguise himself as a Water Elemental, making his disguises more versatile than before. After equipping the Transformation Orb, Song Jian glanced at the Bosss corpse and walked towards the spot emitting a bright light in the distance. Soon, a stone statue appeared before Song Jians eyes, with the light emanating from it. This was a female-figured goddess statue holding a Magic Staff embedded with a large, deep blue orb. The white jade-like statue emitted milky-white light which spread outward like flowing waves. On the ground, a light circle with a diameter of over ten meters emanated from the statue. As Song Jian entered the light circle, his lost Vitality Points recovered at an extremely fast speed. Within a few seconds, his Vitality Points, which were originally at half, were completely restored. After placing his hand on the statue, its attributes immediately appeared in front of Song Jian. Healing Goddess Statue (Building), special strategic item, Usage Effect: Once placed, this item cannot be moved for 12 hours; within a 10-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 1000%; within a 100-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 500%; within a 1000-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 300%; within a 3000-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 100%; automatically releases a buff healing effect every 30 minutes; Special Effect 1: Light Screen Sky Splendor (Active), can set up to ten connection nodes, after activation, all connected nodes form a large Light Screen Sky Splendor Array, the array has 5000 points of Absolute Defense, immune to all damage and lasts 30 seconds; after 30 seconds, it continues to consume 5000 points of defense until the defense points reach zero and the large array disappears; this skill can be used only once every 24 hours; Special Effect 2: Holy Healing (Active), casts Holy Healing on everyone within a 100-meter radius, restoring them to their peak state; this skill can be used only once every 24 hours! A strategic building item? Song Jians eyes lit up. Though this item couldnt enhance his own strength, it could play a crucial role in completing the City Lords quest he was currently undertaking. The recovery speed boost alone would make the final Monster Siege far easier, and both special effects could be used to turn the tide of battle during crucial moments! Song Jian directly put the statue into his bag. Once moved, a twelve-hour cooldown time appeared on the statue, with it being ready for placement only after the cooldown. The moment Song Jian put the statue in his bag, the entire space began to shake violently. He quickly burst out of the stone cave and looked up to see cracks appearing in the light barrier above, like a shattered porcelain bowl. Bang! In an instant, the entire light barrier shattered, and the lake water, weighing tens of thousands of tons, pressed down on Song Jian. The force of impact sent him flying out, and he spewed out a mouthful of blood as damage numbers over a thousand floated above his head. After tumbling in the lake for a while, Song Jian slowly sank to the bottom. It was then that he discovered the entire lake seemed to be boiling, as every monster in the lake roared and rushed towards the collapsed formation. Song Jian, alarmed, quickly controlled the Transformation Orb to turn into a water elemental and stayed quietly beside a rock at the bottom of the lake. Soon, a dense swarm of monsters appeared at the bottom of the lake. Song Jian even spotted three level 40 Lord-level Bosses roaring in anger. Song Jian dared not move amid the horde of monsters, as they all frantically searched for the thief who stole the Goddess statue. However, even after more than half an hour, they never found him. At last, the monsters let out unwilling roars of frustration and gradually dispersed. It wasnt until all the surrounding monsters had left that Song Jian slowly rose from the bottom of the lake and set course for Manor Castle. Chapter 727 - Chapter 727: Chapter 727: Progress Chapter 727: Chapter 727: Progress Half a month later, almost all players in Doomsday City knew about the City of Hope Alliances extremely important quest, which sparked much discussion and led to another wave of recruiting players. In just one week, the number of players in the City of Hope Alliance had exceeded 1,000, which is currently the maximum number of players allowed to be recruited. Otherwise, at least another 1,000 players could be recruited. However, for the remaining players, the City of Hope Alliance did not give up and organized them into a reserve force. Those who had contributed to the defense of the city would be given priority to join the alliance once it leveled up. Afterward, all players of the City of Hope Alliance, including the reserve force players, tirelessly collected various resources. The Transmission Array occasionally emitted beams of white light, which were players going out to purchase materials from others. In just one week, the energy stones of the Transmission Array had consumed more than 500,000 Doomsday Coins! In the conference room of Manor Castle, there were only Wang Qi and Song Jian. Alliance Leader, we have almost collected all the materials, except we still need 20,000 units of gold and 8,000 units of gems. In one more week at most, we should be able to collect all of them, Wang Qi reported to Song Jian. In addition, the Valley of the Undead has entered the stage of full-scale mining. However, nearly all the profits from mining have been invested into this quest, so there are not many Doomsday Coins left in the alliance Also, we have hired players from three small alliances, a total of over 500 people, who will also help us defend against the monster siege Song Jian, listening to Wang Qis report, nodded repeatedly. Overall, the progress of the quest was still good. Moreover, the fourth sword required to nurture a Sword Spirit, which was a gold weapon, had also been brought to Song Jian by Wang Qi. With a sword imbued with Sword Spirit, the release of swordsmanship consumed almost no energy. Otherwise, with Song Jians strength, controlling four swords for an extended period of combat would be impossible. How is the progress of the second cleaning task? Song Jian asked. Now, the territory of the City of Hope Alliance was quite extensive, and it would take at least five or six days to clean it up completely. Ensuring no corners were missed and not leaving any monsters behind would be very difficult. The lower-level monster areas have almost been cleaned up, but the areas with monsters over level 28 are slower to clean Wang Qi said. What about the sewer area? Song Jian asked. The sewer area is the slowest in cleaning progress Wang Qi hesitated, The terrain in the sewers is complicated, like a maze, and there are many monsters with levels above 25. Currently, we have only cleaned up less than half of the area Song Jian frowned slightly. The cleaning progress was much slower than he had anticipated Is the sewer area map drawn? Song Jian asked. It has been drawn! Wang Qi handed the sewer map of the territory to Song Jian. Also, mark the areas on the ground that are difficult to clear out! Song Jian said. He was not satisfied with the cleaning progress, so it seemed he would take matters into his own hands. Oh, right, Alliance Leader, pay special attention to this area in the sewer Wang Qi pointed to an area on the map and said, This area is suspected to have a high-level BOSS. Two rogue players disappeared here and have vanished from the friend list What, players died? Song Jian was shocked. There was only one life in the game, and dying in the game was equivalent to dying in the real world. Many players avoided entering dangerous areas and only hunted monsters they were confident in killing. Do you know their identities in the real world? Song Jian asked. I dont know Wang Qi said, We havent established a player information database for the alliance yet! Get it done immediately. Of course, this requires the players consent. Then, establish a complete welfare and compensation system for the alliance! Song Jian said. The games interference to the real world was becoming more and more significant. The exchange rate of one Doomsday Coin had risen from an initial rate of 100RMB to 300RMB. All items that could directly enhance ones strength in the real world were becoming more expensive, especially those that increased ones attributes. They had fetched astronomical prices. Who wouldnt want to be a superman in the real world? The wealth that Song Jian had already exceeded tens of millions of Doomsday Coins, equivalent to billions in the real world. Naturally, he would not be stingy with the players who joined the City of Hope Alliance. Yes, Alliance Leader, Ill do it right away! Wang Qi replied. After discussing the construction status of the defense buildings, Wang Qi left Manor Castle. He had been very busy recently. As Vice Alliance Leader, almost all matters were pressing on him, and only when he could not solve them would he come to Song Jian. After Wang Qi left, Song Jian opened the map. The territory of the City of Hope Alliance now covered thousands of square kilometers. However, it was impossible for them to defend such an area. Song Jian decided to abandon some territories and build the city walls three thousand meters from Manor Castle. This way, the Healing Goddess statue placed in Manor Castle would come into full play. For the abandoned territories outside, Song Jian filled them with various traps and self-destruct devices. Among them were landmines, which many players had mastered. These days, players who had learned the art of making landmines were frantically producing them, turning the area outside the City of Hope Alliance into a minefield. However, even if they willingly abandoned constructing buildings on their territory, the monsters above had to be cleaned up, as this was also part of the quest. There are three monster areas on the ground that are difficult to clean up, one at level 28, one at level 30, and one at level 33 Song Jian moved his gaze slowly across the map, examining those monster areas. It was not difficult to clean up the level 28 monster area, as it would not contain a BOSS with Tier 1 Combat Power. However, it was not certain for the level 30 and 33 monster areas, where BOSS monsters with Tier 1 Combat Power might appear and even Lord-class BOSS monsters might emerge, making the cleaning task more challenging. The most difficult part is the sewer Song Jian looked at the maze-like sewer terrain in front of him and suddenly felt a headache. It would take at least a day just to walk through the entire area. Never mind, do it one by one. First, clean up these three monster areas! Song Jian put away the map and walked toward the outside of Manor Castle. Chapter 728 - Chapter 728: Chapter 728: Master Architect Chapter 728: Chapter 728: Master Architect In three days, Song Jian had swept clean all three areas on the ground with monsters above level twenty-eight. After the monsters here are killed, they no longer respawn, marking the areas as safe zones. The first two areas were fairly straightforward; Song Jian only encountered one level-thirty elite boss, whom he overpowered directly. However, in the level thirty-three monster zone, Song Jian met a Lord-level Boss that had tier one combat power. Not only did this Lord-level Boss possess a formidable strength, but it was also accompanied by two level-thirty elite bosses and a dozen other ordinary level-thirty monsters. If it were any other player from the City of Hope Alliance in this situation, even a hundred players might fail to defeat this Boss. Every Lord-level Boss held an aura-like skill that bestowed significant enhancements to their minions, making them even more formidable. Song Jian painstakingly eliminated these minions one by one and finally faced the Lord-level Boss and its two elite underlings. With Song Jians ultimate tactic, he managed to lethally cripple the Lord-level Bossthanks to his numerous Sword Stones that allowed him to create many Sword Formations. Otherwise, facing three bosses at once could have spelled a different outcome. In the course of the battle, Song Jians Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique made a breakthrough, and he mastered the second move, Wind Sweeping Clouds. Leveraging the Book of Fusion, this move merged various sword techniques, thereby greatly magnifying its power. A single execution of the area attack blanketed a hundred-meter radius with enveloping dark clouds and swirling winds, stopping monsters from even approaching Song Jian. However, the damage inflicted by this move occurred over time and lacked burst damage. This was ideal for taking down many weaker monsters but was less effective against bosses. Once all ground monsters in the region were exterminated, Song Jian instructed Wang Qi to deploy hundreds of people, who meticulously cleared the entire area inch by inch. All that remained were the monsters in the sewer. First, lets clean up this area! Song Jian said as he placed his hand on the sewers map, specifically on a bright red marker. This was the last known location of two thieves who had died. Logically, the survival capability of thieves was superior to all other trades. This rationale led Wang Qi to employ a group of players with thief-based occupations for map construction, but they still lost two members. Evidently, there were formidable monsters in the area. As Song Jian was preparing to delve into the sewer, Wang Qi suddenly ushered in an NPC. Guild leader, let me introduce you to someone! Wang Qi said, brimming with excitement. This is Master Kutiya, a wandering architecture master. He wishes to join the City of Hope Alliance and settle down here! What, an architecture master? Song Jian looked astounded and started to assess Kutiya before him. This architecture master was an NPC, not a player. Most importantly, he was the first NPC attracted to Song Jians territory. NPCs do not take up player slots in a guild. The more NPCs that a guild can attract, the bettereven if they lack combat capabilities! Kutiya was such an NPC. While he possessed weak combat abilities, he was a master of a lifestyle occupation and possessed tremendous architectural talent. We welcome you, Master Kutiya, as a member of the City of Hope Alliance! Song Jian stood up and greeted him with a smile. Kutiya breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Song Jians welcoming words. To join the City of Hope Alliance, he needed the consent of the guild leader, Song Jian. No one else could admit him. For Song Jian, Kutiyas contribution to the alliance was significant, especially given the need for a large number of defensive buildings. Kutiyas arrival was opportune! Thank you for taking me in, guild leader. I, Kutiya, promise to fulfill my duties in the guild! Kutiya expressed his gratitude. As a wandering NPC, being able to find a stable home made him feel very fortunate. Once Wang Qi had led Kutiya away and settled him in, he quickly returned to Manor Castle. Weve hit the jackpot this time! Wang Qi said, seeming ecstatic. Oh, how so? Is this Master Kutiya any good? Song Jian asked smilingly. Hes more than goodhes super incredible! exclaimed Wang Qi. The reason hes referred to as a master is not just because of his master-level architectural skills; he can construct a Magic Crystal Railgun too! What? A Magic Crystal Railgun? Song Jian stood up in astonishment. The Magic Crystal Railgun was known for its immense powerit was the most potent city-defending cannon known at the present. Even the City of Sin did not have one; Song Jian had only seen one in the City of Hymns. The Magic Crystal Railgun was powerful enough to send any creature with tier one combat power running for covera single normal shot could instantly kill any creature at the peak of tier one combat power. If used in conjunction with other more powerful bombs, it could even pose a threat to creatures with tier two combat power. Fantastic! Song Jian exclaimed in excitement. However, the Magic Crystal Railgun requires many materials, many of which come from high-level Bosses drops, and we currently have less than one-third in storage. Plus Wang Qi said, frowning, constructing a Magic Crystal Railgun requires the assistance of at least three senior architects, and even at the shortest, the construction time still spans a week! Song Jian nodded. List out the required materials, and Ill do my best to collect them. Even if we can construct just one Magic Crystal Railgun before the monster assault, it would greatly help our defense! Soon, Wang Qi handed Song Jian a list, and Song Jian realized that he had more and more to deal with. Alright then, Im going to check the sewer. I aim to clean it up within a day and then go gather these materials! Song Jian said before leaving Manor Castle. Watching Song Jians retreating figure, Wang Qi allowed a smile to tug at his lips. There were many trivial matters associated with the City of Hope Alliance. However, with Song Jian, they could solve any challenge and retrieve any material, which other ordinary players could not. For the City of Hope Alliance, Song Jian was their greatest asset. Song Jian went directly to the nearest sewer in his territory. Here, he could still see many players from the City of Hope Alliance entering and exiting. Evidently, even after reporting sewer clearance progress to Song Jian, Wang Qi did not halt the clearing operation. Many players were still working on it. For such a wide-scale operation, numerical advantage certainly held sway. However, Wang Qi had ordered everyone to avoid the area where two players had diedthat zone belonged to Song Jian. Song Jian soon entered the sewer, and following the map, began moving towards the perilous area. Chapter 729 - Chapter 729: Chapter 729: Insect Nest Chapter 729: Chapter 729: Insect Nest The light in the sewer was very dim, but the surrounding walls were covered with light-gray moss. The moss emitted a faint halo. Although it wasnt enough to brighten the sewer as daylight did, the feeble light was sufficient for ordinary players to walk around. Thieves, the class of players that loved this environment the most, could even thrive here. Song Jian directly opened his vertical eye in the middle of his brows and the surrounding environment immediately brightened up. Since the vertical eye naturally offered dark vision, even in a pitch-dark environment, Song Jian could see clearly as if it were daytime. Hence, having clear vision here was certainly not a problem. The conditions in the sewer were awful. Not only did a strong, stinky odour fill the air, but the ground was also littered with lots of garbage. As a direct consequence of this, the status bar of Song Jian displayed a Movement speed reduced by 5% debuff. Additionally, the sewer was inhabited by many small animals like rats. Though they couldnt inflict any damage on Song Jian, their incessant squeaking and scampering around were quite bothersome. Song Jian advanced along a cleared path, not encountering a single monster along the way. It seemed like the players from the City of Hope Alliance had thoroughly cleared this area. As he neared the area where the two players had perished, Song Jian felt some movement above him. If it were not for his strong mental attributes, he wouldnt have noticed anything unusual. Glancing up, he saw, to his surprise, fist-sized beetles crawling frenziedly towards him. Looking back, he saw dozens of beetles like this had already appeared behind him. How could there be so many beetles Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Even though these beetles were just normal monsters, they were level twenty-five and were seemingly endless in numbers. He finally understood why the two thieves had perished here. Even if thieves had strong survival skills, once their escape route was cut off by the endless tide of beetles, there was no chance they could escape. Wind Sweeping Clouds! Suddenly, wind gusts stirred up in the sewer channel, like countless wind blades slashing towards the beetles above. Whizz, whizz, whizz~ The level twenty-five normal monsters could not withstand such violent attacks. For them, Song Jians damage output was indeed terrifying. In an instant, Song Jian had killed dozens of beetles, cleaning out the whole channel. This was only with the employment of Wind Sweeping Clouds using a single longsword. I cant even imagine how much power it would hold if four longswords were used simultaneously! Song Jians excited face revealed his utter satisfaction. The way of killing many enemies at once was always thrilling. As Song Jian proceeded further, he encountered more and more beetles. Their levels had escalated from twenty-five to twenty-eight, increasing significantly in size. The two large pincers on their forejaws were gleaming like metal, constantly clashing together and shooting sparks. When Song Jian looked forward using his vertical eye, he noticed a huge dome-like object in the distance that reached the top of the sewer. Why does it look like a giant heart pulsating? Song Jian thought to himself. Upon getting closer, he was shocked to realize that it was actually a huge insect nest, continually discharging beetles covered in slime. These beetles were the size of a fingernail at birth, but they grew to the size of a fist within mere seconds. They were identical to the level twenty-five beetles seen before. Most beetles stopped growing after reaching level twenty-five. However, a few could grow to level twenty-eight. For every hundred level twenty-five beetles, one could grow to level twenty-eight. But level twenty-eight beetles were not the pinnacle. Among every hundred level twenty-eight beetles, one could break through to level thirty. These level thirty beetles, elite monsters acting as guards, were stationed around the insect nest. Only the level twenty-five and twenty-eight beetles roamed around, preyed on every creature in the sewer, and even the small animals like rats were not spared. The corpses of these creatures were then transported back to the insect nest to be stored as food. Looking at the insect nest, Song Jian broke out in a cold sweat. Even if he managed to clear the surface area thoroughly, if he didnt annihilate the insect nest in front of him, the ultimate task completion rate would still be shockingly low. The insect nest produced a swarm of beetles after a certain period of time. From afar, it looked like a surging black tide. Something like that could frighten a person with agoraphobia into a coma. Even Song Jian couldnt guarantee that he could escape unscathed if surrounded by these many beetles. However, if he didnt destroy the insect nest, his City Lords task would certainly fail. Even if he did manage to complete the task, the rank would still be very low. He might end up with a City Lord seal that had only unlocked 60% of its power. This was something Song Jian completely couldnt accept. Even if I cant reach the exclusive 110% unlock rate, I have to at least reach the perfect unlock rate of 98%! Song Jian gritted his teeth and declared inwardly. The Sword Spirit of the fourth longsword, the Surging Wave Breaking Sword, had been conceived. Song Jian summoned all four longswords and erased all previously engraved skills. The Sword Spirits were still maturing, thus they could only memorize three sets of sword techniques. Song Jian directly engraved the first two moves of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique onto the four longswords. Re-engraving the sword techniques consumed a lot of Mental Strength. However, with the help of honey wine boosting his recovery, Song Jian successfully engraved the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique onto all four longswords. Today, Ill show you how powerful the combination of the Blizzard Snowfall and the Wind Sweeping Clouds can be! Song Jian glared at the insect nest and prepared to attack. With a thought, one of the longswords flew towards the insect nest. The moment it got close, almost all the beetles noticed its existence and immediately let out sharp cries. Thousands of beetles cried out at once, filling the sewer with piercing sounds. Song Jian felt as if countless needles were piercing his eardrums. Even the long sword he was controlling couldnt help but shudder. The startled look on Song Jians face changed to one of alarm as he watched his Vitality Points rapidly deplete. This shrieking was not a beetle skill, but it was more frightening than any sonic attack skill. Blizzard Snowfall! The longsword flying towards the insect nest performed a turn in mid-air and, under Song Jians control, executed the first move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. In an instant, the beetles on the ground were nearly submerged in snow. Even the beetles on the ceiling of the sewer had been sliced into halves by the snowflake Sword Qi and fell to the floor. Then, the second longsword was also released by Song Jian. Immediately, a gust of wind swept through the sewer. PS: Thanks to Reader150218030845673 for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 730 - Chapter 730: Chapter 730: Explosive Flame Bomb Chapter 730: Chapter 730: Explosive Flame Bomb Under the accumulated snow, swaths of beetles were frozen in icy lumps, but some slightly more powerful beetles were still able to move, despite their bodies being covered in ice and snow. As for the elite beetle guards, which were painstakingly selected to protect the insect nest, their movement speed was only slightly reduced; they could still charge towards Song Jian at the speed of walking humans on the snowy ground; Wind Sweeping Clouds! Following the second longsword, the blade danced, and the second move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was immediately unleashed. Countless winds swirl with snowflakes, resembling an enraged jade dragon, which surged towards the insect nest in front; All the snowflake Sword Qi wildly danced in the sewer, and the beetles they touched burst open one after another. Song Jian was surprised to find that when these two moves were executed simultaneously, their power actually increased by 30%. Both Twilight Snow Blizzard and Wind Sweeping Clouds were originally group attack techniques, good at dealing with monsters with weak strength but large in numbers. The beetles produced by the insect nest just happened to fit these characteristics. If they were facing other people or creatures, even those with first-order Combat Power would have to retreat in the face of the tide-like beetles, not daring to confront them directly. Once surrounded by the insect nest, they would fall into a tragic situation of being consumed by ants. Violent winds spread, countless snowflakes seemed like flying swords, charging towards the tide-like beetles. The grade of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was extremely high, and dealing with these level-25 monsters could directly kill them instantly. Even the stronger level-28 beetles could not withstand two or three swords. Only the elite level-30 beetles could survive amidst the snowflake Sword Qi, but their Vitality Points fell very quickly. The third longsword flew by, followed by the fourth. Since Song Jian had engraved the Ten Thousand Facet Sword Technique, the consumption of executing these two moves was minimal. The beetles were fearless, even if they were killed instantly, they still rushed towards Song Jian without hesitation. The tide-like beetles churned and burst open one by one under the heavy snow and violent winds, filling the entire sewer with a nauseating stench. The number of dead beetles was so large that the corpses almost blocked the entire sewer. Fortunately, the bodies of ordinary beetles had a very short existence time. In a little while, they were burned clean by transparent flames, leaving only a pile of low-level materials on the ground; Wind Sweeping Clouds! Twilight Snow Blizzard! Song Jian gave up on other sword techniques and slowly retreated while using these two techniques back and forth. Countless beetles died every second, but even more beetles filled the gaps. Despite the small energy consumption, Song Jians Spirit Points were slowly being consumed. In the end, even the recovery speed of the Invisible Sword Qi began to slow down, indicating that his body was approaching its limit. It was unknown how many beetles he had killed, but there was a thick layer of beetle corpses on the ground that hadnt been burned yet. It was evident that the number of beetles near the insect nest had decreased a lot. Compared to the previous beetle tide, there were now at most only one-tenth of them left. However, Song Jian had also reached his limit. Continuing the battle would bury himself here. With a thought, the four longswords flew up and down and simultaneously used Wind Sweeping Clouds, causing tornado-like whirlpools to appear in the sewer, sweeping forward with an unstoppable force; Song Jian took advantage of the situation and turned into a shadow, using the Sword Shadow Step to slide towards the rear, only breathing a sigh of relief after leaving the range of the insect nest. This was the first time that Song Jian had seen such a terrifying insect nest, capable of producing and controlling tens or even hundreds of thousands of beetles. If it was allowed to grow, even if Song Jian successfully built a city, it would eventually be destroyed under the attack of such tide-like beetles; Fortunately, most of the beetles it produces now are ordinary ones. If they were all elite beetle guards, it might have been really difficult to escape today! Song Jian thought to himself. And if all the elite beetles were present today, Song Jian wouldnt have fought until now. He probably would have fled the moment he encountered them. Upon returning to the Manor Castle, Song Jian headed for Dr. Ebsitings laboratory; As soon as he approached, Song Jian heard a muffled explosion from afar, causing the ground to shake slightly; Luckily, the doctors laboratory had been reinforced multiple times by himself, and it could withstand continuous explosions! Doctor, have you made any new inventions lately? Song Jian pushed open the laboratory door and said directly, I need to deal with a large number of monsters. They are weak, but there are too many of them With a face covered in soot, Dr. Ebsiting shook his charred lab coat and coughed, These monsters you speak of, do they have any obvious resistances, such as extremely high fire resistance? Song Jian thought for a moment, recalling the previous battle, and shook his head, Just ordinary monsters, no noticeable features that enhance certain resistances! But they come in great numbers, thousands of them! Song Jian emphasized; Try this! The doctor took out a flat metal disc from the storage shelf and handed it to Song Jian, Bursting flame bomb! It has a time delay function, which can extend up to thirty seconds. After the explosion, it will deal 500 points of explosion damage to all targets within a ten-meter range, and then trigger white phosphorus burning effect, causing a similar Mage firewall skill effect, dealing 100 points of damage per second to any creatures entering the range, lasting for 30 seconds! Song Jians eyes lit up. The ordinary level-25 beetles had only slightly more than 1,000 Vitality Points. Just one such bomb could cause massive damage and kill them in large numbers, probably even more powerful than the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique! Ill take this, how many do you have? Give me a hundred! Song Jian laughed. What, a hundred? The doctor was shocked, How could I have that many? These are just experimental products; at most, there are thirteenfourteen; Ill give you all of them! A moment later, Song Jian put all fourteen Bursting Flame Bombs into his inventory and went back towards the sewer. He had to race against time, or else the insect nest would produce even more beetles, and the results of his hard work would cease to exist. Half an hour later, Song Jian arrived back at the place where he had fought before. Now, it was clear that almost all the beetles were controlled by the insect nest, gathering around it. Even the ordinary level-25 beetles couldnt move a step away; Song Jian approached slowly, and when he was only a dozen meters away from the insect nest, the beetles on the outermost layer seemed to sense something. They let out a threatening hiss towards the location where he was standing. Song Jian smiled faintly, stopped, and buried the first Bursting Flame Bomb here, with a thirty-second delay; Chapter 731 - Chapter 731: Chapter 731: Abyss Insect Nest Chapter 731: Chapter 731: Abyss Insect Nest Boom, boom, boom~ In the sewer, a series of explosions suddenly rang out, startling the players who were clearing monsters in the sewer, not knowing what was going on. Whats happening? Whats going on, is the sewer collapsing? Is there a BOSS? Did we encounter a BOSS? The direction of the explosion is quite far from us. It seems to be where the two sacrificed brothers last appeared. Do you think it might be the work of our Alliance Leader Its possible. We can hear it from so far away; the explosion must be powerful. They must have encountered a BOSS The players of the City of Hope Alliance were all guessing, but they did not know that what Song Jian encountered was not a BOSS, but something even more terrifying than a BOSS. A dozen explosive fire bombs turned the entire tunnel, several tens of meters wide, into a sea of flames. These beetles had no consciousness of their own and were controlled by the insect nest. After identifying Song Jian as their target, they rushed recklessly in his direction. In the end, swathes of beetles fell in the sea of fire, including the elite beetle guards, who could not withstand the damage dealt in the flaming area and also fell. In just less than ten minutes, there were no more active beetles in front of Song Jian. The effect of the explosive fire bombs was surprisingly good, much better than the battle Song Jian had fought for hours before. However, this was due to the fact that he had already eliminated most of the beetles, and the fire bombs only served as a finishing blow. The strong explosion and the high temperature of the fire caused cracks on the muddy walls of the tunnel and sand began to fall from the ceiling. It seemed that it wouldnt be long before this section of the tunnel would collapse. Song Jian walked towards the insect nest, a three-meter-tall mass resembling a swollen tumor, stretching up to the top of the sewer, with numerous vents similar to exhaust holes on its surface. This insect nest was also a level 30 Lord class BOSS, but with no attack power of its own, relying solely on the beetles it spawned. If allowed enough time, it could become one of the top-notch Lord class bosses. However, without beetles, it would be among the weakest of Lord bosses, even worse than ordinary monsters. As Song Jian approached, the insect nest began to tremble wildly, making a humming sound from within, as if trying to plead with him. Just as Song Jian was about to plant the last explosive fire bomb beneath it, a flash of inspiration struck him. This thing seems to be a living creature with its own consciousness. I wonder if the Abyss Temptation skill would work on it? thought Song Jian. He directly summoned the Book of the Abyss, flipping through the pages to the Abyss Temptation skill. Song Jian began chanting the Abyssal Spell towards the giant insect nest. A faint, whisper-like sound echoed through the sewer. Dark, Abyssal Chains wrapped around the entire insect nest, which let out mournful cries under the erosion of the Abyssal Power but had no means of resistance. After ten whole minutes, the system finally told Song Jian that the insect nest had become his slave. Song Jian opened the insect nests attribute panel and carefully examined its properties. Abyss Insect Nest (Lord class): Special creature, produces 3 eggs every 10 seconds. These eggs will hatch automatically, with a 90% chance of hatching an ordinary beetle, a 10% chance of hatching a strong beetle, and a 1% chance of hatching an elite beetle guard. All beetles have no independent consciousness and are strictly controlled by the insect nest. After being corroded by the Abyssal Power, the insect nest becomes a special creature with Abyssal Power, and the eggs it lays have a 0.1% chance of hatching an Abyssal Beetle (elite). The creature is currently Song Jians slave, with 10 loyalty points. Trait: This creature needs to devour a large amount of flesh and blood. When enough flesh and blood are consumed, the creature will evolve on its own. Only 10 loyalty points Song Jian was somewhat speechless. This was the flaw of the Abyss Temptation skill: creatures enslaved by it had low loyalty and were prone to rebellion. With such low loyalty, Song Jian dared not place the insect nest directly on the ground. For now, he could only leave it in the sewer. However, now the beetles spawned by the Abyss Insect Nest were all Song Jians slaves, no longer considered monsters, effectively eliminating a major threat. As soon as Song Jian left the sewer, he instructed Wang Qi to deliver all the flesh obtained from the monster kills to the sewer to feed the Abyss Insect Nest. Although monster corpses would be burned to ashes by translucent flames after death, players with butchering or skinning skills could still obtain materials from them, including monster flesh, which was a cooking ingredient. These materials were cheap and easy to collect. Soon enough, players started delivering monster flesh to the location in the sewer designated by Song Jian. The piled-up flesh was continuously transported by the beetles controlled by the Abyss Insect Nest. In just half a day, its loyalty rose to 20 points, and it spawned a large number of beetles once again. Then, under the control of the Abyss Insect Nest, the beetles began to actively clear out monsters in the sewer. Since the insect nest was Song Jians slave, it could receive orders from him and then relay them to each beetle. The players clearing monsters in the sewer were surprised to find beetles actually competing with them for kills. Hey, look, whats that? How is ithow is it attacking the monsters in the sewer? A player exclaimed, pointing at the beetles crawling along the sewer walls. These must be monsters too, right? But when I lock onto them, I get a system prompt saying that these beetles are affiliated with our Alliance Leader and attacking them would mean challenging him! Are all these beetles the Alliance Leaders combat pets? How come there are so many of them But these beetles are so weak. I can take on more than ten of them by myself! Humph, you can handle ten, but what about fifty? That would be tough, right? And if there are more than a hundred, youll have to turn tail and run. Look at how many there are here, at least three hundred, and there must be more elsewhere With the help of the Abyss Insect Nest, clearing out the sewer monsters went much more smoothly. Monsters killed by the beetles were not burned by the transparent flames. Instead, the beetles dragged their corpses into the insect nest, where they were devoured. After attending to the sewer monster problem, Song Jian immediately headed to the vacation manor where he had discovered the Sword Stone. Chapter 732 - Chapter 732: Chapter 732 God Slayer Chapter 732: Chapter 732 God Slayer To construct a Magic Crystal Railgun, a tremendous amount of rare materials are required, materials that are not dropped by ordinary monsters. Only formidable BOSS monsters have a certain chance of dropping them; There are many such powerful BOSS monsters in Doomsday City, but each of them is surrounded by a swarm of monsters of the same level. To hunt such a boss often requires tedious and time-consuming clearing of the surrounding creatures. Previously, the lake where Song Jian found the statue of the Healing Goddess was teeming with Elite Level Bosses. The bosses in that lake were as common as ordinary monsters, and there are even more powerful Lord Level Bosses. This lake is the ideal place for boss hunting and gathering materials. The only downside is that if you lack the strength, coming here is a guaranteed death sentence; Even with Song Jians capability, he cannot sweep through this lake. He has to cautiously lure the Boss monsters one by one and then hunt them; Within three days, Song Jian had managed to kill over 20 Elite Bosses here, raising his level from 35 to 36. The valuable materials he gathered were sufficient to construct a Magic Crystal Railgun. At this time, in the City of Hope Alliance, the master builder Kutiya, along with a group of architects, had begun constructing the Magic Crystal Railgun. Remember, Kutiya is a Master Builder, who is capable of constructing many defensive structures independently. His participation increased the progress of the Song Jians Alliance tasks by at least 10%; With only ten days left until the task deadline, Song Jian was still hunting Boss monsters in the lake. He hoped to gather more materials and construct a second Magic Crystal Railgun. A single Magic Crystal Railgun can only defend in one direction. Once the city walls of the City of Hope Alliance are built, they have to defend against enemies from four different directions. Just as Song Jian was leading a Deepwater Crocodile Beast Boss to the shore, preparing to kill it, a group of people from the Pantheon appeared at the entrance of the resort out of nowhere. Are you sure Song Jian is here? asked a thief with a scar on his face, his voice deep and composed. God Slayer, I stake my head on it, Song Jian has been leveling here for the past two days, only returning to the Alliance once, probably to resupply for consumables. If we head forward from here, theres a big lake, hes hunting there! a player with an archer class said softly. Alright, wait here, Im going to meet this number one on the glory rankings! God Slayer revealed a strange smile, licked the blade of the dagger in his hand with his tongue, and his figure slowly disappeared in place; Do you think this guy is a psycho out in the real world? the archer whispered. Quiet! A player nearby changed his expression and said in a low voice: He just left. Do you want him to hear you? The expression on the archers face immediately changed. He looked nervously around, his hand gripping the bow trembling noticeably. Other players huddled around all had expressions of fear on their faces. It was evident that God Slayer held a strong deterrent power over others; In actuality, the name God Slayer wasnt his original. Like Zeus, he had also used a name change card after joining the Pantheon, changing his in-game name to God Slayer. Moreover, he held one of the positions of the Twelve Main Deities within the Pantheon, effectively making him a core player; At this time, Song Jian was engaged in intense combat with a Level 33 Elite Boss. Under his control, four long swords kept revolving in mid-air, dealing a tremendous amount of damage to the boss, who was roaring furiously and attacking Song Jian with his skills; Just as the Boss had only a sliver of vitality left, and Song Jian was preparing to finish him off, he suddenly felt an alarm ringing in his heart. His Spirit attribute had already exceeded 100 points, his senses were several folds or even ten times stronger than those of a regular player. This made things like sneak attacks almost immunized against him; Normally, he could sense if someones gaze lingered on him for a fraction too long, those filled with hostility could be sensed from far away. However, hostile gazes and murderous intentions were different things. At this moment, Song Jian felt the most serious threat to his life. Filled with urgency, he instantly activated the Frost Shield skill of his Transformation Orb. An ice shield with a defense strength of 3000 points emerged around him; At this point, Song Jian realized that there was a cut more than a finger-length long on his left cheek; The attacker was already right next to me when I sensed the threat! Realizing this, Song Jian was filled with shock. Who exactly attacked him with such stealth capabilities? Even a max-level stealth skill couldnt accomplish such a feat; Looking back at the place where he was standing, Song Jian could only see a shadowy figure disappear back into stealth. The Boss with only a sliver of vitality was killed by the attacker who also took away a third of the experience points. The dropped items didnt even get a glance from him. If the attacker hadnt needed to finish off the monster and collect its drops, Song Jian probably wouldnt have noticed the figure at all; At least two high-level stealth skills! Song Jian thought to himself. Ordinary thief and assassin-type players always emerge from stealth to deal damage and then transform into combat thieves to fight directly. If they are at a disadvantage, they will use high-level stealth skills either to deal greater damage or to escape; With such skills having long cooldowns, they are generally reserved for preserving lives and wont be employed casually. The person in front of him, however, immediately disappeared from sight after causing minor injuries, indicating that he was not so stingy with his high-level stealth skills. The surroundings were deathly silent. A bead of sweat rolled down Song Jians forehead, which he dared not wipe clean. He opened the vertical eye on his forehead and started searching his surroundings. Yet, he found no clues; How can he be so fast? Song Jian was puzzled. The speed after stealth was so fast that he couldnt even track him; At this time, hiding behind a tree about six meters away from Song Jian was God Slayer. His bloodshot eyes stared unblinkingly at Song Jian through the dense foliage. His dagger still held a droplet of blood from Song Jians cheek, which he tasted with his snake-like tongue. He began shaking in excitement; Chapter 733 - Chapter 733: Chapter 733: I lured him out! Chapter 733: Chapter 733: I lured him out! Woo~ The blood of the strong! For me, its the most powerful supplement! The eyes of the God Slayer turned into snake-like golden vertical pupils, looking at Song Jian with an expression full of greed. At this moment, the tree where the God Slayer was hiding was directly behind Song Jians direction so he didnt see Song Jians third eye open, watching Song Jian carefully looking around to investigate. The God Slayer couldnt help but let out a cold sneer in his heart; A mere swordsman, thinking that simply observing the movements around him would reveal his presence was just too naive! The God Slayer leapt out from the tree, landing without making a sound, and then rushed towards Song Jian like a ghost, the dagger in his hand like the fangs of a wild beast, aiming for Song Jians neck; Backstab! This was a starting move for the Assassin profession, attacking from behind the target, dealing 200% damage while gaining two combo points; The power of this move was great, and the God Slayer had already maxed it out, not only causing massive damage to the target, but also paralyzing them for two seconds after hitting them; However, just as the dagger was about to strike Song Jian, he suddenly turned around, all three of his eyes locking onto the position of the God Slayer, and the four swords in his hand shot towards the God Slayer like a meteor; The God Slayer saw the light blooming in the silver vertical eye on Song Jians forehead and immediately felt a sense of foreboding. Startled, he realized what was happening and abandoned his attack, retreating backwards; He can see through my stealth! The God Slayer was shocked, seeing the four swords coming at him, his body flashed with white light, and his speed increased dramatically; Clang, clang, clang, clang~ The four swords stabbed the God Slayer almost simultaneously, but they did not cause any damage to him, and the words Immune to Damage floated up above his head; Invincible state? Song Jian was taken aback, seeing the white light appearing under the God Slayers feet, running at an extremely fast speed, he immediately understood what skill the other was using. Gale Step! Song Jian muttered in a low voice; Gale Step was a core skill of the Assassin and Thief professions, but the Assassins Gale Step was more focused on making them invincible, while the Thiefs Gale Step was more focused on increasing their movement speed; When at max level, the Assassins Gale Step grants half a second more invincibility time than the Thiefs Gale Step, while the Thiefs running speed is increased by 5% more than the Assassins Gale Step, and lasts for one more second; You think only you have acceleration skills? Hmph! Song Jian snorted coldly, and a pair of steel wings suddenly expanded behind him. With a flap, he began to fly at low altitude, chasing after the God Slayer; At this point, Song Jian had already checked the God Slayers attributes and naturally saw that he was a member of the Pantheon. He knew that the City of Hope and the Pantheon had long been in competition, trying to surpass each other in every way possible in Doomsday City. The City of Hopes construction was about to be successfully completed with just one step remaining, and due to Song Jians city lord mission, the City of Hope Alliance had attracted a lot of attention, with almost all of its members participating, whether in collecting materials or clearing monsters in the territory. This kind of involvement meant that there was no way to keep information hidden; Almost all the players in Doomsday City had learned that the City of Hope Alliances city-building mission was in the final and most crucial step; Some smaller alliances could only look on with envy and at most secretly curse that it would be better if the city failed, but the Pantheon, which had always treated the City of Hope Alliance as an imaginary enemy, didnt want Song Jian to complete his mission smoothly; However, whether it was by collecting materials or clearing the territory of monsters, the Pantheon was unable to obstruct those activities. Moreover, at this time, the City of Hope Alliance had already built walls and numerous defensive facilities, and if the Pantheon dared to make trouble, those facilities alone would be enough to make them regret it; Still, it didnt take long for the Pantheons people to find Song Jians whereabouts since he had been in one place for a long time; Seeing Song Jian alone in the resort, everyone in the Pantheon thought he was grinding levels, trying to improve his level during the last bit of time, especially since he had just leveled up again, which solidified the Pantheons idea. So they decided to come and assassinate him, at the very least, to prevent him from leveling up smoothly; At this moment, the Pantheon player sent to assassinate Song Jian was idling near the resorts entrance, quietly discussing amongst themselves; What do you guys think? Can our God Slayer kill Song Jian all by himself? Hard to say, the God Slayer is formidable, but Song Jian is no pushover either. Plus, the God Slayer is only level 33 while Song Jian is already level 35 C oh, no, hes level 36 now! Hmph, the God Slayer passed the first-class combat power test and even scored an A on it. Its said that even our alliance leader Zeus is not his match now! I hope he can kill Song Jian, it would save us all the trouble and we could gain Contribution Points for doing nothing, how great is that? Hahaha, yeah, itd be best if he kills him, it would be easy for all of us! Just as the group was discussing, someone suddenly shouted, Look, the guy running towards us, is that the God Slayer? He looks like hes being chased! Everyone was alarmed and quickly looked into the distance; Damn it, its that guy, how can he run faster than a rabbit? Did he fail to assassinate Song Jian? Thats impossible, isnt it? The God Slayer is so powerful, even if he couldnt assassinate Song Jian successfully, he shouldnt be running away so pathetically. Hmph, I told you Song Jian wouldnt be easy to deal with, but he insisted on going alone. Now hes scared the snake, hasnt he? Look, the guy chasing behind him, isnt that Song Jian? Yeah, thats him, look at the steel wings on his back, hes the only one with wings in the entire Doomsday City! The God Slayer is such a waste! So, what should we do now? Should we just run together? Despite their numbers being dozens more than Song Jian, seeing the God Slayer running away like a rabbit caused them to lose all confidence and begin planning their escape; But just then, the distant God Slayer suddenly shouted, Hey, Ive lured Song Jian out! Hurry up and attack him! All: .. After an exchange of glances, everyone realized the shamelessness of the God Slayer. He had clearly failed his solo assassination and yet claimed he had deliberately lured Song Jian out. Originally, the plan was to ambush the enemy, not bait them out like in a boss fight in the wild! Run! One player shouted, and all the Pantheon players immediately used various acceleration skills and fled into the distance like the wind; Chapter 734 - Chapter 734: Chapter 734 Pantheon Chapter 734: Chapter 734 Pantheon Song Jian had long noticed a large crowd of people at the entrance of the resort. Looking at their revealed attributes, they were all players from the Pantheon, but none of them were level thirty. Even if there were any at level thirty, they hadnt passed the first-stage combat strength assessment. In Song Jians eyes, the only one who could be considered a worthy opponent in this crowd was the God Slayer pursuing him. After several confrontations, the God Slayer realized that he couldnt kill Song Jian alone. The latters spiritual attributes were too high and his sensing ability was too strong, eliminating the chance for a surprise attack. Without a surprise attack, no matter how egotistical he was, he wouldnt believe he could kill Song Jian in a straight fight! He initially thought he could use the crowd at the resort entrance to delay Song Jian and make a getaway. But unexpectedly, they slipped away faster than he anticipated, leaving him behind! Damn it, these guys the God Slayer cursed under his breath. Seeing Song Jian getting closer, he pulled out a grenade from his pocket and threw it at him. Boom! After the explosion, a thick cloud of smoke quickly spread, engulfing a matter of tens of meters in a few seconds. Song Jian gently tapped his foot in mid-air and abruptly halted. Staring at the dissipating smoke, a cold smile appeared on his lips. Among the Pantheon members, probably only the so-called Twelve Main Deities could pose a slight threat. Everyone else was just sacrificial fodder. After waiting for a while, Song Jian turned back towards the lakeside. With the deadline for the final task approaching rapidly, he couldnt afford to waste time battling with players from the Pantheon. If he chased after those players, regardless of success or failure, it would slow down the task completion. Thats what the Pantheon Alliance wanted. Pantheon! A murderous intent flashed in Song Jians eyes. He had always been focused on improving his strength, not taking alliances too seriously. After all, no matter how powerful an organization is in the game, it couldnt affect the real world. But after experiencing a real-life arena fight, this thought had begun to change. He noticed that the game world was gradually pervading the real one. Not only the players but also the game items began to appear in the real world increasingly. Most importantly, the existence of the game was no longer a secret, but something more and more people knew about. Alliances are important. Being a city lord, for me, may be even more important than power! Song Jian had a vague thought in his mind. He felt as if it was his sixth sense informing him about something. After the assassination attempt, Song Jian became more cautious. He summoned thirty blood crows, distributing them around a radius of over a hundred meters. These blood crows were great scouts. They would detect even the smallest movement, ensuring Song Jian didnt get caught off guard. No more Pantheon members appeared. According to Song Jians thinking, his position was exposed, yet he stayed. The Pantheon should have gathered a force to assassinate him again. However, several days passed without a sign of them, right up until the mission time was about to end. In fact, the reason Zeus hesitated was that Song Jian hadnt left. In several previous conflicts with the City of Hope, he never gained any advantage. The closest he ever got to success was when he was contesting the top ranking on the glory leaderboard with Song Jian. He was just 1% experience points away. Yet, in the end, Song Jian defeated him with a surprising strategy, pushing him from the throne he was about to secure. This failure left a shadow in Zeuss heart. He began to overthink Song Jians unusual behavior. In the Pantheon Alliances meeting room, twelve players were seated in high-backed chairs, similar to the main deities in the Olympus Pantheon. Could it be a trap, with numerous minions lying in ambush? Zeus thought aloud. The God Slayer snorted and replied: Ive thoroughly scouted the area, other than him and some of his summoned creatures, theres no one else. Then can you explain why, knowing his position has been exposed, and knowing we are trying to kill him, he doesnt leave? Zeus turned to face the God Slayer, his face almost touching the latters. He fixed him with a stare and whispered: Why is he doing this? Blind confidence? The God Slayer wore a puzzled expression, guessing. Impossible, hes not like you! Zeus sneered, straightening up. Song Jian is confident but never blind. He may be waiting for us to find him, planning to capture us all. Are we just going to watch blindly as he fights the bosses and levels up? You know that lake is teeming with Elite Level bosses. Its a treasure hunting sanctuary! The God Slayer sounded anxious. Are we lacking high-quality equipment? Zeus asked with a frown. But we cant just let him complete the city-building task. Once the City of Hope succeeds in city-building, will there be a place left for us, the Pantheon? A half-naked, muscular man with primitive leather armor slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, angrily roaring. God of War, be patient, God King surely has his reasons! A woman in a gorgeous dress, holding a golden scepter, smiled, her eyes constantly on Zeus. Thats right, we should not engage with the City of Hope Alliance head-on, Zeus said with a smug smile, nodding satisfactorily to the woman. If they want to build their city, let them do so. Have our previous attempts to stop them been successful? No! Why did we fail every time? Is it because we are weaker than them? Zeus asked the room aloud. No, we are destined to become the True Gods of the entire world. All enemies shall be trampled under our feet! The God of War shouted, standing and raising his double-bladed battle axe. Zeus watched him. After a moment, the God of War sheepishly lowered his arm and sat back down. Chapter 735 - Chapter 735: Chapter 735: Early Preparation Chapter 735: Chapter 735: Early Preparation Our goal is to become True God, but were not gods yet, so we must have a clear understanding of ourselves! A handsome man wearing leather armor and carrying a giant longbow stood up and said, Our current strength is indeed inferior to that of the City of Hope. Thats a fact! The God of Hunting is right! Zeus roared, Thats the truth! Were constantly failing because our strength is weak! The other core members fell silent, their heads slightly lowered, some of them disheartened; Zeus glanced around and a sneer flashed across his lips; Being weak now doesnt mean well always be weak! Zeus said, Now is a perfect opportunity. If the City of Hope fails in building their city, they will be ruined, and from then on, the Doomsday City will only hold us and the Pantheon in high esteem! Zeuss words slightly boosted everyones confidence. From what weve learned, the city-building mission is indeed challenging, but A short, near-transparent man hesitated, But what can we do to make their city-building mission fail? Its simple, well borrow power! Zeus slowly walked toward the short man, a smile on his face, and said to him, God of Thieves, I need you to stay in the City of Hopes territory 24 hours a day starting today, gathering information! Youre invisible to other players, and I need you to find out everything about the city-building mission from them! Whats the specific content of the mission, how far along are they, what plans do they have, and so on, every single detail! God of Thieves nodded, as it was not a complicated task for him. He had already gained a heightened stealth skill from a mission and upgraded it to the max level, which resulted in a mutation, giving him incredible concealment effects. Almost no one could detect him as long as he didnt reveal himself; Moreover, there were very few methods available to counter a thiefs Stealth skill now, and all detection skills had short durations and long cooldown times. Ordinary players wouldnt use them carelessly in their free time. Also, the God of Thieves had infiltrated the City of Hope Alliances territory more than once without being discovered. This time, he would just have to stay a bit longer; Leader The God of Thieves began to speak. Call me God King! Zeus yelled; God of Thieves shuddered and quickly corrected himself, God King, God King Whats the matter? Zeus asked with a cold snort. I I uncovered some information earlier that the City of Hope Alliances city-building mission seems to have several stages with the last being a monster siege. A large number of monsters will attack the city theyve built God of Thieves said. Humph, I already knew that. Everything theyre doing now is in preparation for the final monster siege! Zeuss mouth was adorned with a sinister grin as he said, So when I say well borrow power, it means using the strength of these monsters to completely destroy the City of Hope. At that time, with a little push from us, we will not only destroy the City of Hope Alliance at minimal cost, but also plunder a massive amount of resources from them! Ever since the City of Hope Alliance obtained all the resources in the Valley of the Undead, their strength had greatly increased, and various buildings were being developed continuously. Players who had been to the Valley of the Undead had previously showcased resources they had obtained, making others envious and drooling. However, only a small portion of the Valleys resources circulated among Doomsday Citys players, with the majority being transported through the City of Hope Alliances Transmission Array to the City of Sin and City of Hymns to be sold at a better price; This had led many Doomsday City players to covet the resources obtained by the City of Hope Alliance; Meanwhile, Song Jian continued to farm BOSSes in the resort, at first worried that players from the Pantheon would come and mess with him, but later, seeing no one coming, he began to lure two or three BOSSes at a time to kill. The first two forms of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique were AoE abilities, so the more monsters, the better the effect. Although the effects on BOSSes werent as good as with the beetles, they didnt decrease his efficiency in killing them, and soon Song Jian had to go back to clean up his inventory again. Time flew, and the City of Hope had begun constructing its second Magic Crystal Railgun. Song Jian had finally finished his tedious days of farming materials and returned to the City of Hope Alliance to set up sword formations in various places. Exploration Sword Formation, Attack Sword Formation, Defense Sword Formation, each sword formation used dozens, even hundreds of Sword Stones. Song Jian ingeniously linked all the sword formations together so that when they were activated, they could coordinate with each other. Although the effect couldnt reach that of the Qingyun Sword Array, monsters from events like the creation of safehouses couldnt even reach the walls of the City of Hope. Song Jian knew that the scale of the final monster siege in this city-building mission would definitely be more significant than the previous safehouse event. Previously, only monsters from the surroundings were attracted, but this time, monsters from outside Doomsday City might appear! Boss, the Magic Crystal Railgun at the north gate is complete, Wang Qi approached Song Jian and asked. Do you want to check it out? Its already built? Song Jians face showed a satisfied smile. The Magic Crystal Railgun was a powerful weapon, just one of which would mean hed no longer need to worry about monsters above Lord-level appearing in the north direction. Lets go take a look! Song Jian laughed. The pair quickly arrived at the north wall of the Alliances territory. Standing on the five or six-meter-high wall, they looked out at the vast area still belonging to the City of Hope Alliance. However, due to the limited number of players, they couldnt protect the entire territory, so they had to abandon it. But on this piece of land, countless types of traps and mechanisms were laid out, and powerful landmines were buried. Even Song Jian himself wasnt confident that he could make it out of the area; Is this the Magic Crystal Railgun? Song Jian looked at a massive fortress on the north wall, about as tall as a six-story building, and exclaimed! Yes, this is the Magic Crystal Railgun, and its extremely powerful! Wang Qi excitedly said, Boss, take a look at the gorge in front of us. Its the result of our test shot after construction was completed. With just one shot, a 33-story building was turned into ruins PS: Thank you Book Friend 141222210642736 for the 100 Qidian coins tip! Chapter 736 - Chapter 736: Chapter 736: Abyssal Beetle Chapter 736: Chapter 736: Abyssal Beetle This trench under the north city wall, more than two meters deep and five or six meters wide, extends hundreds of yards from the wall until it disappears in front of a tall ruinous building outside the Alliances territory. The entire trench displays a crystallized state, leaving one to imagine just how high the temperature must have been when the cannon fired! Whats the firing speed? And, what kind of consumption does it have? Song Jian inquired. It can only shoot once per minute, but its possible to initiate a rapid fire skill that shortens the time to ten seconds! Wang Qi explained, When the rapid fire skill is activated, energy consumption triples. It can only last for a minute. After that time, the railgun needs to cool down for ten minutes before it can fire again! As for the energy Wang Qis expression became troubled as he continued, It consumes a huge amount of energy. Given our storage capacity. If we take two magic crystal railguns into account C even if we only use them at normal firing rates C well only be able to endure for about half an hour. If we were to activate rapid fire, I fear that the railgun wouldnt be usable after just one round! Song Jian frowned. The power consumed by the magic crystal railgun was the magic crystals themselves, strategic materials that were forbidden from sale in any city. City of Hope was only able to purchase some at a high price with the help of City of Sin to create a magic crystal railgun. The remaining magic crystals are simply not enough to support an intense battle; This was exactly why Song Jian didnt continue to farm for boss materials. Having the railgun alone wasnt enough. They also needed an adequate supply of ammunition! Magic crystals Are there no magic crystal mines in Doomsday City? Song Jian asked with a furrowed brow. Wang Qi had a bitter smile on his face. Magic crystals are probably the most difficult resources to obtain in this game. Not only in Doomsday City, but also in big cities like City of Sin and City of Hymns, there are no magic crystal mines around! At present, only three magic crystal mines have been found in the entire game, all in areas populated by level 50 or higher monsters. The nearest city is more than a hundred kilometers away Wang Qi shared. He obtained all this information from City of Sin. Before, Wang Qi hadnt even heard of magic crystals, let alone seen them. He only studied this knowledge when they needed to construct the magic crystal railgun. Song Jian sighed internally. It seemed that these two railguns could only be used at the most critical moments and not as regular weapons! When will the other railgun be completed? Song Jian asked. It needs another four days. It will definitely be completed before the task ends! Wang Qi said. How many defense buildings do we have now, and have we reached the required level of defense? He glanced at the war machines densely packed on the city wall and asked. Hehe, weve already reached the standard. Our citys total defense is now one hundred and sixty-five thousand. After the magic crystal railgun is built, it can increase the defense by another thirty thousand! Wang Qi replied with a laugh. Initially, reaching the required defense was the most troubling part. Even if all the defense structures provided by the system were constructed, it would still only amount to sixty thousand defense points, far from the target. But now, by the time the task ends, the defense of the City of Hope Alliance is almost set to double the task requirement! The higher the defense, the safer the defending players, and naturally, the more willing they are to participate in the defense. Otherwise, there might be mass resignations from the City of Hope Alliance during the monster siege phase; In this game, everyone has only one life. As long as youre alive, there are endless possibilities. Regardless of the rewards, no one is willing to risk their life! When he heard that the defense could reach close to two hundred thousand, Song Jian finally nodded in satisfaction. The higher the defense, the better. Even if all the buildings were destroyed at the end, as long as the core of Manor Castles Alliance and the players in the alliance are still alive, it is a victory! The materials have been collected, the defense has met the requirements, two out of the four tasks have been completed, only the clean-up task and waiting for the final monster siege are left! The clean-up task seems to be not difficult, but it is actually the most tedious part of the job. To achieve perfection, there cant be a single system monster left in our territory! Whether its on the ground or in the sewer, they were patrolled over and over again. But every time, some new monsters are always discovered. This is the most troublesome thing for Wang Qi. There are times when he truly wishes he could turn the entire ground upside to inspect! Song Jian glanced at the loyalty of the nest, which had risen to sixty points. It seems that recent feeding activities have been successful. More than thirty thousand beetles have hatched. According to the ratio of one to ten and one to a hundred, three thousand strong beetles and three hundred elite beetles have appeared. However, none of the more powerful abyssal beetles have yet appeared. It seemed that the chance of hatching an abyssal beetle was lower than what was indicated. Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt a slight tremor in the ground. But the vibration was very subtle, only he, with his Spirit Points exceeding a hundred, could feel it. Wang Qi and the other players nearby were completely unaware. Whats going on? Song Jian furrowed his eyebrows. He then suddenly sensed a wave of weakness emanating from the nest, accompanied by bouts of hunger. When Song Jian opened the nest interface, he was shocked to find that the nest had actually hatched an Abyssal Beetle! Prepare a lot of food, send it to the sewer, quickly! Having said that, Song Jian ran straight towards the sewer entrance. Unlike the direct control Song Jian had over the Black Dragon and the Blood Beast, the beetles hatched by the nest were controlled through the nest. Therefore, he could only see the number of beetles hatched, not the specific attributes of each beetle from the interface. Hatching just one abyssal beetle caused such a movement C even larger than when over thirty thousand beetles were hatched. This piqued Song Jians curiosity. He wondered just how powerful this abyssal beetle was! Standing in front of the nest, Song Jian saw a pile of monster corpses. Many of them were high-ranking boss bodies, of course, most of them were contributed by Song Jian who had been actively farming level thirty or above elite bosses recently. Although many boss bodies couldnt make it here in time, even a small fraction was enough to significantly increase the nests loyalty to Song Jian. Gazing at a beetle the size of a small car in front of him, Song Jian couldnt help but guess in his heart that perhaps it was through devouring these high-level boss corpses that the nest could produce abyssal beetles. Chapter 737 - Chapter 737: Chapter 737: Keep Going Chapter 737: Chapter 737: Keep Going The Abyssal Beetle was about the size of an ordinary car, covered with a thick shell. Sharp spikes, more than a foot long, protruded from the surface of the shell, resembling sharp blades. A faint black aura emanated from its body, its scarlet eyes fixed on Song Jian as he approached. It growled menacingly like a wild beast, overflowing with murderous intent. If not for the hive control, the Abyssal Beetle would have already lunged at Song Jian, launching its most ferocious attack. However, due to the presence of the hive, the Abyssal Beetle could only watch helplessly as Song Jian reached out to touch it, unable to make a move. The moment Song Jians finger touched its shell, the attributes of the Abyssal Beetle immediately appeared before his eyes. Abyssal Beetle, controlled by the hive, level thirty-three, first-order Combat Power; attributes: Strength 75 points, Agility 43 points, Intelligence 12 points, Spirit 24 points, Constitution 66 points; Skill 1: Devour (active), can swallow the flesh and blood of any creature to accelerate its own recovery rate; Skill 2: Bloodthirsty Shred (active), inflicts 300% damage on a single target, increasing critical hit chance by 20%; 15% of the damage can be used to restore its own Vitality Points; Skill 3: Spiked Shell (passive), defence increases by 100%, while also reflecting 30% of close combat damage. Its like a monstrous tank. During a siege by monsters, if it can withstand the front line, it will greatly reduce the pressure on our defenses! Song Jian grinned satisfactorily. The only regret was that he was unable to control these beetles himself. Command had to be passed through the hive, which could cause communication delays in intense battles. Moreover, I can only issue these beetles with the simplest commands, such as attack and defend. Any more complex commands, Im afraid they wouldnt understand! Song Jian thought ruefully. Initially, Song Jian planned to move the hive to the surface once its loyalty reached a certain level to assist in the defense. But now it seemed better to leave it in the sewer. At this point, the sewer was void of any living creatures except the beetles. All small critters, such as rats, had disappeared. Aside from the original sewer, the hive also commanded the beetles to dig new tunnels. These new tunnels had spread to outside the city walls. Should the defense in that direction fail, the beetles would surface from underground in the shortest time to attack the monsters. Looking at the enlarged hive, Song Jian felt rather satisfied with his previous decision to charm it into his slave using Abyss Temptation, instead of killing it. With only one day left to complete the task, players from the City of Hope Alliance began to gather. Preparing to brace for the upcoming storm. Every corner of the ground was thoroughly cleared by players. No monsters were left, even the bodies were all tossed into the sewer to feed the hive. Make one last check, there must not be any monsters left, not even one at level one! Wang Qi was somewhat anxious, continually issuing various commands. All defensive structures need to be checked once more, also have someone posted on guard duty to prevent sabotage! Try the Magic Crystal Railgun once more, there mustnt be any issues. The northern and eastern defenses are dependent on it! Supplement any necessary traps in front of the territory again Song Jian patted Wang Qi on the shoulder and smiled, Youve done well, dont be so nervous. I believe we will definitely succeed in building the city this time! Wang Qi took a deep breath, forced a smile at Song Jian, and nodded. For a day, players from the City of Hope Alliance stayed on the city walls, quietly waiting. The surroundings were eerily silent, and the air permeated with a grave tension. As time slowly passed and the skies darkened, a rumbling sound echoed from the distance. Everyone looked up. A giant silver skeleton gradually emerged from the abandoned city streets. This was the skeleton that stood over a hundred meters tall, which Song Jian had seen the first time he entered the game. However, back then, the skeleton had sparkling white jade-like bones, but now it had turned silver-grey, exuding a metallic texture. As the giant silver-gray skeleton was about approach the City of Hope Alliances city wall, it suddenly stopped. Everyone became tense, some even drew their weapons, and pointed their bows and crossbows at the giant skeleton. Everyone, put down your weapons! Song Jian shouted, Dont show any hostility! To everyone, the skeletons attributes were all question marks, making it impossible to assess its level or strength. Mainly, it was a non-aggressive creature due to its pale-yellow attribute. Song Jian stared at the giant skeleton, sensing a potent third-order Combat Power aura from it. If such a terrifying entity attacked the City of Hope, he would immediately order a retreat. Any resistance would be futile in front of it. Even the Magic Crystal Railgun would only cause minor grazes. The skeleton turned and looked at the city wall of the City of Hope. Its closed mouth suddenly opened, showing an apparent smile. Song Jian instantly felt as if the skeletons attention had locked onto him, transmitting a message into his mind. Next, the skeleton continued down the abandoned road of Doomsday City, disappearing from sight. Phew, I got scared to death! Once the skeleton disappeared, Wang Qi finally sat down against the city wall. His back had completely soaked in just a few seconds, the pressure from the creature was just too much. The monsters we are defending against, they cant be that big, can they? A player guessed in a low voice. Impossible. If such a horrifying creature appears, we wont be able to defend at all. In front of it, I cant muster any courage to fight! Hey, Xiao Yong is pretty badass, he even dared to aim an arrow at it Xiao Yong, Xiao Yong? Dammit, the kids scared stiff. Whos got alcohol to let him take a sip The commotion caused by the giant skeleton quickly died down. Song Jian stood atop the city walls, eyebrows furrowed, the message from the skeleton still echoing in his mind. The message was composed of two words: Keep it up. Typically, monsters harbor enmity towards player-established cities, so why did it seem to convey encouragement? Song Jians brow furrowed deeply, racking his brains but unable to understand. Chapter 738 - Chapter 738: Chapter 738: City Lord Seal Chapter 738: Chapter 738: City Lord Seal Players from the City of Hope Alliance silently waited, so did the players from the Pantheon. They gathered less than a kilometer away from the City of Hope Alliance, staring fixedly at the towering city walls and the densely packed crowd atop them. God, God King, arent we too close? If monsters really do appear later, wouldnt we be the first to bear the brunt of their attack? a short man clutching a hammer hesitated to voice. He was the Craftsman God, not one of the twelve Main Deities in the Pantheon, which means hes not a core member. However, thanks to his masterful Forge Art, he held a prominent position among the players of the Pantheon, second only to the twelve Main Deities. Craftsman God, dont worry. When the monsters are attacking the city, their aggro will be set on the City of Hope by the system. As long as we dont damage them, even if we are next to them, they wont attack us. The Wisdom God tenderly laughed and spoke softly. The Craftsman God looked at the Wisdom God, his eyes revealing a hint of intoxication. He repeatedly nodded and stuttered, Th-thank you, thank you, Wisdom God, for clearing my doubts. I I understand now! At that moment, an ethereal figure gradually appeared next to the God King. The God of Thieves whispered to Zeus, God King, not only us, but at least a dozen guilds are also lying in ambush around here. They seem to have the same objective as us! The City of Hope has made a lot of noise in the past month. Almost all players in Doomsday City got the news that they were building a city. Bear in mind that theres only one Doomsday City. The guild who succeeds in building a city will have a great chance to gain control over the City of Hope in the future. This is something the ambitious guilds absolutely do not want. Therefore, theres no lack of guilds that share the same objective as the Pantheon. Of course, many guilds are just here to fish in troubled waters. If the City of Hope Alliance failed in their city defense, then to these guilds, the City of Hope Alliance would be an absolute feast. Hmph, dont mind them, theyre merely a pack of hyenas! contempt surfaced in Zeus eyes. He didnt take these minor guilds seriously. But unknown to him, in Song Jians eyes, the Pantheons actions were no different from those petty guilds who were here to fish in troubled waters. Not far from these guilds, numerous crimson crows, still and silent, stood amid the surrounding ruins. They looked just like stones, but their eyes were fixed on the players hiding nearby. Song Jian waited silently until the whitening sky heralded the arrival of dawn. That was when he finally received a system prompt: System: Special Task I Am the City Lord, the task time has arrived. Only after completing the task can the City of Hope Alliance successfully establish the city! System: Task 1 C Gather resources to meet task requirements, unlock 30% of the City Lord seal functions! System: Task 2 C Exterminate the monsters in the territory to meet task requirements, unlock 60% of the City Lord seal functions! System: Task 3 C Construct defense buildings to meet the task requirements, unlock 90% of the City Lord seal functions! System: The first three tasks are completed, City Lord seal begins to form! Song Jians eyes suddenly flickered with a dazzling glow. The previously dim and dark environment now felt like a golden bottle being cracked open or the slow rise of a morning sun. Surprised looks spread across everyones faces. In mid-air, a golden five-clawed dragon swam around, emitting continuous dragon roars. After a long time, the golden dragon rushed toward Song Jian. Its body twisted in mid-air, forming a human-head-sized golden seal, which then gently dropped toward Song Jian. As Song Jian reached out to catch the golden seal, it transformed into a golden light and merged into Song Jians forehead. In an instant, a new City Lord Interface with various options appeared on Song Jians game UI, of which the last three options were still greyed out, indicating they were not unlocked yet. With the help of the golden seal, Song Jian felt his consciousness covering the entire City of Hope. With a single thought, he could know everything happening within the territory of the City of Hope Alliance. Wang Qi, in the territory outside the western city wall, there is a damaged trap about 130 meters from the city gate. Send someone to repair it quickly! There are too many guild brothers defending the eastern city wall. Withdraw one-third of them to the western city wall! Construct two more Arrow Towers on both sides of the southern city gate. That place is a gap in the defense. If flying monsters appear, they could easily breach from there! The entire territory of the City of Hope Alliance appeared in Song Jians mind like a 3D map. Any detail, any deficiency, was clear in his mind. System: The City Lord seal has successfully formed. You have ten minutes to adapt. Ten minutes later, Task Four Monster City Attack will start. Please get ready! Song Jian has only ten minutes to get used to the functions of the City Lord seal. If he could control the City Lord seal within these ten minutes, the success rate of the defense could be enhanced by several percentage points. Activate resource data representation! Song Jian began to modify the data of the entire City of Hope Alliance using the City Lord seal. The resources piled up like a mountain in the warehouse disappeared instantaneously, transformed into streaks of light. However, no one noticed as all players belonging to the City of Hope Alliance were already on the city walls. View all buildings! A virtual representation of the City of Hope, with its various pre-constructed buildings, appeared in Song Jians mind. The city wall should be able to be upgraded to Level 9, becoming a steel fortress Song Jian wrinkled his eyebrows while looking at the building blueprints and properties in the city. What he had initially thought was a flawless defense structure now seemed full of holes. The city wall which could have been upgraded to Level 9 was merely at Level 7. Many of the Arrow Towers were not upgraded to their limit and could be further enhanced. Even some buildings, which were used for research and development and logistical support but didnt add to defense, were left unbuilt. These buildings, however, could have been essential for the citys development. Song Jian sighed slightly. Building these would require time and special conditions, two things that he was currently short of. With the monster attacks imminent, there wasnt much he could do except plug the obvious gaps and see what could be perfected. Eh, the City Mercenary System? I can hire neutral mercenaries to participate in the war and defend the city? Song Jians eyes lit up as he found an option that could immediately enhance the defensive strength. PS: Thanks to Tian Zeng Xin for the reward of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 739 - Chapter 739: Chapter 739: Mountain Giant Chapter 739: Chapter 739: Mountain Giant The urban mercenary system is a function of the City Lord seal. It allows city lord to hire mercenaries from other cities. Moreover, if the City of Hope is successfully established, a Mercenary Hall can be created. Song Jian will also be able to open his unique mercenaries through the Mercenary Hall, to be employed by other city lords. Its worth mentioning that this hiring system only exists between city lords, and other people cant see it. Only those who own a City Lord seal can use this function. Many city lords, who are not strong, like to hire powerful mercenaries, either to fight monsters and level up for themselves or to ensure their protection. The cost is just some insignificant Doomsday Coins. Song Jian clicked to hire city mercenaries, then swiftly started searching through the mercenary list. The mercenary list is detailed and spans more than a hundred pages. Depending on the star level, the hiring price varies. The highest is five stars, and the lowest only one star. The five-star mercenaries are the most expensive, requiring at least a million Doomsday Coins for one day. The one-star mercenaries are the cheapest, costing at least a few hundred or at most a few thousand Doomsday Coins per day. Furthermore, a mercenarys star level doesnt necessarily correspond to their strength. Five-star mercenaries have only completed many tasks, while one-star mercenaries have completed only a few tasks; thats all there is to it. Sometimes, spending as little as a one-star mercenarys fee can hire a mercenary with second-tier combat power. However, this kind of thing wholly depends on luck. Song Jian rapidly flipped through the list, hoping to pick the one with the best price-performance ratio. After a short time, he identified the mercenary he wanted to hire. Mountain Giants! One million Doomsday Coins each if they bring their own weapons, and only one-hundred thousand each if they dont! This is such a good deal! An excited expression appeared on Song Jians face. Mountain Giants are a unique race with the lineage of the earth element but do not belong to elemental beings. They prefer to use ancient trees aged over a hundred years as their weapons. The older the trees are, the stronger the Mountain Giants are. They are the only race that can derive power from their weapons. Mountain Giants with weapons, and those without, are entirely different in terms of power. After a while, Song Jian spent more than a million Doomsday Coins to hire a dozen Mountain Giants. Each of these giants was over ten meters tall, standing inside the city walls, and towered over the walls by a considerable margin. With one wave of their hand, they could sweep out all the players within tens of meters on the city wall. Mountain Giant leader Gu Bo reports to the great City Lord Song Jian! A burly Mountain Giant said in a deep voice to Song Jian. The giants voices sounded like thunder, buzzing in peoples ears. Gu Bo, I hired you to assist us in defending the city. In a while, a massive number of monsters will attack this newly built city. We need your strength! Song Jian shouted. Mountain Giants are never afraid of fighting. We will fight with you till the last moment! Gu Bo roared. These mercenaries were hired by Song Jian. As long as he didnt withdraw, they would keep fighting, even if it meant risking their lives. Yet if Song Jian couldnt withstand the attack and chose to escape, these mercenaries would also run away. This rule is clearly stated in the mercenaries manual. Song Jian nodded his head and started directing the Mountain Giants, arranging for them to be distributed around the four city walls. Honorable city lord, theres something I need to tell you! Gu Bo said: Mountain Giants have no ranged attack capabilities, and we can only fight at close range. Also, if you can provide us with ancient trees that are over a hundred years old, our combat power could at least double, and we can assist you in the fight better! Dont worry, I have already prepared weapons for you, and they will be delivered to you soon! Song Jian laughed. Soon enough, someone came carrying a bunch of Ancient Shadow Trees, each several dozens of meters long; Seeing these Ancient Shadow Trees, the Mountain Giants immediately became excited, showing a strong desire to test their power. The Mountain Giants can only use ancient trees as weapons during fights, and they can draw strength from these trees and level up. The higher the quality of an ancient tree and the longer its age, the stronger the power the giants can draw and the easier they can level up. Therefore, employers who can provide ancient trees as weapons will always be favoured by Mountain Giants. These are your weapons. Feel free to choose! Song Jian laughed. Gu Bo was the first to choose the bulkiest Ancient Shadow Tree, which he held high above his head. Roaring joyfully, he said, An Ancient Shadow Tree of over five hundred years old, I can feel the tremendous power. After this battle, I will definitely be able to level up again! Fight! The other Mountain Giants also picked up the Ancient Shadow Trees one after another, and roared loudly. Only through fighting can they draw power from the ancient trees faster. Therefore, the Mountain Giants, having obtained their weapons, crave the fight even more than the players of the City of Hope. After hiring these Mountain Giants, Song Jian spent all of the last financial reserves of the City of Hope Alliance. All the remaining options in the City Lord seal were about complete control of the entire city. Many more functions are yet to be developed. Song Jian can only take a cursory look at them now. Even the remaining three unsealed functions, he barely had time to check when thunderclaps suddenly echoed in the sky. The already dark clouds in the sky seemed to have been stirred up by a gigantic hand, violently rolling about. Streaks of lightning crisscrossed the sky, with thunder booming. It was as if giant dragons were roaring in anger. In the city wreckage outside of the City of Hope, a surge of monsters sprung up. Their eyes were blood red and full of rage as they gazed at the City of Hope. They wore expressions full of hatred, roaring and charging towards the city. The sheer amount and variety of the monsters were simply terrifying. Some of the players who had been lurking outside the City of Hope Alliances territory, hoping to take advantage of the situation, were all scared out of their wits. Despite knowing that these monsters wont attack them, most decided to temporarily flee from the place, including quite a few players from the Pantheon. This is This is horrifying! Craftsman Gods knees trembled as he watched a tens of meter-long python, the size of a tank, slide by just three meters away from him. He suddenly felt a chill running down his leg. A level 30 elite BOSS Lord-class! Look, there are so many Lord-class BOSSs. This is terrifying How can they defend against this? They are practically all BOSSs. This isnt a monster siege, its a BOSS siege! Chapter 740 - Chapter 740: Chapter 740: Monster Attack Chapter 740: Chapter 740: Monster Attack Standing on the city wall, looking at the swarming monsters, all the players showed a shocked expression on their faces. Why why are there so many BOSSes? Level 30, level 30 elite BOSSes, there are too many of them, can the city wall stop them? Look at the monsters in the back, they are at least three meters taller and can climb over the city wall with a wave of their hands. Lord level, they are all Lord level BOSSes, we are not their opponents at all! Are all the BOSSes in Doomsday City gathered here? The players of the City of Hope Alliance are not inexperienced in handling monster sieges. Everyone who has survived the game until now has successfully completed the beginners tasks and created their safe haven. They have experienced monster sieges, but the current situation is totally different from the previous attacks during safe haven creation. The besieging monsters of the safe haven are mostly ordinary monsters that are not higher than the players level. Occasionally there are some elite BOSSes. But now, the majority of the monsters are BOSS level, with very few ordinary ones. Song Jians face was serious and his mood extremely heavy. He knew that establishing a city was a highly challenging task. Many gathering areas have the qualifications to build a city, but few of them are successful. For example, the previously attempted Gathering Area 101 was destroyed more than three times when trying to build a city. Dont panic, activate all defensive buildings. Once the monsters are within range, start attacking freely! Song Jian shouted loudly, Long-range professions get ready, fire at will! Mountain Giants, you guys take the frontline and withstand the monsters first charge! Hearing Song Jians composed roar, the players hearts slightly eased. At this point everyone had to fight, there would be no one trying to escape. The long-range professions started to lock onto the monsters charging in front, waiting for them to enter their attack range before they began chanting and releasing long-range spells. The archers had already begun to shoot at a forty-five degree angle upwards. At this moment, precision was not required, they simply had to let the arrows fly. The leader of the Mountain Giants, Gu Bo, let out a roar. With one hand against the city wall, his enormous body leaped up, managing to jump over the wall and outside the city. He raised his Ancient Shadow Tree weapon high, then slammed it down hard into the swarming monsters. Boom~ With a roar resembling a landslide, dozens of monsters were crushed into meat paste under the Ancient Shadow Tree. Meanwhile, a grey whirlwind resembling a Sword Qi was created and struck out in a cone shape in front of the Mountain Giant, sending all the monsters within a few tens of meters flying backward. Knockback effect! Gu Bo was taken aback, seemingly not expecting these monsters could contain such a large amount of energy, and at the same time, a streak of unfamiliar energy entered his body from the Ancient Shadow Tree in his hand. This tiny flow of energy was very weak. If he had not been focusing most of his attention on the Ancient Shadow Tree in his hand, he might not have noticed it at all. Although he did not know what this tiny flow of energy was for, Gu Bo understood that it would undoubtedly play a crucial role in his advancement. Mountain Giants, fight! Gu Bo shouted excitedly. He felt that after this battle, he would be able to advance to the next stage. Gu Bos voice echoed over the City of Hope Alliance territory. All the Mountain Giants roared back in response. They sensed their leaders excitement and joy, and knew that he must have discovered something and was signaling them. Its no secret that Mountain Giants can absorb energy from ancient trees during battles. The older the tree, the more crazily they can fight. This is why many city lords choose to hire Mountain Giants during battles. However, making full use of a Mountain Giants potential would require the provision of ancient trees that are more than one hundred years old. Also, these trees must have been cut down within an hour. For city lords with limited resources, this could be a headache. They could only hire Mountain Giants with their own weapons, and such Mountain Giants could, at best, give satisfactory performance. It was a case of getting what one pays for. On the other hand, if a city lord hires a Mountain Giant without a weapon to save money and doesnt provide it with a weapon, the Mountain Giant would be nothing more than a sandbag in battles, making any city lord regret being stingy. Gu Bo swung his Ancient Shadow Tree wildly, sweeping through the enemy. Though only an elite BOSS of level 33, he was able to hold his grounds even against seven or eight BOSSes of the same level. Even Lord level BOSSes were knocked down by his Ancient Shadow Tree. The other Mountain Giants also jumped out from the city and ran rampant among the monsters. Their appearance was like a few reefs in the tide, no matter how strong the waves were, they would turn into foam when meeting these Mountain Giants. Their stunning performance left all players dumbstruck, even forgetting to attack and just watched them in astonishment. What are you doing, standing there? Hurry up and attack! Wipe out those monsters! a player shouted next to him. Only then did everyone come back to their senses and began to launch all their long-range skills at these BOSSes. Boom! From the direction of the city wall in the north, a ground-shaking noise suddenly was heard. Song Jian was startled. This was the sound of the Magic Crystal Railgun. How long has it been, and the Magic Crystal Railgun is already been fired? Song Jian frowned. The lack of Magic Crystals meant that the Magic Crystal Railgun could not be used normally and could only be utilized as a trump card in the most dangerous situations. But now, less than ten minutes into the monsters attack, the Magic Crystal Railgun in the north was activated. Could it be that something extremely powerful has appeared in the north? Thinking of this, Song Jian unfolded his wings and soared into the sky, flying towards the city wall in the north. What happened? Song Jian asked loudly when he arrived at the north city wall. Boss, a super BOSS has appeared. A burly man pointed outside the city wall and roared. His voice trembled slightly, and a trace of fear remained on his face. Song Jian looked up and saw that the direction facing the north city wall was where Doomsday City had not yet been captured. The monsters attacking from this direction were typically the greatest in number, which was why the first Magic Crystal Railgun was set up here. Song Jian saw that the monsters in front of him, both in terms of level and quality, were a bit higher than those on the other sides of the city wall. At this moment, a huge Armored Zombie was slowly getting up from the ground, with other monsters constantly falling off its body. When the Armored Zombie BOSS stood up completely, Song Jian saw that it was over ten meters tall. If it got close to the city wall, the city wall, which was only seven or eight meters high, would completely lose its defensive function. Peak of the first order combat power Song Jian squinted and looked closely. The BOSSs attributes made his heart sink. The monster attack had just started, and a BOSS at the peak of the first-order combat power had appeared. The difficulty of this city-building task was a bit too much. Chapter 741 - Chapter 741: Chapter 741: The Wall is Breached Chapter 741: Chapter 741: The Wall is Breached This massive mutant zombie, already missing half of its body and left with only one arm, had less than a third of its Vitality Points remaining. However, it was apparent that the person who fired the Magic Crystal Railgun aimed slightly off-target, otherwise, this peak first-level Combat Power BOSS wouldnt have been left injured, but would have been annihilated on the spot! Everyone, focus fire on that zombie! The commander of the northern city wall roared, marking the severely injured Armored Zombie. Even though it was severely injured, if this peak first-level Combat Power Armored Zombie got close to the city wall, it would inevitably cause devastating damage. If it breached, monsters from the north would swarm in. There were four Mountain Giants along the northern wall. Seeing the Armored Zombie approach, they gave each other a glance, let out a roar, and lunged at it. These Mountain Giants were barely at level thirty and hadnt reached first-level Combat Power. If the Armored Zombie wasnt severely injured, they wouldnt have dared to confront this BOSS head-on. Mountain Giants arent fast, but Song Jian was much quicker. Spreading his wings, he charged at the Armored Zombie like an arrow. Four long swords stabbed towards the Armored Zombie like shooting stars, continuously cutting across its body. Sparks flew everywhere as the Armored Zombie screamed in anger. However, the Armored Zombie was no match for Song Jian in its weakened state. The four swords released the Flash Thunder Strike skill simultaneously, with twelve bolts of lightning appearing out of thin air and hitting the Zombie with each slash. Song Jians damage had far exceeded the Armored Zombies limit. After a short dash of seven or eight meters, the remaining Vitality Points of the Armored Zombie came crashing down at a visible pace. Soon, the Armored Zombie collapsed to the ground like a small hill, crushing a large number of monsters underneath it. Coordinate with the Mountain Giants to attack, and any injured brothers should retreat to Manor Castle for recovery! Song Jian pocketed the items dropped by the Armored Zombie and ordered. Just as Song Jian was about to leave the northern city wall, he suddenly received a system notification. System: City of Hope Alliance has slain an Armored Zombie (Peak First-Level Combat Power); the duration of the monsters siege has been reduced by 10 minutes. All players in the City of Hope received this message, boosting morale considerably. Everyone knew that the monsters siege was not endless. Like the construction of the safe house, the siege has a time limit. If the monsters cant breach the citys core crystal within the specified time, the defenders win and the monsters will quickly retreat. Killing a peak first-level Combat Power BOSS shortens the siege time? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he turned his gaze towards the Magic Crystal Railgun. Currently, only the Magic Crystal Railgun had the power to instantly kill a peak first-level Combat Power BOSS. Unfortunately, only two had been constructed in the City of Hope. Song Jian quickly returned to the southern city wall. Due to its proximity to the Protection Black Mist, fewer monsters appeared here compared to the other sides. Most of them were from the western and eastern sides, who had squeezed their way around the city wall due to congestion. However, Song Jian had a bad feeling. The monsters in the Black Mist were no weaker than the current BOSS monsters. If they also joined the monster siege, it would greatly increase the difficulty. The battle proceeded swiftly. Despite the help of the Mountain Giants, there were simply too many BOSS monsters. Especially on the west wall, where no Magic Crystal Railgun was built, two BOSS monsters with peak first-level Combat Power had reached the city wall and caused significant damage. If it werent for Song Jians timely arrival and elimination of these two BOSS monsters, a hole wouldve been blasted in the western wall. At this point, the west wall was already on the brink of collapse, it was only a matter of time. More than an hour had passed. The City of Hope Alliance had killed a total of five peak first-level Combat Power BOSS monsters. The siege time set by the monsters was three hours. Meaning that if they could hold on for less than an hour, the monster siege would end! However, at this point in the battle, every member of the City of Hope Alliance felt a cloud of uncertainty hanging over their heads. Even the eastern and northern city walls, where Magic Crystal Railguns defended, were riddled with holes. The remaining durability of the city wall was only one third, with the northern wall slightly better off due to fewer monsters. Boom~ The western wall finally collapsed under the onslaught of the monsters, falling in a five or six-meter long section. Three Mountain Giants let out a roar, blocking the gap with their bodies, standing steadfast like rocks in the hole. However, a few Mountain Giants could not stop the defense of the western wall. In no time at all, the entire section of the city wall collapsed. Soon after, cracks appeared in the eastern and northern walls and smaller-sized BOSS monsters managed to penetrate into the Alliance territory through the gaps. Song Jians face was gravely gloomy as he roared, Abandon the city wall, retreat to Manor Castle! At this point, letting players stay on the city wall was tantamount to murder. Already, over a dozen players had been instantly killed by BOSS monsters without any chance of rescue. Song Jian didnt want to use the lives of the Alliance players to buy more mission time any longer. All Alliance players began to retreat towards Manor Castle, with the Mountain Giants covering the rear, swinging their Ancient Shadow Trees and slowing the monsters advance. Song Jians Manor Castle also had solid walls, but they were only a bit over three meters high, and any BOSS could easily climb over. Less than half an hour remained until the end of the monster siege, but Manor Castles defenses couldnt compare to the city walls. If there were just one or two monsters, it would have been okay. But Song Jian was facing hundreds, possibly thousands of BOSS monsters laying siege, and the castle walls would probably not hold for even a couple of minutes. The shadow of defeat began to loom over each member of the Alliance. Some had already started sneaking away, knowing that as long as they didnt run toward Manor Castle, the besieging monsters would not chase them. The only benefit of defending Manor Castle was that under the influence of the Healing Goddess Statue, everyones Vitality Points recovery rate had increased by 1000%. Unless instantly killed, it would be impossible for the monsters to kill them. Even the Vitality Points of the Mountain Giants surrounding the Manor were rapidly recovering. This made them roar in excitement as they swung their Ancient Shadow Trees even more wildly. Due to the existence of the Healing Goddess Statue, the battle once again reached a stalemate. Though the Vitality Point recovery rate was boosted, there was no similar boost for mana regeneration. Many magic-using occupations were already out of magic and unable to continue fighting. They retreated into the castle to recuperate naturally. This recovery speed was extremely slow, and by the time enough magic for one spell was restored, it would be immediately used from the window. Lair, control all the beetles, start attacking! Song Jian commanded silently. If they did not play the Hive card now, there might not be another opportunity to use it. PS: Thanks to Su Poman for the reward of 100 QiDian coins ~ Chapter 742 - Chapter 742: Chapter 742: Reinforcements of the Monster Chapter 742: Chapter 742: Reinforcements of the Monster Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle~ Suddenly, mounds of soil rose from the ground and beetles began to burrow their way to the surface, charging madly at the monsters. Each beetle was fearless in the face of death. Some didnt even contribute anything to the attack, getting instantly squashed by the BOSSes, but as more and more beetles appeared, they finally started to injure the monsters. BOOM! A sewer cover suddenly flew into the sky, and an Abyssal Beetle the size of a small car, brandishing two large claws, burst forth from the sewer opening. Its body, like a bomb, blasted a pit over three meters in diameter at the mouth of the well. Behind it, tides of beetles swarmed out. Over these past few days, the hive had been producing beetles round the clock. The number of beetles had long exceeded one hundred thousand. Although most of them were ordinary beetles at level twenty-five, there were also more than a thousand elite beetles at level thirty. More importantly, these beetles were fearlessly marching into death. Even when they were crushed by the BOSSes, they would take a bite of the BOSSs leg just before dying, dealing a trivial amount of damage. It was exactly this tiny bit of damage that, when accumulated in large quantities, could pose a lethal threat to the BOSSes. BOOM! A sewer cover in another direction was lifted up, and two Abyssal Beetles crawled out from it, charging toward the BOSSes. These days, the hive had hatched another two Abyssal Beetles. It had deployed all the Beetles it had now. In the sewer, only a lone nest remained, which any ordinary person now could pose a lethal threat to. However, at this moment, everyones attention was focused on the Manor Castle, and nobody was paying attention to the nest in the sewer. The Abyssal Beetles possessed strong tanking properties, and under the effect of 1000% increased vitality regeneration speed, they were all like invulnerable roaches. A group of BOSSes surrounded it and constantly attacked it. In the end, these BOSSes often didnt die under the attack of the Abyssal Beetle; instead, they died under their own attacks. The passive skill of the Abyssal Beetle in group battles was simply divine. Many BOSSes were killed directly through damage reflection. Theres only twenty minutes left, everyone hang on! Song Jian yelled. At that moment, banging sounds were heard from the south side of the city wall. Cracks had started to form on the originally sturdy wall. The south side faced the Protection Black Mist, and no monster had ever rushed out of the black mist before. But now, as the monster siege was about to end, the south side finally showed movement. Large groups of stone people walked out from the Protection Black Mist, joining the attacking ranks. With no one defending the south side, the city wall held on for less than five minutes before a large hole was blown through. Countless stone people swarmed through the hole and charged towards the Manor Castle. Is this Is this the monsters reinforcements? a player yelled, his face full of shock. At that moment, Song Jian was dumbstruck, staring at the system notification. System: The Defense Stone Spirits from the Protection Black Mist have joined the attack. If the defense is successful, the area of the Protection Black Mist near the south city gate will integrate into the citys defense system, and the city lord can set the conditions for entering and exiting the Protection Black Mist! What? I can control the passage through the Protection Black Mist? Song Jians face was full of shock. Everyone knows that the biggest limitation to the development of Doomsday City is the Protection Black Mist surrounding the city. Without reaching the second and even the third tier of Combat Power, entering the black mist is almost impossible. Even though the City of Hope Alliance has established Transmission Arrays to other cities, greatly weakening the restrictions of the Protection Black Mist, the limitations of using the Transmission Array are also quite numerous. The most significant impact is that trade caravans cannot travel between various cities via the Transmission Arrays! If they cannot cross the Protection Black Mist, Song Jian cannot set up his own caravan, and caravans from other cities cannot enter. All goods can only be transported through the Transmission Array in small quantities, which is too costly. If it werent for the city construction task, Song Jian would not have allowed so many people to use the Transmission Array to purchase materials. The cost of transporting the needed materials for the collection task through the Transmission Array is several times the value of the materials themselves! If he can freely cross the Protection Black Mist, Song Jian can form his own caravan. The honey wine of the barracks small town is an item he has been longing for. Phew, lets complete the task first. If we cant resist these monsters, everything else is irrelevant! Song Jian took a deep breath and thought to himself. Just then, a tremor came from the Pet Space. Upon checking, both the little stone man and the Black Dragon had awakened at the same time, completing their rank upgrades. The little stone man had fully grown from a child to the height of an adult, from being just over a meter tall to nearly two meters. Its body, made up of pieces of hard granite, now showed an outline of muscles. If not for its distinctive simplistic features of a stone man on its head and face, it would look no different from a fully-grown man. Summoning the little stone man, it immediately rushed towards Song Jian, making gulu, gulu sounds from its mouth. Song Jian quickly stopped it. When it was smaller, it wasnt a big deal, but now with a stone man who was nearly two meters tall rushing towards him, it felt terrifying to even think about it. Since you keep making gulu, gulu sounds, lets just call you Gulu! Song Jian patted Gulu on the shoulder and said. Gulu, gulu~ The upgraded stone man Gulu was now a level thirty-five elite BOSS with tier one Combat Power. Sensing that Song Jian was in the middle of a battle, Gulu waved his right hand, throwing a stone the size of a millstone into the monster crowd. Song Jians eyes lit up. It seemed that Gulus stone throwing skill had also upgraded. It used to take at least three seconds to form a stone, but now, the throwing had become an instant skill, and the stone thrown was much larger than before. BOOM! The stone smashed into the crowd of monsters. It was like a bomb, causing a violent explosion, and the monsters within a radius of two to three meters were all blown away. The power is much greater than before, and it has changed from a single-target attack to a group attack! Song Jian exclaimed joyfully. Perhaps sensing that Song Jians mood had become more cheerful because of the stone man Gulu, the Black Dragon became restless and eager in the Pet Space. It had just ranked up and was itching for a fight, continuously sending Song Jian its desire to come out and battle. With a thought, Song Jian brought out the massive Black Dragon, over ten meters in length, hovering over Manor Castle, instantly shrouding the entire castle under a shadow. ROAR~ An earth-shaking dragon roar echoed. The monsters surrounding the Manor Castle, whether they were BOSSes or regular monsters, all trembled and stopped their attacks, looking up in fear at the Black Dragon. PS: Thanks to Su Poman for gifting 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 743 - Chapter 743: Chapter 743: The Last Ten Minutes Chapter 743: Chapter 743: The Last Ten Minutes At this moment, the Black Dragon had already advanced to a level 35 Lord tier BOSS. It originally possessed Tier 1 combat power, and after promotion, it easily reached the peak strength of Tier 1; Moreover, since the giant dragons were at the top of the biological pyramid, even if they were at the same peak strength of Tier 1, the Black Dragon could easily defeat its opponents; Normally, the Black Dragons Dragon Might could directly cause weaker creatures to flee in all directions. At least ninety percent of the monsters besieging Manor Castle would give up their attack. However, due to the system quest, the monsters, after a brief pause in their attack, returned to their violent and crazy state despite their previous terror. Under system interference, Dragon Might lost its original effect. The monsters, as insignificant as ants in the dragons eyes, dared to ignore the dignity of the Dragon Clan. This caused the Black Dragon to be furious. It roared loudly and spewed scorching dragon breath towards the ground; With the help of the Black Dragon, the defending players took a sigh of relief. Regardless, having a giant dragon as an ally overhead was something that put many players at ease; Although the battle continued, the monsters were madly assaulting Manor Castles walls. Large groups of Stone Spirit Guardians threw stone blocks at the players on the walls. Although the healing Goddess Statues recovery buff blocked any damage, the knockback and knockdown effects of the skills were unavoidable; The most important thing was that the walls of Manor Castle had limited space, and it was impossible to accommodate nearly a thousand players simultaneously. This effectively wasted a portion of the players combat power. With the walls durability visibly deteriorating, every second felt like an agony for the City of Hope Alliance players; Bloodlust Alex, the Ancient Shadow Tree, went mad and completely covered a section of the wall with its branches, using its own vitality to replace the defense of the wall. At the same time, countless tree roots wrapped around the attacking monsters like pythons, continuously absorbing their blood; However, there were simply too many monsters. Although Alexs vitality was restored by the Goddess Statues healing, the tree roots could not regenerate immediately after being severed; In just a few minutes, Alexs tree roots were all cut off, exposing Manor Castles walls to the monsters once again. Boom, boom, boom~ The monsters violently rammed the wall with their bodies. Even if they crushed themselves into a bloody pulp, they showed no signs of retreating. This chilling sight was observed by all. Spider-web-like cracks appeared on the surface of Manor Castles walls, and in less than a minute, the wall began to crumble under the monsters onslaught; Rumble~ A section of the wall less than two meters long collapsed, signaling more collapses in the surrounding area. As the walls were breached, desperation filled many players eyes. Even though there were still ten minutes left for the monster siege, they had lost all means of defense and were left with only a solitary castle; Thousands of monsters were in front of them, and more BOSSes were continually joining the influx. Some players had already begun to use escape skills, fleeing towards the distance; Song Jian gritted his teeth and directly controlled the Healing Goddess Statue to cast its unique skill, Light Screen Sky Splendor. Instantly, a transparent light screen radiated from the statue, enveloping the entire Manor Castle; Thirty seconds of invincibility eased many peoples minds. Song Jian directed the players to get off the crumbling walls and enter the castle. The castle was the last line of defense. The citys core crystal, also the battle alliances core crystal, was placed inside the castle. This place was meant to be the future City Lord Mansion. If it were breached, this city-building quest would fail; With only a dozen minutes left, Song Jian glanced at the status of the players. Many casters had exhausted their mana, and everyones faces showed fatigue. Over two hours of continuous high-intensity battle had pushed many to the limit. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then controlled the Healing Goddess Statue to cast Divine Healing once more, restoring everyones condition to its peak. Hang on for less than ten minutes, everyone! Song Jian encouraged them; It was not uncommon for great efforts to fall just short. The castles defense was similar to the walls, and once the monsters rushed in, they might not even withstand thirty seconds; The Bloodlust Ancient Shadow Tree had almost lost all its branches and roots. Now it could only contribute by using its massive body to block the castle door with the last of its strength! Song Jian also summoned all the blood creatures from the Blood Pool to join the fight. Although these blood creatures were weak in the eyes of the monster hordes, at this critical moment, even the slightest bit of combat power could tip the scale; All the Mountain Giants had fallen in battle; however, like earth elemental creatures, they wouldnt die if their core remained intact. If given some time, they would regain their bodies, and since they had absorbed Ancient Shadow Trees powers, their new bodies would be even stronger. Their leader, Gu Bo, might even advance to a more powerful existence. Chief, we might not be able to hold on for ten more minutes! Wang Qi whispered beside Song Jian. The number of BOSSes blocked by the transparent light screen outside had already exceeded five hundred and more monsters were continuously converging in their direction with no end in sight; Once the invincibility time ended, the castles defense wouldnt last even a minute; Right now, there were less than three hundred players in the castle. Under fifty of them had died, and the remaining players had either fled after the walls destruction or lost hope and ran away when the walls collapsed; Big brother Song Jian, lets escape! Li Keer suddenly suggested. Seeing Keers concerned eyes, Song Jian knew she wasnt frightened but worried about him. Among the people here, Song Jian probably felt the most reluctant to give up. After all, he was the chief of the battle alliance, and the future City Lord of City of Hope! If the city construction failed, all his previous investment would be wasted, resulting in huge losses; The thirty seconds of invincibility ended, and the castles light screen appeared with 5,000 defense points. With the monsters attacks, this defense couldnt even last ten seconds; At the last moment, Song Jian opened the alliance interface. He promoted over three hundred players present to core members, then said, This is the final moment. Once the monsters break through the castles defense, everyone, save yourselves! We can build the city again, but we cant die again! Just then, Li Keer suddenly shouted, Big brother Song Jian, theres a Tier 1 peak strength BOSS at the forge! Chapter 744 - Chapter 744: Chapter 744: Sword Demon Zombie Chapter 744: Chapter 744: Sword Demon Zombie All players of the City of Hope Alliance had retreated within the castle, their faces filled with despair. The 5,000-point defense of Light Screen Sky Splendor was unable to hold off against the assault of hundreds of monsters even for ten seconds. The defense of the castle they were in was far more fragile and could barely last for twenty seconds before the monsters could level the entire castle. In other words, they now had half a minute left. If nothing changed in half a minute, the several hundred people present would be completely devoured by the monsters. At this moment, Li Keer suddenly shouted, Theres a BOSS with peak tier-one combat power at the blacksmiths shop! Everyone froze before revealing expressions of surprise, their eyes turned to Song Jian. The territory of the Alliance, which had almost turned into a vast empty field, was wildly attacked by the monsters once they breached the walls. The blacksmiths shop Li Keer was referring to was obtained by Song Jian from a dwarf. Initially, it was protected by the system and couldnt be damaged. However, after the monsters besieged the city, its properties changed, and it had durability like any other building, meaning it could be damaged and destroyed. The blacksmiths shop had turned into a complete wasteland, the territory of the City of Hope Alliance becoming a playground for monsters. The Manor Castle was heavily besieged by monsters. Light Screen Sky Splendor already had a defensive rating. A defense of 5,000 points couldnt last long, but this was Song Jians last chance. Ten seconds to kill a BOSS with peak tier-one combat power. If he could use the Magic Crystal Railgun, this would be an easy task. However, Song Jian could only rely on his own strength. He had ten seconds to break through the monsters thorough encirclement and kill the BOSS with peak tier-one combat power. Black Dragon! Song Jian roared loudly. The Black Dragon was battling numerous flying BOSSes outside the Light Screen, preventing them from approaching the Manor Castle. Due to system interference, the dragons Dragon Might had no effect on these monsters, so it had to fight with its own strength. However, the Black Dragon, as a member of the Dragon Clan, stood at the pinnacle of the food chain. Whether in terms of physical strength or skills and spells, it possessed the ability to easily overcome other tier-one BOSSes. Even when surrounded by dozens of BOSSes, it didnt show any signs of weakness. Hearing Song Jians shout, the Black Dragon gave a long roar, spread its wings, and spun fiercely. Its blade-like wings instantly sliced the BOSSes attacking it into a bloody mess. The Black Dragon broke through the monsters encirclement and charged towards the Manor Castle where Song Jian was. Light Screen Sky Splendor could block the monsters but wouldnt obstruct Song Jians battle pets. Seeing the Black Dragon soar in, Song Jian leaped onto its back and instructed it to charge towards the blacksmiths shop. Song Jian landing on the dragons back made the Black Dragon slightly uncomfortable, but it only let out a low growl without any other protest and turned to dash toward the blacksmiths shop within the territory. As soon as they left the Light Screen, the Black Dragon was instantly attacked by numerous flying monsters. If it were Song Jian flying out alone, he probably wouldnt be able to break through the encirclement of these monsters. Seeing the monsters rushing towards it, the Black Dragons golden eyes instantly flashed a hint of bloodthirstiness. It wanted to tear apart all monsters that dared to offend the majesty of the Dragon Clan, but under Song Jians control, it could only let out an angry roar and continue flying towards the blacksmiths shop. It rammed through one Doomsday Vulture, and then, hot Dragons Breath spewed out. Dozens of monsters were set ablaze by Dragon Flame, uttering shrill screams, like fireballs, they fell towards the ground. The Black Dragon watched the monsters falling to the ground with satisfaction and spread its wings, darting towards the blacksmiths shop within the territory. The territory was already occupied by monsters. Those on the periphery, unable to approach the Light Screen Sky Splendor due to the crowd, vented their fury on the buildings within the territory. All the buildings were turned into ruins and vast fields were completely destroyed. Song Jians face was full of rage. Even if he completed the mission, just repairing these damaged buildings would require at least millions of Doomsday Coins! However, now was not the time to think about these things. First, the mission had to be completed! The ferocity of the Black Dragon momentarily shocked the monsters in the sky. Song Jian took advantage of the opportunity to direct the Black Dragon to fly down to the blacksmiths shop. After a brief shock, the monsters eyes turned red again as they rushed towards the direction where the Black Dragon was. Song Jian already saw a humanoid monster on the ground, more than two meters tall, covered in dark purple scales, and wielding a long sword. It was standing on the rubble of the blacksmiths shop, issuing a roaring challenge to the dense crowd of monsters obstructing its path to the Manor Castle. Sword Demon Zombie (Elite), Level 34, Peak Tier-One Combat Power, Vitality: 7400/7400 Thats it! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he directed the Black Dragon to fly towards this BOSS. After a brief pause in mid-air, a vortex fireball shot towards the BOSS. The Sword Demon Zombie seemed to sense something. It looked up at the Black Dragon, and upon seeing the Vortex Fireball, it gripped its sword with both hands, slashing fiercely at the void. A more than three-feet-long, dark purple sword qi, slashed towards the sky, colliding fiercely with the Vortex Fireball. Bang!. A loud noise echoed, followed by a strong rumbling in midair. Heatwaves spread from the sky, and the sword qi easily dispersed the Vortex Fireball. Song Jian leaped off the Black Dragons back, holding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. The other three long swords rotated around his body as he pounced towards the Sword Demon Zombie. The surrounding monsters surged towards Song Jian. The Black Dragon let out a roar and launched itself at the surrounding monsters, stopping them all behind Song Jian and creating an environment for him to have a one-on-one duel with the Sword Demon Zombie. Ten Thousand Facet Sword Technique! A chill emanated from Song Jians sword, and the area within tens of meters around him became a snowy land. Large snowflakes fell from the sky, and within a few seconds, the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow. The snowflake sword qi, along with the swinging of the long sword, flew towards the Sword Demon Zombie like flying daggers. The Sword Demon Zombie revealed a cruel smile on its face. It let out a low growl from its throat, Sword Demon! The giant sword in its hand swung rapidly, spinning countless dark purple sword qi around its body, shredding all the approaching snowflakes. Song Jians heart sank. The BOSS in front of him was formidable. If it were normal times, Song Jian would love to spar with such a sword master. But now was not the time to spar. He had to kill it in a short period of time to earn the systems reduction of siege time by ten minutes in order to complete the mission. However, the opponent was highly skilled in swordsmanship. It seemed impossible to kill the Sword Demon Zombie BOSS in a short period of time. What should he do? PS: Thank you to Bread84 for the gift of 100 Qidian Coins~ Chapter 745 - Chapter 745: Chapter 745: True Name Chapter 745: Chapter 745: True Name I am Song Jian, the leader of the City of Hope Alliance. Who are you! Song Jian pointed his sword at the Sword Demon Zombie, asking sternly. The corners of the Sword Demon Zombies mouth cracked into a smile. In his gaze towards Song Jian, a hint of disdain flashed across. I am Sword Demon, demon for the sword, I want to kill all those who wield a sword in this world! The hoarse voice of the Sword Demon echoed in Song Jians ear. Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly: Sword Demon? Is this fucking a human name? But there was no choice, now he could only give it a try. Song Jian squinted, directly using the Immortal Sword Body. Four long swords hovered up and down, the first two moves of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique were successively displayed, rushing towards the Sword Demon; The combat power of the Sword Demon was impressive. Song Jian, who had performed the Immortal Sword Body, was evenly matched with his opponent. To Song Jian, this was simply unbelievable. After all, Song Jian had passed the double S test. His first-tier combat power was a class above everyone elses; Even without using the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jian had the power at the peak of the first-tier. With the Immortal Sword Body, he should be able to completely overwhelm any creature with first-tier combat power; But now, he was evenly matched with the Sword Demon Zombie. It wasnt easy to defeat the opponent, let alone kill it in ten seconds. Dammit, am I going to fail this city building mission? Anxiety appeared on Song Jians face, his gaze towards the Sword Demon was filled with angry killing intent; Youre desperately trying to kill me? The Sword Demon looked at Song Jian, his lips trembling slightly, his voice hoarse. The vocal chords of regular zombies had rotted away, making it impossible for them to speak. At most, they could only produce some unintelligible roars. But this Sword Demon Zombie in front of him not only regained consciousness, it seemed that all functions of its body were also slowly recovering; You destroyed my territory, of course I want you dead! Song Jian roared, his long sword radiating a dazzling golden light. Light Strike! With a low roar, the golden Sword Qi instantly blossomed. A sword blade three to four meters long composed of golden Sword Qi fiercely slashed towards the Sword Demon. The other three long swords beside Song Jian also simultaneously released golden Sword Qi. Four Light Strikes one after other fiercely slashed towards the Sword Demon Zombie; God Destroying Slash! The Sword Demon hadnt the time to think. These four Light Strikes could severely injure him. Holy power was the bane of zombies. With a bit of bad luck, a critical hit could take it out instantly! After releasing the four Light Strikes, a hint of fatigue showed up in Song Jians eyes. The Light Strike wasnt engraved on the four long swords, so he could only control the four long swords to release Light Strike by using the Immortal Sword Body. However, this operation consumed a significant amount of his energy, causing his Invisible Sword Qi to plummet to its lowest level, then began to rise slowly! The Sword Demon slashed out a three to four-meter long purple-black Sword Qi. With each slash, a chilling scream of agony echoed in the air, as if the void itself would shatter from such a blow. Where it passed, a black trace like a crack was left in the air, lingering for a long time without healing; Light Strike and God Destroying Slash clashed violently with each other, creating an explosion like the sound of thunder. The surrounding monsters within a radius of several tens of meters were all cut into fist-sized pieces by the sword Aura that filled the air; Ah~ A beast-like scream echoed. Three gashes deep enough to see bone appeared on the Sword Demon Zombies body. Purple-black blood gushed out of the wounds without stopping. Its scale-like skin was like thin paper, easily penetrated by the Aura of the Light Strike. Song Jians figure turned into a cloud of dark fog and rushed over. With a thought, four long swords slashed simultaneously. A fierce wind blew, covering a several dozen meters radius area. All the monsters within this area started losing blood continually. The violent wind, mixed with countless Sword Qi, was directed at the Sword Demon Zombie; Clang, clang, clang~ Sparks continually flew from the scales of the Sword Demon Zombie. The Sword Qi left white marks on its body; However, as the fierce wind swept through, its scales began to crack one after another, then started shattering piece by piece; Flash Thunder Strike! Again, four long swords simultaneously launched Flash Thunder Strikes. The weapons in Song Jians hands were excessively powerful. Even when fighting alone, it felt like he was using a multitude to bully the few; At this moment, with every move Song Jian executed, it equaled the simultaneous attack from four skilled warriors, causing even the Sword Demon Zombie to be forced to retreat relentlessly from his onslaught! Clang~ A crisp sound of shattering resonated from afar, sounding like a tolling bell in Song Jians ears. This abruptly disrupted his assault and his face paled significantly. The Light Screen Sky Splendor had been shattered! Although he had already anticipated this, when it really happened, Song Jian still felt a sudden twinge of anxiety. Without the protection of the Light Screen Sky Splendor, only the weak defense of the Manor Castle remained. Regardless of the adventurers 1000% increase in recovery speed, they had no confidence of defending the castle against the sieges of numerous bosses. Bang! The Sword Demon was blasted away by a dozen bolts of lightning, smoking as he crashed brutally into a pile of rubble. Observing a piece of flesh dangling from his sword, Song Jian clenched his teeth, grasping it and began to chant the Abyssal Spell; With the true name of the Sword Demon as a guide, and the flesh and blood of the Sword Demon as the proof, Shackles Mark, activate! Boom~ A ball of black flame rose from Song Jians hand. The flesh in his hand instantly charred and he spewed a mouthful of fresh blood, a damage indication of 1,000 points floating above his head. Damn it, Sword Demon isnt its real name! Song Jian had a sinking feeling, wiped the blood lingering on his lips, and roared furiously, charging towards the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon, leaning on his double-handed sword, rose slowly from the rubble. Just now, it had a very mysterious sensation, as if something was trying to imprison its soul, but ultimately proved unsuccessful. Seeing the enraged Song Jian charging at him, a smirk appeared at the corner of the Sword Demon Zombies mouth: You, are so furious! Sweeping Sword Style! Broken Wing Dance! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Equipped with four long swords, Song Jian executed four sword techniques simultaneously in an unending assault on the Sword Demon, as if he were four master swordsmen simultaneously attacking it. The Sword Demon roared violently, a grey aura surrounding its body as it swung its double-handed sword to engage Song Jian in battle! Time passed by second by second. The Sword Demons vitality points were slowly decreasing, but at this rate, Manor Castle wouldnt last the duration of Song Jian slaying the Sword Demon Zombie; In the end, Song Jian completely abandoned his defense. He traded strikes with the Sword Demon Zombie, taking one of Sword Demons strikes equated to four of Jians. In no time, Song Jian was covered in blood; Die, Die, Die! Song Jian roared wildly. Focusing his mind, Sword Qi Stones continually flew out from his inventory, assembling in the air to form a Sword Formation. In just a moment, the few dozen meters surrounding the Sword Demon Zombie were shrouded by countless strands of Sword Qi. Nearby monsters didnt dare to approach. Once they entered this area, they were instantly minced by the Sword Qi. This time, Song Jian held nothing back. He was determined to kill the Sword Demon Zombie in the remaining ten-odd seconds. At this point, the Sword Demon Zombie seemed to have sensed something. It gave up on counterattacking Song Jian directly, and instead began to defend with its sword. Chapter 746 - Chapter 746: Chapter 746: The Sin of Non-War Chapter 746: Chapter 746: The Sin of Non-War Your city is about to fall! The Sword Demon Zombie suddenly gave a grin, ignoring the flaw that Song Jian had purposely exposed. If the surrounding area wasnt completely surrounded by monsters and the Sword Demon Zombie couldnt fly, it probably would have turned tail and run away by now, and would never have squared off against Song Jian! It realized by now that as long as it lived, it could cause the maximum damage to Song Jian! I will not be killed by you! Iron Wall Sword Skill! A mocking grin surfaced in the eyes of the Sword Demon Zombie as it unleashed a defensive sword skill. Immediately, the damage inflicted by Song Jian was reduced several times. This sword skill had seemingly similar effects to the Tai Chi Sword Skill, both aiming to decrease damage taken. A hint of despair crossed Song Jians face. At this moment he wished he had a kamikaze skill that he could use to take this boss down along with him! Song Jian had already started hearing the sounds of the castle falling apart. If the castle were to be breached and the citys core crystal shattered, the remaining monsters would enter a massacre mode, killing every living thing in the territory. By then, the number of players that could escape would only be in the single digits! Just as everyone was about to lose hope, a teleportation portal suddenly appeared not far from Song Jian. A man clad in golden armor and wielding a sword and shield, almost resembling an oversized infantry soldier, emerged from the portal; Master, I am late! Yar took a quick look around only to see ruins everywhere. Seeing Song Jian, he immediately shouted; You are Yar? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. He hadnt expected that Yar, the Dawn Warrior who had been taken away by the Cecilia Priest at the last moment, would suddenly appear. He had not completed the mission given to him by Cecilia to seize the Book of the Abyss. The Book of the Abyss, originally a quest item, had now become a special golden object that had recognized Song Jian as its master, permitting him to wield the power of the Abyss. He didnt want to give the Book of the Abyss to Cecilia, so for a long time, he had not contacted her, let alone asked her about his follower, Yar. Although he could always check Yars status in his follower interface, which did not show any change, Song Jian had no knowledge of what Yar had gone through after leaving; Now seeing the radiant Yar suddenly appear, Song Jian was extremely surprised! Yar, you actually have tier-one combat power? Song Jian astonishingly discovered that the instant Yar appeared, all of his attributes in Song Jians follower interface had undergone a drastic change; Yar, who had originally been around level twenty, had directly escalated to level thirty-five. All his attributes had increased significantly, and his profession had changed from Dawn Warrior to the special profession of Dawn Holy Knight! Yar, help me kill this boss, now! Song Jian hollered, pointing at the Sword Demon Zombie; Now was not the time for catching up! Since Yars strength had greatly improved, there were high chances that they could take down the Sword Demon Zombie Boss if they teamed up. As long as they killed it before the castle was completely destroyed, there would still be time! Yes, master! Yar shouted loudly, charging at the Sword Demon Zombie with his sword; The taste of light, how disgusting! The Sword Demon Zombie sneered in disgust at the sight of the approaching Yar. It swung its right hand, unleashing a purple-black Sword Qi in Yars direction; Radiant Battle Armor! Yar bellowed, his speed unaffected but a set of armor composed of golden light materialized on his body; Song Jian leapt forward, waving his right hand and four long swords flew towards the Sword Demon Zombie like shooting stars; Bang! The dark purple Sword Qi slashed onto Aya, however, it couldnt shatter the radiant battle armor he wore, not even able to slow down his speed. At this moment, the face of the Sword Demon Zombie drastically changed. Sword Shadow Clone! The Sword Demon roared, immediately creating a clone from Sword Qi which looked exactly like itself, with no discernable differences; The two Sword Demon Zombies charged towards Song Jian and Aya; Only after engaging in combat with the Sword Demon Zombie did Song Jian realize that the one he was dealing with wasnt the real Sword Demon Zombie, but a Clone! Damn, am I being underestimated here? Song Jian coldly snorted, directly executing the Broken Wing Dance; Four long swords, one after another, performed the Broken Wing Dance, rendering the Sword Shadow Clone in front of them floating in mid-air. Its important to note that while in a floating state, its completely defenseless. All damage inflicted is full damage, no defense is calculated. Countless Sword Qi continuously slashed onto the clone floating in mid-air, within just three seconds, Song Jian blew up the clone! The Sword Demon Zombie took a glance back at Song Jian, it didnt expect that the Sword Shadow Clone wouldnt even last three seconds. You should know, its Sword Shadow Clone Skill was leveled up to the maximum, inheriting 60% of its attributes, and it could use all sword skills, albeit with slightly reduced power; Such a powerful clone was blown up by Song Jian, it couldnt even buy a few seconds, this caught the Sword Demon Zombie by surprise; But compared to Song Jian, Aya, the Dawn Holy Knight in front of it, was more difficult to deal with. Everyone knows, Divine Power is extremely effective against Zombie-type monsters, these reanimated creatures are filled with a strong Death Force. This power, in front of Divine Power, is like snow under the sun, it immediately crumbles at a touch. This is why the Sword Demon Zombie found Aya more challenging than Song Jian. Demon Slayer Slash! Divine Punishment! All of Ayas skills were aimed at the Forces of Death. The skills released by the Sword Demon Zombie, the dark purple Sword Qi would immediately crumble just like snow under the sun when it comes into contact with Ayas Golden Sword Qi. Each of Ayas moves would inflict wounds on the Sword Demon Zombie that could not be healed or replenished. Every two to three damages would result in a critical hit. The Sword Demon Zombie in front of Aya didnt seem like a boss with peak tier-one combat power, which left Song Jian stunned; You should know, Song Jian with the activation of the Immortal Sword Body could only fight on par with the Sword Demon Zombie. Without the weapon set, Song Jian couldnt possibly suppress the Sword Demon Zombie! The sight before him seemed as if he were in a dream. Just as Song Jian prepared to step forward and aid Aya, he suddenly realized that Ayas attacks were continuously flowing. If he intervened, it would likely disrupt Ayas attack rhythm; Realizing this, Song Jian directly took control of the flanks, the four long swords continuously unleashed the Heavy Snowfall and Light Strike; Heavy Snowfall could lower the Sword Demon Zombies defense and slow down its speed, while Light Strike was filled with Divine Power, exerting a great suppressing effect on the Sword Demon Zombie; The Sword Demon Zombie had a strong attack but comparatively, its vitality points were not high. From the previous battle with Song Jian, it was already reduced to half health, now facing the suppressive presence of the Dawn Holy Knight Aya, it couldnt even fight back; After losing its last bit of vitality points, the Sword Demon Zombie glared at Aya, from its mouth oozing with dark purple blood, it uttered hoarsely: Your sin is not fighting! Chapter 747 - Chapter 747: Chapter 747: Unsealing Chapter 747: Chapter 747: Unsealing The Sword Demon Zombie swayed on the verge of collapse but still steadfastly refused to fall over. A crime fought not in battle! it managed to choke out in a hoarse voice, looking at Ash. Ash remained silent. If he had not advanced to the rank of the Dawn Holy Knight and restrained the Sword Demon Zombie at every turn, if a human possessed the strength of the Sword Demon Zombie, perhaps he would have been like Song Jian, struggling in a hard-fought battle. Just as the Sword Demon Zombie fell, a heavenly system prompt sounded in the ears of Song Jian and all the players of the City of Hope Alliance who were fighting to death in the castle. System: The City of Hope Alliance hunted the Sword Demon Zombie (First-order Combat Power Peak). The monster siege time was shortened by 10 minutes. System: The monster siege time of the City of Hope has arrived. The monster siege now is over! System: Congratulations to the City of Hope Alliance, the city has been successfully constructed! System: Congratulations, you have completed the special task I am the City Lord. The City Lords seal has been unsealed by 110%! The first few system prompts sounded in the ears of all the City of Hope Alliance players, while the last system prompt was heard only by Song Jian. Weve succeeded, weve really succeeded! Wang Qi, with a bloodstained face and a look of disbelief, looked around at his companions, muttering to himself and seemingly asking his companions to affirm the unbelievable deed. Weve done it, weve done it, ha ha ha! I told you, we were surely going to succeed, long live the leader! Thats amazing, the leader actually killed that boss, we won! All the Alliance players cheered wildly. The monsters, nearly within reach, were all but invisible in their eyes. All the monsters also stopped attacking at the same time, motionless like statues, even though these players had been fighting them for a long time, and the distance between them was less than a foot. It was as if a mysterious power controlled all the monsters. Moments later, the red light gradually disappeared from the monsters eyes, like awakening from a deep dream. Fear instantly took hold of all the monsters. With a harsh roar, all the monsters within the territory of the City of Hope Alliance, regardless of their strength, turned tail and ran as if they were being pursued by predators. Weve won! Song Jian felt a rush of joy and the threat of tears. He never wanted to experience this feeling of survival after a catastrophe again! Ash, we owe this victory to you! Song Jian looked at Ash with gratitude. He had merely schemed him into becoming his Follower, but at the crucial moments he had saved him and the entire Alliance! It was my duty, Master! Ash knelt on one knee on the ground, paid homage to Song Jian, slowly rose, and said, Im afraid this is my last time helping you, Master. From now on, I will be a Holy Knight of the Goddess of Dawn and no longer your Follower. Song Jians face changed. He found the connection between him and Ash slowly weakening until it finally disappeared. In the Followers interface, Ashs attribute interface also disappeared. From then on, Ash was no longer his Follower. Ash, you are Im sorry, a knight of the Goddess can only serve one master! Ash said with a blank face, without any reluctance, turned towards the teleportation light door and walked away. Watching Ashs figure disappear into the teleportation light door, Song Jian immediately felt a sense of loss. If it wasnt to sever their relationship, Ash probably wouldnt have appeared at this critical moment. Exchanging the construction of City of Hope for a Follower, Song Jian didnt know whether it was a gain or a loss! Forget it, if his heart is no longer here, theres no point in insisting! Song Jian shook his head, sighed, and walked towards the body of the Sword Demon Zombie. During a monster siege, if a monster is killed by an installation, such as a Magic Crystal Railgun, there wouldnt be any loot drops. But if a player kills a monster, there will be spoils of war! Now, three items had dropped from the body of the Sword Demon Zombie. A Skill Book, an Enhancement Stone, and a piece of equipment. Honestly, the items dropped by the Sword Demon Zombie were not bad, but Song Jian still felt a twinge of regret after picking up and checking them. The Skill Book dropped was Sword Shadow Clone. This wasnt the best skill of the Sword Demon Zombie. From the battle process with the Sword Demon Zombie, its best skill should be similar to Immortal Sword Bodys skill Sword Demon. It could temporarily enhance the users state massively, just like the Immortal Sword Body. Boosting ones own attributes was just the basics. The most formidable should be the enhancement of other areas of attributes. However, without obtaining this Skill Book, Song Jian was unable to know the specific content of Sword Demon. Skill Book C Sword Shadow Clone (Gold): You can learn the Sword Shadow Clone skill after use. Requirements: Mastery of Sword Qi Profession. Sword Shadow Clone: Active skill, Level 1, uses 50% of the users Sword Qi to create a clone. The clone inherits 30% of the attributes of the original and all skills of the original with a skill level of 1. It inherits all the basic offensive and defensive attributes of the equipment and weapons of the original while all special effects and skills of the equipment cannot be used! Using Sword Qi, it creates a castrated indigent version of oneself, which looks exactly the same on the outside C even the most formidable scanning magic cant distinguish, but once you start to fight, you can immediately identify which one is the clone and which one is the original. Song Jian clapped his hands and learned this skill. He stored more than a dozen skill points. Any skill can be directly upgraded as long as it is proficient. In addition to this Skill Book, the boss also dropped a Enhancement Stone. This Enhancement Stone enhances equipment above +6, and has no quality restrictions. As long as it is an item above +6, it can be used for enhancements. Song Jian had not enhanced any of his equipment, after all, golden Enhancement Stones are rather rare. This Enhancement Stone can only be stored for the time being. The last piece of equipment was a belt. This belt was just a level 30 silver-grade equipment. Song Jian casually glanced at it and directly threw it into the Alliance warehouse. Finally, Song Jian brought out the City Lords seal. With the mission completed, the City Lords seal was fully unsealed, and most importantly, the unsealing degree reached 110%. Ordinary citys City Lords seals could never reach such a high level of unsealing! The three previously unsealed features were Fast Construction, Quick Repair, and Territory Teleportation! Unsealing 98% gives only one Fast Construction, while unsealing 110% give out two additional skills, Quick Recovery and Territory Teleportation. Fast Construction shortens the construction time of a building, up to 50% of the construction time. Quick Recovery can instantly repair the city buildings after being destroyed, but the materials and costs of recovery are three times that of normal recovery. As for Territory Teleportation, just like before, as long as he is in the city being constructed, Song Jian can teleport to any location, and the cooldown time is very short. This makes it very difficult to assassinate him within the city. PS: Thanks to Su Po Man for the tip of 100 Star Coins~ Chapter 748 - Chapter 748: Chapter 748 Task Chapter 748: Chapter 748 Task Quick recovery and territorial teleportation, the two abilities that can only be obtained once the City Lords seal has been unlocked to 110%. Generally speaking, if one could unlock the seal to 98% to gain rapid construction, it would already be pretty amazing. Many city lords dont have the last three abilities. After the monsters siege ended, the players inside the castle burst out, their cheers resonating loudly. At the final hour, almost everyone had lost hope, and many even gave up. But unexpectedly, they succeeded at the last moment, a feat so incredible it felt like a dream. Standing amidst the ruins, watching as the monsters retreated, many players are reduced to tears of joy. We did it, we really did it, hahaha! We won, we won! In Doomsday City, this was the first guild to successfully build a city. Previously, many had doubted them, even members of the City of Hope Alliance who didnt think the city-building mission would succeed. Out of the original alliance of over a thousand players, less than three hundred remained! Song Jian took a deep breath as the glow of the healing goddess statue enveloped everyone, continually refreshing their Vitality Points. It was at this moment he noticed a large number of players advancing rapidly towards the City of Hopes territory. With a hint of coldness in his eyes, Song Jian pulled out the City Lords seal. As he manipulated it, a virtual map of the City of Hopes territory appeared. The map, almost 90% ruins, seemed translucent. Quick repair! Song Jian, controlling the City Lord seal, pointed at the city walls and city gates. Splash! The digitized resources started to disappear like flowing water, and all the city walls were instantly rebuilt. Arrow Towers, Catapults, City Defence Crossbows, Caltrops Song Jian quickly repaired all the citys defenses with resources disappearing like running water. Usually, repairing these structures would cost only a third of their original building cost, but now it was almost like rebuilding them from scratch. Looking at the two Magic Crystal Railguns, Song Jian shook his head. Even ordinary repair methods wouldnt be enough given the lack of resources. The two Magic Crystal Railguns had killed at least three peak level bosses. They were the heroes of this monster siege! Even without the Magic Crystal Railguns, Song Jian was confident he could fend off any guild challenges with the city walls, defences, and the remaining City of Hope players; all had regained their peak condition, including their vitality, spirit points, and mana. Seeing the citys wall reappear, all the guilds who had hoped to take advantage of the situation showed disappointment. They stopped in their tracks, sighed, and slowly disappeared from Song Jians sight. In the end, only the few hundred players from the Pantheon were left, looking up at Song Jian on the city walls with dissatisfaction. Hmph, if I knew it would be only them, I should have let them enter the territory and then rebuild the walls, trapping them inside, Song Jian thought, looking at the Pantheon players. But he quickly dismissed the idea. After all, it wasnt just the players from Pantheon who had hoped to benefit from the situation C over sixty percent of the guilds in Doomsday City had similar ideas. Some were just quicker, while others still hesitated. Just those who had shown up outnumbered his team by over a thousand. Song Jian didnt want the City of Hope, which had just lost more than thirty players, to suffer another loss. Damn, they actually succeeded! Zeus gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, and his body trembling slightly. Never had he thought that city-building could be so easy. A horde of bosses had nearly reduced the Hope Citys territory to void. Yet, the city had still been successfully built. The reality felt surreal to Zeus. Guild Leader, lets retreat. Theres no profit to be made here anymore, the Wisdom God sighed and said softly. The Pantheon had planned for this for a long time. They had hoped to attack the City of Hope alongside the monsters. But upon seeing the bosses that appeared, most of which were elite or even lord level bosses, everyone pulled back. After all, what if those bosses turned against them? Without the protection of city walls, their defeat would be inevitable! In the end, as the monster horde grew, no one proposed to jointly attack anymore. Everyone believed it was impossible for the City of Hope to hold back such a large number of attacking bosses. Guild leader, we won! Weve done it! Wang Qi, leading all the players, charged towards Song Jian. It looked like they were planning to lift Song Jian into the air and toss him upwards twice in celebration. Song Jian managed a small smile and flew into mid-air with his steel wings. Wang Qi, take care of the compensations for our deceased brothers. You must do it properly! Song Jian commanded. Hearing that the first thing Song Jian did after completing the mission was to ensure the proper compensation of their lost companions, everyones excitement diminished a bit, replaced by a sombre mood. More than thirty brothers had lost their lives, all directly one-shotted by bosses. Over half of them were killed inside the castle C their vitality, despite the 1000% increase in recovery speed, couldnt catch up with the boss lethal attacks. Also, everyone here is now a core member of the City of Hopes future. Well elevate welfare benefits according to contributions. All the brothers standing here will be granted the title of knight! Song Jian declared. After becoming a city lord, Song Jians overall power greatly increased and his previous title of Viscount in the City of Sin was automatically revoked. Every city lord automatically gets the Duke title, and no city lord can grant a title to another city lord. Regardless of the size of their city, all city lords hold equal standing. Following the successful city foundation, it was time to celebrate. Buildings in the city were repaired one after another, returning the city to its former glory. Recruitment of NPCs was also stepped up. As for players, Song Jian believed that the current 300 were more than enough. After the celebration, everything returned to normal, and once again, Song Jian found himself idle. On that day, an unexpected visitor caught him by surprise. Priest Cecilia, why why are you here? Song Jian asked with a somewhat guilty smile. It was Priestess Cecilia who had taken away his follower Yarra, but when he saw Cecilia again, Song Jian couldnt help but feel guilty. Song Jian, how did you do with the task I gave you? asked Cecilia, her face full of smiles. Chapter 749 - Chapter 749: Chapter 749: Devil Flame Chapter 749: Chapter 749: Devil Flame Several months ago, Priestess Cecilia assigned the task of destroying the Book of Abyss to Song Jian. However, during the task, the Book of Abyss, which should have been an ordinary quest item without any attribute, unexpectedly transformed into a gold quality piece of equipment. This invoked a sense of greed in Song Jian, leading him to claim it as his own! Although the Book of Abyss is only a gold quality item, its effect is no less than epic, even legendary level equipment; Having the Book of Abyss is nearly the equivalent of an additional profession. As long as Song Jian is willing to expend combat experience, he can fully activate all of the skills on the Book of Abyss and become a true Abyssal Mage! However, no matter what, this item should have been returned to Priestess Cecilia. Song Jian hadnt returned it, and now, seeing Cecilia again, undoubtedly he feels a bit guilty. For thistask, haha, task, this task Song Jian stammered with an awkward smile trying to come up with an excuse! Was the task too hard to complete? Cecilia asked with a smile. No, no, its been completed, haha, its been fulfilled! Song Jian quickly waved his hand. In the task list, the step of getting the Book of Abyss was already marked as complete, leaving only the work of returning it to Priestess Cecilia; Song Jian knows this, and undoubtedly, Cecilia, the task issuer, is even more aware! There was an accident with the task item! Song Jian shook his head, looking into Cecilias eyes and failed to come up with any excuse to deceive her; Accident? What kind of accident? Cecilia raised an eyebrow and asked. Song Jian directly summoned the Book of Abyss from his body and handed it over to Cecilia; At this point, the Book of Abyss had entirely bound his being, meaning even if he gave it to Cecilia, she wouldnt able to use it; System: You handed over the Book of Abyss to Cecilia, the task was completed, and you received fifty-three thousand Experience Points; System: Your intimacy with Cecila has increased to reverence! Its nature has changed! Cecilia caressed the cover of the Book of Abyss with a serious expression. Yes, I dont know how it happened. It transformed suddenly, at that time Song Jian described the situation at the time. Its Abyssal Demon Flame, I cant believe you possess the advanced Abyssal Demon Flame Cecilia stared at Song Jian and said: No human has ever been able to control the Abyssal Demon Flame and still maintain their sanity! Gods chosen, indeed, are people who are blessed by the gods So . Song Jian motioned towards the Book of Abyss in Cecilias hand. Since it had become a piece of equipment and had already bound itself to him, naturally, it should belong to him. Haha, congratulations, you are quite lucky to have obtained such a treasure! Cecilia smiled and handed the Book of Abyss back to Song Jian. Thank you! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. This has been weighing on his mind for so long and causing him much distress. Now, he can finally relax. In fact, this Book of Abyss is the ultimate treasure of the Abyss realm. It should have originally been a legendary quality equipment. No, it should not be called legendary quality. It should be called a Demi-God Artifact! Cecilia said. What, a Demi-God Artifact? Song Jian was stunned. How is this possible? Even if it has a complete professional skill tree, theres still a significant gap between it and a Demi-God Artifact! Yes, this was originally a legendary quality item. Its previous master wanted to advance it to an artifact, but ultimately failed. However, it broke through the quality limit and became an item between the peak of legend and the artifact. Such an item, we usually call it a Demi-God Artifact! explained Cecilia. But now its only a gold quality item Song Jian didnt understand. Thats because, it has not been fully unsealed. Would you like to restore it to its former state, a Demi-God Artifact? Cecilia smiled. Song Jian knew, Cecilia wouldnt just casually share this information with him without expecting something in return. Behind this was certainly some task he would need to accomplish. This was like bait on a trap. If he wanted to take the bait, he must prepare himself for the trap! Okay, I will do it, tell me how to restore it to a Demi-God Artifact! Song Jian resigned. A Demi-God Artifact, such a temptation is impossible for Song Jian to resist! Haha, its not an easy task to restore it to its original quality. Cecilia laughed, like a fox that had stolen a chicken! Im listening Song Jian shrugged. All you need to do is gather seven Abyssal Demon Flames, then fuse them together with it. It will then be unsealed back in its original form! Cecilia said. Seven Abyssal Demon Flames? Song Jian shook his head: That sounds like something thats not easy to accomplish! Correct, in Abyssal Hell, there are eight Abyssal Demon Kings, each of them controlling a different Abyssal Demon Flame. Only by collecting all these Demon Flames, can a clear passage to the outer world be created Abyssal Hell loves to explore other planes of existence, conquer them, and merge them with Abyssal Hell. Now, our world has been discovered by Abyssal Hell, and Abyssal Hell is trying in various ways to permeate our world Some are worried about the invasion of Abyssal Hell, but others want to explore and tap into Abyssal Hells resources Cecilia said with a serious face: When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares back at you! When you try to harvest the resources in Abyssal Hell, Abyssal Hell is preparing to swallow you whole! Hundreds of years ago, an Abyss Demon King from Abyssal Hell found a space-time rift and entered our world. But unexpectedly, he fell in this world. The Abyssal Demon Flame he wielded remained here! Speaking of which, Cecilia turned her gaze onto Song Jian; Song Jian was stunned for a moment, then pointed at himself! Correct, the Flame you previously acquired was that Demon Flame! Cecilia nodded: Without that Flame, Abyssal Hell would not be able to construct a large-scale invasion pathway. It can only rely on the some abyss rifts and infiltrate this world. If you want a complete Book of Abyss, youll need to acquire the Demon Flanes from the other seven Abyssal Demon Kings! Haha, actually, the gold quality Book of Abyss is quite good, and I dont really use it on a daily basis. This task, you should probably assign it to someone else, Im afraid I wouldnt be able to complete it. Song Jian laughed, took the Book of the Abyss back into his body, turned around, and prepared to leave; What a joke! The seven rulers of the Abyssal Hell, their powers probably have long exceeded level three combat power. To ask him, who just barely reached level one combat power, to obtain the Abyssal Demon Flames from these kings, isnt that like asking him to commit suicide? Chapter 750 - Chapter 750: Chapter 750: Legacy Chapter 750: Chapter 750: Legacy Upon hearing Cecilia Priest mention about seizing seven abyssal demon flames from the seven Abyssal Demon Kings of Hell, Song Jian immediately smirked and refused without hesitation. After the game updated the Abyss Demon expansion pack, a lot of information about Abyssal Hell was revealed. Moreover, it includes a profession transfer to abyssal professions that would directly teleport one to Abyssal Hell, essentially changing the map. To return to the main plane of the game, one must either accept relevant quests or await the true opening of the Abyss Passage; As for Abyssal Hell, its introduction in the expansion pack only mentioned the existence of seven Abyssal Demon King monarchs therein, unlike Cecilias claim of there being eight demon kings; However, according to Cecilia, the eighth demon king had fallen a long time ago. Perhaps, thats why the expansion pack only described the remaining seven Abyssal Demon Kings! Each of these seven kings is at least a third tier in power. To challenge third-tier power, one needs to reach level 100 after passing first-tier power at level 30 and second-tier power at level 60! These seven Abyssal Demon Kings have existed for at least thousands or even tens of thousands of years. With Song Jians current strength, trying to snatch the abyssal demon flame from them, was undoubtedly like throwing an egg against a rockonly resulting in certain death! As for the Book of the Abyss upgrading to a Demi-God Artifact, Song Jian thought it was not worth risking his life for such an item; Do you think I would give you a deadly mission? Cecilia Priest laughed; Of course not, but Song Jian shrugged, ready to refuse again when Cecilia interrupted him. The seven demon kings disappeared a hundred years ago! Cecilia declared; Disappeared? Song Jian was taken aback, as this was not mentioned in the expansion packs introduction; Yes, the seven demon kings of Abyssal Hell vanished from it a hundred years ago. Cecilia explained: Some people said they found a better world and left together, while others say they fell from internal strife over a treasure There are many legends and nobody knows the real one! Cecilia looked at Song Jian and revealed: But the fact is C no demons appeared in Abyssal Hell for a hundred years! What if they had just gone on vacation and would return in a few days? Song Jian shrugged. Even drinking water can be deadly! Cecilia laughed; Song Jian hesitated and said after a while: But aside from the demon kings, there must be formidable creatures in Abyssal Hell, like those second-tier powerhouses Indeed, there are powerful creatures in Abyssal Hell Cecilia looked at Song Jian: Not only are they strong, but there are also many of them. But do you think you are the strongest in this world? But Song Jian hesitated; The inheritance of the Sword Immortal had once appeared in Abyssal Hell! Cecilia blurted out. What? The inheritance of the Sword Immortal? Song Jian was taken aback. The Sword Immortal had always been the profession he admired most. Despite slim chances, he continued to strive towards this goal; Among the top ten unique professions, each is hard to achieve. Upon hearing that the Inheritance of the Swordsman Immortal Profession had appeared in Abyssal Hell, Song Jian made up his mind to venture there; Upon coming to this decision, Song Jian took out a black token from his backpack; A qualification token? You managed to get such a treasure? Seeing the token in his hand, Cecilia exclaimed in surprise: Such tokens are extremely rare in this world and only appear at specific times! Whats the purpose of this token? Song Jian asked. By using the qualification token, you would be eligible to enter the Inheritance Tower and face its trials. If you were to pass all of those, the token would grant you the qualifications for one of the ten unique professions. By choosing Sword Immortal, after passing the Trials of the Inheritance Tower, you would be a short step away from becoming a Sword Immortal! Cecilia explained. What? It only grants the qualification to become a Sword Immortal, whats a preparatory Sword Immortal? Song Jian asked with surprise. Did you think it was that easy to get the qualifications for one of the ten unique professions? Cecilia said with a cold hum: There hasnt been a unique profession in thousands of years, all of the deeds attributed to these professions in game legends were actually accomplished by their preparatory professions. Moreover, the preparatory professions are only half a step away from the ten unique professions. If you take the step, you would become a being that could match a deity! Seems like its not so easy to take that half-step Song Jian said with a bitter smile; Half a step is a huge difference. If you can step over, you can. If not, even half a step is as insurmountable as an abyss. Cecilia said, Those are beings comparable to deities. Do you think the gods would want them to appear? Song Jian was stumped. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and quickly asked: What did you mean by the inheritance of the Sword Immortal being in Abyssal Hell? It could be so! Cecilia corrected: The last real Sword Immortal is said to have perished in Abyssal Hell Song Jian: If even the Sword Immortal perished in Abyssal Hell, dont you dare to say that its not a suicide mission! Song Jian yelled with anger. That happened thousands of years ago, I dont know the specifics. I only learned this news from the books of the temple Cecilia shook her head and said, Without the seven demon kings, the power of Abyssal Hell has greatly diminished. Many of the realms it had invaded have now shaken free of its control. Even though it would be dangerous for you to enter, it is not a do or die situation! So youre saying that the fallen Sword Immortal might have left his inheritance in Abyssal Hell? Song Jian questioned. Maybe he did Cecilia stared into Song Jians eyes: This was mentioned in the most important books of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn. Do you think the books would mention something irrelevant? Moreover, if you were a Sword Immortal, what would you want to do most before your death? Have a drink? Song Jian shrugged. Very funny! Cecilia huffed: Alright, I will ask you for the last time, will you accept this mission to upgrade the Book of the Abyss to a Demi-God Artifact? Chapter 751 - Chapter 751: Chapter 751: Leaving Chapter 751: Chapter 751: Leaving Youre going to Abyssal Hell? Are you crazy? Wang Qi couldnt help but yell in surprise when he heard Song Jian wanted to go to Abyssal Hell. Now, Song Jian was the lord of the City of Hope, holding the City Lords seal, and it wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that a single persons safety was related to the safety of an entire city. What kind of place was Abyssal Hell? Although many people had already learned about the existence of Abyssal Hell after the release of the Abyssal Demon Shadow DLC through forums or other means, ordinary people were absolutely unwilling to set foot in such a terrifying place. Many players who had changed their careers to Abyssal professions were also regretful. Although the environment of the Doomsday World was harsh and hardly saw the sun for a day, compared to the environment of Abyssal Hell, it was simply like paradise; Yes, Im planning to make a trip to the Abyssal Hell! Song Jian confirmed. How long will it take and when can you come back? Wang Qi asked. Since becoming the city lord, many matters had to be approved by the city lord. Even the expansion and upgrade of city walls required the city lords personal operation, and it was no longer as easy as before; just having materials and construction workers could easily build them. If Song Jian were to leave for several months like he did during the first phase of the combat assessment, Wang Qi was worried that if something happened to the City of Hope, they would not be able to control the situation without the city lord. At the earliest, seven days, and at the latest, one month! Song Jian said. The task Cecilia had given him did not have a time limit. However, it was better to upgrade the Book of the Abyss to the Demi-God Artifact as soon as possible. Only when the Book of the Abyss is upgraded to the Demi-God Artifact would the power of the Abyssal Hell be further weakened. At present, the entire game plane has been eroded too severely by the Abyssal power. To eliminate this erosion, it is necessary to continuously weaken the Abyssal power; That long? Wang Qi furrowed his eyebrows. We are now back on track and have taken a big step ahead of other alliances. We can continue with the territorial expansion and city construction. Sooner or later, the entire Doomsday City will be ours! Song Jian laughed. Alright, I guess we have no choice, Wang Qi reluctantly said; Oh, yes, help me get a few items for expanding larger inventory slots, the larger the space, the better. The unique resources in the Abyssal Hell are extremely abundant, and we cant rely solely on the Valley of the Undead! Song Jian said. If it were only one alliance, the resources of the Valley of the Undead would be more than enough. However, if they wanted to invest in a city or even include the entire Doomsday City into the City of Hope, the amount of materials needed would be astronomical, and relying solely on the Valley of the Undead would not be enough; In addition, has the trade group been established yet? Lets try going to the garrison town first. The honey wine there is a specialty, and we can transport more of it! Song Jian said. Now that the Protection Black Mist has expanded into an area more than ten meters wide and belongs to the territory of the City of Hope, as long as one is a member of the City of Hope Alliance, they can enter and exit freely. To take advantage of this superiority, they must establish their own trade group. Its easy to establish a trade group, but its not that easy to assemble a trade team. Give me three more days, and Ill assemble a small trade team of twenty to thirty people first, and then explore the route, Wang Qi reluctantly said; Running a business in the game is not an easy task, as there are many more monsters in the wild, and a safe trade route must be found; Alright, just get me some items to expand my inventory slots first! Song Jian said. Song Jian had previously obtained some items to expand his inventory slots. Now, his inventory was already considered quite large with thirty-six slots, and each slot was gold, which meant that Song Jian could take thirty-six items from the game world to the real world at once. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was simply an incredible thing, as others could only take one item at most; Just a single healing potion brought to the real world would be snapped up like crazy, and those treasures that could enhance ones physical attributes would be priceless if brought to the real world; However, now Song Jian was no longer satisfied with being a game transporter; he now had higher aspirations; Obtaining Abyssal Demon Flame was not something that could be done overnight. Song Jian only planned to enter Abyssal Hell this time to explore the route and familiarize himself with the terrain, and then take the opportunity to obtain Abyssal Demon Flame. As for the Sword Immortal inheritance, it could only depend on luck as there was no clue at all; Soon, Wang Qi brought four large forty-slot backpacks to Song Jian. These backpacks could be embedded into the inventory slots to expand the inventory slots but could only be used in-game and could not bring items back to the real world; After using these backpacks, Song Jian purchased a large number of supplies: advanced Vitality recovery potions, honey wine, Sword Qi Stones, high-explosive hand grenades, self-destructing robots, and the previously used explosive fire bombs. These items were stackable, filling three backpacks with over a hundred inventory slots! After explaining everything about the City of Hope, Song Jian returned to Manor Castle. He took out the Book of the Abyss and flipped the page to the Abyssal Gate chapter. When he first obtained the third-order Abyssal Demon Flame, Song Jian could already open the Abyssal Gate and enter Abyssal Hell. However, his strength was still weak at the time, and entering Abyssal Hell would be suicidal. Now Song Jian finally had some self-protection abilities. As long as he was careful, there should be no problem surviving in Abyssal Hell; Chanting the Abyssal Spell, black flames rose from Song Jians body, and a black light appeared in front of him. With the continuous chanting of the spell, the light grew larger and eventually turned into a disc. The Abyssal Demon Flame on Song Jians body began to surge towards the black disc, forming a black ellipse-shaped portal in a short amount of time. On both sides of this elliptical portal, two bone dragons intertwined to form a unique door frame, and a mirror-like curtain of light in the center. Faint heartrending wails came from the light, while a seductive scent lingered inside. Ordinary people would probably not dare to approach the portal, as once they got close, they would inevitably be drawn toward it; Huh, the cooldown time is actually twenty-four hours! Song Jian looked at the Book of the Abyss, the Abyssal Gate icon had turned gray and entered the cooldown time. The next opening must be twenty-four hours later, which means that once Song Jian enters the Abyssal Hell, he will have to stay inside for a full twenty-four hours before he can leave; This black portal constantly emitted Abyssal aura, like tentacles, constantly exploring the surrounding environment. Song Jian stepped towards the portal, his figure disappeared within the castle, and the portal vanished as well. Chapter 752 - Chapter 752: Chapter 752: Skills Chapter 752: Chapter 752: Skills Master Kutiya, all the materials are here. When can these two Magic Crystal Railguns be repaired? Wang Qi directed a group of people, constantly transporting precious materials. The two Magic Crystal Railguns were also damaged during the monsters siege, but repairing them was not as complicated as their initial creation, which required a large amount of precious materials; the repair process was relatively simpler. It will take at most half a day to repair these two Magic Crystal Railguns! Kutiya carefully examined the materials sent by Wang Qi, saying. The power of the Magic Crystal Railguns had withstood the test of war. If not for these two railguns, the city-building mission might have failed this time. Master, the City Lord said he wants to build a few more Magic Crystal Railguns! Wang Qi said. If there were more Magic Crystal Railguns, even without Song Jian, Wang Qi would be confident in defending the entire city; Railguns are easy to construct; as long as there are enough materials, it doesnt matter how many you want to build. However, there are two issues! Kutiya held up two fingers and said: First, the railguns have tremendous recoil, and there must be more than 20 meters between them. The foundation must be made of the hardest materials. In that case, the entire city wall needs to be redesigned and rebuilt! Second, even if there are more Magic Crystal Railguns, without magic crystal ammunition, they would be just decorations. Before finding a Magic Crystal Mine, I suggest not building so many, instead, using the resources to build smaller projectile launchers and Goblin fire cannons which can also pose a threat to creatures with peak strength in the first-order! Wang Qi knew that as for the Magic Crystal Railguns, Master Kutiya was the more professional person, and professional matters should be handled by professionals. However, before Song Jian left, he specifically instructed them to build more Magic Crystal Railguns. If he returns from the Abyssal Hell and sees that I havent followed his instructions, then Wang Qi frowned, hesitated for a long time, gritted his teeth and said: We must build them all into Magic Crystal Railguns! If we need to redesign and rebuild the city walls, then well do it. Others will solve the problem of magic crystal ammunition! Kutiya nodded, said nothing more, turned around and directed the other architects to speed up the repair process, while she began to redesign and rebuild the entire City of Hopes walls; As a master builder, she just needed to offer her professional advice; whether it was accepted or not was up to the owners. She just needed to do her job well! After a brief period of weightlessness, Song Jian came to a completely new area. There was no sunlight here, only darkness. The only light came from the faint red glow that seeped through the cracks in the ground. The entire land seemed to float on lava, with deep gorges everywhere. Some were only a few meters wide, while others seemed to have no end in sight; These gorges emitted red light, heat, and rumbling sounds. Song Jian felt as if he was standing on the brink of an erupting volcano. Song Jian wandered aimlessly through the wasteland. The surrounding temperature was at least 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. Ordinary humans wouldnt be able to survive here. Even for players, they would need at least 10 points of fire resistance to survive in this place. However, players who have changed their profession to Abyss-related ones would naturally gain at least a dozen or more fire-resistant points, so their survival here would certainly not be a problem. After walking for half an hour, Song Jian finally saw some monsters ahead. They looked like demon wolves, with dense dark red fur covering their bodies. Their claws occasionally emitted a ball of flame, making them look extremely fierce. Song Jian approached these monsters and checked their attributes. Abyssal Demon Wolf, Level 38, Vitality Points: 12000/12000 Though merely ordinary Abyssal creatures, their Vitality Points were higher than some Level 30 elite bosses. Their appearance suggested that not only did they have considerable attack power, but also likely inflicted fire damage. Looking ahead, there were many such creatures wandering around in the wasteland, some even lying directly in front of the dark red ground fissures, swallowing the magma that welled up from below. Song Jian took out the Book of the Abyss and clicked on the second layer of the skill tree several times. In an instant, his Experience Points, which had previously risen to 36, fell to the bottom, becoming 36 1%; Song Jian had now activated all the skills on the second layer of the Book of the Abyss; There were four skills on the second layer, namely Shackles Mark, Mental Breakdown, Abyssal Corrosion, and Evil Seed; Shackles Mark had great power, capable of instantly killing any monster. However, the conditions required for its release were quite strict. Not only did the targets flesh and blood need to be known, but also the targets real name. Otherwise, releasing this skill would only result in Song Jian receiving backlash damage; As for the other three, Song Jian used his combat experience to activate them all at once; Once the skills in the Book of Abyss were activated, they automatically reached the highest level, which was very convenient. With these three powerful skills, Song Jian could easily disguise himself as an Abyssal Warlock; Mental Breakdown (Active): MAX, Instant, Skill Effect: When used on a target, causes the target to lose their rationality and become enraged, attacking any creature nearby. The higher the targets Willpower, the greater the chance of resisting this skill. This effect lasts for up to 30 seconds. After the effect ends, the targets aggression will be firmly locked onto the user. Spirit Points Consumption: 45; Abyssal Corrosion (Active): MAX, 3-second cast time, Skill Effect: After casting on a target, immediately deals 490-600 damage, and continues to deal 300 damage over the next 10 seconds, while reducing the targets armor value by 30% for 30 seconds. Spirit Points Consumption: 50; Evil Seed (Active): MAX, Instant, Skill Effect: Plants an Evil Seed inside a target, continuously reducing their resistance. After 15 seconds, their resistance is reduced by 50%, and the Evil Seed erupts inside the target, causing 500 damage. The targets next received damage is guaranteed to be a critical hit. Spirit Points Consumption: 30; Song Jian raised his right hand and directly cast Mental Breakdown on one of the Abyssal Demon Wolves in the monster group. Soon, the huge wolfs body was covered with a faint dark red light, its eyes became blurred, and the wolf became angrier and more ferocious, roaring in its mouth; Without warning, it pounced on the nearest Abyssal Demon Wolf, fighting fiercely as if they were mortal enemies, attacking each other with their fire-covered claws; After ten seconds, the mind-broken Abyssal Demon Wolfs eyes suddenly regained clarity. Ignoring the attack from the other wolf next to it, it turned its head and rushed toward Song Jian; Chapter 753 - Chapter 753: Chapter 753: Player Chapter 753: Chapter 753: Player Seeing the attacking Abyssal Demon Wolves, Song Jian first cast the Evil Seed skill, then began to apply Abyssal Corrosion on them; A fluctuating green seed phantom appeared on top of the Abyssal Demon Wolf, followed by a rising damage number and a weakening armor condition appeared in its status bar; Before it could even reach Song Jian, it was hit by three Abyssal Corrosions. The already half-health Abyssal Demon Wolf saw its Vitality Points plummet to less than one-third of its total; Just as it leaped towards Song Jian, the green phantom image of the Evil Seed had already ballooned from the size of a fingernail to that of a fist. After a muffled thump sound, the airborne Abyssal Demon Wolf froze mid-air and its attack wavered. It fell from the sky like a stone and crashed on the ground in front of Song Jian. Song Jian swung his long sword, stabbing it at the head of the Abyssal Demon Wolf. It was just an ordinary thrust, yet it cranked out direct critical damage of over two thousand points. The Abyssal Demon Wolf let out a mournful howl. Its Vitality Points hit rock bottom, turning it into a corpse. Another Demon Wolf, which had been biting at its heels, looked puzzled when its prey vanished. After standing still for a moment, it turned and ran back towards where it came from; Looking down at his sword, Song Jian shook his head slightly. None of the equipment he had on increased magic damage, and the activated skills from the Book of the Abyss were too few. As an Abyssal Warlock, relying solely on these skills to combat monsters was far from enough. The Book of the Abyss had four skills on the third level, but each skill required nearly a million battle experience points to activate C something Song Jian hadnt been able accomplish yet; With this in mind, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon and Gulu the Stone Golem. The two battle pets, both possessing stage one Combat Power, were able to grind monsters in this area without any pressure. Song Jians attack pattern also changed. He first used the skills from the Book of the Abyss to attack the Abyssal Demon Wolves from afar. When they rushed towards him, he would then use his long sword to claim their lives. With the assistance of the Black Dragon and the Stone Golem, it wasnt long before the Abyssal Demon Wolves collapsed under Song Jians feet; Abandoned buildings and streets were everywhere in Doomsday City. Even if there were numerous monsters, he couldnt grind them as swiftly as he could in the wilds. Song Jian positioned the Stone Golem and Black Dragon at the front, continually invoking skills from the Book of the Abyss, inflicting swathes of damage with the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. The monsters from the Abyssal Hell granted high experience points. Song Jian incessantly lured monsters one wave after another. With the aid of the Stone Golem and Black Dragon, Song Jian hadnt lost any Vitality Points, but hundreds, if not thousands, of Abyssal Demon Wolves were slaughtered along the way, leaving a trail of their carcasses. The system notification sound rang out. Song Jian glanced at his level and found that he had unknowingly risen to level 37. Initially, activating three skills from the Book of the Abyss had depleted his battle experience. Unexpectedly, his level had increased again in less than half a day. Level progression here was both swift and enjoyable! Having upgraded the Sword Silk skill to level seven, the Sword Finger skill to level four, the Broken Wing Dance to level five, and the Light Strike to level two, Song Jian still had almost ten skill points remaining; Looking at the rankings for the Glory Level within the Doomsday City area, he remained in first place. The second place was held by Zeus from the Pantheon, whose level hadnt budged from thirty-one in quite some time. It seemed the previous blow had been too big. From the looks of it, he had lost his motivation to level up; The remaining top twenty were all at level thirty. It appeared that there were quite a number of players who loved to rush their levels. In just a few days, so many level thirty players had emerged. The Abyssal Hell was like a leveling sanctuary. Song Jian was somewhat reluctant to leave. However, his primary objective now was to find a larger city. Whether it was for gathering information or completing tasks, it would be much more convenient; He hadnt forgotten why he came to Abyssal Hell. Whether it was for the seven Abyssal Demon Flames or for the Swordsman Immortal profession, he didnt want to miss out on any; While Song Jian was continuously grinding monsters, he suddenly saw points of light in the distant wilderness. At the same time, he could faintly hear the sound of explosions; Song Jians eyes lit up. That was the sound of somebody casting magic. It seemed he had encountered other players; From the moment they switched professions, the players in the Abyssal Hell were in a different faction from the players in the game world. They would kill each other on sight. Moreover, killing a player from a different faction does not lead to an increase in sin-value but instead raises honour points; Therefore, upon seeing players up ahead, Song Jian did not approach immediately. Instead, he put away both of his battle pets and proceeded alone, slowly advancing; The light in the Abyssal Hell was originally very dim. If it werent for the everywhere-present red crevices along the ground, this place would probably be completely enveloped in eternal darkness. Using the faint glow emitted from these crevices, players could only see their immediate environment within ten meters. Anything beyond that distance would be hazy, unless they possessed some special skills. The Vertical eye in Song Jians forehead was already open, and he could clearly see the several players tens of meters away; He could see the figures coming into view were completely different from regular game world players. They had dark skin, with a distinct layer of fine scaly patterns emerging. They radiated a strong Abyssal aura. Like countless tentacles, it constantly stretched out before slowly dissipating in the void. Such appearances were somewhat terrifying but gave off a sense of peculiar individuality; They must be players who have switched to Abyssal professions. Song Jian guessed in his mind: there were currently no players that could enter the Abyssal Hell immediately upon entering the game. They would first need to reach level ten in the game world before they could accept the transition task for an Abyssal profession; The appearance of these players meant that there should be a city of the Abyssal Hell nearby; To Song Jian, these players who had switched to Abyssal professions had essentially given up on their human identities. Undoubtedly, at the very least, Abyssal professions were rarer, and far stronger than ordinary professions. But after transitioning to an Abyssal profession, the whole person would become an Abyssal creature and would unconsciously be corroded by the Abyssal aura. For these players who had transitioned to Abyssal professions, the brilliant side of their humanity would become increasingly diluted while their darker side would be amplified. In the end, they would completely succumb to being Abyssal creatures, prioritizing the interests of the Abyss above all; As Abyssal creatures, their greatest desire was to invade other dimensional worlds. At that time, there would inevitably be a deadly battle between the players of the Abyssal Hell and the game world! Chapter 754 - Chapter 754: Chapter 754: Soul Ripper Chapter 754: Chapter 754: Soul Ripper The Abyss profession system is very complex, similar to the game world, its also divided into close combat and ranged combat, physical and magical categories. Among the few players in front of me, there is an Abyss Warrior, Abyss Mage, Soul Ripper, Abyss Thief, and an Abyss Warlock! The Abyss Warrior, Abyss Mage, Abyss Thief, and Abyss Warlock, all are rare professions. However, all of these belong to the basic professions in the Abyss professions. But the one called Soul Ripper is a legendary professional; Abyss Warriors are similar to warriors but cant use shields. They can only rely on their professional talent, Demon Skin, to increase their armor. Moreover, during the battle, the higher the Abyss Warriors attack, the more Vitality Points they can absorb from the damage to heal themselves. Their battle style resembles the Berserkers, although they are not as able to resist damage as the warriors, but their attack power and endurance far exceed the warriors; The Abyss Mages differ from the elemental mages of the game world; they use Abyssal energy. This kind of energy often gets strengthened in charming and controlling, but does not possess the damage and burst power of Abyss Mages. Battling with Abyss Mages always gives every profession a headache. If you cant quickly gain the advantage, once the battle enters a stalemate, Abyss Mages often use endless control magic to torment their opponents until they collapse. Abyss Warlocks are good at summoning powerful Abyss demons to fight while also attacking enemies with the Abyssal Power, like the Abyssal Mage. On the other hand, the Abyss Thief has an additional talent compared to a normal human thief, the Abyss Will. Its an active skill, which can resist all control and slowdown effects. Although its duration is very short and the cooldown time is very long, in battle, this talent skill is a divine technique, giving the Abyss Thief a big advantage in combat; As for the legendary profession Soul Ripper, its a very rare profession in the Abyss. They excel at soul attacks, almost combining the powers of the Abyss Mage and Abyss Warlock. They possess strong attack power, and can capture Abyss creatures as their temporary combat pets, having excellent survival ability; The five-member team in front of Song Jian is not high in level, all are level thirty. Such a level is considered an expert in the game plane, but in Abyssal Hell, any creature is much higher in level than them; The equipment they wear is nothing impressive, mostly green grade. Only the Soul Ripper has two pieces of blue equipment. The weapon in the hands of the Abyss Mage is even a white grade piece of equipment. At this moment, a level thirty Flame Demon follows beside the Undead Warlock. Two Abyssal Demon Wolves are captured by the Soul Ripper, theyve just captured them. The five players huddle together, seemingly discussing something in hush tones. Taking advantage of the dim environment, Song Jian quietly approached them, wanting to hear what they were discussing. All these people were speaking in the language of the Abyss. The Abyss language natively has a mesmerizing ability for other creatures. Listening for a long time can potentially Corrode individuals who dont understand the language of the Abyss, transforming them into Abyss creatures that are neither human nor ghost; But in Song Jians ears, he could easily discern what they were discussing. Also, the possession of the Book of the Abyss protected him from being affected by the Abyssal Power; Toothpick, how much more till you Level up? The Abyss Mage asked. With a toss of his hand, he threw an Abyssal Energy Orb at an Abyss Demon Wolf in the distance. The head-sized gray energy ball, emitting a strong Abyssal Power, travelled an arc in the air, fell onto an Abyss Demon Wolf in the wilderness. With a boom, the Abyssal Energy Orb exploded, causing more than three hundred points of damage to the Abyss Demon Wolf. This abruptly enraged the Abyss Demon Wolf, and also attracted the attention of the two Abyss Demon Wolves nearby. The three Demon Wolves rushed at the players together. Seventeen percent left! Upon seeing the three Demon Wolves rushing at them, the Abyss Thief got scared and immediately activated his Stealth skill complaining, Could you be a bit careful when youre pulling mobs? Every time you pull so many. If it wasnt for Elder Brother Wanderer, we wouldnt even be able to level up here! Sorry, the light is too dim and visibility is only about seven to eight meters. I didnt see that the two Demon Wolves were so close to it! The Abyss Mage apologized. Elder Brother Wanderer, can you handle one by yourself? The Abyss Warlock turned his head to the player with the occupation of Soul Ripper and asked. No problem, you guys quickly finish off those two! Leave one to me! The player with the occupation of Soul Ripper, referred to as Wanderer, glanced at the others with a hint of arrogance as a smile appeared on his lips. He already had two Abyss Demon Wolves under his control. For the next two hours, these two Abyss Demon wolves would be his most loyal combat pets, willing to die for him without hesitation. However, after two hours, these two Abyss Demon Wolves would break free from his control, and within a day, he could no longer regain control over them. If I had known, I would have bought the Eagle Eye Skill from the auction house. At least it could increase the visibility by ten meters! The Abyss Mage said regretfully. Dont be silly, the Eagle Eye Skill costs at least a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins; with that money, wouldnt it be better to exchange for a blue-grade Magic Staff for yourself! The Abyss Warlock looked at the Abyss Mage, wearing his ragtag environmentally friendly equipment, and laughed. The player with the occupation of the Soul Ripper, controlling the two Abyss Demon Wolves, led one of the jumping Abyss Demon Wolves aside and started attacking slowly; the remaining four players were continuously attacking the two Abyss Demon Wolves. Although the Abyss Demon Wolves dealt a decent amount of damage, and their Vitality Points were much thicker than that of other creatures, under the coordinated attacks of the four players, they were quickly suppressed and their Vitality Points were continuously decreasing. By the way, did you guys take that mission? The one where you open the Abyssal Hell conduit and enter the main game world? The Abyss Thief suddenly asked; Of course, had we known we would have ended up in Abyssal Hell, I wouldnt have chosen the Abyss profession. The Abyss Warlock cast a Corrosion Spell, and then began attacking the Abyss Demon Wolf with his Flame Demon. Levelling up here is much faster than in the Main Plane, otherwise, we wouldnt have gotten to level thirty so quickly! The Abyss Thief replied. Thats the only advantage for levelling up faster. The loot drop rate in this place is so poignant that it makes people want to cry. If it werent for the boss fights, the regular creatures would hardly drop anything. They dont even drop crafting material. Otherwise, with me already at level thirty, how could I still be wearing all this environmentally-friendly gear, and even have a white-grade weapon? The Abyss Mage complained. The others glanced at the Abyss Mage and then chuckled. Chapter 755 - Chapter 755: Chapter 755: Surround and Kill the BOSS Chapter 755: Chapter 755: Surround and Kill the BOSS The five-man squad in front of him worked seamlessly together. The vitality points of the Abyssal Demon Wolf they engaged dropped rapidly to less than half. Song Jian quickly set his sights on the Soul Ripper, the most substantial threat in the team. It was absolutely necessary to neutralize them first; These players, having transitioned into Abyssal professions, never forgot their desire to enter the main game world via the Abyssal Hell Passage and pillage. Even though from their perspective they did nothing wrong, as far as Song Jian was concerned, killing them wasnt wrong either. The differences in power and faction alignment inevitably led to such conflict, disregarding right and wrong! Moreover, if these five people saw Song Jian first, they would undoubtedly swarm and kill him without hesitation; Thinking about this, Song Jian summoned Gulu the Rock Golem and the Black Dragon. He first restricted them from taking any action, then directed the Black Dragon to slowly slither towards the left, while the Rock Golem slowly advanced from the right; The surroundings were engulfed in darkness at that time. These players had limited vision, which extended at most twelve meters. The movement of the Rock Golem and Black Dragon wouldnt attract their attention. After the five-man team killed the three Abyssal Demon Wolves, they all began to recuperate on the spot; When will the Abyssal Passage open? I cant wait to return to the game world and slaughter! the Abyssal Thief complained with a sigh. Humph, our current level is at least five levels higher than the average players in the outer world. Over time, this disparity will only increase. We will become the absolute nightmare of players in the game world! the Abyssal Warlock retorted with a cold hum. Hehe, killing players from the opposite faction can earn us merit. Maybe we could even game for a title! The Abyssal Mage chuckled; Just as the player with the Soul Ripper profession was about to speak, the Flame Demon, who had been guarding the Abyssal Warlock, suddenly growled; The Abyssal Warlock instantly became vigilant, whispering, Somethings going on! The figure of the Abyssal Thief vanished on the spot. The Abyssal Mage looked around warily while adding an Abyssal Armor spell on himself to boost his armor value; The eyes of the Soul Ripper turned blood red, and countless black aura radiated from them, revealing a terrifying spider web pattern; Over there, it seems like theres a big creature! The player with the Soul Ripper profession pointed at where the Black Dragon was, shouting excitedly in a low voice. Big creature? Is it a BOSS? Joy flickered across the face of the Abyss Warrior. The creatures in Abyssal Hell were formidable. If they encountered a BOSS alone, even a player with the Soul Ripper profession wouldnt be able to engage a level 30 or above BOSS solo. But they were now a five-man teama BOSS could be handled. But we dont have a healer, what if A hint of hesitation flashed on the face of the player with the Abyssal Mage profession. In this current group, only he had the weakest escape capabilities. The Abyss Warrior had a sprint-like skill which allowed him to charge tens of meters once he locked onto a distant enemy. The Abyssal Thief had a skill that allowed him to become invisible during battle. The Abyss Warlock could command the Flame Demon to stall the BOSS or even swap positions with the demon at critical moments; The Soul Ripper had more life-saving techniques. The most famous one was a skill called Soul Wander which could tear a rift in space for a teleportation-like effect; The Abyssal Mage specialized in numerous crowd control and damage-over-time skills but was notoriously weak at escaping danger, even compared to elemental mages who had frost rings and teleportation. As long as they wanted to escape, no BOSS could catch them. Im a melee profession and Im not afraid, why are you, a ranged profession, worried? The Abyss Warrior scorned, As long as Im standing, youre safe. Even if I die, the BOSS is still a long way from you and theres ample time for you to escape! Alright, tank, get ready to pull the monster! Everyone hold your damage and be mindful of over-aggro. Once the tank has the aggro stable, well let loose! The player with the Soul Ripper profession shot the Abyssal Mage a cold glance and directed; As he was of the legendary profession, the player with the Soul Ripper profession has always assumed the role of team leader. Though usually quiet, once he gives an order, he didnt want any rebuttal. The Abyssal Mage looked at his comrades, his face sullen, but he kept silent and followed them. Among the group, his equipment and power were the weakest. If he left his comrades, hed probably have to settle for leveling in an area with lower level monsters. The group began moving forward. Upon entering their field of vision, they were all taken aback. A black dragon over ten meters long and higher than three meters appeared before them. A dragon, from the Dragon Clan I cant believe the Dragon Clan exists in Abyssal Hell! The player with the Soul Ripper profession started shivering with excitement. Level 35, just an elite BOSS. Judging by its looks, it should be a Young Dragon or just barely past its juvenile stage, The Abyssal Warlock carefully examined the Black Dragon and analyzed; We are indeed lucky. Ive heard bathing in dragons blood will make one immune to weapons! the Abyssal Warrior licked his lips, a greedy look in his eyes. Shall we go for it? Its merely a level 35 elite BOSS. With our power, we can definitely take it down! The player with the Soul Ripper profession said excitedly; Even though he was the strongest among the five, he couldnt challenge a level 35 elite BOSS alone. He had to utilize the power of the other four! Go for it! This is a rare opportunityits a dragon! The Abyssal Warlock was thrilled. If he could obtain a complete dragon skeleton, he might be able to concoct a formidable Abyssal Bone Dragon when his power improved; Apart from the hesitant Abyssal Mage, the other four conveyed an eager expression. They had never seen a dragon so far. The highest-ranked creature theyd come across in Abyssal Hell was an Abyssal Chimera with a trace of Dragon Bloodline. This chimera had a dragon-like head that could spew highly corrosive venom. A village home to several hundreds was wiped off the map in less than ten minutes by it, and the creature itself was left with only minor injuries. But the Dragon Clan was on a whole different level, far superior to the previous Abyssal Chimera theyd seen. Killing a dragon would certainly yield golden quality treasures or better; Lets go! The Abyss Warriors eyes were bloodshot, filled with blood counts. He was also aware of the dreadfulness of a dragon, even if it was only one that had barely outgrown its juvenile stage. Furthermore, once the fight broke out, hed be the one in the most danger. But the lure of hunting a dragon was too irresistible. Holding tightly to his double-handed axe, he growled and rushed towards the Black Dragon; Chapter 756 - Chapter 756: Chapter 756: Another BOSS Chapter 756: Chapter 756: Another BOSS Seeing them rush towards the Black Dragon, Song Jian was taken aback. He had not expected that some of them possessed the skill to extend their field of view. If it wasnt for the fast speed of the Black Dragon which drew their attention, they might have focused their fire on Song Jian the time he charged in; This also works, let the Black Dragon distract them first! A smile formed on Song Jians face as he commanded the stone giant Gulu slowly move towards them; The Abyss Warrior let out a low roar, a hint of blood color spreading on his body, and he charged at the Black Dragon with an Abyssal Impact; Instantly, the Black Dragon was drawn to the Abyss Warrior and lifted its claw to pounce; The Abyss Warriors axe swung fiercely onto the Black Dragon. Bang sparks flew, and the Black Dragons scales were hard. The Abyss Warriors strike didnt break its defense, causing only less than fifty points of damage; The Black Dragons body stalled for a moment, scratching towards the shoulder of the Abyss Warrior, causing over two hundred points of damage; The moment this damage appeared, several people immediately felt relieved. It seemed that this Black Dragon was weaker than they thought. A single attack only caused over two hundred points of damage C this was something even an Abyssal Mage in environmental protection gear could resist for a while without dying; Its damage isnt high, everyone attack freely once Ive locked its aggression onto me! the Abyss Warrior shouted, launching a cleaving strike at the Black Dragon, causing over sixty points of damage. At the same time, a number representing the restoration of twenty-eight points floated up above his head; Spiked Shell the Abyss Warrior roared softly, and the phantom of a set of spiked armor appeared on his body surface. The Black Dragons damage towards him immediately went down a notch. Moreover, each time the Black Dragon attacked the Abyss Warrior, it would also suffer certain damage; The Black Dragons attributes included the text Song Jians Player Pet, but only players from the same faction could see this. Players from different factions would only see an ordinary elite BOSS Black Dragon, they couldnt even discern its first-order Combat Power, unless they had special scouting abilities that could reveal its first-order Combat Power; Although the Black Dragons body was strong, it was after all a magical attack pet, with only average physical damage. This caused some illusions for these people. But in a while, these players from Abyssal Hell would realize how wrong they were. The Dragon Clan, even if its just a dragon that just passed its infancy, was not something they could hunt down! The Black Dragons Vitality Points dropped bit by bit, the Abyssal Thief also surrounded it, a few people desperately outputting damage on the Black Dragon, their faces full of excitement. Under Song Jians control, the Black Dragon continuously approached the Soul Ripper player. Soon, this teams strongest player was already within the magic attack range of the Black Dragon. But in the eyes of the Soul Ripper player, he was still at a safe distance from the Black Dragon; Just then, a massive rock let out a low whooshing sound, hurtling towards the head of the Abyssal Warlock who was chanting a spell; Song Jian had originally wanted to set the rock giant Gulus attack target as the Abyssal Mage, but seeing the Abyssal Warlock chanting a spell, he subconsciously felt that this skill of the Abyssal Warlock could cause great damage to him. Therefore, he quickly changed his target, asking the rock giant Gulu to attack the Abyssal Warlock; The Abyssal Warlock was casting his Level 30 ultimate skill, Demons Gate. This skill had a long chant duration and consumed a huge amount of power, requiring more than eighty percent of his Spirit Points. However, it was also very powerful; As long as the spell was successful, a Demons Gate would be summoned, and Abyssal Demons would continuously appear from the gate. Every thirty seconds, a random Abyssal Demon would appear, and as long as the Demons Gate was not destroyed, Abyssal Demons could keep coming out indefinitely. If the Abyssal Warlock was given enough time, he could summon a strong Abyssal Demon army. However, the summoned demons also had a time limit C the stronger the Abyssal Demon, the shorter its duration. But just as the Abyssal Warlocks spell was about to be completed, a huge stone suddenly hit his head, and a dizzy symbol appeared on his status bar. The Demons Gate that was about to appear immediately vanished. The dizziness lasted just under a second, and the Abyssal Warlock spewed out a mouthful of blood. He suddenly wilted, unable to stand anymore. With the backlash from a level 30 ultimate skill, he was completely incapacitated for at least five minutes. Even a rookie who just entered the game could easily kill him at this moment! Were under attack! The Abyssal Warlocks face turned pale. Lying weakly on the ground, he let out a roaring warning to his companions. At this moment, a two-meter-tall stone giant slowly walked towards them, entering their field of vision. Damn it, youve attracted another BOSS! The Soul Ripper player looked back and immediately felt his heart sink, unable to help but curse; The Abyssal Warlock and the Mage, both standing the farthest away, saw a BOSS attacking the Abyssal Warlock. Everyones first reaction was that the Abyssal Warlock had attracted other monsters! Even the Abyssal Warlock himself was questioning whether he had attracted the stone giant. He didnt dare to speak a word facing his companions blame; But even if it was really the Abyssal Warlock who attracted the monsters, they wouldnt let the Abyssal Warlock be killed by monsters. The Abyssal Flame Demon they were attacking first abandoned attacking the Black Dragon, and stepped towards the Abyssal Warlock with loud roars while charging at the rock giant Gulu; Soon after, the Abyssal Thief Tooth Pick, also abandoned the Black Dragon, and turned around to pounce at the rock giant Gulu; The Soul Ripper player only glanced at the Abyssal Warlock and snorted coldly, then once again focused his attention on the Black Dragon, continuously directing his two Abyssal Demon Wolves to attack the Black Dragon; For him, it wouldnt matter even if all the others died, as long as he could kill this Black Dragon! At this moment, Song Jian had reached a point less than ten meters away from the Soul Ripper player. Black essence was still hovering around this Soul Ripper players eyes, his field of view at least over fifteen meters; As long as he took a quick glance in Song Jians direction, he would discover Song Jians existence. But at the moment all his attention was on the Black Dragon, and he didnt notice that Song Jian was slowly creeping towards him. As for the others, due to the limited field of view, along with their attention being drawn by the BOSS, they also didnt notice a figure was slowly moving towards the Soul Ripper player; Dragon Breath! A thought flashed across Song Jians mind, and the Black Dragon immediately flapped its wings and flew into the air, opened its mouth wide and spat a scorching Dragon Breath Flame towards the Soul Ripper player; Chapter 757 - Chapter 757: Chapter 757: Transfer of Hatred Chapter 757: Chapter 757: Transfer of Hatred No one expected that the Black Dragon would spew Dragon Breath at this moment, which shocked the Soul Ripper player. He instinctively activated his Soul Wander skill. This core skill of his profession allows him to enter a unique 2D space, making him immune to any attack. The most significant feature of this ability is that it boosts his movement speed by 100%. He can move freely in this 2D space, making it a superb tool for either chasing enemies or fleeing. However, such a core skill doesnt consume magic or mental strength. It consumes his own soul power. The recovery of soul power is extremely slow. Once depleted, all his core skills become unusable. The scorching Dragon Breath was burning around him, even crystallizing and melting the ground, but the Soul Ripper himself was not injured at all. Maintaining the state of Soul Wander also consumed his soul power. As soon as the Dragon Breath ended, he deactivated the skill and returned from the 2D space. Damn it! Looking at the skills cooldown time and the depleted soul power, his face immediately darkened. Soul Blade! Zhou Dong roared. An ethereal half-moon shape blade emerged in his right hand, flying towards the Black Dragon under his control. Soul attacks are extremely terrifying to all living creatures, as currently, there is no way to defend against such attacks. No equipment or skills can deflect it. The damage caused is all real. Song Jian himself possesses a sword technique, the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, that targets the enemys soul. He is well aware of the terror of soul attacks. Upon seeing the Soul Ripper Zhou Dongs move, Song Jian frowned, immediately withdrawing the Black Dragon into the Pet Space. The attacks of several people either failed or directly hit the empty ground. During their momentary shock, the Black Dragon reappeared in front of them. However, this time, the Black Dragon was flying high with its mouth wide open, brewing a revolving fireball. Zhou Dong, the Soul Ripper, instinctively sensed the threat and yelled, Dodge! He immediately controlled two Abyssal Demon Wolves to gather around him to act as shields against the Black Dragons attack. However, this time, the target of the Black Dragon wasnt Zhou Dong, but the Abyss Mage in the green uniform. Boom! A fireball, spinning like a nebula, violently crashed into the Abyss Mage. It made the Mage feel as if he had fallen into an ice pit, with the threat of death looming large. Why is it attacking me? the Abyss Mage screamed in horror. He gritted his teeth and took out a bead emitting a silvery light from his pouch and squeezed it The silvery bead shattered instantly, and a light screen shield appeared in front of the Abyss Mage. This one-time use defensive item had been something the Mage was reluctant to use, but now he had to use it to save his life. Bam! The Vortex Fireball viciously hit the Mages light screen shield. The shield shattered instantly, and the Abyss Mages body flew out like a baseball. When he hit the deep ground, he became seriously injured with only a tenth of his vitality points left, falling into a near-death state, experiencing an 80% slowdown in his mobility and loss of combat power. Its just-used skill might be able to erase hostility. Be careful, everyone, Ace, you go pull that Stone Golem Boss! Zhou Dong, the Soul Ripper, loudly shouted. The Black Dragon rose into the sky. All melee professionals couldnt attack it. Only ranged professionals could harm it. At this point, the vitality of the Black Dragon had already fallen to less than half, but Zhou Dong still didnt intend to give up. By now, no one doubted anything. Very few other players could come to Abyssal Hell. All players they encountered were fellow Abyss professionals. Of the five of them, two have now been eliminated leaving an Abyss Warrior, an Abyss Thief, and a Soul Ripper. At this moment, the Abyss Thief was beaten to a pulp by the Stone Golem Boss. Elemental monsters are a great restraint on thieves. The thiefs combat heavily depends on the battle effect of skills, which are entirely ineffective on elemental objects. The most powerful thieves can control their opponents from start to end without getting hurt a bit but there is no way to impose this on elemental type monsters. At this moment, the Abyss Thief has already decided to follow Zhou Dong and leave this losing battle, though hes kept a forcefully activated stealth skill in his hand not yet activated. Toothpick, lure this dumb beast over here! The Abyss Warrior bellowed. He was sprinting toward the Abyss Thief. Looking at the Warrior, the thief instantly understood his plight. It seemed that he too was holding the Abyss Impact skill in his hand and not using it. His purpose was the same, escape at the last moment. It is known that the Abyss Warrior is a melee professional, and among all of them, he was the slowest. Without the Abyss Impact skill, the Abyss Warrior would be in a desperate situation, getting kited and killed by all ranged professionals. Two melee professionals were holding off the Stone Golem Boss, and Zhou Dong was now facing the Black Dragon alone. If he were a bit more rational, he would understand that he couldnt defeat the Black Dragon with his power. Even if the Black Dragons health was now less than half, he wouldnt stand a chance against it. But greed had overcome reason. All Zhou Dong could think of was the rewards he would get after killing the Black Dragon, completely ignoring the risk to himself. Song Jian glanced at the situation and withdrew his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Although this five-member team is all level 30, none of them possessed first-order combat power. Their two first-order combat pets were enough to crush them, and he did not need to take action himself. Ace, I cant handle this, elemental monsters are too restrictive to me! The Abyss Thief applied bandages to his wounds and whispered to the Abyss Warrior. This boss is too hard and too heavily armored. I cant make any blows on it, the Abyss Warrior frowned, Lets wait and see if Zhou Dong manages to defeat the Black Dragon. After all, he is a legendary professional, there may be a trick up his sleeve If the two melee fighters fled, Zhou Dong alone would not be able to handle the two bosses and would definitely escape too. In the future, Zhou Dong would definitely seek revenge from the two. Chapter 758 - Chapter 758: Chapter 758: Honorable Kill Chapter 758: Chapter 758: Honorable Kill Black Dragons combat power was clearly much higher than Stone Man Gulus; the two melee professionals believed that if they couldnt withstand it, it would definitely be Zhou Dong who would fail first. When Zhou Dong tried to escape, the two of them were ready with their escape techniques, which were faster than Zhou Dongs, but not slower. Moreover, in this way, even if this hunting attempt failed, Zhou Dong wouldnt be able to find fault with the two of them. Before long, the two of them heard a miserable scream coming from behind them, their hearts rejoicing, as it seemed that Zhou Dong had already received a serious injury and couldnt hold on much longer. But when the two turned their heads to look at Zhou Dong, they were instantly startled. The Black Dragon had already fallen from the sky, and under its right claw, was the corpse of the Soul Ripper Zhou Dong. Dead, hes dead? How could this happen The Abyss Warrior couldnt help rubbing his eyes, wanting to see if the corpse under the Black Dragons claws was indeed Zhou Dongs real body. Fog grass! Hes really dead! The Abyss Thief glanced at the team interface, and behind Zhou Dongs name was already marked with Death Status, causing a sudden shock in his heart. It should be known that Soul Ripper Zhou Dong was the strongest of the five, and moreover, he had many life-saving abilities. Besides Soul Wander, the Soul Ripper also had at least two acceleration skills and one substitution technique. If he really wanted to escape, almost no one would be able to hold him back. However, what they didnt expect was that Soul Ripper Zhou Dongs eyes had been blinded by greed, and without understanding the true power of the Black Dragon, he went recklessly into battle, resulting in him being killed instantly by the Black Dragons attack! With his strength not up to the first-order combat power, he couldnt withstand the Black Dragons ultimate move at all! Without a sound, the figure of the Abyss Thief slowly disappeared from the spot. Seeing this, the Abyss Warrior scolded himself, and immediately utilized the Abyssal Impact skill, aiming it at an Abyssal Demon Wolf ten meters away from him. In an instant, the Abyss Warrior collided with the Abyssal Demon Wolf, knocking it unconscious, and the Abyss Warrior stepped forward, attempting to escape into the distance; Just then, a huge rock whistled toward the back of his head, and before he could react, he was directly knocked over by the stone. Knocked down! Now Stone Man Gulus Throwing Stone Blocks skill had also been upgraded, not only increasing its damage significantly but also changing its triggering effect from just one stun effect to two; one was to stun, the other was to knock down, and each time it was used, one of these two effects would randomly appear; The Abyss Warrior struggled to get up from the ground, still somewhat dizzy from the impact. At this moment, the Abyssal Demon Wolf he had struck also woke up from its stun, let out a growl, and pounced on him; Damn it! The Abyss Warriors heart was instantly plunged into despair. A single Abyssal Demon Wolf posed no real threat to him, but the Stone Man who had already rushed over from behind made him feel utterly hopeless. Without his only teleportation ability, he simply couldnt escape Stone Man Gulus attacks; Just then, a dragons roar suddenly sounded from behind him. Turning his head to look, the Abyss Warrior didnt even have the courage to fight, and the Black Dragons hatred had somehow shifted to him, flying towards him; The Abyss Thief, in his invisible state, took one look at the Abyss Warrior and began to silently mourn for him while feeling incredibly grateful to be a thief himself. Forced invisibility completely erased the monsters hatred towards him, so the Black Dragon went instead after the Abyss Warrior, or so the Abyss Thief speculated. But in reality, he didnt know that the actions of the two pets were both controlled by Song Jian, and after the death of the Soul Ripper, there was only a one-in-four chance that the Black Dragon would go after the Abyss Warrior since there were still two heavily injured companions lying on the ground who had not yet died; The Abyss Thief, feeling overwhelmingly grateful, had no idea that he was heading right towards Song Jians position as he ran away. The vertical eye in Song Jians brow emitted a faint light. As he saw the translucent figure of the Abyss Thief running towards him, Song Jian felt bemused. With a wave of his hand, a dark red longsword appeared in his palm. The blade of the sword was adorned with three long sword phantoms, which shone brilliantly as they moved in sync with Song Jians movements. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique! In an instant, large snowflakes of goose feathers appeared around the Abyss Thief, and at the same time, wild winds swept in, scraping against their faces like a knife. As the Abyss Thief touched his cheek, he suddenly let out an exclamation of Fog grass. There was horror all over his face, and his hands were covered in dark red blood. The entire area felt as if it had been plunged into an ice cave, with snow reaching up to the thiefs knees and a wind so strong that it was impossible to keep ones eyes open. This made the Abyss Thief feel as if he had gone from summer to winter within the blink of an eye. xpath.XPathException: The Abyss Thief, whose vitality was already running low, couldnt understand what was happening. It was well known that the temperature in Abyssal Hell was always above forty or fifty degrees Celsius, with some places even reaching over seventy degrees. But now, the surrounding temperature had dropped by twenty or thirty degrees, as if they had instantly gone from summer to winter; With astonishment and confusion on his face until the very end, the Abyss Thief never understood why he had been frozen to death while in the scorching heat of the Abyssal Hell! System: You killed a professional player in the Abyssal Hell, the player was a commoner, the kill was an honorable kill, you earned 2 merit points; System: You killed a professional player in the Abyssal Hell, the player was a commoner, the kill was an honorable kill, you earned 3 merit points; When killing players of opposing factions, depending on the players level, strength, and ranking, different merits can be earned. The higher and stronger the player, the more merits can be gained after killing them. Conversely, the lower and weaker the player, the fewer merits can be earned, and if the gap is too big, no honor will be granted; Song Jian originally thought that killing three players would be good enough, as he had given up on the Abyss Warrior and Abyss Thief. Unexpectedly, he had given up on them, but his pets hadnt. On top of that, the Abyss Thief happened to run towards his location by mistake, and so he had no reason to let him go either. As a result, all of this five-person team died by his hand. After gathering the two immobile players, Song Jians merit points reached 10, averaging two points per person. Just as Song Jian was about to turn and leave, he suddenly noticed a red glow flashing beneath the body of the Soul Ripper class player. In this dim environment, any bit of light was more conspicuous than usual. Song Jian was taken aback, and there was an expression of surprise on his face. He hadnt expected any loot to drop after the kill, which was an unexpected delight; Chapter 759 - Chapter 759: Chapter 759: Integration of Skills Chapter 759: Chapter 759: Integration of Skills Players from the same camp killing each other is a rare event, with almost no chance of dropping anything. Kill dozens of players in your own camp, and youll probably get nothing for it. But the drop rate increases dramatically when players of different camps kill each other. Song Jian had only killed five players from a different camp, and there was already a drop from one of them C the strongest one in the group. Picking up the drop from the Soul Ripper player, Song Jian frowns. It isnt equipment this guy dropped; its a skill scroll. This isnt common C a drop like that is less likely than equipment drop. But of all the potential drops, skill drops are the least popular. Thats because the dropped skills are all class-restricted; players of a different class cannot use them. The dropped skill scroll contained Soul Rippers core skill; Soul Wander. Skill Scroll C Soul Wander: Gold quality. Effect after use: Acquire the skill Soul Wander. Only players of the Soul Ripper class can learn this. Soul Wander: Level 1, Instant cast. Skill effect: User enters a special 2D space. All damage except space spells is negated and the users movement speed increases by 50%. This effect lasts three seconds. After three seconds, the user returns to their own space. Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes. Spirit Points consumption: 30. This skill is incredible. Even at level 1, its tantalizing. It essentially makes you invincible for three seconds, with the only potential for harm being from powerful space spells C something that Song Jian has not seen any player or NPC capable of casting so far. It also boosts your speed. Whether you use it to pursue opponents or escape from enemies, this skill is a razor-sharp tool. Too bad its only for the Soul Ripper class. Even if Song Jian gets the scroll, he cannot use it. Worst of all, hes misaligned with the Abyss, the class that produced the Soul Ripper C this scroll would only end up as dust collector on the bottom shelf of his inventory. Such a pity! Song Jian sighs. As hes about to put the skill scroll back in his inventory, he sees the Book of Fusion. A lightbulb goes off above his head. The Book of Fusion can blend two skills into one. At worst, it will boost the proficiency of the main skill. But does it work with skill scrolls? Lost in thought, Song Jian takes out his Book of Fusion and opens his skill list for a detailed check. If fusions possible, the closer the two skills are, the better, or else theres a large probability that only the main skill proficiency will increase. Technically speaking, Soul Wander is a movement skill. Among the skill he possesses, the only other movement skill is Sword Shadow Step. He sets Sword Shadow Step as the main skill, then puts the Soul Wander skill scroll into the secondary skill box. Unexpectedly, it fits, and the previously grayed-out fusion button lights up. Instantly, Song Jians face reveals a surprised joy. System: Do you want to fuse these two skills? Fuse! Song Jian clicks the fuse button and a Tai Chi symbol appears on the fusion interface with the two skills rotating in the positions of the yin-yang fish eyes. In no time, a dazzling golden light emerges from the Book of Fusion. A skill box is left where two stood. System: Skill fusion successful. Please name your new skill! Successful! And it fused into a new skill! Song Jian bursts into laughter at this development. There are three outcomes to skill fusion: increased skill proficiency, skill variation, and new skill fusion C the latter being the best outcome of the three. Skill: Unnamed (Active), Level 1, Instant cast. Skill effect: After activation, the player instantly becomes a ghost, immune from all damages. This effect lasts for 1 second. Meanwhile, movement speed increases by 30%, with the ability to go through any obstacles. After 1 second, the invincible status fades but the user only sustains damage from soul attacks. Skill duration: 3 seconds. Spirit Points consumption: 15. Skill cooldown: 5 minutes. Usage restriction: User Song Jian. Reading the skill description, Song Jian cant suppress the gleeful expression on his face. This skill is far more powerful than either Sword Shadow Step or Soul Wander. Perhaps only the core skill of the Thief class, Gale Step, could rival it. Though if truth were told, this skill is more powerful than Gale Step. After all, aside from being invincible for a second after activation, Gale Step cannot experience any type of attack, and it cannot pass through obstacles. However, Gale Step does increase movement speed faster, if limitedly so. An exclusive skill! A golden quality exclusive skill, haha! Upon seeing the usage restriction at the end of the skill description, Song Jian couldnt help but laugh out loud. Exclusive skills were once a legend C skills tailored for the user. Song Jian thought it was a rumor. Who knew the day would come when he had his own exclusive skill. After great deliberation, Song Jian, who suffered from a chronic inability to name things, ultimately decides to name this skill Soul Wander. Just as Song Jian is about to close his skill interface, after putting the Book of Fusion away, he discovers that the plus sign next to Soul Wander is lit up. You should know, the plus sign on all skills is grayed out when the proficiency value doesnt reach 100%. When the proficiency value reaches 100%, the plus sign lights up. At this point, spending a skill point will upgrade the skill by one level, reset the proficiency value, and the plus sign would darken again. Song Jian had only previously encountered the situation of a newly learned skills plus sign lighting up during the double S world trial of the first tier combat power assessment. With this thought in mind, Song Jian couldnt resist clicking on the lit plus sign next to Soul Wander. Surprisingly, it really spent one skill point and upgraded Soul Wander to level 2. This was literally an unexpected windfall. Song Jian now had eleven skill points saved up, and he promptly used all of them on this skill. Finally, the Soul Wander skill was upgraded to level 12 C the level cap for this skill C and all the skill points Song Jian had earned from the first tier combat power assessment had been exhausted. The attributes of the skill had greatly enhanced by now and it was another deadly weapon in Song Jians arsenal. PS: A big thank you to Su Poman for the tip of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 760 - Chapter 760: Chapter 760: Desolate Highland Chapter 760: Chapter 760: Desolate Highland After reaching the maximum level, the Soul Wander skill greatly improved; Soul Wander (Active), Level 12 (MAX), Instant Cast, Skill effect: Upon use, the player immediately enters a soul state, becoming immune to all damage. This effect lasts for 3 seconds, and during this time, the players movement speed is increased by 200%, allowing them to pass through any obstacles. After 3 seconds, the invincibility effect disappears, but only soul-based attacks can deal damage to the user. Skill duration: 9 seconds; Skill cost: 50 Spirit Points; Skill cooldown: 1 minute; Skill usage restriction: user Song Jian. The invincible state increased from one to three seconds, movement speed increased by 200%, skill effect duration increased from three to nine seconds, and most importantly, the cooldown time was shortened from five minutes to one. Although the skill cost was also increased, the formidable properties of this skill made the extra cost negligible to Song Jian. With a cooldown of only one minute, I can use it as a regular skill now. In Song Jians mind, with a 9-second acceleration duration and a 1-minute cooldown, he could even use the skill to travel faster. With a thought, Song Jians entire body became transparent and illusory. If not carefully observed, it would be difficult to detect his presence. Song Jian discovered an effect that wasnt written in the skills description: in his soul state, he was like an invisible shadow. Although it didnt reach the stealth effect of a rogue class, it was hard to detect his soul state in the dim Abyssal Hell. At the very least, it had an effect equivalent to Concealment Effect +3. After returning his two battle pets to Pet Space, Song Jian rushed forward in his soul state. Even a powerful skill wouldnt be able to display its full power if the user was not familiar with it. Song Jians journey in the Abyss had just begun, and he was likely the only human player in the entire Abyssal Hell. He started to level up in the Abyssal Hell while searching for nearby towns. Time passed slowly, and Song Jian encountered several groups of players in the Abyssal Hell leveling up along the way. With the assistance of his two battle pets, he killed quite a few players who had betrayed humanity, but many others escaped. After all, it was just him, and even with the Soul Wander skill, it was impossible to kill all players. Killing players from different factions resulted in high drop rates, but since he acquired the Soul Wander skill scroll, it seemed that Song Jians good luck had run out, and the subsequent drops were all low-level equipment. The players in the Abyssal Hell were of much higher levels than those in the game world, but the drop rates seemed to be much lower here. None of those killed by Song Jian even had a single silver-quality equipment, which was unimaginable in Doomsday City. In Doomsday City, a level 30 player would have at least full blue equipment, and one or two silver or even gold equipment wouldnt be surprising at all; However, in the Abyssal Hell, most players had white and green equipment, while having a single blue-quality item was considered remarkable. On the third day of exploration in the Abyss, the dark region of the map suddenly illuminated, revealing a corner of a city at the edge. In the Abyss, almost everyone spoke the Abyssal language. Other human players in Hell couldnt understand it, but for Song Jian, there was no difference between the Abyssal and human languages. Song Jian had learned that he was in an area called Desolate Highland, which used to be the territory of Duke of Istanbul, the Abyss Demon King. However, ever since the duke disappeared a hundred years ago, the area had been in chaos and wars had lasted for a century. At that time, dozens of large and small forces occupied the region, waging endless wars. However, the players in the Abyssal Hell enjoyed this chaotic situation. Whenever there was a war, the game system would issue hunting missions to players. These missions were also considered faction missions, and completing them was the most efficient way to join a desired force. However, many players didnt want to join the NPC forces so quickly. Today, they might take a task from one force to kill a target from another, and tomorrow, they would take another task to kill their previous employers forces, working as mercenaries to earn money. The situation in Desolate Highland was a microcosm of the entire Abyssal Hell. All seven Demon Lords disappeared almost at the same time, leaving the Abyssal Hell without a ruler, and the wars continued for hundreds of years. On the fourth day since Song Jian entered the Abyss, stories about him spread quickly among the players in Desolate Highland. Many players who had changed their classes to Abyss classes came to know about his presence. The fact that a human player dared to enter the Abyss without changing their professions seemed absurd and provoked animosity amongst the players. Some powerful players even began to form teams to hunt him down. Moreover, at the Flame Forge, the only main city of Desolate Highland, the Mercenary Guild posted a permanent bounty; Mission: Kill the human player Song Jian appearing in Desolate Highland, with a bounty of 300,000 Doomsday Coins! With a bounty of 300,000 Doomsday Coins, even smaller guilds began to get tempted and organized their members to search for Song Jian in Desolate Highland. The chances of finding a person in the vast Abyss of Desolate Highland were slim unless luck decided to bump into them. Moreover, whenever Song Jian encountered a player, he would kill them directly, leaving only a few scattered survivors to report his whereabouts. However, by the time people arrived, Song Jian had long left the area. Five days later, Song Jian had reached level 37, with the extra skill points added to his Sword Silk, which was already fully mastered. At this point, the Sword Silk skill had reached level 8, its attack range increased to 12 meters, and the number of sword silks increased from five to six, with the power of each silk also being increased accordingly. However, Song Jian was looking forward to the Sword Silk reaching level 10 and advancing to become Sword Web, which would likely result in a qualitative leap in the skills power. Standing on a desolate, low-altitude hill, Song Jian looked towards a crimson city in the distance. This was the main city of the Desolate Highland area, the Flame Forge. To inquire about Abyss Demon King Istanbuls information, he needed to enter the city. But with Song Jians current human identity, he would likely be blasted into dust just by approaching the city, let alone the thousands of Abyss-class players within. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian summoned the Book of the Abyss and opened the Abyssal Gate, stepping into it and leaving the Abyssal Hell. However, to his surprise, a pair of scarlet eyes were watching him intently from one side of the low hill all the time. When he left through the Abyssal Gate, the owner of the eyes slowly retreated. Chapter 761 - Chapter 761: Chapter 761 Business Negotiations Chapter 761: Chapter 761 Business Negotiations Upon returning to the City of Hope, Song Jian noticed an influx of NPCs throughout the city. These NPCs were extravagantly dressed with their clothes glistening with gold and silver, and draped in numerous pieces of jewelry. They held an air of arrogance and distinction, unlike any NPCs Song Jian had previously encountered. Clearly, they were individuals with a certain degree of status and identity. Wang Qi, who had rush over upon hearing the news, let out a sigh of relief when he saw Song Jian. Chief, its a relief to have you back, Wang Qi grabbed Song Jians sleeve and pleaded, Come and have a look, Im almost driven insane by these NPCs. Whats the matter? Isnt everything going well with the construction? Song Jian replied with a smile. Upon his return, he didnt stay in Manor Castle, but instead took a stroll around the city. The previously destroyed buildings in the city had been completely restored. Following the citys upgrade, numerous new structures had sprung up, including two Magic Crystal Railguns still under construction on the city walls. To Song Jian, everything seemed to be progressing orderly, with the only oddity being an increase in flamboyantly dressed human NPCs. Have you seen those NPCs? Wang Qi pointed to the NPCs outside the castle, They just popped up out of nowhere, claiming they wish to invest in the City of Hope and develop entertainment and commercial districts. I have no idea how to handle these unfamiliar dealings, so I opted to postpone the decision-making until your return! Entertainment and commercial districts? If they want to invest and construct, let them do it. After all, its our territory, and there are plenty of areas that we arent currently utilising. Why not just hand over a parcel to them? Song Jian said, puzzled. They wish to purchase our land, buy it permanently! Wang Qi explained. Some others have proposed renting, but the lease agreements are all for very long terms, spanning several decades. Are we that short of money now? Song Jian asked, furrowing his brow. Indeed, were quite strapped for cash! Wang Qi nodded in affirmation. The compensations for the thirty-odd players we lost alone make up quite a substantial sum. Furthermore, almost our entire city was demolished and had to be reconstructed, which, despite costing only a third of the original construction resources, is still a considerable amount. And now that weve upgraded to a city, weve also begun the construction of new buildings Wang Qi lit off a list of expenditures to Song Jian. What about the Valley of the Undead? How are things going in terms of its exploitation? Song Jian felt somewhat bothered. Even in reality, he was no more than a recent graduate, he had never dealt with these kinds of issues before. The Valley of the Undead cannot be exploited recklessly. We have to proceed with a plan, otherwise, the entire valley will turn into a wasteland sooner or later. Currently, we have put a stop to our resource collection from the Shadow Forest, and have started planting saplings within the forest. As for the gems in Shadow River, weve also limited the extraction scale. The entire gem market has been impacted by our actions, the prices have dropped down by three-fold, we cant go on like this Wang Qi explained. Song Jian nodded. The Valley of the Dead could be considered a treasure trove, but if something becomes too abundant, its price is bound to plummet. It should be handled like diamond mining in reality, whereby extraction is limited each year, allowing diamond jewelry to fetch exorbitantly high prices. It seems like we need to recruit a team of skills negotiators to deal with these NPCs, Song Jian sighed. If they were not short on funds, Song Jian wouldnt even give these NPCs a second thought. Even if the construction took longer, it wasnt a problem, after all, they owned the territory and had no external enemies. Hence, time wasnt a pressing issue. However, now that they have faced financial difficulties, Song Jian could no longer ignore these potential benefactors who were offering money. Yet, skill would be required to obtain significant funds from them without giving up too much in return.Upd@te by novg0.co These territories were fought for by our brothers, risking their lives. If they want to buy this hard-earned land with money Hm, I owe it to the fallen members of our alliance to make these guys pay a hefty price! Song Jian looked at the NPCs wandering around the city, pointing and discussing his territory, a fierce glint in his eyes. Go and get Li Keer over here, see if she can assist us in any way! Song Jian suggested after thinking for a bit. Keer? How can she be of any help? Wang Qi expressed his surprise. Li Keer was like the mascot of the alliance, spending her days within the game, frolicking around. However, she was also extremely lucky, and managed to obtain a lot of good equipment. Li Keer herself didnt care much for those items and often gave them to her friends, hence why a lot of people enjoyed spending time with her; Some liked Li Keer for herself, while others wanted a piece of her good fortune. As for those with ulterior motives, Li Keer would usually notice them after a while. Even though she was a mere child, her emotional and intellectual quotient surpassed even those of adults in their twenties. Wang Qi was fond of her, and could guess from their interactions that Li Keer was from a fairly wealthy family. However, the idea of her being a skilled negotiator was something he found hard to believe, given her young age. You and I put together might not be as good as Keer in dealing with such things, Song Jian laughed and shook his head. Alright, Ill go get her over! Wang Qi replied. He left the conference room shortly and returned with Li Keer trailing behind him. Song Jian Brother, you were looking for me? Upon seeing Song Jian, Li Keers eyes squinted into crescents, her face exuding happiness. Looking at Li Keer, Song Jian was taken aback. In just a few days, most of the equipment she possessed were now of gold and silver quality. The mini crossbow tied to her waist was now an epic quality piece. Keer, the alliance needs your assistance! Song Jian informed her. What is it, Song Jian Brother? Just tell me! Li Keers eyes lit up. The fact that she could assist Song Jian made her even happier. Recently, numerous NPCs have arrived in our city. They all intend to buy plots of land and construct commercial areas for business. They plan to make money here. Song Jian said, But we need to extract money from their pockets. However, we cant afford to make a significant loss. Every inch of the alliances territory has been won through the blood and sacrifices of our brothers. We cant easily let them buy it. You understand, right? Understood, we need to attain maximum benefit at the least cost! Li Keer nodded seriously. Wang Qi, standing nearby, was astonished. Such words were definitely beyond the capabilities of a teenager. Keer, I want you to engage in negotiations with these NPCs. Do you think you can handle that? Song Jian placed his hand on Li Keers shoulder, asking seriously. Business negotiation? Li Keers face lit up. She replied, No worries, brother, let me handle this. Ill ensure they bleed money! Chapter 762 - Chapter 762: Chapter 762: Ambush Chapter 762: Chapter 762: Ambush Li Keer didnt have much experience in business negotiations, or rather, her experience was limited to casual conversations with her mother and some experiences being taken to her mothers company. As a result, Li Keers business negotiation experience wasnt much less than that of professionals, but shed never truly experienced it. When she heard Song Jian entrust her with such a significant task, she was naturally overjoyed. However, for Song Jian to entrust such a significant task to an eleven-year-old girl, it could be said that he was taking a significant risk, and the City of Hope Alliance was truly lacking in talents in this area. For now, they could only let Li Keer try her hand, negotiating with one or two companies first and seeing the results. After making these arrangements, Song Jian went to Dr. Ebsitings laboratory to see if he had come up with anything new lately. As soon as he entered the laboratory, Song Jian saw more than a dozen NPCs manufacturing engineering bombs under the doctors guidance. Doctor, what is this? Song Jian asked somewhat stunned as he looked at the NPCs. These are some students I recruited. The demand for this stuff by the Alliance is too great; I cant handle it all by myself! Dr. Ebsiting said with some helplessness. Haha, dont worry, doctor. Now that we have upgraded to a level-one city, we will soon be able to build a research institute. I want you to lead the research institute. What do you think? Song Jian laughed. The research institute is considered a core building in a city. After becoming a level-one city, the number of buildings provided by the system are increasingly limited. From now on, city development will be dependent on the guidance of the research institute, and its research will impact the entire citys development. In the City of Sin, the research institutes ability to compete with the City Lord Mansion was due to its unique position. A research institute? Dr. Ebsitings eyes lit up. His current laboratory was too small for him, as many experiments couldnt be conducted. However, if he could lead a research institute and become its director, the equipment there would be more than enough to validate his theories. But its such a large research institute; surely it wont just be me, right? Dr. Ebsiting hesitated. Haha, of course not! Dont you already have them? Song Jian gestured with his chin towards the apprentices who were manufacturing the engineering bombs. What, you really want me to be the sole commander? Ebsiting was furious. Dont worry, there will be many researchers in the future. After all, not everyone likes fighting and killing. When the time comes, Ill select some good candidates for you to train. Once they become successful, you wont be so busy, Song Jian reassured. Hmmph, thats more like it! Dr. Ebsiting snorted and turned away. After a moment, he felt something was wrong. When he turned back, Song Jian had disappeared without a trace. No, Song Jian, come back! In the end, isnt the whole research institute still being propped up by me alone? Dr. Ebsitings roar echoed throughout Manor Castle. This old guys reaction is quick! Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his brow and muttered to himself. It wasnt that Song Jian didnt want to assign people to the research institute; he simply had no suitable candidates. For now, Dr. Ebsiting had to support it by himself, cultivating talent while conducting research. Most.p> players who entered were between eighteen and thirty years old, with very few outside that age range. Although there were people from all professions, it was challenging to find researchers. After spending a day in the city, Song Jian noticed that while the number of players in the City of Hope Alliance had not increased, the number of NPCs was continually growing. These NPCs were either powerful or had unique skills. Because the City of Hope had successfully been established, more and more NPCs were attracted to it. Many places where NPCs could be recruited, such as taverns, became increasingly lively. Many players had their own Followers, and whether doing quests or leveling up, having helpers increased efficiency exponentially. After a day, Song Jian opened the Abyssal Gate and returned to Abyssal Hell. As soon as he entered, he was greeted with darkness and scorching red light flickering like flames, illuminating only small areas around him. I really admire those players who have changed their professions to Abyssal ones. To think they can survive in such a harsh environment Song Jian pursed his lips, about to head towards the city shown on the map when he suddenly felt an immense threat looming over him. Soul Wander! With a thought, his body instantly turned transparent, and a barrage of magical energy struck the spot where he had been; Boom, boom, boom! Explosions covered every inch of ground within several meters of Song Jian. From afar, hundreds of players relentlessly unleashed various skills on his location. This was an ambush. orld;>Song Jian had been seen leaving a day ago, and it had given the players on the Desolate Highland enough time to gather a considerable force. ! !!}, The bombardment lasted for more than ten seconds. Song Jians location had sunk more than a foot deep, with a crater more than five meters in diameter at the center. He must be dead, right? No matter how strong he is, he couldnt possibly withstand the attack of so many players a player hesitated. He must be. Even if he had an iron body, he should have been blown to pieces, right? Humph, a mere human dares to run wild in Abyssal Hell. Hes simply courting death! Do you know his identity? Its said that hes the leader of a large Alliance Not just any leader, their Alliance has successfully built a city. The first player Alliance to do so! Its all over the forums! Several days had already passed, giving the players on the Desolate Highlands ample time to gather information about Song Jian. The leader of Doomsday Citys primary Alliance and the top-ranked person on the honor leaderboard couldnt be kept a secret. As for why he came to Abyssal Hell, many players speculated that it was due to a quest, but the exact details remained unknown. When the dust settled, everyone slowly gathered around, staring into the massive crater but seeing nothing. Is he disintegrated? someone guessed. Impossible! Since he killed so many players in Abyssal Hell and gained so many merits, how could we not get any dropped items after killing him? someone objected. If a player killed someone from an opposing faction, the drop rate would increase significantly. The higher the merit, the higher the drop rate. With Song Jians merits, it would be practically impossible for no items to drop after his death. Did he run away? someone guessed. Maybe he has some life-saving skill! Just then, a dragons roar sounded overhead, and everyone looked up to see a vague shadow floating in mid-air. A torrent of scorching flames, like a waterfall, poured down towards them. Chapter 763 - Chapter 763: Chapter 763: Undead Bone Wing Chapter 763: Chapter 763: Undead Bone Wing Dragon Breath, its Song Jians Black Dragon war pet! someone exclaimed, immediately using Acceleration Skill to flee to a distant spot; The appearance of the war pet meant that Song Jian wasnt dead. Although they had more people, Song Jian definitely wouldnt engage them head-on. The fact that only the Black Dragon had appeared so far and not Song Jian himself confirmed this. No matter how many people they had, they couldnt possibly be a match for a Black Dragon, which could fly. Even if hundreds of people worked together to kill the Black Dragon, how many of them would die in the process? Moreover, Song Jian was hiding and wouldnt stand idly by as his war pet was killed; Some smarter players had already started fleeing, while others were still shouting loudly, calling for everyone to attack the Black Dragon. After all, they had a numerical advantage. Song Jian, no matter what, was just one person, alone in Abyssal Hell. Even if he was the leader of a war alliance, he couldnt possibly summon others here; In the end, there were still about forty or fifty people left. They couldnt believe that Song Jian would dare show himself in front of so many people. Even if he was incredibly powerful, a single skill from so many people could blow him to pieces; Far away, on a heated rock, Song Jian stood quietly with his vertical eye in the middle of his forehead emitting a faint light, watching the Abyssal players attacking the Black Dragon; System: You killed a professional player in Abyssal Hell. The player is a civilian. This kill is an honorable one; you gain 1 merit point; System: You killed a professional player in Abyssal Hell. The player is a civilian. This kill is an honorable one; you gain 3 merit points; Within a short while, Song Jians system messages were intermittently popping up with notifications; The first-tier Black Dragon, even when faced with dozens of times more players, didnt falter. Although its Vitality Points were gradually dropping, it had killed even more Abyssal Hell players. Not everyone had an escape skill as powerful as Soul Wander. The Black Dragon was Song Jians war pet, so naturally, all the merit points earned from killing Abyssal Hell players were attributed to him. As the Black Dragons Vitality Points were reduced to a third, Song Jians merit points had increased by twenty-eight. That meant the Black Dragon had killed more than a dozen Abyssal Hell players. Push harder, desperately output, its almost done! someone shouted loudly. After more than a dozen deaths, it caused a disturbance among the forty or fifty people. If it werent for the Black Dragons Vitality Points nearly running out, the remaining people would have scattered already; Far away, Song Jian sneered, and with a wave of his hand, the Black Dragon that was continuously spewing Dragon Breath in the air suddenly disappeared. In an instant, all their attacks fell into empty space; Everyone was dumbfounded, a heaviness rushed to their hearts. They all forgot: the Black Dragon wasnt a BOSS, but Song Jians war pet. He could withdraw it into the Pet Space at any time; Find him! The human must be nearby if he can withdraw his pet! A player suddenly roared, his tone filled with anger; So many players ambushing one human, only to be toyed with by him. The remaining thirty or forty players all felt their faces burning with shame. Find him! Yes, he must be nearby. Warlocks, use Demonic Vision to see where he is! In the Abyssal profession, many skills could increase dark vision. Normally, it would only reach about seven to eight meters, but when an enhanced dark vision skill was used, they could see more than ten or even twenty meters away. However, it was easy to use such skills, but the duration was short and the cooldown time was long, so they couldnt use it continuously. They could only use it at critical moments; Over there, on that rock! an Abyssal Warlock suddenly pointed to the left and shouted. Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and indeed, there was a silhouette standing on a rock about ten meters away, although they couldnt see the persons face clearly due to the distance. Its him! Attack! A thin man growled, and bone spurs suddenly emerged from his shoulder blades. As he groaned in pain, the bone spurs grew rapidly, extending continuously. In no time, a pair of wings made entirely of bone appeared on his back; Whoosh~ The bone wings flapped, and a strong gust of wind blew. The thin man took to the air and quickly flew toward Song Jian; Its Zack! I didnt expect him to be here too! Some players recognized the thin man; What? The most famous Bounty Hunter from Desolate Highland? They say no one he sets his sights on has ever escaped his pursuit! Hmph, Undead Bone Wing. Only he would have this piece of external equipment! Lets go too, surround and kill that human! Move! Kill that human and avenge our brothers! Zacks eyes emitted a faint green light, which was his skill for increasing dark vision, Undead Evil Eye. He had acquired it along with the external equipment Undead Bone Wing, and even maxed out the skill. Although the skill level was only seven, at maximum level, it not only expanded his dark vision to thirty meters, but also granted him Deterrence, an active skill. This could only be used when he made eye contact with the target while in Undead Evil Eye status, and it could deter the opponent for three seconds; Three seconds of an upper hand were enough for him to inflict significant damage on his target. Thats why he had become a famous Bounty Hunter in Desolate Highland. Song Jian, Ill borrow your head today! Zack looked at Song Jian in front of him and smirked. As he saw it, Song Jian stood so high because his dark vision range was pathetically small. Zack planned to take advantage of this weakness to kill him; In midair, Zack circled around and landed behind Song Jian. His white Bone Spur, more than three feet long, stabbed toward Song Jians heart; Die! Zack was less than a meter away from Song Jian, his Bone Spur emitting a green light as it accelerated at a furious speed; Thud~ The Bone Spur easily pierced Song Jians heart, but before the surprise on Zacks face had time to fade, the Song Jian in front of him turned into a puff of black smoke; Your damage is really high! A surprised voice came from the side, followed by four long swords swinging like shooting stars in the air, drawing arcs towards Zack; Broken Wing Dance! Flash Thunder Strike! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Sweeping Sword Style! This time, Song Jian didnt use the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. Instead, he controlled four long swords to perform four different sword techniques, continuously hacking at Zack; How could this be! Zack waved the Bone Spur to block the attacks, and the Undead Bone Wings on his back flapped continuously, but damage numbers kept popping up above his head; Chapter 764 - Chapter 764: Chapter 764: Demon Slayer Canyon Chapter 764: Chapter 764: Demon Slayer Canyon Zack only had 1,800 Vitality Points. Even though he was at level 33 and possessed the Undead Bone Wings, he had not passed the first rank combat power test. He was a formidable adversary for an average player, but in front of Song Jian, he was inconsiderable. As the four long swords danced around, spouts of blood shot from Zack. Even his Undead Bone Wings were reduced to two damage-ridden main bones. Impossible, how could your damage be so high? In less than ten seconds, Zack was soaked with blood, with only 300 Vitality Points remaining. He looked at Song Jian with fear in his eyes, like facing the Death God himself. He lost all his courage to fight, only thinking about how to escape; There was a large group of players a dozen meters behind him. Those who were observant noticed the disheveled Zack and slowed their rush towards him, much to Zacks frustration. If these players could hurry, they might provide him a chance to escape. But now, facing Song Jian with full Vitality, Zack was filled with despair; Flash Thunder Strike! All four long swords flew into the air, then slashed towards Zack. Flashes of lightning sparkled on the swords, finally striking Zack with a mighty force. Boom, boom, boom~ The camera flashed as if it was daytime, Zack took three lightning strikes, and his Vitality Points hit zero. The remaining strikes were raining down on his unresponsive body; Song Jian scooped up a dimly silver item that Zack had dropped, glanced at the players rushing towards him, and his figure instantly turned transparent, disappearing on the spot. A successful ambush was avoided by Song Jian using the Soul Wander skill. Even without any losses, Song Jian was reluctant to experience death again even if he could use the passive skill Enemy of Death God. But through this ambush, Song Jian understood that someone must have seen him leaving the Abyssal Hell last time. He would have to be more careful the next time he wanted to leave. Running across the wilderness for a day and a night, Song Jian finally saw tall city walls in front of him. This was the main city, the Flame Furnace, in the Desolate Highland area. Every brick of this city was made from molten red lava stones. The surface of the lava stones emitted soft, illusory flames, making the entire city built from lava stones look red-hot from a distance, as if it was constantly engulfed in flames. It resembled a giant furnace, which was the origin of its name the Flame Furnace. Just as the city came into Song Jians sight, he suddenly received a system message: System: You have discovered the City of the Flame Furnace, controlled by the sixth Abyss Demon King, Estantin. You have unlocked the map of the Desolate Highland; In an instant, a large area of the Abyssal Hells map was illuminated. It was the entire map of the Desolate Highland area where Song Jian was now. This made Song Jians journey in the Abyssal Hell much easier. Upon seeing the city in the distance, Song Jian continued walking forward. He only realized when he got closer to the city that he probably wouldnt be able to enter any of the main Abyssal Hell cities; at the gate of the Flame Furnace, a team of Abyss Demons with at least first-level peak combat power was guarding it. Those entering and leaving the city were all creatures of Abyssal Hell and players with Abyss professions. If he approached as a human, he would definitely attract the attention of the city guards. To find the thread of Abyssal Demon Flame left by the Abyss Demon King, at the very least, Song Jian had to enter the citys library to learn about the history of the city over the past century and find clues from there; But now Song Jian couldnt even enter the city, let alone get into the library in it. Song Jian sat on a small mound outside the city, frowning deeply; Just then, a group of players with Abyss professions walked from a distance towards the main city. They were loudly discussing on their way and didnt notice Song Jian, who was not far away from them, was gazing at them intently. How far along are you with your quest? A man in leather armor with two short guns on his waist asked loudly to someone in the group. Its too hard. I have no idea why, but my continuous quest has taken me to the Demon Slayer Canyon on the third ring. The monsters there are all above level 35, I cant go in at all. Haha, only you would be so lucky, to accept a hidden mission. Hey, do you guys think theres something the Abyss Demon King has left in that canyon, why else would this mission be called the Benevolence of the Abyss Demon King? This is a continuous mission. If theres any inheritance, it would probably be on the final ring. Im just on the third ring now, I guess I have to go to the Demon Slayer Canyon to get some quest items As the group continued walking and talking, they swiftly passed the mound where Song Jian was laying in wait. They didnt notice an invisible figure, laying upon the mound, watching them intently. Reportedly its to explore the information about the Abyss Demon Flame left by the sixth Abyss Demon King in an abandoned temple in Demon Slayer Canyon. I suspect that the final reward of this quest might be the Abyss Demon Flame left by the sixth Abyss Demon King! The man who accepted the quest boasted. Abyss Demon Flame, youre going to hit the jackpot if you get that. Isnt your occupation a blacksmith? The Abyss Demon Flame is a Strange Fire. Your Forge Art would be top-notch. Remember to forge some equipment for your brothers! Someone said enviously. We arent there yet. I cant even enter the Demon Slayer Canyon, let alone complete the mission. Who knows when I will get the Abyss Demon Flame. The man sighed and responded; We will help you with it. Tomorrow, we can go to the Demon Slayer Canyon together. With seven or eight of us, theres no reason we cant escort you to finish your quest, right? Yes, yes! We dont have anything better to do anyway. Lets go to the Demon Slayer Canyon and help Little Bear finish his mission. But Little Bear, you better not forget your buddies if you really get the Abyss Demon Flame! The group exclaimed together. Of course not, my Forge Art is already at level seven. If I really get the Abyss Demon Flame, Silver quality equipment for everyone, I promise! The name Abyss Warrior, identified as Little Bear, patted his chest and assured loudly. Demon Slayer Canyon Song Jian slowly recovered from his soul state. He meditated as he watched the group walk away. If he couldnt enter the city, he might as well check out the Demon Slayer Canyon they mentioned. Perhaps he could find some information about the Abyssal Demon Flame there; Thinking about this, Song Jian opened up the map and began to study it carefully; Chapter 765 - Chapter 765: Chapter 765: White Bone Spirit Talisman Chapter 765: Chapter 765: White Bone Spirit Talisman System: You have entered Demon Slayer Canyon; Song Jian looked at the hundreds of meters deep canyon before him, the sight of which seemingly endless, a hint of astonishment surfaced on his face. He found that the walls of the canyon were as smooth as a mirror, as if they were chopped out with a sword. But who could leave such terrifying sword marks on the earth? Even the zenith of ones combat power at the third stage couldnt achieve this, making Song Jian suspect that this canyon could only be created by a sword strike from divine beings as spoken of in legends. The entrance of the canyon was a long slope, with boulders scattered all over. Thirty-five level Flame Demons respawned here. Each was about the size of an average adult, with horns growing on their heads and a faint red flame burning all over their bodies. There would occasionally respawn some leaders of the Flame Demons here, all of which were thirty-five level elite BOSS, and had combat capabilities of the first stage. Average players were no match for these BOSS at all, so few people would come here to level up. Looking at the canyon in front of him, Song Jian suddenly thought of the item he picked up from Zack. He hadnt had time to check it before he left, so now it was a good opportunity to see if he could use it; This is Song Jian took out the item dropped by Zack from his package, which was a bead carved from bone, named Undead Bone Bead. This is actually a charm Song Jian looked at the properties of this bone bead, a look of surprise surfaced on his face, and with a thought, this bone bead turned into a stream of air, flowing toward Song Jians chest; Song Jians Hexagram Array Diagram embedded in the Nightslaughter, had already fused two charms, namely the Dragon Blood Talisman and the Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm. This Undead Bone Charm was the third charm; Undead Bone Charm: Intelligence +8, Spirit +8, Defense increased by 100 points, Special Effect: Bone Shield (Active), the ability to summon three Undead Bone Shields, lasts for 30 seconds with a cooldown of 5 minutes; Under the state of Bone Shield, overall defense is increased by 80%, resistance is increased by 50%, immune to damage below 100 points, damage over a hundred points will cause damage to the Bone Shield. During its duration, after the Bone Shield breaks, it will inflict 500 points of piercing damage to all enemies within a range of 10 meters per shattered piece; With a thought, three shields made of bone structures appeared around Song Jians body, slowly revolving. Song Jians defense and resistance immediately improved by a large margin. The method of increasing defense and resistance by a percentage will have a greater increase as time progresses. Now, after Song Jian activated the Bone Shield, the increased defense and resistance were almost equivalent to a level 35 silver gear. As Song Jians power increases, his defense and resistance will improve even more significantly. Song Jian walked towards the Demon Slayer Canyon. He had barely walked ten meters when a Flame Demon suddenly rushed out from behind a huge rock, roaring and charging at him; Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian instinctively put out his fastest sword skill. Three Sword Qis mixed with electricity damage almost simultaneously slashed at the Flame Demon. Without showing any mercy, the claws of the Flame Demon swiped at Song Jian; Song Jians Bone Shield hadnt ended yet. The gigantic claws engulfed in fire collided harshly with the Bone Shield, making a sound similar to that of claws scratching on glass; Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly, he realized that a tiny crack had appeared on the surface of the Bone Shield; Bang! The Flame Demon didnt mind the Sword Qi that hit its body, and threw another punch at Song Jian. The Bone Shield trembled violently a couple of times, revealing a noticeable crack. However, at the same time, the protective shield, which already showed a significant crack, blinked, and it astonishingly switched places with the Bone Shield next to it; The three Bone Shields held a joint defense, sharing the damages. Either all three shields would shatter, or none at all; After taking seven or eight heavy punches from the Flame Demon, the Bone Shield finally began to crackle; in the meanwhile, Song Jian had inflicted over six thousand points of damage to the Flame Demon, reducing its vitality points to less than one-tenth. At the moment the shattering sound was heard, the three Bone Shields fragmented into dozens of palm-sized pieces, shooting out in all directions; The Flame Demon was hit by five or six bone fragments, each one causing 500 points of damage; The Flame Demon, which was already severely injured, let out a cry of agony. Its body was wrapped in a ball of fire, and it didnt take long to turn into a pile of ashes. This Bone Shield, with both offense and defense integrated, is quite powerful! Song Jian nodded satisfactorily. This Flame Demon might not be a BOSS, but its power is comparable to elite monsters in instances. The Bone Shield could withstand seven or eight of its attacks, so its defense is indeed impressive. What surprised Song Jian the most, was the bone fragments that shot out when the shield shattered in the end. Each fragment dealt 500 real damage points, ignoring the targets defense; Plus, if the distance was close, each attack could be hit by five or six bone fragments at least, inflicting over two thousand points of damage. This was real damage, with no any consumption. Even when facing a BOSS, such damage would surprise anyone. The 5-minute cooldown wasnt too long, most importantly, this skill did not consume anything, as long as the cooldown ended, it could be used directly. If encountering a BOSS, this could even be used several times during a fight. Compared with the three-hour cooldown of the Iron Feather Wings, this skill could practically be used as a regular one. Walking further along the canyon, Song Jian encountered more and more Flame Demons. His pet Black Dragon was recovering in the Pet Space and could not assist in the fight temporarily, so Song Jian summoned the Stone Man Gulu. However, as more and more Flame Demons appeared, Song Jian felt somewhat overwhelmed. These Flame Demons were in groups of at least three to five, sometimes even seven or eight gathered together. There are too many monsters here, and its unknown where the temple is. If I continue to go deeper and get surrounded, I might really die here Song Jian frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then took out the Book of the Abyss, wanting to see if there were any useful skills in it; The skills on the first two layers had already been activated by Song Jian, and he couldnt yet activate any skill on the third layer since each required millions of battle experiences. However, Song Jians gaze quickly fell on the Abyss Temptation skill; Maybe I can use this skill, charm a few Flame Demon slaves to serve as cannon fodder? Song Jian thought to himself. Chapter 766 - Chapter 766: Chapter 766: Skill Advancement Chapter 766: Chapter 766: Skill Advancement The success rate of the Abyss Temptation skill was quite high, but its drawback was that it took a long time to cast, and the enslaved creatures were prone to betrayal after being charmed. With the Bone Shield, Song Jian could cast the skill before the shield shattered. As for betrayal, he only needed the Flame Demons to act as cannon fodder; they would probably die before they had a chance to betray him. As Song Jian ventured deeper, he encountered three Flame Demons huddled together, blocking the path ahead. If he wanted to continue further, these three demons would have to be eliminated first; Along the way, some Flame Demons were positioned off the beaten path and could be bypassed, but some not only blocked the path but also moved back and forth. If one didnt have stealth skills, it would be impossible to get through without exerting much effort to kill them. Song Jian wasnt here to fight monsters and level up; he had to find the temple mentioned by other players as soon as possible. Seeing the three Flame Demons in front of him, Song Jian didnt immediately rush into battle but instead stood at a distance, waiting patiently and observing. Soon, he picked up a small pebble and tossed it towards the nearest Flame Demon. He didnt throw the stone at the demon itself, but instead aimed for a rock three meters away from it. Thud~ The sound of the pebble falling into a crevice attracted the Flame Demons attention. It couldnt help but walk a couple of steps towards the noise, swinging its head from side to side as it looked around. The other two Flame Demons merely glanced at it before turning their heads away, unaffected by the sound. Song Jian was delighted and threw another stone at the approaching Flame Demon For Song Jian, this was akin to playing with fire; one misstep and he might end up attracting all three Flame Demons to fight him. However, for Song Jian, three elite monsters at level 35 that hadnt even reached First-order Combat Power didnt pose much of a threat. Along the way, hed already used up more than half of his supplies. If he continued at this rate, he probably wouldnt last twenty-four hours before running out of supplies and leaving the Abyssal Gate to collapse. Fortunately, Song Jian managed to lure the first Flame Demon towards him without alerting the other two demons. Now, he could cast Abyss Temptation. Gulu, the stone golem, rushed forward to engage the Flame Demon, while Song Jian opened the Book of the Abyss and began chanting the spell for Abyss Temptation. As soon as Abyss Temptation was cast, it immediately attracted the Flame Demons hatred. With a low growl, it abandoned Gulu and rushed towards Song Jian. But just then, a stone the size of a grinding wheel slammed into the Flame Demons head, momentarily stunning it for three seconds. During these three seconds, Gulu relentlessly pummeled the Flame Demon, causing hundreds of points of damage to float above its head. However, once the stun effect ended, the Flame Demon was still irresistibly drawn towards Song Jian. Abyss Temptation forcibly attracted hatred; unless the target was beaten senseless, it was difficult to successfully charm them. But this time, Song Jian had the Bone Shield, so he didnt need to bring the Flame Demon to the brink of death before charming it. Gulu continued attacking the demon from behind as the Flame Demon charged towards Song Jian. Its burning claws relentlessly rained blows on the Bone Shield, causing a series of deep, resonating thuds. Just before the Bone Shield shattered, a black Abyss Rune floated out of the Book of the Abyss and flew towards the Flame Demons forehead. Upon seeing the Abyss Rune, the Flame Demons face contorted with fear. It halted its attacks and turned to flee into the distance. However, the moment the Abyssal Slave Rune appeared, it indicated that Song Jians Abyss Temptation skill had succeeded. It was impossible for the demon to evade the Slave Rune by running away. As the sound of burning flesh resounded, accompanied by the low howl of the Flame Demon, its attribute above its head instantly turned from red to green in Song Jians eyes. With a bitter expression, the Flame Demon slowly approached Song Jian, lowering its head in submission. The Abyssal Slave Rune constantly tormented its body and soul; as long as thoughts of harming Song Jian invaded its mind, it would relentlessly torture the demon until it abandoned such thoughts. Such torture would make the Flame Demon feel fear and dread in the short term, but in the long run, once it adapted to this torment and became capable of enduring it, then the moment of betrayal would arrive. With the first Flame Demon under his control, dealing with the rest became much easier. After the Bone Shields cooldown time ended, Song Jian lured the other two demons one by one. Gulu and the first Flame Demon acted as a distraction while Song Jian cast Abyss Temptation. As the Flame Demon charged towards him, he activated the Bone Shield to block the damage inflicted on him. As long as Song Jian didnt take damage, the Abyss Temptation skill wouldnt be interrupted. Half an hour later, three Flame Demons stood beside him, each with an identical Abyssal Slave Rune etched on their foreheads. With these three Flame Demons, Song Jians controlled team grew like a snowball, increasing in size. More Flame Demons were charmed, some betrayed him or were directly killed, but overall, the number of Flame Demons under Song Jians control continued to increase. Finally, when eight Flame Demons stood behind Song Jian, virtually filling the entire valley passage, he received a system prompt: System: Abyss Temptation target limit reached. To break the charm limit, continue to upgrade Abyss Temptation skill level! Song Jian was stunned. What was going on? Werent the skills in the Book of the Abyss supposed to be MAX level when activated? How could they still be upgraded? Upon opening the Book of the Abyss, he discovered that beneath the Abyss Temptation skill icon, a line of small text appeared, indicating that one million battle experience was required to advance the skill from Abyss Temptation to Abyss Intimidation. Not only would the number of controlled slaves increase from eight to fifteen, but their initial loyalty would also be higher, making betrayal less likely and indirectly extending the duration of control. Most importantly, the casting time of the skill would be significantly shortened, and it would no longer forcibly control the targets hatred. Compared to Abyss Temptation, this was practically a qualitative change. In every aspect, Abyss Intimidation was on a totally different level than Abyss Temptation; However, the battle experience required to advance to Abyss Intimidation had also increased exponentially. Initially, activating Abyss Temptation had only cost one hundred thousand battle experience, but now advancing to Abyss Intimidation required a million experience points C a hundredfold increase. This was practically equivalent to one-eighth of the experience Song Jian needed to level up. Even if he diligently killed monsters and leveled up, it would take at least three or four days. Chapter 767 - Chapter 767: Chapter 767: Abyss Intimidation Chapter 767: Chapter 767: Abyss Intimidation Abyss Intimidation, Abyss Intimidation! Song Jian kept muttering in his heart. Would it be worth it to spend three to four days advancing such a powerful skill? Of course, it would be. If Song Jian had enough battle experience now, he would have chosen to advance without a second thought. But he had just leveled up, and his battle experience was far from reaching ten million, not even a hundred thousand. He wanted to advance this skill but just couldnt. If the Abyss Temptation can be advanced, what about the other skills? A brilliant idea flashed across Song Jians mind, he turned his attention to the other skills in the Book of the Abyss. Unfortunately, no matter which skill icon he clicked on, he received a system prompt saying, The conditions for advancing this skill have not been met. Cannot advance. Never mind, triggering the conditions for an advancement is a surprise. However, this means I can no longer avoid those Flame Demons. I must bulldoze my way through! Song Jian muttered internally. His initial idea of finding the temple was replaced by the urge to gain battle experience through monster hunting. Owning eight Flame Demons amounting to the strength of Level 35 Elite monsters meant Song Jian had the power to sweep through the entire Demon Slayer Canyon. The next moment, Song Jian transformed into the Abyssal Warlock again. Amidst a group of Flame Demons acting as meat shields, he stood in the back, continuously casting spells acquired from the Book of the Abyss. A day passed like that, and the number of Flame Demons around Song Jian was consistently eight. Without any healing method, Song Jian waited until the Vitality Points of a controlled Flame Demon Slave were about to run out before choosing to remove the Abyssal Slave mark, attack this Flame Demon Slave as a group to gain battle experience, thoroughly squeezed out its value, and then went on to charm another Flame Demon. The deeper into the Demon Slayer Canyon, the wider it became, and the more Flame Demons. At this point, Song Jian suddenly spotted a remarkably more significant monster than the regular Flame Demons in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it was a Level 35 Elite Boss C the Flame Demon Leader. If I can charm this Flame Demon Leader into becoming a slave, its effect is undoubtedly much better than ordinary Flame Demons! Song Jian gazed at the huge figure, calculating internally. However, it seemed impossible to control this Elite Boss with the Abyss Temptation skill. Eight Flame Demons could not stop the Elite Boss from charging at Song Jian. Also, this Level 1 Boss had a mightier attack power than ordinary monsters. The Bone Shield couldnt stand it for long, making it impossible for Song Jian to successfully cast the Abyss Temptation. I have to advance to Abyss Intimidation at least, to charm this Elite Boss into a slave! Song Jian thought to himself. Looking at his battle experience that was still two-thirds away from ten million, Song Jian secretly marked the location of this Boss and began to clear those ordinary Flame Demons incessantly. One day, two days, three days News about the ambush had already caused a sensation in the main city of the Desolate Highland, Flame Furnace. Many Abyss players were shocked. The ambush of over a hundred people had not succeeded. Just how formidable was this human named Song Jian? The Flame Furnace city once again raised the bounty on Song Jian. Anyone who killed Song Jian could receive five million Doomsday Coins. Such high bounty had never appeared in the city. At this point, not just Abyss players, even several Abyss NPCs, were tempted by the high bounty, joining the ranks of hunting Song Jian. After three endless days of battling Flame Demons, Song Jian finally gathered ten million battle experience. Ten million experience points seemed like a lot, but for current Song Jian, leveling up would require nearly one hundred million experience points. If just grinding monsters of the same level, it would take thousands of kills to level up. At anyones best performance, taking at least half a month would be needed to level up. Taking a deep breath, Song Jian directly tapped the advancement button for the Abyss Temptation skill. A ray of white light flashed by, and the small increment of experience he just gained was instantly wiped out. In place of the Abyss Temptation skill, a golden skill appeared C the Abyss Intimidation. Abyss Intimidation (Active): MAX. Skill Effect: After locking on to a target, this skill is cast on the target, stunning them for three seconds. The target is forcibly transformed into the users slave. This process lasts ten seconds. During this skills release, the users hatred of the target gradually increases. The skill can be interrupted. Any damage to the user during the release process will interrupt the skill. After the casting period ends, a seed of fear will be planted in the targets heart, making them the users slave. This skill has a small chance of failing to cast. The stronger the targets willpower, the higher the failure rate. After a failed cast, it inflicts 1,000 points of real damage on the target, concurrently feared for 5 seconds. Skill Cost: 30% Spirit Points. Slave Quantity: 8/12. After a successful advancement, Song Jian couldnt wait to verify the effect of Abyss Intimidation. He began casting Abyss Intimidation towards a distant Flame Demon. As soon as he uttered the spell, he caught the attention of the Flame Demon, which roared and charged at Song Jian. Just as it took a step forward, its body suddenly shuddered, and a look of terror spread across its face, immobilizing it. Three seconds later, the Flame Demon woke up from its stunned state. Its eyes looking towards Song Jian were filled with fear. After hesitating, it still continued to pounce on Song Jian, knowing that if it killed Song Jian, it could escape the miserable fate of becoming a slave. Just as it decided to rush forth, a rock was hurled at it, followed by eight roaring Flame Demons charging towards it, making it impossible for it to reach Song Jian. Before it could break free from the eight Flame Demons, an Abyss Slave mark glowing with a black light floated out from the Book of the Abyss, heading straight for its forehead. Abyss Intimidation, Enslave! A deep voice echoed in the Flame Demons ears, leaving it in a daze. By the time it regained consciousness, the Abyss Slave mark had already been engraved on its forehead. Song Jian had gained another Flame Demon slave. The effect of Abyss Intimidation was surprisingly good. Song Jian didnt even have to activate the Bone Shield and had directly enslaved a Flame Demon. Overjoyed, Song Jian immediately commanded the nine Flame Demons to move to another location. Soon, Song Jian had enslaved eleven Flame Demons. After casting Abyss Intimidation, not one of the eight original slaves betrayed him, and the control duration was more than double the previous one. It must have been a hidden attribute of Abyss Intimidation C it would intimidate already controlled slaves and reduce their betrayal rate. Eleven Flame Demons surrounded Song Jian. At this moment, Song Jians eyes were set on the distant Flame Demon Leader. Chapter 768 - Chapter 768: Chapter 768: World BOSS Chapter 768: Chapter 768: World BOSS Having the Abyss Intimidation and the assistance of eleven Flame Demons, Song Jian initially thought that it would be easy to charm a Flame Demon leader into servitude. However, he never expected that the Flame Demon leader would also possess a skill similar to intimidation. Even though it only worked on Flame Demons, it caused slight errors in Song Jians plan; The eleven Flame Demons that were supposed to block the Flame Demon leader all knelt down, shivering uncontrollably after the leaders furious roar. No matter how Song Jian tried to stimulate the slave mark, it was useless. Despite being tortured in pain, they refused to attack the Flame Demon leader. Finally, it was Gulu, the Stone Man, who bravely held back Flame Demon leader, allowing Song Jians skill of Abyss Intimidation to be successfully cast. Thank goodness Ive acquired Abyss Intimidation, otherwise, I would have had to kill this Level 35 Elite BOSS! Song Jian mumbled, wiping his cold sweat; The strength of the Flame Demon leader was far superior to ordinary Flame Demons. The Bone Shield could only endure for three seconds before it shattered. If it werent for Gulus Throwing Stone Blocks skill causing the leader to be stunned at the critical moment, Song Jians Abyss Intimidation might have been forcibly interrupted. Though there were slight errors during the process, the result was good. Eventually, Song Jian still managed to successfully enslave the Flame Demon leader. Upon opening the Flame Demon leaders attribute interface, Song Jian saw the skill Demon Control as expected. Unlike the control skill of a Lord BOSS, the leaders Demon Control could only prevent Flame Demons from attacking it, but it couldnt command them to do anything else. If it was a Flame Demon Lord, its Demon Control skill could directly control ordinary Flame Demons. If Song Jian had encountered a Lord level BOSS, the ordinary Flame Demons he had enslaved would betray him instantly and, under the Bosss command, attack him. With the Flame Demon leader, Song Jian could more easily grind mobs. Ordinary Flame Demons were slaughtered by his new recruit without him having to lift a finger. Another day passed just like that. Song Jians grinding efficiency had improved considerably. His Experience Points increased from Level 37s 1% to 6%. Most surprisingly, none of the eleven ordinary Flame Demons betrayed him after he enslaved the Flame Demon leader. It was a pleasant surprise as the frequent use of Abyss Intimidation put a huge strain on his Spirit Points. Even if he had plenty of honey wine, too much of it would make him feel sick. To Song Jians disappointment, he hadnt found any clues about the temple in the Demon Slayer Canyon yet. At that moment, Song Jian noticed streaks of magical lights flashing in the distance within the gloomy canyon, dazzling like splendid fireworks, though they were a fair distance from where he stood. Are there players grinding mobs here? Song Jian was surprised. His merit points hadnt increased since he entered the Demon Slayer Canyon. The monsters here were all at least Level 35, so you hardly saw any Abyss players leveling up here. Yet, surprisingly, he discovered Abyss players deeper into the canyon. He retracted the Stone Man, Gulu, and controlled twelve Flame Demons to walk towards that direction, and hid himself among them. In Demon Slayer Canyon, seeing twelve Flame Demons together wasnt unusual. Even if discovered, it wouldnt attract attention; people would certainly not imagine a human hiding amid the group. After a five-minute run in the canyon controlling the Flame Demons, Song Jian finally approached the battle site. It was a noisy location where the light from magical spells shone brightly. Song Jian could finally see the situation clearly; There were at least fifty to sixty people in front of him who seemed to be Abyss players from a war alliance. They were attacking a giant Flame Demon. The Flame Demon was burly, over three meters tall, with red flames burning all over it. It had thick armor and wielded a huge weapon, constantly attacking with it; Song Jians vertical eye emitted a light, looking at this giant boss. Demon Guard Leader, Level 40 Lord, Vitality Points: 289621/320000 Song Jian inhaled sharply. A Level 40 Lord BOSS with a thick 320,000 Vitality Points. Even though he couldnt see the other attributes, the robust Vitality Points alone took him by surprise. A world BOSS! An idea flashed through Song Jians mind and he couldnt help but blurt it out; Only a world BOSS could have such a gigantic pool of health. Such an intimidating presence was something Song Jian had only previously heard of, and it was his first time witnessing it; Initially, when he saw so many people attacking the BOSS, he thought they were overdoing it. But now it seemed that just fifty to sixty people were trying to kill one world BOSS, this groups audacity was not small; Song Jians gaze again turned to the group of Abyss players and discovered varying roles among them. They were many special types like the Soul Ripper, suggesting they were elite among the Abyss players. Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five Song Jian counted. The levels of these players were no less than thirty-three, with the highest even being level thirty-six. Luckily, they didnt appear in Doomsday City. Otherwise, they would have replaced everyone among the top fifty of the honor ranking, Song Jian excluded. In the group, a player who seemed to be a mage was standing at the back, constantly issuing orders, commanding the other players to attack. This mage, dressed in a pitch-black robe, emanated a dense Abyss aura. Behind him, a pair of tattered dark wings were shedding black feathers which disappeared mid-air without causing any visible change to the wings; Fallen Angel Wings Song Jian narrowed his eyes at these dark wings as their properties slowly surfaced in his mind. Compared to Bounty Hunter Zacks Undead Bone Wings, the Fallen Angel Wings of this Abyss player mage were much more magnificent. Furthermore, the attributes were far more formidable. If Zacks Undead Bone Wings were of Silver quality, then these Fallen Angel Wings were at least Dark Gold, if not Epic quality. .. Chapter 769 - Chapter 769: Chapter 769: Furious Chapter 769: Chapter 769: Furious This Abyssal Mage player looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a handsome face and a light golden strand of hair falling on his forehead, giving him a noble air. Coupled with the black Abyssal aura constantly emanating from his body, he exuded an aristocratic feeling reminiscent of the Blood Clan. He was the leader of the entire team, and under his command, the whole squad appeared very coordinated. Although they played somewhat conservatively, they were attacking a World Boss, and no one knew what skills it possessed. Therefore, being more cautious made the Abyssal players under his command feel more at ease. This guy, he does have some organizational skills! Song Jian stared for a long time, nodding silently in his heart. He felt that even if Wang Qi were to compare with him, Wang Qi would be somewhat inferior; at the very least, Wang Qi would not have his strength. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and the players attributes instantly appeared before them. Thomas, Profession: Abyssal Mage, Level: 37, First Order Combat Power. A 37-level player with First Order Combat Power? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. This was the only player Song Jian had seen so far who had passed the First Order Combat Power assessment. Many players could not pass the First Order Combat Power assessment after reaching level 30, so they could only wait until a month later to participate. As a result, many players who had risen to level 33, 34, or even higher levels had never possessed First Order Combat Power. Thomas, who had First Order Combat Power, exerted some pressure on Song Jian. However, Song Jian had passed the Double S assessment, so if he faced a First Order Combat Power passer below the S level, he would also occupy a huge advantage. Therefore, Song Jian would not be afraid of anything. Controlling the twelve Flame Demons, Song Jian slowly approached them. Having chosen the Abyssal profession meant giving up their human identities, so Song Jian wouldnt mind annihilating them if given the chance. Dealing with this group of players was not an impossible task for Song Jian at the moment. They were currently facing a level 40 World Lord BOSS. There were many players, but only one of them had First Order Combat Power. As long as Song Jian took action, the team might be annihilated here. Under Song Jians control, the Flame Demons quietly circled around to the side. The group of Abyssal profession players didnt notice Song Jian at all, as their entire focus was on the World BOSS before them. Suddenly, the Demon Leader let out a roar, and his flame-covered claws were raised into the air. Thomass face changed drastically as he shouted, The BOSS is about to unleash its ultimate move. Everyone, be careful! Boom! A scorching flame burst from the BOSS and spread in all directions. All the melee proficiencies that surrounded it were swept away, their heads displaying hundreds of points of fire damage. Quickly, however, the Abyss Warriors behind them stepped up, and the healers furiously replenished the melee fighters Vitality Points, soon restoring them to full. This group of players coordinated very skillfully, judging by their previous experiences of hunting numerous BOSSes. This was why they dared to attempt hunting a World BOSS with just fifty or sixty people. Although Song Jian seldom participated, the City of Hope Alliance had also organized many similar activities. The process was basically the same as the team in front of them, except that the City of Hope had never hunted a World BOSS before. This made Song Jian even more curious. After watching for some time, Song Jian found that these people were truly elite. Even in the face of hunting a World BOSS, they were organized and methodical. Even when the BOSS unleashed several ultimate moves, there were no accidents, and its Vitality Points continued to decrease. Curious about this team, Song Jians gaze turned to their chest emblem. The emblem of their guild was a Fallen Angel wielding a sharp blade. When Song Jian looked over, the words Fallen Angel Alliance appeared on the badge. Fallen Angel Alliance? Song Jians face was full of surprise, looking at the man who was commanding the battle and muttering, Could it be that this is the guild leader? It wasnt that Song Jian was guessing blindly; the pair of Fallen Angel Wings on the mans back were truly conspicuous. Anyone who saw him would be attracted to his wings that were constantly fluttering with black feathers. After spending so many days wandering in the Desolate Highland, Song Jian had learned a bit about the situation here from the players conversations. The Fallen Angel Alliance was arguably the most powerful alliance in the entire Desolate Highland area, virtually dominating the Blazing Furnace. Before entering the Demon Slayer Canyon, Song Jian had encountered many players from the Fallen Angel Alliance, and their quality and strength were much higher than those of other people. I only killed some small fries before, but if I mess with these people now, I might face the entire Fallen Angel Alliances pursuit. At that time Song Jians eyebrows knitted slightly. So far, the Abyssal Demon Flame mission had no clue, and there was no shadow of the Swordsman Immortal profession inheritance. If he made a deadly enemy of the largest alliance in the Desolate Highland, Song Jian would most likely be unable to move an inch in this area. However, after thinking about it for a long time, Song Jian still decided to take action, sensing that it wouldnt be long before the Abyss Passage would open. This was a game progression that could not be stopped by humans. The Abyss profession players originally had an advantage, as they were rare professions. Although the environment was harsh, their leveling speed was at least double that of ordinary players. Their average level was at least five levels higher than ordinary players. If such a group of people appeared in the game world, it would definitely have a huge impact on ordinary players. These people were the elite of Abyss players, and eliminating a batch of them would at least reduce some pressure for the future. With this in mind, Song Jian no longer hesitated, controlling the Flame Demons to move closer and look for an opportunity. At this point, the Flame Demons had already extinguished the flames burning on the surface of their bodies and were in a lurking state, so they were not afraid of being discovered even if they got a little closer. The BOSSs Vitality Points have dropped to 30%, its about to go berserk. Everyone, be careful. Ranged profession, scatter, dont stand so close! Thomas warned in a deep voice. As soon as his words fell, all the surrounding ranged professions immediately began to move their positions, quickly dispersing and occupying suitable attacking spots. Ranged professions maintain output! Carter, raise the Shield Wall. Resist a wave of attacks and then retreat. Fasthan, prepare to attract the BOSSs aggro! After the Demon Guard Leader went berserk, the flames on his body became more intense. The edges of the flames began to show a hint of black, and his body size increased a little, making his attacks even more fierce. A wave of his blade sent all the frontal melee proficiencies flying away. The Guard Leader took a fierce step forward, causing the ground to tremble violently while a surge of air rushed forward. At this moment, an Abyss Warrior who had activated his Shield Wall roared and ruthlessly slammed into the Demon Guard Leader, using all his strength to chop his two-handed battle-axe onto the BOSSs body. Chapter 770 - Chapter 770: Chapter 770: Refreshed? Chapter 770: Chapter 770: Refreshed? The demonic guard commander was heavily struck and took two steps back instantly, all his hostility fully targeted on the player before him. He swung his weapon, slashing relentlessly at the player; The blazing blade, burning with intense flames, carried fire damage. If the player was not able to withstand the heat to a certain extent, he would be reduced quickly to ashes by the BOSS; Carter, who had activated his Shield Wall, had his damage reduced by 65%, yet still, even so, he struggled to withstand the onslaught of attacks from the now berserk World BOSS. His Vitality Points dwindled rapidly. Behind him were three Abyss Pastors, healing him continuously, but even they could only maintain his Vitality Points at about fifty percent. The rise and fall of his Vitality Points caused Carters heart to leap to his throat. He was mired in relentless combat, but he was also acutely aware of the duration of his Shield Wall skill. The moment the effect of the Shield Wall ended, even if three Abyss Pastors were healing him, he would be slashed to death directly by the BOSS; Three seconds before the Shield Wall expired, Carter began to retreat slowly. At this point, a man clad in black metallic armor and holding a large heavy shield taller than himself, fiercely slammed the shield towards Carter; Glancing at the man, Carters eyes showed a hint of envy. Even though all Abyss professions are rare, Abyss Warrior like the one before him were common among the Abyss professions; The man before him, clad in metallic armor and holding shields in both hands, is of a rare profession within the rare ones. He was an Abyss Shield Striker, a class lower than the epic profession, the Soul Ripper, but visibly a tier higher than ordinary ones like Abyss Warrior and Abyss Thief ; Abyss Shield Strikers are the only profession in Abyss that can use shields. Moreover, they can only use shields as their weapons and cannot equip any other weapons like swords; They can equip two one-handed shields at the same time, or a two-handed shield. This profession, renowned for their astounding defense, not only possessed a multitude of defensive skills but also dealt significant damage, alongside a plethora of skills that could knock back, stun, and slow their enemies. It could be said that they possess a shell as sturdy as a tortoise, combined with a wolf-like powerful attack; Fasthan launched a spiteful shield strike, seizing the hatred of the BOSS. The world BOSS, originally hacking away at Carter, suddenly set his sights on Fasthan. Seeing Fasthan successfully take over the BOSSs aggro, a smile finally appeared on Torass face. The plan was progressing steadily. Although the BOSSs special skill was unknown, the preparatory measures had taken effect. Killing this BOSS was only a matter of time. Victory seemed near, making every person involved in killing the BOSS feel much more relaxed. Boss, when can the Abyssal Passage be opened? I can hardly wait to return to the city a player shouted. Yeah, I really want to see the look on those arrogant fellows when they see me again. Humph! Hehe, Ive heard that after some time, there wont be any job transfers to Abyss professions. By the time we return to our original world, those who didnt job transfer will definitely regret it! Those players, in our eyes, are merely honor points. By then, we can also mess around with a Duke or Count title! Duke, Count? Youre too ambitious. How many would you have to kill for that? Id be satisfied if I can manage a Viscount! Haha, whats there to fear? Therell be plenty to kill then. For those who havent job transferred into Abyssal professions, theyll be worth nothing to us, just like pigs and sheep, waiting for us to slaughter! Yes, yes, haha, what Bloodhand said makes sense. It would be better if those players were scared off from entering the game ever again! The battle was nearing its end. The BOSSs vitality had dropped below 20%. The Abyss Shield Striker, who was tanking the BOSS, had his vitality constantly maintained above 80% due to the treatment from two Abyss Priests. Furthermore, the BOSSs berserk state was about to end. Besides external interference, it would only take about ten more minutes to kill off this World BOSS; Therefore, Thomas did not stop the chatter of the clansmen. Instead, he joined and discussed the matter with a smile on his face. Looking at the BOSS whose vitality was less than a fifth remaining, a flame of anticipation surfaced in Thomass eyes; A world BOSS, one that could possibly drop epic tier equipment! At this thought, he trembled with excitement; However, some things exceeded his expectations. When victory was near for everyone, seven or eight Flame Demons suddenly rushed out. Their blazing claws were lifted high, striking down simultaneously on the heads of four Abyss Mages; A series of piercing screams echoed; the four Abyss Mages fell to the ground almost simultaneously. The backline was thrown into chaos, and the ranged classes began to scatter; Be careful, the monsters have been refreshed! There are Flame Demons! Melee professions, quickly come and restrain them. These Flame Demons deal huge damage! Dammit, why do monsters have to spawn at this time! The team became instantly chaotic; Noticing the group of Flame Demons, Thomas was taken aback. During their hunt for the World BOSS, they had made sure to clear all the nearby minions. Even if they respawned, it wasnt possible for seven or eight monsters to appear at once; Damn it! How did these guys suddenly appear! Thomas was furious. Their arrival was too abrupt, catching everyone off guard. Moreover, these Flame Demons coordinated perfectly, killing off four Abyss Mages instantly. Thomas felt as though they had fallen into a longstanding trap; The death of four Abyss Mages had significantly lowered the teams offensive power, prolonging the time taken to kill the BOSS, leading to an increased risk of their team being wiped out; Warriors, four warriors, quickly restrain these few Flame Demons! Toras flapped his wings. A grey aura spiraled towards two of the Flame Demons, binding them firmly in place; The remaining Flame Demons, after killing the four Abyss Mages, pounced on the nearby ranged classes. The faces of several Abyss Priests paled as they fled in all directions; At this moment, a deep roar echoed. Thomas felt a chill run down his spine. This was not a sound that an ordinary Flame Demon could make. Looking up, he saw a Flame Demon leader, with four to five Flame Demons, rushing towards the Abyss Priests who were healing the Abyss Shield Striker; Stop them, dont let them get close! Thomas shouted, his forehead veins bulging out in exasperation. The whole team went into disarray; some were running in all directions, some continued to attack the BOSS, and some turned their attacks to the incoming Flame Demons. Thomas tried to direct orders loudly, hoping to regain control of the situation. There were fifty-seven people present. If they could divert half to lead the Flame Demons away, the remaining could still kill the World BOSS; Chapter 771 - Chapter 771: Chapter 771 Ambush Chapter 771: Chapter 771 Ambush An Abyss Hunter with a crossbow fixed to his right arm continuously fired at a Flame Demon. Once he successfully garnered the hatred of the demon, he started to run off into the distance. He was well-practiced at leading mobs away, having done it numerous times. It didnt matter if it was just a regular level-35 creature or a Boss; he could successfully lead them away. However, what he didnt notice was that, other than him, nearly everyone elses attempts at leading away the mobs had failed. It appeared that these Flame Demons were aware of the profession with slow movement speed and low defense and would always charge towards them. Despite attempts to lead them away, no one was successful. If it werent for that world Boss, I could easily take down this level 35 creature myself! A smirk appeared at the corner of the Abyss Hunters mouth as he turned and fired another arrow toward the Flame Demon. At that moment, a sharp whistle echoed in his ear. A long sword fiercely slashed towards him, dancing in the air as if controlled by an invisible arm. At the same time, another long sword was brought down on the Abyss Hunter, surrounded by several silver threads that whipped him repeatedly. Before he could react, two more swords were launched towards him like meteors. Four long swords simultaneously carried out four different sword techniques, leaving the player playing the Abyss Hunter profession with no time to react. He fell to the ground immediately. Song Jians basic damage had already exceeded five hundred points. Along with his weapon set, even his regular attacks could cause over two thousand points of damage. Using a skill, this damage could increase even further. Subtracting the opponents defense, theres no issue killing an Abyss Hunter with leather armor. The reason why this Abyss Hunter could successfully lead away this Flame Demon was precisely because the direction he was leading it was Song Jians hiding spot. The sudden death of the Abyss Hunter did not attract anyones attention, for the scene was already quite chaotic. If the Abyss Shield Striker was not still attracting the Bosss hatred, everyone might have already scattered and fled. Rogues, pair up and hold off the Flame Demons. These are just ordinary level 35 creatures. Just hold on for a bit! Carter, hold off that Boss. Everyone else, focus on attacking the world Boss. Try to kill it within five minutes! Thomas roared. Having eleven ordinary creatures and one elite Boss for a team of more than fifty people could only cause some minor chaos at most. Had several Flame Demons not suddenly focused their attacks on the four Abyssal Mages and instantly killed them before they could react, these small disturbances wouldnt have caused any casualties. Thomass face looked somewhat ugly as he suddenly noticed that in addition to the four Abyssal Mages, two Abyss Priests and one Abyss Hunter had also died. The Abyss Priests were challenged and killed by the elite Boss, but how did the Abyss Hunter die? Thomas wondered. An Abyss Hunter had an escape and survival ability along with the Abyss Rogue. Even in the wild, its survival ability was stronger than the Abyss Rogue. He just couldnt understand how an ordinary level 35 creature could kill an Abyss Hunter. Just then, a rogue bearing a Flame Demon suddenly screamed in agony and died instantly, shocking everyone. Thomas saw that this Abyss Rogues Vitality Points vanished from over ninety percent to zero. Alerted, he immediately yelled, Watch out, everyone! Were being ambushed! Everyone instantly became tense. What they feared the most during a world Boss fight was harassment. While Fallen Angel Alliance dominated in Flame Furnaces main city, there were still many who were dissatisfied with their alliance. Just then, another Abyss Priest was killed instantly at full health, causing everyone to panic. Its that human, the wanted human! someone shouted suddenly. When Song Jian killed this Abyss Priest, he had used a skill to enhance his dark field of vision, which allowed him to see Song Jians appearance clearly. That wanted human? Thomas exhaled in relief, fearing that this was a planned plot by other alliances in the Flame Furnace, preparing to ambush them. Because that would mean a group of people would be coming to ambush them C they might not only steal their world Boss, but they could even end up eliminating all of them. But if it was that wanted human, then it just meant that the other party was merely one person, merely coming to make a mess. Drunken Master, take a few people and kill him! Thomas shouted. Leave it to me! A middle-aged man with a scar on his cheek licked the blade of his weapon, revealing a ferocious smile. Concerning the human who had appeared in the Desolate Highland, the players of Fallen Angel Alliance had already heard about him. However, these past few days, they had been focussed on this world Boss, preparing to kill it. They did not have spare energy to participate in hunting down Song Jian. They never thought that when they did not go after him, this human actually came to them. Be careful and dont be careless. He has killed quite a number of Abyss players in the Desolate Highland! Thomas reminded. Hmph, he just killed some people through ambushes. If it comes down to face-to-face combat, I alone could take him down! said the Drunken Master arrogantly. Seeing five or six Abyss players following the Drunken Master and rushing towards Song Jian, Thomas suddenly had a bad feeling. Seeing a few Abyss players charging towards him, Song Jian did not retreat. Instead, he advanced with a cruel smile on his face. As soon as he thought, his figure turned transparent and charged towards the crowd. Stop him, dont let him get here! Thomas seemed to think of something, his face instantly changed as he shouted urgently. Several alert players immediately shifted their targets and started casting magic attacks towards Song Jian. But no matter what type of attack hit Song Jian, all that would appear were the words immune. Song Jian moved swiftly, his transparent figure quickly getting into the crowd. Four long swords flashed and danced around him. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique! A low hum sounded, and snowflakes filled the air around him. Along with the snow, a strong wind swept across the area, with countless Sword Qi covering an area of several tens of meters. Blood spattered from all the Abyss players, their Vitality Points dropping continuously. A thin layer of frost began to appear on everyones armor, causing their defense to drastically decrease. The defense decrease caused by Frosty Twilight was a percentage decrease. For those fragile occupations, this decrease in defense didnt matter. But for close-combat occupations with high armor points, the decrease in defense was terrifying. Looking at the Abyss Shield Striker holding a large shield and bearing the world Boss in front, Song Jian sneered. He pulled a potion from his pocket, threw it at the Shield Striker, and then, before his Soul Wander had ended, he charged towards the distance. During this escape, Song Jian also managed to chop down another Abyss Priest. PS: Thank you Zi Ling Bamboo Wang for the 100 Qidian Coin gift! Chapter 772 - Chapter 772: Chapter 772: Retreat Chapter 772: Chapter 772: Retreat Seeing that all the players from their alliance were already at half Vitality Points, with some even closer to death, a somber dreariness flowed over Thomass face. After muttering a few curses under his breath, a visible struggle of hesitation appeared in his eyes. The world BOSSs Vitality Points had already decreased to 10% or less. With five or six minutes at most, they could kill the BOSS. However, Song Jians recent attacks had taken down five or six players, resulting in a significant drop in the teams overall Combat Power. More crucially, there were only two healers left in their team, who were utterly inadequate for healing their many injured players. Should we give up? This thought continued to swirl around in Thomass mind. Giving up would mean that all their previous efforts were in vain. If they didnt give up and Song Jian launched another attack like the previous one, they would risk full-scale annihilation. His displacement attack is probably his trump card, with a cooldown time of at least ten minutes. Well have plenty of time to kill this world BOSS and then deal with him! A player whispered in Thomass ear. Thomass eyes brightened, and he roared, Focus all fire on the world BOSS. Drunkard, take a few men and clear out these minions, ASAP! It was this decision that plunged the Fallen Angel Alliance into an abyss of irreversible doom. The level 35 Flame Demons, under the attack of all players, wouldnt last long. At this point, only six remained. There was one more Flame Demon boss, but Carter had restrained it, preventing it from threatening the players. From afar, Song Jian watched as the Flame Demons he had painstakingly recruited were defeated one by one; nevertheless, he remained stoic. He had never expected these minion Flame Demons to annihilate the team before them. Song Jian summoned Rockman Gulu, then checked the Black Dragons Vitality Points, which had recovered to over 60%. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon. The Black Dragons Dragon Breath and Vortex Fireball, an area-of-effect attack and a single-target attack, both possessed impressive power, especially the Dragon Breath. Its power was not inferior to the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, and when combined, they could generate a power that exceeded the sum of their parts. Song Jian watched as the players from the Fallen Angel Alliance continued to attack the world BOSS, quietly awaiting the cooldown of his Soul Wander skill. Thomas had inaccurately estimated the cooldown time of Soul Wander. A fully upgraded Soul Wander skill only had a one-minute cooldown. Even without any unexpected events, it would take them at least five minutes to kill this world boss. It was due to the underestimation of Soul Wanders cooldown that what awaited the Fallen Angel Alliance was Destruction. A minute passed quickly, but Song Jian made no move, silently watching the ongoing fight between the Fallen Angel Alliance and the world BOSS. At this critical moment, the bosss Vitality Points were below 10% and continued to drop. Among the crowd attacking the BOSS, several players with rogue roles had disappeared. Clearly, they were Thomass contingency plan against Song Jians sudden attack. 8%, 7%, 6%, The world BOSSs Vitality Points kept dropping. When they reached 3%, Thomas still didnt see Song Jian making a move. It seems his ability cooldown is indeed very long! Finally, Thomas breathed a sigh of relief. A satisfied smile unconsciously appeared on his face. There was a high probability that a world BOSS would drop Epic level equipment. His alliance had prepared many days for this, with killing a world BOSS being the end goal. Victory was in sight. If Song Jian hadnt interfered, no player would have died in this hunt. With these thoughts in mind, Thomass face hardened. He was determined to rally all players of his alliance to relentlessly hunt down Song Jian once they returned. However, just then, Thomas suddenly sensed a surge of potent magic energy above his head. Looking up, he saw a massive Black Dragon looming above them, its mouth wide open, slowly gathering a fear-inducing torrent of flame. Watch out above! Thomas sensed danger, letting out a miserable roar. The Fallen Angel Wings behind him gave a strong flap, shooting him toward the sky. Boom! A wave of scalding Dragon Breath fire was spat out onto the crowd, with floating damage numbers indicating hundreds of points of damage above everyones heads. Although Dragon Breath was a fire-based attack, it fell under Dragon Language Magic, not fire magic. The Abyssal players high Fire Resistance couldnt weaken or mitigate this type of damage. Everyones attention was instantly drawn to the Black Dragon as ranged players subconsciously started targeting it. Meanwhile, Thomas charged directly at the Black Dragon, flipping his wrist to reveal two daggers, similar to a hunters fangs, in his palms. Most Abyssal Mage class tend to use magic staffs or wands, but Thomass weapons of choice were a pair of magic daggers. Abyssal Exile! Thomas waved his daggers, a grey light erupting from them like tendrils snaking towards the Black Dragon. Soon, the Black Dragons huge body was enveloped in grey energy, like a large net. It was as if the dragon was exiled from this world, unable to attack any player and temporarily losing connection with Song Jian. Having successfully exiled the Black Dragon, Thomas was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but he noticed his Spirit Points had dropped to less than 30%, making his face pale immediately. The Abyssal Exile skill uses more Spirit Points against stronger targets. The Black Dragon was a level 35 creature with first-tier combat power and a member of the Dragon Clan. If Thomas were not so powerful, he wouldnt have been able to exile it. After a moments hesitation, Thomas pulled out a vial of light blue potion from his inventory and deliberated whether to use it when he suddenly heard the cries of the players in his alliance erupt from below. Looking down, he saw a familiar scene replay before his eyes. The endless snow flurry, covering all players from the alliance, again filled his eyes with clusters of damage numbers. Human, I will definitely kill you! Thomas bellowed out in anger. Due to the lack of healing roles, almost all players had low Vitality Points. The only one with sufficient Vitality Points was the Abyss Shield Striker who was standing up against the world BOSS, as all the remaining two Abyss Priests had been solely healing him. This round of attack, though lacking the assistance of Flame Demons, caused even more damage to this group of players than the previous one. Once the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was deployed, within a few seconds, more than a dozen players fell in the snowy field, including two priests who were healing the Abyss Shield Striker. Retreat, everyone, retreat! Thomas bellowed. He took one last painful look at the world BOSS with less than 3% Vitality Points. His heart bled at the sight. Chapter 773 - Chapter 773: Chapter 773: Killing the BOSS Chapter 773: Chapter 773: Killing the BOSS All the healing professionals had fallen, and even if the Abyss Shield Striker was formidable, he couldnt withstand the attack of a World Boss. Failure was certain. To keep going would only unnecessarily sacrifice the lives of their brotherhood. Thomass heart was bleeding, not only because those who died were the elites of the Fallen Angel Alliance, but moreover, the World Boss only had 3% Vitality Points left. If they retreated now, all their hard work over the past few days would be in vain. Issue a city-wide manhunt. I want his skin hung on our alliances flagpole! Rage consumed Thomas as he looked at Song Jians figure in the distance and roared through gritted teeth. Boss, we should get out of here quickly. The duration of your Abyssal Exile is almost up! a player reminded from the side. Only then did it dawn on Thomas. A tale beast was eyeing them, and once the Abyssal Exile ended, they likely wouldnt escape. Retreat, retreat! Thomas bellowed twice and, flapping his Fallen Angel Wings twice, fled into the distance. The remaining alliance players had no heart to continue fighting. Even if they killed the World Boss, the loot wouldnt be shared with them. At most, they would gain some alliance contributions. At the end of the day, their own lives mattered most. The Abyss Shield Striker, who had been tanking the World Boss, saw the other players in his alliance scatter and lost the will to fight. Without a priest to heal him and, regardless of how high his armor value was, he couldnt withstand the attack of a World Boss. After stunning the Boss with a shield strike, he retreated quickly. The Abyss Shield Strike that could normally stun its target for three seconds only stunned the World Boss for half a second. The World Boss roared upon seeing the Abyss Shield Striker retreating and charged at him, swinging its weapon. Bang! The flaming weapon forcefully collided with his shield. The impact sent him flying away. It took the Abyss Shield Striker over a dozen retreats before he steadied himself. Looking at his shield, he saw a delicate crack in the center C a sight that pained him. This shield was of Dark Gold quality; other than requiring a lot of Doomsday Coins for repairs, it would also need many precious ores. But then wasnt the time to sorrow over a shield, his life was at stake. If he didnt find a way to break from the aggro of the World Boss, he might leave his corpse right there. Where are the healers? Are they all dead? Heal me! The Abyss Shield Striker, whose vitality points had dropped to less than half, roared. Unbeknownst to him, all the healing professionals in his team had indeed died. Hu~ Strong wind pressure rushed at him. A huge weapon swiftly swept him off his feet. The World Boss, now low on health, had become even fiercer, relentlessly hacking at him. Had it been any other player, they would have been instantly killed by the World Boss. The Abyss Shield Striker crashed into a black rock, blood spewing from his mouth. He was shocked to find that his defense had decreased by 15% and his movement speed by 30% due to a negative weak-status effect. Damn! Struggling to stand, the only thing on his mind was to run. He didnt want to face this rampaging demon guard anymore. He glanced at the Boss and put his shield away, emptying his hands to run. Running with a shield in hand was too inconvenient. Running with empty hands allowed him a bit more speed. Just then, a crimson longsword suddenly appeared before him, like a demons fang, thrusting toward his chest. The Abyss Shield Strikers face drained of color. He wanted to bring out his shield to block the sword but the sword was too fast, it didnt give him a chance to react before it had pierced his chest. Blood spewed out, reducing his vitality points to almost zero. Ignoring everything else, the Abyss Shield Striker quickly reached into his item bag to produce a potion, but just as he was about to drink it, the longsword in his chest was pulled out and, like it was being controlled, began to swirl in the air, blades flashing with electricity. Flash Thunder Strike! Kakakaka~ Three electrical Sword Qi strikes landed on him, immediately draining his remaining vitality points. Gulu, a potion bottle with a faint golden glow rolled out of the Abyss Shield Strikers hand. His body fell, his face filled with bitterness. Song Jian picked up the potion and found it to be a Complete Recovery Potion which could fully restore ones vitality points. Lucky! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. The lower the vitality points, the higher the potions effectiveness. But the lower the vitality points, the more dangerous it gets. You might end up like the Abyss Shield Striker, dead before you even had the chance to use it. After stashing the Complete Recovery Potion, Song Jian found an item, radiating a dark gold light, squashed under the fallen Abyss Shield Striker. Looking closely, he realized he had looted the other guys shield. Dark Gold Quality, not bad, not bad! A smile of surprise appeared on Song Jians face as he gathered the shield. He then looked at the World Boss who was currently chasing and killing other players. After losing the aggro of the Abyss Shield Striker, the World Boss started to charge at those inflicting the highest damage. Often those were squishy characters who wouldnt even have a chance to escape if chased by the Boss. Even though the World Boss only had 3% vitality points left, it still had nearly ten thousand points of health. These players stood no chance against it. Song Jian also seized the opportunity to slaughter the players. Humans and Abyss players were inherently enemies to the death. Killing these players was no burden to Song Jian, if anything, he regretted not killing more. With a dragons cry, the Black Dragon above him ended its exile status. A scorching Dragon Breath billowed toward the scattered players. Under Song Jians control, the Black Dragons attack intentionally stayed away from the World Boss. He wouldnt want to unnecessarily attract the Bosss aggression now. After a rush, many bodies lay on the ground. Only a handful of them escaped the World Bosss chasing range, the rest were all killed there. Many items, some gleaming silver and gold, were scattered on the ground. Its no wonder theyre considered the top alliance in Flame Furnace. Their equipment is significantly better than the rest! Song Jian quickly gathered all the equipment dropped by the players and then his gaze landed on the Boss with only 3% vitality points left. Chapter 774 - Chapter 774: Chapter 774: Chapter 774: Chapter 774: Reward Vortex Fireball! Song Jian controlled the Black Dragon, casting Dragon Language Magic. A fireball that swirled like a starry nebula ruthlessly slammed into the World Boss, instantly drawing the Bosss aggro to the Black Dragon. Watching the Black Dragon in mid-air, the Demon Guard Commander let out a low growl and swung its war blade violently. A dazzling red Qi strike cleaved towards the Black Dragon, seemingly tearing space itself. The Black Dragon flapped its wings, barely dodging the direct hit of the Qi strike. However, it was still injured by the residual force. A large chunk of scales on its abdomen was shattered, resulting in over a thousand damage points floating above its head. Fury filled the Black Dragons eyes as it spewed a scorching Dragon Breath towards the Demon Guard Commander. It spread its wings, flew over the commanders head, and ruthlessly swiped its sharp claws at its head. An evil glint appeared in the Demon Guard Commanders eyes as it saw the Black Dragon pouncing towards it. Surprisingly, it leaped up, and its entire body soared into the sky. It punched at the Black Dragon, sending the airborne dragon flying away. What the hell, is this a joke? Song Jian was dumbfounded. The combat power the Demon Guard Commander had just displayed was terrifying, capable of punching the Black Dragon away. If it had unleashed such power earlier, it wouldnt matter if the Fallen Angel Alliance had brought twice the number of people, they would still be killed by this World Boss. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, go! At the thought, Song Jian directed the four long swords in the air to trace four arcs towards the Demon Guard Commander. They fluttered around it, causing a snowstorm and countless Sword Qi sweeping towards the Demon Guard Commander. Gazing at the struggling Black Dragon rising from the ground, Song Jians eyes flickered. If he could charm this World Boss and turn it into his slave, wouldnt he be able to roam the Desolate Highland? With this in mind, Song Jian took out the Book of the Abyss and recited the Abyss Intimidation spell loudly. However, as soon as the first syllable left his mouth, a sudden hum resounded in his mind, as if a heavy hammer had struck the back of his head. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, and more than a thousand backlash damage points floated above his head. System: The targets power exceeds yours by too much, Abyss Intimidation cannot be used! A bright red system prompt appeared before Song Jians eyes. Having no choice, Song Jian put away the Book of the Abyss and focused all his attention on controlling the four flying swords. If he couldnt charm the Boss, he would have to kill it and see what kind of loot the World Boss would drop for him. A World Bosss defense, attack, and Vitality Points far exceeded Song Jians. If it were a Boss at its peak state with full Vitality Points, someone like Song Jian wouldnt stand a chance. However, this Bosss Vitality Points were now less than 3%, only around eight thousand. With Song Jians current strength, he had a chance to kill it. Hearing the roars of the World Boss from afar, Thomass heart bled. He glanced back and murder oozed from him like a tangible substance. Guild leader, should we go disturb him? We cant defeat the Boss, but we cant let him take advantage! one of the Alliance players who had barely escaped said indignantly. After wavering for a while, Thomas finally gave up on this tempting idea. Their greed had already caused great damage to the Fallen Angel Alliance, resulting in the annihilation of an entire Elite Team. He was heartbroken. There were only three or four of them now, and with the humans strength, they would likely die if they went back to cause trouble. The Boss only has a few thousand Vitality Points left. We dont stand a chance! Thomas said hatefully. If the Boss had over 10% Vitality Points, he would have done everything in his power to prevent someone from taking it. No one would be willing to willingly hand over a Boss that their Alliance had worked so hard to defeat. However, with a several thousand Vitality Points remaining, the boss would probably be killed by Song Jian by the time they returned. Wouldnt they just be walking into their deaths if they tried to interfere? As the nearby player prepared to argue further, he suddenly heard a shrill scream from the World Boss in the distance. A huge ball of flames rose into the sky, illuminating half of the canyon as bright as day. How is it possible? Even a World Boss with only a few thousand Vitality Points left shouldnt be killed so quickly The player stared blankly at the soaring flames in the distance, mumbling to himself. Song Jians damage output was simply terrifying. In less than a minute, he killed the World Boss with just a few thousand Vitality Points remaining. The Fallen Angel Alliance players who had witnessed the power of a World Boss now realized how formidable Song Jian was. Lets return and issue a bounty on this human by the Alliance. Spread the word that he has stolen our Fallen Angel Alliances World Boss, and that he has obtained all the dropped loot. Among them is at least one Epic Equipment! Thomas gritted his teeth and said. This this is too humiliating A player beside Thomas showed hesitation on his face. Humph! Our reputation has already been destroyed. An entire Elite Team was annihilated. How long do you think we can hide this? Thomas said in a low voice, We must let everyone in the Desolate Highland know that this human possesses an Epic Equipment. And, if they kill him, theyll be rewarded with one million Doomsday Coins! What? A million Doomsday Coins! Someone nearby exclaimed. Yes, thats just the bounty put forward by the Fallen Angel Alliance. The Mercenary Guilds offering is separate! Thomas said through gritted teeth. A million Doomsday Coins was a significant sum, but it wasnt beyond the means of the Fallen Angel Guild. As long as they could kill this human, Thomas believed that one million Doomsday Coins was worth it. I heard that the Mercenary Guild has also increased the bounty for this guy, and it seems to be around a million too! A player suddenly said. Perfect! With two million Doomsday Coins and an Epic Equipment as bait, I cant believe this guy could keep wreaking havoc in the Desolate Highland for much longer! Thomas glanced one last time at the rising flames in the distance before turning and walking towards the entrance to the Demon Slayer Canyon. The remaining players exchanged glances and followed him immediately. At last, the Demon Guard Commander fell under Song Jians sword. The Black Dragon was severely injured again and was sent back to the Pet Space to recover. Its previous injuries hadnt fully healed, with its Vitality Points only a bit over half of its maximum. The new injuries compounded the old, making recovery slower than ever. But it was all worth it. Gazing at the fallen World Boss and the loot spread around its corpse, Song Jians eyes gleamed with excitement, and he couldnt wait to step forward. Chapter 775 - Chapter 775: Chapter 775: Harvest Chapter 775: Chapter 775: Harvest Next to the corpse of the Demon Guard leader, there were shimmering items of various colors. There were more than a dozen pieces, and they were all of exceptional quality. The least impressive among them was a piece of silver equipment that required a minimum of level 30. But Song Jians gaze fell instantly on an item that had been flashing a purple-red light. Epic level gear! A joyful expression appeared on Song Jians face. The probability of a World Boss dropping epic level gear was considerably higher than that of any normal boss. This piece of epic gear was within Song Jians expectations. Abyss Concealment Necklace (Epic): Necklace, item level 40, All Attributes +5, Dark Vision +30, Damage increase 20%, Special Effect 1: Enhanced Skill (Passive), All skills effectiveness increased by 30%; Special Effect 2: Abyss Concealment Skill (Active), Uses Abyssal Power to conceal ones figure and aura, entering a stealth state. Unless harmed, the stealth state will remain. This skill cannot be used in combat, cooldown thirty seconds; Equip Requirement: Level 37, Not allowed to be taken out of the game: No. This necklace was indeed worthy of being an Epic level item. It was crafted entirely from a unique Abyssal metal. The pendant was a black crystal, and on its surface were designs resembling an eye. With its eerie glow, it felt as though it was staring right at you. The five-point boost to all attributes would make any player, irrespective of their class, green with envy. For Song Jian, none of his five attributes was useless, thus this all-attribute boost was of immense help to him. The boost in Dark Vision by thirty points essentially extended Song Jians line of sight by thirty meters. This attribute was simply more valuable than a boost in all attributes to Abyss-class players. It felt as miraculous as a divine skill here, but for Song Jian, it wasnt as important. His Vertical Eye could increase his Dark Vision as well, but when it was activated, it would emit a faint glow that could be easily noticed by others. Needless to mention the 20% increase in damage that would make Song Jians attacks even more terrifying. A casual attack could inflict damage in the thousands, making it unbearable even for heavily armored knights after just a few hits. Enhanced Skill, would not only boost the potency of his skills but also greatly enhance those like Immortal Sword Body and Soul Wander. The most apparent enhancement was to the duration of the Immortal Sword Body, which extended by nearly a minute, while the invincibility of Soul Wander increased by almost a second, making the total time for the skill to persist reach 11.7 seconds. As for the Abyss Concealment Skill, it was virtually identical to the Stealth Skill of the rogue class, though it required actual combat validation to ascertain if it worked as effectively as a few basic level Stealth Skills. What a treasure! After seeing the attributes, Song Jian couldnt wait to equip this Epic level necklace. As for the white skull necklace he had been wearing, he just chucked it into his inventory. Having equipped the Epic quality necklace, Song Jians gaze then moved to his other pieces of equipment and started evaluating each one. Out of the dozen pieces of equipment, most could only be used by Abyss classes and only two could be used by other human classes. One was a plate armor hand-guard for close-combat classes and the other was a Mages element headband. Both were Golden Level equipment at level 35 with decent attributes. Song Jian planned to take them back and put them in the guild warehouse to see if anyone could use them. Oh? Is this the shield dropped by that Abyss Shield Striker player? Song Jians line of sight suddenly caught a shield emitting Dark Gold radiance. This was a two-handed shield that all classes capable of equipping shields could use. It also didnt have level requirements to equip, but instead, required specific attributes. Abyss Imprisonment Shield (Dark Gold), Two-handed shield, Item Level 38, Equipment Effect: Defense 195-218, Resistance 93-110, Defense success rate increased by 25%, Toughness +8, Special Effect 1: Endurance (Passive), Forcefully reduces critical hit rate by 30%; Special Effect 2: Protection (Active), Chooses a target, forcibly reducing the damage it takes by 80%, lasts for 5 seconds; This skill can only be used once every hour; Equipment Requirements: 60 Strength, 50 Constitution points; Not allowed to be taken out of the game: No. This is a top-notch item! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Dark Gold gear was already considered the cream of the crop among Gold Level gear, but the attributes of this shield were almost as good as those of Epic Level ones. Put up for auction, it would be worth at least a few hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. If he happened to encounter a spendthrift, selling it for over a million Doomsday Coins, Song Jian wouldnt even be surprised. The only pity was that this shield was a two-handed one, which brought down its value a little. If it was a one-handed shield, the starting price would have been a million Doomsday Coins! Apart from the necklace and this shield, the rest of the equipment was of rather normal quality and most of them were class locked and could only be used by Abyss classes. For Song Jian, they were of no use other than dissolving them for materials, which was somewhat of a waste. Such a shame, if it werent for the class restrictions, this batch of equipment could have been worth at least two million Doomsday Coins, excluding the Dark Gold Shield! Song Jian, shaking his head, stated regretfully. At that moment, an item in his bag drew his attention. It was a white finger bone of small size that was tucked away among the other items and could easily be overseen. Item: Demon Lord Finger Bone (Special), Quality: Unknown, Use Effect: A quest can be obtained by using it! A quest item and the name of this finger bone stirred something inside Song Jian. Looking at this jade white bone, Song Jian didnt hesitate to chose to use it. System: You have obtained an epic-tier quest, The Last Will of The Seven Great Demon Lords; Quest Content: First, find the Demon Guardian Temple, proceeding steps of the quest will be revealed after that. As expected, its a task involving the Seven Abyss Demon Kings. Maybe I can find the whereabouts of the seven Abyssal Demon Flames through this task. Staring at this new quest in his quest bar, Song Jian murmured to himself. He came here also in search of the temple that the players he had previously encountered spoke of. The temple they mentioned is likely to be the Demon Guardian Temple of the task, and the world boss he had beaten just now was named Demon Guard Captain. If anyone claimed that the World Boss had no connection with the Demon Guardian Temple, surely no one would believe it. Otherwise, how could the Demon Lords Finger Bone drop from it after being slain? With a quest in hand, the search for the temple became much easier, thanks to the fact that a quest map would appear in the task content. The map would show the general location of the temple. This was much easier than having to search the entire Demon Slayer Canyon without any hints. Glancing at the area marked on the quest map, Song Jian collected all the items and rushed towards the mission area. Chapter 776 - Chapter 776: Chapter 776: Quarrel Chapter 776: Chapter 776: Quarrel Song Jian spent half a day and finally arrived at the area marked on the map of his mission. But all he found was a Broken Stone Mountain. The rest of the area was barren, without any trace of buildings. The area is marked clearly on the map. Why cant I see anything? Song Jian frowned slightly, the vertical eye in the center of his eyebrows radiating light, revealing everything within hundreds of meters. However, all he saw was desolation. Apart from Flame Demons wandering around, he found no trace of any buildings. Could it be underground? Song Jian looked around and murmured. Just then, a dull roar echoed from the Broken Stone Mountain in front of him. Song Jian stared at the mountain closely. Upon reaching the base of the mountain, Song Jian picked up a piece of broken stone tablet. Astonishingly, two lines in Abyssal tongue were carved onto it. In the pitch-dark night, a dazzling golden light blooms. Seven lords let out a world-shaking roar, together they head towards Though the tablet was severely damaged, the words seven lords successfully caught Song Jians attention. Looking at the Broken Stone Mountain, Song Jian pondered for a moment before summoning his stone golem, Gulu. Clear a pathway so that I can see what secrets this mountain holds, Song Jian ordered. Gulu, gulu~ The stone golem twisted its head twice and nodded. Placing its hand on the surface of the Broken Stone Mountain, it emanated a heavy presence of earth-element magic. Soon, countless small stones rolled away like flowing water, creating a two-meter-high, one-meter-wide pathway right before Song Jians eyes. As pure earth-element creatures, the ability to control dirt and rock is an innate skill of the Gulu. However, carving a tunnel through a mountain was extremely exhausting even for it. Feeling Gulus exhaustion, Song Jian decided to let it rest in the Pet Space while he ventured into the tunnel by himself. As he entered the tunnel, a scorching flame burst out, forcefully pushing him backward. A giant Flame Demon emerged from the tunnel, clutching a ball of flame in its right hand, which it hurled towards Song Jian. Level 40 elite BOSS Song Jian narrowed his eyes, focusing on the Flame Demons head. That attack had cost Song Jian more than 500 vitality points. This Level 40 elite BOSS was powerful. A similar attack would have siphoned at least 800 vitality points from any other player in the Abyss. Song Jian lifted his right hand to reveal the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He slashed forward, sending a golden Sword Qi directly into the flame. With a muffled bang, both the Sword Qi and the flame dissipated. Song Jian leaped towards the Level 40 Elite BOSS, but surprisingly, the BOSS, upon seeing Song Jians golden Sword Qi, showed fear in its eyes. It let out a miserable roar and turned to flee back into the mountain. What is happening? Song Jian paused, his eyes filled with confusion as he watched the retreating figure of the Flame Demon. Monsters in the Abyss seldom run away from a fight. They would usually fight to the death, even among themselves. Even if their vitality points dropped to a critical point, they would prefer to die fighting rather than flee. Song Jian had never seen a Flame Demon flee a battle before. Hesitating for a moment, Song Jian followed the beast into the tunnel. Within the main city of the Desolate Highland, the Flame Furnace, there was an estate spanning more than 300 acres. It was the territory of the Fallen Angel Alliance. Despite being called an estate, both its exterior and interior were more akin to a robust war fortress. The entire fortress was built with crimson boulders. The fortress wall was fitted with Arrow Towers and Catapults. Hundreds of hired NPC warriors patrolled the area. Aside from the members of the Fallen Angel Alliance, anyone who came close would be warned by the NPC warriors, and if ignored, they would face an attack. In the heart of the Fallen Angel Alliance, Thomas sat in the conference room, his face dark and his eyes burning with fury as he looked at a robed Abyss profession player sitting next to him. Tubi, what is the meaning of this? Ive said it hundreds of times; it was an accident! Thomas roared, barely able to conceal his anger. Tubi was an Abyssal Curse Magician. Like the Abyss Shield Striker, even though they werent epic-level professions, they were half a rank higher than regular Abyss professions. His attack and burst damage might not be quite as strong, but his bizarre curse skills were hard to defend against. Ha, Thomas, you claimed that hunting the world BOSS was a sure thing. You took the entire Elite Team with you, and what did you come back with? A handful of survivors. Do you think you can explain this away by calling it an accident? Tubi revealed a look of scorn, tugged at his gold-trimmed cloak, and spoke chillingly. The Fallen Angel Alliance was not solely controlled by Thomas. In fact, a large group from the real world was backing it. Without this support, the Fallen Angel Alliance couldnt possibly dominate the Flame Furnaces main city, suppressing other alliances to the point where they couldnt even lift their heads. Tubi, as the deputy chief of the alliance, saw this as an opportunity to remove Thomas from his position as the leader of the alliance after he had nearly destroyed the entire Elite Team. Tubi, appearing to be in his late twenties, was tall with a constant grey aura in his eyes. His gaze was stern, and he radiated a cold aura that contradicted the hot climate of the Abyss. His robe was a curse magicians suit of Silver quality, which matched the level 35 Abyssal Curse Magician. The properties of this suit were even better than ordinary Gold equipment. Stitched with grey silk in the neckline of the robe was an eyeball pattern, eerily blinking and shifting around occasionally. I told you, if it werent for the interference of that human, we would have brought down that world BOSS who was already at 3%, but Thomas slammed the table angrily and yelled with a murderous look in his eyes. But the BOSS was stolen by someone else, and the hard-built Elite Team was wiped out! Tubi sneered: Oh, sorry, not a complete wipe, at least you, the alliance leader, managed to escape! You Thomas revealed a murderous intention in his eyes. At this moment, a player of around Level 20 Abyss Warrior class sitting by the conference table suddenly interrupted, Enough, both of you stop arguing. What we need now is a solution to the problem, not pointless bickering! Chapter 777 - Chapter 777: Chapter 777: Video Chapter 777: Chapter 777: Video Hearing this over-twenty-level player speaking, Thomas and Tubi immediately fell silent, no longer arguing. They looked at the player with great respect, and everyone else also seemed to think it was natural. Respected Mr. Kurul, what do you think is the best way to handle this situation? Tubi asked respectfully. Thomas also looked anxiously at Kurul. Kurul appeared to be in his forties. Theoretically, people over the age of thirty arent allowed to enter the game, but in reality, there are game invitation cards in the real world. Moreover, the underground arena is not exclusive to Coastal City. Kurul waved his hand and said, The consortium has commissioned me to come here only to assist you and serve as a communication bridge. I have no right to make any decisions about the alliance, but the dominant position of the Fallen Angel Alliance in the Flame Furnace Main City, and even in the Desolate Highland area, must not be shaken! Tubi smiled slightly and said, Mr. Kurul, this incident has dealt a heavy blow to the reputation of the Fallen Angel Alliance. There is only one human being, but he has defeated our elite team of over fifty players. Not to mention the cost of training so many elite players, their equipment alone is a significant loss! Glancing at Thomas, Tubi continued, Also, that Abyss Imprisonment Shield, though only a dark gold quality shield, is not inferior to an epic shield. Without this shield, it will directly affect the progress of our Elite Team in future boss raids. Oh, Im sorry, I forgot, the Elite Team has been wiped out What do you mean, are you saying Thomas roared angrily at Tubi. As Thomas and Tubi were about to start arguing again, Kurul frowned and tapped the conference table a few times, saying, What we need to do now is not to pursue responsibility, but to minimize the impact of this incident on the Fallen Angels position in the Flame Furnace! Hunt down that human and release a video of his death, letting everyone in the Desolate Highland know that it was our Fallen Angel Alliance that killed him! Tubi immediately suggested. Kurul nodded in satisfaction and smiled, Ive heard that the Bounty Hunters Mercenary Guild in Flame Furnace has raised the bounty on the person again, which has now reached 1,500,000 Doomsday Coins. This number is not only tempting to players but also to many NPCs. If the Fallen Angels can kill this human, they will definitely be able to re-establish their prestige in the Flame Furnace! Mr. Kurul, I hope to be the one to handle this matter. I will definitely be able to kill that human! Thomas immediately stood up and declared. Youve already failed once. I think its better to give this opportunity to someone else! Tubi immediately objected. Someone else? Who, you, Tubi? Thomas sneered, looking at Tubi disdainfully, With your strength, chasing and killing the human is just a suicide mission! Tubis face darkened instantly, staring at Thomas and saying, Thomas, dont think that just because youve obtained the Fallen Angel Wings, youre the number one person in the alliance. You still have a long way to go! Oh, really? Thomas laughed coldly, How about we both go to the Abyss Arena and spar? If you win, Ill back off from this matter. But if you lose, leave chasing and killing Song Jian to me! Tubi was speechless. With his current strength, he was no match for Thomas, even if the latter didnt use the Fallen Angel Wings. After all, Thomas has already passed the first stage of combat power assessment and was rumored to have passed the B+ level assessment. Tubi had already failed once and would have to wait another month before taking the test again. Enough, stop arguing! Kurul glanced at Tubi and said, Leave this matter to Thomas. Remember, Thomas, that human must die! This is your last chance! Thomass body shuddered, and he said solemnly, Mr. Kurul, rest assured, even if I die with him, I will kill him! Kurul nodded in satisfaction and said, Remember, try to get that two-handed shield back if you can. Its such a pity to lose such an excellent shield! Thomas hesitated for a moment, then clenched his teeth and said, Ill do my best! It is very difficult to drop items that have already been placed in a players inventory. Even if Thomas kills Song Jian and by chance manages to drop an item, its not guaranteed that it would be the shield; The highest probability is for dropping the equipment on Song Jians body before his death, followed by items in his inventory. If Song Jian does not voluntarily return the shield, regaining possession of it is almost an impossible task. The video of the Fallen Angel Alliance besieging the world boss and being disrupted by the human who entered the Abyssal Hell, leading to their annihilation, and the human taking the world bosss head and obtaining an epic-level item, quickly appeared on the main forum of Flame Furnace. As soon as this video appeared, the players in the Flame Furnace Abyss were in an uproar. In the city center, a huge billboard clearly displayed the scene of Song Jian harvesting the last remaining vitality from the world boss. After killing the boss, all viewers gazes were concentrated on that dazzling purple-red glowing item. From the angle of the video shooting, it was obvious that not only Song Jian and the Fallen Angel Alliance players were present, but also a third-party player. However, this player remained silent and appeared like a ghost, recording the events happening there. This video caused the reputation of the Fallen Angel Alliance in the Flame Furnace to plummet. All the alliance players felt that people were looking at them with mocking eyes; At the same time, the video also exposed some of Song Jians skills and trump cards. Seeing how Song Jian seemed to effortlessly control four long swords, wreaking havoc and hardly allowing anyone to withstand him for more than a few seconds, those planning to hunt him chilled in their hearts and weighed it carefully; After this video appeared, Song Jians bounty at the Mercenary Guild increased from 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 Doomsday Coins. This huge sum not only tempted the Bounty Hunters of the Desolate Highland, but also attracted people from other regions of Abyssal Hell. They flocked to the Flame Furnace, trying to find Song Jians whereabouts; Chapter 778 - Chapter 778: Chapter 778 Wolf Spider Demon Chapter 778: Chapter 778 Wolf Spider Demon The last known location of Song Jian was in the Demon Slayer Canyon. After the video release, it was no secret anymore. However, knowing that Song Jian was in the Canyon, many people gave up trying to kill him. The Demon Slayer Canyon was a place infested with level thirty-five monsters. If one did not have the strength to fight off the elite bosses there, pursuing Song Jian was akin to seeking death. Those who dared to enter the Demon Slayer Canyon were powerful and confident. After all, the reward of two million Doomsday Coins wasnt so easy to get hold of. Song Jian was now walking through a deep passage, heading towards the core of the Broken Stone Mountain. After roughly a hundred meters, his journey was met by a vast clearing with a deserted temple right before his eyes. Calling it a temple would be an overstatement. It was more like rubble, with fragmented rocks strewn all over. Signs of a battle were evident everywhere, and it seemed like a war had leveled everything here. Just then, a massive monster covering Song Jians path appeared. The creature was humanoid above the waist and its lower part resembled a giant spider, with six sturdy legs. It held a long spear in its hand and emanated an intense demonic aura. Wolf Spider Demon, Elite Boss, Level Forty, Vitality Points: 9000/9000 Another level forty elite boss. Does this mean all the monsters here are level forty elite bosses? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he began analyzing in his mind. Song Jian had once encountered an area entirely filled with elite bosses and had even farmed there for several days when constructing the Magic Crystal Railgun, which helped him gather lots of valuable materials. The Wolf Spider Demon did not have high vitality, but it obviously had other potent attributes: either a powerful attack, exceptional defence, or an attack with additional effects. The stone man Gulu was asleep due to exhaustion, and the terrain was unfit for the Black Dragon. Hence, Song Jian had to fight these monsters blocking his path all alone. Song Jian raised the Skeleton Crossbow and fired it at the Wolf Spider Demon. Thud, thud, thud~ After three consecutive shots, the fire-lit crossbow bolts struck the Wolf Spider Demon. However, they failed to penetrate its defense and only inflicted seven to eight points of damage each. Using weapons other than the longsword reduced damage by 80%. So even with Song Jians high attack power, the output damage would be limited. Using the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword would create a bigger ruckus and might attract other monsters. Dealing with an array of bosses would be a headache for Song Jian. Although the skeleton crossbow inflicted low damage, the noise it made was also minimal. It successfully lured the monster, and the Wolf Spider Demon immediately charged at Song Jian after being hit. He put away the crossbow and produced an abyss-infused black book in his hand. At the same time, a three-sided bone shield appeared around him, slowly revolving. Abyss Intimidation! The Wolf Spider Demon trembled and came to a sudden halt, but it woke up from the stun in less than two seconds and lunged at Song Jian with a roar. Song Jian shook his head. Normally, Abyss Intimidation could stun for around three seconds. Coupled with the effect of an epic necklace, the stun could last nearly four seconds. But this time, the boss only got stunned for less than two seconds, implying its strong resistance to stun effects. As the Abyss Intimidation spell continued, the Wolf Spider Demon darted to Song Jians side. The demon thrust its spear towards his chest. Bang! One of the bone shields collided with the spear creating a breaking sound near Song Jians ear. All three bone shields cracked, each with a more than foot-long gap. Such high damage! Song Jian was shocked, realizing that his Bone Shield may not be able to handle the monsters attacks for ten seconds. Just as expected, the Bone Shield lasted just over five seconds before it completely shattered. Several shards of bone pierced the Wolf Spider Demon, subtracting over 2,000 Vitality Points from it; After taking the damage, the Wolf Spider Demon was instantly enraged. It swung its spear in a wide sweep. Song Jian had no time to dodge and was directly sent flying by the spear, a damage figure of over 300 points floating above his head; System: Abyss Intimidation skill failed! After the Wolf Spider Demon sent Song Jian flying, a real damage number of 1,000 suddenly appeared above its head. Its face showed a look of terror and it started to run around chaotically; This was the special effect of the Abyss Intimidation skill. If the cast fails, it will cause 1,000 points of real damage to the target, and inflict fear for 5 seconds! Because of the epic necklace, this fear time was extended to six and a half seconds; Song Jian stood up, and with a thought, four long swords appeared on both sides of his body. With a wave of his right hand, the four swords flew like meteors towards the Wolf Spider Demon that was running around chaotically; The quad sword technique was simultaneously unleashed, the sword light dazzling, the Wolf Spider Demons body was marked with sword wounds, blood splashed out; The period of fear ended, and the Vitality Points of the Wolf Spider Demon had reduced to a third. However, it showed no signs of fleeing. Instead, it quickly approached Song Jian, using its six spider legs. Then, a gap split open from its abdomen, and a foul-smelling venom was shot out at Song Jian; With a change in Song Jians face, he hastily dodged to the side, but his left shoulder was still hit by the venom, emitting a sizzling corrosive sound. The durability of the shoulder protection of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set had directly dropped by a dozen points; At the same time, a gray aura began to spread from the corroded part of the shoulder, and in a short while, Song Jian was completely covered in a layer of gray aura; System: You are hit by the venom of the Wolf Spider Demon BOSS, defense reduced by 30%, movement speed decreased by 15%, paralysis effect triggered every 5 seconds; Looking at the status bar, Song Jian discovered a poisoning status that would last for 30 seconds; Dammit, this means I will be paralyzed six times! Song Jians face instantly turned pale; Before he could react, the Wolf Spider Demon surprisingly threw its spear directly at him, and Song Jian subconsciously activated the bloody shield skill from the Fire God Ring; Boom! The newly arisen red shield was directly pierced by the spear, shattering like glass. A healing number of 500 appeared above Song Jians head, simultaneously a scorching heat wave emanated from his body, dispersing in all directions. The heatwave hit the rushing Wolf Spider Demon, a real damage of 500 points floated up from its head, and its body violently shivered, falling into a trembling state; Song Jian pulled the spear out of his chest and threw it aside, looking at the trembling Wolf Spider Demon, a fierce look appeared in his eyes; Flash Thunder Strike, kill! The four long swords glowed with electricity, the Sword Qi slashed at the Wolf Spider Demon, the trembling Wolf Spider Demon had no power to counterattack, it could only endure the twelve electric-infused Sword Qi attacks with only its body. Damage numbers exceeding five hundred floated above its head. Before it could recover from its trembling state, the twelve Flash Thunder Strikes had taken all of its remaining Vitality Points. The Wolf Spider Demons eyes were filled with unwillingness and fury as its body heavily fell to the ground; Chapter 779 - Chapter 779: Chapter 779: Great Demon Chapter 779: Chapter 779: Great Demon Although Song Jian had killed the Wolf Spider Demon, the poisoning effect on his body had not disappeared. Every five seconds, Song Jian would be as stiff as a stone for three seconds. If he were still in battle, such a state would be enough for the Wolf Spider Demon to kill Song Jian three or four times, without giving him a chance to take any medicine to recover. Finally, after enduring the thirty-second poisoning, Song Jian took out a piece of roasted meat and sat down to slowly replenish his lost Vitality Points. Never let the Wolf Spider Demons venom touch you! Song Jian secretly reminded himself. It was only a level 40 elite BOSS, and with Song Jians strength, he should have been able to hunt it down in a crushing manner. However, he didnt expect almost having to give away his Enemy of Death God skill here, which made him secretly cautious. Picking up the three blue-quality pieces of equipment and materials dropped by the BOSS, Song Jian curled his lips. The level 40 elite BOSS had only dropped items worth no more than 30,000 Doomsday Coins, which was quite stingy. But the Experience Points are quite generous! Song Jian glanced at his Experience Points, and finally, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. The Experience Points gained from a level 40 elite BOSS were equal to more than a dozen ordinary monsters of the same level. Moreover, Song Jian had leveled up by killing the higher-level Wolf Spider Demon, which greatly increased his experience bar. As he continued to move forward, the temple ruins in the belly of the mountain were vast. All the monsters here were elite BOSSes, and there were more than one type of demon. Up to now, Song Jian had encountered both Flame Demons and Wolf Spider Demons. But soon, Song Jian saw the Goat-faced Demon and the Cerberus Demon; As its name implied, the Goat-faced Demon had a goats head and a burly body, and the pieces of bulging muscles on its body contained explosive power. This was the only monster that Song Jian had seen capable of surpassing his strength attribute since he gained first-order Combat Power. The Bone Shield he had released was shattered with a single blow by the Goat-faced Demon BOSS, and if it hadnt been for Song Jians use of the Soul Wander skill in the end, he might not have been a match for this Goat-faced Demon with his powerful skill effects and attack power. As for the Cerberus Demon, it looked exactly like the three-headed dog that guarded the gates of Hell in legends. A huge body, three ferocious demonic dog heads, and Abyssal Flames burning on its limbs and back. The scorching magma flowed through the cracks on the surface of its body like spider webs, making it appear less like a living creature and more like a puppet golem. Both of these demons failed to charm Song Jian. The Goat-faced Demon could directly shatter the Bone Shield, and the Cerberus Demon could spew flames, venom, and frost from its three heads. Even if Song Jian had used all the shield skills provided by the Bloody Ring and the Transformation Orb, he wouldnt have lasted long enough to use the Abyss Intimidation skill. Damn, if only my battle pets could fight and stall for ten seconds, it would be too easy! Song Jian secretly thought. At that moment, he suddenly remembered that he still had a Sword Shadow Clone skill, which, although not as powerful as his main body, could effectively confuse opponents. Just as Song Jian felt a bit annoyed and regretful about not thinking of this skill earlier, he finally encountered the fifth kind of demona Great Demon, wearing a cloak and wielding a scythe, looking like the legendary Death God! The Great Demons damage was extremely high, and it could also cast teleportation skills. Less than two seconds after being intimidated, it teleported directly in front of Song Jian, raised its scythe, and slashed at him. The Bone Shield only withstood three hits from the Great Demon before it shattered, and a black blade of light flashed. Song Jian was actually cut in half by its attack. However, the Great Demon was puzzled because it had clearly killed its target, but the Abyss Intimidation spell was still echoing in its ears. An illusion! The Great Demons face changed dramatically. It could feel a tremendous threat enveloping it, and as its eyes turned blood-red and it rushed towards Song Jians real body, an Abyssal Slave seal suddenly branded its brow. With a shrill scream, the Great Demons body suddenly burst into intense flames. The flames consumed its body, and it disappeared in an instant. But in less than a second, the Great Demon reappeared, clutching its head and rolling on the ground covered in debris. Not long after, this Great Demon BOSS finally stopped, as if it had resigned to its fate. It walked towards Song Jian, fell to one knee in front of him, and said in the Abyssal language, Master! The Great Demons hoarse voice was like rubbing a handful of sand in its throat, making Song Jian frown. But when he saw the demons attributes clearly, he couldnt help but laugh out loud, feeling relieved. This Great Demons attributes were extremely powerful. Not only did it have incredible attack power and teleportation skills, it also had a passive ability called Fatal Blow. Although it couldnt instant-kill any creature like the Undead Knight, it had a certain chance to trigger triple damage. As long as it wasnt a BOSS, ordinary monsters being hit with triple damage by the Great Demons powerful attack would be instantly killed. In practice, this Fatal Blow wasnt much different from the Undead Knights ability. Most importantly, the trigger rate of the Great Demons Fatal Blow was much higher than that of the Undead Knight15%, which already made Song Jian very satisfied. If I can recruit twelve Great Demons, then when attacking together, the triggering probability of this passive ability will be extremely high. Its the perfect weapon against players! Song Jian thought to himself. With the addition of the first Great Demon, the efficiency of Song Jians grinding increased significantly. Soon, he successively charmed eleven more Great Demons, forming a team of Great Demons that began sweeping through all the monsters in the temple ruins. More than an hour later, Song Jians level had increased by one. With his current level, leveling up meant grinding over half a month of same-level monsters. However, in the temple ruins, his efficiency had increased more than tenfold. Upon reaching level thirty-eight, Song Jian added the new skill point to his core skill, Immortal Sword Body. The now ninth-level Immortal Sword Body provided a significant increase in attributes and duration. Clearly, level nine was not the limit for the Immortal Sword Body skillit could still be upgraded even further. The higher the quality of the skill, the higher its level limit. Just like the Soul Wander skill, its level limit was twelve. Song Jian estimated that the Immortal Sword Bodys level limit was at least the same as Soul Wander, if not higher. Chapter 780 - Chapter 780: Chapter 780: Angels Feather Chapter 780: Chapter 780: Angels Feather Song Jian led twelve Great Demons, sweeping through this area, and in just three hours, all the monsters he saw were killed. When the twelve Great Demons attacked together, at least one of them would trigger a lethal blow, dealing three times the damage directly, causing more than three thousand points of damage. The damage caused by the other eleven Great Demons attacks wasnt much less. These elite BOSSes of the same level couldnt bear it at all. In this temple ruin area, as long as an elite BOSS was targeted by Song Jian, they couldnt even get close to him before being killed by the Great Demons. Song Jian only needed to pick up the dropped items behind them. Where Song Jian had passed, burned corpses were left behind. After the death of the Abyssal Demons, most of them would be devoured by the Abyssal Flames and turned to ashes. Along the way, in addition to the five Demon BOSSes encountered previously, Song Jian encountered two more types of demons C Abyssal Succubus and a Fallen Angel with a pair of black wings. These two types of monsters were rare in number but stronger than the previous five types. The Abyssal Succubus had a natural ability to charm, and all twelve Great Demons were charmed by it, not attacking at all. Even Song Jian wouldve been controlled by Abyss Temptation if it wasnt for his powerful talent skill Thick-skinned. However, if one resisted her charm, the Abyssal Succubus was easy to deal with. Both its attack and defense power were slightly weaker than other elite BOSSes; Meanwhile, the Fallen Angel was the most powerful Abyssal BOSS Song Jian had ever seen. It was like a combination of a warrior and a mage. Not only could it cast Abyssal spells, but it wielded a long sword and was unmatched in close combat. If not for the large number of Great Demons, the Fallen Angel could have fought three same-level Great Demons without losing; Such combat power made Song Jian envious. Except for the first Fallen Angel, which was killed by the Great Demons siege, all the other Fallen Angels he encountered were charmed by Song Jian using the Abyss Intimidation skill and turned into his slaves. It was just a pity that there were so few Fallen Angels. By the time Song Jian arrived at a semi-collapsed temple, he had only charmed three Fallen Angels, and the remaining nine slaves were still Great Demons. The items dropped by these BOSSes were not bad, at least all of them were of blue quality. Song Jian picked up more than 30,000 Doomsday Coins along the way. The other materials and equipment took up a whole backpack. Song Jian even discarded some low-value blue materials and equipment to save space. After all, he brought a large amount of supplies with him. No one could guarantee what would happen during the mission, and sufficient supplies could determine whether he could survive in Abyssal Hell. Even if he encountered valuable items, he couldnt throw away these supplies; Among the dropped items, a silver feather emitting a silver glow caught Song Jians attention. It was a palm-sized silver feather with mysterious magic patterns occasionally appearing on its surface. A faint Divine Power emitted from the feather. If Song Jian hadnt experienced Divine Power before, he wouldnt have sensed this weak force. The whole feather was crystal clear, like an art piece. Holding it in his hand, Song Jian could feel its weight C this single feather weighed at least a hundred pounds; Angels Feather (Special), Medium item, Usage requirements: 100 Intelligence points; Usage effect: Spirit Summoner class players can use this item to summon a Bicolumned Angel to assist in battle. The angel exists for one hour and disappears automatically upon death. During its existence, the Spirit Summoner has a certain chance to increase the Bicolumned Angels favorability. When the favorability reaches respect, the angel will permanently become the spirit summoners battle pet! An Angel?! Song Jians eyes lit up. The three Fallen Angels behind him were wearing armor, and their genders could not be seen. Even their faces were covered by black metal masks that covered the area below their noses. Yet, even with only half of their faces visible, the three Fallen Angels were incredibly handsome, making people want to take off their masks and take a look; One could imagine that if they could really recruit a real angel, it would cause quite a sensation. Besides, judging from the combat power of the Fallen Angels, Song Jian could infer that the strength of the summoned Bicolumned Angel would not be weaker than that of the Black Dragon and had potential for continuous growth. However, Song Jian had never encountered the Spirit Summoner class before, and this feather could only summon the angel for one hour. As for how to increase the angels favorability and make it a permanent battle pet, Song Jian had no clue; The value of this item was difficult to determine. Its applicability was narrow, only usable by Spirit Summoners, and it had a great chance of being a one-time use item. If a wealthy player was encountered, then the value of this feather would be equivalent to that of a Bicolumned Angel, otherwise, it could only be sold as a one-time use item; Song Jian had killed only one Fallen Angel, and this feather should have been dropped by that Fallen Angel. Other than this feather, no other items interested Song Jian. The items dropped were mostly restricted to the Abyss profession. If they couldnt be sold here, they could only be taken back to the City of Hope and disassembled into materials; Song Jian walked towards the half-collapsed temple, and as soon as he entered the Temple Gate, a magma river as wide as ten meters appeared before his eyes, dividing the temple in two. The dazzling red light shone from the magma river, as the magma constantly churned and flowed. The scorching air came rolling towards him, and even standing at the entrance of the temple, Song Jian could feel the heatwave. With a thought, a pair of steel wings appeared behind Song Jian. With a flap of his wings, he flew across the magma river; As he crossed the magma river, Song Jian found that the ground on the other side was covered with bottomless ravines, as if someone had wielded a giant sword and randomly chopped the ground. As he approached these ravines, Song Jian suddenly felt the pain of needle pricks on his skin. The residual Sword Qi around here actually condensed for hundreds of years without dissipating. Isnt this supposed to be the Guardian Temple of the Abyss Demon King? Why are there such terrifying Sword Qi here? Song Jian frowned as he walked around the ravines, heading towards the temple; As he continued forward, some relatively intact buildings appeared before Song Jians eyes. Along with them came groups of Fallen Angels and Abyssal Succubi. Song Jian realized that it seemed that all the Abyssal Succubi and Fallen Angels in the entire area were concentrated here, which was why there were so few of these demons outside the temple. These monsters were numerous, and the distance between them was very short, making it difficult to single them out. Song Jian ordered the demon slaves behind him to stay where they were, cast the stealth skill from the Abyssal Stealth Necklace he wore, and slowly approached the buildings ahead; PS: Thanks to Silver Snake for rewarding 500 Qidian coins~ Chapter 781 - Chapter 781: Chapter 781: The Fallen Angel Chapter 781: Chapter 781: The Fallen Angel Song Jian noticed that the Abyss Temptations and the Fallen Angels here seemed to be more spirited than the ones outside. Some of them even engaged in quiet conversations. They all spoke in the language of the Abyss which wasnt a problem for Song Jian. A Fallen Angel brushed past Song Jian, causing him to tense up. This Fallen Angel appeared to have sensed something and turned to look in Song Jians direction, its eyes filled with confusion. Song Jian stood perfectly still. A bead of cold sweat rolled down from his forehead, down his cheek. After a moment, the Fallen Angel shook its head and continued to walk forward. Song Jian managed to catch the drop of sweat, his heart pounding. It seemed that the Abyss Concealment Skill inherent to the Concealment Necklace was of a high level, able to conceal him even from the perception of a level 40 Elite Boss. Song Jian headed towards the relatively intact buildings. The farther he ventured in, the more creatures he encountered. They roamed around the buildings, their activities unknown to Song Jian. He then spotted a rather grand building ahead, a three-story stone tower. This stone tower, which bore numerous scratches and moss, was probably the best-preserved structure here, carrying the traces of time. Despite the towers ancient appearance, it was the most intact and eye-catching building he had come across. After some hesitation, Song Jian headed towards the stone tower. Two Fallen Angels stood guard at the entrance. As he carefully walked past them, the one on the left seemed to sense something. It pulled out its longsword and made a hostile swipe at the entrance. Song Jian rolled into the first floor of the stone tower the moment he sensed the Fallen Angel draw its sword. The sword only cut through empty air. The Fallen Angel pulled back its sword expressionlessly. Its companion on the other side looked at it strangely but didnt say anything. The two Fallen Angels returned to their statue-like stance. Song Jian was covered in a cold sweat. The level of the Abyss Concealment Skill might have been just enough to jolt the edge of detection of a level 40 Elite Boss. While it couldnt see through Song Jians stealth state, it could sense slight traces. If he hadnt been so alert just now, his stealth wouldve been compromised by the Fallen Angel. The first floor of the stone tower was empty of possessions. A stone staircase by the wall led to the second floor. Song Jian thought about it, then decided to ascend the stairs. On the second floor, there were several racks apparently for placing items. All of them were made of blackwood, emitting a metallic sound when knocked. It felt like ironwood. Unfortunately, the racks were all empty, devoid of any item. Song Jian felt a pang of disappointment. Could it be that there were no clues about the seven Great Demon Lords in this stone tower and all his previous guesses were wrong? Unwilling to give up, Song Jian continued to climb to the third floor and entered the highest level of the stone tower. Here, Song Jian finally made a discovery. He saw two Fallen Angels in silver armor. But unlike others, the wings of the two were not black but grey. Black mists, the Abyssal Chains, were wrapped around them. The black mists, looking like tentacles, sprouted from the chains and reached towards the wings of the Angels. Whenever the grey aura touched the wings, sparks flew, causing the black mists to retract like a frightened animal. However, after a short while, the black tentacle-like mists would extend from the Abyssal Chains again. Each encounter elicited energy from the wings, repelling the mists. But with each encounter, a strand as thin as a hair remained on the wings. Despair was evident on the faces of the two angels, bound by the Abyssal Chains. Even suicide was not an option for them. They could only endure, quietly, the erosion of the languid aura of the abyss. They kept resisting, refusing to fall. But if they succumbed, the aura would drag them into the Abyss, turning them into Fallen Angels. Between the angels, there was a large half person-tall chest, radiating a dark golden light. It was constructed of an unknown material, inscribed with complex and eerie magical patterns that intermittently glowed. The two bound angels ignored the treasure chest between them, silently enduring the corrosion of the Abyssal Chains. Kekaul, can you can you keep going? The Fallen Angel on the left asked in a pained whisper. Tula, are you giving up? Kekaul gritted his teeth. Have you truly forgotten the glory of God and want to become a monster like those outside? God? Tula gave a bitter smile. Weve been tormented here for hundreds of years. But our God he never once showed up! Tula, this is Gods test for us. I believe as long as we persist, we will be saved! Kekaul responded with steadfast conviction. Just then, the black chains binding Kekaul coalesced into a 7 or 8 meter-long whip, and started to lash his body viciously. Crack, crack, crack. Black lash marks appeared on Kekauls silver armor. The whipping seemed to inflict more than just physical pain; his soul also bore a sensation of being ripped apart. Large beads of sweat rolled off Kekauls forehead. A pained expression twisted his face as he struggled to suppress his moans. After more than a dozen lashes, the whip dissipated back into the black mists of the Abyssal Chains. Seeing Kekaul being whipped, Tulas face clouded with remorse, soon replaced by a look of agony. Kekaul, I I feel like I cant hold on much longer! Tula took a deep breath, his body trembling slightly. His once light-grey wings instantly darkened. With his head lowered, Kekaul didnt engage Tula in further conversation. Instead, he started softly reciting hymns. As he chanted, the Abyssal Chains constricted him even more, causing his silver breastplate to creak, as thin cracks started spreading across its surface. God, why wont you save us! Tula roared in anguish, and his wings turned jet-black, as if doused in a bucket of ink. Chapter 782 - Chapter 782: Chapter 782: Rescue Chapter 782: Chapter 782: Rescue These two angels, who knows who captured them and placed them inside this stone tower, experienced untold torture and torment within it. Over a hundred years ago, they firmly believed that the gods would come to save them. However, a century passed, and these two angels experienced unending suffering, both physically and emotionally. Eventually, one of the angels finally couldnt bear the torment any longer. With resentment towards the gods in its heart, it gave up its angel status and became a fallen angel. The instant its wings turned pitch black, its silver armor also turned black, and countless Abyssal energies emerged from the void. They coalesced into a dark metal mask that covered its face. Sizzle sizzle sizzle~ The sound of flesh searing emanated, and a faint scent of roasted meat filled the air. Tula raised his head abruptly, a pained scream escaping from beneath the mask. The moment this black metal mask covered Tulas face, the Abyssal Chains that bound it shattered with a clang, dissolving into strands of Abyssal energy that quickly merged into Tulas body. Previously withered and weak, Tula regained its strength. With its black wings unfurled, it stood on the ground, black energy continuously seeping from its body, and an overwhelming aura emitted from it. A pained expression surfaced on Kekauls face, and he closed his eyes tightly, constantly reciting hymns with his head lowered. Tula turned its head. Its once-golden eyes were now blood-red. It glanced at Kekaul, who was still bound by the Abyssal Chains, and spoke lowly with a hoarse voice, Im waiting for you! After speaking, Tula strode towards the tower exit. Tears rolled down Kekauls cheeks. He knew that he had lost a companion forever. In the past hundred years, their mutual encouragement helped them persevere. Now he was alone, and Kekaul didnt know how much longer he could hold on. His wings had been eroded into a light gray, and he felt himself losing strength each day, while Abyssal forces slowly infiltrated his body. It was at this moment that Kekaul suddenly spotted a figure materializing in mid-air. Song Jian deliberately terminated his stealth and appeared in front of Kekaul. Yourea human? Kekaul could hardly believe his eyes. In this Abyssal Hell filled with demons, seeing a human being made Kekaul think he was having a hallucination. Yes, respected Angel. I am indeed a human! Song Jian bowed to Kekaul and replied with a smile. How did you come here? Kekaul asked in astonishment, This is the Abyssal Hell, where there are demons everywhere I am following the guidance of the Goddess of Dawns believer, High Priestess Cecilia, and have come here to seek the Demon Lords Abyssal Demon Flame! Song Jian responded. He didnt know which god Kekaul worshipped, but he could ascertain that the god Kekaul worshipped must belong to the same righteous faction as the Goddess of Dawn. Demon Lord? Kekaul furrowed his brows slightly and sighed softly, As far as I know, all seven Abyss Demon Kings have already fallen System: Youve discovered the Demon Guardian Temple. The mission Last Wishes of the Seven Demon Lords will begin its next phase; System: Please talk to Imprisoned Angel Kekaul and gather information about the fall of the seven Demon Lords; Song Jian glanced at the system prompt and pursed his lips. The so-called Demon Guardian Temple in the mission must be the abandoned area previously buried beneath Broken Stone Mountain. Song Jian entered but hadnt discovered the Guardian Temple until he found the two angels. Clearly, the missions requirements went beyond simply discovering the temple; Song Jian had also to locate the critical mission NPC. It seemed that the angel Kekaul in front of him was indeed the critical mission NPC for this epic mission. If it also fell like Tula and became a Fallen Angel, I wonder how this mission will proceed! Song Jian mused silently. In reality, this epic mission indeed had the possibility of failing from the get-go. If Song Jian hadnt arrived within the time limit, Kekaul wouldve followed in Tulas footsteps and succumbed, becoming a Fallen Angel in at most one day. By then, no matter how thorough Song Jian searched the area, he wouldnt have been able to complete the quest. The Seven Demon Lords have already fallen? Song Jian raised his eyebrows and asked softly, Respected Angel, could you please explain in detail how the Seven Demon Lords perished? The white finger bone in his inventory shone brightly. Ever since accepting this epic mission, Song Jian had known from the missions name that the seven Demon Lords had fallen. His current inquiry was just to continue along the missions path. With a sigh, Kekaul recounted everything he knew about the fall of the Seven Demon Lords to Song Jian. Apparently, a hundred years ago, an incredibly powerful human had trespassed into the Abyssal Hell, causing immense destruction. The Demon Slayer Canyon was said to have been created by this human and the Demon Lord during an intense battle. The humans reckless actions eventually angered the rulers of the Abyssal Hell. The seven Abyss Demon Kings challenged the human in unison. As a result, after a great battle, the Kings perished while the heavily injured human vanished without a trace. Kekaul and Tula were just ordinary twin-winged battle angels who ventured into the Abyssal Hell for training. Yet, they were extremely unlucky. During a demon hunt, they inadvertently got too close to the battlefield where the Demon Lords fought, and the aftermath of the battle gravely injured them. They were subsequently captured and imprisoned at the Demon Guardian Temple until the present. It took Kekaul more than twenty minutes to relay all the information that Song Jian required. System: Youve learned the truth about the fall of the Seven Demon Lords. The next step of the mission has begun. Mission content: Save Angel Kekaul! Human, can you rescue me from the binding of the Abyssal Chains? Kekaul pleaded hopefully, If you set me free, I am willing to become your companion in the Abyssal Hell and assist you in battle until you leave the Abyssal Hell! Chapter 783 - Chapter 783: Chapter 783: Underground Cave Chapter 783: Chapter 783: Underground Cave The angel Kekaul issued a mission to Song Jian to save himself, but this mission was not easy for Song Jian; Song Jian frowned slightly. This was an epic-level task; every step was incredibly challenging and even filled with hidden traps. Just like the first mission to explore the Demon Guardian Temple, even after reaching the temple area, one has to find the key NPC to complete the task; To save Angel Kekaul, its necessary to free him from the Abyssal Chains. If the key to the liberation was a level 40 Lord Boss, Song Jian would not be surprised; Song Jian had the Book of the Abyss. If Angel Kekaul became a Fallen Angel, it would be easy for Song Jian to recruit him as a slave, but releasing him was a tough task indeed. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian nodded, agreeing to the task; Its my honor! Song Jian said. A look of relief appeared in Angel Kekauls eyes. The fall of his companion had dealt a severe blow to him. If Song Jian hadnt appeared, Kekaul would likely become a Fallen Angel, a creature of the Abyss, within a day. Thank you, human, you have won the friendship of the Temple Legion! Kekaul said gratefully; System: You have unlocked Neutral Faction, Prestige in Sky City. Your fame in Sky City has reached Ordinary. You have unlocked the Temple Legions Prestige. Your reputation in the Temple Legion has reached Friendly! Your relationship with Angel Kekaul reached Friendly; Song Jian was stunned, not expecting to gain benefits simply by accepting the task. There were many factions within the game, most of which were established by NPC. These big and small organizations have lots of resources, but to obtain these resources, one must first establish a good relationship with these factions and improve their reputation. Song Jian had never heard of Sky City and the Temple Legion. However, such organizations had been in existence for hundreds of years, and being able to open up prestige would undoubtedly bring benefits; I wonder how I can save you from here? And, I want to ask, is this chest yours? Song Jian pointed at the Dark Gold Treasure Chest next to the bound Angel. On the third floor of this tower, the only thing that piqued Song Jians interest was this Dark Gold Treasure Chest. Its a trap! Kekaul had a wry smile on his face as he continued, Inside this Dark Gold Treasure Chest is actually a wicked trap. Once you open it, youll be killed by the mechanisms inside! What? Song Jian broke out in a cold sweat. Had he not witnessed the fall of an Angel, he probably would have tried to open the chest right away. The existence of this chest is to let us witness the wickedness of human hearts firsthand. Five other adventurers had appeared here but ignored us who were bound, and directly opened the chest! Kekaul lamented, The Abyss Demons are experts in manipulating the hearts of humans. Theyre using this methodology to crush our confidence and willpower Song Jian suddenly realized that creatures like Angels seem to always show up as protectors of people. When theyre in danger, those theyve always protected only see the Dark Gold Treasure Chest, seek benefits, and dont consider rescuing the Angles in distress. This is indeed hard for the Angels to accept. If it were a more intense Angel, it might have fallen into an Abyss creature on the spot; After understanding this, Song Jians face became grim. The Demon that could come up with such a method was clearly an old, crafty fox. To save the Angel in front of him, theres a high chance hell confront the Demon; As expected, Angel Kekaul continued, To touch the shackles of the Abyssal Chains, you must obtain the fang of the Sixth Demon King Ishtan, which is now controlled by the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist Iphisna! It was her idea to use such a wicked method and so many of my companions have fallen to become Abyss Demons. May I ask about the strength of this Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, Iphisna? Song Jian tentatively asked. Her power is very strong, almost comparable to the might of the Archangel. In the language of you adventurers, she is a level 50 Lord Boss possessing peak First Order Combat Power! Angel Kekaul bluntly revealed. Song Jian almost spat out a mouthful of blood. A peak First Order Combat Power, level 50 Lord Boss, this epic-level mission is only the second ring and its already this difficult? With Song Jian currently at level 38, facing this Boss, he cant even check her attributes. Just looking at her level, which is in the shape of a skull, is a sign that shes ten levels higher than him, possessing the power to crush lower-level beings. With my strength, Im just not a match for her! Song Jian said with a grim expression. A Lord Boss wouldnt be like an Elite Boss, going about without any subordinates. If she didnt have hundreds of minions following her at all times, she would be too embarrassed to even greet other Lord Bosses. You dont need to fight her. Although the Fang of the Sixth Demon King is controlled by Iphisna, its placed on an altar. The Wolf Spider Demons want to resurrect the Sixth Demon King through blood sacrifice. You just need to steal the Fang from the altar. Angel Kekaul said. Phew, thankfully we dont need to fight such a powerful Boss! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief, you can imagine how strong the guardians of the altar which could resurrect the Sixth Demon King would be. However, theres always a way if you aim to steal; even the tiger dozes off once in a while. With this considered, the difficulty of the mission has dropped considerably; After telling Song Jian the location of the altar, Angel Kekaul seemed exhausted and closed his eyes, no longer speaking. The fall of his companion who had been with him for hundreds of years had dealt a great blow to him. His mental defense had gaps now. Song Jian quietly waited for the cooldown of the Concealment Necklace to end, then entered stealth mode and walked towards the outside of the tower; With the Abyss Concealment Skill, Song Jian carefully moved through the shadows of these buildings. Abyss Temptation and Fallen Angels occasionally passed by but as long as he didnt make a noise, it was difficult for these creatures to detect him; Once he passed through the relatively intact architecture, Song Jian arrived at a stretch of cliff; it was the edge of the cavern. Here, a massive cave appeared before him. Red light constantly radiated from the cave and eerie screams could be faintly heard from inside the cave, making one shudder; Chapter 784 - Chapter 784: Chapter 784 Blood Sacrifice Chapter 784: Chapter 784 Blood Sacrifice Song Jian stepped into the cave entrance, where a narrow passageway lay ahead. The rock walls of the passageway emitted a dim, red glow, the scorching temperature proving almost unbearable even for him. The passageway led steeply downwards, deep into the earth. Having navigated through it, Song Jian soon arrived at an underground square. Despite its location, the environment here wasnt any different from the surface. The ground was riddled with cracks through which lava flowed slowly, occasionally spluttering upwards before solidifying into blackish-red rocks. However, the environment here was a little bit darker than the surface. With his Vertical Eye slightly open, Song Jian could see that the underground square was quite expansive. A few rudimentary straw huts were scattered around, and at the center of the square was a giant altar surrounded by rows upon rows of stone steps, as many as a hundred. At the very top of the altar was a roaring bonfire. Before the bonfire was a stone platform similar to a bed, on which a young girl dressed in ragged clothes was bound. However, this girl clearly had Abyss Demon lineage. Little horns protruded from her forehead, and faint black patterns appeared on her cheeks C characteristic magical markings of Abyss Temptation. Clearly, this girl held Abyssal Succubus blood. Several Wolf Spider Demons stood unmoving on the altars stone steps, quietly watching the altar, looking like statues. Next to the stone platform atop the altar, a Wolf Spider Demon adorned with numerous ornaments held a magic staff towards the bonfire, loudly chanting something. This Wolf Spider Demon, encrusted with ornaments, was massive. Its lower body was a bloated spiders abdomen, while from the waist up it had a young girls body, fair skin, slender arms, and long black hair. If one were to view only its upper body, it would resemble an enticing, wondrous figure. However, when Song Jian saw her face, he was visibly taken aback, as if he had encountered something unbelievable. The face of the Wolf Spider Demon was lined with wrinkles, its skin as gnarled as old tree bark, devoid of any teeth, the lips seemed shrunken. It looked like an old man in his eighties. The magic staff in her hand resembled a creatures spine. A faint red glow seeped from inside the staff, akin to blood coursing through it. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, Iphisna Song Jian whispered. He could not discern the name of this monstrous creature. To him, the Ritualist with an elderly face and a young girls body appeared as statistically unknown, its attributes marked by question marks, its level indicated by a skull symbol, but he knew that it was the only monster present whose attributes he could not discern. Without a doubt, this was the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist referred to by the Angel Kekaul: Iphisna. A Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, an altar. This must be where the Sixth Demon Lord Istantins Fangs are kept. But where are the fangs, the objective of the quest? Song Jian muttered to himself, glancing left and right, but he did not find any traces of the fangs. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist muttered an incantation. Song Jian could hear clearly that she was reciting in the Abyssal language, but he could not understand a single word. The Ritualist slowly approached the stone platform. The young girl with the Abyssal Succubus bloodline, who was bound on the platform, looked listless. Seeing the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist approaching, fear flashed across her face. She fervently shook her head, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes as if pleading for mercy. For some inexplicable reason, she couldnt make any sound. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist elevated her magic staff and gently touched the girls forehead. Streams of dark red essence flowed from the staff into the girls body. The girl struggled violently, her entire body went rigid, arched like a bow, before falling heavily onto the stone platform. Streams of gray essence emerged from the girls body and rushed toward the large bonfire. The gray essence became increasingly dense. Eventually, a semi-transparent gray silhouette appeared, resembling the girl, and was being drawn out of her body, flying towards the enormous bonfire. The girl lying on the stone platform, seemed increasingly frail, her breath intermittent, and her state was critical. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist glanced at her, flicked her hand and the ropes binding the girl ripped apart. Two Wolf Spider Demons stepped forward and lifted the girl away. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist leaned on her magic staff, slowly walked towards the bonfire, and began chanting loudly. Suddenly, the formerly crimson flame soared several feet high. A streak of black began spreading from the center of the flame, and in no time, the entire flame turned black. The Abyssal Magic Flame! Song Jian squinted toward the blaze. The black flame was unique to the Abyssal Hell. Only those flames imbued with the purest Abyssal Power were black. The instant the flames turned black, the Book of the Abyss inside Song Jian began stirring. The surface of the book surged with a black flame, enveloping the entire tome. As if responding to something, the black flames on the altar became more intense, bounding higher. In the heart of the black flames, a foot-long curved fang slowly emerged, suspended in mid-air and encased in flame. Song Jians eyes lit up. It appeared that the fangs in the midst of the black flames were indeed the quest items. Only the fangs of the Sixth Demon Lord could be compatible with the Abyssal Magic Flame. No other items could possibly withstand the Abyssal Magic Flame for an extended duration. Securing this quest item would not be an easy task. Given the numerous Wolf Spider Demons occupying the altar C and the presence of a skull-level Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist C with Song Jians current strength, it was impossible for him to charge forward and seize the Demon Lords fangs. Song Jian waited patiently. While his Abyss Concealment Skill might be able to fool the numerous Wolf Spider Demons, it would certainly not fool the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. If he ventured too close in stealth, she would undoubtedly detect him. Consequently, Song Jian dared not use his stealth skill to advance. The black flame appeared, and so did the fangs of the Abyss Demon Lord. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist reversed her magic staff and plunged it into her own heart. A spray of fresh blood shot forth. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist let out a pained groan. Like a fountain, blood erupted from her chest, aiming for the fangs within the black flames. Chapter 785 - Chapter 785: Chapter 785: Tusks Chapter 785: Chapter 785: Tusks Blood continuously spouted from the chest of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. The amount, already exceeding two to three times its volume, made the smooth skin of its body slowly wane in moisture and luster, matching the unparalleled age of its cheeks skin. Even the spider body below its waist showed a color of grey decay. However, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist quickly pulled out its magic staff and from its waist pouch, took out a lump of black ointment and smeared it on its chest; Song Jian knew that the creature was at its weakest, stirring a blistering urge in him. Yet, the surrounding hundreds of Wolf Spider Demons immediately cooled his enthusiasm. Even if all of his twelve demon slaves were present, even if the Black Dragon and Stone Man Gulu both participated in the fight, he couldnt possibly withstand the siege of hundreds of Wolf Spider Demon Bosses. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist seemed very exhausted, but she still knelt down, with all of its eight spider legs curled up, its forehead pressed against the cold surface of the stone altar, and started praying in a low voice; All of the Wolf Spider Demons also knelt down simultaneously, with their six spider legs curled, their heads resting on the ritualistic altar steps, murmuring prayers with the Ritualist in the Abyssal language; After a long while, the black flames gradually shrank, as though they were being absorbed by the Demon Lords fang, which slowly faded like a phantom before disappearing into the void. At this point, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist finally heaved a sigh of relief, slowly getting up, assisted by two Wolf Spider Demons. She began to venture down the altar steps, leaving the impression that their blood sacrifice had been completed. All of the surrounding Wolf Spider Demons respectfully lowered their heads, facing the Ritualist, and waited for her to descend the altar. Half an hour later, the Wolf Spider Demons surrounding the altar had departed, leaving only a dozen or so Wolf Spider Demon guards patrolling around, watching over the towering altar. Song Jian was aware that even with many fewer Wolf Spider Demon Bosses here, he still couldnt fight without drawing the attention of other Wolf Spider Demons, perhaps even that of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. Song Jian, now in stealth mode, carefully avoided the surrounding Wolf Spider Demon Bosses and slowly headed towards the altar. One of the Wolf Spider Demon Bosses bumped into him, seemed to sense something, emitted a low growl from its throat, and stopped in its tracks. It gazed around with a confused expression, but it was not capable of detecting Song Jians presence and after a while, this Wolf Spider Demon slowly drifted away. Despite this, Song Jian was perspiring cold sweat. This must be the place of most concern for the Wolf Spider Demons, seemingly lightly defended, but once an enemy is spotted, by just guarding the entrance, the Wolf Spider Demons could render the enemy unable to escape even if they had wings; Song Jian climbed onto the altar and stood before the altars bonfire, which had once again resumed burning with red flames. It was then that he discovered that the bonfire was not ordinary, burning not regular firewood but the bones of some enormous abyssal creature. As Song Jian stood before the bonfire, he did not detect anything unusual. He couldnt summon the black Abyssal Demon Flame either. Without the Abyssal Demon Flame, the Demon Lords fang would not appear. Song Jian glanced at the dozen or so Wolf Spider Demons below the altar, his brows furrowing. He could sense that as he approached the massive bonfire, the Book of the Abyss in his body started to stir. If he were to bring out the Book of the Abyss, it would surely draw forth the Abyssal Demon Flame here, but that might alarm the surrounding creatures. With this thought, Song Jian suddenly had an idea. He still had twelve demon slaves waiting outside. If these were to attack, they would likely draw the attention of most of the Wolf Spider Demon Bosses. If it could distract the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist as well, then the difficulty of this mission would be significantly reduced! With this in mind, Song Jian ordered his twelve demon slaves who had been guarding outside to rush into the underground cave where the wolf spider demon altar was located. Soon, Song Jian could feel his demon slaves vitality points were decreasing, and they had entered a combat state. Then, he heard an enraged roar from the distance. Subordinates of the Fifth Demon Lord, have you lost your minds? You dare to attack the Sixth Demon Lords resurrection altar! The raspy voice of the wolf spider demon ritualist echoed with suppressed rage. Song Jian could hear almost all the wolf spider demons roar with anger, and they followed the wolf spider demon ritualist, charging at the demon slaves who invaded their territory. Among the demon slaves Song Jian had recruited were three fallen angels and the rest were great demons, which led the wolf spider demon ritualist to mistakenly think that it was they trying to hinder the resurrection of the Sixth Demon Lord. Therefore, he summoned all the wolf spider demons, unaware that the only invaders were the twelve abyssal demons before him. The wolf spider demons guarding the underground altar also started to stir, and even five or six of them rushed out of the cave. Even those who did not rush out moved toward the mouth of the cave, intending to take advantage of the terrain to guard the underground cave. Seeing the wolf spider demons had left the altar, Song Jian immediately took out the Book of the Abyss. Boom! The surface of the Book of the Abyss suddenly erupted with black flames which served as a catalyst. The massive bonfire in front of Song Jian instantly turned from scarlet to black. Streams of black flames seemed to surge towards the Book of the Abyss, and a fang over a foot long slowly emerged from the void. Song Jian stepped forward and grabbed the protruding fang. A searing sound rang out and Song Jian felt a throbbing pain in his palm. A puff of white smoke rose from his palm, as if something had taken a bite out of it. This unexpected event took Song Jian by surprise. An 800-plus damage value floated above his head, and his stealth status was immediately broken, gradually revealing his figure! System: You have seized the Demon Fang of the Sixth Demon Lord, causing him to lose the chance of resurrection. Your reputation among the wolf spider demons is permanently set to unflagging hostility! System: The wolf spider demon ritualist, Iphisna, has targeted you and will chase you relentlessly until one of you is completely annihilated! System: You have obtained the Abyssal Demon Flame left by the Sixth Demon Lord, and the ranking of your Book of the Abyss has been upgraded, increasing the power of all skills in the book. Your existing Abyssal Demon Flame has been promoted to tier five. Chapter 786 - Chapter 786: Chapter 786: Escape Chapter 786: Chapter 786: Escape Song Jian was startled and hurriedly put the fang in the bag and ran towards the exit of the underground cave; It was too terrifying. A level 50 first-order battle power peak lord-level BOSS targeted him and intended to chase him relentlessly. If Song Jian didnt leave quickly, he would probably be trapped here forever, even the death gods enemy skill wouldnt be helpful. As Song Jian rushed to the entrance of the underground cave, he suddenly felt that he had quickly lost contact with the twelve abyssal slaves, which meant they had all been killed. In just less than three minutes, eight great demons and one fallen angel were already killed. It was easy to imagine how powerful the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist was, as it could completely crush them; The wolf spider demons guarding the altar were furious when they saw Song Jian rushing down, and under a mixture of fear and anger, they swarmed towards him, intending to stay behind even if it meant perishing together. Otherwise, what would await them would be a fate worse than death; Song Jian didnt dare dally with these wolf spider demons, as every second mattered. The moment he took the Demon Lords fang, he felt a powerful mental strength locking onto him. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist had already detected his presence and rushed towards the altar in big strides without even bothering to kill the remaining abyssal slaves; Every second was precious for Song Jian. If the wolf spider demons blocked the exit of the underground cave, he would lose his life here. Whoosh~ A stinky green venom sprayed towards Song Jian, who immediately used the Bone Shield skill. A three-sided bone shield appeared around his body, continuously protecting him from the damage of the venom; In just a short while, the three shields turned green due to the venom with faint corrosive green smoke rising from them. Although their defense was reduced, they could still last for quite some time. The venoms damage wasnt high, but its negative effects were terrible. Even Song Jians passive skill, Thick-skinned, couldnt completely resist them, but merely weaken them. At this moment, more than a dozen wolf spider demons had returned to the cave entrance. When they saw Song Jian rushing towards them, they immediately lifted their bone spears and hurled them at him; Bang, bang, bang~ The bone shield faced its most severe test, as dozens of bone spears ruthlessly pierced it, and radial cracks appeared at the point of impact. In a short while, the three bone shields shattered simultaneously, and palm-sized fragments scattered in all directions. The narrow entrances wolf spider demons were shot by the fragments like a downpour. Enemy of the Death God skill dealt 500 points of true damage in an instant, losing nearly one-third of their vitality points; However, this damage still could not deter them. They blocked the entrance with their bodies and didnt give Song Jian the chance to escape; Soul Wander! Song Jians figure instantly turned transparent as he charged towards the crowd. Before the wolf spider demons at the entrance could react, Song Jian had already passed through their bodies and entered the passageway; Soul Wanders first three seconds made him invincible and allowed him to pass through any obstacles. Due to the effect of the epic necklace, Concealment Necklace, the duration extended from three to nearly four seconds, giving Song Jian enough time to pass through the entire passageway and escape from the underground cave; The passageway was dim, and countless wolf spider demons had already rushed in. Yet Song Jian kept accelerating through the passageway, passing through their bodies undetected. He escaped, he got away. Catch him! The wolf spider demons blocking the entrance roared in fear with their abyssal language. As Song Jian fled the underground cave, they saw their miserable fate approaching. In his soul state, Song Jian saw not the bodies of the wolf spider demons but various sizes of soul energy. Some wolf spider demons had powerful soul energy like a kerosene lamp, while others had soul energy like a soccer ball-sized light group; Song Jian didnt have time to think and rushed forward blindly. Four seconds was not too long, but it was not short either, and he couldnt afford to waste it. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly noticed a large ball of light appearing ahead. The soul energy in it was like a small sun, and he even felt a burning sensation as he approached it; Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist! Song Jian had no way to retreat, so he clenched his teeth and charged towards the soul energy sun. As he passed through the body of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, it seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped. It roared angrily at Song Jian and raised its spine-like magic staff. A scorching black flame flew towards Song Jian; Boom! The black flame engulfed Song Jian entirely, but since he was invulnerable at the moment, an immune number floated above his head. However, the black flame explosion still caused damage to the nearby wolf spider demons. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist was shocked and prepared to continue attacking, but then it saw the spider demons burned by the black flame wailing miserably. It paused, and by the time it wanted to search for Song Jian again, he had already disappeared, and the passageway behind it was filled with wolf spider demons. Roaring angrily, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist slammed its magic staff into the ground; Boom! A shockwave spread out from the ground, sending all the surrounding wolf spider demons flying. While the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist stepped over the spider demons on the ground and chased after Song Jian; Song Jians speed was extremely fast. Plus, he was in a soul state and surrounded by darkness, making it nearly impossible to be detected by the naked eye. After escaping the underground cave, Song Jian headed towards the stone tower. On his way, he found the bodies of several abyssal slaves and some others who still had more than half of their vitality points. When they saw Song Jian, they immediately surrounded him; Stop all enemies behind! Song Jian commanded directly. At this moment, the guards guarding the stone tower were all gone. Song Jian quickly rushed to the third floor, took out the fang, and slashed it against the Abyssal Chains binding Kekaul; Chapter 787 - Chapter 787: Chapter 787: Sacrifice Chapter 787: Chapter 787: Sacrifice Song Jian felt as if he was dancing on the edge of a blade, one false step and he would fall into a deep abyss. The Abyssal Chains shattered inch by inch under the collision of fangs, and the angel Kekaul let out a satisfied moan. Its wings sprung open vigorously as a powerful aura radiated from it. Thank you, human, for saving me. To express my gratitude, I will be your most loyal guardian until you leave Abyssal Hell, ready to sacrifice my life for yours! Kekaul bowed respectfully to Song Jian. Only then did Song Jian realize that the angel Kekaul in front of him was also a level fifty, possessing the peak power of first-order combat level. However, it was rated as elite, not lord, and its strength was a notch below that of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. Most importantly, in Kekauls attribute bar, there was a weakened status. All attributes were reduced by thirty percent, meaning that Kekaul currently only possessed the combat power of seventh-order at its peak. To let Kekaul halt the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist probably wouldnt be significantly better than his Abyssal Slaves. However, this mission still left Song Jian quite satisfied as he had obtained the Abyssal Demon Flame of the Sixth Abyss Demon King. Not only did the grade of the Book of the Abyss upgrade, but the Abyssal Demon Flame he controlled also went up a level. For Song Jian, there was no better reward than this. We need to leave here first, the demons are coming! After saying this, a pair of iron wings emerged from Song Jians back. He broke through the wall of the third layer of the stone tower and flew towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. In just a few short minutes, Song Jian realized that he had lost contact with all his demon slaves. If he didnt leave now, the stone tower would likely be surrounded by Wolf Spider Demons. Kekaul hesitated for a moment. But quickly, he felt a strong aura closing in swiftly, his face changed color. It was the Wolf Spider Demon Priest who had captured him earlier. While he was severely injured at the time, his current state wasnt much stronger. Although death was only a release for Kekaul and he didnt fear it which was why he pledged to fight side by side with Song Jian, even at the cost of his own life if he could survive, Kekaul wouldnt throw his life away intentionally. With a single stroke of his grey wings, Kekaul followed closely behind, flying towards the outside of the Demon Slayer Canyon. Watching the two shadows in the sky, the Wolf Spider Demon Priests eyes glowed bright red. She gritted her teeth, You wont escape Then, she turned around and told a Wolf Spider Demon Guard beside her, Go notify the other priests. Tell them I have important matters to discuss! Inside the Demon Guardian Temple, there wasnt merely the Wolf Spider Demon, there were other six demon races as well. They were all subordinates of the Abyss Demon King and were all dedicated to resurrecting their own Demon Lord. When they heard that the Wolf Spider Demon had lost the key resurrection tool of their king and the unique Abyssal Demon Flame of the Demon Lord, the other demon races laughed at the Wolf Spider Demons while also raising their guard. Iphisna, I heard you lost the resurrection artifact of the Sixth Demon King? Is that true? Hahaha! A demon with a goats skull laughed and strolled into the conference hall of the Demon Guardian Temple. A shade of anger flushed Iphisnas ancient face, but before she could speak, the other demon priests also walked into the conference hall one after another. Hmph, Kubisuo, if you think that the goat-faced clan doesnt need any information from me, feel free to leave now! Iphisna said with a stern face. Hmph, its just a mere human who has infiltrated Abyssal Hell. Find him, capture him, and kill him. I dont need any information from you! Kubisuo, the ritualist of the Goat-faced Demon Clan, said with a scornful laugh. Despite his words, he made no move to leave. Instead, he merely lifted his goats head and stood arrogantly in place. Kubisuo, you may consider humans as worthless, but dont forget; it was a human who once killed the seven great Demon Lords! A Demon Ritualist, holding a huge scythe and looking like a shadow, spoke in a raspy voice. As soon as the Great Demon Priest Saffer began to speak, the faces of the other seven ritualists changed drastically. The fall of the Abyss Demon King is a taboo among them, not something that can be casually spoken of. Saffer, I really want to see what will happen when the second Demon Lord revives and hears how freely you speak of his demise, a Demon Ritualist burning with dark red flames, with a sinister smile on his face like a venomous snake, stared at the Great Demon Priest Saffer, who was shrouded in black fog. Black, I think you wont live to see the day the great Lords revive! Saffer slightly lifted his head, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes from beneath his black hood. The Flame Demon Ritualists face completely changed. Among the seven major demonic clan ritualists, he could more or less gauge the others powers, but he was utterly unable to see through Saffer. But Black guessed that Saffers power was definitely formidable. Perhaps only the Fallen Angel Priest Ailei could overpower him. The others were no match for the Great Demon Priest Saffer. Enough, are you trying to instigate infighting? The scantily-clad Abyssal Succubus Ritualist with a voluptuous figure and a pair of tiny wings on her back, Mesomiya, snapped. Upon hearing Mesomiyas voice, almost all the demon ritualists couldnt help but shudder. Her voice was filled with seductive power, and just hearing her speak sparked a flame in all the demon ritualists bellies, even the female Wolf Spider Ritualist blushed and silently cursed in her heart. The combat power of the Abyssal Succubus Clan was arguably the weakest among the seven major demon clans. Still, no other demon clan wanted to be their enemy. Thats because all who stood against the Abyssal Succubus Clan became their slaves. The Abyssal Succubi possessed an innate talent for charm. Unless the victim had strong willpower, no matter how powerful they were, they would fall under their spell unsuspectingly. Mesomiya is right. Internal fights are forbidden in the Abyss Demon Clan! The three heads of the silently-watching Cerberus Demon Ritualist spoke in unison. The furthest right head turned to the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist and asked, Iphisna, why did you call us here? Surely not just to inform us that a human thief stole the key item for reviving the Sixth Demon King? An instant fury appeared on Iphisnas aged face. She took a deep breath and said, This human didnt just steal the task of the Sixth Demon King, but he also stole the Abyssal Demon Flame controlled by the Sixth Demon King! Upon hearing Iphisna speak, several Demon Ritualists gasped in shock, exclaiming, How is that possible! Chapter 788 - Chapter 788: Chapter 789: Bounty Hunter Chapter 788: Chapter 789: Bounty Hunter To call the Abyssal Demon Flame a sacred object of Abyssal Hell would not be an exaggeration. Even ordinary Abyss creatures wouldnt dare to touch it. Only powerful Abyss creatures, possessing formidable Abyssal Power, have the right to touch the Abyssal Demon Flame. However, only the seven great Abyss Demon Kings can extract power from it. Upon hearing that Song Jian was able to touch and steal the Sixth Demon Kings Abyssal Demon Flame, almost all the demon ritualists couldnt believe the truth. If the opponent could steal the Sixth Demon Kings Abyssal Demon Flame, it meant that he could also steal the Abyssal Demon Flames of the other Demon Kings. How could one be prepared for a thief for a thousand days if one only commits theft for one day? The fact that he could touch and steal the Abyssal Demon Flame was the reason why demon ritualists had to deal with Song Jian; Seeing the shocked expressions on the other priests faces, Iphisna continued, The weapon this human uses is a longsword, and it releases dark gold Sword Qi If Iphisnas first piece of information was shocking, this one was frightening to everyone! What, do you mean this human and that human from before are are A trace of fear involuntarily appeared on the face of the Flame Demon ritualist; I didnt say that! Iphisna looked at the Flame Demon ritualist coldly and said, I just told you what I saw. As for this humans identity, its for you to judge! Using a sword and dark gold Sword Qi doesnt necessarily mean that this human has any relationship with that powerful person from before the Goat-faced Demon ritualist said softly. But clearly, his words didnt get the approval of the other demon ritualists. Kill him. We must kill this human. We cannot let the past events repeat themselves! Ailei, the Fallen Angel Priest, said solemnly. Exactly, kill him before he grows too strong. Dont even spare his soul! All the demon ritualists chimed in. The Wolf Spider Demon ritualists mouth curled into a triumphant smile, but it quickly disappeared, and he remained silent. If he relied solely on the Wolf Spider Demons, he wouldnt be able to catch Song Jian and snatch back the Sixth Demon Kings tusks. Now, there was a higher chance of capturing and even killing Song Jian by dragging the other six Abyss Demon races into the fray; At this time, Song Jian had already escaped from Broken Stone Mountain and entered Demon Slayer Canyon. Looking at the dark hole behind him, Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. The task was extremely difficult, and if it werent for the gains along the way, Song Jian would have been unable to persevere; Kekaul, what should we do now? Song Jian asked the angel who had been following him. Kekaul looked at Song Jian with a surprised expression and said, You have already saved me. Now I am just your guard. How would I know what you want to do? Song Jian paused and quickly opened the taskbar. He had completed the first part of the epic tasksaving the angel Kekaulbut the next part of the task hadnt been released yet! Whats going on? Do I need to meet some conditions to get the next step? Song Jian sighed, guessing that he hadnt met the requirements to trigger the next part of the task, which was why it was stuck at this stage. Such a situation was common. Whenever there was a chain of tasks, players would encounter this issue. Some players couldnt trigger the next step for a long time, leaving the chain tasks until the time limit was reached and they automatically failed; Its important to note that almost all tasks have time limits. Some tasks will state the limit, while others will hide it within the task content. The higher the rank and better the rewards for a task, the shorter the time allowed to complete it. If Song Jian couldnt trigger the next step in time, he might fail this epic task; However, failure was rare because as long as you followed the tasks requirements, you would eventually trigger the next stage. The problem was when you didnt do anything and gave up; Now that Ive obtained the Sixth Demon Kings Abyssal Demon Flame, I just need to get the Abyssal Demon Flames of the remaining Demon Kings. Since I know the location is here, I can search again after I rest a bit and the Wolf Spider Demons have calmed down! Song Jian thought. What he didnt know was that at this moment, the Abyss Demon Guardian Temple had gathered representatives of the seven great Abyss Demon races, and several high priests were discussing how to kill him and completely destroy him; Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Demon Slayer Canyon, wave after wave of Abyss players began to enter the canyon, not just these players but also a large number of NPCs appearing at the entrance to Demon Slayer Canyon. These people had come to hunt down Song Jian, and the most eye-catching among them was a group from the Fallen Angel Alliance, led by Thomas. Behind him was a group of well-equipped elite players who were all at least level 35. However, anyone familiar with the Fallen Angel Alliance would know that these people were in no way comparable to the previous group of elite players organized by Thomas to hunt down the world BOSS. In fact, this group was elite reserves of the Fallen Angel Alliance. After the elite team was annihilated, a great cost was incurred to cultivate the elite reserve players of the Fallen Angel Alliance. Their purpose in hunting down Song Jian was twofoldone, it was for the reputation of the Fallen Angel Alliance, and two, it was to test the Abyss players of the elite reserve team. Seeing the Fallen Angel Alliance players at the entrance, the Abyss players nearby, who also had the same goal, showed various emotionsadmiration, jealousy, and disdain. Many of them looked at the Alliance players mockingly; Since the news of the Fallen Angel Alliance accident came to light, many other alliances in the Flame Furnace have been gloating. Even some random individuals unrelated to the Alliance expressed a sense of schadenfreude at their misfortune. Hey, looks like the Fallen Angel Alliance is dead set on killing that human. Theyre going all out in their pursuit! a nearby Abyss player whispered; Hmph, these people cant be compared with the previous elite team. The elite team was wiped out. What can they expect to do? Give away their heads? Hard to say, last time it was because of the World BOSS. This time theyre specifically hunting down the human. No matter how strong he is, hes only one person. So many people attacking him at once would finish him off! Do you think its as easy as hitting a wooden stake? Wont the guy run or hide? Besides, with so many people entering the Demon Slayer Canyon, itll take a lot of time just to clear the monsters! The people from the Fallen Angel Alliance, hearing the surrounding discussions, looked displeased. However, they maintained their discipline and did not argue with the bystanders. They soon entered Demon Slayer Canyon and vanished from everyones sight; Just then, an NPC wearing a black cloak and a cowboy hat, carrying an old-fashioned Mauser rifle on his shoulder, appeared before everyone. He entered the Demon Slayer Canyon without hesitation, moving quickly and leaving only a dark shadow in everyones vision. But everyone who saw him couldnt help but gasp, as this NPC seemed to be well-known among Abyss players. Chapter 789 - Chapter 789: Chapter 790: Players Chapter 789: Chapter 790: Players Legendary Bounty Hunter, the Abyss Gunner Burn! A player exclaimed. What? That NPC in the black windbreaker is the legendary Gunner? someone nearby said with a shocked expression. Others also started to discuss. After all, the name of Burn the Abyss Gunner resounded too loudly. Every player who chose the Abyss profession and entered Abyssal Hell, even if they hadnt seen him, had heard of his famous name; The Abyss Gunner, just like the Soul Ripper, both are epic professions, but unlike the player who had only held the Soul Ripper profession for a few months, Burn was an NPC who had been an Abyss Gunner for at least over a decade, mastering almost all of the core skills of the Abyss Gunner. His strength is incomparable to that of a newly appointed Soul Ripper. Even the Abyss player who has only a few core professions can hardly match him; Burn seems to be a wandering NPC, he does not stay in one place for too long, but if the reward in a certain area is high, he would always appear. Some players have tried to contact him, wanting to inherit his profession, but they have never succeeded; However, Burn posts many tasks, and the rewards for these tasks are very substantial. Sometimes, you can even learn some common skills of the Abyss Gunner, and thats why most Abyss players know him. After all, having an NPC like a self-operating task issuer in the players hearts is like having an adventure in the game. As long as you meet them, you always get some benefits; Seeing Burn appear, the players, who were initially hesitant, rushed towards Demon Slayer Canyon. They didnt care about whether they could kill Song Jian and claim the high reward, as long as they could obtain some benefits from Burn, it would be worth it for them. Song Jian left Broken Stone Mountain with the Angel Kekaul and headed towards the exit of Demon Slayer Canyon. Suddenly, he found that there seemed to be fewer monsters in Demon Slayer Canyon. After running for hundreds of meters, he didnt even find a single Flame Demon, as if all the Flame Demons in this area had been cleared. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him, hovering about ten meters above the ground. He was wearing a black robe, his face hidden under his cloak, even his attributes were all hidden. Song Jian frowned. This was an Abyss player and it looked like he had been waiting here for a long time. You Song Jian was about to speak when he saw the player in the air wave his magic staff at him. Suddenly, a dark fireball was shot at him; Seeing the dark fireball howling towards him, Song Jian didnt act. Kekaul at his side immediately rushed up with his sword. Heretic, accept your judgment! With a swipe of his sword, Divine Power erupted, colliding with the dark fireball. Bang! The fireball exploded, sparks scattering in all directions. The player in the air began to chant spells. The unique tone of the Abyss language echoed in the air, and a black chain slowly manifested around him, slithering around him like a python; Seeing this Abyssal Chain, Kekauls expression changed. Being bound by the Abyssal Chains for hundreds of years had left him traumatized. But as Kekaul was hesitating, the Abyss player in mid-air had completed his spell. With a wave of his magic staff, the black Abyssal Chains snaked around him, and like a venomous snake, shot towards Angel Kekaul; Kekaul showed a trace of fear on his face, gritted his teeth and slashed at the Abyssal Chains with his sword. With a clang, the Abyssal Chains were cut in two. But the severed Abyssal Chains, just like two snakes, entwined Kekauls arm and coiled towards his body. In no time, they had Kekaul tightly bound. Having lost control of his body, Kekaul fell from the sky. Song Jian was left speechless. No matter how weak he was, he was still a level 50 boss. Was he caught just like that? With such strength, dont come out and make a fool of yourself. Assisting me in a fight? Itd be nice if you didnt hinder me! Song Jian complained inwardly. With a thought, four swords shot out like meteors towards the player in mid-air; Seeing the four swords flying towards her, the players face finally showed a serious expression. With a corner of her mouth lifted, she muttered, Interesting! Although her voice was small, Song Jian could hear it clearly and was taken aback: Huh, its a female player? Abyss players can be considered a hell race. After changing their profession, some abnormalities appear on their bodies. They might grow horns, brandish black tattoos, or scales appear on their bodies. These phenomena are something that ordinary players couldnt accept. In addition, the harsh environment of Abyssal Hell, very few female players would choose Abyss profession. Seeing the four swords coming, Katie smiled faintly. With a wave of her magic staff, a transparent shield with a metallic luster appeared in front of her. Within the transparent shield, you could see hair-thin lines, like a spider web, embedded in the interior of the shield; Boom, boom, boom, boom! The four swords were originally hitting Katie from different directions. But the moment this shield appeared, they were all attracted to it, slashing at the transparent shield that she had summoned; The most important thing was that the shield skill Katie used was noticeably stronger than Song Jians Bone Shield. Four sword skills unleashed at once could cause damage exceeding 3000 points. But slashing on this shield could only make it tremor slightly. Katies face was adorned with a look of contempt, but Song Jian looked shocked. Although he didnt use all his strength, how could his attack not even break the opponents defense? For the first time, Song Jian doubted his own attack; The most remarkable characteristic of the Sword Master profession was its strong attack. Even without the Dark Gold weapon set, Song Jians damage was not something ordinary players could resist. Moreover, four swords could cause four times the damage. Not even the most robust Abyss Shield Striker could withstand Song Jians attack; Invincibility effect? Song Jians mind lit up, and he quickly understood. Ordinary invincibility, attack effecting an immune prompt, but when attacking this Abyss players transparent shield, there was no prompt, leading to a misconception that the opponent had robust defense; Invincibility will last for a while, lets see how long you can hold on! Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and with a thought, four swords spun in the air, continuing to slash at Katie; Chapter 790 - Chapter 790: Chapter 791: Forming an Alliance Chapter 790: Chapter 791: Forming an Alliance Katies face turned pale, her cheeks bearing black patterns like blooming roses, and two small, sharp horns were sprouting on top of her head. Seeing that Song Jian had not ceased attacking her, Katie immediately spoke, Do you know, youre about to die! By your hands? Song Jian sneered. His four long swords kept attacking. Even though the shield Katie had conjured did not show any damage numbers, it had already begun to crack. Katie was horrified. She had never expected Song Jians attack to be this strong. She had battled a five-member team before, and until she killed all five, they hadnt managed to break her shields defense. Katie was startled by Song Jians strikes. While Song Jian couldnt see the shields damage, Katie saw it clearly. Her skill only rendered her invincible for the first three seconds, after which it merely reduced 35% of the damage. Given Song Jians attack intensity, the shield would completely shatter in about five more seconds. If the shield breaks, with Katies defense, she would probably be killed instantly by Song Jian. She had to either flee immediately or make Song Jian stop attacking. Katie chose the latter. Do you know, nearly all Abyss players in the Flame Furnace have come to the Demon Slayer Canyon, and your bounty has attracted a lot of NPC bounty hunters! Katie spoke quickly, When the time comes, the entire Demon Slayer Canyon will be searched inch by inch. Youll have no place to hide. Right now, Im the only one who can help you! Song Jian paused, and with a gesture from his right hand, he halted his assault. He originally thought that he would only be hunted by members of the Fallen Angel Alliance. It had never occurred to him that his actions would alarm a main citys players, or even attract NPC bounty hunters. What happened exactly? Explain what happened. Why are so many people chasing me? Song Jian asked curiously. Dont you know what you have done? Katie sighed in relief when she saw Song Jian stop his attack. With a wave of her magic staff, the shield that had been badly damaged and almost unrecognizable gradually vanished. Katie slowly floated down from mid-air, standing before Song Jian. Her bloody-red eyes were filled with curiosity. Youre the bravest person Ive met! Katie smiled, My name is Katie, and I am the leader of the Thorny Bird Alliance! Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt expected the girl in front of him to be a leader of an alliance. We have fewer than three hundred members. Compared to the City of Hope, we are nothing! Katie laughed. Song Jians intel had been thoroughly sifted through by the people in the Flame Furnace. His public info was well-known. Ever since the City of Hope Alliance was established successfully, countless players wanted to join. The current City of Hope Alliance, however, had tough requirements for their new recruits. The three hundred players who had together defended the city were now core players, receiving significantly increased benefits. The selected players, after layers of screenings, exceeded six hundred. Almost all of the elite players in Doomsday City were included. The City of Hope Alliances power skyrocketed, and their fame had even spread beyond Doomsday City. I hope your information doesnt disappoint me, Song Jian wasnt moved by Katies compliment. He wasnt afraid of the Abyss players pursuit. He could always leave and return to the City of Hope Alliance. Still, if others found out he had left, he might be ambushed again just like last time. After all, every time he used the Abyssal Gate, he needed to wait for its one-day cooldown period. And he couldnt possibly not enter the Abyssal Hell since his mission was half completed. Do you know how much your bounty is in the Flame Furnace? The latest news is that your bounty has reached 1.8 million Doomsday Coins! Katie glanced at the information and said. As time went by, Song Jians bounty kept increasing. It was now the highest bounty ever offered in the Flame Furnaces history. The number of players hunting you has exceeded two thousand. In addition, some famous NPC bounty hunters, like Abyss Gunner Burn, Ghostly Phantom Lobos, and Abyss Wanderer Branqi, have also joined the hunt! Katie said, Mind you, these bounty hunters are very powerful. Each of them possesses the highest level of first-order combat power. However strong you are, you cant be a match for them! First-order combat power peak? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, feeling the pressure. Why do you want to help me? Song Jian asked. Of course, I need your help in return if I help you. You can freely come and go from the Abyssal Hell and youre also the leader of a strong alliance. I need your friendship! said Katie. What if I tell you that I dont need your help and that I wont be killed by those people. Would you believe me? Song Jian confidently stated. Katie was speechless. In her opinion, Song Jian was a little too arrogant. To her, even disregarding the Abyss players hunting him, any of the bounty hunters could easily overcome Song Jian. In that case, lets just wait and see. If you need my help, you can contact me through this! Katie threw a ring at Song Jian, then turned and walked away with an unhappy look. After Katie left, the Abyssal Chains that bound the Heavenly Angel Kekaul broke apart, and Kekaul, his face flushed, got up with a look of shame. Im sorry, I Kekaul said in a low voice. Song Jian made a dismissive gesture with his hand. Kekaul was not weak by any means. After all, he was a level-fifty elite Boss with a first-order combat power peak. However, after being chained for hundreds of years, Kekaul had perhaps forgotten most of his combat skills, and was in a weakened state. His current power was probably equivalent to a level-thirty-five elite Boss. Song Jian looked at the ring Katie had thrown him. The silver-quality ring was a communication ring, made in pairs. One can talk to the owner of the other ring with one of them, much like a walkie-talkie. Song Jian couldnt add Abyss players as friends, nor could he communicate with them. If it werent for the fact he knew Abyss languages, normal communication would have been impossible. To communicate long distances, he had to use tools. That was why Katie gave him one of the communication rings. After inspecting the rings features, Song Jian casually put it into his bag. Katie wouldnt help a player on an opposing team so wholeheartedly. Rather than bounties, she wanted more. This was a minor interruption. However, now that he knew many were out to kill him, Song Jian certainly wouldnt continue to the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon. Since you all want to kill me, lets have some fun right here! Song Jian snorted coldly, turned around, walked toward Broken Stone Mountain. Chapter 791 - Chapter 791: Chapter 792: The Pursuit to Kill Chapter 791: Chapter 792: The Pursuit to Kill Damn it, he wont shed a tear until he sees a coffin! Katie murmured, as she watched Song Jians retreating figure. When she learned that he was able to freely enter and exit the Abyssal Hell, she knew this was an amazing opportunity to strengthen the Thorny Bird Alliance. If they could grasp this chance properly, surpassing the Fallen Angel Alliance might not be impossible. However, upon meeting Song Jian, Katie found him to be incredibly arrogant. He was dismissive of her offers for help, which not only enraged her but also stirred in her a perverse pleasure at the thought of his misfortune. All the information she relayed to Song Jian was true. Many Abyss players had already entered the Demon Slayer Canyon and those bounty hunter NPCs from legends had emerged one after another. Whether for fame or high rewards, they would spare no efforts to kill Song Jian. Katie hadnt strayed far. She wanted to witness Song Jians despair. At his most helpless, she would step in to help him. Not only could she have the pleasure of mocking him then, but also the matter of allying with the City of Hope Alliance could naturally be settled C achieving two goals at once. Watching Song Jian walk towards the depth of the Demon Slayer Canyon, Katie began to laugh. The canyon ended at a massive cliff and the lava below churned relentlessly. There was no escape route. To leave, he would have to exit through the entrance of the canyon. At this point, in the Demon Guardian Temple, a few Demon Ritualists began to bicker again about how to capture Song Jian. Suddenly, the face of the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice changed. He had sensed that Song Jian was now approaching the Abyssal Demon Guardian Temple. Has the guy gone mad? The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice was startled and doubtful, but a smirk emerged on his face momentarily before quickly disappearing. He looked at the others, arguing about how to kill Song Jian. What are you all squabbling about? Dont you know that the guy is now outside the Guardian Temple and heading this way? Iphisna, the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice, with a look of fury on his old face, growled. Wait, are you saying that human kid dared to come back? Has he gone mad? Black, the Flame Demon Priest, said with an incredulous expression on his face. He must have other motives, perhaps trying to steal the resurrection tools of the other Demon Lords! Kubisuo, the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist suddenly suggested. The Demon Ritualists froze before breaking out in an angry roar. Kubisuos guess was highly plausible; if the Sixth Demon Kings resurrection tool could be stolen, the possibility of the other Demon Lords resurrection tools being targeted was high. Kill him! The Cerberus Demon Ritualists three heads echoed, and a long howl spread far and wide from its mouths. It couldnt wait to summon its kin and start the hunting of Song Jian. Right, perhaps this kid doesnt realize that Iphisna can sense his presence. Maybe his goal is the resurrection tools. We only have one chance, we cant let him escape again, kill him! said Saffer, the Great Demon Priest. Kill the human! Almost all the priests roared in unison. Half an hour later, the temple was emptied as the horde of monsters led by the seven Abyssal Demon Sacrifices flooded out like a tide. Song Jian hadnt gone far. As soon as the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice began to move, Song Jian turned and ran towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. The angel Kekauls face was filled with confusion. He had followed Song Jian away from the Demon Guardian Temple, and then followed him back towards it, they had paused, and now they were running towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. Kekaul didnt know what Song Jian was planning, but he did know that Song Jian was toying with the abyssal demons and those chasing him. Before long, the roars of demons echoed in succession like a tidal wave from behind. Turning his head, Kekaul saw countless demons streaming from the tunnel in the Broken Stone Mountain that Song Jian had dug. Kekauls face changed, but it quickly hardened again; Boom! The long sword in his hand burned with golden flames, and with it held high, Kekaul shouted loudly, Glory is my life! Battle, let this world Song Jians face changed dramatically, seeing Kekauls demeanor, he actually wanted to rush towards the demons and fight these demons to death! Are you insane, run! Song Jian roared at Kekaul, the steel wings behind him spread out, and he flew towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon; Kekaul suddenly froze. Originally, he thought Song Jian was going to leave him to hold the enemies off, he didnt expect, to be asked to run. Was he still charging? Wouldnt it be embarrassing if he didnt charge after getting this emotional? Kekaul hesitated for a moment, and without a word, his grey wings unfolded and he frantically followed behind Song Jian; Although these abyss demons cant fly, many of them possess long-range attack capabilities, and the Demon Slayer Canyon can only fly up to a height of ten or so meters, beyond that, they would be chopped down by the infinite Sword Qi contained in the sky above the canyon; Once the abyss demons behind them catch up, the two people who can only fly a dozen meters would be perfect live targets, being shot down within minutes; Now near the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon, there were over a thousand abyss players, like treasure hunters, bending their heads and searching every inch of the canyon, some players even took out exploration tools to look for Song Jians possible hiding places, using all kinds of search methods, determined to find Song Jian. In addition to these abyss players, many NPCs were also searching for Song Jian. At this time, the Abyss Gunner Burn seemed to sense something, suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp, staring into the middle distance; You want to escape through the air? Heh, ridiculous!, Burn directly grabbed the old-fashioned rifle on his shoulder, aiming at Song Jian in mid-air, and firmly pulled the trigger; Bang! With a muffled boom, the bullet visibly flew towards Song Jian at a speed visible to the naked eye; Song Jian in the mid-air had already seen a large group of players appearing in front of him, a smirk floated up at the corner of his mouth, ready to dive down, but suddenly heard a gunshot, his heart immediately sunk. With a thought, a three-sided Bone Shield appeared in front of him. As soon as the Bone Shield was summoned, Song Jian saw a spark on one of the shields in front of him, a brass bullet as thick as a finger was continuously rotating on the surface of the Bone Shield like a drill; Within less than two seconds, the Bone Shield made a crisp sound and shattered directly, and the brass bullet drilled viciously into Song Jians shoulder. Chapter 792 - Chapter 792: Chapter 793: Escape Chapter 792: Chapter 793: Escape A spurt of fresh blood shot out, and Song Jian felt as if he had been struck on the shoulder by a heavy hammer. He groaned and began to plummet to the ground; When he hit the ground, Song Jian discovered that the attack had not only pierced through his shoulder, but also left a fist-sized hole in the steel wings behind him; A damage number of over eight hundred floated above his head, which made Song Jian astonished. He knew that he was currently wearing a Dark Gold Quality suit, and his defense bonus from the equipment alone was higher than that of an ordinary Sword and Shield Warrior. On top of that, he possessed first-tier Combat Power, and his stats had increased by a large margin. If an average player with ordinary equipment had taken such a hit, they would have been instantly killed; Seeing the over eight hundred points of damage floating above Song Jians head, Burns eyebrows furrowed, and a realization soon came to him after he quickly calculated the numbers in his heart; How is it possible for his defense to be so strong?! Burn hesitated slightly in his heart, but he still rushed towards Song Jians direction; Seeing Song Jian being attacked, Angel Kekaul raised his sword and was about to charge at Burn, but he was stopped by Song Jian; Keep hovering in midair and observe the situation! Song Jian ordered. Kekaul was stunned, as thousands of players were rushing towards Song Jian, and a large group of Abyss demons were chasing him from behind. Caught in a pincer attack, Kekaul didnt know what else to observe C was now not the time to escape? Human, I will not leave you behind and run away on my own! There was a hint of gratitude on Kekauls face, as he thought Song Jian was trying to create an opportunity for him to escape. After all, the only way to get away now was to take to the air under this kind of encirclement; Song Jian rolled his eyes and didnt bother to deal with this guy who seemed to have become somewhat rigid-headed after being imprisoned for hundreds of years; Soul Wander! Song Jians figure instantly turned transparent, and he ran diagonally towards where the Abyss players were. Instead of rushing into the crowd of players, he avoided them at an angle. Burn frowned. Song Jian had fallen from the sky, but he was the only one who could see that since the distance was too far and there were too few people with such a far sight. Now, it seemed that no one other than him had noticed Song Jians whereabouts. But after falling, Song Jian seemed to have used some sort of stealth technique and had disappeared. Even Burns ultra-far vision couldnt find his target. Hmph, do you think you can escape by stealth? Its useless! Watch me break your hidden state! Burn snorted coldly: Eye of Defeating Evil! Soon, a black Abyssal aura quickly emerged around his eye sockets, looking as if numerous tiny tentacles were extending from his eyes and crawling towards his cheeks; Huh, whats that up ahead? Burn did not find Song Jian, as his speed was too fast, and even the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist would find it difficult to spot him under his transparent state, let alone Burn who only had the strength of a level 35 elite BOSS. However, with the help of his ultra-far sight and the skill bonus of the Eye of Defeating Evil, Burn discovered a tide-like swarm of demon monsters rushing towards him from ahead. These monsters were all level 35 to 40 elite BOSSes, with thousands of them covering the area like a dark mass. Burn was petrified on the spot, trembling all over. After a moment, he let out a sharp scream and turned to flee towards the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon. Hey, look at that legendary Bounty Hunter. Whats wrong with him? Its like hes seen a ghost! a player who saw Burn running away with a terrified face, asked curiously; Actually, many players hadnt paid all their attention to chasing Song Jian. Instead, a significant number of them were watching Abyss Gunner Burn. This legendary Bounty Hunter often issued some tasks with generous rewards, but he didnt stay in one place and was difficult to encounter as he often wandered around different areas. The players behind Burn saw him running towards them with a frightened face, and they all showed delighted expressions as they surrounded him; Honorable Abyss Gunner, is there anything I can help you with? An Abyss player, whose body was covered in dark green scales, said to Burn with a full-faced smile; Honorable Bounty Hunter, this is a gift I offer you, hoping to gain your friendship; An Abyss player shouted loudly while holding up a blue-quality ring. Presenting items to an NPC could gain their friendship. The higher the value of the items, the more favorable the NPC would be. In the players view, the value of a blue-quality ring was already very high. Even the rewards for Burns tasks were mostly blue-quality items; However, the player was employing a long-term plan, not caring about the gain or loss of one or two items. As long as he could get Burns favor and inherit his profession, it would be a profitable exchange no matter how many items he offered. Mr. Burn, Im Hello, Mr. Burn, can I ask Players used various means to try and gain Burns tasks, but he looked at the crowd of Abyss players surrounding him, his forehead bulging with veins and his face full of anger. Get the hell out of my way! Dont block me! Burn grabbed an Abyss player in front of him and threw him away furiously; System: Your behavior has disgusted the Abyss Gunner Burn, and your favorability with him has decreased by 10 points; The Abyss players surrounding Burn all received this message at almost the same time and were left dumbfounded; Move away! Burn was extremely anxious at this moment, as every second he was delayed reduced his chances of escape. However, he couldnt say anything, because he needed these guys to block the demons behind him and buy him time to escape; System: Your behavior has disgusted the Abyss Gunner Burn, and your favorability with him has decreased by 20 points; Every few seconds, the system sent out a message, causing the Abyss players surrounding Burn to panic and start retreating to the back one after the other; They didnt know why Burn was so angry. Could it be because there were too many people? Burn pushed away the players in front of him and quickly ran towards the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon; At that moment, the leading Abyss players suddenly felt the ground tremble slightly, as if there was an earthquake; Whats going on? The searching players looked at each other in confusion. Just then, a player looked forward with a terrified face and exclaimed, Look at that! What is that? In the dim canyon, a large mass of shadows appeared ahead, charging towards the group of Abyss players like a tidal wave; Thank you to Piercing Piggies for the reward of 100 Qidian Coins~ Chapter 793 - Chapter 793: Chapter 794: Merits Chapter 793: Chapter 794: Merits Run! A player from the Abyss at the front yelled out a heart-wrenching scream, a look of terror flashed across his face as he turned and ran toward the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon at full speed; Can you escape? The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice spotted the crowd of Abyss Players ahead and a vicious grin broke out on his face. As he raised his Magic Staff, countless tiny, gray light beams burst from the tip of his staff towards dozens of fleeing players; Each gray light beam headed straight for a running Abyss Player. As the beam neared a player, it suddenly swelled into a giant gray spider web, completely engulfing the player. Every strand of the web shimmered with a gray metallic sheen, no matter how much the players struggled, they were helpless against the constraining spider web. The Abyss Demons and players were locked in a life-or-death battle. The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice couldnt pinpoint Song Jians exact location, but it sensed he was nearby likely mixed in among these players. Humans, you cant escape! The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifices eyes shone with cruelty. With a wave of his Magic Staff, a multitude of Wolf Spider Demons charged toward the crowd. The players ensnared by the spider web wailed in agony, their bodies torn apart by the Wolf Spider Demons; Behind them, the Cerberus Demon Sacrifice let out a furious roar from its three heads, releasing a shower of flaming poison that instantly killed over a dozen Abyss players, among them two NPC Bounty Hunters. Damn it, the monsters are rampaging, run! Level fifty Boss monsters, so many of them, what are they trying to do All the Abyss Players were dumbfounded, wishing they had extra legs to escape faster. A tidal wave of monsters was charging at them, forcing even the strongest players to retreat; Amidst the chaos, Song Jian melded into the crowd, taking on the invisibility of the Abyss Concealment Skill. As the Abyss Gunner turned and fled, Song Jian had already left the heat of the battle and could use the Abyss Concealment Skill. The crowd was in total disarray, oblivious to the stealthy human right next to them. The Abyss Concealment Skill didnt slow down Song Jian at all, so he wasnt running any slower than the others; Hes right ahead, dont let him get away! The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice pointed towards the fleeing mass and roared loudly; The other Abyss Demon Sacrifices also let out furious roars, commanding the Abyss Demons to chase in Song Jians direction; Only the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice Iphisna could detect Song Jians location. Other sacrifices could not sense Song Jians presence. Angel Kekaul cluelessly floating in mid-air, suddenly feeling like a burden. Song Jian actually didnt need its help; As soon as Song Jians Soul Wander cooldown was over, he activated it immediately. With double his normal speed, he swiftly outpaced the pursuing Abyss Players and headed toward the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. Group after group of Abyss players fell to the ground, with the Abyss Demons behind them looking like a tide. Seeing them, the Abyss players instinctively turned and fled, not having the slightest inclination to fight. System: You instigated a rampage of the Abyss Demons, slaying player Ding Quan, who is a civilian. This is an honorable kill and you have been rewarded 1 Honor Point; System: You instigated a rampage of the Abyss Demons, slaying player Carter who is a civilian. This is an honorable kill and you have been rewarded 1 Honor Point; Song Jians system alert was filling with messages just like a waterfall. In no time, his Honor Points exceeded one hundred, still increasing at a speed of one per second. All the Abyssal Demons were targeting Song Jian; every Abyss player they killed, Song Jian got part of the credit even though he didnt lift a finger. He was able to share a portion of the honor. However, the majority of the Abyss players were just ordinary civilians, so for each Abyss player killed by the Abyssal Demons, Song Jian only gained a minor increase in his honor value. Nonetheless, Song Jians honor value was rapidly increasing. When he finally escaped the Demon Slayer Canyon, his honor value had actually surpassed five hundred points. This meant that in just over ten minutes, more than four hundred Abyss players had died within the Demon Slayer Canyon. Song Jian took a glance behind him, unsure as to what extent the Abyssal Demons would chase him. Perhaps they would cease their pursuit at the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon? However, Song Jian quickly felt an evil intent enveloping him, as if a voice was constantly hissing in his ear: I will not rest until you are dead! It looks like you guys plan to chase me indefinitely! said Song Jian coldly, and continued to run forward. An hour later, the rate at which Song Jian was gaining honor value had gradually slowed, and at last, it almost ceased altogether. By this time, Song Jians honor value had reached over eight hundred and thirty points; had he tried to rack up this amount on his own, it would have likely taken him several months. Song Jian could feel that the demons chasing him had never given up, though the Abyss players behind him had bought him quite a bit of time. Once he had left the Demon Slayer Canyon, the Abyss players had scattered in all directions, but the Abyssal Demons were always on his tail. Song Jian could feel the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist getting closer and closer, while his Soul Wander ability was extremely powerful with only a minutes cooldown. It was thanks to this skill that Song Jian had managed to evade the Abyssal Demons. Three hours later, Song Jian looked exhausted. Continual use of Soul Wander was a great drain on his body strength; had he not prepared ample supplies before venturing into the Abyssal Hell, his Spirit Points from constantly using his ability would have long been depleted. However, at this point, a crimson city appeared ahead; it looked as if it was ablaze. He glanced over his shoulder, a smile creeping onto his face. If you dare, chase me into the city and kill me there! With a thought, Song Jians body turned transparent again as he rushed towards the Flame Furnace main city in the Desolate Highland. There were guards at the city gate, so Song Jian went around and arrived at the foot of the city wall, about ten meters away from the gate, where he quietly waited out the cooldown of his Soul Wander ability. At this moment, a black thread appeared in the distance, like a tidal wave, rushing towards the Flame Furnace city. Ding Ding Ding~ At the same time, a warning bell started to ring within the Flame Furnace city. Scores of guards, clad in armored gear, appeared atop the city walls. Just like the Abyss players, these NPC guards were also transformed, emanating a dense abyssal aura. Although they looked humanoid, they had actually turned into abyssal creatures! A moment later, the cooldown for Soul Wander was over; Song Jian gave his will and turned transparent again. Like a ghost, he passed through the thick city walls and entered the main city. Thank you Piercing Piggies for the gift of 500 Qidian coins~ Chapter 794 - Chapter 794: Chapter 795: Transaction Chapter 794: Chapter 795: Transaction The main city of the Flame Furnace was in a state of full alert, with all its defenses activated and every city guard stationed on the walls. Many Abyss players in the main city, upon hearing the alarm, curiously gathered at the city gate, looking out at the swarm of monsters rushing towards them. Whats going on? Is this a monster attack on the city? Holy crap, there are so many bosses, all of them are level 35 and above elite bosses Look over there, there are some huge guys too, all of them are skull-level and Lord-level bosses! My god, what happened?! Interesting, I was getting sick of grinding monsters every day. Finally something interesting is happening. Is this a regional quest? So many bosses, if I killed just one, Id strike it rich. Haha! At this time, the city gate of Flame Furnace hadnt closed yet. Some players even wanted to go out and fight the monsters. But when they saw the number of monsters, they turned pale, retreated, and shouted to close the gate! It was simply too terrifying. If it was just one or two bosses, the players would have the courage to go out and fight. But with so many bosses, just a glance would be enough to deter them from even picking up their weapons due to the horrifying aura emitted by the bosses. Soon enough, a fierce battle unfolded between the monsters and the city of Flame Furnace. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist could clearly sense that Song Jian was inside the main city, and if they wanted to kill him, they had to break through the city! Boom, boom, boom~ The city level of Flame Furnace was much higher than that of the City of Hope Alliance. The powerful city cannons began to fire, tearing apart large swathes of monsters. The NPCs in the city stood on the walls, unleashing long-range attacks that sliced through the air and exploded on the densely packed monsters. Countless damage numbers floated above the heads of the monsters. At the main city, Abyss players also showed their prowess by joining the NPCs in attacking the monsters. They gained honor points in defending the city and gained prestige in the Flame Furnace. Standing on the walls and attacking was safe, easy, and low-risk. All they had to do was throw their skills out without worrying about dodging or evading the monsters. The city walls were filled with magical light and the sound of explosions. The area outside the Flame Furnaces main city instantly turned into a battlefield. As the cause of this chaotic situation, Song Jian strolled leisurely through the city while being invisible. During this time, Song Jian suddenly felt something in his inventory start to vibrate violently. Opening the inventory, he saw that the Communication Ring given to him by a player named Katie was shaking. Taking out the ring, Song Jian put it on his finger. Soon, Katies amazed voice came through the ring: Hey, hey, hey! Can you hear me? You actually made it out; youre amazing! What do you want? Song Jian asked. Ahem, are you now in the Flame Furnace? Katie asked. Seeming to think about it for a while, Song Jian replied, Yes. With monsters attacking the Flame Furnace, Song Jian lying about his location would be unbelievable even for himself. Why arent you leaving? Katie asked. Why should I leave? Song Jian retorted. Although he seemed to be in danger, he was actually as steady as a rock. Whether the Flame Furnace drove away the monsters or the monsters broke through the city, it had nothing to do with him. If worse came to worst, he could simply leave before the city fell. Katie was speechless. She hadnt expected that even at this point, Song Jians stubbornness still persisted. After a moment of silence, Katie seemed to have an idea and suddenly asked, Do you happen to have a lot of equipment that can only be used by Abyss professions? Song Jian was taken aback before a pained look crossed his face. This time, the players who pursued him and died in the Demon Slayer Canyon were probably close to a thousand, if not more. Moreover, those who dared to chase Song Jian in the canyon had very high-quality equipment. Adding the fact that Song Jian was their target, their chances of dropping equipment were extremely high. At this point, the Demon Slayer Canyon might be filled with high-quality equipment. Song Jian couldnt believe that all the players had been chased out by the Abyss demons. There had to be some who were able to evade their pursuit. After all, only Song Jian was their target, not the other players. As long as they hid and avoided direct confrontation, they had a high chance of surviving. Once the Abyss demons left the Demon Slayer Canyon, the equipment that dropped would be theirs for the taking. Taking all of this into account, the joy of gaining over 800 merit points vanished, and Song Jian felt like hed helped others gather equipment for nothing. Theres some. Do you want it? Song Jian asked casually. Compared to the equipment dropped in the Demon Slayer Canyon, the items in his inventory were worth nothing. Sell them to me. Its not like you can use them anyway, Katie said. She wanted to use this approach to gradually get closer to Song Jian and eliminate his wariness. As for the equipment Song Jian had, she didnt think it would hold much value. Sure, where do you want to trade? Song Jian agreed readily. Most of the equipment in his inventory belonged to the members of the Fallen Angel Elite Team, and the dozens of items indeed took up a lot of space. He wouldve thrown them away had it not been for the thought of trading the items. In an obscure alley in the Flame Furnace, Song Jian saw Katie wearing a black robe, with her entire face hidden under the hood. Displaying all of the equipment, Song Jian said, These are all of the items. Your alliance should be able to handle them, right? He showed off dozens of items that could only be used by Abyss professions. Most of the equipment was of silver quality, with only a handful of blue and gold quality. If not restricted to Abyss professions, their collective worth would be at least several million Doomsday Coins. Seeing Song Jians display, Katies expression hidden beneath her hood revealed a hint of shock. This was when she suddenly realized that the Mercenary Guild had increased the bounty on Song Jian because he nearly annihilated the entire Fallen Angel Alliance Elite Team while they were besieging a world boss. In other words, these items were worn by the members of the Fallen Angel Alliance Elite Team just a few days ago. Dark Gold Two-Handed Shield, Gold Magic Staff, Silver, Silver Longsword oh my god Katie moaned in her heart. All this equipment was of high quality, and if her small, 300-member alliance could get them all, their overall strength would surely increase significantly. Ill take them all! Katie declared resolutely. Thank you Bread84 for the 100 Qidian Coins~ Chapter 795 - Chapter 795: Chapter 796: Transaction Chapter 795: Chapter 796: Transaction Katies main motivation for trading with Song Jian this time was to build a foundation for future dealings, estimating that the total value of Song Jians equipment would only amount to around two or three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins at most. No matter how much equipment he offers, Ill pay him 30% of the market price. No, make that 50%! That was Katies original intent, but when Song Jian displayed all his equipment, her plan fell by the wayside. Since Im making such a large purchase, could you please offer me a better price? Katie asked shyly. She initially planned to make Song Jian owe her a favour, but it now seemed that she was the one whod owe him a big one. After all, the value of the equipment on display was too high. Do you want it? Song Jian asked with a faint smile. Of course, I do! Katie retorted, rolling her eyes: These must be equipment from the Fallen Angel Alliances Elite Team, arent they? As black market goods, they cant be sold at the market price. You should offer me a lower price, especially since Im buying it all at once Katie put the favour to one side. Once she acquired all this equipment, the power of the Thorny Bird Alliance would surge significantly. Ill give you all this equipment for free! Song Jian said with a smile. As Katie was trying to haggle and persuade Song Jian to sell her the equipment at a lower price, his words left her dumbfounded. Wha-What? Youre giving it to me? she exclaimed incredulously. This batch of equipment, priced at a minimum of 3 million Doomsday Coins in the market, was enough to make an average player rich overnight. Indeed. Just help me with a small task and all this equipment will be yours, Song Jian said with a smile. Katies face lit up with excitement. Even if she wanted to kill Song Jian and claim the bounty of 1.8 million, an opportunity to gain 3 million Doomsday Coins was right in front of her, and she wasnt about to let it slip away. Speak up! Whether its climbing up the blade of a sword or diving into a sea of flames, as long as it wont get me killed, mention any request! she assured Song Jian, patting her chest. I want you to defeat the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist outside as quickly as possible, Song Jian said, narrowing his eyes. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist? Katie flinched and after hesitating for a moment, finally agreed: Alright, deal! Then, she took out a silver Contract Scroll, bit her finger to let out some blood, and quickly wrote the contract contents. With her handprint stamped on the bottom of the scroll, she handed it over to Song Jian: Sign this contract, and Ill get my team ready immediately. Song Jian took a look and it stated that Katie would kill the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, and he would provide the 67 pieces of equipment worth 3 million Doomsday Coins in return. But theres a time limit. You must kill it within half an hour, Song Jian added. What? But thats a Level 50 Lord BOSS! Katie exclaimed. There were seven Level 50 Lord Ritualists in the Demon Slayer Canyon which often wanders around the Demon Guardian Temple; it was no secret in the Flame Furnace. Did you think it would be easy to earn 3 million Doomsday Coins? Song Jian asked, squinting at Katie. Katie hesitated for a moment before nodding and added a time limit to the contract. After reading it through, Song Jian saw no problems and with his bleeding finger, printed his handprint on the contract. Boom! The contract spontaneously flew into the air and disintegrated into ashes in a puff of black smoke. Alright, Ill gather my team! Katie headed towards the city walls right away while Song Jian quietly watched her receding figure. Given his current identity in the Flame Furnace, he could only take less-travelled roads and avoid encountering any NPCs or else hed be attacked. However, the Flame Furnace was currently under siege by monsters; the NPCs were either guarding the city on the walls or hiding in their rooms with the doors tightly shut. As long as Song Jian was careful, he wouldnt be discovered. It took Katie just five minutes to gather the online members of the Thorny Bird Alliance. Essentially, most players were attacking the BOSS from the city walls. As long as they dealt damage to the BOSS, they would earn Contribution Points once it was defeated. Thats why lots of players were farming Contribution Points from the city walls, after all, the citys artillery guns would do most of the work in killing the BOSS. Guys, focus on taking down the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist! Katie shouted in the group channel. Boss, the Ritualists are cunning; theyre standing too far away, we cant reach them! one of the players yelled back. Katie glanced at the city walls. Currently, the ones directly attacking were all Level 35 Elite Bosses, while the seven Level 50 Lord Bosses were standing outside the attack range of the citys artillery. These Bosses are cunning! Katie cursed under her breath. She checked the timeten minutes had already passed. If they continued like this, the Flame Furnace would be overrun before they even got to touch the Lord Bosses. With that thought, Katie took a strong leap forwards; her cloak billowing like wings as she soared into the air, heading towards the Lord Bosses. Holy shit! Our boss is fearless! Is she trying to commit suicide? Is she tired of attacking from the city walls and reckons its more fun to attack from within the group of monsters? Thats too risky! Be careful not to attract the mobs concentrated fire! Judging from her direction, it seems shes headed towards those Ritualists Katies actions left the players of the Thorny Bird Alliance flabbergasted. When had their guild master become so brave? Come closer, a bit more Katie muttered to herself, slowly and carefully getting closer in mid-air: You cant see me, none of you can see me! The Ritualists were all focused on the distant city walls, watching the steady decrease in the walls durability while the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist had her attention occupied by sensing Song Jians location. Being cautious, Katie gradually approached and soon, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist got into her attacking range. The moment Katie locked onto the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, the latters brow creased as she instantly detected she was being targeted. As she looked upward, Katie was swinging her Magic Staff, and innumerable energy arrows flew towards her. PS: Thanks to Piercing Piggies for tipping 100 QiDian Coins~ Chapter 796 - Chapter 796: Chapter 797: Luring the Monster Chapter 796: Chapter 797: Luring the Monster Due to the terms of the contract, Katie had to kill the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist within half an hour. However, these ritualists stayed beyond the range of the citys defense cannon and completely refrained from taking a step closer. Grinding her teeth, Katie unexpectedly flew into the air, planning to draw the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist to her; The moment Katie locked onto the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, he noticed her floating in the sky. Looking up, Katie cast the area-of-effect skill Shadow Arrow Rain, firing countless black energy arrows directly at the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist; Insect! the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist Iphisna roared in anger. Pointing her magic staff at Katie, she unleashed an arc of black lightning that burst forth from the tip of the staff, cutting across the air towards Katie; Katies expression drastically changed. The opponent was a level fifty lord-type BOSS, so, without the time for second thoughts, Katie instinctively cast a defensive skill. A transparent shield, layered with golden spiderwebs, suddenly appeared in front of her; Bang! The black lightning violently crashed into the shield, letting out a loud explosion. Katies face paled, and daring not to linger any longer, she turned and flew towards the city wall; Shadow Arrow Rain covered a five to six meter radius around the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist Iphisna. One after another, damage numbers over a hundred points floated above Iphisnas head; Iphisna, why does everyone want to pick on you? a Flame Demon Ritualist not far away looked curiously at Iphisna and asked with a hearty laugh; The gaze of the other ritualists turned odd too when they looked at Iphisna. Everyone was scrambling for the revival objects, and the human had chosen the one protecting the resurrection artifact of the Sixth Demon Lord under Iphisnas care. Now, another player from the Abyss was attacking Iphisna despite numerous ritualists around. This made it seem like Iphisna was a pushover; Iphisna was enraged. The insignificant being in front of her had somehow blocked her death lightning without suffering a scratch. The mockery from the other ritualists made the situation even harder to stomach for her. With a cold huff, Iphisna pushed through the monsters blocking her path and went after Katie; Has Iphisna gone mad? the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist, Kubisuo, was taken aback. The citys defense cannons were extremely powerful, and even they dare not confront them directly. Breaking through the city wall depended on their elite BOSSes charging at the front, sacrificing themselves in the process; This city isnt something we can conquer The Great Demon Ritualist, Saffer, suddenly spoke out, Its defensive walls are too high, and the power of the defensive cannons is immense. With only our tribesmen, we simply cant break its defense. Saffer, do you feel sorry for those tribesmen? Haha, after all, they will reappear after a day. It doesnt matter if they all die here! The Abyssal Succubus flirtatiously glanced at Saffer and said gigglingly; Do not forget our mission! Saffer coldly swept his eyes over the other ritualists and said, The resurrection artifact of the Sixth Demon Lord was stolen, but the resurrection artifact of our lord is still here. Our mission isnt to conquer this city, but to protect the resurrection artifact and wait for the lord to descend upon Abyssal Hell again! All the others were shocked. If all the tribesmen were depleted at this city, then there would be a void of a day, during which the defense would be significantly weakened. If you dont kill that human, do you think you can protect the resurrection artifact of the lords with your current ability? the Fallen Angel Ailei coldly said. The other ritualists immediately fell silent. After a long time, the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist shook his head and said: Its just a human of a little over thirty levels. As long as we are cautious, then Just then, a heartrending roar suddenly echoed from the distance. The several ritualists looked up and were shocked to see that Iphisna had already charged into the attack range of the citys defense cannon; Meanwhile, all players from the Thorny Bird Alliance focused their fire on the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. Impressively, two players pulled out tokens that briefly controlled the two large city defense cannons for ten minutes and joined the attack on the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. In a blink of an eye, Iphisnas Vitality Points were reduced by 40%. Its a trap, this is a trap! Iphisna screamed, turning to flee. Just then, Abyssal Chains shot out from the city wall, binding Iphisna tightly in place. At this moment, a second round of strikes landed on Iphisna. More than two hundred Thorny Bird Alliance players unleashed their most powerful skills all at once against Iphisna. Help me! Iphisna struggled, trying to break free from the Abyssal Chains. Katies face was pale as the Abyssal Chains continued to drain her Spirit Points, and because Iphisna was too powerful, Katies Spirit Points visibly decreased significantly every second! The Abyssal Chains, which originally could last more than thirty seconds, could now barely hold for ten seconds, no, even five seconds. Longya, transfer your Mental Strength to me! Katie yelled. A girl with a horn over an inch long on her head put her hand on Katie, reciting an Abyssal Spell, and her Spirit Points began to decrease rapidly. In contrast, Katies Spirit Points started to increase slowly. This replenishment, which was converted at a certain rate, was actually very unprofitable. But now, for every extra second that Katie could hold Iphisna, the chances of killing her would exponentially increase. Boom, boom~ Once again, the two city defense cannons fired a deep rumble at Iphisna! Two damages, each over thousands of points, floated above Iphisnas head. One of her spider legs was blasted off, spinning, and flew seven or eight meters away. What are you doing, come and save me! Iphisna slumped to the ground, looking horribly tragic covered in blood. Looking back, she let out a sharp scream at the other Ritualists. However, her position was too dangerous at the moment, completely within the firing range of the city defense cannons. Just then, the NPCs defending the city seemed to notice the severely injured Iphisna. Killing her, a level 50 Lord Boss, was more rewarding than killing a hundred level 35 Elite Bosses. Instantly, five or six city defense cannons on the city wall turned and targeted Iphisna. No! Iphisna felt the shadow of death completely enveloping her and struggled with all her might. Creak, creak~ The Abyssal Chains binding her were starting to crack. In just one second, the entire black chain continuously broke apart. Katie, as if hit by a powerful punch, couldnt help but spurt out blood. Just when Iphisna broke free from the chains and attempted to flee, five or six chilling cannonballs flew towards her. Chapter 797 - Chapter 797: Chapter 798: Demon Guardian Temple Chapter 797: Chapter 798: Demon Guardian Temple Boom, boom, boom, The citys defensive cannons roared in unison, the shells brutally slammed into Iphisnas body. The violent explosion caused her figure to disappear. Several seconds later, as the dust and smoke cleared, parts of Iphisnas body were scattered across the battlefield. About a dozen items, each emitting a different color, were scattered around her corpse, among them were two that radiated a dark-golden light that captured the attention all Abyss players. At this moment, Song Jian finally felt the attention that had been fixed on him gradually dissipating, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face. With just a thought, Song Jians figure turned transparent and he dove through the city wall. In an instant, he managed to traverse the city wall, leaving the main city of Flame Furnace. He circled around and made his way towards the Demon Slayer Canyon. Upon Iphisnas death, the Wolf Spider Demons let out mournful howls, launching suicide attacks against the city wall. Watching Iphisnas dismembered corpse, the remaining Demon Ritualists were filled with a deep sense of sorrow. Iphisna was really too impulsive The Flame Demon Ritualist, Black, shook his head and spoke in a low voice. The Sixth Demon King has truly fallen! The Great Demon Ritualist, Saffer, sighed, looking up towards the city wall of the Flame Furnaces main city. At this moment, cheers erupted from the city wall C killing a Demon Ritualist was equivalent to severing the hope of a Demon Lords resurrection. It should be noted that Flame Furnace was originally the main city of the Sixth Demon King, Estan. Only after his death did the city change hands, and naturally, they were not eager for the Sixth Demon King to awaken again. To resurrect the Seven Abyss Demon Kings, firstly, an object from the Demon Kings remains would be required as a resurrection tool to gather the faith of the followers. Following this, a resurrection ritual needs to be held by the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist to fully resurrect them. Now, the revival artifact of the Sixth Demon King has been stolen by Song Jian, and the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist had been killed. This completely severed any hope of the Sixth Demon Kings resurrection. Should we continue? The Flame Demon Ritualist hesitated. At this point, the defense of the Flame Furnace city wall had fallen to less than half, with numerous demons corpses piled up below. During the siege, the monsters corpses wouldnt immediately burn to ashes. The bodies piled against the city wall had reached more than half of its height, and many demons were even able to climb the bodies to reach the wall. Didnt you see that we are about to break through this city? If we retreat now, our tribesmen would have died in vain! said the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist with a cold snort. Indeed, breaking through the city walls can give us huge rewards, even if we havent killed that human! A strange smile drifted across the Abyssal Succubus Ritualists face as she giggled. Among the few Demon Ritualists, perhaps only the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist wanted to kill Song Jian, for the artifact required for the resurrection of the Sixth Demon King was still on him. Without personal grudges, the other Demonic Ritualists held a nonchalant attitude towards killing Song Jian. However, the prospect of breaking into the main city and acquiring the wealth of the city was a huge temptation for the few Demonic Ritualists! Let those crazed Wolf Spider Demons take the lead! A savage look flashed in the Great Demon Ritualists eyes as he spoke softly. With the death of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, all the Wolf Spider Demons were filled with a suicidal determination. Glancing at each other, the Ritualists secretly nodded in agreement. They collectively commanded the demons to slow their assault, leaving the Wolf Spider Demons to run at the front. At this moment, Song Jian was already heading towards the Demon Slayer Canyon. He had only obtained the Abyssal Demon Flame of the Sixth Demon King. The Abyssal Demon Flames of the other six Demon Kings were still out of reach. Currently, almost all the demons in the Demon Guardian Temple were striking at the Flame Furnace. This was the best time to complete the task; Upon entering the Demon Slayer Canyon, Song Jian immediately received a system prompt; System: Epic-level mission Legacy of the Seven Demon Kings triggered. Collect the Demon Flames of the Demon Kings and destroy the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. Sword Immortal Severed Blade? Song Jian was surprised and thought to himself, Could it be possible that the seven Demon Kings fell because they fought with a Sword Immortal and ended up perishing together? In the Abyssal Hell, there is an inheritance of the Sword Immortal. Only by going there can you have a chance to learn how to become a Sword Immortal Cecilias voice echoed in Song Jians ears. Demon Slayer Canyon is the place where a human Sword Immortal fought with the seven Demon Kings. It is also their mutual burial ground! Song Jian was immediately excited. If successful, not only could Song Jian obtain a Demi-God Artifact, but he could also obtain the inheritance left behind by a human Sword Immortal. When Song Jian arrived deep in the Demon Slayer Canyon, he suddenly detected a figure picking something up. Upon taking a closer look, wasnt that figure Kekaul, the angel that Song Jian had rescued? Kekaul, what are you up to? Song Jian surprisingly found that Kekaul had entirely changed his equipment. From the previous silver armor, he was now adorned with a resplendent golden glow. Seeing Song Jian, Kekaul appeared sheepish and said, Hehe, I saw so many items dropped on the ground, so I took the liberty of changing my wardrobe! How many did you take? Song Jian asked curiously. Not that many, most were snatched up by a few thief-like chaps Kekaul pointed to his armor, I simply picked up this set Okay, go with me to the Demon Guardian Temple! Song Jian stated. At this time, in the Demon Slayer Canyon, one could still see a few Abyss players swiftly picking up something. After all, over a thousand Abyss players and NPC bounty hunters had perished. Even if the equipment they dropped was not the best they had, the sheer number meant that those who managed to escape would make quite a fortune. Song Jian, pressed for time, had no time to pick up this equipment, most of the good quality ones were already taken, and what was left wasnt particularly good; Soon, Song Jian and the Angel Kekaul arrived at Broken Stone Mountain. The mountain had completely changed its form. The once towering mountain peak that nearly reached the top on both sides of the canyon seemed to have exploded from within. Numerous fragments were scattered in all directions; In the middle of the Broken Stone Mountain, the Demon Guardian Temple, initially hidden within, also appeared. Earlier in the mountains belly, Song Jian had not taken a good look. Now, he realized that there were eight Demon Guardian Temples. Seven slightly smaller temples protected a central large temple; Song Jian had inadvertently ventured into the Wolf Spider Demon Temple on the left; Where are we going now? Kekaul asked. In order, we will visit every temple! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Looking at the quiet Demon Guardian Temple, devoid of a single monster, he whispered; Chapter 798 - Chapter 798: Chapter 799: Treasure Chest Chapter 798: Chapter 799: Treasure Chest Song Jian and the angel Kekaul approached a temple near the Wolf Spider Demon Temple. The temple was empty with no monsters around. As they continued forward, Song Jian noticed two Cerberus Demon Elites guarding a pathway. Kekaul, lets each take one and see who kills theirs first, what do you think? Song Jian pointed to the two Cerberus Demons guarding the pathway and proposed with a smile. No problem, its a perfect time for me to get used to my new equipment! Kekaul lifted his sword and shield, laughing out loud. Kekaul was originally using a double-handed sword, and now he switched to a one-handed sword and a shield. Even though his defensive capabilities had increased, the damage he inflicted did not decrease by much. With a loud roar, Kekaul even attacked a Cerberus Demon before Song Jian, his fighting instinct was gradually resurfacing. His sword and shield combination pushed back the Level 35 Elite boss, completely dominating the battle. Song Jian slightly smiled, releasing four swords flying towards another Cerberus Demon. The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique emerged, a whirlwind mixed with large snowflakes swept towards the Cerberus Demon. It was like a melee, a series of damage numbers floated above the Cerberus Demons head. The Cerberus Demon that Song Jian attacked didnt have a chance to touch even the hem of Song Jians clothes. It was cut down directly by the four swords. At this point, the Elite boss fighting Kekaul still had about half of its Vitality points left. How is this possible? How can your damage be so high? A surprised expression appeared on Kekauls face. He was a Level 50 Elite Boss with peak first-tier combat power. Even though he had been restrained for hundreds of years and was currently in a weakened state, his strength was not much different from a Level 40 Elite Boss. The victory over a Level 35 Elite Boss was only a matter of time. However, Kekaul never expected that Song Jian, who was only Level 38, could execute a flawless kill against a Level 35 Elite Boss. Keep going, we dont have much time! Laughing, Song Jian collected the materials dropped from the two monsters and began to walk down the passage. The monsters in Abyssal Hell dropped materials with distinctive features of the Abyss which were not available anywhere else. These materials were worth a great deal and extremely rare to find in the market. The demon siege could abandon at any time and return to the Demon Guardian Temple. Perhaps because the Cerberus Demon has three heads, its detection range was large. As Song Jian and Kekaul walked through the corridor, the Cerberus Demon always found them first and initiated the attack. However, most of the demons in the temple were taken by the Cerberus Demon Ritualist, leaving only a handful in the corridor. Within less than half an hour, Song Jian and Kekaul had cleaned up all the Cerberus Demons in the corridor. Ahead of them was a spacious square, just like the previous Wolf Spider Demon Temple. In the center of the square, there was a huge altar with flames burning on top that seemed to never extinguish. Song Jian, look over there! Kekaul pointed to the corner on the left side of the altar. There was a huge tent with a shining dark gold treasure chest in front of it. In front of the chest, a monster that was much larger than a regular Cerberus Demon was crouched on the ground. Two of its heads were resting on its front paws, sleeping. Of its three heads, one was always opened, vigilantly observing the surroundings, while the other two were sound asleep. A Level 40 Elite Boss? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked Kekaul, What do you think? Want to give it a try? Kekauls face showed a difficult expression. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and replied, No problem, leave it to me! Song Jian laughed and replied, You just need to hold on for a while. After I get the treasure from the chest, I will come to help you! Hearing what Song Jian said, Kekaul breathed a sigh of relief, his facial expression relaxed significantly. For glory! Kekaul let out a low growl and charged towards the sleeping Cerberus Demon boss. The head that was awake saw Kekaul and immediately let out a low growl, opening its mouth to spit a ball of venom at Kekaul. Kekaul blocked the venom with his shield and swung his sword at the Cerberus Demon. In an instant, the other two sleeping heads woke up and attacked Kekaul. While fighting, Kekaul managed to lure the Boss away from the chest. After gaining about ten meters of distance, Song Jian took the opportunity to run towards the Dark Gold treasure chest. Song Jian bent down and began to unlock the chest. System: Chest Opening, 2% 4% 9% As Song Jian was opening the chest, the Cerberus Demon Boss, who was originally fighting Kekaul, suddenly roared and unexpectedly turned to charge at Song Jian. Much to his horror, Kekaul swung his sword at the Cerberus Demon Boss shouting, Intimidate! By the name of the sacred, deem it as my nemesis! A ray of white light came out from Kekauls sword, shooting towards the Cerberus Demon Boss. In a flash, the Cerberus Demon Boss became furious and charged back towards Kekaul. A bitter smile appeared on Kekauls face as he lifted his shield to resist, trying his best to withstand the Bosss attack. This was a forced hatred skill in which he could make any target attack him compulsively. The downside was that it put the target into a berserk state. This berserk state caused no energy consumption and had no sequelae after dissipating. A level 40 Elite Boss was already hard for Kekaul to handle. After going berserk, the Cerberus Demon Bosss damage and attack speed went up a notch, leaving Kekaul only with the power to resist, unable to counterattack. Song Jian, hurry up, I cant hold on for long! Kekaul yelled. As time ticked away, with a click, the Dark Gold chest opened. Without checking what he had found, Song Jian quickly put it into his bag and charged towards Kekaul. Seeing Song Jian charging towards, Kekaul breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, the Cerberus Demon Boss swung its claw at him, smacking the shield and sending Kekaul flying back several meters. Just as the boss was about to continue its attack, Song Jian controlled the four swords, chopping down on the boss. Song Jians damage was too high. In just a few minutes, he successfully attracted the hatred of the Boss to himself. Kekauls forced hatred skill had already worn off. Seeing the Boss starting to attack Song Jian, Kekaul finally breathed a sigh of relief, stepped back a couple of steps and sat down on the ground. PS: Thanks to Piercing Piggies for the gift of 500 coins. Chapter 799 - Chapter 799: Chapter 800: Heart of the Angel Chapter 799: Chapter 800: Heart of the Angel As Song Jian took the Cerberus Demon Bosss hatred and pulled it towards himself, Kekaul could no longer hold on, retreating two steps back before sitting on the ground, panting heavily. By this time, Kekaul the Angels Vitality Points had dropped to one-third of their original amount. If Song Jian had arrived later, Kekaul might have died right here. During the fight, Kekaul didnt notice it, but now that he thought about it, he felt a bit apprehensive. Although he didnt fear sacrifice, he had been bound for hundreds of years and didnt want to die here just like that. Four long swords seemed like they were being operated by four people simultaneously, performing various sword techniques that intertwined like a net. The Cerberus Demon Boss couldnt break through, getting slashed by the swords, leaving wounds on its body. Damage points in the hundreds floated above the bosss head. Song Jian opened the Book of the Abyss and began to demonstrate the Abyss Intimidation skill on the Cerberus Demon Boss. Under the influence of the profound Abyssal language, the Cerberus Demon Boss became even more aggressive. Its three heads continuously spat flames and poison at the long swords hovering in mid-air, but the swords agilely avoided the attacks. In no time, an Abyssal Seal floated up from the Book of the Abyss and went towards the Cerberus Demon Boss. The Abyssal Seal split into three parts and simultaneously imprinted itself on the bosss three heads. All the demon slaves that Song Jian had previously contracted had died, so he needed to catch new ones. Seeing the Book of the Abyss in Song Jians hand, Kekaul couldnt help but frown and muttered to himself, When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you! What did you say? Song Jian, startled, couldnt help but ask. Abyssal Power cannot be easily obtained. As you use it, you will also be corroded by it Kekaul looked worriedly at Song Jian. Song Jian nodded; he had heard similar warnings before, but since controlling the Abyssal Demon Flame and using the Book of the Abyss, he hadnt shown any signs of being eroded by the Abyssal Power. Seeing that Song Jian didnt care, Kekaul sighed silently in his heart and didnt continue to discourage Song Jian from using the Book of the Abyss. Go to ????????????????????.co By the way, I didnt have time to look at the stuff in the chest earlier! Song Jian laughed, put away the Book of the Abyss, and took out a Dark Gold item from his inventory. This was a heart-shaped transparent crystal with a Dark Gold glow on its surface! Heart of the Angel (Dark Gold): Special item. Usage effect: this item can only be used by the Angel Clan. When used, it upgrades the user by one tier! Seeing the heart-shaped crystal with a Dark Gold glow in Song Jians hands, Kekauls face changed, and a trace of sadness appeared on his face. This is the Heart of an Archangel that only forms after their fall. Each appearance of such an item means that an Archangel has fallen! Kekaul, in sadness, explained. Only angels can use it! Song Jians eyebrows knitted as he glanced at Kekaul and handed him the Heart of the Angel, Here, take it. Kekaul became startled and quickly explained, This Heart of the Angel can not only advance Angels but is also a precious material. It is the main component for making resurrection potions. If you can find the Tears of the Angel and the Spring of Life, you can make a precious resurrection potion! After considering it for a moment, Song Jian shook his head, Let alone how difficult it is to find the Tears of the Angel and the Spring of Life, even the formula for the resurrection potion is not easy to obtain. Its better for you to use it now and enhance your Combat Power. This would have an immediate effect on my mission. Kekaul sighed and took the Heart of the Angel. In reality, the Angel Clan rarely used the Heart of the Angel to enhance their power because each Heart of the Angel represented the fall of an Archangel. They usually enshrined them in the Sacred Spirit Temple. When the Angel Clan needed to use the Heart of the Angel, they would hold a grand assembly, where the chiefs and elders would discuss and decide its usage. Kekaul was just an ordinary member of the Angel Clan, and under normal circumstances, he would not have the qualifications to use the Heart of the Angel for promotion. However, as he held the Heart of the Angel, Kekauls heart was filled with intense sadness. As if sensing Kekauls sorrow, the dazzling transparent crystal in his hand erupted with blinding white light. The phantom of an eight-winged Archangel appeared before Kekauls eyes. The Angels face was obscured by a cloak, making it difficult to discern its true appearance. Behind it, four pairs of luminescent wings moved gently, and the figure looked incomparably sacred. The Angel phantom pointed at Kekauls forehead, then transformed into a beam of white light that entered his brow. At the same time, the Heart of the Angel disappeared, leaving only a handful of shattered light points that fused into Kekauls palm and flowed into his heart. In an instant, Kekaul let out a painful groan, his face showing discomfort as his entire body glowed bright, as if he were a light bulb. *Crack crack* There was a sound of shifting bones from Kekauls back. A new pair of wings slowly grew beneath his original pair. In no time, Kekaul, a low-rank two-winged Angel, had ascended to the rank of a four-winged Angel. As a four-winged Angel, Kekaul could be a squadron leader within the Angel Clan. Moreover, the weakened status in Kekauls stats vanished. Not only had his strength returned to its peak, but it had also risen even higher. Level 50 Lord-level Boss! Song Jians eyes sparkled, revealing a look of surprise on his face. With a significant increase in Kekauls power, he could provide significant help to Song Jians mission completion. At the very least, he could hold off one or two Demon Ritualists. As for the other level 35 elite bosses in the Guardian Temple, Kekaul could easily sweep through them on his own. With Kekauls help, the two quickly ascended to the altar, where Song Jian summoned the Book of the Abyss. A black Abyssal Demon Flame appeared, with a fist-sized eyeball flickering within it. Song Jian did not hesitate to grab the eyeball from the Abyssal Demon Flame and placed it in his inventory. In contrast, the originally raging Abyssal Demon Flame turned into a dark light and merged back into the Book of the Abyss. Having absorbed the second Abyssal Demon Flame, the Book of the Abyss now had a glazed flowing light on its surface. The book appeared infused with new vitality, resembling a piece of art. System: You have snatched the eye of the fourth Demon Lord, causing them to lose their chance of resurrection. The Cerberus Demon Clans reputation towards you is locked to hunt to the death. System: Cerberus Demon Ritualist Guyar has targeted you and will initiate a hunt to the death against you until one side is completely annihilated! System: You have obtained the fourth Demon Lords Abyssal Demon Flame. The tier of your Book of the Abyss has been upgraded, and the power of all skills within it has been increased. Your Abyssal Demon Flame has been upgraded to the 6th tier. PS: Thank you Bread84 for the donation of 100 Qidian coins! Chapter 800 - Chapter 800: Chapter 801: Resurrection Item_1 Chapter 800: Chapter 801: Resurrection Item_1 After Song Jian absorbed the Abyssal Demon Flame from the Cerberus Demon Temple, that sensation of being overwhelmingly suppressed resurfaced. It was exactly like the feeling he had when he acquired the Sixth Demon Kings fang from the Wolf Spider Demon Temple and was targeted by the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. At this moment, a giant breach had appeared on the walls of the Flame Furnaces main city, with countless Abyss Demons swarming to break through this gap. However, they were all thwarted by a group of heavily-armored warriors wielding large shields; These were all Abyss Shield Strikers trained by the main city of the Flame Furnace itself, with some other professionals capable of wielding two-handed shields joining in. Everyone understood that once these Abyss Demons broke into the city, it would be completely destroyed; But everyone inside the main city knew that the citys fall was only a matter of time. The Abyss Demon army numbered over ten thousand, and if they were ordinary monsters, they wouldnt be able to breach the city. But now, over ten thousand elite bosses had arrived, and there were even several level fifty lord bosses looking on greedily. The main citys Transmission Array had been shut down, and some NPCs and players began to use their own methods to leave the main city one after another. They certainly did not wish to share the citys fate. Katies mood also turned somber. She hadnt expected that these monsters really had the strength to break through the Flame Furnace. The thought of the main city being utterly demolished made Katie feel panic and at a loss. She wanted to negotiate with Song Jian for assistance, also for the sake of developing the Thorny Bird Alliance. But if the main city were breached, then her so-called alliance development would become a joke; Standing on the city walls, Katie gazed toward Demon Slayer Canyon, silently praying in her heart; The stalemate was about to be broken, and a shadow of despair fell over the hearts of those defending the city. At that moment, all the Cerberus Demons on the battlefield suddenly halted their steps, letting out a furious roar; Damn humans! The Cerberus Demon Ritualist, Guyar, stomped a front paw heavily onto the ground, causing the surrounding earth to shake violently, almost like an earthquake. Guyar, whats gotten into you? The Goat-faced Demon Ritualist, stationed closest to Guyar, steadied himself before bellowing furiously at the Cerberus Demon Ritualist; That human, that human is no longer in this city, hes returned to the Guardian Temple, and he has stolen the Fourth Demon Lords resurrection artifact! All three of the Cerberus Demon Ritualists heads roared loudly at the same time, raging furiously, nearly going mad. What, how is that possible? We have completely surrounded this city; how could he have gotten out? The ritualists were shocked, knowing that the temples they guarded were very close to each other. Retreat, I must return and tear this human to pieces! The Cerberus Demon Ritualist roared loudly, and with that command, all the Cerberus Demons withdrew from the battlefield and began to retreat, following Guyar towards Demon Slayer Canyon; Go to ????????????????????.co Whats this all about? Were about to break through this city, you know. A whole citys worth of wealth, and were just giving up? muttered the Flame Demon Lord under his breath. Just then, the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist also let out a roaring, and without a second word, waved his huge hand giving his commands to the attacking Goat-faced Demons, leading them in a hurried dash towards Demon Slayer Canyon. The other ritualists looked at one another, glanced up at the shaky Flame Furnace, and reluctantly issued orders to retreat, rushing off towards Demon Slayer Canyon; Their mission was to protect the resurrection artifacts of the Demon Lords, collect beliefs, and wait for the day of the Demon Lords revival. If the resurrection artifacts were stolen, then even if they destroyed ten main cities and gained the wealth of a hundred main cities, it would be meaningless to them. Damn humans, they are too cunning. If only we could wait for one more hour, no, half an hour, we could have The Great Demon Priest cast a regretful look back at the huge breach in the walls of the Flame Furnace city. At this moment, Song Jian had already emerged from the second Demon God Temple and was rushing towards the next one. We need to speed up, it wont be long before those Abyss Demons might come back! Song Jian said as he hurriedly made his way towards the adjacent temple; There were five more temples, thankfully these temples were not far from each other, and Demon Slayer Canyon was at some distance from the Flame Furnace. If the Abyss Demons were still attacking the city at this point, even if they received the message now, there should be enough time to make it here; With this in mind, Song Jian, accompanied by the significantly strengthened angel Kekaul, continued to rush towards the next temple. In just half an hour, Song Jian had traversed the five temples, gathering all the resurrection items of the five Abyss Demon Kings, while the remaining five Abyssal Demon Flames were all absorbed by the Book of the Abyss; The Book of the Abysss surface shimmered with flowing light, and a strange eye appeared on its cover. When Song Jian looked at it, he even felt as if the eye were alive. At this point, the Book of the Abyss also entered a sealed state, rendered unusable. Checking the sealing time, it would take a full seven days to unseal, which meant that all the skills contained within the Book of the Abyss were now inaccessible. Demi-God Artifact Song Jian looked at the Book of the Abyss burning with black flames inside him and his heart suddenly became ablaze with excitement; As for another mission, to collect the resurrection artifacts of seven Demon Lords, and then sever the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, Song Jian temporarily lost his train of thought. He had already collected all seven resurrection artifacts of the Demon Lords: the heart of the First Demon King, a horn segment of the Second Demon King, the purple-red scales of the Third Demon King, the eyeball of the Fourth Demon King, the tail of the Fifth Demon King, the fangs of the Sixth Demon King, and a black feather of the Seventh Demon King; The seven resurrection artifacts lay quietly in Song Jians inventory, their surfaces emanating a thick black aura. What should I do next? Song Jian frowned deeply. What he lacked most now was time. The Abyssal Demon Sacrifices would have certainly received the alert by now and were frantically rushing this way. Any further delay meant that once those Demon Ritualists returned, they would be trapped in the Demon Guardian Temple, even with the formidable power of the angel Kekaul. Song Jian, is it possible that there might be a clue for the next step of your mission in the central temple? the angel Kekaul suddenly said. The central temple? Song Jian was startled. It was known that the Demon Guardian Temple was actually a complex, with seven temples surrounding and protecting an even larger temple. The other seven temples were each controlled by one of the seven Great Demon Priests, but Song Jian had never been inside the central and larger temple; However, compared to the other temples, the central one was more severely damaged. With time pressing, if there were no clues inside, it would mean a total waste of time; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian gritted his teeth and said, Lets go have a look at the central temple! Having said that, the two of them flew towards the central temple; Chapter 801 - Chapter 801: Chapter 802: The Devils Throne_1 Chapter 801: Chapter 802: The Devils Throne_1 Just as Song Jian and the angel Kekaul entered the Central Temple, a faint golden line appeared on Song Jians task map. Song Jians eyes brightened, it seemed that the task clue was indeed inside this Central Temple. Follow me, Song Jian said, and he quickly dashed in the direction indicated by the golden line. The Central Temple was even more severely damaged, many parts had already collapsed, and the interior was very complex, with numerous large and small rooms connected by countless maze-like corridors. On top of that, the debris from the collapsed structures made navigating the temple very difficult. Without the guidance of the task, searching the entire temple would take at least two or three days. There were also monsters inside the temple, short figures emitting a faint black aura, Shadow Demons prowling everywhere within the temple. These Shadow Demons appeared and vanished intermittently, blocking Song Jians path forward. If he were to eliminate them one by one, the Abyssal Demon Sacrifices would probably lead their armies and trap him here before he could finish. Kekaul, Ill leave this to you, draw them all out, Song Jian whispered. After speaking, he used the Concealment Necklace to enter a stealth state. Kekaul roared loudly and pointed his sword at the nearest Shadow Demon, shouting, Intimidate, in the sacred name, mark it as my enemy! The targeted Shadow Demon was instantly furious, its eyes turned blood-red, and it screamed, brandishing its dagger, charging at Kekaul. The Shadow Demons beside it also rushed towards Kekaul. Just as Kekaul was preparing to face the enemy, he suddenly felt something off and noticed a flash of cold light at the corner of his eye. Kekaul was shocked and quickly dodged to the side, only then realizing that a dagger was stabbing towards his temple. Kekaul quickly raised his shield, and with a clang, the dagger collided with the shield, making his arm feel heavy. Taking advantage of the momentum, he retracted his shield and fiercely slashed at the enemy with his right hand. Clang~ A figure slowly emerged, different from the other Shadow Demons, this one wore light grey scale armor. While other Shadow Demons only wielded a dagger, this one held daggers in both hands, the blades gleaming with a faint green light. Go to ????????????????????.co Shadow Demon Leader? Kekaul narrowed his eyes, focusing on the faint green glow on the enemys weapon: Poisoned! A level 40 elite boss, the Shadow Demon Leader, was not much of a challenge for Kekaul. But combined with a dozen level 35 elite Shadow Demons, Kekaul immediately felt the pressure. Divine Blessing, a golden light fell upon Kekauls head, he first bestowed a status spell on himself, and then, while fighting the group of Shadow Demons, he started to retreat. Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian infiltrated further inside, the sounds of battle behind him growing fainter and fainter. Following the path indicated by the task, Song Jian had to pass through many rooms. Some were empty and devoid of monsters, but others occasionally had one or two roaming Shadow Demons. Although these Shadow Demons were easy for Song Jian to deal with, they still delayed him considerably, making him increasingly anxious. Having passed through a dozen rooms, Song Jian could feel that the Demon Ritualists were getting closer and closer; there wasnt much time left for him. Over half an hour later, Song Jian finally arrived at the end of the guided route shown on the map. It was a spacious hall, and at the end of the hall, there was a throne emitting a dark gold glow. The throne was carved entirely out of dark gold metal, and the guided route shown on the map ended right at this throne. Song Jian quickly walked up to the throne, opened his task panel, but there were no prompts. Could it be that I need to sit down? The throne was quite wide, able to accommodate three or four people side by side. Song Jian sat on it and after a moment, nothing out of the ordinary happened. After some thought, Song Jian tried taking out a resurrection artifact of the Demon Lord and placed it on the throne; then he noticed that the glow of the throne seemed to grow slightly stronger. It was then that the long-awaited task prompt finally appeared in the task panel. System: You have discovered the Abyssal Demon Throne. Place the seven Demon Lord resurrection artifacts on the throne to open the Teleportation Gate to the Fallen Space. Song Jian quickly arranged the seven resurrection artifacts on the throne. The dark gold glow of the throne grew more intense, almost blinding. Just then, the apparitions of seven Demon Lords slowly materialized above the throne, roaring angrily and ceaselessly. At that moment, in the midst of these Demon Lord apparitions, a fist-sized black lotus seed appeared out of nowhere. This lotus seed continuously extracted energy from the apparitions of the seven Demon Lords, as strands of black Abyssal Vitality flowed incessantly from the apparitions to the black lotus seed. Before long, the apparitions of the seven Demon Lords began to fade increasingly, eventually disappearing completely as if they had never been there. Meanwhile, the black lotus seed rapidly grew, rooting itself in the emptiness, quickly blossoming into a lotus, and in no time, all its leaves and stems withered away, leaving only one lotus flower floating in mid-air. At this time, the seven resurrection artifacts of the Demon Lords arranged on the throne were also slowly decaying, as if eroded by thousands of years, their energy being drawn out into the apparitions in mid-air, and from there, continuously extracted into the black lotus blooming in the sky. The lotus unfolded layer by layer and quickly turned into a gate of light, leading to an unknown world. Song Jian could hear the sounds of countless demons roaring angrily behind him, and also heard the angel Kekaul chanting spells resolutely. Knowing he didnt have much time left, he immediately rushed towards the gate of light. The moment his figure rushed through, the entire lotus platform began to wither slowly, with black lotus petals falling down, dissolving in the air, and soon after, the lotus Teleportation Gate vanished from within the throne. At that time, the Quartet angel Kekaul, who was blocking the entrance of the Central Temple, faced countless swarming demons with a resolute expression on his face. The Demon Ritualists, seeing a Quartet angel guarding the temple gate, swarmed in without a second thought. They could feel that Song Jian was inside the temple, and if they killed him, they could retrieve the stolen Demon Lord resurrection artifacts. Although Kekauls strength had significantly improved, facing six Demon Ritualists that were almost his equals, he was beaten without the power to fight back. As his Vitality Points continued to drop and more wounds appeared on his body, he sensed that his end was near. Suddenly, a powerful force whisked him away, flying towards the interior of the temple. PS: Thanks to Martial God Zhao Yun for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 802 - Chapter 802: Chapter 803: The Final Battlefield_1 Chapter 802: Chapter 803: The Final Battlefield_1 ` The human is in there! the Abyssal Succubus Priestess bellowed, her eyes flashing with an unholy light as she smiled coquettishly at the four-winged angel Kekaul guarding the gate, You truly are a powerful one. Look at your wings, so beautiful. I too have a pair of lovely wings, see! As she spoke, the Abyssal Succubus Priestess fluttered her bat-like black wings and was about to continue her seductive charm when Kekaul, with a look of disgust, said, How can demon wings compare to the feathers of an angel? Your black wings are a sign of your fall, while mine are the fount of holy power! By this time, Kekaul had resolved himself to death, knowing that even if he were twice as strong, he could not possibly be a match for so many demons. Seeing her charm fail, the Abyssal Succubus let out an angry roar, her faces black demonic tattoos surfacing and appearing ever more ferocious. I told you your charm spell doesnt work on everyone, its a waste of time! the Great Demon Priest complained. Then with a sudden flash, he teleported in front of Kekaul, his massive scythe tracing an arc through the air as he cleaved down at Kekaul. Clang~ The Demons scythe struck Kekauls shield, instantly transferring a great force that made Kekaul stagger back two steps. He managed to stabilize his figure only when his back hit a collapsing wall. Before he could swing his longsword to counterattack, the Cerberus Demon Priest let out a roar. All three heads spewed flames and venom simultaneously, and the other demon ritualists also roared and pounced towards Kekaul. Just with you trying to stop us? But if you submit to me, I can make you my lieutenant, a four-winged angel priest. Haha, that sounds pretty good! The Fallen Angel Priest laughed heartily, swinging his sword that emitted a black aura, sending out black Sword Qi that struck the helpless Kekaul. While fending off the attacks, Kekaul chanted healing spells, doing everything in his power to buy time. He knew that Song Jian behind him desperately needed time. Just as Kekauls Vitality Points fell below one-third, suddenly a powerful force from behind turned him into a beam of white light and pulled him into the temple, leaving the demon priests without a target. Whats happened, why have I lost the sensation of that human! the Flame Demon Priest suddenly cried out in terror. Damn it, me too. Did that human manage to escape again? the Goat-faced Demon Priest snarled, his face darkening. This mutual sensing had its distance limits; once exceeded, the sensation would fade. Go to ????????????????????.co Its impossible, this temple bars any means of teleportation. He couldnt possibly escape! the Great Demon Priest cried out. The demon priests exchanged glances and charged into the temple together. Soon, they reached the Dark Gold Throne within the temple. Oh, no! cried the Abyssal Succubus Priestess in agony, her face etched with despair as she saw the resurrection artifacts of several Abyss Demon Kings atop the Dark Gold Throne had all turned to rot. The demon priests felt as if their strength had been sucked out in an instant, collapsing weakly to the ground. Years of persistence vanished in that moment, a blow so severe that it rendered the demon priests with a feeling of unbearable pain. The angel has disappeared from here too! the Flame Demon Priestess declared, picking up a shattered, unrecognizable shield before the throne. Search, search the entire temple, find that human and angel. I will make them regret being alive in this world! Great Demon Priest Saffer bellowed, his eyes bloodshot, on the verge of exploding. Song Jian rushed through the black lotus dais portal, feeling dizzy and promptly blacking out. He didnt know how much time had passed when he regained consciousness, finding himself lying on a patch of dry grass. The cold rain beat on his cheeks like the cut of a knife. ` Next to him, the four-winged angel Kekaul lay limply on the ground, his body covered in scars, with pale gold blood slowly flowing out; his breath had weakened to an extreme point; Kekaul Song Jian looked at the barely breathing Kekaul with a complex expression. The moment he entered the light gate, he had already given up on this temporary Follower in his heart. Unexpectedly, Kekaul had followed him and entered this mysterious space as well. Kekauls shield was nowhere to be seen, and his right hand was tightly clutching a long sword full of notches, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, as if he was still fighting in his dreams; Song Jian first performed a surgical treatment on Kekaul to remove the continual bleeding status and then took out a bottle of high-grade healing potion, slowly pouring it into his mouth; Soon after, a pained moan issued from Kekauls mouth, and a pair of pale blue eyes slowly opened. Where, where am I? Kekaul asked in a hoarse whisper; It was then that Song Jian finally lifted his head to look around; I dont know, but it looks like a battlefield! said Song Jian in a low voice; Kekauls strength slowly returned, and the four pairs of wings on his back unfurled as he stood up; This was a vast wilderness with no signs of life anywhere to be seen. Corpses and weapons were scattered all around, stretching out beyond the range of sight; It was at this time that the system prompt finally arrived late; System: You have discovered the Final Battlefield! System: Please find the Sword Immortal Severed Blade here and completely destroy it! Song Jian checked Kekauls condition; by now, his Vitality Points had slowly recovered to over sixty percent, but his Spirit Points were recovering very slowly; Lets go and continue to explore what exactly happened here! said Song Jian as he started walking aimlessly forward; After spending half a day, Song Jian still hadnt discovered anything, but during the search, he could feel that the space was not very large, possibly even smaller than the Demon Guardian Temple they had entered before; Moreover, there were quite a few monsters in this special region. All these monsters were soul-state, all above level fifty Elite Bosses. Fortunately, these monsters were all yellow-named and would not initiate attacks. Moreover, as Song Jian approached them, these monsters would panic and flee far away, making Song Jian click his tongue in wonder; What exactly are we supposed to be finding here? Kekaul couldnt help asking curiously. Its supposed to be a weapon, and a broken one at that! Song Jian hesitated for a moment, saying somewhat uncertainly. Do you think, it could be over there? Kekaul suddenly said, pointing into the distance; PS: Thank you to Piercing Piggies for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 803 - Chapter 803: Chapter 804 Deaths Scythe_1 Chapter 803: Chapter 804 Deaths Scythe_1 Song Jian entered this final battlefield map, which was strange not only because of the corpses and decayed armaments scattered around but also because of the junk pile made entirely of broken and abandoned weapons at the center of the map. This pile, comprised of thousands of weapons, looked like a mountain from afar. When Song Jian searched, he didnt pay much attention to this junk pile because the weapons accumulated here had all decayed to the point of being unrecognizable; a mere flick would crumble them into iron filings; But after scouring the entire map, Song Jian and Kekaul still ended up standing in front of the junk pile constructed of countless broken and discarded blades. The blade youre seeking might just be here, the angel Kekaul hypothesized. Perhaps, Song Jian said noncommittally. After all, he was looking for a weapon exclusive to a unique profession in the gamehow could it be discarded like trash here? At the very least, it should be enshrined and worshipped in a temple, much like the revival artifacts of those Demon Lords from before. Yet there were no clues to be found here about the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, so they decided to turn this place inside out first; The two of them began tossing the broken and battered weapons all around, much like ragpickers; The weapon pile was so vast that it took them well over ten hours just to clear less than half of it; soon, Song Jian and Kekaul realized that not everything in this massive pile was junk. Beyond the outer layer of weathered and decayed weapons, there were quite a few pieces of white-quality equipment above level forty; Despite the lower quality, the sheer volume represented a considerable fortune; With Song Jians discerning eye, he naturally had no interest in these weapons, discarding them just like trash; Hey, this shield is not bad! Kekaul exclaimed, grabbing the corner of an item and forcefully pulling it out from the pile of junk, wiping it to reveal a faint glimmer of gold where he rubbed; A gold-quality shield? Song Jian said, surprised, and looking at Kekaul with a smile, he added, Lucky find. Although the shield didnt compare to his previous dark gold shield, its attributes were decent, fairly standard among gold-quality shields. Go to ????????????????????.co Kekaul equipped the shield and swung his arm a few times, nodding in satisfaction; Seeing this shield of gold quality, Song Jian suddenly took an interest in the weapon pile. Maybe there were even better-quality weapons buried within, and perhaps even the Sword Immortal Severed Blade from the quest might be hidden here; With this thought, Song Jian significantly sped up his digging; A few hours later, countless broken and discarded blades surrounded Song Jian, all radiating a faint blue-green glow. The weapons were of high level, mostly above forty. Even though they were blue-green, in such quantities, they were worth at least several hundred thousand Doomsday Coins; However, selling these equipments would have to wait a while since most players were around level thirty at the moment, and these items were somewhat too advanced for them; Song Jians storage space was limited, so he could only pick out and store some of the equipment with higher quality and attributes; There were mostly valueless, broken weapons, however, and Song Jian, already feeling numb, even knelt directly on the pile of weapons and kept rummaging; Just then, a purple-red light suddenly burst out from a crevice, instantly causing Song Jians heart to contract sharply; Epic equipment! The thought exploded in Song Jians mind, and he could hardly believe his guess; Rustle~ A flurry of intense rummaging later, the purple-red light grew stronger, and before long, Song Jian extracted a sickle from the pile of weapons; This sickles design was very similar to the one held by the Great Demon Priest, but both its quality and appearance were levels above the weapon in the hands of the Great Demon Priest; Deaths Scythe (Epic): Two-handed polearm weapon, item level: 50, damage: 402-610, equipment effects: strength +30, agility +25, constitution +25, rending damage +30%; Special Effect 1: Fatal Strike (Passive), when causing damage to the target, theres a 0.1% chance to trigger a fatal strike, causing immediate death to the target! Special Effect 2: Vitality Drain (Passive), 30% of the damage dealt to the target will be converted into Vitality Points, restoring the users own health; this effect is only effective when the target is a creature of flesh and blood; Special Effect 3: Critical Hit (Passive), has a 30% chance to deal 3 times the damage to the target, this effect can only occur once every 100 seconds; Special Effect 4: Flame Strike (Passive), has a certain chance to trigger Flame Strike when causing damage to the target, dealing 300 points of fire damage; Special Effect 5: Whirlwind (Active), deal consecutive hits to all enemies within a five-meter radius over three seconds, with each hit increasing damage by 30% more than the previous, if a target killed by the whirlwind ability, their soul will be extracted by the user, assisting in attacking for 1 minute, skill cooldown time: 30 seconds; Item Equipment Requirement: Abyss Profession; Can be taken out of the game: yes Epic, its really an epic weapon! Song Jian stared dumbfounded at the sickle about a meter long in his hand, murmuring to himself: Top-notch, its truly a top-notch weapon! With excellent attributes, after checking the weapons characteristics, Song Jian even felt an impulse to change his class immediately to an Abyss profession; whether it was damage or attributes, everything was what melee players needed most, and not a single attribute was wasted; five effects, four passive and one active skill, were all potent offensive attributes. Especially the last active skill, it was simply a weapon of war in group battles, and its efficiency, especially when leveling up by grinding small mobs, was astonishing! If this game could be reborn, countless players would probably be willing to commit suicide to respawn just for this weapon; Too bad, its limited to the Abyss profession! Seeing the red text at the end, Song Jian shook his head in regret; this limitation greatly diminished the value of the weapon, and as a human, he was naturally opposed to Abyss playersit was one thing to sell other weapons to Abyss players, but this weapon could play a key role on the battlefield, so under no circumstances would Song Jian consider selling it to Abyss players; The only fate for this weapon was to be taken back to Doomsday City by him and then broken down into materials; Thinking that such a powerful weapon would have to be dismantled into materials, Song Jian couldnt help but feel a pang of pain and deep regret; Just as Song Jian was storing the weapon in his inventory, he suddenly felt a slight tremor underfoot, which quickly grew more intense. Song Jians face changed, and he hastily pulled Kekaul back; An earthquake? Kekaul looked puzzled, staring ahead; By now, the weapon pile had been thoroughly rummaged through by the two of them, leaving only a three-to-four-meter mound, and the epicenter of the shaking was precisely this small hill filled with discarded weapons; PS: Thank you to Piercing Piggies for the gift of 500 Doomsday Coins~ Chapter 804 - Chapter 804: Chapter 805: The Eighth Demon King_1 Chapter 804: Chapter 805: The Eighth Demon King_1 Get out of the way! Song Jian shouted. As soon as his voice fell, there was a loud boom as a pile of rocks burst open, sending countless broken blades flying towards Song Jian and his companion. Angel Kekaul instinctively raised the newly acquired golden shield in front of him. It was only when Kekaul suddenly remembered Song Jian beside him and turned his head that he saw three Bone Shields floating continuously around Song Jians body, and a scarlet Light Shield also appeared on the surface of his body; Kekaul: Your defense seems even stronger than mine! Clang, clang, clang~ A torrential downpour of ringing sounds ensued as countless blades struck the shields. Kekaul had no energy to think of anything else and could only focus on protecting himself with all his might; Song Jian continuously retreated backward, but his speed was no match for those flying broken weapons. Weapon after weapon stabbed at him, all deflected by the Bone Shield; In the midst of the bristling onslaught of weapons, Song Jian saw streaks of purple and red glimmers shining brightly in the dim sky; So many epic-quality weapons hidden below A sharp pain seized Song Jians heart. If he had been even a moment later, all these weapons would have belonged to him. But just as these weapons reached midair, Song Jian suddenly noticed a purple light slowly rising from the deepest part of the pile of rocks; It was a sword, but a broken one, with only a third of its blade remaining. The sword emitted a purple glownot quite purple, significantly different from the epic-quality purple-red, but more like a dazzling gold. Purple gold Song Jians eyes widened: This, this is a Legendary Level weapon, purple gold Go to ????????????????????.co This was the first time Song Jian had seen a weapon stronger than the epic quality, a broken Legendary Level sword. Sword Immortal Severed Blade! These four words suddenly flashed in Song Jians mind; The Legendary Level weapon slowly ascended, and in an instant, all the swords blown into the air seemed to be controlled and became frozen in place. After a one-second pause, all the weapons clattered to the ground. In the air, only six weapons emitting a purple-red glow were left, along with the Severed Blade that rose like a small sun; The six epic-quality weapons trembled ever so slightly, and even the Deaths Scythe in Song Jians inventory vibrated as if in fear. Whip, dagger, armguard, battleaxe Song Jian was momentarily mesmerized by the six weapons; Then, the rising sword Severed Blade suddenly drew an arc in midair, and with a clang, it struck the epic-quality battleaxe; One collision broke the epic-quality axe in two, and then the sword, as if wielded by an unseen hand, whirled in the air, grinding the battleaxe into dust. It felt as though it was dismembering a body after a murder, and a strong sense of vengeance wafted from the Severed Blade; The other five epic-quality weapons let out a mournful cry, then rapidly fled in five different directions. But the Severed Blade, not content with destroying one weapon, barely swayed in the air and split into four identical copies of itself, each looking exactly like the first Severed Blade. These five Severed Blades pursued the five fleeing epic-quality weapons, determined to utterly annihilate them; Before long, Song Jian heard five clear, ringing sounds of slashing coming faintly to his ears; Suddenly thinking of something, Song Jians face changed drastically, and a drop of cold sweat slowly slid down his cheek; If this broken sword is indeed the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, my task is to destroy it, but The power to shatter an Epic Quality weapon with a single strike, if such a force were to strike Song Jian, no matter how formidable his strength, his end would be instant annihilation; Just then, the phalanx bone in Song Jians package suddenly burst into dazzling light, vibrating intensely as if to remind Song Jian of something. Song Jian hurriedly took out the phalanx bone, knowing that the task of fulfilling the Demon Lords last wish was triggered by this very bone. The moment the bone was taken out, seven shadowy apparitions of Demon Ritualists suddenly materialized behind Song Jian, their ferocious gaze fixed on Song Jian and the floating bone, their monstrous maws silent in their roar; At that moment, the bone also manifested the shadow of a demon, a diminutive figure with horns entwining the skull and the back of the head, and eyes crimson as blood; Shadow Demon Song Jian looked at the apparition of the demon, suddenly feeling something strange deep inside; I am the Eighth Demon King, Ancient Leiya! The apparition of the Shadow Demon glanced at Song Jian, a sinister smile appearing at the corner of its mouth, How ironic, that my resurrection was triggered and accomplished by a human! After Ancient Leiya spoke, a look of terror appeared on the faces of the Demon Ritualist apparitions, as each one of them knelt on one knee and paid respects to Ancient Leiya; For my true resurrection, I need the last piece of the puzzle! Ancient Leiya turned his gaze to the seven Demon Ritualists, smiling broadly, That is, I need an endless supply of faith to rebuild my body. All the faith you have gathered over the years, give it all to me. Having spoken, Ancient Leiya opened his great maw and sucked fiercely. The apparitions of the seven Demon Ritualists were drawn by an invisible force, flying towards the mouth of Ancient Leiya; Over a hundred years, the seven Demon Ritualists had continually performed blood sacrifices to resurrect their respective Demon Lords, accumulating a vast amount of racial faith, but unexpectedly, it all ended up benefiting the Eighth Demon King; My successor, well done! The Eighth Demon King showed a grotesque smile to Song Jian, raising his right hand. Song Jian suddenly felt the Book of the Abyss within him begin to slip out of his control, slowly squeezing out from his body. The Book of the Abyss was still in a sealed state, awaiting its final transformation, but under the Summoning of the Eighth Demon King, the Book of the Abyss flew into his left palm and was grasped firmly; Old friend, long time no see! The Eighth Demon King gently stroked over the Book of the Abyss with his right hand, instantly releasing the seal; brilliant tricolored divine light burst forth from the surface of the Book of the Abyss; A Demi-God Artifact Song Jian stared at the Book of the Abyss in the Eighth Demon Kings hands, his throat felt dry, and he was overcome with the sensation of preparing a wedding gown for someone else. All the hard work he put into collecting the seven Flames of Demons, and was about to upgrade the Book of the Abyss into a Demi-God Artifact, yet at the last moment, it was taken by the Eighth Demon King who had fallen for who knows how long. The thought alone was profoundly saddening; At that moment, from a distance, five purple-golden meteors flew by, dragging long trails of flame, the Eighth Demon Kings expression suddenly changed, and stretching a hand toward Song Jian, he shouted in a low voice, Give it to me! PS: Thank you Piercing Piggies for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 805 - Chapter 805: Chapter 806 Refusal_1 Chapter 805: Chapter 806 Refusal_1 ` The Eighth Demon King was the first to fall, but he did not perish in Abyssal Hell, rather, he fell in the human world. The Abyssal Demon Flame that Song Jian first acquired was also the flame controlled by the Eighth Demon King, and the Book of the Abyss was the treasure of the Eighth Demon King; Looking at the gradually solidifying phantom of the Eighth Demon King in the sky and the Book of the Abyss in its hands, Song Jian couldnt help but frown, feeling disgust in his heart. Just then, the Eighth Demon King turned its head to Song Jian and shouted, Give me the weapon now! System: The Eighth Demon King, Ancient Leiya, is demanding your epic weapon Deaths Scythe. Only by wielding Deaths Scythe can Ancient Leiya sever the Sword Immortal Severed Blade! System: You may choose to refuse giving Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, thus making the epic quest The Demon Lords Last Wish a total failure; your choice will have a significant impact on the games progression, so choose wisely! System: If you refuse to give Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, the enmity of the Shadow Demon Clan will become locked in an unending vendetta against you, and Ancient Leiya will also regard you as an enemy! Song Jian looked into the distance, where the five Sword Immortal Severed Blades had gathered back into one and were slashing towards Ancient Leiya. Ancient Leiya held up the Book of the Abyss, chanting the Abyssal Spell, as black Abyssal Demon Flame blazed up, forming a suit of armor around it, firmly protecting it; Boom, boom, boom~ The Sword Immortal Severed Blade relentlessly struck Ancient Leiya, sending large clumps of black sparks flying in all directions. For a moment, Ancient Leiya seemed to have no power to counterattack, only desperately defending; Give me Deaths Scythe, and you will gain the friendship of the Shadow Demon Clan, you will become the High Priest of the Shadow Demon Clan, and when I am fully resurrected, the entire Abyssal Hell will be under my control. By then, you will be second to none, above tens of thousands! Ancient Leiya roared loudly, an anxious expression emerging in its brows and eyes. The resurrection artifacts of the other seven Demon Lords were all destroyed, and the Power of Faith accumulated by their clan over centuries had also been stolen by the Eighth Demon King; they had completely lost the possibility of resurrection; Now, in the whole of Abyssal Hell, only the Eighth Demon King had the chance to be fully resurrected. If it could sever the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, it would fully resurrect, and by then, no one in Abyssal Hell would be able to contend with it. It would truly become the supreme ruler of Abyssal Hell, the only ruler! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??. Song Jian crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched Ancient Leiya coldly. If he were an Abyssal career, he would not hesitate to give Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, but just thinking about it, one would know that once Ancient Leiya was fully resurrected, the human world, which had already been targeted by Abyssal Hell, would certainly become its prey. Moreover, a unified Abyssal Hell would be far stronger than when the eight Demon Lords coexisted! You can forget about it! Song Jian directly chose to refuse giving Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya! In an instant, a look of despair appeared on Ancient Leiyas face. It must be known that Song Jian had gone through great hardships to reach the final step of this epic quest. If it were someone else, they surely would not give up so easily because just by handing over Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, the epic quest would be completed! The reward for an epic quest would definitely involve epic items, and one could also gain the prestige of the Shadow Demon Clan and the favor of Ancient Leiya. This favor, after all, is the future sole ruler of Abyssal Hell and is far more valuable than any epic item; Strictly speaking, the reward for this epic quest could be considered the richest among all epic quests, but the cost, or rather the consequences, could bring serious harm or even Destruction to the human world! Song Jian is not an Abyssal professional, all his efforts are based on the City of Hope of the human world; naturally, he would not want the human world to suffer an invasion from Abyssal Hell; ` For several seconds, thoughts raced through Song Jians mind, and he ultimately decided to give up the epic quest. After all, this quest was really meant for players of the Abyss, but due to some twist of fate, it had fallen into Song Jians hands; Of course, this was also largely related to Song Jian obtaining the Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss from the Eighth Demon King. It could be said that this quest was a follow-up to those earlier events with the Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss; Do you know what you have refused! roared Ancient Leiya, turning his head with a ferocious glare at Song Jian, looking as if he was about to devour him; Die! With a thought, Song Jian sent four long swords flying toward Ancient Leiya. The swords executed the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, sending a flurry of icy Sword Qi sweeping towards Ancient Leiya; The slowdown and weakening of defenses made it harder for Ancient Leiya to cope with the Sword Immortal Severed Blade; however, the Abyssal Demon Flame on its body soon eliminated the negative effects brought by the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique; In Ancient Leiyas eyes, Song Jians attack was like an annoying fly buzzing around his earit did not do much damage, but it was irritating and distracting; Human, you must die! Ancient Leiya was struck hard on the shoulder by the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, and the armor condensed from the Abyssal Demon Flame shattered instantly, a damage number of over five thousand points floating above his head; A howl as mournful as a wolfs emerged from Ancient Leiyas mouth. The monsters in this space suddenly had their eyes turn red and began to roar in unison. To Song Jians shock, the monsters that were originally marked with yellow names turned red in an instant, and they all swarmed towards him; Damn it, how could this happen! Song Jian gasped in horror. The battle space was not large, with not many monstersonly about fifty to sixty, but each one was an elite boss above level fifty. With so many monsters swarming him, Song Jian was no match for them; Kekaul! Song Jian shouted loudly. Kekaul swung his long sword and struck his shield hard, making a dull sound: Fight to the death! The two stood back to back, watching as countless translucent demonic creatures swarmed towards them; Boom~ The battle erupted, and Song Jian and Kekaul were besieged by a group of fifty-level elite bosses, while above them, the Eighth Demon King and the Sword Immortal Severed Blade were locked in constant combat. Weaponless, the Eighth Demon King Ancient Leiya could only use the spells from the Book of the Abyss to attack the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. However, this seemed no more than a tickle to the blade; all the energy blasts hitting it couldnt even slow it down, let alone cause any damage; A look of despair appeared on the Eighth Demon Kings face, his failure coming just as victory seemed within his grasp. He had not anticipated that he would miscalculate Song Jians intentionsa mistake that now cost him his hope of resurrection; If I am to die, you wont live either! The Eighth Demon King Ancient Leiya twisted his head to look at Song Jian, his eyes filled with deep resentment; Chapter 806 - Chapter 806: Chapter 807: Holy Point_1 Chapter 806: Chapter 807: Holy Point_1 In the dim half-light, large raindrops fell ceaselessly, a longsword shimmering with purple-golden light pursued the Eighth Demon King relentlessly, hacking down at him without cessation; At this time, the Eighth Demon King had completely given up resistance, allowing the purple-golden broken sword to hack at his body, unconcerned as his Vitality Points continued to drop; Ancient Leiya turned fiercely and lunged at Song Jian; Before I die, I will drag you into the boundless Hell! Wail with me in the flames of Abyssal Hell! Ancient Leiya roared, punching towards Song Jian; Song Jian was desperately fending off the attacks of surrounding demonic soul monsters. When he sensed the attack from Ancient Leiya above him, he couldnt react in time and was brutally struck in the chest by Ancient Leiya; Crack~ The Dark Gold Quality chestplate of the Emperor Ant Suit emitted a crisp cracking sound. Pieces of the shattered chestplate splattered in all directions, and blood spurted out as Song Jians Vitality Points plummeted by 1500! You are even weaker than I thought! Ancient Leiya was almost face to face with Song Jian. Song Jian could even feel the scorching flame breath exhaled from Ancient Leiyas mouth; Watching the mocking look in Ancient Leiyas eyes, Song Jian desperately controlled the four longswords, thrusting them at Ancient Leiya, but despite their immense power, they only inflicted double-digit damage; Second-tier Peak Combat Power? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling a profound sense of powerlessness. First-tier combatants facing second-tier was like those who hadnt passed the first-tier assessment, facing one with first-tier combat power; This kind of power disparity only brings despair! Most importantly, this wasnt even the peak combat power of Ancient Leiya. It was known that he hadnt fully resurrected yet and his power was greatly reduced, but even so, he was not someone the current Song Jian could handle; Song Jian took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stretched out his right hand. The four longswords traced an arc in the air, merging into one and flying back into Song Jians hand; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????. Light Strike! A brilliant golden Sword Qi slashed fiercely at the Eighth Demon King, like a long river, emanating a terrifying pressure. Even the surrounding demonic soul monsters showed a look of fear on their faces and ceased their attacks for a moment; For the creatures of the Abyss, the Divine Power-filled Light Strike was the most damaging! Ancient Leiya stretched out his right hand toward the Sword Qi and snorted coldly, wanting to crush the Sword Qi with brute force to show Song Jian the vast gap between their powers; Just then, the Sword Immortal Severed Blade from behind, like a Light Arrow, stabbed at him, piercing deeply into Ancient Leiyas back. A rich black breath surged from the wound, like flowing blood. No! Ancient Leiya let out a painful cry, his spirit instantly shattered. At that moment, the brilliant golden Sword Qi swept towards his right hand and sliced through; Half of his palm flew up, and Ancient Leiyas aura sagged. He could no longer control his body and fell towards the ground; Lets die together! Ancient Leiya, looking at the purple-gold broken blade flying toward him, roared. A pale black halo emanated from his body, wave after wave of aura burst forth, oppressive and frightening; Shit, another self-destruct, run! Song Jian, sensing the chaotic aura emanating from Ancient Leiyas body, was shocked and quickly used Soul Wander to escape into the distance; All the demonic soul monsters besieging Song Jian and Kekaul showed terrified expressions and scrambled away in panic. Boom~ A massive roar echoed in the final battlefield, the explosion filling the entire space, causing the once-stable space to shake violently. Huge cracks appeared on the ground, and the air was riddled with spiderweb-like spatial fractures; A giant black mushroom cloud rose from the site of Ancient Leiyas self-destruction. All demonic soul monsters were torn to shreds by the intense blast, instantly killed. The items dropped by these monsters were also destroyed by the explosive aftermath as soon as they appeared; The entire space was filled with intense chaotic currents. After the four-second invincibility time of Song Jians Soul Wander ended, although he was in a soul state, he still suffered damage from the aftermath of the explosion; Bone Shield, Bloody Shield, Iron Wings Song Jian instinctively used all his defensive skills, but the moment they were deployed, they were immediately destroyed. Even the Iron Wings that enshrouded him were stripped away layer by layer by the powerful force, until they were utterly obliterated; A series of damage floated above Song Jians head; -120 -110 -109 -102 -85 -75 The numbers were getting smaller, but in the end, Song Jian was still blasted away by the force, crashing hard into a gigantic rock, and he immediately lost consciousness; After an unknown amount of time, Song Jian finally came to. He found that his entire body was in extreme pain, as if all his bones were shattered, and even moving his fingers brought heart-wrenching agony; At this moment, his Vitality Points were reduced to less than one-tenth, putting him in a near-death state. What surprised him the most was that his passive skill Enemy of the Death God was in a cooldown state. This meant that previously, he had been killed by the self-destruction of the Eighth Demon King. Had it not been for the activation of Enemy of the Death God, which revived him, his game would have likely been over; Kekaul, Kekaul~ Song Jian called out weakly, but received no response; A look of sadness appeared on Song Jians face. The self-destructive force of the Eighth Demon King was immense, and Kekaul had likely fallen during the explosion; Opening his inventory, Song Jian began to use healing potions to slowly recover. It was only then that he realized he was still in the small confined space of the final battlefield; Only now, the space had completely collapsed, the ground had shattered into dozens of pieces, floating continuously in the void. The spot where he lay was no more than thirty square meters in size, slowly drifting in the void; In the system information bar, several system messages were flashing incessantly; System: Epic quest The Last Wishes of the Seven Demon Lords has failed. You have gained 10,000 points of human war merits! System: Your choices have led to the fall of the Eighth Demon King. Your reputation among the demons of the Abyss has decreased to Hate; killing you in the Abyssal Hell will yield a large amount of war merits; System: Your choices have delayed the attack on the human world by the Abyssal Hell. The upcoming expansion Abyssal Shadows will be continued; System: You have made a significant contribution to the human world, you have earned 1 Divine Point; Chapter 807 - Chapter 807: Chapter 808 Leaving_1 Chapter 807: Chapter 808 Leaving_1 Song Jian looked at the mission prompt and was somewhat speechless. His epic mission had failed, yet he still gained ten thousand achievement points, giving him a feeling of not knowing where to even begin his complaints. But on second thought, it wasnt strange. The epic mission was actually about resurrecting the Demon Lord and eliminating the threats to their existence, namely the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. Moreover, during the mission, the eight Demon Lords of Abyssal Hell all had their hopes of revival entirely destroyed by him, and he also successfully delayed Abyssal Hells invasion of the human world. Naturally, for the human world, this was an enormous merit, and receiving ten thousand achievement points became understandable. However, when compared to the final rewards of this mission, these ten thousand achievement points seemed more like a consolation prize, given that becoming the second-in-command in the entire Abyssal Hell, with authority over thousands, was worth much more than these ten thousand points. As for altering the games progression and delaying the release of the expansion, causing Abyssal Hells unity to fail and the Demon Lords to lose their chance at resurrection, it naturally meant the invasion of the human world was indefinitely postponed. This was yet another event that had changed the course of the games history. In fact, there were many such epic missions in the game, and the history within the game was shaped by the players completing these missions, based on their different choices. In essence, the players who completed epic missions could be said to have created the games history. The fall of the Demon Lords and the postponed invasion of the human world by Abyssal Hell were positives for human players and also very good news for Abyssal players. After all, the endgame of the Abyssal Shadow expansion was destined to be the opening of the Abyssal Passage, allowing Abyssal players to move freely in and out of the human world. The delay wasnt the end of the event. To continue the expansion, there would definitely be related missions, and their ranking would certainly not be low. This was equivalent to Song Jian giving away an epic mission to them for free. As to who would receive it, it was a matter of luck. Prior to this, the push for the Abyssal Shadow expansion was supposed to come from in-game NPCs, the eight Great Demon Lords. But now, it seemed that this driving task would fall into the hands of the Abyssal players. Where did that Sword Immortal Severed Blade go? Song Jian stood up and looked around. The final battlefield was like a miniature plane on the verge of collapse. In reality, it was already slowly disintegrating, leaving no intact ground in sight. All around, space was fractured with cracks, suggesting that in no time at all, this miniature plane would completely disappear. Seeing the space around him rife with rifts, Song Jian felt a sense of despondency. For all he knew, the Sword Immortal Severed Blade might have already flown through one of these rifts to who knows where. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???0.? The Book of the Abyss was also missing. Song Jian had lost the ability to freely enter Abyssal Hell. Thinking about the combat experience he had expended above, he couldnt help but feel a twinge of regret. Unable to open the Abyssal Gate, Song Jian had no way to leave this place. Just then, he noticed a faint blue portal shimmering with a soft glow on a floating piece of ground not far away. Checking his skills, Song Jian noticed that his Iron Wings skill was still cooling down, with over ten minutes left to go. It seemed his period of unconsciousness hadnt been long. The space around was collapsing slowly, but it would take several days for this small semi-dimensional plane to fully disintegrate. Once the cooldown of Iron Wings ended, Song Jian immediately activated it and flew toward the faint blue portal. After all, this was just a mission space, and it wasnt designed to trap players who entered for a mission without a means of escape. Approaching the pale blue teleportation gate, Song Jian was about to enter when he suddenly saw, lying next to the gate on the ground, a pale golden orb, and a blade that had lost its luster and looked like nothing more than a firewood-chopping knife. Sword Immortal Severed Blade? Song Jians eyes lit up. This weapon, looking like trash, was identical to the Sword Immortal Severed Blade that had once been wielded so mightily to slay the Eighth Demon King. But the blade now lacked the purple-gold radiance, appearing no different from a common grey weapon; Without hesitation, Song Jian picked up the blade and checked its attributes. Indeed, even the name of the weapon had changed to Broken Longsword (Grey), and its properties were utterly worthless, nothing but a piece of junk; Yet Song Jian still carefully stowed it away in his inventory. After all, it had once been the weapon of a Sword Immortal, and its current state of disrepair couldnt erase its storied past; Then, Song Jian picked up the pale golden orb; Angel Egg? Can it hatch a battle comrade angel? A peculiar expression crossed Song Jians face. This semi-dimensional plane was quite small in actual size, and after the Eighth Demon Kings self-destruction, a small part had been destroyed, leaving this semi-dimensional plane on the brink of collapse, which could be seen at a glance. Song Jian found no trace of the angel Kekaul, nor any remains left behind, but now, an angel egg for a battle comrade had appeared, which inevitably led him to consider its connection to Kekaul; Perhaps after hatching, it will become the four-winged angel Kekaul again, Song Jian thought to himself. The question is whether it will retain Kekauls memories after hatching. As a temporary battle comrade, Song Jian had great respect for Kekaul. Whether it was covering the retreat in Demon Slayer Canyon or standing guard at the entrance to the Demon Guardian Temple, or even courageously fighting in this semi-dimensional plane without fear of sacrifice and without the slightest hint of retreat; Even after being tortured for over a hundred years by the Abyssal Chains in the Demon God Temple, he had never succumbed, his mind resolute and unflinchingly brave. Song Jian especially hoped that Kekaul could become his everlasting Follower; With this thought, Song Jian stored the angel egg and stepped through the pale blue teleportation gate; After Song Jian passed through the gate, the entire semi-dimensional plane returned to a state of dead silence. In a region where the land slowly drifted, half a sheet of black paper unrolled gently, and a gleaming jade-like finger bone rolled out from within; This finger bone was full of cracks, as if it would turn into bone powder upon the slightest touch. Boom~ A burst of black flame suddenly ignited on the surface of the finger bone. This flame appeared fragile, as if it could be extinguished by a mere breath. Under the searing of this black flame, the tiny cracks on the finger bone began to mend slowly, one by one; PS: Thanks to Piercing Piggies for the 500 starting coins reward~ Chapter 808 - Chapter 808: Chapter 809 Cursed Land_1 Chapter 808: Chapter 809 Cursed Land_1 Emerging from the pale blue portal, Song Jian returned to the bedroom in Manor Castle, a look of fatigue spreading across his face. He didnt want to do anything but lie down on the bed and fall sound asleep. Time passed, and Song Jian eventually woke up. He looked up and was surprised to find that a ray of sunlight was streaming through the window. It was a luxury to bask in the sunlight in Doomsday City where the sky was perpetually shrouded by a thick layer of dark clouds. Only at certain times during the night would the clouds disperse for a quarter of an hour to reveal the moon, but they never scattered during the day. Song Jian went to the window and looked out to see that the gloomy clouds which usually covered the sky had somehow completely dispersed. At that moment, the territory of the alliance was bathed in warm sunshine. He took out the City Lord seal and checked the attributes of City of Hope. It looks like in the many days I wasnt in City of Hope, the alliance members managed to expand the territory so much Song Jian discovered, somewhat surprised, that the area of City of Hope had expanded once again, almost reaching half the size of Doomsday City. Now, City of Hope was starting to resemble the likes of the big cities such as City of Sin and City of Hymns. However, compared to those large cities which had existed for decades, City of Hope still had a shallower foundation. But with the rate at which players were developing, it was only a matter of time before they caught up with these big cities. This journey to Abyssal Hell had been somewhat of a loss for Song Jian. He had gained ten thousand war merits but lost a Demi-God Artifact, the Book of the Abyss. Moreover, the ninth-tier Abyssal Demon Flame he possessed was also gone, causing his strength to decrease instead of increase! But still, at least I got an epic weapon back, Song Jian consoled himself as he looked at the Deaths Scythe in his inventory. If only I could have obtained the Sword Immortal heritage as well. Song Jian took out a gray-quality, broken longsword and stared at it for a long time before he sighed and placed the broken sword on the table. If he had managed to obtain the Sword Immortal heritage on this trip, even the loss of the Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss wouldnt have mattered. After caressing the broken blade on the table, Song Jian shook his head slightly, turned around, and walked towards the door of the room. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0. After Song Jian had left, the broken longsword, which was originally of gray quality, suddenly flashed with a faint white light. The light was fleeting and went unnoticed by anyone. As soon as he left the bedroom, Song Jian saw Wang Qi and the others waiting outside his door. Upon seeing Song Jian emerge, it was quite obvious that they all breathed a sigh of relief. City Lord, youve returned! Wang Qi and the others greeted Song Jian with a bow. After the success of building the city, they began to address Song Jian differently, calling him City Lord. What happened, why are you all here? Song Jian glanced at them and asked with a smile. Brother Song Jian, you fell asleep as soon as you got back yesterday. We were really worried about you! Li Keer exclaimed loudly. Is that so? Song Jian patted Li Keers head and smiled, Brother was just too tired from the mission, so I slept as soon as I got back. Wang Qi and the others exchanged glances, not continuing the topic. Players in the game hardly needed sleep, and only when utterly exhausted would they resort to slumber to replenish their energy in the game. City Lord, shall I give you a report on the citys development during these days you were away? Wang Qi offered. No need, I can understand everything about the city through the City Lord seal, Song Jian waved his hand and said. The City Lord seal was nearly equivalent to a remote control and surveillance device for the entire city, enabling Song Jian to be aware of everything that happened within it without needing someone specially appointed to report to him as before; This made Song Jians control over the entire city even tighter than before. Now, the likes of Wang Qi needed to apply first for any action they wanted to take. Only after Song Jian approved through the City Lord seal could they proceed with transforming the city; otherwise, they couldnt even build a single residence; By the way, my Lord, weve discovered a Magic Crystal Mine! Wang Qi suddenly said; What, a Magic Crystal Mine, where? Song Jians eyes brightened. Magic crystals werent only used for constructing Magic Crystal Railguns and their ammunition, but they were also key in manufacturing many other high-end items and involved in many industries. Even forging and alchemy required certain special recipes to contain magic crystals; It could be said that magic crystals were commodities more solid than Doomsday Coins. Sometimes, for the same item, many people preferred payment in magic crystals over Doomsday Coins; Its within Doomsday City, less than ten kilometers from our territory, Wang Qi explained. But theres a problem; its difficult for ordinary people to approach the area! What, are the monsters in the area high level? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, inquiring; A Magic Crystal Mine, such a precious resource, would be strange if it didnt have high-level monsters nearby; Its not just the monsters. The area is barren, and any life that enters it continuously loses health and cannot stay for long Wang Qi elaborated; Is it like Valley of the Undead? Song Jian asked with a start; The calamitous poison fog in Valley of the Undead had a similar effect. However, after claiming Valley of the Undead, the area belonged to Song Jian, who could freely decide which group of people would be affected by its effects; That place is Cursed Land! the Cecilia Priest slowly walked over, sizing up Song Jian before revealing a charming smile, Youre much cleaner now! Song Jian huffed coldly; he knew precisely what Cecilia was referring to. The Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss had already vanished, and without the contamination of the Abysss aura, he would no longer be tempted by the power of the Abyss; What is Cursed Land? Song Jian asked; That was once the territory of the Mountain Gray Dwarves, but they committed an act that incited the disdain of the gods, earning them a curse. Now theyve all turned into undead monsters, and their homeland has become a place no living being can step into! Priest Cecilia explained, The events are clearly recorded in the archives of the Dawn Temple! Song Jian fell silent for a moment before asking cautiously, Are there really gods in this world? Of course, gods exist; they are omnipresent and omnipotent! Cecilia said sternly, And you, of all people, should believe in the existence of gods. Cecilia gave Song Jian a meaningful glance and smiled slightly; Sacred points? Song Jian immediately realized what Cecilia meant and eagerly asked, Do you know what sacred points are used for? PS: Thank you to Piercing Piggies for the tip of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 809 - Chapter 809: Chapter 810 Trade_1 Chapter 809: Chapter 810 Trade_1 ` Divine Points are a supreme glory! Cecilia gazed at Song Jian with envy in her eyes and said, Even deities need them. It takes a thousand years of divine power to condense a single Divine Point. I am not at liberty to divulge what the gods use them for, but if an ordinary person happens to obtain Divine Points, they can trade with deities and purchase some extremely precious items from them. You mean they can act as a currency? And its a currency recognized by the gods? Song Jians heart was stirred, and he quickly asked. Indeed! Cecilia nodded and said, The Goddess of Dawn has issued a divine decree to me; she wishes to trade with you for the Divine Point you have acquired! Having said that, Cecilia waved her hand, and a translucent screen appeared before Song Jian. It displayed an array of items, each of immeasurable value; This screen was only visible to Song Jian, and all the items on it could only be purchased with Divine Points; Epic and Legendary Level items are the least valuable on this screen? Song Jian stared at the screen, dumbfounded, the shock in his heart indescribable; However, there were many treasures on the screen, but Song Jian could only buy three items because he had only one Divine Point; The three items were Goddess of Dawn Holy Child Qualification, Dawn Secret Art: Holy Bird Massacre Slash, and Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword; Only the values of these three items were one Divine Point, Song Jian could only salivate at the rest; The Holy Child qualification and the Dawn Secret Art seemed worth the exchange for one Divine Point, but the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword, merely a Dark Gold Quality longsword, required one Divine Point, which made Song Jians face turn somewhat unsightly. A Dark Gold Quality longsword for one Divine Point? Isnt this a bit of a rip-off? Song Jian asked with a displeased look, pointing at the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword on the screen. All trade is voluntary, theres no coercion in buying or selling! Cecilia said with a smile on her face; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????.? Song Jian fell silent. If this sword wasnt the last one needed for his set, he wouldnt have given it a second glance. All of a sudden, a respectful and attentive expression appeared on Cecilias face. After a moment, she said to Song Jian, If you choose the Holy Child qualification, then this sword can be given to you directly for free! In fact, not just anyone can take on the Holy Child qualification. You see, once you become the Holy Child, you will have tremendous authority Cecilia thoroughly explained the privileges of the Holy Child of the Dawn Church to Song Jian. A Holy Child qualification, in any church, is an existence second only to one, above tens of thousands, with only the Pope of a church ranking above him, yet he has no authority to control the Holy Child; Moreover, the next Pope is very likely to have the Holy Child assume the position. Most importantly, the Holy Child has the right to directly converse with the deity at any time, which is far superior to the rank of Archbishop promised by the Eighth Demon King; What must be done to become the Holy Child? Song Jian couldnt help asking; First, you would need to establish a temple of the Goddess of Dawn in the City of Hope. Then you must develop devotees and promise the church the same authority as the city lord Cecilia softly explained. Song Jians brow furrowed deeply as he listened; I choose the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword! Song Jian declared, and with a light tap on the screen, the Dark Gold Quality longsword disappeared from the screen and materialized in the palm of Song Jians hand; Cecilia hadnt finished speaking when she saw Song Jian had already made his choice. She fell silent, her gaze towards Song Jian filled with an inexplicable sentiment; May you have no regrets in the future! Cecilia whispered, her figure slowly vanishing into thin air; City Lord Wang Qi and the others surrounded him with concern; to refuse a god seemed to them, a very unwise thing to do. ` The City of Hope is not a place for others to covet, and who would allow another to snore beside their bed? Even gods are not allowed! Song Jian said decisively. If it were merely a matter of establishing a temple to the Goddess of Dawn in the City of Hope, Song Jian would not have refused, but the other party demanded a share of the city lords authority, which Song Jian would never allow. Alright, step back for now. Ill go back to that magic crystal mine and scout around, see if its possible to take it into my possession, Song Jian said. Wang Qi and the others exchanged glances, bowed to Song Jian, and quietly withdrew. Holy points are extremely precious, coveted even by gods. Exchanging holy points for a dark gold quality weapon was clearly a big loss, but Song Jian had no choice. Such set weapons are unique, and a second Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword would never appear. Song Jians weapon set would never be complete. The moment Song Jian obtained the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword, the four long swords within his dantian resonated, as if they were eager to merge with the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword. A gentle swipe of his finger on the blade, a drop of blood merged into the sword, and Song Jian immediately felt a sense of kinship emanating from the long sword. With a stretch of his right hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. The newly acquired long sword, like swallows returning to their nest, flew towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, merging with it as a ghostly sword shadow. At that moment, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly burst into a dazzling light and then, the long sword disappeared, replaced by a pebble-sized orb of light. Within this orb, one could vaguely see five dark gold streams of light swimming like fish, constantly moving about, sometimes separating, sometimes merging into one. Upon checking the properties of the orb, it was labeled Unknown Properties, and there was a twelve-hour cooldown period. Clearly, the fusion of the five long swords had resulted in a new change. I hope it brings me a pleasant surprise! A smile formed on Song Jians face. Then, Song Jian took out the battle pet angel egg. He already had two battle pets, and if he continued to incubate this one, he would have to pay the price of a 3-point reduction in all attribute points. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian called Wang Qi back. Since the establishment of the City of Hope, nearly all its operations were actually carried out by Wang Qi, which cost him a lot of time that could have been used for leveling up. His strength might now be the weakest among the City of Hopes management team, having only just reached level thirty. Wang Qi, this is for you. Train it well, I believe it will be of help to you! Song Jian handed the angel egg to Wang Qi, saying. A battle pet egg? Wang Qis eyes lit up, and he smiled as he took it, saying, What kind of pet is it? Its not a giant dragon, is it? Having a black dragon as a battle pet, members of the City of Hope Alliance were envious and had always hoped to have a giant dragon of their own. Its not a giant dragon! Song Jian said with a smile. Disappointment flashed in Wang Qis eyes. Its an angel! What, an angel? How is that even possible Chapter 810 - Chapter 810: Chapter 811 Legacy_1 Chapter 810: Chapter 811 Legacy_1 Wang Qi looked at the battle pet egg in his hands that exuded a faint, milky white glow, instantly feeling a sense of surrealism; The white light seemed to pulse gently like a heartbeat. Wang Qi originally thought it was just a white-quality pet egg, but to his surprise, it turned out to be an egg that could hatch an angelic war pet. This made him astonished while filled with an unexpected joy. Its hard to say who is stronger between the Angel Clan and the Dragon Clan, as both are among the most elite races; Wang Qi was certain that if he were presented with both a giant dragon egg and an angel egg, he would definitely choose the angel egg; You see, an angel at its peak was not much weaker than a giant dragon at its peak. Moreover, when an angel ascended to twelve wings and received its title, it could rival a demigod. If raised well, it was uncertain whether his angelic war pet would be stronger or weaker than Song Jians black dragon war pet. Most importantly, from the aspect of appearance and beauty, angels obviously surpassed dragons by more than just a little; Really, really an angelic war pet? Wang Qi couldnt quite believe it, cradling the milky white battle pet egg with both hands, as if he feared breaking it. Raise it well, and it will definitely help you in the future. Song Jian envisioned the determined expression of the angel Kekaul and couldnt help but sigh softly in his mind; He did not know if the angelic war pet that hatched from this egg would still possess Kekauls memories; Haha, dont worry, dont worry, I will definitely treat this angel big sister well! Wang Qi laughed heartily, his face full of excitement; Song Jian froze, a strange expression crossing his face, this, might possibly be an angel big brother No no, its definitely an angel big sister, haha, Ill make them all green with envy! Wang Qi said, laughing excitedly. Seeing that Song Jian had nothing else to instruct, he turned and left. Seeing Wang Qis retreating figure, Song Jian thought silently, I hope that after you hatch, you wont be too sad Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???.0 Song Jian had wanted to go directly to the Magic Crystal Mine, but now that his weapon was undergoing an upgrade fusion, Song Jian had no choice but to wait patiently. However, he still needed to collect the weapon required to nurture a Sword Spirit, and one days time was enough to nurture a Sword Spirit from the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword. Returning to his bedroom, Song Jian looked at the Sword Immortal Severed Blade laid out on the table and couldnt help but sigh; In the final battleground space, the purple-gold blade was simply an invincible force. It killed all monsters in a single strike, and even the Eighth Demon King ultimately fell to the Severed Blade; With the remarkable grace of this Severed Blade, Song Jian could imagine just how terrifying an existence its owner must have been. With a gentle touch of his fingers on the spine of the broken sword, Song Jian suddenly felt a faint heat flow into his body from the sword; When Song Jian carefully examined it, the sensation suddenly disappeared, and even the heat that had flowed into his body was nowhere to be found, as if he had just experienced an illusion. Impossible, I really felt a trace of heat flow into my body from the broken sword just now! Song Jian grabbed the broken sword and examined it closely, but after a long time, he found nothing. Just as Song Jian was about to put down the broken sword, a flash of insight struck, and he sent a thread of Invisible Sword Qi into the blade. Just as the Sword Qi was infused into the broken sword, it seemed to activate something within it. The entire broken sword suddenly burst into a brilliant radiance, and at the same time, Song Jian felt the Invisible Sword Qi within his body surge uncontrollably towards the broken sword, as if a river had breached its dam. Feeling the continuous drain of Invisible Sword Qi from his body, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Song Jians face. Due to the Sword Control Skill: Luck Chapter, the total amount of Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi had increased significantly. Now he had over three hundred points of it, and the recovery speed of Sword Qi had also increased much. However, these three hundred-plus points of Invisible Sword Qi lasted less than thirty seconds before being completely depleted. Once the Invisible Sword Qi ran out, the suction from the broken blade grew even stronger, and Song Jian was unable to satisfy the demand of the sword. Soon after the Invisible Sword Qi was gone, the broken sword began to consume Song Jians Mental Strength. Song Jian only had less than three thousand points of Mental Strength, but the speed at which the broken sword absorbed Mental Strength was several times faster than it absorbed Sword Qi. The two thousand eight hundred plus Spirit Points also lasted less than half a minute before being exhausted. It is worth noting that the recovery speed of Spirit Points is countless times slower than that of Invisible Sword Qi. Feeling no reduction in the power of the broken swords suction, Song Jians heart sank, sensing something ominous. At this moment, the surface of the originally gray-quality broken sword slowly began to emit a faint purplish-gold light. This light was very weak, like a thread finer than a strand of hair, appearing in the center of the broken blade. Finally, the broken blade began to drain Song Jians Vitality Points. With more than three thousand points of Vitality, they were dropping at a rate of over a hundred points per second. Song Jian suddenly felt alarmed and took out a large number of replenishing potions from his inventory, pouring them all into his mouth. Damn you, when will you stop sucking! A fierce look appeared on Song Jians face as he took a scalpel from his inventory, a tool specifically for dissecting monster corpses. He placed the scalpel against the wrist of his left hand, which was touching the broken sword. If his Vitality Points fell below ten percent, Song Jian would not hesitate to cut off his own left hand. Compared to his life, the loss of a left hand was not an unacceptable price to pay. Fortunately, after losing half of his Vitality Points, Song Jian felt the suction from the broken blade weaken. When only a third of his Vitality Points remained, the suction from the broken blade disappeared completely. At the same time, a purplish-gold light shone from the broken blade, and the original thread-like light fully spread, enveloping the entire blade. Now, the broken blade had regained its former glory seen in the final battlefield space, with a purplish-gold light filling the entire room. Your power is too weak, you cant contain my complete inheritance A voice laced with aged regret sounded beside Song Jians ear, filled with disappointment. Song Jian was somewhat speechless. His strength could be said to surpass that of over ninety percent of the players, and even some NPCs who had been cultivated in combat professions for decades were no match for him. Yet, in front of this broken sword, Song Jian felt as vulnerable as a child, utterly unable to withstand a single blow from it. At that moment, the Sword Immortal Severed Blade suddenly shattered into countless sparkling points of light that surged towards Song Jian, and at the same time, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: You have gained the recognition of the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. Do you want to upgrade the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body to max level and permanently solidify it as a passive talent skill, Yes/No? System: You have gained the recognition of the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. Do you want to remove all your skills and instead gain the skill Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art, Yes/No? Selection time 30-second countdown, 30, 29, 28, 27, Chapter 811 - Chapter 811: Chapter 812 Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword_1 Chapter 811: Chapter 812 Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword_1 Two options instantly made Song Jian feel extremely troubled; The first was to upgrade the Immortal Sword Body to max level and further solidify it into a passive innate skill, something Song Jian had always dreamed of. Once the Immortal Sword Body became a passive skill, Song Jians strength would soar to become one of the top-tier existences, so much so that even if he wasnt level forty, he would still be no less formidable than those with second-tier combat power. As for the second option, the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art was clearly a very powerful skill, possibly even a core skill of the Swordsman Immortal profession, but it required the elimination of all skills as its price, which made Song Jian hesitate; The thirty seconds passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, less than ten seconds remained; Song Jian glanced at the permanently solidified Immortal Sword Body and then at the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art, finally clenching his teeth and choosing the second option; Since it requires all skills as the price, the power of this Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art must be even greater than I imagined! After Song Jian chose the second option, he immediately burst into golden flames, and in the skill bar, all skills began to slowly fade away, as if they were completely consumed as fuel. The golden flames were not scorching; Song Jian felt a faint warmth surge throughout his body, flowing through every limb and detail; Meanwhile, a light chuckle sounded in Song Jians ear, then gradually disappeared; Broken Wing Dance, Sweeping Sword Style, Spiritual Sword Control Technique, foot kick, Earth Teeth Assault Over a dozen skills disappeared without a trace, even the Immortal Sword Body he had leveled up to nine slowly faded away; However, a few skills remained, one was the maxed-out Soul Wander, and another was the skill Sword Shadow Clone; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???0.? The Sword Control Skill and the passive skill Enemy of Death God hadnt disappeared either; now, only these four skills remained in Song Jians skill bar, while all other life skills were unaffected and retained; Only these four skills are left Song Jian thought, full of reluctance; now, he had no offensive skills at all, not even the Immortal Sword Body, which greatly diminished his strength. All he could hope for was that the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art would live up to its expectations and possess formidable power; In the skill bar, besides the previous four skills, all other skills had disappeared, replaced by a skill that emitted a purple-gold light, which slowly appeared at the very top of the skill bar; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision (Active), Level 1 (0%), Skill Effect: Summon 1-12 Spirit Swords to inflict damage equal to (number*120% weapon damage) on the target, and each Spirit Sword has a chance to cause an enhanced damage effect on the target; Attack range: 1000 meters; Skill Consumption: 100 Invisible Sword Qi points; Skill Cooldown: 10 seconds; Skill Description: This skill is one of the core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, condensing thousands of Spirit Swords, gathering thousands of sword techniques, with Qi filling the heavens and earth, and Sword Qi reaching afar, causing mountains to crumble and seas to part, turning the world upside down! This skill cannot be upgraded through proficiency, it can only be leveled up by consuming other skills/skill books! This skill doesnt seem as strong as I imagined, Song Jian said, slightly disappointed. It looks like each use randomly summons between one to twelve Spirit Swords to attack the target. The damage of the Spirit Swords is only slightly higher than weapon damage. If youre unlucky and only summon one sword, its power might not even compare to a silver-grade sword skill His weapon was still in the process of fusing and upgrading, so Song Jian couldnt yet verify the strength of this skill. For now, his only attack skill was the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art, all his other sword skills having been burned up as nourishment; The next day, Song Jians weapon finally finished fusing. The five longswords had merged into one, radiant and translucent, emitting a faint glow. A streak of purple-red light circulated continuously within the longsword, making it look like a lightsaber. Epic Song Jians eyes lit up, he hadnt expected that fusing five gold-quality longswords would actually elevate it by a whole tier. Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword (Epic), one-handed sword, item level 46, equipment effect: Attack 560-680, Critical hit +5, Armor Break +5, Exorcism +3, Five Elements damage +300, all attributes increase by 15 points; Special effect 1: Damage Deepening (passive), increases the effect of critical hits by 20%, and has a chance to inflict triple damage on the target; Special effect 2: Life Drain (passive), 18% of the damage inflicted on the target will restore the users Vitality Points; Special effect 3: Spiritualization (passive), can be stored within the users dantian to nurture the Sword Spirit, if nurtured for more than 12 hours, then the weapons sharpness increases by 30%, lasting for 30 seconds; Special effect 4: Five Elements Sword Array (active), enables the attack on the target to split into five longswords of the Five Elements and set up the Five Elements Sword Array. The Five Elements Sword Array forms its own space, where the elements circulate endlessly, tirelessly, unto death! Cooldown time for this effect is 12 hours; Equipment requirement: User Song Jian (already bound); Can be taken out of the game: Yes. The damage of this sword is quite terrifying, Song Jian gasped, it was even higher than the previous five longswords combined, and both the attributes and special effects were eye-catching; Holding the longsword, it felt as if it was weightless, and with a thought, it turned into a purple-red light and flew into the dantian within Song Jians body; At this moment, Song Jian was eager to try out the new sword moves and the longsword; The Desolate Land, Magic Crystal Mine, lets go there first and see what the situation is! he thought to himself, stepping out of the Manor Castle; When Song Jian reached the gate of the Manor Castle, he was surprised to see Cecilia standing there, apparently waiting for him; Priestess, may I know what brings you here? Song Jian asked. I have been awaiting your arrival, Lord of the Manor! Cecilia bowed respectfully to Song Jian and said, Are you heading to the Desolate Land? Yes, the Magic Crystal Mine there is too important for the City of Hope! Song Jian nodded and responded; That place is a land forsaken by the gods, any creature that steps onto it will be cursed by the gods! warned Cecilia. However, if you gain the favor of a deity, then you can set foot on that land without being cursed! Song Jian narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, Is that so, how can one gain the favor of a deity, and what price would I have to pay? Its quite simple! Cecilia smiled, took a round and smooth pearl from her bosom, offered it to Song Jian, and said, This is a Pearl of Dawn. With this, you can enter the land forsaken by the gods without suffering their curse! As for the price, it only needs a word from you! Chapter 812 - Chapter 812: Chapter 813 Cursed Land_1 Chapter 812: Chapter 813 Cursed Land_1 Song Jian looked at the orb the size of a chicken egg in Cecilias palm, which emitted a faint golden glow, its surface brimming with rich Divine Power; You just need to put it into the inventory slot, and you can use it, each activation can last for 3 hours. Afterwards, the divine power will automatically recover. After twenty-four hours, it can be used again! Cecilia said with a smile; The cost is but a single sentence, I wonder what words are so valuable? Song Jian didnt reach out to take the orb, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, as he spoke indifferently. All you need to allow us is to construct a temple to the Goddess of Dawn within your territory! Cecilia said; After the city was successfully built, all the land of the City of Hope could only be leased, not sold, this was one of the city rules Song Jian had established. You are completely free to lease a piece of land, the terms are negotiable, and the rent is only one Doomsday Coin per year! Song Jian said with a smile: This is my show of gratitude for the help the Church of the Goddess of Dawn has provided to me in the past! I, on behalf of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn, thank you for your kindness! Cecilia bowed slightly, then said after performing a curtsy: However, everything of the church temple will belong to the Goddess of Dawn, including the land. Her followers would not wish for the Goddesss temple to be sited on leased land, for it would be a desecration to the Goddess! Song Jian was taken aback, fell silent, deep inside, he was reluctant to sell any inch of land within his territory, but when facing a deity, he simply didnt have the right to choose; To agree to Cecilias request would mean that a piece of land not under the control of the citys lord would appear in the City of Hope. If he refused, then Song Jian had to consider what consequences might follow from refusing a deity; Song Jians brows furrowed involuntarily, as he continually weighed his options, while Cecilia wore a smile, quietly watching Song Jian. Her outstretched palm remained still, a dazzling Pearl of Dawn continued to emit a soft radiance. Song Jian stared at the Pearl of Dawn, yet felt its light to be somewhat glaring; After a long while, Song Jian slowly shook his head, refusing: Im sorry Before Song Jian could finish speaking, Cecilia retracted her extended hand and said coldly, Understood! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???. Having said that, Cecilia turned around and left without any hesitation; Song Jian took a deep breath, knowing that even without any system alert, his reputation with the Church of the Goddess of Dawn might plummet severely; Leaving the City of Hope, heading towards the Magic Crystal Mine, all the way, Song Jian felt a heavy heart. Before the gods, Song Jian felt like an ant facing an elephant, utterly insignificant; However, having been in this strange game for so long, Song Jian also knew that gods could not directly appear and take action. Otherwise, this game world wouldnt exist at all, it would have been torn apart by the wars of the gods long ago; But each deity had their own spokesperson and church in the game, their influence in this world was immense. Having refused the goodwill of a High Priest of the Goddess of Dawn, he feared that trouble might follow. Song Jian quickly arrived at an area shrouded in gray fog, where no life existed, everything was silent. Song Jian could even see bones of small creatures scattered everywhere, those who had inadvertently entered this area and were killed by the Desolate Land before they had the chance to escape; The Magic Crystal Mine was within this area, and as Song Jian stepped onto it, he instantly felt as though the air had become heavier, as if he had entered another region; At the same time, a system alert sounded in his ear; System: You have entered the land forsaken by the gods, the Cursed Land, all attributes are weakened by 5 points, losing 2 Vitality Points per second; Song Jian instantly felt a trace of strength being drawn out from within him, becoming somewhat weak, but fortunately, his attributes were strong, and his recovery rate had long surpassed the loss of 2 Vitality Points per second, so stepping onto this land had no significant impact on him; If it were other ordinary players, they would probably be so scared by this prompt that they would immediately leave here and not continue to explore further; I wonder who was so bold to explore here and even discovered the Magic Crystal Mine inside; they should be rewarded when they return! Song Jian thought to himself. Continuing inside, Song Jian quickly discovered a dark pit. Around the pit, there were some monsters a little over one meter tall, with sturdy builds, their bodies an abnormal shade of gray. They held hammers almost as tall as themselves and wandered aimlessly around the entrance; These monsters looked like dwarves, but they were renegades of the dwarf clan, the Gray Dwarves who were been hunted down by their own kind. Moreover, these Gray Dwarves had also all lost their lives and become something like Zombies; Elite Gray Dwarf Zombies, level 40, Vitality Points 9000/9000 Song Jian counted; at this entrance, there were a total of twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies. These monsters had tough skin, their bodies full of strength, and they wielded heavy hammers with no mean force. Furthermore, having always stayed in the Cursed Land, their resistance was extremely high. Although these Gray Dwarf Zombies werent as powerful as elite BOSS monsters, they were clearly much more formidable than ordinary monsters of the same level; Song Jians mind stirred, and he instantly summoned the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword, executing the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art toward the twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies at the entrance; In an instant, the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword flew into midair, transforming into eight radiant Spirit Swords, flying towards the entrance of the mine; Lucky, summoning eight Spirit Swords on the first try! Song Jian mused to himself. Still, the eight Spirit Swords covered the entrance area, slashing towards the twelve monsters; In the end, only six of the monsters were injured, while the other six, not only unharmed but also enraging their hatred, swarmed and pounced towards Song Jian; Each Spirit Sword can inflict over seven hundred points of damage, which is quite good. Although it cannot kill any monster instantly, such power far exceeds the damage of ordinary players! Song Jian quickly retreated while thinking to himself. The only regret was that in this attack, Song Jian had clearly locked onto one monster, but after executing the Thousand Swords Art, he attacked an area nearly six or seven meters wide at the entrance; The sword then flew back to Song Jians hand, and at this moment, the monsters were less than five meters away from him. Song Jian swung the long sword towards the monsters once more, and in an instant, the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword split into five, five shimmering swords of different colors quickly formed a cage, firmly trapping the twelve monsters in the center; Five Elements Sword Array, rise! This was a Sword Formation skill inherent to the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword. Once executed, it created a space of its own, inflicting continuous damage on all the trapped monsters; The murky Sword Qi enveloped a large area, but Song Jians vision could penetrate the gray sword mist and see the scene within the Sword Formation. At that moment, countless flashes of sword light appeared around the twelve monsters, these flashes of light left deep, bone-deep wounds on the bodies of the monsters; Chapter 813 - Chapter 813: Chapter 814 Entering _1 Chapter 813: Chapter 814 Entering _1 Twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies struggled desperately within the Five Elements Sword Array, continuously attacking the Sword Formation space. Song Jians brows furrowed slightly as he realized that this Sword Formation space seemed to have something similar to a health bar, and moreover, when it was under attack, both he and the Sword Formation space were losing Vitality Points together; Damn it, the Five Elements Sword Array operates continuously until death. Does until death not only refer to the monsters being attacked, but also to me? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Once the Five Elements Sword Array was deployed, if he couldnt kill all the monsters within the Sword Formation space, their counterattacks could also kill Song Jian; However, the damage inflicted within the Sword Formation space was extremely high, and the monsters attacks on Song Jian, coming through the Sword Formation space, were considerably weakened, enough to last a long time; Song Jian could see that within the gray fog of the Sword Formation space, countless sword lights shimmered, and with every hit, the monsters would have damage numbers of over seven hundred floating above their heads, with some even showing critical hits. The damage of the Sky-breaking Sword was divided into five, but it didnt decrease in strength, equivalent to five Sky-breaking Swords attacking these monsters; Before long, as Song Jians Vitality Points dropped to about half, all twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies within the Five Elements Sword Array Space had been killed, dropping a pile of items on the ground; The gray sword mist slowly disappeared, and the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword returned to Song Jians hand, with the attribute Five Elements Sword Array on the long sword turning gray, entering a cooldown state. The Five Elements Sword Array is immensely powerful, at least much more so than the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, but it must be used cautiously. If used well, it is a sharp weapon, but if not, its simply suicide! Song Jian thought with a lingering fear; From the twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies, three pieces of Magic Crystal Ore were dropped, along with some level-forty materials and green equipment. Song Jian picked them all up and continued towards the mine; Upon entering the cave, Song Jian felt a wave of heat hit him in the face. The temperature inside the cave was actually dozens of degrees higher than outside, giving Song Jian a familiar feeling of being in Abyssal Hell; However, this place didnt have the pervasive Abyssal aura found in Abyssal Hell; the aura of the flames here seemed extremely pure; Entering the cave, Song Jian discovered that the entire cave had been hollowed out and a massive underground castle had been constructed. The castle appeared to be designed for giants to live in, with its open doors and spacious halls, definitely not for the Gray Dwarves, who were only the height of twelve or thirteen-year-old children; Song Jian shook his head. As he entered the cave, he indeed found it to be a Magic Crystal Mine. However, the Magic Crystal Ore at the entrance was extremely poor, and the quality was low, giving one the frustrated feeling that it would be a pity not to mine, but to do so would be a waste of effort; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???. These Magic Crystal Ores at the entrance are even less valuable than those dropped by the slain Gray Dwarf Zombies; theres really no point in mining these. It would be better to check out this underground castle of Gray Dwarves; there may be surprises! Song Jian thought to himself. After only a glance at the ores at the entrance of the mine, he continued forward; The Gray Dwarf Zombies were very numerous in the castle hall, and among them was a level forty-five lord-level monster wielding a two-handed sword as big as a door, constantly pacing back and forth in the hall; There were too many monsters tightly packed here. If he tried to lure them out one by one, it would likely be very difficult, and there was a high risk of a disaster occurring. Song Jian hesitated for a moment and decided to bypass them and explore further inside first; If there really were abundant Magic Crystal Ores stored here, he could later gather players from his guild to clean out these monsters. If the Magic Crystal Ores inside were not as plentiful as imagined, then there would be no loss in giving this place a miss; At the end of the hall was an extremely small door, a size that matched the stature of the Gray Dwarves. However, getting there meant having to cross the hall, which would inevitably disturb these monsters; Song Jians thoughts flashed, and he activated the Stealth Skill inherent to his Concealment Necklace, the Abyss Concealment Skill. A faint whiff of the Abyss emanated from the necklace, enveloping his entire being. Song Jians figure instantly became transparent; The Gray Dwarf BOSS in the center of the hall seemed to sense something. It raised its head and sniffed vigorously in the air, but it found nothing. Frustrated, it grew increasingly violent, roaring and moving about more and more erratically. An ordinary Gray Dwarf Zombie monster failed to dodge in time and stood in its way, only to be casually kicked away by the BOSS, crashing heavily into one of the halls columns; Boom~ This massive stone column, which required several people to hug its girth, actually shook slightly. Bits of rock fell from the top of the column, causing the surrounding ordinary Gray Dwarf Zombies to scurry to the side; Song Jians eyes lit up. The columns in this hall didnt seem as sturdy as they appeared! Looking around, there were thirteen such massive columns in the entire hall. If they could be shaken like this one, only half needed to be destroyed to collapse the entire hall while still preserving a small safe area; If we really need to clear this place in the future, these columns might just be the key to killing these monsters! Song Jian smiled faintly, committing all this to memory as he slowly made his way towards the small door at the end of the hall; Because of the BOSSs outburst, all the ordinary Gray Dwarf Zombie monsters were thrown into a panic, running about chaotically. This made Song Jians stealthy trek across the hall towards the small door at the far end even more challenging. A Gray Dwarf Zombie that was originally running forward got startled by the BOSSs roar, abruptly turned, and charged toward the direction of the invisibly cloaked Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback and it was too late to dodge. Subconsciously, he used Soul Wander, and the monster passed directly through his body, rushing forward two steps before changing direction and running off in another direction; Song Jian, feeling the monster pass through his body, stomped his foot hard and made a beeline for the small door at the end of the hall. In just over three seconds, coupled with his enhanced speed, he had actually passed through the hall and entered the small door at the end; Behind the small door was a winding corridor. Song Jian entered the corridor and only then felt a trace of fear. Just a moments inattention could have led to all the monsters ganging up on him, and with his current strength, he wouldnt have stood a chance of surviving; Huff huff, I didnt expect that I could still use Soul Wander while in stealth mode. Stacking up these abilities greatly increases my chances of survival when escaping, Song Jian thought back to the situation just now and couldnt help but smile; Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a series of faint metallic clanging sounds coming from ahead; Clang, clang clang, clang clang clang, clang Chapter 814 - Chapter 814: Chapter 815: War Puppets_1 Chapter 814: Chapter 815: War Puppets_1 Song Jian passed through the narrow passage and came upon an underground mine. At this moment, the temperature around him increased significantly, giving the impression of stepping into a steam room. In this mine, a scorching red glow permeated the air. Deep in the mine, a Magma River could be clearly seen slowly flowing, and at the end of the mine, there was an enormous Magma Lake. This Magic Crystal Mine was actually located in the belly of a volcano; Now, above the Magma River, there was a large stone bridge erected. In the center of the bridge, there was a massive forge, continuously drawing heat from the river of lava; Prowling around were numerous Gray Dwarf Zombies, wielding heavy hammers. Their skin was slightly reddened and utterly devoid of life, all around level forty monsters, wandering about the cave. Some were digging into the surrounding rock walls, while others were by the side of the Magma River, seemingly fishing something out of the lava. Next to the forge in the center of the stone bridge, three topless Gray Dwarf Zombie Bosses had iron hammers in hand, tirelessly hammering upon a massive anvil as if forging weapons. And beside them, piles of Magic Crystal Ore lay heaped like a small hill; A Gray Dwarf Zombie wielding a heavy hammer approached Song Jian at the end of the passage. Song Jian swung his sword at the creature, and with a thought, six gleaming Spirit Swords appeared around him, constantly thrusting at the monster; The combined power of the six Spirit Swords erupted, dealing over five thousand points of damage to the creature. One Spirit Sword inflicted a damage amplification effect in the monsters status bar after dealing damage, and the subsequent three Spirit Swords inflicted over 50% increased damage; In just one strike, the creatures Vitality Points plummeted below 40%. After being attacked, the monster rushed towards Song Jian, who, wielding the Sky-breaking Sword, engaged in battle with it. In a short time, he killed the ordinary level forty monster; After collecting all the items dropped by the creature, Song Jian slowly explored along the cave walls. On his way, he discovered many high-quality Magic Crystal Ores. It seemed that this was the true Magic Crystal Mine, capable of producing high-grade Magic Crystal Ore. However, to gather the Magic Crystal Ore here, one must have at least level 8 Mining Skill. Only those who pursued life skills professionally as miners could increase their Mining Skill to this level at this stage; Having killed over twenty Gray Dwarf Zombies who were mining for Magic Crystal Ore and obtaining a dozen Magic Crystals, Song Jian slowly approached the stone bridge over the Magma River; Now, Song Jian observed that the three Gray Dwarf Zombie blacksmiths forging weapons beside the giant forge in the middle of the stone bridge were all forty-five level elite Bosses with over twenty thousand Vitality Points. To gather ore here, he needed to kill all the monsters in the vicinity. Most importantly, City of Hope would even have to dispatch a team to protect the mines, ready to take down the monsters as they spawned to ensure the miners safety. Most importantly, in this area, because it was Cursed Land, any creature that entered would suffer a reduction of 15 points in their attributes, while also losing 10 Vitality Points every second; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.0 Such negative effects were impossible to resist or dispel. Hence, whether one wished to gather Magic Crystal Ore or hunt the monsters here, the difficulty was immense; Lets continue exploring deeper and, if possible, find the reason why the gods have forsaken this area! Song Jian thought to himself, slowly making his way towards the stone bridge over the Magma River; After clearing the monsters at the edge of the stone bridge, Song Jian entered a stealth mode, quietly waiting for the cooldown of the Soul Wander skill to end. Soon, the cooldown for the Soul Wander skill expired, and Song Jian immediately cast it, then rushed towards the stone bridge; The stone bridge was roughly fifty meters long. Song Jian charged onto the bridge and, as he neared the forge, did not attract the attention of the three grey dwarf zombie blacksmiths. Their entire focus seemed to be on the iron felt they were hammering; This piqued Song Jians curiosity. He wanted to see what they were forging. Peeking through, Song Jian caught a glimpse, between the three grey dwarf zombie blacksmiths, of a strange item on the large iron felt. This item appeared somewhat ugly, while the grey dwarf blacksmiths kept breaking down refined magic crystals into powder and then merging it into the peculiar item. Although he couldnt tell what the item was for, Song Jian got the impression that it might be a part of some vast contraption; Song Jian frowned slightly and checked the remaining duration of Soul Wander C just a few seconds left. He hurriedly continued rushing forward; Beyond this stone bridge was a deeper mine tunnel that seemed to stretch all the way down to the earths core. Without hesitation, Song Jian plunged into it. The direction of the mine tunnel seemed to lead towards the area beneath the churning Magma Lake in the distance; Within this mine tunnel, Song Jian discovered that the ores here were even richer than those along the walls by the Magma River. There were not just Magic Crystal Ores but also vast amounts of Mithril Ore, Truesilver Ore, Truegold Ore, and Star Iron Ore; Each type of ore was exceedingly valuable and many were strategic materials that couldnt be bought even with money. This made Song Jian feel an impulse to give up exploring and simply start mining and gathering here; However, Song Jians Mining Skill was only at level five, which made it a waste to harvest such precious ores here, and he couldnt mine most of them regardless, so he could only feast his eyes on them; This winding tunnel was devoid of any monsters, almost entirely filled with precious ores, and after walking for roughly a hundred meters, Song Jian finally arrived at a vast underground hall; Within this hall stood towering war puppets over ten meters tall, all forged from steel and in various ferocious forms C demons, mythical beasts, and other menacing appearances. Around these war puppets, numerous gray dwarf zombies were continuously building something, apparently adding components to these giant war puppets to make them even more terrifying; Boom, boom, boom~ At that moment, a war puppet resembling a man with a wolfs head and wielding a heavy hammer started to shake violently, and a copious amount of steam burst from its back; The grey dwarf zombies around it let out a shriek of terror. Several grey dwarf zombies began to clamor loudly, as if due to someones operational mistake, they had accidentally activated this nearly completed war puppet; Click, click, click~ Inside the body of this war puppet, a series of movements could be heard, as if it were awakening from a deep slumber. The heavy hammer in its hand slowly rose and then smashed down towards the panic-stricken grey dwarf zombies around it; Chapter 815 - Chapter 815: Chapter 816: The Correct Way to Use_1 Chapter 815: Chapter 816: The Correct Way to Use_1 These War Puppets that looked like statues with gray-colored names stood motionless in the hall, just like part of the games background. However, the War Puppet that had been activated had its name turned red, becoming a monstermoreover, a monster above level fifty. In Song Jians eyes, it was at a skeletons level, with its Vitality Points exceeding one hundred thousand; Such War Puppets were often used in wars as engineering machinery with immense power, beyond human strength. If there had been one or two of them during the founding of the City of Hope, they could have turned the City of Hope into a barren wasteland; It was then that Song Jian suddenly recalled the three Gray Dwarf smith BOSSes by the huge furnace on the Lava Bridge, who seemed to be crafting parts for these gigantic War Puppets; To kill such a gigantic War Puppet, at least a team of about thirty players would be needed, and the Shield Warriors equipment had to be exceptionally good. Otherwise, facing such a terrifying war machine, running away would be the wisest choice; The unintentionally activated War Puppet swung its hammer continuously at the Gray Dwarf Zombies around it. With each heavy strike, the ground would tremble slightly, and the Gray Dwarf Zombies hit by it could only dream of leaving a complete corpse behind. With a single blow, they would instantly turn into a pool of human-shaped grime; Song Jian slowly backed away. The War Puppets attack range didnt seem to be very large, only attacking the active monsters nearby and not straying far. Once all the surrounding Gray Dwarf Zombies had scrambled away, it gradually quieted down. Although it still appeared activated, it did not wander around but stood quietly in place; After waiting for a long time, the War Puppet exited its combat stateits energy seemed to have been depleted, the steam from its back lessening. In a short while, its name returned to gray, remaining utterly still, just like a statue. Only then did the surrounding Gray Dwarf Zombies slowly gather around again, those who were cleaning up did so, and those who were repairing went about their tasks, falling back into a busy state; There were more than fifty such terrifying War Puppets in this hall, all of them still incomplete, half-finished products, but their power was beyond what Song Jian could currently handle; Song Jian entered a stealth state and skirted the edge of the hall, continuing to explore deeper. In the deepest part of the hall, he found a War Puppet covered in a thin layer of rock wall, standing over fifteen meters tall. It seemed to have been discarded for a long time, many of its exposed joints were rusted, and its messy wiring, like nerves, protruded from the gaps in its body, with some parts even fused to the surrounding walls by rust; Next to this War Puppet, which looked like trash, there was a small door with another mechanical puppet about one meter tall standing beside it. This puppet also looked like a Gray Dwarf with its body covered by a layer of gray rock; As Song Jian approached the door, the rock on the mechanical puppets body began to flake off gradually. Before long, a metal-forged Gray Dwarf mechanical puppet, shining with silver light, was revealed to Song Jian; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????.? This Gray Dwarf mechanical puppet was forged from a metal that shined with silver light, and Song Jian could tell that it contained elements of star iron, but the metal used to forge this puppet was clearly an alloy, much stronger and tougher than star iron; Furnace Puppet, level 40 elite BOSS, Vitality Points 80000/80000 If he wanted to enter through this door, he would have to defeat this Furnace Puppet. Song Jian glanced back at the hall, where the tall War Puppets and the assembling Gray Dwarf Zombies were some distance away, so fighting this Furnace Puppet likely wouldnt attract them; Song Jian gritted his teeth and swung his sword towards the puppet; A metallic clang rang out, and the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword only left a white mark on the surface of the puppet, as a little over a hundred points of damage floated above its head. You should know that even with a simple slash, the weapon in Song Jians hands could deal over six hundred points of damage, but when it struck this puppet, it inflicted only a little over a hundred points of damage. This showed how incredibly sturdy the body of the Furnace Puppet was; its defense was just too strong. As he chopped at it, Song Jian also felt a numbing soreness in his wrist, indicating that the puppet had a considerable restraining effect on melee professions. Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian swung his right hand, and this time, he conjured up twelve Spirit Swords, sending them flying towards the Furnace Puppet; Boom! Boom! Boom! The Spirit Swords that slashed at the Furnace Puppet triggered violent explosions, and damage numbers of four to five hundred floated up from the puppets head; Although this attack inflicted about five thousand points of damage on the Furnace Puppet, for an elite BOSS with eighty thousand Vitality Points, this damage was not significant. The Furnace Puppet, bare-handed and seemingly without any skills, swung its fists and smashed them towards Song Jian fiercely. Song Jian swung his sword to block, but a great force sent him flying; Over three hundred points of damage, I can still take it! Song Jian noted the damage of the punch and nodded slightly. With a thought, the Invisible Sword Qi drastically decreased, and a clone that looked exactly like Song Jian appeared beside him. As soon as the Sword Shadow Clone materialized, it slashed at the Furnace Puppet with its sword from afar, sending seven or eight Spirit Swords, glowing brightly, towards the War Puppet; Though the Sword Shadow Clone only inherited 30% of Song Jians attributes and possessed only level 1 skills, for the current Song Jian who had lost many skills and whose Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was also only level 1, the clones attack power was not diminished, but rather increased; The clones strike dealt over three thousand points of damage to the BOSS, and with that hit, one-eighth of the BOSSs Vitality Points were gone. At this moment, the BOSSs aggro was firmly locked on Song Jian. Ignoring the clones attacks, Song Jian tangled with the BOSS while he kept the clone at a distance from the fight, lest it be affected by the combat, as the clones attributes were fragile and couldnt withstand several hits from the BOSS; In this manner, Song Jian attracted the BOSSs aggro, while the clone, like a ranged profession, continuously executed Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision on the BOSS. A cooldown of ten seconds was enough to make this skill a regular attack; When Song Jian and his clone simultaneously executed Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, they could deal nearly ten thousand points of damage to the BOSS in one go. In less than three minutes, the level forty elite BOSS was effortlessly slain by Song Jian; Looking at the equipment scattered on the ground from the BOSS, Song Jian finally found a trace of self-confidence. It seemed that the only reason he thought this skill wasnt potent was that he had not found the correct way to use it; Chapter 816 - Chapter 816: Chapter 817: Divine Disgust Light Screen_1 Chapter 816: Chapter 817: Divine Disgust Light Screen_1 Previously, Song Jian once thought that exchanging all his skills for a level one Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was a losing deal. His attack power did not increase but decreased, and his strength fell; However, during this battle with the level 40 elite boss, Song Jian discovered that his strength had significantly improved. If it had been before, even with all his trump cards, killing this boss would have taken at least twenty minutes, but now, in less than three minutes, he had slain the boss. The power of the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was much stronger than the forbidden spells of the magic classes of the same level, only slightly less stable; Among the items dropped by this Furnace Puppet boss, Song Jian unexpectedly obtained a Skill Scroll, Charge Heavy Strike; after checking the requirements to use this Skill Scroll, Song Jian realized that it was a universal skill requirement; Skill Scroll C Charge Heavy Strike, Effect: Upon use, you will learn the skill Charge Heavy Strike; Charge Heavy Strike: Lock onto a target 6 meters away and charge towards it, dealing a heavy strike causing (120%*weapon damage) and stunning the target for 3 seconds; Requirements: 30 Vitality, 35 Agility; Universal skills refer to those that any class can use as long as they meet the attribute conditions, meaning even mages who meet the requirements for vitality and agility can learn this skill; However, even for a mage player who has passed the first-order combat power assessment, if they have not gone through an A+ level Assessment World, it would be impossible for them to attain more than thirty points in vitality and agility, as most points for a mage class would typically be allocated to intelligence and spirit; This skill, compared to the warriors charge skill, not only inflicts greater damage to the target but also has a longer stunning effect, making it an enhanced version of the charge skill; If it had been when Song Jian had just learned Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, he certainly would have learned this skill without hesitation, but now, he did not hesitate to let the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision devour it, raising the level of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision; After all, the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision couldnt be upgraded through proficiency and could only gain levels by devouring other skills; With this, my Book of Fusion seems to be of little use! Song Jian looked at the Book of Fusion lying quietly in his inventory and mused; With the Skill Scroll in hand, Song Jian chose to learn it. Quickly, the scroll turned into a beam of white light that entered Song Jians forehead, and the ability Charge Heavy Strike appeared in his skill bar; Then, Song Jian selected the devouring effect of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision and consumed the skill he had just learned, converting it into proficiency points for Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision; A flash of purple-gold light, and the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was leveled up to 2; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????. The level 2 Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision transformed the originally 1-12 Spirit Swords into 2-24, doubling their number, and the power of each Spirit Sword increased by 10%; other effects remained unchanged, each sword still having a certain chance to inflict a deepen damage effect on the target, and the attack range was still one kilometer; After picking up the other items, Song Jian looked back at the Gray Dwarf Zombies and War Puppets behind him and, noticing that the battle had not attracted their attention, turned and walked towards the small door; Entering the small door, Song Jian suddenly found a large light screen in front of him. The surface of this light screen was covered with numerous strong electric currents, with many plasmas flowing on it, looking very powerful. Song Jian approached the light screen and found that the Divine Disgust effect in his status bar had seemingly decreased; This area was a place despised by all gods; any creature that entered this Gray Dwarf territory would be cursed by the gods. Not only would their attributes decrease, but they would also lose a certain amount of Vitality Points every second; Now, Song Jian had entered the territory of the Gray Dwarves, the deepest part of the Magic Crystal Mine, where the effect of the curse, the Divine Disgust effect, had reached All attributes decreased by 20 points, every second 50 Vitality Points are lost; The decrease of twenty points in attributes was acceptable to Song Jian, but the rate of blood loss at fifty Vitality Points per second had surpassed his limit. Had it not been for the Blood Replenishing Elixir, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to stand before this light screen; However, as Song Jian approached the light screen, the Divine Disgust effect significantly diminished, and the closer he got to the light screen, the more its weakening effect intensified; Standing before the light screen, Song Jians body experienced the Divine Disgust effect, which had reverted to the weakening effect he felt when he first stepped into the Cursed Land, something he could completely bear with minimal impact; Hesitating for a moment, Song Jian actually reached out to touch the light screen filled with intense electricity. As his fingertips slowly made contact with the light screen, he discovered that the violent retaliation he had anticipated did not occur, but instead, the properties of the light screen appeared before his eyes. Divine Disgust Light Screen, defensive installation; Effect: shields from the sight of gods, erases any divine power effects; There were no defenses or retaliatory effects, its sole purpose was to prevent the gods from discovering this place, and it could even erase any divine powers within its range! The latter effect was actually to avoid the watchful eyes of gods. Wherever divine power reached, there was a possibility it could be noticed by deities; The Divine Disgust effect in this Cursed Land arose precisely because of the application of the powers of the gods, therefore as Song Jian approached the light screen, the Divine Disgust effect on him weakened. If he entered the light screen, he would no longer be affected by the Divine Disgust effect; Back then, this Magic Crystal Mine must have been the territory of the Gray Dwarves. The reason the entire tribe of Gray Dwarves were eradicated and became the zombies we see now must be because they angered the gods. But even if the Gray Dwarves were mighty, how could they have possibly provoked the gods? Song Jian pondered in his heart. It is known that it wasnt just one or two deities that eradicated the Gray Dwarves, but rather a majority of them held disdain for the entire tribe. The Gray Dwarves, a branch of the dwarves, had their own gods to worship, including the God of Dwarves, the God of Smithing, the God of Flames, the God of Mountains, etc., all of which are deities worshiped by the dwarf race; However, when the extermination of the Gray Dwarves took place, these deities did not help, most remained mere observers, some even took matters into their own hands, eventually leading to the complete destruction of the Gray Dwarf tribe; Tens of millions of Gray Dwarves were killed, and the zombies seen in the mine now dont even make up one ten-thousandth of the tribes number back then; This part of history has long been buried in the sands of time, recorded only in the annals within the temples, but the reason for the gods disdain for the Gray Dwarves has never been documented; Song Jians heart stirred with excitement. Perhaps within this Divine Disgust defensive light screen, he could find the answers, and if he could acquire the method to create the Divine Disgust Light Screen, he could fulfill his wish to send miners here to extract from the Magic Crystal Mine; With this in mind, Song Jian stepped forward without hesitation, heading towards the light screen, and soon disappeared within it; Chapter 817 - Chapter 817: Chapter 818: Divine Fall Warrior_1 Chapter 817: Chapter 818: Divine Fall Warrior_1 Stepping into the light screen, Song Jian felt as if he had arrived in another space; This place was very similar to the final battleground semi-dimensional plane he had entered before, seemingly a small world detached from the main plane of the game, but Song Jian could distinctly sense that the other things in the Magic Crystal Mine werent entirely severed from this place, which was an odd feeling, as if he had stepped into a fissure between a semi-dimensional plane and the main world; After entering the light screen, Song Jian looked up and was startled to see a War Puppet standing tall like a skyscraper, over a hundred meters high, under the firmament-like dome of light; This War Puppet resembled a small mountain, with sixteen black and white wings on its back, although most of these wings were already severely damaged. The body of the War Puppet was also covered in scars, one of which extended from its chest to its waist, almost splitting it in half, making it seem as if this War Puppet had been through a fierce battle. Song Jian even suspected that this War Puppet had been scrapped for a long time and could no longer move even the slightest finger. Divine Fall Warrior? Song Jian stared at the War Puppet, carefully checking its attributes, and indeed, it was a War Puppet, named Divine Fall Warrior. At that moment, Song Jian noticed clear signs of repairs on the right thigh of the War Puppet. A flash of insight struck him, recalling the three Gray Dwarf blacksmiths he had seen in the Flame Furnace, who, although they had become lifeless shells, were still forging something. Initially, Song Jian thought they were forging items out of instinct, but now it seemed that they were clearly repairing parts for this War Puppet; Such a terrifying being, far superior to the ten-meter-tall War Puppets we saw before. No wonder the Gray Dwarves were able to create such a formidable war machine that it caught the attention of the gods! Song Jian slowly approached, carefully examining the War Puppet, and muttered to himself; Just then, a thought struck Song Jian like lightning: Could it be that this War Puppet has become a threat to the existence of deities, and that is why it attracted the gaze of the gods, evoking their disgust, and even fear? Song Jian exclaimed in shock; Divine Fall, Divine Fall, a warrior capable of felling gods, Song Jian fixated on the name of the War Puppet, his face showing a look of surprise. This War Puppet was already severely damaged, but it was known that the strength of every War Puppet was directly proportional to its height. Those ten-meter-tall War Puppets needed only one or two to destroy a city; this towering behemoth, standing over a hundred meters, would have been a genuine threat to the gods in its intact state, perhaps possessing the power above that of a demigod; The most terrifying part was that such an entity could be mass-produced. Imagine that, with hundreds or even thousands of such fearsome beings, challenging the gods would seem not so impossible; Of course, all of this was just Song Jians speculation, given his current strength, he had no way to fathom the terrifying power a real deity might possess; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????.? At that thought, there was a moment when Song Jian even considered taking the damaged War Puppet with him, but seeing the dome of light around him like the vault of heaven, Song Jian knew that once he left this area, the War Puppet would certainly be exposed to the gaze of the gods. By then, with his meager strength, he wouldnt be able to protect the War Puppet, and he might even incur the dissatisfaction of the gods, who could directly obliterate him and the entire City of Hope, just like they destroyed the Gray Dwarves before. At the thought, Song Jian felt some regret. He was like entering a treasure mountain and coming out empty-handed. Such a massive weapon was laid out before him, yet he could reap no benefits from it. Just then, Song Jian suddenly noticed a purplish-red light shimmering behind the left leg of the terrifying war automaton. He walked over and found that the glint came from a treasure chest that was half-buried in the dirt. This treasure chest was stuck in the dirt, right up against the metal skin of the automatons left leg. Carved on the surface of the chest was the finely detailed head of a Gray Dwarf, as if it were roaring loudly at Song Jian. In its eyes sat two dazzling gems, one red, one blue; each was the size of a fist, and just those two stones alone were worth a fortune. Seeing this chest sent Song Jians heart racing with excitement. No other players had been here before, which was why an epic loot chest appeared. Otherwise, the best one might find here would be a gold or even silver-quality chest at most. Song Jian crouched down, inspected the chest carefully, and dug it out of the dirt. It wasnt locked, which allowed Song Jian to breathe a sigh of relief. If it had been locked, he surely would have fainted from disappointment right then and there. With both hands on the chest, Song Jian began to open it, and the progress bar for opening the chest slowly started to move. The higher the quality of the chest, the slower it opened. Such a chest required at least three minutes of maintaining the opening gesture for Song Jian to unlock it. System: Chest opening in progress 1% 2% Song Jians entire attention was focused on the chest opened before him, unaware that as he was doing so, the eye sockets of the broken war automaton next to him, previously dark as two deep voids, began to glow faintly red from deep within. Song Jian watched the progress bar inch forward, and just as it was about to reach the end, he felt something amiss. For some unknown reason, the ground began to tremble ever so slightly. Click~ At a soft sound, the chests lid sprang open. Song Jian immediately gathered up all the items inside. Besides two scrolls, there was also a piece of equipment in the chest. While Song Jian was about to check the properties of the equipment, he suddenly noticed that the large metal column next to the chest, which was the automatons left leg, started to rise slowly. This guy can still move? Song Jians heart sank instantly. He hastily looked up, and in midair, two red lights kept blinking, as though they were intently watching him. The automaton, comparable to a god, had somehow been activated without his notice. Its eyes were flashing a frightening red as its left leg stomped down hard toward Song Jian, like squashing a roach scurrying everywhere. Chapter 818 - Chapter 818: Chapter 819 Destruction_1 Chapter 818: Chapter 819 Destruction_1 ` The massive armored golem was activated and stomped viciously towards Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback and instinctively activated his Soul Wander skill, his figure turning translucent as he rushed towards the light screen; Just as he neared the light screen, he heard a dull roar from behind; Boom~ With a loud crash, Song Jian felt a strong pressure on his back, followed by a blast of air that sent him flying forward; It was like a baseball hit for a home run, smashing towards the light screen; Song Jian passed through the light screen and was brutally smashed against the hard wall of the mine, by now the three seconds of invincibility had passed, and he found himself embedded in the rock wall, his Vitality Points plummeting by more than two-thirds; This filled Song Jian with terror; he hadnt been hit directly, but just the shockwave of the attack was nearly enough to kill him on the spotthis place was too dangerous; Song Jian struggled fiercely and soon broke free from the rock wall, quickly running towards the small door. Although there were dozens of War Puppets and over a hundred Gray Dwarf Zombies outside the small door, compared to the terrifying creature behind him, those War Puppets and Gray Dwarf Zombies didnt seem so frightening; No sooner had Song Jian rushed through the small door than he discovered that the hall beyond was even more chaotic. The nearest Gray Dwarf Zombies seemed to have sensed that the Divine Fall Warrior had been activated by accident, prompting them to flee outside; At this time, no one noticed Song Jian. Although these Gray Dwarf creatures had already died once, their instinct as monsters still drove them to desperately avoid the slowly awakening Divine Fall Warrior War Puppets; Just then, three Gray Dwarf blacksmiths rushed in from outside, bellowing loudly at each other. It seemed they were blaming one another. Having turned into zombies, they had lost much of their original memories, but repairing the Divine Fall Warrior seemed to have become their instinct, engraved in every cell of their bodies; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.? Even after becoming zombies, these three Gray Dwarf blacksmith BOSSes still continued the work of relentlessly repairing the Divine Fall Warrior; Boom~ The hard wall behind Song Jian was kicked open by a Divine Fall Warrior, immediately revealing a large hole. The towering stature of the Divine Fall Warrior now became a hindrance in its pursuit of Song Jian. Given the sturdy walls of the Magic Crystal Mine, not even the Divine Fall Warrior could break through it in a short span of time; Stop arguing! It has left the Divine Disgust Light Screen and could draw the gods attention at any moment. We need to find a way to stop it immediately! one of the Gray Dwarf blacksmiths shouted; Who activated it in the first place? It looks like it has entered kill mode. It will not stop unless it kills its target or its energy reserves are depleted, another Gray Dwarf blacksmith yelled; Its energy reserves arent great, only enough for some basic functions. With this rate of consumption, it will stop soon. But if it continues like this, the damage will become increasingly severe, and when the time comes, repairing it completely will be absolutely impossible, the third Gray Dwarf blacksmith observed calmly, as the Divine Fall Warrior continued to punch through the wall aiming to break into the chamber where the War Puppets were stored; While the three Gray Dwarf blacksmiths stood helplessly apart, waiting for the Abyssal Warrior to run out of energy, Song Jian had already rushed into the passage leading away from the main hall and onto the stone bridge over a river of lava in the underground mine; ` The enormous furnace on the stone bridge was still burning fiercely, surrounded by a large quantity of magic crystals and other precious ore; when Song Jian had seen it, he had been very envious, but due to the strength of the three boss monsters, he could only look on from a distance. But now, the area was swarming with zombie gray dwarves, who didnt even glance at Song Jian. He immediately rushed towards the pile of precious ore, continuously stuffing them into his inventory slots; Before long, Song Jians inventory was completely filled with these cherished ores. With that, there were still many ores scattered around. Song Jian could only helplessly shake his head and turn away; Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a booming roar coming from behind him. It buzzed in his ears, and the ground beneath his feet shook violently as the objects around him began to topple and fall; What on earth has happened, why is there suddenly an earthquake? Song Jian couldnt help but quicken his pace to escape. He turned his head and saw the hall where the war puppets were placed, spewing dust and rubble falling from above, quickly sealing off the passageway tightly; Such a pity, there were quite a few precious ores in that passage! Song Jian shook his head slightly and quickly ran towards the entrance of the mine; Just as he ran out of the mine, another violent shake occurred behind him, and a stream of scorching lava burst forth from the mouth of the mine like a fiery dragon. About a dozen zombie gray dwarves, their bodies engulfed in flames, swarmed out of the mine, but it wasnt long before they were reduced to a pile of ashes; Dull explosions continued to echo within the cave. Song Jian, with lingering trepidation, sat down on the grass at a distance, looking at the mountain range before him, continuously collapsing. His mood was very heavy; It looked like this magic crystal mine was done for. Even if one wanted to excavate again, the cost would be somewhat disproportionate to the gain; Just then, Priest Cecilia suddenly approached from the distance; These gray dwarves, even in death they find no peace. Now its just right; theyve completely perished! Cecilia said coldly, staring at the distant, dust-covered mountain range with a deep voice; Song Jian remained silent, and after a long while, he finally asked, What exactly did these gray dwarves do wrong? With mortal bodies, they sought to usurp the power of the gods, daring to deceive and annihilate the gods! Cecilia gave Song Jian a glance and said, They are not wrong; they committed a crime, a crime of blasphemy! Are you saying, those war puppets they created, the Divine Fall Warriors, really possess the ability to contend with the gods? Song Jian suddenly asked. What, they were still constructing Divine Fall Warriors? A flicker of fear passed through Cecilias eyes as she said in surprise. I only saw a badly damaged Divine Fall Warrior wreckage inside. Song Jian shook his head; Cecilia let out a sigh of relief, her appearance one of fright. She hesitated for a moment before saying, Yes, the very reason the gods find the gray dwarf race so reprehensible, and even fear them, is because they have actually created war puppets that can contend with the gods! Chapter 819 - Chapter 819: Chapter 820 Mysterious Moonlight Sword_1 Chapter 819: Chapter 820 Mysterious Moonlight Sword_1 To think that there really are War Puppets capable of contending with the gods Song Jian had a look of amazement on his face. As long as the damage reaches a certain degree, it can harm the gods, but gods definitely cannot be defeated by something crafted by mortals! Cecilias face showed a hint of coldness as she pointed towards the mountain range that was collapsing and said, The Gray Dwarves created War Puppets that could injure the gods, but in the end, they were unsuccessful, and their entire clan was eradicated. This is the punishment from the gods for their audacious attempt to usurp divine power with mere mortal bodies! Song Jian remained silent. To him, all this was too distant. He wasnt even up to level forty, nor had he achieved second-tier Combat Power. The levels of those gods had probably long since surpassed several hundred; Song Jian, you are the most outstanding divine descendant I have seen. Your arrival in this world is not without reason! Cecilia said, The gods are watching you, hoping to select from among you someone to represent their will in the mortal realm, to become the Holy Child. You will obtain everything! Sorry, I need to think this over carefully and cant give you an answer right now! Song Jian said with a smile, However, if you really wish to build a temple dedicated solely to the Goddess of Dawn within the territory of the City of Hope, its not impossible, but you will have to pay a corresponding pricea price matching the value of a temple! Going against the Church of the Goddess of Dawn with Song Jians current strength was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, but Song Jian also couldnt just donate hundreds of acres of land to the Church of the Goddess of Dawn for nothing. Cecilia smiled faintly and said to Song Jian, What if I use a Magic Crystal Mine in exchange for three hundred acres of the City of Hopes land, what do you think? A Magic Crystal Mine? Song Jian was startled, then looked towards the already collapsed mountain range, pointing to the ruins where magma continued to erupt and spread, and said, You mean this one right here? Exactly, this one! Cecilia nodded; Song Jian quickly asked, Can you restore it to its original state? The gods are omnipresent and omnipotent! Cecilia said with a serious expression. Alright, as long as you can restore this Magic Crystal Mine to its original state, then in the City of Hope, you will have a piece of three hundred acres of land, forever belonging to the Church of the Goddess of Dawn! Song Jian nodded and said; Cecilia smiled slightly, spread her hands, and a Codex as thick as a finger suddenly appeared out of thin air, hovering in her palm. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?.0 Rustle~ The Codex turned its own pages as if an invisible hand were flipping through it, and in a short time, it flipped to a certain page in the middle, immediately emitting a milky white light. Now, its the moment to witness a divine miracle! Cecilia said with a reverential expression, speaking softly; The milky white light bursting from the Codex was like a vast heavenly tree, slowly extending upwards into the sky, and then gently spreading out in all directions. In a short while, a giant phantom of a goddess appeared in the sky; Cecilia, holding the Codex, knelt on the ground, reciting praises to the Goddess of Dawn, and the phantom of the goddess in midair, almost occupying half of the sky, turned towards Song Jian with a slight smile, raising her right hand gently; The mountain range, which had already collapsed, suddenly issued a rumble, as if a mysterious force had reshaped it. In a short while, the collapsed Magic Crystal Mine slowly restored itself, and the familiar entrance of the mine reappeared before Song Jians eyes. A look of shock emerged on Song Jians face. He had not expected to witness such mighty power within the game; It was important to note that the abilities in the game could be brought back to the real world, which also meant that the miracle performed by Cecilia summoning the Goddess of Dawn had a significant chance of being realized in reality; After the mine was restored, the goddesss silhouette in the sky and the white light from the temple in Cecilias hands began to fade away. Clasping the temple together, Cecilia stood up, and with a smile on her face, said to Song Jian, The inside of the mine has been restored to its original state, and the monsters inside have been cleared out! Song Jians heart leapt with joy, and he quickly asked, Will they never appear again? Cecilia nodded and said, They will not appear again. However, this place is ultimately cursed by the gods, and even the Goddess of Dawn cannot eliminate the god-repelling effect of this area, after all, it is filled with the divine powers of various deities! Song Jians heart sank a bit. If that was truly the case, the number of miners who could enter the mine to extract ore would drastically decreaseafter all, not many players could withstand the god-repelling effect and continue mining; Back at Manor Castle, Song Jian thought of opening his inventory to check the items he had obtained from the epic chest earlier; From the chest, Song Jian had gained three items in total, two scrolls, and one piece of epic gear; Both scrolls were of gold quality, one of which was a sword technique scroll that could teach a move called Mysterious Moonlight Sword; Mysterious Moonlight Sword, level 1, instant cast, skill effect: Lock onto a target three meters away, instantly rush to the targets side, inflicting nine consecutive hits of damage to the targets body. If the first strike causes damage, then it will certainly induce a float effect, followed by continuous attacks, each strike causing 35% weapon damage; Skill cost: 18 Spirit Points, cooldown: 5 seconds; Usage requirement: One-handed Sword; Even Song Jian was somewhat envious of this sword technique, reluctant to use it to increase the proficiency of the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art, as this sword skill was both practical for ambushes and regular combat. If one could not withstand the first sword, it would cause a floating effect; It was well known that enemies in a floating state were completely defenseless, making it easier to inflict critical damage, without the chance of block or immunity to damage effects; Although the subsequent damage was only 35% of the weapon damage, slightly low, with the skill level increased, he believed its damage could be enhanced. With the rapid succession of nine strikes, plus the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Swords ultra-high base damage, this sword technique would surely bring Song Jian pleasant surprises; After hesitating for a long while, Song Jian decided not to use this skill to enhance his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision. If he later felt that the skill was not as good as he imagined, he could still feed it to his Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art; The other scroll was an engineering blueprint. Seeing this blueprint, Song Jians eyes suddenly lit up; PS: Thank you Bread84 for the gift of 100 Starting Point coins~ Chapter 820 - Chapter 820: Chapter 821 Hatching_1 Chapter 820: Chapter 821 Hatching_1 The Divine Aversion Bead, you just need to wear it or put it in your bag slot, and it can remove the curse effects of the godsthats even more convenient than the Divine Disgust Light Screen! Song Jian looked at the blueprint in his hand, his face uncontrollably revealing a look of surprise and delight. Originally Song Jian wanted to obtain the construction method for the Divine Disgust Light Screen, so he could build it in the Magic Crystal Mine to lift the curse of the gods, allowing the miners to safely extract the ore here; But such a large defensive structure would definitely have an extremely complicated blueprint, and the materials needed for construction would be incredibly rare. Not to mention, the engineering skill level required to construct the Divine Disgust Light Screen would be very high. Even if he could get his hands on such blueprints, it was likely that he wouldnt be able to build it anytime soon. The mining project would have to be postponed indefinitely. However, now that he had the blueprint for the Divine Aversion Bead, the production method was obviously much simpler in comparison to the Divine Disgust Light Screen; the materials were precious but nothing compared to the entire Light Screen; As for crafting, the Divine Aversion Bead only required a player with an Engineering profession at level 8 in Divine Flame to make it, and many players specializing in the crafting profession in the City of Hope had already reached that level. Moreover, the Divine Aversion Bead is akin to an accessory. If employing NPC miners, they just need to wear the bead. If its a player, they can directly place it in their bag slot, which is very convenient. Plus, since this item is tradable, theres no need to craft too many. He just needs to make a batch, and when the miners need to take over shifts, they can just trade the beads, which is also very handy. Its a pity theres only one blueprint, better give it to Dr. Ebsiting to master first, then let him teach his disciples, Song Jian thought for a moment and made a decision; Dr. Ebsiting could impart his skills to his disciples, so once the doctor learned the manufacturing method for the Divine Aversion Bead, his apprentices would also be able to master it, which would greatly facilitate the production of the beads; Putting the blueprint back into his bag slot, Song Jians gaze fell on the last item. The very reason this chest was of epic grade was because of this piece of equipmentit was an epic-grade item; Armageddon Iron Cape (Epic Grade), Cape, Item Level 50, Equipment Effects: Defense +210, Evasion +15, Stealth +30, All Attributes +10, Special Effect 1: Overall defense increased by 50%; Special Effect 2: 20% chance to be immune to the damage from an attack; Special Effect 3: When attacked from behind, defense increased by 500 points, resistance increased by 300 points; Equipment Requirements: Strength 100 points, Agility 80 points; Product Description: This item is a part of the Armageddon King Krubas set, and only by collecting all parts of the Armageddon Kings set, can one obtain the sets properties; Set Collection: 1/6. Can it be taken out of the game: No. This piece of equipment was vastly different from the golden-quality Abyssal Shadow cape that Song Jian was currently wearingpractically the two extremes; where the Abyssal Shadow capes attributes mostly improved damage, the Iron Cape focused on defense; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.0 The only thing was that the Abyssal Shadow capes active skill, Abyssal Phantom, overlapped somewhat with Song Jians skill, Solid Clone, and Song Jians damage was already high, so he now needed equipment to enhance his defense, hence he didnt hesitate to equip the cape adorned with iron armor plates. The Armageddon Iron Cape was no lightweight, almost equivalent to the weight of chainmail, but the defense it provided was even higher than that of a plate armor. Most importantly, if someone tried attacking Song Jian from behind, the cape would instantly provide an additional 500 points of defense and 300 points of resistance, which was even higher than what an epic-grade shield would offer in defense. Whats more important is that it is a part of a level 50 epic-tier set, which is somewhat more powerful than his current golden-quality set, the Ancestral Ant King set; The only issue now is that he only has one part of the set, and it looks like its going to take quite some time to collect the entire set; Returning to Dr. Ebsitings lab, Song Jian handed over the engineering blueprint to Song Jian, and then assigned Wang Qi the task of collecting Magic Crystals from the Magic Crystal Mine. Just as Song Jian was about to turn around and leave to grind and level up, Wang Qi stopped him; Brother Song, Im planning to hatch this angelic battle pet egg, do you want to come and see? Wang Qi said with a smile; Do battle pet eggs need special hatching? Song Jian was startled, curiously asking, as both of his battle pets had been hatched quite casually: Isnt it enough just to drop blood onto the battle pet egg? Of course, you cant be that careless. This pet egg you gave me hasnt been identified yet. It has to be identified before it can be hatched, and using a hatching chamber might even increase the pets quality by a certain chance! Wang Qi shook his head as he spoke; Increase the pet quality? Song Jian was astounded; he had never heard of such a thing before. Yeah, but the chance is pretty small, and the higher the quality of the pet, the lower the chance of improving it. I reckon if this is really an angel battle pet egg, it might be quite difficult to increase its quality! said Wang Qi; Then why bother? Song Jian shook his head, when a sudden inspiration struck him. Grabbing Wang Qi, he asked, Who came up with this pet hatching? It started with a wandering NPC that came after the City of Hope was established. Rumor has it, hes a pet master by profession and has opened a pet shop in the city square. Generally, you can buy any common battle pet from that store! Wang Qi explained; Since the establishment of the City of Hope, many wandering NPCs had been attracted to the game. These NPCs, most of whom had special talents, enriched the variety of professions in the city. Newly arrived players, if they didnt like combat professions, could also find life skill professions they liked in the city and learn from the corresponding NPC; Song Jian nodded his head and walked with Wang Qi towards the city square; The center of City of Hope, hundreds of meters away from the Camel Square of Doomsday City, was designed by professional urban planners. Walking down the spacious streets, Song Jian felt there was hardly any difference from the real world; The central square was bustling with noise, with many teams shouting to team up for monster hunting and dungeon raids, and quite a few players even set up street stands on the square with just a piece of black cloth; Having not really visited since the establishment of the City of Hope, Song Jian found everything fresh and new as he arrived at the central square with Wang Qi, and just then, a familiar voice reached his ears; Looking for group for the Jackal Wolfman Cave, level 12 Dark Night Hunter, damage over a hundred! Song Jian looked toward the source of the voice, and a solitary figure appeared before his eyes. Seeing him, Song Jians heart suddenly sank; Chapter 821 - Chapter 821: Chapter 822 Zhao Yu_1 Chapter 821: Chapter 822 Zhao Yu_1 Zhao Yu, how did he even get into this game? Song Jians face looked terrible as he stared at that familiar figure in the distance. Back when he was a salesman in the real world, Zhao Yu had a pretty good relationship with him and often helped him out, making him Song Jians first friend after graduation; After entering this game, Song Jians relationship with Zhao Yu gradually faded, and now in the real world, they seemed to be capturing players like them who entered the game. Song Jian further distanced himself from Zhao Yu to avoid getting him involved. Unexpectedly, he ran into Zhao Yu here today. From his appearance, Zhao Yu must have not been in the game for long, only level twelve by now. However, his profession seemed not too shabby, a rare one at that; The Jackal Wolfman Cave was a level ten dungeon, where not a few level ten blue leather equipment were produced. It looked like Zhao Yu was planning to head to this dungeon to grind for some gear; But seeing him standing there alone, with no team to join him, it seemed he wasnt doing so well either; Hey, Zhao Yu, havent found a team yet, huh? As a rich second-generation in the real world, cant you just buy some Doomsday Coins, get yourself a better weapon? Otherwise, with your range, its going to be tough for any team to want you! a warrior carrying a double-handed axe walked up to Zhao Yu, sneered, and shouted loudly. Hmph, Guo Qiang, I have a rare profession. Once I gear up, even if you beg me to join your team, I wont! Zhao Yu retorted loudly. Give it a rest. With that little range of yours, Id rather team up with a thief, or a warrior. Guo Qiang said with a cold snort: Other archer professions, although they deal less damage than you, have a longer range, man. In a dungeon, they can even lure monsters. But you? Asking you to lure monsters is less useful than having a warrior throw knives! The Dark Night Hunter class was somewhat awkwardalthough it was a ranged class, it had only half the range of regular archer classes. While its attack was marginally higher, it wasnt so high as to be a game-changer. The difference was at most that between the same-level blue and green weapons. Compared to a mage class, it still fell short, and even compared to thieves, it was less desirable. Thieves, after all, could scout and unlock treasure chests in dungeons, making them way more valuable than a Dark Night Hunter. This made it extremely difficult for Zhao Yu to find a dungeon raiding team; sometimes, he would shout for an hour or two without being able to get into a dungeon to level up. Hmph, Guo Qiang, dont look down on me. Once I level up, taking you down will be a matter of minutes, Zhao Yu said defiantly. Hahaha, sure, sure, Ill be waiting. Lets see when you can take me down! Guo Qiang laughed heartily, patted Zhao Yu on the shoulder, and left with a group of teammates, obviously not taking Zhao Yu seriously; A trace of humiliated anger flashed in Zhao Yus eyes. He took a deep breath and continued to loudly call out for a team; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.?0 Zhao Yu! Song Jian started walking towards Zhao Yu. He had stayed away from Zhao Yu before so as not to cause him trouble, but seeing that he had also entered into this perilous game, Song Jian felt he naturally had to lend a hand to his friend. At the sound of someone calling him, Zhao Yu immediately brightened up, turned around, and shouted, Hey, team up Song Jian? Seeing Song Jian in his glamorous equipment, Zhao Yu couldnt quite believe his eyes and even rubbed them vigorously; Holy smokes, the number one on the level glory leaderboard is really you? I thought someone just shared your name! Zhao Yu stared at Song Jians equipment and exclaimed in amazement; Although Song Jian had already turned off the golden glow of the Emperor Ant Suit, Zhao Yu immediately recognized the design and quality of the gear Song Jian wore, which was undoubtedly high; Thinking of the exact same name on the level leaderboard, Zhao Yu suddenly realized that his former colleague had now skyrocketed to success. When did you get into this game, and how? Song Jian pulled Zhao Yu along toward the pet shop; Man, dont even mention it. I was out for a meal and ran into someone handing out flyers. I just felt sorry for the old man, grabbed one casually, and threw it in the car. And then Zhao Yu slapped his head, his face full of regret, I havent been in here long, just made it to level ten. I didnt dare to build a safe house in the wilderness, so I could only buy a residence in the City of Hope to use as a safe house. My God, the houses in this game are way more expensive than in the real world, a tiny pigeonhole of fifty to sixty square meters actually cost me three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! With a look full of hatred for profiteers, Zhao Yu continued, For this pigeonhole, not only did I spend all my savings in the game, but I also used up all my spending money in the real world. The exchange rate between Doomsday Coins and RMB is also outrageously high, over two hundred RMB for just one Doomsday Coin! Song Jian was shocked. Doomsday Coins are so expensive now? Werent they one hundred RMB per Doomsday Coin before? How could it have shot up so much in just a few days; All the way, Song Jian listened to Zhao Yus complaints. Shortly after, the three of them arrived at a shop. At the entrance of this shop, there were three or four cages with some combat pet cubs inside. Although these cubs were only of white quality, they all looked promising: a pure white tiger, a red fox with two tails, and a juvenile eagle whose feathers shone with a metallic lusterit all appeared to have great potential; Many players were gathered at the entrance of the pet shop, continuously checking the attributes of these pets and discussing amongst themselves; Song Jian, are you really the number one on the level leaderboard? Already at level thirty-eight? Zhao Yu asked in surprise; Yeah! Song Jian nodded and said, Lets go in and have a look. If you fancy any combat pet, Ill give it to you as a gift. Then Ill call some brothers to help you level up and get your level up as soon as possible! What, are you serious? Zhao Yu asked, his face bright with surprise; Of course, when have I ever not meant what I said? Song Jian replied with a smile; Wang Qi smiled quietly to himself, following behind Song Jian as they entered the pet shop; Inside the pet shop, two NPC salespeople were introducing combat pets to several players. Another girl, with fiery red hair, was lounging in a rocking chair, looking bored as she idly flipped through the pages of a book; When the girl noticed Song Jian and his companions enter, she glanced over casually but her eyes quickly locked onto Wang Qi. She hurriedly stood up, her face full of smiles, walking over to Wang Qi; Lord Mayor, what brings you to my humble shop today? Ha ha, if theres anything you need, just send someone to inform us. Why bother coming here yourself! The girl laughed merrily, leaning in close to Wang Qi; Chapter 822 - Chapter 822: Chapter 823: Shadow Claw_1 Chapter 822: Chapter 823: Shadow Claw_1 Wang Qi felt a bit awkward when the pet store owner addressed him as the City Master. He coughed twice, steadied her leaning body, and said with a stern face, I am only the Vice City Lord of the City of Hope. This is the real master of the City of Hope, Song Jian, City Master Song. You must recognize him clearly! The pet store owner Laurenie was greatly alarmed, judging by her reaction, the way she had just addressed Wang Qi was likely to have offended the real City Master present. As an NPC who had wandered through countless cities, Laurenie naturally knew the extent of power held by a citys master. She quickly bowed to Song Jian and spoke with a hint of panic on her face, I didnt know the City Master was here, and failed to welcome you from afar. I ask for the City Masters forgiveness! Its no bother, no bother at all! Song Jian waved his hands with a beaming smile, Today, I am just accompanying a friend to buy a battle pet, so thats why we had Vice City Lord Wang come with us! Accompanying a friend to buy pets? Laurenies eyes brightened as she turned her gaze to Zhao Yu; Seeing Zhao Yus tattered gear and the white quality long crossbow hanging on his back, Laurenie frowned slightly. Had Zhao Yu come to purchase a pet by himself, Laurenie probably would not have given him a second glance, but now that he was a friend of the City Master, countless ways to flatter Zhao Yu suddenly came to mind; Judging by this young brother, you seem to be a ranged professional, Laurenie said with a sweet smile, If Im not mistaken, you are also a rare professional, a Dark Night Hunter, impressive, very impressive! With that, Laurenie summoned a maid and whispered a few words in her ear. In just a moment, the maid brought out three ornate boxes from the back room and placed them on the counter; Laurenie smiled as she opened all three boxes. Each box contained an egg that emitted a silver glow. It should be noted that most of the pet eggs displayed in this pet store were of white quality, with an occasional appearance of green and blue quality ones. Such eggs were usually snatched up quickly by customers and would be sold within minutes after appearing; By directly presenting three pet eggs this time, it was clear that Laurenie was willing to make a significant investment to curry favor with Song Jian; Young brother, take a look at this Battle Pet Egg first. This is an Andes Hunting Spiders egg. The Andes Hunting Spider belongs to the jumping spider family; its extremely fast and though its attack and defense are somewhat modest, it specializes in poison attacks and web casting! Laurenie explained, pointing at the first egg. This egg had a few dark spots on its surface and looked quite unremarkable. If not for the pale silver glow it emitted, it would be hard to believe it was a rare Battle Pet Egg; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?.? Next, Laurenie pointed to the second egg and said, This is a Shadow Owls egg. Not only does it possess vision comparable to a hawks during the day, but it also has dark vision. Being a shadow creature itself, it has the ability to shadow dodge and is very hard to detect, making it an extremely rare scouting battle pet! Seeing Zhao Yus drooling expression, Laurenies smile grew wider, but as she saw the expressionless faces of Song Jian and Wang Qi, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. It seemed that the battle pets from her store had not caught the interest of the two city lords; Laurenie became more enthusiastic towards Zhao Yu, gently setting down the second egg and picking up the third wooden box; Looking at the wooden box, Laurenies eyes revealed a hint of pain; This third pet, known as the Shadowclaw Tracker, is a snow leopard with Shadow Panther lineage. It has extremely fast short-distance sprint capabilities, and its damage output is very high. Furthermore, its fur is incredibly smooth, which allows it to evade attacks. When attacking enemies, it automatically enters stealth mode, and most importantly Laurenie looked at Zhao Yu and smiled, A level 30 Shadowclaw Tracker will automatically learn the Sword Shadow Clone skill, creating four clones at the same time, although the attributes of each clone are only 30% of the original bodys. Even so, this still is a very rare ability. Song Jians eyebrows raised slightly, as he could actually create four clones, which sounded even stronger than his own Sword Shadow Clone. Zhao Yus gaze flitted back and forth over the three silver pet eggs, already appearing somewhat dazzled and unsure of which one to choose. Zhao Yu, the brighter the glow of an item, the better its quality! Song Jian reminded. Among these three pet eggs, the Andes Hunting Spider was a pale silver, the Shadow Owl was bright silver, but the one named Shadowclaw Tracker, a snow leopard, was radiating a snowflake-like lively glow. Then Ill choose this Shadowclaw Tracker! Zhao Yu said, pointing to the third pet egg. Young man, youve got quite the eye! Laurenie said with a smile, waving her hand, the other two wooden boxes were immediately stowed away. She pushed the wooden box with the Shadowclaw pet egg forward and said, A special offer of six hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, and in light of the two City Lords presence, I can offer you a fifty percent discount, just three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins will do. As she mentioned the fifty percent discount, the corners of Laurenies eyes twitched involuntarily. She had originally set a low price for this pet egg, and it could sell for at least eight hundred thousand, if not more, at an auction. But even three hundred thousand was beyond Zhao Yus current means; he couldnt help inhaling sharply, as this single pet egg cost three times more than his safety house. Ms. Laurenie choosing to open a shop in the City of Hope is an honor for us, and how could I take advantage of you? Song Jian said with a smile, handing over several banknotes: We appreciate your kind gesture, heres six hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, please take it. Laurenie was startled for a moment, but then she smiled and said, That amount of money is naturally nothing to the City Lords, so let my store hatch this pet egg for this young man, as a little gesture of goodwill from us. Song Jian nodded; he was indeed curious to see the difference between hatching at the pet store and hatching with his own blood. Laurenie personally led Zhao Yu to a small room, then extracted a drop of his blood and placed it into a sci-fi-looking nutrient tank, where the Shadowclaw Battle Pet Egg was inserted. After that, a staff member slowly injected a tube of pale red liquid into the machine, which contained Zhao Yus drop of blood. The machine started up, and after a slight vibration, it was visible that the nutrient solution in the nutrient tank was disappearing at a visible rate, and the surface of the Shadowclaw Battle Pet Egg began to show cracks. In no time at all, the cracks on the surface of the Battle Pet Egg interconnected like a spider web, and a faint golden light burst forth from these fissures. The, the grade has been enhanced? Laurenie looked at the nutrient tank in astonishment, an incredulous expression on her face. PS: Thank you Pao Ge Meng Da Nai for the 100 Qidian Coins reward~ Chapter 823 - Chapter 823: Chapter 824 Holy Light War Pet_1 Chapter 823: Chapter 824 Holy Light War Pet_1 Song Jian heard Wang Qi say that theres a certain chance to enhance the quality of a battle pet by hatching it in a pet shop. He was initially skeptical, but to his surprise, he witnessed a quality upgrade during a hatching right before his eyes; However, looking at Laurenies astonished expression, it seemed like it was also her first encounter with such an event; Gold, a gold-quality battle pet, and I sold it for only six hundred thousand, Im, Im at such a loss! Laurenie was full of regret in her heart, but her face showed an expression of surprise as she said to Zhao Yu, Congratulations, congratulations, young man, a gold-quality battle pet is worth a million Doomsday Coins. If youd like to sell this battle pet, Id be willing to buy it back for one million two hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! What, one million two hundred thousand? Zhao Yu was dumbstruck, silently calculating the exchange rate in his mind. If he sold this battle pet and converted it all into RMB, that would be a sum exceeding twenty million. Although Zhao Yu was a second-generation rich kid, his father was just a small businessman worth a hundred or two hundred million, and he had never seen this much money at once; Mrs. Boss, thats not generous of you, ah. A gold-quality battle pet, if put up for auction, would start at at least three million Doomsday Coins. My friend here wont sell this battle pet! Song Jian laughed; Song Jians words, like a bucket of cold water, suddenly sobered Laurenie up. The person in front of her was no ordinary deitys favorite; he had a significant backing. Trying to take advantage of him was just wishful thinking on her part. With this in mind, Laurenies face instantly revealed an awkward smile, and she stood silently to the side; Once all the nutrient solution in the nutrient slot was completely consumed, the battle pet egg also completely cracked open, and a shadow emerged from the nutrient slot, darting onto Zhao Yus shoulder; A coal-black leopard, about the size of a five or six-month-old kitten, clung firmly to Zhao Yus shoulder, extending its pink little tongue to lick Zhao Yus cheek incessantly; Eh, young man, whats the initial closeness level of your battle pet? Seeing the affectionate behavior between Zhao Yu and the small black leopard, Laurenie showed a hint of curiosity and couldnt help asking. It was common knowledge that freshly hatched battle pets generally had an initial closeness level between thirty and fifty and would not show such an intimate demeanor; Zhao Yu opened the battle pets attributes and, scratching his head, said, Just eighty-one points, is that high? Eighty-one points? Laurenie exclaimed, Ive hatched over a thousand battle pets, but Ive never encountered one with such a high initial closeness level. You should know, the higher the initial closeness level, the slower the closeness level drops when the battle pet is starving or in death! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.?? Looks like youve hatched a top-quality battle pet! Song Jian laughed; Thank you, thank you so much, Song Jian! Zhao Yu said gratefully. Having played the game for a while, he was well aware of how much a good battle pet could help him; As long as he raised this battle pet, he could even go solo against elite BOSSes of the same level in the wild; Alright, alright, my turn now! Wang Qi laughed heartily as he carefully took out a battle pet egg shrouded in milky white light from his inventory; Come on, Laurenie, see what you make of my battle pet? Wang Qi laughed; A white battle pet? Laurenies eyebrows raised. Wang Qi, after all, was a Vice City Lord, how could he cherish a white-quality battle pet so preciously? No, no, thats not the glow of a white-quality battle pet, this, this is, this is Holy Light! This is a Holy Light War Pet! Laurenie screamed in astonishment, her face full of shock; A Holy Light War Pet, isnt that supposed to be a golden quality battle pet? Wang Qi looked at Song Jian with some confusion; Song Jian shrugged his shoulders. When he had obtained the Angel Battle Pet Egg, it was indeed just a pale gold color. However, after leaving it in his inventory for a few days, for some reason, it turned into a milky white halo; Laura, Laura, hurry, take out the purple gold solution from the top left cabinet of my storage room. Susan, prepare to mix the Holy Spirit Nutrient Fluid, quick, quick! Laurenie seemed very anxious, almost mobilizing all of the servants, turning the hatching room into a flurry of activity; Lance, go and invite Master Ackman, tell him theres a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg that needs his appraisal! Laurenie grabbed a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, and said seriously; Ah, Master Ackman? At this time, hes usually napping, I, Lance hesitated, knowing Ackmans temper was not good. Waking him up now might end up getting a severe scolding; Go quickly, just say its a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg. If he dares to scold you, Ill have Brian do the appraisal! Laurenie said loudly; Yes, yes, Boss! Lance ran off towards the back house. Shortly after, an old Elf with a face full of wrinkles, walked in quickly; Laurenie, you said theres a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg that needs my appraisal? Youd better not be lying to me, otherwise Oh, my goodness, it really is a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg! Ackmans face showed surprise as he slowly bent over, closely observing the Battle Pet Egg in Wang Qis hands; After a long observation, the old Elf slowly stood up straight and sighed, Such a pity, this is an egg condensed from a four-winged angel who died in battle. Its truly too precious! Four-winged angel! Laurenie exclaimed in surprise; Honorable sir, appraising this Battle Pet Egg will cost three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! To incubate it will need one million Doomsday Coins! Arman said in a deep voice; Wang Qis body swayed slightly, a look of shock appearing on his face. Just for an appraisal, it required three hundred thousand, and incubation demanded a staggering one million Doomsday Coins it was practically robbery! Lord Vice City Master, rest assured, I guarantee that every penny you spend will be worthwhile! Laurenie said seriously; Wang Qi glanced at Song Jian; Song Jian shrugged his shoulders again. Anyhow, he had already given the Angel Battle Pet Egg to Wang Qi, and if he was not willing to spend that much money, incubating it later would not be too late; Lets start. Wang Qi gritted his teeth, pulling out a stack of Doomsday Coins from his bag and tremblingly handed them to Laurenie; Wang Qi understood in his heart that the higher the cost, the more valuable the war pet would prove to be. Once hatched, it would definitely be worth the expense! Zhao Yu also widened his eyes; just for appraisal and incubation, the cost had surpassed a million. If it were to be sold, wouldnt the price exceed ten million! This is a battle pet worth tens of millions, I cant miss the chance to see it hatch! Zhao Yu thought to himself. After a busy period, Master Arman, the pet appraiser, completed the appraisal of the egg radiating with a milky white glow it indeed was an Angel Battle Pet Egg. By this time, the Battle Pet Egg had turned into a sphere of light, emitting a faint milky white halo. Within the sphere of light, one could see a figure with pristine white wings at its back, kneeling and hugging its knees tightly, the wings covering its entire body like a blanket; PS: Thanks to Lethal Countdown for the tip of 1000 QiDian Coins~ Chapter 824 - Chapter 824: Chapter 825: Flying Mounts_1 Chapter 824: Chapter 825: Flying Mounts_1 Angels, Song Jian, do you see it? Angels, its really an angel! Wang Qi held up the battle pet egg in his hands, excitedly said; The angel within the pet egg looked quite blurry and its gender was indiscernible, but Song Jian vaguely felt that this was the angel Clowell; Master Arman, if we were to hatch it now, would it still retain its memories from before? Song Jian suddenly asked. The memories of the Angel Clan will never fade! Arman looked at Song Jian and said, However, newly born angels will seal their own memories. Only when their strength reaches a certain level will the memories be unsealed! Song Jian nodded, saying nothing more. Upon death, common angels would usually vanish without a trace, with a very small chance of condensing into a Heart of the Angel; As for condensing into a battle pet egg, perhaps not even one in a thousand angels could achieve this feat. For the Angel Clan, this was almost a means of resurrection and rebirth; After a busy flurry of activity, Wang Qi carefully placed the angel battle pet egg into a solution that emitted a faint golden glow. A million Doomsday Coins, at least the majority, were spent to concoct the nurturer solution in a Holy Spirit Solution; Many of the rare materials in the Holy Spirit Solution were priceless, not necessarily attainable even with money. If Wang Qi hadnt been the Vice City Lord, Laurenie might not have been willing to concoct the Holy Spirit Solution; With the equipment activated, the angel battle pet egg began to absorb the nutrients from the Holy Spirit Solution in the nurturer. Soon, the Holy Spirit Solution was drained, and the battle pet egg started to crack open. A palm-sized Bicolumned Angel flew towards Wang Qi; This angel was only wrapped in a white sarong at the waist, holding a mini bow and arrow. It looked incredibly endearing yet seemingly lacked combat strength; Too bad, it didnt advance in rank! Wang Qi said with a touch of regret; It doesnt need to advance in rank. This is a Holy Light War Pet, in other words, an evolvable war pet. As long as it is well-cultivated, it can continuously evolvefour wings, six wings, eight wings, and even to the most formidable twelve-winged archangel! Laurenie immediately said; What, an evolvable war pet? Wang Qis eyes widened in disbelief; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?. However, evolving on its own is very difficult, and sometimes it requires some rare materials! Laurenie seemed to think of something, covered her mouth and giggled, saying, Be careful not to go bankrupt! The angel war pet fluttered its wings and flew onto Wang Qis shoulder, sitting down on it, then started fiddling with the bow and arrow in its hand, looking around curiously and energetically; An initial intimacy level of seventy-eight, not too bad! Wang Qi said with a beaming smile; Song Jian nodded. It seemed that it was still better to hatch battle pets at the pet store. Even if the chance for advancing was low, the initial intimacy levels would be much higher; Currently, his Black Dragon war pet and his intimacy level was only at sixty-two points, while the Stone Golem Gulu was slightly higher at seventy-three. Each injury would cause their intimacy levels to drop a few points, and Song Jian was genuinely concerned that if it dropped too severely, these two war pets might directly defect; By the way, do you have something here to raise the intimacy level of battle pets? Song Jian suddenly asked; Laurenies eyes lit up and she immediately said, Of course, and depending on the type of battle pet, different items are used. I heard that City Lord Songs battle pet is a Giant Dragon, and my store just happens to have food that raises the favor of dragon-type battle pets! After purchasing several sets of food to increase the favor of dragon-type war pets and earth-elemental war pets, Song Jian and his group left the pet store; Right, call some brothers, take Zhao Yu down to the Jackal Wolfman Cave a few times, get all the equipment he needs, and then level him up! Song Jian said; Zhao Yus level was too low, and if he fought alongside Song Jian, he wouldnt gain any experience, so it was left to the players of the alliance to lead him; Song Jian, thank you! Zhao Yu said with a complex look in his eyes; In the real world, as the son of a wealthy family, Zhao Yu had always felt a sense of superiority when helping Song Jian; however, he had never expected that in just a few short months, there would be such a dramatic change in status between them; Even if Zhao Yu was slow to catch on, he now understood that the Lord of the entire City of Hope was none other than the man before him who seemed to do nothing but hand out flyers every day. Ang~ Just then, a sharp cry suddenly came from the sky, and several people looked up to see a giant hawk descending slowly toward the square. On the back of the hawk, there was the silhouette of a player; A flying mount, its a flying mount! shouted a player on the square; It wasnt until the flying mount had landed that Song Jian realized the person sitting on it was actually Li Keer; The giant hawk, over five meters in size, stirred up a strong gust of wind as it landed, pushing the crowd of onlookers who were trying to get a closer look back by five or six meters; Eh, Brother Song Jian and Brother Wang Qi! Li Keer jumped down from the hawk, her eyes immediately finding Song Jian and Wang Qi, squinting into crescent moons with joy; Keer, where did you get this flying mount? Wang Qi asked in amazement. It was known that a flying mount did not take up a battle pet slot, and each person could have both a land mount and a flying mount simultaneously; Near a cliff about a hundred li away, theres a large group of hawks. I sneaked into a birds nest and grabbed a small hawk, Li Keer said with the look of someone who had been caught doing something naughty, sticking out her tongue as she laughed; Song Jian, if we can get a batch of flying mounts, we could definitely speed up the city expansion. With just five hundred, no, even three hundred hawk mounts like this, I am confident that within three months we could expand the territory of the City of Hope to encompass the entire Doomsday City! Wang Qi said, his face flushed with excitement; So far, Li Keer was the only one in the City of Hope with a flying mount. It was known that after the city was established, the flying creatures in the vicinity no longer dared to approach the City of Hope, or else they would be taken down by the defensive installations on the city walls; However, outside of the City of Hope in other areas, the sky still belonged to the flying creatures. The hawk captured by Li Keer was evidently an especially fierce mount, unafraid even of the flying creatures in the wild; If the City of Hope could have a batch of such flying mounts, they could establish their own corps of airborne cavalry. Then, during campaigns for territorial expansion, they could achieve remarkable results; Keer, how about you take me to see that cliff? Song Jian asked with a smile; Of course! Li Keer nodded and said, but her face soon turned to an expression of difficulty as she added, Little Grey can only carry one person; it cant fly with two. Little Grey was the name of the hawk Li Keer had captured, and it could only carry one person; Song Jian smiled slightly and summoned the Black Dragon. A dragons roar echoed across the plaza, causing almost all the battle pets to tremble and crouch, not daring to move; Even Li Keers captured hawk, which had been holding its head high with an air of pride, immediately spread its wings and crouched down emitting a series of low moans after the dragons roar; Brother Song Jian, can the Black Dragon carry people in flight? Li Keers eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly eager to ride the Black Dragon. Chapter 825 - Chapter 825: Chapter 826 Falcon Cliff_1 Chapter 825: Chapter 826 Falcon Cliff_1 Song Jian mounted the Black Dragon, slowly rising into the air, while Li Keer followed closely on her hawk at a distance, perpetually directing Song Jians flight path. However, her hawk dared not get too close to the Black Dragon, so the two could only communicate via their private chat channel; Mid-flight, Song Jian glanced down unintentionally and discovered that the area of the City of Hope had by then surpassed half the size of Doomsday City, separated by a tall and distinct city wall; One side was brimming with vitality, looking every bit a human city, while the other was filled with dead silence, and zombies roamed everywhere, their howls resounding continuously; Between the territories of Doomsday City and City of Hope stood a wall several dozen meters tall. Atop the broad ramparts, three or four Magic Crystal Railguns were being constructed simultaneously. Roughly every ten meters, there was a railgun, and between each pair, numerous arrow towers and giant crossbows flanked by hundreds of city guards stood vigilant on the walls, sealing the City of Hope tight; The Divine Aversion Beads had already been mass-produced by the dozen, and the Magic Crystal Mine had begun to slowly transition into the extraction phase. However, given the mine was located in the wilderness, there was always the threat of monster attacks, so they dared not mine on a large scale. Only about a dozen miners and a mining team of over a hundred people were arranged to extract near the entrance of the Magic Crystal Mine, hesitant to delve deeper; Therefore, the Magic Crystal Ores currently being mined were merely enough for the City of Hopes own use and not yet for sale. After all, Magic Crystals were a strategic resource, not found on the market, and could even be used as currency, more stable than Doomsday Coins; Li Keer continued to guide Song Jian through the friend channel. Her hawk didnt dare to approach the Black Dragon, which made her quite frustrated, prompting her to stealthily kick the hawk twice; After flying for over an hour, Song Jian finally saw a range of undulating mountains ahead. These mountains appeared very steep, with no place to climb. One would need a flying mount to get up there; Brother Song Jian, be careful. This is the Gathering Area of hawks. If we get close, they will attack us! Li Keer warned cautiously through the channel, Lets land ahead and slowly make our way over. You land first, Ill check it out and see! Song Jian said. The Black Dragon emitted a long howl, its speed abruptly increasing as it rushed toward the towering cliffs; System: You have discovered Falcon Cliff, gaining 1000 Experience Points; As Song Jian neared the cliff, still hundreds of meters away, a large mass of black dots erupted from atop the cliff. Narrowing his eyes, Song Jian realized that these black dots were all level 45 hawks, swarming in the hundreds; A dragon roar echoed through the heavens, and the opposing hawks instantly became disorganized, but they quickly regained composure and continued to charge toward Song Jian; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0?0. Song Jian frowned slightly, as the Black Dragons Dragon Might seemed to have lost its deterrent effect on these hawks; Seeing hundreds of level 45 creatures bearing down on him like a blanket, Song Jian turned the Black Dragon around and flew away into the distance; Seeing the Black Dragon leave, the hawks did not pursue, but made a symbolic chase for some tens of meters before returning to their nests inside the steep cliff caves; This was the hawks nest; their nests built upon the cliffs, each one resembling a honeycomb, and once they flew back to their nests, from the outside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary; Gently bringing the Black Dragon down and storing it in the Pet Space, Song Jian shook his head and said, There are too many monsters. As soon as we approached, they all came out. Its quite troublesome! Li Keer giggled and said, Whats this? If you go further in, youll see level 45 elite BOSS hawks, and even a level 50 lord BOSS! What, a level 50 lord BOSS? Song Jians face was full of surprise. It was known that reaching level 50 was already touching the edge of second-tier combat power. He wondered if this lord-class hawk boss already had second-tier combat power. If it truly were a second-tier strength being, Wang Qis desire to capture the hawk to form a cavalry of flying riders might very well be dashed. How on earth did you get that hawk? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Ever since he met Li Keer in the game, Song Jian noticed that Li Keer had incredible luck in the game. Whether it was equipment or pets, she hardly needed to put in any effort and didnt have to grind daily to level up like other players. Although she couldnt monopolize the top ten in the leveling rankings like those hardcore levelers, she was definitely five or six levels ahead of ordinary players. I was just wandering around here when I found a little hawk that had fallen off the cliff. So I just captured it, and it became my flying mount. It was easy, and I didnt have to do much! Li Keer said with wide eyes. Song Jian shook his head; this luck was simply too good to be replicable. Approach slowly, maybe walking from the ground wont alarm them! Song Jian said. If it hadnt been for the Black Dragons roar earlier, they probably wouldnt have drawn out so many hawks from so far away. The two of them approached slowly, and after passing through a large expanse of dead woods, they finally got close to the cliff. Song Jian realized that even the lowest hawk nest was nearly a hundred meters above the ground. Climbing up there wasnt going to be easy, and now that they were so close, if they attracted too many creatures, Song Jian was confident he could escape, but he didnt know if Li Keer could. Thats enough for today, Keer, lets go back, Song Jian said with a smile. Are we just going to go back like this? Li Keer said with wide eyes and a puzzled look. Shouldnt we go up and check? There might be chicks in the nest. You havent gone up to check? Song Jian said curiously. Given Li Keers personality, having come here and found a chick, it seemed impossible for her not to go up and take another look. I wanted to, but when I climbed halfway up, the lord BOSS poked its head out and stared at me, so I didnt dare to climb any further, Li Keer said, frowning. Song Jian thought about the situation at the time and couldnt help but take a sharp breath, sizing up Li Keer. If someone now said Li Keer wasnt the beloved daughter of this game, Song Jian would absolutely not believe it. She had already caught the attention of a lord-class BOSS, yet the creature only chased Li Keer away, even allowing her to take away a chick. How was that possible? After thinking for a while, Song Jian decided that he couldnt let Li Keer take the risk, as she was too young and it made him somewhat uneasy. After much persuasion, he convinced Li Keer to go back. With a thought, Song Jian extended a pair of steel wings behind him and flew toward the closest cave on the cliff; PS: Thank you to Guardian VS Divine for the 1000 starting Doomsday Coins tip~ Chapter 826 - Chapter 826: Chapter 827: Chance Encounter_1 Chapter 826: Chapter 827: Chance Encounter_1 Song Jian dared not to climb up directly like Li Keer. As soon as he began to fly, he used a Concealment Necklace to enter a stealth state. Soon, Song Jian entered the nearest cave to the ground. Just as he stood at the entrance, he heard a low growl from within the cave. The hawk inside seemed to have sensed something but couldnt find anything. It only felt some danger and became restless; Song Jian crept inside slowly. He saw that there was only one level forty-five hawk in this cave, and in the grass nest deep within the cave, which was over a meter in diameter, lay seven or eight white eggs; How can there be so many eggs? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. If every cave had so many eggs, then the flying cavalry Wang Qi desired might be assembled very soon; However, to get close to the nest, it might be necessary to take out this level forty-five common-quality hawk, but once a fight ensued, the caves were too close to each other, which might provoke the wrath of the whole hawk tribe. Lets lure it away first! Song Jian hid behind a protruding rock, and with a thought, a figure identical to his appeared at the entrance of the cave; The Sword Shadow Clone appeared in an instant, and Song Jian saw the level forty-five hawks feathers on its neck stand on end as its wings spread wide. The entire bird was in combat mode, loudly calling out as it lunged toward Song Jians clone; The clone did not engage in combat but instead leaped out of the cave with a bound, spreading its steel wings in mid-air and tumbling through the air before flying off into the distance; The moment the hawk chased the clone out of the cave, Song Jian swiftly dove towards the nest; In the withered forest not far from Falcon Cliff, a group from the Pantheon, led by Zeus, was slowly approaching the cliff. Zeus, its just ahead. Theres a huge group of hawks there, and its the easiest place to obtain a flying mount, a leather-clad rogue pointed toward the cliff and said; God of Thieves, with your strength, cant you steal a single hawk egg? Why do you have to drag us all over here? a knight wielding a war hammer sneered; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.? The monsters in that area are strangetheir aggro is linked. If just one hawk discovers you, it will attract the aggro of a big group of hawks around it! The rogue referred to as the God of Thieves said with a pale face, explaining, Moreover, theres a level fifty lord BOSS inside that can see through my stealth! No way, hasnt your stealth skill reached max level? How could you still be seen? someone beside him exclaimed in surprise; The level difference is too great, thats why. But Ive heard that reaching max level with a skill is not the end, and that it can still be improved! another player wielding a Magic Staff said hesitantly; Its just a rumor, but no one has ever seen it! the player known as the God of Thieves glanced at the other and said, Maybe that skill itself can be upgraded, so even after reaching the max level, it might continue to improve! Alright, lets talk about how to get flying mounts first! Zeus said with a slight frown, If we had had three hundred, no, even just one hundred players with flying mounts back then, City of Hope wouldnt have been able to dominate like this! Guild leader, even if we had mounts now, it wouldnt help, we cant even get close to the walls of City of Hope. The power of the Magic Crystal Railgun is just too formidable! a player said with lingering fear, who had witnessed the strength of the Magic Crystal Railgun firsthand, capable of killing a level thirty or forty boss with a single shot. Hawks can fly at heights exceeding three hundred meters, while now all Arrow Towers and powerful crossbows can only reach up to one hundred eighty meters at most. The range of the Magic Crystal Railgun is farther, but it cannot cover defense, the angle simply cant reach high enough! the God of Thieves said coldly, With flying mounts, if we were to launch a siege, the success rate would be at least 10% higher. Plus, Ive heard that flying mounts have already appeared in City of Hope. Just think, if the next Territory Expansion Campaign starts and they have flying mounts while we dont, how will we counterattack? If the members of Pantheon were still considering attacking before, after the successful establishment of the City of Hope Alliances city, many had already lost the will to oppose them. Some players even left Pantheon to live in City of Hope. Even if they couldnt join City of Hope, buying a safe house there to farm monsters and level up was quite comfortable, and safety was guaranteed at the very least. Although Pantheon still speaks of waging siege warfare against the City of Hope Alliance, most people are thinking about how to preserve themselves during the upcoming Territory Expansion Campaign. We must succeed in getting the Falcon flying mounts this time! Next, I will arrange what each of you needs to do to ensure we get at least more than ten flying mount eggs! Zeus said through clenched teeth. Just then, a series of shrill cries suddenly came from the distant cliffs, and everyone looked up in surprise. They saw a figure with wings on its back frantically fleeing towards the distance, pursued by a large group of Hawks attacking him, and Zeus even saw among the Hawks, there were several level forty elite bosses. Look, doesnt that person look like Song Jian? someone shouted. The Steel Wings had become a symbol of Song Jian, and everyone was shocked. Squinting, they saw that indeed, the wings shimmering with metallic luster on the fleeing figure belonged to a pair of Steel Wings. It looks like City of Hope has also set their sights on these Hawks, Zeuss face immediately darkened. Heh, this is going to be good to watch. With so many level forty-plus monsters, even Song Jian wont be able to take advantage, the God of Thieves chuckled wickedly, his face revealing schadenfreude. In the sky, the clone that looked almost exactly like Song Jian was constantly dodging sonic attacks from the pursuing Hawks but didnt fight back. Its orders were to flee as far as possible, so after a while, hundreds of Hawks were chasing after it. As the distance between them closed, the clone took more and more damage, and finally, after flying more than a hundred meters, its Vitality Points depleted, and it plummeted straight towards the ground. Seeing Song Jian attacked by Hawks, the Pantheon players were pleased, yet they found it unbelievable to just watch Song Jian being targeted and killed by the Hawks without interference. Chapter 827 - Chapter 827: Chapter 828 Passage_1 Chapter 827: Chapter 828 Passage_1 Zeus had imagined Song Jians death more than once, but when Song Jian actually died before his eyes, his heart was filled with doubt; Impossible, how could he die so easily? Zeus muttered to himself; Could it be, could it be an illusion, a clone skill of some sort? someone speculated; It must be, that means, hes already nearby, maybe hes already entered the nest, using a Phantom Clone to lure away the hawk guarding the chicks, then stealing the Battle Pet Egg? Yes, thats definitely the case, which means hes already inside Falcon Cliff. Should we? At this point, Song Jian was isolated, and he was in a place as dangerous as Eagle Falcon Cliff; moreover, the Pantheon, calculating without his knowledge, wanted to kill Song Jianthis was the best opportunity; Lets do it, the main goal of this operation is to eliminate Song Jian. As long as we finish him off, getting the flying mount later wont matter! Zeus gritted his teeth. The Pantheons group of more than a dozen swiftly headed toward Falcon Cliff; At this moment, Song Jian had already put all seven or eight eggs from the nest into his inventory. Just as he was about to turn and leave through the cave entrance, he suddenly lost contact with his Sword Shadow Clone, which gave him a start; So fast! The Sword Shadow Clone was only level one, inheriting only 30% of Song Jians attributes and couldnt withstand several seconds under the attack of a large group of hawks, leaving Song Jian no time to escape through the cave entrance; Just as Song Jian reached the entrance, a clamor of screeching sounds came at him, and hundreds of hawks began returning to their respective nests; Song Jian stopped in his tracks, his mind raced, and he re-entered stealth mode, slowly retreating deeper into the cave; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???0.? The level 45 hawk returned to its nest, lay down comfortably, faced the entrance, and began to rest with its eyes closed. After a moment, it seemed to sense something was amiss, couldnt help but look back at its nest made of various grasses, and found that the seven or eight eggs that should have been there were all gone. Roar~ A heart-rending cry of anguish echoed from the nest as the level 45 hawk shot out like an arrow, circling continuously midair, its eyes fixed on the ground, as if searching for something. At this time, Song Jian hid in the deepest part of the cave, not daring to make a single move for fear of alerting the frenzied hawk to his presence. Outside the cave at this moment, another dozen hawks had flown out, circling continuously in the sky, and even the group from the Pantheon didnt dare move forward, temporarily stopping; Look, Song Jian must still be inside the hawks nest. Maybe hes already got his hands on the eggs; otherwise, why would these hawks be going crazy like this! the Pantheons God of Thieves said excitedly, pointing to the hawks circling in the sky; At this time, Song Jian was checking the hawk eggs in his inventory. He noticed that these hawk eggs were not stacked upon each other, but each one occupied a separate slot in his inventory; Whats going on here, could it be that these hawk eggs are all different? Song Jian frowned slightly; If there were identical eagle falcon eggs in large quantities, they would likely stack in one slot in the bag, only eggs of different qualities would be kept separately; Song Jians gaze fell on the first eagle falcon egg, and his expression changed instantly; A damaged eagle falcon egg, quality: white, usage effect: Opening it may yield some materials from the eagle falcon! Usage requirement: none! Its actually not a flying mount Song Jian sighed slightly in his heart, but he also understood that the system couldnt be so generous as to give seven or eight flying mounts at once! Looking at the other eagle falcon eggs in his inventory, Song Jian couldnt help but hope in his heart that at least one would be a flying mount, otherwise, risking his life to steal eagle falcon eggs really wouldnt have been worth it this time. Upon clicking on this eagle falcon egg, Song Jian obtained a piece of green-quality eagle falcon meat, which could be used for cooking. This piece of green-quality meat was pretty high-level and could be sold for a few Doomsday Coins. If it were another player, they would surely be satisfied, but for Song Jian, this value wasnt worth the risk to his life; The second, the third, the fourth After opening six eagle falcon eggs in a row, the result was only some green and blue-quality materials, which together might be worth around ten or twenty thousand Doomsday Coins, but without a flying mount, Song Jian really felt at a loss this time; The last eagle falcon egg was a perfect eagle falcon egg. He had obtained two perfect eagle falcon eggs before, and the materials that came out of them were more valuable than those from the damaged eagle falcon eggs; Song Jian didnt hold much hope for this one either and just casually clicked on it; At that moment, a beam of silver light burst forth from the egg, and a bead the thickness of a finger appeared in the inventory slot. Eagle Falcon Soul, grade: rare item, usage effect: When used on a flying mount, permanently increases flight speed by 2 points! This item can only be used on the same flying mount up to 10 times! A rare item? Song Jians eyes lit up. Although the item was not as valuable as an eagle falcon mount, it was still pretty good. Items that permanently increased attributes were always highly priced, and this eagle falcon soul, though only enhancing the flight speed of flying mounts and meaningless for players without one, wouldnt fetch a high price. However, if the number of players with flying mounts increased, then such a soul wouldnt be much less than those Attribute Fruits that increased strength or agility; After taking the eagle falcon soul, Song Jian looked up towards the cave entrance. By now, the eagle falcons circling outside in the sky had calmed down, all except for the one in the nest Song Jian was in, as the others had returned to their respective nests. After a short while, the eagle falcon of Song Jians cave also flew over slowly and settled down at the entrance, motionless; In this state, Song Jian had no way to exit through the entrance, so after quietly waiting for a bit, he began to explore deeper into the cave; All the caves at Falcon Cliff had a narrow passage in the back, no wider than half a meter, completely inaccessible to the adult eagle falcons, typically used only for ventilation, and it was only the newly hatched eagle falcon chicks, when their parents were away, who would sneak into these passages to play. As a result, many of these passages contained the skeletons of young eagle falcons; Song Jian moved slowly forward through the passage, which was so narrow in some places he had to bend over to crawl through. Along the way, he saw a few young eagle falcon skeletons that were only half the size of an adult humans arm and seemed to have died from falling from the passage and hitting sharp rocks; Song Jian gave these skeletons only a glance before continuing forward, and soon, light appeared ahead, indicating the end of the passage. He quickened his pace involuntarily; Chapter 828 - Chapter 828: Chapter 829 Mission_1 Chapter 828: Chapter 829 Mission_1 Passing through the narrow passage, Song Jian was met with a sudden expanse of openness. Behind Eagle Falcon Cliff, it turned out to be a vast valley filled with monsters with wings on their backs, constantly shrieking and frolicking in the valley; Witch-winged Harpies? Song Jian locked his gaze on these creature soaring through the air, scrutinizing their attributes; Witch-winged Harpy, Level 42, Vitality Points: 5000/5000 These monsters, with wings on their back and mostly covered in feathers, looked quite ferocious, with gaunt, hollow cheeks, two fangs protruding from their mouths, and a vicious look in their eyes. As they flapped their wings, there was also the flash of lightning, even as they played with one another, they showed a fierce and aggressive nature; This is actually a hidden monster gathering area! Song Jian thought to himself, and he slowly made his way toward the valley along the crevices of the cliff; It seemed this region was a monster area yet to be discovered by anyone. Such areas often harbored many treasures; rare herbs, ores, treasure chests, and even some rare BOSSes. One could say that every undiscovered monster area was a treasure trove; Just as Song Jian stepped into the valley, suddenly, a small figure burst out from the trees of the valley. Upon seeing Song Jian, the diminutive figure jumped in fright, retreating rapidly until it hit a tree, then it began to scrutinize Song Jian closely; Song Jian narrowed his eyes, the small fellow in front of him turned out to be a green-skinned goblin named Dassok Goldstamp, and was also a yellow-named NPC that wouldnt initiate attacks. Ah, let the great merchant Goldstamp have a look, isnt this the blessed one, favored by the gods? Goldstamps face broke into a radiant smile as he hurried over to Song Jian, whispering, O favored one, I have a quest here, I wonder if you could help me complete it? A wry smile appeared on Song Jians face. The NPCs in this game were shrewder than any others he had encountered; they knew the identity of the favored ones and were good at exploiting the desires of the favored ones to make them work; And the favored ones, that is, the players, when they meet an unknown NPC, the first question they ask is always, I wonder if theres any way I can assist you? It was the standard way to take on a quest; while usually it wasnt wrong, many cunning NPCs often issued exceedingly low-value quests with high difficulty levels. Players often found that after completing such quests, the rewards hardly compensated for the damages incurred during the quest; Those that enjoy doing this sort of thing tend to be goblins, so much so that many players dislike taking on quests offered by the goblin race; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????. However, Song Jian knew that goblins who dared to venture out always had a few good items on them, which couldnt be looted even by killing them. These items could only be obtained by completing the quests they offered; Oh, what kind of quest is it, and what will you offer as a reward if I help you? Song Jian asked with a smile; Those damned Harpies, theyre nothing but robbers, executioners! Goldstamp complained loudly, My caravan was attacked by these bandits, they took all my goods! I have followed them all the way to their nest, and I can now confirm that this is the place where theyre hiding, right up ahead, inside that cave, lies the leader of these Harpies. I hope you can help me kill the leader of the Harpies and help me take back my goods! Dassok Goldstamp clenched his teeth and glanced at what he was holding, then raised his head to size up Song Jian and said, But before that, I need to first ascertain your strength to see if you can help me. Go hunt thirty Harpy Wanderers and bring me their claws. If you can complete this task, you will gain thirty-six thousand combat experience points and a reward of three thousand Doomsday Coins. Of course, you could also choose three Hawk Essences as your quest reward! System: Goblin Dassok Goldstamp has issued you the quest Harpy Bandit. Quest details: Hunt thirty Harpy Wanderers, collect their sharp claws, and give them to Dassok Goldstamp. Completion requirements: Witch-winged Harpy claws, 0/30. Quest reward: 1. Thirty-six thousand combat experience points, three thousand Doomsday Coins; 2. Three Hawk Essences (choose one of the two rewards). Quest failure penalty: Dassok Goldstamps favorability decreases by 100 points, reputation with goblin race drops to Indifferent. For Song Jian, thirty Harpy Wanderers werent much of a challenge. He had already intended to explore this area, and monsters at level forty-two were ideal for grinding and leveling up. Song Jian glanced at the quest description and accepted the task on the spot, striding towards the valley. Hawk Essence, I didnt expect that a goblin would offer it as a quest reward. This quest is indeed a catch! Song Jian thought with a smile at the corner of his mouth. From the seven or eight Hawk eggs, only one Hawk Essence was hatched, and each time one entered an Eagle Falcon Cliff, there was a risk to life, so in Song Jians view, the value of a Hawk Essence was second only to that of a Hawk flight mount egg. Now that he could directly obtain three for completing a quest, Song Jian naturally wouldnt pass up the opportunity. Harpy Wanderers did not cast spells, and their wings did not flash with lightning. Among seven or eight Harpy Wanderers, there would only be one with lightning on its wings, known as a Witch-winged Harpy Priestess, which was three levels higher than the Harpy Wanderers. Song Jian wasnt very skilled at using the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision yet. Often when he locked onto a single target, the spell he cast would result in an area of effect attack, but when he wanted to attack multiple targets, the summoned Spirit Swords would all fly towards a single target instead. After accepting the quest, Song Jian began by stealthily approaching the sparse Harpy Wanderers on the outskirts. With a thought, he swung the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand forward, and suddenly about a dozen Spirit Swords appeared by his side, tracing arcs in the air like a constellation and flying towards a forty-two level Harpy Wanderer. Boom, boom, boom~ The Spirit Swords struck the Witch-winged Harpy, causing dull explosive sounds, and a forty-two level monster with five thousand Vitality Points was directly killed without even having time to react, plummeting to the ground. A smile emerged on Song Jians lips. If not for the randomness in the number of Spirit Swords summoned by the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the damage by twenty-four spirit blades would be enough to injure a forty-level elite BOSS. If a few critical hits landed, even killing a forty-level elite BOSS instantly wouldnt be out of the question. The Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, which originally seemed to have insufficient damage, began to show its power upon reaching level 2. Song Jian wondered how many Spirit Swords could be summoned if this skill were maxed out. Perhaps it truly could, as its name suggested, summon ten thousand swords? Song Jian looked forward to it! Chapter 829 - Chapter 829: Chapter 830: Task Reward_1 Chapter 829: Chapter 830: Task Reward_1 There werent many Hawk Harpies roaming around, totaling only about thirty, but as the peripheral hunt progressed, their numbers dwindled. Inevitably, Song Jian had to venture deeper into the valley. Deeper in the valley, the monsters werent just roaming Hawk Harpies anymore. There were also Witch-winged Harpies with lightning flickering on their wings and Harpy Wizards donning a red crowntheir attacks were all ranged, and they mingled with the roaming Hawk Harpies. One careless move could attract their attention. Song Jians attack skills were limited to two: the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision and the Mysterious Moonlight Sword. The former was a long-range attack, while the latter was a melee damage skill. While Song Jian used the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision against a Harpy Witch, a Spirit Sword uncontrollably lunged toward another Hawk Harpy four meters away. A critical hit exceeding a thousand points burst above the Hawk Harpys head. With a screech, it flapped its wings and charged toward Song Jian. Before he had a chance to collect the loot dropped from the recently fallen Harpy Witch, Song Jian brandished his Sky-breaking Sword and rushed at the Hawk Harpy. His figure was like lightning, even faster than a warriors charge skill, leaving faint afterimages in the air. The long sword pierced the Hawk Harpys chest viciously. Suddenly, the creatures body tilted sideways, as if it had lost control, and began floating in mid-air. Swish, swish, swish~ Bright sword lights flashed continuously, splattering blood, and the Hawk Harpys head showed damage numbers of three to four hundred. Its Vitality Points plummeted by more than half. When Song Jian sheathed his sword and withdrew, the suspended Hawk Harpy crashed to the ground, struggling fiercely to stand back up. Not bad, not bad at all, it seems that integrating this sword technique into Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was the right choice. This move truly combines damage, control, and displacement skills into one powerful stroke! Song Jian thought excitedly to himself. After leveling up Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision to level 2, its proficiency had greatly increased. At least two or three high-quality sword techniques would be required for another upgrade. Even if he fed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword to it, it wouldnt immediately level up to 3. Considering the potency of this sword technique, Song Jian hesitated for a moment but decided to keep it, and to his surprise, it gave him a pleasant surprise during live combat. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.? The Hawk Harpy, left with just over a thousand Vitality Points, was dispatched by Song Jian with a couple of simple slashes, dropping its last breath along with a palm-sized, jade-crafted claw. It took over an hour for Song Jian to kill more than fifty roaming Hawk Harpies, along with twenty or thirty Harpy Witches and Priests, before he collected thirty Witch-winged Harpy claws. One should note that not every Hawk Harpy would drop a claw, and Witches and Priests were even less likely to drop them than roamers, resulting in Song Jian having to kill close to ninety Witch-winged Harpies to gather all the quest items. Had I known it would be like this, I should have asked for more rewards! Song Jian hadnt anticipated being so cautious yet still letting the Goblin Gold Seal take advantage. He suddenly felt rather frustrated. In this game, the NPC quest givers didnt offer fixed rewards. Players could even negotiate with them to increase the quantity or quality of the quest rewards. However, this increase had to be within a certain range, or else it would result in the NPC refusing to issue you tasks and even cause the NPC to dislike you, which could result in a loss not worth the gain; Considering the difficulty of this quest, Song Jian estimated that even if he asked for two more Hawk essence cores, there was a good chance that the Goblin would agree. Returning to the location of the Goblin Gold Seal, the little dwarf was actually hiding behind a huge rock, causing Song Jian a bit of a search; Here, these are the Harpy claws you wanted! Song Jian dumped all thirty Harpy claws, glowing with the light of white jade, in front of the Gold Seal, saying discontentedly; You really are a powerful deity-favored one. I didnt expect you to finish the task so quickly! The Gold Seal said with a smile beaming across his face, cautiously glanced at Song Jians expression, and hesitated before saying, Youve done an excellent job on this task, Ive decided to give you a little extra reward. No matter which reward you choose, youll get an additional Hawk essence core! Goblins could be said to be the most calculating race in the game. Feeling Song Jians dissatisfaction, the Goblin immediately offered to increase the quest rewards; Seeing the Goblin being so tactful, Song Jians expression lightened slightly, and he gave a nod as a sign of agreement; Soon, Song Jian had pocketed four Hawk essence cores in his pack, in addition to the one he had obtained earlier, he now had five Hawk essence cores, which would increase his flight mounts speed by 10 points; Song Jian gave it a try, and these essence cores could still be used on the Black Dragon, even though strictly speaking, the Black Dragon was his combat pet and not a flight mount; Ordinary flight mounts only had a flying speed of thirty to fifty points. A twenty-point increase was a significant improvement. However, for the Black Dragon, which already had a flying speed of one hundred and eighty points, a twenty-point increase was not very noticeable; I could use another five, but I wonder if theres a better way to get them, Song Jian thought to himself. By the way, Hawk essence cores are very useful to me. If you have any spares, I wonder if you could sell some to me? I can give you a satisfying price! Song Jian said; As more players would acquire flight mounts in the future, Song Jian wanted to stock up, not to mention that giving them out as benefits to the brothers in his league would also be good; Of course, Im a merchant. Meeting the needs of my customers is my duty! The Gold Seal said with a brilliant smile, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. However, you have to recover my goods for me first. Otherwise, its impossible for me to sell any items to you. Even those four Hawk essence cores were carried on my person, and now I dont have a single one left! The Gold Seal quickly added, his eyes rolling with cunning; All right, lets continue with the next task. Am I to go directly to hunt the leader of these Harpies? Song Jian asked. Deity-favored one, you have already proven your strength. Next, you can go and kill the Harpy leader in the cave deep in this valley. As long as you bring me its crown and the batch of goods I lost, I will give you a generous task reward! The Gold Seal said, grinning widely: But before that, I hope you can first kill the six Harpy slaughterers who stole my goods and bring me their Guardian Feathers. Otherwise, those Harpy slaughterers will interfere with your fight against the Harpy leader! Chapter 830 - Chapter 830: Chapter 831: Breaking In_1 Chapter 830: Chapter 831: Breaking In_1 The golden seal described in detail the positions of the six Harpy Slaughterers to Song Jian, then shrank back into the shadows of the rocks. If one didnt look closely, it would be very difficult to discern its voice. Song Jians temporary quest had updated, becoming the task of slaying six Harpy Slaughterers, obtaining their Guardian Feathers, then killing the Harpy leader, obtaining the crown of the Harpy leader, and at the same time finding the Goblins goods; After reviewing the quest details, Song Jian didnt immediately go to look for the Harpy Slaughterers. Instead, he turned and continued to search the valley for Harpy Wanderers and Witches, Sacrificers, slaying them one by one, turning them into his own battle experience; The Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision also became more proficient as Song Jian cast it time and again. Not only was the number of Spirit Swords approaching the maximum limit of twenty-four, but he was also able to target his attacks more accurately, avoiding situations where he intended to launch a group attack, but ended up stabbing all the swords into a single monster, or intended a single attack, but covered a seven to eight-meter area like a blanket. In no time at all, wails of utter misery from the Harpies echoed throughout the mountain valley, causing the golden seal hidden in the rocks shadow to become frightened; I feel like this divine favored one harbors even more intense hatred for the Harpies than I do! The golden seal muttered under its breath, suddenly feeling an inexplicable fear towards Song Jian; At this moment, in a cave at Eagle Falcon Cliff, several players from the Pantheon were sitting on the ground eating and drinking to recover. Next to them, the corpses of two level forty-five Hawks lay on the ground, their flesh being slowly consumed by transparent flames that kept rising; Boss, you dont think somethings happened to Yong Ge and the others, do you? a player asked with some concern; Zeus glanced at him and snorted coldly, What can happen? Its not like we asked them to fight these Hawks head-on. If they cant fight, cant they run for their lives? The player who had spoken immediately shrunk his neck and said no more; Climbing Eagle Falcon Cliff was no easy task. Get too close, and it would attract the enmity of the Hawks. Attract one Hawks enmity, and all the monsters on the entire cliff would be alerted; Zeus had no choice but to have a few of the faster players lure the Hawks away for a distance before leading the others into a cave; What they didnt expect was that two Hawks had not left the cave. Two level forty-five Hawks immediately caused panic among the group of players who were only in their thirties. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?. Fortunately, the seven or eight people that Zeus left behind were some of the stronger members of the battle alliance. Although the level forty-five monsters were troublesome, they eventually managed to take down the two creatures; Hey, these monsters give pretty high experience, I got 4% more experience! a player said jubilantly; The dropped loot isnt bad either, two monsters dropped a level forty blue piece of gear. Its too high-level to use right away, well have to wait a while! Didnt they say there were pet eggs in these caves, did you guys see any? No, theres just this nest made of weeds, we didnt find anything. But the cave is quite deep, maybe theyre further inside? After recovering, several players were attracted by the passage that extended behind the cave; Boss, none of us have found a trace of Song Jian. What do you think, could he have gone through to the other side? one of the players pointed at the passage behind the cave and whispered; Lets go and have a look! Zeus hesitated for a moment, nodded, and led the way into the low passage; Before long, several members of the Pantheon had crawled through the passage and arrived on the cliff of the valley; facing the valley before them, they exchanged looks of surprise. Like Song Jian, they had never expected to find such a vast expanse of valley hiding behind Eagle Falcon Cliff. This place is like a paradise. Should we explore it? We might find treasure! one of the players said excitedly; Hey, look over there, that seems to be the corpse of one of the monsters here. By the looks of it, someone got here before us and has been farming the monsters! said another player curiously, pointing at the half-burned corpse of a monster on the cliffside below; It must be Song Jian. Hes gotten into this valley ahead of us. Boss, these corpses must be his handiwork Lets take it slow and not alarm him. He is not to be underestimated; he can actually solo farm level 42 monsters here. Unless we ambush him, I doubt wed stand a chance! Lets go down and check it out, following these corpses! A fierce light flashed in Zeuss eyes as he spoke; He had already received intelligence; after Song Jian became the lord of the City of Hope, he obtained a City Lord seal. If they could kill him, the seal would drop, and anyone who got their hands on it could easily take control of the City of Hope; Meanwhile, Song Jian relentlessly slaughtered Witch-winged Harpies deep in the valley. These level 40-plus monsters not only provided a lot of combat experience but also dropped items of very high quality; In just a short while, Song Jians inventory was filled with over a dozen green-quality level 40 equipment and seven or eight blue-quality level 40 items; Besides the equipment, the Harpies also dropped a good amount of materials. Among them, over twenty light feathers for mages, which could sell for fifteen hundred Doomsday Coins each at the auction house. These materials alone amounted to a considerable income; Because the Black Dragon was too noticeable, Song Jian did not summon it, but he did release his Stone Golem, Gulu. Having bought a lot of the food that earth elementals prefer from the pet store, Gulus affinity with him had now reached ninety-one points, which was the limit that could be achieved with pet store food. Raising it further would not be easy; With the help of earth elemental Gulu, Song Jian hunted the Harpies even more quickly, and his combat experience had risen to 38th level, 87%. He didnt know how many Harpies he had killed, but Song Jian slowly made his way to the depths of the valley, where gradually, signs of man-made structures began to appear; There were lookout posts made of wood and some low wooden huts, even some rudimentary traps, which instantly put Song Jian on high alert; Soon, a level 45 elite BOSS appeared before Song Jian. This Witch-winged Harpy was larger than the average Harpy marauder, dressed in simple leather armor, wielding a long sword, and looked much more ferocious than the Harpy marauders. Its eyes emitted a faint crimson glow, and it exuded a terrifying aura; Harpy slayer? Damn, that little dwarf tricked me again. The Harpy slayer is actually an elite BOSS! Song Jian cursed to himself in frustration; Chapter 831 - Chapter 831: Chapter 832: Claw of the Harpy_1 Chapter 831: Chapter 832: Claw of the Harpy_1 Several Witch-winged Harpy Slaughterers wandered back and forth at the edge of a spacious cavern, appearing as though they were guarding the entrance. Even if Song Jian entered stealth mode, it would still be very difficult to slip past them into the cavern. To enter, he would have to take out all the Harpy Slaughterers loitering at the entrance. Song Jian surveyed the surroundings and slowly made his way over. He began by picking off the common Witch-winged Harpies further from the cave entrance one by one to avoid attracting these regular monsters while fighting the Slaughterers; The distance between these Witch-winged Harpies was quite vast, and they seemed reluctant to approach the entrance too closely. Song Jian methodically killed them off, eliminating all the regular Harpies within the vicinity. After slaying these common Witch-winged Harpies, Song Jian started to observe the area around the cave. He needed to remember the patrol area and timing of each Harpy Slaughterer to ensure he could lure only one at a time. Being a level 45 elite boss, they had a level advantage over him, who was only level 38. Given that the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was very random, if he summoned twenty-four Spirit Swords, Song Jian was confident he could instantly kill a Harpy Slaughterer. But, if only the minimum of two were summoned, Song Jian, lacking in offensive capabilities, would probably be in for a tough fight. Entering a state of concealment, Song Jian hid behind a huge rock and waited intently; One of the Harpy Slaughterers passed by this spot every three minutes before turning back. Thus, the area behind this rock was an ideal ambush spot and easy to hide in. As long as Song Jian made no noise, it would be difficult to spot him in the shadow of the rock unless the elite boss had some exceptionally strong perception skills or an eye technique that could see through stealth; Three, two, one Song Jian could already hear the sound of the Harpy Slaughterers wings flapping and even a faint scent of blood lingering at his nostrils; With a thought, a pile of rocks about seven or eight meters from Song Jian suddenly trembled, and a giant stone golem nearly two meters tall slowly unfolded its body, hurling a millstone-sized rock at the Harpy Slaughterer; If Gulu, the stone golem, had not entered combat status, it could disguise itself as a pile of rocks. Unless someone had the ability to see through disguises, it would be impossible to detect it even up close; As it made its move, the Harpy Slaughterer noticed Gulu. Its gaze locked onto the golem, and it issued a low, threatening screech from its beak; When the rock was hurled towards it, the Harpy Slaughterer, surprisingly, neither dodged nor avoided it, swinging its sword to slash at the giant stone; At that moment, the concealed Song Jian suddenly sprang into action. His sword, like the fangs of a wild beast, stabbed toward the Harpy Slaughterer that was mere tens of feet above the ground; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?. Thud~ The Sky-breaking Sword pierced through the gaps in the armor, hitting the Harpy Slaughterers body and instantly a damage figure exceeding five hundred floated above its head; This strike caught the Harpy Slaughterer off guardthe sword it had swung was only halfway through before it could no longer continue its downward path. Pain distorted its movement severely, leaving it unable to cleave through the incoming rock; ` Bang! The rock smashed viciously onto its body, flipping it to the ground, while a dizzying symbol appeared above its head. Taking the opportunity, Song Jian executed the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, and this time he was extremely lucky to summon twenty-four Spirit Swords. Swinging the Sky-breaking Sword, the shimmering Spirit Swords soared towards the harpy executioner that lay on the ground. Boom, boom, boom~ Each Spirit Sword burst forth with the power of TNT explosives, dealing 130% weapon damage, with each sword inflicting nearly a thousand points of damage, and with a chance to trigger damage amplification effects. When the fifth Spirit Sword struck the harpy executioner, it triggered the damage amplification effect, deepening the damage and raising the subsequent damage taken by 50%, which made every Spirit Sword after the fifth inflict close to fourteen hundred points of damage. By the time all twenty-four Spirit Swords had sliced the harpy executioner, Song Jian was able to see the elite BOSSs true form. By then, its leather armor was already torn to shreds, its body covered in sword marks, and its eyes wide open in death, as if refusing to close. In fact, by the time the twenty-first Spirit Sword had struck its body, it had already reaped the last of its Vitality Points. The damage from the subsequent swords was completely superfluous, but to Song Jian, it no longer mattered. This battle had once again made him realize the terrifying damage of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision. The harpy executioner was a level forty-five elite BOSS with over twelve thousand Vitality Points, but it was instantly killed by the full firepower of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision. This not only shocked Song Jian, but even Gulu the stone creature from afar seemed puzzled, and even glanced at its own hands as if wondering when its attacks had become so formidable! Besides dropping a quest item, the Guardian Feather, the harpy executioner also dropped a silver level forty accessory, Claw of the Harpy. Claw of the Harpy (Silver), accessory, item level 40, equipment effect: All attributes +5, attack speed increased by 10%, damage increased by 20%, exerts a deterrent effect on ordinary witch-winged harpies. As long as you do not initiate attacks, ordinary witch-winged harpies will avoid you when they see you! Item equipment requirement: Level 35; Can it be brought out of the game: No Song Jian examined the accessory and was interested in the boost to his attributes. As for the deterrent effect on ordinary witch-winged harpies, he felt it was somewhat superfluous; to him, those common witch-winged harpies were no threat. Unless he was attacked by more than ten harpies at once, he could annihilate them all in a short time. Nevertheless, the properties of this accessory were significantly better than the Ant Soul Orb, so Song Jian ultimately replaced the Ant Soul Orb with it, instantly enhancing his strength by a bit, with his damage increasing by at least forty points. Once Song Jians strength reached a certain level, it became very difficult to advance further. Sometimes, it would take months to replace a single piece of equipment because high-quality, high-level items were exceedingly rare to drop. In addition to the accessory and quest item, the harpy executioner also dropped some materials that Song Jian didnt even bother to look at before storing them all in his inventory, continuing his hunt for the next harpy executioner. ` Chapter 832 - Chapter 832: Chapter 833: Instant Kill_1 Chapter 832: Chapter 833: Instant Kill_1 Song Jians mastery of the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision became increasingly proficient. With Gulu the stone golems coordination, although he never again managed to summon twenty-four Spirit Swords at once, the number of Spirit Swords he summoned each time was always more than twelve. He took less than five minutes to annihilate the remaining five Harpy Slaughterers. Such efficiency was beyond Song Jians imagination before, and this step affirmed the correctness of his choice. After killing the six elite BOSSes, besides the first one dropping a silver-quality accessory, the other five BOSSes only dropped level 40 blue and green equipment, which Song Jian did not mind and simply collected. Entering the cave, a putrid smell hit him full in the face, and at the cave entrance, Song Jian even saw remnants of some creatures, a layer of white bones eerily scattered on the ground. First, Song Jian had Gulu the stone golem disguise himself as a pile of rocks, scattered outside the cave entrance, then he sneaked in by himself. Along the way, Song Jian carefully avoided the bones underfoot, fearing that any noise might alert the BOSS inside the cave. Knowing that the guards were level 45 elite BOSSes, Song Jian understood that the caves leader would be of an even higher level and quality. With no other monsters in the cave, Song Jian smoothly arrived at the depths, where, on a huge black rock, he found the invisible Harpy leader lying down, asleep. This Harpy leader, actually a named monster, Sels Bloodfeather, was a level 46 lord-class BOSS, with Vitality Points exceeding fifty thousand. Just as Song Jian was preparing to initiate the fight, he suddenly felt Gulu at the cave entrance transmit to him an image. It was a group of players, cautiously approaching the cave. Seeing the person leading them, Song Jians eyes narrowed, and a hint of anger appeared on his face. It was those people from the Pantheon again! Thinking this, Song Jian glanced at the distant BOSS and slowly retreated to a corner, where he used the necklace to enter a stealth state. The cave was dimly lit. Song Jian hid in the shadows, and even if someone from the other party constantly used skills to see through stealth, they would have a hard time detecting him in the shadows of the cave wall. Zeus, leading a group of people, slowly sneaked in. After just a couple of steps, the God of Thieves pulled Zeus aside with a grave expression and slowly shook his head. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0??. The group slowly retreated, and Zeus, puzzled, looked at the God of Thieves, wanting an explanation. The cave is just too quiet The God of Thieves shook his head and whispered, Either Song Jian has already killed the BOSS and left, or he hasnt entered this cave, or The God of Thieves scanned the surroundings and whispered, Or weve been discovered, and he is now in the cave, preparing to ambush us! Several members of the Pantheon were startled and quickly started looking around. The monsters at the entrance, they are all level 45 elite BOSSes, and there were six of them! a player whispered. How could his strength be so formidable, killing six level 45 elite BOSSes so quickly? How about we retreat? Since he has already detected us, theres no point in an ambush now! Yeah boss, I reckon a few of us are no match for him! Along the way, the sight of bodies strewn throughout the valley had terrified several people. To see such high-level monsters slain single-handedly by Song Jian, as effortlessly as if he were cutting vegetables, without sustaining any damage to himself, made them realize that attempting to ambush Song Jian was akin to seeking death; The expression on Zeuss face grew increasingly grim. He had noticed that since Song Jian became the city lord, his strength had soared at an astonishing rate. Zeus attributed all this progress to the City Lord seal, suspecting it to be the reason behind Song Jians rapid advancement; He is but one man, and we are six, Zeus said in a low voice. What do you think? Even without an ambush, can we not defeat one man with six against him? A few elite players from the Pantheon glanced at each other, seeing thick fear in each others eyes. To say nothing of six, even with sixty of them, they might not dare to make a move against Song Jian; Boss, maybe we should just let it go this time, a player said softly. Wait until we have gathered enough manpower and then settle the score with him, how about that? Zeus swept a glance at them and realized that these people had all lost their courage. Even the God of Thieves appeared emotionless; Zeus knew that when the City of Hope was successfully established, they had made no significant move, which had severely impacted his prestige. However, he had not expected this collective defiance of his decision this time; Maybe attempting to ambush Song Jian is indeed overestimating our own abilities? Zeus couldnt help but question himself internally; Song Jian had waited for quite a while and saw no one from the Pantheon approach. Finding it strange, Gulu, the stone creature, transmitted a series of images into his mind. It turned out that the group from the Pantheon had retreated to the cave entrance and begun discussing. It seemed the pressure he had exerted on them was too great, causing them not even to have the courage to come in and take a look; Song Jian sneered and took the initiative to walk towards the cave entrance. Since they wouldnt come in, he decided it was best to go out; Zeus let out a sigh, feeling disheartened. It seemed there was no point in staying in Doomsday City anymore; sooner or later, the entire city would fall to the City of Hope Alliance. Considering they hadnt yet made direct contact with the territory of the City of Hope Alliance, perhaps it was best to leave and seek development in another city; While Zeus hesitated, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look at the cave entrance, only to see more than a dozen gleaming Spirit Swords rushing towards them; Song Jian! Zeuss eyes seethed with rage. He had not expected that Song Jian would dare to launch an attack on them, six players, all by himself; Thirteen Spirit Swords locked onto a Mage player next to Zeus, and no matter how the Mage tried to dodge, the swords, as if they had eyes, traced arcs through the air, changing direction mid-flight and always zooming towards the Mage player; Boom, boom, boom~ After a series of roars and the dust settled, the body of the Mage lay on the ground; A look of horror appeared on everyones faces. Mages might have low Vitality Points, but they possess numerous defensive skills. To be killed in a single blow with such terrifying damage meant that if it happened to anyone else, even if it didnt result in instant death, they would assuredly be gravely wounded and lose the ability to fight; Instantly, two Thief players immediately used their stealth skills to enter a hidden state and fled swiftly into the forest of the valley, while the remaining two players also used their Acceleration Skills to run into the distance; Zeus snorted coldly, his cape billowing out behind him as he rose on a gust of air, his cape acting like the wings of a bird, carrying him into the sky; Chapter 833 - Chapter 833: Chapter 834 Battle_1 Chapter 833: Chapter 834 Battle_1 Song Jian took the initiative, instantly killing a member of the Pantheon, causing everyone else to fear him, none daring to approach and fight Song Jian, all of them using their own escape abilities to flee; Zeus was unwilling to give in, but he also knew that he was no match for Song Jian alone, so he immediately used the cloaks built-in ability Flying Cloak and flew into the air; Ever since he knew that Song Jian had the Steel Feather Wings ability, he had also been spending a lot of money to collect flying abilities, but after a long time of acquisition, he had not succeeded, so he had to settle for the next best thing and spent a lot of money on a cloak with flying capabilities; Seeing everyone else had already run away, Zeuss heart sank, and he gave Song Jian a look, preparing to fly away when suddenly he felt a pile of rocks next to the cave entrance start to crash and move. Immediately startled, Zeus forcefully stamped his feet, his figure shot into the air, the cloak behind him opened like wings, and he flew off like a giant bird. Having just left the ground by less than five meters, a millstone-sized rock smashed towards his back; Thump~ Zeus stumbled in midair, coughing out a mouthful of blood, and cast an intense look back at Song Jian before flying straight towards the valley; Song Jian stood at the entrance of the cave; it was clear to see that there seemed to be a layer of invisible transparent energy protecting the surface of Zeuss cloak, as the rock hit it, ripples like water waves appeared; At the same time, the word Immune appeared above Zeuss head; It seemed that the cloak, besides its ability to fly, also had the ability to immunize against dizziness and repel such adverse effects, otherwise, after taking a hit from the stone person Gulu, Zeus would not have been able to continue flying away; Song Jians Steel Feather Wings were still on cooldown. Watching Zeus fly farther and farther away, a coldness appeared on the corners of his mouth. The Pantheon didnt need his direct intervention to be dealt with. The next strategy of the City of Hope Alliance was to break down the domains of some other alliances around them, completely incorporating the entire Doomsday City into the territory of the City of Hope, with the Pantheon Alliance as the next target. Song Jian hesitated for a moment but decided not to continue the pursuit; otherwise, with Zeuss flying speed, he would soon be caught up by the Black Dragon, and midair, Song Jians Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision would leave Zeus no escape. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???. Ill spare your life today. If you know whats best for you, leave Doomsday City as soon as possible; otherwise, the next time we meet will be your end! Song Jian said coldly; In the game, killing someone is no different from killing in the real world. Song Jian glanced at the body of the Mage player at his feet, picked up a pair of Mage gauntlets that had dropped, and turned to walk deeper into the cave; When Song Jian returned to the depths of the cave, the Witch-winged Harpy leader had already woken up. Seeing Song Jian, it let out a shrill scream and pounced at Song Jian; Is the alarm range this large? Song Jian was shocked. You see, he was now more than ten meters away from the Witch-winged Harpy leader, the cave was dim, and even standing in the Harpy leaders place looking towards Song Jian, one could only see a blurry figure, unable to make out Song Jians appearance clearly; Damn humans, this is not a place you should step into! the Harpy leader Blood Feathers voice was sharp, as if speaking with a throttled neck, akin to the scratching of sharp claws on glass, causing an annoying feeling when heard; Song Jian snorted coldly and swung his Sky-breaking Sword forward, immediately manifesting eighteen Spirit Swords in front of him; Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~ The sharp sound of slicing through the air rose as the eighteen Spirit Swords flew towards the Harpy leader; Blood Feathers wings flickered slightly, and streaks of lightning-charged electricity suddenly emerged; Crackle~ Streaks of lightning traced distorted arcs through the air, flying toward Song Jian and instantly enveloping the small area around him; Boom boom boom~ The Spirit Sword hacked at Blood Feathers body, releasing a series of intense explosion noises, accompanied by painful screeches as damage numbers of seven to eight hundred points floated up above Blood Feathers head; This strike had cost Blood Feather nearly a fifth of its Vitality Points, and in its gaze towards Song Jian, a hint of frightened expression appeared. Song Jians figure rapidly retreated, and where he had previously stood was immediately pockmarked by lightning strikes, stones splintered, and the atmosphere grew terrifyingly tense. Song Jian was also hit by two bolts of lightning, with damage numbers over five hundred points floating above his head, while his body shook as if electrocuted; However, soon his innate skill Thick-skinned took effect, and what should have been a 6-second-long Trembling effect disappeared in just over a second. The Trembling effect prevented Song Jian from moving or attacking, and if it lasted six seconds, hed be forced to endure more of Blood Feathers assaults. If the Trembling effect recurred, Song Jian might even be worn down alive by this Lord-level BOSS. With this in mind, Song Jian willed it, and an exact duplicate of himself appeared and began to unleash the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision on Blood Feather from the side; The Sword Shadow Clone had only 30% of Song Jians main body attributes, and even while executing the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, it could only inflict 30% of Song Jians damage on Blood Feather, but Song Jians use of the clone wasnt for its attack power, it was to divert the BOSSs attention; Seeing the Sword Shadow Clone deploy the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the BOSSs attention was instantly drawn to it, while the cooldown-bound Song Jian, rushing towards it, went ignored; Lord-level BOSSes were much more intelligent than regular monsters, capable of autonomously deciding which enemy posed a greater threat during combat, and not simply following the principle that the highest damage generates the most aggro; Having suffered once from the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, Blood Feather had developed a strong fear and dread of the skill, and seeing the Sword Shadow Clone deploy it again, all of its attention was instantly captured; With a piercing screech, Blood Feather turned and pulled a human-sized Magic Staff from behind a dark rock. The staff looked incredibly ornate with a gem the size of a fist embedded at its top; Wielding the Magic Staff, a multitude of electric currents started to converge in front of Blood Feather. This culminated in the creation of a huge lightning orb, over half a meter in diameter, which flew toward the Sword Shadow Clone; After releasing the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the Sword Shadow Clone, under Song Jians control, didnt continue the fight and instead turned to run toward the caves exit; Unexpectedly, the massive lightning orb, although not quick to pursue, seemed to have locked onto the Sword Shadow Clone and followed it towards the exit; Meanwhile, Song Jians main body had already executed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, a shadow swept by, and the Sky-breaking Sword had fiercely pierced into the body of the Harpy leader, Blood Feather; Chapter 834 - Chapter 834: Chapter 835 Picking Up a Bargain_1 Chapter 834: Chapter 835 Picking Up a Bargain_1 The floating state of the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was significantly more powerful than the Broken Wing Dance sword technique; if the first strike wasnt blocked, then the following eight strikes would continue to benefit from the utterly defenseless floating state, rendering even the highest defenses effectively useless; The effects of the Moonlight Sword also appeared particularly shocking; Blood Feather, in a floating state, seemed like a sieve, spurting several streams of blood arrows, letting out a series of piercing, agonizing screams, while its body started to convulse slightly; At this moment, Song Jian also realized that his Sword Shadow Clone had lost connection with him; the Harpy leader Blood Feathers lightning ball had instantly wiped out the Sword Shadow Clone, sinking Song Jians heart, it seemed that this BOSSs ranged damage was much more formidable than he had anticipated, and he would need to engage in close-quarters combat to restrain it; You should know, the greater the power of the ranged damage, the longer the casting time, and only in close combat could Song Jian interrupt its skill casting; Once the Mysterious Moonlight Sword skill had been released, Blood Feather crashed heavily to the ground. With a pained roar, Blood Feather flipped over to stand up and lunged at Song Jian, only to suddenly see more than a dozen long swords with radiant energy shadows materialize in front of Song Jian; Blood Feathers eyes showed a glimpse of fear as it hastily retreated; Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ The Thousand Swords Art was executed again, with more than a dozen Spirit Swords bombarding Blood Feather into a forced retreat; The cooldown for the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was five seconds, while the cooldown for Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was ten seconds; interweaving a couple of normal slashes in between nicely linked these two skills together. However, the Mysterious Moonlight Sword needed to be initiated from three meters away; every time it needed to be cast, Song Jian had to actively widen the distance, which was a slight flaw; After releasing the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian leaped forward, swinging his long sword viciously at Blood Feather. His damage-dealing abilities were still too few at the moment, with both skills in cooldown, he could only continue attacking with normal slashes; However, Song Jians weapon, the Sky-breaking Sword, was inherently high in damage. Coupled with the talent skill Holy Sword, which progressively increased damage dealt to the target over time and could also shorten the cooldown of skills, the most important aspect was the chance to trigger the Indestructible effect; During regular use, Song Jian found that it took at least ten minutes for the Holy Sword to maximize its damage enhancement and cooldown reduction effects; But with Song Jians current strength, ten minutes was more than enough to deal with the Lord-level BOSS before him, resulting in the Holy Sword effect not being fully utilized due to his high damage output. It seemed that only by hunting more formidable BOSSes could he fully leverage the Holy Sword effect; Yet stronger BOSSes often had the power to instantly kill Song Jian, and it wasnt just a matter of ten minutesto last even one minute would be a challenge for Song Jian; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???.? Seeing Song Jian rushing toward it, Blood Feather swung its Magic Staff as if it were a warrior, engaging Song Jian in a fierce combat. A set of cape staff techniques was executed, and in a short while, it had managed to suppress Song Jian, which took him by surprise; the Harpy leader, supposedly a ranged magic attacker, was also adept at close combat techniques, and seemed even more skilled than him; Although many of Song Jians sword skills had been devoured and vanished, he clearly remembered how to perform them, having used them hundreds, if not thousands of times before. These skills were deeply etched into Song Jians memory. Its just that his current applications lacked the power of those sword techniques and caused only regular attack damage; Even without the enhancement of skills, Song Jians sword techniques were no weaker than a Swordman who had practiced for over a decade; yet, unexpectedly, in front of the Harpy chief Blood Feather, he felt completely suppressed. It seemed that the Harpy chief had devoted a long time to mastering various close combat techniques; Seeing Song Jian being suppressed, a glint of joy flashed across Blood Feathers face, but no sooner had that joy appeared than it witnessed Song Jian once again swing his longsword, slashing through empty space towards it, and more than ten glowing sword phantoms appeared in midair once more; With a shriek, a shocked and furious expression spread across Blood Feathers face. The Magic Staff that was smashing towards Song Jian was immediately withdrawn as it retreated in succession while simultaneously casting a defensive skill. With a wave of its Magic Staff, its body was enveloped in a layer of defense covered in crackling electric light; Crack, crack, crack~ This layer of electric defense only managed to withstand three Spirit Swords before being shattered, and the following Spirit Swords showed no mercy as they slashed fiercely at its body. Blood Feathers electric defense wasnt just for protection; it also had the ability to counterattack. This was especially restrictive against melee professions, as attacking the shield could trigger electric damage, resulting in paralysis and trembling. However, the counterattack capabilities of this layer were completely wasted against long-range damage; As Song Jian saw the layer of electric defense covering its body, his eyes narrowed. The electric arcs on the shield flared wildly, lashing out like whips whenever struck by the Spirit Swords, and he understood that the threat of this shield, in close combat, was likely greater than the attacks of the Harpy chief; Fortunately, the Harpy chief only resorted to this defensive skill when under severe threat; otherwise, if it had released this skill during their close combat earlier, Song Jian might have been caught off guard and suffered a loss; After reaping nearly ten thousand Vitality Points, Song Jian leapt into the air, his figure flashing like lightning, as his longsword thrust towards the Harpy chiefs throat; A critical hit damage of nearly two thousand points floated up from the Harpy chiefs head, and its body involuntarily floated upwards; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ A flash of sword light dazzled as the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was executed once again. If the previous electric shield hadnt disappeared, the first strike of this move might have been blocked, which would have prevented the floating state and subsequent damage wouldnt have been so severe. But once the boss failed to block the first hit, the following sword techniques became unstoppable; As the BOSS fell to the ground and Song Jian prepared to leap forward and continue the attack, from the doorway, the stone figure Gulu suddenly transmitted another image. Two Thief class players had sneaked back again, seemingly hoping to take advantage of the situation; Song Jian snorted coldly, pausing momentarily, but then thrust his longsword at the Harpy chief once more. With a scream, the Harpy chief abandoned its defense and took the sword with its chest, but its Magic Staff swung down howling toward Song Jians head; Chapter 835 - Chapter 835: Chapter 836 Seeking Wealth and Danger_1 Chapter 835: Chapter 836 Seeking Wealth and Danger_1 The Harpy leader Blood Feather had Vitality Points that were several times that of Song Jian, and even after losing nearly thirty thousand points of Vitality, the remaining points were still enough to allow it to fight with a strategy of trading injury for injury, life for life; Seeing the Harpy leader swinging the Magic Staff toward him, Song Jian immediately released his longsword and retreated. The Magic Staff struck hard where Song Jian had been standing, instantly creating a large crater with debris flying everywhere; Seeing Song Jian abandon his longsword, a savage smile appeared on the Harpy leaders face. Without his weapon, Song Jians threat to it immediately dropped by several times; Before the smile on the Harpy leaders face faded, Song Jian reached out his hand, and the longsword, stuck in the BOSSs chest, seemed to be pulled by a mysterious force, struggling to fly toward Song Jians hand; No! The face of the Harpy leader showed a look of terror, waving the Magic Staff and fiercely striking the ground. Suddenly, lightning spread wantonly, from the point where the staff touched the ground, shooting out countless bolts of lightning, turning the surroundings into a field of thunder and electricity, with myriad bolts lashing out like whips; Under the control of the Harpy leader, several bolts of lightning struck toward the Sky-breaking Sword. A series of muffled sounds exploded and the Sky-breaking Sword in mid-air wobbled a few times, but still firmly flew toward Song Jian; Song Jians face turned pale. His Sky-breaking Sword was connected to his mind. The Harpy leaders electric field was extremely powerful, and the attacks on the Sky-breaking Sword also caused Song Jians mind to be injured, as if a large hammer kept hammering at his sea of consciousness; By the time the Sky-breaking Sword returned to Song Jians hand, his body weakened, and he fell to one knee on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood; The Harpy leader let out an arrogant cry and continued to pounce toward Song Jian, swinging the Magic Staff with a sharp whistling sound through the air and smashed fiercely toward Song Jian, who was kneeling on one knee; Grinding his teeth, Song Jian swung his sword in an attempt to block. With a clang, sparks flew as the Magic Staff was deflected. The Harpy leader shrieked and continued to strike down with the staff, lightning surging over its surface. This time, the Harpy leader used all its strength; Song Jian took a deep breath. He couldnt block this strike and had to roll backward to dodge the attack; Boom! The entire cave shook slightly. The strike was like an explosion of dynamite, with lightning flashing. Song Jian had not yet stood up when he saw that the cooldown for Thousand Swords Art was over. He swung at the empty space in the direction of the Harpy leader; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0. This time, only three Spirit Swords were summoned, flying toward the Harpy leader; Song Jian was stunned. This was one more than the minimum number of Spirit Swords he expected to summon. He thought he had mastered the Thousand Swords Art, but to his surprise, such an anomaly occurred; The three Spirit Swords struck the Harpy leader, forcing the BOSS to step back. Song Jian took the opportunity to pull out a healing potion and gulped it down; Through the images transmitted by the stone creature Gulu, he had already seen two thieves entering stealth and approaching inside the cave; Song Jian snorted, and the Vertical Eye at his brow opened, shooting a silver column of light toward the Harpy leader; Boom, boom, boom~ The power of the Eye Kill had also received a significant boost with the rise of Song Jians strength. After 5 seconds, five damage numbers of over a thousand points each floated above the BOSSs head; The cooldown time for the Mysterious Moonlight Sword had expired, and Song Jian leapt forward again, deploying the Liu Guangjian as he rushed toward the BOSS. Two thieves slowly stealthed their way into the cave, unaware that behind them, a pile of scattered stones was quietly observing their every move. Even at max level, a thiefs stealth ability still reduces their movement speed by 20%, which is why both thieves had only entered stealth mode when they neared the cave. What they didnt realize was that the stone pile at the entrance of the cave, which looked just like a bunch of rubble, was actually Song Jians battle pet, closely monitoring everything happening nearby. God of Thieves, with the boss running off and just the two of us left, can we really take him down? asked the somewhat gaunt thief next to the God of Thieves with a touch of concern. Havent you heard the sounds of fighting coming from inside? Humph, thats a level 46 lord-level BOSS. No matter how strong Song Jian is or how confident he is, its not possible for him to kill a lord-level BOSS without getting injured, right? The God of Thieves glanced at his companion. If he hadnt thought about using him as cannon fodder in case of danger, the God of Thieves wouldnt have brought him along for the ambush on Song Jian. Fortune favors the bold. Hes already fighting the BOSS. I dont believe he can kill a level 46 lord-level BOSS as easily as before! A sharp look flashed in the God of Thieves eyes as he heard the sounds of battle from the cave, and a confident expression appeared on his face. Song Jians equipment made the God of Thieves drool with envy. Just one item looted from Song Jians corpse would make him rich, let alone the possibility of reaping the spoils of a level 46 lord-level BOSS. Thinking of this, the God of Thievess heart ignited with fervor. What he didnt know was that the pile of rocks behind him had been staring at them the entire time and only started trembling and slowly reassembling into a nearly two-meter-tall stone golem after they both entered stealth mode. Meanwhile, Song Jian also began to slow down the rhythm of the fight with the BOSS. The lower the BOSSs Vitality Points got, the greater the power of its abilities, and a sudden outburst could instantly inflict grievous wounds on Song Jian, at which point it would be easy for the two thieves to finish him off. His vertical eye opened, piercing the dim cave with its clarity, and soon, Song Jian saw two blurred figures stealthily approaching deeper into the cave. While fighting Blood Feather, Song Jian slowly pulled the BOSS further back. Seeing Song Jian actually fighting a level 46 lord-level BOSS all by himself, the two thieves hearts were still filled with shock. They had only speculated that Song Jian had the strength to solo a level 46 lord-level BOSS, but speculation was all it had been. Now, seeing it with their own eyes, they were still profoundly shaken. Damn, look at his equipment, a full set of golden-quality gear! Ive never even heard of anyone owning a full set of gold gear, let alone seen it! The God of Thieves companions eyes lit up, a golden cross star emerging from his pupils, indicating that he possessed the ability to see the attributes of the opponents equipment. My god, an epic necklace! His necklace is epic! How is this possible; can you actually get epic necklaces now? The God of Thieves was startled and looked at the necklace around Song Jians neck. Since he had turned off his quality glow, the God of Thieves couldnt see anything, but he trusted his companions words a lot. Bringing him along was not only because he thought of using him as cannon fodder but also because of his ability to discern the details of Song Jians equipment, which was one of the main reasons he chose him. It looks like the most valuable piece of equipment on him is that necklace, muttered the God of Thieves, holding a small token in his hand with a hint of glee at the corner of his mouth. Chapter 836 - Chapter 836: Chapter 837 Designated Drop Token_1 Chapter 836: Chapter 837 Designated Drop Token_1 Specified Drop Token! This was a task reward that God of Thieves obtained from a mission, allowing one to specify a drop from a slain targetproviding that the target indeed possessed the item in question; Take a necklace, for example, if the designated target did not have a necklace, then even after utilizing the drop token on them, a necklace would not drop, unless the target was indeed wearing one; However, such specification could be perilous, as the quality of the specified item may not be as high as one imagined! For instance, when God of Thieves hunted a BOSS and noticed that its weapon was quite impressive but didnt know the exact quality, once he specified the weapon, the item that dropped could likely be of white or green quality, valued far less than the specified drop token itself; Therefore, to maximize the effect of the token, one would need a skill like the one currently at his disposal, able to see the attributes of the targets items, then combined with the token, one could reap the utmost benefits; Thinking this, God of Thieves was about to use the token to specify the necklace on Song Jian as the drop, but just as he was about to apply it, he heard an exclamation from the person beside him, The weapon, the weapon is also of epic quality, with such strong attributeshow can there be a one-handed sword with such high damage? Its absolutely top-notch! A tremor went through God of Thieves heart; while most solo players would boast about having a silver-quality item, Song Jian actually had two pieces of epic quality equipment! Even Zeus at most only carries three pieces of gold-quality equipment God of Thieves thought, He truly is worthy of being the leader of the number one battle guild in Doomsday City, rich and imposing. But now, should I aim for his equipment? After hesitating for a moment, God of Thieves eventually decided to go for Song Jians weapon because, after all, a one-handed sword of the same quality was much more valuable than a necklace; Just as God of Thieves was stealthily using the token to make Song Jian drop his one-handed sword, he received a Cannot specify prompt from the system; System: The targets weapon is a bound exclusive weapon and cannot be dropped! Bound exclusive weapon? What is that? God of Thieves was startled, but quickly, he tried specifying Song Jians necklace, and this time he received a Specified successfully prompt from the system; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0. Suddenly, an image of a necklace appeared on the surface of the token in his hand, identical to the one Song Jian wore around his neck. God of Thieves subtle actions went unnoticed by his companion, who whispered as he stared intently at Song Jian, Shall we make our move now? Wait a bit longer, his vitality points are still over two thousand. Even if we ambush him now, we wouldnt be able to kill him, and he might even turn the tables on us, God of Thieves shook his head and said; At this moment, Song Jian had already spotted the two thieves some fifteen meters behind him. Engaged in battle with the BOSS, he had been relying on basic attacks; Blood Feathers magic staff technique was at a high level, so even with Song Jians utmost effort to defend, he was somewhat struggling to fend it off; As he fought and slowly retreated, Song Jian appeared to be completely suppressed by the BOSS, exciting the two thieves immediately; Almost there, hes about done for. Hes retreating in our direction. Once he gets close, well join forces and take him down in a second, God of Thieves whispered; What a pity, the BOSS still has half its vitality points left. With our strength, we probably wont be able to take down this level 46 lord-grade BOSS, his companion said with some regret; One must know that BOSSes above level 40 have a certain chance of dropping gold-quality equipment, and he was unaware that God of Thieves had used the specified drop token, so even if they killed Song Jian, it was uncertain if any equipment would drop; Dont be greedy, any piece of equipment that bursts from him will make us rich! The God of Thieves glanced at his companion, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth; Both of them watched as Song Jian slowly backed away, and when he was about five or six meters from them, they already had their weapons firmly in hand, staring intently at Song Jian, with cold sweat beginning to break out on the God of Thieves forehead; Get ready! The God of Thieves whispered; Just then, Song Jian, who had been tangled in battle with the BOSS, suddenly turned his head to look in their direction, a cold smile emerging on his lips; Seeing the bizarre vertical eye on Song Jians forehead, the God of Thieves felt the hairs on his body stand up one by one; No good, he can see through stealth mode! The God of Thieves screamed, immediately turning and running towards the exit of the cave; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jian locked onto the God of Thieves and, like a bolt of lightning, chased after him. The God of Thieves feet emitted a white light as he canceled stealth mode and activated his Acceleration Skill, sprinting outward; The thiefs Acceleration Skill could increase movement speed by 40% for 7 seconds, making it extremely practical for both chasing and escaping; But before Song Jians Mysterious Moonlight Sword, the God of Thieves speed was simply not enough. He hadnt taken two steps before he felt a pain in his back and immediately lost control of his body; Pupu pu~ Countless swords glimmered. The God of Thieves body, like a funnel, had several jets of blood spurting out. Nearly two thousand Vitality Points were instantly obliterated by Song Jian; How, how is this possible All strength left the God of Thieves, and an incredulous expression emerged on his face as he died. He couldnt believe that Song Jian, who was only five levels higher than him, could instantly kill him like this; After killing the God of Thieves, a small token fell from his bodyexactly the Designated Drop Token the God of Thieves had planned to use on Song Jian; If the designated target isnt killed and the user of the token is counter-killed, the token is guaranteed to drop and also resets to an unused state; Song Jian didnt even glance at the token, turned, and swung his sword in the direction of the other thief. More than ten Spirit Swords appeared and, like shooting stars, flew towards the man; Seeing the traces left by the Spirit Swords in the air, even Blood Feather, which was rushing towards Song Jian, paused for a moment. The effect of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision left a deep impression, instilling deep fear; No, dont, mercy, spare me The thief, his face full of terror, actually turned and ran towards the BOSS Blood Feather, deeming Song Jian seemingly more terrifying than this Lord-level BOSS! A malicious smile suddenly appeared on Blood Feathers face as it swung the Magic Staff towards the player, instantly unleashing a lightning bolt as thick as a finger from the staff, striking the player; The damage from the lightning bolt wasnt high, causing only over two hundred points of damage, but it triggered a paralysis effect that left the player completely rigid, unable to move, forced to watch helplessly as more than ten Spirit Swords cleaved into him; Chapter 837 - Chapter 837: Chapter 838 Self-Destruction_1 Chapter 837: Chapter 838 Self-Destruction_1 ` Humans, only capable of slaughtering one another, filthy creatures Seeing Song Jian unhesitatingly killing the two thieves, Blood Feathers face revealed a look of pleasure and let out a shrill cry; Song Jian, with an expressionless face, swung his sword and charged towards Blood Feather. Behind him, the stone creature Gulu had already entered, its hand forming a millstone-sized rock that was hurled at Blood Feather; The stone creature Gulu was Song Jians backup plan, originally intended to deal with the two thieves. However, to his surprise, the thieves panicked upon realizing he had seen through their stealth, wanting nothing but to flee, only to be quickly dispatched by Song Jians swift moves; Blood Feather, eyeing the whistling rock approaching mid-air, snorted coldly. With a flick of the magic staff in hand, a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm burst forth, striking the rock and instantly blasting it to pieces; Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian lunged forward, fiercely striking twice. At that moment, the cooldown for Sword Shadow Clone ended. With a thought, an identical replica of Song Jian appeared, and he immediately executed Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, attacking the BOSS; The Sword Shadow Clones attributes were only 30% of Song Jians own, and its skills were at level one, making the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision it cast only a third as powerful as Song Jians own. However, it still managed to inflict at least two to three thousand damage on the BOSS each time; Song Jian controlled the Sword Shadow Clone to keep a distance from Blood Feather, much like a long-range Mage, continuously using Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision to attack. Meanwhile, he himself was entangled in close combat with the BOSS, as Gulu the stone creature kept forming rocks and throwing them at the BOSS. For a time, BOSS Blood Feather was beset by attacks from three directions, unable to cope with all at once, causing its Vitality Points to steadily decrease; It was only because the cave was too narrow to summon a Black Dragon; otherwise, Blood Feather would have stood even less of a chance against Song Jian; Song Jians Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision could deal nearly ten thousand damage to the BOSS in a single hit, and before long, the BOSSs Vitality Points had dropped to less than a tenth of its total; Only then did Song Jian suddenly remember the specified drop order token he had gotten from the two thieves. After checking its properties, he directly used it on the BOSS to specify the drop of the weapon in its hands; Song Jian noticed that most of Blood Feathers lightning attacks were released from the magic staff, instantaneously, while the other Witch-winged Harpies generated lightning with the movement of their wings. Song Jian guessed that Blood Feathers staff must inherently possess lightning properties, and in the game, a weapon with innate skills meant that it was not low in quality and very valuable. Song Jian didnt have the skill to detect attributes, so he had to rely on his own judgment to use the token; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.? After using the specified drop token, an image of a magic staff crackling with lightning surfaced on the face of the token; Humans, harpies will never submit! Blood Feather growled through clenched teeth; I dont need your submission, I just want your life! said Song Jian, sweeping his long sword, and eighteen Spirit Swords appeared, bombarding Blood Feather; Boom, boom, boom~ The Spirit Swords hit Blood Feather, resulting in a series of explosions, but strangely, although this should have depleted Blood Feathers final Vitality Points, there were no numbers indicating damage above its head; Invincible? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, a cold smile forming on the corners of his mouth. Skills like invincibility usually lasted for a very short time. You might survive this time, but what about after ten seconds? Death is inevitable, so why not make it simple and let me Song Jians muttering stopped abruptly, his eyes fixed on Blood Feather, widening in disbelief, he couldnt help but swear, Fuck! ` With a thought, Song Jians figure instantly turned transparent and he turned to flee toward the outside of the cave; At this moment, Blood Feathers body had swelled in size, with blood vessels bulging out prominently and muscles filled with explosive power, a faint red glow surrounded his body, appearing like a light screen; It was this light screen that had blocked the damage from Thousand Swords Art before and even absorbed some of its power. Now, Blood Feather looked like he was about to self-destruct; Song Jian had just turned and fled for less than a second when a deep boom came from behind him, the whole cave shaking violently, as the Sword Shadow Clone lost contact with Song Jian immediately; A wave of air mixed with a strong scent of blood surged forth from behind. At this moment, Song Jian was still in the invincible state of Soul Wander and couldnt actually feel the power of the explosive blast wave; By the time Song Jians invincibility ended, the explosion had gradually subsided, and the blast wave had cracked open the rock walls of the entire cave, creating crevices the width of fingers that spread throughout the caves walls, with small pebbles continuously falling from above; Damn it, this cave is about to collapse! Song Jian cursed under his breath, and quickly turned and ran deeper into the cave. The mission was not to kill Blood Feather, but to get the crown that Blood Feather dropped. Also, the goods that the goblin merchant had were inside the cave. If the cave collapsed, Song Jian was not willing to dig out the cave again by hand; At this point, the little Gulu, a stone creature, had been blasted to pieces, with large chunks of stone slowly gathering from all around, reassembling into a humanoid form; Seeing Song Jian rushing back, the stone creature Gulu let out a sound of grievance: Gulu, gulu gulu~ The stone creature Gulu could reassemble itself no matter how many times it was blasted, as long as its core wasnt destroyed. However, each reassembly required some energy to be consumed; Song Jian had no time to console it. With a raise of his hand, he summoned it into the Pet Space, and dashed toward a magic staff on the ground flashing with lightning; By now, Blood Feathers corpse was nowhere to be found in one piece, but there were still many pieces of loot scattered around the staff. Song Jian hurriedly gathered all the loot, which included the mission item needed by the goblin merchant, the Harpy leaders crown; After that, Song Jian began searching in the depths of the cave for the goblin merchants goods, soon finding several large crates in a corner deep in the cave. As Song Jian placed his hand on these large crates, a progress bar appeared in front of him. He could already hear the sound of rocks cracking close by, and as he watched the slow-moving action bar, Song Jian became anxious; But there was no other way; this was how the game was set up. Whether it was opening crates or picking up mission items, it all required time; I hope this damned rocky cave can be a little tougher, at least sturdy enough to hold out until I complete the mission! Song Jian thought with worry. Soon, the progress bar completed, and the several large crates in front of him slowly disappeared. Song Jian immediately dashed out of the cave. Just as he rushed out, a thunderous rumble came from behind, and the entire cave collapsed; Chapter 838 - Chapter 838: Chapter 839 Harvest_1 Chapter 838: Chapter 839 Harvest_1 Looking back at the collapsed cave behind him, Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. Although his physical strength meant he wouldnt die even if buried, digging his way out wouldnt be an easy feat. Even using Soul Wander to pass through the thick layers of rock would take too much time, and if he dared to attempt it, the most likely outcome would be getting stuck and dying in the rocks; Opening his inventory, Song Jian looked at an item slot showing Gold Seals Goods, a quest item that Song Jian couldnt open and could only return to Gold Seal. This was a task completed at the risk of my life; a mere reward like this isnt enough. I must ask for a higher price! Song Jian thought to himself; From previous tasks, Song Jian had found that even with a set reward, he could still ask for more upon completion, as long as the request was within reason; This task was much more dangerous than the last, with Blood Feather being a Lord-level BOSS and those six slaughters also Elite-level BOSSes, which significantly increased the difficulty of the mission. Aside from the quest item, the inventory also contained three items dropped by Blood Feather, one of which was the staff in its hand, called the Thunderbolt Staff. It was a level forty Dark Gold Quality weapon. Dark Gold Quality is the cream of the crop among gold-quality gear, which comes in pale gold, shiny gold, and dark gold. Dark Gold equipment actually has the potential to be promoted to Epic level, but such an upgrade is incredibly difficult, much like nurturing a Sword Spirit, as it requires the destruction of several, or even dozens of, weapons of the same quality as a price; The attributes boosted by the Thunderbolt Staff were formidable, with no waste stats for a remote magic class profession, and it even came with three skills: Wrath of the Thunder God, Electric Light Barrier, and Instant. Wrath of the Thunder God unleashed a massive thunder orb with tracking ability and powerful force, no less potent than a rocket launcher. Most importantly, this skill didnt require any consumption, and its cooldown was short, only three minutes, meaning every three minutes, a strike as powerful as a single soldiers rocket could be releasedjust the thought was terrifying; The Electric Light Barrier was the same protective Light Shield with electricity retaliation that Blood Feather had cast. Similar to a Mages Frost Shield, not only could it block attacks but it would also cause melee attackers to suffer electric shocks, resulting in paralysis and trembling; As for the Instant skill, it was a teleportation-like ability, allowing users to instantly move tens of meters away. However, for some reason, this skill was greyed out and couldnt be used. When Song Jians eyes fell on this skill, he received a system prompt; System: Your profession does not match the weapons requirements, you cannot obtain the related quest! It looks like I need to complete a quest to activate this skill! Song Jian thought to himself. This staff was better than he expected. If the third skill Instant could also be activated, Song Jian even felt it could rival an Epic level Magic Staff in value. Such a weapon naturally couldnt be sold. It would be better to give it to Wang Qi and award it to the player who contributed most to the guild; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.? Song Jian obtained the staff by using a designated loot token, which broke immediately after acquiring the staff, serving as a one-time-use item. Once successfully used, it could no longer be utilized. Apart from the staff, Blood Feather also dropped a Battle Pet Egg and a feather emanating silver light; The Battle Pet Egg goes without saying C it could hatch into a Witch-winged Harpy. These flying battle pets were worth much more than regular pets, and if well raised, they could even enable their owners to fly for short periods, making it half a flying mount; As for the feather, it was an item similar to a token, akin to the black badge Song Jian previously received that allowed him to partake in a unique job assessment; Using this feather, one could enter a hidden dungeon called Harpys Nest. Its a level forty, grade five dungeon that would be a death sentence for less than ten elite players above level forty to enter; however, if one could successfully conquer it, the rewards would be substantially greater than those of a normal level forty dungeon; Maybe I dont need Hawk eggs to form a flying cavalry brigade! Song Jian toyed with the silver-glowing feather, thinking to himself; If he could put together a team entirely comprised of Witch-winged Harpies, its power would likely not be far off from a team with flying mounts. Whether it could be achieved depended on how Wang Qi utilized this hidden dungeon pass; After sorting himself out a bit, Song Jian headed towards the Goblin merchant. There was still a task reward waiting for him there; Upon seeing Song Jian return unharmed, the Goblin merchant Gold Seal narrowed his eyes, his expression morphing from surprise to sheer joy; Gold Seal stepped out from the shadows of the rocks eagerly, arms wide open, running towards Song Jian as if welcoming a hero; Haha, great favored one of the gods, I knew you could do it. Have you brought back poor old Gold Seals goods? Gold Seal asked joyfully. Of course! Song Jian said with a slight smile, taking out six Guardian Feathers and a small crimson crown from his inventory and laying them before Gold Seal; Seeing the six Guardian Feathers and the crown of the Harpy leader, a look of relief spread across Gold Seals face. He continued to look at Song Jian with hopeful eyes. Before we finalize the task completion, shouldnt we talk about the task details first? Song Jian said with a hint of malice, fixing his gaze on Gold Seal. You only mentioned that the Harpy leader was a BOSS, but you didnt say that the six Harpy slayers were also BOSSes. Do you know, your omission nearly got me killed there! Gold Seal was momentarily taken aback, puzzled, I didnt say? I thought I did. Arent you forgetting that before we Before he could finish, Song Jian let out a cold snort and snatched back the six Guardian Feathers and the Harpy leaders crown, turning to leave; Wait, wait, I remember now, I did forget to tell you, alright, Ill increase the task reward by 20%, thats the best concession I can make. Is that acceptable? Gold Seal hurriedly said. Song Jian smiled faintly, took out all the items again, and handed them to Gold Seal, who handed over six Hawk eggs to Song Jian with a pained expression; Chapter 839 - Chapter 839: Chapter 840 Pond_1 Chapter 839: Chapter 840 Pond_1 The quest reward this time was five Hawk mount eggs, and with a 20% increase in rewards, that was essentially an extra Hawk egg given out. You should know, these are flying mounts, and their price is now over three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, with them being perpetually in short supply. Plus, the reason Song Jian entered here was precisely for these flying mounts; Do you have any more? Ill pay for them! Song Jian stared at the Goblin merchant Jin Yins cargo box and asked; Its very expensive. These are flying mounts. If it werent for this batch of goods, I would never have offered them as quest rewards, said the Goblin merchant, his face pained. Dont worry, market price. You wont be at a loss! Song Jian reassured him. At this moment, the Goblin merchant was quietly placing six Guardian Feathers and a crimson Harpy leaders crown into the cargo box when a sudden insight struck Song Jians mind. I originally thought these quest items were merely hunting proofs, but it seems their value far exceeds my imagination! Song Jian thought to himself. Being able to offer up five, no, six Hawk flying mount eggs as a reward, apart from being able to retrieve the goods, likely meant the value of these quest items was not much less than the Hawk eggs themselves; Upon this realization, Song Jians expression turned grim; Seeing Song Jians gaze fixed on those quest items, Goblin merchant Jin Yins complexion also changed, and with a sigh, he said, Alright, alright, since youve helped me out this much, Ive got another five Hawk eggs here. Ill sell them all to you. As he spoke, Jin Yin pulled another five Hawk eggs from the cargo box and placed them in front of Song Jian; Having spent over a million Doomsday Coins on these five Hawk eggs, Song Jians expression visibly softened after completing the transaction, which inwardly relieved Jin Yin. By the way, is there any other secret place in this valley besides the Harpies nests? Song Jian asked as he put the Hawk eggs into his inventory and stood up, looking around. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0??. This isnt the Harpies nest but merely a simple place. Besides, the Harpies that occupy this area are just traitors who have escaped from the actual Harpy nests. They are now no more than a band of bandits and have nothing to do with true Harpies, said Jin Yin, shaking his head. The real Harpy nests are hidden within a Spatial Rift. Without a key, its impossible to find the place. Its said to be a paradise for Harpies, with ten great mountains as their dwelling! Ten great mountains? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, thinking of the silver feather in his inventory slot, the token that could open the Harpy nests, likely the key Jin Yin mentioned that could enter the Harpy nests; Yes, ten great mountains! Jin Yin nodded, his face showing a longing as he said, It is said that within these mountains lie the true treasures of the Harpies, valuables collected by them over hundreds of years, priceless indeed. Unfortunately, its the real home of the Harpies, and without being one of them, its simply impossible to enter! Song Jian smiled faintly, now that his mission was accomplished, he no longer needed to stay in this valley. Just as he was about to bid farewell to the Goblin merchant, a sharp hawks cry suddenly echoed from the distant valley, instantly changing his expression. Are there Hawks in this valley too? Song Jian was taken aback and couldnt help asking. I dont know, I just followed these harpies here and didnt know there was anything in this valley, the goblin merchant shook his head and said. Song Jian nodded without saying anything and turned towards the direction where he had just heard the cry of the hawks; The goblin merchant stayed where he was to take stock of his inventory that had been returned to him. After he had packed up everything, he was ready to leave when he suddenly stopped, seemingly recalling something. He then hid all of his goods in the shadow of a large rock and stealthily headed in the direction Song Jian had left; The valley was vast. Along the way, Song Jian managed to gather a few rare herbs in the valleys forest, a fruitful harvest. Passing through the forest, he came upon a waterfall. The waterfall was only a few meters wide and over ten meters high. Below it was a deep pond from which a faint threat seemed to emanate, as if there was something lurking that could endanger his life; Looking up, Song Jian saw two adult hawks circling constantly above the waterfall, crying out mournfully again and again. Sometimes they even looked as though they would dive down, but ultimately, they seemed to have a deep wariness of the area and never did come down. Song Jian found it odd and began to search carefully around the edge of the pond. Before long, he spotted two young hawks, each about the size of a chick, flapping their newly grown downy wings as they tumbled over each other on the grass, trying to stand up. Hawk chicks? Song Jians eyes narrowed. Natural flying pets like these were easy to find but difficult to capture due to the adult hawks that invariably guarded them nearby; These two young hawks had somehow fallen into the valleys grassland, and the adult hawks guarding them did not dare to come down because of the creature lurking in the pond; Song Jian strode over and caught the two young hawks in his palm. Seeing Song Jian capture the young hawks, the two adult hawks overhead cried out in despair and actually turned to leave; System: You have discovered young hawk chicks. Would you like to subdue them to become combat pets/flying mounts? Generally, after capturing a young beast, there are two types of training directions: one as a combat pet that can aid in battle, and the other as a mount; As it is now, once a direction is chosen, it cannot be changed. If you opt to train them as combat pets, the young hawks will develop towards combat as they level up. If you choose to train them as flying mounts, they will develop towards carrying riders in flight. Song Jian directly chose to decline. Whether it was flying mounts or combat pets, Black Dragon already met his needs; he decided to just take the two young hawks back to Wang Qi to establish a flying cavalry unit. Having taken the young hawk chicks, Song Jian began to carefully inspect the surroundings. This was a valley, and there wouldnt be young hawks here under normal circumstances; Soon, Song Jian noticed on the cliff next to the waterfall, there was a vast cluster of holes in the rock that looked like honeycombs. These holes were identical to those he had seen when he first entered this valley. It was not hard to imagine that behind these holes were more hawk nests; Looking back, Song Jian realized this place was at least several hundred meters from the area where he had entered the valley. He hadnt expected the territory of Eagle Falcon Cliff to be so vast, and the number of hawks in Eagle Falcon Cliff was likely far greater than he had initially discovered; Chapter 840 - Chapter 840: Chapter 841: The Magical Snake Meat_1 Chapter 840: Chapter 841: The Magical Snake Meat_1 Looking at the cave in front of him, Song Jian squinted his eyes and started to observe carefully. These two hawk fledglings must have rolled out from these holes, right? Song Jian speculated. In the holes he had passed by earlier, there were many corpses of hawk fledglings. The holes there were steep, and once the hawk fledglings entered, they could easily crash into sharp rocks and die from injuries if they couldnt control their bodies; Looking at these two hawk fledglings, although they seemed a bit listless, their bodies were unharmed. It seemed that the holes in this area were relatively gentle, and the fledglings could fall from their nests without sustaining serious injuries; If thats the case, there should be many traces of hawk fledglings around here. Why is there not a single trace left? Song Jians eyebrows knitted slightly as he observed the area; Just then, the surface of the pool beneath the waterfall started to ripple gently, and a massive snake, seven to eight meters long, slowly swam out from the pool, lunging toward him from behind; The giant snakes scales glistened with a metallic sheen, effortlessly sliding across the water without making a sound. Moreover, it seemed to fly, for once it left the water, it soared into the air and lunged straight for Song Jians back; Song Jian was examining the holes that were taller than a person, wondering whether he should crawl through them to check the hawk nests. Perhaps, with some luck, he could catch a few more hawk fledglings. At that moment, a faint whizzing noise suddenly reached Song Jians ears, and a faint stench wafted to his nostrils. On the ground, a thick shadow was pouncing toward him; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision! Song Jian gripped the long sword in his hand and turned around to slash at the void behind him; Nearly twenty Spirit Swords floated out of thin air in front of him, following his gaze towards the shadow, whooshing through the air toward it; Boom boom boom~ After a series of explosions, the python that looked much like a giant forest boa had fallen and already turned into a corpse, its body full of sword wounds over a foot long, continuously spurting blood; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.?? This python was just a level 43 common monster with less than six thousand Vitality Points and was instantly killed by Song Jian; staring at the three-inch horn protruding from the giant snakes forehead, Song Jians thoughts stirred, picking up a level 40 green quality item the snake had dropped, he casually cast a Dissection Spell; Song Jians Dissection Spell was still low level, and he hadnt practiced it specifically. Now, seeing the three-inch horn on the pythons forehead, he became curious and couldnt help casting the Dissection Spell. Surprisingly, it was successful. The monsters corpse, which had already started to burn with transparent flames, began to vanish slowly, leaving behind two items on the ground; Huh, pale golden material? Song Jian was surprised to see a piece of snake meat emitting a pale golden glow on the ground and a blue quality horn, a hint of delight appearing on his face. This was the first time Song Jian had encountered a material of golden quality; Strange, my Dissection Spell level isnt high. How could it produce such high-quality material? Song Jian looked at the two materials in his hands, feeling puzzled; With his level of Dissection Spell, it was most likely that he would produce materials of grey quality, which were utterly useless. With some luck, he might get white quality materials that could be used, but it was difficult to get green or higher quality materials; Not to mention this golden quality material, even if he could normally gather this blue horn, Song Jian would probably be happy for several days. It is quite strange! Song Jian began to inspect the properties of these two materials; The blue-quality horn appeared quite ordinary, a forging material to be utilized for crafting daggers or short swords; However, the light-gold-quality snake meat opened Song Jians eyes. Magic snake meat, cooking ingredient, quality: gold, effect when used: can be used in cooking to have a high chance of making food that permanently increases attributes; requirement for use: cooking skill level eight; material description: This is a piece of material filled with magical power, its a dream ingredient for many chefs, by using it you can make various kinds of food that increase attributes, and as for which attributes will be increased, that depends on your cooking methods and your cooking level! A cooking material that permanently increases attributes? Song Jian wore a surprised look on his face; Among players, there had always been a rumor that, if cooking skills reached the top level, one could concoct food that permanently increases attributes, but that had always been just an unconfirmed tale, and no one had ever made real material that could increase attributes; Song Jian always thought, even if such rumors were true, it would surely be due to some high-quality recipe; unexpectedly, the legend did exist, and what could make such food was not dependent on the recipe, but on the cooking materials; Cooking was one of the best life skills for leveling up, and after some time in the game, almost all players would acquire this skill; Song Jians cooking skill had already been leveled to nine, and he did not lack various high-quality cooking materials; besides purchasing some recipes at the auction house, Song Jian had also researched many recipes on his own, especially since his cooking skills were quite good in the real world; Seeing this material, Song Jian became somewhat impatient, immediately lighting a bonfire and starting to use this material; as he did not have the corresponding supplementary ingredients at hand, he could only use it to make the simplest grilled meat; And the properties of this material also confirmed to Song Jian that the attributes of the food made would not depend on the recipe, but rather on this gold-quality material; Suddenly, a piece of fragrant grilled meat, emitting a faint gold glow, appeared before Song Jians eyes. Indeed, the final quality of the food is determined by the material, not the cooking skill or recipe! Song Jian thought to himself as he observed the attribute of the grilled meat. Magical Grilled Meat, food, quality: gold, effect when used: after consumption, permanently increases Constitution by 2 points, every second increases Vitality Points by 128, for a total increase of 3200 Vitality Points, if consumed for more than 15 seconds, it can restore all hunger levels, and also grant a temporary effect of Constitution +10 for a duration of 30 minutes; item description: the effect of the permanent attribute increase from the same type of food can only take effect once per person; Without hesitation, Song Jian ate the steaming grilled meat, thereby increasing his Constitution by 2 points and gaining a temporary effect of Constitution +10; Even without the temporary effect, Song Jians Constitution had reached 106 points, and considering that each point of Constitution increased Vitality Points by fifty, his Vitality Points had already exceeded five thousand, which was higher than that of some poorly equipped warriors; Its a pity, you can only eat the same kind of food once, otherwise just by food alone, one could build a veritable vitality powerhouse, Song Jian mused inwardly. But soon, a lightbulb went off in his mind: The same kind of food, the same kind of food if I change the cooking method, wouldnt it become a different kind of food? Damn it, besides Constitution, I still have other attributes, and even if the food increases Constitution, the effects of different recipes are not the same With that thought, Song Jians gaze shifted toward the pond, his eyes filled with deep expectation; PS: Thank you Bread84 for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 841 - Chapter 841: Chapter 842: The Bottom of the Pool_1 Chapter 841: Chapter 842: The Bottom of the Pool_1 Standing by the waterfall basins waters, Song Jian looked down; The depth of this pool was unfathomable, and even though he utilized his vertical eye, Song Jian could see nothing. Yet, he could sense that deep within these waters lurked many strange creatures, or perhaps monsters; In such a situation, jumping in rashly would be nothing short of suicide. After pondering for a while, Song Jian took out a piece of raw meat from his pack, which was also a cooking ingredient. However, he did not use it to make food, but instead used a scalpel to slice it into finger-thick strips, then threw them one by one into the pool; Song Jian waited quietly. Soon, the water began to waggle, becoming more and more violent. Several dark shadows continuously stirred the water, all heading towards the surface; As expected, its impossible for there to be only one of these pythons Song Jian smiled faintly, slowly backing away as he gripped the long sword in his hand. Very soon, dozens of giant pythons burst out of the water and lunged towards Song Jian. These pythons were massive in size, yet their movement speed was not slow at all. Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision! In an instant, more than ten long swords enveloped the pythons, with explosions sounding one after another, disrupting their assault; Following that, Song Jian threw his long sword into the air, immediately conjuring five long swords that formed the Five Elements Sword Array, engulfing the dozen or so pythons that had surged out of the pool; The Sword Qi Value dropped by more than half in an instant. The Invisible Sword Array consumed Sword Qi Value based on the number and strength of the targets. Once the Sword Qi Value was depleted, the Five Elements Sword Array would collapse on its own. Fortunately, after learning the vital energy chapter of the Sword Control Skill, Song Jians Sword Qi Value limit had increased considerably. And after advancing into the golden Sword Qi, the quality of his Sword Qi had improved several times, with an extremely fast recovery speed. Dealing with a dozen ordinary monsters required a larger consumption to condense the Sword Formation, but maintaining it did not require too much Sword Qi; From within the murky sword mist, came the continuous hissing and roaring of the pythons. The levels of these pythons ranged from the lowest at forty-two to no higher than forty-five, with most of their Vitality Points around six thousand. As sword light flickered, each strike inflicted seven to eight hundred points of damage on them, so it wasnt long before the hissing within the Sword Formation gradually weakened, until silence prevailed; After all the pythons had perished, Song Jian astonishingly discovered that not only did these pythons provide precious cooking materials, but the Experience Points they offered were also surprisingly high. These dozen or so pythons actually provided over two hundred thousand Experience Points, increasing Song Jians experience bar by more than 5%; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??. The only regret is that the drop rate is just too low! Song Jian said with some frustration as he looked at the sparse white-quality equipment scattered on the ground; Over a dozen monsters of level forty and above had only dropped three pieces of level forty white-quality equipment and two pieces of green-quality equipment. No materials had dropped at all. With such a drop rate, if Song Jian hadnt known he could extract precious cooking materials from their bodies, he probably would have lost interest in these monsters after just one fight; Using the scalpel to dissect one python after another, Song Jian obtained quite a few materials. After completing the dissection, Song Jians dissection skill also advanced to level eight; Every python could be dissected into a piece of pale golden-quality cooking ingredient, and there were also some materials like blue-quality snake skin and scales. Just these materials alone are probably worth a lot of money! A smile appeared on Song Jians face; In addition to the miraculous snake meat, Song Jian also got eight pieces of snake skin for making level forty leather armor, and scales for making level forty scale armor. However, he only managed to gather two horns from atop their heads, along with the one he had gathered before, totaling three horns collected; Looking at the dozen or so pieces of pale golden snake meat in his inventory, Song Jian cracked a slight smile and began to repeat the action he had used to attract the giant pythons previously; For the entire day, Song Jian, much like fishing, lured one python after another from the depths of the pond and then used his sword techniques to kill them all; Magical snake meat, Song Jian collected over a hundred pieces in total, along with a large amount of other materials. Most importantly, Song Jians level had risen directly by one, from thirty-eight to thirty-nine; Song Jian allocated the skill points to the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, increasing the power of each strike from the previous 35% to 40%. The increase was not large, but the overall damage had increased by at least over two thousand; Looking at the pale golden snake meat in his inventory, Song Jian thought to himself, If all these materials were cooked into food, the attribute enhancement alone would probably be equivalent to successfully passing a B-tier first-order combat power assessment world! Due to the recipes and consumption limits, it was impossible for Song Jian to use all these materials by himself, so he would definitely have to share some with other members of his alliance. Moreover, cooking with this snake meat would increase the speed of earning cooking experience points much faster than usual. Even if sold, each piece of snake meat fetching thirty thousand Doomsday Coins would probably attract many eager buyers; However, the current Song Jian was no longer in need of Doomsday Coins. What he preferred now was bartering, and these pieces of snake meat could potentially be exchanged for many valuable items; Continuing to lure, no more giant pythons emerged from the pond. It seemed that Song Jian had exterminated them all. Shaking his head, Song Jian was ready to turn around and leave; But at that moment, Song Jian hesitated for a moment and then turned around and jumped directly into the pond, slowly sinking towards the bottom; This pond was truly strange, having nurtured such peculiar giant pythons. Song Jian wanted to see what oddities lay at the bottom of the water; The pond was silent inside, and the deeper Song Jian dived, the greater the pressure he felt. If not for the significant enhancement of his physical quality, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to endure for long and would have had to surface; After about fifteen minutes, Song Jians surroundings were utterly dim, and he could only open his vertical eye on his forehead to observe everything around him. Indeed, the giant pythons at the bottom of the pond seemed to have all been lured ashore and killed by Song Jian. There was no sign of any monster presence in the pond. After a while, Song Jian suddenly felt as if he had passed through a thin layer, and he fell straight to the bottom of the pond; The bottom of the pond was dry sand without a trace of moisture, while about seven or eight meters above his head, there was a layer of membrane emitting a faint luminescence, resembling a half-spherical bowl, firmly sealing off the bottom of the pond; Indeed, the place that could nurture such giant pythons was not as ordinary as I initially thought! Song Jian patted the sand off his body and stood up; The luminescent barrier was seven or eight meters above the bottom, and Song Jian had fallen from there quite unexpectedly. If it had been an ordinary person, they might have been severely injured, but for Song Jian, he hadnt suffered any damage whatsoever. Walking along the pond bottom covered with fine white sand, Song Jian suddenly caught sight of a flash of dark gold light ahead, instantly capturing all of his attention; Chapter 842 - Chapter 842: Chapter 843 Cooking_1 Chapter 842: Chapter 843 Cooking_1 The area at the bottom of the pool was not large, roughly just three to five acres. The dark gold light Song Jian had seen was right beside a rock at the bottom. As he approached, he discovered that it was actually a plant over three feet tall; This plant looked like bamboo, with rings of nodes on its surface from which several branches extended, sprouting palm-sized leaves; These leaves were covered with dense, gnawed marks. Looking closely, the partially eaten leaves seemed to be what remained, and many leaves had been devoured completely, leaving only the bare bamboo stalks; To think that a bamboo plant is growing at the bottom of the pool, how strange! Song Jian lightly touched the bamboo and its attributes immediately appeared before his eyes; Vitality Jade Bamboo, a rare treasure, usage effect: every ten days, it grows thirty bamboo leaves which can be used for alchemy, making Vitality Pills; directly consumed, they can heal wounds and increase the upper limit of Vitality Points, with a maximum use of 5 leaves; item description: this item can create its own world, resistant to water and fire, and once rooted, it cannot be moved! Increase Vitality Points? Song Jians eyes lit up. Players of all professions coveted treasures that could improve Vitality Points, and this jade bamboo was priceless; What a pity it cant be transplanted; otherwise, I would move it to the Spirit Field in the Manor Castle, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly; This was the wilderness, and once discovered by others, not only would all its leaves be plucked, but the jade bamboo itself could also be destroyed; At this time, nearly all the leaves on the jade bamboo had been eaten, and there were less than three days left until the bamboo would grow new leaves. Song Jian thought for a moment, then took out several Sword Qi Stones and set up an Illusion Sword Array around the Vitality Jade Bamboo to conceal it; After everything was done, Song Jian thoroughly searched the bottom of the pool again but found nothing else. He then turned and headed toward the upper stream of the pool; Back in Manor Castle, Song Jian found that Li Keer and Wang Qi were waiting for him in the castles conference room; Seeing Song Jian appear, Li Keer immediately rushed up, grabbed his sleeve and asked with anticipation, Brother Song Jian, did you get the hawk eggs? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??. Song Jian smiled slightly and took out all the hawk eggs from his pack, along with two young hawk fledglings, and placed them all on the conference table; Seeing that Song Jian had gained so much from just one trip, Wang Qis eyes nearly popped out; How is that possible, how did you get so many? Wang Qi murmured to himself. Brother Song Jian, youre amazing! Li Keer jumped up, immediately attracted by the fluffy hawk fledglings, and ran over to play with them; I heard that Eagle Falcon Cliff is very dangerous, and that the hawks there have a collective vengeance. If you provoke one, a whole swarm will come at you. How did you manage to get so many? Wang Qi asked, puzzled. Although Song Jian was powerful, Wang Qi had also sent people to scout. With hundreds of hawks chasing en masse, even someone as strong as Song Jian wouldnt likely last long. I sneaked up there and entered a valley through a tunnel in a hawks nest, which was filled with Witch-winged Harpies, Song Jian divulged without reservation. I met a goblin merchant there whose goods had been stolen by the harpies. I retrieved the goods for it, and these are part of the quest rewards. Quest rewards, a hint of disappointment flashed in Wang Qis eyes. Such quests were often one-time and couldnt be replicated. Although Song Jian acquired more than ten eagle falcon eggs this time, he was still far from being able to establish a flying cavalry unit. If he could not find other ways to obtain eagle falcon eggs, the formation of the City of Hopes flying cavalry unit seemed an unattainable goal. Seeing Wang Qis expression, Song Jian smiled slightly and said, Dont worry, we will soon have more eagle falcon eggs. In no more than ten days, that goblin merchant will bring a large quantity, and we can just buy them directly! Upon hearing this, Wang Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief. The development of the Valley of the Undead was ongoing. Aside from the Shadow Forest, the gems from the river beside the Undead Tower also had excellent properties. Their supply was in high demand but scarce, so their prices remained high, bringing in a net profit of about 100,000 to the City of Hope every day. If not for the rapid development of the City of Hope, they would have amassed a huge fortune by now. Is there anyone in the alliance specifically skilled in cooking? Song Jian asked. Cooking? Wang Qi pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, Yes, Song Dapeng. Hes thirty-two this year. In the real world, he is a chef at a five-star hotel. Since entering the game, he hasnt been much into leveling and is only level twenty-six now. However, his cooking skills have reached the Master Level, with more than a hundred recipes to his name, most of which he has figured out himself! In the real world, if one is a chef, comprehending recipes in the game is a very simple matter; they only need to replicate a dish from reality in the game to comprehend the corresponding recipe. Where is he now? I have some materials that I need him to prepare! Song Jian said. Hes been busy these past two days decorating his shop, getting ready to open a restaurant near the plaza. Wait a moment, I will notify him to come here, Wang Qi said. Within a short time, a bearded man was led in. Seeing Wang Qi, Song Dapengs face showed a flattering smile. He bobbed his head and wrung his hands, laughing, Wang, Lord Wang, did you call for me? Wang Qi pulled him over to Song Jian and said, Lord Mayor, this is Song Dapeng! When Wang Qi addressed Song Jian as the Lord Mayor, Song Dapeng was startled and bowed repeatedly to Song Jian, saying nervously, Lord, Lord Mayor, Im sorry, I havent seen you before. My apologies! Song Dapeng, dont be nervous, Song Jian laughed. He took out all the snake meat from his bag and spread it on the table, saying, I called you here because I need your help with something. I have a batch of cooking materials, and I want you to process all of it into food. As soon as he heard that Song Jian only wanted him to cook, Song Dapeng immediately relaxed and nodded repeatedly, Rest assured, Lord Mayor, I wont waste a bit of the materials and guarantee that everything will be of at least fine quality! Even with the same recipes, the higher ones cooking skills, the higher the grade of the food produced. With Song Dapengs Master Level cooking skills, he could ensure that every dish he made would be at least of fine quality, if not higher. Good, Song Jian nodded and said, However, I have one requirement: the food you make must not be the same; you have to create a different dish for each type of material! Song Dapeng was taken aback. He turned his head to look at the pile of snake meat on the conference table that resembled a small mountain and his eyes widened in astonishment, Gold, gold quality ingredients Chapter 843 - Chapter 843: Chapter 844 Master Level_1 Chapter 843: Chapter 844 Master Level_1 Though Song Dapeng had not been playing the game for long, he had already encountered thousands upon thousands of different ingredients. The various monsters in the game could all drop cooking materials, even the lowest level Zombies could drop Zombie meat as a cooking ingredient. This made it evident how incredibly complex the variety of cooking materials in the game was; Up till now, most of the cooking ingredients Song Dapeng had seen were of white quality, and the best he had seen was blue quality. He had never even seen silver quality ingredients, so you can imagine how his heart pounded violently when he saw so many gold quality cooking ingredients now; Master Level culinary skills, when used with ordinary cooking ingredients and recipes, could no longer increase proficiency. While he could develop recipes himself, obtaining high-level cooking ingredients was not something a player of barely over level twenty could do at will. Most of the Doomsday Coins Song Dapeng earned in the game were spent on purchasing high-level cooking ingredients. This was also why he wanted to open a restaurant in the City of Hopeto earn more Doomsday Coins. These, all these need to be cooked? Song Dapeng looked at the mountain-like pile of snake meat, feeling his throat turn dry and his palms sweaty; Yes, but each portion of ingredient can only make one type of dish. There are a total of one hundred thirty-six portions here, meaning you have to make one hundred thirty-six different dishes. Can you do it? Song Jian said to Song Dapeng in a calm tone. Upon touching the ingredients and seeing their attributes, Song Dapeng instantly understood what Song Jian meant. It would be the greatest waste if these ingredients were not turned into different dishes. Song Jian glanced at the ingredients with a trace of regret in his eyes. With so many gold quality cooking ingredients, he could have advanced to Expert Level culinary skills at the very least, but to him, using these ingredients to upgrade his culinary skills would be an utter waste. During the cooking process, not only would it fail to maximize the potential of the ingredients, it might also lead to a massive waste; Take the same grilled meat, for example, the grilled meat prepared by Song Jian could only increase physical constitution by 2 points. But if it was made by Song Dapeng, the same grilled meat might increase constitution by three, or even more, points; I can. I have already mastered over one hundred eighty recipes. Though not all of them use meat as the main ingredient, I can definitely develop new dishes, ensuring these ingredients are used to their fullest! Song Dapeng assured with a serious face; Good, then you stay here and finish them in the next two days. You cannot leave the Manor Castle until youre done! Song Jian stared at Song Dapeng as he spoke. Song Dapeng was startled but quickly nodded in agreement; These gold quality cooking ingredients were worth their weight in gold. Even if thrown directly into the auction, they would sell for at least several million Doomsday Coins. Money can sway hearts, so Song Jian had to take some precautions. City Lord, where did you find so many gold quality cooking ingredients? Thats amazing. This time, Song Dapeng is going to have a blast. With so many ingredients, his Master Level cooking proficiency will soar! Wang Qis face was full of astonishment. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.? Seeing these materials, Wang Qi was dazzled. Permanent attribute-increasing materials, if only made into food, would almost be of comparable value to Attribute Fruits; You should know, now an Attribute Fruit is sold for up to one hundred fifty thousand Doomsday Coins, and thats with demand exceeding supply. If not for the fact that consuming too many of the same Attribute Fruit is ineffective, their price would have already skyrocketed even further; Song Jian smiled slightly. These gold quality ingredients were much more precious than the Attribute Fruits currently on the market. The Attribute Fruits available can only increase one to two attribute points, while even with his level nine cooking skills, Song Jian could make food that would increase 2 points. If Song Dapeng were to cook, the resulting food would probably increase attribute points by at least three, if not four or more; After its all done, we can give some to the brothers in the City of Hope Alliance as a benefit! said Song Jian with a smile; The City of Hope Alliance had become very selective about adding new players. Any player wanting to join the City of Hope Alliance had to undergo strict assessment, and even if they passed, they could only become peripheral members of the alliance. They were required to undergo a three-year probation period and make significant contributions to the alliance before they could become official members. Such stringent conditions would normally discourage many players, yet to Song Jians surprise, thousands of players swarmed the City of Hope Alliances registration office, eager to join the moment the conditions were announced. Wang Qis eyes sparkled as he realized that when Song Jian mentioned benefits for the alliance brothers, he was referring to those players who had followed them and fought to the death in the city-building task. These players were the core members of the alliance and naturally would be the first to receive any good items. Three days quickly passed. Song Dapeng, with red-rimmed eyes, laid out dish after dish on the conference room table. The table, twelve meters long and more than three meters wide, was filled with all sorts of foods, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, that just one glance could make anyones mouth water uncontrollably. Dapeng, what level is your cooking skill? Wang Qi asked, looking at Song Dapeng who appeared exhausted yet excited, teasing him. Master Level Nine! Song Dapeng said proudly. You must know, life skills are graded from one to ten, and reaching level ten is considered a milestone. After level ten, one advances to a Junior title. After Junior Level Ten, one progresses to Intermediate, and so forth, up to Master Level. Previously, Song Dapeng was only at Master Level Three, but after cooking over a hundred dishes with golden ingredients, he had shot straight up to Master Level Nine! Impressive! Wang Qi exclaimed in surprise. Whats the level above Master? It should be Grandmaster Level, but you must complete a certain task to advance to Grandmaster Level, Song Dapeng said, though no one had told him this information. It had come to him when he advanced to Master Level Nine. Mayor, please try some of these dishes. They can all permanently enhance attributes! Song Dapeng said to Song Jian with a beaming smile, Out of one hundred and thirty-six ingredients, Ive made seventy-eight of excellent quality and fifty-eight of perfect quality! Perfect quality? Song Jian glanced over the dishes, which all gave off a faint golden glow, with no obvious differences at the surface. Yes, the effect of the excellent quality food increases by 40%, and the perfect quality food by 100%. That is to say, food that originally could only increase an attribute by 3 points would increase it by 4 points if its of excellent quality and by 6 points if its of perfect quality! Song Dapeng explained. Song Jian nodded and began to taste the dishes one by one. After sampling a few dishes, Song Jians brow furrowed. He realized that his earlier assumption was somewhat off. Not all different recipes necessarily led to increased attributes. Within these dishes, some increased strength by 4 points, others by 5 points, and some even by 6 points. Although the dishes were different, Song Jian could only choose one type. If he ate a dish that increased strength by 4 points, then the dishes that increased it by 5 or 6 points would no longer have any effect on him. Chapter 844 - Chapter 844: Chapter 845 Emerald Bamboo Leaves_1 Chapter 844: Chapter 845 Emerald Bamboo Leaves_1 Looking at the table full of food, Song Jians brows furrowed, which made Song Dapeng think Song Jian was dissatisfied, and he immediately became nervous; After trying a few more dishes, Song Jian found that although the effects of foods that increased the same attribute could not stack, if one dish only increased strength, while another dish increased both strength and agility, the effects of these two foods could stack; After being selective, Song Jian ate a total of thirteen dishes. With each dish adding an average of five attribute points, he gained over sixty attribute points in total, nearly equivalent to passing an A-grade first tier Combat Power assessment; moreover, both his Vitality Points and Spirit Points limits had also increased by five hundred; This time, Song Jians strength had greatly improved. The increase in basic attributes determined the improvement in Combat Power. It was an all-around enhancement whether it was in attack, defense, reaction speed, or the speed of action. Now, he could even confront an early second tier Combat Power opponent head-on. One must know that to reach second tier Combat Power, one needed to be at least level fifty, and Song Jian had just reached level thirty-nine; Song Dapeng, you did very well, and I am very satisfied, Song Jian said to Song Dapeng with a smile, Tell me, what kind of reward would you like as compensation? As long as its not excessive, I can fulfill it! Hearing Song Jian say he was satisfied, Song Dapeng, whose heart had been in his throat, immediately felt it fall back to his stomach, and he waved his hands continuously, saying, This time my cooking skill has improved to the ninth master level. Honestly, Ive taken advantage of the City Lord. How dare I ask for compensation? No need, no need at all! That wont do. You were the one I asked for help, and I heard that in order to prepare these dishes, you did not sleep for three days and nights, even developing a few recipes that have never existed before! Song Jian shook his head and said, If you have made an effort, there must be a reward! Even though Song Jian said this, Song Dapeng still persistently refused, and he was already sweating profusely in his anxiety; Wang Qi glanced at Song Dapeng and whispered into Song Jians ear, If the City Lord really wants to give him compensation, why not just give him the shop he is currently using to open his store? In the City of Hope Alliance, shops, like land within a territory, are leased and not for sale. All players who want to open a store must rent these shops; Desiring to start a restaurant, Song Dapeng had rented more than a hundred square meters of commercial space near the square. Hearing Wang Qis suggestion, Song Jian nodded slightly and said to Wang Qi, You handle that matter. Ill just need to sign off on it when the time comes. The sale of land within the city must be approved with the City Lord seal by Song Jian, otherwise, no one could sell even an inch of land; Old Song, you really scored big this time. You should know that no shop in the city has ever been sold before. To show his thanks, the City Lord has decided to gift you the shop youre using for your store! Wang Qi laughed heartily and patted Song Dapeng on the shoulder. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0??. What, what? Its given to me? Song Dapengs face was one of disbelief, then he burst into ecstatic joy, bowing repeatedly and thanking: Thanks, thanks, City Lord, thank you, City Lord! The cost of renting a shop in the City of Hope is not cheap. If Song Dapeng wasnt very confident in his cooking skills, he wouldnt have rashly opened a restaurant. Now being able to own a shop was like a pie falling from the sky for Song Dapeng, not only saving the monthly rent but also owning a property to call his own. After Song Dapeng left, Song Jian pointed at the table full of food and said to Wang Qi, Put all these in the Alliance warehouse, let the brothers exchange them for Contribution Points! Heh, those guys will be overjoyed! Wang Qi collected all the food and then secretly calculated his own Contribution Points, realizing he could exchange for at least four dishes, immediately a joyful expression appeared on his face. Song Jian set corresponding Contribution Points for these dishes. The more attributes a food item increased, the more Contribution Points it required. These dishes were much better than Attribute Fruits, each dish adding at least four attribute points, you couldnt buy such items on the market at all. By the way, have you allocated a location for the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn? Song Jian asked; I plan to set aside the location of the temple here! Wang Qi took out a map from his bag, marked with the entirety of Doomsday City, and pointed to a spot on the very edge of the City of Hope: This place is close to the biggest Abyssal Shadow instance in Doomsday City. If the Abyss invades us in the future, this will be the first place to be attacked, heh heh! After the release of the Abyssal Shadow expansion, many black pyramid-shaped buildings appeared in Doomsday City. These buildings, filled with the aura of the Abyss, are all instances. Inside, one could find plenty of high-quality equipment. And most importantly, Abyss class conversion proofs are produced from these instances. Players who aspire to become Abyssal classes attack these instances tirelessly every day. These instances vary in size; the smallest is for solo players, while the largest, the one Wang Qi was pointing to, is a forty-man instance. So far, no alliance or team has succeeded in conquering this largest instance. The final chapter of the Abyssal Shadow expansion is the Abyss invasion. At that time, these instances will become the bridgeheads for the Abyss to attack the human world. And this largest instance that Wang Qi pointed out might well become the biggest base from which the creatures of the Abyss launch their assault on the human world; Placing the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn near this instance means that when the Abyss invasion occurs, the temple will be on the front lines. Wang Qi intended to use it as cannon fodder; After looking for a while, Song Jian pressed his finger on that area and then moved it outward, saying, Put their temples location here! Upon seeing this, Wang Qi was stunned. The spot Song Jian had pressed was not within the City of Hopes territory at all and was less than three hundred meters away from the largest Abyssal instance; This was practically using the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn to block a gunhole! My Lord, this place, this place is not within our territory of the City of Hope yet! Wang Qi hesitated to say; Tell Cecilia, our city will continue to expand! Song Jian said with a slight smile; Harpy Valley Song Jian then entered Harpy Valley from the cave at Eagle Falcon Cliff. At this time, many Harpy monsters had respawned. Song Jian did not disturb them this time but went straight to the waterfall in the valley; Arriving at the pond beneath the waterfall, Song Jian took out several strips of meat and tossed them into the water. After a long while, with no monsters leaping out, Song Jian cautiously dived to the bottom of the pond; The bottom of the pond was silent. Song Jian approached the Vitality Jade Bamboo, and by now, it had regrown thirty emerald leaves. Each leaf was the size of a palm, appearing so thin as to be paper-like. He carefully plucked one and observed it. The emerald leaves began to emanate a soft golden glow once they were separated from the Jade Bamboo, clearly indicating they were items of gold quality; Vitality Jade Bamboo Leaf, rare treasure, Effect 1: Ingredient for potion-making, can be used to create Vitality Pills; Vitality Pills immediately restore 2800 Vitality Points, cooldown 60 seconds; Effect 2: Can be consumed directly, increasing 30-100 Vitality Points, with a limit of 5 leaves per person. Overconsumption may cause poisoning, leading to a permanent loss of physical attributes; Can be taken out of the game: Yes Chapter 845 - Chapter 845: Chapter 846 Leaving_1 Chapter 845: Chapter 846 Leaving_1 Upon examining the properties of the Emerald Bamboo Leaf, Song Jians eyes suddenly lit upit was a treasure that could be brought out of the game! It was well known that items with such fantastic properties were often greatly restricted and could not be carried out of the game. However, this Emerald Bamboo Leaf possessed the attribute of being taken out of the game, which meant that the Vitality Pills made from it could very likely also be taken out of the game. In the real world, whether one is sick or injured, the most direct effect is a loss of Vitality Points. If one could have a Vitality Pill that completely replenished ones Vitality Points, then no matter the illness or injury, it would often heal immediately. Unfortunately, I dont have the method to make Vitality Pills, Song Jian sighed softly and put the Emerald Bamboo Leaf into his mouth. As soon as the Emerald Bamboo Leaf entered Song Jians mouth, it directly turned into a liquid, flowing from his mouth into his stomach, and a fresh and slightly bitter taste immediately filled his mouth. System: You have used the Emerald Bamboo Leaf, Vitality Points increased by 80. By then, Song Jians Vitality Points had reached 5650. An increase of 80 points was not very noticeable, but to the average person in the real world, 80 Vitality Points were almost double. After continuously consuming five Emerald Bamboo Leaves, Song Jians Vitality Points finally broke through to 6000 points. Although it wasnt an increase of 100 points every time, which was the maximum, each consumption added at least seventy to eighty points. Six thousand Vitality Pointsif I were to stand still, Im afraid it would take others over ten minutes to hurt me. In the real world, ordinary handguns, or even some rifles, are no longer a fatal threat to me. Even those high-powered sniper rifles, if they dont hit a vital spot, cannot kill me in one shot! Looking at his attributes, a confident smile appeared on Song Jians face. The bolder people become with increasing strength. At this moment, in the real world, the government had already started to search for game players, and in some places, they had even deployed troops to arrest them. The reason they dared to do this was because the current strength of the players was not enough to resist real-world firearms. But with Song Jians current strength, even without equipment enhancements, he was like a mini-Superman. If he wanted to escape, no one could catch him; and even in direct combat, if there was no heavy firepower, they wouldnt be a match for him. After picking all the Emerald Bamboo Leaves, Song Jian rearranged the Illusion Sword Array and sat down slowly at the bottom of the pool. The game time was almost up, and this time Song Jian didnt plan to stay on. He was ready to return to the real world. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.?? Five, four, three, two, one A line of system prompts appeared before Song Jian, asking if he wanted to leave the game and return to the real worldYes/No. After choosing Yes, Song Jians figure started to fade and soon there was no one at the bottom of the pool, as if Song Jian had never been there. The real world, early morning, the suburban area of Coastal City, Wang Hai Town. Wang Hai Town was located near the port area of Coastal City and resembled an urban village. Everywhere were two or three-story self-built little buildings rented out to outsiders, and many young people who came to work in Coastal City chose to live here. The main attraction was the cheap rent, though the trade-off was having to wake up an hour early every day to catch a bus into the city center. The small courtyard where Song Jian rented had two buildings: one was a two-story building where the main family lived, and the other one was a three-story building specifically made for renting, with five or six rooms on each floor, just like pigeonholes. At that moment, the courtyard was quiet. The young workers had already left for work, and the morning sun shone warmly through the windows, illuminating Song Jians face comfortably. Just then, Song Jian heard the sound of the gate opening. Looking down, he saw the landlord leading two people in. Oh my, this place is the quietest, and the price is really cheap. Dont worry, I wont cheat you guys. You can ask around the townif anyone is renting cheaper than me, Ill refund your rent~ In the courtyard, a middle-aged man in his forties led a young man and woman into the small yard and escorted them toward the three-story building; This middle-aged man was named Liu Zhiqiang, who looked somewhat aged. His cheeks were slightly red, as if suffering from a lasting effect of being frequently blown by the sea breeze. His legs appeared to have some issues, walking with a slight limp, but he made a great effort to conceal it, moving very slowly. He was the owner of this small yard. According to himself, he had been a crew member on a hundred-thousand-ton ocean-going vessel, but later he fell ill and settled down in this little town, making a living by collecting rent; Uncle Liu, have you taken care of the thing I asked you to do? Song Jian stood on the second floor and called out to the courtyard loudly; The middle-aged man looked up at Song Jian, waved his hand, and said, In a minute, in a minute I will come to your room to talk about it, havent you seen I have guests right now, wait a bit~ Song Jian cracked a slight smile, closed the window, and turned back to his room to wait patiently. About twenty minutes later, Song Jian heard Liu Zhiqiangs footsteps in the hallway. He opened the door and saw that Liu Zhiqiang had a very cautious expression. He looked around, entered the room, and promptly locked the door behind him, gesturing to Song Jian; Young man, Ive found out the information you wanted. This afternoon, theres a cargo ship heading to the Philippines that can take you along. But as you know, smuggling isnt cheap. Did you bring enough cash? Liu Zhiqiang whispered to Song Jian; Dont worry about that; you wont be shortchanged, Song Jian said with a laugh. As long as I can get out quickly, money is not an issue! Alright! Liu Zhiqiang struck his thigh and said, The fare is fifty thousand, plus a ten percent handling fee. Any problems with that? Fifty thousand? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. Although not a local, after living in the city for seven or eight years and having some understanding of the prices for these human cargo businesses, he knew that a price of fifty thousand was quite outrageous; Fifty thousand is for a private room. If youre willing to squeeze into a cargo hold with dozens of people, twenty thousand is enough. Its your call! Seeing Song Jians narrowed eyes, an involuntary chill ran down Liu Zhiqiangs spine. He seemed to think of something, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he hurriedly spoke. The higher the price, the more he would earn in handling fees, so naturally, he wanted to make more money. But seeing Song Jians expression, Liu Zhiqiang felt inexplicably afraid and quickly changed his offer. Fine, fifty thousand then! Just dont cheat me, Song Jian suddenly revealed a smile, turned around, and took out sixty thousand yuan from a carry bag, handing it to Liu Zhiqiang. Relief washed over Liu Zhiqiang upon seeing Song Jians smile. Looking at the unopened stacks of cash in his hand, he beamed, Ill get you your change~ No need for that. Consider the extra as a running errand fee for you, Uncle Liu, Song Jian said with a smile; For ordinary people, its customary to not show off wealth while away from home. Someone like Song Jian, flashing cash around, seemed as if he was afraid others wouldnt know he was carrying a lot of cash. But with Song Jians current strength, he didnt care about these things at all. Just a moment ago, with a single glance, he had Liu Zhiqiang nearly prostrate in fear. Unless someone had a death wish, they wouldnt dare target him; Chapter 846 - Chapter 846: Chapter 847: Board the Ship_1 Chapter 846: Chapter 847: Board the Ship_1 Song Jians generosity delighted Liu Zhiqiang. The extra ten thousand yuan was clearly his commission, equivalent to the fee he normally received for facilitating five or six people. If it had been an ordinary person showing such wealth, Liu Zhiqiang would probably have had dishonest intentions, but recalling Song Jians gaze, Liu Zhiqiangs heart shook, and all ill thoughts dissipated. He gave Song Jian repeated assurances and agreed on a time to leave in the afternoon before turning and walking out of the room. There are too many ruthless people around these days, all seeming like murderers with their sharp eyes. Damn it, maybe I should also go into hiding for a couple of days As Liu Zhiqiang walked slowly, he frowned and muttered to himself. Just after five in the afternoon, Song Jian carried a handbag and left the courtyard with Liu Zhiqiang, who drove an old van that was falling apart toward a desolate beach. This beach had not yet been included in the governments development plans, and even during the day, it was desolate. Now, as evening approached, not a soul could be seen, save for a solitary small boat drifting on the sea; There it is, boss. Take your stuff and get ready to board! Liu Zhiqiang said with a beaming smile; Song Jian nodded. He could feel that the small boat, which looked like an old fishing vessel, already had seven or eight people on it. It was only after boarding that Song Jian discovered the cabin was filled with others dressed just like him; Captain Fish, this is my relative. Please take extra care of him~ Liu Zhiqiang handed over a cigarette, smiling at a middle-aged man squatting at the bow of the boat; Right, as if every person you bring isnt your relative? Dont worry, they are all familiar with the ways here and wont break any rules! The man known as Captain Fish glanced at Song Jian and took the cigarette, saying; This one is different~ Liu Zhiqiang said with an ingratiating smile on his face; Alright, alright, you are always the slowest. Everyone is here, time to set sail, Ghost Head Qiang, see you later! Captain Fish clipped the cigarette behind his ear, waved at Liu Zhiqiang, and signaled his crew to start the boat; As the boats motor started and they gradually moved away, Liu Zhiqiang finally relaxed and turned towards his van; Being with Song Jian, Liu Zhiqiang felt uneasy all over and instinctively wanted to stay away from him. Only when Song Jian had boarded and left did Liu Zhiqiang start to feel slightly better; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.? Song Jian sat in the cabin with a slight frown. A strong stench of fish and decay filled his nostrils. Looking around, he saw that the others planning to leave secretly had extremely uncomfortable expressions on their faces as well. Bear with it for now. This area is shallow, and big ships cant cross here. Once were at sea, youll be transferred to a bigger ship, Captain Fish walked into the cabin, took a deep breath almost as if enjoying it, and smiled; Soon, the group approached a large vessel. A soft ladder was lowered from the big ship, and a crew looked over the side, watching the smaller boat with an air of amusement; How are we supposed to climb up that? Its too difficult, what if someone falls into the water? a bespectacled fat man exclaimed in astonishment as he stared at the towering cruise ship; If you dont want to use the soft ladder, theres a cargo net beside it. You can ask the crew above to pull you up. Although this method is safe and comfortable, youll need to pay a service fee, Captain Fish looked the fat man up and down and said, Over a hundred pounds means double the fee! How, how much? the fat man asked, his complexion turning ugly. Not much, just six thousand. For you though, twelve thousand, Captain Fish laughed; What, thats outright extortion! the fat man blurted out in alarm. You can also choose the rope ladder; no one is forcing you! the chief fisherman said with a darkened expression. But Im only stopping here for half an hour. If you cant get on the ship by then, Ill throw you into the sea to feed the sharks! The fat man shuddered all over and hesitated for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and nodding. By now, some people had already started climbing the rope ladder toward the ships deck; Song Jian saw a teenager about seventeen or eighteen, agile in his movements, grabbing the rope ladder and scurrying up. In no time, he reached the deck. The rest, who had never encountered a rope ladder before, swayed and wobbled, some even let out sharp screams; The sailors gathered on the deck burst into laughter at the sight of these people clumsily climbing the rope ladder; The fat man at that moment sat in a basket, slowly being pulled up. A few sailors hauled the fat man onto the ship, their faces ugly with displeasure, slowly closing in to demand money; Hey, brother, why arent you going up? the chief fisherman, upon seeing Song Jian with a carry-on suitcase, frowned and asked. Ill wait until theyre all up; theres still plenty of time, isnt there? Song Jian said with a faint smile, making it clear he was not in the habit of making a spectacle of himself for others; The chief fishermans brow furrowed slightly, sizing up Song Jian from head to toe, he snorted coldly and said no more; Half an hour later, a ships horn sounded from the large vessel, and the chief fisherman started the motorboat. By now, three people were still on the rope ladder, slowly climbing upwards; Hurry up and get on, Im leaving. If you cant get on board, youll have to pay again next time, said the chief fisherman to Song Jian. Song Jian stood up, lightly stepped on the side of the boat, and soared towards the deck of the large ship like a large bird; What the heck! The chief fishermans eyes nearly popped out in disbelief. He couldnt fathom how a person could jump so high. With a height of fifteen to sixteen meters, almost equivalent to a buildings, to jump that high from a standing position, is this even a human! The sailors on the deck were also startle, their mocking laughter cutting off abruptly, all wearing expressions of disbelief as they looked at Song Jian. At that moment, Song Jian noticed that the teenager who had climbed the rope ladder swiftly didnt show a hint of surprise; instead, his face was playful as he stared at Song Jian, a faint, indiscernible smile tracing the corners of his mouth; Once everyone had boarded, the large vessel began to move slowly. It was a freighter, its deck stacked with many containers. Song Jian knew that inside one of those containers were all the people who had left secretly. Song Jian was taken to a cabin. The room wasnt big, just a few square meters. After squeezing in a single bed, it was difficult to fit anything else. But compared to dozens of people crammed in one container, this environment was undoubtedly much better; The trip to the Philippines would take about eight hours. Just as Song Jian was preparing to lie down and rest, he heard footsteps approaching from afar, stopping at his cabin door; Thump thump thump~ Knocks on the door followed by a teenager pushing open the half-closed door and walking in, looking at Song Jian with a smiling face; Chapter 847 - Chapter 847: Chapter 848: Player Conference_1 Chapter 847: Chapter 848: Player Conference_1 The cabins on this cargo ship couldnt be locked from the inside. Seeing the youth push the door open, Song Jians brow furrowed slightly as he turned to stare at him. Player? the youth asked with a smile. You are one too, right? Song Jian sized up the youth and said. In the real world, it was not as easy to distinguish a player from an NPC as it was in the game; no names and attributes appeared above their heads. Everything had to be judged by oneself. Song Jians ostentatious leap from the fishing boat to the cargo ship was partly to show off his muscles, to avoid unnecessary trouble, and partly to see if there were any game players aboard the ship. When he stepped onto the deck, almost everyone had an incredulous, shocked expression. Only this youth showed no great surprise. At that moment, Song Jian took notethe youth must have witnessed similar powers before, making it highly likely that he was a game player. Song Jian was on his own, clueless about what to do next; he only wanted to avoid the scrutiny of the authorities and pursue what was called freedom. Hao Dong, a Level 33 Spirit Swordsman, my goal this time is to go to the Philippines to attend the players gathering. Your aim must be the same as mine, right? Hao Dong looked at Song Jian with a smile and said. Players gathering? Song Jian was taken aback, gave Hao Dong a look, and slowly shook his head, My player identity has been exposed. The place I was staying at isnt safe anymore, so I need to lay low for a couple of days! Hao Dongs heart skipped a beat at Song Jians words, and he took a step back, eyeing Song Jian warily, Did you break the law? No, what are you talking about? Song Jian was somewhat bewildered. Then why are you running? Hao Dong rolled his eyes and said, Its normal for a players identity to be discovered. If you want to join the authorities, you can get an extra subsidy. If not, they dont force you to do anything. Just dont stir up trouble, thats all! But Ive already seen the officials capturing players with my own eyes! Song Jian said with a slight frown Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????. Then that guy must have done something illegal. Hao Dong stated confidently, Otherwise, the authorities wouldnt capture him. Some people get abilities from the game and start thinking they are supermen, doing whatever they want, lawlessly. Ive heard some players even use their powers to kill people in the real world. Those guys are a blight, and if I ran into them, I wouldnt be lenient! And where did you get this information from? Song Jian asked. What, the authorities found out about you and didnt send you the notice to players? It explains everything in detail, Hao Dong asked. Song Jian was taken aback. Since he had discovered that officials were capturing players, he had left his rented room and didnt stay long in the villa he had bought before he hurriedly found a way to leave. Even if there were any notices to players, he probably wouldnt be able to receive them. Alright, alright, dont worry. Seeing how strong you are, I thought you were an old hand at this. I didnt realize youre a newbie, Hao Dong sighed, When you jumped up from that fishing boat just now, you must have used a skill. I thought your physical strength was really that formidable. Hao Dong walked into the room, shut the door, and plopped down on the bed, complaining, Fifty thousand bucks just for such a shabby place to stay. What a rip-off, more expensive than a five-star hotel. Song Jian glanced at Hao Dong. He hadnt heard of the Spirit Swordsman class before, but by intuition, it was at least a rare class. However, even against a Level 33 player like Hao Dong, with Song Jians strength and without any equipment attribute bonuses, killing him would just take a blink of an eye, especially since his Sky-breaking Sword could be taken out of the game. Whats this player gathering you mentioned? Song Jian asked. Its a meeting organized by gamers in Southeast Asia, to exchange information and equipment, and Ive heard they want to set up the largest player organization in Asia to unify all players so they can help each other out in the game, Hao Dong explained. Right, which game area are you in? asked Song Jian. Yinfeng City, a city abandoned for who knows how many years, filled with ghostly and undead monsters. Im sick of grinding them every day! Hao Dong glanced at Song Jian and asked, How about you? Where are you? Doomsday City, filled with zombies, Song Jian laughed. Hey, pretty much the same. Both of us are not so lucky, Hao Dong sighed, Ive heard that some people are born in a human main city, very safe, and they dont even need to grind monsters to level up every day. They just find a job in the city like going to work and can earn Experience Points! Song Jian smiled faintly. He knew what Hao Dong was referring to: those places like the City of Sin and City of Hymns. Although they were safe, they werent as comfortable as Hao Dong described. When players were born, they were very weak. Even if they found a job, they would be exploited by NPCs, and nearby monsters were mostly cleared out by the city guards, making leveling by killing impossible. These players generally had to perform tasks and find jobs in the city, patiently waiting until around level ten before leaving to level up by killing monsters. Although it was much safer than for those born in abandoned cities, the speed at which they could increase their strength was slow. If they couldnt join a significant power by then, it would be ten times more difficult for an individual to progress than for the players in Doomsday City. After chatting for over an hour, Hao Dong invited Song Jian to attend the gathering. Any person with a player identity could join, and after thinking it over, Song Jian nodded in agreement. Hao Dong had also been hoping to find someone to accompany him to the gathering and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Song Jian agree, preparing to take his leave. Just then, a dull thud resonated near them, and the entire cargo ship jolted. Song Jians face changed color; the vessel had been steady during the voyage and barely shook, and given it was loaded with cargo, an impact that could make it sway like that would have to be over three hundred tons. Be careful, something might have happened, Hao Dong said tensely, such a massive impact might be more than the cargo ship could withstand. For all they knew, at the point of collision, a crack might have already formed. If something were to happen to the ship, even though both of them were players, the idea of crossing the ocean on their own was completely unthinkable. Chapter 848 - Chapter 848: Chapter 849 Monster_1 Chapter 848: Chapter 849 Monster_1 Song Jian and Hao Dong reached the deck together, and by that time it was already 2 a.m. The surroundings were dim, and even with two searchlights, it wasnt possible to fully illuminate the vicinity; It looks like the ship should be fine. Hao Dong glanced around, observing that the crew didnt have expressions of panic, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if something had gone wrong with the ship, none of them would have been able to escape; Could it be that weve hit a reef? Hao Dong speculated. This is the deep sea, how could we possibly hit a reef? Song Jian sighed. He had sensed from the moment he stepped onto the deck that around the freighter, there was a creature over ten meters long circling the vessel incessantly, only that it was lurking in the sea and no one had discovered it. Sharks cant be that large, could it be a whale? How could there be whales in these waters? Song Jian frowned; This wasnt a game where the stronger a monster was, the larger its size was. Song Jian had seen monsters ten, twenty, even hundreds of meters long, but this was the real world, and such gigantic creatures were improbable; Just then, Song Jian suddenly sensed that the marine creature over ten meters long beneath the sea began to accelerate towards the freighter, seemingly aiming to strike the ship once more. Hold tight! Song Jian shouted loudly while gripping a handrail beside him tightly; Before the others could grasp what was happening, there came a dull thump from the left side of the cargo ship; Boom~ The entire ship tilted slightly to the right and then swayed back again. A sailor standing on the edge of the deck cried out in alarm and toppled over the side, falling into the water; Oh, damn it, the rope, Hongzi has fallen down another sailor yelled nearby; Just then, Song Jian sensed that the enormous marine creature beneath the ship swiftly passed under and headed towards the sailor who had fallen into the sea, floundering and trying to grab onto a rope that had just been cast down. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??. Seeing Hongzi grasping the rope, the deckhands all exhaled in relief; as long as the distance wasnt too far, and they had a rope, these seafarers who dealt with the ocean year-round could quickly climb up with its help. Damn it, what on earth is it, and why is it attacking us! a sailor said through clenched teeth. Get the spearfishing gun, go get the spearfishing gun. Im going to give that thing a taste of a big shot! The bottom of the ship is already deformed, if it keeps ramming like this, were all done for! While they were speaking, Hongzi had already grabbed the rope and was pulling up half his body. His muscular arms tightly grasped the rope, climbing upwards. At that moment, a large dark shadow appeared beneath him, a gigantic shark suddenly leaped out of the water and swallowed him whole, leaving only his two arms still tightly clutching the rope, drifting near the bottom of the ship; A shark, how could it be a shark, why would there be such a big shark? a sailor saw the entire process of the shark swallowing and started talking to himself with a pale face; Song Jians expression was dark. When the shark leaped out of the water, he had shockingly noticed a row of eerie characters appear on the sharks head; Deep Sea Fury Shark, Elite Quality, Level 35, Vitality Points: 5000/5000 This was the kind of information that would only appear above monsters in the game, but this is the real world, how could there possibly be monsters from the game? Did, did you see that monster just now? Hao Dongs face turned pale; even in the game, he couldnt handle such a monster alone. If it were just an ordinary creature from the real world, Hao Dong wouldnt be worried, but if it were a level 35 elite BOSS from the game, with his power, hed likely have no chance to deal with it alone; However, he did have a companion by his side. Although he didnt know the extent of their strength, if the two of them joined forces, there was a good chance of killing this level 35 elite BOSS. Song Jian nodded and said, A monster from the game! Damn it, that rumor is actually true! Hao Dongs face turned ugly as he spoke through gritted teeth. Rumor? What rumor? Song Jian raised his eyebrows, unable to help asking; You wouldnt be someone who spends all day in the game and rarely returns to the real world, would you? How can you be so out of touch? Although that rumor sounds unbelievable, its still common knowledge, just that no one has really looked into it! Hao Dong looked at Song Jian with some surprise, feeling as if Song Jian was a novice who had just started playing; What exactly is the rumor! Song Jians expression darkened as he stared at Hao Dong. Hao Dong suddenly felt as if he had been cornered by a ferocious beast, a chilling sensation creeping up on him. It was then that he realized the gravity of his mistake; If humans can enter that damned game, why cant other creatures from the real world, including tigers, lions, and other wild beasts, enter the game world? Hao Dongs face turned deathly pale as he said in a low voice, If we humans enter the game and become game players, the Chosen, then what would other animals from the real world become when they enter the game? Monsters in the game! Song Jians heart sank as he spoke softly; Correct. Just like us, there will be many who cannot adapt to the game and get killed by the monsters in the game. The survival rate for those other creatures entering the game would be even lower, but, but Hao Dongs face showed a hint of fear. But some will survive, and not only survive, but thrive and perhaps even level up and evolve in the game, becoming existences like BOSSes! said Song Jian; So, there really are such beings! Hao Dong collapsed onto the ground. The real world had always been a safe haven for gamers. After waging battles in the game for too long, one would crave a period of tranquility and peace. If monsters from the game started appearing in the real world, could it still be called a safe haven? What difference would there be between the real world and the game world then? Rest assured, even if such monsters exist in the real world, their numbers wont be many, not like in the game, Song Jian consoled; Just then, Song Jian saw a burly sailor, with the cooperation of a few companions, swiftly assembling a crossbow. This weapon was more than a meter long, and the bolts themselves were as thick as a babys arm and more than a meter long; With the cooperation of three people, the crossbow slowly stretched, like a beast gradually opening its massive jaws, exposing its sharp fangs. When the bowstring was pulled to the maximum, the strong sailor held the crossbow with both hands, placed the bolt on it, and then stared intently at the sea surface, waiting for the monster to reappear; Chapter 849 - Chapter 849: Chapter 850 Cant Kill_1 Chapter 849: Chapter 850 Cant Kill_1 Right side, right side, its swimming over here! a sailor shouted, pointing at the sea. The sailor holding the harpoon gun, hefting the weapon that weighed over a hundred kilograms, ran to the right side of the cargo ship and placed the harpoon gun on the rail, aiming at the massive shadow beneath the ship and pulled the trigger; Boom~ With a muffled sound, the harpoon shot out toward the huge shadow beneath the water; Plop~ It was clearly visible that the harpoon hit the enormous creature under the water. The sailors cheered, as it seemed almost impossible to miss such a massive target; Be careful, the monster is injured, keep loading harpoons, everyone hold on tight, a wounded beast is the most ferocious, the sailor with the harpoon gun shouted loudly, knowing that with such a large body, it would be unlikely to hit a vital spot with just one arrow; Several people hurried over to help him reload, and everyone was confident they could drive away or even kill the creature; This giant harpoon gun was a private possession of the cargo ships captain. Usually, it was used for whaling, but it could only kill small whales three to five meters long; they had never hunted a marine creature more than ten meters long like they encountered today; At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing a crumpled suit, with a full beard and a fierce look on his face, walked out from the cabin. Seeing the strong man aiming the loaded harpoon gun at the sea, his eyes sparkled with excitement; Bazi, what is that thing in the water? the middle-aged man bellowed; Captain, its a shark, a shark over ten meters long! Bazi shouted back without turning his head. A shark over ten meters long? the captain with the fierce look was stunned and then started cursing, Bazi, have you been drinking again? What shark grows to over ten meters? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????. Captain, it really is a shark, we saw it with our own eyes, it leaped out of the water and swallowed Hongzi whole! a crew member said softly. Yeah, yeah, Captain, we all saw it! a few others chimed in; The captains face darkened as he quickly walked to Bazis side and looked down into the water. When he saw the dark shadow under the water, he couldnt help but gasp; Damn it, how could there be such a big shark, have I gone back to the Jurassic Period? the captain muttered under his breath. Ive already hit it with one arrow, straight on target. It should be injured by now. If I shoot it a few more times, I should be able to scare it away! Bazi spoke softly; Is there a chance to kill it? This thing might fetch a good price! the captains eyes gleamed with greed. Captain, I think we should consider ourselves lucky if we can drive it away, Bazi said helplessly, as he triggered the harpoon gun again; Boom~ Another dull sound. The harpoon was fired, hitting the dark shadow underwater. Two harpoons, even a whale should be injured and flee, but the shadow under the water seemed to be enraged instead of retreating, still looming around the cargo ship, showing no sign of leaving; With a puzzled look, Bazi stared at the surface of the water, feeling that something was not quite right. Damn it, keep attacking, what are you dazing out for! The captain, seeing Bazis expression, slapped him on the shoulder and shouted loudly; Why do I feel like somethings off, like theres something I missed! Bazi murmured quietly. Is this the time to think about such nonsense, continue the attack, kill it, kill that monster! the captain yelled. Boom~ Once again, the giant shark beneath the ship charged towards the freighter, and Song Jian could even hear the grating sound of the steel hull twisting underwater; Do you think they can kill that monster? Song Jian shrugged and asked. How could they? Hao Dong exclaimed in surprise: Their current attacks are at best equivalent to those of rookie players, and without any enhancements at that. This is a level 35 elite boss; their attacks cant even break through the bosss defense. At most, they can force some health to drop, but with their current attack speed, they cant even keep up with the bosss health regeneration! Then why arent you taking action? Do you really want to swim to the Philippines on your own? Song Jian glared at Hao Dong and said; Just then, Bazi suddenly started screaming in horror: I, I know whats wrong now, blood, its the blood, this creature isnt bleeding at all, we, we cant hurt it! Crossbow bolts as thick as an infants arm, once they hit, even if the target was a giant whale, blood would have long stained the surrounding seawater red, but this shark, after being hit by two bolts, did not bleed a single drop. Demon, this is a demon, we simply cant kill it! Bazi seemed to have seen something terrifying and let the huge crossbow fall from his hands onto the deck. Watching Bazi stumble and rush towards the cabin, the captains face turned ugly; Damn it, how could we encounter such a monster! Just when everyone was at a loss, Hao Dong walked up to the captain and said, Ill take care of this monster, but besides refunding my ticket, youll have to upgrade my cabin as well. That single room is far too small; I can hardly stretch my legs in there! What, you can kill this monster? The captain was startled, then looked at Hao Dong with a face full of disbelief. Of course, as long as you agree to my terms! Hao Dong said; Just then, Song Jian coughed twice, and Hao Dong turned, pointing at Song Jian and said, Two people, refund both our tickets, and then arrange a new room for us! No problem, as long as you can kill this monster, Ill even give up the captains quarters to you! The captain glanced at the giant shark charging again at the freighter and said urgently: But you need to act fast. My precious ship might not last much longer; once theres a leak at the bottom, Im afraid well have to swim to the Philippines! Alright, leave it to me. Hao Dong picked up the huge crossbow from the ground, weighing it, and muttered to himself: This has at most the power of a level 5 or 6 common weapon. With that, Hao Dong actually pulled the bowstring of the huge crossbow by himself and mounted a crossbow bolt on it, a sight that left all the sailors dumbfounded and ghost-faced; No one had been able to draw that massive crossbow by themselves; it required the combined effort of two or three people just to draw it back, but afore them, this somewhat thin man effortlessly drew back the bowstring with the strength of a single arm. Hope ignited in the captains eyes as he stared intently at Hao Dong; Chapter 850 - Chapter 850: Chapter 851 Small Island_1 Chapter 850: Chapter 851 Small Island_1 Hao Dong raised the whaling crossbow and aimed at the approaching monster shark, pulling the trigger; The triangular arrowhead of the crossbow bolt burst into dazzling light, like a light arrow shooting toward the giant shark; Sploosh~ A small spray of water splashed on the ocean surface. Then, the dark shadow rushing toward the cargo ship suddenly flailed violently and leapt straight out of the water, lunging towards Hao Dong; Damn it, only thirty-six points of damage? Even if the weapons rank is low, it shouldnt cause only this little damage! Hao Dong cursed as he saw the damage numbers floating above the sharks head; Seeing the leaping giant shark, Hao Dong disdainfully tossed aside the massive crossbow in his hand and raised his right hand high over his head as if gathering all his strength; Song Jian stood by, watching Hao Dong intently; it appeared he was executing a skill he had learned from the game, a skill that seemingly did not require a weapon to perform; Spirit Light Sword! With a light shout from Hao Dong, his raised right arm erupted in flames-like white brilliance, with myriad flames continuously flickering, making his right arm appear like a torch held high; Following Hao Dongs light shout, he chopped down fiercely with his right arm, and a blinding pillar of Spirit Light slashed toward the giant shark soaring through the air; The pillar of Spirit Light extended more than ten meters forward, brutally striking the giant shark, causing blood to splatter as a gash over three feet long appeared on the beasts body. Blood gushed out, turning the surrounding seawater red; Song Jian squinted, noticing an over eight hundred point critical damage number floating above the giant sharks head. Hao Dongs move must be an ace skill, and after using it, a trace of fatigue showed on his face; If I had my weapon, the damage could have been higher! Hao Dong glanced at Song Jian and said with a touch of reluctance, But from now on, its up to you. Without my equipment, I cant even exert half the power I have in the game! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.0 Alright, leave it to me, Song Jian replied with a smile, jumping onto the gunwale. He looked out at the sea, but his senses spread wide as mercury spilling to the ground, firmly locking onto the giant shark; Boom~ Another muffled sound came from the seafloor, and the cargo ship trembled violently. The thirty-five-level Elite BOSS seemed to have become even more frenzied after being injured; Song Jian realized that the BOSS, when ramming the cargo ship, would also take damage. Even in the game, a monster would absolutely not initiate an attack if it resulted in self-injury when targeting something; Could it be that theres something on this cargo ship that it must have? Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, the giant shark breached the water surface again, pouncing toward Hao Dong on the deck; The damage Hao Dong had inflicted was not minor, and at this point, its hatred was firmly fixed on Hao Dong. Seeing the giant shark lunging at him, Hao Dong showed a hint of fear on his face. His body instinctively wanted to retreat, but seeing Song Jian standing firmly on the gunwale, Hao Dong gritted his teeth and stood his ground; A smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth, and he extended his palm. A purple-red light blossomed in the center of his hand; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision! ` In an instant, more than a dozen long swords emitting spirit light illusions appeared around Song Jians body. With a gentle forward swing from Song Jian, these Spirit Swords all stabbed towards the Sea Shark monster; Boom Boom Boom~ After a series of violent explosions, the body of this Level 35 Elite Level BOSS viciously crashed into the sea, slowly sinking towards the ocean floor; Song Jian saw a wisp of transparent flame slowly rising from the body of the monster, unaffected by the sea, as if the transparent flame and the water were in two separate dimensions, not influencing each other, only overlapping in Song Jians line of sight. Real, really fake? Instant, instant kill? Hao Dong stared dumbfounded, his face full of shock. Unlike the other crew members who just felt Song Jian was incredible, Hao Dong knew how formidable one had to be to instantly kill a Level 35 Elite BOSS in the real world; Song Jian glanced at the item floating on the sea surface, emitting a blue light, and shook his head slightly. He said to Hao Dong, That equipment is for you! Hao Dong was stunned for a moment, then a look of surprise appeared on his face. Thank you, thank you, big brother! This was equipment dropped by a Level 35 Elite BOSS, perfectly suited for his usenot to mention, if he sold it, it could probably fetch tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins; Moreover, most importantly, this equipment had dropped in the real world, naturally possessing the attribute to be taken out of the game, which made it even more valuable; Since players dont get attribute points from leveling up, equipment is very important for enhancing a players strength. Owning this Level 30 and above blue equipment in the real world could, at the very least, double Hao Dongs strength; Hey, a blue-quality Double-handed Sword, just what I needed! Hao Dong jumped directly into the sea and picked up the blue-quality spoils of war; The other crew members could see the long sword, but they couldnt see the quality of light it emitted. Seeing Hao Dong picking up a Double-handed Sword from the sea, the ordinary crew members were very curious and puzzled, but not one dared to approach and ask. Checking the attributes, Hao Dong laughed heartily. This Level 35 Double-handed Sword, requiring Level 30 to equip, somehow had better attributes than his weapon in the game. The cargo ship had been hit several times by the Deep Sea Shark, and although it didnt break apart, the bottom of the ship was severely deformed and couldnt continue sailing. It could only manage to reach a small island, where it had to stop temporarily for repairs; This small island wasnt large, measuring just over a square kilometer, near the Dongsha Islands, and wasnt even marked on the map. Yet, Song Jian saw that on a rudimentary dock on the island, there were over a dozen sea vessels of various sizes moored. Some of the boats were as small as three to five meters, while others were even larger than the cargo ship Song Jian was on, including both cargo and fishing boats. What is this place, why are there so many boats? Hao Dong exclaimed in surprise; Well stay here for a couple of days, wait till we fix the ship before we leave, it wont delay you guys too much! The Captain, with his fierce-looking face, said with a trace of ingratiating smile, This place is a playground for the crew, theres everything on the island. If you two feel bored, you can go up and have a look. Just mention my name, Sea Wolf, and no one will dare to give you trouble up there. During the docking period, the people on the ship werent allowed to leave the ship, not even the crew. But, it seemed from what the Captain said, that he wanted Song Jian and his companion to go up and take a look. Even the crew members listening by the side, upon hearing that they could go on the island, showed excited expressions on their faces. ` Chapter 851 - Chapter 851: Chapter 852: The Underling _1 Chapter 851: Chapter 852: The Underling _1 Hao Dongs face showed a hint of contempt as he listened to the captain describe the fun spots on the island. Hmph, whats so fun about this place? Its just some stuff not allowed by law. If I wanted to gamble, wouldnt I go to Macau or Las Vegas? And if I wanted to play with women Hao Dong suddenly paused, glanced at Song Jian, and forcefully swallowed the rest of his words before continuing, Its boring. Just fix the ship quickly, so it doesnt delay our business. Dont worry, dont worry, I wont delay a thing. Just a minor repair, and itll be good as new. This ships quality is absolutely reliable! the captain assured, pounding his chest, but as he glanced at the island, a hesitant expression flickered across his face. What, is there something else different about this island? Song Jian glanced at the captain and asked with a smile. There is, indeed! Not only is there a human combat arena, but theres also a beast-fighting pit where people battle wild animals! said the captain excitedly: Moreover, theres the largest black market transaction in the world here. Whatever you want, you can buy it here! Whatever you want, you can buy? Isnt that a bit of an exaggeration? laughed Hao Dong: So if I wanted to buy a potion of immortality, could I also find it here? As long as you can afford the price, even something as outlandish as immortality can be achieved here! the captain said with absolute certainty; Oh, in that case, this black market is something Im really interested in seeing, Song Jian chuckled; Haha, no problem. Ill have someone take you to the island right away. When you get there, just say that Sea Wolf referred you, and you can skip the entrance fee! the captain laughed heartily; Soon, two sailors pulled over a lifeboat, and after several people boarded, it was slowly lowered into the sea. The motor roared to life, and the lifeboat putt-putt-putted towards the small island; This island doesnt look very big. That captain made it sound like some metropolis! Hao Dong looked at the few ramshackle wooden houses on the small island and couldnt help but comment; Youre wrong there, said a sailor steering the boat: Those houses above are just for show. The real interesting places are all below. Below? Undersea? Hao Dong said, astonished. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0?. Not the seafloor, the sailor shook his head: Dont be fooled by the small size of this island. Below sea level, it gets bigger the deeper you go. The entire island, in fact, has been hollowed out. The space below is several times the size of what we see! Who on earth would undertake such a massive project? Hao Dong exclaimed. The idea of hollowing out an entire small island, ignoring the extensive manpower and resources, seemed unbelievable to him; he thought only a madman would consider such a venture. Who knows? But inside there, its quite fascinating. Some people call this place a sailors playground, but in reality, most of those who come here arent real sailors, the sailor beside explained; When was this place built? It must have taken at least a few years, if not decades, Song Jian said with a chuckle; Humph, with the amount of work involved, Id believe you if you said two or three decades! Hao Dong snorted; Its strange to say, but this sailors playground seems to have only appeared a few months ago. Ive never heard of it before that, and its nowhere near any known sea route. Few people ever come here, the sailor explained. Both Song Jian and Hao Dong were visibly shocked and exchanged glances. The time in the game world and the real world was slowly changing. Previously, an hour in the real world was equivalent to several months in game time, but now, slowly, the gap between game time and real-world time was closing; If it was indeed a matter of a few months, itd align precisely with the emergence of the game; Looks like we really need to check this place out, Song Jian said with a smile, glancing at Hao Dong; Hao Dong nodded solemnly; They quickly reached the dock near the shore in the lifeboat, and once ashore, a few sailors courteously led Song Jian and Hao Dong to a dilapidated wooden house; A few brawny men covered in tattoos were sitting together playing poker. Seeing the group enter, they didnt bother looking up, except for one man who glanced over while the others didnt even bother to lift their heads; Hey, Sea Wolfs men, you guys rarely come here. Whats up today, you guys got paid? the man who looked up eyed the newcomers and joked; Hey, dont even mention it. Encountered a monster at sea, a huge Shark over ten meters long damaged the ship, so we came to fix it. One of the sailors seemed to know him as well and quickly explained with a smile plastered on his face: Weve got two distinguished guests on board, and the boss had us bring them here to see the world! Since when has Sea Wolf gotten into the business of pimping? Another brawny man who had been looking down suddenly spoke up, lifting his head and staring at the group with a hint of menace in his eyes; Seeing him, the sailors faces changed, and a look of fear appeared. Song Jian looked over to see the burly man wearing an eyepatch on his right eye and sporting two scars on his left cheek like those from a wild beasts claws, making him appear fierce; Water Ghost, the issue between you and our boss was already settled, werent it? one of the sailors spoke sternly, Youre not looking for trouble with us common crew members now, are you? He emphatically increased his tone on the words common crew member; Heh heh, of course. The matter between Sea Wolf and me would not involve you all Water Ghosts face twisted into a ferocious smile as he continued: I just want to ask about this monster encounter of yours. A Shark over ten meters long, do you think youre still living in the Jurassic Period? What kind of Shark did you come across, a Megalodon? Youre really lucky. Why dont you say you met Godzilla? Water Ghost, theres no need to lie to you. The corpse of that monster isnt too far from here. If you go now, you can still find it at the bottom of the sea, 1500 meters down. At the very least, you can surely see some remains, said a sailor with a stern face. The sailor was clever enough not to reveal that the monster was killed by Song Jian and Hao Dong, nor did he mention their names, which added credibility to his story. After that, he no longer paid attention to the brawny man called Water Ghost and led the others towards the backyard of the wooden house; Water Ghost watched their retreating figures, an aggressive look in his eyes, and glanced at the others, asking: A Shark over ten meters long, do you believe it? Chapter 852 - Chapter 852: Chapter 853: Abyss Player_1 Chapter 852: Chapter 853: Abyss Player_1 The brawny men playing poker all showed a mocking expression when Water Ghost mentioned the shark over ten meters long, clearly incredulous that there could be such a shark in these waters; All these men had been sailors before, with at least a decade of experience each. They had heard every ocean legend there was, but most were just tall tales among sailors, none of them true. Yet Water Ghost appeared contemplative, gazing toward the backyard where a few had entered. After a while, he threw his cards onto the table and said, Im going to have a look! Without further ado, Water Ghost headed for the backyard. Whats gotten into Water Ghost? Hasnt the feud between him and Sea Wolf been resolved? asked one of the brawny men, puzzled, as he watched Water Ghost walk away. Resolve a familys grudge just like that? Impossible! Another burly man picked up the cards to reshuffle and deal to the players. But wasnt it said that the Jazz had mediated between them? someone lamented while glancing at their hand, then threw their cards down on the table in annoyance. Of course, thats certain. As long as Jazz is around, I believe their issues are settled, but dont forget, Jazz is already over seventy. Tell me, what will Water Ghost do when Jazz one day passes away? The dealer slowly fondled the cards in his hands, a hint of excitement on his face. Gun down Sea Wolf at his home? shrugged one of the brawny men, unconcernedly. Thats why I have no plans to marry! said another, laying down his cards gently, Three hundred, anybody want to call? First, youd have to find a girl who would even look at you. Ill call with five hundred! laughed the one who began dealing, as he threw a few bills onto the table; Song Jian and Hao Dong followed a few sailors to the backyard, a barren space with only a few apartment blocks lined up. One of the sailors excitedly took out a card, swiped it at the entrance of the first building, and the large door to the apartment opened for them to enter; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.0 For just ten thousand yuan, you can get a card like this, but this lowest-level White Card only lets you go down to the third floor. There are also Green Cards, Blue Cards, and Silver Cards that go deeper, and its said the further down you go, the more fun there is. As for the immortal substance youre talking about, I bet youd have to go where the Silver Card goes to even have a chance to buy it! the sailor said with a grin; So youre saying, you actually arent sure whats really down here? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked; Some things, weve truly never seen with our own eyes, but you cant doubt their existence. Trust me, once youre in here, you can have everything! the sailor said seriously; Taking the elevator, they went all the way down to the third underground level. Before the elevator fully stopped, Song Jian heard the noisy tumult coming through the elevator gap, and noticed the sailors already eager and restless. When the door finally opened, the sailors waved to Song Jian and Hao Dong before rushing out; Song Jian and Hao Dong stepped out of the elevator somewhat baffled. The scene before them was identical to a nightclub in a typical big citywith the DJs loud music, the air thick with the scent of perfume and alcohol, dim laser lights flickering on bustling figures, and a few shabbily dressed girls wildly writhing on stage. So we paid fifty thousand yuan to take a smuggling boat here, just to end up at a nightclub? Hao Dong said, his face an expression of disbelief. Dont say it like that, didnt the captain give you the fifty thousand yuan? Song Jian glanced at Hao Dong as he spoke; Just then, a young man in a suit slowly approached and shouted loudly, Is this your first time here? Do you need a guide? Oh, how do you charge? Song Jian looked at the young man and smiled as he asked; Very cheap, just a thousand yuan for one day! the youth shouted, holding up one finger; Damn Hao Dong was immediately angered, feeling as if the other party was trying to extort them. Song Jian raised his hand to stop Hao Dong from getting angry and nodded, Okay, a thousand! Whats your name? Hey, my name is Zhao Guoming, but you can call me Mingzi. Song Jian had already noticed that this third level underground wasnt just the nightclub-like place before his eyes. Outside, it was almost like a small town, and he even spotted many people who seemed to be game players, wandering around the town; Lets go, lets take a walk outside, its too noisy here, Song Jian said; Zhao Guoming nodded and was about to lead the two men outside when he suddenly paused. In the midst of the noisy music, where even he had to shout to make himself heard, the man before him seemed to be speaking normally, but his voice came through to Zhao Guomings ears crystal clear; Gentlemen, this way, please! Zhao Guoming immediately became much more respectful, leading Song Jian and Hao Dong outside; After passing through another corridor, they stepped onto the streets outside. Zhao Guoming took a deep breath, and his entire being relaxed; To tell the truth, Im not really used to places like that, Zhao Guoming said, touching his nose with a slightly embarrassed expression; Song Jian and Hao Dong paid him no mind and started looking around. The streets here were narrow, but the shops on both sides were almost as good as those in the big cities, probably because of the limited land area. After all, they were only on the third level underground, which was only about a third larger in area than the island above; Noble guests, may I ask why you are here? Zhao Guoming asked respectfully, Are you in search of power, here for trade, or simply to relax and have fun? Oh? Are there so many considerations here? Song Jian asked with a smile, unable to help but glance at a young girl passing by him; She was a girl with Eastern European heritage, her chestnut-red hair like a flaming fire, dancing with her movements, and her figure was outstanding, catching the eye. Hey, BABY! The beautiful girl, noticing Song Jians gaze, wasnt bothered; instead, she blew him a kiss and passed by with a smile; Smoking hot! Hao Dong stared at the back of the girl, swallowing hard, his eyes almost following her as she walked away; Shes also a player, very strong! Song Jian slightly turned his head and whispered into Hao Dongs ear, audible only to the two of them. Song Jian sensed the aroma of the Abyss from this girl, she was a professional player of the Abyss! Chapter 853 - Chapter 853: Chapter 854 Mage_1 Chapter 853: Chapter 854 Mage_1 Seeing the player emanating an Abyssal aura, Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. This player did not have the obvious characteristics of an Abyssal player, such as purplish-blue scales, sinister magic patterns, or the horns on their head. They looked just like ordinary humans, perhaps because they had a special disguise after entering the real world, or maybe because these features simply could not manifest in the real world. For the sake of your safety, I suggest you stay away from that beautiful lady, Zhao Guoming said with a tense face, There are many powerful people here, especially that lady called Enchantress; anyone who gets involved with her ends up in a bad situation. Song Jian smiled slightly and said to Zhao Guoming, Tell us about something interesting here. Were not here just for fun. Song Jian found that despite the number of entertainment facilities here, they still couldnt compare with a big city, at best they were on par with the entertainment level of a second or third-tier city. But there must be something special about this place to attract so many people; Of course, esteemed guests, why dont we go check out the Magic Tower here? They do aptitude testingjust a small fee will allow us to test whether you have the ability to become Mages. If you do have the aptitude, you can learn those cool spells from the Magic Tower! Zhao Guoming said with a beaming smile; Magic Tower? Testing for magical aptitude? Hao Dong, his face full of surprise, whispered, Damn, theres no such place in the game, and yet it exists in the real world. Im starting to have trouble telling which is reality and which is the game! How do you know there isnt a Magic Tower in the game world? Song Jian glanced at Hao Dong, then nodded to Zhao Guoming to lead the way; In reality, there was a Magic Tower within the City of Hopes territory. When it was upgraded from a Level 6 Manor to a city, constructing a Magic Tower was a mandatory requirement. The Magic Tower of the City of Hope had already been upgraded to level 3, but the library of magic books within was not extensive, and the wizard presiding over the Magic Tower would perform magical aptitude testing for the children under twelve in the City of Hope for free every month. If they had the aptitude, they would be taken on as Magic Apprentices. However, for ordinary NPCs to become Mages was incredibly difficult, with apt candidates being one in a hundred thousand. Until now, the Magic Tower of the City of Hope only had three Magic Apprentices; The reason Song Jian wanted to visit the Magic Tower in Sailors Paradise was to understand what differences it had compared to the Magic Tower in the City of Hope; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0. Soon, the three of them arrived at the very edge of the subterranean third-floor area, where Song Jian could even see the uncarved black rocky outer wall. Here, a stone tower that appeared to be only three stories high came into view. Isnt this a bit too shabby? Hao Dong frowned and said; Havent you heard the saying, dear guest, Its not the height of the mountain, but the dragon within that makes it magnificent? Zhao Guoming laughed; Shouldnt it be the presence of immortals makes the mountain famous? Hao Dong looked at Zhao Guoming with disdain and said; Its the same, all the same, hehe. Esteemed guests, would you like to give it a try? Zhao Guoming said; Lets go take a look, Song Jian glanced at the simple stone tower and could indeed feel a surge of magic pulsing within it. It seemed that this was indeed a Magic Tower, although the person who built it must not have been skilled in construction, otherwise it wouldnt look like this. Walking into the stone tower, Song Jian saw that the vast first floor contained only an office desk and a chair. A man dressed in a gray mages robe was lounging with his legs propped up on the desk, eyes closed in repose, a Magic Staff emitting a blue-quality glow casually placed on the table beside his legs; My lord, these two distinguished guests would like to test their magical aptitude! Zhao Guoming said with a fawning smile to the reclined man; Looking over at him, Song Jian saw that the man was only a level 25 mage class. For players, such a level was quite low, but in the eyes of ordinary people in the real world, a level 25 player in possession of magic was both mysterious and powerful. This was evident from Zhao Guomings attitude towards him, which was respectful but tinged with a hint of fear, as well as envy. Five thousand dollars each. Place your hand on that crystal ball, one by one. If the crystal ball lights up, it means you have magical aptitude. If not, then youre just a Muggle! The mage said lazily without even opening his eyes. Five thousand? And in dollars? Damn, do mage jobs earn money like this? If I had known, I wouldve chosen the mage class, Hao Dong muttered softly. Hmm? The reclined mage suddenly opened his eyes and looked over at them: Players? The mage asked tentatively, and seeing Song Jian and Hao Dong smiling amiably at him, the mage immediately understood and his expression soured: You two arent here to cause trouble, are you? Your classes are already fixed, so why come to test for magical aptitude? Were here for the first time and didnt know that this place isnt open to players! Song Jian said with a smile. After handing over a thousand dollars and sending Zhao Guoming away, he spoke to the mage: Perhaps you can tell us what exactly is going on here, why is there a building that only exists in the game? This place is known as Sailors Paradise, but its actually established for players like us! the mage explained. Welcome to this place, which you can actually call Players Paradise. This is essentially a gathering and exchange spot for all players on earth. Oh, then whats the purpose of that player conference in the Philippines? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked curiously. He always felt that the so-called player conference had some intricate connection with this Players Paradise; Actually, the ultimate destination of that player conference is also here! the mage replied. Since its your first time here, take these two badges, As he spoke, the mage drew two silver-quality badges from his chest and handed them to Song Jian and Hao Dong: Silver badges allow access to areas below the ninth floor of the underground, except for the deepest thirteenth floor, which you can enter freely in all other areas! What is this thirteenth floor? Song Jian inquired curiously; Thats a place only accessible to members with golden badges. As long as you have enough Contribution Points, you can exchange for a golden badge! the mage said with a smile: Like me, for example, guarding this Magic Tower, I earn ten Contribution Points every day. Once I accumulate ten thousand points, I can get a golden badge. It really is just like in the game Song Jian played with the silver badge, a playful smile appearing on his face. Chapter 854 - Chapter 854: Chapter 855: The Treasure of the Store_1 Chapter 854: Chapter 855: The Treasure of the Store_1 After hearing the explanation from the Mage, Song Jian suddenly developed a strong interest in this players paradise. Moreover, for players, the true currency here turned out to be the Contribution Points mentioned by the Mage, rather than the earth currency which would only be effective for those ordinary humans who entered; Just like in the games alliance, Contribution Points could be exchanged for many good things, various elixirs produced in the game, equipment, special alchemy blueprints, smithing blueprints, and so on, and there might even be items that permanently increased attributes. Although the variety of items wasnt as rich as in the game, it still broadened Song Jians horizons. Some items that he had only heard of were available here. What surprised Song Jian the most was that this Mage had actually heard of the recipe for Vitality Pills; Following his guidance, Song Jian and Hao Dong came to a shop that looked somewhat shabby. The shop was filled with the scent of herbal medicine. The front hall had display cases with trays inside, each holding pills the size of longan fruit. These pills varied in color and emitted a faint glow from their surfaces, suggesting they were anything but ordinary. Below these trays were small cards detailing the names and uses of these alchemy pills; Song Jian discovered that Alchemy should be a type of life skill similar to Alchemy in the game. Compared to the liquids of Alchemy, Alchemy mostly produced powders or pills that had effects similar, yet there were also many unique aspects; For instance, the reddish pill before Song Jian was also called Vitality Pills, but the card described that its main ingredient was a herb called Vitality Grass rather than bamboo leaves; However, the effect of these Vitality Pills wasnt very impressive, only increasing Vitality Points by 50. For ordinary people with only about a hundred Vitality Points, it would be considered a miraculous elixir that could bring the dead back to life, but for Song Jian, even if it were given to him for free, he would consider it a waste of inventory space; The rest of the pills also mainly had average effects, only suitable for ordinary people or total novices in the game who were below level ten. After browsing for a while, Song Jian and Hao Dong shook their heads slightly; Hao Dong said, At this level, its probably only level three or four Alchemy Skill. For us, its just too low-end! Heh, Alchemy, this lifestyle profession is actually the first Ive seen, not very different from Alchemy, but the effects seem to be more or less the same! Song Jian laughed; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.?0 Just then, a voice came from upstairs, Alchemy is the orthodox skill from Huaxia Daoism, it is countless times stronger than those barbaric Alchemy Skills! Both lifted their heads to look, and a girl in her twenties with a ponytail, wearing a green robe, with sparkling eyes, smiled at Song Jian and Hao Dong as she slowly descended the stairs, I am Meng Tiantian, a level three Alchemist. The items on the first floor are only for those ordinary people. If you two have any needs, please come upstairs to take a look. A level three Alchemist? Hao Dong exclaimed in surprise, Your Alchemy Skill has already reached the Master Level? Meng Tiantian just smiled at him, not saying a word, but gesturing for them to come upstairs; Lets go, lets take a look upstairs, maybe there really are some good things. Hao Dong walked quickly with an excited face, knowing that even in the game, it wasnt easy for regular players to meet a Master Level professional in a lifestyle profession. A Master in blacksmithing or engineering or alchemy was already capable of making transcendent items, not much different in quality from those produced by the system; Song Jian also headed toward the stairs. As he reached Meng Tiantian, he paused and asked softly, In the real world, how do you acquire the herbs for making those alchemy pills? Sorry, thats a secret, not to be told to outsiders! Meng Tiantian declared with a look of self-satisfaction; By the way, I want to start by learning how to make Vitality Pills. I wonder if you could teach me? We can negotiate the fee! Song Jian said with a smile; On the first floor, he had seen that Vitality Pills were probably the easiest in Alchemy Skill, akin to the basic healing potion in Alchemy. It shouldnt be too difficult. You want to learn Alchemy Skill? Meng Tiantian expressed with a face full of surprise. No! Song Jian shook his head and said, I dont want to learn the entire Alchemy Skill, just how to make Vitality Pills! Isnt that the same as wanting to learn Alchemy Skill? Meng Tiantian remained unchanging in expression, If you want to learn how to make basic healing potions, dont you have to learn Alchemy first? Song Jian was taken aback, then nodded and said, You have a point. So, whats the price to learn Alchemy Skill? Although Vitality Pills were easy, the main ingredient was Vitality Grass. Song Jian planned to learn and use bamboo leaves as a substitute for Vitality Grass to see if he could create a different kind of Vitality Pill; Hmph, I wont teach you! Meng Tiantian glanced at Song Jian, lifted her head, and said coldly, then headed towards the second floor; A wry smile appeared on Song Jians face. It seemed that his words had just offended the young lady; If the pills on the second floor are useful to me, Ill buy extra, as an apology, thought Song Jian. When Song Jian reached the second floor, he saw Hao Dong staring at the dazzling array of pills behind the counter, his mouth practically watering. Battle recovery pills, my god, and they only have a two-second cooldown? Hao Dong exclaimed aloud; You should know that consumables that can be used during battle, like healing potions, often have a long cooldown. Advanced Healing Potions have a cooldown of five minutes, so in a fight, you can use at most one bottle; However, the pill in front of Hao Dong could restore more than a thousand Vitality Points in battle, which was better than the effects of an Advanced Healing Potion, and it only had a shockingly short two-second cooldown; If I had a lot of these blood recovery pills, couldnt I take on a BOSS by myself? Hao Dong shouted, since a BOSS of the same level, apart from having strong attacks and defenses, its most formidable aspect is having Vitality Points several times or even dozens of times more than that of a regular player. If Hao Dong could use these pills during battle, he could easily wear down a BOSS of the same level; Song Jian glanced at the pills on the second floor, which were truly worthy of being crafted by a Master Level Alchemy Skill practitioner. There were not only pills for restoring Vitality Points and Spirit Points but also ones that temporarily increased attributes, dispelled diseases, and curses. Most importantly, Song Jian also saw two Second Transformation Golden Pills radiating faint golden light, capable of one-time enhancement of all attributes by five points! How much for these Second Transformation Golden Pills? Song Jian asked, pointing at the two golden pills displayed prominently in the most conspicuous countertop; Hmph, those are the treasures of our shop, for display only, not for sale! Meng Tiantian glanced at Song Jian and said with pride. Chapter 855 - Chapter 855: Chapter 856 Second Transformation Golden Pill_1 Chapter 855: Chapter 856 Second Transformation Golden Pill_1 The second floor is only allowed for players to go up, and commoners are prohibited from ascending. Therefore, ordinary people simply cant come into contact with the elixirs on the second floor. After all, the effects of the elixirs on the first floor are already considered miraculous to them. Too much of a good thing can be harmful, and if they were to see the elixirs from the second floor, they would only find it absurd and believe that the shop was swindling people. In the eyes of common people, the elixirs from the second floor are the kind that only immortals can concoct, they are elixirs of immortality; how could mortals possibly refine such a thing? Thus, they would surely doubt the authenticity of this shop! Meng Tiantian showcased the Second Transformation Golden Pill mainly for the other players to see. On one hand, it demonstrated her own strength, and on the other, it was not without an element of showing off. Seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of Song Jian and Hao Dong, Meng Tiantian felt as sweet as honey inside, very proud of herself, and she didnt try to hide it. She let her pride show blatantly in front of the two men with a admire me, worship me, hurry up and kowtow to me demeanor. This thing, even in the gaming world, must be worth a fortune, right? Hao Dong said, his tongue nearly tying itself in a knot; even in the game, he had never encountered such high-level goods, let alone in the real world. Can I exchange something with you for it? Song Jian asked with a smile; such an elixir was beyond the purchasing power of any currency in the world. If it really could be bought, he suspected that those tycoons on the Forbes list would be willing to trade their entire fortune and life for these two pills! Oh? Items from the game, you say? Show me what youve got, Meng Tiantian said languidly. She had encountered many players who made such requests, but the items taken out from the game were either of very average quality, or she simply found them uninteresting, to say nothing of their value compared to the Second Transformation Golden Pills she crafted; Song Jian gave a slight smile and pulled a green bamboo leaf from his inventory, placing it in front of Meng Tiantian; At the sight of this bamboo leaf, Meng Tiantians face initially displayed scorn, but soon, a seriousness crept over her features. The leaf radiated a faint fragrance that only those with a keen sense of smell could detect, and clearly, Meng Tiantian was no ordinary person; She looked at the bamboo leaf intently for a long while, then, raising her head, she asked Song Jian, May I touch it, to see its properties? Song Jian nodded and gestured for her to proceed. Meng Tiantian gingerly touched the bamboo leaf with her fingertips, as delicately as if the leaf were a fragile treasure. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???0. My god, it really is a rare treasure from heaven and earth. How did you come by such a treasure? Meng Tiantians face was full of amazement as she looked up at Song Jian, her eyes revealing shock. Its just a pale golden plant, whats the big deal? Hao Dong glanced at the bamboo leaf and muttered under his breath. What do you know! Meng Tiantian rolled her eyes at Hao Dong, flipped open the lock of the display case, picked up a Second Transformation Golden Pill, and tossed it to Song Jian, saying, Trade, one emerald treasure bamboo leaf for one Second Transformation Golden Pill! Song Jians eyes lit up. He caught the Golden Pill, but his gaze remained fixed on Meng Tiantian. Meng Tiantians recent actions were quite bold, as though she didnt care about this treasure of the shop, whereas she seemed to value the emerald bamboo leaf even more; A Second Transformation Golden Pill shouldnt be anything remarkable to her eyes, she might be able to refine even stronger elixirs, maybe a third, or even a fourth, fifth Transformation Golden Pill? Song Jian speculated in his mind. The Second Transformation Golden Pill in his hand had a consumption limit of two pills per person, which meant it could instantly boost all attributes by 10 points. If Song Jian had gotten his hands on these two Second Transformation Golden Pills when he first entered the game, his path in the game would have been much easier; After glancing at the other Second Transformation Golden Pill in the display case, Song Jian directly took out another bamboo leaf and said, Another one! Meng Tiantian was taken aback and stared at the bamboo leaf in Song Jians hand, then looked at the one in her hand, her face showing a puzzled expression. She even took out a pill from her bosom and swallowed it, then looked towards the leaf in Song Jians hand; Damn it, such a precious material, and you have two of them! Meng Tiantian said through gritted teeth. She then opened the display case, took out the remaining Second Transformation Golden Pill, and handed it to Song Jian. Song Jian didnt hesitate, and swallowed the two Second Transformation Golden Pills right away. Meng Tiantian wore a look of anticipation for the drama that was about to unfold. Only after Song Jian had swallowed both pills in one go did she slowly say, The power of the Second Transformation Golden Pill is fierce, its best to dissolve it in water before taking it. Moreover, there should be a seven-day interval between taking two such pills to avoid discomfort. She hadnt finished her sentence when Song Jian felt a powerful heat surge from his stomach, spreading towards his limbs and bones. His entire body felt as though it was roasted by an intense flame, his skin turning as red as a cooked shrimp, and wisps of faint steam emanated from his pores; Seeing Song Jians state, Hao Dong was instantly enraged, pointing at Meng Tiantian and shouting, Why didnt you say that sooner! Meng Tiantian chuckled slyly, casually saying, You didnt ask me, and besides, he acted so fast I didnt have the chance to say it! Hao Dong, frustrated and unable to hold back, drew the blue-quality sword he had been clutching. Meng Tiantians expression changed, and she quickly waved her hands, Dont worry, dont worry, its fine. He might suffer for a moment, but it wont cause any damage to his body. Plus, because the power of the pill has erupted all at once, it will expel impurities from his body, equivalent to marrow cleansing and meridian cutting. His physique will even improve slightly! Hao Dong, dont attack! Song Jians face was flushed, but there was no sign of pain on his face. He raised his hand to stop Hao Dong, smilingly looking at Meng Tiantian, The power of the medicine is indeed strong. I wonder if Miss Meng has any better pills, I would like to exchange items for those! Meng Tiantian looked at Song Jian as if he were a monster. Even she would not dare to endure the ferocious power of swallowing two Second Transformation Golden Pills at once. Although marrow cleansing and meridian cutting were beneficial to the body, the pain was not something ordinary people could bear; But now, having taken two Second Transformation Golden Pills, Song Jian was able to speak in less than a minute, which made Meng Tiantian feel as though the pills she made were fake; Are you, you alright now? Meng Tiantian asked cautiously; Still good! Song Jian replied with a smile; At that moment, Meng Tiantian suddenly thought of another possibility, causing her face to abruptly change. Chapter 856 - Chapter 856: Chapter 857: Peaceful Heart Tea_1 Chapter 856: Chapter 857: Peaceful Heart Tea_1 Meng Tiantian stared at Song Jian, uttering each word deliberately, To be able to fully absorb the energy of two Second Transformation Golden Pills in such a short period, you either must have an extraordinary physical constitution that completely disregards the strength of the pills, or the potency of my two pills has diminished. However, I can assure you that these two pills were made just three days ago and there is no chance that their potency has diminished. Thus, there remains only one possibility who exactly are you? Who I am is not important. As far as youre concerned, I am just an ordinary customer who wishes to purchase the alchemy pills that you have on offer! Song Jian said with a smile. In the game he had played before, his attributes had surged enormously, and now they had suddenly increased by another ten points across the board, giving him a sensation of not being able to control his own strength; Even Hao Dong and Meng Tiantian felt that the person before them had suddenly become almost unreala moment he seemed like a towering mountain or a raging ocean unleashing monstrous waves, the next he seemed like an ordinary person from the real world; I dont have any better alchemy pills left. I am closing shop now, both of you, please leave, Meng Tiantian said, essentially throwing them out; Song Jian, noticing her tightly holding two bamboo leaves, asked with a laugh, Are you about to start making Vitality Pills with them? I wonder if I could watch? If the Vitality Pills you make meet my requirements, perhaps we could form a long-term partnership! The Jade Treasure Bamboo would grow thirty leaves every ten days. Initially, Song Jian had wanted to study Alchemy Skill and make Vitality Pills himself, but in reality, he neither had the energy nor the time. Even the engineering manufacturing and Alchemy skills he had mastered had not been improved for a long time, still lingering at the elementary levels five and six; Moreover, if he were to start learning Alchemy Skill from scratch, as well as the production of Vitality Pills, it would likely result in a massive wastea waste that would not be just a few hundred or thousand Doomsday Coins but could amount to hundreds of thousands, or even millions of Doomsday Coins. Seeing this shop and meeting Meng Tiantian gave Song Jian a sudden flash of insight. He could completely entrust Meng Tiantian with making the Vitality Pills, similar to how he had others prepare the Miraculous Snake Meat. Letting professionals handle professional tasks was the best way to maximize benefits; Hmph, collaborate? What qualifications do you have to collaborate with me? Meng Tiantian said pompously, her nose turned up in arrogance: Unless you can produce ten more leaves like these, its best if the two of you leave quickly. Dont think that just because I am an alchemist, Im easy to bully. You should know that Oh my god, you actually have so many! While she was speaking, Song Jian had already taken out twenty Jade Treasure Bamboo leaves from his bag, placing them one by one on the display counter, grinning at Meng Tiantian. Now, are you interested in discussing a partnership with me? Song Jian asked with a smile; At that moment, Meng Tiantians face was a picture of shock; she stared blankly at Song Jian for a full ten seconds before her expression suddenly changed, blooming into a bright smile; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?. Esteemed guest, please, come upstairs. The tea I brew is quite good. Shall we go up and talk over a cup of tea? Meng Tiantian said gently, curtseying to Song Jian with a sweet voice; Very well, Song Jian nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he gathered the twenty Jade Treasure Bamboo leaves and walked leisurely towards the staircase; Meng Tiantians eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Song Jian collect the Jade Treasure Bamboo leaves, a faint look of distress flashing across her face, but it quickly disappeared, and she followed behind Song Jian slowly towards the upstairs. Ah, in that case I Hao Dong said anxiously, stepping forward, ready to follow upstairs, but Meng Tiantian stretched out her hand to stop him and said fiercely, The alchemy area is off-limits to outsiders. The general public, please wait outside the shop! Just as Hao Dong was about to argue, he suddenly felt an overwhelming force rush towards him, and the world spun around him. He lost control of his body, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself standing dumbfounded in front of the store that sold elixir medicines; Although Song Jian had already stepped up to the third floor, he was clearly aware of the scene where Hao Dong was driven out. He seemed to clearly visualize in his mind the scene of Hao Dong standing foolishly in front of the shop, as if he were standing right beside Hao Dong. By now, Song Jians Spirit Points had risen to one hundred and fifty-five. After exceeding one hundred and fifty points, Song Jian felt his perception was broader, with more details and clarity. It was as if he had a pair of omniscient, omnipotent eyes that could see every detail within ten meters around his bodycrystal clear, as long as he wished to see it. Upon reaching the third floor of the shop, which seemed to be an alchemy room, there was a meter-tall, bronze elixir stove in the corner still radiating intense heat. Whiffs of fragrance wafted from the stove, and at the top, white cloud-like flowers continuously formed and dissipated; On one side of the third floor was a small partitioned area with tea sets. Meng Tiantian led Song Jian to this area, then began boiling water and preparing tea; Song Jian noticed that Meng Tiantian carefully picked out a few tea leaves from a porcelain jar. As she picked them, she seemed to feel that she had taken too many, and her hand shook slightly. She then let a few leaves drop back into the jar; Meng Tiantian smiled at Song Jian and said, This tea is called Peaceful Heart Tea, it can calm the mind and filter ones aura, enhancing enlightenment. Its quite valuable! After placing a tea leaf in the porcelain cup in front of Song Jian, Meng Tiantian poured hot water over it. Moments later, the cup emitted an enticing fragrance, as if placing one amid nature itself. Truly amazing! Song Jian laughed, drinking the tea in one gulp, even swallowing the leaf that remained; Song Jians action caused Meng Tiantians brows to furrow slightly, but she quickly pretended not to see and continued to sip her tea in small, delicate sips; After finishing the tea, Song Jian suddenly fell into a state of enlightenment. Thoughts raced through his mind at lightning speed, inspirations surged forth like springs, yet when Song Jian tried to grasp and retain them, he caught none; After some time, Song Jian slowly exhaled a breath of murky air and opened his eyes. At that moment, his eyes flashed like lightning, emitting a dazzling light, which when it fell upon Meng Tiantians face, made her feel a sense of prickling pain. However, like the radiance in Song Jians eyes, the sensation soon vanished completely. At this point, an enlightenment status appeared in Song Jians status bar, lasting one hour; he felt that his mental strength was constantly evolving every moment under this state of enlightenment, becoming more solid. The increase in Mental Strength due to the attribute surge was also gradually condensing again, and that sense of control returned to his body; Chapter 857 - Chapter 857: Chapter 858 Phase-3 Golden Pill_1 Chapter 857: Chapter 858 Phase-3 Golden Pill_1 Meng Tiantian saw a surprised look flash across Song Jians face and said with a slight smile, Take a look at your skill column, is there a new change? When Song Jian opened his skill column, he was shocked to find that his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision had unexpectedly advanced to level 3; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision (Active), Level 3 (1%), Skill Effect: Summon 3-36 Spirit Swords, causing (number*140% weapon damage) points of damage to the target, and each Spirit Sword has a chance to deepen the damage to the target; Attack Range: 1000 meters; Skill Consumption: 110 points of Invisible Sword Qi; Skill Cooldown: 10 seconds; Skill Description: This skill is one of the core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, condensing myriad Spirit Swords, gathering myriad sword techniques, Qi filling heaven and earth, Sword Qi pointing in all directions, thousands of swords staring down, mountains crumbling, seas splitting, heavens turning, and earth overturning! This skill cannot be improved through mastery but only by consuming other skills/skill books! It, it actually advanced a level? Song Jian said in surprise. One must know that the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision can only be improved by consuming other skills, and the higher the skill level and tier, the more mastery gained; But now, a so-called Pure Heart Tea had actually increased the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision by one level, which made Song Jian feel an unexpected delight; What, it only advanced one level? Meng Tiantians face showed a puzzled expression, and it took a while before she came to a realization and said, It seems that your skill has a pretty high tier, at least a gold quality or above, right? Song Jian smiled slightly but did not answer, his eyes and eyebrows however, could not hide his sheer joy. Is this tea for sale? Song Jian pointed at the porcelain jar next to Meng Tiantian, where the tea leaves were placed, and asked; Pure Heart Tea works best the first time you drink it, afterwards, the effect decreases with each subsequent use, and it will not enhance the skill level anymore, only entering an Epiphany state, and after ten times, it will become a regular beverage! Meng Tiantian explained. Even so, its worth a fortune. One leaf can save several skill points; a trade like this, I believe many players would be happy to make! Song Jian said with a smile; Sure, one piece of Cuibao bamboo leaf for one leaf of Pure Heart Tea! Meng Tiantian said with a sly look in her eyes, smiling. Song Jian was about to agree but suddenly felt something was amiss, and turned his head to look at the potted plant placed on the windowsill; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.?? It was a plant over a foot long with iron-blue stems, robust and powerful, reflecting a metallic luster as it curved upward, resembling clouds and mist, with green-black leaves the size of fingertips growing on it; The potted plant at first glance seemed nothing special, but Song Jian could smell the fragrance emanating from this plant, which was exactly the same as the aroma of the Pure Heart Tea he had drunk before; Following Song Jians gaze, Meng Tiantian turned her head to look and her face changed dramatically when she saw that plant, and she cursed under her breath, Damn, how could I have placed it there! Oh, well, lets talk about a collaboration! Meng Tiantian clapped her hands and said to Song Jian, Maybe you want to see me personally crafting a batch of Vitality Pills, to see how effective they are? Song Jian withdrew his gaze and smiled, Of course, I hope it will turn out as we expected! No problem, in fact, pill refining is even more complex than medicine making. First, you must have an alchemy furnace like this one, the Four-Direction Divine Beast Furnace, a tier-3 alchemy furnace, capable of refining pills up to the third grade. It can also refine fourth-grade pills, but the failure rate would increase significantly! Meng Tiantian pointed at the bronze furnace that was burning with fierce flames as she spoke; Dont you need to be present during the pill refining process? Song Jian was quite surprised; he knew that even with his portable medicine-making station, he had to be present during the concoction process, or else the success rate of the potions would be frighteningly low. Of course, I can temporarily leave during the medicine-making process as long as I control the heat well. I only need to keep a close eye on it at the very end. After all, collecting the pills requires a special technique that relates to the final quality and quantity of the pills! Meng Tiantian explained. As they were talking, the alchemy furnace, which had been still up until now, began to vibrate slightly. The white smoke emanating from it got thicker, and the cluster of white mist flowers that had formed above the furnace started to dissipate quickly, replaced by ferocious beasts made of condensed mist, all making fierce growling and roaring motions; One after another, beasts made of white mist formed and dissipated, with not a single beast resembling another; At this moment, Meng Tiantian swiftly walked to the front of the alchemy furnace, her right hand quickly forming seals, and streaks of spiritual light burst forth from her fingertips, continually touching the alchemy furnace; As the spiritual light collided with the alchemy furnace, ripples of light pulsated outward. Soon, the alchemy furnace started to become transparent, revealing the scene inside; Inside, a mass of golden liquid was churning within the furnace. As more spiritual light struck the furnace, the rolling golden solution began to shake and, in a short while, turned into dozens of droplets the size of fingernails. Each droplet shook as if trying to merge together, but soon enough, a droplet would burst with a pop, turning into a clump of black residue that fell to the bottom of the furnace; One by one, the droplets all broke apart over time, turning into black slag. At this point, Meng Tiantian, drenched in sweat, continued to strike the furnace with spiritual light; Eventually, nearly all the liquid droplets disappeared, and in the furnace, only the last droplet remained intact, solidifying slowly and eventually forming a round, smooth pill that rolled continuously along the furnaces inner wall; Out! Accompanied by a light shout from Meng Tiantian, the lid of the furnace made a muffled thud. A rich fragrance emanated from inside the furnace, the lid automatically popped open, and the golden pill that had been revolving inside was ejected. When it met the air, it quickly solidified, and its color began to change; The previously rich golden hue, as if it was all retracted into the pill itself, now exuded only a faint golden luminescence; Ive finally succeeded once! Meng Tiantian looked at the pill in her palm, her eyes showing a relieved expression, The Phase-3 Golden Pill, Ive finally refined the Phase-3 Golden Pill! A joyful smile appeared on Meng Tiantians face. Ignoring the pills residual warmth, she immediately took the pill to a cubicle, dropped it into a teacup, and then poured Enlightenment Tea over it. When the pill had completely dissolved into a cup of light golden liquid, Meng Tiantian grabbed the teacup and swallowed the pill fluid in one gulp, almost exactly replicating Song Jians earlier performance with the Enlightenment Tea. Chapter 858 - Chapter 858: Chapter 859 Introduction_1 Chapter 858: Chapter 859 Introduction_1 A Phase-3 Golden Pill? The one you just refined was a Phase-3 Golden Pill? What effects does it have? Song Jian asked curiously. He had not seen the specific attributes of the Phase-3 Golden Pill, but the name alone suggested that its effects should be much better than those of the Second Transformation Golden Pill. This is my first successful refinement, it was so difficult! This is a fourth-grade pill, and being able to refine it depended purely on luck. It looks like my luck is pretty good, yay! Meng Tiantian seemed very happy, her face full of smiles; A Second Transformation Golden Pill increased five points of all attributes, while a Phase-3 Golden Pill could increase at least eight, perhaps even more. Song Jian estimated silently. Even if Meng Tiantian didnt pass the first stage of combat power assessment, by the time she reached level thirty, her overall attributes would hardly be inferior to those who passed the A-grade assessment. If she managed to pass even a B-grade assessment, the boost in her attributes might well compare to an S-grade player; Can I pre-order some Phase-3 Golden Pills? Song Jian asked. The more of these attribute-enhancing pills, the better. Even if there was a limit on how many each person could use, there were a lot of people in the City of Hope Alliance, so even one pill per person would require a large batch; The materials have all been used up, that was the last batch! Meng Tiantian shook her head: The success rate for Phase-3 Golden Pills is too low, its not cost-effective. However, I can mass-produce First Grade Golden Pellets now, do you want some? Theres plenty, and theyre cheaper, each person can use three! First Grade Golden Pellets? How much do they enhance attributes? Song Jian asked; One point! Meng Tiantian said, somewhat embarrassed, as she raised a finger; Song Jian nodded. Compared to the Second Transformation, the First Grade Golden Pellets were much less effective, but compared to attribute fruits that cost hundreds of thousands, or even millions, they were just as effective. We can talk. I need First Grade Golden Pellets, too! said Song Jian: But first lets look at the Vitality Pills youve refined. Well discuss everything together later. Meng Tiantian nodded, realizing that Song Jian was a major client and became more cautious; After clearing out the Alchemy Furnace, Meng Tiantian began to refine Vitality Pills. Vitality Pills were only first-grade pills, now only replacing Vitality Grass with Bamboo Leaf, all the refinement processes were the same, and it didnt take long to make a batch; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0. The flames rose, and all the materials inside the furnace turned into a medicinal liquid, a light bitter scent wafted from the furnace, and a pale green mist rose, condensing into a bamboo above the furnace, swaying gently; Its rare for a first-grade pill to condense a pill essence! Meng Tiantian said with a look of surprise on her face, unable to help herself; Before long, Meng Tiantian cast out several spiritual lights, and the Vitality Pills were successfully refined, this batch actually producing more than a dozen reddish pills. Vitality Pills, rare, Effect 1: Permanently increases 1 point of stamina, 10 Vitality Points, Usage limit: 10 pills; Effect 2: Instantly recovers 3000 Vitality Points, cooldown time 5 seconds; Not bad at all, a first-grade pill with properties comparable to a third-grade pill. Its just a bit of a waste to recover 3000 Vitality Points no player has that much Vitality Points now Meng Tiantian evaluated as she looked at the reddish pills in her hands; Ordinary Vitality Pills, also first-grade pills without permanent attribute enhancement, could only restore fifty Vitality Points compared to the current pill, the difference was like heaven and earth; The change was all because the main ingredient had been switched to Bamboo Leaf. Meng Tiantian clearly understood, taking two pills from these, then giving the rest to Song Jian saying, A tip, no problem, right? Song Jian nodded: From now on, Ill supply the Bamboo Leaves, you provide the rest of the auxiliary materials. Out of the pills refined, I only want ten per batch, the rest are yours. How does that sound for a distribution? Vitality Pills were the most basic of first-grade pills, and the auxiliary materials were not highly valuable, plus the refining time was short. This batch produced twelve Vitality Pills. Song Jian only wanted ten, so the remaining two were Meng Tiantians. As Meng Tiantian heard it, her face immediately showed a satisfied smile, and she nodded eagerly: Great, great, well go with that arrangement. Hahaha! You see, this was just the first attempt at refining, and Meng Tiantian could still adjust some details. As a first-grade pill, for her, an Alchemy Grandmaster, failure was not a possibility, and there was even room for improvement in the refining method. Refining thirteen or even more in a batch was not impossible. The most important thing was that after just refining one batch, she had found that her proficiency in Alchemy Skill had increased by a point. Usually, her proficiency only increased when refining fourth-grade pills, and refining first-grade pills could no longer raise her proficiency. But now, refining Vitality Pills also added a point, which was an unexpected joy; Next, the two discussed the purchase of First Grade Golden Pellets. The First Grade Golden Pellets were second-grade pills, pricey, but much cheaper than Attribute Fruit only about one-tenth of the price of Attribute Fruit. For Song Jian, it was absolutely affordable. Even if the alliance players used them all, they could still be sold externally there was no loss overall; In fact, what Song Jian really wanted to purchase were Second Transformation and even Phase-3 Golden Pills, but given Meng Tiantians current skill level, the success rate of refining Second Transformation Golden Pills was only one-eighth, and for Phase-3 Golden Pills, it was a matter of luck, with more than ten batches possibly not yielding a single success, and the materials were even harder to find. Even if Song Jian wanted to reserve them, it was not possible. They had to wait until Meng Tiantians Alchemy Skill improved another level; After the transaction was completed, Song Jian suddenly realized that this place seemed very suitable for players to reside in as a temporary haven from official scrutiny, and additionally, there were many player-run stores here, just like in the game. These players were spread across every corner of the game, usually impossible to contact for trades, but here, trading was a breeze. Some would even deliver goods first and settle up later with Doomsday Coins in the game, very convenient. I wonder what conditions are needed to reside here? Song Jian asked; Meng Tiantians eyebrows arched as she asked, Are you planning to live here? I can be your reference, its very easy, you just need to go through some procedures. Come on, lets register now! It seemed Meng Tiantian was even more eager than Song Jian, pulling him outside; After closing the shop, Meng Tiantian dragged Song Jian to a stone house, banging on the door and shouting, Old man, old man, open the door! Ive got a player who wants to live here! Chapter 859 - Chapter 859: Chapter 860 Residence_1 Chapter 859: Chapter 860 Residence_1 Song Jian followed Meng Tiantian into a rather shabby-looking stone house. As he entered, he was struck by a blinding beam of light and couldnt help but shield his eyes with a hand; Once he had adjusted to the rooms light, he was startled to discover that he had come to an island. Warm sunlight was overhead, and the sea water gently lapped around him. Even the air carried a faint salty, fishy scent; This place was supposed to be an underground space, and although it was fully equipped with electric lights, it still felt somewhat dim compared to the outside world. However, the scene before him made Song Jian feel as though he had passed through a Teleportation Gate to another location; Looking back, a wooden door stood incongruously behind him, completely out of place with the surrounding scenery; At the moment, he and Meng Tiantian were standing on a pristine white sand beach where an old man, dressed in Hawaiian-style shorts, was lazily reclining in a chair, sipping juice and basking in the sun. Around him, a pair of seagulls soared in the air, occasionally swooping down to steal some dried fruit snacks beside the lounger; Meng Tiantian, having evidently been to this place many times before, showed no sign of surprise. Instead, she ran up to the old man, picked up the untouched glass of juice, and took a big gulp. Then, letting out a refreshed sigh, she grabbed some of the dried fruit snacks from beside her and popped them into her mouth; I say, Tiantian, you always use some excuse to come here and nibble away. If you keep this up, be careful I might never let you in again, the old man, with his eyes closed in repose, sighed and slowly opened his eyes; Song Jian, looking into those eyes that seemed filled with the vicissitudes of the ages, thought he saw a universe flare into existence and then extinguish in an instant within them. Yet, when he came back to his senses and looked again, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The old man before him appeared no different from those frail, hunched-over elders in the real world, those that seemed as though a gust of wind could knock them down. This time its different; Im here to introduce a player to settle here! Meng Tiantian said, cheeks full and speaking with some difficulty. Player? The old man looked toward Song Jian with a smile across his face, yet there was a strange sparkle in his eyes. In that instant, Song Jian felt as if the old man could see right through him, which made him uncomfortable. He couldnt help but frown; Hmm, your perception is very strong, young man. Your spirit attribute must have already broken a hundred, right? The old mans face showed a curious tinge, and he nodded, saying, You can call me Mu Xianzhi, old Mu, or just old man like the girl does if you prefer! Mu Xianzhi stood up, gripping a wooden cane next to his chair, and shuffled towards the back of the beach. Behind a huge rock, he fumbled for a moment and then pulled out a badge that emanated a golden glow, returning and handing it to Song Jian, Drop a drop of blood on it, and it will belong to you. You will be able to freely enter any area from the first to the thirteenth level! A golden badge, old man, are you sure he qualifies for this? Meng Tiantian exclaimed in surprise. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?.? You see, ordinary players, when they come here, can at most receive a silver-quality badge, allowing them to enter only up to the twelfth level, never the thirteenth. Without enough Contribution Points, it is impossible to obtain a golden-quality badge; The Mage who had assessed the qualifications before was arduously accumulating experience and earning Contribution Points, hoping to enhance the quality of his badge. Moreover, if Hao Dong wanted to settle here too, at most hed be able to use a silver badge, albeit with some additional permissions. His strength is more than enough to be the Guardian of this little island. Dont you trust the old mans judgment? Mu Xianzhi glanced at Meng Tiantian as he spoke. Alright, if the old man thinks he can do it, then he definitely can, Meng Tiantian said, rubbing her nose. Guardian, what is that? Song Jian fiddled with the badge in his hand, asking; This was a badge made in the real world, with no attributes, but Song Jian discovered that inside the badge there was a tiny electronic chip. Its just an identity, with it you can have a place to live on this small island, you can open a shop like me, or even build a villa, whatever you like. Plus, you can freely enter and exit the thirteenth layer. Actually, only players who can enter the thirteenth layer are considered real island residents! Meng Tiantian explained, showing off her own badge as she spoke, If I werent an Alchemy Grandmaster, I wouldnt have been able to get such a badge! Meng Tiantians badge, also golden, was displayed briefly and then tucked back into her chest; Alright, that settles it! Mu Xianzhi slouched lazily back into his chair and said to Song Jian, Go have a look at the thirteenth layer first. If you like, you can report your game identity and activity area, and maybe youll get some help. Of course, you can also lend a hand to others, and thats also a way to earn Contribution Points. For the true residents of the island, Contribution Points are as valuable as Doomsday Coins, you can never have too many. Tiantian, take him to pick out a place to live, I dont mind that you just snuck some of my drink and snacks. After leaving Mu Xianzhis stone house, Song Jian and Meng Tiantian returned to the dimly lit streets; Do you need me to take you to the thirteenth layer? The guide fee is just ten Contribution Points, Meng Tiantian said with a smile; I just got this badge, how could I possibly have any Contribution Points? Are you saying you can run a tab here? Song Jian asked; Every newbies badge comes with ten Contribution Points! Meng Tiantian chuckled, a sly look in her eyes. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian still shook his head, No thanks, lets head to the living quarters first, its almost time to enter the game. Such a miser! Meng Tiantian rolled her eyes and said, Which layer do you plan to live on? The lower you go, the smaller the living space, the higher, the larger it gets. If youre willing to live in the underground first layer, you can have a three-hundred-square-meter residence! The third underground layer is mostly inhabited by ordinary people, living there has no meaning, its better to go down a bit. Although the environment is worse, most of the neighbors are players, making it easier to interact; Lets stay on this layer, having more players around is better! Song Jian said; Oh, right, the little building next to mine seems to be vacant, why dont you live there? Itll be more convenient for you to deliver materials to me in the future, Meng Tiantian suggested. But that place used to be inhabited by an Undead Sorcerer, and it seems theres still a restless spirit lingering inside. If you live there, you could conveniently take care of it! Chapter 860 - Chapter 860: Chapter 861 Assessment_1 Chapter 860: Chapter 861 Assessment_1 Song Jian didnt return to his residence, but instead went to Meng Tiantians shop and handed over all the emerald bamboo leaves in his package to Meng Tiantian before directly entering the game; Back in the game, it was now early morning in the virtual world. Although there were still clouds in the sky, they had thinned out considerably. The morning sun filtered through the clouds, casting its light over the surrounding greenery, making everything appear so peaceful. Of course, if there werent any players trying to uproot trees with their bare hands nearby, Song Jians experience would be even better. New players were still arriving in this world. Like the other cities, the City of Hope now allowed newcomers to familiarize themselves with this new world rather than directly facing monsters, giving them enough time to adapt; However, for new players, the initial task was always to collect wood, amassing their first batch of funds, then to buy one or two general Skill Books before leaving the city to fight monsters and level up. In this way, compared to when Song Jian and his companions first arrived in the game and had to fight monsters barehanded, the situation was a hundred times better. The death rate had plummeted, and as long as they didnt seek out death, players could generally grow smoothly; Truly blissful! Song Jian, watching a few young players diligently gathering wood outside the castle, couldnt help but exclaim; Just then, several lines of system prompts suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian; System: The 138th Unique Profession Assessment is about to begin. Do you wish to start? System: You have two remaining chances to refuse. If you refuse again next time, your qualification token will vanish forever; System: Your Combat Power has reached the first tier. You will directly pass the initial selection phase and can immediately enter the competition; Unique Profession Assessment? Song Jian was taken aback. He remembered Cecilia mentioning that such qualification events only selected reserve qualifiers, which meant they were effectively the reserve team for a Unique Profession. Moreover, sometimes the person bestowed with a Unique Profession wouldnt necessarily come from these reserves Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0?0. Oh well, lets go have a look. Maybe I can discover more information about the Swordsman Immortal profession! Song Jian mused to himself and directly chose Start. In his package, the black token that had always been there suddenly turned into a beam of black light, enveloping Song Jian as if he was encased in a black Light Cocoon; Next, a pitch-black Space-Time Rift appeared at the spot where Song Jian stood, and the Light Cocoon engulfing him plunged into the rift. After a short while, the Space-Time Rift slowly vanished, as if it had never existed. Song Jian felt the world spinning around him, like he had been thrown into a washing machine. But soon, he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and the black Light Cocoon wrapping around him gradually faded until it disappeared. Now, Song Jian found himself standing in a vast square. There were already quite a few people there, with black Light Cocoons descending like meteors onto the square. The scene looked magnificent; This, there must be at least a thousand people here, right? Song Jian surmised, spotting a person every few meters and unable to see the end. Above, swarms of black Light Cocoons kept falling, with new arrivals appearing continuously in the square; Eh, Zhang Hong? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he saw a bald monk not far from him, bowing his head with slightly closed eyes, holding a Magic Staff as if he were a venerable monk of high virtue. This was the martial monk Zhang Hong, whom he had encountered before and who was also a monk in the real world, with the monastic name Hongyi. Looking at his level, he had already advanced to level forty, which was even higher than Song Jians; Moreover, Song Jian could feel that around Zhang Hong, there seemed to be a chilly aura faintly lingering, as if many ghosts were entwining around him. At this moment, Zhang Hong appeared motionless, his head hanging low, but in reality, he was continuously observing the surroundings with the corner of his eye. Due to the angle, however, he had not noticed Song Jian. But when Song Jians gaze fell on him, Zhang Hong seemed to sense something. His left ear twitched slightly as if trying to detect who had set their eyes on him. Seeing Zhang Hongs reaction, Song Jian smiled slightly and didnt mind. He casually shifted his gaze away and began to assess the condition of the other players around. Before long, a look of surprise appeared on Song Jians face. None of the players standing in the square were below level thirty-five, but there were not many who possessed second-tier combat power. It was important to note that, in order to pass the first-tier combat power assessment world, aside from strong strength, luck also played a significant part. Hence, many people failed their first assessment and could only wait for the second one a month later, or even more. However, attempting the first-tier combat power assessment was not always an option. If one tried more than five times or if their level exceeded forty, they would permanently lose the chance to pass the first-tier combat power assessment, effectively losing dozens of attribute points forever. But this didnt prevent them from attempting the second-tier combat power assessment. Once their level reached fifty, they could confidently undertake the second-tier combat power assessment, and upon passing, they would still receive attribute points as reward. However, for those players who had not passed the first-tier combat power assessment, without the additional ten or sometimes dozens of attribute points, the difficulty of passing the second-tier combat power assessment would be multiplied several times over, and very few players managed to accomplish this. After waiting for half an hour, the dark Light Cocoons in the sky gradually diminished until there were none left. By that time, Song Jian roughly estimated that there were over three thousand players standing in the square, though this number could be higher, as many were beyond the range of his sight. Just then, the entire square suddenly began to tremble slightly, and a large altar, hundreds of square meters in size, slowly rose from the center of the square. When the altar finally settled, its height had exceeded thirty meters. Everyones attention was drawn to the altar, and atop it, one by one, teleportation gates began to light up. Once stable, the number of gates had reached ten. At this moment, everyone simultaneously received a system prompt: System: Players participating in the selection race, please enter the light gates within thirty seconds; otherwise, it will be treated as forfeiture. Damn it! Hearing this system prompt, many players let out an angry curse and rushed hurriedly towards the altar in the square. The positions occupied by the players were determined by the time they had chosen to accept. The earlier they made the choice, the further they were from the altar. The later, the farther away from the altar they were. Those who were beyond the range of Song Jians vision would likely fail the selection race if they did not possess abilities like teleportation or an Acceleration Skill. Before long, the number of people on the square had reduced by two-thirds, and a faint red glow emerged on the surface of the others. After ten seconds, those who were still standing in place also received a system prompt: Chapter 861 - Chapter 861: Chapter 862 Begin_1 Chapter 861: Chapter 862 Begin_1 Song Jian looked around, and there were only about a third of the people left standing in their original spots, just like him, they had all passed the phase one combat power assessment. Looking at the red glow emanating from his body, Song Jian immediately had a very bad feeling, because the light was just too similar to flowing blood, and he even caught a whiff of a bloody scent at the tip of his nose; Soon, after all the players who had entered the selection competition vanished, another system prompt appeared before the eyes of Song Jian and the others still present; System: Please get ready, you will be transported into the Trial Space in ten seconds, and the method of entry will be random; ten, nine, eight, seven A countdown timer appeared before Song Jians eyes, and in the instant time ran out, everyone turned into a beam of red light that shot up into the sky, the spectacle was quite magnificent; But for Song Jian and the remaining players, the feeling wasnt very pleasantthe sensation of being tossed into a washing machine resurfaced, followed by dizziness, as if someone had punched him hard in the stomach, making him feel like vomiting; When he finally managed to steady himself, he couldnt help but lean against a damaged wall, heaving non-stop; this feeling was even more intense than the dizziness he had experienced when he first entered the game. At that moment, the system prompt appeared again; System: You have entered the Trial Space City after a nuclear war, with the number of players entering this Trial Space being: 385; System: Please find protective gear within ten minutes, otherwise, you will continuously lose Vitality Points, and as time goes on, the rate at which Vitality Points are lost will increase, until you enter a critical state; System: The trial mode is survival mode, when the number of players in the Trial Space is reduced to one, the trial will end. System: On the edges of the Trial Space, a toxic aura will appear, shrinking its range by one kilometer randomly every ten minutes; players within the toxic aura will continuously lose Vitality Points, and protective gear will become ineffective; System: In this Trial Space, players will not truly die; once the damage taken exceeds their own threshold, an Invincibility Aura will be triggered, and players who trigger the Invincibility Aura will be teleported out of the Trial Space, failing the trial; those who fail will receive a bonus of all attributes increased by 1 point; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.?? System: After thirty minutes, the winners of the selection competition will descend into the various Trial Spaces one after another, please be cautious of these competitors! Like a waterfall, the system prompts appeared in front of Song Jian, and at the same time, a ten-minute countdown timer also appeared. Simultaneously, Song Jian felt a stinging pain on his exposed skin as if pricked by needles, his Vitality Points began to inexplicably decrease, and above his head floated numbers indicating -1 damage; This kind of loss was completely bearable for Song Jian, as the rate at which his Vitality Points recovered ensured he could survive in such an environment indefinitely; But Song Jian still actively started searching for the so-called protective gear, knowing well that this bleeding would gradually intensify with time, and eventually, it would become more than he could handle; This city was very much like the previously encountered Doomsday City, seemingly abandoned for hundreds of years, with a great deal of greenery having enveloped all the buildings, even the wide roads were cracked, with various plants spreading out from the gaps. The only difference from Doomsday City was that this city was utterly lifeless, without any signs of living creatures, not even a single monster; Song Jian randomly burst into a shop, where he discovered a bottle of beverage placed on the counter that was completely out of place with its surroundings, looking as if there wasnt a speck of dust on it, as though someone had just put it there. It was only when Song Jian picked up the beverage that he realized it was an energy drink for restoring Spirit Points, and that this bottle could only be used within the Assessment Space. Once he left the Assessment Space, the beverage would instantly disappear; The moment Song Jian picked up this beverage, all the recovery items in his inventory, whether they were for restoring Vitality Points or Spirit Points, whether they were for use in combat or only outside of combat, all turned gray. From that moment on, these recovery items could no longer be taken out of the inventory, becoming sealed; When Song Jian realized something was wrong and threw away the beverage in his hand, the sealed status of the recovery items in his inventory did not disappear. He checked, and they would not vanish until he left the sealed space; Damn it! Song Jians face turned ashen as he turned back and picked up the beverage again; Just by touching a potion, similar items I have will be sealed. If I pick up equipment or weapons, will they also seal my equipment and weapons, making them unusable? Song Jian suddenly became vigilant. Out of more than three hundred people, only one could remain in the end. Though it was called a survival trial, once the players encountered each other, battle was their only choice; Song Jian had many supplies in his inventory, which were now all sealed, meaning his logistical advantage had disappeared, and he needed to collect more items like the beverage; After searching the entire shop, Song Jian found two bottles of pills for replenishing Vitality Points; By then, the prickling pain on his skin was becoming more and more intense. Song Jian dared not delay and rushed to the next room. His primary concern now was not these supplies, but to find a protective suit within ten minutes; After searching three rooms in a row, Song Jian finally found a protective suit in a clothing shop. It was made of a film resembling plastic, light as a feather, and weightless when worn; Upon donning this protective suit, the prickling pain on his skin immediately disappeared, and his Vitality Points began to slowly recover, but what frustrated Song Jian was that after picking up the suit, all of his equipment, except for the necklace, accessories, and rings, were automatically removed and sealed in his inventory; This meant that at that moment, Song Jian was as if he had left the game and returned to the real world, losing all equipment bonuses; Its simply unpredictable, but all players who entered here should have lost their equipment bonuses as well, otherwise, theyll be automatically kicked out after ten minutes! Song Jian thought to himself; Song Jians equipment was far superior to most players. With the supplies and equipment sealed, the gap between him and the other players began to slowly close; I cant keep picking up items in this space, or else my accessories, rings, and necklaces might also get sealed! Song Jian thought to himself; But just then, an item emitting a purple-red glow suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian, causing him to open his mouth wide in disbelief. PS: Thanks to Hopes for Tomorrow for tipping 100 starting coins~ Chapter 862 03-25 - Chapter 862: Chapter 863 Elimination_1 Chapter 862: Chapter 863 Elimination_1 ` Damn it, how can this be? Song Jians eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and an expression of shock appeared on his face. He looked at the weapon in front of him, radiating a purplish-red glow, and cursed inwardly, Epic weapons, damn it, have epic weapons become as common as cabbages here, starting to flood the streets? This was, after all, an epic dagger. In this Trial Space, were epic weapons just casually thrown around on the streets? Song Jians equipment had been sealed, but his weapons had not been sealed and could be summoned at any moment. However, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword was only an epic-quality one-handed sword, which he had obtained after paying a great price and spending a lot of time. But now, a weapon of the same quality as the Sky-breaking Sword was blatantly placed before him, making all his previous efforts seem like a joke. However, Song Jian was certain that such weapons could only be used within the Trial Space and couldnt be taken out. Yet, this would increase the chances of other players obtaining epic weapons, further narrowing the gap between him and the other players. Song Jian gave the weapon a resentful glance, gritted his teeth, and turned his head to search elsewhere; apart from a protective suit, he now wore only a single layer of clothes with no defensive power, and had to find more armor. If youve got the guts, let me find a few pieces of epic armor! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, Song Jian suddenly saw a piece of equipment radiating a dark gold glow casually placed on a garbage can at a corner of a distant street. While this made Song Jian feel frustrated, he couldnt help but run towards the garbage can; As Song Jian approached the garbage can, he suddenly felt a chilling threat, as if someone was aiming a life-threatening weapon at his temple. Song Jian instinctively lunged forward and then rolled toward a low wall on the side. Thump~ A soft sound was heard, and a fist-sized hole appeared in the wall next to the garbage can, causing Song Jian to break out in a cold sweat. Without the protection of the Emperor Ant Suit, his current defense was utterly unable to withstand such a terrifying strike. If it were not for his powerful perception, a moments hesitation just now might have left him severely injured or even kicked out of the assessment space. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.?? Following the direction of the attack, Song Jians perception spread out like a tidal wave. Less than a hundred meters away, on a tall building, a player in protective gear was hastily putting away a dark gold sniper rifle and seemed to be evacuating the scene. Song Jians perception within a ten-meter radius allowed him to detect any detail, even if someone was hiding underground, they couldnt escape his notice. However, beyond ten meters, his perception became very vague. A distance of one hundred meters was the limit of his perception; beyond that, he could no longer sense that player. In no time, the player had moved out of the range of Song Jians perception, disappearing quickly from sight. Didnt expect to encounter fishing law enforcement just after entering the game? Song Jian snorted coldly, not even glancing at the dark gold equipment on the garbage can. He instead followed the wall corner, chasing in the direction the player had left; It was only a bit over a hundred meters away. Even after taking some detours, Song Jian quickly caught up. A fleeting shadow darted around the corner, and a fierce look appeared on Song Jians face. With a thought, the Soul Wander skill was activated, and his speed instantly reached its limit. An invisible figure, like a ghost, appeared behind the player who was hurrying away. Song Jian summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, slashing fiercely at the player; Instantly, around his transparent figure, nearly twenty Spirit Swords appeared, slashing at the player like torrential rain; ` The level 3 Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision could now almost instantly kill any elite BOSS of the same level, and using it against a player who had lost all their equipments defense and had less than fifteen hundred Vitality Points was like using a cannon to swat a fly. The player only felt a pain in his back as a brilliant golden light screen rose directly up. What, how is this possible? Did he just instantly kill me? The player was shocked to his core, and the remaining Spirit Swords continued to strike the invincible light screen like torrential rain. The surging energy made the players heart tremble with fear as he watched the ripples on the light screen, feeling that it might shatter at any moment. Damn it, what kind of luck is this, to have encountered such a terrifying player! Just as he turned his head to catch a glimpse of the imposing figure he had provoked, his vision blurred, and he turned into a stream of white light, flying into the air. At that moment, the player count in the corners of everyones vision in the Trial Space suddenly ticked down by one, inducing a sense of urgency among the remaining players. Good thing Im still maintaining an advantage in terms of skill power for now! Song Jian played with his sword, smiled slightly, and sheathed the long sword into his dantian. System: You have eliminated Trial Player Jiang Dayun. Trial Points +1, these points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. Eliminating a rival and getting points and rewards thrilled Song Jian, although it was a pity he didnt yet know what these points could be exchanged for, but in any case, the more points, the better. After eliminating a player, Song Jian continued to search forward. It was then that he suddenly found a book emitting a Dark Gold glow lying next to a fallen telephone pole in the street. Damn! Song Jians face immediately turned sour as he walked slowly towards the book, only to discover Chaotic Blade Skill written boldly on its cover. Can one even find high-level Skill Books lying around here? Song Jian suddenly felt an urgency, as the gap in strength between him and the other players narrowed. With time, other players would obtain more Epic-Quality equipment and skills, and then Song Jian would have a real headache. Should I end things quickly? Song Jian frowned, staring at the Skill Book in front of him, pondering a solution: This city is too big, its simply impossible to find all the players in a short time. Although the deadly light ring at the edges keeps driving people towards the city center, it shrinks by one kilometer every ten minutes, it would take at least a whole day to shrink to the center of the city Song Jian glanced at the Chaotic Blade Skill Book within arms reach, sighed, and was about to turn away. He was not about to give up the Thousand Swords Art and Soul Wander for a mere Epic-Quality Skill Book. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly received a system notification. System: You have found the Skill Book Chaotic Blade Skill, would you like to devour it to enhance the proficiency of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision? What, the Skill Books in this Assessment Space can actually enhance the proficiency of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision? Song Jian shivered, his face showing an incredulous expression: How is this possible? Chapter 863 03-25 - Chapter 863: Chapter 864 Battle_1 Chapter 863: Chapter 864 Battle_1 ` Everything within the Trial Space, including items, can only be used within the space and cannot be taken out. Even skills would be directly deleted upon leaving. Song Jians Thousand Swords Art was a Legendary Level skill, and he wouldnt have it sealed for a Dark Gold Quality skill, but if he could use these skills to improve the proficiency of his Thousand Swords Art, even if it was only effective in the Trial Space and would disappear after leaving, for Song Jian, it still represented an enhancement of his strength; Devour! Song Jian inwardly commanded. Instantly, a purple-golden light flashed in his skill column, enveloping the Chaotic Blade Skill Book before him. In a short while, the Skill Book vanished, and the proficiency of his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision in the skill column had increased by a small notch; Hmm, the proficiency gained isnt much! Song Jian frowned slightly. A Dark Gold Quality Skill Book should at least increase the proficiency of his Thousand Swords Art by one-fifth of three levels, but now it only increased by one-fiftieth, which was merely one-tenth the effect of a typical Dark Gold Quality Skill Book; Forget it, its free loot anyway, a little less is fine, Song Jian shook his head, closed his skill column, and turned to leave the place; More than three hundred players were scattered in an abandoned city, much like a handful of sand tossed in the desert. If it werent for incredibly good luck, it would be quite difficult to encounter others in the early stages of the trial. Therefore, aside from Song Jian eliminating one player, the remaining player count hadnt changed much in the first thirty minutes; However, this situation wouldnt last long. As the deadly halo at the citys edge further shrank, intense conflicts would erupt among the players in the trial; By this time, players who had passed the selection had started to enter the Trial Space one after another, and the number of remaining players had directly broken through five hundred. These players, who did not possess the first-order Combat Power and had entered half an hour late, were at a disadvantage. But one should not underestimate these individuals. To stand out from several thousand players, they surely had their trump cards. Moreover, in the Trial Space, as long as they were careful and as time passed, the gap between these newly entered players and those with first-order Combat Power would narrow; Nevertheless, due to the random nature of entry into the Trial Space, some of the players who had passed the selection found themselves randomly placed near those with first-order Combat Power. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ?0.0 Players who had been searching for more than half an hour were now equipped with gear, almost none of which were below Dark Gold Quality. Some had even found one or two Dark Gold Level or Epic Level skills suitable for themselves, and their strength had undergone a drastic change, increasing by several tens of times; Seeing new players just entering the game, still looking confused, they immediately raised their slaughter knives and eliminated everyone they came across, reducing the number of players quickly from five hundred to fewer than four hundred; Forty minutes later, Song Jian was already equipped with a set of Dark Gold Quality gear, which included two Epic pieces: a Wrath Helmet and Demons Gauntlets. Although these pieces were individual and the overall effect was slightly inferior to his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, the difference was limited; Song Jian was searching for other players while getting accustomed to the skills that came with his new equipment. If he did not master these newly acquired skills quickly, he could make grave errors in battle so minimal they could lead to significant consequences; As for Skill Books, Song Jian had found five or six, but only three were suitable for his use. He sacrificed all these skills in one go, raising the proficiency of his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision by nearly one-fifth; Boom~ From a tall building ahead, a sudden explosion sounded, and the building collapsed with a thunderous crash, stirring up waves of dust. Amid the dust, magical energy kept flashing. Song Jians eyes brightened. It seemed there were players fighting up ahead; ` As Song Jian approached, he found that ahead was a group of players engaged in a melee, around a dozen of them attacking each other. They appeared to be fighting individually, rather conservatively. At that moment, Song Jian also noticed that like sharks smelling blood, more players were beginning to converge on this area. The battle ahead was about three to four hundred meters away from where Song Jian was, which was beyond his perception range. However, the attack range of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was a thousand meters. Song Jian hid in a concealed corner, holding the Sky-breaking Sword and swung it towards the combatants. Instantly, more than thirty Spirit Swords appeared around him. Song Jian gave a rough position with his mind and then let go of control. The Spirit Swords scattered and flew towards the fray. Seven or eight swords flew beyond the target range, with only about twenty exploding within the battleground of the players. Boom, boom, boom~ Another series of intense explosions followed. After releasing Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, Song Jian immediately moved to another dark corner. In just a short time, he received three system notifications; System: You have eliminated trial player Zhao Haitao. Trial points +1. These points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. System: You have eliminated trial player Wang Zufa. Trial points +1. These points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. System: You have eliminated trial player Sun Hai. Trial points +1. These points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. Only killed three players? Thats a bit of a pity, Song Jian glanced at the added points and thought to himself. The power of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was not something these players could withstand; each Spirit Sword could now cause damage exceeding a thousand points. If the damage amplification effect was triggered, or if a critical hit occurred, even a heavily armored Shield Warrior could be killed in one strike. The total damage from that one hit could have wiped out all the players who were fighting, but with only three system notifications, it was clear that most of the damage had been wasted. This had a lot to do with Song Jians perception range. His current limit for perception range was only one hundred meters, and the control range was merely ten meters. Beyond one hundred meters, Song Jian couldnt sense the existence of others, so he couldnt lock on to them. If the previous battle had been within Song Jians perception range, he could have directed each Spirit Sword at an enemy for a precise strike. However, besides those fighting players, the surroundings were also fraught with danger, and rashly approaching would not only expose Song Jians own position after eliminating those combatants but also result in him being fired upon by onlooking players, which would be more trouble than its worth. This is a survival trial, not a contest of who kills more people or who has higher points! Song Jian thought to himself, his gaze shifting towards a tall building not far away. Chapter 864 03-25 - Chapter 864: Chapter 865: NPC Professionals_1 Chapter 864: Chapter 865: NPC Professionals_1 If it werent for those high-quality items in the Trial Space, Song Jian would probably have charged out and wreaked havoc by now. With his current equipment and skills, he completely possesses an overwhelming strength against the average player; However, this Trial Space clearly wasnt created for him alone. Those high-quality equipment and skills are enough to make even Song Jian envious, let alone the average players who have obtained these items. One could imagine how crazy they would become after discovering them. In this chaotic battle, theres no denying the element of lesser players wanting to experience the thrill of becoming powerful, as gaining entry into this Trial Space itself is a feat C none of the players here are fools, and those who have obtained the trial tokens are considered elites among the players; The sudden attack woke the battling players up a bit, and they realized that many people looking to take advantage had surrounded them. They instantly lost interest in continuing to fight, retreated to a safe distance from each other, and then turned to flee; But having exposed themselves, they inevitably became targets. Soon after, the sounds of battle could be heard from afar again, but this time the combatants seemed restrained, not causing too much of a stir and containing the skirmish within a small area, seeking a quick resolution. Now is not the time for the real battle Song Jian thought to himself. Only when the toxic aura further narrowed, forcing everyone together, then would the most intense fighting erupt; Song Jian glanced at the electronic map. The toxic aura had shrunk by less than one-fifth of Doomsday Citys area; it would probably take more than ten hours to cover the entire city; However, just as Song Jian was about to close the map and head to the city center, he suddenly noticed that the deep green toxic aura had sped up its contraction significantly; Why is this happening? Song Jian furrowed his brow. The velocity of the toxic auras contraction at the citys edge had suddenly increased, and the final battle might now occur several hours earlier. Moreover, within the toxic aura, protective suits were useless. With each contraction, the auras damage multiplied several times, and by the end, its power could likely instantly kill any player; I must hurry to the city center! Song Jian thought urgently, and his speed involuntarily increased yet again. Just then, Song Jian felt a faint current of air brush past the back of his head, and alarm bells went off in his mind. Without even the chance to dodge, he instinctively used the Soul Wander skill, turning his body transparent. The next moment, a dagger blade surfaced with a hint of dark green toxic poison, plunging viciously into the back of Song Jians head, and a Immune floating above his head; With a violent turn of his body, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword slashed fiercely toward his attacker, as a figure slowly emerged from the void; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???.? Interesting! A chilling smile appeared on the figures lips, and his eyes fixed on Song Jian as if he were a lone wolf. He withdrew the dagger, faced Song Jian, but moved backward rapidly as if pulled by an invisible rope; Trying to run? Song Jians eyes narrowed, and he stomped hard on the ground, shooting towards the person like lightning; You cant catch me. I am the wind, can you catch the wind, hahaha! The man laughed arrogantly, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at Song Jian: Dont hurry; youve caught my attention. We will meet again, wait for the next time The mans speed increased, and he even outpaced Song Jian, who had used the Soul Wander; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jians figure transformed into a streak of light, as his Sky-breaking Sword fiercely pierced toward the opponent; The ambusher only felt a blur before his eyes, and by the time he could see Song Jian clearly, his chest had already been pierced by the Sky-breaking Sword, and a damage number of over nine hundred points floated up from his head; How is this possible? The ambushers eyes showed a look of disbelief. His escape skill, acquired in the Assessment Space, was an epic-level escape skill. Once his target was locked on, the distance between himself and the target would either increase or decrease over time; However, whether it expanded or shrank had to be decided in the instant the target was locked. It was an ability very suitable for escaping or pursuing; Moreover, this skill was especially designed to counter those with Acceleration Skills. The faster the opponents speed, the more his own speed would increase; But the increase in his speed, after all, needed a process, similar to charging or skills like the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, which could perfectly restrain him. Before the ambush, he had specifically observed Song Jian, and only after confirming that the other party was not a warrior did he make his move. Unexpectedly, the other party possessed a skill even more terrifying than a charge; After being hit by the first sword, the ambusher lost control over his body, immediately lifted off the ground, and found himself floating in the air. The following eight swords directly turned his body into a funnel. If he were a common player, the damage from the Mysterious Moonlight Sword alone would have been enough to instantly kill him, but after Song Jian unleashed all nine swords, the opponents body still showed no sign of an Invincibility Aura, which struck him as odd; Such a high Vitality Points threshold exceeded that of normal players by far, nearly comparable to a level thirty-something elite BOSS. Since an Invincibility Aura didnt appear, Song Jians attacks naturally didnt stop. The inherent skill of the Sky-breaking Sword, the Invisible Sword Array, was immediately released, engulfing the man in a grey fog of swords; There were too many nearby players at the time, and using the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision would be too conspicuous. It was quieter to use the Five Elements Sword Array. The sword mist filled the area, and no sound from within could escape. Even if someone saw it, they would just think it was ordinary mist; Within the mist, the ambusher wore a look of madness and despair, howling in desperation while frantically trying to block the five swords of the Five Elements attacking him. Blood gushed from his wounds, and damage numbers close to a thousand floated above his head; Thirty thousand Vitality Points? Song Jian, looking at the ambusher struggling frantically within the mist, involuntarily furrowed his brows. The ambusher had already lost over thirty thousand Vitality Points but was still not showing any signs of falling, an impossible scenario for a player. It was at that moment Song Jian suddenly recalled that during the battle for the token, it was not only players involved; the NPCs, upon learning of the tokens existence, had pounced on it like mad dogs, some even resorting to special measures just to enter Doomsday City shrouded by the Protection Black Mist. Could it be that in this assessment, in addition to players, there are also NPCs with professions within the game? Song Jian stared at the struggling ambusher in the mist, his mind racing with speculation; PS: Thanks to Bread84 for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 865 03-25 - Chapter 865: Chapter 866 Deadly Poison Aura_1 Chapter 865: Chapter 866 Deadly Poison Aura_1 The space of the Five Elements Sword Array was a murky gray, as if it was the visage of the heavens and the earth at the beginning of chaos. Within this space, five swords of varying colors drew mysterious trajectories through the air, launching endless attacks on any creature within, without rest, until their life was extinguished; The NPC assailant who ambushed Song Jian kept his gaze locked onto the five long swords, thinking that destroying them would break the space. However, existing somewhere between spectral and tangible, the swords suffered minimal damage when colliding with the assailants dagger; In just three short minutes, the assailant in the space had already lost over ten thousand Vitality Points. By now, Song Jian could confirm that his opponent was an NPC, as only NPC professions loaded with the elite BOSS template would possess such an abundance of Vitality Points; Song Jians Spirit Points and Sword Qi Value continued to deplete while maintaining the Five Elements Sword Array, the expenditure was huge even for him. He had thought he was trapping a player, to his surprise, it was an elite BOSSand this one was much more formidable than other elite BOSSes of the same level, with Vitality Points several times higher than its peers; This is like a giant punching bag. Now its a battle of attrition, to see whether your Vitality Points run out first or my Spirit Points, Song Jian thought to himself. In the sword formation space, the assailants Vitality Points were dropping nearly a thousand points per second. Despite his struggles, without understanding the principles of the sword formation space, his efforts were in vain. He could only watch as his Vitality Points rapidly decreased in chunks, powerless to do anything; As death drew closer and the attacker could no longer bear the fear, he began to loudly plead for mercy, which confirmed Song Jians suspicion: he was indeed an NPC professional; Spare me, I am willing to become your Follower. I am an Assassin, I am willing to forfeit this trial. I can help you become the final victor! the attacker shouted loudly in the space, his face filled with fear. Song Jian pulled out a drink he had found and downed it, replenishing his nearly depleted Spirit Points. Unmoved by the attackers pleas for mercy, Even if he became a Follower, even a slave, there was the potential for betrayal. The privilege of having ones own profession could compel anyone to gamble with their life, let alone merely betray? Song Jian, expressionless, kept channeling his Sword Qi and Spirit Points. The golden Sword Qi provided a damage bonus to the Five Elements Sword Array. As time passed, the power of the sword formation grew, eventually surpassing the endurance of the assailant. His speed could no longer keep up with the attacks of the five long swords. A scream echoed through the sword formation; it wasnt long before the assailant, his body covered in sword marks, lay on the grounda lifeless corpse; At that moment, the murky sword fog slowly dissipated, and the five long swords merged back into one, flying towards Song Jian; Hmm? Song Jian narrowed his eyes at the body of the attacker, feeling puzzled. Wasnt there supposed to be no death in the assessment space? Why then had this NPC been killed by him? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ???0.0 Could it be that NPC professionals arent protected during the trials? Song Jian thought to himself. Looking at the body of the attacker, around his corpse there lay more than a dozen items glowing in various colors, with the lowest quality being Dark Gold, most of them of Epic Level, and even some of Legendary Level; Are these all items he gathered in the assessment space, all dropping upon death? Song Jian murmured to himself. ` Picking through the dropped items, Song Jian obtained three pieces of epic equipment, replacing his golden quality gear, then scooped up all the supplies that had burst forth and fixed his attention on seven or eight skill books. All of these skill books were high-tier, and Song Jian let the Thousand Swords Art devour them all in one go, slightly increasing its proficiency. The skill books in this space seemed to be quite diluted; had they been outside this space, such a quantity of high-quality skill books would have improved the Thousand Swords Art by two or three levels, but now, its level had only increased by about a third; These NPC professionals, theyre actually not included in the remaining count. Song Jian looked at the unchanged remaining count and was startled. If that were the case, there might be far more than four hundred people undergoing the assessment in this space; Just then, sounds of battle rang out again in the city, but this time several places erupted in conflict at once. The toxic aura had only contracted by a third of the entire city, and the battles now were just small skirmishes. Song Jian glanced at the map, noting that the toxic aura behind him was less than ten kilometers away. It seemed he needed to pick up the pace. It was at this moment that Song Jian received another system prompt; System: Test player Charlie Ritz has fallen in the public area, eliminated by the toxic aura, all points cleared; What, killed by the toxic aura and all points are lost? Song Jian was taken aback, shook his head, and continued rushing toward the center of the city. Meanwhile, the players involved in the surrounding battles seemed to have been startled by this system prompt as well. Soon, almost all the battles stopped, and everyone headed towards the central area of the city; Ten minutes later, Song Jian shockingly discovered that when he looked back, he could see a dense green light screen advancing toward the city center. Its contraction speed seemed to have increased significantly; After observing it for a while, Song Jian immediately turned and ran. The speed at which the toxic aura was closing in had now surpassed the running speed of a regular player. If this continued, by the time it had shrunk to half the city, likely all players without an acceleration skill would be engulfed by the toxic aura; Being overtaken by the toxic aura would mean not only elimination and disqualification but also the loss of all accumulated points. This would be an unacceptable outcome for many players. Of course, those players who had not yet eliminated anyone would be unconcerned, but to be disqualified from the unique professional assessment over the toxic aura would always be somewhat hard to accept; Rumble, rumble~ From a distance on the road, a sound like the roar of a wild beast suddenly emerged, drawing the attention of almost every player nearby to the road. There, a six-wheeled armored vehicle was emitting thick smoke, tearing down the road. Any obstacles in front of it were sent flying to the side by the armored car; Transport vehicles, there must be transport vehicles in this space! A player realized with sudden clarity and began searching for a garage-like place, hoping to find a vehicle that could be started; Song Jian stared at the armored vehicle, then smacked his head, remembering he too had a mount. If not for this armored cars reminder, it might have taken Song Jian a long while to remember. PS: Thank you Deadly Countdown for the reward of 100 starting coins~ ` Chapter 866 03-25 - Chapter 866: Chapter 867 Bridgehead Sniping_1 Chapter 866: Chapter 867 Bridgehead Sniping_1 Song Jian could now summon both of his battle pets, but only the Black Dragon could serve as a flying mount. However, revealing the Black Dragon at this moment might attract the attention of all other players. If that led to them being besieged, it could end up being more trouble than it was worth; After pondering for a moment, Song Jian took out a motorcycle key and summoned his original ride, a Harley-like single-rider motorcycle; Seeing Song Jian on the motorcycle, the eyes of the players lit up instantly, and some even harbored thoughts of snatching the motorcycle. But Song Jian was driving too fast, and even with the use of Acceleration Skills, they couldnt catch up, only watching as the motorcycle sped away into the distance. The poisonous aura would shrink every ten minutes, and it had been an hour since the game started. The speed of the poisonous auras contraction had increased several times and had now surpassed the running speed of an ordinary player. Moreover, every ten minutes, the speed of this contraction would accelerate, virtually forcing all players to head to the city center as quickly as possible. The roads of this abandoned city were also far from smooth, with damaged vehicles strewn about everywhere, in addition to many areas overtaken by weeds and plants. Sometimes Song Jian had no choice but to take detours, which caused more and more players to notice someone riding a motorcycle, with the number of people looking for vehicles also increasing; Soon, Song Jian arrived at a bridge crossing a river. The bridge was at least two hundred meters long, flanked by countless steel cables as thick as arms. On the bridge deck were several cars emitting thick smoke, seemingly damaged, with items casting a purplish-red glow scattered near them; A sense of tension gripped Song Jian, just as a dull roar sounded next to his ear. Bang~ It was the distinct sound of a sniper rifle. Song Jians heart trembled, and he instinctively squeezed the brake, steering the motorcycle behind a stout bridge pillar. Bang! Another sniper rifle shot rang out, and Song Jian noticed that the number of survivors had decreased by one following the sound of the gunshot; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.?? Someone is ambushing ahead! Song Jians heart sank. At that moment, Song Jian saw five or six people slowly swimming toward the other bank from under the bridge. Meanwhile, the person on the opposite side of the bridge with a sniper rifle was aiming precisely at those few people on the surface of the water. Bang, bang, bang~ Splashes blossomed on the water surface. The swimmers were incredibly fast, and Song Jian even noticed that one person was always submerged, apparently possessing an item that allowed them to breathe underwater. A thought crossed Song Jians mind, and his figure slowly disappeared. His epic necklace came with a Stealth Skill that easily allowed him to enter a stealth state. Creeping slowly along the edge of the bridge, Song Jian arrived at the cars billowing black smoke. Around the vehicles, three bodies were strewn about, with several pieces of epic loot scattered around them. Song Jian carefully selected his loot, swapping all of his equipment for epic gear. Although these items could only be used in this trial and would vanish upon leaving, for Song Jian at the moment, upgrading his gear had increased his strength by at least half compared to when he first entered the game. Among the equipment were scattered five Skill Books and Skill Scrolls. Song Jian seized the opportunity to absorb all of them, increasing the proficiency of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision to just over halfway; Its a pity I cant level up. I wonder if this proficiency will be retained after leaving here? Song Jian glanced at the level three Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision and mused to himself. Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard the roar of car engines behind him as two trucks and a sports car successively charged onto the bridge; Song Jian saw that there were six people on the three vehicles, who seemed to have formed a temporary alliance. They did not notice anything unusual on the bridge, seemingly ignoring the damaged cars smoking up ahead, and sped forward at an extremely fast pace; Bang! A sniper bullet drilled viciously into the right tire of the lead car, the enormous impact flipping the vehicle to the right, while the two cars behind simultaneously slammed on their brakes. Several people quickly jumped out and took cover behind their vehicles; Theres a sniper ahead! Brent pulled a longbow from behind his back and looked out through the vehicles rearview mirror; Hes really lucky to have randomly ended up here! A man wielding a longsword and clad in heavy armor peered half his head out to take a quick glance forward, then swiftly drew back and said, Its in the villa on the opposite side of the bridge, third floor. I saw the reflection of his scope! Brent, can you hit him? Are you kidding? The distance is over one hundred and sixty meters. My range cant reach that far, and I cant draw my bow as fast as he shoots. The moment I dare to stand up, he could take me out instantly! Brent gritted his teeth; Youre wearing three pieces of epic equipment, how could he possibly kill you in one shot? exclaimed the player holding a dagger next to him. And how do you know that the opponents weapon isnt an epic piece of equipment? Brent retorted. Just then, another gunshot sounded. The player on the opposite side, seeing that the group on the bridge had not shown themselves, turned his attention to the players swimming desperately below the bridge. Kai Lun, stealth over there and see if you can take him down! Brent shouted to the player with the dagger; Sure, I also want to test how powerful this epic dagger really is! Saying this, Kai Luns figure gradually faded and disappeared into thin air. Seeing Kai Lun heading towards the other side of the bridge, the group looked down below. At that moment, another player emerged with an Invincibility Aura. Aside from the one who had been stealthily underwater all along, there were now only three players left. Brent, why dont you take out those three guys? the player holding the longsword said in a low voice, eyeing the trio. Wait a minute, let them draw the fire from the other side, and give Kai Lun some cover time, said another player; All these players were from the same battle alliance, allowing them to form a temporary team. Otherwise, only one person would survive this trial, a zero-sum game. Even if players formed teams, most of their effort would likely be spent watching their teammates, to their own detriment. As they watched Kai Luns transparent figure get closer to the opposite side of the bridge, suddenly a violent explosion came from across the bridge, blasting Kai Luns figure into the air. Landmine! The group shouted in unison, looking ahead; Just at that moment, the boom of a sniper rifle rang out, and Kai Lun, mid-air, manifested an Invincibility Aura, and was quickly teleported out of the assessment space; This scene made Song Jians heart sink as he watched from not too far away, realizing Kai Lun had become his decoy. If not for Kai Lun being blown up and eliminated, it would have been Song Jian himself. Chapter 867 03-25 - 868 Summoning_1 Chapter 867: Chapter 868 Summoning_1 Looking at the big hole at the end of the bridge emitting white smoke, Song Jian squinted his eyes and carefully observed. There must be more than one landmine there, and the sniper hiding in the villa on the opposite side of the bridge didnt want anyone to pass through here; At this moment, player strength had greatly increased, so if they were ordinary landmines, they simply wouldnt have been able to instantly kill the sneaking player. These must be high-explosive landmines with tremendous power, or even more fearsome tactical blasting landmines. With the bridgehead blocked, Song Jian looked down at the river beneath the bridge. The river was quite wide, with concrete riverbanks on both sides. The surface of the river was at least a dozen meters below the riverbanks, so those who wanted to cross to the other side either had to go over the bridge or swim under it, followed by climbing up the sloped foundation at the end of the bridge. If there was a flying mount, one could also fly straight over this bridge! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, a shrill cry came from afar in the sky, where a giant vulture was rapidly carrying a player towards the citys center; Meanwhile, a hovercraft on the river was searching along the bank for a place to land, and further away, several players were using ropes to climb the dozen meter-high riverbanks. If left un-sniped, they would quickly be able to cross the river and enter the opposite side. Thinking one can become the ultimate winner just by holding a bridge is obviously impossible. I wonder if he will give up this place and move into the city center first to seize some advantageous terrain? Song Jian pondered. Bang~ Another gunshot sounded, and one more player in the river was eliminated. Clearly, the sniper on the other side had no intention of giving up the advantageous terrain. After all, eliminating each person earns a point. Although I dont know what the points can be exchanged for yet, clearly they must be part of the competitors rewards! Song Jian thought to himself. The snipers weapon on the other side was evidently also a high-quality sniper rifle, at least of epic quality, and possibly even legendary. Otherwise, it could not possibly cause such significant damage to the players. Song Jian estimated that, even if he encountered it, he wouldnt last more than three shots unless he used his Soul Wander ability. Just then, the sounds of battle suddenly erupted from the villa at the end of the bridge. Song Jians eyes lit up it looked like someone had stealthily made their way into the villa and launched an attack on the sniper; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?Ϧ??.?0 Constantly sniping from the bridgehead had actually already revealed his position. As long as one could cross the bridge, it was very easy to ambush him, and those who used sniper rifles were generally long-range professionals. Once they were approached closely, all their weaknesses would be laid bare; Not only did Song Jian sense the battle ahead, but many players behind him who had rushed onto the bridge only to be stopped by a sniper rifle, also noticed the fight in front. They thought their opportunity had come; At this moment, a player clad in a black robe exuding the aura of the Abyss stepped forward, waving the magic staff in his hand and chanting an Abyssal Spell; Within a short time, space was torn apart, and a demon with legs growing from its head and its body engulfed in red flames crawled out from the Spatial Rift; It roughly yanked at the edges of the Spatial Rift, making it slightly larger. Its actions caused the player who was casting an Abyssal Spell to go pale, as a trickle of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He glared fiercely at the demon, yet his gaze held no real threat. He could only struggle to maintain the existence of the Spatial Rift; Soon, demons from the Abyss over two meters tall crawled out of the rift, howling up at the sky. Their crimson eyes fixed on the summoner, revealing malicious intent; One by one, the Abyssal demons emerged until a total of five were summoned. The Space-Time Rift couldnt withstand the strain and shattered completely. The Abyssal Summoner wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression twisting slightly. This was the first time he had summoned so many Abyssal demons, and controlling them placed great pressure on his soul; Charge forward and destroy all living creatures inside that villa! the Abyssal Summoner player bellowed, pointing at the villa where a battle was taking place; This is your first command to us and also the last. Once we complete it, we will regain our freedom. Now, start running, Summoner. As soon as the task is done, we will kill you first! An Abyssal demon said with sinister eyes and a savage smile on its face while staring down the player. Abyssal language was a compulsory course for Abyssal Summoners. After hearing what the demon had said, the Summoners face turned even paler, seemingly realizing he had made a colossal mistake; No, no, damn it, my power has grown too quickly, how could I forget the prohibitions of Abyssal Summoning! Panic surged across the players face. All creatures summoned from the Abyss would obey only one command and complete one task. After that, their contract with the summoner would be fulfilled. Once the task was completed, the Abyssal demons would regain their freedom and be bound by no constraints; At that point, these summoned demons often saw the one who had summoned them as an enemy and relentlessly pursued them; Therefore, Abyssal Summoners would only summon those demons they could deal with, or give them commands that essentially sent them to their deaths. But in this Assessment Space, where his powers had grown too fast, the Abyssal Summoner, with all his might, had summoned demons beyond his control. Most importantly, he had issued a foolish order. The players inside the villa could not possibly stand against five Abyssal demons, each as strong as a level 38 elite BOSS. As the Abyssal Summoner despaired, his companion suddenly pulled him aside and whispered, Have you forgotten about the landmines at the end of the bridge? Those are high-explosive landmines capable of instantly killing a level 38 player. Just those mines should be enough to deal with the big guys youve summoned! Indeed, well follow behind them and hurry across the bridge. Right now, they are the perfect meat shields! another player whispered, gradually moving and following behind the five Abyssal demons. By this time, more than twenty players had gathered on the bridge. During the stalemate, the corrosive aura was closing in at an accelerating pace, leaving them little time. This also led the twenty-plus players to form a temporary alliance. Even if they had to determine a winner, it would have to wait until after crossing the bridge; Chapter 868 - 869: Scramble for_1 Chapter 868: Chapter 869: Scramble for_1 Boom, boom~ A series of violent explosions accompanied by fiery blasts erupted at the end of the bridge, tearing the bodies of five abyss demons into pieces with more than a dozen high-explosive landmines in an instant; Seeing this scene, the summoner who had just summoned the abyss demons revealed a look of relief in his eyes. At this moment, having already sensed the odor of death, he began to distance himself from death; Has that guy gone mad, burying so many high-explosive landmines at the bridgehead? a player said, a look of surprise on their face. He did this to prepare for armored vehicles. Earlier, I saw someone driving an armored vehicle coming this way. Its speed wasnt fast, but its defense was astounding another player commented; The path ahead has been cleared, lets take this opportunity to rush across. Also, I think we should greet the player inside that villa, what do you think? A player wielding a two-handed greatsword and clad in heavy armor said with a ferocious smile, staring hatefully at the villa from where the sounds of battle erupted continuously; About twenty players exchanged glances and silently charged towards the opposite side of the bridge. Suppressed like whack-a-moles for so long, they were all holding a pent-up anger, eager to unleash it upon that sniper. Song Jian hid in the shadow of a bridge pier, watching as players continually rushed across the bridge toward the villa nearby; Soon, battle raged around that villa. The more than twenty players who had formed a temporary alliance seemed to each harbor their own schemes. The player previously fighting in the villa realized that others had surrounded them, and a melee erupted. The remaining player count in the corner of Song Jians vision kept fluctuating, with one person being eliminated every second; With the end of the bridge now secure, Song Jian, still in stealth mode, crossed the bridge and checked the map. The lethal zone wasnt far from there, and in about twenty more minutes, it would close in on this bridge. By then, if there were still any players who hadnt crossed the river, they would likely be eliminated by the lethal zone and leave the Trial Space empty-handed; Boom~ The aftershocks of a battle between dozens of players completely destroyed the villa and half a streets buildings nearby. Around ten players, weapons in hand, confronted each other around the villa. In their midst, a sniper rifle glowing with a purplish-golden light lay quietly on the ground; Eh, a Legendary Level sniper rifle? Is this the weapon used by the person who blocked the bridge earlier? Song Jians eyes lit up as he focused on the sniper rifle amidst the crowd, thinking to himself. In an environment like this, owning such a terrifyingly powerful weapon would greatly improve ones odds of victory, and almost all players were reluctant to give up this advantage; However, this weapon was of no use to Song Jian. Even a Legendary Level weapon, after an 80% reduction in power, would not match the true combat effectiveness of a blue-quality one-handed sword; Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But now, this Legendary Level weapon lay before Song Jian like a tempting bait, and the dozen or so players around him were like fish salivating at the bait. Song Jian planned to catch them all in one go; That NPC was killed by me, and this weapon is my loot! a player wielding a dagger, exuding a chilling aura, stared at the people around him and said in a low voice; You killed him? That guy clearly died under my gun. Besides, what use does a player of the Assassin profession have for this sniper rifle? In your hands, isnt it like casting pearls before swine? It would be better to give it to someone from a ranged profession! A player wielding a dark gold quality rifle sneered and retorted. The Poisonous Aura is about to shrink over here. I suggest we come up with a solution quickly, rather than stand off here. After all, there are more players around us than just ourselves, and once others are drawn in, it would be detrimental for everyone. A player clad in heavy armor spoke coldly. This weapon shouldnt even exist. I propose we destroy it! a player dressed in cloth armor said with some trepidation, glancing at the sniper rifle. This weapon was the bane of all cloth armor professions, whose fragile defenses crumbled before it. Its extreme range meant that a person possessing this weapon could instantly kill them from beyond their line of sight. I agree, lets just destroy it. I believe no one here wants it to fall into any players hands! Agreed, destroy it. The weapon is too powerful. I dont want to be targeted in the head by it at the last moment! Of the more than ten players who had survived the battle, at least half suggested destroying the weapon, while the ranged profession players all showed helpless expressions on their faces. Just then, a vigilant player suddenly looked towards the direction of the bridge and a look of horror crossed his face. Damn it, enemy attack! the player roared lowly and immediately fled towards the distance, but how could his speed possibly match that of the spirit swords. In less than a second, thirty spirit swords enveloped an area of more than ten meters, with explosions sounding incessantly. All the spirit swords slashed towards the players gathered around the sniper rifle. Song Jians figure slowly emerged from behind the bridge pier, and the player count in the corner of his eye jumped several times in succession. After the melee, most of the players had depleted vitality points, and some were even close to half. At level three, the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision gave each spirit sword the power to unleash 140% damage, with each hit dealing over 1,200 points of damage. If they triggered increased damage or a critical hit, it was enough to kill any player instantly. Thirty spirit swords against about a dozen players meant each player was targeted by at least two spirit swords, with no chance of escape. Song Jian was still a bit uneasy. He threw the Sky-breaking Sword into the air, and as if controlled by an invisible arm, it plunged towards the crowd. In no time, a hazy sword mist enveloped everyone. Piercing sword cries rang through the mist as blood spurted out with the unfolding of the Invisible Sword Array. Within just ten seconds, as the sword mist began to dissipate, all players present were eliminated by Song Jian, earning him a total of thirteen points. At that moment, on the current points leaderboard, Song Jians name leapt forward by more than a dozen places, entering the top five. This leaderboard had no actual significance. Its existence only made players wary of the top few on the list and nothing more. Even the player in first place would find all his accumulated points meaningless once eliminated. Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co Chapter 869 - 870: Expulsion_1 Chapter 869: Chapter 870: Expulsion_1 After killing those players, Song Jian picked up the sniper rifle. Although he couldnt use it, he couldnt let it fall into anyone elses hands. Quickly, he summoned his motorbike and rode towards the center of the city; Along the way, many players tried to intercept those with vehicles. Even if they sprinted at full speed, players would still be much slower than the pace of the toxic zones encroachment; Many players had realized that if they couldnt find a vehicle in the city, they would definitely be eliminated by the toxic zone. Therefore, players who hadnt found vehicles focused their attention on those who had; Song Jian didnt entangle himself with these players who tried to block him. Even if the long-range professionals hit him, it was nothing serious for Song Jian, who was equipped with epic-level gear, and couldnt cause fatal damage; As for the melee professionals blocking the road, Song Jian directly executed the Thousand Swords Art, turning them into his own points. It took him more than thirty minutes to cover a short distance of less than ten kilometers, but he gained over a dozen points; By this time, Song Jian had reached the city center. Even if the toxic zone continued to shrink, he had time to enter the safe area with the shrinkage of the zone; Putting away his motorbike, Song Jian walked forward, and after turning a street corner, he discovered a large lake. The lake was filled with intense nuclear radiation, with countless monsters howling furiously on the surface. These monsters had human-head-sized tumors on their bodies, densely packed and somewhat nauseating to look at. Someone with a phobia of clusters would not dare to get close to them; In the center of the large lake was an island less than one hundred square meters in size. Above the island floated a longsword emitting a purple-gold glow. The sword was like a purple-gold sun, radiating intense light in all directions; This sword, why does it look so much like the Sword Immortal Severed Blade? Song Jian frowned slightly, staring at the sword in the sky and thought, This sword looks almost exactly like the one I obtained before, the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, except that the Sword Immortal Severed Blades blade is only half left, whereas this one is complete; Song Jian watched the sword for a long time. Just then, the sword suddenly vibrated and began changing shape. In a short time, the sword transformed into a brush more than a foot long, with the tip seemingly dipped in thick ink; This, this is Song Jian was startled. It was then that he realized the weapons floating in the air were merely illusions and not really there; Just at that moment, Song Jian sensed that, thirty meters to his left, a player emerged. He didnt seem to worry about being ambushed, boldly standing atop a building that was half destroyed, gazing at the sky above the central island of the lake; Those who can come here at this time all seem to have quite the courage! Song Jian laughed, and with a leap, he too jumped onto the roof of a villa and sat down cross-legged; The illusion above the island kept changing, each form a weapon that only unique professions could wield. Watching the ever-changing weapons in the sky, the eyes of all players shone with fervor; this was their closest shot at a unique profession. Soon, a dense crowd of players appeared around the lake, and the number of remaining players in Song Jians periphery steadily decreased, with the systems notifications flooding by like a waterfall; Nearly one third of players were eliminated by the toxic aura, and these players couldnt even preserve the points they had earned, only receiving the minimum reward of a one-point increase in all attributes; However, those who were eliminated by other players were able to retain a portion of their points, which they could exchange for some desired rewards after exiting. These were merely consolations for the losers, but in this Trial Space, there was only one true victor; everyone else would ultimately face elimination; Thus, many players had actually shifted their focus to accumulating points, not rushing towards the city center, but rather frantically ambushing other players along the way to obtain pointswhen the toxic aura was about to envelop them, they would simply give up the assessment and exit the Assessment Space. The players who made it to the city center, circling this large lake, were all those desperate to be the final victor, yearning for the qualification to become a unique profession; The ten unique professions would all originate here, but in this Assessment Space, only one player would triumph! Some players were itching to move, but many more waited patiently, which caused the restless ones to restrain themselves, not daring to do anything that might cause a misunderstanding, as that could likely provoke an attack from everyone present; Time ticked away, and quickly another half hour had passedthe toxic aura had now shrunk to the vicinity of the city center, and the number of remaining players had dwindled to fewer than fifty. At this point, everyone had gathered around the lake, staring unblinkingly at the weapon above the island that was constantly changing shape; Are we just going to wait here until the toxic aura swallows us all up? a player finally couldnt bear it and shouted loudly; So, do you have any better suggestions? someone asked with a sneer. Fight! the player who seemed to be of the Berserker profession bellowed, brandishing two hand axes: Lets find opponents for one another, battle it out, decide the victor, and keep fighting until the last winner is determined! If you want to fight, I dont think anyone will stop you. Feel free to find an opponent and battle it out! someone chuckled. Fighting at this moment was simply suicide; whether you were the loser or the winner, youd be picked off by a third party as soon as the victor was decided; Just then, the toxic aura began to slowly advance towards them, the dense green fog like the hand of the Death God reaching out; All the players faces turned pale as they started moving towards the lakemonsters within the lake seemed to sense something as well, becoming very excited, constantly leaping out of the water to roar bloodthirstily at the approaching players. Damn it, lets knock out these monsters first, or else well have to fight them in the water! someone yelled, leading the charge against the monsters in the lake. The toxic aura continued to contract relentlessly, showing no sign of stopping. It looked like all the players would eventually be driven into the lake, or even to the small island in the center of the lake. Attack! Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, almost all players began to eliminate the monsters that emerged from the water, taking advantage of the fact that the toxic aura hadnt yet closed in; Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co Chapter 870 - 781 Bold Idea_1 Chapter 870: Chapter 781 Bold Idea_1 Almost every player launched an attack toward the monster in the lake, even the melee fighters pulled out their ranged weapons. They were not adept at using ranged weapons, but that didnt mean they couldnt use them. After all, not many classes had as significant weapon restrictions as the Sword Masters; After a barrage of attacks, many of the monsters were killed instantly. These were, after all, just level thirty-eight ordinary monsters, unable to withstand the onslaught of so many players; This is so thrilling, if only I could retain this strength after leaving the assessment space! one player exclaimed excitedly. The equipment of players present was at least of Dark Gold Quality, with each person owning one or two Epic-level items. The skills they used were among the top of their respective professions, immensely powerful; With their current strength, they could even solo an elite boss of the same level without problems, much less these ordinary creatures. After a series of explosions, a layer of monster corpses floated on the lakes surface, along with numerous high-quality items drifting around; A player couldnt wait and rushed into the lake, picking up an item to have a look, only to show a look of disappointment on his face. Cant take it out of this space! The player casually tossed the item in his hand and swam back toward the shore; Seeing his actions, other players who harbored similar thoughts became disappointed as well. Almost all of their equipment was already formed, and they had mastered five or six Dark Gold or even Epic-level skills. Now, they really didnt lack equipment or skills, so the items emitting various color glows on the lakes surface were of no interest to them; if they couldnt be taken out of the assessment space, these items were worthless; Song Jian had a thought; there were more than a dozen skill books and skill scrolls floating on the lake. If he swallowed them all, his Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Decision could definitely advance a level; With this thought in mind, Song Jian immediately jumped into the water and swam towards those skill scrolls; Players were still constantly attacking the monsters in the lake. It was only after entering the water that Song Jian realized there were still swarms of monsters at the bottom of the lake, constantly moving around. The mass killing before had slayed at least a hundred monsters but had caused those behind to no longer dare to surface, all of them hiding in the deep lakebed, seemingly waiting for something. The toxic aura behind the players was getting closer. Looking back, the thick green light curtain emitted a faint mist, sending shivers down ones spine; By now, some players had begun entering the lake, swimming towards the small island; The noisy lake surface made the monsters hiding at the bottom restless again, with shadows darting about at the bottom, their speed ever increasing. Suddenly, a creature resembling a crocodile burst from the lakes bottom, clamping its jaws onto a player who was swimming hard on the surface and forcefully dragging him down; Before the player could react, another seven or eight creatures emerged, tearing at him relentlessly; Help me! the player screamed for help, but not a soul was willing to give him a second glance, all treating him as bait to attract the monsters from the depths. In no time, an Invincibility Aura flashed at the bottom of the lake, and another player was gone; Song Jian at the lakeside picked up all the Skill Books and Scrolls, storing a total of sixteen skills in his inventory. In the eyes of the other players, Song Jian seemed like a poverty-stricken kid who hadnt seen the world, eager to tuck away every valuable item into his inventory. Hey, bro, you can only enjoy the sight of it, you cant take anything out of the Assessment Space when you leave! A player watched Song Jian floundering on the surface of the lake, continuously picking up Skill Books, calling out with a face full of mockery; Unmoved, Song Jian didnt stop until he had picked up all the Skill Books and Scrolls he saw, and then he slowly swam to shore. Having reached the shore, Song Jian seemed so exhausted that he sat down on the ground with a thud, while the toxic aura behind him drew closer and closer. Most players had already started rushing towards the small island in the center of the lake, with only Song Jian remaining unmoved, still sitting on the shore. Idiot! A player who saw Song Jian leisurely sitting on the bank muttered a curse under his breath and leaped into the water. At this point, Song Jian was the last one still standing on the shore; after all, without a specialized swimming skill, ones speed in the water was much slower than on land; The lake was full of battling scenes, with almost all the monsters surfacing and continually attacking the swimming players. If it werent for the toxic aura behind them, the remaining players would definitely have taken their time clearing out the monsters in the lake before ascending the small island at the lakes center. But it felt like they were being whipped by the thunder gods lash, driving them relentlessly forward, even at the cost of their lives, to swim across the great lake and reach the island; Of the last forty or so people left, fewer than thirty managed to successfully reach the island. Almost all of these individuals had their own lifesaving tricks, exhausting their means only to barely make it onto the small island in the heart of the lake; Once these players stepped foot on the island at the lakes center, the monsters in the water stopped chasing. In fact, the lakes monsters were not limited to living in water, and were capable of fighting on land. If they swarmed together, even the strongest players would likely meet a group demise in the end, as the lakes monsters were simply too numerous. The small island seemed to be a special area that made these monsters dare not to take even half a step closer. Once the players ascended the island, the pursuing monsters would stop and turn around without hesitation to pounce on other players in the lake; Song Jian fed all the Skill Books in his inventory to the Thousand Swords Art to increase its proficiency. Finally, after consuming more than a dozen high-quality Skill Books and Skill Scrolls from his inventory, the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision leveled up from three to four; At level four, the Thousand Swords Art could summon 4-48 Spirit Swords, and each Spirit Swords power had increased to 150 times the weapons power. Thus, the damage inflicted by each Spirit Sword was approaching one thousand five hundred points. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, the average player was around level thirty-five. If they were cloth or leather-wearing classes who hadnt consumed any treasures to increase their attributes, a single Spirit Sword was enough to instantly kill them; Song Jians damage was now terrifying. If he could summon forty-eight Spirit Swords at once, the total damage could exceed seventy thousand. Even those level forty Lord Bosses, if they werent monsters with exceptional Vitality Points, could potentially be one-shot by Song Jians attack; Looking at the thirty-some players on the island at the center of the lake, a strange smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth; I have a bold idea Song Jian whispered; PS: Thank you Silver Snake for the 500 starting coins tip~ Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co Chapter 871 - 872: The Last Remaining Person_1 Chapter 871: Chapter 872: The Last Remaining Person_1 At this moment, the small island in the middle of the lake was less than a hundred meters away from the shore, well within Song Jians perceptive range. However, beyond ten meters, Song Jian could only vaguely sense the positions of the players on the small island, as if there was a layer of thin mist between him and the island, obscuring his view; Although he couldnt lock onto each player on the island, carrying out a wide-range attack targeting the small island itself was not a problem. The monsters in the lake were eyeing them covetously, and even if the players on the island noticed Song Jian attacking them, they had no way to immediately return to stop him; The Deadly Poison Aura behind him was now less than a kilometer away from Song Jian. Given its current rate of shrinkage, it would reach Song Jians position in the next ten minutes, leaving him with little time. Just as Song Jian was about to unleash the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision onto the small island, the water to the right of the island suddenly began to churn violently, and a monster with the body of a man and the head of a crocodile, over three meters tall, emerged from the bottom of the lake. The creature was clutching two heavy hammers in its hands, glaring ferociously at the players on the island; Is there actually a BOSS here? Damn it, a level 40 lord! exclaimed a player with a scouting skill; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Guardian Space BOSS will hunt down all players in thirty seconds. Killing the BOSS will yield generous rewards. If the BOSS still exists after thirty minutes, all players will fail their assessment tasks and lose the chance to obtain a unique job qualification! Song Jian stopped the Thousand Swords Art he was about to cast, looking at the slowly emerging figure of the BOSS in the water and thought, It seems that I wont need to take action after all! With the Deadly Poison Aura on the outside and the Guardian BOSS on the inside, the more than thirty players on the small island in the middle of the lake suddenly became panicked; Its just a level 40 BOSS. If we all join forces, were not without a chance to kill it! a player shouted; Given the players current strength, a level 40 lord BOSS wouldnt pose too much of a threat to them. Unfortunately, on the one hand, in this Assessment Space, the players powers had increased too quickly for them to fully control, and on the other hand, these players all had their own agendas, hoping to emerge victorious, making it impossible to form a real team; Thirty seconds later, the Guardian BOSS charged towards the shore with large strides, swinging its war hammers and instantly knocking several players who had tried to stop it flying; His attacks have a knockback effect! one player, while being flung through the air, cried out loud; Several players who were about to encircle the BOSS paused, retreating backward. The appearance of the BOSS made all players subconsciously treat it as a common enemy, but no one was truly willing to stand in front and face the BOSSs attacks. They simply didnt dare to turn their backs to anyone else. Unable to unite or cooperate effectively, the thirty-plus players on the island were nearly scattered by the BOSS within minutes. Some even jumped into the lake in panic, quickly being dragged under the water by the monsters and eliminated from the space. The thirty or so players were reduced to less than twenty, while the BOSSs Vitality Points had dropped by just over ten thousand; Song Jian shook his head. He had originally thought these players might kill the BOSS or at least reduce it to critical health, but now it seemed that virtually all the players were trying to avoid it, not daring to attack for fear of drawing the BOSSs aggro. As for the players who had attacked the BOSS earlier, they had all been killed by it. The ones remaining were those who had not attacked the BOSS at all, and at this point, the BOSS began to attack randomly, adding to the chaos on the island. Looking back at the steadily approaching Deadly Poison Aura, Song Jian summoned the Sky-breaking Sword and with a sweep towards the island, thirty or so Spirit Swords appeared, attacking the players on the island indiscriminately; A single attack, which not only failed to kill a player, but also attracted the BOSSs aggro; At this moment, the shore was too far from the island in the lakes center for Song Jians perception to accurately lock on, so he could only use this wide-range attack method. Theres someone ambushing over there! a player shouted angrily, pointing at Song Jian with a furious expression. Just as his gaze turned toward Song Jian, a player behind him suddenly raised their weapon and stabbed towards his back; An ambush from behind, a critical hit! An explosive damage of over eight hundred points floated above his head. The players eyes showed a puzzled look, his Vitality Points locked at 1, and a golden light curtain rose around his body; Since the BOSS could no longer be killed, the only way to achieve final victory was to kill all the surrounding opponents; At this time, all the BOSSs aggro was firmly locked on Song Jian, and with a deadly aura behind him and so many monsters in the lake, he was already considered dead in the eyes of those players. Therefore, the players on the island began attacking each other. As long as they could kill everyone around before the BOSS killed Song Jian, the last player standing would be the victor; Song Jian didnt even glance at the BOSS rushing towards him, his gaze locked on the players on the small island in the heart of the lake. Ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye, and in the water, the Guardian BOSS moved extremely fast, swimming halfway in just a few seconds. Once again using Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, Song Jians target was not the BOSS, but the small island; This time, Song Jian summoned forty-six Spirit Swords, madly tilting them towards the small island; Damn it, he wants to take us down with him! Some players screamed in anger, but they were utterly helpless at this moment. The forty-six Spirit Swords swept across the island like missiles, engulfing the island of over a hundred square meters. Most of the players on the island were critically injured and could not withstand the power of a single Spirit Sword; Even if they were at full health, they couldnt possibly withstand the damage of two Spirit Swords simultaneously, and death was just a matter of time; After a series of violent explosions, more than twenty Invincibility Auras rose from the island; all players were eliminated by Song Jian, leaving only one remaining; However, at this moment the system did not announce Song Jian as the final victor. The Guardian BOSS was striding towards him, and there was less than three minutes until the next contraction of the deadly aura. It seems like I must kill you to end this! Song Jians gaze fell on the Guardian BOSS, which was now less than fifteen meters away from him, readying himself for the fight; Just then, a pair of sinister eyes stared intently at Song Jian through the water. He was at the bottom of the lake, surrounded by monsters that swam about but seemed not to notice him. On both sides of his cheeks, he had odd gill-like appendages, filtering the air from the water. Song Jian thought he was the only one left in the Assessment space, with the remaining player count also showing only one person. But what he didnt expect was that an NPC professional was patiently hiding at the bottom of the lake, quietly waiting. PS: Only two chapters today, Ill make up for it tomorrow, cheers~ Chapter 872 - 873 Recovery_1 Chapter 872: Chapter 873 Recovery_1 The level 40 Lord Boss, with Vitality Points exceeding one hundred thousand, was a number that spelled despair for the average player. For Song Jian, however, it was just a matter of executing the Thousand Swords Art a few more times; At this moment, the Guardian Boss had already charged onto the shore, lifting the enormous warhammer in its hand and smashing it towards Song Jian; Seeing the Bosss robust body and the two warhammers it wielded, Song Jian knew it was a strength-based Boss and, of course, would not confront it head-on. With a swift dodge, Song Jian took cover behind a rock at the lakes shore; With a boom, the place where Song Jian just stood had immediately formed a large crater, and a powerful gust surged towards him, nearly causing him to lose control of his body; So even a regular attack comes with a knockback effect? Truly troublesome, Song Jian frowned slightly; it was only at this moment that he realized why the players who had initially attacked the Boss on the small island at the center of the lake couldnt hold aggro steadily. It turned out not that they were afraid to draw too much hate upon themselves, but that every strike from the Boss came with a knockback effect, preventing the warriors who wanted to hold aggro from establishing sufficient enmity in a short period; After the Boss smashed a huge pit into the ground, it swung its momentum to shatter the large rock beside Song Jian into smithereens. With the Guardian Bosss overwhelming strength, its attacks could be said to be near unstoppable; even a forty-man team would easily be wiped out if the tanks were poorly equipped and the Boss landed a one-shot kill on them; The thirty-odd players on the small island initially could have taken down this Boss if they had unified their efforts, especially since their gear was all Dark Gold, Epic, or even Legendary quality; Song Jian took a Weakness Potion out of his inventory and hurled it fiercely at the Boss, enveloping it in a cloud of gray dust. However, the potion seemed to have no effect on the Boss, which emerged from the smoke with the word immune floating above its head and charged forward with large strides; Song Jian narrowed his eyes, encountering such a situation for the first time. Even demons from the Abyss couldnt resist the Weakness Potion; he hadnt expected that this big fellow before him would have such high resistance to it! However, for Song Jian, reducing the Bosss defense was nothing more than icing on the cake. With his damage output, there was no concern about failing to break through the Bosss defenses; Facing the Bosss frenzied attacks, Song Jian stepped nimbly aside and teleported next to the Boss. His Sky-breaking Sword drew a line across its waist, leaving behind a trail of blood. Before the Boss could react, Song Jian leaped high and stabbed towards the Bosss back-heart area; Thud! A stream of blood sprayed out as Song Jian fiercely kicked the Bosss back, retreating backwards. At this moment, although the Bosss swinging warhammers failed to hit Song Jian, the intense wind they generated caused even the exposed skin of Song Jian to feel the pain of being sliced by a knife; Glancing at his skill bar, the cooldown for the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art had ended. Mid-air, Song Jian swung fiercely at the Boss, and more than thirty Spirit Swords, floating around his body, followed the direction of his sword swing, tracing arcs through the air like swimming fish as they chopped towards the Boss; At this point, Song Jian had firmly locked onto the Boss. He could not only focus the Spirit Swords on a single target but could even control the flight trajectory of the swords; However, controlling the trajectory was too much of a mental strain for Song Jian; as long as he locked onto the Boss, it was enough to have more than thirty Spirit Swords concentrated on attacking it; Boom, boom, boom~ Each Spirit Sword exploded violently upon slashing into the BOSS, leaving a series of blasts in their wake. The BOSSs body was drenched in blood, covered in dense, interlaced sword wounds; The BOSSs Vitality Points suddenly plummeted to the halfway mark, with even its left eye struck by a Spirit Sword, as filthy blood nearly obscured half of its face; Such horrific damage shocked the NPC professional who had been lurking at the bottom of the lake, watching Song Jian all along. His previously steady breathing became erratic, and a string of bubbles rose from the lakebed; Just then, Song Jian unfurled a pair of steel wings behind him. He hesitated slightly, furrowed his eyebrows, and after a moments hesitation, he turned and flew towards the small island in the middle of the lake; With the BOSSs speed, it would take at least fifteen seconds to reach the island from the lake shore. By the time it reached the island, Song Jians Thousand Swords Art cooldown would have ended, and if he was lucky, he could directly take out the half-depleted BOSS; As for the little mouse hiding at the bottom of the lake, hehe Song Jian, flying midair, glanced down at the lake and revealed a sly smile; If the person hiding in the lakebed hadnt been too close to Song Jian, already within ten meters, if it wasnt for his surprise at Song Jians Thousand Swords Art damage that disturbed his breathing, Song Jian might not have noticed him at all. After all, his stealth skill was of Epic Quality, eluding Song Jians perceptive scouting completely; At this moment, Gasess mind was filled with the scene of Song Jian executing the Thousand Swords Art, the terrifying damage to the level 40 Lord BOSS still making his heart tremble. He was no longer as confident in becoming the final victor as he had been before. He hasnt found me, as long as he hasnt found me, I still have a chance! Gases looked at his skill bar and silently psyched himself up. Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He originally planned to emerge as the last victor after the BOSS killed Song Jian, but now, it was questionable whether the BOSS could even bring Song Jian down to critical health; Song Jian flew to the small island in the center of the lake, turned around, and stared at the BOSS swimming towards him. An ordinary player without any swimming speed boost skills would take several minutes to swim to the island. Yet, the Guardian BOSS seemed to have a skill to accelerate in the water, moving extremely fast; Song Jian checked his skill bar, with three seconds left on the Thousand Swords Art cooldown. The BOSS had already swum halfway, but to Song Jians surprise, the Guardian BOSSs Vitality Points started to slowly recover in the water. By the time the BOSS reached the heart of the island, its Vitality Points had recovered from the halfway mark to 70%. Song Jian looked around at the lake water with a sinking feeling; it seemed that killing the BOSS was not going to be as straightforward as he had thought. Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian waved his right hand, and more than ten Spirit Swords appeared, flying towards the BOSS still in the water. Another series of explosions occurred, and Song Jian realized that the Guardian BOSSs defense and resistance to critical hits were significantly enhanced in the water. The more than ten Spirit Swords only managed to reduce the BOSSs Vitality Points by less than eight thousand; It seems I cant let it touch the water! Song Jian thought to himself; PS: Thank you ƾH for the donation of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 873 - 874 Black Dragon_1 Chapter 873: Chapter 874 Black Dragon_1 By the time the BOSS charged onto the small island in the lake, Song Jian had already summoned the Black Dragon; With a dragons roar, the Black Dragon flew straight into the sky, spewing a scorching Dragon Breath towards the BOSS on the island; Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A smile surfaced on Song Jians lips as he spread his steel wings and flew towards the Black Dragon in midair, eventually standing on its back. The BOSS standing on the island looked up at Song Jian in the sky and let out an angry roar as it faced the Dragon Breath; The Guardian BOSS, bearing the damage of the Dragon Breath, revealed an angry expression as it hurled its warhammer fiercely at Song Jian; The warhammer emitted a deep howl, and dark red vigor emerged from its surface, smashing towards the Black Dragon just like a meteor; Seeing the BOSS actually launching an attack, the Black Dragon seemed somewhat angry, swiping its front claw forward, unleashing a huge claw-shaped force which collided fiercely with the warhammer; With a boom, a thunderous explosion resounded in midair, and Song Jian felt the Black Dragons body tremble slightly. A damage of over five hundred points floated up from the Black Dragons head. Clearly, the Black Dragon had been at a slight disadvantage in that collision, after all, it was only a level thirty-five elite BOSS, whereas the Guardian BOSS was a level forty lord BOSS, superior in both level and rank; But the Black Dragon was after all the top predator, and even if it was suppressed by the attributes of the Guardian BOSS, it was not without the power to fight back; After being injured, the Black Dragon grew even angrier. Opening its massive mouth, a Vortex Fireball, rotating like a nebula, brewed within; Vortex Fireball! This was a dragon spell forbidden in their tongue, which the Black Dragon had mastered at level ten, a spell of immense power for a single target. Before reaching Tier One in combat power, the Black Dragon had struggled to cast this spell, but now, it was just another regular attack for it. The thrown warhammer returned to the Guardian BOSSs hand, and just then a scorching fireball fell from the sky, fiercely striking the Guardian BOSS. Suddenly, over six thousand points of damage, floated up from the Guardian BOSSs head, and at the same time, flames furiously burned on its body; The third-level Dragon Breath burned, causing the Guardian BOSS to lose three hundred Vitality Points per second, lasting for thirty seconds, an effect that was hard to dispel. Now, the Guardian BOSS looked like a raging fireman; At this time, the cooldown for Song Jians Thousand Swords Art had ended. More than twenty Spirit Swords flew towards the Guardian BOSS. This time, starting from the second Spirit Sword attack, damage amplification was triggered, and the damage from subsequent Spirit Swords increased by 50%, while the critical hit rate soared; This attack directly caused the BOSS to lose nearly fifty thousand Vitality Points, its health plummeting to one-third. Seeing the Guardian BOSS left with only over thirty thousand Vitality Points, a smile emerged on Song Jians lips; Just then, the Guardian BOSS suddenly turned and dashed towards the lake. Song Jians expression changed. He immediately controlled the Black Dragon to keep attacking the BOSS, trying to retain its aggro. Song Jian even jumped directly off the Black Dragons back, rushing towards the BOSS; The Sky-breaking Sword hacked relentlessly at the BOSS, but the BOSS seemed determined to plunge into the lake, paying no heed at all, diving straight into the water. Seeing the BOSSs Vitality Points recovering rapidly, Song Jians eyes twitched. The surrounding lake water seemed like a blood reservoir for the BOSS; once its health suffered significant damage, it would rush into the lake to recover. How could they continue the fight? Just then, Song Jian noticed the muscles on the back of the Guardian BOSS bulging, and a pained expression appeared on its face. Soon, the BOSSs Vitality Points had recovered to fifty thousand, and two fleshy wings had also emerged from its back; Whoosh, whoosh~ The BOSS flapped its fleshy wings, leaping out of the water and charging towards Song Jian; ` Having gained wings, the BOSSs movement speed surged, and its heavy war hammer smashed down at Song Jian fiercely. The BOSS was too fast, and Song Jian could only hold the Sky-breaking Sword horizontally in front of his chest, forcefully enduring the strike from the BOSS; At that moment, the Black Dragon in the sky also began spewing Dragon Breath at the BOSS, but by now, the BOSSs aggro was firmly locked onto Song Jian, utterly ignoring the attacks from the Black Dragon above; Song Jian was sent flying by the war hammer, a damage indicator of over two thousand points floated above his head. Such a powerful attack would probably have eliminated another player on the spot; A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and Song Jian felt as though his ribs had shattered to pieces. Mid-air, Song Jian flapped his steel wings and returned to the Black Dragons back; Seeing Song Jian in mid-air, the guardian BOSS cracked a taunting smile with its gaping mouth, spread its wings with a flap, and leaped into the sky, hurling its two war hammers fiercely at Song Jian; Whoosh, whoosh~ Song Jian was startled and hurriedly controlled the Black Dragon to dodge. The Black Dragon flipped over, plummeting toward the ground. One of the war hammers grazed past the Black Dragons abdomen, while the other slammed heavily onto its body; With a heart-wrenching dragon cry, the Black Dragon tumbled onto the island, losing over three thousand Vitality Points instantly. A large dent had been made on one side of its body, with at least five or six bones broken; In just one blow, the Black Dragon had lost its combat capabilities, a testament to the fierceness of the guardian BOSSs attack! Song Jians heart sank as he looked up at the BOSS in mid-air, both war hammers now back in its hands; Die! the crocodile-like mouth revealed a cruel smile, the BOSS shot toward Song Jian like an arrow. The toxic aura had already shrunk to the lakeshore, leaving Song Jian little time. The Gases at the bottom of the lake also began to slowly move, surrounded by monsters all above level thirty-five. Gases moved exceedingly slowly, careful not to disturb these creatures; Song Jian, watching the BOSS charge down at him, steeled his heart and, clenching his teeth, swung his sword forward fiercely, colliding hard with the war hammer in the BOSSs hand; Creak~ A grating friction sound rang out, and Song Jian felt a sharp pain in his wrist, almost unable to hold onto his longsword. But at that moment, the resistance from the longsword suddenly vanished, and with a forward swing, it sliced through as if a red-hot knife through butter. Joy filled Song Jians heart; he knew that his gamble had paid off. His innate skill Holy Swords Indestructible effect had been triggered, cutting one of the BOSSs war hammers cleanly in two. The BOSS, having had one of its war hammers destroyed, showed shock on its face. Looking at the half-remaining war hammer, it seemed almost unable to believe its own eyes, but at that moment, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword was already thrusting forward, and the BOSS hastily defended with its remaining war hammer; Boom! A force surged through the Sky-breaking Sword, causing Song Jian to involuntarily retreat two steps back. The BOSSs strength was too great, surpassing Song Jian by far, and with every clash, Song Jian suffered a slight disadvantage; However, the BOSS was still shocked by the destruction of its weapon and did not pursue its advantage. Instead, it stood still, staring at the handle in its left hand in a daze; Song Jian glanced back at the toxic aura, which had started to contract toward the lake surface. If this standoff continued, he would probably be forced out of the assessment space by the toxic aura, even if the BOSS didnt kill him; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jian turned into a streak of light and charged at the BOSS, his longsword piercing deeply into the BOSSs chest. At once, the BOSSs feet began to leave the ground as its body slowly floated up. ` Chapter 874 - 875 Last Sneak Attack_1 Chapter 874: Chapter 875 Last Sneak Attack_1 If the first strike of the Mysterious Moonlight Sword isnt defended against, then the probability of blocking the subsequent attacks will be very low, because, during that first strike, the target will have lost control over their body. Puff puff puff~ sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Sky-breaking Sword moved in and out of the body of the Guardian BOSS like lightning, with blood spurting out of the BOSS like arrows. Each strike inflicted more than a thousand points of damage. By the time it fell from its levitated state to the ground, it had already lost over ten thousand Vitality Points; Upon hitting the ground, the BOSSs first instinct wasnt to counterattack but to frantically rush toward the lake. The damage inflicted by Song Jian made it realize that its Vitality was dangerously low, and it could easily be killed by Song Jian in seconds, so it needed to return to the water to recover. Song Jian tossed his longsword into the air, and the Sky-breaking Sword immediately charged toward the BOSS. In flight, the Sky-breaking Sword split into five, trapping the BOSS tightly, forming a cage-like enclosure with a grey fog of swords spreading out and completely covering the colossal frame of the BOSS; Roars kept coming from within the mist of swords, and Song Jian could also feel his Spirit Points and Sword Qi Value gushing out like floodwater breaking through a dam. While the recovery speed of his Sword Qi Value was extremely fast and could last for a long time, his Spirit Points wouldnt hold out as long; Song Jian took out all the items he had found in the space that could replenish Mental Strength in one go. It should be noted that the items in this Assessment Space are of very high quality, which is a kind of hidden benefit to players who enter the Assessment Space, allowing them to get a preview of high-quality items and skills; As soon as a bottle of beverage poured down his throat, his Spirit Points, which had already dropped to one-tenth, instantly refilled. This caused Song Jian some regret. The potion could restore over a thousand Spirit Points, but Song Jians were only at eight hundred fifty points at the moment, so a small portion was wasted; Maintaining the Five Elements Sword Array Space didnt require much effort, and Song Jian took the opportunity to cast a few surgical healing skills on the Black Dragon, clearing its broken bones and ongoing bleeding condition before taking it into the Pet Space; In the Pet Space, the injuries on the Black Dragon could recover as well, but the speed was much slower. Seeing it immediately fall into a deep sleep upon entering the Pet Space, Song Jian let out a slight sigh of relief; The potential of the Black Dragon was tremendous, but it hadnt fully grown yet, and required careful nurturing from Song Jian. Being frequently injured like this could potentially affect its growth; The poisonous aura began to shrink once more. Most of the lake water was already engulfed by the poisonous environment. Song Jian glanced at the lake surface and spread his perception out, only to discover that the NPC practitioner he had sensed before had vanished. It seemed their concealment skill was too sophisticated, as even Song Jians perceptionover one hundred fifty points of Spiritcould not locate them; The Five Elements Sword Array Space trembled slightly. The BOSSs damage was too high. The lower its Vitality, the more frantically it behaved. Despite having only a warhammer, its damage did not reduce in the slightest; Song Jian had already drunk three bottles of beverages to restore Spirit Points. Although the recovery speed of his Sword Qi Value was very fast, under the formidable attacks of the BOSS, it began to decrease slowly as well. Once the recovery speed of the Sword Qi Value couldnt keep up with the consumption rate needed to maintain the Sword Array Space, the Five Elements Sword Array would directly collapse; Desperately attacking the Sword Array Space was the only way for those trapped to escape, and the reckless Guardian BOSS wouldnt use its crocodile brain to think more. It would just crazily swing its warhammer, attacking the surrounding mist of swordswhich inadvertently led it to find the only weakness of the Five Elements Sword Array; According to the rate of Sword Qi Value consumption, in at most another fifteen seconds, the BOSS will be free, and by that time, its Vitality Points should be less than twenty thousand! Song Jian analyzed calmly. Within the Five Elements Sword Array Space, the BOSS was essentially fighting against five tireless swordsmen, each strike costing it over eight hundred Vitality Points, and each sword with its own characteristics made the Guardian BOSS painfully suffer. After fifteen seconds, the mist of swords dissipated, and the BOSSs furious roars pierced through. The five distinctively colored longswords merged back into one, becoming the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword, and returned to Song Jians hands; The moment Song Jian grasped the Sky-breaking Sword, he unleashed the Thousand Swords Art, directing it at the guardian boss as it slowly emerged from the mist of swords. This time, Song Jian summoned more than forty Spirit Swords and sent them flying towards the boss; After a series of violent explosions, the boss collapsed with a loud bang, its body hacked into pieces, as if it had been dismembered. Just as Song Jian killed the guardian boss, a bolt of black lightning shot out from the lake water towards him at an incredibly fast speed, filled with a chilling intent to kill; This is my only chance. If I can hit him, I can kill him instantly! Gases, lurking underwater by the shore of the island, felt his heart pounding violently. Victory or death would be determined in an instant, and he firmly believed that if Song Jian had not detected his presence, he had a great chance of killing Song Jian and becoming the final victor; Finger of Death, huh? How familiar with this magic! A sly smile appeared on Song Jians lips. Facing the black lightning coming from behind, he didnt turn around, but with a thought, his figure began to turn transparent; Mental Strength and lightning, which was faster? Clearly, Song Jian, who was prepared, managed to use his skill a step quicker; Previously, Song Jian had already sensed Gases presence. So, if he put himself in Gases shoes, when would Gases launch a lethal strike at him? Obviously, it would be the moment right after the fight between Song Jian and the boss was decided; After killing the boss, Song Jian appeared to relax, but in reality, he was as tense as a coiled spring, alert to every movement around him; The instant Gases released his ability, Song Jian had already pinpointed his location. Song Jian was originally planning to use the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, but anyone daring to strike at that moment likely possessed an ability with a high chance of a one-hit kill; Therefore, Song Jian ultimately chose to use Soul Wander to save his life first, and sure enough, the ability Gases used was the Finger of Death, which Song Jian had encountered before; Finger of Death had a very high chance of being lethal, and even with high resistance to magic, it was impossible to be immune to such damage. The black lightning passed through Song Jians transparent body and slowly dissipated into the void; Gases face lit up with excitement seeing the black lightning hit Song Jian, but as Song Jian turned out to be immune to the Finger of Death, Gases face immediately fell into despair, his emotions as tumultuous as a roller coaster ride. No! Gases let out a desperate roar from under the water, his figure slowly fading from view, clearly no longer able to win this assessment. Staying any longer would likely cost him his life, so after the failed attack, Gases did not hesitate to leave the Assessment space right away. PS: Theres one more chapter to make up for yesterdays, probably a bit later~! Chapter 875 - 876 Rewards_1 Chapter 875: Chapter 876 Rewards_1 Song Jians Mysterious Moonlight Sword skill initiation had already been performed, but before the skill could be released, Gases had already disappeared, causing the skill to fail; sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even a second later, Song Jian would have been able to hold Gases back, but sadly, the opponent was decisively quick, as if he had rehearsed it in his mind thousands of times. Song Jian shook his head, it was just an NPC professional after all, and they might never meet again in the future; even if he had kept him, it wouldnt have made much sense; After killing the guarding boss, it didnt drop any items, but Song Jians score sharply increased by five hundred points, reaching a total of five hundred and thirty; Whether it was the final score or the points, Song Jian was now undoubtedly the first place; Standing in the center of the small island, Song Jian knew he had earned the unique Swordsman Immortal profession qualification, but all around was silent, with no anomalies or system prompts appearing; The poisonous barrier was still shrinking rapidly, and at this moment, its speed was more than ten times faster than when he first entered the game. Soon, the poisonous barrier had already swept over the lakes surface, with monsters from the lakebed surfacing one after another, struggling in agony, but soon, the poisonous barrier killed all these creatures; Song Jian felt a chilly fear, as at this point, the only living beings that possibly remained in the entire city were just him alone; When the poisonous barrier spread to the edge of the island, its speed suddenly began to slow down until it finally stopped less than ten meters from Song Jian; At that moment, the weapon aura continually changing above the island morphed into a long sword and fell toward Song Jian; Thats when the long-awaited system prompt finally rang out in Song Jians ears; System: Player Song Jian has achieved the final victory and has acquired the qualification for the unique Swordsman Immortal profession! The moment the system prompts voice sounded, the descending speed of the Sword Immortal Flying Sword above his head suddenly increased dramatically, and when it was less than ten meters away from Song Jian, it turned into a burst of dazzling golden points of light that entered his forehead; Immediately, Song Jians system notification bar was leaping incessantly, like a cascading waterfall; System: You have received recognition of the unique Swordsman Immortal profession and have earned the qualification for the Swordsman Immortal profession; System: Unique profession qualification assessment reward will soon be distributed, detecting players Swordsman Immortal qualification, rewards will be randomly distributed Swordsman Immortal core professional skills! System: Detected that the player already possesses the Swordsman Immortal core skill Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, thus excluding the skill Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision from the rewards! System: Detected that the player already possesses more of the core Swordsman Immortal skill Sword Control Skill (Incomplete), would you like to change the random reward to Sword Control Skill? Please make a decision within ten seconds; System: Ten, nine, eight, seven, Incomplete Sword Control Skill? Song Jian was stunned, instantly remembering the skill Fate of Sword Control Skill he had obtained before! This skill had enhanced Song Jians Sword Qi Value limit; otherwise, his current Sword Qi limit would still only be one hundred points; Choose the Sword Control Skill! Song Jian immediately made his choice; A golden light flashed, and the Fortune Chapter of Sword Control Skill in Song Jians skill slot gradually vanished, replaced by the three characters Sword Control Skill glowing with a purple-gold light. Sword Control Skill (Passive), Level 1, Skill Effect: Sword Qi Value +500, Sword Control +3, when using other Sword Immortal profession skills, power increased by 30%, capable of Sword Flight! The Sword Control Skill turned out to be a passive skill, and it directly added 500 points to the Sword Qi Value. Now, Song Jians Sword Qi limit had broken through to over eight hundred points. Combined with the regeneration rate of Sword Qi, whenever Song Jian deployed the Five Elements Sword Array in the future, targets trapped within were unlikely to break free; As for the Sword Control +3 effect, Song Jian had no idea what it did, and could only comprehend it in future battles; An increase of 30% in the power of other Sword Immortal profession skills meant, for Song Jian, only the power of the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision could be enhanced, as this was the only Sword Immortal skill he currently possessed; This was a substantial enhancement for the Thousand Swords Art, almost equivalent to raising the Thousand Swords Art by three levels. At this moment, each Spirit Sword in the Thousand Swords Art was inflicting over eighteen hundred points of damage. If Song Jian had mastered the Sword Control Skill earlier, facing the final level 40 lord-level BOSS, perhaps a single Thousand Swords Art would have been enough to leave it severely injured or even kill it outright; Song Jian now deeply felt that he didnt need many skills; just one that could deliver a decisive blow was enough. The Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was such a skill. Once executed, it left the opponent with no chance to fight back; As for Sword Flight Song Jian glanced at the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand and then at the toxic aura less than ten meters away. Shaking his head, he decided to wait until he was out of here to give it a try. He did not want to dive headfirst into the toxic aura; After selecting the Sword Control Skill, Song Jian thought it was all over, but soon he received another system notification; System: You have received the Legendary Quest, Path of the Sword Immortal. Quest Description: Follow the ancient footsteps of the Sword Immortals, inherit the legacy of the Swordsman Immortal profession, wield your sword to uphold the glory of the Swordsman Immortal profession! Quest Requirements: Hunt ten level 40 or above Commander-level BOSSes, you must hunt them alone without any help from others! Quest Rewards: Random Sword Immortal profession skill upgraded by one level; Commander-level BOSS? Is it a BOSS thats one rank higher than lord-level? Song Jians brow furrowed slightly. Up to this point, he had still never encountered a Commander-level BOSS. It seemed finding such a BOSS was not the only difficulty of the quest but also the hunting part; The difficulty of hunting a Commander-level BOSS would definitely be much greater than that of a lord-level BOSS. Most lord-level BOSSes do not appear alone but are often surrounded by a staggering number of common monsters and Elite-level BOSSes. Ordinary people would go out of their way to avoid lord-level BOSSes and wouldnt dare to get close; But a Commander-level, a BOSS even more terrifying than a lord-level, would probably be promptly abandoned if an ordinary person received this quest; Hmph, I guess it really is worthy of being a quest for an exclusive profession? Song Jian let out a breath, showing no signs of despair, his eyes filled with a strong desire to challenge; As soon as he accepted the legendary-level Path of the Sword Immortal quest, he was immediately teleported out of the assessment space. Song Jian only felt a blur before his eyes and found himself in the midst of a starry space; Not far ahead, less than ten meters away, stood a vending machine, with a dozen players gathered around, continuously making selections. Occasionally, players would turn into white lights and teleport away. In not too much time, less than five players remained in front of the vending machine; Song Jian walked towards the vending machine. It seemed this was indeed the place for point exchange. Chapter 876 - 877 Exchange_1 Chapter 876: Chapter 877 Exchange_1 This vending machine was almost identical to the ones found on the streets in the real world, and had it not been for the fact that Song Jian was surrounded by a starry space, he likely wouldnt have noticed it at all; Most players didnt have many points and quickly exchanged what they could and left the area, leaving only a few players with more points hesitating in front of the vending machine. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I only have thirty-two points, enough to exchange for a Dark Gold Quality weapon, but its a pity, if I had another ten or so points, I could exchange for an Epic Level weapon! a rogue class player said enviously as he looked at the dazzling array of products on the vending machine; Weapons? These weapons cant be taken out into the real world, so its better to buy more Attribute Fruits, with one point for each, how cheap is that, just think about it, if your agility attribute was thirty-two points higher than everyone elses, what would that be like, it would be a complete crush! advised a companion next to him; Too bad, if I had just a few more points, I couldve exchanged for those Epic Level, or even Legendary Level skills, those are the things that really boost your power quickly! Watching a few players discussing beside the vending machine, Song Jian suddenly realized that the function of this vending machine should be similar to the Doomsday Supermarket he had seen when he first entered the game, only it seemed to be a simplified version of it. Song Jian saw that the vending machine could display fifty items at a time, all of which were things that players couldnt easily get; moreover, every ten seconds the fifty items would refresh and another fifty items would appear, and it took Song Jian standing there for five or six minutes to see the first batch of items again; There must be at least a thousand different items here! Song Jian marveled to himself; The vending machine sold not only items but also some valuable class legacies, including Epic and even Legendary Level class legacies, but all of these class legacies were high priced, with the cheapest costing a hundred points; What a pity, I heard a player say earlier that someone had already exchanged for an Epic Level class legacy, said to be really powerful; its so enviable! It seems that many people already know about the content of this trial; they even know the prices of the items sold in this vending machine like the back of their hand, theyre not here for the last place, but for a specific item in the vending machine! The items here are all unique, if theyre gone, you wont be able to buy them! Too bad, did you see that item? Thats probably the most valuable one here, but the price is too high; I doubt anyone can afford it! Hmph, five hundred points, you would have to kill everyone who entered the space, how is that possible, its probably just there to make us drool over it! If a broken one is so expensive, guess how much a complete one would be worth? Its impossible to have a complete one, thats something only deities can possess, us criminals dont have the right to own them, even if we did, it would be a curse, havent you heard of the saying a laymans possession of a jewel invites trouble? Yes, yes, even if we got this broken one, it would probably attract a lot of greedy eyes Hmph, the person who can exchange for this item, would they care about that? Thats true, five hundred points, and that cant be traded, to directly eliminate five hundred people, how is that possible. Song Jian, pretending to be a passerby, stood aside listening to these players discussions; in the Assessment space, they were competitors, but outside of the Assessment space, they could share information like companions; Song Jian of course knew what item they were talking about; the most valuable item here was a Legendary Level item, Fragments of Divine Country, priced at five hundred points; This was a Divine Country belonging to a fallen deity, with only less than one-third of its area remaining, and it was the most expensive item here. Song Jian currently had five hundred thirty points, enough to not only take this item but also to buy a Golden Skill Point with the remaining thirty points. However, Song Jian was in no hurry; almost all of the players attention was currently on this item, and if he bought the Fragments of Divine Country now, the other players would immediately guess it was him; After waiting for over half an hour, the players still hadnt left, seemingly intending to record all the items in the vending machine; one of the players even took out something like a camera and continuously took pictures of the vending machines item interface. After another ten minutes or so, the remaining people also left the space one by one; in the end, only Song Jian and the player with the camera remained; After he had photographed all the items, he turned to Song Jian with a grin and asked, Brother, what good stuff did you spot that you need to be so secretive about it? Song Jian was startled inside, but his face remained expressionless, and he simply smiled and said, There are too many good items, I just havent decided which one to exchange for yet! Oh, so brothers got quite a few points? the man put away his camera and began to gush about the vending machine, My name is Hao Da, how many points do you have brother, if its not too much trouble, you can tell me, I remember most of the items here quite well, I can give you some advice! If you only have a few points or maybe ten or so, and less than thirty, you might as well buy Attribute Fruits; one point increases one attribute, its said to be the highest value for money item, do you know how much an Attribute Fruit goes for outside now? Five hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, and even then its hard to come by, this is the best deal! If youve got thirty points, the best value for money would be those Dark Gold Quality skills, they could definitely take your power to a great new level, and also, if youve got over fifty points, check this out, this is the best value for money item among the fifty to eighty point range At first, Song Jian wasnt too concerned, just casually listening, but soon, he showed a surprised expression; the person in front of him had truly analyzed all the thousand types of products on the vending machine, and although some did not suit Song Jian, what he said did satisfy the needs of most players; For thirty points, its still this Golden Skill Point thats most suitable for me, after all, advancing the Thousand Swords Art is so difficult! Song Jian thought to himself. The Thousand Swords Art had advanced to level four, and now to raise it another level, he would need at least a dozen or more Dark Gold Level skills; a single Golden Skill Point here was equivalent to about a dozen Dark Gold Level skills, whereas thirty points here could only exchange for one Dark Gold Quality skill; Song Jian turned his head to look at Hao Da, thinking to himself, This person is talented, a natural-born intelligence analyst! PS: Thank you keepo for the reward of 1000 QiDian coins~ Chapter 877 - 878: The Broken Divine Country_1 Chapter 877: Chapter 878: The Broken Divine Country_1 Youre called Hao Da? Song Jian directly interrupted Hao Da, who was still incessantly analyzing the items, and asked, Which city were you born in? Huh? Place of birth? What are you going to do? A hint of wariness appeared in Hao Das eyes as he took a step back and asked. Nothing much, do you know where Doomsday City is? Song Jian asked with a smile; The scope of territories within this game was immense, even for people from a single city in the real world, it could be thousands of miles apart, making it extremely difficult for them to gather. Doomsday City? I think Ive heard of it; it seems to be a location that the Transmission Array only recently connected to, but the cost to go there is too high, Ive never been! Hao Da said with a slight frown, shaking his head after pondering for a moment; Thats alright, as long as the Transmission Array is accessible, it seems it shouldnt be too far from Doomsday City! Song Jian nodded and said, Are you interested in joining the City of Hope Alliance, it is now the biggest alliance in Doomsday City! City of Hope? Hao Da paused, seemingly recalling something, and hurriedly took out a notebook from his inventory to flip through, saying as he browsed, Wait a moment, City of Hope Alliance, I remember this name Song Jian saw that, in the notebook that Hao Da was flipping through, a lot of information was densely recorded; Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Found it, City of Hope, damn, thats the alliance that built the first city in the vicinity, the one with the highest difficulty to join! Hao Da couldnt help exclaiming, raising his head to look at Song Jian, a hint of skepticism in his eyes. Only three hundred and two people are core members of the City of Hope Alliance, can you really get me in? Hao Da asked doubtfully; Forget about becoming a core member, are you interested in being an outer member? Song Jian said directly, If you join, after a period of assessment, you might well become a core member; think about it? Is there really a chance to become a core member? Dont lie to me! Song Jian hesitated; Haha, no problem, you just need to come to the Doomsday City Lords Mansion, and say Song Jian sent you, someone will take care of your joining! Song Jian patted Hao Das shoulder and laughed; Song Jian, Song Jian You, you are the leader of the City of Hope Alliance, you are the City Lord of City of Hope? Hao Das face showed surprise, and he looked incredulous. Thats right, Ill be waiting for you! Song Jian said, and then bought a golden skill point from the vending machine, directly adding it to the Thousands of Swords Ascension Art! Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision (Active), Level 5 (0%), Skill Effect: Summon 5-60 Spirit Swords, inflicting (Quantity * 160% Weapon Damage) points of damage on the target, and each Spirit Sword also has a chance to deepen the targets damage; Attack Range: 1000 meters; Skill Consumption: 140 points of Invisible Sword Qi; Skill Cooldown Time: 10 seconds; Skill Description: This skill is one of the core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, gathering tens of thousands of Spirit Swords, amassing tens of thousands of sword arts, with aura crisscrossing the heavens and earth, and Sword Qi facing everything, the Swords look disdainfully down upon all, mountains collapse, seas split, heaven and earth turn upside down! This skill cannot be improved by proficiency but can only be upgraded by consuming other skills/skill books! With Level 5 of the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, its power had greatly increased. Hao Da glanced at the vending machine and was momentarily stunned, somewhat puzzled, but he did not say anything more and nodded toward Song Jian, directly exiting the Assessment space; Song Jian closed his eyes slightly, sensing it spreading out in all directions like quicksilver. After not detecting anything unusual, he directly chose to exchange for the Shattered Divine Country. A seed about the size of a fingernail, emitting a purple-gold radiance, appeared from the void; after its appearance, it instantaneously transformed into a divine light and entered Song Jians brow; Song Jian soon felt an inexplicable connection to a bizarre region, as if mere thought would allow him entry; Moreover, this region, hidden who knows where, seemed to be calling out to him, as if it urgently needed him to enter. Hesitating for a moment, Song Jian did not directly enter the shattered Divine Country from this space but instead withdrew from the assessment space and returned to the Manor Castle of the City of Hope Alliance; Just as Song Jian left this starry sky, a figure slowly materialized about ten meters from the vending machinethis person was not a player, but the NPC professional Gases, who had stayed until the end, even going as far as to use Finger of Death on Song Jian. Gases, with eyes revealing a hint of hatred, had not only maxed out his Stealth Skill but, upon reaching max level, had also undergone a mutation and advanced to another level, making him undetectable even to Song Jians formidable spiritual perception; As Gases looked upon the star domain now empty save for himself, a smile crept onto his facehe knew Song Jian was the ultimate victor, and that even with his powerful attacks, the guarding BOSS must have surely perished by his hand. Gases believed that killing the BOSS had to yield score rewards, although he didnt know how much; Soon, Gases approached the vending machine, and within minutes, a shocked expression appeared on his face. On the vending machines interface, the sales count for Shattered Divine Country had become zero; Finally, Gases knew what Song Jian had purchased hereit was the best thing available throughout the entire star domain space; Doomsday City, huh, sneered Gases, his face twisting into a sinister smile as his figure slowly vanished; Upon returning to the Manor Castle in the City of Hope, Song Jian immediately relaxed. Everything in the assessment space had been too eerie, keeping his mind exceedingly tautonly within the confines of the Manor Castle could he truly unwind; Once back at the Manor Castle, that urgent voice calling out to him in his mind seemed to grow stronger. With a thought, Song Jian disappeared from the room in the Manor Castle; At this moment, Butler George gently knocked on the door. After a long silence, receiving no response, George slowly opened the door. Each time Song Jian returned to the Manor Castle, the butler would come to ask if there was anything he needed. However, today, even though George had felt Song Jians presence, upon entering the room, he couldnt find any trace of him; What has happened to the master George furrowed his brows, scrutinized the room, found nothing out of the ordinary, and slowly retreated, closing the door behind him; At this moment, Song Jian had arrived in a strange place that seemed like a semi-dimensional plane. The sky above and the distant land were full of immense space-time rifts. Around these rifts, there were mountains, plains, and lakesexcept that the mountains were scarred with ravines, with huge fissures spreading across them. The plains, on the other hand, were barren, with some areas even ablaze with scorching flame. As for the lakes, they resembled putrid ditches, mostly dried up with only a small murky pool remaining, above which swarms of mosquitos and flies buzzed. Chapter 878 - 879 The Cost of Repair_1 Chapter 878: Chapter 879 The Cost of Repair_1 Song Jian looked at the dilapidated scene before him and was instantly stunned. This place was even more desolate than Doomsday City when he first entered it, devoid of any trace of life. He feared that in a few hundred years, this semi-dimensional plane would completely collapse. Such a semi-dimensional plane is actually so expensive, its simply Song Jian couldnt help but complain, just as he was about to leave disappointed, suddenly a soccer ball-sized orb of light appeared before him. Master, welcome back to the Divine Country! a childish voice came from within the orb, sounding like a five or six-year-old child speaking. You are Song Jian furrowed his brows. I am the spirit of this Divine Country. When Master is not here, I can take care of the Divine Country for Master! the orb of light explained. Divine Country, haha, how come I see this place as nothing but ruins? Song Jian shook his head and laughed. Master, this truly is the Divine Country, a place only deities can reside in! the orb of light said, Although Master is not yet a deity, your mark has already been imprinted onto this land of the Divine Country! This is what I bought for five hundred points. You have to know that five hundred points could at least buy five hundred attribute points. If I had bought all attribute points, my power by now could possibly even easily defeat those with second-tier combat power! Song Jian complained inwardly. Master, the resources of the Divine Country have been completely depleted. It will take one thousand points of divine power to repair this broken land! the spirit spoke directly, If there is no replenishment of divine power in the next five hundred years, then this Divine Country will fall! Divine power? Song Jian paused, a bitter and helpless smile appeared on his face. Do you think I have the power to supply you with divine power with my current strength? Master, if you cannot provide divine power, then souls will do as well. As long as Master can gather one million souls, you can just barely repair the Divine Country! the spirit continued. One thousand souls are equivalent to one point of divine power? Song Jian pondered. What use does this Divine Country have for me? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. The desolate land before him had diminished any interest he had in it. If it wasnt for the suddenly appeared spirit that made Song Jian feel somewhat intrigued, he would rather have wasted the five hundred points than show up in this space. The defense of the Divine Country is impregnable, and its whereabouts are impossible to trace. Only deities can discover the Divine Country, and only deities have the power to breach the Divine Country! the spirit continued, With Masters current power, the Divine Country can help you escape all threats to your life. With your minds guidance, Master can enter and exit the Divine Country at will, avoiding disaster! Song Jians eyes lit up. This use was indeed not bad. In this game where you have only one life, being able to save your life was the greatest utility. What else? Song Jian nodded slightly. The total area of the Divine Country is currently three hundred and twenty square kilometers. If Master has anything temporarily not in use, you can store it in the Divine Country, the spirit continued, The flow of time within the Divine Country can be adjusted at will. Any item, as long as it is within the Divine Country, will never decay! So its like a larger storage bag. Not bad, not bad! A smile appeared on Song Jians face as he asked, This means I can store living things in it, right? Living beings can also be brought into the Divine Country? If Master can fully repair the Divine Country, in theory, you could store living creatures within. However, in the Divine Country, these creatures will gradually be transformed into holy spirits. The only beings that can survive in the Divine Country, apart from gods, are spirits, the spirit continued. I see! Song Jian nodded, and said, What else is there? There are many functions of the Divine Country! the spirit went on, But most of the functions can only be utilized after the repairs are completed. I hope Master can repair the Divine Country as soon as possible! A million souls! Song Jian sighed and asked, Do they all have to be human? Of course not, Master. Its best to hunt those powerful creatures, the stronger the creature, the more abundant its soul energy. A standard unit of soul energy is equivalent to the soul strength of a level thirty elite BOSS! Ling explained. Hiss~! Song Jian took a sharp breath; the difficulty of this repair was much greater than he had imagined. A million level thirty elite BOSSeseven if he worked tirelesslyit might take several years to accomplish. Do I have to hunt these powerful creatures alone? It will tire me to death! Song Jian couldnt help but say. Master can build altars elsewhere and sacrifice living powerful creatures so that the Divine Country can extract their souls! Moreover, Master, you can use soul energy to create Storage Spirit Beads. These items can be worn by others who, upon killing monsters, can directly store the monsters souls Ling continued. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If thats the case, its not so difficult after all! Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since he could enlist the help of others, then restoring the Divine Country was not as difficult as he had thought. Master, here are the instructions for constructing the altar and the methods for making the Storage Spirit Beads! After saying this, Ling transmitted a stream of information to Song Jian, including methods for constructing the altar and making Storage Spirit Beads. Alright, Ill get to repairing this place as soon as possible. Song Jian looked around again, and the widespread devastation made him sigh slightly. Even gods have their days of defeat and death; he was merely someone who had inherited some unique professional skillswhat was there to be proud of? With a thought, Song Jian returned to his room in Manor Castle. It was indeed very convenient to enter the Divine Country; in addition to the Enemy of Death God skill, Song Jian had acquired another powerful life-saving measure. Soon, Song Jian sent the material list for constructing the altar and making Storage Spirit Beads to Wang Qi, instructing him to collect these materials. By the way, Wang Qi, has anyone in the alliance encountered especially powerful monsters? Song Jian asked. Especially powerful? Of course, I have a map of the BOSS distribution areas on hand. Almost all the elite and lord-level BOSSes near the City of Hope Alliance are included in it! Wang Qi said. Have you discovered any BOSS that is more formidable than the lord-level? Song Jian inquired. Song Jian had never seen a second-tier monster, but he suspected that they must be much more formidable than the lord-level ones. BOSSes more formidable than the lord-level? Wang Qi was startled. It was widely known that at this stage, not to mention lord-level, even elite-level BOSSes were not something an ordinary player could handle. Encountering one often meant summoning friends and forming teams to hunt together. City lord, when we encounter lord-level BOSSes, we have to hide. As for those stronger than lord-level, even if we did see them, we wouldnt recognize them! Wang Qi expressed his difficulty. Upon hearing this, Song Jian was taken aback, then shook his head. Wang Qi was right; lord-level BOSSes were already the limit for players. Encountering one often required dozens or even hundreds of players to have a chance of taking it down. As for BOSSes stronger than lord-level, if ordinary players encountered one, they likely wouldnt even have a chance to escape. City lord, I once went to a place, but even before I entered, I felt a terrifying sensation that was so horrifying, I dared not step even half a step inside. In hindsight, if there really are BOSSes more formidable than lord-level ones, they would probably only appear there Wang Qi hesitated for a long time before finally saying in a low voice. Chapter 879 - 880 Heart Speech Grass_1 Chapter 879: Chapter 880 Heart Speech Grass_1 The place Wang Qi spoke of was a vast swamp located thirty kilometers southwest of Doomsday City, filled with mud pits of various sizes everywhere. Some of these pits were so shallow that they couldnt even cover ones feet, while others could swallow hundreds of people without a single ripple; The air throughout the swamp was permeated with a poisonous fog full of corrosive properties, the gas exuding vibrant hues of colors, which under the sunlight, appeared as if one was in a dreamlike realm. This is Song Jian gazed at the poison fog swamp emitting a strange glow in front of him, his brow deeply furrowed. Ordinary players dare not even talk about exploring this place, for merely approaching it was extremely dangerous. However, Song Jians innate passive skill Thick Skin once again took effect, directly immunizing him against the corrosive damage of the poisonous fog. Of course, on one hand, it was due to his innate skill, and on the other, it was because of Song Jians robust physical attributes. At this time, Song Jians physical attributes had reached over one hundred and twenty points, and for the perennial poisonous fog in the swamp, even if the damage was ten times more severe, the impact on Song Jian would be minimal; Just as Wang Qi had said, the moment Song Jian set foot into the poisonous fog swamp, he immediately felt a faint pressure surging towards him; It was as if a giant beast with eyes as large as lanterns was watching him closely, not pouncing, but the fierce sense of threat was already overwhelming; This, this seems somewhat similar to the Black Dragons Dragon Might Song Jian frowned, thinking to himself that this persistent sense of threat was very similar to the Dragon Might exuded by a Black Dragon; Could it be that theres a Giant Dragon as the BOSS inside the poisonous fog swamp? Song Jian revealed an incredulous look on his face but then thought his idea was too far-fetched, laughed, and shook his head, discarding the thought from his mind; Just as Song Jian was about to step into the poisonous fog swamp to search for the hidden BOSS, which was very likely of command-level, an elderly dwarf suddenly emerged from a mud pit; Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Deitys Chosen, are you planning to venture into this swamp? The dwarf was covered in a thick layer of mud that made him look a bit like a distant relative of the stone people Gulu. If you really intend to enter this poisonous fog swamp, could you do Old Som a small favor? A very simple one, rest assured, Ill pay you a fair price, the dwarf said to Song Jian with a smile on his face; May I know what you need help with? Song Jian asked. Its nothing much, actually quite simple. You just need to help me collect ten Heart Speech Grass from the poisonous fog swamp! As he spoke, the old dwarf rubbed his rough hands together, somewhat embarrassed; Heart Speech Grass, is that a type of herb? Song Jian asked curiously; Yes, it indeed is a herb, I need it to craft a petrification potion! Dwarf Som did not hide anything and openly stated; So, you mean to tell me youre an Alchemy Master? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise, as he had not expected a dwarf to forgo the study of smithing in favor of alchemy, which was indeed quite astonishing. Haha, thats right, I am indeed an Alchemy Master! Dwarf Som seemed quite proud, stroking his long beard that almost touched the ground as he laughed and spoke; Actually, Im also fond of studying alchemy, its just that I mostly grope about on my own, and now I havent truly stepped into the threshold of alchemy. Song Jian said somewhat sheepishly, I can help you collect ten Heart Speech Grasses, I wonder if you could impart some of your insights into alchemy to me? Song Jians alchemy skill was only level seven, and he had yet to become a true Alchemist, only after reaching level ten would he earn the title of a junior Alchemist, and only then would he qualify to call himself an Alchemist, for now, at best he was just an alchemy apprentice; Oh, are you also a seeker of the path of alchemy, how rare! Dwarf Soms expression softened even more as he nodded with a smile, Alright, if you can collect ten Heart Speech Grasses for me, then I will give you a book, my many years of alchemical insights, and I hope it can help you improve! Since thats the case, then let me thank you in advance, ten Heart Speech Grasses, I will definitely gather them for you, Song Jian laughed; He was originally planning to enter the Poison Fog Swamp to look for Heart Speech Grass anyway, so it was merely a side task; Young man, you must be careful, as there will be a BOSS guarding near every Heart Speech Grass, and the older the Heart Speech Grass, the stronger the guarding BOSS! the old dwarf said seriously, In the middle of this swamp, there is a Dominant-level BOSS, you must not get close to the poison pond in the center of the swamp, should you alert that Dominant-level BOSS, Im afraid you wont even be able to escape. Dominant-level? Is there really a Dominant-level BOSS here? A smile appeared on Song Jians lips, and he nodded at the old dwarf before turning to walk toward the Poison Fog Swamp; I didnt expect there to really be a Dominant-level BOSS here, and even its exact location was revealed, this is really too lucky! Song Jian thought to himself. Inside the Poison Fog Swamp, the further he traveled, the denser the poisonous fog became, with the corrosive damage continuously increasing, and it even hindered Song Jians vision, until at last, Song Jian could only extend his perception to explore the surroundings; The place was filled with traps, some areas that seemed like just a small puddle turned out to be bottomless upon stepping into them; Thanks to his strong perception, Song Jian had avoided many such traps, but soon, his luck ran out. As he dodged a deep water swamp pit, a net with a diameter of over five meters swooped down over his head; A giant poisonous spider issued a sharp scream, spitting a stream of poison toward the net-entangled Song Jian; Swamp Poison Spider, Level 45, Elite Level BOSS, Vitality Points: 62000/62000 An Elite Level BOSS with over seventy thousand Vitality Points, a Level 45 spider, launched a stealth attack on Song Jian from less than three meters away and succeeded in its strike. When it spat the web, Song Jian didnt even notice, and it wasnt until the web was overhead that Song Jian sensed the danger; It has a talent for concealing perception, with powerful stealth? Song Jian was shocked and immediately used the Soul Wander ability. The white web that had enveloped him just acted as if it had covered nothing, softly falling to the ground, while Song Jian escaped from the nets grip and lunged at the Level 45 Elite BOSS; PS: Thank you Bread84 for tipping 100 starting coins~ Chapter 880 - 881: Gathering_1 Chapter 880: Chapter 881: Gathering_1 Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thousand Swords Art Over forty spirit swords flew towards the poison spider, which seemed to sense something and emitted a piercing shriek. It opened its mouth wide and spat out a mouthful of venom; Just as the venom collided with the countless spirit swords, the swords in mid-air, as if possessing their own consciousness, all changed direction in the air, tracing an arc, and continued to slash towards the poison spider; Boom, boom, boom~ The spirit swords struck the poison spiders body, splashing blood everywhere; Squeak~ The poison spiders body was left with dozens of sword marks, each over half a foot long, continuously oozing blood. Such wounds resembled being sliced by a thousand knives, causing the poison spiders body to twitch uncontrollably and let out bursts of agonizing howls; Puff, puff, puff, puff~ The severely injured poison spider had less than a thousand vitality points left, almost on the verge of death; it couldnt even stand up. But at its tail end, with each contraction, it continuously laid fist-sized spider egg sacs; These white egg sacs would explode upon contact with the air, and young spiders would crawl out. In no time, a large number of spiderlings surrounded the grievously injured poison spider; These spiderlings were only level one, with just one hundred vitality points. Song Jian didnt understand what use there could be in having so many such weak spiderlings; With each spiderling born, the poison spider lost a point of vitality. Before long, it had lost over a hundred vitality points, and the number of spiderlings around it had grown to over a hundred; Lying on the ground, the Swamp Poison Spider BOSSs compound eyes showed a light of hatred. After a loud cry, the spiderlings rushed towards Song Jian like a flood; Five Elements Sword Array! Song Jian threw the Sky-breaking Sword into the air, where it split into five and turned into a grey fog of swords, enveloping all the spiderlings; Boom, boom, boom~ The long swords not only struck these spiderlings, but to his surprise, the spiderlings could self-destruct. Once killed, their bodies burst open, like little bombs. The Five Elements Sword Array Space lasted for less than three seconds before it was blown apart, and Song Jian spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes revealing an expression of disbelief. The explosion had caused enormous damage to the Sword Array Space; his spirit points plummeted instantly, not leaving him any chance to use replenishing potions. Without spirit points, the Sword Array Space could no longer be maintained and directly collapsed, and Song Jian also suffered backlash from the destruction of the sword formation, spewing out a mouthful of blood; Seeing dozens more spiderlings crazily rushing towards him, Song Jians expression changed slightly, and he spread his steel wings, flying into the midair. These little spiders didnt have the ability to fly, each of them gathering under Song Jians feet, continuously emitting sharp screams; Glancing at the dying Swamp Poison Spider, Song Jian controlled the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand to slash fiercely at it; After mastering the Sword Control Skill, Song Jian found that he had become even more adept at handling long swords. The Sky-breaking Sword felt like an extension of his own arm, and when he used it for long-range attacks, there was no cost at all. As long as he could sense it, that was within the strike range of the Sky-breaking Sword; With less than a thousand Vitality Points left, they were taken by the Sky-breaking Sword. The Swamp Poison Spider let out a pitiful scream, its raised front half crashing down. A white, semi-transparent shadow seemed to float out from its corpse and was absorbed into an unknown space. Song Jian could feel that this was the soul energy of the Swamp Poison Spider, absorbed by his shattered Divine Country, becoming the energy to repair the Divine Country. Song Jian saw that next to the corpse of the Swamp Poison Spider, a purple grass had broken through the soil. It rapidly grew at a visible speed, and in no time, the purple grass had grown over half a foot tall, swaying in the wind. Meanwhile, the body of the Swamp Poison Spider looked as though it had been drained of all its flesh and turned into a thin, dried-up leather; Is this the Heart Speech Grass the old dwarf mentioned? It doesnt seem like it grew in the swamp, but rather burst out from the BOSSs corpse. Could it be that these Heart Speech Grasses all grow inside BOSSes? Shaking his head, Song Jian discarded the thought and turned his attention to the group of self-exploding little spiders; Even after the death of the Swamp Poison Spider, the little spiders did not disperse and were still eyeing Song Jian. The cooldown time for the Thousand Swords Art had elapsed, so Song Jian cast the Thousand Swords Art right away, summoning Spirit Swords to wipe out all these little spiders; Boom, boom, boom~ The intense explosions flung all the nearby swamp mud into the air, creating a crater over three meters in diameter, but soon, the surrounding mud gathered back together, and the crater turned back into a swampy pit; Soul energy was collected by Song Jian; the flesh became the nutrient for cultivating the Heart Speech Grass. As a result, the level 45 elite BOSS Swamp Poison Spider had only dropped one piece of green-quality crafting material, an Explosive Poison Sac, which was an ingredient required for a branch of Alchemy, poison-making, valued at two hundred Doomsday Coins; A level 45 elite BOSS, and in the end, it only dropped a piece of material worth two hundred Doomsday Coins. Im afraid no one would believe this if it were told! muttered Song Jian while collecting the Heart Speech Grass; Because he had accepted a gathering quest, collecting the Heart Speech Grass didnt require a high level of the Medicine Gathering Skill, so Song Jian was able to gather a complete stalk of Heart Speech Grass smoothly. This grass was dark purple all over and emitted a faint fragrance that was refreshing and seemed to relax the soul; After storing the Heart Speech Grass in his bag, Song Jian continued to explore deeper into the swamp; This swamp was teeming with not only bizarre creatures but also various undead and earth elemental monsters, most of which were level 40 or above. If it werent for the pervasive corrosive miasma and poison fog, this would be a decent spot for grinding. Unfortunately, after exploring the area for over an hour, Song Jian hadnt encountered a single player; Song Jian had killed seven or eight elites above level 40, and hed gathered nine stalks of Heart Speech Grass. These grasses only emerged after the BOSSes were slain; it seemed as if where a BOSS died, there a Heart Speech Grass would grow, and their development was all by drawing nutrients from the corpses of the BOSSes. Not only flesh-and-blood creatures but even the undead and earth element BOSSes, upon death, had their remains absorbed as nutrients by the Heart Speech Grass; Looking at the nine stalks of Heart Speech Grass in his bag, radiating a dim purple light, Song Jian felt a strange sensation rising within him. Such bizarre herbs were likely to produce very special potions, and Song Jian was now looking forward to the moment the old dwarf would create the petrification potion; Chapter 881 - 882 Highly Poisonous Lake_1 Chapter 881: Chapter 882 Highly Poisonous Lake_1 The further he walked into the depths of the poisonous fog swamp, the more intense the oppressive aura that pervaded the air became. Moreover, the deeper he traveled, the stronger the monsters he encountered. Song Jian was no longer seeing any monsters below level forty-five. Nearly every few meters throughout the swamp, there would be a monster roaming. Splosh~ Song Jian stepped into a puddle of sludge, and suddenly, an arm-thick tentacle covered with green-black scales shot out from the sludge. This tentacle, similar to an octopuss limb, was covered with suckers of various sizes and was continuously wriggling, which looked somewhat disgusting. He had already encountered quite a few of these monsters, and after killing them, they would drop cooking ingredients of a decent tier, some even dropping gems that could be set in equipment to enhance attributes. Song Jian quickly slew the monster, picked up a segment of the tender tentacle material that had dropped, and continued to walk forward. After exploring the swamp for over two hours, his experience bar had increased by 6%, but Song Jian still hadnt found a trace of the Sovereign-level BOSS. He hadnt even encountered an ordinary Elite BOSS, which meant that the quantity of Heart Speech Grass remained at nine, far from completing the task the old dwarf had given him. Just then, Song Jian suddenly saw a dazzling magical light illuminate the sky ahead, almost lighting up half of the sky. Instantly invigorated, Song Jian quickly headed toward the source of the brilliant light. As he ran, he noticed that the entire swamp seemed to have been disturbed, with nearly all monsters, like him, frantically heading towards the source of the light. Could it be that some treasure appeared in this swamp? Is that whats causing such agitation among these monsters? Song Jian thought to himself. Soon, Song Jian arrived at the location of the resplendent magical light. To his surprise, it was a lake spanning several thousand kilometers, with thick, foul-smelling green water on its surface. Bubbles constantly surfaced and burst, emitting a nauseating odor. But within this seemingly lifeless and highly toxic water, there grew a strange plant. It resembled a large banyan tree rooted in the water. Its trunk was knotted, and the surface of its bark had patterns like animal scales. What was even more astonishing was its crown, shaped like a dragons head roaring defiantly into the sky. The brilliant magical light that Song Jian had seen earlier was emanating from this tree. Along with the radiance came waves of a rich fragrance spreading outwards in all directions. At first, Song Jian found the scent very pleasant, but before long, it became cloying, as if his entire body were enveloped in a mass of filthy blood, every pore oozing grease. Around the highly poisonous lake, large groups of monsters began to appear. They gathered in greater numbers, and within a matter of minutes, nearly ten thousand monsters had congregated, a dense mass that was quite terrifying to behold. Having the skill to enter the Divine Country at any time, Song Jian wasnt too worried about being surrounded by these monsters. Moreover, the monsters near him seemed to be ignoring him entirely, their eyes fixated on the odd tree in the Poisonous Water Lake. At first, these monsters were able to remain quiet, but as time passed, they became increasingly restless. Some of their eyes turned blood-red, radiating a frightening glow. Thump, thump~ After a long wait, finally, some monsters could no longer restrain themselves and began to jump into the Poisonous Water Lake. Suddenly, Song Jian noticed that the oppressive presence that was always filling the air had inexplicably vanished. Ao~ Agonizing roars came from the water as Song Jian suddenly discovered that the poisonous water in the lake was like concentrated sulfuric acid. Any monster that jumped into the lake was rapidly dissolved by the water, eventually becoming nothing but skeletons that sank to the bottom; But this tragic scene did not instill fear in the other monsters. Instead, they continued to leap into the lake one after another, in a manner resembling suicide; Looking around, Song Jian saw that, although the monsters appeared frenzied, there was a hint of confusion in their blood-red eyes as if they had no idea what they were doing, which sent a chill through Song Jians body. Turning his gaze back to the large tree in the lake, his eyes suddenly took on a strange expression; Could it be that this peculiar Dragon Head Tree is the ultimate boss? Song Jian thought to himself, All these creatures in the toxic swamp are its food, roaming freely around the swamp until its time for harvest, then they are all lured over Just as Song Jian was pondering, he suddenly saw a huge dragon head emerge from the thick green water, two emerald eyes staring intently at him, and that oppressive aura once again surged in his heart; Theres actually a Giant Dragon here Song Jians heart sank, but the dragon head that was slowly emerging seemed to be different from his war pet, the Black Dragon. This creature had only one horn on its head, right at the position of the brow; Perhaps its not a Giant Dragon, but just a creature with the bloodline of the Dragon Clan Song Jian speculated; However, at that moment, another Unicorn Dragon head emerged from the water. Quickly, a vast body stood up from the lake. This monster turned out to be a terrifying Double-Headed Monster with two Unicorn Dragon heads; This monster seemed to be the guardian of the strange tree in the lake, standing motionless next to the tree. Its four eyes on both dragon heads were all fixed on Song Jian, appearing somewhat puzzled; But soon, it seemed to lose interest in Song Jian, with both dragon heads beginning to look at the strange tree in the lake. By this time, the number of creatures that had committed suicide by jumping into the lake had surpassed three thousand, and there were still more monsters continuously rushing into the waters. The thick green viscous water was like a bottomless pit, constantly swallowing the bodies of monsters big and small. The odd tree in the lake also began to slowly grow three dark red fruits; These three fruits, originally the size of a fist, slowly grew larger and larger, eventually becoming three fruits as big as basketballs. The surface of these three fruits also revealed scale-like patterns, emitting a dark red glow. Their light ebbed and flowed as if they were throbbing hearts. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After these three fruits ripened, the monsters around seemed to suddenly come to their senses. Now, only a few hundred monsters remained on the lakes shore, their faces showing terrified expressions as they retreated repeatedly, some even scared to the point of wetting themselves and collapsing by the lakeside. The Double-Headed Monster in the Poisonous Water Lake didnt glance at its surroundings and slowly approached the fruits of the great tree in the lake; This monster with two Unicorn Dragon heads is the true ultimate boss. Song Jian gripped the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand and thought to himself. Chapter 882 - 883: Domination Level_1 Chapter 882: Chapter 883: Domination Level_1 This monster with two unicorn dragon heads, Song Jian could only see its level and Vitality Points, which were level forty-eight, and it had five hundred thousand Vitality Points; Dominion-level, this must be a dominion-level BOSS! Song Jian was shocked in his heart. A BOSS with five hundred thousand Vitality Points, if it wasnt at dominion-level, then he really couldnt imagine what a true dominion-level BOSS would look like! Ordinary lord-level BOSSes could at most control a hundred or so normal monsters and a dozen or so Elite Level BOSSes, but this BOSS in front of him could easily control tens of thousands of monsters. The poisonous fog swamp that spanned dozens of kilometers, all the monsters within were reared and recklessly harvested by it as fodder. Just thinking about it was terrifying; Swoosh swoosh~ The monster waded through the highly toxic lake, stirring waves upon waves. The lake water, which could melt the bones of other monsters, seemed to have no effect on it; When it reached the strange tree in the middle of the lake, the two unicorn dragon beasts each bit into a red fruit, chewing continuously, and a rich fragrance pervaded the air as the two dragon heads let out a comfortable howl; Just then, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword in his hand fiercely slashed towards its direction, and over fifty Spirit Swords appeared out of thin air, falling like meteors, tracing arcs through the air, and flying toward the gigantic monster; Boom, boom, boom~ The lake water churned as the Spirit Swords harshly hacked onto the monsters body. The Spirit Swords, which should have caused over eighteen hundred points of damage, managed to inflict less than a thousand points of damage on this creature. Clearly, this monsters defensive power was not something those lord-level BOSSes could match; More than fifty Spirit Swords instantly reduced the monsters Vitality Points by one-tenth. Feeling the intense pain, the BOSS immediately grew furious. It stopped devouring the last fruit and turned to charge at Song Jian; The BOSS, over eight meters tall, looked like a small hill. After being injured, its attributes were revealed to Song Jian. Dragon Head Poisonous Flood Dragon Beast, level forty-eight, dominion-level BOSS, Vitality Points: 442580/500000 Before it rushed out of the lake, the unicorn dragon head on the left spewed out a large amount of poison at Song Jian. He quickly dodged, and a foul smell immediately filled the air from where he had just been standing. A white smoke rose, and the sound of hissing corrosion reached Song Jians earsthe ground where he had stood was covered in poison, slowly corroding into blackness; Song Jian had barely inhaled some of the poisonous gas and immediately felt dizzy and saw double, as if he was stepping on cotton. The talent skill Thick-skinned activated at this moment, and Song Jian quickly became alert again, but he was shaken to his core. Having inhaled just a bit of poison and feeling such a fierce effect, if he were sprayed with this poison, he feared that even the talent skill would not be able to completely immunize against the poisons damage; Realizing this, Song Jian became even more cautious and immediately used the Soul Wander skill to increase his distance from the BOSS; The Poisonous Jiao BOSS was massive, yet its speed was not slow at all. It closed the distance with just a few strides, following closely behind Song Jian. The muddy and tough swamp terrain didnt seem to impede it in the slightest. Even after Song Jian increased his movement speed by 100%, he was caught up after just a few seconds, and the two massive dragon heads fiercely bit at his back; Song Jians steel wings burst open behind him, and his figure flew into midair. The two dragon heads swept past, like battering rams, leaving a deep trench in the ground. Seeing Song Jian take to the sky, the unicorn dragon head on the right raised high, expelling a pale gray poison fog like an arrow towards midair; Song Jian hastily dodged, as this was the poison fog of a commend-level BOSS, and even he did not dare to be touched by it lightly; The poison fog was sprayed more than twenty meters high before it ran out of strength and slowly dispersed. Amazingly, the fog was heavier than air and floated down like dust, enveloping an area of several dozen meters around it; Floating mid-air, Song Jian looked down at the poisonous Jiao BOSS resembling a giant two-headed lizard, and he heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this BOSS couldnt fly; otherwise, it would have been quite a headache to dodge its attacks; As soon as the ten-second cooldown ended, Song Jian continued to use the Thousand Swords Art, with dozens of Spirit Swords howling towards the BOSS. After a thunderous roar, the BOSSs Vitality Points suffered a loss of nearly forty thousand; A vitality of five hundred thousand, in the eyes of other players, was simply an insurmountable mountain, leaving them with no slightest intention to fight. However, under Song Jians formidable attacks, as long as there was enough time, killing this BOSS was just a matter of time, assuming he could survive long enough under the BOSSs assaults; The injured BOSS grew even angrier, and the eyes of both Unicorn Dragon heads revealed a fierce look as they gazed at Song Jian floating above; Heart-wrenching roars came from the two dragon heads, echoing throughout the poisonous fog swamp. Before long, a large number of dark spots appeared in the distant sky. When they flew closer, Song Jian realized they were a flock of flying monsters; These monsters resembled humanoid bats, with a striking resemblance of about seventy to eighty percent to the bat-winged Zombies he had encountered before, complete with long feathers covering their bodies. Their faces were fierce, with two sharp fangs sticking out of their lips. Their hands were like human hands, except with nails over half a foot long. Their legs, however, were similar to bird claws, curled in flight, revealing gleaming bird claws from among the feathers, which looked somewhat intimidating; To be able to summon so many monsters from such a distance? Song Jian was startled. Previously, gathering all the monsters in the poisonous fog swamp was not solely due to the ability of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, but mostly because of the strange tree in the center of the lake. But now, Song Jian truly witnessed the strength of a command-level monster; To dominate all the monsters in a territory, the range of this enormous Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos dominion was within several tens of kilometers of the toxic swamp. Any monster living in this swamp was under its command, even controlling their life and death. Song Jian looked at the group of monsters flying towards him, with his Sky-breaking Sword ready to strike; Toxic Bat-winged Talon Beast (Ordinary), Level 40, Vitality Points: 12000/12000 Though these approaching monsters appeared fierce, they were in fact just a group of level 40 ordinary monsters. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao in the swamp still eyed Song Jian in mid-air with a malicious and cunning look; Song Jian tossed the Sky-breaking Sword into the air and executed the Five Elements Sword Array, encompassing the several dozen Toxic Bat-winged Talon Beasts that were rushing at him. The Sword Qi, grey and hazy, covered an area of dozens of meters mid-air; Piercing cries rang out within the Sword Arrays space. Although the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao couldnt hear it, it could feel the life of these monsters rapidly slipping away. Watching Song Jian, a wary look flashed in its eyes. PS: Thanks to No Strength to Get Up for the reward of 100 QiDian coins~ sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 883 - 884 Poisoning_1 Chapter 883: Chapter 884 Poisoning_1 Level 40 ordinary monsters, as long as their number didnt exceed five hundred, posed no pressure for Song Jian when he deployed the Five Elements Sword Array. Within the spatial bounds of the sword formation, strings of damage figures, numbering in the thousands, floated densely while those Talon Beasts failed to even find a target. In a short while, all the level 40 ordinary monsters turned into experience points for Song Jian, with their corpses falling to the ground with multiple plop sounds as if raining down; After all the Talon Beasts had been slain, Song Jians experience points rose by a small margin. The Sky-breaking Sword returned to his hand, and he casually struck the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao on the ground with a swing of the Thousand Swords Art, then continued to widen the distance between them; The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao opened its wide mouths, spewing two balls of liquid veiled in poison mist, flying towards Song Jian. With a flap of his wings, Song Jian swept through the air in an arc, dodging the trajectory of the poisonous liquid balls; Bang! Bang! The two poisonous liquid balls, having reached mid-air, suddenly burst open, transforming into a cloud of poison that immediately covered an area of over a hundred meters. Song Jians dodge was swift, but he was still stained by some of the poison fog. In a short while, a thin layer of green poison gas began to cover the surface of his body; All attributes decreased by 30%, defense reduced by 1000 points, and losing 10 Vitality Points per second, lasting for 5 minutes; Song Jian was startled, not expecting that this boss would possess such a formidable area-of-effect skill. For players, this terrifying skill meant countless deaths with no chance to even get close. The toxin from the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao was indeed fearsome. The moment the toxic effect took hold, a cool current emerged in his mind, instantly suppressing the poison. However, the innate ability Thick-faced could only suppress the toxin, and could not grant immunity to the toxin of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao; After the talent ability activated, the effects of the poison fog were reduced to a decrease of all attributes by 5%, defense by 200 points, and a loss of 1 Vitality Point per second, lasting for 120 seconds; Song Jian glanced at the only bottle of Advanced Detoxification Potion in his inventory, hesitated for a moment, and decided to save it for a critical time. This detox potion, which only a Master Level Alchemy could concoct, was a reward from a special quest, put up for sale in the auction house; Song Jian had spent 20,000 Doomsday Coins to purchase this bottle of Advanced Detoxification Potion, reserved for emergencies; At this moment, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao issued another roar. From within the poison mire, more flying creatures flew towards the area, viciously swooping at Song Jian; The cooldown period for the Five Elements Sword Array was quite long, and he could only deploy it once in a battle. Song Jian chugged a potion to restore his Mental Strength and silently waited for the approaching creatures; Only when the flock of flying creatures drew near did Song Jian realize that among these ordinary monsters of over level 40, there were even two or three elite bosses. Nevertheless, to the Thousand Swords Art, elite bosses were not much different from ordinary monsters. However, with these flying creatures present, Song Jian couldnt continue inflicting damage on the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao; Thousand Swords Art! Tens of Spirit Swords rushed towards the oncoming flying creatures, like a rain of swords. Before they could even reach Song Jian, they fell one after another. The loot sparkled with various colors mid-air, a spectacular sight; At this time, Song Jian couldnt afford to collect these items, letting them fall into the mire. After the Thousand Swords Art concluded, all the flying creatures were wiped out. Song Jians gaze then returned to the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao; At this moment, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao appeared to be gathering strength, spewing out two more balls of poisonous liquid towards Song Jian; Song Jian was alarmed. He knew that the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos toxin damage could stack, and he already had a layer of Poison on him. Although his innate skill Thick-Skinned had weakened it considerably, it wouldnt withstand continuous stacking! With a thought, Song Jians figure swiftly fled toward the distance. The coverage of the poison globules after the explosion was too extensive for ordinary people to dodge in time! In the air, Song Jian was much faster than on land, but still couldnt completely avoid the spread of the poison mist after the explosion of the poison spheres. Inevitably, the Poison effect in the status bar stacked up to 2 layers; Poison (2 layers): All stats decreased by 10%, defense decreased by 400 points, losing 3 Vitality Points per second, lasting 120 seconds A wave of weakness surged over him instantly. The effect of 2 layers of Poison had nearly doubled, and what frustrated Song Jian even more was that the duration of the Poison effect was refreshed. The effect, which originally had only sixty or seventy seconds left, had restarted at 120 seconds; However, it was a relief that the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao BOSSs skill had a rather long cooldown and couldnt be used consecutively, otherwise Song Jian would probably have had to turn and run. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon after, the BOSS summoned three waves of flying creatures for an attack and spat poison globules three more times, each time covering hundreds of square meters and leaving Song Jian no place to hide. The Poison effect quickly stacked up to five layers. Half an hour later, no matter how fiercely the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao roared, not a single flying creature came. Only then did Song Jian start to boldly attack it; Thousand Swords Art! At present, this was Song Jians only ranged attack method. If he attacked with the Sword Control Skill, it would be equivalent to just hacking away with very little powerSong Jian rarely used it. As for the Sword Flight Art, Song Jian didnt have a real flying sword at the moment. If he were to use the Sky-breaking Sword for flight, he couldnt attack, and so far, Song Jian hadnt thought of a perfect solution. After failing to summon flying creatures, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao not only spat out poison globules but also used another skill, toxin link. Anyone with the Poison effect would be drawn right in front of it. Floating in mid-air, Song Jian suddenly felt a strong force surging towards him, pulling him in the direction of the BOSS. At this moment, Song Jian didnt know the principle behind the BOSSs skill, and seeing himself charging uncontrollably towards the BOSS, he panicked; With a thought, Song Jian directly entered the Shattered Divine Realm, and immediately, the powerful pulling force disappeared. After glancing at the Poison effect on him, Song Jian waited in the Divine Country until the Poison effect had gone before leaving the realm; Having lost track of Song Jian, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao became confused. After searching around, it headed back toward that strange tree in the lake, upon which another fruit remained uneaten; But just then, Song Jians figure suddenly reappeared. In the instant he showed up, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao spotted him and locked onto Song Jian, turning its head, a stream of venom and poisonous smoke sprayed towards where Song Jian was; At that moment, Song Jian could only use the Soul Wander skill again to dodge the BOSSs attack, then he continued with the Thousand Swords Art to strike at it. Dozens of Spirit Swords materialized, and this time, out of more than forty Spirit Swords, half of them scored critical hits, instantly reducing the BOSSs Vitality Points by seventy to eighty thousand. One Spirit Sword even pierced straight through the left neck, tearing a wound over three feet long; The seriously injured BOSS was immediately enraged, raising its body high and slamming its front paws fiercely toward the ground; Chapter 884 - 885 Sword Control Skill_1 Chapter 884: Chapter 885 Sword Control Skill_1 The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao slammed its front claws viciously onto the ground, instantly releasing a wave of air mixed with poison mist that rolled out in all directions, wave after wave, flattening the thick layer on the ground; At that moment, Song Jians Soul Wander skill hadnt dissipated yet, and he felt like a small sailboat in a tsunami, being flung directly by the blast of air; Fortunately, whether it was the blast or the toxin damage, neither could harm the soul, and although Song Jian was thrown out, he landed without a scratch; Another AOE damage move! Song Jians eyes narrowed, this move was simply the bane of melee classes, once released, its likely that none of the melee classes, unless they have invincible skills, could survive it; This move lasted a full six seconds, covering an area with a radius of around forty to fifty meters centered on the BOSS; such a wide range meant that not only melee classes but also ranged classes with shorter attack ranges would be affected; Moreover, the damage from the move was extremely high; even tanks in heavy armor wouldnt last long in it, and if not for the Soul Wander skill, Song Jian might have had to trigger the passive skill Enemy of Death God, or else delve once again into the broken Divine Country. Entering and exiting the Divine Country isnt without cost; it may require divine power, and without the ability to supply the Divine Country with divine power, Song Jian had no choice but to offer the power of his soul instead. If he exhausted too much soul power, he wouldnt be able to use this life-saving skill later on. Once the BOSS had finished casting the skill, countless Spirit Swords slashed at it again; for Song Jian, it was a killer move, each Spirit Sword dealing about a thousand points of damage, his single-player damage output surpassing that of a ten-person squad; Song Jian was extremely cautious, continuing to wear down the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao BOSS with Thousand Swords Art and Soul Wander. As time slowly passed, an hour soon arrived, and his Steel Wings slowly faded as Song Jian descended from the sky; By then, he had whittled the BOSSs Vitality Points down to below 30%. Just at that moment, a poisonous rain suddenly fell from the sky, enveloping an area over a hundred meters in radius, with each drop creating a small pit on the ground. Not even mages could avoid such an attack with their instant teleportation due to the large area it covered; Song Jians Soul Wander skill was still on cooldown, so he had no choice but to take it head-on. With a thought, a Three-sided Bone Shield emerged around his body; As the poison rain pelted the shield, it immediately began to erode, leaving small pits until, after only five or six seconds, the shield had dissolved to a third of its integrity and shattered; During this time, Song Jian also quickly moved out of range of the poisonous rains attack, but his body inevitably stacked up six layers of toxin damage; If he had been an ordinary player with six layers of the BOSSs poisoned effect, the player wouldve been rendered useless and forced to retreat from combat. But Song Jians talent skill Thick Skin was incredibly effective, reducing the effect significantly. The six layers of poison were equivalent to an ordinary player having only two layers; This time, however, it gave the BOSS the chance to use its toxin attraction ability. As soon as Song Jian moved out of range of the poisonous rain and before he could steady himself, he instantly felt a strong pull sucking him uncontrollably towards the BOSS; How can this be? Song Jian was shocked. This move seemed harmless, but it was the most threatening one of all, capable of drawing in all ranged classes to their demise with a single strike! It uses this move every time I have the poisoning effect on me. Could it be that it requires one to be poisoned to work? Song Jian guessed. Glancing at the purple-red Detox Elixir in his inventory, he gritted his teeth and used it. A purple-golden glow flashed around him, and the poison effect vanished, as did the BOSSs pull on him. Song Jians heart leapt with joy, and he fiercely swung his Sky-breaking Sword forward. This time, he summoned the maximum number of Spirit Swords that the fifth level of the Thousand Swords Art could summonsixty Spirit Swords densely arrayed before him, flying towards the BOSS; Boom, boom, boom~ The massive body of the BOSS had no chance to dodge and could only endure the brutal assault. Sixty Spirit Swords viciously slashed at it, erupting with thunderous roars; Enhanced damage, continuous bleedingtwo negative statuses appeared in the status bar of the BOSS, significantly weakening its ability to resist critical hits. One after another, critical hits exceeding three thousand points floated up from the top of the BOSSs head. In a short period of time, the BOSS, which originally still had 30% of its Vitality Points, directly lost 10% of its Vitality; S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as the BOSSs Vitality Points fell below 20%, there was no sign of fear in its eyes; instead, they became more ferocious. Raising its head, a deep roar issued from the mouths of the twin Unicorn Dragon heads. In no time, the ground trembled slightly. Monsters from the poisonous fog marsh had all been summoned by the BOSS, charging towards Song Jian; Song Jian was greatly startled. Even as strong as he was, it was impossible to battle against tens of thousands of monsters above level forty, especially since there were many Elites and even Lord-level BOSSes among these monsters. Even if using Soul Wander, Song Jian had no way to break through the dense crowd of monsters. Glancing at the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, the eyes in the twin Unicorn Dragon heads showed a mocking expression. It seemed to sense Song Jians unease and spat out two balls of venom towards him. With gritted teeth, Song Jian tossed the Sky-breaking Sword into the air and then jumped violently, using the Sword Control Skill to steadily step onto the Sky-breaking Sword, flying into the air; Sword Flight Art! Song Jians Sword Qi Value plummeted rapidly. After all, the Sky-breaking Sword wasnt designed for flight, but the speed of the Sword Flight Art was extremely fast, faster than the Steel Wings or even the Black Dragon. In the blink of an eye, Song Jian rushed into the mid-air. Seeing Song Jian fly once more, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao let out an angry roar and chased after him in the direction he was flying. In an instant, the monsters that had just surrounded him were knocked over in disarray by the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, some even trampled to death; Song Jian struggled to control his speed and balance in mid-air, and it took him a while to slowly master some flying techniques. Gliding through an arc in the sky, he flew back towards the BOSS; With a light tap of his feet, Song Jian surged upwards before falling towards the ground in free fall. The Sky-breaking Sword returned to his hand; Thousand Swords Art! More than forty Spirit Swords traced arcs in the air, flying towards the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao BOSS; After releasing the skill, Song Jian tossed the Sky-breaking Sword once again, used the Sword Control Skill, and stepped back onto the sword. His figure drew a large arc in the air, flying back up; Chapter 885 - 886 Sword Flight Art Part 1 Chapter 885: Chapter 886 Sword Flight Art Part 1 Song Jian plummeted from the sky and, in the process of falling, wielded the Sky-breaking Sword to execute the Thousand Swords Art and then immediately used the Sword Control Skill to resume Sword Flight Art. This maneuver was incredibly risky, considering that during free fall, one cannot control their body at all; its essentially like being a moving target. Fortunately, the Sword Flight Art was so rapid that it could easily evade the poison spitballs from the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao. However, the Sword Qi consumption was massive. Every second of Sword Flight Art drained Sword Qi Value, and because the Sky-breaking Sword was not a flying sword, it consumed double the Sword Qi Value of a regular flying sword. Thankfully, after learning the Sword Control Skill, Song Jians Sword Qi Value had increased by five hundred points. Otherwise, he really would have been at his wits end. With Sword Flight Art, Song Jian was now out of reach of the monsters on the ground, and he could easily dodge the toxic spitballs that were difficult to avoid with steel wings, making the situation much more comfortable for him. Thousand Swords Art! Once again, in free fall, he unleashed the Thousand Swords Art. The BOSSs Vitality Points dropped bit by bit. The BOSS was helpless against the rapidly accelerating Song Jian and had to endure the damage from the Spirit Sword time after time. One hundred thousand, eighty thousand, fifty thousand, thirty thousand The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao was covered in numerous severe wounds, no longer exuding its previous arrogant aura. The left dragon heads neck was half severed, making it very difficult to lift. Noticing the weakened state of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, Song Jian prepared to harvest its last twenty thousand or so Vitality Points, but suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the dense crowd of monsters around him. All these monsters had been summoned by the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao. Even though Song Jian had flown up with the Sword Flight Art, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao had not dispersed them. Is this not the perfect time to reap these monsters and increase my Experience Points? A thought emerged in Song Jians mind, and he immediately focused his attention on the densely packed monsters surrounding the Highly Poisonous Lake. Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision! Dozens of Spirit Swords fell from the sky, covering an area of several ten meters. After a thunderous roar, more than twenty level 40 or above monsters lay dead, dropping loot of various colors all over the ground. Tracing a beautiful arc in the sky, Song Jian circled around the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao but did not stray far, allowing the Poisonous Jiao to continually spit explosive poison spitballs as he waited for the Thousand Swords Art cooldown. Ten seconds passed, and Song Jian once again used the Thousand Swords Art on a dense group of monsters. The damage from the Spirit Swords was extremely high, and as layers of damage numbers floated up from the monsters in the swamp, all of them roared helplessly under the onslaught of Spirit Swords and fell one after another. Song Jians Experience Points began to rise rapidly. As he was still killing higher-leveled monsters with an experience boost, there were thousands upon thousands of them densely packed below, so he didnt need to lure or aim. He just had to wait for the cooldown of the Thousand Swords Art to finish, and then he could unleash it upon the ground at will. One minute, two minutes, three minutesthe Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos Vitality Points were slowly recuperating. It continued to launch poison spitballs in Song Jians direction, but the speed of Sword Flight Art was so fast that he could instantly fly out of the poison fog range caused by the exploding spitballs. Now, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao could not inflict any damage on Song Jian. Meanwhile, on the ground, other monsters lay down in swathes, their bodies crisscrossed, and loot scattered everywhere. Song Jian even noticed several Heart Speech Grasses growing from the ground, swaying in the wind. It looked like he had killed quite a few elite BOSSes while farming monsters, which meant he had also completed the old dwarfs mission effortlessly. He would just have to wait until the end to go down and collect them. The monsters on the ground fell like wheat being harvested, and it wasnt long before Song Jian heard a ding from the system notification. Looking at his level, he had indeed risen to level 40; With the extra skill point, Song Jian immediately added it to his Sword Control Skill, upgrading the Sword Control Skill to level 2; Sword Control Skill (Passive), Level 2, Skill effect: Sword Qi Value +600, Sword Control +3, when using other Swordsman Immortal profession skills, power increased by 35%, can perform Sword Flight Art, flight speed +1; The Sword Control Skill, now at level 2, increased the Sword Qi Value by an additional 100 points, the power of Thousand Swords Art by 5%, and also added an attribute of flight speed +1; Song Jian felt it for a moment, and flight speed +1 was akin to an increase of 10% in flight speed. This made his Sword Flight Art faster, but also more difficult to control; The monster slaying continued. The higher the level, the more combat Experience Points were required and the harder it was to level up. However, at this time, most of the monsters on the ground were of a higher level than Song Jian, at least two or three levels higher, and some even five or six levels higher. Overleveling these monsters yielded a handsome amount of Experience Points. And now, with the nearly mindless output, Song Jian found farming them both safe and comfortable, the only thing he needed to pay attention to was the movements of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao; At this point, the Vitality Points of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao had recovered to over fifty thousand, and many of its wounds had started to clot and heal. As a commanding level monster, its vitality was extremely strong, and its wounds healed at an incredible pace. If it was given time, it would quickly return to its full strength; Seeing Song Jian slaying the monsters it had summoned, a cunning light gleamed in the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos eyes. It lay prostrate on the ground, not continuing to attack Song Jian but instead focusing on healing its wounds. It turned a deaf ear to the screams of the surrounding monsters. It seemed to be planning to use the lives of these common monsters in exchange for time to recover; From the heart of the poison fog swamp, where no player had ever set foot, the sound of explosions roared continuously. The bodies of monsters layered the ground thickly, and looking around, the area surrounding the Highly Poisonous Lake was entirely covered in monster bodies. A sight so continuous and unbroken, it was awe-inspiring. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No matter how many monsters there were, there would always be an end to them. Over two hours had passed, and Song Jian began to feel a hint of fatigue from slaying thousands upon thousands of monsters. Looking around, he could no longer see a single living monster. By now, Song Jians level had risen to 40, 78%. Under normal circumstances, gaining so much experience would require him to farm non-stop for over a month, yet now he had done it in just over two hours. By this time, the Vitality Points of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao had recovered to over one hundred thousand. Seeing all the surrounding monsters wiped out by Song Jian, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao lying on the ground also began to panic; Song Jian glanced at it and used the Thousand Swords Art against it. The injured Double-headed Poisonous Jiao immediately became furious and raised its heads to spew out balls of venom, which Song Jian easily dodged. After unleashing the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian, standing on his Sky-breaking Sword, flew to a point dozens of meters away from the poisonous Jiao and gestured with his eyes for it to continue Summoning monsters; The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao seemed to understand Song Jians intent, and a look of humiliation appeared in its eyes. It let out a roar at Song Jian and a murky cloud of poisonous smoke was sprayed towards him; A sharp look flashed in Song Jians eyes, he controlled his Sky-breaking Sword to fly up into the sky, lightly tapped his foot, soared upward, holding the Sky-breaking Sword, and continued to unleash the Thousand Swords Art, moving to kill the BOSS; PS: Thanks to Heavenly Emperor for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 886 - 887 Kill_1 Chapter 886: Chapter 887 Kill_1 Boom, boom, boom~ Over a dozen spirit swords bombarded the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao BOSS, and Song Jian whispered hoarsely, Continue summoning! Feeling Song Jians threat, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao hesitated for a moment before, in a humiliated manner, raising its heads and bellowing loudly. In no time, thousands of monsters swarmingly headed towards the Highly Poisonous Lake. Song Jian began to repeat the previous steps. The ground was now covered with a thick layer of monster corpses, and around them lay many variously colored items. Many pieces of loot, due to the passage of time, slowly vanished, which made Song Jian feel pained. After all, these were items above level forty, and even if sold to the system store, they could fetch a good number of Doomsday Coins. Furthermore, the leading players levels in Doomsday City had nearly reached level forty, so putting these items up for auction would see a fierce bidding war. At this point, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao looked somewhat listless, but Song Jian had not slackened his vigilance in the slightest. Should he give this Overlord-level BOSS an opportunity, it might very well turn the tables and kill Song Jian at a critical moment. Even with the backup of Enemy of Death God and Shattered Divine Realm, Song Jian was not willing to risk capsizing at the final hurdle. All the common monsters, facing Song Jian who could freely fly in the air, had no way to cope. If it were any other time, these monsters would have already scattered and fled, but under the control of the Overlord-level BOSS, these monsters didnt even think of escaping. Their lives were no longer under their own control. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, watching Song Jian killing the monsters on the ground to level up with impunity, showed a look of humiliation and hatred in its four eyes. The two heads exchanged glances before they slowly retreated towards the Highly Poisonous Lake. Although Song Jian was continuously killing monsters and leveling up, he had at least half his attention on monitoring every move of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao. Seeing the creature eager to retreat back into the Highly Poisonous Lake, Song Jian took out a high-explosive grenade from his inventory and threw it towards the path of the retreating Double-headed Poisonous Jiao. Boom! A violent explosion tore through the muddy swamp, blasting a large pit and causing the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao to pause abruptly in its movement. The wisdom of a Lord-level BOSS was already not inferior to that of humans, so naturally, the Overlord-level Double-headed Poisonous Jiao understood Song Jians intentions. It dared not make another move and showed a look of desperation in its eyes. It understood that Song Jian was keeping it alive to summon the swamps monsters for him to slaughter. Once all the swamp monsters were killed, that would signal the moment for it to meet its end. The cunning Double-headed Poisonous Jiao would not sit still waiting for death. Seeing that Song Jian had killed another few thousand monsters and was looking over, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, without needing a threat, proudly lifted its heads and began summoning other monsters. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao would not summon all the monsters in the Highly Poisonous Swamp at once. It summoned only a few thousand at a time, biding its time. But Song Jian was unconcerned. After summoning the monsters and seeing Song Jian start the monster grind, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao lay prone on the ground, motionless as if it had given up on resisting. In reality, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao was ceaselessly digging the mud beneath it. In no time at all, it had dug a large hole. Raising its heads, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao let out a piercing wail and deftly slipped a shiny, mucus-covered white egg into the hole beneath it, and then it covered the hole with mud, leaving no trace. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos howl caught Song Jians attention. He turned his head to look at it and noticed that the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos body was starting to burn with black flames, its Vitality Points dropping by the hundreds. Given its current state, if it continued like this, there would be no need for Song Jian to act C it might burn its Vitality Points to exhaustion on its own. Seeing something unusual with the BOSS, Song Jian suddenly became more alert. At this point, the BOSSs Vitality Points had soared to over fifty thousand. When hit down to twenty thousand earlier, it had not shown such symptoms. So why now? Could it be there was some powerful move waiting for him? Song Jian was very cautious with his life, and this was his first time hunting a Dominance-level BOSS, so he had to be as careful as possible. Seeing the BOSS charging towards him, Song Jian controlled his Sky-breaking Sword beneath his feet, tracing a path through the air, and put some distance between himself and the BOSS. When the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao saw Song Jian fly away, a sneer appeared in its eyes. It roared loudly and began to wriggle its body, stirring up a great deal of mud. It then started to actively attack the surrounding monsters, its two heads tearing into those lying on the ground, motionless with fear. After it bit them to death, it flung their bodies behind it with a fierce shake of its head, not sparing them a single glance. In just a moment, dozens of monsters had been bitten to death by the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, their bodies strewn everywhere. Song Jian frowned in the air, finding the actions of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao to be quite eerie. He had initially planned to leave it alive for a while longer, but now it seemed better to kill it as soon as possible. Thousand Swords Art! Countless Spirit Swords descended. The already Vitality-drained Double-headed Poisonous Jiao had its last bit of Vitality Points reaped, and its body collapsed with a thud. The two Unicorn Dragon heads also fell heavily to the ground, slowly closing their eyes. Transparent soul energy was instantly pulled from its body, merging into the void. Song Jian could feel the previously ravine-filled mountains within his Shattered Divine Realm beginning to heal slowly. The spirit energy of a Dominance-level BOSS was tremendously powerful, far stronger than that of ten or a hundred Lord-level BOSSes. It wasnt only a matter of quantity; it was a qualitative leap. Next to the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos body, five or six items of various colors were scattered around. Among them were two Dark Gold Quality items, three silver Quality items, and one item that emitted a purple-red glow. Epic equipment? Song Jians eyes lit up. You should know, Lord-level BOSSes had a chance to drop Epic equipment, but the odds were too small. On the other hand, Dominance-level BOSSes theoretically had a chance to drop Legendary Items, but unfortunately, Song Jian wasnt very lucky this time. He didnt get any Legendary Items, only one Epic item. Song Jian slowly descended from the air. With the BOSSs dominance gone, all the monsters fled wildly. Song Jian could no longer level up by farming monsters like before. The ground was littered with items dropped by the monsters. Song Jian first picked up the items dropped by the BOSS and then began to select other high-tier items dropped by the monsters. After some busy work, Song Jian filled his inventory to the brim. There were still a lot of items left, which Song Jian unceremoniously dumped into his Shattered Divine Realm. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He stowed away the good items; as for the gray and white items, Song Jian didnt bother with them. They were too low in value to recoup the cost of opening the Divine Realm, so he left them where they lay. Looking at the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos body, which was like a small hill, Song Jian couldnt help but feel a sense of regret, sighing inwardly. PS: Thanks to Bread84 for the 100 Doomsday Coins tip~ Chapter 887 - 888 Black Dragon Advancement_1 Chapter 887: Chapter 888 Black Dragon Advancement_1 The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao was indeed an Elite Level BOSS, and its corpse was extremely valuable. Unfortunately, whether it was Dissection Technique or Gathering Skill, Song Jians level was too low to gather any materials from the BOSS carcass; otherwise, just the materials gathered from the BOSS carcass alone would be worth a fortune; Just as Song Jian sighed, a plant emitting a purple-gold glow rapidly broke through the soil next to the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos corpse, just like the Heart Speech Grass before. Soon the plant grew over one foot tall, looking almost identical to the Heart Speech Grass, only the color on its surface was an even more distinguished purple-gold; At this time, the body of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao BOSS began to rapidly shrink, as if all its flesh, blood, and bones were being absorbed by the purple-gold plant in front of it, quickly turning into a withered carcass that was incinerated into a pile of ash by transparent flames; Heart Speech Grass, this is also Heart Speech Grass Song Jian touched the plant and was momentarily speechless. The plant before him was also Heart Speech Grass, but both the name and the level were quite different from the common Heart Speech Grass; Song Jian had already gathered thirty-one stalks of Heart Speech Grass. These plants that absorbed the BOSSs flesh only existed for a quarter of an hour; once the time elapsed without being gathered, they would quickly wither. During his monster farming, Song Jian had seen countless Heart Speech Grass, but he could not possibly descend to gather them at the time, resulting in many Heart Speech Grass and other items dropped by the monsters being directly reclaimed by the system; However, only ten stalks of Heart Speech Grass were needed to complete the quest, and Song Jian had already surpassed the requirement. He only knew that Heart Speech Grass was an ingredient for making petrification potions; beyond that, he was clueless, and keeping them was of no use; Song Jian planned to sell all the extra Heart Speech Grass to the old dwarf to see if he could exchange them for other items; As for the plant in front of him, Song Jian hesitated for a moment before beginning to gather it, just like the other Heart Speech Grass; It should be known that with Song Jians level of the Medicine Gathering Skill, even gathering common Heart Speech Grass was somewhat difficult. These plants were of a high tier, and one needed to have at least a beginner level in the Medicine Gathering Skill to gather them, but the difficulty was much reduced for this quest given by the old dwarf; The plant before him, named King Heart Speech Grass, was of an even higher tier. In normal times, Song Jian wouldnt even dream of being able to gather it whole, but now was an opportunity; Even if its called the king, it should still belong to Heart Speech Grass! Song Jian thought to himself as he began to slowly gather it; Indeed, the speed at which he gathered this King Grass was only one-tenth the speed of gathering ordinary Heart Speech Grass, so slow that Song Jian thought he could not gather it, as the progress bar barely moved for a long time; After nearly three minutes, Song Jian finally gathered the King Heart Speech Grass into his inventory. Looking at it, the full inventory, indeed, this King Heart Speech Grass could not stack with the other common Heart Speech Grass and occupied an inventory slot all of its own. Checking its attributes, there was nothing special, only a note that it was an alchemy ingredient that could increase the success rate of concoctions by 10% and the mutation rate by 5%. As for what potion it was an ingredient for, there was no mention in the description; After picking up all the items, Song Jians gaze fell on the Dragon Head Strange Tree at the center of the Highly Poisonous Lake. Initially, the strange tree had produced three crimson fruits, of which the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao had eaten two, and there was still one bright red fruit left on the tree; This Dragon Head Strange Tree looked very peculiar. The fruits it bore could incite a frenzy among all the creatures in the swamp, and with an Elite Level BOSS like the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao guarding it, it was definitely not ordinary; Song Jian used Sword Flight Art and came to the strange tree, gathering the last fruit; Dragon Scale Fruit, a precious rarity, usage effect: can be used on creatures with the Dragon Clan lineage, has the effect of enhancing lineage rank and level, and has a certain chance of causing mutation; a creature can only consume three of these fruits in a century! For other creatures, use may also trigger random mutations! Its actually for combat pets! Song Jian was somewhat disappointed, as a human he could naturally use the fruit too, but it could trigger mutations, and Song Jian did not want to become a two-headed monster; For ordinary creatures, mutations always increase strength, but for Song Jian, such items were harmful rather than beneficial; The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao probably became what it was now because it had consumed too many Dragon Scale Fruits, and other creatures likely harbored the idea of mutating to enhance themselves by acquiring Dragon Scale Fruits; Glancing at the two pets slumbering in the Pet Space, Song Jian tried, and astonishingly, both battle pets could use it; it was within his expectations that the Black Dragon could use the Dragon Scale Fruit, but even an elemental creature like the stone golem Gulu could use the Dragon Scale Fruit, which surprised him; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian still decided to let the Black Dragon use the Dragon Scale Fruit, as the fruit gave greater enhancement to creatures with the bloodline of the Dragon Clan, and deep down, he even harbored a faint hope that the Black Dragon could mutate into a Double-headed Black Dragon; Clutching the Dragon Scale Fruit, Song Jian sent the use command to the Black Dragon, who was sleeping soundly in the Pet Space, and the Dragon Scale Fruit vanished from his hand, reappearing within the Pet Space; The slumbering Black Dragon seemed to smell something, its nostrils flaring continuously, and in a short while, it opened its golden vertical pupils, staring intently at the fist-sized Dragon Scale Fruit floating before it; Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An excited dragons roar resounded in Song Jians mind, and as a master, he could also feel the Black Dragons joyful emotions. The Black Dragon swallowed the Dragon Scale Fruit in one gulp without even chewing, much like Zhu Bajie devouring the ginseng fruit. Before long, a crimson blood-qi surfaced on the Black Dragons body, looking like flames that enveloped the Black Dragon entirely; Song Jian noticed that the Black Dragons body was swelling continuously, its already majestic and robust body was inching towards terrifying proportions; The three-meter-tall stature had now exceeded five meters, its body length extended from six meters to over ten meters, and the palm-sized bluish-black scales had turned into the size of a football, becoming much thicker; The horns on its head had grown another three inches, its teeth and claws had become even sharper, especially the pair of flesh wings on its back, which had extended to about five or six meters; at the tip of the wings, a bone claw as dark and metallic as the rest appeared, looking quite formidable; Level 35, Level 36, Level 37, With its increasing size, the Black Dragons level also climbed steadily, rising straight from Level 35 to Level 45 before finally stopping, and all attributes began to skyrocket, far surpassing ordinary Elite Level BOSSes. Finally, a golden light burst forth from the top of the Black Dragons head, turning into a scatter of fine light spots, advancing the Black Dragons rank directly to the Lord Level; A Level 45 Lord Level BOSS! Elated, Song Jians eyes revealed his pleasure, saying nothing else, just a battle pet like the one before him was enough for Song Jian to strut through the entire Doomsday City! A high and clear dragons roar sounded off, and the Black Dragon seemed somewhat restless in the Pet Space, appearing a bit agitated, ceaselessly clawing at the surrounding space; With a thought, Song Jian released the Black Dragon from the Pet Space, and immediately he was shrouded by a vast black shadow; PS: Thank you to ᡱ for the gift of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 888 - 889: Elementary Alchemy_1 Chapter 888: Chapter 889: Elementary Alchemy_1 The Black Dragon, now even more massive, seemed like the tyrant of the entire swamp as it soared through the midair, constantly letting out dragon roars filled with an intimidating power. After circling in the air for a while, the Black Dragon slowly descended toward the Highly Poisonous Lake. The lake carried a strong corrosive damage that even the Black Dragons scale defense couldnt break through. The Black Dragon slowly landed in the lake and made its way towards the Dragon Head Strange Tree in the center; Reaching the middle of the lake, the Black Dragon started to tear off the monstrous trees leaves and gulp them down, continuing until it had devoured nearly half of the Dragon Head Strange Trees leaves before it slowly stopped. Boom~ Flames suddenly erupted from the body of the Black Dragon and quickly spread across the lakes surface. In no time at all, the entire lake was aflame with roaring fire; Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. After consuming the Dragon Scale Fruit, the Black Dragons strength had greatly increased; it had never had the capability to set the entire lake on fire before. However, Song Jian did not understand why the Black Dragon was doing this now; Before long, the lake water began to boil, and a thick poison fog rose from the burning lake. Song Jian couldnt help but take a few steps back; the fogs damage was slightly lesser than that of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, but only by a little. Ordinary creatures would be poisoned to death if they got too close; As flames rose, the water level of the Highly Poisonous Lake slowly declined. It seemed as if the Black Dragon intended to completely dry out the entire lake. The poison fog in the sky began to spread in all directions. Under the continuous blaze, the lake water was quickly evaporated; A large pit appeared before Song Jian, and at the bottom of the pit, the flames were still not extinguished, burning fiercely. The colossal body of the Black Dragon lay prostrate under the Dragon Head Strange Tree, motionless; A feeling of heaviness settled in Song Jians heart. It seemed the Black Dragon wanted to remain under the Dragon Head Strange Tree, reluctant to leave, as if it aimed to become the Guardian of the monstrous tree, like the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao; He opened the Pet Space interface to take a glance, and saw that the Black Dragon was still his battle pet. Even so, this did not put Song Jian at ease. After all, the former Knight of Dawn, Ya, had been lured to the Dawn Temple by Cecilia while still his follower, and afterwards had forsaken his status as Song Jians follower to become a true Knight of Dawn; The current situation with the Black Dragon might not be so different. Perhaps, after guarding the Dragon Head Strange Tree for a while, it could become a sovereign-level BOSS just like the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao and then continue to guard forever, no longer Song Jians battle pet; Song Jian wanted to recall the Black Dragon back into the Pet Space, but as soon as this thought occurred to him, he saw the Black Dragon open its eyesa pair of cold, golden pupils stared at him as their intimacy index began to plummet, scaring Song Jian into immediately abandoning the thought; In barely three seconds, the Black Dragons intimacy had dropped from eighty-nine to sixty-three. If Song Jian had been a moment slower, he might have directly broken the threshold for pet betrayal; Damn it, whats so great about this broken tree thats worth your guardianship? Song Jian inwardly cursed, If I had known, I would have cut this tree down right away! Song Jian waited for more than half an hour, but the Black Dragon showed no signs of leaving the Dragon Head Strange Tree, almost as if it had fallen into a deep sleep. The entire Highly Poisonous Lake had turned into a sea of fire. Under such intense flames, the Dragon Head Strange Tree didnt even show any signs of being scorched on the surface, which seemed quite miraculous. With no other option, Song Jian left reluctantly, heading towards the place where the old dwarf was located; sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Song Jian mastered the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the Black Dragons utility had lessened. In most cases, its role was to attract monsters attention or to use Dragon Might to drive away lower-level creatures nearby; However, the potential of the Black Dragon was immense, and once it grew, its strength would definitely not be much less than Song Jians, The only problem was that Song Jian simply had no time or energy to cultivate it, and the Black Dragons growth could almost be said to be entirely up to fate. But if the Black Dragon just left like that, Song Jian always felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. Arriving at the edge of the swamp, the old dwarf who had been seen earlier had vanished. By the time Song Jian got there, the old dwarf slowly crawled out of a mud pit. There were almost no monsters to be seen around, as most had been devoured by the Highly Poisonous Lake. The remaining few had become part of Song Jians battle experience. At this point, Song Jians battle experience had reached level forty at 89%, If it werent for the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos final outburst, Song Jian might have been able to level up twice in one day. At this moment, he was unaware that the entire Doomsday City was abuzz due to his rapid leveling up, yet he still harbored some resentment toward the Black Dragon in his heart. Seeing the mud-covered old dwarf, Song Jian directly took out ten stalks of Heart Speech Grass and handed them over. Judging by your expression, you dont seem very happy, the old dwarf said, taking the Heart Speech Grass and giving Song Jian a glance. The monsters in the swamp have all gone berserk. You didnt cause that, did you? Song Jian shook his head and replied, There is a lake at the center of the swamp that houses a dominion-level BOSS. It was its doing! What, you actually ventured into the center of the swamp and saw that dominion-level BOSS? The old dwarf trembled all over, nearly dropping the Heart Speech Grass into the mud. You actually came out alive, you must be very lucky! The old dwarf shook his head, his face full of disbelief, and then he took a notebook from his bosom and handed it to Song Jian, saying, This is a notebook I made when I first learned Alchemy, I believe it will be of help to you! Song Jian accepted the notebook glowing with a blue light. Beginner Alchemists Notebook (Blue), consumable item, use effect: can improve the users Alchemy experience. Usage requirement: Alchemy level one; Clapping his hands together, the blue-quality notebook turned into a white light that entered Song Jians forehead. Soon after, many pieces of knowledge about Alchemy emerged in Song Jians mind, and the level of Alchemy in his skills tab was also rapidly rising. In a short while, his Alchemy level broke through to level ten, earning him the title of a Junior Alchemist. Junior Alchemist level one, Junior Alchemist level two, Junior Alchemist level three, Song Jians Alchemy skill continued to rise until it reached Junior level six before slowly coming to a halt. At this moment, Song Jian felt as though an iron ring had been tightened around his head, causing a throbbing pain. Information about Alchemy was sparking in his mind like fireworks, those sparks eventually turning into roaring flames, until Song Jian felt as if his brain was being incinerated to ash. After an unknown period, Song Jian let out a pained moan and slowly opened his eyes. He found himself lying on the edge of the Highly Poisonous Swamp, and the old dwarf Alchemist had disappeared without a trace. PS: Special thanks to Book Friend 20191127234229646 for the reward of 2000 QiDian coins~ Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a Happy Laba Festival! Chapter 889 - 890 Ancient Red Dragon_1 Chapter 889: Chapter 890 Ancient Red Dragon_1 After killing a Dominion-level BOSS, my alchemy skill climbed to Junior Level Six, and my level rose to 40. My bag was stuffed with a variety of items for level 40, but the Black Dragon, my battle pet, was left behind in the Toxic Swamp. I wasnt sure if I ended up gaining or losing overall. Back at Manor Castle, I tossed all the loot into the guild warehouse. You have to realize, there arent many players right now who can hunt monsters above level 40. When Wang Qi saw so many level 40 and above items suddenly appearing in the guild warehouse, he knew Song Jian had returned and quickly headed over to Manor Castle. Lord, how did you manage to level up in less than a day? Wang Qi asked bluntly. You should know that leveling up from 39 to 40 requires far more combat experience than from level 30 to 39. Ordinary players would have to stay at level 39 for at least a month or two before they could even hope to reach level 40. Its nothing, I simply swept through all the monsters in the Toxic Swamp, Song Jian said with a smile. All the monsters in the Toxic Swamp Wang Qi was momentarily speechless. The swamp was tens of kilometers in area C leaving aside the monsters, just the toxic miasma suffusing the whole swamp was something ordinary people couldnt withstand, which is why almost no one wanted to grind there for levels. Wang Qi didnt believe that the monsters in the Toxic Swamp would let Song Jian hunt them at will without resistance, and doubted Song Jians ability to tread every inch of the swamp in less than a days time. Song Jian chuckled and began to recount his experience in the Toxic Swamp. When he heard that there was indeed a Dominion-level BOSS in the swamp, Wang Qi couldnt help but exclaim in amazement. Just as they were chatting, a dragons roar suddenly resonated overhead the City of Hope. Song Jian was elated, but he soon realized that the roar above wasnt emitted by the Black Dragon. This dragons roar was filled with majesty, the sound deep and slightly hoarse, while the Black Dragons roar was much clearer. Accompanied by this dragon roar, a shrill alarm rang out in the City of Hope, and nearly all the Magic Crystal Railguns aimed at the giant figure in the sky. Song Jian and Wang Qi exchanged a look and stepped out of Manor Castle to gaze upwards. In the sky, a massive shadow blotted out the sun. It was a terrifying behemoth over a hundred meters in length with wings spanned out over two hundred meters, its body covered in crimson scales that shined dazzlingly under the sunlight, as if it was cloaked in red flames. Third, third tier combat power! Song Jians face turned pale at once. If it had been a Giant Dragon with just second tier combat power, he would have had the confidence to contend with it for a while and, relying on the City of Hopes defenses, may even have had the chance to slay it. But third tier combat power was beyond the limit of what he could handle! The other players did not understand the terrifying strength of the Giant Dragon overhead, but they were overwhelmed by the frightening aura it exuded, struggling even to breathe. A flash of red, and the terrifying beast above vanished. In its place stood a lady in a long red robe with two dragon horns on her head. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The lady silently floated in mid-air, her wings C at least two sizes larger than her body C spread out behind her like a cape. Watching a Red Dragon transform into a human form, Song Jian couldnt help but let out a groan, Damn it, an Ancient Red Dragon! Seeing the Red Dragon in human form, the last bit of resistance in Song Jians heart was also dispelled. Such a terrifying existence was simply not something that the current Song Jian could handle, Is it you who has imprisoned one of my kin and treated it as a humiliating battle pet? The Red Dragon Lady, as if descending steps, walked down through the air, one step at a time, until she stood in front of Song Jian. Her eyes shone like a pair of dazzling rubies, staring intently at Song Jian, radiating a fierce intent to kill, Petty human, the noble Dragon Clan is not something you can provoke. If you dont want to perish along with this city, then quickly summon that pitiable Black Dragon and let me take it away said the Red Dragon Lady; At this time, the City Defense Army of the City of Hope had already begun to assemble, a force of thousands of NPC troops appearing before everyones eyes, each NPC Guardian being level fifty, possessing first-tier combat power. At the same time, several Magic Crystal Railguns also slowly turned around, aiming at the Red Dragon Lady, ready to raze the surroundings to the ground with just one signal, The Red Dragon Lady seemed utterly unconcerned with these threats, even revealing a hint of mockery in her dark-red eyes. Song Jian furrowed his brows, directly summoned the Lords Order, and issued the command to disband the City Defense Army and reset all Magic Crystal Railguns to alert mode rather than pre-firing status; Song Jian had complete control over the entire city and could easily mobilize all of its resources, After seeing Song Jians actions, the Red Dragon Lady let out a cold laugh and said, What, the defense forces of this city dont give you peace of mind? For a member of the Ancient Dragon Clan with third-tier combat power and the ability to transform into a human form, this newly built city poses no threat to Your Excellencys power! Song Jian said with a bow to the Red Dragon Lady, May I have the honor to know your name, respected Lady! My name is Eugenia, and I am an Ancient Red Dragon who has lived for three thousand years! declared the Red Dragon Lady in a flowing red cloak; Respected Eugenia, I am Song Jian, the master of this city! Song Jian said, I indeed have a Black Dragon battle pet, but it was not acquired through contemptible means. We made a pact of combat alliance when it was very young. As far as I know, even the Ancient Dragon Clan has had instances of fighting alongside humans, some of the Dragon Clan even becoming mounts for humans, which is why humans have professions such as Dragon Knights! Song Jian said gravely, But why cant I have a Black Dragon as a fighting companion? What you said is true; any human who can gain the approval of the Dragon Clan can also gain their friendship and assist them in fighting during their brief lives, the Red Dragon Lady frowned slightly, seemingly impatient, yet still explained, But such things can only happen between humans and adult dragons, and you have beguiled a young dragon and made a pact of combat with it while it was still a juvenile. This is not permitted by the Dragon Clan, as it would limit its growth! Cant make a combat alliance with a juvenile dragon? Song Jian was stunned; he had never heard of such a thing before. Chapter 890 - 891 Confrontation_1 Chapter 890: Chapter 891 Confrontation_1 In the Dragon Clan, young dragons are always accompanied by adult dragons until they come of age. Ordinary people cant even come into contact with young dragons, but in the special place that is Doomsday City, the adult Black Dragon had already been slain by dragon slayers, allowing Song Jian to stumble upon a bargain and sign a War Pet Contract with a newly hatched Black Dragon. Actually, signing a contract with a member of the Dragon Clan is an extremely difficult task, but the power of the game system was so overwhelming that the Dragon Clan had no power to resist, and Song Jian easily signed a War Pet Contract with the young Black Dragon. The growth cycle of the Dragon Clan is too long. Signing a contract with a young dragon is not what a wise man would do! The Red Dragon Lady grew increasingly impatient and said, Hand over the Black Dragon whelp, let me take it back to the tribe to raise until it grows up. If after it becomes an adult, it still wishes to come back and fight alongside you, the Dragon Clan will not stop it! Song Jian suddenly realized that the attitude of the Ancient Red Dragon before him seemed to have undergone a subtle change. Previously, she seemed to wish nothing more than to kill Song Jian, yet now she was actually taking the time to explain things to him; But no matter what, it looked like he wasnt going to be able to keep his Black Dragon War Pet. Sorry, but the Black Dragon isnt with me right now! Song Jian sighed and said, Its now at Just then, a dragons roar suddenly sounded from the sky. Song Jian turned his head to look, and to his surprise, the Black Dragon War Pet had flown back from the Poisonous Swamp. That dragons roar had interrupted what Song Jian was about to reveal about its activities in the Poisonous Swamp, seemingly not wanting its whereabouts to be disclosed. The Black Dragon was extremely fast, and in a short while, it had already landed next to Song Jian, its golden eyes staring at the Red Dragon Lady with a hostile gaze. The Red Dragon Lady stared at the Black Dragon for a long time, her face showing an expression of incredulity: How, how is this possible? Isnt it just a young dragon? How, how did it grow into A Level 45 Lord-level BOSS. Such strength is not what one would expect of a young dragon. The Black Dragon had already grown, and although it still appeared immature, it was now a young dragon, and its current power could even match that of the adult dragons who had lived for hundreds of years. The Black Dragon only possessed Tier One combat power, which was vastly inferior to that of the Red Dragon Lady Eugenia, but the Black Dragon did not retreat an inch when facing Eugenia and instead began to loudly roar at her. Eugenia focused on the Black Dragon and started conversing with it using the Ancient Dragon language. Almost all of the Dragon Clans inheritance is hidden within their bloodlines, which gradually unlock the knowledge contained as they age. Dragon language is a skill innate to the Dragon Clan. From birth, all dragons of pure bloodline possess the ability to speak it. The Black Dragon began conversing with the Red Dragon Lady in the dragon language. Although Song Jian did not understand what they were talking about, he could guess that the Red Dragon Lady was obviously trying to persuade the Black Dragon to leave with her and return to the Dragon Clan. If the Red Dragon Lady truly insisted on taking the Black Dragon with her, Song Jian would have no choice but to annul the War Pet Contract with the Black Dragon. After all, compared to a War Pet, the status of City of Hope in his heart was much more important. With Third-tier Peak combat power, demolishing a city was an effortless task for the Red Dragon Lady. Almost all instances of city destruction in the game could be linked to the Dragon Clan. After the two Giant Dragons conversed in dragon language for a long time, the Red Dragon Lady seemed to become a bit impatient and let out a roar. She reverted from her human form to her true form as a member of the Dragon Clan. With a body spanning hundreds of meters, she radiated a terrifying presence. Spectating players and NPCs around her began fleeing, unable to withstand the Dragon Might. Many even knelt down and remained immobile. Wang Qi, too, was gritting his teeth and persevering, his cold sweat flowing unstoppably, yet he did not take a single step back. Compared to the others, Song Jian seemed much more composed, standing upright like a sharp sword, with strands of fierce Sword Qi radiating from his body. The terrifying Dragon Might approached like a tidal wave, yet he stood firm like a rock, shattering the oncoming waves. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Black Dragon showed no signs of shrinking back or fear in front of the much larger Red Dragon; instead, it let out a series of roars at her, suggesting their discussion wasnt going smoothly. Soon, the Red Dragons gaze locked onto Song Jian, and a deep voice echoed in his mind, Human, beware! With that, the Red Dragon spread its wings, causing gusts of wind as it quickly took flight, circling the City of Hope before turning to fly off into the distance. But just then, a childish dragon chant suddenly sounded from within Doomsday City. The Red Dragon, which had been about to leave, stopped and looked puzzledly toward the area outside the City of Hopes territory. A young dragon, covered in grey scales and less than two meters long, wobbled and flapped its wings as it flew toward the Red Dragon. Another, another member of the Dragon Clan? And a young one at that? Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim in surprise. He knew that if the dragon slayer hadnt killed an Ancient Black Dragon here, this now-abandoned city would never have been home to any dragons. Song Jian remembered that there were initially three dragon eggs: one had shattered upon his arrival, while another had turned into a stone orb and lost the ability to gestate and hatch. Looking at the young hatchling of the Earth Dragon in front of him, Song Jian suddenly realized that this must be the young dragon that had hatched from that stone orb. At that time, I was certain that the dragon egg which turned into a stone orb had shown no signs of life Song Jian was full of doubt and even considered taking another look at the building that the Black Dragon used as a temporary nest. In her eyes, the Red Dragon Eugenia showed a look of surprise; she hadnt expected to take the Black Dragon back to their kin, only to be outright rejected. She thought shed leave empty-handed, but to her amazement, another young dragon was lurking within this city. Somehow, the Black Dragon seemed to sense a bloodline connection with this Earth Dragon, looking at the smaller-bodied dragon with complex emotions. The Earth Dragon glanced back at the Black Dragon with its grey eyes and quickly flew to the back of the Red Dragon, quietly lying down. It wasnt long before the Red Dragons silhouette disappeared into the sky, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Phew~ Wang Qi wiped the cold sweat off his face, sitting on the ground with a thump after the Red Dragon had gone, gasping heavily. Everyone else had kept their distance when the Red Dragon unleashed its Dragon Might, but Wang Qi didnt want to retreat. He didnt have Song Jians strength to stand his ground, relying solely on his stubborn will to hold on, nearly wetting his pants. After watching the Red Dragon leave, the Black Dragon turned its head to glance at Song Jian, nodded, and then took to the air towards the direction of the Poisonous Marsh. Song Jian checked the war pet interface; the Black Dragon was still his war pet, and their intimacy had even increased a bit, now at seventy-eight points. What is this guy thinking? Song Jian frowned slightly, murmuring to himself. Chapter 891 - 892 Abyssal Demon Shadow_1 Chapter 891: Chapter 892 Abyssal Demon Shadow_1 Song Jian watched as the Black Dragons figure slowly disappeared, and his brow furrowed. It seemed intent on guarding that bizarre Dragon Head Tree closely during this period. Could it be that the Dragon Scale Fruits still benefit it, making it want to keep guarding the Dragon Head Tree? Song Jian thought to himself, And just now, it also subtly signaled for me not to reveal its location. Could it be trying to keep the Dragon Head Strange Trees secret from the Red Dragon, Eugenia? Song Jian didnt know the use of the Dragon Head Tree, but he had a feeling that it was far more important to the Dragon Clan than he had imagined; Having hunted down a sovereign level Boss, Song Jians Sword Immortal Path quest was one-tenth complete. Sovereign level Bosses werent easy to find; the emergence of one meant that it held dominion over tens of kilometers, and within this territory, another sovereign level creature would not appear; Lower-level monster areas had already been explored by others, and normal players didnt dare to venture too deeply into higher-level areas. Thus, finding a sovereign level Boss was something only Song Jian could figure out; City of Hope was being built in an orderly fashion, everything proceeding without need for Song Jians concern, thanks to the City Lord seal, he could control every situation at any time. A few days later, it was time for another territorial expansion campaign. This time, the City of Hope Alliances territory would once again expand. According to the previous expansion rate, the massive black pyramid at the citys center would be included within City of Hope after this expansion. Secret realms, also known as instances to players, cannot become part of ones territory automatically during territorial expansion campaigns. To incorporate an instance into ones territory, one must confront the instances true difficulty when the territory expands to its location. After clearing it, the instance will become part of the territory, and then players will have the options to either destroy or integrate the instance; Destroying an instance means it is completely obliterated and will never reappear. After the launch of the Abyssal Demon Shadow Expansion Pack, some Abyssal Instances that emerged during the City of Hopes territorial expansions were all destroyed. This was a firm order issued by Song Jian, and although it caused dissatisfaction among some players, Song Jians will was resolute, and he suppressed all opposing voices. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It must be known that within the Abyssal Demon Shadow Expansion Pack, these black pyramid Abyssal Instances were all future passages from Abyssal Hell to the games Main Plane. Once these instances transformed, they would each become a barracks connected to Abyssal Hell, providing endless logistical support for the invading forces; Such information could not be obtained by ordinary players, and Song Jian only acquired it after entering Abyssal Hell. Hence, within City of Hope, not a single Abyssal Instance remained; once the true difficulty of the black pyramid was cleared, it was immediately destroyed. This also forced City of Hopes players who wanted to farm instances for equipment to delve into places beyond the city; This gigantic black pyramid in front of him was the largest instance in all of Doomsday City, with a maximum entry limit of forty people, and offered four levels of difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard, and True; The first two difficulty levels had already been conquered by the players of City of Hope, but the Hard difficulty had never been cleared, failing over a dozen times, with even some deaths, creating a long-lasting fear among City of Hopes players of the Hard difficulty Abyssal Demon Shadow instance; City Lord, if we cant clear the True difficulty, our territorial expansion campaign will probably be quite difficult this time, Wang Qi said with concern; Now, all the other alliances in Doomsday City had been defeated in turn, even the Pantheon had wisely withdrawn from Doomsday City to develop elsewhere. Other alliances either merged directly into the City of Hope Alliance or, like the Pantheon, left Doomsday City. It was only a matter of time before City of Hope unified the entire Doomsday City; This Abyssal Demon Shadow instance before them was the biggest obstacle to City of Hopes unification; After a few days of rest, Song Jian felt an itch in his bones, looking at the enormous black pyramid in the distance, he nodded and said, Ill explore it first before anything else, if possible, Ill clear it directly! Upon hearing this, Wang Qis face immediately showed a look of surprise, City Lord, thats a forty-person instance with six bosses, and up to now, we havent even gotten past the third boss on hard difficulty I know, Im just going in to scout, if it doesnt work out, Ill retreat and then we can come up with another plan! Song Jian waved his hand and said; With his current strength, forty players over level thirty wouldnt stand a chance against him, once the Thousand Swords Art was unleashed, it was more terrifying than a missile; Furthermore, it was incredibly difficult to kill Song Jian now, even if one could launch a surprise attack and kill him instantly, the trigger of Enemy of Death God would allow him to retreat directly into the Shattered Divine Realm, which was essentially an unstoppable move like the Holy Knights hearthstone back to the city; After some preparation, Song Jian arrived at the Abyssal Shadow instance in the city center, a level five instance. An immense pyramid, towering a hundred meters tall, stood in the middle of the city, and only upon approaching did Song Jian discover that this huge pyramid was actually more than a foot off the ground, floating above the surface, and the entire surface of the pyramid, it was like a mirror without a single seam, and there wasnt even an entrance to be seen. To such a massive pyramid, the weight probably exceeded ten million tons, but in Song Jians eyes, it seemed almost like an illusion, somewhat unreal; In fact, these black pyramid instances that appeared suddenly after the expansion pack were projections of Abyssal Hell, they only become real for a moment when the Abyssal Passage is opened; Song Jian walked towards the black pyramid, and as he drew closer, several options appeared before him; System: Would you like to enter the Abyssal Shadow (Level 5) Secret Realm? To enter, please select the challenge level: Easy, Normal, Hard, True; System: This instance can only be challenged once every seven days, once you enter, the next time you can enter will be after seven days; In Song Jians eyes, the first three challenge levels were illuminated, but the True difficulty was greyed out, which would only be unlocked after clearing the instance on Hard difficulty; This was a game setting, the same for any secret realm; Song Jian immediately chose Hard difficulty, ready to enter the instance; After the selection was made, a section of metal staircase slowly extended from the corner of the black pyramid to the ground. This was the only passage into the instance, and it would only appear after the difficulty had been chosen; Song Jian stepped onto the staircase and walked step by step towards the interior of the pyramid. The end of the staircase led to a door swirling with black vaporthe gate to the level five instance, the Abyssal Shadow. Soon, Song Jians figure disappeared into the light of the gate; Chapter 892 - 893: Little Monster_1 Chapter 892: Chapter 893: Little Monster_1 Upon entering the dungeon instance portal, Song Jians vision blurred, and he couldnt help but squint his eyes. When he reopened them, he found himself in an underground cavern; The cavern was surrounded by thick rock walls, with hot magma flowing endlessly below them. The air temperature was at least sixty degrees; if ones Fire Resistance were below fifty points, they would automatically lose Vitality Points upon entering the instance. Forget fighting monsters; one might not even be able to stand; Where Song Jian stood was a cavern of only a dozen square meters. At the entrance of the passage ahead, an Abyssal demon over three meters tall was fast asleep, hugging an iron club, and snoring thunderously; Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was a gatekeeper minion to truly start the instance, one would have to kill this minion. However, this Level 40 minion had Vitality Points exceeding one hundred and thirty thousand, a cut above a Level 40 elite boss; This Abyssal Vanguard minion was also quite strong. Compared to an elite boss, aside from having fewer skills, there was almost no difference. A casual swing of its iron club could inflict hundreds or even a thousand points of damage, strong enough to obliterate a glass-cannon class in two or three hits; This was the instances check of the entering teams mettle. If they couldnt bring it down, they might as well leave obediently rather than lose their lives here; With a wave of his right hand, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword summoned dozens of radiant Spirit Swords. Like swallows returning to the nest, they traced arcs through the air toward the Abyssal Vanguard; Boom, boom, boom~ Each Spirit Sword inflicted over eighteen hundred points of damage, with some even striking a critical, dealing over three thousand points of damage. After more than ten Spirit Swords bombarded it, the minions status bar showed the Increased damage debuff, causing the subsequent Spirit Sword damage to surge above two thousand points; After the release of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the Abyssal Vanguard, which had over one hundred thousand Vitality Points, was now critically wounded, left with less than ten thousand Vitality Points; Once its Vitality Points dropped below 5%, all of the Abyssal Vanguards attributes significantly decreased, and its movement speed dropped to 40%. Seeing Song Jian, it bellowed and swung its iron club, attempting to pounce at him; But its movements were like a video played at three times slower speed. Brandishing the Sky-breaking Sword, Song Jian leaped forward, his figure darting through the air. The Sky-breaking Sword relentlessly chopped at the Abyssal Vanguard, and the severely slowed down minion couldnt even brush Song Jians clothes before being felled to the ground; The giant body collapsed with a crash, and the iron club in its grasp smashed a big hole into the sturdy magma ground, scattering a few blue and green quality spoils; Song Jian casually picked them up, finding most of them to be forging materials, but among them was a blue quality item with excellent attributes; Magma Crystal Core, forging material, effect 1: One of the materials for forging high-quality equipment, can increase forging success rate! Effect 2: Can be used on elemental creatures to enhance their level and rank! Requirements: Junior Forging Master/Elemental creature Song Jian smiled lightly and threw it to the Earth Elemental Gulu, who was sound asleep in the Pet Space. Seemingly sensing the presence of something delicious, the slumbering Gulu didnt move. A stream of mud as thick as a finger tumbled like a tentacle, wrapping around the Magma Crystal Core that had been tossed into the Pet Space, and slowly retracted it back; Crunch, crunch~ Gulu, with his eyes closed, mouthed slightly and chewed subconsciously. He quickly crushed the blue-quality Magma Crystal Core as if snacking on it and swallowed it into his stomach. A robust breath emanated from Gulu. Originally at level thirty-five, Gulus level jumped three times in a row, reaching level thirty-eight. This thing should be like the Dragon Scale Fruit, a treasure that can enhance battle pets! Song Jian thought to himself. After closing the Pet Space, he continued walking forward. The Earth Elemental Gulu was different from the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon would only sleep deeply when gravely injured and didnt like to stay in the Pet Space. Staying there for too long would even result in a loss of intimacy points. Song Jian could only let the Black Dragon out to get some fresh air from time to time. However, for the Earth Elemental Gulu, regardless of whether it was injured, its favorite thing to do was to lie in the Pet Space and sleep soundly! After killing the guard dog, Song Jian strode into the passage, and the full view of the Magma Dungeon unfolded before his eyes. The black pyramid acted as a kind of projector for Abyssal Hell. Moreover, once the Abyssal Passage was open, the black pyramid would become a fortress from which to attack the human world. Song Jian had been to Abyssal Hell, and the terrain in the Magma Dungeon was almost identical to that of Abyssal Hell, even the monsters roaming around in the Magma Dungeon were demons from Abyssal Hell. Song Jian stepped onto a stone bridge that spanned across the Magma River, where a three-headed Hellhound slowly approached from the other side. The Hellhound was covered in cracks with magma churning inside, resembling blood. Its body was encased in a thick layer of molten rock, and bone spurs jutted out at its joints like lethal blades, making it look more like a War Puppet crafted by dwarves rather than a living creature. This massive monster, standing over three meters tall, was just a minor foe in the Abyssal Shadow replica, at level forty-two, with one hundred and fifty thousand Vitality Points. It could spew flames, with a wide range attack that covered a radius of several meters. Anyone within its range would be hit, including a thirty-second burning effect. Not to mention the flame breath, the thirty-second burning effect alone was enough to cause a full-health squishy class despair and die if no one was there to dispel it or heal them. At a distance of twenty meters away, Song Jian was spotted by the three-headed Hellhound, which roared and charged toward him with a threatening glow of flames surging in the mouths of its three heads. Whoosh~ Before even getting close, conical flames sprayed out from the three heads, instantly raising the temperature in the air by several degrees, with abyssal energy flowing freely through the air. Although Song Jians fire resistance was very high, he did not wish to endure such intense heat. With a thought in his mind, the Frost Shield embedded in his Transformation Orb materialized on the surface of his body. The Frost Shield, with a defense of three thousand, persevered for a full five seconds under the fiery blaze before it finally shattered with a crash. By that time, Song Jians Thousand Swords Art had already been unleashed. Dozens of Spirit Swords traveled through the flames, striking fiercely at the three-headed Hellhounds body. Chapter 893 - 894 Flame Essence_1 Chapter 893: Chapter 894 Flame Essence_1 Song Jians damage had become terrifying, and no one could survive under the Thousand Swords Art, except for those monsters that the system had bestowed with elite and lord templates. Their ultra-high Vitality Points allowed them to withstand Song Jians attacks. These were monsters that normally required the cooperation of forty dedicated players to have a chance at killing, yet now, in front of Song Jian, they couldnt last even half a minute. The damage of the Thousand Swords Art was extremely high, and its cooldown was short, but during the ten-second cooldown period, Song Jian found himself in a weak phase of attack, limited to using ordinary sword techniques to deal with the monsters. At this time, his damage to the monsters was just from ordinary attacks, as Song Jian hadnt yet developed a skill set that allowed for an unending chain of attacks. Just having Thousand Swords Art is really too simplistic! Song Jian glanced at his skill bar and shook his head slightly. Because the attack range of the Thousand Swords Art was vast, Song Jian rarely used the Mysterious Moonlight Sword as an opening move; otherwise, the Mysterious Moonlight Sword would be his most commonly used sword technique, much like the charge ability of regular warrior players. The critically injured Cerberus of Hell kept letting out roar after roar. Each of its three massive heads continuously tore at Song Jian, but its large body always hindered its attacks. If it were facing a group attack, its size would be an advantage, capable of causing damage to a group with just a random move, but when the target was reduced to just one person, the Cerberus could only resort to close-range attacks to deal any damage to Song Jian. Even Song Jians regular slash attacks inflicted incredibly high damage. Although the Sky-breaking Sword was only an epic-level weapon, its power was no less than that of legendary-level weapons. A base damage of five to six hundred meant it could easily break through any monsters defense. Coupled with added effects like damage amplification and life-steal, the two alone made the Cerberus incredibly uncomfortable. Critical hits, Armor Break, and elemental damage caused the Cerberuss Vitality Points to drain away like floodwaters through a breached dam. In less than ten seconds, the Cerberus of Hell collapsed with a thunderous fall. The scorching magma from the cracks on its body began to seep out slowly, quickly covering the massive body of the Cerberus. Indeed worthy of a level 40 instance, any of these lesser monsters, if let loose in the wild, would possess the strength of an elite BOSS! Song Jian couldnt help but shake his head and sigh. The monsters within the Abyssal Shadow were at least a third stronger than the outdoor elite BOSS of the same level. Vitality Points exceeding a hundred thousand were the credentials of a lord BOSS of equivalent level. If these monsters were to break through the Time-space Barrier and enter the human world, it would be a colossal catastrophe! Song Jian thought to himself. He also decided to speed up the campaign for territorial expansion, hoping to clear all the Abyssal instances within Doomsday City and then destroy them before the outbreak of the final war. The Cerberus of Hell dropped several materials of white quality and one blue-quality Flame Essence. Flame Essence was also a forging material but acted as an additive; it could be added to the forging of any item. If used in weapon forging, it would endow the weapon with flame damage, and if added to defensive gear, it would increase fire resistance. To clear the Abyssal Shadow, high fire resistance was essential. As a result, the price of fire resistance potions and all equipment that provided fire resistance had increased by over a third in the auction house. The Flame Essence in hand, if sold under normal circumstances, would be just an ordinary material, but now, it was at least worth a level 40 silver-quality item. Beyond its use in forging, Flame Essence could also be used on combat pets, but it could only be used on combat pets with fire attributes, enhancing the pets fire elemental damage. Song Jian considered his options and tried tossing it into the Pet Space. Surprisingly, it went in smoothly. If a combat pet couldnt use an item, there was simply no way it could enter the Pet Space. Once inside the Pet Space, the Flame Essence, originally like a crystal, suddenly ignited in flames, making it look like a small flame. Sensing that an item had appeared in the Pet Space again, the Earth Elemental Gulu extended a finger-thick strand of mud, intending to repeat its previous action of enveloping the Flame Essence and then drawing it into its own body; However, as soon as the muddy tendril touched the Flame Essence, the water inside it evaporated instantly, turning into a crisp ball of earth, and the Flame Essence fell directly to the ground. The Earth Elemental Gulu slowly opened its eyes and stared at the Flame Essence on the ground for a moment before lunging forward, pinning the flame beneath its body; Gurgle-gurgle~ The body of the Earth Elemental Gulu undulated continuously, and fine cracks appeared all over its surface. Song Jians heart suddenly trembled, feeling that giving the Flame Essence to the earth elemental might have been a mistake; it could very well kill Gulu, considering that this was an item dropped by a monster of level 42, and Gulu was just a combat pet of level 35, no, level 38; While Song Jian was worrying, the surface of the Earth Elemental Gulus body suddenly turned a fiery red, as if something was roasting inside. But soon, the burning red hue slowly faded away, and Gulu returned to its original appearance. However, Gulu now seemed to have become tougher; it looked taller, and not only had it gained some strength, but its lines had also become more fluid, seemingly transitioning towards a more human-like physique; With its eyes full of confusion, Gulu muttered to itself, producing the syllables gulu gulu, while looking at its two palms; Boom! A burst of Flame erupted from Gulus right palm, enveloping the entire hand. Startled, Gulu instinctively started to shake its right hand, trying to throw off the flame, but no matter how much it shook, the flame wrapping around its palm refused to leave its body; Glancing at Gulus attributes, its level had increased by one, reaching level 39, with minor improvements in other attributes, but it had not undergone a qualitative change and remained a level 39 elite BOSS. It seemed that devouring a Flame Essence hadnt caused any harm to Gulu, so Song Jian relaxed and closed the Pet interface, continuing to move forward; Along the way, Song Jian encountered quite a few lesser monsters. These demons were a common sight in Abyssal Hell. Some roamed in groups of three or five, while others were solitary, living in these labyrinthine caves; An increase in the difficulty level of an instance wouldnt affect the terrain, and the map of the Abyssal Shadow instance had long been charted by others, so Song Jian was very familiar with this place. After more than half an hour, Song Jian arrived at the location guarded by the first BOSS. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 894 - 895: Abyss Lord_1 Chapter 894: Chapter 895: Abyss Lord_1 I smell fresh human flesh! A demon from the Abyss, wielding a Demon Battle Axe and clad in heavy armor, roamed back and forth on a vast underground cave square. It suddenly raised its head, sniffing vigorously twice in the air, its eyes gleaming with excitement. This was the first BOSS of the Abyssal Shadows, but Song Jian could not identify its race. The demons of the Abyssal Hell were innumerable, ranging from the lowest-level inferiors to the highest-level Demon Lords; each demon possessed its own unique skills and characteristics; The BOSS acting as the first levels guardian, although a forty-five-level Elite BOSS, had Vitality Points exceeding three hundred thousand, more than double that of a Lord monster of the same level; S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Abyssal Lord Sigurd, Elite Level BOSS, Vitality Points: 320,000/320,000 A thick aura of darkness emanated from Abyssal Lord Sigurd, weaving through the air like evil tendrils; Noticing Song Jians arrival, Sigurd gripped his battle axe tightly and swung it fiercely forward, creating a sharp gust of wind that slashed a deep mark into the nearby rock wall; A total of three hundred and twenty thousand Vitality Points made Song Jian frown slightly; the previous Dominator-level BOSS had only had five hundred thousand Vitality Points, yet this BOSS in front of him had already reached three hundred and twenty thousand. This was merely the hard difficulty level; should it be the true difficulty, such a BOSS could very well match the Vitality Points of the double-headed poisonous Jiao, a Dominator-level creature. However, to tackle the true difficulty dungeon, one first had to clear the hard level dungeon, which meant Song Jian had to defeat all six BOSSes of this difficulty; Theoretically, there was no difference in strength between the BOSSes in the dungeon; it was only that each BOSS had different characteristics and skills, which made it easier or harder for players to deal with them. Song Jian first executed the Sword Shadow Clone Skill and then swiftly moved left and right, confusing the charging BOSS, who seemed to hesitate momentarily but then quickly pursued Song Jians true body; With a fifty percent chance of choosing correctly, it wasnt difficult to guess that this BOSS likely did not have the ability to see through his clone; Seeing the BOSS chase after him, Song Jian twisted his waist and swung his Sky-breaking Sword, sending over fifty Spirit Swords flying toward the BOSS; After a booming noise, Sigurd lost nearly eighty thousand Vitality Pointsa fearsome amount of damage that even made Sigurds eyes reveal a trace of fear. Such a loss of Vitality would require a forty-person team to withstand nearly five minutes of Sigurds attacks to inflict; You cant escape, little rat! Sigurd swung the three-meter-long battle axe with both hands, chopping fiercely forward. A fierce black chi burst forth, rushing toward the front and carving a deep trench into the molten lava ground; Damn it, how does a melee BOSS have a ranged attack skill? Song Jian was hit hard in the back by the black chi, sending him flying. A damage indicator of over a thousand points floated above his head; Just then, the other Sword Shadow Clone also swung its long sword, unleashing the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision. Countless Spirit Swords shone brilliantly as they bombarded Sigurd; The Sword Shadow Clone inherited only 30% of Song Jians attributes, and the Thousand Swords Art it mastered was only level one, so it inflicted less than five thousand damage on Sigurd, but it did manage to draw his attention; Insignificant reptile! Sigurd roared angrily and turned to charge toward the Sword Shadow Clone; The Sword Shadow Clone shared enmity with Song Jian, no matter who inflicted damage on the BOSS, it would immediately attract the BOSSs aggro. Seeing the BOSS chasing after the clone, Song Jian commanded the clone to execute the Sword Control Skill, starting to dodge the BOSSs attacks; The underground caverns square was spacious enough to fully utilize the Sword Control Skill, the only limitation was the height; seeing the Sword Shadow Clone skillfully flying in the air, a smile appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth. Even for him, the Sword Flight Art had required a lot of time and effort to practice; flying with a sword wasnt as simple as just stepping on one and soaring through the air, it was much more difficult than using steel wings to fly; However, when the Sword Shadow Clone used Sword Flight Art, it felt incredibly adept, in no way inferior to Song Jian, and whats more, Song Jian didnt need to control it himself, everything seemed to be managed automatically by the system. Just when Song Jian thought the Sword Shadow Clone could at least delay for more than ten seconds, allowing him to wait for his Thousand Swords Art cooldown to end, Sigurd, with his head held high and facing the Sword Shadow Clone half-suspended in mid-air, suddenly let out a thunderous roar, and the two arms holding the battle axe suddenly swelled; Roar~ After a roar, Sigurd swung his arms, his body also started to spin, and a surge of qi followed his violent rotation, beginning to swirl around his body; In a short while, a twisted qi tornado appeared, and it extended upwards, reaching the caves rock ceiling above; In a brief moment, numerous smaller offshoots emerged from the qi tornado emanating from Sigurd, and over ten qi tornadoes, each over a dozen meters tall, appeared in the underground cavern, slowly spreading out in every direction; Song Jian was shocked, even for him, to dodge these qi tornadoes while executing Sword Flight Art in such a difficult environment would be an extremely challenging task, let alone for the Sword Shadow Clone! Moreover, these tornadoes seemed to have a suction force, pulling nearby objects toward them, and even standing still was a very difficult task for Song Jian; Looking up at the Sword Shadow Clone, sure enough, its flight path had started to twist, with several qi tornadoes closing in on it. In just five or six seconds, the tornadoes had engulfed the Sword Shadow Clone mid-air, shredding it into pieces; With such strength, aside from having fewer Vitality Points than Elite Level monsters, its damage and skills are in no way inferior to an Elite Level BOSS! Song Jian thought to himself. Soon, these qi tornadoes turned toward Song Jian, but their speed was too slow. Song Jian turned and retreated towards the entrance of the dungeon; the tornadoes couldnt keep up with his pace; Before long, the tornadoes gradually dissipated, and Sigurd took large strides chasing after Song Jian; Chapter 895 - 896 Sky City_1 Chapter 895: Chapter 896 Sky City_1 Seeing the BOSS charging toward him, Song Jian turned around and slashed at it with his sword, dealing over seventy thousand damage to its Vitality Points instantly with the Thousand Swords Art; The thirty-two hundred thousand Vitality Points, which seemed like a mountain to other players, would take a forty-person team more than five minutes to wear down, and thats only if the BOSS didnt unleash its full power and the melee professions were able to hold on. But like the earlier wide-ranging vigor tornado, it was almost equivalent to an attack that hit everything on the screen, and ordinary cloth-wearing classes simply couldnt withstand that strong suction power. The City of Hopes Elite Team had wiped out seven or eight times in front of the first BOSS while trying to clear the Abyss Phantom on hard difficulty, before they completely figured out all its characteristics. It was also fortunate that each person had a dungeon escape scroll, for they directly left the dungeon at the last moment; otherwise, just this BOSS alone would have wiped the City of Hopes Elite Team several times over; The BOSS moved extremely fast, and though the Thousand Swords Art was fiercely powerful, it did not have any skills that restricted movement, allowing Sigurd to withstand the bombardment of the Spirit Swords and stride toward Song Jian with large steps; Sigurd, appearing huge and bulky like a strength-type BOSS, did not move slowly either, catching up to Song Jian in just a few steps and smashing down at him with a combat axe in his hand; Song Jian swung the Sky-breaking Sword to block, and with a clang, a sharp pain shot through his wrist, and a surge of great force almost knocked the sword out of his hand; Although Song Jians primary attribute changed after advancing to Sword Master, his strength attribute was hardly inferior to other melee classes, and even surpassed most of them. Song Jians strength now reached one hundred thirty-six points, practically overpowering more than half of the melee classes, but in front of Sigurd, it was as if he had no power to fight back; This guys strength attribute must be at least over two hundred points! Song Jians heart sank. At the thought, his figure became transparent, he passed directly through Sigurds body, and dashed toward the other side of the square; Having a strength of two hundred points meant that even bare-handed, Sigurd could deal at least two hundred points of damage. Although Song Jian had mitigated some of the force from the previous block, he still received over five hundred points of damage; Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Once Soul Wander was cast, Song Jian would be invincible for the first four seconds and could pass through any obstruction without collision. Furthermore, his movement speed increased by 200%, and he became immune to all damage except for soul-type damage; This skill not only combined acceleration with invincibility but also had a long duration of nine seconds, giving Song Jian enough time to unleash Sword Shadow Clone and Thousand Swords Art once more; No matter how fast the BOSS was, it wasnt quicker than Song Jian after he had used the Acceleration Skill. Moreover, after casting Soul Wander and becoming a soul state, he had some concealment effect, which made it much more challenging for the BOSS to catch up to him; By the time Soul Wander ended, Song Jian cast Sword Shadow Clone again, and two Song Jians, one to the left and one to the right, ran off in opposite directions; This time, the BOSS chose to pursue the clone, which allowed Song Jian to breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the correct choice last time was just good luck for the BOSS and not some ability to see through clones. Seeing the BOSS chasing after the clone, Song Jian launched Thousand Swords Art at its back, and a dozen more Spirit Swords struck the BOSS, causing its thirty-two hundred thousand Vitality Points to plummet to below one hundred thousand. The BOSS became somewhat frantic, turning around and rushing back at Song Jians real body; As the BOSS approached Song Jian and was about to attack him with the battle axe, the clone behind released Thousand Swords Art again. This time, the clone dealt even less damage to the BOSS, only over two thousand points, but it was enough to grab the BOSSs attention. The BOSS stopped and turned to rush toward the Sword Shadow Clone; The Sword Shadow Clone began casting the Sword Control Skill, striving to dodge the attacks of the BOSS. After keeping up for another five or six seconds, it was shattered by a black energy slash from the BOSS, and by that time, Song Jians Thousand Swords Art was off cooldown. And so, the first BOSS of the Abyss Phantom fell before Song Jian in less than three minutes, a feat that previously took other players from the City of Hope over half an hour to accomplish when they challenged this BOSS; BOSSes within the Abyss Phantom dungeon were much tougher to defeat than the wild BOSSes, naturally, since it was a difficult-level dungeon, but their loot drop rate was significantly more surprising than that of the wild BOSSes; After the death of Sigurd, just from the Dark Gold quality gear alone, two pieces had fallen, both of which were level forty Dark Gold quality gear. Three Skill Books dropped, two of Silver Quality for axe warriors and one of Gold Quality for assassins, all of which were valuable items indeed. Song Jian chose to devour them directly, slightly increasing the proficiency of his level-five Thousand Swords Art. The higher the level, the more high-quality Skill Books needed to be consumed, and the three Skill Books failed to increase even one-tenth of the proficiency. However, if sold, they would fetch at least several hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. In addition to this loot, the BOSS also dropped three Magma Crystal Cores, all of which Song Jian fed to his Earth Elemental Gulu, raising its level to forty-two; At this moment, Gulus body was beginning to show granite patterns, indicating that it wouldnt be long before it could evolve into a Stone Elemental BOSS. After gathering the loot from the BOSS, Song Jian continued toward the location of the second BOSS; As Song Jian was clearing the Abyss Phantom dungeon, Wang Qi suddenly received a message. About twenty kilometers to the southwest of Doomsday City, an elusive Cloud City had appeared in the sky, shimmering in and out of sight like a mirage. Xiao Yong, the place you were born, is it called Cloud City? Wang Qi turned off the communication channel and turned to ask a chubby baby angel that was busily munching on a fruit; This angel was the one hatched from the Angel Egg that Song Jian had given to him. Unfortunately, the freshly hatched angel had no combat ability and needed to be raised to level ten before it could assist in battle; The one solace for Wang Qi was that this Battle Angel could be trained in a specific direction. At level ten, the angels development path could be chosen, whether it be a close-ranged physical vocation, a ranged physical vocation, or a Mage profession. Wang Qi hadnt made his final decision yet, so he was not in a hurry to level it up to ten; I was born in Sky City, but many also like to call it Cloud City. In fact, Sky City and Cloud City are two different places. Sky City is similar to the City of Hope, while Cloud City is simply an iconic building within Sky City! That place is specifically for training Battle Angels! Xiao Yong said to Wang Qi after finishing an apple; Sky City? Are there many Sky Cities in this world? Wang Qi curiously asked; There shouldnt be many left! The angel furrowed his brows and said, My memory is somewhat fragmented. Generally, when a Sky City appears out of nowhere, its usually an abandoned city, and its quite dangerous inside. Chapter 896 - 897 Clearing the Stage_1 Chapter 896: Chapter 897 Clearing the Stage_1 The appearance of Sky City spread quickly among the players, and the Transmission Array of the City of Hope saw a large influx of players, including quite a few NPC adventurers. Their destination was the Sky City located over twenty kilometers outside the city. To pass through the Protection Black Mist, one needed proof issued by the City of Hope, and just by selling one-time proof badges, the City of Hope made a fortune; moreover, Wang Qi arranged for two thieves and others to enter Sky City, not for adventure, but to gather more information. Inside the City Lord Mansion of the City of Hope, Wang Qi was sorting information on Sky City, all of which was to be reported to Song Jian. At this moment, a group of core players from the City of Hope Alliance barged in. Vice City Lord, have you heard about Sky City? The group burst into the office, exclaiming loudly with excited expressions; Whats up, do you guys want to go explore it? Wang Qi looked up and spoke to the excited faces, That place is very dangerous, and the monsters there are all above level forty. Without first-tier combat power, going there would be sending yourself to your death! Vice City Lord, I heard that someone in Sky City found Angel Wings, which are extrinsic equipment that doesnt occupy an equipment slot and even allows for free flying, better than any flying combat pet! someone said in a low voice; Not only that, the weapons dropped there almost all have the evil-banishing attribute. Against those monsters with negative energy and dark attributes, theyre simply crushing artifacts! With these weapons, clearing the difficult Abyssal Shadow instances would be a piece of cake for us! And I also heard that, A few people tried to convince Wang Qi, eager to organize an Elite Team expedition into Sky City; Wang Qi hesitated for a moment, then nodded, Alright, send the first Elite Team to check it out, but be careful. Its very dangerous there. Heh, if those solo players can adventure inside, let alone our City of Hopes Elite Team. Its easier there than a level seven or eight difficult Abyssal Shadow instance. Weve already made it to the third boss in the Abyssal Shadow instance, so Sky City should be no problem! a player said disdainfully; Ah, speaking of the Abyssal Shadow instance, isnt our City Lord preparing to clear it? another player suddenly asked; Yeah, territorial expansion has been stalled here. If we cant clear the true difficulty level, the City of Hope wont be able to expand further. The City Lord said to go explore it first! said Wang Qi; But thats a level forty instance. Even if the City Lord is incredibly strong, can he do it alone? someone hesitated; sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Its not about really clearing it. Its just a scouting run. Whats there to fear? Next time, well take the Elite Team on a pioneering run. If we add the City Lord, clearing a difficult-level instance will be within our grasp, wont it? Right, how long has the City Lord been in the instance? Why hasnt he come out yet? Almost four or five hours, I guess. Maybe the City Lord wants to evaluate the strength of the monsters inside, perhaps hes leveling up by farming them. How could that be? Even if the monsters inside all have the strength of elite field bosses, with Vitality Points in the hundreds of thousands, not to mention one person, even forty of us could wipe if were not careful. Hey, youre still thinking of comparing yourself to the City Lord? You dont look at As they chatted away, players throughout Doomsday City received a simultaneous system message; System: Congratulations to player Song Jian for clearing the difficult Abyssal Shadow (level 5 mystery realm), reward one thousand points of human reputation, ten thousand Doomsday Coins, five million combat experience! The few people who were originally engaged in a heated discussion suddenly froze, and silence descended upon the room. Wang Qi couldnt even believe his own eyes as he read the system prompt from start to finish, word by word, once again. Passed, passed the level? Wang Qi asked, utterly bewildered as he looked up at the others. No, no way the game has a bug, right? This is a forty-person raid, and its on hard difficulty! Damn it, Vice City Lord, you need to contact the City Lord immediately, to see if he has really passed the level! Wang Qi smacked his forehead and clumsily began to open the communication channel to contact Song Jian; At that moment, Song Jian was in a disheveled state, kneeling on one knee before the last boss, breathing heavily. In front of him lay a man draped in a black Abyss robe, slowly falling to the ground. This was the final boss of the Abyss Phantom series, known as Nefaria, who had three forms: humanoid, Flame Demon of the Abyss, and Abyssal Dragon. When in humanoid form, Song Jian had easily defeated his opponent. When Nefarias Vitality Points dropped to 60%, he morphed into the Flame Demon of the Abyss form. As the Flame Demon, Nefaria completely became a terrifying Mage of fire, with nearly all of his spells having splash and explosive properties, and a very wide attack range. Even with Song Jians Vitality Points over six thousand, he couldnt last long. Had the Thousand Swords Art not triggered several critical hits in a row, Song Jians Enemy of Death God skill would have been activated. When Song Jian reduced the Bosss Vitality Points to just 30%, Nefaria transformed into a fully-fledged adult Abyssal Dragon with a height surpassing ten meters and a length of over thirty meters, dwarfing Song Jian to the size of an insignificant bug. The strength of the Abyssal Dragon was a substantial notch above Song Jians Black Dragon combat pet. After Song Jian whittled down over three hundred thousand of its Vitality Points, he was finally slain by it once; The Enemy of Death God was triggered, and Song Jian almost exhausted all his means. He had to hide in the Shattered Divine Realm multiple times before he finally managed to kill the Boss in its Abyssal Dragon form; Looking at the Earth Elemental Gulu, which had been shattered at least three times, Song Jian patted its head and took it into the Pet Space; if not for the Sword Shadow Clone and the Earth Elemental Gulu drawing the attention of the last Boss, the difficulty of killing it would probably have doubled. However, after clearing the raid on hard difficulty, Song Jian obtained enough Magma Crystal Cores to successfully advance the Earth Elemental Gulu into a Stone Elemental Boss, and even a level 45 lord-level Boss. Besides hurling rocks and powerful hammer strikes, Gulu had mastered another skill called Earth Spike. It could be cast within a twenty-meter radius on any target, shooting up a spike over one meter long from beneath the targets feet to inflict damage; The release of Earth Spike was very covert and swift, by the time the enemy noticed, it was already too late to dodge. Not only was it incredibly powerful, hitting a target could cause over a thousand points of damage and also come with a crippling effect that reduced the targets movement speed by 45%; The flames of the Abyss will eventually devour everything! As Nefaria died off at last, he reverted back to his human form, intoning softly to Song Jian while his body slowly fell to the ground; Looking at the dozen or so items Nefaria dropped, a faint smile finally appeared on Song Jians face; Chapter 897 - 898 Interest_1 Chapter 897: Chapter 898 Interest_1 The final boss dropped a dozen pieces of equipment, among which one radiated a purple-red glow, indicating it was an epic piece of equipment. There were also two dark gold quality pieces of equipment and one dark gold quality skill scroll; Song Jian first picked up the epic equipment. Glancing at it, he realized to his surprise that it was something he could equipa shoulder guard with an unusual design; Magic Dragon Shoulder Armor: Leather shoulder pads, item level 50, epic quality, equipment effects: Defense +217, Resistance +198, Strength +21, Agility +25, Constitution +28, Spirit +30, Life Leech +15%, Special Effect 1: Evil Dragon Roar (Passive), when taking damage, the attacked will trigger Evil Dragon Roar, receiving 1000 points of damage and trembling for 3 seconds. During this trembling, they cannot move or attack, this effect can be triggered only once every 120 seconds; Special Effect 2: Magic Dragon Protection (Passive), protected by the breath of the Magic Dragon, reducing all incoming damage by 15%, and increasing anti-critical hit rate by 3%; Special Effect 3: Increases the chance to hit the target by 3%, with a certain chance to cause a guaranteed hit effect; Equipment Requirement: Level 40; Can this item be taken out of the game: No The attributes added by this piece of equipment were equivalent to four pieces of Song Jians current Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, and even after swapping out one piece, despite the loss of one set bonus attribute, the Magic Dragon Shoulder Armor greatly enhanced Song Jians strength, much more than the eight-piece Emperor Ant Suit, so he didnt hesitate to replace it; The remaining two dark gold quality pieces of equipment were a cloth helmet for a Mage and a pair of boxing gloves for a fighter. Although Song Jian couldnt use them himself, he could throw them into the guild warehouse for other players to exchange with Contribution Points; Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As for the dark gold quality skill scroll, even Song Jian was somewhat envious. It was a transformation scroll that allowed players to become an Abyssal Dragon; Unfortunately, this skill scroll was specifically designated for Abyssal Druids to use, unavailable to other classes. This must rank as a top-tier ability amongst the first-order combat powers for the Abyssal Druid class, and if he were to sell it to Abyss players, it would command several million Doomsday Coins, impossible to acquire for less; Hesitating for a moment, Song Jian eventually sighed and chose to have it devoured by the Thousand Swords Art; Actually, the best course of action for Song Jian would have been to sell the Skill Book and exchange it for seven or eight gold quality Skill Books. The proficiency gained for the Thousand Swords Art from so many gold quality Skill Books would certainly exceed that from one dark gold quality Skill Book by a great margin; However, if Song Jian sold the book, it would provide an independent faction player with a strategic skill capable of turning the tables, a threat to the human faction far too great to overlook. After an internal struggle, a flash of white light appeared in Song Jians hand, the Skill Scroll vanished, and the proficiency of Thousand Swords Art increased by about one-fifth; As for the remaining spoils of war, Song Jian merely gave them a cursory glance before tossing them all into his inventory bag. Just then, a system prompt followed; System: Congratulations to player Song Jian for clearing the Abyssal Shadows (Level 5 Secret Challenge) on Hard difficulty, awarding 1000 points of human reputation, 10,000 Doomsday Coins, and 5 million Experience Points! A flash of golden light appeared, and Song Jians level went up by one instantly; Previously, Song Jian was already at over eighty percent of his experience bar. Having cleared the Abyssal Shadows dungeon on Hard difficulty alone, Song Jian was already on the verge of leveling up. The reward of 5 million combat experience points was like the final straw, pushing him over the edge to gain another level; Now at level 41, Song Jian allocated the newly acquired skill point into the already maxed Sword Shadow Clone, bringing it up to level 2 and greatly enhancing its attributes; The clones inherited attributes increased from the original 30% to 40%, but the skill was still only able to use level 1 abilities and couldnt utilize the special effects and abilities of equipped items; After settling everything, Song Jian suddenly noticed that his communication channel was flooded with call requests. When he opened it, he saw that Wang Qi had sent over a dozen requests; Wang Qi, whats up? Song Jian accepted the call and asked. Lord of the city, you, you really cleared the difficult level of the Abyssal Shadow dungeon? Wang Qis voice came through the communication channel, incredulous. What, didnt you get the system prompt? Haha! Song Jian laughed; Usually, Song Jian rarely participated in guild activities, so no one had an exact understanding of his strength. Everyone knew that Song Jian was powerful, but just how powerful was something no one knew; Thats a forty-person dungeon, forty people! Wang Qi was almost crying: Our elite team has been working on it for over a month and only reached the third boss! You, you alone took half a day to take down all six bosses, how, how is that possible! Each member of the elite team was personally recruited by Wang Qi. He was clearer about their strength than anyone else. The forty-person elite team could only make it as far as the third boss before they were unable to continue, which shows how difficult the dungeon with the difficult level was; When Song Jian said he wanted to take a look, Wang Qi really thought it was just to look. He didnt expect that Song Jian would actually clear the entire difficult level of the dungeon on his own. Just then, Wang Qi suddenly thought of something and hastily asked, Boss, youre not planning to clear the true difficulty level of the Abyssal Shadow dungeon on your own, are you? Song Jian hesitated for a moment and then shook his head in the communication channel, With my strength alone, Im afraid it would be very difficult to clear the true difficulty level of the dungeon! If the first three difficulty levels of the dungeon increased step by step, then the true difficulty level compared to the difficult level was skyrocketing geometrically, a nightmare, hellish level of difficulty; Song Jian, having cleared the difficult level dungeon on his own, had used all his tricks, narrowly surviving to defeat the six bosses. If he were to face the true difficulty level, with his strength alone, it would likely be very difficult to clear. When Wang Qi heard Song Jian say this, his heart sank. The elite team of City of Hope couldnt even get past the third boss on the difficult level, let alone the true difficulty. Even if they joined forces with Song Jian, they would probably just hold him back; With that said, lets push back the territory expansion campaign, said Wang Qi with a sigh. Without completely destroying the level five dungeon, it was impossible to take full control of Doomsday City. The territorial expansion had to be postponed. Oh, by the way, Lord of the city, a Sky City appeared about twenty kilometers from Doomsday City, and many people have found treasures inside. Do you want to check it out? Wang Qi suddenly said: Ive already collected a lot of information about Sky City. You can have a look when you get back. Sky City? Song Jian was startled, remembering the four-winged angel who had fought alongside him in Abyssal Hell, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile: Has Xiao Yong regained his memory? When the angel egg hatched, Wang Qi had told Song Jian right away, but Song Jian also knew that the newly born Battle Angel had no memories of Kekaul, and it would take a long time to regain its past memories. Not yet, but Xiao Yong says there are very powerful monsters inside Sky City, very dangerous! Wang Qi said; Song Jian nodded. In the game, risk and reward were proportional. The stronger the monsters inside, the greater the benefits to be gained. Thinking of this, he became very interested in this newly appeared Sky City; PS: Thanks to Shi Xian for the gift of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 898 - 899: Boarding_1 Chapter 898: Chapter 899: Boarding_1 Returning to Manor Castle from the instance, Wang Qi gazed at the dozen or so pieces of Dark Gold and gold quality equipment with a surprised and delighted expression on his face. This, this many high-quality pieces of equipment? Fantastic! Wang Qi was visibly overjoyed and couldnt help but examine them one by one. These are all level forty and above equipment, haha, now those kids have the motivation to level up! Wang Qi laughed. Did you get all these from the difficult Abyss Shadow instance? Amazing! Song Jian gave a slight smile and said, Most are here, lets have the Elite Team level up as soon as possible. With these, tackling the difficult Abyss Shadow will be much easier. Dont worry, within a month, no, twenty days, Ill definitely get all these guys up to level forty and above! Wang Qi said confidently. Actually, most players in the Elite Team were already above level thirty-six. With this equipment as motivation, their levels were believed to soon rise; By the way, hows the acquisition of Skill Books and Skill Scrolls going? Song Jian asked. Its kind of difficult! Wang Qis face showed a troubled expression. High-quality Skill Books are simply not appearing on the market. As soon as a gold or even silver quality Skill Book shows up in the auction house, its instantly snatched up. Recently, a silver quality passive universal skill was bid up to 1.2 million Doomsday Coins at the auction, these people are simply crazy! In the real world, more and more people were learning about the game and many consortia, like sharks that had smelled blood, began investing in the game. Numerous gamers even started working for these consortia, forming specialized teams or alliances, farming items in the game, and then transferring them out through special methods; In the game, just a bottle of basic healing potion could sell for several tens or even hundreds of thousands in the real worldimagine the allure of this game for those consortia; This also led to any good items in the auction house being frantically vied for by many people; So far, we have only managed to acquire three Skill Books! Wang Qi said while placing three Skill Books glowing with golden light on the table; Boss, we cant go on buying like this, continuing will affect the citys construction funds, Wang Qi advised in a low voice; Song Jians brow furrowed slightly, he sighed quietly and nodded, Alright, city development and construction is crucial! City of Hope was in a rapid expansion phase and needed funds for various purposes. Wang Qi had already told Song Jian more than once that there were consortia willing to invest, but they had all been turned down by Song Jian; Now, the revenue of City of Hope came partly from the development of the Valley of the Undead and partly from renting out various shops in the city. Furthermore, a trading caravan that had just been established was heading to the old military barracks and other cities for trade; But as the territory of City of Hope kept expanding, just the basic infrastructure alone was like a money-sucking beast, with investment going in but no return, leaving City of Hopes finances actually quite tight, not as wealthy as outsiders might imagine; After stowing away the three gold quality Skill Books, Song Jians gaze drifted toward the distant Sky City; The location of Sky City was a vast expanse of farmland, originally a grain planting base, but after the apocalypse, it had obviously been abandoned and had turned into a wild field overgrown with weeds. Inside, there were many man-eating-plant-like monsters, most of which were between levels thirty to thirty-five, just the right level for most players to handle at the time. Therefore, many players would come here to level up by grinding these monsters; Moreover, in this wasteland, players would occasionally find some high-quality grain seeds, akin to treasure chests generated by the game. When planted, these would yield ingredients of fine quality for cooking, and players would often buy them at high prices. If one managed to find them, it would be considered a small fortune; But ever since a city appeared above this wasteland, shrouded within the clouds, this level-thirty monster grinding area suddenly became bustling; For anyone wishing to enter Sky City, having the ability to fly was a must. Some players with flying mounts even started a ride service here, charging to ferry players up to Sky City. In just half a day, they made a huge profit, which turned the eyes of those without flying mounts green with envy. However, most flying mounts could only carry one player at a time and needed to rest after a while. As more people learned of Sky City, the wasteland became overcrowded. Every player who had a flying mount was surrounded by a throng of people. By the time Song Jian arrived at the wasteland, he was taken aback by the crowd in front of him. There were at least a thousand people, but the few who could actually get up to Sky City were exceedingly rare; Whoosh~ A sound of flapping wings arose, and Song Jian looked up to see a player with a pair of white wings carrying another player, flying toward Sky City; Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hey, did you see that? Thats the player who got a pair of Angel Wings in Sky City, damn lucky bastard. He can make back and forth trips about fifteen times in an hour, earning ten thousand Doomsday Coins each trip, son of a bitch, he made more in half a day than I do in a month a player nearby grumbled enviously; Whoosh~ The sound of wingbeats rose again as a flying mount carrying two players took off with a shrill cry, heading toward Sky City; Those with flying mounts were the envy of all other players. Song Jian took a quick glance and saw that there were about seven or eight mount owners facing a customer base of over a thousand. There was a clear shortage, and the price for a ride kept skyrocketing; Song Jian shook his head as his Steel Feather Wings unfolded, and he took off into the air; A player standing nearby was dumbfounded, watching Song Jians departing figure, and couldnt help but spit on the ground; Tch, another lucky bastard. Are Angel Wings that easy to come by? he muttered under his breath. Youre blind as a dog! another player glared at him from the side and said in a low voice, Cant you see the difference between his wings and the common Angel Wings? Eh, youre right, they are different. The feathers on his wings are reflective, they look like they are made of steel, whats up with that? Hmph, those are Steel Feather Wings. In Doomsday City, only one person has such wings! the man said with a scornful look in his eyes: The city leader of the City of Hope, Song Jian, you know him? Chapter 899 - 900 Eagles Eye_1 Chapter 899: Chapter 900 Eagles Eye_1 Sky City appeared like a mirage, nestled within the thick clouds, vaguely visible; it wasnt until Song Jian flew up that he realized, although the city seemed high, it was actually only about five or six hundred meters from the ground; At this moment, Song Jian stood before the abandoned gate of Sky City. The gate, once towering, had collapsed halfway, leaving just enough space for people to pass through one half of the door; This gate was completely constructed from a peculiar type of stone. The moment Song Jians perception touched these stones, it disappeared without a trace; Strange patterns were etched on the surface of the stone-built doorframe, but Song Jian knew they were not mere designsthey were a kind of script. They looked somewhat similar to the language of the Abyss, yet they were entirely different; Song Jian picked up a broken piece of stone to examine it more closely. These stones, which blocked all sensory exploration, had no properties; they were just worthless rubble; Taking steps into the city, Song Jian soon heard the noisy clamor of battle in the distance. After walking toward the direction for a while, he found two players teaming up to hunt a ferocious monster covered in feathers; This monster had the head of an eagle on a humanoid body, with sharp claws for hands and thick feathers all over. Instead of wings, it had a pair of bat-like flesh wings at its back; It fought barehanded, but its damage was anything but weak. Its claws were like blades, leaving trails of afterimages as they slashed through the air, forcing the two level thirty-seven players to retreat step by step. Upon spotting Song Jian, the two players were overjoyed and waved to him, shouting, Brother, come help us out, well share the loot with you! The monster was only level forty-two, and a common one known as Temple Eagle Servant, with just over thirty thousand Vitality Points, and the two had already whittled down over ten thousand points; Song Jian cracked a slight smile, drew his sword, and slashed at the monster. Each strike took away a couple of thousand damage points, and in no time, he drew the monsters ire onto himself, giving the two players a much-needed breather; Seeing how formidable Song Jian was just by swinging his sword, the two players faces lit up with joy, exerting themselves to unleash skills and assist in the attack. Such a staunch and strong support like him was someone they had to cling to tightly; Before long, the three of them finished off the monster, which dropped several items, including a piece of silver-quality equipment that glittered on the ground. Neither of the players made a move to pick it up. The one who had called out to Song Jian earlier spoke up, Brother, you pick first. Even if you take everything, its fine by us. Just leave us a couple of things you dont want! Song Jian glanced over, noting the silver-quality equipment was a level forty plate armor helmetsomething that might fetch a few tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins at the auction house but was of little use to him. Instead, it was one of the blue-quality materials that caught his eye; Ill just take this, Song Jian said with a smile as he picked up the blue-quality material, then spoke to the two players; Thanks a lot, big bro! The two players exchanged smiles, their faces bursting with joy. Song Jian turned and walked down another path. The player who had initially called out to Song Jian was about to reach out to say something but was stopped by his companion; To him, were just a burden. Lets not hold him back, his companion said in a low voice, shaking his head. Yeah, thats true. We better not hunt monsters. Lets just search the rooms here; we might find something unexpected! another sighed. At least we have to earn back our travel expenses! his companion chuckled. Weve already made back the travel expenses. The silver-quality plate armor is worth at least a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. It suits youtake it for now. The rest of the stuff is mine! Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The entire Sky City didnt seem very large. It felt like a military outpost, not even one-tenth the area of Doomsday City. Standing at this end, one could see the city walls on the opposite side. Although Sky City wasnt large, it was teeming with monsters. Nearly every two steps, one could hear the roars and bellows of monsters and catch glimpses of their figures lurking in the rooms lining the streets. The deeper one ventured into Sky City, the more numerous and higher-level the monsters became. Other players dared only to explore near the edge of Sky City, not venturing too deep; after all, as precious as treasures were, they werent as valuable as ones own life. These ordinary monsters above level forty didnt hold much attraction for Song Jian. After killing a few and only obtaining some common materials, he gave up on hunting further. Instead, he took out the blue-quality material he had obtained before. Eagles Eye (Blue), enhancement material, item level 38, usage effect: Can enhance the effect of pupil technique skills; Can enhance the effect of pupil technique equipment; During enhancement, there is a certain chance to improve the users field of vision; Usage requirements: Possess pupil technique skills/have pupil technique equipment. This item wasnt very valuable to the average player, but for those with special pupil techniques or players with a Vertical Eye like Song Jian, it was worth a fortune. Upon choosing to use it, the item in his hand that resembled an eyeball instantly turned into a beam of white light and entered the Vertical Eye in the center of Song Jians forehead. Soon, a cool sensation spread from his forehead throughout his body. The Vertical Eye on Song Jians forehead immediately became more vivid; whereas before it had looked almost metallic, it now seemed to possess muscular-like textures. System: You have used Eagles Eye. The attributes of the external equipment Vertical Pupil have been strengthenedfield of vision +3, all attributes +5, Special Effect 1 Falsehood Breaker is enhanced and can see through illusions and false statuses such as invisibility up to level nine, with a certain chance to discern the principles behind enemy skill releases, reducing skill power by 60%; Special Effect 2 Gaze of Death is enhanced, increasing damage and reducing consumption; Special Effect 3 Weakness Removal is enhanced, when attackers target the users head, defense is increased by 150%, and the head will no longer be a weak point, immune to critical and fatal hits. This blue-quality enhancement material directly upgraded Song Jians Vertical Pupil by one grade, from the original white-quality to green-quality, and its item level had also increased to twenty-five. After enhancing the Vertical Pupil, Song Jian continued to delve deeper into Sky City. If an ordinary monster could drop such good material, then wouldnt the elite bosses or lord-level bosses inside drop even higher quality, better attribute items? With this thought, Song Jians heart blazed with excitement. It was then that a church suddenly appeared before Song Jian, a large crucifix erected atop the high loft. The cross was covered in dark brown, dried bloodstains, and bound to it was a monster baring two fangs, a sight very eerie to behold. Chapter 900 - 901 Monster_1 Chapter 900: Chapter 901 Monster_1 Song Jian stepped towards the strange church. All the windows of the church seemed to be sealed from the inside, and the door was actually a heavy stone door, which ordinary people probably could not even push open; As soon as he stepped onto the stairs of the church, Song Jian received two system prompts; System: You have entered the Blood-Red Church, the territory of the Blood Count Xi Boyaer. Entering rashly will bring about the enmity of the Blood Count; System: You may go to the City Lord Mansion in Sky City to find Ms. Bafalian and take on a quest related to the Blood-Red Church; Song Jians eyes narrowed, indicating that the BOSS he was searching for should be inside this church. This Blood Count Xi Boyaer is at least an elite BOSS, and with some luck, could possibly be a lord-level BOSS. Pushing open the heavy door, Song Jian was startled to find the church hall quite dim, lit only by countless candles burning around the hall; In the church halls combined seating, there were actually quite a few people sitting with their heads lowered in prayer. And on the church halls pulpit, a man clad in a red priests robe, holding a book with black and red covers, was chanting hymns in a low voice; S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians intrusion seemed to disturb them as low growls arose from the seats; Dont you know you should close the door when you come in? a deep voice sounded from a seat closest to the door, as a man in a suit raised his head and stared at Song Jian with a pair of crimson eyes; At that moment, sunlight from outside the door shone right on the mans face. His originally pale cheeks quickly decayed at a speed visible to the naked eye, with half his face turning into a ghostly visage of mangled flesh. His lips and eyelids twisted into a ghastly grimace, making the man look as terrifying as a zombie; Dont you think this look suits you more now, at least its real! said Song Jian with a slight smile, wielding the Sky-Breaking Sword and slashing towards the man; Roar~ A deep growl escaped the mans mouth as two sharp fangs protruded. He lunged towards Song Jian with claws bared; his once yellow name turned red in an instant, the man turning into a monster and using his arms to block Song Jians long sword; With a clang, the mans arm seemed to be made of steel, sparking as it collided with the Sky-Breaking Sword; Song Jians figure danced, engaging in close combat with the man. Throughout their fight, the others, whether they were seated and praying or the priest chanting at the pulpit, acted as if they saw nothing, completely ignoring the two men engaged in fierce combat. However, a red aura began to slowly surface on the skin of these people, resembling a thin veil of mist. Song Jian and the level forty-two monster clashed. He did not use any abilities but relied on his regular sword techniques to spar with it. Although he only dealt normal attack damage, each strike caused nearly a thousand points of damage to the monster; As the battle grew more intense, the mans attack speed also increased, producing afterimages with each movement. Although Song Jians strikes on the monster felt as if he were slicing into steel, causing his wrists to grow numb, the damage inflicted didnt lessen in the slightest; Hiss~ In a moment of carelessness after stabbing the opponent with his sword, Song Jian was viciously scratched on the arm by the monsters claws, leaving skin exposed and three bloody marks that quickly oozed fresh blood; The monster, getting a whiff of fresh blood, became even more frenzied. It looked at the bloodstains on its sharp nails as if it were an addict, its body shaking violently. Its lips couldnt help but move toward the blood on its nails, and then it ferociously stuffed its entire hand into its mouth. The taste of blood! A groan-like roar erupted from the monsters mouth as its originally dark eyeballs instantaneously turned blood red. Roar~ The monster suddenly pounced toward Song Jian, its limbs spread wide like a wild beast, aiming to bite at Song Jians neck. Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian forcefully waved his hand forward, and dozens of Spirit Swords appeared, stabbing toward the monster that was already halfway through its leap. Puff, puff, puff~ Every Spirit Sword that pierced the monsters body released a jet of blood. In no time, the beasts body looked like a funnel, dark brown, filthy blood covering it entirely. Just then, one of the Spirit Swords suddenly flashed a dark gold light. As it struck the monster, the creatures body was instantly split in two, leaving the rest of the swords to slash apart the two halves. Triggered the passive skill Holy Sword? A glint appeared in Song Jians eyes, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. Although using the Thousand Swords Art meant the monster wouldnt survive, the fact that he triggered the passive skill Holy Sword in battle was still a stroke of luck. The monster, which originally had over twenty thousand Vitality Points, now had zero after being split in two; however, it was still not dead. Its two halves kept moving, attempting to pull themselves together, as if they could resurrect themselves if they recombined. Cant be killed? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed immediately. He brandished the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand and ruthlessly stabbed at one of the halves. He then realized that the monster, now severed into two pieces, seemed to have lost its defensive capabilities. The sword easily pierced its body, causing over two thousand points of critical damage. At that moment, a health bar appeared above the half of the body that had been struck, roughly a third of what it was when whole. Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued attacking the half-body, quickly depleting its Vitality Points. The monster, having its Vitality Points emptied once again, let out a dreadful scream. Both halves burst into flames, turning to ashes within seconds. A red bead, emitting a silver glow, rolled out from the ashes, coming to a stop near Song Jians feet. Song Jian casually picked up the bead but didnt have a chance to check its attributes as a heavy breathing sound filled the entire Church Hall. He looked up to see that everyone who had been sitting in the pews praying now stood up, their bodies emanating a strong scent of blood. Their eyes were bloodshot, and fangs protruded from their lips. Even the Priest on the pulpit was staring at Song Jian with a savage face, his crimson eyes filled with greed and ferocity. The scent of blood A low growling began as everyone, claws bared, lunged toward Song Jian. Chapter 901 - 902 Divine Oracle Mirror_1 Chapter 901: Chapter 902 Divine Oracle Mirror_1 The people in this church didnt seem much different from ordinary humans at first, just sitting on the benches with their heads bowed silently in prayer. Their names and attributes were also yellow above their heads, indicating they were neutral monsters. As long as Song Jian didnt initiate an attack, they wouldnt attack Song Jian either. These praying people seemed to have a great fear of sunlight, which could harm them. The first monster that attacked Song Jian did so because Song Jian had opened the door, and the sunlight had fallen on it, causing it injury; Seeing these monsters swarm towards him, all with ferocious and bloodthirsty expressions, Song Jians brows immediately furrowed. The previous battle hadnt touched them, so why had these guys suddenly become crazed? Song Jian glanced at his shoulder where three claw marks that had been inflicted were slowly disappearing. His strong physical attributes endowed him with superhuman recovery abilities. Such a minor wound didnt require any medication and would heal quickly. Once again, he thought of the appearance of the first monster, and his brows tightened even more. They ignored the previous battle, but now theyve all become aggressive creatures. Could this all be because of fresh blood? Song Jian speculated in his heart. Roar, roar~ In fact, the monsters were truly stimulated by the fresh blood. Upon smelling the scent of blood, they all turned into terrifying beasts. Song Jian narrowed his eyes and pushed the stone door behind him completely open, allowing the warm sunlight to pour in and illuminate the area around him in a radius of three to four meters. A monster that had already rushed forward was caught in the full blast of the sunlight. It instantly looked as though it had been doused in concentrated sulfuric acid, as thick white smoke began billowing from its body and its skin started to rapidly decay, almost as if it were being flayed. It let out a painful howl but didnt shrink back. Although its movement speed was significantly reduced and damage numbers kept floating above its head, it continued to lunge decisively towards Song Jian; Standing in the sunlight, Song Jian swung the Sky-breaking Sword towards it. Just like the previous monster, this one seemed to have skin as hard as steel, able to clash with the Sky-breaking Sword and send sparks flying; Sunlight is like poison to them, it can injure and limit them, but it cant kill them immediately! Song Jian analyzed coolly as he fought; The other monsters, upon reaching the shadowy area just before the sunlight, all hesitated, seemingly unwilling to step into the sunlit area, and just continued to roar at Song Jian; Soon, Song Jian had killed the monster fighting him. Under the sunlight, it quickly turned to ash and didnt show the same freakish survival ability as the first creature; Sunlight is their weakness but its hardly fatal. To kill them with sunlight, they must be exposed for about half an hour Song Jian thought to himself. Watching the fearful display of the monsters, a smile emerged on Song Jians lips. He extended his left hand and used the Sky-breaking Sword to viciously slice his palm, immediately causing blood to fountain out. He intended to use his blood to lure these monsters, but Damn, I cut too deep! Song Jian watched the spurting blood and was momentarily at a loss for words. He had somewhat underestimated the sharpness of the Sky-breaking Sword. The blood quickly drenched his entire palm and began to drip to the floor; The scent of blood made the monsters even more frenzied. Several charged into the sunlit area, completely disregarding the white smoke billowing from their bodies and their skin rapidly decaying. Damage numbers floated above them as they lay on the ground, eagerly sucking up the blood from the floor, even cracking the flagstones as they bit into them, making a crack, crack sound; Song Jian slowly retreated, trying to draw them outside the church, but the churchs main doors seemed to be enchanted. Even though the monsters had descended into madness, they still refused to approach the doors. Left with no choice, Song Jian re-entered the church and began to fight the monsters in a melee, swinging his sword; The monsters were only common quality level forty-two beasts. Even without using the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian could easily annihilate them. Under the sunlight, they quickly turned into piles of ash; You shouldnt have killed them, they were striving to suppress their own instincts The priest, holding a black and red-covered codex, had a distraught look on his terrifying face, showing a tinge of sadness. Level 45, elite BOSS? Song Jian stared at the priests head, but for some reason, he could only see the opponents level and rank, with no name; Are you the Scarlet Count Xi Boyaer? Song Jian asked aloud; Have you come to seek the master? The priest, taken aback, asked, What do you want with the master? It has already fallen into eternal slumber! Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then who are you? Song Jians eyebrows knitted together; I am but a humble servant of the master, a spirit trapped here! the priest said; Stop deceiving with trickery! Song Jian snorted coldly and rushed at him, swinging the Sky-breaking Sword; Thousand Swords Art! As Song Jian charged forward, dozens of Spirit Swords floated around him, whooshing towards the priest; Slaughter is the original sin, Divine Oracle Mirror, open! The priest held the Codex in his left hand and raised his right hand, lightly pushing forward, and suddenly dozens of Spirit Swords seemed to strike an invisible transparent shield, exploding with force three feet from the priest; Boom, boom, boom~ After a series of booms, the priest remained unscathed, except for a wound on his raised right hand, resembling the size of a babys mouth, with skin peeling back and flesh mangled; A damage count of over five thousand floated up from the priests head, and the injured priest, displaying a surprised expression, gazed at Song Jian and asked in a low voice, Who are you, that you can penetrate the defense of the Divine Oracle Mirror? In fact, Song Jian was even more astonished than he; this time he had summoned a total of fifty-six Spirit Swords. To say nothing of a level 45 elite BOSS, even a level 45 lord-level BOSS could be instantly killed. But unexpectedly, the real damage inflicted on this BOSS wasnt even one-tenth; Divine Oracle Mirror? What is that, a skill or an item? Song Jian couldnt help asking; It is a treasure bestowed upon me by the deities. Only the power of the gods can break its defense! The priest actually answered Song Jians question and then seemed to realize something, his face twisting into a crazed expression. You possess the bloodline of the deities. Killing you your blood can awaken the master. Roar~ The priest, who had seemed somewhat human until this point, now completely transformed into a beast and charged at Song Jian; The Codex in its left hand glowed continuously, projecting magic onto the priest, enhancing it with numerous buffs, such as the strength of a bull, pain reduction, monkey-guard Meanwhile, the fingers of its right hand grew long and slender, nails slowly emerging, as the skin cracked and became covered in a layer of scale-like patterns; Whoosh~ With the left hand like a claw, the priest lunged for Song Jian, his sharp nails leaving a trail in the air, as Song Jian parried with his sword. Instantly, the entire church filled with the sound of metal clashing, as Song Jian and the priest fiercely dueled; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com Chapter 902 - 903 Blood Beads_1 Chapter 902: Chapter 903 Blood Beads_1 The Priests style of combat was somewhat akin to a Berserkers, yet the Codex in his left hand continuously unleashed various auxiliary spells, enhancing the Priests ability in close combat. Furthermore, when the Priest sustained injuries, the Codex could cast healing magic, replenishing the Priests Vitality Points, which left Song Jian speechless; This is simply cheating! Song Jian stared at the Codex in the Priests left hand, his facial muscles starting to twitch slightly; Thousand Swords Art! The Sky-breaking Sword fiercely slashed at the Priest, and without the protection of the Divine Oracle Mirror this time, the Spirit Sword brutally struck the Priest, sending him flying seven or eight meters away; By the time the Spirit Sword vanished, the Priests Vitality Points had plummeted, leaving him with roughly less than one-fifth left. The Codex once again burst into a milky white glow, beginning to restore the Priests Vitality Points, but this time, the Codex only raised the Priests Vitality by 5% before it ran out of power, and the healing light disappeared; Song Jian scoffed, a mocking smile appearing on his face, and as he pointed the Sky-breaking Sword forward, his figure instantly turned into a streak of light, charging toward the Priest; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Pu~ The Sky-breaking Sword stabbed viciously into the Priests left shoulder, going right through him, and a burst of fresh blood sprayed out. What followed was the Priests horrified discovery that he had lost control over his body, which began to slowly float upwards; Pop, pop, pop~ Song Jians right hand moved like lightning, repeatedly thrusting in rapid succession eight times. With each attack, the Priests body drifted higher, eventually hovering nearly a meter above the ground before crashing down hard; Taking advantage, Song Jian swung his long sword, striking down on the Priests left hand. A dark golden light flashed, and the blow surprisingly triggered the Holy Sword talent; Pu~ With a dull thud, the Priests left hand, which was tightly clutching the Codex, was severed cleanly and was sent flying seven or eight meters away, crashing into the seats within the Church Hall; The glow on the surface of the Codex gradually dimmed, as a dark red phantom emerged from it, forming a skeleton-like figure that let out a piercing shriek before vanishing. Deprived of the Codexs support, the Priests power was instantly weakened by more than one-third. Already no match for Song Jian, now he was completely powerless to fight back. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sword lights appeared around the Priests body. Each time a sword light materialized, it was accompanied by a pained groan from the Priest, and within a short span, this Level 45 Elite Boss lay in a pool of blood, his body quickly igniting; Song Jian, full of anticipation, looked toward the severed arm that was clutching the Codex on the seat, but to his disappointment, the arm, along with the Codex it held, also started to burn up, turning into a pile of ashes in no time; What a shame Song Jian shook his head slightly regretfully. The Codex had impressive effects, capable of automatically releasing many auxiliary spells and continuously healing the user during combat. Most importantly, it seemed to require no consumption of Mental Strength or any similar energy. Song Jians One-handed Sword was right-held, leaving his left hand free to equip an off-hand item, but unfortunately, the Codex had not dropped. He picked up a robe emitting a dark golden glow from the ashes, the very black priest robe that the priest had been wearing; This robe had a high collar, wide and flowing sleeves, with cuffs embroidered with strange patterns in gold thread, looking quite luxurious and a bit mysterious; And its attributes were top-notch too, although it was a cloth armor, it provided higher defense than a leather armor of the same level and tier, and none of the additional properties were wasted, especially the special effects of the robean defensive skill, another enhancing the power of spells, both coveted by arcane professionals. Shaking out the robe, Song Jian looked at it for a long time before finally placing it into his inventory. If this arcane robe were to be sold at an auction, it would probably fetch at least 800,000 Doomsday Coins, and if the bidding war escalated, surpassing a million wasnt impossible. However, such a fine item, Song Jian would only deposit it into the guilds warehouse for guild players to exchange with Contribution Points, bolstering the guilds strength; Besides the robe, the priest had also dropped three golden Blood Beads; Song Jian had already collected more than forty, all from the monsters in the Church Hall, but those common monster drops were of silver quality, while the priests drops were of golden quality, and even their properties were far superior; The purpose of these Blood Beads was to change bloodlines, the silver quality ones could enhance ones physical constitution and also had a small chance of turning the user into a member of the Blood Clan; The golden quality Blood Beads dropped by the priest, however, could turn the user directly into a Blood Clan member, and even bestow the strength of a Viscount within the clan; This was a temptation similar to the post-expansion ability to become a member of the Abyssal Clan and obtain exotic classes, with the Blood Clan also harboring many rare, even epic and Legendary Level professions; For the average player, these Blood Beads were treasures that could change their fate, but regrettably, Song Jian decided that he would rather let them rot in his inventory than sell them or allow guild members to exchange for them; While the game had not explicitly stated that the Blood Clan would become enemies of humans, Abyssal Hell loomed like a blade over the heads of the games human race, and Song Jian did not wish to create another hostile race against humanity; The principle of those who are not of our kind must have a different heart was firmly engraved in Song Jians mind; After gathering all the loot, Song Jian went through the Church Hall and into a narrow passage; This passage was long, with windows along the walls already sealed, and every few meters, there was a recessed sconce with a candle as thick as a finger burning, barely illuminating a small area; On both sides of the passage were murals depicting a group of angels with white wings fighting a host of monsters with bat-like flesh wings; The content of the murals showed either the monsters being slain by angels and burned with fierce fire, or a group of monsters pinning an angel to the ground, encircling him to drink his blood, looking cruel and terrifying; This Sky City may have been conquered by these monsters, but whether those angels guarding it have all left or have been killed Song Jian thought to himself while looking at the murals; Just then, the sound of metal clashing came from the end of the passage, deep and powerful. Each clash seemed to strike right at Song Jians heart, causing his Vitality to surge uncontrollably, his cheeks flushing red; Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com Chapter 903 - 904: Angels Battle Servant_1 Chapter 903: Chapter 904: Angels Battle Servant_1 Song Jian walked to the end of the corridor, where he found a spacious room. In the center of the room was a black sarcophagus made of ironwood, surrounded by several skeletons that were nearly weathered away. A burly monster with a hunched back was hammering giant iron nails, each over a foot long, fiercely into the four corners of the sarcophagus with a massive hammer he held; By its stature, Song Jian could sense the monster had immense strength. The hammer in its hand was almost as huge as those used in battle, causing the entire room to tremble slightly with every strike. However, despite such formidable strength, it could never fully drive the nails into the coffin. Each blow only sank the nails a short way in, and it would probably take several hours to hammer them all the way; Song Jians gaze fell upon the creature wielding the hammera colossus, almost completely naked, save for a piece of tattered felt tied around its waist. Its body bore scars of all sizes crisscrossed over one another, almost leaving no patch of skin unmarked; On either side of its spine were two deep, gaping wounds, one of which still had a shard of white bone protruding from it, as if a pair of wings once grew there but had been broken off in battle; Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This monster, could it have once been an angel? Song Jian wondered, looking at the pure white bone on its back. It was hard for him to relate this muscular brute before him to an angel; Song Jian looked up at the monsters head, where its name and attributes were displayed. Moreover, the monsters name was in red, which meant that even if it was a Battle Angel, it was a monster to Song Jian; Angel Servant Toros, Level 45, Elite BOSS, Vitality Points: 45000/45000 Angel Servant? So its not a true Battle Angel? Song Jian thought to himself, as he swung his sword towards the creature; Thousand Swords Art! This time, Song Jian only managed to summon over a dozen Spirit Swords, which made him feel somewhat helpless. The number of Spirit Swords summoned was random, resulting in varying amounts of damage. Creatures that could have been killed instantly were now only suffering a fifth or even less of the damage; Song Jian believed he had mastered the Thousand Swords Art quite proficiently, capable of targeting both large groups and single enemies at will, but even now, he could not control the number of Spirit Swords he summoned; Over a dozen Spirit Swords ruthlessly struck Toros, causing it such intense pain that it let out a thunderous roar and turned its head to look at Song Jian; Enemy! With a hoarse bellow, Toros swung its hammer furiously at Song Jian; Boom! The Sky-breaking Sword clashed with the hammer, and Song Jian immediately felt an overwhelming force surge towards him, pushing his body back three to four meters, leaving two trails on the hard floor; This strength attribute must be over a hundred and eighty points, right? Its only a servant, how can it possess such incredible power Song Jian looked at Toros with astonishment. How could a mere Level 45 Elite BOSS possess such formidable strength; Even Kekaul, the four-winged angel who had fought alongside him in the Abyssal Hell, did not have such fearsome strength. After all, Kekaul was a true Battle Angel; Sacred Fire Assault! Toros roared, swinging its hammer down hard on the ground; Boom, boom, boom~ From where the hammer struck, a scorching flame burst forth, its core a dark red while the surface showed a bizarre silver-white color; After the first flame rose, another burst up a meter away, followed by yet another flame bursting forth in succession; In less than a second, seven flames rose continuously between Toros and Song Jian, with the last one emerging right under Song Jians feet, engulfing him completely; The impact of the flames made Song Jian lose control of his body instantly, sending him soaring into the air while the ensuing fire damage made his Vitality Points drop rapidly; -500 -680 -869 -993 The damage he was taking kept rising, and at the same time, Song Jian noticed that his resistance and defense were also rapidly declining; The fiery assault had continued for a full three seconds before it suddenly disappeared, and by the time Song Jian crashed heavily onto the ground from midair, he shockingly found that his Vitality Points had already dropped by more than three thousand; It should be known that the Vitality Points of an ordinary heavily-armored shield warrior were just slightly over three thousand; in other words, most players, if faced with this BOSS, would likely be killed instantly; Sword Shadow Clone! Song Jians figure began to shake violently, and after a short while, two Song Jians that looked exactly alike appeared in front of the monster; Thousand Swords Art! The clone wielded the Sky-breaking Sword to attack the monster, and Song Jian, meanwhile, took out an Advanced Recovery Potion and gulped it down, just as he had managed to slightly recover some Vitality Points, he saw Toros bearing the attacks of the Spirit Sword, and with a swing of its hammer, it smashed into the clones head, dispelling the clone into a burst of white light after only two hits. The Sword Shadow Clone, only having 40% of Song Jians attributes, was no match for the BOSS before him; its purpose was to deal over six thousand points of damage to the BOSS and delay it for a few seconds, allowing Song Jian the time to unleash the next Thousand Swords Art! As the BOSSs gaze locked onto him, the cooldown period for Thousand Swords Art came to an end, and Song Jian, without hesitation, released the Thousand Swords Art once more; this time, the number of Spirit Swords broke through to over fifty. The densely packed Spirit Swords emitted an aura of terrifying force, flying towards the BOSS like a meteor shower; Boom, boom, boom~ After a burst of energy bombardment, the BOSSs body, already riddled with wounds, erupted with countless spurts of blood, its Vitality Points plummeting, and it was instantly killed by Song Jian; Do not open the coffin; inside there is The BOSS, with a glimmer of sentience in its eyes, blood spraying from its mouth, struggled to say to Song Jian as it fell; Not open the coffin, huh? But the more you say that, the more I want to open it, damn it! Song Jian glared hard at the corpse of the BOSS and collected all the loot it had dropped; Truly worthy of being a level 45 elite BOSS, it dropped two golden quality items, one of which was the weapon used by the BOSS, that hammer, while the other was a thin Skill Book; The hammers properties were average, not presenting many advantages as a weapon, but this hammer had another propertyit could be used as a forging hammer and could also increase the Forging skill level by 2 levels, which for players who had learned Forge Art, could be said to be extremely good; As for the Skill Book, Song Jian glanced at the cover and saw that it was a golden cover with several silver characters: Skill Mutation Secret Manual. Song Jian couldnt help but be stunned for a moment, focusing on the attributes of the book and examining it carefully. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com Chapter 904 - 905: Skill Advancement_1 Chapter 904: Chapter 905: Skill Advancement_1 Skill Mutation Secret Manual, such an item was something Song Jian had never encountered before; yet a golden-quality manual was clearly valuable, and the higher the quality of an item he had never seen before, the greater the probability of it being exceptional. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians gaze fell onto the thin manual in his hands, and quickly, the attributes of the book appeared before his eyes. Skill Mutation Secret Manual, rare, single-use consumable, usage effect: can induce positive mutation in skills above the gold quality, enhancing skill power, improving skill effects, with a chance of upgrading the skill level! Usage requirement: a gold-quality or higher item must be consumed when using; Damn, it requires the consumption of gold-quality or higher equipment to use? Song Jian was taken aback, his face showing a look of surprise. Enhancing the skill power sounds good, should I give it a try? Song Jian opened the skill pane, examining it carefully; of the few skills he possessed, the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was the one he used most often, followed by the Mysterious Moonlight Sword and Soul Wander. As for the Sword Control Skill, it was a passive skill that slowly increased in proficiency anytime he executed any offensive sword technique. At that moment, the proficiency of Sword Control Skill had just risen from level 2 to 87% of level 2, and once Song Jian leveled up again, he should be able to advance to level 3. After much thought, Song Jian decided to use the manual on the Thousand Swords Art, as its power was already tremendous, and focusing on one skill rather than many would be more efficient for improvement. However, the challenge was which item to use as a sacrifice. Song Jian had not a few gold-quality items in his pack, and even two epic-quality items. The Skill Mutation Secret Manual only specified the item had to be gold-quality or above, but it did not mention that a higher-tier item would enhance the skills effects better, causing Song Jian to wonder whether to use a gold-quality item or an epic-quality item. After a moments hesitation, Song Jians eyes fell on the Epic Quality weapon, Deaths Scythe, that he had obtained in Abyssal Hell. It was a weapon limited to the Abyss occupation, and he originally planned to take it apart for materials, but he couldnt bear to. After all, it was an epic-quality weapon, and the materials would be worth less than a tenth of the weapons value. Thus, he kept the weapon in his pack as a collectible. Now, it seemed like using this weapon as a consumable for enhancing the Thousand Swords Art was appropriate. Perhaps the higher the quality of the consumed item, the more powerful the mutated skill would be? Lets gamble! Song Jian clenched his teeth and used the manual. When the system prompted him to choose a consumable, he locked his gaze on Deaths Scythe in his inventory and pressed the confirm button firmly. The manual turned into a golden vortex, and Deaths Scythe, drawn by a mysterious force, flew towards this golden swirl. Plainly, Deaths Scythe seemed to resist entering the golden vortex, struggling desperately against the invisible restraint, as if it possessed its consciousness. The mysterious force appeared not very strong, barely holding a shred of Deaths Scythe in place. Therefore, no matter how fiercely Deaths Scythe struggled, it still inched towards the center of the golden vortex. Watching Deaths Scythes desperate struggle, Song Jian thought to himself, Its fortunate that there arent any Legendary Items in my inventory, or else if I impulsively used a Legendary Item, it might have resulted in a failed mutation. Considering the power of this manual, it probably couldnt pull a Legendary Item. In the end, Deaths Scythe was pulled into the golden vortex. A series of crack, crack crushing sounds emanated from within the vortex, as if something was chewing on Deaths Scythe. Soon, the golden vortex transformed into a dark golden light that flew toward Song Jians skill pane. The Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Decision, which originally emitted a purple-red glow, slowly became blurry. In a short while, a streak of purple-gold light appeared in the skill column; Did it really just rise by one grade? Song Jian was pleasantly surprised, and an involuntary brilliant smile spread across his face. It looked like he had made the right bet; the previously epic quality Thousand Swords Art had indeed ascended to a legendary quality; The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art? Song Jian looked at the skill shimmering with purple and gold light, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth; The original Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Decision had transformed into the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art. In the skill description, the number of Spirit Swords summoned hadnt changed, but there were added lines stating Each Spirit Sword inflicts an additional one thousand points of fire damage to the target and When the number of summoned Spirit Swords reaches the limit, they will form the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, dealing a devastating blow to the target! Song Jians Thousand Swords Art now dealt one thousand eight hundred points of damage with each Spirit Sword, and that didnt even include the passive effect of his innate skill Holy Sword. Now, each Spirit Sword inflicted an additional one thousand points of fire damage, effectively boosting the damage by 50%. This was already considered an extremely formidable enhancement for the skill. Most importantly, if the number of Spirit Swords summoned reached the limit, which for a level five Thousand Swords Art meant sixty Spirit Swords, these sixty Spirit Swords would autonomously form the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation to deliver a destructive blow to the target. Although Song Jian did not know the specific damage of this Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, he could feel the terrifying aura oozing between the lines of the skill description; I really want to try out the power of this Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, to see just how powerful it is! Song Jian, looking at the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art gleaming with purple and gold light, revealed a hint of satisfaction on his face; Having done all this, Song Jians gaze fell on the ironwood coffin that still had a nail sticking out. The coffin looked exceedingly sturdy, and its pitch-black surface shimmered with a metallic luster. In Song Jians eyes, thick streaks of blood-red aura were continuously wafting out from the gaps of the coffin; Remembering the words of the dying boss, the Angelic Battle Servant Trosso, Song Jian became even more curious about what was inside the coffin; With this thought in mind, Song Jian walked over to the ironwood coffin, reached out, and grabbed the nail that Trosso had smashed halfway in, giving it a forceful yank, though the nail did not budge; Song Jians brow furrowed slightly. With his current strength attribute, he could wield over a ton of force even barehanded, yet he couldnt pull out such a small nail? Come out! Song Jian exclaimed in a low voice, exerting all his strength and gripping the nail firmly with his right hand, he pulled upward; Creak, squeak~ A grating sound of friction erupted as the nail in Song Jians hand began to rise slowly and was eventually completely pulled out by him; Looking at the red mark in the palm of his hand that was close to bleeding, Song Jian laughed softly and continued to move towards the other corners of the coffin; Chapter 905 - 906: The Blood-Red Count_1 Chapter 905: Chapter 906: The Blood-Red Count_1 Song Jian drew out the Sky-breaking Sword and swung it hard towards the three remaining corners of the ironwood coffin; Clang clang clang~ Sparks flew all around; the ironwood coffin was even harder than steel. The sharpness of the Sky-breaking Sword could easily cut through ordinary steel, but now it only left a shallow white mark on the coffin; However, Song Jian wasnt in a hurry; he kept chopping away. The red aura became thicker and more intense. Soon, these scattered auras turned into a blood fog, and a sweet, fishy smell wafted through the cracks of the coffin; Boom! A muffled sound echoed as the coffin trembled slightlysomething seemed to be inside! Could it be that laying inside is the Blood Count Xi Boyaer? Song Jian guessed in his heart, feeling a surge of excitement. Knowing this was the Blood Counts territory meant that the Count had to be at least a Lord-level BOSS, and if he was lucky, he might even encounter a Commanding-level BOSS! Song Jian was now drooling over a Commanding-level BOSS. Wherever there was information about a Commanding-level BOSS, no matter how far, he would investigate. You better not disappoint me! Song Jian muttered to himself and swung his sword at the coffin lid again; A dark gold light flashed for a moment, and with a crack, the sturdy ironwood coffin had an entire corner chopped off by Song Jian, along with the iron nail that fastened the lid, which was also cut off; Song Jian smiled slightly; what he was waiting for was the trigger of the passive talent Holy Sword! With two corners of the coffin missing their nails, it became more unstable. The blood fog became even more intense, and the thick fog enveloped everything around, slowly spreading outwards; Just as Song Jian was about to continue removing the other two nails, the whole ironwood coffin suddenly shook violently, and the remaining two nails started to sway and slowly rose by themselves; Even with Song Jians strength, he could not pull out these nails bare-handed, which shows how secure they were. But now, the two remaining nails seemed to be pulled out by an invisible hand, and in a short while, both were removed; Clang~ The dislodged nails fell to the ground as the coffin lid was blown up by a gust of air, tumbling towards a nearby wall; Three hundred years, I have slept for three hundred years! A hoarse voice emerged from the coffin; Soon, a withered arm reached out, grasping the edge of the coffin. Then, a man dressed in a red silk robe with a black cross hanging from his neck slowly sat up from the coffin; The man looked like a skeleton with skin stretched over it, his cheeks hollow and cheekbones high, showing no trace of muscle on his body; Was it you who freed me from this Binding Iron Coffin, young man? A pair of blood-red eyes stared at Song Jian, and the skin-stretched face cracked a disturbing smile; Indeed, it was I who released you. How do you plan to repay me? Song Jian asked with a smile, his right hand gripping the Sky-breaking Sword tightly! Hed seen the name of this creature before him; it was indeed the Blood Count Xi Boyaer he had speculated; Blood Count Xi Boyaer, the Blood Clan, level forty-eight, Commanding-level BOSS, Vitality Points: 340000/680000; Status: Weak Repay you? Indeed, since youve freed me, I should repay you. Let me think how to repay your lifesaving grace Xi Boyaers face showed a contemplative expression, then after a short pause, revealing the sharp fangs in his mouth, he smiled and said, As a reward, Ill suck your blood dry and then turn you into an immortal corpse servant. How does that sound? Rustle rustle~ Xi Boyaers body suddenly disintegrated, and hundreds of palm-sized black bats flew out from the coffin before reaggregating into a human silhouette in mid-air; Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian, seizing the moment, swung towards the air, and over thirty Spirit Swords flew toward Xi Boyaer, tracing fierce paths through the sky; Seeing the word Weakness in Xi Boyaers status bar, Song Jian became very cautious. What would a member of the Blood Clan, who had been imprisoned for three hundred years, do first after regaining freedom? Naturally, he would seek sufficient blood to restore his own strength, and currently, Song Jian was the only one who could supply him with blood. Not a bad skill. In my memory, it seems I have seen such a skill before Facing the several flying Spirit Swords, Xi Boyaer showed no sign of panic; instead, a smile crept over his face; Xi Boyaer reached out with his right hand, and the thick, blood-colored mist around him began to roil and converge toward his palm, soon forming a scarlet rapier within it. Clang, clang, clang, clang~ Xi Boyaer nonchalantly waved his right hand, easily destroying all the Spirit Swords in the sky; How is this possible Song Jian, wide-eyed and dumbstruck, wouldnt have been surprised if Xi Boyaer had used a skill similar to invincibility, but the scene before him exceeded Song Jians imagination; Song Jian could clearly feel that there were no energy fluctuations when Xi Boyaer resisted the Spirit Swords. In other words, Xi Boyaer was merely using simple, ordinary attacks to completely fend off Song Jians recently improved Thousand Swords Art; I remember now! Xi Boyaer seemed to recall something and said to Song Jian with a smile, A thousand years ago, I encountered a human who used a skill similar to yours. However, his skills power was much greater than yours. Song Jians expression darkened as he fixed his gaze on Xi Boyaer and asked in a low voice, Did you really not use any skills just now? Heh, what do you think? A contemptuous smile appeared on Xi Boyaers face as if he viewed the Thousand Swords Art with indifference. Song Jian pondered, the Thousand Swords Art after the upgrade was a Legendary Level skill, how could it be easily nullified by Xi Boyaers ordinary attack? Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, a black cross hanging from Xi Boyaers neck suddenly burst into brilliant flame, and a piercing scream emanated from the cross; Song Jian saw that nailed to the cross was a monstrous creature with a fierce face and bared fangs. Its body was ablaze with roaring flames, and it writhed continuously, its gruesome face showing a look of agony; Xi Boyaers expression changed drastically as he cursed under his breath, Damn it! With that, he grabbed the cross and hurled it into the distance; Boom! A violent explosion shattered the cross completely, its flaming fragments fluttering in mid-air like a magnificent fireworks display; Song Jian narrowed his eyes: Could it be that he was able to withstand the full damage of the Thousand Swords Art because of that black cross? With this thought, a slight smirk appeared on Song Jians face as he tightened his grip on the Sky-breaking Sword; If youre truly that powerful, then try to withstand my Thousand Swords Art once more! Chapter 906 - 907 Blood_1 Chapter 906: Chapter 907 Blood_1 Xi Boyaer, despite being a Dominator-level BOSS, had demonstrated strength that far exceeded that level, casually breaking a Legendary Level skill, which made Song Jian doubtful. Song Jian had encountered Dominator-level monsters before; aside from having more Vitality, slightly more powerful skills, and controlling a wider area, there was nothing particularly terrifying about them. But Xi Boyaers appearance had overturned this assumption. Given its weakened state, it theoretically should have been weaker than other Dominator-level monsters. Yet, it effortlessly shattered Song Jians upgraded Thousand Swords Art. If this was truly its own power, why then was it sealed in this coffin? Uncertainty filled Song Jians heart, but he dared not confirm. If Xi Boyaer truly possessed such formidable strength, Song Jian would undoubtedly cast Soul Wander and flee this place immediately; However, the accidental damage to Xi Boyaers cross bolstered Song Jians confidence, and he released another Thousand Swords Art towards Xi Boyaer. This time, Song Jian was lucky. He managed to summon over fifty Spirit Swords blazing with intense flames. Seeing this, Xi Boyaers expression darkened instantly, and he opened his mouth wide in a threatening gesture towards Song Jian. Boom, boom, boom~ Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This time, when the Spirit Swords struck Xi Boyaer, they didnt explode on contact. Instead, they slashed first and then detonated violently; Just this small change increased the power of Thousand Swords Art by more than a third; With a painful roar, the memories buried deep within Xi Boyaers bloodline slowly surfaced. It only remembered that over a thousand years ago, it had battled someone who also mastered the Thousand Swords Art, but the specifics of the fight were unclear, even who won in the end was forgotten; However, given that Xi Boyaer was still alive, it naively believed that it must have been the victor in that battle; This time, without the protection of the Bloody Cross, the full force of Thousand Swords Art hit Xi Boyaer. The horrifying damage and intense pain finally awakened the fact it had buried deep in its bloodline and was unwilling to face; It remembered the details of the battle from a thousand years ago, the most painful defeat in its life. The overwhelming attack of Spirit Swords from all directions left no escape, making it feel despair in battle for the first time; It was also because of that battle that it had to consume all the Blood Clans essence blood to barely escape with severe injuries, taking it hundreds of years to recover, and eventually, it was imprisoned by the judgments of Sky City in this Binding Iron Coffin. At this thought, a trace of fear appeared on Xi Boyaers face. Its Vitality Points dropped by about a hundred thousand all at once, causing it to lose the courage to continue the fight. Whirr~ Bats filled the entire room, all surging towards the passageway in a swarm. Song Jians face changed. He knew this Dominator-level BOSS was trying to escape. Besides Thousand Swords Art, he had no other large-scale attack skills. Killing hundreds of scattered bats was simply an impossible task. Five Elements Sword Array! Acting on instinct, Song Jian tossed the Sky-breaking Sword into the air, and the sword mist of the Five Elements Sword Array instantly blocked off the tunnel entrance. Hundreds of bats were engulfed by the sword mist, but still, about a dozen bats managed to dash through the tunnel; These bats had very low Vitality Points, only five to six hundred each, and they were all ordinary monsters. Killing them was an easy task. In less than ten seconds, the hundreds of bats inside the Five Elements Sword Array all turned into corpses. However, for Xi Boyaer, as long as a single bat escaped, it would not die; As a supreme-level BOSS, Xi Boyaers strength did not lie in its power, but in its cunning as well as its endless methods of recovery and escape; How could I let a supreme-level BOSS that Ive finally found escape so easily? Song Jian sneered. This was a weakened state supreme-level BOSS, rarer than the typical ones. Song Jian still needed nine more supreme-level BOSS for his Sword Immortal Path, so there was no way he could let this one go; With a leap, Song Jians figure grew transparent and his speed increased dramatically, showcasing the great strength of the Soul Wander skill, whether in defense or in chasing after an enemy. He followed the tunnel all the way back to the original Church Hall but failed to find any trace of the dozen bats. Just then, several screams and cries of terror suddenly came from outside the church. Song Jian immediately rushed towards the outside of the church; Now, on the desolate street, Xi Boyaer was cradling a players head, affectionately kissing his neck. Beneath its feet lay three player corpses, all drained of blood and turned into mummies; The player being held by Xi Boyaer was also gradually shrinking, but he was not yet dead. Upon seeing Song Jian, a burst of light exploded in the players eyes. He reached out to Song Jian, and although he could no longer speak, Song Jian understood from his lip shape that he was pleading for help; By this time, Xi Boyaer no longer looked like the skeletal figure with skin stretched over bone as before. Although it still appeared somewhat aged, if one disregarded the fangs in its mouth, it now closely resembled a human elder in their sixties or seventies. Its Vitality Points, which had dwindled to around two hundred thousand, had all been restored. Although it was still in a weakened state, it was much better off than when it had just crawled out of the coffin. Its maximum Vitality Points had recovered from thirty-something thousand to four hundred eighty thousand. Although not fully restored, it seemingly regained about eighty percent of its strength; Just as Song Jian was preparing to attack, Xi Boyaer took a deep inhalation, swallowing the last bit of Vitality Points from the player it was holding before casually pushing him aside. Turning around, it faced Song Jian with a smile; They have the same scent on them as you do, perhaps they are your companions? Xi Boyaer took a silk handkerchief from its pocket and gently wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth, smiling, Im sorry, I meant to turn them into offspring of the Blood Clan, but as you know, I have just awoken and you have seriously wounded me. I urgently needed fresh blood to recover Xi Boyaer was unaware of the existence of the divinely favored ones, the players, but it could sense the same aura emanating from these humans as from Song Jian, mistaking them for Song Jians companions. At the moment, it was using language to attack Song Jian, attempting to incite a sense of guilt in him; All right, I have recovered a bit. Perhaps I am not yet your match for the time being, but believe me, one day I will come looking for you, and when that day comes Xi Boyaer showed Song Jian a cruel smile, with a gaze that brimmed with intense killing intent; Chapter 907 - 908: Replica Key_1 Chapter 907: Chapter 908: Replica Key_1 Xi Boyaer, the supreme boss, had a level of intelligence and escape capabilities that could give anyone who opposed him a headache, Once he confirmed that he was no match for Song Jian, Xi Boyaer discarded any semblance of dignity fitting of a supreme boss and chose to flee. Even after regaining most of his strength, he still refused to face Song Jian head-on, opting instead to continue his escape; If he managed to get away this time, Song Jian probably wouldnt be able to sleep soundly at night. Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jians figure turned into a streak of light, rushing towards Xi Boyaer, who began to hint at transforming into a bat to escape. However, just as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly discovered a long sword embedded in his chest; How, how can it be so fast? Xi Boyaers face showed an expression of shock. At that moment, he realized he had lost control of his body and couldnt release any skills. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ Several swords flashed by, and a pained expression appeared on Xi Boyaers face. He let out a cold snort, then his body slowly lifted into the air before crashing heavily onto the ground; Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Before he could react, Song Jian, with the Sky-breaking Sword in hand, hacked viciously at him; Xi Boyaer gave Song Jian a mocking smile, ready to speak, but suddenly noticed that the temperature around him seemed to have risen by dozens of degrees; Sixty Spirit Swords appeared around Xi Boyaers body, not attacking immediately but slowly moving around, and Xi Boyaer suddenly found himself trapped in a special space, cut off from the outside world. Although he could see Song Jian not far away, he couldnt lock onto him, as if the two were in different spaces altogether. Surprise crossed Song Jians face too. His original plan was to severely wound Xi Boyaer before he could escapenot necessarily kill him, but at least not let him get away so easily; Unexpectedly, this time hed summoned Sixty Spirit Swords. The Fifth Level of the Thousand Swords Art was at its limit with Sixty Spirit Swords, and reaching the limit would trigger the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; Now, Xi Boyaer was trapped in the midst of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; The Sixty Spirit Swords blazed with roaring flames. These crimson flames grew fiercer and fiercer, enveloping Xi Boyaer completely. From the outside, each Spirit Sword looked like a burning lotus petal, with the Sixty Spirit Swords instantly forming into a fire-red lotus, surrounding Xi Boyaer in their center like stars around the moon; What, what kind of skill is this, how could you possess such a terrifying skill? Legendary, this is a Legendary Level skill Despair surfaced on Xi Boyaers face as he let out a loud roar, stuck motionless in the center of the sword formation with no way to escape. If he dared to transform into a bat now, the bats would likely be consumed by the flames in an instant; The red lotus bloomed with dazzling brilliance, illuminating almost half of Sky City. Slowly, a black light appeared on the edges of the lotus, within which surged a strong Abyssal aura; Abyssal Raging Flame? Song Jians brow furrowed slightly as he stared intently at the black flames at the edge of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus formation. Inside the formation, Xi Boyaer screamed in agony and, within moments, was reduced to ashes. Killing Xi Boyaer with the Karmic Fire Red Lotus formation felt to Song Jian like using a meat cleaver to kill a chicken; within the formation, Xi Boyaer had not a shred of resistance. After Xi Boyaers death, the blooming Karmic Fire Red Lotus also began to slowly disintegrate, vanishing before Song Jians eyes as if it had never appeared. The patch of black Abyssal Flames that had once stirred his heart, however, plunged Song Jian into deep thought. Perhaps its because I used a Legendary Level Abyssal weapon during the promotion, Song Jian speculated in his mind. While there wasnt much of the Abyssal Demon Flame at the edge of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, it was extremely pure and identical to the Abyssal Demon Flame that Song Jian had previously summoned using the Book of the Abyss. Having lost the Book of the Abyss, Song Jian had also lost the ability to control the Abyssal Demon Flame, but now, the Abyssal Demon Flame appeared before him as if by some freak accident, making him feel as if his connection with Abyssal Hell hadnt completely ceased with the disappearance of the Book of the Abyss. Anyway, it hasnt caused me any harm! Song Jian thought to himself, sighing. He put away the Sky-breaking Sword and walked towards where Xi Boyaer had turned to ashes. The task of the Sword Immortals path was another step completed; only eight Sovereign-Level BOSSes remained in his mission. Most players probably hadnt even heard of what a Sovereign-Level BOSS was, which made Song Jians task significantly more challenging, leaving him to rely on sheer luck to encounter one. Although Xi Boyaer was a Sovereign-Level BOSS, he was always in a weakened state. The loot he dropped was inferior even to that of a Lord-Level BOSS, with not a single Dark Gold Quality item appearing, only dropping a piece of gold quality equipment and another of silver quality, with the rest being two pieces of green quality materials. Both in terms of the quantity and quality of the loot, the items dropped by Xi Boyaer had nothing to do with that of a Sovereign-Level. However, Song Jian was mentally prepared for this situation. Aside from being more cunning and having irritating escape abilities, Xi Boyaer didnt have any means to threaten Song Jians life. This might have had a lot to do with his weakened state, but regardless, Xi Boyaer didnt exhibit the power fitting for a Sovereign-Level BOSS. So there wasnt much to say about the loot. With an expressionless face, Song Jian picked up all the loot. After a cursory glance, he didnt think these items would be of much help to him, so he planned to throw them all into the guild warehouse. Eh, whats this? Song Jian took a gold quality item out of his inventory and carefully examined its attributes. It was a hexagonal prism made of black stone, which looked quite odd. Hexagonal Key, Strange Item, Gold Quality, Use Effect: It is the key to opening the Judgment Hall (Level 3 Secret Realm). Only by using it can you enter the secret realm of the Judgment Hall; Use Requirement: None, Remaining Time: Six hours and twenty-nine minutes. This seems to be a key to start a dungeon! Song Jian toyed with the hexagonal prism, thinking to himself. Following its attribute description, there was a countdown timer continuously ticking. It seemed there was a time limit to enter this Level 3 Secret Realm, and if Song Jian couldnt find the entrance to the Judgment Hall Secret Realm within six hours, the item would be of no use. Song Jian jumped onto a tall building and surveyed all the buildings of Sky City; many of these structures bore marks of battle, though some remained intact. In the central area of Sky City stood a giant white tower, surrounded by many tall buildings. This was the best-preserved cluster of buildings in the entire city. Song Jian leapt down from the high building and ran towards the central white tower of the city. Chapter 908 - 909 Judgment Hall_1 Chapter 908: Chapter 909 Judgment Hall_1 The location of the white tower must be the core of the entire Sky City, where most of the original masters of the city likely resided. Along the way, Song Jian saw many monsters, and the closer he got to the white tower, the higher the levels of the monsters became. The monsters near the white tower had already reached level forty-fivenot an area where ordinary players could set foot. Even an ordinary-quality monster possessed the strength to crush an average player; Moreover, Song Jian also saw several level forty-eight elite BOSSes that stood motionless around a few pillars. Engaging in combat with any of these ordinary monsters could easily attract the attention of the elite BOSSes. To explore this place, one would need to be at least a level thirty-eight epic career. Song Jian thought to himself. He didnt believe he was the only lucky player in the entire game to have obtained a career above the rare level; The white tower soon appeared before Song Jian, but it was surrounded by numerous monsters. To approach the white tower, one must first clear the area completely; Song Jian promptly used the Concealment Necklaces function, his figure slowly fading away on the spot, then he entered a stealth state, inching towards the white tower; He did not know the exact location of the Judgment Hall, but the white tower was the most prominent building in the entire Sky City, so there should be clues about the Judgment Hall here; Song Jian cautiously moved among the hordes of monsters, knowing that disturbing them might trigger a massive battle. With so many monsters, even using the Thousand Swords Art would not eliminate them all but would instead attract even more monsters; With great difficulty, Song Jian finally entered the first level of the white tower through a damaged stone window. This area was a vast space, eerily empty, with a rotating stone staircase in the center of the room leading to a teleportation gate; His eyes lit upcould it be that his luck was so good that this white tower was actually the Judgment Hall of the Sky City? He quickly approached the teleportation gate and, as he neared it, Song Jian suddenly received a system prompt; System: Do you want to enter the Prayer Temple (Level 5 secret dungeon)? Entry requires a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light; A level five dungeon? Song Jian was shocked. The higher the level of the dungeon, the greater the difficulty, but also the more treasures one could obtain from it; Many treasures with special effects were almost all obtained from dungeons, even if the equipment of the same tier, those produced in a dungeon had a bit stronger attributes than those obtained in the wild; Unfortunately, Song Jian didnt have a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light necessary to enter this dungeon, so he could only look on with longing; Touching the rotating stone staircase behind the teleportation gate with his hand, Song Jian found that his arm actually passed directly through the stairs. It seemed that these stairs were part of the dungeon, and one must enter the dungeon to ascend to the second level of the white tower. Without entering through the teleportation gate, he could not touch the stairs at all; Unable to get to the second level of the white tower, Song Jian could only begin searching on the first level. In no time at all, Song Jian found a map of the topography of Sky City on one of the walls; The topographical map etched here displayed the most prosperous times of Sky City, with countless angels bearing white wings walking through the streets, and the vendors along the sides were not only angels but also many other races, appearing very harmonious; And the white tower etched on the wall shone with light, with a six-winged archangel bearing a blade and shield standing on the very top of the tower; The Prayer Temple! Song Jian murmured, looking at the name inscribed on the white tower. So, this white tower was the Prayer Temple; Then, Song Jians gaze fell upon the other structures surrounding the white tower; Battle Temple, Wisdom Temple, Courage Temple Song Jian looked at each building in turn, and soon, he spotted the location of the Judgment Hall; Behind the Prayer Temple, that building with the emblem of swords and axes! Song Jian stared at a building on the wall, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, having finally found the location of the Judgment Hall; At that moment, less than four hours remained on the Hexagonal Key, and Song Jian used the Abyss Concealment Skill, making his way towards the Judgment Hall; Just as Song Jian was about to approach the Judgment Hall, he suddenly heard a monsters roar from far behind. Turning his head, Song Jian saw that a small team of players had appeared near the white tower. The levels of these players were almost all thirty-eight or thirty-nine, and the quality of their equipment was also very good, seemingly even better than the Elite Team of the City of Hope; They coordinated tacitly, an archer player continuously drawing out one monster after another. The remaining players rushed in, the different classes working together, quickly killing these monsters that were four or five levels higher than them; And after they killed a monster, the archer player had already lured another one over. The team coordinated extremely well together, and their combat strength was also very formidable; Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After watching for a while, Song Jian paid them no heed and continued towards the Judgment Hall. These players probably had the same goal as him, having obtained the dungeon key and searching for the dungeons location; Song Jian realized that there were not just one or two dungeons within Sky City, but many. Those temples he had seen on the map were probably individual dungeons, and the dungeon keys scattered throughout the entire Sky City were likely numerous as well; Soon, Song Jian arrived at the Judgment Hall. Sure enough, after entering, he found the same kind of stone stairs and teleportation light gate that were in the Prayer Temple; Holding the Hexagonal Key, Song Jian walked towards the light gate, his figure quickly disappearing into it, while on the stone stairs behind the light gate, his blurry figure appeared, climbing upwards; In the square in front of the Prayer Temple, Bonita with her fiery red hair, looked up in confusion, glancing over to her left. There was just a wide-open path with nothing but a few monsters; Bonita, did you notice something? a Mage class companion next to her glanced at her and asked softly; It feels like someone has entered that building. Bonita pointed toward the distant building adorned with the emblem of swords and axes, speaking in a low voice; One person? Her companion asked in surprise. Seems like it. The sense is very vague, Im not even sure if what I felt just now was an illusion. Bonita shook her head slightly; Those who dare to come here alone must be extremely confident powerhouses. I hope their goal isnt the same as ours the Mage companion sighed; Alright, lets clear out these little monsters first, and then take care of the guardians of those stone pillars. We dont have much time left, Bonita said, unable to help but take another glance at the distant building. Chapter 909 - 910 Enslavement_1 Chapter 909: Chapter 910 Enslavement_1 Bonita, as the scout of the team, had high perception and was always attentive to his surroundings during battle. He noticed that there was nothing particularly strange about Song Jian; it was just that Song Jians speed was so fast that Bonita had no time to react before Song Jian had already entered the Judgment Hall; Should we go check out that building later? Bonita pointed at the Judgment Hall and asked; What, did you find something? A warrior wielding a double-handed sword asked after he fiercely knocked down a monster and wiped the blood that had splashed onto his face; Just now, it seemed like a shadow slipped in there, Bonita pointed at the Judgment Hall and said; sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just one person? Tula frowned slightly, glanced in the direction Bonita was pointing, and said, Lets finish the mission first, then if we have time, well go take a look. Song Jian had previously guessed that these people, like himself, had acquired the dungeon key and thus had come here, but in reality, these several people had taken on a hidden quest after entering Sky City, which is how they ended up at this location; Alright, the monsters nearby have been mostly cleared out. Yani, go lure the Guardian in front of that pillar, but be careful, those Guardians are elite bosses, Tula pointed at the nearest stone pillar and said; The stone pillars were covered in cracks, with patterns inscribed upon them that were no longer visible, looking like they could collapse at any moment. Beneath each one, a huge monster lay prostrate, with fearsome appearances. If any other monsters approached them, these creatures would violently surge forward and tear the intruders to shreds. This resulted in a radius of several meters around each pillar where no monster dared to venture, save for the Guardians of the pillars themselves; Yani was the archer always assigned to pull monsters in the team. He was a Magic Archer, capable of enchanting his arrows with various magical effects. He also mastered close-quarters bow-fighting techniques, making his strength formidable; First, Yani cast a Slow Arrow, which not only lured the Guardian but reduced its movement speed by 30%. Then, Yanis bow rained down a barrage of magic-infused arrows, dealing substantial damage before the boss even got close; As the effect of the Slow Arrow wore off, the boss, on all fours, roared and charged at Yani. Just then, a Shield Warrior wielding a large shield slammed into the boss, toppling the over two-meter-tall stalwart creature. Following a thunderous roar, his sword struck the boss, leaving an Armor Break effect on its body; With a series of combo attacks, the Shield Warrior successfully drew the bosss ire onto himself, while simultaneously, his teammates unleashed all their firepower. The Guardian boss let out cries of agony and was brought to the brink of death within five short minutes; Solanda, come, lets see if you can enslave this boss, Tula, the team leader with the double-handed sword, called out to a young man standing at the back of the group; A slender boy slowly approached; during the prior fight, he had stood at a distance, watching without joining the fray, yet no one on the team looked displeased. Even when the team leader offered up the dying boss for the boy to enslave, no one showed any signs of discontent; The Guardian boss had a very strong combat instinct, and even in a dying state, it had not given up the fight. Struggling on the ground, it tried to rise again, but its weakened state caused its attributes to diminish, and it failed to stand up after several attempts; Solanda seemed a bit apprehensive, standing far away from the boss, with his hands raised above his head. In no time at all, a deep purple book began to materialize in his empty hands; Rustle~ The book opened by itself without any wind, flipping to a certain page, and Solanda began to recite the incantation. In an instant, the sky changed dramatically: what was once clear and sunny quickly gathered into a massive dark cloud. The thick clouds roiled incessantly, and soon a gigantic vortex appeared at their center. A colossal claw covered with long, brown fur stretched out from the vortex and slammed down viciously on the Guardian Boss, who was already on the brink of death. A piercing scream resounded as the Guardian Boss was directly squished into a pulp by the colossal claw that emerged from midair. Soon, a translucent white soul floated up from the corpse of the Guardian Boss. Its eyes filled with confusion, it seemed not to realize that it had already died. At that moment, Solandas chanting grew louder suddenly, and the Bosss souls expression changed drastically, roaring as it attempted to flee into the distance. But from the deep purple book in Solandas hands, a powerful suction force emerged, pulling the white soul of the Boss from afar into the book. Boom~ After a thunderous roar, the dark clouds in the sky vanished in an instant, leaving only a pool of vile blood and pulp on the ground. Hows it going, Solanda? You must have succeeded, right? Tula, the Double-handed Sword wielder, hurriedly asked. Solanda quickly flipped through the book to check and, after a short while, his face broke into a joyful expression. He nodded repeatedly and said, Yes, this time I finally succeeded! Phew, we finally did it, and this was already the fifth Boss! The Magic Archer Yani made a face at Solanda and said. Quick, tell us, what skills can you release this time? Bonita asked eagerly. Every time Solanda enslaved a Boss, he would obtain several special skills from them. These skills were related to the Boss but were not necessarily skills possessed by the Boss. One Howling skill, which increases all team members damage by 35%, and another that increases attack speed, adding 15% attack speed for 30 seconds. Last, theres a special skill, Blood Shadow Stacking, which consumes 90% of Spirit Points to summon thirty Blood Shadow Slaves, attacking the target for 10 seconds. The Blood Shadow Slaves cannot be locked on and are immune to attacks! Solanda read all the newly obtained skills from a page imprinted with the Bosss likeness, However, after using this skill, I cant invoke the Summoning Beast Soul skill to call upon the Boss to help in battle. We must wait for a 5-minute cooldown period to end. Whew, thats quite powerful. Come on, give me that Howling to try out first, let me feel the sensation of a 35% damage boost. Tula seemed quite satisfied with the skills Solanda gained, smiling as he spoke. First, give me the increase in attack speed. Im going to lure another Boss, to see what powerful skills this Boss can provide you! Yani said to Solanda in a hurry. Chapter 910 - 910 911 Pillar of Courage_1 ?Chapter 910: Chapter 911: Pillar of Courage_1 Chapter 910: Chapter 911: Pillar of Courage_1 Solanda was a rare profession, a Soul Summoner, who could enslave the souls of monsters once they were near death, but the condition was strict: the final, killing blow must be delivered by Solanda himself, otherwise, there would be no way to enslave a killed monsters soul; Moreover, after enslaving a monsters soul, depending on the monsters strength and attributes, Solanda would be granted several special skills; the stronger the monster, the better the skills bestowed; Most importantly, Solanda could also summon the enslaved monster souls to assist in battle. These souls, even though they could only exert 80% of their strength from when they were alive, had no upper limit to how many Solanda could enslave; As long as he had enough Mental Strength, in theory, he could enslave a whole army of monster souls. Although Solanda was also a profession with a special affinity for Mental attributes, with his current Mental Strength, he could enslave at most fifty ordinary monsters, only ten elite bosses, and a mere five lord-level bosses; Any more would impact his ability to cast spells; The enslaved monster souls had a time limit for their existence; ordinary souls could last for seven days, elite boss souls for five days, and lord-level boss souls for only three days. Once the time was up, the enslaved souls would dissipate; Furthermore, if these monster souls were summoned to assist in battle and died during the combat, they would be gone forever, and even the skills they had granted would vanish, which made this profession considerably restricted. Originally, Solanda had enslaved enough monster souls, but after several battles, the ordinary monster souls had been nearly all consumed, and none of the three elite boss souls he had enslaved remained, causing Solandas combat power to plummet drastically; However, once Solanda enslaved the souls of ten elite bosses, his strength would leap to become the strongest in the entire team. As long as he adapted to the skills granted by enslaving the bosses, Solandas power could completely overwhelm a Mage of the same level; The boss soul he enslaved this time, just the Blood Shadow Stacking alone, if used against an unguarded player, could completely obliterate that player in ten seconds. Boss, Im going to activate the pillar! a magic-class player wearing a blue robe, holding a dagger in his right hand and a magical orb in his left, shouted to Tula; Go ahead, but be careful! Li Mu nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly approached the stone pillar that was no longer guarded by a boss; He was the only Chinese player in the team, usually quiet, but his strength was not to be underestimated; he was the only formal Mage in the team. In every battle, his damage output was always among the highest, and it was he who first discovered this hidden mission; Originally it was a solo mission, but after he claimed it, it was selflessly transformed into a team mission. Even though it reduced the reward he would have gotten, it was definitely safer. Li Mu walked up to the stone pillar, squinting his eyes to discern the tattered designs on it. It was hard to make out the patterns on the cracked and creviced pillar, and soon, sweat began to form on Li Mus forehead. His companions didnt dare to approach, watching from a distance, feeling anxious for him; Soon after, Li Mu took out a stone piece from his bag, glanced at the pattern on it, then looked up again to confirm with the pillar before nodding vigorously and muttering to himself, Pillar of Courage, it must be this one! Having said that, Li Mu slammed the stone piece hard against the pillar; Seeing Li Mus action, almost all of his teammates stepped back two paces, except for the Heavy Shield Warrior, who took a defensive stance, solidly protecting the others behind him; This mission required the correct placement of six stone pieces onto six stone pillars, each stone corresponding to a specific pillar, clues for which needed to be sought from the mission description; Although everyone had picked up the task, only Li Mu, who had received it first, could complete the selection of rocks and pillars; If the choice of rocks and pillars was wrong, then a violent explosion would occur, putting the chooser in mortal danger, which was precisely why Li Mu was so tense. At the moment Li Mu slammed the rock onto the pillar, the entire Sky City seemed to tremble slightly, and the already cracked pillar began to shake violently, then boom, it collapsed completely, replaced by a beam of light shooting straight into the sky; On the surface of this blue beam, several golden runes emergedif Li Mu and his group knew the language of angels, they would recognize these runes as the words Pillar of Courage; We did it, we did it! His companions, who had been hiding behind the Heavy Shield Warrior, saw the beam of light soaring upward and instantly became excited, all jumping up and cheering loudly; Continue, continue, there are still five pillars, and five more BOSSes, haha! The leader Tula laughed out loud, their gaze shifting to the guardians under the other five pillars. At this moment, Song Jian had already entered the Judgment Hall, and after stepping on the stone stairs, he found himself in a vast space that appeared to be a training ground, with wooden human-shaped targets placed all around the empty square, bearing marks of being battered and slashed, seemingly used for many years; Scattered on the ground were many iron swords and spears for training, which looked like they had been abandoned for a long while; Song Jian looked around as he walked towards the training ground; How come there are no monsters in this instance? Song Jian frownedup until now, he hadnt detected any monsters in the instance; Just then, a strange change occurred in the training groundthe orderly wooden targets suddenly burst forth with intense white light; Soon, the white light grew stronger and merged into one, enveloping Song Jian entirely, causing him to squint and shield his eyes with his hands; At that moment, a resonant voice sounded in Song Jians ear; Only the most elite Battle Angels can join the ranks of the Judgers, are you ready? sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian was startled and suddenly felt that the surrounding white light had vanished. When he opened his eyes again, he found the training ground gone, replaced by an area resembling an arena; Around him were three tiers of steps, and each step had rows of wooden chairs arranged on it; In front of Song Jian was a spacious platform, and on the platform, luxurious armchairs were placed every few meters. Song Jian countedthere were a total of twelve such armchairs; At this moment, whether the simple wooden chairs or the twelve luxurious armchairs in front, there was not a single soul, but inexplicably, a thirty-second countdown appeared before Song Jian; System: You have triggered the hidden mission, Angel Judger. If you can successfully clear this instance, you will receive the special title Angel Judger, which can be advanced! Chapter 911 - 911 912 Stage Two_1 ?Chapter 911: Chapter 912: Stage Two_1 Chapter 911: Chapter 912: Stage Two_1 This, this is just a dungeon, why is there a hidden quest? Song Jian was astonished but didnt show any signs of it. He simply summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, holding it tightly in his hand; Such instances where players receive quests within a dungeon are rare. Most players encounter quests first and then seek out dungeons. However, receiving a quest in a dungeon indicates that the rewards are extremely generous, something many players can only dream of. Soon, vague silhouettes began to appear on the wooden chairs around him. They didnt say a word, just silently watching Song Jian. These figures looked like orbs of light, except they each had a pair of wing-like shadows flickering faintly behind them; On the twelve splendid armchairs in the front, silhouettes of angels also appeared. Those angels sitting on the spacious viewing stands, each with six pairs of glorious wings, seemed like flowing flames, exuding a sense of awe and oppression; These shadows kept watching Song Jian, some even with a look of anticipation on their faces, but Song Jian knew these were not real angels but rather residual images from earlier in the Judgment Hall. Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Before long, facing Song Jian, a Battle Angel with a pair of flaming wings appeared. This angel, handsome in appearance, radiated a sharp aura. He carried a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right, looking like the most common sword-and-shield warrior, His flame wings, unlike the white feathery wings of the other Battle Angels, bore some resemblance to those of the twelve Great Angels sitting in the stands; System: To become a Judger, you must possess exquisite martial skills. You must last half an hour against an official Judger in the Judgment Hall to qualify for the title of Judger; Glancing at the flame-winged Judger opposite him, a slight smile appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth. It was just a level forty-five elite BOSS with less than one hundred thousand Vitality Points, barely over eighty thousand. His Thousand Swords Art could potentially kill him in one hit. Was this task too simple? While he was thinking, a bell rang. The Judger wielding a sword and shield opposite him struck his shield harshly with his sword before charging at Song Jian; Before the Judger could close the distance, Song Jian swung the Sky-breaking Sword fiercely at him, and instantly, dozens of Spirit Swords emerged, streaking towards the Battle Angel like meteors; The Battle Angel seemed to sense the danger and swiftly lowered his center of gravity, raising his shield in front to protect most of his body, yet still charging towards Song Jian without slowing down; Boom! Boom! Boom! Most of the Spirit Swords struck the shield, while more than ten hit other parts of the Battle Angels body, but to Song Jians surprise, whether the swords struck the shield or his body, they each only caused minimal damage; How, how is this possible? Shock was evident on Song Jians face, but the distance between them only allowed for one strike. After releasing the Thousand Swords Art, the Battle Angel had already reached him, swinging his longsword down in an attack; The chilling wind from the sword left his cheeks stinging. Song Jian hurriedly parried with his sword, and with a clang, he felt a powerful force in his right hand. Song Jians expression changed; the strength attribute of this Battle Angel was almost equal to his own; In a moment of hesitation, the Battle Angels shield came crashing down on Song Jian, who quickly dodged to the right. Barely steadying himself, the angels longsword came slashing down again, forcing Song Jian to retreat once more; In just a few seconds, Song Jian was forced back by the Battle Angel for over ten meters, and his back had slammed fiercely against the stone wall surrounding the training arena. Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian swung out his Sky-breaking Sword once more, and this time, the number of Spirit Swords directly hit sixty, which brought a hint of surprise to Song Jians face. Sixty Spirit Swords could form the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, and even a sovereign-level BOSS couldnt survive in this sword formation. The Battle Angel facing him, with just over eighty thousand Vitality Points, wouldnt stand a chance against it. Countless Spirit Swords ignited into fierce flames, turning into fiery red lotus petals. All the petals converged together, and a resplendent Karmic Fire Red Lotus encircled the Battle Angel. Clashes of metal rang out as numerous gold and red flames surged from the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, and the scorching aura spread like a tide. However, the engulfed Battle Angel seemed to possess strong immunity against the flames. Only strings of -1 floated above their head, indicating that these flames, capable of killing a sovereign-level BOSS, couldnt even break through their defenses. Soon, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation underwent some changes. Within the flames, a metallic luster began to glimmer, and a three-foot-long sword slowly coalesced from the midst of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus. As soon as the sword appeared, all the gold and red flames rushed toward it, and in an instant, the entire blade burst into raging flames. The blades flames grew fiercer and more intense until, in just a few breaths, the flames on the sword had expanded into a giant Flame Giant Blade seven to eight meters long. Billowing flames burst forth from the blade, turning the entire training arena a golden red. What, what is this? Is this the second tier of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation? Song Jian was stunned. He had no idea that the sword formation even had a second tier, so he could only watch it change before his very eyes. When all the flames in the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation were swallowed by the long sword, a deep black aura began to emerge from its center. In the instant the black aura appeared, the expressionless Battle Angel finally showed a look of shock, and then, looking at Song Jian, their eyes were filled with anger and hatred. Looking up at the blade in midair, Song Jian realized that he seemed capable of controlling it. With a thought, the long sword swung violently, cleaving fiercely toward the Battle Angel. In a moment, it was as if the air itself had frozen. The terrifying Flame Giant Blade, mixed with a furious howling, came crashing down on the Battle Angel, engulfing the training arena in scorching flames instantly. The Battle Angels expression changed, and with a rapid shuffle of feet, they streaked backward, trying to escape the range of the fiery blade. However, as soon as the flame blade was swung, it locked onto the Battle Angel, and as they retreated quickly, the blade stretched even longer, making it impossible for the Battle Angel to escape its coverage. The enormous flame blade, accompanied by a thunderous roar, chopped down. Before the sword even arrived, the solid stone slabs of the training arena had already begun to silently crumble and shatter. With this one swing, a deep trench was etched into the ground, making it seem as though the entire training arena was about to be split in two. Chapter 912 - 912 913 Flame Light Wings_1 ?Chapter 912: Chapter 913: Flame Light Wings_1 Chapter 912: Chapter 913: Flame Light Wings_1 The massive flame blade extended for dozens of meters and slashed viciously onto the Battle Angels body. A crack sound echoed, as if something had been directly shattered. A hundred thousand points of damage floated above the Battle Angels head. Vitality Points were instantly depleted, and the figure of the Battle Angel slowly vanished, leaving only a pair of Flame Light Wings, burning and flapping in the mid-air. System: You have defeated the assessment Judger, with an assessment rating of Perfect. System: You have replaced the assessment Judger, awarded the Battle Angel Judgers Title. Judgment Angel: Possesses the right to judge the Angel Clan; if an offender violates the angelic codes, the Judger holds the right to imprison, and even execute the target. Streams of system information cascaded before Song Jians eyes, recording the so-called angelic codesthere were at least hundreds of them, dense and numerous. These codes regulated the behavior of the Angel Clan, and violators would be punished accordingly, with the Judger holding the authority to exact such punishments. The Flame Light Wings in mid-air transformed into a stream of light and flew towards Song Jian. Soon, a pair of Flame Light Wings appeared behind Song Jian, looking as if they had grown right out of his back. These Flame Light Wings were far more magnificent than any normal angelic or the Wings of Steel, with flames flowing from the fluttering wings dribbling toward the ground. As the flames left the wings, they gradually disappeared into thin air. The entire set of wings radiated a dazzling light, looking like a perfect work of art. There was a time limit for flying with the Wings of Steel, and the Sword Flight Art not only occupied the Sky-breaking Sword but also continuously consumed Sword Qi. However, these Flame Light Wings endowed Song Jian with the capability of sustained flight. As long as his body could withstand it, flying for three days and nights would be no issue. Moreover, Song Jian was now even more agile when using the Thousand Swords Art in the air. Song Jian, holding the Sky-breaking Sword with Flame Light Wings constantly fluttering behind him, almost looked indistinguishable from a true Battle Angel. The angelic apparitions on the surrounding benches slowly vanished, and the twelve archangels in the stands all stood up, their figures disappearing one after another until only one twelve-winged archangel remained. He walked slowly down from the stands, strolling in the void, and soon arrived in front of Song Jian. This archangel was dressed in a tattered grey robe that shrouded his entire being, his face obscured under the hood and indiscernible. The archangel drew a long sword and placed it upon Song Jians left shoulder as a deep voice rose from beneath the hood. In the name of the Judgment Angel, I bestow upon you the authority to decide. You must remember the glory of the Angel Clan, justice, fairness, courage, and mercy You shall abide by the laws of righteousness, fight against evil with bravery, and fear no sacrifice With the sword in your hand, you must protect all the beautiful things in this world For the weak, you must harbor a merciful and compassionate heart Against oppression, you must not fear to resist and fight back As the Judgment Angel imparted these admonitions, Song Jian felt strong currents of heat surging from the Flame Light Wings behind him, flowing through his bodys meridians to every limb and bone. His entire body seemed as if it were being constantly brushed by these warm currents, with every pore of his skin beginning to emit a faint white glow. Song Jian submerged himself entirely in the flow of this heat. After an unknown amount of time, Song Jian slowly opened his eyes to find the Judgment Angel had disappeared at some point. He had returned to the previous training ground. Looking around at the wooden dummies, Song Jian had a feeling as if he were in a different era; everything he had experienced before seemed like an illusion. However, he quickly noticed the Flame Light Wings still fluttering behind him. Is all of this real? Song Jian gently caressed the ethereal Flame Light Wings with his fingertips. There was no sensation of burning, just a warm feeling between his fingers. With a thought, the Flame Light Wings gently flapped, and he felt as if he were about to take flight, his feet involuntarily lifting from the ground. This feeling is simply Song Jians face lit up with surprise. Even when using the Wings of Steel to fly, he always felt like he was using a tool. But now, these Flame Light Wings felt like an extension of his body, as if they were a part of him all along. Flame Light Wings (Tier 1), external equipment, usage effects: Spirit Point recovery speed increased by 50%, capable of flight; Item description: This item is unique to the Judgers of the Angel Clan. Only players with the Judgers Title from the Angel Clan are qualified to use it! Spirit Point recovery speed increased by 50%? A smile of delight appeared on Song Jians face. Although his current limit of Spirit Points was much higher than that of an ordinary player, he also used more Spirit Points. Abilities like the Sword Shadow Clone, which directly consumed a percentage, caused him much headache; With the Flame Light Wings, at least Song Jian wouldnt need to frequently use potions to restore his Mental Strength. Most importantly, he could now use the Thousand Swords Art in the air anytime, greatly increasing his agility. Crack, crack~ Just then, the surrounding wooden dummies suddenly shattered one by one, and from inside the rooms surrounding the Judgment Hall, low growls were heard. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom, boom~ The buildings around the Judgment Hall suddenly collapsed, revealing enormous cages made of steel as thick as an arm. They contained giant, gruesome monsters with ferocious appearances. These monsters all looked different, but they had one thing in common: each had a pair of wings on their back; Is this really a Judgment Hall, or a prison for confining monsters? Song Jian couldnt help but quip after looking around; All the monsters became excited the moment the surrounding buildings collapsed, continuously slamming their bodies against the cages, trying to break free; They gazed at Song Jian with greedy eyes, some of them even drooling uncontrollably; If I were you, Id leave this place quickly before these creatures break free! A calm voice suddenly came from behind Song Jian. Song Jian turned around and saw a Battle Angel imprisoned in an iron cage. This angel had only one wing remainingthe other, it seemed, had been cut off; Who are you? Song Jian asked in a low voice; The heritage of the Judgers of the Angel Clan has actually fallen into the hands of a human, how pitiful! The one-winged Battle Angel looked at the Flame Light Wings behind Song Jian with a sorrowful expression. Go now, without the suppression of the array, these monsters will soon break out of their cages. They were all once sinners, captured and brought to the Judgment Hall for trial. But hundreds of years have passed, and they have lost their sanity, becoming monsters! The eyes of the one-winged Battle Angel slowly turned blood-red, his face showing a struggling expression. He seemed to be exerting all his strength, as if desperately suppressing something. Run! The Battle Angel suddenly stood up and let out a roar at Song Jian; Chapter 913 - 913 914 Judgment_1 ?Chapter 913: Chapter 914 Judgment_1 Chapter 913: Chapter 914 Judgment_1 Crack, crack~ The imprisoned monsters furiously rammed into the cage bars around them, seemingly having lost all reason, their eyes revealing only greed and a ravenous hunger. With robust bodies, they continuously crashed into the sturdy cage bars, uncaring of the blood that flowed freely from their wounds; soon, the fine iron bars of the cage began to warp and distort under the force, slowly bending and stretching until they finally shattered, creating a large hole. A monster with two horns on its head and a body covered in dark, cyan scales, sporting a pair of grey wings on its back, burst out of the cage. It was barehanded and half-naked, its tough skin marked with bloody slashes from the cage bars some scales had even been scraped off, hanging on the cage bars, presenting a ghastly sight; The Sinful Angel awaiting judgment, Level 45 Elite BOSS, Vitality Points: 93000/93000 Level 45, Elite BOSS Song Jian squinted his eyes, sizing up the monster charging towards him and swung his Sky-breaking Sword fiercely at it; The sharp longsword issued a low whistling sound, tearing through the air like lightning, a dazzling sword light flashed, leaving a deep wound on the chest of the monster that the bone could be seen, blood spurting out; Without even using skills, Song Jian could still inflict terrifying damage. Its worth noting that the Sky-breaking Sword is an epic longsword with frightfully high damage and attributes, easily able to breach the defenses of these Level 45 Elite BOSSes, causing them massive damage; The monsters charge faltered, forced to take a step back, but it quickly lunged again, its hands now beastly claws, swooping towards Song Jians head; Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With an upward sweep of his sword, Song Jian parried the claws of the monster, sparking a spray of sparks, the creatures claws proving as tough as steel; The gale howled as the Sky-breaking Sword danced in Song Jians hands. At the same time, he stepped aside, dodging the BOSSs attacks, the sword light continuously shimmering around the BOSSs body. Even with normal attacks, Song Jian still inflicted colossal damage on the BOSS, its Vitality Points steadily decreasing. It seemed that even without deploying the Thousand Swords Art, the death of this Level 45 Elite BOSS was only a matter of time; Whoosh~ The BOSS, having already lost a third of its Vitality Points, suddenly flapped its grey wings, smacking them towards Song Jian. A thought flashed through his mind, and his Flame Light Wings unfurled behind him as well; Bang~ A dull thud echoed as the two pairs of wings collided fiercely. Song Jian felt a jolt through his body and couldnt help but take two steps back, but the Level 45 Elite BOSS opposite him was sent flying as if hit by a train, crashing hard into a steel cage behind it. Its grey wings emitted a wisp of blue smoke and were left with a large scorch mark; It seemed that even for a Level 45 Elite BOSS, the wings on its back were at a significantly lower grade than his own Flame Light Wings and stood no chance in resistance; A thought struck Song Jian; the impact reminded him that after becoming a Judger of the Angel Clan, he acquired the authority to judge and sentence ordinary angels. And the creature before him was an unpunished Sinful Angel. In the name of the Angels Judger, I shall judge the sinner before me! Song Jian exclaimed in a low voice, pointing his Sky-breaking Sword at the struggling Level 45 Elite BOSS. After he finished these words, a majestic and solemn voice suddenly boomed from the sky; Judgment begins! An inexplicable pillar of mysterious light suddenly appeared, enveloping the Elite BOSS that had just managed to get back on its feet; at the same time, strands of white light emerged within the pillar of light, binding the BOSS from head to toe like ropes; Above its head, a golden Judgment inscription appeared. The BOSS roared furiously, struggling desperately, but it was unable to break free from the white lights bonds; After a short while, that dignified and solemn voice sounded once again; The trial is over, verdict: Guilty! He has fallen into darkness and shall be met with eradication as punishment! Once a verdict of guilt is pronounced, punishment follows. There are various forms of punishment, but eradication is undoubtedly the most severe. It is reserved exclusively for sinners who have fallen into darkness, subjecting them to such an extreme penalty! Suddenly, a dazzling white light blossomed in the sky. Song Jian looked up to see an enormous cross-shaped lightsaber materialize out of thin air. The entire instance echoed with the sound of eradication; this was the sword of punishment. Once it appeared and locked onto its target, the punished angel had no chance to resist. It could inflict catastrophic damage on the angels very being; Whoosh~ The cross-shaped lightsaber fell, striking fiercely at the neck of the boss, an elite boss with two-thirds of its Vitality Points left, was instantaneously killed, its head severed. Blood gushed from the neck as the body swayed slightly before crashing down to the ground. Within moments, its corpse began to dissolve into countless shimmering white light spots, floating away into the air and disappearing. Instant kill? A look of shock appeared on Song Jians face. He glanced again at the skill titled Judger, and a hint of delight quickly replaced his surprise. Although usable only against the Angel Clan, this skill was incredibly powerful. Once a verdict of guilt was made, no matter how strong the angel was, it was helpless against the punishment of the trial. The cooldown time is a full ten minutes Glancing at the monsters around him, Song Jians expression showed a touch of helplessness. Dozens of monsters were battering the cage, and within a minute, they would all break free; the Judger skill wouldnt be ready for a second use so soon; Suddenly, Song Jian seemed to think of something and hurriedly looked back at the spot where the monster he had just judged used to lie. At this point, the bosss corpse had already disintegrated entirely into white light spots and vanished, leaving nothing behind; Monsters judged are not leaving behind any loot! Song Jians face immediately turned sour. For any player, defeating monsters without obtaining any loot was an unacceptable outcome. Watching the monsters constantly assaulting the cage, Song Jian gripped the Sky-breaking Sword tightly and thought to himself, It seems that Ill need to personally slay these monsters! As he spoke, Song Jian swung his sword fiercely at a monster that had already broken through half of the cage; Thousand Swords Art! Dozens of Spirit Swords, ablaze with roaring flames, shot out, slashing toward the monster. After a flash of sword light and an explosion, the boss with over ninety thousand Vitality Points was instantly reduced to a critically injured state. Its huge body fell heavily, broken pieces of the iron cage impaled its body, blood splattered everywhere. The boss let out a miserable scream as it drained of its last Vitality Point and its head slammed into the ground; Five or six items, emitting various colors, burst forth from its corpse. Song Jian glanced at them and a satisfied smile appeared on his face; This is the proper way to slay monsters! Song Jian thought to himself and then targeted another monster, swinging his sword at it; Chapter 914 - 914 915 Its a Bit Tough to Win_1 ?Chapter 914: Chapter 915: Its a Bit Tough to Win_1 Chapter 914: Chapter 915: Its a Bit Tough to Win_1 In the game, players hunt monsters for combat experience and loot, but using the Judgment skill yielded no rewards, not even loot or combat experience, which made Song Jian lose interest in the Judgment skill instantly. He decided to treat it as a skill to be kept at the bottom of his chest, possibly never to be used in his lifetime. The cages were broken open one by one, and the unjudged Sinful Angels rushed out toward Song Jian. They bore ferocious expressions that seemed intent on tearing Song Jian apartand their strength was enough to chill the average player to the bone, their numbers bred despair. You, you cant possibly kill them, run away quickly, as long as you leave this place, you can survive! The one-winged angel who was fighting the evil power within him was perhaps the most willful amongst all the Sinful Angels. Hundreds of years had passed; others had already degenerated into monsters, but only he still clung to the last vestige of rationality in his mind; Song Jian glanced at him. He had some admiration for the angels perseverance until now, but the angels cheeks had begun to show faint dark magic patterns, and even on his pure white wings, a faint grey aura was emerging. Song Jian knew he would not last much longerperhaps ten days, perhaps five, or maybe in the next instant, this Sinful Angel imprisoned for hundreds of years would completely fall and become a monster just like the others; A Sinful Angel with a beastly face and clawed hands let out a piercing scream and pounced at Song Jian. It was small enough to have easily escaped from the cage, and behind it were seven or eight other Sinful Angels, who had fallen into darkness and were struggling fiercely, about to break free from their cages; Song Jian rushed toward this boss, the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand brutally stabbing into its body, and with the body impaled, he charged backward; The boss let out a pained howl; its claws reached for Song Jians head. Song Jian bent his right knee, slamming into the bosss abdomen. He yanked the Sky-breaking Sword out fiercely, causing a geyser of blood to spurt out. The boss was kicked down and rolled backward twice before quickly getting back on its feet; At that moment, a burly boss had also broken free from its cage, its massive body lunging at Song Jian like a heavy truck barreling down the freeway; Midway, the ferocious boss raised its sharp claws, with the metal-cold claws producing a sharp howling as they seemed to rip through the air, swiping viciously at Song Jian; Song Jians expression was solemn. More and more bosses were escaping their cages, and the entire dungeon was only as big as a training ground. If surrounded by these bosses, it would be difficult for Song Jian to break free. With a flick of his wrist, Song Jian executed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, charging at the boss that was farthest away from him. In an instant, five or six streaks of cold light swept across the spot where Song Jian had just been standing; At this time, Song Jians sword had pierced deep into a newly liberated Sinful Angel. Critical damage numbers floated up from the bosss head. It tried to struggle, but having lost control over its body, moving even a finger became a remote hope; The Mysterious Moonlight Sword struck nine times in an instant, and the bosss body floated more than half a meter off the ground. When the Sky-breaking Sword halted, the boss crashed heavily onto the ground, and Song Jian, seizing the moment, turned around with the Thousand Swords Art surging forth; This time, Song Jian summoned more than fifty Spirit Swords, and the blazing Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, like shooting stars, sped toward a dozen charging bosses; After a series of booming sounds, all the bosses were struck down, covered in sword scars and burn marks, their Vitality Points greatly reduced; Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You cant possibly kill them all. Although they are sinful, after falling into darkness, they gained even stronger powers! The one-winged angel, who sat motionless in a cage, wore a distressed expression, as if he had once again overcome his evil thoughts and felt relieved, but the hint of blood in his eyes could not be dispelled; If you cant offer me any good advice, then could you please shut your mouth! Song Jian couldnt help but turn his head and shout at the one-winged angel as the Sky-breaking Sword viciously stabbed into an elite boss once more; Now, Song Jian was battling against the assault of three elite bosses, making the fight even more challenging. He had already been fiercely struck twice, his steps faltering; If it were just two or three bosses, it would only be a matter of time before Song Jian could take them down with his strength. But now, with over thirty bosses filling the training ground, they left hardly any space for Song Jian to dodge or move around; After taking a couple of heavy hits and losing over a thousand Vitality Points, Song Jian realized he couldnt keep this up, or he would eventually be surrounded and killed by these bosses; With that thought, Song Jian immediately flapped his Flame Light Wings and flew into the air to temporarily evade, but soon seven or eight Sinful Angels also spread their gray wings and soared up, lunging at Song Jian; The remaining Sinful Angels, though they had wings, had become heavier due to the strengthening and mutation of their bodies after falling into darkness, losing their ability to fly; Song Jian had little experience fighting in the sky, but these Sinful Angels, already fallen into darkness, had an abundance of experience, and even with only seven or eight of them, they gave Song Jian quite a headache; Damn it, if I could only release the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, I could wipe out all these bastards in one go! Song Jian wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and clenched his teeth in secret; Bang! A stabbing pain came from his back. Song Jian flipped in the air, swinging his Sky-breaking Sword upward, but the Sinful Angel behind him dodged agilely and gave him a mocking smile; Whoosh whoosh~ Song Jian flapped his Flame Light Wings, striking at the Sinful Angels closing in. These unjudged Sinful Angels seemed to dread the light wings behind Song Jian, and they immediately backed away; Judgment! Song Jian locked onto a Sinful Angel in the sky with his sword and bellowed; He had thought he wouldnt use the Judgment skill again, but now, facing the besiege of these bosses, Song Jians life was almost at stake, and he couldnt care less, unleashing it directly on a particularly ferocious Sinful Angel; A grand voice resounded, and a white beam of light immediately locked onto the Sinful Angel. No matter what, the Sinful Angel, having fallen into darkness, could not escape the fate of being erased; After the Judgment, the Sinful Angel instantly turned into ash, scattering in the air and drifting toward the ground; This scene instilled fear in all the Sinful Angels. Once judged, those who had fallen into darkness had only death to face. Soon, the cornered Sinful Angels became frantic, recklessly rushing at Song Jian; Chapter 915 - 915 916 Annihilation_1 ?Chapter 915: Chapter 916 Annihilation_1 Chapter 915: Chapter 916 Annihilation_1 Song Jian, suspended in mid-air, was surrounded by a group of Sinful Angels relentlessly attacking him. Two bosses even spread their arms and lunged at him, tightly hugging his body and biting at the armor on Song Jian with their teeth, while the remaining flying bosses also pounced on him, tangling up into a mass; Flame Light Wings continuously struck these bosses, leaving large swaths of black, charred marks on their bodies. The Sinful Angel bosses howled in pain, but none of them avoided the attack, clinging tightly to Song Jian, who soon became weighed down by the bosses and began plummeting toward the ground; The one-winged angel fighting desperately against evil thoughts suddenly showed a distressed expression, muttering to himself, Its impossible to win, youre definitely going to die, its impossible to win At that moment, the corner of the one-winged angels mouth curled up into a strange smile, and he whispered to himself, Do you feel the power of darkness? It is so strong. If you give up your current identity and embrace the darkness, you too can have such formidable power Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A moment later, the one-winged angels face drastically changed, and he began to tremble like a sieve, his forehead bulging with veins, his sweat quickly soaking his entire body; No, the Judgers legacy has not ended, I will surely obtain a just verdict! the one-winged angel roared, as if waking from a nightmare, he lay on the ground, propping himself up with his hands, taking deep breaths, sweat dripping downhe knew that his complexion must look terrifying; The Judgers legacy? Heh, are you referring to that dying human? a sinister voice rose next to the one-winged angel Zhuo Wens ear. This voice seemed to emanate from the depths of his heart, audible only to him: Watch as the last Judger of the Angel Clan is killed before your eyes. At that moment, you will entirely embrace the darkness and become one of us The sinister voice faded away, but the pained expression on Zhuo Wens face grew more intense. He shook his head in agony, trying to stand up: No, I cant just watch the Judger being killed by them, I cant! Zhuo Wen leaned on the bars of the cage, slowly standing up, gripping the bars with both hands, trying with all his might to pry them apart. But no matter how hard he tried, the bars were as immovable as if rooted to the ground; Having lost one of his angel wings was equivalent to losing half of his source of strength, and his body, after hundreds of years of imprisonment, had been continuously eroded by darkness. Now, his strength was probably no different from that of an ordinary human, leaving him no means of escaping the bonds of the cage; No! Zhuo Wen let out a low roar, a look of despair on his face. Watching Song Jian, who had already fallen from the sky, immediately surrounded by dozens of bosses, his heart also began to sink. Black magical patterns once again slowly appeared on his cheeks. The moment Song Jian died would be when he completely fell into darkness; At this moment, Song Jian felt a surge of intense pain throughout his body as bosses kept attacking him. However, he was utterly unable to fight back, completely encircled by bosses; all he saw were menacing, vile faces, tightly surrounding him; Vitality Points kept dropping, rapidly falling below 50%, and with only a little over three thousand Vitality Points left, he could hold on for no more than a dozen seconds before being killed by these creatures; Soul Wander! Song Jians figure instantly became transparent, darting through the dense encirclement. He flew through the monsters siege, and with a flap of his Flame Light Wings, he soared into the air. He took out a potion from the storage column that could restore Vitality Points in battle and guzzled it down, Song Jians face darkening terribly. There were simply too many monsters, and the space was too small, offering no room for him to dodge and maneuver. He could only fight head-on with these bosses, but with only a little over six thousand Vitality Points, how could he possibly clash with bosses that had more than a hundred thousand Vitality Points? Moreover, there were over thirty of these bosses; Glancing at the skill bar, the cooldown for Thousand Swords Art was still five seconds. Song Jians vertical eye on his forehead opened, locking onto the boss with the lowest Vitality Points among the mob with a brilliant pillar of light; A dazzling pillar of light blasted toward this boss, with a series of real damage points, amounting to five hundred, floating up from its head; Several bosses with flight ability immediately flapped their wings and rushed towards Song Jian in the air, but at that moment Song Jian was in soul state, and their attacks simply could not harm him; After the release of the Vertical eyes killing skill, the cooldown of Thousand Swords Art had also ended; Glancing at the remaining time of the Soul Wander state, with less than three seconds left, Song Jian slashed fiercely towards the ground, and in an instant, countless flames danced through the air like shooting stars, a hint of joy appearing at the corner of his mouth; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation! A dazzling red lotus slowly bloomed on the ground, its powerful suction drawing all the bosses on the ground towards its center; Song Jian narrowed his eyes, checked the Soul Wander time again, with less than a second left, spread his Flame Light Wings, and charged towards the center of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; The flying Sinful Angels behind him roared as they followed, like moths to a flame, utterly indifferent to whether their next step would lead them into the realm of death; Boom~ A loud noise erupted as scorching flames shot up into the sky, hot waves rolling out like shockwaves across the training field, instantly raising the air temperature by several tens of degrees; All the bosses trapped within the Sword Formation let out painful roars, and from afar, Zhuo Wen of the Angel Clan erupted with an unusual expression in his eyes, a single wing on his back suddenly bursting forth with a milky white light, and the black demonic markings on his face began to slowly recede; The giant flame lotus began to slowly close up, the Vitality Points of all bosses rapidly dropping, some even turning to ash, their numbers swiftly diminishing; After the huge lotus had completely closed, only less than ten bosses remained trapped within the Sword Formation, all of which were the darkest and most formidable ones. After the flame lotus had fully closed, a dazzling sword light was nurtured within the lotus, and a huge longsword appeared in midair, slashing fiercely towards the closed lotus; Boom~ After a loud bang, the dust settled, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of ash, while dozens of items of various colors lay scattered around; This time, Song Jian reaped a bountiful harvest, killing over thirty elite bosses above level forty-five in one go; just the Experience Points alone increased more than half, and the remaining equipment was enough to completely reequip the entire Elite Team of the City of Hope; Picking up all the items, Song Jians gaze locked onto the one-winged Angel still in the prison cage, and he slowly walked towards him; Chapter 916 - 916 917 Innocence_1 ?Chapter 916: Chapter 917 Innocence_1 Chapter 916: Chapter 917 Innocence_1 Seeing Song Jian approaching, the one-winged battle angel Zhuo Wen dropped to one knee, seemingly resigned to his fate. Respected Judger, Battle Angel Zhuo Wen salutes you. I am willing to accept your judgment and atone for the errors I have committed in the past, Zhuo Wen said, lowering his head to Song Jian. Do you know what the outcome will be if you are judged? Song Jian asked. Nearly all the angels in the Judgment Hall were there for the errors they had made and were waiting for judgment. Unfortunately, following the fall of Sky City, after centuries of lonely years, the majority of battle angels were seduced by the forces of darkness, breaking their vows and becoming slaves to those dark powersturning into monsters. But this battle angel before him, though also eroded by the dark forces quite a bit, remained resolute and did not succumb to the darkness, falling into a murderous monster. Only by undergoing judgment can I cleanse myself of the sins I bear. No matter the outcome, I will face it bravely! Zhuo Wen lifted his head, his eyes clear as he spoke to Song Jian. What Song Jian didnt know was that it was precisely because he had eradicated all the sinful angels who had fallen into darkness that Zhuo Wen received immense encouragement. It allowed him to temporarily break free from the dark forces and regain his sanity. At this moment, Zhuo Wen felt a relaxation he had never experienced before, wishing only to quietly wait for the adjudication of the Judgerthis had been his obsession for centuries. Song Jian looked at Zhuo Wen, raising the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand and pointing it at him, he loudly recited, Judgment! The Sound of Judgment echoed in the sky, and a white beam of light descended from above, enveloping Zhuo Wen completely. The Judger judges the Sinful Angel Zhuo Wen. Verdict: Innocent. Zhuo Wen is restored to the glory of a Battle Angel! Song Jian was taken aback. To think that those detained in the Judgment Hall were all angels burdened with sins, how could Zhuo Wen possibly be innocent? Maybe there was a mistake before? Or perhaps after centuries of confinement, Zhuo Wen had in fact already atoned for himself? Song Jian speculated in his heart. A look of surprise appeared on Zhuo Wens face. He too seemed shocked and taken aback by the verdict, but soon his expression turned to one of relief, and a smile spread across his face. The white column of light that enveloped him didnt disappear but instead condensed continuously until it formed a single white feathered wing covering his back. Originally a one-winged Zhuo Wen, he had now been restored as a Battle Angel. Powerful strength flowed unceasingly from the Angels Wings, and Zhuo Wen let out a satisfied groan. This sensation of power had been absent for centuries, and today, it finally returned to him. Just like that, a cross-shaped sword appeared in his hand. With a casual swing, a large hole broke open in the cell before him, and Zhuo Wen walked out of his cage. Sky City has fallen. I fear I might be the last angel in this world, Zhuo Wen lamented. How can that be? Arent there many Sky Cities in this world? Song Jian said curiously. Ive heard that theres more than one Sky City. What you speak of is merely a projection of Sky City, whereas this city is the origin! Zhuo Wen gave Song Jian a glance, shaking his head, Even the Judger inheritance has been obtained by a human, Im afraid it wont take long for angels to become creatures of legend. Song Jian was somewhat at a loss for words. He could sense that Zhuo Wen was somewhat dissatisfied with him having attained the title of Angel Judger, but if he hadnt received the Judgers title, he wouldnt have been able to judge Zhuo Wen, and Zhuo Wen wouldnt have been able to get a not guilty verdict. Eventually, the darkness would erode him, and he would fall into becoming a monster just like the other Sinful Angels; I want to visit the Prayer Tower to see for myself. Inside the Sacred Spirit Temple there, there should be a considerable number of Heart of the Angel. As long as we have enough Heart of the Angel, the glory of Sky City will surely reappear in this world! A determined expression emerged on Zhuo Wens face. Since he was now the last Battle Angel in this world, the responsibility of rebuilding Sky City and restoring the Battle Angels glory naturally fell upon his shoulders; In fact, I once fought alongside a Battle Angel in Abyssal Hell, and his name was Kekaul! Song Jian hesitated before speaking, Sadly, he fell in battle within Abyssal Hell, but his roar coalesced into an Angel Egg. My friend hatched it, and it became his combat companion! What, are you saying that Im not the only angel in this world? Zhuo Wen suddenly became excited; He hasnt grown up yet, still looks like a child, only at level seven! said Song Jian, shaking his head; Level Seven Zhuo Wen mused for a moment, then plucked a feather from his Angels Wings and handed it to Song Jian, Since he has chosen to become your friends combat partner, I will respect his choice! Please pass this Angels Feather to him. Once he reaches level ten, he must return to Sky City and undergo the most orthodox Battle Angel training. The inheritance of the Battle Angels will be passed down through us two; that is his duty! Song Jian nodded, taking the Angels Feather and placing it into his inventory. He suddenly realized why Sky City appeared so close to Doomsday Cityperhaps it was because it sensed Xiao Yongs presence that it appeared here; After explaining everything, Zhuo Wen flapped his wings and flew toward the exit of Judgment Hall. Song Jian carefully searched the Judgment Hall once more and found nothing else, so he had to leave the instance; By the time Song Jian left the instance, the trace of the Battle Angel Zhuo Wen had already vanished. His gaze turned toward the white tower, and at that moment, Zhuo Wen was probably already inside it. Just then, a violent explosion suddenly came from afar; Boom~ S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A small mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and the ground of Sky City trembled slightly; Song Jian frowned and looked in that direction, unable to help but mutter, Who just dropped an intercontinental missile here? Of course, the power of the explosion was not comparable to an intercontinental missile. If it were really an intercontinental missile, this city floating among the clouds would probably have been shattered to pieces, utterly destroyed; After the explosion, Song Jian heard a roar like thunder. A monster wrapped in golden chains appeared before him. Several players were continuously attacking it, but their attacks were like mosquitoes around an elephant to the monsterannoying at best and without any real deterrent effect; Chapter 917 - 917 918 Task Sharing_1 ?Chapter 917: Chapter 918 Task Sharing_1 Chapter 917: Chapter 918 Task Sharing_1 My God, what kind of monster have we unleasheda supreme-level one, what kind of monster is that? Bonita, with her flaming red hair, was now drenched in sweat, looking at the towering creature over five meters tall with horror and shouting loudly; Keep attacking, this must be the biggest BOSS in the whole city, other players will definitely be attracted to it; as long as we can hold it off for a while, thats enough! Team leader Tula spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, clenched his teeth and said; This big guy is too terrifying, were no match for it, eight hundred thousand Vitality Points, my God, even if it stood still and let us hack at it, Im afraid it would take a day to kill! Magic Archer Yani drew her bow and notched an arrow, which shone with a red light and whistled towards the distant giant BOSS, only to burst into sparks on its shoulder without breaking through its defense; Twenty-three Vitality Points, this is my most powerful Burst Arrow, and it only caused twenty-three points of damage, can you believe that? Yani couldnt help but shout, I think our wisest choice right now is to run away quickly, to leave this damned city! Then our mission will fail! Tula immediately said, A Dark Gold Quality Skill Book for our own profession would slip away from us, are you willing to accept that? If you are, then we retreat right now! Several players exchanged glances, then looked at team leader Tula and shouted in unison, No! Then keep attacking! Tula gritted his teeth, then turned his head and yelled at a skinny boy, Solanda, didnt you get a skill that can stop the BOSS from automatically regenerating its Vitality Points? Use it quickly, or the damage we do to it wont be as much as it heals itself! Solanda nodded frantically with a look of panic, followed by six semi-transparent phantoms looking somewhat wooden; Kalarica, shrink Tula Solanda chanted the spell, a gray light burst forth from his palm and shot towards the BOSS like an arrow; In an instant, a trace of gray appeared on the surface of the BOSSs body, but it quickly disappeared as if it had been absorbed into its body; In the BOSSs status bar, a Regeneration Block debuff appeared; Seeing Solandas success, Tula nodded vigorously and said, Good, continue the attack, this big guy cant hit us, just attract enough players, and we can surely take this BOSS down. Dont forget, the instinct to snatch a BOSS is already in the players bones. Hahaha Several companions showed a hint of excitement on their faces, all laughing heartily; To others, they seemed to have encountered a super BOSS, preparing to gang up for loot, but in fact, who would know that this BOSS was just a hunting target for their mission; If they could get the loot that would be great, but if the BOSSs power exceeded their capabilities, then abandoning the loot to ensure mission completion was also an acceptable outcome; Theres a supreme-level BOSS, how lucky! Seeing the giant BOSS entwined with golden chains in the distance, Song Jians face showed a hint of joy as he hurried towards the BOSS; Seeing Song Jian running from afar, Tulas face showed a hint of joy, and he hurriedly called out, Hey, brother, weve found this BOSS, but hes too strong. What do you say we team up? The loot will be distributed according to the contribution! No problem! Song Jian twirled the Sky-breaking Sword and made a flourish with it, then said to Tula, But before that, could you share your quest with me? After all, this BOSS is your target monster, and whether it will drop any loot is still uncertain. Tula and his companions faces immediately turned sour as it seemed that their conversation had been overheard by the man in front of them. Make a decision fast, were about to have more company! Song Jian glanced at them and urged. Friend, isnt this a bit like profiteering off someone elses crisis? Tula said with a displeased look on his face. Hehe, a quest monster, huh? What if I shout out here that this is your quest monster? Do you think the players who come after will help you kill it? Song Jian chuckled, resting his entire body against the Sky-breaking Sword planted in the ground like a fire poker, making him look like a lump of rolling meat. Damn it! Yani cursed under his breath. Everyone knew that in such situations, most people would rather be safe than sorry. If Song Jian really shouted out that it was a quest monster after other players arrived, most of them would probably just stand by and watch. Players have no qualms about stealing a BOSS, but no one likes to be made a fool of. Therefore, if Song Jian did that, the number of players who would attack the BOSS would surely be few, and most would definitely stand by and watch. Even if Song Jian lied to them, it was much better to fight for the loot later than to work for someone else like a fool. Damn you, arent you afraid well join forces and take you down first? Bonita threatened with a ferocious look in her eyes, stepping forward and growling at Song Jian. Of course, thats one of your options. But do you think you can spare the energy to fight me while under the BOSSs attack? Song Jian replied with a smile. Although he was holding his weapon, he hadnt attacked the BOSS yet and was not currently the primary target since he was not in a combat state. The others exchanged glances, realizing that Bonitas words were just spoken in anger. If they really dared to make a move on Song Jian, he might be able to wipe them out all by himself. After all, once the battle started, this reigning-level BOSS would instantly become Song Jians ally. Fine, I can share the quest with you, but you must keep it a secret. Remember, there is a limit to the number of people a quest can be shared with! Team leader Tula sheathed his great sword and immediately made a decision, realizing that many players were already converging on their location. Any further delay would be disadvantageous for everyone. They were unaware that Song Jian also had a quest to kill a reigning-level BOSS and were worried that he might ruin their plans. Soon, Song Jian received a system notification. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Player Tula has shared the hidden quest Prison of Bonds with you. Quest requirements: Activate the six pillars of light in Sky City and release the High Priest Igurata from captivity. If the High Priest has been corrupted by the dark forces, then use your swords to end his life, allowing his soul to be set free! Quest rewards: A Dark Gold Quality Skill Book for your class! Jackpot! A delighted smile appeared on Song Jians face as he looked at the BOSS bound in golden chains, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Chapter 918 - 918 919 Siege_1 ?Chapter 918: Chapter 919 Siege_1 Chapter 918: Chapter 919 Siege_1 The task reward is actually a professional skill book? Song Jian could hardly contain his joy. He knew that his current profession was that of an epic Sword Master. He could hardly ever meet a professional mentor, let alone learn any skills specific to his profession; Though common professions are mediocre, in any city you can find corresponding professional mentors. As long as youre willing to pay a certain price, you can learn new skills from them. A common profession player above level thirty usually possesses over a dozen skills. By leveling up these skills and combining them into combos, their power can be quite impressive; But for those with rare, epic, or even legendary level jobs, their professional mentors wander all over the world. Trying to learn a skill for their profession is truly a painstaking endeavor. Take Song Jian himself; the only skills he possessed in his profession were Sword Control Skill, Thousand Swords Art, and Soul Wander. Skills like Sword Shadow Clone were not even core skills of the Sword Master profession; some were mutated skills, while others were general-purpose skills; Hey, I said, Ive shared the task with you, what are you standing there for? Get moving! Yani looked at the unmoving Song Jian and felt a bit of dissatisfaction, shouting loudly; Haha, dont worry, watch me! Song Jian was in high spirits and didnt mind Yanis impolite attitude. He let out a laugh and swung his Sky-breaking Sword toward the giant BOSS in the distance; In an instant, more than fifty spirit swords engulfed in roaring flames flew toward the BOSS, leaving dark red trails in the air; The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Thousand Swords Art took Tula and the others by surprise. Over fifty spirit swords dancing in the air, with flames leaving scorching traces behind, was truly a spectacular sight. What, what kind of skill is this? Thats so cool, this skill must be at least dark gold peak, or even epic level, otherwise it wouldnt cause such a commotion! Just dont know how powerful it is. Hope its not just a pretty facade that cant even break the BOSSs defense! The group muttered quietly to themselves, even stopping their attacks, curious about the power of Song Jians move; Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The spirit swords flipped and flew above and below, slicing open wounds on the BOSSs body. The formidable defense of the BOSS was worth nothing in front of the spirit swords. Blood spurted like arrows, and the entire street echoed with the BOSSs pained roars; Boom, boom, boom! A series of violent explosions enveloped the BOSS, and Tula and the others changed their colors. Even though they couldnt see the BOSSs condition at the moment, they could still see chunks of damage numbers rising from the BOSSs head. Nearly a hundred thousand points were instantly slashed from the eight hundred thousand Vitality Points, which made Yani rub her eyes in disbelief; How is this possible Yani murmured softly to herself; Its terrifying. I, I have the feeling that he could take on this BOSS alone, Solandas face showed a hint of fear. Song Jian glanced at the few daydreamers and shouted loudly, Are you guys planning to let me take it down by myself? If so, there wont be any loot for you! Boss, if you eat meat, at least leave some soup for us to drink! A bitter expression crossed Yanis face; A few people were also awakened from their shock and began attacking the BOSS, but their damage was too low, barely reaching the threshold to break the defense, with double-digit damage numbers, which made each of them feel a bit embarrassed; Soon, more players approached; their first reaction upon seeing the BOSS was to attack immediately, without requests for quest sharing or joining teams like Song Jian did; A player stood atop a building, raising both hands, palms coming together to aim at the BOSS, murmuring spells under his breath. Quickly, vast ripples of red waved into being in the void before him, and a massive fireball emerged from the waves; This fireball was the size of a small car, with deep red flames roaring all over it, and a hint of dazzling gold light faintly visible on its surface. Go! the player roared softly, arms trembling slightly as if it took a great deal of effort to push forward, the fireball moved slowly at first, but after a few seconds, its speed increased, eventually letting out a deep whistling sound as it flew towards the BOSS like a meteorite falling to Earth; Elsewhere, a girl with a ponytail wore a solemn expression. She raised her hands high above her head, and massive black clouds gathered and swirled overhead. In no time, a vortex of clouds formed above her head, lightning flashing wildly within, thunder rumbling continuously. With the girls control, this thick cloud layer, spanning over one hundred meters in diameter, slowly moved above the BOSSs head, striking down with relentless lightning bolts, hitting its body. All the players arriving at the scene, upon seeing the BOSS, unilaterally deployed the most powerful abilities they could control; To gain loot from a wild BOSS like this, one had to inflict significant damage, otherwise, they would have no rights to collect anything; However, while the players skill were impressive in show, they did less damage than a single Spirit Sword wielded by Song Jian, and in no time, dozens of players had gathered, attacking the BOSS frantically; A lord-level BOSS, almost all the players present were encountering one for the first time, and they understood that such a terrifying BOSS likely dropped items of very high quality; Just then, tens of Spirit Swords bombarded the BOSS, and as terrifying numbers floated above its head, its Vitality Points visibly plummeted by a substantial amount, causing the surrounding players to curse under their breaths at the same time; At this point, the BOSSs aggro was completely focused on Song Jian alone as it took large strides, chasing after him, while other players didnt have to worry about their damage drawing the BOSSs attention; Damn it, why does every BOSS template have such high Vitality Points! Song Jian cursed softly, leaping forward vigorously, and then a thick iron chain whipped cruelly onto the spot where he had been standing; The golden chains that were supposed to bind the BOSS had turned into its weapon after it broke free, and it was these chains that extended the BOSSs attacks by dozens of meters, making it very difficult for Song Jian to dodge. Song Jians mind stirred, and the Flame Light Wings materialized behind him; he flew into the sky as the BOSS let out a roar, brandishing the iron chain wrapped around its right hand, whipping towards Song Jian in mid-air; Song Jian moved nimbly, as if he had eyes on his back, his wings fluttered when the chain whipped at him, drawing an arc in the air and evading; Seeing Song Jian flying towards the white tower, the BOSS seemed to hesitate, standing still, but just at that moment, Song Jian turned around and released the Thousand Swords Art at him again; Tens of Spirit Swords slashed fiercely, and the intense pain made the BOSS go berserk, striding quickly after Song Jian; Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. PS: Thank you One Night Song of Mourning Chaos for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 919 - 919 920 Can the BOSS Fly Too_1 ?Chapter 919: Chapter 920: Can the BOSS Fly Too?_1 Chapter 919: Chapter 920: Can the BOSS Fly Too?_1 Is that guy an NPC? The damage is terrifying! The figure looks familiar, seems like the lord of City of Hope, but werent his wings the Wings of Steel? How did they turn into Flame Light Wings? Holy crap, 98,000 damage, is this even human? More and more players were attracted by the commotion of the battle; considering how small Sky City was, the ruckus released by the BOSS alerted everyone in the city. It wouldnt take long before all players that could enter Sky City would be drawn here; Song Jian had once again performed the Thousand Swords Art, but the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation he had been hoping for still did not appear, leaving him visibly disappointed; The power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation was immense, but the triggering method was random. It might trigger on the first try, or it might not even trigger after a dozen attempts. Song Jian would have preferred the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation to be less powerful if only the activation were under his control rather than random; Leaping onto the white tower, Song Jian turned his head toward the BOSS and immediately saw dozens of golden chains flying towards him; Song Jians face changed, and as the Flame Light Wings flapped rapidly, he dodged to one side. Dozens of chains smashed down onto the tower, but still, one hit him, knocking him down from mid-air; Boom~ Song Jian crashed into a stone house fiercely, causing the entire house to collapse under the massive impact, dust billowing into the sky. The BOSS, still unyielding, grabbed the golden chain on his body and once again whipped it fiercely at the already-collapsed stone house; Bang, bang, bang~ Huge stones were smashed into rubble, and the stone house was reduced to ruins, yet the BOSS couldnt see Song Jians figure; Rumble~ Other players attacks followed immediately, but in the eyes of the BOSS, these players were no different from annoying flies. Though they didnt do much damage, they were extremely bothersome; With a low growl, the BOSS swung its left hand fiercely behind him, sending dozens of golden chains flying back at the players, and after a series of roars, the players attacking the BOSS were decimated in an instant. A player who didnt dodge in time was severely injured by the chains. His face full of horror, he leaned against a broken wall and hurriedly pulled out a potion to guzzle down; The damage from this guy is terrifying! Damn it, Solan got one-shot. Everyone get to a spot 30 meters away from the BOSS and attack from there, no getting closer! Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, Song Jian was in a soul state, flying in mid-air. The BOSSs damage was too terrifying, so he dared not get too close and could only use Thousand Swords Art to continuously attack the BOSS; The previous strike had directly caused over three thousand points of critical damage. If it werent for the invincibility effect of Soul Wander for the first three seconds, the following attacks from the BOSS could have immediately triggered Song Jians passive talent Enemy of Death God. Quickly, the BOSS on the ground locked onto Song Jian in mid-air. Song Jians position was now out of the BOSSs attack range, and since the BOSS didnt seem to have wings behind it, it probably couldnt fly, which allowed Song Jian to calmly recover in mid-air. An Advanced Healing Potion was clearly not enough to replenish his Vitality Points to full, so Song Jian guzzled a second one, waiting for the cooldown period of Thousand Swords Art. Seeing Song Jian fly into the mid-air, the BOSS on the ground raised its head and let out a roar. The golden chains entwined around its body also began to transform at this moment; The iron chains that were originally emitting a faint golden glow slowly became stained with a black aura. A few seconds later, the iron chains restraining the BOSS had all turned black, which made Song Jians heart sink, sensing that something bad was about to happen; Soon, the iron chains wrapped around the BOSSs body started to move slowly. Before long, all the chains had slipped onto the BOSSs two arms, winding from shoulders to wrists and dragging a long section on the ground; At that moment, Song Jian saw a sinister smile form at the corners of the BOSSs mouth, and its eyes, looking at him, were filled with intense killing intent; In fact, the iron chains on this dominion-level BOSS originally suppressed it when first released, but as time passed, if the players were unable to kill the BOSS within a certain time, those chains would become tainted by the BOSSs dark aura and transform into its weapon; Now, these iron chains had become the dominion-level BOSSs weapons, greatly enhancing its strength. Countless chains moved on the BOSSs body, weaving and intertwining with each other. In short order, they had congealed into wing-like structures behind the BOSS; Swoosh~ The huge iron chains formed a pair of wide, butterfly-like wings that propelled the BOSS into flight; Damn, it can do that? Song Jian was startled, and after casting Thousand Swords Art at the BOSS, he quickly flapped his Flame Light Wings and fled into the distance; This time, Thousand Swords Art had only summoned just over thirty Spirit Swords. Song Jians mind suddenly flickered, realizing that the more his attention was divided, the fewer Spirit Swords he would summon, and the more focused he was, the more he would be able to summon; Those times when he triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, Song Jians attention was highly focused, completely intent on killing the BOSS before him; However, now was not the time for Song Jian to experiment. Although the BOSSs flying speed was slower than the Flame Light Wings, the range of its chain attacks from the arms was extremely wide. If he didnt flee, he would likely be ensnared by the BOSS once again; With that thought, he flapped the Flame Light Wings twice, and Song Jians figure flitted through Sky City like lightning; Swoosh~ The chains on the BOSSs arms kept flowing, its arms swinging. Over ten iron chains, like steel tentacles, closely pursued Song Jian, who could only fly at a low altitude, using the buildings within Sky City to dodge the BOSSs attacks; Most players, seeing the BOSS become even more formidable, stood still, as the BOSSs damage was too high, capable of instantly killing any squishy class with a single hit. Even for tank classes, a single blow would leave them critically wounded. If the BOSS were to use a skill, tank classes too would be killed in one strike; Only the members of Tulas squad, after a look at each other, gritted their teeth and gave chase. Ranged classes continuously attacked from behind, while the melee classes did not dare to get close and could only stand by the ranged classes side. Should the BOSS attack, the melee classes would rush to intercept, ensuring the DPS of the ranged classes; Damn it, this task is way beyond our level! Yani shot an arrow at the BOSSs back and roared in a low voice; All our classes are at least of rare-tier, isnt one Skill Book enough motivation for you to risk your lives? Tula glared at Yani fiercely and said, If youre unwilling, you can quit the mission! Damn, after coming this far, you want me to give up? Yani shot back a glare at Tula and growled, If it werent for this guy, do you think Id give up? Looking at the distance where Song Jian was flying low, Tula revealed an indescribable expression. At this point, he really didnt know whether sharing the mission with Song Jian had been a loss or a gain for them; Chapter 920 - 920 921 Proactive Release_1 ?Chapter 920: Chapter 921: Proactive Release_1 Chapter 920: Chapter 921: Proactive Release_1 Hidden tasks in the game can often be shared, but the overall task rewards dont change, meaning that for each additional person who completes the task, the rewards for others get diluted. If it werent for Song Jian, Tula and his team might have gotten a Skill Book of epic profession for each member upon completion of the task. However, with the addition of Song Jian, they could only possibly get a Dark Gold or even a gold-quality Skill Book each. The more people sharing the task, the lower the tier of Skill Books each person receives. Sharing the task with Song Jian actually filled every member of Tulas team with dissatisfaction, as it would dilute their rewards. But now it seemed that without Song Jian, they wouldnt be able to complete the task at all. We cant have no contribution at all, right? That would be too embarrassing, Solanda murmured, feeling somewhat ashamed. Full output! Tula said with a grimace, feeling like he was riding on someone elses coattailsan intolerable feeling for someone with strong pride. Boss, should we use that move? Solanda suddenly asked. No, thats our life-saving skill, and its not time to use it yet, Tula said immediately. Yani, fly up and attack from the sky. Be careful and keep your distance. Among Tulas team, only Yani had the ability to fly. The others could only attack from the ground, but often Song Jian and the BOSS would fly high out of their attack range. No problem, boss. Leave it to me, Elf Wings! With a thought, Yani materialized a pair of transparent, luminescent wings on his back. The wings, though seeming delicate and covered in fine patterns, resembled the intricacy of a spiders web. Yani took to the air, bow in hand, closely following behind the BOSS, unleashing skills constantly. His damage against the dominion-level BOSS was too lowjust barely penetrating defenses with most hits in the double digits and occasionally bursting into hundreds, which to the BOSS was no different than a mosquito bite. If it werent for the debuff on the BOSSs status bar preventing recovery, Yanis damage would probably be less than the BOSSs automatic Vitality Point regeneration. At that moment, Song Jian flew high, then dove toward the streets, his unpredictable flight trajectory dodging the BOSSs attacks time and again. However, a prolonged defense inevitably leads to failure, and Song Jian was once again struck hard by several iron chains on his back. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, and his recently recovered over five thousand Vitality Points were reduced by half in an instant. Song Jian was slammed down onto the street, causing large stone slabs to shatter. He felt a tingle in his scalp and saw a dark shadow flying toward him from the corner of his eye. Soul Wander was still on cooldown. With a thought, Song Jians figure vanished from the spot, and a dozen black iron chains passed through where he had been. Gasping for breath in the broken Divine Country, Song Jian gulped down a potion with glug, glug sounds. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Divine Country had already been nourished by the soul power of two dominion-level BOSSes. The mountain range in the distance was almost back to its original state, with the fine cracks on the surface no longer visible and little saplings beginning to sprout in the mountains, suggesting that in not too long, the entire mountain range would return to its lush state. What a pity, the Divine Country hasnt fully recovered yet, otherwise, I could have dragged the BOSS straight into the Divine Country and used divine power to grind it to death! Song Jian clenched his teeth, guzzling down potion after potion, thinking to himself; Unfortunately, this idea of his was not going to be realized for a long time to come. Not to mention how long it would take for the Divine Country to recover, even if it were fully restored, without divine power, Song Jian wouldnt be able to harness the power of the Divine Country to hunt down the BOSS. After his Vitality Points were fully restored, Song Jian immediately left the Divine Country. At that moment, he saw the BOSS charging towards Tulas team. Yani was awkwardly dodging the sky full of iron chains, while on the street below, Tula and the others were attacking the BOSS with all their might, Tula had even rushed right in front of the BOSS with a double-handed sword, desperately hacking at its thighs; Song Jian floated in mid-air, his gaze locked on the BOSS, and with a thought, the Invisible Sword Qi inside him surged like a tide into the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Song Jian whispered in a low voice, Thousand Swords Art! In an instant, the Thousand Swords Art, which normally consumed only one hundred forty Sword Qi Value, drained all of Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi in a flash, and sharp Sword Qi burst forth from the surface of the Sky-breaking Sword like lightning; In a split second, sixty Spirit Swords ablaze with raging flames appeared around Song Jians body. As he flung his right hand forward, the Spirit Swords emitted a deep roar, transforming into blazing hot flames during flight. These flames looked like red lotus leaves, ultimately converging to form a giant fiery red lotus flower; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation! Song Jian shouted lowly, and the red lotus bloomed explosively, enveloping the Dominating-class BOSS within it; Sword Qi slashed towards the BOSS relentlessly, the scorching flames bombarding its body nonstop. The horrifying temperature cracked its skin and flesh in an instant; Rolling heat waves swept in all directions, causing all the surrounding players to turn pale and retreat hastily. Being caught in such fearsome flames would undoubtedly mean more bad luck than good; Tula and the others brightened up, never expecting Song Jian to have such a terrifying move up his sleeve. Seeing the smile that appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth, Tula breathed a sigh of relief; In fact, Song Jian himself hadnt expected that he would be able to trigger the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation directly. It was just that the more Invisible Sword Qi he used, the more powerful the skill would be. Song Jian had subconsciously wanted to strengthen the power of the Thousand Swords Art, but he had accidentally hit the bullseye! The scorching Karmic Fire Red Lotus, mixed with the tyrannical and sharp Sword Qi, was like a giant millstone, grinding against the power of the Dominating-class BOSS; The BOSSs roars echoed through Sky City, and after a stalemate of no more than three seconds, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus erupted with a wave of heat, its sixty petals began to close slowly, executing the final grind on the BOSS; At this moment, the BOSSs Vitality Points had dropped to less than one-third. Desperation was written all over its face as it seemed to foresee its tragic end; A massive sword phantom emerged from the closing lotus, growing bit by bit in midair. The moment it fully formed, resolute golden Sword Qi blossomed from the sword, as if an invisible hand was maneuvering it, and it struck fiercely at the closing lotus; Chapter 921 - 921 922 One-Sword Instant Kill_1 ?Chapter 921: Chapter 922: One-Sword Instant Kill_1 Chapter 921: Chapter 922: One-Sword Instant Kill_1 ` This longsword, nurtured from the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, looked ninety percent similar to the Sword Immortal weapon Song Jian had seen before. When the sword floated up and slashed towards the closing red lotus, the BOSS immediately went mad; Under the terror of death, the BOSS frantically swung the iron chains on its arms, which seemed to have a mind of their own as they constantly moved around the BOSS. In a short time, they wove a massive iron net that completely enveloped the BOSS; In the scorching heat of the surrounding Red Lotus Karma Fire, the black iron chains quickly heated to a red glow, but the BOSS, protected by the chains, saw its Vitality Points stop dropping; Just then, a huge sword split down from the sky, and the glowing red chains didnt provide any defense at all, shattering instantly under the impact of the sword; A streak of cold light flashed by, and the blade of the sword plunged directly into the neck of the BOSS, penetrating effortlessly, blood gushing forth like a fountain; With a thump sound, the BOSSs enormous head fell to the ground, and a few seconds later, its massive body swayed continuously, finally crashing down, raising a cloud of dust; Scattered all around the corpse of the BOSS were pieces of red iron chains, which, like burnt-through charcoal, flickered with red light a few times before slowly fading away and turning back into pieces of scrap steel; Seeing the BOSS fall, Song Jian finally let out a long sigh of relief, having at last taken down this difficult foe. This BOSS had virtually no weaknesses, capable of one-shotting any leather-armored profession and severely injuring even plate-armored ones with a single frontal hit. Its defense was incredible, Yani, the Magic Archer, needed to go all out just to inflict triple-digit damage. If it werent for the anti-regeneration effects afflicting the BOSS, the damage dealt might not have outpaced its healing; The BOSSs movement speed was also not slow. After mastering the chains, it even acquired the ability to fly. Most importantly, its Vitality Points were much higher than other command-level BOSSes. If Song Jian hadnt had a stroke of insight during the fight and channelled all his Sword Qi into the Thousand Swords Art, triggering the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, it might not have been possible to kill this command-level BOSS so quickly. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If you had to point out a weakness of this BOSS, its probably its inability to control too many minions at once! Song Jian stroked his chin, pondering; perhaps it was for this reason that this command-level BOSS was strengthened in various ways; Not far away, Tula and the others with pale faces also took a long breath of reliefit was indeed too dangerous. They had only fought with the BOSS for less than thirty seconds and nearly got wiped out. If it hadnt been for Song Jian suddenly appearing at the last moment, drawing the BOSSs attention away, they might all have been dead by now; Looking at the corpse of the BOSS, they all wore incredulous expressionsit was unfathomable to them that the BOSS, which had almost wiped their group out, was instantly killed by a single sword stroke from Song Jian; Just now, didnt the BOSS still have over four hundred thousand Vitality Points left? Yani, doubting his life, muttered softly; Four hundred sixteen thousand three hundred points! Tulas lips moved slightly, and a trickle of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Although he wasnt a Shield Warrior, he had prepared to sacrifice himself to protect his teammates just moments ago, stubbornly holding off the BOSS. Because of that, Tula suffered several heavy hits from the BOSSif his teammates hadnt thrown in all their trump cards, Tula wouldnt have lasted until Song Jian appeared and would have already become a corpse; Song Jian took a deep breath and looked towards the loot dropped by the BOSS. An epic item, radiating a purple-red glow, lay quietly beside the corpse of the BOSS. There were also two golden-quality items, three silver-quality, and a large pile of blue and green materials; A major haulthis was definitely a major haul! In his mind, a rumbling sound echoed; it was the sound of the Shattered Divine Realm healing. The previously parched and cracked land began to slowly recover. Trenches were automatically filled in, and in just over ten seconds, all the cracks large and small on the ground were gone, and though the land still looked desolate, it was completely different from the spiderweb-like cracked land before. ` The soul power of a Dominion level BOSS is indeed mighty; its even better than what could be repaired by the soul power of ten Lord level BOSSes! Song Jian secretly rejoiced in his heart. The most important thing was that the completion of the Sword Immortals Path had taken another step forward, having successively killed three Dominion level BOSSes. In Song Jians view, that was incredibly lucky; He glanced at the items dropped by the BOSS, and his eyes immediately fixated on an item radiating a purple-red glow. Without any hesitation, Song Jian reached out and picked it up; Im taking this item, no objections, right? Song Jian waved the item in his hand and asked the Tula party; No, no objections, even if you take all the spoils, we wont complain, as long as the mission is completed! Tula said with a smile plastered all over his face; At this moment, Tula and his groups attitude towards Song Jian had done a complete one-eightyan almost groveling demeanoras if they were just short of clinging to Song Jians leg and asking, Boss, need any leg accessories? If it werent for Song Jian, not only would they have failed the mission, but they probably would have all perished here. Now, saying that Song Jian had saved their lives went unopposed; Song Jian smiled faintly and placed the item in his inventory. This venture into Sky City, the loot, probably had the highest value of all! The rest is yours to take; you did put in a fair amount of effort after all! Song Jian gestured at the remaining spoils; Instantly, Tula and the others faces turned beet red. Their total damage to the BOSS, when combined, might not even compare to a fraction of what Song Jian had dealt. His remark about their effort sounded almost like a taunt. If Song Jians expression hadnt been seriously earnest, they might have already jumped up in protest; Thank you, boss. Thank you, boss! Tula quickly gathered the rest of the spoils. He had noticed other players were approaching. Competing for a BOSS might not be their forte, but when it came to snatching up loot dropped by a BOSS, each player was formidable in their own right! Indeed, before they could pick up all the items, they heard someone shouting, Hey, I say, this BOSS was killed by all of us together. Isnt it a bit unfair for just you few to pick up all the spoils? Tula and his group turned to look, and a group of players, seemingly from the same alliance, began to slowly gather around. Behind them, more and more players started to converge; During the BOSS hunt, indeed, many players joined the attack, but most were ranged classes just there to leech damage. After all, having dealt damage entitled one to loot rights over the BOSS spoils. But when it came to truly wishing to hunt the BOSS, aside from Song Jian and Tulas group, there were no others. To them, dealing a little damage or ten thousand damage didnt make much practical difference; Chapter 922 - 922 923 The Greatest Contributor_1 ?Chapter 922: Chapter 923: The Greatest Contributor_1 Chapter 922: Chapter 923: The Greatest Contributor_1 Hey, come on, have you got no shame? Yani cursed directly, pointing at the player who had spoken and yelled, How much damage did you do to the BOSS? Did you even hit a thousand points? You didnt even match the BOSSs automatic Vitality recovery. After the initial hit at the start, you just stood by and watched, no contribution whatsoever. And now you still want a share of the loot? Yani was furious with these players. After Song Jian had fled into the Shattered Divine Realm, nearly all the aggro from the BOSS was on them. The rest of the players did nothing but spectate, not attacking the BOSS at all, which was why the fight had been so tough. They had been forced to use all their trump cards, and the elite BOSS beast souls summoned by Solanda had all vanished. Hmph, did you few kill this BOSS? Clearly, it was that brother who did! Zuo Wuquan curled his lip and said to Yani, Compared to us, you just did a bit more damage. Laughing at someone fifty steps away when youre at one hundred steps yourself, is that amusing? Yeah, we dont want that brothers share of the loot, but you picked up so much. You ought to share some with us. Dont be too greedy! Zuo Wuquan sneered. He had seen that Tula and the others had already played all their trump cards, their current strength probably reduced to a mere five or six-tenths of their usual. Most importantly, Zuo Wuquan had picked his target well; he was only bothering Tula. As for Song Jian Zuo Wuquan stole a glance at Song Jian, who stood to the side, and his heart couldnt help but race. A BOSS with over 800,000 Vitality Pointsif he encountered such a terrifying BOSS in the wild, he would turn tail at the first opportunity, sparing no Acceleration Skill to put as much distance between them as possible, never giving the BOSS another glance. Yet, such a BOSS had actually been killed, and right before his eyes, no less. If Zuo Wuquan hadnt recognized Song Jian, he wouldve thought the killer was an NPC professional. How could a player possibly have such terrifying strength? Trying to take advantage of such a person, Zuo Wuquan thought, was no different from courting death. As the crowd around them grew larger, a smug smile appeared on Zuo Wuquans face. Though they were members of a small alliance of a dozen or so players from Doomsday City, in the matter of distributing the BOSSs loot, he now considered himself the representative of the majority. Show everything youve picked up, and lets divide it equally! Zuo Wuquan shouted, Everyone contributed, so its finders share! Right, finders share, weve contributed too! Zuo Wuquans teammates shouted along. Tulas expression was unsightly. There were too many of them, and whether they had come on their own or hired help, everyone who could reach Sky City shared one thingthey were confident in their own abilities. In other words, they were all elite players, stronger than the typical gamer. With at least fifty to sixty people closing in, they had no chance against such a group, especially after they had depleted all their abilities. Captain, maybe we should Fear flashed across Soradas face as he whispered to Tula. Impossible. Look how many of them there are. Do you think we should share the loot we risked our lives for with this trash? Yani immediately snapped back angrily, glaring at Sorada. But there are so many of them Sorada shrank his neck, avoiding Yanis eyes. Tula looked troubled. If it came to a fight, they were no match for the crowd, but he couldnt bear to hand over the hard-won loot. As they hesitated, Song Jian approached and said, The BOSS is down, time to turn in the quest, right? The group had shared the quest with Song Jian but hadnt told him where to turn it in. The quest details didnt specify either, so completing the quest and obtaining the items required sticking with Tula and the others. Tulas face brightened. Looking at the large group of players nearby, he said worriedly, But they If they block the way, kill them! Song Jian said coolly, taking the lead and walking towards the crowd. Tula hurriedly followed closely behind him. Seeing Tula following Song Jian, Zuo Wuquans face changed, and without saying a word, he and his teammates turned and left. The other players also fell silent, clearing a path for Song Jian to walk through with an indifferent expression on his face. Tula and his company followed closely behind Song Jian, with Yani giving several players a fierce stare. But those who met his gaze quickly looked away, which gave Yani a sense of exhilaration. The previous battle between Song Jian and the BOSS was witnessed by almost everyone. Some players from other regions didnt know Song Jian, but the majority in Sky City were from nearby Doomsday City. Finding out that such a powerful player was in their realm, they felt honored to spread the word of Song Jians power, some even exaggerating a bit. However, in the face of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, these players realized that their previous exaggerations of Song Jians power now seemed almost like they were underselling him. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, Song Jian led Tula and the others away from there. Under Tulas guidance, they arrived at the edge of Sky City. Beyond lay a mere ten meters of roiling white clouds where one could stand, but any further and they would fall through the clouds. This area was practically the outskirts of Sky City, and even in its most prosperous times, probably few would choose to live here. Its just ahead. We stumbled upon this place by chance, Tula said, pointing towards the rolling clouds ahead. Shortly, a low tree stump appeared before Song Jian. The stump was less than one meter in height but was incredibly wide, with a diameter of over twenty meters. Had the tree still been alive, it would have been thousands of years old. In front of this low stump was a large hole, and an elderly Goblin with brown-green skin stood in front of the stump, leaning on a walking stick as though waiting for something. Upon seeing Tulas group, the old Goblins deeply wrinkled face showed a slight smile of relief. How unexpected, you really killed it! he said. The old Goblins gaze swept over everyones face, and when he saw Song Jian, there seemed to be a moment of surprise, which quickly turned into understanding as he nodded and smiled at him, It seems that you were the biggest contributor to this quest, young man! Chapter 923 - 923 924 Skill Book_1 ?Chapter 923: Chapter 924 Skill Book_1 Chapter 923: Chapter 924 Skill Book_1 Song Jian noticed the goblin approaching him and nodded slightly. He found that the goblin was just an ordinary NPC of level ten, with nothing particular about him, a fact that struck him as strange; Knowing that the tasks that offer skill books for various professions shouldnt possibly be issued by a mere level ten goblin, and the difficulty of this task, to slay a Sovereign Level BOSS, matched the reward. But why then, was the task issuers power so low? You must know, players are not just able to kill monsters, these NPC professionals, in the eyes of the players, are essentially no different from those monsters; If he can offer such a generous reward, then he must also possess the strength to protect these rewards! Song Jian thought to himself; sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You have completed it well, here is your reward! The old goblin did not pay much attention to Song Jian but instead drew out several pale golden skill books from his chest and handed them to Tula and the others; If this BOSS had been killed by Tula and his group, then the pale golden quality skill books would definitely not satisfy them. But now, it was no different from picking it up for free; all of them were overjoyed, and after receiving the skill books, they immediately chose to learn them; When it was Song Jians turn, the old goblins face showed a troubled expression and he said to Song Jian, On you, I sense two powerful professional skills, one you already possess, the other is unattainably high, yet you are already on the right path. Which professions skill book should I give you? Song Jian was startled, what was going on? Could it be that this old goblin of just level ten had Unique Profession skill books? Elder, if possible, I hope to obtain the skill book for that more powerful profession! Song Jian said respectfully; The old goblin smiled, nodded, and said, Pursuit of power is everyones ideal, theres no harm in it, but to acquire more powerful skills, one must put forth greater effort! If you choose the skill of your current profession, then you dont need to pay any additional price, after all you have completed the task requirements. However, if you wish to pursue a more powerful skill, then you must be willing to put in more effort! the old goblin said seriously, This is an additional quest, can also be seen as an extra test for you, after all, the chances to acquire that profession are really too small! No problem, I am willing to accept the test! Song Jian said without hesitation; he had thought he was going to get a skill book for the Sword Master profession, but to his surprise, he could also get one for the Swordsman Immortal profession; Its just an extra task! Song Jian thought to himself, the corner of his mouth unwittingly revealing a smile, I can solo a Sovereign Level BOSS, what task can possibly be too difficult for me? I see your bravery and a tenacious heart in pursuit of strength! the old goblin nodded and said, As long as you can bring back a Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel, then you can pick one suitable for yourself from these three skill books! Legendary quality Heart of the Angel? Song Jians face showed a look of surprise. You should know, he had seen a Heart of the Angel before, and even after the fall of a Four-winged War Angel, it would only drop a golden quality Heart of the Angel. To get a legendary one, it would require at least an eight-winged or above War Angel to fall; Furthermore, the Heart of the Angel did not condense upon every death, only those War Angels with particularly strong willpower would condense their own Heart of the Angel just before their demise; Elder, do you have a grudge against the Angel Clan? Song Jian showed a bitter smile on his face. He had fought side by side with the angel Kekaul and even saved him, so Song Jians reputation with the Angel Clan had already reached friendly, although just barely. For Song Jian, he was still unwilling to damage this friendship; Haha, I am not asking you to kill anyone from the Angel Clan. I am just asking you to retrieve something of mine! the old goblin laughed heartily, seemingly noticing Song Jians concern and explained, You just need to go to a certain place in Sky City, help me get back something of my own, this will not harm anyones interests! Moreover, if you can take up this quest, I can give you the quest reward in advance! The old goblin then cast another tempting bait; What, youll give me the quest reward in advance? Song Jian was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded and said, No problem, Ill take the quest! System: You have taken up the legendary-level quest released by the Mysterious Person, Heart of the Angel! Quest Requirement: Find a Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel inside Holy Spirit Hall in Sky City and hand it over to the Mysterious Person! Quest Reward: Unique Profession Skill Book, choose one out of three! Quest Failure: Annihilation! Seeing Song Jian take the quest, the old goblin seemed to heave a sigh of relief, pulling out three skill books radiating purplish-red light from his chest and placing them before Song Jian. Tula and the others gasped when they saw the skill books produced by the goblin, skill books of Epic Quality! You should know, they too had fantasized about owning an Epic Quality skill book, but that was incredibly difficult. To acquire an epic skill, one must first possess a profession of epic quality, ordinary, excellent, and rare professionsall could not possess an epic skill book; These professionals could acquire advanced skills or variant skills, which were just as powerful as epic skills, and were easier to obtain compared to epic skills; However, it couldnt stop the players passion for pursuing high-quality skills. You must know that Epic Quality skills can also be advanced and mutated, its just that the chances of advancement and mutation are a hundred times harder compared to ordinary professions! Song Jians Soul Wander skill was actually a variant skill, derived from a mutation of a golden quality skill; After taking the quest, Song Jian couldnt wait to look at the three skill booksall were for the Swordsman Immortal profession, each invaluable. Song Jian even wanted to snatch all three books for himself; But, unfortunately, his strong spiritual attribute made him aware of the formidable seals on these three skill books; if he dared to snatch them, the consequence would not be too pleasant; Soul-Slaying Vermilion Bird Sword Body, Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body, Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Bodythese, these three books are all for cultivating sword bodies? Song Jians eyes shone, wishing he could take all three skill books into his possession; Chapter 924 - 924 925 Key of Sacred Light_1 ?Chapter 924: Chapter 925: Key of Sacred Light_1 Chapter 924: Chapter 925: Key of Sacred Light_1 ` As a Sword Immortal a reservist, if he didnt master a skill related to the sword body, Song Jian felt that it would be embarrassing even to greet others when venturing out; Thats also why, after mastering the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian was heartbroken, as losing other skills was bearable, but losing the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body skill, which was also devoured by the Thousand Swords Art, pained him to the bones; The Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body was simply the most perfect explosive skill. Once unleashed, it absolutely carried the ability to turn the tides of battle. All attributes, as well as the power of skills, almost doubled. To call it explosive was no exaggeration. Moreover, under Song Jians deliberate cultivation, the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body had already reached a very high level. To put it bluntly, being with or without the Immortal Sword Body activated were completely different states; Now, when Song Jian saw three Skill Books for cultivating sword bodies laid out before him, his joy was imaginable; Soul-Slaying Vermilion Bird Sword Body, Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body, Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, geez, the names of these three Skill Books alone are so impressive. Which one should I pick? Song Jian instantly faced a decision paralysis, not knowing which one to choose; S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Old man, may I take a closer look at the content of these Skill Books? You should know, if I choose a Skill Book that isnt suitable for me, and then fail to complete the task, that would really be a trouble! Song Jian cautiously said; It should be noted that this was a Legendary Level quest. If he completed it, all would be well. Should he fail to complete it, it would mean eradication, and he wondered if his Enemy of Death God talent could save his life! Of course, you can check the detailed content of all three books! the old Goblin said with a beaming smile; On hearing this, Song Jian was too eager to wait and touched the three Skill Books with his fingers, carefully making his choice; The Soul-Slaying Vermilion Bird Sword Body could significantly enhance his ability to perceive spiritual entities. Once cultivated, no demon or ghost could escape his detection, and hed possess an extremely high damage bonus against these so-called spiritual entities; At the pinnacle of cultivation, Song Jian could transform into the body of the Southern Li Ming Fire Vermilion Bird, wielding powerful fire-based area-of-effect damage; The description is quite impressive, but Im not sure how this Southern Li Ming Fire compares with my Red Lotus Karma Fire in terms of power! Song Jian thought to himself. However, having already mastered Red Lotus Karma Fire, he suddenly lost interest in this Southern Li Ming Fire; Song Jians gaze then moved to the second book, Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body. After cultivating this Skill Book, his attack damage would greatly increase, as would his combat power. In other words, his physical attacks would become extremely fearsome. However, against those creatures with high physical defense, or even those immune to physical damage, it would be somewhat ineffective; At the pinnacle of cultivation, one could transform into the Geng Metal White Tiger Divine Body, relishing the thrill of one-hit kills, yet if facing a monster specifically resistant to physical damage, effectiveness would immediately wilt. It was a sword body cultivation skill whose advantages and disadvantages were starkly apparent; The last one, the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, would greatly enhance regeneration abilities after cultivation, and it also provided terrifying rejuvenation capabilities. Against enemies, it could inflict them with eerie additional adverse effects. Withering Power could cause a dozen or more harmful effects to the target at once, but it didnt offer a high increase in damage output. At the pinnacle of cultivation, one could transform into the Azure Dragon Divine Body, possessing the dreadful ability of near-immortality; I want this one! Song Jian laid his hand on the third book, the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body Skill Book. His innate talent, Holy Sword, already gave him a terrifying damage boost. Moreover, whether it was the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art or the Sky-breaking Sword, both possessed terrifying attack damage. If he sought single-damage prowess, the Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body would undoubtedly be the best choice. However, as a player, his first priority was still choosing means of survival; ` If one were to cultivate the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body to its deepest stage, it would indeed be difficult to even think of dying! Yes! The old goblin nodded with a smile, took the remaining two Skill Books, and then bit his finger, dripping a drop of silver blood onto the surface of the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body Skill Book; The blood droplet rolled around on the cover of the Skill Book a couple of times and seemed to merge into a pool of liquid, creating ripples on the surface of the book. Then, something appeared to vanish into thin air; The old goblin handed the Skill Book to Song Jian, who took it and chose to learn it immediately; A low dragons chant resonated beside Song Jians ear, and he could feel as if the Skill Book had turned into an azure dragon, merging with him into one. His body seemed to undergo some strange transformation, but after a thorough examination, he found nothing out of the ordinary; Glancing at the skill column, the purple-gold Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body had already appeared at the very top of the skill list; Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, active skill, Level 1 (0%), all attributes increased by 10 points, passively enhances Vitality Point recovery speed by 10%, Vitality Points +1000; Active effect: Recovers all Vitality Points and Spirit Points, removes all adverse effects from oneself, receives a false life of 5000 points, damage taken prioritizes deduction from false life, false life lasts for 30 seconds, after which the false life disappears; Possesses Withering Power, can cast Withering Power on any target, the target will receive a debuff of 30% reduced movement speed, lasting for 1 minute, cannot be dispelled; Skill release: Instantaneous; Skill consumption: 100 Sword Qi Points; Skill cooldown: 30 minutes; The Level 1 Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body didnt have particularly eye-catching effects and could at most be used like an enhanced version of a Complete Recovery Potion and a slowdown potion; But Song Jian had seen the cultivation of the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body to MAX level. The Withering Power alone could instantly afflict the opponent with more than a dozen adverse statuses, all of which were undispellable. No matter how fearsome the creature, once it was afflicted with these dozen or so negative effects, it would be fortunate to use even six or seven-tenths of its full power, which would already be considered an extraordinary talent; Alright, your quest reward has already been given to you in advance, take this. Only by taking it can you enter the Holy Spirit Hall! The old goblin, trembling, pulled out an object resembling a hook jade and handed it to Song Jian. Key of Sacred Light? Song Jian took it and his face immediately showed a look of surprise. One should note that the key to entering the level five secret realm of the Prayer Temple was a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light, yet what Song Jian now held in his hand was an intact Key of Sacred Light; Is this the key to enter the Prayer Temple? Song Jian asked in surprise; Correct, the Sacred Spirit Temple is inside the Prayer Temple, and you must have the complete Key of Sacred Light to enter. Now go and complete your quest, there is not much time left for you! The old goblins face showed a trace of fatigue, he turned around and slowly walked into the treehouse behind him; PS: Thanks to Gold Scales Ultimate for the 10,000 QiDian coins tip! PS: I am very grateful for the reward. Normally, a reward of this size would mean an extra chapter, but I really dont have any drafts saved up. For today, Ill stick to the minimum of three chapters, and see if I can write one more tomorrow! Haha, its a pity. In the end, I must again thank the reader Gold Scales Ultimate for the generous reward, thank you for your support! Chapter 925 - 925 926 Second Floor_1 ?Chapter 925: Chapter 926 Second Floor_1 Chapter 925: Chapter 926 Second Floor_1 Song Jian, holding the Key of Sacred Light, bade farewell to Tula and others, and under the envious gazes of several players, he walked towards the white tower in the center of Sky City; Near the white tower lay the most important area of Sky City, hosting many significant buildings which had evolved into secret realms. In the eyes of the players, these were several instances. However, to enter these instances, players had to hunt the monsters in Sky City, and only by obtaining secret keys from the defeated monsters, could they access the instances; Nowadays, more and more players were entering Sky City, and although the monster levels were generally two to three levels higher than those of the players, they quickly formed five-person squads to start hunting these monsters. In just half a day, the respawn rate of the monsters in Sky City couldnt keep up with the killing speed of the players, and competition for monsters became common; Along the way, Song Jian encountered players fighting over monsters three times, but it was also because there were more and more players that not a single monster attacked him, allowing him to reach the white tower with ease; Currently, many players had gathered around the white tower. They simply sat on the ground on top of black cloths, which were laid out with various items looted from Sky City; Among these items, there were quite a few with decent attributes, but the most common were the secret keys to the various instances, given that these keys could be looted from ordinary monsters with a not so small chance; Some players had already started forming temporary teams, preparing to take on these instances. Warriors Holy Temple instance team, four DPS looking for one tank, must have key! Justices Holy Temple needs a healer, healer with over three hundred healing power, come on! Many players had started to call for team members in the regional channel, because a team only needed one key to enter an instance, making those players with keys highly sought after, and those who set up stalls to sell various keys made a good profit; Song Jian went straight towards the white tower, also known as the Prayer Temple, which was the largest secret realm in the entire Sky City. Although it was also a fifth-level secret realm, its difficulty was much lower than that of Abyssal Shadow. After all, Abyssal Shadow was a forty-man fifth-level instance, while Prayer Temple was only a ten-man fifth-level instance; At this moment, quite a few players were squatting at the entrance of Prayer Temple. Seeing Song Jian approach, these players immediately crowded around him, staring at him with eyes full of anticipation; The Prayer Temple was the biggest instance in the entire Sky City, and correspondingly, its keys were especially hard to obtain. Up until now, only two or three Key of Sacred Light fragments had appeared, and they were all dropped by bosses; There were teams offering up to one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins for a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light, but they were hard to come by, and none had been purchased so far; Seeing Song Jian walking straight to the Prayer Temple, the leaders of two teams eyes lit up, and they immediately surrounded him; Hey, brother, do you have a key to the Prayer Temple? Were a nine-man team with both a tank and a healer, top-notch equipment, including three rare classes. If you have the key, you can just lie down and cruise through the instance! a warrior clad in armor said to Song Jian with a beaming smile. Buddy, were from the War Song Alliance, the biggest alliance in City of Sin, ever heard of us? If you have a key, join our team, we guarantee to clear it in one go. We are the regular army, not like those makeshift teams, reputation guaranteed! another player, an archer in leather armor, grabbed Song Jians shoulder and said; Sorry, solo mission! Song Jian gave the two of them a slight smile, gently shook off the hand from his shoulder and continued his stride towards the Prayer Temple; Watching Song Jians retreating figure, several players looked at each other in dismay; Damn, a solo mission for a fifth-level instance, can a single person even beat the minor monsters inside? Maybe its some sort of reconnaissance or exploration mission, just wander around inside and come right out? Hey, Im telling you, doesnt this guy look familiar, like weve seen him somewhere before? Damn, are you blind? Thats the leader of the City of Hope Alliance, the badass who nearly soloed an Overlord-level BOSS! A player recognized Song Jian, and a look of shock instantly spread across his face. Overlord-level, whats that? a player who had just arrived in Sky City and missed the earlier fight asked; Its a BOSS even more badass than Lord-level or World-level BOSSes, with over eight hundred thousand Vitality Points. It can kill a player with a single hit, a truly terrifying BOSS, someone explained; Haha, are you the idiot or am I the idiot? Eight hundred thousand Vitality Points, attacks that kill instantlywhat about its defense? Is its defense so strong that ordinary people cant break through it? The player whod just entered Sky City said disdainfully, If there really was such an amazing BOSS, wouldnt it take at least a hundred people to defeat it? Youre telling me one person can kill it? Do you think Im a moron? If there really were someone like that, Id stream myself eating shit! No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw a group of players around him looking at him with strange expressions; Go on, then, well watch you eat! Do you want us to heat it up for you? A hot meal is always better! One pile enough for you, or should I call a few more brothers over? The swearing player looked around bewildered, watching the other players mock him, unable to believe that someone could actually solo an Overlord-level BOSS. Meanwhile, Song Jian had already entered the Prayer Temple. The familiar light gate and stone stairs behind it hadnt changed at all. Clutching the Key of Sacred Light, Song Jian stepped toward the light gate; As he neared the gate, a white light emanated from the surface of the Key of Sacred Light, and Song Jian smoothly walked through the gate to arrive at the stone stairs beyond. Other players could only get fragments of the Key of Sacred Light, which disappeared every time they entered, but the complete Key of Sacred Light was like a reusable key that could be used multiple times; If I were a regular player, I could make a fortune leading a team through the gate with the Key of Sacred Light! Song Jian looked at the complete Key of Sacred Light in his hand with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. However, if he were just a regular player, he probably wouldnt have gotten this mission, nor would he have been able to obtain the complete Key of Sacred Light; Following the stone steps upwards, Song Jian arrived at the second floor of the Prayer Temple. The second floor was a spacious hall, with small rooms all around, and level forty-five monsters everywhere. At the end of the hall, a monster with curved horns on its head and four arms knelt in front of an empty sacrificial altar, murmuring something in a low voice. Song Jian applied the Abyss Concealment Skill and slowly made his way through the hall. His goal was the Sacred Spirit Temple, not here to fight monsters, level up, or farm equipment. He avoided unnecessary battles whenever possible; It was just odd for Song Jian to see the monster praying toward an empty altar, making him take a couple of extra glances at it. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 926 - 926 927 Fallen_1 ?Chapter 926: Chapter 927 Fallen_1 Chapter 926: Chapter 927 Fallen_1 The Abyss Concealment Skill was an innate ability of the epic necklace, akin to the rogues stealth. Although it didnt show any levels, the effectiveness of the Stealth Skill was quite strong. Song Jian had tried it, and the concealment effect was only slightly inferior to that of a max-level stealth technique; For an Elite Level Boss like the one currently in front of him, even if he brushed past it, the opponent might not be able to detect his presence; Unless its some sort of sensory enhancement type Boss, but those kinds usually arent found alone; theyre protected by a large number of ordinary monsters. I cant possibly be that lucky, Song Jian pondered to himself as he walked toward the staircase leading to the third floor, unable to resist taking another look at the Boss. This Boss was a female, with four arms, and her hair was made up of many small snakes, resembling the legendary Medusa. It was unclear, however, whether this Boss had a stone-petrifying ability like Medusas; Driven by curiosity, Song Jian took another look, and as a result, the Boss who had been bowing her head in prayer seemed to sense something. She abruptly raised her head, looking in the direction of Song Jian; The snakes in her hair also seemed to awaken in that instant, turning towards Song Jian, opening their snake mouths and revealing their slender tongues, emitting a threatening hiss; Seeing the white light radiating from the Bosss eyes, Song Jians heart sank: Damn it, I actually encountered a Boss with sensory enhancement. With that thought, Song Jian immediately used the Soul Wander skill and dashed toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Behind him, the Boss stood up, tearing off the grey cloak draped on her body, revealing a pair of black wings spread out from behind her; This Boss, looking identical to the snake-woman Medusa, was in fact a Fallen Angel! Two dazzling beams of light burst from the eyes of the Fallen Angel, aiming at Song Jian with incredible speed and striking his back in an instant; However, Song Jian, in a soul state, was immune to any physical and energy attacks, unless they possessed soul-damaging abilities, none would harm him; Dazzling sparks erupted at the spot where Song Jians back was hit, but they did no damage. The Fallen Angel bellowed, seemingly realizing that her attack had no effect on Song Jian and roared in anger. At her signal, every monster on the second floor howled and pounced towards Song Jian; Song Jian reached the stairs leading to the third floor of the second level, ready to rush up, but suddenly a strange, ethereal melody reached his ears, causing his mind to waver momentarily. Thanks to his innate talent, he quickly recovered, but the stairs before him suddenly seemed illusory; You damned thief, if you wish to enter the Sacred Spirit Temple, youll have to step over my corpse! The Fallen Angel, clad in form-fitting scale armor, growled through clenched teeth, her black wings unfolding dramatically, stirring up gusts of wind; All around the second level, about fifty or sixty monsters went into a frenzy under the Bosss command and surged madly at Song Jian; I originally didnt want to bother with you, but since youre courting death, I cant be blamed! Song Jian turned around, a coldness flashing across his face; Thousand Swords Art! With a mere thought, all the Sword Qi crazily surged out from his dantian, the tremendous Sword Qi even making Song Jian feel a tearing pain in his meridians; In an instant, sixty Spirit Swords, blazing with roaring flames, appeared in front of Song Jian. With a forward slash from his Sky-breaking Sword, all the Spirit Swords flew towards the monsters; Hss, hss, hss~ Streams of blood arrows shot out from each monsters body, and their Vitality Points plummeted rapidly. Before they could react, countless Spirit Swords transformed into chunks of red lotus leaves, the size of a palm-leaf fan, converging from all directions towards the center; A strong suction burst forth, pulling all the monsters within a twenty to thirty-meter radius towards the heart of the Sword Formation; Boom! A massive Flame soared into the sky as the red lotus flower, ablaze with roaring flames, slowly bloomed, enveloping all the monsters within its grasp; Screams of agony, like those of a heart being torn apart, echoed from inside the lotus. After a few seconds, the cries began to fade, and the blooming Red Lotus emitted rolling waves of heat. The entire second floor space heated up by dozens of degrees in an instant, and even the surrounding walls started to show a hint of dark red. What, what kind of skill is this? A look of terror appeared on the Fallen Angels face as she continuously retreated. She had always stood before the altar, a good distance away from Song Jian, and the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation didnt envelop her within it; Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In just a few seconds, more than sixty monsters turned to ash and Annihilation; although they were only level forty-five ordinary monsters, such terrifying strength still sent a chill down the spine of the Fallen Angel. With a wave of his right hand, Song Jian made the enormous Karmic Fire Red Lotus slowly dissipate into the air. These ordinary monsters did not qualify to trigger the second stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; even the first stage was enough to cause their Annihilation; More than sixty level forty-five monsters had increased Song Jians Experience Points by a small margin, leaving him less than 20% away from leveling up. Do you now regret discovering my whereabouts? Song Jian, holding the Sky-breaking Sword, slowly approached the BOSS and asked in a low voice, Wouldnt it have been better if you had played dumb just now? You wouldnt have perished, and I could have completed my task! My duty is to guard the Sacred Spirit Temple, and even death is but a trivial sacrifice! A sacred glow suddenly appeared on the face of the Fallen Angel, which contrasted eerily with her snake-covered head and the black wings on her back; Youve already fallen into darkness, yet you still think of your duty? Song Jian asked, somewhat surprised; Fallen into darkness? The Fallen Angels face showed surprise, and she belatedly looked down at her own hands. At that moment, a strand of serpentine hair fell from her temple, and she couldnt help but touch the slippery scales with her fingertips, her mouth curving into a strange smile; Yes, I have already fallen into darkness, so why should I still cling to my duty? The Fallen Angel looked at her withered hands, now covered with scale-like patterns, and murmured softly to herself; I am now a Fallen Angel! With a roar, the Fallen Angel was instantly enveloped by a dark aura. The thick black aura surged towards Song Jian like a mighty river; But still, you must die! The Fallen Angels face twisted into a ferocious sneer, and with a fierce flap of her black wings, she charged at Song Jian. Her hands, transformed into claws, gleamed coldly as she swung forward, and the air itself seemed to rip apart, making a piercing howl; Chapter 927 - 927 928 The Contract (Extra for Jin Lin Tian ?Chapter 927: Chapter 928: The Contract (Extra for Jin Lin Tian Jue)_1 Chapter 927: Chapter 928: The Contract (Extra for Jin Lin Tian Jue)_1 The Fallen Angel seemed to have realized something and became even more frenzied. Her sharp claws clashed fiercely with the Sky-breaking Sword, and immediately an invisible surge of energy spread out in all directions. Song Jians feet skidded across the ground as he retreated three to four meters back; Hisss, she doesnt look very burly, yet who would have thought her strength attribute would be so high? Song Jian stared at the Fallen Angel, his eyes revealing a look of surprise, but he quickly understood. It wasnt that the Fallen Angels physical strength was exceptionally formidable, but rather, the dark energy within her was too powerful; Billows of dark aura almost completely enveloped the Fallen Angel. Around her body, an invisible armor formed, resembling rolling fog. Soon, Song Jian found it difficult to discern the Fallen Angels appearance. Within the black fog, he could only faintly make out countless serpentine locks of hair constantly writhing and a pair of crimson eyes shining brightly through the mist. Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ From the roiling black fog, arm-thick tendrils of black fog shot out like javelins tracing arcs through the air, heading straight for Song Jian; Song Jian swung his sword to defend and easily sliced through these shooting black fog tendrils. Each time he severed one, it would revert back to black fog and dissipate into the air. However, as time passed, the number of black fog tendrils increased. Originally there were seven or eight, but now they had evolved to thirty or forty, and their number continued to grow; Finally, Song Jians attack speed had reached its limit and he could no longer defend against the ever-increasing black fog tendrils. One tendril broke through his defense and pierced his left shoulder; Instantly, a numbing sensation washed over his mind. Where the black fog tendril had pierced, a palm-sized Dark Mark appeared on his left shoulder. This blot, dark as ink, was still slowly spreading to other parts of his body; A cool sensation emerged from Song Jians mind, letting him know that his innate ability Thick-skinned was kicking in. However, the previously unbeatable innate ability now seemed powerless against the Dark Mark, merely slowing its spread and its effects; This realization made Song Jians heart sink. He had never cared about such negative effects before, and his inventory had never contained items like antidotes, status recovery potions, and the like. Though the tingling sensation was alleviated, it still slowed down Song Jians reaction time. More and more black fog tendrils hit him. Although the damage was not high, with each tendril causing just over a hundred points of damage, the triggered Dark Marks were a cause for concern; In no time, Song Jians upper body was almost entirely covered in palm-sized Dark Marks. The marks continued to spread, soon forming a patch. The marks on his neck had spread to his shoulders, while the ones on his shoulders now extended to his elbows, and those below had reached his abdomen; Song Jian now felt as if his entire body was stiffening. Meanwhile, the black fog rolling around the Fallen Angel began to retract all the black fog tendrils, and behind her, a pair of wide black fog wings materialized, flapping nonstop; I told you, youre going to die no matter what, the Fallen Angel said with a victorious smile on her face as she leisurely walked toward Song Jian; At this point, Song Jians attack speed had decreased by 45%, his movement speed had decreased by 60%, and his whole body felt as though it were bound by ropes, making even lifting his arms extremely difficult. What kind of move is this? Song Jian asked in a grave voice as the Sword Qi within his body churned, combining with his innate ability to resist the invasion of the Dark Marks; Its just a little trick created by the fusion of dark energy with my innate abilities! The Fallen Angel said with a hint of a smile on her face. She walked up to Song Jian, raised her sharp claws, and hooked his chin; You possess a power that instills fear in others, and if you are willing to become a part of the dark forces, then I can spare your life! the Fallen Angel chuckled. Simply by signing this contract, not only will you preserve your own life, but you will also gain even greater dark powers! A black parchment scroll materialized out of thin air in front of Song Jian, floating quietly in the air. Glancing at it casually, Song Jian saw it was a Dark Slavery Contract and immediately lost interest in the Fallen Angels proposal. A slave contract? Do you intend to make me your enforcer? Song Jians face showed a struggle as if he was fighting forcibly against the Dark Mark. Dont even think about escaping the shackles of the Dark Mark. As time passes, dark powers will gradually corrode your body, and eventually, they will even seep into your sea of consciousness, obliterating your senses. By that time, you will become a dark beast that knows only slaughter, a fate worse than death! The Fallen Angel giggled, her face void of its previous sanctity, taking on a bit of the flavor of an Abyssal Succubus. Dont you realize how dangerous it is for you to be so close to me right now? Song Jian suddenly said. The Fallen Angel was startled and involuntarily took a step back. However, she quickly noticed that half of Song Jians body was covered with the black mark, even the right hand holding the Sky-breaking Sword, with the Dark Mark almost reaching his wrist. The mere thought of moving his arm had become a luxury, let alone swinging his sword to attack. The Fallen Angel couldnt help giggling, her seductive claws sliding over Song Jians cheek, saying mockingly, The time you have to consider is running out. You have at most two more minutes before the Dark Mark spreads over your entire body. By then, even if you wanted to sign this contract, it would be impossible, as you will have already become a part of the darkness! Azure Dragon Sword Body! With a thought, a cyan aura surged out of Song Jians body, instantly clearing away the Dark Mark. At the same time, a set of cyan Sword Qi armor appeared on the surface of his body. Perhaps it was because the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body was only at level one, the armor looked nearly as frail as a layer of gauze, but Song Jian didnt care. The upper limit of his Vitality Points, which was already over seven thousand, soared in an instant to over twelve thousand. Although five thousand of those points were temporary life energy, for the thirty seconds, there was no difference between these Vitality Points and real ones. Both his health and Spirit Points were instantly restored. With the Dark Mark expelled, Song Jian gained freedom of movement in an instant, and he thrust the Sky-breaking Sword viciously into the abdomen of the Fallen Angel. The shocked Fallen Angel quickly retreated, the wings made of black mist on her back dissipating rapidly, revealing a pair of true dark wings that fluttered fiercely in an attempt to increase the distance between her and Song Jian. Watching the Fallen Angel desperately trying to flee, Song Jian raised his left hand and whispered softly, Withering Power! A gray aura instantly wrapped around the Fallen Angel, reducing her movement speed by 30%, and she became as slow as a turtle. Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jian turned into a streak of light, rushing towards the Fallen Angel. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 928 - 928 929 Fallen Angel Battle Helmet_1 ?Chapter 928: Chapter 929: Fallen Angel Battle Helmet_1 Chapter 928: Chapter 929: Fallen Angel Battle Helmet_1 Song Jian, having unleashed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, moved with extreme speed. The Fallen Angel let out a cry of alarm and instinctively swung its left hand, pushing forward fiercely. The roiling black mist around it quickly condensed into a black shield in front of it, gleaming with a metallic luster; Clang~ A crisp metallic clang sounded as the Sky-breaking Sword stabbed into the black shield. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the shield, which only held firm for less than two seconds before shattering entirely, reverting back into a cloud of mist; Although the shield broke, it successfully blocked Song Jians attack, and the rebounding force sent Song Jian tumbling backward, nullifying his subsequent strikes; If the first strike of the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was blocked, then the following sequence couldnt continue. The first level Azure Dragon Sword Body only lasted a minute, and Song Jian had to kill this BOSS within that time. Otherwise, if the BOSS used that black mark ability again, Song Jian would completely lose control over his body; Thousand Swords Art! With a casual wave, Song Jian initiated the Thousand Swords Art towards the Fallen Angel. This time, he did not use all his Sword Qi. The Fallen Angel was just an Elite Level BOSS, and did not warrant being faced with the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; Furthermore, activating a Sword Formation with all Sword Qi was taxing for Song Jian, as the outpouring Qi strained his bodys meridians greatly. Each time he activated the Sword Formation, Song Jian felt as if his meridians were being brutally torn apart; Besides, even without using all his Sword Qi for the activation, there was still a small chance of deploying the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, albeit with a very slim likelihood; This time, Song Jian triggered that rare event. Merely swinging the Sky-breaking Sword at random, he summoned Sixty Spirit Swords; Not sure if youre incredibly lucky or just unlucky, but you actually triggered a low-probability event! Song Jians eyes held a mischievous gleam as he looked over at the Fallen Angel, a wry smile on his face: Well, since thats the case, enjoy the power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Normal Elite Level BOSSes dont get this kind of treatment! The Fallen Angel watched, wide-eyed, as the sky filled with flying swords coalesced into a giant flaming red lotus. The terrifying aura emanating from the Sword Formation froze the Fallen Angel in place as if it had encountered a natural predator; Overwhelmed with fear to the point of mental blankness, the Fallen Angel was directly sucked into the Sword Formation. Previously, the formation had obliterated all lesser creatures, and the Fallen Angel was too far away for it to be the main target, so it only felt the immense power of the formation without experiencing it firsthand; But now, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation had locked onto it. Even though its full force was yet to be unleashed, the Fallen Angel was so terrified that it found moving a finger incredibly difficult; No sooner had it been engulfed by the Sword Formation than the Fallen Angel, without even a chance to scream, was reduced to ashes. The power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus hadnt even fully unleashed before it began to slowly dissipate in mid-air; This is like using a cleaver to kill a chicken, employing the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation on a mere forty-five level Elite BOSS; my formidable Sword Formation was utterly wasted! Song Jian lamented, shaking his head as he walked towards the items the Fallen Angel had dropped; Huh, Ive encountered another unlikely event! Song Jian, looking at an item emitting a violet-red glow on the ground, immediately fell into contemplation; With the bonuses from the Savior title, Song Jians luck had always been good. While hunting bosses, he would often get a decent amount of quality items; however, he had never encountered an epic-level item drop from a level forty-five Elite Boss; Song Jian had already obtained an epic-level item before, but that was from a Dominator-level Boss. Although the chances were low, it was still within expectations, but the item in front of him was dropped by an Elite-level Boss, with a probability that was maybe one in a thousand or even one in ten thousand. Having glanced at the epic-level item in his inventory and then at the item that dropped on the ground, Song Jian nodded. The items dropped by Dominator-level Bosses were indeed better; He picked up a helmet radiating a violet-red light and began to carefully inspect the detailed attributes of the helmet; Fallen Angel Battle Helmet: Helmet, item level 48, quality epic, equipment effect: Defense +128, Resistance +98, All Attributes +10, increase all skills power by 15%, Fighting Will +1; Special Effect 1: Death Gaze (Active): Instant cast, locks onto the target, launches a death ray, dealing 2000 critical damage to the target, skill cooldown 5 minutes; Special Effect 2: Death Mark (Passive), has a certain chance to trigger Death Mark when dealing damage to the target, after marking the target with Death Mark, all their attributes drop by 10%, movement speed decreases by 15%, and attack speed by 20%; Death Mark can stack up to 5 times, mark disappears after the target dies or exits combat; Equipment Requirement: Level 40; Whether the item can be taken out of the game: No Looking at the epic-quality helmet, Song Jian showed a satisfied smile; the attributes of this helmet were incredibly strong. Both defense and resistance were much higher than that of a typical helmet, even higher than a regular chestplate. The 15% increase in skill power was perfect for a high-damage profession like Song Jians. He hadnt encountered the attribute Fighting Will before and didnt know what it increased exactly, but from the name, it seemed to be a beneficial attribute related to combat. There were only two special effects, which were less than other epic-level equipment, but both effects were extremely powerful. Whether it was Death Gaze or Death Mark, both were mighty skills in combat, far stronger than three or four mediocre special effects; Song Jian immediately replaced his current helmet with it. He still retained the six-piece set, which wasnt affected by changing the helmet, but after switching, Song Jians strength increased significantly. After killing the Fallen Angel, in front of the staircase on the second floor, a pale blue portal appeared. It seemed that one had to kill the second-floor boss to proceed to the next level; Song Jian stepped towards the pale blue portal, his figure flashed, vanishing from the spot, but strangely, there was no sign of him on the stone stairs behind the portal, as if it didnt lead to the third floor of the Prayer Temple at all. Song Jians vision blurred for a moment, and he suddenly felt weightless. Before he could stabilize himself, he felt solid ground beneath his feet, prompting him to instinctively lunge forward a few steps to regain his balance; When he looked up to survey his surroundings, he discovered that he had arrived at a strange place; Is this, the Sacred Spirit Temple? A look of surprise emerged in Song Jians eyes as he observed his surroundings carefully; Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 929 - 929 930 Legendary Quality_1 ?Chapter 929: Chapter 930: Legendary Quality_1 Chapter 929: Chapter 930: Legendary Quality_1 System: You have entered the hidden copy, Sacred Spirit Temple! To enter this hidden copy, you must possess a complete Key of Sacred Light, and each entry will damage the Key of Sacred Light. After three times, the Key of Sacred Light will disappear completely; Song Jian, startled, took out the Key of Sacred Light to inspect it and, sure enough, a distinct crack had appeared on the otherwise smooth surface of the key; I can only enter three times, which means I only have three chances to complete this task. If I dont obtain that legendary quality Heart of the Angel within three tries, will I be directly erased by the task system? Song Jians expression instantly turned ugly; How did you end up here? a familiar voice sounded from behind Song Jian. Turning his head, he saw it was the single-winged angel whom he had encountered before and who had been imprisoned and found innocent after a trial; You? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, only to discover that this previously imprisoned angel, now acquitted, was holding a radiant blue-quality Heart of the Angel and absorbing the energy within; I came to the Sacred Spirit Temple to find a legendary quality Heart of the Angel. Do you know where it is? Song Jian asked directly; Legendary quality The angel glanced at the blue-quality Heart of the Angel in his hand, a complex look in his eyes, and said, Only after the death of an eight-winged titled angel, is there a possibility of leaving behind a Heart of the Angel of legendary quality! The power contained within it is too strong for ordinary angels to absorb. Even with your Judgers Title, its impossible for you to absorb the energy inside. What do you want it for? Zhuo Wen asked with some curiosity; Its just a task given by an old Goblin outside of Sky City, replied Song Jian with a shrug, glancing around before adding, I just need to deliver it to them, Im not the one to absorb it! Old Goblin? Zhuo Wen frowned and said, Aside from angels and demons, there are no other races in the City of Hope! Zhuo Wen felt as if he had forgotten something important, but having been imprisoned for so long, several hundred years, he was constantly struggling against dark forces, and much of his memory was no longer retrievable. This is the palace where the Angel Clan stores the Hearts of the Angel. In the past, with my status, I wouldnt have been qualified to come in! Zhuo Wen looked around and said, But now I am the last combat angel here, and this place is completely defenseless against me. I need to use these Hearts of the Angel to quickly increase my strength and regain control of Sky City! Song Jian nodded and asked, Can you help me find that legendary quality Heart of the Angel? Zhuo Wens face showed hesitation, and after a long pause, he said, The Heart of the Angel is a treasure of the heavenly clan, and it cannot be given to other races Upon hearing this, Song Jians face immediately darkened. He had assumed the legendary task would involve encountering a sovereign-level BOSS, and that he would receive the task item after killing the sovereign-level BOSS. But now it seemed that within the Sacred Spirit Temple, there was only Zhuo Wen, a combat angel. Moreover, since Zhuo Wen had not been in here for long, the energy he had absorbed from the Hearts of the Angel was limited, and his current strength was at best equivalent to a 40+ level elite BOSS, not yet grown to the level of a sovereign BOSS; Seeing Song Jians expression turn ugly, Zhuo Wen immediately shivered, as if he had thought of something, and hurriedly said, But you have already obtained the Judgers Title. Rightfully speaking, your status is even higher than mine. Now that the entire Angel Clan has been eradicated, I think you should have the right to claim the inheritance of the Angel Clan! Upon hearing Zhuo Wens words, Song Jians expression softened somewhat, and he nodded in agreement; Zhuo Wen wiped the sweat from his forehead. The pressure from Song Jian was too great. So many angels fallen into darkness and turned into monsters, now possessing even greater strength than before, were no match for this human. As for himself, having only recently recovered some of his strength, there was no way he could be a match for Song Jian; If I try to stop him, this human will definitely kill me and take all the Hearts of the Angel here; It doesnt matter if I sacrifice myself, but the Angel Clan will be utterly destroyed with no chance of rising again! Zhuo Wen thought darkly to himself; Around the Sacred Spirit Temple were layers upon layers of stone steps, with pale golden wooden boxes placed on each. Every layer held numerous boxes, the lower the steps, the more boxes there were, and the fewer boxes as one climbed higher; Song Jian saw that on the lowest steps, a few boxes had already been opened and were empty, but most were still tightly closed. Are all these boxes filled with Hearts of the Angel? Song Jian asked, pointing to the dozens of wooden boxes around him; S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yes, all the Hearts of the Angel, condensed before their deaths by angels who have perished in Sky City, are kept here. Zhuo Wen nodded and said, Every year, there are people who come here to pay homage, and at the same time, they select suitable ones to bestow upon other potential warrior angels! The higher the status of the angel who has perished, the higher their Heart of the Angel is placed. There should only be one legendary-quality Heart of the Angel, placed at the very top! Zhuo Wen pointed to the highest steps on the opposite side as he spoke; Song Jian looked up, and the wooden boxes on each level of steps looked exactly alike; from the outside, there were no differences at all; With a thought, a pair of Flame Light Wings appeared behind Song Jians back. With a light flap, he took off, heading toward the highest steps; He took a wooden box and opened it C a glint of purple-gold light burst forth from the box, and a smile of joy appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth; This is it! Song Jian closed the box and threw it into his inventory slot, then returned to the ground; Alright, mission complete, Im heading out. Song Jian said to Zhuo Wen, By the way, wheres the exit, and how do I leave? This is a special layer of the Prayer Temple. The real Prayer Temple has seven floors in total, and only someone with a complete Key of Sacred Light can come here from the second floor. Otherwise, you can only ascend layer by layer to the top, and you cant enter this place. Zhuo Wen explained, To leave from here is quite simple, you just need to activate it with Angels Blood! As he spoke, Zhuo Wen lightly slashed his own left wrist with his fingernail, and immediately, pale-golden blood flowed out, dropping onto the floor of the Sacred Spirit Temple; Soon, the blood drop by drop merged into the floor, and Zhuo Wens complexion began to look a bit pale. Not long after, a pale-golden portal appeared in front of Zhuo Wen. If you leave through here, you can go directly to the main gate of the Prayer Temple! Zhuo Wen said, sounding weary; Song Jian glanced at Zhuo Wen and immediately understood C Zhuo Wen must be the guardian boss of the Sacred Spirit Temple. Although he was just an elite boss now, if a fight were to break out and Zhuo Wen couldnt be killed quickly, he would be able to upgrade by continuously absorbing the energy from the Hearts of the Angel around him; As the battle dragged on, Zhuo Wens strength would also become increasingly formidable, making him a boss that could drive players to despair. Chapter 930 - 930 931 Eight-Winged Illusion Angel_1 ?Chapter 930: Chapter 931: Eight-Winged Illusion Angel_1 Chapter 930: Chapter 931: Eight-Winged Illusion Angel_1 A boss who could continually increase his strength during a battle, and also advance in rank, was a thought that could drive one to despair; Besides, in order to leave this place, one must kill Zhuo Wen and obtain the blood of an angel, which would then reveal the gate of light for departure. Otherwise, the players would be trapped here forever; This quest is just full of traps! Song Jian thought to himself; Having passed through the gate of light, Song Jian was directly teleported to the bottom of the Prayer Temples tower, which was the lobby on the first floor. There were quite a few players sitting around, waiting for the one who had a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light; Seeing Song Jian suddenly appear, those players eyes lit up, and they swarmed towards him; Song Jian frowned slightly and immediately utilized the Abyss Concealment Skill, entering stealth mode, and walked towards the outside. There were plenty of players wanting to conquer this level-five instance, and once surrounded by them, it would be difficult for Song Jian to escape. He had planned to quickly complete this life-threatening quest and then return to the City of Hope to make use of the Epic Quality item; At the same time, within the Sacred Spirit Temple, Zhuo Wen, the War Angel, held a pale blue Heart of the Angel that was shrinking in his hand, while a look of contentment spread across his face; Before long, a large bulge appeared on his back, and with a swoosh, a pair of blood-stained white wings emerged from his skin and fluttered in the air; The white wings he already possessed also began to grow. In no time, both pairs of wings reached nearly two meters in length; With a gentle flap, Zhuo Wens feet involuntarily left the ground, and he floated up. A powerful force surged from both pairs of wings into his body, hot streams cascading through him like waves. He felt filled with power; A Four-winged War Angel, I have finally broken through to become a Four-winged War Angel! Zhuo Wen couldnt help but roar, his eyes suddenly moistening; Before this breakthrough, he was just an ordinary War Angel, one of the expendables. A small mistake had led to his imprisonment, awaiting trial. And that imprisonment lasted for centuries; Zhuo Wen looked around excitedly. On the stone steps of the Sacred Spirit Temple, there were still numerous Hearts of the Angel. Originally, Zhuo Wen could only absorb Hearts of the Angel of a lower grade, but now, he could absorb higher-grade Hearts of the Angel to increase his strength; Power, as long as I can absorb all these Hearts of the Angel, I will gain tremendous power! Zhuo Wen suddenly turned his head and glanced up to the highest steps, his face revealing a hint of regret: Unfortunately, that Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel was taken by a human, or else I would have had the chance to become an eight-winged angel! To become the strongest of the Angel Clan, one must become an eight-winged angel. Otherwise, controlling the entire Sky City would be extremely difficult. At this thought, a sudden realization dawned on Zhuo Wen, and his expression drastically changed; Goblin, goblin, damn it, that wasnt a goblin, it was the once Illusion Angel! Fear appeared on Zhuo Wens face as he finally remembered why the Goblin race existed in Sky City; The Illusion Angel, as referred to by Zhuo Wen, was one of the title angels, each a unique being with a unique title. The Illusion Angel was one of the eight-winged title angels; Its just that, hundreds of years ago, the Illusion Angel violated the laws of Sky City, was stripped of the title, deprived of the Angel Clans source of powerthe angel wingsand was driven out of Sky City, destined to survive in the wilderness outside the city. If, if the Illusion Angel obtained a Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel, then, then Zhuo Wens face filled with terror, and his body trembled uncontrollably, a black aura drifting from the newly-born wings behind him. Meanwhile, Song Jian had already left Sky City and arrived in front of the large tree stump house where the Goblin lived; Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He took out a pale golden wooden box from his inventory, opened it slowly, and a crystal emitting a purple-golden glow appeared before the aged Goblin; This is the quest item you need, my task is hereby complete! Song Jian closed the wooden box and handed it back to the aged Goblin; The Goblins face was full of excitement as he snatched the wooden box, clasping the Heart of the Angel tightly in his hand while carelessly tossing the pale golden wooden box aside; Grasping the purple-golden Heart of the Angel, the aged Goblins face showed a look of contentment. Power, my power, has finally returned to my hands! The Goblins voice was originally hoarse and deep, but after saying these words, his voice changed, becoming magnetic and much more charming; Song Jian could feel that from the Heart of the Angel, surges of energy were continuously flowing into the body of the aged Goblin, and in the center of the Heart of the Angel, slowly emerged four sets of pristine angelic wings; Staring intently at the Heart of the Angel, Song Jian saw that the four sets of angel wings were quivering slightly as if conveying excited emotions to the Goblin; The Heart of the Angel is not a living thing, how can I have such an illusion! Song Jian thought with a chuckle inside his heart, Just a Goblin, yet he can absorb the energy from the Heart of the Angel, how strange. Could it be that he was once a member of the Angel Clans warriors? Boom~ A strong aura suddenly burst forth from the body of the aged Goblin and, caught off guard, Song Jian was blown away by the force of the energy. When he steadied himself, he was surprised to discover that the aura of the Goblin in front of him was even more terrifying than that of the Dominant Level BOSS he had encountered before! This Goblin has hidden his power too deeply, hasnt he? Song Jian thought in astonishment, but then it all made sense, considering he was an NPC that could issue Legendary Level quests. His previous weakness was all a facade! Song Jian couldnt help but feel relieved; he was fortunate he didnt attempt to snatch the item before, otherwise he would have surely met with dire consequences; Wait, thats not right, his body is changing too, it seems, it seems Song Jian suddenly noticed that the originally less than one-meter tall Goblin was growing rapidly before his eyes. In just a few seconds, he had transformed into a tall and burly man, almost two meters in height; All the typical Goblin features had disappeared, replaced instead by a handsome face and a well-proportioned muscular physique; Crack~ A crisp shattering sound echoed, and the Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel in its hands fell completely apart. Numerous crystalline fragments of the Heart of the Angel slowly melted into its palm; Holy angelic wings, different from ordinary angel wings, began to emerge slowly from behind him. They looked like pairs of glowing white light wings, streaming with sacred light. I, Illusion Angel Doranto, have returned! The Eight-winged Angel Doranto let out a deep breath, his voice instantly spreading through the entire Sky City. Chapter 931 - 931 932 Angel Clan Prestige_1 ?Chapter 931: Chapter 932 Angel Clan Prestige_1 Chapter 931: Chapter 932 Angel Clan Prestige_1 ` A goblin that originally seemed so pathetic, as if a single breath could knock it over, suddenly transformed into a majestic and solemn eight-winged Angel of Title. Such a drastic change was somewhat difficult for Song Jian to accept; Staring at the Illusion Angel Doranto, who floated in the sky like a deity, Song Jians face was filled with a look of shock. The eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto glanced indifferently at Song Jian and said, Human, Sky City is the domain of the Angel Clan, and we do not welcome other races to stay here for long. I suggest you leave this place as soon as possible. Having said that, Doranto flew towards the urban area of Sky City without looking back. The glance he cast towards Song Jian before leaving seemed to carry a trace of disdain? Song Jian immediately felt displeased, If it werent for me, you would still be living inside this stumpy tree trunk! Dorantos attitude towards Song Jian always had a sense of burning bridges and ruthless abandonment. This left Song Jian feeling quite depressed. However, at this moment, Doranto was not someone Song Jian could afford to provoke. The aura emanating from his body was clearly stronger than that of a sovereign-level BOSS. His powerful perception had been sending a warning to Song Jian to keep his distance ever since Doranto regained his eight-winged Angel strength; Anyway, the task is already complete, and theres no benefit in staying here. I should return and create the whole epic-level item as soon as possible! Song Jian looked at the item in his inventory radiating a purple-red glow and thought to himself. With his Steel Wings abruptly unfurling, Song Jian shot up into the sky, flying in the direction of Doomsday City. The Flame Light Wings were indeed a bit too ostentatious; the Steel Wings were more low-key. Not long after Song Jian had left Sky City, all of the instances in the city were forcibly closed, and players who were in the midst of clearing instances were also expelled. Each player who was kicked out received a system compensation. This compensation was random; some received a piece of silver-quality equipment, and others got some precious materials; As all the players emerged onto the streets of Sky City, an angel with eight fluttering wings hovered high above sky City, appearing before everyones eyes; I am the eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto of the Angel Clan. Sky City is the territory of the Angel Clan. Anyone who intrudes will be considered an invader by the Angel Clan. You all have ten minutes to leave this place! After ten minutes, anyone still in Sky City will be attacked by the Angel Clan! Dorantos voice instantly spread throughout the entire Sky City; Damn it, I spent 20,000 Doomsday Coins to get up here. Ten minutes, how am I supposed to get down? Jump? Players immediately began to become agitated. In fact, most players currently in Sky City didnt have the ability to fly; they had all paid to get up there. Now being driven out, some who arrived late hadnt even earned their travel expenses back; Just as the players were about to riot, an immense pressure descended from the sky, weighing down almost everyones shoulders as if an unmatched force was pushing down on them; The terrifying authority instantly silenced everyone. The threat of death loomed large. If anyone chose to cause trouble at this moment, their heads would likely roll in the very next second; The eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto seemed quite pleased with the situation at hand. A faint smile graced his handsome face. With a wave of his right hand, the whole Sky City trembled slightly, and pale blue Teleportation Gates appeared in front of every player; All the players were stunned; what was going on, one Teleportation Gate for each player? Creating a Teleportation Gate was a nearly impossible feat even for powerful player alliances, but now, someone had managed to create hundreds of them with a mere wave of their hand, a power that seemed to be possessed only by deities; All of you may leave via the Teleportation Gates. In ten minutes, Sky City will be sealed off, and no one will be allowed to enter or exit. Please hurry! Dorantos words sounded polite, but his tone and demeanor were somewhat arrogant, as if he deemed speaking so extensively to the players beneath him; ` Under Dorantos gaze, player after player obediently entered the beam of light, each Teleportation Gate disappearing until all players had been transported to the ground; In just a short while, suddenly, over a hundred people appeared on the ground, almost all of them looking up towards the city in the sky; Soon, a majestic city floating amongst the clouds slowly vanished from the players sight; Some players, unwilling to believe it, summoned their flying mounts and flew toward the location of Sky City, but upon reaching the air, they were blocked by a powerful force, as if the location of Sky City was enveloped by an invisible, transparent barrier; Sky City is still there, but we can no longer freely enter, announced a player riding a flying mount as he slowly descended, a hint of helplessness in his voice; Strange, I actually unlocked the reputation with the Angel Clan! exclaimed a player who had just come down from Sky City; Everyone opened their reputation interface to check, and in the end, every player who had entered Sky City had unlocked reputation with the Angel Clan, and although everyones reputation points varied, most were still at the cold stage. Such reputation meant the Angel Clan would refuse contact, and players could only improve it gradually through completing tasks or other means; So youre saying, as long as one can raise the reputation with the Angel Clan to friendly, or even higher, there might be a chance to enter Sky City? A sharp player caught on to the intent behind unlocking reputation with the Angel Clan; How can we take on tasks to improve our reputation if we cant even enter Sky City? a player couldnt help but question; Completing tasks is just one of the methods, another player immediately countered: Killing forces hostile to the Angel Clan can also earn reputation points. Havent you noticed that although our reputations are all cold, some are higher and some are lower? Those with higher reputation are the players who killed more monsters in Sky City, right? After all this talk, isnt it still about going to Sky City to kill monsters? Brains are a good thing; too bad you dont have one. Are the Angel Clans enemies located only in Sky City, and nowhere else? What beings oppose the angels? Demons, right? By killing demons, cant we gain reputation with the Angel Clan? Demons? Do Abyss demons count? I know of several Abyss demon dungeons, that black pyramid, there are plenty in the wild! Yeah, Abyss demons, lets go and try, lets run an Abyss Shadow dungeon and see! Quickly, the players who were once gathered together began to call their friends and ran towards the black pyramids scattered across the wilderness; S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 932 - 932 933 Mailing_1 ?Chapter 932: Chapter 933 Mailing_1 Chapter 932: Chapter 933 Mailing_1 At this time, Song Jian had already returned to the City of Hope; City Lord, Cecilia Priest wants to see you. She seems to be somewhat dissatisfied with the territory weve allocated to the Dawn Divine Church! Wang Qi immediately came over to report as soon as he returned to the Manor Castle, which served as the City Lord Mansion; Dissatisfied? Shes not satisfied even with three hundred mu of land given for free? Song Jian seemed to sense something, glanced toward the doorway, and then asked in a tone of surprise; Respected City Lord, our agreement was about three hundred mu of land within the territory of the City of Hope Alliance, but now, your Vice City Lord has allocated a piece of wasteland that doesnt yet belong to the City of Hope to the Dawn Divine Church. I believe this is a serious desecration of the Goddess of Dawn, and such a person should be burned at the Fire God Pillar! Cecilia, who had been standing at the doorway, pushed open the door and entered, giving Wang Qi a fierce glare before speaking; Upon hearing this, Wang Qi immediately shrank his neck in fear; he didnt have the guts to oppose a deity; Song Jian let out a slight smile, waved his hand at Wang Qi, signaling him to leave first, and then stood up and said to Cecilia, Cecilia, we could say we are old friends, having known each other for quite some time. You should know that I have never sold a single piece of land from the City of Hope, regardless of its size. However, I have always held the Goddess of Dawn in high esteem, otherwise I wouldnt have freely given away three hundred mu of land. Do you know how much money I could get if I sold such a large piece of land? But the land youve given, its still not within the controlled territory of the City of Hope Alliance; its a barren wasteland. Do you first want our followers to risk their lives to cultivate such a place? If thats the case, why wouldnt I go elsewhere? Cecilia said with an imposing air. Cecilia, I regret to say, I did not expect that you, as the most devoted Priest under the Goddess of Dawn, would have such a narrow vision! Song Jian sighed slightly and shook his head: The reason why the Goddess of Dawns followers want to establish a temple within the City of Hope Alliance territory is precisely because they value the future development of the City of Hope, dont they? Cecilia, a few months ago, the City of Hope Alliances territory was less than a tenth of what it is now, but now we have taken over most of Doomsday Citys land, and before long, the entire Doomsday City will belong to the City of Hope Alliance! True, the location we planned for the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn is indeed not within the current City of Hope territory, but why do you think we planned it that way? Cant you guess? Song Jian spoke as if chiding a pupil: This is our plan after the entire Doomsday City is taken over; he who does not plan for the whole situation is not equipped to plan for a single area. This is just a matter of time. Why cant you just wait patiently for a while? One day, you will see that the entire Doomsday City will be the territory of the City of Hope Alliance! Song Jians words left Cecilia speechless, although she still felt that something was not right, but for the moment she didnt know what it was; After sending Cecilia away, Song Jian took out the epic item that had dropped from a boss monster from his inventory and began to examine it closely on the table; It was a palm-sized, elliptical object, with layers of fish scale-like patterns on its surface. At first glance, it looked like a pet egg, but this item was actually a construction object; Cloud City (Epic):City building, Usage effect: Establish a small Cloud City, uses resources to produce War Angels within the Cloud City; War Angel limit: 0/12; This was a building capable of producing War Angels, but it had now become a hot potato; Song Jian thought over and over again, wanting to construct the building, but he had to consider the perspective of Sky City, located just over twenty kilometers away; If there were no Sky City, no eight-winged Illusion Angel, Song Jian would naturally construct it boldly and confidently, but now he had to consider if, once the news leaked, the eight-winged Illusion Angel learned of Cloud Citys existence, would it just wipe out the City of Hope as an enemy. The eight-winged Illusion Angel was an existence that surpassed a ruling-level BOSS; Song Jian couldnt even perceive how strong the opponent actually was. Anyway, it had already exceeded the level of a third-order combat power. It was not just now, but even in the foreseeable future, Song Jian wouldnt possibly be a match for him; This is really troublesome! Song Jian lightly caressed the seed for constructing Cloud City, a troubled expression emerging on his face; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian still put away the seed for creating Cloud City. The twelve battle angels wouldnt bring a significant increase to the City of Hope Alliances strength. On the contrary, if he were to create Cloud City, it would attract far too much hatred, just like the previous situation with the Black Dragon companion. Just any ancient Red Dragon could pose a threat capable of destroying the entire City of Hope; The risk was disproportionately high compared to the benefits. Song Jian decided to put the construction of Cloud City on hold for a while and see what happened. Perhaps, in no time at all, Sky City might disappear just as abruptly as it had appeared! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I wonder how the Black Dragon is doing now! Song Jian suddenly thought somewhat wistfully; Just as Song Jian was moved to visit the poisonous swamp to check on the Black Dragon, he suddenly received a message from a stranger; Song Jian, are you there? Its Meng Tiantian! Do you still have any Bamboo Jade Leaves? Give me some more, and Ill trade you Second Transformation Golden Pills for them! Meng Tiantian? Song Jian was startled, took a moment to think, and then immediately realized that this was the alchemist he had met on that island before; After casually adding her as a friend, Song Jian asked, Which city are you in now? Canghai City! Meng Tiantian quickly replied with the message! Song Jian was stunned: Canghai City? I seem to have never heard of this name before! Do you know the City of Sin, City of Hymns, or Doomsday City? Song Jian asked, vaguely feeling that Meng Tiantians location was quite distant from his own; I havent heard of them. Just mail me some Bamboo Jade Leaves, what do you care which city Im in? Meng Tiantian said indignantly; Song Jian was at a loss for words and said, Young miss, dont you know that the further away it is, the higher the mailing cost? Were too far apart in the game, and the postage would be too expensive! Stingy, Ill reimburse the cost. Hurry up, I urgently need it. Ive just come across a hidden quest that requires using Vitality Pills. The Vitality Pills made from Bamboo Jade Leaves work best. Send me some, and you wont lose out for sure! After saying that, Meng Tiantian directly sent her address to Song Jian; Song Jian had no choice but to open the mailbox, entered the address given by Meng Tiantian, and put in a few Bamboo Jade Leaves. When he saw the cost of mailing, his eyes widened, and he gasped in shock; Chapter 933 - 933 934 Scars_1 ?Chapter 933: Chapter 934 Scars_1 Chapter 933: Chapter 934 Scars_1 Ten days to produce thirty Cui Bao bamboo leaves, in the eyes of others, was considered a very precious material, but in Song Jians eyes, it wasnt particularly valuable; However, when Song Jian saw the delivery fee for ten Cui Bao bamboo leaves, he couldnt help but take a sharp breath. The delivery fee actually required more than 2.6 million! The preciousness and quantity of the items would naturally raise the delivery fee, but more than 2.6 million was still beyond Song Jians expectation; I never imagined, I would be so far from Meng Tiantian! Song Jian sighed in his heart, but still clicked on the delivery option. In an instant, 2.6 million Doomsday Coins were deducted, making Song Jian feel as if his heart had been violently cut; sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ive sent you ten pieces, with a delivery fee of 2.6 million. Including the price of the Cui Bao bamboo leaves, just give me 3 million! Song Jian said to Meng Tiantian; What, 3 million! Meng Tiantians surprised voice came from the communicator, and Song Jians heart sank, feeling that it was probably impossible to get the money back. The delivery fee is so expensive, I thought at most a hundred thousand would be enough. That aside, Im really busy right now, lets talk about the money when we get back to the real world, Ive got to hang up, Im so busy! Meng Tiantian hastily ended the call. Damn it! Song Jian couldnt help swearing. But, the monk might run away, but the temple wont. Meng Tiantian lived right next door to him. Once he left the game, he would go to collect the debt! After feeling heartache for a while, Song Jian sighed. Three million Doomsday Coins was not a small fortune for him now, but it hadnt reached the point of crippling him financially. Besides, his current expenses were not large, and the items that he valued werent something that could be bought with just a few million Doomsday Coins. The territorial expansion campaign of the City of Hope had come to a halt. If he couldnt clear the true difficulty level of the Abyssal Shadow, this dungeon would sooner or later become a hidden danger! Checking his quest log, the Sword Immortals Path quest was already one-third complete, meaning Song Jian had already killed three Sovereign-class BOSSes. He only needed to kill seven more, and the Sword Immortals Path would be complete; Seven more, huh. Sovereign-class BOSSes arent cabbages, not something you can find just anywhere! Song Jian sighed. However, when his gaze fell upon the huge black pyramid in the distance, a light of inspiration suddenly flashed across his mind; Perhaps, the true difficulty level of the Abyssal Shadow might have a Sovereign-class BOSS? Song Jian suddenly muttered to himself; But, the next opening time for the Abyssal Shadow dungeon was in five days. Song Jian had to wait for the dungeons cooldown period to end before he could explore the true difficulty level of the Abyssal Shadow; Now, in the entire Doomsday City, there was no longer any space for other guilds to survive. It had become a consensus among all players of Doomsday City that the City of Hope Alliance would eventually occupy the entire city; More and more players wanted to join the City of Hope Alliance, and the number of players in the alliance kept growing, but the core members had always remained the same; I wonder how Black Dragon is doing now? Song Jian gazed into the distance, the thought of checking on the Black Dragon growing ever more fervent. With a thought, his steel feathers unfurled, and Song Jian flew towards the Highly Poisonous Swamp; Leaving the territory of the City of Hope and reaching the sparsely populated areas, Song Jian thought for a moment, and the steel feathers vanished, replaced by two blazing trails of fire rising from behind; Compared to the steel feathers, the Flame Light Wings were much faster. Before long, Song Jian entered into the Highly Poisonous Swamp; Eh, the environment here seems to have improved a lot? Song Jian looked around curiously, noticing that the toxic fog that used to pervade the highly poisonous swamp had considerably thinned out. Now, even an ordinary player entering this area would only suffer minor poison damage. He even saw a few people hunting monsters around the swamp to level up; The Highly Poisonous Swamp is a level forty monster zone, perfect for those players who just leveled up. Moreover, there are plenty of herbs in the swamp, and if you come across those rare herbs, you can make a tidy profit! Song Jian thought to himself as he flew directly towards the center of the Highly Poisonous Swamp, where the lake was located; Before he got close to the lake, Song Jian heard a high-pitched dragons roar from afar, and a smile appeared on his lips; it seemed that the Black Dragon had already sensed his arrival; The Highly Poisonous Lake at this moment had completely transformed; the poisonous liquid that used to fill the lake had disappeared, replaced by faint red flames that made it look like a pit of magma. In the midst of the magma pit, the peculiar Dragon Head Tree was still lush and thriving, seemingly unaffected by the roaring flames; What a strange tree! Song Jian glanced at the Dragon Head Tree; it had yet to bear fruit, and aside from looking a bit odd, it seemed no different from an ordinary ancient tree; Able to survive in poison and in flames, Song Jian had never seen a tree like this before; The Black Dragon, upon seeing Song Jian, seemed quite delighted, flying over to him and signaling Song Jian to ride on its back. The two of them began to joyfully play in the skies; Song Jian noticed that the Black Dragon seemed to have grown a bit bigger, at the very least, its growth rate was faster than that in the Pet Space. The hard dragon scales on its back also gave off a warm feeling, and Song Jian could sense a great power gestating within the Black Dragon; Eh, why are there so many scars on the Black Dragon? Song Jian frowned slightly and gently felt the dragon scales on the Black Dragons back with his hand; Only upon closer inspection did he notice that there were numerous scars on the Black Dragons body, most of which had already faded, but many of the dragon scales still bore the traces of battle. However, all this was not necessarily bad for the Black Dragon. Its intelligence was much higher than that of an ordinary person. If it encountered an enemy it couldnt beat, it would, like in its younger days, lure the enemy back to the City of Hope. Up till now, Song Jian had not heard of the Black Dragon leading any monster back, which indicated that the previous battles were just a bit of roughhousing for the Black Dragon; After playing for half the day, just as Song Jian was preparing to leave the Highly Poisonous Swamp, he suddenly heard a roar from a distance. The previously somewhat lazy Black Dragon instantly tensed up, its muscles becoming stiff, and it let out a dragons roar towards the distance; Song Jian narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance, and in just a short while, a massive lizard creature quickly crawled over from afar. This lizard was over ten meters long with thick limbs and its body was covered in thick, dark blue scales. Like the Black Dragon, it possessed a pair of golden vertical pupils, and what was most intriguing was the three-inch-long horn on the forehead of the lizard, resembling a unicorn. A level fifty lord BOSS! Song Jian checked the properties of the large lizard and couldnt resist summoning the Sky-breaking Sword! Chapter 934 - 934 935 Jiulis Reputation_1 ?Chapter 934: Chapter 935 Jiulis Reputation_1 Chapter 934: Chapter 935 Jiulis Reputation_1 After so many days apart, the Black Dragon had also leveled up, now a Level 46 Lord Boss. Despite the clear level suppression it faced against the Level 50 Lord Boss before it, in terms of bloodline suppression, the pure Dragon Bloodline of the Black Dragon was far more formidable than that of the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast Boss; Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast, Level 50, Lord Boss, Vitality Points: 138,900/150,000 A Level 50 Lord Boss with 150,000 Vitality Points was a boss that ordinary players would flee from on sight, but for Song Jian, who had solo-killed a Domination-level Boss before, this was hardly a challengeone Thousand Swords Art would be enough to kill it instantly! However, for the Black Dragon, it was an evenly matched opponent; Song Jian took a step forward, raised the Sky-breaking Sword, and was about to kill the Dragon Lizard Beast when the Black Dragon stretched its forepaw in front of Song Jian. Looking into the Black Dragons golden eyes, Song Jian paused, then nodded in understanding. It seemed the Black Dragon wanted to rely on its own strength to kill this Lord-level Boss; Taking a step back, Song Jian watched the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast with interest. This boss that carried the Dragon Clans bloodline was likely attracted by the Dragon Head Tree. It seemed that the Dragon Scale Fruits this tree bore were an irresistible allure to any beast with Dragon Clan bloodline. Roar~ An angry roar sounded, and the Dragon Might that radiated from the Black Dragon enveloped the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast. Any other beasts would lose even the courage to flee under such terrifying Dragon Might, but the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast merely trembled and resolutely lunged at the Black Dragon; The two massive beasts collided fiercely, claws and teeth flashing as they brawled in the swamp like two beasts bereft of any skills. Song Jian was somewhat bored. The Black Dragon did not use any magical abilities, and the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast did the same. It was as if they had a tacit understanding, not resorting to using any abilities even when temporarily falling behind in the fight; If the Black Dragon used Dragon Language Magic, it likely would have already killed this Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast! Song Jian thought as he watched the Black Dragon, slowly gaining the upper hand with just its powerful body, and shook his head slightly; Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a fierce struggle that lasted almost half an hour, the Black Dragon, although having the upper hand, was not able to kill the Dragon Lizard Beast. Meanwhile, the Dragon Lizard Beast had only left a few shallow wounds on the Black Dragon. Both massive beasts, having nearly exhausted their strength, parted ways by mutual consent, growling at each other a few times. The Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast Boss did not even glance at Song Jian, standing beside the Black Dragon, turned around, and ran back the way it had come; Are you guys just playing around? Song Jian watched the somewhat excited Black Dragon, which seemed quite pleased to have the upper hand in the fight, lick Song Jian with its warm and wet tongue, then lie back down under the Dragon Head Tree, eyes half-closed and soon falling into deep slumber; Song Jian could vaguely see faint golden auras occasionally emanating from the Dragon Head Tree, entering the Black Dragons body beneath it. After a short while, this breath would slowly seep out of the Black Dragons body and return to the Dragon Head Tree. After observing for a while, Song Jian realized this golden aura did not harm the Black Dragon; on the contrary, it accelerated the recovery of the Black Dragons Vitality and strength, even making its wounds heal faster than usual; It seems that this Dragon Head Tree can coexist symbiotically with gigantic beasts that possess the Dragon Clans bloodline, benefiting each other. No wonder the Black Dragon doesnt want to leave its side, Song Jian nodded to himself; After playing with the Black Dragon for half a day and watching a tussle between the Black Dragon and the Dragon Lizard Beast akin to chickens pecking at each other, the day was no longer young. With a thought, Song Jian floated the Sky-breaking Sword in front of him. Just as he was about to use the Sword Flight Art to leave, he suddenly heard another roar in the distance; Its that Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast; what, it hasnt had enough earlier, and now it wants to come back for more? Song Jian frowned slightly. If not for the strange pact the Black Dragon maintained with it, refusing to employ Dragon Language Magic, then a single Vortex Fireball could have inflicted serious damage on the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast; Today, I want to see who has the nerve to beat up my little Jin like this! A conceited voice, along with this roar, reached Song Jians ears. The voice seems to belong to a young girl. What, is this Dragon Lizard Beast also her battle pet? Song Jian wondered to himself. It wasnt long before Song Jian saw the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast reluctantly carrying a girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, heading his way. Was it you who bullied my little Jin? The girl, with her face full of arrogance, stood on the back of the Dragon Lizard Beast and pointed at Song Jian, shouting angrily. Huh, not a player? Song Jian was taken aback, originally assuming the Dragon Lizard Beast was a players battle pet, but it turned out to be an NPCs battle pet. Level 46, Elite BOSS strength! Song Jian narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the young girl. Hmph, with sneaky eyes, you look like no good person! Lan Lings cheeks flushed with anger, and with a fierce movement of her right hand forward, a sudden booming sound filled the air. Song Jian instantly felt a powerful force rushing towards him, a sharp pain in his chest, and the force sent him flying backward. A damage number of over six hundred floated above Song Jians head. In mid-air, Song Jian felt as though hed lost control of his body and fell heavily to the ground like a burst sack, causing secondary damage. This time, Song Jian lost over three hundred Vitality Points. Over a thousand damage? Song Jian was caught off guard and took a slight disadvantage, but if it had been an average player in their thirties, that hit could have cost them half their life. After hitting the ground, Song Jian regained control of his body, flipped over to stand up, and brandished his Sky-breaking Sword. A fierce Sword Qi surged to the sky, locking onto both the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast and the girl on its back. Lan Lings face turned pale, and the Sword Qi, sharper than any divine weapon coming from Song Jian, made her realize that she had provoked someone formidable. I am the young master of Jiuli Xuan Yue Cave of the Jiuli Clan. If you harm me, a hundred thousand warriors of the Jiuli Demon Clan will never let you off easily! Lan Ling hastily shouted. System: Youve come into contact with the hidden Jiuli Demon Clan, triggering the reputation with the Jiuli Demon Clan. Your current reputation with the Jiuli Demon Clan is indifferent. Hidden tribe? Song Jian was startled; this was his first encounter with a hidden tribe in the game, and his face inadvertently showed a hint of curiosity. Seeing that Song Jian had stopped, Lan Ling let out a sigh of relief, but Song Jians next words made her face change dramatically. PS: Thank you to Reader20191127234229646 for the reward of 1000 Qidian coins~ Chapter 935 - 935 936 Abyssal Demon King Legacy_1 ?Chapter 935: Chapter 936: Abyssal Demon King Legacy_1 Chapter 935: Chapter 936: Abyssal Demon King Legacy_1 Song Jian looked at Lan Ling, a cold smirk appearing on his face. With a light tap of his foot, he soared into the air, his hand gripping the Sky-breaking Sword that shimmered with fierce Sword Qi; Take my first strike and see if you can still save your life. If you manage to survive, we can discuss other matters! Song Jian called out in a low voice; Ready to unleash the Thousand Swords Art, with a light shout, dozens of Spirit Swords floated beside Song Jian. Lan Lings face turned pale with fright as she cursed under her breath, Damn it, another sword maniac! S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing the Spirit Swords covering the sky and heading her way, Lan Ling made a quick decision, bit her lip, and ripped off a jade necklace she wore around her neck, starting to chant a spell in a low voice; After a few strange syllables, Lan Ling tossed the necklace into the air and shouted lowly, Mirror Flower Water Moon, protect! Instantly, a faint light shield appeared in front of Lan Ling. Dozens of Spirit Swords traced arcs in the air and, under Song Jians control, attacked Lan Ling from all directions C front, back, left, and right; When the Spirit Swords flew within three feet of Lan Ling, they hit what seemed to be a layer of water, causing ripples to spread across its surface. All the swords then vanished as if they had passed through a portal, disappearing without a trace; Eh? Song Jian was taken aback. The myriad water screens had devoured all the Spirit Swords as if they had never existed. This was a sword technique that could cause around a hundred thousand damage, yet it had no effect whatsoever. This made Song Jians heart sink. Crack! A crisp sound of shattering rang out, and Lan Ling exclaimed in shock. Around her body, a shower of sparkling fragments rose into the air. Lan Lings eyes instantly reddened, and she looked resentfully at Song Jian, her voice trembling, That was a birthday gift from my mother on my sixteenth birthday Song Jian was stunned. What was happening? Was this a setup? He looked around and saw only himself, the girl in front of him, and their two battling behemoth pets; He turned to glance at the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon opened its eyes and gave him a look, then closed its eyes once again. In a mere moment, the sound of snoring could be heard; Come on, you werent snoring when you were asleep just now He looked again at the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast, only to find it staring at him with a scornful gaze; come on, dont you know the caliber of your own master? She was the first to make a move! Seeing Lan Lings face, which clearly said you owe me compensation, Song Jian lost any remaining desire to continue fighting and sighed, Alright, what kind of compensation do you need? But let me make it clear first, dont go overboard! Upon hearing this, Lan Lings expression brightened once again, and she said joyfully, In a few days, it will be my mothers big birthday, and I have my eye on the tail feathers of a giant bird. I want to get a few to make a brocade fan for my mother, but that bird is too powerful C I cant beat it. If you help me beat it, Ill forgive you! Song Jians mouth twitched several times, feeling like he was dealing with an unripe child. He shook his head and asked, Is that bird even more formidable than your Dragon Lizard Beast? Not as formidable as my Little Gold! Lan Ling immediately contested, Its just that it can fly, and Little Gold cant Abyssal Hell, Demon Slayer Canyon A group of players with Abyssal jobs were leveling up by slaying monsters here, and the existence of Guardian Temple had been known to many Abyss players, but it had since become a pile of ruins. After searching the surrounding area for over half a month, most players had left in disappointment, while only a few persistent Abyss players continued their exploration; Doru was a member of the Fallen Angel War Alliance, with the career of an Abyss Earth Walker, and today, along with a group from his alliance, he was leveling up by slaying monsters in the Demon Slayer Canyon; Soon, they arrived at the foot of the small hill where the Guardian Temple was located. Now the entire hill had collapsed, with rubble everywhere, making it impossible to find the entrance to the Guardian Temple; Doru looked around at the people near the Broken Stone Mountain, curious; Captain, what are those guys doing? They dont seem to be here to level up by slaying monsters! Doru whispered; Just a bunch of fools obsessed with stumbling upon an adventure! Captain Ma Shao looked up and said disdainfully. He had forgotten that just half a month ago, he was one of those scouring the area around Broken Stone Mountain; An adventure? You mean the Guardian Temple? Doru asked in surprise, Isnt the Guardian Temple already destroyed by that human named Song Jian? What are they looking for here? Heh, youve been gone for a while to take on an epic class quest and arent aware of the specifics. Even though Song Jian wiped out the Guardian Temple, its said that he didnt obtain the legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings, or rather, he wasnt willing to switch to an Abyssal career, so he discarded the legacy like a worn-out shoe. These people are all hoping to obtain the legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings! Captain Ma Shao laughed; The legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings? A gleam of joy appeared in Dorus eyes as he asked, That cant be easy to obtain, can it? Humph, of course not! Ma Shao shook his head and said: Its said that only by obtaining the legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings can one open the Abyssal Passage, and then we could enter the main plane of the game! Humph, we, at the very least, have rare classes now. If we could return to the main plane, wouldnt we rampage unopposed? Thats a hundred times better than staying in this Abyssal Hell! Doru nodded. Players who switched to Abyssal classes were those who chose ordinary professions in the main plane but wanted to become stronger. Their starting point was much higher than that of players on the main plane. Furthermore, the harsh environment of the Abyssal Hell and monsters that were a few notches tougher than those of the same level on the main plane meant that players who could survive in the Abyssal Hell were much more formidable than the players on the main plane. Once the Abyssal Passage opened, the invading Abyss players would surely gain lots of benefits; Its a shame, its like a mountain of treasures. We all know that theres the legacy of an Abyssal Demon King hidden within the mountain, but we just cant find the way in! Ma Shao sighed and shook his head; The vast expanse of Abyssal Hell, if including the planes invaded and ruled by it, could be described as immeasurably vast. However, only eight Abyss Demon Lords ruled over this Hell, with one having fallen in the Main Plane, whose legacy was probably only to be found there; The remaining seven Abyssal Demon Kings had ruled over the immeasurable lands of Abyssal Hell for tens of thousands of years, so one could imagine that obtaining the legacy of an Abyssal Demon King would be like soaring to the heavens in a single step, with a status that perhaps not even a king in the real world could match; Alright, well fight for another hour, then head back to rest. I hear that in a couple of days, the alliance is planning an event to hunt a level forty boss. Only players level thirty-eight and above can join. Lets all push hard. Dont drop the ball when the time comes! Ma Shao shouted loudly. While everyone responded, Doru suddenly felt a subtle tremor under his feet, and his heart stirred. Without showing any expression on his face, he slowly moved towards the Broken Stone Mountain while continuing to slay monsters; PS: Thank you to Book Friend 20191127234229646 for the reward of 1000 Qidian coins~ Chapter 936 - 936 937 Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast_1 ?Chapter 936: Chapter 937: Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast_1 Chapter 936: Chapter 937: Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast_1 After fighting minor monsters for over an hour near Broken Stone Mountain, their Experience Points had increased by 3%, and after dividing the spoils of battle, they were ready to return to town to rest; Captain, you guys go ahead, Ill fight a bit more here! Doru said, The profession quest earlier took up a lot of time, and Ive fallen behind in levels, so I want to grind a bit more! Ma Shao nodded. Doru had spent nearly a month on the Abyss Earth Walker profession quest, acquiring an epic profession but falling behind in level, now only at thirty-five; Alright, just be careful on your own, and if youre in danger, use a Town Return Scroll, dont worry about wasting them! Ma Shao said in a low voice, stuffing two Town Return Scrolls into Dorus hand; Doru was touched. Town Return Scrolls were rarities in Abyssal Hell, available only at a high-end general store in the main city, and even then in limited quantities. Since the Fallen Angel was the largest battle alliance in Flame Furnaces main city, they had a certain quota allocated to them; Town Return Scrolls were also considered a strategic reserve. Because Ma Shao was a member of the Elite Team, he had a few for saving his life, and ordinary alliance members couldnt buy them even if they had the money; Thank you, Captain! Doru expressed his gratitude; Ma Shao smiled slightly and waved his hand at Doru, leading a group of people toward the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon; Watching his companions leave, Doru didnt actually hunt monsters but instead began to circle Broken Stone Mountain, seemingly in search of something. Other players trying to find the entrance to the Guardian Temple only glanced at Doru and paid him no mind. Such curious players were not uncommon, yet very few were truly dedicated to seeking the temple, with most wandering around for a few hours before leaving in disappointment; The Abyss Earth Walker was actually a profession similar to a Mage of earth magic, capable of drawing on the power of the land. In the harsh environment of Abyssal Hell, where normal peoples visibility was only three or four meters, Doru could sense movements in the land up to dozens of meters away by feeling the earths tremors; This was a special talent of the Abyss Earth Walker profession, something Doru hadnt told anyone. He hadnt even shown it in battle, as the ability was highly clandestine. Unless Doru revealed it himself, it would be difficult for outsiders to notice; Earlier, he had felt an unusual fluctuation from the ground under his feet, growing more distinct as he approached Broken Stone Mountain, as if the earth was trying to convey a message to him; At first, Doru thought it was his own illusion, but soon he sensed a special Abyssal energy from the pulsations of the land, a very pure Abyssal energy. Remembering the legends of the Abyssal Demon King, Doru immediately became excited; Following the guidance of the lands pulsations, Doru arrived in front of a huge boulder and with an inadvertent turn, his figure disappeared from the sight of those around him; Given the limited visibility in Abyssal Hell, Dorus disappearance went unnoticed by the others, who assumed he had simply run off, unable to endure the solitude; But in reality, behind that huge boulder, a crack just wide enough for one person to enter had mysteriously opened under Dorus feet; Below the fissure was a slope. Hesitating for a moment, Doru stepped forward and descended the slope into the depths of the fissure. Shortly after he entered, the crack slowly closed again without a sound; At that moment, Song Jian was flying with his sword, following behind the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast. Lan Ling sat on the back of the Dragon Lizard Beast, looking enviously at Song Jian flying in the air; Thats so cool! Lan Ling gazed at Song Jian, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she immediately muttered to herself: Im talking about the Sword Flight Art, not him as a person! I mean, where exactly is that big bird you mentioned? Song Jian couldnt help asking, as the two had been running for over two hours, well beyond the area of the Poisonous Marsh; S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ah? Lan Ling was startled and quickly said, Were not far now, just over that mountain ahead and well reach the big birds nest! That big bird is a BOSS, surrounded by many other creatures. We need to clear our way through! By the way, my name is Lan Ling, whats your name? Lan Lings cheeks turned slightly red as she couldnt help asking; Song Jian usually kept his information hidden, so even if someone had the skill to probe, they couldnt access his attributes if their level was not higher than his; My name is Song Jian! Song Jian glanced at Lan Ling and said; Song Jian? Lan Ling was taken aback, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she said softly, That name sounds familiar, I think Ive heard someone mention it before! Half an hour later, the two of them had crossed over a mountain peak and arrived at a mountain hollow. If Lan Ling hadnt led the way, Song Jian probably would never have found the place; Its right ahead, be careful. Were now inside the territory of that BOSS, and monsters could appear at any moment! Lan Ling looked around with caution. Lan Ling was merely an elite BOSS template, level 46, with only over seventy thousand Vitality Points. Song Jian could not figure out Lan Lings profession, but she had quite a few good items on her; After the necklace that could completely block the power of the Thousand Swords Art broke, Lan Ling, like magic, took out another necklace and put it on. This new necklace appeared to be of nearly the same grade as the previous one; Besides the necklace, Lan Lings earrings, three rings, the ornaments hanging from her belt, even the clothes she wore, all were of extraordinary quality. Song Jian hadnt noticed before, but along the way, he inadvertently realized something oddLan Ling was like a little rich girl, almost all her equipment was of epic level, and she even had two pieces of legendary quality, with frighteningly powerful attributes; Just then, a large group of creatures suddenly leapt out from the cliffs on both sides. These creatures had fiery feathers, long tail wings, and clear cries, but their claws and long beaks shimmered with a metallic cold light; Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast, Normal, Level 48, Vitality Points 9200/9200 Its them, these creatures have spotted us! Lan Ling cried out in alarm. The Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast let out a low roar, its body exuding a powerful aura, and beams of golden light shot from its eyes, striking a Golden Crow Beast in mid-air. After an explosion, the creature screeched in agony and plummeted to the ground; Attack quickly, there are too many of them, Little Gold cant handle them on its own! Lan Ling, clutching a scroll in her hands, called out to Song Jian with an anxious look on her face; Song Jian couldnt help but roll his eyes, knowing that the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast was capable of fighting a Black Dragon for over half an hour. Although at that time it didnt cast any spells, relying solely on its physical strength, and even though the Dragon Lizard Beast was suppressed throughout the fight by the Black Dragon, how could these ordinary level 48 beasts be compared to a Black Dragon? If a Black Dragon were here, even without using Dragon Language Magic, it could quickly kill these ordinary creatures purely through close combat. The Dragon Lizard Beasts disadvantage lay in its inability to fly, but the skill it just used showed that it also had long-range attack capabilities, making it a significant threat to these Golden Crow Beasts; If the skill just now wasnt too consuming, Song Jian believed that just the Dragon Lizard Beast alone could wipe out all of these ordinary creatures; Moreover, that scroll in Lan Lings hand, after Song Jian stared at it for a while and finally tossed it out, was clearly a powerful Rain of Fire Magic Scroll. Once activated, it would not only take out these few dozen creatures, but even if twice as many appeared, it could wipe them all out; PS: Thanks to Book Fan 20190813223721586 for the tip of 1000 QiDian coins~ Chapter 937 - 937 938 Three-Color Feather_1 ?Chapter 937: Chapter 938 Three-Color Feather_1 Chapter 937: Chapter 938 Three-Color Feather_1 Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian swung his right hand, and the Spirit Sword burst forth, flying towards the Golden Crow Beasts. The Spirit Sword, ablaze with karma fire, dealt massive damage to these ordinary monsters, which had less than ten thousand Vitality Points. Moreover, critical hits were easily triggered; If it werent for the large number of Golden Crows, they probably wouldnt have had the chance to pounce before being wiped out! A single use of Thousand Swords Art had decimated the Golden Crow Beasts, leaving only five or six that slipped through the net. The remaining few didnt attempt to flee but continued to lunge at Song Jian ferociously; Song Jian wielded his sword, slicing down the remaining beasts one by one. Lan Ling, who had been holding the Rain of Fire Magic Scroll, finally breathed a sigh of relief and quietly put the scroll away; These large-area magic attack scrolls were one-use items. Although they were extremely powerful, they were also very valuable, and even Lan Ling felt a pang of loss using them. Saving one was saving money; The slain dozens of Golden Crow Beasts dropped plenty of good items. These were all level fifty or so ordinary monsters, dropping items of level forty-five and above. Although they were mostly blue and green equipment, they were still quite valuable; Is this what youre looking for, the Cloud Pattern Golden Crow Feather? Song Jian picked up a long feather from the spoils and turned to ask; This feather was over a foot long, tricolored, with cloud patterns on its surface. As it lightly swayed, a faint fragrance wafted from it, refreshing the mind and clearing the senses. Although it was a blue-quality crafting material, only three such feathers were dropped by the forty or fifty Golden Crow Beasts, indicating its rarity; This is just a Three-Color Feather, its worth a bit of money! Lan Ling glanced at the feather in Song Jians hand and curled her lip with a hint of disdain, What I want is the Nine-Color Feather dropped by a lord-level BOSS, only a fan made of Nine-Color Feathers is worthy of use by my mother! Nine-Color Feather? Alright then, its mine! Song Jian shook his head and collected all the loot into his inventory, then continued following Lan Ling deeper into the canyon; At first entry, it was just a low depression, but the deeper they went, the more expansive it became. What initially allowed only two or three people to walk side by side had now become a canyon wide enough for a dozen people to walk through together; The cliffs on both sides were lush with vegetation, and one could occasionally hear the clear chirping of birds and the roars of wild beastsclearly, it was a rarely trodden place; For players, a place like this was both loved and hated: loved because such places often held treasures, but hated for the unfamiliarity with the new environment, which could easily result in encounters with monsters beyond ones strength. If unable to escape, their lives could be lost here; However, for Song Jian, he naturally loved such places. Along the way, he extended his perception to the maximum, fearing he might miss any treasure; In no time at all, Song Jian discovered seven or eight precious medicinal herbs. However, unfortunately, these herbs required at least a level ten Medicine Gathering Skill to harvest, and Song Jians skill was only level seven. Forcibly harvesting would significantly increase his Medicine Gathering Skill experience, but the quality of the herbs would surely be compromised, losing much of their efficacy, and they might end up being thrown out like trash; If Meng Tiantian were here, she would be overjoyed! The image of Meng Tiantian suddenly appeared in Song Jians mind, but then he remembered she still owed him three million Doomsday Coins with a repayment date far in the future, and he felt a twinge of pain in his heart; Well be near the lord-level BOSSs lair after a little more walking. Are you sure you can defeat it? If not, you should say so sooner. Little Gold might run fast, but it cant fly. Ive already wasted several Teleportation Scrolls, Lan Ling whispered to Song Jian; Youre so rich, yet you care about a few Teleportation Scrolls? Song Jian couldnt help but say; How could I not care? Do you know how much a Teleportation Scroll sells for? Lan Lings little face instantly revealed a pained expression as she said, A single scroll can sell for ten thousand Doomsday Coins, its expensive! Song Jian glanced at her and was suddenly speechless. Just the equipment on her body, if sold off, could probably fetch tens of millions of Doomsday Coins. Some items were priceless and couldnt be bought with money, yet now she was distressed over ten thousand Doomsday CoinsSong Jian really didnt understand her way of thinking; Lets get this straight first, once Ive killed that BOSS, were even. The Nine-Color Feather is yours, and the rest of the loot is all mine! Song Jian thought for a moment and said; Fine, fine, fine, that big bird just has a prettier tail feather, what good items could it possibly drop? Lan Ling said nonchalantly, As long as you can kill it, I only want the tail feather, the rest is all yours, stingy! Song Jian cracked a slight smile and didnt mind Lan Lings attitude, continuing to walk deeper into the canyon; The further he walked into the canyon, the higher the cliffs on both sides became. The sunlight was no longer able to reach inside. Logically, the temperature should be getting lower, but as he went, Song Jian discovered that the deeper into the canyon he went, the higher the temperature became. The surroundings were already at three to four degrees and ordinary people couldnt stay in such an environment for too long without risking dehydration and heatstroke; The trees around were long dead, and all that met the eye was desolate sand and stone. Yet in such harsh conditions, there were even more monsters around; Desk-sized Sand Scorpions scurried continuously on the ground, making a sasha sasha sound. Fortunately, these monsters seemed to be very afraid of the Dragon Lizard Beasts and would keep their distance whenever they sensed their presence; Seeing this scene, Lan Ling seemed quite proud. She glanced at Song Jian, let out a light snort, held her head high in a prideful manner, as if believing that Song Jian was only getting by thanks to her. Song Jian didnt know whether to laugh or cry but could only quicken his pace, wanting to kill the canyons lord level BOSS sooner so that he could return earlier; Look, look, the BOSS is coming out! Lan Ling suddenly pointed ahead and shouted loudly; Song Jian looked up to see a giant Three-legged Golden Crow before him, its body engulfed in roaring flames, perched atop a tall boulder with a majestic demeanor. When it saw a Sand Scorpion rapidly climbing the cliff beside it, the Golden Crow struck like lightning, its long beak instantly piercing through the Scorpions hard shell, extracting a clump of soft, white flesh and swallowing it; The remaining shell, still in the shape of the Sand Scorpion, fell from the cliff and shattered on impact; A, a Three-legged Golden Crow? This, this is something that only appears in myths and legends, how could it appear here? Song Jian was surprised in his heart and looked up involuntarily at the head of the Three-legged Golden Crow; PS: Thank you Bread84 for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 938 - 938 939 Three-legged Flame Crow Beast_1 ?Chapter 938: Chapter 939: Three-legged Flame Crow Beast_1 Chapter 938: Chapter 939: Three-legged Flame Crow Beast_1 ` Three-legged Flame Crow Beast, Lord-level BOSS, Level 50, Vitality Points: 210000/210000 Having seen the attributes of the BOSS, Song Jian finally heaved a sigh of relief. Although this BOSS resembled the mythical Three-legged Golden Crow, it was actually a different species; The Three-legged Golden Crow is a divine beast from myth, with a bloodline even nobler than that of the Dragon Clan. Even a juvenile Three-legged Golden Crow would be impossible for Song Jian to kill alone; A level 50 Lord-level BOSS Song Jian glanced at its Vitality Points and silently breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this BOSS had not reached second-tier Combat Power. If it had, even deploying the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation might not guarantee its death; Players level 50 could apply for second-tier Combat Power assessment. Once passed, their strength would undergo an earth-shattering change. Monsters were the same, and they could be promoted to second-tier Combat Power after level 50. However, the stronger the monsters original power, the harder it was to advance to second-tier Combat Power. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Clearly, the Three-legged Flame Crow Beast in front of Song Jian was one of such creatures; Song Jian looked towards the tail feathers of the BOSS and indeed, on the tail of the Three-legged Flame Crow Beast, there were several long feathers, each over three feet long with cloud patterns and nine different colors from base to tip, lightly shimmering and overflowing with a divine-like brilliance. What you need, are its tail feathers? Song Jian pointed at the resplendently glowing feathers on the BOSSs tail and asked; Yes, thats it. Lan Ling Bird leapt up and said, Those tail feathers are divine objects, much more precious than the feathers you previously obtained from common cloud pattern beasts. Be careful during the fight, dont damage its tail feathers. Otherwise, if its killed, we wont be able to get the complete feathers As she spoke, Lan Ling commanded the Dragon Lizard Beast to slowly back away, saying as she moved, This BOSSs skills are almost all area-of-effect attacks, we need to stand farther back While she was speaking, Song Jian saw the Flame Crow Beast leap from the rocks, spreading its wings like a dancing flame, descending towards the ground; It pecked continuously at the Sand Scorpions on the ground, seemingly considering them as food. Despite being pecked to death, these Sand Scorpions did not dodge or fight back, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate. The pecked Sand Scorpions immediately trembled, standing rigid, while others quickly scuttled towards the deeper parts of the canyon; After pecking to death more than a dozen Sand Scorpions and swallowing the tenderest flesh into its belly, the Flame Crow Beast seemed very pleased. It raised its head and let out a joyous cry, spreading its wings, and sending waves of heat in every direction; Just then, a sharp call came out. Dozens of Spirit Swords ablaze with flames flew towards the Flame Crow Beast, striking it viciously; The attack infuriated the Flame Crow Beast. Each Spirit Sword dealt over two thousand points of damage to it; But the Red Lotus Karma Fire carried by the Spirit Swords was completely resisted by the Flame Crow Beast, which immediately made Song Jians heart sink. He had not expected the Flame Crow Beast to be immune to fire damage; Its important to note, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation is Song Jians trump card. However, most of the damage of the Sword Formation came from the Red Lotus Karma Fire. If it was immune to fire attacks, the Sword Formations damage to the Flame Crow Beast would likely be minimal; This strike dealt over fifty thousand points of damage to the Flame Crow Beast, immediately drawing its attention. It turned its head to look towards Song Jian, anger manifesting in its fiery golden eyes. Wings flapping, heat waves churned, and twin fire blasts surged towards where Song Jian was; ` In an instant, Song Jian felt as though he was trapped in a steaming cage, with the sand and stone beneath his feet so hot it was as if they were scalding; where the flames had swept through, all the gravel had melted into a glistening liquid; Song Jian was shocked; the temperature of the fiery assault must have been over a thousand degrees, something no living creature could withstand with its flesh alone; with a powerful leap, he jumped into the air, with flames roiling beneath him, as though he were above a sea of fire; Seeing Song Jian jump into the air, the Flame Crow Beasts eyes gleamed with a mocking glint; ordinary people could not shift their position in midair and had to endure the damage directly; With a piercing screech, the Flame Crow Beast flapped its wings fervently; in a moment, the entire canyon was enveloped in a celestial blaze, and a large expanse of crimson fire clouds suddenly formed above Song Jians head, quickly followed by a dense shower of fire rain, which enveloped him; Hisss hisss hisss~ The droplets of fire rain landed on Song Jian, immediately giving off a sizzling sound of burning and corrosion, and the durability of the Dark Gold Quality starting armor suit he was wearing began to rapidly deteriorate, while above his head numbers indicating hundreds of points of damage floated up one after another; Though the damage was not high, it was very frequent; in just a few seconds, Song Jian had lost more than a thousand points of damage, and with a thought, the Flame Light Wings materialized, and with a flap, he flew out of the range of the fire rain; Seeing Song Jian actually able to fly, the Flame Crow Beast showed a trace of surprise in its eyes, and staring at Song Jians retreating figure, it opened its long beak and spewed out a thin line of fire; At first, this fire line was as thin as a hair, but upon contact with the air, it immediately branched out, intertwining and entangling with each other, and in a short while, it had transformed into a fire net over ten meters in diameter, swooping down toward Song Jian; The fire net was not very fast at the beginning, drifting with the wind in the air, but as Song Jians flight speed increased, the nets speed also accelerated, eventually becoming as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye, it was hovering above his head; Looking up at the fire net descending upon him, Song Jians heart clenched fiercely, as if a large hand had harshly squeezed it, causing his hairs to stand on end and a sense of life-threatening fear to surge through him; Soul Wander! Without hesitation, Song Jian immediately deployed his life-saving skill, his body turning into a transparent Soul Body, entering another plane of existence; As the fire net fell overhead, it passed right through Song Jians body, drifting toward the ground, and in the moment the net passed through him, Song Jian, who had already dodged the fire net, suddenly felt a palpitation surge up from the depths of his soul; This fire net has the power to harm the soul! Song Jian was inwardly alarmed, and his gaze toward the Flame Crow Beast immediately turned cautious; monsters capable of soul damage were very rare, and Song Jian did not believe that this was its only skill capable of harming the soul; Glancing at his skill bar, a few more seconds were needed before he could use the Thousand Swords Art; Song Jian summoned his Sword Shadow Clone with a thought, and a copy that looked exactly like him appeared in midair, charging toward the Flame Crow Beast; Just as it reached halfway, the clone swung its sword forward, releasing the Thousand Swords Art, unleashing waves of heat, and Song Jian was astonished to see that the clones use of the Thousand Swords Art had triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; sixty Spirit Swords transformed into sixty red lotus petals, swirling toward the Flame Crow Beast; Chapter 939 - 939 940 Pet Egg_1 ?Chapter 939: Chapter 940 Pet Egg_1 Chapter 939: Chapter 940 Pet Egg_1 The Sword Shadow Clones release of the Thousand Swords Art can also trigger the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation? Song Jian was taken aback. In the midst of battle, he had released the Sword Shadow Clone Skill countless times, and the clone had unleashed the Thousand Swords Art just as many times, yet it had never triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation before. Song Jian had always thought that the clones understanding of sword techniques was not deep enough to trigger the sword formation; it turned out it was just a matter of chance. The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation triggered by the clone was almost identical to the one Song Jian could trigger, only its power was much weaker. However, Song Jian soon saw the word Immune floating above the Flame Crow Beasts head, and his heart sank. Clearly, the Flame Crow Beasts immunity to fire meant that the power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation was greatly reduced. Although Song Jian had been expecting this, seeing it still weighed heavily on his heart. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The raging flames burned, and as the Flame Crow Beast was enveloped by the Red Lotus Sword Array, it let out a joyful cry. Its wings flapped vigorously, and the flames surged, almost as if it were a phoenix reborn from fire. The corner of Song Jians eye twitched. The cooldown for the Thousand Swords Art had just finished, and he was ready to step forward with his sword. Even if the Flame Crow Beast could be immune to fire damage, the physical attacks from the Spirit Sword would still be effective against it. He had already slashed more than fifty thousand Vitality Points from the Flame Crow Beast boss. With only two hundred and ten thousand Vitality Points left for the Flame Crow, it would only take a couple more uses of the Thousand Swords Art to kill it. Whether the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation could be triggered was no longer so important! At that moment, the burning Red Lotus slowly unfolded like a dragon, wrapping the Flame Crow Beast inside, and a sword over ten meters long was born from the lotus, floating above it. The instant the sword appeared, dazzling golden Sword Qi filled the entire valley. Although the Thousand Swords Art released by the clone only had the power of the original at four-tenths strength, the surging Sword Qi caused all the birds and beasts in the valley to tremble in terror. The Sword Shadow Clone made a slashing motion, and the long sword in the sky fiercely came crashing down. The torrential Sword Qi caused the hard rock walls on both sides of the valley to crack, and before the sword even reached the ground, the land below had already begun to silently fracture. With the momentum of this slash, a deep trench was carved into the earth. The Flame Crow Beast could no longer utter those joyful cries, but instead desperately struggled to break free from the Karmic Fire Lotuss bondage, trying to escape from there. The golden blade instantly cut through the lotus, and the Flame Crow Beast screamed in agony. The entire Red Lotus burst into blinding light, and amidst thunderous boom, violent air waves swept through the entire valley, carrying dust and debris towards the valleys sides. Lan Ling, who was behind Song Jian, waved her right hand, and a bracelet of crimson beads on her wrist like jade emitted a light, her Qi force rolling forward and dispersing the oncoming dust. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, staring intently ahead, feeling that the Sword Shadow Clones Vitality Points had dropped to the lowest point in an instant. It seemed that the previous attack had caused the Flame Crow Beasts hatred to shift onto the clone. As the dust settled, everyones vision cleared. Song Jian saw a terrifying sword wound on the Flame Crow Beasts left wing root, stretching all the way to its chest, as the fiery blood gushed out, sprinkling the sand and stones on the ground, which began to ignite as well. Song Jians eyes brightened. While the Flame Crow Beast could be immune to the fire damage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, it could not be immune to the damage from the second-tier concentrated Red Lotus Sword. Although it only possessed four-tenths of the power of the original, it had still inflicted serious damage on the Flame Crow Beast. A damage number of twenty thousand and more slowly floated above the head of the Flame Crow Beast. Song Jian saw that the Flame Crow Beast had already rushed in front of the Sword Shadow Clone, its long beak piercing through the clones chest. In its angry golden eyes, it glared deathly at the clone, as if it wanted to swallow him whole. *Thud* The Sword Shadow Clone ran out of Vitality Points and dissipated into a puff of black smoke. The Flame Crow Beasts gaze quickly turned towards Song Jian, its hatred firmly locked onto him; Song Jian gave a faint smile. Before the Flame Crow Beast could charge over, the Invisible Sword Qi rushed towards the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand like a tide. His meridians felt as though they were utterly severed, and a tearing pain surged through his heart. Song Jian grunted as he bit his lip until it bled, but his grip on the Sky-breaking Sword remained firm as he slashed at the Flame Crow Beast; Sixty Spirit Swords emitted a piercing howl as they slashed towards the Flame Crow Beast. Already heavily injured and unable to fly, the Flame Crow Beasts form faltered, and a flash of fear appeared in its eyes. Before it could react, the Spirit Swords had viciously struck it, and its Vitality Points dropped by more than half in an instant. Then the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation materialized once more, enveloping the Flame Crow Beast entirely; Although it was immune to fire damage, the power of the previous Red Lotus Sword left the Flame Crow Beast with a fresh memory. Now, seeing the Red Lotus Sword Array appear again, the Flame Crow Beast went berserk, desperately flapping its wings, attempting to escape the Sword Formation; But even a lord-level BOSS shouldnt dream of breaking free from a Sword Formation. How could a level 50 Lord BOSS, especially with one wing injured, possibly escape the confines of the Sword Formation? The Flame Crow Beast was firmly trapped within the Sword Formation. Although the flames did no damage, it remained motionless in the Sword Formation; Soon, the Sword Formation entered the second tier. The power of the Fire Lotus Sword that it was nurturing was more than double the power released by the previous clone, an amount the Flame Crow Beast could not withstand; The scene from before replayed, this time the Flame Crow Beast was split in half by the Fire Lotus Sword, instantly killed; Lan Lings eyes widened in disbelief. She knew Song Jian was very powerful, but she never expected that a level 50 Lord BOSS would be killed by Song Jian in just a few minutes, and he seemed to have done it without much effort; The Dragon Lizard Beast also watched Song Jian warily. With the strength that Song Jian had just displayed, it feared he could kill it in less than three minutes. This realization immediately extinguished any thoughts of contesting the Black Dragon for the Dragon Head Tree. Setting aside the fact that it was already no match for the Black Dragon, even if it were to somehow prevail, the man before it wouldnt just stand by. Being killed by him afterward would be a truly bad deal; Alright, its killed. Our agreement is now complete, Song Jian turned his head and said with a slight smile to Lan Ling, then headed straight for the corpse of the Flame Crow Beast; The level 50 Lord had dropped quite a few good items. Six Nine-Color Feathers were looted, more than enough to make a fine brocade fan. Song Jian gave all the Nine-Color Feathers to Lan Ling and then picked up the rest of the items, stowing each one into his inventory without missing a single one. Huh, a pet egg? Song Jian held an oval bird egg that radiated a dark gold light. A warm sensation flowed through his palm; There was a great chance that pet eggs dropped by avian monsters would be flying mounts. The price of flying mounts had been soaring, especially after the emergence of Sky City, shooting up to unbelievable heights; Even though the price of flying mounts had dropped a bit after Sky City was closed, such a flying mount egg could sell for several hundred thousand, even a million Doomsday Coins without a problem; Just then, the pet egg in Song Jians hand caught the sharp eyes of Lan Ling, who suddenly grabbed him by the arm; A pet egg, it actually dropped a pet egg? Lan Ling exclaimed with delight: It must be able to hatch a Flame Crow Beast, then I can have as many Nine-Color Feathers as I want. Sell it to me, how about that? Please, Im begging you! Chapter 940 - 940 941 Old Turtle_1 ?Chapter 940: Chapter 941: Old Turtle_1 Chapter 940: Chapter 941: Old Turtle_1 Song Jian glanced at the Three-legged Flame Crow Beasts dropped loot; the most precious thing among them was probably this pet egg for a flying mount. Although the Flame Crow Beasts name didnt sound very appealing, it had an excellent appearance, almost identical to the legendary Three-legged Golden Crow. If there wasnt a real Three-legged Golden Crow standing beside it, probably nine out of ten people would mistake the Flame Crow Beast for a Three-legged Golden Crow. One million two hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, selling it to you. How about that? This is a friendship price! Song Jian glanced at Lan Ling, any piece of equipment she took out at random was probably worth more than that amount. One million and a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins should not be a lot of money for her. One one million two hundred thousand? Lan Lings eyes went wide in disbelief, finding it hard to believe the pet egg could be so expensive. This is a pet egg for a flying mount, one million two hundred thousand, not a coin less! Song Jian nodded firmly and asserted. But I only have about one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins on me now Lan Lings face showed hesitation as she spoke softly. Heh, then Im sorry! Song Jian laughed and stored the pet egg in his inventory. All right, were even. Lets part ways here! Song Jian gestured goodbye to Lan Ling, summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, and prepared to leave this place using the Sword Flight Art. Lan Lings eyes quickly darted around, and she hurriedly stopped him, calling out loudly, In a few days, it will be my mothers grand birthday. Would you be interested in joining me at Jiuli Xuan Yue Cave to attend my mothers birthday celebration? At that time, many skilled individuals will come to wish my mother well, and a few words of guidance from them could benefit you greatly. How about it? Why should I, who has no relation to you, presumptuously attend? What if I get kicked out? No, thanks! No, thanks! Song Jian laughed heartily and waved his hand. Who would dare to kick you out if I bring you? Lan Ling said enthusiastically. Moreover, my mothers Lan Zhi Library contains tens of thousands of books, among which there are no shortage of sword techniques. I can sneak you in to have a look, and you could learn one or two superior sword skills. Wouldnt that be wonderful? Watching Lan Lings head waggle, Song Jian found it amusing and couldnt resist teasing her, The sword techniques Ive learned are from unparalleled secrets of the Sword Immortal, how could the sword techniques in your mothers library compare? Hmph, whats so great about that? Lan Ling wrinkled her nose, her face full of pride as she said, My mothers Lan Zhi Library encompasses everything. What sword techniques arent there? Not to mention Sword Immortals secrets, even the moves of the Sword Saint and Sword God can be found in the library! Song Jian was taken aback and sized up Lan Ling. Had anyone else made such a claim, Song Jian would have dismissed it as mere boasting, but coming from Lan Ling, he couldnt help but believe her to some extent. After all, even though he did not know the exact status of the heir of Jiuli Xuan Yue Cave, he could tell from Lan Lings equipment that her status was likely much more noble than he had imagined. A thought struck Song Jian; if he could actually acquire one or two Sword Immortal techniques from that library Lan Ling mentioned, wouldnt he hit the jackpot? Well then, I havent got much on my hands lately. Taking a trip out to see the world isnt a bad idea! Song Jian nodded and agreed. Seeing that Song Jian had agreed, Lan Ling instantly brightened up. She mounted her Dragon Lizard Beast, led the way, and soon they both left the nest of the Flame Crow Beast, heading in a different direction. Song Jian had thought that Xuanyue Cave wasnt too far from Doomsday City, but unexpectedly, the two of them walked for two days and nights. Standing in front of a vast river that stretched farther than the eye could see, Song Jian looked at Lan Ling with a bit of resentment and said, Didnt you say Xuanyue Cave wasnt far? Its not far! Lan Ling said with an innocent expression, Once we cross this river, we will be in the territory of Xuanyue Cave. After we pass through the Windswept Stone Forest, its less than a hundred miles to Xuanyue Cave! Song Jian: Song Jian suddenly realized that he seemed to have been deceived by the young girl. Along the way, the river was five to six hundred kilometers away from Doomsday City, which was not just far but equivalent to two or three round trips between Doomsday City and the City of Sin. Since he had already arrived here, he couldnt go back. Gritting his teeth, Song Jian persisted, considering it a cost to acquire a Sword Immortal skill! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Do you want me to carry you and fly across? Song Jian asked. The Sword Flight Art couldnt carry others, but whether it was the steel wings or the Flame Light Wings, Song Jian could carry someone and fly for a short time. Lan Ling glanced at Song Jian, her cheeks slightly reddened, and without saying a word, she just shook her head, whispering, Wait a moment, there will be a boat! Song Jian was stunned; he hadnt expected the girl to be rather traditional! The two waited for about fifteen minutes when Song Jian saw a huge shadow drifting over the rolling river surface. This shadow was at least ten meters wide, and that was only what was visible above the water. What was hidden below was anyones guess. It seemed the shadow was coming from the opposite bank of the river, heading straight for them. Even before it neared, Song Jian felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him, like a child standing beside a strange, burly manthough the man didnt make any movements to harm the child, the child couldnt help but want to keep his distance. Be careful, back off! Song Jian, pulling on Lan Lings sleeve, slowly retreated. The aura emanating from the shadow before them was definitely on par with a dominion-level BOSS. Lan Ling looked at Song Jian curiously, flicked off his hand, and said, The boat is here, what are we retreating for? Linger, if you call me a boat again, watch out. I might never ferry you across the river again, letting you sneak out and never return home! The shadow in the water slowly surfaced, and Song Jian was shocked to see a massive turtle like a small island. The diameter of the greenish-black shell on the turtles back was over thirty meters. Its limbs were thick, its skin wrinkled, and its surface covered with fine scales. Even the head that protruded was adorned with two horns resembling those of a Giant Dragon. The properties of the turtle were a series of question marks in Song Jians eyes, whether it was the name, level, or rank, Song Jian couldnt see any of it. This was partly because Song Jian hadnt learned an exploratory skill yet, but it also had a direct relation to the immense strength of the turtle. Upon hearing the old turtle speak, Lan Ling stuck out her tongue and coquettishly said, Grandpa Turtle, please spare Linger this time, I wont dare to do it again! Hahaha, is Linger bringing her lover back to show to your mother? The old turtles pair of blue eyes stared at Song Jian, sizing him up. Though his tone was light-hearted, Song Jian could feel a faint killing intent in the old turtles gaze. Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, what lover? Grandpa Turtle, your words are so unpleasant to hear! Lan Lings cheeks burned as if on fire, and she quickly explained, Song Jian is just a regular friend of mine, and his visit is only to attend my mothers birthday celebration! Chapter 941 - 941 942 Stone Forest_1 ?Chapter 941: Chapter 942 Stone Forest_1 Chapter 941: Chapter 942 Stone Forest_1 Oh, so you are just ordinary friends, hahaha, I guess its just an old turtles rambling, my apologies, Linger, my apologies! the old turtle laughed heartily, his maw full of gleaming sharp teeth, clearly showing that this turtle demon wasnt as friendly as he appeared to be; After giving Song Jian a meaningful glance, the old turtle shouted, Hurry up, board the boat, if we wait any longer the winds will start, and its very bad news if the winds come while we are on the Wangyue River! Lan Ling muttered softly, He calls himself a boat and yet doesnt let others say it Song Jian kept silent. During the journey, Lan Ling hadnt shown any intention of secrecy or concealment, speaking out whatever came to his mind. With just a few prompts from Song Jian, Lan Ling had blurted out everything about his home; As it turned out, the so-called Jiuli Clan was the Demon Clan. In the game, the demons and those monsters were almost indistinguishable in appearance, the only difference being that demons possessed a human-like intelligence, understanding right from wrong, making clear judgments, and thereby not much different from humans in fact, they even formed powers of various sizes due to geographic regions; Xuanyue Cave was a top-tier power among the Jiuli Clan, controlling a territory that spanned over three thousand li. Crossing the Wangyue River and heading west, everything as far as the eye could see was the territory of Xuanyue Cave; This old turtle, on the other hand, was the Guardian of the Wangyue River. Other humans or players who wanted to swim across or take a boat over the Wangyue River would be secretly killed by this old turtle; Sitting on the old turtles back, Song Jian felt the pressure growing heavier, making him feel like a small insect trapped in amber, struggling even for the slightest movement under the weight of an immense force; Song Jian understood in his heart that this was the old turtles way of showing his dominance, warning him not to harbor improper thoughts towards Lan Ling; At least a peak third-tier Combat Power! Song Jian thought to himself; When he passed the first-tier Combat Power assessment previously, Song Jian had encountered strong beings with third-tier Combat Power. The aura emanating from the old turtle was no less intimidating than that of those strong beings; To Song Jian, the Wangyue River seemed less a river but an ocean, as the water was not brackish. Looking around, all he saw was the gently rippling water, with no land in sight; This is practically no different from the legendary Tongtian River! Song Jian muttered to himself; the Tongtian River in Journey to the West was eight hundred li wide, and Song Jian felt that this Wangyue River in front of him was not much inferior to that Tongtian River in any way; And indeed, in the Tongtian River, there was also an old turtle! Tongtian River? Boy, have you been to the Tongtian River? The old turtle heard Song Jians muttering and said with slight surprise, The Tongtian River stretches eight hundred li, a difficult crossing even for birds and fish, and only those with great powers can get close; you, young man, with such meager strength, how could you possibly know its name? I heard it mentioned in passing Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his brow, not expecting that in this game, there would be an actual Tongtian River; Wasnt this originally a post-apocalyptic survival game? How did the style change so abruptly? Song Jian didnt dare to make a sound, just muttering in his heart, Now its turned into a game with immortals and strange creatures. No wonder the Jiuli Clan is a hidden race; ordinary players probably have no clue they exist! The Wangyue River was no match for the legendary Tongtian River, being only about a hundred miles long. The old turtle moved swiftly in the water, with the wind howling over the river, but during the swim, a thin, semi-transparent light screen formed over its shell, keeping the wind out. All the way there, apart from the somewhat monotonous scenery, Song Jian didnt feel any suffocation or other discomfort; Haha, young man, look at this place. Aside from the river water, its desolate, with no land ahead or behind. If I throw you down here, do you think you could survive? The old turtle rocked its body slightly and laughed loudly; Upon hearing this, Song Jian gave a faint smile, pretended to be very afraid, and said, Please dont joke, sir. Surrounding me is vast nothingness; no heaven above, no earth below. If you threw me down here, I would surely plummet to the rivers depths, lost forever! Lan Ling couldnt help rolling her eyes at this and huffed softly at Song Jian, but she didnt speak up; Lan Ling and Song Jian had been traveling together, with Lan Ling riding the Dragon Lizard Beast, while Song Jian used the Sword Flight Art. After two days and nights, neither of them showed any signs of fatigue. It would have been easy for Song Jian to cross the Wangyue River using the Sword Flight Art if it werent for the Dragon Lizard Beasts inability to swim; Hahahahaha~ The old turtle seemed very amused, shaking its head but keeping its body steady. After a few more hours, Song Jian finally saw a dark outline in the distancethe land on the other side had been reached; S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Alright, Grandpa Turtle, well go on by ourselves from here. Dont stay in the Wangyue River these next few days, you should head back to your cave. Dont be late for mothers birthday banquet like last time! Lan Ling jumped off the turtles back, gave a few instructions, then mounted the Dragon Lizard Beast and hurried forward; After bowing to the old turtle, Song Jian summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, took flight into the midair, and followed closely behind Lan Ling; The old turtle watched Song Jian, shook its head softly, and sighed to itself, This young man is lucky, to be favored by the Third Princess of the Jiuli. But hes too timid and his skills are lacking; I wonder if he can be relied on in the future However, his skill in Sword Flight Art isnt bad. I seem to remember someone else crossed the Wangyue River flying on a swordwhen was that? The old turtle shook its head; as a great demon, it had lived for thousands of years and experienced too many things. Sometimes it tended to forget certain events; Turning, the old turtle slowly headed towards the Wangyue River. As half its body submerged in the water, something suddenly dawned on it. With an ah, it stretched its long neck out of its shell, turned its head back, and, staring at the fading figure of Song Jian flying on his sword, muttered under its breath, Damn youngster, playing tricks on the old turtle. Hmph, wait till the Demon Emperors birthday banquetIll get you back for this! Song Jian, once we cross this stone forest, well be at my place. Then, Ill make sure to treat you well! Lan Ling boasted proudly; Song Jian looked up and indeed, before them was a large stone forest. Stone pillars stood erect, resembling cones with a wide base and narrow top, shooting up from the ground. Some were three to four meters tall, others seven to eight meters, and the tallest reached nearly a hundred meters, like skyscrapers. As the wind blew, a ghastly howling, like the cries and howls of ghosts and wolves, arose from the forest; This place must be the source of the Windswept Stone Forests name! In this stone forest, there were also plenty of Level 50 monsters, which looked ferocious, with horns on their heads and green faces with sharp teeth, about the size of a small calf. Their limbs had sharp claws that gleamed coldly; a casual scratch on the stone pillars would leave deep gouges, with stone dust falling all around; These creatures were not of the Demon Clan but ordinary monsters called the Wind Howling Stone Devouring Beast, Level 50. The entire stone forest was their territory, replete with them, feeding on the stone pillars within the forest; Chapter 942 - 942 943 Walking on the Earth_1 ?Chapter 942: Chapter 943 Walking on the Earth_1 Chapter 942: Chapter 943 Walking on the Earth_1 Watching the fierce Stone-Eating Beasts appear and disappear in the stone forest, Song Jian rubbed his nose and said to Lan Ling, Why are there still so many monsters in this stone forest? Do you want me to carry you and fly over? Lan Ling gave Song Jian a sidelong glance and huffed arrogantly as she shook her head. No need. There were originally no monsters in this stone forest at all. I dont know when, but overnight, so many appeared, and you cant kill them. Mother once sent a large army to clear out the area. They wiped out the monsters in the stone forest thoroughly, suffering quite some casualties, but the next day, these monsters reappeared out of thin air. Also, their corpses could combust spontaneously without fire. Strange, isnt it? Song Jian frowned slightly, listening to Lan Ling. It seemed that the monsters here had only appeared recently and were not originally present. Could it be that these monsters are spawned specifically for players to grind? Song Jian thought to himself. If thats the case, then this place might not be a forbidden zone for players. Perhaps there are players born here, emerging as members of the Demon Clan right from the start. I really wonder what they would look like back in the real world Humph, there may be many monsters here, but they are no match for me. Xiao Jin can wipe them all out! Lan Ling said proudly. She seemed to really like the Dragon Lizard Beast and always liked to show it off no matter what she was doing; The Dragon Lizard Beast also posed in an invincible and disgustingly proud manner, lifting its head and roaring loudly twice; Song Jian smiled slightly. Although the Dragon Lizard Beast was a Lord-level BOSS and could easily crush the monsters here, the sheer number of monsters in the stone forest was too great. Ten, twenty, fifty, the Dragon Lizard Beast could defeat them, but what about one hundred, five hundred, a thousand, three thousand? Could the Dragon Lizard Beast still prevail? Just by attrition alone, the Dragon Lizard Beast could probably be worn to death. Otherwise, the previous extermination would not have resulted in such heavy casualties. If Lan Ling really dared to charge into the stone forest relying solely on a Dragon Lizard Beast, she would probably be seeking death; To safely cross this place, the only way would be if that old turtle from Wangyue River were to escort you! Song Jian looked back at the distant Wangyue River and thought to himself; Given the old turtles strength, perhaps it could truly smooth out a path through the stone forest! As he was thinking, Lan Ling took out a string of small bells from her bosom and hung them on her wrist, then patted the Dragon Lizard Beast and walked towards the stone forest; Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling~ As Lan Ling rode the Dragon Lizard Beast and moved forward, she shook her wrist, and the bells on it jingled continuously, creating a soul-stirring sensation in Song Jians ears; What is this? Song Jian was taken aback. The sound of the bells could shake the soul, obviously possessing the capability to damage it. Song Jian wasnt afraid of any other attacks now, except for soul attacks. If he mastered this kind of attack technique, he wouldnt dare to use his lifesaving skill, Soul Wander, anymore; In a state of soul, Song Jian was almost completely undefended. Without treasures to protect his soul, he would be utterly powerless if he suffered any soul damage; The Stone-Eating Beasts in the stone forest seemed to fear the sound as well. As soon as they heard the bell ring, they all scurried away so fast they disappeared without a trace, and Lan Ling leisurely rode the Dragon Lizard Beast into the stone forest; Song Jian shook his head. Lan Ling was of noble birth, constantly revealing endless treasures. If it came to a fight with her, even Song Jian himself wasnt sure he could win; If he damaged several of her treasures in the process, Song Jian was afraid he couldnt afford the compensation even if he sold himself! Song Jian used Sword Flight Art to travel through the air while Lan Ling rode the Dragon Lizard Beast, jingling the bells through the stone forest. It took more than two hours before Lan Ling finally came out of the stone forest; Its too dark in the stone forest, and you cant see anything clearly! Lan Ling complained. If it wasnt for Xiao Jin knowing the way, I would have gotten lost inside! Lan Ling patted Little Golds head affectionately, and the Dragon Lizard Beast let out a purring sound, squinting its eyes as if it was enjoying itself. Are we close to your home? How much farther? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Almost there. Do you see that mountain range ahead? My home is in those mountains! Lan Ling pointed to a distant mountain range and said, Phew, finally home. Im so tired, I wont ever go that far again Song Jian looked up at the distant mountains and was momentarily speechless. Its like exhausting the horse by its view of the mountain, but it appears that reaching Xuanyue Cave before sunset would count as quick. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Abyssal Hell, Demon Slayer Canyon In the depths of Broken Stone Mountain, illuminated by the glow of the earths fire, Doru saw several temples that had collapsed, seemingly after a violent explosion. Numerous demons roamed around the ruins of the temples, and even though the temples had become rubble, the demons did not leave, continuously wandering around these ruins. These demons were at least of Elite Level BOSS, and there were several hulking Liege Level BOSSes lying around the ruins, deep in slumber. Although Doru was of Epic class professional, he couldnt possibly take on an Elite Level BOSS on his own. Besides, he had no clue which part of the ruins he should search for the Abyssal Demon King legacy at the moment. Just then, the ground suddenly shook, and stones tumbled; from within one of the ruins, a chest emanating a dark gold glow appeared. Its ancient golden light instantly caught Dorus eye, the Dark Gold Quality chest being the first he had ever seen. Lucky break, finding loot just as I enter this place! A slight smile appeared on Dorus lips. However, beside the chests ruins, a huge three-headed Hellhound BOSS lay snoring heavily. It was a forty-five level Liege Level BOSS, and if it was disturbed, Dorus life would be forfeit right there. After pondering for a moment, Doru took out a stone radiating blue quality light and started to mutter incantations. Before long, the stone in his hand developed cracks on its surface and soon crumbled into powder. Next to Doru, a massive stone creature over two meters tall rose from the ground. This giant stone person was an ability of the Abyss Earth Walker, Summoning it in non-combat state requiring an Earth Magic Stone and was limited by a summoning duration, so Doru rarely used this skill. Attack! Doru locked onto the Liege Level BOSS near the ruins and commanded the stone creature. The stone person made a rumbling noise and charged toward the three-headed Hellhound at a Liege Level, while Dorus body slowly sank below the surface of the ground. This was another core skill of the Abyss Earth Walker, Earthwalker, which allowed him to enter below the ground and stealth through it. Once underground, unless there were special scouting and attacking methods, harming him was simply wishful thinking. This skills only flaw was that its activation was somewhat slow, providing an opportunity to an opponent, but otherwise, it had no weak points. Chapter 943 - 943 944 Demon King Finger Bone_1 ?Chapter 943: Chapter 944: Demon King Finger Bone_1 Chapter 943: Chapter 944: Demon King Finger Bone_1 Dorus upper half emerged from the ground, and the golden treasure chest was right in front of him. He glanced back to see that the stone golem he had summoned was no match for the three-headed Hellhound, having already lost one-third of its Vitality Points. But he had managed to pull the Hellhound away, and the beast had not realized that Doru was already at the treasure chest. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thank goodness, this chest isnt locked! Doru placed his hands on the chest, and soon, a progress bar for unlocking appeared. For players who enjoyed adventure, the skill of unlocking was crucial, but unfortunately, only professions like thieves and pickpockets could learn the skill of unlocking from their class trainers. Other professions interested in learning unlocking had to obtain a universal unlocking skill book. Universal unlocking skills were hard to come by, and Doru hadnt learned any; if this chest had been locked, he could only have sighed, wiped his drool, and walked away. The higher the grade of the chest, the longer it would take to open it, and the Dark Gold Treasure Chest required a full three minutes to unlock. Doru didnt know if the stone golem he had summoned could withstand the Hellhounds assault for three minutes. With a continuous roar, all three heads of the Hellhound were capable of attacking. Although the stone golem was hard, it was still battered until chips of stone flew in all directions, and its Vitality Points rapidly decreased before Dorus eyes. While unlocking the chest, Doru kept an eye on the battle. He checked the remaining Vitality Points of the stone golem and then the progress bar of the chest. Estimating in his mind, he felt reassured that he should be able to open the chest before the golem perished. The skill to summon the stone golem wasnt a core ability of the Abyss Earth Walker; it was just a common skill with a long cooldown, heavy resource consumption, and a time limit for summoning. Doru seldom used it, but it was extremely effective for luring and tanking monsters. Click~ A light sound signaled that the lid of the chest popped open slightly, and Dorus heart leaped with joyit was open! Just then, Doru suddenly heard a roar from behind. Turning around, he saw each of the Hellhounds three heads biting down on the stone golems head, right arm, and left leg. A shrill sound of friction emerged, with stone powder falling tsk tsk from the jaws of the Hellhound. Its three heads fiercely tore in three different directions, and the stone golem, with only a third of its Vitality Points left, lasted less than three seconds before it crack apart, shattered by the Hellhound into a pile of rubble. With chunks of the stone golems half-head and limbs in their jaws, all made of solid stone, the three-headed Hellhound seemed to vent its frustration by crunching the rocks loudly in its mouth, reducing the solid stone remnants to powder in no time. Doru was greatly alarmed. Without even looking at the items in the chest, he grabbed everything into his inventory and then slowly started to descend into the ground. After killing the stone golem, the Hellhounds attention was drawn to Doru. Its three large heads turned to stare at the slowly descending Doru. The middle head opened its mouth wide, shooting out a blaze of fire that enveloped him. The Abyss Earth Walker could move underground, but the descent was not fast, which was the only weakness of this profession. However, if Doru could raise this skill to the highest level, that weakness would also be mitigated. Seeing the flames coming at him, Doru was shocked. Although he had calculated the time needed to open the chest, he had forgotten that it would take some time to bury himself into the ground. At that moment, his neck had just touched the surface while his whole head was still exposed. The flames engulfed his head entirely; An injury figure of 1,500 points floated above Dorus head. At that moment, Doru could not interrupt his casting. Otherwise, he would be forced out of the ground, and then he would have to face the three-headed Hellhound, the boss-level monster, alone; Enduring the agony of the burn, Doru gritted his teeth and slowly submerged into the ground. After reaching the underground, the burning status immediately disappeared, and Doru let out a sigh of relief. He then checked his Vitality Points, which gave him quite a scare. From over two thousand Vitality Points, he was down to less than a hundred. It was a narrow escape from death. Had he been a second slower and allowed the burn to damage him once more, Doru would probably have lost his life there; That was close, too close! Dorus heart pounded wildly, and it took quite a while for him to calm down; One has to take risks for wealth, Doru mused, Lets see what spoils the treasure chest that almost cost me my life has yielded! With his life no longer in danger, Dorus attention returned to the loot inside the chest. The three-headed Hellhound above ground couldnt find Doru and, seeing the chest cracked open, flew into a fit of rage. Boom! Boom! Boom! came thunderous noises from above, but Doru paid them no mind. Unless the hounds had the ability to dig three feet into the ground, the burrowed Doru was safe and sound; A Dark Gold Treasure Chest should yield at least one Dark Gold Quality item. This is a big score! Doru opened his inventory with a smile spreading across his face; He had originally come here seeking the legacy of the Abyssal Demon King, but unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a Dark Gold Treasure Chest, which was a great start; Materials, materials, food, ores The chest contained over a dozen items that Doru grabbed in one go into his inventory, yet most of these were just common materials and food; Eh, Demon King Finger Bone? A Dark Gold Quality ring, nice, very nice, haha! Doru saw a crystalline finger bone, like gleaming jade, in his inventory, and upon carefully inspecting its attributes, he was overjoyed. He eagerly slipped the finger-bone-shaped ring onto his finger; The rings attributes were excellent and well-suited for Doru. Not only could it enhance the power of his abilities, but it could also increase the cast speed of his spells. This meant that even if his Earthwalker skill hadnt reached max level, he could quickly submerge underground, greatly enhancing his survival capabilities; Just as Doru was delightedly slipping on the ring, he suddenly felt a sharp pain at his finger, and cold sweat streamed down his body. Looking down, he saw the newly acquired Dark Gold Quality ring, glowing with a sinister red light like a hot iron, while his skin sizzled at the touch; Doru was startled. It was the first time he had encountered such a thing. He tried to grasp the ring and pull it off, but as soon as he touched it, the intense heat scalded him, forcing him to retract his hand quickly; At that moment, Doru felt his entire body restrained by the ring, dripping with cold sweat and unable to muster a single bit of strength; System: You have obtained the Demon King Finger Bone ring and automatically triggered the hidden quest The Seventh Demon Kings Legacy. Please follow the quest instructions and complete the task! Chapter 944 - 944 945 Three-tailed Fox Demon_1 ?Chapter 944: Chapter 945: Three-tailed Fox Demon_1 Chapter 944: Chapter 945: Three-tailed Fox Demon_1 Doru cradled his finger, the intense pain causing the muscles in his cheeks to twitch involuntarily, yet his eyes revealed a mix of surprise and delight. The Demon Kings inheritance, Ive actually obtained the Demon Kings inheritance! Doru was ecstatic, and even the pain from his finger seemed more bearable; Soon, the ring that was the Demon King Finger Bone returned to normal, the crimson color slowly faded, and the heart-wrenching pain also disappeared without a trace, but Doru found that the ring seemed to have grown onto his finger, impossible to remove, and attempting to pull it caused his skin to hurt; Upon opening his equipment tab, sure enough, the ring was bound to him and couldnt be taken off, but to Dorus surprise, after the ring underwent the transformation, a new attribute upgradeable had been added to the item description, along with This is a symbol of the power held by the seventh Demon King of the Abyssal Hell; With this realization, Doru felt that it didnt even matter that he couldnt remove the ring, his heart filled with joy as he opened the quest tab to check the content of the Demon Kings inheritance quest; Meanwhile, Song Jian and Lan Ling had finally arrived at Xuanyue Cave, located deep within the mountain range. Without Lan Lings guidance, even if Song Jian had searched for three days and nights, he would never have found it; I thought Xuanyue Cave was just a cave. Who would have thought it would be such an opulent abode? Song Jian said in awe at the buildings nestled in the mountains; This is only the outer residence, the real Xuanyue Cave is actually inside this mountain peak! Lan Ling boasted proudly; Oh dear, my silly Linger, how come you start revealing our secrets to outsiders the moment you return home? A flamboyant young woman, holding a bamboo basket in her left hand and a silk fan in her right, covering half of her face, approached from the mountain path; Song Jian narrowed his eyes. The way this young woman moved was as graceful as a willow in the wind, her exposed eyes captivating and brilliant, like a hook that could steal ones soul with just a glance; The young woman exuded a seductive aura. One look from Song Jian and he felt as if there was a fire burning in his chest, his eyes beginning to turn red; Just then, a clear stream surged through his mind, instantly quenching the flame that had begun to rise, and his clarity returned at once; Song Jian was shocked C this young woman was naturally enchanting, and her every move could bewitch a person. Fortunately, his innate skill Thick-skinned had come into effect in time, or else, he might have embarrassed himself right there; A Three-tailed Fox Demon? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze from the womans face to behind her, where three tails, each two to three meters long, floated silently: one pure white, one pure black, and the third a mix of both; Lady Fox, this is my friend, Song Jian. Ive invited him to attend Mothers birthday banquet, Lan Ling said, smiling at the sight of the young woman, jumping down from the Dragon Lizard Beast and taking the womans arm; Oh, a friend! Lady Fox giggled, Linger has grown up and even has friends now. Let me see, which handsome, young man has caught Lingers eye? With that, Lady Fox swayed to Song Jians side, looking him up and down, her eyes twinkling with a strange light. A faint fishy scent drifted from her toward Song Jian; At that moment, Song Jian felt an imposing aura emanating from Lady Fox, like a mountain pressing down on him, and he felt somewhat helpless; Why does everyone here like to test me so much, just like the old turtle in Wangyue River, and now these Three-tailed Fox Demons upon our first meeting! This Three-tailed Fox Demon had a series of question marks for all attributes; evidently, its level had surpassed Song Jian by ten levels. Song Jian couldnt see any of the demons attributes, which decisively made him realize the need to acquire a high-quality detection skill. However, the aura exuded by the Three-tailed Fox Demon was nothing compared to the old turtle in the Wangyue River. A Sovereign-class BOSS A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth. Such power might frighten other players around level forty, but to embarrass Song Jian was a foolish delusion. In the combat log, a cascade of system notifications appeared in front of Song Jian: System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you, triggering the innate skill Thick-skinned, which is immune to this skill; System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you, triggering the innate skill Thick-skinned, which is immune to this skill; System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you, triggering the innate skill Thick-skinned, which is immune to this skill; Lady Fox wasnt adept at fighting, but charm was her innate skill. Even a powerful demon might become her puppet if caught off guard and charmed, even happily committing suicide if so commanded. The Three-tailed Fox Demon was naturally charming. At first, when she saw Song Jian and realized that he was unaffected by the charm she had inadvertently exuded, she didnt care. But now, with her charm spell at full throttle, even demon kings stronger than her would flee in avoidance. Yet, this young man stood unaffected, which gave her quite a shock. Once her charm spell failed, Lady Fox felt as if she was standing naked in a snowy field, utterly insecure; Young man, where are you from? How did you become acquainted with our princess? With a flick of her silk fan, Lady Fox revealed her visage. Initially, Lady Fox merely intended to embarrass Song Jian, so that Linger could see his folly. But now, she felt a sense of competitiveness brewing within her. As her charming face came fully into view, Song Jian felt as if the whole world lost its color, and a look of bewilderment appeared in his eyes. Lady Fox was full of pride, yet at that moment, she suddenly heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed singing Surging Waves~, and before she could react, she saw a dazzling flash of sword light. Ah~ A shriek escaped her, the Three-tailed Fox Demons complexion drastically changed, and she found herself sitting on the ground, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Song Jian. Meanwhile, Song Jian also snapped out of his confusion and saw the panicked face of the fox demon. He didnt know what had happened and took a good while before he decided to open the combat log to check. System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you. Innate skill Thick-skinned couldnt immunize this attempt; innate skill Holy Sword triggered, activating the Holy Sword Seal effect, rendering the targets charm spell unusable for 1 minute! Eh, the Holy Sword skill could also trigger such an effect? Song Jian was surprised. He hadnt expected to discover yet another function of the passive innate Holy Sword. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 945 - 945 946 The Tiger-striped Young Man_1 ?Chapter 945: Chapter 946: The Tiger-striped Young Man_1 Chapter 945: Chapter 946: The Tiger-striped Young Man_1 Song Jian looked again at the Three-tailed Fox Demon, who, disguised as a young matron, no longer appeared as stunningly beautiful as before and seemed no different from an ordinary woman; Having been exposed to so many Japanese romance films in the real world, Ive seen all sorts of beauties. To think that I would be beguiled by a monster in this game is simply embarrassing Song Jian thought to himself; Oh my, Lady Fox, what happened to you, why did you fall over? Lan Ling exclaimed in surprise, hurrying to help Lady Fox to her feet; Lady Fox squeezed out a smile and said to Lan Ling, Linger, please take the guest inside to rest well, I I have things to do, Im going in first! Having said that, she pulled her arm away from Lan Lings grasp and without daring to glance at Song Jian again, she walked towards a small door in the manor with her basket in tow; Lady Fox is one of our stewards, shes usually very busy, Lan Ling whispered to Song Jian, seemingly unaware of the magical duel that had just taken place between Lady Fox and Song Jian; Oh! Song Jian nodded and asked, When does your mothers birthday feast start? Should I prepare some gifts? Upon hearing this, Lan Lings face lit up with joy, and she nodded repeatedly, Surely, the birthday feast is tomorrow. Its my mothers grand celebration, and the Great Monster Kings from the nearby regions will all come to wish her well. If the gift you bring is considered trivial, you might be ridiculed How about the Flame Crow Beast egg, why not give it as a gift to my mother? Song Jian looked at Lan Ling speechlessly, realizing that this little girl had her sights set on the Flame Crow Beast egg, having gone through such a roundabout way; You mentioned the Lan Zhi Library earlier Song Jian asked; Dont worry, dont worry, rest for a while. Tonight, Ill sneak you into the library, and by then, I guarantee youll learn sword techniques no weaker than the Thousand Swords Art! Lan Ling promised grandly; That would be great! Song Jian nodded and walked with Lan Ling toward the manor; The main gate of the manor was tightly closed, with large red lanterns hanging on both sides, and red silk draping the entire gate and wall in a festive atmosphere. Above the gate, there was a plaque reading Xuanyue Cave in big characters; Lan Ling led Song Jian through another side door into the manor, where pavilions, terraces, streams, and rockeries were plentiful, and the members of the Demon Clan dressed as maids and servants bowed their knees in greeting upon seeing Lan Ling and Song Jian; Eh, a player? As Song Jian was walking, he suddenly saw a youth with tiger-stripes on his face, slowly approaching with a bucket of water; Upon seeing Lan Ling, the youth quickly set down the bucket and bowed to her, while other servants had names, levels, and Vitality Points above their heads, this youth had nothing above his head, absolutely empty; As I thought, there are indeed players born here! Song Jian silently noted. Lan Ling didnt spare the youth a glance, continuing forward with her head held high, while Song Jian followed behind, giving the youth a slight smile, which instantly revealed the youths face, full of a shocked expression. You, you, the youth with tiger-stripes pointed at Song Jian, unable to help himself from exclaiming; Hmph, what do you think youre doing, dont you have any manners? Upon hearing the noise, Lan Ling turned her head and glared, scolding loudly and sternly; Yes, sorry! The tiger-striped youth was at a loss for what to do, murmuring; Its okay, no harm done. Lets go, weve been traveling for so many days; settle me in quickly so I can get some good rest! Song Jian said with a smile; Hmph, Ill deal with you later! Lan Ling gave the tiger-striped youth a fierce glare, then, pulling on Song Jians sleeve, moved towards the deeper parts of the courtyard; As the two walked away, the tiger-striped youth looked at Song Jians receding figure and couldnt help but exclaim in admiration, My, my, who is this, to receive such treatment from the Third Princess of Xuanyue Cave? And look at them, they seem quite close. This piece of news is explosive, I really admire this big shot! With that thought, the tiger-striped youth tossed aside his bucket and his figure gradually faded, eventually disappearing on the spot; If Song Jian were here, he would know that this youth had actually logged off right then and there, seemingly eager to spread this sensational news; After spending a certain amount of time in the game, players could freely log in and out. Initially, there was a mandatory duration one had to spend before leaving, but after that, one could leave anytime. However, once a player left, there would be a mandatory waiting time upon reentry. Many players, either to level up or complete quests, would often stay in the game for long stretches, with their in-game time even surpassing that spent in the real world; Following Lan Ling, Song Jian arrived at a side room which was actually an independent small courtyard. Although it appeared small, it was extremely exquisite; Alright, you can rest here tonight. Ill take you to the library later; tomorrow, well go pay respects to my mother for her birthday, and after that, you can leave! Lan Ling said, In a while, Ill prepare a nice-looking gift box for you. Put the Flame Crow Beasts egg in it, so it looks a bit more presentable. Youre the only friend Ive invited, so you cant embarrass me! Song Jian was temporarily at a loss for words but could only nod in response. Seeing Song Jian nod, Lan Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief, gave a couple more instructions, and then turned to leave; Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon after, several maids brought over tea and refreshments. Song Jian tasted a couple and found them to be unexpectedly delicious, with the tea seeming to have a soul-cleansing effect. I hadnt expected Lan Lings home to be so rich and luxurious? Song Jian couldnt help saying out loud. Originally, seeing Lan Lings equipment in the Toxic Swamp, Song Jian had guessed she was a rich second generationand indeed, his speculation had been spot on. Lan Lings household turned out to be even more opulent than he had imagined; The Third Princess, a princess of the Jiuli Clan? Then Lan Lings father must be at least a Great Monster King. Song Jian thought to himself; A simple household manager here had the strength of a commander-level BOSS; Song Jian believed that within this mansion, there must be even stronger monsters present, and it wouldnt be surprising if there were many like that old turtle from Wangyue River; Listen more, observe more, talk less, do less. After I visit the library and finish celebrating the birthday, Ill leave! Song Jian reminded himself internally. Now, looking at his reputation with the Jiuli Clan, he noticed that, unexpectedly, his standing had already reached Neutral and was only one-tenth away from Friendly. This reassurance helped Song Jian to relax a bit, knowing that as long as he didnt mess up, securing his safety within the Jiuli Clan wouldnt be an issue. Unbeknownst to Song Jian, evening had fallen, and the news of Lan Ling bringing back a young man gradually spread throughout the Xuanyue Cave Estate, eventually even reaching the ears of Lan Lings mother; After dinner, Lan Ling was called into the inner chamber by her mother, who began to inquire about how she had come to know Song Jian. The two talked for two or three hours. Lan Ling was anxious inside, afraid that Song Jian might become impatient, yet she dared not show it on her face. It wasnt until her mother dismissed her that she hurried towards the small courtyard where Song Jian was staying; Chapter 946 - 946 947 Willpower_1 ?Chapter 946: Chapter 947: Willpower_1 Chapter 946: Chapter 947: Willpower_1 Deep into the night, when all was quiet, Song Jian heard a gentle knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Lan Ling standing there with a look of unease. Seeing Song Jian, she whispered, My mother found out you were here and kept talking to me. Ive only just managed to get away. Have you been waiting anxiously? Its alright. Did your mother blame you? Song Jian asked. He suddenly felt that following Lan Ling to her house might not have been a good idea. Enough talk, lets go to the Lan Zhi Library. Its perfect timing; theyre all busy preparing for tomorrows birthday feast, and the library should only be guarded by poor Grandpa. Here, take this jug of wine; once we give it to him, hell let us in, Lan Ling handed over a small gourd over a foot long, saying; Song Jian took the gourd and immediately saw the properties of the wine within: Hundred Treasures Wine: Beverage, rare quality, effects upon use: after drinking, the whole body relaxes, all illnesses vanish, Spirit Points recovery speed increases by 100%, intoxicated as if sinking into a fantastical dream! Item description: This wine is brewed from a hundred precious fruits and herbs, made according to an ancient formula akin to Monkey Wine, priceless! Just a 100% increase in Spirit Points recovery speed is enough to be considered priceless? Song Jian wondered, but still stowed away the small gourd that probably held only three to four ounces of wine. Quickly, lets go! Lan Ling seemed a bit anxious, pulling at the sleeve of Song Jian as they headed for the outside of the courtyard. Song Jian noticed that the path Lan Ling was taking him on was not the same one they had used that morning to enter, but instead led deeper into the estate. The two ran along a small path, and Song Jian realized they appeared to be heading towards the mountain. Looking back, he saw the estates courtyard at the foot of the mountain brightly lit, bustling with many people busily preparing something. As the scenery on both sides became increasingly barren, Song Jian couldnt help but ask, Where, where are you taking me? To the Lan Zhi Library, of course! Lan Ling said in a low voice, Did you think the Lan Zhi Library was outside? Thats the true heart of the Xuanyue Cave. Only by entering deep into the estate can one access the real Lan Zhi Library! The real Lan Zhi Library? Song Jian was startled. If there was a real one, did that mean there was also a fake Lan Zhi Library? When Song Jian voiced his doubts, Lan Ling rolled her eyes and said, Of course theres a fake one. Look, do you see that big red tree over there? Following Lan Lings indicated direction, Song Jian saw a dark red ancient tree in the southwestern corner of the estate below, emitting a faint glow like a giant candle in the darkness. Thats what most people think of as the Lan Zhi Library! Lan Ling said, But thats just to fool outsiders. The real Lan Zhi Library is within the belly of this mountain! In the back courtyard behind the main hall of the estate, an elegant and luxurious woman sat in front of a basin of clear water, which reflected the image of Lan Ling proudly showing off the real Lan Zhi Library to Song Jian. Hmph, that dead girl! the woman said with furrowed brows, unable to help herself from fiercely slapping the armrest of the wooden chair and muttering under her breath, Guard against everything, yet nothing guards against betrayal from within ones own house. At such a young age, sneaking out for a walk, she even brought a strange man back home! Madam, judging by the young lady and this gentlemans demeanor, it seems, their relationship, perhaps, does not involve romantic feelings a maid dressed woman said cautiously, whispering beside the madam as if she were defending Lan Ling. Its infuriating, utterly infuriating. I initially thought she was merely taking him to look around the outer courts library, but to think, she, she actually tried to take him into the inner court library, this, this Lady Xuan Yue said, trembling with rage as she swung her right hand, decisively knocking over a basin of water before getting up and walking towards the exterior of the house. Madam, please calm your anger! The maid by her side immediately kneeled down to block Lady Xuan Yues path, Tomorrow is your birthday, and many demon kings have already settled in our residence. If madam confronts them now, wouldnt it alarm many people? If things blow up, it may harm the third young ladys reputation instead. Please rethink this, madam! Upon hearing this, Lady Xuan Yues footsteps slowed, and after a moments hesitation, she couldnt help but let out a heavy sigh, saying, What a calamity, such a calamity indeed. Well, let that boy take a small advantage! You go send a flying pigeon message to Mi Gao, give that boy just the time of a cup of tea, whatever fate he may encounter, its all down to his luck now! Yes, madam. Bier will go immediately! The maid quickly got up, pulled out a brocade handkerchief from her bosom, folded it casually a few times into a pigeon shape, and after whispering a few words to the folded silk pigeon, she gently stroked its wings twice, and unbelievably, it began to move. Flapping its wings a couple of times, the pigeon cooed twice and then took flight, soaring towards the peak of the mountain. Lan Ling, are we, are we really going to climb to the top of the mountain? Song Jian panted as he looked up, realizing they were nearing the mountain summit. With his current strength of over a hundred points, not to mention climbing a mountain of merely around a hundred meters, even if he were to scale Mount Everest in a single layer of clothing, he wouldnt feel fatigued at all. But now, having climbed for less than an hour, his legs were already sore and numb, and all he wanted was to lie down on the ground and never get up again. Theres something fishy! Song Jian thought to himself, opening his personal attributes panel, yet nothing seemed amiss. However, he felt as if his attributes had reverted overnight back to his original feeble self, just like before he entered the game. With a thought, Sword Qi surged from within his dantian, ready to burst forth. He noticed nothing unusual with his body, but the weariness baffled him. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Indeed, the entrance to the inner courtyard is at the top of the mountain! Lan Ling glanced at Song Jian, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes. The path they were on, leading to the actual inner courtyard, was originally set with restrictions; no matter how physically strong one was, it made no difference, as they could only climb upwards with sheer willpower. The stronger ones will, the easier the climb; the weaker, the harder. Some with feeble willpower could not even make it halfway up the mountain before exhausting themselves and collapsing, but the real people of Xuanyue Cave would have an amulet, allowing them to move freely up and down. Initially, Lan Ling only wanted to tease Song Jian a bit, planning to give him an amulet when he could no longer persist. To her surprise, he had endured all the way, panting heavily and sweating profusely yet not collapsing outright on the ground. If he can truly climb to the mountain top on his own strength, it would be beneficial for him. Since thats the case, theres no need for me to make a fuss. Ill wait until we reach the mountain top to see! Lan Ling took another look at Song Jian, seeing him struggle and suffer made her feel an odd sense of enjoyment. She couldnt help but let out a chuckle, her footsteps involuntarily quickening. Chapter 947 - 947 948 Inner Court_1 ?Chapter 947: Chapter 948 Inner Court_1 Chapter 947: Chapter 948 Inner Court_1 After climbing for more than an hour, the two finally reached the mountain peak. By then, the moon was bright and the stars were sparseit was already midnight. Lan Ling looked at Song Jian, who was drenched in sweat, and giggled; Song Jian glanced at Lan Ling, well aware that something was off. Lan Lings physical attributes certainly werent as good as his own yet all along the way, she had seemed quite relaxed, without even breaking a sweat; Just as Song Jians expression grew solemn, he suddenly received a system prompt; System: You have reached the summit in one hour and twenty-three minutes. Your willpower has been greatly exercised, and your will attribute has increased by 2 points; this record has been locked. If you climb up ten minutes earlier next time, your will attribute will increase by an additional 1 point; What, this is actually a test? Song Jian was startled. He opened his attribute panel. Willpower is a hidden attribute, and Song Jian had not yet encountered any item that could increase a hidden attribute. Unexpectedly, in Xuanyue Cave, he had found a way to enhance his willpower; How about it, theres a benefit to climbing up here, right? Lan Ling said to Song Jian with a smile; Song Jian took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, Lets continue! Although he had gained a benefit, being tested in such a way still left Song Jian feeling somewhat dissatisfied. If Lan Ling had told him in advance, he would have been very grateful to her right now; At the peak, there was a cave that seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. Lan Ling walked in front, with Song Jian closely following behind. The two quickly entered the cave; The cave was dim, completely void of light. Faint blue glows emanated from Lan Lings eyes, and Song Jian also had dark vision, so the darkness within the cave did not affect their ability to walk; Soon, Lan Ling arrived in front of a rock wall. She took out a token from her bosom and inserted it into an inconspicuous groove in the rock wall. In no time at all, the wall rumbled and split open to reveal a path just wide enough for one person to pass through; Move quickly, each time you only have ten minutes to pass through. Once the time is up, it will close automatically! Lan Ling said, then stepped onto the path; Song Jian quickly followed behind, entering the narrow passage where both sides were lined with jagged rock faces, rough and uneven. Some parts of the rock wall resembled the fangs of a wild beast, interlocking with each other. Once it closed, it was likely that no one would be able to escape; After entering the passage, a ten-minute countdown appeared before Song Jians eyes. It seemed that for players, this place was likely yet another test; This passage was twenty to thirty meters long, which was equivalent to a twenty to thirty-meter-tall stone wall. Without Lan Lings token, it would probably require digging through the entire mountain to get through; Hurry up, hurry up! Lan Ling urged from ahead. The two quickly reached the very center of the mountains belly, where there was a spiral staircase just wide enough for one person. To walk up the stone stairs into the true inner courtyard of Xuanyue Cave within ten minutes was not an easy task; Every few meters along the rock wall next to the stone steps, there was a dim oil lamp. Upon someones entry, these lamps suddenly ignited on their own. However, they only illuminated a small area of the stairs. Such a narrow path would intimidate many from attempting the passage, let alone passing through it in ten minutes; Fast, fast, fast! Lan Ling seemed a bit anxious, signaling to Song Jian repeatedly while clattering down the stone stairs; Song Jian looked down, seeing only an unfathomable depthit was like going from the mountain peak straight back down to the base! With a thought, the Flame Light Wings appeared behind Song Jian. The wings, like flowing light, illuminated the entire stairway. Swift as lightning, Song Jian zipped towards the end of the passage; Lan Ling was startled, only to see a flash of fire before her eyes. By the time she looked back, Song Jian had already vanished from the spot. He just jumped down like that? Lan Lings face was filled with surprise. At this point, she also picked up her pace, hopping towards the steps below on the opposite side. If she really followed the steps down one by one, ten minutes would not be enough. It was only by jumping diagonally down to the steps on the opposite side and then hopping back and forth that she could reach the ground within the allotted time. By the time Lan Ling finally managed to hop to the end, Song Jian was already waiting for her at the end of the passage, having used less than ten seconds. What skill did you just use? Lan Ling, out of breath, looked at Song Jian with a face full of curiosity. Angels Wings, a kind of external equipment, Song Jian said with a smile. How wonderful, to be able to fly without the help of a mount! A look of envy appeared in Lan Lings eyes, and for a moment, her desire for a flying mount seemed to fade a bit. This is the place. Shall we go in? At the end of the passage was a hall, empty and devoid of anything. On one side of the halls rock wall, there was an ancient stone door, with two huge stone sculptures placed on either side, their shapes peculiar; Song Jian also did not know what species of tall, five to six-meters-high humanoid monsters these were. Lets go. Once we enter, well be in the inner courtyard of Xuanyue Cave. This is the real Xuanyue Cave! Lan Ling said with a smile, her right hand opened and reaching towards the stone door. A piece of spiritual light lit up from the spot where Lan Lings palm touched, then quickly spread across the entire stone door. Boom boom boom~ The stone door automatically opened, and Song Jian suddenly felt a warmth rushing towards him. Behind the stone door was a picturesque valley, bathed in bright sunlight overhead, lush and vibrant, with the sounds of insects and birds chirping incessantly, almost as if he had entered another world. Is this a Semi-dimensional plane? A Space-Time Rift? Or Song Jian thought of the broken Divine Country he had acquired. The scene before him was exactly like the Divine Country, only his Divine Country was a world on the verge of collapse, while behind the stone door was a world brimming with life and vitality. Come in, come in. Most people in the inner courtyard are out helping now. If were quick, we can get there and back early! Lan Ling pulled on Song Jians sleeve, heading towards the inner courtyard. Running along the path, they were flanked by tall trees and bright flowers. Many wild animals, hearing the noise, emerged from the flowers, paused to look at Lan Ling, then stood still again, watching them both. Passing through a garden, two courtyards, and several pavilions, Song Jian and Lan Ling arrived in front of a seven-story stone tower. Along the way, they met only a few people, most of whom dressed as servants and maids. Upon seeing Lan Ling, these people would stop their work, pay their respects on the spot, and only stand up to continue their tasks once Lan Ling had left. Here we are, the real Lan Zhi Library! said Lan Ling, pointing at the stone tower with evident pride. Does this place really contain sword techniques that can rival the Thousand Swords Art? Song Jian looked at the unassuming stone tower with some doubt, not sensing anything surprising about it. Hmph, there are plenty of sword techniques far more powerful than the Thousand Swords Art; it all depends on your luck and fortune, Lan Ling seemed dissatisfied with Song Jians attitude, snorted coldly, and pulled him towards the stone tower. Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 948 - 948 949 Library_1 ?Chapter 948: Chapter 949 Library_1 Chapter 948: Chapter 949 Library_1 Upon entering the stone tower, Lan Ling immediately started looking around. Huh, wheres the poor grandpa? Lan Ling wondered aloud as she stared at the empty first-floor hall of the stone tower. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Little one, looking for your poor grandpa? An elderly voice came from the second floor. Soon after, an old man in a white robe slowly made his way down from the second floor, clutching a brightly colored handkerchief in his hand! Huh, isnt that my mothers handkerchief? How did it end up with poor grandpa? Lan Lings gaze was instantly drawn to the handkerchief in the elders hand, and she asked curiously. Hehe, your mother accidentally left it here during her last visit. Knowing you were coming, poor grandpa held onto it, especially for you to bring back to your mother! The elder looked at Lan Ling with a kind gaze, passing the handkerchief to her, yet he did not give Song Jian beside her a direct look, as if he were air. Poor grandpa, this is my good friend Song Jian. I want to take him to the library for a look around. You know, hes a human and he really likes Lan Ling took the elders hand in hers and coaxed in a childlike manner as she shook his hand. Fine, but you only have the time it takes to burn a stick of incense! The elder glanced at Song Jian out of the corner of his eye and nodded. Poor grandpa, he is my best friend, and he even gave you Huh, what did you say, youre allowing us to go up? Lan Ling was stunned and could hardly believe her ears. Ah, who can say no to poor grandpas favorite? Go on now, but remember, you only have the time it takes to burn a stick of incense! The elder in the white robe glared at Song Jian and snorted coldly. That look made Song Jian feel as if he had plunged into the abyss. Suddenly, a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood appeared before him. Waves of blood surged towards Song Jian, engulfing him in an instant. A stream of clarity surged through his mind, spreading throughout his body, and Song Jian awoke from the illusion. A mere glance from the elder had almost taken Song Jians life. Only then did Song Jian realize the murderous intent emanating from the elder was dense, almost tangible, yet most people would struggle to sense its presence. This is a powerhouse whose strength is no less than that of the old turtle from Wangyue River, at the very least a peak third-tier combatant. No, this elder must have already surpassed third-tier combat power! Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and thought to himself. Huh, not bad willpower, young man! A hint of surprise flashed through the elders eyes as he said softly, Go on up, but remember, you only have the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Once the time is up, youll be automatically kicked out! And dont be greedy, you can only choose one sword technique. If you choose more, you wont be able to learn it! After finishing his words, the elder didnt even glance at the two of them again. He sat to one side, closed his eyes slightly, and began sipping his tea. Lets hurry! Fearing the elder might change his mind, Lan Ling quickly pulled Song Jian towards the second floor. Seeing the hasty manner in which Lan Ling dragged Song Jian away, the elder inwardly sighed and shook his head. Song Jian was led up the stone stairs by Lan Ling and felt as if he had passed through a thin curtain of light, immediately entering an immensely vast space. It was as if they were in a super-large hall with walls lined on all sides by bookshelves more than ten meters tall, stacked full of books. In the center of the hall were oddly shaped books piled casually, forming a mountain of books five or six meters high, with books occasionally falling from the top. It appeared as if they were just a pile of garbage that nobody cared about. Phew, seriously, cant those guys put the books back in place after reading them? Humph, next time I see them, Ill definitely give them a good beating! Lan Ling looked at the mountain of books in front of her and said, irritated. Where can I find the sword technique you mentioned? Song Jian asked; Right here? Lan Ling looked at Song Jian strangely and said, The Lan Zhi Library holds over one hundred thousand volumes. People rarely pay any attention to it, and our poor old keeper is too lazy, always just drinking. So, its all a mess, and if youre looking for a book, youll have to find it yourself! To find the sword technique I need among so many books in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief as he said, Are you joking with me? I can help too! Lan Ling nodded and said; Then lets get started quickly, weve already wasted quite a bit of time! After saying this, Song Jian immediately used Sword Shadow Clone, and an identical Song Jian appeared, both moving in separate directions towards the bookshelves to search. Trying to flip through the mountain of books was clearly impossible, so the quickest way was to rapidly scan the books on the shelves; But if the sword technique book truly was buried in that pile of books, Song Jian had no choice but to chalk it up to bad luck; Advanced Forge Art Analysis, grants 10 levels of improvement in forging skill upon use, only advancing up to expert level Thirty-six thousand methods of distinguishing herbs, significantly boosts the level of the Gathering Skill upon use and also affects the success rate of Alchemy. Only master herbalists are qualified to study this? Nine Special Anatomies Analysis, mastery of a special dissection skill upon use with a chance to advance to a Decomposition Skill, requires Master Level in dissection to learn! For players, the Lan Zhi Library is indeed a treasure trove filled with all kinds of Skill Books, including those for life professions as well as numerous other combat-related skills; However, all Song Jian found were ordinary sword techniques. The highest quality sword technique he came across was only similar to the Sword Finger or Taiji Sword he had learned before; Not to mention a technique to rival the Thousand Swords Art, he did not even find anything comparable to the Mysterious Moonlight Sword or the Ling Huan Manbu skills; Time ticked away by the minute and second, and fifteen minutes, the duration of a cup of tea, was almost up. If he couldnt find a sword technique to match the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian would have to settle for a slightly weaker one; Soon, Song Jian had narrowed it down to three sword skill books in front of him a version of the Evil Warding Sword Skill that didnt require castration to practice, a Dugu Nine Swords C Broken with only the Sword Breaking, Arrow Breaking, Whip Breaking, and Saber Breaking techniques, and one Dark Gold Quality book, the Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill. Hey, looks like in the end I can only choose this Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill! Song Jian looked at the three skills, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately picked the complete Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill! Just as Song Jian was preparing to study it, Lan Ling, who was still digging through the mountain of books, suddenly let out a Huh! Song Jians hand twitched, almost slapping the Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill in his hand; Song Jian, come look, is this the Skill Book you were looking for? Lan Ling held up a Skill Book and shook it at Song Jian, whose eyes lit up immediately upon looking up. The surface of this Skill Book was emitting a faint purple-gold glow. Legendary Level, this is actually a Legendary Level Skill Book! Song Jian became instantly excited, tossing the Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill aside and running over to Lan Ling; Chapter 949 - 949 950 Legendary Level Swordsmanship_1 ?Chapter 949: Chapter 950 Legendary Level Swordsmanship_1 Chapter 949: Chapter 950 Legendary Level Swordsmanship_1 I never imagined that beneath this mountain of books, there really would be a Legendary Level Skill Book? Song Jian was amazed in his heart. The reason he searched on the bookshelves was that the books quality could be easily identified by their emanating glowblue, green, and even silver hues. Song Jian didnt even glance at these; he was only interested in skimming through books of gold quality or higher; However, the highest quality on the shelves was just Dark Gold Quality, and there were no books higher than that level, which forced Song Jian to make the best out of a bad situation, settling for three Dark Gold Quality Skill Books; Seeing Lan Ling uncover a Legendary Level Skill Book from beneath the mount of books, Song Jian naturally cast aside the Skill Books he had just selected with such difficulty, as if they were worn-out shoes; Lady Xuan Yue, who had been watching her daughter from the outer courtyard, also couldnt help but let out a sigh when she saw this scene; The sword technique Lan Ling picked was naturally suited for Song Jian, a Legendary Level sword technique that was priceless among players, most of whom probably had never even seen one; Using a Flame Crow Beasts egg in exchange for this sword technique, Ive made a huge profit! Song Jian said as he took the technique and immediately his face lit up with joy. Eclipse Shattered Light Slash (Active): Legendary Level, Level 1 (0%), Skill Effect: Lock on to the target, increase your own critical hit rate by tenfold+1%, consume all Sword Qi Value, Spirit Points, and Vitality Points, deal damage to the target (total energy*1000% + damage*500%), after the skill is released, the user forcibly retains one Vitality Point, falling into a weakened state, unable to automatically recover Sword Qi Value, Spirit Points, or Vitality Points during this state, which lasts for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the weakened state will be lifted; Skill cooldown time: 5 minutes, Skill usage condition: Vitality Points not lower than five thousand; This skill is purely a do-or-die maneuver, after one move, either the enemy dies or I die, theres no second possibility! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim in astonishment after reading the introduction of the Skill Book; But its very powerful, isnt it? Lan Ling said, With your current attributes, even if you dont trigger the tenfold crit rate, you would still be able to deal around a hundred-thousand points of damage, right? If you do trigger the tenfold crit rate, thats a million damage, who else could be your opponent then? Song Jian silently calculated, Lan Ling had underestimated his attributes. You see, Song Jians Vitality Points had already exceeded eight thousand, and if he deployed the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, it would add another five thousand fake health points, which totals over thirteen thousand. Song Jian already had over two thousand Spirit Points, and his Sword Qi Value had also broken through one thousand, plus his current physical damage, if Song Jian used this Eclipse Shattered Light Slasheven without deploying the Azure Dragon Sword Bodyhe could inflict over two hundred thousand points of damage on his target. If he triggered the tenfold critical chance, that would be over two million damage, enough to one-shot even a dominion-class boss. The sword technique was terrifying in damage, but as said before, if it failed to kill the opponent, the one who would die was oneself. In the five-minute weakened state with only a single Vitality Point remaining, one could very well die from just a breeze. To others, perhaps they could only dare to use such a skill once in a lifetime, but for Song Jian, this downside would be greatly diminished; I am from the Shattered Divine Realm, after performing it, I just need to hide in the Shattered Divine Realm for five minutes, and Ill be fine! Song Jian thought to himself, then he slapped his hand on the Skill Book without any hesitation; A purple-gold light flew out from the book and into Song Jians mind, a massive influx of information surfaced in his brain. If it were an ordinary person, such an information overload would probably result in a deadly cerebral hemorrhage, turning the person into an idiot, but Song Jians Spirit Points had already surpassed a hundred points. After learning the new sword technique, he only felt a slight stuffiness in his head; After the learning was completed, the Skill Book disappeared, and before Song Jian had snapped out of his daze, Lan Ling was already pulling him towards the exit of the tower: Time is almost up; lets leave this place quickly. If my mother finds out, shell kill me! You brought me in without telling your mother? Song Jian was stunned. If the owner of this mansion didnt know, he didnt understand why the old guardian of the library was so easy to talk to that he didnt even offer him any Hundred Treasures Wine; Hmph, of course you dont know, I sneaked you in here, Lan Ling said with pride, lifting her chin, Now that both sisters are absent, aside from father king and mother, Im in charge of Xuanyue Cave. Whats wrong with bringing you to the library? Would they even dare to stop me? Song Jian was at a loss for words. Now that the deed was done, Lan Ling became smug. She hadnt been like this before; she was cautious and meticulous, even preparing a bribe in advance as a gift for the elder guarding the library. Oh right, this bottle of wine wasnt even needed; Ill give it back to you. Song Jian took the small gourd from his item slot and handed it to Lan Ling. Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Forget it, poor grandpa has no taste for it, Ill give it to you. My eldest sister brewed it, I stole quite a bit, hehe! Lan Ling laughed. The two returned to the first floor of the library, and by then the white-robed elder had disappeared. Nonetheless, Lan Ling waved her hand towards the empty hall and said, Poor grandpa, were leaving now. We didnt delay even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, so you cant tell my mother, okay? Otherwise, youll have no Hundred Treasures Wine to drink next time! The elder, hidden in the shadows, had a slight flush on his cheeks. He definitely knew that every action and every word of Lan Ling was under Lady Xuan Yues surveillance. It seemed that his acceptance of Lan Lings bribe and secret drinking of the Hundred Treasures Wine had been exposed! Lan Ling and Song Jian did not linger in the inner courtyard, instead retracing their steps back the way they came. This time, Song Jian offered to carry Lan Ling and fly to the mountain top. Lan Ling did not refuse, accepting it with a blushed face. After all, climbing to the mountain top via the winding stone steps from the inner courtyard was no easy task, but flying up was much simpler. Upon returning to the small courtyard, the blush on Lan Lings cheeks had yet to fade. Barely containing her shyness, Lan Ling gave some instructions, You cant tell anyone about tonights event, okay? Also, after tomorrows birthday banquet, you can stay here a little longer. Ill take you around the Xuanyue Cave territory; there are many places with nice scenery around here Just then, a deep voice exploded in their ears, Hmph, Lan Ling, its late at night, arent you going back to your own room to rest? Ah, Mother Lan Lings face showed a panic, not daring to utter another word. She only made a wish-me-luck expression to Song Jian before quickly leaving the small courtyard. Song Jians face turned. At that moment, he realized that the master of Xuanyue Cave, Lady Xuan Yue, seemed to have been watching her daughter all along. Remembering how easily he had gained the old mans permission to enter the Lan Zhi Library, Song Jian instantly understood that his every move that evening might have been observed by this Lady Xuan Yue. After waiting quietly for a moment, Song Jian saw that Lady Xuan Yue seemed to have no intention of speaking with him. He shook his head slightly and turned back to his room. This silly girl, sigh, it looks like Ill have to change the plans for tomorrows birthday gift! Song Jian murmured to himself. Chapter 950 - 950 951 Longevity Banquet_1 ?Chapter 950: Chapter 951: Longevity Banquet_1 Chapter 950: Chapter 951: Longevity Banquet_1 The next morning, Xuanyue Caves outer courtyard buzzed with excitement. Everyone looked overjoyed as many powerful Demon Kings came one after another to celebrate Lady Xuan Yues birthday, while the smaller forces among the Demon Clan could only leave their gifts and names without even the privilege to enter and share a cup of tea. Hey, another player? Song Jian sat in a stone pavilion with a clear view of the outer courtyard gate. This was the perfect moment to broaden his horizons, as Song Jian was curious to see just how many formidable beings existed on the land ruled by the Jiuli Demon Clan. To him, the Jiuli Clan were nothing more than special NPCs. Although this place was far from Doomsday City, it didnt hinder the possibility of future interactions. Fang Demon King wishes Lady Xuan Yue a happy birthday and presents his gifts, a nine-star begonia plant and a meteorite from beyond the heavens, weighing thirteen pounds and six ounces. Giant Elephant Demon King wishes Lady Xuan Yue a happy birthday and presents his gifts, a piece of bright moon jade and a third-tier golden lotus! After listening for a while, Song Jian couldnt help feeling speechlessthese gifts from the Demon Kings were merely materials of green and blue quality, which probably wouldnt be valued at more than a few tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins if auctioned off in Doomsday City. This is rather shabby, Song Jian shook his head slightly. Monster Alliance, leader Wang Yuetu, wishes Lady Xuan Yue a happy birthday and presents a nine-winged crystal drill, a Dark Gold weapon. Lady Xuan Yue invites Leader Wang Yuetu to take a front seat in the hall! Wang Yuetu? A player? Song Jian was startled. Soon enough, he saw a young woman in her twenties followed by two men, being led towards the banquet hall by the servants. These three individuals bore distinct animal traits, be it ears or eyes, differing from ordinary humans. While other demons merely took human form and could walk upright, the players had only two to three parts accentuated by beastly marks, setting them visibly apart from regular NPCs. But that only applied to common Demon Clan NPCs. The powerful ones were almost indistinguishable from humans in appearance. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, a large group of Demon Kings came to offer their birthday wishes. Each of these kings, leading significant forces, provided gifts much more precious than those before, but none exceeded the value of Wang Yuetus present. Song Jian, what are you doing here? Ive been looking everywhere for you, Lan Lings voice came from a distance. Turning his head, Song Jian saw Lan Ling hurrying over, Come on, hurry up, the birthday banquet is about to start. Ill take you for a big feast, haha! With that, Lan Ling dragged Song Jian towards the banquet hall. By this time, the hall was packed with Demon Kings, most of whom were above level fifty and had first-tier combat power. However, a few Demon Kings exuded an aura surpassing the first-tier, possessing second-tier combat strength. Without exception, these powerful kings were seated at the very front of the hall. The three members of the Monster Alliance, though seated quite up front, owed their position not to strength but to wealtha single Dark Gold weapon had earned them overwhelming prestige. Lan Ling pulled Song Jian to the very front of the hall, even ahead of the seats of the few Demon Kings with second-tier combat power. This scene caught the attention of nearly all the Demon Kings. Wang Yuetu, the leader of the Monster Alliance, looked at Song Jian with a burning gaze, her face full of interest. Hmph, you little demons, even daring to sit alongside this Demon King. Arent you afraid that after the longevity banquet, this Demon King will find trouble with you? At this moment, a Demon King with a single horn atop his head, sitting next to Wang Yuetu, looked at the three of them with a displeased expression; Esteemed Demon King, we have offered a Dark Gold Quality weapon to Lady Xuan Yue as tribute. This treasure was acquired at the cost of losing over a dozen members of our alliance! Wang Yuetu smiled obsequiously and said, Look at that human up there; he didnt spend a single Doomsday Coin and yet sits in a place of honor. Arent you resentful, Demon King? If you stand up for justice now, you can certainly gain fame among all the Demon Kings, greatly enhancing your reputation. Even Lady Xuan Yue might regard you with special favor! This Unicorn Demon King, who obviously had brawn over brain, was easily manipulated by Wang Yuetus words to transfer his animosity towards Song Jian; Other Demon Kings also felt indignant seeing Song Jian sitting at the forefront, but they all knew Lan Ling and didnt oppose out of respect for her; Just then, the Unicorn Demon King abruptly stood up, pointed at Song Jian, and roared, Hey, human boy, what gives you the right to sit above all the Demon Kings? Many Demon Kings, seeing someone taking the lead, all wore smiles and kept silent, sitting back to watch the show; Song Jian was taken aback and looked at the Unicorn Demon King. The Demon King was of a towering build with a face full of rage, pointing at him as though he had been greatly insulted; Song Jian didnt speak but glanced around and noticed Wang Yuetu and the other players nearby. All had smirks on their faces as if they eagerly anticipated his embarrassment. Is this the human Wang Xiaohu mentioned? Wang Yuetu whispered; Considering his relationship with the third princess of Xuanyue Cave, its very likely! a youth behind him with sharp eagle eyes whispered back, looking at Song Jian with a mix of envy and jealousy. He said, This guy is really cunning, managing to get in good with the third princess of Xuanyue Cave. If we had his ingenuity, the Monster Alliance might have already established our city Hmph, all you ever think about are good fortunes. In games, the victor is king. Having strong personal power is the key. Isnt his current situation even more embarrassing? A man next to him spoke disdainfully; Lan Ling, upon hearing the Unicorn Demon King speak about Song Jian like that, trembled with rage and pointed at the Demon King as she scolded loudly, You ugly freak, how dare you speak of my friend that way? What gives you the right to sit here? Someone, come forward and throw this brute out for this princess! All the Demon Kings were startled, not having expected this human to hold such an important place in Lan Lings heart. The Unicorn Demon King was also stunned; only then did he realize he had been used as a pawn by others! Several servants hastened into the hall, preparing to drag the Unicorn Demon King away, but they were halted by a stern reprimand, Step down, you ill-mannered brute. How could you treat a guest of Xuanyue Cave like this? Lady Xuan Yue walked forward with dignified grace, gesturing for the servants to withdraw, and glared at Lan Ling before turning her smiling face to Song Jian, I too would like to know, what birthday gift has Lan Lings friend offered to celebrate my longevity? Chapter 951 - 951 952 Birthday Gift_1 ?Chapter 951: Chapter 952: Birthday Gift_1 Chapter 951: Chapter 952: Birthday Gift_1 Lan Ling saw her mother come out ahead of time and was startled, immediately running to Lady Xuan Yues side and supporting her arm, cooing, Mother, it was that ugly monster who was rude to my friend first; how can you side with an outsider? Oh, so hes not an outsider then? Lady Xuan Yue looked at Song Jian expressionlessly and said softly; Lan Ling immediately blushed, her lips moved slightly, but she didnt utter a word; Whats the matter, boy, how long do you plan to hide behind my daughter? Lady Xuan Yue raised an eyebrow and stared at Song Jian as she asked; Song Jian stood up, smiled slightly, and pulled a gift list from his bosom, saying, This is a birthday gift the boy has prepared for the lady! Mother, hes using a Three-legged Flame Crow Beasts Battle Pet Egg as a birthday gift for you. That Three-legged Flame Crow Beast is a flying mount, practically identical to the ancient mythical Three-legged Golden Crow! He personally slew the Flame Crow Beast to obtain this treasure! Lan Ling said excitedly at her side; Flame Crow Beast, a flying mount? Lady Xuan Yue was startled, then seemed to realize something, and lightly smacked Lan Ling, huffing, So thats it, you just wanted a flying mount! Werent you the one who said you wanted nothing but a Dragon Lizard Beast as your mount? If you had spoken earlier, what kind of flying mount couldnt you have had? Did you really need to become a thief in your own home? Upon hearing thief in her own home, Lan Lings face turned even redder; Lady Xuan Yue glanced at the maid beside her, and the maid immediately came forward to take the list and handed it to Lady Xuan Yue; Lady Xuan Yue said with a slight smile, Give it to the steward, let the steward read it out and see, in the heart of this human friend Lan Ling has found, just how much does Lan Ling weigh? Lan Lings face changed, and with just one sentence, Lady Xuan Yue tied the birthday gift Song Jian had offered to Lan Lings standing in his heart. If Song Jian had indeed only brought a Flame Crow Beast egg as a gift, although it was more precious than most, it still would seem somewhat insubstantial, which also meant Lan Ling did not hold a high place in Song Jians heart, putting Song Jian in an awkward position implicitly; Mother, this Just as Lan Ling was about to speak, a young woman with three tails walked in; Lady Fox, read it aloud! Lady Xuan Yue said expressionlessly; Lady Fox made an apologetic face towards Lan Ling, and then, after giving Song Jian a glance, took the gift list from the maid, opened it, and read loudly, One hundred pounds of Dark Gold Quality Abyssal Dragon bones Upon finishing, Lady Fox looked at Song Jian with a surprised face, and the other Monster Kings present began whispering among themselves, many showing faces of disbelief; To understand, most of the Monster Kings present were at the strength level of level forty or fifty Lord-level BOSSes at most, with the pinnacle being first-tier Combat Power. The Abyssal Dragon of the dominion class was an unbeatable existence for most of them; If it were just one or two bones, it could be said that the other party was lucky and had stumbled upon them, but a hundred pounds clearly indicated that these were spoils of war Song Jian himself had hunted and obtained; Be aware, Dark Gold Quality Abyssal Dragon bones, whether for concocting potions or forging, are incredibly precious materials. Though merely Dark Gold Quality, in many eyes, they are almost no different from epic-grade materials, priceless and absolutely unavailable on the market; Even Lady Xuan Yues face changed when she heard it, though she didnt regard Dragon bones very highly, this gift alone had already surpassed those given by over ninety percent of the Monster Kings present; Continue reading! Lady Xuan Yues expression was a bit unpleasant as she glanced at Lady Fox and said; Yes, my lady! Lady Fox, upon looking at the gift list, actually broke into a cold sweat and gave Song Jian a wary look before continuing, Two Holy Light Stones, three feathers from Four-Winged Angels, The gifts listed later on the page became increasingly precious. Dark Gold Quality materials were only the lowest tier, and many of the materials that followed were all of epic quality; Most of these materials were battle spoils obtained by Song Jian from those dominion-level BOSSes. At present, no players were capable of using them. Although they were extremely valuable, they werent that precious to Song Jian at the moment. If he wanted more later, he could simply run the dungeons a few more times; However, for the Monster Kings present, this birthday gift was a blatant display of strength. Each material was from dominion-level BOSSes, and the quantities were tremendous, clearly gotten from defeating those BOSSes; If Song Jian had slain so many dominion-level BOSSes by himself, his strength might not be as great as the few Monster Kings present with second tier combat power, but it was still much stronger than most of the other Monster Kings; Lady Xuan Yue also realized this point, and her brows couldnt help but furrow. Was this guy showing off his combat prowess? But soon, her face relaxed a lot, as the gifts listed later on the page all turned out to be various herbs; Ten Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaves! Lady Fox finished reading all the gifts, slowly closed the gift list, handed it to the maid, then bowed to Lady Xuan Yue and Lan Ling before she retreated backward and slowly left the hall; All the Monster Kings present were silent. Even those powerful Monster Kings with second tier combat power looked at Song Jian with a certain degree of caution in their eyes; Song Jian, what treasure is the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf? asked Lan Ling curiously; It is also a kind of medicine-refining material, but even if taken directly, it can increase life-force! said Song Jian, slipping a Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf out of his bag and handing it to Lan Ling with a smile; If the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaves were refined into Vitality Pills, they could improve physical attributes, but if consumed directly, they would increase the maximum Vitality Points; The Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf, which looked as if it were carved from jade, shone brilliantly in Lan Lings hands, like a piece of art! Increase Vitality Points? All the Monster Kings gazes were drawn to the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf. In their eyes, it was a rare treasure of heaven and earth, and some Monster Kings even displayed a greedy look in their eyes. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ah, is it that precious? Lan Ling was startled and hurriedly handed the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf back to Song Jian, You better keep it safe, dont lose it! Song Jian smiled faintly and said, This one is for you to have, go ahead and play with it. Lan Ling was stunned for a moment, then burst into a radiant smile, nodded, and stuffed the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf into her mouth; The whole leaf transformed into a stream of clarity as it entered Lan Lings stomach. Lady Xuan Yue had just thought to stop her, but Lan Ling had already swallowed the leaf, leaving her with no choice but to shake her head silently. This girl had no defenses against this human boy, which was not a good sign; Ah, my Vitality Points maximum limit has really increased by a hundred! exclaimed Lan Ling excitedly; A hundred points? Song Jian was taken aback and couldnt help but think to himself, Another lucky one! Chapter 952 - 952 953 The Gluttonous Banquet_1 ?Chapter 952: Chapter 953: The Gluttonous Banquet_1 Chapter 952: Chapter 953: The Gluttonous Banquet_1 If the life-enhancing bamboo leaves were used directly, the increase in Vitality Points would be random, with a maximum gain of only one hundred points. Song Jian had taken them several times, but only once did he achieve a hundred-point increase; the Vitality Points gained during the other times were not significant; An individual can only consume five of these bamboo leaves; any more than that wont work, as it wont increase Vitality Points and can even result in poisoning! Song Jian said; Treasures, treasures, indeed such fine treasures! Several of the Demon Kings sitting in the front row exclaimed with faces full of envy; Upon hearing the contents of Song Jians gift list, Lady Xuan Yues expression finally improved somewhat. She glanced at Song Jian and suddenly asked, Didnt you mention that there is an egg of the Flame Crow Beast? Why didnt I hear about this in the gift list? Mother, hes already given you so many valuable treasures, how can you still not be satisfied! Lan Ling stamped her foot and said; Lady Xuan Yue: This silly girl, if she stays with this human for much longer, Im afraid she wont even recognize her own mother. The lady jests. That Flame Crow Beast egg was originally a trophy from when Lan Ling and I together defeated a lord-tier BOSS, the Three-legged Flame Crow Beast! Song Jian laughed: Thats Lan Lings spoils, how could I take her things to offer as a birthday gift? As he spoke, Song Jian took an exquisite wooden box out of his bag and handed it to Lan Ling; For me? Lan Ling, with a puzzled expression, instinctively reached out and took the box, but soon she seemed to remember something and hastily handed it back, saying, This is your loot from the battle; you killed the Flame Crow Beast on your own. Ive already received its tail feathers; how can I ask for this pet egg, too? Its a gift for you! Song Jian laughed; Lan Ling was momentarily stunned, then her cheeks flushed red. Holding the wooden box, she glanced at Song Jian before turning and walking towards the inner chambers; Watching Lan Lings retreating figure, Lady Xuan Yue let out a sigh from within her heart, giving Song Jian a gentle nod and smiling, Youve really spared no expense this time! As I should! Song Jian smiled as he returned the gesture with a slight bow and went back to his seat; Once Lady Xuan Yue had acknowledged Song Jians seating position, no one else stood up to object, and the banquet proceeded as scheduled. Soon, servers brought dishes and drinks to each table; Only then did Song Jian realize why so many Demon Kings were dissatisfied with him sitting thereit turned out that the quality of the food and drinks also correlated with ones seat at the banquet; The closer to Lady Xuan Yues seat, the better the quality of the dishes and drinks. Song Jian and the two or three Demon Kings with second-tier Combat Power had the same quality of food and drinks; Those seated further back had to settle for a lower grade, and beyond that, the quality continued to drop, until at the very back, it was just ordinary food and drink; sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This, food that can permanently increase agility, and drinks that can permanently raise mental capacity? Song Jian stared at the dishes in front of him, stunned; These dishes were far more precious than the life-enhancing bamboo leaves and came with a limit of one serving per person, any more would be ineffective. This one table of food and drinks ended up increasing Song Jians attribute by over a dozen points; Wang Yuetu and the others watched Song Jian relish his meal with eyes dripping with envy; Damn it, a Dark Gold Quality weapon just for three dishes that increase strength by one point, what a loss! The young man beside Wang Yuetu muttered; If you dont want it, give it to me; isnt a point of strength still an attribute? the man beside him said with discontent, Dont take dry food for granted! Who says Im not eating! the youth hurriedly shoveled the plate of food in front of him into his mouth; You see that guy, after this longevity feast, I bet he could gain at least a dozen stat points, what a big win, right? Wang Yuetu whispered; Hes got a lot of stuff too, all those materials from sovereign-level BOSSes, plus all those precious herbs and treasures. By the way, do you guys know what a sovereign-level BOSS is? Ive never come across one of that tier before. Who knows, probably about as powerful as those Great Monster Kings, I guess. These Monster Kings next to us are, at best, equivalent to a lord-level BOSS Right, do you think he still has any Emerald Bamboo Leaves? Thats some good stuff that can directly increase Vitality Points. A person can consume five leaves, and even if it only adds a minimum of thirty points, thats one hundred and fifty Vitality Points with five leaves! the youth said in a low voice; Given that hes produced so much, he should still have a good stock left. Lets try later to see if we can buy some from him! We did stir up a Monster King against him just now, do you think he holds a grudge? Hmph, he shouldnt have noticed our maneuver! Wang Yuetu narrowed her eyes and whispered, Later, you two leave the banquet early to gather the brothers from our combat alliance. If hes willing to sell to us, fine, but if not, hmph, let him know that this is the Demon Clans turf. A human like him coming here to compete with us for goodies hes got to pay the price! Big sister head, that guy is so tough, can we even beat him? the man next to her hesitated; Beat him? We have over a hundred people, we can pile on and crush him to death. How could we not beat him? Wang Yuetu glared and said, Besides, we dont need to fight him. Just standing in front of him with so many people will scare him to death. Do we even need to make a move? Big sister head is right, no matter how tough he is, we have more people, and this is our Demon Clans territory. How could we let a human swagger around here like this! The banquet continued from morning until evening. Song Jian ate to his hearts content. Although not every dish increased stat attributes, the flavors were exceptional, unlike anything available on the outside; Song Jian ate to his hearts content, gaining some value in various stat attributes. In total, it was equivalent to gaining seventeen or eighteen stat points, which felt like he was getting his moneys worth; Just then, several attendants carried up something resembling a roast whole sheep and placed it in front of Song Jians table; Yuxiu Gourmet Feast: A delicacy, consumable, effect upon use: consuming this item will grant a large amount of combat experience; What is this food? Song Jian looked at the delicately fragrant food before him, unable to help but look around; Hahaha, this is a special food from the Xuanyue Cave. The Great Monster King came just for this gourmet banquet, and it has not disappointed! A Demon King with second-tier peak strength laughed heartily, grabbed the food the size of a lamb, and tore into it voraciously; This dish seemed extremely precious; of the nearly hundred guests at the feast, only three or four were able to partake in this dish; PS: Thank you Desire to Speak, Heartless for the 1000 starting coins rewarded~ Chapter 953 - 953 954 Leaving_1 ?Chapter 953: Chapter 954 Leaving_1 Chapter 953: Chapter 954 Leaving_1 Song Jian was curious in his heart, so he tried cutting off a piece and putting it into his mouth. Instantly, a refreshing fragrance burst forth, and surprisingly, he couldnt discern what ingredients had been used for roasting. He only felt a mouthful of rich flavor, delectably exquisite; System: You have consumed Yuxiu Gourmet Feast, gaining 36,000 points of battle experience; 36,000 points of battle experience? Just from one bite, I gained 36,000 points of battle experience? Song Jian was shocked, and he couldnt help but take another bite and swallowed it; This time, a leveling up radiance burst forth from Song Jians body. The battle experience which was already close to maxing out soared directly to its maximum, elevating him by one level; Level 42 now! Song Jian thought to himself. However, he had already earned quite a bit of battle experience before, and even without consuming the Gourmet Feast, he could have leveled up in a day or two; Theres so much left, I wonder how many levels I can increase? Song Jian looked at the Gourmet Feast that nearly occupied the entire tabletop, his face revealing an excited expression. Its important to know that after reaching level 40, each level up requires exponentially more battle experience. He didnt know just how much a large amount of battle experience meant when it comes to the Yuxiu Gourmet Feast; sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The leveling-up glow emitting from Song Jian left Wang Yuetu and the other two dumbstruck. They werent privileged enough to enjoy the Yuxiu Gourmet Feast, but from the envious conversations of the nearby Monster Kings, they learned about the effects of consuming the Gourmet Feast; Why does he always encounter such good fortune, the Gourmet Feast, its the Gourmet Feast! Only the most honorable guests of Xuanyue Cave are qualified to enjoy the Gourmet Feast that can elevate an ordinary person to heaven in a single bound! You guys think, how many levels could he increase? Could it be, could it be that he might directly rise to level 50? Wang Yuetus voice trembled slightly as she asked; No, that shouldnt be possible, right? Isnt it said that after level 40, each level up requires a large amount of battle experience? The Gourmet Feast might be formidable, but it couldnt possibly Damn, he leveled up again, did you see the golden light of leveling up? Although he was already stuffed, Song Jian kept tearing, chewing, and swallowing without stop. Every mouthful of meat was a large amount of battle experience, giving him an irresistible urge to continue; Im so full! After eating most of it, Song Jians level had already risen to 45. With the remaining part, he felt he simply couldnt eat any more; He allocated the four additional skill points he gained directly to Sword Shadow Clone, Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, Sword Control Skill, and Mysterious Moonlight Sword. As for the newly acquired Legendary Level Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, he couldnt immediately enhance it due to incomplete mastery and decided to leave it for the next level up; This is truly a blissful torment! Song Jian struggled to take another bite, gaining over 40,000 points of battle experience. Looking at the remaining hind leg of the Gourmet Feast, Song Jian decided to take a rest before eating more; This human brother, since you cant eat any more of the feast, our Monster Alliance is willing to offer ten thousand Doomsday Coins to buy the leftover feast. What do you think? At this moment, Wang Yuetu suddenly stood up and loudly exclaimed; Ten thousand Doomsday Coins? Song Jian was startled and looked up at Wang Yuetu. He knew, despite only a hind leg left, that based on his experience, this leg could provide at least tens of millions of Experience Points. It couldnt level him up, but for a player above level thirty, it would allow a rise of several levels. Perhaps it was Song Jians high level that led Wang Yuetu to miscalculate, thinking the remaining leg couldnt provide much in the way of Experience Points. Maybe Wang Yuetu was just trying to get something for nothing, which was why she quoted the price of ten thousand Doomsday Coins. After glancing at her, Song Jian rapidly lost interest in those born of the Demon Clan. Their levels were too low, not even reaching thirty-five, lower than the average level of the players in Doomsday City. In Doomsday City, these players wouldnt even have the qualification to meet him. Song Jian was so disinterested that he just waved his hand at them, rejecting Wang Yuetus proposal. Many Great Monster Kings, who understood the value of the feast, watched Wang Yuetu and her companions with amusement. Some even laughed outright, mocking Wang Yuetus attempt to buy a leg of the feast with ten thousand Doomsday Coins. Are you from the boar tribe, thinking of buying his leftover leg with ten thousand Doomsday Coins? The Unicorn Demon King mocked without restraint, Even just the leg could let a newly born little demon rise to a strength not much weaker than yours. Why would he sell it to you? What, a newborn little demon could rise to our current strength? Wang Yuetus annoyance quickly turned into surprise, and she calculated in her heart. That meant just one leg could raise her seven or eight levels, breaking through to level forty? He has eaten nearly an entire one, but, but why has he only gained about four levels? Wang Yuetu exclaimed in surprise. He is close to the status of a Great Monster King, his leveling up will naturally be slower! The Unicorn Demon King shook his head and said, But in terms of strength, he might compare with the Great Monster Kings. Otherwise, the Ping Mountain Monster King and the others wouldnt be willing to sit at the same table with this human, no matter how precious the gifts he offered. Wang Yuetu and the others fell silent, only able to watch Song Jian with pained expressions, as he struggled to eat the feast clean, bite by bite. What kind of creature is this, to have all its bones so tender, its truly astonishing. It would be great to know where it was captured! Song Jian thought to himself. The feast not only provided a vast amount of combat experience, but it also tasted extremely delicious. The cooking technique was one thing, but the most crucial was the ingredientthis beast was extraordinarily rare. Without it, even if one had the best cooking methods, it wouldnt have been possible to make such a feast. Since its called a gourmet feast, could it really be the offspring of Taotie? A thought suddenly struck Song Jians mind, but he quickly laughed and shook his head, Impossible, the Taotie is an ancient beast. Even if its just a cub, it couldnt be slaughtered so recklessly. At most, it has a diluted trace of the divine Taoties bloodline. Soon, the birthday banquet ended. Song Jian had planned to return to the courtyard where he stayed the previous night, but he was stopped by Lady Fox. Young master, I apologize, but Lady Xuan Yue has commanded that since the birthday banquet is over, Xuanyue Cave isnt convenient for guests to stay any longer. Its best if the young master leaves as soon as possible, Lady Fox said cautiously. Chapter 954 - 954 955 Drunkenness_1 ?Chapter 954: Chapter 955 Drunkenness_1 Chapter 954: Chapter 955 Drunkenness_1 Looking at the respectful Lady Fox in front of him, Song Jians face revealed a bitter smile as he nodded. Glancing at the entrance to Xuanye Cave, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a golden Teleportation Scroll; This was the highest quality Town Return Scroll, which, once the spatial coordinates had initially been set, allowed the user to instantly return to the designated coordinates from anywhere, regardless of location; This technology, even more impressive than a Transmission Array, was still not mastered by anyone in the City of Hope Alliance, which is why Song Jian had purchased this Town Return Scroll at a high price from an auction; Song Jian was about to use the Town Return Scroll when he suddenly discovered it wouldnt activate, and at the same time, the system provided a prompt; System: This area has an enchantment barrier, and transportation-related skills and items cannot be used; An enchantment barrier? Song Jian was startled and glanced at Lady Fox. With an apologetic face, Lady Fox spoke, Im sorry, distinguished one, within a hundred miles of Xuanye Cave, a formation set by the lady prevents the use of teleportation, instant movement, and related items. Honored one, you must walk away from Xuanye Cave a hundred miles before you can use the item in your hand. A hundred miles, understood, Song Jian nodded, pocketed the Town Return Scroll, and started walking towards the distance, taking advantage of the night; Lady Fox watched Song Jians retreating figure and sighed with relief. At their first encounter, she hadnt felt Song Jians strength, which is why she had brazenly attacked and tried to charm him. But after truly understanding his power, she didnt dare to use her charm skills on him again; Besides, with Song Jians current level of willpower, her charm techniques would not have any effect; In the darkness, several pairs of eyes fixated on Song Jians silhouette. After a bout of whispered discussion, the eyes quickly vanished, and a few faint breaking-the-sound barrier noises could be heard above; It looks like there arent few coveting him, huh? Wang Yuetu emerged from Xuanye Cave with a delightfully pleased smile on her face; Boss, how about we let some of the Demon Clan test his strength while we catch the spoils behind the scenes? A younger boy beside her whispered softly; Thatll work! Wang Yuetu immediately nodded and said, No matter what, the lives of our alliance brothers are of utmost importance. Well avoid confronting him if possible, as we were a bit careless at the birthday banquet! Boss, that guy has a high-quality Town Return Scroll. If we let him get beyond a hundred miles, we might never find him again, a man in a black robe said quietly followed by, Ive already asked our brothers to set an ambush at Wang Xi Cliff. If he crosses Wang Xi Cliff, hell be able to use the Town Return Scroll, and those from the Demon Clan are likely to ambush him near there too. Alright, lets set out for Wang Xi Cliff first and wait for him there. Hehe, I really want to see if this mighty dragon can stand against those local snakes of the Demon Clan! Wang Yuetu said with a smile, pulling out a bone whistle and softly blowing into it; The low, sharp cries resounded, and shortly after, three enormous grey hawks descended. The group mounted the hawks and flew toward Wang Xi Cliff; Leaving Xuanye Cave, Song Jian followed a wide road more than three meters in width and strolled leisurely ahead. According to Lady Foxs direction, once he passed through a gorge called Wang Xi Cliff, he could use the Teleportation Scroll. Song Jian had nothing urgent at the moment and, having overeaten at the banquet, the walk was a good opportunity to digest his food; After a while, Song Jian suddenly felt dizzy and his body began to grow hot. During the banquet, he had only eaten food and drink that could increase his attributes, just tasting a few bites of others if they appealed to his palate; Among them was a jug called Hundred Treasures Wine, which, once consumed, directly added three Spirit Points. Song Jian had drained the jug in one go and didnt notice the effects then, but now as the alcohol took effect, his gait became unsteady; S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Phew, just a jug of wine for entertaining everyone is so domineering, then the Hundred Treasures Wine that Lan Ling gave me must be even more incredible? Song Jian staggered, opened his bag to glance at the small gourd, and thought to himself; It only increases Spirit Points recovery speed by 100%, the attribute seems quite ordinary, why is it more precious than the wine that adds three points to Spirit Points upper limit? Song Jian was puzzled, not knowing why the grade of Hundred Treasures Wine was higher than that of Xuanyue Distilled Wine; No, thats not right! A light suddenly flashed in Song Jians mind, and his eyes revealed a clear expression; This Hundred Treasures Wine only mentions increasing Spirit Points recovery speed by 100%, but, but theres no time limit, could it be a permanent increase of 100% to Spirit Points recovery speed? The moment this thought crossed his mind, Song Jian sobered up a great deal. If this was true, then the biggest gain from this trip might not be the lavish feast but rather the gourd of Hundred Treasures Wine casually given to him by Lan Ling, originally just to let him return to the Luo Lan Zhi Library as a watcher; Thinking of this, Song Jian directly took out the gourd, opened the lid, and gently sniffed. Immediately, a rich fragrance of wine wafted out, causing his mouth to water; Good wine, good wine! A look of pleasant surprise instantly appeared on Song Jians face, this was probably the finest wine he had ever tasted; The gourd was not large, and Song Jian gulped down the Hundred Treasures Wine in it. As soon as it entered his mouth, the richly fragrant Hundred Treasures Wine turned into a stream of fire, sliding down his throat into his stomach; Song Jian suddenly felt as if his entire body was ignited, radiating heat from the inside out, as if white vapor was coming out from each of his thirty-six thousand pores, and he felt as though he had stepped into a steaming basket. In an instant, Song Jians head spun, and he staggered a few steps. His foot caught on something, and he fell to the ground. With the last bit of rationality, he let himself enter the Shattered Divine Realm, and after that, he knew nothing more; A few Demon Clan kings had been following Song Jian all the way. They were worried that making a move too close to Xuanyue Cave would alert the people there, so they planned to wait until they were near Wang Xi Cliff to act; Eh, where did he go? A Demon Clan king with a green face and sharp teeth, and a single horn on his head, rubbed his eyes vigorously. It was the very same Unicorn Demon King who had sat beside Wang Yuetu before; Whats wrong, Unicorn? another Demon Clan king asked softly, Did that kid pass out drunk? I saw him drinking an entire jug of Xuanyue Distilled Wine before. Hmph, he downed the whole jug in one go, isnt he afraid of drinking himself to death? Damn it, the kids gone, just vanished out of thin air! Quick, search around. Did he notice us? Dont let that kid get away, hes a gold mine! The Demon Clan kings watched in shock as Song Jian suddenly disappeared right before their eyes, immediately thrown into a panic and began to look around in all directions; In the Shattered Divine Realm, Song Jian lay on a patch of grass, sound asleep. Originally, the barren land was full of ravines, but after Song Jian had killed several Sovereign level BOSSes and many Lord and Elite level BOSSes, their soul power began to slowly repair the Shattered Divine Realm; At this moment, the piece of grassland where Song Jian lay was just a small patch that had recently revived. Surrounding this small patch, vast expanses of desolate Gobi and broken stone fields still stretched out; Then, a semi-transparent figure of a young girl appeared out of nowhere, quietly walking up to Song Jians side. Without making a sound, she stared emotionlessly at the soundly sleeping Song Jian, as if observing something very interesting, her gaze unblinking and motionless; Chapter 955 - 955 956 True Difficulty_1 ?Chapter 955: Chapter 956 True Difficulty_1 Chapter 955: Chapter 956 True Difficulty_1 ` I dont know how long it has been, Song Jian slowly opened his eyes. In the Shattered Divine Realm, many laws are missing, and the passage of time cannot be felt here at all; The white-robed girl who had been staring at him had disappeared. Song Jian sat up and rubbed his head; Whew, I drank too much, and it looks like Ive slept for a long time! Song Jian shook his head. After drinking so much, he didnt feel any headache upon waking up and could recall what happened before he got drunk immediately; At this moment, Song Jian didnt feel any discomfort. On the contrary, he felt rejuvenated as if he had a good sleep; He looked aroundthe mountains, the lakes, the dry land. The environment seemed to be slowly recovering. The process was slow, but the changes were noticeable; At the very least, the mountains in the distance already had some greenery, and the previously dried-up lakes now showed some traces of water. Although they looked like small ditches, it was still a positive change; It still needs more spiritual power. Divine power would be even better, but unfortunately, such a thing is not within my reach for the time being! Song Jian sighed, his figure slowly vanished as he left the Divine Country. From beginning to end, he was unaware that besides himself, there was another girl in this divine country; With a flash of white light, Song Jians figure reappeared on a stone path not far from Wang Xi Cliff. This road seemed to be specially built by Xuanyue Cave, made from large stone slabs which seemed to have formations added to them to protect the slabs from damage; A bit further away, on a cliff, there was a huge boulder naturally shaped like a rhinoceros headthat was Wang Xi Cliff. Below was a canyon, roughly a hundred meters across. Passing through the canyon along the stone slab road and leaving Wang Xi Cliff, he would be able to use a Town Return Scroll; I remember that there seemed to be people following me, looking like they wanted to harm me! Song Jian rubbed his temples and thought. However, it seemed that because he had entered the Divine Country before collapsing from drunkenness, and a day and a night had passed as he woke up, those people probably thought he had left long ago and had dispersed; After passing through Wang Xi Cliff, Song Jian took out a Town Return Scroll, about to tear it open, when he suddenly thought of something and looked over towards a level 45 Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast not far away; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jians figure flickered, turning into a streak of light as he flew towards the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast. Sky-breaking Sword easily tore through the beasts defenses, and in an instant, nine successive sword shadows surged through the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast like lightning; The Mysterious Moonlight Sword was extremely fast. By the time the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast reacted, the sword move had already been released. The beast fell from the air, in intense pain, and was about to let out a roar when a streak of white sword light flashed before its eyes and its vision suddenly soared into the air; Song Jian swung the Sky-breaking Sword and directly chopped off the head of the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast; System: You have killed a level 45 ordinary monster, Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast, and gained 5400 experience points; The level 45 Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast dropped a green-quality bracer. Song Jian didnt even glance at it but instead opened his attribute panel and carefully checked it; After a while, a brilliant smile spread across Song Jians face, and he burst into loud laughter, seemingly very pleased; Tearing the Town Return Scroll, Song Jians figure turned into a streak of golden light, shooting up towards the sky, and the surroundings returned to their previous tranquility. After a long time, a Demon Clan player, over level 30, passed by. Seeing the slowly burning corpse of the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast and the dropped green equipment, his eyes lit up, and he quickly rushed over; S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When he picked up the level 40 green-quality bracer, he immediately burst into a happy smile, thinking to himself, Ive struck it rich! ` Glancing left and right, the player quickly stowed the bracer into his inventory and sprinted off towards the distance; Back in the City of Hope, Song Jian stood on the highest floor of the Manor Castle, gazing towards the distant, massive black pyramid; Two rounds of territorial expansion campaigns had passed, and it was this largest Abyssal Shadow dungeon that made it difficult for the City of Hope Alliance to continue expanding! I wonder if the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash could kill the true difficulty Abyssal Shadow BOSS! Song Jian speculated in his heart. He had never tried the true difficulty level. If he relied solely on the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art, he probably would have a tough time clearing the dungeon at this difficulty level. But now he had mastered a Legendary-level sword technique, which, although having significant side effects, would have minimal impact inside the dungeon. And even outside the dungeon, as long as Song Jian could enter the Shattered Divine Realm at will, the side effects would be almost non-existent! I cant delay any further, Ill give it a try today! resolved Song Jian, heart set on the task. Fortunately, he was now at his peak condition. It was time to witness the true difficulty of the Abyssal Shadow dungeon; Without notifying anyone, Song Jian headed alone towards the largest Abyssal Shadow dungeon. It was a forty-person raid, and many players were gathering companions at the entrance; A forty-person raid, even at the simple or normal difficulty levels, dropped quite a number of quality equipment. If it werent for the cooldown limitations, many players would probably grind these difficulties continuously; Eh, the Lord Mayor! someone recognized Song Jian; Turning around, it turned out to be the Elite Team from the City of Hope. Given the size of the City of Hope now, ten Elite Teams had been formed, but the highest level, best equipped, and strongest was still this very first Elite Team; Are you going to continue challenging the hard difficulty? asked Song Jian; The Elite Team had been stuck on the third BOSS of hard difficulty. After Song Jian cleared it, he had shared all the BOSS data from the dungeon with the Alliance, which substantially accelerated the Elite Teams progress; Lord Mayor, weve reached the last BOSS, the Alliance member who recognized Song Jian said excitedly; The last BOSS, huh? Thats a Dominance-level BOSS, so you should be careful. Its third-phase transformation is not easy to deal withits all area attacks, nowhere to hide, only to withstand! Song Jians brow furrowed as he spoke; When Song Jian had killed the last hard difficulty BOSS previously, he had employed every tactic at his disposal and was once killed by the Magic Dragon, triggering the Enemy of Death God passive skill, then managed to kill it by a stroke of luck; Dont worry, Guild Leader, the attack range of this BOSS is just a 120-degree arc. As long as the tank holds it steady, we can attack from behind! said the teammate; Song Jian was taken aback, recalling that indeed the Magic Dragons attacks were only directed to the front. If someone attacked from behind, they could avoid all damage; This was the difference between hunting alone and hunting as a groupan individual could only withstand the attacks, but a team could coordinate with each other, finding various ways to defeat the BOSS; Good luck, I wish you success! Song Jian said with a smile. If the Elite Team could clear the hard difficulty dungeon, then it wouldnt be long before theyd attempt the true difficulty dungeon; Chapter 956 - 956 957 Phase Three_1 ?Chapter 956: Chapter 957 Phase Three_1 Chapter 956: Chapter 957 Phase Three_1 Song Jian took a step into the dungeon, and since he had already cleared the hard difficulty level, he was able to directly choose the true difficulty level; after Song Jian selected the true difficulty, a blood-red teleportation gate appeared in front of him, different from the teleportation gates of other difficulty levels, looking even more realistic; After Song Jian entered the teleportation gate, all other players who were in the dungeon at the same time received a system prompt; System: True difficulty dungeon opened, all other dungeon mirrors will be closed, please all players in the Abyss Phantom dungeon leave the dungeon within thirty seconds, and after thirty seconds, any players still remaining in the dungeon will be forcibly teleported out! This message was refreshed every five seconds, and the remaining time would decrease accordingly; meanwhile, some players who were about to select the difficulty and enter the dungeon found that all difficulty levels for the Abyss Phantom dungeon had turned gray, indicating that they could not be entered. Thirty seconds later, in front of the black pyramid, a large number of players suddenly appeared, all of whom were from teams that had been forcibly teleported out of the dungeon halfway through their run; Damn it, just give me three more minutes, and the fifth boss would have been taken down! a player shouted in frustration; That was close, too close! That boss even had a berserker skill, lucky for the teleportation, otherwise the MT could only have held on for five more seconds before falling another player said with a face full of relief, looking at their companions with eyes filled with gratefulness! The elite players of the City of Hope Alliance all exchanged astonished glances. Although they didnt speak, every one of them was internally screaming: The City Lord is challenging the true difficulty dungeon! Soon, Wang Qi and a few other high-ranking players from the City of Hope received this news and rushed to the front of the dungeon. Looking at the huge black pyramid, Wang Qi pondered for a moment before ordering, Prepare for the territory expansion campaign. As soon as the City Lord clears the dungeon, well launch it immediately! Its just this beast in the way now. Once its defeated, the entire Doomsday City will be ours! exclaimed a player beside him, punching his left palm fiercely, wishing it was himself clearing the true difficulty dungeon. The City Lord will definitely not let us down. He wouldnt do anything if he wasnt certain. Its been over half a month, his strength must have improved dramatically! Wang Qi stated confidently. Vice City Lord, havent you been paying attention to the level rankings? The City Lords level has soared to forty-five! one of the players reminded; What, forty-five? Wang Qi was shocked. He knew that Song Jians level was only forty-one before. In just a few days, he had jumped several levels; In the City of Hope Alliance, there were already players who were level forty, which let everyone know that after level forty, each level up required a massive amount of combat experience. It could be said that all the combat experience from level one to thirty-nine combined was not as much as the experience needed to go from level forty to forty-one; How, how did he do it? murmured Wang Qi, staring motionless at the level rankings, scarcely able to believe his own eyes. Thousand Swords Art! One by one, the spirit swords ablaze with flames struck down towards two small monsters. In the true difficulty dungeon, even just a small monster could compare with a wild lord-level boss of the same level, but for Song Jian, a lord-level boss simply couldnt withstand a single attack of the Thousand Swords Art; After one move, two gigantic Abyssal creatures collapsed with a thunderous fall, they were still more than ten meters away from Song Jian, unable to even get close to him; The two creatures dropped one gold and one silver piece of equipment, along with five or six level forty blue and green materials. This drop rate was already much better than many wild bosses of the same level; ` But Song Jian didnt even glance at the loot, instead, he opened the battle information prompt with an incredulous look and started to read carefully; Is it really ten times the battle experience of monsters of the same level? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise; In dungeons, the battle experience gained from defeated monsters always includes a certain bonus, but this is reduced when divided among players, and people rarely pay attention to the experience gained from battle; S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, after killing those two minor monsters, Song Jian suddenly noticed a spike in his battle experience. Considering the experience needed to level up at level forty-five, these two minor monsters shouldnt even increase his experience by a fraction of a percent. His curiosity piqued, he checked and to his surprise, he found that these two monsters provided more than ten times the battle experience of usual monsters at the same level; It should be noted that this was a forty-player dungeon which already offered an experience bonus. Since Song Jian was alone, the experience he gained was already considerable. Now, with a tenfold increase, it was almost as if there was a bug in the game. After picking up all the loot, Song Jian headed towards the next minor monster. Even in a dungeon of true difficulty, the minor monsters couldnt withstand a single use of Thousand Swords Art. As soon as the cooldown ended, Song Jian could instantly kill any minor monster in the dungeon, making his progress even faster than last time when he cleared the Abyss Phantom at the difficult level; Soon, Song Jian arrived in front of the first boss. Previously, in the hard-level dungeon, the first boss was only a lord-level boss, but now, in the true difficulty, the strength of the boss Dominating tier, the first boss is already at the dominating tier? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he gripped the Sky-breaking Sword tightly; With a thought, the surging Sword Qi within him surged up all at once, congregating on the Sky-breaking Sword, reaching over a thousand points. If it were a weapon of lower quality, it wouldnt be able to contain such dense Sword Intent. Only a long sword of the Sky-breaking Swords caliber could allow Song Jian to release all of his Sword Qi; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art! Sixty long swords, whistling through the air towards the boss, enveloping it tightly in a huge flame of a red lotus; This time, the tearing sensation in my meridians seems much weaker Song Jian thought to himself. Perhaps he had become accustomed to it, or maybe Song Jians physical condition had improved slightly, for when he unleashed the Thousand Swords Art with full force, he didnt feel the previous pain of meridian tearing; The Red Lotus dissipated, and a long sword appeared out of thin air, slicing down fiercely towards the boss; Boom~ A massive noise thundered, and above the bosss head floated a critical hit damage number exceeding three hundred thousand, but even so, the boss still had nearly one hundred thousand Vitality Points left; The boss, covered in wounds, let out an angry roar and charged at Song Jian. Just as Song Jian gripped the Sky-breaking Sword, ready to charge forward, the almost dissipating sword shadows suddenly formed a gigantic hand and pressed down hard on the boss; This, this is the third-tier change of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation? Song Jian stood gaping, his face filled with disbelief. One must know that the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation always triggered only up to the second tier, the Red Lotus Sword, which was enough to kill the enemy. It had never reached the third tier before; But now, when the Red Lotus Sword was unable to kill the boss, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation actually triggered the third-tier change; PS: Happy New Year, its New Years Eve, there will be only two chapters today, slipping away~ ` Chapter 957 - 957 958 Development_1 ?Chapter 957: Chapter 958 Development_1 Chapter 957: Chapter 958 Development_1 The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation has several stages, but Song Jian doesnt know how many. This was the first time he triggered the third stage. It looks just like a palm Song Jian thought to himself. However, just as the faint palm silhouette had formed, the entire sword formation suddenly flickered a few times and wobbled slightly. In no time, the entire palm collapsed, and countless Sword Qi surged forth, covering an area of over a dozen meters. A string of hundreds of points of damage floated above the BOSSs head, which didnt amount to much for a Dominance-level BOSS. But for a Boss that was already severely injured, it became the last straw that broke the camels back. Boom~ With a loud noise, the BOSSs body completely shattered, and a semi-transparent white shadow drifted out from the fragments, flying directly towards Song Jian. This was the BOSSs soul. It let out a terrified roar but couldnt make a sound; it could only passively fly towards Song Jian, as if a powerful suction force was controlling it. That makes four Dominance-level BOSSes. This seems to be the fourth one. It looks like if I can clear this dungeon, I should be able to complete a substantial part of the Sword Immortals quest, Song Jian thought to himself. With a thought, his consciousness entered the broken Divine Country where it had started drizzling. The raindrops nourished everything on the ground, and many parched lands began to recover slowly. The soul energy of a Dominance-level BOSS was incredibly powerful; slaying one could visibly speed up the restoration of the fragmented Divine Country. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Its a pity; the third stage appeared, but it had no power and couldnt even take shape, Song Jian shook his head. The aura emitted by that palm during the formation of the sword array had been even more terrifying than the Red Lotus Sword, but unfortunately, perhaps due to the low level of the Thousand Swords Art, while he had triggered the sword arrays third stage, it ultimately collapsed. I must upgrade the level of the Thousand Swords Art quickly! Song Jian thought to himself. The Thousand Swords Art, already at level 5, was becoming increasingly difficult to improve in proficiency with sword techniques below golden quality. Even a golden quality Skill Book could only enhance a little proficiency. To upgrade the level of the Thousand Swords Art quickly, it was necessary to consume Epic or even Legendary Level skills. But such skills were not only scarce, many people had not even heard of them, and the market would not have such high-quality skills; it was all down to luck whether one could kill a BOSS and obtain them. Song Jians gaze turned to the items dropped by the BOSS, hoping it would drop one or two high-quality Skill Books, but unfortunately, after a long search, he did not find any items resembling books or scrolls. An epic-level scale armor, what a shame, I can only wear leather armor. Damn it, Sword Masters should also be considered a Swordman profession. Why cant I wear scale armor? Song Jian looked at the scale armor with excellent attributes and thought annoyed; Scale armor was a kind of chain mail that provided much higher defense than leather armor but was not as good as plate armor. However, in terms of flexibility, chain mail was far superior to plate armor. Many melee professions that could not wear plate would opt for chain mail equipment. Maybe its because my damage is too high and, for balance, the system wont allow me to wear chain mail? Song Jian thought to himself. But with his current attributes and equipment, even many plate-wearing professions did not have as high Vitality Points and defense, not to mention Song Jians immense offensive power. The first boss of the dungeon didnt put much pressure on Song Jian. There was no need to use the newly acquired Eclipse Shattered Light Slash skill, as a fifth-tier Thousand Swords Art had already triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, which was more than enough to easily exterminate the first boss. Although the subsequent bosses were each stronger than the last, they were essentially on the same level; the scope of their power increase wasnt significant. The most they could vary was between the early and peak combat power of the first tier, never breaking through to reach the second tier. Having witnessed the strength of the first boss in the true difficulty, Song Jian was greatly reassured. Initially, he had only wanted to try out a dungeon on true difficulty, but now it seemed he had a good chance of clearing it. After all, the cooldown period for this dungeon was excessively long. Missing one opportunity would likely cause a delay in his territory expansion campaign. Meanwhile, in the now-sealed Sky City, the eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto was sitting in the central City Lord Mansion, which had just been established. Next to him stood Zhuo Wen, who had evolved to a six-winged Battle Angel, with a respectful demeanor. Zhuo Wen, now in the entire Sky City, its down to just you and me, the two remaining angels, the Illusion Angel Doranto sighed as he looked up into the distance. For many days, he and Zhuo Wen had cleared all the monsters in Sky City. Now, it was as quiet as a city of the dead, but the dungeons were still preserved. Lord Doranto, we need your guidance on how to develop Sky City from here, Zhuo Wen said respectfully. Had it not been for the numerous Hearts of the Angel in the Sacred Spirit Temple, Zhuo Wen would not have been able to advance from an ordinary two-winged Battle Angel to a six-winged one. However, Zhuo Wen couldnt stop thinking about the legendary-quality Heart of the Angel that Song Jian had taken. If he had devoured that Heart of the Angel back then, he would be the one sitting on the throne in the City Lord Mansion. This thought gnawed at him like a persistent poison, constantly biting at his soul, but he dared not show any of it on his face, for he knew that the legendary-quality Heart of the Angel eventually went to Illusion Angel Doranto, which allowed him to regain his former power. Heh, the development of Sky City Doranto chuckled slightly, seemingly not that interested in the citys development. What do you think we should do to develop this city? Doranto asked with a smile. My lord, I believe we should not keep Sky City sealed off Zhuo Wen sneaked a glance at Doranto and, seeing he wasnt angered, continued, We should encourage the god-blessed ones to come to this city. With their power, we can develop the city. Perhaps we can choose some of the outstanding talents among them and offer them the chance to change factions and lineages You mean to select Angel candidates from themor even Battle Angels? Doranto suddenly became serious, staring at Zhuo Wen, and asked word by word. Zhuo Wen immediately felt an overwhelming pressure. The aura emanating from the Illusion Angel swept over him, vast and deep, causing Zhuo Wens heart to pound. PS: A big thank you to Su Poman for the 500 starting coins donated! Chapter 958 - 958 959 Conceal the Moon_1 ?Chapter 958: Chapter 959: Conceal the Moon_1 Chapter 958: Chapter 959: Conceal the Moon_1 My lord, only the two of us are left of the Angel Clan. To regain the glory of our past, we need a very long time, but Im afraid, time is exactly what we lack right now Zhuo Wen gritted his teeth and said; Oh, isnt time quite abundant for us? Dorantos mouth curled into a smile, and he said with a light laugh; My lord, throughout the Main World now, there have emerged many black pyramid fortresses from Abyssal Hell. Before long, I fear the gateway to Abyssal Hell will open Zhuo Wen said; What, how could this be? The eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto, seemingly clueless about this news, abruptly stood up, flapped his wings, and shot into the sky like an arrow, leaping down from Sky City and began patrolling the skies like lightning; Soon, Doranto returned to Sky City. Back in the City Lord Mansion, Dorantos face was solemn. It was well-known that Abyssal Hell and the Angel Clan were opposed. Whenever individuals of these two races met, it would certainly end in a fight to the death; Do you believe that those human champions have the potential to oppose Abyssal Hell? Doranto asked after a long silence; My lord, Abyssal Hell has been aligning with these human Abyssals for quite some time now. Large numbers of human champions have already become a part of Abyssal Hell, and they will be the main force of the upcoming invasion! Zhuo Wen didnt directly answer Doranto but his words made Dorantos heart grow cold; Open up Sky City! Doranto immediately said, Allow the faction selection and the bloodline testing missions to be available, and select the most outstanding human champions to join the Angel Clans ranks! My lord, do you happen to know a person named Song Jian? Zhuo Wen suddenly said; Song Jian? Doranto seemed to recall something, a trace of a smile appeared on his lips, and he nodded saying, I know him, hes a very powerful human! My lord, he has already passed the Judgers trial and now possesses the qualifications of a Judgment Angel, Zhuo Wen said; What, how is this possible? Illusion Angel Doranto was full of surprise and a tinge of anger, What qualifies him, a human, to become a Judger of angels and moreover, how could he possibly pass the Judgers trial? My lord, it was right before my eyes that he passed the Judgers trial! Zhuo Wens face also looked rather unsightly. If the Angel Clan had withered and died out, it would have been acceptable for a human to have earned the title of a Judgment Angel. But now, with the Angel Clan on the brink of rising anew, allowing a human to become a Judgment Angel would be nothing short of a blatant slap in the face; Find him! Doranto said sternly, Either have him transform his bloodline and become a true Judgment Angel, or have him relinquish the title and privileges of the Judgment Angel. Otherwise, he will forever be an enemy of the Angel Clan! Song Jian had already slain four Sovereign-level Bosses, and he had cleared more than half of the raid at true difficulty. The lesser minions in the raid, as long as three didnt appear at once, were instantly killed upon facing Song Jian; As for the Bosses, besides the one he had slain before, the remaining two were all handled by the Thousand Swords Arts Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; And the one just now, Song Jian utilized all his skills except Eclipse Shattered Light Slash and Enemy of Death God, with Azure Dragon Sword Body cooling down over a thirty-minute period, and his other skills also gradually recovering their cooldowns; Whew, its getting tougher and tougher! Song Jian sighed, opening his inventory. At this moment, Song Jians inventory was shining with light. Each Sovereign-level Boss had dropped at least one epic item, some even bursting with two at once; However, whether by bad luck, despite the plethora of epic drops, there was not a single item that Song Jian could use; In addition to equipment, he had found two Skill Books of epic quality, one was the Rogues Instant Stab, and the other was the Mages Fire Meteor from the Sky. These two Skill Books, if taken out, would be invaluable, yet Song Jian hesitated for a long time before he devoured both, enhancing the proficiency of the Thousand Swords Art; It was precisely because of these two Skill Books that the proficiency of the Thousand Swords Art saw a significant increase, skyrocketing to 98% effectiveness, just one or two more golden-quality Skill Books, and the Thousand Swords Art could be elevated to another level; At the third stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, if I could level up the Thousand Swords Art to the sixth level, perhaps it wouldnt collapse midway anymore? Song Jian thought to himself, secretly looking forward to the power of the third stage of the Thousand Swords Art; S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After restoring his status completely, Song Jian continued to move forward and soon arrived in front of the fifth BOSS, deciding to use the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash once to see the power of this skill. This was a BOSS resembling an Ancient War Tree, from afar, it looked like a giant tree, and only upon approaching, would the tree transform into a humanoid shape. This BOSS has over a million Vitality Points, if the tenfold damage of the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash isnt triggered, it might be hard to instantly kill this BOSS, Song Jian contemplated inwardly; Just then, the ground suddenly shook, and a sapling the size of a football suddenly appeared out of nowhere, emitting a sharp screech, and bouncing toward Song Jian to collide with him; This was a skill of the corrupted demonic ancient tree, Summoning Saplings, which could summon saplings that were capable of invisibility and would attack any enemy that came near; A typical move for a BOSSit would fill its surroundings with saplings as a warning. In Hard difficulty, Song Jian had witnessed this tactic and, just like now, when he approached within ten meters of the ancient tree, an invisible sapling discovered him, directly initiating combat. But in True difficulty, Song Jian had not expected to encounter a sapling while still more than thirty meters from the BOSS; Pfft~ A damage number exceeding six hundred floated above Song Jians head, and while the sapling could also trigger a slowing effect, it got nullified by his talent skill Thick Skin. If this effect couldnt be nullified, a BOSS with a charge-like ability would come storming over, then execute a trample-like ability to instantly kill the slowed player; Boom The massive figure of the corrupted demonic ancient tree, like a speeding train, charged toward Song Jian. Its speed seemed faster than in Hard difficulty, and in a few seconds, it was already upon him, its spiky body slamming into Song Jian with ferocity; At that moment, Song Jian didnt bother to execute the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, instead, he used the Soul Wander skill, allowing the BOSSs charge to pass through his body without causing any damage; Sword Qi surged throughout his body toward the Sky-breaking Sword, the blades surface shimmering with specks of crystal light, like stars, while a crescent moon emerged above the corrupted demonic ancient trees head, initially thin but gradually growing fuller and turning into a full moon; In Song Jians hands, the long sword swung forward involuntarily, a dazzling sword light dispersing all other light as it fiercely flew toward the BOSS; Like a white cloud, the sword energy completely enveloped the round moon above the BOSSs head, shrouding the colossal form of the BOSS in a dazzling sword light; PS: Thank you Su Poman for the gift of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 959 - 959 960 Devil Vine_1 ?Chapter 959: Chapter 960 Devil Vine_1 Chapter 959: Chapter 960 Devil Vine_1 After releasing the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, Song Jian didnt even glance at the effects before he directly entered the Shattered Divine Realm. Just as his figure vanished, a surging wave of energy passed right through where he had just been standing; A massive sword wound appeared on the surface of the corrupted demonic ancient tree, nearly splitting its body in two. This strike caused over three hundred thousand damage to the corrupted ancient tree, but it did not trigger a tenfold critical hit, failing to finish it off instantly; This, this feelingits too painful! Song Jian lay weakly on a patch of grass, completely drained, unable even to move a finger; Not only had his Vitality Points been depleted, but his Mental Strength and Sword Qi Value were also exhausted. Song Jian felt as if he had been hollowed out, stuck in a state of weakness that was locked in place, and he had to endure it for five minutes; At that moment, Song Jian was immensely grateful for possessing the Shattered Divine Realm. Although he had already entered it, there was still a faint connection with the outside world. He could sense the impact energy that had nearly killed him a moment ago. This energys power was by no means inferior to a full-force release of his Sword Qi, and in terms of range and impact, it was much stronger. In terms of cutting and sharpness, his Sword Qi might only be slightly better; This skill should only be used to finish off an enemy, not to start a fight! Song Jian ruefully summarized his experience with trying the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash; Five minutes felt like a more torturous ordeal than a slow execution to Song Jian. Every cell in his body was frantically signaling him to replenish nutrients, but he was powerless to do anything; This torture was the ultimate test of his willpower. If he had been a person of slightly weaker will, he might have thought about how to commit suicide and escape this suffering. But in his current state, even the thought of suicide was a luxury; Five minutes seemed to drag on for an eternity, but thankfully, everything has an end. After five minutes, Song Jians Vitality Points, Spirit Points, and Sword Qi Value began to slowly recover. Strength refilled his body once again, like clear water flowing into a dry riverbed, making him feel reborn; After half a minute more, Song Jian finally fully recovered. The moment he left the Shattered Divine Realm, he saw that the BOSSs Vitality Points had also recovered by ten or so thousand. The damage caused by the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash had been effectively halved; Karmic Fire Red Lotus, Thousand Swords Art! With a soft shout, Song Jian fiercely swung the Sky-breaking Sword forward. Sixty Spirit Swords traced crimson arcs through the air, flying towards the corrupted Devil Tree; Boom boom boom~ The power of the Thousand Swords Art was even greater than he had imagined. A series of critical hits floated up from the Devil Tree. Even without triggering the second stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, the sixty Spirit Swords still dealt over three hundred thousand damage to it; A vast red lotus enveloped the corrupted Devil Tree BOSS, and countless Sword Qi ablaze with flames continuously strangled it; It seems that Red Lotus Karma Fire has a strong restraining effect on it. The damage it inflicts is much greater than that on other BOSSes? Song Jian stroked his chin, watching the Devil Tree burn fiercely as if it were a giant torch, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face; Without even reaching the second stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, the corrupted Devil Tree was directly burned to ashes. It seemed that this corrupted demonic ancient tree had a negative resistance to fire; otherwise, it wouldnt have been reduced to this state by the fire so quickly; Among a pile of ashes, two items emitting a purple-red glow were particularly conspicuous amidst a heap of blue-green items. Song Jian rushed straight towards these two items because he saw one of them was actually a scroll, which seemed to be a Skill Book; Thousand Swords Art can finally be upgraded to level six! Song Jian secretly thrilled. If Thousand Swords Art reached level six, he estimated it could sustain the third stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Song Jian was eager to try the power of that hand in the third stage to see how strong it actually was; However, when Song Jian picked up the skill scroll radiating purple-red light, he immediately froze, his face showing a hesitant expression. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This scroll turned out to be a special general-purpose skill scroll with only one effect: it could raise the defense level of a players equipment by one tier; The equipment defense level means that cloth armor professions could wear leather armor, leather armor professions could wear chainmail, chainmail professions could wear plate armor, and plate armor professions were already at their highest, unable to improve further. If a plate armor professional acquired this skill scroll, their only option would be to sell it; But Song Jian was somewhat reluctant to part with such a special and rare universal skill, which was much more precious than a profession skill of the same tier. To use it up as a consumable to enhance the proficiency of Thousand Swords Art seemed like a waste of heavenly gifts; If I use it, Ill be able to wear chainmail Song Jian thought to himself. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to use the skill scroll for himself; A flash of purple-red light passed, and Song Jian didnt feel any different. In his inventory, he had an epic-grade chainmail chest piece that had been unwearable, but now he could put it on; Song Jian did not hesitate to switch to this chainmail. Not to mention other attributes, the defense and resistance alone surpassed two pieces of leather armor of the same quality. With a full set of such equipment, coupled with Song Jians fearsome attack power, he believed that even if he encountered a second-tier combatant, Song Jian would have the confidence to engage in a fight; The other epic-grade item was not equipment either, but a fist-sized dark red seed named Devil Vine. Its effect was to allow a wood-type battle pet to ascend one tier and gain an additional effect called Incidental Devil Vine; Incidental Devil Vine? Isnt that like a battle pet for a players battle pet? Song Jian looked at the attributes of the Devil Vine and couldnt help but smile; the Incidental Devil Vine could only attach to wood-type battle pets. If the wood-type battle pet died, then the Devil Vine would also perish, and even if the wood-type battle pet was resurrected later, the Incidental Devil Vine would not come back to life. Therefore, its primary use was to raise the tier of a wood-type battle pet; Although Song Jian didnt have a wood-type battle pet, in the Manor Castle, there was a bloodthirsty, sinister, toxic tree named Alex, which was actually the largest Guardian of the entire Manor Castle, much stronger than defensive structures like Arrow Towers and Catapults. Alex was already an Elite-Level BOSS, its root system so extensive that it spread throughout the underground of the Manor Castle; Previously, Alex could only guard one wall, but now, all the walls of the Manor Castle, which is also the City Lord Mansion of the City of Hope, were covered with Alexs robust root system, looking as if the walls were clad in a layer of hard armor; If the Devil Vine was used on it, Alex would become even more powerful, and hence the defensive strength of the Manor Castle, and thus the City Lord Mansion of the City of Hope, would also be significantly enhanced; PS: Thanks to Su Poman for the gift of 300 QiDian coins~ PS: Thanks to Book Friend 20200119155634890 for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 960 - 960 961 The Guardian Boss_1 ?Chapter 960: Chapter 961: The Guardian Boss_1 Chapter 960: Chapter 961: The Guardian Boss_1 ` Phew, only the final Overlord-class BOSS remains, which is also the most powerful BOSS in the entire dungeon. Song Jian followed the passage and looked ahead. The entire Abyssal Shadow dungeon was almost an exact replica of the Abyssal Hell, with lava and flowing magma rivers everywhere. Apart from Abyssal creatures, no other lifeforms could survive here. If a players fire resistance wasnt above sixty points, just standing here would cause continuous loss of Vitality; The last guardian BOSS of the Abyssal Shadow was located in the middle of a magma lake. From a distance, it appeared to be a human strolling on an island within a lava lake; In reality, this final BOSS had three forms: one human, one Elf, and the ultimate form, the Magic Dragon; S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In its human form, the BOSS was a Mage; in its Elf form, it was an Elf Swordsman, whereas the Magic Dragon form was the BOSSs ultimate form. It possessed formidable defenses and attacks. Song Jian thought that even the ancient Giant Dragon Clan couldnt possibly be a match for this Magic Dragon if it wasnt that its Vitality Points were permanently locked at 30%; In the real difficulty level of the dungeon, all BOSSs alert ranges had been significantly increased. Song Jian didnt dare get too close, only watching the BOSSs attributes from a distance; Hiss, it actually has two million and eight hundred thousand Vitality Points? Song Jian couldnt help but suck in a breath of cold air, looking at the long Vitality bar of the BOSS suddenly filled him with a sense of despair; It was too high; even with a forty-person team capable of withstanding the BOSSs attacks, they likely couldnt keep up their Spirit Points and mana till the end; Song Jian took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the Magma Lake. This was the last BOSS of the dungeon. If he gave up now, he would have to wait another seven days to attempt to clear this difficulty level of the dungeon, and therefore the territory expansion campaign would be pushed back another seven days; Song Jian had a vague feeling that a great danger was slowly approaching. Now, he must use every possible means to increase his strength. The best would be to clear it in one go. Even if he failed, as long as he could retreat in time to the Shattered Divine Realm, there wouldnt be any danger to his life. He struck first with Thousand Swords Art, pouring over a thousand points of Sword Qi Value into the Sky-breaking Sword all at once. The epic-level Sky-breaking Sword glowed with dazzling sword light. Even though Song Jian had not yet entered the final BOSSs alert range, this astonishing Sword Qi also attracted the BOSSs attention, and it looked towards Song Jian; Sixty Spirit Swords blazing with fierce Red Lotus Karma Fire tore through the skies, emitting sharp whistles as they flew towards the BOSS. Countless Spirit Swords hacked away, directly causing the BOSS to lose over two hundred thousand Vitality Points; Hum~ A dazzling white light appeared on the surface of the BOSSs body, which was a magical shield favored by magical classesa legendary skill much coveted by all mages. A fully leveled magic shield could even have defenses not inferior to plate armor, a life-saving defensive skill that all magical professions coveted. Most importantly, the magic shield consumed mana Points. As long as the magical classes still had mana, the magic shield would never shatter; For others, this was a very troublesome skill, but for Song Jian, it was virtually a BUG. How could a human Mage still be considered a Mage if it ran out of mana? If it had been another team where the damage output wasnt sufficient, they wouldnt be able to drain the BOSSs mana in one go. After a while, the BOSS would actively cancel the magic shield; But now, Song Jian didnt give the BOSS the chance to remove the magic shield voluntarily. A huge red lotus slowly bloomed. The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation was triggered, the BOSSs mana Points rapidly decreased at a visible speed, like a flood that had breached its levee. When the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation triggered its second tier and the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword appeared, nearly one hundred thousand mana Points of the BOSS were drained in an instant; A massive sword swung toward the BOSS, striking its neck. The blood-splattered sword inflicted a critical hit, chopping off the BOSSs head; The BOSSs head flew into mid-air, revealing a sinister smile to Song Jian before slowly fading away, dissolving into sparkling white lights and vanishing; Song Jian had never encountered such a situation before, but to have pushed the BOSS to its second phase so easily was a delightful surprise; The headless body of the BOSS didnt fall but stood for a moment, before its entire body dispersed and disappeared from sight. ` A grand voice echoed over the Magma Lake; This world is merely a stepping stone, the goal of Abyssal Hell is that real world! We are all but pitiful playthings Humans, fear, scream, death is your destiny, but I, the eighth Abyssal demon lord, am immortal! Boom~ A burst of black flames ignited out of nowhere as an Elf warrior clad in black tight-fitting chainmail appeared before Song Jian, his handsome face bearing a wicked smile; The BOSS raised the sword in his hand and pointed it at Song Jian with a smile, Human, you have no idea the greatness you are up against! Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly, the hard difficulty levels gatekeeper BOSS usually didnt talk so much! At this moment, the cooldown time for the Thousand Swords Art had ended, but his Sword Qi Value couldnt be restored to maximum just yet. Song Jians figure flickered, and like lightning, he charged towards the BOSS; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! In an instant, Song Jian covered the distance of more than ten meters in less than a second, appearing before the BOSS and stabbing his Sky-breaking Sword toward the BOSSs chest; Clang~ A crisp collision sound rang out, and Song Jian immediately felt his Mysterious Moonlight Sword skill get interrupted; looking up, he saw that the Sky-breaking Sword had been parried; If the first sword did not hit the opponent, then the subsequent moves could not be executed; Not bad speed, but the damage is a bit low! The BOSS smiled slightly, his figure turned, and he swung his sword at Song Jian; It was within Song Jians expectations that the BOSS could parry the Mysterious Moonlight Sword; after all, in hard difficulty, the BOSS had already blocked it once. With even stronger power in the real difficulty, parrying was naturally within possibility. Song Jian only intended to rush forward quickly to get close to the BOSS. Seeing the BOSS swing his sword at him, Song Jian swung his sword to block, clashing fiercely with the BOSS; The BOSSs sword skills were slightly superior to Song Jians, but not to the extent of completely overpowering Song Jian. In terms of attributes, Song Jian was even stronger than the BOSS in Elf form. The two fought back and forth on the small island in the Magma Lake, exchanging blows more than a dozen times in an instant. Song Jian lost nearly two thousand Vitality Points, while the BOSS also lost five to six thousand of health; Comparatively speaking, Song Jian was at a slight disadvantage, after all, the BOSS still had over two million Vitality Points. A few thousand points for him were practically negligible, like being tickled, but for Song Jian, two thousand points of Vitality was already close to one-fifth of his total health; Hum~ The slender tip of the BOSSs sword suddenly burst into a dazzling ray of light; Song Jian narrowed his eyes and subconsciously executed the Soul Wander skill. As his body turned into a transparent soul state, his vision was instantly blinded by a dazzling sword glare. Song Jian could feel the BOSSs stabbing speed reaching an astonishing degree, capable of thrusting more than thirty swords in a second. Had he not activated Soul Wander, that strike could have instantly killed him! Chapter 961 - 961 962 Magic Dragon Form_1 ?Chapter 961: Chapter 962 Magic Dragon Form_1 Chapter 961: Chapter 962 Magic Dragon Form_1 Song Jian could feel the BOSSs thin sword constantly piercing his body, but it couldnt cause him any harm; nearly four seconds of immunity to damage made the BOSSs move completely ineffective; In fact, this move was similar to the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, but the Thrust Sword move performed by the BOSS didnt have the effect of knocking him into the air; however, the damage each strike caused was several times that of the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, and even a melee armored warrior, if caught off guard, could be instantly killed by the BOSS; Song Jian quickly retreated, his Sword Qi already brimming; as he retreated, he swung forward, sending dozens of Spirit Swords rushing towards the BOSS, Karmic Fire Red Lotus rising, followed by a loud explosion, and above the BOSSs head, a series of damage points in the tens of thousands floated up; The last Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword violently slashed at the BOSS; this time, it did not trigger the previous beheading effect, it only caused nearly a hundred thousand points of damage to the BOSS; Seeing the hand that had been forming dissipate again, Song Jian felt a twinge of regret in his heart. It was such a pityif only the level of Thousand Swords Art was a bit higher; The BOSSs Vitality Points had dropped below two million, but for Song Jian, it was still a despairingly high number. The BOSS, enveloped in roaring flames, charged at Song Jian; During the sprint, the BOSSs body slightly shuddered and immediately blurred, and moments later, three identical BOSSes appeared in front of Song Jian; Sword Shadow Clone! Song Jian immediately used the clone skill as well, though he had one fewer clone than the BOSS; Thousand Swords Art! The clones, upon appearing, directly used the most powerful skill, dozens of Spirit Swords rushing towards the three identical BOSSes; the Spirit Swords were almost evenly distributed across each BOSS, and from the damage dealt, Song Jian immediately locked onto the BOSSs true body. He executed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, his figure darting towards the BOSSs true body like lightning; The BOSSs clones did take damage, but for Song Jian, the damage from the clones was completely bearable. Enduring the clones attacks, Song Jian and the BOSSs true body were locked in combat, while the Sword Shadow Clones also targeted the true body and joined the attack; Hum~ Another dazzling light burst forth from the BOSSs long sword as Song Jians figure hastily retreated, but the clone swung its sword and charged at the BOSS; Swish swish swish~ Bright white lights sparkled in the air, crisscrossing like a spider web, enveloping the clone within, and moments later, the clone was chopped into seven or eight pieces and dissipated into a puff of black smoke; Song Jian could endure the BOSSs regular attack damage, but the skills power was too great and could easily kill him with his seven or eight thousand Vitality Points in an instant; hence, whenever the BOSS used a skill, Song Jian had to evade even faster; This is just the second phase. The third phases Magic Dragon almost exclusively uses wide-area attacks; you cant even dodge them, you just have to withstand them, Song Jian thought to himself. With a thought, a pair of steel wings appeared behind him; Summoning the steel wings was not for speed but to enhance defense; moreover, at critical moments, the steel wings could also serve as shields to take the brunt of the damage. The Elf form of the BOSS dealt such high physical damage; Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The BOSSs Vitality Points were too high. If it was a BOSS on hard difficulty, two Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formations would have already taken it to the third phase, the Magic Dragon form; but now, the Elf form of the BOSS was still energetic, forcing Song Jian into a continuous retreat; Song Jians Vitality Points kept decreasing. Even with regular attacks, Song Jian found it extremely difficult to cope. The adversarys sword skill was too strongif it wasnt for Song Jian exchanging blow for blow, he probably wouldnt have been able to inflict any effective damage on the BOSS; Gulp gulp~ Another Advanced Healing Potion was poured into the air; now as soon as the cooldown was up, Song Jian would take it without hesitation. Furthermore, there were other recovery items with different cooldowns from the potion, all of which were being rapidly consumed. Boom! The bosss fine sword once again clashed with Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword, a great force sent Song Jian retreating three to four meters. The moment the cooldown for Thousand Swords Art was up, Song Jian didnt even think before swinging his sword down to chop; An overwhelming burst of Sword Qi surged out, more than a thousand Sword Qi Points once again depleted entirely; however, Song Jian faintly felt that every time he used up the Sword Qi, its recovery rate seemed to increase slightly. This change was too subtle to easily notice, but after many times, the accumulation made Song Jian aware of some abnormalities. Sixty Spirit Swords slashed towards the boss. Even the boss couldnt help but frown at this sight; it was an insolvable attack. If these Spirit Swords had real sword bodies, the boss could definitely deflect them one by one with sword skill, but these Spirit Swords were formed from Sword Qi, utterly impervious to defense, leaving no choice but to endure the brutal onslaught. Boom boom boom~ Every Spirit Sword that struck the boss erupted in a violent explosion, creating bursts of flames on the bosss body, the intense impact preventing the boss from continuing its assault! Soon after, a massive red lotus bloomed slowly. When it reached full bloom, it was the Sword Formations most powerful moment, and a damage figure exceeding a hundred thousand floated up slowly from above the bosss head. Then, the fully bloomed lotus, like one withering, began to close slowly, as if nurturing a seed within. A Red Lotus Sword shining with sword light started to emerge slowly in the air; The boss let out an annoyed roar, pulling its cape behind itself, and suddenly transformed into a shroud of black mist, enveloping its entire body; Seeing this scene, Song Jians lips curled up slightly. This was the bosss only defensive move in its Elf formthe cape turned black mist, granting immunity to physical attacks. However, correspondingly, damage from other attributes was increased by 300%. One must know that although the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword was condensed from Sword Qi, because of the mutation in the Thousand Swords Art, it now possessed fire attribute damage. Not only did the bosss move fail to immunize against the damage from the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword, it actually made the damage triple; During the hard difficulty, Song Jian had already witnessed this move. He hadnt expected that in the real difficulty, this boss would still use this move to fend off the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword! Let me add a little something to this! Song Jian chuckled with a hee-hee, and his Vertical eye opened on his forehead. A dazzling beam of light burst forth, shooting towards the rolling black mist; The enhanced Vertical eyes gaze of death was true damage, inflicting five hundred points of true damage every second, which, upon striking the black mist, instantly triggered a triple critical hit, five damage numbers, each over one thousand five hundred points, floated up above the bosss head. A painful roar from the boss echoed from within the black mist, and just at that moment, a sword light like a white silk ribbon fell from the sky. In an instant, it seemed as if the entire space was cleaved in two by this sword; Boom! With a loud noise, the boss was directly sliced out of the black mist by the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword, and a damage figure of over six hundred thousand floated up from its head, its Vitality Points plummeting by more than half; PS: Thanks to Chen Chen Hahaha for the tip of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 1 - 1: Entering the Game 1 Chapter 1: Entering the Game Translator: 549690339 Dear sir, first of all, please accept my sincere wishes. Would you mind taking a moment to look at this makeup product in my hand? Its the latest development from our company, a moisturizer that removes blemishes and whitens and nourishes the skin. Its a result of 81 processes finely crafted. You deserve to have it. This is a brochure for your reference. Scram! Ah, okay! Song Jian picked up the brochure that the man had thrown on the ground, shook it twice, and emotionlessly headed towards the next pedestrian. Having worked in sales for over a month after graduation, he hadnt made much money. The only thing he had gained was a thicker skin. Dear lady, first of all, please accept my sincere wishes. This is our company Song Jian started his pitch with a polite smile on his face, In the endless stream of people, he moved onto the next passerby. At this moment, a guy with a patch of green hair in his forehead, looked at Song Jian who was working hard distributing flyers, sneered, quietly walked over and tapped him on the shoulder saying, Hey, Jian, havent you finished yet? Song Jian turned his head to see it was a colleague of his named Zhao Yu. They both joined the company at the same time, both were newcomers; on the surface, their relationship was pretty decent. Song Jian glanced at the empty-handed Zhao Yu, raised his eyebrows, and surprisingly asked, Have you finished distributing all your flyers? When they first joined the company, their task as newcomers was to distribute flyers, at least three thousand per day. It had only been half an hour, and Zhao Yu had astonishingly finished distributing all his flyers, which surprised Song Jian; Zhao Yu casually brushed his fringe and said casually, I just ran into a rag-picker who insisted on helping me distribute the flyers. I had no choice but to give all the flyers to him. He even gave me five yuan. Song Jian: Your approach really leaves me speechless. The flyer distribution was actually a way of gathering potential customers. As hard as it was, many times opportunities were won in such a way. However, after spending over a month together, Song Jian noticed that Zhao Yu came from a wealthy family and only came to work when he was bored. He wasnt very proactive at work, spent money lavishly and liked going to expensive places. Alright Jian, you can continue distributing here. Im going to check out the companys cosmetics booth over there. I heard the company hired many dancing girls today and those long legs lined up together are quite a sight! Zhao Yu licked his lips, swallowing a little, and looked eager to leave. Watching Zhao Yu walk away, Song Jian shook his head lightly. Poor kids have to grow up early, children without umbrellas should run harder in the rain. Song Jian dared not be as casual as Zhao Yu. On each of the three thousand flyers, his contact information was written by hand. Each flyer represented a glimmer of hope for him. After standing still for a moment, Song Jian suddenly turned around and headed in the direction of the companys product booth. Where to distribute the flyers doesnt matter, right? Besides, he can also appreciate I mean, learn more about the companys products at the booth, right? After all, there are lots of new products on display there. Just as he crossed a street and turned a corner, a sleazy-looking old man suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian: Young man, interested in some disks? Disks? What disks? Song Jian immediately frowned. Maintaining a stern face, his eyes filled with contempt, he looked at the old man and thought to himself: What era is it? Selling CDs? Can you even sell any? The internet is full of resources, just my phone alone has several tens of GB of study materials Which eye of yours saw that I need this? I am not that kind of person you imagined! Song Jian rejected determinedly, with dignity in his face, holding a stack of brochures and continued to walk straight ahead. The sounds of energetic music and dancing started to come from the front. If he didnt hurry up, he would missthe new company products. Young man, this is a mobile game developed by our Sky Domain Game Company, Doomsday City. Do you want to try it out? The activation is free now and we are also offering a newbie gift package The sleazy old man was persistent and followed along Song Jian. Mo, mobile game? Song Jian was stunned for a moment, his face turned slightly red. Yes, a mobile game. Did you think it was A gleam flashed in the old mans eyes. Ha, I thought you were talking about a Frisbee for a child. Song Jian wiped off a bit of cold sweat. Oh, I see. the sleazy old man didnt probe further. He took out a USB cable and a flash disk, and said. Our game client is our companys latest design. The biggest selling point of it is that you get a flash disk for playing the game. If you install our game, we will give you this 1024GB flash disk. Its a great deal! 1024GB Song Jian stopped, intrigued. A flash disk of such capacity was certainly very tempting. He nodded slightly and reservedly said, Whether you are giving away a flash disk doesnt really matter. The key is that I like playing mobile games. Does this game app download and install quickly? I have other important things to do. Dont worry! Its our companys latest invention, the download and install speed is super-fast, it only takes a few seconds. The sleazy old man handed over the data cable and flash disk. Well, you know Song Jian hesitated and looked at the sleazy old man. The old mans whole demeanor just screamed untrustworthy. If it were a pretty and cute girl, Song Jian would take it without a second thought. But it was just hard to trust this old man in front of him. I paid 3,000 yuan for this domestically made phone. If it got a virus and was damaged, Id be heartbroken! Song Jian thought to himself. His face showing a hesitant look, he asked, This is not a mobile virus, is it? Of course not! Were a serious company! This is a legitimate flash drive, a legitimate mobile game! The sleazy old man seemed to feel offended. He adjusted his tie and argued, Its an insult to me personally when you say that. Its an insult to our company. Its an insult to the whole mobile game industry. Its an insult to. Alright, alright. Is it okay if I just plug it in? Song Jian snatched the data cable and flash disk, took out his phone and began to connect them. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hey, this data cable matches my phone perfectly. So, is this cable also a giveaway? It should be a set with the flash disk, right Song Jian connected his phone, looked up, and the sleazy old man was nowhere to be found. Song Jians face changed, he had a sinking feeling. He quickly picked up his phone to check and as expected, the screen was black. I shouldnt have trusted you, you sneaky old man Song Jian felt like crying but had no tears. He aggressively pulled out the data cable and flash disk, threw them on the ground, and stomped on them a few times. With his phone infected by a virus, Song Jian was no longer in the mood to watch the dancing girls. He needed to have his phone fixed first. He ran to several phone repair places but none of them could revive his phone. The cost of replacing the parts was too high and Song Jian simply couldnt afford it. His phone wasnt fixed, but he still had to finish distributing the flyers. Finally, by dusk, Song Jian had finished passing out all three thousand of them. He returned to his rented room, dejected, threw himself on the bed without even closing the door, unmoving. Damn, old man, dont let me cross paths with you again. Next time I see you, youre dead meat! Song Jian gritted his teeth, hitting his pillow with intensity. At that moment, the cell phone lying on the table suddenly started playing the boot-up music, lighting up its screen. Huh, its self-starting? Song Jian bolted upright from the bed, grabbed his phone, and began checking it carefully. Thank goodness, my study materials on island life of several dozen gigabytes are still there, and all the applications are fine too. Song Jian breathed a long sigh of relief after confirming that his phone was not corrupted by a virus. Huh, why is there an extra client? This is Doomsday City game? Song Jian looked at the newfound icon on his phone with surprise. So this is that perverted old mans mobile game? Damn, it must be a virus, trying to scam me! Song Jian thought about the USB he had thrown away and couldnt help but feel regret. After being reformatted, the USB should have still been usable C he was too impulsive back then! Song Jian curled his lip, the game icon depicted a city that carried an apocalyptic style, though the color was dull, and it looked rough. The first impression it left was just as bad as most domestically produced sham mobile games, without any urge to open it at all. Song Jian tried to press and delete the icon but found that the game icon did not budge at all, there was no way to delete it. Powering off and restarting, running the mobile security guard, complete shredding, nothing could handle this game icon. It couldnt be deleted, heck, it couldnt even be moved C it was the most stubborn virus Song Jian had ever encountered. And you claimed it wasnt a virus! Song Jian couldnt help but curse, The company that developed this game deserves to be struck by lightning! Fuming, Song Jian felt like he was about to burst. He was about to throw his phone, but in the end, he couldnt bear to. Lifting his phone, he relented, looking at the games logo, Song Jian double-tapped on it. Come on, lets see how trash this virus game of yours is! If you have the guts, youd blow up my phone. This time, the game App responded promptly. The entire icon turned into a blood-red elliptical gate, instantly filling the entire screen. Streams of air coalesced into one another, forming a clockwise vortex. Eh, the startup special effect actually seems well-made? Song Jian stared at the central, rotating, blood-red gate, a trace of astonishment flickering in his eyes, Well, how about something even more exciting? Before he finished speaking, a skeletal hand suddenly stretched out from the vortex at the center of the screen, directly grabbing Song Jian by his collar. Song Jian had no time to react before he was dragged into the blood-red portal by the skeletal hand. His phone hung in the air for two seconds before falling onto the bed with a thud. The room was empty, as if nothing had happened. What the hell? Did I just travel through time? What the fuck is this? Let go of me! Song Jian only felt himself being yanked forward by the skeletal hand, unable to see anything in the engulfing darkness. His head was buzzing, as if something was being forcefully injected into it. Before long, Song Jians eyes rolled back in his head, and he fainted. In his semi-conscious state, Song Jian felt like he was having a strange dream. In his dream, he saw lines of golden text appearing before him like a waterfall Game activation, random world evolution starting Game matching link search Link successful, player consciousness lock Start character creation Character creation timed out Scanning players current status, creating a game character with a 100% match with the player Warning, under this status, the players game character may have certain effects on their physical bodies in reality, please choose carefully Choice timed out, default confirmation Game character creation Character creation successful Congratulations on your first entry into the game, you will receive a newbie gift pack that has been sent to your game package, please check it Start entering the game Buzz With a light sound, Song Jians consciousness gradually returned, his fingers began to tremble slightly, and a hoarse male laughter echoed in his ear. Welcome to Doomsday City Chapter 2 - 2: What the Hell is Thick-Skinned? 2 Chapter 2: What the Hell is Thick-Skinned? Translator: 549690339 Who am I? Where am I? What on earth has happened? Song Jian opened his eyes, his gaze settling on the dilapidated and unkempt room before him, a wave of perplexity washing over him. At that moment, he found himself sitting on a worn-out single-seater sofa bed. The room was heavy with a mouldy smell, and a thick layer of dust covered the nearby furniture and the floor. The four walls around him were splotchy and tired. Its original white paint now turned light yellow, with black and red traces streaking across them in places, their dried remnants looking ominously like bloodstains. The light filtering through the window was exceedingly dim, not unlike the scene just before a heavy downpour. In one corner of the ceiling hung a gigantic cobweb, its center claimed by a colossal spider the size of a washbasin. Unmoving. At its sight, Song Jian jerked back in fright, his body instinctively recoiling. He had never seen a spider this big before. There was a dull ache at the back of his head, just like the feeling after waking up from a hangover. Shaking his head slightly, Song Jian was convinced there was something wrong with his brain. Because, when he had looked at the spider on the ceiling, he had noticed a line of faint yellow text positioned right above its head. LV1 Mutant Spider Vitality: 78/78 Oh my god. Can someone tell me whats happening here? Song Jian shot up to his feet, wanting to get out of this room. This wasnt his rental place. Looking through the window, it seemed like he was in a high-rise apartment building. Just as he got off the sofa bed, a meditative mechanical voice echoed in his ears. Welcome to the game Doomsday City! Whos there? Song Jian took fright all over again, his body giving a sudden jerk as he looked around in panic. But he couldnt find a thing. I am your beginners guide in this game and will assist you on this extraordinary journey ahead! the mechanical voice replied. What are you exactly? I dont want to play any game! I am just a simple salesperson, I dont have the money for this. Song Jian shouted at the top of his lungs, Most importantly, I dont know how to play any games! Ive never played any! I havent even heard the name of games like Legendary, Miracle, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, or PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds! If you wish to leave this place and return to your world, you must complete the novice game tutorial first, the mechanical voice replied after a brief silence. , I can come back? So why wait? Lets get started. Whats my first step? Do I need to kill that spider? Song Jian pointed to the large spider in the corner of the ceiling. Spider: .. Man, youre quick to get into character, brother! A spider that big hanging around right over his head was terrifying. What if it decided to give him a bite when he was sound asleep? Damn it, is this a game or some kind of teleportation thing? Because everything seems so real right now. The system seemed a bit delayed, and no words came from it. Running his hand lightly across the bed, Song Jians fingers traced a path in the grey dust. The realistic feel of the bed beneath his fingertips was too convincing. It felt no different from reality. If it were not for that downright chilly system notification, Song Jian would have never believed that he was in some Doomsday City game. Step one, please open your character attribute panel first. Let me explain the role of the character attributes in this game, and things you need to pay attention to as you level up, the system voice finally responded. That should be easy! Open the character attribute panel! Song Jian shouted loudly. As someone who had never played an online game before, this operation seemed simple enough. Or maybe not. .. Nothing happened. System? Character attributes? Open the panel? Okay, tell me how to open the character attribute panel! Song Jian asked with a trace of embarrassment. You dont have to shout it out loud. Just think about it or silently read it in your mind. Everything in the game is transmitted via brain waves, which are ten thousand times more advanced than sound control! the system voice replied. Song Jian mentally recited character attributes. Just as expected, a semi-transparent light blue screen appeared before his eyes. A 3D model based on Song Jians body proportions emerged on the screen, with various attribute data about him listed below. Name: Song Jian Species: Human Gender: Male Age: Twenty-two Biology Level: Common Level 0 Attributes: (Average adult male attributes rate as 5) Strength: 4 points. Strength partially determines the power of close combat attacks and can enhance your carrying capacity. It also adds bonus damage to unarmed combat techniques. Agility: 3 points. Agility affects movement speed and initiative, and also affects your own dodge rate. It even adds a bonus to long-range physical attacks. Vitality: 4 points. Vitality determines your life energy and stamina, and also affects your resistance to hits and various abnormal states, as well as resistance to spell attacks. It also plays a certain role in regaining life energy and enduring stamina recovery speed. Intelligence: 3 points. Intelligence determines the power of spell attack damage while influencing your learning ability and receptive powers. But intelligence is not equal to IQ and EQ, so please dont mix up the two. Spirit: 5 points. Spirit determines the upper limit of your energy, while slightly affecting the power of skills. It has a significant effect on various status skills. Charisma: 7 points. Charisma is the combination of looks, temperament, and affinity. It determines others first intuitive perception of you. People with high charisma can quickly get along with strangers and affect others decisions through various means. It has a significant effect on alluring or summoning skills. Beneath these data, there are two horizontal bars. The top one is redotherwise referred to as the blood barwhich represents Song Jians vitality. Beneath it is the blue bar, or the mana bar, which represents his energy levels. Song Jian ignored the rest of the attributes, his eyes locked onto Charisma: 7 points. He nodded approvingly and said with an air of gravity: This data seems rather fair and objective. This indicates that my attractiveness exceeds that of most people, and even among the handsome ones, I am outstanding. Yes, this matches well with my actual situation! This will help me become the future king of sales. After the introduction to the character attribute panel, please open the skills panel! the mechanical voice continued. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian nodded slightly and opened the skills panel using the same method. Upon scanning through the skills panel, Song Jians face changed. What kind of shitty data is this? Is there any sense of fairness or impartiality? Is this all just nonsense? What the hell is thick-skinned? he cursed. In the light blue screen, the skills panel only had one skill, blandly hanging there in the first column. Thick-skinned (Passive), Level 1, Skill Effect: Increases your own defense by 5%, resistance by 3% and enhances your resistance to ridicule, allure, necrotoxin, paralysis, dizzying, and other adverse effects. Skill Clarification: As a salesperson, you can already have a certain immunity to insults, rejections, and mockery. In addition, your capability to resist hits has been improved, as well as resistance to adverse effects. Chapter 3 - 3: Searching for Initial Supplies 3 Chapter 3: Searching for Initial Supplies Translator: 549690339 Thick-skinned, is this the prerequisite skill for Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt? I have an MMP in my heart, I dont know if I should say it or not! Song Jian muttered, closing the skill bar, looking at the words thick-skinned and feeling a little nervous; Next, please open the inventory! The systems voice sounded unhurriedly; Mentally chanting, a sixteen-square-grid inventory appeared before his eyes, with a small blue package in the first square; Huh, weird, why is this squares border gold? Song Jian didnt notice the blue package at first, but looked at the last square instead; Of the sixteen squares in the inventory, the other fifteen squares had gray borders, while the last square had a golden border C very special; The initial inventory has sixteen squares, each capable of holding one type of item. Items of the same quality can be stacked, and items stored in the inventory do not take into account volume and weight! The system voice explained, sounding like a recording; Im asking, what is this gold square for? Song Jian continued to ask; Explore the remaining game content on your own in the game! The system replied; Song Jian: , do you know how cocky you are, Mr. Designer? With no other choice, Song Jian could only focus on the blue package in the first square; Soon, a line of red words appeared before Song Jians eyes; This newbie package can only be used when the player reaches level 1! What the heck, newbie packages should be usable when we enter the game, dont lie to me, Im not that inexperienced in games! Song Jian shouted, his face full of disbelief; Complete the newbie tutorial, and your level will reach 1. Then you can open the newbie package and receive a random gift! The system voice explained; Fine, go on, go on! Song Jian was helpless, this felt like a master being forced to go backto Novice Village; Next, you need to explore the entire room and acquire initial resources! The system voice said; Searching, I like that! Song Jian nodded, looking around the entire room; Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was a three-bedroom, two-living room house. Song Jian had just stepped out of one of the bedrooms and was now standing in its living room. After glancing around the living room which resembled an ordinary familys, he noticed simple decorations, a cloth sofa set, a TV cabinet, a 50-inch curved LCD TV hanging on the wall, and a chandelier above him; A closer look at the furniture in the living room revealed its valuable craftsmanship, but it was in complete disrepair. The lake surface LCD TV even had a large hole in it, and the cloth sofa had been scratched by something and was full of claw marks, revealing the stuffing inside; All the furniture surfaces were covered in a layer of dust, suggesting that the house hadnt been lived in for several years; Do you want me to search for junk in this junked-up room? Song Jian looked around and couldnt help but complain; The room was so old and run-down that it seemed as if it had been robbed, or rather, abandoned for decades after the robbery. He couldnt imagine what he could find in a place like this; However, reality slapped Song Jian hard in the face. Just a casual pull of the drawer under the TV cabinet revealed a shimmering white object to his eyes; Upon closer inspection, Song Jians face changed, and he backed away two steps, looking frightened; How can there be a handgun in here? Song Jian shouted; All around them was silence, not a single sound. Song Jian mentally activated his personal attributes, and a semi-transparent window appeared before him. Seeing the window, Song Jian finally patted his chest, his after-fear evident, and muttered: Its just a game, its just a game! The game was too realistic, always causing Song Jian to forget that he was in a game. When he saw the cold weapon in the drawer, his first reaction wasnt joy, but fear; Raised during peaceful times, experiencing firearms for the first time, children would always feel a heart-pounding horror when faced with this sort of easily life-taking plaything; In his memory, besides the police, only those bad guys would have such toys. Song Jian took a deep breath, tightly gripping the cold, metallic glowing handgun in the drawer and lifting it out; Its so heavy! Song Jian frowned, his first impression of the handgun. Despite its small size, he couldnt lift it with one hand and had to use both to hold it firmly and aim it correctly; The moment Song Jian touched the handgun, the initially floating personal attribute window suddenly disappeared, replaced by an item attribute window; A 3D model of the handgun was exquisitely displayed in the center of the screen with empty slots on the front, top, and bottom, as well as rows of attribute descriptions on the side; Equipment name: P18C Fully Automatic Handgun Rarity: White Attack power: Ranged damage 6-13, Attachable devices: Scope attachment, pistol front attachment, pistol magazine attachment Optimal range (able to inflict maximum attack power of 13 points): 18 meters Effective range (able to inflict at least minimal damage to an enemy): 65 meters Weight: 1.2 kg Total gun length: 186 mm Magazine capacity: 7 rounds (currently loaded with 5 rounds) Equipment usage requirements: Strength must be at least 5 points, Stamina must be at least 4 points Can it be taken out of the game: No Combat points of the equipment: 5 Equipment description: Small and powerful, this equipment can switch between semi-automatic and automatic firing modes. Take note, this equipment has a high rate of firewhen set to automatic, it can empty an entire magazine of regular ammunition within a second; It actually requires a strength of 5 points or more, no wonder I cant lift it with one hand. Song Jian thought to himself; it seems that even if players dont meet the equipment requirements, they can still pick up items in this game. However, the actual effect of using it would only be known to god. Beneath the item attribute description was a red system reminder; System: This item requires a strength of 5 points or more for efficient use. If strength is not met, there is a high probability of usage difficulty. If stamina is not met, using this item may cause significant self-injury; Song Jians face turned ugly. His strength attribute was too lousy, making it impossible to smoothly use even a handgun. He couldnt lift it with one hand and needed both hands to use it; Based on the systems suggestion, if the equipment requirements arent met and the strength attribute doesnt reach 5 points, its likely challenging to aim and hit distant objects, as the accuracy simply cannot be guaranteed. He opened the magazine and found five bullets. Song Jian didnt know what they could do, but after reinserting the magazine, he placed the handgun in his inventory and continued searching for other supplies. Chapter 4 - 4: Understanding Skills 4 Chapter 4: Understanding Skills Translator: 549690339 In the three-bedroom flat of around one hundred and thirty square meters which wasnt too large, Song Jian finished searching in just a few minutes, looking through all possible places to stash supplies. Song Jian took all the items he found to the living room, the same room where he first found the gun. Three bottles of mineral water, two packets of compressed dry food, a gun magazine extension, nine bullets, a bottle of Baijiu preferred for its white attributes, a sip of which can boost energy recovery by 50% As Song Jian looked at these items on the coffee table, he fell into deep thought, wondering what kind of game this was. Congratulations, you have collected all initial resources, mission complete! a robotic voice echoed in Song Jians ear. Final mission for beginners: Kill the mutant spider to complete the entire tutorial! As I thought, I do have to kill that spider. I knew it, this plot is so predictable! Song Jian grumbled while stuffing all the items he found into the storage bar. He first mounted the gun magazine extension onto one of the slots of the P18C pistol. The pistol could accommodate three additional devices in total. Apart from the magazine extension, there should be a scope and a silencer that could be mounted, but at the moment, Song Jian had only found the magazine extension. After loading the nine bullets he found, Song Jian took a deep breath and gripped the one weapon he possessed. If you are confident in your abilities, you can increase the game difficulty, the current game difficulty is Easy, do you want to increase the difficulty to Normal? the robotic voice suddenly suggested. Game difficulty, increase game difficulty? Song Jian faltered for a moment, then he snorted and muttered to himself, Do you think Im an idiot? Why would I make this harder for myself? Clutching the weighty firearm, Song Jian headed towards the bedroom. Just as he stepped into the bedroom, the systems voice sounded, Player did not make a decision within the stipulated time, system defaulting option, difficulty level of this instance will be increased to Normal. Song Jian shuddered and quickly replied, I was wrong, really, I was wrong! This game design is really amazing, the graphics are first-rate, the plot is also first-rate, even the system prompts are so user-friendly. I really like this game a lot. Would it be possible to Difficulty level increase will commence in ten seconds, ten, nine, eight Friendly reminder: It is recommended to complete the tutorial before increasing the difficulty. Otherwise, the players chance of dying will increase by 35%, five, four, After hearing the cold, impersonal voice of the system, Song Jian darted into the bedroom, holding the gun with both hands, and pulled the trigger at the face-sized mutant spider. Bang~ Severe pain shot through Song Jians wrist. The firing recoil of the pistol was larger than he expected and beyond the control of someone whose strength attribute was only a four. The bullet went directly into the body of the mutant spider and exploded a light green fluid due to his close proximity. Even though the strength attribute did have a significant influence on accuracy, missing at such a short distance was almost impossible. The mutant spider, seemingly having just woken up, had a yellow bar above its head which instantly turned blood red, radiating a faint light. Squeak~ With a shrill cry, the mutant spider looked at Song Jian. A pair of compound eyes flashed a strange light as it spewed a putrid liquid from its mouth. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Damn, shouldnt spiders be spewing silk instead of saliva? Song Jian was taken aback. He quickly leapt aside to evade, and the nasty liquid hit the wall behind Song Jian, immediately letting out a sizzling sound. When he turned around, the necrotic black area on the wall that was hit by the puss kept crumbling, soon resulting in a deep, fist-sized pit. This is so toxic! Song Jian was incredibly shaken. If a rank one monster is already this insane, the higher level monsters must be able to kill him in one strike. Game difficulty enhancement is complete. Current difficulty level is Normal. All monsters will initiate attacks and players will receive a slight increase in the odds of obtaining treasure. The difficulty level will revert after the tutorial is completed. Have fun playing! the system announcement sounded. From outside the window, suddenly came the sounds of mournful wolf-like howling, seeming as though all the monsters had suddenly gone berserk. Song Jians mouth was bitter, but he wasnt able to pay attention to it. First, he needed to kill the mutant spider at present. Bang, Bang, Bang~ With thirteen bullets remaining in his gun, Song Jian rapidly pulled the trigger, thereby firing off four bullets almost simultaneously from his gun barrel. Fortunately, the distance was close. Not one of the bullets missed, all of them hitting the body of the mutant spider. After firing those four bullets, Song Jian felt as if his right arm was about to break from the pain. His hand holding the gun trembled violently, feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest the next moment. A mournful cry came out from the mutant spider as it fell from the spider webs, twitched a few times, and then no longer moved. Song Jian flopped down on the floor, trembling slightly, as he threw the gun to one side somewhat in disbelief of what just happened. II actually fired a gun! Song Jian said to himself. Up until just now, Song Jian had only seen firearms in games and movies. He had never even held one, let alone fired one. Right at this moment, a blinking red dot appeared before Song Jians eyes. When he focused on it, a semi-transparent screen appeared before him, detailing the battle statistics like a waterfall. Begin battle replay Your normal shot dealt 19 physical damage to the mutant spider, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Mutant spider deployed its skill [Venom Spray] on you. Your nimble dodge resulted in no damage! Your normal shot dealt 16 physical damage to the mutant spider, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Your normal shot dealt 11 physical damage to the mutant spider, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Your normal shot dealt 13 physical damage to the mutant spider, triggering a weak effect, gaining 100% threat. The mutant spider is now targeting you! Your normal shot dealt 45 physical damage to the mutant spider (resulting in a critical strike due to the weak effect), reducing the mutant spiders health to zero! The mutant spider is dead! System: You have killed the mutant spider, gaining 100 Experience Points and advancing to lvl 1. System: You have dealt effective damage to the mutant spider three times or more, learning skill: [Firearms (handgun) (basic)]. System: You have completed the tutorial, and may now leave the safe house and explore the city. Enjoy the game! Chapter 5 - 5: It Can Actually Move 5 Chapter 5: It Can Actually Move Translator: 549690339 The large mutant spider flipped over, its legs twitched a few times, and then there was no movement. Beside the mutant spider lay a bronze ring, radiating a dazzling white light. This ring looked like a simple bronze band with no embellishments. Song Jian walked over and picked it up. As his gaze fell on the ring, its properties automatically appeared before Song Jians eyes. Ring of Strength (White): Equipment Effect, Strength +1, level requirement for equipping, level 1, Can it be taken out of the game: No Although the ring only increased his Strength property by a small amount, it was better than nothing. Moreover, once equipped, Song Jian could meet the equipment requirements of the handgun and put it in his equipment bar. Killing the mutated spider, completing the novice tutorial, and leveling up along the way was quite smooth. But what puzzled Song Jian was that although his level had gone up, his attributes didnt increase at all, instead, he only gained a skill point. Carelessly, he added this skill point to his [Firearms (Handguns) (Basic) skill]. The passive skill had gone from level one to level two. Originally, it only increased handgun range damage by 5%. After adding a skill point, the effect had become Damage increased by 10%. [Firearms (Handguns) (Basic)], Passive skill, Level 2, Increases the damage of handgun weapons by 10% As for the initial skill Thick Skin, Song Jian had selectively forgotten about it. After putting on the Ring of Strength, instantly a warm current spread throughout his body. He felt as though his strength had increased somewhat. The P18C handgun he was holding also seemed somewhat lighter. It was miraculous. This gear is really useful. Oh right, I also have a newbie gift pack. Song Jian thought to himself. Opening his bag, the newbie gift pack, which was originally sealed in the first slot, could now be opened. After staring at the newbie gift pack for three seconds, two options appeared on the pack, Open and Destroy. Seeing the Open option and opening it, the gift pack shone brightly and disappeared. In its place were three items: a Zombie Town Map, 100 rounds of 0.23mm generic handgun bullets, and a white-quality Tiger Fang Dagger. Song Jian first opened the map and began to examine it closely; This map looked a bit old with some signs of tearing on the edges. Clearly, it was a small piece torn from a larger map, and this small piece was the map of the city where Song Jian was currently located. The pre-apocalypse name of this city was no longer known, and on the map, this city has been renamed Zombie City. Song Jian first located his own position on the map, represented by a small blue triangle in the southeast corner of a residential complex known as the New Garden Residential Area. Heading north from the residential area is a commercial street, and behind the residential area is a leisure square called Camel Square. Southern of the Camel Square again, theres a vast residential area. After crossing this residential area, there is a city loop highway. Crossing the highway, the citys edge is reached. Further beyond that the portion has been torn off, clearly beyond the scope of the city. After taking a closer look at the map and remembering the nearby locations, Song Jian put the map away. The handgun bullets are identical to the ones he found in the room. But he was particularly fascinated by the Tiger Fang Dagger. This dagger has a blade length of 16.5 cm. The blade surface is smooth and tapers up to form a point, a traditional spear-shaped blade wielding great penetration power. With a thick spine accompanied by a row of serrated ridges like tigers teeth, the thin blade flashed with a chilling light. Holding it up to examine carefully, a chill emanated from the dagger, causing Song Jian to sneeze involuntarily; Hey, this is a good thing. If I could take it out and show it to Song Yu, hed be drooling for sure. Song Jian chuckled and equip the dagger in his equipment bar. Its a shame really, this dagger cant be taken out of the game, so theres no way to show off in front of Song Yu. Even though he had obtained this dagger, Song Jian was clear in his heart that the chance of using this dagger was very small. He didnt have the courage to stand face to face with the monsters in this game, using the dagger to fight. Courage isnt something that Leona could give him; After resting for a while, Song Jian, with his gun in hand, walked towards the living room door. There was nothing left in this room to search for, so to continue playing, he had to leave this safe house and search the city; Pushing open the heavy security door, Song Jian smelled a strong stench of blood. After hesitating for a moment, he still stepped out of the room. With a click, a crisp sound was heard from behind; Song Jian felt a chill, suddenly remembering something unpleasant. Damn it, I didnt find the keys to this room when I searched. Now the door is closed, and if I run into danger, wouldnt I lose my hiding place Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Clang, Clang~ Struggling to push the security door, Song Jian was near tears. It wouldnt open. Warm Reminder. You have completed the novice mission. You can choose to leave the game after twelve hours in the game. Before leaving the game, please choose a relatively safe place. Otherwise, when you log in again after logging out, you may be in danger. If your game character dies, your physical body in the real world will also be eliminated! A cold mechanical voice suddenly rang in Song Jians ear, startling him. Looking at the tightly shut door, Song Jian was helpless: Why didnt you say that sooner! The elevator in the building was already broken, and all the doors of the rooms were closed. With Song Jians current strength, he probably couldnt break in at all. Now, all he could do was leave the building. Pushing open the door to the stairwell on this floor, a strong smell of blood rushed towards him, accompanied by a rotten smell of corpses, which made Song Jian frown. Walking down the dim staircase, he had just descended two stories when Song Jian suddenly froze, stopping in his tracks. On the staircase one floor down, about five or six steps away from him, lay a ragged corpse. Judging by its appearance, this corpse must have already been dead for quite a while. Its cheeks were exposed to the bone, and an arm seemed to have been eaten away. Bare-chested with bite marks all over its body, its innards were scattered all over, spreading a foul odor; At the same time Song Jian saw this body, it also started to move, shaky and trying to struggle to its feet. After half a day of effort without success, it had to lay flat on its four limbs, slowly crawling towards Song Jian; The moment the body started to move, a line of blood-red text emerged above its head; LV1 Mutated Zombie (Weakened during the day) Vitality: 56/112 Damn it, it really is a zombie, it can move! Sweat drenched Song Jians body as he lifted his gun and repeatedly pulled the trigger. There were nine bullets left in the gun, and Song Jian fired them all, the mutated zombies body spraying out gouts of unidentified liquid as its Vitality Points were rapidly reduced to zero. After the mutated zombie died, its body rapidly decomposed, as if a transparent flame was burning on its body, soon turning it into a pile of black ash. Around the pile of ash, four items radiating light appeared, three of which were glowing gray and one was glowing white. Eh, the item drop rate in this game is pretty high, haha! Song Jians eyes lit up as he picked up the four items. Chapter 6 - 6: Is This Your Relative? 6 Chapter 6: Is This Your Relative? Translator: 549690339 Only after Song Jian picked up all four items did he realize that the dropped items werent as good as hed imagined; Zombie leather, zombie tusks, zombie meat, what the hell are these crap? Song Jian, with a disgusted look on his face, glanced at the three items emitting a grayish glow in his hands, and almost threw them away on the spot. Zombie Leather (Gray), Material, can be used to craft equipment, use requirement: possesses armor-making skill; Zombie Tusk (Gray), Material, can be used to concoct potions, use requirement: possesses potions-making skill; Zombie Meat (Gray), Material, can be used for cooking, use requirement: possesses cooking skill; After thinking for a while and suppressing his revulsion, he put the three items into his inventory. Song Jians attention then fell on the very last item emitting a white glow. Puppet Card (Zombie): Can summon a Level 1 zombie as a puppet. The puppet cannot be leveled up, it dies when its hit points drops to zero, and it cannot be summoned again after death! Puppet? Zombie? One-time usage item? Whats this crap? Song Jian held the card between two fingers, his lips curled down in dissatisfaction; The fighting ability of the zombie hed just killed was simply too pathetic, Song Jian didnt even consider it worth his time; Looking back, he had been a bit nervous earlier, firing all the bullets in his gun at the first sight of the monster, Even though he managed to kill it, he probably wasted more than three bullets in the process. Such a weak zombie would theoretically only require three to five bullets to kill, but Song Jian had emptied all nine bullets in his gun. If he hadnt run out of bullets, he would probably have wasted even more. Of course, this was understandable. The game was designed to be incredibly realistic, making it easy to forget that it was just a game after all. With the card in his hand, Song Jian thought it was useless to keep it as it was; it would be better to summon it as a meat shield. He focused his eyes on the card, and soon, two options appeared on it C Use and Destroy. After staring at the Use option for a moment, the card in his hand started to heat up, becoming too hot to hold. Song Jian casually tossed the card aside. The next second, as it hit the ground, it disappeared, and a stinky zombie, similar to the one he had just killed, materialized next to him. Eww~ The moment the puppet zombie appeared, Song Jians face turned green. The stench was so bad it almost made him vomit his gallbladder out. The zombie monster he fought earlier had at least three or four meters distance between them. It stank, but it was bearable. However, this summoned puppet zombie appeared right next to Song Jian, the smell was something only those whove experienced it would understandit was horrendously repulsive. Get the hell away from me! Song Jian attempted to kick the zombie away. He lifted his foot, hesitated, then put it back down. He remembered the pus that squirted out when the bullets pierced the zombies flesh. If his kick landed, it wouldnt be much different from stepping into a pile of poop. Just when Song Jian was being hesitant, the puppet zombie surprisingly crawled a few rounds forward; Huh, its actually obedient! Song Jians eyes lit up; Stand up, walk a few steps forward! Song Jian ordered. Indeed, the puppet zombie stood up and took a few steps forward. It seemed like Song Jian got himself a new toy, and he was having a blast. Lift your leg~ Put it down~ Left hand six, right hand six~ Draw a circle with your left leg, then draw another circle with your right. Jump, jump, jump~ With a thud, the puppet zombie tumbled to the ground, with a damage number of -2 floating above its head. Song Jian paused, unable to resist checking the attributes of this puppet zombie. Song Jians puppet zombie (Weakened during the day), Attack: 3-6 (halved), Defense: 1-2 (halved), Health: 54/112 (halved), Movement Speed: 3 (halved); Skills: Bite, inflicts 5 points of damage to the target and causes an additional 3 points of damage per second for 5 seconds. Also, it has a chance of inflicting the Zombie Poison effect on the target; Zombie Poison: Reduces health by 2 points per second, upon death, the victim turns into a zombie. What a piece of junk, way too weak. Song Jian skimmed through the puppet zombies stats, huffed, and expressed. He thought, how could it be taking damage from falling but serve as a tank? However, it occurred to him that the zombie was currently in a weakened state during the day. Perhaps it would recover at night, and if all attributes doubled, it would be slightly stronger than the giant spider in the room. Move ahead, scout the area! Song Jian commanded. The puppet zombie sluggishly marched forward with Song Jian following from a safe distance, holding his nose as they moved towards the other rooms on the floor. This building was a skyscraper with thirty-one floors. The room Song Jian had appeared in was on the twenty-sixth floor. Going downstairs, he searched each floor thoroughly. However, not until he reached the ninth floor did he find a room with a door that could be opened. During the search, Song Jian heard unusual sounds and low growls from several rooms, suggesting zombies were lurking inside. Song Jians pistol initially could only hold seven bullets, but with the expanded clip, it could hold fourteen. If he was careful, he could deal with two to three zombies at a time. Plus, a puppet zombie at the front could act as a shield. As long as Song Jian didnt do anything rash, he should be safe for now. Coming out of the staircase and turning a corner, Song Jians eyes lit up. This floor was home to four households. Three of their doors were fastened tightly, except one. It was ajar, and underneath it lay a female body. Keep moving. Head for that room! Song Jian ordered. The puppet zombie moved slowly towards the half-opened door. As soon as it neared, the motionless female body on the ground suddenly twitched and rose. Her face twisted into a menacing expression as she growled at the puppet zombie. Take her down! Song Jian shouted, simultaneously raising his gun to aim at the female zombie. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Roar~ Roar~ Both zombies stood face to face, opening their mouths and growling at each other. Take her down, whats the matter? Is she your relative? Are you guys having a chat now? Song Jian yelled. Thump, thump, thump~ The zombies began to attack each other with hands and mouths. It wasnt long before a sickening smell saturated the hallway. Puke, puke~ this stench cant be topped! Song Jian almost retched, desperately suppressing his nausea. He took aim at the female zombie and fired. Bang~ A gunshot echoed, the female zombies head jerked back, and a thick green liquid sprayed from her brains. A blood-red damage number, 48, floated above her. Just as Song Jian was preparing to take another shot, the puppet zombie launched a bite at the female zombies neck. A scream pierced the air and the female zombie collapsed, her body disintegrating into black ash. Was that a critical hit just now? Song Jian seemed a bit slow on the uptake, looking at the ash on the floor and muttering to himself. Chapter 7 - 7: Taking advantage of a bargain (Added for book friend 20170228185327273) 7 Chapter 7: Taking advantage of a bargain (Added for book friend 20170228185327273) Translator: 549690339 Song Jian opened the battle playback information; You used a handgun to attack, hitting the weak point (head) of the mutant zombie, and inflicted 48 points of physical damage (critical hit) on the target! Your puppet zombie used the skill bite, causing 5 points of damage, and the mutant zombies vitality was presently zero! The mutant zombie is dead! System: You killed the mutant zombie and earned 110 experience points. System: You used a handgun to effectively damage the mutant zombie. Your skill proficiency in [Gunpowder Weapon (Handgun) (Basic)] has slightly improved; Hiss, indeed, zombies weakness is their heads, how did I not realize this earlier? Ive wasted quite a lot of bullets! Song Jian was regretful at that moment. If he had known earlier, he would only need two shots at most to kill a zombie. He had already wasted at least a dozen bullets. Despite receiving a hundred universal handgun bullets from opening the newbie gift pack, if he didnt conserve his use, he would eventually run out of bullets. This was a big city, and the number of zombies was probably in the millions. After killing this mutated zombie, there was no loot drop. Song Jian curled his lips in disappointment and walked towards the half-opened security door, starting to search the room. After spending more than an hour, Song Jian searched all the accessible rooms in the entire building, but the loot he found was not much. It consisted only of some food and drink that could help to reduce hunger and thirst, but he found no equipment at all. However, Song Jian did encounter seven or eight mutant zombies during this time. Each time, he aimed for the zombies heads and shot, causing a critical hit. He then commanded his puppet zombie to rush forward and fight the target, which allowed him to quickly kill the zombies C it was both safe and efficient. After killing seven or eight zombies, his puppet zombies finally succumbed, turning into a pile of black ashes. The puppet zombies vitality could not recover; once it was gone, it was gone. After withstanding attacks from seven or eight creatures of a similar level, its vitality was finally depleted. Song Jians level increased by one. As expected, he only gained one skill point. Song Jian didnt hesitate at all and added this skill point to [Gunpowder Weapon (Handgun) (Basic)], raising this skill to Level 3. The power of short firearms increased by another 5%, and he gained an additional Accuracy +2 attribute; As for the initial skill Thick-skinned, Song Jian shrugged. Theres a shopping street right outside the building where Song Jian was. Although there were a few residential buildings nearby, he spent over an hour without much to show for it, and thus, he was not interested in them. Upon leaving the building, he saw rows of shops across the street. Right in front, was a Zhous Gold Shop. Looking through the shops floor-to-ceiling windows, a thick layer of dust covered the counters. Gold jewelry was discarded inside like trash, surprisingly untouched. Song Jian looked around and saw the wide street was deserted. Large blocks of cement on the road had cracked, and weeds waist-high grew out of the crevices, making it look very desolate- If only I could take the things in that gold shop out of the game! With this in mind, Song Jian couldnt help but walk towards the jewelry shop. Just then, there was a sudden noise in the distance. He turned to look, and his entire body instantly tensed. He widened his eyes in disbelief. A man in his pajamas was running down the street, littered with scattered trash bags. He was panting as he ran, tightly clutching a baseball bat that emitted a faint blue glow. Chasing behind him were a group of raggedly dressed, stench-emitting mutant zombies. They were staggering along unsteadily but persistently, maintaining a distance of five or six meters from him. The zombies were slow but relentless in their chase. There were probably around fifty to sixty zombies in the group, which were growling and continuously pouring out from the surrounding lanes and streets. It seemed as if they were trying to encircle the human from all directions. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian swiftly moved aside, hiding behind the wall. Going up against so many mutant zombies would be suicide. I think Ive seen that guy before! Song Jian thought to himself. He took a deep look and recognized the man. He had seen him a few times before; he was a security guard in the building next to the cosmetics company where Song Jian worked. He had seen him assist with parking cars. However, he couldnt recall his name. Dont follow me, dont follow me The mans face was filled with terror. Looking back, a mutant zombie appearing from a narrow alley was only two or three meters away from him. Die, Die! Seeing the zombie rushing over, the man suddenly mustered up the courage. He swung the baseball bat in his hand and fiercely hit the zombie closest to him in the head. The hit was so hard that it instantly killed the zombie. With a crack sound, the zombies head broke apart like a watermelon, and the headless body staggered for a moment before falling to the ground and turning into black ash. However, this moment of hesitation was enough for five or six zombies to leap at him. The man let out bone-chilling screams as the subsequent wave of zombies descended and began to rip into his body. The crunch crunch sound was incessant. Song Jian felt a chill down his spine. His palms were sweating, and his body was slightly shaking. Not long after, the mans screams gradually faded, only leaving the gnawing and growling of the zombies. Soon, the group of zombies lost interest in the mans corpse. The body, now filled with the zombie virus, soon moved. He pushed away the zombies on his body, slowly stood up with a blank look, and joined the group of zombies. He had become one of the mutant zombies. So becoming a zombie after getting bitten by one is true! Song Jian thought to himself. A group of zombies stood dumbly on the street. Once they lost their target, they quickly dispersed. It was already evening. The sun was not so harsh, but the zombies still didnt like the daytime environment. They hid in alley corners and other dark places. The man who was bitten to death was still circling the baseball bat he had dropped. Looking at the faint blue glow radiating from the baseball bat, Song Jians eyes lit up. It was a blue-grade weapon, even more powerful than his gun. It can kill a zombie in one hit. Song Jian was tempted. Eh, whats that? Song Jian shifted his gaze and quickly discovered another item. Not far from the baseball bat, there was a pile of black ashes. Next to the ashes, there was an item glowing green. Though too far to see clearly, the green glow was rather eye-catching. Another green-grade item, what luck! Song Jian thought to himself. This green-glowing item was dropped by the zombie the man had killed instantly. All of it now benefits Song Jian. The zombie that the man had turned into was only about a dozen meters away from Song Jian, within the firing range of his pistol. He lifted his gun and took aim. Bang~ There was a crisp sound, and a thick green liquid shot from the zombies head. The head tilted back abruptly, even its movement paused for a moment. Before it could react, Song Jian pulled the trigger again. The bullet penetrated the zombies skull, and another stream of green liquid shot out. The zombies body suddenly ignited, quickly turning into a pile of black ash. Chapter 8 - 8: Unexpected Joy 8 Chapter 8: Unexpected Joy Translator: 549690339 The zombie in front of him, apart from providing Song Jian with one hundred and ten experience points, did not drop any other items. However, at this point, Song Jian didnt care about the drops from this regular mutant zombie. Song Jians gaze was firmly locked onto the baseball bat and the item emitting a green light. Newbie Baseball Bat (Blue), two-handed weapon, Attack: 13-21, Strength +2, Armor Break +1, Special Effect: When attacking the targets weak area, theres a certain chance of a lethal hit! Equipment Requirement: Strength above 5 points, Agility 4 points or more; Can it be taken out of the game: No. Song Jian discovered to his shock that the equipment requirements for this baseball bat were higher than that of his gun. His strength attribute could meet the requirement because of the Ring of Strength, but he was lacking in agility. Unable to meet the equipment requirements would mean he wouldnt be able to put it into the equipment slot, and the equipments effect would not be fully utilized. Even if he tried to use this baseball bat as a weapon with difficulty, its power would be greatly reduced, and he could easily hurt himself. My newbie equipment is of white quality, but this guy is so lucky to get a blue quality equipment. However, unfortunately, I ended up being the one to benefit Song Jian thought to himself. From the looks of this baseball bat, Song Jians body attributes were much worse than the mans from earlier; since he couldnt use it, he could only keep it in his bag. By now, Song Jians bag was gradually filling up with mostly everyday items. Fortunately, duplicate items could be stored stacked, otherwise, Song Jian really wouldnt know what to do with all these supplies. Subsequently, Song Jian picked up the item emitting a green light, which surprisingly turned out to be a fist-sized green fruit. Attribute Fruit (Green); effect: eating it will give one free attribute point. Usage requirement: none. Can it be taken out of the game: Yes. This is actually a fruit that increases attribute points, and moreover, it can be taken out of the game! This is the first time Ive encountered an item that can be taken out! Looking at the green fruit in his hand, Song Jian was slightly excited. The green fruit was slightly sweet and melted in his mouth, turning into a warm flow that entered his stomach and then spread throughout his body, it was extremely comfortable, just like taking a hot bath. Looking at the attribute interface, there truly was an added line that read Free Attribute Points: 1, which could be added to any attribute of his choosing. Song Jians eyes fell first on Charm: 7 points, which were his highest attributes and also the attributes he cared the most about. However, no matter how high his charm attributes were now, they wouldnt help him reasonably survive in the game. After considering for a while, Song Jian eventually gritted his teeth and added this free attribute point to Agility. Thus, his Agility reached 4 points, which meant he could use the baseball bat. After increasing his agility by one point, Song Jian easily placed the baseball bat in his equipment slot. As the baseball bat was a two-handed weapon, Song Jian had to place his gun at his waist for now. Now, Song Jian had three weapons: the baseball bat in his hand, the Tiger Fang Dagger hanging from his left waist, and the pistol on his right. It was only when equipment was placed in the equipment slot that they could be fully utilised. Otherwise, even if held in hand, the equipments attributes would not be added to Song Jians stats. Currently, Song Jian could only equip one main weapon and two auxiliary weapons. The main weapon could either be one-handed or two-handed, but the auxiliary weapons must be one-handed. Ill find a mutant zombie first and test the power of this baseball bat! Song Jian swung the baseball bat a couple of times and thought to himself. Song Jian was no longer afraid of mutant zombies like before. As long as he wasnt surrounded by a large group of them, there was absolutely no danger. The only thing that disgusted him was the strong stench emitted by the mutant zombies. The baseball bat was longer than an adults arm. Song Jian was certain he could hit a zombies head before it could reach him. Just then, from Zhou Xiaofus gold shop not too far away, a noise sounded. Looking over, there were three mutant zombies ramming aimlessly within the shop. Some glass counters were being smashed casually by them, making clanging sounds. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The mutant zombies that were chasing him earlier all hid in nearby alleys or rooms due to broad daylight. There were only three zombies in Zhou Xiaofus shop. The number was just right; for Song Jian, it was a good opportunity to test the power of his baseball bat. He stepped towards Zhou Xiaofus jewelry shop, as soon as he entered, the closest mutant zombie detected his presence. It wobbled as it turned and walked towards Song Jian. The remaining two were further away, outside of alert range, still aimlessly wandering about. The zombies alert range is just three meters. Song Jian observed and internally noted. Swinging the baseball bat with a poom sound, the mutant zombies head exploded like a watermelon, instantly emitting a more pungent stench. This damn thing is like hitting shit! Song Jians face turned even ghastlier. Though the smell was nauseating, the baseball bat did pack a punch that thrilled Song Jian with the exhilarating sensation of killing with a single blow. The other two mutant zombies caught wind of the noise and began to slowly move towards the commotion. They hadnt sensed Song Jian, they were just attracted by the noise. However, once Song Jian entered their alert range, like voracious maggots, they would relentlessly chase their target until their death. While the two zombies leisurely approached, Song Jian directly charged at them, swinging his baseball bat. The zombies hadnt reacted before they were all knocked down, turning into black ash. System: You have used the baseball bat to inflict more than three effective damages on the mutant zombie, learned a skill: [Cold Weapon (Club) (Basic)]. [Cold Weapon (Club) (Basic)]: Passive, Level 1, increases weapon power of clubs by 5%. Seeing the system prompt, Song Jian had a thought. It seemed that he could certainly master a related passive skill as long as he effectively attacked a creature three times with a weapon. With this thought in mind, Song Jian looked at the Tiger Fang Dagger hanging on his waist. Since there were no more creatures in the vicinity for now, he decided to find one later to test whether he could master a dagger-related skill. After killing three mutant zombies and carefully checking, there were no dropped items. Song Jian frowned. He looked at the overturned display counter next to him, gold rings, and gold necklaces randomly scattered on the floor like rubbish, it was rather poignant for Song Jian. Normally, these would be worth a good amount of money. But in a zombie city, all the gold jewelry, presumably, wouldnt be worth as much as a pie of bread or a bottle of mineral water. Nevertheless, the jewelry pieces were indeed magnificent. The novel designs were very likable. What was more astounding was that after so long, the jewelrys surfaces were still shining brightly, showing no signs of decay or antiquity. If I could carry these out of the game, I would be rich! Song Jian regretfully picked up a gold necklace. Surprisingly, it discovered it wasnt merely a gray item. However, it had a property that took Song Jian by surprise. Gold Necklace (Miscellaneous), fineness: 24K, weight: 11.6 grams, effect: Charm +1, Equipment requirement: Female, Can it be carried out of the game: Yes This gold necklace can actually be taken out of the game? Song Jian was thrilled. He carefully searched and found that all the jewelry in here was miscellaneous, and several items could be carried out of the game. Im rich! Song Jian smirked. After selecting for quite a while, Song Jian picked several heavy gold bracelets and stuffed them into his package slot until it was full. Even the last gold-rimmed slot was filled with a pair of heavy gold bracelets. Phew, this trip, if I can safely exit the game, will at least make me upwards of tens of thousands. Song Jian thought contently. The only regret was that these pieces of jewelry, not of the same type, couldnt be stacked. One slot could hold only one item; this made Song Jian a little regretful. Chapter 9 - 9: Doomsday Supermarket 9 Chapter 9: Doomsday Supermarket Translator: 549690339 Following Commercial Street while slowly searching, broken and messy cars were parked haphazardly everywhere. Many had collided with each other and were burned into wreckage; The sky was growing darker, and mutated zombies began to emerge on the streets, making Song Jian feel uneasy. During the daytime, the zombies attributes were halved and he could handle them. However, at night, their attributes would recover, increasing their attack, defense, and speed twofold from what they were previously. He didnt know if he could still defeat these monsters. I must speed up my leveling progress, or else Im afraid I wont make it through the remaining few hours, Song Jian thought to himself. Although zombies had poor vision, their sense of smell and hearing were incredibly sharp. If he couldnt find a safe place to hide, wandering around like this would easily attract large numbers of zombies. Being cautious and hunting each individual zombie took more than an hour. Finally, before it was completely dark, Song Jian managed to reach level three. At the same time, by using the Tiger Fang Dagger, Song Jian gained a passive skill called [Cold Weapon (Dagger) (Basic)], which increased the damage dealt with dagger-type weapons by 5%. Upon leveling up to level three, he gained only one skill point and no attribute points, which left Song Jian feeling somewhat disappointed; Without attribute points, he couldnt improve his intrinsic qualities, and the advantage of being at a higher level wasnt as significant. Having no other choice, Song Jian spent the newly acquired skill point on [Cold Weapon (Club) (Basic)], increasing the damage by another 5%. After all, the highest-damage weapon Song Jian currently possessed was the baseball bat he was holding. Furthermore, despite spending so much time searching, Song Jian hadnt found a single weapon or even bullets. He now had fewer than a hundred bullets, and once they were used up, the pistol would become a useless chunk of iron. It was better to take this opportunity to practice more with cold weapons. Having only searched a few shops on Commercial Street, Song Jian found that all were filled with worthless miscellaneous items. Most were already ravaged by zombies. The valuable ones were probably taken away before the apocalypse occurred. Song Jian couldnt even find a piece of bread or a bottle of mineral water. As night fell, all the monsters roared skyward simultaneously, and their auras increased sharply, alarming Song Jian. Seeing the growing number of monsters, Song Jian became more cautious and didnt dare to linger on the streets; With no other option, Song Jian returned to the same residential building where he had first entered the game. He chose a room with an open door, closed it behind him, and then pushed some heavy furniture against the door, only then feeling somewhat safer. The room was on the third floor, and through the window, he could barely see the zombies on the street. By now, there were more and more zombies on the street, with at least hundreds densely packed together. Their speed had also increased, and Song Jian wasnt confident he could outrun them. Bang, bang, bang~ At that moment, a series of pounding noises resounded from the rooms door, followed by the low growls of zombies. Song Jians heart leaped into his throat as he realized that a zombie had detected his presence and was pounding on the door, trying to get inside. The heavy objects behind the door made it impossible for the mutated zombie to barge in, and after a while, the zombie was probably attracted by something else and slowly turned away. Song Jian relaxed, letting out a long sigh of relief. By now, more than three hours had passed since he had entered the game, and Song Jians hunger and thirst levels had risen to over sixty points. If they reached a hundred without eating, his Vitality would begin to drop, and once his Vitality Points were gone, he would die; Feeling hungry, Song Jian pulled out a compressed dry rations bar and a bottle of mineral water from his bag and began to eat slowly. It seems like this is how things will be today. If I can make it to daylight, Ill be able to leave this game, Song Jian thought to himself. Originally, after entering the game, Song Jian had vowed that if he could safely leave, he would never return. However, now, seeing the glittering gold jewelry in his bag, he began to waver. These gold bracelets could all be brought out of the game, and if they were genuine, their value would be at least several hundred thousand, even if sold cheaply, bringing in more than a tens of thousands in profita far more lucrative prospect than his day job. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Let me think about it. If I can really bring them into reality Song Jian didnt know what choice to make, so he decided not to think about it and find a place to sleep until daylight. Looking down from the window, the number of zombies on the street seemed to have increased. They were densely packed, wandering aimlessly on the streets. At night, its best to avoid conflicts with these zombies. Otherwise, once surrounded, I might not even be able to escape, Song Jian thought. Scanning with his eyes, Song Jian suddenly saw a vague figure floating above a distant building. The figure defied gravity and floated about three or four meters above the rooftop, facing the direction of the moon. In front of the figure, a faint silver glow drifted toward it, seemingly attracted by some force. The glow then slowly merged into the figures body. Is it absorbing the essence of the moon? Its becoming a spirit! Song Jian was dumbfounded, deeply shocked by the scene before him, which completely overturned his view of life. This is a game, this is a game Song Jian quickly recited to himself, and the shock in his heart slowly disappeared, replaced by the perspective of a player observing the figure. I cant even handle regular zombies at night, let alone this monster that has become a spirit. It could probably kill me in an instant. Id better hide well. Safety first, safety first, Song Jian whispered to himself as he retreated into a corner of the room and lay down. Closing his eyes, the scene of the figure floating in the air and absorbing the essence of the moon replayed in Song Jians mind. His ambition also began to grow like a weed, slowly taking root and germinating. As Song Jian lay in bed, he quickly fell asleep. The growls of zombies from outside the window and the sound of them dragging their bodies and hitting the walls and doors in the hallway made it difficult for him to sleep peacefully, tossing and turning with a frown. In reality, it wouldnt be a problem not to sleep in the game. However, sleep could speed up the recovery of Vitality Points. In the early stages without potions, most people relied on sleep to recuperate from their injuries. As time passed bit by bit, the bored and restless Song Jian suddenly saw a dazzling light appear before his eyes. Sitting up, he realized that the light came from Camel Square outside the window. Song Jian rolled out of bed and looked out the window. Through the window, he saw a brightly-lit three-story building in the center of Camel Square. What the hell is that?! Song Jian rubbed his eyes vigorously and stared at the building. This building didnt exist during the day, and now it seemed to have appeared out of thin air. On the roof of the three-story building was a huge sign with the words End of the World Supermarket. Surrounding the sign were neon lights of various colors that continuously flickered. That building wasnt there during the day! I remember clearly! But now A chill surged up Song Jians back, and his sleepiness vanished in an instant. A building that wasnt there during the day, a supermarket that didnt exist, suddenly appeared at night. It was too eerie. However, Song Jian soon revealed a bitter smile on his face. I forgot that Im in the game right now. With zombies running everywhere, whats so surprising about a supermarket appearing out of nowhere? Even if a spaceship suddenly appears and aliens come out, I wont be surprised! Song Jian muttered to himself. At that moment, a rectangular LED screen under the End of the World Supermarket sign suddenly lit up, displaying a line of scrolling text: End of the World Supermarket grand opening promotion: get a membership card with 1,000 points, use points to buy any discounted items in the supermarket! Discounted items available include Attribute Fruits, various guns and ammunition, daily necessities, 80%-new Kevlar Bulletproof Vests, Martial Arts Secret Scrolls Chapter 10 - 10: Entering the Supermarket 10 Chapter 10: Entering the Supermarket Translator: 549690339 Although it was just a game, the sudden appearance of a large supermarket out of nowhere still made Song Jian feel a bit awkward. However, looking at the LED screen advertisement, as long as he applied for a membership card, he would get a thousand points, and he could also buy discounted items These discounted items look pretty good. Slurp~ Song Jian stared intently at the LED screen, seeing a large number of second-hand discounted items on it, his mouth watering. Other than food and mineral water in the packages, there are also a lot of materials dropped by mutated zombies. All of them are of gray quality. I dont know if this supermarket will take them. Thinking about this made Song Jian even more eager to visit the apocalyptic supermarket. However, the constant groaning of mutated zombies in the streets reminded Song Jian to stay calm. The apocalyptic supermarket seemed like a fish bait in a pond. If Song Jian were to act rashly, there was a high probability he would be chased by the fully recovered mutated zombies with nowhere to run or hide. Wait a bit longer, just a bit longer, in a little while, it will be daybreak! Song Jian looked at the neon lights of the supermarket not far away, comforting himself. Fearing to rush out and be killed by the zombies, but also fearing that waiting until daybreak would cause the apocalyptic supermarket to suddenly disappear, Song Jian felt like an old stock trader stuck in a losing situation, looking at the fluctuating stock prices, wanting to cut losses but afraid of a rise, holding on but afraid of a fall, indecisive as if a big hand was clutching his heart. Out of sight, out of mind. Time to sleep! When the sky was slightly bright, and the sun had not yet risen, with just less than an hour before leaving the game, the mutated zombies in the streets began to instinctively hide in dark corners. Song Jian rolled out of bed and rushed to the window. Thank goodness, the supermarket is still there! His anxious heart finally calmed down, Song Jian took a deep breath, grabbed the baseball bat, pushed away the heavy furniture blocking the door, and carefully walked towards the apocalyptic supermarket. A mutated zombie was wandering in the corridor, probably hiding in there unintentionally as dawn approached. Song Jian charged straight, swinging his baseball bat, viciously striking the nearest zombies head. Thump~ A dull collision sound resounded, and the mutated zombies head jerked up with a 57-point critical hit number popping out above it. Just as Song Jian was about to swing his baseball bat again, the mutated zombie had already charged in front of him. The rotten muscles on its face and the stench wafting from its body made Song Jian feel the threat of death. Dropping the baseball bat, Song Jian directly pulled out his pistol, pressing it against the zombies head, and fired two shots, turning the zombie into a pile of black ash. Hiss, that hurts! Ignoring the items dropped by the zombie, Song Jian looked at his arm. His sleeve had been torn into shreds, and three scratch marks appeared on his shoulder, slowly seeping blood. When searching for supplies, Song Jian had found many daily necessities but had not found any medicine for treating wounds. Its a zombie! Song Jian looked at the scratches on his shoulder, feeling his heart go cold, and quickly checked the battle record. You used the baseball bat, hit the mutated zombies weak spot (head), and dealt 67 points of physical damage (critical)! Mutated zombie dealt 12 points of physical damage to you, with a slight zombie poison effect, your skill Thick Skin was effective in resisting this poison attack! You used the pistol, hit the mutated zombies weak spot (head), and dealt 38 points of ranged physical damage (critical)! You used the pistol, hit the mutated zombies weak spot (head), and dealt 4 points of ranged physical damage (critical), mutated zombies health reached zero! Mutated zombie dies! System: You killed the mutated zombie and gained 110 experience points. Injury from zombie poison, thick skin, phew, thats a relief! Song Jian sighed and felt that the pain in his shoulder had subsided somewhat. This Thick Skin skill sure is useful here with zombies all around, as Ill be exposed to the poison anytime. I should level up this skill whenever I get a chance to stay safe! Song Jian thought to himself. The sky was only slightly bright now, and the sun hadnt risen yet. The mutant zombies hadnt lost half of their attributes, so the newbie baseball bat couldnt kill them in one hit, giving the zombies an opportunity to counterattack. Besides, this attack revealed an unexposed weakness of the baseball bat C slow attack speed. There was at least a one-second gap between two attacks, enough time for Song Jian to use his gun for over two shots. This is why he immediately dropped the bat and drew his gun when the mutant zombie charged at him. Song Jians clothes were quickly stained with blood on one side of his body. It looked terrifying, but in reality, his health had only dropped by 12 points, with over 80 percent still remaining. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As his wound healed slowly, Song Jian took off his blood-stained clothes and threw them away. Bare-chested, he cautiously headed out, fearing that the strong smell of blood would attract the zombies outside. Apocalypse Supermarket was located at Camel Square behind the residential area. Song Jian held onto his baseball bat and carefully dodged the mutant zombies as he walked forwards. After 10 minutes or so, he arrived at Camel Square. The Apocalypse Supermarket now stood entirely in front of him. It looked no different from other supermarkets in the city. Song Jian approached the supermarket entrance and found the glass doors tightly closed. Through the doors, he saw a vast sales area filled with various goods on the shelves. Strangely, there wasnt a single person inside C no cashiers, no stock clerks, and no customers. The entire supermarket was brightly lit, with no mutant zombies nearby. It seemed as if they were afraid to approach this place, which gave off an eerie vibe. As Song Jian walked towards the entrance, a beep-beep sound came from above the glass doors. A green laser shot out before he could react, scanning him from head to toe. He was startled, but the green laser eventually retracted. A red light above the glass doors flashed twice and turned green, opening the supermarket doors automatically. After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian stepped inside. Is anyone here? Song Jian shouted loudly, but everything was quiet. Thinking for a moment, Song Jian gritted his teeth and walked into the supermarket, which looked much larger on the inside. He couldnt see the end of the aisle opposite him; Take a membership card before consuming. Picking up merchandise without a membership card will have consequences! A cold, mechanical voice echoed in Song Jians ear, startling him. Looking around, Song Jian saw a machine similar to an ATM next to an empty service desk. The screen was on, and at the top of the display was an option for Membership Card. This was a touch-screen self-service terminal. Song Jian walked up, and there were several options on the screen, so he tapped Membership Card. The screen flashed, and all the options disappeared. On the blue screen, several large words appeared: Mission: Kill 10 mutant zombies and collect 10 mutant zombie cores. Place the 10 zombie cores in the recycling bin next to it to complete the task! Mission Reward: Apocalypse Supermarket Membership Card! Below these words, there were two options: Accept Mission and Decline Mission. Hiss! I have to complete a mission to get a membership card? Song Jian gasped. Chapter 11 - 11: The Game’s Darling Daughter 11 Chapter 11: The Games Darling Daughter Translator: 549690339 Getting a supermarket membership card here even involves completing tasks! No wonder this place is deserted Membership cards from other supermarkets are given for free! Song Jian couldnt help but complain. In reality, if you went to get a supermarket membership card and the receptionist said, Sorry, sir, you must first complete a task: kill ten stray cats roaming the city to acquire our supermarket membership card. What the hell! Song Jian would definitely turn around and leave without a second thought if he encountered such a supermarket, which would probably go bankrupt soon. However, the products in this supermarket were so appealing, what could he do? Im just as frustrated! Song Jian expressed. With no choice, Song Jian had to leave the supermarket. There was less than half an hour left to the twelve-hour mark, and the sky was gradually lighting up. In about ten minutes or so, the sun would rise, cutting the abilities of all mutant zombies by half and making it much easier to kill them. However, there was no certainty if this suddenly materialized post-apocalyptic supermarket wouldnt just disappear in the next moment. When Song Jian would have completed the task, the post-apocalyptic supermarket could disappear C then whats the point of completing the task? Leaving the post-apocalyptic supermarket, Song Jian headed towards an unexplored residential area across Camel Square. This neighborhood consisted of six-story buildings and detached houses. It would thus be easier to search for supplies or hunt for mutant zombies here. Even before he approached the residential area, he heard the low growls of mutant zombies. It seemed as though there were quite a few of them. Damn it, is it another newbie player attracting a group of mutant zombies outside? At present, these mutant zombies havent been weakened Song Jian was startled and hesitated to go forward. Just then, a little girl who looked to be about ten years old, wearing a white dress and running with one athletic shoe, rushed out from the opposite street corner. She was heading towards the direction of Song Jian. Behind her, there were more than a dozen mutant zombies about seven to eight meters away from her. They were baring their teeth and claws while growling lowly. The little girl was wielding a small crossbow and was occasionally shooting at the pursuing mutant zombies. Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh~ The crossbow didnt seem to require reloading or bolts at all! She only needed to pull the trigger; the crossbow bolts fired were even more powerful than Song Jians pistol. Each time the little girl turned around to take a shot, a mutant zombie with five or six crossbow bolts in its body would crumble into black ash. The dropped items were ignored by the girl who continued to sprint towards the post-apocalyptic supermarket. Upon seeing Song Jian, the girl appeared startled, but her shocked expression quickly turned into delight when she recognized that he wasnt a mutant zombie. Help me, these monsters are chasing me! The girls face pleaded with Song Jian. Alright, alright! Dont panic, just stay calm! Song Jian was internally panicking. There were more than a dozen zombies approaching, and if they swarmed him, he would surely be chewed down to his bones. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, it seemed like the zombies sensed something. They stopped on the edge of Camel Square, continually growling and roaring in his direction, yet they dared not venture one step further. What are they afraid of? Song Jian looked around, finally landing his gaze on the post-apocalyptic supermarket, Are they afraid of this supermarket? This was the perfect opportunity to exterminate them. Song Jian raised his pistol, aimed at the closest zombies head, and pulled the trigger. Bang, Bang~ He killed each mutant zombie with two shots. After reloading his clip three times, he had exterminated more than a dozen mutant zombies, leaving behind a bunch of items glowing with an iridescent light. Though it felt exhilarating, those bullets would soon be running out. Song Jian only had about fifty to sixty bullets left at this point. These dozen mutant zombies had increased his experience bar by more than two-thirds. Killing another four or five could level him up. Alright, theyre all taken care of! Song Jian flashed the young girl a small smile, announcing. As he looked at the girl, the smile on Song Jians face froze. The little girl was pointing her crossbow at him, giving him the chills. Little, little girl, why are you pointing that at me? It wont be good if it goes off by accident, put it away! Song Jian softly suggested. You wont kidnap me and sell me, right? The girl asked serenely. No, not at all, how could I! Song Jian wiped his sweat, responding hurriedly. You wont steal my snacks, toys, or other things, will you? No, I wont! Youre not like those monsters who want to grab and bite me, are you? No, Im not! Im a player like you, not a monster! Mmm, okay then. After carefully considering Song Jians words, the little girl seemed to decide to believe him. She stowed away her crossbow, bowed to Song Jane, and said, Thank you, uncle, for saving me. Youre a good person! Phew! The direct dismissal caught Song Jian off guard. Ha, Uncle, huh? Alright then. Speaking of which, was that weapon you were using silver quality? It seemed rather formidable! Song Jain intentionally asked casually while walking towards the slain zombies. When the little girl appeared, Song Jians attention was first drawn to the petite crossbow in her hands. Emitting a silver glow, it was undoubtedly a silver-quality weapon. Song Jian had come to understand the quality tiers of equipment in the game: gray, white, green, blue, and silver. Silver is evidently the best while gray is the worst. Anything worse than gray would be junk, and Song Jian speculated that there probably was a gold tier higher than silver. As for whether there existed equipment higher than gold, he didnt know since he was still new to the game. After posing the question, the silence was overwhelming. Curious, Song Jian turned around for a look, only to be scared senseless. That little girl was holding her crossbow, aiming it directly at Song Jians back and looking extremely cautious. What what are you doing? Song Jian blurted out in fear. Are you trying to steal my beginner weapon? The girl stared at him suspiciously. What How can that be? I have my own weapons, look, three of them. Song Jian instantly felt awkward. He quickly showed her the baseball bat in his hand, and the dagger and pistol around his waist as he spoke with cold beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. The little girl gazed at Song Jians three weapons for a long time, then asked with suspicion, Is that so? Of course, of course! How could I steal from a little girl, you really are Song Jian swallowed his spit, thinking about the silver crossbow. One glance at it and it was clear it was not an ordinary weapon. A powerful weapon with a high attack speed. If it hit him, it might kill him outright. Damn the game for giving such a dangerous weapon to a little girl! Are you the games darling?

Song Jian gasped, This upgradable weapon is too exaggerated, Keer. Did you recharge? No, Little Cheap Brother, as soon as 1 entered the game and searched for supplies, I found it! I love it so much! With that, Keer rubbed the crossbow against her face, cherishing it dearly. Song Jian shook his head and once again confirmed that Keer was the favorite child of this game. Alright, Keer, Im going in. As soon as I grab the monster, you start attacking! Song Jian took a deep breath, raised his pistol, and aimed at the monsters head. Bang, Bang- Fl SC pistol bullets poured out, and in a few seconds, more than a dozen bullets hit the mutated zombies head. However, when the bullets hit the zombies head, they produced a series of sparks and a dull impact sound. Bam, Bam, Bam- One point damage popped up over the mutated zombies head, and Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief. Was it unable to break through the defense? Chapter 70 - 70: The Strong Mutated Zombie Chapter 70: The Strong Mutated Zombie Translator: 549690339 Looking at the increasingly close monster, Song Jian furrowed his brows, a look of surprise emerging on his face. This defense is much stronger than a LV5 elite boss! He had never encountered this situation prior when using his pistol to attack the zombie leader. It should be noted that the current monster was just an ordinary level five creature; Having run out of bullets, Song Jian swiftly unequipped the pistol from the equipment bar and put it in his inventory. Instead, he equipped the Corrupt Sword in his off-hand; Although he wasnt going to use this sword, the Corrupt Sword could enhance some of Song Jians strength attributes. Only when he equipped the Corrupt Sword could his strength reach its current peak C nine points; With Beretta Double Barrel Shotgun in his grasp, Song Jian rushed towards the monster; The closer the double-barreled shotgun was to the target, the greater the power. When he rushed to three or four meters in front of the monster, Song Jian pulled the trigger; Bang, bang- The upper and lower barrels of the gun almost simultaneously spewed out a trail of fire. Two twenty-eight pellets shot towards the monster in a thirty-degree triangle. Numerous tiny steel balls scattered in the air, becoming a rain of steel that enveloped the whole area in front of the Tough Mutated Zombie. The steel balls even tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound. Being too close, the Tough Mutated Zombie was unable to react in time and could only forcefully endure this attack; The monster stumbling towards Song Jian faltered, as though its chest had been powerfully bitten by a ferocious beast. All the steel balls were deeply embedded into its flesh; Song Jian swiftly swung the double-barreled shotgun onto his back and withdrew the Tusk Fang Stinger, charging at the monster; The Tough Mutated Zombies eyes flashed red, and it violently swung its right hand forward. The iron chain wound around its arm produced a shrill whistling noise as it brutally lashed towards Song Jian; At this point, Song Jian was less than two meters away from the Tough Mutated Zombie. Caught off guard, the iron chain smashed into his body. Clang- A crisp metallic striking sound rang out. The area hit by the iron chain displayed the form of chainmail. Song Jian felt a great force on his shoulder. His charging figure abruptly slowed down, and a few dozen damage points floated above his head; Given his natural talent Thick Skin and the deflection effect of the zombie leaders battle armor, Song Jian was still able to bear the loss of these dozens of vitality points. After all, regardless of how you put it, the Tough Mutated Zombie was just an ordinary level five creature. Since the defensive figure had already turned out to be so bizarre, if the offensive figure was further increased, the level five elite bosses would feel unbearable!; The battle continued. Song Jian swung his dagger, dodged the chains on the mutated zombies body, and stabbed at it through the gaps in its body. Song Jian could sense that the skin of the Tough Mutated Zombie was very tough. Even with the sharpness of the Tusk Fang Stinger, only a third of the blade could be stabbed in; Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh- Semi-transparent crossbow bolts were embedded one after the other into the zombies brain. Damage in the thirties floated up from its head. As expected of a growing silver-quality weapon, it really is powerful! Song Jian raised his eyebrows in surprise. With such a powerful defense, if they could still inflict damage in the thirties, it gave a good indication of just how powerful the hand crossbow in Li Keers grasp really was; The Tough Mutated Zombie was not very fast. Even though it had the iron chain as a semi-distance attack method, as long as Li Keer was careful, it was not impossible for her to kill it alone; I cant let the little girl outshine me! Song Jian thought, unable to help but speed up his movements; Hisss hisss hisss hisss hisss- Five almost imperceptible slicing sounds emerged, and the Tough Mutated Zombie showed five single-digit damage points above its head. Then Song Jian was heard softly commanding: Burst! Bang- A ball of green smoke erupted from the body of the Tough Mutated Zombie, and its vitality points rapidly decreased significantly; This dagger is really like some kind of bug! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim in a low voice; Little Cheap Brother, youre really powerful! Li Keer could hardly believe her eyes. A damage figure of over a hundred points floated up from the Tough Mutated Zombies head, which was truly terrifying; Li Keer, who was originally worried that Little Cheap Brothers damage wasnt enough, had been suppressing her damage so that she wouldnt over-threat (OT). But now, after seeing the strength of Little Cheap Brother, she realized that he was actually very powerful. If thats the case, I need to show my full strength as well! Li Keer secretly cheered herself on, her little face revealing a serious look; Sniper Continuous Shooting! With a light yell, the semi-transparent crossbow bolts fired from the silver hand crossbow created a nearly continuous line shooting towards the monsters body; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The vitality of the Tough Mutated Zombie, like a levee bursting, visibly dropped rapidly. Initially, it had nearly three hundred vitality points, but after Li Keer finished releasing her ability and caught her breath, only twenty-some points remained; Hiss-, over two hundred points of vitality damage, isnt this what you call cheating? Song Jian stared in amazement. While he had already greatly overestimated Li Keers strength, it turned out he had somewhat underestimated her in the end. Keer, this skill is Song Jian asked in surprise. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Previously, Li Keer already had a high-damage ability, Burst Arrow. Now, another skill, Sniper Continuous Shooting, had suddenly appeared, its power not falling short of the previous ability in any way; Little Cheap Brother, this is a skill that comes with the weapon after it upgrades. It doesnt use any resources, it just has a long cooldown time, about ten minutes. Li Keer cheerfully brandished her hand crossbow, a clear showy expression on her face; Swinging his dagger, Song Jian harvested the last twenty-some vitality points of the Tough Mutated Zombie. The monster duo kneeled down, letting out an unwilling roar before collapsing with a loud thud; After death, the monster did not disintegrate into dark ash. Next to its body, three items dropped out, two white-quality materials C Tough Zombies Tendon and Tough Zombies Bone Marrow, plus a blue-quality scroll; Tough Zombies Tendon (White), Material, Can be used to craft longbows. Usage requirements: Possess Weapon Crafting Skill. Below the items properties, there is a line of gray text [Can be used to strengthen weapons] Tough Zombies Bone Marrow (White), Material, Can be used to concoct potions. Usage requirement: Possess Potion Crafting Skill. Under the items properties, there is also a line of gray text [Can be used to strengthen potions] Since both of them had inflicted damage on the monster, both were able to see these item properties. After a quick glance, Song Jian directly passed the Tough Zombies Tendon to Li Keer, while the material that could enhance potions was put into his own inventory. Even an ordinary level five small monster can drop a blue-quality item. It looks like 1 will have to frequently hunt monsters with Keer from now on. Song Jian thought to himself. He even suspected that Li Keer had some hidden luck attributes. Otherwise, how could she be favored by the game system so much! Picking up this blue-quality scroll, Song Jians eyes lit up. As it turns out, it was a skill scroll. Chapter 71 - 71: Yin Soul Ghost Tree Chapter 71: Yin Soul Ghost Tree Translator: 549690339 This skill scroll is quite something!1 Song Jian picked up the blue-quality Skill Scroll and couldnt help but exclaim in surprise; Skill Scroll: Jumping Shot, Effect: Use to learn the Jumping Shot skill; Jumping Shot: A passive skill that produces a moving effect when attacking with normal attacks or skills to the target, causing a short displacement in the direction of the movement while launching a long-range physical attack. This skill is one of the inheritance skills for the Spear of Vengeance profession.1 Profession inheritance skills, so this game really has professions!1 Song Jian stroked his chin, his face revealing a thoughtful expression. Little Cheap Brother, I can use this skill, I can! Li Keer raised her right hand high and anxiously shouted while tugging at Song Jians clothes. Alright, here you go! Song Jian smiled faintly, handing the Skill Scroll to Keer; Spear of Vengeance? Sounds cool! Li Keer took the scroll and used it directly. Ah, it turns out that you need to collect five skills to inherit this profession!1 Li Keer showed a troubled expression on her face. As she spoke, Li Keer shot a crossbow bolt into the distance. As she fired the bolt, her body involuntarily jumped a short distance to the side; Very agile! Song Jians eyes brightened. Hehe, yeah, and I can control the direction of movement, but its a bit difficult Li Keer said and shot another arrow; this time, she directly collided with a big tree; Thump- Ah, it hurts! Li Keers forehead turned red, and she looked at Song Jian with teary, aggrieved eyes; Practice well. 1 feel that this profession inheritance must be very powerful, Song Jian said to Li Keer with a serious nod. Li Keer rubbed her forehead and grinned, not daring to continue trying, and quietly followed behind Song Jian; Lets go, keep moving forward! Song Jian ruffled Keers hair, took her hand, and continued walking forward; Not far behind them, in a clump of trees, Zhao Sihais face showed a surprised expression. He had once tried to hunt the monsters in this park but ended up fleeing in a sorry state; S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even if hes a level 7 expert, this killing speed is a bit too fast Zhao Sihai hesitated, unsure whether it was the right choice to continue following. If Song Jian discovered him, his fate would be predictable. Killing here is no different from killing in reality. 1 dont believe he would really lull me! Zhao Sihais bloodshot eyes revealed a crazed expression, similar to when he was destitute and stalking a woman carrying an LV handbag at night. It was this craziness that allowed Zhao Sihai to seize every opportunity. In his forties, he went from being a street thug to the chairman of the largest listed company in Coastal City; This time, I will definitely succeed, achieving the same success in this game world as 1 have in the real world. Zhao Sihais crazed expression grew thicker, but his mind was clear and his face calm. Song Jian and Li Keer made their way forward, encountering many Strong Mutated Zombies along the way, but with the pairs combined attack, these monsters all turned into piles of materials; Li Keer practiced Jumping Shot throughout the journey. Whenever she was not careful, she would collide with trees, rocks, and pillars, turning her forehead red and making her teary eyes look pitiful; However, Li Keer was very strong and did not give up her practice of Jumping Shot even after failing again and again, continuing to use it for her attacks; Little Cheap Brother, 1 always feel like someone is watching us After killing a Strong Mutated Zombie, Li Keer signaled for Song Jian to bend down and whispered in his ear. Upon hearing this, a trace of coldness appeared at the corners of Song Jians mouth. He had always thought it was his imagination, but since Keer felt it too, that meant the feeling of surveillance was real; It doesnt matter. Some people want to follow us and take advantage of us, or even harm us, but our benefit is not so easy to pick Song Jian whispered in Keers ear; The two of them exchanged a smile and pretended nothing had happened, picking up the items dropped by the monsters and continuing to move forward; Through his 8x scope, Zhao Sihai could clearly see Song Jian bending down and talking to Li Keer while smiling, but he didnt know sign language and had no idea what they were saying. He thought they were happy because of the items dropped by the monsters. Youre quite happy now, but there will be a time when you cry A confident smile emerged at the corners of Zhao Sihais mouth. On their journey, Song Jian and Li Keer cleared out every monster they encountered, allowing Zhao Sihai to follow behind them smoothly. Song Jian and Li Keer spent more than two hours clearing out the monsters they encountered along the way and finally arrived at a small forest. The small forest before them resembled the one where Song Jian had found the Tree Spirit initially. There were no sounds of insects or birds chirping, only cold, eerie winds blowing from the forest, emitting a deep howling sound; Song Jian stood at the edge of the forest, shivering involuntarily. It was daytime, and the sun was shining overhead, but Song Jian felt like he was in a haunted place; As Song Jian looked ahead, the whole forest appeared hazy gray. On the black barren ground, the trunks of the trees were covered in black stripes, forming bizarre patterns that looked like stretched and twisted human figures; The environment here was oppressive and gloomy, and deep in the forest, one could vaguely see a large group of stone tablets randomly embedded in the ground, looking like a discarded graveyard from afar; Little Cheap Brother, this place is so scary. Do we really have to go in? Li Keer wore a frightened expression, clinging tightly to Song Jians clothes; Dont be afraid, its just a game! Song Jian patted Keers head, comforting her softly, although in truth, his heart was pounding as well; Huu, huu- Breaths resounded through the forest, as if a prehistoric behemoth was exhaling; The BOSS information provided by Zhao Sihai is here Song Jian frowned, the forest before him giving him an uneasy feeling and a strong urge to stay away from it; At that moment, Li Ke er suddenly exclaimed, Eh, Little Cheap Brother, the trees here can also be harvested, and the grade seems to be much higher than the previous forest! Song Jian stared at a tree covered in black stripes, and after a moment, faint yellow words appeared on the tree; Yin Soul Ghost Tree: Material, Gatherable, with a certain chance of collecting Yin Soul Wood; Gathering Requirement: Chopping Skill Level 3 Chapter 72 - 72: Yin Soul Wood Chapter 72: Yin Soul Wood Translator: 549690339 High-quality wood? Song Jian was taken aback, not expecting this kind of thing in the game. Little Cheap Brother, my Chopping Skill is only at level 2 Li Keer made a troubled face. Thats okay, there are plenty of ordinary trees in this park. You can start harvesting those until your chopping skill is upgraded to level three. Then you can collect these high-quality Yin Soul Ghost Trees. Along the way, Song Jian had already spotted many ordinary trees in the park. Li Keer can collect the trees herself without the need to compete, so her Chopping Skill will level up quickly. Alright, Little Cheap Brother, Ill go level up my Chopping Skill! Li Keer ran towards a standard quality tree, wielding her iron axe to hew it. Impatiently, Song Jian advanced towards a Yin Soul Ghost Tree and threw a punch at it. Sheesh, this Ghost Tree is hard, and its icy cold! Song Jian massaged his wrist. The Ghost Tree was harder than typical rock, leaving his fingers numb after a single punch. Plus, the Ghost Tree was filled with a frosty Yin energy that would infiltrate his body with every punch. System: You are harvesting the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. You have touched the Ghost Trees Yin energy, causing you to lose 2 Yin Attribute Damage. Your innate skill Thick Skinned has been triggered, negating 2 Yin Attribute Damage. Final damage is zero. Who wouldve thought my talent would be so versatile. Song Jian smirked slightly as he continued to punch the tree. Thud, thud, thud- The Yin Soul Ghost Tree rocked continuously. After a while, a large piece of splintered wood crumbled from the Ghost Tree, transformed into a white light, and flew into Song Jians inventory. System: Youve harvested 145 units of wood. Wow, is the quantity of wood this high? Got 145 units in just one go? Wouldnt an entire tree yield thousands of units then? Song Jians eyes lit up. He was initially just interested in the Yin Soul Wood, but even without it, the ordinary wood is also abundant. This place is a sacred land for harvesting wood, far better than the area where Tree Spirits are located. Song Jian initially planned to gather wood from the Tree Spirit area after defeating the BOSS, but now it seemed unnecessary. He could directly collect wood from here. Zhao Sihai, who was hiding hundreds of meters away in a small pavilion, was scowling. Leaning on a wooden chair and looking at Song Jian through an 8x scope, he wondered, Whats this guy up to? Why is he harvesting wood now? Zhao Sihai observed attentively for a while, sensing something unusual about the pitch-black forest. The Ghost Trees were significantly different from ordinary trees. Once he took a closer look, he understood why Song Jian was gathering wood instead of fighting the BOSS. Shit! I discovered this place first, its mine. Now this kids taking advantage of it. Zhao Sihai seethed, his heart throbbing painfully. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Watching one Yin Soul Ghost tree after another fall down, it felt like Song Jian was cutting off slabs of flesh from Zhao Sihais body. Each harvested Ghost Tree felt like a bloody chunk of meat being sliced off. The pain was so intense that Zhao Sihai almost stopped breathing. Mine, mine, all of these are mine Zhao Sihai muttered to himself. Several times, hed been tempted to pull the trigger, instantly putting an end to Song Jian who was stealing his Ghost Trees, but in the end, he restrained himself. Go ahead, keep harvesting. Youre collecting for me. Soon, the stuff in your inventory, the BOSS loot, even your life, will all be mine, Zhao Sihai muttered to himself, holding back his raging anger. The quantity of wood in Song Jians inventory was rapidly increasing Eight thousand units Nine thousand units Ten thousand units Fifteen thousand units Song Jian had even forgotten about the Level 5 Elite BOSS, as he transformed into a diligent lumberjack, destructively harvesting the Yin Soul Ghost Trees. After an unknown amount of time, Song Jians inventory had accumulated over thirty thousand units of wood, when cheers rang out from behind. Wow, Ive leveled up! My Chopping Skill is at level three now! Li Keer hopped excitedly towards Song Jian. Thud- Song Jian punched the Yin Soul Ghost Tree again, leaving only a stump barely three inches from the ground. System: Youve harvested 320 units of wood. System: Your Chopping Skill has leveled up to level 5. System: Your Barehanded Combat Skill (Palm Strike) (Basic) has leveled up to level 5. Chopping Skill: Passive, Level 5; When chopping trees, efficiency increases by 30%, probability of obtaining rare wood Increases by 10%. Barehanded Combat Skill (Palm Strike) (Basic): Passive, Level 5; Increases palm strike power by 30%, Constitution +1. Song Jian was pleased to see that both his Chopping Skill and Barehanded Combat had leveled up to 5. Constitution +1? So leveling up a passive skill to 5 increases ones attributes? Song Jians eyes lit up at the sight of the attribute increase in the Level 5 Barehanded Combat Skill. Song Jians Constitution had already reached 7 points, his Vitality Points had increased from the original 250 to 270. His strength had increased a little further. Little Cheap Brother, youre harvesting so quickly! Youve already harvested such a large area! Li Keer looked at the field of stumps in surprise and declared, Looks like I need to work harder too, hmph! With that, Li Keer approached a Yin Soul Ghost Tree, lifted her iron axe, and struck it with all her might. Thud- Li Keer cried out, Its so hard! I can barely hold onto the axe! After a moment, she shivered, Its, so cold! Why is chopping down a tree this cold? Ah, it even reduces Vitality Points! Hmph, this is one naughty tree! said Li Keer to herself, before lifting her small iron axe and striking the Yin Soul Ghost Tree again. Keer, watch your Vitality Points. If they drop too low, rest a while on the side to recover your Vitality. Song Jian called out. Rest easy, Little Cheap Brother, I know! Li Keer replied, resisting the icy cold that flowed from the Ghost Tree and continued to harvest diligently. Song Jian gave Li Keer an anxious glance, shook his head slightly, and continued to harvest the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. A moment later, a Yin Soul Ghost Tree collapsed with a crash, transformed into white light, and flew into Song Jians inventory. Amid the white light, there was a strip of black light. System: You have used the Chopping Skill and harvested 290 units of wood. System: You have used the Chopping Skill and accidentally received 1 unit of Yin Soul Wood. A piece of black iron-like wood was quietly lying in another slot in Song Jians inventory, emitting a faint glow. Chapter 73 - 73: Zombie Carrying a Monument Chapter 73: Zombie Carrying a Monument Translator: 549690339 Yin Soul Wood, Grade 3 material, can be used to create special items. Usage Requirements: None. Having collected more than twenty Yin Soul Ghost Trees, only one piece of Yin Soul Wood appeared. It was only after upgrading to level five Chopping Skill that they were able to collect such a rare piece. It indicated how precious Yin Soul Wood was. This property description isnt clear. Special items, what kind of special items? Song Jian frowned lightly, staring at the piece of Yin Soul Wood in the bundle for a long while. However, he couldnt figure anything out, so he had to put it aside and place it together with the hard pine wood. Hard Pine Wood is also a third-grade wood, but Song Jian subtly felt that Yin Soul Woods properties should be stronger than Hard Pine Woods. After all, apart from being hard, Hard Pine Wood didnt have any other characteristics, whereas aside from being hard, Yin Soul Wood also had a chilling, gloomy aura. Li Keer began to reinvigorate herself from the side, heave-ho, heave-ho. Holding a small, delicate iron ax, she chopped Ghost Trees, took a break to eat a piece of fried meat to recover her Vitality Points. The efficiency of third-grade Chopping Skill in collecting Ghost Trees was not very high, but the wood yielded was several times that of previous small woods, which made Li Keers eyes curl up with laughter. As the two carried on with their collection, they headed deeper into the forest. Looking up, Song Jian saw several stone monuments standing on the ground within less than a hundred meters. The inscriptions on them were somewhat blurred and some of them were even crumbling, looking quite dilapidated. As the two were busily collecting Ghost Trees, a horrific howling sound rang out by their ears, startling Li Keer into trembling. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This sound was much like a human screaming at the top of its throat, only more sorrowful. It was full of the brutality and insanity of a beast, like an injured wild animal going mad. Li Keer looked terrified, quickly coming over to Song Jian and whispering through the collar of his shirt, What, what is that thing? Is it a BOSS? Its such a terrifying sound. Song Jian pulled Keer behind a Ghost Tree, peeking out. A robust beast-like creature crouching, with its hands drooping in the likeness of an orangutan. The back of its hands, dragging on the ground, held talons about half a foot long, like sharp daggers, flickering with a chilling light. Its hair was sparse, its skin was rotten, and its upper body was bare. It had a tight leather skirt around its waist, with its thighs protruding, and a layer of black scales subtly appearing. This beast only had one eye, located on its forehead. This eye dominated half of its face, pushing the leftover nose and mouth to the very bottom, making it look repulsive and fierce. On its back, it carried a giant stone monument, about twice as large as the surrounding ones. The surface of the black monument glowed a faint purple and the face of the stone was filled with tiny characters, resembling tadpoles. Song Jian took one look and felt dizzy. Curious, Li Keer peeped and quickly retreated after seeing the creatures appearance. Her quickened breath, numbing scalp, and rapidly beating heart revealed her fear. Song Jian studiously observed the beast for a moment, noticing the small red words floating above it. LV7 Zombie with Monolith (Elite), Vitality Points: 600/600, Characteristics: Super Strength. Song Jians face turned sullen. During the trade, Zhao Sihai had said that the BOSS here was only level five, but the BOSS in front of him was level seven. No wonder the system had said that the accuracy rate of the transaction content was only 92%. Song Jian originally thought the deviation was due to the specific location, but unexpectedly, it was the level of the BOSS that differed. Little Cheap Brother, do we do we fight it? Keer tremulously asked. Fight! Song Jian gritted his teeth: This BOSSS characteristic is super strength, we cant fight it head-on. 111 distract it, Keer you attack from a distance. Control your power during the fight so as not to attract the BOSSS attention to you. Keer nodded and reassured, Dont worry, Little Cheap Brother, I wont OT. Get ready, Im going up! Song Jian charged at the boss, aiming with his pistol and pulling the trigger. Bang, bang- in the blink of an eye, all ten or so bullets plunged into its body, five-six of which precisely hit its head, causing purple-black blood to burst out. Although this BOSSS defense was relatively lower than the Robust Mutant Zombie, it was still limited. Every bullet inflicted two to three points of damage. The bullets that hit the head resulted in around six points of critical damage. However, this damage was a far cry from consequential for a boss with six hundred vitality points. Roar- The Zombie with the Monolith was furious, picking out the bullets embedded in its body, and lungishly lunged at Song Jian using all limbs. Hiss, that monument should weigh at least five to six hundred jin, right? How come it doesnt seem to affect it? Song Jians heart sank, he dared not face it head-on, avoided hastily to one side, changing his gun to a double-barreled shotgun and shot towards the BOSSS backside. Two large shotgun pellets, from the moment of projectile out of the gun barrel, broke into hundreds of tiny steel beads, enveloping the BOSS entirely. A series of damage points interspersed with MISS surged from the BOSSS head. Though the damage was minimal, the amounts were substantial. This course, stripped at least thirty of the BOSSS Vitality Points. The BOSS turned around, roared and charged towards Song Jian. There was no time to retract the shotgun. He could only rollout, dodging the BOSSS attack, hugging the shotgun to his chest. The strong winds grazed his face as if they were small knives cutting into it. Boom- One of the Yin Soul Ghost Trees was directly knocked down by the BOSS, causing a spine-chilling cracking sound. The Ghost tree tumbled down, leaving the BOSS somewhat dazzled by the impact, causing it to stumble slightly, and nearly fall. Song Jian sheathed his double-barreled shotgun, holding Tusk Fang Stinger as he lunged towards the BOSSS back. Simultaneously, Keer aimed at the BOSS with her handheld crossbow, pulling the trigger. She leapt to the left, shooting a half-transparent arrow towards the BOSSS eye. Given that the Zombie with Monolith was a level seven elite monster, its resistance was significantly high. It shook its head slightly and promptly resumed normalcy. Lowering its head, it dodged Keers arrow and charged towards Song Jian. Song Jians dagger pierced into the bosss arm, inflicting thirteen points of damage and an additional poison mark. However, this time around, Song Jian wasnt able to dodge the BOSSS onslaught and was compelled to shield his chest and head to absorb the impact. Boom- Song Jians body was sent flying by the strike, blood spewing out of his mouth. He was well protected by his Zombie Commander Armor. -86 This blow took away more than eighty of Song Jians vitality points. If it were an average player, this hit would have killed them instantly. One-third of his vitality was depleted in an instant, pains shot through his chest and abdomen. Rather than scaring Song Jian, this attack infuriated the ruthlessness hidden within him. Spitting out a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva, Song Jian charged towards the BOSS again. Chapter 74 - 74: 74: Snatching the Monster Chapter 74 - 74: 74: Snatching the MonsterTranslator: 549690339 The hunched zombie, crouching, appeared to be about the same height as Song Jian, but when it straightened its back, its height nearly doubled that of Song Jian, displaying a disparity as large as that between an adult and a child. Seeing Song Jian rushing towards it, the hunched zombie abruptly stands tall, its two fists combined in a joint grasp, and smashes the ground forcefully. Boom- With a loud roar, the ground is violently dented by the hunched zombies punch, shattered stone slabs lying in its wake, as a wave of energy, like a tidal force, charges towards Song Jian. Too close to evade, Song Jian can do nothing but shield his head with both hands and bear the brunt of the attack. Under the impact of the strength, Song Jian feels as though hes standing on cotton, his footing unstable, and he ends up sitting on the ground. The hunched zombie seizes the chance to pounce, rushing to Song Jian and swinging its palm at Song Jian, who is now sitting with his back to the ground. Its three withered fingers, like old tree roots, have sharp nails like little knives, that effortlessly break through Song Jians defense. The armor of the zombies commander emerges, creating a sound as piercing as glass scraping; The nails cut through the armors defense and penetrate Song Jians flesh. Three terrifying, bone-deep gouges appear on Song Jians shoulder. From these wounds, fresh blood continuously spurts out, and Song Jians vitality suddenly drops significantly, along with an added continuous blood loss status. With gritted teeth, Song Jian bears the pain, waves his dagger, and brutally slashes the hunched zombies arm to repel it, hastily grabbing and consuming a fruit from his bag. A flash of red light and Song Jians vitality points increase by 50. Meanwhile, Song Jians left hand presses on his shoulder wound, silently invoking Surgical Treatment in his mind. Instantly, a white light envelopes the wound that rapidly heals the fresh and bloody cut. The continuous blood loss status also disappears from his status bar. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sniper Continuous Shooting From a distance, Li Keer utters softly, and her crossbow bursts into radiance, a series of translucent crossbow bolts shooting towards the hunchedback zombie like a line. Song Jian feels a jolt of surprise in his heart. Li Keers skill inflicts tremendous damage and could easily cause OT. If the BOSS is attracted by Li Keers attack, Song Jian wouldnt stand a chance at drawing the BOSSS attention back to himself in such a short period. Dozens of crossbow bolts cruelly penetrate the hunched zombies back, a series of damage points floating over the BOSSS head. As the BOSSS attention starts to wander, Song Jian, out of desperation, wields his dagger and stabs at the BOSS in a haphazard flurry. Tusk Fang Stinger, after all, is a blue-quality dagger. Even without any active attack skills, each of Song Jians attacks could cause about ten points of damage to the BOSS. Within a few seconds, Song Jian manages to attack the BOSS three times, stacking the Poison Mark up to five layers. Seeing the BOSS turn to charge at Li Keer, Song Jian yells out, Explode! A dense green powder-like mist bursts out from the BOSSS body, detonating the five-layer Poison Mark, causing over a hundred points of damage to the hunched zombie directly. The hunched zombie only sways a bit before continuing its charge at Li Keer. Song Jians left hand presses hard on the ground, a tusk-shaped air mass hastily forms, its piercing whistle echoing as it lunges at the hunched zombie. Earth Teeth Assault! Boom- Blood splatters from the legs of the hunched zombie, both legs soften, and it falls to its knees. Its heavy body collides with the ground, causing a tremor akin to an earthquake. The sight before him left Zhao Sihai, who was hundreds of meters away, utterly terrified. Fie had only heard the bosss roar previously, unable to enter the park hence unable to see the boss proper. Now seeing how terrifyingly powerful the boss was, he was both astounded and relieved; If I were there, I would probably be killed instantly. Zhao Sihai silently thought to himself. Utilizing his eight-times scope, Zhao Sihai kept his sights locked onto the bosss head, prepared to land the final hit at any moment. As long as he was able to inflict damage, he could collect the spoils of war. Once the boss is killed, only a heavily injured Song Jian and a little girl will remain; wont 1 be the ultimate winner then? A sinister smile fluttered at the corner of Zhao Sihais mouth; Seeing the boss lunge towards her, Li Keer was frightened so much that she was slightly shaking, her face paling, but she didnt run, continuously using her crossbow to attack; every strike accompanied by a jump to a spot further away from the boss. She was gradually getting a hang of the Jumping Shot skill; With the use of the Earth Teeth Assault skill, he finally attracted the bosss attention. The boss, like a massive tank, charged towards Song Jian after getting up from the ground; Boom-! The ground quaked. Song Jians face turned ashen at the bosss awe-inspiring momentum, knowing that he would be instantly killed if hit head-on by the boss; In a rush, Song Jian dodged behind a Yin Soul Ghost Tree. The boss, with a bellow, charged full-force into the big tree, causing it to split in half and the upper part of its trunk to fly back with a whoosh; A gust of fierce wind made Song Jian lose more than thirty vitality points just by being hit by the wind and wood shavings. Nevertheless, he managed to evade the bosss attack; In a single leap, Song Jian landed on the bosss back, grabbed the edge of the stele with one hand, and brandished his dagger towards the back of the bosss neck with the other hand. The boss stood upright, continuously trying to reach backward, but was unable to touch Song Jian; One strike, two strikes, three strikes Tusk Fang Stinger finally broke the bosss defense, fiercely penetrating his flesh. Purple-black blood splattered out, and a critical hit with over 60 points of damage drifted above the bosss head; With its vitality points already falling below two hundred, the boss, whose original vitality points were 600, frenziedly crashed its back into a Ghost Tree in an attempt to shake Song Jian off. Seeing that the Poison Mark was once again stacked to five layers, Song Jian quickly shouted, Burst!; The explosion of another green mist caused the boss to stumble and fall to the ground. Song Jian took the opportunity to roll off, raised his dagger high in both hands, and brutally stabbed it down into the bosss single eye on his forehead; Damn it, I cant wait any longer, if I do, the boss will be killed by him! Seeing the bosss vitality points dropping to less than a hundred, Zhao Sihais heart pounded as he aimed for the bosss head and pulled the trigger; The boss, seeing Song Jian thrust towards his eye, displayed an expression of terror on his face, letting out a roar as he violently turned to the side; Boom-! A loud rumble echoed as a sniper bullet fiercely burrowed into the bosss shoulder blade, directly blowing half of his shoulder into a spray of flesh; Someone is stealing my kill! Song Jian was startled, seeing that the boss had only a dozen or so vitality points remaining, he hurriedly swung his dagger, harvesting the last dozen points of vitality; The boss, drained of vitality, struggled to get up, but his movements grew weaker and weaker. Eventually, he collapsed, with a large puddle of purple-black tainted blood seeping out slowly from beneath him; Song Jian didnt have time to check the bosss drops, he quickly used a Vitality Recovery Fruit, while darting behind a Ghost Tree; By now, Keer had already crouched down and began hiding away. Watching his vitality points being gradually restored, Song Jians expression turned increasingly stern. Chapter 75 - 75: 75: Little Purple Chapter 75 - 75: 75: Little PurpleTranslator: 549690339 Ever since entering the park, Song Jian had always felt he was being watched, understanding that someone was attempting to be a sneak attacker. Thus, while battling monsters, he dedicated half of his attention to his surroundings; What Song Jian didnt expect was that Zhao Sihai was using a long-range sniper rifle, observing them with eight-times magnification, which is why he didnt notice anything suspicious. Getting distracted during a battle with a boss is life-threatening, getting distracted in front of a tomb-bearing zombie is just as good as committing suicide; If the tomb-bearing zombie hadnt flinched from Song Jian poking its eye, causing it to twist its body, the shot would have hit directly, causing weak point damage, the boss would really have been taken by this sneak attacker; Thinking about it, Song Jian broke out in a cold sweat: If he aimed for me and not the boss Thinking of that, Song Jian immediately pulled out a Vitality Recovery Fruit, bumping his vitality, which had dropped below half, back up; Little Cheap Brother, someone wants to steal our monster! From a distance, Li Keer yelled out in frustration; I know, Keer, be careful, dont show your head. Hes carrying a sniper rifle, he might blow your head off! Song Jian replied; Li Keer hid behind the Ghost Tree, her little eyes flickering, her brows furrowed. After thinking for a while, she took out a fingernail-sized egg from her inventory. The eggs shell was purple, with tiny golden specks on it, looking like stars. Looks like I have to hatch it now! Li Keer sighed like a grown-up, frowning as she pricked her finger, squeezing the wound hard; This was a pet egg, probably the first one in the game. Li Keer received a task to enhance the attributes of the pet egg, but she hadnt had time to complete it yet. If she hatched it now, the enhancement task would fail; Li Keer frowned, struggling for a while, only managing to squeeze out a drop of blood which she smeared onto the shell of the egg; When the blood touched the eggshell, it stirred for a moment before slowly dissipating, as if it was absorbed by the egg. In an instant, a dazzling golden light appeared. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Crack crack- Cracks began to form on the eggshells surface and in a short while, a translucent bird the size of a fist emerged from the shell; The eggshell began to slowly dissolve and as the little bird bent down to eat it all, its body seemed to grow a little more; After fluffing up its feathers twice, the little bird took flight, hovering in front of Keer; The bird was covered in light purple feathers, its ruby-red eyes two bright spots on its translucent body, making it look like a piece of crystal artwork; Youre purple, so Ill call you Little Purple. Keer looked at the bird, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile, as she reached out to pat its head. Chirp chirp- Little Purple chirped as if in agreement with the name she had given; Little Purple, find the person who wants to attack us! Lee Keer commanded; The air around Little Purple began to ripple, making her formerly translucent body fully invisible, just like a body of clear fluid in motion. If you didnt look carefully, you would have difficulty spotting her; Leaving a vague trace in the air, Little Purple flew into the distance; Keers eyes were half-closed, her vision now synchronized with Little Purple, feeling as if she herself were flying through the air. She flew over the forest, crossing a small path, and in the middle of a dried-up lake, in an abandoned wooden pavilion, Zhao Sihai was lying on a bench, aiming his sniper rifle at the tree where Song Jian was hiding; Damn it, if it the boss hadnt moved, the last hit would have been mine! Zhao Sihai was burning with rage, his eyes glowing red; The person who landed the last hit on the boss would get one-third of the experience points. For a seventh level boss monster, one-third of its experience points were enough for Zhao Sihai to level up once more. Now, Zhao Sihai had only inflicted over a hundred points of damage on the boss, earning him just over a hundred experience points. This amount of experience was equivalent to killing a normal mutated zombie. Although he also earned the right to collect the dropped items, how on earth could Zhao Sihai now dare to fight over the spoils with Song Jian? Once I kill you, everything will be mine! Zhao Sihai had already noticed five or six items that the boss had dropped beside it. There were two blue-quality items, the rest green-quality, and even one item emanating an intense black light. All this nearly drove Zhao Sihai insane with jealousy. I should have shot that kid first instead of trying to nab the last hit on that boss! Zhao Sihai regretted a bit; However, this thought was fleeting. If he hadnt inflicted any damage on the boss, he wouldnt have been able to claim the loot from the boss. If the dropped loot remained unclaimed, it would disappear after a period of time instead of letting someone else profit from it; You jerk, so it was you, hmph! With her eyes closed, Li Keer huffed softly and looked towards the direction where Song Jian was hiding. At this moment, while Song Jian was hidden behind a tree, he was unsure of what to do next. He knew the range of the sniper rifle was wide, and only from hearing the gunshots could he tell that the person aiming at him was in the direction of the park entrance, but he had no idea where exactly the person was. What should I do? Just drag it out until nightfall? Song Jian furrowed his brow; If it dragged on until nightfall, he could take advantage of the night to search for that person. However, monsters became more violent at night, and that person wouldnt keep watching him. Furthermore, even if that person were to leave, Song Jian wouldnt know; Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Li Keers voice. Little Cheap Brother, I found that guy. Im sharing my vision with you, accept it! Soon, a system notification popped up in front of Song Jian; System: Player Li Keer has requested vision sharing with you, do you agree? Shared vision? What kind of skill is that? Song Jian was confused but chose to accept nonetheless. Song Jian immediately felt as if he had gained another pair of eyes, which were looking at the ground from the air. For a moment, he felt slightly dizzy, and quickly closed his eyes to feel better; Thats the little pavilion in the middle of the park? Through Little Purples vision, Song Jian surveyed the surroundings, finally identifying the persons whereabouts; This little pavilion was at least five to six hundred meters away from the ghost tree forest where Song Jian was hiding. No wonder he had only vaguely sensed someones gaze but couldnt identify that persons location; So its you, hmph, as long as I know where you are, things will become much easier. Just you wait! Song Jians eyes flashed with a murderous intent; In this game, Song Jian had always been reluctant to hunt down players. After all, everyone only had one life in the game. If you die in the game, you die in real life as well. But now, Song Jian had sentenced Zhao Sihai to death in his heart; Chapter 76 - 76: 76: Small Pavilion Chapter 76 - 76: 76: Small PavilionTranslator: 549690339 | Zhao Sihais eight-fold scope was always aiming at the Ghost Tree where Song Jian was hiding. Each shot with the M24 required the bolt to be pulled back. The time it took was short for ordinary people, but for Song Jian who was already at level seven, a second or two was enough time to do a lot of things. Therefore, even though Zhao Sihai still had the upper hand, he was panicking on the inside, daring not to let his guard down for a moment. Sweat was slowly seeping from Zhao Sihais forehead. Afraid to wipe it away, he watched as a drop slid pass his eyebrows, and fell into his eye. Zhao Sihai felt a sting and involuntarily twitched his eye. Just then, the Ghost Tree he had been aiming at suddenly had a shadow dart out from the left. Zhao Sihai pulled the trigger instinctively. Bang- With a loud bang, a look of joy filled Zhao Sihais face. Hit! he exclaimed. But before Zhao Sihai could even get up, through his eight-fold scope, he saw another figure dash out from the right side of the Ghost Tree. The object he hit earlier turned out to be nothing more than a worn-out blood-stained shirt. Damn, how can this be! Zhao Sihai was momentarily panicked, quickly pulled the bolt back, but when he went to aim at Song Jian again, he found the man had begun to serpentinely move. After Song Jian used his shirt to obscure Zhao Sihais view, he rushed from behind the Ghost Tree towards Zhao Sihais position, zigzagging his way through treetops and rocks, avoiding the enemys line of sight. With Song J fans agility of level 5, his running speed could already rival an elite human athlete. Zhao Sihai was caught off guard, trying to predict Song Jians movement to secure a hit. Bang- Another Ghost Tree behind Song Jian was shot, leaving a large crater the size of a bowl. Zhao Sihais right hand shook slightly as he pulled back the rifle bolt again, searching for Song Jian. Bang, bang,bang- Wood chips flew, rocks crumbled. Song Jian managed to avoid several attacks from Zhao Sihai by relying on his own speed and surrounding objects. After several empty shots, Zhao Sihai slowly began to panic. Seeing his ammo pouch was reduced to only five or six bullets, he didnt dare to shoot recklessly. He took a glance at the dry lake in the center of the pavilion and the wide-open area dozens of meters around him and felt a little relieved. Even if he manages to close in, without any cover around here, he can only be an easy target for me! Zhao Sihai muttered to himself. Sniper bullets were too expensive. Zhao Sihai had only managed to buy regular bullets for his sniper rifle. The higher-damage explosive and armor-piercing bullets were merely a fantasy for him. If not for Song Jian giving him thirty Doomsday Coins yesterday, he wouldnt have been able to afford even these few bullets. After Song Jian threw out his coat, he revealed a Zombie Commander Armor on his upper body. The metal scales shimmered under the sun, making Song Jian look like a medieval warrior launching an assault to his enemies. After reaching a large rock on the edge of the Central Lake, Song Jian began to rest, panting heavily. The short distance of a few hundred meters had taken a lot out of him, leaving him on the verge of life and death, like dancing on the edge of a cliff where any misstep could lead to disaster. He consumed another Vitality Recovery Fruit, refilling his Vitality Points. Now, there were only three Vitality Recovery Fruits1 left in his inventory. If it werent for you, my losses wouldnt have been this great! Song Jian cursed inwardly. items like the Vitality Recovery Fruit was like a trump card that could turn the tide of the battle before any healing potions were available. If not for it, Song Jian wouldnt have dared to charge at Zhao Sihai. Instead, he would have picked up the loot dropped by the boss and run away immediately. Come on, I want to see how youre going to cross! Zhao Sihai was staring at the rock several dozen meters away, mumbling to himself. Song Jian, hiding behind the rock, was out of ideas for a moment. The emptiness in front of him was a wide-open field plus a dried-up Central Lake. If he wanted to get to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, it would take at least ten seconds; enough time for the other side to shoot five to six rounds. Without any cover, Song Jian didnt dare to bet his life on the opponents accuracy. Keer, can you distract him for a bit? Give me a few seconds, that would be enough! Song Jian turned to Li Keer who was hiding a few Ghost Trees away from him. Emmmm, Little Cheap Brother, I can let Little Purple distract him, but Little Purples attack is too weak, Im afraid she couldnt last long Keer seemed hesitant. Its fine, a few seconds will do Song Jians spirit perked up. With just a few seconds, he could rush within ten meters of the man. By that time, an Earth Teeth Assault would surely make the man regret his life! Alright then. Keer seemed a bit hesitant. Little Purple had just been summoned, her attack was extremely weak. Even an ordinary human being could kill her easily if they managed to grab her. Little Purple, attack that man! Ke er commanded mentally. Chirp chirp- A sound from Little Purple came across Keers ear. Zhao Sihai wiped the sweat from the corner of his eye during the pause. His breathing began to increase, tightly staring at the rock. The moment he noticed any movements, he would pull the trigger. He has at most half vitality left. All 1 need is one shot, and 1 can bring him down. I still have the upper hand! Zhao Sihai analyzed calmly, self-motivating himself. Just then, Zhao Sihai suddenly felt a weak current of air coming from above. He looked up instinctively but found nothing. Study it carefully, Zhao Sihai suddenly widened his eyes, what was that? About a dozen meters above his head, a transparent mass of air was falling quickly towards him. The fist-sized mass, barely noticeable unless you had sharp eyes like Zhao Sihai, was incredibly fast. Before Zhao Sihai could even react, the thing landed on his face with a smack. A sharp pain came from his right eye, a critical hit of over 30 points floated above his head. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Li Keers pet Little Purple has attacked you, causing a critical damage of 32 points to your right eye, leading to functional damage. Your right eye is blinded. Ah, whats this On reflex, Zhao Sihai sprang up from the wooden bench, waving his arms wildly to guard his face. Blood trickled from his right eye, staining half of his face red. The muscles on his face twisted in pain. Zhao Sihais mind went blank as the sudden attack sent him into a panic. At this moment, Song Jian, like a freed tiger, rushed towards the small pavilion in the center of the lake. Chapter 77 - 77: 77: Understanding Skills Chapter 77 - 77: 77: Understanding SkillsTranslator: 549690339 Hey, well done, Little Purple! Seeing how Little Purple had inflicted over thirty critical damage points on Zhao Sihai, Li Keer was so excited that she nearly jumped for joy. Little Purple was just freshly hatched, and nearly had no attack power. Its main purpose right now was to share its field of vision and to act as a scout. For Song Jians sake, Li Keer was ready to sacrifice Little Purple, but she did not expect such an astonishing outcome. Taking advantage of this moment, Song Jian had already rushed into the dried-up central lake. However, he did not run in a straight line, but continued with his zigzag route. Zhao Sihai was swaying his hands about, trying to shoo away Little Purple. He couldnt see Little Purple but he could sense its presence. I seem to have overlooked somethingZhao Sihai suddenly realized with a change in expression. Damn, that guy will seize this opportunity to charge at me. Only now did he remember Song Jian. Despite the stinging pain in his eyes, he gazed out of the wooden pavilion to see Song Jian who had already sprinted into the central lake and was rapidly heading towards him. Ignoring Little Purple, Zhao Sihai quickly picked up his sniper rifle. Without even using the scope, he pulled the trigger in Song Jians direction. Boom- Less than one foot to the left of Song Jian, dirt spewed up to three feet high, forming a large, deep pit on the ground. Even while sprinting, Song Jian continually switched directions to dodge. The power of the sniper rifle was too great for Song Jian not to defend against. Boom, Boom, Boom- After missing several shots, Zhao Sihai was left with just two sniper bullets. His eyes glistening with a wolf-like determination. If he doesnt die, then 1 will! Taking a deep breath, he endured the excruciating pain to calm himself. Little Purple was constantly attacking him from above, pecking at his head. But it didnt do much damage, occasionally jumping out a number -1 or -2. Song Jian was getting closer and closer to the wooden pavilion, but Zhao Sihai didnt pull the trigger. He just stood there like a statue, aiming his sniper rifle at Song Jian. Thirty meters Twenty-five meters Twenty meters Song Jian was getting closer and closer to Zhao Sihai. Zhao Sihai held his sniper rifle, its barrel slightly swinging but never leaving Song Jians body. He knew he didnt have many chances. If he failed, and Song Jian got close, Song Jian would definitely not let him go. In the dark, Zhao Sihai felt that even with his eyes closed, he could still sense Song Jians presence. His spirit had locked on him, even with his eyes shut, he could see his opponents charging movements. Thats the feeling, thats it Zhao Sihai trembled with excitement. He felt that his next shot would definitely hit Song Jian. He had never been so confident. Boom- As Song Jian charged within a range of ten meters, Zhao Sihai finally pulled the trigger. This shot was aimed perfectly in Song Jians path, making it seem as if Song Jian had run into the bullet himself. A colossal vitality loss of one hundred and eighty points floated above Song Jians head. His body violently convulsed, revealing a patch of shattered armor around the size of a fist on his shoulder with radial fractures around it. Behind the broken armor was a bloody, deep hole where you could see white bones, blood vessels, and nerve tissues. His entire left shoulder seemed to be on the verge of being ripped off. Song Jian felt a burst of severe pain, then a numbness spread from the wound. He could no longer feel his left shoulder, and his left arm was hanging limply, swinging back and forth with his momentum. I hit him! Zhao Sihai thrilled inwardly. System: You have understood the skill Hearts Eye in combat. A melodious system prompt resounded by Zhao Sihais ear, making him burst into laughter. Haha, fortune favors the brave. Just like in real life, you have to dare to fight in the game too. I will definitely make a name for myself in this bizarre game! Zhao Sihai laughed uproariously. He hadnt realized that even though he had hit Song Jian with one shot, he didnt kill him. In Zhaos mind, nobody could have more than a hundred and fifty vitality points. Even a level seven player, having lost a hundred and eighty vitality points, wouldnt be much different from a corpse. By the time Zhao Sihai looked at Song Jian with a face full of joy, he found Song Jian bending over with his right hand pressing against the ground. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped energy cluster charged towards Zhao Sihai. A deafening sound heralded the arrival of something with a chilling presence, radiating from his neck down his spine to the back of his head. Every hair on his forearm stood on end from the incoming threat. Zhao Sihai had experienced this before when he was kidnapped by a few men dressed in black. When one of them pressed a gun against his forehead, he felt the same way, scaring him enough to wet his pants. How could this happen Zhao Sihai couldnt fathom why Song Jian was still alive but now wasnt the time to ponder this, he needed to dive away. But as he moved, the fang-shaped energy cluster also slightly changed direction, colliding harshly against him. Boom- Zhao Sihais massive body was thrown into the air, suffering more than sixty points of damage, and his legs snapped. His chest and stomach were in severe pain, and a foul taste filled his mouth as he spewed out a mouthful of blood. The original hundred vitality points Zhao Sihai had were reduced to less than five after this hit. System: Your vitality is down to three points, you are in a critical state, and your speed is reduced by 100%. You will die if you dont get effective treatment within 30 seconds! Whywhy is this happening Zhao Sihai looked blankly at the sky, his entire body devoid of energy. He couldnt even twitch his little finger, could only wait silently for death to come. Song Jian glanced at the wound on his left arm, which was the closest he had ever come to death. Being able to personally experience the power of a sniper rifle and not die was something very few people could do in the real world. Surgical Treatment! A ray of white light appeared out of thin air and fell on his wound, instantly making the numb left arm wound feel refreshing. Threads of pain began to emerge and the previous broken bones and bleeding had also disappeared. sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. From severe injury to moderate injury, the potential of this surgical treatment is greater than 1 had imagined! A hint of surprise shone in Song Jians eyes. Standing up, Song Jian looked towards the wooden pavilion, Zhao Sihai was lying on the floor of the pavilion. If it wasnt for the faint rising and falling of his chest, Song Jian would have thought that he was already dead. Sniper rifle! A scorching desire appeared in Song Jians eyes. Such a powerful weapon, once he obtained it, would be a huge boost to his strength. Thinking of this, Song Jian couldnt help but quicken his pace and rushed towards the wooden pavilion. Chapter 78 - 78: Destruction Chapter 78: Destruction Translator: 549690339 Zhao Sihai knew he had lost the gamble, and the bet he placed was his own life. Seeing Song Jian rushing towards him, he accepted his fate with calmness in his eyes. The winner is king, and the loser is the enemy. Huh, this time, Im just unlucky Zhao Sihai muttered softly, his gaze falling on the M24 sniper rifle in his arms. He knew why Song Jian was rushing at him so quickly. His goal was definitely the sniper rifle in his hands. A self-mocking smile appeared on Zhao Sihais face, realizing that he was not even worth a sniper rifle. What 1 cant have, 1 wont let you have either. Hatred appeared on Zhao Sihais face. After staring at the sniper rifle for a moment, he chose to destroy it. Click- A crisp cracking sound came from inside the sniper rifle. The entire gun started to disintegrate, turning into crystal-clear light points and slowly disappearing. Song Jian rushed into the pavilion, only to see the sniper rifle already halfway disintegrated and quickly vanishing. His face turned grim. Haha, theres no way 1 would let you have this sniper rifle. Zhao Sihai laughed heartily, spitting out blood as he spoke to Song Jian. Seeing Song Jians flushed face made Zhao Sihai feel very satisfied. This sniper rifle had immense power. For any player, it was a deadly weapon capable of killing most players instantly from a kilometer away. After disintegrating the sniper rifle, Zhao Sihai closed his eyes, looking ready to die. For a moment, Song Jian couldnt bring himself to attack. Killing him now, isnt it the same as murdering someone in reality? Doubts began to seep into Song Jians heart. His past twenty-year life experience in reality made it hard for him to accept becoming a murderer. While hesitating, Song Jian suddenly noticed the ring on Zhao Sihais right index finger starting to disintegrate into tiny pieces of light. He immediately realized that Zhao Sihai was taking the opportunity to destroy all the items in his inventory and on his body. You deserve to die! Song Jians eyes turned red with anger as he felt a surge of fury rush to his head. His own mercy had become a tool for the other party to mock him with. Song Jian quickly drew his pistol, aimed it at Zhao Sihais forehead, and pulled the trigger. Bang! A hole as thick as a finger appeared on Zhao Sihais forehead. System: You have killed player Zhao Sihai. The system determines this as self-defense; this kill does not increase your Kill Value. Zhao Sihais mouth curled up slightly, as if mocking Song Jians tenderness, giving him the opportunity to destroy all the items and equipment in his inventory. Song Jian realized that Zhao Sihai was destroying all the items he had, which filled him with rage and led him to kill Zhao Sihai. But after calming down and looking at Zhao Sihais body, a complex feeling emerged in his heart. With a soft sigh, Song Jian felt as if he had stepped onto a completely different path. After Zhao Sihais death, a package emitting a faint glow appeared next to his body. It contained all the supplies he had left behind. When a character dies in the game, all the items in their inventory and on their body will drop. Song Jian shook his head and touched the package. Immediately, a supply interface appeared before his eyes. Just as expected, Zhao Sihai had almost destroyed all his items. In the supply interface, only three items were left: a bullet for a 7.72 mm M24 sniper rifle, three Doomsday Coins, and a Skill Scroll. Doomsday Coins cannot be destroyed. The sniper rifle bullet was obviously left behind by Zhao Sihai to mock Song Jian, but the appearance of the Skill Scroll surprised Song Jian. Why would he leave me a Skill Scroll? Song Jian raised his eyebrows somewhat disbelievingly. The value of a Skill Scroll was huge. Even basic passive skills were sold for more than five hundred Doomsday Coins in the Doomsday Supermarket. Song Jian focused on the Skill Scroll, and soon, the properties of the Skill Scroll slowly emerged. Skill Scroll: Eye of the Mind; Effect, use to acquire Eye of the Mind skill. Eye of the Mind (Active), first level, skill effect, using mental lock on target has a 15% chance to find the targets weak spot without alerting the target. Can be used in conjunction with other skills; Skill cost: 10 Spirit Points. Beneath the properties of the Skill Scroll was a line of yellow text explaining. If the items dropped from the target upon death is less than three kinds, a random skill from the targets skill bar will be dropped! Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This system is quite ruthless. Although it says its random, I bet its taken the most valuable skill from Zhao Sihais skill bar. Song Jian took a deep breath, realizing that if it wasnt for Zhao Sihai destroying all his items and equipment, this skill wouldnt have appeared in the supply interface. This is clearly a support skill, and whats more, it consumes Spirit Points. 1 finally have a mainstream skill. Song Jian always believed that skills should consume Spirit Points, not Vitality Points. The active skills he had before all consumed Vitality Points, which made Song Jian feel that those skills consuming Vitality Points were all non-mainstream. Emptied the supply interface, Song Jian decided to use the Skill Scroll. Little Cheap Brother, lets quickly pick up the items dropped by the boss. Li Keer shouted from the dried-up lakeside. Right, there are still the items dropped by the boss! Song Jian slapped his forehead, almost forgetting about it. He threw a glance back at Zhao Sihais body, let out a sigh, and rushed to the stone forest. The two quickly returned to the stone forest. In the middle of the toppled stone tablets lay the body of the undead zombie beast, with several items dropped next to it. Why is this item emitting black light? Li Keer curiously picked up the only item emitting black light. Items in the game were categorized based on their quality, ranging from damaged, ordinary, excellent, to outstanding, assigned the colors grey, white, green, and blue respectively. Beyond these were the rare silver and gold items. But black items were unheard of. This looks like the stone tablet carried on the back of the boss its an accessory, but the attributes are trash, only increases one Vitality Point! Li Keer read the black items attributes and immediately scrunched her face, tossing it to Song Jian. Little Cheap Brother, this item can be brought back to the real world. You should keep it. Li Keer smiled cutely as she spoke. Unknown Tablet (Black), Accessory, Equip Effect: Increase one Vitality Point; Use Requirement: none; Can be brought out of the game: yes. Song Jian shook his head and placed the stone tablet into the inventory column. Li Keer then picked up two blue-quality items, one in each hand, scrutinizing them with furrowed brows, seemingly finding it difficult to make a decision. After a long while, Li Keer handed the item in her right hand to Song Jian and said, Little Cheap Brother, we each get a blue-quality item. This one is for you! Chapter 79 - 79: Pendant Chapter 79: Pendant Translator: 549690339 Song Jian could naturally see the properties of these two items. The remarkable item given to him by Li Keer was called Reality Pouch Extension Slot, which could expand the pouch column to carry an additional item into the real world; And the item Li Keer chose was a blue-quality hat. This hat, fashioned like an owl, came with an Eagle Eye Skill that offered a +10 vision effect; Li Keer must have liked the design of this hat, as she hesitated for a while before choosing it; Of the other remaining green-quality materials, Song Jian only chose the ones useful for making medicine, giving the rest to Li Keer; After splitting the loot, the two shared a smile and continued to gather Yin Soul Ghost Trees; Song Jian immediately used the Reality Pouch Extension Slot. His pouch originally had just one gold-bordered slot. Now, there were two, meaning that Song Jian could bring two items from the game into the real world each time he exited the game; Song Jian was unsure whether further Yin Soul Ghost Trees would appear after these ones had been gathered. While ordinary trees used to grow back the day after they were chopped down, some special trees, like the pine tree that emitted a golden light, would not reappear; Heave-ho, heave-ho Just as Song Jian was gathering the Yin Soul Ghost Trees, he glanced at Li Keer and saw her wielding a small pickaxe, hammering at a stele; Song Jian was shocked and hurriedly asked, Keer, what are you doing? Li Keer turned her head and smiled, Little Cheap Brother, Im gathering stone materials. Its easier to extract than tree materials. These steles could also be gathered? Song Jian was taken aback. After all, these steles had perhaps been around for hundreds of years, and the inscriptions on them might have been written by someone famous. Each one was a historical relic. Looking at the shattered steles that Li Keer struck apart, Song Jian was left speechless; Alright then, its just a game after all, Song Jian thought to himself; Time flew by quickly. Hours later, Song Jian had completely gathered all the Yin Soul Ghost Trees around him, leaving behind nothing but low stumps. By now, he had more than a hundred thousand units of wood in his inventory, including thirteen Yin Soul Woods; Glancing at the sky, he noticed that quite some time remained before sunset. Song Jian looked at Li Keer then began walking toward a stele; Thump, thump, thump- After three hits, the stele shattered, and a white light flew into Song Jians inventory; Three hundred and sixty-eight units of stone materials. How can there be so many? Song Jian was startled. Looking at the steles, there were several hundred. This made Song Jian excited, Seems like I can gather all the resources for my safe house construction today. Haha! System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 2; The efficiency of mining rocks increased by 10% System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 3; The efficiency of mining rocks increased by 15% System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 4; The efficiency of mining rocks increased by 20% In just a few hours, Song Jian gathered hundreds of steles. Perhaps because these steles have a higher level than the usual stones, Song Jians Mining Skill improved rapidly. In a matter of hours, it had already upgraded to Level 4; Little Cheap Brother, its getting dark. Should we leave? Li Keer checked the sky. It was about six or seven in the evening, half an hour more till nightfall. Glancing at his inventory, his stone materials were nearly a hundred thousand units. Ahead were around thirty to fifty steles. After some hesitation, Song Jian gritted his teeth and said, Lets gather all these steles before we go. Monsters regained their original properties and doubled their strength at night. Ordinary players couldnt compete with them. Only Song Jian dared to venture out in the night; The world gradually grew darker and quieter. Li Keer was no longer gathering stones but stayed close to Song Jian instead. From time to time, she looked fearfully into the pitch darkness; Theres one last stele. Well go back after gathering it, Song Jian rubbed Li Keers head comfortingly; Alright, alright. It feels scary here at night, Li Keer nodded; Song Jian swung his fists at the last stele; Clang- Phew-Its so hard! Song Jian felt as though he had hit an alloy of steel. The stele did not budge, and the recoil made it feel as if his hand bones would snap; Just then, a silver gleam from the crescent moon in the sky fell on the stele, which immediately absorbed it, plunging the surroundings back into darkness; Song Jian blinked. What had just happened was momentary and felt like an illusion. He turned to look at Li Keer, who was staring with her mouth agape and a surprised look on her face; This stele seems different from the others Song Jian mumbled, stroking his chin; Has this stele become spirit-possessed? Li Keer suddenly suggested; I hope not Song Jian frowned. The moonlight being absorbed earlier by the stele was very reminiscent of the shadow he saw on the roof. This made him start to have second thoughts; After waiting for a long time without anything unusual happening, Song Jian threw a punch out of curiosity. Crack, a crack on the steles surface appeared, running from top to bottom; Crack, crack- Watch, in shock, the stele emitted a series of cracking sounds. And in just a short while, the entire meter-high stele shattered before Song Jians eyes; Song Jian glanced at his fist. The pain from the first punch had just subsided and the second one had managed to shatter the entire stele. It felt a bit unrealistic; System: You have gathered 3000 units of stone materials; System: Your Mining Skill has upgraded to Level 5; Mining Skill: Passive, Level 5, Efficiency of mining rocks increased by 30%, and chances of obtaining rare stones increased by 10%; The three thousand units of stone materials were five to six times more than what he got from the other steles. Furthermore, Song Jian had only recently reached Level 4 in his Mining Skill. There was still a long way to go before reaching Level 5. But now, it had unexpectedly maxed out; Is this what sudden happiness feels like? Song Jian felt like a giant pie had hit him in the head, leaving him feeling slightly dizzy and hypoxic; The last stele had disintegrated into a pile of rubble, leaving behind a three-inch-high stump. On the smooth surface of the stump was a pendant-like item that appeared out of nowhere and was gleaming; This pendant-like item looked like a hollow Hexagram Array and was made of a peculiar metal; Whoosh- S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The moment the pendant appeared, before Song Jian could react, it flew toward him as if it had a mind of its own, disappeared into his body; Suddenly, Song Jian felt a burning sensation in his chest. When he lifted his armor, he saw a pattern identical to the pendant on his chest. The pattern was slightly raised, as if it had grown out from his muscle; Chapter 80 - 80: 80: The Villa is Occupied Chapter 80 - 80: 80: The Villa is OccupiedTranslator: 549690339 Night Slayer (Foundation), Category: Integrated Hexagram Array, Usage Effect 1: At night, attack power increases by 15%; Usage Effect 2: At night, automatically absorbs moon essence to enhance physical qualities; Usage Effect 3: At night, capable of morphing into a dark cloud, immune to physical attacks, increases resistance by 100%, and can fly on air, inflicting (30+200%*Spirit) damage to targets within range every 10 seconds, dark cloud state lasts for 60 seconds, consumes 1 Spirit Point per second, cooldown time 30 minutes, this skill can be actively released and canceled prematurely; Usage Effect 4: Can be embedded with six spirit talismans to further increase power; What is this thing? Song Jian was somewhat surprised, looking at the Hexagram Star pattern attributes that had merged into his body. Little Cheap Brother, what happened to you? Keer asked Song Jian curiously, Why did you take off your clothes? Cant you see the pattern on my chest? Song Jian looked blank and asked back. What pattern? Theres nothing on your chest! Keer looked confused. Could it be that only 1 can see it? Song Jian muttered to himself. Little Cheap Brother, lets go quickly. Its so dark here, and Im a little scared! Keer whispered, grabbing Song Jians clothes. Alright, alright, lets leave right away Song Jian smiled slightly, holding Keers hand as they walked out of the park. The night was a time for monsters to rampage, and the roars and howls of various creatures echoed around them. Each one emitted a ferocious aura. Song Jian, holding Keer, summoned his motorcycle and raced towards the highway. Yesterday, the mutated zombies on the highway were cleaned up, but they were reappearing one by one. It wouldnt be long before the highway was once again swarming with zombies just like before. In just a matter of minutes, Song Jian arrived back at Camel Square. Keer, do you want to go back to your place or come with me to my safe house? Song Jian asked. Perhaps it was because they were back in familiar territory, but Keer was once again as lively as ever. She jumped off the motorcycle and waved to Song Jian, Little Cheap Brother, 111 go back to my own safe house. That bar is a great place, and 1 want to keep it for myself. I cant let anyone else take it away from me. Song Jian nodded and said, Alright, if theres anything, just have Little Purple come look for me. This game surprisingly didnt allow players to add friends, nor did it have various channels, something Song Jian complained about more than once. Watching Keer leave, Song Jian headed towards his own safe house. As soon as he approached the villas wall, Song Jian could hear noise coming from inside, as if there were many people in there. Song Jians face darkened. He had spent thousands of wood and hundreds of stone materials to fortify the villas walls. Ordinary mutated zombies wouldnt be able to break through its defenses. But he didnt expect that just after leaving for a day, someone had occupied the place. Seeing the broken door, Song Jians face became even grimmer, and the anger in his heart erupted. Without any countermeasures, even the strongest defenses would be destroyed by people. Song Jian entered the courtyard and discovered five or six people gathered around a bonfire. The door of the villa had traces of being hammered and chiseled, indicating they were attempting to enter the villa but hadnt managed to break through yet. The main door of the villa had lower defenses compared to the courtyard gate, but if they wanted to destroy it, that low-level defense wouldnt stand a chance against them. Perhaps they were too tired or had exhausted too much energy breaking the courtyard gate, so they hadnt entered the villa yet. Boss, this place has such good defenses, do you think someone chose it as their safe house? A17 or 18-year-old teenager asked worriedly by the bonfire. Hmph, even if there is someone, it must be a lone wolf. We have so many people, do we need to be afraid of them? A twentysomething with red hair scooped canned food with his hands, eating and talking at the same time. Thats right, there are so many of us, and our boss is already a level 4 guy. With him around, no one dares to mess with us! The other few people chimed in loudly. Zhao Liu had a smug smile on his face, eyeing the villas wall. When he went hunting for mutated zombies today, he had spotted the wall made of level 3 wood and level 1 stone, which required a large amount of wood and stone materials. He knew that just by doing some mental calculations, it would take at least 10,000 units of wood to build a level 3 wooden wall around the villa. Perhaps this person spends every day gathering materials, so thats how they collected so much wood and stone. But their own level mustnt be high, and they must be very weak in strength. Zhao Liu thought to himself. At that moment, a teenager sitting next to Zhao Liu screamed and retreated, hiding behind Zhao Liu as if seeing a ghost. B-boss, look over there, theres a zombie Zhao Liu was startled and frowned when he heard the words theres a zombie. He slapped the boys head and scolded him, Fuck! Havent you seen a zombie before? Ive killed more than a dozen by myself! Theres nothing to be afraid of! Several people looked over to see a dark figure slowly approaching them from the courtyard gate. Brothers, grab your weapons; its just one Zhao Liu stood up and shouted loudly. Boss, it seems, it doesnt seem to be a zombie. Its a person! someone hesitated. Zhao Liu was taken aback and squinted his eyes. Indeed, the other party was wearing metal armor, holding a dagger, and displayed a level above their head. Zhao Lius heart skipped a beat. Level 7! A bad feeling surged in his heart, and he quickly sheathed his weapon and put on a smiling face, Brother, I wonder what business you have in our base? Zhao Liu deliberately emphasized the word base, hoping that the person in front of him would back off. Your base? Song Jian smiled and opened his minds safety valve completely after killing Zhao Sihai. He no longer had any scruples about killing. In this world, there are always some people who want to dig their own graves! Song Jian had an inexplicable surge of rage in his heart. He didnt notice that on his chest, the Hexagram Star Array diagram was faintly emitting black light. Either get the fuck out of my house, or die! Song Jian spoke coldly, his right hand gripping the dagger tightly. What did you say, kid? The group of people surrounding the bonfire all stood up, pulling out their weapons. Some were armed with knives and swords, some with firearms, all aimed at Song Jian. A touch of coldness appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. The highest level among these people was only level 4, and most of them were level 2 or 3 players, hardly any different from ordinary people in Song Jians eyes. These people had vitality points between 70 and 100. With Song Jians current strength, he could essentially kill one with a single strike, and their attacks wouldnt pose a threat to Song Jian, who had over 200 vitality points. It would only consume at most half of his vitality and result in all of them being killed. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian stooped down slightly, preparing to make his move. Zhao Liu noticed the expression on Song Jians face and seemed to think of something terrifying. He hurriedly shouted, Everyone, put your fucking weapons away, or do you want to die? Hurry, put them away! Chapter 81 - 81: 81: Bonfire Chapter 81 - 81: 81: BonfireTranslator: 549690339 The crowd, hearing Zhao Lius words, froze simultaneously. Even Song Jian paused, suppressing the rage boiling within him, and looked over at Zhao Liu. Apologies. We didnt know that this villa was already occupied, Zhao Liu moved forward with his face full of smiles and bowed, Im sincerely sorry for the intrusion. We will leave at once. Dammit, you got me all mixed up. Song Jians expression remained emotionless, but the intense killing intent he had been holding back seemed to dissipate, and the sudden surge of violent emotions gradually faded. Watching Zhao Lius repeated efforts to restrain the others and have them put away their weapons, Song Jian suddenly felt a sense of boredom. He waved his hand toward them, indicating for them to leave. Again, my deepest apologies Zhao Liu continued to apologize as he bent over to Song Jian, hastily leading a few people out of the villa. After going several hundred meters, Zhao Liu went pale and started sweating profusely. Boss, what happened just now? A man next to him asked in confusion. Dont ask. Just remember to stay away from him if you see him again. Never confront him directly, or you will die, Zhao Liu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, shaking as he spoke. Boss, hes just a higher rank, isnt he? Whats there to be afraid of? 1 dont believe we cant fight him off with all of us combined. Boss, youre being too After a long hesitation, the man finally found the right word, Merciful! You mean to say I was being too cowardly, right? Didnt you notice? We all had weapons against him and he didnt seem scared at all. In fact, he seemed rather excited. Zhao Liu forcefully slapped the back of the mans head, speaking with a touch of disappointment. Excited? They exchanged glances and felt a chill run down their spines, along with a sense of lingering fear. Hecould he be a serial killer, or fugitive, in the real world? One person hesitantly asked. Alright, lets not talk about him anymore. Just remember what I said. Lets find a place to stay for now, and well look for a new place tomorrow, Zhao Liu slightly regained his color and shook his head. I feel bad about the bonfire 1 just lit, that cost me three pieces of wood. A young man who was shorter than the others muttered softly, but no one paid him any attention. They seemed crestfallen and followed behind Zhao Liu, knowing that it was undoubtedly a blow to their morale to be frightened off by just one person. Watching the six men disappear into the distance, Song Jian felt the killing intent return again. This time, it gave him pause. What has happened to me? Why am I so bloodthirsty? Could it be that killing someone has changed me this way? Have 1 turned into a killer? Song Jian knitted his brows and his thoughts descended into chaos. What he didnt see was a faint light radiating from the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest. All just ants. Killing them would make no difference. The strong one is always destined to stand above all. Life is so fragile, just a slight pinch can end them! Those six men offended you! Chase them down! Kill them all! Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kill! This is only a game, slaying others is its eternal theme! Kill them all! Kill, kill, kill Song Jian looked pale as death, sweat dripping from his body. A whisper echoed in his ear, like a girls tantalizing singing, which incited his violent emotions once again. Get out of my head! Song Jian roared furiously, and punched the ground. Bang- The hard ground was dented under his fist. As pain shot up his arm, the whispering in his ear gradually disappeared. Song Jian panted heavily and slumped on the ground. What is happening to me? Song Jians eyes were bloodshot, feeling more weary than the entire fight with the boss. His forehead throbbed and he looked drenched as if he had just come out of water. Looking back, Song Jian was engulfed by fear. He almost transformed into a mindless beast, only knowing to kill. His self-awareness would be gone and even if he survived, he would be no more than a walking corpse. I almost died just now Song Jian gasped, a look of shock flashed in his eyes. System: You have successfully passed the Night Slayer trial, thus your Willpower attribute has increased by 3 points. System: The Night Slayer has begun to merge with you. The fusion will take 12 game hours. After the fusion, your physical characteristics will be greatly improved. So it is this thing Song Jian touched his chest and felt the Hexagram Array Diagram emitting a faint warmth into his body. This warmth was barely noticeable unless he paid close attention to it. Willpower attribute? There isnt such an attribute in the personal interface! Song Jian glanced at the system prompt and was rather puzzled. When he opened his personal interface, he found an additional line of secondary attributes beneath the six major attributes. However, the only thing listed in Song Jians secondary attributes was a single Willpower: 9. There was so much left to explore in this game, Song Jian sighed and closed the attribute interface; After Song Jian regained his composure, a faint silvery radiance appeared in the sky and slowly drifted towards him. After shrouding Song Jian for a few seconds, it gradually disappeared. Even at this point, Song Jian was still brewing in confusion, unsure of how to play this game. But everything seemed to be moving in a good direction. He had enough wood and stones to transform the villa into a safe house recognized by the system and with fusion to his body, Night Slayer could greatly enhance his physical attributes. He just had to wait for 12 hours, then his strength would significantly enhance, making Song Jian cheered up. After suppressing the violent killing intent in his heart, Song Jian finally took a look at the bonfire that was still burning. To his surprise, there was also a set of attribute descriptions above the bonfire. Bonfire: Level 1, Effect 1: Illuminate a radius of three meters, intimidating common beasts that fear fire; Effect 2: Warm a radius of three meters, resisting cold; Effect 3: Enable cooking (must learn Cooking skill); Burn Level: 86/100, Building Requirements: Wood(3), Tinder(i). Having examined the attributes of the bonfire, Song Jians eyes lit upthis seemed to be pretty useful! Song Jian had plenty of wood, only lacking tinder. But wasnt the current bonfire a perfect source of tinder? With this thought, he quickly grabbed three pieces of wood and set them up. Then he took a small flame from the side of the bonfire and lit up the stacked wood. Soon, a blazing fire appeared before his eyes. System: You have successfully lit a bonfire and learnt the skill Bonfire Spell. Bonfire Spell: Level 1, Active Skill, Skill Effect: Construct a blazing bonfire to dispel darkness; Skill Consumption: Wood(3), Mental Strength 1 point. Chapter 82 - 82: 82: Building a Safe House (Part 1) Chapter 82 - 82: 82: Building a Safe House (Part 1)Translator: 549690339 Another skill that consumes mental strength. Song Jian glanced at the description of the comprehended Bonfire Technique, which consumed a little mental strength instead of requiring fire-starting materials, making it more convenient. Otherwise, every time he used the Bonfire Technique, he would have to find fire-starting materials. These materials would disappear after each use, making them quite inconvenient. Now that they were replaced with mental strength, it was a good thing for Song Jian. However, the two skills that consumed mental strength were only auxiliary skills, which was somewhat disappointing. Since there are two bonfires, might as well take this opportunity to clear out the cooking materials in my bag For Song Jian, sixteen slots in the bag were just too small. At this moment, he suddenly thought of Li Keers safe, which was a large storage item with thirty-six slots. Some unnecessary items could be put in there; Im so envious Why do I only have a radio? I dont know what its for. Should I use it to send a distress signal? Song Jian glanced at the radio that had been lying quietly in his bag and couldnt help but sigh. He skewered a piece of zombie meat with a wooden stick and placed it on the bonfire to roast. Soon, a faint fragrance wafted out. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You have successfully cooked a piece of Roasted Meat, increasing your Cooking Skill experience points by 150 points, and comprehending the recipe for Roasted Meat. Roasted Meat (white): Food, Usage effect: Increases hunger level by 30 points 10 seconds after use when not in combat, restores 3 vitality points per second for 15 seconds. Song Jians eyes lit up; this roasted meat had a good attribute. It could restore 45 vitality points at once, so he no longer needed to worry about being picked off by others after battles due to low vitality. After spending more than three hours, all the meat in the bag was cooked into roasted meat, freeing up a few more slots. As time passed, the bonfires burning degree slowly diminished. When the last bit of burning degree was consumed, the once blazing bonfire visibly weakened rapidly and eventually extinguished, turning into a wisps of blue smoke, leaving only a pile of charred ashes on the ground. At this point, it was already dawn, and all monsters seemed to be returning to their hideouts like tired birds, seeking the dark and cold corners. The entire city fell into dead silence. Its time to complete the main mission. Song Jian looked at the rising sun and thought to himself. Back then, the first player who created a safe house chose to do so at night. They probably didnt know that when creating a safe house it would cause a disturbance of monsters within a one-kilometer radius. During the nighttime, monsters attributes would return to normal, but during the day, their attributes would be halved. Put simply, creating a safe house during daylight would have a difficulty reduced by half compared to creating it at night. Song Jian stood up and stared at the entire villa. Soon, a light green border appeared in his sight. At first, the border covered only the living room of the villa, and a prompt appeared in front of his eyes. System: Do you want to create a safe house? Requires 300 units of wood and 250 units of stone. Song Jian thought, and the green border began to expand from the original single living room, extending to the entire villa. System: Do you want to create a safe house? Requires 3500 units of wood and 3000 units of stone. Song Jian hesitated for a moment before continuing to expand the green border until it covered the entire courtyard, the wall, and even extended nearly a meter outward along the wall before finally choosing to confirm. System: Is your selection finalized? Creating the safe house requires 5000 units of wood and 4100 units of stone. It was a good thing that the walls had already been upgraded to a mix of level three wooden walls and level one stone walls, otherwise, the materials required for creating the safe house now would be even more. The confirm option in front of him kept flashing, reminding Song Jian to make a choice. This choice was a matter of life and death. Song Jian gritted his teeth and selected confirm. Boom- A dull sound seemed to come from under the villa, and monsters within a one-kilometer radius all let out an angry roar. Most of the sleeping monsters gradually awoke, opening their scarlet eyes and looking in the direction of Song Jians villa. A thick green beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping the area Song Jian had chosen. Daytime was when most players ventured out. At this moment, all players saw the thick, towering green light beam, and almost everyones face wore an expression of surprise. At the beginning, the first player to create a safe house had failed, and many people had seen it. Even if they hadnt seen it with their own eyes, they would hear about it from others afterward. Now, seeing someone attempting to create a safe house and complete the main mission, almost all players immediately abandoned their current tasks and rushed towards the direction of the green light beam. Hey, another fearless player. It seems the previous lesson wasnt enough; they must experience it firsthand! We all have the same main mission. It doesnt matter if you stick your neck out or not, better to die early and reincarnate early How big an area do you think this guy chose for his safe house? Ive only gathered over six hundred units of wood and less than five hundred units of stone so far Judging by the size of the light beam, the area of the safe house he chose wouldnt be small. Lets hurry over and take a look In just a few minutes, hundreds of players had gathered around Song Jians villa, forming small groups and whispering among themselves. Keer, is Brother Song preparing to create a safe house? Wang Qi looked at the now-familiar villa and asked the young girl beside him with a surprised face. It should be. Little Cheap Brother didnt even tell me Keer bit her lips as though she was unhappy. Her eyes, filled with worry, were fixed on the villas direction. Creating a safe house is very dangerous. Even if he told you, you wouldnt be able to help him. Wang Qi shook his head and said. Who says 1 cant help Little Cheap Brother? Hmph! Keer took out her crossbow and shot at a swaying mutant zombie walking towards the villa. Pft- A semi-transparent light arrow hit the zombies head, instantly killing it and turning it into a pile of black ash. Count me in, haha, these monsters are so stupid. Their hatred must have been drawn by Brother Song. This is the perfect opportunity to kill more monsters and level up! Wang Qis eyes glinted with excitement, and he laughed. Some clever players around also took advantage of this opportunity to start hunting monsters. Hunting at this time was virtually risk-free. However, most players remained indifferent, staring emotionlessly at the green light beam. At this time, Song Jian had no energy to pay attention to other players. He was fully focused on the transformation interface, trying to create the safe house as perfectly as possible. Chapter 83 - 83: 83: Building a Safe House (Part 2) Chapter 83 - 83: 83: Building a Safe House (Part 2)Translator: 549690339 The moment Song Jian chose to confirm his choice, the wood and stone materials in the package automatically turned into white light and flew out, merging into the villas phantom. The wood and stone materials ceaselessly condensed in mid-air into various shapes, filling every corner of the villa. In a mere thirty seconds, a villa brimming with a medieval style was constructed; After the villa was remodeled, a cream-colored light spread from the villa, extending to the small courtyard. Soon, a system prompt appeared again before Song Jian; System: Eight abandoned fields found. Do you want to rebuild them? Building each field requires a thousand units of wood and 300 units of stone; Song Jians stock of wood and stone materials in his inventory had exceeded a hundred thousand units; for him, this amount of materials was measly, so he casually clicked on Confirm. Swish- The ground of the small courtyard, originally filled with rocky debris, was covered in white light. In no time, it had turned into four fertile fields; System: Field remodel completed. A level 3 safe house can be upgraded to a Spirit Field; Spirit Field? Song Jian was taken aback, but then immediately thought of the Tree Spirit Seedlings, stored in his inventory. These were rare items that could be grown in the Spirit Field and had a potential to be upgraded into Tree Spirit Guardians; Im already at a level 1 safe house. It doesnt seem too difficult to reach level 3. A smile surfaced on Song Jians face. Soon, the white light further spread to the fences. The fences were now a mix of level 3 wood and level 1 stone fences, and they didnt require more upgrades. They were just incorporated into the safe-house range by the white light; The white light finally stopped slowly as it reached around one meter beyond the fences; Within a one-meter range outside the fence, circular phantoms of future construction appeared; As Song Jians gaze fell on the circular phantoms outside the fence, a line of small text was immediately displayed; Defensive traps can be built here. Current available traps: Wooden Spike Trap; Wooden Spike Trap: Defensive Structure, Effect: Inflictsioo piercing damage on all enemy targets that enter the traps range, and slows them down by 30% for 5 seconds; Construction requirements: 10 units of wood; Trap description: The trap can be reused, with a damage interval of 3 seconds. After 10 uses, the trap will be damaged and can be repaired with wood; Build! With a thought from Song Jian, there immediately appeared dozens of Wooden Spike Traps surrounding the villas fence; now it was firmly encased within the traps. Now that it was merely a level 1 safe house, the only defensive infrastructure that could be built was the Wooden Spike Trap; System: The construction of the level 1 safe house is complete. Will you end the construction of the safe house? Gazing at the system prompt before him, Song Jian immediately chose to continue the construction; System: Building a level 2 safe house requires 5000 units of wood and 4000 units of stone. Will you commence the building? Build! Swish, swish, swish, the quantity of wood and stone decreased rapidly. After a few minutes, the entire three-story villa was constructed more solidly, and its defense had significantly improved; The onlookers, who were watching with great interest, initially thought theyd find some fun in seeing the supposed destruction of this newly constructed safe house by monsters. They never expected that after nearly ten minutes or so, the green light pillar would still be present, with the renovations inside still ongoing; Holy smokes,this guy, how many materials had he collected? A whole three-story villa, along with a courtyard, how many materials does that need- Did he purchase VIP membership? Did he pay to win this? I want to pay to win too, but this crummy game doesnt even have a recharge window, Im pretty desperate- The onlookers, seeing Song Jian leisurely renovate his safe house, felt as if theyre not playing the same game; Song Jian didnt have the time to pay attention to the jealous eyes of the onlookers, who seemed to be on the verge of bleeding from envy. After upgrading the safe house to level 2, he received a system prompt that the Radio in his inventory could be placed inside the safe house; At that moment, the safe house was still an illusion, and Song Jian could see that it was empty, with the previously dilapidated furniture all gone. So after my safe house is set up, I have to construct my own furniture. Damn it, what kind of game is this? Song Jian mumbled to himself; The Radio in his inventory had been there a while. Originally, Song Jians inventory slot was not big, now he had freed up a slot, and Song Jian naturally moved it to the third floor of the villa immediately. According to his plan, the third floor should be his bedroom; The radio turned into a white light and was placed on the floor of the third floor; Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After entering the safe house, the radio, which had been unresponsive before, had a few indicator lights that started to flicker automatically, and a zzz sound of electrical current could be heard from it; Song Jian vaguely heard a voice from the radio WantedzzzGathering Area ioicapture or kill to gainzzz The electrical noise was too loud, and Song Jian knitted his eyebrows. With a thought, the Radios switch knob immediately made a ka-da sound and turned off the radio; System: The level 2 safe house may be built with an additional basement. This will require 2000 units of wood and 3000 units of stone. The basement will have a defence amount of 6000 points, an area of sixty square meters, and only one entrance and exit; A basement? Holy smoke, isnt that an extra storage room? Song Jian paused and then immediately realised another use for the basement: storage. Although there was still the risk of theft or seizure, and it was somewhat inferior in storage efficiency compared to a storage box, the difficulty of entering through one entrance and breaking through the 6000 points of defense was considerable for the current player base. Build it! This is a must! Swish, swish, swish, another large sum of materials vanished. Underneath the villa, a group of white light was continuously writhing. A few minutes passed by, and a spacious basement appeared before Song Jian. Not bad, not bad, lets see what kind of defensive architecture can be constructed in a level 2 safe house. As Song Jian opened the list of defensive constructions, he saw that besides the Wooden Spike Trap, now there was an additional Falling Rock Trap. Falling Rock Trap: Defensive Structure, effect: Inflicts 100 blunt damage on all enemy targets that enter the traps range, and creates a stunning effect that lasts for 5 seconds. Construction requirements: 15 units of stone; Trap description: The traps can be reused, with a damage interval of 3 seconds. After 10 uses, the trap will be damaged and can be repaired with stone. Dozens of circles appeared on the mixed fence of level 3 wood and level 1 stone. These were all spots for setting up Falling Rock Traps. Anybody approaching the wall would automatically trigger these traps; Looking over, Song Jian calculated that setting up Falling Rock Traps all over the fence would only require a maximum of 300 units of stone C he immediately resolved to set them up. Dozens of Falling Rock Traps appeared on the fence, and at the same time, Song Jian chose to replace the entire fence with level one stone fence. The mix of wood and stone fence was a visual disaster; Wooden Spike Traps and Falling Rock Traps are consumable items. Although the materials required for construction are small, they wont stand up to large-scale usage just like bullets for firearms. After one fight, the materials consumed may be comparable to, if not more than, that used in the construction of a safe house; System: The construction of level 2 safe house is complete. Will you end the construction? Continue building the level 3 safe house! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Why had he collected so many materials? To have a place that was as impregnable as an iron fortress. If he doesnt use these materials now, is he supposed to hold onto them forever? Chapter 84 - 84: Building a Safe House (Part 3) Chapter 84: Building a Safe House (Part 3) Translator: 549690339 System: For building a level 3 safety house, you will need 6000 units of wood and 6000 units of stone. Do you desire to pursue the build? Build it! Rumble- The phantom image of the three-story villa immediately rose five to six meters, exceeding a total height of over ten meters, looking like a castle; However, there was nothing in this castle, so it seemed a bit empty; After the level 3 safety house was completed, all spectators were left dumbfounded. The most they could hold inside their inventory were a few thousand units of wood and stone. Its too difficult to create a level 3 safety house, let alone using a bungalow as a template for a safety house. Hes definitely spend money to win, its confirmed, this guy is absolutely pay-to-win! Is this what it feels like to play someone elses game? Why do I feel like I am not playing the same game as him! The world is so unfair, 1 work day and night chopping wood until I have a one inch thick callus on my hands. Why cant I even match a fraction of his resources! Dude, are you sure the callus on your hand is from chopping wood and not from doing something else? Could it be that this guy is the illegitimate son of the games developer? Upon opening the construction list for the level 3 safety house, Song Jian can now upgrade the eight fields in the yard to Spirit Fields. For a single Spirit Field upgrade, you only need one thousand units of wood which for Song Jian was a drop in the bucket; Swish, Swish, Swish- Eight fields simultaneously emit an opalescent halo, the fresh air permeates the courtyard. One whiff gives off a refreshing and unburdening sensation, as though it can intoxicate your soul; Is this spiritual energy? It feels so nice! Song Jians face filled with pleasure; Let me see what else can be built, Arrow Tower, a level 3 safety house can build an Arrow Tower? Haha, this is a defensive godsend! Song Jian instantly lit up upon realizing that he could build four Arrow Towers at the four corners of the walls; The construction cost for an Arrow Tower is 1200 units of wood and 500 units of stone. A small cost for a tower that can auto-attack. Each tower can store a thousand wooden arrows. Once depleted, simply add wood into the tower and itll immediately start making wooden arrows again. Very convenient; Soon, four Arrow Towers were constructed. Along with the Wooden Spike Trap and Falling Rock Trap on top of the four towers, Song Jians safety house could be described as an iron fortress of defenses; Not bad, not bad, now the safety house is finally starting to take shape. Song Jian nodded in satisfaction. Seeing the two Spirit Fields in front of his villa, Song Jian thought for a moment, then decided to plant the Tree Spirit sapling on them. One Tree Spirit sapling needs two fields worth of room. The remaining six fields were left empty, waiting for suitable seeds to be planted; Upon entering the Spirit Field, the Tree Spirit seed grew rapidly. In a short time, it sprouted from the ground and become a nearly one foot tall sapling; System: Tree Spirit sapling has been successfully planted. It will take thirty seven days and eighteen hours to grow into its mature form. You can use various treasures to nourish the sapling and shorten its growth time; It still needs such a long time to mature, then 1 cant use it during the upcoming defense battle. Song Jian was slightly disappointed. Regarding the use of treasures, Song Jian expressed that he himself doesnt even have enough to use, much less sparing for them! The overall defense of the current safety house has already reached 3200 points. It was several tens of times higher than the first player who built a safety house; Now, Im here extremely well-defended. I should be able to resist monsters attacking within a radius of one kilometer, right? Song Jian was full of pride, excitedly looking towards the dense swarm of monsters outside the green columns of light; These are all my experience points. This time, I should be able to level up to at least level eight. No, level nine! Even level ten might be possible considering the density of the monsters within a kilometer! Haha! Song Jian looked at the monsters, as though he was looking at a package full of experience points and equipment; After the level 3 safety house was completed, the system prompted whether to construct a level 1 manor; sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Level 1 manor construction requires 8000 units of wood and 16,000 units of stone, do you wish to continue the construction? Song Jian looked at his inventory, which still held an abundant amount of wood and stone materials. He hesitated for a moment, then grit his teeth and chose to continue construction; Proceed! Rumble- Another bout of rumbling. From the outside, the area of the green light column did not increase, but within it, Song Jian saw his villa, or rather, now it should be called the castle, visibly swell and expand. Though its still three stories high, the total height had exceeded fifteen meters. Two side towers, seven to eight meters high, appeared on either sides of the main castle. Both towers were closely connected to the main castle. On top of each tower flew a flag, but there were no patterns on these flags; The roof of the main castle transitioned from its initial people shaped villa roof to a conical tower-shaped roof. A large flag floated above the roof; This manor is practically identical to a medieval castle, absolutely splendid, haha! Song Jian excitedly said. He didnt even own a two bedroom apartment in the real world, but in this game, he owned a castle. This gave Song Jian a fantastical feeling; However, in the next moment, the system brutally shattered his fantasy with news that felt like a bucket of ice water poured over him; System: Level 1 Manor construction completed! System: With the appearance of the manor, it attracted the attention of numerous monsters and even bosses beyond the one kilometer range. They gained a keen interest in the manor. Elite bosses will randomly join the monsters siege. The higher the manor level, the higher the joining elite boss level, and the larger the quantity; System: Do you wish to continue constructing the level 2 manor? Holy cow, it even has elite bosses joining randomly? Song Jian was stunned. Its known that the first player to build a safety house had a few level five elite bosses appear, resulting in his safety house being shattered in only ten minutes; System, are you kidding me? Previously, creating a safety house would only bring in elite bosses and now, it even attracted bosses outside the one kilometer range C what level are they going to be? If a level thirty boss comes, how am I supposed to continue playing? System: Do you wish to continue constructing the level 2 manor? Once again, the system issued a prompt. Song Jian, looking at the tens of thousands of wood and stone units in his inventory, felt like weeping; Built? You bloody build it! Cancel, Im not building anymore! Song Jian said through gritted teeth; Open the defensive structures that can be built by a level 1 manor, quick! Song Jian knew that he didnt have much time left. His initial sure-win mainline quest had been thrown back into uncertainty due to his relentless upgrading of the safety house level; Now, Song Jian could only do his utmost to improve the manors defense measures; Chapter 85 - 85: Don’t Mess with a Foodie Chapter 85: Dont Mess with a Foodie Translator: 549690339 When he opened the construction list for the level one manor, a new defensive structure appeared before Song Jians eyes. Catapult: A defensive building. Effect: Inflicts 150 physical damage to all enemy targets within 100 meters and causes splash damage. Each attack has a five-second interval. Construction Requirements: 300 units of wood, 150 units of stone. Building Explanation: This building consumes 100 units of stone every 60 seconds. If there is no stone supply, the building will cease to function. Build, build, keep building! Within the projection of the level one manor, a red circle appeared atop two sub-towers and the main castle. These were the spots to place the catapults. Three catapults could be placed in a level one manor. Song Jian quickly finished placing the catapults! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just at this moment, another line of red text from the system appeared: System: The appearance of a level one manor has attracted the attention of the level eight Elite Boss, [Skin-Flaying ZombieKulamar]. This boss will appear in thirty minutes. Level eight Elite Boss? Song Jians face changed, and his heart pounded even harder. He had barely survived against an ordinary zombie, but this skin-flaying zombie was a named Boss, obviously more formidable. What was he to do? Looking around, all of the walls of the manor had been advanced from level one stone walls to level three stone walls. They were over two meters tall and more than half a meter thick. An average mutated zombie could break its claws without causing any damage to these walls. Everything that needed to be promoted had been promoted, everything that needed to be upgraded had been upgraded. He couldnt continue constructing the manor. The higher the buildings level, the better the defenses, but it would also attract stronger bosses in larger numbers. It would be like drinking poison to quench thirst. It seems that 1 will have to rely on other methods! After looking around, Song Jian eventually focused on a small tree in the courtyard that was just over a foot tall. Treasure, treasure, dammit, are you telling me to spend more money to stay alive? Thinking of this, Song Jian tossed a pine nut emitting a faint golden glow from his package next to the small sapling. Before it could even fall, a delicate root shot out of the soil with a whoosh and wrapped the pine nut, pulling it underground. The tree spirit sapling grew at a visible rate and stopped when it had grown about five inches tall. Checking the time, this pine nut had saved nearly one days worth of growth. My God, this is a treasure that can increase vitality points by fifty. If 1 sell it, its definitely worth a lot of money. Well, never mind, youre lucky this time, foodie. Song Jian shook his head and threw all the Mutated Pine Nuts in the package over there. Whish-Whish-Whish- A few delicate roots emerged from the soil simultaneously, accurately enveloping the mutated pine nuts, and drawing them into the soil. Song Jian looked at the tree spirit sapling in a strange manner, as if feeding a kitten or puppy. The tree spirit sapling was growing rapidly, but it would take a long time to mature. Song Jian started to rummage through his package, tossing the pan-fried meat, roast meat, stir-fried dogs heart, snake soup, and all the food he had prepared for himself at the tree spirits. However, these items didnt seem to be of much use to the tree spirit sapling. Although all were absorbed, it only saved seconds of time. Um, what elsethe rest are all materials, do you want this? Song Jian frowned as he looked at his package. He took out a roll of Mutated Snake Beasts Leather from the package. It was a blue-quality material that Song Jian had kept very well for selling or exchanging goods in the future. As soon as it was tossed, five or six roots protruded, tightly wrapping the leather and dragging it into the soil. You, you eat both meat and vegetables, you eat everything! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Then, Song Jian began to clear the materials in the package. All the blue, green, white, and finally even gray materials were given to the tree spirit sapling. Hard pine, Yin Soul Wood, all were given to the tree spirit sapling. The tree spirit sapling was getting bigger and bigger, at this point it had grown more than three meters high. Its leaves were lush, and strange patterns appeared on the trunk, which looked a bit like the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. However, the tree spirit sapling did not have the eerie aura present on the Yin Soul Ghost Tree. Only the zombie cores, two pieces of jewelry, and fifty-three gold bricks are left. Im telling you, you cant be planning to swallow everything, can you? Song Jian took out one gold brick hesitantly, pushing it forward with some reluctance. These gold bricks were cut very neatly, each brick being one standard kilogram. Song Jian was reluctant to part with them. According to the price of gold in reality, each gold brick was worth three or four hundred thousand! It was just like throwing money into water! Whoosh- A root as thick as a finger stretched out, tightly coiled around the gold brick twice, and pulled it back. Song Jians face turned sour, but he refused to let go. This thing is very hard and tasteless. If you eat it, you will have indigestion, or maybe you wouldnt want it. Song Jian pleaded softly. The root tugged harder but Song Jian did not let go. His painful expression was clear; he kept shaking his head as if he were about to cry. System: The appearance of a level one manor has attracted the attention of the level 10 Elite Boss, [Clawed ZombieWang Dachui]. This boss will appear in thirty-five minutes. Level 10 Elite Boss! Song Jian was startled, his hand trembled suddenly. Whoosh- The root seized the opportunity to pull the gold brick back and rapidly withdrew into the soil. A level ten Elite Boss is here, my God, what kind of broken game is this?! Why werent advance warnings given for dangerous situations? Why did they have to wait until the construction was completed to say something Song Jian couldnt help but curse loudly. Fine, fine, I will give you everything to eat, as long as you can digest it, 1 will feed you everything! Song Jian made a determined decision. Baring his teeth, he took out the remaining fifty-two gold bricks and piled them at the root of the tree spirit sapling. Just as he was about to stand up, Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then put a gold brick back into the package. He would keep that one as a souvenir. The fifty-one gold bricks slowly sank into the soil. Song Jian checked the time, and now it would only take the tree spirit sapling less than a dayjust twenty-four hoursto mature. Looking at the empty package, Song Jian felt like crying. With a trembling hand, he retrieved two pieces of jewelry. For these two, you wouldnt eat them too, would you? If it ate the gold, it was logical that it would would eat the two pieces of jewelry as well! Whoosh- Two roots stretched out and seemed to hesitate for a moment when they made contact with the jewelry before withdrawing into the soil. Phew, finally something you dont eat! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. The two items of jewelry were priceless, worth much more than that pile of gold. Since the little thing did not eat them, he would take them back. After returning the jewelry to the package, Song Jian looked at it again. In his package, besides a bunch of zombie cores, all that was left was a blueprint for the Blood Pool. You wouldnt want to eat my equipment too, would you? Song Jian looked at the tree spirit sapling, which would mature in about ten hours, and felt like crying. Chapter 86 - 86: 86: Mature Body Chapter 86 - 86: 86: Mature BodyTranslator: 549690339 His equipment was part of Song Jians power, offering many attribute enhancements. He was unwilling to let the young tree spirit eat any of it. At this moment, three roots emerged from the dirt and hung in the air in front of Song Jian, almost like a puppy lifting its front paws and poking out its tongue at its owner. Looking at the tree spirit sapling that would mature in less than twenty hours, Song Jian gritted his teeth and handed over his P18C handgun, which had been with him for the longest time. Swish- In the blink of an eye, his handgun was snatched away by a root. Wait, you really eat equipment? Song Jian suddenly felt like he had fallen into a huge pit. He couldnt just keep feeding the tree spirit sapling, but also didnt want to stop after having already invested so much. Song Jian couldnt help but silently recite the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra in his heart, Just give it, give it, give it all to him, all of it, stop thinking about it. After chanting a few times, he felt much better. With a smile on his face, Song Jian passed over the Beretta double barrel shotgun, and gently said, Eat, eat, grow quickly Corrupt Sword, its a green-quality weapon with a bit of added strength Song Jians face twitched as he presented the long sword to the several roots in front of him. The helmet, zombie generals armor, Tusk Fang Stinger. Damn it, Im giving you everything, how am 1 supposed to kill monsters now! Looking at the remaining equipment on his body, Song Jian took off the black stone tablet from his jewelry slot and handed it over. He couldnt let the tree spirit sapling eat all of his remaining gear! Eat, eat, you reckless thing Song Jians mood quickly soured despite the calming effects of the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra. A root reached for the black jewelry, but as it neared, the stone tablet suddenly emitted a blinding black light. Hiss- A burning sound echoed, and the approaching root began to curl and crack. Before long, a section of the root had turned into charred ash. Immediately, the other roots dared not approach the stone tablet, shaking violently as they kept a safe distance. They vibrated incessantly, as if begging Song Jian for something. This thing, is it really this powerful? Song Jian was surprised. A piece of jewelry that only provided a bit of vitality points was like a fighter jet amidst the trash. If it werent for the empty slot in Song Jians jewelry section, this thing would have been long tossed into a box. A great find, it seems to be a gem! Song Jian hastily placed the jewelry into the package slot that could be brought back to the real world. Now, Song Jian could bring two items with him. Among the two slots in his real-world package, one held a gold brick, and now the other held this piece of black jewelry. This is all thats left, if you dont eat it, theres nothing I can do! Song Jian couldnt bear to feed the tree spirit sapling his zombie commander armor and Tusk Fang Stinger. He could only bring out a zombie core and hand it over. Swish- The root swiftly took the zombie core. Looking at the time, it had actually reduced by ten minutes. Song Jians eyes lit up. Not bad, mate! There were plenty of zombie cores! Clatter- Song Jian pulled out a large pile of zombie cores and stacked them on the ground, but in the end, he still held on to a hundred, to be used to build a Blood Pool. As the tree spirit was devouring the zombie cores, a cold aura began to emit from its body. Eerie black stripes gradually formed on its trunk and branches creating a face-like design on the tree spirit saplings trunk. At this point, the tree spirit sapling couldnt be called a sapling anymore. It was over ten meters tall with a diameter close to three meters. Its canopy spread wide, blocking the entire front yard of the villa. It was only a meter or two shorter than the spire of the Manor Castle. The tree spirit sapling, which had grown across two Spirit Fields, had finally matured. System: The tree spirit sapling has grown into a mature entity. It requires watering with Spirit Spring Water to develop consciousness. Please water with one hundred standard units of Spirit Spring Water. Son of a bitch! Song Jian felt an unnamable fire burning from the depths of his heart, rushing straight to his crown. Spirit Spring Water? What Spirit Spring Water? The what Spring Water? You need Spirit Spring Water? Why didnt you say it earlier? Why didnt you say it earlier, huh? Why didnt Song Jians face turned red with anxiety. For this sapling, Song Jian had virtually poured all hope onto it, almost breaking the bank! But now youre telling me it needs Spirit Spring Water? Where am I supposed to get that now?! System: In 3 minutes, if Spirit Spring Water is not used to water, the saplings self-awareness cannot be activated, and it can only become a resource tree spirit that can generate one hundred logs every day. One hundred pieces of log, do 1 need one hundred pieces of log? 1 have tens of thousands of logs in my inventory. 1 could literally beat you to death with them. Do you believe me? An angry Song Jian started cursing. System: Time left: 2 minutes and 58 seconds System: Time left: 2 minutes and 53 seconds System: Time left: 2 minutes and 4.8 seconds Spirit Spring Water, Spirit SpringWater Song Jian felt helpless. Suddenly, he spotted the blueprint for a Blood Pool in his inventory and a fierce determination filled his eyes. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Damn it, theres no Spirit Spring Water, but would you take Zombie Blood Pool water instead? Song Jian immediately opened the construction interface, selected to use the Blood Pool Blueprints. Instantly, the phantom of a Blood Pool twenty-something square meters in size appeared before Song Jians eyes. After reviewing the Blood Pool phantom, Song Jian initially intended to place it next to the tree spirit sapling in the yard, but there wasnt enough space, so he could only reposition it within Manor Castle. However, after several attempts, he realized that neither the first, second, nor the third floor had enough room to accommodate it. System: The Blood Pool needs to be placed in a cool, dark area, away from any sunlight. System: Time left: 1 minute and 57 seconds Will it suffice if I just block all your goddamn doors and windows? Frustrated, Song Jian had no choice but to put the Blood Pool in the basement. The pool took up a third of the sixty-square-meter basement. Its size was two meters deep, seven meters long, and three meters wide. As it appeared in the basement, the blood water within churned and gave off a sweet, metallic scent. I dont have Spirit Spring Water, but 1 have more than enough bloody water! With resolve, Song Jian began to water the tree spirit sapling with the blood from the Blood Pool. System: Youre using an unknown type of water to water the tree spirit sapling; the sapling has a high chance of mutating, which cannot be controlled! Repeated, this mutation cannot be controlled, this mutation cannot be controlled! So what, as if a bit of sapling could overturn the heavens? Ive chopped down who knows how many tree spirits, what have 1 got to be afraid of? Song Jian snorted coldly, as the blood from the Blood Pool surged towards the tree spirit sapling. Growl- The human-like face on the tree spirits trunk seemed to be in great pain, continuously twisting. The black patterns on the tree spirits surface gradually turned into a dark red, looking very eerie. A long crack appeared on its trunk which seemed to howl, and fang-like protrusions slowly started to poke through it. A human face emerged on the main part of the tree; its eyes slowly opened, revealing a bloodthirsty madness. I have awoken! the tree spirit roared, with all its branches flailing wildly. A chilling atmosphere filled the air. Chapter 87 - 87: 87: Monster Siege (Part 1) Chapter 87 - 87: 87: Monster Siege (Part 1)Translator: 549690339 System: the sapling of the tree spirit has grown into maturity and underwent an uncontrollable mutation. The mature tree spirit has transformed into an Elite Level BOSS[LV1 Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree]. Elite Level BOSS at level one? Thats quite a high starting point! Song Jian rubbed his chin, looking at the stats of the once sapling, or rather, the now Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree. Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree (Elite), Vitality Points: 400/400, Characteristics: Super Toxic, Super Vitality, Super Defense, Super Resistance, Super Roots, Super Devouring. With four hundred vitality points, it has already surpassed quite a few level five Elite Level BOSSes. Its six superb traits left Song Jian flabbergasted. What kind of monster had he created? Master, Alex heeds your summoning! A red light flashed in the eyes of the Bloody Poisonous Tree and it respectfully said to Song Jian. Phew, thankfully it hasnt turned against me, otherwise I really would have shot myself in the foot. Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Protect and eliminate all enemies invading the mansion! Song Jian commanded. As you command, master! The moment the Bloody Poisonous Tree spoke, the name above its head also changed. It transformed into the LV1 Bloody Shadowy Poisonous Tree C Alex, becoming a BOSS with a unique name. System: The arrival of a Level 1 Mansion has attracted the attention of the Elite Level BOSS at Level 10, the [Roaming Zombie C Robert], who wall appear in twenty minutes. Faced with a Level 10 Elite BOSS, Song Jian felt numb. Up till now, he had drawn over ten Elite Level BOSSes from within a kilometer radius. This Roaming Zombies nameI seemed to have heard it somewhere A thought flashed through Song Jians mind, but it was soon attracted to the gradually disappearing green light pillar. When the green pillar disappeared, Song Jian couldnt help but feel anxious, his palms getting sweaty, just like facing the final exam after a long period of revision. Bring it on, ail zombies are trash in front of my Level 1 Mansion! Song Jian thought and appeared on the surrounding wall. The Level 1 Mansion belonged to Song Jian. Within this territory, he could instantaneously teleport to any corner, but he wouldnt have this kind of teleportation ability outside the mansion. The spectating players had waited for more than an hour until the light pillar finally collapsed which made them excited too. Hey, this monster siege seems grander than the first players, Ive seen at least a dozen Elite BOSSes alone Cant you see the shelter this big-shot established is more of a castle than an actual shelter? Have you seen that tree? This big-shot cultivated his own Elite BOSS; we cant compare Big shot with the Elite BOSS, asking for support Big shot with the Elite BOSS, asking for support +1 Big shot with the Elite BOSS, asking for support +10086 Although the green light column was intense, the outside players could still see Song Jians movements. They personally witnessed the Bloody Poisonous Tree grow from a sapling to an Elite BOSS. If only 1 also had such a big tree in my shelter. Keer thought enviously, 111 ask Little Cheap Brother where he got it from and Ill raise one too Boom- A crisp shattering sound accompanied the disappearance of the green light column, turning into glittering fragments scattering in all directions. Roar- At the same time, all the monsters roared and charged towards Song Jians mansion. Swish- At the same time, hundreds of mutant zombies drew near to the walls of the manor. All the wooden spike traps were activated instantaneously, with numerous robust spikes emerging from the ground and piercing through all the monsters within range. Even those monsters that didnt die were left critically wounded and waiting to die. By the second time the wooden spikes emerged, at least hundreds of mutant zombies were taken down; In only a matter of seconds, Song Jians Experience Points grew visibly; Swish- Swish- Swish- From all sides of the Arrow Tower, crossbow bolts began shooting out. Zombies were pierced with bolts all over their bodies and fell to the ground before they could get near the walls; Boom- A giant boulder crashed viciously into a pack of monsters about ten meters away. With this strike, five to six monsters were crushed into mush. The catapult had opened fire; Song Jian stood on the wall, expressionless as he watched the monster horde surging towards him like a flood. Wave after wave of monsters reached the walls base just to end up collapsing; The bloody poison tree also roared into action. Countless roots sprouted from the mud, climbing up the wall covering both sides of the main gates. The roots pierced through the horde of monsters like spears, each attack killing five to six monsters; Then, these roots wrapped around the monsters corpses and slowly retracted, burying the dead under the roots of the Poison Tree; Several seconds later, a slight ringing sound came from behind Song Jian; Hum- A golden light flashed out of nowhere. The Bloody Bayou Poison Tree had leveled up, climbing from level one to level two; Then, after about ten more seconds, the Bloody Bayou Poison Tree once again emitted a golden light as it rose to level three; However, very soon, a golden glow emitted from Song Jian as well. He, who was originally seventh-level, had now reached the eighth level; All the monsters killed by manors defense structures counted towards Song Jians tally. Its as if in a matter of a few seconds, Song Jian had killed two to three hundred mutant zombies. Even these were just level one to three mutant zombies, such a large quantity resulted in a rich amount of experience. Even the Bloody Bayou Poison Tree, it had to share half of the experience earned from the monsters it killed with Song Jian. Upon reaching the eighth level, Song Jian had accumulated four skill points. However, despite having more than ten skills accessible in his skill bar, he still didnt have a primary cultivation skill, which he felt slightly regretful about; All bullets for any firearms he had were fed to the Poison Tree, leaving Song Jians only ranged attack skill being Earth Teeth Assault. But every time he released this skill, it consumed ten Vitality Points and could only attack one target at a time. In the current situation, using Earth Teeth Assault would be inefficientit would be better to save it for confronting the Elite Level bosses. Looking at the swarm of monsters rushing over and shattering just like waves crashing against the rocks, Song Jian was reassured, thinking, Were stable this wave! However, at that moment, Song Jian abruptly felt a spine-chilling sensation. Sensing the impending danger, his body instinctively teleported to the third floor of the castle; Boom- S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A giant iron ball with a diameter of over one meter crashed fiercely where Song Jian had been standing moments ago. The iron balls surface was covered in protruding spikes sparkling with a metallic gleam and appeared threateningly savage. That attack caused a drastic reduction in the walls defense level, plummeting it by over six hundred points. The previously sturdy third-level stone wall now had a foot-long crack, and splinters of stones scattered; From the window, Song Jian saw a zombie over two meters tall, wearing chains around its bare upper body like half armor. It was gripping the tip of the chain attached to the massive iron ball that had just hit the wall; LV5 Chain Hammer Zombie (Elite), Vitality Points: 390/780, Traits: Enormous Strength, Hammer Throw Watching the zombie slowly pulling back the chain and retrieving the enormous spiked iron ball, Song Jian grimaced; I cant let it keep doing that. If it continue hitting, the third-level stone walls defense wont even last a few hits! Chapter 88 - 88: 88: Monster Siege (Part 2) Chapter 88 - 88: 88: Monster Siege (Part 2)Translator: 549690339 The chain-hammer zombie slowly retracted its chain, letting out a furious roar before spinning its hammer violently again; At this point, the chain-hammer zombie was over ten meters away from the wall, out of Song Jians attack range; Kiddo, you think just because youre standing further away means 1 cant attack you? Youre naive, too naive! Song Jian scoffed, controlling three catapult towers and two arrow towers that were aiming directly at the chain-hammer zombie, and began to focus fire; Bang bang bang- Three stones hit the chain-hammer zombie almost simultaneously, and three damages over a hundred floated up above its head, knocking it down instantly. Upon hitting the chain-hammer zombie, the three stones shattered into hundreds of fragments, scattering all around and downing a large swatch of zombies; The chain-hammer zombie had a total of 390 vitality points, and after being hit by the three stones, it was already critically wounded; Swish swish- Before it could crawl back up, two wooden arrows had already pierced its body; -39 -38 The chain-hammer zombie let out a helpless roar, just as it managed to stand up straight, two points of damage floated up from its head with its body once again crashing onto the ground, this time, it couldnt stand backup anymore; The level-five elite boss got one-shotted, leaving all the watching players jaws dropped. At the current stage, encountering such a boss, players would usually take a detour and not dare to provoke it; Equipment! Blue quality equipment! Everyones eyes lit up; The moment the chain-hammer zombie fell, an equipment emitting blue light burst out from its body, instantly catching everyones eyes; Players who owned a piece of white-quality equipment at this point could already saunter around showing off, let alone a blue-quality one! For a moment, public sentiment was running high, with plenty of people itching to go and compete for the equipment; Do you have looting qualifications? Looking at a few people who want to rush to loot the equipment, Wang Qi asked coldly, causing the people to be taken aback, and then show regret in their eyes; These people had only watched and did not partake in attack, resulting in no inflicted damage on the boss, thus naturally, they did not possess the qualification to loot the dropped items; Next time theres a boss, Ill strike it a couple of times first, so I can at least inflict some damage and gain looting qualifications! one person said with regret. The chain-hammer zombie wasnt far away from him, so he had the opportunity to attack the boss; Even if we cant have it, that guy cant either. He wont possibly need to charge into the crowd of monsters to loot the equipment, right? When the protection time is over, then its everybody for themselves One person sneered with his arms crossed; No sooner had the words been spoken than five or six long roots pierced through the bodies of dozens of monsters and reached out for the blue equipment. Before anyone else could react, several roots had already bundled up the bosss corpse and the blue-quality equipment, swiftly retracting back inside the wall; Oh my god, it can even automatically collect equipment For a moment, everyone was speechless, helplessly watching all the monster-dropped items, one by one, being bundled up and dragged back into the manor by the roots; Watching the roots working like tentacles, dragging items one after another, Song Jian had a sense of unease; Is that guy gonna hog them all and leave none for me? Song Jian wondered to himself; Alex, how about giving me half of the items you drew? Song Jian probed; Why should I share with you the items I got with my efforts? Alex insisted. Experience points were shared equally because the system mandated it. But he wanted the equipment too? No way! You utter bastard! Your argument seems valid and I have no idea how to refute it! Song Jian was at a loss for words. He could only watch in dismay as items emanating all sorts of light, one after another, were dragged into the earth by the tentacle-like roots while Alexs level surprisingly advanced once again from level three to level four. Such speed was faster than most players levelling up speed; Forget it, forget it. Lets carry on its my own self-nurtured tree anyway. 1 will stay hopeful even in tears. Luckily, all the meat sticks in my own pot, its alright, its alright Song Jian tried to console himself; Seeing that Song Jian had nothing to say, the corner of Alexs lifeless mouth curled up, and he appeared to be rather crazed. Not only the roots but the tree branches also began to grow wildly, creeping over the wall like ivy, stretching slowly towards the crowd of monsters; Before long, the front wall had extended outwards by over ten meters, all of which were Alexs roots and branches, covering a thick layer where the area had turned into a bottomless pit. No matter how many monsters stepped in, they would disappear in an instant; Song Jians experience points began to rocket up. With dozens of monsters dying per second, despite each one only yielding him dozens of experience points, but cumulatively, it was still a considerable amount. His experience bar was about to be filled again, having just levelled up to level eight; Although there are no item drops, at least the experience points increase rapidly. Song Jian laughed; S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, with a bang, a giant fireball fell from the sky and hit hard on the tree roots and branches that Alex had spread out, instantly igniting a large area; Alexs vitality point bar dropped by a small section; Looking up, Song Jian saw in the distance on the seventh floor of a high-rise building, a person-shaped monster, skinny in appearance, grabbing onto the edge of a window with one hand, its other hand constantly condensing fire element; This monster looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, only around one and a half meters tall and appeared malnourished. It was so emaciated, resembling skin and bones, a stark sight with protruding ribs and limbs like dried wood. What was amazing was that this monster had an abnormally large head, at least twice the size of a regular adult, and its right hand was grotesque, with red skin, a full hand of wrinkles, and four fingers shimmering metallically, just like four sharp blades; [Claw Zombie C Wang Dachui], Level 10 Elite Boss, Vitality 800/1600, Traits: Ultra Flame, Ultra Speed This is a boss drawn by the manor, a level 10 elite Upon looking at the figure of the claw zombie in the distance, Song Jian felt a chill in the heart. Bosses that are one kilometer away are about to make their appearances in succession. It should be noted that within one kilometer, the level of the bosses does not exceed five. But outside one kilometer, the highest boss level can reach 10, which, even with their abilities halved during the day, Song Jian alone cant handle it; Another boss with long-range attacks, and it seems to counter Alex too Song Jian squinted his eyes and sized up claw zombie; It was out of the range of the arrow tower, but still within the range of the catapult; Song Jian controlled the catapult and aimed a fierce attack at claw zombie, but the moment the three stone balls approached it, claw zombie leapt sideways with a lightning speed. The three stone balls landed harshly on the spot where claw zombie just was, instantly creating a large hole in the wall; The claw zombie revealed a mocking look in its eyes, turned around, and showed its butt cheekily to Song Jian, all the while spanking it; Chapter 89 - 89: 89: Monster Siege (3) Chapter 89 - 89: 89: Monster Siege (3)Translator: 549690339 Provocation, barefaced provocation! Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and a trace of coldness flashed through them. Its just a Level 10 Elite Boss. If this were in the wild, Song Jian would definitely avoid it from a distance; but now within his manor, even if there were several such bosses, he wouldnt be afraid. Alex, retract your roots and branches Song Jian ordered. The roots and branches that covered the wall slowly retracted. The clawed zombie, seeing this, thought Song Jian was afraid, becoming more excited and jumping around. It raised its right claw to the sky, and fire elements quickly gathered, forming a huge fireball out of thin air. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whoosh- The fireball smashed violently against the manors fence with a loud rumble, depleting more than 30 points of defense. If this were a wooden wall, the fireball would pose a great threat, but with a Level 3 stone wall, the only damage caused was from the impact, while the threat of the flames was minimized. Thats all youve got? Song Jian smirked with a mocking smile, gesturing a disdainful motion towards the clawed zombie. Although the clawed zombie didnt understand Song Jians gesture, it could still discern the expression on his face. Roar- The clawed zombie quickly gathered a ball of flame and threw it towards Song Jian. The huge fireball drew an arc, trailing a long tail of fire, flying over the fence and hitting the third floor of the castle. Before Song Jian could dodge, the sinister Bloodthirsty Demonic Tree waved a thick branch and violently struck the fireball. After a loud boom, the fireball dispersed into a sky full of flames and gradually disappeared. The branch that struck the fireball only had a burnt patch on its surface and lost dozens of yellow-brown leaves, with no other changes. The Vitality of the Bloodthirsty Demonic Tree even dropped only by a few points, an insult to the attack of a Level 10 Elite Boss. The clawed zombie roared angrily, its legs pedaling, and its body lunged towards the manor like a sharp arrow. Even if its attributes were halved during the day, and it was using its full power, an ordinary persons eyes would find it hard to capture its figure. Thump thump thump- After crushing the heads of over a dozen mutated zombies in a row, the clawed zombie rushed near the fence. Swish swish- Seven or eight wooden spikes from the Wooden Spike Trap shot out but only stabbed the afterimage of the clawed zombie. Ill kill you! The clawed zombie, standing atop the high fence, pointed at Song Jian on the third floor of the castle and roared in a vague voice. Song Jians eyes flashed as he activated the skillful insight, locking onto the clawed zombie. Whoosh whoosh- Arrow Towers on both sides of the fence fired two hardwood arrows at the clawed zombie. The clawed zombie had a mocking smile on its face. The hardwood arrows were fast in the eyes of ordinary zombies and hard to dodge, but to the clawed zombie, they were as slow as snails, easily avoided with a simple stretch. Standing still on the fence, the clawed zombie only dodged when the arrow was near, twisting its head to avoid the trajectory of the arrows. What it didnt expect, however, was that after the hardwood arrows grazed past its ear, they strangely drew an arc and shot towards its hindbrain at a minimal angle. Too close to dodge, the Clawed Zombies face changed drastically as it lunged forward and lay on the wall. Two hardwood arrows flew past its scalp; How could this happen a puzzled look flashed in the Clawed Zombies eyes; Before it could react, the Arrow Tower shot another two hardwood arrows at it. The two arrows that it had dodged earlier looped back midair and headed for it; The Clawed Zombie looked up and saw a grin on Song Jians face on the third floor of the castle. Its anger flared up instantly; Its your doing! The Clawed Zombie lunged furiously at the third floor of the castle; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- More and more hardwood arrows flew towards the Clawed Zombies back. It was extremely difficult for it to dodge them midair. Feeling seven or eight arrows approaching from behind, the Clawed Zombie struggled to twist its body to avoid the attack; However, except for two arrows that missed its ribs, the rest hit its heart; Unable to control its body, the Clawed Zombie fell to the ground; Whoosh, whoosh- A dozen tree roots sprang out from the soil, piercing through the zombies body like spears. Its arms, thighs, abdomen, and chest were all impaled by the roots; Thud- The Clawed Zombie hit the ground hard, and more tree roots shot towards it, continuously entangling its body; All- The Clawed Zombie struggled desperately, raising its right hand to gather fire elements again. However, as soon as it did so, five or six tree roots pierced through its palm; Ka-ching- The zombie managed to break free from a tree roots entanglement but was caught by even more roots. The Clawed Zombie could feel the roots piercing its body, constantly sucking its internal energy and devouring every cell of its body; After struggling for seven or eight minutes and at the cost of a dozen broken roots, the Bloody Vengeful Poison Tree, Alex, finally killed the Clawed Zombie and dragged it into the soil to serve as its nutrients; A golden light flashed, and the Bloody Vengeful Poison Tree leveled up to become a Level 5 Elite Boss; A Level 10 Elite Boss was killed just like that; its simply unbelievable! Song Jian showed no expression, but his heart was full of amazement; The psychic lock-on from the Eyes of the Heart skill also brought Song Jian an unexpected surprise. Once an enemy was locked on, it was like having a target set and any aimed long-range attack would become a lock-on attack, making it impossible for the enemy to escape; As time ticked by, a thick layer of monster corpses piled up outside the walls. If it werent for the Bloody Vengeful Poison Tree continuously dragging the dead monsters into the soil as nutrients, the pile of corpses would probably be taller than the walls by now; A Level 5 Elite Boss no longer caught Song Jians attention. Instead, he focused on the Level 10 Elite Bosses that were attracted to the area; Several tens of minutes later, Song Jian killed five more Level 10 Elite Bosses. They were all lured by the manor, including the Flayer Zombie Kulamar. Once locked on psychically, the Agile Boss was directly crushed by two rounds of Catapult attacks, not even leaving a complete corpse. It was certainly the most miserable Boss death there was; The number of monsters gradually dwindled, and Song Jians level reached 9 at 86%. Such a level was a lofty existence for other players; A faint white light slowly appeared, covering the entire manor. Song Jian could hardly wait to hear the system announce the creation of the safe house. However, it was at this moment that a thud, thud, thud sound came from the distance. Looking up, on a wide street, a knight clad in full armor, holding a palm-wide longsword and straddling a warhorse equipped with horse armor, slowly approached the manor; Chapter 90 - 90: 90: Robert (1) Chapter 90 - 90: 90: Robert (1)Translator: 549690339 Song Jian looked ahead, and the monster in front of him was clad in armor, appearing mighty and extraordinary. If not for the red text above its head that read [LVio Patrol Zombie C Robert], it would be difficult for people to associate it with a zombie monster; [LVio Patrol Zombie-Robert] (Elite), Vitality: 900/1800, Characteristics: Exceptionally strong, Super psychic power, High-level horsemanship; Skills: Precise throw, Charge, Arc Slash; Ta-ta-ta- The sound of horse hooves stamped on the street, crisp and clear, even amidst the roar of hundreds of monsters, one could still hear it clearly; Boom- Under the attack of the estates defense equipment, yet another Elite Level BOSS was killed. To everyones surprise, this BOSS exploded just before its death. The area surrounding it for five or six meters suddenly became an empty ground. Ten Wooden Spike Traps were destroyed at once, and even two of the Falling Rock Traps on the wall were destroyed, the walls defense value was directly reduced by nearly fifty points; The defense value of a level three stone wall is as much as 3,600 points, higher than the defense value of many players safe houses. But after more than an hour of continuous attacks, the defense value has dropped to less than 500 points; Many traps near the walls have already been destroyed. To repair them would be almost the same as rebuilding them, and they have to wait until the battle is over; Out of the four Arrow Towers at the four corners, two have been completely destroyed, while the remaining two are still firing crossbow bolts incessantly; Only the Catapult Tower, which had not been attacked by the monsters, was still able to launch stone projectiles continuously. Song Jian only needed to replenish the wood required for the two Arrow Towers and the stone required for the catapults from time to time; The number of monsters was decreasing, and all the monsters within a kilometer radius had gathered here. Most had already perished, and only over a hundred monsters remained, still surrounding the walls, looking much thinner than before; These monsters were all level five, including Level 5 Elite BOSSes and Level 10 Elite BOSSes C seven or eight of them. Every time they appeared, they would cause significant damage to the estates defenses. Most of the damage was caused by these Level 10 BOSSes. Fortunately, they did not appear all at once; otherwise, Song Jian would not be sure if he could hold on until now; Now, youre the only enemy left! Song Jian muttered to himself as he looked at the Patrol Zombie on the warhorse; Even though there were still hundreds of Level 5 monsters surrounding the estate, Song Jian had only one enemy in his eyes; Robert, Robert, this name is so familiar Song Jian frowned slightly, as if he recalled something, and hurriedly opened the task interface to check; Indeed, he found the name Robert in a side mission; Second part of the chain mission: Searching for the fallen grounds of the former city Guardian Robert and find Robert, who has been transformed into a zombie; To complete this mission, the minimum requirement is to reach Level 10. Song Jian hasnt met the requirement yet. Unexpectedly, instead of searching for Robert, Robert appeared right before his eyes; S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, Song Jian felt a bit distressed. The mission required finding the fallen grounds of Robert first, then discovering clues and searching for Robert. The following task would likely involve killing Robert; But now, Robert is right in front of him, obviously skipping the previous steps and directly advancing to the last step; Skipping the foreplay and going straight to the main theme, the experience will be much worse! Song Jian grumbled, frowning and muttering to himself; When Robert was a hundred meters away from the estate, he lightly nudged the horses spur on his right foot, and the warhorse beneath him began to trot slowly; Ta-ta-ta-ta- The consecutive sound of horse hooves became more and more urgent, like drums stirring the heart to beat faster; Thud- A zombie blocking the path of the warhorse was directly struck, flying away like a burst bag, drawing an arc in the sky before crashing down fiercely onto the street, killed instantly; The warhorses speed grew faster and faster, reminiscent of a heavy armored vehicle, emanating an unstoppable force. The monsters blocking its path could not bear its impact, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, they were directly crushed; This boss is fierce! No joke, its a boss with a valuable horse. Can it be comparable to those poor bosses that walk on two legs? That momentum, it feels like a train starting to move. Im afraid even a third-level stone wall wouldnt withstand it. Hard to say, after all, its made of flesh and blood But its a zombie Boom- As the spectators were discussing fervently, Robert struck the wall with his long sword, with a deafening sound; A nearly two-meter section of the third-level stone wall collapsed, creating a massive gap. The wooden spike traps at the base of the wall and the falling rock traps on the wall were all directly damaged, unable to be repaired; This attack is fierce. If it hits me directly, my small body would probably be instantly killed like those monsters. Song Jian took a sharp breath and pinched his teeth with a constipated expression; Without waiting for Song Jian to issue an attack order, the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree launched an attack at the intruding Robert, an elite-level zombie patrolling the courtyard. Countless roots emerged from the soil and wrapped around Robert. Wisps of black ghostly air emerged from the tree, constantly condensing in mid-air into wandering skull-shaped objects, emitting heart-wrenching shrieks as they moved towards Robert; Thump, thump- Yellowish-red leaves, exuding a bloody sweetness, whip towards Robert like a tough whip, accompanied by a piercing sound that made people nauseous; Immediately, the courtyard was filled with cold winds and ghostly howls, like the lair of hellish ghosts; After devouring too many monster corpses and dropped items, the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree had reached level 6 as an Elite Boss. Although it was four levels lower than Robert, this was the home field of the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree. Robert intruded like he stepped into a swamp; Countless roots wrapped around the armored legs of the warhorse, while small spikes went through the gaps in the armor, continuously absorbing the horses vitality; Underneath him, the warhorse jumped frantically, leaving Robert unable to control it for a moment; Roberts helmet hid his face, so no one could see his expression, but the green flames in his eye sockets suddenly intensified; Whoosh- Robert swung his long sword, releasing an arc-shaped Sword Qi, cutting off all the roots wrapped around the warhorse; The branches hit Roberts armor, making a crisp collision sound, but the damage to Robert was nearly zero, only leaving shallow burn marks on the surface of his armor; More than a dozen skulls condensed by black ghostly air, with long black tails, pounced at Robert. When they were still dozen centimeters away, they disintegrated as if they had hit an invisible wall; All their attack methods were barely effective, making the Bloody Ghostly Poison Tree furious. The human face appeared on the trunk showed a fierce expression, opening its mouth to reveal sharp fangs, and a dark red mist sprayed from the tree toward Robert; Chapter 91 - 91: 91 Robert (II) Chapter 91 - 91: 91 Robert (II)Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stared at Robert who had already rushed into the courtyard of the manor, a cold glint flickering in his eyes. The skill Minds Eye activated, and instantly, a crimson crosshair appeared on Roberts body, scanning up and down; Finally, the crosshair rested on the skull of the war horse between Roberts legs; this was its weak point; The skill Minds Eye, in addition to being able to mentally lock on targets, also has a 15% chance of discovering the opponents flaws and weaknesses. Song Jians mouth quirked up slightly; this Robert was indeed cunning; If it were a normal boss, its weak point would definitely be on its own body. Unexpectedly, this Robert had placed his weak point on the war horse beneath him; Catapult, fire at Robert! Song Jian directly controlled the catapult, launching a fierce assault at Robert; The two front arrow towers have already been destroyed, and to repair them, they must wait until the end of the fight. The arrow tower on the rear wall of the manor had no line of sight and could not attack the front. Now, the only thing Song Jian could control were the three catapults on Manor Castle; Cre-e-eak- The catapult slowly raised its head, launching stones at a very exaggerated angle, which looked almost like it was being fired vertically; Three stone balls shot into the air almost simultaneously, reaching their apogee before accelerating downwards; At this time, Robert was already enveloped by the poison fog emitted by the Blood Ghost Poison Tree. The dark red poison fog, was like maggots gnawing at bone, sticking to Roberts body as he moved; The damage from the poison fog was not high, but it had an abundance of added negative effects; Weakness, corrosion, vampirism, scorching, defense reduction, strength weakening A series of negative status effects appeared next to Roberts name; Swish swish swish- Again, dozens of roots burst forth from the earth, entangling with the limbs of the war horse. The roots were extremely tough. Without using the Arc Slash skill, it would be impossible for Robert to escape their grip; But he couldnt possibly just abandon his war horse, he could only chop at the encompassing roots; For every root chopped off, two more shot out from the earth. The incessant surge of roots evoked a sense of despair; Boom boom boom- Finally, the three stone balls fell from the sky. One of them smashed into Roberts shoulder, almost knocking him off the horse. Song Jian chuckled slightly; this hit caused significant damage to Robert. Even to the naked eye, a large dent could be seen in Roberts armor; With such an injury, Roberts right shoulder might be disabled, if not, at the very least, the shoulder was probably broken; His right hand was the one which held the longsword initially, now that his right shoulder was injured, it remained to be seen whether he could still unleash his Arc Slash skill; Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The other two stone balls smashed brutally onto the horses body, one hit the horses buttocks and the other smashed onto the horses head; The stone ball that hit the horses buttocks only caused about 100 points of damage to Robert, but the stone ball that smashed onto the horses head, not only dealt critical damage, but it also made the horses front legs buckle, causing it to kneel on the ground; -110 -103 -280 Three damage numbers floated above Roberts head. Song Jians eyes brightened. Roberts vitality seemed to be linked to the warhorse. Damaging the warhorse was essentially harming the boss, Robert. Three catapults were slowly reloaded. The catapults had a high attack power, but they had a long interval between each attack and a slow attack speed. If it werent for the poisonous fog enveloping Robert, it would be hard for the catapult attacks to hit him. Even when the warhorses two front legs fell to the ground, Robert had no intention of dismounting. Instead, he desperately pulled the reins, trying to raise the warhorse again. How could the Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree miss this opportunity? Its roots and branches relentlessly whipped Robert and the horse. Even with the protection of the armor, the toxic branches corroded its defense bit by bit. A series of single-digit damage values emerged above Roberts head. The warhorse let out a neigh and stood up forcefully. Robert switched his sword to his left hand, and another arc of sword light shone. All the roots wrapped around him were chopped off. The Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree had its roots cut off twice in a row. Its vitality points had dropped by more than half. Surprisingly, green numbers of +3, +5 occasionally floated above the poison tree, evidently regaining vitality points. Once free, Robert looked at Song Jian standing on the third floor of Manor Castle. His cold gaze was devoid of life, reminiscent of a dead mans eyes. Well, he is a zombie, a dead man! Song Jian felt a chill at being scrutinized but stubbornly glared back. With a tug on the reins, Robert turned the horse around and charged at the Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree. Despite being a zombie, Robert, relying on his battle instinct, could sense that the Ghost Poison Tree was the strongest defense point in the entire Manor. Once it was taken down, the entire Manor would be exposed to his attacks. This guy is not stupid! Song Jians heart sank, he furrowed his brow and vanished from the third floor of the castle. Although the Blood-thirsty Ghost Poison Tree was a level six elite boss, it was still somewhat inferior to Robert. It could fight, but serving as a shield was a bit of a tough task. Robert guided the warhorse to run just two steps before abruptly accelerating to the limit. His surroundings were filled with an aura, like a sports car revving its engine, once the brake is released, the speed jumps from zero to a hundred and eighty miles per hour. The warhorse broke into a run, quickly like an arrow released from a bow. The Ghost Poison Tree hastily extended all its roots, trying to entangle the horse again and prevent it from approaching. However, the fast warhorse didnt care about the roots. All roots that tried to approach were torn to pieces by the aura surrounding the horse. Boom- With a loud crash, Robert fiercely rammed into the robust trunk of the Bloodthirsty Ghost Poison Tree. The trees vitality dropped drastically, leaving only about a fifth left. The branches of the poison tree emitted a creaking sound of fracturing. A gigantic hole appeared on the tree trunks surface. The putrid smell of wood splinters filled the air, and a gush of a blood-like liquid spurted out from the tree trunk. The Poison Tree let out a roar, its branches intertwined to form two sturdy arms. There was a rumble under the ground; the earth was slightly shaking as underground roots intertwined to form two huge legs. With all its strength, the Poison Tree broke free from the soils confinement and stood up from the Spirit Field. Roar- Bo th arms tightened into fists and swung down from the sky like hammers, targeting Robert with a deep-seated growl. Robert swung his left hand upward fiercely. His sword burst into dazzling white light that collided hard with the arms of the poison tree, Alex. The warhorse under Robert let out a mournful whinny, its four legs trembled violently as if it couldnt bear such a tremendous force. Roberts sword also dug into Alexs wooden-patterned arms. At that moment, Song Jians figure appeared in front of Roberts warhorse. The Tusk Fang Stinger in his hand was like a venomous snake, ruthlessly stabbing towards the horses head. Chapter 92 - 92: 92: Super Telekinesis Chapter 92 - 92: 92: Super TelekinesisTranslator: 549690339 The warhorse snorted, shaking its head as it bit at Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback to discover that the horses mouth was full of sharp fangs, glinting metallically, like the maw of a massive beast, significantly different from a typical warhorse; Song Jian was in no mood to get bit by such a mouth, he quickly retracted his arm and darted to one side; Crrack- The warhorses upper and lower jawbones collided, sparks flew between its fangs, startling Song Jian; Song Jian pushed off the ground, delivering a forceful kick to the horses right thigh, brandishing his dagger aiming towards the horses right eye; The horse turned its head, trying to continue biting Song Jian, but didnt expect Song Jians move was a feint, he quickly withdrew his dagger, and then flipped it, piercing directly into the horses lower jawbone; -110 An attack of over a hundred points drifted up from Roberts head; Song Jian cracked a slight smile. With a whoosh, he seemingly teleported, his silhouette disappearing on the spot; Whoosh- The longsword, emanating a white sword light, let out a low howl as it swept past where Song Jian had just stood; Within the manor, Song Jian was master, capable of appearing anywhere instantaneously. Fighting here was like divine intervention, much like a mages teleportation. Bodies of Song Jian continuously appeared around Robert, his dagger dishing out death blows, constantly slicing away at Roberts life! The Bloody Soul Poison Trees health has already fallen below one-tenth, its vitality bar flickering dangerously red; Just as this occurred, the Poison Tree suddenly extended its right hand, grabbing hold of a level five mutant zombie that had charged through a breach in the barricade, and shoved it directly into its mouth; Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The sharp fangs easily ripped through the mutant zombies body, swiftly swallowing it, causing the Poison Trees health to visibly rise; Song Jian kept appearing beside Robert, harassing it and not allowing it to focus on attacking the Poison Tree, otherwise, by now, the Poison Tree would already have been reduced to mere woodchips; Boom! A single shout, a green poisonous mist violently exploded from Roberts body, causing over a hundred points of damage; Poison Nova, five valid attacks, each stacking a Poison Mark. After stacking five Poison Marks, all Poison Marks can be detonated, unleashing the Poison Nova spell, causing over a hundred points of damage to the target; Robert staggered once, then abruptly turned around. The ghostly fire in his helmets eye sockets stared at Song Jian as if looking at a corpse; Song Jian only felt a chill down his scalp, his pupils contracted sharply, an alarm ringing loudly in his heart. He thought to teleport away, but found himself bound by some mysterious power, utterly immobilised; System: Roaming Zombie Robert used Super Psychic Power on you, bind time five seconds, your racial skill Thick Skin has triggered. The Thick Skin skill level is too low to resist this attack, reducing bind time by 20%, final bind time is four seconds; Damn it! How did this happen! Song Jian inwardly screamed, watching as Robert turned around, brandishing his longsword, slashing viciously at him; Thud- The Bloody Soul Poison Tree flailed its arm and struck hard at Roberts back from behind, a surge of great strength knocked Robert and his horse to the side. The sword originally aimed at Song Jians head suddenly veered and grazed past Song Jians left shoulder; Whoosh- Where the long sword passed, the Zombie Commanders armor slowly appeared, with a very deep sword mark on the surface, almost splitting the entire armor in half. Over eighty points of damage floated above Song Jians head; Song Jians face drastically changed with horror. A mere scratch had cost him over eighty vitality points. If this sword were to hit him squarely, Robert could kill him instantly! Suddenly, the battle information from the system just now flashed in Song Jians mind, and a brilliant idea emerged; Thick Skin skill level too low, cannot immunize this attack skill level too low Open the skill list! Song Jian urgently shouted in his mind; In the skill list, the talent skill Thick Skin was only level two. Initially, it was upgraded by one level to resist the Zombies Virus. But now it seems that Song Jian had not fully developed the potential of this skill. All skill points go to the talent skills! Song Jian, who was already level nine, had accumulated five skill points. In an instant, all these five skill points were allocated to the talent skill Thick Skin; For a time, in the skill bar, the talent skill Thick Skin line glowed golden five times in succession. Its level jumped from two to seven, and its attributes underwent a dramatic change; Thick Skin (Passive), Level 7, Skill Effect: Increases personal defense by 30%, resistance by 45%, possesses a certain immunity to negative effects such as mockery, charm, corpse poison, paralysis, dizziness, etc. Each time you take damage, it is forcibly reduced by 10 points; Skill Description: As a salesperson, you can possess a certain immunity to insults, rejections, and mockery, and your resistance to attacks is further enhanced, and your resistance to adverse effects is also strengthened; Crack- With a crisp shattering sound, after raising the Thick Skin talent to level 7, Song Jian found that the origianl two-second binding time had disappeared instantly. It seemed as if there was a transparent membrane around his body that has shattered to pieces; This talent skill is indeed powerful, increasing defense and resistance, immune to all negative effects, and even damage can be forcibly reduced by 10 points. Its a gods skill! Song Jian immediately felt that the five skill points were well worth it; After the upgrade of the talent skill, Roberts super psychic had been completely wasted and had no effect on Song Jian at all; Boom, Boom, Boom C Three more stone bullets fell from the sky, slamming onto Robert. The horse underneath him couldnt withstand such violent impact anymore, and with a wailing cry, its legs softened and it knelt on the ground; At this point, Roberts health had only a fifth left. Bloodthirsty Poison Tree Alex seized the opportunity to grab a few more monsters and shoved them into its mouth. Rotting liquid splattered everywhere, and countless tiny tentacles appeared from the hole in Alexs body, wrapping around each other. The human face emerging from the tree trunk twisted continuously, looking extremely sinister as it chewed on the monsters corpse; When the Bloodthirsty Poison Tree Alex had its vitality restored to a third, it joined in on the attacks on Robert. Song Jian continued to use the powers granted by the manor, teleporting to places out of Roberts sight and launching continuous attacks on him; Boom! Boom! Boom! Every five attacks would trigger a Poison Nova, causing massive damage to Robert; The Poison Tree released another mouthful of poison fog, swinging its thick arms and smashing Robert hard; Level 10 Elite BOSS Robert, finally under the joint siege of Bloodthirsty Poison Tree and Song Jian, vitality ran low. The warhorse underneath him couldnt stand the injuries from the battle, after a wail, it collapsed on the ground. Wisps of black smoke emerged from the cracks in the horses armor. The ghostly flames in Roberts eye sockets flickered, and sparks kept flashing; Just then, Robert stiffened as if he had thought of something, and tossed the long sword in his left hand at Song Jian; Chapter 93 - 93: 93: Task Completed Chapter 93 - 93: 93: Task CompletedTranslator: 549690339 Whoosh- The longsword drew a curve in the air with a spin, and Song Jian hurriedly blinked to dodge it. At this moment, Song Jian saw Robert suddenly took out a palm-sized black metal piece from his armor and threw it towards him. Seeing this object, the name T-11 High-explosive Grenade suddenly emerged in Song Jians mind. Damn it, this guy has such a powerful weapon! Song Jian was scared out of his wits and didnt care about the bloody and ghostly poison tree. He directly teleported to the third floor of the Manor Castle. Boom- With a loud bang, the entire Manor Castle shook slightly. The castles door was blasted open, leaving a big hole while dust spread like smoke. This is a Level 3 Stone Castle Door with a defense of 800, and it was blown open by a single grenade? Song Jian couldnt believe his eyes. If you had such powerful means, why didnt you use it earlier? If you had, the bloody and ghostly poison tree would have been wiped out long ago Song Jian was somewhat speechless. At this point, Robert has less than a hundred Vitality left. Even though he used a T-11 High-explosive Grenade to blast open the castle door, it couldnt change the current situation. If Robert had used the grenade to blow up the wall and the castle door in the beginning, the swarms of monsters would have rushed in. No matter how high the defense of Song Jians Manor Castle was, the main task might have ended in failure. Alex, stay away from that guy! Song Jian hastily ordered. Although Alex had recovered a third of his Vitality, he couldnt withstand the power of a T-11 High-explosive Grenade explosion. Having his autonomous consciousness, Alex had already fled far after witnessing the power of the T-11 High-explosive Grenade and didnt dare to approach Robert anymore. After leaving the Spirit Field and assuming human form, Alexs Vitality steadily decreased. Giving up attacking Robert, Alex darted through the breach in the wall and went on a killing spree among the rank 5 monsters. For a rank 6 elite boss, the rank 5 monsters in front of him were merely food. After throwing the high-explosive grenade, Robert was inexplicably stunned and began to tremble slightly. Song Jian also didnt dare to blink and attack him. The range of the high-explosive grenade was not small C if Robert turned into a suicide bomber and took his life, it wouldnt be worth it. So they stared at each other for a while, one standing on the third floor of the castle and the other in the courtyard. Then Robert let out a long sigh. Ive guarded this city for three hundred years. 1 didnt expect that I would ultimately cause its destruction Robert suddenly spoke. Slowly taking off his helmet, Robert revealed his pale face, high nose, sunken eye sockets, and distinct facial features. The Western mans face looked quite handsome, but Roberts eyes were still burning with two clusters of green flames. Caesar, I never thought you would be the one beside me in the end Robert bent down and stroked the horde of the colt that had turned into dry bones. A trace of reluctance appeared on Roberts face. After a while, Robert began to remove the armor he was wearing. The armor, similar to a medieval heavy knights, usually required the help of a squire to take off. Robert couldnt remove many parts on his own and eventually had to use brute force to break it. The heavy armor fell to the ground, and he wore a gray tight-fitting suit. He jabbed his longsword into the ground and looked up at Song Jian, shouting, Divinely Favored One, do you have any interest in coming down to listen to me Just as his words fell, a sharp wind came from behind, and Roberts face changed. A bitter smile appeared on his face. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- A dozen tree roots pierced through, like spears, from Roberts back, directly penetrating his body and emerging from his chest. Black-red polluted blood flowed out of Roberts mouth, and the ghost fire in his eye sockets flickered; This, perhaps, is destiny Robert sighed, his knees buckled, and his body lost all strength. His hands hung weakly, and if not for the roots of the Bloody Hellish Poison Tree supporting his body, he would have fallen to the ground by now; At the moment after Roberts death, the monsters besieging Song Jians manor seemed to suddenly wake up from their slumbers and scattered with roars; Watching the remaining few dozens of monsters, a smile appeared on Song Jians lips; System: Congratulations to player Song Jian for successfully creating the Safe House Level 1 Manor! Main mission completed, mission evaluation greatly improved; sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Congratulations to player Song Jian, killing [LV10 Roaming Zombie-Robert], completing side mission Guardians Demise, and obtaining side mission reward [T-11 High-explosive Hand Grenade Blueprint]. System: Congratulations to player Song Jian, level up to 10, opening player chat channel! You can communicate freely with other players in the player channel; System: Congratulations to the player for completing the main mission and being able to leave the game. You have three hours left in the game. When the time is up, you will be forcibly removed from the game; After Roberts death, a golden light burst out from Alex, the Bloody Hellish Poison Tree, and his level increased to Elite Level 7; recovering his vitality by devouring more than a dozen monsters outside the manor; At this point, Alexs bleeding had increased from 1 point/second to 3 points/second. The longer it stayed away from the Spirit Field, the more vitality it would lose; I dont know what else Robert would have said in the end Song Jian appeared beside Roberts corpse, looking at the body lying on the ground, deep in thought; Next to Roberts corpse, there was a blue-quality long sword, a Skill Book, and a revolver-like firearm, also in blue-quality; Two blue-quality equipment, one Skill Book. The drop quality of Robert, this Level 10 Elite Boss, is quite high! Song Jian was a bit surprised, but just as he was about to bend down to pick up the items, several roots suddenly drilled out from the soil, and in a flash, swept up the three items, dragging them into the mud; Damn you! Song Jian was furious; Level 10 Elite Bosses had already died by the walls today, over five of them. But they were all lacking, dropping only green-quality materials, which were all devoured by Alex anyway. The items dropped by Robert were considered a bigger harvest this time, and in the end, they were snatched by Alex first; Alex strode back to the manor, ignoring Song Jians angry gaze, returned to the Spirit Field, his thick legs transforming back into countless roots plunged into the soil, and his hands slowly spreading out to form umbrella-like branches. The face formed on the trunk also slowly disappeared, returning to a somewhat eerie-looking big tree; You, you Song Jian was speechless for a moment while pointing at Alex, who had resumed his tree form. Feeling a suffocating sensation in his chest, he wanted to vomit blood. It took him a while to regain his composure and shift his attention to the system prompts; Main mission completed, side mission completed; However, this side mission seemed to have skipped many steps, jumping straight to the final kill, omitting much of the process; Its a chain mission, and the final reward is just a blueprint. Its a bit too simple Song Jian, rubbing his chin, looked at the T-11 High-explosive Hand Grenade Blueprint in his inventory, deep in thought; Looking up, he saw the towering tower in the center of the city, hundreds of meters high. That was the place where Robert, once the citys guardian and now a Level 10 Elite roaming zombie, had fallen; The second round of the side mission only required reaching the Tower of Falling, to search for clues about Roberts whereabouts; It seems 1 should go there again. Maybe there are some good things left there Song Jian gazed at the tower in the city center, thinking to himself; Chapter 94 - 94: 94: Blood Pool Chapter 94 - 94: 94: Blood PoolTranslator: 549690339 Song Jians successful construction of a safe house came as a surprise to all the players who were watching; This cant be, are all these BOSSes just cheap versions? 1 think I even saw a level ten BOSS, how could this happen It was a suffocating battle, that strange tree played a decisive role, I wonder how he obtained it I just want to know now, how many materials did his safe house cost, third-level stone walls, my God Impressive, Little Cheap Brother, well done Brother Song, youre really great, Ive decided, Ill build my safe house right next to yours The spectators, except Li Keer and Wang Qi, were indifferent to the swarm of monsters attacking, they watched coldly, but in the end, they didnt see what they wished for, which disappointed many people and also made them extremely jealous of Song Jian; Why can he complete the main task and leave this damn game! Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why can he collect so many materials! Why can he have such a fierce strange tree to help in battle! Its unfair, everything is so unfair! More and more people started to come out from the dark corners and slowly headed towards Song Jians estate; Song Jian sensed something wrong, a touch of coldness appeared at the corner of his mouth, how similar is this to the real world? When Song Jian first encountered his sales job, he had seen an extremely excellent salesperson whose monthly performance surpassed all other salespersons, even some senior salespersons could not match his monthly performance in three months; However, everyone failed to see the hard work behind his performance. Everyone began to give him the cold shoulder. It was as if he didnt exist in the sales department. His shortcomings were constantly exaggerated, even a small mistake would get constant blame, but nobody mentioned his outstanding sales performance; even the sales manager tacitly approved this cold treatment because he feared that this salesperson would replace his position; Eventually, this excellent salesperson left the company, which made Song Jian sigh for a long time, even Zhao Yu viciously cursed the companys indifference behind its back. If it wasnt for Song Jian still being in this company, Zhao Yu would have resigned the next day; So, is excellence also a sin? Song Jian muttered quietly to himself. Let everything reset, my level one estate! The broken walls, the destroyed traps, the smashed castle doors, after the battle, everything could be repaired using materials. Timber and stones disappeared like flowing water from Song Jians inventory. There were so many places needed to be repaired, he consumed more than five thousand units of timber and over ten thousand units of stone to finally restore the level-one estate; The Vitality Points of the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree restored to above 80%. Mainly because Roberts charge skill did significant damage to its main stem, it took a long time to repair. If it werent for Poison Tree Alex finally consuming Roberts corpse, it would not have been able to recover this much vitality; Seeing Song Jians estate restored from their previous destruction, some people began to hesitate. After glancing at the estate, they hesitated for a moment, immediately turned around and left, but most people looked around and still firmly surrounded the estate; Song Jians figure appeared on the third floor of the castle, looking down at the crowd approaching from the crowd through the window; Bro, can you tell us how you built such a magnificent castle? Whats the secret? someone standing five or six meters away from the wall shouted; Yeah, tell us, how did you manage to gather so many materials? This game is too hard to play, dont be selfish with your secrets! Hey man, Im the general manager of Haifeng Group in the real world, I think we can become friends in the real world if you could guide me in this game. Lets have a drink together, what do you say? Song Jian gave a faint smile, set up a ban all strangers from entering policy in his estate, and then turned and left the third floor; The whole castle was deserted, with nothing but a civilian radio sitting alone on the third-floor. The radio was off, but once it was placed in the safe room, it could be used normally. Song Jian walked towards the radio with curiosity. When he had placed it, he seemed to hear someone broadcasting something on a certain channel. However, at that time the manor was under a monster attack, so Song Jian couldnt be distracted and didnt pay much attention to it. Just as Song Jian prepared to turn on the radio, the voice of the bloody evil tree Alex echoed in his mind. Master, my injuries are too severe and I need blood water from the blood pool to restore my vitality. Please allow me to use the blood water Listening to Alexs weak voice, Song Jian was frightened. Seeing the state of Alex at this point left Song Jian stunned. Apparently, Roberts charge attack had inflicted such a great damage on Alex. Even though Alex had rooted into the spirit field, his vitality points were steadily diminishing. However, the rate of decay was very slow, which was why Song Jian did not notice it earlier. The penetrating injury on the trunk already damaged Alex at his core. With a thought, Song Jian found himself in the basement. The vacant basement contained only a blood pool, resembling a swimming pool and occupying about twenty square meters. He looked at the blood pool. After it was built, Song Jian hadnt inspected its attributes thoroughly. Blood Pool: Level 1 building, effect: stores five thousand units of blood water. Effect of Blood Water 1: can restore vitality points; Effect 2: can cultivate blood slaves; Effect 3: can be used to make additives to enhance product quality. Building description: The blood water contains trace amounts of toxins. Drinking it for a long time can strengthen the physique, but it may affect the mind and pollute the soul. The blood in the pool can slowly recover, but once depleted, it takes a long time and precious materials to recover. Blood pool capacity: 2000/5000. Alex, how much blood water do you need to fully recover? Song Jian asked in his mind. Master, I need about a thousand standard units of blood water to fully recover, Alex replied immediately. Well, there isnt much blood water left in the pool. If 1 let you use it, it will require many precious materials to replenish, Song Jian expressed his difficulty, rubbing his chin. Master if I dont get watered, Ill die. Then you will lose a strong guardian in your manor! The tone of Alexs voice seemed a bit anxious. Well, the mansion is already built and there wont be any more monster attacks. Losing one guardian is not a big deal. I can just go back to the Tree Spirit Forest and get some saplings to replace you. At least, they wouldnt snatch my spoils of war! Song Jian thought of the items that Robert had dropped, and felt a pang in his heart. Master, I have three items saved here. I want to offer them to you, my respected master! Alex hesitated. A smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. He moved like a flash to Alexs side, and two items emanating blue light and one item emitting white light appeared at the foot of the giant tree. Not bad, not bad, two blue items and onemist grass, an engineering crafting table. You Quickly, Song Jian stowed the three items in his bag and glared deeply at the tree. Other things could be let go, but this engineering crafting table was something Song Jian had been longing for a while ago. Master, the blood water Okay, okay, understood! Song Jian waved his hand, and with a thought, the level of the blood water in the pool rapidly descended by half, slowly flowing into the spirit field where Alex was rooted. Oh- The power of life! Alex let out a satisfying moan. Tiny buds, resembling muscle tissues, emerged around the tree trunks penetrating wound. They grew visibly at a rapid pace, intertwining with each other and quickly healing Alexs wound. Looking at the almost flat layer of blood water left in the pool, Song Jian was contemplating the making of the blood slaves. He moved like a flash and appeared on the third floor of the castle. Chapter 95 - 95: 95: Rocket Launcher Chapter 95 - 95: 95: Rocket LauncherTranslator: 549690339 Song Jian returned to the third floor of Manor Castle. In the empty room, there was only a closed radio placed on the floor. Song Jian took out three items from his inventory, which were tributes from the Poison Tree Alex. He estimated that it was because Alex had eaten too much, and these three things were not digested for a while, so they were saved for last. The first item was a blue-quality longsword. [Guardians Sword](Blue): One-handed Sword, Weapon, Attack: 28-31, Strength+3, Armor Break+2, Special Effect: Knights Faith (active), can form a telekinetic shield with 500 defense points, the shield disappears after 10 seconds, if the shield is broken within 10 seconds, it will automatically restore 30% of the users Vitality Points; Usage requirement: Level 10, cannot be taken out of the game. A Level 10 blue one-handed sword with a built-in defensive skill was perfect for Song Jian, who had just fed his Corrupt Sword to Alex. His left hand was still missing a weapon, and the Guardians Sword could replace the position of the Corrupt Sword. Adding three points of Strength directly allowed Song Jians Strength to break through the single-digit barrier, reaching 11 points. Compared to ordinary players, who only had four or five points of Strength, he now possessed an overwhelming advantage. The Knights Faith skill greatly enhanced Song Jians survivability. A 500-point defense was enough to make some players with weaker attack power feel desperate, and ordinary mutated zombies might not even be able to break through this telekinetic shield layer. Most importantly, after the telekinetic shield is broken, it can directly increase 30% of Vitality Points. In a battle with a BOSS, 30% of Vitality Points is almost equivalent to the full Vitality Points of an ordinary player. It could even save Song Jians life at critical moments. Song Jian was very satisfied with this longsword. Although he had only mastered a basic passive skill related to longswords so far, it did not hinder him from using the longsword as an off-hand weapon. Putting the longsword into the equipment slot, Song Jian looked at the second item. The second item was an Engineering Crafting Table, a building facility item. Song Jian placed it directly next to the radio. With this crafting table and the T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenade Blueprint, he would be able to make high-explosive hand grenades. Even now, Song Jian was still having residual feelings about the power of high-explosive hand grenades. If Robert hadnt thought of this trump card in the end, it was questionable whether Song Jians current Level 1 Manor would still be standing. If only I had an Alchemy crafting table, Song Jian thought as he rubbed his chin. Having learned Alchemy and possessing the Weakness Potion formula, but without an Alchemy crafting table, he couldnt make Weakness Potions, which made him a bit anxious. [Engineering Crafting Table](Special Item): Effect: can create engineering items, increasing the success rate by 30%; Usage conditions: mastering Engineering, must be placed in a safe house to use. Seeing the attributes of the Engineering Crafting Table, Song Jians face darkened; he had the blueprint and the crafting table, but he hadnt mastered Engineering. Damn, another decoration! Song Jian exclaimed in anger. The book Engineering was not available in ordinary shops; it could only be purchased in the Doomsday Supermarket. Song Jian didnt know if the Doomsday Supermarket would appear again. Song Jian always felt that it was too BUG-like that all items could be bought in the Doomsday Supermarket. This should be just a welfare-like existence. If you can seize the opportunity, great; if not, just enjoy the moment. Many players have accepted the Doomsday Supermarket membership task, but they still cant complete it. Song Jian shook his head and looked at the third item. Hiss, how come theres this thing, this is, simply, I Song Jians eyes showed a horrified expression, followed by ecstasy. In the inventory, a metal-gloss-displaying killing machine was quietly lying there. [Cobra-2X](Blue): Rocket Launcher, Two-handed Weapon, Attack: 49-68, Explosion+3, Splash+3, Ammo Capacity+1, Special Effect 1: Automatically restores one round of ammunition every thirty seconds; Ammo Capacity: 2/2, Attack Speed: 3 seconds; Usage Requirements: Level 10,12 points of Strength attribute. A rocket launcher? I cant believe theres something like a rocket launcher. This attack power is on par with Earth Teeth Assault, its just too overpowered Song Jians eyes gleamed, and he just wanted to hug and kiss it. The function of automatically restoring ammunition is simply too considerate. Im making a big profit, haha, Im making a big profit this time! Song Jian had always been envious of Li Keers crossbow, which had the attribute of automatically restoring ammunition. This could save a lot of expense! You should know that firearms have many advantages like high attack, great power, and long-range, but the only drawback is the huge cost of using them. A single battle could use up enough ammunition to bankrupt an ordinary player, making players in the game love and hate firearms. If a firearm has the attribute of automatically restoring ammunition, even if its only a white-quality item, its value will skyrocket, even comparable to a green-quality weapon. Its just a pity that 1 need 12 points of Strength to equip it, and 1 only have 11 points. Its like a big meal being served right in front of me, but I cant eat it. Damn, its so annoying! Song Jian stared at the red-highlighted 12 points of Strength attribute in the usage requirements, his eyes filled with anger. None of the three items could be used immediately; without the corresponding training for the Guardians Sword, it would likely harm himself if used blindly. All he could do was hang it in the equipment slot and enjoy the attribute bonuses. Without mastering the corresponding skill, the Engineering Crafting Table couldnt be used. The powerful rocket launcher lacked enough Strength attribute, so it couldnt be used either. Song Jian sighed deeply, closed his inventory and decided it was better if the items remained out of sight. Chirp chirp- At this moment, a faint purple, translucent spirit bird was chirping non-stop at the window on the third floor of the castle, trying to grab Song Jians attention. Little Purple? Song Jian raised his eyebrows, quickly approached the window, and let Little Purple in. Unlocking the player channel at Level 10, Im the only one at Level 10 right now, so whats the use of unlocking the channel? Song Jian couldnt help but complain. If everyone unlocked the player channel, then Song Jian could freely contact other players. But now, he was the only one in the channel. Whats the difference between this and not unlocking? Talking to himself? Little Cheap Brother, those people are still surrounding the entrance of your manor and talking bad about you. Were too scared to go in! The voice of Keer came from Little Purples mouth. Upon hearing this, Song Jians face darkened, and he let out a cold snort. A trace of coldness appeared at the corner of his mouth. Refusing to accept my mercy? Really forcing me to go on a killing spree! As for killing people in the game, Song Jian was no longer opposed to it. Having lost the constraints of laws in the real world, the game followed the law of the jungle, the Dark Forest rule. However, some people still failed to comprehend it, treating it like an insignificant game. It seems that 1 need to teach you all a good lesson and let you know the cruelty of this game! Song Jian muttered to himself, then his figure appeared directly on the wall. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 96 - 96: Taking Advantage Chapter 96: Taking Advantage Translator: 549690339 Song Jians figure appeared on the perimeter wall, looking at the dozens of people surrounding his safe house, his face looking very displeased. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After successfully creating the safe house, almost all of the defensive facilities were destroyed, and the walls and castle were also broken with large holes. Song Jians estate looked extremely dilapidated and desolate. At this time, almost all of the onlookers had thoughts of looting the place. But with Song Jian immediately spending a large amount of resources to repair the estate, more than half of the players were deterred. They looked at the four Arrow Towers, three Catapults, and the tall and thick wall with its Wooden Spike Trap, Falling Rock Trap, and other defensive facilities, shivering in their hearts. Those who still dared to stay were relying on their real-world status, wanting to take advantage of their power and influence in the real world to gain some benefits from Song Jian. Humph, those who play games well must be losers in the real world. 1 dont believe that he will continue to ignore us like this A rotund middle-aged man, holding a green-quality Magic Staff, said aggressively. President Wang is right, if we find out his real-life identity, then based on his current attitude towards us, I will make sure he cant take a single step in Coastal City A thin middle-aged man with a slightly balding head and sharp eyes, coldly snorted, and actually revealed a hint of killing intent on his face. Several people around him seemed to have some fear, not daring to look directly at him, and behaving obsequiously even while standing beside him. Yeah, Hall Master Zhangs River Gang has a lot of say in Coastal City, who wouldnt give Hall Master Zhang some face? This kid dares to ignore Hall Master Zhang like this; once we know his real-life identity, Im afraid we wont see him again in the game, hahaha- A very fat man, weighing at least 300 pounds, was wearing plate armor and holding a warhammer almost as tall as him, laughed loudly. Sun Fatty, as someone from the martial world, all we know is fighting and killing. When the kid comes out later, how to extract the most from him still depends on your means, Lord Yama Sun. Hall Master Zhang coldly snorted and glanced at the fat man beside him. No problem, as long as you all help me hold the scene, even if this kde is a Sun Wukong who jumped out from a crack in a stone, I can still squeeze out some oil. The fat mans plump face was oily, but his small eyes revealed a terrifying sharpness. More than a dozen people were crowding around the entrance of Song Jians estate, each emanating an extraordinary aura, evidently people who had held high positions for a long time and possessed a great deal of power and wealth. These people probably all knew each other in the real world. They casually chatted and formed an alliance, all of them already calculating how to maximize their own benefits. Those who didnt qualify to stand with the big shots but still wanted a share of the spoils were standing on the streets more than ten meters away from the estate. They were quiet with eyes full of greed and envy, looking at the estate and the people surrounding the entrance. Li Keer and Wang Qi were standing far away, looking at the crowd with dissatisfaction and anger in their eyes. Theyre all bad guys, there wasnt a single one who helped Little Cheap Brother to fight the monsters! Li Keer angrily said with a pout. When the monsters besieged Song Jians estate earlier on, everyone just watched, except Li Keer and Wang Qi, who were constantly hunting down monsters on the outskirts. As a result, Li Keers level rose to 7, while Wang Qis level also increased to 5. I really cant understand why they didnt take advantage of such a good leveling opportunity. They were completely indifferent! Wang Qi was still a little surprised and couldnt believe it when he thought about it now. To be clear, Wang Qi had only managed to reach level 3 after much difficulty. However, just now, in a mere hour or so, his level rose to 5, it was like riding a rocket. Hmph, they think there werent enough monsters attacking Little Cheap Brother! Li Keer said angrily. As a matter of fact, many of the spectators were now regretting their decision. They originally thought that Song Jian wouldnt be able to withstand the monster siege, as there were so many bosses and even level 10 elite bosses. However, they didnt expect that Song Jian would actually be able to withstand the attack from so many monsters, which was simply unimaginable. If I had taken action at that time, could I have also gained two or three levels by now? Many people thought like this now, although at that time, they only watched with cold eyes, wanting to see Song Jian become a laughingstock and witness another persons main line mission failure. Song Jians figure stood on the perimeter wall, looking down at the people surrounding the entrance to his estate. Listening to their discussion and mutual flattery, Song Jian could only laugh. Even if he went back to the real world now, he would be more than capable of self-defense. To think that they could still scheme against Song Jian the way they used to do to a normal person just goes to show that these people must be seriously delusional. Why are you standing at the entrance of my estate? What do you want? Song Jian asked emotionlessly. These people werent paying attention to Song Jian standing on the wall. When they heard his voice, they all looked up, and their faces turned a little embarrassed when they saw him. As someone who holds face in high regard, it was one thing to talk behind someones back, but they suddenly found it awkward to openly belittle someone in front of their peers. After all, they were all powerful and influential people who usually just ordered their subordinates to carry out their dirty work. Young man, can we speak privately? Hall Master Zhang didnt like talking with people with his head turned up so he raised his volume. Leave my estate entrance immediately, or else 1 will treat you as enemies and initiate an attack on you. You have 10 seconds! Song Jian said coldly. Young man, dont be so aggressive with your words. We are The man called President Wang darkened his face, as no one had dared to talk to him like that for a long time. How arrogant! Dont let me find out his real-life identity, otherwise Hall Master Zhangs face showed a fierce expression. 1,1 think we should leave. Look at the Arrow Towers on the wall Someone said with a trembling voice. Everyone looked up and saw the Arrow Towers on both sides of the wall aiming at them. The sharp triangular arrowheads flashed with a cold light, making their hearts tighten involuntarily! I dont believe he really dares to kill people. Humph, with a kid like him, its all talk! Ill just stand here, let him kill! Zhang Tangzhu, with a furious expression, actually ripped off his clothes, revealing his chest and facing the Arrow Tower, with a menacing look on his face. Chapter 97 - 97: Lend a Hand Chapter 97: Lend a Hand Translator: 549690339 In the real world, Hall Master Zhang had seen numerous young people who bluster boldly. But when given a knife and asked to maim another person, they piss their pants. Therefore, seeing that Song Jian is not that old, doesnt bear any signs of being a gang member, but rather seems like a college student, Hall Master Zhang became highly confident and believed that Song Jian did not have the guts to kill. Kid, if you dont dare to kill me today, youre my grandson. Remember to address me as Old Zhang or Grandfather Zhang whenever you see me! Hall Master Zhang bellowed towards Manor Castle. Heh, Hall Master Zhangs got some nerve, truly worthy of being the head honcho of River Gang, we President Wang hailed with a thumbs-up, admiration written all over his face. Before President Wang could even finish his sentence, he heard two sharp whistling sounds of arrow flying. Squelch- The blood splattered on President Wang, who was standing next to Hall Master Zhang, and he froze in disbelief. As people looked at Hall Master Zhang, they saw two foot-long wooden arrows, one entering his temple and passing straight through his skull, with the arrowhead protruding three inches from the other side. The other arrow hit Hall Master Zhangs throat, emerging from the back of his neck. Two critical hit damages of over 80 points floated above Zhangs head. Cough cough- Hall Master Zhangs eyes filled with shock. He couldnt believe how ruthlessly a young man in his early twenties could kill. If I had known This thought occurred to Hall Master Zhang, but consciousness quickly faded into darkness, and he could no longer feel anything. As they watched Hall Master Zhangs dead body lying don the ground, next to a floating loot bag, a look of fear crossed everyones faces. Holy hell, he actually dared to kill! A loud shout brought all the people gathered at the entrance to their senses. When they looked toward the wall, they heard the creaking sound of a bowstring. Run- Damn, the man plays dirty.- Get out of the way, stop blocking the path A dozen people fled like frightened rats for a distance before looking back, only to see a few roots slowly extending from the wall, curling over Hall Master Zhangs body and emanating package. Damn, like master, like pet, not even sparing Old Zhangs body, thats ruthless someone murmured in astonishment. Old Zhang really misjudged this time. That kids not just an ordinary college student; hes a skilled manipulator, a real dragon in human form. Were in for a show in our Lianhai district River Gang is done for. With Old Zhangs death, the deputy gang leaders, none of them are easy to deal with So now we are Lets go, lets not embarrass ourselves here. We all misjudged. That kid is brutal. One wrong word, and he starts a massacre No options, the weapons in his hand. Hell do whatever he wants. A dozen of big bosses discussed among themselves, and after a while, they dispersed. Now they no longer considered Song Jian a novice. Instead, they treated him as one of their equals. Phew, it seems my heart has become harder, capable of killing decisively. Who would have thought, me, decisive in killing Song Jian touched the Night Slayers pattern on his chest with a melancholy expression on his face. Little Cheap Brother, you were amazing! Those guys were too hateful; they deserve to be killed! Little Purple stood at the window on the third floor of the castle, shouting excitedly. Enough, Keer, youre a young girl, dont keep talking about killing. I have given you and Wang Qi permission, you can enter my manor now. Song Jian laughed. Really? Thats great! Haha, theyre all gone, lets go in- In no time, Li Keer and Wang Qi arrived at Manor Castle. This place is so big, but it looks quite empty, theres nothing Li Keer as she looked around while walking. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After creating a safe house, do all the original items in the safe house disappear? Wang Qi pondered aloud, his face sporting a thoughtful look. Keer, welcome. Song Jian greeted her with a smile. Little Cheap Brother, youre incredible, youre my idol! Li Keer excitedly jumped onto Song Jian, hugging his neck and said, Little Cheap Brother, your tree is very powerful. Where did you get it? Can you take me to get one too? Song Jian laughed, put Keer down, and patted her head, That tree is called Alex. Despite its good looks, its quite costly to keep. Its almost drained your Little Jian Brothers resources! I dont care, you tell me quickly, where did you get it from? I want a big tree too! Li Keer coaxed, pulling on Song Jians hand. Okay, okay, Ill tell you. Open the map, and Ill mark it for you. Not only can you gather lots of wood there, but theres also a monster called Treant. If you kill them, they might drop Treant Saplings. After you upgrade to a level 3 safe house, you can modify the Spirit Field. Once you have a Spirit Field, you can plant a Treant! Song Jian marked the location on the map and explained everything to them. Ah, it sounds so complicated. Suddenly, I dont want to use just one room as a safe house. I want to make the whole bar my safe house! Li Keer drew a big circle with her hands as if she could encompass the entire bar like that. Luckily, I have some materials to spare, Ill give them to you. Song Jian glanced at his inventory, which contained tens of thousands of units of wood and stone materials, and transferred all of them to Li Keer and Wang Qi. The two of them had fought valiantly against the monsters when they were under siege. Song Jian did not mention it, but he noticed their effort. Little Cheap Brother, youre so great. I adore you! Youre the second greatest man after my dad! Li Keer became so excited she was jumping up and down. Wang Qi, on the other hand, was stunned by the tens of thousands of materials, shocked beyond words. Brother Song, are you sure you havent put any money into this game? Wang Qi, after hemming and hawing for a while, finally asked. Ha ha, if you find out that money can be added to this game, you must tell me! Song Jian was amused by Wang Qi and laughed heartily. Little Cheap Brother, I have enough materials; Im ready to create my safe house. Can you help me? Li Keer asked while pulling on Song Jians sleeve. Song, Brother Song, I also want to create a safe house. Its just across the street from yours Wang Qi said a bit bashfully. Alright, alright, 1 still have three hours left in this game. As long as you create it during this time, I can help! Song Jian promptly agreed. Thats great! Ill create it now Afraid of being slower than Wang Qi, Li Keer quickly ran toward the castle gate. Song Jian and Wang Qi exchanged glances, before bursting into laughter. They then quickly followed Li Keer towards the outside of the manor. Chapter 98 - 98 Fiana Chapter 98: Fiana Translator: 549690339 Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The safe house Li Keer chose actually has three floors; two above ground and one underground. The first floor is a bar, the second floor a casino, and the basement is filled with tiny rooms. They looked like a shabby rented rooms, but in reality, this is the place where substances are sold and consumed. Standing in the bar on the first floor, Li Keer was somewhat excited, her eyes gleaming, she said to Song Jian, Little Cheap Brother, Im starting. Go ahead, remember to only upgrade the safe house by one level. If its upgraded too high, the levels of the monsters and the number of Bosses will also increase! Song Jian warned; This was advice from experience. If he had known this before, Song Jian would absolutely not have upgraded the safe house level so high. Rather, he would prefer to gradually enhance it after gaining more power in the future; Soon, a green light column enveloped the entire bar. All the players were stunned, looking at the soaring light column, some of them didnt dare to believe their own eyes; Is thisanother loaded player? someone hesitated to ask; Go check out who has such a hard head, just because others can pass the main mission doesnt mean they can Yeah, the main mission cant be passed this easily. Go and see who it is! The players who had dispersed previously began to gather again; Eh, Little Cheap Brother, why cant I build defensive structures? Li Keer was a bit in a rush. There was no Wooden Spike Trap in the construction list for a level one safe house, which made her panic; No Wooden Spike Trap? Why would this happen? Song Jian also encountered this situation for the first time, and frowned; Keer, check if you can create other buildings. Dont worry, even if we dont have the Wooden Spike Trap, I wont let you fail the main mission! Song Jian rubbed Keers head and comforted her with a relaxed smile on his face; Seeing Song Jians smile, Keer instantly calmed down, feeling relieved. She nodded and started meticulously checking the construction list; Little Cheap Brother, there are no more buildings that can be built, but I can recruit bar staff Li Keer said; Bar staff? What is that? Song Jian asked in surprise; There are three types, bartenders, servers, and bouncers!Li Keer said; Wow, are there any quantity limits? Song Jian hurriedly asked; Theres a limit for bartenders. You can only recruit one, but theres no limit for servers and bouncers. However, you have to pay them a salary, and their salary is so high, I wont be able to recruit many Li Keer said with a woeful face; Recruit a bartender first and see! Song Jian said, the more restrictions there are, the more powerful it most likely is, so it should be prioritized; Yes, alright! Soon, a figure slowly emerged at the bar counter; Hello, boss, my name is Fiana, nice to meet you! A voluptuous woman with fiery red hair bowed slightly towards Li Keer with a smiling face; An Elite Level Boss? Song Jian was dumbfounded, staring at Fiana for a long time before turning to look at Li Keer. He was finally able to confirm that Li Keer was indeed the chosen daughter of the game, not needing to spend money to become a boss-like existence in the game; Song Jians Bloody Ghost Poison Tree, Alex, cost him almost everything he had, plus some luck, to become a level one Elite Boss, and it also requires construction of a spirit field; The bartender in front of him, Fiana, only required Doomsday Coins to recruit. This made people glare with jealousy; [LV1 Bartender FianaJ(Elite), Vitality: 300/300, Mental Strength: 600/600, Traits: Super Telekinesis, Super Attraction; Skills: Accurate Throw, Title: Junior Bartender; This was the first NPC with a title that Song Jian saw, and also the first NPC with Mental Strength. Boss, do you need me to mix a cocktail for you? Fiana flashed a seductive smile. Song Jian suddenly felt like he was in love, his eyes fixed only on her. But soon, clarity returned to Song Jians eyes. The level seven talent skill Thick Skin was enough to resist Fianas mental charm. Seeing how quickly Song Jian snapped out from the spell of charm, Fianas eyes flashed a hint of surprise, but quickly returned to her coquettish expression. Looking at the liquor cabinet behind her, Fiana frowned slightly and shook her head, Boss, you need to restock the liquor soon, or theres no reason for me to be here! Soon, very soon, Ill buy more as long as 1 can hold this place! Li Keer assured immediately. Well, lets use my personal collection for now. Fiana smirked, magically pulled out seven to eight bottles of liquor, then took out a wine glass and mixing utensil. After a dizzying performance, she gently pushed the glass towards Li Keer, Boss, try this rainbow cocktail. The cocktail was primarily light blue like the sky, with white liquid floating on top like drifting clouds. In the middle of the glass was a gently rippling, multi-colored rainbow. It looked stunning. So beautiful! Sparks seemed to fly from Li Keers eyes, but soon she sighed, Mum said Im too young to drink. Little Cheap Brother, you drink it for me. Dont let it go to waste! Li Keer pushed the glass in front of Song Jian. Song Jian had been eyeing the Rainbow cocktail, a look of surprise gradually appearing on his face. The properties of this drink Song Jian trembled slightly and picked up the Rainbow. Cocktail C Rainbow (Blue): Drink, usage effect: Temporarily increases 500 Vitality Points for 60 minutes. Note: Contains alcohol. Those who are allergic to alcohol please drink with caution! 500 Vitality Points, although temporary, could greatly increase survival rate if consumed before each battle. Song Jian emptied the glass in one gulp. Although it was a cocktail, it tasted sweet and sour, just like a beverage very tasty. After drinking it, he was surprised to find that his Vitality Points had surpassed 700, reaching an astonishing 750. This was nearly the same as the Vitality Points of a regular level ten Boss. Haha, great drink! Song Jians face flushed as he set the glass down, smiling at Li Keer, Keer, sit here and watch. Im going to wipe out the monsters outside! With that, Song Jian rushed out of the bar with his Tusk Fang Stinger. What he didnt notice was a Drunk status appeared on his status bar. Wang Qi, stop Little Cheap Brother quickly! Li Keer cried out in alarm. At this time, several hundred monsters had gathered outside. Regardless he had 750 or 7,500 Vitality Points, charging out there would surely mean death. Wang Qi hurriedly tried to stop Song Jian but was tossed away easily by him. Now, Song Jians strength attribute had reached 11 points, he was virtually a superhero compared to Wang Qi, who only had five points of strength. Fiana, think of something quick! Li Keer hurriedly turned and pleaded with Fiana. Hehe, what an interesting person! Fiana blew a kiss towards Song Jian. Instantly, the already close to the bar entrance Song Jian, involuntarily turned around and staggered back towards the bar. Chapter 99 - 99: Secret Passage Chapter 99: Secret Passage Translator: 549690339 Song Jian wore a drunken look on his face, his eyes filled with a dazed expression. His body was like a puppet, swaying towards the bar counter. He had barely taken two steps when a flash of white light enveloped Song Jian, pulling him back to sobriety. What happened to me? Song Jian looked around with a puzzled expression, the memory of his previous drunkenness still fresh in his mind. He quickly opened the systems information interface, his facial expression turning sour. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He was in a drunken state, his mind out of control, with one of humanitys random desires amplified to the extreme. This time, the desire amplified due to his drunkenness was arrogance. Then, Fiana cast a Charm spell on him. If it were not for his passive talent skill Thick-Skinned coming into effect, by now, Song Jian would have been making a mockery of himself. So it was a talent skill after all, Fiana curled her lip in disdain as she said, quickly losing interest in him. She then lazily pulled out a velvet cloth and began to wipe a glass. Phew- Song Jian let out a breath reeking of alcohol. When he started drinking the Rainbow, it didnt even taste like alcohol, but the further down he went, the more intoxicating it got. In a matter of seconds, he was drunk. If not for the passive activation of his Thick-Skinned ability, he wouldve likely passed out by now. Little Cheap Brother, I can recruit five more waitstaff and ten bouncers Li Keer said, looking at the recruitment interface. Song Jian and Wang Qi had given all their Doomsday Coins to Li Keer for her to recruit more staff. After all, every extra recruit equated to a boost in their Combat Power. Go ahead and recruit everyone available, Song Jian said, his words slurring from the liquor. Alright! An enveloping white light appeared, revealing five individuals dressed as waitstaff and ten burly men with hardened faces C the newly recruited personnel. Hello, boss! the group of fifteen bowed towards Li Keer as they greeted her. Ha ha, hello to you all! Li Keer curved her eyes into crescents, laughing merrily, This game is so much fun, ha ha! Keer, are there any other defensive structures you can build? Song Jian asked. Once the Safehouse is completed, the monsters outside will start breaking in. It seems like 1 can also build a secret tunnel from the bar basement leading to another street! Li Keer said softly while browsing through the building interface. What, you mean, we can leave the bar through this secret tunnel at any time? Song Jian asked with a jolt. Yes, once the secret tunnel is built, we can leave the bar through it directly, Li Keer nodded. How long can this tunnel be? Can it reach my place? Song Jians eyes darted as he asked. It seems possible, but it requires too many materials over ten thousand! Li Keer furrowed her brows after working through the operations and added, And I also need your consent to proceed! Soon, Song Jian received a system message. System: Player Li Keer has requested a link to your Safehouse. Do you accept? Accept! The ground trembled slightly before returning to its calm state. Its completed, Little Cheap Brother. I really cant build anything else now, Li Keer said with a pout. Phew, you should be satisfied with this secret tunnel. Even if you fail this main mission, as long as the secret tunnel is there, you can rebuild your Safehouse for a second attempt This game is really kind to you, Song Jian shook his head with a sigh. Other players are only given one chance to complete their main missions. Once the hordes of monsters break through the Safehouse, the incoming wave of beasts would simply drown the players without giving them a second chance. However, Li Keer could utilize the secret tunnel to escape before her Safehouse was breached by the monsters. As long as she survived, she could rebuild her Safehouse, giving her a second chance. Is that so? But I dont want to escape. I want to complete this task in one go. After that, Ill be the tavern-keep, hehe~ Li Keer giggled suddenly, apparently amused by some thought. Just then, the green light pillar outside began to fade and eventually shattered like glass. Roar- A wave of roars from outside the bar sailed through the air, making everyone tense up. So noisy! Fiana frowned, taking a quick glance at the bars entrance, and ordered with a wave of her hand, You guys, head to the door and tell those bastards to quieten down. Alright! Several waitstaff quickly walked towards the door of the bar. Li Keer froze and then wore an anxious look. Those waitstaff are all level one. Going out there now is like serving themselves to the monsters on a platter! Hey, you guys Li Keer raised her hand, wanting to call them back. Wait, Keer, lets see what happens, Song Jian pulled Li Keer back. He had noticed Fianas extraordinary intelligence, which was considerably higher than that of the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree, Alex. Song Jian wanted to see just how capable Fiana truly was. Fiana gave Song Jian a nonchalant look, stifled a yawn and stretched lazily, her fine figure coming into view. Wang Qi was already gaping, practically drooling, and Song Jians gaze uncontrollably drifted towards the bar counter. Boom- At that moment, several mutant zombies surprisingly broke through the bar door and began swaying their way in. Song Jians face changed dramatically. How is this possible? Even a level one Safehouses defense, its impossible for the monsters to break in within such a short time. Whats going on? Looking up, Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. The monsters surrounding the bar seemed to see the bar door as the only entrance and were charging towards it frantically. They did not show any desire to attack the walls around the bar. A level-one bars defense is 1,500 points, while the bar door, a mere wooden door, has a defense of only 200. It would take only minutes for several mutant zombies to break through it. As the door broke, the waitstaffs faces changed. They instantly pulled out steel pipes from their clothes and began attacking the intruding mutant zombies. Thump, thump, thump- Swinging their steel pipes, the waitstaff managed to knock the mutant zombies to the ground. They then started blocking the bar door, fiercely attacking the incoming wave of monsters. For a moment, the three waitstaff at the door were like floodgates of a reservoir, halting the flood of monsters outside, leaving Song Jian dumbfounded. Why arent these monsters attacking the walls? Are they stupid? Wang Qi had been watching for a while and asked weakly, glancing at Song Jian with confusion in his eyes. Chapter 100 - loo: Royal Salute Count Rum Chapter 100: Chapter loo: Royal Salute Count Rum Translator: 549690339 How would 1 know, Im not one of those monsters! Song Jian looked at Wang Qi with annoyance. In reality, Song Jian had long realized that these monsters attacking the bar seemed to single-mindedly charge towards the bar door, even if it was blocked, they wouldnt attack elsewhere. They just kept circling around the door in a state of anxiety and anger. The defense level of a first-level bar was not high. If these monsters attacked in unison, they would have been able to breach the bar in just a few minutes. But the strange scene in front of him left Song Jian both surprised and puzzled. The three waiters blocking the door continuously beat the incoming mutant zombies with steel pipes. After a few minutes, they had already killed more than a dozen mutant zombies. At this point, a golden light flashed on the three waiters and they unexpectedly leveled up together. Their vitality points, which had dropped to half, were also fully restored at this time. They were able to continue blocking the door and withstand the monster attacks. Brother Song, 1,1 feel like we dont need to lift a finger. Li Keer alone can hold down the bar! Wang Qi had an embarrassed smile on his face. After looking at Song Jian, he put away his weapon. Ten minutes later, the waiters at the door had already exterminated fifty to sixty zombies. The vitality points of a waiter at the very front dropped to one-third. He slowly backed off with the two waiters by his side covering him, and the other two waiters stepped forward, taking turns to replace each other. Half an hour went by, and all five waiters had surprisingly leveled up to level three. Even Li Keer had leveled up. At this point, the levels of the monsters at the door began to increase, and their strength gradually grew. The five waiters began to struggle. Fiana suddenly spoke up: You lot, go swap places with the ones at the door. Do your best. The boss is watching. If you dont do well, be careful not to get your wages docked! Yes, boss lady! Ten bar fighters responded in unison, drawing out their retractable batons and rushing towards the bar door. Bang- A bar fighter viciously kicked out, landing a heavy blow in the abdomen of the zombie at the very front. He kicked the monster back like a cannonball, crashing it into a slew of monsters behind. Smack- The retractable baton emitted a crisp noise, the hearty, full-faced bar fighter revealed a ruthless smile on his face. He waved the baton in his hand overhead and smashed it into the monsters. The pack of ten bar fighters created a minor climax, swarming out of the bar door and charging into the monster horde. Seeing the ten bar fighters tear through the monsters like tigers into a flock of sheep, Song Jian suddenly felt a sense of unreality. If mastering the main line task could be this easy, then Mingling in Song Jians thoughts were doubts, which he quickly expelled. The other players were not like Li Keer. They wouldnt have such good luck. The ten bar fighters dispatched hundreds of monsters before gradually retreating. Although covered in blood, none seemed dejected. On the contrary, they high-fived each other, full of excitement, hooting and laughing as they walked towards the bar counter. Boss lady, a cup of beer! A bar fighter left two Doomsday Coins on the bar counter. Beer? Fiana frowned: Do you think my collection would include such low-grade liquor? As she spoke, Fiana waved her finger in thin air as if searching for something. After a moment, she grasped a bottle of rum from thin air and placed it on the counter. This is the Royal Salute Count Rum. Necessitous fools like you, in the past, were not even entitled to catch a whiff of it. But today is She broke off suddenly, turned to Li Keer and asked, Boss, whats our bars name? The bars name? Li Keer looked puzzled for a long moment before uttering, Hows Sunflower Bar? Snap- Fiana paused, then displayed an enticing smile, and said with a snap of her fingers, Today is our Sunflower Bars grand opening. For this occasion, Ive decided to offer this Royal Salute Count Rum for a limited price of ten Doomsday Coins per serving. One serving per individual, limited supply, offer ends when stock does! Ugh, 1 only grabbed two Doomsday Coins The bar fighter pulled a face, collected the two Doomsday Coins on the counter, and mumbled, Looks like I need to loot a lot more! Fixated on the Royal Salute Count Rum, Song Jian wanted to check its properties but could only see a string of question marks apart from the name of the rum. Purple color name Song Jian was startled to find that the rums name was in purple. Miss Fiana, can I purchase a serving of the Royal Salute Count Rum for ten Doomsday Coins? Song Jian asked politely. Of course, youre a friend of our boss. Naturally, you can enjoy this privilege! Fiana said with a warm smile. Song Jian and Wang Qi had given all their Doomsday Coins to Li Keer to recruit staff. They had none left on them. However, Song Jian had a lot of grilled meat that he made himself. Miss Fiana, 1 want to sell this piece of food. How much can 1 get for it? Song Jian placed a piece of grilled meat on the counter. Originally, this bar counter functioned as a system store. Song Jian believed that the function of this system store should still remain. Hmm, a piece of ordinary quality food, let me see Fiana glanced at the grilled meat, hesitating for a moment before saying: 111 give you ten Doomsday Coins! Great! Miss Fiana, can I use this to buy a serving of your Royal Salute Count Rum then? Song Jian laughed. Sure! Fiana nodded, waved her hand and the grilled meat on the counter vanished. She then handed over a cup filled with golden liquor. Enjoy! It was a large beer mug with a capacity of one liter. When Song Jian picked it up, the properties of this Royal Salute Count Rum immediately appeared before his eyes. Royal Salute Count Rum (Rare), alcoholic beverage, Effect: Permanently increase one free attribute point, increase vitality by loo points permanently. Description: This rum was used to celebrate the counts honorary conferment in the 17th century. Very limited editions remain in existence. Anyone who can taste this wine is extremely lucky. Every person only has one chance to drink it in their lifetime! Song Jian looked shocked, blinking hard in case he had seen it wrong. This liquor, its simply Oh my goodness! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Brother Song, whats so special about this wine? Wang Qi asked out of curiosity. Buy a cup, quick! With that, Song Jian eagerly started gulping it down. Chapter 101 - 101 Deception Skill Chapter 101: Deception Skill Translator: 549690339 Glug glug- After finishing a large glass of Royal Salute Count Rum, Song Jians eyes were seeing double, but the effects were quite obvious: one free attribute point and a hundred Vitality Points limit increased. Earned, burp, earned it, hehe~ Song Jian, with drunk and misty eyes, sat by the bar with a flushed face, laughing foolishly. Drunk Song Jian didnt even notice the system prompt. System: Youve consumed the treasured liquor Royal Salute Count Rum and gained the title Junior Sommelier; Junior Sommelier: Increase critical strike rate by 3% during combat (must have title equipped to take effect). System: You can only equip one title at a time. Initially, Song Jian completed the novice task and received the title Lucky to be Alive. This title is considered a novice title, and anyone entering for the first time and successfully staying in the game for twelve hours can obtain it. [Title: Lucky to be Alive]: Effect, the rate of hunger and thirst drops significantly (no need to equip the title for the effect). With this title, players can free up most of their energy from searching for food and water, otherwise, every time they enter the game, they would have no time to do anything else. Miss Fiana, Id like to exchange this piece of grilled meat for a glass of rum, alright? Wang Qi glanced at Song Jian, who was laughing foolishly, and suddenly felt a bit reluctant to drink rum. But since Song Jian asked him to buy it, he was still willing to follow Song Jians advice. Hmm, for this piece of food, 1 can only give you five Doomsday Coins. To purchase this discounted rum, youll need to give me another piece of the same quality food! Fiana stretched out her right index finger and swayed it in front of Wang Qis eyes. Alright, okay! Wang Qi quickly took out another piece of grilled meat. Here, this is your rum, enjoy! Fiana filled another large glass of rum. Each glass has a capacity of one liter, and the bottle of Royal Salute Count Rum that Fiana took out seems to hold no more than one liter, but after pouring two glasses in a row, it still looks nearly full. Wang Qi held up the glass of golden liquid with bubbles and looked at its attributes with widened eyes and an opened mouth, showing a surprised expression on his face. Glug- With a loud gulp, Wang Qi could hardly believe his eyes. He had never obtained such a good item since entering the game. Its really really a great deal Considering the price of just ten Doomsday Coins for this glass of liquor, Wang Qi suddenly felt as satisfied as if he had picked up a treasure at Panjiayuan. Glug glug- Drinking the entire glass of rum in one breath, Wang Qi also showed a silly smile on his face, sitting limply to one side, spewing alcohol-laden breath with a foolish laugh. Hi, this is our boss Li Keer sighed, took out her hand crossbow, stood about five or six meters away from the entrance of the bar, aiming at the monsters outside the door and started to attack. See that? The boss herself is in the field! You lazy bastards need to step up! Fiana slapped the bar counter with a bam sound and exclaimed. System: Fiana releases Morale Boost skill; all people in the bar area have their combat morale increased by 100%. For the glory of Sunflower Bar! A bar bouncer swinging his broken stick slammed it on a monsters head, making it explode like a watermelon. For the boss! A bar waiter wielding a steel pipe stabbed it into a monsters chest. For Sister Fiana! A bar bouncer kicked a monster in the stomach, sending it flying. For for Count Rum! Someone shouted, and almost all the waiters and bouncers eyes lit up as they shouted together, For Count Rum! Waiters and bouncers became even more frenzied. Every humanoid zombie received special attention from them. Both waiters and bouncers seemed to have robbery-like skills, being able to steal items from monsters during attacks, and even retrieve monster drops in advance. Soon, a muscular bar bouncer pushed aside two waiters behind him and rushed to the counter. Big sister, check out how much these things are worth! The bar bouncer piled more than a dozen items emitting white and green glows on the counter, laughing foolishly. Hmm, theyre all junk, nothing valuable Fiana frowned, looking disgusted, picking through them with two fingers, as if touching the garbage even once was a desecration of her fingertips: Ill give you ten Doomsday Coins, enough to buy a glass of rum. Long live, big sister! The bar bouncer excitedly raised both hands and cheered. Li Keer soon received a system notification. System: Your employee, bar bouncer, sold equipment to Fiana, valued at three hundred sixty-five Doomsday Coins. Fiana used Deception Skill and gave the bar bouncer ten Doomsday Coins. The bar bouncer was very grateful to Fiana, increasing their Intimacy by 5 points. Amazing, Sister Fiana is so amazing, 1 want to learn this skill too! Li Keers eyes sparkled with stars, looking at Fiana with an admiring face. Glug glug- After gulping down the entire glass of rum, the bouncer let out a satisfying belch and became invigorated. His body seemed even more robust, full of vitality, and swinging his broken stick with a whoosh sound. You bastards who dare to offend Sunflower Bar, all of you will die! The bouncer who drank the rum became even more violent, like a wild bull, rushing directly into the monster group. The wind was strong as he swung the broken stick; monsters vitality points dropped like a flood breaking through a dam. If Song Jian were sober at this moment, he would definitely see that the NPCs who drank Royal Salute Count Rum seemed to have even stronger effects than players-do; almost all attributes, including attack, defense, speed, and critical strike, have been drastically increased. Soon, almost all the staff members had grabbed a large amount of wealth and sold them to Fiana for ten Doomsday Coins. As Li Keer looked at the series of system prompts, her eyes sparkled with gold stars. Fiana had become her role model, and she kept calling her sister. System: Your employee, bar waiter, sold equipment to Fiana, valued at two hundred ninety-five Doomsday Coins. Fiana used Deception Skill and gave the bar bouncer ten Doomsday Coins. The bar bouncer was very grateful to Fiana, increasing their Intimacy by 5 points. System: Your employee, bar bouncer, sold equipment to Fiana, valued at five hundred seventy-four Doomsday Coins. Fiana used Deception Skill and gave the bar bouncer ten Doomsday Coins. The bar bouncer was very grateful to Fiana, increasing their Intimacy by 5 points. While bar employees were enjoying a killing spree after drinking rum, a towering figure over two meters tall appeared before everyone. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 102 - 102: Explosive Zombie Chapter 102: Explosive Zombie Translator: 549690339 | Li Keer nervously glanced towards the bars entrance. The tall silhouette cast a shadow that blocked the entire entrance; Is it a BOSS? The entrance of the bar was surrounded by bartenders and monsters which blurred her vision; Fiana wiped a glass and nonchalantly looked at the entrance, saying, Just a fellow who can use basic fire elemental rules, its nothing! [LV5 Exploding Zombie ](Llite), Vitality: 190/380, Mental Strength: 200/200, Traits: Flame Strengthening, Fast Casting, Skill: Burst Fireball This zombie appeared robust, one could not tell from its stature that it was a spellcasting monster; Hu- A fireball, rhe size of a human head, rapidly formed on the right hand of the exploding zombie. Numerous light red air currents gathered towards the fireball and in no time, the fireball, once the size of a human head, expanded to the size of a basketball; Fools, are you just going to stand there and watch it form a fireball? Fiana scolded the bartenders and bouncers who were indifferent to the fireball the zombie was forming; The exploding zombie smirked, swung its right arm, and directly threw the fireball towards the bar entrance. It harshly hit the chest of a bouncer; Boom- In one explosion, the bouncer, who had just leveled up to four and had full vitality points, was sent flying backwards by the impact of the fireball. His vitality points dropped dramatically, leaving him with only a dozen vital points left. He fell heavily onto the floor of the bar; After hitting the bouncer s chest, the fireball exploded violently. Everyone within a three-meter radius received fire damage; This area encompassed the whole bar entrance. Almost all the employees caught on fire, and their vitality points were rapidly decreasing; You guys are so stupid. You cant even stop such a trash! Fiana snorted coldly. Then she quickly mixed a light blue cocktail and threw it towards the bars entrance; Bang- The glass hit the floor near the entrance and shattered, releasing a light blue mist which enveloped the area around rhe door; All the flames on the employees were extinguished, and their vitality points rapidly recovered; Sister Fiana, youre so brilliant! admired Li Keer; Its just a little trick, not worth the bosss praise. Fiana modestly replied, but a hint of triumph could be seen on her face; Li Keer looked at Song Jian and Wang Qi who were sleeping soundly on the bar counter, and asked worriedly, When will they wake up? These two cant hold their liquor, 1 guess they need another hour or so. You dont need to worry about them. Theyve already taken advantage of our Sunflower Bar. The royal salute, Counts Rum, is not for just anyone. Fiana glanced at the two men snoring on the bar counter with a look of disdain; Hey, dont talk about Little Cheap Brother that way! Li Keer shook her head slightly and returned her focus to the bars entrance; With the bouncers and bartenders having full vitality now and no longer fearing the fire damage, they all focused on the exploding zombie, the elite BOSS; Originally, with the power of the Level 5 elite BOSS, the exploding zombie could hold its own against these bar employees for a while. But ail its attributes were halved during the day, so it was no match for them; A few minutes later, the exploding zombie was stripped down to its shorts. It was pathetically killed within a circle, and its body looked especially bleak. One of the bouncers even made a move at the shorts on its body. lie pulled at the body and yanked the shorts twice, but failed to remove them. He then reluctantly tossed the body aside; Five barrenders, ten bouncers stood guard at the bar s entrance. It was like they had choked off the monsters attack. Backed by Fianas occasional status-enhancing and vitality-restoring cocktails, hundreds of monsters roared and howled outside the bar, but they could do nothing to the safehouse. It was fortunate that Li Ke er had heeded Song Jians advice and only upgraded the safehouse to Level 1, instead of continuing to upgrade. If she had, the higher the safehouse level, the number and strength of the attacking monsters would have greatly increased. Then it wouldnt be known whether these bar employees could withstand it; The defensive battle went on for over three hours. It was mainly because rhe battle was centered around the bars entrance in an area less than five meters wide. The frontal attacking monsters were at most a dozen, which prolonged the battle; Hundreds of monsters ended up laying outside the bars entrance. Once the guard duration was up, the bodies of these zombies turned into ash immediately. The materials and equipment that fell all over rhe ground excited the watching players, their eyes shining with greed; System: Congratulations player Li Keer for completing the main mission! System: Player Li Keer chose the hidden location Sunflower Bar as a safehouse. After successfully defending it, she received the title of Bar Owner; As soon as the battle ended, the bartenders and bouncers rushed our of the entrance to gather the items scattered on the ground. In no time, all the dropped items were picked up by the bar employees and placed on the bar counter. The spectating players stood agape, but they didnt dare compete for the items with rhe employees and could only watch as everything was taken away; Wow, were rich! Li Keers eyes sparkled with delight; Boss, what are you going to do with these things? asked Fiana; Of course, were going to share them equally! Li Keer answered, as a matter of course, I was able to complete the main mission thanks to everyone. These things were all dropped by the monsters that you defeated. You guys can divide them up. Long live the boss! In an instant, cheers rang throughout the whole bar, nearly lifting the roof off the place; Thats not acceptable, boss. We were hired by you, so it s only natural we fight for you. These spoils of war should all belong to you! Fiana shook her head and continued, But boss, I suggest you sell all these items to me, then stock up on some ordinary liquor from the store. You need to know, running a bar is not an easy thing. Ah, is that so, but I dont really understand any of this! Li Keers eyes showed a confused look; Im here, you just need to do as I tell you! Fiana smiled; S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But they helped me complete the main mission, 1 must reward them somehow, right? Li Keer asked, looking at the pitiful service staff and bouncers; Well, since the boss said so, lets reward each of them five Doomsday Coins! Fiana suggested after a moment of thought; Long live the boss, long live the big sister! All the bartenders and bouncers cheered together, their faces full of joy and excitement; Chapter 103 - 103: Opening Business Chapter 103: Opening Business Translator: 549690339 After the battle ended, the battlefield was cleaned up in just a few minutes, and a pile of goods was all stacked on the bar counter. Fiana sold most of the useless items to the system store; In Li Keers system information interface, a series of system prompts appeared like a waterfall; System: Your employee Fiana sold the item Zombie Tendons to the system store for 1 Doomsday Coin, Fiana used the Deception Skill and the system store finally paid 10 Doomsday Coins. System: Your employee Fiana sold the item Zombie Leather to the system store for 1 Doomsday Coin, Fiana used the Deception Skill and the system store finally paid 10 Doomsday Coins. Looking at the information interface, Li Keer admired Fiana and wished she could learn the Deception Skill right away. Unfortunately, neither her Spirit attribute nor her Charm attribute met the necessary requirements, so she couldnt learn the skill at this point; If Song Jian knew that Fianas Deception Skill could push the initial price of items from 1 Doomsday Coin to ten times that value, he would probably exclaim divine skill and desire to learn it at any cost; Boss, all the spoils of war have been sold, we finally got three thousand six hundred and seventy-five Doomsday Coins. Each of these guys gets a five Doomsday Coin reward, and we still have three thousand six hundred coins left! Fiana showed a hint of weariness on her face. It seems that repeatedly using the Deception Skill was not an easy task for her; Thank you, sister, if it wasnt for you, we couldnt have sold all this for so much money! Li Keer said obediently; although Keer was young, she had a good sense of things; The game information interface could not be faked. If it werent for Fiana, all these goods would be sold for at most a few hundred Doomsday Coins, but now it had increased tenfold; Sister Fiana, what do you think we should do with this money? Li Keer asked; Of course, we should renovate the bar and prepare to open for business to make money! First buy some facilities, then some drinks, and if theres surplus, we need to restart the casino on the second floor, which is the most profitable business! Fiana said excitedly; I dont understand any of this, so Ill trust you, Sister Fiana! Li Keers wide eyes sparkled, making her look innocent and adorable. Fiana stared at Li Keers eyes for a while, and a smile appeared on her face: No problem, boss, leave the rest to me. Li Keer successfully created the shelter-bar. Everything on the first floor except the counter was gone, leaving the whole floor empty. Fiana opened the system store and began to browse; The goods sold in the system store were of ordinary quality, but right now, Fiana just wanted to reopen the bar and didnt need many precious things, so the things in the system store were completely sufficient; Very soon, the bar was completely transformed. It looked high-end and classy; the liquor cabinet behind the counter was also slowly filled with various kinds of liquor. Most of these liquors were very cheap, with only a few bottles shimmering with blue and silver light. Obviously, Fiana had taken out a few bottles from her own private collection to attract customers, otherwise the ordinary liquor wouldnt match the renovated style of the bar; Once everything was ready, Fiana glanced at Song Jian and Wang Qi, who were sleeping soundly on the counter, her eyes filled with disdain: Boss, should we wake these two up? Or should we just throw them out? If they stay like this, itll affect our business! All, throw them out? No, no, just wake them up! Li Keer hastily said, waving her hands; Fiana scoffed, poured a glass of water, and splashed it forward; Splash- Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian woke up abruptly; Wasnt 1 helping Li Keer guard the shelter? Waking up with that thought in his head, Song jian instinctively held the Tusk Fang Stinger dagger in his hand, looking around vigilantly; Little Cheap Brother, youre awake! Li Keer smiled; Im awake, yes Im awake Song Jian had a bewildered look. He felt like he was dreaming right now. How was this bar so different from what he remembered? Have you completed your main mission? Only then did Song Jian remember that after drinking a drink, he had passed out. He had no memory of anything that had happened afterward; Its completed, thanks to Sister Fiana and these employees! Li Keer looked happy; Fiana, employees? Song Jian was rendered speechless; Fiana was merely a level one elite boss, while the other fifteen employees were at most comparable to fully-equipped mutant zombies. How was it possible that just with these people, theyd completed the main mission? It was absurd! However, the facts were right in front of him. Fiana was now a level five elite boss, and the other bartenders and bouncers all advanced to levels four and five, with the highest even reaching level six; Li Keers level had directly increased to nine, and it was estimated that she wasnt far from level ten in terms of experience points; It seems completing the main mission was the quickest way to level up; Hehe, Son- Brother Song, youre here too, good, good liquor Wang Qi wiped the water beads off his face, still sporting a silly smile on his face; Royal Salute Count Rum! Song Jian suddenly remembered the rum he had been drinking and hurriedly opened his attribute interface; Indeed, his vitality had increased to 350 points, and he had gained an additional free attribute point; Song Jian didnt hesitate to add this attribute point to his Strength attribute. Now, his Strength had reached 12 points, which allowed him to equip that great weapon; What a pity, how could the mission be completed so quickly? If it wasnt, I could have brought out that weapon to show off Song Jian pursed his lips, feeling regretful; Little Cheap Brother, my Sunflower Bar officially opens for business today! Li Keer shouted in excitement, her face full of anticipation. Opening opening for business? Song Jian was stunned. Only now did he start looking around. The bar had been fully renovated and equipped. The drinks at Fianas back were against the main wall, identical to a real bar! Can this place open for business? Song Jian suddenly realised that he might have overlooked something; If capturing a bar can make me a bar owner, then if I capture a theatre, a KTV, or even a bank, a police station, or a library Song Jian suddenly felt a pang in his heart; Chapter 104 - 104: Leaving the Game Chapter 104: Leaving the Game Translator: 549690339 Song Jian glanced at Wang Qi beside him. Among the three of them, only Wang Qi hadnt completed the main quest yet; Wang Qi, have you decided where to build your safehouse? Song Jian suddenly asked. I had an idea, but I think 111 look around some more. Wang Qi hesitated for a moment before responding. It seems that Wang Qi got inspired by Li Keers safehouse and planned to choose a special place for his safehouse. Song Jian nodded. The materials he gave to Wang Qi were not just enough for building a safehouse, but also sufficient for several defense structures. However, if Wang Qi found a unique building like a bar for his safehouse, he might need a significant amount of Doomsday Coins or something else to construct defensive facilities. Originally, Song Jian was supposed to assist Li Keer in guarding her safehouse. But not only did he enjoy a glass of premium rum and enhance his stats, he spent the entire defense process asleep and didnt help at all. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Song Jian saw Li Keer was busy preparing for the bars opening. After saying goodbye to her and Wang Qi, he left the bar. After being upgraded to a safehouse, the surroundings of the bar were completely transformed. The sign Sunflower Bar was already erected, with neon lights flashing around it. It looked dazzling even in daylight. What a great place! Wang Qi exclaimed. Yeah, 1 didnt think safehouses in the game could be this fun Song Jian commented, somewhat speechless. Brother Song, your safehouse is also quite good! Wang Qi comforted him. Song Jians safehouse was indeed top-notch. It was a level one mansion, and probably no one in the game had upgraded their safehouse to a mansion so far. Unfortunately, the location Song Jian chose was just an ordinary villa and had no special features. Compared with Li Keers bar, it was far from as appealing, which is why Wang Qi temporarily decided not to establish his safehouse. Song Jian returned to his level one mansion, glanced at the materials required for the next upgrade. Upgrading to level two mansion required 12,000 units of stone and 8,000 units of wood, plus 1,000 units of iron ore. Wood and stone werent a problem, but the 1,000 units of iron ore stumped Song Jian. After playing the game for quite some time, he still hadnt found a place where he could get iron ore. With only a few minutes left before he had to exit the game, he decided to look for iron ore the next time he logged in. After checking his mansions defense structures once more and replenishing the ammo for the arrow tower and catapult, Song Jian looked over Alexs properties. At this point, the Blood Soul Poison Tree Alex had sunk into sleep. Song Jian felt a bit smug about cultivating an ordinary tree spirit seedling into an elite boss-level entity like the blood soul poison tree. But after seeing Fiana, he had a stark feeling of goods compete with goods, until the poorer one is discarded. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not to mention combat power, just comparing brains, Fiana was leagues ahead of Alex. Comparing with Fiana, Song Jian felt Alex was just a lumbering oaf, only suitable for the role of a doorman. If only 1 had a steward like Fiana, Song Jian sighed as he looked at Alex. System: Player Song Jian, please get ready. You will be leaving this game in sixty seconds; The system countdown began, 60, 59, 58. Soon, a bright light enveloped Song Jian, and when it dissipated, he was no longer there. After a brief sensation of weightlessness, when Song Jian opened his eyes again, he found himself standing amidst the stars. In front of him, scenes from his gameplay hunting mutated snake beasts, killing zombie leaders, exterminating militiamen from a garbage collection site, killing tombstone zombies, collecting wood, protecting safehouses played out until the image stopped at the killing of the roaming zombie Robert. System: Completed main quest, creating safehouse; Quest completion 100%, base grade F System: Completed side quest, Guardians Sorrow, quest completion 78%, grade upgraded: F^E. System: Killed mutated snake beast (LV5 elite BOSS), grade upgraded: E->D. System: Killed zombie leader (LV5 elite BOSS), grade upgraded: D*C. System: Killed roaming zombie Robert (LV10 elite BOSS), grade upgraded: SSS^SSS(grade cannot be upgraded further). System: Players final grade: SSS. [Player Song Jian, calculating game reward] [Player Song Jians final prize: 3,000 Doomsday Coins; for the next log in, effect received: Vitality Point recovery increased by 500%. This effect will last until the next game exit;] The next time 1 log in Song Jian was startled, but immediately felt dizzy and as if he was sinking into an abyssn. Whew- Song Jian suddenly sat up on his bed, drenched in sweat as if he had a nightmare. Looking at the time, it was already past six in the morning, and dawn was breaking outside. Sitting upright, the first thing Song Jian noticed was a gold brick and a small, black stone tablet on his bedside table. The gold brick was standard one kilogram size. For a gold brick, it was only about palm length and felt quite heavy to lift up. The other object was a rectangular black stone tablet, emitting a faint black light. It seemed to be made of black jade with a glossy surface. This tablet was only finger-thickness thick. On the front were tiny, densely etched characters, with a faint layer of gray mist on the surface that made the characters almost illegible. Half a month in the game, but only one night in the real world. Its so amazing. Song Jian picked up the gold brick, weighed it in his hand, and smiled. Getting up, after washing up, Song Jian grabbed a backpack, put the gold brick in it. As for the stone tablet, he threw it directly into a drawer for further investigation later. What could a merely Vitality Point-boosting item be? If it hadnt revealed something strange while feeding Alex and he casually placed it into the games golden-framed package, Song Jian probably wouldnt have brought it back to the real world. Hey, Landlord. Morning! As Song Jian left, he saw the landlord carrying a bag of vegetables and greeted her. All, morning, Xiao Jian. Are you heading to work? Landlord Ge Xiaojia looked at Song Jian, her eyes flickering strangely. All, work. Song Jian paused, then hastily answered. If not for the reminder from the landlord, he would have forgotten about his job. Having spent over half a month in the game, Song Jian had forgotten that he still had a probationary job in the real world. Watching Song Jians departing figure, Ge Xiaojia touched the gold bracelet on her wrist and her expression became strange. She seemed to want to shout something to call Song Jian back, but ended up not saying anything, just sighing softly.. Chapter 105: Resignation Chapter 105: ResignationGe Xiaojia originally thought that the gold bracelet she had taken as collateral from Song Jian was just an ordinary bracelet, but after taking a closer look, she discovered that it was not the case; Nowadays, the patterns on gold bracelets sold in the market are mostly machine-carved, but Ge Xiaojia found that this pair of bracelets in her hand were actually carved by hand, and judging from the details, the bracelets must have been carved by a Master Level carver. There are two carp on this pair of gold bracelets C each carp is so lifelike that even the scales have been meticulously carved, some slightly open and others closely shut, giving the entire carp a sense of vitality, looking as if they are swaying their tails in the water. Especially the eyes of the two carp, the carving is like the finishing touch C no matter the angle from which they are viewed, it feels like the carp is looking at you. Such carving techniques are far beyond the reach of ordinary carvers; If there was a word to describe the craftsmanship of this pair of bracelets, it would be "divine workmanship." "These gold bracelets, no, this pair of artworks, must be worth at least three hundred thousand yuan!" Ge Xiaojia made her most conservative estimate; For ordinary gold bracelets, people pay attention to the material, but for such a pair of gold bracelets, it''s the craftsmanship that sells; Upon seeing Song Jian, Ge Xiaojia''s heart became somewhat flustered. It was obvious that Song Jian didn''t know the true value of these gold bracelets. Ge Xiaojia wanted to tell him, but she didn''t know how to bring it up; "If I say it hastily, will it give him a bad impression of me, thinking that I wanted to take advantage of him before?" Ge Xiaojia''s eyebrows furrowed slightly: "Forget it, let''s wait until he has enough money and wants to redeem them, then I''ll tell him the truth then." ... Song Jian was unaware of his landlord Ge Xiaojia''s dilemma, and even if he knew, he probably wouldn''t care too much; This pair of gold bracelets, compared with the other two pieces of jewelry in his parcel, would not even be worth mentioning; even if he were to give them directly to Ge Xiaojia, Song Jian wouldn''t feel heartache. In Song Jian''s view, money has become the most useless thing to him now; After casually eating two fritters and a bowl of tofu pudding on the street, Song Jian hesitated for a moment, and ultimately hailed a taxi, heading towards his company; "This job is now meaningless to me. I should be focusing on improving my own strength!" Song Jian silently thought to himself; It has been proven that training in the real world can also enhance one''s strength in the game C Song Jian urgently needed to master the use of various cold weapons and even firearms; As for the skills in using firearms, they were still somewhat difficult for Song Jian to access now, but for the skills in using cold weapons, Black Panther Gym could fully satisfy his needs; Upon arriving at the company, Song Jian saw Zhao Yu leaning against the front desk of the lobby, chatting with a receptionist, laughing at what seemed to be a joke. The receptionist couldn''t help but giggle, her face slightly flushed, and she looked a little shy. Zhao Yu didn''t see Song Jian, and Song Jian didn''t bother to go up and say hello, so he went directly to the HR department on the 19th floor; "Zhao, sis!" Song Jian pushed open the door of the HR department, looked inside, and his eyes lit up instantly; Zhao Yuzhi was wearing a beige suit, her figure graceful, and her face always wearing a kind smile, looking like a caring older sister. Zhao Yuzhi was the examiner during Song Jian''s interview. Song Jian still vividly remembers how nervous he was during his first interview, even almost spilling a cup of water. It was Zhao Yuzhi''s gentle tone that comforted him not to be nervous; "Xiao Jian, what''s up?" Zhao Yuzhi looked up, saw Song Jian, and immediately raised the corner of her mouth slightly. Every time she called Song Jian "Xiao Jian," she couldn''t help but want to laugh, feeling like she was calling him "little jerk"; "Zhao, sis, I''m here to go through the resignation process!" Song Jian said somewhat shyly; "Resign?" Zhao Yuzhi frowned; she had a good impression of Song Jian C fresh out of school and untainted by the bad habits of society, he was diligent, hardworking, and willing to endure hardship. There aren''t many young people like this nowadays; "Xiao Jian, your probation period is almost over, and with your performance, I think you can definitely become a formal employee of the company. Why do you want to resign now?" Zhao Yuzhi frowned and asked; "Zhao, sis, my family''s house was demolished, and we were compensated with thirty million yuan and six houses..." Song Jian didn''t continue, but just looked at Zhao Yuzhi with a "you-know-what-I-mean" look; "Demolition, thirty million, six houses..." These three words choked back all the persuasive words Zhao Yuzhi had prepared for Song Jian; "Here''s the resignation form; please fill it out." Zhao Yuzhi was silent for a moment, taking out a form from a file rack and passing it to Song Jian. "Thank you, Sister Zhao!" Song Jian laughed. ... Resigning during the probationary period was very simple. With just ten minutes, Song Jian left the company feeling light and relaxed. As soon as he left the company, Song Jian immediately took a taxi to the Black Panther Gym. Early in the morning, there were very few people at the Black Panther Gym, just a handful. Upon seeing Song Jian, Sun Qian immediately greeted him. "Nice to see you, Mr. Song. Coach Wang Dan is already waiting for you in the classroom," Sun Qian said with a smile. "So early?" Song Jian was somewhat surprised. His scheduled class was supposed to start at eight o''clock, and there was still more than half an hour before that. He thought he was early, but it turned out the coach had arrived even earlier! Arriving at the classroom from yesterday, Song Jian saw that in the center of the room, a human-shaped dummy was set up. Coach Wang Dan held a dagger and continuously waved it at the target dummy. Clang clang clang~ A series of stabbing sounds filled the air as Wang Dan''s dagger swiftly appeared, directed at the vital areas of the dummy such as the throat, eyes, and forehead. "Such fast footwork!" Song Jian was somewhat surprised. Wang Dan circled around the dummy, moving from left to right, from the side to under the ribs, agile and without a hint of hesitation like a dance. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whizz~ Wang Dan suddenly crouched down and fiercely charged forward from the left rib side of the dummy. The dagger in his hand smoothly cut across the dummy''s waist. As he rushed forward, Wang Dan abruptly stopped and turned his body. The dagger in his hand drew a beautiful arc, as if a meteor slammed into the back of the dummy''s head. "Swallow''s Return!" Watching Coach Wang Dan''s move, Song Jian inexplicably thought of this phrase. Seeing that Wang Dan stopped practicing, Song Jian entered the room. "Coach, I''m here!" Wang Dan grabbed a towel hanging on the wall, wiped his sweat, and tossed the towel. He nodded at Song Jian, saying, "Not bad, you came pretty early!" Being praised for being early by someone who came even earlier made Song Jian feel a bit awkward. "Alright, do you remember the moves I taught you yesterday? Let''s do them!" Wang Dan pointed at the dummy and said. Song Jian nodded, walked to the equipment rack on the wall, and picked up a practice dagger. He weighed it in his right hand and casually swung it a couple of times, feeling a familiar sensation rising in his heart. Holding the dagger, Song Jian stood a meter or two away from the dummy and glanced at Wang Dan. At this time, Wang Dan was drinking water from a cup. Seeing Song Jian look over, he nodded slightly, gesturing him to start. Song Jian took a fierce step forward, and with a stab from his hand, the dagger was like a beast''s fangs aimed at the dummy''s chest. Whoo~ A sharp sound of breaking air accompanied Song Jian''s full-force strike, echoing throughout the entire classroom. Chapter 106 - 106: Monster Chapter 106: Monster Translator: 549690339 Wang Dans eyes widened suddenly, and when she looked up, she saw Song Jian had already inserted the blade of the dagger completely into the human-shaped mold; At the chest of the human model, with the place where the blade was inserted as the center, some small cracks spread out in all directions; How is that possible- Wang Dan couldnt believe her eyes, her drinking motion suddenly stopped; Plup- A mouthful of water squirted out, cough, cough, cough, Wang Dan bent over and coughed violently; All the equipment in the Black Panther Gym was top-notch, and this human-shaped mold was also made of special material. Even using a weapon, ordinary people could only leave a white mark on it at most, not to mention the unsharpened training weapons laid out in the classroom. Even Wang Dan, using her own dagger, could only leave a shallow trace on this human-shaped mold, but this young man in front of her actually stabbed the mold without the handle, which made Coach Wang Dan feel incredible; Brute force, this kid is using brute force, damn it, how can anyone be so strong! Wang Dan wiped the tears that overflowed from the corners of her eyes, showing a disbelief expression, staring up and down at Song Jian; Wang Dan walked to the human-shaped mold, staring intently at the training dagger embedded in the molds chest as if there was a flower on the dagger. You, how did you do that? Wang Dan swallowing, she couldnt believe that there could be someone so strong in this world; Song Jian was also secretly shocked, he knew that he had shown off a bit too much; Its important to know that even without all the equipment bonuses, his strength had reached seven points, while the limit of adult strength in the real world would be 5 points. Ordinary people would usually range from three to four points, and Wang Dans power attribute would not exceed four points. Song Jians power attribute was enough to crush Wang Dan; I, I was just born stronger than others! Song Jian showed a simple and honest expression, laughing; Wang Dan grabbed the dagger and tried to pull it out twice but couldnt, she glanced at Song Jian, gesturing for him to pull out the dagger; The cost of this human-shaped mold is 28,000 yuan Wang Dan touched the mark on the molds chest and said indifferently; Hiss, that expensive? Song Jian gasped, just this one mode was equivalent to half a year of his salary; However, since youre a club member we dont charge you for damage caused during training sessions to the training equipment, Wang Dans mouth raised slightly but quickly turned serious again; Oh, thats good! After Song Jian finished speaking, he paused, still having a bit of a small-town mentality, tens of thousands of dollars, would no longer cause any burden for him now, the gold brick in his backpack could buy several of these human-shaped molds; Coach, what are we learning today? Song Jian asked somewhat excitedly; Still the basic movements, your grasp of the front stabbing movement in dagger fighting technique is good, as for your strength Lets talk about something else first, Ill demonstrate another basic movement, you should know, all skills are combinations of these basic movements! Wang Dan said seriously; Okay, coach, Ill study hard! For the whole morning, Wang Dan taught all the basic movements of the dagger fighting technique to Song Jian. After correcting his few unsatisfactory moves, she let Song Jian practice on his own, then she left the classroom; In a second-floor office of the gym, a woman with shoulder-length hair was playing computer games, while several others were leisurely chatting, occasionally glancing through the glass at the training situation of the members on the first floor. A man in his forties, dressed in a white Tang suit, was sitting at a desk drinking tea, with a three-foot-long sword lying to his right. The sword was positioned with its hilt facing inward and its tip facing outward, allowing the man to draw the sword from its scabbard as quickly as possible with just a stretch of his hand; Bang- The office door was pushed open, and an excited Wang Dan rushed in; S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I found a monster today! Wang Dan shouted loudly in the office; Ah, Sister Wang, you scared me, look, 1 died again! The short-haired woman slammed her mouse down and complained; Youre a Bronze V noob, no matter how you play, youll always die! A ponytailed girl sitting next to her looked at her condescendingly and said, Its a shame that youre learning the ancient grappling hand from the teacher with such good martial arts skills. With your game reaction speed, its a waste of such good martial arts. Grappling hand is about exercising finger flexibility, gaming relies on fast brain reactions, how can you mix them up? The short-haired girl argued, her face flushed; Hey, hey, hey, 1 said 1 found a monster, are you listening or not! Wang Dan stared fiercely at the short-haired girl and shouted loudly. All right, all right, you go on, what great martial arts talent did you find this time? The ponytailed girl put particular emphasis on the four words great martial arts talent. It should be noted that Wang Dan had once found someone with excellent physical fitness before and told everyone he was a martial arts genius. However, he only attended class for two days and never came back again. The coaches in the office had teased Wang Dan about it for quite some time. This time its true, he used a practice dagger and with one move stabbed the human-shaped mold without the handle going in! Wang Dan whispered. Without the handle going in? Thats impossible, you must have used the old mold that was ready to be returned to the factory, a coach questioned; Its new, just arrived today, a specially made mold, even with all my strength, 1 can only leave a shallow mark on it! Wang Dan stomped her foot; Clang- A crisp collision sound rang through the office, and everyone turned their heads to see the man who had been drinking tea just now, now staring at Wang Dan in amazement. His tea cup was resting on the saucer, but the saucer was now shattered; Wang Dan, are you telling the truth? Gu Bo stood up and frowned; Yes, sir, its true, that human-shaped mold is still in the classroom, you can go and see it yourself, Wang Dan said respectfully. Gu Bo was the owner of this gym and also the highest skilled in martial arts here, and nearly all the coaches had received his guidance; although he appeared to be in his forties, in reality, he was over sixty years old; Is that person still here? Gu Bo asked; Yes, hes still practicing in the classroom, Wang Dan nodded; Lets go and have a look! Gu Bo couldnt wait any longer and walked toward the office door; Seeing Gu Bo and Wang Dan disappearing at the door, the other coaches exchanged glances, and after a moment of silence, they all followed suit; Chapter 107 - 107 Practice Chapter 107: Practice Translator: 549690339 Gu Bo stood outside the classroom door, looking in through the glass. He saw a man in the room holding a dagger, moving swiftly with the blade creating swaths of white light in mid-air and a gusty momentum seeping through the door; His strength is indeed great, but his technique Gu Bo shook his head subtly; Sir, hes just an ordinary man, who only started training yesterday! Wang Dan whispered beside Gu Bo; An ordinary man? Who only started training yesterday? A look of surprise appeared on Gu Bos face. The mans proficiency in the dagger fighting technique didnt seem like a novices! Are you sure before yesterday, he knew nothing? Gu Bo questioned further; Yes, I just taught him a basic thrusting move yesterday, and today, that is just now, I taught him the rest of the movements. I swear, I only taught him basic moves, I havent started teaching him the routines yet. Wang Dan said seriously; It seems to me that his dagger fighting technique is even better than yours, Dan! remarked a female instructor on the side, hesitantly; Hmph, who says? Thats just superficial showmanship, how could he be better than me? Wang Dan rebutted discontentedly; He is a promising talent, Wang Dan, and you should mentor him well! A look of appreciation appeared on Gu Bos face. After observing a while more, he nodded, and walked away; Let me see, let me see. A shorthaired girl squeezed forward, staring at the mannequin in the middle of the room in astonishment, Wow, its true, look at those puncture marks, so exaggerating. Maybe you should let him train with you in free combat, Dan. Maybe he could place in the city league matches a few months down the road! Song Jian swirled the dagger, continuously training a few assassination moves stabbing, striking, pricking, cutting, draggingeach basic move was executed more and more proficiently by Song Jian; If he were able to see his skill chart now, he would see his Cold Weapon (Dagger) (Basic) skill proficiency climbing rapidly; Mastering a weapon skill is about becoming familiar with it, making each of your movements into muscle memory, becoming natural reflexes! Wang Dan entered the classroom, standing at the door watching Song Jian practice, she calmly instructed; The dagger fighting technique focuses on the sayingshorter the weapon, greater the danger, you need to be decisive, swift, and your movements concealed Dont exhaust your strength, dont overuse your moves, always reserve a third of your energy. You need to speed up based on precision, this will increase your power Good, just like that. When you make your move, pay attention to the coordination of your body movement and footwork, learn to utilize the power of your waist Song Jian practiced while listening to Coach Wang Dans instructions in his ear. His improvement was fast; In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed. Actually, Song Jian had only booked a two-hour course for today, but Wang Dan had been instructing him in the dagger fighting technique all morning; Alright, lets rest a bit at noon. Practicing too vigorously could harm your body! Wang Dan glanced at Song Jian, a look of surprise and admiration showing in her eyes. In the afternoon, Song Jian had originally booked a swordsmanship lesson, but the gym informed him that the coach who teaches swordsmanship was temporarily unavailable, so he had been training in dagger fighting technique for the whole day. What he didnt know was, while he was practicing in the classroom all day, Gu Bo was in the surveillance room observing him. As Song Jian finished his training, Gu Bo made a decision and called Wang Dan to relay his instructions; Thank you for teaching me all day, coach! Song Jian wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed at Wang Dan; He had originally only booked a two-hour course, but Wang Dan had spent the entire day teaching him; Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not at all, Song Jian, are you interested in becoming my disciple? Wang Dan suddenly asked; Disciple? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, and he asked, Arent disciples and gym members the same thing? Can becoming a coachs disciple entail learning some secret transmission techniques from the coach? Secret transmission? Wang Dan was taken aback and then laughed, Correct, gym members learn basic skills and simple routines. If you want to progress further, being a gym member is not enough. 1 think your physical condition is not bad, and there is potential for further improvement! Song Jians physical condition is more than just not bad, it could be said that there were very few coaches in the Black Panther Gym who could surpass Song Jian in physical condition; Further, coach, you were referring to Song Jian seemed a bit puzzled; Real combat! Wang Dan said seriously, In other words, battlefield hand-to-hand combat! By combat, did you mean killing? Song Jian asked tentatively. If you want to understand it that way, you could! Wang Dan nodded in agreement; Coach, can 1 go back and think about it and give you an answer by tomorrow? Song Jian contemplated for a moment; Sure. Wang Dan nodded, adding hesitantly after a moment: Not everyone is qualified to become a disciple of a coach at the Black Panther Gym. You should consider it an opportunity! Song Jian nodded, turned around, and left the classroom; In the evening, Song Jian arrived at Coastal Jewelry Street. This street was almost entirely filled with shops selling gold, silver, and jewelry. Every big-name brand you could think of worldwide could be found here; The common major shops would not buy the gold brick in Song Jians bag because buying untraceable gold accessories could inflict severe damage to a brand once exposed. But in the alleys of this street, there were many small shops, which usually made and repaired small pieces of gold and silver jewelry for a living. Such small stores could often buy old gold and silver jewelry and then melt it to make new pieces; Such small shops had a fair purchasing power and could afford to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars; Song Jian managed to sell the gold brick at a very cheap price, obtaining a total of 280,000 yuan. He went out with a gold brick in his bag but returned with half a bag of RMB. Going back to his rental room, Song Jian tossed his bag onto the bed, picked up the watermelon knife he had purchased the previous day, and began practicing the dagger fighting technique. But after a while, it felt awkward. The watermelon knife was too light, and it felt fluffy when he made moves with it; Song Jian shook his head, dropped his watermelon knife, and checked the delivery status of the dagger he had bought online. It had already arrived in Coastal City, and it seemed like it would be delivered to his home the next day; After practicing for a whole day, I wonder how much my Cold Weapon (Dagger) (Basic) skill proficiency has increased! With this thought in mind, Song Jian placed his phone in front of his bedside and got into bed with his eyes closed, waiting to enter the game again; Chapter 108 - 108: Blood Raven Chapter 108: Blood Raven Translator: 549690339 Night fell, and Song Jian lay quietly in bed. The familiar sensation welled up in his heart, as if a huge hand were grabbing him by the collar, pulling him forward; Cant we change the way we enter the game? This feeling is simply awful! Song Jian complained to himself; being forced into the game like this always felt imposed. As Song Jian entered the game, the black stone tablet that had been casually placed in his drawer also turned into a beam of black light and drilled into the game; Getting up off the floor of the third floor of the Manor Castle, Song Jian twisted his neck, feeling uncomfortable; Ill need to make some furniture in my spare time, at least a bed. Sleeping on the floor every time wont do! Song Jian looked around the empty room and thought to himself; Whoosh- A gust of wind blew in from the window, and a sheepskin parchment the size of an A4 sheet of paper was blown in; The parchment floated in mid-air, slowly burning up, and a cold mechanical voice sounded in Song Jians ear; Game player Song Jian, welcome to Doomsday City! Being level 10, you walk ahead of your peers. Survival is no longer so difficult for you. You will embark on the path to seek greater power. First, you need to choose a combat profession. In this abandoned Doomsday City, many combat profession mentors are hidden. Find them and learn the secrets of the professions from them! Mission Objective: In Doomsday City, find 10 combat profession mentors, explore the secrets of the various professions, and choose one as your main combat profession! o/io Mission Hint: Not every combat profession mentor is willing to explain the secrets of their profession to you. First, find them and gain their approval! Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hint: Hundreds of combat profession mentors are hidden in this Doomsday City. They may be hidden in high-rise buildings, in alleys, or among powerful monsters! Hint: Combat profession mentors may be your enemy and attack you proactively before you gain their approval; Hint: Combat profession mentors are not always human. Maybe professions of other races are more suitable for you! Warning: After killing a combat profession mentor, the profession the mentor teaches will disappear forever! Warning: If you die in the game, your real-world identity will also be erased! This mission can be viewed at any time in the mission bar! The parchment burned up, and its ashes were whisked away by the wind out of the window, as if it had never appeared. Song Jian opened the mission interface and carefully read through the mainline mission several times; There must be quite a few players in the game now who havent even built a safe house. Moreover, from the mission introduction, it can be seen that level 10 is a threshold for encountering professions. If some players do not reach level 10 after creating a safe house, what kind of mainline mission will they get when they enter the game again? Song Jian wondered to himself. In fact, once the mainline mission of creating a safe house is completed, the players level will generally rise by three to four levels. The flood of monsters, whether killed by the defences of the safe house or by the players themselves, will ultimately grant all acquired experience to the player; Unless there are beings like the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree Alex, which intercept half of the experience points for their own level upgrades; Caw- A harsh bird cry rang out, and Song Jian looked towards the window to see a dark red crow, standing in front of the window, grooming its feathers; Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and the dark red crow in front of him looked very much like the zombie crows that mutated after eating zombie flesh in the movie Resident Evil; Monster? How did it get into the manor? Song Jian furrowed his brow slightly. The powerful defences of a level 1 manor caused monsters within a kilometre radius to keep their distance. Some flying creatures that entered the manors range would be attacked by Alex without hesitation; But now this blood-red crow stood unscathed on the castles third-floor windowsill, with one of Alexs branches less than a meter away, yet showing no signs of wanting to attack; Song Jian stared at the crow for a moment, and soon a line of small text appeared above the crows head; Blood Crow (Summon), Vitality Points: 10/10, Traits: Undead; A summon? Song Jian frowned, Whose summon is this? Is it Li Keers or Wang Qis? Only two people could enter Song Jians safe house, Li Keer and Wang Qi, to whom Song Jian had set the Guest permissions; Caw- Seeing that Song Jian was looking at it, the Blood Crow flew directly towards him, grabbed his shoulder, and stabilized itself; Hiss, this little thing is really arrogant! Song Jian grabbed the Blood Crow and held it in front of him, staring into its eyes; The Blood Crows eyes were also red, only much brighter than the feathers on its body; Being held by Song Jian, the Blood Crow seemed very uncomfortable and struggled, but couldnt break free from Song Jians right hand; Spurt! The Blood Crow being held by Song Jian suddenly collapsed and turned into a pool of blood that flowed onto the floor; The blood slowly seeped into the floor and disappeared; Caw, caw, caw- More crow caws came from outside the window. Song Jian was startled and hurriedly walked to the window to look out; In the courtyard, the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree was full of Blood Crows. There were at least twenty dense crows at a glance; Why are there so many Blood Crows in my manor? Song Jian frowned; Song Jians figure flashed, and he appeared beneath the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree. When Alex wasnt doing anything, it would fall into a deep sleep, only sending out a faint sense of perception to inspect the surroundings; Song Jian placed his hand on the trunk of the poison tree and began communicating with Alex; Soon, Song Jian let go of his hand, and a look of comprehension appeared in his eyes; So, these are the summons nurtured by the Blood Pool! Song Jian muttered to himself; Opening the building list, Song Jian checked the attributes of the Blood Pool. Sure enough, at the end of the Blood Pool information, the words Summon: Blood Crow; Summon Quantity: 29/30 appeared; A level 1 Blood Pool can only produce creatures like Blood Crows, but upgrading to level 2 will allow me to create even more powerful blood beasts. Song Jian mused, It seems that upgrading the Blood Pool should be on the agenda. 1 hope the required materials arent too expensive! Chapter 109 - 109 Sword Finger Chapter 109: Sword Finger Translator: 549690339 Blood Soul Stone? What the heck is that? 1 cant find it in the store. Where should I look for it, or is it dropped by some monster? I have no clue! Song Jian looked at the material required to upgrade the Blood Pool to level two, the one hundred units of Blood Soul Stone, and he immediately furrowed his brows. After thinking about it for a while, but without making any progress, Song Jian temporarily set aside the Blood Soul Stone issue. He returned to the third floor of the castle and switched on the radio that he hadnt used for a while. This was something that Song Jian had obtained long ago. Because he hadnt built a safe house yet, he hadnt been able to use it. Now it was a good time to find out what this radio could do. Turning on the radio, there was a burst of static. Crackle crackle After a while, the static gradually faded and a deep voice came from the radio. This is Kawa Town, This is Kawa Town. The patrol soldier on the town today told me that a Level 5 Elite BOSS has appeared outside town. This is a disaster for us. After discussing, were willing to hire adventurers to kill this BOSS for a reward of thirty Doomsday Coins. The items dropped by the BOSS will belong to the adventurer who kills it Kawa Town? Song Jian was taken aback. On the map, there were many towns in the suburban areas of Doomsday City, but Kawa Town was not among them. It seemed this town was beyond the range of Doomsday City. Thirty Doomsday Coins? Thats too little. The power of a Level 5 Elite BOSS is tremendous. Even during the day, its not something that ordinary people can handle A hoarse mans voice suddenly appeared on the channel. Well, not all Level 5 Elite BOSSes are the same. Some have huge gaps in power. If its just a regular Elite BOSS without special skills, it might be easier to kill. But correspondingly, the dropped items will be less attractive Another mans voice added. Kawa Town? Uncle Kaman, isnt it? Uncle Kaman, could you provide some details about the BOSS? If possible, we, the Falcon Squad adventurers, are willing to accept this hiring mission. A girls voice rang out on the radio. Thank you very much, Judy. And thanks to the rest of your Falcon Squad. The thirty-one survivors of Kawa Town will be eternally grateful Kamans grateful voice came over the radio. Soon after Kaman had described the features of the Level 5 Elite BOSS in detail, Judy accepted the hiring mission on behalf of the Falcon Squad. After Judy agreed, the channel on the radio fell silent again, except for some faint static. A moment later, a teenagers voice came over the radio. Ahem, this is Norman Base, this is Norman Base. I am Xiwaka. Today, I was hunting monsters and one of them dropped a skill book called Blood Boiling. Its an active skill that uses 30% of Vitality Points to boost attack power by 60%. I want to sell this skill book, does anyone want it The boys voice sounded a bit nervous, as if his throat was drying up. After a short pause, the channel started buzzing again. Norman Base, Im at Norman Base. Young man, Im really interested in that skill book. How much are you planning to sell it for? If its possible, I hope you can come to Black Rose Cafe and we can talk in detail 30% of Vitality Points, its a bit costly, Xiwaka. Do you support mailing? If you could offer free delivery, Im willing to buy this skill book for one hundred Doomsday Coins One hundred and twenty Doomsday Coins, my address is *****, 1 can pay for the postage myself. Please mail it to me One hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins, Im also at Norman Base. 1 can pick it up myself and trade face to face The channel was buzzing like an auction house, with people cutting in as soon as one person finished speaking. Soon, the price for the Blood Boiling skill book was bid up to two hundred and eighty Doomsday Coins. Mailing? Can this game actually support a mailing system? Speaking of it, now that I have my own safe house, its a fixed location. I wonder how to activate this mailing system Song Jian just sat quietly and listened without interrupting. He found that he could learn a lot of information that he wasnt aware of before from this radio. After the skill book was sold, the channel fell silent again. Song Jian waited a long time without anyone speaking up, just as he was about to turn off the radio, an old voice suddenly sounded from the radio. This is hiss-, this is City of Sin. City of Sin. I am Count Qian Dahai The old mans voice was very hoarse, speaking slowly, accompanied by heavy breaths. I have a house in the New Garden Residential Area of Doomsday City. Its located in New Garden Residential Area, Building 9, Floor 16, East Room The safe in the bedroom the password is *****. inside it, 1 have some jewelry and other things If a brave warrior is willing to bring a blue jade necklace back from the safe, Im willing to offer a hiring fee of one thousand Doomsday Coins. Of course, you may take all the other things in the safe The jade necklace is an heirloom of my dearly-loved lady, Roland. Im dying, so 1 want to I want to see it one more time It was a while after Count Qian Dahais voice disappeared on the radio that another voice came. Grand Count, Zombie City has been fallen for many years, only major forces could possibly enter. For example, the people from Gathering Area 101. But even they would pay a huge price to enter the city. Frankly speaking, risking our lives is not worth one thousand Doomsday Coins Yeah, 1 heard that Zombie City is filled with Elite BOSSes. Level 5 Elite BOSSes can be found everywhere, while those over Level 10 stroll around in groups. Its said that theres even a Level 30 boss-level Elite Guys, its not as dreadful as you guys described. 1 checked the map, the New Garden Residential Area the grand count mentioned is just a small district at the edge of Doomsday City. There, the highest level monster will not exceed a Level 5 Even if its a Level 5 Elite BOSS, if there are too many of them, ordinary adventurers wont be able to withstand them The discussion ended soon, with no one wanting to risk their lives entering Zombie City. After a moment of silence, Count Qian Dahais voice rang out again from the radio. As long as you bring back the blue jade necklace, apart from the one thousand Doomsday Coins, I will also gift a skill book called Sword Finger sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The moment Count Qian Dahais voice fell, the channel exploded. Grand Count, we, Owl Squad, are willing to accept this hiring Grand Count, we are the Dragon Legion from Gathering Area 101. We are willing to undertake this hiring, however, we hope to sign a hiring contract Sword Fingermy God, is it one of the legendary inheritance skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession? Grand Count, Are you really willing to offer the Sword Finger skill book as a reward? When the channel had quieted down a little, Count Qian Dahai continued to speak, I only need that blue jade necklace. Whoever sends it back to me or mails it to me will get the promised reward in full. Thats it! Chapter 110 - no: New Garden Residential Area Chapter 110: Chapter no: New Garden Residential Area Translator: 549690339 Hearing the cacophonous voices in the radio channel, Song Jian touched his chin and thought to himself, Isnt New Garden Residential Area the place where I first entered the game? The Count Qian Dahai mentioned that area, right? 1 remembered, 1 was in building No.6, quite near the No.9 building the count talked about Thinking of this, Song Jian felt his blood boil. One thousand Doomsday Coins were just a modest sum, but the Skill Book Sword Finger had priceless value regarding the Swordsman Immortal profession. The radio channel remained busy for quite a long while before it finally quietened down. Song Jian could hear that many players were gearing up to venture to Zombie City, seeking the blue jade necklace Count Qian Dahai mentioned; Seeing so many people risking their lives, the Swordsman Immortal profession must be really powerful! Song Jian commented, stroking his chin; My current main mission is to acquire a combat profession, if I could only get the Swordsman Immortal profession Having thought this, Song Jian quickly decided to head towards the New Garden Residential Area to find the blue jade necklace Count Dahai had described; Master, welcome back, I have some news about the Tree Shepherd combat profession that Id like to Felix began to awake slowly as he sensed Song Jians return; Before Alex could finish speaking, Song Jians figure vanished from the mansion; Watching Song Jians departing figure, Alex felt kind of speechless. After a moment, he sighed and slowly closed his eyes. The New Garden Residential Area was only separated from Song Jians mansion by Camel Square. Now, during broad daylight, there wasnt a single beast on the square. Song Jian strolled across the square without effort, arriving at the New Garden Residential Area; Entering the dilapidated grand gate of the New Garden Residential Area, Song Jian muttered under his breath as he was looking for building N0.9, Building No.9,16th floor, East Room, the password is ****? Count Qian Dahai revealed all the information on the radio. Whoever managed to hand the blue jade necklace over to him would be rewarded. There were indeed quite a few players gathered in the New Garden Residential Area. In a run-down pavilion at the centre of the area, Song Jian even saw five or six players setting up their stalls; All of them had a black cloth laid out in front of them, showing all sorts of items; Spotting Song Jians approach, excitement sprang to their faces. Bro, come and have a look. Ive got some good stuff here someone called. The others also looked hopeful. Song Jian cast a cursory glance. They were all pretty low-grade Zombie materials; How much for the Zombies nucleus? Song Jian casually pointed at one of the Zombies nuclei and asked. This? Its drop rate is quite low. Ten Doomsday Coins for one, a young man answered, rubbing his nose; Thats too expensive. Ill give you two Doomsday Coins for each one, but Ill take them all, Song Jian stated; Just two Coins? Thats too little. 1 had to kill fifty or sixty Zombies to get these The young boy hesitated; sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If you sell it to the vendors, they wont give you more than one Doomsday Coin. Im already offering double. If youre not selling, Ill go, Song Jian pretended to leave; Hey, sir, 111 sell you mine at two Doomsday Coins each! A man in his thirties nearby hurriedly stopped Song Jian; Song Jian glanced at the mans stall. He only had three Zombie nuclei; he pulled out six Doomsday Coins and handed them over; Deal! Take them! The man happily took the Coins and gave the Zombie nuclei to Song Jian; Hey, Uncle Wang, what are you doing? 1 was just negotiating with him the young man protested. Look at the level of this brother. Cant you see? Uncle Wang sneered at the young man, This thing is virtually worthless. The lowest-level Zombies drop it. Whats it worth? Look around, who doesnt have a few Zombie nuclei in their stalls? When you have too many, the price drops. We should be grateful that this mans offering double, Uncle Wang explained; Yeah, but this thing is rare the young man grumbled quietly; No matter how rare, there are so many low-level Zombies here Uncle Wang advised; Zombie nucleus. Two Doomsday Coins for each one. Ill take as many as youve got. If youre selling, trade with me, Song Jian said indifferently; Players were not yet aware that they could gamble using Zombie nuclei at Li Keers casino, where a single nucleus went for a hundred Doomsday Coins; Alright, big brother, Ill sell it to you for two Coins! The youth named Dog seemed a bit shy, but he handed over the eight or nine Zombie nuclei from his stall to Song Jian; Good, junior. In the future, you can keep all your Zombie nuclei for me. Ill come here often to buy them Song Jian laughed; Soon, everyone there sold all their Zombie nuclei to Song Jian; My friend, could you tell us what use a Zombies nucleus could be? A young man in his twenties, with twinkling eyes, asked Song Jian; Sorry, thats a trade secret, Song Jian lightly replied; After that, Song Jian also purchased some low-level cooking and alchemy materials, each going for two Doomsday Coins. After a round, Song Jian continued towards the ninth building; Hey, guys, what do you think this guy wants with all these Zombie nuclei? peering at Song Jians back, the young man asked in a low voice; What could he possibly do with them? You cant eat them, and theyre not worth much when sold. Even the lowest-level monsters drop them. What could they possibly be used for? Uncle Wang disdainfully answered: You better focus more on leveling up. Dont try to be too crafty or you might lose your life if anything went wrong Uncle Wang, dont worry! I know what Im doing, the young man waved dismissively; Seeing Song Jian turn a corner and disappear, the young man quickly packed up his stall and chased after him; This lad is seeking his own death again! Uncle Wang spat on the ground, looking disdainfully; Uncle Wang, dont bother about him. Hes always up to some tricks. One day hell hit a roadblock! someone nearby advised; Mmph, if it werent for all of us being newcomers, whod care about him? After a moment of silence, Uncle Wang packed up his stall, 1 cant just leave him be. I have to watch over him. If he provokes that expert, he will surely be in deep trouble! Saying that, Uncle Wang also chased after Song Jian; Chapter 111 - ill: Safe Chapter 111: Chapter ill: Safe Translator: 549690339 Song Jian slowly walked towards Building 9 of the New Garden Residential Area, which had almost become a Novice Village. All the monsters in the area had been cleared out, and new players wielding weapons could be seen everywhere, going in and out of the high-rise buildings. Seeing so many new players, Song Jian felt a sense of unease in his heart. New players rarely dared to directly hunt monsters on the streets when they first came out. Most of them would start by searching for supplies. The New Garden Residential Area had more than a dozen high-rise buildings with over a hundred rooms; however, with so many new players searching, some rooms had even been searched several times. I hope the room the Count of Qian Dahai hid his safe in hasnt been searched yet Song Jian prayed silently, though the probability of that happening was incredibly low. Now, he could only hope that other people didnt know where the safe was and havent discovered it yet. Entering Building 9, Song Jian followed the stairs and climbed towards the 16th floor. The floral-shirted ghost hid at the entrance of the first floor, peeking inside. Floral-Shirt Ghost, what are you doing? A hand slapped the floral-shirted ghosts shoulder from behind, scaring him. Turning his head, the floral-shirted ghost sighed in relief, Uncle Wang, scaring people could frighten them to death. You shouldnt jump out like that! Floral-Shirt Ghost, cant you put your energy to better use? Youre becoming more and more daring now, even following a level 10 expert, do you want to die? Uncle Wang complained. Uncle Wang, havent you heard? One doesnt get rich without taking risks, the floral-shirted ghost said nonchalantly. I just want to follow a high-level player. Cant I drink some soup while they eat meat? Drink soup? Hmph, I think you dont care about your life anymore! Uncle Wang said with a disappointed look. Alright, Uncle Wang, stop pretending! The floral-shirted ghost said disdainfully, No one knows you better than me, and I understand your thoughts better than anyone else. Let s follow him together! If theres any advantage, we can have a share. I dont believe a level 10 expert would come to the Novice Village for no reason. Uncle Wangs expression changed, and a tinge of resentment appeared in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he said, In the future, zombie cores will probably be unsellable. Hmph, if even a high-level expert wants to buy it, could it not be something valuable? I still have a dozen or so of them in my inventory. The floral-shirted ghost said with a smug smile, As long as I can find out what the zombie cores are used for, wont we be rich then? Alright, hurry up and follow him closely. Dont lose sight of him. See which floor he went to Uncle Wang pushed the floral-shirted ghost, and the two of them sneakily approached the stairs. Song Jian quickly arrived at the 16th floor and saw the broken-down door with a frown on his face. The room had already been searched; if they found Counts safe was yet to be seen. Stepping into the room, he saw a mess, with items scattered all over the floor. Song Jian quickly walked into a bedroom and saw an intact large bed that took up almost half the room, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, no one has discovered the safe! Song Jian smiled. The bed was custom-made. It looked like a solid hardwood bed, but in fact, there were two removable side panels on the right side. Behind the two panels was what appeared to be solid wood but was actually a special composite metal. By triggering a mechanism next to the bed, a password keypad would be revealed. The password would open the safe. On the radio, Count Qian Dahai had explained in great detail how to open the safe to everyone; as long as the safe was opened, the contents could be obtained. Following the steps, Song Jian quickly opened the safe. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Reaching inside, he pulled out stacks of cash. Each bill had a face value of too, and there were dozens of stacks, totaling to about several hundred thousand. However, after the apocalypse, even the government no longer existed, and these paper bills, based on government credit, had become worthless piles of paper. Behind the large stacks of cash, Song Jian found three wooden boxes. They were dark red with a thick layer of patina. In the real world, these three boxes alone would be valuable. Opening the first wooden box, a blue jade necklace caught his eye. Song Jians face lit up with joy, but after checking the properties of the necklace, he discovered it was just an ordinary piece of jewelry that couldnt be taken out of the game. His interest waned, and he put it into his inventory. With this item, all I need to do is figure out how to mail it, and I can get the Sword Finger Skill Book. Song Jian was pleased. Opening the second wooden box, he found a ring. The ring appeared dull and had a wood-like texture, looking like a wooden ring. Checking the properties, Song Jian gasped. The ring was actually the legendary Storage Ring. Storage Ring (Blue): Ring, equipped effect, obtain eight storage spaces. Usage effect, expand players inventory, the number of expanded slots is random, ranging from at least one slot to a maximum of six slots! If used as equipment, the ring would occupy one ring jewelry slot, and each players equipment slots could only wear two rings. Song Jian was already wearing a Ring of Strength, while the other ring slot was empty, perfect for equipping this one. Once Song Jian had a better ring, this Storage Ring could be used to expand his inventory slots, preventing any waste. Ive always felt that sixteen inventory slots were too small. Its like a dream come true! Song Jian immediately equipped the ring, instantly gaining eight additional inventory slots. Opening the third wooden box, he found a book inside. The cover was made of cowhide and featured a monsters portrait on it. Horns growing on its head, red skin, sunken cheeks, and the eyes that revealed a vicious and malicious expression It looks like the demon from Hell in legends Song Jian picked up the book and stroked the cover thoughtfully. As Song Jian s fingers slid over the demon portrait, he could feel the slightly raised image, as if it was originally part of the cowhide cover. Surrender your soul, and I shall grant you immense power A whisper sounded in his ear, and Song Jian looked bewildered for a moment before quickly coming to his senses. System: You were tempted by rhe demon; but your passive talent Thick Face activates, making you immune to the demons temptation. As I thought, this is not something ordinary people can touch! Seeing rhe system prompt, Song Jian was so frightened that he nearly threw the book out of his hand. lie forced himself to suppress the urge, put the book back in his inventory, and decided to study the books content when he returned to his manor. Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a rustling sound outside the door, as if someone was sneaking into the room. Chapter 112 - 112: Application Chapter 112: Application Translator: 549690339 Song Jian walked to the bedroom door and saw two people sneaking and peering into the room; These two guys were just at the stall Song Jian narrowed his eyes, realizing he had been followed; Alertness is too weak, even let others get this far A murderous intent arose in Song Jians heart. He knew whoever dared to follow him must have bad intentions. What are you doing? Song Jian slowly walked out of the bedroom with an icy expression; Damn, weve been found! The flower-shirted mans heart sank, he glanced at Uncle Wang and saw the old mans face full of fear, constantly retreating. Idiot, with your actions, youre basically telling others youre stalking them with bad intentions! The flower-shirted man cursed in his mind; Master, I have some Zombie cores here, 1 dont know if youre still buying? I just brought these from the safe house The flower-shirted man smiled and took out more than a dozen Zombie cores from his bag and handed them over; You followed me for half a day, just to give me Zombie cores? Song Jian had a mocking smile on his face. These two guys were only at level three, probably still in the novice trial period, with weak strength. However, they had the audacity to stalk him. They must want to gather some leftovers, but too bad, Ive already taken the good stuff. Song Jian secretly thought, watching the two men bowing and scraping with a humble appearance, the killing intent in his heart disappeared without a trace. As long as its a Zombie core, I want it! Song Jian accepted the cores and threw a handful of Doomsday Coins to the flower-shirted man; The flower-shirted man looked at the Zombie cores with heartache, he had saved them for a long time; Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although Zombie cores could be dropped by level one mutated Zombies, the drop rate was too low, and it was not guaranteed to get one even after killing dozens of them. Boss, can you tell us what these Zombie cores are for? The flower-shirted man cautiously asked. Heh~ Song Jian glanced at him disdainfully. If he told them the purpose of the Zombie cores, how could he collect them later? At the very least, the price would definitely rise a lot when he went to buy them; But then again, Li Keers Sunflower Bar had already opened, and the casino on the second floor would probably be open soon. By that time, everyone would know the purpose of the Zombie cores, they couldnt keep it secret for long; Do you know Sunflower Bar? Song Jian asked. Sunflower Bar? The flower-shirted man was stunned, his eyes widened, and a surprised expression appeared on his face: Boss, are you talking about the bar with the beautiful bartender? Yeah, Ive been there as a customer, but the drinks there are so expensive The second floor of Sunflower Bar is a casino, which will be open soon. There will be slot machines there, requiring Zombie cores to play, and you can gamble for quite a few good things! Song Jian casually said; All, I see. Thank you, boss, thank you, boss! The flower-shirted man was stunned. He didnt expect Song Jian to reveal the purpose of the Zombie cores so easily, and he was overjoyed; In the next few days, I can collect more Zombie cores, and when the casino opens, the prices of Zombie cores will definitely rise The flower-shirted man thought excitedly, No, by that time, I can also gamble. If I win something good, wouldnt it be more profitable than selling Zombie cores? Alright, now that you know what Zombie cores are for, stop following me, and dont be so reckless in the future. Be careful, or you might be killed without knowing what happened! Song Jian said with a faint smile; Although there was not a single threatening word, Uncle Wangs face suddenly turned pale, and his eyes were filled with fearful expressions when he looked at Song Jian. Thank you, boss, thank you, boss! On the other hand, the flower-shirted man didnt seem to care, his face full of smiles as he flattered Song Jian. Song Jian glanced at them and walked out of the house; The flower-shirted man disdainfully looked at Uncle Wang. He originally thought the two could help each other, but this guy got so scared when he saw Song Jian, he even didnt dare to let out a fart. It was a good thing he was clever and dodged a bullet; Uncle Wang, youre really useless. With such small courage, how can you survive out here? The flower-shirted man spoke with a tone of a seasoned veteran; Phew~, let me catch my breath first! Uncle Wang leaned against the wall, sitting slowly on the ground; Uncle Wang, dont tell me you have a heart attack? The flower-shirted man furrowed his brow; Kid, the two of us just took a trip to the ghost world! Uncle Wang took a deep breath, and his face gradually relaxed; Ghost world? Uncle Wang, arent you exaggerating a bit! The flower-shirted man said disdainfully; Uncle Wang slowly stood up, peeked outside the door, and found that Song Jians figure had disappeared. He then said slowly, The young man just now, hes killed people! Killed people? The flower-shirted mans face changed, and he asked urgently, Are you saying hes a wanted criminal? Dont know, but hes killed people, a lot of them. He carries a murderous aura, and just now, he was about to kill us Uncle Wang seemed to remember something terrifying, his lips trembled slightly; Kill us? The flower-shirted man looked incredulous, saying, How could it be? We didnt do anything Kid, stalking him is already considered hostile. What else do you want to do? Uncle Wang helplessly looked at the flower-shirted man, pointed to Song Jians bedroom and said, Tell me, what would a level ten expert like him come here for? There must be a secret! You mean, he came here to find something? The flower-shirted mans eyes lit up; Most likely, but he must have found it already. Otherwise, wed be in danger. Just now, he was really ready to kill, 1 could feel it! Uncle Wang said; The flower-shirted man snorted, didnt take Uncle Wangs words seriously, and quickly rushed into the bedroom Song Jian had just entered; Oh my, he really was looking for something, but it seems like he has already taken it away The flower-shirted mans shouting soon came from the bedroom. Uncle Wang walked in the bedroom quickly and, by the wooden bed, saw a large pile of paper bills. The wooden board covering the safe was open, and so was the safe door; There was actually a safe here, damn it! I searched this room before and found nothing! The flower-shirted man had a regretful expression. This room has been searched at least seven or eight times. If you dont know the location of this safe, youll never find it! Uncle Wang just glanced at the scene, shaking his head; Heh, a master is indeed a master The flower-shirted man sighed; After a while, the flower-shirted man seemed to have thought of something, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he whispered to Uncle Wang, Uncle Wang, do you think if we tell him the location of that BOSS, he would give us a share of the loot? Uncle Wang hesitated for a moment, then frowned and thought for a long time, nodded slowly and said, 1 think, he might. Im just afraid he may not be interested in a level five elite BOSS. Chapter 113 - 113: The Zombie Mailman Chapter 113: The Zombie Mailman Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stepped out of his residence, glancing at the blue jade necklace wrapped in the bundle, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Sword Finger, one of the inheritance skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, I wonder how powerful it is! Song Jian murmured softly to himself, lie already knew Count Qian Dahais address, but the current Song Jian had no idea how to mail the item to him. From the radio, he could discern that mailing was not a difficult task for others, or for other NPCs. Perhaps he could ask others how to mail items on the radio? Would asking such common knowledge questions on the radio expose anything? That was the only concern Song Jian had. Just then, a rushed sound of footsteps rang from behind him. Seeing that Song Jian hadnt left yet, both Hawaiian Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Master, boss, please wait, wait a moment! The Hawaiian Shirt Ghost, a bit flustered, spoke in spurts. Whats wrong? Is there something you need? Song Jian turned around and asked. Master, we know the location of a Level 5 Elite BOSS, would you be interested? Hawaiian Shirt Ghost glanced at Uncle Wang before lowering his voice to ask. A Level 5 Elite BOSS? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head. As a Level 10 player, hunting Level 5 monsters didnt earn him any more experience. Besides, the goods dropped by a Level 5 Elite BOSS were of a too low grade for him. Since the game hadnt opened any trading systems or auction houses, was he supposed to waste time setting up a stall like they did? Moreover, even if Song Jian was willing to set up a stall, most players were only Level 3 or 4 and didnt possess many Doomsday Coins. It wouldnt be profitable! If it were a Level 10 Elite BOSS, I would be interested. But a Level 5? Ill pass. You guys can gather more people to hunt it while its daytime, and its attributes are halved. Song Jian spoke indifferently. Boss, although its just a Level 5 Elite BOSS, it carries a mailbag. If we kill it, it will certainly drop many great items. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost suddenly said. Yeah, Master, we saw it, its mailbag was bulging. I think its like those treasure chest monsters in other games that explode with loot when killed! Uncle Wangs eyes lit up as he eagerly added. A mailbag? Song Jian perked up and asked, Can you describe in detail what the monster looks like? That BOSS is called Postman Zombie. It wears a worn-out uniform and carries a bulging mailbag. It moves very fast! Hawaiian Shirt Ghost quickly reported. Its attack is unique. It pulls out letters from its mailbag and throws them like throwing knives, which deal quite high damage. I took a hit once and lost more than thirty vitality points. It hurt a lot. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost, currently at Level 3, had a vitality limit of eighty-five. Losing more than thirty points meant he lost a third of his vitality. He was definitely not the BOSSS match. Alright, lets go take a look. But lets make it clear first, if the BOSS drops something I need, I have the first choice! Song Jian declared. In fact, upon hearing the BOSSS name, Song Jian made a connection with mailing. Perhaps killing that BOSS would drop a mailbox? In this game, what was impossible? Now, this BOSS was probably the most likely one associated with the mailbox. Of course, of course, we just want to follow you and pick up the leftovers. Uncle Wang quickly agreed. Uncle Wang and Hawaiian Shirt Ghost had already done their calculations. A Level 5 Elite BOSS could very likely drop Level 5 equipment. For Song Jian who was Level 10, Level 5 equipment was already somewhat beneath him. So, in the end, wouldnt they be the beneficiaries? As they talked, the duo walked with Song Jian out of the community. Huh, look at those two. How did they get in with the Master? A player setting up a stall in the central gazebo of the community saw the trio and exclaimed in surprise. Hey, isnt Uncle Wang trying to ride on Masters coattails? someone sneered. I wish I could get a piece of that. I bet the Master is going to help them level up. Im so jealous! someone else said, their eyes gleaming with envy. Do you think theyre going to fight a BOSS? I heard a few days ago that Hawaiian Shirt Ghost was chased around by a BOSS and almost died! another person speculated. A BOSS? Is there really a BOSS? Should we go take a look? The group looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then started shouting, Lets go take a look! Its a rare opportunity to see a Master fight a BOSS! At this stage, few people had encountered a BOSS, and fewer dared to challenge one. Hearing that there was a BOSS fight, they stopped setting up their stalls and started pursuing Song Jian and the others. Master, if we circle around this street, theres a post office ahead. The BOSS is holed up in there! Hawaiian Shirt Ghost pointed at the street ahead. You dont have to call me Master. My name is Song Jian, just call me Brother Song. Song Jian chuckled and asked, Have you cleared most of this area? We didnt explore most of the area. The monsters here are mostly Level 3. Its too risky. One slip, and we could die here. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost shook his head. Song Jian nodded, not saying anything else. The three quickly arrived at an old post office. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Along the way, they encountered many Level 3 mutant zombies. But neither the Hawaiian Shirt Ghost nor Uncle Wang made a move. Song Jian quickly killed them with his dagger. The pair were amazed by his skill. Brother Song, the BOSS is in there. Should we lure it out, or Hawaiian Shirt Ghost looked at the open gateway of the post office and said fearfully. He had innocently thought that areas with stronger monsters might contain better loot. That led him into this post office on his previous adventure, and he almost didnt see the light of day again. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost was worried that the narrow space in the post office would prevent Song Jian from fully utilizing his abilities. He bravely offered to lure the BOSS outside. Theres no need, you see, hasnt it just come out? Song Jian pointed to the post office entrance. Hehe A zombie hunched over, clad in a tattered green uniform, appeared at the entrance of the post office. The zombie was thin and emaciated, with deeply sunken eyes. Its skin clung tightly to its bones, almost devoid of muscle, making it look like a skeleton. The funniest part was that it was even wearing a military green hat on its head, making it look no different from an ordinary postman. Hawaiian Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang werent lying. The BOSS did have a bag hanging from its body, also military green. The words Post Office were written on it. It looked like it was loaded with a lot of things, bulging tightly. Brother Song, thats it. Be careful, its very fast. Seeing this BOSS, Hawaiian Shirt Ghosts face changed dramatically. If he hadnt luckily stumbled upon a small group of players searching nearby last time, he wouldnt have been able to escape. This BOSSS movement was too fast. As expected, the Postman Zombie roared and charged towards the trio once it spotted them. Even though its attributes were halved during the day, it was still considerably faster than regular zombies. Chapter 114 - 114: Backpack Chapter 114: Backpack Translator: 549690339 The Zombie Boss with its mailman appearance was incredibly fast. The Flower-Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang were so startled they kept retreating. If Song Jian hadnt been standing still, they probably would have already turned tail and run. Song Jians face twitched with a smirk as he observed the incoming mailman Zombie. To him, the level five elite boss was no longer an intimidating monster. Even if he only wielded the Tusk Fang Stinger, Song Jian could easily take it down. However, with a slight increase in strength, Song Jian could now use the Rocket Launcher[Cobra-2X] in his inventory, an authentic weapon of mass destruction. Fetching the rocket launcher from his inventory, he positioned it on his shoulder. The cold metal against his cheek, the gaping maw of the gun barrel aimed at the charging boss. Despite the rocket launchers slow fire rate, its power was immense, making it one of the most damaging solo weapons. Its range was somewhat short compared to a sniper rifle, but it had an area attack, possessing a splash damage effect. Before deploying the Mind Eye skill on the mailman Zombie, Song Jian has targeted him mentally. The Cobra-2X was slow but this compensated for it; it was no longer easy to evade the rockets fire. As Song Jian slung the rocket launcher over his shoulder, Flower-Shirt Ghost and Uncle Wang could hardly believe their eyes. How how is this possible? Flower-Shirt Ghost felt as if he was dreaming. I I dont even have a hand-gun, and look at him, already playing with a rocket launcher? How can there be such a disparity between people? Uncle Wang shared a dumbfounded expression. Boom- A rocket, with a long trailing blaze, shot toward the Mailman Zombie. You could even see with the naked eye the trajectory of the rocket in mid-air. The Mailman Zombie issued a roar, unflinchingly charging right into the rocket without so much as a hint of evasion. It seemed as if this boss hadnt even regained its senses yet, let alone having the sense to perceive danger. Other than higher attack, stronger defense, and more vitality, such a boss was practically no different from a regular mutant Zombie. Boom- Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A crushing explosion as the rocket hit the Zombie in the chest, causing a deafening roar. The Mailman Zombies body was indeed resilient. Hit directly with a rocket, it wasnt one-shot killed. Following the explosion, it was hurled five or six meters back by the force, and brutally slammed into the wall of the post office behind it. This monsters body is indeed formidable! Song Jian commented. If this was in the real world, a flesh and blood body bearing the brunt of a rocket would be a splatter of fragments. But in the game, the Boss had survived a direct hit from a rocket, still writhing on the ground attempting to stand back up. Worthy of being a Boss, such a tough body, even with the attributes halved, it can still take a hit from a rocket. Song Jian expressed his appreciation. The Mailman Zombie Boss howled madly, its eyes radiated with bloody lust, glaring viciously at Song Jian. Its legs had been blown off and only half of its waist was remaining, rendering standing up impossible. But it had not yet given up on attacking; even if it took using its hands to crawl, it was determined. As Song Jian waited for the cooldown to be over, he slightly adjusted the direction of the rocket launcher. Boom- The second rocket roared its way towards the Mailman BOSS. This time the battered Boss couldnt withstand the rockets damage any longer. The body burst into fragments and with an explosive roar, the Bosss body broke into tens of pieces, scattering in all directions. The fragmented body turned into black ash in the mid-air, and scattered into the wind. In front of the post office, apart from a huge pit, one could no longer see any signs of the Boss, as if it had never been there. Around the huge pit created by the rocket attack, a few items radiating green and white light had scattered around. Huh, equipment has dropped? Song Jians eyes lit up as he caught sight of the dropped gear. At his current level, a level-five Boss dropping equipment was already extremely lucky. The greatest possibility was that a few average items would drop. Mailmans Bag (Green), backpack, effect: Can store twelve items upon equipping; note: the bag will occupy one accessory slot once equipped. This is mine, you guys dont mind, do you? Song Jian casually picked up the mailmans bag and asked them. No, no objections! Both of them looked at each other, their faces wearing polite yet awkward smiles. The backpack was a great item. Players only had an initial sixteen inventory slots, far from enough considering the vast variety of items in this game. Song Jian gleefully opened his equipment interface and equipped the mailmans bag. Every player had two accessory slots and both of Song Jians were empty. Huh, how can this be? Beads of cold sweat formed on Song Jians forehead as he stared at the accessory interface containing a black stone tablet, his face turning pale. After all, this was the stone tablet that he had possessed within the real-world, always kept in his drawer and had left it there before entering the game. So how come it had suddenly appeared in the game and was displayed in his equipment interface? The effect of this stone tablet was only to increase vitality by one point, but its surface seemed to be enveloped by a layer of transparent energy, as though it had been sealed. Song Jian had intended to bring it back to the real world for research, thinking that he wouldnt miss that little vitality increase that much in the game. But why did it appear in the game and in his equipment interface again? Staring at the stone tablet for a while, Song Jian felt that there was something mysterious about it. However, he couldnt figure it out right now, so he left it aside temporarily. Seems like all the items obtained recently have something to do with storage space! Song Jian murmured to himself. The remaining items were all common varieties, Song Jian glanced at them but was too lazy to pick them up; Zombie Tusk, Zombie Eyeball, Zombie Leatherthese items could already be dropped by a Level One Mutant Zombie. It was a particularly shameful act for a level-five elite Boss to drop these kinds of items. You guys can have all these materials, Song Jian said nonchalantly. Thanks, Brother Song! The duo feebly thanked him. The loot dropped by level-five elite Bosses should have been unattractive to level-ten masters, but a storage package happened to drop this time. It was hard to tell whether this was an instance of good or bad luck. Hey, Brother Song, look at this thing, its quite strange! Flower-Shirt Ghost picked up an item from the ground and after staring at it for a while, he called out to Song Jian; Chapter 115 - 115: Mailbox Chapter 115: Mailbox Translator: 549690339 Song Jian, who had initially turned to leave, changed directions after hearing the shout from Floral Shirt Ghost. Whats the matter, these are just common quality materials, is there anything strange about them? Song Jian asked with a laugh; Song, Brother Song, look at this. It seems like this isnt a material, but an equipment piece no, I cant even call it equipment. I I dont know what to call it. Floral Shirt Ghost was scratching his head as he lifted a shimmering white item in his hand. Song Jian moved closer and started examining its attributes. A stamp? What is this, something for mailing? Song Jians eyebrows rose in surprise, he seemed intrigued. Stamp (White), Special Item, Effect: After usage, it can send an item to any specified address! Note: This item is unique. Once its used, it will automatically disappear. This thing is useful for me, give it to me, Song Jian said. Sure, Brother Song! Floral Shirt Ghost, far from being reluctant, happily handed the white item to Song Jian. Floral Shirt Ghost had previously checked the properties of this item. For current players, the only use is to exchange it for one Doomsday Coin at the system store. However, for advanced players, it may have other uses, which is why Floral Shirt Ghost had called out to Song Jian. Here are ten Doomsday Coins, consider it as me buying it. Song Jian placed the stamp into his backpack and handed the Doomsday Coins to Floral Shirt Ghost; We cant possibly accept this, Brother Song! Floral Shirt Ghost said, his face glowing with a bright smile. He insisted they couldnt take the money, but he quickly pocketed the Doomsday Coins; Alright, when theres a boss next time, find me in the villa beside Camel Square! Song Jian waved his hand, turning to stride towards his estate. Watching Song Jians departing figure, Floral Shirt Ghosts mouth slowly dropped open, his face full of disbelief and awe. Oh my, turns out its this big shot, the first one to establish a Safe House! Floral Shirt Ghost exclaimed in shock. My god, youre something, kid. You managed to build a relationship with him over a piece of junk with white quality, impressive, Floral Shirt No, Brother Ghost! How come Ive never realized youve got such a keen eye! Uncle Wang gave Floral Shirt Ghost a heavy pat on the shoulder, his face full of envy. Hey, 1 didnt expect to run into this big shot either. If I have him backing me while setting up a Safe House, wouldnt that be almost like a sure deal? Floral Shirt Ghost smirked, grinning from ear to ear. Upon arriving back at his estate and spotting the flock of blood crow in his yard, Song Jian frowned slightly. The sight of the withered old tree in his yard, combined with the dozens of blood-red crows, gave his entire estate a grim feeling like a haunted mansion from medieval Europe. The place would look marginally better during the daylight, but it would definitely pass for a haunted house come nightfall. With the castle empty, Song Jian felt too lazy to sit on the floor. He went to sit under the Blood and Dark Spirit Poison Tree and took out the stamp. Getting this stamp can be considered a surprise. Song Jian set out to find clues about mailboxes, but instead of finding any clues, he got a stamp that could mail items. This left Song Jian to muse about the fickle nature of destiny. However, while this stamp could be used to mail things, it didnt have a payment feature. If Song Jian had a mailbox, he could set a payment amount and item, but this stamp didnt have this feature and could only send items. Should he mail the item to Count Qian Dahai first? Song Jian wasnt about to do something so naive. Even if Count Qian Dahai was a highly reputable gentleman, Song Jian didnt even have a mailbox yet. So even if the count wanted to send him the payment, he wouldnt have a place to mail it to. It seems 1 will have to use the radio to find some clues about the email address, Song Jian thought to himself. With a thought in mind, Song Jians figure appeared on the third floor of the castle. In the empty room, there was just a radio set up on the floor. As Song Jian turned on the radio, a harsh electrical static noise burst out, which lasted for a long time before it slowly faded away. This is the Falcon Squad, we have a level five equipment we want to sell. Its a blue quality long knife, its attribute is Hey, Judy, the attributes of this long knife isnt bad, but the level is a bit too low. Did you guys beat the elite boss outside Kawa Town? A frivolous voice said through the radio. The base price for this long knife is one hundred Doomsday Coins, is there anyone interested in buying it? Judy seemed uninterested in engaging with him and shouted out her price on the radio channel. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is Count Francis from the City of Sin. Ill take the long knife for one hundred Doomsday Coins. It can serve as a birthday gift for my young son next month, a low, deep voice echoed through the radio. One hundred and ten Doomsday Coins. This knife, combined with my Triple Slash, can amplify its power by one hundred and thirty percent. This is Su Lijun from the City of Sky, my email address is One hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins, thats my final offer. If anyone goes higher than me, then its yours! Count Francis voice echoed again in the radio channel. It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in Song Jians mind. Many good items, like the Mutated Pine Nut, could only sell for a few dozen Doomsday Coins at the most. It wasnt that the items were bad, but that the players purchasing power was too low. If I had known earlier Song Jian wanted to cry but had no tears. A blue-quality sword that was dropped by a level-five elite boss was auctioned for over a hundred Doomsday Coins. How much could he have sold the Mutated Pine Nut, which can increase Vitality Points, for if he had shouted it on the radio? Eventually, the blue-quality long knife was bought by Su Lijun from the City of Sky for one hundred eighty Doomsday Coins. There seemed to be a lot of people on the radio channel, some trading items, some looking for people, some publishing hiring tasks, but most of them were chatting. Song Jian didnt understand why there were so many people who had nothing to do during the apocalypse. Ahem, I would like to ask, how to get an email address? Finally, Song Jian pressed the transmission key to ask for clues about email in the radio. Quickly, a young voice echoed through the radio, Email? Isnt that something you can easily get from the city hall? Young man, you know too little. Many places dont have a city hall, like in Kawa Town. Ask Papa Kaman, does his Gathering Area of about thirty people have a city hall? Its difficult for gathering areas in the wilderness to apply for emails unless you apply to the system god for setting up a Safe House and withstand the monster siege, then youll be qualified to apply Setting up a Safe House in a wilderness gathering area is too difficult. The tide of monsters isnt something anyone can handle unless you can hire a legion to have a slim chance Hire a legion? Are you crazy? If I have the money to hire a legion, why not apply for citizenship in a big city, like the City of Sin, or the City of Light Why not come to our City of Sky? The security in our city is excellent, and the nightlife is also very rich The citizens of the City of Sin smiled without a word. What citys nightlife could be more extravagant than the City of Sin? Song Jian was a bit speechless. The conversation began discussing about the emails but quickly changed topic. A group of idle people were discussing which citys bar dancer dances the most seductively on the radio channel. Chapter 116 - 116: Employment Chapter 116: Employment Translator: 549690339 Watching a once serious discussion gradually derail, Song Jian felt somewhat vexed. As everyone discussed whether the Golden Gun Pills were effective or Vitality Boosting Potion was better, Song Jian reluctantly switched off the radio. Through the radio, Song Jian learned that even in the apocalypse, many people were still living well. The concept of nations had faded away, replaced by city-centered dictatorships. Even for ordinary people living in these cities, basic rights were protected. If they dared to hunt monsters and became professionals, their lives would be even betterhardly any worse than before the apocalypse. However, many people couldnt pass the city-citizenship application process and had to voluntarily form their own Gathering Areas in the wilderness. The security of these Gathering Areas was not guaranteed. Some Gathering Areas disappeared overnight, and this was no longer news, nor was it a common topic of conversation. Such incidents were far too commonplace. As for the clues about the mailbox, Song Jian had gleaned this information from the hodgepodge of radio chatter. As long as he built a safehouse, he could apply to the system. However, applying for a mailbox required a large sum of money, which many people couldnt afford. He opened the manors creation list and scrolled all the way down to a More Features option. Upon selecting it, several sub-options appeared: Add Friend, Form Alliance, Join an Organization, Hire, and Apply for a Mailbox. Song Jian began investigating each option in turn. The Add Friend feature allowed adding like-minded friends who also had built safehouses, but the friend request needed to be accepted. After adding a friend, he could check their online status and set up a private chat channel. Forming an Alliance was akin to creating a guild. If ten players owning safehouses responded, an organization could be formed. This organization was initially capped at a hundred players, and completing certain tasks was necessary to increase that cap. But in the current game, the number of players who successfully built safehouses was small. Forming an alliance would take considerable time. Join an Organization was for joining an already established organization, which could be player-created or NPC-created, like the 101 Gathering Area Song Jian previously encountered. But his relationship with them was hostile, so he couldnt join their organization. Hire was for employing a character akin to a butler, who would manage the safehouse when he was offline or not there. A level one to level three safehouse could only hire one person. After upgrading to a manor, three could be employed. The hiring cost was considerable. In the hiring list, the aptitude, attributes and skills of each hiree differed. Hirees with higher aptitude, attributes, and more skills costed more to hire; and a monthly salary was needed after successful hire. Song Jian was interested in the Hire function. Fiana, the bartender from Li Keers Sunflower Bar, had left a deep impression on Song Jian. He hoped to hire someone similar, but among the dozens of potential hires, their professions were all different; Robin (White), Profession: Gardener, Aptitude: Low, Attributes: Weak, Skills: Watering, Weeding, Bug-catching, Plant care; Hiring cost: 50 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 5 Doomsday Coins. Suma (White), Profession: Chef, Aptitude: Below average, Attributes: Slightly weak, Skills: Basic cooking; Hiring cost: 80 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 10 Doomsday Coins. A gardener, chef, farmer, cleaner, maid what is all this? Song Jian exclaimed, shaking his head at the low-quality hires. He was not satisfied. It was not until he scrolled to the end of the list that he found an employee of green quality. George (Blue), Profession: Butler, Aptitude: Average, Attributes: Normal, Skills: Basic Elocution, Intermediate Management, Basic Defense Spells. Hiring cost: 150 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 20 Doomsday Coins. A basic defense spell? How does a butler have such skills? Song Jian raised his eyebrows and curiously opened the description of the skill; It can increase the safehouses defense by 30%. Awesome! My manors current defense is eight thousand, so thirty percent of that is an addition of two thousand four hundred. Song Jian lit up with joy; Hire George! Song Jian clicked on George and selected to hire him. A hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins soon disappeared, and George was removed from the hiring list. He waited a while, and George didnt appear. Just as Song Jian was feeling puzzled, he noticed a shabbily dressed man walking towards his manor from the street outside. The man, pallid from hardship, had green text floating above his head. LV1 George, Vitality Points: 80/80, Employer: Song Jian. Is this the butler I hired? He looks so weak. Song Jian frowned, then teleported to the manors main entrance. Sir, 1 thank you for your employment. If not for you, 1 fear 1 might starve in the slums! The moment George saw Song Jian, his eyes welled up with tears of excitement. He bowed deeply towards Song Jian and said; George, from now on, I am entrusting my manor to you. 1 hope you will not betray my trust, Song Jian muttered to himself in his heart. Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Compared to Fiana, George was far from impressive, causing some disappointment in Song Jian. But as he was already hired, hed have to wait and see if George could manage the manor well. At the least, George had a basic defensive spell that could boost the manors overall defence by 30%. For this basic defense spell, its worth spending 20 Doomsday Coins a month! Song Jian tried to console himself. Sir, 1 will manage this manor to the best of my abilities. George said gratefully. Alright, come in then. Song Jian disappeared, reappearing on the third floor of the castle. Watching George enter, he first inspected the several vacant Spirit Fields around the castle and then entered the castle itself, wandering around. Seeing George enter the castle, Song Jian turned his attention back to examining the next feature and said, Apply for Mailbox. This is what 1 need. 1 already own a manor, so my application should be easily accepted. Song Jian muttered to himself as he selected the option Apply for Mailbox. Chapter 117 - 117: Second Floor Chapter 117: Second Floor Translator: 549690339 What the ratfuck, has the system gone insane? Song Jian was shocked at the three thousand Doomsday Coins needed to set up a mailbox; Just to give you an idea, any player with over three hundred Doomsday Coins in their pocket could already be considered a tycoon. If Song Jian hadnt gotten a SSS grade on his previous main mission, he wouldnt have more than a hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins. There were too many places to spend money in this game and too few ways to earn it. The vast majority of players were barely managing, living like mule-skinner, doing the same mind-numbing and dull routines of chopping trees and collecting stone for a few Doomsday Coins, which was even more tiring than a real-life job; Staring at his bag showing 3112 Doomsday Coins, Song Jian gritted his teeth resentfully. Having to hand over the coins to the system just as they were warming his pocket was really annoying; Well, you win some, you lose some. It takes giving to receive. Song Jian consoled himself, gritted his teeth, and clicked on the Create option. The Doomsday Coins in his bag quickly diminished, yet nothing unusual seemed to happen. In reality, a red mailbox more than half a human height had already appeared outside the manors gate, but Song Jian couldnt see it as his view was blocked by a wall; Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a while, unable to wait any longer, Song Jian opened the manor management list, and was surprised to discover that Mailbox had appeared on the list, under Catapult (3); After opening the mailbox, the first thing was to set an address; If he was in a large city like the City of Sin or Sky City, and had a fixed address, he could apply for a mailbox from the city hall. This mailbox address would be set by the municipal office and he could not change it; Only those who set up safe houses in the wild were allowed to fill out their own mailbox address, but the address couldnt be the same as someone elses; What address should I use? Song Jian furrowed his brows, deep in thought; Through the radio, Song Jian learned that people who set up safe houses in the wild usually use names like Layton Mansion or Jamint Cottage. In large cities, addresses followed the specific format of ** City ** Street (Road) ** Neighborhood ** Number After thinking for a while, Song Jian blinked and typed 1, Blessing Neighborhood, Bright Street, City of Hope After setting up his own mailbox address, he could now send out parcels; Song Jian opened the Send Item option, put the blue jade necklace in there, and in the payment option for the recipient, wrote one thousand Doomsday Coins and Skill Book: Sword Finger. After filling out the postage address, if Count Qian Dahai wants to accept this blue jade necklace, he would have to pay one thousand Doomsday Coins and Skill Book: Sword Finger. Phew, not bad luck. 1 just dont know how powerful the Swordsman Immortal profession actually is! Song Jian mumbled to himself, checked everything again, and chose to send the parcel; System: Youve chosen recipient-pays postage for item Blue Jade Necklace to address: Inner City 188, City of Sin, recipient Qian Dahai. This postage will cost one stamp, continue with postage? Requires a stamp? Song Jian was taken aback, his brow furrowing, but quickly he chose to send out the parcel; A light flashed on the stamp in his bag and flew toward the door of the manor. Looking at the mailbox, the blue jade necklace was gone, a parcel has been sent out; Having a mailbox is not enough, 1 need a stamp to send items, way too bothersome. Song Jian thought to himself; After waiting for a while with no new mail notifications, it looks like Count Qian Dahai still had not seen his message, Song Jian shook his head, flashed to the manors gate, and walked out; Master, I have some information about the combat profession Tree Shepherd, I wonder if you The Blood Shade Poison Tree slowly woke up from its sleep, noticed Song Jians presence, and started speaking slowly; But before it could finish, Song Jians figure had already disappeared from the manors gate. The Blood Shade Poison Tree Alex was stunned, sighed heavily, and fell back to sleep; Song Jian stood at Sunflower Bar, watching with some surprise at the constant stream of people coming in and out. Its only been a few days, and Sunflower Bar has already gained such popularity? Song Jian murmured to himself, and slowly walked in; Upon walking into the main hall, he was stunned to find that it was already packed. Every single one of the dozen tables was full, even the high stools in front of the bar were taken. Soft music was playing in the bar, with almost every patron holding a cup of drink. Most were seated at the tables, glancing around, seemingly in search of something. Captain, captain, this is the place, this is the place. A mug of beer will increase your attack by 30% for 3 hours. We all take a glass first, then well go farm mobs! I dont need attack, Fox, is there anything that increases defense or vitality? Yes, yes, rum, oat rum can provide 300 Vitality Points for two and a half hours, while dark beer can increase your defense by 15, also for two and a half hours. However, you can only drink one of these two, if you drink the second one it will override the first ones effects. Song Jian watched a five-person squad squeeze to the front of the bar. Each bought a drink, gulped it down, then quickly moved out of the bar; Hey, Fiana, is the boss lady in? Song Jian greeted as he approached; The boss lady is out on some business. Why are you looking for her? Fiana lazily slid a highball glass down the bar to a player, turned her head to glance at Song Jian and responded; Oh, nothing. 1 was just wondering, has the upstairs casino opened yet? Song Jian asked. Having acquired several dozen zombie cores, Song Jian intended to test his luck at the casino, and see if he could gamble to win a few good items before going on the main mission; The upstairs casino is not open to the public yet! Fiana said: But the boss lady has authorized you with free access. Just go up by yourself. Thanks. Song Jian gave a small smile and made his way upstairs; Seeing Song Jian heading upstairs, several people who noticed him looked surprised. Miss Fiana, may 1 ask if the gentleman just now is the owner of this bar? A player seated at the bar looked charmingly at Fiana, softly asking; No, hes just a friend of the boss! Fiana looked back at him and declared; Oh, then may I ask, whats the deal with the upstairs casino? When will it open? Haha, those are not questions you should be concerned with. You should wait patiently for the wanderers arrival. Fiana gave an indifferent smile and dismissive comment; Seeing that no one was ordering drinks, Fiana took out a crystal glass, with a blue velvet handkerchief, and leisurely polished the inner wall of the glass. She was blatantly ignoring the questions of the player at the high stool of the bar; Chapter 118 - 118: Invisible Sword Qi Chapter 118: Invisible Sword Qi Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stepped up the stairs to the second floor, feeling as if he had passed through a thin membrane. Clearly, this was Li Keer setting permissions within the safehouse, only her permitted individuals could access the second floor; At present, the second-floor casino wasnt open to the public. However, it had been thoroughly cleaned, and all the old damaged gambling tables were moved away, making the casino appear somewhat empty; The slot machine was still as it had been, its circle of neon lights were gently flickering. Their four rolling tracks currently displayed the message Welcome.; Song Jian had acquired over thirty zombie cores. According to probability, he should be able to get three to four items, but he couldnt be certain about their quality; He inserted a zombie core and forcefully pulled the lever; Cling-clang- The four rolling tracks started rotating and, before long, slowed to a halt from left to right; Thank you for your participation! Song Jians expression remained unchanged as he inserted another zombie core; Thank you for your participation! Thank you for your participation! One or two Thank you for your participation, and Song Jian could calmly accept it. Five or six and Song Jian merely frowned slightly. But after over twenty consecutive Thank you for your participation, Song Jian was about ready to smash the damn machine; What the hell, isnt it said that by using approximately ten zombie cores, an item can be obtained? Youve already taken twenty-seven of my zombie cores without even emitting a single fart? Song Jian said, slightly peeved; Phwoo- The machine gave off a strange noise similar to a leaky pipe that sounded like a fart; Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian; You goddamn Song Jian raised his fist, ready to smash the screen of the slot machine, but the screen suddenly flashed, typing out a line of light blue font; This machine belongs to the system God. Any damage caused must be compensated for! Cant mess with it, cant mess with it! Song Jian retracted his hand honestly, respectfully placing a zombie core into the coin slot with both hands before gently pulling the lever. Cling-clang- Thank you for your participation! It doesnt matter, its not like its a lot of money Song Jian comforted himself; Insert zombie core, pull lever, insert zombie core, pull lever Song Jian seemingly numb, until the last zombie core is inserted, and cheerful music akin to winning a prize played from the slot machine; I won? Song Jian gaped, moments later revealing a bitter smile. Thirty-six zombie cores were used, and only one item was won, this odds were simply Perhaps, Im simply unlucky. Song Jian shook his head, saying this self-mockingly; Opening the slot of the machine, a golden glow appeared before Song Jians eyes; Song Jian took out what was a scroll emitting a golden glow; Skill Scroll: Invisible Sword Qi; Skill Book, Effects: The skill Invisible Sword Qi can be learned after use! Invisible Sword Qi: Increases the Sword Qi Energy Bar. When any weapon is used, Invisible Sword Qi can be added to it, enhancing the power of the weapon; Note: This is one of the skills inherited by the Swordsman Immortal. Attention: Sword Qi might cause damage to added weapons. Unlucky? Hahaha, damn unlucky my ass! Im the luck king! Haha. Song Jian burst out laughing in surprise, the laughter lowered clearly even from the first floor; A golden quality skill scroll, also one of the Swordsman Immortals inherited skills, this made Song Jian feel as though a gold ingot had fallen from the sky, hitting him on the head; Without saying a second word, he directly used the scroll. A golden light flashed, and in Song Jians personal attribute interface, beneath Vitality Points and Spirit Points, another energy bar illuminating a silver glow was added; Sword Qi Value: 100/100 What a shame! I currently dont know any sword skills. Even though Ive learned Invisible Sword Qi, its power cant be shown. Song Jian expressed some regret, his desire for the skill book Sword Finger had become more urgent; Actually, the importance of the Invisible Sword Qi skill book greatly surpasses that of Sword Finger. This is the core base skill of a Swordsman Immortal profession, all skills of this profession require Invisible Sword Qi to execute. Without Invisible Sword Qi, even if Song Jian acquired the Sword Finger skill, it merely becomes a collectible, a dust collector, he wouldnt be able to both learn and use it; Count Qian Dahai was willing to use the Sword Finger as part of the reward precisely because of this reason, without Invisible Sword Qi as a base, Sword Finger couldnt be learned; Song Jian, now pleased as punch, descended to the first floor. All the players on the first floor gazed at him as if looking at a big fool, his sudden outburst of laughter earlier had attracted everyones attention; Song Jian didnt mind the others stares, he confidently walked to the bar, pulled out a couple of Doomsday Coins and slapped them onto the counter, loudly ordering, Give me a glass of rum! A big one! Seems like your harvest wasnt small! Fiana filled a glass with rum and slid it toward Song Jian; The golden liquor brimmed with bubbles, looking just like champagne. Song Jian raised his glass and gulped down the drink. Rum is made from sugarcane, so it has a rich, sweet and slightly bitter taste with quite a kick to it. Once you have tasted it, you are bound to crave it; Song Jian finished the entire glass of rum in one breath, belched contently and a satisfied smile emerged on his face; At this moment, the door of the bar was pushed open, making a bang- sound; Almost everyone turned their heads to look at the door. A dwarf dressed in cowboy attire, with two revolvers hanging from his waist, wearing a cowboy hat, stepped through the door; I heard that the best oat beer in Zombie City can be found here. I wonder if its true! Bartender, give old man Zack a glass of oat beer, no water, no ice! The dwarf Zack stroked his thick beard and shouted at Fiana; Honored guest, may I have the honor of offering you a glass? Lets drink the most concentrated oat beer at the Sunflower Bar! A player sitting at the bar immediately stood up and shouted at the cowboy-clad dwarf. Old man Zack, come sit in my booth for a bit. Not only do we have the most concentrated oat beer here, but also sweet rum, rye beer, I invite you to have a taste! Another player in the booth also stood up and began calling out to dwarf Zack; Come here, I. Hi, honored dwarf sir, over here? Suddenly, the entire bar was bustling like a marketplace, almost everyone stood up, inviting the dwarf who had just entered the bar to have a drink; Song Jian was a bit stunned for a moment, he turned to look at Fiana, gesturing in the direction of the other players and whispered, Whats going on? No big deal, youll get used to it if you come often, they are recruiting followers! Fiana shrugged her shoulders, saying lazily; Chapter 119 - 119: 119: Musketeer Chapter 119 - 119: 119: MusketeerTranslator: 549690339 Follower? Song Jian blinked. Can NPCs be recruited as followers here? sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Exactly! Fiana gestured towards the Dwarven cowboy Zack at the door: Since the bar officially opened, many wandering NPCs pass by, pays a short visit, have a drink and rest a bit. Whether you can recruit them, though, depends on your skills. Only a few players have been successful during these days. No wonder there are so many people in this bar. 1 thought the players were idling around! Song Jian shook his head and murmured. Brother, you dont understand. Sharpening the ax will not delay the job of chopping the wood! Once you successfully recruit a follower, whether you are hunting monsters or collecting resources, its rapid! a player next to him explained with a smile. Dont followers demand wages? Song Jian suddenly asked. The player was stunned, then scratched his head uncertainly, They shouldnt, 1 think. I havent recruited any yet, so Im not sure. Im just here to try my luck! Every six hours, a wandering NPC will appear, but their qualifications, attributes, and professions are random, Fiana continued to explain, This Zack is obviously from the Dwarf Clan, and he should be a Musketeer or Cowboy. His quality is pretty decent, barely considered of excellent quality. Song Jian looked over at Zack; indeed, the name displayed on top of this wandering NPC was blue. However, apart from the name, all of the Dwarf Zacks attributes were hidden. Right after his attributes were the words recruitable. Oh, bless the Forging God, the people in this bar are too enthusiastic! So enthusiastic its a bit overwhelming, haha! Zack stroked his beard and laughed heartily. Fianas eyes lit up and she whispered, Forging God, judging by appearances, this dwarf Zack must be a Forging Master. If anyone can recruit him, it would be a huge gain. Huh, you can be sure hes a Forging Master just by his use of the phrase Forging God in the Heavens? Song Jian was baffled and asked immediately. Of course, Fiana looked at Song Jian and said, Each race worships not just one God but has many. Among the Dwarf Clan, there are no fewer than ten Gods. Generally, worshiping different Gods will grant different bonuses, but one person can only worship one God. Changing faiths would completely wipe out the value of the previous faith, which is unfavorable. I believe that unless one is a Forging Master, they wouldnt worship the Forging God. This is because the bonus granted by worshiping the Forging God is a 10% increase in forging success rate, Fiana explained with a casual expression on her face. I see! said Song Jian, nodding. Many of the in-game information was unknown to the players, but Song Jian found that regular conversations with NPCs could yield a lot of useful information. Isnt your main mission to converse with ten combat-class individuals to understand their occupations? Fiana suddenly said to Song Jian, Whether this dwarf Zack is a Musketeer or Cowboy, he is your target! Huh, is that so? Song Jian was surprised. He didnt understand how Fiana knew about his main mission. If she hadnt reminded him, he might have forgotten as he had been thinking about the Sword Immortal profession. All right, Ill go talk to him. Song Jian put down his glass and walked over to the dwarf, Zack. As soon as Song Jian approached Zack, before he could even speak, Zack turned around with a serious face and said, Gods chosen one, you have embarked on the path of pursuing a profession. Would you like to learn about the Musketeer, a great profession? Honorable Battle Profession Advisor, Im standing at a crossroads of confusion and I dont know which road to take. Please guide me on forward. 1 would like to hear about the Musketeer, a noble profession, Song Jian followed the systems prompts and said. Hahahaha, of course, no problem! Zack laughed loudly, stroking his beard and staring at Song Jian, But before I explain the Musketeer, a great profession, to you, I need to confirm if you have the capability to take up this profession. You must pass my test! A test? Song Jian was shocked, but soon nodded, No problem, Advisor Zack, I am willing to accept your test. Hmm, let me think. Zack mused for a moment, a gleam flashed in his eyes, he laughed heartily, My challenge to you is to purchase a cup of Golden Rum for me! System: Battle Profession Mentor, Dwarf Zack, has issued you a challenge task: Golden Rum; Task requirement: Hand over a cup of Golden Rum to Battle Profession Mentor, Dwarf Zack; Golden Rum: o/l; Task deadline: 6 hours; Task Reward: Earn Zacks trust, receive information on the Musketeer profession; Task Penalty: Decrease relationship with Battle Profession Mentor Zack to indifferent. Alright, Advisor Zack, please wait a moment! After giving a bow to Zack, Song Jian turned around and walked to the bar counter. Fiana, give me a cup of Golden Rum! Song Jian shouted. Golden Rum, one thousand Doomsday Coins a cup, are you sure you want to buy one? Fiana asked with a charming smile. Song Jian was startled, almost losing his balance. What? Why is it so expensive? Is this Golden Rum really more precious than the Royal Salute Count Rum? Song Jian questioned loudly, his face flushing. Of course not! Fiana shook her head and said, The quality of the Golden Rum is far lower than that of the Royal Salute Count Rum, but Fiana held up a finger and wiggled it at Song Jian, You purchased the Royal Salute Count Rum because you were helping the boss build a safe house, which was considered a personal gift. But now, you must pay the original price for any fine wine you need! So, if I want to buy a Royal Salute Count Rum now, how many Doomsday Coins will it cost? Song Jian asked tentatively. First, your intimacy level with me must reach Adoration, then, youll need to pay one million Doomsday Coins! Fiana alluringly said, gazing at Song Jian. Adoration? One million Doomsday Coins? Song Jian stood with his mouth agape, feeling a wave of belated bliss. Young man, you only have six hours. Please make good use of every minute and second. If you cant even complete a simple challenge like this, then I think, even if I share information about the Musketeer profession, youre unfit for this profession! Zack shouted at Song Jian. Dont worry, Advisor Zack, I guarantee to complete this challenge task within the given time limit. Song Jian nodded to Zack and then turned to head towards the bars exit. Chapter 120 - 120: 120: Rocket Launcher Chapter 120 - 120: 120: Rocket LauncherTranslator: 549690339 Six hours to earn a thousand Doomsday Coins; it would be a difficult task for an ordinary player, but for Song Jian, it was just a bit troublesome; Not to mention the blue jade necklace that he had already mailed to Count Qian Dahai, he could earn a thousand Doomsday Coins from its reward alone. Even if Song Jian were to go and gather wood and stone materials to sell now, he would probably earn enough Doomsday Coins in six hours; He didnt know when the reward from Count Qian Dahai would be mailed, so Song Jian could only choose to gather wood and stone materials to earn a thousand Doomsday Coins; When he arrived at the small forest in the novice area, Song Jian was shocked by the sight in front of him. There were three or four people standing next to each large tree, surrounding it tightly. The number of players in the forest far exceeded the number of trees, and even by the rocks, there were several people gathering wood and stone materials with stone axes and pickaxes; Fortunately, these players seemed to be newcomers who just entered the game, and they didnt have many stone axes and pickaxes. After they were used and scrapped, they left, but their positions were quickly filled by other players; There are too many wolves and not enough meat. Even if these players have low Chopping and Mining Skills, all the trees and rocks here will be gathered in one or two hours, Song Jian shook his head and summoned a motorcycle, driving toward the highway; As a Level 10 player, if he were to compete with others here, he would definitely be despised. Moreover, if he competed like this, he wouldnt be able to gather enough materials to sell within six hours; These novice players were low-level and weak, so they could only gather in this small forest. If they moved further away, they wouldnt be able to. But the further away they went, the better the resources they would gather. However, the further away they went, the higher the level and strength of the monsters would be, and careless players could lose their lives, which was too dangerous for these newcomers; Song Jians target was the forest where he had encountered the tree spirits before. Not only was the area of that forest much larger than the one in the novice area, but the amount of wood produced from each large tree there was also several times that of the novice areas forest. Although it was somewhat dangerous, Song Jian wanted to hunt more Tree Spirit Seedlings to sell to other NPCs outside of the Zombie City using the radio; Upon arriving at the forest, Song Jian found that there were already people gathering wood materials in it, and it looked like a team; Brother, there are powerful monsters in this forest. You must be very careful when entering. If youre weak, dont come in! A middle-aged man in his thirties or forties shouted out upon seeing Song Jian; If Song Jian had come here for the first time, he would have thought that this player was afraid of others competing with them for wood materials and was trying to deceive him. But since he had been here before and knew the situation, Song Jian knew that the man was just trying to be helpful; The tree spirits here were not something ordinary people could handle. Song Jian looked up and saw that the levels of the people currently gathering wood in the forest had already reached Level 5; Big Strong, why bother with him? Let him gather if he wants. If he gets killed by the tree spirits, we can just retrieve his body and benefit doubly! A teenager beside him who appeared to be 17 or 18 years old complained; Dont talk nonsense, Wang Bo. Dont you know that dying in the game will also lead to death in the real world? A girl in a white robe wearing a serious expression scolded Wang Bo; Wang Bo pouted with a dont-care expression and looked up at Song Jian; Holy shit, Level 10, hes a pro! Wang Bo suddenly shouted; When the others heard Wang Bos shout, they were shocked, and at the same time looked up at Song Jian. By now, he had walked to the edge of the forest and greeted them with a smile; Hello, everyone. 1 came here to hunt a few tree spirits. You guys can gather as you please. Dont worry about me! Song Jian waved and said. Although the gathering efficiency here was much higher compared to the novice gathering area, it was still not as good as hunting the tree spirits. The amount of wood Song Jian would get from hunting a single tree spirit would be equal to the amount they would get from gathering five or six trees, and his speed would be much faster; Brother, please be careful. The tree spirits here are very difficult to deal with. Those mutated tree roots are so annoying! Big Strong still couldnt help but warn; Its okay, its okay. You guys just keep gathering, Song Jian said as he stepped into the depths of the forest; S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When not attacking, the tree spirits looked no different than the other trees. It was only when a player entered their alert range and provoked them into attacking that their names and attributes would be displayed above their heads; Seeing Song Jian entering the depths of the forest, the group of players gathering wood lost their focus and followed him after exchanging glances; Big Strong, how do you think that guy got to Level 10? It took me three or four days just to get from Level 4 to Level 5, and grinding monsters almost made me puke, Wang Bo whispered behind Ge Dazhuang; How would I know? There are so many talented people in this game. Isnt Sunflower Bar run by a player? I heard its a girl in her teens. Why dont you ask how she opened that bar? Ge Dazhuang replied grumpily; Although the tree spirits are only Level 5, they are very difficult to deal with. Even with several of us working together, we can barely kill one. We cant handle more than that! The girl in the white robe frowned and said; But the wood materials that the tree spirits drop are abundant, much better than gathering, Wang Bo looked enviously at Song Jians retreating figure and said; That requires risking your life. Gathering at the edge might be slower, but its safer. At least its much better than the small forest near the novice area, Ge Dazhuang knocked on Wang Bos head and said; Hey, look, a tree spirit is coming out. Wow, its so big. Its much bigger than the ones we killed before. I wonder if he can handle it! Wang Bos eyes brightened as he pointed to a struggling tree spirit emerging from the ground; It seems dangerous with so many mutated tree roots Ge Dazhuang frowned, his muscles tense and ready to run forward at any moment. Why bother with him? It would be better if he dies. I saw him come here on a motorcycle earlier Wang Bo snorted softly; Holy shit, look at his weapon! Its unbelievable The girl in the white robe burst out a rude word, her face full of surprise; A rocket launcher? Thats too exaggerated! How is that possible? Wang Bos eyes were about to pop out; Boom- There was a loud explosion in the depths of the forest. A tree spirit was blown in half, and five or six items emitting white light scattered around; Chapter 121 - 121 New Email Chapter 121: New Email Translator: 549690339 Song Jian stepped forward and picked it up casually. Initially, he thought that killing a level five monster would not result in any loot, but to his surprise, the first Tree Spirit gave a huge drop; Six hundred and fifty units of wood, a white-quality alchemical material Heart of the Tree. When making healing potions, adding the Heart of the Tree can increase the healing effect by 30%, pretty decent; Broken Branch, white quality, can be added when forging weapons to enhance their properties. If it is a soft weapon like a long whip, it can increase the flexibility by 30%, and if it is a hard metal weapon, it can increase the toughness by 25%; An equipment, did one actually drop? Song Jian picked up the last white item and a smile spread across his face after taking a look; This equipment was a pair of leggings, and coincidentally, the leg slot in Song Jians equipment bar was empty; Tree Spirit Leggings (White), leather armor bottoms, equipment effect: Physical Defense +3, Vitality recovery speed increased by 30%; Equip requirement: Level 5, Can it be taken out of the game: No. The Heart and Branch can be broadcasted on the radio, but I dont have any postage stamps right now, I wont be able to ship them even if 1 wanted to. Song Jian frowned slightly, contemplating the clues about postage stamps while heading deeper into the grove; Several people standing at the edge of the grove watched Song Jians retreating figure dumbfounded, expressions of admiration on their faces; This is too exaggerated, is a level ten player this powerful? Even a rocket launcher appeared, this game is crazy! Ge Dazhuang exclaimed, shaking his head; I would do anything for a weapon like that, its so damn cool Wang Bos mouth was practically watering, his eyes fixed on the rocket launcher on Song Jians shoulder. If he had such a weapon, he could effortlessly draw a lot of attention by firing at any random monster while walking down the street; Forget about it, even if that weapon was given to you, you probably wouldnt be able to equip it. Its likely a level ten item, only he can equip it! the girl in a white robe solemnly said; Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yeah, a weapon of such tremendous power couldnt be of a low level. Ge Dazhuang also realized, nodding in agreement; Their guesses werent far off, just slightly off. Song Jians two-handed weapon didnt require a level ten character, but a strength of twelve points. For the average player, unless they had a chance encounter, even if they reached level ten, they couldnt amass twelve strength points to wield this weapon; Song Jian strolled leisurely through the grove, with the rocket launcher on his shoulder, as if he was just taking a walk. Whenever he trespassed into the alert range of a Tree Spirit, a Mutated Tree Root would ambush him. Considering the root is only level one, its attack would hardly break Song Jians defense and could only forcibly reduce one Vitality Point. Song Jians automatic Vitality recovery would replenish this small loss immediately. Keep in mind, his status bar currently lists the reward from completing the previous main quest with an SSS rankan increase of 500% in his Vitality recovery rate. Coupled with his current equipment, Song Jians Vitality recovery rate was an astounding 38 points per second. Even if he stood still and let the Tree Spirit attack him for half an hour, it wouldnt drain a single drop of blood; Upon encountering another Tree Spirit monster, Song Jian fired his rocket launcher, another instant kill! However, this time, only five hundred units of wood were dropped, nothing else was obtained; Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five hours had passed. Song Jians inventory was stuffed with a pile of materials. If all were sold in the store, he could at least get five to six hundred Doomsday Coins. However, these Doomsday Coins provided no help in completing the task; Song Jian started to get a bit anxious as only an hour was left. This was the first combat profession teacher he had met, and the task wasnt even of high difficulty. If he couldnt even complete this one, he didnt know when he would be able to complete the remaining nine; This is an abandoned city, the number of combat profession teachers definitely isnt high. If it wasnt for Li Keers bar, 1 might not even find one even if 1 searched for several days Song Jians eyebrows knit together, thinking to himself; In the City of Sin, an old man with a face full of wrinkles sat in a wheelchair in a tall castle in the inner city, constantly staring at a blue jade necklace on the mailbox interface; The blue jade necklace radiated a deep blue glow, as if it was the deepest part of the sea. On the surface of the necklace, rings of light gently rippled, radiating an enchanting charm; Roland, my beloved, this is the gift I am giving you for your 18th birthday, it has always been your favorite Tears flickered in the old mans eyes as he seems to be lost in memory; Having sat under the sunlight for several hours, Count Qian Dahai finally extended his shaky right hand, pulled out a golden glowing Skill Scroll from his bosom, aiming to place it in the mailbox interface; Count, you cant do this. This is the foundation of our family heritage, our foothold. Without a strong professional in the Qian family, your position as a Count is likely to be lost by young master Qian Xiaohao, who might only become a Viscount the butler who had always been guarding him suddenly voiced his protest; A hint of anger flashed in the eyes of Count Qian Dahai. He held the Skill Book named Sword Finger in his right hand, which suddenly froze. The butler, who has served him for over thirty years, unexpectedly had been bribed by his own son, Qian Xiaohao; Even a dog raised for over thirty years would have feelings for its owner, but you, hmph Murderous intent surfaced on Count Qian Dahais face. He turned and looked at his trembling butler who did not dare to meet his gaze, roaring in his heart; Maca, how many years have you followed me? Count Qian Dahai said indifferently; Count, my lord, I have been serving in this castle since 1 was sixteen, and have been the butler of this castle for over thirty years. Sir, I really am Maca knelt in front of Count Qian Dahais wheelchair, sobbing uncontrollably, My son owed a large amount of debt due to gambling, which I am unable to pay. Young master Xiaohao, he So, you have been spying on me for that unfilial son of mine? Count Qian Dahais face was frosty as he asked loudly. I wouldnt dare, wouldnt dare, sir. But 1 had no choice. If I didnt speak up and stop you, the young master would undoubtedly flay me alive if he returned and found out Maca collapsed on the floor and wept, tears wetting the wrinkles on his face; I will flay you alive right now! Count Qian Dahai roared, pressing a switch on the armrest of his wheelchair. Soon, a group of guards hurried over; Drag this disloyal old dog out! Also, bring my rebellious son back and lock him up in the dungeon, immediately, right now! Count Qian Dahai loudly ordered the captain of the guards; Yes, Count! The captain of the guards saluted reverently, signaling the two guards behind him to seize the butlers arms and drag him outside; As the cries for mercy gradually died away, the anger on Count Qian Dahais face slowly subsided, he let out a heavy sigh; After some time, Count Qian Dahai sat in his wheelchair, tenderly stroking the blue jade necklace with his right hand. A gentle expression surfaced on his face, after a long while, Count Qian Dahai, bathed in the sunset, fell asleep with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth; Five hours and thirty minutes had passed, just when Song Jian was getting anxious, he suddenly heard a clear notification sound in his ear; System: You have a new mail. Please check it! Chapter 122 - 122: Sword Finger Chapter 122: Sword Finger Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing this system prompt, the anxious Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. He initially thought earning a thousand Doomsday Coins would be a cinch over a span of four to five hours, given his current level and strength. However, much to his surprise, despite spending five and a half hours gaming, all his earnings, if sold to the system store, would have only amounted to five to six hundred Doomsday Coins. To a regular player, this sum would be a decent income. However, this was a far cry from Song Jians expectations. Phew, finally received it. If Count Qian Dahai hadnt come back, I might have had to sell my equipment, Song Jian let out a deep breath. Selling his equipment to the system store was his last resort. If he resorted to that, he could receive several hundred Doomsday Coins. However, this would be a mere quick fix. Stripped of his equipment, Song Jians power would take a severe hit. Moreover, selling equipment to the system store was akin to selling a jewel at the price of a brick. Just thinking about it caused Song Jian heartache. He quickly conjured his motorcycle and sped toward his Manor Castle. The distance of several kilometers was bridged in under five minutes. At the mailbox outside his manor, Song Jian finally saw a thousand Doomsday Coins and a Skill Scroll radiating a golden gleam. Phew, seems like Count Qian Dahai is a man of his words, Song Jian murmured in admiration. If you knew what it was C a plain-quality, featureless blue jade necklace that couldnt be taken out of the game and wouldnt be re-purchased by the system store C you might think it was worthless, not even worth a single Doomsday Coin. Yet, Count Qian Dahai traded it for a thousand Doomsday Coins and a hefty Sword Immortal profession inheritance skill, a representative model of the wealthy and capricious. Without hesitation, Song Jian used the golden skill scroll, and the icon of the skill Sword Finger appeared on his skill bar. Sword Finger (Active), level 1, skill effect: Designated one of the ten fingers of the hands to activate the skill, and an Invisible Sword Qi is emitted to a range of three meters ahead, inflicting 55-80 points of physical damage to all targets within the covered range and additional 50 points of metal damage; cooldown: 5 seconds; skill cost: 10 points of Invisible Sword Qi. To use this skill, he first had to choose one of the ten fingers. Song Jian pondered and decided to use his left forefinger. His right hand was for wielding the Tusk Fang Stinger, while his left hand was not primarily required. Although the Guardian Sword was equipped in his left weapon slot, Song Jian had not learned any swordsmanship, let alone a combination of dagger and longsword. The guardian sword was only for an added three-point force attribute value. He clicked the Sword Finger icon, and a holographic image of ten fingers appeared before him. Upon setting his left forefinger as the trigger for Sword Finger, the hologram disappeared and a jolting sensation surged through his forefinger po, as if a wave of Vitality had rushed into it. After a while, the prickling sensation receded. Song Jian extended his finger, prompting a radiant silver Sword Qi from it. The Sword Qi lasted for about a second before slowly dissolving. Checking the energy slot of the Invisible Sword Qi, it indeed had consumed 10 points. However, the consumed Sword Qi swiftly replenished. It took just two to three seconds to fully recharge the 10 points of Sword Qi. Looks cool, but I dont know about the power yet, Song Jian slightly shook his head. Reminiscing about the silver Sword Qi, he still felt a twinge of excitement. I thought it would be like a machine gun, constantly shooting Sword Qi from afar. Didnt expect the range to just be three meters. Isnt a real Sword Immortal supposed to be capable to take a persons head from miles away? Song Jian mumbled. Checking the clock, he had less than fifteen minutes left for the dwarf Zacks trial. Song Jian quickly got on his motorcycle and headed for the Sunflower Bar. Even during daytime, his motorcycle generated quite a commotion, attracting many concealed mutant zombies. Seeing shaky zombies making their way toward the road, Song Jian lifted his left hand, prompting a silver Sword Qi. *Whiz~* With a lift of his hand, guided by the momentum of the motorcycle, it felt as if he was wielding a lightsaber. With a gentle sweep, the zombie was instantaneously cleaved in half, and Song Jian did not feel the slightest bit of resistance at all. A few players hunting down mutant zombies on the streets heard the sound of a motorcycle in the distance and their faces instantly changed. An exasperated pudgy adolescent burst out in anger, Who is this causing such a racket? Is there a shortage of monsters around? Is he going to stop after attracting all the monsters? Hes harming everyone! Mutant zombies were relatively calm during the day, and wouldnt besiege players unless there was a loud commotion. But Song Jians noise was on such a scale that mutants on both sides of the road within a hundred meter radius would all be alerted. The other players in the team didnt verbally criticize him like the chubby teenager, but they wore equally disgruntled expressions, shooting glances of disapproval in the direction of the motorcycle. *Whiz~* A flicker of silver light cleaved a nearby mutant zombie in half. Before it even turned into ash, the motorcycle rushed ahead, disappearing nearly ten meters away. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fuck, did you guys see what just happened? Was that a skill, or? The chubby boy stared wide-eyed, mimicking Song Jians earlier motion, his face filled with utter bewilderment as he looked at the others. 1,1 didnt get a good look it seemed like a silver light One guy hesitated. Was that a skill, or a magic? Thats so cool! I think we should pay attention to our surroundings. If we stay here much longer, were going to get surrounded by mutant zombies Song Jian arrived at the Sunflower Bar, checked his time, breathed a sigh of relief. With ten minutes to spare, he hopped off his motorcycle, recalling it and began walking towards the bar. Upon seeing Song Jian, Dwarf Zacks eyes lit up. At that moment, Zack had been invited to a booth inside the bar, where a simple pint of beer sat in front of him. Considering the current stage of the game, players couldnt afford much in terms of Doomsday Coins. Fiana, get Mr. Zack his rum! Song Jian yelled and put a thousand Doomsday Coins on the counter. Hearing Song Jians yell, a gleeful expression lit up Zacks face. Giggling, he pushed away the pint of beer in front of him, stepping out of the booth towards Song Jian. Lad, not bad! Just as you promised. Haha, I knew 1 was right about you! Despite not being able to reach Song Jians shoulder due to his height, Zack contentedly patted his back. Mr. Zack, I hope this goblet of gold rimmed rum lives up to your expectations! Wearing a small smile, Song Jian handed the large cup of rum to Zack. Hey, you, weve talked with Mr. Zack for a while now. Isnt it impolite for you to butt in line like this? An unhappy voice echoed from inside the booth. Turning around, Song Jian saw four or five men coming out of the booth with unpleasant looks on their faces. Chapter 123 - 123: VIP Chapter 123: VIP Translator: 549690339 Song Jian gazed at Mister Zack, waiting until he drained his golden chalice of rum before the systems notification ring sounded in his ear; System: You have completed the test mission issued by the dwarf clans combat profession instructor, Zack: Golden Rum Chalice; your relationship with the combat profession instructor of the dwarf clan, Zack, has been elevated to friendly; Upon seeing the systems notification, Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief; Hey, how can you be so rude? 1 am talking to you! A man in chainmail, leading a group of people, came up from behind Song Jian and dissatisfactorily slapped Song Jians shoulder. Yeah, big deal, youre a high-level player, our boss is speaking to you, show some respect! A warrior next to him held a long saber, stared at Song Jian fiercely; In this game, a high level does not necessarily mean strong power. All five of them were level five, and nearly fully equipped. Even facing a level five elite boss, this small team could manage to kill it; The boost in power had changed their mindset, making them more confident. Even though Song Jian was level ten, they were not scared at all; Wow, a level ten expert, right? I wonder if this level ten expert has ever killed an elite boss, hmph, probably shits his pants when he sees a level five elite boss. How useful is a high level without strength? A player sized up Song Jian, spotted the ordinary clothing on him, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes as he sneered; To readers! our content is stolen.Please copy and se@rch this link " /39hpcn6j " to support us Song Jians eyes flickered coldly. This involved a mainline task. Zack had initially been preparing to explain the Musketeer profession to him, but on seeing this group approaching, Mr. Zack immediately shut up, stood aside stroking his large beard with a silent smile on his face; Song Jians face darkened, a glint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Sensing a gust of wind coming from behind, he instantly sidestepped, dodging the arm aiming for his shoulder. He flipped his right hand, gripping the Tusk Fang Stinger and stabbed it towards the throats of the people behind him; This strike was as honed as through countless refining, and seemed to be an instinctive reaction from Song Jians body. A streak of blue light flashed past and the dagger was pointed at the mans throat; Scram! Song Jian shouted sternly; The man behind him felt a chill at his throat and his face immediately changed; Blu, blue-quality dagger, g-gulp- A man wearing leather armor behind him stared at the dagger in Song Jians hand, a look of greed flashed in his eyes, he couldnt help but swallow saliva upon laying eyes on it; Kid, release our boss, or we wont let you leave the bar! The few men behind him drew their weapons and yelled at Song Jian; The bars players saw there was a good show going on, they got excited instantly, started pointing at Song Jian and whispering into each others ear. Some even stood on the booth tables peering in Song Jians direction; Hey, a fight is on. Hes a Level 10 expert, who do you think will win? Whats the big deal about level 10? Levelling up in this game doesnt award attribute points and all the skills learned are basic skills. Whats the use of high levels? People should have more numbers to win! Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yeah, looks like the expert has mastered the basic skill of dagger. Even if he levels this basic skill up to level 10, how much damage would it increase? He cant kill the opponent in one shot, at most cause serious injury. But with so many of them surrounding him, hes definitely at a disadvantage! Buddy, if you have guts, release our boss, we will go outside the bar and fight a round. Lets see if you, a level 10 expert, can survive against our whole team of level five. The man wearing leather armor cogitated evilly as he spoke to Song Jian; Song Jian glanced at them all, an icy smirk on his face. His right hand suddenly thrust forward! Spurt- Blood splattered. This strike had pierced straight through the mans neck, the tip of the dagger showing on the other side of his neck; Pulling it back out, a stream of blood gushed out. The mans body collapsed softly as his no vitality points were instantly depleted! Instant kill! At this, not only the mans other companions were dumbfounded, but even the surrounding players revealed surprised expressions; Impossible, how come his attack is so high? He actually killed a level five player who was at full health instantly. So scary! Could it be because of his dagger? Thats a blue-quality dagger A blue-quality weapon doesnt have that high a damage. He didnt use any skills, it was just an ordinary attack. Even if it was a vital point attack, it couldnt result in such high damage Song Jian withdrew his dagger, under the blue glow of its surface, a trace of silvery light flashed briefly; System: You used the dagger Tusk Fang Stinger to deal 33 points of ordinary physical damage to the player Bai Lingfeng; You added 30 points of Invisible Sword Qi to the dagger, enhancing the physical damage by 60 points, and inflicted 15 points of piercing damage. The critical hit rate increased by 50%, you attacked the targets vital point, which led to a vital point attack, accelerating the crit rate by 100%. The targets defensive immunity negated 40 points damage, in total, you dealt 166 points of damage to the target, resulting in his death, and thus you gained 1 kill point; Only added 30 points of Invisible Sword Qi and it caused such high damage? Song Jian glanced at the combat message, a brow raised thirty points of Invisible Sword Qi had added 60 points of physical damage, coupled with an extra 15 points of piercing damage and a 50% critical hit rate. If he were to exhaust all hundred points of the Invisible Sword Qi, he wondered what chilling effect it might cause; You, you killed the boss! A man in leather armor at the back, with a face full of grief and indignation, raised his weapon and angrily accused Song Jian. Lets gang up and kill him for revenge! Song Jians damage struck terror into a few of them, but there was only one Song Jian against the four of them. If they ganged up, they still had a shot at winning; The men brandished their weapons and charged at Song Jian; Song Jian swept a glance over the four men, noted their white-quality weapons, and a smirk curled up the corner of his mouth. With his current vitality recovery speed of more than thirty points per second, even if he stood still and let the four of them hack at him, they probably still couldnt kill him; For Song Jian to kill all four would take him only about ten seconds! Just as Song Jian was about to launch his attack, several bouncers from the bar suddenly charged in, swinging their black truncheons, and belabored the men opposite Song Jian; -1 -1 -1 -1 A series of one-point damage appeared above the heads of the men, accompanied by system prompts; System: You were in a fight at the Sunflower Bar, violating the rules of the Sunflower Bar, your reputation at the Sunflower Bar decreased by one point; System: You were in a fight at the Sunflower Bar, violating the rules of the Sunflower Bar, your reputation at the Sunflower Bar decreased by one point; System: You were in a fight at the Sunflower Bar, violating the rules of the Sunflower Bar, your reputation at the Sunflower Bar decreased by one point; System: Your reputation at the Sunflower Bar has dropped to indifferent, henceforth all consumption within the Sunflower Bar will surge by 150%; Although the bouncers inflicted minor damage, the four men didnt dare retaliate, unless they no longer planned to ever visit this bar again; With gloomy countenances, the four were booted out of the bar. Still standing inside the bar, Song Jian attracted their resentful gazes. The man in the leather armor pointed at him and shouted angrily, He struck first, and even killed someone, why didnt you drive him away? Sorry, hes our distinguished guest at the Sunflower Bar! One of the bouncers replied, casually swinging his bat and striking the mans face as he explained; Pu~ He spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood, his fluctuating emotions causing him to be unable to restrain a blood spill; Chapter 124 - 124: Completing One-Tenth Chapter 124: Completing One-Tenth Translator: 549690339 At the Sunflower Bar, the authority level Li Keer set up for Song Jian was the highest, second only to the bar owner. Song Jian could freely access even the unopened second-floor areas, not to mention fighting or killing someone in the bar; Watching the players corpse being picked up and thrown out by the bars bouncer, the violent emotions in Song Jians heart gradually subsided. In his accessory bar, the black stone tablet accessory flashed with a black light, and the layer of energy covering the stone tablets surface seemed to fade a bit; How did I become like this? Looking at the puddle of fresh blood still waiting to be cleaned up at his feet, Song Jian frowned. When had he become so indifferent to killing? No, it wasnt indifference, it was a faint desire. The moment his dagger pierced the opponents throat, Song Jian felt a refreshing sensation, as if every cell in his body was cheering and jumping; Good, very good! As a musketeer, you should have the courage to smash all provocations into pieces! said the Dwarf Clans Zack, with a satisfied smile on his face, nodding at Song Jian, Human boy, you are suited for the musketeer profession! Instructor Zack, you havent explained the characteristics of the Musketeer profession to me yet! Song Jian gave a wry smile and turned his attention to Zack; Haha, alright, Ill explain it to you now. With a wave of his large hand, Zack enveloped both of them in a wave of unique energy; Song Jians surroundings changed dramatically in an instant; This is the Explanation Space. Here, I will show you how powerful a Musketeer can be! Zacks face also took on a serious expression; To readers! our content is stolen.Please copy and se@rch this link " /39hpcn6j " to support us Look ahead, this is an elite musketeer of our Dwarf Clan! Zack pointed forward, and suddenly a huge screen appeared in the empty space. In the center of the screen was a sturdy dwarf holding an old-fashioned assembled musket. The muskets design was quite unusual, with a bell-shaped barrel that was wide at the front and narrow at the back; In the screen, a giant snow bear over three meters tall charged at the musketeer. The dwarf musketeer raised his weapon and pulled the trigger; With a bang, a puff of white smoke came out of the barrel, and a cluster of bullets ripped through the snow bears chest, tearing a large patch of white fur apart as blood spurted out, staining half of its body red in an instant; The snow bear roared in pain and sped up towards the musketeer, but the dwarf remained calm, stepping back and reloading his weapon; Just as the snow bear approached the dwarf musketeer and raised its thick front claws to attack, the musketeer leaped backward, flying five or six meters away; In midair, the dwarf aimed his musket at the snow bears head, the barrels red light flickering and forming a red glow around it. The moment the dwarf musketeer landed, he fired, sending a soccer ball-sized fireball shooting out of the barrel, blowing the snow bears head to pieces; The scene on the screen then shifted to show hundreds, if not thousands, of dwarf musketeers standing on a tall city wall. Below the wall was an endless swarm of monsters, ten times larger than the musketeers on the wall; However, these musketeers showed no fear. Their guns roared continuously, bullets enveloping an area of five to six hundred meters in front of them. Any monster that entered this area had no chance of leaving a complete corpse, as countless bullets tore their bodies to shreds; Various abilities were displayed by these dwarf musketeers, with colorful energy beams shooting out from the barrels and bullets, of various sizes, exploding with astonishing power. Song Jian watched, dumbfounded; The Musketeers professional talent is a 30% increase in critical hit rate! Even if the targets vital points are not hit, theres still a high probability of causing critical damage! Zacks voice sounded in Song Jians ear as he began to explain the characteristics of the Musketeer profession in detail; After a full ten minutes or so of explanations, Song Jian finally had a basic understanding of the Musketeer profession; If I become a Musketeer, then the power of my main weapon, the[Cobra-2X]Rocket Launcher, would increase by at least 50% Song Jian was momentarily tempted. Indeed, the Musketeer profession was perfect for Song Jian, with strong long-range attack power, several displacement skills, and the ability to kite and kill monsters without letting them touch a single hair on his head; S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What do you think, young human? What I have demonstrated to you now are only the skills of an ordinary Musketeer. If you want, I can give you an advanced Musketeer task. If you can complete it, you can directly become an Elite Musketeer, an outstanding profession that not everyone has access to. Zack said to Song Jian with a smile on his face; Song Jians mind was heating up, and he was just about to nod in agreement when a sudden flash crossed his mind: Mentor Zack, is there no drawback or deficiency in the Musketeer profession? Song Jians question made Zacks face change. After pondering for a moment, Zack shook his head slightly: Every profession has its advantages and disadvantages. To become a true Musketeer, you must have a good weapon, one that grows with you and becomes your lifelong companion; secondly, as a Musketeer, you need to be proficient in using various types of ammunition. Each type of ammunition has its unique effects, and you need to make the right choice based on different situations Moreover, although Musketeers have many displacement skills, they are somewhat lacking in close combat. Once the enemy gets close, your attack power will decrease by 30%. Of course, this shortcoming is not insurmountable. If you master the legendary gunfighting technique, you can compensate for this deficiency. However, I cannot teach that skill here, and you must find it on your own With each Musketeers drawback that Zack mentioned, Song Jians face darkened. After hearing seven or eight Musketeer shortcomings from Zack, Song Jian was thoroughly disappointed with the profession; Thank you, Mr. Zack, for your explanation, which has given me a deep understanding of the Musketeer profession! Song Jian bowed to Zack and said: But when it comes to choosing a profession, 1 think I should be more cautious. At least until 1 compare it with other professions, 1 wont make a decision. Thank you once again, Mr. Zack! Click- A crisp shattering sound was heard next to Song Jians ear, and the surrounding environment shattered like glass, bringing the two back to the Sunflower Bar; Of course, I will respect your choice! Zacks face became serious and nodded at Song Jian: But if you miss this opportunity, the difficulty of the Elite Musketeers profession test task will rise to another level if you want to choose it again. Alright, I understand. Song Jian nodded with a smile; since he had no intention of taking this profession, what did it matter if the difficulty of the test task increased? In that case, I will take my leave, thank you for the generous wine hospitality, and I hope we have a chance to meet again. Zack seemed to have seen through Song Jians choice, shook his head, raised his cowboy hat to Song Jian, then turned and walked towards the bars entrance; Seeing Zack about to leave, the surrounding players sighed, knowing that each wandering NPC would only stay in the bar for six hours and that there would be, at most, two wandering NPCs appearing in the bar each day. Zacks departure meant that everyone now had one fewer opportunity to recruit a Follower; Watching Zack disappear through the bar entrance, a system notification sounded in Song Jians ear; System: You have found a combat profession mentor and learned about the Musketeer profession. Main quest completion: 1/10; Chapter 125 - 125 Street Thug (An extra update for Chapter 125: Street Thug (An extra update for Tired Morning featuring 10,000 rewards) Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had completed one-tenth of his primary mission, but it was quite tough to choose one of these ten battle professions as his primary profession. Song Jian already had two inheritances in the Sword Immortal profession. If he could obtain the inheritance for this profession, it would be excellent. However, obtaining the Swordsman Immortal profession was really difficult. Just by the name, it was ten times, even a hundred times, more potent than a Musketeer. After the dwarf Zack left the Sunflower Bar, most of the players in the bar also scattered. They had lost an opportunity to recruit a follower and wasted six hours. Their faces were not looking good, but they dared not make remarks, fearing that if they offended Song Jian, they may risk their lives. Song Jian walked up to the bar, ordered a cheap beer, and started to rest. The combat footage of the Musketeer profession was still replaying in his mind. The Musketeers pros and cons were very clear. Even if Song Jian didnt plan to take up this profession, he had to understand more about its characteristics, as he might possibly encounter players of the Musketeer profession in the future. As Song Jian was sipping his beer, a thug from the bar slowly walked up to Song Jian, ambiguously asked in a low voice, Hey kid, are you looking for guidance from a battle profession instructor? Song Jian glanced at him. This bar thug was burly with a waist circumference of at least four feet. He looked like a barrel. The club tucked in his waist was almost as thick as his finger when it was drawn up. Yes, do you know where an instructor of a battle profession can be found? If so, 111 buy you a drink. Song Jian raised his beer toward the thug. I do happen to know where an instructor of a battle profession is. If you buy me a drink, Ill tell you! The thug from the bar said smugly. Oh, really? Thats fine then. Fiana, get a beer for this gentleman, please. Song Jian took out two Doomsday Coins and placed them on the bar. Fiana gave Song Jian a strange look, poured a large beer, and pushed it in front of the thug. She disdainfully glanced at him, Zuo Ya, you are becoming worse. No, no, Im just mooching for a drink. Hehe- The thug squinted his small eyes and answered with a face full of smiles. Glug, glug- After finishing his large beer, Zuo Ya, the thug, gave a satisfied burp and carefully returned the empty glass. Okay, now that youve finished your beer, you should tell me the information. Song Jian stared at Zuo Ya and asked. No problem, Ill tell you about the battle profession Street Thug right now. Zuo Ya said with a serious face. Wait a minute, hey, what did you say? Which profession? I didnt hear you clearly just now. Song Jian quickly interrupted Zuo Ya from continuing, cupping his ear, he could hardly believe what he had just heard. A battle profession, a Street Thug. What, you look down on this profession? Anger flickered across Zuo Yas face. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Im saying is a Street Thug really considered a combat profession? Song Jian asked in disbelief. Of course. A Street Thug is an ancient profession. One must be extremely brave to take up this profession C its not just anyones cup of tea. Zuo Ya earnestly said. Nonsense! It indeed takes immense courage to choose Street Thug as ones primary battle profession. People with slightly thin skin cant bear it, they would die of laughter. Song Jian curled his lips and muttered. Alright, tell me where can 1 find an instructor for this battle profession? Song Jian relaxed his shoulders, took a sip of his wine and asked. Right in front of you. I am the instructor for the battle profession Street Thug. Zuo Ya answered with a smug expression. System: You have discovered the instructor of Street Thug battle profession. Would you like to learn more about the Street Thug profession? Song Jian was speechless, stunned for a moment before finally choosing Yes. After all, knowing all about the ten combat professions, and considering each one as they come, doesnt necessarily mean hed commit to any of them. Alright, Zuo Ya, tell me about the street fighter profession, Song Jian nodded as he spoke. Alright, Zuo Yas small eyes sparkled, speaking seriously to Song Jian, If you want to understand this profession, you must pass my test and earn my approval, then Ill tell you about this combat profession. Are you willing to accept my test? Hold on, I hope youre not asking me to buy you an expensive drink. If thats the case, Ill pass. Actually, Im not that interested in the street fighter profession, Song Jian shrugged, showing an indifferent expression. Actually, this profession is pretty strong, just look at me now, Zuo Ya said, puffing out his chest and standing tall, displaying his formidable stature. Hehe, Song Jian chuckled sarcastically. Eh Zuo Yas face darkened. Anyone would feel upset if their chosen profession was scorned. In that case, your test will be to fight me. As long as you can defeat me, 1 will tell you all about the street fighter profession. Hows that? Zhou Yas face took on a fierce expression, his muscles rippled menacingly, making him appear very ferocious. Thud- Song Jian put his empty glass on the bar and stood up, Alright, lets do it. 1 could use the workout after that drink. Fiana snapped her fingers and shouted, Guys, give these two warriors some space. Lets enjoy this exciting show. Haha, this should be interesting! Zuo Ya, dont embarrass yourself. If you lose, youll have to run around the bar, naked, for three rounds. The other bar staff and bouncers joined in the excitement, clearing the center of the bar. The remaining gamers looked curiously at Song Jian. Is this another hidden mission, or maybe a side mission? a player asked, perplexed. Its unbelievable! Just after the dwarf left, he gets another mission from a random NPC! It feels like hes playing a different game. Yeah, I still havent even completed the main task of building a safe house, and he keeps getting hidden missions. Its enough to make you envious! Almost all the remaining players were envious of Song Jian. Hehe, just wait and see how powerful the street fighter profession is! Zuo Ya stood in the middle of the cleared area in the bar, waving his fists at Song Jian with a ferocious smile. In the street fighter profession, anything can be a weapon! Zuo Ya revealed a glint in his eyes as he pulled out a black expandable baton from his waistband. He flicked it out with a snap, and it instantly extended a foot in length. Compared to other items, this baton brings out my full power, Zuo Ya grinned wickedly, tensing his abdomen in preparation to charge at Song Jian. He took a couple of steps before suddenly stopping, staring at Song Jian in terror. What what are you doing? he yelled. Chapter 126 - 126: Zuo Ya Chapter 126: Zuo Ya Translator: 549690339 As the battle between Zuo Ya and Song Jian was about to commence, the black club in Zuo Yas plump hand looked as insignificant as a twig. But on this weapon, a shimmer of blue glow flickered, making it hard to underestimate. After Zuo Ya drew his club, his bulky body, akin to a heavy-duty armored vehicle, charged towards Song Jian. Song Jian hoisted his Rocket Launcher and took aim at Zuo Ya. Seeing this, shock spread across Zuo Yas chubby face; he stopped instantly, raised his hands, and yelled in terror, What the hell are you doing? How do you have such a weapon? Woah-. Cool! A bar brawler whistled with an excited grin. Hes definitely pay-to-win. Big bro, tell me how much this weapon costs. One hundred thousand? One million? Five million? 111 pay anything. Of course, Im talking about RMB, shouted a player standing on a table, waving at Song Jian. Hey, big guy, are you surrendering? chortled Song Jian, aiming at Zuo Ya. Zuo Yas face paled, then blushed, shaking his head and pleading, I apologize, I think wed better not use weapons. After all, you are a VIP of the Sunflower Bar. Its not good to injure anyone. Lets fight bare-handed. Haha, Zuo Ya chickened out! A barman laughed out loud, clutching his belly. Come on Zuo Ya, its just a rocket launcher! Youre a level seven elite Boss. Dont be scared! Thats right, Zuo Ya, with all your fat, a single rocket cant kill you. Maybe you can even bounce it back. Exactly, Zuo Ya, its time to show your real skills. Bouncing a rocket with your body, that would be fun! The staff members and brawlers were heckling Zuo Ya relentlessly. Even Fiana failed to suppress a charming smile. Unfazed by the mockery, Zuo Ya turned to Song Jian, Youll have to beat me bare-handed to earn the information on the Street Thug occupation. So, shall we have a proper duel instead of relying on weapons to win? Okay, you got it, Song Jian tucked the Rocket Launcher away, stretched out both his hands, palm-directional towards Zuo Ya, mimicking a bare-fist posture. Zuo Ya breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed his club and swung his fists into the air a couple of times, warning Song Jian, Watch out, I am known as Iron Fist, the undisputed champion of Sunflower uh Realizing something, Zuo Ya glanced nervously back at the bar counter and spotted Fianas amused expression. He felt a flush of embarrassment rise in his face then continued, Undisputed champion of Sunflower Bar Staff and Brawlers. Hahaha! All the staff members and bar brawlers exploded with laughter. Some were even lying on their chairs, hammering the table. Enough talk, let the fight begin! Indignant, Zuo Ya, with a flush of embarrassment on his face, charged towards Song Jian. Swoosh- A streak of silvery Sword Qi emanated from Song Jians index finger. One sweep forward and Zuo Ya found himself enveloped in a silvery screen, facing a massive incoming threat. Gulu-gulu- Zuo Ya stumbled backward, and then started rolling backward for a few rounds before he stopped some distance away. Some players even rubbed their eyes in disbelief at the sight of Song Jian while the bar fell silent in astonishment. What just happened? What was that silver light? It seemed to be emanating from his left hand, was it a skill? Magic? Or something else? So cool! The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves. Fianas eyes lit up as she scrutinized Song Jian with a look of surprise on her face. The other bar staff and brawlers also looked horrified. Too shocked, they started murmuring in hushed tones. Was that the thing? Seems like it, looks identical, but how could this be possible Thats a legendary occupation that supposedly only appears in legends. He hasnt even got a combat occupation yet, has he? Im not sure. You said it, it only appears in legends. We havent seen it ourselves Though they seemed to know something, they didnt dare to discuss it openly and started whispering amongst themselves. Zuo Ya, still in shock, got up from the ground, feeling a painful throb from his chest. He looked down to see his tunic slashed open as if cut by a sharp blade; A foot-long bloody mark was visible on his chest. The wound was not deep, but it seemed like it had been made by a sharp blade. Feeling the throbbing pain from the wound, Zuo Ya looked at Song Jian and mumbled, Sword Qi? Do you want to continue fighting? Song Jian asked, smiling at Zuo Ya. Zuo Ya hung his head in disappointment and shook his head, I lost, Im no match for you. To Zuo Yas submission, the other bar employees didnt tease him; instead, they gave him sympathetic looks. Zuo Ya, its okay, you rolled pretty impressively just now! a staffer yelled. Hahaha- Everybody burst into laughter, restoring the vibrant atmosphere in the bar. The staff and brawlers started rearranging the seating layout. Players also gathered around Song Jian. Master, what was that skill you used before? Someone asked curiously. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Tell us about it, it looked so powerful! Yeah, it was like a blade of pure silver. Is that the legendary Sword Qi? Song Jian brushed them off with a few words and sent the players away. He then turned to Zuo Ya and asked, Ive passed the test, right? Yes, you have, Zuo Ya replied, conceding reluctantly, But, considering you have better options, you may not be suitable for the Street Thug occupation. Its okay. I just want to know about this occupation. I may not necessarily choose it. Alright then, Ill share everything about the Street Thug occupation with you now! Zuo Ya started to explain the details of the occupation. System: You have successfully completed the challenge posed by the Bar Brawler Zuo Ya. Your rapport with Bar Brawler Zuo Ya has increased to a friendly level, and he begins to share information about the Street Thug occupation. Coming to the Explanation Space again, after spending more than ten minutes, Zuo Ya relayed all details about the Street Thug occupation to Song Jian. After understanding everything about the Street Thug occupation, Song Jian realized he had underestimated the occupation. It was similar to the Thief occupation in other games with similar skills like stunning, making opponents bleed, stealing, etc. There were also this occupations unique skills like Extortion, Intimidation, etc. The most important part was that the occupation talent of a Street Thug was total weapon mastery, which allowed the utilization of any weapon to its full potential. Once one takes up an occupation, one can only use the weapons belonging to that occupation, and using other weapons reduces their power by 50%. However, the Street Thug occupation did not have this drawback. After receiving all the intel about the Street Thug occupation, there was a system prompt again ringing in Song Jians ear. System: You have found a combat occupation mentor and learned about the Street Thug occupation. Mainline task 2/10 complete. Chapter 127 - 127: Demon Summoning Technique Chapter 127: Demon Summoning Technique Translator: 549690339 Unexpectedly, hiring an ordinary pub bouncer allowed Song Jian to learn about a battle profession, increasing his confidence in completing the main quest; Since a pub bouncer can be a battle profession instructor, could the pub servers and bartender Fiana also be a battle profession? Song Jian suddenly had this thought. Fiana, are you a battle profession instructor? Song Jian sat at the bar, staring at Fiana as he asked. Battle profession? Fianas eyes showed a hint of confusion as if she was lost in memories. After a while, Fiana sighed, glanced at Song Jian and said, Sorry, the battle profession I know would not suit you. As I thought, Fiana is also a battle profession instructor! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he quickly said, Thats alright, just tell me about your battle profession. 1 just want to learn more about it. Sorry, the battle profession I know would not suit you! Fiana smiled and repeated her previous words, seemingly not wanting to discuss it any further with Song Jian. Well, never mind then. Song Jian was disappointed. When an NPC keeps repeating the same line, it means the conversation cant go any further. No matter how intelligent an NPC appears, some game rules still have to be followed; Song Jian asked the pub servers one by one, but none of them were battle profession instructors; It seems that encountering Zuo Ya was already extremely lucky. Song Jian shrugged his shoulders, glanced at the players in the pub, shook his head, and headed for the pubs entrance. He didnt have much time to waste; Boss, I actually think that guy suits your profession quite well. He has a hint of the night about him. A pub bouncer whispered; He has already come into contact with the clue to that profession. I hope he continues to explore it. Among the ten unique professions Immortal, Demon, Holy, Emperor, God, Taoist, Buddha, King, Scholar, Sovereignhehe, I really hope to see these professions reappear in the world. Compared to my Night Assassin profession, these are much more powerful! He is not suitable to be my successor. Fiana shook her head and whispered. What a pity The bouncer looked at Song Jians back, muttered, and pursed his lips; Song Jian left the pub and returned to his Manor Castle; The Bloodthirsty Shade Poison Trees branches and leaves were lush, but the entire tree was devoid of any green color. The branches and leaves were withered yellow and dark red, looking sickly. The veins of the branches and leaves had dark red lines, just like blood vessels. A faint, rotten smell filled the air around the tree; Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Most of the thirty blood crows perched on the poison tree, while a few flew to the castles roof and surrounding walls. Pairs of blood-red eyes indifferently monitored the movements around the manor; The withered tree spirit, shrouded in poisonous mist, was paired with the bloodthirsty crows, creating an atmosphere one would not believe was not a haunted house style; Glancing at the sleeping Bloodthirsty Shade Poison Tree, Song Jian shrugged and thought to himself, Haunted house style it is then. After a while, it actually has a sickly beauty to it. Arriving at the castle, Song Jian saw that the butler George had changed into a new suit and stood respectfully at the entrance, bowing to Song Jian, Welcome home, sir. Behind George, there were two NPCs with somewhat rigid expressions, who also bowed and said, Welcome home, sir. George, who are these two? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked; Sir, these are two castle servants I have hired. This one is named John, a gardener, and also a part-time farmer. George pointed to an older man behind him and said, Sir, there are six unused Spirit Fields in the manor now, which is a huge waste. From now on, these six fields will be handled by John. Song Jian nodded his head. The six Spirit Fields could grow many plants, but Song Jian had no time to tend them. Planting is a tedious task that requires constant attention to water, weed, get rid of insects, and fertilize for a good harvest, requiring immense effort; Song Jian was quite satisfied with the gardener the butler had recruited and gave him a nod and smile; And who is this? Song Jians gaze fell on another person; This NPC looked very young, probably in his twenties, wearing a plain linen suit. Seeing Song Jian looking at him, he immediately felt a sense of nervousness; M-master, my name is Tammy, I am a carpenter. The young NPC nervously said to Song Jian; Carpenter? Song Jian raised his eyebrow and looked at the butler George; It seems that Butler George had selected employees based on the situation of his Manor Castle; Master, Tammy is an intermediate carpenter who excels in making furniture. He can make our castle look less empty. George, seemingly sensing Song Jians satisfaction, continued with a smile, Moreover, he can maintain all the defensive settings of the manor, including the Arrow Towers at the four corners of the wall, the three Catapults, and the traps outside the wall. The two of them can also go out and gather materials on their own when they have nothing to do, saving Master a lot of energy and time. Able to gather materials by themselves? Song Jian was taken aback, a surprised expression appearing on his face: This is just like a Follower! Master, these two are ordinary people, not combat professions, and cannot fight and hunt monsters with the Master. Butler George reminded; Hehe, being able to gather materials is already good enough. However, dont go out recently, there are too many monsters outside. If you need any materials, just ask me! Song Jian nodded and said; Master, should I hire these two then? George asked; You can, George. 1 am very satisfied with your work. I will leave the matters of the manor to you in the future. Song Jian said with a smile; It is my duty, Master. George bowed to Song Jian, his tone somewhat excited; System: You hired Gardener John at a cost of 10 Doomsday Coins, deducted; System: You hired Carpenter Tammy at a cost of 10 Doomsday Coins, deducted; The hiring fees for the two were automatically deducted, and their salaries will be settled at the end of the month. George began to command the two to get busy, and Song Jian flashed to the third floor of the castle, taking out a book with a dark aura from his package; This was a book that Song Jian had found in Count Qian Dahais old house. The cover of the book was engraved with the image of a horned demon, and it read Demon Summoning; As Song Jian took out the book, the seductive, elusive voice rang in his ears again; Since Song Jian was prepared this time, he was not disturbed by the voice and directly opened the book; As soon as the book was opened, a golden light burst out from it; System: You opened the Book of Demons and began to study System: Every 10 seconds of study, your comprehension of Demon Summoning increases by 5%; System: While studying the Book of Demons, you will be subjected to a mental temptation test every 10 seconds. If you pass the test, you can continue studying; if you fail, you cannot continue studying; Chapter 128 - 128: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Chapter 128: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Translator: 549690339 Upon opening the Book of Demons, Song Jians vision was suddenly engulfed by a flaming hell, with horned demons, their bodies ablaze with searing fire, continuously roaring. These demons were in constant battle, and every time a horned demon was slaughtered, scores of other demons would pounce on its corpse, greedily devouring every bit of its flesh. Observing these fiery horned demons, Song Jian felt as if he could establish some connection with them. At that moment, one of the horned demons seemed to sense something. It lifted its head, looking around with sharp fangs dripping with blood continuously trickling down its lips. As Song Jians attention was drawn to this particular horned demon, a sudden intense pain echoed in his mind, as if he had been brutally hit over the head with a sledgehammer. Song Jian felt like his soul was about to be torn apart. An ambiguous female voice resonated near his ear, her voice interspersed with bouts of moaning, which sparked a fire in his chest. Surrender to me, become my slave- I will bring you infinite pleasure- This voice revolved continuously in his mind, causing Song Jians consciousness to gradually become confused. Just then, Song Jian felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over him, and his consciousness instantly regained clarity. The seductive voice then started to gradually fade away until it completely disappeared. System: You passed a Spiritual Temptation Test. The probability of comprehending the skill Demon Summoning Skill increased by 5%. Thus, every ten seconds, an enchanting voice would appear in Song Jians mind, each time more captivating than the last, and each time the voice was different C sometimes it was a mature woman, sometimes a young girl, and sometimes even a childlike voice. Sweat started to seep from Song Jians forehead. Even though his innate skill Thick-skinned had already reached level seven, Song Jian could feel his mental defenses crumbling piece by piece. System: You passed fifteen Spiritual Temptation Tests. The probability of comprehending the skill Demon Summoning Skill increased by 75%. System: You have understood the skill Demon Summoning Skill. System: This skill is the core skill of the combat profession Demon Summoner. Would you like to take up the combat profession Demon Summoner? If you choose to take up this profession, the main mission will be immediately completed and you will receive a profession mission. System: Your attributes and talents conflict with the skill Demon Summoning Skill. The Demon Summoning Skill cannot be used. The system is beginning automated adjustments A waterfall of system messages flooded in front of Song Jian. After passing fifteen tests the probability climbed up to 75%, he finally comprehended the Demon Summoning Skill. Moreover, this skill was the core profession of the Demon Summoner. By mastering this skill, one can directly take up the Demon Summoner occupation. However, the system seemed to have a BUG. Song Jians physical attributes severely conflicted with the Demon Summoning Skill, causing the game to lag for a while. In reality, according to the capabilities and talents of Song Jian, he would not be able to comprehend this skill. He would fail by the first or second spiritual temptation test. But due to his innate skill Thick-skinned being leveled up to seven, he managed to withstand the initial onslaught of spiritual temptations and unexpectedly comprehend the skill. However, Song Jians physical condition, especially his spiritual and physical attributes, were not suitable for the Demon Summoning Skill. Thus, the skill could not be showcased on his skill tree. A formerly incompatible physical condition has now resulted in an unsuitable skill and caused a conflict in the game system. For a time, the system could only seek a balance between the two. Song Jian felt his body unable to move, restrained by a strange energy. In his skill panel, the recent appearance of the words Demon Summoning Technique started to fade, as if someone was continuously wiping them away, attempting to erase them from the skill panel. However, another force was resisting this erasure, causing dazzling bursts of light to explode from the skill panel. Song Jian could only watch helplessly, immobilized. System: Repairing skill System: Repairing skill System: Repairing skill On Song Jians system interface, repeated repair notices started appearing, giving the impression of a system crash. After a long while, Song Jian finally felt the power that had restricted him begin to dissipate, and he regained control of his body. Song Jian, without a second thought, quickly opened his skill panel. He wanted to know; was the Demon Summoning Technique skill he had just comprehended still there? sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Remember, during the recent trial, Song Jian had not only seen the demons inside the Flame Hell. He also saw other realms such as Ice Hell, Abyssal Hell, Shadow Hell, and more. More than a dozen Hells, each with a plethora of terrifyingly powerful demons. If Song Jian could summon those Hellish demons, his power would skyrocket, and he would be able to explore the deeper parts of the city. Blood Blood Pool Summoning Skill? What is this! Seeing the original Demon Summoning Technique in his skills panel transformed into the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, Song Jian had an uneasy feeling. Blood Pool Summoning Skill (Active): Level 1, Skill Effect: Use summoning technique to summon the Blood Beasts generated in the castles Blood Pool, to control and assist in battles. When the summoned Blood Beast dies, it returns to re-generate in the Blood Pool. You can currently summon Blood Beast C Blood Raven (30). Skill cost: 30 Spirit Points. What, what is this? Demon Summoning Technique for civilians? In an instant, Song Jian felt a chill in his heart. The once exalted skill had now turned into this. He was reminded of internet celebrities dying under the spotlight. You do know this is fraud, right! The sanctity of private online possessions is inviolable. The once magnificent Demon Summoning Technique is now junk. Does your conscience not hurt?! What Song Jian didnt know was that the game had their reasons to alter the skillit was for his protection. His current physique wouldnt withstand the Demon Summoning Technique. The instant he tried to use it, hed be drained dry. Moreover, the demons he summoned would definitely backlash Forget it, at least now 1 can summon the Blood Beasts from the Blood Pool to assist in combat! Song Jian shook his head and consoled himself. Previously, the Blood Beasts from the Blood Pool could only be used to defend his estate and couldnt be brought out to battle monsters. Now, he could summon his Blood Ravens to aid in combat, which mattered as well. It seems to increase the power of this skill, the level of the Blood Pool must be upgraded. Only when the Blood Pool can produce more powerful Blood Beasts will the power of this skill become fiercer. Seeing that to upgrade the Blood Pool to level two he needed a hundred Blood Stone Shards, Song Jian frowned. Until now, he hadnt found any clues about the Blood Stone Shards. Where could he get these stones? Perhaps 1 can use the radio to find some clues about the Blood Stone Shards. Song Jians eyes lit up, and he turned towards the radio. Chapter 129 - 129: Planting Chapter 129: Planting Translator: 549690339 The originally powerful demonic summoning skill was reduced through a system bug to the blood pool summoning skill, much to the chagrin of Song Jian; In reality, what Song Jian didnt know was that given his current physical condition, even if he had acquired the demonic summoning skill, he couldnt summon demons from the depths of Hell. To summon demons from Hell, a contract with the demon has to be made first. Given the powerful strength of demons, Song Jian couldnt possibly coerce them into forming a contract by force. Therefore, even if he had the demonic summoning skill, it would remain unused for a long time; However, the weakened Blood Pool Summoning Skill didnt have this problem. Song Jian was already an owner of the Blood Pool. Regardless of how formidable the monsters bred in the blood pool were, they wouldnt be able to counterattack Song Jian under the constraints of the game system. Moreover, when the level of the blood pool is low, the extent and rank of the blood servants bred are also low, making them easier for Song Jian to control; Even if he could only summon the weakest blood crows, thirty of these launching an attack together could easily obliterate an average player. Even when facing a formidable monster, thirty blood crows could exceedingly serve as a diversion and support, making them perfectly suitable for Song Jians current conditions; After turning on the radio, Song Jian found a large group of people chatting inside; A hidden world has been found in the town of Konstan, anyone interested in teaming up for an exploration? Konstan town? Not far from me. What level is the hidden world? How many people can enter? Im a level 11 berserker, both a tank and a dealer, looking for a team! A second level hidden world. Level requirement is above 10, the number of people allowed in is limited to five, there are still two chances left to enter A level 2 hidden world? Great! Buying coordinates, willing to offer 100 Doomsday Coins for a chance! Sorry, we already have three people. We plan on conquering the hidden world ourselves. If there are any remote mages, please message me privately! Oh, you guys are so lucky. Its quite rare to encounter a level 2 hidden world in the wild. You could get good level 10 equipment there. If you manage to get hold of something and dont need it, Ill buy it Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the midst of the sounds of envy, a voice suddenly interrupted; Excuse me, does anyone know where to obtain a blood essence stone? The radio channel suddenly went silent. Soon after, a man asked with a peculiar voice: Isnt the blood essence stone the lowest grade of crystal stone? You can buy it in any grocery store! Blood essence stones arent worth much. Did you find a blood essence stone field in the wild? If its not far from a safe zone, we, the Oro Commerce Guild, are interested in buying it for 1000 Doomsday Coins. Young man, dont let the Oro Commerce Guild trick you, blood essence stones have a lot of uses. If you can mine some yourself, especially high-quality ones, we, the Blue-collar Commerce, are willing to buy at a high price. This is Blue Sword squad, we have mined thirty units of blood essence stones from an abandoned mine. Blue-collar Commerce, how do you plan on buying it? If its 50 per Doomsday Coin or under, then lets not discuss further. Blue Sword Squad, private message! The radio was filled with noise. Today, for some reason, there were a great number of people. As soon as one person finished speaking, another would cut in. There was barely any time to get a word in, and Song Jian only barely managed to say his piece; Grocery store? Theres no grocery store in Zombie City Song Jians brows furrowed. He had checked within the bars system shop; there was no blood essence stone for sale; After thinking for a moment, Song Jian took out the map of Zombie City and spread it out to search for a likely spot; Indeed, at the northeast corner of Zombie City, in a spot far from the city, there was a representation of a large mountain. Here, a cave was marked; However, this place was too far from Song Jian. To get there, he would have to cross the entire city. Even if taking the ring highway, it would still require at least half a days time. Furthermore, the route was fraught with dangers; it was too risky. Mines, mines, damn it, why is there no mining spot near me? Song Jian scratched his head, his face showing his frustration; Doomsday Coins, I still need money. If I had loads of Doomsday Coins, 1 could just buy them through the radio. Judging from the looks of it, blood essence stones arent particularly valuable! Song Jian took a glance at the Doomsday Coins in his parcel, his sullen mood growing stronger; Just then, a system prompt appeared before Song Jian; System: Your employee Tammy is prepared to craft furniture, requires 670 units of timber. Will you approve the payment? My employee has started working? Song Jian lit up and immediately selected the option to pay, which led to a decrease of 670 units of timber in his inventory; Before long, Song Jian heard the sound of wood being cut coming from the courtyard. Looking down from the window, he saw Tammy cutting the timber into planks on a sawbench she had set up in the courtyard; At another side, gardener John was busy turning the soil in the Spirit Field with a hoe. Butler George stood nearby the Spirit Field. With a thought, Song Jian appeared next to George; Master, these six Spirit Fields need to be hoed, and then we can fertilize and sow the seeds. George said, bowing; George, what are we planning to plant in the Spirit Field? Song Jian asked curiously. Do we have any plant seeds? Master, John brought with him some wheat and soybean seeds. For now, we can temporarily plant these two types of crops. Once master acquires better plant seeds, we will switch to planting those. George replied respectfully; Song Jian nodded slightly. Wheat and soybeans were the most common plants and probably wouldnt fetch much even if grown and sold. They could only increase the food reserves of the Manor Castle; Alright, George, 111 be going out for a bit. I leave the Manor in your care. If anyone tries to barge in without your permission, deal with them severely. Song Jian said; Ever since the creation of Song Jians safehouse, there were quite a few players lurking around, attempting to strike up a conversation with Song Jian. Some had even tried to dismantle the traps outside the wall in Song Jians absence, which had displeased him greatly. Dont worry, Master. Should any intruders try to enter the Manor, I will definitely make them regret it. George said solemnly. Song Jian nodded, walked over to the Bloody Ghost Poison Tree Alex, and lightly tapped on Alexs thick trunk a few times, this being the strongest combat power in the Manor. However, it spent most of its time in deep slumber; After tapping on Alex a couple of times, Song Jian started walking towards the Manors exit; Alex slowly opened his eyes and watched Song Jians retreating figure, saying softly: Master, 1 have some information on the combat occupation of the Tree Shepherds, I wonder if Watching Song Jians figure disappear through the gate, a helpless expression appeared on Alexs wrinkled face; Chapter 130 - 130: Duplicate Chapter 130: Duplicate Translator: 549690339 Combat professional mentors are hidden in every nook and cranny of Undead City. It takes a lot of effort and time to find one. Song Jian is lucky to have met two at Sunflower Bar, but he didnt know that there was also a combat professional mentor in his manor. However, every time he returned, he just missed them; Song Jian left the manor and came to the street, where there were many players, and from time to time, he could hear the sound of rapid gunfire. The monsters attributes are halved during the day, so most players take this opportunity to hunt monsters and level up; Xiao Zhuang, theres a boxing gym up ahead, seems like a dungeon. You need three people to enter, are you interested? At this moment, a man ran hurriedly to the door of an abandoned shop on the street and shouted inside; Dungeons, are there dungeons in this game? A young man with a long sword came out of the abandoned shop, asking in surprise; Seems like it. I initially wanted to explore it, but as soon as I entered the door, 1 was told that it needs three people to enter. 1 guess its a dungeon. The first man who arrived said with a sure expression; Alright, lets go take a look! Xiao Zhuang wiped the blood off his long sword and hurriedly followed the man; Upon hearing their conversation, several nearby players stopped battling monsters and followed them. A dungeon? A limit of three people? Song Jian was intrigued. This so-called dungeon seemed similar to the secret realms he had heard about over the radio, except that a level two secret realm requires five people and has limited entries; This must be a level one dungeon, otherwise the limit wouldnt be lower than that of a level two dungeon. Lets go take a look. Song Jian thought to himself as he also ran after them; After turning two streets, Song Jian soon saw a crowd of about ten people gathered outside a shop near the road, discussing something in hushed tones. This has to be the first dungeon in the game, its limited to three players, and only players level three and above can enter. Its gotta be a dungeon, should we try it? There might be good loot for the first clearance. Lets wait and see. Safety first, we dont know whats in there. Lets wait for someone else to clear it first. After all, you only have one life. Youre right, lets wait. Since its a dungeon, theres gotta be a BOSS. One wrong move and were dead! Lets see if that squad wants to check it out first, then we can just follow them up. This game is just too hard Song Jian walked to the back of the crowd and listened to their discussions. He noticed there were a lot of people gathered, but not a single one dared to enter the boxing gym; Looking into the gym, Song Jian saw the door wide open, and a black light constantly swirling within, like a time-space portal. Who dares to go in with me? Im level seven right now, and there should be rewards for the first clearance since its a dungeon! A hulky middle-aged man standing in the crowd loudly called out. This man was wearing leather armor and just a cloth hat, wearing tight trousers and knee-high heavy boots. He looked somewhat ridiculous, but none of the players ridiculed him for it. After all, to have so much equipment at this stage was already a great deal. Now, many players only had the weapon they received as beginners and nothing else; The middle-aged man held an axe longer than a meter in his hand. From the looks of it, his strength attribute must be at least five points, otherwise he wouldnt carry it with such ease; Gao Da Nian was quite confident in his own strength. If it werent for the dungeons limit of three people, he would have gone it alone; Being high level doesnt necessarily mean youre strong. Without skills, youre as good as dead when you run into a BOSS with only ordinary attacks, a player whispered jealously as he watched Gao Da Nian; Are you blind? Didnt you see all that gear he has? Another player nearby retorted disdainfully. Having such equipment at this stage meant being among the top players already; Hey man, if you dont mind my lower level, count me in! A figure suddenly appeared on the open ground by the roadside and waved hello to Gao Da Nian; Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sss, is this guy a human or a ghost? How did he suddenly appear? Someone exclaimed; Stupid, thats a skill. Its probably some kind of stealth skill similar to the rogue profession, someone guessed; Gao Da Nian looked at the man, frowning a bit because the man was only level five. Although that was higher than most people, Gao Da Nian didnt think highly of him; But then the man revealed his equipment, and Gao Da Nians eyes widened. The young mans equipment was pretty good, on par with his own. And he had a stealth skill, which made him quite strong among the players; Do you have any other attacking skills? A single stealth skill might not cut it, Gao Da Nian asked the young man, staring at him; Heh, this is stealth and 1 have two other attack skills. I can even go one-on-one with a level five elite BOSS, Lin Sheng took out a green-quality dagger and twirled it between his fingers, an arrogant expression on his face; Fine, youre in, Gao Da Nian nodded, seeing the young man carried an air of a master, and figured he wouldnt lag behind; Leave the last spot for me. Song Jian stepped forward and pushed through the crowd; Hey, hey, who are you? Stop pushing! Hey, stop pushing me, so what if youre strong? Song Jian casually pushed away the surrounding players. Gao Da Nian squinted and thought, This mans strength attribute seems to have some points. I just dont know whose strength is greater. However, Gao Da Nian quickly noticed Song Jians level and gasped. Anyone able to reach level ten at this stage must have successfully established a safe house because only when establishing a safe house would there be a large number of monsters for quick leveling; Even Gao Da Nian himself didnt have the confidence to establish a safe house at this stage; Alright, youre in! My name is Gao Da Nian. Gao Da Nian immediately nodded in agreement, saying nothing more; Song Jian turned to look at the player who could use the Stealth skill. The player was very polite and also nodded at Song Jian, saying, My name is Lin Sheng. I am Song Jian! Song Jian greeted the two of them; Lets go. Ill apply to enter, you guys just have to agree, Gao Da Nian said, then turned and walked towards the black light door of the boxing gym; In a short while, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Gao Da Nian invites you to enter level one Secret Realm Terrifying Underground Boxing Arena, do you accept? Accept! After Song Jian selected accept, his vision blurred and he disappeared from the boxing gym entrance; Chapter 131 - 131: Boxing Club Disciple Chapter 131: Boxing Club Disciple Translator: 549690339 The three figures blinked out of sight from the entrance of the boxing club and stepped into the secret realm. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Huh, the environment here is not bad, unlike outside. After more than half a month, 1 felt like 1 was going to get depressed. Lin Sheng glanced around inside the boxing club and spoke with mild surprise. This was a spacious hall, with light yellow wooden floors that seemed constantly polished. The surface glistened that it could even mirror a person, producing a creaky friction sound under their feet. Several humanoid models were placed around the hall, most of them made of wood, with a few metal ones. In the center of the hall, a dozen people dressed in white workout clothes were seriously practicing their horse stances, shouting and punching rhythmically. A burly man, taller than two meters, stood before the crowd with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp, studying every move of the practitioners. Song Jian and his companions were standing at the entrance of the boxing club, with a faint translucent blue light screen barring their entry. However, they could see everything in the hall through the light screen. Damn, I suppose these are the minor monsters in the dungeon. Theyre level five elites. So many of them! Lin Sheng, gazing at the people practicing boxing a dozen or so meters away, gulped in fear. LV5 Boxing Club Apprentice (Elite), Vitality: 320/320, Skill: Basic Boxing. LV7 Boxing Club Instructor (Elite), Vitality: 720/720, Skill: Advanced Boxing, Tiger Strike Triple Combo. This is troublesome. They are standing too close to each other. I doubt we can pull them one by one. If these monsters swarm us, I definitely wont be able to hold them off, Gao Da Nian said, gripping his axe and frowning. I could lure away that BOSS, but not for long. If you guys can take out those elite Box Club Apprentices in thirty seconds,, Lin Sheng said in a low voice. Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Gao Da Nian: Are you kidding? Thirty seconds? More like enough time for them to take us out. Let me count One, two, three Damn it, eighteen in total! 1 only have 110 Vitality Points. If they each land one punch on me, they can take me out in seconds. Song Jian stared at the stats of the monsters before him. An icon for a countdown timer appeared in his view. In three minutes, the light screen would disappear. Song Jian estimated that once the time was up, they would immediately enter combat. It would be impossible to exit the instance then. The time now was for the players to decide whether they wanted to stay or leave the instance. Hurry up and decide. Once the countdown is over, Im guessing the light screen will disappear. The disciples inside this boxing club will notice us and enter combat mode. Leaving this place then will be impossible, Gao Da Nian said. We only have two and a half minutes left. Decide quickly. Do we retreat or fight? Lin Sheng urged. You know, I have stealth abilities. They wont be able to see me! Master, what do you say? Gao Da Nian slowly shook his head, already deciding to leave in his mind. He glanced at Song Jian next to him and suddenly asked. How long can the two of you hold off that BOSS? Song Jian asked. If it wasnt for these minor monsters, I could keep that beast tangled for over ten minutes! Lin Sheng declared proudly. If we work together, overcoming that BOSS isnt a problem. Its just a level seven elite BOSS after all. Its stats are stronger than the monsters outside, but not by much, Gao Da Nian analyzed calmly. Alright, leave those minor monsters to me. You two deal with that BOSS, Song Jian nodded. What? Master, were talking about eighteen elite monsters here. They must be stronger than ordinary level five monsters. Even if their strength doesnt match a level five elite BOSS, it shouldnt be far off. Eighteen of them! Lin Sheng exclaimed. If forced to choose between fighting eighteen level five elite dungeon monsters and a single level seven elite dungeon BOSS, Lin Sheng would undoubtedly opt for the latter. Sometimes, quantity can cause qualitative change. Once eighteen elite monsters rush up, he would have no room to dodge and could only be on the receiving end. With a players vitality merely being around one hundred, they simply cannot endure an onslaught by so many monsters. Dont worry, I can handle them. Just make sure to aggro the BOSS properly, Song Jian nodded, weighing his options and instructing the other two. Alright, well trust you this time! Gao Da Nian bit down. By agreeing to Song Jians plan, Gao Da Nian was in the most danger. If Song Jian falls, Lin Sheng could stealthily hide, but Gao Da Nian would have to bear the monsters and BOSS combined assault, resulting in certain death. Seeing Gao Da Nian agree, Lin Sheng didnt say another word. He shrugged, made a nonchalant gesture, drew his dagger and held it in hand. The three fell silent, waiting for the countdown to end. Ten, Nine, Eight The faint blue light screen disappeared and the instance officially began. The names of the training boxing club apprentices and the BOSS boxing club instructor turned red in an instant. All their eyes were immediately focused on Song Jian and his companions. Lin Sheng had already entered stealth mode unbeknownst to anyone else. Since they were in the instance by default as a three-man party, Gao Da Nian and Song Jian could still see a semi-transparent figure sneaking towards the BOSS from the left. Bro, youre sure you can take them? Gao Da Nian confirmed again. No problem. You two, get that BOSS, Song Jian replied, slowly bringing forward a rocket launcher from his back, aiming it at the boxing club apprentices who were beginning to charge at him. Boom- A rocket whistled through the air, leaving a serpentine trace before detonating right among the boxing club apprentices. Instantly, seven or eight of them flew up, a massive critical hit damage appearing above their heads. Damn, isnt this a bit exaggerated? Gao Da Nian gaped at the rocket launcher Song Jian was holding, his face a mix of shock and horror. Dont you have a BOSS to take care of? Song Jian glanced at Gao Da Nian. Right away! Gao Da Nian flushed, circling past the boxing club apprentices and diving towards the BOSS. With all the hostility focused on Song Jian, the apprentices didnt spare a glance for Gao Da Nian who was running past them. Seven or eight boxing club apprentices were propelled backward by the explosion, but the remaining ones didnt show a shred of fear as they swarmed towards Song Jian. Within three seconds, the boxing club apprentices had come within five or six meters of Song Jian. He lowered the muzzle of his rocket launcher slightly and pulled the trigger again. Boom- Another rocket shot out, causing a fierce explosion among the crowd. Song Jian quickly put away the rocket launcher and drew the Tusk Fang Stinger, charging into the group of boxing club apprentices. After the two rocket explosions, nearly all boxing club apprentices were injured, with several of them directly hit by the blasts, either seriously injured or incapacitated. The remaining twelve to thirteen apprentices only had three-quarters or even two-thirds of their vitality left. Thud- A boxing club apprentice threw a punch at Song Jian. He dodged to the side, only to get hit on the shoulder by another apprentice next to him. Before Song Jian could react, he was punched again from the other side. He had fallen into a besiegement just after an encounter. Chapter 132 - 132: All the Hidden Cards Revealed Chapter 132: All the Hidden Cards Revealed Translator: 549690339 Ive underestimated them! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, Song Jian was surrounded by four martial arts disciples. Each time they attacked, although their power wasnt great, they could cause a momentary stiffness, making Song Jians dagger-wielding movements disjointed. -8 -9 -6 Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians defensive equipment was quite high, making it difficult for ordinary monsters below level five to break through his defense and cause substantial damage. However, these martial arts disciples were half a level higher than ordinary monsters and were considered elite monsters. If they were encountered outside, they would be considered mini-bosses. Boom- Another punch landed on Song Jians shoulder, causing his dagger to become momentarily stiff. This allowed the martial arts disciple before him to guard with ease. Although this attack could have caused fifty or sixty points of damage, it ultimately only inflicted a dozen or so points. More than a dozen martial arts disciples surrounded Song Jian, continuously throwing punches. However, only the four disciples immediately around him could cause him any harm, but he could still hold out for some time. After persisting for three minutes, Song Jians 300-plus Vitality Points had been reduced by over a hundred. Thanks to his vitality recovery speed, he managed to last this long, but he hadnt managed to take down a single martial arts disciple in this time. I cant keep going like this, Song Jian frowned. He originally thought his strength was already formidable, but now he realized that he was still lacking in many ways. At the very least, he currently lacked an escape or movement skill. Damn! Song Jian gradually became angrier. He swung his left hand forward, unleashing a dazzling silver Sword Qi from his index finger. Sweeping horizontally, enemies in a fan-shaped area before him suffered over a hundred points of damage to their heads. Burst! With a soft shout, the martial arts disciple facing him exploded into a puff of green smoke. His nearly hundred Vitality Points were instantly emptied, and he slumped to the ground, dropping two white-quality items. Although he had killed a martial arts disciple, another one quickly took his place and continued attacking Song Jian. In no time, Song Jian was pushed back repeatedly, feeling increasingly frustrated. He had never experienced a battle like this before. Summon Blood Crows! With this thought, Song Jians surroundings suddenly erupted in dazzling light; a bloody Hexagram Array appeared around him. Whoosh- Thirty Blood Crows flew out from the Hexagram Array, forming a bloody mist as they rushed toward the surrounding martial arts disciples. For a moment, more than a dozen martial arts disciples were thrown into chaos by the Blood Crows, giving Song Jian a chance to catch his breath. Earth Teeth Assault! A dazzling tusk-like Qi rushed towards a martial arts disciple with the lowest vitality, sending him flying. When he fell back to the ground, he had already become a corpse. Song Jian brandished his dagger and lunged towards the disordered martial arts disciples. Blood Crows surrounded him, continuously flapping their wings and pecking at nearby enemies. Though the Blood Crows damage was low, only causing a point or two of damage to these elite monsters, their sheer number made up for their lack of power. With their wings flapping, they surrounded the martial arts disciples, giving the illusion that they were besieged. Song Jian broke free from the encirclement, and for a moment, his firepower was fully unleashed. The rocket launchers cooldown time was over, and he immediately took it out, aimed at the boxing disciples who were only two or three meters away, and pulled the trigger; Boom- A burst of fire almost exploded in front of him, the hot air rushing toward his face. However, fortunately, this was a game and there was no friendly fire, otherwise, Song Jian wouldnt dare to fire a rocket at such a close distance; Boom- Another rocket was fired towards the area with the most boxing disciples, exploding in the crowd. The already injured boxing disciples were instantly killed, taking out five or six of them; The remaining boxing disciples had only a little over a hundred Vitality Points left, and they were all injured; The number of Blood Crows rapidly decreased. These Blood Crows didnt have much Vitality, and they could only withstand three or four hits from the boxing disciples. If they werent agile, they would have been smashed to pieces as soon as they appeared; Thud- A Blood Crows Vitality Points were depleted by a boxing disciples punch and it exploded into a cloud of blood mist. The dead Blood Crow would return to the Blood Pool to be reborn, and during this time, Song Jian could not summon it again; Seeing that there were only seven or eight boxing disciples left, and all of them were severely injured, a smile appeared on Song Jians face. There were still three Blood Crows, and they all perched on Song Jians shoulders. Song Jians Vitality Points were visibly recovering quickly, and in just a few seconds, it had increased from half to a safe range; It was only now that the full benefit of getting an SSS rating in the previous mainline mission became apparent. With a 500% increase in Vitality recovery speed, it was hard for Song Jian to die, and it saved him a lot of medical expenses in the absence of medical treatment; The severely injured boxing disciples were fearless, showing no sign of fear. They stared at Song Jian and lunged at him once again; This time, Song Jian didnt give them a chance to surround him. He moved continuously, and his Tusk Fang Stinger in hand was like the Death Gods scythe, constantly harvesting the boxing disciples lives; In less than a minute, Song Jian had killed all the remaining boxing disciples. There were at least eleven or twelve items with white light scattered on the floor. The output of the dungeon was indeed much higher than that of the outside world; By now, Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng had already reduced the Bosss Vitality by a third, and both of their Vitality Points were still above 80%. They were very cautious in their fight, preferring to abandon an attack opportunity rather than suffering damage from the Boss; A smile appeared on Song Jians face. This was the most orthodox way to fight in the game, mainly because there were too few items and skills to recover Vitality; There was only a ten-second cooldown for the rocket, and when it was ready, Song Jian took it out and aimed it at the Boxing Gym Master, who was constantly swinging his fists. He then pulled the trigger; A slight vibration was felt as the rocket screamed towards the Boss. Lin Sheng let out a strange cry and quickly hid to the side; Gao Da Nian remained calm, still carrying his axe and attacking the Boss; The Boxing Gym Master was equipped with a tiger-shaped boxing glove, and the sharp tusks protruded from them. The tusks and the axe constantly collided, creating countless sparks; Gao Da Nian, run! The rocket is coming! Lin Sheng, who was worried that Gao Da Nian hadnt noticed the rocket, frantically yelled from a distance; Boom- The rocket hit the Boss hard, followed by a violent explosion. Almost a hundred points of damage appeared above the Bosss head, but Gao Da Nian, resisting the hot blast, managed to fiercely hack at the Boss twice, taking away nearly eighty Vitality Points; Friendly fire is nullified in a dungeon party! Gao Da Nian glanced at Lin Sheng, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. This message appeared as soon as they entered the dungeon system, but Lin Sheng was too absorbed in the battle and forgot; Lin Shengs face turned slightly red. He said nothing, clenched his dagger, and rushed towards the Boss. Meanwhile, Song Jian pulled the trigger once again; Chapter 133 - 133: Siege Kill Chapter 133: Siege Kill Translator: 549690339 Roar- The boxing gyms instructor seemed to sense the threat of death, suddenly erupting with a tremendous aura. His entire body shone with a golden glow, and from the surface of his Tiger Boxing Gloves welled up a milky white boxing strength. Boom! The bosss right hand fiercely collided with Gao Da Nians long axe. A tremendous force sprang forth, the axe swayed strongly backward, sending Gao Da Nian stumbling back several steps, a look of surprise appearing on his face. Has the Boss reached boiling point? Hes gained so much strength! Gao Da Nian exclaimed. Lin Shengs figure lunged towards the Boss, instantly disappearing, entering a stealth mode. The Bosss facial muscles warped, his expression gruesome. He looked at the incoming rocket, not dodging or avoiding, but instead, pulling his arms back to his waist. His body started spinning like a top, revolving 360 degrees before his right arm swung out with force. Tigers Third Style! Accompanied by a furious roar, the golden glow around the Bosss body condensed into the shape of a ferocious tiger, moving in the direction of Song Jian, making a roaring gesture. Is he, is he trying to smash the rocket with his fist? What a tough guy! Lin Sheng watched in disbelief as the Boss smashed his fist into the incoming missile, his eyes nearly popping out. Boom- The boxing gyms instructor threw a punch, colliding with the rocket, causing a shocking earth-shattering thunderous sound. The entire gym slightly trembled, dust from the ceiling falling continuously. -3 Single-digit damage numbers bubbled up from the gym instructor. At this point, his training clothes had been torn to rags, his upper body almost entirely exposed. His face was flushed crimson, his chest heaving greatly, and the white breath exhaled from his nostrils was over a foot long, like an enraged bull. Is this guy even human? Lin Shengs eyes were filled with terror. This was the most terrifying creature he had ever encountered. Even though it was only a level seven elite Boss, Lin Sheng felt that it was stronger than any level ten elite Boss outside. Keep attacking, that last hit took a lot out of him! Song Jian shouted from a distance, his right hand forcefully pressing on the ground. Earth Teeth Assault! A tusk-like qi cluster emitted a sharp whistling sound and flew towards the gyms instructor, leaving a faint crack on the ground, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. The gym instructor was currently in a state of recovery, sensing the rapidly approaching Earth Teeth Assault. His eyes welled up with blood, his legs stomping on the ground, his body abruptly leapt up, spinning in mid-air before smacking his right fist into the ground. Tigers Third Style! Boom- The gym instructor smashed his fist into the tusk-like qi cluster, followed immediately by a grating friction sound, like sharp nails scratching against glass. Boom! The tusk-like qi cluster only managed to withstand less than two seconds before detonating, shattering into bits of energy spots that scattered in the air and vanished. This time, the Boss took no damage, a pale blue Resist floated above his head. For a moment, the fierce aura of the Boss startled the three of them. Gao Da Nians hand holding the long axe began to sweat, slowly retreating. Lin Sheng, after entering his stealth mode, didnt dare to advance anymore and started to circle around the Boss. Song Jian inhaled deeply, packing away his Rocket Launcher and rushed towards the Boss wielding his Tusk Fang Stinger. Seeing Song Jian rush in, the gym instructor opened his mouth wide, a ruthless smile appearing on his face. He extended the fingers of his right hand, then clenched it into a fist. Crack Crack- The knuckles crackled in rapid succession as the Head Instructor of the boxing ring charged towards Song Jian, right fist held high. He resembled a ferocious tiger with his entire vigor, and his right hand became the sharp tusk within the tigers mouth. Seeing the state of Song Jian, Gao Da Nians face flushed crimson. Anger and humiliation shone in his eyes as he roared, gripping his long axe tightly and fiercely striking at the BOSSS back. Damn it, if Im going to die, so be it! A hint of blood appeared at the corners of Lin Shengs mouth as his face contorted, his body erupting with a death-defying zeal. Like a venomous snake, he swiftly charged towards the BOSS. His eyes were locked onto the protruding vein on the BOSSS neck, his dagger akin to a venomous snakes fang, seemingly ready to strike and draw fresh blood. Song Jian stabbed the dagger in his hand at the BOSSS fist. The blade tip and the BOSSS fist armor collided, sending sparks flying. Song Jian only felt a staggering force traveling up from the dagger, making his entire arm numb and nearly making him drop the dagger. Such incredible strength! Song Jian was somewhat surprised. This was the first time hes encountered a monster with a higher strength level since his own had reached 12 points. Song Jian didnt choose to clash head-on. He sidestepped, shifting his daggers position to glide along the BOSSS fist, changing his grip on the dagger from forward to backward. With the dagger trailing behind him, he charged forward along with the BOSSS arm. His body also slightly leaned towards the BOSSS right side, and the Head Instructors tusk-like punch brushed past Song Jians cheek, creating a deep wound with its sheer force. Phut- Blood sprayed as the entire outer side of the BOSSS right arm was sliced open by the dagger from its wrist to its shoulder. Almost all the muscles of the right arm were cut open, revealing the chilling white bones beneath. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With this strike, Song Jian had actually used the BOSSS own power against him. It was like placing a sharp blade under a fast-moving car, using its momentum to slash open the tires. -89 A red critical damage number floated up from the BOSSS head. The aura around the BOSS instantly dissipated, letting out a painful howl like an injured animal. The Head Instructor fell face down on the floor, sliding several meters forward, his right arm limply hanging as though it were a dead snake on the floor, blood gushing out from the wound. With his right arm rendered useless, a look of despair surfaced in the BOSSS eyes. He rolled over to sit up, eyes full of bloodshot veins, staring unblinkingly at Song Jian. He attempted to push himself off the ground with his left hand to stand up. Phut- At this moment, a splash of blood suddenly erupted from the BOSSS left neck. Lin Shengs figure gradually appeared, with his dagger nearly fully plunged into the BOSSS body. Landing a hit, Lin Sheng quickly withdrew his dagger and receded towards the distance. The BOSS, who had already raised half of its body, fell hard to the ground again due to the critical hit. A critical damage number of over sixty points rose from his head. The dagger in Lin Shengs hand was only of green quality. It possessed the Armor Break+2 attribute. Its power was rather weak compared to Song Jians Tusk Fang Stinger, so the damage it dealt to the BOSS was consequently not as high as Song Jians. Boom- At this point, Gao Da Nian also rushed over, heavily chopping at the BOSSS back of the head with his long axe which induced a tremor in the BOSSS body. A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, staining a large part of the floor red. The BOSS is almost dead, keep attacking! Gao Da Nian gave a cry of surprise. Watching the BOSS, who only had about one-fifth of his vitality points remaining, he wielded his long axe continuously attacking the BOSS. Lin Sheng also gritted his teeth and rushed in. His dagger continuously jabbed into the waist and abdomen of the BOSS. Song Jians left index finger suddenly bloomed with a silver light, fiercely chopping at the BOSSS skull. Boom- Under continuous attacks, the BOSSS body finally fell heavily onto the floor again, twitching uncontrollably. This time, he had completely lost the strength to stand back up. Chapter 134 - 134: Mighty Tiger Boxing Gloves Chapter 134: Mighty Tiger Boxing Gloves Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 Upon seeing that the boss was finally killed, Song Jian and his two companions exchanged glances and broke into goofy smiles. They plopped down onto the ground, with Lin Sheng even lying flat on the floor in the shape of a big character, his chest heaving as he panted heavily; We really did it, we really killed the boss, hahaha- Gao Da Nian burst into laughter. Initially, he and Lin Sheng hadnt taken the level 7 Elite -Level Boss too seriously. After all, outside the dungeon, the two of them had killed more than one level 5 Elite-Level Boss just on their own. But they didnt expect that the monsters inside the dungeon were much stronger than those outside; A level 7 Elite-Level Boss was even stronger than a level 10 Elite-Level boss outside. Before Song Jian joined the attack, these two had already resisted the bosss attack desperately. Lin Sheng even considered giving up, ready to enter stealth mode at any moment, dragging out the battle until it ended, then leaving the dungeon; The three of them didnt care about the bosss dropped items at all and just lay on the ground to rest. This battle had drained a lot of their energy. They had been tense throughout the entire fight, and with the extreme consumption, they didnt even feel like moving a finger once they relaxed; Only after a while, did the three of them manage to get up. As they looked at the items dropped by the boss, they broke into smirks; Wow, it even dropped the thing it eats with; Lin Sheng smacked his lips; This gauntlet is only a green-quality weapon, that shouldnt be right. I think it should at least be blue, or even sliver-quality, that would make sense! Gao Da Nian rubbed the back of his head, saying somewhat unhappily; Heh, even the blue-grade materials itself dropped three. Yet the weapon turned out to be green-quality. I say, didnt you damage the gauntlet with your rocket, Song Jian? Lin Sheng gave a glance at the items dropped by the boss, and looked at Song Jian with a surprising face. In the midst of the battle, the boss had indeed used its fists to withstand a rocket. Perhaps it got damaged then, causing the quality of bosss gauntlet to decrease; Song Jian frowned slightly, staring at the two fist-fighting gloves emitting a green glow;, he was somewhat puzzled; Thats not right, this green glow, its somewhat too deep, completely different from the glow emitted by ordinary green-quality items. It resembles the glow on the surface of my Zombie Overlord armor Thinking of this, a smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. He reached out to grab the two gauntlets and said: In that case, let me take this equipment. The rest are all yours. Hey, hold on, you must be joking, Brother Song, dont take it to heart. We three brought down the boss together, so the items should naturally be divided equally. said Gao Da Nian as he hurriedly gestured this sentiment; Lin Sheng also had a startled expression, which quickly turned somewhat awkward. He hastily said: Yes, yes, it should indeed be split equally. We cant let Brother Song suffer a loss! Lin Sheng then quickly picked up three pieces of blue luminous material. After a close look, each of them threw one to each other, and said: They are all the same, lets take one each. Prime Linen Cloth (Blue), material, can be used to make cloth armor, defense increased by an additional 30%, success rate of cloth armor increased by 10%; Requirement: Possessing Sewing level 2 This material, for the three of them, either they will keep it as it is, or they will sell it to the system store; Are you sure you dont want these gauntlets? Song Jian picked up two tiger-shaped gauntlets, shook them twice, and asked with a smile. Brother Song, its just a green-quality weapon, just put it away. Lin Sheng waved his hand indifferently; As for Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian, a green-quality weapon wouldnt warrant their attention at all. Mainly because neither of them could use it, and at this stage, players didnt have much money, so it wouldnt sell for much anyway; Indeed, Brother Song, you did most of the work this time, so rightfully you should get more equipment, Gao Da Nian said with a sincere smile and a nod. Haha, this is a set! You guys are truly generous, just casually giving away two items of a set! Song Jian laughed heartily and displayed the attributes of the gauntlets. Fierce Tiger Gauntlet (Left), off-hand weapon, set piece. Equipment effect: Attack 25-35, Strength +2, increase attack speed by 15%, Special effect: Fist Power, when dealing damage to a target, theres a chance to increase explosive damage by 45 points. For equipment: Power 7 points and Level 5; Can it be taken out of the game: No; Set attributes: Skill Fierce Tiger Strikes can be used, Fierce Tiger Pounce, Fierce Tiger Swing Attack, and Fierce Tiger Domination. Fierce Tiger Pounce: Deals 120 physical damage to the front target, with a chance of causing laceration; Fierce Tiger Swing Attack: Targets locked, deals destructive damage with the swing force; Fierce Tiger Domination: Can only be used when Vitality points drops below 30%, immune to grabbing and control effects, defense increase by 30%, Vitality recovery speed increases by 30%. Fierce Tiger Gauntlet (Right), main-hand weapon, set piece. Equipment effect: Attack 31-40, Strength +3, increase damage to the target by 10%, Special effect: Fist Power, when dealing damage to a target, there is a chance to increase explosive damage by 45 points. For equipment: Power 7 points and Level 5; Can it be taken out of the game: No; Set attributes: Skill Fierce Tiger Strikes can be used, Fierce Tiger Pounce, Fierce Tiger Swing Attack, and Fierce Tiger Domination. Fierce Tiger Pounce: Deals 120 physical damage to the front target, with a chance of causing laceration; Fierce Tiger Swing Attack: Targets locked, deals destructive damage with the swing force; Fierce Tiger Domination: Can only be used when Vitality points drops below 30%, immune to grabbing and control effects, defense increase by 30%, Vitality recovery speed increases by 30%. Seta set? Its a set weapon, my goodness. I want to change my profession to something like a puncher now. Lin Sheng shouted with his mouth open wide, almost drooling. The gauntlets attributes were incredibly strong. Even without taking into account the weapons own attributes, the three set piece skills already left one dumbfounded. Even a newbie, when equipped with these gauntlets, would immediately be able to rise to the ranks of elite players. Even for Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian, the number of attack skills they possess probably wouldnt reach three. The unbelievable properties of the gauntlets made Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian tangled up. Although both of them had yet to learn about their chosen professions, they were already collecting equipment and skills that were suitable for their ideal occupations. Gao Da Nian seemed to have chosen a profession like a weapons warrior, and Lin Sheng chose to be a thief or a stealthy character. Da Nian, why dont we give these gauntlets to you? But it will count as two of your picking turns, said Song Jian to Gao Da Nian. When it comes to item selection, the three of them werent a fixed team and never followed the need before greed principle. They chose to have everyone pick one item each. If Gao Da Nian had picked the gauntlets now, then in future battles, even if equipment suitable for him dropped, he wouldnt be eligible to pick them. Furthermore, these are two gauntlets, equivalent to two weapons, hence, they would need to use up two of his picking turns. After some hesitation, Gao Da Nian shook his head. His skills required wielding a long-handled weapon like an axe to activate. Even if the properties of the gauntlets were outstanding, a change in weapon would decrease Gao Da Nians effectiveness until he became accustomed to it. Furthermore, he needed to spend time collecting punching skills. More trouble than its worth. Nevermind, I dont want them, theyre of no use to me, Gao Da Nian said, shaking his head. Lin Sheng, what about you? Song Jian turned and asked. Brother Song, how about this? Give me the gauntlets, and in exchange, you can have my dagger, said Lin Sheng. However, for the picking turns, each of us should expend one. In your dreams! Song Jian rolled his eyes. Ever since he showed off the Tusk Fang Stinger, Lin Sheng had been staring at it with a drooling expression. His intention was as clear as day. Why not we sell them for some cash? Song Jian suggested to both of them. Can any player afford such equipment now? Lin Sheng asked with a furrowed brow. He shook his head and added, Such equipment is very valuable. I doubt there are many players who can afford it. Yeah, if we sell the set weapon for just a few Doomsday Coins, it would break my heart, Id rather hold onto them, Gao Da Nian sighed. Chapter 135 - 135: The Hidden Door Chapter 135: The Hidden Door Translator: 549690339 The purchasing power of players now is too low. Ordinary items can still be afforded, but very few people can afford items of higher quality than green. Most players are currently at a stage where they barter with items, as no one wants to lose out. But none of us three need this weapon, what should we do? Song Jian opened his hands and asked helplessly. We can sell it, but it must be for at least 300 Doomsday Coins! Otherwise, wed rather let it rot and mold in the warehouse. Lin Sheng clenched his teeth and said. Thats right, with 300 Doomsday Coins, the three of us can each have 100. At least this wont hurt as much, considering its a set! Gao Da Nian lamented. In reality, selling this pair of gloves for 300 Doomsday Coins is quite cheap. But who can blame the current players for being poor? The number of players who can take 300 Doomsday Coins out of their pockets could probably be counted on one hand. Even Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian probably only have about 100 to 200 Doomsday Coins in their possession at most. Leave it to me. Ill definitely sell it for higher than 300 Doomsday Coins! Song Jian said while putting the gloves into his bag. At the same time, the three of them signed an agreement. No matter how much Song Jian sells it for, they will divide the money equally among them, and the price cannot be lower than 300. If its lower than 300, Song Jian will have to make up the difference for the other two. Players may not have money, but the games NPCs have plenty of rich ones. As long as I shout on the radio, Ill definitely be able to sell it at a high price! Song Jian thought to himself. Upon seeing Song Jian putting the gloves in his bag, Lin Sheng curled his lips. Lin Sheng didnt believe that Song Jian could sell it for much, as players barely had any Doomsday Coins in their pockets right now. Wow, this little monster dropped quite a few items. Gao Da Nians eyes fell on the shiny white items in front of him, dropped by the 18 elite boxing disciples that Song Jian had just killed. The 18 elite boxing disciples dropped more than 20 items in total. Although the tiers arent high, the sheer amount of items laid out over a large area gives off an impressive feeling. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The drop rate of this instance is indeed higher than outside, but most of the drops are materials and not worth much. Lin Sheng picked up an item and looked at it, shaking his head. So many items, even if sold to shops, would be worth quite a bit of money! Gao Da Nian laughed. Ordinary linen cloth, if any of us learned tailoring, wed make a fortune. With so many materials, we could level up tailoring by one level. Lin Sheng said with a smile. After dividing the rest of the items, they began to search for the next section in the instance. From the outside, this boxing building had three floors. If it was divided by the floors, there should be three stages and three bosses, which is also one of the reasons why Song Jian and the others werent willing to choose the gloves. After all, there were still two bosses who might drop items they needed. The first-floor hall was very spacious, and they could easily see the surroundings at a glance. The three of them didnt find any stairs leading to the second floor and began searching separately. Soon, Lin Sheng shouted, Here, its over here! Gao Da Nian and Song Jian came over to see that indeed, there was a closed elevator-like door on one of the walls, with a small LCD screen next to it displaying two red words, Locked. Hey, arent you a thief class player? Come on, unlock it! Gao Da Nian patted Lin Shengs shoulder and said. Is this even a lock? Lin Sheng rolled his eyes and said helplessly. An electronic lock is still a lock! Gao Da Nian insisted with a righteous expression. I really cant talk to people like you. Lin Sheng said helplessly. Look for it, they wouldnt simply not let us go up. Song Jian said as he began searching. Song Jian took a quick glance and saw Lin Sheng staring intently at the small LCD screen, with a faint milky-white light in his pupils. But the light was very subtle, so it was difficult to notice unless one looked carefully. Is this a skill? Song Jian was shocked. Thats enough, stop searching. Lin Sheng said loudly, Ive already found a clue. Song Jian noticed a hint of exhaustion in Lin Shengs eyes. It seemed that the skill Lin Sheng just used took a great toll on his Mental Strength. Lin Sheng turned his head and walked directly towards a wooden pillar. There were five or six wooden pillars in the first-floor hall of the boxing building, which supported the entire structure of the building. Each pillar was about the thickness of a persons embrace. Lin Sheng walked to one of the pillars, inserted his dagger into it, then pried it open with force. Suddenly, a secret door appeared in front of the three of them. Heh, theres even a hidden mechanism here. Gao Da Nian looked at Lin Sheng fumbling with the hole and couldnt help but glance at the other pillars. Do you think the other pillars also have similar secret doors, hiding good stuff? You can give it a try! Lin Sheng shrugged, not believing that all the pillars in the boxing building would have similar secret doors. Having one was already quite good. Gao Da Nian, unwilling to give up, ran to another pillar and started knocking and tapping it At that moment, Lin Shengs eyes lit up, and he pulled out a card. Waving it, he said, Ive found it. Hehe, Ive also found something good. Gao Da Nians excited voice came from afar. Lin Sheng looked at Gao Da Nian in surprise; indeed, Gao Da Nian was waving a Skill Book with a triumphant grin. Damn, lucky dog! Lin Sheng cursed but immediately moved toward another pillar. Song Jian also rushed to a pillar and started banging its surface with the Tusk Fang Stinger, listening to see if there was a hollow sound. Sure enough, behind each pillar, there was a secret door, with some valuable items hidden inside. Song Jian found 200 Doomsday Coins, while Gao Da Nians Skill Book was a basic boxing technique that could be learned upon use. If someone had already comprehended a similar skill, such as Song Jians [Unarmed Combat (Fist/Palm) (Basic)] skill, this book could increase the learned skill by one level.. Chapter 136 - 136: 136: Goblin Repairman Chapter 136 - 136: 136: Goblin RepairmanTranslator: 549690339 The trio quickly arrived on the second floor, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, a pungent smell of machine oil wafted over. To their surprise, the second floor was the same as the first, a large hall, only this time the hall was littered with countless broken humanoid models, similar to the ones in other martial arts dojos used for hand-to-hand combat practice. However, the human models here were much more worn, seeming like a junkyard of discarded humanoid models. Damn it, you guys go through these humanoid models way too quickly. I cant keep up with the repairs, said a small goblin. Wearing an embedded magnifying glass over his right eye and brandishing repairing pliers in hand, he was fixing the arm of a humanoid model. The goblin was engrossed and didnt raise his head. Noticing the arrival of Song Jian and the others, he indicated a corner with an impatient gesture, Just drop the stuff there, and leave quickly. Dont touch anything around here. Song Jian squinted at the Goblin whose attributes quickly appeared above his head. LV8 Goblin Repairer (Elite), Vitality Points: 680/680, Spirit Points: 300/300, Traits: Engineering Repair, Puppet Control, Super Wood Resistance, Ground Dragon Stake Looks like weve got ourselves a magical type BOSS. Whoevers attacks are Wood Elements, try not to engage! Gao Da Nian scratched his head. After stepping onto the second floor, Lin Sheng silently retreated into stealth mode, gradually approaching the BOSS. Gao Da Nian also held his axe and slowly advanced towards the BOSS, carelessly stepping on the humanoid model parts underfoot, causing them to crackle and break. After a while, the BOSS finally noticed that the intruders were not dojo disciples. Looking up and noticing the shattered parts beneath Gao Da Nians feet, it let out a screech. Alih, who dare to dismantle my puppets, unforgivable! Boom- From the small body of the BOSS, a powerful energy seemed to burst out, green vigor spiraling around him. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- A few repairing pliers and grinders were flung out by the BOSS, carving arcs through the air and flying towards Gao Da Nian. Gao Da Nian quickly raised his axe to block the BOSSS onslaught. Damn, wasnt it supposed to be a magus type. Whys it throwing knives now? Song Jian exclaimed, startled. He had been standing behind Gao Da Nian all this while and the BOSSS attacks now enclosed him as well. Thunk- Lin Sheng had creeped up behind the BOSS, violently thrusting his dagger into its neck. After his strike found its mark, Lin Sheng didnt linger, swiftly dodging to the side. All, invaders! How dare you invade this place! Children, rise! Kill the intruders! The BOSS had been wounded, enraged, flailing its arms and letting out a stream of pale white threads from its hand that extended to the surrounding humanoid models. Suddenly, the formerly inanimate humanoid models began to move with a click- clack sound. Like puppets, they were controlled by the BOSS, rushing towards the group. Song Jian lifted up his rocket launcher, trained it on the BOSS, and pulled the trigger. A rocket screamed out, flying towards the BOSS. Come here! The goblin BOSS smirked, its hands pulling towards the center, the bright threads pulling more than a dozen humanoid models to shield the BOSS. These humanoid models continuously shifted, their edges revealing gear-like notches, and were joined together to form a giant shield. Boom- The explosion echoed and countless wooden particles of the models dispersed in all directions. The BOSS, holding a pile of debris, flung his arms, and the countless particles flew out like a storm, shooting towards Song Jian. Foggrass, goblin version of the hailstone needle rain? Gao Da Nian swiftly dodged to the side. He wouldnt be able to block so many fragments; Lin Sheng entered stealth mode again, creeping towards the boss. Before he could get close, he suddenly felt his foot tightening; Looking down, some wooden vines had tightly entangled his right leg, like poisonous snakes. Tiny wooden spikes were jabbing into his flesh, each inflicting five to six points of damage, popping out from the top of his head; This, this thing can set traps too! Lin Sheng exclaimed, disregarding his attack on the boss, and quickly slashed at the wooden vines that entangled him with his dagger; Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This boss is a bit tricky! Gao Da Nian was frowning, nimbly dodging the tools thrown at him by the boss; If only I had a shield, this bosss attack is so powerful! Song Jian was rolling around, using the terrain and surrounding mannequins to block the bosss attacks. He had just been grazed by a repair clamp and lost over sixty vitality points. If hit directly, he suspected the damage would rise to hundreds; Die, die, all die. The Goblin boss laughed heartily, summoning again over a dozen mannequins, charging at them; Thump, thump, thump- Gao Da Nians axe slashed on the mannequins, as if striking steel, sparks flying about. Each attack could only inflict about ten points of damage on the mannequins, making Gao Da Nians expression increasingly grim; Brother Song, think of a plan, we cant keep this up, we wont be able to hold on for long. Gao Da Nian had also lost a third of his vitality points, but the bosss vitality, apart from the initial attack by Lin Sheng that caused a drop of over thirty points, had not been damaged at all; Lin Sheng managed to free himself from the trap at this point, hiding behind a wooden pillar, seemingly replenishing his vitality with food. The damage from the trap and several surrounding mannequins had caused his vitality to drop to less than half, he was nearly killed here; Jian, summon all your creatures, like when we fought the street thugs! Lin Sheng shouted from his hiding spot; Most of them are dead, Ive only got three left. Song Jian grumbled. There were three blood crows circling him continuously, their attacks werent powerful, but if they were in larger numbers they could become threatening. Now there were only three left, the effect they could have was insignificant; Shouldering his rocket launcher, Song Jian aimed at the boss again, even if he couldnt harm him, he would at least deplete some of the surrounding mannequins; Boom- Another rocket flew out, the boss used the same technique, pulling a dozen mannequins to shield him; At that moment, Gao Da Nian and Song Jian exchanged a glance. Almost simultaneously, they both rushed toward the boss. If this continued, they would be worn to death by the boss. Better to seize this chance and engage the boss in close combat! Thump- A countless amount of wood shavings sprayed in all directions again, Song Jian gripped his dagger tight, his hands covering his head and face, letting the wood shavings scratch his body; Gao Da Nian was also determined to hold on. His vitality didnt recover as fast as Song Jians, wooden shavings were flying everywhere, his vitality like floodwaters rushing down, decreasing rapidly. In no time, his vitality was less than half; Die! Gao Da Nian charged in front of the BOSS, swung his long axe, and fiercely chopped towards the bosss head; All! The boss let out a sharp cry, his hands shooting up. Numerous fragments of white light converged above his head, intertwining with each other, solidly blocking Gao Da Nians attack; At this moment, Song Jian also rushed to the boss, his dagger ruthlessly stabbing towards the bosss head; Squelch- Blood splashed, the dagger plunged in up to the hilt, a critical hit of over sixty points of damage floated up from the bosss head. Song Jian pulled out the dagger, continuing to hack at the boss, in no time, four or five wounds had been sliced onto the bosss body; Hey, I say, Jian, youre so slick with that dagger, youre even better than me! Lin Shengs vitality had recovered more than eighty percent, he also rushed over to join the attack on the boss. Chapter 137 - 137: Invincible Chapter 137: Invincible Translator: 549690339 Shards of parts shot out like a rain of pear-like needles towards Song Jian and the others, who hurriedly dodged. In the chaos, about a third of their Vitality Points were consumed. As soon as the parts landed, the atmosphere intensified. Charge, engage it in close combat! Gao Da Nian shouted, rushing towards the BOSS first. After several minutes of fighting, the three discovered that although the Goblin Repairman excelled at long-range attacks, it didnt mean they could take advantage of close combat. The three continued to launch their relentless assault, and soon found that the Goblin Repairman waving its wrench was only slightly less effective than Song Jian using a dagger. The impact hurt them severely, and their Vitality Points plummeted like money didnt matter. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng trembled with fear, and after each strike, they had to retreat and recover Vitality Points for a while. Only Song Jian, thanks to his reward from the last main line mission, had a 500% increase in his Vitality Points recovery rate. He endured the BOSSS wrench assaults, barely preventing their team from falling apart. Brother Song, your Vitality Point recovery is too exaggerated. Are you recovering twenty or thirty points per second? Even the BOSS isnt that exaggerated! Lin Sheng hid to one side, biting into a piece of meat, a look of admiration on his face. Since Lin Sheng had not created a safehouse or completed his main missions, he was unaware of the mainline task rewards. Mission reward! Song Jian said, tilting his head to dodge a BOSS attack and stabbing it twice. Boom! The Poison Nova skill activated, and a burst of green smoke exploded from the BOSSS body, inflicting a hundred points of damage. Brother Song, your skill is so powerful! Amazing! Gao Da Nian couldnt hold on any longer, his Vitality Points dropping to just over fifty. He couldnt withstand the BOSSS direct assault and backed off, pulling a drink from his inventory to rapidly restore his Vitality Points. By now, higher-level players began consciously collecting supplies that could recover Vitality Points during combat, making them easier to obtain by searching. Soon, the BOSSS Vitality Points fell below half, and Song Jian became more vigilant. Lower Vitality Points caused the BOSS to display powerful skills that could cause injuries if not handled properly. Puppets, dolls, molds, my children, come protect me! Control! The Goblin Repairman roared, releasing countless milky-white rays of light from his palms, spreading in all directions. Alert, Song Jian raised his dagger to chest level and retreated two steps, while Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian hid behind a wooden column in a defensive posture. Crack, crack, crack- Many mold parts were randomly attached to the light rays, disassembling complete humanoid molds and extracting their internal components. In no time, hundreds of components floated in the air, controlled by the Goblin Repairman BOSS, quickly converging towards it. Whats it trying to do, assemble something again? Gao Da Nian peeked out, watching the BOSSS every move. I hope its not another giant shield. Lin Sheng frowned, recalling how the previous shields high defense forced them to retreat under Song Jians Rocket Launcher. Brother Song, can you still use your Rocket Launcher? Gao Da Nian bellowed, his face flushed with rage. Six seconds left! Song Jian shouted back. Whoa, Brother Song, how many rockets do you have? Those things arent cheap. Lin Sheng gasped, knowing that consumables like ammunition could be bought in the system store, but at a high price. This put pressure on many new players who initially chose firearms as their main weapon, eventually forcing them to develop their cold weapon skills. Since entering the instance, Lin Sheng had counted six rockets launched by Song Jian, each priced at over a hundred Doomsday Coins in the system store. It was as if they were using money to beat the BOSS. Its fine, Song Jian said casually. At this moment, the BOSS laughed wildly. Countless parts were pulled together by the milky white light, forming a hard, humanoid mold-like shell. The goblin repairman served as the head of the humanoid mold, sitting steadily on this humanoid shell made of wooden parts. The light threads on the BOSSS hands penetrated every part of the giant humanoid mold like nerves in a human body, making it very convenient to control. Damn, is this a Gundam or a mech? This is too exaggerated. Lin Sheng opened his mouth wide, with a horrified look in his eyes. Its just an enlarged humanoid mold, not a mech. Those are all made of wood. Gao Da Nian snorted coldly. But even so, its still amazing. It looks almost like a Gundam or a mech. Lin Sheng muttered quietly. However, after watching it closely for a while, he finally relaxed. After all, the humanoid molds power was still inferior compared to a mech. If it were really a mech, Lin Sheng might not even have the courage to fight against it. As they spoke, the cooldown time for Song Jians rocket launcher had arrived. He had two rockets filled and ready. Song Jian aimed at the five to six-meter-tall humanoid molds chest and pulled the trigger. A rocket with a long tail flame shot out. The goblin repairman let out a sharp roar when he saw the rocket flying towards him. He raised his right hand high, with a strained expression on his face. Accompanying the lift of its right hand, the giant humanoid molds right hand also clenched into a fist and raised sharply. Die! The BOSS yelled and fiercely slammed his right arm toward the rocket. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom- With a loud noise, the humanoid molds right fist and the rocket collided violently, emitting a huge roar. Lin Sheng and the others looked hopefully at the BOSS, but they were ultimately disappointed to discover that the humanoid molds right fist was merely emitting faint black smoke. At the center of the fist, there was only a basketball-sized hole of damage. Damn, what kind of people are these? The first floor BOSS could physically resist rockets, and this shorty on the second floor can use a humanoid mold to withstand rocket attacks too. How are players supposed to pass through here?! Lin Sheng shouted loudly, a look of despair on his face. If it werent for Song Jian, we might not even be able to defeat the BOSS on the first floor. This thought had echoed in Gao Da Nian and Lin Shengs minds more than once. Song Jian didnt say a word, just holding up his rocket launcher and silently waiting for the three-second cooldown time. Franciska is invincible! The Goblin BOSS laughed wildly, waving two thick humanoid mold arms, raising them high, and looking unstoppable. Whoosh- Another rocket flew towards it. In a panic, the Goblin BOSS fiercely swung his left fist at the rocket. After firing the rocket, Song Jian didnt even look at the outcome, but directly put away his rocket launcher, grabbed his dagger, and rushed towards the BOSS. Blood Crows, harass the shorty! Song Jian shouted while running. The three Blood Crows that had been hovering above Song Jians head flew toward the Goblin BOSS. Boom! The second rocket collided with the giant humanoid molds fist, emitting a loud noise. However, this time the Goblin BOSS miscontrolled it, so the rocket didnt hit the humanoid molds fist directly. Instead, it exploded at the humanoid molds wrist. Immediately, the giant humanoid molds left fist drooped down. From the gap, many white lights could be seen breaking apart, and many parts began to fall off like wood chips. Good job, his left hand is useless now! Gao Da Nian instantly became excited. Noticing that his vitality level had mostly recovered, he grabbed his long ax and charged at the BOSS from the left side. Chapter 138 - 138: Earth Dragon Pile Chapter 138: Earth Dragon Pile Translator: 549690339 Even though Song Jians Vitality Points recovered quickly, there was a limit. The BOSSS various pincers and wrenches flew towards him, and there were always times when he couldnt avoid them. Each attack could take away fifty to sixty of Song Jians Vitality Points. This was only mitigated by Song Jians strong foundation of over three hundred Vitality Points. If it had been Gao Da Nian or Lin Sheng, they would most likely retreat after taking a couple of hits. Although there were three people attacking the BOSS, its aggro focused squarely on Song Jian. All sorts of attacks were launched at him, causing him great distress. Brother Song, hang on a bit longer! The BOSSS Vitality points are almost depleted. Were about to grind it down! Lin Sheng saw Song Jians Vitality points fluctuating dramatically and consoled him as he attacked. Burst! With one soft shout, the BOSSS Vitality Points plummeted by over one hundred points. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng were green with envy. The damage Song Jian was inflicting on the BOSS was equivalent to the two of them combined and multiplied by two. This made the two, who were initially quite proud, feel deeply ashamed. Even without us, he could probably clear this instance on his own! Gao Da Nian murmured in his heart. In fact, the two of them had realized this from the first round. They always let Song Jian choose his gear first. Even if he had a full set, they didnt complain at all. Would signing a contract leave no loophole? There were many loopholes, but neither Gao Da Nian nor Lin Sheng voiced any objections for this reason. Get out of my way, get out of my way, you annoying sparrows, Im going to rip you apart! The Goblin Mechanic swung the enormous humanoid molds arm around, aimlessly flailing above his head. The agitation caused by the three blood crows was significant because the white light in his hands had seeped into every part of the humanoid mold. This had caused the BOSSS hands to become one with the humanoid mold. The Goblin Mechanic was both angry and helpless against the three Blood Crows fluttering above his head and harassing him. Controlling such a massive humanoid mold was not without cost. His energy points were now depleting at a rate of 2 points per second. Once his energy points were exhausted, let alone controlling such a huge humanoid mold, even throwing these tools would be impossible for the BOSS. He could only rely on his bare hands then. If a magic-type BOSS had to resort to hand-to-hand combat, it would probably not be much different than being at someones complete mercy. The blood crows were summoned by Song Jian. Therefore, the BOSSS attention, or rather its hate, was focused on Song Jian. As Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian gave it their all, the BOSSS vitality dropped visibly fast. Die, die, die! All of you should die! As the BOSSS Vitality Points kept plummeting, its rage increased, even igniting transparent flames around itself. Earth Dragon Pillar! The BOSS roared, and the giant humanoid mold under its bottom suddenly shattered into particles as fine as sand and scattered on the ground. The white light threads in the hands of the BOSS simultaneously pierced into the floor. The diminutive body was raised high into the air by countless light threads, looking like a deformed giant with two legs. Roar- Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A faint dragon roar rang in everyones ears, and the entire second floor started to undulate like waves. Dragon-shaped Qi surged out from the floor and shot up from under their feet; Lin Sheng reacted the quickest and threw himself to the side. The Earth Dragon Pillar beneath him made a bang sound and shot up five or six meters high before becoming motionless. A burst of air exploded from the top, scattering in all directions; Lin Sheng lay on the floor, glancing back at the thick wooden pillar that had emerged from the floor, he was scared stiff, with cold sweat covering his forehead. Phew, that was close. If I was hit directly, I might have been killed instantly, Lin Sheng thought secretly; Just then, a tremor came from the floor underneath him. Lin Sheng quickly propped himself on his hands, trying to dodge to one side, but this time he was a bit slow. A dragon-shaped pillar of Qi rushed out from under the floor, piercing through his body and soared into the air; Thump- Lin Sheng felt as if a thick wooden pillar was lodged in his chest. He spewed out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning deathly white. His body, along with the rest of the wooden pillar, was raised high into the air; Thump- Another burst of Qi spilled from the top of the wooden pillar. Lin Sheng was thoroughly soaked with Qi and lost control of his body completely. His body flew like a rag sack for about five or six meters, rolled a few times after landing, and came to a halt without any movement on a large pile of mold parts. Gao Da Nian, the heavy-set guy, had the worst of it. His reaction was much slower than Lin Shengs, and he was sent flying into the air directly by an Earth Dragon Pillar. As he was thrown into the air by the Qi, he was hit by another Earth Dragon Pillar. The consecutive, devastating blows drained Gao Da Nians vitality to zero.; While in mid-air, Gao Da Nians body suddenly shattered into pieces and turned into a dozen or so palm-sized black bats, flapping their wings as they flew into the distance; Even though Song Jian had an Agility stat of five, he found the incessant Earth Dragon Pillars challenging to deal with. The entire floor was shaking. The slight tremor that occurred before the pillars emerged was completely masked. It was challenging to discover, even if he paid close attention; Thump- A jet of dragon-shaped Qi surged up from his feet. Song Jian promptly dodged, but the Qi still grazed the side of his body. He felt a chilling sensation pass through him, and he was unable to control half of his body as if it was frozen solid. A wooden pillar shot up from the floor afterward. A stern look flashed across Song Jians eyes along with another thought. A silver Sword Qi radiated brightly from his left forefinger as it stabbed into the floor; Although he couldnt move his entire left arm, it didnt prevent him from casting his Sword Finger ability; Shh- Along with a slight cutting sound, like a blade slicing through the wind, the thick wooden pillar was surprisingly cleaved in half directly by the Sword Qi, flying off to the sides; It took a while before Song Jian regained control over the left side of his body. By then, there were already seven or eight dragon-shaped Qi rings by his side. He quickly glanced at the BOSS. This strike of his seemed to have exhausted it greatly. Its body was suspended mid-air, being supported solely by the white light threads in its hands. Its body started shaking violently, and its expression was hideously distorted; Minds Eye! Two beams of light shot from Song Jians eyes. A large crosshair was scanning the BOSS, finally settling on its chest; Without wasting any time, Song Jian drew out the Rocket Launcher. Invisible Sword Qi poured in, and the whole Rocket Launcher was radiating with an eye-catching silver light. Boom- A rocket missile, exuding countless Sword Qi, flew towards the Goblin Mechanic; A look of horror appeared on the face of the Goblin Mechanic, and all the Earth Dragon Pillar attacks in the room came to a stop; No! The Goblin Mechanic roared, and the white light threads in his hands all broke at the same time. His entire body plummeted towards the ground; The rocket missile drew an arc in the air and crashed heavily into the BOSS that was in mid-air. A magnificent firework exploded in mid-air, and several items of various colors fell from the sky. There wasnt even a complete corpse left behind of the Goblin Mechanic; Chapter 139 - 139: Inheritance Skill Book Chapter 139: Inheritance Skill Book Translator: 549690339 Its dead, its finally dead! A dozen black bats flew to the distance then regrouped and slowly dispersed, revealing Gao Da Nians silhouette among them. At this point, his vitality was less than one-tenth; Song Jian sank dejectedly onto the ground, stashing away the rocket launcher, his hands still slightly shaking. Although his vitality points had been gradually restored to full value, the previous encounters were truly perilous. If he had been consecutively hit by the earth dragon columns, even with an increase of 500% in his vitality recovery speed, he would have surely been killed instantly; Check on Lin Sheng, is he all right? Hes not dead, is he? Song Jian shouted out loudly. I cant move, Im almost in a near-death condition. If it wasnt for my lifeline skill left, I would have been killed just now. Gao Da Nian cried out, still shaken. He had stumbled upon a passive skill. When his vitality points dropped to 30%, the Bat Wing Blotting Out the Sky skill would activate, making him immune to the injuries he was currently enduring. His body would turn into a dozen bats for thirty seconds. As long as one of these bats survived, Gao Da Nian wouldnt die; However, after the skill ended, Gao Da Nians vitality points would drop to the bare minimum. As long as he didnt have any adverse conditions, like bleeding, he could slowly recover; at the moment, Gao Da Nian didnt even want to move. He lay flat on the ground, took out some restoration food from his pack, and began to slowly recover his vitality; I, cough, Im okay! Lin Sheng turned over in a way that jostled the stack of wooden parts next to him. The parts clattered, some falling onto his body. Seeing this, Song Jian was terrified. He thought these parts could kill Lin Sheng if the boss hadnt; At this time, Lin Sheng was in an even worse condition than Gao Da Nian. His left arm was broken; above the status bar on his head, the adverse effect of fracture was displayed. His vitality points had also dropped to the lowest point. Even the action of reaching out for the restoration food was delayed; The three men couldnt even turn their gaze to the items dropped by the boss. They just lay on the ground and rested. This experience was like a close shave with death. They hadnt expected the bosss last skill, which was utterly dreadfula complete screen attack. If Song Jian hadnt slain the boss at the end, Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian wouldnt have escaped death; That bosss attack was a bit too high. Who else could pass this sub-dungeon besides us? Lin Sheng sat up and grumbled as he ate his food; Youre not being very modest with that statement, Gao Da Nian said, having already stood up. His vitality points had recovered to more than 90%, although his face was still a bit pallid; If Song Jian hadnt been here, we would have already failed at the first level. We wouldnt have even laid eyes on this boss, Gao Da Nian said with gratefulness on his face. Song Jian, you should pick first from the items the boss dropped. Dont hold back. Without you, both of us would have been finished. Yeah, yeah, Id be satisfied with just some experience points. Lin Sheng said. Then he opened his property bar to look and was immediately surprised. Wow, what a high experience value! I Im about to level up! Gao Da Nian was startled and looked at his own experience points. He was baffled. His level had just risen to seven, but now the experience bar was already two-thirds full. Hed level up again after killing a hundred or so level five monsters at most. It seemed like he could level up as soon as today if he could get through this sub-dungeon. After two or three more monsters, Ill reach level six. Lin Sheng said, clearly pleased. His level was lower, so the experience points he earned were relatively fewer, but it was still enough for him to level up; Song Jian checked his experience points. Hed only been given reduced experience points for fighting level five monsters, but his experience bar for level ten had nearly filled up by a third. His experience was now at 48% for level ten. Okay, enough with the niceties. Lets see what the boss dropped and divide it among us. Song Jian said. He cast a Surgical Cure on Lin Sheng whod just walked towards him. Immediately, a beam of white light enveloped Lin Sheng, and the fracture status above his head disappeared; Lin Sheng touched his left arm, a grateful look on his face, and nodded at Song Jian; If Song Jian hadnt healed him, Lin Shengs fracture status might have continued until the third level. Only after leveling up from fighting a few minor monsters would he totally recover. But that would have been too dangerous. He couldnt use his left arm, and any carelessness could cost him his life; Hey, the boss dropped its large wrench. This is a long-weapon, Gao Da Nian, do you want it? Song Jian picked up a huge wrench, which was almost as tall as a person. One end was a smooth arc handle, and the other end was a movable clip; Maintenance Masters Adjustable Wrench (Blue), Long Weapon, Two-Handed, Equipment Effect: Attack 45-56, Strength + 3, Critical Hit Increase 15%. Special Effect 1: After causing damage to the target, there is a certain probability to decrease the targets defense value by 30%. Special Effect 2: Clamp (Active), after releasing, it can lock the targets weapon for three seconds. If the skill is released successfully, it can interrupt the skill that the target is releasing, and there is a certain probability to damage the targets weapon; Requirement: Level 7, Can It Be Taken Out Of The Game: No Mine, mine, Brother Song, I want this weapon. Gao Da Nian glistened at the sight of the new weapon. He tucked away his long axe and took the blue quality weapon from the boss. His eyes were full of delight; Hey, why didnt it drop a dagger! Lin Sheng glanced at the blue dagger in Song Jians hand, his tone envious; No dagger, but do you want the skill? Song Jian asked, shaking a skill scroll in his hand; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This skill scroll was emitting a pale silver glow, which made Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng tense up; Skill Scroll: Backstab: Skill Book, Effect: After use, learn the skill Backstab; Backstab: Launch an attack from behind the target, cause 15O%+15 weapon damage to the target; the main-hand weapon must use a dagger to use this skill. After using this skill successfully, add a combo skill point; skill consumption: 40 energy points; skill cast time: instant; skill cooldown: none. Skill explanation: This is one of the inherited skills of the Thief class. Inherited skill, hahaha, an inherited skill of the Thief class, oh yeah! Lin Sheng laughed loudly, took the skill scroll and used it directly. His Stealth skill was also one of the Thief classs inherited skills. Now he had two inherited skills of the Thief class, taking him another step closer to becoming a Thief; This boss is not bad. It gave each of the three of us a useful skill. The last one is mine. Song Jian looked at the white glowing skill book in his hand and a smile appeared on his face; Chapter 140 - 140: Black Fist Arena Chapter 140: Black Fist Arena Translator: 549690339 Skill: Engineering; Skill Book, Effects: Upon use, the skill Engineering can be learned, allowing for the creation of various engineering apparatus. Though the description was simple, it filled Song Jian with overwhelming joy. If it wasnt for them currently stuck in this sub-level, Song Jian wouldve wanted to immediately return to Manor Castle and craft the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade. This was his secret weapon, akin to a Rocket Launcher, that could easily deal with bosses by tossing just a few grenades. Brother Song, it seems a bit unfair to you. Your skill is of white grade, worse than ours. How about, we give you the remaining materials and you dont need to split them with us? Lin Sheng said, somewhat apologetically. Yes, Brother Song, we owe you big this time. It would be unfair if youre left with less. All these materials are yours. Moreover, this pick doesnt count. If the next boss drops something good, you still get the first choice. Gao Da Nian quickly added. Yes, indeed, weve all gotten good things this time. We cant let you lose out; our agreement about your first pick still stands for the next boss. Lin Sheng nodded, with a sincere look on his face. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng knew very well that without Song Jian, they couldnt even defeat the current boss, let alone the next one. To pass this level, theyd have to rely on Song Jian. Hehe, well, 1 wont stand on ceremony then. Song Jian chuckled and put the remaining seven or eight Engineering materials all into his inventory. All these materials were of white grade and useful for Engineering. Even if Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng kept them, theyd just end up being sold in the system shop. So, they might as well let it pass. After all, having a blue grade weapon and a silver grade Skill Scroll were already a bit embarrassing for them. After the three took a break, they headed towards the elevator. To be honest, Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian were a bit scared now. In this game, players only had one life. Death in the game meant a real-world death. Usually, they didnt dare to fight tough monsters. All they did was to slay weak, low-level monsters or gather materials to sell in the shop. This was considered the safest way to play the game. Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng exchanged a glance, then their gaze fell on Song Jian. Screw it, winning will get us models in a club, losing well, at worst, we die. Whats there to be afraid of! Both of them seemed to adopt a devil-may-care attitude. Lin Sheng used the access card to open the elevator, and the three of them arrived on the third floor. When the elevator doors opened, the noise level soared unbelievably on the third floor, as if they had just arrived in another world. The third floors space was enormous, even bigger than the first and the second floor combined. It was well beyond the limit set by physics that Song Jian had previously learned. From the outside, the third floors area should be the same as the first and second floors. At this point, the third floor was surrounded by tiered seats filled with people. The excitement of the crowd was palpable, their faces streaked with insane ecstasy as they erupted in screams. In the middle of the third floor was a ring. In the ring, two burly men were fighting each other with everything they had. Every move of theirs targeted their opponents vital points. They were fighting as if squaring off against their fathers mortal enemy, ready to go down with him if necessary. Is that underground boxing? Lin Sheng widened his eyes in disbelief. Arent there a bit too many people here? Gao Da Nian looked around and frowned. There were already over five hundred spectators here, ordinary-looking people. But even ordinary people could be troublesome in such large numbers. On top of that, the fighters in the ring were Level 10 Elite Level Bosses. Gentlemen, weve been expecting you for a long time. Welcome to the Bloody Arena. Your match is next. Get ready! A gentlemanly-dressed man walked briskly up to the trio and politely greeted them. However, unmasked disdain flickered in his eyes. Hey, Brother Song, how about we take this fellow down first? Gao Da Nian gave a sly grin and a menacing look spread across his face. His hand gripped his newly acquired weapon. Dont be reckless, just check his level! Lin Sheng quickly held Gao Da Nian back, his forehead was slick with sweat, and his face was etched with fear. Damn, cant believe theres such a terrifying boss in this instance! Gao Da Nian was flabbergasted. He stammered as he backed away from the man before them. The man in front of them may look like a weak scholar, yet he was a Level 30 Elite Level Boss. This was the only information he deliberately shared. Other than his level, everything else was a string of question marks. The huge level gap made obtaining his full information almost impossible. Well see where he takes us, Song Jians heart pounded, but his face didnt betray any signs. Gentlemen, follow me. Youll be up on stage shortly, the man flashed a mockingly sneer, casually strolled towards a side corridor. Lets follow him! After Song Jian finished speaking, the three of them quickly followed after the man. In no time, the man led the trio to one side of the ring, where he found ten elite individuals sitting silently. Some of them were staring intently at the ring, others were scrutinizing their surroundings, assessing the competitors next to them. Hey, not everyone here is human, Lin Sheng whispered suddenly. Song Jian looked at the dozen Level 10 Elite Level Bosses. Sure enough, half of them werent human. Some had green faces and tusks, looking like the Beastmen from the game. Some had bodies of a man and heads of a tiger, resembling demons. Our, our opponents, arent these guys, right? Level 10 elite bosses Lin Sheng tasted bitterness in his mouth. He had never duelled a Level 10 Elite Boss before and didnt know if he could cope. We dont know if itll be the three of us together or one by one! Gao Da Nians hand, clutching his weapon, was also covered in sweat drop. He felt a pit in his stomach, despite being a Level 7 player, he had never fought a Level 10 Elite Boss. Phew! Song Jian took a deep breath, and solemnly shook his head, Instances wont give us a task that exceeds our skill level. If they really want us to go on the stage, we must have a chance of success. This is not an open-world area, its an instance! After hearing what Song Jian said, Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian felt slightly relieved. Indeed, instances required a minimum level of 5, so any player at level 5 or above should stand a chance of making it through the instance. There wouldnt be a challenge that you cant survive from . While the three were discussing, the fight on the stage had ended. One of the fighters lay in a pool of blood, while the other was full of bloody wounds, with his eye swollen badly, but he was the final winner. Absolutely incredible! Absolutely incredible! A sharp voice echoed around the third floor, In the next round, dear spectators, you will witness a grand visual feast. Our three chosen ones will challenge our competition! Chapter 142 - 142: It’s My Turn Chapter 142: Its My Turn Translator: 549690339 Jia Ke Si has issued a challenge to Song Jian, who without any second thoughts, readily accepted it. Im willing to accept your challenge! Song Jian immediately exclaimed. System: Battle profession teacher Jia Ke Si has issued a challenge to you: Arena Battle; Task requirement: Defeat weapon master Jia Ke Si in the arena and gain his acknowledgement; Task reward: Gain Jia Ke Sis trust and he will share information about the profession Weapon Master; Task penalty: Your favorability level with battle profession teacher Jia Ke Si will drop to indifference. Brother Song, whats this ? asked Gao Da Nian, his brows slightly furrowed with confusion. Didnt these two consider themselves opponents? How have they ended up in conversation? Brother Song, have you been given a hidden quest? Lin Sheng asked, with an expression of surprise on his face. Hehe, its not exactly a hidden quest, its my main quest this time! Song Jian laughed. Main quest? Isnt the main task to build a safe house? Lin Sheng asked in confusion. Gao Da Nian suddenly grew excited, energetically clapping Lin Shengs shoulder and saying, Song Brother has already successfully built a safe house! What, youve already done it? Lin Sheng hastily crowded Song Jian and pressed on, Brother Song, you are like my big brother, share with me the secret behind successfully building a safe house! Yeah, Brother Song, please share with us some of your experiences, Gao Da Nian said with an expectant expression. After we clear the copy, come to my safe house as guests and Ill explain everything, Song Jian said with a smile. Thats great! Just then, a white light suddenly shot out from the three of them and Jia Ke Si. With a flash of light, all four appeared in the arena. Oh, forgot to tell you guys, during a weapons battle, only melee weapons can be used, ranged weapons cannot, the guide said in their ears, while standing under the arena with a sneaky smile on his face. Darn it, you Lin Sheng was instantly alarmed. Lin Sheng, calm down! Gao Da Nian held Lin Sheng back. No problem, Lin Sheng, only melee, then only melee. Song Jian looked grim. His rocket launcher had been rendered useless, and couldnt be used. My hand crossbow was also prohibited! Gao Da Nian said grumpily. He had a ranged attack weapon of white-quality, which didnt do much damage, often only acting as bait for monsters, but now he found he couldnt even move it. Go ahead! Jia Ke Si, waving a bronze lamp post in his hand, said to the three. Lin Sheng immediately entered stealth mode, Gao Da Nian charged at Jia Ke Si with his enormous wrench, and Song Jian, clutching a dagger, activated his special skill: a crimson crosshair began scanning Jia Ke Si. Two seconds later, the crosshair disappeared, and Song Jians heart sank; he hadnt discovered any of Jia Ke Sis weak points. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Earth Teeth Assault! With no other choice, Song Jian initiated his Earth Teeth Assault, forming a tusk-shaped energy mass which whooshed through the air towards Jia Ke Si. Challenge! Jia Ke Si roared, leaping a good three to four meters into the air and flinging himself at Gao Da Nian. At the peak of his jump, a tusk-shaped energy mass flashed beneath his feet. Thump- A loud collision sound echoed as Jia Ke Sis bronze lamp post collided heavily with Gao Da Nians wrench, dealing over sixty points of damage, as indicated by the number floating above Gao Da Nians head. This guy isnt weak! Gao Da Nian swung his wrench, blocking Jia Ke Sis weapon and aiming a heavy blow at him. Damn, he dodged it! Lin Sheng, who was in stealth mode, was stupefied. How could the bulky Jia Ke Si be so agile, jumping three to four meters high? Dodge it? Not so easy, unless he can truly fly! Smirking, Lin Sheng clutched his Tusk Fang Stinger and lunged at Jia Ke Si. Shhh- The sound of energy cutting through the air suddenly grew louder. The tusk-shaped energy mass at the edge of the arena miraculously turned around and headed towards Jia Ke Sis back. The Earth Teeth Assault skill could only attack targets standing on the ground, but it had a benefit: it could lock onto the target, tracking them no matter how they tried to dodge. However, when the target launched into the air, the Earth Teeth Assault skill wouldnt disappear immediately, but after the target had been in the air for three seconds. If the target merely jumped, they couldnt evade it. Jia Ke Sis previous skill had allowed him to jump high but did not enable him to hover in the air, so the Earth Teeth Assault skill had been firmly locked onto him. As Jia Ke Si battled with Gao Da Nian, the sharp sound of the energy mass grew nearer from behind. Just as Jia Ke Si prepared to evade, Gao Da Nian grinned slyly and swung his wrench towards him. A white light flashed and the wrench teeth opened wide, firmly gripping Jia Ke Sis weapon. Restraining Strike, it can hold the opponents weapon for three seconds, interrupting the release of the opponents skills, and has a certain chance to damage the opponents weapon! Jia Ke Sis movements came to a halt, and he couldnt activate any skills. Boom- The tusk-shaped energy mass slammed into Jia Ke Sis back. Just then, Lin Sheng appeared behind Jia Ke Si, his dagger lashing out like a poisonous snake towards his back. Backstab! Dealing 150% + 15 weapon damage! As damage was taken, a golden light appeared above Jia Ke Sis head. This was the unique chain skill point of the rogue profession. If five were accumulated, then the ultimate skill could be released, causing a large amount of damage. Unfortunately, Lin Sheng did not yet possess a skill book for the rogues finisher. Within the first few moments of engagement, Jia Ke Sis vitality points had already been depleted by over a hundred, but Jia Ke Si did not waver at all. As he had a mask on, his expression couldnt be discerned. Song Jian was also flourishing his dagger, leaving a deep cut on Jia Ke Sis arm, the blood splattering. Once the three-second period was up, a strong wind began swirling around Jia Ke Si, and all the damage inflicted on him turned into zeroes. Invincible defense? A surprised look appeared on Song Jians face as he swiftly backed away. How can there be such an outrageous skill! Seeing a string of MISS popping up above Jia Ke Sis head, Lin Sheng also swiftly dodged to the side. Now, its my turn! No sooner had Jia Ke Sis deep voice died down than his bronze lamp post smashed heavily into Song Jian. Instantly, an over eighty-point critical damage floated above Song Jians head; concurrently, a dizzy symbol appeared above Song Jians head, he was left immobilized, unable to move. Brother Song, watch out! Lin Shengs face changed, and he hastily lunged at Jia Ke Si. Gao Da Nian was hesitant for a moment. He only had about sixty percent of his vitality points left. If the earlier strike had hit him, he would have been on the brink of death. But eventually, gritting his teeth, Gao Da Nian swung his wrench and slammed it hard on Jia Ke Sis head. Chapter 143 - 143: You Know Nothing about Power Chapter 143: You Know Nothing about Power Translator: 549690339 Song Jians recent Earth Teeth Assault move has successfully drawn Jia Ke Sis wrath towards him, repeatedly striking him with the brass lantern post in his hand; However, fortunately, Jia Ke Sis immunity to damage only lasted for a short two or three seconds before disappearing, easing the concerns of Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian; The three of them circled Jia Ke Si, constantly attacking him. They had developed a somewhat tacit understanding in their advances and retreats. Regardless of who Jia Ke Si attacked, the targeted person would cease their attack and dodge relentlessly; the other two, in turn, would focus all their attack skills on Jia Ke Si. When Jia Ke Sis aggro shifted, another person would take over dodging. Regardless, there were always two people fully launching their capacity on him. This strategy continuously depleted Jia Ke Sis Vitality Points; The chubby commentator at the side did not seem very pleased with Jia Ke Si, often ridiculing him in his commentary; Oh, the tall Devotee has harshly struck our Weapons Master again! His weapon looks like a wrench. It appears that this Devotee specializes in repairs! the chubb commentator exclaimed in an exaggerated tone: Even our Weapons Master, who supposedly excels in handling all weapons, would probably find this wrench extremely unfamiliar. Look! Hes striking again, hitting Jia Ke Si right in the head. Oh dear, I can feel the pain just from watching, I wonder what Jia Ke Si is feeling We have three Devotees here, with levels ranging from ten at the highest to merely six at the lowest, while Jia Ke Si is a level 10 elite. Its rumored that Jia Ke Si is called a killing machine on the battlefield, but today, it seems our killing machine has lost his sharpness. I think we ought to oil him up a little Jia Ke Sis Vitality Points have dropped below 70%. Meanwhile, the lowest Vitality Points of the three Devotees is still above 80%. My god, could it be that our Weapons Master is about to be defeated by three Devotees? Maybe he should change his weapon instead of continually using his brass lantern post The commentators words incited an uproar of laughter from the audience, who began hurling insults at Jia Ke Si; Jia Ke Si, are you so old that you can no longer wield a blade? A spectator stood on his seat, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his shout; Three effeminate Devotees managed to push you to such an extent, Jia Ke Si, you should come down and stop making a fool of yourself! We want to see the Blood Queen. Jia Ke Si, sit your ass back down. What the hell are you trying to play The cacophony from the surrounding audience was like a raging sea. However, the three men on the arena felt an increasing pressure. They discovered that Jia Ke Sis movements seemed to be getting faster; Damn it, is it my illusion? His movements are twice as fast as they were at the beginning! Gao Da Nian shouted. He could no longer attack Jia Ke Si, and could only devote himself to resisting Jia Ke Sis attacks; Clang, clang, clang- While Jia Ke Si was attacking Gao Da Nian, he still had the energy to fend off the attacks from Song Jian and Lin Sheng. This change made their hearts sink, their faces turning grim; Indeed, his attack speed is accelerating. We should back off a little; he still has a lot of Vitality Points left! Lin Sheng shouted loudly; We cant back down. If we let him build momentum, well all die here on the stage! Song Jian yelled, his dagger continuously thrusting towards Jia Ke Si; At present, the three of them could barely suppress Jia Ke Si. Withdrawing now and letting Jia Ke Si gain momentum would make trying to suppress him again ten, even a hundred times harder; Charged Strike! Jia Ke Si growled, the surface of the brass lamp post in his hand exuded a milky white aura. The glow intensified as he raised the lamp post, ruthlessly smashing it towards Song Jians head; This post was as heavy as a thousand catties and gave Song Jian an irresistible feeling, as if a mountain was hanging above his head and about to fall.; Run! Song Jian shouted, hurriedly throwing himself to the side; Boom- The lamp post plunged onto the floor of the arena, causing a loud rumble and forming a large hole in its wake. The aura exploded, sending Gao Da Nian and the others flying; Having lost control of their bodies, the three of them were tossed high into the air, and then fell in disarray towards the periphery of the arena; Jump Slash! Jia Ke Si retracted his brass lamp post and his body followed suit jumping high, swinging the post towards Song Jian in mid-air, about to fall; Boom! Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This time, Song Jian had no way to dodge, his shoulder taking the full force of the hit. A noise of cracking bones was followed by a sharp pain in his right shoulder, then numbness took over; Damn it! Song Jian muttered, sending a silver Sword Qi towards Jia Ke Sis chest with his left index finger; A three-meter-long silver Sword Qi passed through Jia Ke Sis chest, a meter-long Sword Qi protruding from his back; Whoosh- The Sword Qi disappeared after a second. Song Jian was slammed hard onto the arena, and his left arm caved in as the Tusk Fang Stinger rolled away from his palm; Detonate! On the floor of the arena, Song Jian, unable to treat his injured right arm, shouted sternly; A blast of green smoke burst open from Jia Ke Sis body, making his arch-enemy, already severely injured in the chest, fall to his knees on the arena floor; Jia Ke Sis blood volume had now fallen below 50%. Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian glanced at each other, rushing towards Jia Ke Si, who had sunk to his knees on the arena floor. All their weapons were aimed at Jai Ke Sis back; Song Jian swung his right arm and a white light fell on his shoulder. Instantly, the broken bone status disappeared, and his right shoulder returned to normal. However, the lost Vitality Points couldnt be restored; That previous strike had blown away nearly a hundred of Song Jians Vitality Points. His Vitality Points are now slightly over 160, like Jia Ke Si, dropping below the 50% mark; Squish- Boom! Lin Shengs dagger brutally stabbed into Jia Ke Sis back and Gao Da Nians wrench hit his neck; Two damage points, over twenty each, floated above Jia Ke Sis head; You lot know nothing of true power! Jia Ke Si muttered, slowly getting up, his body still shaking; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Jia Ke Si began to swing his brass lamp post. As it spun above his head, its aura flared. Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian were startled and hurriedly dodged backward. Their Vitality Points were also barely over a hundred. If the previous Jump Slash had been aimed at them, they would have been killed instantly; Vroom- To everyones shock, the brass lamp post in Jia Ke Sis hand transformed into the formidable Square Sky Halberd. Its crescent-shaped blades and spearhead glinted threateningly in the light; Take this! Jia Ke Si roared defiantly. The Square Sky Halberd in his hand emitted a piercing whistling sound, speeding towards Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian; Chapter 144 - 144: Knight’s Faith Chapter 144: Knights Faith Translator: 549690339 The Square Sky Halberd in Jia Ke Sis hands swings with a roar, creating a two-meter distance that prevents Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian from advancing. From afar, all they could see was a swirl of white light around Jia Ke Si; This guys skill with the Square Sky Halberd is too good! Gao Da Nian, struggling to defend himself with a wrench, could not find an opportunity to attack; Lin Sheng was forced to edge towards the edge of the ring. The entirety of the ring, being 5 meters wide and 8 meters long, was now almost one-third dominated by the swings of Jia Ke Sis Square Sky Halberd; Brother Song, think of something! Lin Sheng anxiously pleaded; Song Jian picked up the Tusk Fang Stinger again, right hand pressing against the floor; Earth Teeth Assault! A tusks-like Qi mass rushed towards Jia Ke Si. Jia Ke Si bellowed, his body violently spinning, the Square Sky Halberd in his hand whisked upwards. A white force burst from the Halberd, colliding with the tusks-like Qi mass, the impact shaking the entire ring; After switching weapons, hes like a different person. Even Lv Bu isnt this exaggerated. Song Jian couldnt help but widen his eyes; In his hands, the Square Sky Halberd, after an expansive swing, has astonishingly transformed into a large axe, hacking towards the others; Da Nian, see how he uses the axe, then look at yourself! Lin Sheng, dodging like a monkey, scornfully said to Gao Da Nian; This guy, he must have a proficiency in long-handle weapons, and it mustnt be a low level. Gao Da Nians face turns red, wielding his wrench against the large axe of Jia Ke Si; Jia Ke Si pulled back the battle axe and then launched a fierce blow towards Gao Da Nian. At the same time, the axe turned into a long spear, formed from solid steel with the spear tip alone measuring over a yard; Control! Gao Da Nian, facing the spear tip just a foot from his forehead, broke into a cold sweat. If it wasnt for the default Control skill of his weapon, that strike would have pierced his skull; Jia Ke Si, gripping the long spear and pulling it back aggressively, forced Gao Da Nian to stumble forwards but he resolutely held on. Jia Ke Si didnt dare to let go because once he lost his weapon, he would no longer be a weapon master; Lin Sheng and Song Jian wouldnt waste the three-second window. They took the opportunity to attack Jia Ke Sis back relentlessly. Song Jians Tusk Fang Stinger shone with a silver light, Invisible Sword Qi surged towards the dagger as if it was free, every strike carried at least thirty points of Invisible Sword Qi; With the sharpness of the Invisible Sword Qi, Jia Ke Sis defense was easily broken. Numbers over fifty started popping above Jia Ke Sis head indicating the damage he had received; In those three seconds, Song Jian and Lin Sheng had inflicted at least two hundred points of damage on Jia Ke Si; Watch out! Gao Da Nian bellowed, his body staggering backward; Jia Ke Si regained his freedom, swung the spear with both hands, and with a swoosh, he swung it towards his back. During the sweep, the spear changed back into a Mo Dao. The heavy Mg Dao split the air and swept towards their waists. If hit, Song Jian and Lin Sheng could possibly be sliced into two halves; Plop- Lin Shengs figure suddenly exploded into a cloud of black mist. To the naked eye, a translucent figure violently leapt back from the smoke, jumping at least three meters away; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian, watching the Mo Dao approach, found his mind going blank. He felt like death was only half a step away; Knights faith! A milky-white force field appeared around Song Jian, like an eggshell, protecting him. This was a skill afforded by his secondary weapon, the Guardians Sword, that could instantly form a force field with 500 defense points. The shield can last for 10 seconds and if it gets broken in under 10 seconds, it will automatically restore 30% of Song Jians vitality points; Bang- The strangers sword fiercely hacked at the psychic shield, causing a significant indentation in it. Song Jians waist was less than five inches away from the blade, but in the end, he managed to withstand this move from Jia Ke Si. No, this is impossible! Jia Ke Si mumbled on about the impossibility, but his strangers sword swirled violently in his hand, then fiercely struck down again. Boom- The psychic shield was eventually overpowered and shattered. Song Jian rolled like a donkey towards the edge of the arena, his body harshly slamming against the barricade rope at the edge. Song Jian, who was initially left with only a hundred and more Vitality Points, saw his Vitality Points surge sharply, restoring more than a hundred and ten points. Backstab! Just then, Lin Shengs figure was like a ghost, transforming into a ray of gray light, rushing towards Jia Ke Sis back. His speed increased greatly, leaving behind a trail of afterimages while running. Splat! A jet of blood burst forth from Jia Ke Sis back. Lin Sheng had landed a hit and quickly retreated a great distance, widening the gap between him and Jia Ke Si. Jia Ke Si reacted quickly. At the moment of the attack, the strangers sword in his hand immediately turned into a slender seedling knife, swiping upwards behind him at great speed. Lin Sheng touched the shallow knife mark from the tip of his nose to his forehead, his eyes filled with fear. If he was a fraction of a second slower, Jia Ke Sis blade would have split Lin Shengs abdomen open. At this point, Jia Ke Sis Vitality Points had already dropped below 10%, but he didnt seem to be losing momentum, instead showing a sense of invigoration as the fight went on. His attack speed had increased significantly, and he swung his weapon so swiftly that it was hard to catch a glimpse. Both hands appeared blurry. Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian didnt even dare to fight Jia Ke Si face-to-face anymore. They constantly maneuvered around the rim of the arena, looking for an opportunity. When Jia Ke Si leaped towards Lin Sheng and Gao Da Nian, the two of them immediately turned tail and ran, their actions almost identical. Hearts Eye! Gleaming from Song Jians eyes, a crimson crosshair began to continuously probe Jia Ke Sis body. Earth Teeth Assault! The Tusk Fang Stinger energy orb moved along an arc on the arena floor, chasing after Jia Ke Si, who at this point was hot on Lin Shengs trail, periodically using the Leap Chop skill to strike at him. At this point, Lin Sheng had used some skill to greatly increase his movement speed, leaving behind an afterimage at least two to three meters long. Each time, he managed to dodge Jia Ke Sis attack by a hairs breadth. Brother Song, my speed boost can only last six more seconds. Save me! Lin Sheng shouted as he dodged, his face covered in sweat and looking very anxious. Gao, how long until you can use your weapon skill? Song Jian shouted. Five seconds! Gao Da Nian, who was chasing after Jia Ke Si, shouted back. Boom- The Earth Teeth Assault skill fiercely hit Jia Ke Sis back. Damage above sixty points burst from atop Jia Ke Sis head, and he staggered forward. His Vitality Points are less than a hundred and fifty. Hang in there! Song Jian shouted, leaping towards Jia Ke Si. Chapter 145 - 145 Victory Chapter 145: Victory Translator: 549690339 The crimson crosshair kept moving across Jia Ke Si, bringing joy to Song Jians heart. With his experience, the longer the crosshair existed, the higher chance it had of finding a weakness. Sure enough, the crosshair finally stopped on Jia Ke Sis left waist, indicating a red area about the size of a palm. Lin Sheng, Gao Da Nian, attack Jia Ke Sis left waist! Song Jian yelled aloud. Bro, I cant stop! Lin Sheng howled in desperation. His dodge skill had improved by more than 80% with his increase in speed. Otherwise, he wouldve died long ago under Jia Ke Sis raging flurry of attacks. Jia Ke Sis attacks were rapid and tight, with his weapon swirling above Lin Shengs head. It was emitting intense energy as it relentlessly pursued Lin Sheng. Although Gao Da Nian could attack Jia Ke Si, he was too slow to catch up with the speedier Lin Sheng and Jia Ke Si. He could only follow behind them, eating their dust. If the arena wasnt so small, he wouldve lost sight of them already. Run this way! Song Jian bellowed. Lin Shengs figure drastically curved, managing to dodge Jia Ke Sis attack by rolling and crawling. A chilly blade mark remained in the air. Damn, I shouldve not executed the Backstab skill earlier, Lin Sheng gritted his teeth, muttering to himself. The last Backstab had dealt terrifying critical damage, causing Jia Ke Si to focus his aggro on him. Seeing that the speed-boost effect only had three seconds left, Lin Sheng panicked. Hearing Song Jians voice, Lin Sheng didnt hesitate and immediately ran towards Song Jians location. Brother Song, save me! Lin Sheng screamed, with a hint of whining. Song Jian stood to the left, clutching the Tusk Fang Stinger securely in his hand. Lin Sheng dashed past Song Jian, with Jia Ke Si chasing behind him, swinging his weapon. The weapon had again transformed into a brass lamppost. The huge lamppost whizzed through the air, leaving a replica mark as it aimed for Lin Shengs retreating back. Right then, Song Jians dagger pierced towards Jia Ke Sis left waist like a venomous snake, similar to a predatory cobra striking a fleeting bird. Splat- The Tusk Fang Stinger accurately stabbed into Jia Ke Sis left waist, the spot that was recognized as his weak point. In reality, it was also an old injury of Jia Ke Si. This offensive tore through Jia Ke Sis defense. The blade penetrated a third of the way in before being arrested by Jia Ke Sis muscles. The gushing blood painted half of Song Jians body red, making him look like a blood man. Jia Ke Si issued a pained growl, originally intended to strike in front. Now, the brass lamppost curved to strike at Song Jian who was occupying Jia Ke Sis left side, leaving a deep mark on the arena floor that was more than a foot long. It went from bottom to top. The wind roared, the chilly energy slashed Song Jians face, leaving multiple bloody marks. A thought raced through Song Jians mind. He wouldnt be able to dodge this blow anyhow. If so, he could only counter Song Jian let out a low growl as he focused all his strength into his hands. His hands firmly grasped the handle of the dagger and his whole body pressed forward. Squelch- Another gush of blood shot out as the entire dagger blade sunk into flesh. Song Jian even pushed Jia Ke Sis body and threw himself forward a few steps. Thump- The brass lamppost left a mark in the air before fiercely landing on Song Jians shoulder. His right shoulder, which had already recovered, once more made a cracking sound akin to a fracture. Over a hundred points of critical damage floated above Song Jians head and his vitality points gone down significantly, making hearts shudder. Pin down! Gao Da Nian, who had been relentlessly chasing, also joined the battle. On seeing the damage over Song Jians head, Gao Da Nians eyes turned red. The wrench in his hand smashed fiercely onto Jia Ke Si. Clink- The wrench heads screw rotated automatically. Its jaws resembled a beasts gaping mouth, firmly gripping the brass lamppost held by Jia Ke Si. Lin Sheng! Gao Da Nian roared, his face distorted. Deathblow! Lin Shengs figure shot out like a specter. Although the speed boost effect had worn off, his action of pouncing on Jia Ke Si was still as swift as a leopard. Lin Shengs vitality point, which was more than 80% restored, plummeted like a dam had been breached. His defense and resistance also dropped to zero. All his attributes had been converted into attack power as they converged onto Lin Shengs strike. If this wasnt the final boss, if Jia Ke Si wasnt already nearing death, Lin Sheng wouldnt have used this move! If he used this move and the enemy didnt die, Lin Sheng would be the one to die! A critical damage value of over 180 points appeared above Jia Ke Sis head. Jia Ke Si was now left with under a hundred vitality points. Lin Shengs explosive damage was enough to kill him. Song Jian withdrew his dagger and sat on the arena floor. Gao Da Nian released the wrench and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Lin Sheng was in worse condition, like a lump of goo lying on the arena. If not for the gentle rise and fall of his chest, he might have been mistaken for a corpse. Do you know what the ultimate weapon is? Jia Ke Si suddenly spoke. Dammit, this guy isnt dead yet! The pretending-to-be-dead Lin Sheng was startled and quickly rolled towards the edge of the arena. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gao Da Nian bounced up from the arena floor like a spring. He grabbed his wrench and held it protectively in front of his chest. Song Jians face also revealed a surprised expression, looking towards Jia Ke Sis overhead vitality points. Now, Jia Ke Sis vitality points were only left with one point; moreover, it seemed to be locked and wouldnt decrease further. Ladies and Gentlemen! Lets cheer! Our three warriors have predictedly beaten Jia Ke Si, the one who calls himself weapon master but is often overlooked! The chubby commentator roared. However, the surrounding audience didnt seem too impressed and collectively let out boos. To become a weapon master, you must be proficient with all sorts of weapons. Just now, 1 demonstrated how to switch among different weapons and how to ingeniously connect their use. If you wish to take up the profession of weapon master, come find me. Jia Ke Si said slowly, glancing at Song Jian. System: You have found a combat profession mentor and learned about the weapon master profession. Main quest progress: 3/10; Chapter 146 - 146: Treasure Chest Chapter 146: Treasure Chest Translator: 549690339 Brother Song, if we didnt kill him, did we waste our time? Lin Sheng asked with a grieving face, his Vitality Points had only recovered to about one-tenth; I dont know either! Song Jians Vitality Points were also low, just over a hundred. If they continued to fight, he would probably be unable to withstand Jia Ke Sis critical hit; Did we win? Arent there any rewards? Gao Da Nian asked, gasping for breath with a puzzled expression. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Jia Ke Si nodded at Song Jian, holding the brass column in his arms, and slowly walked towards the stage; In this battle, Song Jian also gained something, at least he completed a part of the main task. He didnt expect that a boss he encountered in a dungeon could be leading his battle career tutor. The game was becoming more and more interesting. Would he encounter similar monsters in the wild in the future? When the battle ended, the surrounding audience didnt seem to buy it. They were cursing wildly and throwing junk at the ring like a rainstorm. The usher man walked up to the stage and just as he stepped onto the stage, the surrounding audience suddenly fell silent. The usher man quietly swept a glance at the surroundings. All the audience sat down quietly, with their hands on their knees, sitting just like elementary school students; Since the Gods Chosen have been ultimately victorious, 1 will be the one to open the reward chest for them! The usher man said leisurely; At this moment, a giant chest more than half a person tall suddenly appeared in the center of the ring, shining with a golden light, dazzling and eye-catching; This is a reward given by the gods to the Gods Chosen. Even we dont know what treasures are inside the chest. Do any audience members want to bet on the quality of the treasures inside? Silver quality and above is a big explosion, blue quality and below is a big drop. Now there are five minutes, and everyone is free to place bets. A big explosion pays three to one, a big drop pays one to one point two! The fat commentator shouted opportunistically; Big drop, I bet they will get junk! One of the audience members waved the Doomsday Coins in their hands and roared loudly; Big drop, definitely a big drop! The surrounding audience also let out roars, it seems that none of these NPCs had a good impression of the so-called Gods Chosen; Sir, if we had lost just now, we wouldnt have died either, would we? Lin Sheng suddenly approached the usher man and asked quietly. Of course. The usher man glanced at Lin Sheng, a look of curiosity flashed through his eyes, and he smiled: It was just a sparring match just now, which would automatically lock your last drop of Vitality Points. If it were a life and death battle, then you would have to resign to fate! Kid, 1 think youd be perfect as a king in the shadows. When you reach level ten, come find me in the true difficulty. If you can clear the true difficulty dungeon, 1 might give you some extra rewards. The usher man looked up and down at Lin Sheng and said with a grin; True difficulty? The three of them looked at each other and froze at the same time; Of course, what youve just cleared is the simple difficulty. There is also a hard difficulty behind it. Once youve beaten the hard difficulty, you can choose to enter the true difficulty. However, by that time, with your current strength, Im afraid The usher mans mouth slightly curled up, and he said in a low voice: You will die miserably! This is just the simple difficulty? Oh my God! Gao Da Nian took a deep breath and whispered in lingering fear: This dungeon is simply perverted. I dont plan to come back before level io, no, level 15. Song Jian shook his head slightly, with his strength, he was simply no match for Jia Ke Si in the end, even if he had been allowed to use ranged weapons, he wouldnt have been Jia Ke Sis opponent. Jia Ke Sis speed got faster and faster towards the end, and he couldnt even see the moves. It was simply perverted; Lin Sheng looked at the usher man with a difficult expression on his face. It seemed the usher man was another hidden task for him, which might be related to his career choice. But the true difficulty Lin Sheng sighed, he was still far from level 10, he would see when the time comes, maybe by the time he reaches level 10, his strength would have changed drastically. Five minutes passed quickly, and the timer on the chest was down to the last few seconds; Most of the audience bet that the three of them would get a big drop in their rewards, but this was something no one could control, it all depended on their luck; The usher man walked to the front of the chest quickly, placed his hand on the chest, and soon, the chest let out a crisp click sound. The lid slowly opened, and immediately, a silver light bloomed from inside the chest; Instantly, the entire arena was boiling, and most of the audience members who bought the big drop bet stood up, cursing and tearing their betting slips into pieces and throwing them towards the stage. However, most of the betting slips eventually landed on the heads of the front-row audience, like a snowfall covering the entire arena; A few of the audience members, who took an unusual route and bought the big explosion, had a slight smile on their faces, holding the betting slips tightly in their hands. A three-to-one payout, such odds havent appeared in a long time; Although betting on the big explosion paid three-to-one, the arena obviously made a fortune this time. The usher man also had a slight smile on his face, and the fat commentator was even happier, waving his arms and legs, shouting something on the stage. Excitement shone in the eyes of Song Jian and the others, as they had never seen silver quality items before. Song Jian had only seen one once in the hands of Li Keer, the games sweetheart; A silver quality plate armor chest piece! The usher man took out a half-plate armor first from the chest and smiled slightly at the three of them: Your luck is not bad, this level 10 silver quality chest armor has a very good attribute! The chest piece was passed around among the three, finally landing in Song Jians hands; Although Lin Shengs eyes were filled with envy, he knew that the chest piece was too heavy to wear and would be more of a burden than a benefit to him, who was seeking agility; Song Jian looked at the chest piece, thought for a while, and threw it directly to Gao Da Nian. This equipment was not suitable for him. In his mind, the equipment suitable for him should be leather armor or light chain mail, anything heavier would affect his agility; For, for me? Gao Da Nian had a surprised expression on his face. Maybe this was the only silver quality equipment in the chest. Although Gao Da Nian was also very envious, he had already agreed that Song Jian had the right to choose first. In his opinion, Song Jian would definitely choose this silver quality equipment; You take it, this equipment is most suitable for you! Song Jian shook his head and said. If it werent for Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng, he wouldnt have been able to complete this dungeon, especially the final Jia Ke Si; At this point, Song Jian had already considered Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng his partners, even if he could sell this equipment for thousands of Doomsday Coins by just announcing it on the radio. Since Gao Da Nian was the most suitable among the three to wear this equipment, Song Jian would give it to him; However, even after taking out the chest piece, the silver light inside the chest still hadnt weakened much, it seemed that there was at least one more silver quality equipment inside. Song Jian was filled with anticipation for this; Chapter 147 - 147: Portable Pharmaceutical Workbench Chapter 147: Portable Pharmaceutical Workbench Translator: 549690339 | Oh, it looks like you guys have good luck. Theres even a silver-quality equipment inside 1 The guide looked at the three of them in surprise, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes, secretly thinking: Are the favored ones really so blessed? You should know that the reason why the casino has a big payout of three to one is mainly because the probability of losing in the final reward is higher. Many people win in the casino, but often dont even get a single blue-quality equipment. If theres a green-quality one, its considered good luck. Most of them are white-quality equipment. What the guide didnt expect was that this fighting club dungeon had been cleared countless times by NPCs in other places, but here, in this Zombie City, it was Song Jian and his friends first time clearing it, so the rewards were naturally different. Soon, the guide took out a bead emitting a silver light from the treasure chest. This bead was only the size of a fingertip, round and smooth, like a pearl. Its a hidden weapon, and its attributes are top-notch! The guide glanced at the attributes of the bead in his hand, with a trace of greed in his eyes. Even at level 30, he found the beads attributes tempting. Soul Shattering Bead (Silver): Hidden weapon, off-hand weapon, equipped effect: Agility + 2, attack speed increased by 15%; Special effect 1: Causes 80 damage to targets within 30 meters, causing 3 seconds of stun effect; Special effect 2: Charging (passive), after equipping this item, critical hit rate increases by 1% every 60 seconds, up to 100%, after dealing damage to a target, it needs to be charged again; Special effect 3: This item can automatically return to the equipment slot 10 seconds after use; Special effect 4: This item has a guaranteed hit attribute, with priority; Equipment requirement: Level 10. Can be taken out of the game: No. What a pity, this hidden weapon requires an off-hand equipment slot, otherwise, its rank could have been raised to the gold rank. The guide shook his head slightly, with a somewhat regretful tone. Ordinary hidden weapons are usually placed in the inventory, and most of them are single-use items, disappearing after being used. However, this Soul Shattering Bead has the attributes of equipment, placed in the off-hand equipment slot, can enhance attributes, and even has the ability to auto retrieve itself. It can be compared to a silver-quality off-hand weapon. Wow, this is a good item! Gao Da Nian looked somewhat envious. Although his main weapon was a two-handed polearm, he could still place an item on his main and off-hand slots. Each player can freely switch between three weapons. This equipment tempted Song Jian as well. He couldnt use the chest armor he found earlier, so he gave it up, but this off-hand weapon, though it conflicted with his green-quality Guardians Sword, seemed like a shame not to take. Seeing Lin Shengs eager desire, Song Jian smiled faintly, holding the Soul Shattering Bead and said, Theres still equipment inside the treasure chest, lets see what the next one is!'' The opening of the treasure chest was still emitting a silver light, and the guides eyes showed shock. One reward consisting of three silver-quality equipment was unprecedented in the hundreds of battles they had seen. Theres another silver*quality equipment. Your luck is really The guide was somewhat speechless. Such gains even made him a little tempted. The third piece of equipment was a small silver-lit briefcase. This is The guide s eyes were filled with astonishment as he stared intently at the small briefcase in his hand. A portable, mobile alchemy workbench? Alchemy workbench? Song Jians heart moved. He had learned two auxiliary skills, one was the blueprint for the T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenade, which couldnt be used due to lack of engineering at the time, and before obtaining the blueprint, Song Jian had learned alchemy first, even getting a potion formula for the Wealmess Potion. However, he still hadnt crafted it due to a lack of an item like the Engineering Crafting Table.11 I didnt expect that this dungeon would bring me both of the missing auxiliary tools. Should I choose the Soul Shattering Bead or this mobile, portable alchemy workbench? Song Jian hesitated for a moment. Lin Sheng wasnt too interested in the alchemy workbench. He briefly looked at the workbenchs attributes, curled his lips, and gave up on the item, with his eyes fixed on the Soul Shattering Bead in Song Jians hand, showing a pitiful expression. If the Soul Shattering Bead was placed in Gao Da Nian or Song Jians hands, it would at most be just another tool for drawing aggro, but in Lin Shengs hands, it could produce 200% of its effect. This equipment increased agility by 2 points and attack speed by 15%, and none of its special effects were useless, all of them were first-class. Although the use of this Soul Shattering Bead would mean giving up an off-hand weapon, for Lin Sheng, he only needed a main-hand dagger for all his skills. This bead could even act as his trump card. Brother Song Lin Sheng looked at Song Jian pitifully, hoping he would choose the alchemy workbench. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Silver equipment is common, but silver-quality workbenches, I havent seen one in decades. I didnt expect one to appear here. The guide shakes his head and speaks in a low voice. Song Jian looked up at the guide, weighed it for a while, and eventually handed the Soul Shattering Bead to Lin Sheng. Thanks, Brother Song! Lin Sheng was extremely happy. Although he couldnt equip it yet, looking at the attributes of the Soul Shattering Bead, he couldnt help but laugh foolishly. A level 10 off-hand weapon, not bad! Gao Da Nian spoke enviously. His silver-quality chest armor was also a level 10 equipment, but generally speaking, in the same rank of equipment, weapons were worth more than armor. Congratulations, you might become an alchemy master in the future! The guide laughed and handed the small briefcase to Song Jian. Song Jian gave a slight smile, nodding at him. Up to now, he still didnt know if choosing a silver-quality alchemy workbench was a wise decision. Bang* After the three silver-quality equipment were taken out, the treasure chest in the center of the ring suddenly burst, turning into light gold fragments and slowly disappearing in mid-air. As the treasure chest burst, the remaining items in it sprayed into the sky like a shower of celestial flowers. Wow, there are so many rewards! Gao Da Nian was amazed, watching the dozen or so items falling slowly from the sky. Theyre all wThite-quality items, mostly materials. Ugh, its so messy. Theres a bit of everything! Lin Sheng randomly grabbed an item, checked its attributes, and frowned slightly. Haha, lets not divide these items, whoever grabs them first gets them. Haha! Song Jian laughed heartily and leaped to grab an item and put it into his inventory. You guys are cheating! Gao Da Nian let out a strange cry and pounced towards the falling items in the sky. The guide gave a faint smile, looked at Lin Shengs back, and slowly walked towards the exit of the ring. Chapter 148 - 148: Three-Eyed Zombie Chapter 148: Three-Eyed Zombie Translator: 549690339 After Song Jian and his two companions had picked up all the remaining items, a few seconds passed, and their vision blurred, sending them into a feeling of weightlessness. Soon, the trio found themselves outside the entrance of the boxing gyms instance. Despite feeling fast within the instance, it was already nightfall, meaning they had been in there for several hours. However, the number of players awaiting outside hadnt decreased. Seeing the trio emerge, a wave of excitement swept through the waiting players, who promptly surged forward. Hey, there they are, there they are! How was the instance, you guys? Was it hard? Did you clear it? someone shouted. Yeah, was the monsters inside tough? What level were they? You can enter at level five, the monsters inside must start at level five too, right? How many bosses were there? The instance entrance was jam-packed with dozens of excited and shouting players; this being the first instance in the game, everyone was eager to know how long it would last. The previous End of the World supermarket had caused many players to withdraw in tears, and many players still had a task pending- procuring a supermarket membership card. Song Jian glanced at Gao Da Nian and Lin Sheng, then upon subtle cue, his body transformed into a dark misty cloud and floated skyward. This was a special ability from the Night Slayer Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, allowing him to morph into Dark Cloud and fly at night. Song Jian had never used it before, but now it was the perfect means to escape. Otherwise, being surrounded by so many players, it would have required quite some effort to leave without killing everyone. Lin Sheng chuckled, signalled take care of yourself to Gao Da Nian, and instantly vanished into stealth mode, squeezing himself out of the crowd. Hey, hey, you guys cant just run off and leave me here alone, Gao Da Nian complained, pushing forward but the crowd was too thick. Several players were clinging onto his arms, grinning broadly and refusing to let him leave. Gao Da Nian almost wished he had a wrench to bash in the heads of the players blocking his way. Want to know? Why dont you all go in and see for yourselves? We cleared it, but only the easiest difficulty level. There are still two other difficulty levels C hard and real. There are three bosses inside, the weakest being level five elite and the strongest being level ten elite. Both the bosses and minions in there are much tougher than those outside. We just managed to clear it, barely surviving. Enough, enough, let me go. If you keep holding me up, Ill get angry! Gao Da Nian snapped impatiently. Hey, what kind of loot did you get in there? Show us what you got! someone shouted from within the crowd. Yeah, show us the gear you got, give us a peek! someone else chimed in, egging him on. By this time, Lin Sheng had already squeezed his way out and was watching from afar, chuckling at Gao Da Nian who was still stuck in the crowd. He disappeared into a nearby alley with another chuckle. Just a silver chestplate, alright? Now Im leaving, so move! Gao Da Nian revealed his silver-grade chestplate, the faint silver glow enveloping his upper body and drawing gasps of awe from the surrounding players. You should know, getting just a white-quality item is already considered lucky in the current game. If you had a green or blue-quality item, you could show off for a good while, considered top-tier. Many players had only heard of silver gear but have never seen it. What attributes does that chestplate have? Yeah, let us see. We just want to learn something. Some started instigating in the crowd, but Gao Da Nians face turned serious at this point. The attributes of ones gear were considered a players privacy. Even among good friends, it was frowned upon to ask to see each others gear attributes. No matter how amiable he was, Gao Da Nian wouldnt reveal all of his gear attributes in front of so many people. Hey, dont push it! Annoyance flickered onto Gao Da Nians face. He shook off the players gripping him, and a wave of people was knocked backward as if they were standing on cotton, stumbling and falling to the floor. Even though Gao Da Nian wasnt as strong as Song Jian, the difference was only marginal. Compared to the average levelling player, his strength was on a whole other level. When he made an effort, no one could stop him. With a wave of both his arms, a narrow path was cleared ahead. Seeing this, he snorted coldly and effortlessly pushed his way through the crowd. Despite his high strength attribute, Gao Da Nian couldnt help but break a sweat from the effort of forcing himself out of the crowd. Casting a look back at the stumbling players, he snorted coldly again, put away his chest plate and started to walk down another street. Meanwhile, Song Jian, having just used his Morphing into Dark Cloud ability for the first time, found the experience interesting. He aimlessly floated in the sky. Due to the darkness of the night, he could only make out vague shapes below. He noticed that more monsters, much larger in size, inhabited the city centre. Additionally, on top of almost every tall building, there will be one or several monsters quietly lying there, waiting for the moon to rise. All of these monsters were at least elite level bosses. Song Jian even noticed on top of the highest skyscraper, a boss of higher level, a Lord-ranked monster lazily lying there. If not for the occasional wagging of its tail, Song Jian would have barely noticed it. Seeing all these bosses on top of every skyscraper, Song Jian felt his heart pounding. He wondered just how many powerful monsters resided in this city and how difficult it would be for him to survive in the city with his current abilities, much less leaving this city to explore other areas. Just then, the cloud cover in the sky dissipated slowly, revealing a pale sickle moon. All at once, the entire city erupted with roars. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The monsters perched on the top of the skyscrapers rose to their feet and began to howl at the moon. Specks of silver radiance descended from the moon. The monsters began to compete for this light, opening their mouths wide and inhaling deeply, each trying to attract more of the light to themselves. Song Jian, transformed into the dark cloud form, slowly drifted towards his Manor Castle. As he passed by a six-storey building, he noticed that there was even a boss atop this building. This boss looked no different from a human, except for a silver vertical eye in the centre of its forehead. Damn, even Erlang Shen has come out! Song Jian thought to himself. This boss was called the Three-Eyed Zombie, a level ten elite boss. Right now, it was using its central silver vertical eye to absorb the drops of essence from the moonlight. Song Jian, in the form of a dark cloud, was directly above the Three-Eyed Zombie. All of the moon essence that the Zombie wanted to absorb was instead absorbed by him. As the moon essence entered his body, Song Jian could feel the Night Slayer Hexagram Array warm while a cool sensation seemed to be improving his body. The effect hadnt resulted in any stat change, but it was gradually shifting factorarily. At the same time, Song Jian felt a sudden surge of murderous desire welled up within him, causing him to feel restless. At this moment, the Three-Eyed Zombie boss seemed to sense something. It opened all three eyes and looked up at the dark cloud above it. Its sallow face contorted with anger, its body trembling, fists clenched, and let out a low roar at the cloud above. Chapter 149 - 149 The Rocket Launcher is Broken Chapter 149: The Rocket Launcher is Broken Translator: 549690339 Preventing ones cultivation is equivalent to murdering their parents. As Song Jian immersed himself in the absorption of the moonlight essence, he was completely oblivious that he was obstructing the Boss below from absorbing the moonlight and cultivating. All, this feels so good, as if my whole body is immersed in warm water and every cell is vibrating with joy Song Jian was feeling extremely warm, and his consciousness was gradually blurring. He just wanted to lie down like this forever. At this moment, a deep roar suddenly echoed in his ears, causing a fiery rage to surge in Song Jians heart, it was like throwing kindling on gasoline. Who is it? Kill him! A fierce roar emerged from Song Jians heart, filling his mind with a mad killing intent, he wished he could rip any living creature he saw into shreds. Just when Song Jian was about to lose his self-awareness, a refreshing chill welled up from deep within his mind. Song Jian regained consciousness and the fiery killing intent within his heart started to retreat gradually, as if it had encountered a splash of ice water. Whatwhat just happened to me? Night Slayer! Song Jian thought of the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest. Ever since he got the diagram, this underlying murderous intent sprouted like a seed within his heart, ever ready to trigger his rage. If it wasnt for my natural talent, 1 might have Song Jian couldnt help but be apprehensive. Every time when he was about to lose his consciousness, it would be this particular skill Thick-Skinned that saved him. At this moment, what Song Jian failed to notice was the black beacon in his accessory slot. The surface of the beacon was emitting a faint black light. Within a short ten minutes, the moonlight essence in the sky began to disappear. The agitation of the three-eyed zombie on the rooftop intensified, and the vertical eye on its forehead sparkled more brightly with silver light. Se??ch ?ew?o?e?(.)o?g o? ?oo?l? Whoosh- A thick, silver beam of light fired out from the zombies vertical eye, targeting the dark cloud that Song Jian had morphed into. Boom boom boom boom- A series of MISS and several 10-point damages bubbled up from above Song Jians head. Damn, such high damage? Song Jian was frightened. In just a couple of seconds, his vitality points dropped by a hundred from over three hundred. After morphing into a dark cloud, Song Jian became immune to physical damage and his magic resistance increased by 100%. Yet, he still suffered a loss of over a hundred vitality points within a few seconds. The silver beam continued. The three-eyed zombie boss seemed to struggle with maintaining the beam, its body trembling, eyes gleaming with savagery. Song Jian quickly descended from the sky. Although he could fly after morphing into a dark cloud, his speed was too slow, even slower than walking, making it impossible to dodge the silver beam. In mid-air, Song Jian deactivated his dark cloud state and jumped down, landing on the rooftop of the building. Seeing Song Jian land, the three-eyed zombie boss stopped his beam, roared, and charged towards him. With a swing of his right claw, he slashed at Song Jian, leaving three claw marks on his chest. -52 Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. -26 -13 Thisis this guy really this strong? After losing almost a hundred vitality points, Song Jians eyes twitched. His vitality points had dropped from over three hundred to less than a hundred. This level ten boss is much stronger than any other hed encountered before. Clang- Flung backwards by the strength of the attack, Song Jian stumbled several steps backwards. He crashed into the rooftops ventilation pipe, the rusty pipe couldnt withstand the impact and broke, falling off the building. Now its night time, the choices strength has fully recovered. 1 didnt expect that I wouldnt be able to defeat a level ten elite boss. Struggling to get up, Song Jian spat out a mouthful of blood, musing to himself. Boom- Three-eyed Boss fiercely stamped its right leg, and a three-inch deep footprint appeared on the rooftop. The whole building shook slightly, and propelled by the rebound, the Boss leapt high into the air, achieving an altitude of five or six meters. With its arms wide open, it resembled a giant bird swooping down on Song Jian. Enduring the pain, Song Jian grabbed the rocket launcher from his equipment and hoisted it onto his shoulder. This was the first time he had felt its weight, even though his strength had already reached 12 points. Squirt- He spat out another mouthful of blood. Realizing that the three-eyed zombie was getting closer, Song Jian fiercely pulled the trigger. Zing- A rocket with a glowing tail shot out and soared towards the airborne three-eyed zombie. Booom- A massive explosion burst in mid-air like a giant firework. An astonishingly high damage score of nearly 100 points sprung from the head of the zombie. Its fierce attack was immediately hindered as the explosions blast force flung it in the air only to then brutally smash into the small room near the rooftop entrance. With the debris scattering around, a corner of the small room collapsed, and the zombies body tumbled downwards. Heh heh- The three-eyed zombie was covered in filthy blood. Its left arm had been blown off, revealing the grisly sight of exposed bones at the shoulder, and traces of dark blood seeped continuously from its mouth. Its ghastly fangs were stained with dirty blood, and its injuries seemed fatal. Struggling to get up, the zombies aura did not diminish despite its injuries; instead, it became even more violent. It let out a series of low growls, its body slightly swaying, but still stepping persistently towards Song Jian. On the zombies forehead, its uncanny silver vertical eye started to shine a silver light, and a mass of silver light began to form in its eyeball. Damn it, this guy is going to launch his major attack! Song Jian was shocked. At this point, his vitality points were already below a hundred, and his skill to morph into a dark cloud was still cooling down. Having lost his immunity to physical attacks and the 100% resistance enhancement, if he were hit by the Bosss major attack, he would certainly be killed instantly! Damn, just fight it! Song Jian took a deep breath, only to feel a stabbing pain in his lungs, the rocket launchers weight on his shoulders becoming unbearable. Invisible Sword Qi, go all out! Song Jian growled, directing all his Invisible Sword Qi to the rocket launcher. The Sword Qi, initially at 100 points, was depleted instantly, and a basketball-sized silver light orb began forming at the rocket launchers muzzle. Kaka- Seemingly unable to bear so much Invisible Sword Qi, there was a faint noise of fractures emanating from inside the rocket launcher. Song Jian felt his heart drop and pulled the trigger forcefully. Shoot it out! Boom- A moment of delay made Song Jian feel as if he had plunged into hell. But then a burst of flame ejected from the muzzle, and a rocket wrapped in silver-colored Sword Qi flew out, leaving a long trailing flame; At this moment, a crack appeared on the barrel of the rocket launcher, stretching from the muzzle to the middle. The three-eyed zombie seemed to sense the threat, let out a low growl, its head pushed forward, and its right arm clenched into a fist. Every blood vessel in its body protruded out, and a silver beam as thick as an arm shot out from its vertical eye on its forehead. As this silver beam was discharged, a black liquid started to seep from the corners of the zombies eyes, looking like tears of blood. Boom- A brilliant explosion erupted between Song Jian and the three-eyed zombie. For a moment, the surroundings lit up as brightly as daylight. Song Jians eyes were so sore from the light that he could not open them, leaving him no choice but to shield them with his arms while he heard blood-curdling screams ringing in his ears. Chapter 150 - 150: Vertical Pupils Chapter 150: Vertical Pupils Translator: 549690339 The rocket launcher was destroyed! However, Song Jian couldnt care less about that right now. Enduring the sting in his eyes, he opened them as the shockwave from the explosion gradually disappeared, and the surroundings became darker, returning to their nighttime appearance. The three-eyed Zombie was lying on its back, convulsing. All three of its eyes were tightly shut, with black liquid seeping from the corners, flowing down its cheeks. It looked as if three wriggling earthworms were crawling on its face. Its still not dead? Song Jian was astonished. He knew that he had concentrated all of his Invisible Sword Qi on the rocket launcher, so the power of this strike was equivalent to that of a rocket launcher plus the power of a hundred Invisible Sword Qi. Even if the BOSS still had more than 80% of its Vitality Points, Song Jian believed that no monster could withstand such a terrifying blow. Slowly approaching the BOSS, Song Jian seemed to sense his closeness. The BOSSS body began to struggle, letting out low, hoarse roars. Its right claw scraped the floor, leaving a series of marks, and an aura of rage still emanated from it. But in Song Jians eyes, all he could see was its impending doom. The BOSS opened its two main eyes, revealing red glows emanating from the pupils. However, there was now a black crack in the center of each eye, splitting the pupils in two. The vertical pupil on the forehead also slowly opened, its original silver color now transformed into a dark, bottomless hole. The BOSS struggled to sit up, but no matter what, it couldnt stand. It seemed that its lower body was paralyzed. Hum- Se??ch ?ew?o?e?(.)o?g o? ?oo?l? Silver Sword Qi, three meters long, burst forth from Song Jians left index finger and stabbed toward the BOSSS forehead. The silver Sword Qi pierced into the vertical pupil and protruded more than a foot out from the back of its head. The BOSSS entire body began to shake violently. Its body stiffened, its momentum reaching a peak for an instant before it quickly weakened. Heli- A puff of breath came from the throat of the three-eyed Zombie. Its breath rapidly faded, and its body went limp, seemingly hanging on Song Jians Sword Finger. Its right claw fell feebly. Whoosh- The three-meter-long silver Sword Qi disappeared, and the BOSSS upper body fell backward. System: You used the Sword Finger skill to kill a LVio three-eyed Zombie (Elite) and gained 1280 Experience Points. System: your Experience Points are now full. Please complete the promotion task as soon as possible; otherwise, your level will not be able to continue to increase. After seeing the system information prompt, Song Jian paused and hurriedly opened his personal attribute interface. Sure enough, the experience bar behind level 10 had reached 99%. It was only a tiny bit away from advancing to level 11, but it seemed like an insurmountable chasm. I must become a professional to continue leveling up? Song Jians face turned ugly. If that were the case, it would be difficult for him to maintain his level advantage. After all, player levels were now rising, most of them reaching level five or six, and some even reaching level seven or eight. Furthermore, these people had not completed the Safe House main quest. Once they started completing the Safe House main quest, their levels would skyrocket in a short period because killing all the monsters within one kilometer of the Safe House would be enough to raise their levels by two or three. Song Jian himself had gone straight from level seven to level ten after completing the Safe House creation task. Glancing at the main quest, he still needed to find seven combat mentors. Song Jian shook his head, closed the mission panel, and walked toward the corpse of the three-eyed Zombie. At this moment, the body of the three-eyed zombie began to burn with transparent flames, and some of its limbs had turned into black ash. However, the speed of the BOSS turning into ash was obviously slower than that of ordinary monsters; Next to the body of the three-eyed zombie, several items emitting various colors of lights were scattered. Among them, an item emitting a silver light caught Song Jians eye; Silver quality item, what great luck! Although he knew that hunting unique zombies would yield good rewards, Song Jian didnt expect the three-eyed zombie to actually drop a silver item. After all, Song Jian had hunted down many level 10 elite BOSSes, but the loot was not entirely satisfactory; Could it be that only when hunting them in their fully recovered state at night can these BOSSes drop good stuff? Song Jian speculated in his heart; However, this battle was really fraught with danger, nearly costing Song Jian his life. The attack power of the three-eyed zombie was just too ferocious. Before Song Jian even got close, he had already lost more than 200 Vitality Points; If it werent for the fact that he had risked his rocket launcher in the end, it would have been hard to say who would have died; sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thinking of this, Song Jian looked at the rocket launcher lying in his inventory with a distraught expression. The material of the launcher couldnt withstand the full force of the Invisible Sword Qi. Although it barely completed one attack, the rocket launcher was damaged, rendering it unusable; At this moment, the attributes of the rocket launcher were marked with damaged, unusable, and it couldnt even be placed in the equipment slot; The effectiveness of the rocket launcher was exceptional, and it was one of Song Jians most powerful weapons. Now that it was damaged, Song Jians overall strength had weakened; Song Jian now pinned his hopes on the items dropped by the three-eyed zombie BOSS, hoping they would somewhat make up for his losses; What is this? Song Jian first picked up the item emitting silver light. This object had a metallic shine and was only about a third of the size of a palm. It looked like a half-opened eye; Vertical Pupil (Silver), External Equipment, Position: Forehead; Equipment Effect: All attributes +1, Special Effect 1: Piercing Illusion (Passive), enables the user to see through illusions, invisibility, and other false states up to level 6; Special Effect 2: Gaze of Death (Active), deals continuous damage (15+60% Physical damage +15+40% Mental damage) for 5 seconds; Skill Range: 15 meters; Skill Consumption: 50% Spirit Points; Special Effect 3: Weakness Removal (Passive), protects the head, increases head defense by 100%, your head will no longer be a weak spot on your body; Usage Requirement: Level 10; Can be brought out of the game: Yes External equipment, what kind of equipment is this? There isnt a slot for this in the equipment section! Song Jian closely examined the Vertical Pupil in his hand; The attributes of this item were very strong, with all attributes increased by one, which was equivalent to gaining seven attribute points and similar to consuming seven Attribute Fruits. This was a huge gain; The three additional special effects were also very practical. The first one, Piercing Illusion, allowed the user to see through illusions and hidden effects such as invisibility, so they wouldnt fear thieves stealth ability. Although it could only break through false states below level 6, Song Jian believed that no player would put all their skill points into this kind of auxiliary combat skill at this point; The second skill, Gaze of Death, was the ultimate move of the three-eyed BOSS, causing both physical and mental damage to targets simultaneously, with a combination of a fixed and percentage-based damage. Although it consumed a lot of energy, its power was terrifying. With Song Jians current attributes, he could cause (45+36) points of damage per second to a target. Even if the opponents defense and resistance were taken into account, the total damage shouldnt be lower than 50 points. With five seconds of continuous damage, the total damage would be more than 250 points. Song Jian believed that no player could withstand this attack from him at present; The third special effect provided complete protection to the head, so Song Jian no longer had to worry about other players sniping his head. Without the weak point, Song Jian believed that no player could defeat him in one hit; Ive hit the jackpot, not bad, not bad at all! Song Jian wore an excited smile on his face as he held the metallic Vertical Pupil and examined it over and over again; But, how should I use this? Chapter 151 - 151 Bat-Wing Zombie Chapter 151: Bat-Wing Zombie Translator: 549690339 Vertical Pupil is an external implant. Song Jian had never encountered an equipment like this before, and there seemed to be no slot for it in the equipment section. If its attributes state that its meant to be attached to forehead, suppose I can just attach it directly? Song Jian speculated and began to position the Vertical Pupil onto his forehead. The moment the Vertical Pupil touched his skin, countless tiny tentacles sprouted from its back, burrowing wildly into Song Jians forehead like sharks drawn to blood. A slight prickling sensation made the Vertical Pupil adhere firmly to Song Jians forehead. By the time Song Jian realised it, he was too late to take it off. The Vertical Pupil was rooted securely as though it had always been part of his forehead, immune to his attempts to remove it. I hope this thing isnt permanent. Parading around with a metallic eye on my forehead might be unnerving for some. Song Jian pulled at it robustly a couple of times. The Vertical Pupil, like a rooted plant, caused a raw pain each tug. Song Jian could feel countless threads extending from the back of the Vertical Pupil, piercing deep into his skull like nerves. Soon, Song Jian felt as if the Vertical Pupil had become an additional organ that he could manipulate, like he had acquired a third eye. Gradually, Song Jian could even perceive the world through the Vertical Pupil on his forehead. Three eyes remarkably expanded his visual field, and he could also shut the Vertical Pupil when required. The closed Vertical Pupil left only a faint silver scar that was quite inconspicuous unless scrutinized. Shortly, Song Jian acclimatized to the existence of a third eye. Overall, the extra Vertical Pupil was quite useful to Song Jian. At least, he could see much farther at night, comparable to daylight, and it was a massive improvement over before. From below, roars of monsters echoed up. The recent bout had attracted all the monsters in the vicinity. Standing on the roof and looking down, all the streets around were teeming with monsters, reminiscent of the onslaught when establishing safehouses. Thankfully, the battle was over, and he was too far for the monsters to detect him. They were just idling aimlessly in the surroundings. Phew, its getting dangerous here. I should return to the manor for safety. Song Jian thought to himself. Just as he was about to deploy his ability to Morph into Dark Cloud, the Vertical Pupil on his forehead spotted a huge mass of darkness in the distance flying towards him. Does someone else also have the ability to Morph into Dark Cloud? That seems unlikely! Song Jian squinted and strained his eyes. Upon closer inspection, he realised it was a large group of winged monsters flocking in the sky. Holy Cow! There must be hundreds of them! This is insanity! Song Jian was taken aback. These creatures appeared no different from common zombies, except, each one had a pair of wings resembling bat wings, with a thin layer of flesh coating the surface of the bones. Bat-winged zombies, level ten elite monsters. This is outrageous. Hundreds of level ten elite monsters Its too much Song Jian rushed into the big hole of the entrance room atop the roof, making his way into the building. Soon, the sounds of pitter-patter came from above. Peering through the cracks, over a dozen bat-winged zombies fell from the sky, encircling the half-burnt body of the three-eyed zombie boss. They voraciously tore at the remaining flesh of the boss. Some even gobbled up the nearby ashes when they couldnt get to the corpse. From the distant rooftop, monstrous roars echoed. The bat-winged zombies descended like assassins in the night on bosses that hadnt yet evacuated the rooftop. Packs of ten or even dozens of bat-winged zombies ambushed each elite boss. Some managed to escape inside the building while others were surrounded, killed and devoured by the bat-winged zombies. Song Jian had tucked himself away in a room. Peering out the window, he could see that the roofs of the surrounding high-rise buildings had been occupied by the winged zombies. The elite bosses stood no chance against these winged zombies. The sounds of battle gradually faded, leaving only the sounds of the winged zombies tearing apart the bosss bodies. I hope these monsters would quickly leave after feasting on the bosses bodies, thought Song Jian. With the sky taken over by a swarm of winged zombies, even if he were to morph into a dark cloud, escape would not be possible. The ground was teeming with even more monstrous creatures, making it more dangerous than the skies. Song Jian found himself trapped in this small building. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. While hiding in a room, he securely sealed all doors and windows, just like on his first day in the game, waiting for the break of dawn. All of the winged zombies had assumed control over the roofs of the high-rise buildings around him. Some of the winged zombies had even broken into the top-level rooms. They seemed to have claimed this area as a temporary habitat. Song Jian did not dare to make a noise, for fear of awakening the group of bosses. He had carefully kindled a bonfire in the living room and laid down by its side to rest. Although deliberate sleeping was not necessary in the game to restore energy, both vitality points and mental strength would quickly replenish during sleep. Although Song Jians vitality points had already been filled due to the speed of their restoration, the mental fatigue caused from continuous battling was not so easily alleviated. The night passed without a word. Early the next morning, as the fish-belly white spread across the sky, Song Jian was startled awake by a clamor of bellowing roars. Looking out the window, he saw all the winged zombies who had been roosting on the roofs for the night gathering and flying into the distance. Phew, they finally left. Hundreds of these level-io elite monsters are simply terrifying! Song Jian, whose heart had been hanging by a thread, finally let out a sigh of relief. He wondered how many elite bosses had fallen prey to these winged zombies over the night. Growl- Growl- Growl- Just then, Song Jian noticed that one winged zombie in a high-rise building opposite to his was stuck in the window. This particular winged zombie had broken into a room through a window for rest the previous day since there was no space left on the roof. Today, while attempting to leave, one of its wings was caught in the twisted steel protective mesh. The winged zombie struggled violently and managed to break a piece of steel rebar, which then bent at an angle and caught its main bone. At this point, unless the infected zombie was willing to rip off its right wing, it would be stuck there. What a nice early morning surprise to get a level-10 elite monster at my doorstep. Not bad luck, Song Jian said with a slight smile. Pushing aside the objects stacked next to the window, he craned his neck to look at the winged zombie that was a mere ten meters away, half of its body hanging from the window railing. Crackling- The window railing was being constantly tugged by the winged zombie, making rattling noises. The fixed rivets also began to loosen. It seemed as if the railing would be torn off by the winged zombie before long, and the creature would likely tumble down afterward. A fall from the tenth floor wouldnt kill you, let me help you out, muttered Song Jian to himself, as a thin, silvery veritical scar on his forehead slowly opened. Chapter 152 - 152: Concussion Chapter 152: Concussion sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 | Boom- A dazzling silver beam of light shot towards rhe helpless bat-winged zombie hanging on the window railing. Song Jian didnt even need to use his Minds Eye skill to lock onto ir and attack, as it was now a sitting target. Roar- The bat-winged zombie became even more enraged as it was hit by the silver beam. The sun had risen, weakening all its attributes by half. The zombie s vitality points were now less than four hundred, and each second, the Eye of Death caused over ninety points of physical and mental damage. The zombie s vitality points plummeted at an alarming rate. Finally, sensing that death was imminent, rhe bat-winged zombies crimson eyes revealed a hint of bloodlust as it glared at Song Jian. It let out an angry roar, and furiously twisted its body, not caring how this movement further damaged its trapped wing. Crack- A crisp sound of bone fracturing, followed by the sound of flesh tearing, signaled that the bat-winged zombie had freed itself from the window railing. With a push of its legs, ir lunged towards Song Jians location C seemingly determined to take him down with it before ir died. Mid-air, the bat-winged zombie contorted its body to dodge the silver beam, but its severely injured wing made ir difficult to maintain balance. If it hadnt already been high up, using inertia to glide a short distance, it wouldnt have been able to reach the building where Song Jian was hiding. After five seconds, the silver beam disappeared, and Song Jian suddenly felr drained. This wasnt physical fatigue bur mental exhaustion C feeling like hed been gaming all night. I just woke up Song Jian forced a wry smile, Seems like I still need to get used to this external gear. Just losing fifty percent of my spirit points leaves me feeling completely drained of energy. This was Song Jians first time using the Vertical Eye external gear. Some adjustment was necessary to avoid draining more spirit points than usual. With only about thirty vitality points left, the bat-winged zombies body fell unsteadily, twisting and tumbling in the air, appearing utterly pathetic. Thud- The zombies body violently crashed into rhe window of Song Jians room, breaking the old window and creating a large hole. Song Jian quickly stepped back. Die, die The bat-winged zombie, its mouth full of blood, clawed at the window frame, trying to squeeze in. its upper body was exposed, displaying numerous scars C some fresh, some old C suggesting it was a battle-hardened warrior. Snap- Grasping it had trapped its right wing, the zombie let out a low growl and bit down on the base of rhe injured appendage, tearing it off with all its strength. Crunch, crunch- Its sharp tusk-like fangs, like a knifes edge, sliced through the wings bones. After a short struggle, rhe bat-winged zombie let our a painful scream and chewed through its right wing. Its body squeezed through the window, leaving the broken wing hanging outside. Witnessing the zombies brutality, Song Jian frowned. He could imagine the cruel fate awaiting anyone who fell into rhe clutches of these monsters. Its better for monsters like you to die! Song Jian said, pulling out his Tusk Fang Stinger and pouncing on rhe critically wounded bat-winged zombie. At this moment, the bat-winged zombie was covered in blood with only about thirty Vitality Points left. Its chest, back, and ribs were all marked with burns, and the broken wings on its back were still slowly oozing blood. Its appearance was quite miserable, but the frenzied aura it emitted was almost solidifying, like transparent flames that would ignite upon contact. Even Song Jian felt a heavy pressure when he got within three meters of it. The bat-winged zombie let out a beast-like roar from its throat and raised its right hand, causing a black mist to slowly emerge and condense into a huge iron axe in mid-air. The axe was over a meter long, with an extremely large face, dark and heavy like half of a round table. If one had to estimate its weight, it would be at least hundreds of pounds. But when held in the hand of the bat-winged zombie, it seemed as light as a toy. Whoosh- The bat-winged zombie swung its right hand, and the huge iron axe chopped down at Song Jian with the force of a mountain bearing down on him. The fierce wind pressure blew air apart, and for a moment, Song Jian felt like he was suffocating. Not daring to continue charging forward, Song Jian hurriedly dodged to avoid the attack. The iron axe almost grazed his cheek, slicing a three-inch long wound, and blood instantly stained half of his face. Damn, my face is ruined! For a moment, Song Jian was furious, and the murderous intent in his heart ignited like dry firewood soaked in oil. His eyes filled with bloodshot veins. I want you dead! With a low growl in his throat, he stabbed at the bat-winged zombies temple with his dagger. Bang! The iron axe of the bat-winged zombie chopped heavily onto the floor, with more than half of the blade cutting in. A crack over three feet long appeared on the ground, as this strike split the hollow slate between two floors. Sensing the sound of air breaking near its ear, the bat-winged zombie released its grip on the iron axe. In an instant, the axe embedded in the floor turned into a puff of black smoke. With a wave of its left hand, the black smoke reappeared in the palm of the bat-winged zombies left hand and transformed back into an iron axe. The large axe face acted like a shield, blocking Song Jians attack. Sparks flew with a clang, and Song Jian felt a soreness in his wrist. Bang- The bat-winged zombie clenched its right fist and punched towards Song Jians head. He had no time to dodge, so he had to endure the blow. With a muffled grunt, Song Jian felt as if half of his face had gone numb. A surge of force sent him flying five or six meters away. His blood sprayed in mid-air, leaving a ghastly trail. When Song Jian struggled to get up from the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and even blood flowed from his ear and nostril. It looked like a small red snake trailing down his skin. His head buzzed, and his vision blurred. System: You are hit by LV10 Bat-Winged Zombie (Elite )s heavy attack, taking 68-29 points of damage for an actual damage of 39 points; System: You are currently in a concussion1 state, with a 50% decrease in vision, 30% decrease in accuracy, 10% decrease in attack, and 30% decrease in mobility, lasting for io seconds; Song Jian was shocked, his body seemed out of control, his feet feeling unsteady as if stepping on cotton. His hands waved wildly in the air, and as soon as he got up, he fell back down again. In this condition, it didnt matter if it lasted 10 seconds or just three seconds. He would die here. The bat-winged zombie, roaring and waving, pounced at him, and the chilling sound of the iron axe cutting through the air got closer and closer to his head. Chapter 153 - 153: 153: Strengthening Stone Chapter 153 - 153: 153: Strengthening StoneTranslator: 549690339 A dangerous glint appeared in Song Jians eyes. Since he couldnt stand, he decided to stay lying down; Falling backwards, his body slumped onto the floor. Song Jian felt like he was floating on the ocean, waves rippling around him. A buzzing filled his ears and his entire head throbbed painfully; His vision blurred, but he could still sense a dark shadow slamming towards his head; Song Jians hands forcefully pushed against the floor, causing his body to roll to the side. He heard a chilling whooshing sound as the dark, huge axe swept only two feet away from his cheek and embedded itself into the floor. The sharp essence of the axe was so fierce it even snipped a strand of hair on Song Jians forehead, leaving another bloody trail on his cheek; Song Jian lay on his back, staring at the sky. The bat-winged zombie bent over, its muscular arm clenched around the axe, looking at Song Jian who was less than a meter away. A smirk appeared on its face, revealing a blood-stained tusk fang, exuding an intimidating aura; Song Jians vision doubled, blurring significantly. The vertical eye on his forehead, which had been closed, had unknowingly begun to slowly open; Suddenly, Song Jians view became clear. With two blurry eyes and one clear one, the sensation felt chaotic. Song Jian decided instead to close both eyes and rely solely on the vertical eye to survey his surroundings; At this point, the bat-winged zombie was less than a meter away. The minute it loosened its grip, its body straightened and the axe, which had been embedded into the floor, turned back into a wisp of black mist and floated back to the zombies hand; Eye Kill! Whoosh- A silver light beam shot towards the bat-winged zombies chest. Instantly, Song Jian felt a headache so unbearable that he couldnt help but moan in pain; Roar- A look of fear flashed across the face of the bat-winged zombie. It attempted to leap towards Song Jian, but the silver light beam hit it accurately. With only a little over twenty vitality points left, the bat-winged zombie couldnt withstand this attack. Its airborne body suddenly lost all strength and was pushed back five to six meters by the silver beam, harshly crashing onto the floor; Sensing that he had hit the bat-winged zombie, Song Jian immediately stopped the Eye Kill skill, cradling his head and rolling around on the floor. It felt like a red-hot iron rod had been thrust into his head and was fiercely twisting it. The depletion of his mental strength was unbearably painful, as if his head was about to explode; After what felt like an eternity, the pain started to subside. At this point, Song Jians face was pale and his forehead was covered in sweat. He looked as though he had just been fished out of water C his clothes were soaking wet and there was a puddle of sweat underneath him; So, so painful, Song Jian held his head and heaved a sigh, lying flat on the floor and taking in deep breaths of fresh air; The effects of the concussion had finally worn off, now he only had to deal with the aftermath of his depleted mental strength. His head ached sporadically as if it was circled by an iron hoop; After resting for over half an hour, the pain started to gradually fade. Song Jian wished he could just collapse into bed and sleep deeply. He felt extremely sluggish; After lying on the ground for another ten or so minutes, Song Jian struggled to his feet. His mental strength had only recovered less than 5%. As long as he didnt use any skills that consumed his mental strength, he should be okay; Song Jian walked over to a small pile of black ashes, which were the remnants of the bat-winged zombies body. Scattered around the pile were several items, which Song Jian picked up one by one; Two zombie cores, a piece of cooking material Bat-wing Membrane, and two pieces of medicinal materials zombie Tusk Fang. The items dropped by the bat-winged zombie were mainly composed of materials, which made Song Jian feel slightly upset; sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even if it was an injured Level 10 Elite Boss, dropping these items was a bit too much! Song Jian muttered, slightly annoyed. A Level 10 Boss dropping only white quality items was quite embarrassing; Huh, whats this? A Enhancement Stone? What does it do? Song Jian picked up the last item, a stone emitting a white glow. It was about the size of his fist and looked no different from a normal rock; Enhancement Stone (White), Usage: Enhances equipment below +3, boosting the properties of the equipment! Boosting equipment properties, not bad! Song Jians eyes lit up, his interest piqued; Looking at the Enhancement Stone, two options appeared before his eyes: Use and Destroy. After selecting Use, a screen appeared where he could select his equipment; Song Jian immediately selected Vertical Eye. This was the only silver quality equipment he had after the destruction of the rocket launcher. The attack power of the externally attached equipment Vertical Eye was the most powerful, so naturally, it should be enhanced first; This item is too high grade and cannot be enhanced! After clicking Vertical Eye, a line of red text appeared from the system; Damn, it cant be enhanced? Song Jian was stunned and furrowed his eyebrows; Re-selecting his equipment, Song Jian chose Tusk Fang Stinger, but the system quickly displayed a message that said, This item is too high grade and cannot be enhanced; Even blue quality is too high? It cant be that it can only enhance white-quality equipment. He subsequently tried the zombie commander armor, but predictably, it also couldnt be enhanced. Finally, he tried his rings and accessories, but none could be enhanced; After trying all his equipment, the only ones that could be enhanced were the white-quality Tree Spirit Legguards and 101 Tactical Helmet; As expected, a white-quality Enhancement Stone can only enhance white-quality equipment. This significantly decreases its value! Song Jian shook his head and nonchalantly clicked the Enhancement Stone onto the Tree Spirit Legguards; Tree Spirit Legguards (White) +1, Leather Pants, Equipment effect: Physical Defense +5, Vitality recovery speed increased by 35%; Equipment requirement: Level 5, Able to bring out of game: No After enhancing to level one, the Tree Spirit Legguards physical defense increased by two points and the Vitality recovery speed had improved by 5%. The enhancement was better than nothing; Song Jian took another look around and found nothing else. He went downstairs to summon his motorcycle, then headed back towards his Manor Castle; Upon returning to the castle, Song Jian saw that quite a few pieces of furniture had appeared, and in the small courtyard, green sprouts had started to grow on the Spirit Field; Master, youve returned! The butler stood by the castle gate, bowing respectfully as Song Jian approached; Gardener John and Carpenter Tammy also put down their tools and bowed towards Song Jian; Song Jian nodded slightly, and in a blink of an eye, appeared on the third floor of the castle. The third floor wasnt as empty as it had been before. A wooden bed had been prepared with quilts and pillows, and next to it were a set of wooden table and chairs, and a wardrobe. The simple furniture filled the room with the scent of wood and traces of life. Even the radio was placed on a wooden table; Song Jian let out a small smile, glanced around briefly, then fell heavily onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep; Chapter 154 - 154: 154: Weakness Potion Chapter 154 - 154: 154: Weakness PotionTranslator: 549690339 Sleep is the best way to recover mental strength, especially when Song Jian didnt have any potions for mental strength recovery. He slept until five or six in the afternoon. Only then did Song Jian wake up, fully invigorated. His stomach began to grumble. His hunger level had risen to 89%, and his stomach felt like it was on fire. Once hunger level rises above 80%, a characters attributes will decrease by 30%. If it increases to 90%, a characters attributes will decrease by 50%. Once it increases to 100%, a character will start to lose Vitality Points. Song Jian took out a piece of grilled meat and a bottle of clean mineral water from his bag and started to gulp it down. Master, are you awake? May I come in? The voice of the butler, George, came from outside the door. Uh-uh, George, come in, Song Jian choked a bit, and called out loudly. George pushed open the door, and Tammy and John carried a wooden table slowly in. Put it there! George pointed to a corner of the room. After Tammy and John placed the table in the specified position, they bowed to Song Jian and slowly retreated. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Master, you can place a plant here, it will make the room feel more comfortable, George said with a slight smile. You handle the layout of the castle, do as you see fit, said Song Jian, glancing around the room with satisfaction. Then he pointed to the side of the radio and said, Put another table there. Of course, Master, it will be done quickly, George nodded, and with a moments hesitation said, Master, 1 think it would be advisable for us to hire a cook for our manor. That way, you wouldnt have to eat these coarse foods. A cook? Id like that! Song Jian was startled, then a bitter smile appeared on his face, A first-grade manor can only hire three servants, and weve already hired three. We dont have any more openings. For ordinary people, there is a limit, but Master, you are already level ten. If you become a professional, there will be no hiring limit, although it will cost 10% more each time. Of course, Butler George explained, you can also continue to upgrade the manor level. A second-grade manor can employ five servants. If I continue to upgrade the manor level, it wont attract an attack from monsters, will it? Song Jian asked with lingering fear. Of course not, as long as we have enough supplies, Master, you can keep upgrading without limit. Even if upgraded to a ten level manor, it will not attract monster attacks. George respectfully replied. I see, alright, 1 will upgrade the manor level as soon as possible. Song Jian nodded. After bowing to Song Jian, George slowly left the room and closed the door. It wasnt long before Song Jians hunger level dropped back down to below ten. Tammy and John brought in another table and placed it next to the radio. At this point, on the left of the room, there was a large bed. On the right, three wooden tables were arranged directly opposing the bed. There was an Engineering Crafting Table on one, a radio on the second, and the third was empty. Song Jian took out a briefcase from his bag and placed it on the empty table. He placed his right hand on the briefcase, and immediately, a green light appeared on the case, scanning Song Jians palm. The briefcase opened automatically revealing a set of complete Alchemy tools. A crucible, test tube, alcohol lamp, decomposition dish, decoction furnace, oh my goodness, this is a precise set of chemistry equipment! Astonishment crossed Song Jians face as he looked at the shimmering alchemy workbench. Portable Moveable Alchemy Workbench (Silver), Special Item, Usage Effect: Can produce various potions, increase success rate by 80%, enhance potion effect by 50%, has a certain chance of causing the created potion to mutate; Usage Condition: Mastery of Alchemy, These attributes are a bit exaggerated! A surprised smile appears on Song Jians face; just the potion-making success rate is increased by 80%, and he had learned Alchemy, a-level one Alchemy increases the success rate by 5%, just two more levels, and he can achieve a 100% potion-making success rate, its simply earth-shattering! Song Jian couldnt wait to give it a try. The only potion formula he currently master was for the Weakness Potion. The most important material for this potion was a Zombies tusks. Song Jian had eight zombie tusks in his bag, enough to make four Weakness potions. He put four solution mixtures and eight zombie tusks into the placement area of the workbench, four glass bottles into the output area, and Song Jian pressed the crafting button right away. Suddenly, the alchemy workbench surface emitted a silver glow, cloaking the entire workbench. Song Jian could see the workbench automatically decomposing, merging, blending, and brewing the ingredients. Soon, a gray liquid flowed out of the output, perfectly filling a glass bottle. In just ten short minutes, four bottles of Weakness Potion were completed, with the entire process being automated, requiring no intervention from Song Jian. Weakness Potion (Excellent): Inflicts a ranged attack on any target within six meters, causing 30 points of true damage, while weakening the targets defense by 35% for 65 seconds; Weakness Potion (Mutated): Inflicts a ranged attack on all targets within six meters, causing 30 points of true damage to all targets in the area, while weakening the targets defense by 35% for 65 seconds, causing a daze effect upon impact, lasting for one second; Hmm, this potion, its just Looking at the three enhanced potions and one mutated potion, Song Jian was extraordinarily satisfied with this silver-quality Portable Moveable Alchemy Workbench. The regular Weakness Potion only inflicts 10 points of true damage to the target, weakens their defense by 30%, and lasts for 60 seconds. The enhanced version of the potion boosts all attributes significantly. The mutated variant is even more terrifying. It not only changes from targeting single entities to area attacks but also causes daze effects. It will be surprisingly effective whether used for launching a preemptive strike or for escaping. Not bad, not bad. 1 thought 1 had been ripped off, but it turns out I made a huge profit. Hahaha! Song Jian laughed heartily. Right, I now also meet the conditions for crafting the T-11 High Explosive Hand Grenade, lets see what materials are needed for it. Saying this, Song Jian walked over to the Siege Crafting Table, and upon opening it, the option Craft a T-11 High Explosive Hand Grenade appeared on the screen of the Crafting Table. After clicking on the option, the required materials for crafting the high explosive hand grenades appeared. Wow, thats quite a lot of materials needed! Song Jian widened his eyes as he looked at the lengthy list of required materials displayed on the Crafting Table. Charcoal (3), Saltpeter (1), Sulfur (2), Suixing Silver (3), Refined Iron (5) Charcoal, saltpeter, sulfur, Suixing silver I have all these, they were all obtained in the subsidiary. But this refined iron, copper, stone wood, 1 dont have these five or six types of materials Song Jian frowned. The T-11 high explosive hand grenade is incredibly powerful, but it also requires a lot of materials. Song Jian only has two-thirds of the materials; one-third is still lacking. Forget it, Ill deal with that later. These materials must all come from mining. Opening the map, Song Jian sighed at the sight of a mine that was at least sixty to seventy kilometers away from him. To reach the mine, you have to cross the entire city. Even if you take the outer ring highway, its fraught with danger. Many places along the highway are closed, and some overpasses have even been cut off, requiring a detour; the number of creatures is no less than in the city, and the danger level is also not small. With Song Jians current strength, hes afraid to go there alone. Song Jian shook his head, put away the map, it looked like it was going to be a while before he could craft this T-11 High Explosive Hand Grenade.. Chapter 155 - 155: Selling Equipment Chapter 155: Selling Equipment Translator: 549690339 The workbench, engineering skills, blueprints were all there. Now lacking manufacturing materials, it seemed a bit of a wild goose chase. It looked like it will still be some time before acquiring the T-11 high-yield hand grenade; Well, now I have the Weakness Potion, it should be enough for most situations. Song Jian muttered to himself, turning around to glance at the pharmaceutical workbench. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the workbench, once again turning it into a briefcase, and placing it within his bag; This pharmaceutical workbench is portable and can be carried anywhere, allowing for the production of potions at any location. Its much more convenient than the typical siege weapon construction bench; The light outside the window gradually dimmed and the last ray of sunlight vanished as the sun sunk out of sight, returning the land to darkness; Thin clouds began to fill the sky, completely obscuring it. This happened almost every day. The moon only appeared at specific times, and only for a short duration, less than half an hour. This timing coincided with many monsters absorbing the essence of the moon; Having acquired the Hexagram Array Diagram of the Night Slayer, Song Jian now had the ability to absorb moon essence. Absorbing the moon essence could improve ones constitution. Song Jian had been absorbing for a few days, yet he didnt notice any increases in his attributes. He just felt more comfortable, as if impurities were being expelled from his body bit by bit; There must be benefits, so long as I persist, there will definitely be an improvement! Song Jian thought. However, every time he absorbed the moon essence, a desire to kill would well up in his heart. He would crave to charge into the monster horde with a blade, relishing in the thrill of slaughter. This made Song Jian somewhat wary. Once immersed in this pleasure of killing, it was easy to lose oneself, becoming a mindless killing machine; Song Jian sat cross-legged on the bed, listening to the sporadic roars of monsters outside the manor, quietly waiting for the moment the moon appeared. At midnight every day, the moon will appear for fifteen minutes Song Jian remained silent. As time passed, the Hexagram Star Array on his chest began to emit a faint glow. Unbeknownst to Song Jian, in his equipment inventory, a black stone tablet was also emitting a faint black light in concert with time; The manor fell silent. The butler George, the gardener and the carpenter had all rested. All the defensive measures of the manor were ready to spring into action. As soon as any monster crossed into the alert range of the defensive equipment, these arrow towers and catapults would automatically attack and kill the monsters; And the bodies and items dropped by the slain monsters, whether bodies or loot, were all dragged into the Spirit Field by the poisonous tree Alex to be used as nutrients; Caw, caw- A flock of blood crows flew out from the castle. They seemed to enjoy the poisonous tree Alex, always resting on it whenever they appeared; After a while, a strand of moonlight shone in through the window. Song Jian opened his eyes and willed himself to appear at the highest point of the castle; A strand of the silvery essence of the moon fell from the sky, melding into Song Jians body; Song Jian only felt a refreshing breath enter his body, flowing through his meridians and finally entering the Hexagram Star Array on his chest. After illuminating the Hexagram Star Array, it emerged again, integrating into Song Jians body; The refreshing breath that emerged from the Hexagram Star Array seemed more pure. The dim light radiating from the Hexagram Star Array pulsed in and out, like a beating heart; As the Hexagram Star Arrays light trembled faintly, an inexplicable desire to kill rose from the bottom of Song Jians heart. He became a little restless. However, the desire to kill surged abruptly, but it disappeared even faster. Song Jian now had the willpower to suppress this inexplicable urge; Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The fifteen minutes vanished in an instant, the moon essence disappeared. Song Jian exhaled a turbid breath, mixed with fine grey impurities. If one didnt look closely, it would be hard to notice the impurities; Song Jian slowly opened his eyes, ready to return to the castle, only to suddenly notice a rainbow light in the distance illuminating a large area; Doomsday Supermarket! Song Jians eyes lit up and he instantly became excited. This rainbow light was identical to when the Doomsday Supermarket first appeared; In the game, its been over a month. Could it be that the Doomsday Supermarket appears once a month? Thinking of the endless items in the Doomsday Supermarket, Song Jians heart thumped wildly; Opening his bag, Song Jian checked his Doomsday Coins first, having less than five hundred. But he did have a fair amount of items to sell, a load of roasted and fried meat, freshly made potions, and more My goodness, I cant believe this thing hasnt sold yet, I almost forgot! Song Jian looked at the pair of equipment in the package that emitted a deep green light, slapping his forehead as he spoke. The items in the parcel, if gathered together, could easily be sold for more than two thousand Doomsday Coins. If he also sold this, Song Jian felt certain that he could get three thousand Doomsday Coins without any problem. The skills in the supermarket priced at three to five hundred no longer interest me. This time, 1 want to carefully pick and see if there are any skills related to the Swordsman Immortal profession. If I can get one or two more, I am ready to switch to the Swordsman Immortal profession at level 10! Song Jian thought to himself. Turning on the radio, a burst of static noise followed, and then it was quiet. Perhaps because of the evening, there were not many people still using the radio. Cough cough, this is the City of Hope, I have two level-io equipment to sell, if interested, name your price! Song Jian then announced the properties of the two pairs of gloves. There was silence on the radio. Song Jian waited before calling out twice more, still no one spoke, and he was somewhat disappointed. It seemed there were too few people at night. Sell to the Doomsday Supermarket? If those two guys knew I sold it to the Doomsday Supermarket, theyd probably kill me! Song Jian looked up from the window at the rainbow light outside, shaking his head. One thousand Doomsday Coins! Suddenly, a voice was heard on the radio. The voice was soft, like a whisper. One thousand Doomsday Coins? Song Jians eyes lit up. This price exceeded his expectations. He was hoping he could sell it for seven or eight hundred Doomsday Coins. Before Song Jian could even respond, the radio seemed to explode with a series of cursing and bidding noises! Old Soma, you old fellow are still awake this late! A thousand Doomsday Coins to buy a set of level-10 equipment, are you still sleepy? I will pay one thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins! One thousand five? I bid one thousand eight, immediate transaction, my address is Two thousand, 1 am the housekeeper for the Baron of Casia from the City of Sin. If you sell these two pieces of equipment to us, you will gain the Baron of Casias friendship Baron Casia? That ass-selling Bunny Lord? Do you think everyone likes his stinky ass? Two thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins! Two thousand eight hundred Doomsday Coins, who dare to insult Baron Casia like this, dare to give your name? This is a provocation to the entire Casia family! Three thousand Doomsday Coins, I am the Legion Commander of the Hurricane Legion, kiddo, Im waiting for your revenge, hahahaha! Three thousand two, even though complete sets are rare, these are only level-io equipment, transition equipment, the value cant be too high Three thousand five, idiots, level-io equipment can already be considered professional gear, and its a complete set, just for that skill alone, its worth this price! Listening to the cacophony of bidding voices on the radio, Song Jian suddenly felt a little breathless. The items he originally thought were worth only seven or eight hundred Doomsday Coins were bid up to over three thousand in just a few minutes. Song Jians eyes flickered and he immediately understood why no one had responded after he had called out several times. These NPCs, trying to be so crafty. They all thought that others were asleep and wanted to buy things at a low price- Chapter 156 - 156: Doomsday Blacksmith Shop Chapter 156: Doomsday Blacksmith Shop Translator: 549690339 Four thousand Doomsday Coinsif theres anything higher, Ill give up. Its just a Level 10 suit of weapons after all; anything over four thousand would be a bit unworthy! A seductive womans voice rang out through the radio. This voice seemed imbued with a magical power that made listeners itch inside, making them desperately want to see the woman speaking; As her voice emerged, a brief silence fell over the radio. After a moment, an elderly voice sounded: Ahem, since the Queen of Sin has spoken, these gloves are worth no more than four thousand Doomsday Coins. The Sola family is out of the bidding! The Cassia Family is out of the bidding! The Storm Legion is out of the bidding! Song Jian was surprised. It seemed that this so-called Queen of Sin must have unimaginable power; otherwise, she wouldnt have made so many people back off; However, four thousand Doomsday Coins already exceeded Song Jians psychological expectations, and he wouldnt feel discontent. Moreover, the other peoples bids on the radio had already become cautious at 3,800 Doomsday Coins. Alright then, I will sell these gloves to you. Song Jian couldnt help but speak politely; Good, Ill be at the manor outside the city for the next few days. You just need to send them to ***, and that will be fine. Wait, uh, well, 1 dont have any stamps right now. I dont know if you can send me a stamp first. Of course, the cost can be deducted from the sale price Song Jian said sheepishly; It seems like a little friend whos new to the game got lucky and dropped these gloves. Congratulations! Hehe, you just need to upgrade your mailbox to Level 3, and you can send mail without stamps. If youre short on Doomsday Coins, I can send you the payment first, said the Queen of Sin with a giggle; This guy, does she have a naturally enchanting voice? 1 cant take it; Hearing her laughter, Song Jian felt a surge of impulse from the bottom of his heart and couldnt help but change color; You, arent you afraid Ill take your money and not send the item? Song Jian suddenly asked, as if compelled; The radio fell silent, and only the faint sound of electrical noise could be heard. After a long while, the Queen of Sin spoke leisurely: Nobody in this world would dare take my money and not give me anything. 1 am the Queen of Sin, after all! Queen of Sin? Could it be that the Queen of Sin is the de facto ruler of the City of Sin? Song Jian had a flash of insight and suddenly thought of Count Qian Dahai, who lived in the inner city of the City of Sin; Before long, Song Jian received a system notification about new mail! He went to the mailbox, opened it, and saw four thousand Doomsday Coins exactly, not a single coin less. After Song Jian withdrew the coins, the four thousand gold coins were automatically divided into three portions, leaving only a little over 1,300 gold coins in his inventory; He opened his mailbox settings and saw that it required 300 Doomsday Coins to upgrade to a Level 2 mailbox. Song Jian clicked to upgrade directly, and the ordinary mailbox outside the courtyard immediately shone with a dazzling light; System: Your mailbox has been upgraded to Level 2, allowing you to retain 10 more mail messages; Upgrading to a Level 3 mailbox required 500 gold coins. The over 1,000 gold coins he had just acquired were quickly reduced to 500; System: Your mailbox has been upgraded to Level 3, allowing you to retain an additional 10 mail messages; you can also send mail without stamps, with a daily limit of 3 times; After Song Jian sent the gloves, he felt a sudden sense of relief. The pressure from the Queen of Sin was simply too great. In Doomsday, someone who could control an entire city had more power than a mayor, perhaps even a governor, in the real world; I still have 500 Doomsday Coins, which isnt too bad. Now, I have at least 3,500-3,600 Doomsday Coins to spend. I should be able to buy one or two good things! Song Jian became excited again at the thought; The place where the shimmering rainbow light shone was far from Song Jians manor. If it werent for the night when the colorful light seemed to illuminate the sky like a searchlight, Song Jian might not have noticed its existence; Standing at the highest point of Manor Castle and looking towards the colorful light, the straight-line distance was at least 50 or 60 kilometers, reaching deep into the city. The level of the monsters there was likely over Level 10, and the exact location was not yet clear; sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It should be near Weihu Park. Song Jian opened the map and secretly estimated the location. Thinking of this, Song Jian looked around, gritted his teeth, morphed into a dark cloud, and flew toward Weihu Park. It was nighttime, so riding a motorcycle would probably be faster, but it would also make too much noise and attract many monsters at night. If he rode a motorcycle, he wouldnt make it a few kilometers before being surrounded by monsters, and he wouldnt stand a chance of entering the Doomsday supermarketnot to mention keeping his life intact; Transforming into a dark cloud and hovering in the air as he slowly flew toward Weihu Park, Song Jian was cautious all the way, fearing another encounter with the bat-winged zombies he had seen the night before. The thought of that swarm of hundreds of Level 10 Elite Boss bat-winged zombies was haunting. If he encountered them in the air, there would be no chance of survival; Fortunately, Song Jian didnt encounter any flying monsters along the way. After an hour and a half, he arrived at Weihu Park without any incidents; At this time, a building covering five to six hundred square meters appeared out of nowhere on a vacant lot next to Weihu Park. The building looked and felt out of place with its surroundings; Looking down at the building emitting colorful light below, Song Jians brow furrowed. This building looked much smaller than the three-story Doomsday supermarket; Is this the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop? Song Jian looked at the huge characters on the building and couldn''''t help but be dumbfounded. How could there be such a building? Descending from the sky, Song Jian found that there were already five or six people standing at the entrance of the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. All of them were dressed in green or blue quality gear, and each persons level was above Level 7. It seemed that anyone who could come to Weihu Park at night was already among the elite players in this city ;?> Seeing Song Jian descend from the sky, the several players surrounding the entrance of the blacksmith shop showed curious expressions, looking Song Jian up and down. None of them, however, approached him or tried to strike up a conversation. The atmosphere in front of the blacksmith shop was somewhat eerie; *Ding Ding Ding-* From within the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop came the sound of metal clashing, as if someone was forging something; Song Jian looked around and was about to push open the door of the blacksmith shop when he noticed that the surrounding players were giving him a mocking smile. He hesitated and stepped back, choosing to wait patiently like the other players outside the door; After a long while, the clanging of metal from inside the blacksmiths shop ceased. The door swung open, and a muscular dwarf, his beard full of iron filings, emerged from inside; Chapter 157 - 157: Armed Miners Chapter 157: Armed Miners Translator: 549690339 [LV30 Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeenj(Elite), Vitality Points: 3800/3800, Characteristics: Super Strength, Super Defense, Super Resistance, Skills: ???, Title: Senior Blacksmith Seeing the revealed attributes floating above the dwarf blacksmiths head, Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt expected his opponent to be a level thirty elite boss. Having experienced this situation before, Song Jian understood that for monsters or NPCs above level ten, one needed corresponding skills, such as Reconnaissance, to examine their attributes. However, even with such skills, you could only see a portion of the targets attributes, not their entire set, unless your skill level was high enough; Blacksmith Aberdeen had concealed his skill and did not wish to reveal it publicly. Even with just the displayed attributes, people were already astonished; Aberdeen exuded an aura of fireworks smoke, carrying a shiny, glowing longsword in his hand. The sword looked similar to Song Jians Guardians Sword, except it was twice the size. It was probably a double-handed sword, yet Aberdeen held it effortlessly in one hand; Are blessed ones of this city really so rare? It seems I wont make much money this time, Aberdeen muttered under his breath; sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, his murmurs were as audible as a normal conversation, and several players nearby heard him clearly. Their faces displayed a mixture of emotions as they exchanged glances, seemingly conveying information with their eyes; Song Jian was also surprised by Aberdeens words, which revealed an obvious piece of information: there were players with similar divine statuses in other places as well; Could it be possible for players to arrive in other cities like those in the City of Sin? Or, are there more than one zombie-infested cities in this game? Song Jian wondered; *clap clap- Aberdeen swung his left hand, striking the blade of the double-handed sword with a resounding sound, attracting the attention of the surrounding players; You all did well by keeping quiet while I was forging. 1 like well-behaved children! Aberdeen smiled and continued, Then, this double-handed sword in my hand was just forged. You can have it at a discounted price starting from 500 Doomsday Coins, and the highest bidder wins! As he spoke, Aberdeens left hand gently grazed the blade, and seemingly using some skill, a faint white light enveloped the entire sword and then slowly faded away; The unremarkable longsword now radiated a blue glow with its attributes appearing before the several players; Keen Knights Longsword (Blue), Weapon, Double-handed Sword, Attack 36-49, Strength +2, Armor Break +1, Attack Speed increased by 10%, Special Effect: Charged Strike (active), charge for one second, deal 150% weapon damage to the target with a chance to knock back the enemy; Skill Cooldown: 10 seconds; Usage Requirement: Level 7, Cannot be taken outside of the game: No Among the blue quality weapons, this impressive sword could be considered a top choice. Though it didnt have any particularly extraordinary features, it was well-rounded with high attack power, decent attributes, and an additional attack skill. Song Jian felt that if they announced it on the radio, it could be sold for at least 1,000 Doomsday Coins; 500 Doomsday Coins! I want it! A player wearing metal chain armor, with a delighted expression in his eyes, shouted immediately; The double-handed knights sword isnt very useful to me, but my companion wants to choose a warrior profession, so he might be interested. Emmm, 550 Doomsday Coins! A player next to him, wearing leather armor and carrying a longbow, pondered and spoke after a moment; Only three or four players bid, and the prices didnt skyrocket. When one player offered 800 Doomsday Coins, no one challenged him further; Alas, what a loss. Just the materials for this sword cost nearly 500 Doomsday Coins! Aberdeen shook his head slightly and grumbled. It seemed the purchasing power of the blessed ones in this city was limited, so he was no longer interested in crafting more weapons for sale; After trading the longsword with the player who bid 800, Aberdeen shook his head and walked back to the blacksmith shop, seemingly intending to close the shop and retire for the day; *bang!* The door of the blacksmith shop closed, and the lights inside were extinguished. The colorful glow around the building faded, turning it into a rather inconspicuous establishment; Thank you, everyone! The player who bought the longsword raised his hands in appreciation to the others, a joyful smile on his face. He was the only one who gained something, while the rest had come to the blacksmith shop in vain; Your luck is quite good! If 1 were accustomed to using double-handed swords, 1 would have definitely competed with you this time, someone said, a bit frustrated; Sigh, who knew hed only sell one weapon! If only I had known, I wouldve competed as well. Even if this longsword was bought for 1,000 Doomsday Coins, it wouldnt be a loss. A level 7 blue-quality weapon could be sold out for 1,500 Doomsday Coins after some time when players level up! Ha, you would have to wait a while for that. Currently, players barely have money in their pockets. Its no wonder why the longsword was sold for merely 800 Doomsday Coins! The few players joked with each other as they left the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop, leaving Song Jian alone standing in front of the shop, daydreaming; Would someone who dares to name his shop after Doomsday just sell one weapon and leave? There has to be more, Song Jian thought as he stared at the darkened blacksmith shop; In other games, you could learn forging or mining skills in a blacksmith shop. 1 wonder if 1 can learn these skills in this Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. Having access to mining skills meant you could comprehend them as long as you found the ore, but unless you had a skill book, a mentor, or worked as a blacksmith in the real world, comprehending forging arts on your own was particularly difficult; As Song Jian stood outside the blacksmith shop for an hour with no movement inside, he couldnt help but feel anxious; Did I guess wrong, or is it that the dwarf blacksmith is dissatisfied with the players in this city and doesnt want to interact with them anymore? Song Jian wondered; Just as Song Jian hesitated and contemplated giving up, the door of the blacksmith shop suddenly opened, and the dwarf blacksmith Aberdeen came out; Little guy, why are you still standing here and not leaving? Aberdeen stared at Song Jian and asked in a deep voice; Um Dwarf sir, hello. I wanted to ask if you could teach me the forging arts to craft equipment? Upon seeing Aberdeen, Song Jian was overjoyed internally, but he displayed a polite demeanor as he bowed and asked; Aberdeen looked Song Jian up and down before saying abruptly, Young man, have you ever heard of the combat profession Armed Miner? Chapter 158 - 158 Obsidian Chapter 158: Obsidian Translator: 549690339 Armed Miner? At a first glance, its not quite mainstream profession, is it? Roughly translated, its probably a miner who can fight, right? Just like a King among Beggars no matter how gloried it sounds, its still a mining job, eh? Just adding the word Armed in front makes it extraordinarily high-end? Ive never heard of it. Could you explain this combat profession to me? Song Jian inquired respectfully. Even seemingly worthless professions deserve respect because after all, this guy is a Combat Mentor, and hes hinting at some progress in my main task. In this city teeming with monsters, finding a Combat Mentor is certainly a tough challenge. Hahahaha, this profession has remarkable combat abilities and is also skilled in mining. They can identify various types of ores and often stumble upon unexpected benefits. Aberdeen said with a face full of smiles, So, what do you think, lad? If youre willing to take on the Armed Miner profession, 1 can simplify your test task. How does that sound? Studying Aberdeens pyramid-scheme-entrepreneur-like face, Song Jian shook his head, I havent decided on any combat profession yet. 1 want to learn more before 1 decide! Well then Aberdeens smile faded, replaced by a serious look. He looked Song Jian up and down, muttering under his breath, In that case, I must choose your task more carefully Aberdeens right hand was constantly swiping in the air, as if there was a screen displaying a list of tasks for him to choose from. Gather Obsidian, thats a good task. Ill pick this one for you. This will also give you a taste of the allure of the Armed Miner profession! Aberdeen chose a task, his eyes sparkling. System: Combat Mentor Aberdeen has issued you a test task: Gather Obsidian. Task requirements: Collect loo units of obsidian and earn Aberdeens approval. Task rewards: Gain Aberdeens trust and receive information about the Armed Miner profession. Penalties: Loss of Aberdeens affection, reducing his favorability towards you to indifferent. Accept! Mentor, where can I find Obsidian? The city mines are just too far from here Song Jian said, a bit uneasy. Take out your map. Ill mark the locations where you can mine! Aberdeen replied. Song Jian smiles faintly. He had speculated that besides the mine, there must be other places in the city where ores could be collected. After he handed the map over, Aberdeen lightly marked a few spots and returned the map to Song Jian. You just need to go to any of these locations, and youll be able to mine obsidian. You might even stumble upon other, more valuable ores. If you do, you can sell them to me. 111 give you a good price. Aberdeen added, However, be careful. These places are just like the mines C filled with monsters. Youll have to eliminate the surrounding monsters to mine! Song Jian glanced at the map, nodded to Aberdeen, and started walking to the nearest mining location. Watching Song Jians retreating figure, Aberdeen shook his head slightly and stepped back into the smithy, shutting the door behind him. Song Jian quickly arrived at the location closest to him, an abandoned subway entrance. The entrance, which used to be an entrance to the citys No. 2 subway line, was now covered in green vines, concealing the entrance. Peeling back the vines, a pitch-black entrance came into view. Chilly winds blew out from the subway passageway, accompanied by the low growls of monsters within, making ones hair stand on end. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Phew, I hope the level of these monsters isnt too high! Song Jians heart pounded with fear. Its the unknown thats truly terrifying. After a moment of hesitation at the subway entrance, Song Jian stepped onto the dimly lit stairs. The ivy quickly closed back up over the entrance, the last sliver of light disappearing. Alone, Song Jian slowly descended the stairs. It was pitch-black, one couldnt see their hand in front of their face. A mere thirty-meter staircase took Song Jian more than twenty minutes, as he had to carefully sense his surroundings with every step taken. At the bottom of the stairs was a spacious corridor lined with shops selling a variety of things on either side; In the middle of the corridor, the sign for a store was lit up, illuminating a large part of the area. Intrigued, Song Jian made his way towards this store; The store appeared to be a convenience store which wasnt very big, just about fifty square meters or so. At the entrance of the convenience store, as Song Jian approached, the glass door opened automatically and a welcome music started to play; Apart from the surrounding wall displays, there were no people in the store, indicating an unmanned convenience store. Walking in, Song Jian began to look around; The items at the front were various foods and drinks, which could reduce hunger and thirst and increase temporary attributes. Checking his inventory, he still had plenty of food, but not much water left; Mineral Water (White): Beverage, effects: reduces 45 points of thirst, increases spirit points recovery rate by 10%; Price: 10 Doomsday Coins Red Bull Drink (White): Beverage, effects: reduces 50 points of thirst, immediately recovers 30 spirit points; Price: 30 Doomsday Coins Freshly Squeezed Juice (White): Beverage, effects: reduces 55 points of thirst, increases defense by 5 points for 30 minutes; Price: 45 Doomsday Coins Just the beverages alone were over a dozen types each with different attributes, but the prices werent exactly cheap; Song Jian spent over a thousand Doomsday Coins and bought out all the beverages in the convenience store. Although these drinks were expensive, they were rare. If he didnt use them, he could resell them and make a good profit; Compared to the beverages, the food here had much worse attributes. Even his roasted or fried meat fare was better. After a brief glance, Song Jian lost interest in the food here; Beyond the food and drinks, the next cabinet was filled with various gathering tools including pickaxes, Fine Iron Pickaxes, mineral detectors, and mining ropes. Song Jian even spotted an automatic mining robot, but the price of ten thousand Doomsday Coins made him balk. It was too expensive. He wondered whether the minerals mined by this robot could ever cover its cost; Out of these tools, Song Jian only spent three hundred Doomsday Coins to buy a mineral detector and merely glanced at the rest without buying anything; The next display cabinet was filled with rows upon rows of weapons. All kinds of pistols, assault rifles, and even infantry landmines, hand grenades, and explosives. However, all these items were white quality items with low damage and average attributes. After some hesitation, Song Jian ultimately decided against buying them; If he bought all these items and sold them to other players, he could possibly earn a couple hundred Doomsday Coins, but Song Jian was only left with a little over two thousand Doomsday Coins, and he couldnt possibly afford to buy them all. Furthermore, itd be time-consuming to resell all these items and he wouldnt earn much money from it. Song Jian didnt want to become a full-time trader, so he just had a quick look and then turned to leave; Upon arriving at the last display cabinet, Song Jians eyes lit up. There was only one type of item in this cabinet and there were just three of them. The price was exorbitantly high, but Song Jian did not hesitate to buy one; After looking around the entire convenience store and finding nothing else of interest, Song Jian turned around and left, heading towards the subway station viewing platform; There will be another chapter at eight, well, everyone, please wait a bit! Chapter 159 - 159: Blood Essence Stone Chapter 159: Blood Essence Stone Translator: 549690339 Song Jian bought a machine called Ore Processing Machine, which combines crushing, decomposition, and extraction functions, allowing the ore to be directly refined into corresponding products; For example, putting in a unit of iron ore will directly decompose it into a metal iron ingot, and putting in a gold ore will directly obtain a complete piece of gold; The ore processing machine looks like a rectangular metal box, more than half a persons height. When in use, it must be taken out of the inventory and can be put back into the inventory when not in use, making it very convenient. This item is also extremely expensive, costing two thousand Doomsday Coins, which ordinary players cannot afford; Song Jian had a profound understanding of the price of materials and finished products after his first contact with the Doomsday supermarket. Selling a piece of zombie meat could only earn one Doomsday Coin, but making it into fried meat or grilled meat would be worth twenty to thirty Doomsday Coins, a twenty to thirty times increase in price; Obviously, if selling ore, it can only be considered as materials, and the price will definitely be very low, but if decomposing the finished product, the price will naturally increase accordingly; With the help of the light from the convenience store, Song Jian walked towards the subway platform. After walking a few hundred meters, a faint light appeared in front of him. When he got closer, he found that it was the ore from the subway tracks on both sides, emitting faint light; What used to be concrete passages on both sides of the tracks were now covered by a layer of rock, with colorful lights glowing inside, making them look dreamy and beautiful; In the depths of the subway track, Song Jian saw a heavily corroded subway that had derailed and lay horizontally in the tunnel, covered in a thick layer of green moss; Song Jian jumped down from the platform onto the rails and took out a palm-sized compass, exploring left and right; he had just bought it from the convenience store. It was an Ore Detector that could detect ores within a range of three meters; The Ore Detector looks like a radar with a metal shell and a transparent glass layer on the front. There is a pointer in the center, and under the pointer is an LCD screen displaying a thin line C like a life detector in a hospital, constantly making small jumps. As Song Jians position changed, the pointer of the Ore Detector also kept shaking; Song Jian walked along the rocks on both sides of the subway track. After walking about five or six meters, the Ore Detector suddenly issued a series of rapid beeps, and the pointer swiftly jumped to the far left. At the same time, the constantly jumping line on the LCD screen below the pointer began to jump violently; Song Jian followed the direction indicated by the pointer and found a rock wall emitting red light. As he moved up and down this rock wall, the entire Ore Detectors glass screen suddenly emitted a gentle green light when his left hand was one meter above the ground; This is it! Song Jian put away the Ore Detector and punched the rock wall; Bang, bang, bang- Cracks appeared on the hard rock wall, and debris flew. Song Jian felt a slight stinging sensation in his fist. It seemed that it would be more difficult than collecting rocks; After punching for about ten minutes, a red light emerged from the rock wall and entered Song Jians inventory; System: You have collected one unit of Blood Essence Stone, and your Mining Skill experience points increased by 25 points; Blood Essence Stone? Song Jians eyes lit up. To upgrade the Blood Pool from level one to two, he needed a hundred units of Blood Essence Stone. He originally thought about buying it, but the Blood Essence Stone was too expensive, so he put the matter aside. Unexpectedly, he could gather Blood Essence Stone here, which is a delightful surprise; Blood Essence Stone (White): Material, can be used for enchantment, engineering, and potion-making; Usage requirement: Possess the corresponding production skills; Looking at the Blood Essence Stone in the inventory that emits a faint red glow, Song Jian thought to himself, The application of Blood Essence Stone is really extensive, no wonder the price is so expensive. Could this be a Blood Essence Stone vein? If so, 111 be rich. Taking out the Ore Detector, Song Jian continued to explore; The Ore Detector was easy to use and accurately found the precise location of the ore, but it took a lot of time. In more than half an hour, Song Jian had only collected three units of Blood Essence Stone; Id better finish the test mission first, as long as 1 know the location of the gathering site, Ill be able to gather Blood Essence Stone sooner or later, Song Jian thought to himself. He gave up the red ore in this area and walked deeper into the tunnel along the tracks; Obsidian should be an ore emitting black light, and soon, Song Jian saw that on the rock wall beside the sideways train, there was indeed a black glow; He jumped on the train, took out the Ore Detector, and started searching; The Ore Detector could detect the specific location of the ore but not the type of ore it was, so Song Jian could only guess that Obsidian should be in this black-glowing area based on the name of the ore; Beep, beep, beep- The Ore Detector made a rapid sound again. Following the direction of the pointer, Song Jian stepped towards the middle of the train; This is it! Seeing the Ore Detector emit a gentle green light, Song Jian smiled and punched the rock wall; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly felt a slight tremor under his feet, followed by a deep growl that came from the train carriage below; Monster! A light flashed in Song Jians mind, and he quickly put away the Ore Detector, drew his dagger, and prepared to jump down; Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom- A big hole suddenly burst open in the compartment below him, and a dry arm stretched out from the hole, tightly grabbing Song Jians ankle; Then, a strong force came through, and the monster below seemed to want to pull him into the carriage; Song Jian frowned, and his body instantly turned into a cloud of black mist, floating upward; The monster reached out and groped around twice more. When it realized that it had lost Song Jian, it furiously roared and snarled, grabbed the metal around the hole with both arms, and forcefully tore to the sides. In a short while, it had torn a large hole large enough for a person to pass through; Soon, a zombie with a bare upper body crawled out of the hole and roared at the black mist above; This zombies body surface was covered with a thick layer of scales, emitting a dark glow as if it were draped in iron armor. Even its cheeks were covered with fingernail-sized scales; LV10 Armored Zombie (Elite), Vitality Points: 1100/1100, Features: Super Defense, Skills: ???? A level 10 Elite Boss, this will be a bit difficult! Song Jian stared at the roaring Boss below and felt a little overwhelmed. He came here not to fight monsters and kill Bosses, but to mine ores. However, without killing the Boss in front of him, he couldnt continue the mining process; If my Rocket Launcher wasnt broken, dealing with this Boss wouldnt be that difficult, but now Song Jian hesitated for a moment, controlling his body and gradually descending towards the Boss; Chapter 160 - 160: Duel to the Death Chapter 160: Duel to the Death Translator: 549690339 sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Morphing into Dark Cloud, duration 60 seconds, cooldown 30 minutes. Under Dark Cloud form, it consumes 1 point of Mental Strength per second. The state can be dispelled at any time, and cooldown begins after dispelling; While in Dark Cloud form, Song Jian is immune to physical damage. His magical resistance increases by 100%, and every ten seconds he deals damage (30+200%*Mental Strength) to any target within the cloud; Song Jian currently has 7 points in Mental Strength. This means, within 60 seconds, Song Jian could deal over two hundred and fifty points of damage to the Armored Zombie; A swirl of dark mist envelops the Armored Zombie. An injury of forty-three points emerges from above the zombies head. Seeing this, Song Jian feels relieved. It seems that the Armored Zombie only has strong physical defenses. Its Mental Strength is quite weak, or it would not have sustained such mental damage; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The Armored Zombie senses its enemys presence nearby but is unable to trace him. It swings its arms violently in all directions, hitting nothing but air, stone walls, and the rotten subway carriage. The intense force their swings create rips through the air; Song Jians feeling is peculiar, like he is hugging the Armored Zombie tightly with both arms, but the creature cant touch him at all. Boom C The Armored Zombie wildly swings its fists, striking the nearby rocks with a loud echo; From its mouth, it continuously emits beast-like growls. During this moment, the Armored Zombie is clearly flustered. It has never experienced something like this before, being able to sense an enemy and take damage from them, without even being able to touch the enemys clothes; With a misstep, the Armored Zombie rolls down from the subway carriage and crashes heavily onto the rail track. Crack, the Armored Zombie roars, grabbing and pulling the rail track. It breaks off a chunk of rail track thats two to three meters long. The rotten rail track has become brittle, snapping into two from either side. The Armored Zombie takes the broken piece and swings it all around; The sixty seconds pass quickly. The Vitality Points of the Armored Zombie drop by one-fifth. The surroundings are now a mess. A large section of rocks around have been shattered. The ground is filled with glowing rocks, and the subway next to them has been blasted open to reveal a few large holes. The carriage on one side has been split entirely. As Song Jians Dark Cloud form reaches its final few seconds, he flies seven to eight meters away from the Armored Zombie, reverting to human form; The Armored Zombies blazing eyes pierce through Song Jian. The formerly irrational creature becomes even more insane. Grabbing the rail track in its hand, it fiercely smashes it towards Song Jian; Song Jian ducks low, as the rail track whizzes over his head, the forceful wind messing his hair. With his right hand on the ground, a milky-white orb shaped like a tusk quickly forms; Earth Teeth Assault! Whoosh, whoosh- The sounds of sharp objects breaking through the air suddenly interrupt the silence. Leaving a straight mark on the ground, it charges towards the Armored Zombie; Bam! A loud bang C the tusk-shaped orb hits the Armored Zombie hard, the strong energy throwing it up in the air. Its body collides with the subway carriage; Squeak- lhe unpleasant sound of breaking echoes. The Armored Zombies body embeds itself into the carriage. A thirty-one point damage mark appears from overhead; Wow, its defense really is super strong. My Earth Teeth Assault skill only dealt thirty-one points of damage. Its like it has a built-in function to halve the damage! Song Jians cheeks twitch a couple of times, looking at the Armored Zombie struggling to escape from the carriage metal. He suddenly feels this might be a tough fight; Will I really be able to kill this thing?1 A question mark emerges in Song Jians mind, though for now, he has no other choice but to fight; Song Jian tightly clutches the Tusk Fang Stinger. A silver light gleams endlessly on the blade as Invisible Sword Qi keeps amassing around the blade; However, Song Jian dares not to use up all of his Invisible Sword Qi. The Tusk Fang Stinger is his only smooth weapon at the moment. If it gets damaged again, Song Jian wont bear the loss; Lets do it! Song Jian flies into a sudden rage. His eyes filled with bloodshot veins as if theyre blazing fires. He lets out a beast-like roar from his throat and throws himself at the Armored Zombie; Seeing Song Jian charging at it, the Armored Zombie takes a leap, appearing three meters ahead. It throws a punch at Song Jian; Faced with the zombie s punch, Song Jian successfully dodges it by bending down. And just like the deadly fangs of a venomous snake, he stabs his dagger right into the zombies chest; The dagger strikes the black scales on the Armored Zombies body, causing a spark of fire to erupt. A three-point damage floats up from the top of the zombies head; Song Jian is taken aback. These scales are like a thick layer of armor on the Armored Zombie. If he cant penetrate these scales, itll be difficult for Song Jian to inflict any significant damage; The Armored Zombie swings a counterpalm, hitting Song Jian squarely on his back and flinging him five to six meters away; Song Jians eyes are blood-red, as if fiery flames are burning inside them. He rolls over to get up, kneeling on the ground. Blood is already gushing from the corner of his mouth. His face is somewhat contorted with pain. Watching the Armored Zombie lunging at him, Song Jian pulls out a potion from his bag and throws it at the zombie; Weakness Potion (Superior): Carries out a ranged attack against any target within six meters, inflicting 30 points of true damage while weakening the targets defense by 35% for 65 seconds; As the potion shatters in mid-air, a puff of gray smoke engulfs the Armored Zombie. Tiny granules invisible to the naked eye burrow into the zombie s body. They are like bloodthirsty tiny insects, infiltrating the Armored Zombie s body through the gaps between its scales. In no moment, the Armored Zombies body is covered in a faint gray glow; Having thrown the Weakness Potion, Song Jian once again charges at the Armored Zombie fearlessly. This time, there is no other thought in his head except tearing his enemy into pieces; This time, Song Jians dagger easily penetrates the Armored Zombies scales. Nearly half of the blade stabs into the zombies body. Feeling the pain, the Armored Zombie also shows signs of insanity. It swings its fists frantically as if wanting to squash Song Jian into a pulp; Facing the heavy fist of the Armored Zombie looming overhead like a huge mountain, Song Jian has a sudden stroke of insight. He swings his left hand upward forcefully, releasing a dazzling silver Sword Qi from his index finger that cuts sideways across the zombies fist; Chapter 161 - 161: Escaped Unexpectedly Chapter 161: Escaped Unexpectedly Translator: 549690339 With barely any resistance, a glittering silver sword stroke sailed effortlessly through, severing the right arm of the Armored Zombie at the elbow. Clang- The severed arm fell to the ground, making a sound akin to a metallic impact. Cant believe its this powerful? Song Jian expressed his surprise. He knew that even though the physical defense of the Armored Zombie had dropped by 35%, compared to an ordinary tenth-level elite boss, its defense was much stronger. He hadnt expecting that the ability Sword Finger would directly cut off its arm. Taking advantage of the Armored Zombies painful roar, Song Jian created distance and took a swig of a newly purchased beverage he retrieved, his partially diminished Spirit Points had started to gradually replenish. The Armored Zombie, having lost an arm, became even more fearsome and enraged, its body even beginning to whirl with a black aura. Suddenly, a ghastly howl echoed throughout the subway tunnel. The scales on the Armored Zombies body emitted a grey aura, and its form surged like a feral beast towards Song Jian, its left arm swinging, the gale of its strike sweeping towards Song Jians head. Song Jian ducked his body lower to dodge, then charged forward swiftly. He slipped under the Armored Zombies ribs to get behind it. In the course of his forward dash, his right hand held a dagger horizontally, and aiming at the zombies ribs C he stabbed mercilessly. The sharp dagger easily cut through the somewhat curved and dried scales. A scar more than three inches long appeared under the Armored Zombies ribs, at the same time, a damage of over twenty points exploded above its head. Song Jian repeatedly launched the Tusk Fang Stinger, capitalizing on the huge drop in the Armored Zombies defense to slash multiple wounds on its body. Originally solid scales now easily broke apart, and in no time, over a half of the scales on its body had been slashed off, shattered into fragments. The Armored Zombie roared in anger, swinging its fists hard, the resulting force hitting the nearby rock wall. The hard rock wall which was radiating a black light, emitted a crisp shattering sound, instantly leaving a huge hole punched by the Armored Zombie. The shattered rocks flew in all directions. The Armored Zombie took advantage of this, grabbing a handful of broken rocks and hurling them backward, instantly covering a large area. The shattered rocks, like bullets, left behind black traces in the air that slowly disappeared. Song Jian, caught off guard, was hit by two pebbles the size of fingernails, causing his charge towards the Armored Zombie to stall momentarily, while he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Looking at the figure in front of him, much stronger than an ordinary human, a ruthless look flashed through Song Jians eyes. He pointed his left index finger forward. Whoosh- A three-meter-long silver Sword Qi stabbed into the ribcage of the Armored Zombie, quickly sinking deep into its body. Even though the silver Sword Qi lasted less than a second, the damage it caused to the Armored Zombie was massive. Explode! The five-layered Poison Mark activated, causing over a hundred points of damage to appear above the Armored Zombies head. A stench-filled black fluid gushed out from the wound, covering half of the zombies body. The Armored Zombie, with its right arm severed at the elbow, its defense greatly reduced, its body covered in blood and suffering from numerous wounds, appeared in an extremely sad state. However, the ferocity it exuded was akin to a wounded beast, even in death it desired to bite Song Jian. With one hand on the ground and another gripping his dagger, Song Jian kept his eyes fixed on the Armored Zombie at a distance. His vitality rose visibly. His Vitality Points, which originally reduced to one-half, was nearing 80%, and his Spirit Points had also recovered to around 65%. Roar- The Armored Zombies roar echoed in the tunnel, the sound causing a prickling sensation in Song Jians ears. Looking at the Armored Zombie charging towards him, a thin vertical line on Song Jians forehead slowly opened, revealing the Vertical Eye. It shone with a brilliant light, piercing through the dim tunnel like a brilliant silver gem. Whoosh- A silvery beam shot out from the vertical eye. Upon seeing this beam, the Armored Zombies body instinctively trembled. The previous two silver Sword Qi had already made it feel the threat of death. Now, another silvery beam was shot towards it. Despite its ferocity and aggression, the Armored Zombie felt a chill run through it. The silvery beam shot out from the vertical eye was not less powerful than the Sword Finger, but it lacked the sharpness. The beam hit the chest of the Armored Zombie and did not go all the way through. Instead, it seemed like an electrical welding, with countless silvery rainbows blossoming continuously, pushing the Armored Zombie back against the rock wall behind it. A series of damage numbers burst out from above the head of the Armored Zombie. The Spirit damage was okay, but the physical damage had been weakened by the opponents defense. Even with a reduction of 35% of the damage, the physical damage that could originally burst out forty to fifty points was now reduced to just over thirty points. -71 -68 -75 Five seconds later, the silver beam from the vertical eye on Song Jians forehead disappeared, and a hint of fatigue appeared on his face. Now, only a dozen or so spirit points were left, but all of it was worth it. The Armored Zombie had taken close to three hundred points of damage this time, and a bowl-sized wound was burned into its chest area. Scales and flesh had all disappeared, revealing several cracked ribs and a black heart behind them that had already stopped beating. Earth Teeth Assault! With over 500% recovery speed for Vitality Points, the skills that consumed Vitality seemed almost negligible to Song Jian now. He would use these skills as soon as their cooldown time was up. The Tusk Fang-shaped spirit cluster made a sharp sound as it tore through the air, ruthlessly hitting the Armored Zombie. Its left leg made a crisp fracture sound, and its massive body wobbled as it knelt down on one knee. The effect of the Weakness Potion had worn off. The Armored Zombies body surface had returned to its original dark metallic luster. Just then, another potion was thrown at the Armored Zombie. With a bang sound, the Armored Zombie was once again enveloped in a gray fog. As it felt its body gradually weaken, the Armored Zombie roared to the sky in unwillingness. Its blood-red eyes stared fiercely at Song Jian for a few seconds, as if to imprint his face on its mind. A sense of dread crept into Song Jians mind. This guy seemed to want to escape! Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sure enough, the Armored Zombie, relying on a broken leg and its remaining limbs, jumped up like a beast and started running towards the deeper part of the tunnel. Song Jian lifted his foot and chased after the Armored Zombie. He had worked so hard, and he wouldnt feel at ease unless he killed it. After chasing for over a hundred meters, Song Jian noticed that the sounds made by the Armored Zombie were getting further and further away. He couldnt help but think to himself: Does this guy still run so fast despite half of his limbs being useless? Just as Song Jian was about to give up, he suddenly heard the painful screams of the Armored Zombie in the distance. Next, the system told him he had gained over 600 Experience Points. Did someone just kill the Boss up ahead? Song Jian was startled and immediately became more cautious. Chapter 162 - 162: Ratman Miner Aekte Chapter 162: Ratman Miner Aekte Translator: 549690339 Song Jian cautiously advanced several meters along the subway rails, finally spotting the body of the Armored Zombie lying across the track. Its body was slowly burning to black ashes, and several items were scattered around him. The one who killed it actually didnt take the opportunity to take the spoils? Song Jian was a bit surprised; the other party had dealt the final blow to the Armored Zombie, and was entitled to seize spoils of battle. Next to the Armored Zombies corpse, a small figure stood, resembling a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old child, about 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall. When Song Jian drew closer, he jumped in surprise: this person looked like a giant rat walking upright. Clasping his dagger, Song Jian seemed a bit tense. Greetings, human youngster. Dont be nervous, Im just a miner. The rat person surprisingly could speak: My name is Eckert Claw. I killed the Zombie when he charged at me while 1 was mining. I didnt know it was your prey. For this, 1 offer my apologies and hope for your understanding. Rat-person Eckert bowed to Song Jian, his right hand on his chest, bending towards Song Jian in respect. Song Jian didnt speak, staring at the rat-persons head. Soon, rat-person Eckerts attributes were revealed. LV30 Rat Miner Eckert (Elite), Vitality Points: ???, Traits: ???, Skills: ??? Apart from the level, race, profession and name, all the other properties were question marks, clearly hidden by Eckert. However, Eckerts entire attribute bar was light green, indicating that Eckert and Song Jian had a friendly relationship and wouldnt attack Song Jian unprovoked. Seeing this, Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Although his Vitality Points had fully restored after the fight, his Mental Strength was already on the brink. His battle power had drastically diminished, and even if in full form, he could not possibly match a level 30 Elite Boss. Hello, Mr. Eckert, Im pleased to meet you here. As it happens, Im also here to mine. Song Jian extended his right hand, giving Eckert a greeting. Oh, youre also a miner? What a coincidence! Eckerts eyes lit up, a hint of a smile on his face. Seeing a rat grin at you made Song Jian feel a bit bizarre, but he didnt show it on his face. Come, human lad, these are your spoils and should be yours. 1 again apologize for my recklessness. Eckert said with a smile. Dont say that. If it wasnt for you, the creature might have escaped. 1 am grateful to you for killing it and these spoils include your share as well, Song Jian hastily replied. Haha, it was just a level 10 monster. The items it dropped arent really useful to me. Moreover, this monster had been in the mine for too long, and almost all it dropped were ores. For a miner, theres nothing more common than ores. Rat-person Eckert burst out laughing. This time, Song Jian didnt refuseinstead, he nodded at Eckert and picked up all the items dropped by the Armored Zombie Boss. Three units of Obsidian and five units of Bloodstone, along with five or six other types of ores. Among these, two of them were materials for Song Jian to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenades, which brought him considerable joy. Hm? Theres even an equipment piece, Song Jian said, somewhat surprised, as he picked up a gauntlet. Miners Glove (White), Main Hand Weapon, Equipment Effect: Attack 1-1, enhances mining efficiency by 50%, automatic ore detection. Usage Condition: Level 10. Can the equipment be carried out of the game: Yes. It was another piece of equipment that could be taken out of the game, but for Song Jian, it seemed more useful inside the game. Equipping it means 1 cant use the dagger. Switching weapons during a battle would take a few seconds. Song Jian thought after stretching his fingers with the Miners Glove on. So you are a God Favored, and you have not yet taken up a profession! Rat-person Eckert eyed Song Jian up and down in surprise, exclaiming aloud. Yes, my name is Song Jian. Nice to meet you, Ekt! Song Jian said with a slight smile. Impressive, it seems youre quite powerful. Otherwise, you wouldnt have ventured here alone. You should know that even the weakest monsters here are level ten Ekt wore a face of admiration. Song Jians expression froze. The minimum level here is ten? Ekt gave a slight smile to Song Jian, pulled out a pickaxe emitting a faint golden glow, and began to strike the rock wall. Song Jian noticed that within a few minutes, five or six streaks of various colored light flew into Ekt. Are miners able to mine this fast? Song Jian was taken aback, but he quickly moved on and began to explore. The mining glove could automatically prospect, similarly to a prospector. On the back of the glove, there is a similar device. However, the range of the mining glove was slightly larger than the prospector, reaching five meters. The mining glove increased mining speed by 50%. A level 5 Mining Skill could also improve efficiency by 30%. Beating the wall with his fist, Song Jian could collect a piece of ore in just a few minutes. His speed wasnt slow, but when compared to Ekt, it was like heaven and earth. These gloves are quite impressive! Song Jian said excitedly as he touched the mining glove on his right hand. Thats just a novice mining gadget. For a true miner, its nothing more than a toy. Ekt suddenly remarked. Truthfully, Im not a miner. But, these gloves are quite useful to me, Song Jian chuckled. As an armed miner, Id be glad to give you some advice regarding mining. 1 dont know if youre interested in listening to my ramblings? Ekt suddenly offered. Armed miner? Really? Id love to know more about this profession. If you could explain it to me, Id be extremely grateful. Song Jian exclaimed, surprised and excited to have encountered an armed miner here. However, looking at Ekt, his combat strength didnt seem too powerful. An armed miner is still a miner at their core, whose primary profession is to gather various ores. Wherever there is a mine, there are armed miners. Ekt placed his faintly golden-glowing pickaxe aside, sat cross-legged on a rock, and took out a box of cigarettes. He lit one up. Seeing a giant rat smoking a cigarette in such a stylish manner, Song Jian felt this image was strange and off-beat. However, the more precious ores a mine produces, the more dangerous it is. This forces miners to learn some self-defense martial arts, hence the origin of the armed miner. A novice armed miners core skill is the Mining Skill. Only those with level ten or above Mining Skill are worthy of calling themselves miners. Additionally, there are dozens of skills related to Mining Skill, which include Prospecting Skill, Ore Seeking Skill, and Ore Identification Skill. As for self-defense martial skills, the core skill is Magma Body Refining Skill. It can absorb energy from various ores to strengthen oneself. With Magma Body Refining Skill as the core, many other martial skills can be developed, which you will need to choose again when you reach level thirty for the second class transfer Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ekt talked incessantly and told Song Jian all the characteristics of the armed miner without any reservations. System: You attentively listened to Armed Miner Ekts explanation, the Skill Mining Skill (LV5) evolves into Mining Skill (LV3). [Mining Skill]: Passive, Level 3, when collecting ores increases efficiency by 35%, increases the probability of obtaining rare ores by 12%. System: After carefully listening to Armed Miner Ekts explanation, your Mining Skill levels up. [Mining Skill]: Passive, Level 4, when collecting ores increases efficiency by 40%, increases the probability of obtaining rare ores by 15%. Chapter 163 - 163: Level 30 Elite BOSS Chapter 163: Level 30 Elite BOSS Translator: 549690339 After spending more than half an hour, Ratman Ektor gave a detailed explanation of the characteristics of the Armed Miner profession and also taught Song Jian some mining tips, which transformed his Mining Skill and even upgraded it by one level; Thank you, Ektor, your explanation has been very helpful to me! Song Jian said gratefully; Its nothing. Its clear that youve already mastered the core skill of Armed Miners, the Mining Skill, which will be of great help to you in the future; at the very least, you wont have to worry about Doomsday Coins. You should know that all Armed Miners are very rich, hahaha! Ektor laughed heartily, seemingly proud of the Armed Miner profession; System: You listened to the Combat Profession Instructor Ektors explanation of the Armed Miner profession, and your main mission is 4/10 completed; Song Jian was surprised that the main mission was already completed, so did he still need to complete Aberdeens test mission? After thinking about it, Song Jian did not delete Aberdeens test mission and kept it; In the following time, the two continued mining, and tacitly split up, with one person on each side. Although Song Jians mining efficiency was not as high as Ektors, he could barely keep up with Ektors pace. It was clear that Ektor deliberately slowed down to accommodate Song Jian. After all, mining alone was quite boring, but with two people chatting and laughing, it was no longer dull; Ektor, is the pickaxe in your hand golden-quality equipment? Song Jian couldnt help but ask out of curiosity; Haha, I thought you didnt notice my baby. As far as 1 know, the God-favored ones are very sensitive to equipment and pursue it eagerly! Ektor laughed heartily and showed Song Jian the attributes of the pickaxe in his hand; Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ektors Cross Pickaxe (Light Gold), Main-hand weapon, Attack 110-120, Strength +10, Agility +8, Attack (Mining) speed increased by 35%, Mining Skill level +1, Special Effect 1: Theres a chance to upgrade the quality of mined ores by one level; Special Effect 2: Doubles the amount of ore collected; Special Effect 3: Significantly reduces the influence on surroundings when mining, making it harder for monsters to find you; Usage Requirements: Exclusive to Ektor Blade; Hiss, is this exclusive equipment? Song Jian stared in awe. This kind of equipment is soul-bound to the owner, can only be used by the owner, and will disappear if the owner dies; Thats right, this is my exclusive equipment, which I created at a great cost! Ektor said proudly. Thats amazing. I wonder when Ill have my own exclusive equipment, Song Jian said with envy; Haha, youll have it. God-favored ones are the lucky ones blessed by gods, and youll definitely have your own exclusive equipment in the future, Ektor assured Song Jian; Ill take your word for it. Hehe! Song Jian scratched his head and laughed; This was the first golden-quality weapon Song Jian had seen, and for a miner, every attribute and characteristic of this weapon would make one drool; While talking and mining, most of the time Ektor spoke and Song Jian listened. Occasionally, Song Jian would also express his own views. The two seemed like old friends, making the boring mining work lively; Hours later, Song Jians bag was filled with various ores. He had collected 100 units of Obsidian for Aberdeens test, and 100 units of Bloodstones needed to upgrade the Blood Pool to level 2. He even collected all the materials needed to make T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenades and over 300 units of other various ores; However, Song Jian had no intention to leave. Its rare to meet a high-level NPC like Ektor, who made Song Jian feel very relaxed. Their intimacy level slowly increased, and Ektor often shared his past experiences in their conversations. To Song Jian, this information was invaluable and couldnt be bought with money; Just then, a rock wall not far away began to shake violently. Cracks appeared on the smooth surface of the rock wall, looking like a spider web. Be careful! Ektor said to Song Jian with a serious face; Bang! The cracked rock wall suddenly burst open from inside out, revealing a large hole with a diameter of over one meter. A monster covered in green scales crawled out from the hole. Its two blood-red eyes stared at Song Jian, and its long mouth full of fangs opened and let out a sharp roar. The monster looked somewhat like a pangolin, but it was much larger than a regular one. It was over two meters long and reached the height of an adults thigh. Its body was covered in pale green scales, its limbs were short and thick, and its claws were sharp. The hard rock wall was like tofu in front of it, easily crushed to pieces. LV30 Mutated Ore Beast (Elite), Vitality Points: 3200/3200, Traits: Intermediate Defense, Rock Breaker,??, Skills: Sonic Attack, Claw Clash,?? A level 30 Elite BOSS? Song Jian was shocked in his heart and couldnt help but take two steps back. There was such a terrifying creature in the mine! If Song Jian encountered it as soon as he entered the subway station, it would have been difficult to leave alive. The mutated Ore Beasts eyes were fixed on Song Jian, and its crimson tongue constantly flicked in and out. If it wasnt for Ekt standing next to Song Jian, the mutated Ore Beast would have already pounced. Its my mining activity that disturbed it! Song Jian looked at the mutated Ore Beast and suddenly understood. At this moment, he suddenly thought of Ekts pickaxe and its third trait and realized just how precious it was. Song Jian, let me show you the self-defense capabilities of armed miners and let you experience the power of the Magma Forging Technique! Ekt slowly walked towards the monster, speaking to Song Jian as he went. Seeing Ekt approaching, the mutated Ore Beast actually took two steps back and lowered its body, letting out a threatening warning roar towards Ekt. But Ekt didnt care at all, taking big strides towards the mutated Ore Beast. The monster became furious, swinging its limbs, and charged at Ekt like a black shadow. Bang- Ekt tightly gripped his pickaxe with both hands, swung it upward, and directly smashed the approaching mutated Ore Beast, sending it flying into the air. Roar- Ekt let out a skyward roar, and his body slowly swelled. Muscles bulged one by one, and his height rapidly increased. In no time, he had surpassed Song Jians height. Watching the body of the mutated Ore Beast being sent flying into the air, Ekt bent his elbow and stomped on the ground with a bang. He shot towards the airborne mutated Ore Beast like an arrow. Lines of creamy white energy appeared on the surface of Ekts elbow, striking the mutated Ore Beast in mid-air with great force. The creature let out a painful cry. With nowhere to exert force in mid-air, the mutated Ore Beast was like a live target. Ekt grabbed its neck and forcefully threw it down to the tracks below. With a bang, the mutated Ore Beasts body slammed onto the two rusted tracks, breaking them apart. A large pit appeared on the ground with the mutated Ore Beast lying in the center, struggling to get up. Ekt, suspended in the air, tightly gripped his pickaxe and slammed it down onto the mutated Ore Beasts head like a mountain. Chapter 164 - 164 Obsidian Chapter 164: Obsidian Translator: 549690339 The battle only lasted for a few minutes. Erik was like a strong man beating up a child, showering the Mutated Mine Beast with relentless barrage of punches that marked constant screams; This fighting style is so crude and wild, every punch landing onto flesh. But, I like it, hehe! Song Jians eyes sparkled as he watched Eriks build slowly transform from a robust man to a skinny rat-man, his vitality points remaining intact throughout the fight. Can one truly be so overwhelmingly powerful when facing an elite boss of the same level? Song Jian was astounded when he looked at the battlefield that was akin to being swept by missiles, and the Mutated Mine Beast lying on the ground, its limbs twitching sporadically. Hehe, what do you think of my strength? Not bad, huh? Erik looked at Song Jian with a face full of smiles. At this point, Erik in Song Jians eyes was simply a humanoid beast. No, a rat-shaped monster! So powerful! This Mining Warrior profession is incredibly powerful! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim out loud. At this moment, a barely noticeable hint of shyness flashed across Eriks face. He quickly waved his hand in dismissal and changed the subject, Lets see what loot this guy dropped for me. As he said this, Erik walked toward the Mutated Mine Beast, stepping on its neck. In an instant, it drained the last remnants of its vitality. The beasts carcass began to burn in a transparent flame, leaving behind three items that radiated white and green lights. Hmm, not bad, two precious ores and one green quality forging material! A satisfied smile appeared on Eriks face. Alright, Song Jian, its been a pleasure meeting you and becoming friends with you. Erik turned around to face Song Jian and said, But its time for me to leave this place. I recommend that you do the same as soon as possible. The monsters here are very powerful; before becoming a professional, it is best to avoid coming here. Alright, Erik, lets leave this place together, Song Jian hastily added. This place was too dangerous and even had a level thirty elite boss. If it werent for Erik, Song Jian would never have come to mine here. That dwarf seems to bear ill-intentions, sending me to such a dangerous place to mine obsidian! Song Jian felt a surge of discontent for the dwarven blacksmith, Aberdeen. The two quickly reached the subway entrance. After Erik had given Song Jian some more advice, he turned around to leave, disappearing into the dark. Song Jian glanced into the dark tunnel, which looked like a giant monster with its mouth agape, sending shivers down his spine as he hastily walked toward Wei Lake Park. As he watched Song Jians silhouette slowly disappear, a hint of a smile appeared on Eriks face. This Chosen One is quite interesting; in him, I see the potential for a unique profession. However, becoming a unique professional requires much more effort Erik put away his pale golden pickaxe, and with a wave of his right hand, a dazzling ball of lightning appeared in his palm. Like a waterfall, plasma coiled around his entire body and in a few moments, Eriks attire underwent a complete transformation. Prevaricating light emanated from head to toe, dressing him in an ensemble of purple-red equipment. This surpassed golden quality, reaching the level of legendary grade. In Eriks hand appeared a magic staff resembling a wolf tooth mace. This staff was taller than Erik himself, thick at the top and thin at bottom. At its tip, a crimson gem the size of a human head sparkled radiantly. He pulled out a lock buckle from his bosom, flicked it into the air and, like a transformer, the small piece started to shift and change its shape. As countless gears interlocked and spun, an airship appeared beside him in a short span of time. The attribute Mining Warrior above Eriks head also morphed into War Engineer. He jumped onto the small airship, and after a quiet rumble, it zipped into the blackness of the night like a streak of light. Song Jian stood on a rock in Wei Lake Park, looking at the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. The shop was still shrouded in darkness. It seemed Aberdeen had completely given up on the city, realizing that even if he crafted a legendary, or even an epic weapon, it wouldnt fetch a decent price. Song Jian stared coldly at the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. He didnt expect that the mining location pointed out by Aberdeen would be so dangerous. If not for his good luck in meeting Rat-man Erik, Song Jian might have died while completing this task. The opponent is after all a level thirty elite boss, 1 dont possess Eriks strength. If we fall out now, Ill be at a disadvantage, Song Jian contemplated. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking at the wrecked rocket launcher in his package, Song Jian marginally smiled and started walking toward the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. There was not a single sound to be heard from within the pitch-black blacksmith shop. Song Jian wondered if Aberdeen was already asleep. He checked the time; it was already past four in the morning, and in an hour, the sun would rise. If nothing unexpected happened, Aberdeen would also leave the city by dawn. Thump! Thump! Thump! Song Jian knocked forcefully on the large door of the blacksmith shop. Coming, coming! Aberdeens voice echoed from inside the shop. Opening the door to find Song Jian, his eyes briefly betrayed surprise. However, he quickly regained his composure with an annoyed expression, as someone rudely awakened from sleep. What, have you finished the task that was given to you? Aberdeen asked grumpily. Im sorry, theres a level ten elite boss in the mine. Im not strong enough and only managed to mine three units of Obsidian, Song Jian said, expressing remorse while presenting the three shining black stones from his palm. Is it is it really obsidian? You actually managed to mine obsidian? Thats impossible! Aberdeen, his eyes wide open and staring at Song Jians palm, showed a puzzled look on his face. The obsidian mines are deep within the cave, and that place is full of level thirty Aberdeen abruptly looked up at Song Jian, glad he stopped talking just in time, or it would have been awkward. Sending an unexceptional level ten person to mine in an area where a level thirty elite boss roams was indeed not very honorable. Hmm, alright, the monsters in the mine are indeed very strong, and its good that you were able to collect three. However, this means I cant share with you the details of the Mining Warrior profession! Aberdeen said solemnly, But it wasnt a wasted trip. Im willing to buy these three obsidians for ten Doomsday Coins each! Chapter 165 - 165: 165 Repair Chapter 165 - 165: 165 RepairTranslator: 549690339 Upon hearing Aberdeens offer to buy obsidian at the price of ten Doomsday Coins, Song Jian kept a calm face, but he couldnt help but curse inwardly. In his radio inquiries about the Blood Spirit Stone information, Song Jian learned that the price of a unit of Blood Spirit Stone was at least seventy to eighty Doomsday Coins and sometimes it could even sell for a hundred Doomsday Coins per unit. Compared to Blood Spirit Stone, obsidian is even more precious. Though Song Jian didnt know the exact price, he was sure that the price of an obsidian was at least over a hundred Doomsday Coins. After all, the area where obsidian deposits were located was where the level 30 elite BOSS lurked, whereas Blood Spirit Stone can be mined in the area plagued by a level 10 elite BOSS. Respected Dwarf sir, please give me another chance. I failed this time due to my damaged weapon. Otherwise, 1 surely could have harvested enough obsidian! But I need to ask a favor of you, if you could help me out, 1 promise I can harvest enough obsidian for you! Song Jian put back the three obsidians he gathered and pleaded earnestly. Your weapon is damaged? Aberdeen was taken aback but quickly became excited by Song Jians assurance. He rubbed his hands together and asked, Can you really gather a hundred units of obsidian? You know, the area where obsidian is Aberdeen hesitated as he was well aware that the obsidian mining area was guarded by a level 30 elite BOSS. Even with his power, he dared not venture there. Comparable to the ratman Ekut; Aberdeen wasnt even fit to lace his boots. Of course, theres no problem, respected Dwarf blacksmith. After all, Ive already obtained three units of obsidian, havent I? Song Jian quickly said. Very well, in that case, just state your request and Ill do my best to satisfy you, Aberdeen finally agreed after some hesitation. Actually, I only need you to repair my weapon. Im sure I can harvest enough obsidian if my weapon isnt damaged! Song Jian said. Show me your weapon then! Aberdeen had already anticipated Song Jians request when he mentioned his damaged weapon. He nodded for Song Jian to bring it forth. Song Jian withdrew his rocket launcher for Aberdeen to inspect. Upon seeing it, Aberdeens eyes lit up. He eagerly took it from Song Jian and gently ran his fingers over the icy metal shell. This is a work of art! Aberdeens face took on a serious expression. The sight of the cracks on the surface of the rocket launcher caused expressions of both pain and anger to flash across his face. You must have applied some sort of destructive energy in an attempt to enhance its power, but it ended up damaging the weapons internal structure! Aberdeens hands shook slightly as he pointed at Song Jian and said, You dont deserve to wield this weapon; its very presence in your hands is a waste! Master Aberdeen, about the obsidian Song Jian reminded him. Aberdeen paused and sighed heavily. He turned and walked back into the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop, cradling the rocket launcher. Follow me, Ill repair this weapon for you. But as a penalty, put a hundred units of obsidian in front of me before dawn or youll face the wrath of a level 30 elite like me! Aberdeen said. A smirk appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. When Aberdeen stated that the task must be completed before dawn, he had more or less confirmed his suspicions. He felt about 80% sure that the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop would disappear just like the Doomsday Supermarket after dawn. Regarding whether it would reappear, Song Jian believed that coming to this Zombie City cost Aberdeen a great deal, a price that was certainly higher than the punishment of a level 10 player without a career. Song Jian followed Aberdeen into the blacksmith shop, which was brightly lit. He noticed that it was a large room of over 600 square meters, far more spacious than it appeared from the outside. In the middle stood a seven to eight-meter high furnace, and rows of shelves ran along the walls. The shelves on the left boasted all kinds of equipment. Their quality was at least of blue grade, and Song Jian even saw silver and gold-grade equipment neatly arranged on the shelves. The shelves on the other side displayed various weapons that dazzled Song Jian. Not only were there cold weapons like swords, spears, and halberds, but there were also firearms like pistols, assault rifles, rifles, and sniper rifles. However, the number of firearms was far less than that of cold weapons. Respected Dwarf blacksmith, are these weapons for sale? Im willing to offer a satisfactory price! Song Jian couldnt help but ask, pointing at a sniper rifle of silver grade on the shelf that radiated chilling intent. These are my treasured collections and are not for sale! Aberdeen refused bluntly. Staring at these weapons, Song Jian swallowed hard. If he werent wary of Aberdeens strength, he would have seriously considered killing Aberdeen and seizing everything. Aberdeen placed the rocket launcher on a workbench, disassembled it into a pile of parts with a toolkit, and then began to inspect each part. What kind of mutant energy did you add that could cause such considerable damage? After carefully checking the damaged parts, Aberdeen seemed to have noticed something. He looked up at Song Jian, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes. Seeing Song Jians smiling silence, Aberdeen didnt press further, but his confidence in Song Jians ability to collect obsidian increased slightly. In total, thirteen components need to be reforged, and the launching tube also requires replacement. Give me your three obsidians! Aberdeen brusquely extended his hand. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian placed the three obsidians on the workbench. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hmm, wait, the repair will take half an hour! Aberdeen informed him. Will it regain its previous attributes? Can its features be preserved? Song Jian eagerly asked. Huh, who do you think I am? Do you think everyone and anyone can own a Doomsday Blacksmith Shop? You should know, as long as 1 have enough materials, I can forge Legendary or even Epic-grade equipment for you, let alone a lowly blue-grade weapon! Be patient. Youll find that with these three obsidians, the attributes of your rocket launcher will only get better! Aberdeen snorted and grabbed a handful of ore carbon powder, tossing it into the roaring flames. With a bang, the flames in the furnace flared up, even raising the temperature around them several degrees. Aberdeen lined up various forging tools on the workbench, from large to small, comprising more than ten types of different shapes. Alright, youre not needed here. You can wait outside! Aberdeen began to shoo him away. Song Jian, who originally intended to sneak a peek at Aberdeens weapon repair process to possibly understand the art of forging, wore an awkward smile and turned to leave the blacksmith shop. Before long, he heard the sounds of furious hammering, akin to that of a torrential rainstorm, coming from the blacksmith shop. Chapter 166 - 166: 166: Second-Level Manor Chapter 166 - 166: 166: Second-Level ManorTranslator: 549690339 Song Jian waited patiently. Not even half an hour had passed, probably only about twenty minutes, when the door of the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop swung open from the inside. Aberdeen, with a face full of excitement, walked out carrying the repaired [Cobra-2X]. Hahaha, this is my best weapon repair job to date. Look, allow me to show you the skills of Aberdeen the blacksmith, Aberdeen handed over the [Cobra-2X] to Song Jian with a bit of reluctance. Upon seeing the restored [Cobra-2X], Song Jian also broke into a joyful smile. The Cobra-2X was quite powerful, he could use this weapon till level 15, or even level 20, without needing to upgrade. [Cobra-2X] (Blue): Rocket Launcher, two-handed weapon, Attack: 58-72, Explosion+3, Splash+3, Rocket speed increased by 25%, Ammo capacity +1. Special Effect 1: Autoreplenishes a bullet every thirty seconds. Ammo capacity: 2/2, Attack Speed: 3 seconds. Usage requirement: Level 10, Strength Attribute reaching 12 points. Excellent, excellent, Master Aberdeens craftsmanship is truly remarkable, llaha! Song Jian laughed heartily. The restored rocket launcher still boasted of its blue quality, but with greatly enhanced attack power, and a new 25% increased rocket speed attribute. All the other attributes and special effects were also fully retained, which was simply a pleasant surprise. Now, off you go. As long as you manage to collect a hundred units of Obsidian before dawn, not only will I tell you the characteristics of the Weapon Miner occupation, but I will also reward you with a blue quality strengthening stone. You can use it to further enhance your weapon, Aberdeen said, pulling out a transparent crystal emanating a blue aura from his pocket, and waving it at Song Jian. Song Jian paused, quickly weighing the value of a hundred units of obsidian against a blue quality strengthening stone in his mind. The repair was successful mostly because of your three Obsidian pieces. Without them, I could only have restored the weapon to its previous state. Any improvement would have been impossible, Aberdeen said thoughtfully. Oh, really? So, three pieces of obsidian are equivalent to one strengthening stone! Song Jian remarked, with a gleam in his eyes as if he was asking casually. Hmph, what do you know? Strengthening stones have a limited number of times they can enhance a weapon. The more times you use them, the lower the success rate. Ordinary strengthening stones can only enhance up to nine times. But obsidians can enhance a weapon infinitely. As long as your weapon has enough potential, you can use it ten or eight times without a problem, Aberdeen replied without batting an eye. On the other hand, your weapon has already been enhanced three times by obsidian, but its potential has not been fully tapped. I think you can at least use the obsidian to strengthen it seven or eight more times. After that, use the enhancing stone to enhance it. As long as it can be enhanced to +3, it will be equivalent to a precious item of silver quality. If you can enhance it to +9, it could be on par with an average gold quality weapon. Thats quite a consumption! Song Jian calculated silently in his mind, shaking his head slightly. Indeed, the consumption is significant. After the enhancement stone enhances the weapon to +3, each enhancement has a chance of failure. If it fails, the enhancement level decreases by one. If it fails after reaching +6, the weapon can burst Aberdeen explained. Haha, Im already very satisfied with the attributes of this weapon now, thank you, Master Aberdeen! Song Jian said, placing the [Cobra-2X] into his equipment column for two-handed weaponry, his face filled with a satisfied smile. Alright, go on. Theres only a little over an hour left till dawn. Youre short on time! Aberdeen said, turning around to return to the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. Song Jian smirked mysteriously. His body transformed into a cloud of black fog and he shot off into the distance. It seemed that the value of obsidian was much higher than that of the strengthening stone. In the sky, Song Jian glanced at his mission list, hesitating whether to directly delete his test mission. After some thought, he decided to wait until dawn to decide. If he didnt show up by then, Aberdeen might think that he hadnt gathered enough Obsidian. Compared to not collecting enough obsidian and deceiving Aberdeen, the former would be less infuriating to him. After all, upsetting a level 30 elite BOSS would be quite dangerous. He tricked me into a death trap, 1 took advantage of his repairs, were even now. Song Jian thought to himself. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian promptly upgraded it to level 2. Upgrading to a level 2 mansion required twelve thousand units of stone and eight thousand units of wood, as well as one thousand units of iron ore. For Song Jian, acquiring wood and stone was no longer a difficult task. He had been hindered from upgrading the mansion previously because of the thousand units of iron ore requirement. But having gathered ore this time around, not only had Song Jian collected enough iron ore, he even had some surplus. He opened up the mansion attribute panel, and directly chose Mansion Upgrade. A thunderous rumbling sound could be heard from outside the mansion. Song Jian didnt feel any tremors from inside the room, but he could see from the window that his field of vision was gradually ascending. The mansion upgrade took an extremely short time. Just about ten seconds later, the upgrade was finished. Song Jians safe house had become a level 2 mansion, with significantly improved defenses. With a flicker of thought, Song Jian headed down to the basement, the size of which had expanded significantly with the upgrade, now covering an area of 120 square meters. Walking over to the Blood Pool, Song Jian saw blood churning within it like boiling water. Song Jian tossed all one hundred blood stones into the Blood Pool. Very quickly, the speed of the blood churning inside the pool began to accelerate, and the water level started to rise, soon spilling over from the pool. Song Jian took a few steps back. Although the blood didnt overflow very quickly, within a few minutes, it had already covered an area of several square meters. Boom! A muffled sound resounded, and the ground shook slightly. The area of the Blood Pool expanded by more than half. Four stone pillars slowly rose up around the pool. The stone pillars were carved into the forms of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise, looking quite fierce and majestic. Blood water spouted continuously from the mouths of these four mythical animal sculptures into the Blood Pool. Yet the water level didnt rise at all. Blood Pool: Level 2 structure, Effect: Stores 8000 units of blood water. Blood Water Effect 1: Replenishes Vitality Points. Blood Water Effect 2: Cultivates blood monsters (Blood Ravens: 30, Blood Zombies: 30). Blood Water Effect 3: Can be used to make additives to increase product quality. Structure Explanation: The blood water contains micro-toxins. Drinking it for a long time can enhance ones constitution, but also affects ones consciousness and pollutes the soul. The blood water in the Blood Pool can slowly recover, but when completely depleted, it would take a lot of time and precious materials to replenish. Blood Pool Capacity: 5000/8000. Not bad, besides a three thousand unit increase in the blood water capacity, another type of blood monster has been added: Blood Zombie. 1 wonder how strong it is! After looking at the Blood Pool attributes, Song Jian mused to himself.. Chapter 167 - 167: Making a Hand Grenade Chapter 167: Making a Hand Grenade Translator: 549690339 Blood beasts nurtured in the Blood Pool were part of the manor, just like Alex from the Bloody Yin Spirit Poison Tree, and could only serve as the manors guardian. Once they left the manor, they would lose blood continuously. The farther they were from the manor, the faster they would bleed. However, because Song Jians demonic summoning skill had mutated into the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, these blood beasts had become Song Jians summoned creatures, able to appear anywhere and assist Song Jian in battle; At this time, the Blood Pool had just been upgraded and the blood zombies had not yet been bred, so Song Jian could not immediately check the attributes of the blood zombies. After checking the materials needed to upgrade the Blood Pool to level three, 500 units of stone, 100 units of ruby, 100 units of Dragon Bloodstone, Song Jian memorized this silently and turned to leave the basement; He returned to the third-floor bedroom, opened the Engineering Crafting Table, and opened the blueprint for the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade at the same time, comparing the materials needed for crafting on the blueprint, and began to prepare; Hmm, wood, sulfur, saltpeter, crushed silver ore Song Jian followed the blueprint for the high-explosive grenade and put the materials into the material inlet of the Engineering Crafting Table; After all materials were inputted, Song Jian fiercely pressed the start button of the workbench. Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound came from inside the workbench, followed by the sound of crushing. The entire workbench began to tremble slightly; Now its crushing all these materials, then separating and purifying them. In fact, the process is not much different from that of the Pharmaceutical Workbench, both are idiot-proof level operations, Song Jian thought to himself; However, it didnt take long for the Engineering Crafting Table to tell Song Jian with facts that it was different from the Pharmaceutical Workbench; Boom- A muffled sound came from the outlet of the workbench, followed by a wisp of black smoke, and the workbench quickly quieted down; Were not the same, not the same Song Jian stood still in front of the workbench, feeling a powerful wave of disappointment wash over him. After a while, he mumbled to himself, Is this a failure, already? System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table) to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but the crafting failed and you gained 5 Crafting Experience Points; Isnt there a 30% crafting success rate bonus on this thing? What the hell! Song Jian angrily kicked the wooden table under the workbench; During this mining trip, Song Jian had gathered all the materials needed to craft the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but they were only enough to make twelve grenades. Now he had already wasted one set of materials; He originally thought that twelve T-11 High-Explosive Grenades would be enough for self-defense, but now it seemed that with these twelve sets of materials, no, now it was eleven sets of materials, if he could manage to craft three to five T-11 High-Explosive Grenades, Song Jian would be thankful; Following the materials list, he refilled the Crafting Table with another set of materials; Hum- Hum- Hum- Boom- System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table] to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but the crafting failed and you gained 5 Crafting Experience Points; S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian remained expressionless and continued to put in another set of materials; Hum- Hum- Hum- Boom- System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table] to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, but the crafting failed and you gained 5 Crafting Experience Points; What the hell! Song Jian couldnt help but curse. Ten sets of materials, and yet not a single T-11 High-Explosive Grenade was made. This made Song Jian doubt whether the blueprint was fake; I accept one failure, two failures are fine, three failures, four failures, Im just unlucky, but ten consecutive failures, you have to show me some respect to probability, right? Song Jians mouth twitched involuntarily; However, after ten failures, the Crafting Experience of the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade had reached 50 points; Keep going, two more to go! Song Jian gritted his teeth. Even if they were all wasted, at least some inventory space would be saved. At the very least, by using up the materials, out of sight, out of mind; Hum- Hum- Hum- The workbench started working again; This time, it took a full ten minutes for the workbench to stop working; A metal ball the size of a fist, with a pockmarked surface, rolled out of the workbench; System: You used [Engineering Crafting Table] to make T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, crafting succeeded, you gained 20 Crafting Experience Points and 10 Engineering Experience Points; Phew, finally succeeded for once! Song Jian let out a long breath, the ten consecutive failures had made him hold his breath, almost going down the rabbit hole; Picking up the T-11 High-Explosive Grenade, Song Jian began to check its attributes; T-11 High-Explosive Grenade (Ordinary): Consumable. Use effect: Throw at a target beyond a 5-meter range to deal 300 points of explosive damage. This damage can be increased with the level of the Throwing skill; has a chance to cause an additional 150 points of fire damage. Use requirement: Possess the Throwing skill; Heh, such a powerful damage, no wonder it took me so much effort to craft you. Song Jian held the high-explosive grenade, a satisfied smile on his face; Although he had not yet mastered the Throwing skill, such basic skills could be comprehended on their own. Just casually throwing a stone at a monster three times, he could comprehend it. This would not cause any obstacles for Song Jian; If I can make a large number of high-explosive grenades and find a place where monsters gather, wont my level increase as fast as a rocket? Song Jian couldnt help but think to himself; After placing the grenade into the inventory, Song Jian took out the last set of crafting materials and put them into the workbench; Hum, hum, hum- The workbench began to operate; What a pity, this workbench is only of ordinary quality. If only it could be like the Pharmaceutical Workbench. At this point, Song Jian realized how powerful the silver Pharmaceutical Workbench was; Boom- Another puff of black smoke came out of the workbench, and Song Jians mouth twitched involuntarily; Twelve sets of materials, only one finished product was made. With this 30% success rate, how on earth was it calculated? Wasnt it supposed to be three successes out of ten attempts? What Song Jian didnt know was that for some people, there wasnt much difference between 1% and 99%; After consuming all the materials, night had begun to fade, and the eastern sky was turning white; Song Jian vaguely heard the sound of an angry roar from a distance: Unforgivable, you deceived the great dwarf blacksmith Looking at the taskbar, the test task of the Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeen had failed, and Song Jians relationship with the Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeen had dropped to indifference; Phew, I hope that the next time we meet, he wont try to chop me with a knife. But the next time we meet, my strength will have surpassed his. A hint of coldness appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth; Chapter 168 - 168: Harvest Ceremony Chapter 168: Harvest Ceremony Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had already played around with the image of the dwarf blacksmith, Aberdeen, in his mind in countless ways. A strange smile appeared on his face, and his laughter made George the butler, who was standing outside the door, feel a chill down his spine. After hesitating for a while, he gently knocked on the door of the room. Knock! Knock! Knock! Who is it! Song Jian wiped off his saliva and asked; Master, the wheat and potatoes in the six Spirit Fields have matured. John would like to invite you to the Harvest Ceremony. Do you have time? Butler George asked respectfully from outside the door; Song Jian was perplexed. For just a couple of patches of wheat and potatoes, they needed to hold a ceremony? Did life have to be so ceremonious? Are they trying to show off their achievements to me, in order to ask for a raise in their salaries? Humph. Song Jian entered the room with a gloomy face; Lead the way! Butler George didnt dare to breathe heavily, not knowing what got into the master today, even the atmospheric pressure around seemed lower. On arriving at the courtyard, the Blood Spirit Poison Tree Alex was fast asleep. Seeing it, Song Jians face darkened again. This fellow was good at eating and sleeping, blackened quite a lot of Song Jians equipment, and was simply incomparable to Li Keers Fiana; If it wasnt for the fact that you could guard the house, I wouldve chopped you off long ago. The wood collected from you should be of at least grade three quality. Song Jian stroked his chin as he sized up Alex; Alex in its slumber suddenly felt a chill, its leaves shook slightly, causing the crows to all fly up, cawing chaotically; Master, look, all six Spirit Fields have yielded a bumper harvest. Butler George pointed at the remaining six Spirit Fields; Gardener John and carpenter Tammy, standing nearby, were also excitedly looking at the Spirit Fields, whispering to each other; Master, shall we begin the Harvesting Ceremony? Butler George asked softly; sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian nodded, saying, Lets begin.; Gardener John solemnly took out a sickle, the handle of which was tied with a big red satin flower. He lifted the sickle over his head with both hands and handed it to Song Jian; Master, please harvest the first bundle of wheat! John said excitedly; Song Jian: Song Jian, speechless, picked up the Red Flower Sickle, aimlessly swung it, whoosh a white light flashed, and a heap of wheat was reaped; Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! George, Tammy, and John behind him all began to clap; Should L. should 1 wave to them in acknowledgement? Song Jian felt exceedingly awkward; System: You have completed a Harvest Ceremony, Vitality Points limit increased by 10, skill[Cold Weapon (Pole Weapon) (Basic) Jacquired; [Cold Weapon (Pole Weapon) (Basic)]: Passive, Level 1, Increase the power of pole weapons by 5% Song Jian was startled: What is this situation? Gaining the skill Cold Weapon (Pole Weapon) (Basic) wasnt surprising to Song Jian, but his vitality points limit increasing by 10 was a rarity; When can we hold this Harvest Ceremony again? Song Jians eyes were sharp as he stared at gardener John; Master, every time a plant matures, we can hold a Harvest Ceremony. Holding a Harvest Ceremony will win the favor of the Goddess of Harvest. However, we must plant different crops each time. We currently only have wheat and potato seeds. If we plant them again, we wont be able to hold the Harvest Ceremony. John explained hastily; Pointing to another patch of mature soybeans, Song Jian asked, Can we hold another Harvest Ceremony? Sorry, Master, the Harvest Ceremony can only be held once a week. The next one you can carry out will be for harvesting soybeans, John said. 1 hope the Master can get more different types of plant seeds. The more varieties you have, the greater the reward from the Goddess of Harvest. Hmm, I need different types of plant seeds? Song Jian stroked his chin, handed his sickle to John and returned to his third-floor bedroom to switch on the radio. This is Nova Town, we found a group of level 10 wild boar men. They appear to want to establish a nest in the swamp. Is there any team willing to hunt them down? Wild boar men? Are there many of them? There are many professional hunters among the wild boar men. If its a large tribe, there will be wild boar men priests. If we can kill it, maybe we can get the skill of the priest profession, that would be a big score. Its just a small tribe, probably around thirty. There shouldnt be any wild boar men priests. Our scouts saw that they have hunters and warriors as their professions. This is Silver Moon Commerce, we are currently in Valan Canyon. We have a batch of goods that need to be transported to the City of Sin. We need to recruit ten to fifteen guardians of level 10 or above. Those interested can send me a private message, but it should include level, profession, and core skills! To go from Valan Canyon to the City of Sin? Seems like we have to pass through a Zombie City, right? Sigh, are you guys serious? Selling a level 10 blue quality spike hammer, one-handed weapon, attack 56-72, strength +2, Armor break +1, with a certain chance of causing shattering effects, comes with two special features, 800 Doomsday coins, those interested can send me a private message, highest bidder wins! Buying Yin Soul Grass, 30 Doomsday Coins per plant, no quantity limit, payment on delivery, mailing address**** Wanted mission, Gathering Area 101 issues bounty, one of our teams was killed in Zombie City 9, we need to hire warriors to investigate the cause. If they were killed by someone, we need the perpetrators head brought back. The mission reward is 5000 Doomsday Coins, plus one legendary profession core skill. There seem to be a lot of people on the radio now, publishing messages, recruiting manpower, selling items. It all sounds rather messy, but everyone who posts a message will appear on a small screen on the radio. If interested, one can write down the other persons radio number and chat with them privately. After waiting a while, Song Jian seized the opportunity to shout: Buying all kinds of plant seeds, no duplicates, direct delivery, address is City of Hope***, payment on delivery! In no time, the radio signaled that someone wanted to have a private chat. Song Jian glanced at the prompted channel and directly switched to another channel. Hello- Hello, this is Valan Town. We have wheat seeds, potato seeds, corn seeds, peanut seeds A somewhat hoarse male voice echoed over the radio; he continued to list over a dozen types of plant seeds. May I ask, which type of plant seeds do you need? The man asked. Aside from wheat and potatoes, Ill take all other plant seeds, Song Jian replied. Alright, how many? How much do you need? Lets start with one hundred of each! Song Jian said. One hundred seeds were just the right amount for one Spirit Field. Okay, let me calculate. Corn seeds amass 1 Doomsday Coin per seed, peanut seeds are 1.2 Doomsday Coins per seed, radish seeds are 1.8 Doomsday Coins per seed Song Jian couldnt help but gasp. Was seed sold by the grain? If thats the case, wouldnt it cost over a thousand Doomsday Coins? There are thirteen kinds of plant seeds in total, so you need 1,926 Doomsday Coins. For shipping, its 2,100 Doomsday Coins. So, all together, it will be 4,026 Doomsday Coins. No, is there no postage included? Song Jian asked. Sir, you must be joking. Using the mailbox system is expensive, but it is very safe. If we included shipping, wed be running at a loss, the man laughed. Okay, cash on delivery it is. How about a discount? Song Jian said after hesitating for a moment. Sure, lets say four thousand Doomsday Coins, cash on delivery. Ill go prepare right now. Thank you for your patronage, sir! Hope we can do business again! Chapter 169 - 169: Setting up a Safety House in Groups Chapter 169: Setting up a Safety House in Groups Translator: 549690339 Buying a single seed costs four thousand Doomsday Coins, and Song Jian only has just over a thousand in his pocket now. He still needs to figure out how to get more money; Do you buy plant seeds? Song Jian suddenly asked: I have recently harvested some wheat and soybeans Of course, wheat and soybeans are grains and theyre valuable in these times. However, we offer 8 Doomsday Coins for every hundred grains of wheat and 10 for every hundred grains of soybean. We buy as many as you have! Sheesh, these prices Youre even more ruthless than the system store! Song Jian exclaimed, thinking to himself; Heh, just kidding. Just send them over quickly. After saying this, Song Jian directly closed the radio; I might as well use these grains to enhance my cooking skills. I might even discover some new recipes! Song Jian thought to himself; Just then, from the window, Song Jian saw three green light columns emerge from the ground almost simultaneously; Someone is completing the main task of creating a safehouse! Song Jian had a thought and instantly disappeared from the room, appearing on top of the Manor Castle Towers; Looking towards the light columns, their locations were quite close and not too far away from the residential area where Song Jian was; It seems thats where the New Garden Residential Area is! Song Jian scratched his chin and muttered to himself, 1 should go and see. Once the safehouse is established, the whole area within a one-kilometer radius essentially becomes Song Jians territory, and other players would need his permission to establish their own safehouses here; However, before any safehouse is built, anyone can build one, which is why the three players had agreed upon building their safehouses together. But in the future, whoever wants to build a safehouse here will need the approval of all three of them; Song Jian quickly arrived near the New Garden Residential Area. By now, quite a few players had already gathered around, buzzing with discussion. These three guys are smart, banding together to create safehouses and fend off monsters. This way they all share the burden. Not bad, not bad at all! Isnt this just a game bug? The number of monsters within a one-kilometer radius is fixed. Three people defending against them instead of just one would obviously be much easier! Why dont you give it a try? Four people would surely be easier than three! I think Ill wait to see what happens. Such an obvious bug, 1 dont believe the game would just let it slide. A boss monster might appear and completely wipe them out. After hearing this, some players who had been keen on the idea of combining their forces immediately dismissed it. They decided to wait and see. If the three players succeed and the number of attacking monsters doesnt increase, it wouldnt be too late to establish their own safehouses together then; The three players stood amid the green light columns, constantly moving their hands in front of their chests as they set up defenses around their safehouses. With more than a month in the game time passed by, most players had gathered just about enough wooden and stone materials. As long as the game allowed, they could build any defense structure; Soon, the three green light columns shattered simultaneously, causing hundreds of monsters to swarm towards the three safehouses; Huh, it really works! The monsters are spread out and their numbers dont seem to have increased much! Someone exclaimed in surprise; No, theres been some increase, but it seems to be only by two to three layers! Almost, can we really build safehouses together? At this moment, almost all the onlooking players were excited; Lets wait. There may still be a strong boss yet to appear. Well see if they succeed. Qiang bro, it really works, haha, the monsters have been split off. We just need to hold this together! a player on the rooftop of a safehouse said, laughing and shouting towards another safehouse not ten meters away from him; Its all thanks to Qiang bros smart thinking, the boss really is the boss! another player promptly complimented; The three safehouses were arranged in a product line layout, each separated from each other by just eight to nine meters. The defensive structures they built were even connected, allowing them to concentrate their fire on a single monster, thus reducing the pressure on the safehouses. Moreover, it allowed them to easily fend off the attacking monsters. In just a short while, all three of them leveled up; Dont worry, as long as youre with me, I guarantee youll all be able to complete the main tasks! Qiang bro had a look of pride on his face; Qiang, Qiang bro, a BOSS, a BOSS is coming! a player suddenly pointed at a Level-5 elite boss in the distance and shouted out loud; Dont panic, its just a Level-5 elite boss. If it dares to come at us, well concentrate fire and bring it down instantaneously! Qiang bro squinted his eyes, looked at the boss for a long while, and spoke; Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All three had upgraded their safehouses to Level-3, and had built Arrow Towers. Twelve Arrow Towers combined to form a rain of arrows, making it extremely difficult for the monsters to even get close; Boss, the boss is coming! Zhao Liang had his eyes fixed on the boss. In his view, the regular Level-3 and Level-4 monsters would hardly cause any damage to the safehouses. The main threat was the boss. Once it entered the bosss attack range, the damage to the safehouses would be severe; Got it. Take control of the Arrow Towers and aim at that boss. As soon as it enters the attack range, start firing! Qiang bro took out a white-quality AK, aimed at the boss, and started to fire; The sound of three consecutive firings echoed each time, each hitting the bosss head and causing a lot of damage; The other two players also took out their long-range weapons and started firing at the boss; The boss, beaten to a roar, was blocked by the lower level monsters in front. Every meter it advanced, it had to bear a lot of damage; Hey, this boss isnt that tough! Seems it cant even get close to the safehouses. Were just lucky. Its a melee-attack boss. Well just aim to not let it get close to the safehouses and just knock it out. No sweat. Qiang bro was relieved, and shouted aloud; Not long after, the boss fell down three meters away from the safehouse that was closest to him. It burst out a piece of green-quality equipment and several white-quality materials; The three players eyes lit up immediately. Glancing at the surrounding monsters, they held their excitement back. But their eyes kept darting towards that piece of green equipment; The surrounding players, seeing the boss fall, gave out a cry of surprise; Its actually possible! Now with this, the safety of the main tasks has greatly increased! Yeah, they arent even scared of the boss showing up. Its actually like a huge gift pack giving away experience and equipment. What do you say, Old Li, why dont we find a place and build a safehouse together later? Sure, count me in, haha! Lets find more people. We can all complete the main tasks together! Song Jian looked around. With the death of the Level-5 boss, the atmosphere around had suddenly become lively; Chapter 170 - 170: Bounty Chapter 170: Bounty Translator: 549690339 In just half an hour, the three Alliance Game Houses managed to kill over three hundred monsters, with each players level rising by approximately one and a half levels. Compared to an individual creating a Game House, they received fewer Experience Points, but their safety significantly increased. This gave the onlooking players hope that they could successfully complete the main quest; This cant be as simple as it seems. Even though the monster count has tripled, compared to the strength of the three of us together, this increment in difficulty is nothing at all! Song Jian slightly furrowed his brows while looking into the sea of monsters; At that moment, the three players building the Game House had a sudden change of expression. They exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting mutual fear; Boss, what do we do, why did a level ten elite Boss appear? Zhao Liang said with a grimace; Yeah, boss. The three of us, even together, we cant possibly deal with a level ten elite Boss and all these other monsters. Were done for Another player, named Zhang Wei, also wore an expression of sheer terror. Not to mention a level ten elite Boss C even at the sight of a level five Boss, these two would immediately turn tail and run, completely unwilling to engage in direct battle with any Boss; Boss, in ten minutes it will be upon us, what do we do! A level ten elite, and I Im still only level seven. We cant beat him! Dont panic, well clear out the surrounding lesser monsters first! even though he was terrified, Qiang bro rallied. He couldnt deal with a level ten elite Boss either; Our Game House is only level one, its defense is not high, the remaining defense value now is only two-thirds. When the level ten elite Boss joins the fray, we wont be able to hold up, what do we do? Sweat pooled on Qiang Bros forehead, the look in his eyes becoming more frantic; Taking in the sight of the hundreds of onlooking players, Qiang bro came up with a plan immediately; Dont worry, there are so many players around us. A level ten elite Boss can drop good equipment C when the time comes, we can try and motivate them to kill the Boss. Qiang bro glanced at the other two and broached his plan; Qiang, bro, will they help us kill it? Wouldnt it be simpler for them to let the Boss scatter our Game House, then kill it? Zhao Liang asked hesitantly; Why would so many people gather when someone established a Game House? Isnt it because theyre waiting for the Boss and the Game Houses defenses to weaken each other, so they themselves can swoop in and benefit at no cost? With the Game House destroyed and the Boss seriously injured, it would be the safest time to go in for the kill. Thats why so many players watch as others Game Houses get destroyed, yet remain indifferent. No problem, when the time comes, Ill have a way to handle it! Qiang bros eyes reflected him inwardly wincing; Bro, youre not planning on using that thing, are you? Zhang Wei was aghast, and quickly questioned; Besides that thing, what other option do we have? Can you kill that Boss? Qiang bros challenging gaze had a frightening effect, and Zhang Wei almost fell off the perimeter wall; That belongs to boss. He gets to choose when and how to use it. Zhang Wei quickly added with a laugh; Right now, thats our only option. When the Boss shows up, well use it! Qiang bro gritted out, although he could visibly see he wasnt keen on the idea, but there didnt seem to be any better alternatives at the moment; Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But what about the reward? Zhao Ming seemed to have caught on and asked somewhat hesitantly; Yeah, what if the reward is too low and no one wants to do it? Zhang Wei chimed in with support; How many Doomsday Coins do you two still have on you? Qiang bro suddenly asked after careful thought; The two had a start and shook their heads immediately. Zhang Wei quickly responded, Bro, Qiang, all the Doomsday Coins we get every time are with you, right? Yeah, boss, we didnt dare to hoard any. We gave everything to you. Zhao Ming quickly added; Hmm, pretty words, as if I dont know you two? Qiang bro smirked coldly and continued: Hand everything over now, otherwise all three of us C tied by the same rope C if we cant get rid of that Boss, we die. Together. After he finished speaking, Qiang bro resumed shooting at the monsters approaching his Game House; Zhao Ming and Zhang Wei exchanged a glance and reluctantly fell silent. Their team had only recently formed up. Both just wanted to ride on Qiang bros coattails because he was at a higher level than they were, had three skills, and even his vitality was much higher. In every battle, Qiang bro was always at the forefront while they assisted from behind in safety. However, after a couple of battle experiences, Qiang bro proposed a distribution system based on need. If there were items that none of them required, they were to be kept by him. This included the Doomsday Coins, which were to be unified and allocated to him, but the spending of said coins had to receive agreement by all three players; Although Zhao Ming and Zhang Wei werent completely happy with it, they didnt voice any opposition. The raw materials from every battle were sold, and the Doomsday Coins earned were also handed over to Qiang bro. But this didnt mean that the two didnt have their secret stashes. After they had been playing the game for over a month, their privately stashed Doomsday Coins werent much fewer than other players; Boss, all our Doomsday Coins are with you. Ive been keeping track all along, and 1 think we should have around 3,560 Doomsday Coins there, right? Zhang Wei stated nonchalantly; Qiang bro was astounded by their accuracy, wondering if they were a professional accountant. Could they have memorized the Doomsday Coins they made from every single battle? This time well use up all our reserves. Ill add some of my own, 4,000 Doomsday Coins! Qiang bro gritted out: What good is having so many Doomsday Coins if we lose our lives? Well alright, Ill put in another 500. Thats all Ive got, but as long as we can establish the Game House, it will all be worth it! Zhang Wei gritted his teeth and declared, glaring at Zhao Ming as if he could draw blood; I, I well, 111 also add 500 Doomsday Coins. With both eyes on him, Zhao Ming was somewhat creeped out, and quickly agreed; Good, 5,000 Doomsday Coins, I dare those poor bastards not to be moved! Qiang bro mocked the onlooking players, sneering; At present, apart from the larger teams, hardly any player could bring out 5,000 Doomsday Coins. To the players, 5,000 Doomsday Coins were undoubtedly a colossal amount; Hearing Qiang bros decision, Zhang Wei and Zhao Ming both calmed down. Although every one of the three men was inwardly wincing, in order to complete the task, 5,000 Doomsday Coins was a sum they were willing to sacrifice; Before long, a level ten elite Boss made its appearance. This Boss was humanoid, but it was covered in spikes, looking like a giant human-shaped porcupine; [LV10 Spiked Zombie Kuka] (Elite), Vitality Points: 1100/2200, Traits: Super Agile, Damage Reflection, Abilities: Spike Throw, Spike Scatter, Waltzing Triple Strike. Thanks to yumile for tipping 1,000 Qidian Coins- Chapter 171 - 171: Eating Alone? Chapter 171: Eating Alone? Translator: 549690339 The emergence of a level 10 elite BOSS caused a stir among the onlookers. No one had expected the cooperative completion of the main quest to attract a level 10 elite BOSS. Many players had experienced the strength of a level 10 elite BOSS. A single level one safe-house couldnt possibly defend against it, let alone a level one manor, unless it possessed formidable defensive measures. The powerful attacks of the BOSS could easily penetrate the defenses of the safe-house. To prevent this, it had to be vanquished before it got close. A level 10 elite BOSS. Just as 1 expected. There are no bugs in this game. If they hadnt cooperated, it would have been a level 5 elite BOSS at most, definitely not level 10. Yeah, now theyve shot themselves in the foot. Its just a matter of how many level 10 BOSSes they can fend off. How many? This ONE is enough for them to choke on! Just wait and see, theyll definitely fail this time or Ill eat shit on a live broadcast! Easy on the trash talk, anything can happen in this game While the spectators began to mock and ridicule, Qiang suddenly pulled out a blue scroll from his package, opened it, and tore it fiercely. A semi-transparent curtain of light appeared in front of Qiang. He waved his hands continuously as if adjusting something or writing something into the light. Quickly, all players in the whole area received a system notification at the same time; System: An anonymous player has issued a kill order to all players within a kilometer radius. Your task is to kill the Spiky Zombie Kuka (Elite) of LV10 and obtain its skull: 0/1. Reward: 5000 Doomsday Coins! Everyone in the area is automatically given this task. There will be no penalties for task failure. The spectators around the area stiffened. They looked at each other, seeing the surprise in each others eyes. How did he post a mission? 1 cant do that. Are you blind? Didnt you see him using a scroll? Its probably a task posting scroll. How can you post a task without it? 5000 Doomsday Coins, thats a lot of money Is the guy who said he would eat shit on live broadcast still around? Are you freaking out now? The spectators began to get excited. To them, 5000 Doomsday Coins was a huge sum of money. However, hunting down a level 10 elite BOSS in a sea of monsters was no easy task. When the time comes, one only needs to inflict some damage on the BOSS to be eligible to pick up the loot. The main focus should be snatching the BOSSS head at the end. Almost all players thought the same. They set their sights on the level 10 elite BOSS, expecting someone to take the first move. The player to first attack the BOSS would bear the brunt of its hatred. Despite having its abilities halved, a level 10 elite BOSS was no joke. Seeing the players around him, Song Jian immediately pulled out the rocket launcher, aimed at the level 10 elite BOSS, and pulled the trigger. Whoosh- A rocket trailing a long flame flew towards the Spiky Zombie. The BOSS seemed to sense the danger and turned its head towards the rocket, letting out a roar. Two spikes came out of its elbows, which it threw at the incoming rocket. Inner Eye! A glint flashed in Song Jians eyes. Suddenly, the rocket slightly curved in the air, avoiding the two spikes. By the time the Spiky Zombie tried to dodge, it was too late. Because the modified rocket had a 25% increase in flight speed and was locked onto the target by the Inner Eye skill, the Spiky Zombie could only brace for the hit. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom! Amidst the explosion, the Spiky Zombie let out a screech. Its menacing bloody eyes stared at Song Jian. Holding two foot-long spikes in its hands, it charged towards Song Jian. All the monsters in its path were torn to pieces by the Spiky Zombie. The monster hopped and spun with the two spikes in its hands as it raced towards Song Jian. Its spikes were like the death gods scythes, reaping the lives of any monster that dared to stand in its way. Its coming, its coming, get ready, get ready! The surrounding players were yelling and swiftly retreated. Within a short period, there was no one within a ten-meter radius of Song Jian. The other players also raised their ranged weapons, aiming at the level 10 elite BOSS. As soon as it was within range, they would attack without hesitation. Hey, this guy is quite daring. Now the BOSSS hatred is firmly on him. We dont have to worry about drawing the BOSSS attention anymore. A player glanced at Song Jian and murmured. There are still good people around! Hehe, its a windfall. The BOSSS head is mine! Back off! The BOSSS head is mine. As soon as it gets three meters closer, its within my attack range! Just at this moment, Song Jian pulled the trigger of the rocket launcher towards the BOSS yet again. Boom- This attack had a critical hit, a nearly 200-point critical hit, above the head of the BOSS. The explosion wiped out a large number of surrounding monsters, leaving the BOSS in the midst of a 3-meter radius cleared area; not a single small monster survived. At this point, the BOSSS health points dropped by one-third, leaving it with less than 800 points. Song Jian reloaded the rocket launcher. A silver vertical scar slowly opened on his forehead, and a silver beam shot out towards the BOSS. Boom Boom Boom Boom- A series of damage indicators sprang from the head of the BOSS. The CS couldnt maintain its balance and was pushed backwards by the silver beam. The surface of its body looked like it had been doused with sulfuric acid. After equipping the rocket launcher, Song Jians physical attack has massively increased. This resulted in the enhancement of his Vertical Pupil skill Eye Killer. The skill was dealing over a hundred points of mixed damage to the BOSS per second. Even more irritating was the fact that the silver beam from the Eye Killer pushed the BOSS back into the horde of monsters. After five seconds, a look of fatigue crept onto Song Jians face, but the BOSSS vitality had been depleted down to just over 200 points. As everyone watched in shock, Song Jian jumped off the roof and charged towards the Spiky Zombie BOSS. Holy shit, this guy wants to hog all the kill points. Everyone, get him! Snatch the BOSS, snatch the kill! Who is this guy? His damage output is too high. One round and he almost took out the level 10 elite BOSS. Terrifying! The spectators started panicking. They hadnt even touched the BOSS yet and it was about to die? This cant be happening! Instantly, the spectators broke through the monster horde and charged towards the Spiky Zombie BOSS. Just let me touch it once, let me touch it! All the players had bloodshot eyes. They held their ranged weapons tightly, shooting in the direction of the Spiky Zombie after rushing into the horde of monsters. Even if they werent in effective range, as long as a stray bullet hit the BOSS, they would be eligible to pick up the loot. Some brave players even aimed directly at Song Jians back. If Song Jian died, wouldnt all the loot from the BOSS become unclaimed property? System: Player Zhao Dong caused 16 ranged damage to you. You have the right to counter-attack. If you kill this player, your killing value will not increase; System: Player Zhou Guowei caused 13 ranged damage to you. You have the right to counter-attack. If you kill this player, your killing value will not increase; Chapter 172 - 172: Stealing the BOSS Chapter 172: Stealing the BOSS Translator: 549690339 Cant hit the BOSS, but can I still hit you? Seeing that the BOSS was about to be taken down by Song Jian alone, the players behind him immediately shifted their targets and started aiming at Song Jians back to attack him. Fuck, are you guys serious? Song Jian felt the full malicious intent coming from behind him, and his Vitality Points dropped from the full 400 points to less than 200 points in an instant. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian glanced at the spike-covered Zombie heading towards him and turned directly to rush towards the players. You guys want to fight the BOSS, right? Ill bring it to you. Song Jian thought to himself with a cold smile on his face. This guy brings the BOSS over, hurry up and hit it, hit it! Great opportunity, BOSS is low HP, grab the BOSS, grab the kill, grab the equipment! For a while, the onlookers all turned their guns and started shooting at the BOSS. By now, the BOSSS hatred had been firmly attracted by Song Jian, so no matter how the surrounding players attacked, they wouldnt steal aggro and could safely unleash their strongest attacks to compete for the loot rights. Song Jian rushed into the crowd, not continuing to run forward, but darted around in the crowd like a fish, causing the BOSSS two spikes to constantly swing and its body to spin. A circle of black aura surrounded it, striking fear into the hearts of those that saw it, as the players who touched the black aura had their Vitality Points drained rapidly. Get out of the way, dont crowd, the BOSS is coming. In an instant, a storm of blood and gore erupted among the players. The vast majority of players were around level 5 or 6, mostly those who hadnt completed the main quest or set up Safe Houses. Facing the BOSS, they were like ants, their attacks dealing only single-digit damage, some not even able to break its defenses. In the BOSSS eyes, there was only Song Jian, but it would tear apart anyone who stood in its way, be it player or monster. Some players managed to escape by a hairs breadth, fleeing with low HP, while some were instantly killed by the BOSS before they even realized what was happening. Now, no more players wanted to compete for the loot rights, as they all howled like ghosts and ran off, trying to keep their distance from the BOSS. Other players faces turned green as they saw Song Jian rushing towards them, and they scattered before he even arrived, prioritizing their own lives over the quest rewards and BOSS drops. Song Jian stood in the middle of the street, and none of the surrounding players dared to meet his gaze. This guy is too vicious, deliberately luring monsters and killing so many players, hes a murderer! someone muttered quietly. Dont say anything, be careful not to get targeted by him, he wouldnt mind killing one more Players who attacked Song Jian would find themselves covered in a faint pink glow, visible only to the players targeted by him. That wave just now had killed more than half of the players who attacked Song Jian; having taken a look around, Song Jian suddenly turned and rushed down a nearby street. The players who were standing there panicked and scattered in all directions like birds and beasts. Fuck, hes back again. I told you not to hit him, but you didnt listen. Now hes seeking revenge with the BOSS, whatre you going to do? I said to attack him, and you all agreed, so why the hell are you blaming me now? Run, dont argue, that BOSS is too fierce, if it catches us, were dead! Song Jian arrived in front of the three players without speaking, only to hear a roar from the BOSS behind him. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Countless spikes rained down like a torrential downpour in Song Jians direction. Bang bang bang- Song Jians protective shield started shaking violently, and after the downpour ended, the shields defense dropped to zero. It shattered like glass, and Song Jians Vitality Points shot up again. While he was running towards the players, Song Jians Vitality Points had almost fully recovered. This time, his Vitality Points were restored to their maximum level. Meanwhile, the three players beside him were pierced by spikes all over their bodies, turning into three corpses. Song Jian scanned the area, and there were almost no players with the red glow left. Even if there were, they had already run far away, not daring to approach him in the slightest. Looking at the other players, at first, some were still excitedly attacking the BOSS, but after being kited around by Song Jian, amazingly, no players dared to attack the BOSS anymore. They all sheepishly put away their weapons with awkward smiles. Song Jian glanced at the T-11 High Explosive Grenade in his inventory, and then at the BOSSS just over 200 Vitality Points, and shook his head slightly before rushing towards the BOSS with his dagger clutched in hand. His dagger was thrust like a tusk towards the BOSSS eyes. The spike-covered Zombie raised both hands to block, its spikes stopping Song Jians attack. But Song Jian feinted, swiping his right hand across the Zombies arm, cutting a foot-long wound and drenching its arm in blood. -13 Song Jians head also showed a damage value of more than ten points. Rebound damage? How annoying! Song Jian frowned slightly. However, with his current rate of Vitality recovery, any real damage would be healed within a second. To him now, rebound damage was basically nonexistent. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Song Jian danced around, executing the basic moves of the dagger fighting technique, but when combined, these moves unleashed a significant amount of power. The spike-covered Zombies Vitality Points quickly dropped to below 100. With a long howl, the spike-covered Zombies muscles tightened as it released its power. All the spikes on its body began to tremble slightly and slowly protrude outwards. Run, the BOSS is about to use its ultimate move again! The onlooking players immediately ran towards the distance, while Song Jians mouth revealed a faint smile and he whispered a single word: Explode! Puff- The spike-covered Zombie trembled slightly and green smoke burst from its body, showing a damage value of over 100 points, which emptied its remaining Vitality Points. The BOSSS body slumped to the ground, scattering loot all over, leaving only a headless corpse. Song Jian picked up all the dropped items, including a small package displaying Kucas Head of the Spike Zombie. Opening the task interface, Song Jian directly chose to Complete Task, and the small package in his inventory disappeared, replaced by 5,000 Doomsday Coins. By now, Song Jians Doomsday Coins were close to 8,000. Now 1 have enough money to buy the seeds! Song Jians face showed a satisfied smile. Looking at the Safe House in front of him, without the level 10 elite BOSS, the three players main quest should be completed soon. Once they succeeded, future players would definitely follow their example, and even if it attracted a level 10 elite BOSS, it would still be much stronger than resisting the monster waves on their own. There was no reason to stay here any longer. Song Jians experience points were locked and would not increase unless he became a professional player. He turned to leave, but suddenly a voice stopped him. Chapter 173 - 173: Hiring Chapter 173: Hiring Translator: 549690339 Just as Song Jian was about to turn and leave, he was suddenly stopped by someone. Big bro, how about we pay you 3,000 Doomsday Coins to help us get through the main quest? A teenager who looked about 17 or 18, asked timidly. Behind him stood three other teenagers of the same age. They seemed somewhat afraid of Song Jian, avoiding eye contact and looking uncertain. They appeared to be students. Five thousand, and I keep whatever the BOSS drops, Song Jian said indifferently. The teenager looked troubled and said, Big bro, can you give us a moment? We need to discuss. The four teenagers huddled together for a moment before the one who stopped Song Jian first stepped forward and said, Big bro, well give you 5,000 Doomsday Coins if you can hold off the level-10 elite BOSS. You can also keep whatever it drops! Deal! Song Jian agreed with a slight smile. Big bro, my name is Yan Bo. These are my classmates, although were not all in the same class. We are in the same grade though. Hes Kong Ning, hes Ge Fan, and the youngest one is Fu Dong. We are all high school sophomores at Linhai High School Yan Bo seemed very happy as he introduced everyones background. When are you guys creating your Safe Houses? Song Jian listened patiently for three minutes but eventually had to interrupt Yan Bo since he showed no sign of stopping. Right now. Weve already picked a location not far from here. Theres a pedestrian street filled with shops. We chose a few of the largest ones, intending to create our Safe Houses together. We had doubts, but we didnt expect to meet others with the same idea today. What a coincidence! We wanted to come and observe, learn from their experience, otherwise Alright, lets go now. Were short on time! Song Jian wiped sweat from his forehead, finding Yan Bo very talkative. The other three classmates, on the other hand, seemed to be more reserved and quiet. The pedestrian street they chose was just over a kilometer away from New Garden Residential Area in a straight line. Their three Safe Houses were all located in the middle of the street C one was a bakery, one a bubble tea shop, and the last one was a convenience store and fruit shop. As Song Jian examined the buildings they had chosen, he couldnt help but take a closer look at the four teenagers. The shops they had selected held potential to become special Safe Houses, just like Li Keer. He wondered if they might be able to create something similar to the Sunflower Bar. Big bro, our choice of location is good, right? Theyre the largest shops on this pedestrian street. Yan Bo looked incredibly smug. Do you have enough materials? Song Jian asked hastily. Of course! We spent more than a month gathering materials. We barely leveled up at all but collected materials for twelve hours a day. It was even more tiring than studying. Look at my hands; Ive got calluses Yan Bo showed his hands to Song Jian, revealing the thick layer of calluses on his knuckles. Song Jian narrowed his eyes. Yan Bo might be chatty, but he was indeed persistent and tough. It was surprising to see he had gathered materials with his fists instead of using any tools. Alright, good. Lets start building. Song Jian glanced at Yan Bo and nodded. Okay, guys, lets complete the main quest! Ive been stuck in this game for over a month now and really want to get back to the real world. I wonder how worried my mom must be since Ive been missing for more than a month Yan Bo sighed. Dont worry. No matter how long youve been in the game, itll only be one night in the real world, Song Jian assured him. Really? Thats great, you have no idea Lets start building, time is of the essence, Song Jian said, a bit helpless. Alright, alright, well start now. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Four green beams of light shot up into the sky almost simultaneously. Song Jian and Yan Bo were in a bakery, watching Yan Bo control the Safe House creation interface. Soon, the original brick and stone structure of the bakery transformed into a small wooden house with a wooden fence surrounding it. If you have enough materials, upgrade the Safe House to level three directly! Song Jian instructed from the side. But wont upgrading it attract higher-level BOSSes? Yan Bo turned to ask. It wont be a problem as long as you dont upgrade it to the level of a mansion, Song Jian reassured him. Alright, well listen to big bro! Yan Bo immediately upgraded the Safe House to level three, and the surrounding wooden fence became a stone wall. He then set up traps and the Arrow Tower as well. Song Jian glanced at the other three. They had all upgraded their Safe Houses to level three. No special buildings have appeared! Song Jian frowned slightly. He had initially thought that these four would turn one of their chosen buildings into something like the Sunflower Bar, a special building. But it seemed that getting a special building was more difficult than he thought. Big bro, is this good enough? Yan Bo turned to ask. Have you built all your defense structures? If theres anything else you can build, build it all, Song Jian instructed. I can hire a baker, but I have to pay him a salary. He can make bread! Yan Bo suddenly said. I can hire a fruit seller who can sell various fruits! Kong Ning suddenly chimed in. I can hire a bubble tea girl! I can hire a convenience store owner! Song Jian looked startled. Wasnt the hiring system only available after the Safe House was created? How could they hire before completing the task? Could it be related to their chosen locations? Wow, you can hire a girl? Hire her quickly and let us see! Youre so lucky. If I knew, Id have picked the bubble tea shop too! The other three looked on enviously. Hearing about a girl, the initially silent teenagers began to show excitement. Before Song Jian could say anything, the four of them hired their respective NPCs at the same time. A short, bald, chubby middle-aged man appeared next to Yan Bo. Hello, boss! My name is Pig, the baker. Im glad to be at your service! Pig greeted Yan Bo with a smile and a bow. Song Jian glanced at the baker and noticed he was just an ordinary NPC, just like his butler, gardener, and carpenter. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hi, hi, just do whatever you can do for now. Yan Bo wasnt sure what to assign him yet, so he let him do his own thing. Boss, if I had an oven, wheat, and water C ideally some butter and malt sugar too C I could bake the best bread in the world! Pig looked around the empty Safe House with a hint of helplessness. But 1 dont have any of that right now, and I have to fend off these monsters. I wont have time to find these things for you! Yan Bo said, feeling helpless. Boss, do you have Doomsday Coins? Pig asked cautiously, with a smile on his face. Chapter 174 - 174: Nine Entries and Twelve Exits? Chapter 174: Nine Entries and Twelve Exits? Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing the words Doomsday Coins, Yan Bos head ached. The three of them had struggled to scrape together 5,000 coins. Plus, hiring the NPC, which wasnt free, had emptied Yan Bos pockets completely. Now, Yan Bos pockets were even cleaner than his face. No! Yan Bo said expressionlessly, while sneaking a glance at Song Jian, only to find that the latter was even calmer than himself. Well, theres nothing i can do. Bread maker, Peige, shrugged: I can buy these materials from the special store, but I cant do it without Doomsday Coins. Lets get through the creation of the safe house first, well have more Doomsday Coins eventually. Yan Bo gritted his teeth as he spoke. If I have these materials, I can also help Peige muttered under his breath. When Song Jian overheard Peiges muttering, his eyes lit up and he asked, How many Doomsday Coins do you need? Yan Bos face suddenly broke into a smile. Nine in, twelve out. A small loan. What do you say? Song Jian glanced at Yan Bo and suddenly asked. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Brother Song must be joking, right? Yan Bo broke out in a cold sweat. Whats wrong, the money is supposed to come from you, right? Just say if you want to borrow it or not. Song Jian said nonchalantly. Boss, it doesnt take much money. I just need 300 Doomsday Coins. Bread maker Peige said softly. If its for 300 Doomsday Coins, Ill give you 270. Payback 360 in a week. Any problems? Song Jian asked. Ill borrow 400, and I dont believe I wont make any money once we create the safe house! Yan Bo gritted his teeth. Song Jian smiled slightly, took out 400 Doomsday Coins, and passed along a bag of wheat seeds as well. This is a gift. Yan Bos face finally looked a bit better upon seeing the bag of wheat seeds. After giving the Doomsday Coins and wheat seeds to bread maker Peige, it didnt take long for kitchen utensils, such as baking ovens, stoves, chopping boards, and rolling pins, to appear in the safe house. Having turned the wheat seeds into flour, Peige began kneading dough and making bread. Song Jian watched closely, noticing the occasional system prompts popping up in front of him, inducing a slight upward curve of his lips. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Bread, and gained 3 points in Cooking proficiency. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Bread, and gained 2 points in Cooking proficiency. Could it be that the produced bread can temporarily increase character attributes? Song Jian speculated in his heart. In a short while, dough balls were placed into the oven by Peige, who began making biscuits afterward. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Biscuits, and gained 2 points in Cooking proficiency. System: You watched bread maker Peige make Magic Biscuits, and gained 4 points in Cooking proficiency. System: Your Cooking skill has been upgraded to Level 2, and you have gained the recipe Magic Bread C Magic Bread: Food, Usage effect: increases Hunger level by 30 points, Defense by 20% for 30 minutes. System: Your Cooking skill has been upgraded to Level 2, and you have gained the recipe Magic Biscuits C Magic Biscuits: Food, Usage effect: increases Hunger level by 25 points, Attack by 30% for 30 minutes. Indeed, they temporarily increase character attributes. Song Jian nodded slightly after looking at the recipes. Brother Song, lend me 500 Doomsday Coins. 1 want to buy goods in bulk! Brother Song, lend me 300.1 need start-up capital for making milk tea! Song Brother Song, I, I also need 600 Doomsday Coins. I can import a batch of small healing potions from my shop! The last person was Fu Dong, who treated the convenience store as a safe house. Hearing his call, Song Jian couldnt help but shudder. Small healing potions can be bought from the store now? Song Jian immediately distributed the required Doomsday Coins, and soon, there were ding-ding-dang-dang sounds coming from the other three safe houses. Soraya, Kuchi, Morashata Bread maker Peige suddenly recited some inexplicable incantations towards the oven and stove. Song Jian was stunned, but he could feel a mysterious force swirling around the surface of the oven and stove, seeping into the interiors in strands. In a short while, a shocking scene unfolded as the oven and stove automatically opened from the inside, and palm-sized bread and biscuits, which had sprouted tiny limbs, slowly crawled out and lined up on the ground, as if they were soldiers. Soldiers, its time to defend our homeland! Bread maker Peiges face was fierce, making him look like a commanding general of thousands of troops. However, the apron he wore and the flour on his face made the scene somewhat comical. Hooray-, the bread and biscuit people cheered in unison. Master, I wonder if there is any wood and stone left. My soldiers need to make some weapons and siege equipment! Bread maker Peige turned to face them, a pleading expression on his face, contrasting sharply with his previous fierce demeanor. Ho- How much do you need? Yan Bo also seemed astonished, staring at the large group of bread and biscuit people for a long time before raising his head to ask. Not much, not much. Just one unit of each will do. Bread maker Peige rubbed his hands together. Here you are! Yan Bo took out one unit of wood and one unit of stone, placing them on the ground. Lets get started, soldiers! Start making weapons and equipment. Lets fight a beautiful battle! Peige shouted loudly. Hooray-, hooray-, the bread and biscuit people rushed towards the wood and stone that looked like small hills for them, like ants. In a short time, accompanied by a series of ding-ding-dang-dang sounds, the wood and stone were turned into small shavings and formed into helmets, armor, and spears, as well as bows and arrows. What was even more surprising was that some of the little people had gathered to make ladders, movable platforms, lever cranes, and even primitive catapults, while others made stone projectiles from the stone materials. The little people, or rather, the bread and biscuit soldiers, worked at an incredibly fast pace, and in no time, a large number of weapons and equipment were produced. They then split up to carry other people and catapults onto the outer walls of the safe houses using ladders, lever cranes, and movable platforms. Each of them drew bows and arrows, looking ready to fight. At this moment, the green light columns on the surfaces of the four safe houses began to fade. Eventually, the light columns shattered with a crisp sound, turning into fine fragments. The surrounding monsters roared simultaneously and charged towards the safe houses. Chapter 175 - 175: Activation Technique Chapter 175: Activation Technique Translator: 549690339 Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- On the walls, biscuit soldiers and bread soldiers were firing arrows. The rain of arrows shot at the monsters seemed even more terrifying than the arrow towers on either side. Whoosh- Boom! Miniature catapults, only palm-sized, were shooting pebble-sized projectiles. These pebbles, whenever they hit a monster, would leave a bloody hole. Some ordinary level-one zombies were instantly killed if hit in the head. Such power! We might have succeeded in creating one even without uniting, Song Jian murmured, stroking his chin. Turning his head, Song Jian asked the Baker Master Pig, Could you teach me the spell you just chanted? 1 can pay tuition! Sorry, this is our Gnome bloodline magic, the Animation spell. Without Gnome blood, it cannot be learned, Baker Master Pig replied earnestly. Animation spell, is it that amazing? said Song Jian, unable to hide his surprise. At that moment, Song Jian saw that the safety house based on the fruit shop had various kinds of fruits standing on the walls. Pineapples, lemons, pomegranates, apples, watermelons, pears All kinds of fruits, with tiny arms and legs supporting their large bodies, looked somewhat comical. Just like the bread soldiers and biscuit soldiers, they were attacking the monsters outside the wall. Pomegranate soldiers were spitting pomegranate seeds as if they were machine guns. Groups of apples, pears, and lemons were holding hands and flinging their companions toward the horde of monsters. The thrown fruits exploded like bombs, clearing large areas. It was comical to see the watermelon. It was too heavy for any fruits to lift, so it had to bounce off the wall and fall into the monstrosity. A thunderous boom followed, and a red and green mushroom cloud rose. In the tea shop, cups of tea were animated. The wall was filled with cups of teas, thick as arms, their straws continuously spraying tea. The milk tea, once it touched the monsters, seemed more formidable than sulfuric acid. The monsters covered in it silently dissolved into pus, not even leaving a complete corpse behind. On the wall of the convenience store stood a row of plastic soldiers. Animated childrens toys, even tanks and planes, rushed out of the safety house and fired at the monsters. This is just like a fairy tale! Song Jian chuckled at what he was seeing. The monsters were being beaten so badly by these comical soldiers they couldnt even lift their heads. It was just like the game Plants vs. Zombies, with the monsters unable to approach the safety house. Time flew quickly. An hour later, the numbers of monsters were dropping fast. The levels of Yin Bo and the three others all rose to level nine. It seemed that, by the time the safety house was completed, the four could very well reach level ten. Just then, the ground began to tremble slightly. A zombie that looked like a mountain of flesh slowly walked toward the safety house. Every step it took made the ground shudder. Brother Song, the BOSS the BOSS is here. Its up to you now. Yin Bo looked at the BOSS in the distance and uttered with fear. Song Jian looked rather disturbed by the five-meter-tall and six-meter-wide BOSS lumbering in the distance. It was no longer walking, but more like a big meatbail dragging itself over. On its way, regardless of the number of monsters in front of it, it would absorb them into its body, making them part of itself. Its body surface still had many zombies that had not been completely dissolved. Some were two legs sticking out; some were an arm; some were half a body. From afar, it looked like a trash mountain. The worst part was that the BOSS stank tremendously. Before it came close, Song Jian could already smell its horrible stench. Zoomers could probably be the only ones to attack it. Meleers would all run away from it! Song Jian muttered, frowning. [LVio Corrosive Zombie Garmore] (Elite), Vitality Points: 1600/3200, Traits: Super Vitality, Super Smell, Skills: Devouring Dissolution, Poison Splash. Three thousand two hundred vitality points was higher than most of the level ten elite BOSSes, but thankfully it was daytime so its attributes were halved. Even then, one thousand six hundred vitality points were still higher than regular level ten elite BOSSes. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Considering its skills, it probably also had the ability to attack from a distance. Song Jian didnt dare to let it get close. He immediately lifted his rocket launcher; there was no need to aim with the Eye of the Heart. Firing blindly ahead would hit the BOSS, as its movement speed was much slower than ordinary zombies. It could not avoid the attack at all. Whoosh- A rocket shell left a trace in the air as it moved towards the BOSS. As expected, even if the BOSS saw the rocket headed at it, it couldnt dodge and had to stand there as the rocket hit it square in the chest. Boom- The rocket performed an explosion. Suddenly, a large pit appeared on the BOSSS body, along with countless pus mixed with fragments of undissolved monsters scattered everywhere. An critical hit dealt with more than a hundred damage came out of the top of the BOSSS head. Roar- A sharp screech came from the BOSSS mouth as the pus flowed from its body to fill the hole in its chest. The BOSSS eyes were fixed on Song Jian standing on the wall of the safety house, as if it wanted to swallow him in one gulp. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- On the wall, miniature catapults were also firing towards the BOSS, but the pebble-sized projectiles, no matter how powerful, didnt do much damage to the BOSS, causing only about ten points of damage. But seven or eight catapults could deal almost a hundred points of damage at once. If it werent for the slow firing speed of the catapults, Yin Bo might have had a chance to grind this level ten elite BOSS to death. The BOSS looked at Song Jian and suddenly began to inhale, its body swelling up even more. Song Jian felt something was wrong. Before he could fire the second rocket, he quickly jumped off the wall and pulled Yin Bo, who was standing next to him, down at the same time. Brother Song, whats going on? Yin Bo was puzzled. Plop- A stream of pus was sprayed from the BOSSS mouth like a water truck, spraying towards the wall. The bread soldiers and biscuit soldiers on the wall, as well as their war machines, were all melting like ice under a fiery sun. In a short time, only a puddle of pale green, fishy fluid remained on the wall. The wall itself was also slowly being corroded, becoming crumbly and having its defense reduced. This this is too powerful, Yin Bo looked up at the green smoke still billowing from the pus on the wall and uttered in shock and trembling. This BOSS is quite tricky! After saying that, Song Jian jumped back on the wall, aimed at the BOSS, pulled the trigger, and a rocket shell whizzed at it. Chapter 176 - 176: Snatching the monster Chapter 176: Snatching the monster Translator: 549690339 Focus fire, aim all at that BOSS! Yan Bo jumped back onto the wall, swiftly controlling the Arrow Tower on the wall to shoot at the BOSS, not allowing it to approach. If it did, even the Level 3 stone wall wouldnt be able to stop its poison spray. Song Jian also targeted the BOSS. The second rocket whistled out with a Boom, causing over a hundred points of critical damage and blasting off nearly half of the BOSSS body. This BOSSS defense is not that strong, huh? Two hits, two critical strikes? Song Jian muttered to himself. Severely injured, the BOSS roared. Around its body, a fierce tornado started, drawing in all the creatures within a three-meter radius. At this point, the BOSS was among a horde of monsters, and there must have been twenty or thirty of them around it. Within a blink of an eye, it cleared the area, absorbing all the creatures into its body. Slowly, green numbers with a +3, +4 sign started floating above the BOSSS head. Its Vitality Points began to slowly increase. This creature can increase its own health? Everyone was instantly shocked when they saw this. Song Jian immediately pulled out a can of Red Bull and started chugging, and his Spirit Points also started to recover slowly. Brother Song, keep it up! Kong Ning, who was using a fruit stand as a safe house, shouted and threw an apple over. Catching it, Song Jian saw that it was a food item which could recover Spirit Points. He was instantly delighted, as this was far better than increasing the Spirit Point recovery speed. Thanks! Song Jian called out and started munching on the apple. The food didnt need to be completely consumed. All he needed was a few seconds of eating. In no time, Song Jians Spirit Points were fully restored. He tossed away the remaining apple, his vertical eye on his forehead slowly opened, and a dazzling silver beam shot at the BOSS. Bang, bang, bang- For five seconds, each second was accompanied by an explosion. A series of damage numbers popped up above the BOSSS head, and its Vitality Points were rapidly dropping. Song Brother Song, thats amazing. Is it, the Eye of Erlang? Yan Bos face was full of admiration. Good grief, does having an extra eye on the forehead mean 1 am Erlang Shen, Song Jian didnt even want to respond. After five seconds, Song Jian looked a bit tired. However, he could feel that when casting the Minds Eye, the burden was gradually decreasing. It was as if the third vertical eye on his forehead was slowly adapting to his body and truly becoming a part of him. Implantation, implantation. Dont tell me its going to become a part of my body like in the animated series, Song Jian wondered. SongBrother Song, its getting closer! Looking at the increasingly approaching boss outside, Yan Bo felt the urge to turn around and run. The BOSS was terrifying and rather disgusting. It was like a large rotting pile of snot bubbles, continuously rolling on the ground. The Minds Eye was Song Jians trump card, but even after this move, the BOSSS Vitality Points were still approximately half. Wait for me, wait for me to recover my Spirit Points. Then Ill hit it again, and its done! Song Jian pulled out another can of Jianlibao and started chugging. Woo woo- Just then, an air-raid siren sounded from the sky. Looking up, six palm-sized toy planes were diving down from the sky targeting the Level 10 Elite BOSS. Da da da da. A burst of machine gun fire hit the BOSS, splattering pus from its body. Several points of damage emerged above the BOSSS head. Furious, the BOSS spit out a foul-smelling toxic water towards the toy planes flying left and right. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. One plane got drenched in the toxic water, smoke billowing out of it as it crashed into the horde of monsters, triggering a small mushroom cloud. The remaining toy planes executed evasive maneuvers in the air, dodging skilfully. In no time, three bombers flew in from afar. Each bomber was the size of half a desktop, moving very slowly, but flying high, beyond the reach of the BOSSS toxin spray. The remaining five toy planes performed a beautiful curve in the sky, turned around, and continued to dive towards the BOSS. Their machine guns strafed causing more damage, knocking off over a hundred Vitality Points from the BOSS within moments. The toy bombers also slowly flew over. Its bomb bay opened and bombs the size of marbles fell towards the BOSS. Boom, boom, boom- Several dozen bombs hit the BOSS, making it howl in rage. Its resentment towards these toy planes surpassed its hatred towards Song Jian. The BOSSS gaze started tracking these toy planes. After exhausting all their bombs, the three bombers slowly headed back. Just then, seven or eight tentacles shot out from the BOSS, wrapping the bombers and forcefully pulling them down. The toy planes were, after all, not real planes, they were no match for the BOSSS power. They were drawn into the BOSSS body and slowly dissolved. The toy fighters immediately performed tactical flying maneuvers, not daring to get too close. However, the BOSS seemed to have an endless number of tentacles, which densely filled the air like a tentacle monster. The few planes only held on for a dozen seconds before being tangled by the tentacles and pulled into the BOSS. Everyone turned to look at the safe house built on the convenience store. Fu Dong shook his head with a pale face, indicating that there were no more toy planes. Its such a pity. If we had a few more, maybe we could have taken down this BOSS. Yan Bo said regretfully. At this point, the BOSS only had less than three hundred Vitality Points left and was less than ten meters away from Yan Bos safe house. Based on the BOSSS speed, it would reach the safe house wall in at most thirty seconds. Alright, leave the rest to me. Song Jian tossed the empty can and picked up the Rocket Launcher again. Whoosh, whoosh- Two rockets, spaced three seconds apart, exploded on the BOSSS body, inflicting over a hundred and fifty points of damage. Song Jian jumped off the wall, brandishing a dagger to kill a few nearby mutant zombies, a transparent light shield appearing on his body. He held off the monster attacks, and pressed his right hand on the ground. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped energy cluster rushed toward the BOSS, and all the monsters hit by the Earth Teeth Assault suffered over ten points of damage. The Earth Teeth Assault hit the BOSS, just like the BOSS had stepped onto a Landmine. A large amount of pus exploded from its lower body. Song Jian returned to the wall, checked his Mental Strength, and realized that only 55% had recovered. Although it was enough to cast the Minds Eye, there would only be 5% left after the casting. His head was bound to feel uncomfortable for a while. SongBrother Song, its only got under a hundred Vitality Points left. Yan Bo shouted excitedly. Song Jian hesitated. It was not worth spending 50% more Mental Strength to use Minds Eye for that small amount of health. With a dagger, a few slashes would suffice. But close combat with such a putrid BOSS was rather Just as Song Jian was still undecided, a gunshot echoed from afar with a Pang. A large amount of pus splattered from the BOSSS head. Its Vitality Points instantly dropped to zero, and it collapsed to the ground. Chapter 177 - 177: Devouring Belt Chapter 177: Devouring Belt Translator: 549690339 Looking at the BOSS that had fallen like a pile of mud, Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Did someone steal my kill? Following the sound of the gunshot, he saw at a distance atop a building, a man in a black trench coat slowly rising to his feet with a silver sniper rifle in hand. Upon noticing Song Jians gaze, the man smirked at him before turning to go. Song Jian stared at the mans receding figure, a look of surprise crossing his face. This man was level eleven, one level higher than him. Could it be that hes already completed the main quest to become a professional? Otherwise, it wouldnt have been possible for him to level up to eleven. Song Jians face grew darker, suddenly feeling a heavy pressure. Lucky you ran quickly. If you dared fight me for loots, 1 would have beaten you to a pulp! Song Jian sneered, stretched, and casually sat down on the wall to watch Yan Bo. Dont forget to pay me back when the mission is over! Song Jian said to Yan Bo. Boss, 1 still have a part of my mission to complete. There are at least several hundred monsters left! Yan Bo responded somewhat helplessly. As long as there are no level ten elite bosses, the four of you wont have any issue. Song Jian looked at Yan Bos team with a hint of envy. They had been lucky to all get special buildings as their safe houses. The four employees who possessed the revive skill were clearly the perks of having special buildings. Why else would others need their safe houses to be fully operational before they could hire, while they could hire during their creation? Even though I did not learn the revive skill, at least 1 have mastered two recipes and leveled up my cooking skill by one level. Thats not too bad. Song Jian comforted himself, never taking his eyes off the spot where the level ten elite boss died. Following the death of the boss, a piece of blue quality equipment had dropped. Even though he could barely make out what it was, for Song Jian, a piece of level ten blue quality equipment was already a significant prize; Without the level ten elite boss, Yan Bo and the others finally managed to finish their defense without much ado. The whole area around their safe house was packed with dead monsters. When only a few monsters remained, Song Jian rushed over to pick up the blue-quality equipment. Brother Song, congrats on scoring the level-ten blue-quality gear, Yan Bo said cheerfully, not showing envy despite the envious expression on his face. Thank you, thank you. The four of you are at the top of the game now too, Song Jian laughed. Very few players were able to construct their safe houses. Most were still laboriously chopping wood and gathering materials. Not everyone was like Li Keer who had a one-time chance to finish a mission; naturally, the more secure, the better. Ha ha, were doing okay. Were changing this place into a bakery. My pastries can be sold, and its getting tougher to find food. In a while, everyone might have to come here just to buy bread. By that time, well have made a fortune, ha ha! Yan Bo was delighted. Song Jian felt a shock at his heart. He hadnt considered the scenario Yan Bo mentioned, but reflecting on it, the quantity of food available was indeed reducing as of late. However, his cooking skill could sustain him for now. If it ended up like Yan Bo said, with the available food to forage becoming rarer, should he start growing some crops in his manor and hire a cook? Brother Song, it might take me a while to pay you back. Opening up a shop requires a large investment Yan Bo scratched his head awkwardly. After a safe house is constructed, it would still need to be converted into a bakery. This was an advanced feature. The existing safe house was just the basic version. Changing it to a bakery would require a substantial amount of money. Thats okay, pay me back when you have the money. Song Jian shook his head. The 20% interest was just a joke. Just pay back what you owe. Yan Bo and the others eyes brightened up and they beamed, Thank you, Brother Song! Each one of their safe houses had its own unique feature, especially the fruit shop and the milk tea shop that could restore Spirit Points. He was bound to have frequent dealings with them. The 20% interest meant nothing compared to the potential friendship with them. Brother Song, whats the blue-quality gear you got from the BOSS? Show us and let us feast our eyes, Yan Bo asked cheerfully. The other three showed curious expressions.They had never seen a level ten blue-quality equipment before; even level five blue-quality equipment was rare to them. Its just a level ten belt with average attributes. Song Jian said nonchalantly. He then generously displayed the belt and its attributes for all to see. Devouring Belt (Blue), Belt, Equipment Effect: Physical Defense +4, Vitality Points recovery speed increased by 10%. Special Effect: Devouring, recover 5% Spirit Points for every monster killed. Usage Requirement: Level 10. Can the equipment be taken out of the game: No. An equipment that restores spirit points! lveIve never seen one before! Yan Bo exclaimed in surprise. Exactly, without this special effect, this belt would be ordinarily average. But with this special effect, the value of this belt has skyrocketed! Ge Fan adjusted his glasses and said. Behind him was a short, young girl who looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. With cat ears on her head and a long tail behind her, she looked a little frightened by the strange glances thrown her way. Meow- When she saw Song Jian looking at her, the cat girl seemed a little timid, gave a soft meow, and hid behind Ge Fan. This is my milk tea sister that 1 hired. Ge Fan blushed slightly as he explained. Hehehe- The other three people looked at Ge Fan with a weird grin on their faces. They exchanged glances, making the cat girl behind Ge Fan even more scared. Well, Song Jian smiled faintly, equipped the belt, and said to the four: Now that youve created the safe houses, you can add me as a friend in the game. Once you get some money, you can mail it to me in the game. Dont worry, Brother Song. Once we have the money, well mail it to you right away, Yan Bo patted his chest confidently. Alright, Im leaving! Song Jian said, summoning his motorcycle and heading towards the distance. There were already professionals in the game, and Song Jian was no longer in the lead. He had only completed half of the main quest. He still needed to find six combat professional tutors, complete their trial quests, and become a professional himself. The pressure from the sniper who stole the last hit on the BOSS earlier had made Song Jian feel a sense of urgency. There was no time to waste; he needed to finish the main quest as soon as possible. But where can I find the six combat professionals? Song Jian furrowed his brows in frustration. The city was so vast that even the outskirts had a range of several kilometers. He dared not venture any further due to the sheer number of monsters and bosses outside. One lapse in attention could mean death. Just then, a loud explosion could be heard from a distance. A dark mushroom cloud arose, and not long after, a shockwave rushed towards Song Jian. What happened? Did an arsenal explode? Otherwise, there wont be such a powerful explosion! Song Jian squinted, shielding his eyes with one hand until the shockwave passed. Looking towards the direction of the mushroom cloud, he saw the shadow of a massive monster vaguely visible amidst the thick smoke, accompanied by a series of sharp cries. Lets go and check it out! Song Jian turned his motorcycle around and drove towards the direction of the mushroom cloud. Chapter 178 - 178 Black Dragon (Fourth Update) Chapter 178: Black Dragon (Fourth Update) Translator: 549690339 Nearly all the novice zones players were attracted by a mushroom cloud billowing into the sky in the distance and the vague outline of a gargantuan creature appearing and disappearing in the cloud. The monsters size was colossal, almost as tall as a six-story building, with wings spanning at least thirty meters extending from its back. As the mushroom cloud ascended, the creature too was striving to soar towards the sky inside the cloud. Roar- A thunderous roar echoed from afar, instilling a sense of fear in everyone. This was a primal terror that felt like it was emanating from the depths of their souls, akin to a frog being watched by a venomous snake, the dread induced by a natural predator seeping into each individuals cells. The players who originally wanted to approach the beast immediately halted; the creature was not something they could approach at their current level. Or rather, for a long time in the future, they wouldnt be capable of going near such a horrific monster. That that creature it looks vaguely like the dragon from the legends! Professed a player abruptly, pointing at the monster in the mushroom cloud. Upon hearing his remark, everyone looked on and found the comparison more and more convincing, stirring excitement among them. A dragon, a creature from myths, was an apex entity in any game. The ultimate glory for any player was probably to personally vanquish a Giant Dragon. Some people began to stir, even though they shook uncontrollably, their cells continually alerting them of danger, but they couldnt resist the impulse within their hearts. Even a glimpse from far away would be worth it. Some started to run towards the direction of the mushroom cloud. Daytime was the best time for the players to venture out. By nightfall, this city would unequivocally become the monsters territory. Song Jian was the fastest among them. At this stage in the game, it was rare for a player to have a mount or vehicle. His gaze was fixated on the enormous creature tumbling in the air far away, its wings constantly flapping as if trying to thrust into the sky. Yet, it seemed to be restrained by something. Struggling vehemently, its angered roars echoed through the sky. It does look a bit like the Giant Dragon from the legends! Song Jians eyes gleamed. The beast appeared much like a massive lizard, with two curved black horns atop its head, black scales adorning its body, a thick tail ending in a large ball cloaked with sharp bony spines. The distance was too great for Song Jian to check the monsters attributes. He could only continue onwards. He had now entered the region containing level 10 monsters. The roar of his motorcycle drew all the shadow-dwelling monsters towards him, chasing after Song Jian. Despite being left far behind, they didnt give up. As long as they could hear the sound of the motorcycle, the monsters could continue to chase after it endlessly. Even the regular monsters have reached level 10, should I continue ahead? Faced with an increasing onslaught of monsters, Song Jian reluctantly dismounted the motorcycle, stored it away, and hid in a remote alley. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Continuing further might lead to being besieged by the creatures. Even though he was very powerful, Song Jian could not possibly survive amidst hundreds of level-10 monsters, even if they all had their attributes halved. Roar- The roars of the beast grew more intense. Its enormous body moved with surprising smoothness, like a fish writhing. Each inch of its body exuded power. However, it seemed like the gigantic creature was truly being confined by something. After ascending to mid-air, it could no longer fly any higher. The distance was too far for Song Jian to see clearly, but he felt the beast possessed an overpowering sense of tenacitya sense of destructive force. Song Jian was brimming with excitement, every cell in his body trembling. It was a mix of fear and extreme exhilaration. This might be the most terrifying creature in the game, perhaps this is my only chance to see it! Thought Song Jian, Just like the figure that floated on the rooftop, absorbing the essence of the moon before, just like the gigantic skeleton that walked past the window, over a hundred meters tall There were too many powerful monsters lurking in this city. Song Jian had crossed paths with such formidable beasts twice before, and he still remembered the sensation he felt when that enormous skeleton passed down a street only a few dozen meters away from him. Song Jians figure swiftly darted through the city, the low growls of monsters echoing around him. Now, he had ventured into the territory of level 15 monsters. Even though he couldnt see them, he could sense the formidable aura radiating from the monsters nearby. Yet, these monsters aura pales in comparison to the colossal creature in the distance, like a firefly against the full moon. He was getting closer C close enough to see the giant creatures massive eyes. They were a pale golden color, slit pupils like those of a snake or lizard, gleaming with an unusual light. This gigantic creature occasionally exhaled plumes of heated black smoke, even spurting sparks from its nostrils. Its muscles bulged with explosive power, its black scales shone brilliantly, much like steel. However, there was a rope, rough as thick as a finger, tightly circling the colossal beast. Regardless of how much it struggled, it couldnt break free from this seemingly frail constraint. [Lv8o Black Dragon C Erbartlein] (Elite): Vitality Points:58oo/???, Traits: Super Resistance, ???, Fire Element Control, Lightning Element Control, ???; Skills: Vortex Fireball, Tail Whip, ??? Electro-Strike, ??? Its a level 80 Elite Boss, so terrifying! More than half of its attributes are invisible, perhaps I can only see these because its injured, or because its in a fight. Song Jian could feel every cell in his body trembling, screaming, even wanting to bow and worship the beast. This was the reverence of lower organisms for higher ones, at the cellular and genetic level. The closer he got, the more shivers ran through his spine. In the end, he couldnt even muster the courage to take a step forward. The Black Dragon Erbartlein grew increasingly violent, its mouth already starting to conjure a Vortex Fireball. All the monsters within several kilometers disappeared under its terrifying power. Lower level monsters could only run away, incapable of any other action. Its just a monster! No matter how high its level is, it is simply a monster. Monsters exist for players to level up and get equipment, but why am I still so afraid! Song Jians face was deathly pale, sweat pouring from his body, trembling uncontrollably. The vertical pupils on his forehead even opened wide, pushing him to his limit and on the brink of collapsing. Just then, the Hexagram Array on his chest suddenly erupted with dazzling light, its radiance shining through his armor, illuminating Song Jians face. The terror in his heart was being rapidly replaced by rampaging bloodlust. Song Jians face twisted into a fearsome grimace, his eyes gleaming with a lust for blood. Its only a big lizard! Whats there to fear? Kill it, skin it, rip its flesh, scoop out its bones, devour its heart C the Giant Dragon is nothing but my prey! Boom! With a stomp of his foot, Song Jian left cracks in the cement road. He propelled himself towards the Black Dragon in the distance like an arrow loosed from its bow. Chapter 179 - 179: Dragon Hunter Chapter 179: Dragon Hunter Translator: 549690339 At this point, Song Jian was like a humanoid behemoth, exuding a terrifying aura. With each step forward, he moved a distance of seven to eight meters, far exceeding the capabilities of a level ten player; The surrounding monsters continued to increase in level, fifteen, eighteen, twenty. Such levels of monsters where challenging to contend with even at half-strength and with Song Jian at full capability. But now, the mere aura emanating from Song Jian sent these monsters into disarray, prompting them to scatter and flee in panic; The closer he got to the terrifying beast, the fewer monsters there were around. In the end, on the empty streets, only Song Jians racing silhouette remained, crossing over abandoned vehicles and scaling walls with agility. Eventually, he arrived in the Black Dragons sector; Ahead, Song Jian jumped onto a three-story building of a hundred-meter-high skyscraper, tightly gripping the outer wall with his hands. His fingers dug deep holes into the concrete. Descending the rooftop with bare hands, he moved as deftly as a monkey. It was not before long that Song Jian appeared at the topmost part of the tall building. The Black Dragon, still struggling fiercely from its shackles, was less than thirty meters away from him. The thick smoke and sparks spewing from its mouth had already spread to Song Jians vicinity. With eyes full of murderous intent, Song Jians expression softened gradually. He looked around bewildered, as though he had just woken up from a dream; When Song Jian took sight of the beast in front of him, he shuddered, involuntarily stepping back two steps. Only then did he realize that he was standing at the rooftop of a hundred-meter-high building; Looking at his blood-soaked fingers, the memories from before flashed across his mind; Did I climb up here myself? Song Jian looked down and immediately felt dizzy; Who would believe that I climbed up a hundred-meter-high building with bare hands? I cant even believe it myself! After a while, Song Jian finally turned his gaze to the Black Dragon in front of him. At this point, he clearly saw the golden ropes enveloping the Black Dragons body. Some of the ropes had even embedded themselves between the dragons scales, seeping into its flesh. Fresh blood slowly dripped down, staining the entire rope in red, continuously dripping onto the ground; Woo Woo- The Black Dragon roared as it thrashed its wings. But it didnt make any height. Instead, it caused the golden ropes to sink in deeper; Whoosh- Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Another gold rope shot up from the ground. Flying in a beautiful arc in the sky, it coiled around the Black Dragons neck. Next, with a light Bing sound, the rope tightened, forcing the Black Dragon to jerk its head backward. Its massive body teetered backward and nearly lost its balance, on the brink of dropping from the sky; Roar- A resentful roar emerged from the Black Dragon. Muscles bulging, it struggled with all its might to escape, but over a dozen ropes tightly bound it. The other ends of the ropes seemed to be in the hands of a deity, immovable; Song Jian could sense that the aura emanating from the Black Dragon was gradually weakening, and its strength was slowly fading as it continued to bleed; The Black Dragon could no longer maintain its flying position. It crashed into the building next to it making the building collapse from the middle. Amidst the billowing dust, it struggled to get up; Hahaha, this will be the thirteenth Giant Dragon that I, Dragon Hunter Dierdeli, have hunted! A proud voice sounded from below the building. Song Jian looked down and saw a figure raising both hands high. Both her hands donned a pair of dark green gloves. The dozens of golden ropes binding the Black Dragon were shot from these gloves; At this time, Dierdeli controlled the gloves to wrestle with the Black Dragon. It was clear that Dierdeli had the upper hand, but achieving final victory wasnt easy. The Black Dragon just might manage to escape if she was not careful; [LV85 Dragon Hunter C Dierdeli ? Walker] (Elite), Vitality Points: ???, Spirit Points: ???, Characteristics: ???, Skills: ??? Damn it, all attributes except for level, profession, and name are question marks!; However, this was within Song Jians expectations. After all, it took a lot of luck to view other players attributes when they surpassed level ten. Attributes of level twenty monsters could be seen for the most part. With level thirty, you might not even see anything but the name and level. As for level forty, fifty, it was probably too much to ask to even approach; If it wasnt for the battle between the Dragon Hunter and the Black Dragon, if not for the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, Song Jian wouldnt even be able to approach within a ten-kilometer radius. Oh? Theres a human daring to approach the Dragon Hunters battle zone. Amazing! Haha, do you fancy coming down for a chat? Dragon Hunter Dierdeli seemingly noticed Song Jians presence and invited him over; The Black Dragon also seemed to notice the arrival of a third party and roared in anger towards Song Jian. At this point, Song Jian was as insignificant as an ant in its eyes. If it hadnt been for Dierdelis invitation, the Black Dragon wouldnt have even glanced at Song Jian. Song Jian took a deep breath. This was an eighty-five level elite boss. If it werent for her name in green, Song Jian wouldnt dare to approach. Just as Song Jian prepared to descend, the Black Dragon suddenly pounced towards him. Its massive body loomed over like an oppressive storm cloud. Its fierce dragon head opened wide for an attack with seething flames gathering in its mouth. Thick black smoke and sparks spurted from its nostrils, and in its golden vertical pupils, a crazy and brutal expression could be seen. How dare you! A sharp reproach sounded, and the dozens of golden ropes suddenly tightened. The Black Dragons body stalled mid-air, and the Vortex Fireball, originally coalescing in mid-air, abruptly dispersed, transforming into pure fire elements that evaporated into the air. A resentful wail erupted, and the Black Dragons eyes flashed with embarrassment and anger. To it, Song Jian was like a puny ant. Normally, it could obliterate him with one fiery breath, but now, its full-force attack was unable to kill him, which made the Black Dragon feel extremely angry and humiliated; As the golden ropes tightened, large chunks of the Black Dragons scales were scraped off, and its scalding dragon blood sprayed all around. For a moment, it even felt as if the surrounding temperature had risen a few degrees; Just then, the Hexagram Array Diagram on Song Jians chest suddenly burst out with a brilliant light. The dragon blood raining down from the sky was mysteriously drawn towards it, as if an invisible hand gathered all the droplets, channeling them into Song Jians chest; In an instant, Song Jian felt a burning sensation in his chest, as if was being branded with a hot iron. He couldnt help but groan in pain and stumbled forward; Chapter 180 - 180: Dragon Sorcerer Chapter 180: Dragon Sorcerer Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 Song Jian knelt on the ground with one knee, supporting his body with both hands, a sensation like branding iron constantly stimulating his nerves in his chest area, causing his body to tremble incessantly; Waves of heat spread from his chest to his limbs; under his exposed skin, his veins radiated a dazzling red glow, as if blood was replaced by lava. The burning sensation extended from his chest to every part of his body. Song Jians body simply couldnt withstand such torment akin to being scorched. His skin began to curl, a large amount of water evaporated from his body, wisps of green smoke emerged, making it seem as if he would burst into flames any moment. Song Jians Vitality Points dropped drastically. At first, only one or two points decreased every second, but soon it turned into three or four points, then seven or eight, and eventually dozens of points. In just a few minutes, Song Jians Vitality Points had decreased by thousands. If it wasnt for the SSS-grade mission reward, which increased his Vitality Points recovery speed by 500%, he would have already turned into a dried-up corpse. Now, with his own and his equipments Vitality Points recovery speed, Song Jian could restore thirty-eight Vitality Points per second. The rate at which his Vitality Points were dropping was only thirty points per second. As a result, despite his weak appearance, his Vitality Points remained full. Song Jian felt as if he had fallen into a pit of lava, and his consciousness began to blur. He didnt know how much time had passed before a cooling sensation gradually spread from his chest, encompassing his entire body, as if he had gone from being in lava to being in a crystal-clear stream. The burning fire within his body was covered by the cooling sensation; Song Jians body twisted like a cooked shrimp, his face distorted with pain, and his entire body looked like it had been soaked in water, damp all over. Beneath him lay a large white stain, a trace of his evaporated sweat. Whats happening to me? Song Jians consciousness slowly recovered, and his memory had a brief blank. It took him a while to recall that he had come here chasing something, and then Black Dragon! Song Jian was shocked to remember, and immediately got up. Just a few dozen meters away, the huge monster lay gasping atop half a building, its body bound by dozens of gold-glowing ropes. The creatures golden vertical pupils stared hatefully and angrily at Song Jian; Why are you glaring at me? Its not like I hit you, there are other people to blame for your grievances Song Jian suddenly remembered that the person who had beaten the Black Dragon into such a state was standing below, and couldnt finish his sentence. Opening his personal attributes interface, Song Jian saw a faint light emanating from the Hexagram Array Diagram on his models chest. One corner of the Hexagram Star was covered in red blood, looking like a red gem; Song Jian was shocked. He tore open his chest and found that the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest had indeed changed. A brilliant crystal, like a red gem, was now embedded in one corner of the Hexagram Array Diagram; Also, the attributes of the original Hexagram Array Diagram had changed; Night Slayer (Foundation), Category: Integrated Hexagram Array, Usage Effect 1: Boost hosts attack power by 30%; Usage Effect 2: Automatically absorb lunar essence during the night, enhancing hosts physical condition, can also absorb lunar essence in the real world; Usage Effect 3: Morphing into Dark Cloud (active), can turn into a dark cloud, immune to physical attacks, increasing 100% resistance, and fly while dealing (300+200%*Mental Strength) damage to targets within the range, additionally inflicting 50 fire damage per second. This skill is actively cast and can be dispelled early; (Morph into Dark Cloud lasts 15 minutes and has a cooldown of 60 minutes, with 3 Mental Strength consumed per minute.) Usage Effect 4: Can embed six talismans to further enhance strength. Number of embedded talismans: 1/6 Dragon Blood Talisman: Increases 200 Vitality Points limit, increases 100 Spirit Points limit, attacks deal an extra 30 Dragon Might damage, this damage is ineffective against creatures of higher rank than Black Dragon Albatrilaine; My attributes have increased so much? A look of joy appeared on Song Jians face; the original attributes that had only been effective during the night were now unrestricted. The first effects attack power boost had been doubled from 15% to 30%. The second effect, which had been unable to absorb lunar essence in the real world, could now do so. The third effect had removed the restriction on only being active at night while also adding 50 fire damage per second. Most impressive of all, the previously vacant positions for six talismans now held a Dragon Blood Talisman, with an increase of 200 Vitality Points and 100 Spirit Points. Originally, Song Jians Vitality Points were only 400, but now they had soared to 600, which was almost on par with a level five elite BOSS. Meanwhile, his original 70 Spirit Points also increased to 170. My strength has increased by at least a third compared to before; this is amazing! Song Jian clenched his fists, feeling the power surging in his body constantly. His weakened body gradually recovered and grew stronger; Human, youre still alive? Dierdelis surprised voice came from downstairs. Song Jian smiled faintly, activated the Morphing into Dark Cloud skill, and descended from the rooftop to the ground. The originally pitch-black dark cloud now emitted a faint red glow, giving off a dangerous feeling; Landing on the ground, Song Jian dismissed the dark cloud state and bowed to Dierdeli, Thank you for your assistance just now. Im deeply grateful! Just moments ago, the Black Dragon was about to spew Vortex Fireball at Song Jian, but it was stopped by Dierdeli. Otherwise, he would have been reduced to ashes by now; Gods Chosen? Dierdelis eyes lit up, recognizing Song Jians identity. She couldnt help but shake her head in admiration, You truly deserve the favor of the gods, daring to absorb the essence of the Black Dragons blood. Ordinary people who try would have been dead by now, but not only have you survived, you seem to have gained quite a few benefits. Have you gained the Black Dragon Bloodline? The Black Dragon Bloodline? What is that? Song Jian couldnt help but ask in amazement; Legend has it that those who bathe in dragon blood gain a powerful body resistant to weapons, and can even change their bloodline to possess the Dragon Bloodline. Those with a strong concentration of the bloodline can even master some Dragon Language Magic, becoming powerful Dragon Sorcerers! Dierdeli explained. Dragon Sorcerer, is that also a battle profession? Song Jian asked excitedly; Of course! Oh, havent you become a professional yet? Would you like to learn about the Dragon Sorcerer profession? Youve just bathed in the essence of the Black Dragon Albatrilaine, so maybe you have the qualifications to become a Dragon Sorcerer too! Dierdeli said with a smile. Chapter 181 - 181: Injury Chapter 181: Injury Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 Dragon Sorcerer? Song Jian instantly became excited. This profession sounded extraordinarily superior! Yes, its a profession with high requirements for bloodline. Without the Dragon Bloodline, no matter how hard you try, its impossible to gain entry. You should know, a Dragon Sorcerer is a rare profession. Very rare, indeed. Dierdeli said with a taut muscular grip around the golden rope in her hand. A rare profession? Song Jians heart skipped a beat and asked hurriedly, Respected Dragon Hunter, could you elaborate on the profession classifications? Are professions also divided into common and rare? Haha, you dont even know this. Dierdeli laughed heartily and looked Song Jian up and down. She nodded and said, It seems you need a responsible tutor to guide you. However, before that, I can tell you about the profession classifications. In this world, there are all sorts of combat professions. There are ten thousand common combat professions, three thousand elite ones, eight hundred are rare, one hundred and eight are legendary, and seventy-two are epic. Starting from the elite professions, each profession has a limited number. If a profession is full, no one else can take on this profession, unless someone already in the profession dies, creating a vacancy! The Dragon Sorcerer is one of the eight hundred rare professions. The number of people hasnt ever been filled because the entry requirements are too stringent, such as having your Dragon Bloodline concentration above 65% as the lowest threshold. Only those with a Dragon Bloodline concentration of 80%, or even 90%, have the potential to become formidable Dragon Sorcerers! Let me show you first how powerful a Dragon Sorcerer can be, and introduce you to the skills one can possess. Well talk about other things later. Oh, yes, to learn about the Dragon Sorcerer combat profession, you must pass a test first Hmm, let me see, 1 shall pick the simplest assessment for you. Ha, this one it is. As long as you can harm the Black Dragon, I will explain the traits of the Dragon Sorcerer profession to you. Dierdeli looked at Song Jian and added, Now, Elbandrean is severely injured and weakened. Do you have any long-range means of attack? If not, I suggest you give up this test. Even when weakened, a blow from Elbandrean would kill you instantly! System: Dragon Hunter and Combat Profession Tutor Dierdeli has assigned you a test mission: Inflict damage on the Black Dragon Elbandrean; Task Requirement: Inflict damage on the severely wounded Black Dragon Elbandrean; Time limit: 1 hour; Mission Reward: Receive Dierdelis praise, and she will explain information about the profession Dragon Sorcerer; Mission Penalty: Substantial decrease in Dierdelis favorability towards you, lose an opportunity to learn about the combat profession Dragon Sorcerer. Looking at the task bar, Song Jian found that completing this test mission would mean half the main mission is completed. He just needed to gain explanations from combat profession tutors five more times, then apply for a selected combat profession. Tutor Dierdeli, I happen to have a weapon suited for ranged combat, Song Jian said with a smile. He hoisted the Rocket Launcher. After unleashing a Hearts Eye skill on the Black Dragon Elbandrean, a giant blood-red crosshairs began scanning up and down the dragons body. Dierdeli seemed a bit stunned, detecting something. She turned to look at Song Jian, a smile creeping up on her lips. After a long while, the crosshairs finally stopped, locking onto the Black Dragon Elbandreans right eye. Bang- Song Jian pulled the trigger. A silver-glowing rocket flaming a long tail behind it, aimed for the Black Dragon Elbandreans right eye. In this shot, Song Jian had loaded the Rocket Launcher with 50% Invisible Sword Qi. He dared not add more, fearing it might break the Rocket Launcher again. Seemingly sensing danger, the Black Dragon opened its mouth wide and slightly tilted its head back. Elemental fire gathered in the air, quickly forming a fireball that spun like a nebula. Song Jians heart sank. If hit by the dragons Vortex Fireball, the rocket would surely explode and cause no damage to the Black Dragon. Dierdeli gave a subtle smile and yanked back the rope in her hands. Suddenly, dozens of golden ropes glowed brilliantly and pressed into the dragons flesh. Clack- Clack- The Black Dragon Elbandreans blood burst forth anew from its wound. A mournful dragons cry was heard as the Vortex Fireball, which was just about to form, collapsed instantly, turning into a cluster of shooting stars and a pillar of thick smoke jutting from the dragons mouth and nostrils. The rocket traced an arc in the air, pierced through the thick smoke, and aimed for the Black Dragons right eye. Boom- With a loud crash, the rocket hit the right eye of the Black Dragon. Instantly, a damage number of over thirty floated above the head of the Black Dragon Elbandrean. Huh! Dierdeli wore a surprised look on her face and turned to Song Jian. You actually managed to deal thirty-two points of damage. Thats truly astonishing. Oh, why do you say that? Song Jian could not help but ask in surprise. Well, you are only level ten, and Elbandrean is a level eighty elite BOSS. Even in his injured state, you could not possibly break through its defenses! The strength of a dragons body is harder than steel. They dont fear firearms. Even I can only slowly wear it out, depleting its energy and vitality to inflict damage. This process sometimes lasts for several hours, even days, just to kill a single dragon! I thought at best you could deal it one point of damage, but I didnt expect Hehe, impressive! Dierdelis face bloomed in admiration and nodded towards Song Jian. System: You have completed Dragon Hunter and Combat Profession Tutor Dierdelis test mission, and won Dierdelis favor! Now, let me take you into the Explanation Space for combat professions and allow you to comprehend the formidable strength of the Dragon Sorcerer profession! With that, a blur crossed Song Jians vision, and he found himself in a special space. Song Jian had been in this space before and did not exhibit any surprise. Only he was present in this space. Dierdeli had not entered with him. Quickly, Dierdelis voice resonated in the space. Along with her voice, a character appeared in the space, clothed in a long, golden robe and holding a Magic Staff made from dragon vertebrae. Chapter 182 - 182 Forbidden Dragon Bloodline Chapter 182: Forbidden Dragon Bloodline Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 In the spacious battle guidance Explanation Space, Dierdelis voice rang in Song Jians ears. As her voice sounded, the screen in front of him showed a man holding a Dragonbone Wand and wearing a golden robe, entering a battle state. Dragon Sorcerer, a powerful profession that utilizes the energy from burning their own dragon bloodline to master multiple draconic spells! Not only do they have an extremely high physique, but they also possess incredibly powerful magic! Bang- In the screen, swarms of monsters rushed toward the man, their numbers akin to a tidal wave. The man waved his hand, and a large number of ice spikes appeared out of thin air, covering a range of more than ten meters. Within this area, it was a forbidden zone for life; all creatures were completely frozen, some even pierced by the ice spikes, dangling in mid-air. This is the Dragon Sorcerer with the Ice Dragon bloodline, who can develop the power of ice to the extreme! In the screen, large flakes of snow fell, countless ice spells flew out from the hands of the sorcerer, reaping the lives of numerous monsters. A few minutes later, the man suddenly raised both hands as his body began to float. Surrounding him, ice crystals appeared and encircled him. Behind him emerged a gigantic white dragon phantom, and endless frosty aura emanated from his body. Finally, with him at the center, layer upon layer of ice crystals fell from the sky, and everything within sight turned into a vast expanse of ice and snow. All monsters transformed into ice sculptures, shattering to pieces. The entire world became an endless icy landscape. Ice Sealed Thousand Miles! This is one of the forbidden spells that the Dragon Sorcerer with the Ice Dragon bloodline possesses! The scene changed, and a man in a black robe appeared at the center of the screen. On the surface of his exposed skin, black dragon scales emerged, and his eyes turned into golden vertical pupils. When the Dragon Clans bloodline within a Dragon Sorcerers body exceeds a certain level, their body will be strengthened by the Dragon Clans genetic power, gaining a physique comparable to a giant dragon. At the same time, their body will partially transform, becoming a half-dragon! In the screen, facing the oncoming tide of monsters, this man charged right into them. His hands transformed into enormous dragon claws, effortlessly tearing the surrounding monsters apart. The monsters attacks couldnt penetrate the defense provided by his dragon scales, and he was like a tiger among a flock of sheep, causing a bloody massacre among the monsters. Only Dragon Sorcerers can have such a formidable body and powerful spells at the same time. The scenes in the screen kept changing, and each person with a Dragon Bloodline who became a Dragon Sorcerer possessed incredibly powerful capabilities. Song Jian even saw someone transform into a Giant Dragon in the screen; its boundless Dragon Flame burnt all the monsters to ashes. After more than ten minutes, Song Jian emerged from the Explanation Space but was still immersed in those scenes, his blood boiling with excitement. This was the profession he desired; comparing Musketeer, Street Thug, or Armed Miner to it was like comparing trash to gold! System: You have found a battle profession mentor and learned about the Dragon Sorcerer profession. Main Quest progress: 5/10. The progress of the Main Quest had advanced once more; after finding five more battle profession mentors, this quest would be completed. Is this the power of rare professions? Are all rare professions so powerful? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Thats right, this is the power of formidable rare professions. Those that can be called rare professions have similar power. Other rare professions also have their own strengths. So, are you interested in the Dragon Sorcerer profession? Dierdeli revealed a smile at the corner of her mouth and asked Song Jian. Its so powerful! Song Jian exclaimed, his heart filled with longing for the Dragon Sorcerer profession; Haha, this profession is indeed very powerful, but you must have the Dragon Bloodline to become one. Come, let me see how much of the Black Dragon Albertines essence blood you absorbed and how much it transformed. Dierdeli said. What do 1 need to do? Song Jian asked with an eager expression. Drip some blood out! Dierdeli said; Song Jian immediately cut his finger, and blood gushed out; Dierdeli was taken aback and looked up at Song Jian. Then, she wrapped the golden rope around her arm, freeing her palm, and a painful roar of the Black Dragon could be heard in the distance; Dierdeli grabbed Song Jians right hand and put the bleeding finger into her mouth to suck; Impossible! How can this be? Dierdelis face was full of astonishment; What, whats wrong? Is there something wrong with my body? Song Jian immediately became nervous; Just now, I clearly saw that your body absorbed a lot of Albertines essence blood, and your body has been significantly strengthened. Why, why isnt there a trace of the Black Dragon Bloodline in your veins? Dierdeli exclaimed in surprise. Even if it cant reach a concentration above 65%, it shouldnt be completely absent. Could it be that it has weakened to the point where it cant even invade the bloodline of an ordinary person? No, the powerful genes of higher-order beings cannot be resisted by lower-order beings. Even if its weakened, its impossible for not a single trace of bloodline to be transformed! Dierdeli muttered to herself, seemingly contemplating something. Upon hearing Dierdelis words, Song Jian understood that the Black Dragon Essence Blood he had absorbed was all transformed into the Dragon Blood Talisman by the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, without merging with his own bloodline. His body had become stronger because he had absorbed the Black Dragon Essence Blood, and his Night Slayer (foundation) attribute had become more powerful, enhancing his physical constitution; Could it be that you also possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline? Dierdeli suddenly brightened her eyes, as if she had discovered a treasure, and examined Song Jian up and down. Forbidden Dragon Bloodline? What is that? Song Jian couldnt help but ask curiously; Hahaha, I didnt expect to find a Forbidden Dragon Bloodline bearer in this abandoned city! Dierdeli laughed heartily, and her attitude towards Song Jian became even more friendly. The Forbidden Dragon Bloodline is a bloodline that has the ability to isolate the genetic invasion of higher-order beings. How one obtains this bloodline, no one knows, and those with this bloodline appear no different from ordinary people! Dierdeli explained: But this bloodline can isolate the invasion of higher-order bloodlines, such as the Dragon Clan, the Elf Clan, etc., and can draw power from these higher-grade bloodlines! You have to know that after being invaded by the bloodline of other high-level beings, if your willpower is not strong enough, you will gradually lose your self-consciousness and eventually become like a wild beast. For instance, Dragon Sorcerers can only control more power when their dragon bloodline is more concentrated, but the more concentrated the dragon bloodline is, the more it affects the Dragon Sorcerers. Many powerful Dragon Sorcerers ultimately cant withstand the endless erosion of their bloodline and lose their self-consciousness, becoming half-dragon beasts! Dierdeli sighed. Holy shit, its that dangerous? Song Jians eyes widened, and he immediately lost interest in the Dragon Sorcerer profession; Chapter 183 - 183: Assessment Task Chapter 183: Assessment Task Translator: 549690339 | The side effects of the Dragon Sorcerer profession made Song Jian somewhat apprehensive. Although powerful, the more powerful the profession, the greater the possibility of becoming a humanoid dragon beast. Song Jian could not imagine what it would be like when the concentration of dragon blood in his body reached one hundred percent. Would that still be considered a human? Thinking back to the professional explanation space where the warlocks with dragon horns on their heads, dragon scales all over their bodies, and ferocious faces like wild beasts, he had thought they were cool at the time. But now it seemed that those people might have been tortured to the brink of collapse by the Dragon Clans bloodline, becoming half-dragon beasts! Its too dangerous, too dangerous!1 Song Jian shook his head and said. Yes, in the pursuit of their own strength, humans will lose many things and in the end., they do not know whether it s worth it or not! Dierdeli sighed lightly. Respected combat mentor, can you explain the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline in detail to me? Song Jian asked. Although he was sure that the reason he was not affected by the dragon blood was mainly due to the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest, it wouldnt hurt to learn more about the content of this game. He might encounter someone with a Forbidden Dragon Bloodline in the future; As I mentioned earlier, the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline can prevent the erosion of higher-level creatures bloodlines. In this world, when people think of powerful creatures, their first thought is often the Dragon Clan. So, this kind of bloodline that can prevent high-level bloodline invasion is called Forbidden Dragon Bloodline. However, in reality, there are too many creatures at a higher level than the Dragon Clan, and this ability to prevent the bloodline of higher level creatures is extremely rare! Dierdeli shook her head. If I possess such a bloodline, would I be able to take on an even more powerful profession? A bright idea suddenly flashed through Song Jians mind, and he couldnt help but ask. Hehe, youre right! Dierdeli looked meaningfully at Song Jian and said: I am someone who possesses the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline! You, a Dragon Hunter? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Haha, yes, a Dragon Hunter. Only those with the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline are qualified to become a Dragon Hunter! Dierdeli said proudly; I wonder if the mentor could explain the Dragon Hunter combat profession to me? Is it also a rare profession? Song Jians eyes lit up. Perhaps he could learn about another combat profession today; Haha, only those who possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline are qualified to learn about the Dragon Hunter profession! Dierdeli laughed: The Dragon Hunter is not a rare profession, its a legendary profession! Im looking forward to the day it becomes an epic profession! Anticipation appeared on Song Jians face as he stared intently at Dierdeli. Dierdeli smiled at Song Jian, as if looking at a successor. Ive heard of the Dragon Slayer technique. Are Dragon Hunters the ones who possess the Dragon Slayer technique?1 Song Jian asked curiously. Haha, Dragon Slayer technique? Only fools would claim to have mastered the Dragon Slayer technique. If such a guy can survive for two days, itd be a miracle. The true art of slaying dragons is not as simple as rushing into a dragon lair and challenging a dragon one-on-one! You have to track the Giant Dragon through endless wilderness, sneak up on it without being noticed, and strike it down when its least prepared. Speaking about the Dragon Slayer technique, Dierdelis face was filled with disdain. She gestured to the dying Black Dragon in the distance, Look, a true Dragon Hunter should be like me, hunting real Giant Dragons! A look of admiration appeared on Song Jians face. Dierdeli nodded and smiled, Do you want to learn about the Dragon Hunter profession? Do you want to become a real Dragon Hunter? Song Jian nodded eagerly; sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then go to the lair of Albertlean and steal a Black Dragon egg for me! Dierdeli whispered. System: Combat profession mentor and Dragon Hunter Dierdeli issues you a challenge: Dragon Hunters Test; Task requirements: Enter the lair of the Black Dragon Albertlean and steal a mature Black Dragon egg; Task time limit: 1 hour; Task reward: Obtain Dierdeiis appreciation and teach you about the profession Dragon Hunter; Task penalty: Greatly reduce Dierdeli s favorability towards you, lose a chance to learn about the combat profession Dragon Hunter1; Task tip: Dragon Hunter is a legendary profession, please take the test seriously! Going to the Giant Dragon Lair? Stealing a dragon egg? Song Jian was shocked, but quickly realized that the Black Dragon Albertlean, who was on the verge of death, must have the safest lair right now. I dont know where its lair is. Im afraid 111 waste time if I cant find it! Song Jian said. Take out the map! Dierdeli said. Song Jian took out the map, and Dierdeli lightly pointed at it, saying, The place marked with a black mark is its lair. You need to speed up, as time is not very abundant! Once Albertlean dies, the dragon eggs it laid will shatter right away! Is it really that magical? Song Jian wondered in his heart. Alright, 111 go now! Song Jian glanced at the map, put it away, summoned his motorcycle, and drove to the marked location. Dierdeli watched Song Jians figure, nodding her head and saying, After more than a hundred years, I finally meet someone with the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline, and hes also a God-favored one. It seems that the Dragon Hunter profession can continue to be passed down in my hands! Albertleans lair was about seven or eight kilometers away from where it and Dierdeli had fought. The Black Dragon Albertlean had moved away from its lair, perhaps out of fear of harming its offspring. On the way, Song Jian didnt encounter a single monster. It seemed that the battle between the Black Dragon Albert lean and Dragon Hunter Dierdeli had driven all the surrounding monsters away; It was worth noting that the area was inhabited by level 30 monsters. Any ordinary monster could cause serious trouble for Song Jian. The level suppression at level 20 would cause Song Jians damage to be reduced by more than sixty percent; Driving his motorcycle at breakneck speed, Song Jian saw traces of destruction everywhere. Many roads were blocked by collapsed buildings, forcing Song Jian to take detours and waste some time. Twenty minutes later, Song Jian stopped his motorcycle in front of a cinema building. The only sign that it was a cinema was the large neon sign that read Eastern Cinema. The entire building was covered in a thick layer of steel, through which Song Jian saw traces of trains, cars, and other materials. It seemed that the Black Dragon Albertlean had collected all the steel it could find and melted it together with its Dragon Flame to create its lair; Before he even got close, Song Jian felt a wave of heat. Inside the building, which was covered in molten steel, there seemed to be a volcano ready to erupt, emitting rolling waves of heat; Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the building; Chapter 184 - 184: Black Dragon Hatchling Chapter 184: Black Dragon Hatchling Translator: 549690339 The closer Song Jian got to the building, the higher the temperature rose. He even felt as if the air around him was on fire. Once inside the building, Song Jian realized that there was no sign of any modern civilization. The building interior was like a deep cave with walls and pillars wrapped in thick rock. The rocks glowed with a dark red light, fissures branched out like veins, oozing a sticky red liquid. The liquid flowed slowly through these fissures, all converging into a bowl-shaped nest in the depths of the hall. The nest, with a diameter of more than ten meters, was carved out of hot stone, glowing with heat. Embedded on its surface were fist-sized mineral crystals. A thin golden string connected these crystals, their arrangement giving off a sense of a magic array. The closer one got, the more dangerous it felt. The bowl-shaped nest was like a pot filled with boiling magma, constantly churning in the nest and illuminating half of the great hall with a dark red glow. Song Jian did not know how the black dragon managed to source so much magma in such a modern city. It seemed that the magma was continuously heated, never hardening. At that moment, Song Jians gaze fell back on the surface of the nesting chamber. Could it be that the magic array, built from numerous mineral crystals, was heating the magma? Inside the nest stood three black dragon eggs, each taller than a person. Their surfaces emitted a blue glow, dotted with flickering silver lights, looking like stars. There are actually three black dragon eggs. Dierdelis test only required one. Could I take two for myself? Suddenly, a surprised smile appeared on Song Jians face. Song Jian briskly headed toward the Black Dragon Nest. Suddenly, the mineral crystals on the surface burst into brilliant light, sending a wave of heat spreading in all directions. Within moments, the temperature in the building rose drastically. Song Jian immediately felt as if he had entered a gigantic steamer, his Vitality Points started to drop rapidly. Thump- A heatwave swept over him, filling the entire hall. Song Jian had nowhere to hide and could only use his arms to protect his face. He lowered his body slightly, taking the blow head-on. Boom- The heatwave hit him, causing his body to shake. A burning pain transmitted from his skin, with a fire damage of more than a hundred points floating above his head. He was during the burning negative state. Burning (Level 1): causes the target to lose 10 Vitality Points per second, lasting for 60 seconds. Upon checking his Vitality Points, Song Jian was startled. He had just lost 180 Vitality Points. If it had been another level ten player, they would have been killed instantly. As for the level one burning status, with his current Vitality Points recovery rate, he could practically ignore it. Song Jian started making his way to the enormous nest in the deepest part of the hall, more than twenty meters away from the entrance. Just as Song Jian was about to approach the nest, the mineral crystals on the surface shone again. Another wave of scorching heat surged towards Song Jian. -218 Fire damage of more than two hundred points floated up above Song Jians head. The closer he got to the nest, the greater the damage he suffered. At the same time, the burning status that was originally at level one had now been raised to level two; the bleeding rate per second had increased from ten points to twenty points. At this point, Song Jian felt a sense of nervousness. Regardless of how quickly his Vitality Points were recovering, the two attacks he had just suffered cost him 400 Vitality points. Thankfully, The Dark Slayer (Foundation) had absorbed the Black Dragons Essence Blood and condensed the Dragon Blood Rune, adding 200 Vitality Points to him, otherwise, he would have been killed by the previous attack. The recovery speed was more than 500% of his Vitality Points, allowing him to maintain more than 300 Vitality Points and continue to recover at a speed of ten points or more per second. I am already suffering from a Level 2 burn. By the time it reaches levels three or four, my Vitality Points recovery rate will be offset. Then Ill be left with certain death and no chance of escape! Song Jian felt a sense of urgency. His life was in danger, he needed to act quickly. Just as Song Jian was less than a meter away from the nest, the mineral crystal on the surface once again emitted a dazzling light, this time at a shorter interval than the previous one, and the light was even more blinding. What was almost a substantial wave of fire had condensed into giant fire dragon illusions on the surface of the nest, rushing in all directions. Song Jians heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped by a giant hand. His pupils contracted abruptly. With a single thought, his figure disappeared instantly, replaced by a giant black cloud with a diameter of more than five meters. Whoosh- S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A fire dragon illusion passed through the black fog. A fire damage of 150 points rose above the black fog. Song Jian drew a long breath, having transformed into a dark cloud, his magic resistance increased by 100%. If he hadnt reacted quickly, the fire damage of this attack would surely have exceeded 300 points. Coupled with the third-degree burn, it would have definitely killed Song Jian. Fortunately, having transformed into a black cloud, he only suffered slightly over a hundred points of damage, and the burning condition was still only at level two. Song Jian didnt hesitate and immediately flew into the nest. Just as he was doing so, one of the dragon eggs close to the edge of the nest began to shake dramatically, and cracks started to form on the eggshell. Crack, crack- The sound of cracking echoed, and the dragon egg hatched completely in just a few seconds. A reddish, four-legged lizard that hadnt even opened its eyes climbed out of the egg, and fell directly into the magma. To Song Jians surprise, the dragonling hatched from an egg taller than a person was only the size of a palm. When the hatchling fell into the magma, not even a bubble surfaced, the shattered dragon egg also slowly fell into the magma, dissolving out of sight. Only two out of the three eggs are left? Surely this hatchling wont be scorched to death by the magma. Song Jian looked at the churning magma and thought to himself. Just as Song Jian was intending to grasp the other two dragon eggs, a red figure burst out from the magma. The palm-sized hatchling looked like a lizard with wings, and its scales gradually changed from red to green. There were only two bumps on its head, and the dragons horns had not yet grown out. [LV1 Black Dragonling] (Elite): Vitality Points, 200/200, Spirit Points: 50/50; Traits: Flame Strengthening, Low-Level Magic Immunity; Skills: Dive, Claw Clash, Flame Ejection. The black dragon hatchling, still dripping with magma, stared at the black fog above its head, feeling a sense of kinship from the fog. Mama! The black dragon hatchling bellowed at the black fog. Chapter 185 - 185: Dragon Egg Chapter 185: Dragon Egg Translator: 549690339 This little Black Dragons cry of Momma left Song Jian somewhat dazed. Could this little guy be a fool? He cant even distinguish between men and women! Song Jian thought to himself sarcastically. However, he quickly realized that he was currently just a mass of black mist, and there was certainly no distinction between male and female in this state. Whoosh, whoosh- The little Black Dragon flapped its tiny wings against its back and pounced towards the black mist that was Song Jian. Song Jian was startled and hurriedly dismissed his black mist mode. Even if the Black Dragon cub was first-rate elite, with the current damage of the black mist, it would only take a few seconds to turn the cub into a dead dragon. Standing at the edge of the nest, Song Jian gazed at the two dragon eggs in the lava and gritted his teeth as he jumped directly into the lava, swimming towards the nearest Black Dragon egg. As he entered the lava, he immediately activated the main skill of the Guardian Sword, the Knights Faith. A transparent light dome enveloped him, and his 500-point defence began to visibly decrease. A few seconds later, Song Jian rushed to a dragon egg, held it with both hands, and put it into his inventory. Another dragon egg was only five or six meters away from him, and the defence of the thought field shield had dropped to below two hundred. If he went to retrieve the remaining egg, the shields defence would definitely drop to zero, causing him to fall into the lava. Song Jian didnt think he was capable of swimming in lava given his current physical condition. When the Black Dragon cub saw the black mist disappear and transform into Song Jian, it looked at him with a bewildered expression, but quickly sensed a familiar bloodline from Song Jian. It flapped its wings and flew towards him. Splash- The little Black Dragon plunged into the lava, struggling constantly to swim towards Song Jian while continuously crying, Momma, Momma After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian immediately swam back to the edge of the nest. The moment he climbed up, the protection shield shattered, and his vitality points recovered significantly, now restoring more than seventy percent of his vitality points. As the Knights Faith skill was in cooldown, Song Jian began to walk along the edge of the nest towards the edge closest to the last dragon egg. As soon as the Knights Faith skill cooldown ended, he could retrieve the last dragon egg. Although he didnt know what the dragon eggs were for, anything that Dierdeli wanted was surely priceless. Momma, Momma! The little Black Dragon hopped out of the lava again, following right behind Song Jian, and closely following him along the nests edge. This little creature, I wonder if it could drop some equipment if killed. Though, Im afraid itd only be first-class equipment, which is not particularly valuable. Perhaps I should level it up to level ten and then kill it? Song Jian looked at the little Black Dragon that was constantly following him and calculated in his mind. Song Jian knew that many creatures would acknowledge the first creature they saw upon birth as their parent. He was surprised to find out that even the superior Giant Dragon species had such an inclination. However, the wisdom of a Giant Dragon was incomparable to other creatures. Once this little Black Dragon grew up, it would not take long for it to realize that Song Jian was not its parent, and it would inevitably attempt to kill him. As Song Jian was contemplating the Black Dragon cub following him, all of the glittering crystals on the surface of the large bowl-shaped nest shattered simultaneously. Instantly, the golden patterns on the nest surface dimmed, the surrounding temperature decreased rapidly, and the lava in the nest began to solidify. The fiery red lava turned into black hard rocks in a matter of seconds. The dragon egg sinking in the lava also became dull and lifeless, the silver glow that was previously bright as stars was gone, and the dull surface covered with a thin layer of rock texture became lifeless. All of this happened so suddenly that Song Jain was taken aback. When he reacted, everything had already ended. Song Jian was amazed and couldnt help stepping onto the lava that had solidified in the nest. The touch from his feet confirmed that the lava had indeed solidified into volcanic rock. At this moment, Song Jian heard a sorrowful dragon chant coming from a distance. It seemed that the Black Dragon, Elbatrilion, had sensed something. Song Jian approached the last dragon egg. It had blended into the solidified lava, devoid of any luster, without any sign of life. Oh, what a pity! Song Jian shaking his head, he could feel that this dragon egg seemed to have turned into a stone. The dragon inside died before it could be born. Momma, Momma! The Black Dragon cub flying around him kept shouting at him, making him somewhat annoyed. Poof- A spark of flame sprayed on Song Jians face. The Black Dragon cub sneezed at him, looking at him innocently. It looks like Im going to develop a new recipe! Song Jian caught the Black Dragon cub and tried to stuff it into his inventory. However, he found that no matter what he did, the Black Dragon cub could not be put into his inventory. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Living organisms cannot be put into the inventory. If the Black Dragon cub is a living organism, then isnt the Black Dragon egg? Or does it not count if it hasnt hatched yet? Song Jian wondered. He was relieved that if the Black Dragon egg was also considered a living organism, he wouldnt be able to put it in his inventory. A Black Dragon egg as tall as a person weighs at least a few hundred pounds. How would he transport it to Dierdeli in the first place? Momma, Momma! The Black Dragon cub seemed to have a limited vocabulary. Perhaps due to the game mechanics, it only knew this single word. Song upheld the cubs neck and brought it to eye level, the Black Dragon cub was obviously uncomfortable and was struggling with quite some strength. Song Jian thought for a moment, took out a piece of Zombie meat from his inventory, and passed it to the cub. To his surprise, the Black Dragon cub bit the flesh and began to chew on it. Within moments, a chunk of Zombie meat almost the size of its body was fully in the Black Dragon cubs belly. Burp- A puff of black smoke mixed with sparks spewed out of the Black Dragon cubs mouth and nose. Then, breaking free from Song Jians right hand, the Black Dragon cub flew onto his shoulder. Its four claws firmly grabbed Song Jians clothes, and it nestled against his shoulder and fell asleep. This little guy is quite audacious. Song Jian shook his head, turned around, and walked out of the nest. Chapter 186 - 186: Failure Chapter 186: Failure Translator: 549690339 After a long while following Song Jians departure from Black Dragon Albatleons nest, the Black Dragon egg that had already turned into rock cracks with a round of shattering sounds. Finally, it becomes a pile of stone fragments scattered on the solidified lava; A hatchling, the size of a palm and in earthy grey colour, clumsily crawled out. With a sturdy body, the hatchling spread its two flesh wings that were as long as an arm, looking much like a huge bat; This grey hatchling, covered in grey scales, had a pair of eyes like two dull stones, stumbling on the lava field. Having stood for a short while, it fell again, its limbs struggled against the rock ceaselessly with sharp claws that left trails and trenches; Wha~ A roar echoed as the earth elements swiftly gathered in the mouth of the little dragon, and a stone spike over a foot long abruptly appeared, shooting towards the front, and blasted a giant hole at the rim of the bowl-shaped nest; This earth attribute hatchling seemed startled, puzzled for a while, and with flapping wings and paddling limbs, it crawled to the rim of the nest. In no time, it stood on the edge of the nest, gave a strong jump, vigorously flapped its wings, took to the air shakily. Looking back at the shattered stone egg in the nest, it turned its body and flew outward. In a short time, it disappeared into the city; Dierdeli looked with amusement at the Black Dragon hatchling climbing on Song Jians shoulder. The hatchling C its belly bulging, tightly clutching Song Jians Legion Armour with its four claws, and laying limp C intermittently exhaled a puff of black smoke mixed with sparks from its nostrils and mouth as it breathed; Black Dragon Albatleon was already gone by then. Only traces of the previous battle remained in the distance: collapsed high-rises, bricks, and stones melted by the scorching flames, with black smoke billowing everywhere; Is that Black Dragon dead? Song Jian curiously asked; Dead! Dierdeli shrugged and said: Did you get the dragon egg? To ensure you secured the dragon egg, I held back for a while before slaying it. You should know, once a Black Dragon is dead, all dragon eggs in its nest would be destroyed! I had just arrived, and this little guy was hatched already. There were two more dragon eggs, but I could only retrieve one; the other one is destroyed and turned into a stone egg! Song Jian pulled out the Black Dragon egg from his inventory, instantly, a giant egg over a person-high appeared beside him; Hey, you are lucky then! Dierdeli chuckled while taking out a palm-sized cloth bag. She scooped towards the dragon egg, putting away the person-high egg directly into the bag; Spatial equipment! Dierdeli showed the cloth bag in her hand to Song Jian, saying: I know you chosen ones naturally possess this sort of equipment, certainly more convenient than us. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, are you sure you want to raise this Black Dragon hatchling? You should know, the legacy of a Black Dragon is etched in its bloodline. As time passes, they will become more and more intelligent, be careful it may retaliate! Dierdeli cautioned, glancing at the Black Dragon hatchling sound asleep on Song Jians shoulder. One day, it will know you are not its kin. Its strange; you dont have a shred of Black Dragon Bloodline in you, why is it so close to you? I dont know either Song Jian scratched his head. Despite what Dierdeli said, he couldnt bear to kill this little guy. Okay, lets talk about the characteristics of a Dragon Hunter profession. Dierdeli shook her head and directly pulled Song Jian into the Explanation Space, starting to explain the characteristics of a Dragon Hunter; System: You have completed the trial of Dragon Hunter Dierdeli, greatly improving your favorability with Dragon Hunter Dierdeli; Dierdeli reveals information about combat job Dragon Hunter to you; Song Jian stayed dumbfounded for more than half an hour in the Explanation Space before emerging, shocked. After all, it was his first time encountering a Legendary Level profession. Indeed, a Legendary Level profession was inherently far stronger than other jobs; Just the professional inherent abilities alone were four, including absorbing dragon blood to enhance ones attributes, thus increasing attack, critical damages, and movement speed. When confronted with dragon-type beings, it can induce a sense of fear in them, lowering their defenses, and increase damage inflicted on them. After killing each Giant Dragon, a random perpetual status would be granted; The skills of a Dragon Hunter were numerous and immensely powerful. Just the core skills alone tallied up to dozens, and most importantly, all these core skills could be learned directly from Dierdeli, saving a lot of trouble; System: You have found a combat job tutor, understood the relevant content of the job Dragon Hunter, completed the mainline task 6/10; How is it? Interested in becoming a real Dragon Hunter? Dierdeli said with a beaming smile, sensing that Song Jian was already tempted. Of course, I wish to become a Dragon Hunter! Song Jian said excitedly. This was a Legendary Level job after all. In the entire game, there were only five spots available for becoming a Dragon Hunter. Once one spot was held, there was one less spot. Currently, three players had already become Dragon Hunters, only two spots left. Song Jian estimated that these three players were likely NCPs, as no player had yet become a Dragon Hunter; Then let me help you change your profession now! You will soon be a Dragon Hunter! Dierdeli smiled; But I have not yet completed my mainline task. I need to understand ten combat jobs before turning into one. Song Jian said with hesitation; No problem, you can first turn into a Dragon Hunter, then go understand other jobs. It wont conflict! Dierdeli explained. Alright. Lets get started. Song Jian drew a deep breath to calm his agitated feelings; Dierdeli raised her right hand, resting it on top of Song Jians head, and began chanting. Suddenly, a desolate and ancient voice rang near Song Jians ear, while different scenes appeared before his eyes. They were scenes of Dragon Hunters chasing Giant Dragons on the Wilderness, each Dragon Hunter wielded different weapons; some held spears emitting a blood-red aura, some held huge battle bows taller than a person. There were even those carrying a sniper rifle on their shoulder that had an opening as big as a fist engraved with complex Magic Runes Song Jian even saw a Dragon Hunter equipped with a pair of gauntlets identical to the one on Dierdelis hand, but that person was not Dierdeli; Just then, a sudden bang echoed near Song Jians ear. The scenes before his eyes shattered like glass, and in front of him appeared Dierdelis astonished face; Failed, it failed. How did it fail? Dierdeli muttered to herself, seemingly encountering such an event for the first time; Chapter 187 - 187: Chat Channel Chapter 187: Chat Channel Translator: 549690339 Seeing Dierdelis expression, Song Jian felt his heart sink, and it suddenly occurred to him that in order to become a Dragon Hunter, one must possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline. The reason why he had misled Dierdeli was because he had absorbed the Black Dragon Bloodline, but his own bloodline did not contain any trace of the Black Dragon Bloodline; Im done for. She misunderstood. Im not at all of the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline. The reason why 1 wasnt tainted by the dragon blood was mainly because of the Hexagram Array Diagram on my chest. The Black Dragon Essence Blood was all transformed into Dragon Blood Talisman by it, so there isnt a trace of Black Dragon Bloodline in my veins, but I still have the aura of the Black Dragon Song Jian thought to himself; Mentor, whats the situation? Song Jian asked softly; There was a trace of exhaustion on Dierdelis face as she looked meaningfully at Song Jian. After a moment, she shook her head slowly, without saying a word. She took two steps away, and then a golden rope suddenly shot out from her knuckle duster, wrapping around a distant building. Dierdeli leaped up with a sudden burst of speed, using the ropes force to fly into the air. Her other hand then shot out another rope towards the distance, and she moved like Spider-Man, disappearing into the steel jungle with a few flashes of her body; Song Jian sighed as he watched Dierdelis retreating figure, feeling at a loss. He didnt want to deceive Dierdeli, and he was also very interested in the legendary profession of Dragon Hunter, but unfortunately, he simply didnt have the qualifications to become one; Roar- Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a monsters roar from not far away. A creature resembling an ape emerged from a building; LV30 Mutated Ape Beast (Ordinary): Vitality Points: ???, Traits: ??? A level 30 monster! Song Jian was startled. Although absorbing the Black Dragon Essence Blood had greatly increased his strength, a monster that was twenty levels higher than him was still somewhat difficult to handle. Clearly, after the Black Dragon and Dierdeli had disappeared one after the other, more and more monsters would appear in this area. If he were to get entangled with this level 30 monster and end up surrounded by other monsters, Song Jian would have no way out; With that in mind, Song Jians body tensed up as he stared intently at the giant ape-like creature not far away; Unexpectedly, the Mutated Ape Beast just glanced at Song Jian from afar before turning around and running towards the building that the Black Dragon had demolished. It moved on all fours with incredible speed, and in no time, it climbed onto a chunk of concrete and seemed to be sucking on something; Song Jian slowly retreated, his figure disappearing from the area. In just a few minutes, he saw seven or eight level 30 monsters, rushing towards the location of the previous battle. Even when they saw Song Jian, they appeared not to care, as if they had more important things to do; Even at a distance from the area, Song Jian could still hear the faint sounds of monstrous roars and battles in the distance, as if they were fighting over something; Perhaps its the blood of the Black Dragon, or maybe its the shattered muscle tissue of the Black Dragon. Those monsters will gain even more powerful strength if they devour these things, and they might even have a chance to become Dragon Beasts! Song Jian thought to himself; This area was simply too dangerous, with high-level monsters everywhere. It was easy to lose ones life by being careless. Song Jian carefully dodged the monsters, narrowly avoiding being surrounded several times, but luckily he managed to escape using his Morphing into Dark Cloud ability; By the time Song Jian returned to the level 10 monster area, nearly two hours had passed. When he had first set off, it had only taken him a few minutes to reach the area, but now the return trip had taken him almost two hours; Although it was dangerous, the rewards were great. Ive made significant progress on the main quest, and even got a Dragon Blood Talisman! Song Jian looked at the Dragon Blood Talisman in his character attributes and smiled; The increase of two hundred Vitality Points and one hundred Spirit Points had brought about a tremendous change in Song Jians strength. With six hundred Vitality Points and a 500% Vitality Point recovery rate, he could now recover more than thirty Vitality Points per second. Even when facing a large group of monsters, he could charge in and kill a few times. It could be said that he was now in a dominant position in this level 10 monster area. However, since his Experience Points were now locked, killing more monsters wouldnt allow him to level up. His attention was now focused entirely on finding a combat profession mentor; At this moment, Song Jian noticed that there was someone talking in the chat channel; World Channel: (Zhao Lin) Haha, Im finally level 10! Let me gloat for a bit! Why isnt anyone saying anything? Could it be that Im the first level 10 player in the game? Haha, Im so proud! World Channel: (Wang Hai) 1 reached level 10 three days ago, bro! World Channel: (Zuo Zhiqian) Reached level 10 five days ago, bro! World Channel: (Su Zhi) Two days ago, 1 saw someone solo a level 10 Elite BOSS, can you believe it?! World Channel: (Zhao Lin) Ah, so many people have reached level 10 already, how embarrassing! Song Jian looked at the chat and smiled faintly. The chat channel was only accessible after reaching level 10, and when Song Jian had reached level 10, other players were still at lower levels. It had only been a few days, and now there were already so many level 10 players. Moreover, these players must have also completed the second main quest and created their safe houses; I just dont know if theyve come across the job-related main quest yet Song Jian thought to himself: If someone can access the job-related main quest, we might be able to share resources. Just then, someone in the chat channel suddenly asked about the information on combat profession mentors; World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Does anyone know about the combat profession mentor information? This main quest is so difficult. Ive only found two combat profession mentors in the past week Song Jians heart leaped with joy, and he quickly inquired in the chat channel; sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. World Channel: (Song Jian) Bro, Im doing this quest too. Are those two combat profession mentors still in their original places? How about we exchange information? World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Sure, the two combat profession mentors I met were in a small villa courtyard next to Building 3 in Meidi Community C one is a boxer, and the other is a wandering monk with a profession in martial arts. However, that wandering monk has been gone for a long time now, so you can only try your luck at Meidi Community. That boxer is actually a rare profession, so 1 might choose it if 1 dont find any better options. Bro, what about yours? World Channel: (Song Jian) Do you know Sunflower Bar? Theres a bouncer named Zuo Ya who can give you information on the Street Thug profession. Also, this bar sometimes has wandering NPCs. Last time 1 met one, I got information on the Musketeer profession; Song Jian thought for a moment and continued; World Channel: (Song Jian) Do you know the Terrifying Underground Boxing Arena dungeon? Its a level 1 secret realm, and there are three bosses in there. If you can make it to the third level, theres a boss named Jia Ke Si who can give you the Weapon Master profession, which is also a rare profession; World Channel: (Jiang Hong) All, thank you, Brother Song! It seems like youve almost completed the quest! Well, actually, 1 know of another combat profession mentor, but the test for that mentor was too difficult, and 1 failed. However, that person seems to not have left yet Chapter 188 - 188 Ancient Martial Arts Master Chapter 188: Ancient Martial Arts Master Translator: 549690339 The test from the combat mentor is too challenging, failed? Song Jian was taken aback and asked hurriedly, Is that combat classes mentor still around, where is he now? World channel: (Jiang Hong) Brother, do you know the Tianfeng Building? That combat mentor is on the rooftop, dressed in black and carrying a long sword on his back. He seems like a swordsman or something, but all his attributes are hidden, you cant even see his level or name! Song Jian chatted in the channel for a while and found out that it seemed only Jiang Hong had encountered a professional task, others had just finished creating safe houses. He didnt exclude the possibility that some of them refused to share their experience with the combat mentor in the chat channel. Closing the chat channel, Song Jian decided to head first to the villa next to building number 3 in the Meidi district to look for that martial arts master. That should be easier. As for the Tianfeng Building, Song Jian found its location on the map. That area was teeming with level 15 creatures, and there might be a chance of running into a level 15 elite boss. Even for him, he would have to be careful. Song Jian placed his Black Dragon hatchling, who was sleeping soundly, in the villa and set off alone towards the Meidi district. The Meidi district wasnt far from Camel Square. Along his journey, Song Jian even found a few players who had also successfully set up safe houses. However, their safe houses were only level one and had no particular features. It was just a simple wooden wall and house. They didnt look very strong against wind and rain. He wondered how they managed to withstand the monsters attacks. As Song Jian arrived at the Meidi district, he saw seven or eight players surrounding a villa far ahead the moment he entered the districts gate. There were only five or six people in the chat channel just now, didnt expect so many people to be lurking! Song Jian thought to himself, and quickly made his way towards the villa. Guys, stop crowding here, Master Han isnt awake yet. Even if you guys huddle around here, its pointless. Master Han doesnt take disciples lightly. A teenager who looked about 13 or 14, dressed in dark blue clothes and sporting short hair, stood outside the villa with a helpless look, talking to the players around them. Lad, we just wanted to know more about the career characteristics of the martial arts master Han Hai. We dont necessarily want to become his disciples. Can you give us some leeway, or tell us about the career characteristics of the martial arts master Han Hai? a player who was tall and thin like a bamboo pole shouted out loudly. Yeah, Young man, how about you tell us about the career characteristics of the martial arts master Han Hai? the other players echoed. They had only come to complete the main task, they didnt necessarily want to become the disciples of the martial arts master Han Hai. Song Jian looked up to see that the boy was shaking his head and saying anxiously, Im just an apprentice, whos only been learning for two years. Im not qualified to be the combat mentor for you people. It seemed that the boy was not that naive. Despite his young age, he was not easily fooled. He knew what these players wanted. However, he was just an apprentice and had no qualifications to become a combat mentor. He would not help the surrounding players complete the quest by telling them about the professional characteristics of the martial arts master. The system just wouldnt recognize it. Song Jian thought for a moment and began sizing up the villa in front of him. The villa was about four or five hundred square meters and consisted of three courtyards. It was walled with red bricks on the outside, and there were several single-story houses inside. It had a front yard and a backyard. The building style wasnt that of a western-style stand-alone villa. Instead, it had the feel of a rural courtyard, with red bricks and tiled roofs. The courtyard was filled with bamboo plants and a few fruit trees. By the sound of it, there seemed to be a stream flowing. Song Jian went round to the backyard and faintly heard the sound of someone practicing martial arts, the sound was produced by the swift movement of the disembodied air by fist swings and sleeve movements. Song Jian made a slight jump, caught hold of the wall, and slowly peeked his head in to look inside the courtyard. The backyard had been converted into a practice field where a man in his forties was practicing martial arts. He was wearing a moon-white long gown, the lower part of which was tucked around the waist. [LV35 Ancient Martial Arts Master C Han Hai] (Elite) Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Attributes: High resistance, High defense, Swift, Air-tearing; Skills: Ancient martial arts (Advanced), Rhinoceros Fist, Burst Fist, Hurricane Fist. Watching Han Hai practice martial arts with such discipline, his movements fluid and his demeanor tranquil, filled Song Jian with a sense of excitement and utter thrill, he even felt as if he was a part of it. Suddenly, Master Han Hai stepped forward abruptly, shattering the green brick underneath his foot. Pieces of broken stones scattered, he then waved his hand and several pieces of broken stone flew towards Song Jian, who was laying on the top of the wall with half of his head sticking out. Song Jians body plunged downwards, hiding behind the wall, leaving only one hand grasping the top of the wall to support his body. The sound of the stones flying past his head, was terrifyingly sharp, causing Song Jians scalp to tingle. Since he had been discovered, Song Jian didnt bother to hide anymore. With a strong push of his hand the whole body leaped above the wall as if he were a large bird and landed within the courtyard. Song Jian made a fist salute and said to Han Hai, Master Han! Young man, youre nimble. But did you know, its taboo to spy on someones practice? Han Hai said in a deep voice as he appraised Song Jian up and down, with his hands behind his back. Im sorry, Master Han, I just wanted to understand ancient martial arts, so I came uninvited. I wonder if Master Han could explain it to me? Song Jian said frankly. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All of youah, forget it, since I cant avoid it, lets discuss it together. Follow me! Han Hai sighed and headed out, shaking his head as he went. Song Jian followed Master Han Hai towards the front yard, passing through a walkway. There was a fake mountain pond on the side, the creek was babbling, and there were even a few koi fishes waving their bodies and occasionally splashing water in the pond. At the end of the walkway was a moon gate. Passing through the moon gate, both of them came to the front hall. Song Jian could already faintly hear the clamor of the players in front. The heart is not sincere or calm. How can martial arts be practiced well? Hmph, 1 wont accept such people as my disciples! Han Hai frowned as he looked at Song Jian and said. Feeling somewhat helpless, Song Jian just followed closely behind Han Hai as they arrived at the front yard. Pushing open the courtyard door, the figure of Martial Arts Master Han Hai appeared outside the small yard. Right now, his disciple was already sweating, and if it werent for him having a higher level than these players, he might have already been unable to stop the players from entering the villa. When the disciple saw Han Hai coming out, he let out a sigh of relief, and his face eased up. He hurried forward to bow and said, Master, they Han Hai waved his hand and said, I know all about it; you back down. His disciples backed off, and the surrounding players became quiet seeing the master outside, but their gazes all landed on Song Jian standing behind Master Han Hai. Chapter 189 - 189: Fine Iron Boxing Gloves Chapter 189: Fine Iron Boxing Gloves Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 Whos this guy? Why is he following the boxer around? Did he already become a disciple, becoming a student of Han Hai the Boxing Master? I just saw him. He arrived later than us. How could he have become a disciple? A crowd murmured quietly, Han Hai the Boxing Master swept a glance across the crowd, his gaze sharp. He lightly shook his head and shouted loudly, Are you all here to worship, to learn boxing? The crowd of players around him were mainly just beginning their professional quests. They didnt wish to choose the first profession they came across as their own, but didnt want to say they were just here to learn the ropes, so they all fell silent. Only the tall and thin one who spoke earlier glanced around, then stepped forward and said, Master, we want to understand the characteristics of the boxer profession first, then well compare it with others to see if were really suitable for learning boxing. If we are suitable, well naturally become disciples of yours and learn boxing skills! Yes, yes, we first need to understand it! the others exclaimed in conjunction. Well, thats fine. However, if you want to understand the profession of an Ancient Martial Arts Master, you must pass my test. Those who fail the test do not have the qualifications to access this profession! Han Hai the Boxing Master declared, his face displaying high arrogance. Were willing, were willing! the crowd chanted altogether. Alright, then go fetch me ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves. As long as you can complete this task, 1 will explain the characteristics of the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession to you! Han Hai the Boxing Master waved his hand and continued, Fine Iron Boxing Gloves can be dropped by the Iron Fist Zombies, although the drop rate is somewhat low, I hope you can hold out. Now go, stop standing around me! All the players simultaneously received a system prompt. System: Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai has issued you a challenge: The Boxers Test. Task Requirement: Hunt Iron Fist Zombies and obtain ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves; o/io. Time Limit: 3 hours. Rewards: Receive commendation from Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai and information on the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. Punishment: Greatly reduce Han Hais positive sentiments towards you, lose an opportunity to learn about the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. Damn, Iron Fist Zombies? Thats a Lvl 15 creature. One punch from it can decrease my vitality points by forty or more someone muttered in disbelief. A Lvl 15 monster? Are you serious? Is this test that hard? Song Jian was taken aback, immediately opening the chat channel. In it, people had already begun to privately message Jiang Hong to ask about the situation. World Channel: (Pan Ming) Brother Jiang Hong, are you there? Whats this boxing test you mentioned last time, is it to get ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves within three hours? World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves? No, the test 1 had was just to hunt ten ordinary Lvl 10 creatures. There was no time limit, and it was very easy to complete. World Channel: (Zhou Guang) What? You only had to hunt common Lvl 10 creatures? Why is our test so hard, requiring us to hunt Lvl 15 creatures? Why is there such a big difference between people? World Channel: (Jiang Hong) Lvl 15 creatures? Iron Fist Zombies? Heh, I wish you guys good luck. The World Channel was filled with wails of despair, however, since they had already accepted the quest, they had no choice but to try. Although Lvl 15 creatures were powerful, in the daytime, when their attributes were halved, they were only as strong as Lvl 7 or 8 creatures. Just after Han Hai the Boxing Master issued the task, Song Jian immediately summoned his motorcycle and rushed towards the area where the Iron Fist Zombies were located. That guy has a motorcycle already? How did he get it? Do monsters drop motorcycles? Did he make it himself or did a monster drop it? Are there mechanical monsters now? Impressive, there are so many experts in this game. It looks like hes already strong enough to solo Lvl 15 creatures, otherwise he wouldnt be in such a hurry! Soloing Lvl 15 common creatures isnt too difficult, we should all be able to do it. But obtaining enough Fine Iron Boxing Gloves from killing creatures within three hours Thats a bit more challenging! Those who had already leveled up to Lvl 10 were players with considerable strength, typically possessing two or three attack skills. With enough caution, they should be able to solo a Lvl 15 creature. Anyone want to team up? Were safer in a group, and most importantly, it will speed up our hunting! someone shouted. Does this game have a team setting? How are the drops distributed? In this game, as long as you inflict damage to the monster, even just a little, you are entitled to loot. As of now, there werent any team mechanisms for hunting in the wild, so once a monster was killed, chaotic looting was likely to occur. Lets take turns picking up! Trust in luck. Whoever gets the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves can keep them! That sounds good, Im Lvl 10 and have two long-range attack skills. Anyone want to team up with me? Outside the villa of Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai, several Lvl 10 players started forming teams in a lively and noisy manner. Seven or eight players ultimately formed three teams, preparing to head towards the area where the Iron Fist Zombies resided. The number of people in a team shouldnt be too few. If its too few, hunting becomes difficult. Conversely, if its too many, taking turns picking up loot means it might take a long time to have a turn, making efficiency potentially worse than solo hunting. Most people formed teams of three. While they were still busily forming groups, Song Jian had already arrived in the area inhabited by Iron Fist Zombies on his motorcycle. This area included a multi-purpose six-story mall, next to it was a three-story New China Bookstore, and in front was a plaza with a fountain. Long wooden benches were placed around the edge of the plaza. At this time, there were three or four people sitting around the fountain in the middle of the plaza. In front of each of them was a black cloth laid out with several objects flashing with colored lights. After checking their levels, Song Jian noticed that these people were all Lvl 10, their equipment completed and they looked rather capable. Huh, another ones come. Looks like well have to work harder, there are more and more Lvl 10 players! A player who was bored from manning his stall saw Song Jian approaching and his eyes immediately lit up. The other players followed suit. Weve been in the game for over a month now, and should have leveled up to Lvl 10 just from grinding monsters, not to mention the task of creating a safe house One of the players next to him snorted, But the ones who dare to come to a Lvl 15 monster area to farm are few and far between! Exactly, were five levels ahead in grinding. Other players at most dare to hunt Lvl 10 or even weaker creatures! Hey man, come take a look! All Lvl 10 equipment here, and also some rare materials. Certainly something will catch your interest! One of the players shouted towards Song Jian. Lvl 15 creatures dont necessarily drop Lvl 15 equipment, they could drop equipment from a lower level. But the lower the level of the equipment, the better the quality. The black cloth in front of the player was laid out with several green-quality Lvl 10 equipment pieces that caught the eye. Chapter 190 - 190: For Forging Chapter 190: For Forging Translator: 549690339 Song Jian walked up to a few stalls, swept a glance around, and his eyes immediately lit up; What are these boxing gloves made of? How much are they selling for? Song Jian asked, pointing at a few Fine Iron Boxing Gloves placed in front of a stall. Fine Iron Boxing Gloves (white), function unknown. My friend, you have good taste. This is a white-quality forging material, capable of producing level 10 blue-quality equipment, these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves are raw materials. They can also increase the success rate of forging. How about it? Want to buy a couple and test them out? Theyre cheap anyway, even if the forging fails, you wont lose much! The stall owner quickly said with a smirk. Can it really be used to forge level 10 blue-quality boxing gloves? Song Jian showed a skeptical expression, clearly unconvinced. Of course, look at its attributes. Even though its functions are unknown. But just from its name, you know. It can definitely be used to forge a full set of valuable materials. You can buy one for just five Doomsday Coins here. Even if you fail, how much would you really lose? It can be considered as spending money to buy forging proficiency, you wouldnt be at a loss! The man was insistent; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian nodded and said, Alright then, Ill buy all five Fine Iron Boxing Gloves here. I need to rush to practice my forging proficiency. Even if forging fails, I can still gain some proficiency points from the white-quality materials. Thats the spirit, bro, you absolutely wont regret it! The man was grinning from ear to ear. These Fine Iron Boxing Gloves were practically useless, and could only be sold back to the system store for one Doomsday Coin. They werent even forging materials. If they were thrown onto a forge, the system would just prompt this item cannot be forged. Hey, mate, I also have three Fine Iron Boxing Gloves here, Ill sell them to you for five Doomsday Coins each. To level up your forging skill, youll need lots of materials! Someone nearby quickly chimed in; Fine Iron Boxing Gloves could drop with a certain chance after killing an Iron Fist Zombies. Ever since these people reached level 10, they had been hunting monsters here, killing at least a hundred Iron Fist Zombies with each of them getting several Fine Iron Boxing Gloves. Song Jian bought all the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves from the stalls near the fountain, totaling twenty, costing him a hundred Doomsday Coins. After making his purchases, Song Jian was not in a hurry to leave. He glanced at the few people and asked, Have you guys completed your Safe House creation task? Yeah, we have. What about it, bro, havent you finished yours? Need materials? I still have some wood and stone! The man who first sold Song Jian the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves brightened up, and quickly asked; No, I was just wondering. Youve all accepted occupational tasks too, right? The one that requires finding ten professional Combat Mentors? Yeah, we all took on that mainline task. But finding Combat Mentors in this city is such a time-waste, we might as well level up while searching. Maybe well get lucky and bump into one! Someone else joined the conversation; Have you encountered any Combat Mentors? Song Jians eyes lit up. He had already found seven Combat Mentors and still needed three more. If he didnt count the one that Han Hai mentioned which failed the test, he still needed two more to complete the task; Nope, leveling up is more important. Ive leveled up to 56% of level 10 now. The amount of Experience Points required after level 10 is too high, otherwise, we wouldnt have to come here to hunt higher level monsters! No, no, this city is just too dangerous. Wandering around aimlessly, we might accidentally stumble into a monster nest. We wont even know how we died then. Lets just stick to leveling up by hunting monsters and leave it to luck. Yeah, weve already been grinding here for three days, and we havent even gained one level of Experience Points. This game is too hard! The stall vendors voiced their complaints one after another; Song Jian shook his head, it seemed that these guys were all crazy monster grinders. They didnt even know that their Experience Points would be locked and couldnt increase beyond level 10 if they didnt complete the occupational task; After glancing into the distance, Song Jian placed one Fine Iron Boxing Gloves in front of him and patiently waited; Hey, mate, arent you going to practice your forging skill? What are you doing here? The man next to him asked curiously. He looked at the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves in front of Song Jian and didnt understand what Song Jian was trying to do. Oh, 1 didnt learn the forging skill Song Jian said casually. Then you are Hey, bro, do you know what these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves are used for? Someone finally realized, and quickly asked. Hehe, youll know soon enough! Song Jian said with a laugh; Everyone exchanged looks, all having a bad feeling about this. What is that thing used for? The man who initially tricked Song Jian looked at the boxing glove in front of Song Jian with a puzzled face, muttering to himself; Didnt you say it increases forging proficiency? A man next to him gave him a sideways glance. Bullshit, wasnt I just advertising, just like the beef in the instant noodle commercials! Theres nothing about it in its attributes anyway. Anyway, I feel like, at five Doomsday Coins, you definitely sold it at a loss. Wonder how much this kid here is going to sell it for! Wait and see, an unknown function white item, how high can he sell it? I think five Doomsday coins are reasonable, What if its worth ten! Then we lost five! Song Jian listened to their muttered comments, smiled to himself, soon he saw a group of people running over from a distance. The Iron Fist Zombies should be around here, wonder if the drop rate is high. Three hours seems a bit tight! What if the drop rate is high? Maybe one Iron Fist Zombie can drop two, after all, it does have two hands You have a point, lets try it! Hey, look over there, someone is selling items. Isnt that a Fine Iron Boxing Glove? I wonder how much its for. If its cheap, we could just buy ten directly to complete the task, right? This guy looks familiar! Isnt he the guy who stood behind Fist Master Han Hai, and rode on a motorbike? Upon seeing Song Jian, and then looking at the boxing glove in front of him, they were all left speechless; How much are you planning to sell this boxing glove for? Someone tentatively asked; Lowest price fifty Doomsday Coins, highest bidder gets it! Song Jian said nonchalantly. Hiss- The nearby vendors gasped. The Fine Iron Boxing Gloves they sold for five Doomsday Coins each were now being resold for ten times the price. This was out of this world! Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Those Fine Iron Boxing Gloves, level 15 regular monsters drop them, fifty Doomsday Coins, youd have to be crazily poor. A man at one of the stalls folded his arms, sneering; Exactly, what a joke! The crowd showing disdainful expressions towards Song Jian. Why dont you try and kill them yourself to see. Song Jian remained unfazed, smiling; Lets go, lets go. Theyre only level 15 monsters, theyre nothing special, lets kill them ourselves! Right, well kill them ourselves. I refuse to believe that we cant get the items to drop! The crowd headed towards the distant high-rise building. It was daytime now, and the Iron Fist Zombies were all hiding somewhere not exposed to sunlight. The shopping mall opposite and the New China Bookstore next door were obviously places where the Zombies gathered; Song Jian wasnt in a hurry. He silently watched as the crowd entered the high-rise building. Soon enough, the sound of battle could be heard from inside. Chapter 191 - 191: Now We Have to Set a Price Chapter 191: Now We Have to Set a Price Translator: 549690339 Fifty Doomsday Coins, youre really selling them for that much! A man next to Song Jian gaped at him. Its not that hes selling them for fifty, its that the price starts at fifty Doomsday Coins, do you know what starts at means? Another person interjected. Hes acting as if this is an auction. The materials dropped by a level fifteen common monster are being sold for such a high price! Indeed, but it seems everyone here needs this thing. I wonder what theyre using it for It must be useful, we just dont know what for. However, fifty Doomsday Coins, heh heh A few people were whispering to one another nearby. By now, they had realised that this Fine Iron Boxing Gloves must have a significant use, otherwise, these people wouldnt have rushed over so hurriedly. Hey, bro, could you tell us what these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves are used for? A man with a stall leaned over to Song Jian and asked softly. This man was Miao Hong, the one who initially misled Song Jian by saying that the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves could enhance his forging experience. They are used for forging and can produce level ten blue-quality equipment. Even if you fail, it will still boost your forging experience! Song Jian glanced at him and responded coldly. Miao Hong: Was he mad at him? He had initially thought that Song Jian was an easy mark, but it turned out that Song Jian was pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger, tricking them all. But fifty Doomsday Coins, you dare to bid that price Miao Hong said, shaking his head. An enigmatic smile appeared on Song Jians face as he suddenly turned his head and asked, If I told you they all have a task requiring ten Fine Iron Boxing Gloves each, and these need to be obtained within three hours, no, now its two hours and forty minutes, would you say that one Fine Iron Boxing Glove is worth fifty Doomsday Coins? It depends on the reward for that task. If the reward is a silver-quality weapon, Id dare to bid five hundred Doomsday Coins for these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves! Miao Hong was instantly excited. Its just a profession initiation task, a test set by a combat profession mentor! Song Jian said indifferently. What, a combat profession mentor? Where? Its been nearly a week, and we havent even encountered one combat profession mentor. Damn it, this game is too difficult to play Miao Hong looked shocked. What, Xiao Miao, you have information on a combat profession mentor? Where? Dont hog it, lets go together! Upon hearing this, a few vendors nearby also became excited and gathered around. Next to House No. 3 in the beautiful residential district, theres a villa courtyard where an Ancient Martial Arts Master named Han Hai resides. Song Jian generously shared the location of the combat profession mentor with them. Bro, youre generous. If I were you, 1 would sell one boxing glove for at least a hundred Doomsday Coins. You know, our survival here depends on the few of us fighting for four days to get this Miao Hong gave Song Jian a thumbs up, hastily packed up his stall and ran towards the beautiful residential district with the others. Song Jian smiled faintly. In fact, when he was buying these Fine Iron Boxing Gloves, he had already calculated their drop rate in his heart. It was too low. Probably Han Hai, the Martial Arts Master, had also ignored these people, hence choosing such a difficult test task. Otherwise, why was Jiang Hongs test task easy and theirs so difficult? Not much later, Miao Hong and the others, who had previously teamed up to hunt the Iron Fist Zombies, returned, grinning from ear to ear, and set up their stalls again. What happened Song Jian looked surprised. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Haha, for some reason, the test task given to us by that Ancient Martial Arts Master, Han Hai, was to get twenty iron fist badges. These are also dropped by Iron Fist Zombies, but their drop rate and that of the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves cant be compared. After killing ten Iron Fist Zombies, at least eight or nine Iron Fist badges will drop. Weve already collected a bunch, which allowed us to complete the task right away, haha! Miao Hong said, laughing heartily. I think the profession of the Ancient Martial Arts Master is pretty good, powerful moves, cool actions. When you reach levels 30-40, with one punch, you can wipe out a large group of monsters. Simply formidable! someone nearby said, laughing. I also think its pretty good. Dont forget, in this game, you can take your skills out, so in the future, I might even be able to become a World Boxing Champion for fun! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. These people were first-timers in dealing with combat profession mentors. In reality, each combat profession mentor showcases the strongest sides of their profession. They tend to gloss over the weaknesses and shortcomings of the profession. If you dont specifically ask, they wont tell you. Initially, when Song Jian first exposed his Musketeer profession, his blood boiled with excitement, and he wished he could assume the Musketeer profession immediately. But after truly understanding the Musketeer profession, he instantly lost interest in it. Though Song Jian has not actually been exposed to the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession, this profession is merely a good one. Its not even a rare profession, let alone comparing it with the legendary profession of Dragon Hunter. Its definitely inferior. Therefore, Song Jian was not very interested in the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. He only wanted to complete Han Hais test task for the sake of completing the main line task. Actually, up till now, the profession that Song Jian truly wanted to pursue was the legendary profession, Dragon Hunter. However, the more powerful the profession, the greater the restrictions to qualify. The Dragon Hunter required one to possess the Forbidden Dragon Bloodline, which Song Jian hardly had, hence he couldnt qualify for this legendary profession. Alas, what a pity! Song Jian shook his head, glanced at the two core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession in his skill bar, and immediately became excited again. The unique ten professions: Immortal, Demon, Holy, King, God, Tao, Buddha, Prince, Scholar, Emperor! And the Swordsman Immortal is part of the Immortal, it would be wonderful if I could truly qualify for the unique profession! However, Song Jian also knew that even qualifying for a legendary profession was such a challenge, let alone an epic profession, followed by the unique profession. With this in mind, he could understand the difficulty of becoming a unique profession. After all, a unique profession signifies that in the entire game, only one person could qualify! Just as Song Jian was fantasizing about the future, the group of people who had gone to kill the Iron Fist Zombie walked out of the mall, looking dejected. Glancing at his task bar, Song Jians lips curled into a smile. As he expected, there were less than thirty minutes left for the test task. This group must have deeply realised the pitiful drop rate of the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves. Fifty Doomsday Coins, Ill take ten! A player with a darkened face walked up to Song Jian and said. Ahem, just now it was fifty Doomsday Coins. Now, after two hours, all of you have just experienced how low the drop rate is. The price needs to go up! Song Jian said somewhat apologetically. The players looked at each other. Are you even human? Seventy Doomsday Coins, 1 want eight! A young man nearby called out loudly. Song Jian was startled, turning to look at him. Not bad, kiddo. Youve gotten two in two hours. It seems like you have some good luck! Chapter 192 - 192: Seven Tenths Chapter 192: Seven Tenths Translator: 549690339 Whats the big deal about a Combat Mentor? I refuse to believe that hes the only one in this game. I might just not take on this test quest! Yeah, the guy thinks he can charge exorbitant prices because he knows we need him for our quests. If we give up on this one, there could be countless other possibilities in the future The players nearby started to express their dissatisfaction and murmur among themselves. Song Jian didnt mind their complaints, still wearing an indifferent smile. Some of them left disappointed, but none of those who were complaining about the cost of the quest task actually left. They all hoped that the price could be somehow negotiated down. He had initially been planning to sell the Fine Iron Boxing Gloves one by one, but after a moments hesitation, Song Jian pulled out ten pairs at once and shouted: Bundled sale, ten pairs for one thousand Doomsday Coins! If you want them, then pay up! No dilly-dallying! Time was running out for the test quest. As soon as Song Jian finished speaking, someone immediately handed over one thousand Doomsday Coins to him. While the others were still hesitating, this person had already packed the ten pairs of Fine Iron Boxing Gloves into their backpack. Make way, folks, said Fan Wei, politely excusing himself from the crowd, a calm look on his face. One thousand Doomsday Coins was not much money for the players present, what they were measuring was if a Combat Mentors test quest was worth it. Fan Wei had come across this main quest five to six days ago. He had tried searching for a Combat Mentor but failed to find even one. He knew the chances of finding a Combat Mentor were very low, let alone ten of them. Seeing the opportunity now, he wanted to seize it. After completing the transaction, Song Jian summoned his motorcycle and drove back to the villa where Han Hai, the Ancient Martial Arts Master was. There wasnt much time left for the test quest, and if he didnt leave soon, he might not make it in time. Seeing Song Jian leave, Fan Wei felt a tightening in his heart. He quickly said, Folks, Ill be going ahead. Song Jian quickly returned to the small courtyard of the villa, where he saw Han Hai sipping tea under a large tree in the courtyard. Master Han, Ive come to complete the quest! Song Jian laid out the ten pairs of Fine Iron Boxing Gloves on the table. Surprise flickered in Han Hais eyes. Amongst the group, he didnt have high expectations of anyone and had intentionally chosen the most difficult task. Unexpectedly, someone actually managed to complete it. Remaining expressionless, Han Hai gave a slight nod, then waved his hand to store the boxing gloves. Standing up, he slowly stated: Well done, to have gathered ten pairs of Fine Iron Boxing Gloves in such a short time! You flatter me, Master. I hope you can now enlighten me about the profession of Ancient Martial Arts Master! Song Jian respectfully requested. System: You completed the quest from Ancient Martial Arts Master Han Hai, greatly improving your affinity with him. He then explained to you the details of the Ancient Martial Arts Master class. Haha, the class of Ancient Martial Arts Master evolved from the national skills of the ancient Huaxia, its a killing art. Every move aims for a fatal hit, almost always causing harm or death in combat. Come with me to the Explanation Space, and you can understand more about the superiority of the Ancient Martial Arts Master class! Nodding, Han Hai directly pulled Song Jian into the Explanation Space. About ten minutes later, Song Jian emerged from the Explanation Space, a shocked look on his face. This Its like a human monster. They can really use just their hands to clash with a tank! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. He suddenly remembered the BOSS he encountered in the instance dungeon before, who could crush a rocket with its bare hands. It seems that mastering martial arts was just as good as using sophisticated weapons. Skills in the game can be used in the real world. If I could possess such martial arts in real life Huaxia is one of the countries with the strictest gun control. If my fists could combat rockets, wouldnt I be invincible, especially without the threat of firearms? Song Jian thought to himself. System: You found a Combat Mentor and gained knowledge about the Ancient Martial Arts Master profession. Main quest completion: 7/10. Suppressing the excitement of immediately becoming a disciple, Song Jian looked at his taskbar. He had completed 70% of the main task, and he just needed to find three more Combat Mentors to complete the quest. This time, Song Jian had been in the game for more than a week. The sync between the game and real-world time was far from being well coordinated, and being in the game for too long could cause a person to feel disoriented when they come back to reality. Song Jian made a small bow to Han Hai, then turned to leave. He had decided to understand all the professions before making a choice. What a pity. I still havent encountered the Sword Immortal class. If I cant find a Combat Mentor, does it mean that I cant pursue the Sword Immortal class? After choosing another class, I wonder if those two Sword Immortal Techniques, Invisible Sword Qi, and Sword Finger, will still be preserved? Song Jian thought to himself. Invisible Sword Qi and Sword Finger were both very powerful skills. Invisible Sword Qi could not only provide energy for Sword Finger but also be attached to weapons to inflict additional damage. Sword Finger was powerful and swift in action and was hard to detect and defend against in close range. System: You have a new message. Please check it soon. The sky was gradually darkening. Song Jian was originally planning to go back to the roof of the Tianfeng Building to check if the Combat Mentor had left, but it seemed he would have to wait till the next day. The Tianfeng Building was a zone for level 15 monsters, whose battle power would fully recover at night. The level 15 ordinary monsters were even more troublesome than the level 10 elite BOSS during the day. If Song Jian was surrounded then, he most likely could only run away. If this led to the task being failed, it would be such a pity. Back at Manor Castle, Song Jian astonishingly found that the Black Dragon hatchling had awakened. It was flapping its wings, continuously spitting fire, and hunting level one mutant zombies along the wall of the castle courtyard. The mutant zombies were incessantly enraged, waving their arms and trying to jump up to attack the Black Dragon hatchling. The Black Dragon hatchling couldnt fly too high or it would automatically exit the combat mode, and the zombie would run away. It flapped its wings and moved nimbly, evading each of the zombies jump attacks while taking the opportunity to spit fire back. Not long after, the mutant zombie was defeated and turned into a pile of black ashes, and the Black Dragon hatchling flew off in search of the next target. If there were too many mutant zombies, the Black Dragon hatchling would lure them to the castle wall to let the Arrow Towers and Catapults take them down. It seemed quite smart. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The items collected from the zombies were out of reach for the Black Dragon hatchling, thus all got taken by the Bloody Ghostly Poisonous Tree Alex instead. Buzz- A golden light radiated from the Black Dragon hatchlings body as it leveled up to Elite Level 2, and its size also increased. Seeing Song Jian return, the Black Dragon hatchling finished off the last zombie, flapped its wings and flew towards him. Special thanks to Bread84. for the donation of 100 Starting Coins- Chapter 193 - 193: Territorial Expansion Chapter 193: Territorial Expansion Translator: 549690339 Seeing Song Jian, the young Black Dragon showed its affection by flying onto his shoulder and lying down on it, looking very well-behaved; Song Jian checked the attributes of the young Black Dragon which was now at level 2, with 450 Vitality Points and 100 Spirit Points, but no other changes in its traits and skills; Song Jian smiled slightly, took out a piece of roasted meat from his bag, and offered it to the young Black Dragon. Watching it swallowing the meat, which was almost the same size as its body, Song Jian felt that something was off; It didnt call me its mother this time Song Jians heart sank. It seemed that the young Black Dragons bloodline memory was slowly recovering as it leveled up. The Dragon Clans lineage was passed on through their blood, so even if they slept for a hundred years right from birth, they would still obtain their clans inheritance memory and skills once they reached adulthood; It must have realized that Im not its mother but can still sense the Black Dragon Bloodline within me, so it remains affectionate. But when it levels up more and gains higher intelligence, it will surely understand that were not of the same kind. When that time comes, Im afraid Song Jian played with the young Black Dragon as he made his way to the third floor of the castle; In the third-floor bedroom, there was a one-meter diameter wooden bowl filled with dry straw. Song Jian had instructed the carpenter in his manor to make this as a Black Dragon Nest; Placing the yawning young Black Dragon in the nest, Song Jian turned to check his mailbox; There were more than a dozen letters in the mailbox, each containing a type of plant seed. He took out all the seeds, spending more than 4,000 Doomsday Coins. George! Song Jian shouted loudly; Yes, master, how can I help you? Butler George appeared in front of Song Jian immediately with a respectful tone; Give these seeds to John, let him choose and plant them. If theres a harvest ceremony, be sure to let me know immediately! Song Jian handed the dozen plant seeds to George; As you wish, master, Ill pass your order on to John and follow up. Once a harvest ceremony can be held, Ill let you know right away! George accepted the seeds and replied; Song Jian nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, Do we need to hire a cook? After all, the food we produce needs to be processed into consumable meals; Master, not only do we need a cook, but also a mill, and preferably some livestock George began to plan for the future development of the manor. Youve made some good points. Go ahead and follow your plans for development. Ive given you the authority, so the manors in your hands now. Song Jian smiled; Master, our most pressing issue right now is that we dont have enough land for building the mill and Livestock Pen George showed a troubled expression on his face; Song Jian nodded, knowing that his safezone now had the largest land area in the game, covering five to six hundred square meters. But apart from the castle and the six Spirit Fields in the yard, there was no more space for building anything else. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Do you have any suggestions? Can we build anything outside the safezone? Song Jian inquired; Since anything built outside of Song Jians safezone did not belong to him, he didnt know whether he could build something on other lands; Master, I would not recommend building anything on lands that do not belong to us. It is very unsafe, and most importantly, if the building is not on our land and is destroyed, we will be left with nothing; George shook his head; Song Jian nodded, aware that if a building inside the safezone was destroyed, it could be rebuilt with very little materials. For example, the traps outside the walls, the Arrow Towers on the walls, and the Catapults on the castle could be rebuilt with only about a tenth of the materials if they were destroyed; However, if a building outside was destroyed, it would be a total loss, with all the contents inside disappearing as well, leading to even greater losses; If Song Jian were to build the mill outside, he would risk losing all the food stored inside if it were destroyed, becoming loot for others; But if the mill were built within the safezone and was destroyed, most of the food inside would be preserved; Can we continue expanding our current location? Song Jian asked; Master, in order to expand the safezone, we have to initiate an Expansion Battle, which is a very risky move. It should only be considered when we have absolute confidence, as failure may result in huge losses! George said with a serious expression; Are there any other alternatives for development? Song Jian inquired; George frowned deeply, thought for a moment, and slowly shook his head; Then lets initiate the Expansion Battle! Song Jian wore a determined expression on his face; Master, you can only initiate an Expansion Battle once a month. Once started, it will be a fight to the death. The battle will only end when one side is completely destroyed! Master, please be cautious! George sighed; Dont worry, there are no undefeatable enemies around us! Song Jian smiled slightly; With a thought, Song Jians figure appeared at the top of the castle, and as he looked around, he saw a few villas and a green jungle in the direction of Camel Square; Expansion! Song Jian summoned the safezone interface and made his move; Suddenly, a grand, low, and stern voice emerged from the castle and spread out in all directions; Territory Struggle, initiated! A blazing red light slowly seeped out from the castle, spreading in all directions and stopped ten meters away from the outer walls. The red light then came to a halt; System: No other safezones detected within the expansion area, would you like to occupy? Occupy! Whoosh- Inside the castle, a slowly expanding green light covered the original red light. The green light spread very slowly, as if waiting for something; After three minutes, the green light completely covered the red light, and the entire area became Song Jians external territory; Originally close neighboring villas disappeared under the green light, and a wide road outside the manor began to blur; Before long, all buildings and items on the ground within the green light disappeared, replaced by a large area of unexplored green grassland; The green light vanished, and Song Jian stared at the green grassland that suddenly appeared among the high-rise buildings with an odd expression. It was so strange that he even saw a half-cut villa standing eerily at the edge of the grassland; Master, congratulations on your brilliant victory! George said with an excited face; Chapter 194 - 194 Tianfeng Building Chapter 194: Tianfeng Building Translator: 549690339 Song Jian looked somewhat speechless at the ten-meter grassland extending beyond the wall; Such a big move, with such an imposing momentum, making people s blood boil, but you only extended by ten meters? Are you kidding me! My lord, it is a glorious victory. Congratulations, we finally have our territory! The butler George was excited. Song Jian stared at him for a moment, thinking George was mocking him, a lord with only ten meters of territory? Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Alright, George, now that weve got a place, hurry up and get to work. Build everything you can, and dont forget the defensive structures. We dont want our hard work destroyed by the monsters, Song Jian said; At your command, my lord! George respectfully bowed; With the ten-meter territory, George s form of address for Song Jian changed from master to my lord. But, being called my lord does feel pretty good, hehe! Song Jian was secretly pleased in his heart; George began to command Tammy and John to get to work. With the expansion of the territory, they could now hire more workers. George started recruiting workers one after another; in no time, the manor was filled with the noise of construction, as it turned into a bustling construction site. Song Jian returned to the third floor to make potions. Although he had only learned the formula for Weakness Potion, the high-quality Portable Mobile Potion Crafting Table could produce potions of even higher quality. In battle, an excellent quality Weakness Potion could change the outcome of a fight; Working until late into the night, Song Jian exhausted all the potion materials in his inventory. He now had over twenty bottles of Weakness Potion (Excellent) and seven or eight bottles of Weakness Potion (Mutated). Its a pity I dont have enough materials for high-explosive grenades. Now that would be a real killer! Song Jian sighed at the sight of the single high-explosive grenade in his inventory. Although potion-malting had a simple process, Song Jian was tired after spending most of the night on it. He glanced at the sleeping Black Dragon cub in the wooden nest and lay down to rest. At the moment Song Jian closed his eyes, the Black Dragon cub suddenly opened its eyes. A flash of brilliance in its golden pupils stared at Song Jian lying on the bed for a few seconds before closing them again. A quiet night passed, and when Song Jian got up the next day, he saw a newly built mill outside the manor. The seven- or eight-meter high mill had a massive windmill with a diameter of over six meters spinning slowly at the top; In the distance, a few NPCs were building a Livestock Pen. They appeared to have been working all night, their eyes red; Song Jian appeared in front of the unfinished Livestock Pen. At this time, George was also standing next to it looking tired. Tammy and John were leading a few NPC workers to construct the pen; At this moment, a countdown timer appeared in the empty space above the Livestock Pen, and it looked like it would be completed in about three hours; Noticing Song Jian approach, George prepared to bow. Song Jian waved to stop him. George, youve worked hard. After work is done, treat everyone to a good meal to thank them, Song Jian paused, seemingly thinking of something, and continued, You can go to the Sunflower Bar to buy some drinks so everyone can celebrate. George immediately shouted: Did you hear that, fellows? Work hard, and after its over, well have wine and meat! Our lord will be rewarding us! Suddenly, a cheer erupted from the working crowd; Long live our lord! System message: You spent 130 Doomsday Coins to boost the morale of rhe construction workers. Their building efficiency has increased by 30% Song Jian glanced at the countdown above the Livestock Pen, which suddenly jumped to two hours. At the same time, the Doomsday Coins in his inventory, which were almost depleted, disappeared by another hundred. Song Jian couldnt help but feel the pain. Spending over a hundred Doomsday Coins to save just over an hour seemed uneconomical. But when he thought of how these coins were going to buy wine and meat for the hardworking NPC builders, Song Jian felt much better; Summoning his motorcycle, Song Jian drove towards the Tianfeng Building. There should be a Combat Mentor there; The chat said that the assessment task given by this Combat Mentor is too difficult. It might be like Han Hais situation, where the Combat Mentor didnt think much of him and chose the hardest task. If the Combat Mentor considers me worthy, maybe theyll select a more manageable task Song Jian thought; Every Combat Mentor would issue an assessment based on the testers abilities. An easy task would be assigned to a player suited for the profession, while a more challenging task would be assigned to a player not suited for the profession; Driving his motorcycle, Song Jian was followed by a large group of mutated zombies. Despite being during the day, the noise from the motorcycle attracted many monsters; After about ten minutes, Song Jian left the level 10 monster area and entered the level 15 monster area. In this area, Song Jian didnt dare to drive his motorcycle recklessly anymore. If a few elite level 15 monsters were provoked, hed have no choice but to run; On the top floor of Tianfeng Building, a man wearing a black uniform stood at the edge, looking down at the entire street. Beside him, a thumbnail-sized metal ball constantly rotated around his body; The man saw Song Jian quickly rush into Tianfeng Building, followed by a sea of mutated monsters, and couldnt help but chuckle and mutter, Another fearless fellow! Song Jian panted as he dashed into Tianfeng Building and looked back at the tide of monsters, cold sweat appearing on his brow. Its terrifying. From now on, I shouldnt drive a motorcycle in the city. Mutated zombies are too horrifying they followed me for over ten kilometers without giving up Under normal circumstances, monsters have their specific zones to operate in. Level 5 monsters wouldnt enter level 10 monster zones, and level 10 monsters wouldnt venture into level 5 monster zones. They usually didnt interfere with each other; Song Jian thought the same, so he drove his motorcycle carelessly through the city. But the noise from the bike caused level 5 monsters to follow him into level 10 monster zones and not leave. Instead, they joined level 10 monsters and chased after Song Jian into the level 15 monster zone. By the time Song Jian realized something was wrong, it was too late. Hundreds of monsters had gathered behind him; Phew, Ill find the Combat Mentor first and then deal with you properly. Song Jian glanced at the high-explosive grenade in his inventory, resisting the urge to throw it into the monstrous horde, and ran towards the staircase; Chapter 195 - 195: Sword Controller Chapter 195: Sword Controller Translator: 549690339 The horde of monsters surged towards the Tianfeng Building. They had just reached the entrance when the monsters in the front suddenly halted their steps with a look of horror and continued to retreat. The monsters behind could not slow down in time and directly crashed into them, causing a scene of chaos. The roars echoed under the Tianfeng Building; Atop the building, a man in black grimaced, muttering irritably under his breath. Hum- The silver orb surrounding him began to vibrate violently, projecting an inch-long silver halo, inhaling and exhaling as if a living entity; Seemingly sensing the formidable force, the monsters below trembled all over, lying motionlessly on the ground while emitting faint wails. Scram! A single shout echoed from the top of the building, prompting hundreds of monsters to flee in disarray; Song Jian, who was climbing the building, heard these remarks clearly. He looked out of the window and saw hundreds of monsters fleeing, including several Level 10 and 15 elite creatures, which made his blood boil; A powerful shout and the monsters are pacified, when will 1 have such strengthwondered Song Jian whose eyes were filled with astonishment. By the time Song Jian reached the rooftop, the man in black was still standing by the edge of it, leaning against the wind, while a silver metallic orb was slowly rotating around him; Magneto? Song Jian blurted out involuntarily; The man in black turned around, a trace of helplessness in his eyes. Im not Magneto, nor do I possess the X-gene. I cant control metal. This is my weapon, the Sword Orb! Embarrassment flickered across Song Jians face. It seemed that many players had seen the man in black. Any player who saw the metal orb slowly rotating around him would be reminded of Magnetos escape from jail in the movie X-Men. Are you a Sword Immortal? Song Jian suddenly asked with a look of excitement; Sword Immortal? The man in black was taken aback, then shook his head slowly, A Sword Immortal is what 1 strive to become. Perhaps in the future, I will be a Sword Immortal, but not now. Currently, I am just a Sword Controller! Just as the man in black uttered the phrase Sword Controller, Song Jian was granted access to some of his attributes, which were previously obscured by question marks; [LV86 Sword Controller C Duan Jian] (Elite): Vitality Points: ??? Spirit Points: ???; Traits: Immortal Sword Body, ???; Skills: Sword Retention, ??? An elite BOSS of level 86? Even higher than the Dragon Hunter, Dierdeli Walker, Song Jian was taken aback and hastily bowed, Could you tell me about the special characteristics of the Sword Controller profession? Duan Jian gave a slight smile, scanning Song Jian before asking, Can you wield a sword? Song Jian felt awkward. Although his secondary weapon was the blue-grade one-handed Guardians Sword, he had never in fact wielded it in combat. Even the passive skill [Cold Weapon (Sword Type) (Basic)] that he learned was only at level one and he had never attempted to upgrade it; Song Jian responded, 1 have never encountered a swordsmanship master, so Im reluctant to learn from the unskilled! Duan Jian paused, laughing heartily: You are the second brazen person Ive met. In honour of the first one, Ill give you a chance! Use the sword you carry to slaughter a level 15 elite monster. If you do, 111 tell you the meaning of a Sword Controller! Duan Jian pointed at the Guardians Sword hung around Song Jians waist and spoke arrogantly; Can I only use this sword? Cant 1 use other weapons? Song Jian frowned and asked; Exactly. You can only use this sword. Once you employ a different weapon, even if you kill a level 15 elite monster, the trial will be deemed a failure. You will not need to see me again in such a case, otherwise, I will kill you! Duan Jian stared coldly at Song Jian as he spoke; Can I use my personal skills? Song Jian queried further; Duan Jian hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded: You can use the skills you have mastered, but Forget it. Lets talk about it once you pass the test! Duan Jian seemed to want to say something, but ultimately just waved his hand, signaling Song Jian to leave; System: The Sword Controller and Battle Job Instructor, Duan Jian, gives you a challenge: Kill a level 15 Elite BOSS, 0/1; Challenge Requirements: Use your sword to kill a level 15 Elite BOSS; If any other weapon is used, the mission will fail immediately; Challenge time limit: 24 hours; Challenge Reward: Earn Duan Jians admiration and enlightenment about the Sword Controller profession; Challenge Punishment: Duan Jian will negatively change his attitude towards you by a large margin, and you will lose a chance to learn about the combat profession C Sword Controller; Song Jian nodded his head, turned around, and left the rooftop; To kill a Level 15 Elite Boss, which has at least three to four thousand vitality points, even when its attributes are halved during daytime, is almost impossible without the use of the Rocket Launcher or Tusk Fang Stinger skills. Coupled with the onslaught from five levels above him, the endeavor to singlehandedly hunt down a Level 15 Elite BOSS seemed like an impossible task to Song Jian; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian switched the Guardians Sword to his right hand and played with it as he walked along, trying to get a feel for it; On leaving the Tianfeng Building, there were no monsters to be seen. Despite practicing for a while with the Guardians Sword, Song Jian still felt a bit awkward; First, let me find some regular monsters to get used to it, who knows, I might even learn some sword skills on my own! Song Jian muttered to himself as he set off down a gloomy alley; First, he would test his skills on a Level 15 regular monster. If he cant even beat that, he might as well abandon the challenge. In the dark alley lay a ragged human-formed zombie, appearing like a corpse. Yet Song Jian knew that as soon as he strayed into its alert zone, it would instantly awake, relentlessly chasing him until he was dead; Earth Teeth Assault! Before it could fully awake, he chose to deplete its vitality points; The Tusk-energy ball lunged at the corpse and fiercely struck the zombies waist. This sent its body flying in the air; Roar- The mutant zombie slowly rose from the ground. Its blood-red eyes gradually opened, focusing on Song Jian and emitting a roaring sound; LV15 Mutant Zombie (Regular): Vitality Points 850/1700, Traits: Intermediate Defense, Primary Vitality Restoration; Skills: Gnaw. Seeing the mutant zombie pouncing towards him, Song Jian took a deep breath. Tightening his grip on the Guardians Sword, he sprinted towards the zombie; Whoosh- As soon as he neared, the sword in Song Jians hand sliced across the zombies head, inflicting over 60 critical damage points; Experiencing pain, the zombie became more frenzied, waving its hands, while its mutated nails, sharp as mini blades, carved streaks of white in the gloomy alley; Chapter 196 - 196: Physique Increase Chapter 196: Physique Increase Translator: 549690339 A level-five blue-quality one-handed sword dealt only around a dozen damage points to a level-fifteen ordinary mutant zombie, which was quite low; However, with a 500% increase in vitality recovery speed, it was nearly impossible for a level-fifteen mutant zombie to kill Song Jian. Even if it cost him blood, he would eventually bring down the zombie; In the dark alley, the mutant zombies roars continued to echo, perhaps due to rotting flesh all over its body. Its voice was deep and hoarse, but Song Jian was not worried about attracting nearby monsters as he continued to slash his sword; Minutes later, the level-fifteen mutant zombie finally turned into a pile of ashes, dropping two white-quality materials and five Doomsday Coins around its body; Ordinary level-fifteen monsters can drop Doomsday Coins? Song Jian picked up all the spoils of war and tore off his clothes, revealing the armor of the Zombie Commando; His original coat, which had no defense, had been scratched into a bundle of shreds by the mutant zombie, making it cumbersome to wear; Looking at his skill bar, he had not comprehended any sword-related skills, only the passive basic sword skill had increased some proficiency; Slash, chop, flick, stab Song Jian wielded the one-handed sword, feeling the sensation with every attack: Theres no other way now, lets start with these basic skills. Song Jian could only practice one-handed sword based on the method used for daggers, but he gave up after a while, feeling awkward. After all, they were different weapons, and if he practiced the wrong moves, it would take more time and effort to correct them; Ill explore gradually while fighting monsters. Only life-and-death battles can improve me the fastest, Song Jian thought as he carried the one-handed sword towards another building; As half a day passed, the sky began to darken, and mutant zombies appeared on the streets. The night belonged to the monsters. Most players hid in safe houses or places they thought were safe; At first, some players wanted to kill monsters and level up at night, but soon there were fewer and fewer such players. After all, everyone only had one life. Many people initially treated it like a game, but now there were fewer and fewer of those people since most of them had died. Song Jian estimated that in just two months, hundreds of people had probably died in Coastal City in the real world. He wondered if the police and others had noticed this situation; However, sooner or later, people would discover it, because Song Jian believed that more and more people would enter the game, and more and more people would die; There were still seventeen hours left for the task completion, plenty of time. Song Jian did not plan to go back to his territory, as there were many monsters on the way back. Even if he transformed into black mist, it would take more than an hour to go back and forth, which would not be worth it; Song Jian went straight back to Tianfeng Building, not going upstairs but finding a room on the first floor to rest. As long as Duan Jian didnt leave the building, it was the safest place in the level-fifteen monster area, without a doubt; Night fell, and the sky was covered with thick, gloomy clouds that brought pressure. Song Jian sat cross-legged on a shabby single bed, staring at the dark sky outside the window, quietly waiting; After a long time, a crack appeared in the heavy clouds, and a ray of moonlight seeped through. Song Jians spirit was energized, and he hurried to the window; A burning sensation came from his chest, and the Hexagram Array Diagram started to glow faintly. Tonight was a half-moon, and as the moon appeared, countless moon essences scattered across the city. Roars were heard from the tops of various tall buildings, as bosses began to absorb the moon essence to enhance their strength; Song Jian glanced around and noticed that within a few hundred meters around Tianfeng Building, not a single boss was on the rooftops, making him speechless; A stream of moon essence was drawn into the room through the window, merging into Song Jians body. Song Jian could feel the moon essence entering his body, slowly circulating through his blood vessels, and integrating into his body as it flowed, disappearing; This process was very comfortable, but there was a side effect. Whenever he absorbed moon essence, Song Jian could not help but feel a killing intent rising in his heart, wanting to kill anything in sight; However, whenever this killing intent emerged, a refreshing energy would appear in Song Jians mind, allowing him to maintain his self-awareness. Time always flew by when immersed in absorbing the moon essence, and soon the moon was once again covered by clouds; Song Jian sighed slightly, feeling the gradual improvement of his physical fitness with the influx of moon essence; At that moment, a system prompt appeared; System: You have absorbed enough moon essence, and your physical fitness has improved. Your physique has increased by one point; Finally, its increased! Song Jian thought; After absorbing more than a months worth of moon essence, although it felt comfortable, and he could feel his body becoming stronger, not receiving a system upgrade made him feel like something was missing; Checking his attributes, Song Jians physique had now reached nine points, and his vitality points limit had increased by 20 points, reaching 620 points, which was better than nothing; Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After half a day of fighting, Song Jians passive skill [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] had been upgraded to level two, and the proficiency at level two had also increased significantly, requiring only about ten more level-fifteen monsters to be slain before reaching level three. Song Jian felt that such passive skills were easy to understand and improve in the early stages. He didnt know if it was an illusion, but after the passive skill was upgraded to level two, he felt that swinging the sword was more agile; I cant waste the night. Its safe here, Im not afraid that the noise will attract monsters, so why not take this time to practice swordsmanship? Song Jian thought; With his one-handed sword and the blade pointed down, Song Jian stood at the center of the room; Ha! In a low shout, he swung his right arm in a circle, lifting the sword high over his head, and then slashed forward at a 30-degree angle; During the daytime battles, Song Jian had constantly summarized that this slashing method was the most energy-efficient and inflicted the most damage; However, this move had a major drawback: fatigue, and continuous swinging like this, Song Jian estimated that he would eventually develop shoulder inflammation; After practicing for more than an hour, Song Jian felt as if his right arm was about to dislocate, his whole body drenched in sweat like he was soaked in water. But he didnt give up and continued to practice, with the passive skill [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] slowly improving at a visible rate; Fool, thats not how you practice swordsmanship. You shouldnt treat the sword as a dead object! Just as Song Jian was concentrating on practicing his sword, a deep voice came from behind him. Duan Jian! A smile appeared on Song Jians mouth; Chapter 197 - 197: Skill Improvement Chapter 197: Skill Improvement Translator: 549690339 | While practicing dagger lighting technique at the Black Panther Gym in the real world) his coach once told Song Jian, regardless of the fighting style or the presence of weapons, from the moment of first contact, he must receive standard instruction and not blindly practice on his own. Once bad habits are formed, they are incredibly hard to correct. Adhering to wrong practices not only nullifies improvement but can also harm the body over time; Just like Song Jians situation C the sword move he had summarized from half a day of fighting was filled with errors. He knew this in his heart, but sword practice was not his true aim; he merely wanted to catch Duan Jians attention since they were both in the same building. After over an hour of the practice, Song Jian found his entire right arm numbing, with unbearable itching, swelling, and pain at the shoulder joint. He was drenched in sweat and about to give up when he finally heard Duan Jians voice. Master!11 Turning around with a weary face, Song Jian greeted Duan Jian respectfully. Swordsmanship is not practiced this way! Duan Jian shook his head, raising his right hand. The silver metal orb that had been revolving around him suddenly expanded into a long sword and flew into Duan Jians right palm. Holding the longsword, he oozed an imposing demeanor which forced Song Jian to involuntarily step backward until his back hit the wall. Even the continual echoes of monster roars around him came to an abrupt end, as if the whole world fell into silence; A sword is an extension of the arm, not just a dead object! Dont control your sword with your hand; control it with your will, your spirit, your soul Your hand can control the dimensions around your body, but your will and spirit can fill the space between heaven and earth. Control the sword with your spirit. Wherever the mind moves, the sword reaches Walking and talking about his understanding of the sword, Song Jian found his words somewhat inexplicable. He felt that he understood yet didnt understand at all. It was like when a post-doctorai mentor lectures first-year university students. What they impart is not just specialized knowledge of the first year but a concept, a direction, a guiding path. Maybe many students couldnt understand at that time, but if you persist, there will eventually come a time when everything seems illuminated. Only then will you comprehend the true intentions behind their teachings. Duan Jian was doing something similar now. He didnt tell Song Jian how to hold the sword, how to use it, or impart any substantial sword skills, but he was enlightening Song Jian with a certain ideology. After listening to Duan Jian for a long time, Song Jian looked at him perplexedly. Duan Jian, feeling his throat parched from talking, saw Song Jians excited expression and couldnt help but snort, Its impossible to carve rotten wood! Ready to leave with a swing of his sleeve, Duan Jian was stopped by Song Jian, who rushed towards him and grabbed his leg: Master, you cant leave! At the very least reach me one sword technique so that I can defeat a level 15 elite boss. Otherwise, do you really want to watch me blindly practice till 1 ruin my arm? Song Jian cried out, squeezing the corners of his eyes to try and force out a few tears, but to no avail. In the end, helpless, he applied saliva to the corners of his eyes. Enough, stop pretending you really are Duan Jian was a bit helpless for a moment before suddenly asking, Do you know a fat guy with the surname Mu? Song Jian was taken aback and shook his head. You two truly are alike. Thick-skinned! Get up. I ll teach you how to use a sword. After speaking, Duan Jian yanked Song Jian up by his left hand. Watch carefully. I will only demonstrate once. How much you can grasp is up to you! With that, Duan Jian began demonstrating the basic sword technique. Song Jian opened his eyes wide, not daring to blink, afraid of missing a single move. System prompts flooded his view like a waterfall. His passive skill, [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)], was rapidly improving. System: Sword Controller Duan Jian imparts basic sword technique to you, your [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] skill proficiency has improved by 20 points. System: Sword Controller Duan Jian imparts basic sword technique to you, your [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)] skill proficiency has improved by 21 points. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In just a few minutes, Duan Jian had finished demonstrating the basic sword technique. Turning around, he sent his sword flying into the air where it shrank back into the size of a finger before curling into a smooth, silver metal orb. This orb slowly floated back to Duan Jians side and began revolving around him like a satellite. Thats all the help 1 can give you. Anymore and I would be breaking the rules. It doesnt matter to me how much youve managed to grasp. Just know that if you havent hunted a level 15 elite boss by tomorrow, dont show your face to me anymore1. Duan Jian left after giving Song Jian a stern look. Song Jian wiped the sweat from his brow and stood still with closed eyes. Beneath his eyelids, his eyeballs were shifting rapidly. His right hand was twitching involuntarily, wanting to shake from time to time, as if it wasnt under his control. At this moment, in Song Jians mind, every details of Duan Jians basic sword technique demonstration was being replayed. After a long while, Song Jian let out a sigh, and a serious expression appeared on his face. He mused inwardly, The gap is truly enormous! Only after witnessing a real sword technique, did he realize his own deficiencies. Composing himself, Song Jian started practicing exactly as Duan Jian had demonstrated; In just a few tens of minutes, Song Jians passive skill, | Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)], rose from level two to five, improving at a terrifying speed; [Cold Weapon (Sword Class) (Basic)]: Passive, Level 5, Increase in power of sword weapons by 30%, Armor Break +1. Now that he had started practicing, the skills improvement rate was extremely slow. One reason was the high level of the skill, which demanded higher proficiency. The other reason was the disparity between Song Jians and Duan Jians mastery of sword techniques, naturally causing their proficiency to be different. The night passed like this. As the sun slowly rose, Song Jian only then laid down his sword and sat down on his bedtorest. At this moment) Song Jians aura was drastically different from the previous day. The transformation over the night seemed to have allowed him to take an important step on the path of martial arts. Duan Jian stood with his hands behind his back, high on the rooftop, looking at the slowly rising sun. The corners of his mouth held a faint, indistinct smile. Chapter 198 - 198: Severely Injuring the BOSS Chapter 198: Severely Injuring the BOSS Translator: 549690339 Duan Jian didnt show off any sophisticated sword techniques. Instead, he demonstrated the simplest actions: thrust, cut, lift, chop, slash and how to form combinations of these basic moves into various attack techniques. This was the most elementary set of sword techniques yet, it seemed miraculous when executed by Duan Jian. Song Jian watched, fascinated, and spent the whole night trying to replicate every action of Duan Jian. And, just like that, the night passed. The moment day broke, Song Jian rested briefly and then left the building. He had about eleven to twelve hours left for the mission, the equivalent of one more day. If he didnt manage to hunt a level fifteen elite monster by evening, the test mission would be considered a failure. Practicing alone isnt very effective. I need to hone my skills from last night in real combat. Also, 1 need to start looking for the location of a level fifteen elite BOSS. Its best if I can find several, and then select the one most suitable for me Song Jian thought. He had spent yesterday afternoon hunting level fifteen monsters and seeking out an elite BOSS. Generally, unless it s a special boss like the Roaming Zombie, the regular bosses stay in fixed areas and only show up in these locations. The exception is when players kill large numbers of regular monsters, which could attract the bosses. Over the course of yesterday afternoon, Song Jian discovered two level fifteen elite bosses. One was a fiercely defensive Scaled Zombie, and the other, a giant yellow bird which was as big as a fully grown eagle with a length of one to two meters and wings that could stretch three to four meters long. Although it couldnt fly, it could glide through the air at an impressive pace. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Both bosses posed quite a challenge for Song Jian. If he was limited to using the one-handed sword, it would be tough to kill them. As such, he considered these two bosses as alternative targets. Bloody hell! Finding a boss is harder than finding a wife! Song Jian muttered to himself, changing his direction and moving forward. Soon, from a shop ahead, noises emerged. A level fifteen regular mutated zombie had its left foot stuck between a collapsed counter. Oblivious, it kept trying to press onward, the rattling sound of the iron counter giving it away. There we go, a chance to test the skills 1 mastered last night. Song Jian, holding the Guardian s Sword, headed towards rhe shop. Once inside, the mutated zombie, sniffing out the presence of a living human, growled at Song Jian. It struggled to free itself, attempting to lunge at him. Without using any special skills, Song Jian swung his sword at the zombie. Thanks to his practice throughout the night, each strike landed with precision, causing bursts of forty to fifty points of damage on the zombie. This showed a three to four-fold increase in damage compared to yesterday. The mutated zombie became more furious. When its vitality points fell below half, it forcefully broke free from the iron counter and lunged at Song Jian. However, this desperate act came at a cost. Its left leg had a gaping wound that revealed the bone, with a dark brown pus oozing our. This move had injured its leg bone, causing it to limp and slow down significantly. Song Jian continued slashing with his sword and before long, the zombie had transformed into a pile of black ash. Feels great. The use of the long sword is very different from the dagger, but the theory is similar. Essentially, they are extensions of the arm. However, their practical uses still vary greatly.1 Song Jian twirled the long sword skillfully in his right hand, putting away the two dropped items, and continued down the street. Being taught by someone versus learning everything on your own made a huge difference. Now, Song Jian was more efficient with the long sword, killing at a pace several times faster than yesterday. Level fifteen ordinary monsters were no longer a threat to him. His experience points remained fixed. Even after hunting a level fifteen monster, he didnt earn any experience points. After a while, feeling like he had sufficiently mastered the sword techniques, Song Jian began looking for a level fifteen elite BOSS. Now as a melee profession, itd be best to find a boss that uses long-range attacks and isnt so strong up close. Also, itd be nice if the bosss defense isnt too high, and its vitality isnt too great Song Jian muttered as he kept walking. Why not just find a severely injured boss thats about to die? A voice suddenly rang in Song Jians ear. Thats a brilliant idea! Excited, Song Jians eyes sparkled. But then, alert, he held his sword in front of him and squinted towards where the voice had come from. Whos there! Song Jian backed away, pressing himself against a wall, looking around cautiously. As Song Jian prepared to open his vertical pupil in his forehead, a figure started to take form. Its me, its me, dont be alarmed. I just noticed you. Lin Shengs figure gradually materialised and he waved at Song Jian. Damn, you really do come and go like a ghost. Youre not worried about wandering into a level fifteen monster area Seeing a familiar face, Song Jian put down his sword, still irritated. He had been thoroughly startled by the sudden voice. Eh, youve switched to a long sword now. Wheres your dagger? Lin Sheng took note of the long sword in Song Jians hand, his eyes sparkling. Lin Sheng had been eyeing Song Jians Tusk Fang Stinger for a long time. While it was just a level five blue quality dagger, its inherent skill was hugely powerful, making it even better than some level ten daggers. I plan on becoming a swordsman, so I am getting used to it now. Do you want the dagger? Song Jian asked. Yes, yes, boss. Ive been coveting your dagger for a long time. I still havent found a good weapon. If 1 get your dagger, this level fifteen area will be nothing for me. Lin Sheng boasted. Youve leveled up to ten? Are you here for the Combat Mentor test mission? Song Jian questioned, looking at Lin Sheng. Yes, Ive hit level ten. This main mission requires finding ten Combat Mentors, and I havent found one yer. But Ive already made up my mind to become a thief. I came here to find a Thief Mentor, Im not interested in other professions! Lin Sheng said, holding his head high. Didnt the guide in the dungeon tell you to look for him once you reach level ten? You didnt go? That guy must be a combat mentor, and it might be a good fit for you, possibly even a Thief Mentor. Song Jian said. Dont remind me. He asked me to find him in a dungeon with real difficulty. Like I could handle that. 1 nearly died even in a simple-level dungeon Lin Sheng said grumpily. Heh, thats true. A dungeon with real difficulty isnt something we can handle right now. But remember, even if you find a Thief Mentor, youll still need to find nine other Combat Mentors to learn about different professions for the main mission to be considered complete.'' Song Jian laughed. Huh, how do you know? Lin Sheng looked surprised. Of course, I know it because a Combat Mentor told me!1 Song Jian glanced at Lin Sheng and asked, You said theres a level fifteen boss thats about to die? Where? Tell me, and this dagger is yours! Song Jian took out the Tusk Fang Stinger and teased Lin Sheng by waving it in front of him. Chapter 199 - 199 Temporary Task Chapter 199: Temporary Task Translator: 549690339 Looking at the blue-quality Tusk Fang Stinger in Song Jians hand, Lin Shengs eyes were full of little stars; Ill take you there! Lin Sheng said directly: Its just ahead, that boss has been injured, lost a leg, and its vitality points are less than half left, looking very desperate. Song Jian followed behind Lin Sheng, running and asking: Why didnt you finish it off yourself, a level 15 boss will definitely drop good loot! I cant beat it, it can see through my stealth, I cant even get close to it Lin Sheng said somewhat helplessly; Soon, the two of them arrived at a small residential area, in a central pavilion, Song Jian saw the heavily injured boss. The boss looked like an enormous beastman, with blue skin covered in lumps, two tusks protruding from its lips, and sanguine eyes emitting a bloodthirsty glow, looking very ferocious. Its massive body was squatting in the pavilion, looking like a meat mountain. Next to it, stood four wooden stakes, half a mans height, carved with complex magic runes on the surface. Rings of energy condensed into light, slowly rotating around the stakes; One stake was enveloped in a green glow, one stake was enveloped in a crimson glow, another stake was encompassed in a gray energy glow, the last one flickered with tiny currents; [LV15 Mutated Shaman Beast C Kuru Tutu] (Elite): Vitality Points 680/2800, Spirit Points: 250/800; Traits: Regeneration, Beasts Blood Boil; Skills: Summon Totem Pillar, Summon Beast Spirit, Death Ray, Ice Cone. This guy is a beastman, huh? Song Jian stared at the mountain of flesh in the distance, stroking his chin; Yes, it looks like a beastman. Do you see those three pillars next to it? Those are totem pillars, they can attack automatically. The damage isnt high, but they are very troublesome. Lin Sheng pointed at the three wooden stakes next to the Mutated Shaman Beast; Hey, it seems to be healing its wounds! Song Jian saw that every few seconds, a +5 green healing figure would jump above the bosss head, he couldnt help but say; There is a healing totem pillar! Song Jian pointed at the wooden stake surrounded by green light: You need to be faster, if it drags on, its vitality points will be fully restored. Its okay, didnt you see that it doesnt have much spirit points left? It looks like it has been through a big fight, youre really lucky! Song Jian said; Hehe, Brother Song is the lucky one, now its yours. Lin Sheng chuckled. Alright, give you the dagger, this boss is mine. The test required me to fight solo, so just guard the perimeter for me. Dont participate! As Song Jian spoke, he handed the Tusk Fang Stinger to Lin Sheng. Dont worry, Brother Song, 1 know the rules! Lin Shengs face broke out into a grin as he took the dagger, swinging it around a few times, looking thrilled. Song Jian slowly approached the boss with his sword. As soon as he stood around a dozen meters away from the boss, it stood up. Despite the imposing pressure from the one-legged boss, Song Jian hesitated whether picking this boss was a correct choice. Human, this is Kuru Tutus territory. If you dont want your soul to be tormented on my Flame Totem forever, leave now! The boss even spoke, surprising Song Jian; a monster capable of speech indicating it has consciousness, and a conscious monster is way tougher than a senseless one. Perhaps perceiving Song Jians hesitation, a hint of a smile appeared on Kulu Tutus face. Feeling the immense power within this human, Kulu Tutu himself was at a low ebb with barely over 200 spirit points left, just not enough to sustain a fight. Even if he could win, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. He could end up being taken down by an ordinary monster afterward. Human, if you leave now, youll gain Kuru Tutus friendship. I will also give you a gift! Kuru Tutu continued; System: Kuru Tutu is offering you a temporary mission, leave territory; Mission requirement: leave the area within one kilometer radius from Kuru Tutu; Mission reward: obtaining Kuru Tutus friendship; exquisite totem imprint; Mission failure: permanent reduction of 2 points in all attributes; Do you accept? Song Jian carefully read through the mission details word by word, and then chose to accept; As soon as Song Jian accepted, a smile crossed Kuru Tutus face, he threw something towards Song Jian; Song Jian caught it and checked the attributes; Exquisite Totem Imprint (Green): Inlay I Accessory, Accessory Attributes: Worn on the body, recovers 1 vitality point per second; can be inlaid on equipment, when inlaid on a helmet, vitality points increase by 100; when inlaid on armor, defense increases by 5 points; when inlaid on leg protectors, spirit points cap increases by 50; Not bad! Dont know if it can be used as a spirit talisman and inlaid on the Hexagram Array Diagram! Song Jian thought; Seeing Song Jian pick up the item and stand still, Kulu Tutus face darkened, yelled: Human, you have already accepted the task 1 assigned. Why havent you left? Are you willing to bear the punishment of the beast god? Song Jian threw the item into his inventory, lifted his head, glanced at Kuru Tutu, then turned around and ran towards the exit of the residential area; Seeing Song Jian leaving, Kuru Tutu let out a mocking smile as he slowly sat back down with the help of the pavilions pillar: Stupid human Lin Sheng watched as Song Jian rushed past him, completely baffled, only hearing Song Jian say to him: Just wait for me for a bit, Ill be right back! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, Song Jians figure disappeared from Lin Shengs vision; Song Jian kept running forward until a system prompt appeared in front of him, then he stopped; System: You completed the temporary mission, leaving the territory; System: You obtained Kuru Tutus friendship, you received the item Exquisite Totem Imprint; Seeing that the mission was completed, Song Jian turned around and ran towards the residential area; I need to hurry up, if any later, that bosss vitality points will be fully restored. Lin Sheng was a bit confused, standing in place waiting for a few minutes. Soon, he saw Song Jian hurriedly running back from a distance; What are you up to? Lin Sheng asked. His level was too low, Kuru Tutu did not offer him a temporary mission at all. Seeing him, it attacked, scaring him away. Doing a mission! Song Jian said while panting heavily: Stay here and wait for me. Dont help when I take action. Song Jian seemed a little worried and reminded him again; Seeing that Song Jian was charging back towards him once more, Kuru Tutus anger flared up; Shameless human! Kuru Tutu roared in his heart, suddenly standing up; Human, honesty is key! Kuru Tutu seemingly had fire coming out of his eyes, staring at Song Jian, and growled; Song Jian was stunned, opened the mission column, pointed at the completed mission, and said: But I completed the mission! Kuru Tutu:, you have a point! Chapter 200 - 200: Beast Spirit Descent Chapter 200: Beast Spirit Descent Translator: 549690339 Human, I dont want to be your enemy. As long as you leave my territory and never return, 1 will teach you a skill. This is a core skill that only Beastman shamans can learn: Totem Pillar! Kuru Tutu suppressed his anger and spoke solemnly. Song Jian quickly received a system prompt. System: Kuru Tutu has issued you a temporary quest: Leave the territory forever. Quest Requirement: Leave the area within a one-kilometer radius of Kuru Tutu, and never return. Quest Reward: Gain Kuru Tutus friendship and skill: Totem Pillar (Lightning). Quest Failure: Permanent loss of 2 points in all attributes. Do you accept? Song Jian carefully reviewed the quest requirements. After a while, a look of regret appeared on Song Jians face, there was no loophole this time. If it was just a level 15 elite BOSS, Song Jian might have accepted the quest, because even if he killed it, there was no guarantee of getting its core skill. But now, this weakened BOSS was related to the completion of Song Jians evaluation quest. If Song Jian couldnt even defeat a severely injured level 15 elite BOSS, then there was no hope of completing his evaluation quest. Song Jian sighed and chose to refuse. Kuru Tutus face suddenly became ugly. Human Song Jian didnt wait for the other party to speak. Holding the Guardians Sword tightly in his hand, he whispered, Lets fight. Kuru Tutus face revealed a ferocious expression. He picked up a bone wand from the ground and roared loudly. Lightning condensed on the bone wand and shot towards Song Jian. Song Jian directly activated the Guardians Swords inherent skill. A milky-white halo surrounded his entire body. The lightning struck the light shield, taking away more than a hundred defense points. Without slowing down, Song Jian roared and charged towards Kuru Tutu. He lifted his sword to his chest and stabbed forward fiercely. Breaking through the air, a silver glow appeared on the sword. Song Jian added Invisible Sword Qi to the surface of the sword. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as he arrived in front of Kuru Tutu, the two Totem Pillars next to him started to shake violently. Lightning and fire burst out from the Totem Pillars and struck towards Song Jian. Totem Pillar (Lightning): Releases a bolt of lightning at enemies within attack range, dealing 60 points of lightning damage. Has a chance to trigger the Paralysis effect. This attack can only be released once every three seconds. Totem Pillar Defense: 50 points. Totem Pillar (Fire): Releases a stream of fire at enemies within attack range, dealing 50 points of fire damage. Has a chance to trigger the Burning effect. This attack can only be released once every three seconds. Totem Pillar Defense: 50 points. The two Totem Pillars around Kuru Tutu began to attack Song Jian. The other two Totem Pillars were the Revealing Totem Pillar, capable of revealing any invisible enemies within range, and the Healing Totem Pillar, which released healing light on Kuru Tutu to restore his vitality points. Lightning and fire struck the light shield on the surface of Song Jians body, causing the shield to tremble violently, but it still didnt break through the defense. Thud- Song Jians sword stabbed fiercely into Kuru Tutus plump body. More than a hundred critical damage points floated above Kuru Tutus head. Before Kuru Tutu could react, Song Jian flipped his wrist and pulled out the sword. He slashed it through the air in an arc, aiming for Kalu Tutus head. Unforgivable! Kalu Tutu roared angrily, waving his bone wand to block Song Jians attack. Just when the bone wand and sword were about to collide, Song Jian flicked his wrist, making the sword tip vibrate intensely. It covered Kalu Tutus skull, throat, and chest, making it impossible to tell where the sword would strike. In the moment of Kalu Tutus hesitation, the Guardians Sword had already pierced his chest. Pu- A thick, green jet of blood spurted out, and Kalu Tutus vitality immediately weakened; the heart was a vital point for any species. Beast Spirit Descent! Kalu Tutu struggled to stand up, raising his hands high, while his Bone Wand let out a rumbling sound and cracks appeared on its surface. Crack, crack- The wand, over a meter long, unexpectedly shattered inch by inch, turning into nothingness. A look of pain flashed in Kalu Tutus eyes, his aura increasingly weakened, and wrinkles spread across his entire face, making him seem a dozen years older instantly. This was the result of sacrificing 15 years of his life and his Bone Wand to summon the ancient beast spirits. The sky churned, and a whirlwind of dark clouds appeared above Kalu Tutus head, accompanied by thunderous roars. From the whirlwind, an ancient beasts roar emerged, sounding like an angry bellow of a primordial creature. A huge claw emerged from the whirlwind, reaching for Song Jian. This massive claw was like a skyscraper towering in the sky, pressing down on Song Jian. Goosebumps stood on the back of Song Jians neck as a powerful sense of threat rushed toward him. It felt like his body was locked in by something, no matter how he tried to dodge, he couldnt avoid this deadly blow. Pu- Song Jians body disappeared, replaced by a large cloud of black fog. After morphing into a dark cloud, Song Jian drifted toward Kalu Tutu, quickly enveloping him in the black fog. Within the pitch-black fog, Kalu Tutus damage numbers floated above his head. Being shrouded in black fog, he would suffer 300 fixed damage points and 200% mental damage. Kalu Tutus Vitality Points were already low, and after summoning the ancient beast spirits, he became even weaker, unable to withstand the damage caused by Song Jians black fog. Within the black fog, Kalu Tutu roared in anger, swinging his Bone Wand continuously, creating gusts of wind. However, all his efforts were useless, unable to cause any harm to the black fog. Crack, crack- Several Totem Pillars shattered one after another. The 50-point defense couldnt bear the damage from the black fog. Losing the healing from the healing Totem Pillar, Kalu Tutu became even more agitated. That huge claw above his head was like a massive pillar, pressing down on the black fog on the ground. Before it could even get close, Song Jian felt his mind waver, nearly unable to maintain the state of black fog. Song Jian couldnt help biting his tongue hard, and when the taste of blood filled his mouth, he barely broke free from the mental pressure, trying his best to maintain the black fog state. Always shrouded in black fog, the furious Kalu Tutu stumbled blindly, trying to shake off the entanglement of the black fog. However, all of this was to no avail. The more terrifying thing, in Kalu Tutus view, was that he could feel the massive claw above his head getting closer and closer. The giant claw, with a diameter of more than ten meters, could easily crush Song Jians black fog form. Correspondingly, the continuously fog-shrouded Kalu Tutu couldnt escape the fate of being struck by the earth-shattering blow of the beast claw. No! A look of despair appeared on Kalu Tutus face, staring at the ancient beasts claw with deep lines running through it like gullies, and he let out a desperate roar. Chapter 201 - 201: Pet Contract Chapter 201: Pet Contract Translator: 549690339 A gigantic beast claw descended from the sky, pulverizing a large area in the center of the neighborhood. The small pavilion where Kalu Tutu resided, right under the palm of the claw, was ground to a fine powder; Song Jian, transformed into a cloud of dark mist, was also suppressed underneath the claw. Wisps of black smoke gradually seeped out from the gaps between the beasts claws; After this blow, the beasts claw slowly vanished. The swirling black clouds flashing with lightning overhead also gradually dissipated, and the sky returned to its bright blue. Only a massive paw print, over fifteen meters in diameter, remained on the ground; Kalu Tutu looked like a broken rag doll with wounds cracking open all over its body. It lay on the brink of death in a pool of dark green blood; Song Jian was utterly shaken. That blow, although mostly physical, had also carried a trace of spiritual attack, similar to his Eye of Mind skill. The beast had first locked onto Song Jian with its mind, then unleashed this earth-shaking blow; Physical damage could be negated, but that trace of spiritual damage still inflicted Song Jian with over a hundred and eighty points of damage; Kalu Tutus vitality points had now dwindled to less than a hundred. With its every bone broken, it couldnt understand how the desperate finishing move it had deployed, had rebounded onto itself, while the enemy had barely been damaged; Song Jian returned to his human form, his face turning pale. He couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood while his mind was in tumult, and his head throbbed with pain. The image of the gigantic beast claws earth-shaking blow was deeply imprinted in Song Jians mind, as imposing as a massive mountain range in his consciousness. This is horrifying! This is nothing but a level fifteen Elite Boss. Yet, it could summon such a terrifying strike! And it was just a single giant claw. If the ancient beast were summoned in its entirety, the entire city might have vanished. Song Jian revealed a horrified expression; How how could this be Kalu Tutu looked up at the sky. It could feel its strength swiftly draining away from its body. It knew it was about to die; Watching Song Jian gradually approaching it, a puzzled look appeared in Kalu Tutus eyes, Human, how did you manage to do this? Song Jian remained silent, lifting his longsword to thrust towards Kalu Tutus head; Human, dont kill me. Dont you want to know about the Shaman profession Thunk- The longsword pierced straight into its brain, draining Kalu Tutus last bit of vitality. Kalu Tutu died in confusion, a transparent flame surfaced on its body; A few items exploded out, one of them emitting bright silver light; A silver-quality item? Song Jians face lit up with a pleasantly surprised smile. He reached out to grab the silver-quality item; Pet Contract (Silver): Consumable, Usage Effect: Apply to a beast class no higher than a Lord, turning it into a pet. The lower the beasts HP, the higher the success rate of the contract. Once the contract is successful, the pets level resets to level one. Uses: o/i. Usage Requirement: 9 points of Charm. Can it be taken out of the game: No. A Pet Contract Scroll? Song Jian was taken aback, then a smile spread across his face. He had always been wondering whether or not to kill the Black Dragon Hatchling. The Dragon Clan passed down its powers through bloodline. As the hatchling leveled up, it would grow rapidly, learning vast inherited knowledge from its bloodline. If the hatchling ever surpassed Song Jian in power, it might very well turn against him; Even now, Song Jian could sense some estrangement from the hatchling. It no longer felt as close to him as before and had become somewhat wary; Great! With this scroll, I can truly own a dragon pet. When that happens hahaha! Song Jian burst out laughing, hurriedly storing the scroll away in his inventory. Aside from this silver-quality pet contract scroll, Kalu Tutu also dropped a blue quality totem pillar, and the rest were some materials like linen; sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Healing Totem Pillar (Blue) C Consumable, Use Effect: Restores Vitality Points of all teammates within a five-meter radius by (5+10*120 Spirit/second), duration of 15 minutes; Usage: 1/1; Defense: 50 points. This is an item best used for dungeon raiding or on the battlefield. It would be a waste to use it during regular times. Holding the palm-sized totem pillar, Song Jian pondered; After collecting all the items, Song Jian was a bit uneasy. Although he had killed a level 15 elite boss, it was severely injured and its mental strength was almost exhausted with only a stroke of power left. He picked up a good bargain and wondered if Duan Jian would acknowledge his successful completion of the task. Upon opening his task bar, as expected, the task was not shown as being completed, causing Song Jians heart to sink; Brother Song, what was that just now? Was that your skill? That beast claw was terrifying After seeing the boss getting killed, Lin Sheng quickly ran over. The beast claw was overwhelming and Lin Sheng was filled with fear; If I could perform that move, wouldnt I wipe out anyone in my path? That was the bosss final counterattack, the trump card Song Jian rolled his eyes as he spoke; Brother Song, you endured such a terrifying move, my admiration for you is like a mighty river Lin Sheng revealed a surprised expression as he looked at Song Jian in disbelief; Alright, alright, I have a task to hand in. You go and find your Thief Mentor. With a wave of his hand, Song Jian took a few steps away before he hesitated and turned back to say to Lin Sheng, Lin Sheng, 1 still think that man who guided the dungeon is not as simple as he seems. If in the future you really have the strength to enter a realistic difficulty dungeon, you must go and meet with him again. Lin Sheng thoughtfully nodded, saying: I understand, Brother Song. Seeing Lin Sheng take the advice to heart, Song Jian turned around and dashed towards the Tianfeng Building; These days, Song Jian has encountered many high-level NPCs. He can clearly feel their power and even distinguish some of their strengths from the aura they emitted; When he initially entered the dungeon, the guide only showed to be at level thirty but the terrifying aura that Song Jian sensed from him was not less than Dragon Hunter or Duan Jian; Upon returning to the Tianfeng Building, there were still five to six hours left until the task completion deadline. Reaching the rooftop, Duan Jian looked at Song Jian speechlessly: You really 1 dont know what to say about you, but you are indeed lucky An awkward smile surfaced on Song Jians face. If Kalu Tutu hadnt been severely injured, Song Jian would have had to reveal his full strength to fight with it. The result turned out to be that Kalu Tutu was seriously injured. Not only did it lose a leg, its spirit points were almost depleted, only able to exert a weak final blow; That final blow happened to be restrained by one of Song Jians skills. As a consequence, not only did it not eliminate Song Jian, it instead gave it a fall, leaving Song Jians prepared trump card unused; Now thinking about it, even if Kalu Tutu wasnt severely injured, with Song Jians current strength, even without using the Rocket Launcher and the Tusk Fang Stinger, after a hard fight, he could have slain it; Safety first, safety first, hehe- Song Jian grinned while rubbing his hands together; Alright, 111 consider this a pass for you this time. Duan Jian let out a sigh of resignation and muttered under his breath, Just like that fat man, clearly having the strength to slay the boss, but still insists on finding loopholes to benefit. Chapter 202 - 202: Raising a Tiger Invites Trouble Chapter 202: Raising a Tiger Invites Trouble Translator: 549690339 After gaining Duan Jians acknowledgment, the assessment task in Song Jians task bar finally showed completed. It seemed that whether the task was completed or not was ultimately up to Duan Jian. System: Youve completed the Sword Controller Duan Jians test. Your favorability with Sword Controller Duan Jian has greatly increased. Duan Jian is now sharing the information about the profession Sword Controller with you. Upon receiving the systems notification, Song Jians vision blurred, and next moment, he and Duan Jian were in the Explanation Space. The Sword Controller is a legendary profession with the ultimate goal of becoming a Sword Immortal, Duan Jian waved his hand and a man clad in black and holding a long sword appeared before Song Jian. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sword Immortal? Song Jians eyes lit up. He was always looking for a profession with the goal of becoming a Sword Immortal, and he already possessed two inherited skills of the Sword Immortal. Right, a Sword Controller who does not desire to become a Sword Immortal is not a qualified Sword Controller. Duan Jian nodded and pointed to the black-clad man in front of Song Jian, Take a good look at the power of this profession. If you can become a Sword Controller in the future, these are the skills that you will need to masterwatch closely! On the screen, the black-clad man holding the long sword started to demonstrate an array of powerful sword techniquesthe Wave Treading Art, Yangguan Triple Stacking, Mount Tai Eighteen Bends, Flying Swallow Nine Linked Rings Countless monsters swarmed towards the black-clad man whose long sword was continuously waving, flashing like a ball of silver light around his body. Any monster that touched this silver sword light shattered and could not get close at all. Swooosh Swooosh Swooosh- Over a hundred archers in the distance drew their bows and shot a rain of arrows at the black-clad man. The cover-the-sky arrow shower gave one no chance to dodge. In the real world, even someone of high strength would find it impossible to survive such an arrow storm! Arrow Breaking Style! The long sword in the black-clad mans hand suddenly changed. In an instant, he swung his sword to create countless shadows that deflected dozens of arrows flying towards him, causing them to change direction and shoot towards the surrounding area. Suddenly, a large number of monsters were pierced by the arrows. Boom Boom Boom- Fireballs, ice bullets, all kinds of magic attacks were shot at the black-clad man. Spell Breaking Style! In Song Jians surprised gaze, all the magic shot at the black-clad man was deflected by his sword, resulting in a series of loud explosions around the black-clad man. This is, this is too outrageous, how could Song Jian couldnt help but look over at Duan Jian. Although Song Jian knew that in the Explanation Space, many instructors would greatly amplify the power of their own profession to arouse trainees enthusiasm to the point where they couldnt wait to switch to that profession right away. But the most basic principle must still be adhered to: Exaggeration is acceptable but outright fabrication absolutely cannot be allowed. Imagine, for instance, if the black-clad man on the screen was able to deflect various types of magic with his swordthat must mean he really can do so. Hmph, the power of a Sword Controller is not something you can gauge now. Keep watching! Duan Jian snorted coldly, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as he spoke nonchalantly. Later, the black-clad man on the screen seemed to transform into a God Slayer. Nohe became a Death God. With a several-meter-long sword light from his long sword, he swept across all the monsters around him, shedding blood and creating rivers of it. The most remarkable thing was that he was finally able to control the sword with qi, and he could manipulate the long sword, killing his enemies within a radius of about three meters around his body as if he were cutting melons and chopping vegetables. Phew- controlling the sword with qi is the most profound sword skill that a Sword Controller can master. Anything beyond it is in another realm! Duan Jian took a deep breath, waved his hand, and the space around them crumbled, and they returned to the rooftop. Controlling the sword with qi, huh? Song Jian mumbled to himself, glancing at the small silver metallic ball slowly rotating around Duan Jian. If you decide to become a Sword Controller, you can come to me, and 1 will give you a set of sword techniques as a gift for our first meeting, Duan Jian glanced at Song Jian and waved his hand, Alright, you can leave now. Remember, only with a brave heart and unyielding will, can you go farther and farther on the path of becoming a Sword Controller. System: You have found a combat profession instructor and learned about the profession Sword Controller. Main quest completed 8/10. Song Jian gave Duan Jian a bow, transformed into a cloud of black smoke, and flew back to his Manor Castle. With most of his main quest completed, Song Jians focus was no longer on finding combat profession instructors, but on choosing a profession. Among the eight professions he had come across, the Sword Controller had the most potential. Sword Immortal! Song Jians eyes were full of longing. The Sword Controller, like the Dragon Hunter, was a legendary profession. It had a naturally higher starting point than other professionsand whats morethe goal of the Sword Controller was to become a Sword Immortal. If the Sword Controllers goal is to become a Sword Immortal, then does that mean that the goal of all other professions that use the sword as a weapon is also to become a Sword Immortal? A thought suddenly occurred to Song Jian, Could it be that the ten unique professions are the common goals of all professionals? Think about it, among the thousands and thousands of professionals, only ten individuals could become the unique ones. Just thinking about it made him realize how difficult it was. However, Song Jian now had two inherited skills from the Sword Immortal profession. He was already one big step ahead of other players. Back at the Manor Castle, there were already seven or eight NPCs under the supervision of the steward, George, who were busy non-stopthe mill and livestock pen had been established. Next to them was a blacksmiths shop with a furnace burning brightly, and in front of it was a building under construction. Song Jian didnt pay too close of attention. He had given the construction of the manor over to steward George, basically putting the game on autopilot. As long as there were sufficient materials, construction of the necessary buildings in the manor would continue. The black dragon egg now stood over half a person tall. Its body was covered with a layer of fine black scales, and two protrusions on its head had risen significantly. It seemed that they would soon break open to form two dragon horns. Its leveled up to level five already? There was a look of surprise on Song Jians face. In only seventeen or eighteen hours, the black dragon had leveled up from level two to level five. As an elite boss, its leveling experience was much greater than that of ordinary monsters. The black dragon was hunting monsters. When it saw Song Jian return, it just turned its head and gave him a glance, then indifferently turned back, continued breathing fire, and turned the mutated zombies into ashes. If Song Jian could check the intimacy between him and the black dragon, he would find that the original friendly intimacy had rapidly declined to indifference. Looking at the black dragon with vitality points already exceeding one thousand, Song Jians brow furrowed. It cannot continue like this unchecked, otherwise itll be like raising a tiger for trouble Song Jian looked at the black dragon and couldnt help but feel a hint of murderous intent in his eyes. Chapter 203 - 203: Sign It Chapter 203: Sign It Translator: 549690339 Song Jian opened the manors property interface and began setting up combat equipment. Arrow towers and catapults were all loaded with ammunition. At the same time, he woke up the Bloody Ghoul Poison Tree from its deep sleep; Master, I have a As soon as the Bloody Ghoul Poison Tree woke up, it called out to Song Jian; Hold on, well discuss other matters later. Right now, I need you to do something. Later, you have to do this Song Jian interrupted what Alex was saying and directly gave his orders; The Bloody Ghoul Poison Tree had grown into a level-ten elite BOSS. Its Vitality Points exceeded two thousand; all Song Jian needed was for it to hold off the black dragon hatchling. He didnt want it to join the fight because there was a risk that it could accidentally kill the level-five black dragon hatchling; Alright, do you understand what to do? asked Song Jian; I understand, Master, but Alex seemed to be somewhat discontented and wanted to continue speaking; Good, as long its clear; well talk about the rest later. You better not mess it up later! After giving his approval, Song Jian headed towards the manor gate; Mas, Master okay! Alex sighed and the roots of the tree began to move slowly within the Spirit Field; Song Jian walked up to the black dragon hatchling and took out a piece of roast meat; The black dragon hatchling glanced at Song Jian and then at the roast meat, then with a contemptuous look in its eyes, it pounced on a mutant zombie and started tearing it apart. After a short while, it surprisingly killed the zombie effortlessly; Seeing the black dragon hatchling with blood all over its mouth and an aura of violence all over its body, Song Jian frowned; Little Black, come here! Song Jian called out in a low voice; Roar- The black dragon hatchling actually turned around and roared at Song Jian. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The vertical pupils of its eyes flashed a hint of blood-red color; Song Jian knitted his eyebrows and his right hand slowly reached for the long sword by his waist; The black dragon hatchling seemed to understand something; its violent aura disappeared in an instant, making pleasing noises and trying to jump onto Song Jians shoulder; Get lost, get away! Youre so heavy now, how can 1 bear it? Song Jian playfully scolded it, using his right hand to push the black dragon hatchling away. He laughed heartily, walked towards the manor, and upon reaching the gate of the manor, he turned back and waved at the black dragon hatchling; The black dragon hatchling stared at Song Jians figure, opened its big mouth, showed its full row of sharp teeth, and let out a silent roar. It extended its front claws, which were flashing with a metallic cold light; By the time Song Jian turned his head to wave, the hatchling had once again assumed its adorable appearance, fluttering its wings and flying towards Song Jian; Song Jian slowly walked into the manor. The black dragon hatchling flew into the manor behind him; the manors gate started to close slowly. The arrow towers located at the four corners of the wall were gradually rotated, targeting the dragon hatchling; Underneath the ground, roots crawled like land dragons, rumbling slowly beneath the surface, following the movement of the black dragon hatchling. Even the fine dust on the ground began to vibrate slightly; When the black dragon hatchling was about to follow Song Jian into the castle, it finally sensed a threat. It stopped, flashed a look of confusion in its eyes, and started to look around; Whoosh- A sharp swishing sound suddenly rang out, and a sharp arrow over a meter long pierced through the left wing of the Black Dragon whelp and into its abdomen, causing over sixty points of critical damage, displayed above the dragons head. Whoooosh- In an instant, arrows from two arrow towers showered over the young Black Dragon, which thrashed and roared in response, flapping its wings in an attempt to stand once more. However, the barrage left it looking like a porcupine, its body bristling with arrows. Grr, grr, grr- The young Black Dragon wailed at Song Jian, blood seeping from its wounds. Despite its pleas, Song Jian only returned a chilly stare. Eventually, seeming to understand something, the dragon opened its blood-flecked jaws, revealing sharp teeth, and roared at Song Jian before struggling towards him. Whoosh- A tree root from the ground suddenly erupted and jabbed into the Black Dragon whelp, piercing its other wing. The dragon whelp that had managed to rise half a meter off the ground fell back into the dust. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Dozens of tree roots, snake-like, threw themselves at the dragon, turning it into something akin to a rice dumpling. Several small wooden thorns materialized on the tree roots, slowly digging into the spaces between the dragon whelps scales and began to drain its vitality. What no one expected, however, was that the tree roots that absorbed the dragons blood began to heat up almost instantly. In no time, they had turned red-hot before bursting into flame. As the roots wrapped around the young dragon turned to ash after sucking up the dragons blood, Song Jian frowned slightly, drew his long sword, and lunged at the dragon. His sword cleaved into its head, immediately resulting in over a hundred points of critical damage floating above the Dragon whelps head. By this point, the young Black Dragon had already lost over four hundred vitality points. It was stuck with more than a dozen arrows, with Alexs Poisonous Ghost Tree roots still incessantly shooting up from the ground, aiming for the young Black Dragon. Song Jian flipped his wrist and with a swift flick of his right hand, the long sword peeled open the dragon whelps neck, spraying fresh blood. The dragon whelp let out a painful cry, a hint of blood appearing in its golden eyes. Opening its mouth wide at Song Jian, a ball of searing fire began to take shape inside its mouth. Sploosh- In less than a second, a stream of fire five to six meters long shot out from the dragon whelps mouth. The heat filled the small courtyard, scaring the NPC workers into running into the sub-castle under the scolding of their butler, George. They peered fearfully out of a narrow window. Song Jian activated the innate skill of his long sword, enveloping his body in a milky-white glow. The intense fire licked at his protective field, causing several forty-point damages to pop up. Within seconds, the defensive capability of the shield had dropped to a third of its original state. Steadfast against the fire, Song Jian wielded his long sword and lunged at the Black Dragon whelp. The arrow tower continued to attack, and Alexs tree roots seemed endless. Even as some were destroyed, more would sprout and rush at the Black Dragon whelp. The Black Dragon whelp felt like it had fallen into a swamp, surrounded by enemies on all sides, its vitality points rapidly declining until it fell below half. Grrrr- With an angry cry, the Black Dragon whelp took a hard turn towards the wall. Its ragged wings continued their frantic beating, gripping the cracks in the wall with its claws. Spewing Dragon Flame from its mouth, the dragon burned away the roots entangling it and managed to scramble onto the wall. Song Jian looked up at the whelp on the wall, grinning faintly. He pulled out a scroll glowing with a silver light from his pack, and in a solemn voice, addressed the young Black Dragon, If you sign this Pet Contract, you will be allowed to live. Otherwise, you face certain death. Chapter 204 - 204: Forced Signing Chapter 204: Forced Signing Translator: 549690339 The Black Dragon cub stood on the wall, gasping for breath. Its two wings were already injured; being able to leap onto the two-meter-high wall meant it had already exploded its final potential, expending a great amount of energy. Hearing Song Jians words, the Black Dragon cub bared its sharp fangs at him, letting out a low roar. A trace of brutal murderous intent appeared in its golden vertical pupils. Although it wanted to kill the man before it, the Black Dragon cub knew how powerful the enemy was and that it was now injured. If it didnt run, it might die here. As its level increased, the Black Dragon cubs bloodline inheritance gradually awakened. It was precisely because it recognized Song Jians strength that it had been eager to raise its level. As long as it could reach level 10, it would be confident in escaping from here. If it could reach level 15, it would even have the confidence to kill Song Jian. With a leap backward, the Black Dragon cub jumped off the wall, fluttered its broken wings, and fled into the distance. Do you think you can escape? The Arrow Tower was still locked onto the Black Dragon cub, continuously shooting crossbow bolts at it. The three Catapults also made a creaking noise, with stones already prepared and aimed at the Black Dragon cub, adjusting their angles automatically. The roots of the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree, Alex, spread underground towards the manors exterior, breaking through the earth near the Black Dragon cub and stabbing its body like a spear. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was probably the only chance for the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree to devour the blood of a Giant Dragon. Even if it destroyed all its roots, it wouldnt miss this opportunity. Song Jian followed the Black Dragon cub at an unhurried pace. He couldnt afford to let down his guard for even a moment against a dragon, even if it was just a cub, for fear of capsizing in the gutter. Woooo- A deep whistling sound echoed through the air as three stones fell from the sky, blocking the Black Dragon cubs escape route. Several tree roots ruthlessly pierced the Black Dragon cubs abdomen, causing several blossoms of blood to burst forth, and the cub let out a painful roar. Boom, boom, boom- The three stones hit the Black Dragon cubs body, causing its vitality points to drop drastically. Song Jian was startled and quickly stopped the Catapults from attacking. If they continued attacking, they might just kill the Black Dragon cub directly. The Arrow Tower also stopped attacking, and now only the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree Alex was fighting against the Black Dragon cub. Root after root began to suck blood from the Black Dragon cub continuously. Wisps of smoke rose from the roots as the water inside evaporated, causing them to burn and turn to ash. However, Alex persisted stubbornly. One root after another wrapped around the Black Dragon cub, constantly sucking its blood, even though the blood was like molten lava to Alex. With too much vitality lost, the Black Dragon cubs health had already dropped to below a third. It fluttered its wings and struggled in vain, unable to break free from the shackles of the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree. Alex, be careful. Dont kill it, Song Jian warned anxiously. Master, Master, uh-, I will control The Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree seemed to have expended a lot of energy and appeared somewhat breathless. The Black Dragon cub was in a very sorry state at this point. Both its wings were pierced through by several tree roots that had burrowed into the ground, locking the wings in place. Its limbs were tightly wrapped by tree roots, while five or six roots continuously stabbed into its body, sucking its blood before burning and turning to ash. More roots would then continue to pierce the cubs body. The endless onslaught of roots left its body covered in wounds, making the Black Dragon cub feel desperate. Sign it, and you can live! Song Jian stood three or four meters away from the Black Dragon cub, holding the Pet Contract, and spoke to it. The Black Dragon cub seemed to ignore him, as if it had given up on struggling. Its wings would occasionally twitch, but its entire body lay on the ground, allowing the Bloodthirsty Yin Soul Poison Tree to suck its blood at will. The Vitality Points slowly decreased, and soon the Black Dragon cubs Vitality Points were reduced to just one-tenth. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, as this Pet Contract could only be used once; if the Black Dragon cub refused to submit, forcefully signing the contract could easily fail. Do I really have to kill it? Even if its part of the Dragon Clan, its just a Level 5 elite BOSS now. What kind of good loot could it drop? Compared to a giant dragon pet, the items it drops now are worthless. Looking at the still-defiant Black Dragon cub, Song Jian couldnt help but frown and become agitated. At this moment, severeral tree roots that had pierced the abdomen of the Black Dragon cub began to emit faint white smoke on the surface but did not catch fire. In the manor courtyard, the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree Alex suddenly roared. Sweet, crisp, and the flame of burning fire, this isthe blood of a giant dragon, roar! After the destruction of hundreds of tree roots, the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree finally adapted to the fiery poison in the blood of the Black Dragon. Of course, this was largely because the Black Dragon cub was too small; otherwise, daring to directly suck the blood of a giant dragon would result in the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree becoming a huge torch. -1 -1 -1 A series of -1 numbers began to float above the head of the Black Dragon cub, appearing so frequently that Song Jian thought Alex wanted to kill the Black Dragon cub. However, after losing just over thirty Vitality Points, Alex stopped absorbing and left the Black Dragon cub with just over fifty Vitality Points remaining. Become my pet, or die! Song Jian said coldly. The Black Dragon cub still struggled fiercely, trying to break free from the bondage of the Bloody Infernal Poison Tree, opening its mouth wide and roaring angrily at Song Jian. It seems like 1 have no choice but to kill you! Song Jian felt the unyielding spirit of the Black Dragon cub and disappointment appeared on his face. Although he wanted the Black Dragon cub to be his pet, Song Jian dared not continue to keep it without the game systems certification; otherwise, it would be like raising a tiger to invite trouble. As soon as the Black Dragon cub grew up, it would definitely backlash against him. Song Jian raised his sword and slashed heavily at the Black Dragon cub, finally reducing its Vitality Points to less than ten. Become my pet, or die! Song Jian still couldnt help but show the silvery Pet Contract Scroll in his hand to the Black Dragon cub. Roar- Understood! Song Jian raised his sword, preparing to end the life of the Black Dragon cub. Master, why not just try using the scroll directly? Steward George suddenly appeared at the entrance of the manor, shouting at Song Jian. Use it directly? If it fails, the scroll will be gone as well Song Jian hesitated. Its life value is already very low now. At this time, forcefully signing the contract will also have a high success rate George explained. Song Jian pondered for a moment and finally gritted his teeth, tearing the scroll in his hand and throwing it at the Black Dragon cub. Chapter 205 - 205 Occupation Chapter 205: Occupation Translator: 549690339 A silvery light flickered, and the Pet Contract Scroll transformed into a large net, descending upon the Black Dragon Cub; The moment it was trapped by the Contract Scroll, a hint of confusion passed across the eyes of the Black Dragon cub. Its ferocious aura rapidly weakened, and it was as if it had become a quail, crouched on the ground; System: You have successfully captured a Black Dragon cub as your pet; System: Congratulations! Youre the first player in the game to acquire a pet. After you complete the main quest and exit the game, the game will undergo its first maintenance. After the maintenance, you will receive a reward; System: You have obtained a Pet Space; you may place your pets in the Pet Space and summon them at any time. It takes five seconds to summon your pet. When your pet dies, it will automatically be revived within the Pet Space; Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Huh, 1 actually caught it? Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief. He had decided to kill this Level Five Elite Boss, the Biack Dragon cub. He never expected such a vicious creature to submit in the end; Their words say no, but their bodies are honest, huh! Song Jian rubbed his chin, looking at the battered Black Dragon cub, deep in thought; Damn it, I have to treat its wounds now, and its vitality points are less than ten. Dont let it die Suddenly, it seemed as if something dawned on Song Jian, he quickly ordered his Blood Soul Poison Tree to release the Black Dragon cub; Surgical healing! A white light enveloped the Black Dragon cub. Its initially broken and damaged wings rapidly healed, and its status of bleeding also vanished instantly. The Black Dragon cub let out a weak cry towards Song Jian, struggling to stand up; Song Jian promptly offered a piece of grilled meat that had the property of vitality restoration to the cub. Seeing it tearing at the meat bit by bit and its vitality points gradually increasing allowed him to finally breathe a sigh of relief; Just then, two consecutive system alerts brought a smile of surprise to Song Jians face; System: Since youve captured the first pet, the game has opened the rare profession Beast Tamer for you. You dont need to complete an assessment task to learn about the features of this profession; System: Since you have a Giant Dragon as a pet, the game has opened the epic profession Dragon Knight for you. You dont need to complete an assessment task to learn about the features of this profession; This is really like receiving a gift from heaven while sitting at home! Haha, Beast Tamer, Dragon Knight, these sound really cool! Song Jian burst into laughter; A rare profession and an epic profession, neither requiring any assessment tasks. This time, capturing the Black Dragon cub as a pet was truly a huge win for Song Jian; Especially the Dragon Knight profession, which is the first epic profession Song Jian encountered. If not for the chance to become a Sword Immortal as a Sword Controller, Song Jian would undoubtedly pick this epic profession without any hesitation; Other than the unique profession, it is one of the most powerful ones; To be a Dragon Knight, one must have a Giant Dragon as a prerequisite Looking at the obedient Black Dragon cub standing by his side, Song Jian thought to himself; Next, Song Jian followed the procedure, entered the Explanation Space for the two different professions, and quickly learned their characteristics; The Beast Tamer profession is mainly centered around capturing pets. It s a bit weak in the early stages, but once a vast pet squad is assembled in the later stages, its simply overwhelming. Even leveling a city is not out of reach; However, this profession doesnt amplify the strength of the Beast Tamer himself considerably. Almost all the skills are auxiliary. Once there are no pets, the might of this profession plunges; As for the Dragon Knight, this epic profession matched Song Jians prediction. It requires a Giant Dragon as a pet initially, only when one owns a Giant Dragon can they touch the threshold of this profession; The Dragon Knight profession is so powerful its almost dreamy. Super high defense, clad in heavy helmets and armor, even the vitality levels are so high its depressing. High-level Dragon Knights even possess the skill Life Link with their pets: as long as the pet is alive, the Dragon Knight wont die; Apart from having high defense and vitality, the attack of the Dragon Knight is also extremely formidable. Besides the handheld heavy swords, the most distinctive weapon is the profession-enhanced weapon the Dragon Lance a weapon that only Dragon Knights can equip. Its part of epic professions unique equipment; This huge weapon more than three meters long can kill almost any creature in seconds with the aid of a Giant Dragons speed; its terrifying; However, theres a minor issue for Song Jian if he chooses this profession. Almost all the Dragon Knights skills are required to be executed with the help of a Giant Dragon. Considering the young age of his Black Dragon cub, to bring out the true power of a Dragon Knight, Song Jian will have to nurture the Black Dragon cub into an adult dragon, meaning to raise its level to sixty first This is a bit awkward. Im afraid that before I could grow you up, Id be the one to die first! Song Jian rubbed his nose and mumbled, touching the head of the Black Dragon cub; After becoming a pet, the experience points gained from slaying monsterswill be split evenly between him and the pet. Of course, this can be adjusted from a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 50%; The wounds on the Black Dragon cub began to heal at a rapidly visible speed. After becoming a pet, the Black Dragon cub lost its vicious temperament, most importantly, it lost the eligibility to inherit its lineage. Its growth curve will now change to another system; System: You have learned about ten combat professions. Please choose one of them as your main profession. You may also choose other professions as your main profession, but you must have a combat profession certification! I want to choose the Sword Immortal as my combat profession! Song Jian tried probing; System: Please show the certification for the Swordsman Immortal profession! Helpless, Song Jian could only shake his head and say, I choose the Sword Controller as my combat profession! A golden light descended from the sky, enveloping Song Jian. At the same time, a surging force flowed from above his head into his body. System: Youve chosen the Sword Controller as your combat profession, you are now a Sword Controller! System: Youve obtained profession bonuses for your combat profession Sword Controller. Your strength attribute has increased by 5 points, agility attribute by 3 points, physique attribute by 3 points, and spirit attribute by 3 points; System: From now on, you can only use sword-type weapons as your combat weapons. If you use other weapons, the power will decrease by 80%; Holy smoke, isnt that a scam? Song Jians eyes landed on the last system prompt, and he felt like crying without tears. It looks like his secret weapon, the Cobra-2X Rocket Launcher, will be of no use from now on; Chapter 206 - 206: Silver Moon Commercial Group Chapter 206: Silver Moon Commercial Group Translator: 549690339 The [Cobra C 2X] Rocket Launcher is a level 10 blue weapon with decent damage. Not only does it automatically replenish ammunition, but it also has a premium attribute of +1 ammo capacity. Song Jian calculated that he should be able to use this weapon until at least level 20. But now after becoming a Sword Controller, he could only use sword-type weapons. The power of all other weapon types would decrease by 80%, making the Rocket Launcher instantly become useless. Thank god I already gave away that dagger, otherwise, the feeling of heartache would be doubled! Song Jian couldnt help but think. Only now did he understand the significance of the assessment task given to him by Duan Jian: to use a sword-type weapon and kill a level 15 elite BOSS by himself. Looks like from now on I can only rely on my good old sword! Song Jian muttered to himself. Initially, he gave the Tusk Fang Stinger to Lin Sheng not only to complete the task but also because the Tusk Fang Stinger was only a level 5 weapon with slightly insufficient damage. If it werent for its Poison Nova skill, Song Jian would have probably sold it off long ago. But the Rocket Launcher was different, it was a level 10 item; Forget it, selling it can still earn me a lot, Song Jian consoled himself. System: Youve completed the main storyline task. You may choose to leave the game now, or you may choose to leave in three hours. After three hours, you will be forcefully logged out of the game. Upon completing the main storyline task, Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. Fled spent over twenty days in-game on this excursion. Living cautiously each day in this monster-filled city was mentally exhausting, and he now keenly needed to return to the real world and relax. First, he placed the two jewels into the golden bag slot, then he headed towards his manor with the Black Dragon cub in tow. Upon entering the manor, the Black Dragon cub let out an angry roar towards the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree Alex. If Song Jian hadnt controlled it, he feared that another fight would break out between the cub and Alex; It seemed that the Black Dragon cub still retained its memories of the previous battle and was filled with hatred towards the Bloody Shadow Poison Tree. The Bloody Shadow Poison Tree, which had absorbed the blood of the Black Dragon, now had vivid red markings emerging on its trunk surface, stretching out to all its branches like blood vessels. Master evolution. sleep Tree Shepherd Alex seemed drowsy at the moment, his speech sluggish and choppy before it went completely silent. Alright, Lil Black, were all friends here, dont pick on Alex anymore! Song Jian said, patting the Black Dragon cubs head. Roar- The Black Dragon cub made an unwilling noise but obediently followed Song Jian. Even though he had a Pet Space, Song Jian still didnt want to place the Black Dragon cub inside it. Just because it had lost its bloodline inheritance didnt mean it would become increasingly stupid. On the contrary, with level ups, the Black Dragon cub would acquire wisdom and cunning to rival that of humans. Back on the third floor of the castle, Song Jian opened his radio. Since he couldnt use the Rocket Launcher, it was natural to sell it as soon as possible. Instead of selling it to other players, it would be more profitable to sell it to NPCs. Crackle Crackle After a burst of static, Song Jian heard a recruitment message that was being looped and broadcasted; This is the Silver Moon Merchant Guild, we are looking for ten professionals, level 10 or above. Outstanding and rare professionals will be given priority. Good treatment assured, please send your CV to the mailbox address **** Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The message continued to loop for ten minutes before it ended. Just when it ended, a slew of raucous cursing immediately filled the radio. Fuck, the Silver Moon Merchant Guild sure is full of itself, even occupying the radio channel to loop their advertisement, freaking hell How good it must be to have money, 1 wish I had enough money to dominate a frequency like the Silver Moon Merchant Guild What exactly is the treatment? Why dont they declare it directly on the frequency Money can make people capricious, those without just have to accept their fate. Young people should not complain about their situation, strive more while youre young. The next successful person might be you. Yeah, right, keep going, if you dont try your best, how would you know What is despair! Can you please not monopolize the public channel with such harmful advice, fuck you After listening for a while, Song Jian realized this radio was pretty effective. It automatically censored swear words. Ahem, 1 have a weapon for sale, [Cobra-2X] Rocket Launcher, blue-quality. Song Jian interrupted. He described the properties of the Rocket Launcher: Act fast, those interested can send me a private message for the price. I wont reply to messages without a price or those offering too low! After Song Jian finished describing the properties of the Rocket Launcher, the radio eerily became silent except for a faint hum of electricity. There were no other sounds. Just when Song Jian thought something was wrong with the radio, a timid voice piped up. Boss, are you really selling this weapon? Youre not joking with us right? That voice caused an uproar in the radio, sounding like a pot boiling over, with hushed voices jumping in one after another; A gods favored one! This boss must be a gods favored one, right? Only a gods favored one would have such financial clout to sell such a weapon! My god, this level 10 weapon is going to be against the heavens. If 1 had it, 1 could use it until level 15 I can use it till level 20 I could use it till level 30 I could use it for my fucking lifetime 5,000 Doomsday Coins, we from the Silver Moon Merchant Guild will purchase it. Were also curious if this Gods chosen one would be interested in joining our Silver Moon Merchant Guild. The hiring price is negotiable and definitely the highest in the industry. Were even willing to lower the usual requirements. If youre not already a professional, we can offer you three scarce profession scroll for free Song jian was taken aback. A simple level 10 blue-quality weapon could be sold for 5,000 doomsday coins? When he had originally sold two set armor pieces, he only got 4,000 Doomsday coins After waiting for a bit, no one offered a higher price. After the Silver Moon Merchant Guild made their bid, the radio fell silent, as if everyone was intimidated by the Silver Moon Merchant Guild, and they dare not raise the price. Could it be, the Silver Moon Merchant Guilds influence is really that big? Song Jian frowned. He needed to be careful when selling items over the radio in the future. Alright then, Silver Moon Merchant Guild, this weapon is sold to you. As for your hiring offer, lets forget about it. Besides, Im already a professional and currently have no intentions of joining any organization! Song Jian politely refused. Alright, you can mail the weapon to ***** Looking forward to our next deal! Chapter 207 - 207: Broken Wing Dance Chapter 207: Broken Wing Dance Translator: 549690339 After selling a level 10 blue quality weapon for five thousand Doomsday Coins, Song Jian was more than satisfied, although he couldnt help feeling a little reluctant to part with it. Oh well, out with the old and in with the new. Ill have even better weapons in the future. Song Jian comforted himself and recalled what the Sword Master Mentor had once said: If he chose this profession, he would receive a free sword technique, so he might as well use this time to learn it. Immediately, Song Jian sent his black dragon whelp to the Pet Space, as he didnt have much time left, and having the whelp follow him would slow him down. Morphing into Dark Cloud, Song Jian flew high into the sky, heading for the area where level 15 monsters were located. In reality, Song Jians flight speed while in the Dark Cloud form wasnt fast, and was equivalent to riding a bicycle. The advantage was that he could fly at a high altitude, making it the safest method to travel, as long as he didnt encounter any flying bosses. After spending more than half an hour, Song Jian arrived at Tianfeng Building, where Duan Jian was still standing on the rooftop, gazing into the distance with his hands behind his back. Seeing him, Song Jian couldnt help but want to tease him: Yo, what are you looking at all day long, are you waiting for your wife? Mentor! Song Jian flew to the rooftop, cancelled the Dark Cloud state, landed in front of Duan Jian, and bowed in salute. Well done! It looks like youve made the right choice! Duan Jian glanced at Song Jian, his face revealing a satisfied smile. Mentor, didnt you say I could learn a sword technique for free from you? Song Jian asked somewhat shyly. Yes, as your guide, you can learn a basic Sword Controller technique from me, Duan Jian nodded and said, But what you can learn depends on your luck! It relies on luck? Song Jian frowned but understood immediately. Duan Jian raised his hand, and more than a dozen cards with a faint golden light floated in front of him. Choose one at random, Duan Jian said casually. A gold-quality skill? Impossible, wasnt it mentioned that its a basic sword technique? Song Jian couldnt help but feel surprised, looking closely at the cards. The cards were all facing Song Jian with their backs, adorned with intricate patterns that resembled magic arrays. The patterns were all identical, making it hard to tell the differences with the naked eye. Song Jian closed his eyes, trying to discern the difference using his Mental Strength. As a Sword Controller, his mental attribute had been raised to 9 points, making his sixth sense much more intuitive, and he could even anticipate some impending dangers. He wanted to see if he could distinguish the value of these cards by using his Mental Strength. Unfortunately, the results were disappointing. The cards surface seemed to be covered in a faint layer of Mental Strength, blocking any sensing attempts. With his currently limited use of Mental Strength, he couldnt even touch the cards themselves, let alone tell any difference between them. A moment later, Song Jian shook his head, unable to discern any differences. He glanced at the smiling Duan Jian and casually chose a card from the middle. After choosing the card, the faint golden light on it slowly faded, leaving a card with a white glow. Skill: Broken Wing Dance (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: Activating this skill allows you to charge forward, initiating a surprise attack and can be activated twice more. First and Second Strikes: Slashes forward, dealing 50 + 0.5 * physical damage to all enemies touched. Third Strike: Leap into the air, then smash the ground, causing 60 + 0.6 * physical damage, and sending surrounding enemies flying away. Learning requirements: Sword Controller. This skill is quite good! It has strong attacks, includes a shifting ability, and even has control effects! Nice, nice! Song Jian was elated, immediately using the card to learn the Broken Wing Dance sword technique. However, he also became interested in the other cards, eyeing them curiously. Duan Jian smiled faintly, waved his hand, and turned over the remaining cards, which caused Song Jians face to change, his eyes widening in surprise. Damn, Six Vein Divine Swords (Incomplete) C Little Merchant Sword, Dugus Nine Swords (Incomplete) C Palm Breaking Strike, Tai Chi Sword Skill, Quanzhen Sword Technique, Jade Maiden Sword Skill, Three-part Swordsmanship Song Jians eyes bulged as he looked at the legendary sword techniques. He initially thought that Broken Wing Dance was already a remarkable technique; little did he know that among these sword techniques, it would rank at best as average. Dugus Nine Swords, Six Vein Divine Swords, Tai Chi Sword, and even Evil Warding Sword Skill Song Jian was speechless. There were so many legendary sword techniques that it was overwhelming. Alright, practice well. When you reach level 15, go to the Television Tower to find me, and Ill teach you a body refining technique! Duan Jian said, waving his hand, and all the cards disappeared. The Sword Orb around him transformed into a giant longsword, which Duan Jian jumped onto, and used the Sword Flight Art. Within a short while, he disappeared into the sky, becoming a small black dot. Sword Sword Flight Art? Is this also a skill that Sword Controllers can master? Song Jian asked in surprise. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from behind Song Jian. Turning around, he saw three or four players rushing to the rooftop. Seeing Song Jian standing on the rooftop, the players displayed a surprised expression. Sword Controller, are you the Sword Controller Mentor? asked a player wearing leather armor, shouting towards Song Jian. Since becoming a Sword Controller, Song Jian hadnt had the chance to hide his profession, so now his level and profession were exposed above his head. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It shouldnt be, right? 1 heard that the Sword Controller has a level of seventy or eighty, this one is only level 10 Maybe hes a disciple of that Sword Controller, possibly our senior brother in the future Right, right! We have to be polite! Do you fellows need my master for anything? Song Jian asked with a smile. Master? It seems we guessed correctly. Hes indeed that Combat Mentors disciple Ahem, we also want to become Sword Controllers, is that possible? These players quickly asked. Of course, but it depends on how sincere you guys are Song Jians face was full of smiles as he stretched out his index finger, rubbing it against his thumb. Damn, is he asking for a bribe? Are the NPCs in this game so intelligent? Its so human-like Just give it, maybe itll make our assessment tasks easier These players hurriedly took out a handful of Doomsday Coins from their inventory, some gave thirty, others fifty, and the highest one gave a hundred Doomsday Coins. Looking at the Doomsday Coins in their hands, Song Jian sighed disappointedly and said, Your hearts are not sincere enough- Chapter 208 - 208: Auction House Chapter 208: Auction House Translator: 549690339 Several players looked at each other suspiciously, starting to doubt Song Jians identity; Im telling you, this guy looks like a player to me, someone muttered; Yeah, are NPCs really this smart? He even complains that were not giving him enough money! The man in leather armor looked up and down at Song Jian with suspicion; I think hes a fraud! Right, he looks like a player, and hes only level 10 The man in leather armor walked up, his face sour, and said to Song Jian, Hey, brother, stop joking with us, will you? Where did the Sword Controller class teacher go? Ha ha! Song Jian laughed and said, Im sorry, everyone, but Ive become a Sword Controller, and the combat class teacher has left. This is a legendary class, limited in number! Hearing Song Jians words, everyones faces darkened. In fact, they had a bad feeling in their hearts when they saw through Song Jians player identity, and they didnt expect it to become a reality; Wasnt the Sword Controller class test supposed to be difficult? How did someone complete it so quickly sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yeah, I had to travel a long way to get here, and this place is a level 15 monster area. 1 was almost surrounded by monsters just now! Sigh, lets go, and try our luck somewhere else! A few players glanced at Song Jian, looking annoyed, and turned to leave the rooftop; Hey, man, youre good, a legendary class! A player turned back, gave Song Jian a thumbs-up, and said; Song Jian smiled slightly and watched them leave; System: You have 30 seconds left until you exit the game. Please be prepared! Soon, a flash of white light appeared, and Song Jians figure disappeared from the rooftop of the Tianfeng Building; The real world Song Jian opened his eyes to discover that the sun was already high in the sky. The window let in a cacophony of noise from the city: honking, hawking, the sounds of street vendors frying dough sticks, various noises amalgamating into a rich atmosphere of life; Phew, I only got an S-class rating for my last main quest. It seems that in the future, I cant give up quests so casually! Song Jian thought to himself. Pushing open the window and taking a deep breath, Song Jian showed a happy expression: Returning to the real world is much more comfortable. The game was just too oppressive. Ding dong- At this moment, Song Jians phone rang. Picking it up, he saw it was a delivery notification; Rushing downstairs to retrieve a cardboard box, Song Jian opened it up and couldnt help but smile with bitterness; It was a dagger he had bought online two days ago for over a thousand yuan. It hadnt been sharpened yet, and he had intended to practice dagger fighting techniques with it at home, but now it seemed a bit redundant; Looks like Ill have to buy a longsword now, huh- Song Jian sighed helplessly and set the dagger aside; After washing up, Song Jian went out for breakfast and made his way to Coastal Citys largest auction house. His pocket now contained two pieces of jewelry, and he planned to auction one off so that he wouldnt have to worry about money in the future, allowing him to focus on his practice. Jiade Auction House was the largest auction house in Coastal City. It was not only famous domestically but also held a place in the international market. Upon arriving at the auction house and stating his intention, Song Jian was led to a private room. The room was not very big, only about thirty or forty square meters, but the interior was luxuriously decorated. Song Jian sat on the sofa and waited for a moment. Soon, a man entered the room and was momentarily taken aback by Song Jian before his eyes flashed with disappointment; Zhou Li had been working at Jiade Auction House for almost five years, but he had always been the lowest-ranking appraiser, earning a few thousand yuan a month. His usual tasks involved appraising relatively cheap items, making him an invisible person in the auction house hierarchy; Seeing Song Jians shabby clothing, Zhou Li quickly deduced that the man in front of him was not in good financial shape. Usually, people like this would bring in items of low value for auction, often fakes; Hello, sir. Can you show me the item youd like our company to auction? Zhou Li asked with a smile; Despite his internal judgment, Zhou Lis professional courtesy showed through his polite manner and actions; Song Jian smiled faintly and took out the Jewel: Flame from his pants pocket, placing it casually on the velvet-covered table; Upon seeing Song Jian retrieve the item from his pocket, Zhou Lis heart sank. What kind of valuable item would be casually stored in a pants pocket? He probably doesnt even think his item is worth much. Zhou Li couldnt help but grumble to himself internally; When he saw the Jewel: Flame, the first thought that came to Zhou Lis mind was, What a huge piece of red glass this is! Zhou Li didnt even bother to take out his magnifying glass and said after an indifferent glance, Sir, in my opinion, this item is At that moment, a ray of sunshine from the window illuminated the Jewel: Flame on the table, and the brilliant red gem suddenly seemed to be engulfed in a flame. It shimmered in the air as if it were actually burning; Zhou Lis eyes widened, and his face was full of disbelief: How is this possible? Only a top-quality gemstone could have such a phenomenon! My God, this is a top-quality gem! Taking a deep breath, Zhou Li calmed himself down, walked slowly to the table, and took out his magnifying glass to examine the gem closely. In no time, his eyes were filled with intoxication; Its perfect, an absolute work of art. No, this can only be a treasure crafted by gods themselves, priceless! Zhou Li murmured as he continued to examine the gem; Um, can 1 ask how much this is worth? Song Jian asked from the side; Money? Zhou Li straightened up and put away his magnifying glass, his face serious: Measuring such a masterpiece with money would only tarnish it. Sir, I apologize for my rudeness just now. Id like to reintroduce myself. My name is Zhou Li, an appraiser of Jiade Auction House. Your jewel is priceless, and Im afraid I cannot represent Jiade Auction House to discuss the auction of this jewel with you. Please wait, Ill go and ask our general manager to come over and speak with you personally. Please wait a moment! Zhou Li bowed respectfully to Song Jian. Before Song Jian could respond, Zhou Li turned and left the room. Upon exiting, Zhou Li briefly stood outside the door and took out a set of keys from his pocket, locking Song Jians room from the outside; Calling over a service staff member, Zhou Li whispered, Stay here and watch this door. Dont let the person inside leave. Hes an important customer, and Im going to look for the general manager now. If I come back with the general manager and the guest is missing, you know the consequences! Y-yes, sir, Ill stay right here The 19-year-old teenager stuttered; Zhou Li stared at him for a while before rushing upstairs; Chapter 209 - 209: Counterfeit Chapter 209: Counterfeit Translator: 549690339 Song Jian sat in his chair, savoring his tea, clearly hearing the commotion outside. As for Zhou Lis secret shenanigans, Song Jian merely smiled. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If Song Jian wanted to leave, not even an iron alloy security door could withstand a kick from him, let alone a wooden one. Despite returning to the real world and losing the additional attributes provided by the Ring of Strength and the Guardians Sword, his strength stat still reached an impressive level of thirteen. In reality, he could be considered something of a mini-superman; Meanwhile, Zhou Li was anxious. He never imagined that he would be the first to discover such a treasure. This could be an unexpected stroke of luck for him. If he managed to secure this deal, could his status at the Jiade Auction House experience a transformation as profound as an earth-shattering upheaval? This thought made Zhou Li laugh out loud; He was about to knock on the door of the General Managers office when the door swung open. A glowing man walked out of the office. Upon seeing Zhou Li, this man looked at him with contempt and said, Zhou Li, cant you just stay put instead of running around? You think a low-ranking employee like you can stroll into the General Managers office whenever you want? Do you want your bonus this month! Zhou Li looked up and saw Ding Yi, his superior; Manager Ding, a guest has brought a rare treasure to our auction house. Its out of my hands, and 1 believe the General Manager should take a look! Zhou Li took a deep breath and spoke; Zhou Li knew he had some disagreements with Ding Yi, who often made things difficult for him. He had been working at Jiade for five years and was still a low-ranking employee. Ding Yi was largely responsible for that; Pshaw, a rare treasure, how rare can it be? Ding Yi sneered. According to procedure, you should report to me first, and then I will decide whether to escalate it. Youre going directly to the General Manager, thats against regulation. Dont you understand? Youve been an old employee of the company. If you do not understand even this simple rule, it seems you dont intend to work at Jiade anymore! Zhou Lis face flushed. Ding Yi was correct; protocol indeed decreed that he could only report to his direct superior. He didnt have the authority to access the General Manager directly. However, Zhou Li knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance to change his fate. He had on countless previous occasions followed protocol and reported to Ding Yi. But each time, Ding Yi erased his contribution after escalating the matter. The past could be water under the bridge, but today it was different. The item the guest had brought was far too valuable; Jiade had not auctioned anything of its kind before. If Jiade managed to secure the right to auction this object, its reputation among peers and prestige in society would rise enormously. I cant back down this time. This is an opportunity for Jiade and a chance for me! Zhou Li had already made up his mind. Im sorry, Manager Ding, but I feel this matter has gone beyond your authority. Only the General Manager has the right to make this decision. Please step aside! Zhou Li spoke with a firm tone; Ding Yi was taken aback, his face immediately filled with anger; So its like that, Zhou Li. You dare to talk to me like this, do you want to quit! If you want to quit, you should tell me earlier. I will approve your resignation immediately! Ding Yi said, out of temper; Im sorry, Manager Ding, but time is pressing. I need to see the General Manager right away! Zhou Li pushed Ding Yi aside and knocked on the General Managers office door; Seeing Zhou Li enter the General Managers office, Ding Yi rolled his eyes and walked downstairs; Humph, Id really like to see, just what kind of customer Zhou Li is dealing with! Ding Yi muttered to himself; Generally, those who came to Jiade to handle auction matters would be led to the reception room. There were many private rooms there to ensure maximum privacy for the clients; Ding Yi began to roam around the reception room. He saw a nineteen-year-old standing at the door of one of the private rooms. Ding Yis eyes lit up, and he solemnly questioned him, What are you standing here for instead of working? The youth, recognizing Ding Yi, became somewhat nervous and explained quickly, Appraiser Zhou asked me to stand here and not let the guest in the room leave Alright, alright, get back to your post. Be careful, or your salary will be deducted! Ding Yi impatiently waved his hand and said; Yes, yes, Manager Ding! The youth hurriedly left in a fluster; Ding Yi narrowed his eyes and watched the young man run off. He pushed open the door to find that it was locked from the outside. He curled his lips, his curiosity about the person inside grew; Just who is it, and what treasure did they bring, that Zhou Li would treat them like this and even have the audacity to defy me? Ding Yi muttered, took out a key to unlock the door, and walked in; Sir, you As Ding Yi opened the door, a professional smile appeared on his face. But when he saw Song Jians attire, he glanced at the jewel on the table, and he couldnt help but feel a jolt in his heart; This fellow came here to scam Jiade out of money with a piece of red glass? This thought suddenly popped into Ding Yis mind; As a well-renowned auction house, those who manage to hold a managerial position in Jiade ought to be discerning. Ding Yi was recognized by Jiade for his sharp eye, capable of spotting even the smallest flaw; Lamedly dressed, Song Jian was given a quick once-over by Ding Yi, who immediately assumed that someone like Song Jian would not bring anything of great value. This mindset wasnt Ding Yis fault but was formed through experience dealing with hundreds of similar situations in the auction house. Without such keen observation skills, one cannot be a manager in the appraisal department. Moreover, the jewel that Song Jian presented was intricately carved. Both the material and craftsmanship were top-notch. However, anyone seeing the jewel for the first time would be attracted by the massive ruby. It was a natural top-grade ruby, completely unblemished and as translucent as glass. It felt unbelievable; A fake made of glass! Once this thought popped into Ding Yis head, he had no inclination to examine the other details of the jewel; Any work of art that reveals a flaw upon thorough inspection can be concluded as counterfeit; Is Zhou Li blind? Such an obvious fake, and he touts it as a rare treasure! Ding Yi sneered inwardly. He even alerted the General Manager. It seems this whippersnapper really doesnt intend to stay at Jiade. At this thought, a grin appeared on Ding Yis face as a proud look emerged. His eyes gazed fiercely at Song Jian: Sir, I am not sure who gave you the audacity to bring such a counterfeit to Jiade. Please note, Jiade Auction House has never received a counterfeit item since its establishment Chapter 210 - 210: What If It Turns Out to Be True Chapter 210: What If It Turns Out to Be True Translator: 549690339 Fake? Song Jian hesitated, then laughed incredulously, pointing at the Jewel: Flame on the table. Youre saying this is fake? By now, the sun had shifted angles, and the light no longer shone on the Jewel: Flame, hiding the flame-like haze on its surface. The ruby now appeared as a finely carved piece of red glass. Seeing Song Jians confident expression, Ding Yi hesitated, then took another closer look at the gem on the table. All, the craftsmanship is good, but the gem is incredibly fake. How could such a piece of jewelry be real? There has never been such a large ruby in the world. Are you saying that this man has brought forth the worlds largest? Ding Yi couldnt help but laugh at the thought. Even if this piece of jewelry were real, it certainly wouldnt belong to someone whose entire outfit doesnt even amount to 300 yuan! Thinking of this, Ding Yi looked up at Song Jian and couldnt help but admire Song Jians acting skills. Are scammers so professional these days that they remain so righteous even after being exposed? Alright, sir, take your toy and leave immediately, or 111 call the police! Ding Yi said seriously. Song Jian frowned, couldnt help but stand up, and a violent murderous intent surged in his heart. Luckily, his reaction was quick, and the murderous intent vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Ding Yi suddenly found that when the other party rose from his seat, he seemed like a ferocious humanoid beast, ready to pounce on and devour him in the next moment. All, you! Ding Yis face turned white. He hurriedly retreated a few steps, bumping into the door painfully. When he looked at Song Jian again, that feeling had suddenly disappeared, as if it had all been a figment of his imagination. Alright, since Jiade isnt willing to accept this auction item, Ill just find another company. Song Jian shook his head and said. Of course, you can. Haha, 1 suggest you try the Shengshi Auction House across the street. Their appraisers arent as professional as ours, so maybe theyll be fooled. Haha! Ding Yi laughed sarcastically, a contemptuous look on his face. He thought to himself, Anyone with a little appraisal experience would easily realize the truth. The people at Shengshi must be blind to accept this item Boom- The private room door was pushed open, and Ding Yi was sent flying towards the table by a strong force, hitting his head on the solid wooden table. Ouch, who is it? Anger rose in Ding Yis heart. He quickly turned and glared, but his expression quickly changed. The general manager has arrived. Ding Yis face revealed a flattering smile, followed by a stern scolding of Zhou Li, who was beside the general manager. Zhou Li, how could you casually bring out the general manager for any person and any item? Dont you have eyes to see that this is clearly a counterfeit? You made the general manager lose face by calling him down here. Do you not want your job? Counterfeit! General Manager Sun Yong hesitated, then glanced at Zhou Li with a hint of doubt in his eyes. Zhou Li has been a long-time employee of Jiade. He would not joke about his position, Sun Yong thought to himself. Counterfeit? How could it be? Even a blind person could see that the piece of jewelry is precious. How could it be a counterfeit! Zhou Li couldnt help but retort. Seeing Ding Yi preparing to argue, Sun Yong frowned slightly, waved his hand, and said, Alright, stop arguing. Let me take a look at the item first! It was unprofessional for two appraisers to argue in front of the client. General Manager, its the piece of jewelry on the table. Its a rare treasure. I believe that there will never be a second gem as brilliant as this one in the world! Zhou Li said excitedly. Song Jian: Haha! With Zhou Lis comments, Song Jian felt embarrassed to bring out the other Jewel: Deep Blue. However, Song Jian also knew that he couldnt present both pieces at the same time. Otherwise, it would be impossible to sell them at a high price. Sun Yong gave Song Jian a polite smile and then looked at the Jewel: Flame on the table. At first glance, he was amazed. Were people really so bold as to pass off glass as a gem now? But soon, Sun Yong noticed the fine craftsmanship of the piece. Even if it were just a piece of glass, the exquisite carving alone would make it worth over 100,000 yuan. Would someone really use glass for such craftsmanship? Wouldnt that be As this thought crossed Sun Yongs mind, he suddenly became excited. He carefully picked up the gem and took out a magnifying glass to examine it closely. After studying it for a full three minutes, Sun Yong quickly beckoned Zhou Li and said, Go and get Old Wang and Old Sun over here! Yes, General Manager! Zhou Li instantly showed an elated expression and hurriedly left the private room. General Manager, what are you Ding Yis heart sank, feeling that something was amiss. Dont speak! Sun Yong glared at Zhou Li. Haha, Im sorry. This appraiser said that my item is a fake and told me to try my luck at the Shengshi Auction House across the street. I wont bother you then. With that, Song Jian feigned an attempt to retrieve the gem and leave. Sir, please wait. As compensation, our auction house is willing to charge only a 3% commission fee. This is an offer that no other auction house can give. You should know that the usual auction fees range between 10% and 15%. 1 believe you wouldnt turn away from the offer because of the money, right? Sun Yong said with a smile. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I believe that as long as I bring out this piece of jewelry, any auction house will give me the best commission rate. Some might even waive the fee entirely. What do you think? Song Jian shrugged and continued, Moreover, I am skeptical about the skill level of your appraiser, and what irritates me even more is his attitude towards me. If your company cant give me an explanation, 1 wont choose to work with you! If Ding Yi couldnt figure out what was happening at this moment, he would have wasted his years working in this field. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. How could this be? This item is obviously a fake. How could there be such a transparent and massive ruby in the world? Ding Yis eyes flickered, his heart filled with unease. Seeing Sun Yongs serious expression, a thought suddenly flashed through Ding Yis mind: What if the gem really is real? What should I do? As Ding Yi was in a panic, the door to the private room was pushed open, and two elderly men followed Zhou Li inside. Manager Sun, what cant you figure out that requires both of us old fellows to come? Quickly show us what it is and let this old man broaden his horizons! The elderly man in front chuckled. Ding Yi watched the two old men as a glimmer of hope rose in his heart, thinking, If the two old men also insist that its a counterfeit, then Chapter 211 - 211: Thirty Million Chapter 211: Thirty Million Translator: 549690339 Old Wang, Old Sun, come take a look at this item! The General Manager, Sun Yong, handed the Jewel: Flame in his hand to the two elders. Song Jian didnt mind, thinking that the more they could confirm the authenticity of the Jewel: Flame, the better he could negotiate with them. After all, Jiade is the largest auction house in the country, and its fame, both domestically and abroad, is incomparable to that of Shengshi. Seeing the jewel in Sun Yongs hand, the two elders revealed a touch of surprise in their eyes. After glancing at each other, they both showed a hint of a smile at the corners of their mouths. Alright, since Manager Sun has his eye on it, let me, an old man, take a look at it. Old Wang took the jewel from Sun Yong, and after just a few seconds, the smile on his face disappeared and was replaced by a serious expression. Seeing Old Wangs serious expression, a hint of surprise flashed in Old Suns eyes. Soon, Old Wang shook his head and sighed, handing the jewel to Old Sun beside him, exclaiming, 1 never thought Id see such a dazzling jewel in my lifetime C its worthy of a peaceful death! Ah, how is that possible! Hearing Old Wangs words, Ding Yis last hope was shattered, and he wore an expression of despair on his face. Sir, I, I, Im really sorry, I. Ding Yi looked at Song Jian with a bitter face. Alright, Ding Yi, Zhou Li, you two leave first. Sun Yong said directly. The two left the private room with mixed feelings. This jewel belongs to you, young friend. Its truly remarkable! 1 never thought there would be such a precious gem in this world; its simply unbelievable! Old Wang looked at Song Jian and praised, Does this jewel have a name? This jewel is called Flame, Song Jian said with a smile. Flame? Old Wang was puzzled for a moment and then slowly shook his head, saying, The name is too ordinary; it doesnt do this jewel justice! Song Jian smiled slightly, took the Jewel: Flame from Old Sun, walked to the window, and, facing the sunlight, lifted the jewel up. Suddenly, a crimson flame ignited on the surface of the ruby and spread throughout the entire jewelry piece. If someone were to wear it, it would appear as if a raging flame was burning around their neck. All, how is that possible My God, this is simply Sun Yong and the others watched, dumbfounded, as the jewel in Song Jians hand caught their eyes. Sun Yong even rubbed his eyes in disbelief, his face full of shock. Flame, Flame indeed, its truly a raging flame! No other name could be more suitable for this jewel; its a treasure only fit for the gods! Old Wang couldnt help but exclaim. Sir, we at Jiade Auction House are willing to auction this item without charging any fees. We implore you to choose our Jiade Auction House, please! Sun Yong bowed deeply to Song Jian. But 1 have doubts about the professionalism of your Jiade Auction House. Just now, someone said that what 1 brought in was a fake! Song Jian put the Jewel: Flame into his pocket casually. Seeing Song Jian put away the jewel, Sun Yongs heart sank, and he hurriedly said, Our Jiade Auction House enjoys a high reputation worldwide. We definitely wont allow that appraiser to continue working here; you can rest assured! Little Sun, what happened? Old Sun asked quietly, frowning. Ding Yi came in earlier and said this gentlemans jewel was a fake, which angered him! Sun Yong explained softly. What! How could this happen? Old Suns face darkened. As a rule, even if someone brings a counterfeit for auction, the auction house cannot directly accuse them of having a fake; this can easily offend people. Little Ding has been working here for many years now; how can he not understand this rule? Old Sun glanced at Song Jian and said to Sun Yong, People like him staying at Jiade will only tarnish the reputation of our Jiade. You are right, Old Sun. Sun Yongs gaze shifted to Old Wang. Old Wang nodded and said, I have the same opinion as Old Sun. Dismiss him directly. Feeling reassured, Sun Yong said to Song Jian with a smile, Sir, as you can see, we are quite sincere. We wont let this kind of person stay here at Jiade! Song Jian smiled slightly, took out the Jewel: Flame, and handed it to Sun Yong, saying, I am very satisfied with your sincerity. Please auction it off as soon as possible; I need the money urgently. Alright, theres an auction in three days. We can make this jewel the finale. Sun Yong smiled. Little Sun, wait a moment! Old Wang interrupted before Sun Yong could finish speaking. Frowning, he turned to Song Jian and said, Young friend, its too hasty to auction off such a treasure like this. Please give us a month. In a month, our Jiade will hold a special auction for this treasure. Only in this way can we do justice to this jewel! A month? Thats too long Song Jian shook his head slowly. A month is not long. In fact, by our calculations, just the promotion would take three months. We want every tycoon in every country on Earth to know about this jewels existence. When the time comes, itll definitely fetch a sky-high price at the auction! Old Wang said excitedly. But Song Jian hesitated. Sir, how much money do you need? Our Jiade can advance you 30 million RMB, and the auction proceeds will directly deduct this 30 million. Old Wang said directly. Song Jian was startled, then smiled and nodded, Then lets follow your arrangement. Old Wang and the two others exchanged glances, and their faces lit up with excitement. Three months, in three months, Jiade will hold an international auction! Old Wang declared resolutely. 30 million was transferred to Song Jians account immediately. At this time, Song Jian had just left Jiade Auction House. He was quite satisfied with Jiades efficiency. He didnt know how much effort Jiade had put in to quickly transfer the 30 million to his account, just to show their sincerity. Leaving Jiade Auction House, Song Jian headed towards the Black Panther Gym. Jiade Auction House, General Managers Office. Zhou Li, call Ding Yi over to my office. Sun Yong hung up the phone, his fingers gently tapping on the desk and his eyes slightly narrowed, seemingly deep in thought. In fact, for an appraiser, making a mistake is not a very serious issue. As long as it doesnt cause damage to the company, such cases are usually overlooked. In todays incident, even though Ding Yi behaved against regulations, the severest punishment would be demotion, not outright dismissal. After all, training an appraiser costs Jiade Auction House a lot of resources. Knock, knock, knock- Come in! General Manager, you wanted to see us. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhou Li and Ding Yi walked in together. Sun Yong looked at Ding Yi, who had a very unpleasant expression on his face, and shook his head, saying, Ding Yi, go to the finance department to get three months salary. As you know, this is a chance for Jiade, and we cant give it up. Im sorry. Chapter 212 - 212 Is he despising your cooking skills! Chapter 212: Is he despising your cooking skills! Translator: 549690339 Ding Yis heart jolted, he quickly looked up at Sun Yong. Mr. General Manager, 1 know I misjudged this time, but Sun Yong waved a dismissive hand and said, Ding Yi, any appraiser is prone to make mistakes now and then. Misjudgment isnt a big problem as long as it doesnt cause any loss to the company. But what youve done today is a bit too much. Just as Sun Yong was about to continue, he suddenly paused and sighed, Ding Yi, your dismissal is the clients suggestion. We must seize this collaboration opportunity, so much so that our Auction House didnt even charge a fee. You know, when we dont charge a fee, it means we are operating at a loss. But even so, we have to secure this auction opportunity. You should know why. Therefore, we must meet his requirement and Im sorry that it means letting you go In fact, Ding Yi did everything wrong from the beginning. From breaking into the private room by himself and snatching other appraisers clients, straightforwardly declaring the clients item as fake, and even suggesting in a condescending tone that the client should go to Shengshi Auction House; Sun Yong didnt dare to imagine, if he arrived a few seconds later and the client directly left for Shengshi Auction House and started collaborating with them, the news would probably cost him his position as General Manager. Go. Sun Yong didnt want to say anything more and waved Ding Yi off. Ding Yi left the office like a walking corpse. Zhou Li, youve done a great job today. You deserve praise. From now on, the position of appraisal department manager will be yours! After Ding Yi left, Sun Yong switched to a warm expression and told Zhou Li; Song Jian arrived at the Black Panther Gym. As soon as he entered, he saw Wang Dan chatting with Sun Qian in the lobby. Seeing Song Jian, Wang Dans eyes lit up, she quickly gestured him over, Why are you here so late? Quick, come with me to the classroom, Ill teach you a new technique today Before she finished her sentence, Song Jian displayed an awkward expression, Master, I intend to stop learning the dagger fighting technique. Wang Dan was taken aback, blurted out, But you have just started, there are still more than ten lessons to complete! Well, Im interested in sword techniques now, I plan to learn how to use a longsword! Sword technique? Whats the use of learning that? Wang Dan replied discontentedly; This is modern society, you cant always carry a sword around, can you? Dagger is much better, just tuck it in your waist, no one will notice Master Wang, 1 may have to disagree with your opinion! Gu Bo casually walked over. Seeing Gu Bo, Wang Dan looked embarrassed, she bowed to Gu Bo and greeted him, Master! Gu Bo nodded slightly, turned around and smiled at Song Jian; Young man, youve been practicing the dagger technique well, why do you want to learn sword technique? Song Jian scratched his head, not knowing how to reply. Its not like he could say that he is playing a game, and has switched his class to Sword Controller in the game, so he can only use a longsword, and no more other weapons, right? Well, I suddenly became interested in sword techniques Song Jian said with slight embarrassment. Hahaha, good, interest is the prime motivator for learning. Come, follow me to the classroom, Ill teach you the sword technique! Gu Bo, looking quite pleased, led Song Jian to the classroom. Wang Dan: Looking at Sun Qians teasing laugh, Wang Dan complained, Is this considered undermining me? Its hard to find a promising student like this one, and I thought I could What were you thinking? Didnt you see the guy doesnt want to learn the dagger fighting technique from you? Probably because he thinks youre not good enough Sun Qian quietly chuckled on the side. Im no good? Wang Dans eyes widened, she started poking Sun Qian, Tell me, where am I not good? My dagger fighting technique is the most practical killing technique, it could save lives on the battlefield! Alright, alright, youre amazing, nobody can beat you! Sun Qian quickly pleaded for mercy, asking, If on the battlefield, you only have a dagger, and Master Gu only has a longsword, who do you think would survive? Wang Dan stood still, furrowed her eyebrows, pondered for a long time, then finally sighed, Where are we going for lunch? 1 think theres a new Sichuan restaurant next door, should we try it? Sun Qian: Inside the classroom, Song Jian held a training sword, watching Gu Bo demonstrating the basic sword techniques. Just like the Sword Controller Duan Jian in the game, Gu Bo also broke down the basic moves, demonstrating and explaining the details. However, Song Jian felt that Gu Bos swordsmanship paled in comparison to Duan Jians technique in the game; his grasp of the basic sword techniques seemed even better than Gu Bos. Nevertheless, Song Jian didnt show impatience, he patiently waited for Gu Bo to finish explaining. After more than half an hour, Gu Bo finally finished demonstrating the basic sword moves. He didnt withhold anything about every detail and movement key to pay attention to from Song Jian. How about it, want to give it a try?; Gu Bo put away the sword, looking at Song Jian excitedly. Sure! Song Jian responded with a slight smile. With a flick of his wrist, the scabbard of his sword flew off, accurately sticking on the weapon rack about five or six meters away from him. Hiss- Gu Bo looked astonished, involuntarily gasping at Song Jians stunt. He looked at Song Jian in disbelief. Song Jian simply smiled, walked a few steps forward to the center of the room, inhaled deeply, and started moving. The longsword in his hand made the crisp sound of cutting through the air. Chop, thrust, hack, slice, raise, wrap, twist. Song Jians basic sword technique swiftly appeared just like flowing water. Sharp sounds of splitting air followed his movements, causing Gu Bos face to change dramatically. Song Jians passive skill Cold Weapon (Sword Type) (Basic) had already reached level five. Demonstrating a basic sword technique, Song Jian could do it like its childs play. After the demonstration, Song Jian let out a sigh and steadied himself How did 1 do, Master Gu? Song Jian asked with a grin. Gu Bo: Isnt this guy here to show off!? Ahem, it seems like youre not entirely a beginner, you must have practiced for seven or eight years, impressive! Gu Bo grinned and said, Come on, lets spar a bit. And you dont have to call me Master Gu, we can just regard each other as equals. Alright, Master Gu, please! Song Jians face expressed excitement. After all, he had only fought monsters in the game and was unsure of his own level. He could finally take this opportunity to see how good he is! Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 213 - 213: Underground Boxing Ring Chapter 213: Underground Boxing Ring Translator: 549690339 Gu Bo clasped his hands around his sword and gave a bow to Song Jian, treating him now as a martial artist of equal stature. Once Song Jian had finished his bow, Gu Bo slowly drew his long sword and thrust it straight at Song Jian. Song Jian flicked his wrist, and with an outward bat, the sword that Gu Bo had thrust was instantly deflected, leaving his chest exposed. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gu Bo was alarmed. He quickly halted his attack, thinking, This young man is incredibly powerful! At this point, Song Jians strength was enough to suppress his opponent, but in order to better learn the techniques of swordsmanship, Song Jian chose to defend rather than attack, resulting in a fierce fight between the two. Outside the classroom, several coaches were watching and whispering. Isnt this the guy who pierced the human-shaped mold with a dagger yesterday? He is so skilled! Wang Dan, isnt he learning dagger techniques from you? Why is he practicing swordsmanship with Gu Bo now? Wang Dan didnt want to hear this, her face immediately darkened, so she chose to ignore the comment. Hey, Dan, did he reject you because youre too weak? He held his own against Gu Bo. If he fought with you, it would probably be quite a challenge. Do you think he can rank in the competitions next month with his current level? Unlikely. This little guy has a solid foundation, but he hasnt shown any signature moves yet. Hes only able to hold out against Gu Bo because of his strength. But after some time, when his physical strength starts to decline, he wont be able to keep up with Gu Bos speed Wouldnt this qualify as overpowering an enemy single-handedly? With such physical strength, he could potentially become a rough gem. 1 wonder if Gu Bo will With his physical condition, all he needs is some good training. He could at least rank in the city-wide competitions. If he trains for a few years, its not impossible that he could rank nationally! While the coaches were discussing this, the fight in the classroom had come to an end. Gu Bo feinted an attack then swiftly stabbed his long sword towards Song Jians shoulder. Before Song Jian could react, he felt a strike to his shoulder. He looked down, then shook his head at Gu Bo, saying, I lost! Indeed, Gu Bos Wudang swordsmanship wasnt bad. But if it came to a real fight, Song Jian was confident he could kill him within ten seconds. Even relying solely on swordsmanship, Song Jian hadnt used his ultimate move, the Broken Wing Dance. If unleashed, the tide of the battle could instantly turn. Its terrifying how in just two real-world nights, I went from an ordinary person to someone with such terrifying power. As time goes on, people like me will become more and more numerous, which may cause a serious impact on the real world Song Jian thought to himself. Young man, your talent is not bad. But you shouldnt behave recklessly. Train with me to become a master of the sword! Gu Bo said, his face wearing a smile, as he nodded at Song Jian. Forget it, Im not coming anymore! Song Jian suddenly felt quite bored. This type of practice resulted in such slow progress that if he wanted to, Song Jian could probably defeat all the coaches in the gym. He carelessly threw the practice sword into the equipment rack, then turned around and headed toward the exit. Hey, young man, wait a moment Gu Bo quickly tried to persuade Song Jian to stay, but Song Jian showed no signs of regret as he walked out the door. Amid the astonished looks of a few coaches, Song Jian left the Black Panther Gym. Outside the Black Panther Gym, Song Jian looked lost. He felt as if he was out of sync with the real world. Just then, a man walked out of the Black Panther Gym. He appeared to be in his thirties, sported a small mustache and sharp eyes. He walked up to Song Jian and said, Buddy, I watched your fight with Gu Bo. Youre impressive! Song Jian turned to look at him, and smiled, Too bad 1 still lost in the end! You held back, 1 could tell! The man with the mustache revealed a satisfied smile. He extended his right hand towards Song Jian, My name is Wu Xuan, you could consider me a talent scout. A talent scout? Song Jian was taken aback, Do you think 1 have the potential to be an actor? It seems Im so attractive now that 1 couldnt even hide it if I tried. Walking around on the streets, I could encounter a talent scout. Could it be that I might become a superstar? A smile appeared on Song Jians face, Which entertainment company are you from? Entertainment company? Wu Xuan was slightly taken aback, then quickly explained, Ahem, I meant underground boxing, you could be a fighter. You could earn a few thousand for each match, and if you win, you could earn tens of thousands. How about it, are you interested? Not interested! Song Jian was somewhat disappointed, underground boxing sounded too boring. Could real-life underground boxing compare to the dungeons in the game? All, dont go yet. Listen to me. A fitness gym like this isnt that interesting, theres not even any blood. I could see that you held back your sword technique. And if youre learning sword techniques, you must be interested in learning to kill, right? You cant learn that in a gym. Only in an underground boxing ring can you hone this skill Wu Xuan said as he kept pace with Song Jian, trying to persuade him. A thought occurred to Song Jian; indeed, he was learning sword techniques not for self-defense, but to kill enemies. You mentioned an underground boxing ring, can weapons be used there? Song Jian couldnt help but ask, out of curiosity. Of course they can. Underground boxing matches have both bare-knuckle fighting and weapon fighting! Wu Xuans eyes lit up. Hehe, it does sound a bit like the game, Song Jian murmured. What did you say? Wu Xuan didnt catch what Song Jian had said. Song Jian shook his head, Nothing, where is this underground boxing ring you mentioned? Take me to see. With a grin on his face, Wu Xuan grabbed Song Jian and led him down the street. Come on, follow me, this way! The two hurriedly made their way across two streets, eventually arriving at a high-rise building. This is the place, on the top floor! Wu Xuan declared. The outside of the building was lavishly decorated, glistening resplendently like a five-star hotel. Two Han white jade lions stood imposingly at the entrance. Upon entering the building, they encountered a spacious lobby. The decor was not dissimilar to a hotel, with three young and pretty girls stationed at the reception desk. Wu Xuan led Song Jian straight to the elevator. Soon they reached the top floor; As they exited the elevator, Song Jian saw two powerful men dressed in black suits standing either side of a large door. It was obvious from their bulging waists that they were armed. Hey, is Boss Wu bringing another fighter? A security guard glanced at Wu Xuan, then looked Song Jian up and down, commenting with a chuckle. Haha, its just a friend, a friend. Brought him here for a look, to broaden his horizons! Wu Xuan laughed heartily. With Song Jian in tow, they pushed the door open and entered, walking down a long corridor. Song Jian could hear faint sounds of shouting and clamor ahead. Just have a look first, and if you feel an itch to join in later, let me know. 1 can arrange for you to go up, Wu Xuan tapped Song Jians shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. Chapter 214 - 214: The Han Sword Chapter 214: The Han Sword Translator: 549690339 As he entered the top floor hall, Song Jian discovered that the interior was decorated similar to an NBA arena, with a boxing ring in the center, almost twice the size of an ordinary one. Above the ring was a projection television, displaying the ongoing fight on the ring. Surrounding the ring were tiered seats. There were not many spectators at the moment, only about a third of the seats were occupied. On the ring, two boxers were engaged in a fierce battle. Song Jian squinted his eyes, realizing both fighters were not wearing any defensive gear or boxing gloves. How is it, pretty realistic, isnt it? Only a place like this is perfect for you! Wu Xuan exclaimed passionately, pointing at the ring, As soon as you walked in here today, 1 could tell right away. Youre not like Old Man Gu, or any of the trainers at the gym. They may have been on the battlefield before, but do they still have a shred of their warrior spirit left? Even Old Man Gu, all hes doing now is taking care of his health. Studying swordsmanship with him is simply a waste for you! stated Wu Xuan. Song Jian looked at Wu Xuan in surprise. He had felt the same way when he was practicing with Old Man Gu. Thus, he didnt hesitate to leave. He didnt expect Wu Xuan to have noticed this. This guy had a sharp eye. Surprised, huh? Wu Xuan laughed, In our line of work, we rely on these two eyes. If you decide you want to step into the ring, just let me know. Without a manager to introduce you, you cant get on that ring! So, youre my manager now? Song Jian joked. Well, a mans got to eat! Wu Xuan nodded, laughing. Alright, sign me up for a match if theres one that uses weapons. But, I dont have a suitable weapon right now. You have to find me a sword, a good quality one. Also, what if what if I accidentally take someones life here Song Jian hesitated. Upon hearing Song Jians willingness to participate, Wu Xuans eyes lit up and he quickly waved his hand, saying: Dont worry, this place has robust backing. But you also need to be careful. If you really end up broken here, its Song Jian just nodded, saying nothing more. Wu Xuan patted Song Jian on the shoulder, instructed him to wait, and then rushed off to the office nearby. In no time, Wu Xuan returned to Song Jians side. Ive notified them. Youll be able to play after two more matches. This is the information about your opponent. Take a look! Wu Xuan handed Song Jian a sheet of A4 paper with the opponents details printed on it. In terms of weapons, youll have to choose your own. Most athletes bring their own weapons. Even though the weapons here are of decent quality, its always better to use your own weapons since youre accustomed to them. We still have time now, so we could go and pick it up Wu Xuan hesitated. Waving his hand, Song Jian said: Im good with the weapons here. Alright, follow me to choose a weapon! Wu Xuan instructed, leading Song Jian down the corridor to a room next door. The room was lined with racks of equipment filled with various weapons. A man in his twenties was sitting behind a wooden desk by the door, playing on his computer. Xiao Hui, its your shift today, huh! Wu Xuan handed over a voucher, and sneakily slipped in a pack of cigarettes. Hey brother Wu, found another good fighter? Xiao Hui lifted his eyes to look at Wu Xuan and then glanced at Song Jian, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hi, let us pick a good sword first, were short on time. Wu Xuan hastily replied, clearly embarrassed. Fine, second row on the far left. Go pick one yourself. The company just received a new batch, the quality is not bad! Xiao Hui casually pointed to the left. Alright, you get back to work. Well have a look over there! Wu Xuan pulled Song Jian towards the direction Xiao Hui pointed. When they arrived at the designated place, there were three rows of weaponry racks filled with all types of long swords. Go ahead and pick one Song Jian, whichever feels right! Wu Xuan instructed. Song Jian reached for the closest sword, withdrawing it from its sheath to inspect it more closely. All of these swords looked as though they had just been forged. They were sharp but seemed unused. He gently flicked his finger against the blade and crack, a tiny crack spread across the blade from where he had hit it. What kind of junk is this! Song Jians expression instantly darkened. He returned the sword to its sheath, placed it back onto the rack. Standing aside, Wu Xuan was also taken aback, murmuring, Impossible, how can there be such poor quality? The kickback must have been quite vicious this time. Song Jian continued to test several swords, cracking them one after another; he was growing impatient. Eh, this ones not bad! Song Jian withdrew another sword. This one was somewhat heavier than the previous ones, the blade appeared to be long and narrow, ground into eight facets. With a light flick, a clear resonance rang out as the blade vibrated, reflecting light like a pool of clear water. Ill take this one! Song Jian returned the sword into its sheath, holding it in his hand with a satisfied smile showing on his face. As long as youre comfortable with it! Wu Xuan sighed in relief. The quality of weapons is crucial in a weapons match. An ineffective weapon could greatly diminish a fighters capabilities. After waiting for more than an hour, it was finally Song Jians turn. At this point, there were many blood stains on the ring, being wiped away by three or four service personnel. Only after ten or so minutes was the ring finally cleaned. Stepping on the hard rubber mat of the ring, Song Jian could still smell a faint scent of blood. He felt a chilling sensation in his heart. Once you step on this ring, its a matter of life and death. Even if you survive, you would have sustained serious injuries, and might end up spending the rest of your life on a bed or wheelchair. Song Jian took a deep breath, fixing his eyes on a man clad in a white long robe, clutching a long knife in his arms and a shorter one hanging on his waist. He stood tall, his gaze icy cold. He remained oblivious to the commentary from the announcer or the noise from the audience. The only thing in his eyes was his opponent. Why does this guy look somewhat like a Japanese? Song Jian squinted, looking the opponent up and down. Ding- The match begins! At the sound of the clear bell, the man in the white robe drew out his long knife and charged towards Song Jian, shouting as he went. Shit, a katana. He really is Japanese! Song Jian squinted and pressed the spring on his right hand C a portion of the sheath popped out immediately. He threw the sheath forwards with his left hand. The sheath flew towards the opponent swiftly like an arrow. Tyson! The Japanese man swung his katana forwards suddenly, cleaving the sheath into two. The sheer force of the killer intent was overwhelming. Song Jian swung his sword single-handedly, charging forwards whilst perpetually rotating his wrist. The long sword in his hand was as light as a wisp of smoke, emitting a low whistling sound. Die! Upon seeing the Japanese man head on, Song Jian waved his right hand and struck his long sword viciously towards his opponents head. Chapter 215 - 215: The Chapter 215: The Gods Favorite Robber Translator: 549690339 The Eight-sided Sword in Song Jians hand was much heavier than the katana wielded by the Japanese man. When he brought down his sword, it struck with the force of a thousand juns, leaving the Japanese stunned; Is this your sword technique? 1 know little of Chinese martial arts, dont try to fool me! The seemingly effortless move of Song Jian was powerful and heavy, leaving the Japanese no choice but to recover his stance and defend with his sword; Bang C As if a mountain was pressing down on him, the katana in the Japanese mans hand was forced towards his own shoulder. When it came to power, the two men were not in the same league. Song Jian overwhelmed him with his superior strength; N-nani! The Japanese mans face filled with surprise: How could this Chinese man be so strong? Could it be that he took some sort of drug? Too weak! Song Jian looked at the Japanese man dressed in a white shirt with disappointment in his eyes, deeply wounding the Japanese mans pride. All, I am a warrior of the Great Japanese Empire. Our warriors are invincible! Die- The Japanese mans face twisted in rage, and he abruptly released his katana, leaping towards Song Jian. The main reason he came to fight in these underground fights was because the organizers had a huge amount of influence. Even though people were seriously injured or even killed every day, it never caused any problems. The Japanese man and Song Jian had the same goal; both came here seeking to improve their martial arts skills through killing. However, he didnt expect to encounter Song Jian, a tough nut to crack, on his very first day in the ring. Knowing that Song Jian was powerful, the Japanese man made a desperate decision. As he leaped towards Song Jian, he drew a short blade from his waist and thrust it forward with all his strength; I told you, you are too weak! Song Jian sighed lightly, as the mans every move were transparent in front of his superior perception. With a flick of his wrist, the Eight-sided Sword flashed with white light and cut directly towards the Japanese mans right hand. A stream of blood spurted out, followed by a painful scream, and a hand holding a broken blade flew up in the air; Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ahhh- The Japanese man, like a wild beast, opened his arms and lunged at Song Jians throat, in a posture to perish together. Song Jian did not retreat but pushed forward, lightly thrusting the long sword in his hand into his adversarys throat. A spurt of fresh blood shot out and Song Jian quickly withdrew his sword and stepped back to avoid the splash. Heh heh- The Japanese man staggered forward a few steps, his knees gave way, and he fell to the ground. We won! Ding Yi jumped up excitedly from below the stage. Song Jian walked down the stage expressionlessly. It was too easy and not even a warm-up for him. If the contestants here are all of this level, I wont be coming back here in the future! Song Jian glanced at the excited Ding Yi and shook his head. Ding Yis face stiffened, and he quickly said: 1 only brought you here for a look today. Normally, there are no experts here. You can tell by looking at the audience. The battles between the top fighters are notified and promoted in advance. Dont worry, if there are no skilled fighters here in Linhai City, there wont be any elsewhere either! Fine, let me know when theres a strong opponent, Song Jian said casually: Im taking this sword with me, thats no problem, right? Ding Yi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: No problem, you can take it. Song Jian nodded and walked away with the Eight-sided Sword; In fact, the fighters couldnt take the sword away, but Ding Yi was a familiar face here, a nominal manager. As long as he paid, he could buy the sword. However, there was no discount on the price, and the money had to come from Ding Yis own pocket. Song Jian took off his coat and wrapped it around the Eight-sided Sword to cover it a bit. The swords scabbard was damaged, and carrying it down the street would make people think he was crazy. As he walked down the street, Song Jian felt mixed emotions. This was his first time killing someone in real life. He had thought he would be uncomfortable, but unexpectedly Just as Song Jian was reflecting on his situation, he suddenly heard a scream from a distance: Ah-, catch the thief, the thief has stolen my purse, catch the thief- Song Jian looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young girl who had been pushed to the ground in front of him. It seemed that her ankle had been twisted and she was having trouble standing. She was screaming loudly and pointing at a young man running away ahead of her, she looked almost like she was about to cry. The young man who stole her purse looked around fifteen or sixteen. He was holding a ladies handbag in his hand and his face was filled with excitement. He was running very fast, easily jumping over a fence half his height. Stop, dont run! A traffic policeman, who had been issuing a parking ticket, heard the shout and turned his head to look at the fleeing boy. While he shouted, he also gave chase. Seeing the policeman, a look of panic appeared on the boys face and a white light suddenly bloomed at his feet. His speed boosted significantly, even leaving an afterimage, and whooshed past the policeman. The policeman instinctively tried to reach out and grab him but caught only air. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the boy. This is the Acceleration Skill from the game. Lin Sheng has used a similar skill before At the fact that this boy was using a game skill in broad daylight to steal bags, Song Jian was somewhat speechless. It was really embarrassing for the so-called Gods Chosen, like them. Even if he participated in a sports event and won some prize money, it would be better! A sense of heaviness crept into Song Jians heart. The skills they learned in the game could now be brought back to the real world, giving many people terrifying power overnight. However, these peoples character couldnt keep up with their skyrocketing power, often pushing them into the path of crime; This was evident in the news about people who won the lottery being unable to hang onto their windfall. Most of them ended up worse off than before they won. Looking at the spot where the boy disappeared, Song Jian shook his head and continued in the direction of his home. He walked into the housing complex and turned towards his rented room. As he passed a small alley, he noticed a boy in the shadows holding a white purse, rummaging through it, and randomly flinging makeup products about. What a coincidence, Song Jians lips twitched upwards as he turned towards the boy; Perhaps he noticed Song Jians gaze, the boy looked up and their eyes met. The boy made a vicious face, hoping to intimidate Song Jian but to no avail. Seeing Song Jians slightly upward-twitching lips, the boy felt provoked. He tossed the purse aside and drew out a switchblade from his pocket, gesturing threateningly at Song Jian. Stay out of this, or else, he growled menacingly. Chapter 216 - 216 Update Chapter 216: Update Translator: 549690339 Seeing the fierce yet tender expression on the young mans face, Song Jian chuckled and took two steps forward. Im warning you, dont come any closer or youll be covered in blood! the teenager shouted angrily, retreating two steps. The alley was dimly lit and had a strong smell of urine. Song jian didnt want to stay here much longer, so he waved to the boy and asked, What level are you in the game? The teenager was startled and asked, Are you a God-chosen too? Cut the crap, we re just players. Dont try to make yourself look good, said Song Jian. How did you end up resorting to robbery? You dont think youre tarnishing the name God-chosen? The teenager showed an awkward expression and scratched his head. Im just a beggar, 1 dont have any other skills besides stealing. So youve upgraded from begging to robbery? Song Jian waved his hand, Come on out, its too smelly in here. The teenager reluctantly walked out, holding his switchblade, but his eyes still showed a hint of vigilance. Whats your name? What level are you in the game? asked Song Jian as he walked ahead with the teenager following behind him. Im Zhang Ergou, level 10 in the game! the teenager answered quietly. Level io? Already built a safe house? Not bad! Song Jians eyes flashed with surprise. He knew that in the game, fewer than one in ten players had built a safe house. Just luck! Zhang Ergou s eyes showed a hint of pride. Cant you bring items out of the game? Wouldnt selling a few be enough instead of resorting to robbery? Song J ian was puzzled. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I couldnt find anything valuable to bring out. All the items were useless Zhang Ergou was frustrated. He had been playing the game for over a month without finding any valuable items to bring out of the game. Song Jian smiled wryly, knowing that it really depended on their luck. So what are your plans for the future? Continue being a thug and stealing on the streets? Song Jian asked. Zhang Ergous face darkened, feeling his pride wounded. He snorted, Thats none of your business, hmph! With that, Zhang Ergou immediately jumped onto a nearby wall and landed on the roof. Standing on the roof, he shouted at Song Jian, Mind your own business, and be careful not to lose your life in the game! Song Jian was taken aback, watching Zhang Ergou disappear. He didnt know what to say. Zhang Ergou was the first player Song Jian had met in the real world. He originally wanted to develop a good relationship and possibly ally with him, but they had a falling out after just a few words. No wonder hes called Zhang Ergou. He really has a dog face, turning against me just like that, and 1 was even planning to give him ten or twenty thousand Song jian muttered under his breath as he walked towards the rental house with his sword. With two million in his pocket, Song Jian planned to buy a house first, so hed have a place to store items brought from the game. He didnt feel safe leaving valuable items in a rental house. After returning to his room and malting himself a simple lunch, Song Jian took a short rest and then picked up his Eight-sided Sword to practice indoors. The space in the room was limited, but it didnt stop Song Jian from practicing the basic moves of his sword technique. Half the day passed quickly, and darkness began to fall. Song Jian freshened up, changed into loose clothes, drank a glass of milk, and placed his phone on the bedside table before lying down quietly in bed. Soon, rhe phone on the bedside table lit up automatically, as did the Doomsday City game icon, which turned into a spinning red vortex. A skeletal arm emerged from the vortex, grabbed Song Jian, and pulled him into the phone. After a dizzying moment of weightlessness, Song Jian opened his eyes and found that he hadnt entered the game directly, but had arrived at the stage where mainline missions were calculated. Every time a player completed a mainline mission and left the game, they would enter this space for calculation. During his last mainline mission, Song Jian received an S-ranking reward: the next time he entered the game, his Vitality Points recovery rate would be increased by 300%. Song Jian roughly understood why his ranking was two levels lower this time; it was most likely because he had abandoned the side mission offered by the dwarf blacksmith from the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. This alerted Song Jian about the importance of side missions. If he completed them, his ranking would improve, but if he failed, it would decrease. It was a double-edged sword. But why didnt 1 enter the game directly this time? Why was 1 sent to this calculation space? Song Jian wondered. At that moment, rows of golden text appeared in front of Song Jian: After carefully reading through the information, Song Jian finally realized that the game had its first update. This update had a lot of changes, with the most significant ones being the cancellation of the requirement to complete mainline missions to leave the game; Additionally, some other updates made Song Jian feel quite surprised. The real world and game worlds time flow ratio is 1:24, so one hour in the real world makes one day pass in the game! Each time you enter the game, you can stay for at most one week, which is seven days in the real world. After the time is up, the game shuts down automatically! Added roaming NPC C Pet Merchant. You can buy pets if you meet them! Added Pet Contract Scroll to System Shop. When a monsters Vitality Points are below 5%, you can use the Pet Contract Scroll for a chance to capture it as a per! Added a special building C Auction House. There are City Auctions and World Auctions! No handling fees and mailing costs for City Auction House items; World Auction House will have high handling fees and mailing costs! Increased the number of side missions, lowered their difficulty, and added regional missions. Upon completion, players will receive numerous rewards! Song Jian carefully read through the densely packed update information and changes. The changes were made to avoid inconsistencies in the flow of time for players entering and leaving the game at the same time due to the difference in the completion speed of mainline missions. These inconsistencies would likely consume a significant amount of resources, malting the game difficult to maintain, and eventually had to be changed to fix the time flow speed between the real world and the game world. As for the other changes, they served to enrich the game content. Song Jian believed that this wasnt the last update, and more content would be added in the future. What is the ultimate purpose of this game? To create gods? Song Jian furrowed his brow, gazing at the starry-space-like settlement area beneath his feet while speculating silently. Chapter 217 - 217: The Ten-Door Sword Technique Chapter 217: The Ten-Door Sword Technique Translator: 549690339 Song Jian quickly emerged from the settlement space and entered the game; Huh, 1 remember when I left the game, I was on the top floor of the Tianfeng Building, so how come Im back in the Manor Castle after re-entering the game? Song Jian sat up from his bed with a slight frown. System: When a player logs off, please save your current location as the login point. This way, you will log in from the current location when you reenter the game; otherwise, you will log in from the games default location (safe house); Oh, 1 see! Song Jian nodded. If he were to return to the safe house every time he entered the game, it would be embarrassing if he went to a distant location, arrived at the destination, and then, after the game time was up and he logged in again, found that he had wasted his previous journey. Just then, a red liquid started to seep out slowly onto the wall opposite Song Jian. The liquid didnt drip down; instead, it coagulated on the wall to form a few lines of text. Main Quest: Swordsmanship Mission Brief: As a newly appointed Sword Controller, youve started to feel embarrassed about the number of sword skills you have. To become a true Sword Controller, you must master various sword skills. Only then can you become stronger and grow gradually! Mission Goal: Master ten sword skills. Progress: 2/10 Mission Tip: There are many ways to acquire sword skills. You can get them from monsters or learn them from other swordsmen. You can even purchase them from the auction house! Tip: The stronger the sword skill you master, the higher the completion degree of your main mission will be! Tip: The higher level the monster, the higher chance it will drop high-level sword skills! Tip: Humanoid monsters have a much higher probability of having sword skills than other monsters! Warning: If you die in the game, your identity in the real world will also be erased! You can view this mission in the mission bar at any time! The wall of blood letters emitted a faint glow for a few minutes before gradually disappearing, as if they were being reabsorbed into the wall. Ten sword techniques, this should not be very difficult for me. Song Jian looked at the main objective, which he had already completed two-tenths of. It seems that the system had counted his Sword Finger and Broken Wing Dance as part of it, but the passive basic sword techniques werent included. However, this was within Song Jians expectations. These basic passive abilities are easy to understand when you enter the game and are a kind of benefit for the players. But how powerful these passive abilities are is hard to say. Inside the Manors Spirit Field, the Blood-soaked Spectral Poison Tree, Alex, is still in deep sleep. Its level has been upgraded to level thirteen, and its aura is gradually becoming stronger. A touch of coercion is being released around it, and its branches and leave veins are becoming more vibrant. They were originally a sallow shade mixed with a hint of dark red. But now, they are visibly turning blood-red. The number of blood ravens on Alex seems to have decreased, perhaps only half of the usual. When they saw Song Jian, they didnt react. They shrank their heads and stood on the tree. It took them quite a while to twist their necks, making them look just like statues. All the other Spirit Fields were full of plants. This time, sweet potatoes and radishes were planted. They seemed to be growing well, and it wouldnt be long before another harvesting ceremony could be held. Compared with the Attribute Fruits dropped by monsters, the monthly harvesting ceremony has become Song Jians primary way of increasing his attribute points. Outside the walls of the manor, a few zombies with red skin and ragged clothes were wandering around. As soon as any mutant zombie approached, these zombies would rush to fight them until the mutant zombie was eliminated; These are the Blood Zombies bred after the Blood Pool was upgraded to level two. They have stronger bodies and faster speed than the level one mutant zombies. They dont have their abilities halved during the day, and they have a blood-sucking ability when attacking, which can completely crush mutant zombies of the same level; The most important thing is, these Blood Zombies can also upgrade their own levels by fighting monsters. However, their maximum level is limited by Song Jians level; they cant surpass Song Jians level; Now these Blood Zombies are still low level, only around levels two or three. But since Song Jians manor is built in the novice area where the monsters levels arent very high, the Blood Zombies can handle them. Master, youre here to inspect the territory again! The steward George appeared out of nowhere. When Song Jian wasnt paying attention, he appeared beside him and bowed, immediately starting to flatter, I believe that under your leadership, our manor will surely prosper. In the future, we will certainly have even more territories and a vast expanse of land Song Jian gave a slight nod. As for having a territory only within a ten-meter range, he felt somewhat helpless. But there were few players around building safe houses, so he believed that in a short period of time, he could safely invade and occupy territories. However, the rule that he could only expand once a month made Song Jian somewhat frustrated. After all, there were too many buildings that could be built. Right now, his territory only had one Livestock Pen and one mill. He was in the process of building houses, so later he could recruit more NPCs. When the scope of the territory expanded, he would be able to open up fields. Looking at the steady development of the manor, Song Jian was very satisfied. He nodded, then summoned the Black Dragon hatchling. After becoming a pet, the Black Dragon hatchlings level had dropped back down to zero and needed to be leveled up again. The area he was going to had high-level monsters and wasnt suitable to bring it along. In case it carelessly got killed, there would be a drop in intimacy level, so it was better to let it safely hunt low-level monsters to level up in this area. The Black Dragon hatchling was very intelligent and would hide in the manor if it encountered danger. Watching the Black Dragon hatchling eagerly pounce on a mutant zombie, Song Jian summoned a motorcycle and headed towards the area with level ten monsters. After becoming a Sword Controller, the level limit has been lifted, and he can continue to level up. Previously, Song Jian had noticed that many people had already reached level ten. Moreover, some of them had even become professionals earlier than he had, which made him feel somewhat threatened. Even if he couldnt maintain being the top player level-wise, he must at least stay in the leading echelon, and couldnt lag too far behind; All the way there, Song Jian saw many players hunting monsters to level up. When a monster zone was repeatedly cleared, the zone would stop refreshing monsters and would become a safe zone. Similarly, if a safe zone didnt see any players for a long period of time, the safe zone would be occupied by monsters, regressing back to a monster zone; The power dynamics between the players and the monsters waxed and waned. As more and more players entered the game, the area of the safe zone also continued to expand, accommodating more players. The roar of the motorcycle attracted quite a few monsters, but these level five or six monsters only glanced at Song Jian from a distance and then stopped chasing. Unless they were monsters that had completely lost their sanity, most monsters had an instinct to avoid stronger beings. Since they sensed Song Jians strength, they naturally wouldnt chase him to their deaths. Upon reaching the area with level ten monsters, Song Jian put away his motorcycle. The monsters here wouldnt shy away from him. If he attracted too many, he would be in danger. There were not many players here, just a handful scattered around, either hunting level ten monsters on the streets or searching for supplies in nearby shops. Song Jians gaze fell on a theater in the distance. Generally, the larger the buildings space, the more likely a BOSS could appear. And the probability of a BOSS dropping a skill, was obviously much higher than ordinary monsters. After looking around, Song Jian cautiously made his way towards the theater; Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 218 - 218: Mutated Skeleton Chapter 218: Mutated Skeleton Translator: 549690339 The perimeter wall of the theater had completely fallen, and most of the doors and windows were blocked by heavy stones, making it resemble a colossal tomb. Unlike other buildings, where monsters sheltering from the sunlight would occasionally emit roars, the theater was utterly silent, not a hint of sound escaping. There better be some monsters inside. Without monsters, a place like this is worthless. No one would even bother to explore, Song Jian secretly hoped. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He stepped on the broken bricks and used the gaps in the wall to climb upward, trying to see if he could make his way into the theater from above. After all, removing the collapsed bricks in front of the theater would require a significant amount of time and energy. The theater was over a dozen meters high, but the collapsed wall in front represented a slope that he could climb to reach the top. This wasnt particularly challenging for Song Jian, who possessed superhuman physical capabilities compared to an average person. Grabbing the eave, Song Jian flipped himself onto the roof. Thump- His feet landing shattered a few tiles, and one of his feet sunk deep. Having been left unmaintained for years, this building was on the brink of collapse. The roof appeared intact, but it was brittle and decayed, unable to withstand any pressure. Song Jian looked up to find a sealed skylight in the roof, used for lighting in the theater. He walked cautiously along the roof ridge towards it, the creaking sounds from beneath his feet making him nervous, afraid of making a misstep and falling in. The closed skylight was embedded on a sloping surface of the roof. Some of the glass pieces were broken, and the others were covered in a thick layer of debris and dirt. Song Jian carefully climbed onto the skylight and knocked on it lightly. Crash- The frame of the skylight shattered, pieces of glass flying apart. He tapped a few more times until there was enough space for him to fit through. Only then did Song Jian leap into the skylight. Beneath the skylight was a small loft with some basic furniture. Straight ahead from the skylight, a white, fleshless skeletal figure leaned on a table, a decayed quill in its hand, and scattered papers on the floor. The writing on them was blurred, but they seemed to be some play scripts. This is indeed rare, a fleshless skeleton! Song Jian couldnt help but take a second look at the skull on the table. Though the city was filled with all sorts of monsters, most were zombies, still maintaining rotten flesh and skin. Upon seeing the skeleton, Song Jian was reminded of the gigantic skeletal giant he once saw walking through the city center, akin to a skyscraper. Crack- An odd sound echoed in the quiet loft. Song Jians gaze sharpened as he turned towards the skull. The skull, which was initially face-down, had twisted to one side. Just as Song Jian looked over, its right index finger trembled slightly. Is it coming back to life? Song Jian drew the Guardians Sword and lunged forward, slashing the sword towards the skulls neck. Click- The skulls left hand strangely flipped up and grabbed the blade, blocking the attack, but its body remained still on the table. At this point, a blood gauge and its attributes slowly appeared above the skull. LV10 Mutated Skeleton (Normal), Vitality Points: 4.00/800, Traits: Super Resilient, Dark Energy Just a level 10 normal monster. It scared me for a moment! Song Jian was always cautious around unusually looking monsters, fearing he might encounter a boss with special abilities. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian abruptly withdrew his longsword, his figure darting forward as if teleporting. The blade violently cleaved down on the mutated skeletons spine. This time, its claw reached out for nothing, its backbone taking a harsh strike. Clang- The collision sounded dull, almost as if he had struck gold or jade. As he unleashed this skill, Song Jian suddenly seemed to feel a powerful surge of energy within him, propelling his own body. He swiftly twisted and almost as if teleporting, rushed to the mutated skeletons left side, his sword sweeping horizontally towards its skull. Clang- Another resounding thud was heard. On the milky-white surface of the skull, a white mark remained. At this moment, the mutated skeleton seemed to have just awakened, attempting to rise to its feet. It was dazzled by the two blows, a harsh strike to the head causing it to lose its balance and stagger to the right. It extended its right hand and grabbed hold of the backrest of a chair to steady itself. But the chair, long decayed, crumbled into a pile of wood dust with a creak, and the mutated skeleton tumbled to the ground. Thud- Two eerie green flames were burning in the skeletons eye sockets. The scent of fresh flesh The mutated skeleton was suddenly engulfed by a green flame, preparing to rise, Song Jians Broken Wing Dance third stage had already been triggered. He leapt high into the air, his hands gripping the sword, and slashed down with all his might; Boom! The whole tower swayed slightly as the sword dispersed the green flame on the mutated skeletons surface and plunged into its shoulder, the blade lodged in its bones. Bang! The mutated skeleton suddenly extended its right hand and forcefully pushed Song Jians chest, flinging him three to four meters away. Song Jian rolled a couple times on the ground before standing up. On his zombie leader armor, there was a palm print half an inch deep. This blow had directly drained Song Jian of over sixty Vitality Points. Is this the defense and attack power of a standard-level 10 creature? System, is there some misunderstanding with the standard creature term? Song Jian couldnt help but spit out blood. After coughing up the coagulated blood, his chest felt a little relieved. While losing over sixty Vitality Points would seem a lot to other players, to Song Jian, it was only a tenth of his Vitality Points. Moreover, his Vitality Points recovery rate had increased by 300% recovering twenty-three Vitality Points per second. He would be at full health soon. Click click click- Slowly getting up, the mutated skeleton charged at Song Jian, the spine-chilling sound of its bones grinding against each other echoed in the air. Eye of Death! A silvery vertical pupil slowly opened in the center of his forehead, and a silver light column instantly targeted the skeletons head. Consecutive damage scrolled above the skeletons skull. For a moment, the mutated skeleton was restrained, its Vitality Points visibly diminishing rapidly; Seconds later, the mutated skeleton emitted a harsh shriek, bursting into flames, and turned into a pile of black ash. No matter how high the defense, or the attack, the Vitality Points are still that of a standard-level 10 creature! said Song Jian, as the silvery vertical pupil on his forehead slowly closed, leaving only a faint silver line: A standard creature simply cannot withstand the Eye of Death. It will be killed instantly! Among the black ashes that the mutated skeleton had turned into, three to four items were scattered around. Song Jian didnt pick them up, instead, he sat down to recover his Spirit Points. Chapter 219 - 219: The Golden Jar Chapter 219: The Golden Jar Translator: 549690339 After recovering his Spirit Points to over 80%, Song Jian approached the items dropped by the monster. It was a mutated skeleton. Although it was just a level 10 ordinary monster, the items it dropped were quite good. First, there was a blue-quality weapon, which even came with a skill C it could be considered a small top-quality item. [Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow] (Blue): One-handed weapon, Attack: 22-48, Fire damage +3, Agility +2. Special effect 1: Triple Shot (active), consecutively launches three crossbow bolts at the target, with the first dealing 110% physical damage, the second 90% physical damage, and the third 60% physical damage; Skill cooldown: 10 seconds; Special effect 2: Infinite Ammo: The weapon can automatically generate crossbow bolts; Usage requirement: Level 10; Can it be taken out of the game: No Aside from slightly low damage, this weapons other attributes were top quality, almost comparable to a silver-quality item. Although Song Jians attack damage would be reduced by 80% when using this crossbow, it could be equipped in the secondary weapon slot to enjoy the attribute bonuses, and it would also be very handy for luring monsters. Song Jian equipped it in his secondary weapon slot, finally raising his Agility attribute to double digits, reaching 11 points. Of the remaining three items, one was a white-quality necklace, another was a material, and there was also a small pile of Doomsday Coins. Getting a blue equipment and a white equipment from a level 10 ordinary monster could already be considered a pleasant surprise. [Frost Skeleton Necklace] (White): Necklace, Defense increase by 10%, additional Spirit Points recovery +2. Usage requirement: Level 10; Can it be taken out of the game: No [Bone Powder] (White): Material, can be used to make potions, usage requirement: Possess potion-making skill; [Doomsday Coins] (56): Currency, can be used to purchase items in the game; An item that could recover Spirit Points was a rare piece of equipment among rare pieces. Since entering the game, Song Jian rarely came across items that could recover Spirit Points. Besides the Devouring Belt in his possession, this would be the second item that could recover Spirit Points. Naturally, he put it on his neck without hesitation. As for the Bone Powder, although it was a material for making potions, without the corresponding formula, he didnt know what kind of potion it could be used for, so he could only put it in his inventory for now. Although the Doomsday Coins werent many, not every humanoid monster dropped them, so it was still a pleasant surprise. System: Your level has increased to 11, you gained one skill point. Song Jians Experience Points had long been stuck at level 10, 99%, and after becoming a Sword Controller, the level limit was removed. A level 10 monster was enough to raise him to level 11. He checked his skill bar, and at this time, all his active skills proficiency was not maxed, so he could only add the skill point to a passive skill. However, these basic passive skills could be improved through daily practice, so using the skill point on them felt a bit wasteful. In the end, Song Jian could only add this skill point to his natural talent skill Thick-skinned, raising it to level 8. At level 8 Thick-skinned, his defense was increased by 2%, resistance by 1%, damage forcibly reduced by 11 points, and there was a slight increase in resistance to negative effects such as taunts, charms, corpse poison, paralysis, and dizziness. However, these improvements could not be seen in the data. Just after adding the skill point, Song Jians gaze suddenly fell on his active skills, and an idea surfaced in his mind, his face full of regret. I, Im such a pig! Song Jian cursed. Both Earth Teeth Assault and Kick skills consumed Vitality Points, but now that Song Jian recovered 23 Vitality Points per second, he could fully withstand the consumption of these two skills. He could use them to increase his proficiency as long as the cooldown time was over. As for the Sword Finger skill, it consumed Invisible Sword Qi, which recovered extremely quickly. A hundred Invisible Sword Qi points, even if fully consumed, could be fully restored in just a few seconds. It was effortless to improve. The newly learned sword skill Broken Wing Dance consumed Spirit Points, and he could practice it intermittently as long as he ensured his Spirit Points remained above 80%. With this thought, Song Jian lifted his left hand, and a silver Sword Qi burst forth, directly piercing a bookcase in front of him. Next, he kicked his right foot forward, and a white light enveloped his right foot. Accompanied by a soft breaking sound, the white light flashed and disappeared. Seeing that the proficiency of both skills increased by one point, Song Jian regretted so much that he wanted to bang his head against the wall. Forget it, its not too late to start practicing now! Song Jian shook his head and continued to explore. There was only one mutated skeleton in this attic. After killing it, Song Jian slowly began to search the place. In this game, acquiring items was not limited to defeating monsters. Searching for supplies was also an important method of acquiring items in the game. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Drawers, wardrobes, boxes, and even under the bed, Song Jian carefully searched every spot, and though he did not come up empty-handed, the items he found were not very useful to him. A firearms attachment, a 2x scope, and a miscellaneous item, a nail clipper. This nail clipper has the property of being able to be taken out of the game, but what use would that be for me? It even takes up one of my carry-out slots! Song Jian looked at the two items he discovered and couldnt help but chuckle ruefully. At least the 2x scope could be sold for some money, but this nail clipper is this a joke? After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian didnt throw away the nail clipper. Instead, he stored it in his inventory. Currently, he not only has a Storage Ring but also a backpack, so the storage slots were fairly open. If he really couldnt fit all the items, this nail clipper would certainly be among the things he would casually discard. After finishing his search, Song Jian came to a corner of the attic. On the floor here, there was a rectangular metal cover locked in place. This should be the passage to the theater! Song Jian broke the rotten padlock and threw it aside, then opened the metal cover. Below was a short flight of stairs leading to a slightly larger spacious room. This room seemed to be the backstage makeup room of the theater. There was a large mirror embedded in the wall, occupying half the wall, and below was a row of dressing tables. Directly across from the dressing tables were a row of dilapidated sofas. The large mirror seemed to have been struck by something, with a large chunk broken off, and a crack extending from the center to both sides, dividing the mirror into two halves. Numerous smaller cracks branched out from this central crack, creating countless tiny fragments. On the dressing table beneath the mirror, in the center, there was a pale golden jar. On the surface of the jar, twisted and deformed faces were drawn. These faces seemed to be enduring immense pain as they contorted and wailed, becoming completely misshapen. There were numerous faces, large and small, which looked quite eerie and made onlookers feel uneasy. Song Jian slowly approached the pale golden jar. Chapter 220 - 220: Sniper Skill Stone Chapter 220: Sniper Skill Stone Translator: 549690339 This was a pale gold porcelain jar, covered in gold foil, with countless twisted faces of agony etched upon it. From a distance, it gave off an eerie feeling. Anyone with a fear of crowds would undoubtedly feel nauseous upon seeing it. Song Jian leisurely walked towards the porcelain jar. The closer he got to it, the stronger the sense of danger he felt in his heart. There was also a bone-chilling feeling that wrapped around him, as if what lay before him werent a porcelain jar, but a massive, thousand-year-old chunk of ice. Maybe this is a treasure chest in the game, capable of yielding good loot! Song Jians eyes were gleaming, his mind filled with visions of silver-grade and gold-grade treasures. Upon closer observation, there was a rigid look in his eyes, as if he were being pulled forward by some unseen force. Stepping up to the dressing table, Song Jian extended his hand towards the porcelain jar. Hisss- Smoke resembling human faces wafted from the jar. Each face was screaming in torment as it seemed to bear an endless pain. They had already shattered. Come, join us, join us, join Im free, Im free, Im so hungry Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kill you all, kill all, kill all A cacophony of screams and roars filled Song Jians ears, as if a vast crowd surrounded him, relentlessly yelling, irritating him, and causing his eyes to gradually fill with bloodshot veins. Groups of face-shaped dark smoke floated above the porcelain jar, repeatedly merging, biting, and swallowing each other. Eventually, they formed into one horrendous and resentful face, staring intently at Song Jian. Song Jians head was throbbing with pain, his chest felt as if a boulder was pressing against it. He tried to vomit but couldnt. Wave after wave of psychic attacks, like tidal surges, came crashing against him. Just as he was about to succumb, about to break down, a burst of cool energy emerged in his mind, instantaneously dispelling all negative energy. Song Jian regained his consciousness, panting heavily. His face was covered in sweat. Just now, he had faced a brush with death, and had almost lost his sanity! Looking up at that ferocious face, a trace of murderous intent flickered in Song Jians eyes. He lifted his left hand. Swipe- A streak of silver Sword Qi whizzed towards the floating face. The horrific face curled up at the corners of its mouth, with a look of mockery passed in its eyes: Your attack is ineffective, mortal, offer up your body, let me Whoosh- The silver Sword Qi flashed past, splitting the face in half. Dense smoke rose from the fractured wounds. The face looked horrified: How is this possible Puff The face turned into a cloud of dark smoke, wildly writhing in mid-air, as if trying to reform itself. However, it eventually dissipated. The chilling and bone-piercing feeling gradually faded, and the golden light that radiated from the surface of the porcelain jar dimmed. Crack- A crack appeared on the surface of the porcelain jar, followed by the sound of shattering. The entire surface of the porcelain jar was like a spiders web, covered in cracks. A sense of decay wafted from within the jar. Bang- The porcelain jar suddenly exploded, spewing out a heap of grey-black powder. This feels like the ashes left after the monsters die? Song Jian looked in confusion at the powder that continued to flow out. This time, he gained no benefits. Instead, he almost lost his life, leaving Song Jian a bit vexed. Swoosh, swoosh- As the porcelain jar exploded, the grey-black powder flowed out non-stop, trickling from the dressing table to the floor. Song Jian began searching other pieces of furniture in the room, possible sources of hidden items. One bottle of mineral water, one bag of chips, nothing else! Song Jian shook his head, stashing these two items into his inventory. Resources in the newbie zones were running thin. Only these high-level areas still had food and drinks. Back in newbie zones, these items that were essential for survival had started to slightly increase in price. I should scout other dressing rooms. Maybe I can find some good loot! As Song Jian was about to leave, he glanced unintentionally at the dressing table and noticed a flicker of light from the shattered jars ashes. Huh, theres something inside! Song Jians eyes lit up. He walked swiftly towards the porcelain jar, now reduced to a pedestal, and dug into the black ashes twice. He then pulled out a stone that shimmered with a silvery glow. It was a stone in opalescent white, semi-transparent, with a surface that was as smooth as pebbles. Engraved in the stone was the character for skill. What is this Holding the stone, Song Jian furrowed his brows. This was his first encounter with such an object, leaving him somewhat bewildered. However, the attributes of the stone soon appeared before his eyes. Sniper Skill Stone: Fatal Blow; Learning Requirements: Sniper class, Level 15; Usage effect: Once used, learn the skill, Fatal Blow. Fatal Blow: At the cost of 80% Vitality Points, deal 280% critical damage to the target, additionally, hit enemys vitals to stack extra damage on critical hits. A skill stone for snipers? This skill is a bit scary. A one-shot kill from a kilometer away must be a core skill for the sniper profession. As expected from Fatal Blow, it is indeed fatal! Song Jian was a bit astounded. This skill stone was extremely precious. With such severe damage output, it gave even Song Jian pause, fearing he might get one-shotted. As for other players with only a hundred or two hundreds of Vitality Points? I cant sell this skill even if it rots in my warehouse! Song Jian tightly clutched the skill stone. After pondering for a while, he put it into his inventory. Even though he found a valuable item, it brought little immediate benefit to Song Jian. After leaving the dressing room, he thoroughly searched all the other dressing rooms backstage of the theatre. He found a lot of food and water, as well as some ingredients for making medicine. With his portable medicine crafting station, Song Jian managed to create three high-quality Weakness Potions. Through a corridor, he pushed open a half-broken wooden door to enter a spacious front hall. As far as he could see, the hall was probably over two thousand square meters in size. There were over a thousand seats in front of the stage, although many of them were now in disrepair. Ribbit, ribbit- A series of low croaks resonated throughout the hall. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, noticing that under the seats of the hall, many monsters were sound asleep. These monsters looked like eight or nine-year-old children, dressed in simple dirty gray clothes, badly torn. Behind them were large black bat wings, making them look like giant bats. Zombie Bats, all of them are Zombie Bats! Song Jian was startled and quickly retreated. Chapter 221 - 221: Regional Plot Task Chapter 221: Regional Plot Task Translator: 549630339 Seeing so many bat-winged zombies. Song Jians heart skipped a beat, recalling the scene from that night. Even though these bat-winged zombies were level 10 elite bosses, the sight of a hundred of them flying low through the sky was absolutely terrifying. That night, Song Jian had seen numerous level 15 and even level 20 elite bosses fall under the bat-winged zombies onslaught and become their food. Just as Song Jian stepped onto the stage and prepared to retreat, he suddenly heard a cold, mechanical voice in his ear. Warning: You have entered a sensitive area, and the areas plot will begin!11 Warning: There is a Skill Book Stele in this area. Kill all the monsters in the entire theater to activate it. The stele will be available for 10 minutes, and you can purchase Skill Books that appear on it! Warning: You will automatically accept this task and cannot refuse. Fifteen seconds after accepting the task, all the monsters in the entire theater will launch an incessant offensive against you. Please be prepared! Tip: After the task starts, the entire theater will become a special structure, prohibiting other players from entering in any form and preventing you from leaving in any form until the stele appears. After 15 minutes, you can choose to leave. If you leave the special structure, the task will fail, the Skill Book Stele will disappear, and you will no longer be able to obtain this task here in the future! System: You have accepted a regional plot task, which will begin in fifteen seconds! System: Fifteen-second countdown begins: 15, 14,13, A regional plot task? Is it only available to the first person who enters here? Song Jian was puzzled. Glancing at the dense crowd of at least a hundred bat-winged zombies in the hall, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. Fortunately, these bat-winged zombies were only level 10 ordinary monsters, not elite bosses like the ones he had seen that night. Seeing their childlike bodies, Song Jian assumed it was because they hadnt fully grown yet. LV10 Bat-Winged Zombie (Young), Vitality Points: 550/1100, Traits: Flight, Strong Poison; Skills: Bite, Dive These bat-winged zombies were just level 10 ordinary monsters, but their attributes and skills were powerful. Although not as formidable as elite bosses, they were much stronger than regular level 10 zombies. The fifteen-second countdown ended quickly, and all the bat-winged zombies opened their blood-red eyes at the same time, staring at Song Jian. A hundred bloodthirsty red eyes stared at Song Jian, making him feel a tingling sensation on his scalp, as he slowly moved towards the backstage passageway. It was impossible for him to fight so many monsters in an open area. If he wanted to achieve victory, he had to rely on terrain. The passageway leading from the stage to the backstage could only fit two or three people side by side, giving him a distinct advantage over fighting the bat-winged zombies on the open stage. Moreover, Song Jian could retreat while fighting, and if he felt overwhelmed, he could hide in the loft he had entered the theater through. As long as he held the entrance, he could endure until the fifteen minutes were up. However, this would be his last resort. Until the very end, Song Jian wouldnt choose to hide in the loft and let the task fail. Plop! All the bat-winged zombies took to the air and attacked Song Jian. It looked like a massive wave of dark clouds rushing towards him. Seeing the swarming bat-winged zombies, Song Jians eyes lit up, and he took out a T-11 high-explosive grenade from his inventory, pulled the pin, and threw it at them. Boom! A loud explosion ripped through the crowd of bat-winged zombies, instantly sweeping away dozens of them. A large row of damage numbers appeared, creating a dizzying display. Ten-plus bat-winged zombies received critical damage, showing damage figures of over six hundred points above their heads and were instantly killed. They transformed into black ashes floating down from the sky. Many other bat-winged zombies lost half of their Vitality Points, their bodies drenched in blood and emitting painful screams. Some bat-winged zombies even caught fire, flying around in pain and causing other bat-winged zombies to stay away from their burning companions. Killing more than a dozen bat-winged zombies gave Song Jian a small boost in his Experience Points. He then took out a bottle of Weakness Potion and threw it at the nearest bat- winged zombie. Without checking the effect of the Weakness Potion, Song Jian turned and ran towards the passage behind him. What a pity. I only managed to make one high-explosive grenade. If 1 had three or five of them, it would be easy to wipe out these monsters! Furthermore, killing all these monsters would be enough to raise my level by one. Song Jian lamented as he ran. The T-11 high-explosive grenade was quite powerful, dealing 300 points of area damage to targets within a five-meter range and having a chance to inflict an additional 150 points of fire damage. If in the center of the explosion, there was a high chance of critical damage; the more densely packed the monsters, the better its effect. It was indeed a powerful tool for slaying monsters. But the success rate of crafting high-explosive grenades was low C even ten sets of materials might not guarantee the creation of one, and the materials required were numerous and challenging to gather. Otherwise, Song Jian could have mass-produced them and quickly reached the highest level possible. Upon reaching the passageway, Song Jian turned around, wielding the Guardians Sword, and stood one meter away from the entrance, waiting quietly. In no time, several bat-winged zombies covered in Weakness Potion rushed in, attacking Song Jian without hesitation. With a sudden forward thrust of the longsword in his hand, Song Jian pierced the head of the foremost bat-winged zombie, flung its lifeless body backward, and hit several others. Broken Wing Dance! With a soft shout, Song Jian lunged forward, his body slashing heavily into a bat-winged zombie covered in Weakness Potion, instantly cutting the half-health monster in half. Blood rained down on him. Buzz! A faint sound echoed, and a milky-white light shield appeared around Song Jians body, blocking the attacks of the approaching bat-winged zombies. The second stage of Broken Wing Dance was activated, and in the narrow passage, Song Jian could only move forward. At this point, he had reached the entrance of the passage, and if he continued forward, he would be in the middle of the swarm of monsters. Undaunted, he charged ahead, his longsword piercing another bat-winged zombie. Then, Song Jian leaped high into the air and struck down forcefully. With a bang, his sword smashed into a bat-winged zombies head, splitting it open like a watermelon. A shockwave spread in all directions, sweeping away the other bat-winged zombies that were within range. The damage numbers continued to rise as Song Jian retreated back into the passage. Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 222 - 222: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Chapter 222: Blood Pool Summoning Skill Translator: 549690339 The Broken Wing Dance skill, featuring impressive damage, mobility, and a powerful third-stage attack that can control opponents, can paralyze anyone hit by its energy wave, throwing them into the air. Its a versatile move that can be used for both offensive and defensive tactics. Splash- Upon seeing Song Jian retreat to a backstage corridor, the bat-winged zombies swarmed in, screaming. They piled on top of one another, desperate to squeeze into the tight space. They seem to have lost any sense of self-awareness Song Jian frowned, looking at the chaotic red eyes of the bat-winged zombies, filled with fury and a thirst for blood. Attack! Song Jian advanced instead of retreating, standing his ground in the corridor. He swung his sword, chopping at the monsters rushing towards him. These creatures had claws as sharp as metal. The tips of their claws gleamed with a green light. They launched themselves from the air at a furious speed, and any neglect on Song Jians part would result in them managing to land a blow. Thud- The Vitality Points of the bat-winged zombies were slashed to zero one by one. They burned in mid-air, dissipating into a cloud of black smoke accompanied by a pitiful scream, only leaving some black ash floating in the air. Sword Finger! A three-meter-long silver sword light suddenly flashed and stabbed forward, piercing the bodies of six or seven bat-winged zombies like kebabs. Plop Plop Plop- The bodies of three bat-winged zombies exploded, turning into black smoke and breaking apart. The rest were heavily injured, struggling on the ground of the corridor, their bodies continuously emitting black smoke. Song Jian fought as he retreated, quickly killing three to four dozen bat-winged zombies. The other zombies didnt hesitate in the face of their comrades death, throwing themselves at Song Jian one after another. Despite his vitality points recovering at a rate of twenty-three per second, Song Jians vitality points kept dropping. The bat-winged zombies attacks were all highly toxic. Each hit resulted in a burning pain at the wound site. System: Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted 55 points of damage on you, with an additional 15 points of Toxic Damage; your talent skill Thick Skin has activated, reducing 12 points of damage and immunizing against the Toxic Damage. After considering your physical condition and equipment defense, the Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted a final damage of 24 points on you. System: Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted 59 points of damage on you, with an additional 15 points of Toxic Damage; your talent skill Thick Skin has activated, reducing 12 points of damage and immunizing against the Toxic Damage. After considering your physical condition and equipment defense, the Bat-Winged Zombie (Juvenile) has inflicted a final damage of 28 points on you. Such combat prompts were falling like a waterfall, startling Song Jian. His talent skill was really powerful; it immunized him against every instance of Toxic Damage. Otherwise, Song Jian would have long since retreated, instead of standing his ground in the corridor, fighting against three to four bat-winged zombies. Soon, he reached the end of the corridor, which led to a hallway lined with dressing rooms. Song Jian retreated towards the dressing room he first entered, which had a staircase to the attic. If he couldnt hold them off, he would have to retreat to the attic and block the entrance. A thick layer of black ash now covered the corridor, with more than fifty bat-winged zombies dead. Among the black ash, various glowing items floated about. These were the items dropped by the bat-winged zombies that Song Jian had no time to collect. In actuality, this quest isnt designed for solo players but for a combat squad. Only with a well-organized and fully-equipped squad could one potentially block the suicidal onslaught of so many bat-winged zombies using this corridor. But unexpectedly, Song Jian, with his extraordinary vitality recovery rate and strong attacks, couldnt go as far as a full-fledged combat squad, but he came close. Relying on his strategy of retreat and fight, he managed to eliminate nearly half of the bat-winged zombies. The rest couldnt inflict fatal damage on him. As long as he had enough time, Song Jian believed he could wipe them all out before his Vitality Points run out. The speed of his Vitality Points depletion was very slow. At this moment, Song Jian still had more than 300 Vitality Points. If it were someone else, they would have hidden in a narrow place by now. But, Song Jian had killed fifty to sixty bat-winged zombies. Phew, that was refreshing! Song Jian wiped the jet-black blood splattered on his forehead, surprisingly a smile crept onto his face. Whoosh- He was hit hard on the shoulder again. Although he was immune to the poisonous damage, the moment he was attacked, he felt a burning pain in his shoulder, as if something was scorching and corroding the wound. The durability of the Zombie Leaders Armor also appeared, its durability had now dropped to 28/56. This made Song Jian a little worried. This piece of Zombie Leaders Armor was a minor masterpiece, and its a set with gloves that came with set-increased attributes. Once the armor is damaged, not only will he lose the attributes of an upper garment but the 3-point strength attribute bonus the set provides would disappear as well. That would be somewhat unbearable. Broken Wing Dance! Seeing that the cooldown of the sword skill Broken Wing Dance had ended, Song Jian immediately released this skill. With the Devouring Belt and Frost Skeleton Necklace, as long as Song Jian didnt expend high-consuming skills like Eye Kill, his Spirit Points would consistently remain above 90%. Phew, No more, 1 must replenish some Vitality Points, otherwise, its not sustainable. Even if 1 reach the attic, they will drain me to death! After casting the skill, Song Jian retreated. He checked his Vitality Points, which had dropped from over three hundred to just over two hundred and eighty. For others, more than two hundred Vitality Points might be their total, but for Song Jian, he had already reached a very dangerous zone. Blood Pool Summoning Skill! Song Jian murmured, and a Hexagram Magic Array materialized under his feet centered around him; Whoosh- A flock of Blood Ravens flew out of the Magic Array. Average level of the thirty-odd Blood Ravens was around five. Their sudden appearance startled the bat-winged zombies. Those that were about to pounce on Song Jian also halted, but they resumed their charge at the realization of the Blood Ravens strength; Level five Blood Ravens were no match for these bat-winged zombies, plus, bat-winged zombies could fly, nullifying the only advantage Blood Ravens had. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Song Jian had not summoned the Blood Ravens to resist the bat-winged zombies C a mere few seconds distraction would suffice. The Blood Ravens were obliterated one by one by the bat-winged zombies, turning into splattered blood, dyeing the entire corridor in red. The sweet nauseating smell of blood filled the surroundings. The Blood Ravens bought Song Jian six seconds of recovery time, restoring his Vitality Points to over four hundred. As one by one the Blood Ravens were obliterated, red zombies emerged from the Hexagram Magic Array. Chapter 223 - 223: Skill Stele Chapter 223: Skill Stele Translator: 549690339 | Blood Ravens filled the sky, yet they were under siege by the bat-winged zombies. Periodic bursts of blood plasma were seen, and within the Hexagram Array, the figures of red zombies began to appear. These creatures were blood beasts called Blood Zombies, produced by the Blood Pool after being upgraded to the second level. These Blood Zombies, like the Blood Ravens, could kill monsters to level up. However, their maximum level was much higher than the Blood Ravens, reaching up to level ten. The Blood Zombies had not been around for long, so none of them had reached level ten. The highest among them was level six, while the lowest was only level three. All blood beasts would return to the Blood Pool to grow again once they died, and their levels would directly drop to level one. To regain their original levels, it would take considerable effort. T he blood beasts could level up in two ways. One was by killing monsters to gain Experience Points, and the other was through time C their levels would automatically increase over time. However, the latter method was time-consuming and greatly dependent on the level of the Blood Pool. T he Blood Zombies were considerably stronger than the Blood Ravens. As soon as they left the Magic Array, they roared and rushed towards the bat-winged zombies. Despite their lower levels, the Blood Zombies managed to fight on par with their enemies for a short period. While a Blood Raven could be defeated with two hits, each Blood Zombie would need to be hit about five or six times by the bat-winged zombies before it was killed. Song Jian smiled slightly as he watched his vitality points about to be fully restored. He then charged towards the bat-winged zombies. In just over ten seconds, the thirty Blood Zombies had been reduced to only seven or eight. Even though their vitality was drained, they had managed to buy time for Song Jian to recover. They had also managed to kill three or four of the bat-winged zombies. In contrast to the Blood Ravens, the Blood Zombies had certainly enhanced their combat power several times over. Sword Finger! Swish- A silver sword light about three meters long swept across and instantly bisected seven or eight bat-winged zombies. The bats screamed in pain and turned into black ash, sending a chill through the remaining bat-winged zombies and in the blink of an eye, Song Jian had charged into the hordes of bat-winged zombies, causing carnage. Weakness Potion! Bang! Another wealmess potion was thrown at the bat-winged zombies. As it shattered, a green powdery mist enveloped all the bat-winged zombies within six meters. The green particles seemed to burrow under their skin and entered their bodies through their mouths and nostrils. Suddenly, a greyish aura spread amongst the afflicted zombies. The potion caused thirty points of actual damage and reduced the armor defense of all enemies within its range by 35% for 65 seconds. Many bat-winged zombies turned into black ash before they could shake off the weakening effect. Kill! Kill! Kill! sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In his frenzied state, Song Jian charged around the hordes of bat-winged zombies without any regard for his defense as the bat-winged zombies claws left marks on his armor. The battle lasted for half an hour, with all the Blood Zombies killed and returned to the Blood Pool. Song Jian, completely exhausted, started laughing heartily amidst the black ashes and loot scattered around. He sat on the floor, leaning on his long sword. System: You have successfully completed the regional plot task, and the evaluation of the main task has been upgraded! System: The Professional Skill Book Stele will appear in three minutes, and its appearance time is ten minutes. Please prepare! System: The Professional Skill Book Stele only exists for ten minutes and will disappear after ten minutes. During this period, you cannot leave the regional plot task area, or the stele will disappear immediately! Song Jian struggled to his feet and began picking up the spoils of the battle scattered on the ground. All these items were dropped by level-ten monsters even their materials were more valuable than those dropped by previous monsters. He continued along the corridor, collecting items all the way onto the stage. Song Jians bag was filled, six slots of his Storage Ring were also occupied, with only the green-quality Postal Bag remaining empty. Sixty-four white-quality materials, thirteen green-quality materials, three summon card of bat-winged zombies, more than six hundred Doomsday Coins, one Vampiric Scroll, one Attack Scroll, haha, its well worth it! Song Jian looked at the items in his bag and an excited look flashed across his face. White-quality materials of the same type could occupy one slot, while green-quality materials had to be separately stored from the white ones, even if they were of the same type. This was why Song Jians bag was full. The summon cards of bat-winged zombies occupied one slot, and the Vampiric Scroll and Attack Scroll each took up one slot. After picking up the loot, Song Jian went to the spacious stage. At this point, countless shimmering dots of light, like fireflies, were dancing in the air, continuously merging towards the center to form a light pillar more than three meters high. The light pillar was emitting a soft glow, which got brighter as more dots of light joined. Looking at the time, two minutes had passed, and the Professional Skill Book Stele was about to appear. As more and more light converged on rhe pillar, it grew brighter and more intense. Eventually, Song Jian had to cover his eyes to avoid being blinded. Soon, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: The Professional Skill Book Stele has appeared, please select and purchase quickly. The stele will disappear in ten minutes! The light vanished in an instant, and Song Jian lowered his hand. Before him stood a three-meter tall cyan stele. This stele, carved from cyan stone, was wider at the bottom and tapered upward with complex magical patterns on its surface. Energy was flowing through these patterns, flickering in and out of sight. Song Jian stepped forward quickly, reached out his right hand and touched the surface of the stele. Instantly, a three by three grid appeared before his eyes. Each grid was occupied by a skill book. Song Jian had a cheerful smile on his face as he carefully looked at the contents of the nine skill books. The Professional Skill Book Stele was essentially a hidden store that only sold skill books for various professions. These books included skills for over ten thousand professions, from unique to common, each with dozens of skills. Finding a skill book for ones own profession from the vast number of skills was like finding a needle in a haystack. Soon, the smile on Song Jians face gradually faded and he looked somewhat distressed. Chapter 224 - 224 Rapid Sword Chapter 224: Rapid Sword Translator: 549690339 These are all skill books for other professions! After scanning the nine squares carefully, Song Jian couldnt help but frown. These nine skill books were: Warriors Fierce Strike, Holy Shields Charge Shield Strike, Demon Hunters Night Vision, Shamans Bloodthirst, Archers Triple Shot, Demolition Mans Fast Placement, Elemental Mages Great Fireball, Genetic Warriors Bloodline Potential, Wolf Riders Beast Perception. Not a single one was about Swordman or Sword Controller. Song Jian felt quite disappointed. He had put in so much effort to complete the regional task, but the reward, the skill book in the stone tablet, didnt contain a single book he could use. He couldnt help but think System, are you joking with me? Although these skill books were pricey, and with Song Jians current wealth, he could only afford three or four of them. But, if he were to put these books on the market, theyd fetch a return of multiple times their original cost. Even so, he still felt frustrated. Just then, a system notification appeared in front of Song Jian; System: You have completed the regional plot task and received the right to reconfigure the skill book. The system detects a silver quality skill stone in your inventory. By adding the skill stone, the quality of the next skill book reset can be improved. I have a chance for reconfiguration? Song Jians eyes lit up, and a glimmer of hope rose in his heart. The last bit about adding a skill stone made Song Jian hesitate. The skill stone in his inventory was of silver quality and seemed to be a core skill for a sniper. If he wasted it and the value of the skill book obtained was less than the value of the skill stone, wouldnt he be losing out? It wasnt a small decision, considering Song Jians current wealth, he wouldnt be able to buy many skill books. After struggling for a while, Song Jian gritted his teeth and took out the silver quality skill stone. Ill take the risk. Replace it! A silver light flashed, and the nine squares kept changing rapidly. At the same time, the skill stone in Song Jians hands turned into a stream of light and flew into the nine squares. Soon, each of the nine squares released a silver light simultaneously. What, have the nine skill books been promoted to silver quality? Song Jian was dumbstruck, feeling as if a pie had fallen from the sky right on top of his head. Damn, Im short of money! At this moment, Song Jian suddenly remembered the Doomsday Coins in his inventory. He only had a few thousand coins. With this small amount of money, the most he could afford was probably just one silver-quality skill book. It seemed like he was going to take a loss this time! If 1 had known Wait, system, are you playing with me? Song Jian sighed heavily, looking as if he was wronged. Soon, the changes in the nine squares stopped, and nine skill books, each emitting a silver light, appeared before Song Jian. Enhanced Stealth, Overlords Lifting Ceremony, Backfire Gun, Fear Technique Song Jian nervously went through the books. These skills were all of silver quality and appeared to be core skills of their respective professions. They were extremely powerful. Finally, Song Jians eyes lit up, Rapid Sword! Finally, amongst the nine skill books, a Sword Controller skill appeared. Skill Book: Rapid Sword, after use, you can master the Rapid Sword skill. User requirement: Sword Controller. Song Jian checked the price of this book and almost cried out loud; If 1 buy this book, 1 will only have one Doomsday Coin left in my pocket. System, are you determining prices based on how much money 1 have? Song Jian blurted out. The price was indeed very eccentric C both whole and fractional values. It felt like the price was chosen randomly! After purchasing the book and looking at the silver light emanating from it, Song Jian immediately chose to use it. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Immediately, the skill book turned into a silver light and entered Song Jians forehead. Rapid Sword(Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After activation, the speed of using sword-type weapons increases by 35%, this effect lasts for 5 seconds, skill cooldown time: 60 seconds; This skill was simple and brutal. It simply increased ones attack speed. However, the extent of the improvement was astonishing. A 35% increase in attack speed meant that if previously three slices could be made, now four could be accomplished. Why was the Evil Warding Sword Skill so powerful? Why was the Sunflower Treasure Book the top martial arts book in the world? Wasnt it because they were fast? Before the other side could react, you could already kill them. How would they defend against that? Among all martial arts skills, any defence can be broken, except for speed! Hey, is the cooldown time of Rapid Sword a bit too long? 1 minute for just 5 seconds of action. Will 1 be called Fast Gun, or rather, Fast Sword in the future? Oh right, this should be considered a form of Sword Skill, right? Song Jian suddenly remembered, and quickly opened the task bar to check the main task. Alright, alright! Song Jian was relieved. The main task indicated that he has acquired three sets of sword skills. It seemed like Rapid Sword was also included in the list of the main tasks sword skill requirement. After activating the Rapid Sword effect for a try, Song Jian swung his long sword, and indeed, his attack speed was much faster. The Broken Wing Dance skill, which had a three-stage attack, each stage had a speed-enhancing effect. With the addition of Rapid Sword, the power of the Broken Wing Dance was significantly increased. He cast a regretful look at the other eight skill books on the Skill Stone Stele. These were all silver-quality skills. If he could buy them all and resell them on the radio, he could earn at least tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. What a pity! After 10 minutes, the Stele began to emit a white light again. When the light reached its peak, the Stele turned into a pillar of light, and then the pillar of light turned into countless crystalline light points. The light points then slowly vanished. The entire process was the exact opposite of the appearance of the Stele. Just then, Song Jian heard a faint voice from outside. Master Lin, I just saw lights glittering inside this theater. There must be something good, lets search carefully, maybe well find something unexpected. Be careful, many monsters are reported here, and they move in groups. Last time a squad rushed in recklessly and was completely wiped out! Dont be afraid, well just lure those monsters out if need be. You all saw the light just now, didnt you? If youre scared of death, you wouldnt crave treasures! Song Jian saw several faint figures moving around the window. It seemed that they had seen the disappearing light from the Stele earlier and wanted to explore inside. Not wanting to run into these players, Song Jian set off towards the backstage, planning to return the same way he came. However, at this moment, a crisp shattering sound came from behind him. The players had smashed the window of the theater and were about to jump in. Master Lin, theres someone in the theater. I just saw someone running backstage! One man standing by the window shouted. Chapter 225 - 225: Goblin Merchant Chapter 225: Goblin Merchant Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing that someone was actually inside the theater, Lin Dongs face darkened. The sudden burst of light from the theater had attracted one of their team members who had been out hunting monsters in the street. The others hadnt noticed the theater, but an archer resting and recovering his Vitality Points caught a glimpse of the light and called out loudly. Lin Dongs team consisted of five people, and upon seeing the light in the theater, they thought it might be some kind of treasure. They quickly abandoned their monster hunting in the street and began to surround the theater. In fact, this theater in the Level-io monster area was quite well-known. Previously, a team of three had tried to enter it to search for supplies, only to attract hundreds of Level-io monsters. Needless to say, the three-person team was wiped out, but other players witnessed the spectacle of monsters pouring out of the theater as well. As a result, the danger of the theater began to spread among the players, and in this Level-10 zone, it soon became an off-limits area. However, it wasnt long before people realized that as long as they didnt enter the theater itself, even yelling at the top of their lungs nearby wouldnt attract the attention of the monsters inside. Gradually, the theater began to be ignored by the players. At first, Lin Dong and his team were a bit hesitant, considering the sheer number of monsters inside. In the end, they couldnt resist the temptation. The plan was to have the person who smashed the glass draw all the monsters, and the rest of the team would enter the theater to search for treasure. The team member chosen to attract the monsters was a thief, who had a strong forced stealth skill. Just like the old temporary teammate of Song Jian, Lin Sheng. Even in battle, he could instantly enter stealth mode. Furthermore, the thief profession also had an Acceleration Skill, so as long as he was careful, even if all the monsters from the theater were drawn out, he wouldnt necessarily die. As long as he hid in a corner, the monsters would not find him and naturally return to the theater. By that time, Lin Dong and his team would have completed their search. Just as the thief broke the glass, he saw Song Jian running from the stage towards the backstage, and the stage was filled with slowly dissipating sparkling light points, indicating that the treasure had already been taken. He immediately began to yell in desperation. Lin Dong and the others were initially hiding in a shop across the street, waiting for the thief to attract the monsters so they could enter the theater. Yet, when they heard the thiefs sudden cry, they were startled and rushed over. Big Mouth, what are you shouting for? Theres someone inside? How is that possible? The archer who had first noticed the theaters light asked incredulously. The theater was filled with a swarm of monsters; who would dare to go inside and court death? The monsters inside are gone. I just saw the stage covered with light spots, which have now disappeared. The light that appeared earlier must have come from the stage; the treasure must have been taken by that person, the thief insisted anxiously. Everyone turned to look at Lin Dong. Lets go in and take a look! Lin Dong took the lead, jumping through the window and charging towards the backstage. The five of them chased after him, only to find that the person had already vanished when they reached the backstage. Split up and search. 1 dont believe it! Big Mouth, go guard the passage. Theres only one entrance and exit to this theater unless that person can fly! Lin Dong looked at the row of dressing rooms, his expression turning ugly. Master Lin, look at the black ash on the ground. Could it be that all the monsters here have been killed by that person? One of them carefully examined the ground Impossible! There were hundreds of Level-io monsters. That person isnt a god; how could they kill so many monsters? Master Lin immediately refuted. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The thief stealthily walked towards the passage in the back, and the remaining four scattered to search the dressing rooms one by one. Master Lin, it seems like someone has searched through these dressing rooms! Someone shouted. Master Lin, someone has searched here too! Lin Dongs face grew darker and darker. This was a chance encounter they had just barely missed, and he couldnt accept it. Master Lin, I found an attic here! It seems like it can lead outside! Suddenly, a team member called out. Lin Dongs expression changed, and he hurriedly rushed towards the last dressing room. Climbing the stairs in the dressing room to the attic, Lin Dong looked at the gaping skylight above him and stomped his foot in frustration. At this time, Song Jian had already left the area and had headed to another street to hunt monsters. Having killed hundreds of monsters in the theater, his experience points for Level n had already reached 91%, and he would soon level up to Level 12. The only disadvantage of hunting monsters during the day was that he had to find them himself. These monsters were hiding in nooks and crannies, making them time-consuming and difficult to find. Since real alliance guilds hadnt yet appeared, many players were forming small groups to hunt monsters together. To find a monster, they had to pull it into the sunlight. Under the sun, the monsters defense and attack would decrease, and their movements would become somewhat slower, making them much easier to kill. After all, everyone had only one life, and most people chose safety first. But Song Jian didnt need to go through so much trouble since he could now completely crush monsters of the same level. A 35% increase in attack speed was no joke. Even merely using his basic attack, he could stand toe-to-toe with Level-10 monsters without any fear. In just over half an hour, over thirty monsters had died at the hands of Song Jian. However, the duration was mainly because it took a lot of time to find them. Following the road, Song Jian turned into a dark alley, where he faintly heard the roar of monsters. He walked more than a hundred meters down the alley and saw five Level-10 mutant zombies. It seemed that they were surrounded and fighting over something. You ugly creatures, leave me alone! I only have one piece of wild boar meat left, God, who will save me! Dont come any closer, fine, Ill give you one more piece. This really is my last piece! Im giving them all to you, really! Dont come any closer A sharp voice emerged from the group of zombies, sounding desperate and furious. Are these monsters attacking an NPC? Song Jian was surprised to discover that in front of the five zombies, a creature no taller than the thigh of an adult was carrying a large bag and constantly yelling. This creature had pale green skin, long ears, deep-set eyes, and a high, prominent nose. It was wearing a simple gray hemp garment and carried a package on its shoulder almost the same size as its body. The packages surface was covered with patches, making it look very worn. LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan: Vitality Points 1000/1000, Spirit Points 500/500; Traits: Stingy, Super-Speed; Skills: Miserly, You Cant Catch Me! Title: Miser. The five mutant zombies kept approaching, and whenever they were about to pounce on the Goblin Merchant, he took out a fresh piece of pork from his bag and threw it at them. Chapter 226 - 226: Rescue Mission Chapter 226: Rescue Mission Translator: 549690339 Clank- Song Jian unwittingly kicked an empty can in the alley, emitting a slight sound. The sound was soft to mutant zombies, but was noticed by the goblin merchant ahead. All, human, its great to run into a human at this time. It seems the revered Goblin God is watching over his faithful followers. I will definitely offer five Doomsday Coins when 1 return No, lets make it three, I will definitely offer three Doomsday Coins to thank the Goblin God! The goblin merchant, wearing a relieved smile like he had survived a disaster, shouted with excitement. Just then, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan has issued you a rescue mission: Kill the mutant zombies besieging him and get him out of danger! Task Requirement: Kill the five mutant zombies besieging the Goblin Merchant, Count: 0/5; Task Reward: Greatly increase intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan, and receive a 9.99% discount on any purchase from him! Failure Penalty: Greatly decrease intimacy with Goblin Merchant C Canaan; Human Ah, a respected Gods Beloved, please help, I cant hold off these monsters any longer! Canaan the goblin merchant stared at Song Jian, his eyes sparkling as he shouted loudly. 9.99% off, can you be any more stingy? Song Jian, somewhat helpless, raised his hand and directly chose to reject! This goblin merchant was shouting loudly, but his vitality points seemed untouched. The fresh pork he pulled out from his bag seemed to have a strong attraction for the mutant zombies. Throwing it out, he was immediately beset by five mutant zombies, who abandoned their pursuit of him. But the alley was too narrow C five mutant zombies blocked the path. Even with the goblin merchants small stature, there was no way of escaping. Wont shed a tear until he sees the coffin, the little dwarf isnt being genuine! Song Jian sighed and stood still, quietly watching the five mutant zombies tearing at a piece of pork the size of a palm. This small piece of pork couldnt satisfy the five mutant zombies. They were always hungry and a piece of pork this size could not delay them for long. Oh, God, you robbers, dont come here, do not come here! Damn, alright, okay, Ill give you another piece of meat, this is really the last piece, youve eaten eight pieces of my fresh pork, arent you full yet? Why are you so greedy? Goblin God, please punish these greedy monsters! With trembling hands, Canaan pulled another piece of meat from his bag and threw it at the five mutant zombies; Canaan was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when the zombies started fighting over the meat and stopped paying attention to him. He began to retreat slowly. This alley was a dead-end. Otherwise, the goblin merchant would have run away by now. Song Jian was not in a hurry and slowly followed the five zombies. After Song Jian rejected the temporary task issued by Canaan, the green-skinned dwarf looked at Song Jian with surprise and muttered, Whats going on? This Gods Beloved actually rejected my mission. Isnt it strange that these guys usually jump at the sight of a mission like a rabid dog at pig shit? Obviously, the goblin merchant Canaan was used to dealing with players. He knew their habits, preferred to issue missions with incredibly low rewards, and get players to do his bidding. Every time, he would trick players into running around in circles, taking complete advantage of them, which gave him great satisfaction. In fact, those players who accepted the tasks issued by the goblin merchant Canaan were not stupid. Every time they entered the game and successfully completed a temporary mission, their main mission was upgraded and they received other rewards. Replenishing their vitality points faster is what all players seek C the faster their vitality is replenished, the less likely they are to die. Moreover, the difficulty level of the missions issued by this goblin merchant was not high and could be easily completed. Therefore, what the players cared about was actually the evaluation of the main mission. As for the small rewards offered by the goblin merchant, few players even bothered about them. However, Song Jian was not willing to take this loss. He even wished that the five mutant zombies would kill the goblin merchant. His gaze was always on the big bag carried by the goblin merchant. That bag couldnt be full of meat, could it? Song Jian wondered. Okay, okay, greedy human, you win. I will satisfy you, accept my mission. You will get the friendship of the Goblin Clan! Canaan shouted. System: LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan has issued you a rescue mission: Kill the mutant zombies besieging him and get him out of danger! Task Requirement: Kill the five mutant zombies besieging the Goblin Merchant, Count: 0/5; Task Reward: Unlock the reputation of the Goblin Clan, greatly increase intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan, and receive a 10% discount on any purchase from him! Failure Penalty: Your reputation with the Goblin Clan will decrease to indifferent, and your intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan will greatly decrease; Goblin Clan reputation? Song Jian was taken aback: Is it difficult to earn a reputation with this money-grubbing race? Whats the use? Also, a 10% discount is such a cliched supermarket promotion C dont embarrass yourself, you stingy little green skin! Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The original price of something worth thirty being raised to three hundred and then offered at a 10% discount was a trick Song Jian was well aware of. Reject! Song Jian coldly looked at the goblin merchant Canaan. This green dwarf wasnt going to part with the good stuff until the very last moment. After all, when the five mutant zombies finished him off, Song Jian would still get his big bag. Perhaps he might get even more stuff. What was the hurry? While Canaan the goblin merchant was retreating, throwing out meat as he went, he finally backed up against the wall at the end of the twenty-meter-long alley. Looking at the two-meter-high wall, Canaans face showed a look of despair. Damn it, I sold the last jumping device at a high price, otherwise Canaan said resentfully. His hand froze when he reached back into the bag again, and a look of distress crossed his face. Song Jians lips curved up slightly.. Out of meat now, huh! Chapter 227 - 227: Don’t Leave Chapter 227: Dont Leave Translator: 549690339 The fresh pork from Goblin merchant Canaans bag was all used up. It was unlikely it would carry fresh pork in its bag forever. The few pieces thrown out may have been its own rations. After all, he was a goblin merchant, not a goblin pork merchant. Ah, dont hit me, dont bite me, dont eat me, my meat tastes terrible, you hateful monsters! Without the attraction of fresh pork, five mutant zombies shambled towards the goblin merchant, constantly attacking it. What puzzled Song Jian was this Goblin merchant seemed to have no power to fight back. He seemed to have no combat power, only knowing how to dodge and wave his arms randomly. What a waste of your level fifteen! Song Jian shook his head speechlessly. This goblin merchant was five levels higher than these monsters. If a level fifteen player was similarly bullied by five level ten ordinary mutant zombies, they probably wouldnt be able to lift their heads. What surprised Song Jian even more was the goblin merchants defense or evasion attributes were extremely high. The zombies attacks could only forcibly reduce its Vitality Points by one each time, sometimes even resulting in a MISS. Clearly, these five mutant zombies could not break the defense of the goblin merchant. Damn it, this human is too cunning! The goblin merchant warded off the mutant zombies attacks while staring at Song Jian, who stood not far away with his arms folded. Human, my bag is a companion equipment. Once I die, the bag and all the items in it will be completely destroyed by the power of time and space! The goblin merchant shouted. Companion equipment? Song Jians expression changed; this was the first time he had heard of this type of equipment. What is a companion equipment? Song Jian curiously asked. Human, 1 would like to explain to you what a companion equipment is, but now, is this really the right time? Goblin merchant Canaan shouted in anger. I think its quite suitable. You have so much vitality, you couldnt die anytime soon. Why not we have a chat? Maybe if we enjoy our conversation, 1 may help you kill these five monsters? Song Jian shrugged and said casually. Companion Equipment, that is the Growth Equipment spoken in your Gods devotees terms. Once obtained, it is bound to the owners bloodline, growing with the enhancement of the owners level, it is a piece of equipment that can grow with people. Once the owner dies, this equipment will also shatter, sharing life and death with the owner! Goblin merchant Canaan didnt hesitate and quickly explained. Such equipment also has a cap, which is the ceiling mentioned in your Gods devotees terms, and normal growth equipment can only grow to the silver or gold quality at most, and thats the limit. Only a few companion equipment can grow with the owner for a lifetime, reaching the highest epic level, or even legendary level. Some people even say that there are companion equipment that grows into artifacts, but no one has ever seen it! Now I have told you all I know, can you please take action? Goblin merchant Canaan held his head to block the attack of the mutant zombie and shouted. So thats how it is. Thank you for the explanation. But if you want me to save you, you have got to bleed money. You have to at least give me a piece of equipment. Song Jian said with a laugh. Blackmail! This is outright blackmail, you, you Goblin Merchant Canaan roared angrily, his eyes filled with a hateful look. Trying to get a piece of equipment from it for free was like cutting a piece of meat from its body, which was something it could not tolerate. Dream on, human, this is impossible. We, the Goblin clan, have never given anything for free! Goblin merchant Canaan yelled. Is that so? Then Ill wait a little longer Song Jian said indifferently. Not only did the mutant zombies scratch with their claws, but they also gnawed at their targets. In no time at all, billowing tooth marks appeared on the goblin merchants arms. After ten minutes, the goblin merchants vitality points had dropped by more than a hundred, but it still clenched its teeth in resistance, staring at Song Jian with eyes full of anger. Song Jian was nonchalant. The zombies hate values were firmly locked onto the goblin merchant due to the fresh pork. Even if Song Jian walked up to them, they probably wouldnt attack him. Half an hour later, the goblin merchants vitality points had dropped by more than three hundred, nearly halving them. At this point, a touch of panic appeared on its face. It seemed to want to plead for mercy. It opened its mouth, but in the end, it didnt make any sound; it persevered with gritted teeth. 55%, 50%, 40%, 30% After more than an hour, Song Jian was getting a bit impatient. Even when hunting monsters, he could have killed a few dozen level ten monsters in such a long time. The spoils of war might even be more than this task reward. Hmph, youre still not coming to your senses! Seeing the goblin merchants vitality points fall below 30%, Song Jian coldly uttered a sentence then turned to leave. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Song Jian actually turned and left, the goblin merchant started panicking. Dont go, dont go, and Gods devotee, please dont leave. Save me, Ill give you a handsome reward. We, the Goblin clan, keep our promises! The Goblin merchant Canaan started begging. A smile appeared on Song Jians face. He waited for over an hour; even though he was a bit impatient he wouldnt give up easily. The reason he turned around and pretended to leave was merely to put some mental pressure on this little green goblin. Are these your words? Song Jian turned around, a serious look on his face as he stared at the goblin merchant and said, 1 will pick an item at random from your bag. If you dont agree, then forget it! What, pick one item at will? The Goblin merchants face changed and he began to hesitate. But seeing Song Jian turning to leave, he quickly agreed, Okay, okay, no problem. You can pick one item from my bag as your reward! System: LV15 Goblin Merchant C Canaan is issuing you a rescue mission: Kill the besieging mutant zombies and free him from the dangerous situation! Mission requirements: Kill the five mutant zombies besieging the Goblin Merchant. Number: 0/5. Mission rewards: Greatly increase intimacy with Goblin Merchant C Canaan and randomly select an item from the Goblin Merchants merchant bag! Failure penalty: Reputation with the Goblin Clan will drop to hatred, and you will be hunted by the Goblin Clan! The intimacy with the Goblin Merchant C Canaan will be greatly reduced, and all Goblin Merchants will refuse to trade with you from then on! Chapter 228 - 228: We Have A Contract Chapter 228: We Have A Contract Translator: 549690339 Song Jian carefully read the content of the temporary task, and when he saw the failure penalty, he couldnt help but look up at the Goblin merchant Canaan. This little green-skinned dwarf was quite ruthless! Accept! Song Jian chose to accept the temporary task, and Canaan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a smile on his face, but a cunning look flashed in his eyes. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian held his long sword and rushed towards the five mutated zombies. With a 35% increased attack speed, the first segment of the Broken Wing Dances sprint was almost like teleportation. In the blink of an eye, the long sword had already struck a mutated zombies body. Before it could react, the second segment of the attack had landed on it. Roar- The mutated zombie roared angrily, turning around and extending its withered arm towards Song Jian. Its two palms had nails that shimmered with a metallic cold light, and there was a faint green trace on them. Before it could make a move, the third segment of the Broken Wing Dances attack arrived; Song Jian leapt high, and his long sword struck downwards. With a boom, the long sword cleaved the head of the mutated zombie, killing it instantly. A wave of air erupted from Song Jians long sword, spreading in all directions. Any monster touched by it lost control of their body, and the remaining four mutated zombies were sent floating by the air wave, with eighty-some damage numbers popping over their heads. Sword Finger! Before they could land, a silver sword light burst forth, sweeping across the bodies of the four mutated zombies, leaving deep sword marks on them. System: Combat Combo +1, targets damage received increased by 110%. Seeing this system prompt, Song Jian was stunned. Combat combo? What the hell is that?! Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Song Jian was momentarily distracted, the four mutated zombies fell heavily to the ground, with over a hundred damage numbers popping over their heads. Swipe, swipe, swipe C Before they could get up from the ground, Song Jians long sword struck their bodies. Even with a normal attack, once Invisible Sword Qi was attached, it could cause considerable damage to these level ten ordinary monsters. Swipe- The cooldown of Sword Finger was extremely short, only five seconds. By the time the four mutated zombies got up, the five seconds had passed. A silver sword light burst forth, sweeping across the bodies of the four mutated zombies. When it swept across the waist of the fourth mutated zombie, there was a crack sound, and it was directly cut in half at the waist. Its foul-smelling intestines spilled onto the ground. This half-mutated zombie didnt die after being cut at the waist, and it let out a low growl as it crawled towards Song Jian with both hands. The smell of the mutated zombies guts was unbearable, so Song Jian covered his nose and retreated a few steps. He stomped his right foot hard, and suddenly a sharp, tooth-like energy condensed at his foot, emitting a piercing sound as it flew towards the nearest mutated zombie. There was no requirement for the Earth Teeth Assault skill to be triggered by hand, as it could be used with any part of the body. Even if Song Jian sat on the ground with his butt, as long as he thought about it, he could trigger the skill. Song Jian realized that every time he bent down to trigger the Earth Teeth Assault skill with his hand, it would be about one second slower. Triggering it with his foot was much faster. Bang- The mutated zombie closest to Song Jian was hit by this attack, its Vitality Points were emptied, its legs broke with a snap, and it lay weakly on the ground, turning into a lump of black ash. Only two half-zombies remained, both with low vitality. Song Jian wielded his sword and quickly harvested their Vitality Points. System: You have completed the temporary rescue mission issued by the Goblin merchant Canaan: Kill the mutated zombies surrounding him! System: Your intimacy with the Goblin merchant Canaan has greatly increased! System: You have the right to choose any item from the Goblin merchant Canaans merchant package! Hahaha, thank you, my friend, respected blessed one! It was you who saved me from these monsters. 1 praise you, and our friendship shall be like a surging river, endless, and also like The Goblin merchant Canaan opened his tooth-marked arms, walked towards Song Jian as if trying to embrace him, but with Canaans height, he could probably only embrace Song Jians thigh! Wheres my reward? Song Jian interrupted him, asking directly. The Goblin merchant paused, looking at Song Jians cold face, as if he wasnt interested in his embrace. Canaans outstretched arms seemed awkward and didnt know where to put them. Sheepishly lowering his arms, he placed the large package behind him in front of Song Jian. The Goblin merchant Canaan generously said, My friend, you saved my life. The Goblin Clan always keeps its promises and wont betray its friends. You can pick anything from my merchant package, take any item you like, and choose any two No, you can pick one item as my thanks to you! Song Jian nodded to the Goblin merchant Canaan with satisfaction, squatted down, and began to pick items from Canaans merchant package. In no time, Song Jian raised his head with a gloomy face, and asked indifferently, This is what you intended to sell? Youve come all this way to this monster-infested city just to sell this garbage? Hearing Song Jian call the items in his package garbage, the Goblin merchants face darkened, and he angrily shouted, Garbage? You dare to say that the great Goblin merchant Canaans items are garbage? Oh my god, Goblin god, this is the most vicious personal attack on me, Canaan! I am a great Goblin merchant, and the items I sell are valuable treasures. My reputation is known throughout the entire continent uh, along the entire west coast, and many people are proud to be able to buy my merchandise! I want you to apologize, friend. These items may not seem useful, but they actually are uh, cough, cough, just pick one, we have a contract, after all! In the end, it seemed that even the Goblin merchant Canaan was a little embarrassed. His initially angry expression gradually became unnatural under Song Jians emotionless gaze. In the end, he just looked up at the sky with a stubborn, pig-headed gaze. Of course, Song Jian would not believe that this Goblin merchant only sold garbage. He must have good things hidden somewhere on him! There were quite a few items in his package, dozens of them, but their quality was disastrously low. Most of them were actually gray-quality items, with only a handful of white-glowing items. Song Jian did not carefully check the attributes of these items. Just looking at the light they emitted, he felt his heart turn cold. Seeing the Goblin merchants expression that seemed to say we have a contract, and we must abide by it, Song Jian was momentarily lost for words! Youre a tough one! After gritting his teeth, Song Jian started to carefully check the items in the Goblin merchants package. Chapter 229 - 229: Is My Face Clean? Chapter 229: Is My Face Clean? Translator: 549690339 Huh, these items Song Jian looks at the myriad of items in front of him, a surprised expression graces his face. The items that the goblin merchant had brought out were mostly of junk quality, but surprisingly, these items had the attribute of Take out of the game: Yes. That is to say, these items, mostly, can be brought out of the game into the real world. Thus, Song Jians interest is piqued greatly. He knows that his two pieces of jewelry, while also classified as junk, resulted in millions of benefits for him in the real world. However, this isnt to say that all items that can be taken out of the game are useful. Some are worthless, applying no worth or use even if taken out of the game. After sifting through them for quite a while, Song Jian picked out a white-quality stone. He told the goblin merchant Canaan, This one is my choice! Control Guardian (White): Consumable, use effect: deploys a guardian that can monitor a nearby area, this item will reveal invisible entities and creatures around it, simultaneously, it can also monitor sounds and images in the immediate vicinity. The range of effect is 10 meters and the scope of monitoring is 500 meters. Guardian Duration: 3 days. Item Quantity: 3/3; Can be taken out of the game: Yes. This item could be considered the bane of all rogues, almost all of their initial skills require them to be stealthed. The moment a control guardian is deployed nearby, any rogue entering within a ten-meter radius will be revealed. Furthermore, it can listen and record nearby sounds and scenes. It can be used in the real world as a bugging device, making it one of the more valuable items amongst those displayed. Hmm, a wise choice indeed. This is an unused control guardian, brand new The goblin merchant Canaan stared at the control guardian in Song Jians hand while touching his chin, his face displaying a slight trace of pain. Alright, now that the task is completed, 1 should get going. So, farewell and may your business prosper! Song Jian waved at the goblin merchant Canaan and turned to leave. My friend, dont you intend to buy some items from me? You must know, I am a merchant after all Canaan slightly packed up his big bundle, slung it over his shoulder, and said to Song Jian. Figures, youve hidden all the good stuff, havent you! Song Jians eyes narrowed, a cold, murderous intent arose within him. Apologies, my friend, contract, contract! We did sign a contract, you only asked to pick an item from my big bundle Canaan, the goblin merchant wiped his sweat, speaking urgently. Very well, let me take a look. What good stuff do you have? He was about to refuse, as Song Jian didnt have a penny to his name, he had spent all his money on the skill Rapid Sword. However, on second thought, it didnt cost anything to look. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to find out where this green skinned dwarf hid his good stuff. Seeing the potential for business, Canaan was naturally delighted. He lightly stroked his right hand with his left, and in a flash of faint blue light, rather ancient looking rings appeared on three of his fingers. Damn, Storage Rings, I should have guessed! Song Jian cursed quietly to himself, he himself possessed a Storage Ring. As a merchant, how could Canaan not possess a similar storage equipment? The items within the three Storage Rings were displayed to Song Jian. Upon seeing them, his expression turned even grimmer. This goblin in front of him had indeed hidden the good stuff. The first ring stored all sorts of potions, from miniature healing potions and miniature spiritual recovery potions, to advanced healing potions and advanced spiritual recovery potions, to attribute-enhancing potions, and vitality points and spirit points enhancement potions, it had everything. There were even potions like the Weakness Potion, which could add negative effects to targets. The second ring contained numerous fighting scrolls, similar to the Vampiric Scroll and Attack Scroll in his bundle. They could be used during fights. Besides, there were many formidable scrolls like the Thunder Web Scroll, Flame Scroll, and Deadly Poison Scroll, etc. The third ring kept some equipment. All of the gear were at least level 10 with green quality. Among them, the highest quality items were three silver-level weapons: a long sword, a machete, and a spear. The long sword was a double-handed sword which wasnt suitable for Song Jian. The machete was single-handed, and the spear was a tyrant spear, merely the strength attribute required to use it was over 25 points; Is that all? Song Jian asked with a hint of dissatisfaction. The goblin merchant glanced at Song Jian, hesitating, under Song Jians gaze, the Goblin Merchant gave a forced smile and said, Of course theres more! As he spoke, the goblin merchant reached around his waist. A blue light flickered and revealed that his belt was also a storage item. Another interface appeared before Song Jian, surprisingly storing numerous skills, and the lowest quality was of a blue level. Sss, so many skills? A surprised look flashed in Song Jians eyes. Roughly seventy to eighty types of skills were stored in it, and over ten of those belonged to the swordsmanship category. Song Jian had the urge to rob the merchant! This goblin merchant had no offensive capabilities. Even a few level ten mutated zombies could corner him in an alley and pound him to death. If he was to do it himself, his chances of success were quite high. Seeing the malicious look in Song Jians eyes, the face of the Goblin merchant Canaan turned grim. He cautiously said to Song Jian, Dont think Im defenceless. 1 do have a trump card. Oh, you have a trump card? You were about to be killed earlier and 1 didnt see you pulling out your trump card, Song Jian snorted at the merchants claim. If it werent for his involvement, the green-skinned dwarf would probably be dead by now. Hmph, what do you think this is? Canaan pulled out a scroll and showed it to Song Jian. Town Return Scroll (Special) C Effect: Transports the user to a previously marked city. Requirements: none. Can be Taken out of the game: yes. A Town Return Scroll? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. He didnt expect this dwarf had such a valuable item in his possession. It was a life-saving artifact. Where did you pull that scroll from? A thought suddenly passed through Song Jians mind. He recalled Canaans movements from earlier. The scroll he held was not taken from the big bag, nor from the Storage Rings or the Storage Belt. This green-skinned dwarf has another storage item! Song Jian glanced at Canaan, realizing the truth. Why didnt you use it earlier? Song Jian maliciously asked. Do you think I came to this abandoned city for business? I have a mission. 1 need to Just as Canaan was speaking, he suddenly stopped, took a glance at Song Jian and snorted, In any case, just dont set your sights on me. Look, do you need any of these items? If you buy in bulk, I can even offer you a discount! Do you see any dirt on my face, is it clean? Song Jian asked out of the blue. Canaan was taken aback. After closely inspecting Song Jians face, he responded with confusion, Its very clean, theres nothing there. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My pockets are even cleaner than my face! Song Jian announced, spared Canaan a glance, and then turned to head towards the alley entrance. Chapter 230 - 230 Kantelu Ruins Chapter 230: Kantelu Ruins Translator: 549690339 Gazing at Song Jians retreating figure, Canaan was momentarily stunned, followed by a flurry of expressions crossing his face, leaving him at a loss for words. Hey, 1 say, dont go. I have a hiring task here. Are you interested? Canaan suddenly shouted towards Song Jians retreating figure. Hiring task? Song Jian paused, stopped in his tracks, and turned around to ask, What hiring task? I need to go to the Kantelu Ruins, but there could be some minor dangers along the way. I need a powerful companion! The Canaan Goblin Merchant said, I dont know if youre willing to accompany me. Of course, Ill pay you. You can check my Before Goblin Merchant Canaan finished talking, Song Jian interrupted directly, Choose any Skill Book from your collection of swordsman skills, and I will accept your hiring task. Moreover, for your safety, 1 need you to provide me with the reward for the task in advance! How can that be? You havent escorted me yet, how can I give you the reward in advance? What if you run away after taking the reward? What if, what if the Goblin Merchants eyes darted around nervously, looking completely flustered. Well, whatever. The highest quality of your sword skill books is just a blue-quality skill. As for the Kantelu Ruins you mentioned, just from the name we can tell its not a friendly place. We dont know what level the monsters inside are, and you have no fighting power. Escorting you might even cost me my life. So, if you dont consent, dont bother with the task. Even if you offer, ill refuse! Song Jian said with an indifferent demeanor. But, but Canaan stammered anxiously. Although he was prepared for what lay ahead in the abandoned city, the number of monsters turned out to exceed his expectations. Despite having treasures that can reduce monster perception and provide invisibility, Canaan was cornered by a zombie in an alleyway. If Song Jian hadnt come along just in time, Canaan would have been left with no choice but to use a Town Return Scroll or become a corpse. After hesitating for a while, as Canaan watched Song Jian reach the alleys exit, he finally gritted his teeth and shouted: Alright, I agree to your terms! A smile flickered across Song Jians face. He was starting to understand this green-skinned dwarfs mentality. The dwarf would not yield until the last moment, and when pushed into a corner, he would quickly capitulate. sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fine, post the task. And while youre at it, display all your sword skill books, ill just choose one, Song Jian said. He had already spent all his Doomsday Coins in buying the Rapid Sword; otherwise, he would purchase all the sword skills from Canaans pocket. If he did this, the task would be considered complete. System: The Goblin Merchant Canaan issued a temporary task to you: Protect; Task requirements: Protect the Goblin Merchant Canaan to Kantelu Ruins; If the Goblin Merchant Canaan dies, the task fails! The task reward: Choose a Sword Skill Book (can be acquired in advance); Task failure punishment: Permanently locking the relation with the Goblin Clan as hate, suffering assassination from the Goblin Clan! All attributes permanently decrease by 5 points; Do you accept? Wow, you little dwarf, youre ruthless! Song Jian looked at the penalty for task failure and couldnt help sucking in a breath of cold air, but he finally chose to accept! However, putting himself in Song Jians shoes, hed set the task failure punishment as: annihilation! If the task cant be completed, then you can accompany me in death! Alright, I have accepted the task. Hurry up and display all the Sword Skill Books! Song Jian urged. The Goblin Merchant Canaan presented all his Sword Skill Books. Song Jian immediately picked up the highest quality one, saying, Ill take this one! I knew it The Goblin Merchant Canaan mumbled under his breath. Most of the Sword Skill Books he carried were of white-quality, with two or three of green-quality. Song Jian had chosen the only blue-quality Sword Skill Book. Skill: Sword Silk (Blue): After use, learn the skill: Sword Silk; Usage requirement: Weapon is a sword-type weapon; Sword Silk (Active): Level 1, Skill effect: Condense Mental Strength to form three Sword Silk threads which randomly attack enemies within a 5-meter radius, each Sword Silk inflicting (3O+i5%*Mental Strength Maximum) damage; Cooldown time: 8 seconds; Skill cost: 30 Mental Strength points; Skill description: This skill can use Sword Qi instead of Mental Strength, and using Sword Qi increases the power by 30%; After upgrading the skill to level 10, it can be advanced to Silver-quality Sword SkillSword Web. This was the first time Song Jian saw an upgradeable skill. If sold, this Sword Silk Skill Book would be worth at least 8,000 Doomsday Coins. This mission was a good deal. Without hesitation, he learned the skill book, and there were some minor changes to Sword Silk. The original book was for swordsmen and should have consumed Sword Qi. Still, not all swordsmen have Sword Qi, so the cost had been changed to consume Mental Strength. However, once Sword Qi is obtained, the cost becomes Sword Qi, and the power of the Sword Silk condensed by Sword Qi will increase substantially, resulting in increased damage. Sword Silk (Active): Level 1, Skill effect: Condense Sword Qi to form three Sword Silk threads which randomly attack enemies within a 5-meter radius, each Sword Silk inflicting (45+io%*Mental Strength Maximum +io%*Vitality Points Maximum) damage; Cooldown time: 8 seconds; Skill cost: 30 points of Sword Qi Value; Skill description: This skill can use Sword Qi instead of Mental Strength, with Sword Qi increasing the power by 30%; When upgraded to Level 10, it can be advanced to Silver-quality Sword SkillSword Web. Because Song Jian possessed Invisible Sword Qi, the power of this Sword Silk skill was elevated to a new level. Although it is a blue-quality sword skill, it is now not weaker than an ordinary silver-quality skill. With a forward wave of the long sword in his hand, three silver lines of Sword Silk five meters long appeared by Song Jians side, each thread being condensed by Invisible Sword Qi, emitting a powerful aura. * smack smack smack* The three Sword Silks whipped against the nearby wall, and the wall more than half a foot thick was immediately torn apart by the Sword Silk. From the crack, you could even see what was on the other side. Impressive, impressive! Ilaha Song Jian burst out laughing. Now, Song Jians maximum Mental Strength was two hundred, and his maximum Vitality Points had reached six hundred and eighty. So, each Sword Silk thread could inflict more than one hundred and thirty points of damage. Although the Sword Silk randomly attacks nearby enemies, if Song Jian has only one enemy, then all three Sword Silk threads will attack this one enemy. This means the total damage inflicted on the target will be nearly four hundred points, making this an extremely terrifying skill. Moreover, this skill is still only at level one. When the level is increased, the power will become even more potent! Alright, lets go, to that whats-its-name ruin! Song Jian seemed brimming with confidence. Its Kantelu Ruins! Canaan quietly corrected him. Chapter 231 - 231: Highly Toxic Skeleton Chapter 231: Highly Toxic Skeleton Translator: 549690339 How do I get to the Kantelu Ruins? Song Jian asked. The entrance to the Kantelu Ruins is right under your feet! The Goblin merchant pointed at a sewer cover Song Jian was stepping on. You cant be serious Song Jian glanced at the sewer cover beneath his feet, feeling a sense of dread. I was wondering why you were stuck in this deserted alley. So its because the entrance is here. But are you sure we have to go through the sewer? Cant we just take the road above? Song Jian was inwardly somewhat resistant. Theres no other way. This is the only passage to the Kantelu Ruins. Getting to the Kantelu Ruins is no easy task; you must be prepared! said the Goblin merchant Canaan, with a serious face. If I had known I would have to crawl through a sewer, 1 wouldnt have taken this task! Song Jian mumbled, lifting the sewer cover with one hand, and a foul, rotten smell immediately struck him. Are you sure you want to go down? Song Jian pointed at the already lifted sewer entrance, seeking confirmation once again. Im very sure. Lets hurry up and not waste any more time. Dont forget, you signed a contract! Canaan took out a palm-sized mask from his parcel and threw it to Song Jian, saying, Wear this to filter the poisonous gas inside. It was a gas mask, shaped to fit exactly over the mouth and nose of a face. When put on, it covered the mouth and nose, but did not interfere with speech, albeit making it slightly muffled. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Goblin merchant looked at the large parcel on his shoulder, furrowed his brows, and then chanted a few spells. The parcel, almost the same size as his body, began to shrink slowly, finally becoming palm-sized and hung around his waist. After watching the Goblin merchant crawl into the sewer first, Song Jian hesitated for a moment before following. The sewer was not as filthy as Song Jian had imagined, but it was slightly damp. On the walls of the passage, there were algae plants emitting a faint glow. Although it was dark, the plants light allowed them to hardly see their surroundings. The moment Song Jian entered the sewer, he received a system prompt. System: You have entered a special area Kantelu Maze with a danger level of 3; System: The monsters in Kantelu Maze range from level 10 to level 30, with the minimum entry level for players being 10, and the maximum 15; Special area? Danger level 3? Damn it, there are level 30 monsters here! Song Jian was startled. He was only level 11 now, and although he was not far from level 12, it didnt make much difference against level 30 monsters; Did you know there are level 30 monsters here? Song Jian asked. Of course, why else would 1 hire you as an escort? The Goblin merchant Canaan glanced at Song Jian and said, If we run into really powerful monsters, your job is to hold them off and cover my escape! Song Jian: Was that too realistic? Canaan walked ahead, with Song Jian following behind him. After traveling less than ten meters, they encountered their first monster! It was a skeleton exuding a pale green aura, which had been leaning against the sewer wall. Sensing the presence of the living, the skeleton slowly stood up, with two clusters of ghostly green flames rising in its eyes. Lvio Venomous Skeleton (Ordinary), Vitality Points: 690/690, Traits: Rapid Attack, High Toxicity; Monster, Monster! Canaan jumped back in fright, hiding behind Song Jian, and shouted, Kill it, kill it! I know, its just a level 10 ordinary monster, can you be quiet? Song Jian was a little annoyed, Canaans shrill voice echoed through the sewer and gave him a headache. Perhaps because they couldnt see the sun in the sewer, the attributes of the monsters here were not halved, which made Song Jians task much more difficult. Clack clack clack- The Venomous Skeleton held a bone knife over a foot long and lunged towards Song Jian; Song Jian swung his sword and slashed at it; Sword Silk! Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Three silver threads with a sharp aura appeared in the air around Song Jian, and after exploring for a while like tentacles in midair, they simultaneously lashed towards the highly toxic skeleton. With a sharp sound of tearing through the air, the silver Sword Silks struck the highly toxic skeleton, immediately causing bone fragments to fly everywhere and more than half of its Vitality Points plummeted. Awesome! Song Jian had a satisfied smile on his face as his long sword fiercely chopped down on the highly toxic skeleton. Ignoring the heavy blow, the highly toxic skeleton still raised its bone knife and slashed towards Song Jian. The moment it high-raised the bone knife, its attack speed suddenly increased, leaving a faint afterimage in the air. Clang clang clang- Song Jian felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and in an instant, the highly toxic skeleton had actually slashed three times in a row. A ghostly green color emerged from Song Jians shoulder and began to spread. Youre poisoned, youve been poisoned! Canaan, hiding on the side, pointed at Song Jians shoulder with a terrified yell. Song Jian swung his left hand forward violently, and a silver light flashed briefly in the sewer. Sword Finger! The silver Sword Qi chopped down on the highly toxic skeletons shoulder, even severing its entire right arm. Boom! Song Jian suddenly kicked the skeleton with his right leg, pushing it back several steps and causing it to fall to the ground. It was then that Song Jian noticed the ghostly green on his shoulder. At this moment, the ghostly green color of the highly toxic poison, which had originally spread to an area the size of a palm, began to fade slowly and eventually disappeared. Song Jian grinned, as his innate skill Thick-skinned had been upgraded to level 8. With high resistance to the poisoned effect, it would be quite difficult for the toxin to take effect on him from a mere level 10 ordinary monster. Do you have Detox elixirs? With a puzzled face, Canaan looked at Song Jian and asked. Do you have any? Bring out a few bottles. The monsters here have a poisonous attack. If I get poisoned, dont even think of reaching the Kantelu Ruins! Song Jian asked casually. Originally it was just a casual question, Song Jian didnt think that the stingy goblin merchant would be willing to give him Detox Elixirs. Unexpectedly, Canaan hesitated for a long time and then took out a bundle of elixirs emitting a dark glow and handed them over. Song Jian was taken aback and grabbed it. Detox Elixir (Ordinary): After use removes a Level 3 or below poisoned effect and has a mandatory immune effect against that poison for the next 30 seconds. Thanks! Song Jian looked at Canaan with surprise and put the bundle of twelve Detox Elixirs into his inventory. The highly toxic skeleton on the other side had already wobbled up from the ground, its entire arm severed and the bone knife fallen on the ground. Yet, it still didnt give up attacking and continued to charge towards Song Jian. Earth Teeth Assault! Song Jian stomped his right foot on the ground, and an ivory-shaped qi gathered on the ground. With a whoosh sound, it rushed towards the highly toxic skeleton. Smack- Earth Teeth Assault hit the highly toxic skeleton and harvested the remaining vitality points. At that moment, the highly toxic skeletons body shattered like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball, and its body parts flew in all directions. Boom- A bundle of transparent flames burned fiercely, turning the highly toxic skeleton into a pile of black ashes. Several items scattered around the black ashes, radiating a milky-white glow. Chapter 232 - 232: Labyrinth Chapter 232: Labyrinth Translator: 549690339 It only took a few moves to kill a level 10 ordinary monster, and Song Jian was quite satisfied with his performance. The venomous skeleton didnt drop any valuable items, just a few materials. Song Jian glanced at them and put them into his inventory. Lets keep going, Song Jian said to the goblin merchant hiding nearby. Alright, lets go. This time, the goblin merchant, Canaan, didnt dare to walk ahead but walked side by side with Song Jian while guiding the way. At every intersection, Canaan would make a mark on the wall. After walking for more than ten minutes, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed: Why has it turned into this? Even though it was his first time entering the citys underground sewer network, Song Jian already noticed something was off. It was indeed like the name given by the system, a huge maze, rather than an ordinary city sewer. This is a moving maze. The path is different every time you enter. You need to explore carefully. Dont worry, Ive been to places like this more than once. If you follow me, you wont get lost. It will just take some time! Canaan said while drawing something on a piece of parchment. Song Jian took a glance and realized Canaan was drawing the path they had just walked. He couldnt help but say: Is this maze big? Exploring it like this is quite time-consuming. There is no other way. This maze moves once a month, and then all previous paths are invalidated, so you have to explore it again. But dont worry, if were lucky, it will only take a day or two for us to find the exit and reach Kantelu Ruins! Canaan said somewhat helplessly. What if were not lucky? Song Jian asked. The longest it took me to pass the maze was six days! Canaan glanced at Song Jian and said. As they were talking, Song Jian suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- Several crossbow bolts suddenly shot out from the wall opposite them. Song Jian instinctively activated the Knights Faith, a skill that came with the Guardians Sword. Immediately, a milky white glow enveloped his body. Boom boom boom- The bolts hit the protective light barrier on Song Jians body, sinking one fingers length into it. The barrier shook violently, its defense dropping by more than half. The bolts lasted for a second or two before the kinetic energy dissipated, and they all fell to the ground with a clang. Oh, damn it, another trap! I hate traps! It hurts so much! The goblin merchant Canaan pulled out two bolts from his body, threw them on the ground, and stomped on them angrily. Song Jian looked at Canaan in surprise. These bolts were extremely powerful and could instantly kill any ordinary level 10 player without any defense. But the goblin merchant in front of him seemed unharmed, casually pulling out the bolts from his body and only losing two vitality points. Your defense is really strong! Song Jian exclaimed. Of course, any attack that doesnt exceed my maximum vitality will only reduce my vitality by one point! Canaan said proudly. So, having such strong defense comes at the price of no attack power, right? Song Jian asked. Canaan hesitated for a moment, then glared at Song Jian: Im a merchant, not a warrior. What use would attack power have for me? Lets move on. It seems that this passage should be the right one! Song Jian followed Canaan as they continuously navigated the maze. At first, he was able to remember some of the path features, but soon he gave up. There were too many passages, densely packed and seemingly identical. He simply couldnt remember the ones he had walked through before. On Canaans parchment, about a quarter of the area had been depicted. Song Jian remained silent, feeling numb after walking for several hours. We should go this way! Canaan pointed to the leftmost passage at a three-way intersection. As Song Jian walked along the passage, he suddenly heard a faint click. Startled, he instinctively jumped back. Whoosh- sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A huge ball of flame flared up, engulfing the spot where Song Jian had just been standing. This maze was extremely dangerous, full of traps at every step. Song Jian had to use the Black Mist Morph skill to narrowly avoid several traps when his Guardians Sword skill was on cooldown. The levels of the monsters encountered were getting higher and higher, from the initial level 10 venomous skeletons to level 15 monsters now. Surprisingly, Canaan seemed exicted: The higher the monsters level, the more it indicates that were on the right path! So in the end, will we encounter level 30 monsters? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. He could still handle level 15 monsters, but level 30 represented a huge gap. Due to the level suppression, Song Jian didnt even know if he could break through a level 30 monsters defense. Its possible, but even level 30 monsters couldnt outrun me! Canaan said proudly. However, Song Jians expression turned dark. Of course, its not certain. After all, there arent many monsters here and the Kantelu Ruins might not necessarily lie within the level 30 monsters territory! Sensing that Song Jians mood had turned sour, Canaan quickly added. Thus, a day passed, and Song Jian felt exhausted navigating the maze. Once they had replenished their food and water, they continued on the trail alongside Canaan. Over half of the map had been depicted by Canaan, and it seemed that they could cover the entire area within one more day. Be careful, we might encounter level 18 monsters further ahead! Canaan wore a serious expression as he spoke. On the way, they encountered numerous monsters. The last one they killed was a level 16 ordinary monster. Although it was defeated, Song Jian felt it was quite laborious, consuming more than two-thirds of his vitality to kill it. However, hunting so many high-level monsters had rapidly increased Song Jians experience points. He had already reached level 11 with 98% experience. If he killed seven or eight more monsters, he could level up to 12. Go this way! Canaan struggled to carve a symbol into a corner and pointed to a passage in front. Just as Song Jian was about to walk forward, he noticed a faint glow flickering in the left passage. Whats that over there? Should we go take a look? Song Jian pointed to the left passage and looked at Canaan. Chapter 233 - 233 Golden Treasure Chest Chapter 233: Golden Treasure Chest Translator: 549690339 Be careful! Canaan warned, The Kantelu Maze is filled with traps and dangers. Sometimes, you might see a treasure in front of you, but in reality, its just an illusion, charging in will lead to your instant death! Really? Doubt filled Song Jians eyes. I wouldnt lie to you. Of course, treasure chests also appear here, in all kinds of quality. It depends on your luck. Canaan revealed a strange grin, adding, As for whether its a trap or a treasure, that would depend on your discernment. If you cant tell the difference or make accurate judgements, 1 suggest its better to act like you didnt see anything. Song Jian slightly smiled and began to walk down the left corridor; After turning a corner, Song Jian found that the corridor was just five or six meters deep and ended in a dead-end. Yet at the far end, there was a box emitting faint golden light, which was precisely the glow Song Jian had seen earlier. Its a golden treasure chest! Excitement flashed across Song Jians face. Be sure to identify it carefully. It could be a trap, or it could be a monster disguising as a chest said Canaan, the goblin merchant, as he joined Song Jian. He peered at the chest with a greedy gleam in his eyes. Since you have such high defense, why dont you go and check? Song Jian shot the goblin merchant a sidelong glance, his tone filled with dissatisfaction. Before calling it a trap or monster, you might want to wipe the drool off the corner of your mouth. That would make your warning more persuasive! Song Jian smirked coldly and started walking slowly towards the chest. However, after taking two steps, his body stiffened abruptly and he slowly backed away. Whats wrong? Canaan, the goblin merchant, asked a puzzled Song Jian who had broken out into a cold sweat, fear in his eyes. The goblin shot another glance at the chest, his eyes flickering with a faint purple light. Theres nothing wrong, its a real treasure chest Canaan thought to himself. As a goblin merchant, discerning the true value of an item is a basic skill. Naturally, Canaan had his own ways of identifying the authenticity of a chest. Upon first seeing the chest, he knew it was a genuine treasure chest, a valuable golden one at that. He even used his Eye of Appraisal to confirm its authenticity; However, Song Jians reaction puzzled him; Back off! Its dangerous! Song Jian murmured softly. Youre just scared because of what I said earlier, arent you? Haha, actually Canaan didnt want to give up on this chest, so if this human refused to open it, the golden treasure chest would be his. Just as Canaan was about to open the chest, Song Jian swiftly pulled him out of the corridor; Watch where youre going, you idiot! Song Jian grumbled The Kantelu Maze is made up of a series of sewer lines spanning over three meters in width and five meters in height. Although some faint light is emitted from the algae on the walls, its hard for anyone to notice whats above amidst the dim lighting of the corridor. Following the direction Song Jian was pointing, Canaans gaze landed on the ceiling above the chest, immediately causing him to fall back onto the ground in fright; Right above the chest, at the top of the sewer line, was a massive white spider web. At the center of the web was a colossal spider, its body measuring over a meter in diameter, resting. Between the web and the chest was a thin strand of white spider silk. The moment someone opened the chest, the giant spider overhead would be alerted. LV20 Will-O-Wisp (Elite), Vitality Points: 2300/2300, Spirit Points: 360/360, Characteristics: Brutal, Trap-laying,??, Skills: Will-O-Wisp Burn, Spider Claw Strike, Spider Web Trap, ?? A Level 20 elite boss Canaan swallowed, backing away cautiously. What a pity. Its a real golden treasure chest Longing filled Canaans eyes as even he hadnt encountered a golden chest many times. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If it were just a Level 20 ordinary monster, I could risk it, but an elite boss Song Jian frowned, contemplating how to defeat this elite boss. After pondering for a while, he eventually gave in with a shake of his head. Canan reluctantly headed down another corridor, muttering under his breath, A golden treasure chest, it was a golden treasure chest Song Jian noticed Canaan making a mark on his handmade map, marking the corridor where the golden chest was. The labyrinths interior was always dim, making it hard to tell day from night. However, Song Jians personal attribute interface displayed a countdown till the next time he could log out, so he could tell it was around 10:30 pm in the game time. Canaan, do we really have to explore this whole map to find these Kantelu Ruins you mentioned? Song Jian couldnt help asking. Of course not. I remember one time it only took me six hours to get through the maze because I found the Kantelu Ruins after exploring only a quarter of the map replied Canaan casually. Whats in the Kantelu Ruins that makes you keep coming back? Song Jian couldnt help asking. Its a magical place, once the dwelling of the Kantulu Clan. Although its now deserted, a prayer altar they built still remains and can Canaan suddenly stopped, looked at Song Jian, and turned away, saying, Youll know when we get there. Youre lucky this time to discover this secret. Without me guiding you, you wouldnt have even found the entrance here. Do you think any random sewer entry in the city leads to the Kantelu Maze? You mean the entrance changes along with the movement of the Kantelu Maze? Song Jian asked. Of course, even 1 have to put in some effort to find the entrance each time. Other people have no hope of finding it! Canaan gave Song Jian a glance and burst out laughing. Just then, they both heard faint sobbing of a girl echoing from the corridor ahead. The crying reverberated in the corridors, sounding somewhat eerie. How can there be anyone else here? Canaans face darkened. No sooner had he claimed that no one else could find the entrance than someone appeared to have found it earlier than they did. Be careful, something doesnt feel right. Song Jian gripped his sword tightly and cautiously moved forward. Soon, they saw a little girl in white pajamas crouching in the middle of the corridor. Her hands were wrapped around her knees, her head buried deep between her legs, leaving only a head of long hair scattered around; Her shoulders quivered slightly, sobbing sounds softly escaping her. Damn, how can there be a little girl here? Canaans face turned ugly. His eyes glowed purple as he studied the little girl. Chapter 234 - 234 Necromancer Witch Chapter 234: Necromancer Witch Translator: 549690339 The Eye of Appraisal of Canaan had zero attack power, but its ability to distinguish truth from falsehood and see through illusions was formidable. It even had a particularly high rate of appraising items whose true nature was hidden behind special energies. However, after using the Eye of Appraisal, Canaan found that the tunnel before them was empty. There was no crying little girl. If its truly an illusion, then whats with the sobbing were hearing? Canaan couldnt help but shrink back, saying to Song Jian, How about we try another passage? Song Jian nodded. They were still in the exploration stage and hadnt figured out the correct path, so choosing a different tunnel didnt make a difference. If the invisible phantasm-like creature was indeed blocking the right path, they would have no choice but to fight it with everything they had. But they werent at that point yet. The two slowly backed away and chose a different tunnel. As they moved forward, Canaan continued to map their path. After moving tens of meters forward, they heard the sobbing of the little girl again. Canaan shuddered, dropping the pencil he was using to draw the map, his normally pale green skin beginning to turn a pale white. What do we do? Its stalking us! Canaan said, with trembling words. What exactly is it? Havent you been here many times? Dont you even know the kind of monsters in here? Song Jian frowned, annoyed at the lack of information about the monsters here and Canaans evasive attitude. Its different, every time the location of the maze changes, the monsters inside change as well. Every entrance has different monsters. The giant spider from before was a new type, and this ghostly little girl is also new.Ive never seen her before. Canaan said with a trembling body. I honestly dont know how you managed to navigate this maze in the past! Song Jian commented, taking a step forward. Sure enough, after turning two corners in the sewer tunnel, they encountered the crying little girl again. She was squatting on the ground, hugging her knees. Moving closer, a silver vertical line slowly opened in Song Jians forehead. From this pupil, a silver light shined towards the little girl. Through Song Jians eyes, the crying little girl squatting on the ground turned into a floating ghost. Her head was disheveled, and she was wearing a tattered black robe. Her robe was so decayed that bits and pieces were floating away from it. Her hands had no flesh, just skin covered bones, as dry as tree branches. Her fingers were glowing with a black light. This ghost didnt have legs, her lower body was a cloud of black mist. She floated above the little girl while a handful of long, black hair covered her face. A pair of eyes, emitting a bloody red glow, peeked through the strands. LV15 Necromancer Witch (Elite), Vitality Points: 1900/1900, Spirit Points: 1000/1000. Traits: Undead, Soul Eater, Immune to Fear, Disease, and Bleeding effects. Skills: Soul Wail, Necromancers Aura, Phasing, Void Claw. The first thing Song Jian noticed was that this creature was a level 15 elite BOSS. Until encountering the Ghostfire Beast, Song Jian had always thought that there were no BOSS level creatures in the Kantelu Maze. After seeing the Ghostfire Beast, however, Song Jians views had shifted, and he became more cautious. If there was a level 20 elite BOSS, there would certainly be those of other levels. If they were to encounter a level 30 elite BOSS, Song Jian would certainly retreat without a second thought; Attribute points could be recovered, but lives couldnt. If they died, there would be nothing left. This is actually a magic-using elite BOSS. Seeing the Necromancer Witchs Spirit Points were at a thousand, Song Jian knew instantly that it was a magic-type monster. From his inventory, he took out a Weakness Potion, and threw it toward the little girl; With a pop sound, the potion bottle shattered, enshrouding the little girl in a cloud of green mist. Eye Kill Without saying a word, Song Jian directly activated the Vertical Pupils inherent skill. A dazzling silver beam of light shot towards the floating Necromancer Witch in the air. You missed, damn it, why did you release your skill towards the air? Canaan watched as the silver beam surprisingly shot towards a place more than a foot above the little girls head, and suddenly became flustered. But soon, it saw that the monster it had originally seen squatting and crying on the ground had disappeared. In its place was the monster floating above its head. A series of damage numbers floated up from above the Necromancer Witchs head. The power of Eye Kill was surprisingly large, causing over a hundred points of damage to the Necromancer Witch every second. I curse you, curse you, curse As wounds appeared all over the Necromancer Witchs body, black mist continually seeped out. It howled continuously, reaching out with its withered arms towards Song Jian, sharply pinching the air before him. Song Jian suddenly felt the heat around him being completely absorbed, as a bone-chilling cold rushed at him from all directions, causing him to shiver involuntarily. At the same time, he felt a pair of greasy, icy hands travelling along his shoulders, towards the sides of his neck, like two serpents slowly tightening around his neck, giving him a feeling of suffocation. System: You have been cursed by the Necromancer Witch; you will lose a total of 500 vitality points in 30 seconds. System: Your talent skill Thick Skin has been activated, the curse effect is weakened, the duration is extended to 60 seconds, and the loss of blood is reduced to 350 points. Song Jian was taken aback. This was the first time he had encountered a negative effect that his talent skill hadnt completely immunized against. However, his vitality point recovery rate was twenty-three points per second, so even if it hadnt been weakened, the curse would only suppress his vitality point recovery rate and wouldnt cause any damage to him. After releasing the curse, the Necromancer Witch seemed to have spent a lot of spirit points, which dropped by more than two hundred points. It floated in place, no longer releasing any other skills. The five-second Eye Kill had ended. Song Jian seized the opportunity to rush towards the Necromancer Witch. His long sword moved, with three sword silks appearing in the empty space around his body. After twisting and dancing in the air for a moment, they shot towards the Necromancer Witch in unison. Whizz, whizz, whizz- The three sword silks pierced through the Necromancer Witchs body, causing over five hundred points of damage, floating up from its head. The power of the Sword Silk has increased! Seeing the damage numbers floating above the witchs head, Song Jian was taken aback. Every skill he had released had dealt more damage to the witch than usual. Could this be because the witchs resistance was too low? Just then, the Guardians Sword had also slashed at the witchs body. An icy chill instantly spread from the long sword to his right hand. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, Song Jian felt as if his entire right hand had been immersed in icy cold water. The chill was even flowing along his arm towards his shoulder. On the surface of the Necromancer Witchs body, a ripple-like undulation also appeared. This caused Song Jians strike to feel like it was sinking completely into a puff of cotton C void of any resistance whatsoever. Immune to physical damage? Song Jians eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the Necromancer Witch. Chapter 235 - 235: Soul Wail Chapter 235: Soul Wail Translator: 549690339 Song Jians skills dealt extra damage to the Necromancer Witch, but his ordinary attack, chopping down on her, was directly immunized. In fact, it was just the Necromancer Witchs skill Ephemeralization that temporarily immunized physical attacks. However, after being released, she suffered a 30% increase in Spirit damage. Swish- The witchs two withered hands grabbed forward, leaving five pale scratch marks in the air. Without even touching Song Jians body, he suddenly felt a strong force coming at him and the pain in his chest. Five damage numbers of over thirty floated above his head, and this attack directly removed nearly a hundred and eighty Vitality Points from Song Jian. Song Jian took two steps backward, withdrew his sword, and showed a flash of silver on the index finger of his left hand. With a forward-point, a three-meter-long sword light aimed at the skull of the Necromancer Witch. Muted flashes of silver light filled the dim passageway, here and gone in a flash. This attack directly pierced the skull of the Necromancer Witch, and the silver sword light emerged from the back of her head. The silver sword light vanished in a flash, and the Sword Finger skill dealt significant damage to the Necromancer Witch. After the sword light disappeared, a critical damage of over a hundred points floated above the witchs head, causing her entire body to tremble violently and let out a painful scream. Song Jian swung his right hand, and Invisible Sword Qi surged towards the Guardians Sword. The sharp blade flickered with silver light. A circle of grey light suddenly bloomed beneath the Necromancer Witch, rippling outwards like waves. A range of five to six meters was enveloped, including even the space beneath Song Jians feet. System: You are affected by the Necromancer Witchs skill C Necromancers Aura, losing 10 Vitality Points every second, Spirit Points consumption doubled, and self-attributes decreased by 30%. Swish- The witchs right hand swung high, leaving five pale scratch marks in the air that lingered for a long time. Again, five damage numbers of over thirty rose from Song Jians head. A feeling of weakness surged in his heart, and Song Jian frowned. The witchs attack was a bit too strong. These void scratches dealt considerable damage and had a short cooldown time, only slightly slower than the frequency of ordinary attacks. Whats more, there were no hints of a void scratch coming, making it nearly impossible to defend against. Each attack dealt over 150 points of damage. Even with his high Vitality Points, Song Jian found it hard to bear. And with the Necromancers Aura activated, Song Jians strength instantly dropped by more than 30%, increasing the damage he took. If not for his near 700 Vitality Points, if he were an average player, he would probably be looking for a way out by now. System: Your talent skill Thick Skin is triggered, weakening the effects of the Necromancers Aura. Your Vitality Points lose 6 points per second, Spirit Points consumption increased by 30%, self-attributes decreased by 10%. Fortunately, the talent skill Thick Skin remained as effective as ever. Though it couldnt completely immunize the Necromancers Aura, it could reduce its effects to an acceptable level. Just after the Necromancer Witch released the void scratches, Song Jian rushed forward with his long sword, a flash of silver light on the blade. His speed increased dramatically. Broken Wing Dance! One phase, two phases, three phases! Boom! An airwave erupted from Song Jians sword, and the Necromancer Witchs body lost control, tilted to one side. Song Jians eyes lit up, and he immediately activated the Rapid Sword skill. Swish, swish, swish C Even the ordinary attacks, with a 35% increase in speed, were as powerful as skill damage. The energy of the Invisible Sword Qi poured out like a flood, quickly depleting within a few seconds. The Necromancer Witchs body was not in control, and the defense on its bodys surface trembled violently like water waves, as if it was about to shatter at any moment. Pop- With a light sound, the Necromancer Witchs skill Nothingness finally reached its time limit. Although this skill could temporarily immunize physical damage, bearing too much would reduce its duration. However, by this time, the Necromancer Witch had also broken free from the control of the Broken Wing Dance, floating again and showing a hint of anger on her face towards Song Jians constant slashing. As Song Jian continued his assault, the witch suddenly opened her mouth wide, as if venting her anger, and a violent energy burst from her mouth. The sound was abrupt, like a needle piercing through a persons eardrum. But even covering both ears wouldnt help. The Soul Wail acted directly on the targets brain and spirit, spreading from inside to outside, to each corner of their body. While attacking, Song Jian suddenly felt a strong sense of fear surging from the depths of his heart, and instantly wanted to turn and run. At the same time, his vision blackened, his head spinning and his chest feeling stuffy and wanting to vomit. Stunned in place, Song Jians face turned pale, swaying unsteadily, his entire body trembling incessantly. The long sword in his hand felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, giving him a feeling that he couldnt lift it anymore. Swish- Another five pale scratches appeared in the air, and this time, Song Jian was blown backward by the attack. Blood sprayed from his chest, and five critical damage numbers of over sixty floated above his head. His Vitality Points were reduced by more than half, leaving only around two hundred. Although the Vitality Points were still slowly recovering, the curses and the Necromancers Aura continued to suppress his recovery rate. The Necromancer Witch was faring no better, with only about a third of her Vitality Points left. Due to the presence of Invisible Sword Qi, her Nothingness skill was virtually useless. Moreover, the continuous skill usage severely depleted her Spirit Points. Her crimson eyes stared at Song Jian as she hesitated, unsure whether to continue attacking or flee. At that moment, the Necromancer Witch noticed that Song Jian had broken free from the Soul Wail state. The negative effect that should have lasted for seven to eight seconds was on this human for less than three seconds. Seeing this, the Necromancer Witch hesitated no more and turned to flee towards the depths of the passage. However, her body was now emanating a black aura, making it appear much weaker and more transparent, as if it was about to collapse. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian, having broken free from the Soul Wail state, looked at the crumbling Necromancer Witch about to vanish into the passage and a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes. After coming this far, theres no way he would let her escape! Earth Teeth Assault! A sharp fang-shaped air mass shot out with a piercing sound, heading straight for the Necromancer Witch. Chapter 236 - 236: Ghostly Leather Armor Chapter 236: Ghostly Leather Armor Translator: 549690339 Boom- With a muffled sound, the energy cluster in the shape of fangs exploded under the feet of the Necromancer Witch, causing more than eighty points of damage to float above her head. At this point, the witchs vitality points had already dropped below one hundred, and her body was practically invisible due to its transparency, even as she floated and moved slowly near the ground. How could they let such a piece of fat meat escape when it was so close to their mouths? Song Jian charged towards the Necromancer Witch while running and pulled out the Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow from his offhand slot, aimed at the silhouette of the witchs back, and pulled the trigger. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Three flaming crossbow bolts were fired at the Necromancer Witchs back, hitting the escaping transparent figure. Crackle, crackle, crackle- Three bursts of fire sparked on the witchs back, and the nearly transparent Necromancer Witch seemed to explode like fireworks, her wails echoing in the corridor for a long time. System: Your experience points are full, your level has been upgraded to Lv. 12, and you have gained one skill point. After killing the Necromancer Witch, Song Jian gained a large amount of experience points, which fulfilled his level upgrade requirement, going from level eleven to twelve. He glanced at the skill bar and saw that the proficiency of all the active skills hadnt been maxed; even if he practiced them continuously, the skills still took a long time to improve. The fastest among them was the Earth Teeth Assault, with 87% proficiency, while the others ranged from 20% to 30%. After some thought, Song Jian used the skill point to upgrade his talent skill Thick Skin to level nine. In battle, Song Jian was not afraid of enemies with high attack power but rather the countless negative effects they could inflict, making Thick Skin the perfect skill to counter such attacks. Tinkle, tinkle, clang- Several items fell from the sky, making a crisp sound, and one of them gleamed with a silver light so intense that it almost illuminated the entire corridor. Silver quality? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he sped up even more to reach the pile of loot, grabbing the silver-quality item. Ghostly Leather Armor (Silver), upper body armor; Equipment effect: Physical defense +10, magical resistance +8, damage +25, strength +5, constitution +2, + 5% damage bonus against monsters;, Special effect 1: When taking damage, theres a chance to trigger the skill Void. Void (Passive): Immunity to the damage from the current hit, reducing the damage taken from the next hit by 50%; this skill can only be triggered once every 60 seconds, Special effect 2: Shadow (Passive): Reducing your presence, making you less noticeable and reducing the detection range of monsters by 1 meter; during combat, the dodge rate gradually increases, up to a maximum of 30% dodge rate; equipment requirement: Level 15, Can it be taken out of the game: Yes. As expected from silver quality equipment! A satisfied smile appeared on Song Jians face; just based on the attributes, it was far better than the Zombie Overlord Set he currently had. Even if he lost the +3 Strength set attribute after changing, the Ghostly Leather Armor could still handle it and may even provide 2 additional points of strength attribute. Wearing this equipment would boost my attack power by at least 30%, Song Jian thought to himself. However, since the armor required level fifteen to wear, it had to be stored in his backpack for the time being. Of the remaining loot, there was an Advanced Enhancement Stone for enhancing any type of armor, and a Vitality Stone that increased vitality points recovery speed by 2% when equipped in the bag. In an emergency, it could be directly used to restore 300 vitality points, so it was quite a valuable item. In addition, the Necromancer Witch had dropped a Necromancer Crystal Core, a level 5 forging material that required at least an expert-level Forge Art to useobviously a good item. Not bad, it seems that hiring you to escort me to Kantelu Ruins was one of the wisest decisions Ive made. *cough* One of them! With the danger gone, the Goblin merchant Canaan followed along; watching as Song Jian collected the spoils of battle, a hint of envy appeared on Canaans face. However, being a Goblin merchant, silver-quality equipment may be rare but not unheard of. In his mind, only equipment with golden quality or above was the most precious; he had not even traded a golden quality item. A level 15 elite BOSS is no match for you. If you try your best, you might be able to defeat the level 20 elite BOSS. Do you want to give it a shot? Canaan spoke in a soft voice: There must be at least one gold-quality item in that treasure chest; if you dont need it, you can sell it to me, I promise to give you a fair price! Song Jian glanced at Canaan and shook his head, saying, If you dare to take on the BOSSS attacks upfront, we might have a chance to kill it together. But with just me alone, haha! Although the Goblin merchant Canaan had no offensive capabilities, his defense was extremely strong. Song Jian estimated that even against a level 20 elite BOSS like the Ghostfire Beast, it would only take single-digit damage at most. If Canaan was really willing to tank the BOSS in front, with the terrain advantage, they might have a high chance of taking down the Ghostfire Beast together; With an indecisive expression, Canaan hesitated for a while before ultimately sighing and shaking his head, saying nothing more. Song Jian looked at Canaan with a hint of contempt in his eyes. He wasnt sure if all the members of the Goblin Clan were like this or if it was because Canaan was a merchant. Song Jian believed they would have an 80% chance of defeating the level 20 elite BOSS if they worked together. Moreover, Canaan himself had an acceleration skill, which would allow him to escape faster than Song Jian if necessary. Yet still, he didnt want to join forces. This just showcased how much Canaan feared combat. Alright, lets continue going forward, said Song Jian. Canaan sighed and seemed to feel a little embarrassed, walking forward with his head down. On their journey, the pair encountered several traps and wiped out several waves of monsters. They had already mapped nearly half of the area when Canaan yawned and shook his head, saying, Lets rest here for a while. We have plenty of time; theres no need to hurry. Song Jian nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a rumbling sound came from ahead, resembling large rocks scraping against the ground. Haha, lets go, lets go! Were in luck! Canaan heard the sound, and his spirits immediately lifted. He ran toward the sound with a joyful expression, Song Jian closely following behind him. After running tens of meters along the corridor and turning several corners, they were suddenly met with a bright light shining in the dim passage. Both of them couldnt help but squint and shield their eyes with their hands. Hurry up, hurry up! We only have a few minutes before the door closes! Canaan shouted, running faster toward the light. In no time, the two of them entered the light. What what is this place? Could this be Kantelu Ruins? Song Jian looked around in amazement. They had somehow arrived at a valley surrounded by towering mountains. In the valley, there was a forest, and next to it, an abandoned village with a huge stone pillar standing in front of it. As Song Jian was astonished, the rumbling sound came again from behind. He turned to see two enormous rocks over ten meters high and more than a meter thick slowly closing together, blocking the entrance to the corridor they had just passed through. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 237 - 237: Medicine Gathering Skill Chapter 237: Medicine Gathering Skill Translator: 549690339 Is this the Kantelu Ruins? Song Jian looked at the valley before him in surprise. He never expected that he could reach such a place full of green mountains and rivers by going through the underground pipeline network of the city. This place should no longer be within the domain of Doomsday City. This is the Katlu Ruins, not the Kantelu Ruins were looking for, the Goblin merchant Canaan took off the air filter from his face, looked around and shook his head. The filter on his face had the function of filtering poisonous gas and purifying the air. Without it, the two of them would have been vomiting in the sewer for such a long time by now. What do you mean? Song Jian raised his eyebrows, turned his head to look at Canaan, and opened the task bar at the same time. Sure enough, the task bar did not show task completed. This place used to be inhabited by the Kateru Clan, but now its abandoned. Its not wrong to call it the Kantelu Ruins, but its not where were supposed to go. The Kantelu Ruins were looking for are like a main city, while this place could only be considered a small village attached to the main city, Canaan shook his head. Song Jian nodded, knowing that Canaans goal was the Prayer Altar in the Kantelu Ruins. Only a place similar to the ancestral land of the Kantulu Clan would likely have such a structure. We can rest here tonight, as no monsters will appear here, Canaan showed a relaxed expression on his face and headed towards the abandoned village in the valley. As Song Jian walked, he looked around. The valley was vast, but the abandoned village within it was not very large, with only a dozen or so bamboo buildings gathered together. In the center was a large open space with a deep well in the middle, the wellhead covered by a large green stone. Most of the bamboo buildings in the village had collapsed, with only five or six left that were relatively intact. Canaan began to choose one for their rest, occasionally tapping it with his hand or shaking it forcefully to see if they were still sturdy. Song Jians gaze fell on the tall stone pillar at the front of the village, which resembled a totem pillar. It was relatively well-preserved, about a dozen meters tall, and the surface of the pillar was carved with various patterns, some intricate magical runes, and some fierce monster images that densely covered the entire pillar. Song Jian even found several monsters he had seen before in the carved patterns on the surface of the stone pillar. The ghost fire beast from the Kantelu Maze also appeared in the pillar and was in a high position, about five to six meters above the ground. This is the Guardian Pillar of the Kantulu Clan. See those monster patterns carved on it? If enemies invade the clan, they would activate this totem pillar, and these monster patterns will turn into real monsters, killing the invaders, Canaan explained, standing by Song Jian. So this pillar is a treasure? It could at least dominate one region! Song Jian raised his eyebrows, thinking that this pillar seemed very useful. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Its impossible. Once the Guardian Pillar is erected, it cannot be moved, otherwise, the monsters on it will revolt. Moreover, without the bloodline of the Kantulu Clan, the Guardian Pillar cannot be activated, even if you know the ceremony to activate it, Canaan shook his head. Song Jian nodded, and if it was as Canaan said, it would explain why the village was abandoned and the Guardian Pillar remained intact. Its a pity. If I could move it and place it in my estate, I would have another defensive structure, Song Jian thought. You should rest soon. Well continue to explore the maze tomorrow. I estimate that we will find the real Kantelu Ruins in at most two more days. The Prayer Altar can only be opened once a month, we cant let others get there first, Canaan said and walked towards a bamboo building. Song Jian nodded, but did not rest. According to the in-game time, it should be around 1-2 a.m., but it was daytime in the valley. Although the sun couldnt be seen, there were blue skies and white clouds, and the soft wind in the valley gave a warm and cozy feeling, a sensation Song Jian could only experience in the real world. The valley was vast, and Song Jian wanted to explore it, thinking that he might find some valuable items here. Gently touching the Guardian Pillar, Song Jian couldnt see its attributes. He sighed, thinking that it seemed the pillar couldnt be moved and was just part of the background in the game. After a tour around the abandoned village, Song Jian didnt find any valuable items. The collapsed bamboo buildings had already rotted and mixed with the soil, and the few left that seemed intact were empty, nothing left behind. Leaving the abandoned village, Song Jian strolled slowly along the surrounding peaks of the valley. The peaks rose high into the clouds, and even if Song Jian morphed into a dark cloud and soared, he couldnt pass over them. The only way to leave was through the entrance he came in from. After spending more than three hours, Song Jian had walked around the entire valley following the mountain peaks. He found similar stone doors at the four cardinal direction points, seemingly as if there were four channels for entering and leaving this place. At the southernmost point, there was a forest and a small lake next to it, even with fish over a foot long jumping out of the water. There were signs of logging everywhere in the forest, and every tree there had rings indicating decades of growth. If cut down, they would provide a large amount of wood. But presently, Song Jian had no interest in these basic materials. He had so many NPC laborers that he could obtain large quantities of wood and stone materials every day. Otherwise, he wouldnt have time for anything else except chopping wood and digging for stones to build the entire estate. Standing by the edge of the forest for a while, Song Jian found it dense and vast, covering about a third of the valleys surface. There was no sound of insects or birds in the forest, and it seemed a bit too quiet. As Song Jian prepared to turn away and leave, he unintentionally noticed a small red grass at the base of a large tree glowing faintly. Is this an herb? Song Jian walked forward and carefully inspected the properties of the red grass. Red Blood Grass (white), herb, can be used to prepare low-level healing potions. Gathering requirement: level 1 Medicine Gathering Skill. Ive already learned Alchemy, so it would be best to master this Medicine Gathering Skill as well, Song Jian thought. Cautioning himself, he started digging out the soil next to the herb. He knew that gathering herbs required a tool like a medicine hoe, but he didnt have one at the moment, so he used his hands as a substitute. After spending ten or so minutes, Song Jian had dug down about three to four inches and finally unearthed the herb. System: You have gathered a broken herb, earned 1 gathering experience point, and comprehend the passive skill Medicine Gathering Skill. Chapter 238 - 238: Purple Bamboo Pavilion Chapter 238: Purple Bamboo Pavilion Translator: 549690339 After glancing at the now tattered Red Blood Grass in his hand, Song Jian threw it away casually. Broken herbs had no value, they couldnt be used for alchemy or sold. However, gathering just one allowed Song Jian to comprehend the Medicine Gathering Skill, which was a nice little surprise. Song Jian began to wander around the edge of the woods. This place must have existed for a long time, with plenty of herbs in the forest. He would find one every few steps. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Canaan stood by the window of the bamboo house, watching Song Jian digging in the soil under the trees. He couldnt help but curl his lips and yawn, before turning and lying down on the cleaned bamboo bed. Song Jian was a novice herb gatherer and didnt have a suitable tool for gathering herbs. After gathering more than ten plants, he ended up with nothing but broken herbs, which made him feel a little impatient. Since being careful doesnt yield intact herbs and wastes time, its better to just use Experience Points instead. Song Jian thought to himself. The next moment, Song Jian approached a Red Blood Grass plant, inserted his hands directly into the soil and pulled the herb out. There was only a small section of the root left in his hand, with a long part of the root remaining in the ground. System: You have gathered a broken herb and gained 1 Gathering Experience point; Hehe. Seeing the system message, Song Jian laughed, threw the herb away casually, and continued towards the next plant. In this way, Song Jians speed in gaining gathering experience greatly increased. If this was in the real world, such gathering would bring no benefit and waste herbs; but now in the game, even the most broken herbs would add a point of gathering experience for Song Jian. In half an hour, Song Jian gathered more than sixty herbs, several times faster than before. Although he didnt have a successful gathering attempt, his gathering experience had accumulated to eighty-two points; With this gathering method, I dont believe that 1 will still get broken herbs after the level of Medicine Gathering Skill increases. Song Jian thought to himself. After twenty more minutes, Song Jian finally maxed out his gathering experience for his Medicine Gathering Skill. System: Your Medicine Gathering Skill level has increased to level 2. [Medicine Gathering Skill]: Passive, level 2,10% efficiency increase when gathering herbs, +1 gathering success rate. Seeing the +1 gathering success rate attribute after his Medicine Gathering Skill increased to level 2, Song Jian knew his efforts were in the right direction. Such gathering was very destructive, but these herbs were not painstakingly cultivated by Song Jian. He wouldnt feel bad even if he wasted them. After his Medicine Gathering Skill level increased, Song Jian continued his previous gathering style. The first herb he pulled out was still a broken herb, adding one point to his gathering experience. To advance his level 2 Gathering Skill to level 3, he needed 200 Gathering Experience points. For Song Jian, this just meant pulling out 200 herbs. After more than two hours, Song Jians Gathering Skill reached level 3. He was tired and sore from all the work, and there were broken herbs scattered all over the forest. Surprisingly, he hadnt managed to gather even a single intact herb during all that time. [Medicine Gathering Skill]: Passive, level 3,15% efficiency increase when gathering herbs, +2 gathering success rate After resting for a short time under a big tree, Song Jian walked deeper into the forest. Most of the herbs near the edge of the forest had been uprooted by him, so he had to search further in. There were many more herbs deep in the forest, but they were all low-level ones: Red Blood Grass for making basic healing potions, Silver Leaf Grass for making basic recovery potions, and Black Thorn Grass for making basic defense potions. These herbs were not valuable, and most importantly, Song Jian didnt have the related alchemy recipes. Even if he successfully gathered some intact herbs with great care, it would be useless. It was better to continue gathering quickly like this, at least he could increase his Medicine Gathering Skill level in a short time. After gathering more than a dozen plants in a row, the gathering experience increased by more than a dozen points. To advance his level 3 Medicine Gathering Skill, he would need three hundred gathering experience points. With Song Jians current speed, it would only take him a little more than three hours to level up his Medicine Gathering Skill again, as long as he had enough herbs. There are quite a lot of herbs in this area! After discarding a broken herb, Song Jian began digging out the herb next to it. The deeper he went into the forest, the more frequently he encountered herbs. Some of them even grew three or four plants under one big tree, saving him a lot of time searching for herbs. Song Jian inserted his hands into the soil, closed them together, and yanked upwards. His herb gathering movements were incredibly smooth by now. If any other herb gatherer saw this, they would definitely scold him for wasting herbs C but this didnt matter here. Just as Song Jian was forcefully pulling upwards, he suddenly felt the herb in his hand getting heavier, as if some force was resisting his gathering. At this point, Song Jians strength attribute had reached 17 points, so with a slight effort, the resisting force was immediately suppressed and a Blue Rat Grass with a long root was pulled out. System: You have gathered a Blue Rat Grass and gained 3 Gathering Experience points; Blue Rat Grass (white), herb, can be used to make Slow Medicine, gathering requirement: Have level 1 Medicine Gathering Skill. Huh, I succeeded in gathering? Holding the Blue Rat Grass in his hand, Song Jian was somewhat surprised. After all, he had gathered more than three hundred herbs and reached level 3 Medicine Gathering Skill before finally managing to gather a single intact herb. After playing with the Blue Rat Grass for a while, he put it into his backpack. This was a complete herb, which could be sold in the system store for a few Doomsday Coins, so he couldnt just throw it away. As he continued gathering along the way, Song Jian went wherever he found herbs. Soon, he arrived at the depths of the forest. Once again, after failing to gather, he casually threw away a broken herb and looked up. Huh, it seems theres an open space up ahead? Through the gaps between several big trees, Song Jian could see an area ahead that seemed to have been artificially flattened into an open space, and he could even vaguely see a row of bamboo fences. Song Jian walked quickly forward, covering a distance of five or six meters, and suddenly found this place was actually a herb field, about two acres in size. It was divided into more than ten sections, with dense herbs growing in each area. Next to this herb field, there was a bamboo house as well. This bamboo house was different from the ones they had seen in the village before. Those were made from green bamboo, but the one in front of him was built from purple bamboo. Song Jian glanced at the thriving herbs in the field and then at the Purple Bamboo Pavilion, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to search the Purple Bamboo Pavilion first. Chapter 239 - 239: Medicinal Field Chapter 239: Medicinal Field Translator: 549690339 The bamboo building next to the herb field was constructed from purple bamboo. Each bamboo stalk radiated a crystalline glimmer, semi-transparent, appearing as if made from Purple Crystal. Song Jian stepped onto the bamboo building. The steps underneath his feet creaked slightly, revealing an elasticity that suggested their durability. Most of the other bamboo buildings in the village had collapsed. The few that remained had started to decay and it wasnt long before they, too, would become ruins. However, this Purple Bamboo Pavilion gave an impression of being freshly constructed, still carrying a sense of freshness. Once inside the pavilion, Song Jian first spotted a skeleton seated on a bamboo chair. The skeleton appeared to belong to a human, but it had a foot-long horn on its head and there were bone spurs about two or three feet long on its arms. There was even a bony tail trailing behind the chair. Could this be the remains of a Cantru person? Song Jian stared at the skeleton for a long time before he was finally sure it was remains, not some sort of monster. Next to the skeleton on a table, there were three bamboo boxes, all covered in dust, evidently having been there for a long time. Song Jian quickly proceeded to the table and opened the boxes one by one. In the first box, there was a medicine spade. The handle was made of purple bamboo, the blade was fine iron C surprisingly, it was a silver-quality tool. Purple Bamboo Spade (Silver), Medicine Gathering tool, Equipment effect: Strength +1, Medicine Gathering speed +4.0%, Medicine Gathering success rate + 8, Medicine Gathering Skill +2. Equipment requirement: Medicine Gathering Skill Level 3. Can it be taken out of the game: No. Just as I was thinking about needing a pillow for sleep, they hand me one; Just as 1 was worried about the low efficiency of gathering herbs by hand, heres a medicine spade! Ha ha! Song Jian was quite pleased. He took out the Purple Bamboo Spade and put it in his bag. With this Purple Bamboo Spade, he would be able to collect the herbs in the field without damaging them. Without it, nearly all of them would be wasted. He could imagine that the herbs in the field would be far more precious than those growing in the forest. It would be such a pity to waste them like he did before. He opened the second box to find two scrolls. Upon unrolling them, he found they were Alchemy recipes for Slow Medicine and Fire Lizard Medicine. Medicine Recipe: Slow Medicine; upon use, it can produce Slow Medicine; Requirement: Mastery of Alchemy; Slow Medicine: Can be thrown at targets within a six-meter range, slowing the movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 30% of all targets within three meters for 60 seconds; Medicine Recipe: Fire Lizard Medicine; upon use, it can produce Fire Lizard Medicine; Requirement: Mastery of Alchemy; Fire Lizard Medicine: Changes the users and surrounding team members attack attributes to Fire, causing a certain chance of triggering a Burn effect upon attacking, lasts for 60 seconds. Acquiring two more Medicine recipes, the Slow Medicine could decrease the targets attack speed. Combined with Song Jians Rapid Sword skill, it could create a crushing attack effect and decrease the targets movement speed, making it impossible for the targets to escape. The Fire Lizard Medicine could increase his own attack attribute. Ordinary physical attacks could also become Fire attribute attacks. If he had used the Fire Lizard Medicine when hunting the Necromancer Witch earlier, the Witchs Etherealization skill effect would have been greatly diminished, making the battle much easier. Song Jian picked up the two recipes and learned them directly. The Slow Medicines main ingredient is Blue Rat Grass, while the Fire Lizard Medicine requires Flame Flower. Both herbs were present in the herb field he had seen earlier. Upon opening the third bamboo box, a look of surprise flashed in Song Jians eyes. In this box, there were three golden herbs. They were not golden in grade, but the entire herb radiated a golden light, as if they were made of pure gold. What a treasure! Having been preserved for so long, even if they do not attain the golden grade, the difference cant be much. It would be beneficial even if consumed as is, without making into a potion! A smile emerged on Song Jians face as he reached out to grab the three herbs. However, the moment his fingers touched the herbs, there was a soft pop sound. The three herbs surprisingly turned into a pile of ashes that scattered within the bamboo box. Song Jians expression instantly turned sour. These herbs had been here for too long. Although they seemed intact, they had in fact decayed. As soon as he opened the bamboo box, they turned to dust. He examined the golden powder with his fingers. It was slick and lacked any vitality. Shaking his head, Song Jian sighed and casually tossed the third bamboo box back onto the table. Having obtained a silver-quality medicine spade and two alchemy recipes, his luck could be considered pretty good. It would seem that he didnt have any fate with the three golden herbs. Having searched thoroughly without finding anything else of interest, Song Jian turned to leave the bamboo building and headed towards the herb field. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The two-acre herb field had been artificially divided into several patches, within which the herbs grew luxuriantly, some even taller than a human. As he approached the field, he already smelled the strong scent of the herbs. At the edge of the field grew a large plot of Blue Rat Grass, roughly amounting to over a hundred plants. Carrying his Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jian began to dig them out one by one. With the silver-quality Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jians gathering went smoothly, with the gathering experience contributing significantly. After spending over an hour, Song Jian managed to collect all of the Blue Rat Grass. His Medicine Gathering Skill also smoothly leveled up to four. With the additional boost from the Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jians Medicine Gathering Skill had reached Level Six. With all the 113 plants of Blue Rat Grass collected without a single failure, Song Jian was slightly surprised. The difference between having the Purple Bamboo Spade and not having it was quite significant. After emptying the plot of Blue Rat Grass, Song Jian moved towards the Flame Flowers. The two new recipes he received required these two herbs as the main ingredients. In order to improve his Alchemy, he needed to prioritize their collection. Gathering herbs is a dull task. If an average player was to repeat this monotonous work, theyd probably go insane. Many players couldnt stick to collecting wood and stones in the past. Some even havent completed their first main quest yet. But Song Jian was still persisting, just like how he handed out flyers in the real world. Every day, he needed to hand out three thousand flyers; he wouldnt rest unless all were distributed. This kind of work, he continued for over a month. If it wasnt because of this game, he would probably still be distributing flyers daily; A few hours later, Song Jian had gathered from the fifth plot of the herb field, levelled his gathering skill up to five. Level five Gathering Skill, efficiency increase by 25%, gathering speed by 10%, success rate +3. With the additional two levels provided by the Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jians Gathering Skill had reached level seven; Just as Song Jian was done gathering from the fifth plot, and was on his way towards the sixth area, the goblin merchant Canaan appeared by the herb field. Gazing at the robust herbs in front of him, Canaan opened his mouth wide, looking astonished. He blankly stared at the few small plots of herb fields left. Chapter 240 - 240: Enemy? Chapter 240: Enemy? Translator: 549690339 Looking at the medicinial field in front of him, Canaan was enormously surprised. He could never have imagined that deep within this forest was a field cultivated by the Kateru Clan. Its simply unbelievable. Since when did the Kantulu Clan learn to grow herbs? Theyre infamous for being brutes whose heads are only full of muscle! Canaan exclaimed in surprise. Seeing Canaan appear, Song Jian felt a twinge of tension in his heart. He was the first to discover this field of medicinal herbs, but he couldnt stop Canaan from gathering them, after all they were on the same team now. Human, 1 give you three thousand Doomsday Coins, and the rest of these medicinal herbs belong to me, okay? Canaan shouted loudly. Song Jian looked up at Canaan, never expecting this green-skinned little dwarf to be so generous. Even if Canaan was competing with him for the herbs now, Song Jian couldnt find anything to complain about. Five thousand! Song Jian shouted back. Deal! Canaan responded immediately. Song Jian glanced regretfully at the remaining three or four plots of herbs. If he could collect them all, he could advance another level in his Medicine Gathering skill. However, if he sold them, he wouldnt be able to get five thousand Doomsday Coins for them. After trading five thousand Doomsday Coins, Song Jian stood to one side, curious to see how Canaan would go about gathering the herbs. The goblin merchant Canaan, after completing the trade, first walked up to each plot of herbs for a close inspection. Then, he took out two intelligent machines that were about as tall as him. These intelligent machines looked like eight-legged spiders, with six legs supporting their bodies. Two mechanical claws were used to harvest the herbs, and each time a plant was dug up, it was placed inside their elliptical bodies, which were obviously also storage devices. Their gathering speed was extremely fast, even more than twice as fast as Song Jian using his bamboo spade, thanks to the various tools on the mechanical claws. In just over half an hour, they had finished gathering all the remaining herbs. How about it? These are herb gathering robots, equipped with a level eight Medicine Gathering skill, suitable for any terrain. Even if the herbs are growing on a cliff face, they can collect them. Canaan bragged, It only costs ten thousand Doomsday Coins each, and if you need it, 1 can give you a discount of 99.9%! Forget it, I cant afford it! Song Jian shook his head and said. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hmm, these herbs can be used to make about a hundred bottles of potions. Each bottle of potion can be sold for between three hundred to five hundred Doomsday Coins. I should be able to make about twenty thousand Doomsday Coins this time Canaan took out a calculator, punched some numbers and then said in a low voice. Potions are so profitable? Song Jians heart stirred and he quickly asked. Canaan put away the calculator, looked at Song Jian, and said quizzically: Of course, potions are consumables. As long as there is fighting, they will be needed. They sell well, and due to the low success rate of potion-making, they have to be sold at a high price or else we wouldnt make any profit. Song Jian nodded, considering the idea of opening a shop specializing in the sale of potions in the future. Wouldnt it be easy to earn Doomsday Coins that way! Having finished gathering the herbs, Song Jian and Canaan left the forest and headed towards the passage they had entered through the day before. Canaan, after resting for a few hours, was full of energy, and though Song Jian hadnt rested, he didnt feel tired as long as his Mental Strength hadnt been fully consumed in the game. Standing in front of the passage, the stone doors were still closed. Canaan carefully sketched the symbols of the ruins onto the parchment. Song Jian, feeling curious, asked: Didnt you say this place moves every month and the maze never repeats itself? So whats the point of drawing this map? Obviously, to sell it! Canaan glanced at Song Jian and said, The Katlu Ruins exist for a month, and it only takes us two or three days to enter. With the remaining time, we can sell the map to others. Each person can only use the prayer altar once, and after we have used it, others can continue to use it. You really are cut out to be a merchant! Song Jian sighed. It seemed this green-skinned dwarf had truly ingrained the art of making money into his blood and bones. Of course, I am a goblin merchant, and my goal is to become a great space-traveling merchant, selling items on various planets all across the universe! The goblin merchant Canaan said excitedly. What a great ambition! Song Jian replied, unsure whether the concept of cosmic planets really existed in this game, and whether there were other planets. For now, he was still stuck in his own city, and had no conception of cosmic planets. While they chatted, they waited for the stone doors of the passage to open. In no time, the stone doors let out a rumbling sound and slowly began to slide apart. Its truly a marvel of engineering. The Kantulu people from over a thousand years ago were able to develop such mechanisms. This stone door, operating without anyone controlling it, has been running for more than a thousand years. Its truly astonishing. As Canaan watched the door slowly slide open, his eyes were filled with admiration. Soon, the stone gate opened, revealing the glowing passage inside. I really dont want to enter this smelly passage again. Canaan said as he drew a filter onto his face and stepped into the passage. As the foul smell from the passage slowly wafted out, Song Jian frowned slightly, also put a filter over his mouth and nose, followed Canaan into the passage. Having only walked about ten meters, a boom sounded from behind them; the stone door closed. The door only opened twice a day and each time lasted only three minutes. The fact that the two of them found this place was pure luck. We have explored more than half of the Kantelu Maze. We should be able to find the real Katlu Ruins today! Holding the parchment in his hand, Canaan whispered. Just then, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps from ahead, and both Song Jian and Canaan simultaneously stopped and looked at each other, both having a bad feeling. Hey, isnt this our green-skinned dwarf? The lesson 1 gave you last time wasnt enough, huh? You dare to venture into the Kantelu Maze again. Did you really think the words I said last time were just empty threats? A haughty voice rang out from the opposite side. Soon, a figure appeared before Song Jian. A girl clad in crimson armor, wielding a flame-burning war axe, followed by two beasts half a person tall, appeared in front of the two. Jierna, dont push things too far! This is the site of the Kantulu Clan. If you can come here, so can l! Canaan argued loudly, hopping up and down with frustration. It seems that you really want to fight with me over this! A trace of murderous intent appeared on Jiernas delicate face. She shouted, Red-tailed Beasts, attack! Roar- The two beasts behind Jierna roared into the sky and charged at Canaan. Chapter 241 - 241: One-on-One Duel? Chapter 241: One-on-One Duel? Translator: 549690339 The two Red-tailed Beasts behind Jierna looked somewhat strange. They were covered in thick shells everywhere else on their bodies, looking like a giant beetle, and only their tails were covered in red fur. As they ran and swung their tails, it looked like a ball of burning flames. Jierna was a level 15 elite BOSS, and the two Red-tailed Beasts behind her were level 10 elite BOSSes. Facing such combat power, even Song Jian felt somewhat tricky. Before entering the maze, you never mentioned that you had such enemies! Song Jian sighed, took a step forward, and stood in front of the goblin merchant Canaan. This woman is a madwoman, she wants to move the Prayer Altar in the Kantelu Ruins to her own home, and she will chase and kill anyone she sees in the maze! Canaan screamed loudly, looking at Jierna with fear and resentment in his eyes. The Prayer Altar is mine, and you useless lot dare to compete with me! Jierna raised her battle-axe with one hand and pointed at Canaan, shouting, Little green-skinned dwarf, 1 spared you last time, but 1 didnt expect you to be so small in stature yet so ambitious, so you really dare to compete with me for the Prayer Altar? You madwoman, you killed all my guards, the Prayer Altar is an artifact of the Kantulu Clan, just leave it there, cant you just go there once a month to exchange items? Why do you have to dismantle it and take it back? Are you not afraid of damaging it? The goblin hid behind Song Jian and screamed loudly. If I set my eyes on something, it belongs to me. Why should 1 share it with you trash? Die, Red-tailed Beasts, kill these two! Jierna carried her battle-axe and walked step by step towards the two. Song Jian took out a bottle of Weakness Potion from his package and threw it at the two Red-tailed Beasts. With a bang sound, the potion bottle exploded, and the two Red-tailed Beasts were enveloped in a cloud of green dust, causing a thirty-point damage floating above their heads. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian, holding the Guardians Sword, charged at the two Red-tailed Beasts. Eh, little dwarf, you found a pretty good bodyguard this time. Dare to fight head-on with my two Red-tailed Beasts. Those bodyguards you had before, they were so scared they ran away when they saw the Red-tailed Beasts, hahaha! Jierna seemed to think of something funny, pointed her battle-axe at Canaan, and laughed out loud. Jierna, have you found a way to move the Prayer Altar yet? Canaan suddenly asked. Jierna was startled, a trace of embarrassment flashed in her eyes, and she shouted angrily: Even if I havent found a way to move it, I wont allow you useless lot to use it! In case the altar is destroyed due to too much energy consumption, that would be my loss. As for the method to remove it, 1 will find it sooner or later! Jierna, you dont even understand the principle of the Prayer Altar, yet you want to move it. Youre simply deluding yourself! Canaan sneered. Eh, little dwarf, you dare talk to me like that? Jierna showed a surprised expression, glanced at Canaan, and then her gaze fell on Song Jian, who was fighting with the two Red-tailed Beasts. So, you found a powerful bodyguard, no wonder you have become so bold, hmph! Jiernas eyes flashed with a murderous intent, waved her battle-axe, and charged at Song Jian: Let me shatter your courage once more! Song Jians third strike of the Broken Wing Dance sent both Red-tailed Beasts floating in the air. Rapid Sword! While the two Red-tailed Beasts were floating, Song Jian used his Rapid Sword skill, increasing his attack speed greatly, waving his sword quickly and cutting through the beasts. The Red-tailed Beasts, which had already reduced their defense by 35%, were completely defenseless in their floating state. Even ordinary attacks could cause considerable damage, let alone Song Jians sword which also had Invisible Sword Qi attached. System: You deal 45 points of physical damage to the Red-tailed Beast, combo point+1, damage increased by 110% System: You deal 56 points of physical damage to the Red-tailed Beast, combo point+1, damage increased by 120% The Broken Wing Dance made the Red-tailed Beasts float in the air, and then connected with other attacks, which caused combo points, increasing the damage. However, the Broken Wing Dance was only level one, and the third strikes floating effect could only last for a short second. Soon, the two Red-tailed Beasts would fall down. Just as the Red-tailed Beasts were about to hit the ground, a silver light flashed on Song Jians left index finger, he slashed forward, causing both Red-tailed Beasts to let out painful cries, a damage number close to two hundred floated above their heads. As the Red-tailed Beasts landed, Song Jians Rapid Sword state had not yet disappeared. Sword light flickered, continuously slashing at the Red-tailed Beasts, and for a time, the two level 10 elite BOSSes couldnt fight back. Die! Just as Song Jian was constantly chopping away at the two Red-tailed Beasts, a yell accompanied by a surge of powerful force came rushing at him. Seeing Jierna, who was covered in red armor, lunging at him, Song Jian had no time to dodge, so he could only hold his long sword horizontally in front of him; Just as he raised his sword to his chest, Jiernas battle-axe had already arrived. Bang- S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a crisp sound of metal clashing, Song Jian felt a sharp pain in his chest and a tearing pain in his right hand holding the sword, almost unable to hold the sword. Blood spewed from his mouth, and Song Jians body was knocked back. Dare not fight one-on-one? Song Jian climbed up from the ground, angry, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, yelling at Jierna. One-on-one? Jierna was stunned for a moment, and then burst out laughing, Did your human mind break? These Red-tailed Beasts are my pets, and also a part of my power. Why should I give up this power to fight one-on-one with you? Hahahaha! Pets are also part of your power, huh? Well, thats what you said! Song Jians eyes flashed with a cunning look. Soon, a Hexagram Star summoning array appeared under Song Jians feet. Whoosh! A large group of dark red blood crows flew out of the summoning array and pounced on Jierna. These blood crows were at least level 8, and some had even risen to level 10. Obviously, Song Jians summoned creatures had not been idle during his absence. Thirty blood crows crowded into the narrow, five-meter-wide, three-meter-high corridor. They were not used to such a cramped environment. As soon as they appeared, they swarmed towards Jierna; Seeing that Song Jian had summoned so many blood crows, Jierna was startled. However, after seeing their levels, a disdainful look flashed in her eyes. Red-tailed Beasts, kill this garbage! Chapter 242 - 242: Tyrant Body State Chapter 242: Tyrant Body State Translator: 549690339 The number of Blood Crows was considerable, but their combat power was weak. Their existence was not meant for direct attacks but for reconnaissance and early warning. Even a level 10 Blood Crow only had no vitality points and could not face the level 10 elite BOSS Red-tailed Beast head-on. Thats why Jierna sneered contemptuously once she noticed the strength of these Blood Crows. The corridor was crowded, and the Blood Crows couldnt fly, but under Song Jians command, they pounced on the Red-tailed Beasts, creating a sense of blotting out the sky in the narrow corridor. The Red-tailed Beast roared and swiped at the Blood Crows, leaving sharp claw marks in the air. With each swipe, it tore a Blood Crow apart, turning it into a cluster of pus and blood. Watching the number of Blood Crows diminish quickly, Jierna sneered, Pathetic. When all the Blood Crows were annihilated, Jierna suddenly noticed in front of her a row of blood-colored zombies. Thirty blood zombies waved their arms and pounced on the Red-tailed Beast. Although these zombies were also not high-level, around level seven or eight, their strength was clearly much higher than the Blood Crows. Even the Red-tailed Beast couldnt kill them with one blow like it did with the Blood Crows. The thirty blood zombies swarmed the Red-tailed Beast, piling up on it in a manner reminiscent of a human pyramid. The narrow corridor didnt provide any room for the Red-tailed Beast to dodge, and it was quickly pinned down under a swarm of blood zombies. It seemed to be carrying a mountain of flesh, roaring and struggling to escape from underneath the pile, but with its limbs tightly held by the blood zombies and more than a dozen more piling on its body, it couldnt break free. Seeing the Red-tailed Beast pinned down, Jierna snorted lightly, wielding her battle-axe towards one of the zombies on the beast. Song Jian tightly gripped the Guardians Sword and rushed towards Jierna, he couldnt let her attack the blood zombies. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians speed suddenly increased significantly, reaching Jiernas side as she just lifted her battle-axe over her head. Jierna wasnt expecting his speed to increase so quickly. Her face showed surprise as she hurriedly swung her battle-axe to block. Clang! A surge of great force came, Jierna almost felt like she couldnt hold onto her battle-axe, took several steps back to unload the force and regain her balance. An unnatural flush rose to her cheeks as blood began to seep from the corner of her mouth. Just as she prepared to speak, Jierna suddenly noticed that Song Jians speed had once again increased and he was rushing towards her. Bang- Jierna was unable to block in time. Song Jians sword fiercely struck Jiernas red armor. Sparks flew as the sword left a deep mark on the armor. Impossible! Jierna stepped back a few steps, vomiting blood. She felt the power and speed of Song Jians attack increasing with each strike. A piercing pain rose from her shoulder. His attack had slashed open her armor and struck her body. Just then, Jierna felt a shadow enveloping her. Looking up, she saw Song Jian leaping high up, almost touching the corridors ceiling. Watching as Song Jian hacked at her from the air, Jierna gritted her teeth, held her battle-axe horizontally, and faced him. Bang! Another violent collision occurred, as if a heavy mountain was pressing down on her. Jierna felt intense pain in her knee and involuntarily knelt on the ground. Boom! A shockwave burst from Song Jians long sword. Jiernas body involuntarily rose in the air, laying horizontally in mid-air in a humiliating posture. Levitation state! A thought flashed across Jiernas mind, her eyes revealed a look of terror. She knew what levitation state meant. In this state, she would be completely defenseless against any incoming attack. The damage she would suffer would also be multiplied. Rapid Sword! Song Jians attack speed suddenly increased. Multiple auras of silver light encircled Jierna as his sword relentlessly slashed her. For a moment, blood sprayed from Jierna who was under the levitation state, her vitality points were dropping quickly. Bang! As Jierna landed, a silver Sword Qi burst from Song Jians left index finger, piercing her body and pinning her to the ground. The series of attacks had reduced more than half of Jiernas vitality points. Once released from her levitation state and back on the ground, Jierna regained control of her body. Seeing Song Jian attack again, she roared, and a golden light flashed over her body. A wave of energy spread from her body in all directions. Song Jian was met head-on with the wave, forcing him to cover his head and face with his hands while his body was flung backward. Groans- The Red-tailed Beast behind her writhed wildly, its thick neck swaying from side to side, its sharp fangs fatally pierced through the bodies of the reachable blood zombies. Some zombies were already torn apart by the Red-tailed Beast, not even a complete corpse was left. Their vitality points reduced to zero and slowly disappeared into pools of pus and blood. With furrowed brows, Song Jian noted that although the blood zombies outnumbered the Red-tailed Beast by ten times, they were simply no match for it. So far, the two Red-tailed Beasts had only lost a fifth of their vitality points while already ten of the blood zombies had been lost. The remaining zombies were having trouble holding down the two Red-tailed Beasts. In about ten seconds more, the beasts would free themselves. The zombies would then be utterly useless. At this point, Jierna was radiating a golden light all over her body and charged towards Song Jian like a valkyrie. Tyrant Body State? Song Jian stared at the status bar above Jiernas head and exclaimed in surprise. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Under the Tyrant Body State, Jiernas attack, defense and speed increased significantly, and she also became immune to some controlling effects such as levitation, knockback and dizziness. These effects lasted for a whopping thirty seconds. This made Song Jian feel a bit of a bind. Seeing Jierna rushing towards him, he opened his silver vertical pupil on his forehead. A silver beam burst out from his vertical eye shooting towards Jierna. Eye Beam Kill! Boom Boom Boom C The silver beam continually bombarded Jiernas body, each hit causing nearly a hundred points of damage. However, Jierna held her battle-axe in front of her and continued to move forward despite the onslaught of the silver beam. Silver sparks flowed from Jiernas body like lava. She growled lowly, her once delicate face becoming somewhat ferocious. Chapter 243 - 243 Let’s Unite Chapter 243: Lets Unite Translator: 549690339 Jiernas strength was formidable, and she was currently in the Tyrant Body state, which gave Song Jian a great headache. The damage from the Eye Kill was high, but Jierna was surprisingly able to withstand the damage, step by step charging towards Song Jian. Her frenzied battle state took even Song Jian aback C he hadnt expected this girl to be a battle maniac! Five seconds passed, and a hint of fatigue flashed in Song Jians eyes. Jierna was now just three or four meters away from him and could reach him with just a sprint. Sword Silk! Song Jian swung his sword at Jierna, the sword and the battle-axe viciously collided, and a small piece of metal chipped off from the sword. A faint crack appeared on the surface of the Guardians Sword, spreading downward from the chipped area. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Three strands of silver Sword Silk appeared out of nowhere from Song Jians body surface and stabbed towards Jiernas body. One of them pierced Jiernas arm, one pierced her neck, and another entered her abdomen. Usually, it could cause close to four hundred points of damage, but for Jierna, who was in the Tyrant Body state, it only caused slightly more than two hundred and eighty points of damage. Die! Jierna swung her battle-axe towards Song Jian. Intense breaking wind sound suddenly resounded, as unsettling as ghost wails and wolf howls, giving one a headache. The strong winds met his face, cutting a few minor wounds on Song Jians cheeks. Fresh blood stained his entire cheeks in a flash. Buzz- A light shield appeared on Song Jians body surface as he gritted his teeth and stabbed at Jierna with his sword. He completely gave up on defense, acting as if he was fighting for his life. A cruel smile appeared on Jiernas face, her battle-axe didnt slow, and a jade necklace around her neck flash with a pale blue light. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bang! The battle-axe cleaved on the light shield, Song Jians sword also cleaved on a pale blue water screen. This strike, neither of them had inflicted damage on the other. You dare to fight for your life against me? You are not qualified! Jiernas eyes were fixed on Song Jian, her tongue licking the blood at the corner of her mouth, and she sneered. Roar- Behind him, two Red-tailed Beasts finally broke free from the Blood Zombies Human Pyramid. Shaking their heads and tails, they immediately flung several blood zombies hanging on their bodies. Slap- A Blood Zombie was thrown away by a Red-tailed Beast, happened to fly past another Red-tailed Beast, the Red-tailed Beast twisted its head like a lightning, biting the Blood Zombie in its mouth. With a hard bite, it immediately crushed the Blood Zombie into a puddle of pus and blood, exploding in mid-air. In an instant, the two Red-tailed Beasts were like tigers entering sheepfold, sweeping the remaining dozen of Blood Zombies. Jierna looked back at Song Jian with a wild smile on her face: The trash creatures you summoned are almost wiped out. Once my two Red-tailed Beasts finish off your trash, Id like to see what you can do to fight me! Jierna, youve gone too far! The Goblin Clan wont let you go! Canaan, hiding in the distance with a face full of rage, screamed. I should be scared of your short clan? Jierna showed a disdainful expression on her face, completely ignoring Canaans threat. Song Jian took out two potions from his pocket, threw one at the two Red-tailed Beasts, and the other at Jierna. Pat- Jierna swung her battle axe toward the sky, causing the potion vial to explode in the air. A cloud of green powder enveloped Jierna, but was blocked by the golden light around her bodythe Weakness Potion had no effect on Jierna in her Tyrant Body State. Is that the only trick you know? Jierna gave Song Jian a contemptuous smile and swung her axe toward him. Song Jian backed off hastily, knowing he was no match for Jierna in her current state. Just then, Song Jian felt two gusts of wind from behind him. He abruptly lowered his body, and two Red-tailed Beasts leapt over him. Grrr- The Red-tailed Beasts hit the ground, turned their bodies around, leaned slightly forward, and bared their fangs at Song Jian, growling lowly at him. H-Human, we are no match for that crazy woman, we should run away! Canaan said tremblingly from afar. Although Canaan had no attack power, his defense was formidable, and he had several Acceleration Skills. He had explored more than half of the maze here, so if they fled, Jierna wouldnt be able to catch up with him. Song Jian glanced at Jierna in her Tyrant Body State, and then at the two Red-tailed Beasts in front of her. He gestured with his left hand, and a summoning matrix appeared in the air. A Black Dragon hatchling appeared within the matrix. After taking a glance at Song Jian, it turned its head towards the two Red-tailed Beasts and let out a roar. The Black Dragon hatchling had now leveled up to level seven. Although it was still three levels lower than the Red-tailed Beasts, it totally overshadowed them in terms of attributes and skills. Most importantly, a faint Dragon Might emerged from it. The two Red-tailed Beasts tails were originally waving arrogantly in the air like two burning flames, but the moment the Black Dragon hatchling roared at them, the two flames instantly went out, and the Red-tailed Beasts tucked their tails tightly, bent their bodies, and let out mournful cries, their eyes filled with terror. They didnt have the courage to attack the Black Dragon hatchling due to the suppression of bloodline levels between creatures. Seeing the Black Dragon hatchling, then looking at the two Red-Tailed Beasts crouching at her feet, Jierna furrowed her brows, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Human, are you interested in joining hands? Jierna looked at Song Jian. Join hands? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked, Together, go to Kantelu Ruins and find the Prayer Altar? How about we team up to take down the green-skinned dwarf? Jierna licked her lips, glanced at Canaan with a smirk, and said. Canaan looked at Song Jian with a frightened expression and slowly backed away. We we have a contract! Canaan stared at Song Jian and said in a low voice. Hearing Jiernas proposition, Song Jian instantly frowned and tightened his grip on his longsword. Originally he had summoned the Black Dragon hatchling to hold back the two Red-tailed Beasts. He never expected that the two Beasts would lose their fighting spirit upon seeing the Black Dragon hatchlingthey probably wouldnt even dare to fight back if Song Jian were to take them down now. With the threat of the Red-tailed Beasts gone, Song Jians situation shifted from being outnumbered to having the upper hand. The change in the attacking and defending state was unfavorable to Jierna, which might be why she suggested joining forces. Seeing Song Jians reaction, Jierna raised an eyebrow and chuckled. I was just joking with you, human! How about we team up and look for Kantelu Ruins together? This time, Ill allow you to use the Prayer Altar once. But once youve used it, Im taking the whole Altar away! With that, Jierna voluntarily deactivated her Tyrant Body State and walked toward Song Jian. Chapter 244 - 244 Map Copy Chapter 244: Map Copy Translator: 549690339 Dont trust her, shes lying to you! Panic flashed in Canaans eyes as he roared loudly. Little dwarf, if you keep talking nonsense, Ill turn your green skin red. Jierna threatened Canaan with a menacing expression. Canaan immediately shrank back, looking wronged as he hid in the corner near the wall. Song Jian glanced at Jierna, seeing that she still had some tricks up her sleeve. It was unclear who would win if they continued to fight. Song Jians task was not to kill Jierna but to safely escort Canaan to the Kantelu Ruins. Alright, lets cooperate. My only goal is to bring this little dwarf to Kantelu Ruins and see if theres any advantage to be had. Continuing to fight would be pointless! Song Jian shrugged, speaking in a relaxed tone. Jierna hoisted the battle-axe onto her shoulders with her right hand. Hearing Song Jians words, she revealed a satisfied smile and slowly pulled her left hand out of her waist pocket. Haha, wise choice. Jierna walked up and kicked the Red-tailed Beasts twice before muttering, Get up, useless creatures. The Black Dragon cubs golden eyes were still fixed on the Red-tailed Beasts, as if ready to pounce and devour them at any moment. Even reprimanded by Jierna, the Red-tailed Beasts didnt dare to move under the pressure of Dragon Might, lying on the ground with exposed bellies and wailing pitifully. Hey, can you put your pet away? These two wont even dare to walk otherwise. Jierna looked at the Black Dragon cub, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes. A Dragon cub I never thought that this human could actually tame a Dragon cub as a pet Jierna pondered, her eyes darting back and forth. If the Dragon Clan finds out that someone has tamed a Dragon cub as a pet, this human in front of me will be in big trouble. Should I secretly inform the Dragon Clan? Song Jian raised his hand, and a summoning circle appeared beneath the Black Dragon cub, quickly absorbing it into the Pet Space. Since the Black Dragon cub had been hunting monsters near the mansion earlier, Song Jian needed to first retrieve it into the Pet Space and then summon it from there. Now, to dismiss the cub, he could only send it back to the Pet Space and not relocate it near the mansion. Alright, little dwarf, bring out the map of your exploration. Let me see how much ground youve covered, Jierna menacingly said as she grabbed Canaan, who was cowering in the corner. Canaan resentfully glanced at Song Jian and handed over the sheepskin scroll. Hmm, not bad. Youve already explored such a large area. This will save me a lot of time! Jierna scanned the scroll, her eyes lighting up, and she nodded with satisfaction. Jierna had only explored about a third of the area, also depicted on a sheepskin scroll. She combined the two scrolls with a flash of white light, merging them into one. Immediately, the terrain of more than half of the Kantelu Maze was revealed to everyone present. A magic map? Canaans eyes filled with envy. He murmured, A magic map can automatically record any place and path one has been to. Its like a divine artifact for explorers Arent you a great merchant of the Goblin Clan? Dont you have one of these? Song Jian turned to Canaan and asked. He also coveted the magic map. Compared to the Zombie City map given when starting the game, this was much more advanced. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No! Canaans face darkened, thinking of something unpleasant. Jierna, are you selling this map? Song Jian asked. What do you think? Jierna rolled her eyes, snorted coldly, and walked ahead with an arrogant air. Song Jian shrugged, not paying it any mind as he followed behind Jierna. Jierna entered the ruins from a different entrance, covering a different area from Song Jians party. This meant that only one-sixth of the area remained unexplored, which must be where the Kantelu Ruins were located. Jierna ordered two Red-tailed Beasts to scout ahead. Their tough shells acted like steel armor, making it difficult for conventional traps to harm them. Whenever they encountered monsters, Jierna charged in without waiting for Song Jian, single-handedly slaughtering all the opponents. Too weak! These monsters are seriously weak! None of them can put up a fight! Jierna pulled her battle-axe from the skull of a level 20 ordinary monster and glanced at Song Jian as she loudly declared. Song Jian could also kill a level 20 ordinary monster, but he wouldnt look as relaxed as Jierna. Seeing her provocative gaze, Song Jian pursed his lips and looked away. Seeing Song Jian look away, Jierna smirked and snorted proudly. The magical map was amazing C without the need for continuous drawing, it accurately recorded the paths they had traversed. In less than three hours, the three of them managed to explore the remaining area of the maze and found the entrance to the Kantelu Ruins. Now, the trio stood at the end of a passage, facing a faintly gray, misty light-gate. On either side of the gate were stone carvings of two dragons dressed in heavy armor, howling at the sky C not images of the Kantulu Clan. This is the place! Canaans eyes lit up with joy, and he heaved a sigh of relief. Hmph, youre just lucky to have found a powerful guard. Otherwise, youd never have made it here, Jierna coldly snorted. Canaan chuckled, looking slightly ingratiating: Should 1 go in first and check if theres any danger? Since when did the Goblin Clan become so brave? Jierna mocked with a sneer, and gave Canaan a kick on the butt: Go on, scout ahead. The moment Canaans figure entered the light-gate, Song Jian received a system prompt that he had completed the protection task. The whole Goblin Clan is full of troublemakers C stingy, calculating sorts. Even if youre on guard, you cant help but be taken in by them! Jierna couldnt help but exclaim while looking at Song Jian. Song Jian nodded and said, Yeah, he tricked me from the start. He said 1 could take anything from his bag as a reward, but turns out he had multiple storage items, and the bag was full of junk! Jierna couldnt help but laugh, clearly delighted by Song Jians misfortune. Jierna took out the magic map and peeled off a layer. With a swish- A thin sheet of parchment was lifted off the surface of the magic map and handed to Song Jian. This is a replica of the Kantelu Maze. Im giving it to you! I see quite a few notes from the Goblin Clan on it, presumably theyll be useful to you, Jierna said. This was another feature of the magical map C the ability to replicate any map. Jierna was now giving Song Jian a map of the Kantelu Maze. As long as the maze didnt move within the next month, Song Jian could enter it repeatedly. Song Jians eyes lit up and, gratefully accepting the map, he said, Thank you, Jierna. Chapter 245: Desert Scorpion Beast Chapter 245: Desert Scorpion Beast Translator: 549690339 In this maze, Song Jian didnt care about other places, but the golden treasure chest guarded by the Level 20 Elite BOSS was extremely enticing to him. If he didnt have the map, it would take some effort to find that place. However, with the map in hand, Song Jian could easily locate the Level 20 Elite BOSS. If he prepared properly, he might be able to slay it. That was a golden treasure chest, after all. Inside, there was at least one gold-quality equipment, which, at this stage of the game, was almost like a divine artifact for players. Haha, youre not bad, human. From now on, youre Jiernas friend. When we have time, we can spar again, but no using pets! Jierna said, patting Song Jian on the shoulder. System: You have gained the favor of the game character Jierna. Your relationship with the game character Jierna has increased to Friendly. System: When your relationship with a game character increases to Adoration, there is a certain chance that you can recruit them as a Follower. After Jierna finished speaking, she casually led her two Red-tailed Beasts into the light door. Song Jian stood in front of the light door, staring at the system prompt for a long time before revealing a trace of a smile and stepping in. As Song Jian stepped through the light door, his vision blurred, and he felt a sense of weightlessness. A strong dizziness enveloped him. This experience was even worse than when he first entered the game. When the dizziness subsided, Song Jian lifted his head and immediately furrowed his eyebrows. At this moment, he was standing on a sand dune. The light door behind him was slowly shrinking, and by the time Song Jian noticed it, it had already shrunk to the size of a basketball. In a short while, it disappeared entirely, leaving Song Jian alone in the desert. Canaan and Jierna were both gone, seemingly teleported to different places. Song Jian looked around. This place was clearly much larger than the valley he had been in before. He was now in the middle of a desert, with no signs of life anywhere within a few miles. All he could see were rolling sand dunes. A blazing sun hung in the sky, and the air was miserably dry. The entire area was desolate and lifeless, with not even a single blade of grass in sight. I must have left the Zombie Citys boundaries, right? Song Jian thought to himself. After all, even during daylight hours in Zombie City, there was no sunlight, and the sky was covered with thick clouds, completely obscuring the sun. Glancing at the sun overhead, he quickly determined his direction. Song Jian picked a random path and began walking forward. In the endless desert, there seemed to be no boundaries, and Song Jian was the only one walking alone, leaving a long trail of footprints behind him. Along the way, he didnt find any traces of life or even a hint of it. However, he did find some ruins in the desert. There were some crude stone houses half-buried in the sand, along with a few dessicated skeletons scattered around. These skeletons looked exactly like the one he had found in the Purple Bamboo Pavilion earlier, with horns on their heads and rows of bone spurs on their arms. There wasnt anything valuable in these stone houses, so Song Jian quickly searched them and found only a tattered map. At the center of the map was a huge pyramid marked on it. There arent any altars marked on this, just this pyramid. Ill check it out first and see! Song Jian thought to himself as he put the tattered map into his bag. Following its directions, he headed towards the pyramid. In the desert, ones hunger and thirst depleted quickly. Without water, it wouldnt be long before the thirst gauge would hit zero. Afterward, his Vitality Points would begin to decrease. Without enough water, one could easily die of thirst here. Fortunately, Song Jian had plenty of supplies. He always carried a lot of food and water with him. When his thirst gauge dropped below half, Song Jian took out a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly felt faint sounds of combat coming from his left front. Accompanied by the roars of Red-tailed Beasts, he immediately rushed in that direction. A few miles away, Jierna was wielding an axe and, along with her two Red-tailed Beasts, was attacking a Level 15 Elite BOSS. The BOSS resembled a huge scorpion with six legs and a segmented tail. Its tail was hook-shaped and tipped with a bright red stinger. LV15 Desert Scorpion Beast (Elite), Vitality Points: 2200/2900, Characteristics: Enhanced Defense, Highly Poisonous, Skills: Sand Escape, Scarlet Poison Needle, Pincer Strike. Song Jian stood on a sand dune, squinting as he watched. Although it was three against one, the Desert Scorpion Beast was incredibly fierce, able to move freely in the sand without any hindrance. It brandished its giant pincers, creating sparks each time they clashed. The two Red-tailed Beasts appeared quite wary of the BOSSS formidable weapons, and did not dare to attack head-on, instead harassing it from the sides. Jierna, on the other hand, was the main fighting force and directly faced the scorpion beast. As he carefully observed from the side, Song Jian seized the opportunity to see just how strong Jierna was in combat and if she had any hidden cards. However, before he could watch for long, Jierna seemed to detect something and turned her head towards Song Jian. Since there was nowhere to hide on the vast sands, Song Jian, who was standing on a high sand dune, could not escape Jiernas gaze. The moment she saw Song Jian, Jierna raised an eyebrow, anger flashing across her face. Stop standing there and help! No longer able to watch the fight, Song Jian shrugged his shoulders, drew his Guardians Sword, and charged towards the Desert Scorpion Beast. When the Desert Scorpion Beast saw Song Jian approaching, it didnt pay any attention to him. In its eyes, power directly correlated with size. It even held some contempt for the seemingly insignificant Song Jian. However, it quickly realized its grave mistake. Song Jians attacks were extremely powerful and his damage high. With a swing of his sword, three silver Sword Silks pierced through the thick shell and penetrated the scorpion beasts body. With the silvery Sword Qi flashing on his sword, Song Jian effortlessly tore through the shell on the scorpion beasts body, causing massive damage to it. Even when its pincers clashed with Song Jians sword head on, the latter remained fearless. The Invisible Sword Qi made the sword incredibly sharp. Each clash shattered fragments of the scorpions pincers, leaving them pitted and ragged in no time. The Desert Scorpion Beasts Vitality Points rapidly decreased, and its eyes filled with fear when looking at Song Jian. Feeling the imminent threat to its life, the Desert Scorpion Beast actually turned and fled. After running some distance, it burrowed directly into the sand and disappeared. Chapter 246: Scorpion Beast Helmet Chapter 246: Scorpion Beast Helmet Translator: 549690339 Desert Shift! This is a defense skill of the Sand Scorpion Beast, whenever it faces danger, it tunnels into the sand to escape. What to do? Watch it run away like this? Song Jian looked regretfully where the Scorpion Beast dug a large hole, he couldnt chase it into the sand. Hmph, it cant stay beneath the sand indefinitely. Its skill also needs to cool down sometime! Jierna snorted, flicking her ponytail, she ordered the two Red-tailed Beasts: You two, track its trail, find where it comes out. After strolling around the big hole for a while, the two Red-tailed Beasts roared at Jierna before running toward the left. Follow them! After Jierna finished speaking, she jumped onto one of the Red-tailed Beasts, riding it to follow the other one. Although Song Jian owned a motorcycle, it couldnt run smoothly through the desert, with his own two legs the only option, he trailed behind the two Red-tailed Beasts, eating their dust. Because they were tracking the trace of the Sand Scorpion Beast, the Red-tailed Beasts werent moving very fast, which barely allowed Song Jian to keep up with them. After running for about ten minutes, there was a noise from the front, and the Sand Scorpion Beast finally emerged from under the sand. Attack, its Vitality Points arent plenty anymore. Knock it down, well share the loot! Jierna shouted to Song Jian behind her, instantly wielding her battleaxe and lunging from the back of the Red-tailed Beast, leaping mid-air. Die! Jierna yelled fiercely in mid-air. Her battleaxe, with a whistling sound, swung towards the Sand Scorpion Beast. Song Jian also charged at it. The ground quaked under his foot, and a sharp fang-shaped energy wave ripped through the sand, leaving a deep mark. After using the Desert Shift skill, the Sand Scorpion Beast seemed very exhausted. Crawling in the sand for about ten minutes without air and against much resistance burned a few times more energy than usual, so when it came out, the Scorpion Beast was panting heavily. Feeling the intense energy above its head, a look of annoyance flashed in the eyes of the Sand Scorpion Beast. It surprisingly rose its front body up, swinging the scorpion claw at mid-air Jierna. Boom! After the battleaxe and the Scorpions Claw collided, a loud boom followed by a shockwave rolled through, and the Sand Scorpion Beast retreated a few steps, surprise flashing in its eyes. It couldnt believe that such a tiny figure could wield such immense power. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, a sharp sound came from below. A fang-shaped energy wave hit one of its left legs hard. With a crack, the Earth Teeth Assault triggered a critical hit and broke off one of the Scorpion Beasts legs. A wave of intense pain washed over the Sand Scorpion Beast, causing it to tilt towards the left, losing its balance and rolling over. Well done! Jiernas eyes shone. She shouted, stomping under her foot causing a giant pit, her body sprung up, swinging her battleaxe towards the Scorpion Beasts stomach. Splash- The battleaxe easily ripped open the Scorpion Beasts soft belly, a stinky thick green liquid splurted out from the wound, staining Jiernas entire body green. The Scorpion Beast let out a series of frantic shrills. The Scorpion Tail swung from under its body, raising up high, a vivid red Scorpion hook launched towards Jiernas back. Buzz- A soft trembling sound echoed through the air as a three-meter-long sword light swept across, chopping the scorpion tail into two pieces. Sword Silk! Three silver sword silks appeared out of nowhere from the surface of Song Jians body. After briefly probing the surroundings, they lashed out at the desert scorpion beast with a swish. Thwack thwack thwack- The three sword silks struck the shell of the desert scorpion beast like a whip, splitting three wounds over a meter long. Blood splattered around, tinting the surrounding sand green. Still not dead? Jierna didnt even glance at the scorpion tail behind her, continuously swinging her battle axe and hacking at the scorpion beast. The beast writhed crazily, stirring up a cloud of dust and sand that cloaked everything in chaos. Jiernas growling and the scorpions beasts roar intertwined. The figure of the scorpion beast flickered in the dust, its thick green blood occasionally splattering out. Soon, the movement of the desert scorpion beast gradually diminished. The dust settled, and next to a small sand dune, the beast collapsed onto the ground. Jierna stood atop the beasts body, one foot stepping on its head, one hand holding the battle axe on her shoulder, looking at Song Jian. Impressive! Song Jian gave Jierna a thumbs-up, loudly praising her. Upon hearing Song Jians praise, a radiant smile spread across Jiernas face. You did pretty well too. If it werent for you, I might have been seriously injured this time. This guys tail is no joke! Jierna jumped off the massive body of the scorpion beast, delivering a hard kick to its corpse. An invisible flame began to burn on the surface of the scorpion beasts body, its enormous corpse sizzling in heat. A few items emitting a bluish-green glow emerged from its body. Jierna carefully examined the items. She immediately separated one piece of blue equipment and two pieces of white-quality materials into one pile, and the remaining three green items into another pile. Then she said to Song Jian, Lets split the spoils. You pick first! Song Jian stepped forward to take a look. Among the two piles of spoils, there was only one piece of equipment, which was the blue item. Scorpion Beast Helmet (Blue): Helmet, Equipment Effect: Physical Defense + 8, Vision +3, Attack +10; Special Effect: Summoning Scorpion Beast (Passive), when damaged, there is a certain chance to summon a Desert Scorpion Beast Soul to assist in battle. The Desert Scorpion Beast Soul lasts for 180 seconds, this skill can only trigger once every sixty minutes. Equipment requirement: Level 13, Can it be taken out of the game: No. A level 13 helmet. Song Jian was only at level 12, he needed to level up once more to wear it. The remaining two items paired with the helmet were white-quality materials: Scorpion Meat full of Fishy Smell and Broken Scorpion Shell. The former was a cooking material, the latter a forging material, both of not very high value. The other pile held three green quality items which were three Exquisite Scorpion Pearls, their usage unknown. But if sold, each can fetch a thousand Doomsday Coins. Song Jian glanced at them, then directly picked up the blue-quality helmet and the two white-quality materials. Jierna watched Song Jian, a mysterious smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she collected the three Exquisite Scorpion Pearls. Continue in this direction, and in about five or six kilometers, we should reach Kantelu Ruins. The Prayer Altar is there! Jierna pointed in a direction across the desert. Something clicked in Song Jians mind. The direction she was pointing to was where the pyramid was marked on the map. It seemed that the map he had found earlier was indeed the map of Kantelu Ruins. Chapter 247: Stone City Chapter 247: Stone City Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had now confirmed that the pyramid marked on the map was indeed the Kantelu Ruins. However, it seemed that the ruins were a great distance from where he and Jierna were. It had taken them more than six hours to get there. Annoyed at Song Jians slow pace, Jierna had another one of the Red-tailed Beasts carry him. The beasts raced through the desert without encountering a single monster, which Song Jian found peculiar. Half a day later, a Stone City appeared before them. Having dismounted from the Red-tailed Beast, Jierna pointed at the city before them and explained, That is the main city of the Kantulu Clan, the place now known as the Kantelu Ruins. The prayer altar is at the center of the city. You can see a corner of it from here. Looking in the direction Jierna was pointing, Song Jian indeed saw a towering pyramid within the city. It was far taller than the other buildings, and its point could even be seen several miles away. The Stone City before them wasnt that big. Its walls were built from stone bricks, many of which had collapsed. Dark red plants, resembling cacti, were plentiful and their sharp thorns stood tall. The city looked simple and dilapidated, which disappointed Song Jian. It appeared that the Kantulu Clan wasnt as strong as hed imagined. The citys size was similar to a small district within a Zombie Town. This disadvantaged size was likely why the entire clan had faded into history, leaving behind only these city ruins. As they moved towards the Stone City, after a few steps, they both glanced to the left. A billowing cloud of sand was rising in the distance, seemingly stirred up by someone running at a high speed. Humph, 1 had expected that little green dwarf to run fast! Jierna huffed with a cold snort. Song Jian started to laugh as he recognized the running figure to be the Goblin merchant Canaan. He looked just as he did when Song Jian first met him, carrying his large bundle on his shoulder. This was the first time Song Jian had seen Canaan running. Canaan was impressively fast and had good endurance. Seeing Song Jian and Jierna, Canaan changed his course to run toward them, and in no time at all, was standing before them. Phew, phew-. I finally found you guys. The desert is riddled with monsters. 1 was almost surrounded by them, Canaan wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking completely worn out. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Coward! Weve only encountered a single monster all this time. The desert isnt teeming with monsters as you say! Your problem is that youre a scaredy-cat! Jierna scornfully remarked. Just as Canaan was about to retort, Song Jian suddenly pointed in the direction Canaan had come from and asked, Are those the monsters you were talking about? Jierna looked up and saw the cloud of dust created by Canaans run was beginning to settle. Behind it were hundreds of Desert Scorpion Beasts lined up densely, looking like a dark tide, heading toward them. You good-for-nothing! How could you draw so many monsters toward us! Jierna roared in fury, her combat axe itching to chop Canaan in half. I, I was just saying Canaan gasped for air while trying to defend himself. Lets run! Into the Stone City, or were all going to die here, Song Jian said, darting towards the Stone City. These Desert Scorpion Beasts were just ordinary Level 15 monsters and not the Level 15 Elite Boss theyd encountered earlier. Despite this, the sheer number of beasts was overwhelming, and two people, no, three C even considering Canaan, it was not a fight they could win. All around them was a blank canvas of yellow sand. Only by entering the Stone City could they have a chance to escape. Although the city walls had collapsed considerably, lacking defensive strength, most of the buildings inside the city were still intact. Provided they could find a stone house to hide in, out of sight from the beasts, they might be able to wait out until the monsters left on their own. Jierna also discarded her resentment for Canaan and dashed toward the Stone City alongside Song Jian. Jumping over a collapsed stone wall, the three of them rushed into the city, heading towards the city center. Most of the buildings near the stone wall had either collapsed or been buried by the sand. The stones towards the center of the city, the closer they were to the central pyramid, better they were preserved. These stone houses are too small; they cant serve as hiding places. Jierna looked around and frowned. Song Jian looked around and found that the stone houses near the city center were mostly two or three-story stone towers. They didnt take up much ground area, and these stone towers wouldnt be able to withstand an onslaught from a group of Level 15 monsters. Lets go to the prayer altar. Only there can we find a place to hide. Canaan yelled, pointing at the massive pyramid at the city center. Right, that place! Jiernas eyes lit up, and she quickly gave her approval. Song Jian had come here for the first time and naturally had no say in the matter. He followed Jierna and Canaan towards the massive pyramid. The pyramid stood several tens of meters high, constructed from huge rocks each over a meter in diameter. Building such a structure was more challenging than constructing ten stone cities. Song Jian wondered how the Kantulu Clan had managed to construct it. Moreover, surrounding the giant pyramid were dozens of smaller pyramids. The shortest stood about seven or eight meters tall while the tallest was no more than fifty meters high. Compared to the central pyramid, they were as insignificant as jackals to an elephant. What are these smaller pyramids for? Song Jian asked while running. They all seal demons. Dont approach them too closely. Only the giant pyramid that hosts the prayer altar is safe, Canaan urgently warned, his face growing pale as he saw Song Jian pointing at the smaller pyramids. Hmph, demons my foot! Theyre nothing but Level 30 Elites! Jierna snorted, her face filled with disdain. Level 30 Elite bosses? Song Jians body trembled involuntarily, immediately dropping the idea of exploring the smaller pyramids. Underneath the giant pyramid was a stone corridor about two meters wide, leading directly inside the pyramid. The three of them followed this corridor and soon felt a shift from bright to dim light, indicating theyd entered the pyramids interior. Behind them, sharp shrieks from the Desert Scorpion Beasts could be heard. They seemed to fear this pyramid, staying put at the entrance to the stone corridor, continuously screeching. Phew! Were safe! They dare not enter, Canaan said, collapsing onto the ground and panting heavily. Jierna too threw her weapon aside and sat down leaning against a Red-tailed Beast. She didnt have any speed boosting skills and had relied purely on her physical stamina to reach safety. Now that the danger had passed, she too started to feel fatigued. Song Jian frowned. If this pyramid was as safe as Canaan said, why did the Scorpion Beasts fear it? It seems there are secrets within the pyramid that they havent discovered yet. Song Jian glanced at Canaan and Jierna, secretly speculating. Chapter 248: Stone Gate Chapter 248: Stone Gate Translator: 549690339 The desert scorpion creatures behind them closely guarded the base of the Great Pyramid. The three of them walked along the stone passageway into the interior of the pyramid and went a distance of more than a hundred meters. A stone door appeared in front of them. Phew, weve made it. Just wait a moment; once the door opens, we can enter. Canaan relaxed when he saw the stone door and sat on the stone passage floor to rest. Jierna leaned her battle-axe and rested on it as well, and the two Red-tailed Beasts closely followed her. Song Jian glanced at the two and assumed that the stone door would automatically open in due time, allowing them to enter the place where the prayer altar was. After looking around, Song Jian was attracted by the stone door and walked up to it to carefully examine it from top to bottom. The stone door was pitch black and looked different from the other stones in Stone City. Its surface had a faint glow, and it was filled with a strong aura of deathly silence, clearly having been refined by the Kantulu Clans secret method. The door was engraved with strange characters and patterns, and some parts were even inlaid with gold threads and jewels. Song Jian reached out to touch the jewels, but as soon as his finger touched the stone door, a strong current appeared with a snap sound, bouncing Song Jians finger away and floating a damage of over a hundred points above his head. The damage is so high? Song Jian was somewhat surprised. Generally, even if a player reached level 10, their Vitality Points wouldnt be this high. If they came here and casually touched the stone door, they would be killed in an instant. Be careful, theres a curse from the Kantulu Clan on this stone door. If you touch it carelessly, you will be injured. Canaan glanced at Song Jian and said. Now that their employment relationship had come to an end, Canaan became somewhat cold-hearted. If this had happened before, Canaan would have warned Song Jian before he tried to touch it. So, it cannot be touched? What about this? Song Jian pointed to a sword mark over three feet long on the stone door and asked. The door was intact except for the sword mark, which stood out. Song Jian raised his left hand, and a silver sword glow erupted out of thin air. Shoo- The sword glow fiercely chopped at the stone door, causing sparks to fly. However, the stone door remained unharmed. Have you gone mad? Canaan jumped up, taking several steps back in retreat. As the stone door was attacked, its surface emitted currents that made crackling sounds. Boom- A beam of current shot out like the whip of a thunder god and struck Song Jian. A light curtain appeared on Song Jians body, the current slammed fiercely onto the light curtain, and in one blow, it shattered the light curtain with a defense power of 500 points. Quick, get back! As long as you get out of its attack range, youll be safe! Canaan screamed from behind Song Jian. Rather than retreating, Song Jian advanced forward and held up the Guardians Sword. The Invisible Sword Qi on the sword blade was stained silver; Shoo-. The long sword fiercely slashed at the stone door, and immediately, thunder-like noises resounded through the stone passageway. The currents on the stone door grew in number, eventually forming a wall of lightning. Just then, that sword mark on the stone door suddenly shone with a bright light, accompanied by a faint hum in everyones ears. Boom- An illusory figure appeared in front of the stone door out of thin air. This figure wore a green robe and had long hair draped over their shoulders. Song Jian could only see their back. The figure raised their right hand, and a sword as thick as a finger appeared out of nowhere, transforming into a gigantic heavy sword that chopped fiercely at the stone door. Boom- With a loud noise, the lightning wall before Song Jian disintegrated. On the stone door, along the sword mark, another crack appeared, bursting more than a foot to the left. The illusory figure turned around, nodded at Song Jian, and slowly dissipated in the air. A look of bewilderment appeared in Song Jians eyes. He squinted, trying to get a closer look at the face of the illusory figure but couldnt see it clearly. The lightning, the figure, the sword glow, and the giant sword all disappeared, returning to how it had been when the three just arrived. The only difference was that there was now an additional crack more than a foot long on the stone door. What just happened? Canaan was dumbfounded. He had been to the Kantelu Ruins countless times and had never seen anything like this before. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You have personally experienced the Epic profession Sword Master demonstrating sword moves to you. All your sword-related skill levels have increased by one. Song Jian was dumbfounded. He didnt expect that merely witnessing the illusory figures sword strike would increase all his sword-related skill levels by one. This was like receiving a pie from the sky. Sword Master? Epic profession? Does that mean that if I continue to improve as a Sword Controller, the next time I change jobs, 1 can become a Sword Master? Song Jian secretly thought, Just dont know when Ill be able to change jobs to the Swordsman Immortal profession. He checked his skill column and found that indeed, all sword-related skills, including the[Cold Weaponry (Sword) (Basic)], had been increased by one level. Whats more, the proficiency from practicing for so long had been maintained, further enhancing his strength. Boom- The stone door began to tremble slightly, and moved to both sides, seemingly opening on its own. Huh, its not time yet. Why is the stone door opening automatically? Could it be because of just now Canaan murmured softly and slowly stepped forward. As the stone door opened, an extreme aura of destruction accompanied by countless screams and wails surged out. Song Jian stood at the forefront and instantly felt a sharp sensation rushing towards him, as if countless evil spirits were surrounding him and gnawing at his body. A series of damage numbers floated above his head. Canaan yelled and rushed backward as a milky white light surged under his feet. Jierna roared, her body shining with golden light as she entered Tyrant Body State. System: You have been injured by the ancient curse of the Kantulu Clan, losing 100 Vitality Points per second for ten seconds. System: The Kantulu Clans ancient curse triggered your talent skill Thick Skin, weakening the curses effect and causing you to lose 60 Vitality Points per second for five seconds. Song Jian was startled and couldnt help but take two steps back. However, with the bonus of his talent skill Thick Skin and the 300% Vitality Points recovery speed, the ancient curse of the Kantulu Clan was unable to deal fatal damage to him. After enduring for ten seconds, Song Jians Vitality Points started to gradually increase. Jiernas face showed a trace of exhaustion. The continuous activation of Tyrant Body State consumed a lot of her energy. However, the state of Tyrant Body made her immune to any negative effects, so the ancient curse didnt cause her any harm. Behind them, Canaan held a handful of pills in his hands, a distressed look on his face as he shoved the pills into his mouth, whispering, Im at a loss, a big loss. Im afraid I wont even be able to break even this time. How could this happen? I havent encountered such a situation before Chapter 249: 249: Altar of Prayer Chapter 249: 249: Altar of PrayerTranslator: 549690339 | Canaan felt depressed inside. When they came to the Kantelu Ruins before, the labyrinth would be somewhat dangerous, bur once they entered the real Kantelu Ruins, there would be no danger. However, when they entered the Kantelu Ruins this time, he was chased by a large group of desert scorpion beasts, causing Canaan to waste several one-time acceleration items and many potions that restore Spirit Points. Later, when they entered the pyramid, he wasted a lor of porions that recover Vitality Points. This trip would be a great loss if he hadnt obtained good things at rhe prayer altar. Tve never been so unlucky before, nor encountered so many troubles Canaan muttered quietly. Jierna pointed at Song Jian and said, Youve never been with him before either! Canaan was stunned and then cast a resentful glance at Song Jian. Being chased by desert scorpion beasts before could be attributed to bad luck, bur the fact that they triggered the passive defense of the stone gate resulted in the damage and early activation of the gate. This subsequently led them to be hit by an ancient curse inside, and it was all Song Jians fault for carelessly trying to investigate it. But Canaan dared not blame Song Jian, so he could only quietly grumble while drawing circles in a corner. The three crossed the stone gate and faced a huge palace. In the center of the palace, there was an altar over a person tall, built from stone blocks. This is the prayer altar of the Kantulu clan. It can communicate with countless planes. Some items that you think are useless might be treasures in other planes, and some useless items on the other side could be treasures in our plane. Through this altar, we can exchange items with creatures from other planes!11 Canaan pointed at the altar in the palace and said. The probability of what you said happening is very small, right? Song Jian glanced at Canaan and said. Canaans face showed an awkward expression, scratching his head, he said, Thats what the senior who brought me here for the first time said. Anyway, Tve never encountered such a good thing before! How to activate it? Song Jian asked. Its not time yet; when it starts emanating light, it can be used. Canaan finished, suddenly alert and reminded Song Jian with a glance: Dont mess with it; this altar is the only valuable thing here. If something goes wrong, our trip will be in vain. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You guys use it quickly, and after that, Im going to carry this altar away. Jierna said casually, and glanced at Song Jian, adding: We agreed on this beforehand. This thing is somewhat chicken ribs; it should also follow the principle of equivalent exchange Song Jian touched his chin and muttered quietly: For example, an Attribute Fruit may seem like a treasure to us, but in other planes, its probably not cheap, right? Not necessarily. What if theres a plane with trees full of Attribute Fruits everywhere? Itd be as common as ordinary fruits here! Canaan suddenly said. How can that be? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and said, If thats true, wouldnt people from that plane be incredibly strong? What if the people from that plane became immune to Attribute Fruits after eating too much, and the fruits only have effects on people from other planes? Canaan said casually: Anything is possible! Have you encountered any similar good fortune? Song Jian asked. Goblin merchant Canaans face suddenly darkened, and after a long silence, he shook his head and said: In most cases, its an equivalent exchange. However, some items from other planes dont exist in our world; they are non-renewable resources. Some big shots like to collect them, and they can be sold at a good price Song Jian didnt move, but Jierna began to circle the prayer altar, examining the placement of each stone block. It seemed like she really wanted to take this prayer altar back to her house. This altar had densely packed Magic Runes carved on its surface, numbering in the thousands. Even if Song Jian couldnt understand them, he felt a sense of inexplicable awe. Prayer Altar (Special Building), Effect: Offer an item of at least ordinary quality, use the altar to communicate with the myriad realms, and trade items with a certain probability of exchanging items of a higher grade; Usage conditions: Specific rime, once a month In other words, there is a chance to get an item of a higher quality than the offered item; if you offer a silver-quality item and get a gold-quality item, wouldnt that be a huge profit? Song Jian murmured to himself. It didnt take long for the three of them to witness the altar surface start emanating milky white light. The originally bluish-green stone gradually turned into a jade-like green color, and the Magic Runes carved on it also glowed with golden light. Its activated, the altar is activated. Whos going first? Canaan became excited and showed an eager expression. You go first; Im here to take it down! Jierna waved her hand and said. Canaan glanced at Song Jian, and Song Jian signaled him to go first. Canaan grinned, took out a silver-glowing item from his backpack, and walked towards the altar step by step. Wow, youre really generous! Song Jians eyes widened as he stared at the silver item in Canaans hand; he had never seen it before. It seems like this guy had some hidden storage items. The goblin merchant climbed the steps to the top of the prayer altar, placed the silver-quality equipment on it, and then began to pray silently with his palms together. In a short while, a silvery light bloomed on the altar. Another planes creature has taken interest in his item and is showcasing its exchange items. Unfortunately, only those who are on the altar can see the traded items! Jierna, who was also curious about the altar, explained to Song Jian, who was visiting the place for the first time. What if youre not satisfied with the item the other party puts out? Song Jian asked. Its not a trade with just one party or in a queue. As long as they are interested in the item on the altar, they can showcase their exchange item. When the time comes, you can just pick the highest value one from within, Jierna explained and added: Of course, if the items value is too low and no one wants to exchange it, then this opportunity will be wasted. You will have to wait until next month to try again! As they talked, Song Jian noticed that the silver-quality item Canaan had placed on the altar suddenly disappeared. Apparently, Canaan had successfully traded with a creature from another plane, but what item he got in exchange could only be known to him, as others couldnt see it. Seeing the satisfied smile on Canaans face, it seemed that he got what he wanted, and their trip to the Kantelu Ruins wouldnt be a waste. Its your turn! Canaan came down from the altar with a grin and said to Song Jian. Song Jian took a deep breath and walked towards the prayer altar. Chapter 250: 250: Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body Chapter 250: 250: Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword BodyTranslator: 549690339 Song Jian stood on the altar, unsure of what to do next, when a line of golden letters appeared before his eyes. Please place the item you wish to exchange. Can I only place one item? Then, what shall I choose? Song Jian opened his inventory to check. There was quite a lot of stuff cluttered in Song Jians inventory, a bamboo shovel, miners gloves, exquisite totem marks, batwing zombie summon cards, vampiric scrolls, attack scrolls, vitality stones, necromancer crystal cores, and so on. There was also a level 15 silver-quality leather armor and a level 13 scorpion beast helmet. These two items would probably be the most expensive equipment in Song Jians inventory, but unfortunately, these were items that Song Jian needed, he couldnt exchange them; what if the exchanged item wasnt something he could use? He would surely cry. After hesitating for a while, the countdown had started at the altar, and Song Jians gaze fell on an item. This was the only black quality equipment Song Jian had acquired. Although the attributes provided by this item were poor, only increasing the upper limit of ones vitality by a little, Song Jian always felt that this item was somewhat mysterious. Mutated Stone Tablet, this was the spoils of war Song Jian acquired when he had hunted that elite BOSS tombstone zombie. Until now, Song Jian hadnt seen any other black quality equipment, this was the only one. As if guided by some inexplicable force, Song Jian took out this accessory and placed it on the altar. As soon as Song Jian placed it, an item emanating a silver glow appeared before his eyes. Silver quality? Song Jian was surprised. He didnt expect that his item would be so valuable, enough to exchange for a silver-quality item. Phoenix Dance Singer (Silver), special item, effects: This Singer has mastered hundreds of dances, can enhance the grade of a banquet when used there, enthusiasm level +1. One of the Twin Legend set; can perform the Phoenix Dance with Phoenix Dance Singer. Silver-quality set? Song Jians expression became a bit peculiar. He had thought that sets would only be of deep green quality, he hadnt expected that there would be sets even among silver-quality. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But this thing is a bit of a white elephant- Song Jian said, shaking his head as he touched his chin, this item was purely for showing off. It enhances the atmosphere during a banquet but offers no help in battles. Perhaps some big shots in other cities would be interested in it Just as Song Jian was deliberating whether to exchange for this silver-quality item, suddenly, the exchange list surged with hundreds of items appearing, each not lower than silver-quality. What, whats going on? Song Jians face showed surprise. You have to know that even if there is a chance to exchange for an item of a higher quality, usually only one item will appear. For example, if Song Jian were to put out an item of blue quality for exchange, most of the items that would appear in the exchange list would be of blue quality, with some even being green or white quality. But if a silver-quality item appears, at the most, only one would appear, unlike now, where there are hundreds. So many silver-quality items made Song Jians eyes dazzle, he could hardly read all the attributes in detail. Could it be that this black-quality Mutated Stone Tablet has other uses? As Song Jian carefully picked the exchange items, he started to hesitate in his heart. I feel like 1 got the short end of the stick, even though I dont even know what uses this stone tablet has! Song Jian muttered in his heart. Just then, a golden light appeared before Song Jian, and there was a golden-quality item in the exchange, outshining all the other items all at once. Gold, gold quality? Is there really someone willing to exchange a gold-quality item for this stone tablet? Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth Yin Yang Sorrowful Charm? This is a gold-quality skill book? What a strange name and it requires level 80 to learn, and also requires negative karma up to -10,000 to learn? Song Jian frowned, and for a moment, he had a feeling of indecision about whether to exchange for this skill book. He would likely be unable to use it for a long time if he traded for it. However, to exchange a piece of poor-quality accessory for a gold-quality skill, although this skill sounds quite abnormal and he couldnt use it at the moment, it was obviously a very worthwhile deal. Song Jian just had this feeling in his heart that he was still getting the short end of the stick. Whoosh- Suddenly, another item appeared in the exchange column flashing with light. Level Fruit? A gold-quality Level Fruit, after use, it directly increases the users level by 10? Simple and crude, but As Song Jian stared at the newly appeared Level Fruit, he became more convinced that his stone tablet was indeed a very special item, worth far more than he had imagined. Song Jian hadnt stared at the golden quality Level Fruit for long before another golden skill scroll appeared in the exchange list. Forge Body and Wash Marrow Primordial Breathing Method? Increases all attributes every time a level is gained? This technique can also be used in the real world, good stuff, indeed! Song Jians eyes lit up, while levels can be gradually raised, a skill that can increase body attributes was too rare. Just as Song Jian was about to select this skill, another gold-quality skill scroll appeared before him. Song Jian only took a glance and immediately chose to exchange for the newly revealed skill scroll. Skill Scroll: Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. After use, can learn the skill Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. Scroll Usage Condition: Main weapon is sword; Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After releasing this skill, the players all attributes +5, physical defense increase 30%, magic resistance increase 30%, negative effect immunity judgement +3, when using sword weapons, damage increase 50%, when releasing sword skills, power increase 30%. This effect lasts for 30 seconds, dispel, purify-type skills cannot affect this effect; Skill cost: consumes 30 Invisible Sword Qi on release, during its duration, consumes 1 Invisible Sword Qi per second. Skill Cooldown: 60 minutes; Skill Description: This skill is one of the inherited skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession. This was the third Swordsman Immortal profession skill book that Song Jian got. Seeing it, all other items were no longer appealing to Song Jian. After the exchange was done, Song Jian immediately used the skill scroll. In an instant, a golden light enveloped Song Jian, and the words Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body appeared in the skill bar. This skill had a rather long cooldown, and unless he was certain he wouldnt be in any fights, it would normally not be used casually, as it should be kept as his trump card. After the exchange was completed, Song Jian felt a force surging from the altar, pushing him to leave. This force was weak at first, but started to get stronger over time. One person could only exchange one item at a time, so there was no point in staying on the altar. So, Song Jian slowly stepped off the altar. Haha, is it my turn now? Jierna put away her battle axe and quickly walked towards the altar. Chapter 251: 251: Moving Out Chapter 251: 251: Moving OutTranslator: 549690339 Jiernas goal was to move this entire altar, but she wasnt sure if it could still be used after moving it, so she decided to use it once beforehand. Wow, what extravagance, actually using a golden quality item to exchange! Canaan looked at the item in Jiernas hand and said jealously. Exchanging items with the prayer altar doesnt necessarily mean using gold-quality items, but the lowest quality that one could exchange was gold. If the item offered was unappealing, people from other planes wouldnt be fools to exchange their treasures, and they might even exchange silver or even blue-quality items. After placing the item on the altar, someone soon brought out their exchange item, Jierna selected one after some deliberation and completed the trade. Phew, she exchanged for a golden-quality weapon! Canaan, standing on tiptoes, saw the item in Jiernas hand and whispered. It looked like Jierna had exchanged for a gold-quality battleaxe, and she began brandishing it excitedly as soon as she got it. Jiernas item was merely a gold-quality material, but exchanging it for a gold-quality weapon was quite a bargain. Alright, now that both of you have finished exchanging, leave here quickly. Im going to move this altar! Jierna stared at Song Jian and Canaan and said fiercely. With a gold-quality weapon in hand, Jierna had more confidence. If it werent for seeing Song Jian exchange a golden quality skill earlier and mastering it right away, she might have attacked immediately. System: Jierna has proposed that you leave. You must leave within three minutes and be at least 100 meters away from her, otherwise her favorability towards you will decrease greatly. What? This NPCs favorability can change like this? Its already on friendly, but it could still drop so easily? Song Jian suddenly lost interest in favorability. Heh! This altar was built with the entire strength of the Kantulu Clan. If you so much as touched a single brick on it, the altars energy might detonate and destroy the whole pyramid! Canaan taunted Jierna with a sarcastic expression. Thats not your concern! Jierna said nonchalantly. You should leave quickly, in case the altars energy really detonates. Isnt it better if youre farther away? Hurry up, go! How are we supposed to leave with all those Desert Scorpion Beasts outside the pyramid? Song Jian asked. Thats not my problem. Anyway, you guys can stay here. Once I take the altar, therell be no problem with you staying here! Jierna looked at Song Jian and said. Lets go, lets go, wait in the stone corridor for a while Canaan pulled Song Jian and walked towards the outside. As they left the palace, Canaan whispered to Song Jian: Humph! That woman is crazy. Every time she comes, she says she wants to move the altar, but she never does it. Does she think this altar is so easy to move? She probably cant even understand the runes on it, let alone touch a single brick! The Kantelu Ruins have been here for thousands of years. If they could be moved, they would have been moved by someone else long ago, not left for this crazy woman! Canaan said disdainfully. The two reached the stone corridor and heard the snarls of the Desert Scorpion Beasts outside, which seemed to be guarding the pyramid relentlessly. This is troublesome; these monsters havent dispersed yet. Canaan frowned slightly before looking at Song Jian and saying, With your strength, those Desert Scorpion Beasts probably cant hurt you, but Im not so lucky. Time is money, my friend. Now that were done here, I have to leave immediately. Take care of yourself! As he spoke, Canaan took out a Town Return Scroll, tore it open, and was immediately enveloped in a milky white light. One last piece of advice: no matter what, dont go exploring the other pyramids; theyre all filled with level 30 elite bosses Whoosh- A beam of white light shot up to the sky, protecting Canaan as it tore through space. The walls of the pyramid couldnt block this white light, and a powerful spatial force formed a unique pathway to take Canaan away from the pyramid. Only Song Jian was left in the stone corridor, with intermittent tremors coming from the palace behind him. It seemed that Jierna had started to tamper with the altar. I hope you dont blow yourself up. If an item that connects all realms explodes, I fear that Stone City will be reduced to nothing but ruins. Song Jian thought to himself, feeling like he was sitting on a ticking bomb. As he watched the restless Desert Scorpion Beasts outside the stone corridor, Song Jian drew his longsword and charged out. Let me try how powerful this Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body really is! When the nearest scorpion beast was still seven or eight meters away, Song Jian stomped his foot, and a fang-shaped air mass whistled toward it. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a bang, a scorpion beast was knocked flying. Weakness Potion! A bottle of mutated-grade Weakness Potion shattered in the midst of the desert scorpion beasts, instantly enveloping seven or eight of them. Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a light shout, a faint golden light flickered around Song Jians body, and eight sword shadows circled him. The long sword in his hand sparkled with a silver glow as he charged at the desert scorpion beasts. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians figure darted wildly through the scorpion beasts, none of them able to stop him. As soon as he unleashed the Broken Wing Dance skill, Song Jians speed was almost like teleporting. After two consecutive attacks, Song Jian leapt high into the air and fiercely slashed down at the scorpion beasts on the ground. Boom! An airwave blew away all the surrounding scorpion beasts. Swish- The sword light in his left hand burst forth, and a three-meter-long silver sword light, accompanied by Song Jians body rotation, drew a perfect circle. Thud, thud, thud- More than a dozen desert scorpion beasts exploded in mid-air, leaving not a single intact corpse. The large group of scorpion beasts around roared in anger and rushed towards Song Jian, their giant pincers smashing down fiercely, the low sound of tearing air echoing above Song Jians head. Knights Creed! A white light shield protected Song Jian, who instead of retreating, advanced towards the scorpion beasts. All the attacks hit the white light shield continuously C the 500-point defense only lasted for seven or eight seconds before it shattered completely. Bang, bang, bang- The attacks from the scorpion beasts followed, and phantom longswords appeared on the surface of Song Jians body, surrounding and encircling him. All the attacks that hit Song Jians body only caused a series of single-digit damage. It should be noted that these were 20th-level ordinary monsters, eight levels higher than Song Jian. Feeling the slight vibrations from his bodys surface and the fact that his lost Vitality Points were recovering faster than the damage he was taking, Song Jians heart was reassured as he swung his longsword to kill enemies left and right among the scorpion beasts. Sword Silk! Rapid Sword, activate! Haha-, come, lets have a thrilling fight! Chapter 252: 252: Annihilation Chapter 252: 252: AnnihilationTranslator: 549690339 Once Song Jian opened the Immortal Sword Body technique, all his attributes increased by five points. His strength, now over twenty points, was supreme, with all other attributes receiving a corresponding boost. Other than his vitality points, all his attributes outclassed those of ordinary level twenty monsters. Add to that his high defense, resistance and unnaturally fast vitality recovery; it was clear that Song Jian could take whatever the desert scorpions threw at him. He moved with the fervor of a berserker amidst the desert scorpions, deflecting attacks left and right as silver light flashed and blood flew. The spectral swords that shone around him reduced the severity of their attacks before his equipped armor bore the remainder. The actual damage inflicted on him was minuscule; Further with his inherent skill Thick Skin forcibly reducing 12 points of damage, each desert scorpion could only inflict minimal damage on Song Jian. Given his current vitality points over 700, if only his Immortal Sword Body could last for more than 30 seconds, he might have slain all the surrounding scorpions; With five seconds of Immortal Sword Body left, Song Jian charged towards the pyramid. Within just twenty seconds, he had killed over twenty desert scorpions, boosting his experience points by 8%. The experience gained through killing monsters eight levels above him was substantial. Under normal circumstances, it would take him half a day of grinding comparable monsters to obtain such a feat. Whew, that was awesome! Song Jian staggered into the stone corridor, falling to one knee, sword propped on the ground. His zombie commanders armor was worn and torn, its durability drastically reduced. Despite that, his face wore an expression of excitement and wild glee. After a brief rest, upon standing up and turning to face the desert scorpions outside the stone corridor, the scorpions blocking the entrance instinctively retreated a few steps. The brutality of Song Jians onslaught earlier had left an indelible impression on them, akin to facing a natural predator. Rumble- A thunderous noise came from within the pyramids hall C Jierna had begun her assault. Song Jian was taken aback C she was seriously attempting to interfere with the prayer altar. Wouldnt I be doomed if she made a mistake? Song Jian couldnt help but worry. At this moment, the agitated desert scorpions outside the pyramid attempted to rush in. Yet, as they neared the stone corridor, they recoiled hissing, refusing to take a step further, even under the relentless attacks of their comrades. As the sounds of disturbance within the hall grew louder, waves of scorpions began converging towards the pyramid. Scorpions from behind were clambering over those in front, piling in layers and pressing closer towards the stone corridor. Five meters, four meters, three meters Finally, a scorpion was pushed into the stone corridor; Splash- Golden light erupted from the walls of the stone corridor, the numerous intricate magic runes taking form on the surrounding walls, continuously crackling with electricity; Boom- A bolt of lightning struck the squeezed-in scorpion, causing an instant reduction of over 1300 vitality points. These ordinary level twenty monsters had only 1450 vitality points to begin with, which was far less than that of the elite scorpion that chased Canaan in the past. The lightning left it at deaths doorstep with less than 100 vitality points remaining; As the second bolt of lightning formed, Song Jian dashed towards the nearly dead, shell-shattered desert scorpion, driving his long sword deep into its body. Having received a fatal blow, the almost dead desert scorpion was once flung up and heavily fell onto the ground, turning into a corpse. A transparent flame swiftly burned it into a pile of black ash. With the death of the scorpion, the lightning within the stone corridor slowly dissipated. The magic runes on the surrounding stone walls also gradually faded, returning to their original plain stone appearance. Most of the vitality points of this scorpion were stripped away by the pyramids defense measures which means that although Song Jian received all its experience points, it didnt drop any loot. Huh, this way of killing is faster! Realising this, Song Jian brightened up and threw a bottle of Weakness Potion towards the entrance of the stone corridor. Above the heads of a few dozen scorpions right outside the corridor, a whack sound resonated as the potion bottle exploded, causing 30 points of damage per scorpion, and drastically reducing their defense. Like rolling balls, the scorpions started getting pushed into the stone corridor, triggering the pyramids defense measures again. Bolt after bolt of lightning, like the whip of a thunderstorm, struck down mercilessly on the desert scorpions that dared intrude the pyramid. The flashes of electricity and the painful cries from the scorpions echoed within the stone corridor, leaving no scorpion capable of withstanding the whip-like blows. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, before they ended up in the corridor, all these scorpions were first subjected to Song Jians attack. Therefore, the system defaulted the experience points of these monsters to Song Jian. Rapidly, his experience points began to fluctuate. All he needed to do was continuously throw bottles of Weakness Potion at the desert scorpions about to be squeezed into the stone corridor. 15%, 30%, 45%, 60% Song Jians experience points increased at a fast pace, his Weakness Potions decreasing at the same pace; Soon, an hour passed with his experience reaching Level 12 at 94%, just one notch away from Level 13. The swarm of scorpions at the enclosed gate multiplied, seeming as if every desert scorpion in the area had poured into this Stone City. At first, these scorpions were just getting pushed into the corridor but eventually relying on their sheer toughness, they began braving through the stone corridors lightning to invade the pyramid. Each progressing step resulted in a few desert scorpions being annihilated by the corridors lightning. Nonetheless, the scorpions from behind trampled over the ashes of their comrades, inching closer and closer. Meanwhile, Song Jian could only keep retreating. Just then, a rumble eruption from behind him reverberated through the pyramid; the entire building trembling. It felt like an earthquake. A surge of air rushed out from behind, bringing with it an aura of endless death and decay, making Song Jians heart tighten; No time to dodge, Song Jian instinctively activated the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body again as it had just cooled down. He was enveloped in a golden light, with several ghostly long swords floating upside down rotating slowly around him. Boom! The torrent of air from behind clashed harshly against Song Jian, almost knocking him flat on the ground. His body shimmered in golden light, while the few sword-like figures rotated even faster to form a sword-like shield that blocked the airwave. Just like a tidal wave, the air mass rushed at Song Jian who was presently using all his strength to stand still. He leaned against the wall of the stone corridor like a boulder, with closed eyes waiting for the air mass to dissipate. After a long ten seconds, the energy wave full of deathly silence began to weaken and finally disappeared. Chapter 253: 253: Returning to the Maze Chapter 253: 253: Returning to the MazeTranslator: 549690339 The wave of dead energy disappeared in the stone corridor, and Song Jian finally managed to withstand it, but his vitality points had dropped to a third. The stone corridor was quiet, and all the desert scorpions lay motionless on the cold stone slabs. You could see that their bodies had lost all moisture, looking like dried corpses. Plop- A desert scorpions body turned into powder, which seemed to be the beginning. Soon, the bodies of all the desert scorpions turned into piles of powder, including those outside the stone corridor. All these experience points! Song Jian thought, somewhat distressed. His experience was stuck at 94%. There were still hundreds of scorpions left, seemingly attracting all the desert scorpions in the world here. If Song Jian killed the remaining scorpions, he could not only level up to 13 but also gain another level C a chance that would be hard to come by outside of the Kantelu Ruins. Even with a monster tide, they wouldnt be able to kill all of them. What on earth happened in the palace? Did Jierna really dismantle the prayer altar? Song Jian curiously walked into the gold pyramid palace. As he expected, the prayer altar in the center of the hall was indeed dismantled, with no trace of its existence. Where the altar used to be was now a piece of floor tile, its wear and tear identical to those around it. Its really been removed? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. At that moment, cracking sounds like ka-ka came, and cracks suddenly appeared on the walls of the great pyramid hall. These cracks continued to extend towards the top of the hall, and Song Jian suddenly had a bad feeling. Sure enough, as Song Jian rushed out of the pyramid, the entire pyramid began to shake violently, and broken stones kept falling from above. Large green stones, measuring a meter on each side, fell from the top, creating crashing and crackling noises. With great difficulty, Song Jian managed to escape from the pyramid. It was a dangerous journey, and he almost got hit by the huge falling stones several times. Fortunately, the pyramid was tall enough to give him enough time to react and dodge. Looking back, the massive pyramid was shaking, and stone bricks were collapsing inwards. This spectacular scene showed the collapse of the grand, tens-of-meters high structure. As the largest gold pyramid in the center of Stone City collapsed with a rumble, monster roars and agitated howls could be heard from the dozen smaller gold pyramids around. It seemed that they could also feel the collapse. The collapse of the pyramid lasted for more than ten minutes. Eventually, the majestic building turned into a pile of ruins, and the monsters inside the smaller pyramids around stopped roaring, becoming utterly silent. Right in front of the collapsed ruins, a blood-red Teleportation Gate appeared out of thin air. There was also a five-minute countdown timer on the gate. Could this be the exit? Song Jian summoned a Blood Raven, ordering it to fly into the gate. After waiting for a while, the Blood Raven didnt die and return to the Blood Pool. Thus, Song Jian stepped into the teleportation gate, too. The stone city in the Kantelu Ruins fell into dead silence once again. At the moment when the countdown on the blood-colored teleportation gate disappeared, the gate itself disintegrated, vanishing without a trace. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The moment the blood-red gate disappeared, all the bosses sealed in the gold pyramids roared together in madness. As the sealing runes in the small pyramids collapsed rapidly, the bodies of the smaller pyramids began to crack, just like the big pyramid had done earlier. Boom, boom, boom- The small pyramids in the center of Stone City exploded one after another, and level 30 elite bosses leaped out from the ruins, viciously looking around from their positions atop the collapsing pyramids. Although these bosses differed in appearance and had been sealed for an unknown number of years, each of them exuded a fierce aura and looked somewhat weak, seemingly lacking in vitality. These dozen or so level 30 elite bosses glanced at each other and seemed to see the intense killing intent in each others eyes. Fortunately, these bosses were still sane. They randomly chose a direction, left the Stone City, and ran towards the desolate desert outside. Song Jian stepped into the blood-red Teleportation Gate, and after a brief spell of dizziness, he found himself back in the Kantelu Maze. A Blood Raven stood dumbly in front of the gate. Feeling Song Jians arrival, it twisted its head 180 degrees and gazed at him blankly. Song Jian raised his hand, dismissed the Blood Raven, allowing it to return to the Blood Pool, and looked around. All around were cold stone walls, and since the area had already been fully explored, the maze was eerily quiet. Do they expect me to walk back on my own? Song Jian couldnt help but complain. If he didnt have a map of the maze, it would take him at least three to four days to leave, and Song Jian didnt have the same skills as Canaan. However, Jierna had made a copy of the maze map for him, and the maze would not change for a month. Song Jian took out the map and studied it carefully. It took him more than half an hour to finally determine his location. The place was vast, and every fork in the road looked identical, making Song Jian feel disoriented. Before leaving the maze, why not try to solo kill a level 20 elite boss? Im very close to the golden chest now. Song Jian stroked his chin, carefully considering. Although he was only level 12 now, his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body could crush ordinary level 20 monsters for 60 seconds. Add to that several attack skills, and he had a fair chance of taking on a level 20 elite boss head-on. It was well known that the Swordsman Immortal profession was the number one offensive role. Song Jian, with three Swordsman Immortal profession inheritance skills, might not be able to meet the requirements of a Sword Immortal, but his attack power was far beyond other professions. Little Black, come out! With a wave of his hand, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon cub from the pet space. Fighting together with the pet would share the battle experience. Previously, Song Jian was reluctant to share the experience gained from killing the desert scorpions with his pet. Now, he summoned the Black Dragon cub to tank the monster, thereby increasing their safety. As a level 7 elite boss, the Black Dragon cubs vitality points had exceeded 5,000 C more than double that of the level 20 elite boss ghost fire beast. Song Jian even suspected that if the ghost fire beast were let loose against the Black Dragon cub, the latter might end up surviving. Come on, its time to show your strength. Kill the giant spider and Ill give you an extra chicken drumstick tonight. Song Jian gently stroked the scales on the head of the Black Dragon cub and spoke tenderly. Chapter 254: 254: Red Fire Beast Chapter 254: 254: Red Fire BeastTranslator: 549690339 Ever since the Black Dragon hatchling had transformed from a wild monster to Song Jians pet, it appeared to have suffered some kind of intelligence drop. The little creature would become excited at the promise of an extra chicken leg for the night, circling around Song Jian like a puppy, its tail, as deadly as a warhammer, swinging vigorously from side to side. It almost seemed like it had picked this behavior up from a local mutt. Accompanied by the Black Dragon hatchling, Song Jian set off towards the passageway where he had originally discovered the golden chest. The filter Canaan gave him had a time limit. When Song Jian realized that the filter had lost its function, he surprisingly found that he had grown accustomed to the awful stench lingering throughout the sewer-like labyrinth. Human adaptation is truly terrifying! Song Jian shook his head, took the filter off his nose and mouth, and tossed it onto the ground. The object, resembling something made of plastic, quickly dissolved in front of his eyes, leaving merely a faint grey stain on the ground. According to the map, Song Jian soon arrived at the tunnel where he had previously found the golden chest. The radiant chest bathed the entire corridor in a faint golden hue, yet it could not illuminate the giant spider web above them. Had Song Jian not had the intuition to glance upwards that day, he mightve become prey for the giant spider above him by now. The colossal spider web, which spanned over six meters in diameter, was spun from threads as thick as fingers. Its surface shimmered with a faint grey luster, as if coated with a layer of transparent slime. A faint indescribable odor reached Song Jians nostrils. Exceptionally conspicuous amongst the putrid stench of the sewer, Song Jian quickly distinguished this unique pungency from the overwhelming odors that filled the air. Looking upward, he noticed elliptical silk balls resembling cocoons hanging from the spider web. They were previous preys of the ghost-fire beast, now drained of fluids, shriveled and left to dry out on the web. A giant scarlet spider was lying dormant in the center of the web. Its eight legs, covered in long hair, were contracted around its body. One of its legs was accidentally stuck in the wall of a nearby tunnel, tearing through the hard concrete as if it were merely tofu, leaving a deep crack behind. Alright, Little Black, this is the large spider. Defeat it, and youll get an extra chicken leg tonight, Song Jian pointed at the scarlet spider and instructed the Black Dragon hatchling. Roar- A joyful dragons roar erupted, jolting the slumbering spider. Its multiple eyes slowly opened, surveying its surroundings nervously. Whoosh- A gust of wind billowed, and a mouthful of fiery Dragon Breath was exhaled towards the blaze beast basking on the spider web. The Blaze Beast unleashed an angry roar. Its multiple eyes stared at the Black Dragon hatchling, exuding an aura of fear. However, it was not deterred as mere ordinary monsters would be in the presence of a level-seven Black Dragon hatchling, even if it exhibited a dragons might. The Blaze Beast opened its mouth and spewed out a mouthful of flaming green venom, which collided with the Dragon Breath, causing a dull explosion. The two energies collided and annihilated each other. The provocation appeared to tick off the Black Dragon hatchling. Spreading its wings, it let out an angry roar and lunged towards the Blaze Beast. Splat- A load of milky-white venom erupted from the Blaze Beasts abdomen. In contact with air, the venom expanded around, transforming into a stench-filled net that enveloped the Black Dragon hatchling. Captured as a white cocoon, the Black Dragon hatchling roared and fell from the air, struggling ceaselessly. The sticky fluid smeared all over the net made it feel as if it was deeply mired in a swamp. The Blaze Beast slid down a thread from the web and landed on the ground with a thump. Its multiple eyes stared at the wriggling Black Dragon hatchling as it gradually approached it. Despite its apprehension, the Blaze Beast sensed the exceptional growth benefits it would reap by consuming this Black Dragon hatchling. Its level is still too low. Otherwise, how could a mere spider web trap a Giant Dragon? Song Jian sighed inwardly, clenching his sword and charging at the Blaze Beast. With a light step, Song Jian shot towards the Red Flame Beast like an arrow. The Red Flame Beasts compound eye coldly stared at Song Jian. Unconcerned, its nearest spider-leg on the left side suddenly sprung out, aiming towards Song Jian like a long spear. Song Jian leapt into the air, allowing the Red Flame Beasts spider-leg to narrowly miss him. Song Jian brandished his long sword, and a shimmering silver light burst forth from the blade as he fiercely swung sideways; Sssst- The long sword cleaved through the retracting spider-leg, easily bisecting it. Milky white fluid gushed from the wound, landing on the ground, eliciting a searing, sizzling sound. The Red Flame Beast, an appendage cut off, let out a pained howl as its body shook violently in anguish. Its compound eyes shifted from the Black Dragons whelp to Song Jian, displaying an aggressive, cruel glare. Before it could recover from its agony, Song Jian dropped to the ground, pointed his index finger forwards, releasing a blinding silver Sword Qi that pierced violently through the head of the Red Flame Beast. An onslaught of over 300 damage points floated up from its head. Squeee A heartrending wail was heard as the Red Flame Beast turned even more berserk. An invisible shockwave rushed towards Song Jian, dealing a hard blow to his body. A sharp pain assaulted his ears, as if a red-hot iron rod was violently stirring through his mind. He felt dizzy, as though a large stone was pressing onto his chest, even his breathing was somewhat strained. Song Jian could not help retreating a few steps, a mouthful of blood spurting out. His complexion paled rapidly, a dizziness symbol briefly flashed on his status bar before disappearing immediately, it didnt even last for a second. Obviously, the Thick Skin ability was as effective as ever, silently coming into play. A damage figure of more than a hundred points floated above him, but Song Jian didnt care, his body suddenly emanated a resplendent golden glow. Immortal Sword Body, activate! A surging force rushed towards his limbs, Song Jian pushed off the ground, causing pieces of concrete to burst and scatter. Appearing before the Red Flame Beast like an instant teleportation, he swung his long sword viciously at its head; Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian moved like a dancing butterfly, constantly attacking the Red Flame Beast. The long sword in his hand repeatedly slashed at the Red Flame Beasts body, but the enemy couldnt even touch Song Jians clothing. Boom! Leaping down from the sky, the long sword plunged into the Red Flame Beasts skull. An explosive wave ripped through, causing the Red Flame Beasts immense body to float off the ground. However, the Red Flame Beast only rose less than three feet off the ground before it started falling back down. Obviously, the time in the floating state was heavily influenced by the monsters size; the larger the monster, the shorter the floating period. Sword Silk! Before the Red Flame Beast could touch ground, three silver threads of sword silk penetrated the body of the Red Flame Beast, one of them hitting precisely into a compound eye. Immediately, a thick green fluid seeped out from the eye. The abrupt intense pain drove the Red Flame Beast to the brink of madness. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 255: Spider Spear Armor Chapter 255: Spider Spear Armor Translator: 549690339 Boom! The surface of the Red Fire Beasts body roared with pale red flames, its vitality points began to drop rapidly; Whoosh- Several spider legs fluttered ceaselessly, like long spears, relentlessly attacking Song Jian, creating a flurry of activity hard to follow with the eyes; Rapid Sword! The flying sword wielded by Song Jian swung into a series of afterimages, defending against the assault of spider legs relentlessly. The silver-glowing long sword left a deep mark on the spider leg with each impact. However, the Red Fire Beast seemed not to feel any pain and continued to attack fiercely; Plop- After several defences, one spider leg finally broke through Song Jians defences, plunged mercilessly into his shoulder, and went right through his body; Song Jian remained impassive, he flipped his wrist, a sudden flash of silver erupted, and the spider leg plunged into his shoulder was instantly severed, leaving a foot-long broken limb inside his body. Biting down hard, Song Jian pulled the broken spider leg out of his shoulder. The fist-sized penetrating wound made Song Jians vitality points fall rapidly; Surgery! A milky white light glowed on the wound. Almost instantly, the wound which had been gushing blood began to heal rapidly. But even before he could catch his breath, several other spider legs lunged at him again; Song Jian flung his body backwards into a roll. Plunk! Several spider legs punched hard into the ground, piercing the hard concrete and exposing the black soil underneath. The Red Fire Beast, wildly waved the remaining six spider legs, and charged towards Song Jian. It seemed resolved for mutual destruction. Just then, the struggling Black Dragon cub let out a roar. The originally sticky spider web gradually hardened under the influence of the air, almost like a thick cocoon, was torn apart by the Black Dragon cub. The now freed Black Dragon cub rushed towards the lunatic Red Fire Beast, a hot mass of Dragon Breath spewed out from its mouth, burrowing into the back of the Red Fire beast like maggots in bone. The intense pain made the Red Fire Beast emit a harsh cry and ferociously smash into the tunnel on its side; Rumble- As if in an earthquake, the whole tunnel began to shake mildly. The Black Dragon cub pounced on the Red Fire Beast, its dragon claws plunging into the body of its adversary while it constantly tore at the shell covering the Red Fire Beasts body with its sharp teeth. The two creatures entwined and rolled together, emitting deafening roars. Song Jian took a swift step towards the Red Fire Beast. The Immortal Sword Body state hadnt yet faded, the long sword in Song Jians hand kept chopping on the body of the Red Fire Beast, absolutely fearless of the fire of vitality that was burning on the body of its opponent. Crack- Another spider leg was flung out. Song Jians long sword targeted the remaining spider legs of the Red Fire Beast. Once it lost these legs, the Red Fire Beast would be nothing more than a big ball of meat, devoid of any defense. At the moment the Immortal Sword Body state disappeared, Song Jian had already cut off six of the Red Fire Beasts spider legs, leaving only two barely supporting its body. But it was no longer able to maintain its balance. Under the onslaught of the Black Dragon cub, it kept tumbling and rolling. Its resistance grew weaker and weaker. Song Jians long sword kept stabbing into the body of the Red Fire Beast. Each impact made the beast let out a high-pitched wail. However, very soon, the beasts cries grew lower and lower, and eventually, it lay on the ground gasping for breath and convulsed incessantly, no longer as frenzied as it was before. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Black Dragon cub continued its attack relentlessly, and with the last claw swipe, a transparent flame ignited on the Red Fire Beasts body. Golden light simultaneously blossomed on the bodies of Song Jian and the Black Dragon cub. Both of them leveled up. Song Jian leveled up to 13, and the Black Dragon cub rose to level 8; Song Jian, now at level thirteen, added the newly obtained skill point to Thick-Skinned, promoting this innate skill to level 10. The level ten skill Thick-Skinned enhanced his defense by 40%, resistance by 50%, compulsorily reducing 15 effective damage points. The resistance to negative states had also reached a very high level, where it could even completely immunize against low-level mental attacks. Having reached level ten, it seemed that the Thick-Skinned skill had reached its limit. A MAX symbol appeared, and skill points could no longer be used for promotion. However, a line mixture appeared behind the skill description. After reading the details, it was found that when any skill reaches level 10, it cannot be promoted further with skill points. But, two level 10 skills can be combined to form a new one. Whether this new skill would be stronger or weaker was anyones guess. There must be some rules to mixing skills, but I have too few skills and a low level now, so its not the right time! thought Song Jian. At level thirteen, he could wear the Scorpion Beast Helmet. Song Jian immediately put on this blue-quality helmet, and his attack power increased significantly. The Red Fire Beast dropped three items. Among them was a silver-quality equipment of level 15, and the remaining two items were forging materials of level 20. Song Jian picked up the equipment and saw that it was pet equipment of level 15 with a silver glow. He felt a bit disappointed; Spider Spear Armor (Silver), pet equipment, equipment effect: Physical defense +10, Magic resistance +8, Bounce + 3; Special effect 1: Healing (passive), when vitality points drop below 30%, there is a certain chance to recover 15% vitality points after being injured; this special feature can be triggered only once every 10 minutes; Special effect 2: Spider Spear (passive), when attacking the target, there is a chance to create 1-8 illusions of Spider Spears to attack with the pet; the number of spears is random, they last for 30 seconds and disappear after 30 seconds; this feature can be triggered only once every 10 minutes; Equipment condition: pet level 15; Can it be taken out of the game: No Seeing the armor emitting a silver light, the Black Dragon cubs eyes showed a curious look. It constantly poked it with its right claw, seemingly eager to wear it. However, due to its insufficient level, no matter how much it tried, it couldnt get the armor on. In a fit of frustration, it cried out loudly at Song Jian and kept wheeling around at his feet. Song Jian couldnt help but laugh. He put the Spider Spear Armor into the carry-on bag, stroked the head of the Black Dragon cub, and said, If you want to wear it, level up quickly. Only at level 15 can you wear this armor! Only then did the Black Dragon cub calm down. It folded its wings and stood by Song Jians side. Its time to unlock that golden treasure chest! Song Jians gaze was directed towards the golden glow at the end of the tunnel. This is the first golden-quality item Ive earned myself. I hope its a piece of equipment! Song Jian thought to himself as he walked towards the chest. Chapter 256: Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Chapter 256: Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Translator: 549690339 This golden treasure chest was intricately carved on the surface, appearing as though it was held in the arms of a giant beast. At the moment Song Jians fingers touched the chest, a crisp click sound rang out from within, and the lid of the chest slowly opened, revealing a dazzling golden glow. He reached in and a long sword, emitting a golden light, appeared before Song Jian. Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword (gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment Effect: Attack 50-50, Armor Break +3, Penetration +3, Fire Damage +30, increased attack speed by 10%; Special Effect 1: Owner Recognition (passive), this item absorbs the users vital essence to recognize the owner, after the owner is recognized, the item cannot be destroyed or dropped, and never worn down; Special Effect 2: Growth (passive), this item is a growing equipment, starting at level 1, gaining combat experience to level up during combat, the higher the level, the stronger the characteristic of the item, the level of the item cannot surpass the users level; Equipment Requirement: Level 1; Set: 1/5. Can be carried out of the game: No Seeing these attributes, Song Jian almost trembled with excitement. A gold-quality, growing set weapon would even surpass the sword that had led him to become a Sword Controller, Duan Jians weapon! Blood recognition, blood recognition, first recognize the owner! Song Jian muttered to himself as he grabbed the blade with his left hand without hesitation and made a light cut. The fresh blood gushed out and startled him. Damn, its so sharp, I only just Just as Song Jian was hesitating whether to apply Advanced Healing Potion to himself, the gushing blood was completely absorbed by the sword, and the wound on his left hand healed instantly. The sword in his hand gave him a strange sense of connection, as if it were part of his body, connected to his flesh and blood. After absorbing the blood, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly emitted a crimson glow, which then slowly receded, even the golden light indicating the items quality was gradually receded into the sword. The aura receded, concealing the divine item! Whoosh- Before Song Jian could react, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword turned into a red light and entered his body. Immediately, he felt as if there was an extra object at his heart. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had transformed into a tiny one-inch sword, floating quietly within his heart. As his heart was pulsating, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was also slightly vibrating, absorbing Song Jians vitality, and emitting some surging energy which spread to every part of his body. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a thought, he loosened his right hand, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared from nowhere, tightly gripped by him. The moment Song Jian let go, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword turned back into a red light and returned into his heart. Hahaha! Song Jian burst out laughing. His goal was to become the only Sword Immortal among the top ten professions. As a Sword Immortal who prioritised offense, how could he be the best without a suitable weapon? After retrieving the long sword, the golden glow of the treasure chest gradually faded. It seemed the chest only contained one gold-quality item. However, obtaining the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had already made Song Jian very satisfied. The golden light began to dim, but the chest did not disappear, clearly there were still other items inside. Song Jian reached in and pulled out two bottles of Advanced Healing Potion and one bottle of Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion. These were potions that could be used in battle. Although Song Jian currently possessed an extremely high vitality recovery speed, he would still need these combat recovery potions if he encountered high-explosive monsters. After he took out the three potions, the treasure chest gradually faded and eventually disappeared. Song Jian smiled slightly and walked towards the exit of the maze marked on the map. By evening, Song Jian returned to his villa with the Black Dragon cub. The villa was still bustling, with new buildings continuously rising. Song Jian even noticed some players wandering around his territory, seemingly interested in the items sold in the grocery store. Master, youre back. The butler George spotted Song Jian and hurriedly ran to him, bowing respectfully and said, Master, most of the buildings that are possible to construct have been built, but there are still some empty plots. How should we utilize these spaces? Oh, do you have any suggestions, George? Song Jian asked casually. Master, I have three suggestions for you to consider. First, we could transform these lands into farmland. Food storage is crucial to all estates. If all we transform into farmlands, we can harvest a large amount of food each month. At this stage, having an ample food reserve is the best way to attract people. Second, we could build barracks and training fields to cultivate our armed forces. Third, we could rent the lands to those who want to settle down. These people might become your citizens in the future! Song Jian pondered for a moment and said, Lets start with the farmland. An ample food reserve is vital. Also, when can we expand further? 1 feel our territory is getting a bit cramped! Respected Master, it will be twenty-five days and seventeen hours until the next expansion campaign can be launched, Butler George replied. Good, remember to remind me in time! Song Jian nodded and said. At the Urban Waste Collection Center, by the side of a nearby highway. A level-five zombie was wandering aimlessly under the shade of the trees along the road, occasionally letting out a deep growl. Just then, a humming sound underlying the zombies surroundings, the space started to ripple, just like water. Hearing the noise, the zombie subconsciously turned towards the source, a light blue portal with a diameter of two meters began to gather energy around it. The energies in space around the portal started to fluctuate. The zombie had only taken two steps when the strong forces tore it into dust. Soon, the energies around the light blue portal began to stabilize, and a muscular man in full chain mail, with a shield on his back, walked out of the portal. The moment he steps out of the portal, the muscular man quickly makes room for a man in leather armor with two daggers at his waist, his face covered by a red triangular cloth. As soon as this man appeared, he too quickly made way for the third person to step out of the portal. Then came the fourth man, who collapsed to the ground as soon as he appeared, vomiting blood profusely. The first man who came out furrowed his brow, grabbed the fourth man by the collar, and dragged him aside. The first three men, who came out first, didnt pay any heed to their comrade still vomiting blood. Their eyes stayed on the portal as if they were waiting for something. After some time, an arm, tattooed all over, was flung out by an invisible force from the portal. The light blue portal began to become unstable, ripples vigorously fluctuating around it. Thud- The spatial energies dispersed, the portal disappeared, leaving only a twitching arm in its place. Chapter 257: Chasing and Killing Chapter 257: Chasing and Killing Translator: 549690339 Looking at the tattooed arm on the ground, Chu Pings face darkened, and he couldnt help but grip the dagger at his waist, cursing softly, Damn it! Ma Jiang stared at the arm for a moment, took off the battle shield on his back, secured it to his left arm, and said in a deep voice, Qi Yun, go check on Miao Wen and treat him! Understood! Wearing a robe and with a short staff at his waist, Qi Yun nodded and walked towards Miao Wen, who was vomiting blood profusely. Those bastards in the Gathering Area promised that this transmission channel could withstand five professionals! Chu Ping pulled out the two daggers hanging from his waist, spun them in his palms, gripped them tightly, his eyes fierce. If those so-called experts from the Gathering Area were in front of him, he would not hesitate to stab them with a few large holes. Qi Yun knelt on the ground, laying Miao Wens vomiting body flat and letting him lie down, then pressed his palm on Miao Wens brow and began chanting a spell. A white light burst forth from his palm, quickly covering Miao Wens entire body. Miao Wens vomiting stopped, but his face still looked terrible, his muscles twisting, and his hands constantly clutching at his chest. After a moment, a trace of fatigue appeared on Qi Yuns face as he gripped the short staff at his waist and waved it lightly over Miao Wen. A sacred light burst forth from Qi Yuns body, and tiny energy droplets like rain appeared in the air, falling onto the prone Miao Wen. Miao Wens face grew even more terrible, his eyes bulging out like a frogs, and his hands clutching desperately at his chest, making heh-heh gasping sounds. Having expended a healing skill called Sacred Rain with a cooldown time of 12 hours, Miao Wens condition still didnt improve and Qi Yuns brow furrowed. Looking at Miao Wen, he tore open the mans shirt. Captain! Qi Yuns face changed dramatically and called out. Ma Jiang, who was in a battle state, glanced over and saw a foot-long fissure on Miao Wens chest, right over his heart, as if it had been cut open by a blade. Over the fissure, the force of space constantly surged. Any healing energy that touched the wound immediately triggered a counterattack from the space force, rendering no effective healing. Ma Jiang went to Miao Wen and examined the wound closely. Now Miao Wen was hanging by a thread, his Vitality Points dropping rapidly. He could no longer speak, his mouth full of blood, and his body convulsing involuntarily, gripping Qi Yuns sleeve tightly. The force of space from the wound had already spread throughout Miao Wens body. By now, Miao Wens Vitality Points were reduced to just 3, but these last 3 Vitality Points seemed to be locked down, no longer dropping. Miao Wens body trembled constantly, sweat pouring from his brow and his body looking like it had just been retrieved from a pool. In just a short time, a puddle of water had formed beneath him. Qi Yun gritted his teeth, holding the short staff, about to perform another healing skill when Ma Jiang grabbed Qi Yuns hand and shook his head, We cant save him unless we dispel the space force from his wound. Chu Ping, give Miao Wen a quick end! Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chu Ping took a deep breath, with flames of rage burning in his eyes, walked up to Miao Wen, knelt down on both knees, and gently placed a fang-like dagger on Miao Wens neck. Chh~ A flash of white light, a critical hit floated above Miao Wens head. With a soft breath and a faint sound from his throat, Miao Wens body lay limp. After death, Miao Wens body should have been incinerated by the transparent flame, but as soon as the flames began to burn, the force of space emerged and withstood the fire. Only when the force of space had been completely consumed could Miao Wens body be incinerated by the flame. Pack up, gather up his equipment, and lets continue the mission! Ma Jiang said indifferently. If that bastard hadnt killed people from our 101 Gathering Area, we wouldnt have taken this hunting mission in the first place. If we hadnt taken the mission, Miao Wen and Ka Ya wouldnt have died As Chu Ping walked, he grumbled angrily. The Institutes bunch of useless researchers claimed that this Transmission Array could bear five professionals, but in the end Enough, Chu Ping. Whats done is done. Our mission now is to find out what happened then and eliminate that Blessed One! Ma Jiang said coldly. Chu Ping stopped talking, snorted coldly, and gripped his dagger tighter. Soon, the three of them headed towards the Urban Waste Collection Center. The Urban Waste Collection Center was lined with several garbage mountains, and a faint stench spread into the surroundings. Low growls of zombies could occasionally be heard from behind the wire fence enclosing the area. The three of them went to the garbage station and lured all the monsters out before killing them one by one. Then they walked towards the rooms. The highest level of mutated zombies here was only five, and all three of them were professionals. Their captain, Ma Jiang, was already level twelve, and the other two were level ten. Dealing with these zombies was a piece of cake for them. Its been over a month since it happened, and many traces have disappeared, but their battle was intense, so there must still be some traces left! Qi Yun looked around and said. I dont need a complete reconstruction of the battle scene. 1 just need to know how many people killed the people of our 101 Gathering Area. Was it just this Song Jian, the Blessed One, or were there other accomplices? Ma Jiang said coldly, Any offender of our 101 Gathering Area must pay! Qi Yun nodded and began examining things carefully. After a while, Qi Yun walked a large circle around the garbage station, stopped for a moment at several special locations, and pointed to three barracks-like buildings, saying, There were two people at the scene. One did not participate in the battle, just watched from that room. Only one took action, and that must be the Blessed One mentioned by the system! Who is the one who didnt take action? Ma Jiang asked. The advance team sent a message at the time saying they had captured a scientist who could be sold for a good price. Presumably, the one who didnt take action is the scientist they captured. Chu Ping interjected. A scientist? Hmph, if he wasnt working with the Blessed One, why would he come to this desolate place to kill people? Ma Jiang sneered, He must have come to save the scientist. Both of them must die! Do we know the identity of the scientist? Ma Jiang turned and asked. His name is Dr. Ebsiting, and he lives on Fifth Avenue Chu Ping stopped typing on the computer on his wrist and looked up to say. Perfect. Lets kill the doctor first, and then go for the Blessed One! Finished, the three left the garbage station and headed for Fifth Avenue as marked on their map. Chapter 258: Surveillance Chapter 258: Surveillance Translator: 549690339 The area on Fifth Avenue was located in the Level-10 monster zone of Doomsday City. Prior to the doomsday, this was arguably the busiest street in the whole city. Of course, it was also one of the most severely devastated places after the disaster hit. Guided by an electronic map, Ma Jiang and his two companions began rushing toward this location. As a Hunt and Kill Squad that had been surviving in the Gathering Area 101, Ma Jiangs team had embarked on similar hunting missions more than once before. However, this mission proved to be their most devastating, as they lost two members while being transported through the Transmission Array. If Ma Jiang had known the outcome, he certainly would not have accepted this mission. Once were back, I will take those useless researchers to task. Miao Wen and Ka Yas deathscant just be in vain Chu Ping grumbled about the researchers all the while, criticizing their grand claims that the Transmission Array they modified from the prehistoric ruins could guarantee the safe transportation of five careerists. It is noteworthy that the previous Transmission Array could only transport amateurs below Level 10. Hence, the Gathering Area 101, despite knowing about the ambush by Song Jian, didnt send in their reinforcements right away. Other cities have long created Transmission Arrays that can send careerists safely. Only the Gathering Area 101 has just barely scratched the surface of the technology Qi Yun clearly harbored no good feelings toward the band of scientists either. The deaths of their two companions made their mission seem pointless. Even if they managed to complete it successfully and receive rewards, it wont make up for their teams losses. Alright, after we return, I will explain the situation to our leader. We will definitely receive more rewards to make up for everyones suffering. However, we must complete this mission first! Squad leader Ma Jiang said with a grim face. Fifth Avenue was not too far or close to the dump. Without any means of transportation, the three had to run all the way there while dodging mutated zombies. By the time they reached Fifth Avenue, it was starting to get dark. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There are many shops on Fifth Avenue, most of which were collapsed and destroyed. Behind the shops were rows of detached villas. Comparatively, these were far more luxurious than the villa area initially chosen by Song Jian. The green space within the community is incomparable to that of the one chosen by Song Jian. But after the disaster, the entire city has turned into a Doomsday City. Even the greenery here was mostly mutated. The high-end community turned into a zone of death. Even ordinary mutated zombies wouldnt dare to approach it. For Dr. Ebsiting, this community was an excellent hideout. If he had stayed here from the beginning, he could easily have eradicated any number of militiamen from the Gathering Area 101. After replenishing the area surrounding his villa with some Strong Weed Killer, Dr. Ebsiting returned to his lab. Robert, the former Guardian of the city, had stolen some files before the disaster struck from a biotechnology company called Newborn. He hid these files in the dump and notified Dr. Ebsiting before the disaster. Robert, the former Guardian transformed into a roving zombie BOSS. Dr. Ebsiting had been lurking around Fifth Avenue and was lucky enough to have escaped the virus. A few months ago, he started going to the dump daily to look for the assets Robert concealed. If it werent for this, Dr. Ebsiting would probably have left this city a long time ago. But at some point, the citys periphery was enveloped in a black mist, and everyone who entered it disappeared without a trace. Thus, Dr. Ebsiting was trapped here. Luckily, a few days ago, Dr. Ebsiting finally found these files and began to research them. However, even after several days of research, he had not made any progress. After all, he was a doctor of physics and polymer science, not biochemistry. Therefore, he was struggling with an advanced level of professional knowledge. If only Sara were here, she would understand these things Dr. Ebsiting sighed and walked away from the experiment table. He took off his glasses, took out a photo, and started reminiscing. Abruptly, a harsh alarm echoed in the lab. Dr. Ebsitings eyes sharpened, and he left the lab heading toward the adjacent surveillance room. A few months ago, Dr. Ebsiting had installed many cameras and sensors around the streets. Now, an alarm would be automatically triggered if anyone entered this area. Watching the three fully-equipped men on the surveillance screen, Dr. Ebsiting furrowed his brow. Captain, have you noticed that there seem to be fewer and fewer monsters here? Chu Ping pulled a dagger out of a Level 10 ordinary zombies head and asked softly. Stay vigilant. There may be an Elite Level BOSS lurking here. Normal monsters wouldnt dare to encroach on its territory. Ma Jiang spoke with a furrowed brow. An Elite Level BOSS of Level 10 wouldnt pose them much of a challenge, but he was concerned about making too much noise in the fight, which might alert Dr. Ebsiting. What he didnt realize, however, was that at this very moment, every move they were making was under Dr. Ebsitings surveillance. Is it possible to accurately locate the doctor? Qi Yun cast a healing spell on Chu Ping and asked. He didnt personally participate in killing the militiamen, so the system cant provide his exact location. Were going to have to invest some effort in finding him ourselves! Ma Jiang said. What a shame. Why dont we go kill the gods favored first? His location is notified once every half-hour. He hasnt moved for two consecutive notifications! Chu Ping glanced at the captain and suggested. From the battle traces at the dump, it can be concluded that the gods favored is very competent. He wiped out an advance squad single-handedly. We need to make even more preparations. Ma Jiang analyzed: This Doctor is a researcher without any combat abilities. As soon as we find him, we can easily capture him. From him, we could gain more information about the gods favored Youre the captain, you have the final say. Its a pity. If Miao Wen were here, he would be able to hack into the citys surveillance system, which would make finding people so much easier. Chu Ping touched his nose and said. The city has been abandoned for years. The power system has been paralyzed long ago. The city surveillance system would have turned into a pile of junk! Qi Yun scoffed. Junk? How could it be? You see that surveillance, isnt it still working? Chu Ping pointed at a surveillance camera on a traffic light at a crossroad. A moment later, the three men seemed to realize something. They all turned their eyes to the surveillance camera blinking redit was in operation, watching over every move they made. Chapter 259: Flee for Your Life Chapter 259: Flee for Your Life sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 Seeing the surveillance device, the three mens faces suddenly turned unpleasant. They had initially thought they could conduct their search undetected, but unexpectedly, their adversary was so cunning, having laid a vast web of monitoring devices, like an omnipresent eye, watching their every move. Damn it! That doctor mustve set this up! Chu Pings eyes squinted as he pulled out a pistol from his backpack, aiming it at the surveillance device and pulling the trigger. Bang- A clear gunshot rang out, sparking a spray of sparks from the surveillance device. Weve been discovered. Start scattering and search, find that doctor as soon as possible. Should you find him, dont act rashly. Signal first, then attack when were together! Ma Jiang quickly instructed. Now that theyd been discovered, there was no more need for cautious investigation. Although Fifth Avenue was large, many of the buildings had already collapsed, so a thorough search wouldnt take too long. The target was merely an unarmed researcher. Against any one of them, he stood no chance of putting up a fight, so Ma Jiang wasnt worried that they would be defeated one by one. Understood! The three of them pulled out a device and began to act separately. It was a life-detecting device, and each team member had one, specifically used to search for targets hiding in the city. The range of the detector was only three hundred meters. To find a person throughout the entirety of Fifth Avenue, it would probably take a long time, especially since their target already knew about them. If Dr. Ebsiting took the opportunity to escape, their long effort would be in vain. So you have me cornered, thinking that even if 1 run, theres nowhere to hide? Ebsiting gazed at their unmasked search activities, revealing a trace of coldness in his eyes. Initially, he wasnt sure if he was their target. But after seeing their insignia and the series of actions that followed, Dr. Ebsiting was certain of their enemy status. I wont be caught a second time by people from the Gathering Area 101! Dr. Ebsiting murmured to himself, beginning to hastily gather his belongings, preparing to escape. Whatever could not be taken away would be destroyed. The entire lab was a mess. Every item here had cost Dr. Ebsiting plenty of time to find in the entire city, even nearly costing him his life. Looking at the chaos, a painful expression appeared in Dr. Ebsitings eyes. Sighing, he placed various precious materials and data on a silver metallic panel floating before him. Tapping lightly on the panel, it immediately began folding automatically. The initial one-square-meter metal panel, after several folds, turned into a palm-sized polyhedral metal sphere. Ebsiting grasped the metal sphere, putting it in his pocket. He slung a backpack as large as himself over his shoulders, sprayed an entire bottle of repellant on his body, and prepared to leave this safe house that he had personally created. Qi Yun, at this point, was also holding the life detection device, and had come near the residence where Ebsiting was based. Soon, a red humanoid figure appeared on the center of the device screen. Captain, I detected life activity. He seems to be preparing to leave this area! Qi Yun informed his two teammates through his shoulder-mounted radio. Hold your position! Ma Jiangs voice came through the radio. Minutes later, Ma Jiang and Chu Ping appeared almost simultaneously at the place where Qi Yun was. Is it this residential area? asked Ma Jiang. Yes. I was able to detect his life activity earlier, but its gone now. He must have left the detection range. replied Qi Yun. This blockI feel something eerie, like theres something that could threaten our lives Chu Ping said, furrowing his eyebrows and staring at the exuberant luxurious villa residential area in front of them. An ordinary researcher could survive here, why should we fear? Qi Yun sneered at Chu Ping. Are you saying youre not even as capable as an unarmed old man? If it wasnt for the captains orders, I might have already caught the guy by now. grumbled Qi Yun. Lets go in together and search, mark the last spot where the life activity disappeared! Ma Jiang said calmly, seemingly ignoring Qi Yuns complaints. Qi Yun touched the detector a few more times, marking where the life activity of Ebsiting disappeared, transmitted the information to the other two, and the three used each other as ladders to jump over the wall of the community and headed towards the marked point. Swish- The sound of wind rustling the leaves echoed through the residential area. Ma Jiang frowned, sharing Chu Pings intuition that there was something unnerving about this place. Such a large area, yet there wasnt a single creature, and the plants around were too densely grown and extraordinarily large, as if they had been growing for hundreds of years. Why is it so quiet here? Theres so much vegetation, yet theres not even a hint of insect or bird sounds! Qi Yun muttered while running. Suddenly, Ma Jiang was taken aback. He abruptly realized something C there was an unknown danger in this residential area. Be careful, theres something strange about this place! warned Ma Jiang. Just then, Ma Jiang noticed a shadow swooping in front of him. Instinctively, he put his left hand in front of him. Clang- With a loud noise, Ma Jiangs body was flung away like a baseball by a thick vine. After landing, Ma Jiang rolled twice on the ground. When he looked up, he was shocked to see that a gigantic willow tree had uprooted itself just three meters from where he had stood, and a grotesque human face appeared on the trunk. The vine that had flung him looked like a giant python, coiling around the tree. Mutated Tree Spirit, a level 10 elite Boss Mutated Tree Spirit! Chu Ping shouted, his face showing surprise. Plant-type monsters wouldnt reveal their properties unless they initiated an attack. Even if you walked right by them, you wouldnt see their characteristics until they attacked you. Rumble- All the plants in the entire residential area began to violently tremble. Even from a distance, a green giant figure emerged slowly from a vast lawn, with numerous weeds taller than a human winding around it like snakes, becoming part of the giant body. Roar- The tall and burly green giant let out a roar and strode towards the trio. Retreat, retreat, get out of here now! Ma Jiang pulled out a bottle of potion and gulped it down, shouting loudly. Soon, the three men were fleeing like scared dogs towards the place theyd first entered, followed by a large number of various plant monsters chasing them like a tidal wave. Chapter 260: There’s a BOSS Here Chapter 260: Theres a BOSS Here Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 The trio escaped from the neighborhood in embarrassment, all riddled with wounds. Behind them, the neighborhood seemed to have become a monsters lair, echoing with ear-splitting roars. However, those monsters, after threatening the trio with bared teeth and brandished claws as they left the perimeter of the neighborhood, retreated back to their original spots, reverting back to quiet plants. Qi Yun started casting Healing Skill to treat the wounds of the trio. Ma Jiangs face was grim; the three of them had managed to escape thanks to his use of two precious disposable items. These were supposed to be trump cards for a turnaround, yet they were wasted here. Most importantly, they completely lost track of Dr. Ebsiting. What should we do now, Captain? Qi Yun asked cautiously. Lets directly hunt down that Demigod! Ma Jiang gritted his teeth. This Doomsday City was fraught with dangers, and half of the monsters that pursued them in the residential area were Level 10 Elite Bosses, something that would never occur near the 101 Gathering Area. No wonder other Hunt and Kill Squads had declined as soon as they heard about a mission in Doomsday City. Only he, swayed by the rich rewards, had accepted the mission. Now, however, Ma Jiang felt some regret. Once we kill the Demigod, we leave immediately! Ma Jiang declared. Clearly, he had given up on pursuing Dr. Ebsiting any further, not wanting to stay in this city for even one more second. When Song Jian killed those 101 Gathering Area militia, his relation with the 101 Gathering Area had deteriorated to outright hostility. Moreover, his name had been posted on the top of the bounty list ever since. Accepting the mission would allow them to check his specific location every half hour. That Demigod is still in the Level 5 Monster Zone! Qi Yun readout from his wrist communicator. Ma Jiang nodded, and the three moved towards the Manor Castle where Song Jian resided. They didnt know how they would feel when they saw a defensively complete Level 2 Manor Castle. But now, they were convinced that Song Jian had not gotten much stronger during this time. Otherwise, why would he still be in a Level 5 Monster Zone? At this moment, Song Jian was fretting over the mainline mission. Although his Immortal Sword Body was one of the lineage skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, it wasnt a sword technique and hence wasnt counted in the mainline mission. After returning to the Manor, Song Jian had been stationing near the radio, hoping to buy some sword technique skills. However, after a while, he found that the number of buy offers was much more than sell offers. Even when a skill was occasionally available, it was like a meaty bone being fought over by a pack of rabid dogs. When Song Jian watched helplessly as a skill of ordinary quality was bidden up to over three thousand Doomsday Coins, he could only silently take out some of his unused equipment for auction. His 101 Tactical Helmet, the Guardians Sword, bat-winged zombie summoning card, vampiric scroll, attack scroll; all items which were not quite useful to him were sold over the radio. If he werent under the Level 15 restriction, Song Jian would have wanted to sell his Zombie Leader Armor as well. However, selling the Zombie Leader Armor meant also having to sell the gauntlet. A complete set of green equipment would sell for multiples of an incomplete set. His bag turned out to have quite a few empty slots, and his Doomsday Coins also reached over five thousand. At least he was no longer impoverished. But he hadnt yet managed to purchase a sword technique, his initial objective. Forget it. Even if a sword technique does appear, with my current wealth, I cant compete with this crowd. Better to go out and kill monsters and gaining from their loot song Jian frustratedly turned off the radio, ready to leave the Manor and hunt Level 15 monsters. Just then, he suddenly heard a dragons youthful growl from the outside of his Manor. Looking from his window, he saw a group of players wielding weapons, chasing a young Black Dragon. Boss, Boss, a Level 8 Elite Boss! Its a dragon; itll definitely drop good stuff! A Level 10 player holding a submachine gun was full of excitement, leading at the front. Seven or eight level 10 players also closely followed behind him, ready to surround and kill the young Black Dragon. Song Jian didnt know whether to laugh or cry watching the young Black Dragon. The little guy had no self-awareness of being hunted and was playing like it was just a game. Fliying slowly, crying occasionally, or even directly turning around to rush into the crowd of players and attack them. Fortunately, the young Black Dragon was only treating this as a game and had no intention to kill. Otherwise, at least three or four of this group would have already died. As a pet, the young Black Dragon didnt abide by the monster rule that whoever has higher damage gets attacked. Even though it might seem mentally handicapped near Song Jian, when it faces other creatures, its cunning or, as you might say, wisdom that has been inherited from the Dragon Clan, naturally reveals itself. Damn it, this Bosss attack is so high. Quickly, throw another herb to grab its attention! A Mage player, unable to withstand the young Black Dragons attack, shouted. Im telling you, Ive been the only one taking things out all this while. Are you guys planning to make a fortune without spending a dime? A young player protested unsatisfiedly. The Black Dragon had appeared because it was attracted by the herbs he was carrying. If it wasnt for him taking out a herb every now and then, teasing the Boss, it would have probably escaped long ago. But him being the only one to make a contribution left the Herbalist career player somewhat unsatisfied. Along the way, the consumed herbs were worth dozens of Doomsday Coins. Dont be stingy; once we kill this boss and it drops items, if it suits your profession, you get first pick! The player in the front with a submachine gun, shooting at the young Black Dragon, shouted. Yes, yes, if theres suitable equipment, you get first pick! The other players also shouted. In truth, among the group, he was the only Herbalist, so even if it dropped Herbalist profession equipment, other players couldnt use it. Seeing the others responses, the Herbalist hesitated for a moment. Then, from his bag, he took a red herb and threw it towards the young Black Dragon. The young Black Dragon who was attacking gave up the nearly dead Mage when it smelled the fragrance of the herb. It turned around, bit the herb and swallowed it, giving a pleasant dragons growl. Keep going, keep going. Its vitality points have dropped below half. Push harder; victory is at hand! Haha, a Level 8 Elite Boss! Itll definitely drop great stuff! Ive seen a Level 5 Elite Boss before; it was so fierce that 1 almost couldnt run away. 1 cant believe were hunting a Level 8 Elite Boss today After watching for a while, Song Jian finally understood why the young Black Dragon was fooling around with this crowd: it was for the herbs. This rascal! Song Jian was both amused and annoyed. Speaking about herbs, he had gathered quite a bit from the Kantelu Ruins. Even after creating some Weakness Potion and Fire Lizard Medicine, he still had a lot left over. With a thought, a Hexagram Star summoning array emerged under the young Black Dragon. The array shone brightly, enveloping the entire young Black Dragon. In the blink of an eye, the young Black Dragon had disappeared. The group of players looked at each other in bewilderment, momentarily dumbstruck. Chapter 261: The Vegetarian Dragon Chapter 261: The Vegetarian Dragon Translator: 549690339 Although this group of people has reached level 10, they havent experienced much of what the game has to offer and dont understand what summoned pets look like. They thought the scene they just witnessed was the Black Dragon hatchling casting some magic. Is that teleportation? No, more like a translocation! Surely theres a distance limit, right? It just vanished. If bosses can do this too, how are we supposed to play? Lets look around; it could be nearby Scour the area. Shout when you find it, well arrive immediately. Dont even dream of hogging it all for yourself; remember, its a Black Dragon A group of people then scattered to search for the Black Dragon hatchling while the lone alchemist player stood rooted to the spot, his face reflecting his wish for tears that wouldnt come. You little rascal, youve learned to scam players for herbs! Song Jian gently tapped the Black Dragon hatchlings head and derisively smiled. Grr- The Black Dragon hatchling was standing by Song Jians side, lifting its head with an expression that reflected more pride than shame. Its nail-sized tail was wagging with sheer speed. Just let me know if you need something to eat. Dont mess with the players again. Beware of running into a powerful one who might slay you! Song Jian commented, stroking its head. Whoosh- Hundreds of herbs magically appeared in front of the Black Dragon hatchling C golden, blue, crimsoncolorful herbs spread across the floor. The Black Dragon hatchling let out a joyful roar and started gulping down the scattered herbs. Arent dragons typical meat eaters? How did it become herbivorous as soon as it became a pet? Song Jian wondered, watching the Black Dragon who licked even the herb particles that had fallen from its mouth. After resting in the Manor Castle for several hours, Song Jian decided to advance to the level 15 monster area. A piece of silver-quality leather armor remained unwearable in his inventory, itching at his patience. In Doomsday City, most of the monsters were mutated zombies, ranging from levels 1 to 30. Song Jian didnt have access to areas with higher-level zombies yet, but he guessed such places wouldnt lack mutated zombies. The situation felt like Resident Evil, where a virus had turned the entire citys population into zombies, who could also evolve and become more powerful. Song Jian left the manor and drove his motorcycle towards the level 15 monster zone. On the way, he saw many players hunting down monsters. The number of players entering the game was steadily increasing, most of which, like him, were involuntarily pulled in. For some, entering this game could be disastrous; but for Song Jian, it offered opportunity and challenge. In reality, it had only been three or four days since Song Jian encountered this game. Coastal City might have seen hundreds of deaths during this short period, but Song Jian hadnt heard any such reports from the radio or TV broadcasts. It was as though someone was keeping it all under wraps. Song Jian arrived at the level 15 monster zone. Here, one could barely see any players. Most players had only recently reached level 10 and were fussing over choosing their professions. Generally, many preferred hunting monsters at lower levels for safety, given that one lost their life permanently upon death in this game. The level 15 mutated zombies had significantly higher vitality points, defense, attack, and speed. Their resistance to sunlight also increased substantially, maintaining all their attributes even in daylight. For other players, these monsters were like mini-bosses; it was no surprise that nobody was found in this area. With a flick of his right-hand, a warmth surged from his heart. In a flash of golden light, Song Jian wielded his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and charged at the level 15 mutated zombie. Whoosh- With a single swing of his sword, three silver sword silks materialized, cutting through the air like blades. Hiss- Three streams of dark brown liquid sprayed from the zombies body. The golden sword, although only level 1, inflicted higher damage than the level 10 Guardians Sword; each sword silk attack could deal over 150 damage. Once the sword silks vanished, the zombie, with just over 1000 vitality points, had less than half remaining. Such phenomenal damage startled even Song Jian. He had initially planned on activating the Immortal Sword Body, but no longer deemed it necessary. Broken Wing Dance! Boom, boom, bang! While airborne, a silver sword Qi that was roughly three meters long split the mutated zombies body in two. So it simply died like that? Song Jian looked surprised. He had just killed an ordinary level 15 monster with full attribute points within just a few moves, which was quite unlike his initial expectations. When he first encountered this creature, he had been prepared to give it everything he had. Whooo, whooo- One by one, mutated zombies crawled out of the dark corners, their bloodshot eyes fixated on Song Jian, filled with a primal desire to kill. Thump thump thump- Seven or eight mutated zombies from both sides of the road began charging at Song Jian. With just a thought, a Hexagram Star summoning circle appeared in front of Song Jian. A flash of white light later, the Black Dragon hatchling appeared, fluttering its wings and letting out an immature roar. The faint Dragon Might emanating from the Black Dragon hatchling failed to deter the mutated zombies, who continued charging at Song Jian. Sword in hand, Song Jian dashed toward the mutated zombies, releasing an onslaught of his skills. Silver light beams blossomed within the zombies as howls echoed through the scene. As more zombies appeared, Song Jians vitality points began to decrease, but the number of slain zombies also soared. Buzz- Song Jians sword suddenly began to tremble violently, as if trying to escape his grip. With the force proving too strong, Song Jian had to let go. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword zoomed into the sky. Golden light erupted in the sky, akin to a sunrise. Buzz buzz buzz- The hum of his sword grew louder. In a flash, several faint golden sword apparitions rained down on the mutated zombies in a ten-meter radius. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Stereaks of critical damage floated above the zombies heads, accompanied by harrowing cries. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swiftly returned to Song Jians hand. Upon closer look, it had leveled up to 2. Its attack and properties had slightly increased, but what surprised Song Jian more was the dramatic spectacle of the sword leveling up. Almost 300 vitality points were drained from each mutated zombie within a ten-meter radius. All of them now glared at Song Jian, roars of rage filling the air. At this point, all of their aggression was firmly locked onto Song Jian. Chapter 262: Sniping Chapter 262: Sniping Translator: 549690339 Immortal Sword Body, activate! A golden glow enveloped Song Jian, and eight long sword illusions seemed to guard him, enhancing Song Jians strength significantly. His sword danced, revealing a silver light. Song Jian chose to advance rather than retreat, charging towards the incoming level-15 mutated zombies. As the battle went on, the violent killing intent in Song Jians heart surged once again, giving him a sense of absolute fearlessness and indifference to pain. The sense of coolness in his mind, however, sustained his sanity, preventing him from being drowned in madness and becoming a walking corpse driven only by a thirst for blood. Roar- A giant Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion, standing over two meters in height and over four meters in body length, appeared next to Song Jian. The moment it appeared, its scorpion tail pierced through a mutated zombie like a bolt of lightning, shattering the zombie with a gentle shake. The Desert Scorpion Beast charged into the horde of mutated zombies, reaping through them like a grim reaper. The zombies attacks phased through it as if attacking a shadow, causing no harm to the beast. But whenever the beasts body touched a zombie, the illusion turned solid in an instant, inflicting significant damage on the level-15 monsters. If the mutated zombies were capable of fear, the mere presence of the Desert Scorpion Beast would have sent them running in all directions. As time passed, the corpses of the mutated zombies around Song Jian continued to pile up. Transparent flames danced around him, seemingly never to extinguish. An hour earlier, the Black Dragon hatchling had its vitality points greatly reduced and was forced to retreat to the Pet Space, as it did not possess Song Jians restorative vitality. Fighting against the attack of the mutated zombies, Song Jian was surrounded by countless monsters. Even with a vitality recovery rate of 300%, his vitality began to slowly drop. Break! Swinging his left hand in an arc, a silver Sword Qi, three meters long, bisected seven or eight zombies attacking him. Panting heavily, Song Jian sprinted with increased speed, weaving through the ruins of a collapsed six-story building and diving into a deserted alley. Just moments before, Song Jian suddenly felt a strong sense of murderous intent. An immediate threat was closing in. He made a split-second decision to eliminate the zombies surrounding him, creating a breach in their circle, and made his escape. After several twists and turns, he took refuge in a residential building. As the monstrous roars gradually subsided, Song Jian heaved a sigh of relief, taking out food and water to replenish his strength. Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Earlier, Song Jian had slaughtered over eighty mutated zombies of level-15. The experience points he earned as a level-13 player had also increased slightly. However, the commotion they made was substantial. The mutated zombies roars sounded like they were drawing their comrades by communicating through sound. As a result, there were more and more mutated zombies surrounding Song Jian. If he hadnt realized something was wrong in time, he might have drawn every mutated zombie in the vicinity towards him. Looking down from the rooftop, Song Jian saw a horde of zombies spreading out before his eyes, like a tide. In the distance, a special mutated zombie stood, over three meters tall and with four arms, its body shimmering with a dark metallic sheen. Evidently, this was a level-15 elite boss, lured here by noises of the battle. At this sight, Song Jian couldnt help but shudder. Had he not detected the danger and acted when he did, he may have stayed to fight a little longer. By then, the four-armed elite zombie enticed by the noise of the fight, together with the tidal wave of regular mutated zombies, might have left him with no chance to escape. Just then, Song Jian felt a sudden sharp pain in his temples and looked up towards a distant skyscraper where a blinding light flashed. With a bang, his heart leaped at the sight of a blaze of fire spouting from the rooftop of the skyscraper. It was teeming with cold murderous intent. A sniper! The thought surfaced in Song Jians mind. The next moment, his body vanished, replaced by a large black mist spreading across the rooftop. Bullets were fast, but their speed was also relative. The skyscraper was some distance away from Song Jians location, and even a sniper bullet needed some time to traverse the gap. Song Jian could feel the frigid bullet swiftly piercing the black fog, easily drilling into the rooftop floor, leaving behind a fist-sized hole. Having narrowly escaped, Song Jian was covered in cold sweat. The bullet had very nearly struck him. If he had hesitated for a split second, the fist-sized hole in the floor would have been instead in his temple. Captain, the target was not hit! Qi Yun, lying on the edge of the skyscraper, reported through an eight-times magnification scope. He had witnessed Song Jian vanish, replaced by a black mist enveloping the rooftop. Although Qi Yun is a healer, it doesnt prevent him from mastering sniper skills. The sniper rifle in his hand is a level-10 silver weapon, and he aims for Song Jians head. They are unaware of Song Jians Vertical Pupil equipment. For a regular level-13 player, a direct headshot from a sniper rifle could be lethal. The target seems to have advanced classes and some strange skills at his disposal. Abandon the long-range ambush. Well move in for a close capture. Ma Jiang said dispassionately. Chu Ping, sneak in and confirm the targets specific location! Understood! Chu Ping chuckled. He sheathed his dagger, pulled out a rope, and began to rappel down the skyscrapers edge. In just a few seconds, ChuPing went from the top of a hundred-meter-high building down to the ground. With a swing of his arm, he gathered the rope and stuffed it into his backpack before sprinting towards Song Jians hiding spot. Lets go as well. Ma Jiang and Qi Yun quickly left the skyscraper and followed Chu Ping. Song Jian was now driven by anger. He had long forgotten his grudge with the Gathering Area 101 and never expected them to send assassins after him so long after the event. He assumed he had once again come across some other treasure-hunting player-killers. If you wish to die, 111 grant your wish! Song Jian was filled with rage. Coming face to face with Death in the previous encounter made him feel a strong urge to rip his enemies apart. Swoosh- A cloud of black smoke fell to the ground. Song Jian quickly deactivated his black fog and dashed towards the far-off skyscraper. Chapter 263: 263: Greed Chapter 263: 263: GreedTranslator: 549690339 Ma Jiang and his two companions wanted to hunt down Song Jian. They originally thought that if they didnt kill Song Jian with one shot, he would definitely run away. But what they didnt expect was that Song Jian now wanted to kill them even more! Chu Ping, like a shadow, kept leaping and running on the dimly lit street, his speed extremely fast. He was afraid of repeating the previous experience when they tried to surround and kill Dr. Ebsiting, only to let him escape. Song Jians running speed was also extremely fast. In his mind, snipers always missed their shots, then disappeared miles away. If he arrived later, he might not even see the opponents back. And just like that, on a road more than four meters wide, the two unexpectedly collided head-on. Chu Ping looked at Song Jians name, red as blood, which was a distinctive feature of those hunted by the 101 Gathering Area. Only in the eyes of the hunters who took the bounty mission, Song Jians name would appear as blood-red as it was. Correspondingly, in Song Jians eyes, the 101 Gathering Area Hunter above Chu Pings head appeared bloody and scarlet, which was a unique characteristic of a hunters name in the eyes of the hunted. Seeing Song Jian, Chu Pings lips revealed a mocking smile. He did not expect the other party to not escape but instead boldly appear before his eyes. Is he going to counter-kill us? such a thought flashed through Chu Pings mind, and he couldnt help but laugh at the wanted person who didnt know his limits. When did the 101 Gathering Areas hunters become so unthreatening? Chu Ping looked at Song Jian rushing towards him, smiled faintly, and his figure slowly disappeared. Stealth! One of the core inheritance skills of the thieves profession. Chu Ping had even chosen the professions branch, the Assassin occupation. This occupation weakened the stealing ability while enhancing the combat and assassination skills. He was confident in killing targets of the same level or even higher than him. After entering stealth, Chu Ping did not directly rush towards Song Jian but turned into a side alley. He knew that Song Jian, seeing his stealth, would definitely use a wide-ranging group attack skill to strike the place where he disappeared and estimate his approximate location based on his movement speed after entering stealth. Under normal circumstances, the movement speed after stealth would decrease significantly. If the stealth skill was only at level 1, the movement speed would decrease by 60%, and the decrease would be less with higher levels. Chu Pings stealth level was not high, only level 3, with a 52% decrease in movement speed. But he had acquired a silver-quality thief skill book, Enhanced Stealth, which increased the stealth movement speed by 15% for 10 seconds. In other words, at this moment, Chu Pings stealth speed only decreased by 37%, which was equivalent to the effect of level 7 or even 8 stealth skills. However, what surprised Chu Ping was that Song Jian did not immediately release a wide-ranging attack skill when he disappeared. Instead, he stopped, looking forward with a cold smile. A bad thought suddenly rose in Chu Pings heart: Does this guy have any skills or items that can see through invisibility? Thinking of this, Chu Ping, who originally planned to attack Song Jian from behind, immediately suppressed his impulse to kill and slowly retreated into the dark alley. Sure enough, a faint vertical crease appeared on Song Jians forehead, emitting a silver light, and a vertical pupil slowly opened its eyes, looking forward. Chu Ping was startled, and the chill struck his back. He was lucky to be cautious. Otherwise, his figure would have been exposed by now. As an assassin, exposing oneself before a fight, unless the enemy was significantly weaker, the smartest choice was to run immediately. Is this a superpower, magic, or genetic mutation? Chu Ping wondered silently. Song Jians equipment and weapons had their aura hidden, looking no different from an ordinary close-combat profession. But at the moment when the vertical pupil opened, Song Jians importance in Chu Pings mind had instantly risen several levels. As ordinary fighters didnt have such means. Song Jian looked around, his brows slightly wrinkled. He still couldnt find any trace of the enemy. From the moment the enemy went invisible to when his vertical pupil opened, it only took a few seconds. How far could he have run in such a short time? Song Jian, with his vertical pupil open, slowly searched the surroundings. The vertical pupil was an external attachment. From the moment it was implanted, it became a part of his body. As long as he did not release skills, being open did not consume any energy. Chu Ping looked at Song Jians vertical pupil, which emitted a silver glow and remained open while scanning the surroundings. This state lasted for over ten minutes, and he was sweating cold bullets. Skills, magic, and even wrapped items couldnt last this long. So it must be something like genetic mutation or a biological warriors implant. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, biological warriors and genetically modified soldiers who strengthened themselves by merging other organisms genes always had many side effects, but Chu Ping didnt notice any obvious side effects on Song Jian! Could it be Just then, a thought flashed through Chu Pings mind, and he suddenly came up with another possibility, his eyes full of surprise and greed. An external attachment! It must be an external attachment! Chu Pings eyes lit up, and he couldnt help but slowly move towards the entrance of the alley overlooking the deepest part of it. An external attachment is equipment that can improve with the hosts strength. It can almost rival a growth-type equipment. Its incredibly valuable. If I can get it, even without this bounty reward, thats an external attachment! For a moment, Chu Pings palms were sweating and anxious. At this time, two figures appeared across the street. Ma Jiang and Qi Yun finally arrived and saw Song Jian standing alone on the street, looking a little confused. Where did Chu Ping run off to? Ma Jiang muttered to himself. Perhaps he hid. Look at the kids forehead; it should be some kind of ability to see through invisibility! Qi Yun stared at Song Jian and commented. The two of them had just arrived and hadnt linked the external attachment with Song Jian. After all, casually hunting a wanted person and encountering an external attachment sounded too good to be true. And if they were really hunting a wanted person with an external attachment, it wouldnt be their turn as a small team. Go, kill him! Ma Jiang said, drew a long knife, and rushed towards Song Jian. Qi Yun also climbed towards the high ground nearby. He had to choose a distance where his healing skills wouldnt exceed the range and not be too close to be easily attacked. The only one in the team who could provide long-range support was him. Seeing Ma Jiang rushing towards him, Song Jian abandoned the search for Chu Ping, tightly gripped his long sword, and slashed at Ma Jiang. The dark red blade flickered with a strange silver sword glow, and the invisible Sword Qi inside Song Jian surged, revealing a murderous intent in his eyes. Sword Silk, Slash! With a fierce shout, Song Jians long sword collided with Ma Jiangs long knife, creating a loud noise! Chapter 264: 264: Join Hands Chapter 264: 264: Join HandsTranslator: 549690339 The long blade in Ma Jiangs hand is also a Tier 10 silver weapon, and he is a strength-specialist. Blessed by his full gear, his strength attribute has well surpassed fifteen points. One cleave from his blade could halve a man. Bang! The moment sword and blade collided, a powerful force exploded from the blades, causing a resonating roar. Ma Jiang grunted, surprise flashing across his eyes as he continuously stepped backward. Astoundingly, his opponents strength was slightly stronger than his own. Ding, ding, ding- just as Ma Jiang was forced to retreat, three silver Sword Silks appeared out of thin air. After hovering in the air for a moment, they darted toward Ma Jiang in unison. Crack, crack- Two of the Sword Silks hit Ma Jiangs shoulders, while the other pierced right through his stomach. Damage numbers began to float above Ma Jiangs head. In just one encounter, he was reduced to critical health. The damage in the hundreds caused Ma Jiangs steps to waver, and the Tiger Roar Blade in his hand became heavy. In his critically injured state, all his attributes declined by 30%. Hows this possible? Hes only at Level 13! Why is his damage so strong! Ma Jiang felt as if he were facing a Level 20 veteran, not a Divine Worshipper on his level. At that moment, a sprinkle of fragmented white light fell from above. Qi Yun was standing on the roof of a shop in the distance. The moment he saw Ma Jiangs Vitality Points dropped to one-fifth, he was taken aback and reflexively performed an instant Healing Skill. Ma Jiangs Vitality Points were restored to two-thirds, removing his critical injury status. Seeing Song Jian rushing toward him again, Ma Jiang gritted his teeth and chugged down a potion. Rage Potion! After use, attack power increases by 30%, attack speed increases by 15% for 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, all attributes decrease by 35% for 1 hour. This was one of Ma Jiangs trump cards, yet he had to use it after their first encounter. A crimson flame of vitality began to burn intensely on the surface of Ma Jiangs body. His eyes glinting red, Ma Jiang roared and raised his long sword, slashing towards Song Jian. For a moment, Ma Jiang was full of momentum. As he swung the Tiger Roar Blade, there was the resonating sound of a tigers roar that left Song Jian feeling agitated. Song Jian frowned slightly, feeling his opponents rapid increase in attack speed. A subtle smile pulled at the corner of his lips. With a flick of his wrist, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword emitted a sharp whistling sound. Rapid Sword! At this moment, Ma Jiang couldnt even see clearly where Song Jians sword was moving. His view was fuzzy as three or four long swords seemed to be stabbing toward him simultaneously. Woosh- Another beam of white light enveloped Ma Jiang, instantly raising his Vitality Points to 90%. Song Jian frowned slightly, unable to help stealing a glance at Qi Yun who was a dozen meters away. This healer is too annoying. 1 need to find a way to take him out first! Song Jian thought to himself. If he wanted to kill Ma Jiang, he had to take down this healer first. Otherwise, they might eventually wear him down. He hadnt forgotten about the Thief lurking nearby. Clang, clang, clang- Song Jian and Ma Jiangs movements were extremely quick; in just an instant, they had traded over ten blows. They appeared to be evenly matched, but Ma Jiang was internally distressed. His opponents attacks were faster than his own, so to keep up, he had to expend more effort, which meant greater consumption of his energy. Chu Ping, when will you finally make a move? What are you waiting for? Until Ive been cut down to a corpse? Ma Jiang roared. He could feel that Chu Ping was somewhere nearby. Chu Pings face turned pale. After realizing that Song Jian possessed an external weapon, his intention had changed. Even if this mission were to fail, if he could obtain the opponents weapon, hed still come out as a big winner. However, there was only one external weapon, but three people on their team. Initially, Chu Ping planned to let Ma Jiang, Qi Yun, and his opponent exchange blows till all were weakened. He could then swoop in at the end to pick up the spoils. But to his surprise, his opponent turned out to be so formidable. They were all locked in battle, evenly matched, and he even seemed to be gaining the upper hand. This made Chu Ping feel perilously uneasy. Ma Jiangs outburst was a byproduct of his despair. He had no idea this was what Chu Ping was actually thinking. But after witnessing Song Jians formidable strength, he felt certain Song Jian could kill both Ma Jiang and Qi Yun without losing much life. This made Chu Ping anxious. If Song Jian were indeed able to kill both Ma Jiang and Qi Yun, Chu Ping would also be unable to escape, and besides the external weapon, he might even lose his life here. After a moments hesitation, Chu Ping gritted his teeth and finally emerged from the alley, rushing toward the back of Song Jian. Ma Jiang valiantly resisted Song Jians assault, with his body teetering and about to fail, but he did not retreat an inch under Qi Yuns treatment. Qi Yun, who had planned to use his sniper rifle for ranged skirmishes, bore a bitter expression. He didnt expect their targeted fugitive to be so formidable. Despite only being at Level 13, the fugitive exhibited a strength that could rival that of someone over Level 20, leaving him no chance to pull out his sniper rifle. He could only desperately use his Spirit Points to replenish Ma Jiangs Vitality Points. As he watched Ma Jiangs Vitality Points fluctuate up and down, Qi Yuns heart pounded fiercely in sync. At this very moment, Qi Yun noticed a semi-transparent figure slowly sneaking up behind Song Jian. His face lit up with delight. If two of them attacked Song Jian at the same time, the pressure on him as a healer would certainly lessen. Die! The moment Ma Jiang saw Chu Ping appear, he started behaving aggressively. There wasnt much time left from the sixty seconds of his Rage Potions effect, after which all his attributes would reduce by 30%. He couldnt possibly match Song Jian then. He had to seize the opportunity to join forces with Chu Ping within the remaining time. He only hoped they could at least cause Song Jian some serious injury. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ambush! At this moment, Chu Ping had also closed in on Song Jian. His dagger, like a vipers fang, was aimed at the back of Song Jians head. Sensing a gust of wind behind his head, Song Jians figure bolted forward as if he had teleported, his aura growing violent and fierce. He slashed his sword towards Ma Jiang. Broken Wing Dance! Both Chu Ping and Ma Jiang didnt see it coming. At this moment, Ma Jiang felt like a massive wave was surging towards him. His face changed; he dared not resist head-on and quickly dodged to the side. Due to his failed ambush, Chu Ping, who was behind him, was revealed. Seeing Ma Jiang avoiding to the side, Song Jian didnt let the second strike of his Broken Wing Dance chase after Ma Jiang. Instead, he turned around and slashed towards Chu Ping. In his panic, Chu Ping didnt expect Song Jian to change his attack target so quickly. Hastily, he crossed his daggers to shield himself. Bang- The long sword and daggers collided harshly. An immense force was transmitted, and Chu Ping couldnt block it. He was blown into the air, leaving his chest vulnerable. In his horrified gaze, Song Jians figure leaped high into the air, and the dark red sword, emitting a dazzling silver sword light, struck down towards his head. Chapter 265: Slaves Chapter 265: Slaves Translator: 549690339 Boom- Song Jian moved extremely fast, and with a slash of his sword, he fiercely struck Chu Pings chest. The sound of bones cracking echoed, and in an instant, Chu Pings Vitality Points plummeted, with his chest bones completely shattered. Blood uncontrollably sprayed from his mouth, and he no longer had any strength in his body. With blood frothing at the corners of his mouth, Chu Ping tried to retreat, but suddenly felt a surge of energy rising from his feet, causing his body to uncontrollably float into the air. A floating state! Despair appeared on Chu Pings face as his heart sank. He knew that in this state, his body would be completely defenseless, and he would inevitably suffer even more damage than usual! Will I die here? This thought crossed Chu Pings mind for the first time. He has an ext. Chu Ping roared, trying to cause trouble for Song Jian before he died. Qi Yun had originally been focusing on healing Ma Jiang, but after seeing Ma Jiang being slashed apart by Song Jian, he quickly cast a Healing Skill on Ma Jiang. However, the situation changed in an instant, as it only took one strike from Song Jian to leave Chu Ping in a nearly dead state. Qi Yun hurriedly interrupted the Healing Skill he was casting on Ma Jiang, waving his Magic Staff, and shifted his focus to healing Chu Ping instead. Qi Yun quickly cast an instant Healing Skill on himself, slightly raising his Vitality Points. He then began chanting a spell, preparing to release an even stronger Healing Skill. At that moment, Song Jian raised his left hand, his index finger shining with a silver light. A terrifyingly powerful silver Sword Qi was released, directly piercing Qi Yuns forehead and penetrating his skull. Sword Finger! It was an incredibly swift and sharp strike that nobody saw coming. Chu Ping couldnt even see how this attack was executed. All he saw was a dazzling silver Sword Qi. Thud- Chu Pings corpse fell from the sky and landed on the ground, rolling twice before becoming still. Dumbstruck, Qi Yun stared at the system prompt: System: Your healing target has died, rendering your healing ineffective. The skill has failed, and has entered a cooldown period. He died just like that? Even with my healing, he still Qi Yun found it hard to accept the situation. Song Jian was simply too fast. He had initially been targeting Ma Jiang, but in the blink of an eye, he pivoted and, using the acceleration from the Broken Wing Dance, directed his remaining two attacks towards Chu Ping. In his floating state, Song Jian unleashed the incredibly swift Sword Finger. Even if Chu Ping had been at full health, the level two Sword Finger would have caused over 75 points of physical damage as well as an additional 80 points of Metal-element damage. Even if Qi Yun had managed to cast a Healing Skill on Chu Ping, restoring 50 Vitality Points, it wouldnt have changed Chu Pings fate in the end! After killing Chu Ping, Song Jian didnt even look at the loot he dropped. Instead, he turned towards Ma Jiang, stomping his foot and sending a fanged whirlwind roaring towards Ma Jiang. Ma Jiang glanced at Song Jian and unexpectedly turned around and ran for his life. He had less than ten seconds left until the effects of his Rage Potion wore off. Even with Qi Yun constantly healing him within this short period of time, it was impossible to kill Song Jian. Once the potions effect wore off and he entered a weakened state, with a 30% reduction in his overall attributes, there would only be one path left: death. At this moment, while the potion had not yet lost its effect, preserving his life was the most crucial thing to do! Boom! Earth Teeth Assault struck Ma Jiang from behind, causing a 50-point damage floating above his head. Ma Jiang stumbled, almost falling to the ground but ultimately managing to run towards the distance without looking back. Seeing Ma Jiang run away, Qi Yun was dumbfounded. He was the slowest member of their team. Watching his captains rapidly retreating figure and seeing the wanted criminal walk towards him step by step Captain, youre just going to run away and leave me behind? Qi Yun didnt know whether he should curse out loud or not. I never thought our captain was this terrible before. If I had known, I wouldnt have healed him and just ran away! Im a ranged attacker, and hes a melee fighter! Qi Yun felt like crying but had no tears to shed. I surrender, dont kill me! Qi Yun immediately raised his hands, looking at Song Jian with a frightened expression and shouting loudly. System: Gathering Area 101 Hunt Team member, Qi Yun, is forced by your prowess to surrender to you! Please choose one of the following three options: Option 1: Accept surrender, claim ransom. Option 2: Accept surrender, make him your slave. Option 3: Decline surrender, kill him! Please make a choice within ten seconds! Song Jian looked at Qi Yun closely as Qi Yun tried to give him a flattering but ugly smile. Do you have money? Song Jian suddenly asked. Qi Yun startled then pulled out all the money he had, saying, I only have 32 Doomsday Coins! The habit of the hunting team was to spend all of their money on strengthening their equipment or other items to enhance their personal strength or deposit it at the bank. They wouldnt carry too much money with them during missions. Seeing the 32 Doomsday Coins in Qi Yuns hand, Song Jian shook his head: Then become my slave! Song Jian directly chose the second option: Qi Yuns face showed a mix of anger and uncertainty, clearly not mentally prepared to become a slave. If you dont want to, Ill kill you! Song Jian said, his face filled with murderous intent. I Im willing to become your slave! Qi Yun eventually nodded reluctantly, his face full of humiliation. The moment Qi Yun agreed, a mysterious force surfaced on his forehead, imprinting a Magic Rune there. Qi Yun trembled, opening his mouth to let out a painful scream, but no sound came out. The mysterious force then disappeared, leaving Qi Yun lying on the ground like a bag of mud, gasping for breath. At this point, Song Jian discovered that he now had a slave interface, which showed all of Qi Yuns attributes. Moreover, he could strip Qi Yun of his equipment at will. Song Jian glanced over Qi Yuns equipment. Most items were of white quality, and even the Healing Short Staff he was holding was only of green quality. Only the silver-quality sniper rifle seemed valuable. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian shook his head, removed the silver-quality sniper rifle, and put it in his own backpack. He then told Qi Yun, From now on, focus on healing. Be a good healer and dont think about attacking. As a main healer, Qi Yun primarily mastered common skills like the Eagle Eye Skill but could only perform basic attacks even with the sniper rifle. It was a waste of resources! Hearing Song Jians words, Qi Yuns face showed a mixture of shame and anger, but he ultimately nodded. System: You have deprived your slave, Qi Yun, of an item, lowering his Loyalty Points to you by 10. Qi Yuns current Loyalty Points towards you are now only 50. If they fall below 50 Points, there is a chance that your slave will try to escape! Chapter 266: Let Me Show You My Safe House Chapter 266: Let Me Show You My Safe House Translator: 549690339 Defecting? Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun and sneered, Dare to defect, and Ill kill you! No, no, I dont dare, I dont dare! Qi Yun shook his head repeatedly. System: You intimidate the slave Qi Yun, increasing his loyalty by 5 points; Song Jian was taken aback, this worked as well? Tell me, why did you come after me? Song Jian looked at Qi Yun and asked. Actually, we are members of the assassination team of Gathering Area 101. The reason we came here is that Gathering Area 101 has issued a warrant for you Half an hour later, Song Jian finally found out that it was still because of the trouble he had caused when he saved Dr. Ebsiting at the garbage station. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gathering Area 101? Haha Song C no, Master, you must not underestimate Gathering Area 101. It is one of the 500 safe havens created by humanity after the Doomsday catastrophe. By now, all other safe havens have been destroyed, leaving only this Gathering Area 101. Qi Yun said. All the other gathering areas have been destroyed, leaving only this one? Song Jian couldnt help but sneer, Then how did the City of Sin and the City of Holy Light come about? If Gathering Area 101 were really that strong, it would have become 101 City by now, rather than still being just a gathering area. The essence of a gathering area in the wilderness is no different from the level two Manor Castle built by Song Jian, except that Gathering Area 101 covers a larger area than Song Jians Manor Castle. Gathering Area 101 not only has complete facilities but also has many hunting teams, assassination squads, and even its own affiliated corps C Storm Legion! Qi Yun said. Storm Legion? This name sounds familiar; it seems like Ive heard it on the radio, Song Jian murmured, Thats right. How many people are in the Storm Legion? Storm Legion has a total of 800 elite professionals, Qi Yun said. Only 800 people? And they dare to call themselves a legion? Song Jian couldnt help but say. To support 800 people is already the limit for Gathering Area 101. However, if possible, Gathering Area 101 can launch a battle involving more than 30,000 people at any time! Qi Yun said, After all, Gathering Area 101 shelters many wanderers, many of whom have taken it as their home and are willing to fight for it. There is no shortage of such people! Moreover, according to rumors, Gathering Area 101 has already begun preparations for creating a city for the third time. If it succeeds, it will be on par with major forces like the City of Sin and the City of Holy Light. By then, even more, people would be willing to settle in Gathering Area 101! Qi Yun said. Song Jian nodded, his heart feeling slightly heavy. After all, it was a major power that had existed for decades after the Doomsday catastrophe. In the beginning, it was probably just an ordinary human without a background who had created Gathering Area 101 from scratch through his own strength. If what Qi Yun said was true, the person who created Gathering Area 101 was really remarkable. Now, such a force which has been developing for decades wanted to hunt him down. It would be false to say that he was not worried since, after all, he only had one life in this game! Okay, when do you think theyll send another assassination team after this failure? Song Jian stared at Qi Yun and asked. Qi Yun hesitated for a moment and said, Actually, there was a problem with the teleportation device we used. Our team originally had five members, but one of them was torn apart by the spatial forces during the teleportation. Another one was seriously injured and died shortly after arriving, leaving only three people The team leader, no, Ma Jiang, is now alone. He is likely to give up on the assassination mission and go back to report the information. I estimate that they wont dispatch another assassination team until the researchers have perfected the teleportation device. In the short term, there should be no more assassination teams entering this city Song Jian nodded slightly, realizing that he should be safe for the time being. Before Gathering Area 101 completed perfecting their teleportation device, he needed to improve his level and strength as much as possible. Lets go, continue hunting monsters. Keep an eye on my Vitality Points! Song Jian said as he summoned the wounded Black Dragon hatchling. Qi Yun immediately used her healing wand to restore the hatchlings vitality points to full. Roar- With a roar from the Black Dragon hatchling, five or six level-15 mutant zombies were lured out. Song Jian flexed his wrist, summoning the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a flourish, he jogged towards the monsters. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh C As Song Jian danced around, his dark red sword flew, releasing dazzling silver light. Facing five or six mutant zombies, Song Jian made no defensive moves, choosing instead to endure their attacks and annihilate them, displaying a reckless, do-or-die attitude. The Black Dragon hatchling nearby was also continuously spewing Dragon Breath, swinging its claws and tail, and tearing into the fallen mutant zombies. Gradually, the noise from the battle attracted a large number of mutant zombies. In no time, dozens of level-15 monsters surrounded Song Jian. Watch my health and heal me! Song Jian shouted, rushing into the monster horde without backing off, chopping down the nearby monsters. As Song Jians Vitality Points gradually decreased, Qi Yuns hands trembled slightly from a distance. After a while, she sighed helplessly, waved her short wand, and released Healing Skill to restore Song Jians Vitality Points. Song Jian, who was in the midst of the monsters, could feel the healing effect and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile. As for this slave whose loyalty was bordering on betrayal, he didnt fully trust her. Using only seventy percent of his strength, he left himself a small margin for safety. If Qi Yun dared to betray him, he could guarantee that he could break free of the encircling monsters. Like this, Song Jian continued to fight for several hours. Only when Qi Yuns Spirit Points were depleted did he use the Immortal Sword Body and make his way out with the Black Dragon hatchling. Although they had killed hundreds of level-15 mutant zombies, there was no noticeable reduction in the tide of monsters chasing after Song Jian. They pursued him relentlessly. Song Jian summoned his motorcycle, returned the Black Dragon hatchling to the Pet Space, and shouted at Qi Yun, Get on! Qi Yun hurriedly sat on the back of the motorcycle. With a roar, a plume of black smoke erupted from the exhaust pipe, and the motorcycle sped off like a bolt of lightning, heading towards Song Jians Manor Castle. Haha, this is the thrill of monster hunting! Song Jian laughed heartily against the wind. A complex expression appeared on Qi Yuns face as she stared at Song Jians back, deep in thought. The two quickly returned to Song Jians Manor Castle. Seeing the now level two safe house, Qi Yuns face showed surprise. Is this your safe house? You already created one for yourself? Qi Yun could hardly believe her eyes. This is Doomsday City, with so many monsters inside. Wont they attack here? Qi Yun couldnt help but ask. It should be noted that creating a safe house in the wilderness wasnt an easy task. Many ambitious individuals had attempted to imitate Gathering Area 101, creating their own safe areas, but in the end, they were all ruined under the siege of countless monsters. Although the overall number of monsters in Doomsday City was smaller than the wilderness, the density was considerably higher C at least ten or even a hundred times more! Song Jian smiled faintly but did not explain. Instead, he summoned the Black Dragon hatchling and let it play around on its own. After all, if a pet was kept in Pet Space for too long, its Intimacy Level would decrease. Come in and take a look. How many people do you think Gathering Area 101 will need to send to take down my Manor Castle? Song Jian turned around and stared at Qi Yun while asking. Chapter 267: Your Warning Came Too Late Chapter 267: Your Warning Came Too Late Translator: 549690339 Qi Yun stared at Manor Castle, somewhat entranced. This was a level two manor, and he had never heard of anyone being able to upgrade a safety house to a manor in the wild, except of course for the 101 Gathering Area. The latter was created by a huge group of people after decades of hard work and was the only one of its kind even after so many years! A safety house can be upgraded to a manor once it reaches the third level, and once a manor reaches the sixth level, it can be upgraded to a gathering area. When a gathering area reaches the ninth level, it can become a city! Qi Yun surveyed Song Jians manor and quietly said, Lu Jianglong spent decades upgrading the 101 Gathering Area from a level one safety house to a level nine gathering area. The hardship he must have gone through is probably known only to him. If your manor were in the wild, and he knew you had a level two manor, he would probably send the Storm Legion to level it. But in Doomsday City, the black fog outside the city provides natural protection. Although you cant go out, its not easy for them to get in! Even if the 101 Gathering Area sends many assassin teams, they probably wouldnt be able to conquer your manor! After giving Song Jian a glance, Qi Yun said, But they dont need to conquer this place to kill you. You cannot possibly stay in your manor twenty-four hours a day. If they send an assassin team when you are out, theres a high chance theyd succeed in killing you! Youre right, the manor, the army, they are all external forces. The most important thing is self-strength! Song Jian laughed, By the way, is this Lu Jianglong you mentioned the one in charge of the 101 Gathering Area? Qi Yun nodded and replied, Yes, the 101 Gathering Area was personally established by Lu Jianglong. However, he is old now and rarely shows his face. The person who actually controls the 101 Gathering Area now is his son, Lu Mao! The one who issued the arrest warrant for you is also Lu Mao. 1 heard it was because you disrupted one of his search missions and killed a scout team from the 101 Gathering Area. Ha ha, Lu Mao! Song Jian etched this name into his memory, asking, Whats Lu Maos profession? What level is he? Qi Yun shook his head and replied, Ive only seen Lu Mao a few times from a distance and never seen him in action. Im not sure what his profession is, but he is at least level 30. Level 30 Song Jian pondered, calculating that it would take him several months of game time to rise to level 30 from his current level 13. He wondered if the 101 Gathering Area could afford him so much development time. Ill play it by ear. The most important task for me now is to collect ten sword manuals! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, a familiar figure appeared within the boundary of Song Jians Manor. As soon as the figure approached the manor, he was stopped by two soldiers. These were non-player characters (NPCs) hired by housekeeper George. They were a team of ten vagrant NPCs, all of whom were low-level, around level six or seven. They wore simple leather armor and carried long spears, responsible for the day-to-day defence of the manor. Huh, isnt that Dr. Ebsiting? What is he doing here? Song Jian stared at the detained figure, wondering. At this moment, Dr. Ebsiting was in a terrible state, covered in dust and with dishevelled hair, strewn with dry leaves and branches. When the two NPC soldiers stopped him, he was very angry and shouted, 1 want to see Song Jian. He is in danger, damn it. You fools, your lord is in danger sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whats wrong with him? Why say Im in danger? Could it be that he knows youre here to kill me? Song Jian asked, his face showing curiosity as he turned to look at Qi Yun. Qi Yun looked awkward, saying, We initially went after him, but he ran away. The small zone where he was hiding turned out to be a BOSS nest, full of elite bosses level 10 or higher. After we lost him, we came after you Hes a scientist without any combat capabilities and you failed to kill him? Song Jian asked, surprised. He is not on the 101 Gathering Areas wanted list, so we couldnt pin down his exact location. But your location will be revealed by the system every half hour Qi Yun explained. Ha ha, fine, hurry and bring the doctor here. After all, hes a familiar face, its not good to keep him waiting! Song Jian laughed, instructing housekeeper George sitting next to him. Yes, lord, they didnt realize he was your friend After a slight bow, George went down the castle and ordered his men to bring Dr. Ebsiting inside. As soon as he saw him, Dr. Ebsiting rushed towards Song Jian, shouting, Song Jian, you are in great danger! Someone is trying to kill you! I think its an assassin sent by the 101 Gathering Area. Be careful, they are formidable Doctor, doctor, calm down. Youre safe here. Rest assured, no one can harm you in my Manor! Song Jian comforted Dr. Ebsiting, holding his shoulder. Phew, there are three of them, well-equipped and all professionals. You need to be careful Dr. Ebsiting panted. Well-equipped? Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun standing next to him with a puzzled look. Apart from his silver-grade sniper rifle, Qi Yun didnt have much equipment worthy of being called well-equipped. At that moment, Dr. Ebsiting seemed to sense something. Following Song Jians line of sight, he glanced at Qi Yun next to him. After a close look, his face changed drastically. He pointed at Qi Yun, his face full of terror. He, he, he is Youre right, he is one of the three who chased after you! Song Jian shrugged, But he is now my slave. Speaking of which, isnt your warning a bit late? Slave? Dr. Ebsiting looked puzzled, looking at the magic rune on Qi Yuns forehead that signified servitude. Phew, having such a manor, the people of the 101 Gathering Area have certainly underestimated you. Failure was inevitable. Dr. Ebsiting sighed in relief. But you cant be careless. The 101 Gathering Area has set its sights on you. They will keep sending assassination teams Dr. Ebsiting said seriously, assuming that Song Jian was able to repel the three only by relying on his safety house. As far as he knew, Song Jian didnt have the power to kill three professionals directly. Chapter 268 - 268 Follower Chapter 268: Follower Translator: 549690339 Song Jian looked at the embarrassed state of Dr. Ebsiting and suddenly had an idea. He said to him, Doctor, 1 am already on the wanted list for the 101 Gathering Area, and now they think you and 1 are in the same band. What do you plan to do next? Return to Fifth Avenue, where level-ten elite bosses are all over the place? I cant go back there, its too risky Ive been exposed, Dr. Ebsiting answered, looking lost. As a researcher with no fighting abilities, he couldnt survive in the monster-filled Doomsday City. His existence had already been hard even before, now the search for food and water is becoming more and more difficult. Why not stay with me? I can set up a laboratory for you. What do you think? Song Jian said with a smile. At least here, you wont need to worry about safety, what do you say? Dr. Ebsiting fell silent. Although he was quirky, he wasnt stupid. In this city, probably only Song Jian was willing to shelter him. Fine, Ill have to rely on you from now on, Dr. Ebsiting sighed, a little depressed. He didnt want to lose his freedom but if he had decided to ally with a powerful force before the apocalypse broke out, he could have left the city with other big shots. System: You have agreed to shelter the plot character Dr. Ebsiting. As he was concerned about his safety, Dr. Ebsiting agreed to stay and became your Follower! System: When you enter and stay in the game, Dr. Ebsiting will continually consume Doomsday Coins as his salary. This stops when you leave the game. The stronger the Followers level, the more Doomsday Coins consumed. System: Your Follower is a Researcher type, possessing substantial knowledge reserves. You can select the direction of his research skill tree to develop more research skills. If he dies, all his skills will return to their initial state when he was recruited, and loyalty will randomly drop 10-30 points. System: If a Follower dies, you can find a Resurrection Altar to resurrect the Follower at a certain cost. However, if the Followers loyalty drops to the betrayal standard after death, they cannot be resurrected. System: Dr. Ebsitings current loyalty is 70. If it falls below 60, he will start to slack off. If it falls below 50, he may desert. System: You can view Follower Dr. Ebsitings attributes and initial skills, and can choose the direction of his research. Song Jian knew that Dr. Ebsiting was a researcher, so it was obvious that the latters research skill tree had already climbed to a very high level. If he changed the research direction now, it would mean a huge loss, so Song Jian decided to stick with Dr. Ebsitings current research skill base and continue to improve. Opening his followers personal attribute interface, Song Jian started to study it closely. Unlike Qi Yun, Dr. Ebsiting was Song Jians Follower, who had certain freedom and privileges. Even if Song Jian wanted to view Dr. Ebsitings attributes and skills, he needed Dr. Ebsitings permission. Soon, the attribute interface previously full of question marks was unrestrainedly revealed to Song Jian. Dr. Ebsiting (Song Jians Follower): This is a rare research-type Follower in the game, with a discovery rate of one in a thousand and a recruitment rate of one in ten thousand. Current level 15, experience points 3,351/8,000. After leveling up, his physical properties will also improve, and he can spend skill points to upgrade his research skills. Following were a series of physical attributes and mastered skills. For the sake of not flooding this with too much information, Song Jian didnt list them all. If he did, this chapter could end here. Expert Level Nine Engineering Manufacturing? Song Jians eyes lit up as he looked at Dr. Ebsiting like he was looking at a sparkling diamond. As everyone knows, the level of life professions cant be enhanced using skill points, they must be accumulated through proficiency. Initially, all life skills start at level one, then gradually improved to level two, three, and so forth up to level five. After reaching level nine, then only one could be a novice, further splitting into nine levels. After breaching level nine, there would be an improvement to intermediate, after intermediate level nine is senior. After senior level nine, then its expert. After expert level nine, its master, grandmaster, great grandmaster, and after great grandmaster its divine level. All of Song Jians life skills are still below novice. He didnt know when he would be promoted to novice. Hence, one could imagine how high Dr. Ebsitings Expert Level Nine standing was. Dr. Ebsiting, can you craft the T-11 High-explosive Grenade now? Song Jian asked expectantly. Dr. Ebsiting gave Song Jian a look and said somewhat irritably: The T-11 High-explosive Grenade was devised by me. What do you think, can I make it? And recently, I have developed a T-X High-explosive Grenade which is five times more potent than the T-11. However, to use this kind of grenade, you need to have a Throwing Skill of at least level 10! Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Level 10 Throwing Skill? Song Jian couldnt help but gasp. The only skill he had at level 10 was his innate skill Thick-skinned, which required a lot of skill points. The Throwing Skill was a basic passive skill, and he could learn it just by throwing a few stones, but Song Jian hadnt put much effort into exercising this ability, so his Throwing Skill was only at level one. High-explosive grenades are consumable and not considered weapons, so they wont be subject to the 80% power reduction limit. If I could get a large batch of these grenades, my leveling speed would definitely soar! Song Jian thought to himself. Heres the list of materials needed to craft the T-X High-explosive Grenade. As long as you can collect all these materials, 1 can make it for you. In this city, its the best for leveling. Dr. Ebsiting directly handed a list to Song Jian. Song Jian looked it over. Compared with the T-11 High-explosive Grenade, there were only two or three more materials, so he nodded and put the material list in his bag. Doctor, what about other weapons besides high-explosive grenades? Such as firearms, rocket launchers, missiles, etc. Can you make nuclear bombs? Song Jian asked, his eyes shining. Im a Ph.D. in Physics and Materials, not in Weapon Manufacturing or Weapon Research, I am ignorant in the field of weapon development. 1 know the principle of making nuclear bombs, but to expect me to produce a nuclear bomb by myself is a pipe dream, humph! Dr. Ebsiting looked a bit unhappy, gave Song Jian a penetrating look and said. Hehe, well okay, doctor, 1 apologize Song Jian said sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. Seeing Song Jians good attitude, Dr. Ebsitings face relaxed a lot. After hesitating a little, he said, Actually, I have also done some research on space science, like spatial equipment, for instance. If there are materials, 1 can make them. Chapter 269: Rebuilding the Laboratory Chapter 269: Rebuilding the Laboratory Translator: 549690339 Spatial equipment? Song Jians eyes lit up, then a look of joy spread across his face: Can you make a transmission array? A transmission array? Dr. Ebsiting looked blank before rage filled his face. Stomping his foot, he exclaimed, Are you crazy? Who do you think I am? A master of spatial magic? Even if I could make it, do you think I can just hammer out a transmission array with a hammer? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Cool down, if you cant make a transmission array then forget it, anything else will do, Song Jian hurriedly consoled him. He knew from Qi Yun that a transmission array was standard fare for prominent powers. Even Gathering Area 101 had spent over a decade studying it, and they had only achieved minimal results. Research on a transmission array requires continuous investment, and during this period, there may not even be any results. If you cant bear with it and give up, then all your previous investments would be for naught. Even Gathering Area 101 had first established a stable foundation over decades before they dared to venture into this research. As for Song Jian, he was barely scraping by. He never had more than ten thousand doomsday coins. How could he research this high-end technology? Besides, Dr. Ebsiting only had a basic understanding of spatial equipment. He was not yet at a level where he could research the construction of a transmission array. At most, I can make storage equipment, like twelve-pocket storage packs. If you need it, collect the materials for me. Ill give you a 20% discount on the work fee! After saying this, Ebsiting handed Song Jian another list. A discount? What the hell? Arent you my follower? Why is there such a suffocating arrangement? Song Jian subconsciously received the list, murmuring to himself. Additionally, I need to create a laboratory. This was a promise you made to me. Heres a list of materials required for establishing the lab. Please collect them for me as soon as possible. I dont want to delay my research for too long Just like that, a third list landed in Song Jians hands. System: Your follower, Dr. Ebsiting, has issued a task for you: Rebuild the Laboratory. Task Description: As a researcher, without a dedicated laboratory, it is impossible to manufacture any items or upgrade ones research skills. You must create a fully-equipped laboratory for your follower, Dr. Ebsiting. Task Requirements: Microscopes: 0/1, Petri dishes: 0/1, Physical experiment station: 0/1, NMR machine: 0/1,; Time limit: 3 days; Task Failure Penalty: Dr. Ebsitings loyalty to you will drop significantly; Task Tips: After accepting the task, directions will guide you to the corresponding areas to search for items; Task Warnings: Some of the required items are guarded by powerful monsters; you must kill the guardian to retrieve the item; Task Warnings: Some of the required items only have one piece available in the city; if not obtained or destroyed, the task will directly fail; Task Warnings: Establishing a laboratory is a highly secretive task; please do not share this task with others, and do not seek help from the auction house or similar places. Revealing your intention to build a laboratory may attract unwanted scrutiny; Song Jian carefully scrutinized the task requirements, which included over a dozen different items. However, after seeing the task hints, Song Jian sighed in relief. Having instructions was ultimately the best thing; otherwise, it would likely take him more than thirty days to complete the task on his own, let alone three days. Having finished reading, Song Jian immediately chose Accept. In that case, Im going to rest now. Ill start work when youve completed the task. Dr. Ebsitings face relaxed slightly after seeing Song Jian accept the task. He nodded and said, Try to collect the materials on those other Wo lists as soon as possible. Theres no specific demand; Ill start working on the product as soon as you have everything. Song Jian nodded. Actually, those two lists were the most important to him. He would strive to collect the items even if Dr. Ebsiting hadnt issued a task. Dr. Ebsiting directly occupied a sub-castle on the right side of the Manor Castle. Initially, there was a sub-castle on each side of the main castle. Song Jian lived in the main castle, and the two sub-castles had always been idle until now. After occupying the sub-castle, Dr. Ebsiting started getting busy. Song Jian didnt know what he was so busy with and was slightly worried about the task. Underneath the list given by Dr. Ebsiting was a simple map marker indicating where each item could be found. Song Jian discovered that simple items, like petri dishes, could be found in at least four locations. But high-end items like Polymer Analyzer could only be found in a single location, and it was situated inside a level twenty monster zone. Given Song Jians current power, entering the level twenty monster zone would be a bit of a stretch. After hesitating for a while, Song Jian sighed, Never mind, lets search for the other items first. The items in the level twenty monster area can wait till the end! A quiet night passed. Although Song Jian didnt need to rest, for game natives like Qi Yun and Dr. Ebsiting, their life rhythm was no different from people in the real world; they needed sleep to replenish their energy. The next day was sunny with the dense clouds gradually dispersing. The sunlight occasionally shone through. Song Jian, along with Qi Yun, set out towards an abandoned school located in the level ten monster zone. The school was located in the level ten monster zone, surrounded by a fence made of iron bars. As soon as they entered the main gate, the first thing that caught their eye was a spacious playground. In front of the playground was a towering flagpole. The school had been abandoned for decades. The surface of the flagpole was rusty, but the red flag flying at the top was flapping in the wind, as if it had just been hung up. Thats a bit odd, eh! Song Jian walked forward, craned his neck and carefully observed the red flag on the pole. The surface of the flag is glowing slightly. It looks like a piece of equipment! Song Jians heart stirred. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed the rope on the flagpole, intending to lower the red flag. The moment he touched the flagpole, a system notification popped up. System: You have come into contact with a special object C the school flagpole, triggering a special entertainment task; Task Name: Raising the National Flag Task Description: The schools flagpole is malfunctioning and cant lower the school flag. You have to climb the flagpole and retrieve the school flag within 180 seconds; Task Requirement: Climb to the top of the flagpole; 0/18 meters Task Limit: Three minutes Task Reward: School Flag Task Failure Penalty: None Task Tips: To climb the flagpole, you need agility. If it were me, I would choose to train a lightweight skill to complete this task, preferably leveling Cloud Climbing Skill to level 3 or above; Task Warning: The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Make sure there is medical staff on-site before you complete the task. Task Warning: This task cannot rely on any tools such as ropes. Otherwise, the task will immediately fail. Chapter 270 - 270 Climbing the Pole Chapter 270: Climbing the Pole Translator: 549690339 | A special entertainment task? This was Song Jians first time encountering this type of task. With the flagpole reaching a height of eighteen meters, climbing it wouldnt be easy. If he were careless and fell, the risk would not be worth the reward. The Level 10 Monster Zone was where most players leveled up. Seeing someone entering the school and preparing to climb the flagpole, some spectators quickly gathered around. Bro, this task isnt easy at all. Even though its classified as entertainment, so far, nobody has accomplished it! warned a player who was holding a submachine gun and wearing a military green combat suit. Yeah, eighteen meters may not seem high, but it gets harder as you go up. Whats the current record again? another player added. I think its thirteen meters. Thats already the limit. As far as I know, no one has managed to climb above thirteen meters yet. I could only climb up to eight meters, then fell and almost broke a bone Thats because youre clumsy. Dont you know to wrap a safety rope around yourself? If you fall, youll only suffer internal injuries at most. Are you stupid? Which is harder to treat, a bone fracture, or internal injuries? Song Jian frowned slightly. An eighteen-meter height wasnt impossible for regular people to climb. Even if players could only gain one skill point each level-up, it seemed odd that among all these players, none had acquired a skill in agility. So why had no player climbed the eighteen-meter flagpole yet? Something was fishy here. With that thought, Song Jian leaped and jumped over three meters high, grabbing onto the flagpole. There doesnt seem to be anything unusual, said Song Jian, knitting his eyebrows. After a brief pause, he started climbing enthusiastically. Qi Yun stood at the base of the flagpole. After some hesitation, he waved his magic staff toward Song Jian, casting the Light Body Skill. The Light Body Skill improved his movement speed by 15% for five seconds. Even though Qi Yun had only leveled up once, the skill still provided significant help to Song Jian at this moment. Qi Yun was positioned as an aid in their hunting team, but he didnt want to depend on his teammates for his survival. Therefore, he also mastered some other attack skills. All of these skills, however, revolved around his silver- quality sniper rifle. Now that his sniper rifle was disassembled by Song Jian, those attack skills were useless. Localized in Qi Yuns skill set were five types of healing skills, and three other auxiliary skills, with the Light Body Skill as only one of them. With the aid of the Light Body Skill, Song Jian climbed faster. In a short while, he reached seven or eight meters high. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Theres no difficulty at all; I should reach the top without any effort, thought Song Jian. Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt his body become heavier, as though he was tied to a large piece of stone falling downward. If he hadnt instinctively held onto the flagpole, the sudden increase in gravity mightve caused him to fall off the flagpole. As expected, theres something unusual! Song Jian quickly checked his status bar, and sure enough, there was a Level 1 Gravity negative effect. His talent skill Thick Skin could only resist mental negative effects and was useless against physical negative effects. Could it be that the higher I climb, the greater the level of this negative effect and the more obvious it becomes? wondered Song Jian. As expected, when he climbed to a height of ten meters, the Level 1 Gravity effect suddenly jumped to Level 2. Song Jian frowned slightly. This level of gravity was as if his body weight had increased by about thirty kilograms. It didnt impact him much, but as the negative effects continued to pile on, the difficulty of the task was undoubtedly rising. He continued to climb. Every meter he climbed, the negative effect would increase by one level. By the time Song Jian reached thirteen meters, the negative effect had already risen to Level 5. By then, he was essentially carrying over one hundred kilograms while climbing. After losing the three-point strength addition from the Guardians Sword, Song Jians strength attribute had decreased to fourteen points. The burden of one hundred kilograms was clearly taking its toll. As he climbed higher, his stamina was rapidly draining. Song Jians hands were beginning to tremble lightly. Immortal Sword Body, activate! thought Song Jian. A golden light emerged around Song Jian. The boost of five points to all attributes gave him the needed stamina to continue climbing. Thirteen meters, fourteen meters, fifteen meters With just five meters left, Song Jians hands were shaking more violently, and his forehead was covered in sweat. Maintaining his current position was becoming torture, let alone climbing further. Just then, Qi Yun cast another auxiliary spell on Song Jian to restore his stamina and another Light Body Skill. Still, climbing further up had become difficult. Song Jian shook his head slowly. He had already climbed up to fifteen meters. Even if he used up all his strength, he could only climb one additional meter before he couldnt hold on any longer. After taking some considerations, Song Jian sighed and was ready to give up the task. Hes at fifteen meters! This guy is amazing, hes breaking records! exclaimed the onlooking players. In reality, climbing one meter and seventeen meters yielded the same result: no reward. But that didnt prevent the players from using the task as a benchmark for measuring strength, and they enjoyed it thoroughly. Some players even applauded for Song Jian, who had already climbed to fifteen meters. Just three meters short Song Jian sighed as he looked at the nearby school flag. However, the last three meters were tougher to climb than the previous fifteen. Just as Song Jian was about to slide down, a light bulb went off in his head. Hmm, I wonder if this will work Boom~ Song Jians body disappeared, replaced by a large dark cloud floating in mid-air; This Dark Cloud Transformation skill allowed him to levitate and fly at heights of dozens of meters. For the eighteen-meter flagpole, reaching the top would only take a few seconds; Oh? My body is lighter noted Song Jian, who had transformed into the dark cloud. He realized the Level 7 Gravity negative effect in his status bar had disappeared. It appeared his physical immunity in the dark cloud status could resist even this physical negative effect. The task hasnt failed. It seems like I can still complete the task in this state! Seeing that the task in the task bar didnt display failure, Song Jian was relieved and started heading towards the top of the flagpole. Chapter 271 - 271 School Flag Chapter 271: School Flag Translator: 549690339 | With the flagpole wrapped in black fog, it slowly drifted upward. At the top of the flagpole, Song Jian canceled the black fog state. In an instant, a massive pressure acted on Song Jians body, adding at least 300 kilograms of weight on him. Such terrible gravity could instantly crush Song Jian, but luckily he was prepared. The moment he canceled the black fog state, he grabbed the school flag and slid down the flagpole. Boom~ Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the end, Song Jian fell from the flagpole, his back slammed hard on the ground, causing intense pain and a damage value of over 200 points floating above his head. Damn, he actually got it! What just happened? How did he turn into a mass of black fog? Wasnt it said that he cannot leave the flagpole? Whats going on? Yeah, last time, someone turned into a crow and flew to the top, and the task failed. Why is it fine this time? Maybe its because he didnt leave the flagpole even if he turned into black fog? Is that still counted as climbing? Nobody cared when Song Jian fell from the flagpole, but as soon as he grabbed the school flag, it caused an uproar among the onlookers. It was known that as early as half a month ago, someone had discovered this task, but none could complete it. Having lost its flag, the school square was left with only a bare flagpole standing there, looking somewhat desolate. Fifth Middle School Flag (White): Two-handed weapon, evolvable, equipment effect: Agility +1, movement speed increased by 15%, defense increased by 10%; special effect 1: alumni team up (active): designate five people as alumni, team up, all attributes increased by 20% after teaming up; special effect 2: Brilliant Aura (passive), the flag holder and his teammates will receive the Brilliant Aura effect; Brilliant Aura, attack speed increased by 5%, damage +5; requirement: Level 1; can be taken out of the game: no Another evolvable item? Song Jians eyes shone brightly. In this game, there were only a few evolvable items. He didnt expect to get one accidentally. A two-handed weapon, perfect, my main weapon slot has been empty. Its perfect to be equipped. Song Jian happily placed the school flag in his main weapon slot. In fact, Song Jians most commonly used weapon was the one-handed sword in his right hand. He hadnt found any equipment with exceptionally good attributes for the two-handed weapon slot, so it remained empty. Now, although this school flag had no damage, the attributes it increased were excellent, and for Song Jian, it was even better than a two-handed weapon. After equipping the school flag, it appeared on Song Jians back with the words Fifth Middle School written on it. It looked somewhat funny, but the increased attributes were impressive. Especially now, there was a faint white halo under Song Jians feet that kept spreading out like ripples, disappearing slowly after three feet. Looking at the 3D model in his personal attribute column, Song Jian frowned. Having a flag stuck to his back was too conspicuous. Soon, he set the school flag to hide, and it slowly disappeared from his back but still maintained its effect. Lets go, Qi Yun, lets search the school first and complete the task immediately, Song Jian said with a smile. Under the watchful eyes of several players, Song Jian and Qi Yun headed straight for the school laboratory. As Song Jians figure disappeared, the players discussed the event, and the news of the Fifth Middle School flag being taken began to spread in the area. Song Jian didnt pay attention to those players and went straight into the school according to the task instructions. A few players wanted to follow them, hoping to take advantage of the situation. However, when they saw Song Jian and Qi Yun enter the school, they all stopped. Everything inside and outside the school had been searched several times, and everything valuable had been taken away. No one could be bothered to make a secret room in the school, as it wasnt like those mansions. Wiry are they going in there? The place has been searched hundreds of times, someone asked curiously. You know its been searched, but they dont. If they dont see it for themselves, would they be at ease? Werent you the same when you first went in to search? A companion rolled his eyes and glanced at him. That wasnt because I didnt trust you, I was The mans face reddened, and he hurriedly explained. Alright, dont explain. An explanation is just a cover-up. I reckon theyll be out in no time anyway. The place has been licked clean by dogs, other than a few useless tables, chairs, and bottles As expected, a while later, Song Jian led Qi Yun out of the school, expressionless. The players looked at each other with a hint of mockery in their eyes. In fact, the apparatuses were just ordinary background items in the eyes of other players, but from the perspective of Song Jian, who had accepted the task, their status changed. As Song Jian approached, the items would all become task items and even emit a faint light to remind him to pick them up. In the school, Song Jian obtained three task items and had to search elsewhere for the rest. Once he got the items, any identical objects in other places would disappear from the task map. Only the items Song Jian hadnt picked up would appear on the map. Both of them proceeded to the Level-15 monster area. Here, players were few and far between, and monsters were abundant. They moved cautiously but eventually attracted the attention of the monsters. At first, it was only three or four mutated zombies, but once they started fighting, the noise attracted all the surrounding mutated zombies. In no time, there were hundreds of monsters blocking their path. They were forced to retreat, killing and stopping intermittently, ending up back in the Level-10 monster area. After two more attempts, they couldnt get to the location indicated on the task map. You wait here, or go back to the manor first. Ill go try it alone! Song Jian said to Qi Yun. Qi Yun nodded, and as she watched Song Jians retreating figure, her face went through a series of emotions. Finally, she sighed and turned to walk towards the safe house. Although she was already Level 12, without the silver sniper rifle, she could barely protect herself. At most, she could hunt Level 5 or 6 monsters. These Level-10 monsters were still a bit difficult to handle. Just when she was about to leave, a figure emerged from a small alley nearby, shrouded in a gray cloak, his face hidden by it. Are you really content with being his slave? The mans voice was hoarse, but Qi Yun recognized him immediately. She turned abruptly and said in a low voice, Captain! Chapter 272: Landmine Chapter 272: Landmine Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian moved alone towards the Level 15 monster zone. Without Qi Yun, his movements were much freer. Whenever he encountered monster blockades, he would morph into a dark cloud, ascend into mid-air, and float off in the direction indicated on the mission map. The flying speed of his shadow cloud form wasnt particularly fast, comparable to a lazy jog, but without being hindered by mutant zombies, it proved to be much faster than traveling on foot. Shortly, Song Jian arrived at the central region of the Level 15 monsters. This place was also an abandoned school, but unlike the high school from before, this was a university named Abyss Ocean University . Standing on the main street, Song Jian looked ahead. In front of the university gate stood a gigantic stone relief, its surface covered in cracks. The words Abyss Ocean University etched on the relief had faded with time. This time, Song Jians destination was the physics laboratory of Abyss Ocean University. All the remaining mission items, save for one located in the Level 20 monster zone, could be found in this universitys physics lab. This was the crucial reason Song Jian had chosen this location as his second destination. Entering the school gates, ahead lay three teaching buildings, each towering ten plus stories high. The buildings, seemingly abandoned for a long time, looked somewhat dilapidated. Confident no one had searched this place before, Song Jian decided to first gather the mission items before making a thorough exploration of these buildings. Behind the teaching buildings ran a few small paths leading to the cafeteria and dormitory areas. Further along was a dense forest surrounding a small hill, upon which a pavilion had been constructed. It appeared to be a park-like area. Following the directions provided by his mission map, Song Jian walked towards the universitys physics building. Its strangely quiet here. Not a single monster. How is that possible? Song Jian frowned slightly as it seemed his earlier judgement was off the mark. Other players must have already ventured into this area before him and cleared the monsters. Otherwise, it wouldnt be this quiet. Upon reaching the physics building, Song Jian noticed a thin layer of black dust covering the ground in front of it. It was obviously the residue left behind after monsters had been burned to ashes by transparent flames. Song Jians brow furrowed. Two of the mission items here were unique. If destroyed, Ebsitings mission would fail. By that time, even if Ebsiting couldnt leave by himself, he probably wouldnt agree to become a follower or assist with anything again. He took a step towards the physics building but the moment he crossed through the gates, he felt a chill down his spine. The sound of a faint click came from beneath his foot. System: Youve stepped on a Pressure-Sensitive Infantry Landmine. The landmine will explode in three seconds! Damn it! Just as Song Jian finished reading the system prompt, an explosion sent him flying. The boom echoed in his ears, leaving his mind blank and his right leg numb. After a long while, Song Jian managed to sit up with some effort. Nearly seven hundred vitality points had plummeted to just over two hundred. This meant the infantry landmine had a higher firepower than his T-11 high- explosion grenade, causing over four hundred points of damage. This was actual damage after deducting the values added by his special ability and defense equipment. He felt something wet on his nose. Wiping it with his hand, he found it smeared with blood. Looking down at his right leg, it was clear the bone had been broken. It was at an awkward angle, completely limp. Surgical Treatment! A white light enveloped Song Jians right leg. There was a crack as the severed bones forcefully rejoined, slowly beginning to heal. Only then did Song Jian feel a sharp pain originating from his right leg, making him suck in a cold breath. After casting Surgical Treatment twice more, finally, his leg was healed. Luckily he had this healing technique; otherwise, Song Jian, with a crippled leg, would have to crawl back to the safe house. While waiting for his vitality points to slowly recover, Song Jian opened the combat record. System: Player Feng Kai has set a landmine that caused you 489 points of damage. You may exercise the right to legitimate self-defense. If you kill him within the next 180 seconds, you wont gain any infamy points. Feng Kai! Song Jians eyes narrowed, a hint of murderous intent showing through. Just then, a furious shout came from inside the physics building: Whos there? Whos so blind to have stepped on it? Damn it, how am I going to defeat this boss now? Song Jian paused. Soon, he saw a player rush down the stairs. Close behind him, a zombie wielding a silver longsword slowly gave chase. Upon seeing Song Jian near the entrance, Feng Kai was taken aback. Then, he gasped in shock, his face turning pale. Feng Kai knew exactly how powerful his own landmine was. It was his trump card to hunt the Level 15 elite boss. Any regular player stepping on it would be hard-pressed to retrieve their intact corpse, yet the man standing before him was completely unscathed. This was something Feng Kai couldnt accept. Was it you who stepped on the infantry landmine I placed? Feng Kai couldnt help but ask. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yes! A hideous smile crept onto Song Jians face. He drew his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and rhetorically said, It hurt like hell! Feeling the murderous aura coming off Song Jian, Feng Kai started to panic. Behind him was a Level 15 elite boss and, in front of him, a player who was able to withstand an infantry landmine without any apparent injury. His power was obvious. Brother, calm down! Feng Kai hastily waved his hands, That was a trap I set to kill the boss, not specifically for you! Heh-heh! Song Jian chuckled, before suddenly pouncing towards Feng Kai. Feng Kai screamed, and vanished on the spot, leaving only a wooden pole, about half a mans height, behind. The zombie boss, holding a silver longsword behind Feng Kai, swung his sword with a whoosh, cutting the wooden pole into two halves. The boss then looked around in confusion, stood motionless for a moment before turning around and walking towards the stairs. Song Jian had only been trying to scare Feng Kai. His real target was the boss wielding the huge sword. Sword Silk! Song Jian darted behind the boss and stabbed forward, three silver sword qi, thin as silk, materializing around his body, stabbing towards the boss. Showing an angry expression, the zombie boss swiftly turned around, his black eyes locked onto Song Jian. In an instant, the boss lifted its silver longsword and slashed it forward. Shhh~ A sword qi, icy and cold like frost, flew towards Song Jian. Chapter 273: Can’t Become a Concubine Chapter 273: Cant Become a Concubine Translator: 549690339 1 Song Jian felt the chilling cold emanating from the opponents giant sword, and his face changed immediately. With a clang, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword collided with the opponents silver giant sword. A coldness transmitted through the opponents giant sword, and white frost spread from the point of collision towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, quickly covering the middle part of the blade. At that moment, the dark red Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword let out a humming sound, and a faint red flame shadow emerged on the surface, counteracting the coldness coming from the opponents giant sword. Swish swish swish- Three Sword Silks pierced through the BOSSS body, causing more than 300 points of damage. The BOSS was furious, letting out a roar. With both hands gripping the sword, it chopped at Song Jian, stirring up a sharp cold wind around it. Large snowflakes appeared out of thin air, dancing in the air. Large patches of ice spread from the ground in all directions, and soon, a thin layer of ice appeared on the surrounding walls. The temperature dropped by more than ten degrees in an instant. An ice and snow tornado over five or six meters tall came slashing towards Song Jian with the BOSSS sword strike, aiming for the ceiling above him. The ice tornado released a strong energy, like a giant white beast accompanied by a series of howling sounds. The stone pillars supporting the Physics Buildings hall could not withstand the impact, and one of them twisted and shattered with a piercing crackling sound, visible to the naked eye. Immortal Sword Body, activate! Facing this sword strike, Song Jian did not hesitate and directly activated his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. Golden light radiated on the surface of Song Jians body, and the eight long sword shadows spun around him. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian swung his dark red long sword, chopping fiercely at the ice and snow tornado. Bang- The long sword plunged deep into the tornado, and the massive impact force made the ice and snow dragon pause for a moment before a terrifying explosion followed. The collision of the two great forces shattered the ice tornado, and the surrounding area was filled with ice and snow debris. The cold energy filled the entire hall in an instant. The strike knocked Song Jian back two steps, interrupting his Broken Wing Dance, and he was unable to execute the next two attacks. Under the flurry of ice and snow, the Zombie BOSS wielding the silver giant sword slashed down at Song Jians head. Song Jian barely had time to react. He let out a low shout, swung his sword upward to parry the opponents weapon, and stabbed forward, sinking the dark red blade into the opponents throat. Before he could pull out the sword, Song Jian caught sight of a dark shadow striking towards his cheek. The Zombie BOSSS elbow directly struck Song Jians cheek, followed by a slash that released a wave of white light. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Rapid Sword, activate! Enduring the pain from his cheek, Song Jian retreated and blocked the attack with his sword. The two figures quickly exchanged blows in the hall of the Physics Building. Song Jians attack speed increased dramatically, swinging his sword wildly and using the fastest speed to inflict oppressive damage on his opponent. Feng Kai, hiding behind a pillar, watched in astonishment as Song Jian and the Zombie BOSS fought fiercely. He never expected someone could actually fight against this level 15 elite BOSS. After more than ten moves, the two figures separated following a brief contact, and a great force sent Song Jian flying towards the main entrance of the Physics Building before rolling down the stairs. Bloodstains were left behind on the stairs from Song Jian. He got up from the ground, kneeling on one knee and gasping heavily for air. Cough cough- Feeling an itch in his throat, Song Jian coughed hard, blood filling his mouth and seeping out from the corner of his lips, looking extremely miserable. A towering figure wielding a silver giant sword appeared on the stairs of the Physics Buildings main entrance. With its appearance, the air began to fill with ice and snow. This BOSS is even more formidable than the level 20 elite BOSS Ghostfire Beast in the Kantelu Maze! Song Jian slowly stood up, thinking to himself. The attributes of this BOSS in front of his eyes clearly were not as formidable as the Ghost Fire Beast, but the opponents sword technique was too powerful, suppressing Song Jian from beginning to end, without giving him any chance. Swish- The Zombie BOSS suddenly leaped forward, and while in mid-air, swung its sword at Song Jian. A fierce cold aura gathered around its longsword, and in an instant, the surrounding frosty power rapidly condensed into a five-six meter long Ice Giant Dragon. It roared towards the sky and pounced downwards. A dragon? Haha! A mocking expression appeared on Song Jians face. Hum- With a soft sound, the Hexagram Summoning Array appeared beside him, and a half-human height black dragon hatchling appeared, roaring angrily at the ice dragon pouncing from the air; Roar- A hot Dragon Breath blasted at the Ice Giant Dragon. Instantly, the long dragon formed by the cold Sword Qi shattered inch by inch, unable to withstand the black dragon hatchlings Dragon Breath attack. Gazing at the Zombie BOSS pouncing towards him, the silver vertical mark on Song Jians brow slowly opened, and a silver light column shot out from the pupil, hitting the Zombie BOSS who couldnt dodge in mid-air. Eyes of Death! A series of damage numbers popped up from the top of the BOSSS head. The black dragon hatchling flapped its wings and rushed towards the Zombie BOSS in the air. A basketball-sized fireball condensed in its mouth, the color changing gradually from crimson to purple-black; Bang! A moment later, a purple-black fireball spewed out from the black dragon hatchlings mouth, striking the Zombie BOSSS body fiercely; After spewing the fireball, the black dragon hatchling showed a trace of fatigue on its face. Flapping its wings, it returned to Song Jians side, with its legs seeming to tremble slightly, clearly putting forth all its strength in that attack. The Zombie BOSSS momentum was halted, and then it was hit hard by a purple-black fireball, crashing towards the Physics Building. In the midst of a loud rumble, the Physics Buildings entrance shattered, and several pillars in front of the door were cut in half, splattering a large amount of smoke and dust. Song Jians heart tightened. The Physics Building began to shake slightly, and if the battle was too intense, causing the building to collapse, those mission items might cease to exist. Seeing a figure sneaking a glance at him, Song Jian waved his sword and pointed at him, shouting, Come here! After hesitating for a moment, Feng Kai finally walked out slowly, wearing a flattering smile on his face. Big brother, how can I help you? Hold this BOSS off for a few minutes; Ill go up and find something! Song Jian said, pointing at the Zombie BOSS that was slowly getting up in the dust. Feng Kais face showed fear, and he hurriedly said, Big brother, I really cant beat it, I cant withstand even one move If you cant, youll die now! Song Jians eyes showed killing intent as he held his sword against Feng Kais neck. Three, three minutes, I cant do it! Feng Kai had a grieved expression on his face. Fine, besides my black dragon pet, Ill find you a fewmore helpers! After saying that, Song Jian began to use the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, and soon, thirty Blood Crows and thirty Blood Zombies appeared beside him. Chapter 274: Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword Chapter 274: Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword Translator: 549690339 Seeing Song Jian summon so many allies to help him, Feng Kais face immediately showed an expression of joy. However, upon inspecting the levels and attributes of these allies, a disappointed look quickly replaced his joy. These level-seven and level-eight creatures. Theyre not even fit to be cannon fodder, what use can they be? Feng Kai quietly mused to himself, but he didnt dare to voice his criticisms in front of Song Jian. Use them anyway you like, it doesnt matter if they all die! Song Jian, noticing Feng Kais displeasure, quickly offered consolation. Okay, okay, boss! Feng Kai replied, forcing a smile and nodding his head. At that moment, the Zombie Boss once again rose amid the crumbling bricks, charging towards Song Jian. Hold it back! Song Jian yelled. Although Feng Kai had been attacking the Boss, Song Jians damage was clearly much higher. The Bosss hatred had long been firmly set on Song Jian, making it quite a challenge for Feng Kai to lure it away. Boss, why dont you hold it off for fifteen seconds while I set up a landmine? Feng Kai quickly suggested, shouting out his idea. Before even waiting for Song Jians response, Feng Kai began setting up a landmine in the center of the vacant area before the Physics Building. The power of infantry landmines is formidable, but once placed, they cant be moved. Monsters must be lured into the trap, setting off the explosion. The act of deploying infantry landmines also required time, making it a restrictive weapon to use. Song Jian, who was originally about to charge into the Physics Building, turned his head back to glower at Feng Kai. However, as Feng Kai was concentrating on placing the landmines, he failed to catch Song Jians threatening gaze. Fifteen seconds passed in a flash. Song Jian, gritting his teeth, engaged in combat with the Boss. He dared not continue attacking and attracting its attention, he could only desperately block its onslaught. By the time Feng Kai had finished setting up the landmine, Song Jians vitality points had already dropped to less than half. Arent you done yet? Song Jian asked, his face pale. Done, done. Feng Kai wiped the sweat off his forehead and shouted loudly, Boss, lead it over here; be careful not to step on it yourself! Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian immediately turned pale. At his current vitality points, if he were to step on it, it would mean instant death. Aiming to help Song Jian, Feng Kai had marked a red circle around the landmine out of fear that Song Jian might not see it. After slight hesitation, Song Jian decided to use the School Flag to designate Feng Kai as his temporary teammate. Instantly, a white halo similar to the one under Song Jians feet appeared under Feng Kai. This was the bonus from the Brilliant Aura, which directly increased Feng Kais damage output. Simultaneously, the faint image of the landmine Feng Kai had deployed also appeared before Song Jians eyes. Just as Feng Kai had marked it, the landmine was right in the middle of the red circle. Seeing the image of the landmine gave Song Jian some calm. The power of infantry landmines had left a deep impression on him, and he was now a bit fearful of it. Clang! The Zombie Boss raised its massive silver sword, and the cold energy above its head condensed into several transparent long swords. Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword! The Zombie Boss let out a roar, and the transparent long swords on its head shook slightly, making a humming noise, as if they were preparing to launch. Song Jian felt a chill down his spine, a hair-raising feeling of terror. Like a frog being watched by a snake, he felt like he could be caught and swallowed at any moment. At this moment, the sense of danger the Zombie Boss gave Song Jian far exceeded that of the level twenty elite Boss, Ghoul Beast. Song Jian said nothing, turned around and headed to where the infantry landmine was located. Now, he had to shift the Zombie Bosss hatred onto something else so he could enter the Physics Building and search for the task items. With a boom, he pressed hard against the ground, causing two bricks on the ground to shatter, and rushed towards the Physics Building like an arrow. Die! The Zombie Boss squeezed out a silhouette from its throat, and, with a swing of its huge silver sword, the condensed cold long sword turned into a series of white light laces, shooting at Song Jian like guided missiles. Boom, boom, boom~ Explosions echoed everywhere, and the vacant lot not far away seemed to have been plowed. The brick-paved floor was blasted into crushed stone, and large sections of soil were turned over by the explosion. Song Jian was tossed aside by the explosion. Dirt and blood covered his body as he lay face-up on the ground. If not for his slightly undulating chest, Feng Kai would have thought Song Jian was already dead. Boss, boss Seeing Song Jians miserable state, Feng Kai didnt dare to approach. The Blood Crows and Blood Zombies standing behind him were also frozen in place, unmoving. The Zombie Boss slowly walked towards Song Jian. It could sense that Song Jian was still alive and was intent on delivering the killing blow to eliminate all threats. About three to four meters away from Song Jian, was the infantry landmine placed by Feng Kai. As the Zombie Boss approached, a red glow began to eminate from the surface of the infantry landmine, rippling outward in waves. The diameter of the glow was about a foot in length. As long as the Boss stepped into this range, it would trigger the landmine explosion. Song Jian struggled on the ground, trying to stand up, but he was unable to. His body was covered in blood and dust, and even his face was obscured by grime. Watching the Boss, Song Jian was constantly adjusting his position, slowly moving away from the infantry landmine. When the Boss was less than a meter away from the infantry landmine, Song Jian suddenly pulled out a potion and threw it at the Boss. Weakness Potion! With a bang, the potion shattered at the feet of the Boss, the dust from the medicine bottle covered the Boss. The next moment, the Boss stepped into the glow of the infantry landmine. Boom! With a loud noise, a powerful explosion roared under the Bosss foot. One of its robust legs was blown apart, spinning off to the side. A piercing scream resounded. The surrounding temperature dropped by a dozen degrees, and snow even began to fall from the sky, covering an area of several tens of meters. The moment the infantry mine was triggered, Song Jian quickly sprung from the ground and dashed towards the Physics Building. As he brushed past Feng Kai, he gave Feng Kai a you know look. At the same time, the previously motionless Blood Crows and Blood Zombies started to swarm the Zombie Boss. Despite their low levels and weak power, their sheer number could consume some of the Bosss time. The power of the infantry mine was unexpectedly formidable, and it successfully shifted the Zombie Bosss hate towards Feng Kai. Feng Kai let out a loud shout, and a spear emerged from his back. He grabbed the spear and lunged towards the Boss. Chapter 275: Self-Destruct Device Chapter 275: Self-Destruct Device Translator: 549690339 | At this moment, the Zombie Boss, with one of its legs already blasted off, remained in a crippled state, its mobility largely diminished. Feng Kai held onto his long spear, did not fight back directly, but kept harassing and attacking the Boss. The Blood Crows and Blood Zombies also rushed towards the Boss. Even though they were no match for the Boss, being cleaved into halves by the Boss, they successfully delayed the Boss, contributing their part. Now, around the Boss, ice and snow swirled around. Once the Blood Crows flew within three to four meters of the Boss, their speed dropped, and their bodies gradually began to freeze. Feng Kai noticed a Frost Laceration debuff in his status bar. This level three debuff reduced movement and attack speed by 30% if within five meters of the Boss. Theres also a certain chance of getting frozen. Feng Kai understood that the Boss had begun to fight desperately, which was not sustainable. His current task was not to kill the Boss, but to last until Song Jian emerged from the Physics Building since Song Jian would naturally deal with the Boss. Go for it, have a go! Didnt I originally want to fight this Boss alone? Feng Kai murmured to himself, gritting his teeth while fiercely jabbing with his spear. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All of you will die! Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword! The one-legged Zombie Boss, the lower its vitality, the fiercer its fight. Amazingly, it used frost force to replace its severed leg, and soon enough, a large block of ice had taken its place. Though movements were still not very easy, turning around posed no real issues. So it can do that too? Hey pal, youre doing a pretty good job with your prostheses. Instead of staying here as a Boss, dont you think itd be more promising to work in prosthetics? Feng Kai quipped, retreating step by step. A dozen transparent icy swords emerged above the Boss, flying towards the retreating Feng Kai. Feng Kai fled towards a small grove in front of the Physics Building. With a series of booms, a third of the grove was blown apart, revealing the bare ground covered in frost. Even the trees near the edge of the explosion were covered in frost, giving off a chill of midwinter. Feng Kai slumped in front of a fractured tree stump, his face filled with terror. He had witnessed the Boss use this move against Song Jian. The effect seemed extreme, but Song Jian seemed to incur little damage. However, when the attack was directed at Feng Kai, he felt as though he had met his end. Too terrifying! Feng Kai murmured in terror. One of the frost long swords shadows hit him, dropping his vitality by a third. Thankfully, it was directional and not targeted. Otherwise, even leaving a complete corpse behind would be wishful thinking. Originally I wanted to take this boss on my own Feng Kai was in pain. Initially, he pinned his hope on landmines, but now he discovered that without the simultaneous blast of five or six infantry landmines, its challenging to inflict lethal damage on the Boss. However, he could only set up one landmine at a time, making things awkward. After the boss stepped on one and suffered severe damage, it became furious with Feng Kai. But he didnt have time to set up the second mine, and had to dodge the Bosss attacks. After releasing large magic tricks twice in a row, the Boss also seemed tired. It limped towards Feng Kai with an ice-block for a leg making a crac noise at each step, leaving traces of ice shavings. Feng Kai became afraid of the Boss. He didnt have many skills, only the ability to set infantry landmines and basic gunmanship. Taking setting up infantry landmines as his primary skill, Feng Kai hardly needed to produce the landmines, ten would generate each day automatically. With an increase in levels, their power would increase too, making them his most potent attack. Initially, he assumed that he could kill this boss alone. Now in retrospect, that was just his misinterpretation. Feng Kai felt an impulse to run away. The villain, although locked on him, wouldnt chase you endlessly like ordinary monsters, as long as you ran far away. Escaping should be easy. Three minutes, I said I could delay the monster for three minutes, but it has only been over a minute Feng Kai was in turmoil. Looking at the Boss slowly approaching him, he yelled and made a decision. He climbed up from the ground, held the long spear tightly, and rushed towards the Boss again. Ding Ding Dong Dong- In front of the Boss, Feng Kai had no resistance left in him. Due to the increased vitality recovery speed from the main quest, Feng Kai hadnt run out of vitality yet. In fact, Feng Kai fought so desperately not only because of the promised three minutes, but also because he had ambitions for the Boss. Such a powerful boss, if killed, would surely drop great loot. Of course, the main piece would be taken by Song Jian, but at least Feng Kai should get a share. Without any contribution, even if Song Jian gave him some goods, Feng Kai would probably feel embarrassed to take them. Three minutes, three minutes, ah~ Boom! Once again, Feng Kai was sent flying by a strike from the Boss. He fell heavily to the ground, feeling as though all the bones in his body were broken. Pu~ A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. Feng Kai glanced at his vitality, which had dropped to a third. With such low blood volume, if the opponent released another big move, he might die right there. Three minutes, three minutes. Feng Kai murmured, standing up once again with gritted teeth, gulped down a potion, and clung to his long spear with trembling hands. Just then, a severe explosion came from the third floor of the Physics Building. A figure flew out of the window, holding something shimmering with blue light. Thud-. Song Jian crashed onto the ground from the third floor, floating up a damage of over sixty points. Damn, theres even a self-destruction mechanism Song Jian was frightened. He nearly lost this unique device in the blast. Fortunately, he blocked with his body at the last moment and managed to retain the device in the last second. A light blue sphere was tightly grasped in his hand, with a mini operating table floating in the center of the transparent sphere. Seeing Song Jian coming out of the Physics Building, Feng Kais eyes lit up, calling out: Boss! Save me! Chapter 276: Skill Scroll Chapter 276: Skill Scroll Translator: 549690339 | The task of establishing the laboratory was ninety percent complete C all that was missing was the Polymer Analyzer from the level 20 monster area. Song Jian was quite satisfied with the progress of the task. Upon hearing Feng Kais shout, Song Jian carefully put the ball of light in his hand into his inventory, then turned to look at Feng Kai. Seeing the Zombie BOSS wielding a huge sword and slowly approaching the half-depleted Feng Kai, Song Jian gave a slight shake of his head, stomped hard on the ground with his right foot, and an energy cluster in the shape of a saber-tooth materialized rapidly in front of his right foot, before shrieking towards the BOSS. A deep groove was scored into the ground and the Earth Teeth Assault struck the BOSSS back with a loud bang. The entire energy cluster exploded, seeming like a vicious beast tearing savagely into the BOSS. Caught off guard, the BOSS staggered forward. Bang! A Weakness Potion splashed onto the BOSS, reducing its defense by 35%, a highly lethal blow for the BOSS! At the same time, Song Jian also used a bottle of Fire Lizard Medicine on himself. A flame appeared on the dark red blade, even Feng Kais long spear began to emit a glow of flames. Flearts Eye! Light gleamed in Song Jians eyes. A giant red crosshair appeared on the surface of the BOSSS body and began scanning the BOSS automatically. In the end, the crosshair settled on the center of the BOSSS back. Gaze Attack! The vertical pupil on Song Jians forehead slowly opened, and a dazzling silver beam of light burst forth towards the back of the Zombie BOSS creating an illusion like a laser. Boom boom boom- Every second, there would be a violent explosion on the BOSSS back. A series of damage numbers approaching one hundred were produced, causing the zombie BOSSS vitality to drop significantly in five seconds, finally stopping at one-third left. With a chilling roar, the BOSS turned around, its eyes bloodshot, its gaze fixed on Song Jian. The aggro had once again returned to Song Jian. Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword! With another hoarse roar, the Zombie BOSS bravely endured the attack, raised the silver long sword in its hand, and a rapid stream of cold air began to condense above its head. Damn, not this move again! Feng Kais face paled, he hastily rolled and crawled to a safer distance, looking at the Zombie BOSS in terror. What was I thinking before, courting such a horrific entity Fear welled up in Feng Kais heart. Without the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jian was forced to charge with his Crimson Fire Fleart Ape Sword against the BOSS, which had less than a third of its vitality left. For Song Jian, the current BOSS is akin to a gift bag that automatically walks around. Broken Wing Dance! Bang bang bang- Two impacts made the Zombie BOSS continually step backwards. With his last strike, Song Jian leapt up high and aimed a heavy blow at its head. The BOSS unleashed an angry roar, the dozen or so illusions of the ice swords above its head had not fully formed. Seeing Song Jian in mid-air slashing towards it, the BOSS sensed an enormous threat. It brandished its sword towards Song Jian, and the incomplete ice sword illusions flew towards him. Song Jians face changed slightly; hed felt the power of these ice swords firsthand. Flowever, now he was hovering in mid-air with nowhere to hide even if he wanted to, he could only grit his teeth and strike at the sword illusions head-on. Boom boom boom- Three or four sword illusions collided with the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, resulting in loud crashes, and Song Jian had to bear the heavy damage. Bang! Song Jians descended and landed as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword he was holding collided with the BOSSS silver giant sword, creating a thundery rumble. An energy wave directly lifted the BOSS into the air. The BOSSS body was left in mid-air. Song Jian forcibly repressed the urge to cough up blood, he swung his sword and three strands of sword silk appeared on the surface of his body. After using the Sword Silk skill, he immediately activated the Rapid Sword skill. In an instant, all his attacks were unleashed on the BOSS like a torrential rainstorm. The Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword he had taken recently had cost him nearly half of his vitality, his vitality points instantly dropped from nearly seven hundred to just over two hundred. Rawr- S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A huge Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion appeared next to Song Jian out of thin air. As soon as it appeared, its giant scorpion tail stabbed towards the BOSS. Hum- With a soft sword chant, Song Jian jabbed his left index finger forward, and a three-meter long silver sword qi plunged into the BOSSS back, piercing through its body. The BOSS, which was floating in mid-air, let out a painful scream. Its face twisted, and the blood vessels around its eyes swelled and protruded, as if they would burst open at any moment. Die! Song Jians burning sword once again stabbed into the BOSSS back, reaping its last bit of vitality. The BOSSS body heavily fell to the ground. In a state of defenselessness when airborne, all the damage it received was added on, attacking highly piled up. Song Jians final attack even dealt 180% substantial damage. Bang! The BOSSS body, like carved from ice and snow, shattered instantly when it hit the ground. Even the silver giant sword in its hand spun and got stuck in a broken tree stump. Feng Kais gaze was immediately drawn to the silver-glowing two-handed sword. His eyes gleamed. You like it? Its all yours! Song Jian looked at Feng Kai and said. Even though his occupation was sword controller, he still preferred the one-handed sword and held no love for the two-handed sword. Besides, his dual wield slot was occupied with a school flag. Even though its grade was considerably lower than the silver giant sword, it was a growing weapon, and its upper limit was unknown. And if not for Feng Kais help this time, he wouldnt have been able to collect all the task items so easily. Most importantly, he saw a few pieces of spoils amongst the scattered ones next to the BOSSS corpse, including a skill scroll that was emitting silver light. Song Jian went straight to the BOSSS corpse and collected all the spoils. Apart from the silver skill scroll, the rest were just materials and not worth much. Looking at this silver scroll, Song Jian felt an attraction as if it was faintly calling him. Could this be the sword technique used by the BOSS? Song Jian wondered, and immediately checked the properties of the skill scroll. The BOSSS Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword had left a deep impression on Song Jian, short cooldown, large power, and it was an area of effect skill. If he could acquire this type of sword technique, Song Jians strength would certainly increase significantly. However, Song Jian quickly became stunned. The silver quality skill scroll in his hand was not the BOSSS Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword, but another sword technique. Chapter 277: Rebellion Chapter 277: Rebellion Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian looked at the silver-quality skill scroll in his hand, Ins eyebrows furrowed, Spiritual Sword Control Technique? What the heck is that? Spiritual Sword Control Technique (Activated), Level 1, Skill Effect: Conjure a Spirit Sword, causing 150 points of Spirit Damage to a specified range of targets; Cooldown time: 30 seconds; Skill cost: 30 Spirit Points; Hiss, isnt this just the dirt-poor version of the Eight Directions Soul Extinguishing Sword used by the Boss? After reading about this sword technique, Song Jian couldnt help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Nevertheless, he ultimately chose to learn it. The scroll turned into a silver light and disappeared. In Song Jians skill column, Spiritual Sword Control Technique was added, pushing his main quest another step further. With a thought, Song Jian swung his sword forward. His Spirit Points decreased by 30 points, and a translucent longsword gradually condensed above his head. Damn, this is ridiculous. They said it was instant, but the time it takes to form is too fucking long. Its been at least three seconds. My expression cant even keep up After the Spirit Sword finished forming, Song Jian discovered that he seemed to be able to control this longsword, as if controlling his own limbs. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Song Jian controlled the long sword, slashing and swinging it through the air. No one could see the sword, making it a perfect method for sneak attacks. However, just as Song Jian was overjoyed, the Spirit Sword hovering in the air exploded without warning. The explosion left his ears ringing, and it felt as if his brain had been hit by a heavy hammer, leaving him dizzy. System: Youve suffered a backlash from the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, taking 150 points of Spirit Damage. Hiss, this Spirit Sword is unstable. How did it explode suddenly? Thank God I have a lot of Vitality Points, otherwise, I could have just lulled myself Song Jian wiped the blood from his nose and thought grumpily. On the side, Feng Kai held a silver longsword, his face reflecting his indecision. The double-handed sword was clearly superior to his lance, but he didnt have a matching sword technique. To maximize the power of the longsword, he would need to study a matching sword technique. The double-handed sword conflicted with his lance. Both can only be selected as the main weapon, and it was hard for Feng Kai to decide. Song Jian bid Feng Kai a casual farewell, dissolved the temporary partnership, and headed towards the area filled with level 20 creatures on his own. Meanwhile, his slave Qi Yun hadnt returned to Manor Castle and was stopped by a man in a black cloak. Captain, how come youre here? I thought youd already left this city Qi Yun said, surprised at the sight of a gloomy Ma Jiang. Ma Jiang had abandoned him in the beginning, which had made Qi Yun angry. But after thinking about it, if Ma Jiang had chosen to save him, both of them wouldve been unable to escape. They would either both become Song Jians slaves, or both be killed by him. Qi Yun, are you really willing to be his slave? Even if he is Gods chosen one! A hatred flared in Ma Jiangs eyes. Captain, hes too powerful. We are no match for him. The information collected by the Gathering Area 101 was drastically incorrect Qi Yun shook his head. Its not that the information was incorrect, Qi Yun. We had also confirmed it on the battle scene, and his strength when he killed the vanguard team should not be much different from the information Ma Jiang stared into Qi Yuns eyes, It is just that the level of Gods chosen ones is rising too fast. They can level up themselves by hunting monsters, while we can only slowly cultivate our power. Captain, are you saying that Song Jian has grown from a common level five or six person to a careerist in just over half a month? Qi Yuns face showed a shocked expression. Its not impossible, Qi Yun! Ma Jiang stepped forward, clutching his shoulder, He has now become an archenemy of Gathering Area 101. If I report the situation now, by the time the next execution squad is sent, who knows how much he will have grown. Time is too crucial for us. Gathering Area 101 is our home, dont forget that your son is also in it Qi Yun shivered, his face reflecting the struggle within him: Captain, but I Qi Yun, once you kill him, you can be released from being a slave. He is only level thirteen now, and we still have a chance. If he continues to grow, we wont stand a chance. Ma Jiang slapped Qi Yuns shoulder heavily, his face showing an expression of disappointment. Qi Yuns innocent son came to his mind. If Ma Jiang reported the full process of this pursuit to Gathering Area 101 and they found out about his becoming Song Jians slave, his son would surely not survive. The thought broke something inside Qi Yun. He looked at Ma Jiang and nodded. Captain, Ill do whatever you tell me to. A satisfied smile spread over Ma Jiangs face. With our current strength, no, even with the full squad, we may not be his opponent. However, before entering the city, I bought a bunch of information about Doomsday City in the black market! A strange smile appeared on Ma Jiangs face, In the eyes of others, this city is known as Zombie City, but to me, its an undeveloped treasure. Do you remember the Zeus Shield Company? Zeus Shield Company? Qi Yun trembled. Before the great doomsday disaster, it was the most famous company worldwide. Their Gene Modification Liquid could make an ordinary person instantly possess superpowers and become a powerful genetic warrior. This city has a branch of the Zeus Shield Company; they must have stored plenty of Gene Modification Liquid. As long as we can obtain it, we will instantly gain great power. Killing a level thirteen Chosen One wouldnt be a big deal at all, said Ma Jiang fanatically. One of the reasons he had accepted this assassination mission was for the Zeus Shield Company branchs Gene Modification Liquid. He had originally planned to raid the company after completing the mission, but things had not gone as he had imagined Captain, Ill listen to you! Qi Yun was well aware of the power of Gene Modification Liquid. His eyes suddenly lit up. Looking at Qi Yun, Ma Jiangs face held a trace of a smile. Mentioning Qi Yuns son was a threat, but mentioning the Gene Modification Liquid was an outright bribery. After all, Qi Yun was forced to be a Chosen Ones slave. As long as there was hope, he could be won over. And indeed, he succeeded! At the same time, Song Jian, who was running towards the area with level twenty creatures, suddenly received a system prompt. System: Your slave Qi Yuns loyalty to you has decreased by 30 points. He could betray you at any moment. Betraying? Song Jians face darkened. Initially, since the other party was a healer, he thought Qi Yun had potential. He didnt expect him to decide to betray him eventually. Dont get it. Wiry would he betray me? Could it be that. Song Jian immediately thought of another person who escaped from their team, reportedly their captain. If they insist on refusing to repent, they might as well die. Song Jian smirked coldly, not worrying about Qi Yuns betrayal. He just continued to rush in the direction indicated by the task map. Chapter 278 - 278 Zeus Shield Company Chapter 278: Zeus Shield Company Translator: 549690339 | If the fifteenth-level monster area sees scant human activity, then the twentieth-level monster area can certainly be considered forbidden to current players. Song Jian treaded carefully on the street, fearful of attracting the attention of the beasts that lurked there. He was there to find the last Polymer Analyzer, not to hunt monsters and level up. According to the mission map, the last Polymer Analyzer should be on the 13th floor of the Zeus Shield Company building, as marked. That floor held a laboratory specifically designed for the research of Gauss weapons. By the time Song Jian reached the area indicated on the map, the enormity of his task dawned on him. An 18-story building now lay before him, still bearing the name of the Zeus Shield Company even after all these years. The building had been abandoned many years prior, and had clearly seen some turmoil since. At the seventh floor, an explosion had blown a massive hole, surrounded by charred marks. It had likely been the epicenter of a raging fire, turning the glass windows into layers of pitchblack. Just then, an enormous zombie, towering over three meters high, appeared before the opening, casting its view downwards. This behemoth was draped in heavy armor, which almost entirely enveloped its body, leaving only the red eyes and mouth visible. It held a Gatling-style weapon in its right hand, with a bullet chain stretching from the ammunition box on its back to the weapon itself. LV20 Zeus Shield Guardian (Elite), Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Spirit Points: 300/300, Characteristics: Ultimate Defense, Ultimate Attack, Skills: Firepower Suppression,? Looking at the creatures attributes, Song Jian frowned slightly. The creature had somehow managed to hide its characteristics. Only monsters above the tenth level were capable of this, but he was only seven levels below this one. The Zeus Shield Guardian gave Song Jian a chilly look, then resumed its path, disappearing back into the seventh-floor opening. A level-20 elite boss Song Jians heart sank. He wondered how many more such creatures loomed in this massive building, considering a single piece of task equipment now seemed harder to obtain. At that moment, silhouettes of monsters appeared on the first floor of the building. These significantly larger-looking zombies appeared equipped with simple protective armor and Uzi submachine guns. Each of them had a unique appearance C some had gray fur covering their bodies, others wore dark green scales, and one even trailed a long tail behind it. Level-20 ordinary monsters, Gene Zombies? Song Jian frowned, finding the situation somewhat tricky. Anyway, I have to give it a try and see if I can lure them out one by one and kill them. If it doesnt work, Ill have to resort to Morphing into Dark Cloud and flying there, said Song Jian, looking up towards the top of the building. Morphing into Dark Cloud would easily allow him to reach the thirteenth floor. However, if a fight breaks out, the clamor would definitely attract monsters from other floors, making Song Jian face the entire building of monsters with just a single attack. Whats worse, the Morphing into Dark Cloud skill would then be in the cooling period, leaving him no option but to fight without the chance to escape. Battling floor by floor would be somewhat time-consuming, but much safer). Soon enough, a Gene warrior spotted Song Jian as he approached the front door of the first floor. The Gene warrior rushed towards Song Jian, looking like the legendary werewolves with sharp fangs and two hands that had turned into wolf claws, bearing nails over a foot long that glittered with sharp, metallic light. LV20 Gene Zombie (Ordinary), Vitality Points: 1400/1400, Characteristics: Super Recovery, Skills: Claw Assault Its speed greatly exceeds that of the fifteenth-level monsters Sword Jian frowned slightly and directly activated his Rapid Sword skill, charging towards the monster. Only in this way could he keep up with the rhythm of the Gene Zombie. Broken Wing Dance! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in Song Jians hand effortlessly tore through the zombies protective clothes, slashing a wound more than three feet long on its body. However, Song Jian saw the wound healing astonishingly quickly as he withdrew his sword. In just a few seconds, there was no trace of it. The numbers +2, +3, +2 floated in green above the Gene Zombies head. Song Jian was taken aback and immediately accelerated his attack. Whoosh, whoosh- The first two attacks of the Broken Wing Dance landed on the Gene Zombie, and the third attack overpowered the beasts claw assault, knocking it into a state of suspension in mid-air. Song Jian waved his sword, causing three Sword Silks to appear out of thin air. With a sh- sh- sh-, they pierced through the Gene Zombies body. Roar- The suspended Gene Zombie roared defiantly, its hideous face distorted in rage. The bloodthirsty gleam in its crimson eyes seemed to declare a fight to the death against Song Jian. Fight to the death? You wish Song Jian scoffed coldly. With a flick of his left hand, a three-meter-long silvery sword light shot out, piercing directly through the creatures forehead and protruding from the back of its skull. In an instant, the monsters vitality dropped significantly. This attack had inflicted critical damage, substantially weakening the monster. Thump! Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The body of the Gene Zombie fell to the ground. In just a few moments, it had recovered over sixty Vitality Points. Startled, Song Jian observed that the greater the damage it suffered, the faster it seemed to recover. I cant drag this out. I have to take it down as quickly as possible, or Ill fall into its rhythm! With this thought flashing through his mind, Song Jian decided to use his newly acquired sword technique. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! His Spirit Points dropped a notch as an ethereal long sword condensed above Song Jians head, thrusting towards the Gene Zombie. At the same time, Song Jians own long sword did not idle, continuously hacking at the monsters body. The Sword of Spirit pierced the monsters chest in an instant and disappeared. The Gene Zombie suddenly started to tremble, clutching its head tightly with both hands. Ahhh- A shrill scream came from the Gene warrior, resembling a howl of a wolf. Bloodied snakes seemed to ooze out of its seven orifices. Startled by the monsters reaction, Song Jian instinctively retreated, a light blue 150-point damage amount floating above the monster s head. just 150 points of spirit damage, huh? The Sword Silk inflicted at least close to 400 points of damage earlier, and you did not react much. So, why the big fuss now? Song Jian wondered. Seeing the monster rolling on the ground, clutching its head in agony, Song Jian hurriedly advanced, slashing his swords at the monster and drained its last bit of vitality. Looking at the monsters body slowly burning to ashes, Song Jian frowned slightly, staring at the Spiritual Sword Control Technique in his skill bar and recalling the minute details of the just-concluded battle. Somethings up! Song Jian thought to himself. Chapter 279: 279: Gene Modification Liquid Chapter 279: 279: Gene Modification LiquidTranslator: 549690339 , The power of the Spiritual Sword Control Technique surprised Song Jian; Is it because of the psychic damage? Song Jian theorized. But the Eye Killing technique also inflicts psychic damage, and I havent seen any monster react like this. Could it be that the Spiritual Sword Control Technique specifically targets a monsters consciousness and mental strength? Song Jian suddenly thought about how he had used the Spiritual Sword Control Technique before, and the pain of the backlash was so severe he felt as if his head would explode. It was worse than death! From the way this monster is reacting, could it be experiencing the same thing I went through? Song Jian speculated. Indeed, the Spiritual Sword Control Technique mainly damages the spirit, and its power is ten times greater than the backlash Song Jian experienced. The feeling is like having ones entire head cracked open, something no creature could endure. After thinking about it for a while, Song Jian still couldnt figure it out. He put it aside and focused on the loot dropped by the mutated warrior. It was a syringe emitting a white glow. Gene Modification Liquid (Damaged): Increases your strength attribute by 2 points permanently and hastens vitality recovery rate by 50%. Usage requirements: 10 points of body physique. Item description: This item was a biological weapon researched by Zeus Shield Company. Gives ordinary people great power in a short time. Those with less than 10 points in body physique can also use it, but there is a high chance of causing a genetic collapse; WARNING: It is an early-stage product, and it creates a severe mental flaw in the user, reducing psychic attack resistance by 50. After reading the items attribute description, Song Jian understood why all these zombies who had been injected with the Gene Modification Liquid had these mental weaknesses. This reduction in mental attack resistance was probably so extreme that their psychic resistance had become negative! This explains the strong reaction to the Spiritual Sword Control Technique. Although the item boosts 2 points of strength and permanently increases vitality recovery rate by 50%, the side effects are severe, so Song Jian just hesitated for a moment before storing it in his bag. After pinpointing a weakness in these Level 20 gene-modified zombies, the battles became much easier. More importantly, Song Jian was now killing monsters seven levels above him, which gave him a bonus in experience gain that other players would envy. System: Congratulations, youve successfully defeated a Level 20 ordinary monster seven levels higher than you, gaining a 700% experience boost. Youve earned 5,800 experience points! Song Jian1 s experience bar filled up substantially, making the next level up seem much closer. The Spiritual Sword Control Technique had a cooldown time of thirty seconds. It shouldnt take more than a minute to kill a gene-modified zombie, making it easy to clear as long as he didnt get swarmed by multiple ones at once. Half an hour later, Song Jian found dealing with these Level 20 monsters even easier than tackling the Level 15 ones he had faced previously. After he finished off all the gene-modified monsters on the first floor of the building, he leveled up to Lv 14 with an additional 14% progress. More surprisingly, his expertise in the Spiritual Sword Control Technique had also increased by 28%. Seeing that he had gained a skill point, Song Jian checked the skill panel. The Earth Teeth Assault skill was at Level 1 with 87% mastery, Kick was at Level 1 with 65% mastery, Sword Finger Level 2 with 77% mastery, Broken Wing Dance Level 2 with 91% mastery, Sword Silk Level 2 with 67% mastery, Rapid Sword Level 2 with 34% mastery, Immortal Sword Body Level 1 with 18% mastery. None of his active skills had reached full mastery to advance to the next level. His character skill Thick Face had already reached Level 10 and couldnt be upgraded further, and passive skills could only be improved through practice. Most importantly, these passive skills werent very powerful, and wasting skill points on them would be a squander. After some thought, Song Jian decided to hold on to his skill point and use it to upgrade the Broken Wing Dance skill once its mastery reaches 100%. The Broken Wing Dance had a short cooldown, was powerful and had strong crowd control, making it essential in every fight. Thus he could level up its proficiency pretty fast. Song Jian reckoned he needed to kill around ten more monsters to meet the criteria for upgrading this sword technique. At Level 14, just one more level up, he would be able to wear the Silver Quality Leather Armor in his bag, which he had been keeping for several days. Song Jian was confident that he could reach Level 15 and wear it upon finishing his current mission. Despite killing so many gene-modified zombies, the only loot was the Gene Modification Liquid. Song Jian had six tubes of the white quality Gene Modification Liquid in his bag, not every gene-modified zombie dropped this liquid. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And these vials of liquid all increased different attributes, such as agility, defense, attack, or other attribute damage. But they all shared a massive drawback, which was to give the user a substantial mental flaw. They had barely any resistance to psychic attacks, and their psychic damage was even increased. This side effect deterred Song Jian from using the Gene Modification Liquid. Plus, only the same type of modification liquid could be used. Higher grade modification liquid could overwrite and absorb the lower-grade ones, but an overdose of the same quality liquid could cause genetic disorder, leading to death or insanity in most cases. Having cleared the first floor, Song Jian made his way up the stairs to the second floor. Just as he left the first floor, two figures emerged in front of the Zeus Shield Company building in the distance. Captain, is this the place? Qi Yun asked as he looked nervously at the towering building. With Level 20 monsters around, it was quite intimidating for him at Level 13. Deprived of his sniper rifle and any means of attack, he would never dare to step into an area filled with Level 20 monsters if left alone. Yes, it is. I had to pay a hefty price for this information! Ma Jiang exclaimed, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the Zeus Shield Company building. Inside was a treasure trove, vast quantities of Gene Modification Liquid that would fetch a significant price if brought out. More importantly, there was also a recently developed, perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid. This perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid was extracted from the fossil of an ancient creature that had survived for billions of years. That the fossil still had active genetic fragments was a miracle in itself. Before the apocalypse, it created a worldwide sensation, leading top biological scientists across the world to eagerly desire a membership in the Zeus Shield Companys laboratory. When Ma Jiang first heard that the Zeus Shield branch in Doomsday City held a perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid made from genetic fragments extracted from an ancient fossil, he was skeptical. But after purchasing the information at a high price, Ma Jiang was immediately pumped. The information included an abundance of pictures and videos that provided clear evidence that this perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid had indeed been transported to the building before the apocalyptic disaster. Its real. The perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid is indeed in this building! Ma Jiang muttered to himself as he strode towards the building. Chapter 280: 280: Searching for the Task Items Chapter 280: 280: Searching for the Task ItemsTranslator: 549690339 | Ma Jiang and Qi Yun walked into the first floor of the building, only to discover that the lobby was filled with monster corpses burning with transparent flames. Seeing this, Ma Jiangs face instantly darkened. Were these the genetic warriors of Zeus Shield Company in the past? Qi Yun asked with a surprised expression. The power of genetic warriors had always been a legend among the survivors, but no one had ever seen them, since it was a matter of decades ago. Even if there were still genetic warriors, they wouldnt be accessible to low- level mercenaries like them. How did they all die? It seems they were just killed. Could someone have entered this building ahead of us? Qi Yun looked up at Ma Jiang and couldnt help but ask. Be cautious, that person must not have left yet. Dont draw their attention! Ma Jiang whispered. Captain, do you think it could be Song Jian? Qi Yun stared at the corpses of the genetic warriors, and couldnt help but speak, feeling something familiar about the wounds on their bodies. Him? Impossible. This is a level 20 monster area. These genetic warriors have superhuman bodies and immense strength, far beyond what he, a level 10-plus divine follower, could kill. Ma Jiang shook his head and sneered. In Ma Jiangs impression, Song Jian was indeed powerful, but to kill so many genetic warriors, he still didnt believe it. What he didnt know was that although these genetic warriors were powerful, they had obvious weaknesses. Song Jian happened to possess a sword technique that could target their weaknesses, making it even easier to kill these level 20 monsters than level 15 ones. He hadnt even activated his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body, but had already cleared the entire first floor. The one who killed these monsters must be an extremely powerful adventurer. Were no match for them, and their target might not necessarily be the perfect quality Gene Modification Potion Ma Jiang thought to himself. Follow me. Be careful not to let them discover us, Ma Jiang whispered. Captain, whats so precious here that its worth risking so much? Qi Yun hesitated. A person who could kill so many level 20 genetic zombies could easily kill the two of them too. Under normal circumstances, if they encountered such a powerful person, they would choose to leave quietly without disturbing the other party. However, Ma Jiang chose to follow this formidable figure for some unknown reason What could be so valuable that the captain is willing to risk his life to obtain it? Qi Yun guessed in his heart, Ordinary Gene Modification Liquid wouldnt make him give up his life. There must be some special treasure here! Thinking of this, Qi Yuns eyes revealed anticipation. It seems that youve guessed it! Ma Jiang looked at Qi Yun and said, Thats right, this company still stores large amounts of Gene Modification Liquid. As long as we obtain it, we can have incredible power and immense wealth, enough for us to choose a city and become permanent citizens. But more importantly, theres a perfect quality Gene Modification Potion here, made with the genes of ancient giants from billions of years ago. With it, we could become the top beings in this world! Just imagine, once we have that earth-shattering power, killing Song Jian will be a piece of cake. At that time, you can also get rid of your slave status. I promise that the commitment I made to you will be fulfilled. Ma Jiang patted Qi Yuns shoulder, looking full of confidence. Captain, Ill listen to you. Whatever you say, Ill do! Qi Yun immediately became excited. Power and wealth were the greatest pursuits of people after the apocalypse. Even if it meant taking some risks, it was worth it if they could achieve their goals here. Were lucky not to have encountered these monsters directly! Ma Jiang looked at the burning corpses on the floor and shook his head. His information didnt mention that this building had become a monster Gathering Area. With his and Qi Yuns strength, they might not even be able to defeat the level 20 genetic zombies on the first floor. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian arrived on the second floor and pushed open the side door of the stairwell. A gene zombie covered in spikes suddenly turned its head, and their gazes met. The genetic zombie bared its sharp fangs and made a threatening gesture at Song Jian. The spikes on its body surface shot out in an instant, flying at Song Jian like bullets. Pop,pop, pop~ Seven or eight foot-long spikes pierced the side door behind Song Jian. He reacted quickly, rolled away from the genetic zombies attack, and swung his sword at it. Rat-tat-tat~ The genetic zombie held a submachine gun in its hand, firing at Song Jian, leaving several bloody holes in his body. A series of damage numbers emerged from Song Jians head. Bang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword cleaved the opponents arm and swept the submachine gun out of the genetic zombies hand. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An invisible long sword formed above Song Jians head, slashing down ferociously at the opponents head. Howl~ A miserable screech sounded as the genetic zombie clutched its head, its face contorted with pain, writhing on the ground. Song Jian quickly killed the helpless genetic zombie, gaining a Gene Modification Potion and two spikes from its body. These two spikes were also forging materials. After scanning them, Song Jian put them in his inventory. The second floor consisted of rooms, which appeared as labs. Song Jian took a step, ready to enter the second floor, but thought better of it and retreated. He took a steel bar from his inventory, inserted it into the handle on the stairwells side door, and twisted it into a corkscrew shape, completely sealing the door. Song Jian continued climbing upstairs. His goal was the Polymer Analyzer on the thirteenth floor, not to kill all the monsters in the building. However, after obtaining the mission item, there would be no harm in leveling up for Song Jian here. As long as he didnt encounter an exceptionally powerful BOSS monster, leveling up here might even be easier than in the level 15 monster area. So, every time Song Jian went up a floor, he would use some materials from his inventory to seal the stairwell side door. When he reached the seventh floor and sealed the side door, he heard heavy footsteps from within the floor. Thats the BOSS I looked at earlier Song Jians heart sank, and he didnt dare make a sound. He waited for the BOSS to walk away before he carefully continued to the next floor. Chapter 281: Vampire Zombie (Extra rewards for every 10,000) Chapter 281: Vampire Zombie (Extra rewards for every 10,000) Translator: 549690339 Zeus Shield Tower had a total of eighteen floors, with the strength of the monsters increasing as one ascended. The gene zombies found on the first floor were likely the remnants of early failed experiments. On the thirteenth floor, these genetic zombies possessed greater physical strength and were equipped with more advanced gear. Although they were also at level twenty, they felt like monsters from an entirely different league to Song Jian. Standing by the stairway door of the thirteenth floor, Song Jian carefully checked whether any monsters were guarding the door outside. Thankfully, outside the door were only two ordinary level twenty gene zombies. Both gene zombies were humanoid, with vacant eyes as they shuffled from one end of the corridor to the other. They wore no protective gear and had no weapons in their hands, so they looked no different from common mutant zombies. They shuffled about the corridor back and forth, as if they were robots programmed with a predetermined path and never changing their walking posture. According to the mission map, the Polymer Analyzer was in a lab diagonally across the side door. Going in there would certainly alarm these two monsters. Could Song Jian risk a battle in the lab that might damage the Polymer Analyzer? With this thought, Song Jian took a deep breath, gripped his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and waited patiently for the mutant zombies to approach. When the two mutant zombies drew near, Song Jian used the Spiritual Sword Control Technique instantly. The invisible Spirit Sword slashed towards the nearest mutant zombie. In an instant, a mournful howl echoed throughout the corridor, as the mutated zombie clutched its head and rolled on the floor. Its body underwent a horrific transformation, muscles bulging and covered in thick black hair. The clothes were ripped apart by the swelling muscles. The originally bloodless, pale face contorted and morphed as the sound of bones grinding filled the air. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a muscular werewolf over two meters tall. The other mutant zombie, whose gaze was originally vacant, snapped to attention the moment it saw Song Jian. A strange smile appeared on its face, its fangs emerged, and its crimson pupils twinkled with a bloodthirsty glow. Song Jian felt his vision going dark when the mutant zombie lunged at him with surprising speed, grasping his head, opening its mouth wide, and prepared to sink its teeth into Song Jians neck. Sword Finger! A silver Sword Qi pierced through the mutant zombies chest and shot out from the front. Bang! The zombie in front of him suddenly exploded into countless palm-sized bats, fluttering their wings as they flew backwards. Song Jian was stunned momentarily. It felt like he had seen such a scene somewhere, it seemed familiar. Not far away, those bats regrouped to form a middle-aged European man with blond hair, dressed in a black suit. His face was deathly pale, but his lips stood out from his face due to their excessive redness. As he stared at Song Jian, he elegantly pressed his right hand to his chest, made a slight bow and said, The taste of fresh blood, it has been decades since I last tasted such powerful blood. Thank you, stranger, for freeing me from that zombie-like state of chaos. In return, I can drain all the blood from your body and leave you with a complete corpse. After speaking, the gene zombie revealed a greedy and mysterious smile. Like a lightning bolt, it lunged towards Song Jian, leaving a deep scar on Song Jians chest. If Song Jian hadnt instantly retreated two steps back and used his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword to parry, this blow might have disemboweled him. Song Jian glanced at the werewolf still rolling in pain on the ground. He wasnt sure how soon it would recover from the agony of the Spirit Sword. This werewolf gene zombie was obviously a strength-based combatant, while the seemingly vampire-like gene warrior was agility-based. If the two of them teamed up against him, Song Jian would likely be forced to make a hasty retreat. A slight mistake could cost him his life here. Rapid Sword! Song Jians eyes couldnt keep up with the speed of the gene zombie. He could only rely on his instinct and the attack speed boosted by Rapid Sword to compete with it. The vampire zombie darted like the wind, each attack adding another mark to Song Jians body. Licking the blood on its fingernails, a sickly intoxicated look appeared on the face of the vampire zombie. In just a few seconds, more than a dozen wounds had been inflicted on Song Jian. Fortunately, though the opponents attackwas fast, the damage caused by each was insignificant C only around twenty or thirty points. With Song Jians vitality recovery rate, even if he took the blows head-on, it would still take dozens of minutes to deplete his vitality. However, it seemed that the werewolf zombie had recovered and though its eyes held some fear as it looked at Song Jian, there was more anger and cruelty. Whoosh- Another attack like the wind. By the time Song Jian felt the piercing pain in his shoulder, the vampire zombie had already quickly distanced itself by a meter or two. Sword Silk! Three silver threads materialized out of nowhere beside Song Jian. At that moment, the werewolf zombie roared and charged towards Song Jian, its front paws springing forth three sharp blades, glinting with cold metallic light. Thwack, thwack, thwack~ The three strands of Sword Silk, originally intended to attack the vampire zombie, sensed the approaching werewolf zombie, and immediately converged onto it. One strand of the Sword Silk whipped the opponents face, while the other two pierced its shoulder, nearly severing the entire right shoulder. Just as Song Jian let out a sigh of relief, the werewolf zombie glanced at its right arm, slightly adjusted the bone with its left arm, then twisted. In just two to three seconds, the right arm was reattached, completely unscathed. From the outside, there wasnt even a trace of injury. Song Jian inhaled sharply. This regeneration speed was even more terrifying than his own. To kill this werewolf zombie, it seemed that he might have to completely dismember it and burn its ashes. Luckily, the two gene zombies, although they appeared to be attacking together, didnt seem to have any coordination. The werewolf zombie often charged forward recklessly, blocking the vampire zombies attack path several times. It made the vampire zombie bristle with malice. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Of course, these two gene zombies were more rational than the failed experiments below and did not stage a desirable internal strife in front of Song Jian. Song Jian also gave up his defense, waving the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, intending to trade blows and put his life on the line in a vigorous confrontation against them. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! The cooldown ended, another transparent spirit sword started forming above Song Jians head. The werewolf zombie seemed to sense something and quickly withdrew its blades from Song Jians shoulder, stepping back five or six steps in a row with a vigilant look on its face. Whoosh ~ Seizing the opportunity, the vampire zombie lunged at Song Jian, its fangs aimed straight at his neck. This power-packed vital blood was irresistible to it, enticing like a premium, irresistible delicacy. Chapter 282: The Last Line of Defense Chapter 282: The Last Line of Defense Translator: 549690339 | Boom! The Spirit Sword brutally hacked into the chest of the vampire zombie, instantly flipping it over on the ground; A sharp howl erupted from the mouth of the vampire zombie. The sound was so piercing that it shattered the window at the end of the corridor. A disdainful expression crossed the face of the wolfman zombie, who watched as the vampire zombie on the ground held its head and continued to roll around. After a moment of hesitation, the wolf man zombie continued to pounce towards Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian lunged at the wolfman zombie with his sword. After three waves of attack, the wolfman zombie had three deep holes in his shoulder, and in return, Song Jian had chopped off one of its arms. Song Jians mouth was full of fresh blood. Looking at the wolfman zombie trying to retrieve its severed arm, Song Jian brought his sword down on the arm on the ground and stirred forcefully, instantly mutilating the sturdy arm into a mess of flesh. An arm, the wolfman zombie could reattach. But this mound of minced meat, Song Jian doubted it could regenerate into an arm again. Roar- The wolfman zombie let out an Angry Roar and lunged at Song Jian; Immortal Sword Body, Activate! Upon uttering the command, a golden light emerged from Song Jians body. Eight long sword shadows appeared out of thin air, slowly revolving around his body. Thump! His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword collided with the wolfman zombies claws. Their eyes met, and to Song Jians surprise, a sense of panic registered in the wolfman zombies eyes. It seemed like it felt suppressed by his strength in that instant; Sword Silk! Three slender silvery lines rippled through the air with a whoosh, coiling around the wolf man zombies neck; Thump, thump, thump- The instant they coiled around the wolfman zombies neck, the three sword wires suddenly straightened, rigid as iron. With a whoosh, they cut three bone-deep slash wounds around the zombies neck. Song Jian could even see the bone of the spine peeking through the wound. Whoosh~ Before the wolfman zombie could react, Song Jians long sword traced a dark red trajectory in the air, brutally cutting across the wolfman zombies neck and chopped its head off. The Vitality Points of the wolfman zombie dropped significantly, but the decapitated creature still wasnt dead. Its limbless body lunged at Song Jian, both of its sharp claws piercing into Song Jians body. For a moment, blood splattered, and Song Jians Vitality Points dropped by a third. It doesnt die even if its head is chopped off? Song Jian was stunned. He lifted his right leg and forcefully kicked the wolfman zombie. He managed to completely deplete the wolfman zombies Vitality Points only after hacking at it several times with his sword. The body, now headless, swayed for a moment before collapsing limp. Before Song Jian could catch his breath, a shadow was already pouncing towards him from the front. The figure of the vampire zombie, moving like a violent whirlwind, seemed to sweep in from all directions. Its terrifying claw-like hands traced light streaks in the air, lingering in Song Jians pupils. Song Jian clenched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly in his hand, holding it in front of his chest, silently enduring the onslaught of attacks as fierce as a whirlwind and torrential rain, his vitality points plummeting rapidly. Bang- With a dull thud, Song Jian was pounded back five or six meters. The vampire-zombie let out a sharp, guttural roar, licking the fresh blood off its claws, its face twisting into a horrifying grimace. Underneath its skin, lumps began to protrude like little serpents wriggling around. Its originally pale face, slowly began to turn an iron blue hue, and its fangs radiating a cold light turned red from the root. The vampire-zombie became even more crazed and violent. Yet its eyes emanated a hint of confusion, as though its actions were close to primal instincts and its scant reasoning was slowly being lost. The vampire-zombie, now more bloodthirsty, shrieked and pounced at Song Jian. Its speed quickened, flickering like a shadow. Whoosh! A cold light streaked across Song Jians neck, and three streams of blood sprayed out. Three deep lacerations appeared in his throat, blood gushing outit looked as if he had suffered a brutal throat cut. Its speed is too fast; my eyes and senses cannot keep up with its movements. I can only passively endure this damage. I cant go on like this Song Jians eyes blazed with infernal determination as he pulled a potion bottle from his pocket and smashed it emphatically on the ground. At that moment, the vampire-zombie, driven by the scent of fresh blood, lost all reasoning and roared as it pounced at Song Jian, its craving for the hot fresh blood consuming its senses. Bang! The potion bottle shattered under Song Jians foot, enveloped by the obscured silhouette of the attacking vampire-zombie. Song Jian spread his arms open. As the vampire-zombies razor-sharp claws penetrated his body, he fiercely embraced its form. Roar- With a bestial roar, the vampire-zombie bent its head to bite into Song Jians shoulder, continuously sucking his blood. Refusing to show weakness, Song Jian opened his mouth and bit down hard on the creatures neck. He didnt suck the blood of the vampire-zombie. Instead, he tore savagely at its flesh, like a wild beast would. Simultaneously, as the thirty-second countdown elapsed, Song Jian swiftly deployed the Spiritual Sword Control Technique! A transparent spirit sword appeared above Song Jians head. Under his mental control, the sword struck continuously at the vampire-zombie. Just as the prescribed three seconds approached, Song Jian directed the spirit sword to viciously impale the creatures body. The vampire-zombie bled from its seven orifices and struggled violently, attempting to break free from Song Jians binding arms! Die! The sword in Song Jians hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, shortened into a dagger. Gripping it, Song Jian stabbed it relentlessly into the vampire-zombies back. Black smoke wafted from the vampire-zombies body. But just as Song Jian was beginning to believe the creature was dying, it broke free from his grasp. Holding its head and screaming, the creature darted towards the stairwell, disappearing into the staircase in no time. Song Jian dropped to his knees, his body fell sideways, and he was convulsing incessantly. His vitality points had dropped to barely one-tenth with no signs of recovery. It seemed like the rate of vitality restoration was inhibited by something. There was a toxin in the vampire-zombies fangs. If not removed in time, Song Jian would become a blood slave under the control of the vampire-zombie after some time. He would lose his self-consciousness, and without that, even if he could survive, what was the difference between that and being dead? Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The vampire-zombies poison spread within Song Jians body and swiftly flowed along his blood veins towards his brain. Once the virus infected his brain, he would truly become a walking corpse. However, the vampire-zombies poison only flowed to Song Jians neck, then halted. No matter what, it could not break through the last defense. In his skill bar, his inherent ability Thick Skinned was emitting a faint light. The tenth level of the Thick Skinned ability was Song Jians last line of defense, putting up a persistent fight against the poison of the vampire-zombie. Time trickled on, Song Jian didnt know how much time had passed, but he eventually regained consciousness. His originally bloodshot, red eyes reverted to their usual clarity. When he stood up, he felt a sudden lightness in his body, as if it had become somewhat more agile. Chapter 283 - 283 Qi Yun Chapter 283: Qi Yun Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian, regaining consciousness, had a baffled look in his eyes. He gazed at his hands, inspectively scanning up and down his body. To his surprise, he found his body totally unscathed, all previous wounds evaporated. Even the grisly gashes on his throat were vanishing without a trace. His Vitality Points were already refilled to the max. No, rather, their upper limit had ascended, boosted by one hundred and twenty, rocketing straight to eight hundred. This was almost equivalent to a mini-bosss vitality. Checking other attributes, his agility had astonishingly increased by five points. It was a miracle, equivalent to consuming five Attribute Fruits. His other attributes remained unaltered. Song Jian hurriedly checked the systems battle information. As predicted, the increase in all his attributes were due to the transformation initiated by the vampire virus erosion into his body. It was akin to having done a genetic modification on him. But thanks to his Thick-Skinned innate skill, the virus was expelled just in the nick of time, preventing a more drastic alteration of his physical attributes. The quest item! Song Jian suddenly had a thought and involuntarily sprinted forward. Putting forth a tad of energy, he ran five or six meters ahead, uncontrolled due to his newest modifications, nearly tripping. WhatWhat is His face displayed an expression of surprise. But soon, he realized that the additional five points in agility had significantly upgraded his bodys capabilities, to which he was still struggling to adapt. Slowly moving forward, step by step towards the laboratory door, as led by the quest map, Song Jian gradually adapted to his explosive agility, gaining control over his bodys movements. As he pushed open the laboratory doors, a gadget over two-meters tall emitting a white light came into his view. It was the final quest item that he needed. Walking briskly over to the device, the moment he touched it, the apparatus over three-meters wide and two-meters tall, weighing over five hundred kilos, instantly morphed into a palm-sized energy ball which Song Jian clenched in his hand. The last quest item was finally in his possession. Initially, the quests time limit was three days, but Song Jian was able to complete it within a single day. Its a pity, Im unsure where to search for the two missing inventory items; otherwise, I could have completed the tasks together Song Jian thought to himself. After rummaging through the entire thirteenth-floor, Song Jian didnt find anything else worth his attention and decided to commence cleaning upwards. After all, having the Spiritual Sword Control Technique meant he could inflict additional damage to the genetically modified soldiers here. Leveling up in this building was much faster than anywhere else. As Song Jian was descending the stairs, he suddenly realized that the staircase side doors, initially secured by him on each floor, had all been smashed open from the inside. The monsters inside had all disappeared, vanished without a trace. Promptly, on the staircase, Song Jian spotted two human mummies. One of them was his renegade follower, Qi Yun. After Qi Yun followed Ma Jiang to this building, he had betrayed Song Jian, and since then, Song Jian was cut off from him. Unexpectedly, Ma Jiang and he had both ended up dead here. The two bodies had been drained of blood, their skin tightly clung onto the bones, looking like Egyptian mummies. This seems a bit like the work of that previous vampire zombie After a close inspection, Song Jian speculated. On the neck of both bodies, there were two deep holes C traces left by the vampire zombies while sucking blood. Did these two come here seeking revenge against me? Song Jian wondered. But, I didnt tell Qi Yun that I was coming here. Howd he know Id be in this building? After contemplating for a while to no avail, Song Jian shook his head, brushed past the two mummified bodies, and headed towards the Manor Castle. For some unknown reason, all the monsters that infested this building had disappeared, even the elite level twenty boss Zeus Shields Guardian was nowhere to be found. It was unclear if they were annihilated, or if they had abandoned the building. Having guarded this building for decades, they wouldnt have left without a good reason. But currently, there was no logical explanation for their sudden absence. Song Jian felt slightly regretful as he considered this. After all, this place was like a holy land of leveling up for him. With the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, the monsters here were powerless, becoming mere experience packets for him to harvest. What a shame Song Jian gave a sigh as he glanced back at the building bearing the Zeus Shield Companys sign. The sky darkened gradually. Silence enveloped the surroundings and not a single sound came from the Zeus Shield Companys building. Just then, Qi Yun, who had turned into a mummy, started to stir. First, it was a finger movement, then his full arm. Ominously, his whole body rose from the ground at an odd angle. The personified Qi Yun no longer looked human; he was now just like a zombie. In his blood-red eyes peered a startled confusion. It seemed his past memories were lost; he looked at the mummified Ma Jiang next to him, having a familiar feeling but not being able to recall anything. After spending some time next to Ma Jiangs corpse, Qi Yun began to climb the stairs slowly. He didnt know where he was heading, but an idea would recurrently pop into his mind, urging him to reach the eighteenth-floor of the building. It seemed like something very precious awaited him there. Qi Yuns legs wouldnt bend. Each flight climbed consumed him greatly, even to the point of crawling on the stairs a bit by bit. The resurrected Qi Yun seemed to have simplified a lot. The lone thought in his head never dwindled. He continued to strive for it, entirely disregarding the price he was paying, not making any judgement or assessments, solely focusing on reaching the top floor of the building. After several hours of crawling, the gear Qi Yun wore was worn out to zero durability, beyond repair. But he finally made it to the eighteenth floor. Leaning on the wall, he wobbly pushed open the side door, managing to stand and get inside the 18th floor. On reaching, Qi Yun felt as if he had located something extremely crucial; an overwhelming craving gnawed at him, similar to a junkie longing for a fix. Stumbling towards a laboratory door, through the glass, Qi Yun spotted a metallic pillar in the center of the lab. The pillar, reaching well over a persons height, was topped by a transparent glass dome. Within the dome, a vial glowed with dazzling, multicolored light. The glass dome was covered with a thick layer of dust, but it failed to mask the radiance emitted by the vial within. L..need Dry, cracked lips slightly opened, and from his parched throat, two syllables were pushed out. Suddenly, Qi Yun began vigorously pounding on the laboratory door with his fists. Thud,thud,thud~ The heavy, repetitive knocking echoed in the vacant hallway, projecting an eerie sensation. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 284: Mermaid Chapter 284: Mermaid Translator: 549690339 | Returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian arranged the task items from the package one by one, causing surprise to flash in Dr. Ebsitings eyes. How could this be, its only been a day Looking up at Song Jian, Dr. Ebsiting even suspected that Song Jian had collected these items long ago, and only went out to fetch them now. This is the equipment of Zeus Shield Company! While touching a symbol on the Polymer Analyzer, Dr. Ebsiting exclaimed, If 1 had known you could enter Zeus Shield Company, I wouldve asked you to grab more equipment. They are not short on funds. If not for a mishap, I wouldve been a member of their company Dr. Ebsiting fell into a reminiscence, sighed after a long pause and said, What a pity, I was too young at the time and not proficient in bioscience. My research scope conflicted with Zeus Shield, so 1 didnt join. The Zeus Shield, does it still exist? Song Jian suddenly asked. Of course, giants like them, even during an apocalypse, wouldnt disappear that quick. Moreover, I used to suspect that the zombie virus that destroyed this city originally spread from Zeus Shield Company, but I have no evidence to prove this After a brief chat, Song Jian was kicked out by Dr. Ebsiting, who could now continue his research. As for Song Jian, he still had two lists in his pocket, and if he didnt collect all the materials on these two lists, Dr. Ebsiting probably wouldnt pay any more attention to him. Song Jian left the Manor Castle, planning to upgrade to the fifteenth level monster zone, he was already at level fourteen, and only seventy percent more experience points were needed to reach level fifteen, then he could equip that leather armor in his parcel. During the previous battle at Zeus Shield Company, the proficiency of Song Jians skill Broken Wing Dance was raised to ioo% at level 2. With his level 14. reward skill points, he could upgrade to level 3. The third level of the Broken Wing Dance increases damage slightly. Meanwhile, the judgement on the third segment of Floating Point also increased a lot. After performing a Broken Wing Dance, even a level-15 monsters vitality points will decrease by almost three hundred. While Song Jian was passing through the level-10 monster zone, he suddenly saw a large group of players frantically running on the road, as if there were some terrifying monsters chasing them. Brother, run quickly, the monsters from Jinyang Lake have come ashore, there are so many of them, if you dont run you will lose your life! Seeing Song Jian standing still, a player in his thirties kindly reminded him. Old Li, dont bother with him, lets go back to the safe house quickly. Only the safe house can withstand those monsters His companion tugged him, looked at Song Jian, and showed a vigilant expression. Monsters, what monsters? Song Jian couldnt help asking. Fishmen, water elementals, so many monsters, all are level-15 monsters, run! The man referred to as Old Li briefly explained and then ran down the street with his companions. Soon, Song Jian saw a large group of creatures with fish heads, gills on both sides of their necks, covered in green scales, and standing only about 1.4 meters tall. They were holding round-headed sticks in their hands and lunged directly at any living creature they spotted. These fish monsters were all level 15 ordinary monsters. On their way, they not only hunted players, but also other monsters. They killed on sight. Song Jian personally saw several level-10 mutated zombies surrounded by a group of fishmen, constantly smashing the zombies with sticks in their hands. In no time, these level-10 zombies were nailed to the ground. After killing these level-10 monsters, the fishmen did not waste them. A few fishmen lifted the smashed mutated zombies and went back the way they came. The zombies killed by the fishmen did not ignite into transparent flames, they were no different from ordinary corpses. More fishmen stormed into the shops on both sides, searching for anything edible. These fishmen were like locusts crossing the border, the places they passed were completely ransacked. A level-10 player had just finished searching a building and came out from the entrance when he ran into this group of fishmen. Before he could react, the group of fishmen swarmed him as if they were flies smelling blood; The player screamed in fear, frantically casting skills, with thunder and lightning appearing in his hands, hitting the fishmen. The fishmen affected by the electric attack trembled in place, but more fishmen kept lunging at the man. In no time, that players mental strength was exhausted, he was knocked to the ground by a group of fishmen and soon, a mournful scream sounded. The group of fishmen was actually tearing the player apart in frenzy. Soon, a strong fishman leader in armor and carrying a long fork ran over. He roared at the surrounding fishmen, driving them away from the player they were biting. Then, it shouted at several fishmen and ordered them to lift the players corpse, going back the way they came. A level-15 elite boss Song Jian stared at the strong fishman in armor and carrying a long fork and murmured. Previously he thought about a fight, but seeing this level-15 elite boss, Song Jian halted his steps. If it were regular monsters, he could escape their siege, but with this elite boss, escaping from this group of level-15 monsters would be tricky. He ducked into a residential complex, hiding behind the door of a building. These fishmen were numerous but impossible to search the entire area of level 10 monsters, a lot of places would be missed out. Song Jian patiently waited for this group of fishmen to leave so that he could go elsewhere. However, before too long, Song Jian heard a few fishmen yelling as they rushed into the residential complex, they began to move towards the apartment buildings in small groups. Two of them selected the very apartment building where Song Jian was hiding. You two are just unlucky Song Jian summoned the Crimson Fire Fleart Ape Sword and tightly clutched it in his hand. Soon, a fishman slammed a half-opened building door with the stick in his hand and swaggered in, followed by a thin fishman cowering behind him. Compared to the fishman in front, that fishman behind looked like a child. The behavior of the timid fishman seemed to infuriate the one in front. After smashing the door open, it yelled angrily at the fishman behind, waving the stick in its hand and acting threateningly. At this moment, the fishmans face showed a terrified expression. Fie pointed behind the front fishman and screamed in fright. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 285: Regional Task Chapter 285: Regional Task Translator: 549690339 | Looking at the terrified expression of the feeble little fish-man in front of him, the burly fish-man felt something was amiss and was about to turn around. Suddenly, he felt a pang of sharp pain from his back. Broken Wing Dance! Whoosh, whoosh- Two bursts of sword light flashed by, instantly slashing the vitality points of the sturdy fish-man significantly. Just as it was about to call out to its companions in fear and flee, a third attack came from the sky, cutting its head into two halves. The thin little fish-man was so scared that he dropped his weapon. As he was about to turn and run, a blast of air from behind shot him into the air. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Several more sword lights left dark red traces in the air. Song Jian easily took down this small fish-man too. After casually picking up the materials dropped by the two fish-men, Song Jian was about to rush out. Suddenly, he saw a large group of fish-men storm into the neighborhood. With a slight frown, Song Jian slowly retreated back into a dark corner. Soon, a few fish-men noticed the two dead bodies. After a bout of clamoring, they hoisted the corpses and retreated along their original path. It seemed the dead fish-men were no different from players and monsters in their eyes. They were treated as goods or food. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly noticed a red warning light flashing in front of his system screen. Upon checking, he triggered a regional task when he killed the first fish-man. System: Youve killed an LV15 Fish-Head Monster, triggering a regional mission, The Food Crisis of Fish-head Monsters. Mission instructions: Due to their overwhelming numbers, the Fish-Head Monsters of Jinyang Lake have inadequate food storage and have started to invade their surroundings to plunder food. Mission objective: First stage C kill 50 Fish-Head Monsters, the second stage objectives will appear after you complete the first stage; System: This is a special regional mission. It cant be rejected or abandoned. Mission failure penalty: Random decrease of two points in personal attributes. Mission reward: Five hundred Doomsday Coins. Looking at the mission targets, he had already killed two Fish-Head Monsters. He still needed to kill forty-eight more to complete the first stage of the mission. Originally, Song Jian only wanted to evacuate. After all, in this large-scale monster tide, individual strength was essentially useless and could even potentially trap him. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, upon seeing the words special regional mission, Song Jian immediately thought of the skill stone stele. The rewards from such sudden missions were considerable. Moreover, leaving now would result in an immediate loss of two attribute points, which was certainly unacceptable. With this in mind, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon hatchling. Now a level-nine elite BOSS, the hatchling could easily defeat a level-fifteen Fish-Head Monster in one-on-one combat. Its strength was not to be underestimated. As for the Blood Crow and the Blood Zombie, it would be better to not summon these cannon fodders and save himself the embarrassment. A tender dragon chant echoed, causing a few fish-men planning to explore the residential building to shudder. They looked at each other and simultaneously turned tail and fled. It seemed that Dragon Might was also effective against these Fish-Head Monsters. With this, Song Jians confidence soared. He stepped out of the residential building and charged towards a group of five or six Fish-Head Monsters. Weakness Potion! A potion bottle shattered under the feet of the Fish-Head Monsters. A cloud of gray powder, looking like fog, enveloped them. The Black Dragon hatchling pounced at them excitedly, continuously spitting out blazing Dragon Breath. The Monsters club hit the hatchling, apart from reducing its vitality points by a dozen or so and enraging it further, it had no other effect; Soon, these level-fifteen Fish-Head Monsters were killed by Song Jian and the Black Dragon hatchling. Although the experience points were not as rewarding as those from gene warriors, they were still decent. Song Jian had planned to level up by hunting down level-fifteen monsters. The commotion of the battle once again attracted other Fish-Head Monsters in the residential neighborhood. Within a short period, a dozen or so Fish-Head Monsters were lured over. Song Jian slowly retreated towards the residential building. In an open area, even if his strength were to double, facing off against dozens of level-fifteen monsters simultaneously was beyond him. Entering the residential building, its narrow staircase could only accommodate two people side by side. Once he secured such a terrain, killing the group of level-fifteen monsters was much simpler. It took Song Jian more than half an hour to kill all these Fish-Head Monsters. Along with numerous material drops like Fresh Fish Meat, Sharp Fish Bones, they surprisingly also dropped three pearls for Song Jian. Each of these pearls was over twenty millimeters in diameter and had a round and delicate texture. They were obviously invaluable. Even in the real world, they would be highly valuable. Exquisite Pearl (White): Valuable Item, Use Effect: Can be sold at the system store, each worth 100 Doomsday Coins, Can you take it out of the game: Yes. These three pearls amounted to three hundred Doomsday Coins, a small fortune for an average player. Song Jian played with them in his hand for a while. If he could find more pearls to make a necklace, the value would surely soar. Packing the three pearls into his bag, Song Jian stepped out of the residential building. At this moment, a Fish-Head Monster with a red crown was standing at the gate of the neighborhood, making a ka-ji ka-ji calling sound, seemingly signaling its companions who had entered the neighborhood. After calling out a few times with no response, it looked puzzled. It stood in place, craning its neck and tried to scan around for a long time, but couldnt find any abnormalities, so it turned around. Song Jian had originally intended to rush out and kill it, in order to prevent it from noticing the odd situation and leading the Fish-Head Monster infantry over. Surprisingly, this creature was skittish and left merely after looking around for a bit. Just as Song Jian was about to leave the neighborhood, he suddenly heard a hurried ka-ji ka-ji sound behind him. Turning around, he saw a Fish-Head Monster with a round club standing in front of the residential building he just vacated, wearing an expression of horror. Its call was shrill and piercing, like an air-raid siren sounding throughout the vacant neighborhood. Damn it! Song Jian quickly darted towards the Fish-Head Monster. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand flashed silver, and three Sword Silks appeared, lashing out at the Fish-Head Monster; A smack, smack, smack- The three Sword Silks hit the Fish-Head Monsters body, instantly shattering its scales. A huge force came over, and the Fish-Head Monster, now at half-health, was knocked flying like a ragdoll. With a stomp of his foot, a tusk-like aura charged at the Fish-Head Monster, striking it hard against a wall and leaving a bloody human-shaped imprint on it. The Fish-Head Monster struggled to get up and let out a piercing shriek. It turned to run into the neighborhood. Song Jian was about to pursue it when he heard a rapid thump thump thump of footsteps from behind. Turning around, he saw the Fish-Head Monster leader wearing armor and holding a long fork running towards the neighborhood. Chapter 286 - 286 Fish-head Monster Squad Leader Chapter 286: Fish-head Monster Squad Leader Translator: 549690339 Song Jian squinted at the Level 15 Elite Boss. LV15 Fish-head Monster Squad Leader (Elite), Vitality Points:i8oo/i8oo, Spirit Points:200/200, Traits:Underwater attack damage increased by 30%; Skill: Fountain Ejection, Trident Throw With only 1800 Vitality Points, it seemed that this Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was not very powerful, likely at the bottom in comparison to other Level 15 Elite Bosses. Looking around, Song Jian was hugely relieved to see that this Boss had come alone, with no other Fish-head monsters in sight. A single Level 15 Elite Boss, one of the weaker among its kind, and with no small monsters accompanying it, was a gift delivered to his doorstep. It must have heard the shout of the earlier defeated Fish-head monster and decided to investigate. Taking advantage of the fact that other monsters had yet to arrive, Song Jian would deal with this boss first. With this in mind, Song Jian held the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly, and charged towards the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. As they closed to about seven or eight meters, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader suddenly raised its right hand, lifting the trident high. Song Jian abruptly halted, realizing that his opponent was about to use the Trident Throw skill. As expected, with a whoosh, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader threw the trident directly towards Song Jian. The trident, rusted and dirty, looked nothing much but turned incredibly fast in midair. It left a white trail, aiming harshly at Song Jian. Song Jian swiftly sidestepped, and heard a loud boom. The power of the trident had far exceeded his expectations. It had transformed the ground where he had stood into a crater with a diameter of over a meter. The blast from the trident nearly tossed Song Jian into the air. A damage number in the thirties appeared above his head. Even from so far away, it caused damage! If I were closer to the center of the attack, wouldnt I have lost three to four hundred Vitality Points? Song Jian was shocked and instantly became more cautious. The Fish-head Monster Squad Leader roared in frustration at not being able to kill Song Jian. With a gesture, the trident that had been stuck in the ground disappeared and reappeared in its hand. Upon seeing the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader raising the trident again, Song Jian narrowed his eyes. 1 must not let it attack me indiscriminately! Earth Teeth Assault! A canine-shaped mass of energy flew towards the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. The Black Dragon fledgling, flapping its wings, and circled around a large area, then came out from the bush, it growled and spat Dragon Breath at the squad leader. Upon seeing the Black Dragon fledgling, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader began to tremble. It wailed loudly at the dragon, flapping its hand at Song Jian all the while. Thunk, thunk- Both Earth Teeth Assault and Dragon Breath had hit, making it roll forward and showing two damage numbers of above seventy points appearing on top of its head. Feeling that it was unable to explain itself, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader tightened its grip around the trident. It ignored Song Jian and turned to charge at the Black Dragon fledgling instead. The Black Dragon fledgling flapped its wings, engaging the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader in a fierce and chaotic battle. This time, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was emitting a faint red flame around its body. Seeing the Black Dragon Fledglings Dragon Might, it seemed to have developed some resistance. It looked as though it wanted to kill the Black Dragon fledgling. Song Jian also charged forward with his sword. Although the Black Dragon fledgling was powerful, it was just a Level 9 Elite. It was clearly at a disadvantage against the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. Many of its skills had been weakened due to the level difference, but the attacks from the Squad Leader actually had a level repression damage bonus. If it wasnt for Song Jian, the end result of this battle would surely be the Black Dragon fledgling becoming fodder for the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. With Song Jians participation, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was immediately at a disadvantage. It desperately resisted while calling for help, seemingly summoning other Fish-head monsters. Song Jian felt a sense of urgency. He cast all skills except Immortal Sword Body without reservation, concentrating firepower aimed at killing this Boss in the shortest time possible. Just when the Squad Leaders Vitality Points were down to less than a third, suddenly, a thick stream of water erupted from the solid ground. It lashed out like a tentacle, forcefully launching the Black Dragon fledgling away. The Black Dragon fledgling also had less than half of its Vitality Points left, and after being hit, its Vitality Points further dropped to less than a third. Song Jian knit his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand to recall the Black Dragon fledgling back into the Pet Space. The Black Dragon fledgling could slowly recover its wounds in the Pet Space. If it got killed here, the loss would outweigh the gain even if the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader was killed in return. The water stream, which resembled a tentacle, continued to sway after launching the Black Dragon fledgling, and dissipated of its own accord, leaving no trace behind after three seconds. Before Song Jian could rush over, the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader wielded the trident. A stream of water surged from the ground less than a meter ahead of it. The Fish-head Monster Squad Leader looked at Song Jian with a cunning glint in its eyes. There was already a commotion nearby, and many Fish-head monsters were rushing to gather here rapidly. If it dragged on any further, Song Jian would end up having to beat a hasty retreat, trapping him. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and the vertical pupil in the center of his forehead opened wide. A silver column of light shot out, heading directly towards the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. Boom boom boom- A wave of explosions echoed out as the silver pillar of light struck the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. It seemed to burn like a fierce flame, causing continuous bomb-like sounds. Consecutive damage numbers floated above the Fish-head Monster Squad Leaders head and its vitality points were quickly dropping. It wanted to evade, but the silver column of light seemed to have a strong suction power, making it impossible to escape, forcing the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader to feel endless pain. Bang! At the end of the Eye-beam skill, the squad leaders body was propelled backward, harshly colliding with the wall behind it. Before it could get up, Song Jian rushed forward. With a whoosh, a dazzling silver sword qi bloomed from his index finger, he brought it down harshly. The harsh qi slashed directly at the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader. Rip- The Fish-head Monster Squad Leaders body was split into two pieces from the shoulder down, its foul organs spewing everywhere. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian rushed forward, scooping up the few trophies that it had dropped, and sprinted towards the inner part of the district. At this time, a large group of Fish-head monsters had already started swarming frantically from the far end of the street. But by the time they reached the corpse of the Fish-head Monster Squad Leader, Song Jian had long disappeared without a trace. Chapter 287 - 287 Jinyang Lake Chapter 287: Jinyang Lake Translator: 549690339 | Ignoring how the fish-head monsters dealt with the corpse of their squad leader, Song Jian hid in a safe corner, examining the loot he had collected. The Fish-head Monster Squad Leader dropped three items in total: a pair of shoes, a black pearl, and an old-fashioned black wooden box. Fish Scale Boots (Green), shoes, equipment effect: increases movement speed by 8%, physical defense +3, magic resistance +2, special attribute: increase underwater breathing time by 50%. Equipment requirement: level 10. Can it be taken out of the game: no. Song Jian could just fit into these excellent quality boots, and he put them in his equipment bar right away. Black Pearl (White), valuable item, usage effect: can form a bubble underwater, supplying the user with oxygen. The effect lasts for 30 minutes. Cooldown period: 2 hours; can be sold for 1000 Doomsday Coins! Can it be taken out of the game: no. This item was decent, even for sale in the system shop, it was worth ten times as much as the ordinary pearls just now. Song Jian took a glance and placed it in his item inventory. The remaining item was a worn-out black wooden box, its surface engraved with strange raised patterns. It seemed ancient and grand, as if it had endured the passage of time. If in the real world, it could be collected as an antique. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Opening the box, there was an old and tattered parchment inside; on it were simple strokes, seemingly a map. Jinyang Lake, Eye of the Fire God? What is this, a treasure map? Song Jian examined the map carefully and found it to be a treasure map leading to Jinyang Lake. In the center of the lake, there was a symbol of a ring with the words Eye of the Fire God next to it. Jinyang Lake was located at the edge of the city, also an area habituated by level 15 monsters. It was part of the Wetland Park and covered a large area. The fish-head monsters he was facing lived in Jinyang Lake. However, it wasnt inhabited solely by fish-head monsters. Some players had been there before. Under the water, though, even the attributes of ordinary fish-head monsters would increase significantly, making them more challenging to fight than monsters of the same level on land. Consequently, fewer players were willing to travel the long distance to Jinyang Lake to level up. Putting the treasure map back into the wooden box and stowing into his item inventory, Song Jian snuck over the wall in the outskirts and after figuring out the direction, ran towards Jinyang Lake. By then, most of the fish-head monsters in Jinyang Lake had already left to search for resources. There should be fewer monsters in their base. It was a good chance to see if he could snatch the treasure. The regional plot mission of hunting fifty fish-head monsters had no time limit anyway. Having already killed more than twenty, there must be many fish-head monsters in Jinyang Lake. It was also a suitable place to complete the mission. Song Jian ran all the way, avoiding the monsters he met and taking detours. It took him more than two hours to get to the Wetland Park. The Wetland Park was full of lush plants. The chromatic flowers bloomed brilliantly. Rows of man-made ditches overlaid the entire park like a spider web. However, they were dried up at the moment, covered in copious amounts of dust and fallen leaves. At the outer side of the park were few sparse level 10 fish-head monsters and minor water elementals. They werent different from other level 10 monsters, but they were few and far between, hundreds of meters apart. Killing monsters in this area would be too inefficient for leveling up. Moving further in, Song Jian quickly arrived at the edge of Jinyang Lake. Suddenly, there were more monsters, and their levels rose directly to level 15. At the edge of Jinyang Lake, one could see shabby houses built with wood. The food the fish-head monsters hunted was hung in front of the houses to dry, emitting a faint stench in the surroundings. This was the base of the fish-head monsters. Occasionally, semi-transparent figures of water elementals appeared under the water in Song Jians sight. Each of these level 15 water elementals was over two meters tall, their bodies full of surging water elemental power. On their wrists were two shimmering golden bracelets. On land, these water elementals had the same attributes as other monsters. However, in water, their power increased by 30%, and their movement speed would also increase significantly. Even though Song Jian was currently level 14, he had to proceed with caution. Finding some stray fish-head monsters around Jinyang Lake, he spent some time killing the required fifty monsters for the regional task, earning the first- stage reward of 300 Doomsday Coins. As Song Jian was waiting for the mission of the second tier to be issued, he received a sudden system notification. System: You have triggered the plot Defend the Base. The game system issues the plot mission Subdue the Fish-head Monsters. Completing the mission will yield generous rewards and war merits! System: The regional mission you triggered has been terminated. Please choose whether to accept the plot mission Subdue the Fish-head Monsters. With a creased brow, Song Jian speculated that the fish-head monsters were likely to return soon. There wasnt much time left for him to locate the treasure. Not heeding the Subdue the Fish-head Monsters plot, Song Jian took out the treasure map and started scrutinizing it intently. The location marked on the treasure map was clear. It was right beneath the fish-head monster base at the center of Jinyang Lake. Although most of the fish-head monsters had gone out to gather resources, there certainly wouldnt be a place near the base that was devoid of any fish-head. How to evade these fish-head monsters and get to the location marked on the map was a problem. Also, the water elementals in the lake were a headache. When not in combat mode, the water elementals in the lake looked like a mass of pale blue liquid flowing along, difficult to distinguish unless looked at closely. After observing for more than half an hour, Song Jian finally identified a pattern in the patrols of the fish-head monsters. There were six teams in total, each consisting of seven to eight fish-head monsters. Each patrol shift had only one team underwater. There would be a reprieve of approximately thirty seconds when the two teams switched positions, during which he could seize the opportunity to enter the location marked on the map. Apart from these six teams, there were also some scattered fish-head monsters near the base. They seemed to be juveniles, only at level 10, frolicking around. The other problem was the water elementals. If his sprinting made too much noise, he was liable to bump into a water elemental unknowingly. He must get into the water in advance, hide on the side, and wait for the changing of the fish-head monster guards. This waiting period in the underwater would be at least ten minutes, not including the distance from the coast to the center of the lake. However, with the Fish Scale Boots and the Black Pearl, Song Jian should have no issue slowly approaching the center underwater. Song Jian scouted around and chose a place where no monsters lurk to quietly submerge underwater. An ordinary player could only stay underwater for five minutes. With Fish Scale Boots, Song Jian could last six and a half minutes. Additionally, with the effects of the Black Pearl lasting for thirty minutes, he could easily stay underwater waiting for the guard-changing vacuum period. He quietly entered the bottom of the lake and slowly swam forward, cautiously avoiding wandering water elementals. Song Jian came to a large rock that was only seven or eight meters away from the fish-head monster base. He hid his figure behind it and waited quietly. Chapter 288: Lord-Level BOSS Chapter 288: Lord-Level BOSS Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had chosen a place teeming with water plants. It was hard to spot a person hidden behind the rocks unless one looked carefully. Six and a half minutes quickly passed and Song Jian immediately activated the Black Pearl, instantly wrapping himself in a bubble of air. As time ticked by, the troop of Fishhead Monster Guardians began swimming upstream to the lakes surface, ready to switch shifts with another troop. Song Jian too, slowly left the rocks and swam towards the main camps stone cave at the bottom of the lake. According to the treasure map, the Eye of the Fire God was hidden inside this cave. As Song Jian swam to only about 11 or 12 meters from the caves entrance, a sharp screech echoed from the shore of Jinyang Lake. A disheveled small fishhead monster was stumbling towards the lake, screaming loudly as it ran. If Song Jian could see it, he would recognize it as the very same fishhead monster that had escaped him before. Alarmed by the small fishhead monsters warning, the troops guarding the fishhead monsters main camp immediately plunged into chaos. They all jumped into the water and began to frantically search their surroundings. Upon hearing the commotion overhead, Song Jians heart sank. He immediately quickened his speed towards the stone cave. Suddenly, a sharp piercing sound echoed from behind him. He turned his head to see a harpoon whizzing through the water towards him, leaving a long trail in its wake. Song Jian veered sideways as the harpoon flew past him, embedding itself deeply into a stone at the bottom of the lake. Ive been discovered! Song Jian internally panicked as he turned to see a small squad of fishhead monster guardians swimming towards him rapidly. Underwater, these fishhead monster guardians were swift, their abilities having evolved considerably, comparable to level twenty monsters. To fight against a squad of fishhead monster guardians comparable to level twenty monsters, Song Jian might be able to annihilate them given some time. However, where was he? This was the fishhead monsters main camp. If fighting were to break out, it would surely attract other fishhead monster guardians. He might be able to take on three or five, but as the numbers grew, even ants could kill an elephant. By then, he would probably not even have a chance to escape. With this in mind, Song Jian immediately swam towards the nearby cave. Only by entering there could he escape the pursuit of these fishhead monsters. The invaders identified, within moments, a dozen or so fishhead monster guardians were hot on Song Jians tail. Their movement also alarmed the surrounding water elements. Massive amounts of water elements began to converge in their direction. Two light blue water elements even appeared ahead of Song Jian. At this point, Song Jian had no choice but to plunge forward. Soon, Song Jian entered the alert range of the two water elements. They turned around and began preparing Frost Arrows to shoot at Song Jian. Frost Arrows did not cause much damage, but they had an extremely annoying effect C chill delay. If they hit the target, it could slow the targets movement speed by 40%. Once hit, the target would be stuck until death. Song Jian quickly took cover behind a rock. The Frost Arrows left a long, white, frozen track in the water before smashing into the rock. Soon, a thin layer of frost covered the surface of the human-height rock, immediately lowering the surrounding water temperature by five to six degrees. Song Jians eyebrows knitted in a frown. The two water elements were blocking the entrance of the cave. To get inside, he would have to defeat those two water elements first. However, these two water elements were also level fifteen monsters. Moreover, they were underwater, all their attacks carried the chill delay effect. Even if he could ultimately defeat them, the time it would take for that would be enough for the fishhead monsters and water elements behind him to catch up. When that happened, death would be inevitable. Just then, a frosty white ice elemental Boss, made up of heavy ice blocks, slowly walked towards his location from about a dozen meters away from the cave. This Ice Elemental Bosss body was a full circle bigger than the regular water elements. Its eyes, like two huge sapphires, shimmered brilliantly. Its body was covered with an armor made of solidified ice blocks. In its hands, it tightly held a pale gold trident. LV15 Ice Elemental Overlord Frendzal (Overlord), Vitality Points: 4800/4800, Traits: Enhanced Coldness, Bloodline of Frost, Skills: Intimidate, Dominion, Frosty Current, Chilling Beam, Trident of the God of War. A Lord level Boss? Song Jian was shocked and quickly shrunk behind the rock, for this was the very first Lord level Boss he had ever encountered. The two water elements didnt give up attacking Song Jian and kept summoning Frost Arrows. At this moment, the Ice Elemental Overlord walked over and upon seeing the two water elements, stopped in its tracks, raising its trident in their direction. The Frost Arrow that had already been conjured immediately disintegrated into scattered water elemental energy. The two water elements looked surprised and turned to look at the Ice Elemental Overlord. Upon seeing the Ice Elemental Overlord, the two water elements quickly bowed in courtesy and slowly backed away, not even daring to speak. The moment the Ice Elemental Overlord appeared, all the water elements tailing Song Jian instantly stopped in their tracks, bending their bodies in his direction. They did not dare to move a step closer. The Ice Elemental Overlord commanded all the water elements in Jinyang Lake, but the fishhead monsters were not under its control. Seeing the Ice Elemental Overlord, the pursuing fishhead monsters also began to panic. They dared not continue their chase, fearing that they would cause a misunderstanding with the Ice Elemental Overlord and get themselves killed. Until a Lord level Boss appeared among the Fishhead Monsters, they wouldn t dare to approach this Elemental Master of Ice in the middle of the lake. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I hope it hasnt noticed me Song Jian nervously hid himself behind the rock and in the dense underwater grass. A battle with this Elemental Master of Ice underwater was pure suicide, unless he could lure it onto the land where he stood a chance of killing it. This is a Lord level Boss, surely it will drop some good stuff after I kill it. Song Jians eyes glowed as he stared at the slowly approaching Elemental Master of Ice. But with his current strength, killing the Elemental Master of Ice underwater was nothing short of fantasy. All he could hope for was that its alert range wasnt too large to discover his presence behind the rock. Son, the Ice Elemental Overlord slowly moved away from the cave entrance and began his routine patrol around Jinyang Lake. As he started to fade out of sight, the fishhead monsters and water elements behind him became jittery. Song Jian immediately came out from behind the rock and swam towards the cave, followed by a swarm of monsters. The water elements in the vicinity also began casting Frost Arrows. Song Jian had to swim towards the cave with all his might, knowing that even a single hit from the horde of monsters could cost him his life. As Song Jian entered the cave, he felt like he had passed through a thin membrane. The cave was very dry, and the transparent membrane at the entrance kept all the water out. Chapter 289: Eye of the Fire God Chapter 289: Eye of the Fire God Translator: 549690339 | Boom boom boom- Several Frost Arrows bombarded the entrance of the cave, creating ripples on the transparent membrane, blocking all the attacks. Song Jian let out a sigh of relief and looked forward. This underwater cave didnt seem too big. A narrow staircase stretched from the entrance all the way down, leading to the depths underground. Following this staircase, he should be able to find the treasure marked on the treasure map C the Eye of the Fire God. As Song Jians figure disappeared into the cave, the fish-headed monsters and water elementals that had been chasing him lost track of him. After searching for a while, they dispersed. When the fish-headed monsters ran from Wetland Park to search for supplies, they alarmed many players. Some high-level players, hearing about the fish-headed monsters movements, not only didnt flee, but instead rushed towards the Level-io monster area. When they arrived in the nearby area, they received the same regional plot mission as Song Jian and began to form teams to hunt down these monsters. Just as they were enthusiastically hunting the fish-headed monsters, it seemed as if all the fish-headed monsters suddenly received a message, and they hurried back along the same path, heading towards Wetland Park. System: A player triggered a special plot, unlocking the plot Guarding the Base. Nearby players can choose to accept the plot mission Subjugation of Fish-Headed Monsters. Complete the mission and receive generous rewards and war merits! Originally hunting the fish-headed monsters, the nearby players were instantly excited, as they rarely encountered other side missions or plot missions besides the main mission. The reason they came to this Level-io monster area was because a regional mission had appeared. They knew that the more missions they completed, the faster their Vitality Points would recover when they received main mission rewards. This was the divine skill to ensure that they would survive the next time they entered the game. Who is so powerful that they can trigger a plot? What does this mean? The fish-headed monsters have run away, and I still have more than 20 fish-headed monsters left to complete my regional mission. What am I supposed to do now? Wetland Park? Where is that? Oh, a Level-15 monster area. How are we supposed to handle that? Its already difficult to fight in this Level-10 monster area. Level-15 is going to be deadly! Who can tell me what the use of war merits is? Whichever big shot triggered this plot, couldnt it have been half an hour later? Speaking of which, do you get extra rewards for triggering a plot? Does anyone know who triggered this plot? This sudden system message instantly caught the attention of all the players nearby. It was the first time theyd seen someone trigger a game plot, and they were immediately curious about the persons identity. Some even wanted to find the player and kill him to take his place, as being able to trigger a plot would surely yield a large number of extra rewards. In comparison to ordinary players, those who had already formed war alliances were even more excited. Only they knew the use of war merits C its a great thing to upgrade the war alliance level and purchase special items at the war alliance shop. Its much harder to obtain than Doomsday Coins. Apart from completing occasional extermination missions in the War Alliance, there was no other way to obtain war merits. Our war alliance is only 300 war merits away from being promoted to Level 2. We cant miss this plot mission. Everyone goes and tries to obtain more war merits! I already have my eyes on that Level-io silver-quality dagger in the war alliance shop. Ill take part in this plot mission for sure. After completing it, Ill have enough war merits to buy that dagger! Lets go, lets go. Wetland Park isnt close to us. We have to hurry over, otherwise, we wont even get a sip of the soup. This plot mission triggered by Song Jian practically alarmed half the players in Doomsday City. All players with a level above 10 flocked towards Wetland Park, leaving those who hadnt even chosen their professions behind, staring enviously at them. After all, that was a Level-15 monster area, and going there without a certain level of strength was simply seeking death; At this moment, Song Jian, who had invaded the fish-headed monsters HQ. and triggered the plot mission, was still slowly descending the staircase. The underground staircase was spiral-shaped, with mysterious Magic Runes depicted on the rocks on both sides. These Magic Runes glowed, illuminating the entire staircase. The narrow and long staircase was thankfully devoid of monster guards. Song Jian spent more than half an hour before finally reaching the bottom of the staircase and entering a spacious hall. The hall was about the size of a football field, surrounded by raging flames. The walls were carved with many paintings and strange characters. Numerous pillars stood on the ground, emitting a dark red glow. The entire hall resembled the Athenian Temple in the real world, with a rough architectural style, full of an ancient, barbaric atmosphere. At the depths of the hall, there was a brick-built altar, on which a golden treasure chest was placed. Flanking the altar, there were two massive knight statues wielding giant swords and wearing heavy armor, seemingly guarding the treasure chest. Is this the treasure marked in the treasure map? Song Jians eyes were fixed on the treasure chest on the altar: The Eye of the Fire God should be in this chest. It must be the most precious treasure inside, otherwise, it wouldnt have been marked in the treasure map. Song Jian walked towards the altar, his target being the golden treasure chest on top. This was the second golden treasure chest he had ever seen, and the Eye of the Fire God, according to his guess, must be a gold-quality item like the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. At this stage, players obtaining a blue-quality item were already incredible, and most players had not even seen a golden item. As Song Jian stepped onto the altar, he felt a cold chill, as if someone was looking at him with murderous eyes. This chill came from the huge statues wielding swords and guarding the altar on both sides. These two statues must be the guardians of the treasure chest. If 1 touch the chest, will they come to life and chase me? Song Jian hesitated for a moment. However, after only giving it some thought, he gritted his teeth and continued walking towards the top of the altar. This was a gold-quality item, and it was worth talcing some risks for it. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, Song Jian reached the top of the altar and slowly opened the golden treasure chest in front of him. Suddenly, a dazzling golden light burst from the chest, illuminating the entire hall. After that, the golden light retreated into the chest, and three items lay quietly inside. Song Jian didnt hesitate and quickly collected all three items. The first item to catch his attention was a ring emitting a faint golden glow. Made of crimson gold, the ring had a cats eye-like gem embedded in its band. Fluid colors swirled within the golden iris, making it look as if a real eye was staring at Song Jian. Chapter 290: Auction House Chapter 290: Auction House Translator: 549690339 | The Ring of Fire Gods Eye (Golden, Damaged), Ring, guaranteed drop upon death. Equipped, it increases damage by 15%; comes with the Fire God Shield, reflecting 30% melee damage. Special Effect 1: Grants permanent immunity against being slowed or frozen by ice-based damage. Special Effect 2: Occasionally triggers Wrath of the Fire God when dealing damage to a target, dealing an additional 300 points of fire damage; this effect can only occur once within a 30-second duration. Requirement: Level 1; Can it be taken out of the game: No. Item description: This item was the favorite possession of the Fire God, Hephaestus. Due to the fall of the Fire God, the item lost its godly status and became damaged, decreasing its value. However, if, one day, you manage to obtain the godly status of Hephaestus, you can repair this item back to its divine origin. Damaged gold grade? Divine artifact? Song Jian couldnt help but break into a smile of delight on his face; this item had the potential to turn into the divine artifacts. Players can only wear two rings at the same time, one on the left hand and one on the right; Song Jian currently wears the Ring of Storage and the Ring of Strength. However, he was able to use the Ring of Storage to expand his baggage section immediately, as he had not found any other rings before and had been carrying the Ring of Storage with him all the time to get a few more storage boxes. Now that he had the Eye of the Fire God, he naturally expanded the baggage section directly using the Ring of Storage. After clicking Use, the Storage Ring turned into a ray of blue light and directly integrated into the baggage area. Soon, the storage section, which had only sixteen spaces, quickly turned into a storage area with twenty spaces. Song Jian equipped the Eye of the Fire God instantly. All of a sudden, a warmth flowed out of the ring and surged through his entire body. After using the Ring of Storage, although the number of storage boxes decreased by a few, for Song Jian, who had just obtained a golden grade ring, the loss was still within the expected range. After putting on the Eye of the Fire God, Song Jian turned his attention to the two remaining items. These remaining two items were a small, deep-red, triangular flag and a Town Return Scroll. The red triangular flag, named Damaged Flag of the Fire God, is a white-grade item. When equipped, it can summon two fire elemental elves of the same level as the user to assist in combat every half an hour. The strength of these two fire elemental elves increases as the user levels up. If killed, they can only be re-summoned after a period of twelve hours. The remaining Town Return Scroll was something Song Jian had seen in the hands of the goblin merchant Canaan before. It was a life-saving artifact that, when torn in a dangerous situation, could directly return the user to a previously set safe place. This is really good. As expected of a treasure map, the rewards are indeed very generous! Song Jian looked at the Flag of the Fire God and the Town Return Scroll in his baggage section and was very satisfied. Just then, the statues guarding both sides of him suddenly started to shake. The rock shells on their surfaces shattered instantly, with their eyes glowing a bright red, locking onto Song Jian. Song Jian was taken aback, not expecting these two statues to actually move. He was already surrounded by fish-headed monsters and water elementals outside the cave, making it impossible to leave. Now, he was being hunted down by these two statues, with nowhere to run. It seemed like he was in a hopeless situation. Just then, Song Jian quickly drew a Town Return Scroll from his baggage section and tore it apart. Instantly, magic runes engulfed him entirely, turning into a white light and disappearing from the spot. The Town Return Scroll was arguably the safest life-saving artifact, only that it was far too scarce. Even among the players, its existence was mostly just rumors and none could truly own it, especially when the players only had one life in this game C the preciousness of the Town Return Scroll had been significantly elevated, and it was even comparable to a top-tier silver equipment. It was not easy for Song Jian to use this Town Return Scroll here without hesitation; just a slight regret would not have allowed him to use this Town Return Scroll. Right when Song Jian disappeared into the white light, the two statues on both sides brandished their massive swords at the altar, smashing it into a pile of rubble. At this time, players over level ten were rushing towards the Wetland Park, including some guild players with their guilds insignia, making them distinct from the ordinary loner players. However, Song Jian, the trigger of this storyline mission, had returned to his own Manor Castle. Since he hadnt set a safe return point, the system defaulted to using the Town Return Scroll and brought him back to his safe house. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Feeling that Song Jian had returned, the butler George hurried over. Honorable Lord, 1 have a few matters to report to you! said George respectfully. What is it? George, as long as it is related to our domain, you can make decisions on your own. As I recall, Ive given you this authority before. Song Jian sat in a rocking chair and slowly closed his eyes. Being chased by a large group of fish-headed monsters and water elementals in the Jinyang Lake earlier had kept Song Jians nerves on edge, and any moment of carelessness could have easily cost him his life. Now he could finally relax and take a breather. Actually, my lord, our domain has been developing quite well recently. There are some things I need to report to you! George replied respectfully: The shops we built recently have started to make a profit. Over the past few days, weve earned 130 Doomsday Coins, but weve also spent 67 on buying food and 23 on buying seeds and other materials. Before George could finish, he was cut off by Song Jian, who waved his hand and said: George, you dont have to report such things to me. As long as the balance of income and expenditure can be achieved, thats enough. If there is a shortage of money, just ask me. In the future, you should take more care of the development of our domain. Also, if Dr. Ebsiting has any demands, they must be met promptly. If you cant meet them, remember to report to me. Song Jian waved his hand, ready to dismiss George, but George hesitated for a moment before continuing: Mylord, recently, some Gods Chosen have begun to build safe houses around our domain. This will affect our expansion plans in the future. Are there any with substantial abilities? Song Jian asked casually. We havent discovered any as of yet. Then continue the plan, and notify them to surrender when the time comes. If they refuse, wipe them out! Song Jian sneered. Yes, Mylord! George nodded, and continued, Theres a strange building that has appeared about ten kilometers away from our domain. According to the Gods Chosen, its called Auction House. 1 think this news might be useful to my lord. Auction House? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he quickly sat up from the rocking chair. Chapter 291: Self-destructing Robot Chapter 291: Self-destructing Robot Translator: 549690339 The Auction House, an addition from this game update, was designed exclusively for players. Before players, also known as Gods chosen ones as per the games NPCs, appeared, there were no auction houses in rhe entire game world. The Auction House is a convenient place where players can post items they no longer need. All players in Doomsday City can see these items; this is much more convenient than previous street vending. However, selling items in the Auction House incurs a 5% listing fee, so the prices of the items listed are generally quite high. Upon hearing the term Auction House) Song Jian became greatly interested. He could sell items to NPCs in various locations via the radio station, but this was highly inconvenient as it incurs hefty postage fees. It wasnt nearly as convenient as the Auction House. With this in mind, Song Jian couldnt sit still. He immediately stood up, got on his motorbike, and sped off toward the Auction House. Arriving at the Auction House, Song Jian found it to be a place similar to a Doomsday Supermarket. The surrounding area was quite empty, no monsters dared to approach this place, the area within a five-hundred-meter radius was devoid of danger. Inside the Auction House, Song Jian realized many items were listed by anonymous11 sellers. It seemed many didnt want others to know what items they had put up for sale. The Doomsday City game had been opened for some time now, and players had accumulated a lot of Doomsday Coins. Some war leagues had even collected a considerable amount of funds. Through the Auction House, the prices of everything were gradually returning to normal instead of being undervalued like before. if players were to vend like before, not only would the customer base be narrow, but they would also easily attract unwanted attention. This led to many players keeping high-quality equipment, they couldnt use, in their storage instead of selling them. After browsing the items available in the Auction House (none of which were cheap), Song Jians original plan to buy low and sell high through the radio station was shattered. Song Jian listed all the items he didnt need in his storage and then began searching for the items he did need. He was on the lookout for new equipment and skills. Soon enough, Song Jian found a diagram for engineering machinery. The starting price was 300 Doomsday Coins and had risen to 370. The buyout price was just 500 coins, and without hesitation, Song Jian bought it at this price. Engineering Blueprint: Self-destructing Robot; Use this to learn how to create the Self-destructing Robot. Usage requirement: Engineering Level 1. Self-destructing Robot: Once a target is locked, the robot will automatically initiate a suicidal attack, causing 250 points of explosion damage. The robots defense rate is 100 points, and it will automatically explode once it reaches zero! After directly buying the blueprint, it immediately appeared in Song Jians inventory. As he was about to put it to use, he remembered Dr. Ebsiting. Maybe he needed this blueprint more, and anything that needed to be crafted in the future could just be handed to him. As a leader, 1 should focus more on other things. I can delegate things like siege machinery and medicine production to my followers! Song Jian thought to himself. However, he soon realized that skills like the Medicine Gathering Skill and Mining Skill still needed to be leveled up to ensure he could gather materials efficiently when needed. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He kept the two lists Dr. Ebsiting needed in his inventory, so that he would be able to collect the items as soon as he came across them. He put the blueprint back into his inventory and continued searching in the Auction House. Soon, Song Jian found two swordsmanship manuals. Both were low-grade quality and extremely overpriced, with only a few bidding on them. Sweeping Sword Style (Active), level 1. Skill effect: Causes 110% basic physical damage to the target after use. This skill can be released three times in a row, with damage to the target increased by 10% each time. Cooldown: 60 seconds; Equipment requirement: Sword. Sword Shadow Step (Active), level 1. Skill effect: After use, users transform into a shadow, with a 30% increase in movement speed and a 50% chance to dodge ranged damage. Duration: 7 seconds; Cooldown: 3 minutes; Skill consumption: 10 Spirit Points. Equipment requirement: Sword.11 These two skills were both applicable to his Main Quest, and were fortuitous finds for Song Jian. Song Jians Main Quest was currently 90% complete as he already had nine swordmanship skills, and he only needed one more to complete the Main Quest. However, after the update, whether he completed the Main Quest or not, he could freely exit the game, and the in-game time passed at a certain ratio to real-world time. Eight hours in the real world equated to one month in the game world. Only eleven days had passed in the game, and there was still plenty of time left for Song Jian to find the last swordmanship skill. And with these two new skills mastered, Song Jians strength had increased, making it easier to deal with level fifteen monsters. After spending more than an hour in the Auction House without finding any more needs, Song Jian shook his head and returned to his Manor Castle. He pushed open the door to the Sub-castle and quickly walked into Dr. Eb sitings laboratory. The doctor was conducting an experiment that Song Jian couldnt understand and looked very focused. After a long time, there was a soft shattering sound from the experiment table. Dr. Ebsiting took a deep breath, grabbed a few biscuits from near the table, stuffed them into his mouth, and lay down on a chair, resting with closed eyes. It seemed the experiment had failed and Dr. Ebsiting wasnt in a good mood. Doctor, Id like to give you a present. 1 hope you will like it! Song Jian carefully walked up to the doctor, took out the machinery blueprint and handed it to him. Dr. Ebsiting managed to swallow the biscuits with difficulty and glanced at the blueprint in Song Jians hand. Self-destructing Robot? 1 lost interest in this primitive toy when I was nine1 Dr. Ebsiting commented coldly, then closed his eyes to rest and cogitate again. Song Jians hand holding the blueprint froze instantly. He hadnt expected this outcome. How silly of me! Hes a Master Level character, how could he be interested in such a basic blueprint? Song Jian chastised himself. But does this mean he wont make any low-level items for me in the future? A thought suddenly popped into Song Jians mind. With his abilities now, the materials he requires for crafting will surely be of high-grade just like those two lists he gave me, still untouched in my inventory. But he refuses to craft the easy-to-collect low-grade goods. So, whats his use to me currently? Song Jian scowled at Dr. Ebsiting, his face turning grim. Chapter 292 - 292 Help Chapter 292: Help Translator: 549690339 Song Jian originally thought he would no longer have to craft engineering instruments and had even prepared to find other trade masters like Pharmacy Master, Forging Master, etc., to become his Followers. However, judging from Dr. Ebsitings attitude, the Blueprint for Self-Destructing Robots in Song Jians hands had no allure for him. For a Master Level figure like Dr. Ebsiting, he was not interested in crafting such low-level siege weapons. Here came the problem, Song Jian had no idea where to collect the materials for advanced items, and while the materials for these low-level items were easy to collect, Dr. Ebsiting didnt want to make them. So, what now? Well, there was nothing to it. He would just have to rely on himself and make do! Song Jian, with no other choice, had to learn the blueprint for the self-destructing robot himself. Making these robots was much easier than crafting T-11 High Explosive Grenades, though they caused less damage. However, in terms of cost-effectiveness, the robots were better. To construct a self-destruction robot, it required 5 pieces of standard iron ore, 3 batches of gunpowder, and 1 piece of magic stone. Making gunpowder required saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. Both the standard iron ore, saltpeter, and sulfur could be collected in ore mines, while charcoal came from refining standard lumber, and a magic stone had to be purchased at the system shop. Even if Song Jian didnt gather it himself, he could buy standard lumber from other players. When common players first get into the game, the quickest way to make money is to gather lumber and stone to sell. Some even bear the pain of gathering with their bare hands, so there is a large quantity of wood and stone available at relatively low prices. But there wasnt so much of the iron ore, saltpeter, and sulfur needed from the mines available. While there were job-class players above level 10 willing to search for and collect ores in the dangerous subway stations, only the boldest dare to go, and there were still not enough ores to go around despite the high demand, keeping prices high. Could it be that Ill have to spend some time as a miner, gathering ores? Song Jian asked himself as he assessed the situation. Just as Song Jian was wondering whether to go mining, he suddenly received a system alert: System Notification: The Gene Modification Liquid (Damaged) you consigned to the auction house has been sold. After deducting the handling fee, you received 483 doomsday coins. System Notification: The Gene Modification Liquid (Damaged) you consigned to the auction house has been sold. After deducting the handling fee, you received 398 doomsday coins. Song Jian had thrown all the more than twenty bottles of Gene Modification Liquid he got from the Zeus Shield Company into the auction house, and to his surprise, they sold out in no time. Although they all have the same name, these Gene Modification Liquids have different properties. Some increase strength, others agility, or endurance, and others offered additional properties like improving vitality recovery or night vision. Hence, they were in high demand. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Despite the side effects, not many players or monsters could carry out psychic attacks at this point, so many players are willing to overlook the lowered psychic resistance side-effect. Its worth noting that these could increase personal attributes by two or even three points, which was similar to the Attribute Fruits. At present, a single Attribute Fruit could sell for over a thousand doomsday coins but was hard to come by, so these Gene Modification Liquids quickly became hot commodities as soon as they appeared on the market. The revenue of ten thousand Doomsday Coins in a flash made Song Jian somewhat wistful. He began to wonder where the monsters in the Zeus Shield Tower had gone. If he could wipe out all of them, maybe it would mean tens of thousands more Doomsday Coins in the bank. With this revenue, Song Jians Doomsday Coin count had risen above fifteen thousand, enough to make him something of a minor tycoon with every step he took now filled with confidence. Most common players, even if they constantly economized and hoarded Doomsday Coins, probably only had two or three thousand at most. Many more lived hand to mouth, with less than a hundred coins to their names. Even some of the smaller Guilds had less capital than Song Jian. Just then, Song Jian received a message from Li Keer. He hadnt heard from the girl in quite a while and was curious how she was doing, whether she had found a job, and what her current level was. Keer, do you need something? Song Jian opened a private chat channel and asked. Brother Jian, come to Song Gong River quickly. There is a Rock BOSS here and its tough. I cant beat it on my own, come help me! came Li Keers alarmed exclamation and some intense fighting sounds over the private chat channel. Song Gong River? Send me your exact location, Im on my way! replied Song Jian, his eyebrows knitted in concentration. Li Keer sent the coordinates to Song Jian who saw that it was located only about six kilometers away from his Manor Castle. Dont panic, hold out a little longer, Ill be there soon! Song Jian hung up the call, summoned his motorcycle and set off towards the coordinates Li Keer had sent him. As he left his territory, Song Jian noticed a new structure rising on his land: a tall chimney billowing out thick smoke. Half of the building was a huge furnace with NPC employees constantly feeding fuel into it. Before long the furnace was roaring to life. Is this a Forging Room? Song Jian, squinting, identified this distinctly odd structure. If a player chooses to learn the Forging Trade, they would need a Forging Room to create items and improve their forging skills. However, building your own Forging Room was not an easy task. It was not just expensive, but the land it occupied rivaled that of a safe house, so few players could afford to build their own Forging Rooms. As such, the solution for many was to rent. George, the butler, saw an opportunity here and decided to invest in building a Forging Room on Song Jians territory to rent out to other players for a profit. Song Jian had pretty much handed over all the management of his territory to his Housekeeper, George. He didnt feel he had the talent or the capability to manage it as well as the NPC, who had shown utter loyalty since he got him. They had even achieved a Great Trust intimacy level, just one level short of Adoration. Therefore, Song Jian was very comfortable entrusting George with the management. Song Gong River was a level 15 monster zone. It was not far away and took Song Jian just a little over ten minutes to arrive by motorbike. At this point, by the riverbank, a creature covered in a thickly armored shell C resembling a giant turtle was engaged in an intense fight with Li Keer. Chapter 293: Rock Tortoise Beast Chapter 293: Rock Tortoise Beast Translator: 549690339 | The Song Gong River cut across the entire Doomsday City with many monsters lurking along its shore. Li Keer currently stood in the area where the level 15 monster Mutant Rock Tortoise resided. Though the Mutant Rock Tortoise had high defenses, it moved slowly, making it an ideal target for a ranged fighter like Li Keer to kite around. At this time, Li Keer, donned in vine armor and wielding an even more exquisite looking silver crossbow, left a beautiful trail of scattered silver lights in her wake as she moved. Keer! Song Jian shouted from afar. By now, Li Keer had completed her main job quest, but Song Jian still couldnt figure out what job she had become. He guessed she was some kind of ranged fighter, perhaps an archer. Little Brother Song Jian, hurry over! This giant tortoise is so tough. Ive been hitting it for over half an hour! Li Keer brightened noticeably at the sight of Song Jian, a radiant smile plastering her face. Without wasting any time, Song Jian tightly gripped his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and charged at the level 15 elite BOSS, the Mutant RockTortoise Beast. Broken Wing Dance! In a dazzling flash, Song Jian sprinted forward and brutally hacked at the Mutant Rock Tortoise with his blood-red longsword. -45 -48 A pair of damage figures, both below fifty, popped up over the Rock Tortoises head. Caught off guard, Song Jian looked on, slightly baffled. His current attacks C even on a 20-level lord-level BOSS in Jinyang Lake C should yield higher damage than this. Launching the third strike of Broken Wing Dance, Song Jian vaulted high into the air to deliver a fierce chop onto the Mutant Rock Tortoise Beast; Boom! A powerful wave of energy erupted from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. However, the beast was hardly affected. Far from being lifted off the ground, the tortoises massive limbs didnt even shift. This giant tortoise is really tough to crack! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Yeah, its super tough. Otherwise, I wouldnt have bothered you, Little Brother Song Jian! Li Keer responded vigorously with an adorable nod. Despicable humans! The Rock Tortoise Beast roared in fury, stomping on the ground and sending a ripple of energy wave in all directions, causing the earth to ripple like water and send up waves of dust. With a powerful leap, Song Jian flung a Weakness Potion at the Rock Tortoise Beast while in mid-air. The beast had formidable defenses, but the Weakness Potion could reduce them by 35%- It was the perfect tool against high-defense monsters. Bang! The potion shattered beneath the Rock Tortoise Beast, shrouding the mountain-sized beast in a grey mist before slowly dissipating, leaving a grey hue on its body. Whoa! With a startled exclamation, Li Keer lost her footing and was thrown into the air. Seeing this, Song Jian expedited his attacks, intending to divert the tortoises aggression from Keer to himself. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian threw all his skills at the Rocky Tortoise Beast in one fell swoop, causing an instantaneous explosion of damage. The beast, which had just lunged at Li Keer, suddenly paused. Its eyes glowed blood red, and it turned its head, roaring at Song Jian. Boom, boom, booin Like a heavily armoured truck, the Rocky Tortoise Beast charged towards Song Jian. The power of the Spiritual Sword Control Technique remained unabated. Even though it didnt cause the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast to writhe in pain like those mentally deficient genetic zombies, it caused the beast to completely lose its sanity, becoming even more violent and wanting to tear the annoying human in front of it into pieces. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Rocky Tortoise Beast rushed up to Song Jian, raising its mound-sized forelimb, and stomped heavily towards him. Having been through so many fights, Song Jian wasnt disturbed in the face of the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beasts assault. With a thought, he immediately displayed the Sword Shadow Step, swiftly moving to the side of the Rocky Tortoise Beast, evading its tramping attack. He wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and frantically hacked at the BOSS. Equally not to be outdone, Li Keer swiftly got up after landing, aimed at the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast, and also began a full firepower attack. Various kinds of translucent crossbow bolts, each carrying different types of energies, were fired one after another at the beast. They were so fast that they appeared as a thin continuous line. Time passed quickly. Song Jian fought while constantly drawing the Rocky Tortoise Beasts ire, continually avoiding its attacks. On the other hand, Li Keer focused on aggressive, carefree offence. Half an hour later, the Rocky Tortoise Beasts Vitality Points had dropped by one-fifth. To Song Jians annoyance, the recovery rate of this Level 15 elite BOSSS Vitality Points was not slow. Its Vitality Points recovered by eighty or ninety points every few seconds. If the damage wasnt sufficient, it would not even be able to surpass the BOSSS restoration rate, let alone defeat the BOSS. Compared to other ordinary elite bosses, the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast could recover more than seven hundred Vitality Points a minute, essentially negating the damage of two or three of Song Jians skill attacks. If it werent for the potent Weakness Potion, they would probably have been unable to drain even one-fifth of its Vitality Points in half an hour. After fighting with high efficiency for more than half an hour, a trace of fatigue appeared on Song Jians face. At this moment, he had to avoid continuously not only to dodge but also launch frantic attacks. The high-intensity battle was quite draining, and if he wasnt careful, he could be attacked by the BOSS. Time passed by every second, and the Vitality Points of the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast slowly decreased. Now that they had gotten used to its rhythm of attack, killing it was just a matter of time. Little Cheap Brother, Im almost out of Spirit Points! Li Keer suddenly shouted from afar. Having been fighting for over an hour, Song Jian recognised that this was a war of attrition. So, he had very strictly controlled his spirit consumption. But now he was left with less than a third of his Spirit Points, not even enough to cast Eye Killing. Considering that Li Keer had managed to hold out until now, Song Jian was feeling quite pleased already. Then keep attacking it normally! Song Jian replied, simultaneously summoning the Black Dragon Hatchling with a wave of his hand. Although Li Keers normal attack damage was not bad, it was of no use against this massive Rocky Tortoise Beast. Each attack could only inflict a few tens of points of damage C even the BOSSS self-healing speed was faster than this. The difference was even more stark without Song Jians assistance. When the Black Dragon Hatchling appeared, it let out a dragons roar, but the mutated Rocky Tortoise Beast appeared to completely ignore its Dragon Might. Its attacks did not weaken in the least, which made the Black Dragon Hatchling quite furious. Dont you even respect me, a high-level beast?! The Black Dragon Hatchling blew a breath of hot Dragon Breath at the mutated Rocky Tortoise, but it was blocked by its heavy rock shell, leaving only a burnt trace. However, the real damage inflicted was very limited. At this moment, the Rocky Tortoise Beasts Vitality Points had fallen by two- fifths, almost half. Suddenly, it took a deep breath and let out an angry roar. In the circle with a radius of around ten meters around its body, basketball-sized rocks appeared in the air. The surface of these rocks was burning with raging flames. At the Beasts roar, these hundred fiery rocks, like a meteor rain, heavily dropped to the ground, leaving a long tail flame. Damn it, such a terrifying group attack skill? Song Jians face changed drastically, unable to flee from the attack range, he could only resist it. For a time, explosions echoed around, engulfing Song Jian entirely. Chapter 294: Upgrade Chapter 294: Upgrade Translator: 549690339 | Faced with the sudden onslaught from the BOSS, Li Keers face changed dramatically. She was six or seven metres away from the BOSS when she detected something was wrong and immediately used a skill resembling teleportation to quickly escape the attack range. However, Song Jian wasnt as fortunate. By the time Li Keer reacted, Song Jian was already swallowed by an explosion. Little Brother Jian Li Keer was scared out of her wits, standing paralyzed in place, even forgetting to attack. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Pfft, pfft~ Song Jian ran out from the smoke and dust, his face covered in soot, looking totally dishevelled. That previous big move had resulted in him getting hit by at least three burning rocks; his Vitality Points lost more than half instantly. If it werent for his current high Vitality Points, he might have been killed in one strike. After the big move, Song Jian still had an adverse Burned status, losing thirteen Vitality Points per second for eight seconds. Is the release speed of this big move so fast that it doesnt even give me time to respond? Song Jian couldnt help but quip. If there was a team, one move would wipe out more than half of us. After releasing the big move, the mutated tortoise beast looked visibly tired. It curled up its four limbs and lay down by the river bank, partially exposing its head. Song Jians eyes brightened and he rushed over without waiting for his Vitality Points to fully recover. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Broken Wing Dance! In an instant, the BOSS had several damage numbers of over a hundred floating above its head, and Fatigue Status appeared in its status bar. Keer, attack quickly! Seeing Li Keer in a daze at the side, Song Jian quickly called out to her. Okay, alright! Li Keer also had a look of shock on her face. She hadnt expected that the previous big move had no effect on Song Jian. Instead, it made him more aggressive and his damage had greatly increased. At that moment, a massive projection of a Desert Scorpion Beast appeared out of thin air and joined the attacking team. Under the onslaught of the team, by the time the BOSSS fatigue state ended, its Vitality Points had already dropped to one third. This fatigue state had at least saved Song Jian half an hours worth of attack time. The ensuing fight reverted back to the previous state of slowly whittling down the opponents Vitality Points. Song Jian had to carefully allocate his skill damage to counter the BOSSS Vitality recovery speed while also being alert for another big move by the BOSS. The Desert Scorpion Beast projection had disappeared and wouldnt reappear in a short time, which greatly reduced Song Jians damage. Song Jian was reluctant to haphazardly use Sword Shadow Step and was always ready to release Immortal Sword Body. The previous big move didnt cause critical hits, but if three critical hits had occurred in one go, it would have directly killed Song Jian. Although the probability was low, he had to remain vigilant. The Weakness Potion was used up quickly, already ten-plus bottles gone since the start. Without the defense reduction from the Weakness Potion, fighting the BOSS would have been even more difficult. When the BOSSS Vitality Points dropped to 15%, it finally launched another big move. This time, Song Jian released Sword Shadow Step and Immortal Sword Body. He charged at the mutated tortoise beast, amidst the falling burning rocks. Hearts Eye! Song Jians eyes sparkled. A giant crimson crosshair continuously scanned the body of the mutated tortoise beast. In no time at all, the crosshair stopped at the beasts left eye, its only weak spot. Sword Finger! Taking advantage of the roaring sound and the spreading smoke and dust, Song Jian withstood several burning rocks, rushed up to the front of the tortoise beast, and stabbed forward with his left index finger. A three-metre-long silver Sword Qi emitted dazzling light, shining brightly even in the smoke and dust. Pff- The dazzling Sword Qi pierced into the left eye of the tortoise beast. Blood sprayed out and a critical hit damage number of over three hundred floated up from the top of the beasts head. Roar~ The tortoise beast let out a crazed roar and raised its head as if preparing another skill. Foot Kick! Song Jian kicked the rocky tortoise beast hard, and his right foot felt as if it had struck a sheet of iron, causing a piercing pain. However, this hit interrupted the rocky tortoise beasts preparation to release its skill. Its roar stopped abruptly, and at that moment, a spinning purple-black fireball fell from the sky, striking the monsters held-high head dead on. Bang! The purple-black fireball exploded on its head in an instant, a wave of purple-black flames engulfed the rocky tortoise beasts massive body. Roar! A young black dragon let out a high roar, a hint of fatigue appearing on its face. Flapping its wings, it flew to Song Jians side. Song Jians attack didnt stop, he directly activated the Rapid Sword skill, drastically increasing his attack speed. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand left a trail of dark red streaks in the air, slashing fiercely onto the rocky tortoise beast. Fast, fast, fast! Song Jians attack speed seemed to break through the sky, even creating illusions in his swing. Taking advantage of the BOSSS fatigue status, he crazily output all his skills, dumping all of them onto the BOSS. -89 -96 -102 A string of damage numbers sprang from the BOSSS head. The mutated rocky tortoise beast, having fallen into a state of fatigue, seemed to sense its imminent death. Panic flashed in its eyes, but at this point, it couldnt move at all and could only passively receive a lot of damage. 3,2,1 The fatigue state ended, and the mutated rocky tortoise beast suddenly stood up, glared fiercely at Song Jian, and headed towards the Song Gong River. Shoot, its trying to run! Song Jian was alarmed and quickly checked his status. At this time, his spirit points had just recovered to 54%. Without wasting any more time, Song Jian immediately used the Eye-beam Kill! His vertical pupil opened, and a silver beam burst out, hitting the mutated rocky tortoise beast in the blink of an eye; Boom, boom, boom A series of explosions sounded on the rocky tortoise beasts body. Huge chunks of rock fell from it. Finally, with a miserable cry, it fell down on the ground, not even six meters away from the Song Gong River, turning into a pile of giant rubble. A golden light burst from the young black dragon, theexperience gained from defeating the rocky tortoise beast helped it level up, turning it into a level ten elite BOSS. The leveled-up black dragon let out an excited roar and even without Song Jians command, it entered the pet space by itself and started sleeping deeply. Song Jian was surprised and immediately checked the pets attributes. Finding no anomalies except for the deep sleep, he let out a sigh of relief and closed the pet interface. The experience from a level fifteen elite BOSS was plentiful, but not enough for Song Jian to level up again, it only increased his experience bar by 8%. Thats amazing, Brother Jian is amazing! Li Keer exclaimed excitedly and ran towards Song Jian. Song Jian smiled faintly, resisting the fatigue, he pulled Li Keer and walked towards the rocky tortoise beast; Chapter 295: Mineral Seed Chapter 295: Mineral Seed Translator: 549690339 Having defeated the enormous Rock Turtle Beast BOSS, Song Jian began to search through the pile of rubble. Although this Rock Turtle Beast BOSS was only a level 15 elite, its power was comparable to a level 20 elite BOSS. Even a well-organized team would struggle to kill it without strong DPS and an MT to hold its aggro. They might even end up exhausting their supplies and getting wiped out. Therefore, the items dropped by this BOSS would surely be much better than those of an ordinary level 15 elite BOSS; Song Jian was quite looking forward to it. Wow, not bad! It actually dropped a silver-quality shield! This can definitely be sold for a high price. Those warring alliances might even fight each other bloody over it, Song Jians eyes sparkled with delight. Rock Turtle Shield (Silver), Shield, Equip effect: Defense +10, defense rate +34%, strength +2, constitution +3, vitality points +200. Special effect: Boulder Fortitude (active), instant cast, increases self-defense by 30 after activation, reduces 25% of attack damage, reflects 10% of melee damage, self-immobility for 5 seconds; Equip requirement: 10 points in strength; Equip level: 15; Can be removed from the game: No Even among silver equipment, such stats were considered exceptional. Equipping it greatly increased ones defense, and vitality points were boosted by 260. Most level 10 players probably didnt even have that many vitality points. As for the 10 points in strength required, that should be easy for anyone in a close range defense profession to meet. As strength and constitution were core stats for them, they would spare no expense in increasing them. Apart from the shield, the BOSS also dropped a pet egg, a few pieces of dark iron ore, and an oblong grey stone the size of a fist, pulsating like a heart. Pet Egg C Rock Turtle Beast, after hatching, a level 1 elite Rock Turtle Beast pet will be obtained. Vitality 500/500, spirit points: 100/100, characteristics: ultra-defense, ultra-recovery, skills: taunt, reflect damage; pet description: this pet carries a trace of Black Tortoise bloodline, immune to intimidation from all creatures, purification of the bloodline can enable the pet to evolve. This pet egg is nice; a Rock Turtle Beast is a natural MT! Song Jian said, surprised. Turning to Li Keer, he asked, Keer, youre a long-range profession player. With this pet to tank for you, itll be much easier for you to level up. Do you want it? Li Keer frowned slightly, glancing at the BOSS that was now a pile of rubble and the dusty pet egg in Song Jians hand. After hesitating for a while, she finally nodded and reluctantly took the pet egg. Hatch! Li Keer immediately hatched the pet egg. A burst of light radiated from the pet egg, and more light shot out from within. In no time, countless rays of light enveloped the entire pet egg. With a crack, a mini-rock turtle appeared in Li Keers palm. Its so ugly! Li Keer complained. Take good care of it. Its a pet with a Black Tortoise bloodline. It might evolve into a divine beast someday! Song Jian consoled. Little Purple, come out and meet your new buddy! Li Keer raised her hand, and a jade-purple pet appeared above her head. This pet was Li Keers first, and it used to be the size of a palm. Now, it had grown to the size of a soccer ball and reached level 10. Unfortunately, although it looked pretty, it was just an ordinary quality pet, incomparable to the elite BOSS born Rock Turtle Beast pet. However, it was clear that Li Keer favored Little Purple over the Rock Turtle. The small Rock Turtle scrambled restlessly on Li Keers hands, making weak cries towards her. Li Keer seemed quite experienced, quickly taking out a finger-thick strip of meat from her inventory and holding it to the Rock Turtle Beasts mouth. The Rock Turtle Beast swallowed it in one bite. After several pieces of meat were fed to it, the Rock Turtle Beast warmed up to Li Keer and kept rubbing its head against her palm. Hehe, tickles! Li Keer laughed, then put the Rock Turtle Beast on the ground. The palm-sized Rock Turtle closely followed her, looking fearful and pitiful. Song Jian smiled faintly, his gaze falling on the remaining ore and the stone that resembled a beating heart. The ore was ordinary dark iron ore, a type of forging material that could also be used in the manufacture of engineering instruments. However, the pulsating stone seemed peculiar. Mineral Seed (Special), can be planted; Use effect: plant this item in the Spirit Field, and theres an 85% chance of harvesting 10 random 1st to 3rd rank ores, a 50% chance of harvesting 3rd to 5th rank ores, a 30% chance of harvesting 6th to 7th rank ores, a 10% chance of harvesting an 8th rank ore, and a 1% chance of harvesting a 9th rank ore! Planting time: 6 hours; Planting requirement: occupies two Spirit Field spaces; Item description: This item cannot be moved after planting, and after 300 hours, it will form a small ore mother, increasing production! This thing is quite good! Though the yield is a bit low. Song Jian looked curiously at the inconspicuous Mineral Seed. With this item, it was like having a small mine! To other players, this item might seem a bit useless. Besides occupying two Spirit Field spaces, it only produces ten ores every six hours. If you were to mine ores in a mine instead, even a beginner miner could gather dozens or even hundreds of times more ores in six hours. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, players levels are low, and they dare not venture into the subway station to mine. However, as time passes, and players levels and strength increase, allowing them to safely enter and exit subway stations, the usefulness of the Mineral Seed would decline even further. By then, it might be more beneficial to use the two Spirit Field spaces for planting other things. It still has some value at this stage; Ill take it back and plant it to give it a try! Song Jian thought to himself. Keer, Im taking this Mineral Seed! Song Jian showed her the Mineral Seed and said. Li Keer glanced at the grey Mineral Seed and waved her hand nonchalantly. Take it, take it! She looked down at the small Rock Turtle closely following her and muttered, If I had known the spoils were these dusty items, I wouldnt have come to fight this BOSS. I dont like any of them! Neither of us can use this shield, lets sell it at the auction house and split the Doomsday Coins! Song Jian glanced at the silver-quality shield and said. He estimated that the silver-quality shield would be worth at least 5,000 Doomsday Coins. If several battling alliances competed for it, it wouldnt be surprising if the price exceeded 10,000 coins. Alright, big brother Song Jian, weve finished fighting the BOSS, so Im leaving. Bye! Li Keer waved at Song Jian and then summoned a red warhorse. She rode off on the warhorse and soon disappeared from Song Jians sight. Hey, I was going to say Before Song Jian had a chance to speak, Li Keer had already run far away. Shaking his head helplessly, Song Jian collected the items and rode his motorcycle towards his Manor Castle. Chapter 296 - 296 Shadow District Chapter 296: Shadow District Translator: 549690339 | Back at his Manor Castle, Song Jian immediately cleared two Spirit Fields and planted the Mineral Seeds, then instructed someone to guard it, collecting every six hours. Since the types of ores produced were random, although the quantities werent large, there was a great variety. Song Jian even allocated a large room to serve as a warehouse specifically for storing the ores produced by the Mineral Seeds. After setting everything in order, Song Jian went to the auction house and put his Silver quality Rock Turtle Shield up for auction, starting the bid at five thousand Doomsday Coins and a buyout price of twenty thousand Doomsday Coins. Inspecting his inventory, Song Jian saw a Damaged Fire God Battle Flag, a two-handed weapon that could summon two Fire Element Elves to assist in battle. However, the slot it occupied was already taken by the Fifth Middle School Flag he had equipped C a piece of gear that was more powerful and capable of evolution. He didnt have the heart to discard it. Considering the circumstances, it seemed that he would have to sell the Damaged Fire God Battle Flag for some Doomsday Coins instead. Just as Song Jian was about to pick up the Damaged Fire God Battle Flag to place it in the auction house, he unexpectedly received a system prompt: System: Your weapon Fifth Middle School Flag meets its evolution requirements. The system detects you have the evolutionary helper, Damaged Fire God Battle Flag. Do you want to consume the Damaged Fire God Battle Flag to evolve the Fifth Middle School Flag? It met the evolution requirements? How? What are the requirements? Song Jian was dumbfounded, not understanding what was happening. Nonetheless, he knew to evolve his School Flag so he immediately selected that option; A flash of white light, the Fire God Battle Flag disappeared from his inventory, and a layer of red flames ignited on the Fifth Middle School Flag in his equipment slot. The gear was now sealed with a progress bar beneath that would take about three hours to complete the evolution. Without the attribute bonuses from his school flag, Song Jians power took a slight hit. However, it didnt matter. In three hours, once the evolution was complete, the school flag would definitely be even more formidable. Closing his equipment window and preparing to leave, he suddenly heard a bystander exclaim, Damn, such a strong shield, and someones selling it?! Have they gone mad! What shield? Where? Let me see! Were short of a shield in our alliance C is it of Blue quality? another person promptly circled around upon hearing his words. Oh my God, its a Silver quality shield! I must notify our leader! With this shield, wouldnt the Underground Fight Clubs dungeon be a piece of cake Damn, the starting price is five thousand Doomsday Coins, and its already increased to seven thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins now, have people gone mad?! Our leader has given me an order C we must win this shield no matter what it costs. Ten thousand Doomsday Coins, hmph, lets see who dares to bid higher! Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt expected the auction house would go haywire over a Silver quality shield in just a few minutes. In Doomsday City, there are dozens of alliances. The price had already reached thirteen thousand Doomsday Coins within minutes. Song Jian felt a pang of regret. The buyout price he set was too low. Going by this speed, someone might really buy it out. Once an auctioned item is sold, it cannot be withdrawn. Even if Song Jian wanted to buy it back with his own money, it wouldnt be possible. He could only watch as the price of his shield steadily increased. Fortunately, when the price reached fifteen thousand Doomsday Coins, the number of bidders sharply decreased, and the increments of each bid also significantly dropped. It seemed like no result would be reached in a short while. Song Jian smirked and headed out of the auction house, setting off for the level 15 monster area to level up. Song Jian was only half a step away from level 15. The piece of leather armor in his inventory had been sitting quietly for quite some time now. He was eager and couldnt wait to put it on. In Doomsday City, there were quite a few level 15 monster zones. Song Jian chose the nearest one, the Shadow District. The Shadow District was dangerous with invisible Assassin class Zombies everywhere and it had the most roaming NPCs. Many level-i professional players loved to hunt monsters here. On the one hand, they could drop an Assassin classs core Stealth Skill Book. On the other hand, they might get lucky and recruit the NPCs here as Followers. However, only those players confident in their own abilities would dare to venture mto this region. Many players would be stripped of all their belongings and equipment before getting discarded like a dead pig soon after entering the area. Song Jian chose to level up here mainly because the monsters here provided 30% more Experience Points than those of the same level in other areas, and it was the closest to the auction house. As for the monsters here being able to turn invisible, to Song Jian, who owned a Snakes Pupil auxiliary equipment, it was nothing. Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian went through a filthy alley and into the Shadow District. Upon entering, he couldnt help but frown. Everything in front of him made him feel like he had stepped into a slum. The area was full of decrepit old houses, sewage everywhere, and the air was filled with a faint stench. As soon as he entered, he could clearly sense several malicious gazes assessing him up and down. These gazes were filled with greed and malice, like wild animals in the dark examining their prey, making him very uncomfortable. Walking down the road, mysterious figures appeared on both sides from time to time. Some were rugged and brutal, looking like street thugs, while others were completely wrapped in black hoods, even hiding their names and attributes. Song Jian cautiously watched his surroundings, wary of every creature he could see. Just then, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. A gust of wind came from behind his head, and a sharp blade suddenly appeared mid-air, stabbing towards Song Jians back of the head. Spinning around, he flicked his left index finger, and a silver Sword Qi emerged with a dazzling light, illuminating the dimly-lit street around him; What appeared before Song Jian was a hunched semi-transparent figure. His right hand gripped tightly onto a dagger made of bone, thrusting it towards Song Jian. Thud! The figures bone dagger had struck Song Jian in the chest, colliding against his Zombie Overlord Chestplate, emitting a metallic clang. A damage count of over thirty floated over Song Jian, while his Sword Finger had swept across the figures shoulder, leaving behind a bone-deep wound. LV15 Mad Assassin Zombie (Normal), Vitality Points: 910/1100, Spirit Points: 300/300, Specialty: Bloodlust, Skills: Stealth, Deathblow. Upon inflicting damage, the Assassin Zombie, whose figure had gradually materialized, had blood-red eyes. Its entire face twisted into a grotesque shape as it made a hoarse growl from its mouth. Looking desperate, it charged at Song Jian. Chapter 297: Hidden Mission Chapter 297: Hidden Mission Translator: 549690339 | Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, charging towards the zombie assassin. After three moves, the floating zombie assassin roared wildly, but it was unable to control its own body. Rapid Sword! Song Jians attack speed instantly increased a lot. Even though it was just a basic attack, it created an illusion as if he was using a skill. A series of damage numbers floated up from the zombie assassins head. By the time the zombie assassins floating state ended and its body heavily fell to the ground, its vitality points had reduced to less than half. Then, before it even got up, a transparent psychic sword fiercely slashed towards it. This zombie assassin didnt even notice where the attack was coming from when it suddenly felt a sharp pain followed by the sensation as if its head was in a juicer. It immediately let out a mournful scream that made all the NPCs on the whole street shiver. Oh my, that was brutal! What did you do to that poor zombie assassin to make it scream so horribly? Several NPCs who originally poked their heads out of their doors were suddenly so scared that they shivered and immediately withdrew their heads. With a bang, they closed their doors tightly and hid inside the house, shivering with terror. For irrational monsters, the fear of the psychic sword was not weaker than gene zombies. Watching the zombie assassin rolling on the ground clutching its head, Song Jian didnt even bother using his skills and directly used basic attacks to harvest the remaining vitality points of the monster. With a clear and crisp sound, a skill stone rolled out from under the zombie assassins body. Song Jian picked it up and took a look, a smile appearing on his face. What a great start! The dropped skill stone was the core legacy skill of the assassin, Stealth. An assassin without stealth was like a tiger without claws and teeth, not even as good as a Hello KITI. Almost all professions could bully them. However, assassins who mastered Stealth suddenly became top-notch killers, feared by all other professions. In the auction house, the price of Stealth was consistently high. Some even directly offered 3,000 Doomsday Coins to purchase it but got mocked by a group of people. The price of such core skills was at least 5,000 Doomsday Coins, and they were rarely available. Good luck, the first monster dropped stealth! Song Jians face was filled with a satisfied smile, putting the skill stone into his inventory. He had heard that someone had hunted zombie assassins here for three days and nights without getting Stealth. It really depended on ones luck and face. After killing the zombie assassin, those malicious gazes secretly staring at Song Jian from the shadows all disappeared. Such a ruthless person was not someone they could deal with. Not wanting to wait, Song Jian directly opened his third eye and looked around. Soon, he discovered that there were at least a dozen stealthy zombie assassins wandering aimlessly on the whole street. The names of these zombie assassins were all blood-red, belonging to the actively attacking monsters. Once a player entered their alert range, they would actively attack the players. After opening his vertical pupil, Song Jian charged towards the nearest zombie assassin and struck it out of its stealth state with a single sword swing. Without stealth, the zombie assassin lost many of its powerful first-move skills and could only fight Song Jian head-on like a warrior. However, a zombie assassin that had lost its stealth and first-move skills had a strength barely comparable to a level 10 ordinary melee monster, and it was no match for Song Jian. After a series of skills, Song Jian hadnt even lost a tenth of his vitality points, yet he had already taken down a monster higher in level than himself. Although the experience given by the zombie assassins was not as much as that of gene warriors, they were much easier to kill. Song Jian could even fight three or even four of them simultaneously. His efficiency was somewhat faster than hunting gene warriors. Before long, Song Jian had killed a whole street full of zombie assassins. The mournful screams of the zombie assassins before death occasionally echoed through the entire street. Almost all NPCs hid in their houses, making the whole street deserted and forbidden. Having killed so many zombie assassins, only a pile of cloth and about three hundred Doomsday Coins had dropped, not to mention skill stones, not even a single ordinary material had dropped. However, being able to harvest one stealth skill stone made this monster-killing trip very profitable. Moreover, his level had also increased to 87% of level 14. He would soon reach level 15. At this moment, an old man in a clean white robe, shakily leaning on a walking stick, slowly walked to Song Jian. It was unexpected that an NPC dressed so spotlessly would appear in this street filled with garbage and sewage. There was a feeling of mismatch between this NPC and the environment. Thank you, heaven-sent divine follower, fearless warrior! Expressed the old man gratefully to Song Jian, Thank you for getting rid of the villains on this street. Because of these infected ones, we havent been able to leave our houses for a long time! Song Jian sneered in his heart. All the NPCs on this street were not originally from the Shadow District. The original inhabitants of the city were few and far between. Most of them appeared in the city only after the players showed up and under the arrangement of the systems divine will. This old mans posture as if he was a native of the Shadow District made Song Jian feel disgusted. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Its nothing. Its what I must do! With an air of righteousness, Song Jian had naturally learned how to talk with these NPCs after being in the game for so long. He just needed to follow their lead to possibly get some side missions or even hidden missions. Moreover, it was obvious that the appearance of this old man was a kind of hidden reward for killing all the zombie assassins in the entire street. He must be able to benefit from this old man. Fearless warrior, I am the speaker of this district. In the depths of the Shadow District, there is a hidden library. However, this library has now been occupied by demons. I wonder if you could help us drive away the demons there so that the children here can learn some knowledge? The old man looked at Song Jian with hope in his cloudy eyes. Children? Are there any children here? Song Jian muttered in his heart. The whole street was full of adults, and he had not seen any trace of children. System: Do you accept the hidden quest Clean the Library? Of course, I am willing to accept this mission! Regardless of the complaints, the quest had to be accepted. The completion evaluation of the main quest was not only related to this but also the generous rewards of side quests. Please follow me, warrior! After Song Jian accepted the quest, a glimmer of light flashed in the old mans eyes, and he walked towards the depths of the Shadow District with the help of his walking stick. Chapter 298: Mutated Soul Body Chapter 298: Mutated Soul Body Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian followed the old man, heading towards the end of the Shadow District. Along the way, virtually all the NPCs in the houses began to whisper amongst themselves. Some even peeked out from the gaps of their doors. Another one So powerful, maybe he can Hes our, hopefully he can Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whispers drifted into Song Jians ears. He couldnt make out what they were discussing, but clearly, it revolved around the task he had accepted. Cough cough- The old man suddenly coughed, glancing towards the houses on either side. His previously murky eyes now held a hint of sharpness, silencing the whispers around them as silence was restored. Warrior, this way, the library is just ahead! The old man looked frail, as if he might collapse at any moment. Song Jian nodded, becoming a little more cautious. It seems this hidden task of cleaning the library is not as simple as I thought Song Jian privately mused. Soon, led by the old man, Song Jian arrived in front of a dilapidated building. The building looked like a three-story country house, with much of the exterior paint already corroded and stripped off, revealing the blue bricks underneath. The surroundings were littered with rubbish and fallen leaves. It didnt seem anyone had cleaned up in a long time. Nobody has approached this place for a long time since demons have occupied it the old man sighed, Warrior, the demons are in the library. You must kill them all and restore the peace here! Song Jian nodded, not saying a word as he headed straight towards the library. The old man, leaning on his cane, stood by the door, his eyes following Song Jian until he disappeared inside the library. At that moment, a beam of slanted sunlight cast a shadow. The old mans shadow became distorted, appearing much taller and covered with sharp spines, even two curved horns appeared on his head. Quickly, the sunlight shifted, and the old mans shadow gradually disappeared, as though what just occurred was only an illusion. Song Jian entered the library alone. He looked around at the dust-covered tables and books, the thick layer of dust on the shelves indicating they had been untouched for decades. Instead of a library, it resembled a haunted house. Just then, a translucent Soul Body appeared from the corridor next to the bookshelf. On seeing Song Jian, it roared, Blasphemer, all you invaders will die! The semi-transparent Soul Body wore heavy plate armor and held a double-handed sword, much like a knight from the medieval times. -LV15 Mutated Soul Body (Normal), Vitality Points: 1900/1900, Spirit Points: 500/500, Traits: Ethereal Body, Skills: Slash, Leap Slash, Holy Light Slash Ethereal Body? Song Jian frowned. This name reminded him of a Soul Body monster he encountered before, except that monsters ability was called Void. Looking at the status bar, indeed, the Ethereal Body trait offered a 60% reduction in physical damage. Physical attacks likely wouldnt be of much use against this monster. If Song Jian were a mage, hunting this monster would undoubtedly be exciting. Regardless, Song Jian wasnt out of options. He pulled out a bottle of Fire Lizard Medicine and applied it. Instantly, a flicker of burning flame appeared on his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. The Fire Lizard Medicine imbued the attack with fire property. Coupled with Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi, dealing with this kind of Soul Body monster was quite simple. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An invisible long sword materialized above Song Jians head. As he swung his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, the invisible sword also swooped towards the Mutated Soul Body. Swish swish swish- A series of damages exceeding 200 points floated above the Mutated Soul Bodys head. The Spirit Sword damage was incredibly high, and almost every strike resulted in double critical hit damage. The Mutated Soul Body couldnt even close the distance to Song Jian, passively absorbing the endless pain the Spirit Sword awarded. Boom! As the three-second mark hit, Song Jian made the Spirit Sword explode, inflicting over 300 points of vitality point damage to the Mutated Soul Body yet again. Just one skill brought the Mutated Soul Bodys vitality points to below one thousand. This is even easier than the zombie assassins! Song Jian brandished the blazing long sword, applying other sword skills as he dashed towards the Mutated Soul Body. The Mutated Soul Body wailed continuously. It didnt even manage to use any skills before Song Jian exterminated it. A heavy sigh sounded as the Mutated Soul Body clasped its hands together. The armor across its body fell off piece by piece. The double-handed sword also disappeared. Finally, only a simple cloth robe remained. A beam of white light descended from above the deceased Mutated Soul Bodys head, sucking it into mid-air, where it vanished. All that remained was a gray orb burning with a white flame. Mutated Soul Seed (White): Consumable, increases Holy damage by 30 points, lasts 30 seconds. The effect can be stacked up to 100 times. Song Jian collected the Mutated Soul Seed. Although it was engulfed in a white flame, it didnt feel hot at all. This item would be most effective against specific monsters. After a glance, Song Jian stowed it in his inventory. Song Jian began roaming the library, hunting all the monsters inside. Do Soul Bodies also count as demons? And these Soul Bodies seem no different from humans, so they shouldnt be demons. Then where are the demons the old man from the district mentioned? Song Jian mused, becoming more curious about this hidden task he was given. Soon, a Mutated Soul Body rushed towards Song Jian from behind a row of bookshelves. They began to fight. In less than three minutes, Song Jian killed the monster. The Experience Points gained were handsome, and the Mutated Soul Body dropped another Mutated Soul Seed. Song Jian paid it no mind, picked it and stashed it in his inventory. In this manner, Song Jian began searching the first floor of the small building. In just over half an hour, he had searched the entire first-floor library and killed over thirty Mutated Soul Bodies. His Experience Points were at 93% at level 14. Moreover, oddly enough, besides the Soul Seed, these Mutated Soul Bodies had no other loot. All of them dropped a Soul Seed, and these Soul Seeds could be stacked. At this point, Song Jian had amassed thirty-nine Mutated Soul Seeds in his inventory. After combing through the first floor, as Song Jian approached the stairs to the second floor, he spotted a book emitting a faint white glow on a tilted bookshelf. Whats this? It seems like something I can pickup Song Jian couldnt resist walking toward the book. Chapter 299 - 299 Sacred Parry Chapter 299: Sacred Parry Translator: 549690339 | The bookshelf had been knocked over, leaning against the library wall and covered in dust. Beneath the thick layer of dust, a book was faintly emitting a white light. If Song Jian hadnt observed carefully, it would have been easy to overlook this book and proceed directly to the second floor. In the game, items worth searching for had their own white light, even those with miscellaneous attributes. If there was no visible glow, it indicated that the item had no value, and players didnt need to waste time and energy checking each one. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For instance, there were hundreds or even thousands of books in this library. If each one were to be searched individually, it would waste too much time and energy. Therefore, most of the books without glow were worthless. Even if they were picked up and skimmed, the words on them were blurry and offered no benefit to the players. Song Jian stepped forward, dusted off the thick layer of dust, and picked up this book. Is this a diary? Havier must be the owner of this diary Song Jian casually flipped through it to find out that it was a diary of a low-level Priest named Havier, which recorded sporadic trivial things. May 18, the whole temple seems to be in a state of restlessness today, even the Red Cloak Priest doesnt have a smile on his face. I feel as if something big is going to happen May 21, today Vilanelle taught us the Sacred Prayer Skill. Vilanelle taught very well and had great patience. I spent more than an hour to grasp it. Im really stupid. The Sacred Prayer Skill is a necessary skill for the Dawn Priest. Perhaps in the future, I can also become a Dawn Priest. To prevent forgetting, Id better record the prayer while I remember it June 2, man-eating monsters have appeared in the city, the bishop told us that this is a devil invasion of the human world. It is the test of God, if we fail, the doomsday will come, everyone is terrified June 9, today Sofia Holy Knight gathered us and told us that it is becoming more and more dangerous outside. Maybe one day we will also take up arms and fight with those monsters. Sofia Holy Knight taught us a life-saving skill, Sacred Parry. This skill can allow us to escape from the threat of death once, I must record it in detail and strive to master it soon July 19, More and more people are starting to leave the city. Fewer and fewer believers come to the temple to pray. This morning, Karl told me that he heard strange voices talking to him in the library, he is scared July 29, The roaring sounds of the monsters outside are too loud, I cant sleep at all. I can only get up and pray to the deities to save us. The companions around me are starting to become more and more strange. They seem like strangers nowIn the middle of the night, there is a voice whispering by my ear, I cant hear it clearly, but it makes me feel comfortable, so comfortable September 3, Today Karl asked me to accompany him to the library. He said he had something to tell me. I wonder what he needed to tell me in the library. Karl is becoming stranger and stranger The diary ended here. This man named Havier must have encountered danger in the library, perhaps killed by a demon. Closing the diary, Song Jian sighed. From this diary, Song Jian gleaned a lot of information about the situation before the doomsday catastrophe. However, he did not find the temple mentioned in Haviers diary here. All he found was a library that had been abandoned for who knew how many years. This library could possibly be the one described in Haviers diary, but according to Haviers description, this library should be part of a temple. It was curious how it ended up in the Shadow District. Just then, the diary, which had been emitting white light, began to slowly break down into tiny sparkling white dots and float into the air after Song Jian read it. In just a short while, the diary vanished completely, as if it had never existed. Song Jian also received two prompts. System: You have read Haviers Diary, it gave you the method to practice the Sacred Prayer Skill. The system detected that you are not a long-range magic class, this method of practice has been removed; System: You have read Haviers Diary, it gave you the method to practice the Sacred Parry. The system detected you as a melee class Sword Controller, meet the conditions to practice this skill. You started to comprehend the method to practice Sacred Parry. Soon, a progress bar appeared in front of Song Jians eyes, slowly moving forward. In this state, Song Jian didnt dare to move. The text of Sacred Parry appeared in his mind. Five minutes passed, the progress bar finally reached the end. The system prompted Song Jian that he had mastered the skill Sacred Parry. Looking at the first system prompt, Song Jian felt a bit disappointed. If only he had come across this diary before accepting his occupation. He would have been able to learn the Sacred Prayer Skill, and might have encountered the occupation of a Dawn Priest, but now he had accepted the role of the Sword Controller, a melee class, he naturally couldnt learn this method of the Priest class skill. However, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to reach the Shadow District, this library, or this diary, had he not accepted his occupation. As a matter of fact, Haviers diary records quite a few skills of the Dawn Priest and the Dawn Paladin, but other skills did not describe clearly, clearly showing that Havier hadnt come across any profound skills, merely learning these skills through observing and chatting with others. Naturally, it wouldnt enable one to comprehend. Only the Sacred Prayer Skill and the Sacred Parry are the skills he himself mastered, therefore they are recorded with detailed practice methods. Though there are tens of thousands of player occupations, they can be roughly divided into ranged and melee; physical and magic. Hence, irrespective of the players occupation, as long as they find Haviers Diary, they can learn a skill from it. Although there was some regret, Song Jians attention was quickly caught by the Sacred Parry skill. Sacred Parry (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After release, it can block the next damage to oneself within the next three seconds, and simultaneously reflects 110% of the damage received into holy damage and attack the opponent; Cooldown Time: 3 minutes; Skill Consumption: 10 Spirit Points, successful parry returns consumption; Equipment Requirements: Melee Weapons. After reading the introduction to Sacred Parry, Song Jian couldnt help but reveal a joyous expression. As expected of a lifesaving divine skill, it could completely dodge the next damage he would receive. It was akin to the legendary divine skill Absolute Defense, if used properly, it could save his life once. What a pity that this skill isnt sword technique, or else I would have completed my main task. Though Song Jian voiced his regret, his expression showed no signs of being disappointed. After carefully searching again, he decided to head to the second floor. Chapter 300: Sacred Spirit Chapter 300: Sacred Spirit Translator: 549690339 1 Upon ascending to the second floor, Song Jian scanned the surrounding area. The second floor looked similar to the first, with several tables and chairs for reading and rows of bookshelves. Many of these wooden desks and shelves were dilapidated and crumbling, with a slight touch turning them into dust. Most of them were toppled over in a haphazard manner, coated with a thick layer of dust. There were also many mutated soul bodies wandering aimlessly around the second floor, passing through any obstructing bookshelves or tables. The appearance of these mutated soul bodies differed greatly from those on the first floor. The ones on the first floor were armored, gripping heavy swords in the form of knights, while the ones here were dressed in white long robes, some clasping a codex in their hands, others holding a short staff, resembling clergy. The number of mutated soul bodies here was higher than on the first floor. After scanning them, Song Jians gaze shifted to the disorderly bookshelves. The Sacred Parry he obtained on the first floor delighted him. He could only hope the second floor would hold similar surprises. Raising the Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow, Song Jian aimed at the closest mutated soul body. Whizz, whizz, whizz- Releasing the crossbows inbuilt three-shot skill, three flaming bolts shot towards the mutated soul body; -12 -8 -3 sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As a Sword Controller, the damage Song Jian caused using the Skeleton Crossbow was extremely low. Add to that, the mutated soul bodys inherent 6o% physical damage reduction, if it werent for the crossbows built-in fire damage, it would hardly scratch the enemys defenses. The damaged mutated soul body roared and pounced at Song Jian, stopping three or four meters away from him. The pages of the codex it held began to flip automatically while it started to chant a spell. Immediately, a small cluster of rotating dark clouds appeared above Song Jians head, and a thick bolt of lightning darted down towards him from the cloud. Is this a lightning spell? Song Jian hesitated briefly. In a split second, he executed the newly learned Sacred Parry. Suddenly, Song Jian, with the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in hand, made a charging movement, and a faint golden aura emerged on his bodys surface. Boom! The lightning strike descended right above Song Jians head, but was blocked by the light golden aura on his body surface. MISS The attack was parried, and afterwards, a radiant golden light enveloped Song Jian. A surge of power concentrated on his right hand which held the longsword. In one swift motion, he thrust it forward, a dazzling golden Sword Qi pierced towards the mutated soul body; Bam! With a muffled sound, the golden Sword Qi exploded on the mutated soul bodys chest, immediately causing it to stagger backward, and a damage number of over a hundred points floated above its head. This Sacred Parry skill, is really impressive! Song Jian cracked a slight smile and directly executed the Sword Shadow Step, charging towards the mutated soul body. The mutated soul body, which had been counterattacked by Sacred Parry, revealed a confused look. The scene before its eyes seemed familiar, yet it couldnt recall where it had seen it before. Seeing Song Jian transformed into a shadow and pounced at it, a fierce emotion welled up in its heart, it made a hehe roaring sound, and the flipping speed of the codex in its hand increased. Kick! Song Jian, who had rushed to the front of the mutated soul body, viciously kicked it. The chanting mutated soul body, now resembled as if someone had choked its neck, the spell was abruptly ended, a damage number of over eighty points immediately floated above its head. Sword Silk! Broken Wing Dance! Rapid Sword, activate! After a series of skills, the mutated soul body let out a tragic cry and turned into a soul seed, burning with white flames. Apart from this mutated soul seed, theres no other loot. But the experience is quite high, significantly higher than the level fifteen monsters I fought the day before yesterday. Song Jian thought to himself as he went for another mutated soul body. After spending a little over an hour, Song Jian exterminated all the mutated soul bodies on the second floor. His experience points increased to level fourteen, 98%, and he also harvested over sixty mutated soul seeds. Now, he had over a hundred mutated soul seeds in his bag, unsure of what they were useful for, he decided to stow them away for the time being. After clearing out the monsters on this floor, Song Jian began to meticulously search the books in the shelves, hoping to find a book that could record a skill. After spending about ten minutes perusing over ten rows of shelves, he didnt make any new discoveries, which left Song Jian feeling disappointed. With a sigh, Song Jian continued his journey to the third floor. Upon reaching the third floor, Song Jian found that the third floor was eerily empty, without anything, or so it seemed to be! Song Jian noticed a gigantic magic array etched on the floor of the third floor. The magic array was sketched entirely in a blazing red pigment, resembling fresh blood. Despite the considerable amount of time the place had been abandoned, the magic array looked vivid as if it had just been inscribed. Destroy it, destroy this magic array. Once this magic array is destroyed, you can eradicate the demon here and restore tranquility to the whole block From beside Song Jian, a soft voice suddenly rang out. The voice was full of allure, very pleasant to the ears, and it made people irresistibly want to do as it told. Song Jian looked dazed, stepping forward unconsciously. Suddenly, a refreshing energy surged in his mind freeing him from this bewitching state. Seeing himself less than a meter away from the magic array gave Song Jian a cold sweat. What happened just now? Song Jian opened the system information prompt, and sure enough, he had been tempted by some mysterious power. Fortunately, his inherent skill Thick Skinned came into play rescuing him from this state. Song Jian looked at his taskbar and discovered the original task of eliminating the demon in the library had been modified to Destroy the Magick Array in front of you. This made Song Jian frown. This task was too strange, making him have a vague bad feeling, as if he had been fooled. Just as Song Jian was contemplating whether to cancel the task, the hidden task underwent another change, an update appeared in the task reward column. Originally, the task reward was simply three thousand Doomsday Coins and ten thousand Experience Points. Now, however, it had changed to an item radiating a holy glow. Sacred Spirit? Using it can increase all attributes by two points? Thats amazing! Song Jian couldnt help but widen his eyes, staring at the reward column of this hidden task. Song Jian checked the hidden task once more, fearful that any loophole might lead to a trap. After a long inspection, he finally nodded. As long as he destroyed the magic array in front of him, he could directly receive the Sacred Spirit. It was an amazing object capable of increasing all attributes by two points, and Song Jian was not going to let it slip through his fingers. Taking a deep breath, Song Jian walked up to the magic array, brandishing the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and slashed fiercely at the magic array. Chapter 301: The Seal Chapter 301: The Seal Translator: 549690339 | The decision-maker of the Shadow District, an old man who seemed to be frail and on the brink of death, was standing in front of the library without moving an inch. His face looked somewhat distorted, and his eyes were full of anger. Sacred Spirit, this treasure that I carefully crafted from the souls of ten Dawn Paladins I killed myself, I have to give it to this greedy human, unforgivable Greed is the original sin, the original sin! Damn humans, they can even resist the Demons Voice A little bit more, just a little bit more, as long as I can destroy the Magic Array, I can truly gain freedom. This time it was the closest Go on, with just one sword stroke, the array can be destroyed. Your strength has already gained my approval, and it should be able to destroy this Magic Array that has imprisoned me for more than ten years Freedom, the breath of freedom. I feel like I have already touched it in advance Like a madman, the old man stood in front of the library muttering to himself. The NPCs of the Shadow District slowly approached him and stood silently behind him. They seemed to be waiting for something. Bang! A loud noise came out from the library. The entire library began to shake violently, as if it was about to collapse the next moment. Hahaha, we did it, we succeeded! The old man, dropping his cane, laughed loudly to the sky. His body began to slowly grow bigger. His skin cracked and opened, looking rather terrifying. The NPCs behind him also cried out in fright, and they violently scratched their own skin, as if it was a set of worn-out clothes. They crumbled it up in large chunks and carelessly threw it on the ground. Soon, the old man turned into a three-metre-tall Great Demon with two horns on his head and spikes all over his body. The NPCs behind him became smaller devils, with red faces and ferocious appearances. A golden item flew from the body of the strongest Great Demon, flying towards Song Jian. The demon stared at the golden item, his eyes revealing a sense of pain. The power of the contract must not be defied, any creatures that violate it will be suppressed by the system. Even the Great Demon, dare not resist this mighty power. Besides, this Great Demon has been imprisoned for more than ten years C the reason the Magic Array continues to exist is that it has been constantly absorbing its power to maintain the Magic Array. After more than ten years of power draining, the strength of the Great Demon has plummeted to its lowest point. Boom~ With a loud noise, the whole library collapsed. A human covered in dust emerged, holding a dark red sword in one hand, and in his other hand, held the Sacred Spirit that had flown off the Great Demons body. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thats mine! The Great Demons eyes revealed a greedy look, and it roared: Kill him! The variously shaped small demons behind him roared and charged towards Song Jian. Song Jian looked up, seeing the small demons swarming towards him and was taken aback. How come there were so many monsters in front of him? These small demons were only ordinary monsters of level 15, but their number was so large that even Song Jian couldnt resist them all. Just as Song Jian wanted to escape, a clear girls voice rang out in the air. Disperse all evil, Divine Seal! Song Jian looked up and saw a 17 or 18-year-old girl floating in mid-air in a red robe. Her golden hair was swinging in the wind, in her left hand, she held a Codex emitting golden light, and in her right hand was a Magic Staff almost as tall as her. Priestess? Damn it, how can Dawn Officers appear now, you should have already been exterminated! The Great Demon looked at the girl with fear in his eyes, and roared angrily. The young female Priestess, with a solemn expression, was staring at the small demons below. Disgust appeared in her eyes, countless golden divine words condensed in the air, eventually forming a golden Divine Seal floating in front of her. Suppress! With a stern shout, the golden divine seal flew towards the small demons. As it fell, the originally palm-sized golden divine seal quickly expanded, covering all the small demons. Boom~ There was a shaking explosion. The dust burst out, and the energy spilled over. All the hundreds of small demons were killed instantly. Their bodies turned into plumes of black smoke that dissipated slowly between heaven and earth. The priestess slowly descended from the sky, looking at Song Jian with an unhappy expression. Youve released the demon of the Abyss ahead of time. Otherwise, in a few more years, the Magic Array would have absorbed all its power and completely eliminated it! Im sorry, I was tricked by him too, I thought it was just a regular hidden quest! Song Jian slightly bowed to the girl and apologized, meanwhile, he put the Sacred Spirit into his bag. All demons are adept at deceiving people, and people are all excessively greedy! The Priestess said expressionlessly. Song Jian suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He had noticed a problem with the mission at the end, but for the Sacred Spirit, he ultimately broke the Magic Array and broke all the constraints on the demons. Theres still one Great Demon left, do we need to kill it? Song Jian pointed to a gruesome demon that was more than three meters tall in front of him and asked. The demon in front of him was extremely weak. It was just a level 15 elite BOSS. Song Jian alone was also confident of eliminating it. We cant kill it now. The Priestess shook her head: Its demon origin power has not been fully consumed. No matter how many times it is killed, it can come back to life! Speaking of that, the Codex in the Priestesss left hand started to flip pages automatically, and it started to look alike to the scene when mutated Soul Bodies attacked in the second floor of the library before. Divine Cage, Seal, Suppress! The Priestess swung her Magic Staff with her right hand, pointed it at the Great Demon, and shouted harshly. The Great Demons face suddenly turned ugly. He wanted to turn around and run away, but he was chased down and tightly bound by three golden Chains made up of divine words. The golden divine chains passed through the body of the Great Demon, suppressing its body and soul. Finally, the body of the Great Demon began to petrify from bottom to top. After a short while, it turned into a stone sculpture of a struggling Great Demon bound by three chains. Hahaha, you cant trap me, I wont give up, we will meet again, and by then, it will be the time of your death! A gruesome face appeared on top of the demon stone statue. The face laughed loudly. The words it spoke were full of killing intention, and cold to the bone. It stared at Song Jian with blood-red eyes, as if it wanted to swallow him whole. Chapter 302 - 302 Purchase Chapter 302: Purchase Translator: 549690339 | Staring at the face on top of the demon statue, Song Jian couldnt help but complain: Why do you hate me? Your men werent killed by me, and you werent trapped by me. Injustice has its source, debts have their debtor Just at that moment, Song Jian suddenly felt two ill-intentioned gazes on him. His voice suddenly diminished and he awkwardly rubbed his nose. Having sealed the Great Demon, the Goddess Priestess also showed a hint of fatigue with fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. Alright, it is now sealed. After a hundred days, the divine text chains will have absorbed all of its Origin Power. At that point, it will perish completely once killed and wont resurrect again. The Goddess Priestess said. What about this statue, do we just leave it here? Song Jian pointed at the ferocious face in the air above the statue and said, Are you sure youve completely sealed it? Thats just the last vestiges of its demonic aura, coalesced together. It will dissipate slowly, theres no need to worry. The Goddess Priestess glanced at Song Jian, The statue can only be left here, but dont worry, if anyone with malicious intent tries to free the demon, the divine text chains sealing the demon will automatically attack, theres no|5]?! Song Jian took a look at the Goddess Priestess. Although her level wasnt high, only around thirty, her strength was extraordinarily formidable. He wondered how she had cultivated her powers. Could it be that the Dawn Priest could evolve into a Dawn Officer in the future? S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Im leaving, stay vigilant! The Goddess Priestess gave Song Jian a meaningful glance before disappearing into the shadows. Stay vigilant? What should I be vigilant about? The Great Demon has been sealed. It cant come out Song Jian found it odd. Right at that moment, Song Jian received two system notifications: System: You have received the Abyss Demons Evil Curse, your Luck -3; System: The Abyss Demon has started looking at you. After a hundred days, the seal of the Abyss Demon will be broken, and it will come looking for you. If you are killed by the Abyss Demon, your body will be seized by it! Damn, what the hell, are you crazy! Song Jian couldnt help but swear, Injustice has its source, debts have their debtor. Go find whoever sealed you! Why are you coming after me, do I look like an easy target to you? This Abyss Demon was clearly trying to bully the weak, most likely feeling that it wouldnt be able to defeat the Goddess Priestess. As a result, all its hatred was targeted at Song Jian, especially since Song Jian had taken its Sacred Spirit, it naturally became the Demons priority. In the daytime, the Rune Chains will fully drain the Abyss Demons Origin Power, and it will no longer be able to resurrect. It only needs to be killed once to eliminate it completely. For the Goddess Priestess, this Abyss Demon no longer has the qualifications to be an enemy anymore, so might as well just hand it over to this human in front of her. Song Jian is now cursed by the Abyss Demon and his Luck has decreased by three. This means that the likelihood of triggering any skills with a certain chance will decrease by 3%. The drop rate for defeating monsters will also decrease by 3%, and opening any chest or such drops by 3%. Its truly an unlucky predicament. Only after killing this Abyss Demon can the evil curse be broken. Hence, a battle between Song Jian and the Abyss Demon is inevitable! The grotesque face on the statue of the Abyss Demon continually howled and shouted at Song Jian, but soon dissipated into the air due to a lack of energy. The entire Shadow District went quiet, devoid of a single human figure. Song Jian looked left and right before walking towards the district exit. He went to the auction house and listed the Stealth Skill Stone. Then he checked the silver-grade shield hed put up for auction earlier. It had reached a price of 18,000 Doomsday Coins and seemed to not rise any higher. This price had far exceeded Song Jians initial estimate. Even if he split this with Li Keer, theyd each get close to 10,000 Doomsday Coins. It was a pretty good deal. Now, his bag held more than 15,000 Doomsday Coins. Adding the price of the shield and the stealth skill stone, Song Jians final Doomsday Coins might exceed 30,000. Even the alliances in the city probably didnt have as many Doomsday Coins as Song Jian. Storing this many Doomsday Coins in his bag was a waste, he needed to convert it into his own strength as soon as possible. After using the Sacred Spirit, all of Song Jians stats increased by 2 points. Now, his highest stat was not Strength but Agility. Not counting the additional attributes from the Flame Skeleton Repeating Crossbow and the School Flag, his Agility had already reached 16, and with equipment bonuses, it could reach 19. Even counting the equipment, his Strength was only 16. He was only 2% Experience Points away from reaching level 15. His Sword Finger Skill had the highest proficiency, already reaching 97% at level 2. It seemed that he would spend his next Skill Point on Sword Finger Skill. Song Jian opened the auction interface and started searching. After a long while, Song Jian shook his head. The equipment listed couldnt even compare to what he had, which is why a silver-grade shield could reach such a high price. It seemed that there was a shortage of good equipment. How could anyone put it up for auction when they were using it themselves? Closing the equipment auction interface, Song Jian opened the skill interface. There were even fewer skills listed than equipment, only two pages and just over a dozen skills. These skills were weak. Either they were attack skills with too little damage, had too severe of side effects, or required a special lineage or special weapon. And the prices were high. The cheapest skill started at 5,000 Doomsday Coins. They were just treating the other players like fools. Hence, none of these skills listed had received any bids. They were hanging there alone, waiting to be delisted when the time ran out. The auctioning player would even have to pay a listing fee for this. It was simply a major loss. Next, Song Jian opened the materials interface. This interface was much richer, filled with an array of materials. The most common were wood and stone materials. Since they were so abundant, the prices were very low, only slightly higher than selling to the system store. The rest were various types of ores, which were quite costly, followed by numerous materials dropped by monsters. Cooking, Alchemy, Pharmacy, Blacksmithing, Engineering, all kinds of materials were available. Besides, there were some rare and odd items. Players didnt even know what they were used for. These were classified as special materials by the system and thrown into the auction house, priced ridiculously high, which deterred buyers. Song Jian searched for the materials needed for the high explosive grenades. Surprisingly, he found seven to eight kinds. Although they werent cheap, they saved Song Jian a lot of time and energy, so Song Jian bought them all. He then purchased a large pile of materials needed to make the Self- destructing Robot. In an instant, the over 15,000 Doomsday Coins in his bag was halved, leaving him with less than a thousand. However, once the shield and Stealth Skill Stone were sold, Song Jians purse would be filled again, so he wasnt worried. After buying a huge amount of materials, Song Jian headed towards his Manor Castle. Chapter 303: Modification Chapter 303: Modification Translator: 549690339 | Upon returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian could not wait to start manufacturing Self-destructing Robots. The Self-destructing Robots, being disposable items, can be used all at once. A single robot could cause 200 points of damage, and if ten were used simultaneously, that increased to 2000 points of damage, enough to kill a level-10 elite boss outright. After placing all the materials onto the Engineering Crafting Table, the machine began to operate automatically, subtracting, extracting, fusing, and processing the ores. In no time, Song Jian saw the pieces of the Self-destructing Robots taking shape. Since it was component manufacturing, and Song Jians crafting skill had already increased to level 2, the component crafting was highly successful with minimal failure rates. Nearly seven to eight parts were manufactured before there was a defective one. Having used up all the materials, a large number of parts were produced, and Song Jians crafting skill level also successfully advanced to level 3. Now, it was up to Song Jian to do the assembly. If there were mishaps during assembly, there would be no Self-destructing Robot. Song Jian divided the produced parts into over a dozen piles, and began to install them one by one according to the instructions on the blueprint. After all, this was just a game. It was not as demanding as the real world. Song Jian only needed to assemble the dozen or so parts in order. The process was similar to building a Lego set. Soon, Song Jian had assembled his first Self-destructing Robot. System: You successfully created a Self-destructing Robot, increasing your crafting proficiency by 3 points, leveling experience by 300 points, and likewise obtaining a poor-quality Self-destructing Robot. Song Jian checked it out. The robot he had produced looked dumb, like a toy sold in toy stores for more than ten dollars. Its power was not as great as stated on the blueprint, it could only cause 110 points of damage from a range explosion, almost weak compared to the original version. The first one is just for practice; its already good that I managed to create it, Song Jian shrugged and comforted himself. He didnt expect that assembling the robot himself would yield leveling experience. Prior production of T-11 High-explosive Grenades only increased crafting proficiency, without leveling experience. At the sight of the experience bar, which was only 2% shy of reaching level 15, Song Jians mood immediately improved. Once he assembled the remaining dozen Self-destructing Robots, hed likely get directly promoted to level 15. With the first one as practice, Song Jians mood improved, making his assembling actions quicker and lighter than before. Its as smooth as flowing water, the rhythmic assembly sounds even felt like a pleasing melody. One by one, the Self-destructing Robots were assembled by Song Jian. Starting from the second robot, the power of the Self-destructing Robot had already increased to 200 points. By the fifth and sixth, the quality had become excellent, increasing the power to 250 points. The power difference between the first and the last robot was like heaven and earth. When the last Self-destructing Robot was finally assembled, Song Jian abruptly came out of his previous concentrated state, staring at the silver Self- destructing Robot, dumbstruck. This last robot differed greatly from the previous ones in design and color, now faded silver. It was more lively than before and looked like a piece of art carved by a master. As expected, Song Jians level increased to 15. Before, he had been eager to reach level 15 so he could wear the Ghost Battle Armor. But now, all his attention was on the silver Self-destructing Robot in his hands. Aa perfect quality Self-destructing Robot? Shocked, Song Jian looked at the attributes of the robot before him. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: The player has produced a perfect quality Self-destructing Robot, increasing crafting proficiency by 10 points, leveling experience by 1000 points; System: Congratulations, player, for being the first person among the god- blessed to create a perfect quality item, awarding 10,000 points of leveling experience; reward: one Crafting Table Modifier Stone. System: Congratulations, player, you have acquired the right to engrave your unique seal on manufactured products! Crafting Table Modifier Stone (Silver): After use, it can improve the Grade of the Engineering Crafting Table by one level; Modifier Stone? Thats an incredible thing. But why can it only be used to modify the Engineering Crafting Table? Song Jian looked at the Modifier Stone, glowing silver, in his backpack and thought gloomily. He owned a Silver grade Portable Alchemy Crafting Table. If it could be used on it, it could be directly upgraded from Silver to Gold grade, having not an ordinary impact. On the other hand, his Engineering Crafting Table was only of ordinary White grade. If it was upgraded by one level, it would only reach Green grade. The effect would certainly not be as significant as that of a Silver grade improved to a Gold grade. In fact, now more than eighty percent of players do not own Crafting Tables. To create items, they have to search around the city for fixed Crafting Tables. And a vast majority of players who own Crafting Tables are limited to White grade. If they knew that Song Jian was dissatisfied with upgrading his Crafting Table to Green grade, they would undoubtedly drown him in their saliva. Since it could only be used to improve the Engineering Crafting Table, Song Jian directly used the Modifier Stone. Suddenly, the crafting table was engulfed in a white light, and a progress bar appeared above showing that the modification would take twelve hours; All his Self-destructing Robots were finished, and he didnt need the Crafting Table for now, so he could wait patiently. As for the systems hint about engraving his own mark on items, Song Jian pondered a bit, opened the system interface, and began to design his own mark. Soon, Song Jian designed a Clover emblem and engraved it on the last, perfect quality Self-destructing Robot. System: Clover Emblem registration successful. This emblem is now bound to your account. Others cannot use or design similar emblems. After finishing crafting all the Self-destructing Robots, more than five hours had passed. His School Flag and Battle Flag had combined a long time ago, and now, a strange flag appeared in Song Jians two-hand weapon slot. The flag had a sharp blade on top of it, more than a foot long, similar to a spear blade. The silk-smooth flag looked like it was cut from a piece of silk. Blue-red stripes, a flaming dragon occupying two-thirds of the flag, and on the far right of the flag, a deep blue pentagram pattern. The flagpole was more than two meters long, emitting a chill from its black body, and the attributes had also vastly improved. Fifth Battle Flag (Green): Two-hand weapon, can evolve; Equipment effect: Agility +3, movement speed increases by 20%, defense increases by 15%, damage increases by 10%; Special effect 1: Alliance, can designate five people as temporary allies, after allying all allys properties increase by 30%; Special effect 2: Brilliant Aura (passive), the Battle Flag user and their allies will gain the Brilliant Aura buff; Brilliant Aura, attack speed increases by 15%, damage +20; Special effect 3: Summon Fire Elemental Spirit (active), the Battle Flag user can summon two Fire Elemental Spirits with the same level as the user to assist in combat, the Fire Elemental Spirits will stay until their death, the Battle Flag user can dismiss them anytime, after the Fire Elemental Spirits die or are dismissed, they can only be summoned again after 1 hour; Item level: 10; Item requirement: Level 10; Can this item be taken out of the game: No Two-handed weapon Fifth Battle Flag underwent a massive change in attributes, Song Jians power improved significantly. Now, even if Song Jian faced a level 20 elite boss, he would be able to put up a fight. After checking the battle flags attribute, Song Jain collected all the Self- destructing Robots and walked away from the Manor Castle. Chapter 304 - 304 The Little Match Girl Chapter 304: The Little Match Girl Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian, now at the fifteenth level, with his Ghost Battle Armor and the enhanced Fifth Battle Flag weapon in his hands, was itching to test his increased power. This time, he skipped the fifteenth level monster zone and ran straight into the twentieth level monster zone. Most players nowadays cant even handle the fifteenth level monster zone, not to mention the twentieth level monster zone, which is completely dominated by mutant zombies. The mutant zombies here at level twenty dont differentiate between day and night. Even during the day, their attributes remain unaffected. Similarly equipped with Vitality Points, they arent much different from the bosses at the fifteenth level. Just as he entered the twentieth level monster zone, a mutant zombie draped in dark scales rushed towards Song Jian. Now, the mutant zombies were more like mindless humanoid beasts, exhibiting no human characteristics whatsoever. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An invisible Spirit Sword quickly formed above Song Jians head, and following his thoughts, quietly flew towards the mutant zombie. At the same time, Song Jian jolted and charged with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword to the zombie. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! With a series of sword techniques deployed, the mutant zombie was unable to fight back. It could only roar in anger and finally turned around and ran away, clutching its head. It seems to have lost its mind in rage, but it still has an instinct to fear death. These higher-level monsters are great pretenders! Song Jian was surprised. The mutant zombies below the fifteenth level wouldnt flee. They would fight to their very last blood, giving one the impression that they would rip a piece of flesh off you even at deaths door. However, the twentieth level monster in front of him, although it portrayed a sense of madness, ended up fleeing due to the fear of death. It was clearly not as mindless as Song Jian initially believed. Sword Finger! Song Jian quickly raised his left hand, forwards a stab. A silver Sword Qi promptly shot out, piercing the back of the mutant zombies head and exiting from the forehead. Song Jian, now on level fifteen, had used the skill point he earned from leveling up on his fully proficient Sword Finger. Now, the skill Sword Finger had evolved to third level. Its damage increased from 70-100 to 90-120, and the gold element damage increased by 30 points, reaching 100 points. In other words, Sword Finger could now deal approximately 200 points of damage to its target. Whoosh~ The Sword Qi was both swift in appearance and disappearance. In an instant, the three-meter-long Sword Qi vanished, leaving a deep hole in the skull of flie mutant zombie. The mutant zombie trembled all over and collapsed to the ground, as the Sword Qi drained its last bit of Vitality Points. My power has increased a lot! Song Jian said, his face glowing with a joyous smile. Ordinary monsters at level twenty no longer threatened him. Unless surrounded by hundreds or thousands of level twenty monsters, he was capable of calmly utilizing the terrain to kill them all. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. From now on, I can set my stage to the twentieth level monster zone! Song Jian mused, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Just then, Song Jian received information from the auction house. His silver- quality shield was sold at the bidding price, ten thousand Doomsday Coins was already in his inventory after the charges were deducted. Song Jian was startled and then sighed. There really were many rich people in this game. However, those who could afford to spend twenty thousand Doomsday Coms on a shield were most likely not individuals, but powerful alliances. Who bought the shield wasnt of much interest to Song Jian. He divided half of his Doomsday Coins, planning to send them to Li Keer later. He was looking forward to the auction of the Stealth Technique Skill Stone. He hadnt set a fixed price for the Stealth Technique, only a minimum bid. Therefore, the auction would take some time. He would have to wait patiently. After checking the system prompt, Song Jian swung his sword and lunged at the next level 20 monster. The day passed quickly and a sunset appeared on the horizon. Half the sky turned red. This was probably the most beautiful sight of the day. In the game, even during the day, the sun wasnt always visible. It was often hidden by thick clouds and only revealed itself for a few minutes at noon. Having a full day of sunshine was a rare occurrence. Thus, the evening had become a valuable time for players to admire the sun. At this time, most players would stop all their activities, sit on the rooftops of their safe houses, watch the beautiful red sky, and observe the sun as it slowly set. At night, the mutated zombies, whose attributes were halved during daytime, would regain their strength. Meanwhile, the level 20 mutated zombies, whose attributes did not weaken during the day, would increase their strength by 50%. Be it their attack, defense, or speed, all would experience a substantial increase. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then decided to retreat first and not hunt monsters during the night. After all, the night was a paradise for the monsters. Even those usually unnoticeable Elites and Boss-level monsters would begin to roam the streets. If he was spotted by these Bosses, it would be a life and death struggle. Even if Song Jian was confident, he wouldnt dare hunt and level up in the level 20 monster area during the night. Now, Song Jian preferred to fight against monsters five levels lower than him. His Experience Points increased significantly. After a day, his level 15 experience bar had already reached 34%. The proficiency of his skills Sword Silk and Earth Teeth Assault had both increased to 100%. He only needed skill points to upgrade to the next level and gain more power. Just as Song Jian was preparing to leave the level 20 monster area, he suddenly saw a little girl in a red cloak holding a bunch of matches walking towards him. Sir, its going to be dark soon. Do you need matches? I have the best matches in the city. A box is only one Doomsday Coin! The little girl seemed somewhat skinny, with a basket full of small paper boxes hanging off her left hand. Her bright big eyes full of anticipation nervously watched Song Jian. The Little Match Girl? No wait, a little girl selling matches? Song Jian couldnt help but take two steps back, watching the suddenly appearing girl with a vigilant face. This wasnt an ordinary place. It was a level 20 monster area where every few steps you could find a mutated zombie. Any level one NPC who dared to walk around here would find themselves getting dragged into an alley by a monster. Who are you? Song Jian gripped his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly and asked apprehensively. Sir, my name is Maria Susan. Can you please buy a box of matches? I havent eaten in a day The little girl looked pathetic, tears welling up in her eyes. Song Jians heart couldnt help but twitch as if a hand had clenched it tightly. After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian nodded, pulled out a Doomsday Coin and handed it to the little girl saying, Alright, Ill buy a box. Thank you, kind sir. Heres your box of matches. The little girl handed him a box of matches with a happy smile on her face. She took the Doomsday Coin, bowed to Song Jian, and turned to leave slowly. Song Jians eyes followed the little girl. He had once encountered a monster disguised as a little girl. A level one NPC appearing here was too strange. Song Jian felt a sense of unease. It wasnt until the girls figure disappeared into the sunset that Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. His eyes then fell on the box in his hand. Chapter 305: Territorial Expansion Campaign Chapter 305: Territorial Expansion Campaign Translator: 549690339 Song Jians matchbox had nothing special about it, feeling very light in his hand as if there were not many matches inside. The matchbox didnt even have an attribute description, just like an ordinary scene item. Upon opening the matchbox, there were only three matches inside. Magical Match (Special): Consumable, Usage Effect: Striking the match at night will lead to unexpected events. May good luck always be with you! Its a special consumable? Song Jians eyes revealed a look of surprise. He had heard of such items before, similar to treasure chests that could grant various items upon use. Just for one Doomsday Coin, I made a fortune. Any item I get could easily cover the cost. If I had known, I would have bought all the matches in her basket! Song Jian couldnt help but think, even wanting to run after the little girl. However, night was fast approaching, and the match-selling girl had already disappeared. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, ultimately shaking his head and turning to leave the area, heading for the Manor Castle. Nightfall arrived, and monsters swarmed the streets, letting out loud roars and howls. No matter how many the players hunted during the day, there were always a large number of monsters appearing out of nowhere at night, seemingly endless. At this time, the players could only hide in their safe houses, shivering in fear and praying that the monsters wouldnt attack their safe houses. In fact, the reason the system allowed players to create safe houses was so they could have a place to hide at night. As long as they didnt deliberately provoke the monsters that came out at night, the monsters wouldnt actively attack the players safe houses. Song Jians Manor Castle was brightly lit yet silent. The Black Dragon hatchling hunted happily around the manor, killing level-five monsters. Already a level- ten elite, it could no longer gain any experience from killing these low-level monsters, but it still enjoyed tearing them apart with its claws and teeth. Its golden vertical pupils glowed with a bloodthirsty excitement, as if the constant killing was a natural instinctive activity for it. Song Jian sat in meditation on the bed, patiently waiting as the Night Slayer faintly emitted a red light from his chest. After a short time, the clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing the bright moonlight. At this moment, the monsters roars and howls grew even louder, their eyes turning red as they excitedly swallowed in the direction of the moon. A moonbeam shone through the window, enveloping Song Jian in moonlight. A cool sensation washed over him from head to toe, causing him to let out a comfortable moan. The feeling of complete cleansing was simply too irresistible. Song Jian soon immersed himself in this sensation, unaware of time passing; Fifteen minutes later, the moon was once again obscured by clouds, and Song Jian slowly opened his eyes. He looked at his hands and arms, the skin was a glowing white, with veins and muscles clearly visible underneath. However, the unusual phenomenon soon subsided, and the cool sensation inside his body also disappeared, as if it had never existed. An urge to kill every living creature in sight surged in Song Jians heart, causing his face to become twisted and deformed. As the violent emotion rose in Song Jians heart, the Blood Pool in the basement suddenly began to churn, like boiling water. The blood-soaked zombies also raised their heads, making roaring and howling gestures, but without any sound coming from their mouths. At the same moment that violence flooded Song Jians mind, a wave of coolness fought back against the emotion, quickly suppressing it. The Blood Pool in the basement gradually returned to calm, and the blood-zombies sat back, only their heads above the surface. Song Jians face remained calm, seemingly accustomed to this. Absorbing the essence of the moon could enhance his bodys attributes but he wouldnt give up. Although the side effects were somewhat headache-inducing, he had the innate attribute thick skin and didnt worry about his sanity being eroded by the violent emotions. So, he didnt care. Though he suppressed the violent emotions, Song Jian still felt an itch to go and battle the monsters outside. After some contemplation, Song Jian sighed and took out the matchbox he had bought earlier. He lit one match in the box; a small flame instantly ignited. The matchbox had only three matches, which could only be used during the night. Song Jian was also curious and wanted to see what unexpected things would happen. As the match quickly burned out, Song Jian received a message from the system. System: Youve used Maria Susans Matches. An unexpected event occurred C Your vitality points decrease by 90%, and your monster kill experience reduces by 90% for 10 hours! Congratulations! Song Jian gaped, looking at the matchbox with the remaining two matches, fighting the urge to throw it out the window and douse it in water. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is indeed unexpected Song Jian grumbled to himself, holding back a string of curses. At that moment, Song Jian suddenly had an epiphany and slapped his forehead. Damn, Pin still under the curse of the Abyss Demon, with a luck reduction of three. I cant believe Im playing this treasure box game. Its like asking for death! Song Jian couldnt help but mutter to himself. In fact, during the daytime, when fighting monsters, Song Jian had already felt the effect of reduced fortune. His attack damage was consistently minimal compared to before. However, his increased strength allowed him to easily defeat the level twenty monsters, so he didnt care. Glancing at the matchbox with the remaining two matches, Song Jian shook his head and put it in his bag. Now was not the time to test his luck. The night passed quickly, and daylight returned. Song Jian stayed in the castle, his vitality points now less than too. Even against a level-ten monster, he might be killed in one strike. It would be better to wait quietly for the negative effect to disappear before venturing out again. Plus, there was only a little less than two hours left. Just then, Song Jian heard a rumbling from afar. A voice echoed throughout the Doomsday City. Player Sang Ge initiates a Territory Expansion Campaign. This will be a great battle. Congratulations to Player Sang Ge on a victorious start and obtaining more territory! Chapter 306 - 306 Luo Tianyu Chapter 306: Luo Tianyu Translator: 549690339 | At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, a solemn voice echoed over the city. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Player Sang Ge has launched a territorial expansion campaign. This is to be a great battle. We wish player Sang Ge a successful start and more territories to conquer! Song Jian frowned slightly, standing in front of the window, as he watched a player near him excitedly expand their domain. Sang Ge stood exuberantly atop a tower, with a dozen other players behind him, watching as the range of his safe house slowly grew outwards. Boss, weve finally taken the first step in the games contention for power! one of the players behind Sang Ge exclaimed excitedly. Yes, in this regional mission, weve all fought hard to hunt down the fish-headed monsters. Our efforts have finally paid off. Our Brave World Alliance is probably the first alliance in the game to expand its territory Sang Ge said, filled with emotion. Haha, though we can only expand by ten meters for now, there will come a day when the entire city is ours to rule! We, the Brave World Alliance, are the top alliance in the game! Everyone began cheering excitedly, as if they could already see their glorious future. At that moment, Sang Ge received a campaign message. System: Your territorial expansion campaign has encroached on player Luo Tianyus safe house. Do you wish to wage an expansion campaign against this player? Sang Ges face suddenly changed, and he turned to ask, Are there other players who have built safe houses nearby? Shouldnt be. We thoroughly searched the area a couple of days ago. No player had set up a safe house around here, said a player behind Sang Ge, seeming a bit confused. Its just one player, we can simply bulldoze over her! said a burly warrior player impatiently. Exactly. Who has our Brave World Alliance ever feared? Were bound to take over the entire city sooner or later. Why should we fear fighting against a single player? All players behind Sang Ge raised their weapons high and shouted loudly. Sang Ge nodded, not particularly concerned in reality. They were just facing an individual player, with a newly-built safe house. Now that it had become an obstacle in the expansion of the Brave World Alliance, it would simply be kicked aside. Launch an expansion campaign! Sang Ge said with a serious look on his face. System: You have initiated an expansion campaign against player Luo Tianyu. Please completely destroy the other partys safe house within an hour! Brothers, lets go flatten that players safe house! Sang Ge yelled, raising his weapon high. The players behind him responded and bounded forcefully towards where the system led. Meanwhile, in the Level 15 monster area, Luo Tianyu was charging at a group of mutant zombies, wielding her Square Sky Halberd. Luo Tianyu, petite and adorable, was waving her Square Sky Halberd, almost as tall as herself, excitedly hacking away at the mutant zombies surrounding her. The Square Sky Halberd in her hands faintly emitted a silver glow, making a chilling, eerie piercing sound, and directly hacked Level 15 mutant zombies into chunks of flesh. Dressed in a silver helmet and armor, and holding a Square Sky Halberd, Luo Tianyu was like a female version of Lv Bu, rampaging through the Level 15 monster area, almost unmatched. After a long while, Luo Tianyu, panting heavily, retreated into a residential building and pulled food and water from her bag to recover her strength. Phew! If only I also had a war horse. Then who in this monster area would be my match? It would at least double my leveling speed! Luo Tianyu muttered. Just then, she received a system notification. System: Player Sang Ge has launched a territorial expansion campaign against you! You have the option to surrender or resist. If you surrender, your safe house will fall under player Sang Ges rule, and youll need to pay him a tribute of 10 Doomsday Coins daily. If you choose to resist, Sang Ge will launch an attack against you. You must defend your safe house for two hours. If you successfully defend it, Sang Ges territorial expansion campaign will fail, and you will receive a large number of campaign merits. If you fail to defend it, your safe house will be leveled, and all items within would be destroyed! Territorial expansion campaign? Luo Tianyu paused, then quickly became furious. Stabbing her Square Sky Halberd into the ground, she created a large pit. Ive barely established my safe house, and youre already trying to expand? Sang Ge, remember this. Ive got your name! Luo Tianyu bit down hard on her silver teeth, finally making her choice: I choose to resist! System: You will be automatically transported to your safe house in ten seconds. Please be prepared. Ten, nine, eight After the ten-second countdown, a flash of white light enveloped Luo Tianyu as she disappeared from her current location, instantly appearing in her safe house. Luo Tianyus safe house was a big tent, surrounded by an open space resembling a training ground. High walls surrounded the training ground, with four arrow towers on each side, doubling the amount of a regular players safe house. In front of the walls stood rows of caltrops, their sharp points glinting coldly. The tips even had half a foot of spikes embedded with steel. The whole safe house resembled an ancient military camp. Stepping out of the tent, Luo Tianyu looked at the distant tower, anger raging in her eyes. You want to fight? Well then, lets fight! Today, Ill show you what Im capable of! Luo Tianyu snorted coldly, holding her Square Sky Halberd, her figure flashing as she appeared on top of the wall. In the distance, a dozen players were charging toward Luo Tianyus safe house. Upon seeing Luo Tianyu standing on top of the wall, a gleam lit up in Sang Ges eyes. Luo Tianyu had fair skin, a delicate face, and a pair of vibrant, expressive eyes. Dressed in a silver helmet and armor and wielding her Square Sky Halberd, she had an unusual allure. Shes a girl. Boss, why not persuade her to surrender and ask her to be our sister-in-law! Haha! Yeah, boss, she looks quite good Boss, go for it! We all support you. You must win her heart! The group of players glanced at Luo Tianyu and began to chuckle, completely dropping their previous murderous looks. Sang Ge cleared his throat and stepped forward, stopping just outside the reach of Luo Tianyus defensive structures. He shouted, Miss, Im the leader of the Brave World Alliance. Our recent territorial expansion inadvertently encroached on your safe house. I do apologize. Would you be willing to join us at Brave World Alliance and strive for mutual greatness together? Enough talk! If you want to fight, fight! Luo Tianyu snapped sharply, stepping heavily on the ground, she leapt off the wall. Midair, she pointed her Square Sky Halberd directly at Sang Ge. Chapter 307: Imperial Dragon Demon Palace Chapter 307: Imperial Dragon Demon Palace Translator: 549690339 | Sang Ge never expected that there would only be one person on the opposing side, and they actually dared to rush out of the safe house directly. Usually, in territorial battles, wouldnt one have to rely on the defenses of the safe house to wear out the enemy before attacking? How was this girl not following the usual strategy? If Sang Ge had known that the girl would act so recklessly, he wouldnt have rushed to the front alone. Wait a minute, I still have something to say Sang Ges face changed, and he tried to stop Luo Tianyu. But at this point, Luo Tianyus momentum had already reached its peak, and her murderous intent was so strong it felt tangible. Even her body was wrapped in a faint red dragon-shaped vigor. Bang! With a loud noise, the Square Sky Halberd in Luo Tianyus hand emitted a screech like a ghostly wail, chopping down at Sang Ges head. Caught off guard, Sang Ge could only use his weapon to block, but it was useless. He was knocked to the ground by Luo Tianyus halberd, his vitality points plummeting to near-death as he fell into the pool of blood. The comrades behind him were all dumbfounded. They had initially thought it would be a simple battle of overpowering weaker players, but now their leader had been instantly killed by the enemy. This wasnt what they had expected at all! The Brave World Alliance members, who had been full of confidence when they started the territorial expansion battle, were now at a loss for words. Some even quietly retreated a few steps, hiding behind the others. Luo Tianyu, with the Square Sky Halberd in hand, strode forward to Sang Ge, stomped on his head, and ground it underfoot, looking down on him disdainfully. So it was you who wanted to destroy my safe house, forcing me to come back from the Level 15 monster area. Do you know how much time Ive wasted? Mis, miss, this is all a misunderstanding. Whatever weve lost, our Brave World Alliance will compensate you, double, double! Sang Ge spat out blood, waving his hands in terror. At this point, his vitality was less than 5%, and he seemed to smell death. No need, your head will do as payment. Luo Tianyu sneered, and stepped down hard on Sang Ges head. With a puff, Sang Ges eyes bulged out, bloodshot, as his body jerked one final time before losing all vitality. Turning to look at the rest of the dozen players, Luo Tianyu narrowed her eyes and showed a fierce smile, yelling, Whos next! What they had thought was a cute little girl turned out to be a fierce lady tyrannosaur. Even though there were more than a dozen of them from the Brave World, they all shivered with fear, shaking their heads and retreating. Hmph, trash! Luo Tianyu spat at them, then turned back to start searching the items on Sang Ges body, thinking that they were all her spoils of war now. With the death of their leader, Sang Ge, the territorial expansion battle was a complete failure. The Brave World players left in disgrace. Not only did they lose a massive amount of war merit and Doomsday Coins, but their safe house also dropped by one level. It had only recently been upgraded to a Level 1 Manor, and now it was knocked back down to a Level 3 Safe House. To upgrade back to a Manor, they would have to endure another monster siege. Remembering their previous experience, every players face turned ugly, not daring to reminisce about that battle. With the death of their leader, Vice Alliance Leader Zhou Jin became the new leader. Seeing the morale of the Brave World at its lowest point, he knew they would be entering a period of hibernation for some time. At this point, Song Jian was hundreds of meters away, watching the scene unfold. Luo Tianyus strength was beyond his expectations C she was so powerful that it was hard to believe she was a girl. Even Song Jian was surprised by the tangible murderous aura emanating from her. Just how many monsters did she kill to accumulate such an aura? Now, more and more players were setting up safe houses, and most were concentrated near the Level 5 monster area, surrounding Camel Square. If Song Jian wanted to expand, he would inevitably clash with other players. Could it be, during the expansion battles, Ill have to attack the impregnable safe houses on my own? Song Jian frowned. Like the events of today, if the dozen Brave World players were to attack Song Jians Manor Castle, they wouldnt even require Song Jians intervention. The defensive structures would be enough to slaughter the players on their own. However, while other players safe houses may not have as strong defenses as Song Jians, the system still provides plenty of arrow towers and traps. Penetrating the defenses of a safe house wouldnt be an easy task. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Having more people is still necessary! Song Jian thought. At that moment, he suddenly remembered the Blood Pool in his basement. Now that it had been upgraded to Level 2, he could summon two types of Blood Beasts: the Blood Crow and the Zombie. Although the Blood Crow was weak and only good for harassment and reconnaissance, the Zombie could be upgraded. If leveled up, they could potentially be useful in breaking through defenses. More importantly, as the Blood Pool level increased, more powerful Blood Beasts could be developed. With a higher-level Blood Pool, he could summon more potent Blood Beasts, and with a wave of his hand, command hundreds or even thousands of Blood Beasts to attack others safe houses. The mere sight of this army would likely cause anyone to panic. Ive been somewhat neglecting the functions of the Blood Pool. I should take the opportunity to raise its level. Song Jian thought. He checked the requirements to upgrade the Blood Pool to the next level. He already had the necessary 500 units of stone, but for the remaining two conditions, he didnt know where to look. Rubies and Dragon Bloodstones should also be a type of ore, but Ive never heard of any place that can mine such ores Song Jian thought. He had been to a Level 30 ore site and never found any trace of Rubies or Dragon Bloodstones there. Do I have to ask about it on the radio? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, about to open the radio when a hazy green light suddenly rose from the ground in the distant sky, piercing the sky like a column of light. Whos building a safe house now? Song Jian squinted at the green pillar of light in the distance. Soon, all players felt a tremor coming from afar, as if the earth was about to crack. This caused everyone to feel some panic. No, its not a safe house being built. There wouldnt be so much commotion! Song Jian said solemnly. At this moment, all online players simultaneously received a system notification: System: The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace has opened. Players above Level 10 may explore. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace will be open for 12 hours, so act quickly! Chapter 308: Stop Here Chapter 308: Stop Here Translator: 549690339 The system notification rang three times in a row, making sure every player noticed it. Every online player felt the previous vibrations emitted from the ground, so naturally, they wouldnt ignore the cheerful system message. Imperial Dragon Demon Palace? What is this stuff? Is it another secret place similar to a duplicate world? Song Jian muttered to himself. NPCs often refer to these duplicate worlds as secret places, which, depending on their access requirements, are rated as first level, second level, third level Bloody Underground Fight Dungeon Song Jian established early, was a level- one secret place. Even though the minimum level to enter was five, many players only dared to try the regular difficulty dungeon after they became full- fledged professionals, as they only had one life after all. Song Jian hesitated for a moment before dashing in the direction of the green pillar of light. After all, this was a location announced by the system to be worthy of exploration; surely, there must be some good loot. Shortly thereafter, Song Jian arrived at an abandoned factory where plenty of players had already gathered. Through the many shadows, Song Jian saw numerous NPCs, their faces filled with excited smiles. At the abandoned factory, a dormitory building was split open right in the middle, revealing a large hole in the ground from which the green pillar was rising. Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, who would have thought it would appear here? What fantastic luck! The eyes of a Minotaur-like NPC twinkled with excitement as he muttered to himself. Why would the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace appear here? Isnt it supposed to be in larger cities and controlled by the big forces? A weakling like us doesnt even have the chance to approach it without being chased away Its a great opportunity, we must seize it! But there are too many Gods Chosen here, they are quite annoying! Hehe, the Gods Chosen may have great potential and improve quickly, but most of these present are only just becoming professionals. They pose no threat to us, so if theres a treasure later, lets not hold back! Most of these NPCs were transported here from elsewhere in the game, some with missions, some as combat trainers, and some seeking to trade with the Gods Chosen. Their presence in the game is solely to enhance players enjoyment and serve their needs. However, at this moment, these NPCs began to gather around the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, forming a loose alliance. Although their levels were higher than the players levels, they were heavily outnumbered. Some players had noticed the strange behavior of the NPCs but were powerless to stop it. They could only huddle together according to their own alliances. Those who had not joined any alliances were loosely scattered around. From the surface, it appeared that the NPCs had the upper hand. Just then, a trio of players tried to approach the cave but were stopped by an NPC. What are you doing? A player brandished his weapon at one of the NPC elves in anger. Stay back, round-ears. This is not a place you humans can approach. Dont risk your life! The elf NPC dismissed the trio with a cold glance. Damn, an NPC is so arrogant! Just a level 15 runt daring to block our path? Hes got a death wish! One of the three players, wielding a submachine gun and dressed in combat gear, glared at the elf NPC. Before his comrades had a chance to stop him, he aimed his gun at the blocking NPC and pulled the trigger. Dada dada~ Bullets fired in a continuous stream towards the elf. However, when they got within a foot of the elf, it was as if they hit a wall. Their kinetic energy depleted, they dropped to the ground. A wave of ripples fluttered through the air as the elf NPC flippantly retrieved a short spear from his back and thrust it at the gun-wielding player. The spear traced an arc in the air. The throw seemed slow, but the spear was incredibly fast and made a rushing sound as it flew toward the players chest. Before the two companions could react, the gun-wielding player was sent flying, his chest splattered with blood and directly dropping into a near-death state. All the players were startled. Having the strength to instantly kill a level-10 professional, such an attack far exceeded the strength of a level-15 elite boss. Stop fighting, lets get out of here! One of the companions shouted immediately. The elf NPC, not wishing to cause any more harm, snorted coldly, took back his spear with a wave of his left hand, and dismissed the three players with a glance. They had bitten off more than they could chew. The two companions quickly revived the near-death player, and the trio skulked back towards the back of the crowd. The remaining NPCs glanced at each other and began to chase away players, securing the entrance of the cave that emanated the green light pillar. Although the move infuriated the crowd of over a hundred players, they didnt dare to complain. Each of these NPCs had a strength exceeding that of a level- 15 elite boss. Some even had levels as high as twenty. Even if all the players at the scene teamed up, they wouldnt stand a chance against these NPCs. These NPCs are too domineering! They took all the good spots! Complained a player who was moved to the back. Right, theyre just in-game NPCs! Wait until I level up and Ill slaughter them all! Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Quiet, this is probably part of the game plot. When the time comes, well just follow behind them! Yeah, its probably part of the game plot. I mean, you see, they dare not even kill; at most, theyll severely wound Song Jian quickly arrived at the abandoned factory. He scanned the crowd and saw that there were hundreds of players gathered. His eyebrows creased in confusion. What was odd was that he couldnt spot a single acquaintance. He didnt even see Luo Tianyu, who he had just encountered. Did they not have any curiosity? Did they not want to partake in a storyline task announced by the system? Song Jian slowly walked towards the cave. The players at the scene were taken aback by the sight of Song Jian, a level-15 player, and led a path for him. A high-level player is here! Look at the armor hes wearing. Although hes hiding the glow, you can tell from the pattern and design that its definitely a silver-grade item. Why is his hand empty? Is he a boxer? But that doesnt make sense either, boxers usually have a pair of gauntlets, so whats his profession? The players speculated amongst themselves, while Song Jian, seemingly oblivious to their comments, continued towards the mouth of the cave. At this moment, a dwarf NPC gave Song Jian a glance. He somehow detected a distasteful aura from him, causing him to subtly signal his cohorts. Three level-15 dwarf warriors armed with war hammers, immediately stepped forward to block Song Jian with cold voices, Halt! Chapter 309: Overwhelming Chapter 309: Overwhelming Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian saw a group of NPCs gathered around the cave entrance, while the players stood at a distance. He already figured out what was happening, but he didnt care. The NPCs in front of him were not strong enough to scare him off. Seeing the three dwarf warriors blocking his path, Song Jian sneered and squinted his eyes, Whats the meaning of this? Is this your territory? The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace hasnt even opened yet, and you NPCs are already overbearing. Are you planning to seal this place off already? What, you want all the benefits for yourselves without sharing any? As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding players felt a bit displeased and looked at the NPC group, with most of them showing hostility in their eyes. At this moment, more and more players were rushing over, and the number had already exceeded 150. However, there were only about 50 NPCs surrounding the cave. Although some other NPCs were catching up, they still stood far away upon seeing the situation, apparently planning to watch the show first. It was normal for high-level NPCs to have an advantage over low-level players, so they tended to look down on them. Players wanting to get quests from NPCs would usually be polite, and some even tried to please the NPCs. However, when players united, their deterrence power was enormous. Moreover, players could kill monsters to quickly level up and surpass the effort of NPCs within a few months or years. This led to NPCs not daring to oppress the players too much and calling them blessed children. Seeing Song Jian agitating the players anger with just one sentence, the faces of the Dwarf Warriors changed at once, and they were so furious that they wanted to burst into a rage. We only said two words, where did you see us blocking this place? Players around started to slowly gather, with a hostile demeanor. The Dwarf Leader saw the scene and quickly stepped forward with a cold snort, Blessed children, dont listen to his nonsense. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is sealed with powerful monsters, and you are not strong enough to face them. Moreover, we didnt stop him because of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace! The Dwarf Leader pointed at Song Jian and shouted, His relationship with our Dwarf race is now one of hatred and enmity, and all dwarves will fight him to the death! Upon hearing this, all players were relieved, realizing that the NPCs blockade of the cave was indeed part of the games plot. They guessed that it would only be after fighting with the monsters inside that players would be allowed to enter. As the tension dispersed, the players lost their drive and returned scattered again. Some even started sizing up Song Jian with sinister intentions, wondering if they could be rewarded by killing him since he had a relationship of hatred with the dwarf race. Song Jian was taken aback for a moment, recalling the scene at the Doomsday Blacksmith Shop. He had been tricked by the Dwarf Blacksmith Aberdeen into gathering ore at a subway station, only to find out it was a level-30 monster area. If it wasnt for the ratmen, he would have been close to death. Afterward, he managed to deceive Aberdeen into helping him repair his weapons for free by promising to collect Obsidian. As a result, Aberdeen held a deep hatred for him, and incidentally caused his relationship with the dwarves to become one of hatred. Fight to the death? Song Jian sneered and looked at the four, With just the four of you, you dare to say such words in front of me? Haha! Song Jian was now quite confident as even a level-20 elite boss wouldnt pose a threat to him, let alone these four who were more like level-15 elite bosses. Arrogant! The Dwarf Commanders face turned red with anger and waved his hand. The three dwarf warriors silently swung their hammers and rushed towards Song Jian. Song Jian waved his right hand, and a stream of fire condensed into the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Such a display astonished all players, followed by intense envy. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians body rushed forward abruptly, his dark red Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword leaving a trail of crimson in the air as it swung towards the frontmost dwarf warrior. Before the sword could reach him, the dwarf warrior in the lead revealed a look of fear in his eyes. He had only ever seen such a fierce sword technique from level-20+ dwarf knights. By the time it reacted, it had already smelled the scent of death from Song Jians blade. There is great terror between life and death; it was just a guard of the Dwarf Commander and didnt want to lose its life here. Under this strike, it dared not continue to charge forward, immediately steadying its stance and guarding its chest with its war hammer. Its thick thighs, much like tree roots, stood firmly on the ground. Boom! A loud rumble echoed, and everyone around involuntarily covered their ears. Song Jians long sword and the dwarfs war hammer collided fiercely, the Sword Qi bursting forth. A sound of breaking bones echoed from the dwarfs arms. Power crushes, his strength can actually crush mine! The dwarf warriors fear intensified, and he looked at Song Jian as if he were a god or a demon. The dwarfs were known for their strength, but they never expected that this human could crush their strength, which was difficult to believe. Song Jians strength attribute had exceeded twenty points by now. Facing a dwarf warrior with a strength attribute of no more than fifteen points, it was quite easy for him to inflict crushing damage. After the first hit, the dwarf endured the blow, with a hundred and ten-point damage floating above its head. But it couldnt withstand the second attack that followed. The second stage of the Broken Wing Dance sent it flying directly, its body soaring backward and crashing heavily into its two companions. As the three of them struggled to get up, Song Jian swooped down like a majestic eagle, targeting the cattle and sheep on the ground and slashing at the dwarf warrior. A wave of qi was released from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and the three dwarf warriors simultaneously lost control of their bodies, floating in the air. While they were suspended in the air, Song Jian activated the Rapid Sword skill, and a flurry of sword shadows appeared before the three dwarf warriors. Sword Silk! Three strands of silver Sword Qi pierced their bodies directly, and without any resistance, blood soared out like arrows. Their Vitality Points rapidly decreased, making it seem like Song Jian was not facing three Level 15 Elite Bosses, but three Level 1 small monsters! How could this be? This is completely crushing strength! These are three Level 15 Elite Bosses, and theres actually a player who can suppress them like this? Am I seeing things? A spectating player blinked and muttered in a low voice. I I feel like Im in a dream, too. Its too exaggerated! Seeing that the three guards were about to be killed by this human, the Dwarf Commander became panicked and hurriedly held onto his scepter, wanting to rush over to help. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, a giant Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion appeared out of thin air, swinging its massive stinger, and staring intently at the Dwarf Commander. Immediately, a look of hesitation appeared on the Dwarf Commanders face, and he stopped his steps. Just then, a sorrowful scream rang out, and the Dwarf Commanders face turned ugly. He glared fiercely at Song Jian, fuming with rage! Chapter 310: Qian Xiaohao Chapter 310: Qian Xiaohao Translator: 549690339 | Stop! The Dwarf Commander roared. However, Song Jian merely sneered coldly and, seeing that the three dwarf warriors were on their last straws, he swung his left hand violently and a silver Sword Qi of three meters long swept over them. Level three Sword Finger could cause about a hundred points of physical damage and also carried a hundred points of gold series damage. Physical damage could be mitigated by defence, while gold series damage could only be reduced by corresponding resistance. Damages appeared above the dwarf warriors heads, the first damage was over a hundred, and the second was a hundred gold series damages. Apparently, their resistance to gold attributes was zero. This single strike killed all three, leaving a piece of loot on each of their bodies; a level ten war hammer and armor. Song Jian picked them up and saw that all three items were of white quality. He couldnt help but purse his lips and thought to himself: cheapskates. You dared to kill them! The Dwarf Commanders face was flushed and his hands gripping the staff turned white from anger. Didnt we agree to fight till death separates us? Song Jian looked surprised and couldnt help asking. At this, the Dwarf Commander fell silent, then roared angrily and turned to run away, even giving up the entrance to Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The rest of the NPCs exchanged glances, a trace of relief in their eyes. It was fortunate they didnt rashly throw their fighters into the fray. This deitys power made him a match for a level-twenty elite boss. Song Jian glanced at the other NPCs, all of whom gave him room to pass without a word, settling disapproving eyes on him. Seeing Song Jian swagger over, players in the back began to argue, some wondering if it were a test C defeat an NPC to upgrade their position. Some people got restless, but a level-15 elite NPC versus their own abilities was like getting doused with cold water from head to toe. Maybe we can gang up against an NPC? speculated a player. But not one dared to try it out. Crack, Crack~ Suddenly a crack appeared at the mouth of the cave. The ground collapsed and everyone moved away. Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is about to emerge! An NPC hollered, his eyes gleaming. Just then, an oval-shaped portal materialized in the center of the abandoned factory, from which several people emerged. A team of more than a dozen humans, all above level ten, were made up of warriors, mages, assassins, and priests. Even facing an enemy several levels higher, there was no fear. At the forefront of the group was a handsome young man with a perpetual gentle smile. He gave off an unapproachable vibe, though his face was open to interpretation. Wearing a luxurious suit and devoid of any weapons, he looked around after stepping out of the portal, laughing: Dr. Mika-ras locator isnt half bad. Very precise. Youll see a 30% increase in your research funding for the next quarter. The group headed straight towards the cave entrance, ignoring the surrounding NPCs and players. In comparison to the first group of NPCs, these people looked more like elite soldiers, where the first group of NPCs seemed more like a wildling band. The son of Count Qian Dahai from the City of Sin, Qian Xiaohao! Proclaimed an NPC, recognizing the leading young man. The son of a count? Dammit, wherever there are benefits, there are these guys Ive heard that Count Qian Dahai is on his death bed. Qian Xiaohao is his only son, the title will surely be his eventually Hmph, thats not necessarily the case. Ive heard Count Qian Dahai sold a core skill from their family inheritance. Its crucial; if he cant become the character from the legend, even if he is the counts only son, he wont necessarily be Jis successor The City of Sin is a level-three city; the power that Count Qian Dahai wields as a count is formidable. Qian Xiaohao, being his only heir, commands respect despite not having total control over his familys affairs. Qian Xiaohao looks like a playboy, but in reality his level had already reached eighteen. He has got two level-twenty followers by his side, their power on par with a level-twenty elite boss. Qian has recruited them himself as his loyal sidekicks. The City of Sin is far from Doomsday City and its been less than half an hour since the appearance of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Yet, in such a short time, Qian Dahai had received the news and was transported nearby. Clearly, somebody in Doomsday City must have tipped him off. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian slightly frowned upon hearing the NPCs conversations the name Count Qian Dahai was too familiar. Wasnt that the NPC that he had traded Sword Finger with? The core skill these NPCs were talking about was probably Sword Finger. Just then, an NPC with wings at his back approached, making a greeting at Qian Xiaohao and said: Young Master Qian, long time no see. Your messages are indeed swift. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace hasnt appeared for half an hour and youve already had your transmission array set up. The preciseness simply makes one gasp in admiration! Qian Xiaohao glanced nonchalantly at him, his smile not lessening. He casually returned a greeting: If it isnt the Soka familys Young Master Feiyu. I thought you were practicing in the wilderness battleground. How did you get here? Are your brothers aware of your presence here? Young Master Feiyus face changed. The Soka family followed the law of survival but at any cost, all family successors, after reaching adulthood, are sent away to fend for themselves. So, assassinations between brothers are common. As the ninth in line, Feiyu Soka had always claimed he was training in the wilderness battleground, but was actually sneaking into Doomsday City. If his older brothers found out, they would send a team of assassins after him. Young Master Qian, you joke too much. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is about to open, and why dont you stand next to me? Then, it would be easier to get the majority of the loot, Young Master Feiyu suggested. Chapter 311: The Gate Chapter 311: The Gate Translator: 549690339 | As soon as Young Master Feiyu spoke, the NPCs standing next to him began to secretly curse in their hearts. If you want to be a good person, why dont you use your own spot, but instead drive us away? However, when Qian Xiaohaos gaze passed over them, the NPCs all showed ingratiating smiles on their faces and automatically moved to make room. These were just the lowest-level adventurers, who, by sheer luck, had been randomly sent to this city by the system. In terms of strength, they didnt dare to offend the son of a count from the City of Sin. Qian Xiaohao laughed and walked with his group toward Young Master Feiyu: Thank you very much, Young Master Feiyu. With Qian Xiaohaos arrival, the abandoned factory became even livelier. Song Jian didnt care; as long as these NPCs didnt gang up on him, he would be in an unbeatable position. The more people, the better. The more people there were, the easier it would be for him to take advantage of the chaos. These NPCs seemed to know much more about the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace than the surrounding players; even if they hadnt entered it before, they had heard many stories about it. Compared to the NPCs, the players seemed completely clueless, knowing only that there would be treasures inside; as for the specific situation inside the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, they knew nothing. Time passed little by little, and more and more people gathered around, but everyone was quietly waiting without showing any signs of impatience. From the corner of his eye, Song Jian saw Young Master Feiyu seemingly whispering something to Qian Xiaohao, all the while glancing in his direction. The way Qian Xiaohao looked at Song Jian was like a venomous snake eyeing its prey. Song Jians heart sank could it be that he had exposed his Sword Finger skill and had been recognized by this so-called Young Master Feiyu? Just then, the cracks in the cave grew larger and larger. Suddenly, another surge of green light burst forth from within, and the entire ground began to shake. The cave entrance finally split open enough to reveal a huge passage that could accommodate three people walking side by side, with a stone staircase appearing before everyones eyes. All players received a joyful system message at the same time: System: The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is now open. Entry time is ten minutes; after ten minutes, entry will no longer be possible. The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace will exist for twelve hours; after twelve hours, all players inside will be forcibly teleported out. Upon receiving the system message, everyones faces changed simultaneously, and they rushed chaotically toward the cave entrance. There were only ten minutes to enter if they missed this opportunity, wouldnt their entire trip have been wasted? As soon as the stone stairs appeared, the NPCs near the cave entrance all swarmed in. Song Jian didnt rush to the front, but instead waited for Qian Xiaohao and the others to enter before leisurely walking toward the stone stairs. No one knew what kind of monsters might be inside the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, so it was better to let these familiar NPCs go in and scout ahead. Even if they found any treasures, Song Jian could just snatch them back later. Walking down the stone stairs, everyone was surprised to find that they were incredibly long, spiraling down like a winding snake with no end in sight. It took more than half an hour to walk down these stairs, and the surrounding area was quite dim. Everyone proceeded carefully, fearing that they might fall from the stone staircase and plummet into the bottomless abyss below; whether they were level 15 or level 20, such a fall would undoubtedly be fatal. Fortunately, no monsters appeared along the way, and everyone safely reached the end of the staircase. At the very bottom, a colossal bronze gate appeared before them. The bronze gate was adorned with two ferocious dragon heads, their lifelike expressions seemingly ready to devour anyone who approached. Surrounding the dragon heads was a series of intricate magic rune arrays, shimmering with the glow of the array, though their brilliance had become quite weak by this point. A few fast-running NPCs had already reached the bronze gate and were pushing against it with all their might. However, the gate remained firmly in place. Qian Xiaohao witnessed this scene and chuckled softly, saying, The two bronze doors of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace each contain the power of a dragon. One must possess an attribute of at least fifteen points of strength to possibly move them! As he spoke, Qian Xiaohao gestured to several people behind him. Soon, several heavily armored warriors arrived in front of the bronze gate, intending to open it. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All these warriors were level 15, with strength as their primary attribute. Qian Xiaohao had also spent a good amount of treasure to elevate their strength attribute to over 15. In the end, their combined efforts only managed to slightly shake the bronze gate, leaving everyone present to change their expressions and direct their gazes at Qian Xiaohao. How could this be? Qian Xiaohao furrowed his brows. He had also been to the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace before; on those occasions, the gate had always been opened by several people with strength attributes over 15. Why was it different this time? Seeing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace right in front of them but feeling unable to get in, people began to grow restless. Qian Xiaohaos face darkened, and he muttered under his breath, Useless! At this point, one of his followers whispered in his ear, Big brother, why dont I give it a try? Be careful, second brother! Qian Xiaohao nodded his head and said. The robust man smiled and walked one step at a time toward the bronze gate. With each step, he grew taller; by the time he reached the gate, he was over two meters tall, his whole body rippling with explosive power, and his armor seeming a size too small. He tore it off and threw it on the ground. He roughly swept away the people in front of the bronze gate, let out a loud roar, and his vitality and muscles surged, causing him to grow even taller. His whole body was covered in dense veins, and he looked like a monster. Song Jian drew in a sharp breath; this sturdy man was actually giving him a feeling of threatening his life. If they really fought, Song Jian would find it difficult to win. Another one of Qian Xiaohaos followers said excitedly, It seems that second brothers Gods Descending skill has improved again Qian Xiaohao also smiled faintly. These two followers were powerful with great potential. In order to win them over, Qian Xiaohao had even taken the oath of brotherhood with them. At this moment, the muscular man let out a beast-like roar and pushed against the bronze gate with all his strength. The immovable gate, which many NPCs could not budge, began to creak open under his force. However, as the gate opened, a cloud of black mist drifted out from within. It coalesced into the shape of a skull in the air, emitting a sharp howl as it pounced on the brawny man pushing the door. The muscular man, focused on opening the door with all his might, hadnt had time to defend himself and was quickly engulfed by the black mist, screaming horribly. This mist turned out to have an intense corrosive effect C the mans body visibly collapsed at an alarming speed, deflating like a punctured balloon. All of the people present quickly retreated, looking at the black mist with terror on their faces. Chapter 312: Gem Chapter 312: Gem Translator: 549690339 I Looking at the burly man struggling in the black mist, Qian Xiaohaos face turned ugly as he murmured to himself, Impossible, how could this be? The Imperial Dragon Demon Palace never had this black mist, why is it here now? Qian Xiaohao had entered the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace several times before and had never encountered such a situation. Otherwise, he would never have let his follower push open the gate. Big Brother, the Second Brotherhe Another follower behind him looked at the burly man slowly losing his vitality, and tears welled up in his eyes. The black mist began to disappear slowly after it corroded the burly man. By the time everyone was sure that the black mist had dispersed and the danger was gone, they found that the burly man was already lifeless; his body dehydrated and shriveled up into the size of a seven or eight-year-old child. The previous NPCs who had attempted to open the door were all relieved, thankfully, they lacked the strength to do so. Otherwise, they would have been the ones turned into mummies. However, Qian Xiaohaos face looked terrible. While it wouldnt matter as much for the others, these two followers were his own recruits, not belonging to the clans power. The loss of one of them made him feel heartbroken. The group waited again for a while, and when they confirmed that there were no abnormalities, they entered through the bronze gate. Inside the gate was pitch black, but there were twinkling stars overhead, as if they were outside. Depending on the starlight overhead, they could barely see their surroundings. By this time, the vertical pupil in Song Jians forehead had quietly opened, scanning the surroundings. The vertical pupil had night vision, allowing him to see further and clearer than others in the dark. Behind the bronze gate lay a structure similar to an underground palace, which was the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Once Song Jian entered, he couldnt help drawing in a sharp breath. This underground palace was filled with corpses everywhere; humans, elves, dwarfs, trolls, beastmen, almost all races could be seen here. Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Moreover, Song Jian also saw numerous remnants of other creatures. The palace was extravagantly decorated, with coiling dragon pillars towering high. These columns were also shackled with mummies wrapped in iron chains. Each of these mummies was holding their heads high, their mouths wide open, as if they were constantly releasing silent roars. There were also obvious bite marks on these shackled mummies, some of their faces were even completely devoid of flesh. One must wonder what terrifying tragedy took place here. Just then, the mummies lying on the ground as if they had sensed the presence of the living, began to revive one by one. Even those on the coiling dragon pillars started to tear the chains that bound them. These iron chains were already decayed, breaking apart one after another, the mummies instantly regained their freedom. Hehe~ Howls of mutated zombies were emitted from the mouths of these mummies. One by one the corpses slowly stood upright and pounced on the group. However, seeing this scene, it appeared to be within everyones predictions. All the NPCs drew their weapons and began battling these mummies. Damn, these mummies are all level 15 elite bosses, there are too many. This dungeon is a bit horrifying, isnt it? One of the players in the back screamed after checking the attributes of these mummies. Level 15 elite bosses? Impossible, how can there be so many? Damn, its true. They are all level 15 elite bosses. Luckily we have these NPCs with us, otherwise no matter how many people we bring, we would all be wiped out! Charge, lets go! We just need to deal damage with these NPCs tanking for us. If we can kill one boss, we kill one boss. All of these are bosses! Hearing this mans roar, all the players were stunned for a moment, then started rushing towards the monsters. For a while, various attacks flooded over the crowd of mummies like a torrent. Various colors of energy beams even illuminated the surrounding hall. The players powerful momentum gave the NPCs a good scare. Only when they realized that the players were attacking the mummies did they finally breathe a sigh of relief. After exchanging glances, all the NPCs began to be wary of the players behind them. Song Jian didnt care about this. Apart from keeping the Immortal Sword Body and Morphing into Dark Cloud skills at hand and not summoning any creatures, he immediately launched full firepower, rushing towards the mummies. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swung out, emitting a dark red light. The third stage attack directly threw seven or eight mummies into the air. Sword Finger! A silver light illuminated a large area around them in an instant. Qian Xiaohao squinted as he stared intently at Song Jian, who felt a gaze full of malice coming from the side. Turning his head to look, Qian Xiaohao had a trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded slightly towards Song Jian. Bang! A mummy fell to the ground, its vitality points reduced to zero. With a boom, a black flame rose directly, burning the mummy to ashes within seconds. Clang! A crisp noise resounded as a green gemstone the size of a fingernail rolled out from the ashes. Green Gemstone (White): Inlayable, Use Effect: Can be inlaid on helmets, chest armour, trousers, gloves, leggings, physique attribute +1; Use requirement: Inlayed items level 10. A gemstone that can enhance attributes? Song Jian looked at the green gemstone the size of a fingernail in his hand, a surprised expression appearing on his face. Song Jian had acquired inlayable items before, but he had never seen one that directly increased attributes. Seeing the green gemstone in Song Jians hand, all the NPCs had greedy looks in their eyes. If it werent for fearing Song Jians powerful strength, these people would probably try to snatch the gemstone directly. Gems, indeed, gems can drop in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace One of the NPCs stared at the gemstone in Song Jians hand in a daze, mumbling to himself. Haha, so many mummies, all mine, the gems are all mine too! Another NPC seemed to have been stimulated, breaking out his full strength and charging towards the mummies. Song Jian took a deep breath. It seemed that these gems were indeed valuable, or else these NPCs wouldnt be so fanatic. Could the red gems required to upgrade the Blood Pool be obtained here? A sudden spark of inspiration stirred in Song Jians mind. Upon this thought, Song Jian became excited, wanting to reveal all his cards and slaughter all the mummies. This mummy was killed by me; that gemstone is also mine. Why are you plundering my spoils of war! A not-too-distant NPC who was an archer pointed at a human NPC and shouted angrily. Just because you say you killed it means you did? I also contributed. As for the spoils of war, it naturally belongs to whoever grabs it. If youre too slow, who can you blame? The warrior NPC glanced dismissively at the archer and snorted coldly before throwing himself at a mummy nearby. Song Jian looked around and indeed, nearly all the NPCs were unleashing their wide-range group attack skills. They didnt aim to eliminate all the mummies, but at least dealt damage to them and acquired the right to pick up the loot. Seeing this scene, Song Jian smirked and couldnt help chuckling. Chapter 313: Snatching the Monster Chapter 313: Snatching the Monster Translator: 549690339 | Seeing the NPCs start to fight over the monsters, Song Jian began to laugh. Seeing a mummy that only had less than a tenth of its vitality points left, Song Jian immediately pulled out a self-destructing robot from his inventory and directed it toward the mummy. The self-destructing robots moved on tracks, their speed was incredibly fast, and their compact size made them nimble among the monsters. As it reached the mummy, its warning light started to flash urgently. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom! A massive explosion resounded, causing a damage of over two hundred points to all the monsters and NPCs within a three-meter range. The mummy let out a roar and instantly turned into a pile of ashes, unfortunately, it didnt drop any gems. Song Jian gave a snort, his gaze shifted to other mummies. However, the explosion drew all of the NPCs attention to Song Jian. In particular, those NPCs who were just attacking the mummy looked horrified. One NPC was even blasted by the self-destructing robot to the brink of death. How dare you That NPC pointed at Song Jian, his face full of anger. Huh, the experience points from the final hit are quite high! Song Jian said with surprise. Human, your actions will provoke public outrage. Even if youre powerful, you cant possibly fight against so many people A bull-headed beastman shaman, holding a bone wand, turned towards Song Jian. What, only you guys can snatch the monsters, and others cant? Song Jian retorted. The shaman priest was at a loss for words, looking at the NPCs fighting over the mummies, he sighed and shook his head without saying more. The NPCs were not all on the same page. They belonged to different factions, some of them were even enemies. But because there were so many players, these NPCs felt pressure and nerves, forced to unite and form a loose alliance. However, this alliance couldnt hold up in the face of self-interest. Song Jian didnt care about that, seeing another mummy was almost out of vitality points, he immediately let loose another self-destructing robot. Ba-ba-ba~ The self-destructing robot rushed towards the mummy. At this moment, the NPC that had been hacking at the mummy saw its vitality points had fallen to half and immediately showed a drastic change in expression. Rather than being hit by the mummy, it rapidly retreated. The explosion radius of self-destructing robots was three meters. If it waited till the moment they worked their way over, it would be too late to escape. Boom! Another thunderous noise, the mummy with less than a hundred vitality points was blasted into pieces. The surrounding NPCs scampered away in panic, none dared to get within a 3-meter radius of the mummys corpse. Just then, Song Jians eyes brightened. He seemed to see a red gem roll down from the mummys body. Sword Shadow Step! A dark figure pounced at the mummy. Some NPCs seeing that Song Jian intended to snatch the gem began to attack him. Energy beams of various colors blasted at Song Jian all at once. Boom! MISS, MISS, Boom! About half of the attacks were directly dodged, Song Jian was taken by surprise, he swiftly scooped up the gem and turned around. Like a shadow, he rushed towards the NPC attacking him that was closest to him. Dont, Stop, 1 The face of that NPC changed drastically, it hadnt expected that Song Jian would actually dare to fight it amidst so many people. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! A series of attacks followed, instantly killing this NPC who had over eight hundred vitality points. Leisurely picking up the items dropped by the NPC, Song Jian looked around. His eyes were filled with killing intent, and a hint of black shadows began to float around him, like tentacles of a devil. Qian Xiaohao sneered, ready to step forward and reprimand Song Jian, even thinking about rallying everyone around to kill him and see if he could burst out the Sword Finger skill. But he was held back by his last remaining follower, who whispered in his ear, Young Master, look at the black mist on him, thats the mark of an abyssal demon. Hes been marked by an abyssal demon. If you kill him, I fear you will replace him, becoming the next target of the abyssal demon What? How could he possibly provoke such a terrifying existence? Qian Xiaohaos eyes were full of surprise. Staring at Song Jian for a while, there was struggle in Qian Xiaohaos eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he finally sighed; He can perform Sword Finger, he surely possesses Invisible Sword Qi, what a pity After Song Jian had killed an NPC, not all NPCs were stunned by his actions. Two of the level twenty NPCs snorted, about to step forward, but saw that Song Jian unleashed over a dozen self-destructing robots all at once that surrounded him. This moment immediately silenced everyone. Over a dozen self-destructing robots, each capable of causing over two hundred points of damage, this many self-destructing robots could instantly kill any one present. If Song Jian was heartless, he could even take a lot of NPCs down with him. Human, what do you want exactly? An elf NPC tightly clutched his battle bow, his face full of confusion as he asked. I need a hundred red gems! Song Jian replied with a slight smile. Impossible! Not every monster here can drop a gem, and not every gem dropped is necessarily red. Your request is impossible to fulfil! The elf NPC immediately rebutted, angered. Shrugging, Song Jian said: Well, Ill just farm for loot myself. Is that farming for loot yourself? Youre just stealing monsters, are you clueless? The elf NPC was left speechless in frustration. If Song Jian continued causing chaos, everyone would have to reserve some energy while fighting monsters. When would they be able to kill all these mummies? You have to understand theres more than just that in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace! I can give you all the red gems dropped by these mummies, plus an extra Life Fruit. Regardless of how severe your injuries are, you can fully recover by consuming it, what do you think? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, he only had a few more than ten self-destructing robots left. Even if he could snatch every time and every mummy he snatched could explode with a red gem, he could at most obtain a dozen more red gems. If he accepted the deal proposed by the elf NPC, his harvest would naturally be larger. Will they listen to you? Song Jian glanced at the other NPCs. Seeming to possess high status, the elf NPC looked around, his gaze only lingered on Qian Xiaohao for a moment. As Qian Xiaohao nodded slightly, the elf NPC showed a smidge of smugness in his smile: This, I will certainly guarantee for you! Chapter 314: The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord Chapter 314: The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord Translator: 549690339 Song Jian laughed and nodded, agreeing to the elf NPCs suggestion. The Elf NPC was quite generous, tossing a fist-sized red fruit to Song Jian. This was a Life Fruit from the Tree of Life, but it wasnt as precious as people imagined. It was at most equivalent to a full Vitality potion that removes all negative status effects. However, sometimes such a fruit could save ones life. Song Jian nodded, put the Life Fruit into his bag, but didnt take back the self-destructing robots. They still surrounded him, glaring intently at the NPCs who were hunting the mummies. For a moment, all the players looked at Song Jian with admiration; he was a ruthless guy! He even made the NPCs work for him? Without the self-destructing robots causing chaos, the NPCs finally relaxed and started to focus on hunting the mummies. Clang- At the sound of a crisp noise, Song Jian turned to look. A red gem dropped from a mummys body, and Song Jian couldnt help but smile, staring closely at the NPC who killed the mummy. The human NPC wore a conflicted expression. After picking up the red gem, he saw Song Jians wolfish gaze and couldnt help but tremble slightly, shaking his head with a bitter smile as he tossed the red gem to Song Jian. If he didnt hand over the red gem, not only would Song Jian not let him go, but the Elf NPC wouldnt spare him either. Although the red gem was precious, it wasnt as valuable as his own life. When inlaid on equipment, the red gem could increase ones strength attribute by one point, almost equal to a Ring of Strength. However, Song Jian wanted the red gems not for inlaying, but for upgrading his Blood Pool. Although the Blood Slaves created by the Blood Pool were currently weak, their potential was great and their levels needed to be increased as soon as possible. Soon, Song Jian collected more than ten red gems, while the other colored gems that dropped were collected by the NPCs themselves. Those who dropped red gems could only blame their bad luck. One unlucky player who luckily managed to deliver the last hit and received a gem from a mummy found out it was a red gem. He reluctantly handed it to Song Jian with a mournful face, leaving Song Jian both amused and helpless. Soon, the hundred plus mummies were all killed by the NPCs, dropping more than thirty red gems, all of which were pocketed by Song Jian. Without the interference of the self-destructing robots, the NPCs monster-hunting efficiency was quite impressive. With the mummies no longer being a threat, everyone continued to move forward. Soon, a Bronze Throne appeared before everyone. This is it, the Bronze Throne. Whoever possesses it will get a chance to compete for one of the top ten unique professions! Qian Xiaohaos eyes gleamed. He had spent a great deal of effort to enter Doomsday City, all for the sake of this Bronze Throne in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The Elf NPC also wore an excited expression: Is this the key to the top ten unique professions? Its so amazing, I finally see it today Qian Xiaohao excitedly rushed towards the Bronze Throne deep within the Underground Palace, but stopped halfway, his face full of doubt and suspicion. How, how could this be? Why is there still someone on the throne? It should be noted that the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace Qian Xiaohao had previously entered contained only a bare Bronze Throne. Although he didnt have the qualifications to compete back then, he remembered every detail of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace clearly. Could this be a trap? Qian Xiaohao couldnt help but take two steps back, while the follower behind him wore a puzzled expression, whispering, Young Master, whats wrong? Why dont you go and seize the Bronze Throne? Somethings not quite right Qian Xiaohao said with a frown. Since Young Master Qian is not interested, I, Ama Girel Star Moon, will take this Bronze Throne. The Elf NPC excitedly lunged at the Bronze Throne. Song Jian calmly followed behind the NPC. Regardless of who obtained the treasure, he would always get a share. He had the confidence and ability to do so. The Elf NPC charged toward the Bronze Throne and saw a black-robed skeleton sitting on it. Frowning, he tried to pull the skeleton down. The black robe on the skeleton was made of an unknown material. Even the iron chains on the Coiling Dragon Pillar had rusted away, but the black robe remained brand new, as if it had just been made. The flesh on the skeleton had long since decayed, leaving only the pitch-black bones, which radiated a faint luster from their surface, like black crystals. Ama Girel, just a small family of elves, dares to compete with me for the Bronze Throne, not knowing whether to live or die! Qian Xiaohao sneered, with his hands crossed on his shoulders, standing aside, wanting to watch Ama Girel mess up. As expected, the moment Ama Girel reached out, the skeleton on the Bronze Throne suddenly had oil-green light in its eye sockets. Slap- Ama Girels arm was grabbed by the skeleton; The stench of the Elves, I smelled it the moment you entered the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace The skeleton raised its head, its eyes glowing with green fire as it stared at Ama Girel, speaking in a hoarse voice. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You, you are Ama Girels face turned pale; only then did the name and attributes of the skeleton appear above its head. LV15 Imperial Dragon Demon Lord (Lord): Vitality Points: 5000/5000, Spirit Points: 800/800. Special Features: Undead, Super Defense, Ghostly Strike. Skills: Instant Slash, Soul Drain, Summon Guardian. A level 15 Lord BOSS? Ama Girel was startled and hurriedly tried to break free from the skeletons grip, but the skeletons palm was like an iron clamp, holding his wrist firmly. Whoosh- Ama Girel suddenly felt a pain in his chest and saw a withered hand had pierced through it. His eyes were full of disbelief and terror. How, how is this possible? I have 860 Vitality Points, how could 1 Serve as the nourishment for my resurrection- The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord let out a satisfied moan, wisps of red Vitality flowing from Ama Girels body into the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. In no time, Ama Girel had turned into a mummy, his face still wearing a look of terror. At this point, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had fully regained his flesh, appearing like a man in his thirties with two huge dragon horns on his head and blue gem-like eyes. Seeing the NPCs and players gathered around, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords mouth curled into a cruel smile. Since you killed all my subordinates, youll now become my subordinates! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord laughed loudly, raising his right hand towards the sky. A dragons roar echoed throughout the Underground Palace. Chapter 315: Attracting Hatred Chapter 315: Attracting Hatred Translator: 549690339 The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord stood up from the Bronze Throne, and a pressure emanated from him. Everyone could not help but take a few steps back, their faces changing drastically. Is this the power of a Level 15 lord? How is that possible! Surprise appeared in Qian Xiaohaos eyes. He had only felt such a terrifying aura from those characters above Level 30. As the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord stood up, he raised his hand. A dragon chant echoed throughout the Underground Palace, and from behind the Bronze Throne, a colossal Bone Dragon over ten meters long slowly revealed its head. The Bone Dragons entire body was devoid of flesh, leaving only stark white bones. Two clusters of green flames burned ferociously in its eye sockets. Gray auras surrounded the Bone Dragon, giving people a dangerous feeling just by seeing them. Qian Xiaohaos face changed, and he shouted softly, Retreat! Instantly, he and the Follower retreated rapidly, heading towards the entrance of the cave. Adult members of the Dragon Clan were at least Level 60. Even if they turned into Bone Dragons after death, their levels would not be lower than 55. Even if everyone present joined forces, they would be no match for this Bone Dragon, let alone a Level 15 lord-class BOSS. How could a Bone Dragon appear here! Qian Xiaohaos expression darkened with terror. He even ignored his subordinates and only led his Follower, rushing towards the entrance of the cave. While running, the Follower unintentionally glanced back, and suddenly froze. Young Master, thats not a real Bone Dragon The Follower grabbed Qian Xiaohao and whispered. Qian Xiaohao turned to look and saw what the Follower meant. The Bone Dragon that had been summoned by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was not real. It was translucent like an illusion. Its second half seemed to be embedded in the wall behind the Bronze Throne, revealing only the front half of its body. Fifteen, Level 15? And an ordinary-quality monster? This, this After closely inspecting the Bone Dragon, Qian Xiaohao didnt know what to say. Everything before him made Qian Xiaohao feel as if he had lost control. Why did this Imperial Dragon Demon Palace seem so different from any other he had entered? Rumble! At this moment, the entrance of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace suddenly began to shake, and stones rolled down, sealing the bronze gate shut. A hideous smile appeared on the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords face, as he roared softly, All of you shall die! Speaking, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord grasped at his right hand, and a huge demonic blade over two-meters long appeared in his palm. He fiercely slashed forward, sending a black blade aura at the crowd. A NPC with a shield in hand shouted and stepped forward, grasping the shield tightly and smashing it into the ground. Shield Wall! As the command was uttered, the shields surface emitted a dense layer of white light, forming a huge wall made up of shields to block the path. Boom! The black blade aura shattered the white lights shield wall and viciously struck the shield. The NPC shouted, his forehead veins bulging, refusing to budge and firmly resisting the shield. Bang! With a loud noise, the NPC was pushed back by the blade aura, dragging him more than two meters away, as a damage number of more than 300 floated above his head. Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. We can block it! Surprise appeared on the face of the Shield Warrior NPC. Whoosh! A white light flew down from above and immediately boosted his Vitality Points by more than 200. We can win! Everyone, lets fight together! This is a Level 15 lord-class BOSS, defeating it will surely grant us silver, maybe even gold-quality equipment! The Shield Warrior rallied the crowd, and almost all NPCs cheered in response. Qian Xiaohaos face became incredibly ugly. What the Shield Warrior did was what he should have been doing in the first place. But because he knew about the Bone Dragon, he panicked and wanted to escape the moment he saw it. His cowardice was apparent to everyone. Even if he rallied the crowd now, no one would respond except the people he brought with him. Young Master, what should we do? The only remaining Follower asked softly. Fight, we have to kill it! Only then can we obtain the Bronze Throne! Qian Xiaohao gritted his teeth. Understood, Young Master! The Follower pulled a rifle from his bag and held it. The rifle was even longer than a regular sniper rifle and possessed a technological appearance beyond its era. Energy lights on both sides of the gun flickered continuously, seemingly always in a charging state. This Gauss sniper rifle, powered by electromagnetic acceleration rails, fired metal bullets with incredible speed. They were virtually undeterred within a kilometer, with almost no recoil, and its power far exceeded regular sniper rifles. It was a weapon that every sniper-class player dreamt about. Be careful not to attract too much aggro! Qian Xiaohao cautioned before flicking his right hand down. The ring on his index finger burst into a sky-blue light, and a lightsaber appeared in his palm. It resembled the lightsabers used by Jedi warriors in the real worlds Star Wars films. The weapons performance was also analogous, being almost indestructible and extremely sharp. The blade dazzled in a light show, making it highly visually appealing. In the game, as long as a warrior could withstand the BOSSS attacks, the demise of the BOSS was already deemed inevitable. Seeing that the Shield Warrior NPC could withstand the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords assault, all NPCs confidence surged. After all, everyone present possessed at least the strength of a Level 15 elite BOSS. Surely all these people combined could kill a single Level 15 lord, right? Moreover, with hundreds of players continuously attacking from behind, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords Vitality Points visibly plummeted. When the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords Vitality Points had dropped by a fifth, it roared loudly. A strong energy wave erupted from its body, repulsing everyone who had been besieging it. Afterward, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord strode back towards the Bronze Throne and slowly sat down. Astonishingly, its Vitality Points began to recover slowly, and in a short time, regained more than 100 points. Everyones faces changed dramatically as they hurriedly charged towards it. As soon as someone came within five meters of the Bronze Throne, the enormous Bone Dragon Illusion suddenly emitted a dragons roar and spat out a gray Dragon Breath at them. Instantly, almost every melee class was engulfed by the gray Dragon Breath, causing their attributes to plummet by 30%. In addition, there was also a continuous damage effect applied to them. Panicking, the melee group retreated quickly. At this moment, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord revealed a cruel grin, stood up from the Bronze Throne, leaped, and pounced on the crowd. Chapter 316: Focus Fire on the Bone Dragon Chapter 316: Focus Fire on the Bone Dragon Translator: 549690339??????????????? All melee fighters hit by the Bone Dragons Dragon Breath were afflicted with an Aging debuff, their attributes reduced by 30%, and their Vitality Points continually dropping. The debuff lasted for three minutes. At this moment, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had already come down from the Bronze Throne and charged at the melee fighters. Three minutes was enough for it to kill all the melee fighters, making the situation chaotic. At this time, the Tauren Shaman Priest who had accused Song Jian earlier suddenly started chanting loudly, sticking a thick, half-human-height wooden stake into the ground. He bit his tongue, spraying blood onto the stake. In an instant, the stake began to vibrate, countless green powders fluttered off it, covering a five-meter radius. All NPCs and players who entered the range saw their Vitality Points rapidly increasing. Melee fighters retreat, enter the purification totem range! the Tauren Shaman Priest bellowed. All melee fighters showed a look of joy and rushed towards the stake, entering the area covered by the green powder. In an instant, the Aging status vanished, replaced with a 10% damage reduction status. For a moment, the melee fighters confidence surged. As long as they could withstand the BOSS, defeating it was only a matter of time. Whoosh- A dark blade aura struck towards everyone. The piercing blade aura seemed to split the space in two, emanating a chilling sound. The Shield Warrior at the front changed his expression as he sensed that this attack was more than ten times more potent than the ones he had endured before. Solid as Gold! The Shield Warrior roared, and a faint golden bell illusion descended from the sky, guarding him firmly in the center. This was the Shield Warriors ultimate skill, reducing 50% damage taken. It was his most potent damage reduction skill, but its cooldown was long, lasting thirty minutes. In most battles, it could only be used once. Clang- The blade aura struck the golden bell illusion, producing a deep resounding bell sound, starting with a low hum and becoming more and more piercing. The nearby peoples expressions changed drastically, and they retreated one after another. Many of them began bleeding from their ears, unable to withstand the sonic attack. With a bang, the golden bell illusion was shattered by the blade, and the Shield Warrior NPC spit out a mouthful of blood. The arms holding his shield felt weak and numb. Without his firm will, he might have collapsed on the spot. Crack- A crisp cracking sound echoed, and the Shield Warriors heart sank. A crack appeared on the surface of the shield he held, and its durability dropped to 12. I cant resist any longer. If I do, itll definitely kill me! The Shield Warrior NPC had a gloomy expression, glancing at his Vitality Points. That attack had dealt more than half of his Vitality Points, even after reducing the damage by 60%. If he hadnt used his life-saving ability immediately, he would have been slain instantly. At this thought, the Shield Warrior felt a chill creeping up his body and slowly backed away. Although the healing from behind constantly boosted his Vitality Points, he dared not continue resisting the boss, letting other melee fighters take the front line. Song Jian was also continually attacking, but his eyes were constantly scanning the field, watching everyones actions. When he saw the Shield Warrior slowly backing away, his attack hesitated. The skill he intended to use stopped, and he started dealing damage with normal attacks. Just then, Qian Xiaohaos Follower felt that the BOSSS aggro had mostly been attracted to the front-row fighters and gritted his teeth, pulling the trigger towards the BOSS. In an instant, an eerie chill surged through Song Jians heart, giving him the illusion of being stared at by the Death God. Before he could react, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord let out a piercing roar. A large, bowl-sized hole appeared on its left shoulder, and countless black miasma poured out from the wound. Its Vitality Points plummeted, dropping by 15%.??????????? & It could be said that the damage from this attack was higher than the damage dealt by others before. Almost all NPCs and players let out a triumphant cheer, but Song Jian felt a chill in his heart. Such a terrifying attack would likely instakill even him if caught off-guard. More importantly, the Followers shot was too fast, giving almost no time to dodge. How can there be such a terrifying attack? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he couldnt help but look at the Follower. At this moment, the Follower had a pale face, and only half of his Vitality Points remained. It seemed that unleashing that powerful attack also had a price, and he was unlikely to cause such terrifying damage again in the short term. Even with the power of just one strike, its still terrifying. If he wants to assassinate someone, theres likely an 80% chance of success. Song Jian thought to himself, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he looked at the Follower. Because of the Sword Finger, he and Qian Xiaohao could never be friends. There was a high possibility that one day the Followers shot would be aimed at him. He wondered if he would be able to avoid the fatal blow when that happens. Its best to keep him here forever! Song Jians eyes flashed with murderous intent, but it vanished quickly. The heavily injured Imperial Dragon Demon Lord glared at the Follower without pursuing, instead turning its head and walking towards the Bronze Throne. Its going to heal its Vitality Points again. Kill it, stop it! someone shouted. They had already reduced its Vitality Points by 20%. If they let it recover again, all their efforts would be wasted, and everyone became anxious. As they glanced at the Bone Dragon next to the Bronze Throne, they couldnt help but feel uneasy, turning their gazes to the Tauren Shaman Priest. The Priest sighed and said, The Purification Totem still has five minutes of cooldown time Upon hearing this, everyone halted their advance, watching the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord sit on the Bronze Throne and slowly recover its Vitality Points. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You all will die! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord wore a cold smile, its eyes full of murderous intent as it stared at the more than a hundred NPCs and players present, its voice deep and ominous. Song Jian stared at it for a long time, then looked at the Bone Dragon Illusion, which had only half of its body exposed. He suddenly shouted, Ranged fighters, focus fire on that Bone Dragon! Chapter 317: Destroying the Bone Dragon Chapter 317: Destroying the Bone Dragon Translator: 549690339 | No one thought to attack the Bone Dragon since it was merely an illusion. Most people instinctively thought it was just a skill summoned by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. When everyone heard Song Jians yell, they were momentarily startled their gaze shifting towards the Bone Dragon. An archer in the distance tried to fire an arrow at the Bone Dragon and surprisingly, it actually inflicted over sixty points of damage. It can be killed, this Bone Dragon Illusion can actually be killed! Everyone was ecstatic as they watched the damaged Bone Dragon Illusion with a blood meter appearing above its head. Whenever the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord is injured to a certain extent, it retreats to the Bronze Throne to restore its vitality points. Because of the threat posed by the Bone Dragon, no one dared approach, having to watch as the Demon Lord restored his vitality. If this continues for another half an hour, everyones spirit points would be depleted. By then, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord would wipe everyone out. Seeing hope, everybody burst into cheers. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord snorted coldly as it rose to its feet and strode down from the Bronze Throne. Now, Suprisingly, Song Jian realized that the demon lord did not fully restore its vitality points. Instead, it only restored 5% before leaving the Bronze Throne. It also only restored by 5% the first time Song Jian recalled the first time the Demon Lord restored itself. At the sight of the Demon Lord regaining vitality points, everyone was thrown into confusion. Plus, with the Bone Dragon threatening everyone, most people didnt notice how much vitality the Demon Lord had recovered. Maybe, it can only restore 5% of vitality points at a time Song Jian speculated in his mind. After the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord descended from the Bronze Throne, numerous melee fighters started to resist despite their unease. Every time the imperial Dragon Demon Lord stepped down from the Bronze Throne, it would emit a sharp black Qi, even the initially resilient shield warrior had to use his life-saving skill to survive. Everyone wondered whether they could withstand the hit. However, speaking of the shield warrior, where had he gone? just as some melee fighters were looking around for the shield warrior, the imperial Dragon Demon Lord suddenly let out a roar and charged forward. There was a chilling aura emanating from its body. All the melee fighters who made contact with it were thrown off their feet. Fortunately, though they were thrown, the damage was minimal. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. -It somewhat resembles the warriors charge! someone muttered. On the outside, this technique indeed resembled the charging skill of warriors, but the warriors charging skill wasnt this formidable. It doesnt have the power to send many people flying. Typically, the charging skill targets the first person it encounters, with the skill ending upon contact. Yet, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords strike had sent each melee fighter in its path flying, at least seven or eight combatants. Who is its target? After a moment of relief, the melee fighters suddenly became anxious. Behind them were all ranged fighters. If the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord charged into their midst, then thered be no hope for survival. At this point, Song Jian wasnt too far from the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord and could feel the chilling wind against his face. Luckily, he wasnt within the Demon Lords attack range. He just watched as the Demon Lord charged towards Qian Xiaohaos follower. As expected, its target is the follower Song Jians lips curled upwards. The damage dealt by the follower in the last round exceeded the combined damage of everyone else. This was why he didnt launch an attack in the first round and instead waited until the second. He was probably worried that he might draw the bosss aggro by inflicting too much damage. Unexpectedly, even after waiting a round of attacks, his damage was still substantial enough to attract the bosss aggro. Song Jian took a look at the others who were all swarming towards the boss while he himself rushed towards the Bone Dragon next to the Bronze Throne. Its just a regular level fifteen monster. Killing it doesnt require activating the Immortal Sword Body. It can be disposed of with a succession of moves! Song Jian thought to himself. Seeing Song Jian charging towards it, the Bone Dragon let out a roar, spewing out a Dragon Breath. Song Jian immediately activated Sword Shadow Step, rushing to the Bone Dragon. He wielded his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, aiming it at its giant skull. Sword Silk! Three silken strands of Sword Qi appeared out of nowhere. They explored momentarily in the air like tiny tentacles. Then, with a swish, all three collectively plunged towards the Bone Dragon. Thud! The long sword in Song Jians hand brutally hack onto the head of the Bone Dragon, himself also getting engulfed by the Dragon Breath. Suddenly, a feeling of weakness welled up from Song Jians heart. However, a moment later, a cool sensation gushed through his mind, completely dispelling that feeling of weakness. The level ten innate skill Thick Skin had robust resistance and even immunity to any negative effects. Although the Bone Dragon is a creature at the top of the pyramid, its level was too low at this time. It was not even an Elite BOSS. Apparently, it merely bore the form of a Bone Dragon and lacked the kind of pressure found in higher beings. The Thick Skin skill easily immunized the Aging effect. Without the Aging effect, Song Jian didnt take the Bone Dragons attack seriously. Each time, it could only cause damage less than thirty points to Song Jian. It couldnt even match his vitality recovery, so Song Jians vitality points were always full. Broken Wing Dance! Rapid Sword, Activate! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! A series of sword moves constantly struck the Bone Dragons head. Just then, a mournful scream resonated from the distance. Song Jian turned his head to find the imperial Dragon Demon Lord lifting his long knife. Skewered on its blade tip was an NPC. Upon closer inspection, it was Qian Xiaohaos Follower. Qian Xiaohaos face turned terribly pale. To block the BOSSS attack on his Follower, he had even forcibly ordered others to stop the BOSS. But contrary to his expectation, the BOSSS strength was so extraordinary. Despite being besieged by everyone, it effortlessly dashed in front of his Follower and stabbed without hesitation. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord looked at the convulsing human overhead and laughed heartily as blood gushed out. It was so refreshing. Bathing in the blood shower, a trace of intoxication appeared on its face. It even stuck out its tongue to lick the blood on its cheek. -You all will end up like him! The hoarse voice of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord sounded again. But just then, a mournful dragons cry erupted suddenly from behind. The imperial Dragon Demon Lords face changed, and it abruptly turned its head. At that moment, Song Jian was leaping high in the air. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flashed a red Sword Qi, mercilessly hacking toward the Bone Dragon. -No! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lords face showed a look of terror, emitting a furious roar. Crack- Song Jian harvested the last bit of vitality from the Bone Dragon. The massive Bone Dragon burst open with a bang, countless bones collapsing and quickly forming a small mountain of bones. Chapter 318: Restoring Vitality Chapter 318: Restoring Vitality Translator. 549690339 | The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had charged too far away. Upon seeing Song jians final blow, he was riddled with fury, wishing desperately to rush to Song Jian to slice him apart. In the end, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord could only watch helplessly as the Bone Dragon Illusion turned into a mass of Bone Mountain. Then, a gust of wind blew, turning the great mound of Bone Mountain into a pile of pale ashes. Ao~ A dragons roar echoed throughout the entire cave. A huge Bone Dragon Illusion rose from Bone Mountain. At this time, the spiritual state of the Bone Dragon repeatedly charged towards Song Jian but could do no harm to him. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord gritted his teeth in indignation, let out a roar, and gave a tremble with his long knife. The body of the follower hanging on his knife tip was instantly torn to pieces by his energy, scattering all over the ground. Although Song Jian had inflicted no damage on the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, after defeating the Bone Dragon Illusion, the Demon Lords hatred had already locked firmly onto Song Jian. Die! cried the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord fiercely, not caring about anything else and rushing toward Song Jian. Some NPCs, seeing the Demon Lord sprinting toward Song Jian, intentionally or unintentionally made way for him. Song Jians heart tightened as he prepared for the looming confrontation with the imperial Dragon Demon Lord. The giant Bone Dragon Illusion kept circling around him, ceaselessly opening its mouth to attack Song Jian, but it could do nothing to injure him. At this moment, Song Jian felt that the Black Dragon hatchling in his Pet Space was emanating a restless mood. He quickly called out the Black Dragon hatchling. Upon appearing, the Black Dragon hatchling immediately raised its head and let out a tender dragon roar. Its pair of golden slit pupils were staring excitedly at the Bone Dragon Soul circling around Song Jian. Seeing the arrival of the Black Dragon hatchling in an instant, the Bone Dragon Soul felt a sudden shiver for some reason and couldnt help but retreat. The Black Dragon hatchling flapped its wings and lunged toward the Bone Dragon Soul. Before the Bone Dragon Soul could react, the hatchling opened its mouth wide and inhaled deeply. Suddenly, a strong wind was sucking the Bone Dragons soul, directing it into the mouth of the Black Dragon hatchling, Like drinking jelly, it took only a few seconds for the hatchling to swallow the Bone Dragon Soul, which was dozens of times larger than itself. After consuming the Bone Dragon Soul, the hatchling let out a satisfied burp, swaying and flying toward Song Jian with a drunken gait. Seeing that the Bone Dragon Soul was consumed by the Song Jians pet, the imperial Dragon Demon Lord was dazed, standing rooted to the spot, his expression devastated. The Black Dragon hatchling that flew beside Song Jian closed its eyes and fell. Song Jian quickly stored it back into his Pet Space. Looking at the Black Dragon hatchling, the Pet Space indicated that the hatchling is in an evolving state. It will take ten hours to complete the evolution, during which it cannot be summoned, or the evolution will fail. Its not going to turn into a Bone Dragon with a body full of white bones, is it? Song Jian became worried. Just then, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord let out a mournful roar, his originally green eyes turned into two balls of fiery red flames, burning fiercely in an instant. Die! Amid a roar, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord swung his long knife, hacking it violently towards Song Jian. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Bone Dragon was more than a mere pet to the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, it was his spirit beast. His ability to cheat death was all thanks to the existence of the Bone Dragon. Now, with the Bone Dragons soul being devoured by the Black Dragon hatchling, even if the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord were to slaughter all the NPCs and players in the Underground Palace, he still wouldnt be able to cheat death and truly resurrect. His power was confined to the current state, unable to advance further. For the imperial Dragon Demon Lord, this was even more unacceptable than death itself. At this point, Song Jian angered it even more than the follower from before. The long knife in the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords hand was already beginning to ignite with black flames. Song Jian was startled, he pulled out a bottle of Weakness Potion from his bag, aimed at the route the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was charging through, and harshly smashed it at the ground. With a boom, dust clouded the air as the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord rushed out, disregarding everything and swiped at Song Jian. Beep Beep Beep- Just then, the ten plus Self-Destructing Robots surrounding Song Jian, emitted blinding red light from their eyes, and collectively rushed towards the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Immortal Sword Body, activate! A soft shout, a flicker of golden light appeared on the surface of Song Jians body. Eight long sword illusions slowly circled around him, sharply raising his attributes, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand felt somewhat lightweight. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian rushed towards the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, and a sword clashed heavily together. With a boom, Song Jian was directly blown away, his Vitality Points dropped more than five hundred points. Even the Shield Warrior from before, if he had taken this strike head-on, would have surely died. The imperial Dragon Demon Lord was not feeling any better at the moment. After activating the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jians strength attributes exceeded 25 points. Even the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord did not have that level of strength. If it was not for skill bonuses, the one to have been blown away from this strike would have been the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. At this moment, a damage of over three hundred points was also floated above the head of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Nearly vomiting a mouthful of blood, it managed to forcibly suppress it and swallow it down. just as it was preparing to strike while the iron was hot and continue to attack Song Jian, the ten odd Self-Destructing Robots had already run to its front. Boom boom boom- The Self-Destructing Robots practically exploded simultaneously, and rising from the spot where the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord stood, a small scale mushroom cloud appeared. The terrifying explosion made the entire cave start to shake, with broken rocks falling from above. Everyones faces wore expressions of fear, terrified of being buried underground. You have to understand, that the spot where everyone was located was hundreds of metres away from the surface. If it collapses, no one will have any chance of survival. Leaning on his long sword, Song Jian slowly stood up. He glanced at the Life Fruit in his bag, hesitated a moment, but still did not take it out. He still had more than three hundred Vitality Points, and moreover, he could recover more than twenty every second. In just half a minute, his Vitality Points would be fully recovered, it wasnt time to use the Life Fruit yet. Glancing at the Bronze Throne next to him, Song Jian suddenly had a thought and directly turned, taking a seat atop the Bronze Throne. Until the imperial Dragon Demon Lord was killed, the Bronze Throne could not be retrieved. It was similar to an item of plot significance, Song Jian didnt know if it could replenish his Vitality Points, he just sat down with an attempt it mentality. Unexpectedly, the moment he sat on the Bronze Throne, a mysterious energy surged from the throne into his body. For a moment, his Vitality Points recovery speed greatly increased, and in just ten or so seconds, his Vitality Points were fully restored. When his Vitality Points were fully recovered, the mysterious energy suddenly disappeared. But then, in his eyes, a sixty-second countdown appeared on the Bronze Throne. -The throne can only be used to recover Vitality Points every sixty seconds? Excitement flashed in Song Jians eyes, he finally discovered the secret of the Bronze Throne, that the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord also couldnt recover Vitality Points all the time. As the dust cleared, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was now standing m a ragged state. His body was covered with wounds, countless black mist slowly seeping from these wounds. His eyes were dead set on Song Jian, who just stepped down from the Bronze Throne, wishing he could tear him to pieces. Chapter 319: Shattered Chapter 319: Shattered Translator: 549690339 Song Jian had obliterated the Bone Dragon Illusion, causing more damage to the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord than he had expected. The Bone Dragon Illusion was a manifestation of all the skills and mastery of the Demon Lord. Once it had absorbed enough vitality, it could merge with the Bone Dragon and increase its power significantly. At this point, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord regarded Song Jian with a deep-seated hatred, yearning to rip him apart with its own hands. The explosion of a dozen self-destructing robots inflicted over two thousand points of damage to the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, reducing his Vitality Points to less than half. Seeing that his Bronze Throne was also cooling down, he became even more furious, charging at Song Jian with his long sword ablaze with black flames. Song Jian had never fought a level 15 boss monster before. But after their recent clash, he could guess that none of the Demon Lords attributes would exceed twenty points. In this aspect, Song Jian had completely suppressed the Demon Lord. However, the Demon Lords skills were all extremely powerful and inflicting high damage, which made the fight difficult for Song Jian. Meanwhile, the surrounding NPCs saw that the Demon Lord was attacking Song Jian and curiously stood aside, allowing the Demon Lord to focus on Song Jian without any distraction. This was the consequence of Song Jians earlier threat to the NPCs with his self-destructing robots; practically all the NPCs present now held grudges against him. As a result, his relationship with these NPCs had most likely degraded to a point of indifference. They derived great pleasure from watching Song Jian struggle. The Demon Lords long sword was brimming with power, each swing carrying the force of cracking rocks. But Song Jian wouldnt be defeated easily. His Crimson Fire Heart Monkey Sword was suddenly enveloped with a veneer of crimson flame. The Fire Lizard Medicine! Song Jian, who had taken the Weakness Potion and Fire Lizard Medicine clashed with the Demon Lord. They traded blows for a while, none gaining an upper hand. Those watching were astounded. How can he be so strong? Qian Xiaohaos face darkened. He had considered the opponent just an adventurer who got lucky, with only potential at best. But the opponents actual power was beyond belief. Upon entering the city, other than searching for information about the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, Qian Xiaohao had always been ready to find the fortunate adventurer who traded with his father. If the adventurer had not learned the Sword Finger technique, he would attempt to trade it with him. If the adventurer had already learned the technique, then he would have no choice but to kill him to see if he could drop the Sword Finger technique upon death. When Qian Xiaohao realized that Song Jian had already learned Sword Finger, he became murderous. Although he tried hard to suppress his feelings, Song Jian soon noticed his hostility. If his two followers were still alive, Qian Xiaohao would have had the confidence to ambush and kill Song Jian. However, he currently lacked that confidence. This player is just too good, actually going toe-to-toe with a level 15 boss! Are we even playing the same game? The hundreds of other players present were equally surprised, they paused and watched Song Jians battle with the Demon Lord intently. By this time, the entire Demon Palace had become the battlefield for Song Jian and the Demon Lord alone. All the NPCs and players had merely become spectators. Song Jians Vitality Points kept decreasing, although the Demon Lords rate of decrease was faster. However, his attacks seemed to become more ferocious as his Vitality Points decreased. It seemed like the lower his Vitality Points were, the higher his attack power became. Gradually, Song Jian was finding it harder and harder to withstand the Demon Lords attacks, each hit causing him over a hundred points of damage. If he was hit with a skill, he would immediately lose five to six hundred Vitality Points. If got distracted he could potentially be killed instantly. At this moment, a gigantic Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion suddenly appeared out of thin air. As soon as it appeared, its enormous stinger immediately aimed at the Demon Lords chest. Get out of my way, inferior creature! The Demon Lord roared in fury, angered by the desert scorpions presumptuous attack. The strike that was originally aimed at Song Jian changed direction in mid-air and slashed towards the Scorpion Beast. This attack seemed to be able to shatter the void. The Desert Scorpion, which couldnt have been normally targeted, shrieked in agony as it was hit by the stroke. Its entire body was marked by a fine slit. Then, it shattered like glass and exploded into thousands of pieces. System: Your Scorpion Beast Helmet has been damaged, the helmets special ability cannot be activated for the next 12 hours; Song Jian felt a jolt of shock. Was the Demon Lords attack that terrifying? Even an innocent attack could kill the Scorpion Beast soul which couldnt be locked or attacked. If the attack had landed on his body, could he have endured it? After releasing this attack, the Demon Lord seemed somewhat energy-drained. It glanced at Song Jian and surprisingly turned around and walked toward the Bronze Throne. Oh no, its going to restore its Vitality Points again! Song Jian was alarmed. With a thought, two level 15 Fire Elemental Spirits appeared beside Song Jian and charged at the Demon Lord. Song Jian also leaped forward, stabbing his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword at the Demon Lords heart from behind; At this point, the Demon Lord had grabbed onto the hand of the Bronze Throne, ready to sit down. The Fire Elemental Spirits, over a meter tall, had started to gather fireballs to toss at it. Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had already pierced its heart. As soon as the sword pierced the Demon Lords heart, an angry roar echoed in the Demon Palace that sounded as divine and majestic as a god. The Demon Lord shivered, a look of disbelief filled its eyes. How can this be? Is this the wrath of the Fire God? A red damage indicator floated above its head. Finally, after a long time, the special effect of Song Jians ring, Eye of the Fire God, had been activated. The Wrath of the Fire God caused an additional three hundred points of fire damage to the Demon Lord. Click- S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a soft snap, the Demon Lord had crushed the handle of the Bronze throne in his hand. Everyone present turned pale. The most valuable thing in the entire Imperial Dragon Demon Palace was probably this Bronze Throne, yet the Demon Lord had accidentally damaged it in his surprise. If we had acted earlier, we might have killed the Demon Lord by now, and the Bronze Throne would not have been damaged A thought like this was gnawing at everyones mind like a poisonous insect. At this moment, Qian Xiaohaos fists were clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white. His teeth were clenched so hard that a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he was unaware of it. His gaze was fixed on the damaged Bronze Throne. Chapter 320: No dropped items? Chapter 320: No dropped items? Translator: 549690339 | The Bronze Throne could actually be damaged, startling all the NPCs who were aware of its value; Qian Xiaohao was filled with a sense of utter despair. The Bronze Throne was a token, possessing it proved one to be qualified to vie for one of the only ten professions. Damn, I dont know if we can still enter that place with the damaged Bronze Throne Qian Xiaohao was nearly choked with anger. His eyes, when looking at the imperial Dragon Demon Lord, were filled with murderous intent, as if he wanted nothing more than to hack it into pieces. The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord looked surprised, even somewhat incredulous, as he noticed that he had squeezed and crumbled the handle of the Bronze Throne. Just then, an ethereal spirit sword materialized above Song Jians head, and he slashed it heavily on the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. A wailing scream echoed as the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord fell from the Bronze Throne. His long knife swept sideways, forcing Song Jian to retreat. The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord staggered to his feet, looked at Song Jian, snorted coldly, surprisingly plunged into the crowd of NPCs. He grabbed the nearest priest-type profession, violently stabbing him in the heart. The priests head instantly displayed around six hundred damage points, instantly killing him. The Demon Lord opened his mouth for a suction and the blood from the priests body promptly consolidated into red streaks of energy, rushing toward his mouth. 1 he Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, originally had only less than five hundred vitality points, recovered nearly three hundred points in just a few seconds. Dissatisfied with recovering only over two hundred vitality points, the Imperial Demon Dragon Lord discarded the dried-up corpse in his hand after sucking it dry. He snorted coldly and rushed towards another nearby NPC. Stop him, we cant let him continue to restore vitality! The NPCs cried out, causing chaos. They had been spectating for too long and had forgotten that the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord intended to wipe them all out here. In an instant, everyone C players and NPCs alike C attacked the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Countless colorful pillars of energy exploded on his body, the sound of powerful strikes filled the air. A black fog floated at the surface of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lords body, drastically reducing all the damage dealt to him to single digits. The combined attack of hundreds of individuals only caused a mere three to four hundred total damage to him. You all will die! The Imperial Dragon Demon Lords vitality points were down to less than five hundred, but his arrogance made it seem as if he was pressuring hundreds of players and NPCs. In reality, it was indeed the case. The Imperial Dragon Demon Lords attack power had now reached a terrifying level. Even the Shield Warrior who initially blocked him had his shield split into two, reducing him to a near-death state. The others were no match for him. Whoever came close was either slain in a single stroke or had all their vitality drained. It was bizarre, however, that no matter how much vitality the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord drained from NPCs, his vitality seemed to be permanently stuck at five hundred points and could not be increased any further. Just then, a crack sound came from the Bronze Throne. Chaos ensued within the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The only one who heard this crack was Song Jian, who had been standing aside and watching the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord with folded arms. At first, Song Jian thought he had heard wrong and turned his head towards the Bronze Throne. He was startled to see that small cracks had started to appear around the handle that was accidentally crushed by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. These cracks were spreading out with continuous crack sounds. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But this sound was extremely weak. If it werent for Song Jian, who was standing right next to the Bronze Throne, no one could have heard it. Like a frenzied maniac, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was killing left, right and center. Like a tiger amidst a herd of sheep, no one could match his power. Only then did people realize, to their astonishment, that someone had actually been able to battle with the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord for over ten minutes. It was virtually unbelievable. Boss, elite, lend us a hand. Do you really want to watch us all get slaughtered by this BOSS? Yes, if the BOSS drops any items, were willing to give them all to you, okay? Help! This BOSS can deal over two hundred damage with a single normal attack. We cant withstand it! The NPCs were too embarrassed to ask for help from Song Jian, but the players didnt care about that now. Even the vitality points of a Level 10 professional player didnt exceed three hundred. They couldnt withstand the BOSSS ordinary attacks, let alone using any skills. But no matter how loudly the players begged for help, even pleading desperately, Song Jian just stood in place without moving, his brows furrowed as he stared intently at the Bronze Throne. At this moment, no one noticed that the surface of the Bronze Throne was now covered in a dense network of cracks, like a spiders web. This most precious existence in the eyes of the NPCs was about to be completely destroyed. Crash- The Bronze Throne suddenly crumbled into tiny particles, like sand, collapsing m an instant. Amidst a pile of blue dust, a palm-sized, dazzling bronze box appeared in front of Song Jian. Theres actually a treasure inside the Bronze Throne? Song Jians eyes lit up. He rushed forward, picked up the palm-sized bronze box and immediately placed it in his inventory. The moment Song Jian put the bronze box into his inventory, the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord seemed to feel something. After knocking an NPC away, he turned and looked at the Bronze Throne. When he saw the Bronze Throne had turned into fine sand, a look of despair appeared on the face of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. He yelled hysterically, No, it cant be Crack, crack- The Imperial Dragon Demon Lord began walking towards the Bronze Throne. After only a few steps, his legs started to stiffen and a hint of blue appeared on the surface of his body. After struggling forwards a few steps more, the entire body of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord was covered in blue, looking like a bronze statue. Boom! The bronze statue that the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord had turned into shattered, and horrific wails echoed throughout the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. At this time, a red light point suddenly appeared in front of the Bronze Throne. In an instant, this light point turned into a light door, with a five-minute countdown appearing above it. Did you just take something from the Bronze Throne? Qian Xiaohao suddenly pointed at Song Jian and shouted loudly. No one had seen the moment when the Bronze Throne had crumbled into fine sand. Everyone had been chased by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord as if they were mice, afraid that they would be cut to pieces if they were one step slow. However, after Song Jian took away the bronze box, an indentation in the shape of a box was left in the blue sand and caught Qian Xiaohaos attention. It was this detail that made Qian Xiaohao suspicious. He wondered if Song Jian had taken something. Song Jian glanced coldly at Qian Xiaohao, made a throat-slitting gesture, turned around, and disappeared into the red light portal. The players didnt notice the actions of the NPCs; they all swarmed towards the corpse of the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, continuously flipping over each bronze fragment, hoping to see if the BOSS had dropped any items. However, to the disappointment of everyone, this powerful Level 15 Boss did not drop any items at all, leaving the players cursing out loud. This behavior gave the remaining NPCs pause and a look of astonishment spread across their faces. Chapter 321: A Black Object Chapter 321: A Black Object Translator: 549690339 Without having found any loot, the players left via the teleportation gate one by one. Only Qian Xiaohao approached the bronze throne, carefully sweeping his gaze across its surface. His face darkened noticeably. After a while, Qian Xiaohao stood up, his teeth gritted as he spoke in a low tone, Weve been played by that gods chosen! Sir Qian, what exactly happened? An NPC steps forward, interrogating. Look at this spot! Qian Xiaohao pointed at a hollow in the center of the bronze throne, There was something here, but that guy swiped it! Now Qian Xiaohao understood why the high-profile figures were all trying to seize the bronze throne C it wasnt for the throne itself, but for the treasure buried inside. Anyhow, Qian Xiaohao suffered a major loss this time. Once leading over a dozen people, only three now survived, including his two most loyal followers who died here. All for nothing, without obtaining any rewards. Sir Qian, we all know that the Bronze Throne within the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is the most precious, but its significance is still unclear. Could you explain its value to us? An NPC of the priest class suddenly asked. With a cold smirk, Qian Xiaohao denied. Such information had been tightly controlled by the influential factions and families. Ordinary people had no access to them. These NPCs, thinking they could obtain such valuable information for free, were simply delusional. just as Qian Xiaohao was about to refuse, a thought struck him, and with a chuckle, he replied, Actually, the bronze throne holds the secret to becoming one of the top ten unique professions. Whoever can acquire it will have the chance to stand atop the pyramid. Gasps filled the air among the NPCs. Dreams and greed gleamed in everyones eyes. To ordinary people, the top ten unique professions were no different from deities. Unbelievably, the Bronze Throne held the key to reaching such divinities. Now, the treasure has been taken by that gods chosen. If you want it, you should go find him. Qian Xiaohao smiled, turning around to step into the teleportation gate. With less than twenty NPCs left, they exchanged glances, each entering the teleportation gate one after another, leaving behind in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace only silence, shattered stones, and dry corpses. At this moment, the index finger of an NPC corpse twitched, displacing a small stone beside it. The little stone rolled forward with a clattering echo resonating in the empty palace. Exiting the transmission array, Song Jian returned directly to his Manor Castle. What a pity, I didnt get to loot the items dropped by the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord! Song Jian thought regretfully. After Qian Xiaohao pointed out that he had taken something from the Bronze Throne, Song Jian immediately realized that he could no longer stay in the palace. Without the deterrence of the self-destructing robot, the remaining NPCs could end him with a single round of attacks. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Nonetheless, having acquired the treasure hidden within the Bronze Throne, Song Jian was still mitigated. He was unaware, though, that over ten NPC professionals had already set their greedy eyes on him. When he opened the Bronze Chest, the first item that met his eyes was a silver priests magic staff of Level 15, named Life Anthem. Its properties were excellent, enhancing healing by 10%, in addition to raising all healing abilities by one level. It was definitely a superior magic staff for a priest. Also included was a Level 15 silver knight shield for knight class. Although its attributes were ordinary, any silver shield would be eagerly sought by players at this stage. If a team did not have a good MT (Main Tank), they would be unable to defeat high level bosses. Thats why every time a shield appeared in auction, players would scramble for it. The rest were three material items: a Dragon Bloodstone, a Ruby, and a black-quality token. The Dragon Bloodstone and the Ruby were materials for upgrading the Blood Pool, and Song Jian set them aside after a glance. The black-quality token, however, held Song Jians attention. He held it in his hand, playing with it non-stop. Since the beginning of the game, Song Jian had only obtained one black-quality item, the accessory he obtained from killing the Zombie Carrying Slab. That item had terrible attributes, adding only one vitality point, and in the end was discarded by Song Jian for other items at the Prayer Altar. It was that experience at the Prayer Altar that made him realize the value of black-quality items. Somehow, many people were willing to exchange gold-quality items and skills for a black-quality accessory with such poor attributes. This might be an item not less valuable than a gold-quality one, I should keep it safe! Song Jian thought. The properties of this token were very vague, with only one line reading Pass to the Land of Mystery! It did not specify where the Land of Mystery was or how to use the token. Yet, there was a property instruction that gave Song Jian pause C Will drop upon death. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian laughed slightly. In this game, he had only one life, and if he lost this life, why bother about the equipment? So, he put the token in the bag. Taking a look at the pet column, the black dragon hatchling was still fast asleep, with strands of a mysterious gray mist circling around its body. The evolution was still in progress. Although Song Jian was somewhat worried, there was nothing he could do. Interrupting the evolution prematurely might harm the black dragon hatchling. Patience was all he could afford now. After mailing Li Keer 9500 gold coins, Song Jian received the money for the Stealth Skill Stone. The Stealth skill sold for over 6,000 Doomsday Coins, which increased Song Jians funds to nearly 30,000 Doomsday Coms. This was a fortune. Even for many warring leagues at present, it wasnt easy to accumulate so much money. Having this much Doomsday Coins was kind of pointless if he was just carrying it around. It would be more useful to invest it in building his safe house, especially since in the entire Doomsday City, his Manor Castle was the only truly safe haven. After summoning George, his housekeeper, Song Jian began to inquire about the construction situation in his territory. Everything in the territory was progressing smoothly, but due to the lack of investment, many buildings could not be constructed. Song Jian directly allocated 20,000 Doomsday Coins to George, which immediately increased Georges loyalty to its maximum value. Honorable Lord, I will build your Manor Territory to be the grandest in the region! George excitedly declared, his face glowing with enthusiasm. Emboldened by Song Jians trust, George expressed his gratitude and quickly immersed himself in the development of the territory. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to sell the silver-quality knight shield and priest magic staff on the radio station. Chapter 322: The Devil’s Heart Chapter 322: The Devils Heart Translator: 549690339 Song Jian initially planned to sell the two items in the auction, but after a moment of hesitation, he changed his mind. Most players were only level 11 or 12 right now. Level 15 equipment was still too high-end for them. Even if someone were to bid for these items, the price wouldnt be high enough. It would be better to sell them on the outside world to NPCs via the radio. indeed, as soon as he mentioned the properties of the equipment on the radio, it instantly erupted with activity. Bidders came one after another, each one outdoing the previous in terms of price. Silver grade quality, my god, level 15 silver grade quality weapon and shield, which guild failed to grab this? -We, the Silver Moon Commerce, will take the shield, name any price! This Magic Staff, oh my god, it increases all healing skills by one level, this is like defying all laws, isnt it? Seeing so many people interested in his two pieces of equipment, an idea flashed across Song Jians mind. He suddenly said, Preferential consideration will be given to trade with the same grade sword technique! The radio fell into a moment of silence. After all, equipment could become outdated after some use, but skills never would. Even the lowest grade skills, once mastered to perfection, could be combined with other skills to form a new skill. -Ive got a white grade quality Tangling Sword technique, can I exchange it with that silver grade quality shield of yours? Of course, I can add some money A hoarse voice came from the radio. White grade quality Song Jian frowned slightly. Although he was missing only one sword technique to complete his main quest, the white grade quality sword technique was far below his expectations. -At the very least, 1 should exchange these two pieces of equipment for a silver grade quality sword technique, thats my bottom line! Song Jian insisted internally. Sorry, right now Im just looking to exchange for a sword technique Song Jian tactfully refused over the radio After an awkward silence, just as Song Jian believed the deal could not be concluded, a sudden voice rang out over the radio. -This is Silver Moon Commerce, we have a gold grade quality sword technique here. Do you have any interest? -Gold grade quality? A gold grade quality sword technique? Why would he use a gold grade quality sword technique to trade with me? Song Jian didnt feel delighted, but instead furrowed his brow, saying over the radio: 1 dont believe that these two items would be worth a gold grade quality sword technique Of course, apart from these two items, I also need your promise. If it is possible, this gold grade quality sword technique can be yours! a light chuckle came from the radio, 1 think we should proceed with the following negotiations in a more private manner. Let me have your communication number! The communication number is similar to an email address, making it possible for two people at opposite ends of the world to chat in real-time, just as convenient as video calls. However, this was a privilege reserved for level io professionals, ordinary people couldnt use it in this way. After sharing his communication number, Song Jian turned off the radio, and soon received an anonymous communication request. -Hello, Im an administrator in the Silver Moon Commerce, you may call me Miss Annie! A mature womans voice echoed in Song Jians ears. -On the radio just now Song Jian was puzzled as It was a mans voice over the radio, it sounded somewhat old, at least in his fifties. Hehe, that was Old John. He is in charge of gathering information on the radio, Annie chuckled softly. If Im not mistaken, you must be a Divine Chosen. Ahem, you can think that way! Song Jian wasnt accustomed to being addressed as such. in that case, let me get straight to the point, Divine Chosen! Annie s voice carried a hint ot charm, but Song Jian was not affected. He simply appreciated S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the pleasant sound. -We need the heart of a level 15 elite monster, the Demon Zombie. But this kind of monster appears only in cities that have been overtaken by monsters. The cost to get into such cities and to obtain a Demon Zombie heart is astronomical. For us, it might be a losing proposition, which is why we nee your help, Divine Chosen, Annie explained softly. Demon Zombie? A level 15 elite monster? Song Jians brow furrowed, Im sorry, but in the level 15 monster zones in my city, Im pretty sure there are no Demon Zombies! At this moment he remembered the Shadow District. Would those monsters be classified as Demon Zombies? -No they are only considered low-level demons. Being imprisoned for several decades, those low-level demons dont qualify as Demon Zombies! Song Jian reminded himself. Hehe, Demon Zombies are level 15 elite monsters, but their habitat isnt in the level 15 monster zones, rather in the level 20 monster zones, Annie clarified. What? A level 20 monster zone? Impossible. Song Jian found it hard to believe. There was a strict hierarchy among the various levels of monsters. They usually wouldnt leave their assigned zones. Higher-level monsters might wander into the lower-level zones, but lower-level monsters would never dare to venture into a higher-level monster zone. Demon Zombies are zombies infused with demon bloodline and are known for preying on the hearts of strong zombies. They are even given the title Zombie Killers Annie went on to give Song Jian a detailed explanation of Demon Zombies. Song Jian nodded slightly. With his current power, if he went all out, he could potentially handle a level 20 elite monster, let alone a level 15 elite monster. Alright, I agree! I can hunt this boss for you. But, to ensure the mission is accomplished, I need you to trade me the sword technique first. This can enhance my abilities and give me a better chance of succeeding, Song Jian stated. -Sure, there is no problem with that. We just need to sign a contract first. You can trade the two silver grade quality items with us now and mail us the Demon Zombies heart after you kill it, Annie explained. -Agreed, looking forward to a fruitful collaboration! Song Jian responded cheerfully. -I believe that this wont be our first time collaborating, nor will it be the last. Divine Chosen, you possess talent and potential that is enviable to us. I look forward to meeting you! With a sigh, Annie spoke sentimentally. in response, Song Jian merely gave a slight smile. He could sense the gap between players and NPCs in the game. Whether through leveling up or stall enhancement, players could easily outshine the NPCs. This is why NPCs referred to players as the Divine Chosen, those favored by the gods. This made the NPCs incredibly envious. in a while, Annie sent over a Contract Scroll. Once the contract was signed, a Skill Scroll emitting a golden glow appeared before Song Jian. Chapter 323 - 323 Debts Chapter 323 Debts Translator: 549690339 Tai Chi Sword Skill? Is it really that amazing? Its actually Tai Chi Sword Skill? Song Jian looked at the skill scroll in his hand with a surprised expression on his face. Without hesitation, he unfolded the skill scroll and started learning it. Soon, Song Jian received a system prompt informing him that his main quest was completed, and he could exit the game or continue playing without any time restraints. Now, the games time had changed compared to the real world. One month in the game was equivalent to eight hours in the real world, or one night. If Song Jian exited the game now, it would be around 5 or 6 a.m. in the real world. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to stay in the game, at least until he completed the Silver Moon Trading Companys task. As he looked at the description of the Tai Chi Sword Skill in his skill bar, Song Jian felt a slight movement in his heart. Tai Chi Sword Skill (Active), Level 1, Skill Effect: After casting, it can block 90% of damage, immune to all negative effects, and has a certain chance to reflect the enemys attack back, lasting for 5 seconds; Skill cooldown: 5 minutes; Skill consumption: 10 Spirit Points; Equipment requirement: One-handed Sword; This sword skill seems to be a combination of the talent Thick-Faced and Sacred Parry, but the duration is a bit short. I wonder if it will change as the level increases, Song Jian thought to himself. During the battle with the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord, Song Jian had used the Sacred Parry skill to block several high-damage attacks. However, the skill only gained proficiency when successfully parrying, so he couldnt practice it like other skills during normal times. So far, he had only increased his proficiency by five or six points, making leveling up quite slow. By the way, Miss Annie, do you know if your trading company has these materials? Song Jian suddenly had an idea and sent Annie the material list for making the T-X high-explosive hand grenade, the Transmission Array, as well as the rubies and Dragon Bloodstones. These materials youre asking for are quite high-level. Let me see Annie laughed lightly. After Song Jian had mailed her the two silver-quality items, the two had established an initial trust, and their conversation became a bit more relaxed. Huh, why are there materials for building a Transmission Array here? Annie furrowed her brow slightly, thinking to herself, Could it be that hes already preparing to build a city-level Transmission Array? How is that possible? Transmission Arrays were strategic structures, and not just the materials but even the blueprints for constructing them were top-secret. Although the Silver Moon Trading Company also had materials for building Transmission Arrays, every piece was registered and prohibited from trade. Sorry, most of the materials are available at our company, but these few are prohibited items for constructing Transmission Arrays and cannot be traded. I apologize! After some hesitation, Annie spoke honestly to Song Jian, also subtly indicating the importance of the Transmission Array, hoping the favored one would understand her meaning. After hearing Annies words, Song Jian was taken aback. He had been a bit reckless, revealing important information about his ability to construct a Transmission Array through these materials. It seemed that he would have to collect the materials for building the Transmission Array himself, or else he risked exposing himself to potential danger if others found out. Song Jian didnt expect the Transmission Array to be so crucial, otherwise, he would never have casually shared the material list with Annie. Ah, I just wanted to hoard some materials to resell them later, but I didnt realize they were prohibited. Oh well, as for the rest of the materials Song Jian hurriedly laughed. Annie also smiled slightly, not minding Song Jians clumsy excuse, and continued, Sure, our trading company has the rest of the materials you require. However, the prices arent cheap. Ill send you a quote. Soon, a quotation was sent to Song Jian. Upon glancing at it, he couldnt help but gasp at the high prices. Each ruby cost 150 Doomsday Coins, and Dragon Bloodstone was even more expensive at 200 Doomsday Coins each. Just gathering these two items would cost almost 30,000 Doomsday Coins. Although the remaining materials were only several tens of Doomsday Coins each, Song Jian needed a large quantity of them. After roughly calculating, the manufacturing cost of a single T-X high-explosive hand grenade, excluding labor costs, would amount to 1,500 Doomsday Coins. He had initially planned to use them to upgrade, but it seemed like a costly endeavor now! Uh, can I get a discount? Song Jian asked somewhat sheepishly. Sorry, youre not a member of our trading company yet. You need to spend 100,000 Doomsday Coins in our company to become a first-level member and enjoy a 5% discount, Annie replied apologetically. Alright then. Please prepare 35 rubies, 100 Dragon Bloodstones, and as for the remaining materials, please prepare them according to the quantities listed! Song Jian scratched his head, finally deciding to make the purchase. However, he only bought enough materials to make ten T-X high-explosive hand grenades, as purchasing more would be too burdensome for him. After concluding the business, Song Jian found himself nearly 40,000 Doomsday Coins in debt. However, as long as he could complete the task assigned by Annie, the loot dropped from the Zombie Demon Boss alone would likely pay off more than half of the debt. The materials were quickly mailed to Song Jian, who immediately upgraded the Blood Pool. After consuming all of the Dragon Bloodstones and rubies, the water level in the Blood Pool began to drop slowly until only a thin layer remained at the bottom. Upgrading the Blood Pool would take twelve hours. Glancing at it, Song Jian proceeded towards Dr. Ebsitings room. Giving all of the T-X high-explosive hand grenade materials to Dr. Ebsiting, Song Jian returned to his room three hours later, holding eight T-X high-explosive hand grenades. The T-X high-explosive hand grenade had enormous power, capable of instantly killing a Level 10 player with a single grenade. It also had area-of-effect damage, making it a game-changer at this stage of the game. However, for these materials, Song Jian had incurred a debt of more than 30,000 Doomsday Coins, nearly reaching 40,000. If he couldnt pay it off within three days, his relationship with the Silver Moon Trading Company would become hostile, and he would be hunted down mercilessly. It was clear to see that the Silver Moon Trading Company had a vast influence. Song Jian didnt plan to oppose them over a mere tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. The debt had to be repaid as soon as possible. With this in mind, Song Jian immediately set off, leaving his Manor Castle and heading north. He would first complete the task Annie had assigned him. Killing a boss that treated Level 20 monsters as food would definitely yield plenty of valuable loot He could then sell it to the Silver Moon Trading Company. This way of leveraging resources was something Song Jian wouldnt have dared to think about before, but now, he was playing the game skillfully. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 324: Accumulating Good Deeds Chapter 324: Accumulating Good Deeds Translator: 549690339 Leaving the Manor Castle, Song Jian immediately summoned his motorcycle. He sped along, unthreatened by low-level monsters of level five or ten. Even the loud sound of his motorcycle didnt provoke these lower-level creatures. Sensing Song Jians power, they became more aggressive but didnt dare to follow him closely like they used to. They could only roar at him from a distance. It wasnt until he reached the area inhabited by level fifteen monsters that Song Jian halted his motorcycle and proceeded on foot. The monsters here posed a threat to him, and a horde of them could potentially cause trouble. However, as he passed through the level fifteen monster area, he saw a few player corpses scattered haphazardly on the broad road. These players were mostly at level twelve or thirteen; attempting to hunt higher-level monsters had led to their deaths. Song Jian shook his head slightly. At the beginning stages of the game, players were cautious, wishing they could stay inside the Safe House all day. But as they got more familiar with the game, many began to treat it as a real game. Whether it was the potential benefits or their greed, they began taking risks. What they didnt realize was that failure came with a high price: their lives. At that moment, a commotion arose from a street in the distance. Song Jians brow furrowed, and he reached out his right hand. A warm current flowed from his heart and traveled along his meridian to his right hand, forming a dark red long sword. Soon, two level thirteen players dashed out from the street corner on the left side. They looked bedraggled, their battle suits stained with blood. Their Vitality Points were less than half, and one of them had lost his weapon. Upon seeing Song Jian, they immediately charged towards him without a word. Behind them, a group of level fifteen mutated zombies roared menacingly, their claws outstretched as they hotly pursued the two men. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, instantly understanding the two mens intentions. They wanted to divert their troubles onto him, using him as a buffer against the zombies. Kid, its your bad luck. Anyway, youre gonna die soon, so why not take on these monsters for us? Ill burn some extra paper money for you every year on this day! said an Assassin player with a sneer. At this, the two men activated their Acceleration Skill, their pacing increasing even more as they made a beeline towards Song Jian. Unfortunately for them, they had severely underestimated Song Jians capabilities. Just as the two men were about to brush past Song Jian, he grabbed them both and threw them forcefully towards the oncoming mutated zombies using his overwhelming strength. Even a level fifteen Lord-level BOSS couldnt match Song Jian in terms of strength, let alone two level thirteen Assassin players. Caught offguard, the two men felt a strong force propelling them into the air, giving them a sensation of weightlessness. Bang! I he two men landed in the middle of the mutating zombie horde. After knocking down several zombies, they were immediately surrounded. Damn you! Do you know who we are The assassin hadnt even finished cursing when several mutated zombies reached for him, aiming for the throat, cheek, and shoulder. A series of painful wails filled the air as the two players Vitality Points rapidly decreased. Song Jian, holding the Crimson Eire Heart Ape Sword, watched emotionlessly from a distance as the two men were completely swallowed up by the zombie horde. Their painful cries slowly faded until all that remained was the sound of the zombies gnawing. For such people, Song Jian had no sympathy. If they had fled in a different direction, they might have survived. Even if they had begged him for help, he wouldve intervened. Yet, their base human instincts led them to choose what seemed like the easier or smarter route. They didnt realize, however, that the man before them was far more terrifying than the mutated zombies behind them. As all the mutated zombies focused on attacking the two men, Song Jian saw the moment their Vitality Points hit zero and immediately activated the Broken Wing Dance, rushing towards the horde; The dark red blade emitted a chilling sound as it cleaved through the air. The attack instantly enveloped seven to eight mutated zombies within its range. The tier three Broken Wing Dance dealt over a hundred points of damage to each zombie, followed by a second attack that enveloped even more mutated zombies, again dealing over a hundred points of damage each. Amidst the zombies roars, Song Jian leaped up high, brandishing his long sword, and cut down towards the zombie horde. Boom! A muffled explosion sent all the zombies flying into the air in a state of weightlessness. Rapid Sword, activate! Song Jians attacking speed surged, his long sword swung to create dozens of afterimages. These phantoms attacked the surrounding zombies. Sweeping Sword Style! Each attack was stronger than the last. Several mutated zombies couldnt handle the increased damage and instantly turned into heaps of black ashes; Sword Silk! Pop,pop,pop- Three Sword Silks each attacked three mutated zombies. Although the damage was spread out, each Silk still managed to kill a mutated zombie; Thump, thump, thump- The zombies crashed back to the ground from the sky, roaring as they lunged at Song Jian again; Sword Shadow Step! Like a fish darting through the zombie horde, Song Jian harvested their Vitality Points while the zombies tried vainly to attack him. Their attacks yielded a series of MISS, and their speed was no match for Song Jian. Sword Finger! A soft whooshing sound and a flash of dazzling silver light emanated from the center of the zombie horde. Song Jian spun his body like a top, his silver Sword Qi drawing a circular arc. Instantly, over a dozen mutated zombies screamed and turned into black ashes. After a series of attacks, Song Jians Vitality Points had dropped by a third. The group of mutated zombies around him, however, had all been killed, turning into black ashes on the ground; Despite killing more than twenty level fifteen mutated zombies at once, not a single one dropped any items. No equipment, not even a single piece of ordinary material, which gave Song Jian a bad feeling. Damn it, when will this curse of lowered luck be lifted Song Jian frowned, surprised at the significant impact of the loss of three luck points. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I guess Im accumulating good karma. Hopefully, the BOSSS drops wont be too affected! Song Jian muttered under his breath. Chapter 325 - 325 Assassination Chapter 325 Assassination Translator: 549690339 | With no players intentionally luring monsters, as long as Song Jian was careful, the beasts around him posed no threat. He easily moved through the fifteenth-level monster area and, after spending a little more than half an hour, arrived at the twentieth-level monster area. This was a pedestrian street, surrounded by a multitude of plants. Perhaps due to a lack of management or the climate, these plants were growing rampantly, making the entire pedestrian street look like a dense primordial rainforest. While Annie wasnt familiar with the environment of Zombie City and couldnt provide the exact location of the Demon Zombie, after Song Jian accepted the mission, the system automatically revealed the Demon Zombie BOSSS haunts. However, the area provided was vast, seeming like the BOSS was some kind of roving monster, not confined to a fixed location. To find his target, Song Jian would need to spend a lot of time and energy. Indeed, there are fewer mutant zombies here. I havent encountered a single zombie yet even though Ive been walking for so long! Song Jian was carefully searching the area. The surroundings were peaceful save for a few insect and bird calls. The absence of a zombies roar was eerily unsettling. Just then, a strange low groan came from a small alley on his left. Song Jian was about to turn his head to look when he suddenly felt a refreshing chill behind his head. Killing intent! After three months of grinding in the game, Song Jian had an instinctive alertness to danger. He was 80% sure that it was the Backstab skill of an Assassin class. Sacred Parry! Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a thought, a golden glow radiated from Song Jians body. Mysteriously twisting with incredible speed, he held the longsword in front of his chest. Block! A metallic clashing sound echoed, and a MISS appeared above Song Jians head. In front of him, a figure was slowly appearing from an invisible state, a look of surprise on his face. Interesting! Excitement gleamed in the eyes of the shadowy figure who ignored the over two hundred damage points floating above his head. His figure retreated rapidly, just in time to avoid the Sword Finger skill released by Song Jian, as it missed by a hairs breadth. Having lost the element of surprise, this Assassin didnt seem to want to give up. A flash of white light blinked under his feet as he deployed an Acceleration Skill and charged straight at Song Jian. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Song Jian. He swung his arm to the side, making a wide arc. His body, as if driven by this arm, began to rotate, like a nimble hawk rolling in the air. The shiny dagger went for Song Jians back once again. The entire move was as seamless as floating clouds and flowing water. Song Jians face turned ashen. He had realized that the opponent was not weak, and his skill usage was just as good as his own. Sword Silk! Three strands of silver Sword Qi condensed into gleaming threads that writhed and retracted in midair like tentacles. In an instant, they lunged like a snake eyeing its prey, rushing towards the shadow; At the same time, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swept towards the enemy; The shadowy figure was taken aback. Song Jian was using a mutually destructive method without hesitation, but this was somewhat unprofitable for him. In a split second, the figure fiercely withdrew the dagger to block the attack. Clang, clang, clang Sparks flew in the air as the shadows dagger accurately blocked each Sword Silk and Song Jians long sword. Unexpectedly, he still lost over three hundred Vitality Points; Interesting, so its forced damage? The shadow retreated swiftly; after a series of attacks, his Vitality Points had dropped to nearly half, while the damage Song Jian suffered was negligible. As expected, hes the one who seized the treasure of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace, he did not disappoint! The shadow let out a frivolous laugh as he didnt seem to be bothered by his loss. Song Jian stared intently at his opponent. The man had no name or properties above his head, donned in all black, with a piece of black cloth covering his face. Even his head was completely wrapped in a black turban. Only his eyes were visible. Who are you? Song Jian asked gravely. The aura emanating from his opponent was terrifying, just like a real assassin, silent and lethal. His moves were practiced and deadly. If there had been a slight hesitation or a mistake in response, Song Jian could have been assassinated. The treasure of the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace is not yours to keep. Someone has already initiated assassination orders with the Assassin Alliance. As long as you dont give up the treasure, you will always live in constant fear of being assassinated! This failure was due to my carelessness and lack of preparation. However, the next time we meet, I will take your life! The assassin finished speaking and turned to flee. Want to escape? Its not that easy! Song Jian scoffed and lunged at the assassin like a shadow. Having lost his stealth and surprise advantage, the assassin, one of the weakest classes in all professions when without these advantages, could be killed easily by an ordinary class warrior. Song Jian certainly wouldnt miss this opportunity. He tossed a potion at the assassin, but the assassin seemed prepared. He had a smoke bomb ready in his hands and slammed it to the ground. A cloud of smoke rose and when it dissipated, the assassin was gone. But at that moment, the Weakness Potion had just hit the spot where the assassin had been standing. Forced Stealth Skill? Song Jian frowned. An assassin who possesses the ability to re-stealth in combat has the chance to initiate again. No one wants to face such an assassin. Vertical Pupil! Song Jians vertical pupil in his forehead opened in an instant. He scanned his surroundings, but found no traces of the assassin. Hes too fast! Song Jian decided to retreat. His hand tightly clutched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword as he slowly retreated. Who was that guy, really? The Assassin Alliance he mentioned previously; could it be that he is a member of the Assassin Alliance? Song Jian thought to himself, It seems like the trouble stirred up at the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace earlier. I seized the treasure in the Bronze Throne, it must have upset someone who decided to post a hunting order with the Assassin Alliance! Just then, a name came to mind. Qian Xiaohao! Its likely that only Qian Xiaohao has the resources and power to post an assassination contract on me with the Assassin Alliance! Song Jian murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. Next time we meet, you wont be leaving alive. Qian Xiaohao was far away, but the assassin from the Assassin Alliance was just around the corner. Having such an assassin who could strike at any moment hot on his heels was putting a lot of pressure on Song Jian. Using Sword Shadow Step again, Song Jian fled to the distance. Chapter 326: Master Key Chapter 326: Master Key Translator: 549690339 | Not long after Song Jian left, a shadowy figure of an assassin slowly emerged from a large tree, staring intently at the direction where Song Jian disappeared, without uttering a word. Originally, after hiding, he had intended to strike again, but the vertical pupil in Song Jians forehead filled him with a sense of heart-pounding alertness. He can see through my invisibility! Although there was no evidence to prove that the vertical pupil on Song Jians forehead could see through invisibility, he was firmly convinced that it was true, so he suppressed his impulse until Song Jian left. The information provided by the employer is incomplete. The target has the ability to see through invisibility, which should increase the price by at least thirty percent, muttered the assassin to himself. Song Jian cautiously made his way to an abandoned shop, when he suddenly heard a sigh coming from within the shop. His heart stirred as he slowly approached the shop. Inside the abandoned shop, Song Jian saw a semi-transparent ghostly figure guarding a counter, staring at a key in the counter with a furrowed brow and a troubled expression. Yellow name, a neutral creature? Song Jian glanced at the ghosts name, and slowly put away his weapon; In the game, monsters that initiate attacks are red-named with hostile attributes, while yellow-named monsters are neutral, meaning they wont attack you as long as you dont attack them. Moreover, some NPCs initially appear as yellow-named, but when you improve your relationship with them, they will turn into green-named, friendly NPCs. Song Jian looked at this ghost and determined it didnt seem to be a mindless monster; rather, it was one that could communicate. Hello, is there anything 1 can help you with? Song Jian asked softly, looking at the ghost. This was the standard inquiry in the game to obtain tasks. If the other party had a task to offer, they would present the task requirements; if not, they would shake their head, refusing help. Seeing Song Jian, the ghost seemed to reveal a joyful expression in its eyes and hastily waved for him to come over, saying, There is a demon who has been hunting the residents around here and has killed many people. It has now discovered the hidden passage where we are hiding and has intruded. I took the opportunity to lock it up, but now the residents inside the passage cannot escape. I dont know if what 1 did was right. Warrior, can you help me kill the demon that has invaded the passage, and restore peace to this place? Song Jian hesitated for a moment. Ever since he was tricked by the Abyss Demon in the Shadow District, he had become more cautious about accepting tasks from NPCs. So, whats in it for me if I complete this task? Song Jian asked. He needed to know the task reward before deciding whether to accept it. Even with the Abyss Demon, once the task contract was confirmed, the task reward would be given without fail, regardless of the task givers will. This was the power of the game system, which no one could resist. Warrior, if you can kill this demon, 1 will give you a Master Key. This key can unlock any locked chambers, passages, or treasure chests in the world, the ghost said. A Master Key? Song Jians eyes lit up. He wasnt interested in unlocking locked chambers or passages, since there were too few of these in the game and they were very well hidden, making them difficult to find. What Song Jian really cared about was unlocking locked treasure chests. The lock-picking skill is a core skill for the Thief profession, one that other professions cannot learn. However, players of other professions can open locked treasure chests through other methods; the simplest one being using brute force, although this could easily damage the items inside the chest. Generally, using brute force would cause the items grade to be degraded by one level. An alternative would be Engineering, which can create single-use Master Keys for different grades of treasure chests C but there are limitations. A Master Key? Can I see the keys attributes? Is it a one-time-use item or permanent, and can it unlock all grades of treasure chests? Song Jian asked. This is our family heirloom, so its naturally not a disposable item, and it can unlock any treasure chest of Epic Quality or below! The ghost seemed very proud of its family heritage, boasting with an air of self-confidence. Youre a ghost, yet your expressions are quite vivid, Song Jian mumbled quietly. Since thats the case, I accept this task, Song Jian said. This ghosts task goal was likely aligned with the Silver Moon Merchant Guilds objective, so it was one of those tasks that could grant double rewards. Naturally, Song Jian wouldnt refuse. Warrior, take this key and open the secret chamber behind me. The demon is inside. Be careful though, it is very powerful, the ghost said, pointing to the bronze key in the counter. Song Jian nodded, took the key, and examined its simple attribute: Unlock Secret Chamber Passage. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hold onto it and dont lose it, the ghost said with an expression of reluctance as it watched Song Jian retrieve the key. Song Jian nodded and headed towards the secret chamber passage as guided by the ghost. If it wasnt for the ghosts guidance, Song Jian would never have discovered the secret chamber passage hidden in a shop like this. Now that Song Jian was being targeted by an assassin, if the Demon Zombie were in the city, he might not dare to make a move even if he found it. If the assassin attacked during the battle, Song Jian could easily die. Now, with the key to enter the secret chamber passage, his concerns were alleviated. Using the key to open a passage door disguised as a wall, a cold, gloomy breeze blew out from the entrance, accompanied by faint, eerie howls resembling those of ghosts and wolves. The passage was pitch-black, with no light in sight. Song Jian opened his vertical pupil, which granted him dark vision, allowing him to see his surroundings clearly even in total darkness. Song Jian carefully stored the key and stepped into the passage. Just after progressing a few steps, the passage door behind him closed, leaving him completely immersed in darkness. Whats this? Song Jian frowned, surveying his surroundings. Bones were scattered across the narrow passage, which was wide enough for only two people, and the surrounding walls were marred with battle scars. It seemed that a fierce battle had once taken place here. Song Jian cautiously avoided the bones underfoot and continued walking more than a hundred meters ahead, but still saw no end to the passage. At that moment, a low moaning sound echoed through the passage. Description: A group of pitch-black ghosts crawled out from the depths of the passage, attracted by the scent of the living. Their eyes turned blood-red, and they lunged at Song Jian with wild, clawing gestures.. Chapter 327: Underground Town Chapter 327: Underground Town Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian looked at the group of monsters cautiously. They were only level 20 ordinary monsters, their blood-red names indicating that they were the kind which actively attacked. ?LV20 Tunnel Wraith (Ordinary), Vitality PointsilOO/llOO, Traits: Ethereal Body, Skills: Claw Clash There were seventeen or eighteen of these Tunnel Wraiths. Given their strength, they could easily take down a team of five level 15 players. But the passageway was narrow and they could not all attack at once. Song Jian only had to face two Tunnel Wraiths at a time, significantly reducing the pressure on him. He summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and smashed a Weakness Potion at the feet of a Tunnel Wraith, causing a red flame to burst forth from the sword. All of Song Jians attacks turned into flame damage, which inflicted bonus damage on ghost-type monsters. Broken Wing Dance! Swinging his sword, Song Jian charged at the group of Tunnel Wraiths. Despite grappling with level 20 monsters and being suppressed by a gap of five levels, Song Jians attack power greatly exceeded that of ordinary level 15 players. He unleashed a series of skills, and above the Wraiths, a string of damage figures floated up. Just then, it struck him that holy attacks seemed to harm ghost-type monsters even more. Song Jian had a load of Mutated Soul Seeds in his bag. Using it would increase his holy damage by thirty points for 30 seconds, and these seeds could be used in combination as well. After trying one, a faint golden glow blossomed around him. When a Tunnel Wraith tried to attack him, its black claws touched the golden glow and began to smoke. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Roar- The wraith let out a mournful scream and retreated. The pressure the Mutated Soul Seed put on them seemed even harsher than Song Jian had anticipated. This made the battle much simpler. The wraiths started fearing him and huddled together. The battle lasted only three minutes, after which all the Tunnel Wraiths had been wiped out by Song Jian and turned into a pile of black ash. -Level one Ghost Pearls? Only three Ghost Pearls were dropped from a dozen of the monsters, which made Song Jians face twitch a little. These should fetch a decent price as forging materials since they can increase the shadow resistance of equipment. He thought to himself, and stashed the three Ghost Pearls in his bag. System: You have defeated the Tunnel Wraith by exceeding five levels, and earned a 500% increase in battle experience points, obtaining 4800 Experience Points; System: You have defeated the Tunnel Wraith by exceeding five levels, and earned a 500% increase in battle experience points, obtaining 4800 Experience Points; A string of more than ten experience points appeared in Song Jians system notifications. With the Mutated Soul Seeds, the monsters here were almost the same as level ten monsters, but the experience points were ten times more. Song Jians experience bar had filled up quite a bit, reaching level 15 and 29%. This leveling speed was much faster than farming level 20 ordinary monsters outside. just then, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword dazzling gold light exploded, shooting out from Song Jians hand and piercing into the tunnels ceiling above him. Song Jian watched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword trembling constantly. It seemed like it was trying to break free from the tunnel. A look of surprise crossed his face: Is it going to level up again? The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was able to grow during battles. Currently, its item level was 2, but its attributes were already better than many level ten silver-quality weapons. Now that it had leveled up again, it would definitely become even stronger, and Song Jian was filled with anticipation. In a flash, the tunnel was filled with golden light, and a ray of light shot out from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. It seemed to be unhappy because it was unable to ascend into the air, so it flew reluctantly back to Song Jians hand, continuously vibrating and making a buzzing sound. Song Jian gently stroked the blade, comforting the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and proceeded to examine its attributes. Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword (Gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment Effect: Attack 70-95, Armor Break+5. Penetration+5, Fire Attribute Damage+50, Swing Speed Increase 18%; Special Effect 1: Ownership (Passive), this item uses the users blood to recognize its owner, after ownership has been claimed, the item cannot be destroyed, lost, or degraded; Special Effect 2: Growth (Passive), This item is a growth-type equipment, its initial level is level 1, it gains battle experience from battles to level up, the higher the level, the stronger the item attributes, the item level cannot exceed the users level; Special Effect 3: Ignore Level Suppression +5- Equipment Requirement: Level 31 Set: 1/5. Can it be taken out of the game: No The attributes had greatly improved and a new effect, Ignore Level Suppression +5, had been added. It was as if it had been tailored specifically for Song Jian. Now, with Song Jians strength, he could easily hunt monsters of the same level without feeling any pressure or challenge. He often came into contact with monsters above his level. Therefore, this new effect allowed Song Jian to bring out his full strength when facing level 20 monsters. He was no longer constrained by the level suppression effect. This effect was a perfect fit for Song Jian. He swung the dark red long sword in his hand C it had become a bit heavier after leveling up, but it was easier to wield. Song Jian nodded, satisfied. He continued on his way. The tunnel was winding and seemed to descend all the time. Half an hour later, Song Jian finally reached the end of the secret passageway and saw the exit. The whole tunnel was quite long. Along the way, Song Jian encountered five or six waves of Tunnel Wraiths attacks. But with the aid of the Mutated Soul Seed, these Tunnel Wraiths became Song Jians battle experience. Moreover, they exploded and dropped more than a dozen level one Ghost Pearls, which left him speechless. Although there were not many spoils of war, the battle experience was rich. It brought Song Jians experience bar up to level 15 and 78%. After a few more times, he would be able to level up to 16, which made him very excited. At the exit of the secret tunnel, a faint light came through. Before Song Jian had reached the exit, he could already hear roars and howls from ahead. It seems like theres a hall ahead. Could it be another Underground Palace? Song Jian thought to himself. He couldnt help but walk over to the exit and look out. Sss, its actually a village! Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. In front of him was an expansive space with all sorts of buildings and streets. It looked just like a small village. Black wraiths roamed endlessly around this underground village, constantly letting out heart-rending roars. LV2O Enslaved Evil Ghost (Ordinary), Vitality Points: 1800/1800, Traits: Undead, Slave Soul, Skills: Wailing Scream, Flash Claw- Enslaved Evil Ghost, compared to Tunnel Wraiths, were more vicious. Although they looked similar, Enslaved Evil Ghosts were not mindless like Tunnel Wraiths. From their movements, it could be seen that they had some level of intelligence. They seemed to be very agile, but their instinctive madness and sensitivity to flesh and living beings were the same as those of Tunnel Wraiths. Chapter 328: White Bone Altar Chapter 328: White Bone Altar Translator: 549690339 | sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gazing at the closely-packed ghosts in the underground town, Song Jian glanced at the eight T-X High-explosive Grenades in his inventory. After hesitating for a moment, he mustered the courage and made a crazy decision. He planned to lure all the ghosts in the underground town and then gather them together, using the T-X High-explosive Grenades to kill them all. Eight high-explosive grenades theoretically could deal 2200 points of explosive damage, while each ghost had only 1800 vitality points. Moreover, the coverage of the grenade reached eight meters, meaning that within a diameter of eight meters, all ghosts could be killed instantaneously by the eight grenades. The main difficulty now was to lure all the ghosts in the town and gather them within an eight-meter radius. Few leaks wouldnt matter, but if too many ghost escaped, and he failed to kill them all, it could possibly trigger the Demonic Zombie Boss. Song Jian might not even be able to run away at that point. The plan was dangerous, but the gain was substantial. Not to mention anything else, the combat experience gained from killing so many level twenty monsters would be enough for Song Jian to level up. Besides, not clearing out these minor creatures would become dangerous once he encountered the Demonic Zombie Boss, as the battle noises might attract them to him. Having made up his mind, Song Jian began to run towards the underground town. Just as he jumped in front of a stone house, a roar suddenly came from inside. A pitch-black ghost broke through the door and came out, its blood-red eyes firmly locked on Song Jian, following close behind him. Instead of stopping, Song Jian rushed towards the center of the town. In no time, the roars of the ghosts echoed throughout the entire underground town. Ghosts continuously gathered from afar towards Song Jian. Within a matter of seconds, hundreds of ghosts from the entire town were lured by him. At this moment, Song Jian had reached the center of the underground town. It was a square where a Demonic Zombie Boss, clad in black armors, with goat-like horns on its head, and full of bone spikes all over its body, was incessantly kneeling and worshipping an altar at the center of the square. This altar, built out of countless white bones, had a palm-sized black flame burning in the center. The Demonic Zombie Boss was muttering words, making peculiar sounds from its mouth. Glowing black and gold runes formed in the void with its chanting before they flitted like moths into the black flame of the altars center. Demonic Zombie Boss! Song Jian felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He didnt expect his mission target to be located in this underground town. And by the look of it, these ghosts chasing his tail were also being enslaved by this Boss. Im still one step too late. It seems that this Demonic Zombie Boss has killed all the people. These enslaved ghosts might be the residents who hid in the secret tunnel After glancing at the White Bone Altar, Song Jian sighed inwardly. The mission that the ghost spirit gave him was to kill the Demonic Zombie Boss, not to save the townsfolk. Thus, Song Jian simply sighed faintly without showing much care. Seeing the Demonic Zombie Boss in the center of the town, Song Jian dared not rush forward. Instead, he changed his direction and continued to lead the ghosts in pursuit. The ghosts roared and bellowed, shaking the earth. Although they had attracted all the attention, the Demonic Zombie Boss as though deaf and blind, gave no care to Song Jian. Instead, it devoutly worshipped the black flame at the center of the White Bone Altar. As the Demonic Zombie Boss worshipped, the black flame flickered slightly, seemingly getting a bit bigger. Now that he had found his target, Song Jian had no time to deal with the Demonic Zombie Boss. He had a large group of ghosts chasing him from behind, the nearest of which was less than five meters away from him. Seeing ghosts from all sides rushing towards him, Song Jian immediately activated Sword Shadow Step, and his silhouette instantly became a cloud of black mist. His speed increased dramatically as he quickly rushed to a nearby stone house. Roar roar roar- The level twenty ghosts let out furious roars. The entire towns ghosts became agitated. The noise caused by Song Jian attracted their full attention. They completely surrounded the stone house where Song Jian was hiding. This stone house wasnt big, only about ten square meters. The entrance was a wooden door, which had long rotted away and shattered at the slightest touch. The door was wide open, but only two could pass through at the same time. Suddenly, pitch-black ghosts started pushing and shoving, trying to break into the stone house. These ghosts bodies looked like a cloud of thick and dark mist, even overlapping a small part with each others. It looked densely packed and chilling. As all the ghosts gathered at the door, Song Jian took a potion from his inventory and hurled it into the crowd of ghosts. With a bang, the Weakness Potion immediately enveloped dozens of ghosts. Next, a T-X High-explosive Grenade was thrown into the middle of the weakened ghosts. Boom! A loud explosion erupted in the crowd of ghosts. Countless ghosts were blasted into the air by the grenade, and rows of damage numbers floated above their heads. A violent shock wave spread in all directions from the center of the explosion, causing the surrounding ghosts to stagger. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian swung his long sword, rushed towards the ghosts blocking the door, and effortlessly killed them under the multiple skill attacks. But, new ghosts quickly filled up the gaps. Boom, boom, boom- Another series of explosions sounded. The ghosts, whose defenses had been reduced by 35%, simply could not withstand the power of the high-explosive grenades. Every ghost within the explosions range had damage numbers of over three hundred floating above their heads. Next, when Song Jians skill cooldown ended, he unleashed another series of skills, clearing out a large number of ghosts at the doorway. By the time all eight high-explosive grenades had been used, only about a dozen severely wounded ghosts remained outside the stone house. There was black ash everywhere, which was the remains of the dead ghosts. Seeing Song Jian charging out of the stone house, the remaining dozen wounded ghosts hesitated momentarily and then began to scatter in all directions. At this time, how could he possibly let them escape? Song Jian activated Sword Shadow Step and killed all the ghosts. Within less than five minutes, he had killed hundreds of level twenty monsters. His experience points broke through level fifteen and reached 9% of level sixteen. The extra skill point Song Jian earned was immediately allocated to the Earth Teeth Assault skill, which had been at 100% proficiency but could not be upgraded due to lack of skill points. Now, it was finally upgraded from level one to level two. Song Jian killed all of the towns ghosts, and began collecting the loot they dropped. Chapter 329: Savior Chapter 329: Savior Translator: 549690339 All the evil spirits in the small town were wiped out by Song Jian, covering the ground in a thick layer of black ash. There were quite a few spoils of war dropped, which took him more than ten minutes to clean up. Such an expensive upgrade, Im afraid not many people can afford it! Song Jian showed a bitter smile on his face. Just the eight T-X high-explosive grenades were worth more than 10,000 Doomsday Coins, let alone the Fire Lizard Medicine and Weakness Potion. However, after cleaning up the spoils of war, Song Jian made a rough estimation and found that he didnt actually lose much this time; Just the first-tier Ghost Pearls, fifty or so had dropped. These were great for adding shadow damage and shadow resistance to forged equipment, and each was worth at least 150 Doomsday Coins; In addition, the evil spirits also dropped more than 3,000 Doomsday Coins, three Mage Skill Books Shadow Arrow, and five I5th-level blue-quality equipment pieces. Each Shadow Arrow book could be sold for over a thousand Doomsday Coins, and I5th-level blue equipment, as players leveled up, each piece could sell for five or six hundred, especially one of the blue-quality long knives with extraordinary attributes, which might fetch thousands of Doomsday Coins at the auction house. A quick calculation shows that this trip alone could earn at least 15,000 to 20,000 Doomsday Coins. This was with Song Jians luck reduced by three, under normal circumstances, the items dropped by these monsters would definitely be more and of higher quality. I wonder if this is a one-time monster area, or if 1 can continue to farm monsters here in the future! Song Jian thought to himself. There were quite a few one-time monster spawning areas in the game, such as the previous Zeus Shield Tower and Shadow District, where once the monsters inside were killed, no similar monsters would ever appear again. The monsters here were also very special, belonging to ghost type monsters. If it was a one-time spawn area, Song Jian would have nothing to say, but if its like the outside, where the monsters respawn after a night, this would be a great place for Song Jian to level up. With all the evil spirits in the small town cleaned up, Song Jian casually arrived at the central square of the town. At this time, the black flame on the White Bone Altar in the central square seemed to have grown larger, becoming the size of a soccer ball. Song Jians mission target this time is a demon zombie wearing a pitch-black armor and carrying a long halberd on its back. The evil spirits in this small town are all enslaved by it. After Song Jian killed the evil spirits, the demon zombie seemed unconcerned and did not care. Whats so special about that black flame? Why is this BOSS constantly bowing and worshipping it? Song Jian frowned slightly. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly received a system prompt; System: Demon Zombie Campbell is worshipping the Third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame. In half an hour, the third-tier magic flame will grow to its full form, and then the Demon Zombie Campbell will use the Third-tier Demon Flame to open a passage to the Abyss from the human world, releasing countless demons from the Abyss. By then, the entire city will be occupied by demons! System: Honorable warrior, for the sake of all mankind, please defeat Demon Zombie Campbell. Countdown 30 minutes, you must kill Demon Zombie Campbell within 30 minutes, otherwise, when the Third-tier Demon Flame is completed, the Abyssal Gate will open, and the mission will fail! System: Mission reward: Obtain the title Savior. Mission failure penalty: Erasure! Savior? Erasure? Are you kidding me? Song Jian was startled when he saw the mission reward and mission failure penalty. Was it really that serious? The title of Savior sounded very high-end and sophisticated, much better than Song Jians current Survivor of Great Calamity and Junior Wine Connoisseur. Although he couldnt see the specific attributes of the Savior title for now, from the failure penalty, it was clear that this mission reward was no ordinary one. At this time, a 30-minute countdown suddenly appeared above the Third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame, making Song Jians heart tremble. This battle had to be swift, otherwise, even if he killed the Demon Zombie, he would still fail and be erased due to the timer. Thinking of this, Song Jian directly used the Earth Teeth Assault skill, attacking the demon zombie; After being upgraded to the second level, the Earth Teeth Assault not only dealt higher damage, but the attack range also increased from 10 meters to 12 meters, and the fangs-shaped air clusters were much higher than at level one. Boom! The Demon Zombie didnt dodge or avoid the attack, taking it head-on, and a damage number of over 60 floated above its head. LV15 Demon Zombie (Elite), Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Spirit Points: 500/500, Traits: Demon Body, Demon Flame Forging Body, Skills: Demon Roar, Demon Halberd, Summoning, Sky-reaching Demon Flame; Nearly 3,000 Vitality Points? Song Jian couldnt help but gasp. Ordinary I5th-level elite monsters would have at most over 1,000 Vitality Points. This Demon Zombie had doubled that number, and what surprised Song Jian the most was the Summoning skill in its abilities, which is a signature skill of a Lord-level BOSS. Could it be that this was a BOSS about to evolve to the Lord-level? Thinking of this, Song Jian frowned, not because he was worried that he couldnt kill the demon zombie, but because he was worried that he couldnt kill it within half an hour; I should have made more high-explosive grenades, or self-destructing robots! Song Jian thought to himself. If he had a dozen self-destructing robots, wouldnt it be easy to kill this BOSS? The injured Demon Zombie suddenly stood up, its body burning with black flames, towering like a Demon God in the center of the square. Lowly human, you dare to interrupt the great sacrificial ceremony. I will pull your soul from your body and roast it on the magic flame for ten thousand years! The Demon Zombie roared in anger. The Demon Zombie that stood up directly took the long halberd from its back. As soon as the halberd was in its hand, black flames burned on the surface and suddenly swung, turning the halberd into a black meteor that cut through the air, accurately aimed at Song Jians head. So fast! Song Jian was shocked by this terrifying attack, even he couldnt face it head-on. Sword Shadow Step! Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians figure turned into a black shadow, rushing towards the Demon Zombie. Boom! With a loud noise, Song Jian dodged the halberd strike, and it slammed into the square floor, creating a deep pit and splashing debris. Weakness Potion! A bottle of potion smashed at the feet of the Demon Zombie, kicking up a cloud of gray dust, which was burned by the black flame on the Demon Zombies surface. A huge Immune floated up from the Demon Zombies head. Insignificant tricks! The Demon Zombie sneered, raising its right hand, and the Demon Halberd returned to its hand with a howl, hacking down at Song Jian again. Chapter 330 - 330 Chapter 330 Translator: 549690339 Clang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword clashed with the Demon Halberd, emitting a thunderous sound and a cascade of sparks. Feeling the force transmitted down his arm, Song Jian was slightly startled. The opponents strength was on par with his own. It was surprising given that Song Jians strength attribute had already exceeded twenty points. Few level twenty elite bosses could match it, and yet this level fifteen demon zombie was evenly matched with him in strength, a fact that was simply hard to believe. With this attack, both individuals sustained over a hundred damage points. The black flame on the Demon Halberd was searing hot, continuously scorching Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. The area where the swords clashed was already turning red. Boom! On the surface of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, a surge of crimson flames suddenly rose, as if it had been stimulated by the battle with the Demon Halberd. The black and red flames intertwined and nullified each other. The sound of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword echoed in the air, inducing a feeling of angered intensity. The demon zombie looked at Song Jian surprised by his strength. But quickly, it swung the Demon Halberd a second time towards Song Jian. This time, the black flames on the halberd rose more than a meter high. Rather than retreating, Song Jian advanced, initiating his Sacred Parry . Instantly, his body was enveloped in dazzling gold light as he naturally guided his long sword towards the incoming Demon Halberd; Ding! With a crisp impact sound, the attack of the demon zombie was completely repelled. It staggered back several steps before it could steady itself. The floating damage figure above its head indicated over five hundred points; Sacred damage? The demon zombie had a look of fear in its eyes, staring intently at Song Jian, and for a moment, it dared not to move forward. Seeing the actions of the demon zombie, Song Jian had a sudden realization and berated himself for being a fool C of course, the demon, being what it was, would naturally fear sacred damage the most. Gazing at dozens of Mutated Soul Seeds in his possession, Song Jian couldnt suppress a smirk; Each seed could increase the sacred damage by thirty points, and the effect could be stacked. These dozens of mutated soul seeds could at least increase Song Jians sacred damage by a thousand points; However, Song Jian had no intention of using all the mutated soul seeds at once, as that would be too wasteful. Ill start with ten. If that doesnt work, Ill add more! Song Jian decided as he consumed ten mutated soul seeds. A faint golden light appeared on his body. Within his status bar, an effect displayed, Increase Sacred Damage by 300 points. Seeing the golden light appearing on Song Jians body, the demon zombie let out a roar filled with rage, appearing to dread the sight. The effect of the mutated soul seeds could only last for thirty seconds. Not wanting to waste time, Song Jian immediately launched his attack on the demon zombie after using them. Dogs of the Church, you will all die! All of you! The fire of the Abyss flickered in the eyes of the demon zombie whose body was now enveloped in an even thicker black flame. Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Every move Song Jian made was accompanied by sacred damage, greatly threatening the demon zombie. Every time his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Demon Halberd collided, a mournful wail could be heard from the Demon Halberd. The vitality of the demon zombie was continuously declining. Were it not for the Abyssal Flame it guarded, the creature would probably already have fled. Time was pressing. More than ten minutes had elapsed and the Abyssal Flame had now swelled to over half a humans height. The entire White Bone Altar was creaking as though it couldnt withstand the power of the Magic Flame. Song Jian was additionally anxious as the demon zombies vitality has halved, but there was little time left. If he could not kill the demon zombie in the remaining time, all of his efforts will be in vain; The consumption of the mutated soul seeds was enormous. For every thirty seconds, Song Jian directly used ten seeds. Now, there were only about thirty left in his inventory. In that case, I will use them all and obliterate it! he said, looking at the demon zombies vitality of just over a thousand with a relentless glint in his eyes. Boom! A ball of golden fire blazed on Song Jians body. His sacred damage had already exceeded one thousand points. The sacred flame burning on his body inflicted damage even if the demon zombie only came close; How is this possible? Are you the legendary Child of the Sacred? The demon zombie stepped back continuously, unable to believe that a legendary Child of the Sacred would appear in the world. It was only a creature with a trace of Abyss Demon blood, not a pure Demonic Abyss entity. The Child of the Sacred, renowned for possessing sacred blood, naturally aroused fear within it. This fear stemmed from the bloodline hierarchy, much like a beggar facing royalty among humans. Die! Song Jian could not afford to waste any more time, lunging with his sword towards his opponent; The demon zombie didnt even dare to raise its halberd in defense, seeking only to dodge desperately. It even wore a pleading look on its face. Song Jian paid no heed to the creature. Using his Sword Shadow Step, he chased closely behind the demon zombie, and continuously launched his skills. Every single use inflicted several hundred points of damage; In just over ten seconds, Song Jian had inflicted more than ten wounds on the demon zombie, all of which glowed faintly golden. Black tendrils of energy seeped from the edges of wounds; The vitality of the demon zombie wan weakened. Its vitality points were rapidly decreasing. Faced with Song Jians fierce attacks, the demon zombie didnt even get to launch a single significant counterattack from start to finish. Although it initially appeared fierce, it became incredibly timid. Any bystander would assume it was nothing more than a level fifteen creature; I did my best! The demon zombie uttered a heavy sigh in the end, its eyes revealing a look of relief as it fell to its knees at Song Jians feet. Instantly, Song Jians experience points increased by 5%. The rich experience gain made him gasp. However, the critical mission was not yet over. The countdown timer to the Magic Flame was still present, with less than ten minutes left. Song Jian frowned, quickly gathering the items dropped by the demon zombie without sparing any attention to them and rushed towards the White Bone Altar. How can this Magic Flame be extinguished? Song Jian pondered. Killing the demon zombie merely involved eliminating one guardian. If he didnt destroy the Magic Flame, the Deep Gate would eventually open and the mission would fail. With only a few seconds left of his Sacred Damage, Song Jian gritted his teeth, wielded his long sword and slashed towards the Abyssal Flame; Chapter 331: Demon Bloodline Chapter 331: Demon Bloodline Translator: 549690339 In the depths of the black flame that was more than a meter high, a bronze gate engraved with demon skulls seemed to be looming. When the Abyssal Flame fully grew, the Abyssal Gate inside would become completely stable. At that time, endless demonic armies would emerge from the gate, occupying the entire Doomsday City, and killing all the creatures in the city; If it could not be stopped, it would become a disaster for humanity and other races. Song Jian circled around the White Bone Altar but couldnt find a way to destroy the Abyssal Flame. Finally, when there were only a few seconds left of his Divine Attack, he gritted his teeth, leaped high into the air, swung his sword, and slashed at the black flame. Boom! The golden sword light and the black flame fiercely collided, emitting a thunderous explosion. The bronze gate within the black flame shattered completely, and the flame quickly shrank from over a meter high to less than three inches, flickering as if it would go out the next moment. Its effective! Song Jian rejoiced as he continued swinging his sword at the black flame. At this moment, the effect of the Mutated Soul Seed suddenly disappeared. Thirty seconds had passed, and the dense golden light on Song Jians body vanished. Without the suppression of the divine power, the black flame seemed to have the trace of reigniting. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashing on the black flame was like slashing on a phantom, without any effect. Whats going on? Song Jian furrowed his brow. Without the Divine Attack, could it be that there was no way to destroy this Abyssal Magic Flame? At this moment, the White Bone Altar suddenly made a noise as the bones were dismantled from the altar and transformed into a white light in the air. The ground beneath trembled as if the entire White Bone Altar was about to collapse. Song Jian hurriedly got off the altar. Soon, the bones automatically flew out from the altar and merged into the white light in the air. Before long, the entire White Bone Altar disappeared, and the black flame was left floating in midair. The white light in the air seemed like a liquid, constantly flowing. The bones continuously merged into the white light, and soon, a palm-sized Bone Box appeared in the air. The Bone Box opened, and a suction force emerged, drawing the black flame in the air into the box. System: You have completed the mission, received the title Savior; Savior: The one who saved the world from destruction once, respected by the entire world! Human reputation increased by 1000 points, reputation of other races increased by 500 points, all attributes +1, success rate of recruiting NPC Followers +30%, luck +5 (this title does not need to be equipped to take effect). This title is pretty good! Song Jian was surprised. The Savior title was purple, an Epic grade title that was truly unbelievable. Luck + 5, this should be able to offset the negative effects the demon curse has brought me. Song Jian looked at the words Luck +5 and breathed a sigh of relief. Clang- The Bone Box fell to the ground, and Song Jians eyes lit up. He quickly picked up the Bone Box and put it in his inventory. This was a Third-tier Demon Flame. Although he didnt know its use yet, it was definitely a precious treasure. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With the mission complete, Song Jian leisurely opened his inventory to check the items dropped by the Demon Zombie Boss; First was the mission item, a pitch-black heart emitting a faint black aura. In addition, the Demon Halberd used by the Demon Zombie also dropped. This incredible level 15 Silver equipment had excellent attributes, which even surprised Song Jian, who wished he could use it himself. Demon Halberd (Silver), two-handed weapon, attack: 112-130, strength +3, Armor Break +5, damage increase 10%, ignore monster level +10, special effect 1: Meteor Throw (active), throw the halberd at a single target within 30 meters range, causing 300% damage; special effect 2: ignore defense, 35% chance to ignore opponents defense when attacking; special effect 3: demon curse: 30% chance to deal double damage when attacking, 10% chance to deal triple damage, 5% chance to cause weakness to the target; item level: 15, equipment requirements: strength 15 points, agility 10 points; can it be brought out of the game: no. This weapon is too exaggerated. If I were not a Sword Controller, I would probably want to change professions because of this weapon. Song Jian couldnt help but think. At this moment, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly quivered, as if it was dissatisfied with Song Jians thoughts. Song Jian suddenly realized that his own Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was definitely not inferior to this Demon Halberd. If it grew stronger, its attributes would be far superior to this halberd; Thinking of this, Song Jian smiled and turned his attention to the next item; It was a one-inch long glass bottle filled with black liquid that was slowly rippling. The black liquid seemed to be alive, continually climbing up the glass wall and pushing the bottle cap like a tentacle, as if it wanted to break free from the bottle. Demon Bloodline (Silver), single-use item, usage effect: after use, there is a 10% chance to obtain the Abyssal Demon Bloodline, a 30% chance to obtain the Zombie Bloodline, a 50% chance to obtain the Demon Zombie Bloodline, and an 80% chance to lose ones mind, becoming a powerful half-demon monster! Song Jians face darkened. Who would dare use such an item? While it was true that bloodline items were extremely rare and valuable, with an 80% chance of becoming a monster, no one would dare to use it directly. This shouldnt be worth much, right? Song Jian touched his chin, pondering, Never mind, Ill ask Annie later and see if she wants this Demon Bloodline. After all, its a Silver grade item Besides these two items, the remaining items dropped by the Demon Zombie were materials. These materials were all tainted with demonic energy and could be used to make powerful items. If sold, they could make a lot of money. At least the money owed to Silver Moon Merchant Group should be covered. Song Jian calculated in his heart and took a deep breath. Following the secret path back to the surface, the ghost that had been guarding the entrance of the passage had disappeared. Maybe it left or vanished because it sensed that everyone had died, as well as the death of the Demon Zombie. This made Song Jian a little depressed. He hadnt received the mission reward, the Master Key, yet. Just then, Song Jian suddenly remembered something and checked his inventory. Sure enough, the key that initially opened the passage door had changed its appearance and attributes, turning into the mission reward capable of unlocking locked treasure chests of Epic Quality and below. Hey, the Master Key. 1 can play the role of a lock-picking rogue later on. Song Jian thought to himself. With the mission completed, Song Jian returned to Manor Castle and began anxiously contacting Annie of the Silver Moon Merchant Group. Chapter 332: One Hundred Thousand Doomsday Coins Chapter 332: One Hundred Thousand Doomsday Coins Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian first mailed Anne the heart of the Zombie Demon, followed by displaying a Level One Ghost Pearl to her. Does your group accept this kind of forging material? Song Jian asked. Hed seen this material at the auction house before, but they were rare, selling for about one hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins each. If Anne gave an offer that was too low, hed take it to the auction for sale. A Ghost Pearl? Hmm, they are hard to obtain. I know of a Level Thirty secret realm, the Dark Castle. To pass its challenges, you need at least a hundred and twenty points in shadow resistance Annes voice was calm, but Song Jian could tell something was off, like when someone discovers a rare find in an antique store and tries to hide their excitement from the dealer. How much would your group pay for one? Song Jian interrupted Anne, asking her directly. Anne was quite excited at this moment. She hadnt expected Song Jian to actually possess a Level One Ghost Pearl. She had been trying to compose herself during the call, while contemplating what price she could offer for this pearl. A Ghost Pearl adds ten points to shadow resistance. While ten sounds negligible, in the Dark Castle, it could make a deadly attack become only slightly more dangerous, providing the opportunity for a priest to heal the Main Tank (MT) during a Boss fight. Hm, while Ghost Pearls are rare, they are just Level One materials. Our group cant offer a high price. If its a bulk purchase, we can talk, but for just one, Im willing to pay a hundred and eighty Doomsday Coins! Anne weighed up various factors for a long time before giving a price. Song Jian nodded satisfactorily. This price was slightly higher than the auction houses, and it met his expectations. But at that moment, a thought struck him. What did she mean by higher prices for more items? More items meant a higher price? Usually, wasnt it that the more you sell, the cheaper the price? Do you mean to say that the more I have, there would be a slight increase in the price? Song Jian asked. Yes, if theres more than ten, I can go up to two hundred Doomsday Coins! Annes heartbeat sped up slightly. Song Jian raising this question obviously meant he had more than just one pearl. And if I had more? Song Jian asked, testing the waters. Anne took a deep breath to calm herself, saying in a single breath, If its above thirty, two hundred and thirty Doomsday Coins, fifty for two hundred and sixty Doomsday Coins. If you have a hundred altogether, I can offer three hundred Doomsday Coins per pearl! After stating the price, Anne couldnt help but laugh. A hundred Ghost Pearls would require the hunting of at least a hundred and fifty ghost-class monsters that possessed a Demon Bloodline. Such beasts were usually much stronger than their peers at the same level, and they were not something an average ranker could handle. Leaving aside the difficulty of locating so many beasts, even if they were available, at least a team of three hundred rankers would be needed to hunt them down. I have a total of one hundred and ten Level One Ghost Pearls. Lets deal at the rate of three hundred Doomsday Coins per pearl as youd offered! Song Jian stated. Anne was stunned, unsure if she was hearing things. Can you please repeat what you just said? Plow many Ghost Pearls do you have? Anne could barely believe her ears. One hundred and ten! Song Jian responded, his voice clear and confident. How did you get so many? Anne was astounded. Could it be that there was a powerful legion behind him? Alright, that sounds good! Anne agreed immediately You currently owe the Silver Moon Commerce thirty-six thousand Doomsday Coins. For the sake of our good relations, you can just pay one hundred and ten Ghost Pearls. Also, you will be a VIP member of Silver Moon Commerce starting today. From now on, you will enjoy a five percent discount on all transactions! Song Jian smiled slightly. Not only did she offer a discount of three thousand Doomsday Coins, but she also bypassed the compulsory consumption requirement of one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins and allowed him to become a Silver Moon Commerce member, making purchasing materials from them more affordable in the future. Thats excellent! You can adjust the contract, and I will send you the Ghost Pearls right after. Song Jian said. Feeling relieved after the mission was completed, Song Jian thought hed have to sell all the loot dropped by the Zombie Demon to cover the debt. Now, just by selling the Ghost Pearls, he has already fulfilled the obligation. I have a few other items. Ive sent you their attributes. Would your commerce be interested in acquiring them? Song Jian instantly displayed the Demon Halberd, the Demon Bloodline as well as some other materials, all dropped by the Zombie Demon, to Anne. Upon glancing over them, Anne inhaled sharply. How is that possible? All of these items are loot from the Zombie Demon. Not one of them has been kept back? Are these excellent items below the procurement standards of their team? Anne was astonished. The sight of so many Ghost Pearls had initially made her stagger. The stature of Song Jian in her mind had risen rapidly to an astonishing height. If anyone were to tell Anne now that Song Jian was a city lord, she wouldnt even be surprised. How much are you looking to sell these items for? Anne asked cautiously. The Demon Halberd for fifty thousand Doomsday Coins, the Demon Bloodline for thirty thousand Doomsday Coins, and other materials for twenty thousand Doomsday Coins in total! Song Jian directly said his prices. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. One hundred thousand Doomsday Coins Anne mused for a while. With these items and over a hundred Ghost Pearls, she could establish a twenty-person elite squad capable of conquering the secret realm of Dark Castle on hard mode. Once that happened, her standing within the commerce would greatly improve. Upon hearing that Anne didnt reject it outright, Song Jian relaxed. It seemed like the amount of one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins was still within her limit. I can trade with you right now! After thinking it over in her mind for a long time, Anne finally made a decision. This time, she decided not to purchase in the name of the commerce, but in her own name. Only when she truly possesses power, would she truly be called strong. Anne had already planned to build her own formidable squad. The items that Song Jian was selling filled the gap that she urgently needed. Chapter 333: Encountering the Dwarf Commander Again Chapter 333: Encountering the Dwarf Commander Again Translator: 549690339 With the one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins in hand, excitement filled Song Jians face. This transaction exceeded his expectations by a lot, but it also aroused his interest in the level-30 Dark Castle dungeon. What kind of dungeon would make Annie invest so heavily? If she could spend a hundred thousand, then the output of this dungeon must be several times that. After considering for a while, Song Jian shook his head. The level-30 dungeon was not something he could enter at this point. After pre-ordering a batch of T-X high-explosive grenade materials from Annie, Song Jian went to the auction house to buy materials for making Self-destructing Robots. In fact, the biggest gain from this transaction, Song Jian felt, was the Third-tier Demon Flame within the Bone Box. However, he did not know how to use the Magic Flame yet and could only set it aside. As for Annie from the Silver Moon Commerce, he dared not even disclose it, lest he attracts unnecessary trouble. When Song Jian arrived at the auction house, he found that many players were excitedly discussing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Did you hear? That Imperial Dragon Demon Palace opening cost five or six alliances heavy losses, and they got nothing! Not only that, but 1 heard that there were at least a dozen NPC deaths, all of them level-15 elites. But the benefits were reaped by a single player! Impressive! Hmph, stand out, and youll get shot. I heard that the best stuff in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace was snatched by that player, and as a result, many NPCs have issued bounties on him. 1 heard the rewards are pretty good! 1 dont know what that guy got, but its causing so many NPCs to go green with envy. However, getting ten thousand Doomsday Coins just by killing him once, these NPCs are desperate! This game is too bizarre. NPCs can issue quests to kill players? Dont you find that strange? Whats so strange about that? The NPCs in this game are smart. If it werent for their status, I would hardly be able to tell the difference between them and the players! By the way, whats the name of that player who is being targeted by so many NPCs bounties? Hes pretty much my idol! I think his name is Song Jian. He must be a fierce person, able to make so many NPCs and alliances suffer. Ordinary players like us cant deal with him; its better to stay out of it and dont provoke him. Song Jian frowned, feeling like he had suddenly become famous, as many players were discussing him. This forced him to conceal all his attributes. In fact, many players were accustomed to hiding their levels and lives, keeping their heads bare. Only some particularly flashy players would display their names, attributes, and titles above their heads. After buying up all the materials for making Self-destructing Robots in the auction house, Song Jian, pretending to be curious, asked one of the players discussing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace excitedly: Where are those NPCs who issued the bounty quests you mentioned? Hey, bro, are you interested? Ten thousand Doomsday Coins arent that easy to come by. 1 heard that this Song Jian guy is incredible, with a terrifying combat power. He managed to keep a group of NPCs with level-15 elite BOSS power at bay. This task wont be easy. Wouldnt want you to get roped into it Players only have one life, dont be fooled by these NPCs as their pawn Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not really, just curious Song Jian showed a shy smile, looking harmless. Most of the NPCs who issued the tasks are moving around, not staying in one place for too long. However, there is one NPC who opened a blacksmiths shop in the city, the kind that forges weapons and equipment. He also issued a task to kill Song Jian. You can go check it out there The player told Song Jian the exact location of the blacksmiths shop. Thanks. Song Jian smiled and turned to leave. In the World Alliance conference room, a group of people were gathered around an oval table discussing the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Although they had set up an alliance, many people still preferred to call it a guild, and the leader of the alliance was called the president by these people. President, what exactly happened in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace that so many NPCs are now pursuing this Song Jian? Should we accept this task too? Ten thousand Doomsday Coins! Old Eight, if youre greedy for money, just go and accept this task, but don t drag us down with you A player sitting beneath the president with slanted eyes glared at the player who spoke: You werent there, so you dont know the strength of that player. Weve all witnessed it firsthand. Hmph, in fact, if it werent for Song Jian, our group might all have died in that demon palace! As he spoke, the player retold the events in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace to everyone. Many people couldnt help but gasp, their eyes full of disbelief. How can there be such a powerful player at this stage? Level-20 elite BOSSes are no match for him? What level is he? Self-destructing Robots? What are those, products of engineering? They can kill a level-15 elite BOSS in seconds? Are they really that strong? Even if he is that powerful, its just one person. 1 dont believe our alliance cant swarm and kill him! Is it necessary? For ten thousand Doomsday Coins, how many people do you think will die? Is it worth it? The conference room became noisy, with those who hadnt experienced the imperial Dragon Demon Palace not believing Song Jian could be so powerful. However, those who had witnessed it did not want to provoke such an existence. On the other hand, Song Jian had already appeared in a simple blacksmith shop. The owner of this shop was one of the NPCs who had issued a bounty on Song Jian. Its him? Song Jians eyebrows jumped, and a look of surprise flashed across his face as he looked at the NPC melting ores and making equipment in front of the blacksmiths shop. This NPC turned out to be the Dwarf Commander that Song Jian had encountered outside the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. Back then, he had killed his three subordinates who had tried to stop him, while the commander had escaped and never entered the palace. Humph, since youre seeking death, dont blame me! A murderous intent emerged in Song Jians eyes. His relationship with the Dwarf Clan had been raised from hatred to indifference due to his title of savior. However, his relationship with this Dwarf Commander remained one of hatred. Clang clang clang- The Dwarf Commander clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, continuously hammering the clump of material on the iron anvil. In a short while, the shape of a long knife appeared on the anvil. Looking at the weapon about to take shape, the Dwarf Commander gritted his teeth, took out a piece of Obsidian from his parcel, and placed it in the furnace fire with iron tongs. Soon, ten minutes later, the Obsidian started to show signs of melting. The Dwarf Commander quickly grabbed it with tongs and fused it with the nearly finished weapon blank. As the long knife on the iron anvil neared completion, a look of frustration appeared on the Dwarf Commanders face. He shook his head and sighed, Its a pity that I had only ordinary flames during forging. If I had Strange Fire, even a first-tier one, this weapon would be at least silver quality. But now, its at most a top blue-grade weapon. As he was speaking, a dazzling blue light suddenly shone on the iron anvil. Chapter 334: Manhunt Mission Chapter 334: Manhunt Mission Translator: 549690339 The Dwarf Commander grasped the still-hot longsword on the iron felt and examined its attributes. Soon, a smile spread across his face. A top-grade weapon! Its really a top-grade blue equipment! Haha, with these attributes, its definitely comparable to a silver equipment of the same level. This is fantastic! The Dwarf Commander held up the longsword, which emitted a rich blue glow, and laughed heartily. At this point, the Dwarf Commanders actions had attracted the attention of many players. Seeing a crowd gathering, he directly displayed the attributes of the longsword. Blade of Breaking, these attributes are top-notch! Thats amazing! With this longsword, my strength would increase by at least one-third. Its attack power is insane, and it has Armor Break and double damage. One slash with this thing could instantly kill a player with less than 100 Vitality Points. Its ludicrous! My silver-quality one-handed sword actually does two points less damage than this one. Its simply outrageous Players started discussing among themselves, with some even eagerly asking about the price. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boss, how much for this longsword? Oh mighty Dwarf blacksmith, I offer 3,000 Doomsday Coins for this weapon. Would you be willing to sell it to me? 3,000 Doomsday Coins for a weapon with such top-notch attributes? You must be dreaming! Boss, 1 offer 5,000 Doomsday Coins! Ill give you 6,000, sell it to me! The people who had discovered this top-grade longsword were still few, and the players wanted to buy it before a crowd gathered. They knew that once wealthy and powerful alliances got wind of it, they stood no chance as lone players. Within a short time, the price of the longsword had risen to 8,000 Doomsday Coins. But thats as high as it got. With 8,000 Doomsday Coins already touching the baseline for silver-quality equipment, any higher would not be cost-effective. One might as well buy a silver-quality weapon directly. This is a weapon; if it were any other piece of equipment, it definitely wouldnt fetch such a high price. But weapons are a different story, especially a level 15 weapon like this one. Its so rare. A player whispered, looking enviously at the big shots bidding for the weapon. A top-grade weapon like this was nothing short of a pipe dream for players who had just crossed the level 10 profession threshold. They could only gather around to watch the excitement. 8,300! Any higher, and I may as well buy a silver-quality weapon! one player gritted his teeth. Hmph, you think you can buy a level 15 silver-quality weapon with 8,300 Doomsday Coins? Maybe you could buy a single piece of silver equipment, but a weapon? Forget it. Without 10,000 Doomsday Coins, its impossible. And right now, level 15 silver-quality equipment is incredibly scarce. Whenever it appears in the auction house, its immediately bought at the asking price! someone sneered. Ive seen a silver-quality one-handed sword sell for 30,000 Doomsday Coins. Its insane. It was snapped up not even five minutes after appearing in the auction house. Many people didnt even get a chance to see it! Another players eyes were filled with envy. As more and more players gathered around, a smile appeared on the Dwarf Commanders face. He held up the longsword, glanced around, and shouted, I dont intend to sell this Blade of Breaking. Instead, Ill offer it as a task reward. If any of you can kill the Song Jian, a Gods Chosen One, Ill reward you with 10,000 Doomsday Coins and this Blade of Breaking! Suddenly, the onlookers erupted into a commotion. The reward was too tempting: the Blade of Breaking was an exceptional blue weapon, and someone would surely be willing to pay 10,000 Doomsday Coins for it. With the previous 10,000 Doomsday Coins on top, the reward was equivalent to 20,000 Doomsday Coins, which made many players green with envy. Just how did this Song Jian offend an NPC so much that so many people are putting out a bounty on him? If I could kill him, wouldnt it be a huge payday? This could be a quest worth over 100,000 Doomsday Coins! a player whispered. Killing Song Jian would allow them to claim the bounties offered by over a dozen NPCs, worth a combined total of over 100,000 Doomsday Coins. This was an irresistible temptation for any player. To put it into perspective, 100,000 in-game Doomsday Coins were more valuable than 5 million in real-world currency. When the game first started, the exchange rate between Doomsday Coins and RMB reached 1:300. However, with the increase in player levels and strength, obtaining Doomsday Coins had become easier, and the exchange rate had dropped significantly, settling at around 1:50. Even at this rate, only a small number of players were willing to sell. Most players would rather hold onto their Doomsday Coins and buy treasures in the game. After all, enhancements made in the game could also be brought back to the real world. Boss, who is this Song Jian you mentioned? And where is he right now? a player shouted. Hes just a level 15 player like you guys. What is there to be afraid of? No matter how powerful he is, can he compare to a level 15 elite boss? From what I know, not just level 15 elite bosses, even the lord-class bosses have been defeated by someone! The Dwarf Commander said casually, If you accept the bounty task from me, you can get the targets location every half hour. You just need to kill him and the 10,000 Doomsday Coins along with this top-grade blue weapon will be yours. The Dwarf Commander continued to tempt players to accept the task. Due to system restrictions, he couldnt deceive them, but that didnt stop him from downplaying Song Jians strength. When the Dwarf Commander encountered Song Jian, his level was indeed only 15 as well. He had no idea that in such a short time, Song Jian had already leveled up. After reaching level 10, players needed a lot of battle experience to level up again. The battle experience required to go from level 10 to level 11 was equal to the total needed to go from level 1 to level 10. Not to mention leveling up from 15 to 16. Even if the Dwarf Commander knew about the players leveling up quickly, he wouldnt believe that Song Jian could level up within such a short period of one or two days. Fine, boss. Ill accept this bounty task! A player finally couldnt resist the temptation and accepted the task from the Dwarf Commander. Ill accept it too. If Im lucky enough to kill that guy, Ill be rich! I Ill think about it. Ive been tricked by NPCs before, and I always feel like theyre not telling the whole truth. Be cautious with what they say In a short period of time, seven or eight players had accepted the bounty task. Huh? The mission prompt Why does it say this guys coordinates are nearby? A player who accepted the bounty task exclaimed in surprise. Let me see Its true! The wanted guy is nearby! Damn, hes really bold! Hey everyone, lets search for him. Hes close by! If we kill him, well split the rewards! Suddenly, the players around the blacksmith shop got excited and started looking around. The Dwarf Commanders eyes revealed a hint of doubt. Hearing that Song Jian was nearby, his heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling washed over him. Chapter 335: Mechanical Puppet Chapter 335: Mechanical Puppet Translator: 549690339 sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Amid the flurry of discussions and searches, Song Jian slowly emerged from around a street corner. A dark red longsword in hand, his gaze fixed on the Dwarf Commander. Hey, that guy is hiding his name and properties. Could he be the one were searching for? A player perked up, pointing at Song Jian and yelled loudly. The Dwarf Commander turned his head towards Song Jian for a brief moment, his face drained of color. He shouted, Its Song Jian! Kill him, and the reward is all yours! No sooner had he said this than a middle-aged man, outfitted in heavy armor and brandishing an assault rifle, made his move towards Song Jian. Dadadada The muzzle spat out foot-long flames, the bullets in the magazine emptied out in mere seconds. Ha, looks like the mission reward is mine! The man grinned, dropping the empty clip casually onto the ground as he looked towards Song Jian. Cling clang clang- The deformed bullet casings rattled onto the ground, but Song Jian seemed no more aware of them than before, continuing his advance. Impossible, each of my shots should inflict over ten damage. I fired forty rounds, thats over four hundred total damage. How could it not even break his defense? The middle-aged mans face flushed, he looked as if hed just seen a ghost. Song Jians talent skill Thick Skin could negate any damage below fifteen, which made him the perfect counter to firearms relying on bullet quantity for damage. Earth Teeth Assault! An energy ball in the shape of a violent beasts fang flew toward the middle-aged man. The stirring dust from the ground made it seem as if there truly was a beast lurking below, rushing toward the man. Boom! The middle-aged man had no time to dodge and was sent flying by the Earth Teeth Assault. His vitality points immediately dropped by over 70 points; Nice defense! A smirk appeared on Song Jians face as he fixed his incisive gaze onto the middle-aged man, whose vitality points had decreased by one third. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian swung his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, creating an invisible mental sword that swooped down toward the middle-aged man above Song Jians head. None of the onlookers could see the trajectory of the mental sword. They simply heard the middle-aged man scream in agony as a number of a light blue 150 hovered above his head, and his vitality points plummeted to zero. What, what was that attack? Sword Qi? Impossible-Even if it was Sword Qi, there should be some kind of trace, but Curse, is it a curse? The spectators gasped in shock. Song Jian was at least seven to eight meters away from the middle-aged man, and with a simple swing of his sword, he depleted all of the mans remaining vitality points? He just killed an MT from the Iron Blood War Alliance. Song Jian is in big trouble now, said a player who recognized the middle-aged man. I have a feeling that its Iron Blood War Alliance whos in big trouble, added another player somberly. Are you putting a bounty on me? Song Jian approached the Dwarf Commander with a smile. Kill him! Everyone, attack together! Kill him and get a half-price discount on any items at my blacksmith shop! The Dwarf Commander retreated, shouting loudly. The players all began to slowly back away, leaving a wide-open space. None of those who had accepted the bounty mission dared to make a move. I he heart of an Iron Blood War Alliance couldnt survive two of Song Jians attacks; any other player who tried was surely asking for death. Looking down at the wooden box that exploded from the corpse at his feet, Song Jian opened it casually. Inside was a full set of level fifteen white quality defense equipment, along with a level ten white quality assault rifle. The only item of value was a level fifteen, blue quality shield. Unfortunately, the middle-aged man hadnt even had the chance to use it. Loose change. I reckon itll fetch two or three thousand Doomsday coins, Song Jian estimated as he took the loot. Seeing that none of the players dared to step forward, the Dwarf Commanders face turned white. He seemed to have lost all his courage and collapsed next to the furnace of his blacksmith shop. Dont kill me. I can cancel the bounty, and Ill give you adequate compensation! Dread filled the Dwarf Commanders eyes. Compensation? A cold smile appeared on Song Jians face. Then let me collect my compensation with your head! With that, Song Jian swung his sword at the Dwarf Commander. His dark red long sword streaked through the air and ruthlessly cleaved into the Dwarf Commanders shoulder. You dont need to push me! The Dwarf Commanders eyes filled with bloodshot strains as he waved the newly forged Blade of Breaking at Song Jian.?????????????????????????? 0 Heavy Chop! 1 he Dwarf Commander roared, his longsword bursting with brilliant white sword energy, sweeping towards Song Jian. Song Jian raised his sword to block, a great force surged from his sword, causing him to retreat a few steps, his eyes showing a hint of surprise. Not bad, a power enhancer? Song Jian whispered. At this point, Song Jians strength attribute, with the bonus from his equipment, had already reached twenty-two points, while the Dwarf Commanders strength attribute had just surpassed fifteen points. He was no match for Song Jian. But this stroke made him retreat. Obviously, this skill has a significant boost in strength, otherwise Song Jian would not retreat. It seems like he isnt going to beat this dwarf, A player gleefully whispered, as if he was itching to try something. Look closely, the dwarf used a skill, and he used a basic attack! His companion reminded, immediately extinguishing the budding flames of battle in his heart. Don t be impulsive. Lets watch, The onlooking players exchanged glances, understanding each others intentions. As soon as Song Jian seemed fatigued, they would swoop in like vultures. A bounty of 20,000 Doomsday coins was enough motivation for anyone to risk it all. Within a dozen moves, the Dwarf Commander was quickly overpowered by Song Jian. The longsword in the Dwarf commanders hands was discarded to the side, replaced by the scepter he had previously used at the entrance to the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. The honor of the dwarves shall not be defiled! The Dwarf Commander, whose vitality points had dropped by over half, swiped the longsword he had thrown aside and tossed it into the air. Clatter clatter clatter- The longsword floated mid-air, cracks appearing on its blade. Within seconds, this freshly forged blue superior quality longsword shattered. The fragments vanished into thin air. A low roar came from the sky. A mechanical puppet, taller than three meters, appeared out of nowhere, leaped down from midair, and shielded the Dwarf Commander. Chapter 336: Are You Even Extorting an NPC? Chapter 336: Are You Even Extorting an NPC? Translator: 549690339 | The Dwarf Commander looked worn out. His once thick, pitch-dark hair, and beard, became almost white the moment the mechanical puppet appeared. The wrinkles on his face deepened, making him look like he had aged more than a decade in an instant. You forced me to this, you forced me to this,, The Dwarf Commander mumbled to himself, in a trance, clutching his scepter tightly. What the hell is this thing? Song Jian squinted his eyes. The mechanical puppet before him was clad in heavy armor, with intricate magical patterns etched on its surface. These patterns faintly glowed, giving it a mysterious look. The puppets body constantly emitted rumbling sounds and each step it took made the ground quake. Its footprints were visible on the solid mixed boundary. A Level 15 Elite Boss Song Jian felt a heavy oppression from the mechanical puppet, similar to when he faced the Imperial Dragon Demon Lord. Although it was just a Level 15 Elite Boss, the mechanical puppet had a shocking ten thousand Vitality Points, which made Song Jian gasp in surprise. Thats impossible, not even a Level 20, no, a Level 30 Elite Boss, could have such high Vitality Points! Song Jian silently muttered to himself. But soon, Song Jian saw a five-minute countdown timer above the mechanical puppets head. It can only be summoned for five minutes? Song Jian glanced at the Dwarf Commander slumped nearby and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Beep beep beep- A red light emitted from the eyes of the mechanical puppet, sweeping over Song Jian. Target located, beginning lock-on Target locked, mission directive: destroy target at all costs A series of mechanical noises emanated from the puppets body, as if an artificial intelligence was operating the puppet. Whoosh- The mechanical puppet swung its over-three-meter long axe towards Song Jian. The force of the swing created a gush of wind that made the surrounding air explode, causing onlookers to change their expressions. They felt a chilling wind, as if a blade was constantly slicing their cheeks, and instinctively drew back. Soon, only Song Jian and the mechanical puppet were left within a ten-meter radius. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians expression changed, and he swiftly retreated. He lacked confidence that he could withstand this attack, so he could only dodge. Bang! The impact left a three-meter diameter crater on the ground with a large fissure spreading seven or eight meters from the hole. Even though Song Jian had dodged the attack, he still felt a strong force that threw him several meters back, and he rough fell to the ground. This, this, its like a war machine! A solemn expression appeared on Song Jians face as he looked up at the countdown on the mechanical puppets head. Song Jian, theres no way you can beat this mechanical puppet. Its the Dwarf clans war machine, just like the Ancient War Tree of the Elf clan. Its not meant to be summoned unless absolutely necessary The Dwarf Commander stood up, his aged face revealed a hint of relief. He pointed his wand at Song Jian and said, It took me the equivalent of fifteen years of life and a superior blue-grade weapon to summon it. Even faced with an army of a hundred, it could rout them all! Watching Song Jian play hide-and-seek with the attacks of the mechanical puppet made the Dwarf Commander let out a hearty, satisfied laugh. Seeing Song Jian at a disadvantage, the spectators became excited. But the mechanical puppets attacks impacted everything within a range, so some players retreated immediately upon nearing the puppet, nearly being killed. Song Jian looked at the mechanical puppet storming towards him with cold eyes. Suddenly, his figure flashed, turning into a shadow that rushed towards the distance. He, hes running? The Dwarf Commander was taken aback. While the mechanical puppet chased after Song Jian with huge strides, due to its colossal size, speed was not its strength. It couldnt catch up with Song Jian even if it tried. Such war machines are often used in battles of thousands of people, and as soon as the enemy flees, it signifies their defeat. The purpose of a mechanical puppet is to assault fortresses, not to chase scattered enemies. After tangling with the mechanical puppet for a while, Song Jian keenly noticed its weakness. He used his Sword Shadow Step and managed to distance himself by several meters. There were less than three minutes left of the mechanical puppets summoning and as long as Song Jian held out for this time, he could simply return later. He wondered how much life and superior weapons the Dwarf Commander could sacrifice. Seeing the cold smile on Song Jians face, the Dwarf Commander felt a chill ripple through him. After hesitating for a moment, he rushed into the blacksmith shop. Soon, he came out with a large bundle on his shoulder, looking ready to abandon his spot and flee. Hey, you cant leave. We accepted the bounty mission. If you run now, who will give us the mission rewards? A player, noticing the Dwarf Commander plan on running away, quickly intercepted him and yelled in discontent. Dwarf Commander: WIMP, shouldnt you know if you can complete the bounty mission? If you really could complete it, would I have tried to run away? You cant run! This bounty mission doesnt have a time limit. We may, possibly, perhaps, be able to complete it sooner or later. Where will we find you for our rewards then? You cant leave! Another player righteously grabbed the Dwarf Commanders arm and said. Even if youre this small, I could still beat up eight of you with one hand, believe it or not? The Dwarf Commander looked at the player who had just completed his promotion mission, a level ten warrior. He felt contempt for him. Soon, seven or eight players who accepted the bounty mission had the Dwarf Commander surrounded, refusing to allow him to leave. Are you going to get out of my way, or not? If not, 1 will have to resort to force! The Dwarf Commanders face turned gloomy. The summoning time for the mechanical puppet was about to end. If he didnt leave now, he wouldnt have another chance. We wont move, we wont move even if we die! A player shouted: Unless you compensate for our loss, we have accepted the mission. If you leave, the mission will fail. You have to compensate for our loss! Yes, you must compensate for our loss. Other players faces lit up with joy upon hearing this. The other players who hadnt accepted the bounty mission gasped, Youre even blackmailing an NPC, arent you asking for trouble? The Dwarf Commander looked at the players in front of him. None of them were above level thirteen and he regretted not setting a standard for the mission. Chapter 337: A White Blacksmith’s Shop Chapter 337: A White Blacksmiths Shop Translator: 549690339 The Dwarf Commander was surrounded by a group of players in the center, unable to move forward or retreat. Seeing that the time limit for the summoning of the mechanical puppet was less than a minute away, he bit his lip in frustration, pulled out several green-quality weapons from the large bundle on his back, and carelessly tossed them aside as he said, Take these as compensation for your losses. Can you let me go now? All these weapons were level ten green-quality weapons, worth over a thousand Doomsday Coins. Expressions of elation instantly appeared on several faces C they had done nothing and yet had obtained a weapon for free. What a bargain! However, clearly a few players were not satisfied. How could an item worth 1,000 Doomsday Coins compare to a task reward worth 20,000 Doomsday Coins? It was peanuts! No way, unless you award us the mission reward, we wont let you go! A tall player held the Dwarf Commander, shouting loudly. Damn, thats quite a demand, brother. Youre like a mudslide in the world of extortion. You havent even completed the mission and you want the reward already? How thick-skinned are you! Some players were shocked, all their eyes turned to him, wondering what this bold player looked like. If they met him in the wild in the future, they would need to avoid him at all costs. You, you what? The mission target is right there. You go and kill him! If you kill him, Ill give you not only 20,000 Doomsday Coins, but even 200,000! The Dwarf Commanders beard was trembling with anger as he stomped his foot. The tall player was taken aback and quickly said, Theres no time limit for the mission. You can wait here, I will complete this mission sooner or later, you cant run away! If I die, the mission will fail, and you will get a failure penalty! The Dwarf Commander cried out. Failure penalty? Whats a failure penalty? Those who had accepted the bounty quest quickly opened their mission bars to check. They were all blinded by greed when they saw Song Jian show up. They took the bounty quest without thinking, not reading the mission description carefully. Your main attribute will be reduced by two points. Oh hell, this dwarf really played us, we cant let him go! A player cried out in anger. Players dont gain attribute points when they level up. To increase attribute points, they must find treasures in the game like Attribute Fruits, and if they are lucky, sometimes they can buy attribute-increasing treasures from NPCs. All in all, attribute points are crucial for everyone, and these treasures are not easily obtained. Right now, two attribute points are particularly critical for the players. Youre not going anywhere. You dare to trick us? How is it possible for us to kill that guy? Youre scamming us! A player said angrily. Right, scam! We, we will report you! Bastard, explain to us why two attribute points are deducted! For a moment, all the players who had accepted the quest became furious. After witnessing Song Jians strength, they wisely chose to give up. Ten seconds left The Dwarf Commander turned pale. Finally, he reluctantly said, Fine, fine, I will establish a contract with you guys. Just pretend this quest was never issued. No way, you have to give us the quest reward. You have to count as if we completed the quest, otherwise we wont let you go! The tall player still would not let up. Brother, let it be. Times almost up. If that guy turns around and really kills this dwarf, we wont get anything. Instead, wed lose two attribute points. Its not worth it! Some players couldnt bear it anymore and tried to persuade the tall player. No way, we cant just let this dude have it easy. When he issued the mission, he didnt mention that the players strength was so formidable. This is deception! He tricked us into offering our lives! The tall player said indignantly. This Just then, a low roar rang out from a distance. A silver light flashed across the sky, and the figure of the mechanical puppet slowly floated down from the sky into a portal that looked similar to a black hole. The Dwarf Commanders face turned pale. He hurriedly said, Let me go now, or we will all die here. With that, the Dwarf Commander pulled out a bomb from his package, casting a fierce glance at the surrounding players. The sight of the bomb in the Dwarf Commanders hand sent a chill down the players spines. They quickly backed away, some begrudgingly doing so, not daring to actually gamble with their lives. The Dwarf Commander snorted coldly, holding his staff in one hand and the bomb in the other. With a large bundle on his back, he quickly moved down the street. Soon, he disappeared into a narrow alleyway. Not long after, Song Jian, wielding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, appeared on the street. Despite the frantic chase just now, he didnt look the least bit hurt. Once the summoning time limit of the mechanical puppet was over, he immediately made his way back to the blacksmiths shop, intending to finish off the Dwarf Commander. Huh, where did he go? Song Jian stood in front of the blacksmiths shop, looking around. Master, the dwarf has already run away! A player shouted loudly. Yes, I saw him running down that alley. Master, go chase him! He surely hasnt gone far. The spectating players were all shouting. While the Dwarf Commander had run away, he couldnt escape from the blacksmiths shop. Although the Dwarf Commander had probably taken all the valuables, there would be plenty of items left behind. Several players had already set their sights on the blacksmiths shop. But as long as Song Jian hadnt left, they dared not approach and seize it. After all, the present owner of this blacksmiths shop, had been chased away by none other than Song Jian. In other words, the current owner of this blacksmiths shop was now Song Jian. Instead of chasing after the Dwarf Commander, Song Jian walked towards the blacksmiths shop. The moment he stepped into the blacksmiths shop, he received a system notification. System: You have chased away the owner of the junior blacksmiths shop and successfully taken over. System: You now own this blacksmiths shop. You can use it at will, hire a Forging Master to make equipment for sale, and so on. System: You need to pay a management fee of 100 Doomsday Coms every month. Otherwise, the system will automatically take back this junior blacksmiths shop. This blacksmiths shop is mine now? Song Jian was taken aback, thinking to himself. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, a golden light enveloped the entire blacksmiths shop and Song Jian. After a short while, the blacksmiths shop automatically changed its name to Song Jians Blacksmiths Shop, and Song Jian received an interface for constructing the blacksmiths shop, where he could hire a Forging Master and sell equipment and weapons. Well, it seems Ive managed to get a blacksmiths shop for free! Song Jian gave a slight smile. At this moment, the forge of the blacksmiths shop suddenly burst into flames. Simultaneously, the Bone Box in his inventory began to shake violently, and a shrill roar came from inside the Bone Box. Chapter 338: Abyssal Flame Chapter 338: Abyssal Flame Translator: 549690339 | Watching the anomalies occurring in the forges blazing furnace, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed. The demonic flame inside the Bone Box in his inventory seemed to have been provoked, as it suddenly ignited and even spread to the surface of the Bone Box. Whats happening? Song Jian asked in astonishment, looking at the Bone Box in his inventory that was now engulfed in black flames, his heart skipping a beat. Perhaps sensing the power of the Third-tier Demon flame, the forges fire promptly shrank in size, with all its fury subsiding, as if it had encountered the king of its kind. System: Would you like to replace the ordinary furnace fire in the Primary forge with the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame? Note: Using the Third-tier Demon flame to forge items will greatly increase the success rate, greatly increase the mutation rate, and greatly increase the items tier! Seeing the three greatly increased attributes in the system prompt, Song Jians face instantly lit up with joy. However, the system quickly provided another prompt: System: The Primary forge is detected to not have the qualifications to accommodate a Third-tier Demon flame. You must upgrade the Primary forge to an Advanced forge to accommodate the Third-tier Demon flame, or unforeseen losses may occur. Not qualified to accommodate? Must upgrade the forges level? Song Jian was dumbfounded, and quickly checked the requirements to upgrade the forge: Upgrading the Primary forge to an Intermediate forge requires 100,000 forging experience points, while upgrading the Intermediate forge to an Advanced forge requires 1,000,000 forging experience points! Upon reading this, Song Jian was momentarily speechless. He could barely accept needing 100,000 forging experience points, but 1,000,000? How long would it take to forge that much? With these thoughts, Song Jian decisively refused to let the newly acquired forge accommodate the Third-tier Demon flame. However, soon, the Bone Box in his inventory emitted a creaking sound, and fine cracks slowly appeared on its surface. Tiny, substantial black flames squeezed out from these cracks. The flames seem to be out of control, the Bone Box can no longer contain them. Will it destroy my inventory? Song Jians heart was startled, and he quickly retrieved the Bone Box. Boom! The instant Song Jian retrieved it, the Bone Box turned to ashes, leaving a black ember wildly dancing in his palm like a spritely elf. The scorching heat instantly raised the temperature around the forge. System: Do you want to bind the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame as your personal Strange fire? Binding? Can it be bound to a character? So, can I only fuse it with the forge after binding it? Song Jian thought to himself, but he didnt have time for that and directly chose to bind it. Lets see what it looks like after binding it as my personal Strange fire! Once he made his decision, Song Jian quickly clicked confirm! Suddenly, the Abyssal flame underwent a change, the small flame in his palm burning more ferociously and enveloping his entire body, from afar, Song Jian looked like a man on fire, engulfed in black flames. Song Jian felt an intense heat surrounding him, as if he had been thrown into boiling water, unbearable for anyone. In his ears, annoying and disturbing moans began to echo, filled with temptation and violence, causing dizziness and making his head feel like it was about to explode. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, a slowly-moving progress bar appeared before Song Jians eyes: Integration with the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame 1% 2% 3% Integrating? Am I now merging with this flame? Its so unbearable! Song Jian clutched his collar, his face twisted in pain. Squeak, squeak, squeak Song Jian felt as if he could hear his flesh sizzling in flames. He even had the illusion that he was skewered on a stick and being roasted over a fire. He couldnt help but convulse involuntarily. Just then, a cool sensation surged into his mind like a bubbling spring, extinguishing all the flames. His mind instantly cleared, and his eyes regained their clarity. At that moment, the progress bar had just reached 10%. However, as soon as Song Jian regained his clarity, the progress bar instantly jumped from 10% to 90% and continued to move rapidly at a visible speed. Seeing Song Jian suddenly become a man on fire covered with black flames, all the surrounding players watching were startled and scattered away. This was their instinctive reactionfor them, safety always came first. This instinct had penetrated deep into their bones. Players without this instinct would have long been monsters food. finally, Song Jian saw the progress bar reach 100% and then disappear. System: The Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame has been bound as player Song Jians personal item. System: Integration with the Third-tier Demon flame Abyssal flame completed. After the tempering of the Third-tier Demon flame, player Song Jians Vitality Points permanently increased by 200, Strength increased by 5 points, Agility increased by 5 points, Constitution increased by 5 points, Spirit increased by 5 points, Ice Resistance increased by 30 points, fire Resistance increased by 30 points, Water magic damage reduced by 30%, fire magic damage reduced by 30%. Permanent control of the Third-tier Demon Plame Abyssal Plame acquired. System: The player officially controls the Third-tier Demon Flame Abyssal Plame and can use it to open the Abyssal Gate and enter the Abyssal Land. The Abyssal Gate can only be opened once a month; Reminder: The Abyssal Land is filled with danger, and it is advised that players enter after level 30. How is this possible? Song Jian was dumbfounded. It was as if a gigantic pie had fallen from the sky and hit Song Jian squarely. The greatly increased benefits of the Third-tier Demon Flame alone were mouthwatering enough, and he didnt expect it to have so many additional attributes. Just the permanent increase of 200 Vitality Points alone had allowed Song Jians Vitality Points to break the 1,000 mark. Coupled with an additional 5 points in Constitution, Song Jian had already reached 1,160 Vitality Points. For any player at the current stage, Song Jian could now be considered a humanoid Boss. Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Spirit each increased by 5 points, solidifying Song Jians humanoid Boss title. Not to mention, the increases in Ice Resistance, Fire Resistance, and the weakening of Water and Fire magic. The most accessible profession for ordinary players was Mage, and the easiest mage specializations to master were Water and Fire Mages. With his Ice Resistance, Fire Resistance, and reduction in Water and Fire magic damage, Song Jian had become a Mage-killer against these two types of Mages. They had no chance against him. Magic that would have inflicted over a hundred points of damage to Song Jian before now only dealt ten or twenty points. Song Jian didnt even need to take a potion. Feeling the surging power within him, Song Jians face was filled with an ecstatic smile. The added attributes had gone far beyond Song Jians expectations. Chapter 339: Leaving the Game Chapter 339: Leaving the Game Translator: 549690339 With a thought, the black flames burning on the surface of Song Jians body suddenly disappeared. Then, lifting his right hand, a flicker of black flame appeared in his palm. Clenching his hand into a fist, the flame vanished, and with a boom, black flames surged once again on Song Jians body surface. Hahaha, thats amazing, absolutely formidable! With a single thought, the black flames disappeared again, but joy spread across Song Jians face. Perhaps I should learn the art of forging? A sudden thought popped into Song Jians mind. He knew that the Third-tier Demon Flame exuded a significant enhancement, which was like a divine tool for forging. With a blacksmith in possession and the Strange Fire, all Song Jian needed now were a Forging Skill Book and forging blueprints to start practicing Forge Art With the help of the Strange Fire, his forging skills would undoubtedly improve much faster than other players. Skill books and blueprints related to life professions were much sought after in auction houses. Generally, very few people would sell them, as most preferred to learn from it themselves. Even if they were sold, the prices would be extremely high. Song Jian remembered that the cost of a Forge Art Skill Book in the Doomsday Supermarket was only three hundred Doomsday Coins. However, the price of a Forge Art Skill Book had been inflated to over three thousand Doomsday Coins by the players. TH go back and make some Self-destructing Robots first. Ill learn forging if I get another chance. Song Jian hesitated before opening the Smithys settings options. After making some adjustments, he started to head towards his Manor Castle. This smithy now belonged to Song Jian as part of his territory. To occupy this smithy, one had to completely defeat Song Jian in a territory dispute. The primary purpose of the smithy was not to sell equipment but to create it. This one, built by the Dwarf Commander, had the immense benefit of improving the forging success rate by 5% compared to the smithy built by Song Jian in his territory. The Novice Smithy had five forging rooms. Players could make equipment by spending a certain amount of Doomsday Coins to enter these rooms. After Song Jian set the prices, he simply left the smithy to operate. Any player could enter the rooms to make equipment by paying the fee. After manufacturing equipment and gaining forging experience, a certain percentage would be reimbursed back to the smithy. Once the Smithy accumulates one hundred thousand forging experience points, it could be upgraded to an Intermediate Smithy. Watching Song Jian leave, the spectators around seemed to heave sighs of relief. I thought he was going to kill everyone who accepted the pursuit mission, scared me pretty good. A player clutched his chest and spoke. Lucky us! His skill that turned him into a black shadow; he was so fast. If hed pursued us, wed never escape. I already said there was something fishy about this mission but you wouldnt believe me. Scared now, eh? His companion on the side complained. Who knew he was so powerful? Besides, didnt you accept the mission in the end too? Its worth two thousand Doomsday Coins! Holy grass! Hes increased the forging fee by so much! It used to be just 5 Doomsday Coins an hour, but now it costs 20! Hes totally ripping us off! A player who had learned Forge Art exclaimed in anger. Let me see. Hey, its true! We give him forging experience when we forge here and help him upgrade the Smithy. This is a win-win situation. Hes just shamelessly increased the forging fee by so much; hes more cunning than that Dwarf! A slew of complaints followed from the players, but in the end, they had to unwillingly pay. After all, even a 1% increase in forging success rate was invaluable, not to mention a 5% increase. If they could forge an extra piece of equipment, theyd make back the forging fee in no time. Song Jian wasnt concerned about how the players complained about him. He didnt have the energy or time to manage the Smithy. He had already hired a Forging Master to manage the smithy in his territory. He would only send someone to manage this smithy after a disciple was fully trained there. Arriving back at the Manor Castle, Song Jian started making self-destructing robots. Soon, he was taking out the parts one by one, but there was a pleasant surprise when he started to make the explosives. System: The Standard Explosive you made has advanced to High Explosive- due to the influence of the Third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame. Engineering experience increased by 2 points. Due to the existence of the Third-tier Demon Flame, Song Jian didnt fail once when making explosives. Even the Standard Explosives had advanced to High Explosives. If these were used to assemble the Self-destructing Robots, their power would certainly be greatly multiplied. Indeed, after assembling the first Self-destructing Robot, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: You have modified the parts of the Self-destructing Robot and created a new item. Please name the new item! A new item? Isnt it still a Self-destructing Robot? Its just that the explosive power has been slightly increased. Does it need a new name? Song Jian hesitated but quickly typed Self-destructing Robot Type 2 into the semi-transparent screen in front of him. After renaming the robot, a flash of white light briefly appeared under the Engineering Skill in his skill list. Now, he could make two types of robots: Self-destructing Robot and Self-destructing Robot Type 2. With the enhancement of the Third-tier Demon Flame, he no longer needed to manufacture the first type of robot. The newly-created Self-destructing Robot not only had a power increase to five hundred points, but it also possessed corrosive damage that could reduce the targets defense by 10% for 30 seconds. If ten Self-destructing Robots simultaneously targeted an enemy, the enemys defense would be reduced by 100%. Even a level twenty boss with an extremely high defense would be instantly killed if attacked simultaneously by ten Self-destructing Robots. The mere thought of it made Song Jian shiver. After spending an afternoon, Song Jian had manufactured more than thirty Self-destructing Robots without a single failure. His engineering experience increased significantly, with not much experience left needed to reach level four. Just as he was about to continue, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: There are ten minutes left in your game session. Please place your items in a safe place to avoid loss. It is recommended that the players character returned to the safe house. Any accidents that occur will be the players responsibility. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The system joyously sent out three consecutive notifications. It was only then that Song Jian realized that thirty days had unknowingly passed in the game. After packing away all of the Self-destructing Robot Type-2s and taking a last look at the Blood Pool, which was still evolving, Song Jian silently waited for the end of the game time. Soon, a flash of white light filled the room, and then it was empty. Song Jian had disappeared. Chapter 340: Investigation Chapter 340: Investigation Translator: 549690339 | When it was time for Song Jian to leave the game, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. This time in the game, he completed several tasks, including regional tasks, hidden tasks, and plot tasks. Just by these tasks extra points alone, his task evaluation will undoubtedly be the highest SSS rank again. For each main quests reward, a few thousand Doomsday Coins are no longer significant to Song Jian. Instead, the recovery speed of his Vitality Points for the next time he enters the game was becoming more and more critical. Many times, in his single-handed battles with bosses, Song Jian relied on his abnormal Vitality recovery speed, ultimately leading to victory. With an SSS-ranked task evaluation, the reward is a 500% increase in Vitality Point recovery speed. Given Song Jians Vitality Points of over 1100, the recovery speed per second surpassed 60, easily exceeding the damage from some small skills. Just as Song Jian was full of anticipation, a flash of light burst into view, and he found himself back in his rented house in the real world. Whats going on? Why didnt 1 receive the main quest completion evaluation? Song Jian was taken aback, and his face instantly turned grim. Could it be that the main quest evaluation had been updated out after the game was updated? Thats impossible. The original update contents did not include this! Just as Song Jian was perplexed, there was a sudden knock at the door of the rental house. Upon opening the door, he found two people in police uniforms knocking at the door. You are? Song Jian asked, wearing a puzzled expression. Oh, hello, sorry to bother you. Were from the Street Police Station. Were here to do an investigation and would like to ask you a few questions. Could you spare a few minutes? a policewoman politely asked. No problem, no problem. Please come in. Song Jian quickly welcomed the two of them into his house, and when he turned to close the door, he noticed several other police officers knocking on doors down the street. First, we need to ask about your personal information, your name, age, and where do you work? The policewoman took out a pen and paper and began the interrogation, while a young-looking policeman by her side kept scanning Song Jian up and down warily. After a simple registration of his personal information, the policewoman asked: Have you noticed any abnormalities in the past few days? Song Jian was startled and asked in a puzzled tone: Abnormality? What do you mean? For example, some people suddenly have extremely high strength, enough to lift a car single-handedly, or even perform incredible feats like walking on walls, the policewoman gave a few examples. Song Jian was slightly shocked. Although he had spent several months in the game, in the real world, only three to four days had passed. So soon, the police had started taking notice of the game players? Yesterday there was a guy who snatched a purse on the street. He ran exceptionally fast, and there seemed to be a white light beneath his feet. Does that count? Song Jian frowned slightly and spoke as if he was recalling. That certainly counts. The policewomans eyes lit up, and she quickly recorded it: Do you know that person? Have you seen him since? Can you describe his appearance, in as much detail as possible. When Song Jian was about to describe the appearance of the man who used the games Acceleration Skill to snatch a purse, he noticed the male police officers sudden change of expression. Following his gaze, Song Jian twisted his head and saw his Octagonal Han Sword on the table, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. After killing the Japanese man at the underground boxing club with this sword, he had casually thrown it on the table due to the damaged scabbard, and the police had arrived before he had time to clean up this morning. This sword was sharp-edged and couldnt be classified as an art piece. It was a controlled blade. Why do you have a sword here? the policeman stared at Song Jian and asked. Song Jian was taken aback and quickly replied, I am a sword enthusiast, and I use this sword for exercising. The young policeman was skeptical, looking at Song Jian as he made his way to the table. The policewoman seemed to sense something was off. Her courteous demeanor turned into a serious expression as she scrutinized Song Jians every move. This sword is sharp. Its a regulated weapon. According to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, we need to confiscate this sword and impose a fine of 200 yuan on you! The young policeman said without any leniency. Although Song Jians face looked somber, he felt relieved internally. For him, this kind of penalty was insignificant. His main concern was to keep his identity as a game player concealed. This sword is borrowed from a friend. I need to return it later. Its not mine, Song Jian defended himself. Thats not acceptable either. Weapons like this are too dangerous to keep at home. In case of an accident, you would regret it. We have to confiscate it! The male police officer showed no leniency and picked up the sword. Lets continue talking about the fast runner. Could you describe his features? The policewoman looked at Song Jian for a long while and found nothing unusual. Apart from a bit of dissatisfaction about the confiscation of his sword, he didnt show any drastic reaction. Feeling somewhat reassured, she continued with her questioning. Song Jian gave a vague description of the mans appearance without revealing the mans actual look. Perhaps the young policeman found holding the sword tiring, he put it on the table and started glancing around Song Jians house. The unexpected arrival of the two police officers had Song Jian on edge. He didnt fear their handguns because of his present strength. Even if hundreds of ordinary policemen were to confront him directly, he could escape at any moment. However, the consequence of fleeing was too severe. Song Jian knew that he couldnt afford it. No matter how strong he was, he was not capable of fighting with the state apparatus. After about twenty minutes of questioning, the two police officers exchanged a glance and slightly nodded. The policewoman put away her pen and paper, stood up, and thanked Song Jian: Thanks for your cooperation. If you encounter similar peculiar conditions in the future, please call 110 immediately. Song Jian let out a sigh of relief, and said with a smile on his face, Of course, of course, its each citizens responsibility. Given your good attitude, we wont impose a fine, but we must confiscate this sword! The male police officer balanced the sword on his chest, measured its weight, and said to Song Jian. Okay, okay. Song Jian, pretending to be reluctant, watched his sword. Just then, the male police officers complexion changed. He looked up and stared at Song Jian, backed up two steps, leaned against the door, and said, Why is there a smell of blood on the blade? sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 341: Identity Chapter 341: Identity Translator: 549690339 | Song Jians Octagonal Han Sword, which he had taken from the underground ring, had just been casually wiped down. A small bloodstain on the blade was hard to notice unless you took a close look at it. Furthermore, after being aired overnight, it didnt smell of blood. However, the fact that the officer managed to pick up on it caught Song Jian off guard. Upon hearing the male officer, the female policewoman who was about to follow Song Jian out also immediately became alert, and stepped backward, gripping her waist, ready to pull out her gun. Startled, Song Jians initial instinct was to resist, but his rationality won out. Just as he was thinking of making up a believable excuse, a shout from outside suddenly rang through, Freeze, dont run! Then came a burst of explosion and gunshots from outside, which shocked the two police officers. They didnt even care about Song Jian anymore. The female officer instantly pulled out her gun and ran outside, while the male officer, who was guarding the entrance, upon seeing that Song Jian had no intention of running away, hurriedly said, Stay inside and dont move! With that, the male officer too, sword in hand, rushed out. Stepping out of the room, Song Jian saw a complete mess downstairs. Two officers lay on the ground. The complexs gate looked like it had been blasted, with a fraction of it collapsed. Dozens of police officers were pursuing something outside of the complex. At this moment, nearly everyone from the complex was standing at their doorsteps, watching the commotion, conversations buzzing around. Soon enough, an ambulance drove into the complex. The remaining officers carried their injured comrades onto the ambulance and rushed them to the hospital. With that, all the officers inside the complex were gone. That was so dangerous! That guy just jumped so high and landed on the gate with such a force that it collapsed instantly, just like in a movie! Was that guy a superman or something? Bullets couldnt even hit him, and he moved so fast Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. People nowadays dare even to assault police officers. I cannot believe it. He lived with us for so long! Hey, did any of you see who it was? Which house did he come from? Despite discussing for a long time, the residents couldnt figure out who the runaway was. Soon enough, they dispersed and went back to their homes. Looking at the pool of fresh blood on the ground in the courtyard, a contemplative look crept into Song Jians eyes. Is this a case of resisting arrest? Song Jian thought to himself, Should I take advantage of this situation to escape? But theyve already got my information. If I run away now, wont I be admitting guilt? And then I definitely will be wanted. What should I do? The thought made Song Jian feel flustered. Even if he was powerful, once the nations machinery was set into motion, he was no more than a mantis trying to halt a speeding train, powerless to fight back. Does this mean 1 have to hide for the rest of my life, living without seeing daylight? Song Jian hesitated for a moment and then quickly came to a decision. I cant run. I must come up with an explanation for the blood stain on the sword Just as Song Jian was thinking about an excuse, he noticed a dark figure moving slightly in the corner of the yard, which soon morphed into a man. Wang Dagang? Song Jian looked at the man, frowning. This man was not living in the apartment complex but was living not far from here. Song Jian had seen him a couple of times casually and even greeted him. Hed even seen him on the street outside the complex a few times while eating breakfast. Their relationship was more robust than with total strangers but weaker than that with the neighbors; What kind of skill is this? It doesnt look like an invisibility jutsu. Could it be that the police were actually looking for him? Song Jian wondered to himself. Wang Dagangs skill was very similar to Song Jians Morphing into Dark Cloud, except that he transformed into a shadow. Unless you looked closely, it was challenging to spot him against a dark backdrop. Wang Dagang, back in his human form, was covered in sweat, and a trace of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He had just created a decoy to distract the police officers, then transformed himself into a shadow. All this had consumed much of his mental strength. Now he needed to get out of here as soon as possible. If the officers who were returning found him, he wouldnt stand a chance against them; Just then, Wang Dagang looked up sharply. Song Jian was standing in the corridor looking down expressionlessly. His eyes were fixed on him. Im discovered! Wang Dagang was shocked, but soon realized Song Jian wasnt a police officer but just an ordinary resident. He chuckled, making a gesture telling Song Jian to keep quiet. Song Jian glanced left, then looked back at Wang Dagang with a peculiar look in his eyes. Wang Dagang was taken aback, finding Song Jians gaze strange. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he turned to look in the direction where Song Jian had been looking. Think you can run? A voice called out from the top of a large tree, looking down at Wang Dagang condescendingly. His dress uniform was cloaked in a black robe, billowing in the harsh wind; Wang Dagangs face paled, he turned to climb the wall in an attempt to escape. But then a silver glimmer flashed, and a foot-long iron arrow with a piercing whistle plunged into Wang Dagangs back, nailing him directly to the wall. Swoosh- The man in the dress uniform, with his cloak draped over him, jumped down from the tree over ten meters tall. His cloak spread out like a pair of black wings, lowering him gradually; Resisting arrest, assaulting a cop. You think you could be invincible because youve played in the game world for a few days? Naive! The officer sneered as he pulled out the handcuffs and cuffed the hands of Wang Dagang, who was still hanging on the wall. He then forcefully pulled out the iron arrow from his back; With a miserable cry, Wang Dagang became limp and fell to the ground, huffing and puffing heavily. A look of fear crossed his face as he looked at the officer. Go back in, its not safe here! Noticing Song Jian standing upstairs watching all of this, the officer frowned and shouted coldly at Song Jian. A trace of fear appeared on Song Jians face. He shrunk his neck back and reentered his house; The officers skill is so powerful. He must be a professional whos already been appointed! With a serious expression, Song Jian returned to his room and thought to himself. In the real world, you couldnt view players levels and properties, but you could estimate their capabilities based on their skills and power exhibited during fights. That cop earlier had reduced Wang Dagang to a near-death state in one swift move, indicating his unusual strength. Thinking about this, Song Jian broke out in cold sweat. If he had decided to run away earlier, he would definitely have used his skills. Then, the cop who was watching would have definitely noticed him. That was close. They nearly figured out my identity as a player! Song Jian felt as though there was a huge rock pressing on his chest, causing him to panic. Chapter 342: Entering the Game Chapter 342: 342: Entering the GameTranslator: 549690339 | Song Jian stayed in the rental room and didnt go out. After thinking for a long time, he decided to give the Octagonal Han Sword to Wu Xuan and claim he had borrowed it from Wu Xuan. As for the blood on the sword, Song Jian would feign complete ignorance, insisting he had just gotten the sword back; As for how Wu Xuan would explain, that wasnt Song Jians concern. Even if Wu Xuan implicated Song Jian, he believed that with the power behind the underground boxing ring, it would be easy to settle this matter. However, its better to give Wu Xuan a heads-up in advance. With that thought, Song Jian dialed Wu Xuans number. Hello, Old Wu? Alt, who is this? If theres something, say it quickly; Im busy! The call was noisy, and Wu Xuans impatient tone was laced with alcohol. At this time, in the largest KTV room in Coastal City, Wu Xuan was lying on the sofa with a phone in one hand and a beer bottle in the other, his eyes shining as he watched a young girl dancing in the middle of the room. It was also a chaotic dance of demons around him, a group of wine and meat friends reveling wildly and dancing; Its Song Jian! Song Jian, which Song Jian? Song Ah, its Brother Song! Wu Xuan seemed to remember Song Jian and was suddenly startled, breaking into a cold sweat in fright. He quickly lowered his voice and said, Brother Song, wait a moment; its too noisy here. Ill go outside to talk. After leaving the room, Wu Xuan carefully held the phone and spoke softly, Brother Song, is there something you need? The next fight might be in five days, and Im arranging it for you. Dont worry! Hehe, Ihaveafavor to ask, Song Jian chuckled. The police came to my door today and took my sword away, and theres blood on it, so I think there might be some trouble Upon hearing this, Wu Xuan immediately reassured him, Dont worry, Brother Song, its fine. The weapons in the club have marks on them, so even if the police take them, theyll return them to you soon. Dont worry. Song Jian was surprised, having not expected the underground boxing ring to wield such power. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful he hadnt fled; otherwise, he would have needlessly exposed himself. Alright, thats good. Notify me when theres a match, and Ill hang up for now. Song Jian hung up the phone and exhaled. Although there were still some troubles, at least they could be covered up for a while. It seemed he had to be more careful in the future, not giving himself away again. The identities of many players were already known. There was no pattern in this games selection of players. Clearly, the police had already become players and were using the means they had gained in the game to capture other players. Song Jian had to hide his identity and grow stronger gradually. A day passed quickly, and night fell. Song Jian lay flat on the bed, patiently waiting. Soon, the phone screen on the bedside table lit up. A skeleton hand emerged from the screen, grabbed Song Jian, and pulled him into the phone. Song Jian was always uncomfortable with the way he entered the game each time, feeling a sense of being forced in. After a strong feeling of weightlessness, he found that he hadnt entered the game directly but was instead in the settlement interface that appeared after each game. He was surrounded by a starry sky. Wiry is the post-level settlement now shifted to the beginning of the next game? Song Jian wondered aloud. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, the images from the last time he entered the game appeared before his eyes: each time he received a mission, fought a BOSS, obtained a sword technique, and completed a main quest System: Player has completed the main quest. Level evaluation raised upon mission completion; System: Player has completed regional quests System: Player has completed hidden quests System: Player has completed area plot quests System: Player has achieved a final level evaluation of SSS. Rewards: 5 free attribute points, 2 gold skill points; System: Players combat power has reached 10,000. From now on, there will be no more main quests released. Players will have greater freedom in the game. Please continue to explore this unknown world where anything is possible! Free attribute points? Gold skill points? No more Vitality Points recovery speed bonuses? Song Jian raised an eyebrow. Gold skill points were treasures that could directly increase the level of any skill, even those active skills that were not yet at the maximum proficiency; As for Vitality Points recovery speed, in comparison to the 500% Vitality Point recovery speed offered by the SSS rank or the five free attribute points and two gold skill points, it was far less valuable, but it ensured that Song Jian wouldnt be easily killed in the game. Now that this protection was gone, the game would become even more dangerous for him. From now on, there wont be any more main quests? But then, dont I lose my main quest rewards in the future! Song Jian furrowed his brows. Each main quest was critical for players, whether it was the Vitality Point recovery speed or the current free attribute points and gold skill point rewards that were crucial for the improvement of ones strength. Could it be that reaching 10,000 combat power is a milestone, and once you reach it, the previous benefits are gone? Song Jian guessed in his heart, but after much thought, he couldnt figure it out. He could only shake his head and passively accept the systems settings. As for the increased freedom, Song Jian was even more clueless about what it meant! With the free attribute points allocated as three points for strength and two points for agility, Song Jians strength attribute reached thirty, and his agility reached twenty-seven. For ordinary players, this was a desperate attribute. Even compared to a warrior class focused on strength, Song Jian could easily deal out crushing damage; As for the two gold skill points, Song Jian didnt hesitate to add them to the Chaos One Qi Indestructible Sword Body. This was Song Jians trump card; when deployed, its strength almost doubled, allowing him to contend even against level twenty Lord-level BOSSes. At the third level of the Immortal Sword Body, all attributes increased by seven points, defense and resistance increased by 40%, sword weapon damage increased by 80%, skill power increased by 50%, and the duration extended to fifty seconds, while the consumption was reduced to twenty-five Immortal Sword Qi points. Just as he finished using the free attribute points and gold skill points, Song Jians vision blurred, and he entered the game directly. As soon as he entered the game, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Your territory has been invaded by enemies. Three buildings within the territory have been destroyed, five farmland plots have been completely destroyed, and the warehouse has been looted, suffering a loss of 200 units of food. Under the leadership of the housekeeper George, the invaders were all driven away, achieving a glorious victory. War Merit increased by 300 points; Chapter 343: Blood Wolf Chapter 343: 343: Blood WolfTranslator: 549690339 | An invasion on my territory? Insane! Who could it be? Song Jians face darkened, rage stirring within him instantly. He hurried to the window of Proud Castle and gazed outwards. He noticed that within the walls of his Manor Castle, nothing seemed damaged. However, practically all the buildings in the ten-meter span outside the walls were destroyed. Three structures had been utterly obliterated, reduced to charred ruins. In the distance, the unused pieces of land transformed into farmlands were also extensively damaged. Numerous NPCs were busy repairing the buildings and reclaiming the farmlands. Inside the territory, blood crows no longer perched on the Bloody Ghost Poison Trees but circled around the perimeter, their ruby-red eyes emotionless as they surveyed the area like radar. Gnarled zombies stained red roamed the territory, emitting deep growls now and then that underscored their ferocity. Their presence struck fear into all the NPCs working within the territory, who hastily kept their distance. What surprised Song Jian even more was spotting several fierce blood wolves within his territory. Their coats were blood-red like calves with a tyrannical aura surrounding them. Is this a blood-slave, the Bloody Huge Wolves, produced by a third-level Blood Pool? Song Jian examined their attributes, a look of surprise crossing his face. The Bloody Huge Wolves attributes matched those of level fifteen normal monsters. More importantly, these wolves had potential to level-up. It wouldnt be long before they could surpass the strength of level fifteen elite bosses. Thirty level fifteen elite bosses, who will dare to invade my land then! Song Jians eyes sparkled as he pondered the attributes of the upgraded Bloody Huge Wolves. Whoever this fool is must have a death wish to dare invade my territory! Song Jian hastily poured over the system notices. To his surprise, his opponents were well over a dozen NPC professionals, among whom was the Dwarf Commander. The Commander was responsible for destroying two of the three structures. Just like bothersome flies! Song Jian frowned. His relations with these NPC professionals had changed entirely to enmity. As per the new status quo, whenever Song Jian crossed paths with them, their names would flash in red as a sign of their hostile relationship. Luckily, three of the fools died on my territory. You steal a chicken and lose the rice, try daring to come again! When he reached the end of the system prompt, Song Jian saw that three level fifteen elite bosses had perished within his land. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Apparently, after barging into his territory, they headed straight for the Manor Castle. The Bloody Ghost Poison Trees cooperating with the defenses of the castle resulted in their swift annihilation. Huh, even Dr. Ebsiting took action! The last guy was blown up by him! Upon reading the name of the last killer of the invaders as Dr. Ebsiting, Song Jian wore an expression of curiosity. Everyone knew that Dr. Ebsiting was as threatening as a chicken tied up for slaughter. As a man of science, he was without violent capabilities. Despite his high rank of fifteen, in a fight against even a level five ordinary player, he would be the clear underdog. He managed to kill an NPC of a level fifteen elite boss. What method did he employ? Song Jians curiosity was evoked. The system hint only showed that Dr. Ebsiting killed an invader without providing details on how he did it. Dear Lord, we are relieved youre back. The steward, George, looked rather out of sorts. His arm was bandaged and hung across his chest. Once Song Jian had arrived, George received the news and promptly rushed over to greet his lord. George, are you hurt? How severe are the losses to the territory? Song Jian was astounded, while damaged buildings could be rebuilt, the NPCs he personally recruited could not be resurrected once dead. Georges vitality points had dropped by a third, and the lost third wasnt recoverable. Only when his broken arm healed fully could the vitality points be completely restored. My Lord, the territory experienced a sudden invasion, causing some buildings to suffer damage. They also pillaged some of our food provisions and many laborers were injured. However, fortunately, the losses were not severe. George embarked on a thorough report of the damages to the territory. Song Jian nodded slightly. He had full faith in George and was reassured since he had taken steps to mitigate the damages immediately upon detecting the invaders. This time, it was thanks to the pets you raise, my lord, that the territory wasnt completely destroyed. Georges face showed visible relief as he continued, Especially those red giant wolves. Their sudden appearance ultimately drove all the invaders away. Song Jian chuckled to himself. These Bloody Huge Wolves, blood crows, and blood zombies were all level ten when he got them, more powerful than a standard level ten monster, albeit weaker than an elite level boss, they were akin to elite monsters of level ten. Thirty elite monsters, coupled with the defense measures within the territory, werent odd at all in thwarting the group of level fifteen elite NPCs. Moreover, following the battle, Song Jian noticed a few Bloody Huge Wolves had already leveled up to twelve and thirteen, appearing even more ferocious than before. Well, George, you have performed well and deserve a reward! Song Jian declared with a smile. He raised his hand, and a white light enveloped George. Surgery healing! Georges arm was restored in no time. Then Song Jian handed George five thousand Doomsday Coins to distribute among the NPCs who had contributed in the resistance against the invasion. Immediately, the morale among the NPCs within the territory surged. My lord, Dr. Ebsiting asked me to tell you to visit him if you return. It seems he has something to tell you, relayed George respectfully. Alright, I will see him, acknowledged Song Jian as he turned to head towards the laboratory of Dr. Ebsiting in the Sub-castle. Just as he entered the Sub-castle, Song Jian heard a loud detonation from a nearby room. Boom~ The entire Sub-castle shook with the impact noticeably. The color drained from Song Jians face, and he hurried towards Dr. Ebsitings lab. The explosion seemed to originate from there. Chapter 344: Holy Flame Pearl Chapter 344: Holy Flame Pearl Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian rushed into Dr. Ebsitings laboratory where the room was filled with thick smoke and the pungent smell of burning. A dark figure was continually swinging its arms in front of him, all while coughing incessantly. Dr. Ebsiting, are you alright? Song Jian incredulously looked at Dr. Ebsiting, who looked as dark as an African because of the smoke and exclaimed in surprise. Dr. Ebsitings white lab coat was a mess, and all over were traces of burns. The doctors face and arms had all turned black and were even giving off the scent of roasted meat. Doctor, are you alright? Not caring whether Dr. Ebsiting had a fracture or was bleeding, Song Jian immediately used a Surgical Healing on him. Cough, cough, the smoke here is choking, lets get out With his face all black with ash and unrecognizable, Dr. Ebsiting wave towards the door to indicate they should leave. The two men left the smoky laboratory. As soon as they were outside, Dr. Ebsiting changed back to normal as if nothing had happened. Not only his face and hands returned to their former shade, but even his badly damaged lab coat was replaced with a brand new one. However, Song Jian didnt pay much attention to this unique NPC changing skill. Doctor, what experiment were you conducting? Song Jian asked curiously. High explosives! Dr. Ebsiting replied, glancing at Song Jian. High explosives? But havent you already researched them? Song Jian was puzzled. Regardless of whether its the T-11 high-explosive hand-grenade or the more powerful T-X, the core component is high explosives. The stronger the high explosives, the more potent the grenade. What do you know, those are just ordinary high explosives. They are nothing. What I am researching this time, is a far superior high explosive. Dr. Ebsiting looked at Song Jian contemptously and spoke a bit impatiently, as if he doesnt want to waste time explaining. Superior high explosives? What are those? Song Jian was curious and decided to ignore Dr. Ebsitings attitude. Ordinary high explosives simply increase the power of the explosion. Dr. Ebsiting, seemingly a little helpless, had to explain: Superior high explosives, however, can add effects. Such as bleedings, inflicting burns, corrosion, paralysis, fractures, and even blindness. Only those high explosives that add damage effects are truly superb! Additional effects? Song Jian fumbled in his bag and handed Dr. Ebsiting a self-destructing robot: Doctor, do you mean like this one? What are you saying? Dr. Ebsiting sneered at Song Jian: I have been researching for so long, and you, a beginner, think you can create. But when Dr. Ebsiting noticed the mini self-destructing robot in Song Jians hand, an object that can transform into a flexible robot once activated, his words trailed off. Corrosion damage? So it really is a superior high explosive? Dr. Ebsiting looked as if he is frozen stiff, staring in disbelief. Where did you buy this? Dr. Ebsiting asked, raising his head. I made it myself. Song Jian replies grinning, extremely happy with himself. How is that possible, your understanding of manufacturing techniques is just at a basic level, how could you produce such an advanced high explosive? Dr. Ebsiting was on the brink of snapping. Even as a doctor skilled in siege manufacturing techniques, he had been researching for quite a while without any success in making superior explosives. He felt a deep sense of hostility from the world when Song Jian, who in his view was merely at an elementary level, claimed to have already created the finished product. Song Jian just smiles and puts away the robot. Waving his right hand, a black flame appears on his palm, dancing and wavering. The moment the black flame appeared, room temperature raised up by several degrees instantly, and an eerie aura spread around the room. This is, this is Aghast, Dr. Ebsiting could not help but lean toward the black flame. Boom! Perceiving a threat, the black flame promptly intensified, with the flames soaring over a foot high. Doctor, be careful, this Strange Fire is very dangerous! Song Jian quickly closed his palm to extinguish the flame. Dr. Ebsiting had an utterly terrified look on his face. Thats it Strange Fire that must be it. Dr. Ebsitings face fell as he shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. Your luck is really good. In this world, the number of Strange Fires is limited and decreases by one every time one is obtained. Considering you have to pass a test to acquire it and risk losing your own life, youre truly lucky! Dr. Ebsiting continues, apparently envious: Once the Strange Fire is bound to a host and the host later dies, the Strange Fire will vanish forever, and the world will permanently lack that kind of fire. You are truly a fortunate one! Dr. Ebsiting declared, looking rather envious. Well, you will know what real luck actually is once the Abyss curse on me is removed! Song Jian smiled lightly, shouting out in his mind. Oh right, Dr. Ebsiting, 1 heard from George that you were looking for me? Song Jian asked. Yes, your territory has just suffered an invasion, and one of the invaders even broke into the Manor Castle. With the help of Alex, I managed to kill one of them. He dropped quite a few items, most of which were devoured by Alex, and only one remained. 1 found it interesting and thought you might be interested in it! Ebsiting said seriously. With that, Dr. Ebsiting pulled a red bead from his pocket and handed it to Song Jian. The Holy Flame Pearl? The key to the Frost Cave Secret Realm? Song Jian was holding this reddish pearl, examining its properties. The pearl was giving off gentle, warm heat, heating up Song Jians body in no time. Where is the Frost Cave Secret Realm? Song Jian was somewhat puzzled, because in this world, what players refer to as secret realms, or dungeons, are quite numerous and spread out in different places. If this Frost Cave is inside the city, that would be the best. But if not, he would have nothing to do with it other than selling it over the radio. Just as he was pondering this, the Floly Flame Pearl suddenly emitted a red light, and an image of a snowy peak condensed from ice appeared before Song Jians eyes. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 345: Madman Chapter 345: Madman Translator: 549690339 | The moment the Holy Flame Pearl started to radiate, an illusion unfolded before Song Jians eyes. In the illusion, he was surrounded by abandoned high-rise buildings. Only one building, a tower over thirty storeys high, and covering a few square kilometers, was enveloped in snow, forming a snow mountain. Around this snow mountain, a unique icy environment had formed. The streets and ground within several hundred meters around it were covered in a thick layer of snow. But beyond those hundred meters, the environment abruptly returned to normal. It was as if an invisible, intangible barrier had separated the snow mountain at the center and the immediate few square kilometers around it. This is inside Doomsday City! Song Jian glanced at a few gamers standing just a few meters away from that boundary line. Following another look at his surroundings, he thought to himself. Very soon, the illusion before his eyes vanished. Song Jian then determined that the location of Frost Cave, this copy, should be roughly placed between the level 15 to 20 monster zones. It was far away from his safety house at least twenty-something kilometers of distance away. Even if he rode a motorbike, it would take him more than half an hour. At this time, a group of fourteen to fifteen level gamers in the northeastern direction of Doomsday City were pointing at and discussing in front of the so-called snow mountain. Its been at least a week since this phenomenon appeared. What kind of information do we have on it? said a middle-aged man in a bulletproof vest with a solemn expression. Deputy Commander Sun, the environment inside is harsh. The temperature drops below negative thirty degrees Celsius and goes even lower near that snow mountain. Temperatures at the foot of the mountain even reach negative forty-seven! A muscular man dressed in armor, standing straight as a spear, reported to the middle-aged man. We found a sealed ice door at the foot of the snow mountain that is, at the entrance of the skyscraper. It seems to be a passage of considerable size. But regardless of what we tried, we couldnt open this ice door. It seems to be immune to any type of attack! Captain Zhou, that location is actually an instance in the game. We should call it a secret territory, and that ice gate serves as the entrance. However, we lack the key to open the instance, said a young man wearing glasses and holding a magic staff, after adjusting his glasses quietly. Councilor Wang, please tell us more about this instance! Deputy Commander Sun turned towards the man who had spoken and asked lightly. Yes, Deputy Commander Sun, Councilor Wang turned and looked at the distant snow mountain before speaking, This is a level three instance. Players levels to enter would be between thirteen to eighteen, meaning players must reach at least level thirteen to access, and any level above eighteen will be denied entry to the instance. Its obvious that there are many monsters inside, not to mention the Elite Level bosses. I suspect therere even level fifteen Lord-Level bosses inside. And yet, the items dropped inside the instance are of great value. It not only drops a level fifteen Ice-sealed Battle Armor set for a melee profession, but it also drops silver-class level fifteen armors and Frost Staves. Most importantly, it drops the alchemy formula for Melting Potions and their core ingredients, the Frost Crystal Cores. Consuming Melting Potions can increase Ice Resistance and provide immunity to freezing effects, playing a crucial role in our battle against the level fifteen Lord-Level Boss at Jinyang Lake. Are you referring to the level fifteen Lord of Ice Elements in Jinyang Lake? Deputy Commander Sun raised an eyebrow, particularly interested. Yes, Deputy Commander Sun. If we have Melting Potions, our success rate of taking down Lord of Ice Elements Frenzal, can at least increase by 30%, Councilor Wang responded with a smile. We absolutely need to conquer this instance as soon as possible! Deputy Commander Sun declared decisively, Captain Zhou, no matter what it takes, you must find a way to open this instance. The Melting Potion is of utmost importance to us! sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Well complete this task, Deputy Commander Sun! Captain Zhous eyes bore a glimpse of helplessness, but he still answered firmly. Captain Zhou, I suggest killing more monsters around the area. The key to unlock the instance might be on nearby monsters, Councilor Wang pushed up his glasses and suggested. Thank you for your suggestion, Councilor Wang! After saluting Councilor Wang, Captain Zhou then quickly devised a plan for his team to systematically kill the surrounding monsters. Soon after, fellow team members in groups of three scattered, leaving only Deputy Commander Sun and Councilor Wang behind. Deputy Commander Sun, the game settings wont change according to human will. If this were the real world, we would have countless ways to open the gate to the instance; but in the game, we can only oblige to its rules, Councilor Wang said in a low voice to Deputy Commander Sun. Whether in reality or in the game, all I want is results, Deputy Commander Sun responded coldly, his eyes remained fixed on the distant skyscraper engulfed in frosty ice. From the tens of thousands of players in the Northwestern Military Region, only about thirty entered the game. Half of them were not even level ten or had professions. As soon as this instance was discovered, Deputy Commander Sun gathered all players capable of entering the instance. But even after a week in the game, they still found themselves stuck outside the instance. As players levels were increasing rapidly, the price of level fifteen equipment also skyrocketed. The earlier they could kill the level fifteen BOSS at Jinyang Lake, the larger their profits would be. Just then, the sound of motorbike engines roaring from far to near caught their attention. An enormous group of level fifteen monsters was madly chasing after the motorbike. Has this person gone mad? To create such a hubbub in the city, isnt he afraid of the grave danger? Councilor Wang showed a terrified expression on his face as he looked around for a place to hide. Assemble the unit and prepare defense lines! Deputy Commander Sun ordered immediately after frowning. Just then, Song Jian made a swift turn and screeched to a stop leaving behind a black trail of tire marks on the pavement. He stepped off his bike. He smirked as he looked at the dozens of level fifteen mutation zombies chasing after him crazily. Song Jian waved his right hand, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared at the center of his palm. Broken Wing Dance! Rather than retreating, Song Jian chose to move forward and swung his sword at the monstrous horde behind him. The swords glittering radiance sped into the horde. Hes insane! Councilor Wang watched Song Jian charge fearlessly into the monster mob, his face displaying a blend of astonishment and horror. He Deputy Commander Sun shared a similar face of surprise, keeping his eyes on Song Jian cutting through the pack of monsters. Deputy Commander Sun, whats happening? Captain Zhou, along with a dozen soldiers, quickly reached Deputy Commander Song and saw the frantically roaring mutated zombies. He too registered a surprising look on his face. Use the terrain layout, establish defense lines, resist the monster onslaught! Deputy Commander Sun immediately commanded. Yes! Soon after, the soldiers swiftly built a defensive line with wood and stones on the road. They prepared a cover that was over a metre high and watched the horde of zombies approaching cautiously. Chapter 346: The Ice Monster Chapter 346: The Ice Monster Translator: 549690339 I Time quickly passed by for more than ten minutes, and Councilor Wang stood behind the shelter with a hint of surprise in his eyes, This player is so strong, he can actually withstand the onslaught of so many Level 15 monsters. Unbelievable! His information is all hidden; we dont know his name and level, but judging by his strength, hes at least Level 20, or even Level 25, Captain Zhou whispered. Impossible! After Level 10, the amount of combat experience required to level up is too high. Even if he played non-stop 24 hours since joining the game, he couldnt have reached Level 20! Deputy Commander Sun immediately shook his head. You see, these Level 15 mutant zombies can only cause him two or three points of damage at most, barely breaking through his defense. His defense is at least 50 points, but every one of his attacks can cut off hundreds of Vitality Points from the monsters. His skills can even cause 300 or even 400 points of damage This is simply a one-sided slaughter. If it werent for the fact that the mutant zombies lack intelligence and only act on instinct, they would have collapsed after losing so many! Captain Zhou shook his head and sighed. Try to get closer to this person; we must not become enemies! Deputy Commander Sun whispered. With the strength shown by Song Jian, he could easily eliminate all of them. Song Jians Vitality Points were now reduced to about half. Glancing at the dozen or so players off in the distance on high alert, Song Jian frowned and took out a few Self-destructing Robot Type 2s from his inventory. Boom, boom, boom- Over 30 monsters were directly blown away. In an instant, the monsters surrounding Song Jian were all gone. After harvesting the last bit of Vitality Points from some low-health zombies, Song Jians experience bar increased by a little more; Over 60 Level 15 mutant zombies dropped many zombie Crystal Cores and some materials, among which the most valuable were two Level 15 green-quality pieces of equipment: a Mages Magic Staff and a chainmail that increased intelligence and spirit. Song Jian took a look at the attributes, then stowed them in his inventory, put away his motorcycle, and walked towards the Snow Mountain in the distance. This is the place! Looking around the environment, Song Jian confirmed it was the same scene as shown in the Holy Flame Pearls illusion. The building completely sealed in ice in the distance was the location of the Frost Cave dungeon. As he walked towards the Frost Cave, Song Jian discovered that the players had built a shelter more than ten meters long and one meter high. The barrier was made of wood and stone materials, with a surprisingly high defense of 300 points. Is this a defense facility acknowledged by the game system? Song Jians eyes revealed a hint of surprise. Unofficial buildings would not have a defense value, so even if players built something with great effort, its defense value would still be zero, easily destroyed with a single attack. Making a product recognized by the game system is definitely not something ordinary players can do. Song Jian curiously looked at the group of players behind the barrier. Soldiers! Song Jians heart sank. Despite their diverse equipment, the unique aura emitted in their sitting and standing postures was completely different from that of a player-formed team. Hello, are you also here to enter the Frost Cave dungeon? A man with glasses stood up from behind the barrier, grinning as he greeted Song Jian. Yes! Song Jian nodded his head. He had seen these people when triggering the Holy Flame Pearls illusion, but couldnt get a clear look due to the high angle. It seemed that they had been here for a long time. He didnt know if they hadnt cleared the dungeon, or couldnt even enter it, so they just stayed here. This dungeon is not so easy to clear, ordinary people cant even get close, Councilor Wang adjusted his glasses, glanced at Deputy Commander Sun beside him, and smiled. Is that so? Song Jians mouth twitched slightly as he stepped towards the Frost Cave. Deputy Commander Sun and the others watched as Song Jian crossed the boundary without hesitation. Given his high strength, he probably wouldnt suffer any effects from the environment around the Frost Cave, Captain Zhou whispered. Not necessarily, Councilor Wang shook his head, This is the power of heaven and earth. No matter how high his attack power, if his resistance is too weak, its still hard to move inside. Even if he can withstand the cold weather, he still wont be able to open the dungeon gate. Its all in vain. Deputy Commander Sun shook his head. Deputy Commander, should we try to approach such a player and pull him into our alliance? If we can win him over, it will definitely help our exploration in the game, Councilor Wang said. We can. Deputy Commander Sun nodded, This game is too mysterious, and our country has already started paying attention to it. We have too few people entering the game. The district political commissar has suggested to those above us to recruit strong players in the game. On one hand, it strengthens our own power; on the other hand, it also helps control the danger level in the real world. You know, many things in the game can be brought into the real world. Deputy Commander, look, he doesnt seem to be affected by the cold climate inside, Captain Zhou suddenly said. Everyone looked at Song Jian, and indeed, ordinary people could only walk five or six meters before succumbing to the cold, but Song Jian showed no signs of stopping, having already gone more than ten meters deep and getting closer and closer to the Frost Cave. At that moment, Song Jian suddenly sensed danger and jumped to the side. An ice spike over three feet long appeared where he was standing just a moment ago. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not far away, an ice monster made of condensed ice slowly crawled out from the snow and roared at Song Jian. An Ice Monster, a Level 15 Elite BOSS. To kill it, at least five Level 15 players are needed. That player is in danger! Captain Zhou frowned. They had discovered this monster during their exploration, and it took more than a dozen companions, with five of them being seriously injured, to kill one Ice Monster. Since then, Captain Zhou rarely sent people to scout the area. Get ready to provide support at any time! Deputy Commander Sun commanded seriously. Wait a moment. When he asks us for help, thats when we step in. Its better to help him in his time of need, so he will be grateful, Councilor Wang whispered. Boom! A loud noise erupted in the snowy field. Song Jian, wielding his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, was actually fighting the giant Ice Monster that was over two meters tall. For a moment, ice and snow flew around, Sword Qi whirled, and the Ice Monster roared and growled. The ground even began to tremble slightly. Chapter 347: Entered Chapter 347: Entered Translator: 549690339 | At this time, Song Jian, having fused with the third-tier Demon Flame, the Abyssal Flame, was completely unaffected by the cold climate around him. He walked on the snow, only feeling a slight chill. The most troublesome aspect of the level-15 elite Ice Demon s attack was the icy slowness and freezing effect carried by all its attacks. Although not powerful, it was very torturous. Combined with the defense of the Ice Demon being as good as steel, even a five-member level-15 team would find it quite difficult to deal with. Yet Song Jian moved without any sign of sluggishness when battling the Ice Demon. A faint red glow would emerge from his body from time to time, which would be difficult to notice unless observed closely. This was a feature of the Ring of the Fire God, its inbuilt shield reduced 30% of melee damage and rendered all cold-induced slowness and freeze effects ineffective. Having the Ring of the Fire God, Song Jian practically counters the Ice Demons attributes. Adding the defense reduction effect of the Weakness Potion, the level-15 elite Ice Demon in front of Song Jian was, at most, just a common monster with more vitality points. Captain, look at his movements, theres no hint of sluggishness at all. How How A warrior watched, dumbfoundedly, as Song Jian sliced up and down around the Ice Demon with nimble movements, showing no signs of slows or freezes. He had participated in battles against the Ice Demon, and remembered being tormented by its slow and freeze effects. Could it be that he has some equipment that increases his ice resistance? Captain Zhous brow furrowed. He had realized that the opponent was likely a warrior-class occupation with no possibility of having fire magic. However, having fought for so long without a single slowdown or freeze effect, it was evident that his ice resistance had increased to a certain point. It feels like he could solo this boss, huh? Councilor Wang adjusted his glasses with a furrowed brow, noting the deviation from his plan, If he is really this powerful and manages to solo the boss, we wont be to offer much help. Deputy, how about we send someone to help him now? Councilor Wang proposed. If we had gone earlier, it would have been helping. But going now would just be kill-stealing, wouldnt it? The deputy frowned and glared at Councilor Wang, responding discontentedly. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Look quickly, hes about to defeat that boss! Captain Zhou suddenly exclaimed. Everyone looked towards the Ice Demon. Sure enough, its vitality points had fallen to less than 500, entering a berserk state due to low health. He didnt get frozen once from beginning to end, nor showed any signs of ice slowdown Captain Zhou stated, somewhat speechless. Without the Ice Demons most troublesome ice slowdown and freeze effects, he wouldve been confident enough to grind it down alone. -Did you see the potion he used just now? It directly weakened the Ice Demons defense by 35%! Without this potion, he wouldnt have been able to defeat it so quickly! impressive, we must recruit this guy. It would be best if he could join our alliance! Councilor Zhou, go and talk to him. Be mindful of your attitude, even if he doesnt want to join us, dont leave him with a bad impression! Understood, deputy! Just as Councilor Zhou prepared to approach and greet Song Jian, he noticed that after picking up all the items dropped by the Ice Demon, Song Jian immediately headed towards the Frost Cave. Could it be that, he actually knows how to open the Frost Cave dungeon? The thought suddenly occurred to Councilor Zhou. How is that possible Very soon, Councilor Zhou was startled by his own thoughts. A self-mocking smile emerged on his face as he shook his head, talcing strides towards Song Jians direction. -My brother, please Before Councilor Zhou could finish, he saw Song Jian take out a red bead and walk towards the gate of the Frost Cave. Boom- The Holy Flame Pearl suddenly flared with raging fire, completely enveloping Song Jian. The flames appeared severe but Song Jian didnt feel a hint of heat, like an illusion. The flames carried flecks of gold, constantly combining, condensing, and vanishing, making it resemble some sort of special Magic Array. The Holy Flame Pearl, could this flame be the so-called Holy Flame? I wonder how it fares against the third-tier Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame? Song Jian wondered. Just as this idea sprouted in his mind, Song Jian felt a boom as a sphere of black flames ignited from within his body, resisting the Holy Flame; Flap, flap, flap- The Abyssal Flame was nearest to Song Jians body, with a very clear boundary line. The outermost part was burning with traces of golden light, the Holy Flame, which was now continuously compressing inwards as the black flame expanded outwards. At the boundary line, tiny sparks were continuously popping. Thunderous booming- The moment Song Jian approached, the Ice Caves door opened automatically. A cold chill greeted his face, which would have turned any player without a protective layer of flame into an ice statue. The temperature around the entire snow mountain dropped by seven to eight degrees in an instant. Song Jian stepped into the Frost Cave, the ice door behind him slowly closing. This left Councilor Wang, who had charged ten meters close to the snow mountain, dumbfounded. His raised hand made him look helpless. -He, he entered, he actually entered? Deputy Commander Suns serious face showed signs of surprise. How is that possible, it cant be Captain Zhou muttered to himself, a look of disbelief covering his face. He felt a significant blow, having wasted more than a week here, alongside an excessive amount of time and energy, just to enter this dungeon. But now, someone else had done it first Did you see what he took out just now? The deputy suddenly asked, remembering that Song Jian seemed to have pulled out something just now. Then, he was enveloped by flames and only after did he enter the Frost Cave. It looked like a red bead A warrior replied uncertainly. It was a red bead that ignited itself. However, the black flames seemed to rise up from that persons body An observant warrior nearby added on. It seems like that bead is key to entering the Frost Cave. To enter, one must possess this bead! The deputy hypothesized, his eyes glinting as he spoke softly. Captain Zhou, arrange for a few people to stay here with Councilor Wang and wait for that person to come out. Everyone else should investigate more about that bead. Be fast! Deputy Commander Sun quickly decided. Within a short while, three warriors were left behind, while everyone else formed teams and moved in different directions. Chapter 348: Mutated Snow Fox Chapter 348: Mutated Snow Fox Translator: 549690339 | At this moment, Song Jian was somewhat nervous, as two balls of flame were constantly clashing on the surface of his body. Their periodic explosive sounds made him somewhat fearful. Retract! Song Jian silently commanded, trying to control the Abyssal Flame. However, it stood completely still, refusing to be controlled. Soon, Song Jian realized that the Third-tier Demon Flame seemed to have the upper hand, as it started to corrode the golden patterns within the Holy Flame. After a few minutes, the Holy Flame was completely eroded by the Abyssal Flame, and the golden patterns turned into a shade of black and gold. The Holy Flame Pearl in Song Jians hand also began to shrink, eventually turning into a small pile of grey ashes. After eroding the Holy Flame, the Abyssal Flame was once again under Song Jians control. But now, it gave off a languid feeling, just like how a baby Black Dragon behaves after a full meal! The temperature inside the Frost Cave was much lower than outside. Despite losing the boost of the Holy Flame Pearl, Song Jian didnt feel cold at all. After merging with the Abyssal Flame, his Ice Resistance had reached thirty points, enough to withstand the low temperature of this dungeon. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Having thirty points of Ice Resistance, along with a 30% reduction in water-type damage and the innate skill Thick Skin which forcibly reduces more than twenty points of damage, the normal ice damage in this place was nothing more than a tickle for Song Jian. If you consider the immunity to slowing and freezing effects granted by the Ring of the Fire God, it could be said that Song Jian could clear this fifteen-level five-player dungeon on his own, without the need for teammates. Once this was clear to him, Song Jian boldly delved deeper into the Frost Cave. The Frost Cave looked like a giant mountain formed from a frozen skyscraper from the outside. But once inside, Song Jian found it to be as complex as a spiders web, with countless narrow, winding paths resembling a labyrinth. However, no matter how many paths there were, none could be as intricate as the Kantelu Maze. Song Jian patiently started exploring from the far left, charting his route as he went along. After a while, Song Jian discovered a fifteen-level ordinary beast, a mutated snow fox, lying on a white ice rock. LV15 Mutated Snow Fox, Vitality Points: 1500/1500. Trait: Ice Reinforcement. The size of the Mutated Snow Fox was comparable to a small calf. Its crystal-white fur, gleaming in the light, made it hard to distinguish it from the snow if someone wasnt paying attention. The only contrasting color on it was its eyes; they looked like two rubies, emitting a red glow. By the time Song Jian found it, he had already entered its warning range. The Mutated Snow Fox suddenly stood up from the ice rock and stared at Song Jian. It growled angrily and with a light swipe of its hard claws, shattered the ice rock under its feet, leaving behind a layer of frost. Song Jian drew out his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and used a bottle of Fire Lizard Medicine. To deal with the creatures of this dungeon, fire damage had a bonus effect, and Fire Lizard Medicine was specifically designed to combat this dungeon. Dark-red flames rose from his crimson sword. The Mutated Snow Foxs eyes showed a solemn gaze. It watched the flame on the surface of the sword for a long time before jumping off the ice rock and pouncing at Song Jian. Song Jian cracked a slight smile. With a boom, his body was once again engulfed in a black flame. Alarmed, the Mutated Snow Fox let out a sharp cry, seemingly calling for its fellows. Song Jian charged at the Mutated Snow Fox, continuously slashing at it. Each attack inflicted hundreds of damage on the fox, rapidly depleting its Vitality Points. However, the pain also triggered its savage nature, making it less fearful of the flames and it retaliated by launching frantic attacks on Song Jian. Damage points from seven to eight sporadically appeared above Song Jians head, with the word immune mixed in. If ordinary players were to venture here, each of the Mutated Snow Foxs attacks would cause forty to fifty points of damage, along with annoying freezing and slowing effects. Even a full team of players would have to be extremely cautious to defeat this beast. Song Jian, after testing the ordinary monsters damage, raised his left arm and a silver Sword Qi pierced the foxs throat, sending it flying. He then unleashed a flurry of skills on the airborne fox, and before it could even hit the ground, it was already a corpse. It only took Song Jian a little over two minutes to kill an ordinary monster in the dungeon. He picked up a piece of Frost Crystal and several Doomsday Coins dropped by the mutated snow fox and continued deeper into the cave. Frost Crystals were fragmented forms of Frost Crystal Cores. It would take three Frost Crystals to combine into a Frost Crystal Core. Although it was somewhat troublesome, monsters in this dungeon had a high drop rate for Frost Crystals. As for the Frost Crystal Cores, they could only be obtained by defeating the dungeon bosses. The Frost Cave was brightly lit, with walls all around made from solidified frost that acted like mirrors. Ice stalactites hung around, and despite being cold, the cave felt like a fairytale Crystal Palace and was incredibly beautiful. The monsters inside the Frost Cave were not very powerful. If not for the additional freezing and slowing effects, the monsters here would have been weaker compared to the fifteen-level zombies outside. Moreover, the drop rate in this dungeon was much higher. If it wasnt such a hassle to get into, it would have already become a popular grinding spot for players. After spending more than an hour, Song Jian finally arrived at the core area of the Frost Cave. Along the way, he had killed fifty to sixty Mutated Snow Foxes alone. Because of his Savior title, Song Jians luck was equivalent to an extra two points, resulting in plenty of Frost Crystal drops. In just over an hour, he had gathered over thirty Frost Crystals and combined them into several Frost Crystal Cores. Much to Song Jians delight, he had also obtained an Alchemy recipe, a basic Ice Resistance Potion. After using it, one could increase their Ice Resistance by 10 points for an hour. An increase of 10 Ice Resistance points was just about enough to enter the Frost Cave. Otherwise, an ordinary player without the Holy Flame Pearl, upon entering the Frost Cave, would likely be frozen into an ice sculpture. For Song Jian, learning the basic Ice Resistance Potion allowed his Alchemy and Pharmacology skills to increase greatly again. Perhaps he might level up his Alchemy and Pharmacology skills again due to this recipe. The combat experience here gives a lot! Song Jian looked at his level and a hint of joy emerged on his face. His level had already risen to 16 with 68% of the way to level 17. The experience gain speed had almost doubled compared to killing monsters outside. Just then, a low growl came from afar, causing the entire Frost Cave to tremble slightly. The Boss, the Boss should be up ahead. Song Jians heart tightened, and he became increasingly cautious. Chapter 349: Ice Naga Chapter 349: Ice Naga Translator: 549690339 | By this time, Song Jian had arrived at a Frost Land. The surrounding area was all glistening ice walls, clusters of icicles jutted out from the walls like spears, looking as if a bunch of hedgehogs were clinging to the walls. The highest points of the open space were gleaming with huge ice crystals. They were like uncarved diamonds, reflecting dazzling light. The snow under his feet had thickened. Song Jian was stepping forward slowly, one foot deep into the snow then another close to the surface. It was easy to step into a pit hidden in the snow. Here, if one didnt have a high agility stat and couldnt control their body well, they would struggle to fight. The terrain alone could hinder the function of the tank class members by more than 10%. Song Jian looked up and saw groups of Level 16 advanced-quality monsters, wandering not too far from the Frost Land. Although advanced-quality monsters were more powerful than the normal ones, they were not as formidable as the Elite Level Bosses C their powers in between the two. These Level 16 advanced-quality monsters looked like half-snake creatures, dragging a long tail covered with green scales from the waist down. From the waist up, they had a humanoid appearance. However, they had four arms and each hand was armed with a long knife, crafting a ferocious look. Some of the monsters were holding two bows with their four arms, draped in crude leather armor, patrolling like guards, constantly roaming. LV16 Frost Naga Warrior (Advanced), Vitality Points: 2500/2500, Characteristics: Frost Enhancement, Hardy Body, Skills: Quick Slash LV16 Frost Naga Bowmen (Advanced), Vitality Points: 2000/2000, Characteristics: Frost Enhancement, Deep Wounds, Skills: Rapid-Fire Arrows After inspecting the monsters attributes, Song Jian looked towards the core central area. These advanced-quality monsters were mere minions. The deep roar he heard earlier must have come from the boss. There was an Elite Level Boss here. However, after scrutinizing for quite some time, Song Jian couldnt spot any irregular BOSS. Yet, at the center of Frost Land, he saw an over three-metre-high ice sculpture. This sculpture too, resembled a Frost Naga, except it had six arms, two of which were holding long knives, one pulling a bow and arrow, and a shield was held by the two remaining hands. There were colourfully glistening lights all around the Frost Land. The Frost Nagas didnt seem to have noticed Song Jians presence. They were swishing their long tails, leaving white trails on the ground as they roamed, frolicking and playing lightly with each other. However, no matter their movement, they maintained some distance from the ice sculpture in the center, as though they were afraid of it. Could that sculpture be the ultimate boss here? Song Jian wondered in his mind. To approach the ice sculpture, Song Jian had to destroy all the advanced-level monsters around it first. Given the dense monsters that were in close proximity, trying to lure them one by one seemed to be quite a tough job. Better draw them out step by step and deal with them slowly, Song Jian murmured. He finally chose a location with fewer monsters and snuck forward slowly. The advanced-level monsters had a vast warning range. Once Song Jian approached within ten meters of them, they would surely be alerted and would rush towards him, rapidly launching attacks. Therefore, luring these monsters out would require some skill. Song Jian trod carefully on the ice and snow. Every step made a light crack sound, which made him feel cautious. Soon, a Frost Naga near the edge of the ice wall spotted Song Jian. It shrieked sharply and pounced towards him brandishing its long knife. Song Jian, who had initially prepared to draw the monsters with his handheld crossbow, paused for a moment, immediately put away his crossbow, tightened his grip on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and retreated slowly. At that moment, perhaps due to the sharp shriek of the Frost Naga earlier, a dozen other Frost Nagas were attracted and quickly moved towards Song Jian. Come on, come on! Instead of panic, Song Jian showed a slight smile, turned around and ran towards the ice wall. The Frost Nagas were extremely fast. By the time Song Jian used the nearby ice pillars to climb up the ice wall, a Frost Naga had already chased behind him. Whizz whizz! A volley of cold-lighted arrows directed towards Song Jian flew in the air. Song Jian immediately took cover behind a thick ice pillar. All the arrows hit on the ice pillar and made continuous metallic collision sounds. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking down, Song Jian saw three or four were Frost Naga archers, and the rest were sword-wielding warriors. The Frost Naga archers stood under the ice wall continuously shooting arrows, while the other warriors traced Song Jians climbing route and chased after him. Seeing the Frost Naga warriors close in on him, Song Jian swung his long sword and chopped off an icicle over two meters long. The icicle rolled off and crashed onto the Frost Naga warriors that were pursuing him, causing the archers down below to dodge swiftly. Looking at the tumbling Frost Nagas below, Song Jian showed a slight smile. He pulled out a Self-destructing Robot Type 2 from his bag and threw it down. The palm-sized robot expanded rapidly as it fell. By the time it touched the ground, it had transformed into a robot over one meter tall. The self-destructing robot gave off a series of urgent cries as soon as it made contact with the ground, with its eyes constantly flashing red lights; Boom- A loud explosion followed. The Self-destructing Robot exploded, creating a large pit in the ground. All the surrounding Frost Nagas groaned in pain. Ice shards scattered about and the frigid air was aggressive. Dozens of Frost Nagas growled furiously at Song Jian. Their blood-red eyes showcased their locked resentment towards him, looking as though they wouldnt rest till he was dead. Seeing a quarter of the Frost Nagas vitality points decrease instantly, Song Jian gave a slight smile and threw another two Self-destructing Robots. After a series of explosions, dozens of Nagas were marred, full of wounds and dripping red. Their vitality points were reduced to less than five hundred. Looking down, Song Jian smirked, jumped off the towering Ice Rock, slashing his sword left and right at the Frost Nagas with dwindled vitality. A series of skills were unleashed; within a minute, dozens of Frost Nagas were reduced to cold carcasses, dropping a pile of items. Chapter 350: Rank Honor Board Chapter 350: Rank Honor Board Translator: 549690339 | The self-destructing robots had a limited attack range, and the sizable bodies of Frost Nagas were also a factor. A single robot explosion could envelope at most a dozen Nagas, any more and it would exceed the attack range of the robot. After dealing with the wounded Frost Nagas, Song Jian looked at the strewn bodies all over the ground, a satisfied smile on his face. He had lured just the right amount of enemies this time and they were all within the range of the robots explosion. His experience points heightened slightly again. The experience points from Level 16 elite monsters were superior to regular monsters at the same level. Song Jians rewards were plentiful. Moreover, Frost Nagas had exploded into Frost Crystals all over the place, some even dropped Frost Crystal Cores. There was even a blue-quality accessory and dozens of Doomsday Coins, which were incredibly lucky drops. Accessories, rings, and badges had a very low drop rate, so some players were already at level 12-13 and still didnt own a single accessory. Although Song Jian owned two accessories, they werent exceptional and their attributes were terribly lacking. One was a Postman Bag, a green-quality accessory that could store twelve items. The other was an Exquisite Totem Mark, also green-quality. It only increased the Vitality Points recovery speed by a small amount when worn as an accessory, but it was excellent as a socketed item. Song Jian picked up the dropped accessory from the Frost Naga, hesitating as to which of his current two accessories it should replace. Heart of Ice (Blue), Accessory, Equipment Effect: Dexterity +3, Ice Resistance +15, Special Effect: Upon receiving damage, theres a chance to activate a Frost Shield with 800 defense points. This effect lasts for 30 seconds, but can only occur once every 60 minutes; Item Level: 15, Equipment Requirement: None, Can it be taken out of the game: No After much deliberation, Song Jian finally replaced the Exquisite Totem Mark with Heart of Ice. A 3-point increase in Dexterity directly increased his dexterity to thirty, and an added 15 points of Ice Resistance made him particularly suited for his current location. Now any damage inflicted on him by the Frost Nagas would have difficulty penetrating his defense. In particular, the Frost Shield was a life-saving skill. With a defense of 800 points, even a boss might be hard-pressed to break it in a short amount of time. A Level 15 accessory like this was worth at least three thousand Doomsday Coins, almost as much as a weapon of the same level. With his new equipment and the resulting increase in strength, Song Jian gained additional confidence. Time to clean up and get rid of the remaining Frost Nagas! Song Jians gaze landed on a group of Frost Nagas wandering around in the distance. From a distance of thirty meters, a few Frost Nagas were frolicking, their cold auras colliding and occasionally forming small ice spikes that crashed into each other. Song Jian carefully stepped forward. This time, he approached within fifteen meters before a Frost Naga suddenly wore a vigilant expression. He then halted his steps. He drew the Skeleton Crossbow in his left hand and attacked a Frost Naga Archer in the distance; swoosh a crossbow bolt punctured the air, shining with a fiery glow, it turned into a shooting star and almost instantaneously hit the Frost Naga Archer. Clang- A clear collision sound echoed, and the crossbow bolt, as if it had hit steel, created a white spot on the scale of the Frost Nagas body, then fell to the snowy ground. A small, 11-point damage indicator, including 3 fire damage, floated above the Frost Naga Archers head. Song Jian was unfazed by inflicting such minor damage; it was within his expectations. Seeing the Frost Naga Archer heading his way, Song Jian quickly put away the crossbow, held the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and waited for the fight to begin. Five Frost Nagas viciously glanced at Song Jian, let out a roar, and quickly twisted their bodies, sliding on the icy ground towards him. Only five? Song Jian frowned slightly and looked to his right; swoosh swoosh He pulled out the crossbow, aimed at a group of Nagas in the distance, and fired the crossbow. This attracted around seven or eight Frost Nagas rushing towards him. Song Jian only nodded in satisfaction, then turned to climb the icy wall. When more than a dozen Frost Nagas gathered under the ice wall and started climbing up to chase Song Jian, two self-destructing robots were thrown down from above. Boom- The same process was repeated over and over again. After equipping the new accessory, Song Jian had an additional fifteen points of Ice Resistance. Now, the damage inflicted by the Frost Nagas was minimal. In contrast, his damage to them was terrifying. In just two minutes, he killed more than a dozen Frost Nagas. In addition to contributing a pile of Frost Crystals and combat experience, they also dropped a green-quality level 15 Plate Armor. Afterward, Song Jian continuously repeated the process, attracting the surrounding Frost Nagas and reducing their numbers. Although continuously repeating the same process was somewhat boring, when he thought about the Frost Crystals and Crystal Cores that these Frost Nagas provided, along with the Level 15 equipment in his backpack, Song Jian still felt gratified. An hour flew by unconsciously. Almost all of the wandering Frost Nagas on the open ground had been eradicated. Song Jians level had also increased to Level 17, granting him another Skill Point. Song Jian added the Skill Point to the Sword Silk skill. The proficiency of this skill was already maxed out, but Song Jian hadnt had the appropriate Skill Point, so hed waited until now. With the Sword Silk skill at level 3, the power of each Sword Silk strand increased by 20 points and the attack range was extended by 1 meter. The skill change was only glanced at by Song Jian and wasnt paid much attention to, as the skill level of Sword Silk was still too low, and there hadnt been any significant changes. Just then, a ringing sound reverberated in Song Jians ears as a line of system prompt information appeared before him. System: The number of profession players in Doomsday City has reached one thousand, the level glory board has been activated! Your level is 17, with 14% progress to the next level. You are first on the level glory board, do you want to publish your information? Note, you can choose to hide, and the glory board will only show your ranking, your other information will not be displayed. Level Glory Board? Song Jian paused and, after a moments hesitation, chose to publish his information. Soon, a new Level Glory Board column was added to the system interface. Upon opening, it displayed the information of one thousand players in Doomsday City. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At the top of the Level Glory Board was Player Name: Song Jian, Profession: Sword Controller, Level: 17 with 14%. Beneath him was the second player, Player Name: Luo Tianyu, Profession: Centurion, Level: 15 with 45%. The third-ranked player chose to hide their information. The displayed information is Player Name: Hidden, Profession: Hidden, Level: 15 with 43%. Chapter 351: Lord-level BOSS Chapter 351: Lord-level BOSS Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian looked at the Level Glory Board for a while and found that at least half of the people had chosen to hide their information. However, he also saw Li Keers name on the Level Glory Board, ranked at twenty-third, and Wang Qi was also on it, but his rank was a bit behind, already at over a hundred. With a faint smile, Song Jian closed the Level Glory Board. The revealed information was scarce and didnt have much impact on him. Moreover, being ranked number one on the Level Glory Board could have a deterrent effect on other players. Due to the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace incident, many NPCs had put bounties on Song Jian. Although Song Jian had shown some strength when hunting the Dwarf Commander, not everyone had seen it. Hunting down an ordinary player was completely different from hunting down the number one on the Level Glory Board. With such a deterrent, it could dissuade some players who wanted to hunt him down for the bounty rewards. After the Level Glory Board incident, Song Jian walked towards the Frost Land with a smile. When he saw the tall and majestic ice sculpture of Naga, he thought, Its about time to deal with you! As Song Jian slowly approached the ice sculpture, a low roar sounded, identical to what he had heard before. The entire Frost Land trembled, and the icicles above began to fall pitter-patter. At this moment, the ice sculpture of the Naga, which was originally just an ice sculpture, began to emit crackling sounds from within. Cracks appeared on the surface of the ice sculpture, and its ruby-like eyes slowly rotated and looked towards Song Jian. As Song Jian smiled and walked towards the ice sculpture, the sudden appearance of the Level Glory Board stirred up excitement among the players in Doomsday City. With Song Jian, a level seventeen ranked first on the board, some players who had already taken the mission to kill Song Jian suddenly felt flustered. Damn, that NPC set me up! S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was almost the first thought that surfaced in the minds of all players who took up the bounty mission. They didnt take the mission from the same NPC. Those NPCs who issued the bounty made themselves look like wandering NPCs and turned the mission to hunt Song Jian into a hidden mission. At first, many players were secretly delighted to accept the hidden mission. But now, after seeing the Level Glory Board, they regretted it so much. Damn it, this mission cant be canceled. If I cancel, its a mission failure, and 1 will lose two points of my highest attribute. How can the NPC be so unkind! Ranked number one on the Level Glory Board? Crazy! Why did I accept such a mission? Its a total pitfall! Oh my God, hes level seventeen, and Im five levels behind him. Just the level suppression alone reduces my damage by more than 30%! How am 1 supposed to fight? Players who had taken the mission to kill Song Jian all started to grumble, their faces full of regret. At this time, in the five-person team dungeon Bloody Underground Boxing Arena, the leader of the Legendary Battle Alliance glanced at the Level Glory Board, and frowned. In a low voice, he said, Who knows this guy named Song Jian? See if you can pull him into our alliance. We can discuss the terms! Captain, hes already level seventeen. Im afraid it wont be that easy to pull him in, and even if we do, it might not be easy to manage! Someone cautiously replied with a hesitating look. Thats not for you to worry about. Just do what I say! The leaders face flashed a trace of coldness, making the speaker tremble and not daring to say another word. And also this Luo Tianyu, check him out too. Try to pull him in if you can! Yes, leader. After we finish this dungeon, we will go investigate At this moment, Song Jian had no idea that the sudden appearance of the Level Glory Board had caused such a stir. He was now continuously taking self-destructing robots out of his bag and setting them up in advance as powerful weapons while waiting for the ice sculpture to shatter and the boss to appear. I have eighteen self-destructing robots left, each capable of dealing 500 damage. Even without a critical hit, so many robots are enough to instakill any I5th-level or even 20th-level elite boss! Song Jian looked at the ice sculpture that had already completely shattered and revealed a smile. At this moment, the thin outer ice layer of the ice sculpture had completely broken apart, and a beautiful figure appeared in front of Song Jian. It was a monster with six arms and a long snake tail below its waist, but its upper body was no different from that of a human woman. She had a charming and seductive face that every woman would envy. Her eyes radiated a ruby-like luster, and she had a thick, glossy, black hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her delicate, fair skin shone brilliantly in the surrounding light, like the finest white jade. What was most attractive about her was her noble aura and her exotic beauty. She wore only a blue crystal silk wrap around her chest, which was enchanting to behold. Eighteenth-level, Lord-level boss? Song Jian suddenly felt a chill down his spine, looking at the bosss attributes above its head, and his heart sank. Originally, he thought it would just be a I5th-level Elite boss, but it turned out to be an i8th-level Lord boss. This made Song Jian feel a sudden sense of uneasiness. Its okay; her Vitality Points are only 5,4.00. My self-destructing robots can still instakill her. The higher the level, the stronger they are, and the better the items they drop. 1 should be happy! Song Jian muttered, but he always felt a shadow looming over his heart. Song Jian had encountered only a few Lord-level bosses, but each had been fierce. They were completely different from the Elite-level bosses of the same level. Lord-level bosses were more ferocious and threatening, especially when they kept summoning a bunch of minions, which made it difficult for players who wanted to defeat them. Human, youve intruded into my home and disturbed my sleep. How should I punish you? The Ice Naga boss swayed her waist and had a faint smile on her delicate face. Her long tail rubbed against the ice surface, making a rustling sound as she slowly swam towards Song Jian. The bosss voice was soft and enchanting, lulling those who heard it. It felt as if a small hand were gently stroking Song Jians heart, giving him an inexplicable sense of comfort. Song Jians eyes involuntarily revealed a fascinated expression, his face showing a look of intoxication. Seeing Song Jians appearance, the Ice Naga boss showed a trace of contempt on her face, and her swimming speed increased. Within a short time, she moved from a few meters away from Song Jian to right in front of him. Chapter 352: 352: Ice Coffin Chapter 352: 352: Ice CoffinTranslator: 549690339 | Let your very life be the punishment you receive! Im going to use your skull to adorn my ice throne. Let your soul howl in the ice hell for ten thousand years! The voice of the Frost Naga Boss transformed, becoming as harsh as Siberias cold wind. The two long knives in her hand ruthlessly swooped down on Song Jians head. Clang- A crisp clash of metal rang out as Song Jian blocked the Frost Naga Bosss double blades with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Looking up with a slight smile gracing his lips, his eyes held no signs of enchantment. You you actually The Frost Naga Bosss face showed surprise. She hadnt expected this human to resist her charm. Why did he behave in such a way before? Not good, this is a trap, hes luring me closer to him! The Frost Naga Boss had a sudden realization as she laid eyes on the dozens of meter-tall robots beside Song Jian. Danger! Just as the warning flared in the mind of the Frost Naga Boss, a Self-destructing Robot charged towards her. Whoosh- With the movement of this robot, all the Self-destructing Robots started hurtling towards the Frost Naga Boss. I was afraid that if you were too far away, something unexpected could happen, Song Jian said with a smile. Song Jian, blessed with the Thick-Skinned talent skill was basically immune to all charm and control skills. The reason he acted like he was enchanted before was to lure the Frost Naga Boss closer to him. After all, she was a lord-level Boss and her strength was insurmountable. From such a great distance, he had no assurance that the Self-destructing Robots could get close to her. Boom! The explosion sounded and a strong blast rushed towards Song Jian. Song Jian quickly raised his hand to shield his face. Right before he did so, he saw the Frost Naga Boss, only two meters away from him, with a damage number of 500 floating above her head. Boom boom boom- The explosions continued one after the other. All the Self-destructing Robots burst open. Under Song Jians control, he was fully immune to their explosions, showing no concern while in the centre of the explosion. Did I waste 18 Self-destructing Robots? Well, she is the first lord-level Boss Im hunting, so using some extra robots could be considered her send-off, thought Song Jian. Soon, the explosions ceased. Surrounded by countless shards of ice like a veil of dust, Song Jian couldnt help but grin. Hed defeated a level 18 lord-level Boss so easily. He was eager to see what items she dropped. Maybe she even dropped a piece of golden equipment? Just as he was entertaining these thoughts, the ice dust began to fade. Song Jian felt a sense of wrongness and hurriedly scoured the system prompts. No, this Boss isnt dead yet. The system didnt display any battle experience gained! An illumination flashed through Song Jians mind, casting his face in shock. Just then, Song Jian saw a gigantic ice coffin materialize, with the entire body of the Frost Naga Boss ensconced in thick ice. Besides the one robot that managed to damage her with 500 points, all the remaining Self-destructing Robots were in vain and didnt even inflict a modicum of damage. Frost Barrier! This was the Frost Naga Bosss lifesaving skill, with an incredibly long cooldown period and which could only be used once per battle. What is this skill? Song Jian stood dumbstruck, gazing at the wreckage of the Self-destructing Robots, filled with regret. Crack- The ice coffin dissolved instantly. The boss, her face as frosty as ever, charged towards Song Jian, twin blades in hand. Swish swish swish- The Boss swung her blades rapidly, striking Song Jian repeatedly, leaving afterimages in the air due to the sheer speed. Thud thud thud thud- Blood sprayed from Song Jians body as his Vitality Points abruptly dropped by over 300. At this moment, a massive Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion manifested in front of Song Jian, letting out a roar at the Frost Naga Boss. Its gigantic stinger aimed at the Boss, causing a piercing howl to echo throughout the air. Song Jian hit the ground hard, rolling several times before managing to regain his footing. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wiping the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, Song Jians eyes flashed determinedly. Hed placed too much faith in the Self-destructing Robots and did not expect her to possess a skill that could resist all damage. Luckily, the special effect of the Scorpion Beast Helmet has recovered, or else Id be in danger, Song Jian ruefully thought. Now, however, was not the time for regrets. The Desert Scorpion Beast Illusion was not a match for the Frost Naga Boss. Furthermore, its attacks were like tickles to the Boss. The gigantic scorpion stinger struck the boss like stabbing ultra-strong alloy, only leaving behind white spots. A phantom, not to be feared, as irritating as a fly, the Frost Naga Boss tried to attack the Desert Scorpion Beast, but discovered it was as though they existed in different dimensions. She could not attack it, and out of necessity, she had to passively withstand its onslaught. She abandoned further attacks on the Desert Scorpion Beast, and locked her focus on Song Jian not too far away. Both her hands, now holding a bow and arrow, drew and aimed at Song Jian. Zoom zoom zoom- A series of ice arrows shot towards Song Jian. He waved his sword to block, shattering the arrows. But with every arrow he shattered, a fraction of the ice power seeped into his body. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jian waved his sword, a faint Tai Chi illusion appeared in front of him, continuously blocking the rain of ice arrows. Watching Song Jian nimbly parry the ice arrows, Frost Naga Boss displayed a strange smile that left no doubt of her confidence in winning. At this time, her two hands, each clenching a shield, were raised high up, covering her forefront and blocking the Desert Scorpion Beasts attacks. She constantly aimed her arrows at Song Jian. You can withstand the damage from the ice arrows, but how will you withstand the frost power? See how I deal with you once the freezing effect gets triggered! The Frost Naga Boss had already started daydreaming about tormenting her frozen prey, bursting into loud laughter along the way. However, the Frost Naga Boss soon realized that Song Jian seemingly had high resistance, as the freezing effect didnt trigger even once. Then, with a zoom, an ice arrow which collided with the Tai Chi illusion in front of Song Jian suddenly changed direction, hurtling towards the Frost Naga Boss at a faster pace. Thud- The ice arrow plunged hard into the Frost Naga Bosss shoulder, with damage points above too floating from her head. How is this possible? Why is his resistance so high that hes never been frozen? Looking at the ice arrow slowly melting in her shoulder, the Frost Naga Boss was consumed with fury. Chapter 353: Broken Arm Chapter 353: Broken Arm Translator: 549690339 | The arrows from the Ice Nagas bow were quite similar to Song Jians Sword Silk skill. The shot arrows would randomly attack all targets. The more targets there were, the more dispersed the attack would be. However, if there was only one target, all ice arrows would aim towards it. Even a defensive warrior could not withstand such an intense attack. Most importantly, each ice arrow had a chance of causing a freezing effect. Amongst the many ice arrows, there would always be some that triggered the freezing. Once frozen, the victim would be at the mercy of the Ice Naga boss to be slaughtered. However, Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill could grant immunity to 90% of the damage and all adverse conditions. Plus, with the special effect of the Ring of the Fire God, it was not easy to either instantly defeat Song Jian or freeze him in place. Seeing that her arrows posed too little threat to Song Jian, the Ice Naga surprisingly put the bow away. She withdrew two long knives from her back and lunged at Song Jian. Clang, clang, clang The Ice Naga relentlessly swung her four long knives at Song Jian; another shield kept blocking Song Jians attacks. In just a little while, Song Jians vitality points had dropped by over three hundred. Is this boss a melee fighter or a mage? Why is her close combat so fierce, and she even possesses mage skills like the Ice Coffin? Song Jian fought back continuously with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, but kept retreating in front of the Ice Naga boss. After all, the opponent had four extra arms, naturally suppressing him in attack speed. Were it not for Song Jians strong ice resistance and defense, he would have been slain by the Ice Naga in a short time. Given that his super vitality recovery speed had disappeared, Song Jian suddenly felt outmatched against this leader-class boss. Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body, activate! A light shout, and a golden light suddenly shone around Song Jian. The Tier 3 Immortal Sword Body was unleashed, instantly boosting Song Jians strength. Eight long swords constantly revolved around Song Jians body, blocking the Ice Naga boss attacks. Song Jians attacks grew even fiercer. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! A series of skills was all targeted at the Ice Naga boss, causing damage in the hundreds to appear above its head; -1S0 Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. -198 -210 The vitality points of the Ice Naga boss were rapidly decreasing. For a time, Song Jian was on an equal footing with the boss. After activating the Immortal Sword Body, he managed to regain the upper hand in momentum. I will freeze your soul with my ice power! The Ice Naga gave a cold laugh when her vitality points fell below half. Her body overflowed with power, and she sent Song Jian flying with a push. Creating some distance, she suddenly put away all her weapons. Her six white jade arms fluttered ceaselessly. White currents appeared out of nowhere, gathering in her six palms; In a flash, her six palms emitted dazzling lights, illuminating the entire cave. The surrounding temperature plummeted abruptly. Even Song Jian felt as if he were naked in the cold Siberian wilderness. Suddenly, deep blue lights shot out from the Ice Naga boss fingers. One after another, like a heavy gatling gun firing wildly, flashes of fire were constant. As the six palms of the Ice Naga burst into radiance, Song Jian felt a chill crawl up his spine. Instantly, he used his Sword Shadow Step, transforming into a shadowy figure and began to dodge. Boom boom boom~ Deep-blue pillars of light chased after Song Jian continuously, one after another Just about every pillar of light shot out brushed past the corners of his clothes, hitting the Ice Rock behind him. Rumble rumble rumble The Ice Rock, as unyieldingly hard as alloyed steel, was piercing through like tofu. A chill, as cold as a spiders web spread from the resulting hole, freezing all objects touched into ice particles which cascaded down. At this moment, Song Jians mind was blank, he was dodging the deep-blue pillars of light chasing him on pure instinct. Coldness and a sense of pain emanated from his back. Then, Song Jian suddenly shivered, his eyes blanketed by a deep-blue light. The Ice Naga BOSSS six arms had come together, and a deep blue beam of light, nearly one meter in diameter, rushed towards Song Jian. Sacred Parry! Song Jian reacted instinctively, his survival move kicking in. A golden light emerged from him. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly crossed his chest, the blade tip slightly pointing outwards, and a streak of golden light floated along the blade edge. Boom! The massive blue beam of light brutally slammed into Song Jian, and after a colossal sound, Song Jian himself was embedded into the hard Ice Rock. Meanwhile, a dazzling blue light flowed on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand. Whoosh~ Another thick beam of light, similar to the one before, but with an even deeper blue glow, burst from the imprint of Song Jian embedded in the Ice. It rushed towards the Ice Naga Boss. With a shrill wail, the Ice Naga Boss collapsed onto the icy floor, sliding a great distance away. The Sacred Parry not only completely protected against a hit but also reflected back 110% of the damage. The cool-down time for this move was not short, meaning it had to be used at a critical moment. Song Jian struggled to free himself from the Ice Rock, his body felt as if it had been crushed. Despite not taking damage, he had still been embedded in the Ice Rock, an experience few could understand. He staggered to his feet. Song Jians Vitality Points were just over five hundred left, while the Ice Naga Boss looked even more miserable than he did. Its body was covered in cuts from ice shards with frost-bitten wounds, and only three of its six arms were left. Its long snake tail was also missing a segment, and light blue blood flowed out, utterly devoid of any warmth. Despicable human! The Ice Naga Boss, hair scattered, had a ruthless look in its ruby-like eyes. Gritting its teeth, she picked herself up, tightly gripping her long knife in her remaining three arms. She let out a roar, and brutally lunged at Song Jian. The Ice Naga Bosss Vitality Points had plunged below 30%, its attack speed went up another notch. It was only left with three arms, yet it was evenly- matching Song Jian who had activated his Rapid Sword skill. The state of his Immortal Sword Body dissipated, Song Jian suddenly felt weak, as if a physically strong individual had suddenly fallen ill or injured, struggling to adapt. Bang! The Ice Naga Boss swung her long knife towards Song Jians head. Song Jian deflected it with his hand and instantly felt a massive force conveyed through his sword. He was pushed seven or eight meters back along the ice surface. At that moment, the Ice Naga Boss abruptly threw her head back and shrieked. The piercing sound resonated through the ice cave, causing it to violently shake as if it was going to collapse at any moment. Chapter 354: Joining the Army Chapter 354: Joining the Army Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Translator: 549690339 | The Ice Naga Boss kept howling, and Song Jian clenched his sword, staring at it with a vigilant face. The cooldown time for the Tai Chi Sword Skill was already up, and if the situation turned unfavorable, Song Jian planned to use the Tai Chi Sword Skill to save himself first. The bosss howling continued for more than half a minute before it finally stopped. At this time, there were crackling sounds coming from the surrounding rock walls, and ice rocks were breaking apart. Semi-transparent figures seemed to be struggling, trying to escape from the ice rocks. In no time, more than a dozen four-armed Nagas made of ice broke free from the ice rocks, leaving behind a series of large holes. Seeing more than a dozen four-armed Nagas surrounding him, the Ice Naga Bosss face revealed a delighted smile: Human, you will definitely die here today! So many people, cant beat me without summoning your minions, huh? Song Jian stepped back, a sneer of disdain appearing at the corner of his mouth. Glancing at his Pet Space, the Black Dragon hatchling was still in its evolution state. It would take more than two hours for the evolution to be completed. Its body had grown much larger, already more massive than a cow. The scales on its body were thicker, and it had sprouted two horns more than a foot long on its head. Although it was still asleep, the heat radiating from its body was becoming increasingly intense. Song Jian closed the Pet Space and directly used the Blood Pool Summoning Skill. He left the blood crows and blood zombies to guard the territory while he summoned thirty blood wolves right now. All thirty blood wolves were as large as small calves. Their fur was as red as blood, and when they shook, they seemed like a ball of flames burning fiercely. By now, the level of the thirty blood wolves had risen to fifteen. Although their strength was still weaker compared to the sixteen elite four-armed Nagas summoned by the Ice Naga Boss, none of the blood wolves showed any signs of fear. They bared their teeth, growling threateningly, and surrounded these four-armed Nagas like a massive net. Lets see who will die here! Song Jian said coldly, rushing towards the Ice Naga Boss with his sword. The blood wolves also attacked at the same time. The thirty blood wolves moved as one, ferociously pouncing on the four-armed Naga, fighting intensely. Song Jian kept swinging his sword, chopping at the Ice Naga Bosss body, and fighting furiously with its three long blades. Blood kept spurting out from him and the Boss, and their vitality points kept decreasing. As soon as the cooldown time for the Sword Shadow Step was over, Song Jian immediately used it, and his speed increased again. He circled around the Boss, constantly attacking from strange angles. Even with three arms, the Ice Naga Boss couldnt help but scream in pain, only managing to defend itself. Just then, a system communication suddenly rang out. Song Jian checked it and found it was from an unfamiliar number. With a frown, he quickly hung up. Since the level honor rankings were released, many players tried to contact Song Jian, who was in the first place. Some asked him for quick upgrade methods, some for equipment and money, some for help leveling up, and others invited him to join their alliances. Is this the eighth or ninth stranger that has contacted me? Why doesnt this communication system have a setting to block calls from strangers? Its so outdated! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, the stranger called him again. Song Jian hung up in a second, but the communication device rang again after a few seconds. Like this, the other party was persistent and kept calling more than a dozen times, and Song Jian finally couldnt help but answer. Who are you? What do you want? Im busy fighting a Boss right now, do you understand? Song Jian growled, trying to suppress his anger. There was silence on the other end of the line, perhaps because the caller didnt expect Song Jian to answer. Sorry, I am Wang Runjie from the Coastal Military Zone. You can call me Councilor Wang! An middle-aged mans voice sounded in Song Jians ear: Weve met before, outside the Frost Cave. Are you currently fighting the Frost Cave Boss? Coastal Military Zone? Song Jian was stunned, and when he heard they met outside the Frost Cave, the figures standing as straight as pines behind the makeshift shelter appeared in his mind. Song Jians tone became much gentler, as he had previously guessed that those players were soldiers. Unexpectedly, they were all warriors from the Coastal Military Zone. Yes, I am currently fighting the Frost Cave Boss, the Ice Naga! Song Jian replied. Can I ask how you got into the Frost Cave? Weve been trying to find a way in for over a week, but we cant seem to enter! Councilor Wangs tone immediately became urgent, and he quickly asked. Song Jian hesitated for a moment before finally saying, Holy Flame Pearl. I accidentally obtained a Holy Flame Pearl, which allowed me to open the dungeons gate. However, the Holy Flame Pearl has disappeared now. It seems that a single Holy Flame Pearl can only open the gate once! The Holy Flame Pearl? I see! Councilor Wang recalled the red pearl Song Jian had in his hand and a look of epiphany spread across his face: What a pity Now that you are ranked first in the entire citys levels, are you interested in joining the military? What I mean is, in the real world, are you interested in enlisting and becoming a member of the Coastal Military Zone? Councilor Wang finally revealed the purpose of his call, still hoping to recruit Song Jian. Enlisting in the real world? Joining the Coastal Military Zone? How is that possible? Song Jian said with a smile. In reality, the Coastal Military Zone was the most unique and smallest of the several major military zones. Every soldier in the zone had the strength of a special forces operative. They usually didnt recruit soldiers from the public and only transferred them from other combat units. Without a certain level of ability, it was impossible to join the Coastal Military Zone, let alone someone like Song Jian, who was a civilian. If you agree, you can immediately become a member of the Coastal Military Zone, and you will even be granted the rank of Captain! Councilor Wang said with a smile. Naturally, such a decision wouldnt be made by Councilor Wang alone. Although it had only been a few days in reality, the Coastal Military Zone had already recognized the terrifying potential of the game. Even if it was just an ordinary person, as long as they didnt die in the game for just a few nights, they would possess strange abilities. Deputy Commander Sun was the best among them. He was originally just an ordinary captain, but after accidentally entering the game, he managed to defeat all ten elite soldiers in the Coastal Military Zone without having to fight back. Recruiting experts from the game into the Coastal Military Zone was being discussed among the higher-ups in the zone. Although no official orders had been issued yet, Councilor Wang felt that there was a great chance that this would become a reality. Consequently, recruiting some of the games top players in advance was only natural for Councilor Wang. Chapter 355: Wrath of the Fire God Chapter 355: Wrath of the Fire God Translator: 549690339 The unexpected recruitment by Councilor Wang was quite attractive to Song Jian. Even though he was very strong, he couldnt compare to the national machine unless he was willing to become a fugitive and cut off relations with everyone associated with him. The previous police search and questioning in the neighborhood had sounded an alarm for Song Jian. The emergence of this game had a huge impact on the real world, and the country couldnt just let it be. For players entering the game, the best treatment was probably surveillance and control, simply not being captured and dissected for research was a blessing. If Song Jian could really join the Coastal Military Zone, he would undoubtedly gain an extra layer of protection, at least in the real world, where he wouldnt have to bother with random police questioning. What do I need to do to join the Coastal Military Zone? Song Jian asked. Upon hearing Song Jians question, a smile crept up Councilor Wangs lips as if he had seen a big fish leap into his net. There are no specific policies in place for now, but in principle, we wont make any mandatory requests for players. You can just focus on your development. However, in some areas, we need you to have some inclination toward us, like selling unused equipment and items, which must be given priority to the Coastal Military Zone. Of course, the price will be determined by market value! Furthermore, if the military zone needs your help, you need to voluntarily provide assistance without compromising your development. In return, the military zone will compensate you appropriately! Councilor Wang listed a dozen conditions, causing Song Jian to frown slightly. It felt more like becoming an external member of the Coastal Military Zone, in cooperation with the military area. Of course, these are just temporary measures. The future policies are still being studied. Councilor Wang finally said. I see. Ill consider it, and let you know nar Ive made a decision. Song Jian hesitated for a moment. Councilor Wang was surprised, as he had expected Song Jian to agree directly. He didnt expect him to still be hesitating. Alright, no problem. We welcome your participation at any time. Lets add each other as friends for easier communication in the future! Councilor Wang hurriedly said. No problem! Song Jian quickly added Councilor Wang as a friend. In order to gain access to the communication system and the ability to add friends, one must complete the safe house mission; otherwise, its impossible to directly communicate with other players, let alone add friends. Ending the call, Song Jian pulled out two Vitality Stones from his inventory. The Vitality Stones were very precious, and when placed in the inventory, they could increase the Vitality Points recovery speed by 2%. If used directly, they could serve as a healing potion, instantly restoring 300 Vitality Points. Song Jian had only managed to obtain a few with great difficulty and was reluctant to use them regularly. He wanted to keep them as a trump card for turning things around. However, now that he had lost the powerful Vitality Points recovery speed bonus, if Song Jian didnt use them, he might not have a chance to use them in the future. Using two Vitality Stones at once, Song Jians health soared to over a thousand. At this point, the Ice Rock Naga Bosss Vitality Points had dropped to below 20%. The once charming boss suddenly became frightening. The formerly smooth and white cheeks suddenly became covered with blue veins, and the face caved in. A mouthful of sharp teeth appeared, two tusks protruded from the lips, and the tongue became a long snake-like filament, emitting a hissing sound. Die, human! I will freeze you in this cave! The Ice Rock Naga Boss roared, raising its three arms simultaneously. The entire cave began to shake violently, with icicles falling from the ceiling. A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the cave, and icy tornadoes appeared out of thin air, moving incessantly on the ground. The tornadoes were filled with suction force, causing the opponents, the Blood Wolfs, and the Ice Rock, to be swallowed up. The Blood Wolfs could only hold on for a short while in the tornado before turning into a puddle of pus and blood, returning to the Blood Pool. The Ice Rock Naga Boss, which seemed to be formed from ice, shattered into large chunks of ice, making clattering noises as they collided within the tornado. Boom, boom, boom~ Song Jian continually heard crashing sounds. The icicles falling from the ceiling were like bombs, creating large pits in the ground. Song Jian dodged left and right. The icicles falling from such a height were as powerful as ordinary shells. A casual hit could cause the loss of three or four hundred Vitality Points. Song Jian leaped towards the side ice rocks, successfully avoiding several icy tornadoes, and hid in a big hole in the ice rock. It was the spot where the Ice Rock Naga had broken free earlier. Although the space was not big, it was more than enough for Song Jian to hide. The icicles fell for a whole thirty seconds, and the tornadoes swept across the cave for three full minutes. A five-person team would not have survived the countless tornadoes if they had not found a hiding place. The temperature in the entire cave suddenly dropped by more than ten degrees. The current temperature had reached minus seventy or eighty degrees Celsius. Ordinary players could not survive in such an environment. If a player with no Ice Resistance appeared here, they would be frozen into ice sculptures in no time. Even with Song Jians Ice Resistance, he could not remain unharmed in such an environment. At this point, red -1 symbols appeared above his head. Fortunately, they only appeared once every three to four seconds, giving Song Jian enough time to keep going. A layer of frost over a foot high had condensed on the ground, flowing like mist along the surface. As Song Jian jumped down from the ice rock, he immediately felt an icy chill piercing through his feet, accelerating the loss of his Vitality Points. I cant delay this any longer. I have to finish this quickly! Song Jian thought to himself as he rushed towards the Ice Rock Naga Boss. The Ice Rock Naga Boss had just finished its powerful attack and was in a weakened state. In addition, the frost on the ground was a kind of protection for it. Any living being exposed to such frost would be highly susceptible to being slowed and frozen. In such conditions, however, the Ice Rock Naga Boss could recover quickly. Once its weakened state ended, its Vitality could be restored to 15%. But when it saw Song Jian charging at it without any hindrance, the Ice Rock Naga Boss revealed a surprised expression. How could this be? How could this human have never been slowed or frozen since entering this place? A thought suddenly crossed the Bosss mind: Could it be that this human has been blessed by the Fire God and is now completely immune to freezing damage? Thats impossible. Why would the Fire God bless an ordinary human being? And the Fire God has already fallen, so it s not possible At that moment, Song Jian had already reached the weakened Ice Rock Naga Boss and swung his sword fiercely at its head. Just then, his Ring of the Fire God triggered the Wrath of the Fire God skill. A low roar rang throughout the cave, and a scorching flame accompanied Song Jians sword as it slashed down. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 356 - 356 Frost Shield Chapter 356: Frost Shield Translator: 549690339 | Wrath of the Fire God. The Eye of the Fire God, a built-in special effect, had a certain chance of being triggered, causing an additional three hundred points of fire damage to the target. Accompanied by this attack, a look of terror appeared in the eyes of the Frost Naga boss. Its body trembled as it fell into a helpless state, devoid of any power to resist. Boom! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword mercilessly struck the Frost Naga boss. The weakened boss had blue-black scales that scattered all around. The sword left a foot-long wound on its body. Following this heavy strike, three hundred points of fire damage floated up from the top of the Frost Naga bosss head. 17/o150/o13/oii% The vitality points of the Frost Naga boss kept dropping until it managed to recover from its weakened state. By this time, its vitality points had fallen below 10%. Most importantly, after triggering the Wrath of the Fire God, the Frost Naga bosss resistance became increasingly weak, as if it had been frightened. About ten minutes later, the Frost Naga boss let out a stern cry and collapsed at Song Jians feet. Before it died, a relieved expression appeared in its eyes. In an instant, Song Jians level increased by one, reaching 18 at 8%. The substantial experience gain surprised Song Jian. Shortly after, with a plop sound, a large batch of Frost Crystals and a pile of equipment items fell from the Frost Naga boss. Thats some great luck. Just two more points on my luck stat and so many items drop. If I wait for the Abyss Curse to disappear and my luck stat returns to 5, wont even more equipment drop? Song Jian looked at the items glittering in various colors scattered on the ground, a delighted expression on his face. In the game, if you want to acquire precious equipment, you must kill bosses. Also, your own luck stat cant be too low. The players luck stat and will attribute are both hidden attributes that usually dont display, but if you have equipment that increases luck, theyll have a noticeable impact on the amount and quality of loot when killing monsters. Increasingly more players are starting to pay attention to the luck attribute. However, at this stage in the game, there are almost no equipment pieces that increase luck. For dungeons, the first time you clear them the drop rate is much higher. Subsequent times, the drop rate drops significantly. This is why Deputy Commander Sun spent over a week to enter the dungeon after discovering it. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is absurd. The Frost Crystals dropped by one boss are almost equivalent to all the ones I collected previously. After organizing the dropped items, Song Jian was stunned. The Frost Naga boss dropped items that were both plentiful and of extremely high quality. While clearing out the smaller creatures in the dungeon, he had only gathered a little over sixty Frost Crystals. But the Frost Naga boss had dropped over seventy Frost Crystals. It was almost too good to believe. Besides the Frost Crystals, the most valuable items were equipment and recipe blueprints. In front of Song Jian was a pair of light blue elegant boots. They appeared as though they were composed of blue scales. There were three Frost Crystals embedded in them, emitting a faint glow, making the boots beautiful beyond belief. There even appeared to be a chilly mist lingering around the boots. Frost Boots: Leather armor, Gold quality. Equipment level: 17, Defense: +45, Resistance: +20, Strength: +3, Agility: +5, Constitution: +5, Movement Speed: +10, Ice Resistance: +15. Comes with the skill C Frost Sprint, enhancing movement speed by 100% for 10 seconds. Cooldown time: 120 seconds. Upon activation of this skill, a Path of Frost 1 meter wide is created. Any target moving on it will have their movement speed reduced by 30%. Gold quality equipment! Ive got a piece of gold quality equipment! Song Jians eyes sparkled as he swiftly put on the boots. True to their gold quality, the defense and resistance provided by these boots were almost equivalent to half of Song Jians total defense and resistance. In other words, these boots were worth about half of Song Jians total defensive equipment. Moreover, the attribute points increased by these boots alone were thirteen, greatly enhancing Song Jians strength. The boots accompanying skill was also extremely useful, whether it was for chasing down or fleeing from enemies. The Path of Frost, besides being extremely flashy, also hindered enemies pursuit, making these boots top-notch Golden Boots. Even if someone was willing to offer thirty thousand Doomsday Coins for these boots, Song Jian would not part with them. The Fish Scale Boots were naturally retired and put into his inventory. Although the blue equipment had mediocre defense, it could still be invaluable under certain circumstances. Song Jian couldnt bear to sell it just yet. In addition to the Gold Quality boots, the Boss also dropped its shield, a Level- 15 Silver Quality item with excellent attributes. Frost Shield. Shield. Silver Quality level 15. Requirement: Strength 15. Defense: +35, Block Rate: +40%, Defensive Level: +2, Strength: +2, Agility: +3, Vitality Points: +200. Passive Skill: Chilling Touch. Theres a chance when receiving damage to reduce the attackers movement and attack speed by 20% and 30% respectively. The effect lasts for 5 seconds. Even though it maintained only a Silver Quality, the defensive rating and the unique passive skill of the shield made it as good as common Gold Quality shields. Apart from these two premium pieces of equipment, the boss also dropped five to six Blue Quality and seven to eight Green Quality Level-15 items. Half of them were Mage class equipment, two were healing class equipment, one was a two-handed long axe, and two were long knives. The Level-15 equipment is high-end at the current stage of the game, and the first tier of players are around this level. All this gear should sell at a good price. Besides the equipment, the Frost Naga Boss unsurprisingly dropped a recipe blueprint for alchemy potions, a Lesser Ice Resistance Potion. Consuming this potion grants 10 Ice Resistance for an hour. The potion could be used up to three times, meaning that each player could get thirty points of Ice Resistance, enough to venture into this part of the dungeon. As for whether they could withstand the bosss ultimate move, that would depend on whether they managed to find and hide in the cave formed by the surrounding ice rocks. To successfully raid the Frost Cave, besides the Holy Flame Pearl, teams would have to buy the Ice Resistance Potion. It was conceivable that selling Ice Resistance Potions alone would net Song Jian a large sum of Doomsday Coins. Without a second thought, Song Jian learned the formula. The main ingredient in the Ice Resistance Potion was Frost Crystals, which Song Jian had in abundance, so he had no worries about making the potion. After killing the boss, a light blue teleportation portal appeared in the middle of the frosty field. Song Jian smiled faintly, stepped into the gate, and his figure disappeared into the dungeon. Chapter 357: We Meet Again Chapter 357: We Meet Again Translator: 549690339 | Once Song Jian returned to the Safe House, he immediately opened the Alchemy Workbench and began to make the low-level Ice Resistance Potions. Due to the workbenchs effect bonus, each Ice Resistance Potions effect was significantly increased, with the minimum increase being two points of Ice Resistance, and some even reaching a five-point increase. It took more than three full hours to use up all the Frost Crystal Cores, and placed before Song Jian were more than a hundred bottles of potions shimmering with a pale blue light. Having made so many potions, Song Jians Alchemy skill directly increased to level three, with his success rate jumping to 15%. Paired with the effects of the Alchemy Workbench, Song Jian rarely encountered any failures in his potion-making now. With the low-level Ice Resistance Potions completed, Song Jian prepared to batch them out to the auction house, when, at that moment, his steward George suddenly walked in and said, Master, we can start the territory expansion campaign now. A ten-meter territory is very cramped, making it impossible to construct many buildings! I can expand my territory again? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, a smile beginning to form C he knew that the opportunity to expand territory was only available once a month, so he needed to make good use of it. The larger the territory, the more NPCs would be attracted. For now, Song Jian only had a ten-meter territory, attracting just some ordinary construction workers and helpers, with no Followers worth recruiting. Once he expanded his territory to a certain extent, however, he might be able to find talents such as Dr. Ebsiting willing to follow him. Begin! Launch the territory expansion campaign! Opening the territory interface, Song Jian started the campaign directly. Quickly, a grand horn resounded in the sky above Song Jians territory, and a red light emanated from his Manor Castle, gradually spreading outward. All the NPCs touched by the red light became excited and agitated. Even Alex opened his eyes, waving his branches and roaring angrily. He wished he could leave the Spirit Field and go straight to the front lines of expansion. Watching the red light slowly expanding outward, Song Jian asked, George, how much will our territory increase this time? My Lord, our territory can expand an additional fifty meters outward this time! George replied respectfully. Fifty meters? Song Jian was surprised, having originally expected only another ten meters. He did not expect that the second expansion would already increase several times. Yes, my lord. If this expansion is successful, our territory will reach 300 meters during our next expansion! George continued. After estimating the pace of expansion, Song Jian realized that it wouldnt take long for his territory to cover the entire Camel Square and the beginner areas. By that time, he would likely begin to encroach on other players Safe Houses, leading to inevitable conflicts between players. I must strengthen my power quickly! Song Jian thought to himself. Opening the Safe Houses attribute interface, Song Jian looked at the properties of the Blood Pool. The power of his level 3 Blood Pool has become pronounced, and the level 15 Blood Wolves were powerful enough to fight on par with Elite level monsters. He was eager to see what kind of Blood Slaves the pool could produce once it reached level 4. Soon, the red light circle started to expand outward from Song Jians territory. Wherever it went, it seemed like a huge hand erasing all buildings on the ground, leaving behind only a stretch of lush green grass. A few residential buildings suddenly disappeared, and new players who were searching within appeared on the grass with a confused expression. Some even held food and drinks they had just found. When the red light circle had expanded to cover fifty meters, it disappeared entirely, and a resonant trumpet call echoed throughout the city. This is a glorious victory! An excited and emotional voice echoed over Song Jians territory, low and majestic, seemingly belonging to a middle-aged man. Praise the God of War! Steward George respectfully gestured a symbol on his chest and whispered. Song Jian smiled faintly. In the game, everything related to war was governed by the God of War. Opening the territory interface, Song Jian noticed several players Safe Houses less than ten meters away from the edge of his territory. It seemed the next expansion campaign would bring him into conflict with other players. However, those Safe Houses were all level 2 and posed no real threat. If they yielded willingly at that time, there would be no problem. But if they refused, Song Jian would not show mercy either and would completely destroy their Safe Houses. Just then, a dragons roar suddenly resounded in Song Jians ears. Having opened his pet space, he found that the Black Dragon had indeed awakened, and its level had been raised to 15. Immediately, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon. Now over three meters long and more than 1.7 meters high, it held its head high enough to lick Song Jians cheek if it wanted to. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Heavier scales now covered the Black Dragon, and a bone spur similar to a mace coalesced at the end of its long tail. As it swung gently, sharp bursts of air followed, emitting a sense of oppressive power. Not bad, not bad. In a short time, I might be able to ride it in flight. Song Jian chuckled. At that moment, he remembered he had one Pet equipment left in his inventory that required a level-15 pet to ride. Now that the Black Dragon was level 15, it could naturally wear the equipment. Putting the Spider Spear Armor on the Black Dragon cub, it was immediately enveloped in silver light-emitting armor. White patterns on the armors surface appeared, looking like the gathered legs of eight spiders. The awakening of the Black Dragon further boosted Song Jians strength. Now, even against a level 20 elite boss, he had the confidence to slay it. Just then, an NPC guard walked in, saluted Song Jian, and said, Great Lord, a lady wishes to see you. She says she comes concerning the Demon of the Abyss. The Demon of the Abyss? Song Jian was taken aback. The Demon of the Abyss had supposedly been sealed away. There was still more than a month left before it was unsealed. Could it be that something had gone wrong? Please let the lady in, Song Jian nodded. Shortly after, a female Priest holding a golden Codex in her left hand and a Magic Staff in her right walked in, giving Song Jian a slight smile. Gods favored, we meet again. Chapter 358: Light Strike Chapter 358: Light Strike Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian glanced at the Priestess, saying with a hint of helplessness, It is indeed you. Didnt you seal the Abyssal Demon? Could it be that the seal was broken? The priestess shook her head slightly, The seal hasnt been broken, but I feel a mysterious power that seems to want to break the Demons seal. If they succeed, it will definitely cause a huge disaster! How does this concern me? Song Jian shrugged his shoulders, petting the Black Dragon cubs head as he spoke. The Abyssal Demon was only a fifteenth-level elite boss. Forget that Song Jian was already at the eighteenth level, even his pet, the Black Dragon cub, wouldnt necessarily view a fifteenth-level elite boss highly. If the Abyssal Demon really dared to appear in front of him, Song Jian would undoubtedly make it wish for death. After all, he was still suffering from the Abyss Curse, which reduced his luck by three points. The Abyssal Demon is currently extremely weak, and therefore its capabilities have dropped dramatically. Once it breaks free from the seals restraint, it will quickly recover its strength. Even if it only regains a little bit of its power, reaching the first order of Demon Lord, it will definitely seek revenge. The priestess said with a smile. First Order Demon Lord? Song Jian felt a sinking feeling in his heart upon hearing the term. It didnt sound like a good sign. Yes, typically at the thirtieth level, one can challenge those with the first order strength, and once successful, they undergo a substantial change in power, the priestess explained. Just like you? You now also possess first order strength, right? Song Jian suddenly asked. When the priestess made her debut, she was able to eliminate hundreds of monsters that possessed the bloodline of the demon with a single blow. Such fearsome power left a deep impression on Song Jian. Yes, I already possess first order strength! said the priestess candidly. Well then, what do you need me to do this time? Song Jian sounded a little helpless. Even if he had an additional months time, he wouldnt be able to level up to the thirtieth level. His only hope now was the priestess standing in front of him. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Cecilia Roland. Im a first order Dawn Priestess. You can refer to me as Priest Roland, or simply as Cecil. The priestess smiled, curtseying to Song Jian as she said this. Nice to meet you, Im Song Jian. He nodded slightly in return. Alright then, lets get down to business. Priestess Cecilia smiled and said, To break the seal of the Abyssal Demon, the Book of the Abyss must be used. The minions of the Abyssal Demon will surely do everything in their power to acquire the Book of the Abyss. You must stop them! The Book of the Abyss? What is that? Where can I find it? Song Jian frowned and asked. The Book of the Abyss is hidden within the Blood Demon Cave. You must get there first and secure the Book of the Abyss. As long as you can bring the Book of the Abyss to me, I will be able to use it to completely kill the Abyssal Demon, preventing it from ever regenerating! Priestess Cecilia said softly. But I dont even know where the Blood Demon Cave is! Song Jian was a bit frustrated. He was certain that there was no such place as the Blood Demon Cave within Doomsday City. As expected, Priestess Cecilia said, The Blood Demon Cave isnt in this abandoned city. To get there, you must first go to the Silver Moon Commerce. Find someone who manages the place and they will arrange for you to enter the Blood Demon Cave. Silver Moon Commerce, manager? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, muttering to himself, This sounds strangely familiar, it cant be Annie, can it? I wish I could help you, but as you know, with my current ability, I cannot leave this city. Song Jian shrugged and stated. Outside Doomsday City, layers of thick black fog prevent those within from leaving. As soon as Song Jian gets close to the black fog on the outskirts of the city, he feels a shudder through his body, indicating there must be something threatening his life within the fog. According to the NPC, there were indeed monsters hidden within the black fog outside Doomsday City, blocking anyone who wanted to leave. To leave the city, a Transmission Array is required. However, even in other cities, the construction of the Transmission Array would be a strategic project, and the materials needed for its construction were singulated items that couldnt be purchased even if one wanted to. Therefore, Song Jian currently doesnt have the ability to leave this city. I can help to open a teleportation gate for you to leave here. After youve completed the task, you will naturally be able to return here easily. Priestess Cecilia said with a smile. Lastly, one last question. Song Jian raised a finger and asked, Whatre the benefits for me if I accomplish this task? Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Isnt keeping your life the biggest benefit? Priestess Cecilias expression darkened a little and she answered in displeasure. Well, in reality, I dont have a pressing need to kill the Abyssal Demon. As you know, our divine followers can rapidly improve our strength. Maybe by the time the Abyssal Demon finds me, I will already have the power to protect myself. said Song Jian with a relaxed expression. Indeed, greed is mankinds greatest sin! Cecilia looked at Song Jian with a serious face and said, You divine followers will surely be destroyed by your own greed! Song Jian shrugged and stayed silent, just looking at the priestess. Finally, the priestess opened her mouth and said, Alright, if you can complete this task, then I will teach you a skill of the Dawn Knights. A skill of the Dawn Knights? A look of joy appeared on Song Jians face. Sacred Parry is a skill of the Dawn Knights, which is Song Jians lifesaver. It can even resist and counter a bosses special move. Gaining another skill of the Dawn Knights would definitely elevate Song Jians power significantly. Great, just ensure that I can use the skill you are teaching! Song Jian suddenly spoke, a light bulb going off in his head. After all, knights abilities could not necessarily be used by Sword Controllers. For example, skills involving a shields use, given to Song Jian, he will not be able to use them. Of course, its one you will be able to use. Its a sword technique. You could take an early look. Priestess Cecilia generously showed the technique to Song Jian. Now that shed made her decision, Cecilia was not going to be stingy. She told Song Jian, If you agree, I can give you the technique in advance. Light Strike? The power of this technique is amazing! Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. He nodded his head repeatedly, I accept the task. Ill handle it and ensure it will be completed successfully. System: Player accepts the first part of the Serial Quest, Delivering a Letter; Quest content: On behalf of priestess Cecilia, deliver the letter to Annie, the Manager of Silver Moon Commerce; Quest Reward: too points increase in intimacy with Priestess Cecilia; System: Priestess Cecilia has taught you the sword technique Light Strike., you have fully mastered the technique, and the current level of the technique is one. Chapter 359: City of Hymns Chapter 359: City of Hymns Translator: 549690339 Light Strike, Level 1, Skill Effect: Performs a Holy attribute attack on targets within to meters range, dealing (500 150% * self damage) Holy damage and an additional 200% damage to Shadow attribute creatures. The skill is instant and has a cooldown of 5 minutes; Skill consumption: 10 Spirit Points, equipment requirement: Sword-type weapon. Light Strike is a simple and powerful skill that deals high damage within a 10-meter range, which is already considered a semi-long-range attack. With Song Jians current damage, a single attack can deal more than 650 points of damage an amount that none of his other skills, even if all his Sword Silk attacks were concentrated on a single target, could reach. Furthermore, if the target is a creature with the Shadow attribute, such as the Abyssal Demons encountered before, then the damage dealt would exceed 1,200 points. Even ordinary Shadow attribute creatures could be killed in one hit, making Light Strike a very straightforward skill. The only drawback is its 5-minute cooldown time, making it slow to increase proficiency. However, Song Jian wouldnt consider these drawbacks right now, as he hasnt truly obtained the skill. He must complete the mission before he can officially acquire Light Strike. After receiving the Light Strike skill, Song Jian became enthusiastic about the task. The priest, Cecilia, didnt find this weird, as in her impression, the Gods chosen ones were always chasing benefits. Take this letter and find Annie from Silver Moon Commerce. She has a way to get you into the Blood Demon Cave. Once youre there, you must be careful If you die inside the cave, your body will be parasitized by the demonic creatures inside, and your soul will be trapped there forever! Cecilia Priest handed Song Jian a letter with a serious expression. Song Jian nodded, sensing that the mission might not be as easy as he thought. After taking the letter, he placed it into his inventory. Cecilia Priest began chanting spells as her golden Codex flipped through its pages without wind. Once it stopped, a golden glowing Teleportation Gate appeared in front of Song Jian. You only have thirty seconds to enter the Teleportation Gate. Hurry up; this type of Space-Breaking Array consumes a lot of my energy! Cecilia Priests face showed a hint of exhaustion. Song Jian didnt hesitate and stepped into the Teleportation Gate, disappearing from sight. After Song Jian vanished, the Teleportation Gate disintegrated. Cecilia Priest looked at the traces of the Gate left on the floor and sighed deeply. A severe dizziness forced Song Jian to close his eyes, feeling as if he were falling into a bottomless abyss. Even the furious roars and howls of monsters reached his ears, making him tremble with fear unsure whether it was an illusion or reality. Soon, Song Jian felt solid ground under his feet. As he stumbled forward and opened his eyes, he found himself already in a new city, standing right in front of the citys central Transmission Array. A short Goblin waved its arms and shouted at Song Jian, Dont stand in front of the Transmission Array! Hurry up and leave the area marked by the yellow line! Song Jian looked down and saw an obvious yellow circle with a diameter of about three meters surrounding the Transmission Array. With a faint smile, Song Jian stepped away from the Transmission Array. The Goblin guarding the Array muttered under his breath, Country bumpkin! as it shifted its attention elsewhere. System: You have discovered a new city, City of Hymns (Level 4), and gained 3000 experience points. City of Hymns? Sounds similar to the City of Holy Light! thought Song Jian. The architecture of the city resembled medieval European style, and so did the peoples clothing. He occasionally saw mercenaries clad in armor and wielding weapons passing by him. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There are players here too? Song Jian, in disbelief, saw three players with obvious foreign features coming out of a tavern, loudly discussing a concert by a celebrity from the real world. The surrounding people seemed indifferent to their loud chatter, quickly avoiding them. It seems there are more players in this game than I thought, Song Jian felt a heavy weight on his chest. Such a large number of people entering the game and gaining extraordinary powers would definitely impact the real world. Song Jian initially thought this impact would be limited to Coastal City, but it turned out that it encompassed the entire world. The entire world is beginning to change, Song Jian whispered to himself. Just then, a carriage stopped in front of Song Jian. A man in his fifties or sixties sat in the drivers seat, sat up straight, and politely asked Song Jian, Sir, do you need carriage service? I can take you anywhere in the City of Hymns! Do you know how to get to Silver Moon Commerce? Song Jian asked with a smile. Of course! Silver Moon Commerce is the largest commerce company in the City of Hymns! Their residence is in District C, about five kilometers away. It takes about 20 minutes by carriage. The old man said proudly, I grew up in the City of Hymns, and I know every road here like the back of my hand. I will get you to your destination as quickly as possible. Alright, take me to Silver Moon Commerce. How much does it cost? Song Jian climbed into the carriage. Just three Doomsday Coins, distinguished sir! The old man seemed pleased to have gained a customer, smiling brightly. Let s go, Song Jian nodded and closed the carriage door. The carriage sped along the wide streets. Looking out of the window, Song Jian saw many players rushing through the city. Most were between levels 10 and 15, similar to those in Doomsday City. However, players who entered this city were obviously luckier than those who entered Doomsday City. Here, there were no monsters, and they didnt have to experience the dreadful phase of having their lives on the line when they first entered the game. Twenty minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a shop C the quarters of Silver Moon Commerce. Silver Moon Commerces shop was very luxurious, occupying the best location on the entire street. It had five floors and was one of the tallest buildings in the city. Standing at the entrance of the shop, Song Jian saw many players coming in and out, purchasing large quantities of items. Several attendants stood at the door, welcoming every visitor warmly. As Song Jian walked towards the shop, he unexpectedly received a joyous system notification; System: Congratulations to the Hammer of Thor Alliance for being the first team to clear the hard mode of the Bloody Sewers dungeon. All players in the team receive 10,000 experience points and 500 Doomsday Coins. A hard mode dungeon? Song Jian was shocked, not expecting that the strength of players in this city was still underestimated. They could even clear hard mode dungeons while, in Doomsday City, none of the teams could even clear the normal mode dungeons most accomplished only the easy mode dungeons. 1 have to speed up my progress, Song Jian thought. Chapter 360: Why Didn’t You Say So Earlier Chapter 360: Why Didnt You Say So Earlier Translator: 549690339 | Instances inside the game are divided into four levels of difficulty: simple, ordinary, difficult, and real; And there are level restrictions for entering the instances. If you surpass a certain level, you cannot enter that specific instance. For example, if a player surpasses level 18, they can no longer enter Frost Cave Secret Realm. And when one first starts to conquer an instance, they have to start from the simple difficulty level. Only after successfully clearing it, they can choose the ordinary difficulty level, followed by the difficult one. After conquering the difficult level of the instance, one can enter the real difficulty level. It is said that once you successfully clear the instance at real difficulty level, the instance will no longer reappear. However, Song Jian has not heard of any instance at the real difficulty level being successfully cleared; In Doomsday City, not even a single player has cleared an instance at the difficult level. But as soon as he entered the City of Hymns, Song Jian learned that a player here, who was surprisingly from the Hammer of Thor Alliance, had successfully cleared an instance at the difficult level. Regardless of what level the instance was, being able to successfully clear one at the difficult level speaks volumes about the players strength. This system announcement made the players on the street suddenly excited, with many players even cheering aloud, reveling in the shared glory. This is a good way to enhance the reputation of an alliance! Song Jian thought to himself as he observed the players on the street. Only clearing an instance at the difficult level will give you this kind of system announcement, which is similar to appearing on TV. Simple and ordinary difficulty levels cannot receive this kind of opportunity. All players are unwilling to join a small guild, they all want to join a top-tier large guild. And one of the most important indicators of a guilds strength is the number of instances the guild has cleared. A guild that appears in such a system announcement will undoubtedly leave a deep impression on the players. Hammer of Thor, Ill remember the name of this alliance! Song Jian silently muttered to himself as he headed toward Silver Moon Commerce; He also had plans to create an alliance, but with his current strength, he could only establish a third-tier small alliance at the most. Even though being the first on the level glory list could attract many players to join, true experts dont place much importance on the level glory list. If he wishes to establish a first-rate guild, Song Jian currently doesnt have the wherewithal to accomplish this. There will be such a day! Song Jian glanced at the system announcement and continued his way to Silver Moon Commerce, in the first floor reception hall of Silver Moon Commerce, it was densely packed with people. It was like a mini-market, and all the transactions here targeted professionals. Equipment, weapons, potions, engineering items, magic scrolls and so forth, everything was available here. More than a dozen service personnel were constantly weaving their way through the crowd, guiding customers to the products they required; Shops and auction houses have differences. Auction houses require paying an expensive fee, therefore only scarce or high-value items can appear in the auction house. Shops are much simpler. Loads of players would rather spend a lot of time selecting items in shops than become a big spender in an auction house; -Respected god-chosen one, is there anything you need assistance with? Caisy would be happy to assist you! A decent and beautiful young girl walked up beside Song Jian, gave a slight bow and asked. Im here to see Annie. 1 wonder if shes in the shop? Song Jian asked. The Silver Moon Commerce couldnt possibly have only one manager, so he wasnt sure if Annie would be in this particular shop. However, since the Priest sent him to this city, the odds of Annie being at this shop were high; -May I ask what the reason of your visit to Annie might be? The young girl hesitated and asked in a soft voice. Cecilia Priest sent me, I have a letter to personally deliver to her! Song Jian said. Please wait a moment, I will notify Annie immediately! Caisy walked to a counter and murmured a few words. Very soon, the staff at the counter reported the situation to Annie via a communication crystal. After waiting for a few minutes, Caisy hurried back to Song Jian. I apologize for keeping you waiting. Annie is awaiting you in the conference room on the third floor, you can go right in. Caisy, pointing towards a nearby spiral staircase, said. Thank you very much. Song Jian nodded and headed towards the staircase; On reaching the third floor, Song Jian saw two level 6o warriors, dressed in plate armor, holding big swords, standing still at the stairwell. They looked like two statues, motionless. But Song Jian could feel a heavy oppressive vibe from them. Second-tier warriors! Song Jian looked at the heads of the two warriors and was taken aback; At level 30, after passing the assessment, one can reach the first-tier level. At level 6o, after passing the assessment, one is second-tier? Song Jian thought to himself. Seeing Song Jian ascend the stairs, the two warriors gave him a knightly salute, then led him to a room, opened the heavy wooden door, and gestured for him to enter; In the luxurious, spacious conference room, a woman who looked to be in her thirties, sat at a desk, her gaze piercing as she looked at Song Jian. -Youre the messenger from Cecilia Priest? Annie, with her low pitched voice, seemed a bit stern, completely different from their previous conversation. Yes, this is the letter from Cecilia Priest meant for you. Song Jian pulled out the letter from his package and handed it to Annie. Sit. Annie casually motioned towards a nearby chair, took the letter, and began reading it immediately, paying no mind to Song Jian; System: You have completed the first part of the chain task, intimacy with Cecilia Priest increases by too points; Song Jian didnt pay much attention to the system prompt. Instead, he sat on the chair opposite to Annie and stared at her. He couldnt connect the flirtatious, even seductive, voice he previously heard over the phone with the woman in front of him. It seems women do indeed have multiple faces. Song Jian thought to himself. -Blood Demon Cave? Not just any tom, dick, or harry can enter that place. Has Cecilia lost her mind, letting an 18-level god-chosen one go in there? Annie furrowed her brows, looked up at Song Jian as if she didnt believe him, and muttered to herself. Whats your name? Annie asked sternly, giving Song Jian the impression of an interviewer conducting an examination, sizing him up and down, studying him. My name is Song Jian. 1 think weve spoken over the phone before, and even conducted a transaction, Tai Chi Sword Skill, do you remember it? Song Jian calmly answered, an affable smile on his face. You, you are Annie immediately stood up, her face full of disbelief, This, this sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why didnt you say so sooner? Annies voice softened, a wistful expression on her face as she looked at Song Jian, you made my emotions all over the place Chapter 361: The Task Worth One Million Doomsday Coins Chapter 361: The Task Worth One Million Doomsday Coins Translator: 549690339 | Just moments earlier she had an air of a powerful woman, yet now she had turned into a gently sensitive woman overnight, this allowed Song Jian to gain a deeper understanding of Annies capabilities in managing her responsibilities; How could you accept such a challenging task! Annie furrowed her brows, speaking in a low voice, The Blood Demon Cave is not easily accessible, theres a myriad of creatures inside, utterly dangerous. They are all at a minimum level of 20, elite level of monsters, and it is rumored that there are even stronger Elite Level bosses, even possibly a leader-level Boss. Over a dozen other teams have ventured to conquer it, but none have returned. And the adventurers that have died withincould be well over hundreds already Level 20? It seems like this is a Fourth-Level Secret Realm. Song Jian slightly tilted his brows, shrugged a little and said, Theres not much I could do, do you remember the Heart of the Demon you asked for last time? In order to obtain it, I clashed with a demon from the Abyss. Without the Book of the Abyss, I wouldnt be able to completely kill the demon, and the Book of the Abyss is within the Blood Demon Cave Song Jian said, shrugging lightly. Annie was at a loss of words, evidently, the problem traced back to her initially. After a while, Annie nodded her head and spoke: Alright, if you are determined to enter the Blood Demon Cave, I will do my best to help you. This is a map of City of Hymns and its surrounding areas; consider it a welcome gift. Annie handed over a parchment to Song Jian, after he opened it, he saw that it closely resembled the map of Doomsday City. It marked uncannily all the sites within the City of Hymns, even the secret entrances to some hidden places within the city; Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, the scope of this map was much larger than that of Doomsday City, the surrounding locations for hunts, mountains, lakes, even the places where wild Bosses appear, were very clearly marked; This was the most detailed version of City of Hymns map. Most players had a simplified version. To get a map like this one, it would cost at least five thousand Doomsday Coins. Thank you for your help, Ill be taking off now and will try to finish this task as quickly as possible. Song Jian identified the location of the Blood Demon Cave, nodded his head, stored the map in his inventory, and got ready to leave. Ahem, in fact, the reason why Cecilia Priest directed you to me first was not to simply guide you to the location of the Blood Demon Cave, but mostly to amplify your power! Annie immediately stopped Song Jian from leaving and explained. Amplify my power? How would I do that? Song Jian asked curiously. The Silver Moon Commerce has its own armed forces, and amongst them, the finest force is a defense power named Dawns Song. You can employ the warriors of Dawns Song based on your level of intimacy with Silver Moon Commerce. Only with their assistance, you alone could possibly complete this task! Annie spoke softly: The existence of Dawns Song is itself a secret within the Silver Moon Commerce, with only a few managers aware of it. Fortunately, I happen to be one of them. Dawns Song? Does it have anything to do with Cecilia, the Dawn Officer? Song Jian wondered internally, but these didnt concern him whatsoever. How can I hire warriors from Dawns Song? You have three days to increase your intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce. If you reach Friendly, you can employ a level 15 elite from Dawns Song. Should you reach Respected, you can employ a level 20 elite. If you reach Revered, you can employ two level 25 elites. If you reach Exalted, you can hire three level 25 elites! So my current relationship with Silver Moon Commerce is Song Jian checked his system profile and noticed that even though he was a VIP member of Silver Moon Commerce, his relationship with them was at Neutral, however it was near to Friendly. Now, I cant even hire a level 15 elite warrior. Song Jian said with a slight frown. If there is an option to hire warriors from Dawns Song within the mission, then it would definitely help with the mission. Song Jian must try his best to gain the aid of Silver Moon Commerce. Otherwise, he would be risking his life by entering the Fourth-level Secret Realm all alone. So what am I supposed to do now? Is there any way to quickly increase my intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce? Song Jian asked. You have three days. There are many ways to increase your intimacy level, such as trading with Silver Moon Commerce, completing the tasks theyve given, manufacturing goods to sell at Silver Moon Commerce, and so on! Annie squinted, with a huge smile on her face: However, these generic methods only improve intimacy little by little. In three days, you may reach Respected at most. Its almost impossible to get Revered or Exalted! If its just Respected, I could only hire a level 20 elite from Dawns Song. Within a territory where the lowest monster level is 20, the help you could provide is quite limited. Is that so Song Jian furrowed his brows, contemplating in his mind whether he could clear the Blood Demon Cave instance with a level 15 Black Dragon Hatchling and a level 20 Elite Level Mercenary by his side. Of course, you can also hire professionals to safeguard you into the Blood Demon Cave, but Im sure youre aware, the Blood Demon Cave is considered forbidden territory within the City of Hymns. For now, Im afraid no team would be willing to accept your hiring mission. Annie glanced at Song Jian, sporting a cheerful look on her face. Do you have a way to quickly increase my intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce? All of a sudden, Song Jian asked Annie look. Keke, I knew you couldnt truck me! Annie giggled, giving Song Jian a flirtatious glance Considering our relationship, I naturally want to help you to the best of my ability. I do happen to have a task that can quickly increase your intimacy level with Silver Moon Commerce in a short period of time. Are you interested? What task? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, asking curiously. I have in my hands a first level business, but its on the verge of bankruptcy because of mismanagement. If you manage to resurrect this business within three days and achieve a turnover of one million Doomsday Coins, your affinity level with Silver Moon Commerce would definitely reach Exalted level! Annie stared at Song Jian, a strange sparkle in her eyes, with a look full of expectations on her face. Three days, one million? Song Jian stupefied, said, How is that possible? Are you kidding me? This is the only way you can quickly improve your intimacy level. If you refuse, then it would mean you only rely on accomplishing tasks given by Silver Moon Commerce! Annie pouted, with a look of helplessness on her face. Where does the goods for sale in the shop come from? Song Jian hesitated for a long time before abruptly asking. Regular items will be supplied by Central Goods Supply, youll only get commission. Although, since its part of the task, your commission will be converted into intimacy points. If they are your handcrafted items, well provide you with unlimited raw materials, but the price needs to be split 80/20, we get 80, you get 20. Of course, a generous amount of intimacy points will be presented to you as compensation. We can provide as many non-regulated materials as per your needs. What do you say? Annie laid out all the terms in one breath, smiling softly as she looked at Song Jian. I see, I need to consider it. Song Jian lowered his head, silently made some calculations in his mind and very swiftly arrived at a decision: If I get to have the final say on the shops operation, Ill accept this task. Chapter 362: Starfire Shop Chapter 362: Starfire Shop Translator: 549690339 | Since Im delegating this shop to you, you are now the person in charge. Moreover, if its a success, this shop can even be sold to you at a low price! said Annie, laughing; What! How could that be? Song Jian was surprised. Shops in the game werent easy to acquire at all. Song Jian might have seized a dwarf lords blacksmiths shop in Doomsday City but comparing Doomsday City to the City of Hymns was like apples to oranges. If were talking about value, the most remote property in the City of Hymns is worth at least one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. As for the area where Silver Moon Commerce is located, without millions, or even tens of millions of Doomsday Coins, it cant be purchased. As for Doomsday City, as long as you have the ability, you can claim as much land as you want, and no one cares as long as you can hold it. Moreover, no one would ever want to spend even a single Doomsday Coin to invest in property there because it theres no investment value; Annie presented the location of the shop to Song Jian; even though it was quite a distance from Silver Moon Commerce in area C, it could still be considered a bustling area, worth at least three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. Even if nothing was done in such a shop and it was just leased out, it could still generate a monthly income of at least twenty thousand. If Song Jian owned this property, he would never sell it under any circumstances. As long as you complete the task and cultivate a worship-level intimacy with Silver Moon Commerce, you can transfer this shop to your name for just one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, said Annie with a smile on her face. Song Jian was silent for a moment. Suddenly, a grin appeared on his face, and he said, It seems that the difficulty of this task should be harder than I expected. The task of achieving one million sales volume isnt just due to the products, right? Annie, can you be more specific about whats inside this task? The tasks within the game always follow one principle: the greater the difficulty, the more significant the reward. A sales volume of one million is quite difficult. If the task reward was just reaching a worship-level with Silver Moon Commerce and employing three level twenty elite Dawn Warriors, the task difficulty and the rewards would just about match. But if the reward also added the transfer of a shop at a low price, its clear that the task reward far exceeds the task difficulty. In the City of Hymns, there isnt just one commerce guild. There are more than a dozen large and small, but those who can compete with our Silver Moon Commerce are only the SunFire Commerce from area B. That shop was our attempt to penetrate area B but has been severely suppressed by them! After hesitating for a moment, Annie said, In the past week, the turnover of this shop is Annie looked at Song Jian and showed a helpless expression as she said Zero! What, zero turnover in a week? Not a single item sold? Song Jian was a bit incredulous. What do you think? The power of Sunfire Commerce isnt much less than Silver Moon Commerce. What we have, they also have. They are currently using their resources to suppress us. Even if they have to sell at a loss, selling all the items we have at 10% less than our price, they dont hesitate, and this week alone, they have lost at least fifty thousand Doomsday Coins, Annie said with a helpless look in her eyes. I advocated for this attempt, and if it fails, I will definitely be the scapegoat and might be kicked out of the commerce guilds management team. For now, I can only pin my hopes on you, Annie said, looking at Song Jian with a hopeful expression. You have more confidence in me than I do in myself! Song Jian said somewhat helplessly. I am just one person, but you mentioned Sunfire Commerce. They are a huge power. How can I possibly compete with them? Because you can bring out so many Level 15 silver top-tier equipment! Annie spoke loudly. Even the Sunfire Commerce cant bring out equipment like that to sell. Top-tier equipment is too rare, and the good ones are kept for personal use first. The ones for sale are of lesser quality and attributes. If you can bring out a few more items like that, then a comeback isnt unimaginable So youre after the items in my pocket Song Jian was left speechless. Top-tier equipment has to be dropped by a boss; Song Jian couldn t possibly hunt bosses all day long. Besides, this method is like trying to put out a cart fire with a cup of water. How could it possibly increase the sales volume from zero to one million in three days? Forget it, let me think of a plan, said Song Jian, pondering a bit before nodding in agreement; Does that mean you agree? asked Annie, her face lighting up with excitement. Agreed. System: The player accepts the second part of the serial task, Saving the Failing Shop. Task details: The player becomes the manager of Starfire Shop and must increase the turnover to one million Doomsday Coins within three days. Task reward: achieving a worship-level relationship with Silver Moon Commerce; buying full ownership of the shop for one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins; Very well. As of tomorrow, this Starfire Shop will be attached to your name, Annie nodded, saying, Additionally, Ill send someone to help you. Let her know if you need anything. After Annie finished speaking, she clapped her hands, and a woman with golden hair and green eyes walked in from the entrance. This woman wore a fiery red luxurious dress, translucent at the hem which lay on the bright carpet. Her golden hair curled like waves, her pair of blue eyes as glittering as precious gems and her exquisite face always adorned with a tranquil and charming smile. This is my capable assistant, Vera. Starting from today, she will temporarily be your assistant, helping you manage Starfire Shop. Annie said, Vera, this is Song Jian. From today, you will be his assistant. You have to cooperate with him and do your job well, understand? sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yes, manager. I will definitely not let Mr. Song Jian down. Then, Annie turned to Song Jian with a smile, Song Jian, Vera is very familiar with the operations of our commerce guild, and shes smart and competent. If you need anything, just let her do it for you. But remember, dont bully her, okay? System: The player triggers the NPC management system, opening the NPC management interface for the player to manage their subordinates. The NPC management system and follower system belong to two completely separate systems. The NPC management system is more focused on business development, whereas the follower system is more focused on combat; Song Jian nodded and opened the NPC management interface directly. In the interface, both the attributes of the Starfire Shop and Veras attributes appeared; Starfire Shop is just a Level one shop, where only nine different products can be displayed. In the shop, simple level 5 and level 10 white-quality equipment was displayed, making the place look shabby. Also, the shop funds were only an abysmal one hundred and ten Doomsday Coins; After briefly understanding the Starfire Shop, Song Jian then turned his attention to Veras attribute interface; Chapter 363: Making New Products Chapter 363: Making New Products Translator: 549690339 Vera (Song Jians Business Assistant), Gender: Female, Level: 20; Age: 19, Loyalty: 60/100, Charm: 91/100, Physique: 73/100, Wisdom: 98/100, Vitality Points: 3200/3200 This business assistant Vera has attributes with 100 as the maximum value, Charm 91 and Wisdom 98, which are already extremely high. It must have taken a lot of determination for Annie, the manager, to let Vera become her own assistant. This is also because the completion of Song Jians task is closely related to her otherwise it would be impossible to arrange Vera to help Song Jian. After accepting the mission, Song Jian, along with Vera, quickly appeared in front of the Starfire Shop. This shop only has one floor but covers a very wide area. After all, it is a bridgehead of Silver Moon Commerce. If it were too shabby, it would be embarrassing. For Silver Moon Commerce, this is just an attempt. Even if they fail, it will not hurt their foundation. However, for Annie, the manager, this is an extremely important strategic layout in business. If she fails, she might not even be able to keep her position as manager. At this moment, the door of Starfire Shop is wide open, and there is no one coming in or out. There is not even a single service staff member in the shop. Vera, why is there not even one service staff member? No matter how bad the business is, it cant be like this! Song Jian frowned and said. I think, maybe Silver Moon Commerce is going to give up on this place. Vera said somewhat helplessly: This is Area B, the stronghold of Sunnyfire Shop. If I were the manager of Sunnyfire Shop, I would also do everything I could to make this shop fail. Lord Song Jian, I believe you have accepted an impossible mission! Vera looked at Song Jian and whispered. Just then, a frivolous whistle came from across the street. A mans voice sounded behind Song Jian: Haha, let me see, isnt this Miss Vera? Why would you appear here? Let me guess, are you planning to close down this shop? Song Jian turned around and saw that there was actually a shop across the street, and it was a second-level shop. A well-dressed man was standing at the entrance, looking mockingly at Song Jian and Vera. Thats a Sunnyfire Shop, and that man is called Kagura C the manager of the shop. This shop was opened the day after Starfire Shop first appeared, with the sole purpose of crushing Starfire! Vera whispered in Song Jians ear. Vera, are you interested in helping me out? Annie is about to go under, so following her will not do you any good. Kagura laughed and looked at Vera with greedy eyes. Vera, it looks like youll be the manager of Starfire Shop for a while. Song Jian glanced at Kagura and didnt take him seriously. He pulled out some equipment from his inventory and handed it to Vera: Put these equipment up for sale first, Ill figure out howto get more items to sell in the future. A silver top-quality shield? Vera covered her mouth, her face showing an amazed expression. The equipment that Song Jian took out were obtained in the Frost Cave. Among them, the Frost Shield was a superior silver shield, and other equipment were level 15 blue- and green-quality. These items were almost impossible to find on the market, but Song Jian had no problem using them to bolster the reputation of Starfire Shop. Alright, master! Veras face was full of delight as she accepted the items and turned towards the shop. Kaguras face became ugly, staring at Song Jian for a moment, and snorted: Hmph, a desperate struggle! Starfire was about to be given up by Silver Moon Commerce. In this commercial battle, Kagura could be said to have already secured victory. But now, the other party seemed to be unwilling to admit defeat. Just relying on a few top-quality gears to turn the situation around is wishful thinking. Lets see what you can sell after you sell these! Kaguras face was gloomy as he turned and entered the shop. Song Jian glanced at the Sunnyfire Shop opposite and calmly walked into Starfire Shop. Vera, is there a forging room in this shop? Song Jian asked. Yes, there were originally three forging rooms in the shop, and three Forging Masters were employed. But now, they have all been transferred away by the headquarters. Vera said. Can you change one of them into an engineering manufacturing room? Song Jian asked. Of course. Do you want to? Vera looked at Song Jian somewhat surprised, guessing his true identity: Could Lord Song Jian also be an Engineering Manufacturing Master? Upon hearing this, Song Jian felt a cold sweat and quickly waved his hand: No, my engineering manufacturing skill is only level 3, nothing near a master. When Vera heard that Song Jians engineering manufacturing skill was only level 3, her hopes suddenly vanished. But she still followed Song Jians instructions and converted one of the forging rooms into an engineering manufacturing room. Send this list to Annie and have her send over as much as she can! Song Jian handed Vera a list and said. This was a list of materials for making T-11 High-Explosive Hand Grenades and Self-destructing Robots. For Song Jian, collecting these materials would be troublesome, but for Silver Moon Commerce, it would be effortless; Alright. Vera took the list and glanced at it, frowning. As an assistant to a commerce manager, Vera had seen many material lists. Just by looking at the list, she could usually guess the final product with great accuracy. However, after looking at over a dozen materials on this list, Vera couldnt guess what item was being made. She could only be certain that these were indeed materials needed for engineering manufacturing. Veras efficiency was extremely high. In no time, she completed all the tasks Song Jian had given her. Not only did she transform one of the forging rooms into an engineering manufacturing room, she also brought over a large amount of materials on Song Jians list. Alright Vera, you go take care of the front of the shop. Try not to sell those equipment too quickly. Otherwise, we wont have enough to sell! Song Jian smiled. Master, do you want to use those top-quality items to attract customers and then sell the real goods? Veras eyes brightened, and she asked eagerly. Vera, youre really smart. Are you interested in working with me in the future? Song Jian smiled. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Master Veras cheeks flushed slightly, she glanced at Song Jian and lowered her head. Haha, alright Vera, lets focus on our current task first. If we cant complete Annie s task, everything we talk about now is meaningless, Song Jian laughed, towards the front of the shop. Lets get started. These two items should be quite popular! Song Jian stretched his arm and murmured to himself. Chapter 364 - 364 Attracting Customers Chapter 364: Attracting Customers Translator: 549690339 | Vera placed the Frost Shield in the most eye-catching position in the store, so even as you walked by the stores entrance, you could easily see the shield, radiating an intense silver glow and filled with an icy aura; This move made Kagura, who had been paying close attention to Starfire Store, even more sullen. Struggling before death. Thats all there is to it. That shield is probably Annies private collection. Being willing to sell it shows a lot of guts, but it will all be in vain. Kagura sneered disdainfully. Attracting customers with high-grade equipment can only work occasionally and cant be employed for the stores long-term development. If theres no stable supply of goods, customers will quickly scatter again; Instruct them to sell all the products in the store at a 20% discount! Kagura ordered a server. 20% off? Sir, we are already selling at a loss. If we give a 20% discount again the server expressed in surprise. Stop stalling. Do as youre told! Angered, Kagura kicked at the server. Yes, yes, Ill change the prices immediately! The server scurried off to amend the prices. A cruel smile crossed Kagurs face: You want to compete with me? Even if I have to spend 10,000 Doomsday Coins a day, I wont hesitate to kick you out of Area B completely! As the flagship set up by the Sunfire Commerce to challenge his adversaries, Kagura would not tolerate even the slightest mistake. Winning on his own territory is not worth showing off. The key is to win impressively, so as to leave a good impression on the heavyweights of his Commerce and make them remember his name. City of Hymns Inn Some players who had just logged in left their rooms and replenished their hunger and thirst in the lobby while exchanging some intel. Logging off in the inn is not only safe, but it also allows for quick recovery of Spirit Points. Therefore, players born in the City of Hymns treat the inn as a base. Smaller transactions can even be completed in the inn, making the lobby always bustling. Hey, have you heard? Starfire Store is about to go under; even their servers have runout! Silver Moon Commerce must have lost a lot this time, right? I dont know what they are thinking. Instead of opening shop in a safe C zone, they had to open a branch in B zone. Do you think Sunfire Commerce would let them get away with it? They might not be at a big loss. On the contrary, Sunfire Commerce might be at a bigger loss. These days, they have been selling at a loss. Honestly, Im thinking of stocking up some goods when the two Commerces cut the prices. Such bargain is hard to come by. Yeah, I dont care whether its Silver Moon or Sunfire Commerce. Ill buy from the one selling cheaper. When the two fight, players like us are the final winners! Yeah, my monster-hunting cost has dropped quite a bit recently, thanks to them. I hope they can keep on fighting Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, a player rushed inside from the entrance, Latest news! Sunfire Commerce is selling everything at a 20% discount! Hurry up, lets go get them! What, 20% off? Theyre going too far! Its not too far. Its Sunfire Commerces final blow. They want to completely crush their opponent. Lets go. Its now or never. The outcome will soon be decided. Suddenly, players in the tavern started calling together their friends, all rushing towards Sunfires shop. The threshold of Sunfire Commerce was almost trampled by the rush. Yay, they truly are giving a 20% discount, fantastic! Haha, I hope the offer is unlimited! Ill take five bottles of the potion to restore Mental Strength! Medicine, give me ten bottles of healing potions! Ill take this Level 10 white-grade equipment. I liked it earlier and wanted to buy it yesterday; I didnt expect to save fifty Doomsday Coins by hesitating. Nice, very nice! Kagura watched as the customers crowded in. His face did not show the slightest joy but appeared somewhat awkward. Already selling at a loss, to then discount by another 20%, seemed as though he was practically giving away the shirt on his back, losing more than the cost of the materials. As long as it causes my opponent to go bankrupt, the losses now are worthwhile! Kagura cast a sullen glance at Starfire Store across the street, muttering to himself. Just then, a player standing at the entrance yelled in surprise: Look at the store opposite, whats that thing? Its a silver-grade shield! What did you say, a silver-grade shield? How is that possible? A Shield Warrior exclaimed in surprise. The reaction silenced the patrons in the store momentarily; Lookfor yourself! Isnt that the silver-grade shield? Oh my God, its a high-grade item, with such good attributes, and even a passive skill! Lets go, we must take a look. I must secure this shield! This Shield Warrior immediately put down the item he had just picked up and headed towards Starfire Store. Lets go, lets go take a look at the high-grade equipment! Starfire Store has truly invested a lot. They are even willing to put up such a high-grade shield! Oh my God, there are also Level 15 blue-grade equipment, and with decent attributes! This Level 10 blue gauntlet is exactly what I need. How much is it, why is there no price listed! Frost Shield, a Level 15 silver high-grade shield, its perfect. Our Glory Alliance lacks a high-grade shield; with it, we can start exploring the Subterranean Cavern. This shield is ours, everyone else stop competing! Vera had just put up the items for sale and was about to set the prices, but she saw a large swarm of players rushing towards them. She quickly increased the original price by 30%. All of these items were provided by Song Jian and the most of the Doomsday Coins they earned from the sale would go to him. The store could only earn a little bit from consignment fees. However, the sales volume was calculated based on the total price of all the items; Soon, prices were attached to all the items just placed in the store; What, 100,000 Doomsday Coins, thats way too expensive! Seeing the price of 100,000 Doomsday Coins under the silvery glowing shield, all the players gasped. This Level 10 blue equipment actually costs 5,000 Doomsday Coins. Its too expensive! Can you give a discount? Poor ones, you want top-tier equipment without money to buy, 5,000 Doomsday Coins, Ill take it! The news that Starfire Store was beginning to sell a large number of high-grade equipment soon reached all the player alliances in the City of Hymns. Nearly all the alliances started furiously raising fund to try and secure all this equipment after receiving this news, especially the silver-grade Frost Shield. Chapter 365 - 365 Bidding Chapter 365: Bidding Translator: 549690339 | Starfire Shop was seeing a surge in crowd, attracting more and more players. Kagura, who was keeping a close eye on the activity from across the road, was green with envy. However, he knew that all of this was just like adding fuel to the fire, and that once all the equipment sold out and Starfire Shop could not restock, no matter how high the shop was currently held, it would fall just as hard. Humph, why dont you continue supplying epic-quality silver equipment? I dont believe the Silver Moon Commerce would strongly support you like this! Kagura spoke through gritted teeth. This time, because the Silver Moon Commerce was invading the Sunfire Commerce territory, the help given by the Sunfire Commerce was substantial. They had early on formed a consensus that they could not let Silver Moon Commerce step a foot in Zone B under any circumstance. However, within the Silver Moon Commerce, there was considerable controversy over Annies management and her actions werent supported all that much. The main support relied solely on Annies personal influence and connections. This was also the reason why the sales in Starfire Shop had been zero for more than a week. The senior executives of the Silver Moon Commerce were generally ambivalent about their operation, adopting a win-or-lose, it- doesnt-matter attitude. Within half a day, most of the other equipment in the shop were sold out. Even if their prices inflated by 30%, these players were still fervently grabbing at mainstream green and blue equipment with good attributes. Almost everyones gaze was now fixated upon the silver-quality Frost Shield; A hundred thousand! Thats crazy! I can buy a gold-grade equipment with that amount of money! Someone murmured. Exactly. Fifty thousand, the Blizzard Alliance is willing to offer fifty thousand Doomsday Coins for this shield. So, what do you say? Will it sell or not? You want to buy this epic shield with fifty thousand? Hehe, the Firefox Alliance offers sixty thousand Doomsday Coins! The leaders of many alliances in the City of Hymns rushed to Starfire Shop after hearing about the shield. Each leaving them drooling after seeing the attributes of the shield. But the cost of one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins was just too much. To spend that much on this one shield could affect the development of their alliances, leaving them bankrupt. The price of the shield finally stopped rising after it reached between sixty and sixty-five thousand. But Vera didnt budge. She pulled out an abacus and began to calculate todays sales; Five thousand three, plus two thousand eight, plus four thousand one Vera was calculating the price of the sold items, and was surprised to find that in just half a day, the sales had reached close to one hundred thousand. If this silver- quality epic shield sold, then it would be two hundred thousand in total revenue achieved. This meant that one-fifth of the task would already be completed, all within half a day! Thinking about this, a satisfied smile surfaced on Veras face. Just as players were discussing and hoping for Starfire Shop to lower the price, a rush of hooves was suddenly heard outside the shop. At this moment, a middle-aged man, dressed as a butler, jumped down from a horse and hurried into the Starfire Shop. Upon seeing the shield displayed, he let out a sigh of relief; Hey, its Butler Henry from the Violet Family, what is he doing here? Could it be that these NPCs also heard about the top-quality silver shield? The onlookers were taken aback upon seeing Butler Henry. The Violet Family, who told them? Theyre picking a fight with all the players! Damn it, with the NPCs stepping in, we cant get this shield. Why do good items always end up being snatched by them? Its so infuriating! Theres no way around it; theyre rich and powerful. Theyre more extravagant than we are, pity such an epic shield! Seeing Henry walk in, almost all of players looks became grim. In the City of Hymns, this was not the first time, and certainly would not be the last, that NPCs outbid players. Compared to NPCs, who had been in the game for decades or even hundreds of years, the players who had just begun exploring the game were unable to compete in terms of financial or actual strength. Once a desirable item appeared, there was hardly any chance of it ending up in a players pocket if these NPCs set their eyes on it. Is the steward here? Steward? Henry strode in and called out. Vera lifted her head to look at Henry and quickly moved forward to curtsy, Oh, isnt this Lord Henry from the Violet Family? What brings you to our humble shop? Gosh, because of this epic shield! When my young master heard that there was an epic silver shield for sale here, he immediately instructed me to rush over and buy it at all costs. As you know, my young master will be coming of age in a few months. Hes been chosen as the reserve knight by the Dawn Church, but hes lacking a suitable shield! Oh, is that so? If we had known, we would have sent the shield to your residence first for your young master to examine. We apologize for the oversight. However, as this item belongs to a consignor and is not the Silver Moon Commerces own property, we cannot provide any discounts. What should we Vera said, with a troubled expression. What discount? Just being able to buy it is good enough! Hurry up and wrap it up for me, so I can take it back! Henry pulled out several gold tickets from his robe, handed them over, and said, Here are gold tickets worth a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, count them. Vera was about to accept the tickets with a smile, but suddenly felt a slap aimed at her wrist. She retracted her hand reflexively and raised her eyebrows in anger. Ahem, the one who offers the highest price gets the item. Henry, are you trying to break the rules? An old man, who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, walked into the shop slowly, leaning on a cane; Tulip Viscount, Butler Henry of the Violet Family sends you his greetings and wishes you good health and longevity! Upon seeing the old man, Henrys face darkened. But he still respectfully bowed towards the old man; Fine, Henry. This shield, the Tulip family would like to have it. Im willing to pay one hundred and ten thousand Doomsday Coins! I believe that Silver Moon Commerce would not reject a higher price, am I right? The random gaze aimed towards Henry clashed with his eyes for a moment. Viscount Tulip turned to Vera with an edge of arrogance on his face and continued; sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is really putting me in a difficult position Vera showed a troubled expression and looked at Henry. Feeling shocked internally, Vera originally marked this shield with a price that was almost impossible to sell, aiming to attract more peoples attention, but unexpectedly, she seemed to have underestimated the potential price of this shield. Apologies, Tulip Viscount, but our young master has said that he must have this shield! Henry, stark white and trembling slightly under Viscounts gaze, replied hesitantly, Im willing to pay one hundred and twenty thousand Doomsday Coins to purchase this shield! Wow~ The onlooking players gasped. This price was far beyond that of a silver quality shield! Chapter 366: Best-selling Products Chapter 366: Best-selling Products Translator: 549690339 120,000 Doomsday Coins! This is 120,000 Doomsday Coins! Even at an auction house, a Frost Shield might not be able to fetch such a high price! Kagura stood across the street and almost fell to the ground when he heard Henry s shout of 120,000 Doomsday Coins. His envious eyes were filled with bloodshot veins. How could it be so valuable? Where did Annie get this shield from? Does she have a secret elite team that specializes in hunting down Bosses? Kaguras face was gloomy as water, while the corners of his mouth couldnt stop twitching, and thoughts kept popping up in his mind. 120,000 Doomsday Coins; it seems that the Violet Familys recent foreign trade business is booming. They can casually take out 120,000 Doomsday Coms. Tulip Viscounts face looked a bit unpleasant, but he didnt care and just coldly snorted, 130,000 Doomsday Coins! Henry, the butler, immediately let out a sigh of relief. Competing with a Viscount for an item was too difficult for him. But the young master of the Violet Family had given him a bottom line C if it exceeded 12,0000 Doomsday Coins, he would give up! I apologize for my offense, your honorable Tulip Viscount. Im just a mere servant; how dare I compete with you for this item? Now, its yours! Henry, the butler, said humbly. Tulip Viscount was startled, then looked at Vera. He even suspected that Henry and Vera were teaming up to artificially raise the price. However, after thinking about it, these two people wouldnt be able to pull off such a big scam, daring to deceive a Viscount! Thinking for a while, Tulip Viscount seemed to understand. On his wrinkled old face, a hint of a smile appeared. Shaking his head, he didnt bother saying anything to Henry and just waved his hand at him. Henry, the butler, who was sweating profusely, gave a humble bow and left the shop. Tulip Viscount coughed, took out a few gold tickets from his pocket with his white-gloved right hand, and handed them to Vera. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Your honorable Viscount, do you need me to wrap it up for you? Vera asked respectfully. With her current status, she couldnt afford to offend a Viscount. No need! Tulip Viscount waved his hand, even changing his cane to his right hand, and grabbed the shield with his left hand. The moment he equipped the shield, a hint of brilliance appeared on Tulip Viscounts face, and he suddenly exuded an aura. It seemed that when he was young, he had been a powerful professional. Its just unclear if he had reached the first-tier strength. Good, good. If I had such a shield back then, thensigh! Tulip Viscount muttered to himself, shook his head in the end, and let out a heavy sigh. Without saying a word, Tulip Viscount turned around and left Starfire Shop, climbed into a luxurious carriage. With the excitement over, the players immediately surrounded Vera. Manager, bring out more good equipment like this! Yeah, how many of this kind of equipment do you have? We want them all! There cant be just a few, right? Yeah, yeah, bring them out quickly! Vera suddenly felt flustered. All the equipment had been sold, but Song Jian still hadnt appeared. She didnt know what to do for a moment! Seeing the players surrounding Vera, Kagura, who had an insidious face, finally revealed a smile. He had waited so long just to see this scene. He was sure that the items just now were Annies desperate struggle. Once the equipment was sold out, Starfire Shop would return to its previous state of near-collapse. Let the commotion be bigger, the bigger, the better. When this reaches the ears of the Silver Moon Commerces president, Annie, your position as manager might not be so stable! Kagura said with a gloomy smile and muttered to himself. At this moment, a tired-looking Song Jian appeared in the shop. He saw a large group of people surrounding Vera, and all the equipment in the store had been sold out. Song Jian couldnt help but reveal a surprised expression. It seems that this shop has a good location! Song Jian muttered to himself. Soon, he placed the T-11 High-explosive Grenades and Self-destructing Robot 2 on the shops selling section. At the same time, he also placed Fire Lizard Medicine, Weakness Potion, and Primary Ice Resistance Potion up for sale. Throughout the morning, Song Jian made a large number of high-explosive grenades and Self-destructing Robots. His Craftsmanship skill had also been raised to Level 5 from making so many items. Afterwards, making more high- explosive grenades and Self-destructing Robots would no longer increase his Craftsmanship experience. Then, he began making potions. With the portable Alchemy Workstation, the quality of the potions Song Jian made was excellent, with the effects increasing by at least 15%. In this way, his Alchemy level also increased to Level 5. If it werent the case that making potions wouldnt increase his Alchemy experience any longer, he might not have even left the Alchemy room. Hey, new items popped up in the shop, take a look! a player shouted. Everyone was stunned and looked at the newly placed items. Fog Grass, High-explosive Grenade, 300 group damage? Are you kidding me? Thats so brutal! And a Self-destructing Robot, my God! 500 group damage. When the guild wars start, will there be any room for others to survive? Stupid, with these things, its a waste to use them in guild wars. Go find a place with lots of monsters to farm. With such high damage, you can blast a large number of monsters in just a few hits. Wont the experience skyrocket? No, these things must be bought in large quantities. When the time comes, Ill also pile up some levels on the Glory Rankings! Weakness Potion, reduces monsters defense by 35%. Damn, if I had this potion earlier, that Boss would never have escaped from me! There are also Fire Attribute Potions and Ice Resistance Potions. Hehe, now I can finally clear the Lava Cave dungeon! Seeing the new items, the players stopped crowding around Vera and began to buy potions, some three bottles, some five bottles. As for those high-explosive grenades and Self-destructing Robots, they were all bought up by members of a few war alliances within ten minutes of appearing. Phew, that was close. How could the items I spent half a day making sell out in less than half an hour? Song Jian was dumbfounded. Boss, maybe we should hire some more people to make these items. It seems that theyre selling very well. With these items, completing a million sales isnt impossible! Vera excitedly pulled Song Jians sleeve and hurriedly said. Yes, yes, indeed, we should hire people to do it. Relying on me alone would be exhausting! Song Jian repeatedly nodded. Just then, Song Jian suddenly received a message: System: Starfire Shops turnover has reached 500,000. Youve met the conditions to upgrade to Level 2. Do you want to start the upgrade? Chapter 367: 367 Recruitment Chapter 367: 367 RecruitmentTranslator: 549690339 | Fifty thousand commerce volume? Is that really fifty thousand commerce volume? Upon seeing the system prompt, Song Jian revealed a puzzled expression; Vera, what is our business volume for today? Song Jian asked. Two hundred and sixty-three thousand five hundred Doomsday Coins! Vera glanced at the sales volume and answered directly; But why does the system prompt me that the turnover has reached fifty thousand and the store can be upgraded to level 2? Song Jian asked strangely. In fact, he was able to see the business volume through the system interface, but he was just skeptical about this; That is the total turnover; the cumulative turnover of the Spark store since it was opened! However, thanks to today, we went up by more than twenty thousand! Vera was so excited she was practically jumping for joy: Boss, shall we upgrade to level 2? Yes, of course, by then, we could also transform more Forging rooms and Alchemy-Pharmacy rooms! Wouldnt our chances of completing the tasks improve by so much, Song Jian immediately said. Yes, boss, I was thinking the same thing too, but upgrading the shop requires a lot of Doomsday Coins, and upgrading level 1 to level 2 will require one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! Vera said: We dont have that much money in the Spark Store account! Didnt we sell more than twenty thousand today? Song Jian asked curiously; More than twenty thousand, most of which were equipment sold that you provided. The Spark Store only gets a small consignment fee, and those potions and engineering-made items, according to the share split, we only made less than thirty thousand Doomsday Coins. Moreover, we cant touch this money, we must hand it over to Silver Moon Commerce! Vera replied; You mean to say, more than twenty thousand, its all mine? Song Jian was startled, He only now realized that just the equipment he provided had sold for almost twenty thousand! No worries, use my twenty thousand first, upgrade the shop, the task is the priority! Song Jian hurriedly said. Now his chances of completing the task have increased. Eventually, the store will belong to him, so the upgrade should still go through. He cant delay making money! Soon, a golden light shone in the sky above the Spark Store, and in just a while, the originally single-storey store immediately transformed into a two-storey building. An upgrade! They dared to upgrade their store! How does Annie have the audacity to invest money in this soon-to-be-closed store! Markara was stunned: Impossible! Just then, Vera suddenly placed a sign at the door recruiting forging masters, engineering makers, and alchemy-pharmacy masters! This action thoroughly struck a nerve with Makara! Damn it, theyre getting ahead of themselves, even daring to recruit forging masters, unforgivable, utterly unforgivable! Makara, gasping, immediately turned and entered the shop. He started reporting the situation to the higher- ups of the Solar Fire Commerce via the crystal. Soon, Makara came out with a smile on his face, ordering: Increase the treatment for the forging masters, engineering makers, and alchemy pharmacy masters by 30%. We are also recruiting. Hmph, we must not let any life occupation player step into the gate of the Spark Store! In this business war, Silver Moon Commerce had already recalled their forging masters sent to Annie. If the Spark Store wants to continue recruiting workers, they must recruit independently. Boss, the Solar Fire Commerce across the street has started to compete with us. They have increased life workers treatment by 30%. What should we do? Vera glared at Makara grumpily, angrily finding Song Jian to speak: Shall we also increase the benefits? A price war, Im afraid we wont be able to compete with them! Song Jian said with a slightly furrowed brow; sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why be afraid, as long as our turnover increases, we can always just make a little less! Vera said indignantly. No, let me think of another way! Song Jian shook his head. Makara, watching as life occupation players continuously entered the shop to inquire about treatment, the smile on his face becoming brighter and brighter. If you want to grow and strengthen your store, apart from having special commodities, without life profession players backing you, it would be like a castle in the sky, shallow water with no roots. Song Jian came to a forging room, gazing at the blazing furnace, and slowly extended his right hand. At this moment, a black flame appeared in his palm. The moment the black flame appeared, the flames in the furnace were immediately suppressed, shrinking into a ball, flickering on and off, as if it would extinguish at any moment. Song Jian, his forehead covered in sweat, pooled all his focus into the black flame in his palm. After a while, a fingernail cap-sized flame separated from the black fire and, under Song Jians mental control, slowly floated towards the furnace; Boom! The moment this small black flame entered the furnace, a burst of violent flame began to burn, and the temperature in the entire forge room instantly increased by ten degrees or so, even the furnace was glowing red; I succeeded! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Initially, this was just his speculation, after making an attempt, he didnt expect to actually succeed; After the store was upgraded to level 2, the three original forge rooms were converted by Song Jian into one engineering manufacturer, one pharmacy, and one forging master. Now the second floor has added five more rooms; Song Jian separated eight small flames from the Abyssal Flame and placed one in each of the eight rooms. You should know, whether its potion making, engineering manufacturing, or forging, flames are indispensable. With the bonus of third-tier magic flame, regardless of whatever item is manufactured, there is a high chance of mutation. For life occupation players, this is an absolutely deadly attraction; Makara watched as, to date, not a single life occupation player had gone over to apply, and immediately sat back relaxed in his chair; Sir, we have now recruited five junior life occupation workers, plus the three sent by headquarters, we are at full capacity! An employee respectfully said to Makara; Full capacity? You mean, there might be other life occupation workers applying across the street? Makaras brow furrowed immediately. Not at all sir, many junior life occupation workers have already signed contracts with other stores, those few were attracted to us as their contracts expired. If the stores across want to recruit, they can only recruit god-devotees, or mid-level, high-level occupation workers! The employee said with a confident smile. God-devotees, heh! A look of disdain appeared on Makaras face. There are few players in the God-devotees who choose life occupations. The vast majority are part-timers, only choosing one or two life occupations to study in order to save Doomsday Coins. Naturally, they cant compete with NPC life occupation workers; As for mid-level, high-level workers, nurturing such high-profile occupants in a small level 2 store is beneath them; Chapter 368: 368: Rejection Chapter 368: 368: RejectionTranslator: 549690339 | The players of the City of Hymns, having entered the game for a short period of time, mostly had low profession levels, hovering around Level Two or Three. Calling them novices would make them blush. They could aptly be described as simply apprentices for professions. Another belief was that professionals who were not above Level Three could be considered apprentices; The NPCs in the City of Hymns who were real craftsmen had been in their professions for decades. Their experience and position in their fields far exceeded those of the players. Some of them even had apprentices who were qualified to be the players mentors; Those with a profession level under Ten were usually called beginners in their fields. Those who surpassed Level Ten but were under Level Thirty were called intermediate professionals, and those over Level Thirty were called advanced professionals; In the City of Hymns, there were fewer than ten people who held the title of advanced professionals, and they each belonged to different professions. This led to intense competition for even the intermediate-level players among major powers; As for the Favored Ones mentioned by the NPCs, meaning the players, they usually wouldnt hire them because of their low levels. Even if they were also beginners, an NPCs level could be Eight, Nine, or even Ten, while a players might be Two, Three, or potentially even One. The difference was too significant; Soon after the Sunnyfire Shop published its recruitment needs, a few players rushed in to apply; Is your boss here? We came to apply and want to discuss the terms, a strapping man with dark skin said arrogantly to Vera; NPCs look down on players with low profession levels, and innately, the players also look down on the NPCs, regardless of whether they are involved in combat or other professions. This is because players levels rise rapidly, and it is just a matter of time before they overtake the NPCs. Upon seeing Vera, Qin De merely treated her like a regular shop assistant NPC and didnt pay her much mind; Vera was well aware of the players attitudes towards her. She gave a slight smile and said, Sorry, but the boss isnt in the shop now. If theres anything you need to discuss, you can talk to me. With you? Can you make decisions? Qin De was taken aback and looked towards his companions. They were all players who aspired to become professionals. While they all also had combat professions, they usually spent most of their energy practicing their professions. They only go outside the city to kill some low-level creatures for materials when their fatigue for their professions was full and they couldnt gain experience; After all, the City of Hymns was a lot safer than Doomsday City. Even if their combat skills were a bit lacking, they could still survive; The gossip about Sung Jian, the new player owner of the Sunnyfire Shop, had already spread among City of Hymns players. This was the reason why these professional players came to apply as soon as the recruitment notice was posted, otherwise they wouldnt go to any NPC-owned shop to apply. It wasnt that they looked down on NPC-operated shops, but rather they couldnt compete Seeing several professional players walk into the Sunnyfire Shop, a sneer appeared on Makaras face; Humph, to think that Annie wants to turn the tides with these low-level apprentices! It seems she has gone mad! In the eyes of many NPCs, if a professional player was below Level Three, they were considered apprentices who had just touched the trades and were not eligible to be called beginners; We have already won this commercial war! Makara turned to a teenager following behind him and said, Start spreading the word. The Sunnyfire Shop will sell the Level Ten set of equipment called Warriors Song tomorrow. Supplies are limited C first come, first served! Warriors Song was a set of green equipment for Level Ten. Melee professionals who put it on could compete with those wearing blue-quality equipment. As such, it was highly praised. Makara was originally working on it secretly, planning to use it as a trump card at the last minute. Now that he had recruited many forging masters, the production speed had increased a lot. He had already accumulated six sets of Warriors Song; Through internal information from the Sunnyfire Association, Makara knew that the Sunnyfire Shop only had three days left. If the sales did not reach one million in the last three days, they would give up the shop; Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If I had known earlier, I would have released the equipment set Makara secretly calculated the Sunnyfire Shops previous sales, and instantly felt some pain. However, he had already decided not to give any chance to the Sunnyfire Shop and directly wooed all the customers over; Makara believed that the moment the Warriors Song set is launched, Sunnyfire Shop will definitely have no chance to turn the tables; Thinkingyou can turn the tables with these Favored Ones, Hah! Makara found this thought rather amusing; Inside the Sunnyfire Shop, Qin De and the others were looking at Vera in disbelief, unable to believe their ears; What, you said youre not recruiting beginners in the profession? Is your boss insane? What is he thinking! Qin De exclaimed; You dont even accept beginner NPCs, but you want to recruit intermediate professionals? I didnt hear wrong, did I? His companion also wore a surprised expression; Is this a joke? Sorry, this isnt funny at all. Do you really think that with your Level Two Shop, you can recruit intermediate professionals? Im really sorry, everyone, but these are the rules set by the boss. I really have no choice! There was a faint smile on Veras face that suggested she kept people at a distance; A Level Two shop, where not even beginner NPCs would want to work, brazenly is recruiting intermediate professionals, heh! Lets go, this guy is out of his mind. Lets not bother with him. I originally thought that since were all players, we could help each other out, but you cant take along an idiot! Several professional players walked out of the Sunnyfire Shop cursing and complaining. Makaras eyes lit up, So not even Favored Ones want to work in his shop, huh, hahaha, Annie, what else do you have to fight me with? Vera watched the players leave with a worried look on her face. After Song Jian had fiddled with something in several forging rooms and came out, he simply told Vera to only recruit intermediate-level professional players. He left without leaving any other instructions. Vera didnt even know where Song Jian was now. In a sense, she had already become the acting boss of the Sunnyfire Shop; How could she complete the mission like this? Vera frowned, doubting in her heart; Chapter 369: Engineering Box Chapter 369: Engineering Box Translator: 549690339 | For players who have learned a life profession, there is a certain limit of life profession fatigue value every day. Using life profession skills will increase fatigue value. Once the limit is reached, the production success rate of life professions will be terrifyingly low, and no experience points will be gained from successful or failed attempts. Creating items after reaching the fatigue-value limit is purely a waste of materials; sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians fatigue value had reached its limit. This was his first time reaching the limit. He had always stopped before due to running out of materials. With the unlimited supply of materials in Silver Moon Commerce under Annies management, he finally experienced the limit of fatigue value. The high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots he crafted were sold out, with the Starfire Store returning to its embarrassing state once again with no items for sale. Although people still had expectations of buying self-destructing grenades and robots the next day, it was impossible for Song Jian alone to complete the 1 million sales target within three days. He had to recruit other life profession players. Thats why Song Jian revealed the third-tier magic fire. He believed that with the help of the third-tier magic fire, he would attract high-level life profession players. After doing everything he could, Song Jian became idle. He had done his best, and the outcome was up to fate. Instead of staying in the shop, Song Jian decided to take advantage of the opportunity to explore City of Hymns, his first time outside Doomsday City; City of Hymns was much smaller than Doomsday City, probably around one-tenth the size, but its prosperity was ten thousand times that of Doomsday City! After all, Doomsday City was a destroyed city completely occupied by monsters, where players appeared in the weakest and least monster-populated areas. Even in these areas, player deaths were common occurrences. So comparing Doomsday City to City of Hymns was a boring endeavor. However, players being absorbed into the game and thrown into Doomsday City were like little sparks who might one day turn into small flames, eventually becoming a blazing fire. Maybe Doomsday City would be reborn in that blazing fire. City of Hymns had many NPCs and players, but the players here had lower levels than those in Doomsday City. Most players in Doomsday City were already over level 10 and had become professional players. In City of Hymns, however, professional players were very few in number. Song Jian encountered fewer than ten professional players on his journey; But the NPCs in City of Divinity were all high-levels, and level 30 NPCs with first-tier combat power were everywhere. Song Jian even spotted a few level 60 NPCs with second-tier combat power wearing exquisite armor. There are so many life profession players here! As Song Jian walked along, he couldnt help but marvel at the numerous shops on both sides of the street. There were more than a dozen blacksmith shops and a few engineer shops with items that even Song Jian found fascinating, so he couldnt help but buy some; However, these shops only sold finished products and did not sell blueprint drawings. Otherwise, Song Jian would definitely purchase a lot of blueprints. Hillock Engineering Store grand opening, all items are 20% off today! And a mysterious gift! Engineering boxes, hundreds of them waiting for you to unlock. Inside, you may find rocket boots, heart pacemakers, various blueprints, and more! Interested friends can come into the store to learn more! A goblin shouted loudly on the side of the street, casting his sales pitch. Behind him was a two-storey building with a brand new sign that read Hillock Engineering Store. At a casual glance, Song Jian was stunned by the goblins presence. This unassuming goblin turned out to be a Master Level engineer. Of course, this title was intentionally displayed by the goblin. Moreover, the goblin must be very high-level as all the other attributes could not be viewed bySong Jian besides this intentionally revealed title. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian couldnt resist walking into the store. Seeing Song Jian approaching, Goblin Xi Lockes eyes lit up, and he eagerly welcomed him with a warm smile; Welcome, divine envoy, to the Hillock Engineering Store! We hope you can find satisfying items here! Respected divine envoy, if you spend over 1000 Doomsday Coins in our store, you will have the opportunity to pick an engineering box. Whatever you win from the box will be given to you for free! Inside the engineering boxes are many treasures 1 have crafted, some with immense value, and even rarer engineering blueprints. It all depends on your luck! Xi Locke talked endlessly. Hearing him mention luck, Song Jian couldnt help but laugh; Although cursed by the Abyss Curse, due to the title of Savior, Song Jians luck was far better than the average person. If it were a luck-based box-opening challenge, he would have a greater edge over others. After hearing Xi Lockes words, Song Jian was instantly attracted to the Engineering Boxes and wanted to test his luck. Lets go have a look! Song Jian smiled. Welcome! Little Locke, come out and greet our distinguished guest, are you deaf?! Xi Locke barked at the store entrance; Suddenly, a human boy who looked about 12 or 13 years old rushed out of the shop with a panicked expression on his face, apologizing to Xi Locke: Im sorry, Manager, I was tidying up the goods inside and didnt hear you, 1 Hurry up and show our guest inside the store, take good care of him, or 111 skin you alive if it displeases our guest! Xi Locke threatened loudly. Yes, yes! Little Locke hurriedly invited Song Jian with a gesture, and said: Dear guest, please follow me. Ill serve you wholeheartedly and make sure youre satisfied! Song Jian frowned slightly. Although the young boy was a human, he was being scolded by a goblin, which made him feel uncomfortable. However, Song Jian didnt say anything. Instead, he nodded his head and followed Little Locke into the store. Perhaps due to the new shop, there were only two or three people casually browsing inside, obviously without a strong desire to buy anything. Song Jian gave a casual look at the counters and shelves. They displayed more than a dozen different kinds of engineering products. On the other side, occupying half of the store, there were hundreds of square metal boxes with intricate patterns on them. They looked mysterious but had no energy fluctuations, indicating that these were probably just decorative designs; Is this an engineering box? Song Jian asked, pointing at the metal boxes. Yes, Sir. These boxes can block any detection method, and you can only rely on luck when choosing them! Little Locke hesitated for a moment and said softly, Most of the items inside are worth nothing, and the store owner isnt willing to put anything valuable in there! Oh, so youre saying the items he mentioned earlier are not in these boxes? Song Jian asked, frowning. Chapter 370: Selection Chapter 370: Selection Translator: 549690339 | Certainly not, sir! Little Locke s face was white with fear as he hastily waved his hands, The boss may be a miserlygoblin, but he would never stoop to deceiving a customer. Whatever he promises, you can indeed find inside these mechanical boxes. However, the odds are extremely low, and each type only holds a single piece Among the hundreds of boxes, only a few contained good items. The odds were just a few percent, making the chances of obtaining something valuable extremely slim. Little Locke may have thought his boss was unscrupulous, but Song Jian had seen such tactics many times before. In the real world, anyone selling items would use similar methods to promote sales, though instead of mechanical boxes, they might use raffles or lucky draws. After hearing Little Lockes words, Song Jian naturally shifted his attention from the mechanical boxes to the actual items for sale in the shop. Rocket Boots? He spotted the item Xi Locke had mentioned earlier, one of the treasures potentially hidden within the mechanical boxes. Currently, a pair of bulky-looking red boots sat on the counter. Dark Gold Quality? Song Jian glanced at them and couldnt help but whistle. The boots were a level-thirty piece of Dark Gold quality equipment, with potent attributes ideal for either pursuit or escape. However, the price was staggering C one million Doomsday Coins! Are you saying your boss actually put a pair of Rocket Boots in a mechanical box? Song Jian pointed at the boots on the counter and asked with a smile. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He couldnt possibly believe that if you bought an item worth a thousand Doomsday Coins, you could have a chance to win a product worth a million Doomsday Coins, even if the odds were only a few percent. The boss did put a pair of Rocket Boots in there, but they are just a level-fifteen piece of green quality geara failed prototype he made, Little Locke nervously explained in a low voice. Song Jian shrugged, his faint hope immediately dashed. But he quickly started to mock himself. If the goblin really had placed a pair of boots worth a million Doomsday Coins into one of the boxes, hed probably have exhausted the last coin in his pocket. After all, each box only cost a thousand Doomsday coins to open. With around a hundred boxes in sight, it would only cost him tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins to open them all, which seemed like a worthwhile gamble. However, spending such a hefty sum for a level-fifteen piece of green quality gear was obviously out of the question. Sir, would you be interested in this? Its a cardiac pacemaker. It activates thirty seconds after your Vitality Points reach zero, giving you a 15% chance of coming back to life! Little Locke led Song Jian to another counter, pointing at a palm-sized device resembling a pocket watch. Is thisa gamble on life? Song Jian asked, laughing somewhat incredulously at the contraption before him. This item had no attributes, but offered a 15% chance of resurrection after your Vitality Points hit zero. The catch was that it took up one accessory slot and only worked when equipped. Sure, you could swap it in when nearing death for the same effect, but amidst intense combat, it was questionable how many would have the chance to do so; Kind of useless, isnt it? Il get a few anyway C theyre not too expensive. Song Jian hesitated, but ultimately decided to buy a few. Each cardiac pacemaker cost a thousand Doomsday Coins, thus providing him a few chances to open the mechanical boxes. Seeing Song Jian buy the items, Little Locke was overjoyed and began enthusiastically introducing the various goods available in the engineering shop, hoping Song Jian would buy more. Song Jian discovered that the engineering shop indeed held lots of interesting items. For instance, there was a device called a Frost Bomb; though not made from Magic Flame, its creator had cleverly utilised other technology to create similar effects. Upon detonation, the bomb could freeze all living things within a five-meter radius. However, its damage output was somewhat underwhelming, inflicting only 45 points, and if the target had high Ice Resistance, it might not freeze them at all. However, for average adventurers, it was considered a very effective gadget and could save their lives if used correctly. Hence, the Frost Bomb wasnt exactly cheap, costing three thousand Doomsday Coins C almost the price of a level-ten green quality equipment piece. Song Jian thought for a while and decided to purchase a few. He was quite interested in the Frost Bomb, and he wondered if peering inside its casing might give him insight into its construction method. However, the chances of this were very slim; many engineering masters incorporate anti-dismantling mechanisms into their items. Normal use wouldnt trigger them, but any attempt to disassemble the item would result in its self-destruction, leaving you with nothing. Xi Locke, being a master engineer himself, would definitely have installed such a mechanism in his products. Regardless, Song Jian thought it might be worth taking the device back to Dr. Ebsiting to see whether they could disable the self-destruct mechanism. If Song Jian could obtain the blueprint for making the Frost Bomb, it would be an easy task for him, with his third-tier Demon Flame, to modify it into an even more potent explosive. Sir, take a look at this! Its a mechanical squirrel, proficient in over a hundred types of dances and can produce exquisite music. If you gifted this to your girlfriend, shed definitely love it! Little Locke gushed. Seeing that Song Jian had purchased over ten thousand Doomsday Coins of goods, he was thrilled. The commission would be enough to buy him a fresh loaf of black bread, which made him even more eager to sell. Unfortunately, despite the many potentially useful items in the engineering shop, Song Jian was only interested in the high-end ones that cost hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. The more affordable items failed to catch his eye. In the end, despite Little Lockes efforts, Song Jian didnt purchase any more items. Well, thats it for now. How much do I owe you? After another look around and finding no more items of interest, Song Jian shook his head and declined Little Lockes further sales pitches. That will be fifteen thousand Doomsday Coins, sir. This gives you fifteen chances to open the mechanical boxes, Little Locke quickly replied. After paying the bill, Song Jian stowed a few Cardiac Pacemakers and Frost Bombs into his bag and followed Little Locke to the other side of the shop. Hundreds of mechanical boxes lay before Song Jian, attracting the curious gaze of the nearby customers. Song Jian casually pointed at one of the boxes and said, That one! Chapter 371: 371: Slow Medicine Formula Chapter 371: 371: Slow Medicine FormulaTranslator: 549690339 | As Song Jian pointed at an engineering box, a faint green light descended from above, enveloping the box; Sir, are you sure you want to choose this engineering box? Little Locke asked from the side. Yes! Song Jian nodded his head. Click Click Click- Amid the sound of gears turning, the engineering box enveloped in the green light slowly opened to reveal a palm-sized oval metal egg, its surface adorned with tiny, intricate grooves. Congratulations, sir, youve won a mechanical egg! Little Locke exclaimed happily. Soon, someone presented the mechanical egg to Song Jian. After a burst of noise, the mechanical egg slowly unfolded, like a transformer, into a palm-sized quadruped that crawled up Song Jians arm and onto his shoulder. Looking at its attributes, Song Jian couldnt help but grin. This was similar to the mechanical squirrel Little Locke had mentioned C useless except as a toy. Well, I shouldnt have gotten my hopes up anyway! Song Jian shrugged, somewhat amused. Catching the envious gaze of a little NPC girl nearby, Song Jian scooped up the toy from his shoulder and handed it over. Thankyou, Uncle! The little girl glanced at the adult beside her. Seeing the adult nod with a smile, she quickly grabbed the mechanical crawler, expressing her gratitude. Uncle alright, you can actually call me Brother! Song Jian felt a stab in his heart. Sir, please continue making your choices! Little Locke said. Seeing someone choosing engineering boxes sparked the interest of the crowd. There were murmurs and whispers, and some bystanders began offering advice on Song Jians behalf. The little girl on the side was happily showing off her new gift to other children, basking in their envious stares. Even the stores owner, Xi Locke, had joined the crowd, discussing the engineering boxes with the other customers. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian smiled slightly, and began to point out his choices at random. This one, this one, and this one, the one in the corner, yes, that one, hmm, I want this one too In no time, more than a dozen shafts of faint green light descended from the sky. Amid a succession of gear-turning noises, the boxes Song Jian pointed at slowly opened. Song Jian soon reaped a bounty of engineering products; A mechanical ring capable of emitting the roaring sound of a huge beast, a mechanical wand that could shoot fireworks every few hours, a mechanical piano that could play beautiful music on its own, and so forth. A dozen or so trinkets were piled next to Song Jian. Combined, these items would probably be worth less than a hundred Doomsday Coins, yet they drew whoops and cheers from the children watching nearby. I think if you sold childrens toys instead, youd make more money than running an engineering store! Song Jian joked. The bystanders all echoed with laughter. An awkward grin spread across Xi Lockes face as he glanced at Little Locke. Little Locke smiled and said to Song Jian, Sir, you have one more chance. The last one! Then Little Locke whispered in a volume only the two of them could hear, Sir, I recommend the third engineering box from the Southwest corner, you might have a surprise. Song Jian froze, smiled and pointed at the box Little Locke indicated. A faint green light enveloped the box, which slowly opened to reveal a scroll that floated in the air. Woah- The crowd gasped in astonishment at the sight of the scroll. This was an alchemy pharmaceutical formula worth three thousand Doomsday Coins! Seeing the scroll, a pained expression crossed Xi Lockes face. Sir, Sir, youve won the grand prize, the Slow Medicine formula! How lucky, congratulations! Little Locke exclaimed excitedly. Song Jian blinked, then broke into spontaneous laughter. He took out a hundred Doomsday Coins from his pocket and handed them to Little Locke, Your advice brought me good luck, this is my thanks for you! Little Locke paused, then swiftly pocketed the coins and giggled. Just when he was worrying about how to improve alchemy, he managed to procure an alchemic formula. Thrilled, Song Jian quickly studied it. Then he nodded towards Xi Locke, the shop owner. Slow Medicine: Performs a ranged attack on targets within six meters, causing a lag effect and reducing target movement speed by 25% for 10 seconds; Bidding adieu to the smiling proprietor, Song Jian left the engineering store. Thanks to his demonstration, more people began to frequent the store. Stepping out of the engineering store, Song Jian saw an NPC with messy hair and charred and corroded clothes racing towards the city center. On his way, the NPC was talking to a device on his wrist: Are you really telling me the truth? You know the consequences of deceiving a Forging Master, I swear, if youre lying, Ill make sure you cant stay in the City of Hymns! A hasty voice emanated from the device on his wrist: Just come and see for yourself. Ive heard Master Soloer has been notified, his senior disciple is already in the Starfire shop, negotiating terms with the shopkeeper. If youre late, Im afraid you might not have a chance! What, Master Soloer? Didnt he retire and vow never to pick up his forge hammer again? My God, could it be true? Has the Magic Flame really appeared? II Seeing the NPC hurry away, a slight smile flickered at the corner of Song Jians mouth. It seemed that his backup plan was working. Ive seen enough of the City of Hymns. Time to check on the status of my mission. Hopefully, Vera hasnt let me down! Song Jian thought, turning towards the Starfire shop. The City of Hymns was expansive. Song Jian had just toured a few blocks, and he couldnt access the residential areas where the nobles lived. He thought about going outside the city but decided to check the progress at Starfire shop first when he saw that the Magic Flame had been discovered. Soon, Song Jian returned to the Starfire shop, which by now was crowded with people, most of whom were well-known artisans of the City of Hymns. Respected Manager, Im an intermediate Forging Master. If Starfire shop could hire me, I would take only half the salary Sir, hes just barely crossed the threshold of being an intermediate Forging Master. I, on the other hand, am already a twenty-three level Forging Master. Hire me, I would also take half wages Sir, I am a thirty-two level Alchemist. I dont require any salary, just a share of the product sales. Of course, the share ratio can be negotiable Chapter 372: 372: Task Completed Chapter 372: 372: Task CompletedTranslator: 549690339 | Malaka, standing across the street from Sunnyfire Shop, suddenly felt as if his brain wasnt working and thought that everything happening before his eyes was an illusion. What is going on? Didnt they sell all their valuable items already? Werent they about closing down? Why is this happening? Isnt that Sora, the intermediate Forging Master? Last time I visited him, I didnt even see him, and an apprentice just dismissed me. Why is he now acting like a clown in front of Vera, nodding and bowing, humbling himself? Oh my god! A senior Forging Master actually applied for a job at a Level 2 shop?! This world has gone mad! Malaka felt chaos in his brain, dizzy and experiencing headaches. He couldnt help but step back, gasping for air. Go, go find out whats happening! Why, why Malaka pointed to the shop across the street with a trembling finger and yelled in a low voice; Yes, yes, boss. Ill go find out right now. One of the clerks looked at Malaka trembling in fear and quickly rushed out of the shop. In reality, the events at Sunnyfire Shop were quite simple. An intermediate Forging Master happened to be passing by and sensed the presence of the Third-tier Demon Flame; Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After paying a fee, using one of the forging rooms to successfully create an excellent weapon of terrific attributes, the news of Sunnyfire Shop possessing Magic Flame began to spread among the Forging Masters in the City of Hymns. In just over an hour, even senior Forging Masters had heard the news. Some younger senior Forging Masters came directly, and those older and more prestigious senior Forging Masters sent their apprentices to investigate; Vera, who had been sighing with sorrow in the shop, suddenly felt as if her head had been hit by a round pie when she saw one intermediate Forging Master after another surrounding her and speaking respectfully. But soon, she learned from these Forging Masters about the Magic Flame and couldnt help but feel a little helpless towards Song Jian. If he had told her earlier, she wouldnt have worried for so long. Since she knew what was going on, Vera naturally raised her standards for recruiting Forging Masters. If there werent so few senior Forging Masters in the entire City of Hymns, she would have wanted to recruit all of them, In a short while, Vera signed contracts with three senior Forging Masters and two senior alchemists. What surprised her the most was that an expert Engineer signed a product-sharing contract with her. As long as the products manufactured at Sunnyfire Shop were sold, the shop would receive a 30% share of the profits. This was unimaginable for a Level 2 shop. Not to mention the value of the items crafted by an expert Engineer, just the news of attracting an expert in a Life Profession would make Sunnyfire Shop famous throughout the City of Hymns. One million Doomsday Coins turnover, haha! Its too easy! Veras eyes were almost squeezed into a slit from laughing. When Malaka heard the news, he returned to his office, destroyed everything he could grab, vented all his anger, and still resentfully reported the news to the higher-ups of the Sunnyfire Commerce. After a long silence, the higher-ups of Sunnyfire Commerce finally gave an order: to abandon this battle and investigate the information about Magic Flame as much as possible. Malakas face turned pale after ending the communication. His dream of becoming a middle manager in the Commerce was shattered. He didnt even know how he lost the sure-win opportunity. At this moment, Malaka wished he could jump down from the second floor; Go, find out everything about Magic Flame! Malaka gritted his teeth and ordered. With all the prices adjusted back to their original levels, Sunnyfire Shop ceased its war and became low-key again. This made Sunnyfire Shop across the street even busier. Usually, to obtain an item crafted by a senior Forging Master, one would need to pre-order it days or even weeks in advance, and the price would be expensive. But now, they were able to buy equipment crafted by senior Forging Masters and potions refined by senior alchemists at an ordinary Level 2 shop. This made everyone who entered the shop dumbfounded, thinking they had encountered a mysterious store. As more and more people flocked to Sunnyfire Shop, the turnover soared: two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, four hundred thousand Within just one day, the sales volume of Sunnyfire Shop reached 430.000! This made Vera eager to report the good news to Annie, the shopkeeper. At this moment, Song Jian was on his way to Sunnyfire Shop, unaware of the shocking event that had taken place in Doomsday City. Seven or eight small fighting leagues suddenly united to form a fighting league called Waste Capital. On the first day of its formation, they cleared the dungeon The Bloody Underground Arena at the difficult level, appearing on Doomsday Citys television, and making the entire city aware of the existence of a fighting league called Waste Capital; However, Song Jian was in the City of Hymns at the time and did not receive the system notification. When the day passed quickly, Song Jian began producing Slow Medicine the next day. The silver-grade medicine production table could produce at least excellent-quality Slow Medicine and sometimes even one or two mutant-quality Slow Medicine; Excellent quality Slow Medicine increased the slow effect to 30%, while mutant quality Slow Medicine not only reduced movement speed but also decreased attack speed by 10%, surprising Song Jian quite a bit. Sunnyfire Shop, which already had Magic Flame, no longer needed Song Jian to craft items. Whats more, his level of craftsmanship was far inferior to those senior Life Professionals, as long as he ensured the stable supply of Magic Flame. However, with his current strength, he could only separate so many Magic Flames. If he tried to separate more, it would be difficult, and the separated Magic Flames could be recalled with just a thought, without the chance of being stolen. By the morning of the third day, Song Jian suddenly heard a pleasant system prompt in his ear. The turnover of Sunnyfire Shop had reached one million, the task was completed, and his relationship with Silver Moon Commerce instantly increased to Adoration; Also, he only needed to pay 100,000 Doomsday Coins to officially buy the Sunnyfire Shop in his name; You should know that even a Level 1 shop in the City of Hymns was worth several hundred thousand. Not to mention a Level 2 shop. And having a property in the City of Hymns was equivalent to having citizenship in the city; this was a dream come true for players around the City of Hymns. However, no player had gained this qualification yet. So as not to have a long night full of dreams, Song Jian directly deducted the 100,000 Doomsday Coins to formally transfer the ownership of Sunnyfire Shop to his name. At that moment, a system prompt suddenly appeared before Song Jian. System: You now own a shop in the City of Hymns. Do you want to set up the safe teleport location inside this shop? Chapter 373: 373: Blood Demon Cave Chapter 373: 373: Blood Demon CaveTranslator: 549690339 | Can I set my safe space in the City of Hymns? Song Jian was taken aback. It was common knowledge that the environment of Doomsday City was harsh, and if they had the chance to leave, not a single player out of a hundred would choose to stay there. However, after considerable hesitation, Song Jian eventually shook his head and passed on the offer to set his safe spot in the City of Hymns. After all, he already had his own territory in Doomsday City, which, in terms of safety, was not inferior to the City of Hymns. Also, from a power leveling perspective, Doomsday City, though more perilous, offered significantly greater player enhancements than the City of Hymns. Song Jian, thank you so much. Without you, I this time Annie appeared at the entrance of Spark Shop. Identifying Song Jian, she dashed over excitedly, grabbed his hand, and seemed on the verge of bursting into tears. A mission that was initially considered hopeless was accomplished by Song Jian in just two days, turning the tables for Silver Moon Commerce. Actually, it was more like turning the tables for Annie personally. The turnaround was so stunning, it almost seemed like an unbelievable tale. Hence, it was no wonder that Annie was so emotionally overcome. Seeing Annies response, Song Jian was startled and quickly exchanged looks with Vera nearby. Chuckling, Vera stepped forward and gently pulled Annies arm, whispering, Annie, its really crowded here. Lets go to the office to talk! Right, right. I got carried away. Lets go upstairs to talk! Annies face blushed and, after giving Song Jian a quick glance, she followed Vera upstairs. Releasing a sigh of relief, Song Jian followed them. Song Jian, I really owe you this time. If it were not for you Annies emotions gradually steadied down as she looked at Song Jian, gratitude written all over her face. She initially approached Song Jian as a last resort, expecting him to risk everything on a single throw. She was utterly awestruck when he pulled it off. Hardly anyone in Silver Moon Commerce believed this plan would work. Annie was even prepared to step down from her managerial position within the commerce guild. Song Jian, even though this shop is now yours, I still hope youll join Silver Moon Commerce and become a part of it! Annie said, Of course, joining Silver Moon Commerce comes with benefits, which we can discuss later. Today, Ive brought the Dawn Warriors you wanted. Rest assured, these are the three strongest warriors I handpicked personally! Theyll be a great help to you when you enter the Blood Demon Cave. Song Jian waved his hands and said, I can consider joining Silver Moon Commerce. However, I want Vera to be the permanent manager of this shop. If you agree, Spark Shop will forever be a part of Silver Moon Commerce. This Annie hesitated. After all, Vera was her right-hand woman, with great potential to grow. With the success of this endeavor, Annies position within Silver Moon Commerce was bound to rise, and she would need talents like Vera to assist her. But if Spark Shop ceased to be a part of Silver Moon Commerce, it would greatly undermine the effectiveness of her strategic plan. Given this dilemma, Annie ultimately turned her gaze to Vera. Vera, would you like to stay at Spark Shop? Annie asked. I Vera hesitated. Over the course of their interaction, she realized that Song Jian preferred a hands-off approach, effectively leaving her in charge of the shop. Also, the shop currently had well-trained and experienced employees. Compared to being an assistant, Vera naturally preferred to stay at Spark Shop. But she also felt a sense of indebtedness towards Annie, who nurtured her and treated her like a siblings. Saying goodbye to Annie felt like betrayal. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Veras indecisiveness, Annie easily picked up on her emotions. Pulling Veras hands gently, Annie whispered, Vera, stay here at Spark Shop and help Song Jian. He is no ordinary deity, and I believe this shop will eventually become more than just a shop. I trust that you will grow even more here. Vera welled up with tears and gave a vigorous nod. Soon enough, Song Jian received a system notification. Vera had become the manager of Spark Shop, and her loyalty went straight up from 60 points to too points, which took Song Jian by surprise. Annie, do you know anything about the Blood Demon Cave? asked Song Jian. Not really, I just know its a bottomless pit that devours lives! On hearing Blood Demon Cave, Annies expression instantly became serious. Looking at Song Jian, she said, Never underestimate it. Already, more than ten teams have perished within the cave. The teams Annie was referring to were NPC adventurers. The players of the City of Hymns were not yet qualified to go into the Blood Demon Cave. Song Jian, be careful. You have three Dawn Warriors with you. If you cant hold the line, they can escort you out of there! Annie, worried, voiced her concerns. She did not fully endorse Song Jian entering the Blood Demon Cave. Without a doubt, the cave was dangerous, and a careless mistake could cost lives. Song Jian chuckled softly, shaking his head resolutely. Once every chore was finished, Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors found themselves standing in front of Blood Demon Cave. Blood Demon Cave, located about sixty kilometers away from the City of Hymns at the base of a large mountain, looked like a mine entrance. Its entrance was shielded by rotating crimson light. In order to enter, you have to pass through this light barrier. An overpowering stench of blood pervaded the area around the entrance of the Blood Demon Cave dungeon spread out unceasingly. Wisps of red mist oozed out from the light barrier of the entrance. Within several tens of meters around the entrance, not a single living thing could be seen, only heaps of dried skeletons, their flesh apparently sucked clean. Upon seeing the Blood Demon Cave, the three Dawn Warriors following Song Jian exchanged glances. Their steadfast faces showed subtle signs of perturbation. As residents of the City of Hymns, they had heard about the infamous Blood Demon Cave, but never in their wildest dreams did they reckon they would one day explore it themselves. Lets go in. Said Song Jian, his face devoid of any emotion as he marched towards the dungeon entrance, stepping into the crimson light barrier. The three Dawn Warriors followed suit without hesitation, disappearing into the light barrier. Shortly after Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors entered the Blood Demon Cave, a group of ferocious trolls, brandishing large wooden clubs, came into sight. A muscular troll standing over two meters tall stood at the entrance of the cave. He inhaled deeply, his face revealing an intoxicated expression. Exquisite! I seem to smell the Abyss! This troll had deep green skin. Brown moss grew on his shoulders, cheeks, and arms, and he wore a simple suit of leather armor that was covered in scars from weaponry, indicating his significant battlefield experience. Four trolls, who bore similar appearances, stood behind him. They remained silent, their gaze fixed on the Blood Demon Cave. On their bodies, wisps of black demonic aura were continuously seeping out, mixing with the crimson blood aura in the surroundings, creating an eerie spectacle. Chapter 374: 374: Elite Level Monsters Chapter 374: 374: Elite Level MonstersTranslator: 549690339 | The artifact to undo the Demon Lords seal is here. We must secure it! the leader of the trolls commanded with a raspy voice. When you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss stares back at you! four trolls whispered in unison. Duo Sa, do you truly trust the demon of the Abyss? Do you truly believe that it may redeem our troll race? A troll with a brown complexion hesitantly asked with a low voice. The leading troll halted briefly, then turned around, his scarlet eyes glaring at the troll who had just questioned him. The blood of the Abyss has already flowed within us. Do you seek to betray us now? he growled. A brutal aura permeated the air around Duo Sa. His powerful presence forcefully pushed the four trolls several feet away, their faces filled with trepidation. Duo Sa, the blood of the Abyss within you is becoming denser Lets go. We must obtain the artifact that can release the Abyss Demon Lord. We must succeed. Only then can our troll race find redemption, Duo Sa quietly said, leading the way towards the Blood Demon Cave. As Duo Sa approached the Blood Demon Cave, he suddenly halted, a look of surprise appearing on his face. There are people in the Demon Cave As Song Jian entered the Blood Demon Cave, he was immediately enveloped in darkness. Just as he prepared to activate his vertical pupils, a member of the Dawn Warriors at his side started to whisper a spell. A soft ball of light, the size of a basketball, ascended from the Dawn Warriors hand, hovering about a meter above their heads. The Dawn Warriors worshipped the Goddess of Dawn. Despite being warriors, they knew some auxiliary divine arts. This was one such art, akin to a light spell, which served to illuminate their surroundings. It consumed little energy and could last a long time, making it especially suitable for dark environments like this. Even the lowest-ranking creature within the Blood Demon Cave was an Elite Level monster. These monsters emitted a horrifying aura that made one shudder, wandering aimlessly around the cave in groups. Blood Mage Apprentice, Elite Level, Level 18, Vitality Points: 1500/1500, Traits: Specializes in blood magic attacks; Blood Mage Servant, Elite Level, Level 18, Vitality Points: 1800/1800, Traits: Specializes in close combat attacks; Each Blood Mage Apprentice was tightly followed by two Blood Mage Servants. These servants were decked in full chainmail armor, leaving only their menacing red eyes exposed. The Blood Mage Apprentices were clad in crimson robes and grasped a bone wand. Their skeletal figures looked like corpses stripped of flesh. Master Song Jian, how about we hold the frontline, while you attack from the rear? an older Dawn Warrior suggested. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Okay! Be careful. Utilize the terrain here, it might lessen the pressure! Song Jian agreed, nodding. The Dawn Warrior nodded, casting a few auxiliary divine arts. Suddenly, several halos appeared beneath the feet of the three warriors. This divine art could only be extended to the followers of the Goddess of Dawn. Song Jian, unfortunately, was not a recipient. In the name of the Goddess of Dawn, accept judgment, monsters! A Dawn Warrior roared, waving his longsword. He pointed it towards the horde of monsters; two Blood Mage Apprentices were agitated, charging towards the Dawn Warrior. An enforced attack status appeared above the two Blood Mage Apprentices. This was a divine art that attracted the hatred of monsters. It was most effective on mage-class monsters, capable of confounding their minds in a short period of time, compelling them to launch physical attacks. The Blood Mage Apprentices abandoned their long-range magical offense and charged at the Dawn Warrior, screaming like men possessed. The Blood Mage Servants nearby hesitated, then followed suit, charging at the Dawn Warrior. The other two Dawn Warriors each positioned themselves at one side of a stone pillar, apparently planning to split and conquer the horde. However, Song Jian quickly called out, Keep them grouped together. The Dawn warriors looked at each other, but obeyed Song Jians command, adjusting their formation. The change greatly increased their pressure as they now faced simultaneous assaults from three to four monsters at a time. Song Jian reached into his bag and threw a Weakness Potion at the group of monsters; With a bang, the potion exploded amongst the monsters, its impact staggered them and caused true damage of 30 points to appear above their heads. The resulting gray dust cloud enveloped the monsters, reducing their defenses by a whopping 35%. The Dawn Warriors, their swords now slicing through the trolls as if they had no armor, wore expressions of surprise and delight. Song Jian reached for his bag again to procure a Slow Medicine, but after a moment of hesitation, decided against it. Slow Medicine could only slow movement speed, which was not particularly useful in a battle scenario. The variant Slow Medicine, capable of slowing attack speed, was in limited supply and would be wasteful if used on minions. Song Jian called forth his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and performed the Broken Wing Dance. He charged towards the horde of monsters. Boom, boom, boom~ Several damage points, numbering in the hundreds, appeared above the monsters heads. Song Jian leapt high, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand swung in a wide arc. Three slender threads of Sword Qi materialized out of thin air, harshly lashing the monsters, splattering blood everywhere. Incredibly high damage stummed the three Dawn Warriors. Goddess above, how is this possible Originally, they thought that they were the main force, meant to protect Song Jian. Little did they expect that Song Jians single attack would outmatch their combined efforts. Spiritual Sword Control Technique, Sweeping Sword Style! Song Jian plunged into the fray, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword unleashing vivid, crimson threads of Sword Qi. Countless hundreds of damage points floated up from the monsters heads. In an instant, Song Jian drew the monsters hatred away from the three Dawn Warriors. Six monsters instantly circled Song Jian. Sword Finger! Whoosh~ A three-meter-long silver Sword Qi suddenly emerged, quickly circling around Song Jian. The six monsters howled, a bright crimson light blooming around their waists. One of the monsters was even cleaved in half by the Sword Qi, its body separated into two halves. Chapter 375: Dragon Chapter 375: Dragon Translator: 549690339 The already injured monsters became even more frenzied. If they were ordinary level 18 monsters, Song Jian would have killed them with a single set of sword moves. However, these monsters were elite level ones, and Song Jians sword moves couldnt kill them all at once. The injured monsters launched a crazy attack at Song Jian, who waved his long sword and used his Tai Chi Sword Skill to firmly protect himself. Dont just stand there and watch, help me! Seeing the three Dawn Warriors staring dumbfoundedly at the battle, Song Jian roared in irritation. All, what, oh, on it! As if awakened from a dream, the three Dawn Warriors swung their swords at the monsters. Originally thinking they could attract the monsters hatred, all the hatred was instead drawn to Song Jian as the battle unfolded. A faint Tai Chi shadow appeared in front of Song Jian, making the monsters attacks feel like hitting cotton. Song Jian only suffered 10% of the damage, and occasionally counterattacked the monsters assaults. Thump thump thump- A Blood Mage apprentice broke free from the forced damage state, waved his Bone Wand and released a Blood Magic Sphere, hitting the Tai Chi shadow in front of Song Jian, splattering blood everywhere. Suddenly, Song Jian extended and rotated his sword, absorbing the Blood Magic Sphere at the tip of his blade. With a gentle flick, the sphere struck the nearest Blood Mage apprentice. Boom! With a muffled sound, the Blood Magic Sphere knocked the apprentice away, causing over 300 damage to his Vitality Points. Face your punishment, monster! A Dawn Warrior screamed, leaping high and slashing his glowing sword at the flying mage apprentice. Crack- The mage apprentice was split in half, turning into a puddle of bloody-smelling flesh. Seeing another Blood Mage apprentice concentrating on a blood sphere, Song Jian fiercely slashed at it, sending a transparent Sword of Spirit over the apprentices head to stab at him. Puff- The transparent Sword of Spirit stabbed viciously into the apprentices brow, stirring his spiritual sea. The nearly formed blood sphere collapsed, spewing a mouthful of blood. The apprentice became weakened, his body collapsing to the ground, twitching continuously. Although his Vitality Points were still about a third left, he was clearly unable to fight for now. Broken Wing Dance! As the Tai Chi Sword Skills continuous effect disappeared, Song Jian switched to the Broken Wing Dance. A series of damage numbers floated above the monsters heads, with the final moves internal force sending the remaining monsters flying and floating. Cross Star Strangle! A Dawn Warrior shouted, and the other two quickly took positions, forming a Sword Formation. Bright silver light shone on all three of them. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whoosh whoosh whoosh- The figures of the three Dawn Warriors moved like lightning among the monsters before finally forming a huge silver cross. Boom! With a loud noise, the silver cross shattered, and the powerful force swept towards the monsters like a tornado. The injured monsters were powerless to resist, and their bodies were torn to pieces, thrown against the surrounding rocky walls. Whoosh- whoosh- whoosh- The three Dawn Warriors knelt on one knee, their faces covered in sweat, looking exhausted. Even their hands holding the swords were trembling. Song Jian looked at the three Dawn Warriors in surprise. The move they just used was terrifying. One monster had just over half its Vitality Points remaining, with nearly a thousand left, but it was instantly killed by the Cross Star Strangle without any resistance. Song Jian reevaluated the combat power of the three Dawn Warriors in his mind. This is a joint battle skill that requires at least three Dawn Warriors. We can only barely perform it. But the next time we use it, it will be an hour later, as this skill consumes too much, a Dawn Warrior said, looking weary. For the next fifteen minutes, our attributes will decrease by 30%, and Im afraid we wont be able to protect you! Sir Song Jian, shouldnt we rest for fifteen minutes before going deeper? All their attributes were reduced by 30%, and judging by their exhausted faces, they couldnt fight any further. Song Jian nodded and said, You guys rest here. Ill go ahead and check it out alone, and you can catch up when youre ready. Sir, thats too dangerous. Let us go with you, the older Dawn Warrior exclaimed, struggling to stand up. No need. You rest. This move consumes too much, so dont use it again without my permission, Song Jian said, shaking his head and holding the warriors shoulder. Rest up, I have other help. With that, Song Jian started summoning the Black Dragon hatchling. A deep dragon chant echoed through the cave as the Black Dragon hatchling emerged from the Magic Array, wearing silver armor and exuding an oppressive power beside the three Dawn Warriors. This, this is a dragon? Seeing the Black Dragon hatchling, the three Dawn Warriors couldnt help but grip their swords tighter, their faces filled with shock as they backed away. Scoffing at their reaction, the Black Dragon hatchling snorted, spewing a spray of sparks from its nostrils. Okay, this is my helper. You rest up and catch up later, Song Jian patted the Black Dragon hatchling and said with a smile. As Song Jian and the Black Dragon hatchling continued deeper into the Blood Demon Cave, the three Dawn Warriors stared in awe. Dragon Warrior, so Sir Song Jian is actually a Dragon Warrior! No, that Black Dragon is still in its juvenile state. It probably needs hundreds of years to reach maturity Dont forget, Sir Song Jian is a favored one! Ah, yes, favored ones cannot be measured by ordinary standards. Perhaps he will become a Dragon Warrior. He might even become a Dragon Knight. It would be great if he could follow the Goddess of Dawn. If he becomes a Knight of Dawn, he will certainly become a Dragon Knight in the future. Yes, Knight of Dawn Glory to the Goddess of Dawn might shine upon him Chapter 376: Luring the Monster Chapter 376: Luring the Monster Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian, alongside the Black Dragon cub, made his way deep into the Blood Demon Cave; The density of monsters in this dungeon was terrifying to behold. This was likely why every team that had ventured here had either been completely wiped out, or retreated empty-handed. Song Jian and the dragon found themselves in a narrow passage, wide enough only for two to walk abreast. The passage wound around for about ten meters, its walls an unsettling deep red, as if it was bleeding. At the end of the passage was a confined cave. A cluster of monsters sat around a fire, tearing into the corpse of a human, letting out low growls as they fought over their meal; Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Amongst the monsters, only two or three were Blood Mage attendants, the rest were all apprentices. Although the cave was small, it could barely accommodate a five-member team for combat, but that would mean taking on around seventeen or eighteen monsters at once. But if they used the passage where Song Jian was, only encountering one or two monsters at a time, then after the Blood attendants charged in, almost all the Blood Mage apprentices would be able to harm the Main Tank (MT) with ranged attacks from behind. This would put immense pressure on the MT, and any lapse could spell death, leading to total team annihilation; Song Jian frowned slightly, realizing that he himself would not stand a chance against an onslaught from a horde of monsters. Using the Black Dragon cub as a shield wouldnt work either, its size would obstruct him impeding him from unleashing his full strength. If they let the cub take the brunt of the attack, its death would be a matter of time. Should we hold our ground here, waiting for the Dawn Warriors to catch up and charge in together? Song Jian pondered, giving the situation further thought. The monsters in the cave continued to squabble over the human corpse, hastily grilling chunks of the body over the fire before consuming them bloodied. Then theyd return to scrapping over the remains. The human corpse was not enough to feed all the monsters. The three Blood Mage attendants were shoved aside in the struggle, left to lap up the spilt blood from the ground to sate their hunger. A smirk appeared on Song Jians face, and he pulled out another piece of grilled meat from his bag and tossed it in their direction. The meat landed within a few meters of the three Blood Mage attendants, attracting the attention of the one nearest to it. The attendant raised its head at the sound, wiped the blood from its lips, grabbed its Bone Wand, and looked toward the source of the noise. Soon, it noticed the piece of grilled meat on the ground. Its exotic fragrance was incredibly enticingit instantly dropped its guard. This smelled far better than the stench of rancid blood. The attendant quickly picked up the meat and shoved it into its mouth. The bursting flavors filled his taste buds. This was a completely different taste from the bloody meat they typically ate, it was so much better. The attendant gulped down the meat eagerly, scanning the surroundings in hopes of finding more. Sure enough, it spotted another piece lying at the entrance of the passage. It had lost all wariness by now, and hurried toward the entrance, grabbing the meat and stuffing it into its mouth; Again, it caught a whiff of the same irresistible smell from within the passage. With two pieces of such tasty meat already consumed, it became oblivious to everything, even dropping its wand, and ran empty-handed into the passage; Shortly after, sounds of terror filled the eerie passage. The screams of the attendant however, were all too common within the Blood Demon Cave and attracted no attention from the other monsters. After the swift slaying of the Blood attendant with the aid of the Black Dragon cub, Song Jian collected the loot it had dropped. A gem? I didnt expect the monsters here would drop gems as well! Looking at a yellow gem the size of a nail in his hand, Song Jian wore an expression of surprise. This was a yellow gem that could be embedded into equipment to increase defense. Besides the gem, the attendant had also dropped a pair of level fifteen blue boots. The attributes were ordinary, but they were worth a few thousand Doomsday Coins. Song Jian glanced at it briefly before placing it in his bag. Next, Song Jian repeated the same trick, using the grilled meat to lure the monsters out of the cave one by one, disposing of them in the passage. However, a minor problem arose when he tried luring the Blood Mage apprentices. Two of them discovered the grilled meat at the same time. It seemed that they understood what the meat was and started fighting over it. Reluctantly, Song Jian threw out another piece of grilled meat, slowly luring the two monsters into the passage. The narrow terrain was a nightmare for magic users. Even when confronted by two level eighteen elite monsters, Song Jian felt no pressure, easily disposing them; Just then, the Dawn Warriors had recovered from their weakened state. The sight of the monster corpses within the passage left them taken aback. They were surprised to find that Song Jian had managed to kill so many monsters single-handedly; My lord, please allow us to join the battle as well, one Dawn Warrior pleaded. For you to be battling at the front while we hide behind is a humiliation we cannot bear! Yes, my lord. Allow us to fight alongside you, the other two Dawn Warriors chorused. Song Jian nodded, There are only eight or nine Blood Mage apprentices left in the cave ahead. Lets go in and finish them off together! Yes, sir! The Dawn Warriors responded with vigor. Roar~ With a roar, the Black Dragon cub hurried into the cave. As it opened its mouth wide, a surge of Dragon Breath consumed the apprentices; Before they could react, the terrifying Dragon Might filled the cave. The Blood Mage apprentices, who were just starting to cast their spells, wore looks of terror. They screamed and ran about in panic. We are under the protection of the Goddess of Dawn! The three Dawn Warriors shouted and charged at the panicking apprentices armed with their swords; Being confronted up close by melee fighters was an absolute nightmare for mage types. Their incantations were continually disrupted, and the Black Dragons intimidating demeanor added further tension. Ill-timed interruptions by the dragon further instilled fear into the mages. The remaining Blood Mage apprentices had their hopes of casting a complete spell shattered; Soon, all the apprentices in the cave were wiped out, leaving only Song Jian, the Black Dragon cub, and the three Dawn Warriors, and a still blazing bonfire. Chapter 377: Bonfire Chapter 377: Bonfire Translator: 549690339 | Phew, no wonder so many teams are stuck in this secret realm. The monsters inside are too hard to deal with. A Dawn Warrior took off his heavy helmet and sat on the ground. Although there were only seven or eight Blood Mage apprentices left in the cave, their attacks were still quite fierce. The heavy armor seemed to provide no defense against their painful attacks. The Vitality Points of the three Dawn Warriors were only half remaining. Song Jian was in a better state, with about two-thirds of his Vitality Points left. The Black Dragon whelp was attacked most frequently, and its Vitality Points had already dropped to less than half. After all, it was only a Level 15 Elite Level creature. Facing monsters more than three levels higher, it suffered from a natural level suppression, causing more damage. Lets take a break before we continue! Song Jian ordered. Without the addition of Vitality recovery speed, Song Jians recovery slowed down significantly, and he felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. The Level 18 Elite monsters not only dropped generous loot but also provided Song Jian with surprisingly large amounts of Experience Points. Killing only about twenty dungeon monsters had already increased his Experience Points by a small amount. He was now at Level 17 and 41%. It seemed that if they could clear this dungeon, reaching Level 18 would be no problem. This was much more efficient than leveling up by killing monsters in the wild, almost increasing the efficiency by several times. Huh, I feel like my recovery speed is much faster than usual? A Dawn Warrior said in surprise. Really? I feel like my strength is recovering faster than before too Sir, do you have this feeling too? Our Vitality Points, energy, and strength are all recovering at least 30% faster! The oldest Dawn Warrior said to Song Jian, his eyes full of confusion. Really? Song Jian frowned slightly, looking at his attribute interface. There was no sign of an accelerated recovery speed: I dont have that feeling Sir, please come here and feel it. The recovery speed is indeed much faster. A Dawn Warrior stood up and offered his seat. Song Jian nodded and took the spot. Whoosh~ A sudden breeze blew through the cave, causing the campfire beside Song Jian to flicker rapidly. Whats going on? Song Jian frowned, his gaze falling on the nearby campfire. Recovery Demon Flame: Level 1 Demon Flame. Effect: Within a 3-meter range, non-combat recovery speed is accelerated. Increases the success rate and recovery effects of crafting recovery potions. Level 1, Demon Flame? Theres actually a Demon Flame here? Song Jian widened his eyes in disbelief. However, as soon as he approached the campfire, the blazing flames seemed suppressed and weakened. It seemed that the Level 3 Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame, within Song Jian had a strong suppression effect on the Recovery Demon Flame. Damn, this is probably the biggest reward in Blood Demon Cave. However, I already possess one kind of Demon Flame. I wonder if I can accommodate a second one! Song Jian stared at the campfire, his eyebrows furrowed, and after some thought, he slowly extended his hand towards the fire. Crackle- Two sparks jumped from the campfire, and the flames retreated abruptly as if a small animal was afraid of and avoiding Song Jians touch. At that moment, black flames erupted from Song Jians outstretched hand, making a whooshing sound. The instant the black flames appeared, the entire campfire seemed to be extinguished. Only the fist-sized pale-white flame remained, hiding in the depths of the campfire, flickering continuously like a frightened child under the bed. Black flames began to slowly invade the campfire. In no time, the flames on the campfire rekindled, and a white stream of fire, like tentacles, spread out from the depths of the fire and entwined themselves around Song Jians extended arm. System: Level 3 Demon Flame, Abyssal Flame, begins to merge with Recovery Demon Flame, fusion progress 3%5% The black flames blazed in the campfire, raising the temperature in the cave by several degrees. The Dawn Warriors looked astonished and quickly moved back. Only the Black Dragon whelp seemed interested in the black flames. It approached and licked the flames with its tongue. Song Jian felt warmth within his body. It was much more comfortable than when he had merged with the Abyssal Flame. At that time, he felt like a piece of roasted meat, burning both inside and out. Now, it was like he had immersed himself in warm water, feeling very comfortable and drowsy. After an unknown amount of time, the warmth in Song Jians body disappeared. He opened his eyes to find that the milky-white flames were gone, replaced by a huge campfire with black flames. System: Level 3 Abyssal Flame has successfully merged. Your Fire Resistance has increased by 10 points, your Vitality Point recovery speed has permanently increased by 50%, and you have gained the Recovery Aura. Effect: For all teammates within a 5-meter range, Vitality Point recovery speed increases by 30%. Its a pity that its only a Level 1 Demon Flame. If it were of a higher level, the Abyssal Flame might have been able to level up! Song Jian thought to himself. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The increase in fire resistance and Vitality Point recovery rate both strengthened Song Jian. This was even better than acquiring a new piece of equipment since this portion of his strength could be brought into the real world. The added Recovery Aura allowed the three Dawn Warriors to have a 30% increased Vitality recovery rate, whether in or out of combat. This significantly improved their safety and reduced the pressure of battling monsters. Lets continue! Song Jian stood up and led the way deeper into the Blood Demon Cave. The three Dawn Warriors glanced at the faint green aura beneath their feet, feeling the surging energy within their bodies. After exchanging a look, they followed closely behind Song Jian. Along the way, the cave tunnels were like a labyrinth, branching in all directions. The variety of monsters Song Jian and his party encountered also increased. In addition to Blood Mage attendants and apprentices, they faced Blood Demon Spiders, Blood Demon Hunting Dogs, Blood Witches, Blood Demon Warriors, and other creatures. The deeper they went into the Demon Cave, the more and stronger monsters they encountered. They had to carefully lure the monsters one by one to slowly kill them off. There were several times when they lured too many monsters. If Song Jian hadnt activated his Immortal Sword Body and firmly attracted the monsters hatred towards himself, they might have faced a total wipeout. However, despite the dangers, the rewards were plentiful. In addition to some gems and Level 15 green and blue equipment, they even obtained two Level 15 silver-quality items. One was cloth armor for a Mage, and the other was Mage shoes. Although Song Jian couldnt wear them, if he sold them at the auction house, they would be worth at least tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. Soon, the group arrived at a massive cave. The cave was set up like a laboratory, with delicate instruments surrounding them. A middle-aged man wearing a red robe was dissecting a human corpse. The whole cave filled with a strong smell of blood. Be careful! This is a Level 20 Elite BOSS! A cautious look appeared in Song Jians eyes. The monster before him was the first BOSS he encountered in Blood Demon Cave. If they didnt kill him, they would not be able to move forward. Chapter 378: Bloody Baron Chapter 378: Bloody Baron Translator: 549690339 As he observed the level 20 Elite Boss in front of him, a solemn look crossed Song Jians eyes. On paper, this boss was tougher than any level 20 Elite Boss he had encountered before-it could even be deemed comparable to the Lord level bosses hed faced. Bloody Baron Gurman, a semi-demonic creature, Elite Level Boss, level 20, with 5000/5000 Vitality Points. Traits: Demonic Skin, Bloodthirsty. Skills: Blood explosion, Blood Tide, Plague of Blood, Fatal Strike; I recognize him C he used to be a Baron of the City of Hymns. It is said his whole family has been exterminated, and he disappeared. I never would have expected that hed become a fallen demonic creature! One of the Dawn Warriors, furrowing his eyebrows, whispered while staring at the Boss. Be careful, he was once a grand knight; his strength is nearly on par with the Knight of Dawn! If its only us three, we wont stand a chance Everyone be careful, and dodge his skills, Song Jian softly said, ready up, Im initiating the attack! Previously, it was the Dawn Warriors who initiated attacks on monsters. But due to Song Jians high damage output, he easily attracted the bosss hostility; hence, he took on the responsibility of initiating the attack. Furthermore, given the Boss current strength, it seemed likely that the Dawn Warriors would struggle to take it down; Earth Teeth Assault! A tusk-shaped Qi mass howled towards the Bloody Baron. With a boom, the Baron, who was standing by the experimental table, was pushed back two steps. Unintentionally, he slashed with his surgical knife, causing a sudden outpour of blood from the humanoid creature on the table; Damn it, you ruined my experiment! The Bloody Baron roared in anger, pulling out a spear from a nearby cabinet, then growled as he charged towards Song Jian; Dawn Charge! A Dawn Warrior yelled as he charged at the Bloody Baron, ruthlessly slashing at him with his longsword. Dawn Charge! The remaining Dawn Warriors also deployed the charge skill, pouncing towards the Bloody Baron; At this moment, the Bloody Barons hatred was firmly locked onto Song Jian. The continuous charges only made his body slightly sway, not impeding his aggression. His resistances are so high, we can only stun him for 0.3 seconds, exclaimed a Dawn Warrior. His defense is also incredibly high. The damage from Dawn Charge is only in the tens. Be careful! Another Dawn Warrior shouted with a warning. Seeing the Bloody Baron charge at him, Song Jian pulled out a bottle of Weakness Potion and violently tossed it at him; Next, he took out a bottle of Slow Medicine and threw it down at the Bloody Barons feet; Immediately, the Bloody Barons speed went down and even his act of waving the spear slowed considerably; Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, ruthlessly hacking away at the Bloody Baron; With a roar, the Black Dragon cub shot into the air. A massive dark purple fireball was released from its mouth, striking the Bloody Baron directly. -113, -135, -145- A series of damages over 100 points appeared above the Bloody Barons head; Blood Tide! Suddenly, a powerful energy surge emerged from the Bloody Baron. Waves of scarlet energy, with the Baron at the center, expanded outwards, enveloping Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors. Both the Dawn Warriors and Song Jian saw numbers indicating a dozen or so damage points quickly float above their heads, while the Bloody Barons Vitality Points were rapidly reclaiming; Get out of the skill range! Song Jian bellowed. He transformed into a silhouette, hastily retreating in the distance. The Dawn Warriors also ceased their attacks, rushing towards areas far away from the Bloody Baron; The range of the Bloody Barons skill was enormously wide, almost taking up half of the cave, ranged classes had an opportunity to escape, but it was hard for close combat classes to dodge this attack. Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors barely managed to escape. Their vitality had plummeted over 300 points, while the Bloody Barons vitality was instantly replenished by nearly 500 points. The Black Dragon hatchling was still persistently attacking as it wasn t enveloped by the Blood Tide due to being in the air; The Bloody Baron was immobilized after he cast the Blood Tide. Seeing the four melee professionals leave, the Bloody Baron halted the Blood Tide, brandished his spear blade and pointed towards Song Jian; A crimson beam of light shot towards Song Jians back instantly; Blood Explosion! The Bloody Baron growled, with a trace of black breath in his eyes, revealing a fierce expression on his face. Just as the crimson beam reached Song Jians back, a faint golden glow burst from the surface of his body. His running body was turned around by a mysterious force, and he swung his long sword harshly in front of him; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sacred Parry! Clang- With a muffled noise, the crimson beam of light was shattered by Song Jians sword. Then, an identical crimson beam erupted from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, directed at the Bloody Baron; Thud- This crimson beam pierced through the Bloody Barons heart, exploded out from his back. A damage of over 600 points sprang up from above the Bloody Barons head; How could this be The Bloody Baron was dumbstruck, his eyes fixed on Song Jian, filled with intense dread. Knight of Dawn, this is the skill of the Knight of Dawn one of the Dawn Warriors shouted, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Song Jian; Praise be to You, Goddess of Dawn, your exclusive knight has finally reappeared in the mortal world Three Dawn Warriors cried out in unison, their eyes filled with the adoration of fans for their idol as they looked at Song Jian. System: Dawn Warrior C Qis admiration for you has greatly increased, reaching the level of reverence, you can initiate a recruitment request to him; System: Dawn Warrior C Songs admiration for you has greatly increased, reaching the level of reverence, you can initiate a recruitment request to him; System: Dawn Warrior C Yas admiration for you has greatly increased, reaching the level of reverence, you can initiate a recruitment request to him; A series of system prompts suddenly made Song Jian feel like he was hit by a pie. He had recruited these three Dawn Warriors through his worshipful relationship with the Silver Moon Commerce, regardless of whether he could clear this instance, they needed to be returned in the end; But now there was an opportunity to recruit these three level twenty elite warriors to be his followers right before his eyes. What should Song Jian do? What else could he do but recruit! Recruit, recruit, recruit! With twenty years of single and quick hand speed, Song Jian rapidly chose to recruit the three; Respected Knight of Dawn, Im willing to become one of your followers! A Dawn Warrior knelt on one knee, giving a salute towards the direction where Song Jian was located; System: Congratulations, you have recruited Dawn Warrior C Ya as your follower; However, the remaining two Dawn Warriors hesitated and eventually rejected the recruitment; I m sorry, my lord, I have my own duties and cannot follow behind you! Im sorry, my lord, I still have things I care about in the Silver Moon Commerce, and I cant leave! The two followers showed their remorse, shaking their heads as they rejected the offer. Continue the attack! After Song Jian issued the order, he couldnt help but lift the corners of his mouth. Even if only one Dawn Warrior was willing to follow him, he had struck it rich! This was a level twenty elite follower, entirely different from ordinary NPCs! Chapter 379: Successful Recruitment Chapter 379: Successful Recruitment Translator: 549690339 | Having recruited a Level 20 Elite Follower, Song Jian couldnt already be more satisfied. Praise be to you, Goddess of Dawn, I swear, Ill always follow devotedly behind your exclusive knight, never leaving or deserting! The Dawn Warrior, who had just become Song Jians follower, seemed inspired and yelled loudly, swinging his sword and rushing towards the Bloody Baron. Well, young fellow has quite the spirit! Song Jian revealed a smile. However, very quickly, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. What did he say Knight of Dawn, Goddess of Dawns exclusive knight, he will always follow oh crap, Im not a Knight of Dawn, nor do I worship the Goddess of Dawn. I just unintentionally learned a sword technique that potentially belongs to a Knight of Dawn Will he stab me with his sword if he finds out that Im not a Knight of Dawn? Mom, Im scared! At this thought, Song Jian suddenly realized that this freshly recruited Dawn Warrior had become a hot potato. He should have known not to recruit him! Roar- The Bloody Baron swung his spear and pierced the chest of a Dawn Warrior, hoisting him into the air before ruthlessly throwing him to the side. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Splat- The Dawn Warriors vitality points had instantly dropped to a precarious level, the glaringly red vitality point gauge only had a bit left. Oh crap, is he gonna die right after being recruited? Song Jian was shocked, hastily casting a Surgical Healing on the Dawn Warrior who was thrown by the BOSS. As it turned out, the one the BOSS had just attacked was the Dawn Warrior Song Jian had just recruited. After stuffing the Dawn Warrior, who was leaning against the rock wall, with a potion of beginners healing and several pieces of roast meat, and ordering him to rest, Song Jian drew his sword and rushed towards the Bloody Baron. Broken Wing Dance! Sword Silk! Encircling the Bloody Baron in a flurry of sword slashes, Song Jian swiftly drew its attention, reducing the pressure on the remaining two Dawn Warriors. Song Jians previous Sacred Parry technique had the BOSS feeling wary. It looked at Song Jian, its gaze full of caution. However, the spear in its hand still contained lethal force, constantly emitting a piercing whistling sound as it jabbed at Song Jian. The BOSSS damage was high, each strike causing fifty to sixty points of damage to Song Jian. When Song Jians vitality points fell to less than half, he had no choice but to use Tai Chi Sword Skill to fend off the BOSSS attack. The two Dawn Warriors behind him were also constantly attacking, with damage numbers steadily floating up above the BOSSS head. Its vitality points were slowly declining, shortly falling below half. In reality, among the group, Song Jian had the most powerful attack, next was only the young Black Dragon, the three Dawn Warriors attack power could only be ranked at the end. Watching the two Dawn Warriors strenuously swinging their double-handed swords, Song Jian couldnt help but complain: Considering how low your damage is, you should have just taken up a shield as a tank. Arent you just bringing doom to us by insisting on using the double-handed sword in a retribution style! Damned reptile, get lost! The Bloody Baron suddenly brandished his spear, harshly smacking towards the Black Dragon whelp in mid-air. It turned out while Song Jian was using the Tai Chi Sword Skill, the Black Dragon whelp jacked away the BOSSS aggro. The flying Black Dragon whelp didnt expect the BOSS to suddenly attack it. In a moment of distraction, it was knocked down by the spear, hurling toward the rock wall nearby. Boom- The entire cave began to slightly tremble, the Black Dragon whelp fluttered its wings, straining to stand up from the ground, and let out a roar towards the Bloody Baron. Whack- The Black Dragon cubs wing suddenly swatted a test tube on a cabinet, throwing it towards the rock face, where it shattered into pieces. The Bloody Barons attack faltered as he glanced at the crushed test tube, his eyes reflecting distress akin to physical pain. Visibly falling back under the relentless attack, Song Jians eyes lit up, Hey, it seems like this BOSS really cares about its lab equipment could it be With this thought, Song Jian immediately commanded his recuperating follower, Go! Destroy the lab equipment around you as much as possible! Although the Dawn Warrior had been receiving Song Jians vitality recovery buff, and been using basic healing potions and roasted meat, the time was short. He had only managed to recover less than a third of his vitality and could not engage in combat. However, he was capable of causing some damage to the surroundings. The Dawn Warrior, C Ya stood up, swinging his longsword towards a nearby experimental cabinet. Bang, bang, bang- As the crashing sounds echoed, the Bloody Baron trembled. He wanted to rush towards the Dawn Warrior who was wreaking havoc but his hatred was firmly locked on Song Jian. He was constrained by the rules of the system and could only watch helplessly as his precious lab equipment was destroyed piece by piece. Roar, you all will pay! The Bloody Barons anger flared, but half his attention was distracted by the destructive Dawn Warrior. He was too flustered to focus on the battle, releasing his skills haphazardly. Each move was either a miss or terribly off-target, greatly alleviating the pressure on Song Jian and his group. When the Bloody Barons vitality dropped below 80%, he finally started unleashing his ultimate move, the Fatal Strike! The BOSS swung his spear, as a surge of red energy converged at its tip. With a forceful thrust, he slammed it into the ground. BOOM! With a deafening explosion, five red beams burst forth from where the spear touched the ground, shooting towards Song Jian, the Black Dragon cub, and the three Dawn Warriors. Swish- The speed of the red light was incredibly fast. Before he could react, a red streak flashed before Song Jians eyes, and a cool sensation spread across his chest. MISS A faint blue text floated above his head. The Black Dragon cub was also hit by a red beam, but a large MISS also floated above its head. Song Jian felt a shock in his heart and quickly turned his gaze to the follower who was in the process of destroying the lab. The follower had only managed to recover 34% of his vitality so far, he would undoubtedly be killed if hit by the fatal attack. Luckily, MISS also floated above his head. Just then, one of the Dawn Warriors groaned, as though hit by a mallet, his body flew backward. Above his head appeared a damage number in the high hundreds, and his vitality plummeted to a little above thirty. This move from the Bloody Baron could randomly damage one person in the field and was unaffected by hate value. Seeing that the Dawn Warrior busy destroying his lab equipment hadnt taken any damage, disappointment flashed in the eyes of the Bloody Baron. His attacks became more aggressive. Song Jians vitality was dropping fast. Seeing that the BOSS had less than 20% of his vitality left, Song Jian gritted his teeth, and activated his Immortal Sword Body. A pale golden light immediately enveloped him, like a golden armor encasing his body. Die! With a flick of his wrist, Song Jian thrust the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword at the Bloody Barons heart from an unexpected angle. Chapter 380: Blood Beheading Greatsword Chapter 380: Blood Beheading Greatsword Translator: 549690339 | The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword pierced the bloody Barons heart, causing over three hundred critical damage points. The Baron swung his spear, swatting Song Jian away like a fly. Boom! A crimson wave of energy burst from the Bloody Barons body, knocking back the Dawn Warriors that had been chasing him, and then he charged towards Song Jian with large strides. Die, human! The Baron roared as he swung his spear, and a strong bloody aura burst from it, condensing into red lightning bolts that shot towards Song Jian. Boom, boom, boom~ The ground was struck with holes from the red lightning. Song Jian wielded the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and used his Tai Chi Sword Skill to block the lightning bolts. At this point, Song Jian looked very battered, his face pale, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and he used all his strength to fend off the crimson lightnings bombardment. The Bloody Barons attack lasted for only five seconds. The red lightning disappeared, and the Bloody Barons speed suddenly increased. He raised his spear and viciously slammed it down on Song Jians head. Clang! With a faint sound, Song Jians Follower overturned a cabinet, spilling all the dishes inside, which broke all over the floor. The Bloody Barons body suddenly trembled, and his strike also experienced a brief delay. Song Jian took the opportunity to roll out of the attack range and used Sword Shadow Step to escape to a distance. At this point, he only had a little over four hundred Vitality Points remaining, barely enough to withstand two or three more attacks from the Bloody Baron. The Black Dragon hatchling and a Dawn Warrior continuously attacked the Bloody Baron from behind, causing his Vitality Points to drop rapidly. However, the Barons hatred was firmly locked on Song Jian, vowing not to rest until he killed him. Thud! Another Slow Medicine vial smashed at the Barons feet. Song Jian looked back and cast the Hearts Eye skill. A crimson cross constantly scanned the Bloody Barons body, finally stopping at his right shoulder. Song Jian suddenly stopped and held his longsword horizontally across his chest, striking the pose of Sacred Parry. Seeing Song Jian stop, the Bloody Baron roared and swung his spear downward with a flash of red energy that formed a thick blade edge. Clang! The spear and the longsword collided, and Song Jian was thrown into the air by the intense force. He did a backflip and landed steadily. The Bloody Barons powerful strike was completely counteracted, leaving him exposed, his spear almost flying out of his hands while he staggered back. Song Jian leaped forward, aiming his longsword at the Bloody Barons right side and slashing down fiercely. Light Strike! A brilliant golden light burst from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime. Admiration filled the eyes of the three Dawn Warriors, as the Light Strike was also a skill of the Knight of Dawn. This made Song Jians newly recruited Follower even more certain of his identity as a Knight of Dawn. Boom! The Blood Knight had just stabilized himself when he felt a deadly threat rushing towards him. The intense golden light made it impossible for him to open his eyes, and he could only squint ahead. In a golden light, a figure holding a dark red long sword pounced on it. There was no time to react as the sword emitting golden light fiercely chopped down on its right shoulder. Crack, crack- The sound of bones breaking could be heard as a damage value of over a thousand floated above the Bloody Barons head, completely depleting its remaining Vitality Points. In an instant, the momentum on the Bloody Barons body dissipated, like an old man in the twilight years, its body wobbling as it took two steps back. Salena, I havent resurrected you yet. I The Bloody Barons eyes showed a bewildered look, the black aura in its eye sockets growing thicker and its entire body enveloped in the black aura, as if it were burning. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom, the Bloody Baron, enveloped in a thick black aura, collapsed with a thud, and a dazzling pile of items burst out. Big loot! Great, haha, my lucks not bad! Song Jians eyes were almost squinting. This time, more than ten items dropped, which had never happened before from a BOSS drop. Just as Song Jian was counting the loot, the faces of the five trolls at the entrance suddenly changed. They saw that the blood light on the door of the Blood Demon Cave, which originally was very thick, suddenly weakened a lot, turning pale red and losing its brilliance. Duo Sa, whats going on?! A trolls face showed a terrified expression as it pointed at the entrance of the instance and roared. Is this the work of those people who just entered? Im going to tear them apart! Roar! A troll swung its club in anger, unable to vent its rage, smashing a huge rock, more than one person tall, into pieces with a bang. Damn it, those humans have already killed one of the guardians in the Demon Cave. If they kill the final guardian and get the Book of the Abyss, this instance will disappear! Duo Sas face twisted, his right fist clenching tightly, his shaking arm trembling. He regretted being just a few minutes late. If they had been a bit faster, they certainly could have entered the secret realm before those humans. Duo Sa, do you think those humans will get the Book of the Abyss? a troll hesitated. Impossible! Duo Sa roared, Guarding the Book of the Abyss is a powerful being with the bloodline of an Abyss demon. He will definitely kill all the intruders! Duo Sa, dont worry too much. Even if they get the Book of the Abyss, as long as we guard this place, we can still snatch it from them when they come out! a troll said gravely. Yes, snatch it from them, the Abyss Demon Lord is watching us! Despite their anxiety, with five trolls present, Song Jian calmly checked the loot attributes. Two Dawn Warriors nearly died and were now sitting on the ground, regaining Vitality Points by eating grilled meat. With a grin, Song Jian looked at the dropped items in his inventory, pleased at his loot. This time there were a total of twelve weapons and equipment, which could be considered luxurious. Additionally, there were quite a few Grade 1 gems and precious materials. Out of the twelve equipment pieces, the lowest quality were four Level 15 blue-grade equipment: Druid gloves, Mage hat and leggings, and Summoner shoulder pads. Among the remaining weapons and equipment, there were four green and three blue Level 20 pieces. The best was a silver-grade Level 20 weapon, the Blood Beheading Greatsword. Blood Beheading Greatsword (Silver), Weapon, Double-handed Sword, Equipment Level 20, Attack80-95, Strength +5, Agility +3, Constitution +3, Crush +2, Special Effect: Blood Suck (Passive) C 15% of the attack damage is converted into Vitality Points for the attacker; Durability: 120/120, Equipment Requirement: Warrior Class; Chapter 381: The Demon Knight Chapter 381: The Demon Knight Translator: 549690339 | This silver-quality double-handed sword evoked looks of envy in the eyes of the three Dawn Warriors, who were all still dressed in level 20 white-quality gear. Song Jian thought for a moment, then directly handed the long sword to the newly recruited follower. He then sorted through the loot, picked out a few pieces of level 20 blue-green gear, and handed it over to Dawn Warrior C Ya. Thankyou, my lord, I swear Ill followyou unto death! Da? Warrior-Ya, emotion written all over his face, knelt on one knee and bowed to Song Jian. After changing into his new gear, Yas combat power had increased two or threefold. The Blood Beheading Greatsword he held incited envy in the other two Da? Warriors. Once everyones vitality points had fully recovered, Song Jian rose to his feet: Continue! The group followed the cave passage and moved on. On their journey, Ya was always at the very front, opposing all the minor creatures single-handedly, making the path afterward much easier. If it werent for the ten-year contract I signed with Silver Moon Commerce, I d want to follow this man too! a Dawn Warrior, enviously watching Ya, murmured quietly. After killing the Bloody Baron, Song Jian gained a great deal of combat experience. On the later journey, he killed over a dozen small creatures. A golden light burst from his body, and his level rose to 19. Song Jian used the additional skill point he gained to upgrade his Rapid Sword skill, extending its duration by two seconds from six to eight. After more than two hours, the group finally reached the deepest part of the Blood Demon Cave. It looked like a ruined great hall. Half of it had collapsed, with large chunks of rubble piled up. At the rear of the hall was something like a volcano spouting hot red blood, splashing around like magma. In front of this blood volcano was a seven to eight meters high throne, entirely made of black crystals, glistening under the light of the blood. A demon knight with horns on his head sat on the throne. As they entered the hall, the atmosphere changed as if an invisible force was binding them. Even the air became heavy. The three Da? Warriors looked at the throne with somber expressions and a look of despair in their eyes. How could this be, a real demon knight is guarding the Book of the Abyss? Three bosses? Song Jian was stunned, his face full of disbelief. So many bosses, no wonder no team has ever cleared the Blood Demon Cave so far At this point, two three-headed hellhounds lay at the feet of the demon knights throne. Each of their massive heads raised, riveted on Song Jians party, revealing monstrous expressions. If it were only one Demon Knight, Song Jian might have put up a fight, but the three bosses they faced now were something they couldnt handle. They didnt even have the courage to give it a try. Isnt this quest difficulty a bit too high? Is the Book of the Abyss really a task I can accomplish at this stage? Song Jian couldnt help but wonder. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. LV25 Abyss Demon Knight Kulun, Lord Level, Vitality Points: 8000/8000, Characteristics: Demonic Body, Super Damage, Skills: Demon Summoning, Hell Strike, Abyss Instant Slash. LV20 Three-Headed Hellhound, Elite Level, Vitality Points: 4200/4200, Characteristics: Demonic Creature, Super Sharp, Skills: Evil Breath, Dead Light Eye, Bite Assault. A level 25 Lord Level boss and two 20 Level Elite bosses C even if Song Jian were to ascend to level 20, he wouldnt stand a chance against them. Even with the addition of three Dawn Warriors and a Black Dragon Hatchling, theres no way they could defeat them. The Black Dragon cub sniffed out the scent of the demon, it became eager, let out a roar at the three bosses; two Hellhounds slowly stood up, fixing their eyes on the Black Dragon cub, they matched it in defiance and let out terrifying howls; The three Dawn Warriors stayed restrained, looking over at Song Jian, waiting for his command; Priest Cecilia would never give me a task that I cant accomplish. We will definitely kill these three bosses and obtain the Book of the Abyss! Song Jian said firmly. Asya, you go try out the damage on the demon knight, I will command the Black Dragon cub to attract the attention of the two Hellhounds. Song Jian turned to the remaining two dawn warriors saying: You assist with attacking from the side, if you notice something amiss, retreat immediately. Asya had changed into a new set of gear, Song Jian estimated that they should be able to resist attacks from the Abyss Demon Knight, but the other two Dawn Warriors might be knocked away as soon as they come into contact with the Demon Knight. Yes, Master! Asya yelled, The Goddess of Dawn is protecting me! Da? Charge! A glorious white light bloomed under Asyas feet, and as quick as an arrow, she charged at the demon knight; The Black Dragon cub let out a roar at the two Hellhounds, spouting hot Dragon Breath, rushing towards the two Hellhounds; The Goddess of Da? protects us! The two Dawn Warriors exchanged a glance, their faces filled with determination, and with a low growl, they also charged at the demon knight together; -58 -57 -55 Indeed, the power of a level 20 silver-grade Blood Beheading Greatsword was extraordinary, cutting down on the Demon Knight, even a common attack could cause over fifty damage. However, the other two Dawn Warriors, could only inflict about a dozen damage on the BOSS, sometimes, they could only cause single digit damage; Vermin! The Demon Knight gave a disdainful growl, randomly drew a halberd from beside his throne and fiercely stabbed it toward Asya; A sharp sound tearing through the air suddenly echoed, it almost pierced the Da? Warriors eardrums, all three showed pained expressions on their faces. Thud- The halberd cruelly pierced Asyas chest, instantly causing over five hundred damage, this attack made Asya, with only eight hundred Vitality Points, feel a wave of fear, this was her first time being so close to death; Why is the damage so high? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, this was just a casual strike from the BOSS, if their opponent used a skill, wouldnt that instantly wipe out Asya? The assisting Da? Warriors faces also revealed surprise, Asyas gear was much better than theirs, if they were the target of this attack, theyd probably be beaten to near death; We cant defeat it! Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, and after some hesitation, he jumped in, preparing to take Asyas place. Retreat, retreat, we cant win! Song Jian was anxious but at that moment, a milky white beam of light fell from the sky, enveloping Asya, her Vitality Points, which had already lost two-thirds, instantly filled up, and a thin light curtain appeared on the surface of Asyas body. The curtain kept circulating, sparkling with milky white light. Chapter 382 - 382 Cecilia Chapter 382: Cecilia Translator: 549690339 | The sudden turn of events left Song Jian somewhat surprised. He turned to look and a figure emerged from the passage outside the main hall. Priest Cecilia! A faint glow enveloped her as she continually waved her magic staff. Rays of light descended from the sky, falling upon Song Jian, the three Dawn Warriors, and the Black Dragon hatchling. Cecilia, why did you come? Song Jian asked excitedly. Guided by God, Cecilia replied with a smile. Song Jian noticed a new status effect in his status bar: Recover 15 Vitality Points every second, lasting 30 minutes. Flap-flap-flap ~ Cecilias codex in the left hand flipped pages on its own without any wind. As Cecilia chanted divine incantations and pointed at everyone, they were immediately shrouded in a milky-white glow. Divine Protection! Defense increased by 2000, damage from enemies reduced by 30%; Another powerful supportive effect. Song Jians face lit up with joy. With Cecilias assistance, beating the three bosses ahead suddenly seemed possible! Cecilia, this isnt the Dawn Divine Palace! The Abyss Demon Knight sneered, swinging his lance at the Dawn Warrior Ya with savage force. A dark demonic aura surged from the lance, and his eyes glowed with murderous intent. Move out of the way! Song Jian roared, rushing forward to stand in Yas place. Golden light radiated from his body as he assumed a strange stance with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Whoosh ~ The air within a three-meter radius seemed to be violently compressed. Song Jian felt a strong wind blowing in his face, making it hard to breathe. It felt as though countless sharp blades were stabbing into his body, and his protective armor seemed to lose its effect all of a sudden. Clang- A dull collision echoed in everyones ears. Initially, the sound was muffled, but it soon grew louder and more resonant. Finally, the sound reverberated throughout the temple, crashing against everyone like a tsunami wave after wave. Sacred Parry! Song Jian felt a huge force driving him backward. He was like a small stone being hurled into the air, smashing harshly against the temple wall. He then fell down from the wall. A damage indicator showing over nine hundred points popped up above the Demon Knights head. The searing pain caused the Demon Knight to growl in agony. Kulun, youve been away from the Dawn Divine Palace for too long. Youve even forgotten the signature move of the Dawn Knights. Cecilia revealed a mocking smile. She waved her right hand, and a ray of divine light fell upon Song Jian. With the super supportive Cecilia on their side, Song Jian and the three Dawn Warriors were brimming with confidence. They charged fearlessly towards the Demon Knight Kulun. -12 -14 -18 -59 Broken Wing Dance! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Light Strike! With a Sword Shadow Step, Song Jian flashed behind the demonic knight, and unleashed a series of sword techniques at the BOSS, the Light Strike in particular inflicted double the damage on the demonic knight, Kulun. The initial damage of over six hundred points, but now reached one thousand two hundred points, immediately directing the knights attention towards him. Light Strike is a holy attack, specifically effective against demonic knights. Seeing Song Jian using Light Strike, Cecilias eyes twinkled, and an enchanting smile appeared on her face. Knight of Dawn, you damned guy! The demonic knight Kulun directly gave up on the Dawn Warriors and pivoted, swinging his halberd violently towards Song Jian. Even with Cecilia performing healing magic from behind, Song Jian dared not take a direct hit from the demonic knight and swiftly maneuvered to evade. With a boom, the ground split, creating a rift over three meters long from which hot, red blood, like lava, spurted out. Wielding his halberd, demonic knight Kulun, steady yet agile, resembled a mighty dragon. Despite being surrounded, he didnt seem pressured. Each of his techniques grew stronger. If it wasnt for Cecilia continually casting her healing spells from behind, the four of them, including Song Jian, would have been killed by the demonic knight. Song Jian observed that although the knights hostility was directed towards him, each of his attacks had a splashing effect, also causing damage to the three Dawn Warriors nearby. Even a basic attack could inflict two to three hundred points of damage on the surroundings. Moreover, as the Demonic Knight Kuluns Vitality Points could continue to decrease, its attack grew stronger. The initial basic attacks that caused two to three hundred points of damage now caused four to five hundred points. Despite Cecilias healing, the three Dawn Warriors felt restrained and dared not plunge straight into the fight. Boom! With a devastating sweep, the demonic knight sent a Dawn Warrior flying, dealing over seven hundred points of damage, sending him into a critical state. Cecilia quickly cast a healing spell, reviving him. Master, its attack is getting more fierce. We are struggling to resist! A warrior cried out. Hold on, it wont last much longer! Song Jian roared. Just then, a dragons roar echoed from the sky. Song Jian, startled, looked up only to see the half-blooded Black Dragon hatchling with a three-headed hellhound in its mouth, suspended in mid-air. The hellhound seemed to have lost all its strength, hanging limply. Despite being battered, the hatchling held its head high, proudly slamming the hellhound onto the ground. Good job! Song Jian couldnt help but cheer. Although the black dragon hatchling was only a level fifteen elite, it was able to kill one of the two level twenty elite BOSS, demonstrating its place at the top of the food chain. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This also had a lot to do with Cecilias constant healing. Without the support of Cecilia Priest, the black dragon hatchling would not be a match for the two hellhounds. Damn it, reptile, Ill tear you apart and cast you into the abyss. Your soul will wail in agony for ten thousand years under the flames of the abyss! The demonic knight Kulun roared as he saw the falling body of the three-headed hellhound. Swinging his halberd, he struck the ground. Boom! An intense force burst from the ground, blasting everyone who was attacking him a dozen meters away. The demonic knight chanted a spell, slowly raising his left hand. Behind him, the volcano of blood erupted, the hot blood wave rising tens of meters high. A codex emitting a dark aura slowly ascended from the volcano opening. Come forth, my warriors, shred my enemies before my eyes! The demonic knights eyes radiated crimson as a ball of hot flames emerged from the Book of the Abyss and fell in front of him. A huge black bronze gate became clearer and clearer as it was engulfed in burning black flames, becoming larger and larger. Chapter 383: Magic Flame Upgrade Chapter 383: Magic Flame Upgrade Translator: 549690339 | Damn it, its summoning the Abyssal Gate! Stop it! Cecilias face changed drastically, and she quickly shouted. Soon, a five to six-meter tall bronze gate, emitting a dark aura, stood in front of everyone. On the surface of the gate was a carved relief of a demon skull; At this moment, the demon skull on the gate began to slowly open its eyes, and as the black flames on the surface of the gate burned fiercely, the gate also began to open slowly; This is the Abyssal Flame? Song Jians face showed a surprised expression. Its important to know that he had merged with the Abyssal Flame, and it burned inside his body. At this moment, as the Abyssal Gate slowly opened, a wave of demonic roars and howls came from behind the gate. Shadows loomed, as if a demon army was waiting behind the door; Whoosh ~ Just then, Song Jians body surface suddenly burst into a black flame, identical to the black flame in front of the demon knight. In the center of the black flame, there was also a faint outline of a bronze gate; How could this be Demon Knight Kulun revealed a surprised expression in his eyes. The Abyssal Flame is a unique Magic Flame from the Abyss, only found in the Abyss and only controlled by an Abyssal Lord level powerhouse that rules over a region; It was through the Book of the Abyss that Demon Knight Kulun could control the Abyssal Flame and open the Abyssal Gate to summon demon warriors; But the human in front of them was clearly not an Abyssal creature. Why did he also possess the Abyssal Flame, and it seemed that he could control it completely; The appearance of the two Abyssal Flames instantly surged, seemingly competing to prove who was stronger; The Abyssal Gate, which was already half-open, began to close slowly. This ball of Abyssal Flame had to use all its power to fight against the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body, and it could not continue to open the Abyssal Gate. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Demon Knights trump card was accidentally destroyed by Song Jian. Even Cecilia did not expect this scene to happen; The Abyssal Flame in front of the Demon Knight was raging, and in a short time, it had pushed down the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body. Originally rising two to three meters high, the flame had now been pushed to less than a foot away from Song Jians body surface; At this sight, the Demon Knights face revealed a ferocious smile, it seemed that the Abyssal Flame of the other party was still very weak and no match for the Abyssal Flame contained in the Book of the Abyss; Song Jian also felt a heavy pressure rushing towards him, as if carrying a mountain on his body, and this mountain was getting heavier and heavier. The Abyssal Flame within him was struggling, trying to counter the enemy, but was repeatedly suppressed once again; Creak creak~ Song Jian felt his Vitality Points were continuously dropping, and his whole bodys blood turned into fuel to support the confrontation of the Abyssal Flames. Checking his attributes, Song Jian couldnt help but curse, Fog grass.. His previous feeling was not an illusion, and his Vitality Points were really decreasing. From losing one Vitality Point per second, the loss increased to two, three, four, The Demon Knight seemed to have noticed Song Jians situation too, and started laughing out loud, with a delighted expression on his face. I didnt expect you to have already merged with the Abyssal Flame. It being suppressed is equivalent to you being suppressed. Its currently using your Vitality Points as fuel and will soon be consuming your flesh, bones, meridians, even your entire body, all of it will become its fuel. In the end, your spirit and even your soul will be burned clean! Hahaha, this is the most painful death. In the Abyss, only those who have betrayed the Abyss, the traitors, will face such an outcome! Cecilia was also looking at Song Jian with an anxious expression, continuously casting healing spells on him. However, Song Jians lost Vitality Points kept increasing, ten points, twenty points, thirty points, The Abyssal Flame absorbed more and more Vitality Points, but there was no sign of victory. The Abyssal Flame on the opposite side was too powerful, and it even had a hidden suction force, which seemed to want to absorb the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body and merge it with the other partys flame; The Book of the Abyss on the volcanos crater was also emitting light, supporting the Abyssal Flames suppression of Song Jian from behind; I cant lose, I cant lose! Song Jians whole body was tense, using every trick he knew, as if he was really fighting against a mountain! He fought against the flames in front of the Demon Knight together with the Abyssal Flame. Song Jian felt his whole body immersed in flames, every cell in his body was burning, even his soul emitted a searing taste; Hum~ With a soft sound, eight or nine fist-sized black flames appeared beside Song Jian. They integrated one after another into Song Jians body, merging with the Abyssal Flame on his bodys surface; Whoosh- The Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body suddenly surged, instantly suppressing the black flames in front of the Demon Knight. How is this possible! How could this happen! The Demon Knight was suddenly thrown into confusion, unable to understand how the Abyssal Flame within Song Jians body could be so powerful. What just happened with those few balls of fire? Why did they suddenly appear and merge directly with the other partys flame? This this is simply What happened just now had completely overturned the Demon Knights previous experience. It was known that Abyssal Flames repelled each other; once two balls of Abyssal Flame encountered each other, either one would suppress and absorb the other to strengthen itself, or it would be absorbed by the other party to strengthen them; Automatic fusion was absolutely impossible, but those eight or nine black flames had directly merged together; Its impossible, unless, unless those eight or nine black flames separated from his body A thought suddenly struck the Demon Knights mind. At this time, the black flames that once burned fiercely in the forging room of Starfire Shop suddenly extinguished, shocking all the Life Profession players crafting items inside, and this crafting attempt naturally ended in failure; After merging with the previously separated flames, the Abyssal Flame on Song Jians body was instantly at an absolute advantage, completely suppressing the black flame in front of the Demon Knight. What panicked the Demon Knight even more was that the black flame in front of him was slowly approaching Song Jian, just like prey being gradually dragged into a hunters cave. No, this cant continue! The Demon Knight clenched his teeth, grabbed his long halberd, and prepared to charge towards Song Jian; At that moment, with a boom, the black flame finally couldnt resist any longer, and was absorbed by the Abyssal Flame inside Song Jians body. For a time, Song Jian seemed to be completely enshrouded in the black flame, which even condensed into a black armor on the surface of his body, firmly protecting him inside. At that moment, a system prompt suddenly appeared in front of Song Jians eyes; System: Congratulations, your Third-tier Demon Flame Abyssal Flame has been promoted to the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame Abyssal Raging Flame; Chapter 384: Passing Through Chapter 384: Passing Through Translator: 549690339 | Ive leveled up? Just like that Ive leveled up? Song Jian felt a bit surprised. He had hoped that the Abyssal Flame would level up after he absorbed the recovery flame before, but it had only enhanced his attributes. Unexpectedly, after suppressing another group of Abyssal Flame, he directly leveled up, becoming a Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, the Abyssal Raging Flame. Abyssal Raging Flame (Fourth-tier Demonic Flame): Damage increases by 100, ice resistance increases by 50 points, fire resistance increases by 50 points, the damage received from water-based magic is weakened by 50%, the damage received from fire-based magic is reduced by 50%; Feature: Can condense Abyssal Flame Armor, defense increases by 200 points, resistance increases by 150 points, attackers suffer a 150% fire damage rebound; Because of the Eye of the Fire God ring, Song Jian was already able to reflect 30% of melee damage. Now that he has condensed into a Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, the rebound effect has further increased significantly. Song Jian even suspected that if he stood in the crowd of monsters without taking any action, the rebound damage alone might be enough to wipe them all out. Damn, impossible, you actually stole the power of the Book of Abyss! The Demon Knight swung his long spear, smashing it hard on Song Jians shoulder, but was immediately repelled by the bounce from the Abyssal Flame Armor. Looking at Song Jian, his eyes were filled with a look of shock. Even Cecilias gaze at Song Jian was filled with surprise. But looking at the black flames burning on Song Jians body, a touch of worry flashed in Cecilias eyes. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian brandished the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and charged at the Demon Knight. With the black flames burning on him, Song Jian looked even more like a Demon Knight than Kulun. His longsword had also become sharper. After the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame increased Song Jians damage by a hundred points, even a simple strike could cause more than two hundred points of damage to the Demon Knight. If skill bonuses were added, a set of skills could even deal close to five hundred points of damage to the Demon Knight; Boom Boom Boom- The Demon Knight was forced to continuously retreat just by Song Jian, completely suppressed and unable to fight back. This scene left the three Dawn Warriors dumbfounded. They knew that before this, the Demon Knight was dominating, and if it wasnt for Cecilia providing continuous healing from behind, the four of them would have already been done for. The Demon Knight was aggrieved. He dealt a hundred points of damage to Song Jian, but in turn he received nearly a hundred and eighty points of damage. Even if his vitality was high, he couldnt handle this! Die! Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian, covered in black flames, appeared as if a god descended. As soon as the cooldown on Light Strike ended, he immediately executed it. He, shrouded in black flames, swung his long sword and condensed a golden Sword Qi that was more than a meter long, and fiercely slashed at the Demon Knight; With a thunderous boom, the Demon Knight was slashed in the chest by the substantial golden Sword Qi. His body flew backward and smashed into a stone pillar, shattering it, then flew another ten plus meters. The armor on his chest was completely broken, exposing his scale-like demon skin. The wound on his chest almost cut open his ribcage, you could even see his beating heart. This strike put the Demon Knight directly into a near-death state, making it extremely difficult for him to even get up. Impossible, how could this be The Demon Knights eyes were filled with terror. He struggled to get up, leaning on his long spear, staring at Song Jian with a ferocious look on his face. Looking at Song Jian covered in black flames, a strange smile suddenly appeared on the Demon Knights face, he murmured softly: When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you Boom! A loud noise, the Demon Knights body suddenly exploded, turning into countless fragments floating in the air, then all ignited, like a swarm of black butterflies fluttering in the sky; The moment the Demon Knight Kulun died, the three Hellhounds that were originally fighting desperately with the Black Dragon whelps suddenly let out a scream, and their bodies also began to burn. In a short while, they turned into ashes, sprinkling down from the sky. System: You have killed the final BOSS of Blood Demon Cave C Demon Knight Kulun, your actions have drawn the attention of the Abyssal Clan; System: You have cleared a unique instance, Blood Demon Cave, and gained 100,000 battle experience; System: You have cleared a unique instance, Blood Demon Cave. Your name will spread throughout the City of Hymns. Your reputation in the City of Hymns increased by 50 points; In the Sun Fire Business Association, several managers were sitting around a conference table, their expressions solemn. Silver Moon Commerce has really gone too far this time. Zone B has always been our territory, they seem to be trying to provoke a war! We were close to driving out that yes, the Starfire Shop this time, but against all odds it has revived, causing a thorn in our side in Zone B! I heard that Starfire Shop has been sold to a god-favored one, but this person has also joined Silver Moon Commerce. It seems like theyre planning to use this shop as a springboard to expand their influence in Zone B! Investigate this god-favored one. Hmph, Im going to show him what happens when you cross the Sun Fire Business Association! Sir, the owner of the Starfire Shop is called Song Jian, he has never been seen in the City of Hymns before Hmph, Song Jian, Makara, find some experts tomorrow. I dont want to see this guy in the City of Hymns anymore! Yes, sir, I think we can Just as they were discussing how to deal with Song Jian, a system broadcast rang throughout the City of Hymns: City of Hymns System Region Announcement: Congratulations to Song Jian for being the first to clear the unique secret realm, the Blood Demon Cave! Reward this player with 100,000 combat experience points and 50 prestige points in the City of Hymns! The secret realm of the Blood Demon Cave will now be converted into a regular secret realm. Its difficulty will be greatly reduced to simple, ordinary, difficult, and real. All teams are welcome to challenge it! This system announcement was sent out three times in a row. The people discussing in the Sun Fire Business Association were taken aback and fell into a brief moment of embarrassment; Sir, do, do we still proceed with A manager next to him cautiously wiped his sweat and asked in a low voice. Proceed with what? He alone has overcome a secret realm that hasnt been conquered in the City of Hymns for a long time. Who dares to mess with him now? Unless you can find a Tier One Combat Power expert, anyone below Tier One wont be a match for him, hmph! There are Tier One Combat Power experts in the City of Hymns The cost is too high! After a sigh, the scene fell into a silent and awkward atmosphere. The entire City of Hymns was bubbling after hearing the system announcement. The Blood Demon Cave was one of the taboo secret realms of the City of Hymns. It was out in the open without any restrictions to enter, yet till now, no one had managed to conquer it. For a while, the entire City of Hymns was discussing the name Song Jian, while Song Jian himself was happily picking up the items dropped by the demon knights. Chapter 385: Return to the Manor Chapter 385: Return to the Manor Translator: 549690339 | After killing the Demon Knight Kulun, Song Jians experience points skyrocketed massively. Coupled with the hundred-thousand battle experience gained from clearing the dungeon, Song Jian, whose experience bar had just levelled up to nineteen, leapfrogged to the position above half, reaching 19.78%. This was equivalent to the experience that Song Jian could gain from five or six days and nights of non-stop monster hunting. Besides gaining abundant experience, the loot dropped by the Demon Knight Kulun also amounted to eighteen pieces. Among them, twelve pieces were weaponry and equipment. The remaining included a blueprint for weaponry forging, a tailor design diagram, a magic inscription drawing, two tier-2 gems, and a piece of precious forging material, the Abyssal Demon Crystal. After the death of Demon Knight Kulun, the Book of the Abyss was naturally collected by Priest Cecilia to eliminate the Abyss Demon that was sealed. Song Jian began to sort through the loot. Among the equipment dropped, three pieces had a silver-quality property. The Abyssal Demon Helmet, a leather hat, was silver, equipment level 20, providing +38 Defence, +29 Resistance, +10% Total Defence, and +10 Fire Resistance. Special effect 1: Dark Vision (Passive), allowing the user to see clearly within a thirty-meter radius in dim or no-light conditions. Special effect 2: Abyss Demon Breath (Passive), the user gains the protection of Abyss Demon Breath, reducing all damage by 20%, and the probability of being critically hit is reduced by 30%. Equipment requirement: 18 Level; Can it be taken out of the game: No. This silver-quality hat was much better than the Scorpion Beast Helmet that Song Jian was currently wearing. Ever since the Scorpion Beast Helmet was damaged by an enemy, the chance of triggering the Desert Scorpion Soul seemed to have decreased a lot. Sometimes, even after several battles in succession, it wouldnt trigger even once. The most important feature of the Scorpion Beast Helmet was the triggering of the Desert Scorpion Soul to assist in battle. Without this feature, the value of this helmet was at most equivalent to a green-quality helmet of the same level. Now that he had a better silver-quality hat, naturally, he would replace it immediately. The remaining two silver-quality items were also level twenty equipment, but one was a pair of gloves for summoners and the other was a chest armour for hunters. Besides these three silver-quality items, the rest were all level twenty blue and green equipment. Song Jian glanced at them, and as there was none that he could use, he tossed all of them into his inventory. The remaining blueprint was for a halberd. Furthermore, this halberd had a 10% chance of being forged into a golden-quality weapon, a 70% chance of being a silver-quality weapon, and a 20% chance of being a blue-quality weapon. This harvest, its really not small! Looking at the loot in his inventory, Song Jians face revealed an excited smile. Priest Cecilia, having obtained the Book of Abyss, directly opened up a Teleportation Gate. Song Jian placed the Black Dragon whelp into Pet Space for rest and treatment, and entered the Teleportation Gate with his new followers, directly returning to Doomsday City. The remaining two Dawn Warriors followed Cecilia back to the shop where Annie of the Silver Moon Commerce was managing things. At this moment, several troll warriors who had been guarding the entrance of the Blood Demon Cave watched as the light screen at the entrance of the Blood Demon Cave gradually faded, causing their faces to turn drastically. Then, they heard the regional announcement. Duo Sa couldnt help but raise his head and let out a mournful roar, his eyes glowing red as he stared at the entrance of the mystery door, tightly clutching his weapon. Duo Sa, he A troll warrior stepped forward, wanting to appease Duo Sa. Shut up, today I must kill him, kill this Gods Chosen One called Song Jian and take back the Book of the Abyss. Roar! Duo Sa seemed to fall into madness, his eyes emitting a blood-red light, and turned his fiendish face to roar at his companion. For a moment, all the troll warriors were scared by Duo Sas murderous eyes and stood silently behind him. Just then, five or six teams appeared in the distance. Some were NPC teams, some were player teams. Upon hearing the system announcement, they prepared to challenge the Blood Demon Cave. The Blood Demon Cave has now become a general instance, which can accommodate all teams to challenge at the same time. Those who are the first to clear the difficult level of Blood Demon Cave can also make a regional announcement in the City of Hymns. Moreover, the loot dropped by the first team to clear the instance is often more rewarding. Duo Sa, we better leave here, otherwise if those people see us, it will definitely start a war! A troll warrior, looking at the vague figure in the distance, nervously said. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whether in the eyes of the Gods Chosen Ones or other NPCs in the City of Hymns, the troll clan was seen as the enemy. Once encountered in the wild, it often provoked a war. Currently, the opposing side had seven or eight teams, but Duo Sa and his group only had five people, they were no match for the team from the City of Hymns. Duo Sas anger caused his whole body to shake slightly, his heavy breathing sounded like thunder, his chest heaving dramatically for a moment before he finally gritted his teeth and growled, Go! In the end, Duo Sa didnt see Song Jian come out from the entrance of the instance, which foiled their ambush plan. Normally, after clearing an instance, you would be automatically teleported to the instance entrance. But who knew that this time the sudden appearance of Priest Cecilia would open a gate to Doomsday City for Song Jian. This was agreed upon between Song Jian and the others before he accepted the quest. Once the mission was completed, he would be teleported back to Doomsday City, not allowing him to stay outside. Soon, Duo Sas group disappeared into the dense forest, and the Blood Demon Cave greeted wave after wave of challengers. Song Jian was directly transported back to Manor Castle. Song Jian, who had just experienced an intense battle and intended to relax, suddenly found that the atmosphere throughout Manor Castle was very tense. Calling over Butler George, Song Jian asked with a frown, What exactly happened in the manor? Why does everyone seem so flustered? George wiped the sweat from his forehead and said softly, Not far from the manor, a military camp suddenly popped up. It seems that there are already quite a few soldiers training in there. My lord, they are less than three hundred meters away from us. If you decide to expand your territory further, well be sure to butt heads with that military camp! Military camp? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed. While his personal strength was already amongst the top players, territorial expansion warfare truly required an army that could conquer fortresses. Relying on an individuals power alone, it would be challenging to take over a manor with a complete defense system. Lets go and check it out. Song Jian thought for a moment and then headed for the castles exit. The Dawn Warrior Aze, like a guard, closely followed Song Jian. Chapter 386: Dragon Might Chapter 386: Dragon Might Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian stood at the edge of his territory, looking into the distance. Sure enough, a military camp had been set up about three hundred meters away from his territory. The camp occupied more than a thousand square meters. It wasnt very big, but the shouts and killing sounds from inside made Song Jians heart jump. In the center of the camp, only the top of a military tent was visible, with a flag flapping in the wind. The flag was emblazoned with a large character: Luo. In no time at all, the camp gate opened and a woman in a red armor, holding a Square Sky Halberd and riding a black horse, charged out from the camp. Behind her, thirty soldiers in leather armor and holding spears, followed closely. Luo Tianyu gestured with the halberd, pointed at Song Jian from atop her horse, and loudly asked: Are you the lord of the manor next door? Correct! Song Jian nodded. Watching the other party riding a horse, with thirty strong and silent soldiers behind her, he felt a sense of unyielding invincibility. Song Jian glanced at his butler George and the Dawn Warrior Ya beside him, suddenly feeling that his side seemed a bit weak. With a raise of his right hand, thirty blood corpses appeared out of thin air, shaking and groaning around Song Jian. Looking at the hunched, shaking blood corpses, Song Jian frowned deeper. Without comparison, theres no harm. When compared to the soldiers behind Luo Tianyu, his side looked more like a ragtag band of mercenaries. Song Jian raised his right hand, preparing to summon the Blood Wolves. The Blood Wolves were all at level fifteen, each as big and mighty as a calf. If summoned, they would definitely overpower the other sides momentum; However, after hesitating for a moment, Song Jian withdrew his hand. He needed to keep some cards in hand and not put all his forces on the table. Dare to fight me? If you can beat me, I am willing to ally with you! Luo Tianyu shouted. In Doomsday City, after the previous small war alliances merged into the Waste Capital, it posed an implicit threat to the surrounding players. Even Luo Tianyu was somewhat worried about the future invasion of the Waste Capital into her territory. She wouldnt be able to resist it alone. Her current foundation was acquired from a victory in a previous territorial expansion battle and used the war merits to buy horses and soldiers. However, this alone certainly wont be enough to resist the Waste Capital. At this point, Luo Tianyu turned her gaze to Song Jians Manor Castle. Within a kilometer radius, Song Jians Manor Castle was the strongest force. Large territory, many buildings, fully equipped defensive mechanisms, it had shown its power after two expansions. Many wandering NPCs had even joined. Due to the power of Song Jians manors territory, some players even gave up their safe houses and moved to other places. However, Luo Tianyu was reluctant to give up her hard-earned special building. This was her special reward she obtained after completing an extreme difficult task as a general, a treasure called the Tiger Talisman, which allowed her to transform her safe house into a military camp. With the military camp, Luo Tianyu could recruit and upgrade soldiers, she could even lead these soldiers to hunt monsters and level up. If the military camp was destroyed, Luo Tianyus power would decline by more than half, and it would be very difficult to survive in Doomsday City. However, she was reluctant to become the subordinate of others. She spent her days training soldiers in her camp, the purposefully resonating cries serving to attract Song Jians attention and invite him for a battle! If the opponent is too weak, she could take over the opponents territory. If the opponent is strong, then she could form an alliance, at least it would keep her military camp safe. Song Jian glanced at Luo Tianyus military camp. All kinds of defensive facilities were very well prepared. Some of the defensive facilities were unique to the military camp. If they were to launch a hard attack, it would be very difficult to conquer. If I win, are you really willing to become my subordinate? Song Jian chuckled. The power he now wielded, he believed he could kill even a level twenty-five elite boss. The power of the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, Abyssal Raging Flame, was not something the current players could withstand. A mans word is as good as a horses charge. As long as you win, 1 am willing to fight for you! Luo Tianyu shouted loudly. Alright, bring it on! Song Jian had a thought, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his hand, he shouted loudly. Dont say I didnt warn you! Luo Tianyu looked at Song Jian, the corner of her mouth revealing a strange smile. She spurred her horse toward Song Jian. Generals without a horse and with a horse were like two different classes. Many of the generals skills required the cooperation of a horse. Luo Tianyu, who was previously bankrupt, could only afford the cheapest horse after earning lots of war merits. This horses attributes were only slightly better than a regular mount, but with it, Luo Tianyu could exert 150% of her combat power; After the black warhorse trotted forward a few steps, it suddenly sped up. Luo Tianyu thrust her spear forward, and a brilliant white light enveloped her and the horse, as if they had become one. At the same time, the white light formed the shape of a long spear, the tip of which was the spearhead Luo Tianyu was holding. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Spear Charge! This is a charge skill of the generals, not only fast but could also deal 180% damage to the target, and it even had a chance to inflict targets with piercing, dizziness, and bleeding damage; This move must be used in conjunction with a warhorse. Without a warhorse, one cannot use Spear Charge! Originally, Song Jian and Luo Tianyu were still seventy to eighty meters apart. As soon as this move was applied, Luo Tianyu instantly advanced more than ten meters. Her speed increasing, she would be able to reach Song Jian within three or four seconds. Such speed! Song Jians face showed a surprised expression. He could vaguely sense the huge power of this attack. If he were to get hit, hed immediately be at a disadvantage. He didnt believe that this was Luo Tianyus only move. If hit by her, her follow-up attacks would be endless. At this moment, Song Jians best option was to dodge with the Sword Shadow step, but he didnt move. Directly raising his hand, he summoned the Black Dragon cub. The Black Dragon cub had previously been heavily injured while battling two level twenty hellhounds in the Blood Demon Cave, killing one. It was still slowly recovering in the Pet Space. At this time, its Vitality Points had only recovered by 60%, and the wounds on its body were still evident, but once Song Jian summoned it, the Black Dragon cub immediately entered combat mode, issuing a dragons cry, its body radiating a strong aura. The dragons cry was no longer as immature as before, but now carried a killing intent. The Dragon Might spread out, the charging black warhorse suddenly stopped, rearing back to scream; Trembling, the black warhorse collapsed to the ground, breaking Luo Tianyus Spear Charge. Suffering from the backlash of her skill, she spat out a mouthful of blood and fell from her horse. Chapter 387: The Abyss Demon Chapter 387: The Abyss Demon Translator: 549690339 | The Black Dragon cub roared and fiercely pounced forward, pinning Luo Tianyus warhorse under its body. The frail warhorse had no power to resist, and let out a cry as the Black Dragon cub bit its neck and threw it into the sky. How dare you! Luo Tianyu rolled a few times on the ground without getting up, and saw her own warhorse about to become prey for the Black Dragon cub, her eyes flared with rage as she shouted. Whoosh- A scorching Dragon Breath burst from the Black Dragon cubs mouth, enveloping the black warhorse in an instant. In no time, the smell of roasted meat wafted from the horse as it fell from the sky, and the Black Dragon cub bit it and began tearing and devouring it vigorously, not paying any attention to Luo Tianyu nearby. Um, it recently developed a sudden fondness for cooked food, so it likes to roast things before eating them Song Jian put away his longsword and said awkwardly. You owe me a warhorse! Luo Tianyus eyes welled up with tears. As a warrior profession, she only got her own warhorse at level twelve, and although it was the weakest and lowest-quality warhorse, she cherished it dearly. Now it had become food for Song Jians pet, and Luo Tianyu couldnt bear the injustice. They had only agreed to a fight-how could he let his pet eat her warhorse? Uh, sorry about that. Ill compensate you for the warhorse, and Ill definitely get you a better one! Song Jian said apologetically, looking at Luo Tianyu, who was about to cry. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hmph! Luo Tianyu glared at Song Jian, grabbed her long halberd and turned around to return to the camp. The gate slammed shut. Would this count as her losing? Once my territory expands to here, she should choose to surrender, right? Song Jian asked uncertainly. My lord, I guess it would depend on when you give her a new warhorse, a Dawn Warrior beside him chuckled. Song Jian was about to speak when he suddenly received a system notification. His face turned pale, and he visibly worsened. System: The seal of the Abyssal Demon has been broken, and your aura has been locked onto by it. In 10 minutes, it will track your aura and come for you; System: For the next 10 minutes, you will not be able to log off normally. If the Abyssal Demon cannot find you, it will begin destroying your territory. System: If you are killed by the Abyssal Demon, your body will become its parasitic host, and your soul will serve as nourishment for its growth. Series of system notifications informed Song Jian that the Abyssal Demon, which had been sealed by the priest Cecilia, had now broken the seal and was coming to take revenge on him! Damn it! Wasnt acquiring the Book of the Abyss supposed to help me annihilate the Abyssal Demon? Why did the seal break prematurely? Song Jian couldnt help but curse. At first, he thought the Abyssal Demon was just an ordinary boss, but after so many incidents and clearing the Blood Demon Cave, Song Jian realized that the Abyssal Demon was no lone entity. It was the embodiment of the Abyssal Clans evil, and provoking one was the same as provoking the entire clan. Thinking about it made Song Jians head hurt. Whats more, Song Jian still had the Abyss Curse with a luck reduction of three on him, serving as GPS tracking and allowing the Abyssal Demon to locate him at any time. If you want to fight, then lets fight! This time, lets see who dies! Song Jian gritted his teeth. He didnt intend to hide anything, so he summoned both Blood Crows and Blood Wolves. Blood Crows didnt have much combat power, even if their level had been raised to fifteen, but their combat power wasnt even comparable to that of ordinary monsters of the same level. However, Blood Crows could fly, so Song Jian ordered them to fly to a height of 500 meters to scout for any movement. Blood Zombies and Blood Wolves spread out in the surroundings, while the Black Dragon cub stood by Song Jian, silently waiting for the arrival of the Abyssal Demon. Soon, several Blood Crows in the southwest direction suddenly lost contact with Song Jian. Just before their death, their eyes sent an image to Song Jians mind. It was a powerful demon with a pair of goat horns on its head, huge black bat wings on its back, a tall and strong body that seemed to be engulfed in transparent flames. Its here! Song Jians heart thumped as he tightened his grip on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Wasnt the seal supposed to be draining its power? This Abyssal Demon was supposed to be getting weaker and weaker, so why does it look so much stronger than before? Song Jian recalled the image, furrowing his brow. Boom boom boom- Several buildings collapsed in the distance, and a tall figure appeared amidst the dust and smoke. Human, its time to settle our old scores! The Abyssal Demon spoke in the abyssal language, causing dizziness and hallucinations in ordinary creatures who heard it. Although Song Jian couldnt understand what it was saying, the words entering his ears made him comprehend the meaning automatically. Kill it! Song Jian waved his sword and cried out loudly. The Blood Zombies roared and charged at the Abyssal Demon with their hands and feet. The Blood Wolves growled and started trotting, picking up speed as they went, their figures turning into red lightning as they rushed towards the Abyssal Demon. Trash! The Abyssal Demon looked at the Blood Zombies rushing towards it with a hint of disdain in its eyes. At this point, the Abyssal Demons level had reached twenty, and it was a lord-level boss, emitting a terrifying aura. Its body surged with energy like flames rising into the air. The thirty Blood Zombies had barely reached within a meter of the Abyssal Demon when their bodies suddenly paused and began to shake violently. Plop plop plop- One after another, the Blood Zombies bodies burst open, turning into a rain of blood that fell from the sky like drizzle. Song Jians eyes narrowed the Abyssal Demons strength had increased more than tenfold compared to when he had first seen it. What the hell is Cecilia up to? Was obtaining the Book of the Abyss meant to enhance the Abyssal Demons strength? Song Jian muttered under his breath. Awo- A mournful howl, the Blood Wolves charged at the Abyssal Demon one after another. On their bodies, crimson Vitality Flames ignited. A Blood Wolf broke through the Abyssal Demons energy barrier and viciously bit its neck. With a cold snort, the Abyssal Demon raised its hand and grabbed the Blood Wolfs neck. Its hand, covered in black scales, gripped tightly, instantly crushing the Blood Wolf into a puddle of fishy-smelling blood. One after another, Blood Wolves leaped towards it, but the Abyssal Demon snorted, its figure flickering as it punched one wolf after the other. The wolves bodies exploded one after the other, dying instantly. In a short while, the Abyssal Demon was immersed in a rain of blood, surrounded by the Sky-reaching Magic Flames. Chapter 388: Eighth Demon General Chapter 388: Eighth Demon General Translator: 549690339 | Insignificant human, prepare to die! The demon from the Abyss leaped forward, throwing a punch horrifyingly at Song Jian; Song Jian immediately felt as if an invisible force had tightly bound him. He was like a small bug trapped in amber, utterly powerless to break free; Light Strike! With a sword held in his right hand, Song Jian swung it forward, releasing a large golden glow from his sword Qi. It broke the invisible forces surrounding him and swung at the demon from the Abyss; Light Strike was undoubtedly the best choice against demons, not only because of its immense power, but it could also cause 200% double damage; A divine attack? Damn it! The demon from the Abysss face changed drastically as he felt the scorching divine power. Suspended mid-air, he had no opportunity to avoid the attack and could only brace himself to resist it. The fierce golden sword Qi, with its unstoppable momentum like a looming sea and towering mountains, heavily landed on the arms the demon from the Abyss used to shield his face, slicing open a deep, bone-visible wound. The body of the demon from the Abyss hit the ground like a falling meteorite. The side of a high-rise building was smashed into a huge indentation, and bricks and stones were raining down, burying the demon from the Abyss in the deepest part; Song Jian, seizing the opportunity after successfully attacking, without any hesitation, immediately performed the Sword Shadow Step. His body turned into a shadow, rushing towards the spot where the demon from the Abyss had fallen; Boom! With a loud noise, debris exploded off the demon from the Abyss. His face twisted in pain as he spilled his purple-black blood from his falling arms, while his body burned with transparent flames. Human, Ill roast your soul on the Flames of the Abyss for ten thousand years! The demon from the Abyss howled heart-wrenchingly, waving his arms and charging towards Song Jian; Bam, bam, bam- Song Jian battled fiercely with the demon from the Abyss, repeatedly chopping the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword onto the demon, creating sparks. The demon from the Abyss could only use his two arms to repeatedly smash Song Jian. The Dawn Warrior Yah stayed consistently by Song Jians side without uttering a word. He continuously attacked the demon from the Abyss, but the gap in strength was too significant. Even with the equipment Song Jian gave him, he was no match for the demon from the Abyss and could only assist in the attack. The entire street resonated with thunderous roars from their chronic battle. A row of shops had their roofs blown off, high buildings were leaning precariously from being sliced by sword Qi, and even the massive trees were being uprooted and falling in every direction; The street, already abandoned and decrepit, had turned into rubble under the explosive noises completely. Fly ashes danced in the air, apart from the impact rubble, nothing intact could be found on the ground anymore. Even the low-level monsters all around were fleeing in terror; Bam! After another violent impact, the demon from the Abysss arms were full of scars, and not a single scale could be found intact on the entire arm. However, his regenerative capabilities were formidable. The countless wounds on his arm healed rapidly at a rate noticeable to the naked eye; Grabbing the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tightly, Song Jian was panting heavily. Hundreds of exchanges had cost him. Although he managed to deduct more than three thousand vitality points from the demon from the Abyss, Song Jian didnt succeed without cost. He had lost more than three hundred vitality points after being hit hard by the demon from the Abyss. His right shoulder still ached relentlessly. If it hadnt been for the triggered special effect Void of his Ghostly Leather Armor, Song Jians vitality points might have already dropped below 50%; Pathetic! After punching Song Jian away, the demon from the Abyss directed a glance at the Dawn Warrior Yah. With a punch, he knocked him flying. The Dawn Warrior Yah was completely defenseless. After crashing through a wall, he fainted and was buried under a pile of rubble. Human, I smell the abyss on you. If you willingly serve me, I would make you my Eighth Demon General, ruling the abandoned city! The demonic Abyss swayed its bat wings, floating mid-air, looking down at Song Jian with a cold voice. The Abyss demon was also shocked to his core. He had not expected Song Jians growth to be so rapid. Initially, he planned to destroy Song Jians weapon directly, but found that his own power had no effect on this long sword. Instead, he momentarily lost his grip and was ruthlessly hit twice by Song Jian who seized the opportunity. Furthermore, during the fight, the Abyss demon felt a faint scent of the abyss radiating from Song Jians body which tempted him to recruit; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: The Abyss demon offered you a recruitment mission, do you accept? Note: This mission involves changing racial allegiances. Please choose carefully! Song Jian had a glance and refused without hesitation! After being refused, the Abyss demons eyes became sharp, and murderous intent blanket-covered towards Song Jian like a tidal wave. Song Jian chuckled coldly. Rather than retreating, he advanced and leaped towards the Abyss demon in the sky with his sword swung; Too naive! the Abyss demon sneered, looking at Song Jian as if he were a lowly ant lifting its forehooves towards an elephant. At this moment, a deep dragon chant sounded in the air, and a Black Dragon hatchling appeared beneath Song Jians feet. The hatchling flapped its wings and flew hard into the sky. Song Jian lightly stepped on the back of the Black Dragon hatchling. His figure instantly raised more than ten meters. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly ignited red flames in his hand and fiercely hacked towards the Abyss demon. How could this be The terrified Abyss demon raised his fist defensively, and there was a loud bang. A burning transparent flame arm spun into the air. It hit a tall building making a one-meter diameter hole in it. Song Jian cut off one of the Abyss demons arms. He was also somewhat surprised, he hesitated momentarily. The Abyss demon suddenly opened his mouth, a black beam of light shot out of it hitting Song Jian in the chest. The distance between the two was too close for Song Jian to react in time. He felt like hed been hit head-on by a heavy truck. Blood spurted out of his mouth while he crashed towards the ground like a cannonball. Damned human! The Abyss demon gritted his teeth with wisps of black smoke emanating from the wound in his left arm. The severed arm turned into strands of smoke and flew back towards the Abyss demon. In a short while, the severed left arm of the Abyss demon grew back. However, the lost vitality points could not be restored, and the vitality points of the Abyss demon had already fallen below 60%. The look in his eyes grew sharper when he looked at Song Jian. Song Jian, coughing up blood, struggled up from the ground and glanced at his vitality points which had fallen below half. A bitter smile appeared on his face, the opponent was too formidable that a casual attack could reduce hundreds of his vitality points. At this point, Song Jians vitality points were only slightly more than 1400, already four or five times that of other players. But compared to the Abyss demon, it was pathetically less. Taking a potion from his bag and swallowing it, Song Jian, sword in hand, looked at the Abyss demon in mid-air. Boom! The Abyss demon fell from the sky and step by step walked towards Song Jian. With every step, the earth would slightly shake. Invisible flames gathered above his head forming an enormous demon skull roaring silently at Song Jian. At this moment, a whoosh sound was heard. An arrow was shot at the Abyss demon. Chapter 389: Sharp Formation Chapter 389: Sharp Formation Translator: 549690339 The demon from the Abyss raised its right hand, seizing the long arrow. The black aura twined around the arrow, instantly turning it into ashes; Turning its head, the demon saw a woman clad in bright red armor, bending her bow to string another arrow, aiming at it. Behind this woman, thirty warriors had already formed a battle formation, on full alert. Humans, are you provoking the Abyssal Clan? The demon of the Abyss showed a scornful look on its face, with a hint of mockery in its eyes directed at Luo Tianyu. Youre all talk; youre just a Lord-level BOSS. Im about to beat the BOSS! Luo Tianyu shouted, releasing her grip on her right hand, letting loose the long arrow that shot towards the demon from the Abyss; This level of attack is barely a tickle to me. The demon of the Abyss sneered, staring at the incoming arrow, making no attempt whatsoever to dodge it; From that previous strike, the demon had already gauged Luo Tianyus offensive damage and consequently dismissed her as a threat, instead turning towards Song Jian and striding towards him. In its eyes, only Song Jian was its real opponent, and more importantly, Song Jians body was related to the demon-hosting ceremony it was planning to conduct and was naturally of great importance to it. Just after taking two steps forward, the demon from the Abyss heard a sharp whistling sound from behind. An alarm bell went off in its head and as it prepared to turn and defend, that seemingly insignificant long arrow suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light, accelerating rapidly, and like a streak of lightning piercing into the back of its head; Puff- A spray of purple-red blood gushed out, and the demons robust body shuddered before collapsing face-first onto the ground. A tremendous critical hit of more than six hundred points of damage floated up from above its head. Humph, naive! Luo Tianyu snorted coldly, putting away her bow and arrow, her face displaying a slightly abnormal pallor. The previous arrow was a regular attack; Luo Tianyu purposely appeared weaker. But this arrow was the warrior skill Shadowstrike Kill Arrow, one of the few warrior skills that Luo Tianyu could execute without the assistance of a warhorse. At the moment the arrow was fired, the power was not great, but during its flight, its might and speed rapidly and geometrically increased and became formidable. By the time the enemy noticed this move, it had already missed the best chance to dodge and would suffer immense damage; Despicable humans! The Abyssal giant monster roared, crawling up from the ground. Clutching the arrow lodged in his head, it yanked it out with force, threw it to the ground and looked at Luo Tianyu, its eyes filled with rage. Formation! Luo Tianyu raised her Square Sky Halberd and commanded loudly. Kill! Thirty pikemen shouted in unison, quickly moving into position and forming a pike-head-shaped formation in no time. Sharp Formation, all those in the formation, Attack +30, Penetration Damage +3, attacking enemies head-on, adding the Effect of Armor Break +5; The tip of the spear in the Sharp Formation was Luo Tianyu herself, gripping her halberd tightly and striding forward towards the demon from the Abyss. She and the thirty pikemen behind her were all connected by the formation, all of them enveloped by a thin white glow;; Kill, kill, kill! Follower pikemen charging behind Luo Tianyu shouted in unison. Luo Tianyu was irate at this moment. If she had a warhorse, she couldve led a charge at the front, greatly increasing the power of the Sharp Formation, a cavalry and infantry combination formation. But now, it could only be used as an infantry formation, reducing its power a bit. Thanks to Luo Tianyus formation, Song Jian finally found a brief respite. After quickly downing several healing potions, Song Jians Vitality Points recovered by over two hundred points, bringing it just over half. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Luo Tianyu charging towards the demon from the Abyss, Song Jian also gritted his teeth, wielding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and pounced towards the demon from the Abyss. Immortal Sword Body, activate! A dazzling golden light enveloped Song Jian, as eight long sword shadows, like guardians, slowly swirled around him; Song Jians strength instantly increased by a large margin, and golden Sword Qi was slashing towards the Abyss Demon, continuously rending deep traces on the ground. With the boost of the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jians damage sharply escalated, countless Sword Qi slashed deep wounds on the Abyss Demons body, letting purple-blood spurt out. The Abyss demon let out a series of mournful screams, its transparent flames flickering unstably, its Vitality Points dropping continuously; Sharp Formation, attack! Luo Tianyu also took the opportunity to rush in front of the Abyss Demon, swinging the Square Sky Halberd in his hand, and slashing at the Abyss Demon. Boom! With a loud explosion, the Square Sky Halberd fiercely cut into the chest of the Abyss Demon, instantly hacking its enormous body, a damage points of over five hundred appeared above its head. Unforgivable! The Abyss Demon roared, standing up from a pile of rubble, numerous black flames emanated from its body, and in the ground below him, areas continuously emitted black breath. Withering Field! As the Abyss Demon roared, countless ghostly screams echoed around him, and the area continuously radiating black breath began to expand; At this time, Luo Tianyu was leading thirty spear-wielding soldiers, turned their heads and rushed towards the Lord of the Abyss, in an instant, they charged into the Withering Field of the Abyss Demon; Gusts of cold wind blew, a large section of the ground emerged covered in black cold breath, these black breaths were like claws, once attached to the legs of the spearmen, it immediately clamped tightly, attempting to trap them in this region; For a moment, Luo Tianyu and the thirty spearmen seemed to have fallen into a mire, their movement speeds greatly reduced. At the same time, as time passed, Luo Tianyu felt the power within his body being sucked away bit by bit, so much so he was even finding it difficult to hold the Square Sky Halberd in his hand. Many of the spearmens faces started to show shallow wrinkles, as if they had aged seven or eight years; Song Jian also charged into the Withering Field, but his body intermittently flickered with a golden light, resisting the magic invasion of the Withering Field, the black breath under his feet avoided him like the plague, moving far away from his surroundings; Youyoure immune to the erosion of Abyssal Power The Abyss Demon showed a surprised look in its eyes, watching in disbelief as Song Jian rushed in front of him and swung his sword at its neck. Broken Wing Dance! A white light blossomed on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, the Abyss Demon threw a punch to block it, bang a great force passed through, the Abyss Demon was pushed back a step; Impossible, how could your power The Abyss demons face showed a terrified expression, it discovered that Song Jians strength was abruptly larger than itself, which filled it with a hint of fear. Bang! The second strike came, slashing at him. The Abyss demon felt a piercing pain in its arms; Song Jian cut off a large chunk of flesh from its right arm, revealing the purple-golden skeleton within. The Level 3 Immortal Sword Body not only enhances Song Jians attack damage, but also adds seven points to all of Song Jians attributes. With these seven points of strength, Song Jians strength attribute has now reached forty points. No matter how strong the Abyss Demon is, its just a level twenty lord-level boss, its strength attribute hasnt even exceeded thirty points. At this moment, Song Jians power is completely overpowering it; Die! Song Jian leaped high into the air, like a hawk swooping on a rabbit he attacked the Abyss Demon from the air. This sword fiercely slashed at the Abyss Demons shoulder. A power of the five elements knocked the Abyss Demon into the air, momentarily losing control of its body. Chapter 390: Abyssal Nightmare Chapter 390: Abyssal Nightmare Translator: 549690339 | Light Strike! Seizing the opportunity when the Abyssal demon was in midair and its defenses wide open, Song Jian unleashed the most damaging move on it, the Light Strike. This strike landed on the demons waist, and a dazzling golden Sword Qi burst forth, its blinding light forcing Luo Tianyu to involuntarily close his eyes. Boom! Feeling suddenly lighter, Luo Tianyu opened his eyes again to find that the withered domain under his feet had vanished without a trace. However, the thirty spear soldiers who had been fighting alongside him were all sprawled across the ground, their Vitality Points low and growing weaker by the moment. These thirty soldiers with spears were the most basic rank of recruited troops, with an average status of no more than ten points. The Abyssal Power within the withered domain was simply too much for them to withstand. Witnessing the scattered spear soldiers collapsing behind him, Luo Tianyu felt a fire ignite in his chest. Without warning, he let out a roar and charged at the demon, crazily brandishing his Square Sky Halberd. Ive lost my war horse, and now my soldiers too! Damn it, youre all bullying me! Luo Tianyus eyes grew red with anger. Tiger Roar! With his hair disheveled and his killing intent solidifying around him like a tangible force, Luo Tianyu seemed aflame as fire surged across his bodys surface. In his hands, the Square Sky Halberd emitted a deep, roaring sound, akin to a ferocious tiger howling in the forest, causing all beasts to tremble in fear. In this moment, the top half of the Abyssal demon had been severed by Song Jians Light Strike, leaving it as two separate entities. The wound from where it was sliced emitted a dense, black mist. Yet, there was no sign of the demon succumbing to death. The top half of its body floated in mid-air, while the bottom half, only a pair of legs remaining, seemed to have its own consciousness and kicked at Song Jian. The demons body was as tough as steel, and even its two legs alone could put up a fight against Song Jian. When the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashed at the demons legs, a clash of metal rang out, sparks flying in every direction. Most bewildering of all, the upper and lower halves of the demon each had their own Vitality Points. As the sinister-looking top half of the demon floated overhead, gazing at Song Jian, it prepared to speak, but suddenly felt a powerful killing intent surging from behind. It turned to see Luo Tianyu brandishing his halberd while leaping into the air, his entire body emanating an aura that conjured the phantom of a White Tiger, teeth bared and claws striking towards the demon. Abyssal Sigh! The demons right hand lifted as countless black auras converged rapidly, forming an invisible wall before it. Boom! To the demons horror, the Wall of Sigh crumbled like paper under Luo Tianyus assault, easily shattered by the attack. Impossible! The demons eyes bulged in disbelief as it refused to accept its seemingly invincible Abyssal Sigh Wall was so effortlessly broken. After all, the Wall of Sigh was the most robust defense ability among the Abyssal magic. Splash- The Square Sky Halberd chopped deep into the demons shoulder, and even reached halfway through its neck. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the purple-red blood spurted out from Da Peng, an over eight hundred critical damage number floated up from the top of the Abyssal Demons head, taking away its last bit of Vitality Points; The Abyssal Demon looked at Luo Tianyu in horror, its lips trembling as if it wanted to say something, but in the end, its head tilted slightly, its Vitality Points went to zero, and it fell from midair; As soon as it hit the ground, the upper half of the Abyssal Demons body seemed to have been weathered for a hundred years and shattered into a pile of ashes; At this point, the lower half of the Abyssal Demons body, now only comprised of two legs, suddenly quivered and kicked away Song Jian, trying to escape towards the distance. It seemed that it sensed that its upper half had fallen and wanted to flee. Song Jian saw that Luo Tianyu had slain the upper half of the body and watched the fleeing lower half. His heart raced, and his right foot stomped fiercely on the ground. A fang-shaped energy cluster quickly condensed and rushed towards the half-body of the Abyssal Demon; Song Jian performed the Sword Shadow Step, his body transformed into a black shadow, chasing after the two legs of the Abyssal Demon; he had already seen that Luo Tianyu had destroyed the upper half of the Abyssal Demons body and only the lower half remained. If he didnt completely slay it at this moment, would he have to wait for it to recover and come to trouble him again?! Spiritual Sword Control Technique, go! Song Jian swung his sword towards the open space in front of him, and a transparent Spirit Sword quickly condensed and cleaved at the two legs that had been hit by the Earth Teeth Assault; With the main body destroyed and only two legs left, the defense and resistance of the Abyssal Demons body greatly decreased. Just now, a single Earth Teeth Assault directly took away more than a hundred Vitality Points. At this moment, a transparent sword slashed toward it, instantly turning it into a pile of minced meat; As the transparent sword disappeared, a mournful wail erupted from the pile of minced meat, and a translucent black shadow slowly emerged. The shadows surface was full of cracks, and golden light continuously bloomed from the gaps. The appearance of the shadow was ferocious, two lines of blood and tears flowing from its eyes; it glared at Song Jian with a murderous aura. However, before long, the golden light in the cracked gaps grew more and more intense, ultimately engulfing the entire shadow. System: Congratulations, you have killed the Abyssal Demon, and the Abyss Curse on you has been lifted; System: Congratulations, you have killed the Abyssal Demon, and your relationship with the Abyssal Clan has been locked as having enmity! As long as there are Abyssal Demons, they will consider you their primary target to kill; Song Jian was stunned. Are you serious, System? The first curse is lifted and congratulations are fine, but whats there to congratulate about the second system prompt? Just then, the Abyssal Demons body suddenly exploded with a bang and dropped seven or eight items. Among these, three were glinting with silver light, and one item surprisingly emitted a faint golden glow. Is this a big loot drop? Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then his expression filled with excitement. After removing the Abyssal Curse, his luck was five points higher than that of ordinary people. Coincidentally, he had just killed a level 20 Lord-level BOSS, so having a big loot drop was quite normal. Song Jian directly picked up the item emitting the faint golden light and saw that it was a whip. Abyssal Nightmare Reins (gold), after use, can summon an Abyssal Nightmare mount; once this item is used, it will automatically bind to the user; after binding, it cannot be traded, sold, or dropped. A mount? Song Jians expression turned a bit strange as he looked at Luo Tianyu lying on the ground, panting heavily. Is it my luck thats exploding, or is it her luck? Chapter 391: The Dwarf’s Intimacy Decreases Chapter 391: The Dwarfs Intimacy Decreases Translator: 549690339 | A level-twenty lord rank BOSS, and the only golden-grade drop it left is a mount. And the most important thing is, a certain girl just happens to be in need of a mount. Whats more crucial is that the girl used to have a mount, and that mount was killed by Song Jian And the most, most, most essential thing is, Song Jian had rashly promised to make it up to her with a better mount. Holding the Abyssal Nightmare Reins radiating a faint golden light, Song Jian felt like his heart was bleeding Im still only riding a white-quality motorcycle! The Abyssal Nightmare, the name itself sounds superior. I want it too! Song Jian threw his head back and sighed without shedding tears. Song Jian felt as if two little figures suddenly appeared in his mind. A little figure with devil horns said, If we hide this item, the girl would not know about it, right? After all, you didnt form a team with her! Another one with angel wings said, Yeah, you can give her the motorcycle summoning key and claim its a BOSS drop. A warlord on a motorcycle sounds pretty cool too Song Jian couldnt help but turn his head to look at Luo Tianyu, only to find her standing in front of a pile of corpses, her shoulders moving slightly as if she was sobbing. The dishevelled Luo Tianyu looked particularly desolate at this moment. Song Jians heart softened and he sighed. The two little figures in his mind vanished. No longer in the mood to look at the remaining loot, he put all the items into his bag, took the golden reins, and walked over to Luo Tianyu. Dont grieve. The dead cannot be revived Song Jian said consolingly. But but itll cost a lot of war merits, and Ive used up all of mine Luo Tianyu whimpered in a frail tone. Song Jian: So, youre not mourning these soldiers, but regretting the war merits spent? Song Jian couldnt help but feel sorry for these fallen soldiers for a moment; Here, take this! Song Jian gritted his teeth, a pained look on his face as he passed the reins to Luo Tianyu, This is the loot dropped by the BOSS and the better mount I promised you, which is even better than your black horse! What, a better war horse? Luo Tianyu turned around, her teary eyes meeting Song Jians. Upon seeing the properties of the reins, Luo Tianyus expression grew stiffened. The tears in her eyes miraculously disappeared, replaced with a face full of excitement. What! An Abyssal Nightmare. Oh, my god, is this really for me? This is fantastic! Ha-ha, thank you! Youre such a kind soul, thank you so much! Luo Tianyu grabbed the pale golden reins, tears still smeared across her cheeks, and she broke into a hearty laughter. Actually, this Abyssal Nightmare isnt really your style Song Jians face looked grim, and he made a last-ditch effort to change her mind. Unfortunately, Luo Tianyu, whod already set her heart on the Abyssal Nightmare, didnt even wait for a second after taking the reins and immediately summoned her Abyssal Nightmare. Song Jian was lost for words as black clouds of steam suddenly rose from the ground in front of Luo Tianyu. The clouds quickly solidified, forming a bizarre magic array. Next, amidst a flash of black light, a skeletal warhorse, entirely clad in armor and with black flames burning under its feet, emerged in front of Luo Tianyu. The warhorse, taller than an average man, exuded a black aura from its entire body. Its saddle, stirrupsevery accessory was intact. But the strangest thing was that the warhorse, only a skull left of its head, actually had a pair of curved horns, looking like goat horns, winding backwards along the armor that covered its skull. If it hit someone with its skull, it would definitely knock the target a few meters away. Luo Tianyu, with her mouth wide open, stared at the Abyssal Nightmare with twinkling eyes. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Itsits perfect, just perfect! This is the mount of my dreams! Ha ha ha! Luo Tianyu couldnt resist leaping onto the Abyssal Nightmare, her thoughts racing. With a single command, the Abyssal Nightmare shot forward, so fast that all it left behind was a pair of weakly burning green flames. Its its so cool! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim, his heart aching as if it was being continuously mauled. It hurt too much! After a short while, Luo Tianyu returned riding on the Abyssal Nightmare, his face animated with excitement. Haha, splendid, youre remarkable, truly remarkable. Ill tag along with you from now on. If youre setting up an alliance, count me in. Luo Tianyu looked at Song Jian, saying earnestly. Having said that, he galloped away laughing heartily towards the barracks. Using an Abyssal Nightmare mount to secure an alliance, I wonder if it was a loss or a gain Song Jian stood in place, thinking for a while, but ultimately he shook his head, turning to walk towards his Manor Castle. This sudden appearance of the Abyss Demon concerned Song Jian. He held a quietly growing worry for Cecilia Priest since she had obtained the Book of the Abyss. By all accounts, Cecilia Priest should have already slain the Abyss Demon after the acquisition. Unanticipated^, it managed to break its seal and escape in the end. If the Abyss Demon had escaped, then Cecilia Priests situation was probably more dangerous than safe. Reviving the almost expired Dawn Warrior Ya from the brink of death, he noticed the ashamed expression on Yas face. Song Jian gave his shoulder a comforting pat. Ya, are you interested in becoming a Shield Warrior? Song Jian asked. What? Ya looked at him, his eyes filled with bewilderment. Think about it, becoming a Shield Warrior might be a good decision for you. At least, your survival rate would significantly improve. Song Jian suggested, smiling. He led Ya towards his safehouse, while still holding some worries for Cecilia Priest. But then, considering Cecilia Priest possessed first-grade combat power and the Abyss Demon before them was only a Level 20 Lord Class Boss, presumably not a match for Cecilia Priest. Song Jian pondered for a while, still not understanding the entirety of the situation. In the end, he decided to set it aside for the moment. It was going to be a while before the next territory expansion battle could be initiated, yet Song Jian held another planting ceremony. This time, he permanently acquired the effect of Chance to Obtain Magical Items 1%. Although it wasnt an attribute pointer and the effect was rather weak, it was better than nothing. There was no loss to Song Jian. Upon conclusion of the ceremony, Song Jian suddenly heard a series of rumbling noises pervading the airspace of Doomsday City, accompanied by a loud war trumpet and the ferocious roar of countless soldiers. Such a commotion was not new to Song Jian as it was typical of a player launching a territory expansion campaign. Looking towards the distant red halo, Song Jian fell silent. Doomsday City seemed to be on the verge of entering an era of warfare, where each player had started raising their butchers knife for their survival. This was not about justice, but about survival! This was a decision every player who did not want to be controlled by others had to make. Just as Song Jian lost himself in his thoughts, a series of system notifications unexpectedly reached him. System: Your relationship with the Mountain Dwarves has decreased to indifferent. System: Your relationship with the Forest Dwarves has decreased to indifferent. System: Your relationship with the Furnace Dwarves has decreased to enmity. System: Your relationship with the Black Iron Dwarves has increased to friendly. Chapter 392: Warning Sign Chapter 392: Warning Sign Translator: 549690339 Whats going on? Song Jian was stunned; S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, he soon thought of the dwarf commander who had escaped earlier, and it had probably mobilized its related dwarf clan, causing the intimacy between Song Jian and the dwarves with a good relationship with the dwarf commander, to decrease. But it was obvious that the relationship between the Black Iron Dwarf and the dwarf commander was not very friendly. Surprisingly, the relationship between Song Jian and the Black Iron Dwarf had risen from strangers to friendly for no reason; Song Jian shook his head. Doomsday City belonged to a lawless place, and even if his relationship with all NPCs dropped to hatred, it wouldnt matter much. To enter Doomsday City requires too many resources and is simply not worth it. Even a large power like the gathering area 101, which was already prepared to be promoted to a city-level territory, temporarily gave up chasing after him after trying a few times; However, it was clear that the power of the dwarf clan was much stronger than that of the gathering area 101, but Song Jians strength was growing even faster, so he naturally wasnt afraid of them. George, can we form our own army now? Song Jian looked at the movements of other players expanding their territory at a distance, and summoned the butler George to ask. My Lord, we are currently unable to build structures like a soldier barracks and recruit soldiers! Butler George shook his head slightly and said; Soldier barracks? How many levels of the safe house are needed to build it? Song Jian asked. My Lord, the soldier barracks are a special building and can only be built when the manor reaches level six. Moreover, you must also have a blueprint for construction! George hurriedly explained. Manor level six, huh? Song Jian frowned slightly, as his safe house level was currently only at Manor Level Two, which was still far from level six. Focus on building and upgrading the buildings. Its time for our manor to be upgraded! Song Jian ordered. Yes, my lord. In six days, all the promotion buildings can be completed, but the promotion requires a lot of resources, and we still lack a lot, said Butler George. What resources are missing? Give me a list. Oh, and how many minerals have been produced by the mineral seeds recently? Song Jian glanced at the tall ore planted in the Spirit Field outside the window and suddenly asked. I he mineral seed was a spoil of war obtained by Song Jian previously. It can be planted like a plant in the Spirit Field and harvested every six hours, yielding ores of various qualities; My Lord, I have arranged for someone to harvest and store the output of the mineral seeds. There are currently 360 first-tier ores, 103 second-tier ores, and 67 third-tier ores. I have instructed the blacksmiths to smelt all of them into corresponding ingots, which can be extracted at any time! said Butler George; Youre doing a great job; feel free to use them wherever the manor needs them, said Song Jian with a nod. The mineral seeds can produce up to ninth-tier ores, but now they only produce low-tier ores. Song Jian wasnt even interested in taking a look at these ores; After the work report of the territory was completed, butler George left the room. Song Jian glanced at the attributes of the level 3 Blood Pool. At this time, the Blood Pool was breeding blood zombies and blood wolves. Previously, all the blood slaves had been consumed cleanly, reducing the defense power of the territory. The blood in the Blood Pool was constantly rolling, and blood cocoons the size of basketballs were rhythmically expanding and shrinking at the bottom of the Blood Pool, as if breathing. In a few more hours, these blood cocoons would birth new blood zombies and blood wolves, but Song Jian still had no clue about the materials needed to upgrade the level 3 Blood Pool to level 4; After killing the Abyssal Demon, Song Jian had already reached level 19, with 93% experience. He was just a little short of reaching level 20. After resting in the room for two hours, he was ready to leave and hunt monsters in the level 20 monster area to level up; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly saw a figure staggering towards the Manor Castle at the edge of the territory, falling to the ground directly before entering the territory, as if fainting; This person seems familiar Song Jian frowned slightly, and with a flash, he appeared at the edge of the territory and walked towards the person; Cecilia? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. It turned out that the person who had suddenly appeared at the edge of his territory was none other than the Dawn Priest Cecilia. Song Jian quickly stepped forward and helped Priest Cecilia up. At this time, Priest Cecilia looked somewhat embarrassed. The Codex was nowhere to be found, and her priests robe was dirty and even had a few holes. Her right hand held the Magic Staff tightly, but the gem on the staff had shattered completely, with its surface covered in cracks and no light shining from it; On Cecilias delicate cheeks, there was also a slash. Her pale face was devoid of any color, her brows furrowed, and she occasionally let out a faint moan of pain. Surgery! Although Song Jian didnt know what had happened to Priest Cecilia, and it didnt look like she was bleeding or had any broken bones, he still used the only healing skill he knew. Afterward, Song Jian took out a bottle of primary healing potion and poured it into Priest Cecilias mouth. Not knowing if it was the effect of the healing skill or the healing potion, Priest Cecilia finally woke up from her coma, slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Song Jian, she couldnt help but breathe a sigh of relief; The seal on the Abyssal Demon has been broken, and I dont know why, but the power of the Book of the Abyss has been greatly damaged. I wasnt able to kill it, but it banished me to the Abyssal Land. You, you have to be careful; it will definitely come for you, Priest Cecilia said, struggling. Song Jian: The Abyssal Demon had already come, okay? If I waited for your warning, Id be ashes by now; You just rest, the Abyssal Demon has already been defeated by me! Song Jian hurriedly comforted her. What, you, you killed it? How is that possible? Cecilia stared wide-eyed, with an unbelieving expression. Song Jian was speechless. Im pretty strong, too, okay?;) However, seeing Cecilias appearance, Song Jian suddenly became very interested in the Abyssal Land. The third-tier Magic Flame that he controlled, no, now it had evolved into a fourth-tier Demonic Flame, was capable of opening the Abyssal Gate and entering the Abyssal Land; However, the system also issued a warning that the monsters in the Abyssal Land were powerful, and it was best to wait until Song Jian reached level 30, complete the first-tier combat power assessment task, then consider entering the Abyssal Land; Seeing Cecilia s almost dying appearance, Song Jian had to temporarily give up his plan to fight monsters and level up, and first send her to the Manor Castle to rest and recover; Chapter 393: Wilderness Instance Chapter 393: Wilderness Instance Translator: 549690339 | Upon hearing that Song Jian had eliminated the Abyssal Demon, Cecilia, albeit somewhat incredulous, felt relieved and finally fell into a deep sleep. Song Jian noted that two conflicting forces vied within Cecilia. One was the familiar Abyssal Power, while the other seemed to be filled with light and vitality C the Dawn Divine Power. Despite being rootless and sourceless, the Abyssal Power was resilient and continued to erode Cecilias body bit by bit. Meanwhile, the Dawn Divine Power was resisting, eradicating the Abyssal Power in small increments. Although Cecilia was in a deep sleep, she occasionally let out soft hums and furrowed her brow in discomfort. As much as Song Jian wanted to help, he found himself powerless to do so. He was not a follower of the Goddess of Dawn and therefore couldnt provide aid to her priest, Cecilia. Master, please permit me to lend her a helping hand! implored one of the Dawn Warriors, Yadan, as he knelt on the ground. Can you help her? Song Jian inquired, taken aback. One was a warrior and the other a priest; both served the Goddess of Dawn, yet followed different paths. Yes, I can pray to the Goddess of Dawn on her behalf, helping her recuperate faster, declared Dawn Warrior Yadan. In that case, stay by her side and make sure she is tended to. If anything is needed, just give orders to the servants outside, Song Jian suggested. As you wish, Master! Once Yadan finished speaking, he knelt by Cecilias bedside, began praying devoutly to the Goddess of Dawn. After a while, countless minute, semi-transparent, silvery light spots appeared around Yadan. Cecilia, wrapped in these light spots, gradually relaxed her furrowed brow and started to breathe more smoothly. Occasionally, some of these semi-transparent, silvery light spots would enter her body, assisting her in combating the Abyssal Power within her. With Cecilias condition stabilized, Song Jian nodded in approval and left Manor Castle. Just then, Song Jian felt something trembling slightly in his inventory. Upon opening it, he discovered it was the black token he had obtained in the Imperial Dragon Demon Palace. At that moment, the token was constantly vibrating, its surface radiating an eye-catching glow that flickered, as though it were trying to remind Song Jian of something. Song Jian pulled out the token and held it in his hand. Immediately, several lines of system prompts appeared in front of him: System: The 137th Unique Profession Inheritance Test is about to begin. Anyone who possesses an exam token is eligible to participate. System: Players combat power detected to be below the first rank. Conditions are met to participate in the test. Would you like to participate in this inheritance test? System: This test triggers once every three months of game time. You have three chances to reject participation. You must participate on the fourth occurrence, else your exam token will be confiscated. Before Song Jians eyes, two options appeared: Participate and Do Not Participate. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian chose Do Not Participate. Although he was one of the higher level and stronger players, the exam wasnt exclusive to players. Many NPCs would participate as well. I should at least wait till I reach level thirty before taking the exam, Song Jian thought to himself. Otherwise, if I did not pass, I wouldve wasted an opportunity. Many players hadnt even come into contact with the ten unique professions. However, Song Jian had an opportunity to rise through the ranks in one step. He needed to seize it. Having learnt many Sword Immortal skills, Song Jian aimed to become a Sword Immortal, one of the ten unique professions. After Song Jian refused to participate this time, the black token in his hand gradually calmed down. The radiant glow quickly faded, and it returned to its original state. Song Jian stowed the token in his inventory and continued his journey outward. He had three chances to refuse the exam, one of which he had already used. This meant that in at most six months of game time, he would have to sit for the exam, otherwise, the exam token would disappear. I have three months to get to level thirty. This is going to be pressure, Song Jian thought to himself. The higher the level, the slower the rate of advancement. Countless NPCs spent years, even decades, struggling to reach level thirty. In this aspect, the system gave players an advantage in leveling up. Meanwhile, in Doomsday Citys Level 15 monster zone, Wang Qi and his companions entered a police station filled with variant zombies dressed in police uniforms. The monsters here boasted high attack power and could even use firearms. Some even wore bulletproof vests. Wang Qi and his companions had a hard time advancing within the police station. Despite the challenges, the items dropped by the monsters here were top-notch. Level 15 blue-quality Kevlar Bulletproof Vests, handguns and submachine guns excited Wang Qi and his companions.+ Weapons were becoming less of a threat to increasingly powerful monsters. As a result, many players were developing their ability to use melee weapons post-level ten. However, firearms naturally held an advantage over melee weapons. Even if the equipment wasnt used personally, it could fetch quite a sum of Doomsday Coins at an auction house. This place isnt too bad. The drop rate is pretty high, even common monsters can drop blue-quality equipment. If only we had discovered this place sooner said an enthusiastic warrior while holding his newly won Level 15 blue quality riot shield. The drop rate is high, but the monsters are also stronger than the ones elsewhere. Were using up too many resources. 1 am almost out of mental strength recovery potions a male priest complained with a furrowed brow. The team had only him as a healer, so the pressure to heal and recover was intense. His stock of more than ten low-level healing potions was nearly depleted. Zhou Qing, dont be stingy. Youre the only priest in the team. If Priest equipment is dropped, itll definitely be yours, a rogue player comforted him. Humph, there hasnt been a single piece of Priest equipment dropped so far. Everything thats been dropped is yours Zhou Qing mumbled with a grin. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was strange. Since stepping into the police station, despite more than ten items being dropped, not a single one was Priest equipment. One couldnt be sure if the team was unlucky, or if it was just Zhou Qing who was unlucky. Soon, the group reached an area where prisoners were held. When they pushed open the door, they saw a long corridor lined with cells on both sides. At the end of the corridor, a light-blue portal was visible. A dungeon! Theres actually a dungeon here! Upon seeing the dungeon, Wang Qi was instantly excited. This was a dungeon discovered in the wild, a detail that was previously unknown. Being the first to explore an unknown dungeon was a dream come true for every player and team. Chapter 394: Is Your Friend a Big Shot? Chapter 394: Is Your Friend a Big Shot? Translator: 549690339 | This is an undiscovered dungeon! The people in the team were stunned for a moment, then quickly became excited. Quick, check the level of this dungeon. Can we enter? the Thief class player who had just spoken yelled excitedly. A dungeon appearing in a level 15 monster area, we should meet the level requirement, but whether we can clear it, Im not sure. The warrior class player who had just obtained a new shield frowned. The monsters outside were already so tough, the ones inside the dungeon would definitely be stronger. Even if their team could enter, there was no guarantee theyd be able to defeat the monsters within. Well try anyway. Well be cautious and run if we cant defeat them. Wang Qi suppressed his excitement and spoke softly. Yes, survival is key. If things go sideways, we should leave as soon as possible. No unnecessary fighting! said the Priest, Zhou Qing, sounding a little stirred up as well. First, lets check the dungeon level and the number of players allowed The group quickly moved towards the entrance of the dungeon. Bloody Cage of Sin, this dungeon name sounds creepy The dungeon requires level 15 to 21 players. Good, we at least meet the minimum level requirements This will be tough, Im afraid we wont be able to clear this dungeon This is a five-person dungeon, we only have four, we need one more. Does anyone have a more powerful friend you could invite over? Indeed, preferably a higher-leveled one. I guess the final Boss of this dungeon could be level 18, or even level 20 Or we could just fight the minor monsters inside and not the Boss? Even the minor monsters in the dungeon have a much higher drop-rate -Are you kidding me? This is an expedition! Skipping the Boss is like throwing in the towel. If others find out, well be the laughingstock. The Boss represents high-level equipment. Clearing this dungeon, we all could get a full gear upgrade I wish that were true but Im afraid we might not defeat it, and end up losing our lives in the process The four of them started to argue. But soon, they switched to discussing about someone strong they could invite over. I know a level 16 Fire Mage. He has a level 15 silver-quality Magic Staff. His damage is incredible. Also, Fire Mages have the highest damage amongst all the Mages. What do you think about inviting him over? I know a level 18 Swordsman. His gear is average but hes highly intuitive. If we invite him over, he could be sub-tank and our team would be better off. I dont have anyone. All my friends are lower-leveled than I am Wang Qi opened his friend list and started browsing. Suddenly, he saw a familiar name and hesitated. Wang Qi, whats wrong? Do you know any stronger player? Seeing Wang Qis change of expression, the Priest Zhou Qing curiously asked. Ive never seen Wang Qi hanging out with friends. Most likely, he knows a bunch of dimwits like me. Said Tang Rong, a Thief, with a smirk. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It isnt a big deal if we dont have anyone else, the four of us can give it a try. With this level 15 blue-quality shield, Im pretty sure I can at least withstand the minor monsters attacks until you manage to flee from the dungeon. The Guardian Ma Yu seemed pretty confident, thanks to his new blue-quality shield. Who said I dont have any powerful friends Wang Qi couldnt help but say, Im worried that their levels are too high for them to be interested in a small level 15 dungeon. Once Wang Qi finished, the rest of his team were dumbfounded. Wang Qi, I give you a 103 for showing off, one score for tolerance, another for understanding, and the last one as a token of fatherly love, hahaha A player who considers a level 15 dungeon too low? Haha, Wang Qi, could your friend be in the Top 10 Player Ranking? You know such a big shot? Exactly, if you really can get to know a player in the Top 10 Player Ranking, would you still be hanging out with us? Go ahead, invite one over. If you can really do that, you can be our team leader from now on! Yes, yes, we four have been working really well together, forming a permanent team isnt a bad idea. If you can actually invite a Top 10 Player over, the team leader position is yours! Agreed! But what if he fails to invite someone? The Priest Zhou Qing picked his nose, smirking and asked. All eyes fell on Wang Qi. I know one, but I cant guarantee he will come. After all, a level 15 dungeon might indeed be too low leveled for him Wang Qi struggled. Scoff, in the current Top 10 Player Ranking, apart from the Number 1 player who has already reached level 20 and might look down on a level 15 dungeon, Number 2 is just level 17.1 dont believe that a level 15 dungeon has no attraction for him. Exactly, unless his gear is all level 15 silver quality and he doesnt need anything from a level 15 dungeon. But how could a level 17 player possibly As they were talking, they suddenly fell silent. They looked at each other in amazement. Zhou Qing cursed, Holy crap, Wang Qi, you wouldnt happen to be talking about the Number 1 player in the Player Ranking, would you? It is Song Jian, the Number 1 player. He saved me once when I first started the game, and weve been in contact ever since Wang Qi said innocently. Holy crap, you know such a big shot and youve kept it from us till now, guys, what should we do? Beat him up! Right, right, cover your head, bend down, stick your butt out After their bout of playful scuffling, they became a bit more serious again. You know, hes already level 20, he might indeed not be interested in raiding a level 15 dungeon Exactly, what if he already has level 20 equipment Wang Qi, tell us honestly, how good is your relationship with him? Would he help us out? Wang Qi hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, Ill ask him first. But he is a Swordsman. If something drops in the dungeon that he needs, we should yield to him. Of course. As long as the big shot is willing to come, anything he needs will be his. I dont believe that every drop from this dungeon would be useful for a Swordsman Before talking about the equipment, even just for the experience, its worth it for us. After clearing the dungeon, I believe we could at least level up. I believe I could level up twice Wang Qi took a deep breath and opened his chat with Song Jian. As the call went out, his nervousness suddenly intensified. Chapter 395: Agree Chapter 395: Agree Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian was hunting in the area of level 20 monsters, and in just over two hours, he raised his level to 20. At this moment, he suddenly received a communication request from Wang Qi. After taking a glance, Song Jian directly connected the call. Big bro, are you there? Theres something 1 dont know if I can ask for your help with? Wang Qis slightly nervous voice came through. In fact, the two hadnt been in touch in the game for more than two months, and Wang Qi didnt know whether Song Jian would still give him any face. Help? Hehe, I wonder what kind of help you need, Wang? Its not that you found a special building and want to transform it into a safehouse, is it? Song Jian laughed. The last time the two met, they helped Li Keer build a safehouse together. At that time, Wang Qi was full of envy and wanted to find a special building and create a safehouse of his own. Song Jian promised that if Wang Qi found one, he would definitely help guard it. No, no, special buildings are too hard to find. I just chose a regular one and have already upgraded it to a level 3 safehouse. Remembering the time when they helped Li Keer build a safehouse, and the two of them didnt do anything but sleep and take advantage of the situation, Wang Qi revealed a trace of a smile. Oh, thats good, congratulations! Song Jian laughed, What can I help you with this time? Well, I and a few companions are in the level 15 monster area, and we discovered an unexplored instance. We only have four people, and were afraid we wont be able to beat it, so we want Brother Song to help and lead us to explore it Wang Qi stated his request and then anxiously waited for Song Jians answer. Exploiting a level 15 instance? Song Jian was somewhat surprised. The rewards for exploring an instance are absolutely substantial, even much greater than those from clearing a difficult dungeon later on. There are many special equipment pieces that only drop during the exploration difficulty and true difficulty, so for players, exploring dungeons is like a feast. However, the difficulty of exploring a dungeon is also great. Without any understanding of the dungeon, sometimes, players might not even see the boss before they are chased out by the small monsters inside. Although Song Jian is now level 20, some of his equipment is not very good. His leg guards are still just a level 5 white quality item with only one level of reinforcement. Alright, but if theres any equipment 1 need, as well as diagrams for Engineering or Alchemy and Pharmacology formulas, I have priority! Song Jian thought for a while and said. Wang Qi was taken aback. He wanted priority not only on equipment but also on engineering drawings and alchemy formulas? Well, equipment is no problem, but for the others, I need to discuss it with the rest of the team. Can you wait a moment? Wang Qi hesitated. Alright, lets discuss it first. Song Jian hung up the call. In fact, Song Jian was quite interested in exploring a level 15 instance, but many instances have a player limit. The more players allowed, the better the loot that drops inside. With these kinds of instances, Song Jian couldnt successfully explore them alone and had to rely on the power of the team. Maybe I should form my own elite team, or even create a guild? Song Jian patrolled his territory while thinking. On the other side, Wang Qi had a somewhat ugly expression after hanging up the call. Whats wrong? Did the expert refuse? Zhou Qing, a Priest, asked anxiously. He hadnt gotten a single piece of equipment yet and was eager to enter the dungeon. No. Wang Qi looked at his companions and said, But he demands priority on all suitable equipment, as well as engineering blueprints and alchemy and pharmacology formulas. What? Thats too much! Zhou Qing, the Priest, frowned and showed dissatisfaction. We can give priority to equipment for Swordsmen, but for the engineering blueprints, Zhou Qing has also learned Engineering, while Tang Rong learned Alchemy and Pharmacology. Moreover, if there are really blueprints and formulas, theyre definitely valuable Ma Yu, a shield-wielding Guardian, shook his head and spoke with some discontent. Since weve decided to form a fixed team, we cant give up on our crafting professions. And our chosen professions arent overlapping, so we complement each other well Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yeah, the blueprints and formulas for crafting professions are hard to come by. The system store doesnt sell them, so its tough to level up. If we really get blueprints and formulas, I think we shouldnt just give them away. If necessary, the four of us can roll dice with him to see who gets them based on whose number is higher Tang Rong hesitated but suggested. They definitely wont agree to that. There are four of us, and hes alone. Furthermore, without him, we definitely cant clear it. Besides, its not even certain that therell be blueprints and formulas Zhou Qing said carelessly. Zhou Qing, dont jinx it. If we really get the engineering blueprints, wont you cry? Yu Ma laughed. Forget it, lets give it a try. Maybe the instance isnt as hard as we think. We might succeed with just the four of us, Tang Rong, the Rogue, said quietly, twirling his two daggers around his fingers. After some hesitations, the others nodded in agreement. Lets try, well go in first to see what the monsters are like. Maybe theyre really like Tang Rong said. Even if we cant beat them, we can agree to his terms later, it wouldnt be too late Yeah, lets give it a try first The four made their decision, exchanged glances, and walked towards the entrance of the instance. Five minutes later, a figure suddenly rushed out of the instance entrance. Tang Rong, the Rogue, collapsed on the ground in a disheveled state. He couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his face pale, and his Vitality Points reduced to less than one third. Next, the other three teammates ran out one by one. Ma Yu, the shield-wielding Guardian, was the last to leave. His Vitality Points were the lowest, almost reaching a near-death state. His arm, which held the shield, trembled constantly from exertion. Even the shield itself had developed a tiny crack. I cant heal fast enough, the small monsters do too much damage Zhou Qing, the Priest, complained immediately upon leaving the instance, constantly casting the Healing Skill on Ma Yu and the other two teammates. There are too many small monsters inside, and theyre all level 15 elite monsters. Theyre way stronger than the monsters we encountered in the police station! Wang Qi looked gloomy. If it wasnt for Ma Yu desperately blocking the attacks of four or five elite monsters, the other three might have all died inside. But the loot from the monsters inside is indeed good. Look at this! Ma Yu took out a dazzling white crystal from his bag and showed it off. Huh, you killed a monster? Zhou Qing was surprised. It was the one we were focusing on earlier. 1 saw it had very little Vitality left, so I wanted to try. 1 didnt expect that I actually killed it. I didnt expect the first monster to drop items. Ma Yu said with lingering fear. In order to kill this one monster, Ma Yu almost lost his life inside. A reinforcement stone? What is that? Tang Rong curiously asked, examining the reinforcement stone in Ma Yus hand. Reinforcement Stone (White): Special item, effect: after use, can reinforce equipment below level 20, enhancing its basic attributes; increases armor by 5 points of defense and weapons by 10 points of attack. Nice stuff! Zhou Qings eyes lit up. Chapter 396: Entering the Subsidiary Chapter 396: Entering the Subsidiary Translator: 549690339 | One enhancement stone could increase defense by 5 points, which was almost half of the defense provided by a level 15 piece of equipment. If one could enhance their equipment multiple times, the defense could be even stronger than silver grade equipment. Of course, the higher the equipments grade, the more attributes and features it would have. Some equipment could even come with skills, which couldnt be matched by enhanced low-level equipment. However, increasing defense by 5 points out of thin air was still very attractive. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is great, we should get more of these. If I can increase my defense, I can tank more monsters, and maybe the four of us might be able to complete this dungeon, Ma Yu said with shining eyes as he stared at the enhancement stone in his hand and chuckled. As a Shield and Sword Defenders class, Ma Yu valued defense more than other classes. He couldnt bear to let go of the enhancement stone and even had the urge to use it immediately. Ma Yu, your current equipment quality is average. I think its better to wait until you get better equipment before using this enhancement stone, at least a silver grade one, Wang Qi quickly stopped Ma Yu. Ma Yu thought for a moment, nodded, and said somewhat embarrassedly, So, is this enhancement stone temporarily assigned to me? Its yours, hold on to it. You risked your life to get it, his teammates assured him. If it werent for you blocking all the small monsters at the end, we might not have made it out The reason the four of them could often team up and level together was because they were able to be humble, considerate, and understanding. The enhancement stone was obtained through their collective efforts in fighting the monsters. If it werent for the other three nearly killing the small monster, Ma Yu wouldnt have been able to finish it off at the last moment; However, everyone agreed that as a Shield and Sword Defender player, 5 defense points meant a lot, so no one argued with Ma Yu. I wont take the next one we get, well take turns, said Ma Yu before storing the enhancement stone in his bag. Guys, what do you think? Weve tested the strength of the monsters in the dungeon, and with our current strength, we might not even see the first BOSS Wang Qi looked at the other three and said. The other three fell silent, and after a long while, Ma Yu sighed, We have no choice but to ask for external help. The dungeons output is much greater than we imagined. Even if we give the Swordman equipment, blueprints, and formulas, we should still make a profit. Just the enhancement stones alone had stirred their hearts, and there were even more valuable items rumored to be inside. Zhou Qing and Tang Rong eventually agreed, a little unwilling, but their combined strength wasnt enough. They couldnt give up just like that, could they? Wang Qis lips curled up slightly. Song Jians strength was increasing, and it wasnt a bad thing to stay in touch with him. If the four of them formed a fixed team, with Wang Qi as the leader, they would likely need Song Jians help many times in the future. Building a good relationship with him now would make it easier to ask for help later. Brother Song, my teammates have all agreed. When can you come over? Wang Qi asked, a bit excited. Song Jian was patrolling his territory when he received the call. He paused, then said, Im free right now, just send me the coordinates, and I can head over. Great, Brother Song. Well be waiting for you at the dungeon entrance! Wang Qi sent the location to Song Jian and said, Be careful on your way over, and make sure no one else sees you. Understood! Looking at the address, it was some distance from his safe house. Song Jian hung up and summoned his motorcycle, heading towards the location Wang Qi had specified. Wang Qi and the others were standing in front of the Sinful Bloody Cage dungeon entrance. In a few minutes, everyones status had recovered. While waiting for Song Jian to arrive, they entered the dungeon once more. Although theyd given up on the idea of beating it with just the four of them, they could still handle fighting the smaller monsters at the entrance. The group barely managed to kill a small monster before being forced to retreat. The monsters attacks were just too overwhelming, and their healing class could not keep up. Ma Yu, the Sword and Shield Guardian, couldnt withstand the attacks of three small monsters at once. After they finally killed one, they didnt even have time to pick up the loot before quickly leaving the dungeon. We cant handle it Ma Yu looked at his newly acquired level 15 blue grade shield with a pained expression on his face. These small monsters here are almost as powerful as Elite Level BOSSes outside. Its not easy! Tang Rong shook his head, completely dismissing the hope of completing the dungeon. Wang Qi, do you think Song Jian can really carry all four of us if he comes? Zhou Qing asked somewhat worriedly. They had confidence in Song Jians strength but not so much in their own. If even the first on the Level Glory list couldnt carry them, they would have to sell the dungeon location to another team and make a little extra money. Still, that was nothing compared to the rewards of completing the entire dungeon, which made it a painful thought. Lets wait and see for now. Just recover your status and hope he doesnt disappoint us, Wang Qi said, feeling helpless. Their combined strength was simply too weak, and he was unsure if Song Jian alone could carry them. Hey, 1 think I hear a motorcycle. Could it be the big shot is here? lang Rong s sharp ears picked up the sound of a roaring engine and he said cautiously. In a short while, Song Jians figure appeared in front of the four of them. Im not too late, am I? Song Jian smiled as he looked at the four players. These four were all level 15, their equipment was very average-mostly white grade with the occasional green or blue grade piece. Not at all. Were glad youre here, Brother Song, Wang Qi quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, Let me introduce everyone. This is our defense warrior, a Sword and Shield Guardian, Ma Yu. This is our melee damage dealer, a Thief class, Tang Rong. And the one next to him is our healer, a Priest class, Zhou Qing! Im a Musketeer, Brother Song, which is a ranged damage dealer class as well, Wang Qi lifted the strange-looking gun in his hand and explained. Hello everyone, I am Song Jian, a Swordman class! Song Jian smiled and glanced at the Sword and Shield Guardian, Ma Yu. He had a feeling that Ma Yus class wasnt just a regular defense warrior. To their surprise, the first on the Level Glory list didnt seem as arrogant as theyd imagined. They found him quite easy to get along with. Alright, everyones here. Lets go into the dungeon, Wang Qi looked at Song Jian and said. Lets go, Song Jian nodded and took the lead, heading toward the dungeon entrance. Chapter 397: Reclamation Chapter 397: Reclamation Translator: 549690339 | Bloody Prison Cage, this dungeon was not very complicated; it was just a temporary detention area for suspects at the police station. However, after the game expansion, it had become much more extensive, several times larger than the entire police station. Upon entering the dungeon gate, there were dozens of stone steps about seven or eight meters long, surrounded by no monsters; it served as an adaptation area after entering the dungeon. The dungeon was filled with a strong smell of blood; the surrounding walls were also smeared with dark red marks. In the deeper parts of the dungeon, horrible wails and brutal roars could be heard from time to time. The atmosphere of the entire dungeon was oppressive and irritable. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At the bottom of the stone steps where the five stood was a corridor leading all the way to the end, less than a hundred meters away. Song Jian could even vaguely see a burly figure walking back and forth in an open room at the end of the corridor, occasionally letting out an angry roar. Brother Song, be careful. As soon as we descend these stone steps, it will immediately attract four small monsters to attack us Wang Qi whispered, explaining from the side. The four of them had entered twice before, but were stopped in front of the stone steps every time. No matter what they did, as soon as they stepped off the stone steps, theyd attract four small monsters. Four? Just Elite level small monsters, you four couldnt beat them? Song Jian asked, somewhat surprised. He had already seen four muscular zombies wearing police uniforms wandering around the stone steps. They are level 15 Elite monsters, much stronger than those monsters outside. Four at once, Ma Yu alone wouldnt be able to withstand them. Zhou Qing, a Thief next to him, said with doubt. Alright, Ma Yu and 1 will take two of them each. Song Jian glanced at the four of them, their equipment was indeed of low grade; it would be somewhat difficult to kill four level 15 Elite monsters at once. Arent you a Swordman? Can you withstand two small monsters? Mage Zhou Qing asked, surprised. It was well known that Swordmen could only wear leather armor. After reaching level 30 and learning the passive skill Scale Armor Mastery, they could wear the higher-tiered Scale Armor. Moreover, Swordmen couldnt equip shields, so they usually held a supporting role in output damage within dungeons. Many times, their output damage was even less than that of thieves, let alone mages. Lets try and see. Song Jian smiled. Fine, Brother Song and I will each take two small monsters. You guys should prioritize attacking the small monsters that Brother Song pulls, and use your full power. After we kill those, we will take care of the two Im holding, Ma Yu said, lifting his shield and yelling as he rushed down the stone steps. As soon as Ma Yu stepped onto the stone steps, the four patrolling police zombies immediately pulled out their batons from their waists, slapping them down with a swish sound while the formerly short batons instantly extended more than a foot long, emanating dark metallic luster. Bloody Guard Zombie: Elite Level, Level 15, Vitality Points: 1800/1800, Characteristics: Fury, Skills: Fists and Feet kicks. All four monsters lunged towards Ma Yu, who raised his shield and let out a loud roar. An invisible force erupted from him, instantly attracting all the monsters aggro onto himself. Brother Song, quickly take two of them! Ma Yu cant hold all four alone. Wang Qis face displayed anxiety. Song Jian nodded, stomped his left foot, and a fang-shaped air mass with a sharp whistling sound rushed towards a Bloody Guard Zombie. With a swish, the zombie that was targeted by Earth Teeth Assault was hit like it had been struck by a car, flying away and taking over a hundred damage points. The damage instantly stole aggro from Ma Yu. Then, Song Jian flicked his right hand, and a dark red long sword materialized in his palm. Song Jian gripped it tightly and slashed forward. A dazzling golden light blasted another monster lunging towards Ma Yu. This strike reduced the monsters Vitality Points by over five hundred. The three people behind him were dumbfounded. I didnt see it wrong just now, did I? Was that five hundred and ninety points of damage? Thief Tang Rong couldnt believe his eyes, rubbing them vigorously as he spoke. This is too exaggerated. 1 feel like theres no need for us to go up and help. He could clear this dungeon all by himself! Priest Zhou Qing showed an indescribable expression, seemingly a bit depressed. As expected, the person whos ranked first on the level glory list! Wang Qis face broke into a grin, not expecting Song Jian to be so powerful. Sweeping Sword Style! Watching the two small monsters rushing towards him, Song Jian brandished his long sword and chopped at them. Come on, come on, dont just watch, hurry up and output damage! If you dont contribute anything, how can you have the nerve to share equipment with others later? Wang Qi whispered a reminder, lifting his firearm and shooting towards the two monsters Ma Yu was holding. The original plan was to kill the two monsters Song Jian was holding first, then help Ma Yu, but after glancing at the two monsters being ravaged by Song Jian, the three of them targeted the ones Ma Yu was holding without any further discussion. Seeing his companions focus-fire the two monsters he was holding, Ma Yu couldnt help but become anxious. He thought there might be some conflict between his party members and Song Jian, and they wanted to harm the latter. Dont mind me, help Brother Song kill the monsters first! Hes only a Swordman, so he cant hold on as well as me Ma Yu anxiously shouted. Just take care of yourself. The two monsters Brother Song is dealing with are almost dead already. Tang Rong, who had activated his stealth ability, said irritably before brandishing his dagger and stabbing the back of a monsters head that Ma Yu was holding. What? Ma Yu was stunned. He glanced to the side and saw Song Jian easily handling his two monsters, and his eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth agape. Broken Wing Dance! Boom! Boom! Boom- Two monsters could only deal twenty to thirty points of damage to Song Jian. For a person with 1,460 Vitality Points like Song Jian, this damage was like a tickle. In just thirty seconds, Song Jian killed both monsters. He didnt even bother looking at the loot they dropped, and charged towards the monsters Ma Yu was holding. Soon, the remaining two guard dogs let out a miserable scream and fell to their knees, becoming corpses. Did we kill them just like that? Tang Rong couldnt believe it. Those four guard dogs had previously tormented them, almost killing all four of them. However, now, it took less than a minute to eliminate all four monsters. It made them doubt if they had entered the same dungeon as before. Brother Song, thank you so much. Wang Qi excitedly thanked him. No need, Song Jian smiled and said, The Experience Points from the small monsters in this dungeon is quite high. Its much more efficient than leveling up by fighting monsters outside. Because it was the first time clearing the dungeon, the monsters inside provided higher Experience Points than usual. Moreover, a five-person team would also get team rewards. Killing one small monster would grant 180% Experience Points per person on average. With such high Experience Points, Song Jian, who was already level 20, was quite satisfied. After clearing this dungeon, he might even level up again. Chapter 398: Half-Beastman Thief Chapter 398: Half-Beastman Thief Translator: 549690339 | Four minor monsters dropped a level 15 blue-plate helmet. When rolling the dice, all four people looked towards Song Jian. If Song Jian chose Need, Wang Qi and the other three would certainly choose Pass. Song Jian glanced at the item, immediately noticed it was plate armor, and chose Pass. Ma Yu breathed a sigh of relief and chose Need. Watching Wang Qi don the new blue-quality helmet, Wang Qi chuckled softly, What a lucky start!. In addition to the level 15 blue-quality plate helmet, the four minor monsters also dropped a bunch of materials. After Song Jian and the others casually rolled the dice to distribute these materials, they continued walking forward; After dealing with the four watchdog monsters, the remaining minor monsters were much easier to kill. Some of them didnt even leave their cages along the corridor, even though the cage doors were broken. Even when the group stood at the cage entrances to fight the monsters inside, they didnt move out one step, as if they hadnt heard. Sinful Prison Zombie, Elite level, Level 15, Vitality Points: 1600/1600, Trait: Cunning, Skill: Begging for Mercy. The remaining monsters in this dungeon appeared in small groups. If they were careful, they could usually lure and eliminate them one by one. Once they passed the four Guardian Zombies at the entrance, things would be much simpler. After killing seven or eight minor monsters, Song Jian realized that their progress was too slow. It took them more than half an hour to kill just seven or eight minor monsters, which caused Song Jians eyebrows to knit together in slight frustration. Should we try to speed things up? Song Jian couldnt help suggesting. Speed up? Were already fighting pretty fast! Ma Yu was surprised and asked in confusion. Does Brother Song mean we should lure more monsters at once? Wong Qi caught on immediately and suggested quietly. Exactly. Lure several at a time. Ill handle the aggro, and you all focus on dealing damage from the back, Song Jian agreed. The layout here was a straight corridor with cages on either side. As long as he could hold aggro for two or three mobs at a time, the monsters in the back wouldnt be able to get through to attack them. Isnt that a bit too dangerous? The priest Zhou Qing hesitated. If there were too many monsters, he, as the slowest team member, might not have enough time to run away when things went south. No problem, lets just try luring seven or eight at first, Song Jian suggested with a smile; Okay, Ill lure them. You guys wait a bit further back,. Thief Tang Rong activated his Acceleration Skill immediately. A white light appeared under his feet, and he became noticeably faster. He rushed into several cages, hit each monster once, and then turned around to run; In just a short while, Tang Rong had lured a dozen or so monsters to charge towards the dungeon entrance; Thats a bit too many. Ma Yu frowned slightly, raising his shield instinctively; No worries. Watch me! Song Jian said, rushing towards the monsters with his sword. Tang Rong, sweating profusely, passed by Song Jian; Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian swung his arm, slashing horizontally with his sword. A burst of Sword Qi scattered and hit a few of the nearest monsters, causing them to give up chasing Tang Rong and shift their attention to Song Jian instead. BangBang! Two dazzling bursts of Sword Qi bloomed amid the group of monsters. Finally, he leaped up for the last hit, a powerful downward slash that landed in the middle of the monsters. Is he trying to get himself killed? What if he gets surrounded? Ma Yus face showed a surprised expression. Genius takes bold risks? Tang Rong wiped the sweat off his forehead and murmured, still feeling a bit shaken. He vaguely felt a strong aura approaching when he was luring the monsters, which made him panic and cause a mistake. He intended to lure only seven or eight minor monsters but ended up luring thirteen. Do we even need to join in? It feels like we just need to cheer him on from the sidelines, Zhou Qing smirked and gasped for air. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Feels like were playing a different game from him, Wang Qi sighed. Hed felt this way since meeting Song Jian. Song Jian threw out a series of sword skills one after another. Despite facing more than a dozen elite-level monsters, he gave the impression of dominating the monsters single-handedly, as if they existed just to be his fodder. I think I felt the presence of a very powerful creature in the corridor earlier, but 1 couldnt see what it looked like Tang Rong hesitated for a moment before finally sharing his suspicion in a whisper; You mean theres another boss in the corridor? Ma Yu was taken aback and asked immediately. Isnt there only one boss in this dungeon? Zhou Qing, pointing towards the room at the end of the corridor, asked in confusion. It was just a feeling, Im not sure if Im right, Tang Rong explained. It s like theres a knife pressed against your back. Even though you cant see it, you can feel something threatening your life. Could it be an invisible boss? Wang Qi had a sudden revelation, glanced at Tang Rong, and was taken aback. Just as Wang Qi was preparing to shout a warning to Song Jian, he suddenly noticed a semi-transparent figure slowly materializing behind Song Jian. This figure was a hunched monster, its face covered with a black cloth, wielding a dagger in its right hand and aiming straight for Song Jians head. Watc Wang Qi was shocked and shouted aloud, but before he could finish his sentence, he saw Song Jians body emit a golden light. Song Jians body turned at an unbelievable angle, and the dark red long sword in his hand collided fiercely with the dagger aimed at his head, creating a burst of sparks. Boom- The mysterious thief who had suddenly appeared was forced to retreat several steps. Over 300 damage points floated up above his head. The surprised down in his blood-red eyes, and his figure faded gradually from sight. It was during this moment that Song Jian managed to identify the creature. To his surprise, it was a boss with its own name C an 18 level elite. Half-Beastman Thief Zombie C Scufar, Elite Level, Level 18, Vitality Points: 3600/3600, Traits: Bloodthirsty, Cunning, Skills: Stealth, Deadly Strike, Ambush, Devastate, Garrotte. Scufar was a half-beastman with goblin bloodline. He was short and thin, standing only half the height of a typical adult male, and didnt have noticeable muscles. He looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. However, Scufar was a formidable thief. The day he turned into a zombie after the apocalypse, his goblin bloodline awakened, making him one of the most powerful bosses in the dungeon. Because he could turn invisible and wasnt bound to a specific area, Scufar liked to roam around the corridor while hidden. When Tang Rong was luring the monsters earlier, Tang Rong ran into Scufars warning range. If he hadnt sensed Scufars presence and ran out, Scufar might have kept him behind. Seeing Scufar, Tang Rong couldnt help but feel scared. If Scufar had caught up with him earlier, he would have been torn to pieces by the monsters he lured; That was too close! Tang Rong patted his chest, still shaken, and whispered to himself. The boss appeared, what should we do? Do we need to go and help? Ma Yu held up his shield and asked his companions while looking around. Do we even need to ask? Of course, we go! Wang Qi was the first to raise his weapon, aiming at a monster attacking Song Jian, and pulled the trigger. Lets go, lets take down the monsters that are low on health first! Tang Rong gritted his teeth, activated his stealth ability, and started heading towards Song Jian. Chapter 399: Rare Profession Chapter 399: Rare Profession Translator: 549690339 I Finding out about the stealth attack from this eighteenth-level elite BOSS, Song Jian was not alarmed but delighted. For him, a fifteenth-level dungeon was not that difficult, otherwise, he wouldnt have asked to lure a group of minions before killing them. With an additional BOSS, the loot would be considerable. After all, good equipment usually dropped from BOSSes. Using Sacred Parry to dodge the BOSSS ambush, Song Jian activated Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body and charged at the BOSS. Behind Song Jian, a dozen or so minions were howling and chasing after him. Tang Rong appeared behind the weakest little monster. The moment he emerged from invisibility, his dagger had already violently penetrated the little monsters skull. Numbers showing over a hundred points in critical damage floated ahead of the creature. However, at this moment, all the minions had their aggro firmly locked on Song Jian, so no matter how Tang Rong attacked, he couldnt divert the aggro. Hit this one. As he saw Ma Yu charging over, Tang Rong hastily called out. Wang Qi shifted his target as well. Within moments, the three men killed a nearly dead minion before swiftly advancing to the next one. At this time, Song Jian, under attack from two or three minions, was chopping at the BOSS. His third eye was glowing, and the BOSS invisibility had no effect on him. He could see the opponent directly. For the BOSS, without its invisibility, it was just like a super minion. Many of its skills must be used while invisible, so a regular strike from Song Jian could break its invisibility and prevent it from using many of its skills. Light Strike! Another dazzling golden slash sent towards the BOSS. BOSS brandishes two daggers to parry. With a boom, the Sword Qi slashes onto its body. Its frail figure was sent flying like a baseball, violently crashing into an old cage. With a clunk, the arm-thick bars of the cage bent under the impact of the BOSS, some even splintering. Sharp fragments pierced the BOSSS body, causing it to emit a series of mad roars. Song Jian turned his body, swinging his sword and performing Broken Wing Dance. The dozen or so minions were forced to retreat and were eventually thrown into the air by the force. Song Jian, who has activated the Immortal Sword Body, had attributes comparable to a twenty-fifth level elite BOSS, so his Broken Wing Dance caused huge numbers of damage to float above the minions heads, shocking Wang Qi and others. Zhou Qing waved his magic staff and cast a Healing Skill on Song Jian. Ever since Song Jian joined the team, the pressure on healing had significantly decreased. All the monsters were almost dealt with by Song Jian, and Zhou Qing only needed to occasionally restore Song Jians Vitality Points. At this time, his Spirit Points were still over 90%, and he had two healing skills with huge instant healing but long cooldown time in his hand. Even if there was an accident, Zhou Qing was confident that there would be no casualties. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was precisely because of Zhou Qing, the healer, that Song Jian was able to fight so freely. Seeing the BOSS struggling to extricate itself from the cage, Song Jian smiled faintly. Suddenly, a brilliant silver beam burst forth from his third eye. Boom boom boom- Like a laser, the silver beam struck the BOSS, tearing its flesh apart. The BOSS was grotesquely disfigured and continuously emitted pain-filled screams. The hit had deducted nearly eight hundred points of damage from it. Song Jian showed signs of exhaustion. Despite the power of Eye Slasher, it consumed a significant amount of Spirit Points. Swinging his sword, Song Jian kept casting sword skills at the group of minions behind him. Within a short time, he had killed seven or eight minions. Thanks to the existence of the Devouring Belt, Song Jian had mostly recovered his lost Spirit Points. The remaining minions are yours, quickly wipe them out! Looking at the remaining five or six weakened minions, Song Jian turned to Ma Yu and others. Dont worry, leave it to us. Ma Yu hastily said, charging into a minion that was pouncing towards Song Jian, repeatedly hacking at it with his single-handed sword. Brother Song, you just focus on the BOSS. Well handle the minions. Wang Qi kept firing the trigger, unleashing bullets that glowed with various energy colors onto the weakened minions. Song Jian nodded and activated Rapid Sword while the Immortal Sword Body was still activated. He continuously slashed his sword, even creating a streak of shadows with it. Even a regular attack could inflict nearly a hundred points of damage on the BOSS. If he used a skill, the BOSSS vitality points would be falling visibly like a broken dam. Die. Song Jian leapt high, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly ignited in a flame. A majestic voice resonated throughout the dungeon. Endure my fury. With this strike, Song Jian triggered the passive attribute of the Eye of the Fire God ring. The BOSS, which had been preparing to dodge, suddenly shivered, causing it to briefly stagnate. By the time it had reacted, Song Jians sword had already viciously struck its body. A heart-wrenching pain made the BOSS scream in crazed agony. Song Jians eyes lit up. He immediately used the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, and a transparent long sword fiercely penetrated the BOSSS skull. Pop- The BOSSS head exploded like a watermelon. Song Jian was stunned. He originally intended to use the Spiritual Sword Control Technique to make the BOSS lose its mind. However, he didnt expect that this mental attack would be the death of the BOSS, its head completely blew apart. The BOSSS vitality points instantly depleted, and its headless corpse fell to the ground, twitching continuously. Seven or eight pieces of equipment rolled out from underneath the BOSS, neatly arranged around its corpse. Brother Song, hang in there, were finishing up these minions and will come help you! Ma Yu was desperately attacking the minions when he heard the BOSSS roars from behind him. Thinking that the BOSS was suddenly going berserk, his heart dropped and he quickly shouted. Hmm. By the time you help, itll be too late. Brother Song has already killed the BOSS alone. Clear out these minions quickly! Wang Qi sneered and shouted. What, the BOSS is already dead? Ma Yu resisted the urge to turn around and look, his face full of surprise. That damage its simply terrifying. Every attack on the BOSS did hundreds of points of damage. Using a skill could deal three to five hundred damage. Wasnt it said that the damage of a swordman class isnt significant? Tang Rong couldnt help but complain. Well, you also have to consider whos the one playing the class. Can the class that Brother Song chose be an ordinary swordman? Wang Qi laughed. Ma Yu suddenly had an idea and asked: Brother Song, did you choose a rare class? Chapter 400 - 400 Central Bank Chapter 400: Central Bank Translator: 549690339 | Song Jian broke into a slight grin, charging towards the few remaining weakened monsters with his sword. Within moments, horrifying screams erupted as each monster fell, with equipment and supplies scattering all over the ground. Man, this is something youd only see in dreams, hahaha! Tang Rongs eyes sparkled as he burst into laughter, taking in the multitude of items on the ground, each emitting its own radiant glow. We really owe Brother Song for this one. Wang Qis face displayed sincere gratitude. Lets split the gear first. Song Jian suggested, smiling. Brother Song, you should choose first. After all, you took down most of these creatures on your own. Well take what you dont want Tang Rong offered, his face beaming. Before, Tang Rong had been upset that Song Jian demanded so many items, but now it was clear that Song Jian could have cleared the entire dungeon alone. They were practically unnecessary. Then, I wont hold back. Laughing, Song Jian quickly picked up a level 15 silver quality gauntlet, replacing his own Zombie Leader Gauntlets. Bloody Thug Gauntlets (Silver) Leather Arm Guard. Equipment level: 15. Effects: Defense +8, Resistance +4, Agility +3, Armor Break +2, Dexterity +2. Attack speed increase: 20%. Special effect: Bloodthirsty Fury (passive). When you inflict damage on the target, theres a chance to trigger Bloodthirsty Fury, increasing attack speed by 50% for 6 seconds. This effect can trigger only once every 5 minutes. Equipment requirement: Level 15. Available to take out of the game: No. This equipment could have been used by Rogues, but there was no hesitation in Song Jians eyes when he saw it. Besides, Tang Rong, who watched enviously from the side, had no other choice. Well, Ill just take this one. You can split the rest among yourselves. Song Jian gave a quick glance at the remaining items, shaking his head. Brother Song, are you sure you dont want any more? There are still two silver quality items left Wang Qi asked, his face filled with surprise. Enough, I have no use for the other two items. Song Jian responded, shaking his head. Brother Song, youre really generous! Wang Qi beamed, giving him a thumbs up. Tang Rong, why arent you thanking Brother Song yet? Theres a silver-quality dagger right here! What, a silver-quality dagger? Tang Rongs whole body quaked; he had been so focused on the silver gauntlet Song Jian picked up, that he had barely noticed the other items they got. Hearing about the silver-quality dagger made Tang Rongs heart start thumping wildly. Brother Song, are you really giving us this piece of equipment? Tang Rong asked, hardly able to believe it. You take it, I have no use for a Rogues dagger. Song Jian said, smiling. In actuality, a level 15 silver quality weapon, especially a dagger, thrown into an auction house, could easily get tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. However, Song Jian didnt want to appear too greedy while running a dungeon with his friends. He would only demand what was suited for him. He wouldnt intentionally hoard equipment just for a few tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins. Eagerly, Tang Rong began using the dagger. His damage instantly skyrocketed, leading him to chuckle to himself in satisfaction Theres a silver-quality one-handed hammer left. Ma Yu, do you want to take it? Wang Qi glanced at the other silver-quality item, hesitant to suggest. Ill take it. I have the Blunt Weapon Mastery skill, hehe. Ma Yus face broke into a hearty grin. Zhou Qing, you can take this blue quality priests robe and leggings. Wang Qi directed. Alright. Zhou Qing agreed enthusiastically, having not received a single piece of equipment until now, he suddenly found himself in the possession of two level 15 blue quality pieces of equipment Ill stash the remaining items for now. We can sell them later and then split the money. Wang Qi had assumed the role of team leader and quickly stowed all the leftover loot again. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Phew, this game is so bleak and oppressive. If it werent for the thrill of getting new equipment, Id have quit playing. Zhou Qing caressed his newly-acquired priests robe, a wistful expression on his face. Then you can go on vacation in real life, you know. Jiuzhaigou, Hainan C these are good places to go and admire the beautiful scenery Wang Qi felt obliged as a team leader to lift his teammates spirits and quickly suggested. Hmm, thats not a bad idea But Im broke, 1 cant afford to go! Zhou Qings face immediately fell at the suggestion. Wang Qi was momentarily flustered; his attempt at encouragement backfired, leaving his teammate more depressed. Well, 1 think the fountain park in the city isnt that bad he quickly offered. What the hell, team leader! Theres a huge difference between Jiuzhaigou, Hainan, and a park fountain! Ma Yu couldnt help but mock. What do you know? I often spend my time near the park fountain Wang Qi hurriedly countered. Dont you guys know that game items can be taken into the real world? Song Jian asked, somewhat baffled. Yes, we do know. Last time I found an awl that I could take out of the game. Zhou Qing admitted with a melancholic expression on his face. But what use do I have for an awl? I was so furious that I just tossed it. Items in the game with the attribute to be taken out are rare the more valuable the item, the rarer the attribute Tang Rong chimed in, appearing helpless. He had always hoped to find a take-out-able dagger, but to no avail. In reality, the value of items in the real world doesnt increase with their rank in the game Song Jian glanced around at the group, hesitating to continue. He was considering how best to explain it without hurting their pride. Boss, what do you mean? Wang Qi turned to him, puzzled. I once found a jewelry store where almost all the gold bracelets were considered junk in the game, but they could all be taken out! Song Jian blurted. What? Really, Brother Song? Zhou Qing jumped up from his spot on the ground, his face flushed with excitement. Yes, and Ive gotten some jewelry before. In the game, theyre considered junk, but in the real world, they could be sold for millions, or even tens of millions Song Jian continued. Zhou Qing and the others exchanged glances, suddenly catching their breath. Team leader, do you remember the Central Bank in the city where we were before? Zhou Qing abruptly shouted. Yes, yes, I do. At the time, we only searched the lobby and office areas and found a heap of worthless paper money. But their underground vaultwe couldnt get it open, so we just left Wang Qi recounted excitedly. Do you think that banks vault might have gold bars? Zhou Qings eyes started to sparide. Gold bars! Song Jians eyes lit up as well. It was highly plausible! After we finish this dungeon, lets go check that bank vault. Wang Qi suggested, his excitement palpable. Chapter 401: 401: The Star of Sin Chapter 401: The Star of Sin Translator: 549690339 | Inspired by Song Jian, everyone immediately started to get excited; however, Ma Yu took no time to pour cold water on them: The safes in the underground vault, can you open them? Theyre sturdy enough to resist a bomb, and not to mention, the walls and the door itself are thousands of pounds of concrete And youre forgetting, there were high-level monsters in that vault last time. We nearly lost our lives down there Tang Rong added somewhat fearfully. Gold bricks, guys! Those are actual gold bricks that we can take back to the real world! Each of them worth hundreds of thousands; even if we can only take one out at a time, wed be rich! Zhou Qing protested reluctantly. I do have a master key, maybe it can open the door to that vault Song Jian suddenly suggested. What, really? Ha! What do we have to fear now? Even if the monsters in there are formidable, are they as terrifying as the ones in this duplicate world? Weve made it this far, so what should we fear from creatures in the underground vault? Zhou Qing exclaimed. After we finish this duplicate world, well head straight to the banks underground vault, Wang Qi decided. Alright, then well entirely empty out that vault. Ha! Were going to be rich! Finally, days without work and loads of freedom are within our reach! Everyone instantly became energized. After a short rest of about ten minutes, when everyones Vitality and Spirit Points were completely replenished, they started cautiously making their way deeper into the dungeon. I think we should kill all the prisoners in these cages, Zhou Qing articulated while witnessing the aimless pacing of the imprisoned monsters, finding something odd about the situation. Thats a waste of time. Why not just finish the boss, clear the dungeon and be done with it? Were in a hurry, after all, Tang Rong shook his head. An idea crossed Song Jians mind, and he hastily told Tang Rong, You infiltrate it, find out what kind of property this boss monster has. Elite Level or Lord Level? Tang Rong was taken aback for a moment but did not reject the proposal, instead, he skillfully performed a stealth maneuver, quietly advancing forward. There were quite a lot of monsters in the corridor. After cautiously checking the room at the end of the corridor, upon his return, Tang Rong mentioned to Song Jian 20th level, Lord Level boss. What, a 20th-level Lord Level Boss? Wang Qi and the others exclaimed in astonishment. For them, this task was practically unachievable. It appears we should first clear all the small monsters in these cages, Song Jian suggested with a bitter smile. Lord Level Bosses have a summoning skill. Its quite possible he will summon all the small creatures from the cages halfway through the fight. At that point, with so many small monsters, I may not be able to hold them back alone. Safety first, safety first! Wang Qi and the others responded in fear. Lets start with the cages on the left; there are only two monsters in there! Tang Rong pointed to a cage behind him. You guys group up into fours, Ill go solo. Split and act, itll be quicker. Song Jian proposed. Alright, Brother Song, If something happens, just yell and well come to your aid, Wang Qi immediately responded. Its more like if we run into something, well yell for Brother Song, Ma Yu smirked at Wang Qi. The monsters in the cages were much easier to handle than the ones in the corridor. They were all groggy and acted as if they lost their senses, only attacking the enemies who dared to enter their confinements. Moreover, they merely claw at their foes during the attacks. They did not possess any special traits or skills, just a higher amount of vitality than their outdoor zombie counterparts; Song Jian mopped up two or three cages in a row and after neutralizing a small monster in the fourth cage, found something was off about this cage; Not only did this cage contain a plain wooden bed, it also had a desk and a chair, while the rest of the cages were filled with nothing more than dry straws. Overcome by curiosity, Song Jian pulled open the drawer of the table, and inside, he found a decomposed notebook and a corroded pen. These two items werent even worthy of being considered odds and ends. The notebook crumbled to pieces at the slightest touch, and the pen was corroded to the extent that even the cap wouldnt come off. After thoroughly searching the drawer and finding nothing of interest, Song Jian shook his head, shifting his attention to the wooden bed. At this point, a thin mattress was resting on the plain wooden bed, covered with dirty stains. Song Jian walked up, grabbed it, and threw it away. Suddenly, a smooth wooden board appeared in front of Song Jians eyes. Numbers were carved into the board with fingertips. 2,7,13,45,- Two, seven, thirteen, forty-five? Song Jian frowned in confusion: What does this mean? After a while of thinking without coming to any conclusions, Song Jian shook his head in disappointment and left. Just as he was leaving the cage, the whole wooden bed started to decay rapidly, as if a few minutes had spanned several decades, or centuries. Even the wooden legs failed to support the bed, slowly rotting and collapsing. In a blink of an eye, the wooden bed turned into a pile of decaying ruins; At this moment, a metal plate appeared under the bed on the floor. Most of the plate was buried under the debris of the decayed bed, with only a palm-sized area exposed, and unless looked at closely, it could easily go unnoticed; Everyone together took more than two hours to clear off all the small monsters in the corridor and the cages. It appeared that there were only two Bosses in the entire dungeon, they had already killed one, so only one remained in the room at the end of the corridor; Only this one is left, kill it, and we can clear the entire dungeon, Ma Yu said, somewhat excited. Hey, do you think well be on TV? Tang Rong asked, laughing. I dont think so. Only by completing the highest difficulty in the dungeon, do we stand a chance to be featured on TV. Zhou Qing shook his head. May luck be with me, let a silver-quality shield drop for me! Ma Yu prayed with his hands together; Ha-ha, arent you afraid that a level twenty shield will drop? Then youll only be able to watch but not use it. Wang Qi laughed. As long as its a shield, Ill be able to use it sooner or later, Ma Yu retorted indignantly. Im going for it! Song Jian smirked, holding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand, heading towards the final room; Evil Star Samodo, Lord level, Level 20, Vitality: 8100/8100, Traits: Cruelty, Berserk, Skills: Star-breaking Slash, Imprison, Armor-breaking Strike, Angry Roar, Summoning, Slaughter; Song Jian was about to enter when he reconsidered and with a wave of his hand, he summoned two fire elves. Following that, he summoned his pet, the Black Dragon Hatchling. The two 20th level fire elves were considerably larger than Song Jian, their upper body wafting with heat, and beneath their waist was a blaze of fire. The searing temperature caused the surrounding air to warp and distort. Go, attack that monster! Song Jian pointed at the boss ahead and commanded. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 402: 402: Slaughter Chapter 402: Slaughter Translator: 549690339 | Song Jians summoned fire elemental had completely changed its appearance from before; previously, he would summon level ten fire elementals, but now that he had reached level 20, the fire elemental had also been upgraded to level 20, becoming more fierce and stronger. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a roar, the two fire elementals charged at the level 20 Lord level BOSS in a hall ahead with incredible speed. As soon as they entered the hall, the BOSS detected the intruders, let out a ferocious roar, and swung its giant blade almost as long as its own body at the fire elementals. Boom! Sparks flew as the fire elemental that had been targeted by the BOSS suffered over 300 points of damage, while the BOSS took over 100 points of fire damage. Broken Wing Dance! Swinging the longsword, Song Jian joined the fray. The Black Dragon whelp let out a dragon chant, soared into the air, and began spewing Dragon Breath and magic at the BOSS. Lets go! Zhou Qing, keep an eye on our vitality! Wang Qi shouted. A level 20 Lord level BOSS is usually a force to be reckoned with, so the four of them would surely turn and flee if they encountered it. After all, the level difference alone is enough to make their attacks less effective, while the BOSS could inflict exponentially more damage on them. If it werent for Song Jian drawing the aggro to himself, Wang Qi and his companions wouldnt have the courage to engage the BOSS. Within thirty seconds, the incredibly damaging BOSS had chopped both fire elementals to pieces, and turned its attention to Song Jian. Since the fire elementals had been summoned by Song Jian, killing them did not divert the aggro. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jians sword moves flowed like a tide, one after another, relentless in their pursuit of the BOSS. Every strike inflicted over 200 points of damage, causing the BOSS to bellow with rage as its vitality continuously dropped. Wang Qi and his companions dodged the BOSSS attacks carefully, dealing only ten or twenty points of damage each time, but they gritted their teeth and contributed their efforts. In the name of Samodo, I declare you guilty and incarcerated! Samodo knocked Song Jian back with a slash and pointed to the Black Dragon whelp in midair, which had been constantly raining fireballs on him, shouting angrily. Suddenly, countless strands of black energy appeared in midair and coalesced into black chains that shot toward the Black Dragon whelp. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- Seven or eight chains danced around the Black Dragons body as if controlled by someone, quickly creating a black cage, locking the young dragon tightly inside. Aow! With a piercing cry, the Black Dragon whelp struggled, causing the black chains to grow taut and dig into the gaps between its thick scales. However, no matter how hard it struggled, the black chains remained unbroken. Bang! The young Black Dragon fell heavily to the ground. At this moment, its body, neck, wings, and even its mouth were bound by black chains, appearing like a large rice dumpling. Song Jians heart pounded, but after taking a closer look, he saw that the black chains had only ensnared the Black Dragon whelp without causing any actual harm, and relaxed. This level 20 Lord level BOSS was almost equal in strength to Song Jian, and just the wind from its powerful strikes left Wang Qi and the other melee characters struggling to breathe. Fighting this BOSS was especially difficult for them, even when it wasnt paying attention to them. Whoosh- A flash of white light fell on Song Jian from above, instantly restoring a portion of his lost vitality. Immortal Sword Body, activate! Song Jian gritted his teeth and activated his Immortal Sword Body, his strength soaring once more granting him a significant increase in all attributes by seven points. Now, Song Jian could overpower level 20 Lord BOSS Samodo. Boom, boom, boom- After several clashes, Samodo had an astonished expression on its face. The sudden increase in strength caught it off-guard. After exchanging blows several times, it was forced to retreat several steps, back now against the wall and with nowhere to run. Feeling humiliated, Samodo had never been pushed so far. With a loud roar, a bloody aura emanated from the BOSSS body, filling the entire room with the wails of ghostly cries akin to those of lamenting spirits. You idiots, hurry up and help! Samodo shouted, smashing its fist into the wall behind it to vent its anger. However, after a while, no one else had rushed into the room. At this point, Wang Qi and his companions suddenly realized their relief that they had cleared the cage of monsters first. If they hadnt, the monsters in the cage would have already swarmed into the room. Even with Song Jians strength, they would probably have to flee and rethink their strategy, while the four of them were likely to die in the fight. A chill ran down their spines as the four exchanged glances. Fortunately, while the BOSS was roaring, the group continued to deal damage with their unabated attacks, quickly reducing the BOSSS vitality by 700-800 points. Furious at the lack of help from the prisoners, Samodo gripped the massive handle of its weapon with both hands, held the blade horizontally, and started spinning like a top. Slaughter! The BOSS roared as it charged towards Song Jian. Fuck! Tang Rongs face changed drastically as he retreated, but he was still grazed by the swinging blade, reducing his vitality by half. He flew through the room like a pinball and slammed into the wall. Ma Yus reaction was a beat slower than Tang Rongs, making him take even more damage. However, Ma Yu was relatively unscathed, as he had a shield for protection, only losing about a third of his vitality. Looking at the new cracks in his shield, Ma Yu had a tearful expression on his face. The shields durability had already decreased by more than 20 points, leaving only about 15 points left. If the fight continued, the shield would likely be finished after the battle. Flash, flash, flash- Several beams of white light fell, and the vitality of Ma Yu and Tang Rong was quickly restored to more than half. As soon as Song Jian saw the BOSS roar and charge at him with blade spinning, he immediately used the Sword Shadow Step, fleeing toward the exit. Woo, woo, woo- Dark howls emanated from the BOSS, chasing after Song Jian at a rapid pace. Wang Qi and his companions were terrified. They couldnt withstand such attacks, and even if Zhou Qing used his ultimate healing ability, it would be too late to heal them. Now, only Wang Qi could attack, holding his weapon and continuously pulling the trigger to shoot at the BOSS. However, the bullets were all deflected by the BOSSS rotating blade, and a series of MISS texts floated above its head. Chapter 403: Armor-piercing Explosive Bullet Chapter 403: Armor-piercing Explosive Bullet The BOSSS final attack was increasing in speed as time passed, and a hint of crimson appeared on the spinning blade, the invisible force it generated was growing larger and larger. One meter, three meters, five meters, In the end, there was nowhere left in the room to dodge the BOSSS final attack. Out of options, Song Jian had to flee the room, sprinting towards the main door of the instance. Boom- The BOSS burst through the main door of the room, slicing the walls on either side and reducing them to a pile of rubble. The four teammates huddled in a corner, quivering with fear. If Song Jian hadnt lured the BOSS away, they would undoubtedly be corpses by now. This This is the power of a level 20 Lord-level BOSS? Zhou Qings eyes were filled with fear. The terrifying figure of the BOSS had left an indelible shadow in his heart. Should Should we go and help? Wang Qi asked in a weak voice. The room fell into silence. Melee fighters cant get close at all. Ma Yu cast a glance at Tang Rong, muttering under his breath. Yeah, we cant get close. Tang Rong was still shaken and almost got one-shotted by the BOSS earlier. Im a priest Zhou Qing glanced over at Wang Qi. He was grateful he was a priest who stood far back; otherwise, with his cloth armor defense, he would have been one-shotted by merely touching the BOSS. All eyes turned to Wang Qi. Captain Wang, why dont you represent our team and offer some assistance? Yes, we should help and not just spectate. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing when the spoils of war are distributed! Captain Wang, your class is the most suitable, you dont have to risk your life. Just stay at a distance and shoot, even failing to cause damage doesnt matter. The main thing is for our teams attitude to be shown. Yes, yes, attitude, attitude is very important!- The three discussed among themselves while Wang Qis face turned pale. The blade of the BOSS had whizzed in front of him earlier, and even the force of it had caused his cheek to sting. Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Under the expectant gazes, Wang Qi gritted his teeth, tightly clenched his weapon, and shouted in a low voice: Ill do it. Ill go help him! With that, Wang Qi charged towards the BOSS. What a man! Respect. With this kind of daring spirit, he really deserves to be the captain. If theres a chance to cover the rear in the future, dont fight him for it. Hell get annoyed. Yeah, yeah, rear-covering tasks can all be given to the captain in the future. He can handle it for sure. Although Wang Qi felt afraid, he also knew that Song Jian was currently holding all of the BOSSS aggro, and even if he fought desperately, he wouldnt be able to draw its attention. But still, he was afraid! Everywhere the BOSS went was like the passing of a violent storm, the cages were twisted and disfigured by the force of the BOSS, pressing and extending the corridor by three to four meters. Song Jian looked back, the duration of the BOSSS skill was quite long; it had been more than ten seconds already, yet it continued spinning relentlessly. The invisible forces around it had formed into a robust tornado. The multitude of sword forces within the tornado collided with each other, sparking bright sparks. If they continued running, they would exit the instance, and the BOSS would then turn its attention to Wang Qi and the others. Although Wang Qi looked terrified, he was still continually attacking the BOSS. Song Jian could not bear to cause trouble for them by leading the BOSS their way. Im going all in! Song Jian quickly weighed the options in his mind, gritted his teeth, and turned around to charge at the BOSS. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Waving his long sword, Song Jian amazingly collided with the sword-force tornado; Boom- With a loud bang, the entire game area trembled slightly. Song Jian felt a strong force surge towards him, forcing him to step back, but he soon stabilized, engaging his Hearts Eye skill. His eyes radiated faint glints of light; Clang! Clang! Clang! Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, always swung from an uncanny angle, tearing through the cyclone of blade energy that the BOSS generated. His sword clashed with the BOSSS long black blade; Once, twice, three times, Song Jians nerves were taut, like steel threads. His full attention was focused on every movement, every detail of the BOSS. Each clash of sword on blade was crucial; even a small deviation could cause Song Jian to lose all his progress, and be thrown into the air by the BOSSS powerful energy; lhe essence of the Tai Chi Sword Skill is the dissipation of force. The BOSSS cyclone of blade energy was likened to a massive wave, and Song Jian was like a solid rock. Collisions constantly occurred, but with each clash, he shattered the waves of energy; The proficiency of his Tai Chi Sword Skill was increasing at an astonishing pace. In a short span of time, his proficiency level had elevated to 100%; If Song Jian were to open his skill bar now, he would notice a constant golden glow within the Tai Chi Sword Skill column. The 100% limit seemed to blur, as though the level cap was being constantly honed; With every clash of sword and blade, the aura that the BOSS had built up slowly dissipated. Its once-fluid moves now seemed obstructed by a pebble, causing minor delays each time; Suddenly, the cyclone of blade energy the BOSS controlled could not be sustained any longer. It dissipated with a boom, leaving behind a burst of energy. Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill also ran its course at this point, and without his guard up, he was thrown into the air by the energy and harshly smashed into the wall near the entrance of the game area; Just then, Wang Qi was loading a bullet more than two fingers long into his gun. This was the Armor-piercing Explosive Bullet that Wang Qi had purchased from a wandering merchant for a thousand Doomsday Coins. You could not find this kind of bullet in the regular system shop. This was one of Wang Qis last resorts. Although costly, the damage inflicted by this bullet justified its price; At this moment, Wang Qi held the gun steady in both hands that appeared as still as if made of iron, his cheek pressed against the cold bolt of the gun. His right eye was peering through the scope, unblinkingly fixed on the back of the BOSSS head; Target locked Target hit location determined Energy charge-up Energy charge-up exceeds 120% Warning: This shot could deal 180% damage to the target, but will also inflict permanent damage on the firearm, reducing its maximum durability by 10 points permanently; The cold, mechanical voice echoed in Wang Qis ears, but he remained unfazed; Previously, he had fired at least a hundred rounds, but not a single one hit the BOSS amidst the blade energy whirlwind. Thats why he brought out this bullet. Wang Qi took a deep breath, finally pulling the trigger; Bang- lhe gun recoiled fiercely, the muzzle flashing with a light blue flame over a foot long; Crack- A clear shattering sound came from within the gun, causing Wang Qis face to go deathly pale. Despite the pain in his two arms, as if his bones had cracked, it was no comparison to the cold dread in his heart; Damn, seems like a low-probability event has occurred These thoughts ran through Wang Qis mind; At that moment, the blade energy cyclone from the BOSS had been shattered by Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill. Song Jians body had harshly smacked into a wall, and the BOSS, roaring, tottered backwards; Thud- A crisp sound of impact reverberated, the BOSSS body staggered briefly. Something seemed to have been shot out from between its brows, spraying a streak of blood; Chapter 404: Distributing the Spoils of War 404 Chapter 404: Distributing the Spoils of War Watching the BOSS collapse, Wang Qi couldn''t help but feel an incredible sensation. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Congratulations, you have killed the final BOSS of the secret realm "Sinful Bloody Cage" and gained 120,000 battle experience. System: You and your friends have successfully explored the secret realm "Sinful Bloody Cage", completing 80% of it. Your achievements will be forever recorded at the entrance, for all to see. Wang Qi''s strike had directly wiped out the nearly two thousand remaining Vitality Points of the BOSS. Seeing the "-1897" damage numbers floating above the BOSS''s head, Wang Qi felt as if he were dreaming. "How... how is this possible..." Wang Qi couldn''t believe it in his heart, but immediately after, he felt immense surprise. "How is this possible!~" Tang Rong was the first to exclaim. Only the five of them could see the system prompt. When they saw that Wang Qi had killed the BOSS, the other three members of the team couldn''t help but feel absurd. "Captain, did you steal Brother Song''s BOSS?" Ma Yu looked at his companion with a puzzled face. "What do you mean ''steal Brother Song''s BOSS?'' Aren''t we exploring and fighting the BOSS together? You can only say..." Zhou Qing pondered for a moment before continuing, "The captain stole the last hit on the BOSS." "Anyway, the captain did a great job this time. Since entering the instance, I felt awkward. We didn''t seem to be playing much of a companion role, it''s like we were just trinkets hanging on the boss''s leg." Ma Yu shrugged his shoulders and said casually. "Quick, go see how the captain and Brother Song are doing." Zhou Qing put away his Magic Staff and walked toward the outside of the room. "The most important thing is to see if the BOSS has dropped any equipment suitable for us, hehe." Tang Rong played with the newly acquired silver-quality dagger, chuckling. Seeing Wang Qi standing dumbly in the corridor, Zhou Qing walked up to him and patted his shoulder, saying, "Hey, captain, well done. For that last strike, did you use a trump card?" "Captain, I told you to buy more of those bullets at the time, saying that once we missed that village, we wouldn''t have that shop. You only bought one, now you must regret it." Tang Rong came out laughing. When they had met the wandering merchant, all of them were together. Wang Qi, with embarrassed pockets, only bought one bullet and was lectured by Tang Rong for a long time. When they had money later, they went to find the wandering merchant again but could never find him. At this time, Song Jian had already struggled out of the wall. Glancing at the BOSS''s corpse lying in a pool of blood, he couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. "The feeling just now, it was strange, as if I had entered a state of epiphany," Song Jian thought to himself. Opening the skill column, Song Jian was astonished. The level of his Tai Chi Sword Skill had reached level 2 at 89%. He remembered that his Tai Chi Sword Skill level had been only one before, and it was still quite a distance from being full. How could it suddenly break through to level 2 now, and not cost any skill points? Just as Song Jian was feeling astonished, he suddenly heard Tang Rong exclaim, "Wow, golden equipment!" Song Jian looked at the dropped BOSS loot. Amongst the seven or eight items, a ring with a faint golden glow was quietly lying there. Song Jian gave a slight smile and picked up all the items. "Ring of Blood (Gold), Ring, Item Level 20, Equipment Effect: Strength +5, Agility +3, Constitution +3, Maximum Vitality Points +200, Special Effect 1: Vampiric (Passive), 15% of the damage dealt to the target will be converted into Vitality Points to replenish the user; Special Effect 2: Bloodthirst (Active), the user will gain a Bloody Shield with 1000 defense points, and 50% of the damage absorbed by the Bloody Shield will be converted into Vitality Points to replenish the user; After the Bloody Shield shatters, it will deal 500 true damage to all surrounding enemies and cause them to be unable to attack or move for 3 seconds; Skill Cooldown: 60 minutes; Item Usage Requirement: Level 20; Can it be taken out of the game: No" "I''ll take this ring, is that okay?" Song Jian asked, glancing at the others. Ma Yu, Tang Rong, and Wang Qi were all suitable for this ring. However, upon hearing Song Jian''s words, they all shook their heads hastily. "Brother Song, if you like it, just take it. Don''t ask us," Wang Qi said with a smile. "Yeah, Brother Song, this ring requires level 20 to wear. Even if it were given to us, we couldn''t use it," Ma Yu scratched his head and grinned. "Feeling guilty, aren''t you?" Tang Rong whispered in Ma Yu''s ear. Song Jian gave a slight smile, chose Need, and the four pals quickly chose to abandon it. Song Jian replaced the Ring of Strength with the Ring of Blood, putting it on. With this ring, Song Jian''s agility attribute finally broke through the 40-point barrier, and his Vitality Points reached 1,720. It was almost no different from a BOSS. Now, except for the lower Vitality Points, Song Jian''s attributes were almost no different from a Level 20 Elite BOSS. And once he activated the Immortal Sword Body, his attributes could completely crush a Level 20 Elite BOSS. In addition to the golden ring, the BOSS also dropped two silver attribute weapons. One was a gorgeous Level 15 weapon, the "G24 Gauss Sniper Rifle." This sniper rifle had not only great power, but also a long range and a firing rate of one shot every 3 seconds. Moreover, its built-in magazine could automatically form a sniper bullet every minute, with a 10% chance of forming a special bullet. The built-in magazine capacity was twenty rounds, and once the bullet limit was reached, it couldn''t continue to generate more. Song Jian directly threw the gun to Wang Qi. Wang Qi posted the attributes of the rifle, and it immediately attracted everyone''s gasps. From now on, Wang Qi would most likely become the main damage dealer of the team. "Good stuff, good stuff!" Tang Rong was so envious that his eyes were about to bleed. With this weapon, Wang Qi''s damage would at least double, and he would have the ability to generate bullets, making up for the huge consumption issues faced by gunners. "There''s also a silver-quality Codex, a priest''s off-hand equipment, for you!" Song Jian threw the silver-glowing Codex to Zhou Qing. "Is there one for me too?" Zhou Qing asked, surprised. Upon receiving the Codex, Zhou Qing couldn''t help but exclaim "Damn" and kissed it twice. Ranged professions'' off-hand equipment was originally scarce, and Zhou Qing hadn''t acquired any until now, only using a two-handed staff. However, this Level 15 silver-quality Codex''s attributes far surpassed his current two-handed staff, further solidifying his decision to switch to a one-handed staff. As for the remaining blue and green equipment, Song Jian glanced at them, found nothing he needed, and handed them all to Wang Qi to sell. Among them were four Enhancement Stones, and along with the previous ones dropped from monsters, the group had a total of twenty-two Enhancement Stones. Then, Song Jian showed the last item to everyone, waved it twice, and said with a smile, "According to our previous agreement, this item belongs to me!" ... Chapter 405: Leaving 405 Chapter 405: Leaving Song Jian was holding a potion recipe diagram in his hand. "Let me see what the recipe is?" Tang Rong looked interested because he also studied alchemy and pharmacology as a side occupation. Song Jian generously showed the potion recipe. "Brave Potion recipe. After use, you can learn how to craft ''Brave Potion''. Usage Requirement: Alchemy and Pharmacology level 5. Brave Potion: After consumption, all attributes increase by 10% with a duration of 30 minutes. You can only use one bottle at a time, and stacking is not effective." "A status potion! My God, this is a potion you can use your whole life!" Tang Rong exclaimed in surprise. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This potion is almost useless for novices, but the higher the level and stronger the person using it, the greater the effect of the potion. For Song Jian, using this potion would increase attributes by 4 strength, 4 agility, 2 constitution, 1 spirit, 1 intelligence, and 1 charismaa total of thirteen attribute points. The higher the attribute value of a person, the stronger the increase effect. Even if Tang Rong and the others used it, they could increase their attributes by three or four points. "Don''t be envious. Even if I gave it to you, you couldn''t learn it. As I recall, your Alchemy and Pharmacology level is only 1." Ma Yu looked at Tang Rong and said. "It''s already at 96% for level 1. I will reach level 2 soon, thank you!" Tang Rong replied without hesitation. "Even if you reach level 3, you can''t learn it. This recipe requires level 5. That''s quite a distance for you." "Thank you for your reminder, but I can see the usage requirements of this recipe." Song Jian just smiled and, right in front of everyone, instantly learned the formula. The whole recipe transformed into golden fragments and surged towards Song Jian. This sight made Tang Rong''s mouth twitch a bit. "Did you really have to learn it right in front of us? Is it so great to have a high level in Pharmacology?" Tang Rong howled in his heart. The others just sympathetically looked at Tang Rong without uttering a word. "Brother Song, we''ve got twenty-two enhancement stones in total this time. How about we split them directly instead of selling them? They''re hard to come by." Wang Qi hesitated for a moment before saying to Song Jian. "Enhancement stones? Sounds good!" Song Jian gave a slight smile. He wanted the enhancement stones, but he already took the most valuable things from the dungeon. Asking for enhancement stones now, even though Wang Qi and the others would surely give them to him, it would seem a bit greedy. "Let''s each have four stones, and the rest goes to you, Brother Song." Wang Qi handed over six enhancement stones. "Alright!" Song Jian glanced at the others and, seeing no objections, he took the enhancement stones. "Heh, I''m going to use mine on my codex!" Zhou Qing said excitedly. "Of course, I''m using mine on my weapon." Tang Rong looked eager to try. Ding, ding, ding~ Wang Qi, who had been silent all along, directly smashed all four of his enhancement stones onto his newly acquired Gauss sniper rifle. Four enhancement stones increased the rifle''s damage by 40. This damage was nearly comparable to that of a silver-quality weapon at level 20. Enhancement stones can enhance weapons and armor, but they can''t enhance rings or other accessories. Song Jian thought for a while and directly smashed the enhancement stones onto his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Of the six stones, five were successfully enhanced, and one failed. The damage of his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword increased by fifty. It was terrifying how even a single normal attack could cause more than two-hundred points of damage. "Brother Song, why is our dungeon exploration completion only 80%?" Zhou Qing suddenly asked. You know, the higher the completion rate of the dungeon exploration, the more rewards you get. Having only completed 80%, clearly appears as if there''re areas in the dungeon they haven''t explored yet. "I''m not sure, maybe there are places we haven''t explored yet?" Song Jian frowned slightly he also saw the previous system prompt and was taken aback when he saw the 80% completion rate. Just then, the strange cage made of beds, tables, and chairs they''d discovered before, popped into his mind. "Let''s go check it out!" Song Jian strode towards the previous cage. At this point, the wooden bed in the cage had already turned into rubble, and the table and chairs had been destroyed during the previous boss fight. But a strange pattern faintly appeared on the ground amidst the rubble. After sweeping away the rubble of the wooden bed, Song Jian found it to be a peculiar Hexagram Array Diagram. It looked somewhat similar to the summoning array he used for summoning Blood Servants. "There might be a hidden boss in this dungeon..." Song Jian said in a low voice. However, now that the dungeon has been completed, they could only enter once a day. So, to verify Song Jian''s guess, they would have to wait until tomorrow. "Shall we come back tomorrow and see?" Tang Rong glanced at his companions and asked. All eyes turned to Song Jian. Song Jian nodded. He had nothing else to do anyway, and even if the items dropped from the dungeon were reduced by one tier, not all of Song Jian''s equipment was level 20. He might as well take this opportunity to complete his level 20 equipment set. "Alright, so we''ll come back tomorrow!" Wang Qi said with a laugh. "Let''s rest for two hours now, and then go to the Central Bank together. How about it, Brother Song?" After clearing a dungeon, Song Jian had used up a lot. He had exhausted all his Weakness Potions and Slowness Potions, with only two bottles of healing potions left. Wang Qi still had many dungeon drops that he wanted to sell off now. Song Jian nodded and said, "Okay, let''s rest for two hours and then go directly to the Central Bank." ... The Central Bank is marked prominently on Song Jian''s map. It''s a level 20 monster areawho knows how Wang Qi and the others had dared to explore there before. Clearing a dungeon was exhausting. Song Jian was on the brink of mental breakdown, especially after the final boss fight. Although he had entered a state of understanding that greatly enhanced his Tai Chi Sword Skill, it took a heavy toll on his mental strength. His head was slightly aching at the moment, and he wished he could sleep right away. But when he returned to the Manor Castle and was about to rest, the butler George was still waiting outside his room. "George, what is it?" If it wasn''t something important, George wouldn''t do this. "My lord, your female guest has woken up. She left with the Dawn Warrior you newly recruited. Here''s a note she left for you." George handed a folded note to Song Jian. "What? She left and took the Dawn Warrior I recruited recently?" A stunned Song Jian quickly checked the follower interface. Fortunately, the Dawn Warrior had not betrayed him and his loyalty had not decreased either. "I saved her life, and she ran off with my follower. Let''s see what she has to say." A disgruntled Song Jian opened the note to read it carefully. Chapter 406: 406: Library (Extra update for “Never Abandon, Never Give Up, Dragon Master”) Chapter 406: Library (Extra update for Never Abandon, Never Give Up, Dragon Master) New Media Library? Dr. Kang Lin, damn it, is there a place called New Media Library in this city? Song Jian glanced at the note, which only had one sentence on it, instructing him to find the New Media Library and look for a man named Dr. Kang Lin, who would tell him what was really going on. You kidnap my follower, whom Ive trained with great care, and then make me go to such a strange place. What on earth are you trying to do, my dear Priest? Song Jian crumpled the note and snorted coldly before turning to leave. At the moment, he was not in a good mood. The potential of the Dawn Warrior was immense, possessing the talents to become a great warrior. However, the only thing that displeased Song Jian was that this young man had a very firm faith in the Goddess of Dawn. Its likely that the Cecilia Priest used the name of the Goddess of Dawn to deceive him. As Song Jian left Manor Castle, he took out the city map and began searching for the so-called New Media Librarys location. After searching for a long time, he finally found the words New Media Library in the upper right corner of the city map. The place was more than thirty kilometers away from the safe house where Song Jian was staying, taking nearly an hour to reach by motorcycle. Moreover, he had to cross a level thirty monster area to get there. To Song Jians surprise, there was actually a small green area next to the New Media Library, indicating that there was another player living area similar to Camel Square. Interesting! Song Jian memorized the route and became somewhat interested in the area. There were five or six similar areas on the map, mostly near the outskirts of the city, where monster levels were low and suitable for new players. The further in the city, the higher the monster levels and the stronger they were. The central part of the city was a death zone, still ruled by the monsters. Song Jian summoned his motorcycle and headed towards the New Media Library. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Brr-brr-brr- The motorcycle was quite loud, attracting monsters within a hundred meters radius. This gave Song Jian a headache. Ever since encountering the Abyssal Nightmare, Song Jian had always wanted to change his mode of transport. Soon, Song Jian arrived at the area where the New Media Library was located, following the citys bypass on the map. Behind him, a large group of mutated zombies was still wildly chasing and roaring after him. Some of the mutated zombies had already lost their way after following for a long time, but even so, there were still more than a hundred level twenty mutated zombies and even a level twenty elite BOSS behind Song Jian. Fortunately, the BOSS was not an agile one; otherwise, Song Jian might not have reached his destination safely. Glancing at the elite BOSS, taller than the other zombies, Song Jian felt some regret. He put away his motorcycle and turned into a nearby alley. The low walls could not stop Song Jians progress; with a light leap, he disappeared into the alley. The monsters behind him swarmed into the alley, crashing into everything like headless flies. Although Song Jian was powerful, he was not yet able to fight off over a hundred monsters and an elite BOSS of the same level in an open road. If he had been surrounded by the monsters behind him, Song Jian could only use Morphing into Dark Cloud to escape, or be trapped and die where he stood. After turning a few corners, Song Jian finally stood in front of the New Media Library. Comparing to the dilapidated library in the Shadow District, the magnificent and enormous library before Song Jians eyes was a true library. It was probably the only library of its kind in the entire city. Looking at the dozens of wide steps in front of him, the library seemed like a medieval temple. Just one glance at it made people feel the majesty of the Creator and their own insignificance. Looking up the stairs, dozens of golden-armored guards were firmly guarding the entire library in the center. All of these guards were level thirty, possessing Tier 1 combat power. Just a glance made Song Jian grow cautious; these beings were beyond his current capacity to defeat. Some players at level ten and above were slowly walking towards the library gate, including several NPC professionals. These NPC professionals wore expressions of reverence, some even reciting hymns softly as they slowly climbed the steps. The players appeared more relaxed, but there was no horseplay, just walking calmly. As Song Jian was about to go up, he suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder. Hey, buddy, are you here to try your luck too? A young mans voice sounded in Song Jians ear. Turning his head, Song Jian saw a man in a grey Mage robe standing beside him. The mans body was enveloped by the robe, with a tall Mage hat on his head and a Magic Staff in hand. He looked like a wizard from a fairy tale. Perhaps sensing Song Jians strange gaze, Zhu Hao couldnt help but explain. This is a level ten set, and although it doesnt look good, the attributes are excellent! Zhu Hao even showed his sets attributes to Song Jian. Song Jian was slightly taken aback and immediately laughed. The player in front of him seemed to have no suspicion towards strangers at all. It was rare for any player to show their attributes to other players, let alone their equipment and skills. After a glance, Song Jian could see that the man was wearing a Magic Apprentice set, with six pieces in total. Once all the pieces were equipped, the sets attributes were indeed impressive, not only increasing spell damage but also automatically restoring mana. It could be considered a top-grade set. Youre so lucky, managing to collect such an excellent set! Song Jian complimented. Hehe, yeah, but it took me a lot of effort though. Otherwise, I would have been in the top ten of the level and honor boards, Zhu Hao said proudly. Oh, my name is Zhu Hao, by the way, and you? Song Jian! Song Jian replied with a faint smile. Hmm, that name sounds familiar, as if Ive heard it somewhere, Zhu Hao muttered. What did you say about trying your luck? Song Jian diverted the topic. You came here to try your luck, didnt you? This library has one entry quota per day. Once you enter, you just need to complete a simple task to get a book as a reward! Zhu Hao said excitedly. I entered once before, and I got a spell book as a reward. Hehe, 1 even heard someone got an alchemy drug formula, a forging blueprint, and even a book containing the locations of all the herbs in the game Chapter 407: 407: The Holy Land, Do Not Enter Chapter 407: The Holy Land, Do Not Enter Without Invitation Upon hearing the book detailing all herb locations in the game, Song Jian paused and couldnt help but ask, Theres a book like that? Of course! This is the citys largest library, Zhu Hao proudly exclaimed. From then on, Id come here every day to try my luck. Its a pity though, Ive never had another chance to enter ever since that one time. That is indeed a pity, Song Jian replied with a slight smile and began walking towards the steps. Ordinary people would probably be panting by the time they reached the library entrance at the end of these dozen steps. However, those who could stand here were elite professionals above level 10. Their physical stamina was robust, so such exertion was nothing for them. By the time Song Jian arrived at the library entrance, it was filled with people, including not just players but also numerous NPC professionals. They all stood quietly in their places, waiting silently. Cant we just go in? Song Jian asked quietly. Unless you can defeat the two guards at the entrance, Zhu Hao murmured. The guards standing at the librarys entrance were slightly different from those at other places. Their armour was more ornate, with purple magical patterns even painted on them. The aura they emitted was also more threatening than their peers. Even though the area in front of the library entrance was filled with people, nobody dared to approach them. Moreover, the levels of these two guards were not revealed. Their danger level was indicated only by two blood-red skull icons. Dont worry, a lucky person will randomly be chosen from everyone in ten minutes, Zhu Hao muttered, thinking Song Jian was getting impatient. However, what Song Jian was pondering at that moment was whether he could directly enter the library, as he was trusted with a mission given by Cecilia Priest. Just as Song Jian was hesitating, the library doors opened from the inside. A serious-faced young girl emerged from within. The young girl looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. She had chestnut-red hair, and her eyes shimmered with a deep blue reminiscent of the sea. Her delicate face was as exquisite as fine porcelain, inviting the urge to reach out and touch it. However, the girls expression held people back. As the girl emerged, almost everyone respectfully bowed to her. After all, she held the privilege of determining who could enter the library that day. She stood at the library entrance and scanned the crowd. Kulatu, come in, she said in a deep voice. With that, the girl turned and walked back into the library, her figure quickly disappearing within the entrance. She seemed to know the name of everyone present. After scanning the crowd, she randomly called out one name and left, not caring about anyone elses reaction. Cheers of joy and countless complaints resounded simultaneously. An NPC professional strode towards the library entrance. The two guards on either side made no move to stop him, and he soon disappeared inside the door. What the hell, this is the third time in a row that an NPC was selected! Yeah, I come here every day, but Ive never been chosen. Is my luck really that bad? It should be a players turn now, right? You cant discriminate like that! It would be better to choose two people at a time, one NPC and one player. Wouldnt that be fairer? Weary complaints came from all around, and the crowd began to dissipate. The players were grumbling, and while the NPC professionals didnt speak, their expressions were full of disappointment. Lets go, bro. We can only try again tomorrow, Zhu Hao sighed, addressing Song Jian. I want to try again, Song Jian replied with a slight smile, walking towards the door. Oh no, hold on, dude. Some people have done the same as you, trying to incite the library to increase the quota. They all got slashed by the guards, Zhu Hao cried out in alarm. He tried to stop Song Jian but hesitated upon glancing at the guards. Seeing Song Jian advancing towards the library door, some players couldn t help but stop and watch with mocking expressions on their faces. Hey, someone dares to challenge again! Has the lesson from last time not been enough or is this guy overestimating himself? Or perhaps he thinks the guards swords are blunt? Let me see the guards draw their swords again. The last time I watched, I felt like I was on the brink of realization Almost every day, these gamers would come here to try their luck. Some had been coming for over a month without ever being selected. Their pent-up resentment exploded upon seeing someone approach; everyone-with their mocking smiles-prepared to watch the guards slash this player away. The library doors hadnt closed yet, and seeing Song Jian approach, the guards eyes squinted, and a chilling intent radiated from them. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It felt as though Song Jian was walking on a battlefield strewn with dead bodies. Anyone with weaker willpower would likely have been scared away by now. Stop! The guard on the left placed his long sword in front of him to block Song Jian, growling, Intruders with no qualification to access the Holy Land-death awaits! I am Song Jian. Cecilia Priest sent me to find Dr. Kang Lin, Song Jian replied with a slight frown. Dr. Kang Lin? The blocking guard hesitated, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he put away his sword, glanced at his companion, who nodded in agreement. Wait here. Dont wander off. With that, the guard turned and went into the library. After a short while, the guard returned from the library. His attitude was far more respectful. Dr. Kang Lin is in the library. You can go in by yourself. Song Jian exhaled in relief and nodded, walking towards the library. Behind him, Zhu Hao stood speechless on the library steps, his mouth agape in disbelief, frozen as if turned to stone. Song Jian stepped into the library, the interior seemed to transport him into another world where everything was even more grand and expansive than what he had seen outside. Song Jian remembered only having seen such a magnificent sight before at the Apocalypse Supermarket. The library was filled with rows upon rows of documents. In the centre, there was a huge sphere emitting a gentle light. Many people surrounded it, seemingly checking something. Looking at all the books around him, Song Jian couldnt help but murmur to himself, There must be more than a hundred thousand books here, right? The exact number is 1,975,463 volumes, a gentle voice sounded from the side. When Song Jian turned his head, he saw a friendly-looking man with long hair smiling back at him. Chapter 408: 408: Searching for the Book of the Abyss Chapter 408: Searching for the Book of the Abyss Hello, 1 am Kang Lin, you must be the miraculous young man Cecilia talked about, Song Jian! Dr. Kang Lin reached out his right hand and said with a smile to Song Jian. Having shaken hands with Dr. Kang Lin, Song Jian couldnt help but ask: Can I know where Priest Cecilia is? Did she give you my information? She told me to find you, what is the matter? Also, is my Follower also here? Dr. Kang Lin was taken aback, then laughed: You have too many questions, why dont you ask Cecilia yourself? Please follow me! Song Jian glanced at the golden sphere in the middle of the library, nodded, and followed Dr. Kang Lin towards the passage ahead; The two of them walked along the interior passage of the library until they reached an elevator; Through the elevator, the two reached the third floor. In a spacious room, Priest Cecilia was sitting in front of a desk with a serious look. She was deeply engrossed in a thick book. There were also about ten other books scattered on the desk. It seemed she was looking for something in the books; Upon seeing Cecilia, Song Jian finally exhaled in relief. Although she looked a bit weak with a pale face, her breath was very stable, and it was clear that she had a good recovery; Cecilia! Song Jian couldnt help but call out, his tone full of resentment. Youre here, sit down and wait for me. Im reviewing some materials. Cecilia looked up at Song Jian and pointed casually towards the sofa next to her; At this moment, Dr. Kang Lin smiled slightly and left the room, closing the door behind him; Song Jian had no choice but to sit and wait patiently; After about ten minutes, Cecilia finally closed the book with a heavy sigh; Cecilia, where did you take my Follower? Seeing Cecilia finish reviewing, Song Jian couldnt help asking. He is a soldier of the Goddess of Dawn and naturally returned to where he should go! Cecilia said seriously: Your actions, to put it lightly, is an abduction of the Goddesss guardian, and to put it harshly, it is blasphemy! In ancient times, you would have been burned to death on a pyre by the followers of the Goddess of Dawn! But the goddess is merciful, she kept your merits in mind, thereby remitting your sins, and will not pursue this matter further. If 1 were you, I would go to the Dawn Temple, kneel before the Goddess and pray for a hundred days, thanking the Goddess for her mercy! Song Jian opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, and helplessly looked at Cecilia; Alright, Follower has huge potential and will surely become a Knight of Dawn. He is now receiving training in the Goddesss temple. Following you would only waste his talents! Cecilia looked at Song Jian and continued, Of course, you can continue to summon him for help in the future, but the frequency must be limited. You can only summon once a month at most. If too frequent, it would disrupt his training! What, 1 can only summon once a month? Song Jians eyes widened as he asked incredulously. Dont forget, he is a soldier of the goddess! Cecilias voice inadvertently rose a few degrees! Alright, you win! Song Jian sighed and said helplessly; Very good. Cecilias lips curled up slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, looked at Song Jian, showed a hint of softness in her eyes, and said softly: I also want to thank you for saving my life. Otherwise, the Abyssal Power might have corroded and destroyed my body! Right, I havent asked what happened yet? Song Jian seemed to recall something and asked hurriedly: Didnt you say that once we get the Book of Abyss, we can completely eliminate the Abyssal Demon? The Book of the Abyss contains the fundamental Abyssal Power. With it, we can completely kill the Abyssal Demon. However, I was ambushed by a group of giants while fighting against the Abyssal Demon after releasing its seal. The Book of Abyss was also snatched by those giants, and the Abyssal Demon banished me into the Abyssal Land while it got the chance Cecilia looked at Song Jian, a flicker of fright in her eyes. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fortunately, the place where it banished me to was the Desolate Highland of the Abyssal Land. There arent many powerful monsters there. I did my best to escape from there, but I was seriously injured. If it werent for your rescue, I guess I would have died now. Cecilia gave a faint smile, looked at Song Jian, and a hint of gratitude flashed in her eyes. Its good that the Abyssal Demon finally died at my hands. You said it wouldnt come back to life, would it? Song Jian said with some worry. The Abyssal Demon hates you even more than it does me. I didnt think it would come after you when it hadnt fully recovered. Cecilia seemed to think of something and couldnt help but chuckle: With the blessing of the goddess, if it had fully recovered, I guess you wouldnt be sitting in front of me now. But dont worry, even though I didnt kill it, the Book of the Abyss has reclaimed its resurrection power. After death, it wont come back to life again. Cecilia said; Thats good, by the way, you called me here for what? Song Jian asked. Im reviewing information about the giants who ambushed me Cecilia said: The giants spread around the world in the form of tribes. The ones who ambushed me are similar to the Abyss Giants in the legends. However, more than a thousand years ago, the Abyss Giants disappeared from this world. According to the data, their entire tribe entered the Abyssal Land and became real Abyssal creatures! You know, Abyssal creatures are repelled by the worlds forces when they enter our world. Its puzzling why those five giants can freely move about in our world Cecilia furrowed her brows slightly. Why think so much? Just find them and kill them, just like the Abyssal Demon! Song Jian stood up and said. Its not that simple, this involves the force of the world, Cecilia suddenly hesitated, looked at Song Jian, and said: Forget it, all this talking is useless, youre right, we must find them no matter what! Song Jian, I need your help. Can you help me find these giants and bring back the Book of Abyss they took? Cecilia stood up, looked at Song Jian and asked. System: Cecilia, the Dawn Officer, issued you the task Find the Book of Abyss, would you like to accept? Chapter 409: 409: Simple Task Chapter 409: Simple Task Looking at the task posted by Cecilia, Song Jian pondered for a moment before raising his head and inquiring, Cecilia, are those five trolls at a high level and have strong power? A trace of embarrassment crossed Cecilias face as she shook her head and replied, Their levels are only at twenty, and one of them even possesses the combat power of a level twenty elite boss. However, I dont think they would be considered a significant threat to you. Then how did they manage to ambush you? You possess a first-order combat power! Song Jians face displayed surprise. To Song Jian, first-order combat power is like an invincible power. For instance, the guards outside the library exude an aura that makes Song Jian shiver slightly. If he was to encounter them head-on, he reckons that he could only summon seventy or eighty percent of his full power; They ambushed me when I was fully invested in the Book of the Abyss, trying to completely eradicate the demon of the Abyss, Cecilia explained with frustration. Otherwise, a single divine art from me could easily wipe all five of them out! Alright, alright. The trolls shamelessly ambushed you. Song Jian quickly commiserated. Why dont you go find them and retrieve the Book of the Abyss? With Cecilias first-order combat power, she could easily defeat five level twenty elite bosses. Not to mention, only one amongst the five trolls possessed the power of an elite boss, the other four merely had the strength of ordinary monsters. I I cant locate them for the time being, Cecilia responded helplessly. The Book of the Abyss is a treasure of the Abyssal Clan. If it remains in this world for too long, the Abyssal Power will spill over like a plague, transforming any creature it touches into an Abyssal devil! A light of realization dawned on Song Jians face. So, Cecilia knew that he was a patron of the gods, in other words, a player. Thats why she gave him this task to retrieve the Book of the Abyss. Once Song Jian accepts this task, the game system will automatically guide him to the hiding spots of the five trolls. Compared to Cecilia aimlessly running around in Doomsday City, this method is much more efficient; Alright, I am willing to take on this task, Song Jian nodded in agreement. As soon as he consented, the quest, Find the Book of Abyss, appeared in his task column. Kill five trolls and locate the Book of the Abyss, are the requirements of this mission. On the task map, a yellow area the size of an egg marks where the five trolls are hiding; I know where the trolls are hiding now. Do you want to come? Song Jian raised his head and looked at Cecilia as he asked this question. Puzzlement crossed Cecilias face as she retorted, Isnt this mission already yours? Why would I need to go? Song Jian: Watching Song Jians mouth twitch twice without uttering a word, he turned to leave. Cecilia hurriedly called out, Hey, since you hardly come in here, remember to try some of the tasks from the lobby on the first floor. If youre lucky, you might even get a Skill Book! Thanks for the reminder! Song Jian thanked her without any expression; When Song Jian arrived at the main hall on the first floor, he saw Dr. Kang Lin, standing motionless under the golden sphere, seemingly comminicating with it; Upon glancing at the shelves around him, Song Jian saw that a faint golden barrier floated on the surface of every shelf. This barrier seems to mean that the books here couldnt be touched casually; Looking around, the library was wide but there were hardly any people. It seemed like the librarys staff outnumbered the readers; As Song Jian approached the central golden sphere, a soft female voice echoed in his mind. How may I assist you? Startled, Song Jian asked the huge golden sphere in front of him, Are you the one speaking to me? Yes, I am the librarian. You can tell me anything you need! Song Jian hesitated for a moment before asking, Do you have any information or skill books on the Swordsman Immortal profession here? After a moment, the female voice in his head spoke again, We have thirtysix books regarding the Swordsman Immortal profession available, including Top Ten Unique Professions, Origins of the Swordsman Immortal Profession, Swordsman Immortal Beginners Guide, among others. Additionally, we have six skill books for the Swordsman Immortal profession. However, to access them, youll need the highest library management authority. There are books about the Swordsman Immortal profession? Song Jians face displayed surprise. Huh? Song Jian, do you need something? Just as the startled Song Jian turned to leave, Dr. Kang Lin, who seemed to have finished his search, looked over curiously, Oh, Cecilia told me to complete one of the library tasks. If Im lucky, I might get a skill book Song Jian replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment; Well, since you managed to get into the library, you obviously meet the requirement to acquire knowledge. This is an opportunity, but todays tasks have already been taken Kang Lin frowned slightly and thought for a while before suggesting, How about this? Ill assign you a task. Help me check the ninth-hundred-sixty-fifth shelf, third row from the top, sixth book from the left. Tell me the name of that book, and youll have completed the task. You can then randomly pick one book from the librarys millions of books. Is it really that simple? Song Jian asked excitedly; Dr. Kang Lin carefully looked around, raised his index finger to his lips, motioning for him to be quiet; System: Dr. Kang Lin has assigned you a temporary task to find a book, do you accept? Accept! Having accepted the task, Song Jian quickly headed toward the bookshelf; Rows upon rows of bookshelves stood like a primeval jungle. However, each shelf had a clear number and were divided into several large sections. Following the sector numbers and shelf numbers, completing Dr. Kang Lins task would be quite easy; Within a short while, Song Jian found the book Dr. Kang Lin had requested; Although the golden light curtain prevented Song Jian from physically touching the books, it didnt prevent the viewing of the books titles. The books title, On the Feasibility of Fusing Space Magic and Time Magic, was clearly written on the side; Running back, he told Dr. Kang Lin the title of the book. Dr. Kang Lin flashed a smile and said, Congratulations on completing the task, now lets see how lucky you are. After speaking, Dr. Kang Lin waved his hand, causing a semi-transparent roulette wheel to appear before Song Jian; it was filled with various books and scrolls; Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 410: 410: The Broken Scroll of Sword Control Skill Chapter 410: The Broken Scroll of Sword Control Skill Dr. Kang Lin pointed to the spinning wheel and said, Start spinning, and after three seconds, say stop. The book the pointer points at will be your task reward. Start! Woosh- The wheel started spinning rapidly. After three seconds, Song Jian shouted, Stop! This kind of game doesnt have any skills. It depends entirely on luck. At this time, Song Jians luck surpassed that of the average person by 8 pointsa highly lucky situation. Therefore, he was very confident in this method of obtaining rewards based on luck. Soon, the wheel gradually slowed down to a stop, its pointer pointing at a small sector a fingers width wide. Suddenly, a silver light burst forth and a pebble-sized stone floated down from the wheel, landing in Song Jians hand. Silver quality? Doctor Kang Lin revealed a surprised look in his eyes, glanced at the Skill Stone, then laughed, Youre really lucky; you even obtained a reward of the highest quality! The task Dr. Kang Lin gave to Song Jian was of the lowest difficulty, so it was impossible for the task rewards to be of high quality. The highest quality would only be silver. Moreover, there were only a limited two or three types of skills with a silver quality; most of the dozens of other types were of white quality books. Unexpectedly, Song Jian directly selected a silver quality Skill Stone. Skill Stone: Sword Control Skill Luck Chapter. Use this to comprehend the way of luck in the Sword Control Skill. Requirement for use: Swordsman profession. Sword Control Skill? Luck Chapter? It seems to be a fragment of the full Sword Control skill. Song Jian looked at the introduction of the Skill Stones attributes and couldnt help but frown. A fragment of a full skill could actually reach silver quality. Then wouldnt the skill called Sword Control Skill be of at least a golden rank? A chapter of the Sword Control Skill? Dr. Kang Lin glanced at the Skill Stone, then raised his head and looked at Song Jian. He couldnt help but burst into hearty laughter, Fate! True Fate! 1 believe that you will become a great swordsman in the future. Song Jian gave a slight smile and directly used the Skill Stone. Soon, the Skill Stone turned into countless silver fragments and entered his body. Suddenly, within his dantian, a warm current started to surge, centered in the dantian, swirling like a vortex and gradually rotating. Next, wave after wave of warm current was flung out of his dantian by the vortex and flowed through Song Jians meridians to all parts of his body. In the skills column, the text Sword Control Skill C Luck Chapter had also appeared. However, there was no skill proficiency bar or level behind this skill. That is to say, Song Jian couldnt level it up at this time. But the warm current in his body was genuinely real, not an illusion. Moreover, what surprised Song Jian the most was the invisible Sword Qi, which originally had an upper limit of one hundred points, now started to slowly increase. It jumped every few seconds, from one hundred points, slowly increasing to one hundred and eleven, one hundred and twenty For a swordsman, the earlier you get this skill, the better. Although it doesnt have any power, it can constantly nourish your meridians and body, improve your physical fitness and Qi sensitivity, and establish a solid foundation. In the future, if you have the opportunity and learn the full Sword Control Skill, you will innately have superiority over others. Dr. Kang Lin said with appreciative enthusiasm. The upper limit of my invisible Sword Qi is also increasing Song Jian couldnt help but say. Invisible Sword Qi? You also cultivated invisible Sword Qi? Ha, ha, its really providence! Dr. Kang Lin, filled with surprise, looked up and down at Song Jian, as though he were inspecting an exquisite jade article. You are a lucky lad. It seems that your profession isnt an ordinary swordsman. Are you a cursed swordman, or a magic sword controller? No, no. A Sword Master? Are you a Sword Master? Dr. Kang Lin rubbed his chin and guessed, No, the Sword Master is an upgraded profession, the before set job should be Sword Controller. Ha, ha, Song Jian, are you a Sword Controller? Yes, Dr. Kang Lin, 1 am indeed a Sword Controller! Song Jian said with a face full of respect. No wonder, no wonder, ha, ha. The Sword Controller is known as the basic profession closest to the Swordsman Immortal profession. You have to seize this opportunity! Dr. Kang Lin immediately showed interest in Song Jian. His smile grew broader, he moved forward and patted Song Jian on the shoulder, saying, Your profession guide must be surnamed Duan, ha, ha. Keep striving, I am very optimistic about you. If you can reach first-order combat power, come visit the library again. At that time, I may need your help with something. If you can accomplish that, then I will give you the complete Sword Control Skill. The complete Sword Control Skill? A trace of joy appeared on Song Jians face, and he quickly nodded, No problem. Once I reach the first-order combat power, I will surely visit you again! Alright, off you go, complete the task given to you by the Priest Cecilia. Remember our agreement! Dr. Kang Lin gave Song Jians shoulder a patronizing pat and broke into hearty laughter. Watching Song Jians figure gradually leaving the library, Dr. Kang Lins smile gradually froze, and a trace of coldness appeared at the corner of his mouth, Hmph, a pupil of the Duan family! Song Jian didnt feel the ill-intentioned gaze behind him. He was elated over acquiring the Sword Control Skill after he reached level thirty, and he quickly walked out of the library. Just as Song Jian was about to head to the location guided by the task map, he suddenly received a communication request. When he opened it, he saw that it was a communication request from Wang Qi. He immediately slapped his forehead. He had completely forgotten his agreement with Wang Qi and the rest to visit the Central Banks underground vault and sell some gold. Although Song Jian was already a multi-millionaire in the real world, who wouldnt want to have more money? Brother Song, we are already at the entrance of the Central Bank; where are you now? Wang Qi asked through the communicator. Oh, there was a bit of a delay. Im at the New Media Library now, Ill be right there! Song Jian replied. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The New Media Library was only a few kilometers away from the Central Bank. Even without a motorcycle, it would only take a few minutes. Soon, Song Jian arrived at the entrance of the Central Bank. Wang Qi and the others were standing at the entrance waiting for him. Since Song Jian had not used his motorcycle, he was delayed. Seeing the group, he greeted them apologetically, Sorry for being late, I got held up by some things. Its okay, Brother Song, we just got here too! Ma Yu stood up, patted the dust off his body, and said with a smile. Yeah, we just got here too! The others hastily echoed. Song Jian glanced at the chessboard on the ground that was already quite disorganized. He didnt expose them, just nodded his head, directly used the battle flags team-up function and invited Wang Qi and the others to become temporary teammates. Chapter 411: 411: Underground Vault Chapter 411: Underground Vault Song Jian activated the innate skill of the Fifth Battle Flag, inviting Wang Qi and three others to become temporary teammates, increasing him with the Brilliant Aura, improving the teams attack speed by 15%, causing +20 damage, and also improving the attributes of the teammates by 30%, which equates to having an additional high-quality blue gear. The reason Song Jian hadnt set them as temporary teammates in the dungeon was mainly to evaluate their character. If their character was questionable, revealing the Fifth Battle Flag could incite envy, bringing about unnecessary troubles. Invited to be a temporary teammate? All four of them looked at the system prompt and chose to accept it. Holy smokes, is this powerful? Ma Yu glanced at the systems notification, amazed. Whats the matter, Ma Yu? Whats there to be surprised about? Tang Rong asked him with a puzzled look on his face. Are you guys not looking at the system prompts? Just take a good look, this effect is amazing! Ma Yu burst into laughter. The 30% increase of attributes has made his strength and constitution surpass 20 points, making him more resilient. As for the increase in attack speed and damage, it would allow him to cause more damage and hold aggro more stable; Compared to Ma Yu though, these effects were more important for Tang Rong, it had practically propelled his damage output to the next level. Brother Song, this effect is simply amazing. With my silver-quality dagger, I can cause more than a hundred points of damage even with basic attacks. This is so potent! Tang Rong exclaimed in excitement. Alright, lets go in. Song Jian laughed, taking the lead into the bank. The Central Banks lobby on the ground floor was quite vast. On the left was a large waiting area, on the right were seven or eight counters, and further in was the banks office area. However, at this moment, the bank was in disarray, with all the objects strewn about, and the place was covered in a layer of thick dust. Alongside the deep red dried traces on its walls and glass counters. The once smooth and clean floor was now full of cracks, as if someone with a massive hammer had been wreaking havoc in the building, with hardly any intact floor tiles to be found. Theres a smell of blood. Wang Qis nostrils twitched slightly as he whispered softly. Swoosh- Tang Rong immediately went invisible, while Ma Yu held up his shield in front of him, intentionally blocking Zhou Qing, Wang Qi retreated a few steps, distancing himself from the others, the Gauss sniper rifle in his hand at the ready. Zhou Qing chanted a spell, waving his magic staff, and immediately cast several spells such as Increase Recovery Effect, Increase Holy Defense, and Increase Negative Status Resistance on everyone. Has someone already investigated this place? Song Jian asked in a hushed voice, rubbing his nose. Considering this is a prominent building on the map, someone is bound to have looked into it. Judging by the state of things here, it seems like someone had been here recently, but its too quiet now. Perhaps, they were incapable of dealing with the monsters in the basement, they just swept the above-ground buildings and left. Wang Qi analyzed calmly. The monsters here respawns every night, saving us the time to clean up the lobby. Zhou Qing laughed. Gold, gold! Our target is gold. Gold that we can bring into the real world, heh heh! Tang Rong echoed with a greed-filled face in a low voice. Haha, gold digger! Wang Qi smirked, though excitement shone in his eyes. Lets continue. The entrance to the underground vault is just ahead. I assume this group of people were also stumped by the monsters in the underground vault. Those monsters are ridiculously powerful. Wang Qi headed forward first. Originally, there was an elevator that could go directly to the underground vault, but the elevator was already destroyed and the elevator shaft was blocked by a pile of debris, rendering it completely abandoned. They could only go down through the narrow staircase to the side. As everyone approached the staircase, Song Jian suddenly felt a chilly wind brush across his face, a faint smell of blood filled his nostrils and he faintly heard a heavy, barely perceptible panting by his ear. Swoosh- A spark of dark red light flashed in Song Jians right palm, and a long sword appeared out of thin air. Brother Song, whats wrong? Wang Qi, who was by his side, saw Song Jians alert posture and asked in a low voice. Be careful, I feel like theres danger below Song Jian looked towards the stairs downward, his face tense as if prepared for a major battle. Tang Rong and others also took out their weapons, their eyes fixed on the staircase. But there was nothing at the stairs entrance, just a cool breeze blowing gently. Everything was eerily silent. In Song Jians eyes, this stairway seemed like a giant beast lying in wait, its mouth wide open, waiting for them to walk into its lair. Lets go, lets go down and take a look After a while, Song Jian led the way down the staircase. The Central Banks underground vault was dug deep, tens of meters down. This staircase was only constructed for emergency use, and it was quite narrow. Given its long period of disuse, the stairs had fallen into disrepair and on the concrete walls on both sides, there was even some dark gray moss. Its so dark, theres not even a hint of light. Zhou Qing frowned and raised his hand. After chanting a few spells, a glowing sphere the size of a basketball appeared from his palm, floating less than a meter above his head, illuminating their surroundings. Song Jian glanced up and saw that Wang Qi and the others appeared to be quite used to Zhou Qing casting this spell in darkness. Be careful, theres a smell of blood. Tang Rong suddenly said in a low voice, and everyone immediately tensed up. Song Jian, who was walking in the front, found that the smell of blood became stronger the further down they went, as if someone had recklessly splashed blood everywhere. Soon, Song Jian saw a body ahead, the strong smell of fresh blood was emanating from this corpse. Upon closer examination, Song Jian realized that it was a players corpse. Fear was etched onto the face of the player who was clearly scared to death before dying, as if something unimaginable and terrifying had ended his life. Moreover, his body was covered in wounds. Some of these wounds looked like they were inflicted by a giant wild beast using its claws and teeth, while others appeared to be traces of magical attacks. Song Jian carefully inspected the corpse and deduced that the player had died more than half an hour ago. His body and equipment were decaying at ten times the usual speed. This rapid decay was so noticeable that even the naked eye could easily observe it. Song Jian estimated that at this rate, the corpse would fully decompose into ashes within half an hour. Soon, no trace of this player would be left in this game world or the real world. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wang Qi and the others glanced at the corpse and a wave of sorrow flooded their hearts. Most importantly, they discovered that the level of the deceased player seemed to be two levels higher than them, which made them feel a sense of unease. Chapter 412: 412: Mutated Demon Chapter 412: Mutated Demon After carefully examining the corpse, Song Jian led Wang Qi and the others to continue walking downwards. Soon, as the group approached the underground vault, they encountered several more corpses. It seemed they were part of the same team as the one they had found earlier. At the moment, a few blurry figures were feasting on these corpses, emitting a strong stench of blood that made Song Jian and his companions feel uneasy. Perhaps it was the glowing orb overhead that disturbed the monsters while they were eating. One by one, their blood-red eyes stared at Song Jian and the others. These humanoid creatures, which resembled zombies, emitted low threatening growls and slowly crawled towards them. As they got closer, Song Jian could finally see their faces and attributes clearly. These were four-legged mutant zombies that looked like wild beasts. Perhaps it was because they had been in the dark for too long that their eyes had lost their original function and were now covered by a red membrane. Their eyes emitted a dark red light, similar to that of a devils gaze. Their noses had completely rotted away, leaving only two dark holes, and their lips had turned outwards, revealing the sharp fangs protruding from their mouths. These were glistening like blades and stained with bright red blood. Mutant Demon, Elite, Level 20, Vitality Points: 2000/2000, Attributes: Demonic Aura, Frenzy; Skills: Mad Slaughter. Ma Yu stood in front of everyone, glanced at the monsters, and couldnt help but exclaim in surprise. When we came here before, we didnt encounter these monsters. They were just ordinary Level 20 mutant zombies. How did they turn into Level 20 elite mutant demons? Elite monsters are a bit tricky. Do you think this place has become a dungeon too? Tang Rong, who was still invisible, didnt rush forward and whispered at the side. Let me test these monsters first and see how much stronger they are as elite monsters compared to before. Holding up his Gauss sniper rifle, Wang Qi aimed at the monster closest to him and pulled the trigger. Pu- With a soft sound, the Gauss sniper rifle had almost no recoil. A silver light shot out from the muzzle in a flash, leaving a dazzling silver trail on everyones eyes that lingered for a long time. The bullet was aimed at the head of the nearest mutant demon, but the demon seemed to sense the threat just as Wang Qi pulled the trigger, trying to dodge it to the left. However, the bullet was too fast, like a beam of light piercing through the demons right shoulder as it moved. A trace of black demonic energy flashed, causing the mutant demons entire right arm to be broken and fly off, with thick black energy oozing out from half of its body. A heart-wrenching scream of pain echoed in everyones ears, making them frown. Critical hit damage, 64.0 points! Wang Qi calmly reported the damage figure. Amazing! Tang Rong couldnt help but exclaim. Wang Qi had never dealt such high damage before. Just like Tang Rongs thief class, ranged physical classes once they get a good weapon, their damage output could be like night and day compared to before. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Pu With another soft sound, the Gauss sniper rifles attack speed was not as fast as a submachine gun or pistol, but it was still relatively quick among sniper rifles. Wang Qi didnt hesitate to pull the trigger again, shooting a pale blue light towards the mutant demon. Aow- Realizing it couldnt dodge the attack, the demon roared loudly, causing the slowly encroaching mutant demons to suddenly charge towards the group like arrows off a bowstring. Bring it on! Ma Yu held a shield in one hand and a war hammer in the other. As he struck his shield with the hammer, he charged at the incoming monsters. Boom! Ma Yu collided heavily with the monsters, his sturdy body acting like a wall, preventing the mutant demons from moving forward. The demons were forced to step back helplessly. Ma Yu swung his war hammer, violently smashing a mutant demon. With each hit, a faint black energy welled up from inside of the demons body, displaying damage figures of fifty or sixty points above its head. Ha ha, this is awesome! With a powerful stomp of his right leg, Ma Yu unleashed his Battle Roar skill, releasing an invisible wave of energy from his body. All monsters touched by this energy went berserk and rushed towards him. This was Ma Yus only taunting skill, which he couldnt dare use in places swarming with monsters previously. However, now he no longer had any worries. He was confident he could withstand any number of monsters charge. Tang Rongs figure slowly emerged from behind a mutant demon, his dagger in hand. Like a wild beasts fang, he aimed it at the back of the monsters head. Song Jian swung his long sword as well, unleashing a Light Strike that instantly sent a mutant demon flying. A massive 1,100 points of damage floated above the demons head, causing everyone to be stunned. Over a thousand, is he still human? Tang Rong couldnt help but mutter softly. Sword Silk! Swish- Three sharp silver lines appeared out of thin air, aiming at the mutant demons around Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! Sweeping Sword Style! One sword technique after another was used, and the hatred of the mutant demons gradually shifted to Song Jian. Their deformed claws constantly swiped at him, but a faint gray energy surrounding Song Jian blocked the monsters attacks. They should have dealt over a hundred points of damage, but on Song Jian, not a single one exceeded thirty points. This made the mutant demons even more agitated, their roars echoing through the underground and sending chills down peoples spines. Twenty minutes later, the dozen mutant demons were all killed. Ma Yu laughed, sat down without minding the bloody mess, and panted heavily. Although Song Jian had drawn the attention of half of the monsters, Ma Yu still had to withstand the assault of six or seven of them. Fortunately, Zhou Qing gave him most of the healing, or else he might not have been able to last that long. Phew, that was refreshing. The experience these monsters give is really high! Zhou Qing couldnt help but exclaim. His level was already at 15 and 97%, about to reach the next level. Ha ha, Im about to be Level 16 too. So am 1. These are Level 20 elite monsters after all, and weve jumped five levels Song Jian glanced at his own Experience Points, also almost ready to level up, and couldnt help but smile. Chapter 413: 413: Dark Gold Treasure Chest Chapter 413: Dark Gold Treasure Chest After a brief rest, everyone started picking up the war loot; These mutant demons had actually dropped quite a few Doomsday Coins, which surprised everyone. When picking up Doomsday Coins, they would automatically be divided into five portions, distributed among everyone. After a complete round of gathering, each person ended up with over a thousand Doomsday Coins. Does anyone want this Level 15 green gear? Wang Qi showcased the attributes of a piece of green equipment. Seeing that nobody responded, Wang Qi kept the equipment with the intention to sell it later; Now, should the team loot gear that someone could use, it would be purchased at an internal price. If not, Wang Qi would sell it and then the money would be split among everyone; Tve obtained a yellow key here Tang Rong suddenly held up a key radiating yellow light and announced loudly. I have one as well, but its blue. Zhou Qing also held up a key radiating blue light and said; Within a short period of time, Song Jian had also found a key giving off a green glow beneath the corpse of a mutant demon. He held it up to show everyone; Three keys, do you think these could be the keys to the vault door? Wang Qi asked in excitement. The four of them had come here before, but they were pushed back by the monsters. They couldnt even get close to the vault door, let alone find any information about these keys; However, inside this underground vault, the only use for keys was likely to open the vaults main door. Do we need three keys? Ma Yu asked, furrowing his brows. Perhaps its not enough. Judging by what we see, we will need to kill all the monsters we encounter; they might drop keys. Wang Qi shook his head. Lets continue. Song Jian advanced forward; After walking another thirty or forty meters forward, Song Jian suddenly stopped in his tracks. The others behind him also adopted vigilant expressions. As Wang Qi was about to speak, Song Jian pointed to a corner ahead and asked, What is that? S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Using the light from the orbs above their heads, they realized they were walking within a metal corridor, with the walls on both sides, the ground beneath their feet and the ceiling above their heads, all being made of metal. In the lower-left corner of the metal corridor in front of them, a chest twinkling with dark gold light rested quietly there. This is a treasure chest from the game! Ma Yu couldnt help but exclaim excitedly; Hey, this game really has treasure chests. This is the first time Ive ever encountered it. Interesting. Tang Rong also showed an excited expression, even rushing forward to continuously touch the surface of the dark gold treasure chest. This is a Dark Gold Treasure Chest, does it mean that a Dark Gold Quality piece of equipment can be obtained from it? Zhou Qing asked in a low voice. Probably. Thats usually how games are designed. In some games, Dark Gold treasure Chests can even yield epic-tiered equipment. Ma Yu chuckled. He held the chest with both hands, appearing as if he were about to open it; Damn it, this chest is locked! Ma Yus expression changed as he exclaimed in surprise. Locked? Are you kidding me! Tang Rong was also startled, hurriedly stretching his hand to press on the chest. His face showed an expression of despair: It really is locked. Oh well. So near yet so far. Thats what you get for showing off! Wang Qi said snidely, looking at the chest with a hint of disappointment in his eyes. lang Rong, arent you a rogue? How come you dont know how to pick locks! Zhou Qing complained. Arent you a priest? Have you learned the Resurrection Skill? Tang Rong glared at Zhou Qing and retorted irritably. Zhou Qing: Leave it to me. Song Jian stepped forward. Pulling out a key shimmering with a silver glow from his bag, he inserted it into the keyhole of the chest; The moment the key touched the chest, it began to melt slowly like liquid metal and continually change its form. When the key was fully inserted into the lock, Song Jian twisted lightly, and with a click, the chest was opened, revealing a dazzling golden light from the gap. A golden golden quality item Ma Yus eyes widened in envy. As the golden light disappeared, Song Jian reached into the chest and found that there were very few items inside; There were only two items in the chest, a golden quality breastplate, Demon Armor, and an alchemy prescription. Demon Armor, plate armor, chest, golden quality, equipment level 20, equipment requirements: Strength 20, Agility 15; equipment effects: Strength +8, Agility +7, Constitution +5, Defense +60, Resistance +4.0, Vitality Points + 5OO, Special effect: Demon Strength (passive), each instance of damage received increases overall defense by 5%, can stack up to 5 times, lasts 15 seconds; Looking at this equipment, Ma Yus eyes bulged; If I wear this armor, I could withstand even a Level 20 elite BOSS without problems! Ma Yu thought loudly to himself; Even though shields take up a the most prominent role in the defense gear of a warrior, followed by weapons, the price of armor still remained high. The main reason was that the defense added by the armor was the highest among all types of gear; This Level 20 golden quality armor perfectly exemplified this. It boasted high attribute bonuses, high defense and resistance, but most importantly, it added 500 vitality points. The vitality points it added were even greater than some frail vocations total vitality points; Even more crucially, its special effect increased overall defense by 25% after talcing five hits, this was almost equivalent to wearing another piece of defense gear. This point was especially significant for Ma Yu; The armor costs 100,000; are you interested? Song Jian waved the armor in his hand at Ma Yu and smiled; 100,000, it was almost like Song Jian was giving the armor as half a gift and half a sale. He now considered Wang Qi, and the others as part of his team, so giving an internal price wasnt a problem; Remember, this wasnt gear obtained by the five of them killing monsters; it was from the locked chest Song Jian had opened. Even if he didnt share a single piece of equipment, the others wouldnt have any objections; Hearing Song Jians words, a joyful expression appeared on Ma Yus face as he nodded repeatedly, Buy, buy, buy Song Jian smiled faintly then tossed the armor to Ma Yu. Ma Yu caressed the golden quality armor as if he were stroking his lovers cheek; This is a Level 20 piece of equipment Tang Rong said enviously from the side, as no one from their group had ever gotten a piece of golden quality gear. This was the first piece for Ma Yu; Level up, level up. Starting from today, I will grind and level up non-stop, no sleep! Ma Yu roared loudly; By the way, do you have 100,000 Doomsday Coins? Wang Qi suddenly asked; Ma Yus movement suddenly came to a halt, and his face froze. At that moment, he only just realized that he might not even be able to produce the 100,000 Doomsday Coins. Chapter 414: 414: The Insurance Vault Chapter 414: The Insurance Vault For ordinary players, daily supplies and equipment repairs cost a large amount of Doomsday Coins, and monsters that directly drop Doomsday Coins are scarce. Almost every player is in a state of spending more than they can afford; Although the situation eases as the level increases, in the case of a level 15 player like Ma Yu, having a few thousand Doomsday Coins in their pockets is considered amazing. Bro, can you guys lend me some coins? 1 promise to pay back Ma Yu looked gloomy and spoke to Wang Qi and the others; Wang Qi and the others couldnt help but laugh out loud at Ma Yus almost tearful appearance, as they loved to see him boast like this; Alright, weve already listed several pieces of equipment in the auction house since we followed Brother Song, so I estimate each of us will get at least 30,000 Doomsday Coins. We can help you out then Wang Qi looked at the others around him and saw them nod slightly. He laughed heartily and spoke to Ma Yu; Thanks, brothers! Ma Yu gratefully said, then turned to Song Jian and said, Thank you, Brother Song! Song Jian just smiled without saying anything; Such a level 20 golden equipment wouldnt sell for much in the auction house, mainly because the players levels are not high and there are few who have reached level 20, meaning there wont be a bidding war; But if Song Jian shouted on the radio or directly sold it at the Starfire Store in the City of Hymns, it would definitely sell for a sky-high price, starting at least at 300,000 Doomsday Coins. As for the final transaction price, Song Jian couldnt predict it; Ill take this recipe. Song Jian waved the Alchemy and Pharmacology recipe in his hand and smiled at the crowd; Of course, of course. The others said hurriedly; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing the recipe in his hand, Song Jian couldnt help but smile on his face; Alchemy and Pharmacology Recipe: Advanced Recovery Elixir. Effect: Use to comprehend the production of Advanced Recovery Elixir; Usage requirements: Alchemy and Pharmacology Level 5; Advanced Recovery Elixir: Consumable, usage effect: Instantly restores 800 Vitality Points to the user; Each use must have an interval of no less than 10 seconds; Finally obtained the method to make healing potions. Song Jian yelled in his heart; Its really upsetting for Song Jian to have learned Alchemy but still not be able to make recovery potions. Although he didnt say it out loud, it was like a thorn in his heart. Ordinary effect potions are not very valuable. Having them in battle is good, but not having them doesnt affect much. However, healing potions can save lives, and their role in the game is particularly significant; But now, the system store only sells low-level healing potions, which instantly recover 100 Vitality Points when used, with a 15-second interval; For players just entering the game, recovering too Vitality Points at once is enough. But for Song Jian, who already has over 1,700 points of Vitality, recovering 100 Vitality Points is just a drop in the bucket; After looking at the materials needed to make the Advanced Recovery Elixir, there were only some second-tier and third-tier herbs, and none of them were particularly valuable. Song Jian could even plant them directly on his territory; Now Song Jian has two production recipes that can be used to upgrade his Alchemy and Pharmacology level; After getting back, I can upgrade Alchemy and Pharmacology again, Song Jian secretly thought; After a brief rest, Song Jian and the others continued forward. In just over half an hour, they encountered two more groups of mutant demons. After killing them, Wang Qi and the others leveled up to 16; As expected, they also dropped two more keys, one gold and one black. Now, Song Jian and his team had collected five different colored keys; With these two groups of monsters, Song Jian was now only a few combat experience points away from leveling up again. A few more groups of monsters and he could level up; Soon, the five of them arrived in front of the underground vault door. It was a large hall of over a hundred square meters, with the vault door occupying an entire wall on the opposite side. I heard that vault doors are several meters thick, made of the hardest alloys, and cant even be blown up with explosives Ma Yu looked up at the metal wall in front of them and couldnt help but exclaim; With such tight security, there must be a lot of gold in there, haha, were rich, were rich! Tang Rongs eyes almost turned into gold coins, showing a greedy expression; What if its just hiding a warehouse full of banknotes? Zhou Qing couldn t stand Tang Rongs greedy appearance and couldnt help but splash cold water on the situation; Impossible, this is the Central Bank of the whole city, not a branch. How could it not store some gold? There might even be other treasures! Tang Rong shook his head and said, Lets open it quickly, lest there be more complications. How do we open this? With Brother Songs Master Key or our five keys? Wang Qi hesitated, holding out the five keys and asking; The attribute descriptions of these five keys were very vague. They only mentioned that they could open the doors to mysterious places, but did not explicitly say that they could open the vault doors. Isnt there a keyhole here? Let me go check it out first! Song Jian walked up, inserted the Master Key, and gently twisted it; Click click click- There was a sound of gears turning inside the vault door, and a small wheel next to it began to rotate automatically; After half a rotation, it would pause for a while, and there would be a click sound inside the door. Then it would reverse for a few more turns, stopping at a certain number, as if an invisible giant hand was pulling it, It took a full five minutes before the sound of the gears meshing inside the door finally stopped; With a click, the vault door that was nearly half a wall in size finally opened, springing outward by three fingers long; Its open! Wang Qi and the others shouted in surprise, and everyone stepped forward, grabbing the handle of the vault door and pulling it outward with all their might; When the vault door was opened, a colorful light burst out from the vault, and the dazzling light made everyone close their eyes involuntarily. After a while, everyone looked into the vault, and Tang Rong exclaimed in disappointment, How could this be! Wang Qi and the others rushed into the vault, looking around, only to be disappointed to find that there was nothing valuable in the entire vault. There wasnt even a single banknote, let alone gold. It was completely empty, like a looted warehouse; The stuff in here must have been looted a long time ago, right? Wang Qi said in disappointment; It seems that way Zhou Qing also nodded in frustration; What is this thing under our feet, and why is it still emitting light? Ma Yu couldnt help but ask, pointing to a huge pattern under their feet that was glowing with colorful light; Song Jian looked down and saw a huge Pentagram Array Diagram engraved on the ground, with five colors of divine light blooming from it, illuminating the entire vault brightly; Is this a Magic Array? Song Jian frowned and observed it carefully; Chapter 415: 415: Transmission Array Chapter 415: Transmission Array In everyones eyes, the ground was etched with a gigantic Magic Array. Its complex patterns left Song Jian dizzy after a mere two seconds of observation. The Magic Array radiated a surge of magic power akin to a tidal wave. If a mage were to cultivate in such an environment, their speed would likely double. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At the five corners of the Magic Array, there were five inconspicuous keyholes. Song Jian stared at them for a moment before saying to Wang Qi, Align the colors and insert the five keys youve obtained into the keyholes at each corner. Keyholes? Oh, there really is a keyhole. Its so small and yet, Brother Song could still spot it. Impressive indeed. After a careful look, Tang Rong indeed spotted a keyhole on the ground about the size of a finger. Compared to the Magic Array, the keyholes size was akin to that of an ant beside an elephant insignificant. Wang Qi distributed the keys among the five members in Song Jians team. Each key corresponded to a different colored corner on the Magic Array. Soon, all five of them positioned themselves at the corners of the Magic Array, and inserted their respective keys. As the keys were inserted, a sudden suction effect firmly held the keys in place. No matter how they tried to twist or pull, the keys wouldnt budge, as if they were originally part of the Magic Array. Brother Song, Wang Qi began, but before he could finish, the Magic Array suddenly radiated a stronger force of magic power. This power, tangible as a substance, enveloped all five of them, making them as immobile as bugs trapped in amberincapable of even moving a finger. WHOOSH- A stronger light suddenly bloomed from the Magic Array. It was so bright that the team was forced to shut their eyes. When Song Jian opened his eyes again, all five of them found themselves teleported to a cave. Damn, that Magic Array was a Transmission Array! Song Jian had a sudden realization only now. System: You discovered a hidden area, the Lost Land. You gained 10,000 experience points. The Lost Land, so this is where the Realms indicated by those five keys were. Song Jian thought to himself, How are we supposed to get out of here? As Song Jian looked around, he noticed that Wang Qi and the others seemed to have blacked out from the teleportation. They were lying motionless on the ground. The cave was only about twenty to thirty square meters in spacequite narrowand to Song Jians left was a hallway emitting a faint light. After a glance at Wang Qi and the others, Song Jian deduced that they were just temporarily unconscious and would wake up soon. The cave, although constrictive, was safe as there were no creatures lurking. So, temporarily, it was safe to stay here a while longer. Song Jian got up to his feet and walked over to the faintly illuminated corridor. Piercing into the hallway, Song Jian found himself spellbound by the sight that lay before him: the walls were studded with gems of ores radiating a rainbow of light. These are all rich ores! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim, his face a picture of delight. He rapidly took out his Miners Gloves from his bag and, using the Mining Skill, started excavating. Song Jians Mining Skill had reached Level 4. In regular mines, he usually needed three to five minutes to excavate usable ores. But now, in this near-raw mineral corridor, he had netted a piece of Red Blood Ore in less than a minutes work. After a frenzied digging for about 10 minutes, Song Jians bag was filled with seven to eight slots of various ores. Upon looking at the never-ending corridor, he finally calmed down, sighing with relief. He knew he had no way to mine all the ores in the corridor in a short span of time. Ill mark this place and come back when I get a chance. Song Jian thought to himself. Song Jians position was untraceable on the novice map, but on his mission map, his current location and mission target could be clearly seen. Upon opening his mission tab, on the mini e-map for missions, Song Jians current coordinates surprisingly overlapped with the target area for the Search for the Book of the Abyss mission. What!? Could this be the place where those trolls dwell? Song Jian was struck by surprise. He quickly put away his mining gloves and cautiously proceeded down the corridor. Song Jian walked along the winding corridor for more than five hundred meters before he finally reached its end, which appeared to connect to the cellar of an underground winery. Barrels of wine, each as wide as three men, were horizontally arranged on the wine racks. Even from a dozen meters away from the corridors end, Song Jian could already smell the pungent aroma of wine wafting towards him. Soft chants emanated from the winery, as if someone was reciting conjurations or hymns. Their strange language pulsated into his ears, producing a headache and feelings of distress. Soon, his mind went blank, and he found himself involuntarily wanting to join in the chanting. However, a refreshing sensation quickly took over Song Jians mind, extinguishing the ill effects. Suddenly, the voices in his ears no longer held the same magical power as before. Abyssal Language! Song Jian exclaimed. It seemed only the Abyssal Language had the power to cause a person to unconsciously spiral into degeneration simply by listening to it. It really made Song Jian grateful that Wang Qi and the others were still unconscious. Had they been awake and accompanied him here, they couldve easily been bewildered by the Abyssal Language. Song Jian sprang forward into the winery cellar, and to his surprise, in the center of the large open space were five trolls who had constructed a small altar. At the altar, they worshipped the Book of the Abyss. The Book of the Abyss was slightly open, with tendrils of black flame intermittently rising from it. However, the black flame was too weak to coalesce and form into the Abyssal Demon Flame that could open the Abyssal Gate. The five trolls knelt devoutly beneath the altar, continually reciting the Abyssal Spell. Their Power of Faith materialized into a sustenance, constantly feeding into the Book of the Abyss, bolstering the fragile Abyssal Flames. Song Jian raised his right hand and executed the Blood Pool Summoning Skill. In an instant, a pack of robust red wolves appeared beside him. After summoning thirty blood wolves, he also summoned the Black Dragon hatchling. Kill them! Song Jian pointed at the five trolls and commanded. With the sound of a roar, the thirty blood wolves charged towards the trolls like arrows in flight. Intruder! Duo Sa tossed his head back, two crimson eyes blazing brilliantly. With a ferocious expression, he stood up, snatched a Bone Wolf Fang Staff, leaped into the air, and smashed downward at the incoming wolves. Chapter 416: 416: Abyssal Power Chapter 416: Abyssal Power Blood wolves were creatures of level twenty, like the five trolls, with the exception of Duo Sa, whose power had reached elite boss status. Yet, by worshipping the Book of the Abyss day and night, the trolls had unintentionally absorbed some Abyssal Power. This power, visible as a grey aura constantly swirling around them, formed a layer of tough armor. The wolves biting and clawing could not break it. Simultaneously, the trolls attacks were laced with the same grey energy. Once unleashed, this Abyssal Power could deal significant damage to the blood wolves. It granted the four trollseach of equivalent strength to a level twenty creaturethe power to crushing blood wolves of equal level. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Duo Sa, who already possessed the prowess of a level twenty boss, had grown even stronger, almost reaching the threshold of a level twenty lord. If allowed to continue worshipping, he would inevitably break through to become a level twenty lordit was just a matter of time. Not having a large space to fight in the underground cellar, the attack of the blood wolves was quickly blocked by the trolls. Wine casks were shattered, filling the tavern with a heady aroma. Traces of evaporating blood on the floor marked the spots where blood wolves had been slain and returned to the Blood Pool. Though the five trolls had managed to kill thirty blood wolves, they were not unscathed. The wolves persistent attacks may not have dealt much damage but slowly whittled down the trolls Abyssal Power. Despite maintaining a fierce demeanor, their wounds and harsh breathing told a different story. Human, your defenses are down. Leave now, and well spare your life, Duo Sa suggested, his crimson eyes streaked with traces of black energy that spider-webbed out of his sockets. Although eager to tear Song Jian apart, Duo Sa couldnt ignore the intimidating aura that the human released. Without the Abyssal Flame, the Book of the Abyssalthough still a treasure to the Abyssal Clanwas incapable of reopening the Abyssal Gate, a passage between this world and the Abyss. Duo Sa and his companions had to rekindle the Abyssal Flame using the Power of Faith. Picking a fight with a human as powerful as Song Jian was out of the question. Once the Abyssal Flame is revived and the Abyssal Gate opens, this world will grovel at the feet of the Abyssal Clan. This human, too, will become a slave to our clan. We must not rush, Duo Sa thought to himself. Song Jian chuckled. The blood wolves battle had shown him the true power of the five trolls. With the exception of Duo Sa, if it hadnt been for the Abyssal Power, they would have been devoured by the wolves. Abyssal Power, huh? I have that, too, Song Jian said, grinning. With a thought, black, flame-emitting armor appeared on his body. This was a special ability of the Abyssal Raging Flame, a Fourth-tier Demonic Flame. It could generate Abyssal Flame Armor to enhance the users abilities. Such a strong Abyssal aura could you be Duo Sa stammered, his face one of surprise. Seeing Song Jians strong Abyssal aura, he became disorientated. Just then, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword radiated an intense golden light. The overwhelming Divine Power sent Duo Sa recoiling and retreating in shock. Divine Powerimpossible! Duo Sa bellowed, unable to believe that both Divine Power and Abyssal Power, usually diametrically opposed, could coexist harmoniously within a single being. Impossible! Duo Sa roared, absorbing the dark gray aura seeping from the Book of the Abyss. His body began to swell and grow, skin torn apart by rapid muscular growth, revealing bloody gashes. This torturous pain made Duo Sa howl in agony, but these wounds were healing at visible speed. The newly grown skin had a metallic shine, covered in small scales. Duo Sas stature grew to almost three metersSong Jian looked like a child next to him. As soon as his growth came to a halt, Duo Sa seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He felt an endless power coursing within him, bringing him closer to the Abyssal Clan. Duo Sa roared, flashing his sharp teeth at Song Jian, and released a monstrous aura. Even his companions couldnt help but step back in fear. Light Strike! Song Jian, initially planning to eliminate one of the regular trolls first, swiftly changed his mind and targeted Duo Sa instead. A brilliant golden Sword Qi slashed toward Duo Sa. Abyssal Breath! Duo Sa opened his mouth and exhaled a gray storm of breath, directly colliding with the golden Sword Qi. With a loud boom, the golden Sword Qi, like a sharp hatchet, cleaved through the Abyssal Breath and struck Duo Sas forehead. Bang! A damage of over 14.00 points floated above Duo Sas head. His massive body was flung back and crashed into a wine rack a few meters away. All three casks on the rack shattered, burying Duo Sa in a pile of wood chips and wine. Impossible! Duo Sa gasped, his roar echoing from beneath the pile of debris. He couldnt believe that he was no match for the seemingly insignificant human in front of him. Staggering to his feet, Duo Sa seized the Bone Wolf Fang Staff and bellowed at Song Jian, Kill him! The four other trolls exchanged glances before their gray Abyssal Power erupted, and they launched themselves at Song Jian. Abyssal Power? But mine seems to be stronger! Song Jian raised his left hand, creating a black flame in his palm. A cunning, cold grin spread across his face. Chapter 417: 417: Stealing Monsters Again? Chapter 417: Stealing Monsters Again? An armor of black demonic flame made Song Jian appear as a devil, and though he had the defense of the innate skill Thick-Faced, a wave of murderous intent still surged uncontrollably in his heart. At this time, the Hexagram Array Diagram on his chest was emitting a faint glow, as if influencing something. Seeing the four trolls rushing towards him, Song Jian revealed a wicked smile. He turned his wrist, swung the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward, and charged at the four trolls; Broken Wing Dance! A brilliant Sword Qi made the four trolls stop in their tracks and hurriedly lift their weapons to defend. The collision of weapons sparked a glittering burst. The trolls felt the strength of Song Jian and, despite competing with him, felt suppressed. They shuddered in their hearts, and a sense of fear surged within them; Before they could react, the second attack of the Broken Wing Dance was already near. It was a sword Qi lashing from the lower left to the upper right, tearing apart the Abyssal Power from their bodies and leaving a bone-deep wound on them, blood splattering everywhere; At this moment, Song Jian had leaped up high, swinging the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and slammed it down onto the four trolls; Bang! The bodies of the four trolls shivered, and damage points of over three hundred floated above their heads. Their bodies involuntarily glided through the air, entering a state of suspension; Song Jian flickered, activated the Rapid Sword skill, his long sword leaving behind a series of afterimages as it slashed at the four trolls; Sword Silk Sweeping Sword Style Spiritual Sword Control Technique All the sword moves poured out, the four trolls screamed continuously, and their Vitality Points decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye; At this time, Duo Sa was continuously extracting energy from the Book of the Abyss to recover his injuries. But seeing that his four companions were about to perish under Song Jians sword, he immediately disconnected from the Book of the Abyss, grabbed the Bone Wolf Fang Staff, and rushed toward Song Jian with a roar; Song Jian took two steps back, included the rushing Duo Sa into his attack range. For a moment, the five trolls and Song Jian were fighting ferociously, with sounds of roars echoing constantly; With the addition of Duo Sa, the four trolls regained their vitality. Even though their Vitality Points are already less than a third, their mad and tyrannical aura did not weaken at all. They attacked crazily, with the intention to fulfill a mutual destruction with Song Jian. Song Jian was facing five enemies alone, but he hadnt fallen into a disadvantage at all. The attacks of the five trolls landed on Song Jians armor, which was burning with black flames, causing almost negligible damage. He was already on the undefeated ground from the start; As for the Abyssal Power protection on the trolls bodies, in Song Jians eyes, it was like a piece of thin paper. He easily broke through their defense, causing massive damage to them; After ten minutes, two of the five trolls had been killed by Song Jian. The other two trolls, having strength equivalent to ordinary monsters, had their vitality points reduced to the lowest. The red light was flickering on their health bar, and clear fatigue was reflected on their faces. At this time, Song Jian still had over 60% of his Vitality Points. The balance of victory had begun to tilt heavily in his favor. Light Strike! Song Jian sent Duo Sa flying with a single sword strike. Then raising his left hand, a silver Sword Qi, three meters long, emanated from his left index finger, easily penetrating the skull of the nearest troll; Seeing this troll collapse limply, Song Jian made a backhand swing and continued the endless succession of sword attacks, taking the life of another troll. Now, out of the five trolls, only Duo Sa with dwindling health was left; Seeing his companions body surface beginning to ignite with transparent flames, despair flashed in Duo Sas eyes. This human was too powerful; even with the help of the Book of the Abyss, Duo Sa was still no match for him. Seeing Song Jian clad in armor burning with black demonic flames, Duo Sas face suddenly revealed a faint smile. He muttered softly, When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you! Song Jian slowly walked towards Duo Sa, eyeing Duo Sa who was gradually slipping into madness, gripping his long sword tightly. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When you harness the power of the abyss, the power of the abyss also alters you. Human, there will come a day when you will become just like me At the end of his sentence, Duo Sa let out an animalistic roar and, adopting a do-or-die posture, rushed at Song Jian, gripping his Bone Wolf Fang Staff firmly. Beep beep beep- Boom- A dazzling red beam shot from behind Song Jian. The distance between the beam and his cheek was no more than three inches, close enough for Song Jian to smell his hair scorching. The red beam penetrated Duo Sas chest, draining him of his last Vitality Points. Brother Song, are you okay? Wang Qis anxious voice came from behind. As Song Jian turned around, he saw the four teammates who had lost consciousness during the teleportation had now rushed over. Seeing Wang Qis anxious look, Song Jian was momentarily at a loss for words and in the end, could only offer a slight smile, choosing to ignore Wang Qis creature-stealing habits. Boss, it seems youve snatched Brother Songs creature again! said Tang Rong quietly, whispering into Wang Qis ear. Wang Qis body stiffened, he turned his head doubtfully to ask, Really? Is it really the case? It is! Ma Yu and the others all nodded their heads in agreement. Song, Brother Song, Im sorry Wang Qi immediately looked downcast as he apologized to Song Jian. Song Jian waved his hand dismissively and acted as though he didnt care. Upon a slight thought, the fiery demonic armor on his body immediately dispersed, leaving behind a feeling of weakness. Song Jian stood still for a long while before the unpleasant feeling gradually faded away. Song Jian ignored the five giant devils, including Duo Sas dropped items, and walked straight towards the altar where the Book of the Abyss was trembling and burning with black flames. It appeared the book was fearful of Song Jian. The moment Song Jian approached the Book of the Abyss, the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame, the Abyssal Raging Flame within his body, burned all at once without Song Jians summoning. From afar, Song Jian resembled a towering figure of black flames. The appearance of the Abyssal Raging Flame caused the Book of the Abyss to tremble even more, seemingly more fearful of the Abyssal Raging Flame. Song Jian took one step after another towards the altar, reaching out to grab the Book of the Abyss. This was his first time touching the Book of the Abyss. The last time, when he had defeated the guardian of the Blood Demon Cave, Cecilia had been the one to take the book. As soon as Song Jian gripped the Book of the Abyss, he felt a strong suction force emitting from the book. The Abyssal Raging Flame inside him started to flow unceasingly towards the Book of the Abyss. This feeling of passive siphoning was unsettling, and as Song Jians body had lost control, he could only stand still, letting the Abyssal Magic Flame in his body drain entirely. In no time at all, the Abyssal Raging Flames on Song Jians body disappeared, leaving only the Book of the Abyss in his hand, a book blazing with black flames. Chapter 418: 418: Unexpected Fusion Chapter 418: Unexpected Fusion Wha, what just happened? Song Jian looked at the Book of the Abyss in his hand with a sense of bewilderment. A brief blankness appeared in his mind, as if he had forgotten the Abyssal Raging Flame being drawn out of his body just moments ago. His right hand lifted unconsciously, revealing that the Book of the Abyss was now emitting a Dark Gold light. Wasnt this a quest item? How did it turn into an equipment item? After casting another glance at the Book of the Abyss, Song Jians face was filled with astonishment. The Book of the Abyss had turned into a Dark Gold Quality special equipment. Quickly, clarity returned to Song Jians eyes, and the events that just transpired replayed in his mind. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to throw the Book of the Abyss far away. But the system notification that appeared captivated him. System: You have obtained a special item, the Book of the Abyss. This item requires a blood oath to bind. Please drop a droplet of your blood on the artifact. System: This artifact is an Abyssal object. After binding, an unknown mutation may occur, which may cause great harm to the binder. Make your choice cautiously. Reading these two pieces of information, Song Jian briefly fell silent. Yet soon enough, he had made his decision. The Abyssal Raging Flame was too important to him. If he did not bind the Book of the Abyss, the Abyssal Raging Flame would also leave him. He cut open his finger with his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, a drop of fresh blood fell onto the Book of the Abyss. At the moment the blood made contact with the Book of the Abyss, a heavy sigh seemed to emit from the book, the blood was instantly absorbed by it. A red light, akin to a streak of lightning, flashed across the entire book. System: You have begun the fusion process with the special item, the Book of the Abyss. Please refrain from interrupting the fusion process. Any interruption may result in permanent damage to the Book of the Abyss. The process of merging with the Book of the Abyss was astoundingly simple. Aside from enticing whispers echoing in his ears, Song Jian felt nothing unusual. In fact, it felt more comfortable than when he merged with the Abyssal Flame. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Merging with the Abyssal Flame? Is it because I have already merged with the Abyssal Flame, that merging with the Book of the Abyss seems so easy? Song Jian speculated. The progress bar for merging with the Book of the Abyss proceeded rapidly. In under ten seconds, the system notified Song Jian that the process was completed. Once merged, the Book of the Abyss vanished. Nonetheless, Song Jian could feel it lying dormant within his body, ready to be summoned at any moment. Brother Song, Brother Song. Come quickly and look; these monsters dropped tons of equipment! Wang Qi called out cheerfully to Song Jian, gesturing him over as soon as he saw that Song Jian had returned to his normal state. Since Song Jian was the sole person responsible for killing these creatures, neither Wang Qi nor the rest of the three members in the group had taken the initiative to pick the loot up. But this obviously did not prevent them from checking out the stats of these items in advance. Twelve level-twenty white quality, five green quality, three blue quality, and one level-twenty silver quality equipment pieces C this kind of drop rate not only stunned Wang Qi and the others but also ignited envy within their hearts. Brother Song, do you perhaps have any items that boost your luck? Wang Qi could not resist asking. Five monsters, among which only one was a boss, the remaining four were ordinary monsters. Such an extravagant loot drop rate simply made other gamers disheartened. Its not equipment, its a title! Song Jian answered with a laugh. Equipment could be looted, but titles could not. Even if Song Jian were to be slain, this title couldnt be taken from him. Song Jian glanced at a silver quality equipment piece, the Abyssal Leg Guards, a look of joy spread across his face. He was still using the Tree Spirit Leg Guards hed equipped from the beginning, a mere level-five equipment. The equipment hed just gained could replace it at last. Abyssal Leg Guards (Silver), Leather Leg Guards, required equipment level: 20, Equipment Effect: Defense +11, Resistance +9, Vitality Points +100, Vitality Point Recovery speed +20%, Special effect: Abyssal Demon Breath (Passive), grants the user the Abyssal Demon Breath which reduces all damage by 20%, and decreases the probability of receiving critical hits by 30%. Equipment requirements: level 18, ability to take out of the game: no. This was another equipment piece possessing the Abyssal Demon Breath. Everything, from the name to its special effect, resembled the Abyssal Demon Helmet Song Jian was currently wearing. They might appear to be a set, but unfortunately, the two pieces did not constitute a set, and thus didnt possess set attributes. At this moment, the equipment Song Jian wore far exceeded that of other players; most of his equipment was of silver and gold quality. If he were to show off the special effects of his equipment, it would undoubtedly leave many blinded in astonishment. Having given a cursory glance at the remaining dozen or so items, Song Jian couldnt find any substitutes. Pick whatevers useful for you guys, and let Wang Qi sell off the rest. Then well split the money equally! Song Jian said with a grin. Thanks, Brother Song! The faces of the four individuals lit up with joy. They were only four levels away from level twenty; it was about time they gathered a set of level twenty equipment. They bought the equipment they took a fancy to at an internal discounted price. Song Jian collected over a thousand Doomsday Coins, but more equipment was left with Wang Qi. They decided to let Wang Qi sell the items and then divide the money. The original plan was to unlock the underground bank vault to acquire gold bars that could bring out of the game. They didnt expect to encounter their mission target, and thereby complete the task assigned by Cecilia. Gosh, what a pity! It looks like everything valuable inside the bank was cleaned out long ago! Tang Rong was still somewhat concerned about the gold that may not have existed at all. There might not be anything in the bank, but theres bound to be plenty of valuable goods in jewelry stores which can also be brought out of the game. If we get a chance, we should search around those places! Song Jian suggested casually. Alright, lets leave this place. Song Jian found the exit of the underground wine cellar. Exiting the cellar, the five of them found themselves in the courtyard of a villa. Roars of mutated zombies were audible from outside the courtyard. This turned out to be a twenty-five level monster zone. After bidding farewell to Wang Qi and the others, the four swiftly took their leave. Opening the map, Song Jian placed a marker at this location. After all, this was the entrance to the mineral-rich tunnel. If given the chance, Song Jian would undoubtedly return to mine the entire tunnel. After Song Jian and the others departed, silence descended upon the wine cellar once more. Before long though, the silence was shattered by the sound of crisp shattering. Suddenly, the altar that had been holding the Book of the Abyss formed a crack. Following that, the echoes of shattering sounds were heard; countless cracks appeared all over the altar. As time passed, the altar disintegrated, turning into fine grains of sand before being blown away by an invisible force. At the place where the altar had disappeared, a black fissure, the width of a finger, materialized in mid-air. It appeared as though an eye had opened in the sky. From this black fissure, black flames occasionally spewed out. Waves of black smoke permeated from the fissure, low, monstrous roars eerily echoed from the rift.. Chapter 419: Formation of the War Alliance Chapter 419: Formation of the War Alliance Back at the Manor Castle, Song Jian glanced at his task bar. The task of finding the Book of the Abyss showed as completed, but Song Jian had no way of returning to the library to submit it to Cecilia; The Book of the Abyss had changed from a mission item to a Dark Gold Quality item that had already merged with Song Jian. He definitely wouldnt want to submit it as a mission item again. What to do now? Should I submit this task or not? Song Jian was a bit vexed. The reward for this task surely wouldnt be a Dark Gold Quality item, it was highly likely to be a sword technique of the Knight of Dawn. Although Song Jian yearned for the sword technique, he couldnt bear to hand over the Dark Gold Quality Book of the Abyss that he already had. You should know that the Fourth-tier Demonic Flame alone from the Book of the Abyss, condensed into Abyssal Demon Armor, was already on par with a sword technique, let alone the other Abyssal abilities within the book. He opened the Book of the Abyss and found a skill tree. At that moment, all the skills were greyed out, except for the Abyssal Demon Armor at the bottom, which was lit up, indicating it could be used. There were six other Abyss magics on the same level as the Abyssal Demon Armor, such as Abyssal Breath, Abyss Wall, Abyss Spike, and more powerful spells like Abyss Shock, Abyss Blast on the higher level. With the Book of the Abyss, Song Jian could become an Abyssal Mage. It was just a pity that he could only use one spell C Abyssal Demon Armor. To activate other spells, he had to use battle experience points. To activate a spell like Abyssal Breath, he needed 100,000 battle experience points, and a higher level spell like Abyss Shock required 800,000 battle experience points. While Song Jian was exploring the Book of the Abyss, he suddenly received a message from Luo Tianyu; When are you going to form an alliance? If youre not going to, Ill join someone elses! Luo Tianyus impatient voice rang in Song Jians ear. Oh, has an alliance invited you to join? Song Jian laughed. Has an alliance invited me to join? Can you drop the Has part? There are too many alliances inviting me to join, all ranked in the top ten! Luo Tianyu shouted. Okay, Ill form the alliance now and invite you then! Song Jian said with a laugh. He opened the Manor Castle property system and chose Form Alliance. System: Please enter the name of the alliance you want to form. After thinking for a bit, Song Jian directly entered the four characters City of Hope. System: Checking System: The alliance name does not conflict, you can use this name to form an alliance. System: To form an alliance, you need to pay 100,000 Doomsday Coins. Do you want to pay? 100,000 Doomsday Coins? Song Jian was taken aback. Many players werent even able to fork out 10,000 Doomsday Coins. 100,000 Doomsday Coins would deter over 80% of players who wanted to form an alliance. Pay! To others, 100,000 Doomsday Coins maybe an obstruction, but to Song Jian, 100,000 Doomsday Coins was no big deal. After paying the 100,000 Doomsday Coins, the system sent out one final piece of information; System: Please select three players with safe houses to respond to your alliance formation. Once they respond, the City of Hope alliance will be successfully formed. If the required five players do not respond within 24 hours, the formation will fail. I need three players to respond? Song Jian was taken aback, his brow furrowed. He usually mostly played alone and seldom interacted with other players. Moreover, the three responding players couldnt be picked haphazardly. Once chosen, they couldnt be changed and had considerable authority in the alliance, second only to the alliance leader. If these three responding players conspired together, they could even reduce the Alliance leader to a figurehead, hence the choice had to be made carefully. After pondering for a while, Song Jian finally sent a response request to Li Keer, Wang Qi, and Luo Tianyu; Luo Tianyu and Li Keer responded quite quickly, but Wang Qi did not respond for a while. Evidently, he was discussing the matter with his companions. If Wang Qi became part of the alliance, the group they had just formed would surely have to join as well; Brother Song, are you forming an alliance? Wang Qi connected with Song Jians communications, asking: Can the rest of my squad join too? Of course, everyones welcome! Song Jian laughed; Thats great! Soon, Wang Qi also responded to the formation of the alliance. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You have successfully established the City of Hope alliance. We hope that you can achieve the redemption of all mankind on this deserted piece of land! System: Will you use your territory as the alliance territory? After setting up an alliance, you can set your safehouse as the alliance territory, or choose any unoccupied area as the alliance territory; However, using your own territory as the territory of the alliance not only enhances the defense of the territory but also saves a lot of money for constructing initial buildings. Obviously, Song Jian set his own territory as the alliances, and soon, the original Manor Castle began to change rapidly. The surrounding walls slowly began to glow brilliantly; The castle steadily expanded outward, the walls grew taller, and the Spirit Field inside the walls also expanded outward with the expansion of the castle; The bloody ghoul poison tree, Alex, was even scared and jumped out from the Spirit Field, panickedly running outwards; In no time at all, a medieval European castle appeared in front of Song Jian. System: The safehouse has been successfully transformed into an alliance castle, it has both the properties of a safe house and an alliance castle, and will gain stronger properties after further upgrades; He opened the safehouse property interface, and there were plenty of buildings that only an alliance possesses, such as the Alliance Shop, Parliament Hall, and other special buildings. In the Alliance Shop, there were many siege engines that regular shops didnt have, like ladders, rams, battering rams, catapults, etc; With these war weapons, future territorial expansion campaigns would be much easier, but these siege instruments were by no means cheap, and their quality was only the lowest, white-grade. They werent durable and would be damaged after not very long. Moreover, these siege weapons were exclusive to the members of the City of Hope alliance and, most importantly, these siege weapons were limited supplies. Despite so many drawbacks, these siege instruments were still the best tools for attacking city defenses. It was simply impossible to break through a safehouse upgraded to a Manor level without siege engines. After forming the alliance, Song Jian was surprised to find that his territory had doubled in size, not only encompassing Luo Tianyus barracks but also several nearby players safehouses; However, at that moment, these players safehouses were showing glaring red on the alliance territory map; Chapter 420 - 420 Recruitment Chapter 420: Recruitment Seeing those irritating red areas on the territory map, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, and he contacted Luo Tianyu directly. Luo Tianyu, have you seen those players safe houses in the alliances territory? Go ask if theyre willing to join the alliance, and if not, advise them to move away from this area! Song Jian said. What if they dont want to leave? Luo Tianyu asked after a moments hesitation. Then tear them down! Song Jian replied: Before tearing them down, purchase some siege equipment in the alliances store. Just tell me how much it costs. Understood! Luo Tianyu finished speaking, ordering the newly recruited soldiers to head towards those players safe houses. Song Jian threw all the level 20 equipment in the package into the bar, set up the exchange contribution, and went to Dr. Ebsitings sub-castle. Doctor, Ive formed an alliance! Song Jian told the experimenting doctor. An alliance? Dr. Ebsiting shuddered, and a test tube filled with liquid suddenly burst into blue flames and a puff of black smoke came out. Throwing the scrapped test tube material into the garbage bin, Dr. Ebsiting gazed at Song Jian with a complex expression, I hope you can shelter more humans in this city in the future, becoming a refuge for humanity! Of course, theres no problem Song Jian was surprised at Dr. Ebsitings attitude but still agreed to his request. Doctor, I hope you can produce more engineering products in the future to serve as the alliances reserves. Song Jian said. If it were just Song Jian alone, he would not make such a request because his own engineering skills were enough. However, having only mastered level five engineering, Song Jian was clearly insufficient for an alliance. Yes! Dr. Ebsiting agreed without hesitation. The stark change from his previously unpleasant attitude was surprising to Song Jian, but he didnt say anything. With an engineering master in the alliance, Song Jian felt more confident, so he left satisfied. After Song Jian left, Dr. Ebsiting turned around and gazed at Song Jians retreating figure, as if recalling something. After a long time, a heavy sigh came from Dr. Ebsitings laboratory. Leaving the sub-castle where the doctor was located, Song Jian opened the map and saw that those red dots on the territory map had disappeared. There were no new players in the alliance interface, Song Jian was surprised: It hasnt even been 10 minutes, and Luo Tianyu has already conquered all their safe houses? Standing in the castle and looking into the distance, seven or eight catapults were slowly approaching from afar; clearly, Luo Tianyu had purchased all the limited stock of catapults from the alliance store and used their powerful firepower to level the safehouses of several players. Thisthis is too brutal! Song Jian couldnt help but shake his head. Soon, the bill for these seven or eight catapults appeared before Song Jian, costing more than 60,000 Doomsday Coins! It was too expensive! However, with so many catapults in the front yard, not to mention the players whose manors had not yet been upgraded, even Song Jians current manor walls would not withstand several rounds of catapulting. It made sense to level those safe houses within such a short time. Luo Tianyu, how did you deal with those players? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Riding on an Abyssal Nightmare and wielding a Square Sky Halberd, Luo Tianyu was clad in crimson armor that seemed like flames. He glanced at Song Jian and proudly said, I drove them all away, of course. What, are we supposed to have them stay for dinner? Song Jian nodded; after all, they were just a few level 10+ players who could live well in Doomsday City even without safe houses. His own territory and alliance territory merged, expanding several hundred meters outward. The territory was now nearly one kilometer in size. There werent enough NPCs in the territory, so they needed to recruit more helpers. Song Jian left it all to steward George. However, there was a monthly recruitment limit for NPCs in the territory, and it couldnt be unlimited. My lord, we should recruit wandering NPCs from the city to build our territory faster and more effectively, Steward George respectfully suggested. George, what do you recommend? Song Jian asked. Usually, when NPCs reported to Song Jian, his first response was this. After asking, NPCs would always provide great solutions, so Song Jian didnt have to worry. Song Jian just needed to choose the best solution from among them. My lord, I suggest building a tavern in the territory. With a tavern, there will be a steady flow of wandering NPCs visiting every day, and our recruitment opportunities will be much greater. George replied. Thats a good idea, George. Arrange for someone to build it. If theres no alcohol available, you can contact the Sunflower Bar and get a batch from them. Also, ask if they can help us train some bartenders. Song Jian nodded and said. Very well, my lord. I will carry out your orders and send someone to negotiate with the Sunflower Bar! Steward George nodded and said, Additionally, theres a recruiting hall in the city where you can recruit suitable talents! Recruiting hall? Song Jian was taken aback, as he had never heard this information before, not even mentioned in the game update content. Wheres the recruiting hall? Song Jian asked curiously. Its at the highest building in the city! George pointed at the Television Tower in the city center. From where Song Jian stood, he could only see the tip of the tower. It was indeed the tallest building in the city, but it was so close to the city center that Song Jian even suspected it was in an area populated by level 30 monsters. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ill check it out when I have the chance, Song Jian nodded. Level 30 monsters were still a challenge for Song Jian. He could handle one or two, but more than five would make him consider retreating. If he encountered a level 30 Elite Level Boss, Song Jian would likely turn tail and run immediately. Are there any other methods? Song Jian glanced at the distant Television Tower and casually asked. Theres another one, my lord! George nodded, Every month, several prisons will randomly appear in the city, holding some very powerful NPCs. If you can rescue them, you have a great chance of recruiting them! Very powerful NPCs? Song Jian was taken aback and couldnt help but ask, How did they get imprisoned, and why are they appearing in this city? Chapter 421: Scare Away Chapter 421: Scare Away Song Jians words left George a little helpless. He glanced at Song Jian and said, Actually, these powerful NPCs are criminals who have committed crimes. They have wandered into this city. If you can liberate them and give them another chance to regain their freedom, they would definitely be grateful to you. Of course, theres a small chance you might encounter some prisoners with quirky personalities who might attack you directly. Therefore, this is a very dangerous method and I dont recommend you to do it. George added. What are their levels then? Song Jian hesitated for a while before asking. The lowest is level 10, and it does not exceed first-order combat power. Because those prisoners with more than first-order combat power will not be exiled to our abandoned city, but will be sent to more dangerous places! George explained. Good, do you happen to know where the nearest prisoner is? Song Jian asked. He had already discovered that in this game, players could recruit many followers. The more followers a player had, the stronger the player would become indirectly, whether it was for territorial expansion campaigns or defending their own castle, a large number of people were needed. Some players rely on gathering more players, but Song Jian wanted to recruit more followers, because compared to players, followers are easier to control. My Lord, there is a prison in this level 25 monster area. If no one attempts to rescue the prisoner within a month, the prison will automatically open, and the criminal inside will mutate into a monster BOSS! George waved his hand and a semi-transparent map immediately appeared in front of Song Jian. Pointing lightly at the map, George said, In fact, the reason why there are so many BOSSes in this city is mostly because every month there are prisoners breaking out of their cages, turning into monsters. Very well then, Ill go and see if I can rescue him. Song Jian nodded and memorized the location. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Be careful, my Lord. No one can guarantee how much strength that prisoner still possesses, nor can they promise that he will become your follower after you rescue him! George wore a worried expression on his face. Song Jian waved his hand to assure George and headed towards the manor. He had only taken two steps when he remembered something and quickly turned to George, Oh right, George, help me recruit or train some miners, the more the better. Ive found a rich vein, but I cant mine it alone. I need to form a mining team! Yes, my Lord, I will recruit miners right away! George said, bowing. The recruitment interface has various NPC skills available. Players can recruit according to their needs. Song Jian handed the recruitment authority over to George and many matters were taken care of by him. After he finished giving instructions, Song Jian headed towards the location George marked. There should not be many players hunting monsters in the level 25 monster area. The imprisoned NPC should also still be quietly waiting in the prison. At this point, there were almost no more monsters in the Level 5 monster area. All around were players and players safe houses. Most of the players would only upgrade their safe houses, without launching a territorial expansion campaign. Once they launch an expansion campaign, they might end up in a war against a dozen other players, considered a suicidal act. Therefore, most players grouped with their neighbors to form a war pact, which then integrates horizontally and vertically, convincing more players to join their pact. As the number of players and safe houses increased, the surrounding environment got badly destroyed, leaving no full path. As Song Jian passed along the road, he even met two groups of robbers. To avoid these disturbances, Song Jian directly displayed his level. As expected, no player dared to block his way afterward. Arriving at the level 25 monster area, the mutated zombies here were noticeably stronger. Their originally shriveled flesh was now filled up again. However, they no longer looked fresh like the living, instead, they emitted a purple-black glow. These mutated zombies had sharp fangs in their mouths, their fingernails shimmered with a dark metallic gloss, and even their bodies showed scale-like patterns, giving the impression of being covered in scales. These mutated zombies possessed immense power. A single punch could easily shatter a wall. As a result, this district was far less preserved than those occupied by lower-level monsters. Most of the shops and even the buildings had been turned into rubble. Under such conditions, the supplies that players were looking for were greatly reduced, and the terrain would not provide any advantages during fights, forcing them to fight head-on. Players with weak abilities would probably prefer to continue hunting lower-level monsters instead of coming here to level up. Perhaps because no players had come to level up, as soon as Song Jian entered the area, he saw a robust zombie over two meters tall. This zombies cheeks were covered with an exoskeleton layer, looking like it was wearing a giant helmet, and its upper body was bare. It held a huge double-sided battle-ax in its right hand, dragging on the ground, and in its left hand, it held an oil lamp, which looked quite bizarre. This monster was wandering aimlessly on the deserted street. Whenever it encountered a zombie blocking its way, its right hand would violently swing forward. The huge double-sided battle-ax would utter a heavy, beast-like roar, chopping the zombie that blocked the way into two halves. Even a casual glance at this level 25 elite BOSS robust mutated zombie would give one a tremendously heavy pressure. Seeing this BOSS approaching him, the oppressive feeling made Song Jian couldnt resist summoning the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, his left hand was also gripping a bottle of Weakness Potion, all caution was displayed. The enormous pressure the BOSS exerted on Song Jian made him, originally confident of effortlessly crushing a level 25 elite BOSS, instantly doubted himself. Just as the BOSS was getting closer and closer, and Song Jian could not help but think of launching an attack, a rebellious roar suddenly echoed from afar. The roar scared the robust BOSS in front of Song Jian, making it turn and run away instantly. It even knocked down dozens of mutated zombies along the way. In no time, the silhouette of this BOSS disappeared into the ruins in the distance. Song Jian, puzzled, looked toward the direction of the roar. That was precisely his destination, the place where the NPC criminal was being held captive. There certainly wont be any other players here. Could it be that roar was emitted by the captive criminal? Song Jian speculated in his mind: Merely with a roar, it was able to scare away a level 25 elite BOSS. How high is this criminals strength? Does it really not exceed first-order combat power? Chapter 422: Beastman Warrior Chapter 422: Beastman Warrior Song Jian walked in the direction of the sound, turned a street corner, and saw a low, squat building built of bricks and stone in the ruins of a residential building not far away. This low building looked quite crude, the stones were all hewed from large blocks, contrasting with the surrounding modern architecture. The door to this house was no more than an iron gate. The thicknesses of the iron bars were the size of an arm, deeply embedded into the stone. To get out would require breaking the surrounding walls, or somehow passing through the gate. In this cage, a beastman with green skin was imprisoned. This beastman had lost an ear. Trailing down its cheek was a hideous scar. Had this wound been a mere two millimeters away, it would have cost the beastman an eye. Scars covered his body, appearing like a weathered soldier. Upon seeing Song Jian, the beastman appeared to grow even more ferocious, his thick arms grabbing hold of the iron railing, shaking it constantly, looking like it wanted to attack Song Jian. Yet no matter how much force it used, the iron bars did not budge. Not even a speck of dust fell. Clearly, a special force was maintaining the prison, and the beastman could not break it. Abeastman? Song Jian, watching this muscular beastman, couldnt help feel a touch of disappointment in his eyes. He who is not of my kind has a heart of a different kind. Towards any other race, even in games, Song Jian always held a guarded stance. Can you understand me? Song Jian, unwilling to waste his trip, hesitated briefly but posed his question to the imprisoned beastman. Human I enjoy chewing your hearts! The beastmans large mouth split into a ferocious smile, his red, violent eyes emitting a strong murderous intent. Song Jians face darkened. Without another word, he drew his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and thrust it forcefully through the bars of the cage. Thud- A faint sound rang out as a magical barrier blocked the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Circles of ripples spread from the point of contact before slowly disappearing. The imprisoned beastman watched as Song Jian failed and immediately burst into laughter. Song Jians brows furrowed. He could sense that the enchantment blocking his strength wasnt very strong. If he were willing to put in the effort, he could still destroy this prison. The enchantment not only stopped the beastman from coming out, but it also protected him. Watching the beastman laughing heartily, Song Jian lifted the comer of his mouth slightly, sheathed his sword, and prepared to turn and leave after one last glance at the beastman. Seeing Song Jian turn to leave, the beastman warriors eyes filled with contempt and he broke into another round of raucous laughter. This beastman was powerful, equivalent to a level thirty elite boss. Song Jian didnt have the absolute confidence of defeating him. However, the beastman warrior had to stay in this prison for a whole month. Once the energy of the prison dissipated, it would be able to break out and transform into a boss. With a months time, Song Jian could easily level up to thirty and then return to take him down. Prisoners like this would randomly appear in Doomsday City every month. When the time came, George would naturally notify him of their locations. If he encountered subduable ones, he would subdue them. If he encountered ones like this beastman warrior, he would give up. There wouldnt be much loss for Song Jian either way. Just as Song Jian was about to turn and leave, he suddenly remembered a skill from the Book of the Abyss C Abyss Temptation. It only required one hundred thousand combat experience to unlock. With a thought, the black Book of the Abyss appeared in Song Jians hands. He turned to the section about the Abyss Temptation skill and began to read carefully. Abyss Temptation (Active): MAX. Skill Effect: After locking the target, chant the Language of Abyss Temptation at them, causing them to gradually lose their sanity. The stronger the targets willpower attribute, the greater the resistance against the Language of Abyss Temptation, causing the success rate of this skill to decrease. This skill lasts for 30 seconds and can be interrupted. The target might attack the caster during the charm. If the target meets the charm requirement after thirty seconds, they will receive the Abyss Slave Mark and the skill succeeds. If they do not meet the charm requirement after thirty seconds, the skill fails and they will take a Soul Shock for 500 spirit points of damage. Skill cost: 30% Spirit Points. This skill seems a bit situational, Song Jian contemplated while scratching his chin. In terms of casting time, applying the skill to the target required having the ability to trap them for thirty seconds. Otherwise, the results would merely be driving the target into a more feral state and there was a high chance it would attract the targets attacks. But for the beastman warrior confined in the cage, this skill seemed tailor- made. What Song Jian was considering now was whether it would be worth it to spend one hundred thousand combat experience to make the beastman warrior in front of him a slave. Song Jian was only 3% short of reaching the next level, so deducting one hundred thousand combat experience points was equivalent to losing ten percent of his total experience. After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian decided to unlock this skill. After all, prisoners like this only randomly appeared a few times a month. Whats more, even fewer were discovered by others. Most transformed into city monster bosses once their time was up. With a thought, Song Jians experience bar immediately decreased. On the Book of the Abyss, the dim skill icon for Abyss Temptation lit up, emitting a glow. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A series of Abyssal phrases suddenly appeared in Song Jians mind, as if an invisible hand had physically shoved knowledge into his brain without consideration for his capacity for such information. After a moment of dizziness, Song Jian mastered the Abyss Temptation Language. The Language of the Abyss had an extremely strong charm function. Ordinary people hearing it would quickly fall and become abyssal monsters if they did not have strong willpower. The charm spell formed by the Language of the Abyss was even more potent, rendering normal monsters unable to withstand it. With the Book of the Abyss in hand, Song Jian turned to the Abyss Temptation section, fixed his gaze on the beastman in the cage, and began to softly chant. The beastman warrior, seeing that Song Jian had stopped and pulled out a book, instinctively felt something was amiss but could not identify the problem. Before long, the beastman warrior suddenly felt as if it was being watched by a savage beast. A pair of eyes filled with ferocity were fixed on its chest, sharp fangs seemed ready to pierce it at any moment. Whispered words of charm reached its ears, the sound was infuriating yet sparked an irresistible urge to continue listening. This sensation made the beastman warrior extremely uncomfortable, prompting an uncontrollable wild roar. Chapter 423: Slaves Chapter 423: Slaves The Beastman warrior, who had let out a roar, suddenly felt a refreshing sensation spread throughout his body. But following that venting roar, the uncomfortable feeling rushed back into his heart. The sound in his ears grew louder, making the Beastman warrior feel even more uncomfortable. In Song Jians eyes, the Beastman warrior at this moment seemed like a furious beast, instinctively releasing its ferocity. Time passed by second by second, and the Beastman warrior roared and growled non-stop. Blood was slowly flowing from the corner of his mouth, and the two blood-red eyes showed no sign of rationality, like a wild beast driven by instinct to go berserk. It used its head to ram repeatedly against the cage, its forehead covered in fresh blood. Much of the blood had even flowed down its cheeks, and the strong smell of blood filled the Beastman warriors nostrils. It felt as if it was back on the battlefield of the past, facing hordes of encroaching enemies. Despite being alone, it had no fear, charging towards thousands of soldiers and horses, and beginning a bloody carnage. Ten seconds, fifteen seconds, twenty seconds, twenty-five seconds, As Song Jian finished the last syllable of Abyss Temptation, a sudden wave of weakness came over him, and 30% Spirit Points almost made him faint and fall to the ground. However, Song Jian quickly recovered. This kind of feeling only occurred after releasing the Eye Kill technique. It was the aftereffect of a large amount of Spirit Points loss, and all he needed was a little rest. At this moment, the Beastman warrior had completely degenerated into a wild beast, constantly ramming its body against the bars. Even though its body was covered in wounds from the impact, it didnt feel any pain at all. The Beastman warrior now stood on all fours and began gnawing at the iron bars with its tusks after it had grown tired of ramming. It seemed to have completely lost its sanity. Just then, a black rune emerged from the Book of the Abyss, and with a whoosh, it shot toward the Beastman warriors forehead. A burning sensation was felt as the Beastman warrior let out a heart-wrenching roar. The black rune had branded itself onto the warriors forehead, and black energy emanated from it, spreading like a large net and wrapping around the Beastmans entire body. In a short amount of time, numerous black lines, resembling a web, appeared on the Beastmans skin. The black energy became increasingly denser, gradually covering the warrior and eventually transforming it into a cocoon over six feet tall, standing still in its place. This should be successful, right? Song Jian put away the Book of the Abyss, staring at the black cocoon in the cage and guessing to himself. It wasnt long before the Beastman warrior burst out of the black cocoon, tearing it apart from the inside. Upon seeing Song Jian, it showed an obedient expression, kneeling on one knee and touching its forehead to the ground, saying in a deep voice, Master! At this point, the Beastman warrior had completely transformed. On its once green skin, it was now covered with fine black scales, looking as if it were wearing black fish scale armor. Its scarlet eyes had turned silver-white, and a glowing black rune adorned its forehead. Its cheeks became thinner, and the tusks had shrunk slightly. Its muscular body seemed even more robust than before, filled with explosive power. Looking at the kneeling Beastman warrior, a rune was also flashing in Song Jians mind. With just a thought, the rune would shatter, and once that happened, this powerful Beastman warrior would lose its life in an instant. The skill has succeeded, and it has now become my slave! Song Jians face revealed a joyful smile, feeling very satisfied with the Abyss Temptation skill. The only drawback was that if a slave died, it would genuinely die, unable to be resurrected like the Black Dragon cub. Get up, Song Jian said, drawing his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and beginning to chop the prison bars. It took over half an hour for him to break the prison and free the Beastman warrior with his attack power. Once the Beastman warrior stood behind him, Song Jian realized that the warriors height had now exceeded two meters. Even without any weapons, the aura radiating from its body gave off an intense oppressive feeling. Wiry were you imprisoned in the first place? Song Jian asked, looking the Beastman warrior up and down. I apologize, Master. I cant remember anything. I only recognize you as my Master! The Beastman warrior said respectfully. Song Jian: Returning to his territory with the Beastman warrior, Song Jian was about to summon George and have him assign some work for the Beastman warrior. After all, he couldnt let such a powerful combatant follow him around as a bodyguard every day. Before he could summon George, the floor beneath Song Jian suddenly began to tremble. Looking out the window, the entire territory seemed to be shaking as well. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whats going on? An earthquake? Song Jians face changed, and at that moment, he suddenly heard a loud system voice in his ear. System: The war alliance Hand of God has declared war on the war alliance City of Hope. The war lasts 2 hours. If the City of Hope alliance core is destroyed or 2 hours pass, the war alliance conflict will end! What? An alliance dared to attack me? Raising an eyebrow, Song Jians eyes filled with surprise, followed by a wave of anger emanating from his heart. The trembling subsided, as this was simply a setup by the system. In actuality, it caused no damage to Song Jians territory but merely served as a reminder. However, what caught Song Jian off guard was that these tremors happened one after another. System: The war alliance Survive has declared war on the war alliance City of Hope. The war lasts 2 hours. If the City of Hope alliance core is destroyed or 2 hours pass, the war alliance conflict will end! System: The war alliance Little Bird Movement Team has declared war on the war alliance City of Hope. The war lasts 2 hours. If the City of Hope alliance core is destroyed or 2 hours pass, the war alliance conflict will end! In an instant, six war alliances declared war on Song Jian simultaneously! A virtual map appeared before Song Jian, which clearly marked his territorys position alongside the six war alliances. These six alliance territories were practically distributed all around Song Jians territory. Their combined area was at least twice that of Song Jians. Moreover, any further expansion would result in a border with Song Jians territory, leading to a territorial expansion battle. Thus, the six groups joined forces to strike first, intending to eliminate Song Jian and divide his territory among them. Chapter 424: Catapult Chapter 424: Catapult Little Brother Jian, someones attacking us, Im coming over right away! Li Keer was the first to contact Song Jian and said directly. Soon, Wang Qi and his team also said they would be there shortly; Song Jian turned his head to look at Luo Tianyus camp, and it didnt take long for Luo Tianyu to lead her troops out of the camp, standing on an empty space; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly noticed that on a vacant space in the southwest direction of his territory, a milky-white light suddenly burst forth, the light grew more and more intense, and in no time, a three-story bar appeared on the empty space; S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Keer walked out of the bars entrance, followed by a group of thugs dressed in bar attire; Brother Song, Ive moved the bar to the war alliances territory! Li Keer waved at Song Jian, her face full of smiles. Players who join the war alliance have one chance to move their safe house to the war alliances territory, but few people do so, because once their safe house is moved to the war alliances territory, if the territory is breached, their hard- earned safe house will be destroyed, returning to square one. Safe houses that are not inside the war alliances territory will not be affected even if the alliance is captured. Most players join a war alliance just to find a backer, so they rarely move their safe houses to the war alliances territory and share life and death with them. Theyll be attacking in a while, come and get some high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots first! Song Jian shouted to the two. There were many good things in the war alliances warehouse, but they could only be taken with Contribution Points, and high-explosive grenades and self- destructing robots were even more useful in wars. To defend his territory, Song Jian spared no expense and provided them all for free; Li Keer and Luo Tianyu each took ten high-explosive grenades and ten self- destructing robots, then Li Keer began setting traps around the territory. Song Jian ordered the Blood Crow to fly in all directions to investigate the movements of these six war alliances. Song Jian estimated that these six alliances should attack together rather than in separate attacks; After all, each of them was weaker than Song Jian, and if they attacked separately, they would likely be defeated one by one by Song Jian; Soon, Wang Qi and his teammates all arrived at Song Jians territory, ready for battle; Brother Song, just tell us how to fight, well listen to you! Wang Qi said; With a serious face, Song Jian looked at the war alliances store and directly bought all the defensive equipment in it. This time, more than 200,000 Doomsday Coins were invested, making him feel a tinge of pain; However, these defensive devices were all worth the investment. Row upon row of caltrops were placed on the streets along the six attackers approach routes, with shops and buildings everywhere. To attack, they had to clear these caltrops first; Next, six mobile arrow towers were placed by Song Jian at the sides behind the caltrops. Once the enemy approached, these mobile arrow towers would attack mercilessly; Then, Song Jian placed the bloody corpses around the arrow towers to protect them. These bloody corpses could act as cannon fodder, and even if they were all killed, Song Jian wouldnt care; The Blood Wolves, on the other hand, were scattered around the shops and buildings as ambushers. Once the enemy came, they could launch surprise attacks in the chaos. Since the war was about to begin, all the employees in the territory had already entered the Manor Castle, protected by tall walls, so the enemies wouldnt attack them for a while; If the Manor Castle couldnt protect them, it would mean that Song Jian had lost the war, and these NPCs would be taken away as resources; Luo Tianyu led fifty soldiers, guarding behind the defensive measures. In front of her was a more than 100-meter-wide open space. Once the enemy attacked here, Luo Tianyu would lead her soldiers to form a battle formation and launch an attack; Although the number of soldiers that could be led increased with level growth, Luo Tianyu was somewhat disappointed that she could only recruit the cheapest spearmen. If she could recruit cavalry, even if there were only a dozen or twenty of them, Luo Tianyu was confident that she could completely wipe out the attacking enemies; Everyone was on high alert, and half an hour later, a large group of people appeared at the edge of the war alliances territory. Jiang Shan stood among the crowd, looking at the dense caltrops ahead and the arrow towers behind them, his face suddenly became grim. Boss, theyre really well-prepared. How are we going to get through this? How about we change directions of attack? A scout-class player, who returned from the front, couldnt help but say after reporting the situation. Change direction? Can you be sure that there are no traps in the other directions? Jiang Shan said coldly, And how much trouble it is to move all our siege equipment back and forth? Time is against us. Once we change directions, they can adjust their defenses according to our movements at any time, and we can only waste time in vain! Frustrated, Jiang Shan turned to the other war alliance leaders and asked, What do you guys think? A chubby player hesitated for a while as he looked at the territory Song Jian had built, and finally said with a flattering smile, Jiang Shan is the leader this time around; we, of course, listen to Jiang Shan. The other people nearby also expressed their support, Yes, yes, we listen to Jiang Shan! Jiang Shan revealed a smile and nodded, Well then, lets bring the catapults over, demolish those caltrops first, and then well talk. Hmph, thinking these things will wear down our combat power is just daydreaming! Yeah, Jiang Shan has a good idea. Lets use the catapults to destroy all the caltrops. Haha, that way, these things will be useless, and theyll have wasted a large sum of money! Indeed, indeed, these caltrops are not cheap. Ive seen them in the war alliance store. This dense array must have taken at least tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins! Blow them up, blow them up! We cant risk our brothers lives for this! For a moment, everyone chimed in, and soon, several catapults were pushed over by a group of players; The catapults made a creaking noise as the long launch arms bent over, and large stone bullets appeared in their baskets. Little Brother Jian, theyre going to use the catapults to destroy the caltrops! Quickly, teleport me over, I can add defenses to the caltrops! Li Keer looked anxious as she jumped and shouted. The territory was an extension of Song Jians Manor Castle, where he could teleport freely and even assign any NPC to any corner within the territory; If the player agreed, Song Jian naturally could also move them to any corner within the territory; Upon hearing Li Keers shout, Song Jians mind moved, and her figure flashed, appearing tens of meters away from the caltrops; Chapter 425: Clash Chapter 425: Clash Li Keer chant a spell, raising her right hand, a white light fly from her hand towards the thickly scattered caltrops. Suddenly, a semi-transparent light shield envelops each of the caltrops; Seeing Li Keer has finished releasing her skill, Song Jian mentally beckons her back, that place is far too dangerous, the catapults have already begun to hurl stones at the caltrops. Seven or eight basketball-sized stones whistled towards caltrops, the moment they struck the light shield, the stones shattered into countless fragments that sprayed in all directions, causing secondary damage; Song Jians eyes twitch, these catapults look a lot more powerful than he had imagined; Brother Song, I dont think we can just sit and watch, why dont I take some fellows and flank them for a sneak attack? Wang Qi, looking at the distant group of around forty or fifty players, suggested with a stroke of his chin. The four of you, not enough for their full barrage! Song Jian glanced at Wang Qi and said, And how do you know they arent prepared? Do you see how many thieves there are in their team? Most of the players have chosen their professions by now, and their equipment corresponds with their professions, so its easy to tell them apart. Wang Qi looked up, out of forty or fifty people, there were only one or two thieves at the front of the team, this revelation sent shivers down his spine. It must be noted that the four main professions of warrior, thief, mage, and priest are the easiest to pick, and their skills are quite potent, hence why most players choose these professions. Moreover, these professions can later be transferred to other more powerful professions. Out of forty or fifty people, according to probabilities, there should be at least a dozen or so thieves, but right now there are only one or two, its apparent that other thief profession players are hiding around, waiting for Song Jian to send people for the ambush. So we can only watch as they break in? This is just too suffocating! Wang Qi said upset. Song Jian calmly stared at the six player guilds in front of him. These players arent of low level, the highest being level eighteen, the lowest being sixteen. Including the siege weapons of the six guilds, their combined force would make it fairly easy to destroy a guild. Song Jians guild was newly founded and hadnt had a chance to recruit many players, so they were at a numerical disadvantage. You guys hold your position here for now, lets see what happens when they attack! Song Jian instructed then turned and dashed towards another direction of his territory. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The players from the opposing six guilds, were looking at the catapults continually bombarding the caltrops, their faces were flushed with excitement. Brother Shan, why dont we take this opportunity to bulldoze their constructions? A player excitedly roared; Are you a fool, huh, are you a fool? Jiang Shan stared at that player and yelled: It would waste so much time demolishing these constructions! We only have a little over an hour at most, breaking into their manor castle is most important. And once we seize their manor castle, these shops and constructions will become our war spoils! The player who had advocated for demolishing Song Jians territory was at a loss for words, he humbly scratched his head and burst out in sheepish laughter; Li Keers defense spell could only mitigate damage, not entirely neutralize it. After a few rounds of bombardments, the rows of caltrops began to fall apart; Jiang Shan glanced at the time, because of the slow movement speed of the siege weapons, they had spent over twenty minutes to get to the edge of Song Jians territory. Then they spent another ten or so minutes bombarding the caltrops, nearly forty minutes have passed and they had not spotted the opponents Manor Castle. Speed it up! Jiang Shan ordered, narrowing his brows. In no time, more than a dozen heavily-armored defense warriors, holding large shields, formed a row and positioned themselves at the front of the crowd. Behind them were the mages, archers, and other ranged attack professions. The warriors began to slowly advance holding up their shields. As for the mages and archers, they followed behind. Once the caltrops came into their attack range, they would initiate the assault. Clang, clang, clang- The defensive warriors were now close to the caltrops, entering within the attack range of the mobile arrow towers. The towers automatically locked onto the targets and shot arrows at them. However, the defense of the arrow towers was not high, against defensive warriors, they could only deal about a dozen points of damage. When spread out among so many defense warriors, it was relatively easy to withstand, some warriors even managed to defend and attack the caltrops simultaneously. The mages and archer profession players behind then entered attack range, one after another they attacked the caltrops, with their participation, the caltrops defense value dropped rapidly; Swiftly, in less than three minutes, rows of caltrops were all destroyed, then they rushed towards the mobile arrow towers, starting to take down these towers; Prepare yourselves, we are going to storm through! Jiang Shan noted that the opposing guild had not many players, which was within his expectation. A newly established guild would certainly not have had the chance to recruit players yet. But the quantity of NPC warriors that the opponent had surprised Jiang Shan, and the fifty spear soldiers behind Luo Tianyu made his brow furrow. However, if he didnt eliminate all the opponents troops, there would no way he could rest assured and attack the Manor Castle. General guardians would rely on castle walls for defense, these people actually gave up on the defense of the wall, opting for field battle. Actually, for Jiang Shan and the six guilds, this could work to their advantage; After another five minutes, all of the mobile arrow towers had been destroyed, with a wave of his hand, Jiang Shan made most of the players charge towards the center of Song Jians territory C the Manor Castle. They would only be victorious in this guild war if they secure that place; Forty or fifty players swarmed forward, leaving behind only half a dozen people to guard the siege weapons. Without the aid of the players, the movement speed of the siege weapons dropped significantly, only managing to inch forward; Once we beat these players, the siege weapons should have almost made it within attack range. Then well take the Manor Castle down in one go! Jiang Shan thought to himself, as he ran while drawing his weapon. Sharp Edge Formation! Luo Tianyu lifted his Square Sky Halberd, shouting fiercely. Charge! Fifty spear soldiers quickly moved about and swiftly formed the Sharp Edge Formation. They roared while charging towards the players; Lets go too! Wang Qi shouted, leading the way. He took aim at the player in the lead, pulled the trigger, and a flash of red light appeared as quick as a spark, instantly hitting the player 300 meters away. The bullet pierced right through his chest before he could react, his vitality points dropped by a third. Startled, he yelled Holy Smokes, and quickly dodged to the side; Suddenly, the two parties collided, cries for battle filled Song Jians territory. At this moment, Song Jian had rounded from one side of his territory to their rear. His vertical pupils in his forehead opened, a silver light radiated, revealing around ten invisible thieves distributed around the siege engines, like a big net waiting for ambushers to fall into; Chapter 426: Retreat Chapter 426: Retreat Song Jian hid on the rooftop of a shop, watching siege machines slowly moving into the territory, and the players guarding them also entered the territory. Targeting a stealthy thief on the outermost side, Song Jian had a thought, and his figure disappeared, appearing directly behind the thief. At the moment Song Jian appeared, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword mercilessly chopped towards the opponents head; Light Strike! A dazzling golden Sword Qi traversed the sky, and the stealthy thief didnt even have time to react before he was toppled to the ground. A damage of more than 500 points floated above his head, instantly killing him; By the time everyone reacted, Song Jians figure had already disappeared, only leaving behind a thiefs corpse and a piece of leather armor leggings that he had dropped; What happened? a stealthy thief asked nervously. It seems like someone attacked He can teleport, hes a mage! No, I saw his weapon was a one-handed sword, it should be a warrior-type profession How could a warrior profession teleport? Damn, this guy set the war league on his own territory, weve entered their territory! What should we do, theres no way to fight, why dont we just go and join the main force. What about these siege machines? Without them, how can we break their walls? Gather up, everyone defend together, keep an eye on every direction, I dont believe he can kill us all at once! Soon, the thieves guarding the siege machines began to gather, cautiously watching their surroundings with their backs to each other. Players can teleport within their own safe house, a setting that many players dont care about C it just saves some walking time, and its nothing amazing. But as the safety level of the players house increased, and the surrounding territory could be developed, this setting became a bit of a bug. Now, Song Jians attacks seemed to come out of nowhere, which made more than a dozen players fearful, and Song Jian was now invincible. As more than ten thieves gathered together, Song Jian felt a bit tricky, but seeing them so close to each other out of fear, a smile appeared on his face again; Soon, these stealthy thieves followed the siege machines for dozens of meters, and Song Jian did not appear, so they relaxed a bit. He seems not to dare to come out. Yes, even if he can teleport, there are a few seconds of cooldown between each teleport, its enough for us to focus fire and kill him. How dare he come out now? Just as these thief players relaxed, several humanoid robots, half a person tall, suddenly appeared from the road ahead and swayed towards them. What the hell is that? a thief looked at the robots with a puzzled face. Dont let them get close, I feel something is wrong! You two, go and get rid of those things! Two stealthy thieves charged at the five or six self-destructing robots; Clang clang clang~ Daggers scraped against the robots, bursting out a series of sparks; the defense of self-destructing robots was 1000 points, and the attacks of these thieves couldnt empty their defense at all; With the attack of the thieves, the speed of these self-destructing robots suddenly increased and rushed into the group of thieves; Boom! The explosion sounded, and more than a dozen thieves felt a wave of air rushing towards them. They were suddenly blown away, and their Vitality Points dropped sharply; Fog Grass, what the hell is this? The damage is so high! Boom, boom, boom~ Five or six self-destructing robots each targeted a thief, exploding near them, causing damage to all the thieves within a six-meter radius; The self-destructing robots achieved a great success with just one move, taking down nearly all the thieves. The combined damage of the six robots was close to 2,000 points, which was too much for the thieves, who only had 300 to 400 Vitality Points; A dying thief, with only a little Vitality left, watched as a figure slowly walked towards him. Regret filled his heart, and he muttered to himself, How is this possible, hes so strong! A long sword took away his last bit of Vitality, and his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness; Having killed all the thieves in the surrounding area and picked up all the spoils, Song Jian began to destroy the slow-moving siege equipment; At this moment, Jiang Shan was entangled in battle with Luo Tianyus warriors. The players strength was much greater than Luo Tianyus spear warriors. Although the Sharp Edge Formation had caused some damage to Jiang Shan and his team, the spear warriors were gradually falling, and Wang Qis party were steadily retreating; One after another, roaring blood corpses rushed into the enemys camp, but these ordinary monsters were quickly killed, merely consuming some of the enemys Spirit Points. The high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots had already been used up. At the beginning, they managed to kill seven or eight players while their opponents hadnt yet encountered them. However, once everyone started fighting, it was difficult to use these items without harming their own side. The Beastman slave that Song Jian had just recruited seemed to enjoy the killing. He grabbed two corpses on the ground as weapons and charged into the crowd, killing everyone in his way. However, he soon paid the price for his reckless behavior. Dozens of players focused their fire on him, and the Beastman Warrior only held on for a few seconds before he was heavily injured and began fleeing towards the Manor Castle. Sister Rain, should we retreat to the Manor? Wang Qi shouted loudly. Retreat! Luo Tianyu glanced at the surrounding players, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, and her face showed a reluctant expression. If only my military rank had been higher, allowing me to recruit stronger soldiers, I could have easily wiped the floor with you all on my own! Luo Tianyu thought bitterly in her heart. Wielding the Square Sky Halberd, Luo Tianyu fended off several players surrounding her. She pulled on the Abyssal Nightmares reins and ran towards the Manor, with more than a dozen remaining spear warriors covering their retreat. Seeing the enemy charge again, Luo Tianyu pulled out two high- explosive grenades and threw them toward the enemy; However, the opposing players simply activated their Acceleration Skills and dodged the grenades. Haha, Brother Shan, theyre running! Lets go! We won, we won, haha, they must be dreaming if they think they can beat our six war alliances with just a few people! A few war alliance leaders laughed heartily; Bring the Catapults, a few of you go and push them over here, speed it up! With the Catapults, well break their walls and turn their Manor Castle into a flat ground! Jiang Shan said passionately. At this moment, a players face changed greatly as he shouted, Someone is destroying our siege equipment! Everyone turned to look, and all that remained of their once abundant siege equipment were a few Battering Rams that were still being chopped by other players. The rest of the Catapults and other siege equipment had already become a pile of wood chips; S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Jiang Shan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Without the siege equipment, the idea of breaking the enemys Manor with their thirty-odd players in an hour was pure fantasy. Seeing the defensive structures of the enemys Manor, Jiang Shan felt a chill in his heart. They were already within the attack range of the enemys Manor Castle Catapults. Did they really have to use their own flesh and blood to fight against the heavily armed enemy Manor? Chapter 427: Better off Dead Chapter 427: Better off Dead Damn it, how did this happen! What the hell were those rogue professionals doing? How did they let one person launch a successful sneak attack! Jiang Shan cursed, his face beet red with rage. Brother Shan, what do we do now? The clan leader of a war guild asked, his face pale. Should we give it one more try? They only have a few people. We can surely win if we just break into the castle! A war guild leader gazed unwillingly at the not-so-distant castle and softly suggested. And how are we going to do that? With such high walls and so many defensive arrow towers, youll be turned into a pincushion before you even get close! Someone retorted discontentedly. Jiang Shan gritted his teeth fiercely. He originally thought he had victory in the bag, all according to plan. But unexpectedly, the tide of battle had turned dramatically. Just a moment ago, their path was clear and straight, and now, they were poised on the edge of a steep precipice. Brother Shan, how about we take out that guy first. Someone pointed at Song Jian, who was cutting down the last battering ram, and shouted. Yes, kill him first! Killing him would be worth it, and worst-case scenario, we can try again once weve regrouped. We have the numbers, whats there to be afraid of! Lets go, brothers! We take that guy down first! Jiang Shan raised his arm in a battle cry, shouting loudly. This war guild war could be considered a thorough failure. More than twenty of his side had died whereas not a single player from the other side was dead, only a bunch of NPC spear soldiers. All the siege equipment had been destroyed, leaving them powerless to attack the manor. Their morale had sunk to the lowest point, now they could only try to regain some confidence by dealing with the person who had launched the surprise attack. As around thirty players charged towards Song Jian, he had already destroyed the last siege equipment. Seeing the crowd rushing towards him, a cruel smirk appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. With a thought, thirty blood wolves squeezed out from various buildings. Each wolf was as big as a small calf, with sharp fangs glittering metallically, and their eyes shone with a bloody glow as they growled and closed in on Song Jian. Kill them! Song Jian commanded. Howl- A wolf howled, and the thirty blood wolves leaped towards the crowd. Then, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon cub. A nearly two-meter Black Dragon flew up into the sky, roaring as it sprayed a hot dragon breath over the more than thirty players. Song Jians figure flickered, appearing behind a cleric. His dark red longsword easily pierced through the clerics defense, going right through his chest. The clerics vitality points suddenly plunged. Then, Song Jian pointed his left index finger at his forehead, a silver Sword Qi pierced through his forehead. Before the cleric could even scream, Song Jian had instantly killed him. A nearby warrior, consumed by rage upon seeing his companion attacked, instinctively used his charge skill to hurtle towards Song Jian. Sacred Parry! A golden light flashed on Song Jians body, and he positioned his long sword in front of his chest. Defense- The charging warrior felt as if he had slammed into a wall. The counter-attack force made his skeleton issue a crunch crunch sound, and the damage dealt to him was over sixty points. More importantly, the stun status, which should have been inflicted on his target, appeared on this warriors status bar instead. Stunned, how could I be the one stunned? The dazed warrior was greatly frightened. At that moment, a golden Sword Qi descended from above. Light Strike! Although this player wasnt a dark creature, nearly six hundred damage points were more than he could bear. His vitality points immediately plunged to the lowest, leaving him with less than a hundred residual health points. Song Jian easily swept his right hand and dwindled down this armored warriors entire vitality points with a mere chopping slice. Bump bump bump- Several spells struck Song Jians body, causing a gray aura to circulate around him, reducing nearly 60% of the damage, which made Song Jian even more resistant than the defensive warrior. -11 -15 -17 A series of damage points floated up from Song Jians head, causing the surrounding players to twitch in surprise. How could a swordsman in leather armor have such formidable defense and resistance! At this moment, the blood wolves also charged into the group of players. These blood wolves were as tough as elite monsters, not mere cannon fodder like blood zombies. Their formidable attack power instantly turned the scene into chaos, with players scattered and disoriented. Kill this player first! Jiang Shan shouted angrily, pointing at Song Jian after slashing a leaping blood wolf away. Song Jian glanced at Jiang Shan, smiled faintly, and then his figure suddenly vanished into thin air. Damn, hes the lord of this territory! Jiang Shan cursed quietly, glancing at the other players before pulling out a dark grey stone from his bag and crushing it in his hand. The crushed stone emitted a faint grey glow that disappeared quickly. At the same time, Jiang Shans figure also vanished. He wants to trap us all here! In his invisible state, Jiang Shan looked back at Manor Castle with a face full of hatred and thought bitterly. Everyone for themselves at this point, he thought. With other players still attracting aggro, escaping was the wisest move. From within Manor Castle, Luo Tianyu, watching Song Jian reappear and wreak havoc among the players, mounted his Abyssal Nightmare and charged towards the enemy with excitement. Lets join the fight and kick them while theyre down! Tang Rong roared, activating his Acceleration Skill and charging forward. Wang Qi stood on the ramparts, observing the battlefield through a magnifying scope. Bang! Simultaneously with the sound of a gunshot, a priest on his last legs only felt a pain in his forehead before losing consciousness. That single shot instantly killed him. After taking down one player, Wang Qi didnt even spare him a glance, and instead quickly shifted his target, aiming at another injured player and pulling the trigger. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The battle ended quickly, with over thirty bodies of players lying on the ground and their gears scattered all around. Song Jian, frowning slightly, glanced at the system. All the enemies had been defeated and this Alliance Battle should be over, but the system still showed that there was more than forty minutes left. Whats going on? Could there be someone left? Song Jians eyes widened, and as he looked around, his suspicions were confirmed. About a hundred meters away, a faintly transparent figure was slowly retreating towards the border of the territory. Jiang Shan, now in a state of invisibility which had reduced his movement speed by 40%, moved as slow as a tortoise. He had reached the edge of the territory and was just a few meters away from seeking shelter in the buildings. Song Jian sneered, and his figure flickered, disappearing on the spot. Jiang Shan suddenly felt a strong wind blowing from behind his head and swiftly swung his sword to deflect it. Block! With a sharp noise, Jiang Shans figure gradually became visible. Seeing Song Jians shining silver vertical pupil, he immediately understood the situation. Spare me, and Ill join your Alliance! Jiang Shan pleaded, a look of terror on his face. No need, I think its better when youre dead! As Song Jian said this, he swung his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, slashing at Jiang Shan. Chapter 428: Airdrop? Chapter 428: Airdrop? System: Congratulations, youve achieved a glorious victory! A war that was still almost forty minutes away from ending was abruptly concluded when Song Jian killed Jiang Shan, ending the ordeal with a one-on- six skirmish that saw the City of Hope Alliance withstand the trial of battle. We have emerged victorious! Everyone began to cheer. Captain, I believe we should relocate our safe houses here. The defensive measures are excellent and quite sturdy. Zhou Qing looked around and suggested quietly. Yes, it is safer for us to be grouped together. Ma Yu nodded in agreement. The levels of their safe houses were fairly low. They would certainly struggle to fend off any attempted territory expansion attacks against them. Alright, Ill ask Brother Song. If he agrees, we should all move over here. Living in a larger group will also be more lively. Wang Qi nodded. Song Jian was pleased to hear that Wang Qi and the others were willing to move into the territory. The more players, the stronger the alliance. Some alliances would even force joining members to relocate to alliance territory but Song Jian didnt resonate with that; opting for freedom. In this alliance war, Song Jian earned a large number of war merits while every participant also received plenty. Luo Tianyu saw the war merits she received, she was so ecstatic that she couldnt close her mouth. For her, desperately in need of an upgrade in troop types, war merits were even more precious than Doomsday Coins. As for the six alliances that lost the war, all their territories became ownerless. The NPCs they hired in their territories began to scatter everywhere. At this moment, these six territories were like six delicious cakes. All it would take was for Song Jian to initiate the next territory expansion campaign to swallow them all up. By annexing these six territories, I can save a lot of development time. Ill just need to re-plan everything afterwards. Song Jian gazed into the distance, a smirk played upon his lips. Upon checking the remaining time for the territory expansion campaign, there were just a few days left. By then, Song Jians territorial expanse would at least double. Song Jians victory was an earth-shattering event for the other players. In fact, many of them had witnessed the whole process of this war firsthand. They could not believe that Song Jian, with just a few people, had defeated an alliance army ten times their size. If they hadnt seen it with their own eyes, they would consider it as unbelievable as a fairy tale. Perhaps I should join this alliance! Many players began to entertain the thought of joining the alliance, and subsequently, a dozen or so players showed up in Song Jians alliance application list. The upper limit for a level one alliance is one hundred members, but very few alliances manage to reach that number. An alliance with thirty to forty members is already considered a large alliance. Many alliances, like the City of Hope, only have a handful of members, possess weak combat power and are usually made up of like-minded small teams themselves. After all, this game cannot be treated like a game; nobody would willingly entrust their safety to others. In an alliance, the alliance leader has substantial power over alliance members. Once you join an alliance, youd be subject to many constraints, as such, many players would rather go solo than join an alliance. Song Jian did not just accept the players who applied to join the alliance. They had to undergo a strict vetting process before they could be integrated into the alliance; otherwise, it would be easy for someone from another alliance to infiltrate and cause damage. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With the war over and each member of Wang Qis four-man team having moved their safe houses into Song Jians territory, they went back to farming and grinding levels. Given their low levels, they were only considered as a second-tier team, hence they had to work harder. Luo Tianyu started working on how to upgrade her troops. With an excessive amount of war merits, it was crucial she converted them into fighting power. Li Keer wasnt too interested in farming and leveling up. She spent most of her time joking around in the bar. Surprisingly, her level hadnt lagged behind. She was already at level eighteen, even higher than Wang Qi and his team. Song Jian returned to the Manor Castle and began researching how to make the Advanced Healing Potion. With it, future battles for Song Jian would become much easier. By the time Song Jian had made about a dozen advanced healing potions, it was gradually getting dark. After replenishing his high-explosive grenades and self-destructing robots, Song Jian stepped outside the Manor Castle. The NPCs who have been hired completed their days work and returned to their huts. The scattered lights inside the territory made it seem like a warm star-studded night sky. In the distance, the growl of a mutated zombie added a layer of blood-red rays to this warm ambiance. Song Jian looked up at the sky, anticipating the moonrise. He had only fifteen minutes each night to absorb moon essence and enhance his physical quality because of his Night Slayer ability. Just like other boss monsters, he never missed out on this fifteen-minute daily exercise. However, the moon never appeared. The dark clouds seemed like a thick blanket, completely engulfing the sky. Could it be that the moon isnt going to appear today? Song Jian frowned. Such instances had occurred before, where the moon wouldnt appear for a day or two in a month. However, Song Jian felt that this situation seemed to be happening rather frequently of late. Just as Song Jian was about to leave in disappointment, he suddenly felt something was amiss. There seemed to be something in the sky, but it was so dark that he couldnt make out what it was. Just then, a silver light emerged from Song Jians forehead and his vertical pupil slowly opened. His surroundings became clear, and he found a ship several hundred feet long hovering in the sky. It moved silently like a huge whale. This massive ship had three tall masts with black sails hanging from them. There was a large propeller at the stern of the ship silently rotating. The entire ship was moving slowly like a lazy beast. Is this a ship? A flying ship? Song Jian was taken aback. The pitch-black ship above his head was enormous and seemed to be moving at a slow pace. The ship had no lights on it, and it looked like a ghost ship. Just then, Song Jian saw numerous large boxes being dropped from the ship. Those boxes were attached to big parachutes and were slowly descending towards Doomsday City. Watching these boxes gently swaying in the air, Song Jian was struck by the absurd notion that supplies were being dropped for people trapped in a crisis. Lets go see whats in these boxes A thought crossed Song Jians mind and he started running towards the nearest wooden box. Chapter 429: Cemetery Chapter 429: Cemetery Hundreds of wooden boxes flew overhead, fluttering in all directions; Song Jian found it strange, however, that these boxes seemed to methodically avoid zones populated by monsters under level thirty, particularly player gathering areas. Not a single box drifted there. This could not help but arouse suspicion. It was as if someone deliberately arranged for this to happen to prevent players from getting those boxes. More boxes drifted towards the murky, city edges and vanished completely once they entered the dark fog. Surrounded by frenzied, aggressive monsters, Song Jian set his sights on the nearest box. By nightfall, even lower-level monsters, undeterred by the aura of power emanating from Song Jian, recklessly charged at him whenever they detected his presence. In such an environment, Song Jian dared not emit even the slightest bit of noise, let alone summon his motorcycle. He could only rely on his two legs to run. However, considering his current physical condition, his running speed was not much slower than if he had been on a motorcycle. Using his Sword Shadow Step and morphing into a dark cloud, he managed to evade wave after wave of monster attacks. After more than an hour, Song Jian finally reached the area populated by level thirty monsters. On his way there, he did not encounter a single box, suggesting that they would not fall into zones easily accessible to players, just as he had suspected. Standing on top of a tall building, Song Jian looked ahead. The box was descending very slowly and was still floating in the sky, but on the ground below, Song Jian could already see several figures racing towards the box. Are thoseNPCs? NPC professionals! Song Jian frowned slightly and watched the figures below, musing to himself. No wonder so many NPC professionals venture into this dangerous city ruins full of monsters. It seems that these mysterious boxes are also one of their targets! Song Jian thought to himself. Once again, he glanced at the box floating in the sky. It appeared suspended in the air, motionless, descending at an extremely slow speed. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian leaped from the building, following the NPC professionals. Soon, Song Jian followed the NPC professionals to a graveyard built within the city. Shouldnt burial sites like this be on the outskirts or in the mountains? Using such a large piece of land as a graveyard, what were the people at the time thinking? Song Jian, looking at the densely packed tombstones in front of him, couldnt help but comment. The lamb that believes in God will return to Gods embrace! Inscribed on the arch of the gateway guarded by two stone angel statues were two sentences. A tarnished metal cross stood on top of the semi-arched entrance. Song Jian looked up into the sky. The floating box was slowly descending into the depths of the graveyard. Several NPC professionals were standing in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary in the cemetery, eyeing the box in the sky intently. The graveyard gates were wide open, and much of the surrounding fence had collapsed. Even most of the marble tombstones inside were broken, and some areas even bore signs of having been dug up. Song Jian didnt move forward. Instead, he stood around three to four hundred meters away from those NPC professionals and quietly watched them. Its a little bit too quiet here Song Jian frowned slightly and scanned his surroundings. At that moment, a semi-transparent figure radiating a white light emerged from a tombstone. From a distance, it looked like a ball of white ghostly fire. Mutated Soul, Level 30, Vitality Points: 2800/2800, Characteristics: Soul Body, Null, Skills: Soul Spikes. A level thirty ordinary monster with these attributes is almost on par with a level twenty BOSS. Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim, holding his breath, fearing that the monster would detect him and start a fight, alerting the NPC professionals in the distance. This Mutated Soul resembled a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. For a moment after emerging from the graveyard, it seemed somewhat confused, its eyes lifeless as it looked around. Then, it seemed attracted by the NPC professionals aura and slowly drifted toward them. In a short while, dozens of Mutated Souls emerged from the graveyard. Most of them drifted toward the NPC professionals, but a few were attracted by Song Jians living aura, due to their proximity to him and came his way. Song Jian, staring at the two Mutated Souls drifting towards him, began to feel nervous. In the game, the ghosts names and attributes were highlighted in yellow, indicating they were not monsters that attack proactively. However, as they got closer and closer to Song Jian, their names turned light red. The originally white soul light also started to acquire a blood color, and their calm, blank faces began to twist grotesquely. Initially, they were instinctively attracted by Song Jians living aura, but once they got closer, the souls became violent and evolved into monsters that launched the first attack. Song Jian gasped and looked toward the NPC professionals in the distance. They seemed to understand the traits of these Mutated Souls. They readied their weapons in prepared positions in anticipation of the monsters closing in on them. At the moment, Song Jian didnt want them to notice his presence. With a thought, his whole body transformed into a shadow, and he ran into the distance. In no time, he left the range where the two Mutated Souls could track him. The Mutated Souls, which had taken on a blood-red glow, slowly faded back in color and regained their initial ignorant state once they lost their target. After staying still for a while, they instinctively set off towards the NPC professionals once more. Lute looked up anxiously at the box that hovered motionlessly in mid-air, growling under his breath, Damn it, why isnt it falling down! Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sophie looked at Lute, the half-beastman covered in fur, a disdainful look in her eyes, and replied coldly, Its a gift from the gods. You should be grateful, not whining like you are now! I only care about the proof of job advancement inside. All other items can be yours! A humanoid creature covered in wooden texture glanced coldly at the others. Hmph, youd better hope youre blessed by the gods then. Out of hundreds of boxes, only a few contain proofs of job advancement. How can you be so sure this box contains what you want? A nearby NPC professional laughed with an evil grin. If theres none, then all the items will belong to you! The creature, who looked like a treant, declared. The remaining NPC professionals exchanged a look, appearing relieved. From all of them, only this treant-like creature was of level thirty. The rest were only level twenty-seven or eight, hence their demand for proof of job advancement was less urgent. Chapter 430: Tree Fortress Chapter 430: Tree Fortress Hey, can you guys stop staring up there all the time? Look around, were already surrounded by monsters! An NPC professional frowned, clenching his weapon and yelled. Theyre just ordinary ghosts, not malicious spirits, whats there to be afraid of! Another NPC professional said disdainfully, but there was a cautious look in his eyes as he drew the longsword hanging from his back and held it in his hands. The melee professionals took two steps forward, guarding the mage and ranged professionals behind them. Soon, this group of NPC professionals tacitly formed a temporary small team. The surrounding mutated ghosts slowly drifted towards them, and within a five-meter range, the ghosts suddenly bloomed with a bloody glow, their eyes turned blood red, revealing a crazed and irritable expression. With a sharp scream, these mutated ghosts suddenly accelerated, pouncing on the NPC professionals, the battle was on the verge of breaking out. Song Jian, at this moment, was standing at the edge of the graveyard, watching mutated ghosts slowly drift out one after another from the graves. It seemed endless, as they instinctively drifted towards the NPC professionals. Although they were slow, they would go crazy as soon as they got within five meters of a living person. Watching countless white dots floating up, Song Jian couldnt help but shudder. Fortunately, he had decisively left. Otherwise, being surrounded by a group of level 30 monsters, he might truly die here. After all, these mutated ghosts could launch spiritual attacks, and even if Song Jian could morph into a dark cloud, he couldnt dodge so many ghosts Soul Spikes skill. Seeing the countless white ghosts around them, the pressure on the group of NPC professionals doubled. Damn it, how long do we have to hold on! An NPC Musketeer muttered, filling the gun chamber with silver bullets emitting silver light. These were silver bullets specifically designed to kill soul-type monsters, with tremendous power, but the cost was high. After this battle, if they dont get a rich harvest, this Musketeer might go bankrupt instantly. At most half an hour, this damn wooden box will fall down. Mage professional Sophie looked up at the floating wooden box and gritted her teeth. Half an hour? I think I can last at most for ten minutes! an NPC warrior with a shield shouted and swung a long sword towards a mutated ghost. The mutated ghosts claws scratched the shield, making a sharp friction sound that was annoying to hear. The nearly physically immune mutated ghost rendered most of the warriors attacks ineffective. Sorry, everyone, I have to leave. If I keep holding on, Im afraid I might stay here forever. A short-statured halfling NPC said apologetically. Then, his body gradually became transparent and eventually disappeared. The halfling thief directly cast an invisibility spell and began to accelerate towards the graveyards exit. Once past the surrounding red-crazed ghosts, the ghosts in the distance were still in a confused state, unable to see through his invisibility. As a result, the halfling quickly left the area. Leaving this graveyard meant giving up all the items in the wooden box above, but precious items could be abandoned compared to ones life. The departure of the halfling seemed to shake the entire temporary team, with several NPC professionals flickering their eyes, seemingly hesitating whether to leave as well. Hold on! The wooden box will only stay for ten minutes after it falls. Once we leave, well miss this opportunity! Sophie seemed to notice peoples wavering and immediately shouted. Just then, the wood-textured guy suddenly roared, and his body quickly swelled up, his two legs transforming into roots that plunged into the depths of the earth. Su Te, you should have done this earlier! Sophies eyes lit up with surprise, shouting towards the treant. Hold on! Treant Su Te roared with a deep voice, transforming into a towering tree with a height of seven or eight meters. Numerous branches drooped from the sky, piercing into the soil, eventually forming a hemispherical tree fortress protecting everyone. The tree fortress only left an opening wide enough for one person, acting as a wall blocking the mutated ghosts from the outside. The pressure on the group was greatly relieved. Well done, SuTe! Thanks to you, Su Te. We wont fight with you for the promotion certificate if there really is one in the wooden box! Transformed into an ancient tree, Su Te withstood the attacks of more than a dozen mutated ghosts. His vitality points were decreasing at a visible rate, but hearing the shouts of the others, he still revealed a gratified smile. Su Te had been stuck at level 30 for too long. Without a professional certificate, he could only stay at this level and would not be able to advance in strength. Thats why this item was a must for him. Every time the wooden box dropped, his figure wouldnt be missing. However, he hadnt encountered a single box containing a promotion certificate for so long. It could only be attributed to bad luck. With Su Tes help, the NPC professionals were reassured. Two healing professionals even kept casting healing spells on Su Te. As long as his vitality points were full, Su Te could continuously drop branches to form a solid tree wall protecting everyone. Song Jian looked at the fighting NPC professionals in the distance, frowning. With this situation, they could definitely hold on until the wooden box fell. Could it be that Ive come here in vain? Song Jians face turned gloomy. However, he soon had a sudden thought: Since the wooden box is still floating in the air, why dont I directly go up there! With a thought, Song Jians figure disappeared instantly, replaced by a large black fog that appeared on the spot. This fog enveloped an area of more than ten meters in diameter, but the fog began to roll towards the center as soon as it appeared. In no time, it formed a dense fog only three meters wide. This is the limit I can compress now! Song Jian sighed in his heart. Although morphing into black fog also had attack effects, the most significant effect was still escaping, so Song Jian spent much effort on it. If he wanted, he could scatter as a fog and cover an area of almost thirty meters. If compressed inward, it could also become what it is nowa three-meter- wide dense fog. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After turning into this three-meter-wide black fog, Song Jian slowly drifted towards the wooden box in the air. Chapter 431: Empty Box? Chapter 431: Empty Box? A cloud of black fog drifted into the sky. From a third-person perspective, Song Jian thought the compressed fog was too thick. Even in the darkness of night, anyone who looked up could notice something was amiss. So, Song Jian quickly dispersed the dense fog. The larger the area it covered, the lighter its color became. The fog, roughly twenty square meters, floated mid-air, disguising itself as a giant dark cloud under the cover of night, drifting towards the wooden box. Upon reaching the wooden box, Song Jian immediately cancelled the black fog state. He lay atop the box, a large parachute drifting above him, gently guiding the box towards the ground. At this rate, it would take at least half an hour before the box reached the ground. On the ground, a group of NPC professionals were surrounded by a swarm of ghosts, patiently waiting for the wooden box to fall from above. They didn t know that someone was already on top of the box, ready to take whatever was inside. The moment Song Jian touched the box, a system prompt suddenly appeared before him. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You obtained the supply box. Do you want to open it? With the hint of a smirk, Song Jian thought, This worked out too easily! Open! Soon after, a progress bar appeared before Song Jian. The bar moved rather slowly, and as it did, the wooden box started to fall faster. Song Jian was taken aback. This is getting out of hand!1 Su Te, who had transformed into a tree fortress, accidentally looked up. The supply box was falling much faster. The news delighted him. Dozens of mutated spirits continually assaulted the tree fortress. Despite the efforts of two healers constantly replenishing its vitality, Su Te was almost running out of energy. Seeing the supply box descending rapidly, a smile spread across Su Tes face. He called out to the NPCs he was protecting, Hang in there for 5 more minutes. The supply box is about to descend! Since they were in the tree fortress, they couldnt see the sky. So, when they heard Su Tes yell, they were shocked. How is that possible? Shouldn t it still take 30 minutes for the box to fall? Maybe the wind is blowing it down The wind would blow it away, not accelerate its descent. Whatever, lets charge out and see whats going on! Hearing about the imminent delivery of the supply box made the NPC professionals hiding in the tree fortress restless. Every box contained valuable items which they could use to greatly enhance their abilities. That was one of the main reasons why theyd come to this city filled with monsters. Hey, guys, lets charge out and see whats going on! exclaimed a half beast-man brandishing an axe, charging out of the tree fortress. Once they emerged, they noticed the wooden box descending at a much faster speed. Their faces automatically lit up with joy. Song Jian, who was still clinging onto the box, dared not move, for fear of interrupting the boxs opening progress and having to start over. As the box descended faster, the opening progress bar finally reached the last mark. Upon hearing a faint click sound, a translucent screen appeared before Song Jian, displaying a dozen items. Without even reading the descriptions, he instantly swept all the items from the screen into his inventory. Then, with a leap, he transformed into a cloud of black fog and drifted away. Boom! Only a dozen seconds after Song Jian left, the box plummeted from the sky. With a loud thud, it landed in a graveyard several tens of meters away from the group of NPC professionals. Upon landing, it instantly shattered into wooden scraps. Its landed! Its landed! The NPCs, forgetting they were in the midst of a spiritual monster hunt, charged to the place where the box had fallen. Su Te, who had transformed into a tree fortress, let out a roar. Drawing back his branches and roots, he transformed into a seven or eight-meter tall treant. He charged towards the fallen box by taking long strides. Su Te was slow, but with every step, he covered four or five meters. The other NPC professionals were held back by the wave of spirits and could only watch Su Te rush towards the box. Hahaha, everything in the box is mine! Su Te laughed heartily. Soon, Su Te arrived at the place where the box had fallen. He swiftly reverted to human size, brushed away the wooden scraps, and started looking for items. What, nothing? How is that possible? Su Te had scattered the wooden scraps everywhere but could not find anything from the box. Su Te looked lifeless, as if hed been hit hard. He was ignoring the spirits that were gradually closing in. How can thiswhy is this possible Su Te seemed deeply affected. At that moment, a group of NPC professionals struggled to catch up to him. Hey, Su Te, any proof for profession change? Sophie shouted loudly. She remembered Su Te had said that he wouldnt take anything except the profession change certification. I bet there is none. If there was any, he would be jumping for joy by now. An NPC professional murmured. Phew! At least the trip wasnt wasted. Lets quickly share the items. Maybe we might have another chance to get a box! Dream on. Most of the boxes have flown to the edge of the city and into the mist. The remaining ones are in the area occupied by high-level monsters. And these boxes only exist for ten minutes after landing. Its a miracle if we can get even one. I hope there is a weapon for me. Hehe! Ive long wanted to switch my weapon! Seeing the group gather around him, Su Te, with a mournful face, shook his head and said, There was nothing in the box. It was empty. What, empty? How is that possible? I have never heard of cases of empty supply boxes! Su Te, did you take all the items? Thats not honorable of you Yeah, didnt you say that you wont take anything other than a profession change certification? When the group heard Su Te say the box was empty, they were initially stunned but then became furious. They all accused Su Te. Sophie also looked suspiciously at him. It was indeed an empty box! Banging his fist on the ground, Su Te created a large hole. Countless green cracks spread out from the hole in all directions, and Su Te himself began to expand uncontrollably. Hey, hey, calm down, Su Te. Okay, it was an empty box. Yes, I believe you. It was an empty box, right, everyone? Sophie gestured with her hand as if to stop Su Te, but her other hand was gripping the magic staff tightly behind her. She yelled this out and turned to look at the other NPCs. The other NPC professionals glanced at the mutated spirits swarming around them and the now shattered box with annoyance. But after looking at the most powerful Su Te, they nodded reluctantly, acknowledging Sophies statement. Chapter 432: Golden Demonslaying Sword Chapter 432: Golden Demonslaying Sword Damn it, an empty box, Ive participated in at least six supply box searches and Ive never encountered an empty box before An NPC profession cursed under his breath, venting all his anger on the surrounding mutated phantoms. Enough, are you planning to argue with that big guy? Its already at level 30, and supposedly almost at the threshold of first order combat power. Why is it so hell-bent on getting a job change certificate, if not for upgrading to first order combat power? Yeah, are you planning to fight it here? Just so you know, I definitely wont help you when the time comes. Su Te can morph into an Ancient War Tree, after all The NPC profession muttered as he rushed towards the exit of the cemetery. If he didnt leave now, they would be surrounded by the mutated phantoms again. This time, Su Te was probably not going to morph into a tree fortress to shield them from the elements. Alright, Su Te, I hope your job change is successful! Sophie looked at Su Te with mixed feelings, patted its arm, held the magic staff, and also rushed towards the cemetery exit. Damn it, why dont any of you believe me! Su Te felt extremely aggrieved, his chest feeling as though it was about to explode. Just then, a mutated phantom roared at him and pounced, only to run straight into the muzzle of his gun and be torn to pieces by Su Tes two hands. After venting his anger, Su Te, covered in wounds, cursed loudly and, like a bulldozer, broke a path and rushed towards the exit of the cemetery. The mutated phantoms, having lost their target, transformed back into white. Now aimless, they began to drift around. The entire cemetery seemed to be burning with tufts of white flames, creating an eerie scene. At this moment, Song Jian, morphed into Dark Cloud, was roaming above the cemetery. Seeing that all the NPCs had left, Song Jian immediately descended to the edge of the cemetery and began checking his inventory to see what he had obtained from the supply box. Wow, look at this, its a design drawing for an intelligent rocket-car! Does such a thing even exist? God, with this thing, who would dare to fight me! Song Jians gaze first landed on a booklet emitting golden light. The cover of the booklet read Intelligent Rocket-Car Design Drawing. However, judging by the thickness of the book, it would likely take a significant amount of effort to completely build this self-propelled car; Even if constructing this self-propelled car is challenging, Song Jian would spare no effort to make it; You need to be level eight in Engineering Craftsmanship Skill to learn it. Okay, Ill save it for later. Im only three levels away. Ill meet the learning requirements soon. Song Jian glanced at the conditions for learning from the design drawing, shrugged, and shifted his gaze to the other items. Ugh, clean water, compressed food, and first aid supplies. Its true that these are the most urgently needed supplies in an apocalypse, but theyre of no use to me! Song Jian pulled a face. The supply box was filled with food, water, and medicine, but these basic living supplies were no longer a concern for someone who owned an estate. Besides these supplies, the rest were weapons; two handguns, three MP5 submachine guns, and universal bullets for the handgun and submachine guns; Alright, I shouldnt have expected too much. With that design drawing, Ive already made a profit this time. Cant be too greedy; greed is the original sin! Although Song Jian was slightly dissatisfied, he comforted himself. Just as Song Jian was about to close the inventory, he was suddenly attracted by a golden glow. Upon a closer look, there was a long sword entirely made of dark gold in the last row of the inventory. Golden Demonslaying Sword (Gold), one-handed sword, equipment effect: Attack 87-96, Critical Hit +5, Knockback +3, Demon Slayer +1, Attack Speed +7, Gold Damage +35, Outstanding Strike Rate +10%; Special Effect 1: Master (Passive), the item absorbs the users essence blood for recognition, after master recognition the item cannot be destroyed, dropped or worn out; Special Effect 2: Growth (Passive), this item of equipment grows, initial level 1, the higher the level achieved by gaining battle experience, the stronger the item attributes, but the item level cannot exceed the user level; Wearing requirement: Level 1; Suit: 1/5. Can it be taken out of the game: No Hiss, this is another piece of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword set! Song Jian was taken aback, but then he was covered with immense joy, and he couldnt wait to jump up and celebrate right then! You need to know that the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand is not only a growing weapon, but also part of the gold suit C Song Jian had always thought that the remaining parts of this suit would be armors or something similar; he never imagined that the other parts of the suit turned out to be long swords. Song Jian took the Golden Demonslaying Sword out of the inventory and held it in his hand. The sword was dark gold all over, extremely gorgeous. On the ridge of the sword, a golden line extended like a long dragon from the hilt to the tip, making it look like a kings sword! As Song Jian held the Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his heart seemed to sense its existence and started to tremble slightly. Patches of aura emerged from his heart and traveled along his meridians to his right hand; Soon, the Golden Demonslaying Sword also began to shudder slightly with the exact same frequency as the other sword; S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looks like Im going to be fighting with dual swords from now on! Song Jian glanced at the dark gold long sword in his hand and thought to himself. After dripping a drop of blood onto the Golden Demonslaying Sword, an intense golden light burst out from the sword, shooting straight into the sky. But the light only appeared for an instance before disappearing, making Song Jian think that it may have been an illusion. After recognizing the master with blood, Song Jian felt a slight connection with the long sword in his hand. He could control it as easily as if it were an extension of his arm, just as flexible and natural as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Just then, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly shot out from his heart. Even without Song Jians summoning, it hovered closely in mid-air. The Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand also began to shake violently, as though it was trying to break free from Song Jians control; Song Jian had a hunch and immediately opened his hand. Sure enough, the Golden Demonslaying Sword flew towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and the blades of the two long swords began to stick to each other, slowly starting their fusion process. Song Jian watched all this in amazement. To Song Jian, all this was simply too miraculous. If this were the real world, theres no way this could happen. In no time, the two long swords merged into one and turned into a long sword that fell towards Song Jian; Grasping the fused long sword, Song Jian felt as though he was holding two long swords at the same time. With a thought, the long sword in his hand turned into the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, while the Golden Demonslaying Sword became a phantom shadow and attached itself to the side of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With another thought, the long sword immediately transformed back into the Golden Demonslaying Sword, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword became a phantom shadow on the Golden Demonslaying Sword. Looking at the long sword that could change at will, Song Jian couldnt help but burst out laughing. Chapter 433: Master of Evil Spirits Chapter 433: Master of Evil Spirits The mutant phantoms were like lanterns emitting white light, illuminating the graveyard as if it were daylight. As Song Jian was inspecting the attributes of his fused long sword, a special phantom slowly emerged from the center of the graveyard. Before ordinary phantoms encounter a living creature, they emit a milky white glow, within which was a semi-transparent human figure, faint but discernible. Upon closer inspection, one could even make out the features and body shape of this figure C the phantoms appearance in life. However, this special phantom radiated a bloody red glow like a burning flame. The figure within was a woman wearing a crown with a magnificent dress. This woman must have been beautiful when alive, but as a phantom, her face had twisted into an image of savagery and bloodlust. Upon the appearance of this unique phantom, the ordinary mutant phantoms seemed terrified, hastily drifting away. As soon as this special phantom appeared, it furiously hunted down ordinary mutant phantoms, tearing each one into pieces and devouring them. With each phantom she tore apart, a chilling scream would resonate around her, as if she was entrapping their souls. Each phantom she absorbed made her grow larger and her savage aura stronger. By the time Song Jian noticed her, she had already devoured over a dozen mutant phantoms and grown over two meters tall. From a distance, she seemed like a massive moving torch chasing little white lanterns. Master of Evil Spirits? A level thirty Elite Boss? Song Jian squinted and analyzed the attributes of this enormous creature. As it turned out, this suddenly appearing Master of Evil Spirits was the Boss of the cemetery. It seems to gain strength by absorbing ordinary mutant phantoms. If its allowed to consume all the phantoms in the graveyard, wont it easily break the Elite level limitation and evolve into a Lord ranked monster? No current player could defeat a Lord-level monster of level thirty Song Jian pondered, unsure if, having gained the Golden Demonslaying Sword and significantly increased his strength, he could handle a level thirty Elite Boss. When she had grown almost three meters, she abruptly stopped chasing and devouring phantoms, appearing satiated and lackadaisical, losing interest in the mutant phantoms around her. Even when an ordinary mutant phantom accidentally touched her, she simply scared it away, without tearing it apart. It seems that theres a limit to how many mutant phantoms she can absorb in a day. Any more, and she could be harmed instead of strengthened. Like a king surveying his territory, the satiated Master of Evil Spirits began to patrol around the cemetery. Ordinary mutant phantoms hurriedly kept their distance. Some even dared to stand afar and roar angrily at her, but she seemed to pay no heed to these provocations. It seemed that Song Jian was directly in the path of her patrol. As the Master of Evil Spirits drifted slowly toward him, he couldnt help but grip his long sword tighter. This graveyard is quite conducive to leveling up. She cant be allowed to keep absorbing. If shes allowed to truly grow, Im afraid no one in the city could suppress her! Song Jian held his sword, itching for action. Just as she was about ten meters away, the Master of Evil Spirits seemed to sense something and turned her head toward Song Jian, who was standing at the edge of the graveyard. Her blood-red eyes were filled with greed. With a shriek, the Master of Evil Spirits suddenly increased her speed. A chilling wind stirred around her, and the heartbreaking screams of countless spirits grew louder as she approached Song Jian. Song Jian stomped his right foot, and a tusk-shaped energy cluster roared toward the Master of Evil Spirits; Earth Teeth Assault! Facing the attacking Master of Evil Spirits, Song Jian showed no fear. He cast his skill first to test her strength. The tusk-shaped energy cluster collided with the Master of Evil Spirits, creating countless sparks, yet her body only trembled slightly before continuing to move toward Song Jian. The Level 2 Earth Teeth Assault only dealt about thirty points of damage to the Master of Evil Spirits. Considering she had over five thousand Vitality Points, this attack was as insignificant as a tickle. She seems to be an ethereal entity, but her defense is formidable. The attack of Earth Teeth Assault has been reduced by at least half! A wave of realization crashed over Song Jian, as he understood the strength of the Master of Evil Spirits. Light Strike! Song Jian swung his sword, casting his most damaging skill at the Master of Evil Spirits who was only three to four meters away. A dazzling sword Qi shot towards the Master of Evil Spirits; She let out a surprised shriek, as if extremely frightened of the holy power of the strike. Her hands frantically moved in front of her chest, conjuring a furious wind around her. Icy mists began to condense, forming a gigantic half-arc shield in front of her. Wall of Shadows! The sound made by the Master of Evil Spirits was like a claw scratching on a glass. Boom! The golden Sword Qi struck the half-arc shield, causing a violent explosion. The shield shattered instantly, and the golden Sword Qi was countered and disappeared. A sense of relief flashed across the face of the Master of Evil Spirits. However, just as she pulled back her arms, a golden Sword Qi as thick as an arm fiercely slashed through her body. -980 A damage figure close to a thousand floated above the head of the Master of Evil Spirits, causing her to freeze mid-air and let out a heart-wrenching scream. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is secondary damage? Song Jian was somewhat surprised, but his sword quickly transmitted an intel. After fusing with the Golden Demonslaying Sword, every attack of Song Jian could cause secondary damage. Even a regular strike was equivalent to the attack of two swords; For Song Jian, this almost doubled his damage dealt. Regardless of the skill used, it would cause secondary skill damage to the target, and the second attack was more subtle than the first. This was why the Master of Evil Spirits was caught off guard and hit by the second wave. This is incredibly powerful! Song Jians confidence increased, he brandished his sword and lunged at the Master of Evil Spirits. Chapter 434: Soul-shattering Sting Chapter 434: Soul-shattering Sting Boom! A surge of black flame rose from the surface of Song Jians body. With the appearance of the flame, it seemed like someone was softly chanting an unknown language around him, compelling people to completely relax, not wanting to think or do anything, then continuously sink deeper The black flame converged into a black armor appearing on the surface of Song Jians body. This armor had no weight, but its properties were far stronger than typical equipment. At this moment, the Master of Evil Spirits stood three meters away from Song Jian, its hands swinging incessantly. Each swing drew forth a grey current that, like a sharp blade, flew towards Song Jian. Song Jian attempted to strike a current with his longsword. The moment the sword collided with the current, his entire body trembled. The impact of the current was just like a full-force strike from him. For Song Jian, he wouldnt be able to withstand it after a few times. When the second current rushed towards him, Song Jian could only dodge to the side. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The attack speed of the Master of Evil Spirits was getting faster with the passage of time. The currents it released were like artillery shells, shattering surrounding rocks into pieces and causing utter chaos. I cant let it continue attacking like this!, Song Jian thought darkly. Grinding his teeth, he displays the Sword Shadow Step, his body forms into a shadow and charges towards the Master of Evil Spirits. Broken Wing Dance! Boom, boom, boom- A series of damage numbers floated above the head of the Master of Evil Spirits. Each attack caused it twice the damage. When the skill, Broken Wing Dance, ended, the Vitality Points of the Master of Evil Spirits decreased by nearly a thousand. But the third move of the Broken Wing Dance, the airborne state, did not come out. It only made the Master of Evil Spirits move back a little. The airborne state is affected by the strengths of both sides, and also has a significant relation to the targets size. Although the Master of Evil Spirits was a Soul Body, its size was already close to three meters. The airborne state effect of the Broken Wing Dance was too poor. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian raised his longsword high, slashing it vigorously forward. Two transparent longswords condensed above his head, one normal size and the other half as small, looking like a small version of the Spirit Sword. The Master of Evil Spirits is a Soul Body, its resistance to spiritual damage should be low!, Song Jian thought to himself. Bang, bang! The two Spirit Swords nearly simultaneously stabbed into the Master of Evil Spirits. The giant body of the boss trembled violently, cracks appearing on its surface like a damaged glass cup. Even the red light on the surface of its body also trembled violently as if it were to extinguish at any moment. But this situation only lasted for less than a second, and the Master of Evil Spirits then quickly recovered. Ah! With a mad roar, the Master of Evil Spirits became even more ferocious. The Spiritual Sword Control Technique seemed to have enraged it, gusts of yin wind kept blowing up around it, causing Song Jian to lose his balance and retreat backwards. Gulu, gulu- Giant rocks over one person tall were whipped up by the strong wind and scattered all over the place. The Master of Evil Spirits directly grabbed a rock with a diameter of more than 5 meters and smashed it towards Song Jian. Seeing the massive rock like a small mountain smashing down and himself being completely engulfed in the shadow of the rock, Song Jian was scared and immediately dodged aside. Boom! The rock smashed heavily onto where Song Jian had just been standing, shattering like a bomb. Numerous fragments flew towards Song Jian like a rainstorm. This time, Song Jian could no longer dodge, he could only cover his head with his hands, and crawl on the ground, the power of these debris was not weak, damage points of fifty or sixty floated above Song Jians head. Once the debris finished spraying, Song Jians vitality points had lost over three hundred points; After unleashing this move, the Master of Evil Spirits seemed to have expended a lot, standing still at the original place. A trace of fatigue began to show on his twisted face. Song Jians eyes lit up, and he directly activated the Immortal Sword Body; A dazzling golden light burst forth from his body, and eight long sword phantoms slowly circled around his body. Song Jian felt a powerful force surging within him; Sweeping Sword Style! Sword Silk! Broken Wing Dance! For a moment, Song Jian went all out, displaying all his sword techniques, and a series of damage numbers floated above the BOSSS head. Each move was able to inflict double damage, as if there were two Song Jians full force attacking it. The Master of Evil Spirits vitality points rapidly decreased and half an hour later, the vitality points of the Master of Evil Spirits dropped to below 30%. The Master of Evil Spirits, who was already enraged, his pair of blood-red eyes emitted a malicious glow, staring at Song Jian unblinkingly. I curse you, I curse you, I curse you The Master of Evil Spirits gnashed his teeth, throwing the most vicious curses, its body also began to slowly shrink, after a short while, it transformed into the size of a normal human; Meanwhile, the original bloody red glow around it turned into a deep black color as if ink was splashed on it, with the curses one after another. Soul-shattering Sting! The Master of Evil Spirits suddenly let out a sharp roar, the black lights all over his body all concentrated on one point between his eyebrows, looking like a third black eye had grown on him. An instant later, Song Jians body was covered with goosebumps, feeling as if he was naked standing in the cold Siberian snowstorm, the threat of death, like a giant beast, was already opening its mouth to pounce on him; Im going to die! A lightning bolt seemed to flash through Song Jians mind, he cried out unconsciously and instinctively posed the Sacred Parry stance; A dark black light as dense as ink shot out from the Master of Evil Spirits eyebrows, forming a cone in mid-air, shooting towards Song Jian; After releasing this attack, the Master of Evil Spirits let out a scream, its body collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, obviously, this move was its last resort, and it absolutely would not use it under normal circumstances. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The ink-like arrow shot towards Song Jian, he only felt a numbness in his arms, almost couldnt hold his long sword, his body involuntarily retreated several steps backwards, stumbled against a stone stele, and finally came to a stop. Thump- Song Jian felt a sharp pain at his back, as if his chest was severely shocked, his throat was itchy, and he couldnt help but coughed out a mouthful of blood, only then he felt slightly better. The right arm holding the long sword was involuntarily twitching slightly, Song Jian felt he couldnt even muster the strength to lift his little finger. On the dark red long sword, a streak of black fluid, like a small snake, twisted its way into the sword blade, only to be blocked by a flame. At the same time, streaks of golden light shot out from the long sword into the black snake. Each time it was stabbed, the black liquid snake would thrash its body violently and let out a piercing shriek. Several dozen seconds later, when Song Jians right arm regained sensation, the black liquid snake on the sword blade also gradually turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared. Chapter 435: Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard Chapter 435: Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard The black liquid snake attached to the long sword was actually a part of the previously mentioned black spike, and was entirely brought into existence by a malicious curse. Once contaminated, one would suffer from endless torment of the curse, eventually leading to a tragic death with no spiritual release. If Song Jian had not acquired the Golden Demonslaying Sword, trying to dispel the curse using solely the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword would have been impossible. The consequence could have been substantial damage to the Ape Sword, requiring a long time for restoration. The Golden Demonslaying Sword possesses properties to destroy evil which counteracts such attacks. Coupled with Song Jians execution of the technique of the Sacred Parry, the majority of the curse was deflected. This made the curse easily dispelled. At that very moment, Song Jian heard a piercing scream of fear coming from the bosss location. He turned to see that the Master of Evil Spirits seemed to have fallen into a large vat of black ink. The inky substance covered its entire body like a huge net. Black streaks like tentacles climbed towards its head. No, no, why is this happening, why is the curse rebounding! The Master of Evil Spirits, terrified, tried to swipe off the black liquid from his body but to no avail, only making the black area larger. Very soon, its whole body was covered in black. The original 30% of the Master of Evil Spirits Vitality points reduced to 5% after being affected by the rebound of Soul-breaking Sting. Following the spread of the curse over its entire body, damages in hundreds floated over its head. It was on its last legs and lost all energy to resist. I wonder if I can enchant him to be my slave now! Looking at the Master of Evil Spirits hanging by a thread, a glint appeared in Song Jians eyes. He struggled to stand, summoned the Book of the Abyss, and turned to the chapter of the Abyss Temptation to begin casting the spell. Strange syllables came out from Song Jians mouth, creating an unsettling feeling in the Master of Evil Spirits C as if a thousand insects were crawling into his brain through its ears. Song Jians voice grew louder and louder, eventually sounding divine. Every syllable made the Master of Evil Spirits tremble. Its mind went blank, and he felt torn apart. This, coupled with the eruptive curse of Soul-breaking Sting, made the Master of Evil Spirits long to die at once. Song Jian repeatedly chanted the words of Abyss Temptation. The more he read, the more pressure he felt. Every syllable drained a massive amount of Spirit Points. The rapid consumption of his Spirit Points rendered him powerless to continue. Chanting the enchantment was abruptly interrupted. Song Jian collapsed with weakened knees, dropped the Book of the Abyss, and was covered in sweat, looking as if he had just been dragged out of a pool. His face was pale, and his head felt like it was being stirred by a red-hot iron needle. The next moment after Song Jian stopped casting the spell, the Master of Evil Spirits head exploded with a pop, and its entire bodys curse fluid transformed into a fiery flame that burned intensely. Within moments, it was reduced to a pile of ashes. A golden light burst out from Song Jian, forming a dragon shape and disappeared into the sky after a sharp dragon chant. Song Jian finally broke through to level 21. If it wasnt for comprehending the Abyss Temptation skill, Song Jian would have reached level 21 a while ago. Using his newly gained skill point on the Spiritual Sword Control Technique and since it was already at a 100% proficiency level, it instantly upgraded to level 2. The skills damage increased from 150 points to 180 points, with no other changes. Song Jian did not want to waste skill points, thus he took the opportunity to upgrade skills already at maximum proficiency. The Master of Evil Spirits dropped a silver quality shoulder guard of level 25. Song Jian had yet to fill the shoulder armor slot in his equipment slot and now he finally got one. The loot was quite satisfactory. Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard (Silver), Equipment Level: 30, Equipment Effects: Strength +3, Agility +2, Constitution +2, Defense +35, Spell resistance +23, Full property resistance +10%, Vitality recovery speed +15%, Special effect 1: Ghost Step (passive), 15% increase in movement speed; Special effect 2: Evil Spirit Protection (passive), when under attack, there is a certain chance to trigger this effect, reducing the damage of that attack by 40%. This effect can occur once every 10 minutes; Equipment requirement: level 25. Can it be taken out of the game: No. The equipment attribute was good, and it was a level 30 silver shoulder guard. Unfortunately, it required a level 25 to equip, and Song Jian had only just reached level 21. He was still quite far from being able to wear it, so he could only drool over it. Placing the shoulder guard into the bag slot and collected the remaining boss drop materials, Song Jian glanced at the graveyard and began to head towards Manor Castle. Upon returning to Manor Castle, Song Jian began to inspect todays loot- the design of the intelligent rocket self-propelled car and Evil Spirit Shoulder Guard. They were not immediately usable and were stored in Manor Castle for now. In addition, he had a bunch of supplies and weapons obtained from supply boxes in his package slot, Song Jian directly threw them into the grocery store in his territory. The most significant gain this time was acquiring the Golden Demonslaying Sword. Song Jians attack power almost doubled, every move was equivalent to being attacked by two swords at once, which was simply too overpowered. Furthermore, this belonged to a set, and there were obviously three other long swords waiting for Song Jian to fuse. Who knew how the properties of the long sword would turn out after collecting all five swords for fusion. But just thinking about it made Song Jian extremely excited. At this moment, Song Jian received a delightful system message. System: your friend, Wang Qi, has sent you a new message. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Startled, Song Jian then remembered the equipment that was previously dropped during their team mission. Looks like all the equipment has been sold, I wonder how much money Ill get! Song Jian was quite looking forward to it. Good quality equipment that could be used were internalized by their team, the items sold were mostly equipment that conflicted with their job classes. Upon opening the email, Song Jian did not expect nearly ninety thousand Doomsday Coins in the attachments. Considering the loot was split among five people, Song Jian was satisfied with the amount he received. Ill take a short break, and then set up leveling in the cemetery. Song Jian thought to himself. That was a leveling treasure trove. For Song Jian right now, who had jumped nine levels, he could gain a significant amount of overleveled experience. Most importantly, the damage of the Mutant Ghost, as far as Song Jian was concerned, was entirely bearable. Furthermore, he stored the Advanced Healing Potion as a trump card. He can definitely farm in there all night long. Chapter 436: Monk Chapter 436: Monk Nightfall descended, and Song Jian, who had slept all day, was spirited and full. After a meal, he checked his supplies and headed toward the cemetery he had visited the day before. The cemetery still bore the signs of yesterdays battle, with many tombs shattered. Song Jian could see bones overturned, glowing with a phosphorescent green light under the cover of night. Sword in hand, he cautiously made his way deeper into the cemetery. As he passed each tomb, he prepared for the possibility of spectral ghosts lunging at him. He walked more than ten meters without encountering any spectral ghosts. A furrow settled on Song Jians brow, Whats going on? Could it be that after yesterdays battle the spectral ghosts got scared and dare not come out? Thats impossible! Just then, he suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet. A skeletal hand emerged from the dirt and clutched Song Jians ankle. The night was still. Surrounded by the silence of the cemetery, anyone else might have been so scared their soul would fly off in terror, but Song Jian kicked forward and freed himself from the skeletal hands grasp, stepping back two paces and preparing for anything. Song Jians strength was now at thirty-seven points, on par with the previous level thirty boss, the Master of Evil Spirits. There was no way the hand, possessing only the strength of an average adult, could hold him down. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Splash! A white skeletal monster emerged from the ground where the hand had surfaced, with green ghost-fires burning fiercely in its hollow eye sockets. Crack, crack, crack, crack! This was a standard level thirty skeletal monster, and it tottered toward Song Jian. He heaved his sword and struck at it. It took just over a minute to reduce his adversary into a pile of bone dust. Glancing at the skeletal monster at his feet that hadnt dropped any loot, Song Jian couldnt help thinking, This must be the weakest ordinary monster at level thirty. To Song Jian, this skill-less skeletal monster was just a beefy, high-defense meatbag, or perhaps an Experience Points gift box. His Experience Points had gone up a bit, and he was pleased with the increase. Even if it didnt drop a single piece of loot, the battle experience awarded by a level thirty monster was unmatched anywhere else. Song Jian began stepping over each tomb, trying to draw out more skeletal monsters. After battling in the cemetery for over four hours, Song Jians level rose from level 21 with 1% progress to level 21 with 73% progress. If he fought until dawn, he could certainly level up again. Levelling up in one night was an achievement enjoyed only by players under level ten. Players over level ten who grind monsters the same level as themselves need at least three to four days to level up. It would take at least twenty days, or even a month, grinding same-level monsters to level up past level twenty. Despite this, Song Jians strategy of leveling up by fighting monsters nine levels higher allowed him to level from 21 to 22 in a single night. His progress would surely turn many players green with envy. As the night deepened, white spectral ghosts began to drift out of the tombs. Spectral ghosts were standard level thirty monsters too, but they were clearly much more formidable than the previous skeletal monsters. The Void characteristic itself reduced the damage Song Jian could inflict on them by a third. In addition, the spectral ghosts could use a move called Soul Spikes. Although the move wasnt up to par compared to the Master of Evil Spirits Soul-shattering Sting and had no curse effect, the move would induce shock and fear if it hit. Even though Song Jians Thick Skin talent could perfectly counteract this shock effect, each triggering of the skill still came with a brief reactivity window of less than a second. If tens of spectral ghosts were to relentlessly fling Soul Spikes at him, in theory, they could keep Song Jian trapped until his death. However, spectral ghosts werent that smart. As soon as Song Jian entered their range, they would pounce at him like a Shi Lezhi, with reckless abandon. The Experience Points awarded from killing spectral ghosts was one-third more than those from killing skeletal monsters, and they dropped loot. Although they were tougher to defeat, Song Jian still preferred hunting spectral ghosts. As long as he paid attention during the fight and didnt stay in one place for too long or get surrounded by spectral ghosts, Song Jian found leveling up here quite easy. After another hour, Song Jians level went up to 21 with 97% progress. In less than half an hour, he would reach level 22. At that moment, Song Jian realized that the number of spectral ghosts in front seemed to be decreasing. And they didnt disappear because he had hunted them. They just vanished inexplicably. He wondered, Whats happening? Could it be that another Master of Evil Spirits has shown up? Song Jian suddenly became alert and cautiously surveyed his surroundings. In no time, he noticed several spectral ghosts, apparently drawn by something, that were slowly gathering toward him, only to suddenly turn around and float towards a small forest beyond the cemetery. Intrigued, Song Jian quietly followed. The spectral ghosts were slow drifters. Song Jian just needed to avoid getting too close to the other spectral ghosts, so they wouldnt notice and become agitated, attacking him. The spectral ghosts effortlessly passed through the cemetery fence, disappearing into a nearby small forest. Looking at the pitch-black forest, Song Jian furrowed his brows. He felt as if the forest was concealing something, perhaps a monster too powerful for him to handle. After all, this was a region of level thirty monsters. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to venture inside and see what was hidden. Morphing into Dark Cloud! Song Jian transformed into a black cloud and slowly floated up, moving towards the little forest. Very quickly, he noticed the spectral ghosts that had entered the forest earlier. They were continuously passing through the large trees, going straight towards the heart of the forest, as if something there was strongly enticing them. Song Jian followed these spectral ghosts, quickly arriving at an open space in the center of the forest. A bald monk, around twenty years old with three scars on top of his head, was sitting cross-legged on a tree stump. He emanated a faint golden glow and incessantly recited sutras, sounding like he was chanting a melody. Around the monk were between thirty and forty spectral ghosts. They stood quietly, seemingly listening intently to the recitation of the sutras. The golden glow radiating from the monks body transformed into tiny sparks and constantly drifted into the bodies of the spectral ghosts. Each time they absorbed some of the sparks, they seemed to respond with satisfaction, and their hazy faces started to become clearer. Chapter 437: 437: The Hippogriff Beast Chapter 437: The Hippogriff Beast Is that a player? Song Jian looked at the monk with a surprised expression on his face. Zhang Hong, level 19, occupation: Martial Monk, vitality points: 800/800 This player didnt hide his name and attributes, which were boldly displayed above his head. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Zhang Hong intoned scriptures, each mutated ghost, covered in golden light, eventually awakened its self-awareness. With tears streaming down their faces, they bowed gratefully to Zhang Hong before gradually disappearing. As each mutated ghost was reincarnated, sweat began to bead on Zhang Hongs forehead. The strains of chanting took their toll, his voice growing lower and lower. Half an hour later, the surrounding mutated ghosts were all reincarnated and vanished, with no new ghosts arriving. Zhang Hong sighed softly, then took out a bottle of mineral water and a compressed ration from his bag and started to eat. After eating, Zhang Hong brushed the crumbs off himself and called out in the direction of Song Jian: Dear donor, youve been watching for so long, why not come down and chat? Song Jian was taken aback. He was currently in a state of black mist, how did he get detected? However, there were countless scouting skills in the game. For a martial monk capable of reincarnating level 30 ghosts, it was possible that he had some special scouting skill. Song Jian floated down slowly. After cancelling his black mist state and returning to human form, he made a gesture of salute to Zhang Hong, smiling: Im sorry, I came to grind levels in the graveyard up ahead. I noticed some unusual activity from several mutated ghosts, so I followed them here. It was not intentional, my apologies! Zhang Hong slowly stood up, shaking his head with a smile: Amitabha, you are too polite. As I chant the scriptures and promote the Dharma, naturally the more listeners the better! Song Jian looked puzzled. He had a gut feeling that the man before him was acting quite oddly. It seemed as if he was a monk in the real world too. He couldnt help but probe: Are you a monk in the real world too? Zhang Hong pressed his palms together and bowed to Song Jian: Im a monk at Qingquan Temple in the real world, my dharma name is Hongyi. Qingquan Temple is a temple on Wangyue Mountain in the outskirts of Coastal City. There is a tens-of-meters-tall seated Buddha statue there, said to be constructed during the Southern Song Dynasty. It is considered a local attraction, and Song Jian had visited it with friends before. Song Jian knew that there were only two or three real monks in Qingquan Temple. The majority of the staff were local villagers who also ran small businesses selling incense and souvenirs. It was said that the real monks in Qingquan Temple seldom showed themselves. He never thought hed meet one in a game. Are you leveling up here too? Song Jian asked curiously. To level up, this humble monk not only needs battle experience, but also merits. Helping these lost souls can earn merits, but their levels are too high. I can only help a few at a time Zhang Hong said with a furrowed brow. The occupation of martial monk needs merits to level up? How peculiar is that! Song Jian thought to himself. After some casual conversation and adding each other as friends, Song Jian turned to return to the graveyard. Watching Song Jian dissapear, the smile on Zhang Hongs face faded and he stared expressionless towards denser part of the forest. Rustle- Several semi-transparent souls emerged from the surrounding trees, surrounding Zhang Hong. These souls emitted a faint golden glow, their bodies robust and possessing meter-long wooden sticks in their hands. One of the souls drifted over and whispered something in Zhang Hongs ear. Zhang Hong slowly shook his head: This man is capable of hunting in an area with level 30 monsters. He is probably one of the top three players on the level honor board. Attacking him rashly, the odds of success are low, and it may just alert him to our presence That soul whispered a few more sentences, making Zhang Hong smile and nod: Indeed, he is indeed the ideal candidate for the Dharma Protector Vajra. Hehe, we can observe slowly, there is no need to rush. He will likely be leveling up in this graveyard in the coming days, we still have a lot of time Song Jian was on his way back to the graveyard, he looked serious. All the way back, he held his sword tightly in his hand. The monk gave him a feeling of extreme peace, and if he hadnt felt that something was spying on him, Song Jian would not have suspected him. From the looks of it, that monk was affecting me somehow all this while, trying to get me to like him. There is no harm in this influence, hence my innate ability couldnt detect it Song Jian thought to himself. This man is too dangerous. Even though his level is lower than mine, I dont know why I feel a sort of apprehension towards him! Song Jian shook his head, looking back at the forest. He suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Just as Song Jian was about to continue leveling up in the graveyard, he suddenly felt something rapidly falling from above. The whipping wind made him look up, and what he saw made him jump. There was an enormous shadow overhead, like a giant bird, swooping down rapidly. Crash! Like a falling meteor, this monstrous bird landed in the graveyard. The aura that it emitted made Song Jian shiver. This creature had a head that resembled an owl, but its body and limbs were like those of a lion. It had a pair of large wings on its back and a tail that looked like a snake. As soon as this creature, which seemed to belong to a mythical story, appeared, Song Jian immediately hid behind a tombstone, cautiously peeking out. Hippogriff, elite boss, level 30, first-order combat power, vitality: 8000/8000, characteristics:??, skills:?? An elite boss with first-order combat power? Song Jian jumped with surprise. This was his first encounter with a first-order monster. As soon as the Hippogriff landed in the graveyard, it started gobbling up the mutated ghosts like a baby chick pecking at grains. The level 30 mutated ghosts stood no chance against the Hippogriff, they were like insects being swallowed one by one. Song Jian dared not make a sound. If it was just a level 30 elite, he might have taken a risk. However, he knew that once a monster possessed first-order combat power, even if it was the same level, the power it had would be drastic. He was no match for this Hippogriff. Im definitely not its match. Looks like I cant level up to level 22 today. Song Jian regretfully glanced at his experience bar, which was already at 97%, and slowly began to retreat. Just then, Zhang Hong appeared at the edge of the forest. He was also attracted by the commotion made by the monster. Upon seeing the Hippogriff, which was taller than three meters, a look of joy appeared on Zhang Hongs face. Chapter 438: 438: Flash Thunder Strike Chapter 438: Flash Thunder Strike A battle beast, this is a perfect battle beast! My luck is just too good, haha! Zhang Hongs face showed a crazy expression, completely different from his previous peaceful demeanor. The Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast, once it reaches adulthood, it can rival the existence of a Giant Dragon. As long as I sign a contract with it Zhang Hong muttered to himself, as his body emitted a dazzling golden light, like he was wearing a golden armor. Come on, Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast, let me, Master Hongyi, become your master, and you will become the first battle beast under the future Buddha Hongyi! Zhang Hongs eyes were filled with fanaticism as he charged towards the Lion Hawk Beast. Bang! The Six-Ring Tin Staff, glowing with a golden light, fiercely struck the Lion Hawk Beasts body, causing a large bruise. The Lion Hawk Beast cried out in pain, unable to stop itself from letting out a sharp howl. Seeing the damage numbers floating above the Lion Hawk Beasts head, Zhang Hong laughed out loud: Great, I can break its defense! Youre mine now, this Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast definitely belongs to me! Hiss- The tail behind the Lion Hawk Beast suddenly lifted up, and a triangular snake head hissed angrily and bit towards Zhang Hong. Bang! Like a black lightning bolt, the snake-like long tail of the Lion Hawk Beast fiercely bit towards Zhang Hong, but it was blocked by a thick layer of golden light around his body. Although the snake tails attack was blocked, its power still seeped through. Zhang Hong, who was only an 18th level player, was like a tiny bug to the Lion Hawk Beast, which had a first-order combat power. It was an absolute crushing situation. The attack sent Zhang Hong flying like a cannonball. He crashed through two stone tablets before coming to a stop, blocked by a large tree. Zhang Hong held his Six-Ring Tin Staff tightly, wearing the dazzling golden armor, as he struggled to stand up. He couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood. With his current strength, even fighting with a level 30 ordinary monster was strenuous. If it werent for his natural suppression of soul bodies, he wouldnt even be in this place. Not to mention an elite BOSS with first-order combat power like the Lion Hawk Beast, even an ordinary level 30 elite BOSS would send Zhang Hong running. This Hoplra Lion Hawk Beast was just too rare which made Zhang Hong couldnt resist taking a risk. Esteemed friend, I wonder if you could help this poor monk hold off the monster. In doing so, you will not only gain my friendship but also a handsome reward afterwards! Zhang Hong looked at Song Jian with a smile on his face. Although Zhang Hong seemed a bit embarrassed at the moment, his golden aura was as peaceful and kind as Buddha while speaking to Song Jian, making it hard for anyone to refuse his request. Song Jian, his eyes filled with confusion, was about to agree when a cool stream suddenly flowed through his mind, instantly sobering him up. As he looked at Zhang Hong with a sharp gaze, a sense of danger emerged. Before, Zhang Hong had only used some methods to make Song Jian have a favorable impression of him, which did not have any adverse effects on Song Jian. As a result, Song Jians natural talent didnt trigger. However, now, Zhang Hong had obviously used a skill similar to Charm Magic. This naturally touched the forbidden area of Song Jians natural talent, activating it and eliminating Zhang Hongs influence. Buzz- Zhang Hongs face suddenly turned pale, and he staggered back a couple of steps. It was a skill backlash! Zhang Hong looked at Song Jian in surprise, unable to believe that his skill had failed! Damn it, I was too reckless! What should I do now? Zhang Hong panicked and quickly spoke to Song Jian: Im sorry, esteemed friend, it was just that this poor monk was a bit too anxious earlier, and I lost my composure. Please forgive me, Im willing to pay you 10,000 Doomsday Coins as compensation! At this moment, a system notification suddenly appeared before Song Jian: System: Player Zhang Hong has sent you a trade request. He will trade 10,000 Doomsday Coins to you. Do you accept the request? Song Jian sneered in his heart, but on his face, he pretended to be hesitant, wanting to take advantage of the situation and directly chose to accept. Soon, 10,000 Doomsday Coins entered Song Jians inventory. 10,000 Doomsday Coins, even players at this stage, could consider this a small fortune. Song Jian showed a relieved smile on his face, nodding at Zhang Hong to signify that their past quarrel was erased. Zhang Hong was overjoyed and hurriedly said: Esteemed friend, please lend me a hand and help me subdue this monster. I will definitely reward you greatly! As he spoke, Zhang Hong summoned several semi-transparent soul bodies and directed them towards the Lion Hawk Beast. These soul bodies were battle spirits that Zhang Hong had secretly converted while liberating mutated souls. Each battle spirit required a hundred mutated soul bodies to successfully convert. Once converted, these soul bodies would treat Zhang Hong as their master, obeying him without question, even if he ordered them to die without a moments hesitation. The battle spirits fought with the Lion Hawk Beast wielding their long staffs. However, it was clear that they were no match for the Lion Hawk Beast. For now, Zhang Hong was only using them as cannon fodder to buy some time. Sir, have you reconsidered? As a monk, I do not lie, and I will not deceive you. As long as you help me catch this monster, I will definitely give you a great gift! Zhang Hong said with an anxious expression on his face, as he could feel that he was losing contact with his painstakingly converted battle spirits one after another. In reality, for the Lion Hawk Beast, which fed on soul bodies, these few battle spirits were nothing more than slightly stronger ants when compared to the ordinary mutated souls around them. The Lion Hawk Beast could still eat them up one by one, and they even tasted much better than regular mutated souls. Youre only level 18. What good things can you have? If you want me to help you, you have to give me the items for the trade first, then Ill help you! Song Jian disdainfully looked Zhang Hong up and down while revealing his level. Seeing that Song Jian was already level 21, Zhang Hong immediately felt surprised. At this point, he had also realized Song Jians identity C the first person on the level honor rankings! Soon, Zhang Hongs face was full of smiles again as he said to Song Jian: So its Sir Song. Seeing that youre holding a sword, you must be a swordsman class. I happen to have a suitable sword technique for you! With that, Zhang Hong took out a golden scroll and unfolded it to show its attributes to Song Jian. Skill Scroll: Flash Thunder Strike; Usage effect: Learn Sword Technique C Flash Thunder Strike; Usage requirements: Weapon type C Sword; Flash Thunder Strike (Active), skill effect: Borrow the power of thunder to deal three instantaneous damage to the target. The first damage is 150% of physical attack, the second damage is 110% of physical attack, and the third damage is 70% of physical attack. The three damages are thunder attribute damages, with a very small probability of making the target stunned for 1 second; cooldown time: 10 seconds; skill consumption: 30 points of Sword Qi. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A gold-quality sword technique, and its pretty powerful! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he was instantly tempted. Chapter 439: Besieged Chapter 439: Besieged First, give me this sword skill. Once I learn it and become stronger, itll benefit you too! Song Jians eyes shone brightly as he shouted. This Zhang Hong hesitated. We can sign a contract and have the system certify it! Song Jian yelled. It was obviously impossible for Zhang Hong to just hand over the sword skill, but Song Jian didnt trust Zhang Hong either. Just because he was a monk didnt mean he couldnt break his word. With the systems certification and a signed contract, both of their interests would be guaranteed. Zhang Hong hesitated for a moment before eventually gritting his teeth, nodding his head, and turning a little pale. This was a golden-quality sword skill, which could be sold for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. It was impossible not to feel heartache giving it away so easily. Zhang Hong hadnt cultivated to the realm of detachment from material possessions. After signing the contract, Zhang Hong handed the sword skill to Song Jian and said urgently, My Battle Spirits cant hold on any longer. Youre responsible for holding back this monster. Its best if you can reduce its Vitality Points to less than a third! For the best chance to turn a monster into a pet, its ideal to reduce its Vitality to less than a third. This way, the success rate will be higher. Song Jian nodded, directly learned the Flash Thunder Strike, and waved his longsword as he charged towards the lion-eagle beast. Flash Thunder Strike was similar to Sweeping Sword Style, but it was a continuous attack with one move following another, causing three instances of damage in an instant. When used with the Golden Demonslaying Sword, the Flash Thunder Strike dealt damage equal to six instances in an instant, causing the damage to explode! Song Jian arrived next to the lion-eagle beast. Zhang Hongs Battle Spirits had already been completely devoured by the lion-eagle beast. The well-fed lion-eagle beast seemed quite pleased, raising its head and letting out a cheerful cry. It even burped and looked at the surrounding mutant ghosts without the previous excitement, appearing somewhat lazy and uninterested in eating. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian waved his long sword and slashed it on the lion-eagle beast. A series of damages floated above its head, causing the beast to lose more than a thousand Vitality Points. The lion-eagle beast was enraged and flapped its wings violently. Even Song Jian struggled to stand, as if he was a bug struck by a powerful gust of wind. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The lion-eagle beast turned its colossal body to stare at Song Jian. With a flap of its wings, its massive body came charging at him like a small mountain. Song Jian climbed up from the ground, spat out some sand, and looked up. The lion-eagle beast instantly reached Song Jian, and its two front claws fiercely stomped towards him. Boom! The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. The lion-eagle beasts footprints were two deep pits, and a crater over three meters in diameter appeared around it. If this strike had hit Song Jian, he would have nearly been killed. At this point, Song Jian didnt dare to resist head-on and could only desperately run away. The lion-eagle beast chased him like a madman, continually attacking him. With the lion-eagles first-tier Combat Power, even a casual hit was more than Song Jian could handle. Are you just going to watch?! Song Jian couldnt help but yell at Zhang Hong, who stood motionlessly to the side. Zhang Hongs face turned slightly red. In fact, he was frightened by the lion-eagle beasts attack. Seeing a whole forest flattened by the beast, Zhang Hong felt a chill run down his spine. This was not something he could handle at this point. Avalaya, Xidian Dusuo Not daring to fight head-on, Zhang Hong could only stand at a distance and chant Buddhist scriptures, using the unique skills of martial monks to harm the lion-eagle beast by casting spells. As Zhang Hong chanted, one golden rune after another flew out of his mouth and formed a huge golden net in the air, which flew towards the lion-eagle beast. Whoosh C All of the lion-eagle beasts attention was on Song Jian, so it did not notice the large net descending in midair, which wrapped it up tightly; Hiss- Once the golden net enveloped the lion-eagle beast, every strand of silk emitted a divine light, as if they were extremely hot branding irons. A burnt smell wafted in the air, and chains of tens of damage points floated above the lion-eagle beasts head, forming a dense patch. Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian turned around and unleashed a series of sword techniques, inflicting heavy damage on the lion-eagle beast. Seeing Song Jians attack, a smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Hongs mouth. Truly worthy of being the first on the level honor list, his attack was strong. If it were just him alone, he would never reduce the lion-eagle beasts Vitality Points to below a third. However, the golden net only lasted for less than five seconds before the lion-eagle beast bit and tore it to shreds. Seeing the lion-eagle beast break free, Song Jian immediately stopped a half-released sword technique and turned to run. He wasnt capable of facing the lion-eagle beast head-on and could only rely on sneak attacks. Attacking the lion-eagle beast was just a transaction, and Song Jian wouldnt risk his life for it. In just five seconds, he had caused the lion-eagle beast to lose more than 1,500 points of damage, bringing its Vitality Points down by a quarter. Such a powerful attack made even Zhang Hong feel a little uneasy, looking at Song Jian with deep wariness in his eyes. What are you waiting for?! Use all your moves, or dont blame me for leaving by myself! Song Jian shouted at Zhang Hong. Even if the lion-eagle beast ran away, there would be no loss for Song Jian. The contract only stipulated that Song Jian had to assist Zhang Hong in capturing the beast. If Zhang Hong held back and failed the task, Song Jian would not take any responsibility. As for the traded items, Song Jian had already learned the skills, so they couldnt delete them. Therefore, Song Jian hadnt used the Immortal Sword Body skill and considered it as a trump card, unafraid of Zhang Hong turning against him. Hold on! Zhang Hong threw Song Jian a skill similar to Light Body Skill, increasing Song Jians movement speed by 5%. Then, he began preparing another spell. Mountain-moving Spell, go! After chanting Buddhist scriptures, Zhang Hong shouted and pointed at the lion-eagle beast. A mountain suddenly appeared in the air and smashed towards the beast. Boom! The mountain slammed heavily on the lion-eagle beasts back, blood splattering everywhere. The beasts wings broke and hung limply on both sides of its body. The lion-eagle beast let out a sharp scream, struggling to get up. For a moment, its movement speed was significantly reduced. Hurry up, the slow effect will only last for three seconds! Zhang Hong shouted, swinging the Six-Ring Tin Staff in his hand and drawing a dizzying, complex pattern in front of him. Chapter 440: Pet Contract Chapter 440: Pet Contract Song Jians lips curled into a slight smile. He had noticed that most of Zhang Hongs attack methods carried negative effects, but their actual damage wasnt high. For ordinary players, these constant negative effects were like a nightmare. With Song Jians unique skill Thick-faced, his immunity to negative effects had reached an unimaginable level. Once he pits against Zhang Hong, if Zhang Hong doesnt use his trump card escape skill, Song Jian is confident he can finish him in less than five minutes. Under Zhang Hongs skill restrictions, the lion-eagle beast seemed like a strong and bulky yet slow-moving giant, toyed around by the two players. After half an hour, the lion-eagle beast was bathed in blood, covered with wounds, and one of his front claws had even fractured. Its enormous body lost its balance and collapsed, stirring up countless pebbles and dust. The lion-eagle beast was on the brink of death, unable to stand up no matter how hard it tried. Its vitality points had already dropped below 10%. For Zhang Hong, this was an optimum opportunity to recruit. Good job! Zhang Hong cheered with a full face of smiles, but a flash of fear appeared in the depths of his eyes. Song Jians damage was incredibly high, volumes higher than any typical player of his level. Zhang Hong leaped forward, came before the lion-eagle beast, and bowed. He muttered, In the past you have been trapped in bitterness, today, I will help you free yourself! With a hop, Zhang Hong climbed onto the lion-eagle beast, pressing his hand against its head. Hahaha, my beast defender, youre mine now! Zhang Hong couldnt hold back his excitement; he was on the cusp of success. His laughter echoed under the sky, his face full of unrestrained joy. The lion-eagle beast grew furious sensing Zhang Hong on its back. It let out angry roars and attempted to shake Zhang Hong off. Unfortunately, its injuries were too severe, barely lifting its wings before they dropped down weakly. From his bag, Zhang Hong pulled out a scroll emitting a silver radiance, pressing it against the back of the lion-eagle beasts head. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A Pet Contract Scroll! Song Jian watched the energy-rich scroll with a slight smile at the corner of his lips. Ordinary shops only sell low-quality Pet Contract Scrolls and those can only be used on common beasts. Unique creatures like the lion-eagle beast, especially one thats an elite boss at level 30, couldnt be captured by a low-quality scroll. A higher-quality scroll is required for that. The silver-level Pet Contract Scroll that Zhang Hong held was worth at least 100,000 Doomsday Coins. This was a rare item and the price was beyond what many beasts were worth. It was something ordinary players had only heard about but never seen. Song Jian watched Zhang Hong use the scroll, and shook his head slightly. What a waste. If Zhang Hong was also level 30, then using this silver-level Pet Contract Scroll could have had a capture success rate of over 80%. However, currently at level 18, the level gap with the lion-eagle beast is just too wide. Even with this high-quality scroll, the capture success rate wont be more than 30% Such level disparity was something every player hoping to capture a beast needed to consider. Either Zhang Hong has forgotten it in his excitement, or hes taking his chances, ignoring the level gap. After all, encountering a lion-eagle beast opportunity is rare and once lost, there may not be another chance to find such a unique creature. At this moment, a look of excitement crossed Zhang Hongs face. With trembling hands, he pressed the Contract Scroll closely against the lion-eagle beasts head and began reciting the contracts chant. As he recited the chant, the scroll emitted a dazzling light and began to slowly disintegrate, transforming into countless silver runes that embraced both Zhang Hong and the lion-eagle beast. If the contract fails, all the runes would vanish and the high-quality silver scroll would be wasted. Zhang Hong anxiously watched the silver runes around him, fearing theyd disappear at the next moment. Bang! A blinding silver radiance burst from the runes, driving Zhang Hong into fits of laughter. This signified the first step was successful, which was the most important step. If the runes assembled into a contract formation next, he could force the lion-eagle beast into signing the contract and becoming his beast. The silver light continued to circulate as the silver runes gradually coalesced, forming a strange contract array adorned with intricate patterns and mysterious symbols. Come now, become my beast defender. Under the Buddha in the future, you will enjoy endless glory! Zhang Hong murmured to himself. From the contract array, a milky-white light emerged, heading straight into Zhang Hongs forehead. This light outlined all the clauses in the contract like a legal agreement in the real world, demanding strict adherence once signed. Another white light shot out towards the forehead of the lion-eagle beast, leaving a faint black mark on it. This was the beast-mark. Once the lion-eagle beast submits, this mark would accompany it for life. The contract obligations were laid out in both Zhang Hongs and the lion-eagle beasts minds. Zhang Hong was not unfamiliar with this, he chose to agree without hesitation. On the other hand, the contracts terms were displayed in a way that the lion-eagle beast could understand. The stringent conditions instilled a profound sense of humiliation. It knew that agreeing to the contract would save its life but its freedom would be lost forever. The lion-eagle beast struggled, resisting the white light from entering its forehead and rejecting the black mark on its forehead. Hurry, hurry, submit to me! Cold sweat dripped from Zhang Hongs forehead as he watched the struggling lion-eagle beast impatiently. After activating the Pet Contract Scroll, he needed to maintain it using his mental strength. Given the vast power gap between him and the lion-eagle beast, maintaining this contract was strenuous. Submit to me, and you will rank under one and above all, forever Zhang Hong shouted ferociously. His face twisted, veins bulged on his forehead, his expression no longer calm and peaceful. The lion-eagle beast let out a piercing shriek, the whitelight from the formed contract finally entered its forehead. Zhang Hongs face twisted into an ecstatic grin. I made it! Zhang Hong roared. Just then, something unexpected happened. The lion-eagle beast seemingly regained its strength, abruptly standing up and throwing Zhang Hong off its back. Chapter 441: The Kill Chapter 441: The Kill How could this happen? Bloodlines eruption? The astonished Zhang Hong, who had been thrown back, struggled to stand amidst the debris and looked at the increasingly crazed lion eagle beast while mumbling to himself. The Hoplarch Lion Eagle Beast is a magical creature; adult Hoplarch Lion Eagle Beasts can rival Giant Dragons. Their bloodline contains mysterious bloodline power, and once triggered, they can obtain even greater power. This is why Zhang Hong would rather waste a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll to capture it. However, the lion eagle beasts explosion of power did not originate from its bloodline, but from the level gap between them. The difference of twelve levels made it seem as if there was a chasm between Zhang Hong and the lion eagle beast. Without Song Jians help, Zhang Hong wouldnt stand a chance against the beast, let alone break through its defense. Moreover, just as Zhang Hong was devoting himself to subduing the lion eagle beast, Song Jian slightly raised his right hand, using a surgical healing to heal the broken wing of the lion eagle beast, thus giving it the strength to hurl Zhang Hong away. Surgical healing can only restore a small amount of Vitality Points but can remove negative effects such as fracture, bleeding. Song Jians movement was small, and Zhang Hong, who was focused on subduing the lion eagle beast at the time, did not notice his subtle action. As a martial monk, Zhang Hong could easily employ numerous spells. Although they didnt cause high damage, their endless negative effects were alarming for Song Jian. If Zhang Hong gained such a magical creature as a battle pet, his last weakness would be patched up, something Song Jian didnt want to see. Boom! A powerful Mental Strength burst forth, instantly repelling the white light enveloping his eyebrows and the black seal. A look of defeat appeared on Zhang Hongs face as he witnessed the Contract Array tremble violently before shattering with a bang. With the capture attempt failed, the lion eagle beast let out a relaxed and joyful cry, turned around, and stared at Zhang Hong with eyes full of anger, yet tinged with a touch of deep fear. The loss of a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll pained Zhang Hong. Although the capture attempts failure didnt cause substantial damage to him, he felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his chest, making him want to vomit blood. When a pet capture fails, there are certain aftereffects. At this point, the lion eagle beasts entire hatred had been transferred to Zhang Hong, and this hatred would lock on to him for three minutes, launching relentless attacks. Seeing the lion eagle beast charging towards him, Zhang Hongs face turned pale, and he hurriedly ran towards Song Jian. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Help, help me! Zhang Hong begged Song Jian with a pleading look on his face. The lion eagle beast spread its wings and instantly closed the seven or eight meters distance, its sharp beak aimed like a razor at his heart. Feeling the chill of the wind, Zhang Hong sensed the threat of death quickly approaching and threw a triangular amulet in a panic. The amulet flew into the air, bursting into dazzling light before turning into a Light Shield protecting Zhang Hongs back. In the center of the shield, a golden Buddha handprint slowly opened. One-time-use defensive amulet? Song Jians eyes lit up, recognizing the triangular amulet, and he looked envious. This single-use amulet had various effects. Even though they could only be used once, their power was significantly greater than ordinary equipment or even skills. Moreover, they were rare. Even Song Jian hadnt encountered one yet. The beak struck the center of the Light Shield, followed by a crack sound as the shield shattered into crystal fragments and disappeared in midair. However, the lion eagle beasts attack was entirely blocked. Not only that, but part of the beasts beak cracked, making it cry out in pain. Save me, save me! We had an agreement! Zhang Hong had lost his previous repentant composure, looking disheveled and scared as he grabbed Song Jians hand and begged loudly. Do you have any more high-quality Pet Contract Scrolls? Song Jian tightly held his sword and glanced at Zhang Hong, saying, If not, well have to kill it. Zhang Hongs face showed reluctance. He had suffered considerable losses this time, not only giving Song Jian a sword technique worth tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins but also wasting a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll and a precious defensive amulet. Even the Soul Bodies he had painstakingly recruited earlier were all consumed, making him feel like he had wasted ten years of hard work. I dont have any more. Kill it! Zhang Hong said helplessly. Having a silver-quality Pet Contract Scroll was already incredibly lucky for Zhang Hong, let alone having a second one. Song Jian nodded, guessing that the likelihood of Zhang Hong having a second one was low. Keep using those techniques to trap it. Well split the loot from killing it! Song Jian said. Hearing Song Jians words, Zhang Hongs face looked slightly better. After all, the level 30 Elite Boss with Tier 1 Combat Power was bound to drop valuable items, at least slightly making up for his loss. Song Jian leaped forward and slashed at the lion eagle beast with his sword. With his current strength, facing a level 30 Elite Boss with Tier 1 Combat Power was still somewhat difficult. If it werent for the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Swords ability to deal double damage with each strike, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to hold out for long. After the lion eagle beasts Vitality Points dropped, it erupted with even fiercer fighting power, as if having a resurgence of energy before its death. Each strike would deal three to four hundred points of damage. If it werent for the Advanced Healing Potion, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to withstand the attack for long. Zhang Hong watched as the lion eagle beasts Vitality Points continued to decrease, his face full of unwillingness. In reality, he had several healing techniques but didnt use them on Song Jian. He couldnt help but have some unusual thoughts in his heart, wanting the lion eagle beast and Song Jian to perish together. That way, he could recover his losses from Song Jians corpse and the beasts drops. If things went as he planned, he would not only make up for his losses but might even profit from them. But to his disappointment, even when the lion eagle beast cried its final painful cry and fell, Song Jian still stood firmly in place without showing any weakness. Chapter 442: Half for each person? Chapter 442: Half for each person? Finally, we killed it! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Zhang Hong from the corner of his eye, and saw a trace of disappointment on his face, which made him couldnt help but sneer in his heart. Although his Vitality Points were now less than half, only about 500, in his inventory, he had seven or eight Advanced Healing Potions. He also had many Weakness Potions, Slow Medicines, and Brave Potions. Even if Zhang Hong turned against him right now, Song Jian would not be afraid. Whoosh ~ Seven or eight items burst out from the corpse of the Lion Hawk Beast, each shining with special glows of green, blue, silver, and even one emitting bright golden light. A golden quality item! Zhang Hongs gaze first fell on the golden quality item, revealing a pleased expression on his face. But quickly, as if he thought of something, he looked at Song Jian, and the unwilling expression on his face became stronger. He knew that even if this golden quality item was not useful to Song Jian, he would not let it go to him. Without any hesitation, Song Jian picked up the golden quality item. It was a scroll-like item with the four golden characters Sword Art Outline written on the side. Sword Art Outline (Golden), one-time use item, Usage effect: Raise any sword-skill not above level 5 by three levels, with a certain chance to produce a mutation effect on the skill. Requirement for use: This item must be used within ten minutes; A surprised look appeared on Song Jians face as he rapidly considered which of his skills to use it on. What is this? Zhang Hong couldnt help but ask as he approached. Seeing the eager look on Zhang Hongs face, Song Jian laughed and directly displayed the attributes of the Sword Art Outline. Even if he gave it to Zhang Hong, Zhang Hong probably wouldnt be able to use it; In fact, Zhang Hong actually had learned two sword arts, one was called Dharma Sword Art, and the other was called Vajra Subjugation Sword. Both were extremely powerful, but to raise the levels of these two sword arts, not only skill proficiency and skill points were required, but most importantly, there needed to be Buddha-nature. Zhang Hong had already raised the proficiency of these two sword arts to the maximum, and he also had skill points, but had been unable to raise these two sword arts by one level, mainly because his Buddha-nature was not yet full; Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was why he came to this tomb area, constantly reciting Buddhist scriptures and releasing the souls of the dead. Doing so did not yield any combat Experience Points, but he gained one point of Buddha-nature for each soul released; In fact, for Zhang Hong, Buddha-nature was far more important than any experience points, skill proficiency, or even skill points. Even the spells he learned required Buddha-nature to be upgraded; If he were to obtain the Sword Art Outline, it would not make a drastic difference to his strength, but it would still serve as a compensation for the shortcomings of one of his sword arts being raised by three levels. Therefore, when Zhang Hong saw the Sword Art Outline, he couldnt help but feel envious. Just as he hesitated whether to ask if he could exchange something for the Sword Art Outline, Song Jian directly clicked on use; The Sword Art Outline immediately turned into a golden light enveloping Song Jian, gradually fading away after a short while. After hesitating for a long time, Song Jian had too many sword arts and techniques to choose from, all of which were essential to him. In the end, he decided to use the Sword Art Outline on the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. He now had mastered three skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession: Sword Finger, Invisible Sword Qi, and Immortal Sword Body; in use, he found that the power of the Sword Finger was average, probably just an ordinary skill of the Swordsman Immortal profession, while the Invisible Sword Qi, since possessing the Sword Control Skill of Luck, had increased the upper limit value to more than 200, and even if it was upgraded, the effect would not be obvious. On the other hand, the power of Immortal Sword Body terrified him. Although it had a cooldown time of one hour, once activated, it definitely had the ability to reverse the situation. Furthermore, Song Jian estimated that even among the Swordsman Immortal profession, the Immortal Sword Body was probably one of the core skills. Therefore, he didnt hesitate to use this Sword Art Outline on the Immortal Sword Body; Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body (Active), Level 6 (38%), Skill effect: After activating this skill, players all attributes +10, Physical Defense increased by 60%, Magic Resistance increased by 50%, negative effects immunity judgment +8, Damage increased by 110% when using Sword weapons, Power of Sword skills increased by 80%, this effect lasts 120 seconds, Dispel and Purify skills have no effect on this effect; Skill consumption: Use consumes 25 Invisible Sword Qi, Additionally, 1 Invisible Sword Qi is consumed every second during the duration. Skill cooldown time: 60 minutes; Skill description: This skill is one of the Swordsman Immortal professions inherited skills. The power of the level 6 Immortal Sword Body increased significantly, the duration also increased to two minutes, and although the consumption was higher, the increased upper limit of Invisible Sword Qi allowed Song Jian to bear the consumption; If I could always use the Immortal Sword Body, I might be able to defeat even a level 30 elite BOSS with first-order Combat Power! Song Jian clenched his long sword, thinking to himself. With his mouth open, Zhang Hong was about to speak when he saw Song Jian directly using the Sword Art Outline. He immediately froze, sighed after a while, and shook his head slightly; There was one silver-quality item in the spoils from the Lion Hawk Beast, along with five or six blue and green items. The silver-quality item was a piece of equipment. Feather of the Lion Hawk Beast (Silver), belt, Equipment level 30, Equipment effect: Strength +4, Agility +2, Defense +28, Resistance +20, Vitality recovery speed increased by 20%; Special effect 1: Add 16 instant use inventory slots! Special effect 2: Automatically recovers 1 Spirit Point every 10 seconds; Usage requirement: 15 points of Mental Strength; Can it be taken out of the game: No Is this a belt for magic-based professions? Seeing the requirement of 15 Mental Strength points, Song Jian frowned slightly. It should be known that for ordinary people entering the game, all attributes are usually around five points, some even only three points. Unless they obtain treasures like Attribute Fruit, it is difficult to raise an attribute. Only when they get their first job do their attributes increase according to their profession. For a non-magic profession, it is very difficult to raise Mental Strength to 15 points. However, this was not a problem for Song Jian. At this time, his Mental Strength attribute was exactly 15 points; Song Jians original Mental Strength attribute was only five points. After eating an All Attribute Fruit, he gained 1 point, 1 point from the Vertical Eye on his forehead, 2 points from the Sacred Spirit, 1 point from the Savior title, 3 points from joining the Sword Controller profession, and finally, 5 points from the Abyssal Flame tempering. Song Jian showed the attributes of this belt to Zhang Hong and happily replaced it with the Devouring Belt he was wearing. Song Jian believed that the Monk profession was more inclined to physical attacks, and Zhang Hong was only level 18 and probably couldnt even reach 10 points of Mental Strength. Naturally, this belt belonged to Song Jian himself. Chapter 443: Wizard’s Soul Chapter 443: Wizards Soul Seeing Song Jian put on the Winged Lions Feather directly, Zhang Hongs eyes almost bulged out. Zhang Hong, though a combat monk, was not a melee attacker, but a caster. His specialty was using various Buddhist spells. Thus, although he was only level 18, his Mental Strength had already broken through to 17 points, two points higher than Song Jians. Naturally, Zhang Hong could also wear the Winged Lions Feather belt. After all, it was a level 30 silver grade equipment. Werent we supposed to share the loot? Youve already taken the best stuff for yourself. Zhang Hong struggled to suppress the urge to roll his eyes and screamed inwardly. Song Jian glanced at the remaining blue-green items, picked up a blue-quality Bloodline Essence and put it into his inventory, then threw all the remaining materials over to Zhang Hong. I only took three items; the remaining five are for you, Song Jian said with a smile. Zhang Hongs mouth twitched as he looked at the items Song Jian handed him: only one was of blue quality, and the rest were green quality. More importantly, all of these items were materials, not equipment. He doubted that current players in the auction house would be interested in such high-level materials. Thankyou very much! Zhang Hongs face reluctantly showed a smile, and he accepted all the items from Song Jian. Although these materials were high-level, players trade skills would eventually progress, and these materials would become valuable after some time, especially since they were from magical creatures. After killing the level 30 elite boss, Song Jian finally reached level 22 and even exceeded 6%. Song Jian hesitated for a moment after looking at the three 100% proficiency skills, Kick, Sweeping Sword Style, and Sword Shadow Step. Eventually, he still spent the skill point on Sword Shadow Step. He had enough damage-dealing skills, but not many life-saving ones. So naturally, he would prioritize upgrading his escape skills. Upgrading Sword Shadow Step to level 2 increased the movement speed from 30% to 35%, and the duration increased from 7 seconds to 8 seconds, a small improvement. The Winged Lions corpse slowly decomposed and burned, and if they had the Dissection or Skinning skills, they could extract some materials from the body. However, neither Song Jian nor Zhang Hong possessed these trade skills, so they could only watch the valuable corpse turn into ashes. It took them over an hour to kill the Winged Lion. The sky had become white, and the ghosts in the graveyard had gone back into their tombs. Only a few crows occasionally cawed, making the whole graveyard quite peaceful. Amitabha, Mr. Song, we shall part ways now. I hope to see you again in the future! Zhang Hong returned to his high monk demeanor, his face serious as he clasped his hands together and bowed to Song Jian before leaving. Well, Master, we shall say our goodbyes then, laughed Song Jian as he nodded in agreement. As he watched Zhang Hong drift away, a cold smile crept onto Song Jians face. Zhang Hong had failed to steal the prize, and had instead lost more than he gained. If he had succeeded in obtaining the Winged Lion as a combat pet, his Combat Power would have at least doubled. Song Jian had sensed a threat from Zhang Hong in the woods when they first met C the look in Zhang Hongs eyes when he first saw Song Jian was identical to when he first saw the Winged Lion. I hope that when I see you next time, youll have become much stronger. Right now, you really dont even arouse my desire to fight! Song Jian muttered softly. Just then, an old voice spoke into his ear. Young man, you made a grave mistake by letting him go like that. In the future, he may grow into a power that youll be forced to look up to! Startled, Song Jian instinctively clenched the sword in his hand, taking a defensive stance as he looked around. Whos there! Song Jian demanded in a low voice. Cough, cough. Dont be so tense; Im just a captive soul, incapable of causing you any harm, the old voice replied with a hint of weakness. However, Song Jian remained vigilant, still tensely looking around. The graveyard was eerily silent with not a soul in sight. What kind of hero hides behind a veil? If youve got the guts, come out and meet me! Song Jian raged, even more anxious since he couldnt sense any presence whatsoever. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hehe, I wish I could come out, but Im trapped in an impenetrable prison, unable to even move The old voice chuckled weakly. If you really want to see me, continue down the white stone path, take a left at the thirteenth step, and youll find me in the sixth tomb. Song Jian hesitated. While battling the Winged Lion earlier, the conflict had spread around the area within a few dozen meters. The location indicated by the old voice was at the edge of the previous battle area. Song Jian had not found any traps or anything of the sort during the prior fight. So, after a moment, he followed the voices guidance towards the tomb. Upon arriving at the tomb, he looked at the tombstone. There wasnt much difference between this one and the surrounding ones, except for the faint golden Hexagram Array that appeared on this tombstone. If he hadnt taken a closer look, Song Jian would have thought it was just a blank tombstone. Young deity, I was once a human mage with Tier 1 Combat Power. During a battle, I accidentally injured a civilian and was sentenced to death, with my soul exiled Seeing Song Jian coming, the old voice slowly recited its story. Song Jian listened attentively. As it turned out, this mages soul, like the Beastman soldier George had guided Song Jian to recruit, was also a convict exiled to Doomsday City. The soul had been lingering in the graveyard for more than twenty days, and if no one came to its rescue, it would turn into a monstrous creature that only knew how to kill once the time was up C something the mages soul did not want. When Song Jian and the NPC professional players first arrived at the graveyard for the supply box, the mages soul had already spotted them. Instead of hurriedly summoning someone to save it, the soul patiently observed them. If there was no choice, the soul would have urgently sought help from the first person it saw. However, since there were so many people, the mages soul naturally wanted to find the strongest person to ally with. After observing for two more days, especially after witnessing Song Jian and Zhang Hong slay the Winged Lion with Tier 1 combat power, the mages soul finally made up its mind. Chapter 444: Bloodline Wizard Chapter 444: Bloodline Wizard If you truly can rescue me from this cage, then I, Wallace Laman, in the name of the God of Truth, pledge my loyalty to you as your vassal! Laman muttered. Laman, arent you afraid that after being freed on day one, you might never return here? Song Jian laughed. No, your level might not be high, but you already have the strength to solo kill an elite, level thirty boss. This area is full of level thirty monsters. I know, you Gods Chosen have a magical skill that allows you to hunt monsters in this world and level up quickly. This area of level thirty monsters is a leveling treasure chest. Youll definitely come back here to level up! Laman confidently replied. Your judgement is very accurate, so, lets sign the contract. Once the Followers contract is signed, Ill set you free from this prison. Song Jian laughed. NPCs recruited within the estate system are very weak characters, considered commoners among NPCs. No matter how long they train, at most they can become home guard militia with very limited growth potential. These NPCs recruited from the estate system can only serve as wait staff, construction workers, apprentices and the like. Only NPCs recruited from these outdoor cages exhibit unique skills. Take the Beastman Warrior that Song Jian met previously for instance. Not only was he individually powerful, but he also had the talent to tame beasts. He could domesticate normal beasts into war beasts to assist in battles, maybe even using them as mounts to form a Beast Cavalry. The human soul captured before his eyes C in his previous life he was a wizard with the power of the first order. You should know that wizards, also known as scholars, possess an abundance of knowledge, even if they have lost their bodies and their combat power has declined, that knowledge remains a valuable asset. As much as Gods Chosen select Followers, Followers also choose their Gods Chosen. Clearly, Laman is very satisfied with Song Jian, so he willingly signed the Followers contract. It took Song Jian more than half an hour to destroy the stone tomb and release Laman. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A semi-transparent pale blue figure floated out of the tomb, took a deep breath, and emotionally said: I never thought I would get the chance to breathe freely again! After a moment of emotion, Laman knelt on one knee in front of Song Jian, placed his right hand on his chest respectfully and said: Wallace Laman the wizard will become your Follower, never to leave you! Wallace, I accept your loyalty! Song Jian said as he helped Wallace up. The moment Wallace pledged his loyalty, all his attributes were openly revealed to Song Jian. Wallace (Soul Body), Job: Bloodline Wizard, Level 30, Strength: 30, Agility: 25, Stamina: 33, Spirit: 50, Mana: 500/500. In the Followers interface, there are many attributes of Wallace described in detail, including traits, skills, and even his past experiences. Wallace, why have so many of your skills been sealed? While Song Jian was carefully reviewing Wallaces attributes and skills, he couldnt help but frown. This situation had never happened before. Even the previous Beastman Warrior, despite becoming a slave, had retained all his skills. I apologise, Master. In my previous life, I was a Bloodline Wizard. All my power came from my bloodline. Now that Ive lost my body, many of my bloodline spells can no longer be cast. Wallace explained apologetically. Although Song Jian had speculated this might be the case, he felt slightly disappointed when it was confirmed. After all, Wallace had once been a first- order wizard. If he were to preside over the alliance, Song Jian believed, no alliance would dare to invade them at their current state. How can we restore your former power? Song Jian pondered for a moment. Turning Wallace into a logistical officer like Dr. Ebsiting would obviously be a waste. But if Wallace couldnt regain his previous strengths, then in the future he could only provide Song Jian with advice based on his extensive knowledge. There are two ways to restore my power. One is to switch and practice as a Soul Body Wizard from now on. This is the easiest way, but it would take a long time since I would have to start over from level one and adapt to this new role. It was clear Wallace had thought deeply about this, and he spoke quickly. The second way is to rebuild my previous body. I would need a powerful new body with the bloodline of an ancient creature. The stronger the bloodline, the more powerful I will be. This is the quickest method, but obtaining a body with the bloodline of an ancient creature is extremely difficult. Wallace, with a look of regret in his eyes, said: My previous bloodline was from the Flame Giant Wolf, which is only of average grade among Bloodline Wizards. Song Jian had a thought, finally understanding why Wallace willingly approached him to become his Follower after he killed the Gryphon Beast. You want to use this blood essence to recreate your body so that you can have the bloodline of the Hopla Gryphon Beast, right? Song Jian took out the blood essence that emitted a blue glow, held it in his hand, and laughed as he said to Wallace. Wallace knelt on one knee, touching his forehead almost to the ground, and said: Yes, Master. Please forgive my selfishness. The Hopla Gryphon Beast is a magnificent creature. Its bloodline is much superior to the Flame Giant Wolf, it is only second to the Dragon Bloodline. If I can recreate my body with its bloodline, my power will quickly recover to the first order, and I may even have the potential to break through to a higher level of power! Song Jian said nothing, playing with the blood essence in his hand, a playful smile on his face as he gazed at the kneeling Wallace. Wallace, can I trust you? Can you forever be loyal to me, never betraying me? Song Jian slowly said. Master, I swear on my soul as a Bloodline Wizard, if you can recreate my body for me, I will forever be loyal to you, never betraying you. Even if the whole world were to be destroyed, I will always stand behind you! Wallace lifted his head; determination etched on his face. Out of nowhere, Song Jian felt a thread of contract energy connecting him to Wallace. If Wallace were to break his promise in future, his soul body would suffer massive damage, weakening his soul severely, or worse, causing him to dissipate completely. With a slight nod, Song Jian laughed: I think the Hopla Gryphon Beasts bloodline is not suitable for you. Maybe, you should have a superior bloodline! Chapter 445 - 445’- Bloodline Spirit Symbol Chapter 445:- Bloodline Spirit Symbol When Wallace heard Song Jian say that the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline was unsuitable for him, his face instantly fell into despair. He had put everything he had on Song Jian. If Song Jian couldnt help him rebuild his bloodline, he would never be able to recover and become a bloodline wizard; Wallace had studied bloodline wizards for centuries. If he had to switch to becoming a soul body wizard now, everything would have to start over. In this world of destruction, weakness is a sin. After becoming a soul body wizard, it would definitely take a long time to regain the first level of combat power, and Wallace wasnt sure if he had that much time. But when he heard what Song Jian said after that, a look of doubt appeared in Wallaces eyes. To him, a Lion Hawk Beast was already a higher-grade bloodline than what he had before. Could it be that this young over-blessed one in front of him possessed even higher-grade bloodline essences? How is that possible? Although this world has many powerful creatures, with his abilities, how could he possibly acquire a higher-grade bloodline, not to mention, even the Lion Hawk Beast, is beyond his capabilities. Without the help of that monk, he wouldnt be able to kill the Lion Hawk Beast, let alone have a higher-grade bloodline? Wallaces eyes flickered and his mood fluctuated, causing his soul body to sway slightly. Song Jian gave a faint smile and summoned the Black Dragon hatchling directly. The Black Dragon had been slumbering in the Pet Space for a long time. As soon as it was released, it immediately gave off a joyous dragon chant. Its wings spread out, instantly giving people a feeling of overwhelming darkness. At this moment, the Black Dragon hatchling had grown to over four meters in length and was almost two meters high. There was an aura of majesty in his golden, upright pupils. A faint black smoke and sparks spewed out from his nostrils with each breath, spreading out a faint sense of Dragon Might in all directions. h_ giant dragon, how how is this possible Wallaces soul body started to tremble violently, seemingly on the verge of disintegration. It was obvious how much his emotions were profoundly stirred at this moment. Wallace even wanted to reach out and touch the Black Dragon hatchling s scales, but as soon as he extended his hand, it felt as if he had been burned, forcing him to let out a painful grunt and immediately retract his hand. Master, could it be you intend to use Wallace looked at the Black Dragon hatchling, his eyes revealing a look of joy. Black Dragons were a type of ancient Giant Dragon and were considered top-tier bloodlines that all Bloodline Wizards dreamt of having. If Song Jian was truly willing to use Black Dragon Essence Blood to rebuild Wallaces body, then Wallaces growth potential would be limitless in the future. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Indeed, I am willing to use the Black Dragons bloodline to rebuild your body! Song Jian nodded and confirmed. Overcome with excitement, Wallace immediately dropped to his knees, unable to utter a word. For him, this was an extraordinary opportunity. Alright, once were back at my manor, you can begin researching how to rebuild your body using the Black Dragon Essence Blood. But you must ensure that my Black Dragon wont be severely harmed, Song Jian declared. Of course, of course, Master. I promise not to harm your war pet irreversibly. At most, it will only be weak for a few days before it quickly recovers, Wallace eagerly assured him. Back at Manor Castle, Song Jian directly assigned a lab to Wallace and gave him a drop of the Black Dragon hatchlings Essence Blood so that he could research how to use the Black Dragon Essence Blood to rebuild his body. After all, witnessing such a top-notch, priceless bloodline from the Black Dragon was something Wallace had previously not even dared to think about, let alone encounter. Thus, running experiments before completely rebuilding his body was absolutely necessary. After settling Wallace in, Song Jian took out the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline essence. At that moment, the bloodline essence looked like a red gem, emitting a dazzling light, with a rich purple-red blood seemingly flowing through it. Song Jian undressed his upper body to reveal the Hexagram Array tattoo on his chest. At the moment, the Hexagram Array was glowing, with one corner adorned with a red gem. This gem was the Dragon Blood Talisman formed from the Essence Blood of a mature Black Dragon he had absorbed previously. Now that he had obtained the Essence Blood of a Lion Hawk Beast, he wondered whether it could turn into another talisman as well. He carefully moved the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline essence closer to the Hexagram Array Diagram. Sure enough, a strong suction came from the Hexagram Array. Song Jian smiled faintly, loosened his grip, and the Lion Hawk Beasts bloodline essence was instantly absorbed by the Hexagram Array Diagram. Soon, a dazzling gleam slowly emerged in the second corner of the Night Slayers Hexagram Array Diagram. The vacant spot was filled by a second talisman, the Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm. Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm Enhancement: Strength +5, Agility +3, Constitution +5, Special Effect: Iron Wings (Active), can summon a pair of Iron Wings that last for 1 hour with a cooldown of 3 hours; Under the summoning Iron Wings state, overall defense increases by 30%, resistance increase by 30%, wings can automatically block any damage under 50 points; capable of flying with a speed of 280. So strong! Song Jian could not help but clench his fist, sensing the potent power surging within his body. The attribute boost this time was incredibly significant, even more so than the previous Dragon Blood Talisman. After all, the initial Dragon Blood Talisman had used most of its power to reshape the foundation of Song Jians body, and the attribute increase wasnt entirely displayed. But the second Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm fully unleashed its power. Just the added 13 attribute points alone made Song Jian feel incredibly delighted, not to mention the Iron Wings powerful ability. As soon as he summoned the Iron Wings, Song Jians defense could probably rival that of a heavily armored defensive warrior of the same level. Iron Wings! With a thought, a dazzling light burst forth from Song Jians back, and a pair of wide wings enveloping a metallic luster appeared behind Song Jian, nearly covering his entire body. Song Jian felt that these wings were like a part of his body, just as flexible to control as his own limbs. With a thought, the Iron Wings violently fluttered, and Song Jians body shot off like an arrow, flying out of Manor Castles window. Song Jian, who was in the air, was initially a bit clumsy, but he quickly grasped the trick to flying, soaring freely in the air like a giant bird. This exhilaration was far beyond what one could experience from flying in an airplane. Just as Song Jian was soaring in the sky, a massive flock of strange bird-like creatures flew towards him in huge numbers. Their shrill cries forced Song Jian to cover his ears. Mutant Vulture Birds, level forty creatures? My God, where in heavens name did I fly off to? Startled, Song Jian turned around and flew back towards his manor. Chapter 446: Magic Source Stone Chapter 446: Magic Source Stone Unbeknownst to him, Song Jian had accidentally flown into a territory inhabited by level-Forty creatures. He was chased by a flock of level-Forty mutant carrion birds and barely escaped back to the Manor Castle. Phew, that was a close call. I almost didnt make it back, Song Jian said, looking at the slowly dispersing flock of carrion birds in the distance, and feeling a lingering fear. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The flock of carrion birds chased Song Jian all the way to the level-ten creature zone before slowly backing off. If it wasnt for his wing made of steel that allowed him to fly slightly faster than the birds, Song Jian would be in real danger. This narrow escape dampened his cockiness after his recent power increase, reminding him that there are still many creatures in the Doomsday City he shouldnt mess with. The construction of Manor Castle was progressing methodically. Buildings sprouted up within the alliances territory. After the previous alliance battle, few alliances dared to mess with the City of Hope. My Lord, the Manor has reached its development limit and must be upgraded to a level four Manor! Upon seeing Song Jians return, steward George hurried over with a thick ledger to report. Good job, George. The manor has developed so well and so quickly thanks to you! Song Jian laughed, Go ahead and upgrade it if it satisfies the criteria. In reality, Song Jian had little involvement in the development of the Manor. Aside from gathering special materials when needed, George made all the important decisions. Song Jian would not object to the idea that George single-handedly developed the Manor. My Lord, in order to upgrade the Manor Castle to level four, we need to construct a Magic Tower. Only with a level-one Magic Tower can we advance to level four, George reported, bowing down. A Magic Tower? Go ahead and build it! Song Jian frowned slightly, Are we lacking certain materials? We can buy most materials from the Starfire shop in City of Hymns. However, to construct the Magic Tower, we need a Magic Source Stone. Its a controlled matieral that is difficult to procure on the market, George explained, Additionally, we need a resident Mage in the Magic Tower. My Lord, it would be best if you could recruit an NPC Mage. No need to recruit a separate Mage NPC. 1 have a Follower who is a Bloodline Wizard. I can station them in the Magic Tower. Song Jian laughed, But concerning the Magic Source Stone, I need to ask: how many do we need to construct a Magic Tower? My Lord, not a lot. One kilogram will suffice, George replied. Alright, I got it. You may leave now, Song Jian said, nodding his head. Magic Source Stone was something Song Jian had never heard of. He cannot possibly know everything about all the strange things in the game. Damn, couldnt they have a gaming website for easy searching? Now I have to find out about these things the hard way! Song Jian shook his head in frustration. When it comes to the Magic Source Stone, the first person Song Jian thought of was Annie from the Silver Moon Commerce. He immediately contacted her and she soon responded to his request. Annie, can I inquire about the Magic Source Stone from you? Song Jian asked. Magic Source Stone? That is a controlled material. Even our Silver Moon Commerce cant legally sell it. If you are caught selling over ten grams of Magic Source Stone, you will be executed! Annie exclaimed. I am just asking, where does this Magic Source Stone come from? Song Jian initially planned to buy directly from Annie, but upon hearing her words, he promptly abandoned the idea. Well, of course, 1 can tell you that. The Magic Source Stone is not a mineral, but rather a gastric calculus of a certain creature. You can only obtain the stone by killing this creature Annie chuckled. Let me guess: this creature is not easy to kill, right? Song Jian grumbled. Hehe, of course! The creature is called the Demonic Bat. An adult Demonic Bat is as strong as a level-thirty Elite Boss. Whats more, they are gregarious creatures, usually seen in herds numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Even the most daring adventurers would think twice before messing with them. Hiss- Thousands of level-thirty Elite Bosses. Song Jian took a deep breath, Thats hard to believe. Im wondering how the very first Magic Source Stone was obtained. Hehe, naturally you wouldnt want to face such terrifying groups head-on, Annie laughed, When the Demonic Bats have stayed in a place for a while, theyll give up their nests and move on to another location. You can usually collect some Magic Source Stones in these abandoned nests. Note that Magic Source Stones are not just used for constructing Magic Towers. They can also improve your physical condition, extend your lifespan, and enhance your skills. Some people even consider them a more solid currency than Doomsday Coins! Oh, really? Song Jian looked surprised and then lowered his voice to ask, Are you saying that no one takes the risk to smuggle these? I believe there is a price for any good. Can you tell me how much Magic Source Stones cost on the black market? It took Annie quite a while to answer, If 1 had Magic Source Stones, I would never sell them for Doomsday Coins. Usually its a barter system. But if you really want a price tag, I guess one gram of Magic Source Stone for one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins would be a fair price. After these words, Annie hung up. Song Jian was left with a shocked expression. One gram of Magic Source Stone for one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! When George said constructing a Magic Tower required one kilogram of Magic Source Stone, Song Jian didnt think much of it. Now he realized that even selling off his own territory might not be enough to afford one kilogram of Magic Source Stone. Thats equivalent to one billion Doomsday Coins! My God, can anyone really afford to upgrade their safe house to a level four Manor? Song Jian couldnt help but grumble. Ding Ding Ding- Just then, his communication device rang. It was Annie. He quickly answered. By the way, Song Jian, I forgot to tell you earlier. The Demonic Bats infect nearby creatures, resulting in similar species. I remember you once sold some Bat Wings materials. Im guessing that those were dropped by relatives of the infected Demonic Bats. If you go and look around the place where you found the creatures that drop Bat Wings, I believe youll find something worthwhile, Annie said, hanging up immediately after she finished her sentence without waiting for a response. Curled up in thought, Song Jian stared at his cut-off communicator. Annies implying that the Bat Wing Zombies were infected by the Demonic Bats. So, if I go to the place where Bat Wing Zombies appear, I should certainly find the Demonic Bats, right? Chapter 447: Level Ten Instance Chapter 447: Level Ten Instance Speaking of bat-winged zombies, Song Jian had encountered a large number of them on a rooftop of a high-rise building. These mature bat-winged zombies were all level 10 elite BOSS. However, the place wasnt their nest, they were merely passing by. In another place, the theater, I defeated a sizable number of level 10 bat-winged zombie juveniles. That must be their nest. There might be a nest of mutated bats nearby. That would explain the huge presence of bat-winged zombie juveniles! A glint appeared in Song Jians eye as he recalled the time when he hunted the juvenile bat-winged zombies. Back then, wiping out those juvenile bat-winged zombies was extremely difficult for Song Jian at the time. But now, let alone normal level 10 monsters, even if he encountered a group of mature bat-winged elite BOSS zombies, he would be able to compete. He wouldnt be like before, forced only to flee. That area is just a level 10 monster zone. Ill search the surrounding areas first! Song Jian decided in his heart. When Song Jian returned to the theater, it was desolate without a single monster in sight. Judging by the traces, many players had thoroughly searched the place, even clearing the rubble piece by piece, hoping to find hidden items underneath. As expected, these juvenile bat-winged zombies are not monsters that can respawn endlessly. Song Jians mouth turned up slightly at the corners. Ordinary mutant zombies, no matter how many you kill, will respawn the next day in the game system, endlessly. Only unusual, story-related monsters wouldnt reappear once killed. This scene seemed to prove his guess; this group of bat-winged zombie juveniles must have appeared due to the radiation pollution of the mutated bats, becoming an existence similar to story-related monsters. Once exterminated, they would not respawn. The mutated bat nest I need to find now should not be far from this theater. Its hard to imagine that a level 30 mutated bat would be in this level 10 monster zone! Song Jian strolled along the silent street. The surrounding level 10 common monsters just glanced at Song Jian from afar and immediately turned to leave. Even those mindless mutant zombies would instinctively stay away from Song Jian. Song Jian came around two blocks with the theater as the center but found no clue of the mutated bat nest. However, he was not anxious. If the mutated bat nest were that easy to find, the players would have discovered it and spread the news. After all, the appearance of a level 30 monster in a level 10 monster area would undoubtedly be explosive news for players. sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, Song Jian suddenly looked up at a building not far away. There came a strong wave of energy. Is there a battle there? Looks like a Fire Mage is fighting! Song Jian murmured to himself. Within a short time, a man in a black mages robe, holding a giant codex, rushed out of the building. Damn it, I was just looking for some supplies and came across a level 10 elite BOSS. What rotten luck Zhao Jun looked distressed, glanced back at the burly zombie BOSS, stuck in the narrow, falling unit exit. For the time being, it couldnt get out, so it was violently destroying the walls around the block exit. Chunks of bricks and concrete were flying about. In no time, a big hole appeared in the wall. The burly mutant zombie, nearly three meters high, rushed out of the building, bellowing. Damn, you should have been hired in real life to work in the demolition office! Zhao Jun muttered, and his codex opened automatically with a rustling sound. jklasdkfk, dkalds Zhao Jun chanted the spell, and a few seconds later, a red light flew out from the codex, landing in front of the zombie BOSS. FireWall Skill, rise! Bang- A massive flame rose into the sky. There were roaring flames all around the zombie BOSS within three or four meters. The color of this flame was not red but black, similar to the Abyssal Raging Flame controlled by Song Jian. However, it didnt bear the terrifying aura of the Abyssal Raging Flame. Zhao Jun glanced at the Firewall behind him, smirked, and turned to run. After running for a few steps, Zhao Jun saw a teenager standing dumbstruck on the street. Apparently, the commotion from his fight with the BOSS had attracted him. Zhao Juns face changed, and he hurriedly waved at Song Jian and shouted, Run, run! Theres a level 10 elite BOSS here. Zhao Jun was level 12. But to solo-kill a level 10 elite BOSS was difficult for him, especially given the large number of mutant zombies nearby. If the battle dragged on for too long, it would attract a large number of zombies. By then, even running would be too late. Seeing that Song Jian remained motionless, Zhao Jun ran over, gripped Song Jians arm, and yelled, Are you nuts? Youve seen the elite BOSS and you still arent running, do you not value your life? Hehe, can I ask if there is somewhere nearby that has bat-related monsters? I have a mission to hunt them! Song Jian laughed. Zhao Jun tugged at Song Jians arm a few times but couldnt move him. However, since he was a mage and physical strength wasnt his forte, he didnt make much of it. Bats? Theres a level 10 instance in that building, Bat Shadow Demon Traces, which has some level 10 mutated bats Zhao Jun hesitated, then casually mentioned. Suddenly his face turned white, and he yelled, BOSS, a level 10 elite BOSS, for heavens sake, cant you see it? As he was speaking, the burly zombie BOSS had already rushed out of the building and was pouncing toward Zhao Jun. The robust zombie BOSS, its body shimmering with a black metallic luster, had a body as tough as iron or steel. Even when it was within the Firewall, the most it could take was single-digit damage. A level 10 instance, Bat Shadow Demon Traces, huh? I see. Song Jian stood there as if deep in thought, seemingly not paying attention to the BOSS charging at him. Zhao Jun saw Song Jians nonchalance and made a run for it. Sorry, but Im not willing to risk my life here Zhao Jun thought to himself. Just as he had run a few dozen steps forward, he suddenly heard a shrill screaming of a mutant zombie from behind. Zhao Jun shivered and turned around to take a look without much thinking. The towering zombie BOSS was now lying on the ground, its vitality points depleted. The man who had been standing still was now holding a sword and standing in front of the BOSS. Zhao Jun was stupefied, his mouth agape, looking utterly incredulous. How is this possible? He He actually killed the BOSS Chapter 448: The True Difficulty Chapter 448: The True Difficulty An Elite Level 10 boss, with only over 1,600 Vitality Points, couldnt withstand even a combination of strikes from Song Jian. Now, Song Jian, using the fused Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, even an ordinary attack could deal more than 300 points of damage. It was simply more than an Elite Level 10 Boss could bear. Ill give you the item drops from this boss as a consultation fee, Song Jian said to Zhao Jun with a slight smile. Watching Song Jian disappear into the building, Zhao Jun was wide-eyed in disbelief. When did a Level 10 Elite Boss become so weak, or is that guy just too strong? he mused. Soon, Zhao Juns gaze landed on the items dropped by the Level 10 Elite Boss. His eyes lit up, and he quickly darted over to collect them. Bat Shadow Maze, its just a Level 10 dungeon. How could there possibly be demonized bats in there? Song Jian furrowed his brows as he walked towards the source of the greatest energy fluctuations in the building. Magic Source Stones are only ever dropped by Level 30 demonized bats. This Level 10 dungeon he trailed off. Song Jian soon arrived at an open room. On one wall of the room was a pale blue portal. A group of players was resting in front of the portal, eating and drinking. When they saw Song Jian approaching, they didnt even stand up. They glanced at him briefly, then looked away. These players were sitting in small clusters, forming several different teams. It seems they were preparing to raid the dungeon, or rest after exiting it. Hey, nice gear, man. What level are you? Wanna team up for this dungeon? An armored player, shield in hand and shotgun slung on his back, sized up Song Jian with a gleam in his eye and eagerly waved him over. While Song Jian had turned off the glow signifying the quality of his equipment, keen observers could still tell from the design and texture that they were top- tier. Those who looked closely could discern the quality and level of gear the other was wearing. Song Jian looked over at the player with the silver shield who was showing off with a beaming face. At this stage in the game, having a silver shield was highly sought after. As long as one could withstand a bosss attack, they could easily form a team to raid a dungeon. Song Jian smiled back at the man, shaking his head in polite refusal. These players were all around Level 10, and could, at most, only tackle the easier dungeons. Song Jian doubted he would even be able to enter such dungeons. He walked over to the dungeon entrance, examining it closely: The entry level for a simple difficulty dungeon was Level 8 to Level 12, normal difficulty was Level 10 to Level 15, hard was Level 15 to Level 21, and real difficulty was Level 22 to Level 28. It looks like Ill have to try a real-difficulty dungeon. Besides, if there really are demonized bats in this dungeon, they could only be in a real-difficulty dungeon, Song Jian pondered, standing before the dungeon gate. Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Song Jian standing alone at the dungeon entrance, the resting players exchanged wary glances, looking at him with doubt. Whats this guy trying to do, solo-raid a dungeon? someone muttered quietly. Thats impossible. Even the regular mobs in dungeons are Elite Level, far tougher than anything outside. Even a full party needs to be extra cautious inside or they could easily be wiped out Yeah, and there are loads of dangers in this game, with only one life. Safety first! Ive never seen anyone do a solo raid before Look, hes really going in someone whispered excitedly. Indeed, Song Jian, standing in front of the dungeon gate, had straight away chosen the real difficulty. The originally pale blue portal began to glow crimson. An incredibly intense, bloodthirsty aura emanated from the blood-red portal, causing the players lounging beside it to scatter like startled rabbits. Is he out of his mind? Hes going for real difficulty? Thats a Level 22 dungeon Level 22? Him Its Song Jian, number one on Level Rankings! someone exclaimed. Song Jian hadnt bothered to hide his ranking. At Level 22, he was someone all players had to look up to. They watched as Song Jians figure disappeared into the crimson dungeon gate. The red glow of the gate slowly faded back to blue, and everyone got excited again. The news of Song Jian beginning to raid a real-difficulty dungeon quickly spread among the player base. As soon as Song Jian entered the dungeon, he was hit by an intense wave of heat. A narrow stone pathway spread out before him. Looking around, he saw nothing but skeletal remains everywhere. Dark flames erupted from the cracks in the ground, burning everything they came into contact with. Even the trees on either side of the path were ablaze with black flames. Everything was silent, with no living thing in sight. If you dont have at least 50 fire resistance points, you wouldnt even qualify to enter this place, Song Jian thought to himself as he surveyed his surroundings. An arrow marker appeared on the ground in front of him, indicating that he was to follow the path. Is this showing me how to complete the dungeon? Song Jian pondered, following the arrow. Soon, he arrived at a large pit filled with severed limbs and skeletal remains. A palpable tension filled the air from the pit. Creak creak creak In the pit, something was churning at the bottom. Soon, a large mass rose up, the pile of skeletons on top sliding off to the side. Humans, you do not belong here! A deep, raspy voice echoed from the pit as a skeleton wreathed in black flames emerged from the pile of bodies. This was a humanoid skeleton, its body gleaming metallically. But there were a pair of broken wings on its back. The skeleton held out its right hand, and instantly, a gale of black wind swept into its palm from the pit, forming a large, two-meter-long battle-axe. Song Jians eyes narrowed as he examined the monster before him. Skeleton Demon General, Level 20, Elite Level BOSS, Vitality Points: 2800/2800 Any living creature in my sightline will die! roared the Skeleton Demon General as it lunged towards Song Jian. Chapter 449 - 449 Outsiders Chapter 449: Outsiders An elite level 20 BOSS C before now, Song Jian would have had to expend a considerable effort to defeat it. However, to the current Song Jian, this skeleton warlord is just a slightly more robust ant. With axes in both hands, the skeleton warlord launched a hefty assault from the air on Song Jian who, rather than dodging, met the attack with his long sword, causing a collision with the cross-axes. Clang! With a crisp sound, Song Jian felt his arms sinking and a strong force pressing his hands down involuntarily. However, a look of disdain appeared on his face. He only has a strength of thirty points at most C no threat to me at all! Song Jian muttered to himself. The cross-axe is a heavy weapon and the skeleton warlord, by attacking from above, has every advantage. However, it couldnt even make Song Jian step back. Song Jians current abilities far exceed those of the skeleton warlord. For other teams of players, this skeleton warlord serves as a kind of gatekeeper, measuring their strength, causing weaker players to fail repeatedly. But in Song Jians eyes, this skeleton warlord is just slightly more powerful than ordinary monsters. Even without using his Immortal Sword Body, he can easily crush it. Broken Wing Dance, activate! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ The long sword in Song Jians hand danced with such force that it gave the impression of a heavy weapon. With just two moves, the skeleton warlord was forced back five or six steps, almost being knocked back into the Pit of Ten Thousand. Boom! As the final attack, Song Jian leaped high, his long sword leaving a dark red mark in mid-air, slicing fiercely towards the skeleton warlord. The furious Qi left the warlord roaring with its huge body still hovering in mid-air. Die! Song Jian bellowed, directing all sword skills towards the skeleton warship. Sword Silk, Sweeping Sword Style, Flash Thunder Strike, Despite the incessant roaring of the skeleton warlord, it had no room for counterattack. By the time it landed, its vitality points had dropped to a third. Even a level 30 elite BOSS would struggle to withstand the damage inflicted by Song Jian, let alone a level 20 skeleton warlord! Light Strike! Before the skeleton warlord could rise from the ground, a radiant golden sword qi swept across its body, accompanied by a deep howl. As the skeleton warlord, initially about to rise, came to a sudden halt, the black flames covering its body, as if extinguished by a strong wind, disappeared. Bang! With a dull thud, fragments of bone burst out from the body of the skeleton warlord. Like a sand tower collapsing, the huge body crumbled into a pile of fine bone fragments; Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This gatekeeper that caused so many player teams headaches was easily defeated by Song Jian. If the players gathered at the dungeon entrance knew that Song Jian had taken down the first BOSS of the real difficulty dungeon in such a short time, they would be flabbergasted. The skeleton warlord dropped a skills stone C Fierce Strike. It requires a long weapon to unleash and can deal 180% physical damage to the target. This skill has a great damage output and, most importantly, consumes very little energy. With only a 3-second cooldown time, it can be considered a regular skill. Such a skill would certainly be popular among players. If placed on the auction block, it would fetch a handsome price. Besides this skill stone, the skeleton warlord also dropped a piece of level 20 blue quality equipment, the Skeleton War Armor. This is a plate armor for warriors with extremely high defense. Additionally, it has a passive skill that gives a 30% chance of afflicting attackers with a weakness curse when taking damage. It can be considered quite top tier. On top of these items, the skeleton warlord also dropped two rubies and a Shattered Skull. This can be infused into equipment to improve its attributes. As my first time exploring a dungeon on the real difficulty level, the drops arent bad! Song Jian looks at the spoils in his bag, a satisfied smile on his face. Bypassing the Pit of Ten Thousand, Song Jian continues along the path. Along the way, several level 20 elite mutated zombies appear, either shooting out from the surrounding woods or surfacing from the ground beside the road. Even some half-corpses lying beside the road, that seem to have died a long time ago, growl lowly as Song Jian passes, attempting to crawl over and attack him. Such sudden attacks may catch regular teams off guard, potentially leading to unnecessary casualties. However, for Song Jian, these are just monotonous additions to his journey. Moreover, these elite monsters in the dungeon not only yield ample combat experience, but the quality and quantity of loot is much higher compared to the regular drops. Song Jian has already picked up nearly 5000 Doomsday Coins alone, making the rewards quite bountiful. Just as Song Jian wonders if this narrow path has an end, he suddenly hears yelling in the distance. Tony, stop resting beside the corpses, even if one of them was your companion who just died in combat! Amir, go notify the village chief quickly. Ask him to organize another group of villagers and bring some Holy Water. To deal with these nasty creatures, nothing works better than Holy Water. Susan, quickly gather people to burn these corpses. You certainly dont want them to stand up again to battle you! After a sprint, Song Jian finally reaches the end of the narrow path where a village lies. Epitomizing a fully armed fortress, the village is surrounded by caltrops and its walls are built with robust tree trunks, looking quite sturdy. On these walls are burning bonfires and villagers armed with bows and arrows, anxiously peering below the walls. In front of the village gates are dozens of strewn corpses. Despite the distance, Song Jian can clearly smell the stench of decay. A robust man clad in leather armor and wielding a broadsword is commanding a dozen villagers to clean up the battlefield. Upon spotting Song Jian, both the villagers on guard duty and those cleaning up the battlefield quickly aim their weapons at him. Looking at these level 22 villagers and the robust man, with a strength equal to a level 25 elite level BOSS, Song Jian cant help but furrow his brow. With his current abilities, there is no way for him to seize such a tightly guarded village. Stand where you are, outsider! State your business! The man at the village gate points his heavy sword at Song Jian and shouts. Chapter 450: Assistance Chapter 450: Assistance Song Jian stared down the barrels of dozens of weapons trained upon him. Many holding them were so nervous they were shaking, their fingers hovering over the triggers of their crossbows. He hurried to say aloud, I am but a mere traveler passing by and I mean no harm to anyone. To his eyes, all the guardians of this village were labelled in yellow, indicating their relationship with him was currently in a fragile indifference stage, which could turn hostile at any wrong move. The village stood in the way of Song Jians journey, posing a challenge. If he wanted to avoid hostilities with the entire village, hed have to quickly ease the tension between them. Oh Lord, captain, I think I saw Paul move! I swear, I didnt see it wrong! cried a militiaman holding a long spear suddenly, his face stricken with terror. All the militia cried out in fear and horror, backing quickly away from the village gates. Calm down, men! We came out here to eliminate these disgusting creatures! Consider your families back in the village your parents, spouses, and children. Do you want to let these monstrous creatures in?, a burly man wielding a double-handed sword shouted, swing his blade downwards and severing the head of a recently deceased comrade. Coal fire oil! Bring the coal fire oil quick and pour it over these monsters! Well burn them to ashes!, ordered the burly man. From the surrounding forest emerged the growls of more mutated zombies. Shaking and stumbling, they slowly exited the woods and moved towards the village. At this point, no one was paying Song Jian any more attention. Just then, Song Jian received a system notification: Kill at least three mutated zombies or village militia to choose your current faction. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Faction? There are factions to choose from in this dungeon? Song Jian checked his reputation page. Having received the title of The Savior, his reputation with the human race was well into Revered. Like theres any other option; its not like theyre going to make me join the zombie monster faction, Song Jian muttered, shaking his head and swinging his sword at a mutated zombie that had crawled out from the burning forest. Seeing Song Jians actions, Falakfu breathed a small sigh of relief. He was the captain of the village militia and was the most powerful among them. He felt a powerful aura emanating from Song Jian. If Song Jian chose to attack the village at this critical moment, he might completely destroy the village that had survived for decades. The mutated zombies crawling out from the burning forest were all level 25 elite monsters. Their strength surpassed that of the village militia. Void of intelligence, they were urged by bloodlust to treat any living creature as food. They had no tactical formation and charged at the militia like wild beasts. With Falakfus leadership, although they were fearful of the monsters, the militia stood firm against the waves of monster attacks like a reef against the ocean; After Song Jian had slaughtered three of the monsters, he received a system prompt: During the in-dungeon faction selection, you have chosen the Human Defense faction. You will gain reputation by killing monsters in the dungeon. This reputation is not transferred out of the dungeon and is only used for transactions with the in-dungeon humans. Brave warrior from afar, we need your help! After Song Jian picked the Human faction in the dungeon, he unexpectedly heard Falakfus desperate calls for help from afar. Looking at him and the other militia, their names color had turned light green. Is this for real? Song Jian murmered, as he swung his sword to cut down the zombies, and rushed towards the villages gate. System: You have slain a level 25 in-dungeon mutated zombie (elite). You have gained 1200 combat experience points and 3 dungeon human reputation points. System: You have slain a level 26 in-dungeon mutated zombie (elite). You have gained 1500 combat experience points and 4 dungeon human reputation points. With each monstrous kill within the dungeon, Song Jian gained not only combat experience points, but also reputation points with the dungeon humans. However, these reputation points were separate from those he had previously acquired. Every mutated zombie he killed brought him 3 to 4 reputation points with the dungeon humans. With Song Jians assistance, the defense of the village significantly stabilized. In addition to their ferocious attacks, these mutated zombies carried infectious viruses. If one were scratched by them, immediate detox elixir would be required to avoid zombie infection. Should any of the militia be killed and their bodies not handled within a set amount of time, they would 100% evolve into zombies, reanimate, and become monsters once more. Young man, you are a mighty hero. My name is Falakfu. I am the captain of this villages militia. After this battle, I insist you join me at the Bullhorn Bar for a drink! Seeing Song Jian effortlessly slay the mutated zombies, Falakfu shouted, his heart filled with both astonishment and respect. I look forward to it, Song Jian replied with a nod, retracting his sword and droplets of zombie blood splashing off the blade. These in-dungeon mutated zombies were not only stronger, but their blood viruses were also significantly more potent compared to the ones outside. The battle went on for a good half hour. The caltrops by the village gate had all been destroyed by the mutated zombies, and out of the remaining militia, less than ten were still standing. There would be no complete corpses left behind. However, the number of mutated zombies was diminishing. The battle appeared to be nearing its end in favor of the village defense. Just as a smile of relief started to form on everyones face, a deep roar echoed from the depths of the burning forest, causing their faces to instantly drop. Even Falakfu looked tense. Watch out, a big one is coming! he warned, glancing at Song Jian. A big one? The second boss? taken aback, Song Jian quickly realized what he meant and smiled, thinking, I thought Falakfu was the second boss of the dungeon. I didnt expect that after joining the human faction, the system would add a monster boss Boom, boom, boom! Large trees from the forest were hurled into the air by an astounding force. A mutated zombie with a body emitting a metallic glow and wielding a massive bone club let out an angry roar toward the village gate; Chapter 451: The Demonized Bat Chapter 451: The Demonized Bat Seeing the towering zombie that was over two meters tall, Falakfu tightly held his great sword, glanced at Song Jian and said, Be careful of the Zombie Commander. Legend has it that he has received the power of the devil, capable of commanding all mutated zombies, he is the king among zombies! Song Jian took a look at the boss in front of him, and couldnt help but gasp. He didnt expect that this was only the second boss in the instance, yet it was already a level 25 lord-level boss. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mutated Zombie Commander, Level 25, Lord level, Vitality Points: 9000/9000 Its just a level 25 lord-level monster, it shouldnt be a big problem! Song Jian glanced at Falakfu standing beside him. Even without the help of this level 25 elite, Song Jian alone was confident that he could take out this Zombie Commander. Now with Falakfus aid, dealing with the boss should be even easier. Just then, a black speck suddenly appeared in the distant sky, and a piercing cry resonated in everyones ears. The militiamen couldnt help shouting, throwing down the weapons in their hands, and covering their ears. Despite this, many of them had fresh blood oozing from their ears. Damn it, another one is here! Falakfus face changed drastically, he trembled and looked upwards into the distant sky. A giant black bat was rapidly approaching from the distance. Its two eyes were blood-red, and it fixated on Falakfu. Its furry body had a huge scar that seemed to have just healed, surrounded by a ring of pink, raw flesh. Mutated Bat Leader, Level 25, Lord level, Vitality Points: 5000/10000 Damn it, even this bat has come to join the fray. I should have killed it completely earlier! Falakfu roared angrily, glancing back at the village gate, his eyes filled with deep worry. If it was just the Mutated Zombie Commander, as long as it couldnt break through the village gate, it couldnt harm the villagers inside. But this Mutated Bat Leader was different. It could bypass the villages defenses and enter the village to kill the inhabitants. It was because of this bat that dozens of villagers were killed during a previous night raid. Although Falakfu managed to seriously wound it, he didnt expect the Mutated Bat Leader to appear in front of him once again, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the mutant zombies attacking the village. It seemed that it was here for revenge. Mutated Bat! Song Jian looked at the giant bat and felt a thrill of excitement rather than fear. The main reason he had chosen to venture into this real difficulty instance was to obtain the Magic Source Stone from the Mutated Bat. He did not expect to encounter the bat so soon. As Falakfu was about to speak, Song Jian interjected: You deal with the Zombie Commander, the bat is mine! After saying this, Song Jian jumped into the air, sprouting a pair of iron wings from his back and flew towards the giant Mutated Bat. Falakfu knew that without Song Jians help, he wouldnt be able to defend the village. Although the Mutated Bat was injured and had only half its vitality points left, it could fly, making it a tougher adversary than the Zombie Commander. Falakfu initially intended to take on the bat himself, yet Song Jian had chosen the most difficult opponent. This filled Falakfu with gratitude. May the Holy Light bless us! Falakfu roared, holding his double-handed sword high in the air. A brilliant golden light radiated from his sword, covering all the militiamen. A faint golden circle even appeared under Song Jians feet. Holy Light Blessing? All attributes increased by 10%, vitality restoration rate increased by 30%, the effect is quite good! Song Jian looked at his status bar and nodded slightly in approval. Swish ~ On seeing Song Jian rushing at it, the Mutated Bat Leader immediately gave up its original target and pounced at Song Jian instead. The bat leader radiated a black aura, and its claws, resembling sharp blades, seemed to shred the air to pieces. Its shrill cries emitted from its mouth, each one like a sharpened arrow, leaving Song Jian with no chance to dodge, forcing him to endure the force of the BOSSS sonic attack. Clang, clang, clang~ Song Jians steel wings, as though conscious, fluttered continually, maintaining their flight while simultaneously launching themselves toward the demonic bat leaders claws, defending against its damage. Song Jian, of course, showed it no mercy, his long sword consistently chopping at the demonic bat leaders body. Streams of purplish-red blood splattered out, and tiny bits of fur were shredded by the Sword Qi. Within three minutes, the demonic bat leaders Vitality Points had plummeted down to less than 30%, leaving it looking haggard. At this moment, Song Jian still had half of his Vitality Points left, over one thousand points. He initially struggled with aerial combat, but later was able to deftly navigate the battlefield, actively evading the demonic bat leaders attacks. Squeak,squeak, squeak A burst of frantic, piercing noises sound out. Song Jian was preparing to deliver his most powerful blow to finish off the demonic bat leader, but upon hearing its urgent cries, he immediately halted. Its summoning small monsters! A look of excitement emerged on Song Jians face, as he waited for the BOSS to summon the small monsters. Before long, a black fog appeared in the distance and tens of level 25 Elite Level demonic bats rapidly descended upon Song Jian. Just what I wanted! Song Jian thrust his sword into the demonic bat leaders chest, then fiercely dragged it downwards. The wound that had been stricken by Falakfu once more splintered open, causing over a thousand points of critical damage, floating up from the head of the demonic bat leader. A mournful scream erupted as the demonic bat leader shook uncontrollably. Its massive wings lost all strength and it plummeted down like a stone, squirming helplessly on the ground. Without sparing another glance at the bat leader, who was on the brink of death on the ground, Song Jian began to charge towards the monsters it had summoned. The skies were soon filled with demonic bats which plummeted to the ground like dumplings boiled in water. Those who were critically wounded but not dead struggled on the ground, unleashing pitiful cries. Meanwhile, Song Jian was covered with minor wounds. These demonic bats had tough skin and their small sharp teeth inflicted high damage. Eventually, Song Jian also suffered considerable damage, with his Vitality Points falling below three hundred. Phew, I underestimated them. I didnt expect these little creatures to be so formidable. I nearly got surrounded and killed by them. Song Jian pulled out an Advanced Healing Potion and gulped it down. At this moment, the zombie war general had pushed Falakfu to the village gate, with all the remaining militia heavily injured and carried back into the village. The heavy gate was closed, left outside were only Song Jian and Falakfu. Up on the ramparts, the militiamen continuously used crossbows to attack the zombie war general. However, their arrows could not break through the zombies defence, sparking off its body like they were hitting metal. Falakfu was a mess. The once vibrant golden glow surrounding him had dwindled to a thin layer barely clinging to his bodys surface. The back of his sword was marked with a crack; it seemed likely it would shatter before much longer. Humans, die! The zombie war general swung his enormous bone club, ruthlessly hammering it toward Falakfus head. Chapter 452: 452: Holy Water Boom! Falakfu, like a ragged sack, slammed heavily onto the village gate, causing a trembling and shaking, with dust rustling falling down. Seeing Falakfu severely injured, lying limp beneath the gate, the militia on the wall let out a cry of amazement, their faces filled with horror. However, not one of them dared to open the gate to rescue him. The zombified war general stepped forward and grabbed Falakfu by the collar, lifting him halfway. A mocking smile spread across the terrifying face of the undead general. Humans, how pitiful that your companions have abandoned you Falakfus mouth was full of blood, struggling to say something, but not a single word came out. Come, let me grant you even greater power, and become a member of the Undead! The zombie general opened his mouth wide, and a dark mist spewed from its fang-filled maw, tunneling into Falakfus nose and mouth. Light Strike! At the sound of a sharp rebuke, the zombified war general suddenly felt a horrifying fear from his back, immediately interrupting the transformation ritual. He tossed Falakfu aside and swung his bone staff at the source of his agitation. Bang! A dazzling golden Sword Qi directly severed the zombie generals bone staff. The hot golden Sword Qi slashed across the zombie generals body, as hot as molten rock. Countless dark mists erupted from its wounds, and the zombie general let out an earth-shattering roar, swinging both of its massive hands towards Song Jian. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Flash Thunder Strike! Swish swish swish ~ Three thunder attacks appeared from nowhere, as the flash of Song Jians sword followed like a pale blue blade, slashing onto the zombie generals body. Steaming heat constantly emerged, and the powerful force of the thunder attack flowed on the surface of the zombie generals body, causing him to twitch involuntarily. Song Jians figure shifted and moved to the side of the zombie general. Broken Wing Dance! The zombie general with both hands protecting its chest bore the brunt of Song Jians attacks. Each strike created a devastating blow on its hands. The zombie general felt as if it was being repeatedly hammered by a heavy mallet. The creaking sound from its arms seemed unable to withstand the pressure and would break at any moment. How can it be so powerful! The zombie general retreated several steps, its eyes filled with astonishment. Kill it, it is the origin of all the mutant zombies. As long as you kill it, the town will never be troubled by zombies again Falakfu struggled to stand up and roared in a hoarse voice. At this moment, his face was covered in black mist, and these mists were like countless little snakes crawling across his face. Song Jian glanced at Falakfu; his Vitality Points were less than a hundred. Moreover, there seemed to be a strange energy within his body, constantly corroding him. Falakfus body kept twitching, losing all of his strength, and he couldnt even stand up. The zombified war general threw away the remaining half of his bone staff and raised his right hand into the air. His palm was empty, but it seemed to be holding an immensely heavy object, making his arm tremble uncontrollably. Crack, crack, crack~ An intense commotion erupted from within the zombie general, as if bones were snapping. In no time, countless dark bone spines shone from within its body. Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, Destruction! The black mist coursing through the zombie generals body gradually condensed into full body armor. Like a porcupine, countless black spines of varying sizes erupted from its body. Each spine radiated a metallic luster, with a flame-like black mist flowing on the surface. Song Jian swung his sword and chopped at the zombie leaders body, clang clang clang, a series of crisp sounds, as if hacking at alloy, leaving only a white mark. How could this be, its defense has become so strong! Song Jian was horrified. Now every time he dealt damage, it was only a single-digit number. Not even a level 30 lord-level BOSS should have such a defense. The transformed zombie leaders right hand kept lifting into the air, unaffected by Song Jians attacks and not retaliating. When its right hand could not hold on, its left hand forcefully gripped the right wrist, as if lifting something with all its strength. Song Jian sensed something wrong, but looking at the zombie leaders right hand, he couldnt see anything, as if it were holding an invisible weight. What, what is going on! Song Jian couldnt help but step back, feeling a strong sense of threat, as if a large net was looming over him. Stop, stop it Falakfu rolled, using all his strength to stretch out his right hand, as if trying to grab Song Jian, his face filled with urgency and desperately yelled, Its summoning a hell demon, stop it, or this place will become a demon domain, and no living thing will exist here Song Jian was shocked, thinking that there were too many traps in this dungeon. A level 25 lord BOSS could turn the entire area into a demon domain? What should I do? My attacks cant break through its defense! Sung Jian frowned and shouted. At this moment, a hideous smile appeared on the face of the transformed zombie general. Its right arm was almost over its head. When its arm was fully raised, that would be when the hell demon appeared. Holy water, use holy water to attack it! Falakfu yelled at the wall. Panicking, the militiamen began searching for it. In no time, five or six holy water bottles were thrown from the wall and hit the transformed zombie leaders body. Like concentrated sulfuric acid, as soon as the holy water touched the BOSSS body, it directly dissolved its demonic armor. The holy water, like a living thing, continuously burrowed into its body, causing severe pain, making it let out a piercing scream. A series of damage numbers in the dozens floated from the zombie leaders head. Shaking violently, it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment, but it still held on stubbornly. A few drops of holy water inadvertently splashed onto Falakfu, causing his body to emit a wisp of blue smoke as if the holy water was also attacking him. Not enough, not enough Falakfus face twisted, his body trembling slightly as he looked at the transformed zombie leader and yelled at the wall. Captain, were out of holy water! A panicked militiaman on the wall shouted. Light Strike! Song Jian glanced at the skill, and as soon as the cooldown for Light Strike ended, he immediately swung his sword and performed the holy-powered sword technique, targeting the right arm of the transformed zombie general. The dazzling golden light, like a scorching sun, made everyone shield their eyes. The transformed zombie leaders eyes bled black tears, and smoke billowed from its body as if it were being burned. With a piercing scream, a severed arm as thick as a grown mans thigh spun toward the distance, smashing a burning black tree into two. The transformed zombie leaders face was full of despair as it knelt on the ground, holding the remaining half of its right arm in its left hand, and yelled out a miserable scream. Soon after, black flames erupted from the transformed zombie leaders feet, and in no time, it became a human-shaped torch. The intense heat made Song Jian step back involuntarily. Quickly, the transformed zombie leader turned into a pile of black ashes, with black mist continually drifting around and floating into the air, slowly dissipating. Chapter 453: 453: Dissection Weve won, weve won! After a brief silence, all the militia members cheered, some even crying tears of joy as they covered their faces. Two lord-level monster bosses had been killed, so it was unlikely that any monsters would threaten the village for a long time. Those who had survived were filled with relief. Song Jian looked at the pile of dark ashes from the Zombie Warlord and a smile appeared on his face. The monsters defense had reached its peak just before he killed it. Even with Song Jians terrifying attack power, he could barely break through the bosss defense, causing single-digit damage. This level 25 lord-level boss surprisingly had the trump card of summoning hellish demons. If it had successfully summoned one, it would have been an arduous battle, and the entire village might have been destroyed. Fortunately, I detected your weakness at the last moment, or I might not have been able to stop you Song Jian thought to himself as he looked at the pile of ashes. The Zombie Warlords body was covered in black bone spikes, but his right arm had none. Song Jian detected this weak point, and with a quick Light Strike filled with divine power, he severed the arm. It seems like this was the only way to complete the mission. Under such a terrifying defense bonus, I dont believe there are other players who could break through its defense at this stage! Song Jian thought, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Captain, what happened to you? The village gate slowly opened, and a swarm of militiamen rushed out. Seeing the black energy covering Falakfus face, they looked frightened. At this moment, Falakfus body was covered with streaks of black energy like chains, and his eyes filled with terrifying bloodshot veins. Even his muscles began to bulge, their surface emitting a metallic sheen. Hes turning into a demon! The captain is turning into a demon! A militiaman pointed at Falakfu in horror, stepping back. Roar! Falakfu suddenly let out a roar, dropped on all fours like a wild beast, and swiftly dashed toward the burning forest. The militiamen surrounding him were afraid to get contaminated by his energy and didnt dare to stop him. Song Jian saw a dark shadow flashing past him, and by the time he looked up, Falakfu had already rushed into the burning forest, leaving only a blurry figure for Song Jian. It seems the threat to this village hasnt disappeared; this Falakfu may become the next Zombie Warlord Song Jian thought. The Zombie Warlord dropped a level 25 silver-quality plate armor and a silver- quality two-handed battleaxe. There were also some level 20 materials, all of which Song Jian collected. The demonic bat leader was still flapping its wings in a struggle to escape. However, being on the verge of death now, it had no strength left to fight back and could be easily killed even by an ordinary militiaman. Song Jian quickly walked up, stabbed his sword into the demonic bat leaders body, and depleted its last bit of Vitality Points. The bat leader exploded with a soft bang and a pile of items dropped. After examining the loot, Song Jian couldnt help but curse, What a bunch of junk! From this level 25 lord-level boss, he had only received a pile of materials, not a single piece of equipment. The total value of those materials wasnt even worth the price of the silver-quality battleaxe dropped by the Zombie Warlord. Perhaps its loot was reduced because it had been severely injured to begin with, Song Jian could only speculate. However, his main concern, the Magic Source Stone, was not among the loot. This puzzled him. After all, this was a demon bat leader. If even it didnt drop a Magic Source Stone, wouldnt the drop rate for ordinary demon bats be even lower? Sir, sir? A timid militiaman went up to Song Jian and bowed. The village chief has invited you to rest in the village, sir. There is also an important matter he wishes to discuss with you. Song Jian glanced at the demonic bat leaders corpse with a gloomy expression, then looked at the militiaman. A trace of murderous intent in his eyes caused the militiaman to step back involuntarily. Wait a moment, I have something else to do first. Song Jian replied irritably. Sir, do you want to dissect these demonic bats? I have a dissecting knife! Seeing Song Jian still staring at the bat leaders corpse, the militiaman assumed he wanted to dissect it and hurriedly took out a dissecting knife to please him. The knife hadnt been well maintained. There were traces of rust on the handle and some notches on the blade. However, its attributes caught Song Jians eye. Old dissecting knife (white), item level 1, effect: Damage 3-7, increases dissection efficiency by 5%; usable condition: level 1. Dissection, dissection Song Jians eyes brightened, and he suddenly remembered that Annie had mentioned that the Magic Source Stone was a gastric stone that aided digestion in the demon bats stomachs. Just as realization dawned on him, Song Jian couldnt help but laugh. If thats the case, thank you very much! Song Jian accepted the dissecting knife from the militiaman with a smile. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Splat! With the dissecting knife, Song Jian easily opened up the demonic bat leaders stomach and took out a black crystal the size of a fingernail. When he saw the stone, Song Jian couldnt help but burst into laughter. I didnt expect it to be hiding in the stomach. I almost missed it. Hahaha! Though the Magic Source Stone wasnt large, it felt heavy in Song Jians hand, weighing around thirty grams. After a thorough search of the bat leaders stomach, he found no other rewards and walked towards the other level 25 ordinary demon bats, dissecting knife in hand. After spending ten minutes dissecting those bats, Song Jian ripped open all their stomachs. Not every demon bat had a Magic Source Stone in its stomach; in the end, he only collected about fifty grams. The Magic Source Stones had various sizes, and the strangest thing was that when placed together, they would attract and merge with each other. In no time, they fused into a slightly larger black crystal. Thankyou! Song Jian handed the dissecting knife back to the militiaman with a smile. The militiaman glanced at the Magic Source Stone in Song Jians hand and hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something. Song Jian suddenly asked, Have you seen this kind of black crystal before? Sir, we have these black stones in our villages general store! The militiaman scratched his head, perplexed as to why Song Jian would collect these black crystals, a look of doubt in his eyes. Chapter 454: 454 Village Chief Upon hearing the militia say that there were Magic Source Stones for sale in the villages general store, Song Jian was overjoyed. The reason he had explored this realistic difficulty replica was to obtain Magic Source Stones. However, this time he had only collected fifty grams of them. To gather enough stones to build a Magic Tower, it would take him a long time. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If he could buy Magic Source Stones in this village, that would be the best news for Song Jian. Lets go; take me into the village and have a look! Song Jian put away the Magic Source Stones and said with a smile. When Song Jian entered this village, he saw an old man dressed in a gray linen robe, with a wrinkled face and snow-white hair. Leaning on his crutch, the old man stood in the center of the village surrounded by people. Upon seeing Song Jian, the old man trembled as he approached and paid his respects, saying, Warrior, I am the village chief of Fok Village, Zola Fok. Thank you for saving our homes and sparing the lives of hundreds of innocents Song Jian hurriedly rushed to help the old man up and said with a righteous look, I am just a wandering swordsman. Seeing such monsters, I naturally couldnt stand idly by. Regrettably, I wasnt able to save Falakfu; he was a brave guardian! Falakfu was a good boy. I hope his soul finds rest. Village Chief Zola said softly, seemingly unfazed by the loss of their strongest combatant. Upon hearing Village Chief Zolas words, a faintly strange feeling welled up in Song Jians heart. This was highly unusual. However, Song Jian didnt continue the conversation, but asked, Respected village chief Zola, I came here for a magic material, the Magic Source Stone, which is this black crystal. It only exists in the bodies of demonized bats. I want to ask if you know any nearby places with demonized bat nests? These black crystals can often be picked up by villagers when they go out. Although we dont know what its used for, carrying it around often helps to avoid pain and illnesses, so many people have some with them. Village Chief Zola opened his collar and showed Song Jian a Magic Source Stone. It was about half the size of a fist and weighed over three hundred grams, making Song Jian somewhat envious. You can go to the general store at the front of the village to have a look; they have them for sale. Chief Zola looked at Song Jian up and down, seemingly assessing his strength, and then said, As for the den of demonized bats, if you follow the path from the back door of the village straight ahead, youll find it at the north-facing cliff in the Mourning Wasteland. Theres a huge cave there with many demonized bats. The Mourning Wasteland? I see, Song Jian nodded his head. Soon, Song Jian found the general store the village chief mentioned. It not only had a large number of Magic Source Stones, but also many other valuable items. Song Jian even saw a gold-quality musket. Although its properties were average, a gold-quality musket outside this area was worth at least 100,000 Doomsday Coins. The items in the store had to be purchased with replica human prestige, which was of no use outside the replica. It could only be used here as currency. I need to grind this replica for at least half a month to buy the gold-quality musket Song Jian calculated in his heart, shook his head, and ultimately gave up the idea of continuing to grind this replica. He exchanged all his replica human prestige for Magic Source Stones, and combined with what he had already obtained, Song Jian now had more than three hundred grams of Magic Source Stones. This is worth thirty million! Song Jian held the small bundle of Magic Source Stones in his hand, a bitter smile on his face. A short stay in the village before moving to the villages back door, Song Jian found himself at the back gate of the village. With the village backed against a cliff, the so-called back door was, in fact, the only escape route for villagers. In case the village gate was breached, the villagers could flee through here. At this moment, Village Chief Zola was standing at the back door. Seeing Song Jian approaching, Zola took out a yellowish parchment scroll from his bosom and handed it to Song Jian, saying, Warrior, you saved our village, and I have nothing to repay you with. This is a map of the entire Mourning Wasteland, including a small part of the Nest of Mourning, the den of the demonized bats. I believe it will certainly be of help to you. Zolas expression was very sincere, which surprised Song Jian. Even when they lost their militia captain, who had always guarded the village, the village chief had not shown such an expression. Upon glancing at the map, Song Jian could see that it detailed the Mourning Wastelands topography and even marked the locations of powerful monsters. It was quite thorough. In the lower right corner of the map, it depicted a small section of the Nest of Mourning, marked with numerous holes and passages. It looked like someone had explored it for a long time before drawing it. It was detailed but only showed about less than a third of the entire nest. Based on the markings on the map, it appeared that there might also be a second layer to the Nest of Mourning. However, since nobody had fully explored it, this was just speculation. Thank you, village chief! Song Jian put away the map and thanked Zola with a smile. Regardless of the purpose for giving him this map, it did save Song Jian a lot of exploration time. Otherwise, he would have had to spend at least a few days in the Mourning Wasteland to find the den of demonized bats. In fact, there were many more side quests and hidden quests in this village that could be dug up. If a small team entered here, they could benefit greatly, but it would also take more time. After all, this was just a level 10 realistic difficulty replica. The items within it were not that interesting for Song Jian. It was better to find the demonized bats nest as soon as possible and obtain the Magic Source Stones. Watching Song Jian holding a torch and disappearing into the rocky passageway behind the village, a trace of a complex expression flickered across Village Chief Zolas face. Under the dim light, it seemed like a dark snake-like aura was nestled between his eyebrows. The rocky passageway behind the village was spacious and bore traces of artificial chiseling. Creating such a passageway would have taken at least several decades of efforts by the entire village. Holding a torch, Song Jian walked for more than twenty minutes before finally seeing light ahead. Finally made it out. Song Jian said as he walked quickly to the end of the passage. As soon as he stepped out, a miserable scream rang in his ears. This sudden howl startled Song Jian, making him shiver. He couldnt help but summon his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, gripping it tightly in his hand as he anxiously looked around. Chapter 455: 455: Dwarf Guardian Leaving the rock wall passage, Song Jian saw a vast expanse of dark brown land. The ground was covered in gullies and countless large and small cracks, giving a sense of nowhere to set foot. As gusts of harsh wind blew, ghostly wailing sounds emerged from these cracks in the earth, as if countless people were crying in unison. No wonder its called the Mourning Wasteland. It must be because of this bizarre terrain! Song Jian thoughtfully observed. In this land, not even a hint of green vegetation could be seen, indicating that it was severely barren. This was also why the villagers, despite suffering from zombie invasions, were unwilling to migrate here. Song Jian summoned all his blood crows and, following the maps guidance, had them fly ahead to scout and locate the Nest of Mourning. Soon, based on feedback from a blood crow, Song Jian determined the specific location of the Nest of Mourning. After half a day, he arrived at the lair of the demonic bats, the Nest of Mourning. At first glance, the Nest of Mourning appeared like a gigantic blade that had fiercely cleaved into the towering rock wall, leaving behind a massive crack. From this crack occasionally came piercing howls, while an ice-cold chill poured out from the nest. At the edge of the nest, thick black ice continually spread outward. Outsider, halt! This is not a place you should be! a deep voice sounded from within the nest. Song Jian squinted his eyes, and shortly after, a short and stout figure emerged from the nest. A dwarf? Song Jian murmured with narrowed eyes. The dwarf before him was clad in thick heavy armor, with magic runes flickering faintly on its surface. The armor radiated a silvery glow, suggesting that it was a set of magical battle armor. Both the silver-quality suit and the warhammer in the dwarfs hand emitted a faint silvery light and were quite valuable. The dwarfs hair and beard were entangled, and apart from a pair of sharp eyes and a high nose bridge, no other facial features could be seen. Who are you? Song Jian furrowed his brows and scrutinized the dwarf. Strangely, he was unable to detect any of the dwarfs attributes or information, as if they were concealed from him. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I am Kambia Ironhammer, the guardian of this cave. Countless monsters lie within, and once one unintentionally ventures inside, it is difficult to come out alive. To prevent the needless loss of innocent lives here, I must stand guard. The dwarf Kambia shook off the frost from his beard and spoke. You are diligently guarding this place simply to dissuade strangers from venturing into the nest and losing their lives? Song Jian asked, his eyes flashing. Yes, young man, leave this place quickly. Even without encountering the monsters in the cave, the chilling winds that blow from within carry the breath of hell that can harm your body. The dwarf patiently advised. Im sorry, but I came here to hunt the monsters inside! Song Jian shook his head. Hunt monsters? The dwarfs face darkened, and he stared at Song Jian. Young man, do you know how powerful those monsters inside are? Each one is at least level 30, and they number in the tens of thousands. Even a level one combatant would struggle to emerge unscathed. Youre just a level 22 adventurer, so how can you arrogantly claim to hunt monsters? The dwarf took a couple of steps forward, and his aura emanated, revealing his previously hidden attributes and information. An elite level 28 Boss? Song Jian glanced at the dwarf. This was his first encounter with an NPC who could hide their information; he had always assumed that this ability was exclusive to players. If you can withstand my three attacks, you will be qualified to enter the Nest of Mourning! The dwarf roared. His aura surged like a tide, shattering the frost on his body as he lunged toward Song Jian. What if I defeat you instead of just enduring the three attacks? Song Jian laughed, gripping his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a backhanded sweep, he unleashed a dazzling Sword Qi that rushed toward the dwarf. Bang! The longsword and warhammer collided fiercely, producing a deep, muffled clash. The sheer energy surrounding them caused a rumbling noise from the rock wall above, and the falling debris was ground to dust by the surrounding force. Dwarf Kambias complexion changed, and from the power transmitted through his warhammer, he could sense that the human standing before him wasnt much weaker than himself. Very well! You are powerful and a worthy opponent! Kambia yelled as he leaped into the air. Bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, converging towards the warhammer in his hand. In an instant, his entire body surged with electric plasma, making him look like a thunderbolt incarnate. Thunderstrike! Kambia roared, hurtling toward Song Jian like a bolt of lightning. This power Song Jian narrowed his eyes and a solemn expression crossed his face. Although he had also mastered the lightning-infused sword technique Flash Thunder Strike, it was vastly different from Kambias Thunderstrike, like comparing an earthworm to a giant dragon. Such terrifying lightning power made it believable if Kambia claimed to be the Son of Thunder. Sacred Parry! Song Jian tightly gripped his longsword, adopting a defensive stance. Bang! A force ten times stronger than before struck Song Jian. Within a radius of ten meters, lightning filled the air, melting more than half of the black ice at the entrance of the Nest of Mourning. As the blue lightning energy enveloped the area, a flash of brilliant golden light appeared and pierced through the surrounding lightning energy like a sharp blade. Bam! A dark shadow violently slammed against the rock wall, leaving a deep crater. Dwarf Kambias eyes were filled with disbelief, and despite the pain coursing through his body, he shouted at Song Jian, What power is this? Staring at the long, deep gouges under his feet, Song Jian panted and replied, Divine Power! Dwarf Kambia jumped down from the rock wall, and his right hand, still gripping the warhammer, involuntarily twitched. He looked at Song Jian with a stunned and cautious expression. You are a warrior with great power! The dwarf Kambias eyes flickered, seemingly reluctant to continue the fight. He nodded towards Song Jian and said, With my power, I cant stop you. You are qualified to enter the Nest of Mourning. Song Jian nodded, preparing to enter the Nest of Mourning. Still, he heard Kambia speak again, However, even with your strength, it is impossible to penetrate the depths of the Nest of Mourning. There are simply too many monsters inside. By the time you discover them, it may already be too late to escape Chapter 456: 456 Nest of Mourning Whoo- The icy cold wind howled past Song Jians ears, sounding as if someone was sobbing loudly next to him. The fierce wind was like little daggers on his bare skin, causing a stinging sensation as he rapidly slid downward. After an indefinite period, Song Jian felt a jolt throughout his body as he landed firmly in a layer of black snow. This depth I must be a few hundred meters underground by now, Song Jian looked up and thought. Accompanying the howling cold wind were wailing cries, as if countless individuals were sobbing together, creating an urge to retch over time. The surroundings of the Nest of Mourning, deep underground, were pitch black, like a void. A vertical eye opened slowly on Song Jians forehead, and its silvery light illuminating the surroundings, revealing a clear view. Song Jian found himself in a cavern-like ice cellar, surrounded by countless holes similar to a beehive. Numerous air flows gushed out from these holes, creating a cacophony reminiscent of hundreds of wails. The surrounding rock walls were covered in a thick layer of Black Ice. Song Jian even found some animal carcasses frozen within it. Thump, thump, thump~ A sound of beating wings echoed from the holes. Startled, Song Jian quickly closed his vertical eye, plunging the surroundings back into darkness. The sound of flapping wings grew louder as countless basketball-sized black bats flew out from the holes, following the path Song Jian had slid through previously and flying upwards. These ink-black bats had crimson eyes and sharp fangs, emanating a demonic aura. Their gaze was filled with bloodlust and brutality. Squeak,squeak, squeak- A sharp squealing resounded as the horde of these level thirty monsters surged upwards, as if something above was attracting them. They did not notice Song Jian hiding behind an ice rock at all. It was not until the bats had flown away, leaving silence in their wake that Song Jian stepped out from his hiding spot. There were at least a hundred of these demon bats, but they definitely did not constitute all of the Nest of Mourning. There must be many more within the nest. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian sighed. Facing such a dreadful creature would be a daunting task even for a top-tier professional squad with reasonable coordination and decent equipment. They would need to take advantage of the terrain to defeat it. As for Song Jian, dealing with so many demon bats single-handedly would be an uphill battle. After some hesitance, Song Jian boldly proceeded into the tunnel. He believed that with his abilities, even if he couldnt exterminate all the demon bats, he could at least escape them. Taking out the map, he followed its guidance, continuing down the current passageway towards a stone forest, a sanctuary of the demon bats. The passageways in the entire Nest of Mourning intertwined just like a complex labyrinth. Without the guidance of the map and Song Jians markings along the path, it would have been easy to get lost. The stone forest marked on the map is ahead. The map states that there are at least two hundred demon bats here, but theyre all regular monsters, no bosses, Song Jian looked up at the way forward. The vertical eye on his forehead emitted a slightly silver glow. He then pocketed his map, and moved on. Outside the entrance to the dungeon, about a dozen players were gathered, staring at the gloomy, glowing entrance in a daze. The dungeon allowed multiple teams or individuals to challenge it simultaneously. However, once the True difficulty was activated, only heroes at this level were allowed to challenge the dungeon. As the dungeon only allowed egress and not ingress, many aspiring conquering players were waiting outside the massive gate. Has someone truly dared to enter the dungeon at True difficulty? This must be the first time it has been activated, right? Are you kidding? This is a level twenty-two dungeon, probably only one person in the whole Doomsday City is eligible to enter. As the crowd chirped in surprise, a group of players walked in. Among them, a middle-aged man of over forty, was overjoyed to see the entrance of the dungeon. Unbelievable! The info from that merchant was actually true; there is a dungeon here! Captain, check what level it is. Can we enter? a young archer in the team shouted. Eh, why is this dungeon red? Arent all the dungeons usually light blue? a player of the priest class in the team furrowed his brows in confusion. This this is the True difficulty, someone is challenging it! The middle-aged man seemed to have realized something, causing his expression to shift dramatically. True difficulty? Captain, are you talking about the Final Battle of the dungeon? Once someone conquers the True difficulty, this challenge would disappear forever The priest players face fell. Once a dungeons certain level disappeared, the items that could be obtained from this level would become unique reflexively. If they had any special effects, their value could potentially skyrocket several times. How is that possible? Is there already a team ready to challenge the True difficulty? Even the level five dungeons havent been conquered by any team, let alone this being a level ten dungeon The middle-aged man was dazed, muttering to himself. Regarding the current player levels, many already meet the criteria to enter the lowest-level dungeons, the level five dungeon, at True difficulty, but no one has successfully conquered one yet. The middle-aged man player was already at level nineteen, and had once tried to challenge a level five dungeon at True difficulty. But, not long after entering the dungeon, they were driven out by a boss. Since then, no one in his team dared try to challenge the True difficulty level in a dungeon anymore. A team? What team? This dungeon at True difficulty requires at least level twenty-two to enter. Look at the current level leaderboard, see how many players qualify to enter! a player waiting on the side, looking enviously at the scarlet dungeon entrance, chuckled. The middle-aged man checked the level leaderboard and was shocked. He fixed his gaze on the player and asked, Are you suggesting that only one person is challenging the True difficulty of the dungeon? Exactly, its Song Jian, the first on the level glory leaderboard. Hes the one challenging this dungeon at True difficulty! Just one person The team that just arrived exchanged glances with each other, unable to believe what they had just heard. At that moment, Song Jian had already arrived in the underground stone forest. It was a huge cavern with robust stalagmites rising from the ground. Many brown mosses and small plants were growing on the ground, completely exposed. The temperature here was much warmer than in the tunnel, devoid of any frost. Standing outside the passageway, staring at the stone forest in front of him, Song Jian was taken aback. What whats going on here. Chapter 457: 457: Dissection Technique The stone forest before him was indeed as described on the map C the dwelling place of a swarm of demonized bats. There were numerous Level 30 bats here. However, apart from the demonized bats, Song Jian was surprised to discover another creature in the stone forest. These were giant scorpions, their bodies gold as if draped with a layer of golden armor. They had two large pincers in the front and a segmented, curved tail with a venomous stinger on the back. Even when climbing the rock wall, they moved quickly and effortlessly. At the moment, these golden scorpions were burrowing out from various underground caves, spreading like tides against the rock walls, battling the demonized bats that were fluttering in mid-air. The claws of the demonized bats could easily break the defense of the golden scorpions, and their sonic attacks could make the golden scorpions lose control of their bodies and fall from the rock walls. On the other hand, the huge pincers of the golden scorpions were formidable weapons against the demonized bats. They could easily sever a demonized bat in half, and the scorpion tail was swift and accurate as a piercing spear, even the bats flying in the sky could accurately be nailed by it. Any demonized bat stung by the scorpion tail would be dyed a light green and corrode into a sludgy liquid in no time. The corpses of the golden scorpions and demonized bats rained down, amassing a thick layer on the ground in no time. The situation was grim. Both sides fought ferociously, neither willing to back off, hundreds of golden scorpions and demonized bats ended up as broken bodies. At this point, Song Jian dared not make a sound or even step into the stone forest. He could only silently wait for the end of this battle. Seeing all the corpses, Song Jian thought to himself, Good, this saves me a lot of trouble; I dont have to lure them out one by one. Song Jian had originally planned to slowly lure out three to five of them one at a time. He had chosen several terrain depressions on his way here, perfect for solo hunting monsters. But doing so would certainly take a lot of time. The sudden battle presented him with a straightforward way to obtain the Magic Source Stones. In fact, this battle was precipitated by Song Jians elimination of the lead demonized bat. The demonized bats became weak, and the golden scorpions took advantage, causing this battle. And more importantly, its implausible that a task in the game would be impossible to complete. Given the number of demonized bats in this habitat, let alone one Song Jian, even if there were ten times as many people, even a team of ten attempting to raid this location would ultimately return empty-handed. Song Jian was powerless in face of the rush of hundreds of demonized bats. After this major battle, most of the demonized bats would die off. The remaining ones could meet the kill quota for a small team and would not appear too odd. Song Jian simply had to wait patiently. Charging in now would be pinpointing his own grave. Half an hour later, the battle in the stone forest was drawing to a close. Right now, of the entire stone forest, there were no more than dozens of demonized bats left. The remaining golden scorpions had also fled back through the underground caves they had originally emerged from. Many of them were dragging the broken bodies of the demonized bats into the caves. Even so, there was a thick layer of corpses of demonized bats and golden scorpions decorating the ground of the stone forest. Seeing this, Song Jians eyes brightened. After all, he had not come here to clear out an instance; he had come for the Magic Source Stones. Now he didnt have to kill the demonized bats one by one, seeing all these bat corpses strewn around. The remaining demonized bats flew to the uplands of the stone forest to rest. Song Jian cautiously entered the stone forest and took out a dissection knife to poke at the bodies of the bats. The dissecting knife was a bronze knife he had purchased with reputation points in the village before this instance. The knife was substantially better than the one the militia had lent him before. This green-quality weapon not only increased the chance of successful dissection by 10% but also increased the chance of acquiring items by 5%. Unlike other players who perform dissection carefully, making light incisions to get more monster body materials, Song Jian was intending to look only for Magic Source Stones. Thus he did not operate like other players. Instead, he jammed the knife directly into the body of the demonized bat and fiercely tore downwards, making a huge wound in the bats abdomen. Afterwards, he ran his hands inside the bats stomach. Each Magic Source Stone was tiny, some were even smaller than half a pinkie fingernail. There would be residues of undigested food in the bats stomachs, making the search quite troublesome. On some occasions, after a long search, Song Jian would find that the bats stomach did not contain a Magic Source Stone. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After dissecting tens of demonized bats stomachs, Song Jian finally received a system alert: System: You have learned the life skill C Dissection Technique (Level 1). {[Dissection Technique]}: Passive, Level 1. Increases dissection efficiency by 5% when dissecting a creatures corpse. Phew, Ive finally mastered this dissection technique, learning skills is so much harder now than when I first entered the game! Song Jian shook his head, thinking to himself. When they first entered the game, players quickly mastered any skill. Most attack skills could be mastered by attacking monsters effectively three times and mastering the corresponding passive skill. One could master a life skill by successfully completing a task once on their own. For skills like the Dissection Technique, if one were just starting the game, Song Jian would have stood a great chance of mastering it after dissecting just one monster. But now, he has dissected nearly a hundred demonized bats, which goes to show how difficult it is to learn a skill now. Of course, this also had something to do with Song Jians technique. Song Jian was only concerned with the bats stomach. One cut from him would practically split the demonized bat in half. To call it dissection was somewhat of a stretch. There were over a hundred demonized bat corpses on the ground. This would be a fantastic opportunity for those who had mastered the techniques of skinning or dissection to level up. But Song Jian was only after the Magic Source Stones. The fact that he had mastered the Dissection Technique was just a pleasant surprise. The monster corpses he had dissected collapsed and decomposed much faster, turning into a pile of black ash in a mere few seconds. Song Jian moved quickly; in no time, there were fewer and fewer demonized bat corpses scattered across the ground. As he was dissecting another demonized bat, one injured bat that was hovering on a stalactite noticed him. Its little red eyes stared intently at the human intruder in their habitat. Its sharp fangs revealed, it looked ready to strike. Chapter 458: 458: Escape Chapter 458: Escape Squeak~ Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The monster bat that spotted Song Jian suddenly let out a shrill shriek, plunging towards Song Jian with its wide wings spread out, like a dark shadow swooping towards him. Song Jian was startled and ignored the body of the monster bat already ripped open. He jumped backward swiftly, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through his neck. More than sixty damage points floated above Song Jians head. Touching his neck, he felt three blood trails slowly oozing blood. Song Jian struck back and his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword left a trail of marks in the air, chopping the severely wounded monster bat into two. However, the earlier shriek from the monster bat had alarmed the rest of the bats resting overhead. Whoosh- The sound of flapping bat wings echoed, and their shrill cries reverberated throughout the stone forest. Song Jian quickly summoned two Fire Elemental Spirits. Though these Fire Elemental Spirits of above-level twenty didnt pose much of a threat to monster bats, they could relieve some pressure from Song Jian. And even if they perished, Song Jian wouldnt have a heartache over it. The Black Dragon hatchling was too low leveled. Summoning it now would mean sending it to its death. Also, due to the blood sampling process, the Black Dragon hatchling was in a state of weakness. Even if it was summoned, it wouldnt be of much help. If the monster bats killed it, it would probably leave Song Jian devastated. A big swarm of monster bats descended all at once, instantly overwhelming Song Jian and the two Fire Elemental Spirits. The level twenty-two spirits lasted less than a minute before being killed by the bats, turning into a pile of crimson crystal shards. Fighting while retreating, Song Jian finally retreated into an indented rock wall, which significantly reduced the damage received. Upon checking his vitality points, he found that he was left with fewer than five hundred. You should know that his Vitality Points were at nineteen hundred and forty, nearly reaching two thousand, which were almost similar to an elite BOSS of the same level. However, while confronting dozens of monster bats, Song Jians Vitality Points were plummeting fast. After quickly gulping down an Advanced Healing Potion, Song Jian felt slightly relieved. He swung his sword, doing his all to chop down the monster bats in front of him. Hearing two crisp bangs in the distance, he instantly lost contact with the Fire Elemental Spirits. Ten more monster bats flew over, immediately putting him under greater pressure. Thankfully, he had retreated to the recess of the rock wall. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to hang on for long under the siege. Relying on the terrain and potions, Song Jian managed to barely hold on. In a short while, over a dozen monster bats were chopped into halves by him, but the consumption of Advanced Healing Potions was also high. Song Jian would immediately gulp down a bottle as soon as the potions cooldown time ended. However, even then, his Vitality Points were constantly decreasing. Immortal Sword Body, Activate! Boom! A strong surge of golden Qi erupted intensely from Song Jians body. The monster bats in front of him were all subjected to a strong impact force and were involuntarily thrown backward. At level six of the Immortal Sword Body, all attributes increased by 10 points, defense went up by 60%, and resistance by 50%. At this moment, Song Jian was like a humanoid mecha. The damage that the demonic bats originally inflicted on him, around fifty to sixty points, suddenly dropped to just over twenty. Broken Wing Dance! With the Immortal Sword Body still in effect, Song Jian unleashed his full firepower, throwing out sword skills with abandon. Thanks to the presence of the Vitality Chapter of Sword Control Skill, the maximum limit of Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi had increased to over two hundred points. Coupled with the rapid recovery of the Invisible Sword Qi, he was completely capable of recklessly using various sword techniques while the Immortal Sword Body was active. In an instant, the demonic bats were hacked down in droves. With a resounding Boom, black flames suddenly erupted from Song Jians body. The Abyssal Raging Flame was released by him, ultimately forming a black armor around his body. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- The demonic bats attacked Song Jian, but their damage was reduced to mere tens of points. However, for every attack they made, the reflected damage above their heads reached over thirty points. For a while, the entire stone forest echoed with the furious shrieks and tragic howls of the demonic bats. At that moment, several Golden Scorpions poked out half of their bodies from the holes in the stone forest. They had just experienced a great battle, but not all the Golden Scorpions had left. The combat between the demonic bats and Song Jian had attracted the attention of many Golden Scorpions. Once they got a clear view of the battle between the demonic bats and Song Jian, the Golden Scorpions slowly crawled out of their holes and surrounded Song Jian. Seeing the Golden Scorpions slowly closing in, Song Jians heart sank. The duration of his Immortal Sword Body was only a dozen seconds left. If he was surrounded by these Golden Scorpions again, Song Jian feared he would be in danger of falling. With a single blow, Song Jian sent a demonic bat flying and immediately used the Sword Shadow Step. At the same time, he activated the Frost Sprint ability of the Frost Boots. His figure, like a flash of lightning, rushed towards the nearest passage. A demonic bat attacking Song Jian, with a large mouth full of fanged teeth, kept emitting sharp shrieks. As its figure spun in mid-air, ready to pursue Song Jian, it was impaled by the sudden appearance of a Golden Scorpions tail. With the sound of rustling, dozens of Golden Scorpions began to attack the remaining demonic bats. At this time, the number of Golden Scorpions was several times greater than the remaining demonic bats. The demonic bats couldnt resist the attack of the Golden Scorpions, and in the end, only a few demonic bats were able to escape the stone forest. The remaining demonic bats were all killed by the Golden Scorpions. The Golden Scorpions, having wiped out the demonic bats, didnt leave. Their long scorpion tails trembled continuously in the air. Then, like a tide, they surged towards the passageway where Song Jian had escaped, as if hunting dogs chasing after Song Jian. At this point, Song Jian was unaware of the pursuit behind him. His figure was moving extremely fast, darting through the passageways, which were like a maze, until the duration of his skill ended. Only then did he stop. Looking back, a faint line of icy frost was slowly melting on the ground; it was the Path of Frost left by the Frost Sprint skill. Any chasing creature stepping on it would have its movement speed reduced by 30%. Where on earth have I escaped to? Song Jian looked around the passage, and took out a map to check carefully. After a while, a bitter smile appeared on Song Jians face. He had been too panicked during his escape and was no longer able to determine his location from the map. However, Song Jian estimated that he had probably run off the charted area of the map. After all, the map he held only covered a small portion of the Nest of Mourning. Just then, Song Jian heard an angry roar echoing from a distance, followed by rumbling that seemed to shake the entire Nest of Mourning, as if it was about to collapse at any moment. A deep, strange voice sounded from afar; Stop struggling, Begs. You should know the gap between us. Submit to me and I will grant you even greater power! Chapter 459: 459: The Scorpion King Chapter 459: The Scorpion King Song Jian had a thought and started to move forward stealthily; After rounding a bend, Song Jian reached the end of the passage and a huge cave appeared before his eyes, at least twice the size of the previous stone forest; The cave was very hot, Song Jian could feel it even just standing in the passage, the warm breeze coming from the cave. The cave was full of golden light. The surrounding rock walls were embedded with fist-sized golden ore crystals, radiating light and heat. In the center of the cave, a huge monster wrapped in black ropes was struggling mightily; This enormous beast had six jointed limbs, its massive body covered in layers of shell-like armor, and a gigantic scorpion tail, of which only half remained, with the other half stinger being chopped off and thrown aside. The upper body resembled an adult male, with his arms turned into gigantic pincers, desperately tearing at the black ropes entwining him. Is this Song Jian narrowed his eyes, looking at the huge monster: This is the leader of the golden scorpions, the Holy Sun Scorpion King? But he looks quite miserable right now! Across from the Scorpion King, a black, ragged cloak was floating in mid-air, it seemed to be supported by a mysterious force, but Song Jian didnt find any creature in the cloak and couldnt see its name or attributes either. Begs, stop struggling. Accept enhancement by demonization and become one of the Abyssal Clan. This is a great honor for you! A deep voice filled with temptation came from the cloak, making Song Jian feel slightly dizzy. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Abyssal language? Song Jian was surprised and began to closely inspect the black cloak. Finally, he found that there seemed to be a transparent spirit body in the black cloak. The black ropes on the Scorpion King seemed to be its handywork. At this moment, it was trying hard to control the ropes and prevent the Scorpion King from breaking free. The Scorpion King roared constantly, but its struggling became increasingly weak. At this moment, a cracking sound suddenly came from the cave walls. The golden ore crystals embedded in the rock walls were shattering one by one. Golden scorpions the size of a fist were breaking free from the crystals and crawling towards the Scorpion King. Is this your last struggle? What use are these newly-born scorpions? You think they can save you? A mocking laughter came from the cloak. These newborn golden scorpions launched themselves off the walls at the black cloak. As they entered attacking range, they exploded like grenades one after another. There seemed to be special defense energy around the black cloak. With the explosion of the golden scorpions, a light gray energy shield appeared around the cloak and began to ripple. Is this your trump card, Begs? Hahaha! The transparent soul body stretched its arms wide as if it didnt take the impending suicide soldiers seriously. Rings of black energy emanated from its body and spread around. Song Jian, standing at the entrance of the passage, felt the explosive power of the golden scorpions. The level of explosion could match his high-explosive hand grenades and self-destructing robot. But the numerous suicide attacks of the golden scorpions couldnt even break the opponents defense. While Song Jian was astonished, he also became cautious with his breathing, fearing to be detected by the transparent spirit body. The strength of this guy must surpass a level 30 elite BOSS. It might even possess first-tier combat power! Song Jian observed the miserable state of the level 30 elite BOSS Scorpion King, and looked at the black cloak with extra caution. Rings of black aura were being emitted from the cloak, as if a door to hell was opening, with black flow turning into screaming faces; The cave, which had been radiant with warm golden light, was quickly covered in a layer of pale gray, as if dust had settled on its surface. Eventually, all creatures will succumb to the Abyss A long sigh came from the black cloak. With a swish, it flew towards Begs and grabbed him by the neck with a translucent soul hand, lifting the massive creature. Submit to me, otherwise, I will extract your soul and roast it on the Abyssal Flame for ten thousand years! The soul body within the black cloak let out a roar; Just then, a system prompt suddenly appeared before Song Jian; System: Neiyem, the Abyss Demon General, is the final BOSS of this instance. Killing it will clear the instance! Warning: If Neiyem extracts the soul of the Holy Sun Scorpion King, its power will massively increase! Shit, why didnt you say it earlier! Song Jian glared upwards to see a translucent soul almost completely extracted from the Scorpion Kings body by Neiyem. In at most ten seconds, the soul of Scorpion King Begs would be completely extracted by Neiyem. According to the system hint, if Neiyem completely extracts the Scorpion Kings soul, its power would undergo a drastic change. Considering that Neiyems current strength already amazed Song Jian, any further enhancement might make Song Jian lose his confidence in completing the instance. With a leap, Song Jian swung his sword and struck at the soul body in mid-air; Light Strike! With a shout, a dazzling golden Sword Qi lit up the entire cave. The sacred Sword Qi hurt Neiyem before it even got close, creating countless black auras that crazily emanated from the black cloak, forming a shield in mid-air; The power of Holy Light, this disgusting aura Neiyem interrupted the soul extraction which was already half-way done, and tossed Scorpion King Begs away. Turning around, eight lines of dark aura surged from behind Neiyem, eventually solidifying into eight spider leg-like weapons, trembling slightly as they cut through the Sword Qi of Light Strike; Despite saying he held it in contempt, Neiyems actions showed his fear of holy power. Bang,bang, bang- The eight spider leg-like black auras kept slashing on the golden Sword Qi of Light Strike, creating repeated explosions. Every explosion shattered a spider leg and depleted a portion of the golden Sword Qi. All eight spider legs disappeared, the Sword Qi of Light Strike had shrunk to half of its size. The remaining Sword Qi still fiercely shattered the black shield and slashed at Neiyem. Boom! The black cloak shook vigorously, and damage of over three hundred points floated above Neiyems head. Then a golden Sword Qi suddenly appeared out of nowhere and struck Neiyem. This blow caught even Neiyem by surprise. Being hit by this heavy blow, even Neiyem let out a painful roar. Chapter 460: Seizing the Body 460 Chapter 460: Seizing the Body Song Jian rushed forward, finally experiencing just how strong Neiyem was. "Even though he hasn''t reached the first rank in terms of combat power, it probably isn''t far off," Song Jian thought to himself. Sword Silk Flash Thunder Strike Sweeping Sword Style Spiritual Sword Control Technique ... Even without wielding the Golden Demonslaying Sword, Song Jian''s offensive power significantly surpassed the other players. When he merged with the Golden Demonslaying Sword, his other attributes weren''t as remarkable - however, when it came to attack damage, he could fully contend with a Level 30 Lord level Boss. Each attack greatly disrupted the protective force around Neiyem''s body. Like ripples in water, its frequency and amplitude were increasing. Under Song Jian''s continuous assault, Neiyem''s protective force finally produced a sound suggestive of shattering under the strain. "Crack~" Countless transparent crystal shards splashed around Neiyem. His defense significantly weakened momentarily, allowing Song Jian to inflict over five hundred points of damage with only a standard attack. Once Neiyem''s defenses were broken, his vitality points plummeted drastically. However, due to high-end healing potions, Song Jian managed to maintain his vitality points around a thousand marks. "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you!" Neiyem, perhaps foreseeing his own downfall, suddenly emitted a ring of dark aura that repelled Song Jian. His blood-red eyes emerged from his cloak and stared at Song Jian as he spoke in a low voice. "Abyssal Land, heh, I''ll visit someday," Song Jian stabilized himself and lightly laughed while looking at Neiyem. Neiyem had less than 30% of his vitality points left. In under ten minutes, Song Jian could vanquish him. His gaze at Neiyem also grew strange, as though he was looking at a bundle of equipment. The final bosses of dungeons like this often dropped high-quality items. Song Jian estimated that at least one golden-tier equipment piece could be obtained this time. Maybe because Song Jian''s gaze had enraged Neiyem, Neiyem roared loudly and his black aura surged out like a tidal wave, transforming the surrounding tens of meters into an area engulfed in swirling thick black mist. Heart-wrenching screams emanated from the black mist, causing the entire cave to faintly tremble, with pebbles starting to fall from above. In the center of this black mist, a black spatial rift slightly wider than a finger suddenly appeared. It was as if an eerie eye had suddenly opened within the black mist. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, Neiyem''s roar became even more frantic. Song Jian cautiously looked up, staring at the rolling black mist at a distance. He did not want to be caught off guard by any unexpected big moves from Neiyem, so he unconsciously prepared the starting move of Sacred Parry. At this moment, all the black mist suddenly surged towards the barely alive Begs, just like a tide. The black mist swarmed into Begs through its facial features. Begs, who was on the brink of death and had nearly had its soul extracted, had no capacity to resist and could only passively accept it. Its massive body slowly began to float. The black mist entered Begs like a multitude of snakes through its eyes, mouth, and ears. Begs''s body was constantly trembling, seeming to be in extreme pain, but it could not even utter a single groan. Song Jian stood aghast, preparing to step forward and attack. However, a system message blocked his attempt, saying "Unable to lock onto attack target", this left him with no choice but to stand by and watch. Quickly, all the black mist from Neiyem''s transformation entered Begs''s body. The once golden and shining Emperor Scorpion had now transformed into a pitch-black hue. Even its broken scorpion tail had regrown. However, the new tail was flashing with a black metallic luster, distinctly different from the rest of Begs''s body. Boom! The Emperor Scorpion''s eyes abruptly snapped open. Their original azure blue color had shifted to a blood-red, as a surge of hot black flame ascended around its body. "The Abyss is watching you!" Begs said slowly, his tone and rhythm exactly like Neiyem''s. At that point, Song Jian noticed a spatial rift, about as long as a finger, appearing not far from Begs. The rift was unfathomably deep and pitch black, continuously emitting black mist. These black mists were as if they possessed a consciousness. As they emerged from the spatial rift, they furiously surged towards the surrounding cavern walls. In no time, the originally golden glowing cave was covered in black and began to emit a black glow. "It''s recreating its environment!" Song Jian suddenly had this realization. "Only in the abyss can you truly understand its greatness!" Begs waved its two giant pincers around as if embracing something, there was an intoxicated expression on its face. In an abyssal environment, except for abyss creatures, all attributes would forcibly be reduced by more than 30%. This was the abyss''s suppression of other creatures and could not be mitigated. "If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t need to resort to taking over this waste!" Begs, with blood-red eyes fixed on Song Jian, had an angry countenance. If looks could kill, the fire in Neiyem''s eyes would have long burned Song Jian to ashes. Neiyem, who was originally just a soul body, could have greatly increased its strength by seizing a stronger physique. Maybe it could even break through the first rank of combat power. However, it reluctantly had to take over Begs''s body on the brink of death. In Neiyem''s eyes, the level 30 Lord level Begs was merely a good mount and pet. But now, it could only occupy a pet''s body, completely destroying its future potential, taking away all hope of returning to the Abyss for competition. "You blocked my path of advancement, I''ll let you know the consequence of becoming an enemy of the Abyss!" After briefly adjusting to Begs''s physique, Neiyem launched a fierce attack on Song Jian. In its perspective, Song Jian, who had had all his attributes reduced by 30%, was no longer its match. Even with only 30% vitality left, it could still suppress its opponent. But after engaging in combat, Neiyem discovered to its horror that Song Jian''s strength had unexpectedly increased, not decreased. Initially, it had a slight advantage, but now it was being completely overwhelmed. "This can''t be, can''t be; what happened!!" Neiyem roared with a panic-stricken face, looking completely lost. Boom! Song Jian smiled faintly, a surge of black flame ascended around his body as well. This flame held a higher temperature than the flame on Neiyem''s body and looked even more profound. Chapter 461: Black Fog State 461 Chapter 461: Black Fog State Seeing the black flames rising on Song Jian''s body, Neiyem''s face revealed a look of shock, and he continuously backed off. "Th-this is the aura of the Abyss, how, how is this possible, you..." Song Jian let out a cold chuckle, and with a thought, the rising Abyssal Raging Flame instantly transformed into a set of black armor, covering his body. "Immortal Sword Body, activate!" A dazzling golden light enveloped the armor and eight long sword shadows began to rotate tirelessly around him. With the enhancement of the Immortal Sword Body and the Abyssal Demon Armor, Song Jian moved faster than Neiyem could track. A shadow flickered past, leaving only a black mark on the surface of Neiyem''s eyeball. By the time Neiyem noticed, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. Lowering his head, he saw a dark red sword blade buried in his chest. sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As he reached out to grasp the blade, it suddenly disappeared, followed by a plume of blood spurting from Neiyem''s chest. With a sharp scream, the scorpion tail behind Neiyem started to whip wildly, and the shadow of the tail filled an area of three to four meters. The sharpness of the tail''s poison hook was as deadly as any weapon. The overlapping sounds of cutting air resonated as it sliced through, as if it were even cutting through the air itself. Song Jian was accidentally hit on his left arm, causing a brilliant light to explode. The eight sword shadows surrounding him disappeared one by one. An injury number of over three hundred floated above Song Jian''s head, while a dark green mark started to spread from the wound on his shoulder. The sword shadows around Song Jian''s body could lessen the damage he received eight times, but they couldn''t completely immunize him, especially against harmful effects like toxins. However, the Immortal Sword Body couldn''t resist such damage, but Song Jian''s unique skill "Thick Skin" could. The max level "Thick Skin" had a very high resistance to toxin damage and various negative effects. In addition to the resistance of the Immortal Sword Body and Abyssal Demon Armor, the dark green poison on Song Jian''s arm only spread less than an inch before it gradually disappeared. Although the attack from Neiyem was aimless, it nonetheless interrupted Song Jian''s offense. Upon noticing that Song Jian was exposed, Neiyem exploded with fury. His six legs moved quickly, instantaneously arriving in front of Song Jian, bringing down his giant pincer. Song Jian raised his sword to block. In front of Neiyem''s pincer, Song Jian''s long sword seemed as insignificant as a toothpick. But this "toothpick" managed to fend off Neiyem''s pincer, utterly disregarding Neiyem''s powerful strength. But just as Song Jian fended off the gigantic pincer above him, he was caught off guard by a shadow blindsiding him. Another pincer from Neiyem was already clamping towards Song Jian''s waist. Boom! Boom! Boom!... Another round of fierce explosions. The seven remaining sword shadows on Song Jian shattered almost simultaneously. Even the Abyssal Demon Armor on the surface of Song Jian''s body started to crack, with some weak areas even beginning to break and deform. An injury number of over six hundred popped up above Song Jian''s head. His vitality points, which were already down to a thousand, plummeted even further after this hit. Startled, Song Jian quickly activated the "Morphing into Dark Cloud" skill to break free from Neiyem''s pincer, enveloping Neiyem entirely within the dark cloud. Inside the dark cloud, Neiyem suddenly felt separated from the surrounding Abyssal environment, gradually becoming weak. At the same time, damage kept inundating him from all sides. His vitality points dropped rapidly, but he couldn''t find any source of attack. "Damn it, get the hell out, get out!" Neiyem wildly swung his pincers and tail, carving marks within the rolling dark cloud, but they were quickly covered by the cloud again. These actions from Neiyem were just physical attacks. After Song Jian had morphed into the dark cloud, he was completely immune to physical damage, which could not harm him at all. While Neiyem''s attack contained damage from Abyssal Power, for Song Jian who had also mastered Abyssal Power, damage from the same property was negligible and he could afford to disregard it. Taking advantage of his state as the dark cloud, Song Jian consumed an Advanced Healing Potion, increasing his vitality points that had fallen to a hundred something. This allowed him to breathe a little easier. The attack from Neiyem had caught him off guard. Neiyem was indeed formidable with power rivalling a first-class combatant. A slight lapse in concentration could have cost his life. The dark cloud state could last fifteen minutes. It could cause almost six hundred points of damage to Neiyem, during which Song Jian could recover some vitality points. Six hundred points of damage was a heavy hit for Neiyem at this point. Originally, he had less than one-third of his vitality points left, but after fifteen minutes, they fell below the 20% mark. 21:06 Just as Song Jian was recovering from the state of the dark cloud, a dazzling golden Sword Qi slashed towards Neiyem. Light Strike! By this point, Neiyem had been tormented by the dark cloud until he was utterly exhausted, no longer showing the agility he possessed as a spirit creature. Despite this, when the dazzling golden Sword Qi slashed towards him, Neiyem still instinctively raised his two giant pincers in defense. Crack~ The golden Sword Qi passed by as if encountering no resistance, leaving a mark on Neiyem''s body. The sound of bones breaking came from inside Neiyem''s massive body. Crack~ The two giant pincers fell to the ground, and Neiyem''s lifeless eyes stared ahead. A deep "heh heh" breath escaped from his mouth and a stream of dark green blood spurted from his body. His body split into two, sliding sidewards. An injury number of over a thousand points floated above Neiyem''s head. Neiyem, whose vitality points were now at zero, did not even leave a complete body behind. Song Jian took a few quick breaths. The energy required to maintain the dark cloud was substantial. After using a few skills, Song Jian didn''t have much mental strength left. After morphing into the dark cloud, his mental strength was nearly depleted. After executing the Light Strike, Song Jian could barely stand. "It seems, I must acquire some potions or recipes for quick mental strength recovery," Song Jian thought to himself. It should be known, potions for mental strength recovery are ten times more valuable than those for vitality recovery. Although Song Jian had the ability to make Advanced Healing Potions, he couldn''t even make a novice-level mental strength recovery potion. Thud! A series of sparks exploded like fireworks from Neiyem''s large body. Items of various colors traced clear marks in the air, then quickly fell around Neiyem''s dead body. Song Jian''s eyes lit up, and he quickly rushed towards Neiyem''s corpse. Chapter 462: Sudden Update 462 Chapter 462: Sudden Update "Gold quality..." Song Jian''s eyes lit up, staring at the "firework" in midair, blooming with golden light! Song Jian leaped, catching the item in hand before it fell, and carefully examined it. "Abyssal Shadow (Gold), Cloak, Equipment Level 30, Equipment Effects: Damage increase by 15%, All attributes +1, Attack speed +10; Special effect 1: Ignore monster level +10, 50% chance to deal 2x damage when hitting targets; Special effect 2: All skill levels +1; Special effect 3: Abyssal Phantom (Active), using Abyssal Power, instantly creates a Doppelganger Illusion with 70% of the user''s attributes and all skills, duration 1 minute, cooldown 10 minutes; Special effect 4: Equipment requirements -5; Equipment Requirement: Level 25. Can this item be taken out of the game: No." "An item with a level of 30 that only requires level 25 to be equipped, and can be equipped at level 20 with its gold quality?" Song Jian looked at the entirely black cloak held in his hand, the corner of his mouth revealing an excited smile. This was the first time Song Jian obtained back equipment, and he immediately equipped it on himself as he met the requirements. Quickly, a heavily worn black cloak, almost decayed and about to crumble, appeared on Song Jian''s back, completely wrapping around his body. If other players saw this cloak, they would definitely think it was a gray-quality item, but no one would have guessed that it was actually a level 30 gold piece of equipment; After wearing it, Song Jian immediately felt a significant increase in his strength, as just the 15% increase in damage alone added nearly forty points to the damage dealt; the effect would increase more as Song Jian''s power improved. The bonus of +1 to all attributes delighted Song Jian, who initially thought it only added six points to all attributes. To his surprise, though, his luck and willpower attributes, which had already manifested, also increased by a point, bringing Song Jian unexpected joy. Attack speed is an attribute that can never have too much. An increase of 10 points meant that Song Jian would always have an extra attack every five or six when compared to other players. None of the special effects were garbage properties, and there was even an active skill that could create an Abyssal Phantom. It was almost like having a doppelganger, even though it lasted only a minute; whether for attacking or escaping, this skill would provide unexpected effects; "This might be the first back equipment to appear in the game!" Song Jian touched the silk-like fabric, thinking secretly. At least, he had never seen other players wearing similar equipment before. Most of the remaining items were level 30 blue-green equipment, which many players probably couldn''t wear at this stage. Song Jian could directly sell these in the City of Hymns'' Starfire Shop, as the game''s NPCs would eagerly bid for these items. "Oh, there''s even a Magic Source Stone this big!" Song Jian looked at the unique glowing crystal on the ground, his face showing a joyful expression. The reason he entered this dungeon was for the Magic Source Stone; he had already collected around 800 grams of it and needed about 200 more grams to build a Magic Tower. He didn''t expect that the last boss would actually drop a Magic Source Stone. After this stone merged completely with the previous ones, Song Jian obtained a total of 1067 grams of Magic Source Stones, which was enough for building a Magic Tower. As Song Jian looked at the enormous body of the scorpion king, then back at the Magic Source Stone in his hand, a bizarre thought crossed his mind: "Could it be that there are Magic Source Stones in the stomachs of these golden scorpions?" Like weeds, this thought rapidly grew in Song Jian''s mind. Just as he was hesitating whether to return to the stone forest and dissect a few golden scorpion corpses, the entire cave began to shake violently. Originally, the Spatial Rift in midair suddenly extended from the length of a finger to nearly a meter long. Crack, crack, crack, crack~ Countless tiny cracks spread from the rift, like tentacles probing the space in all directions. All players in the game suddenly received a red game alert: System: Dear players, the game''s new version "Abyssal Shadow" will be launched soon. For your safety in the game, please secure your belongings within ten seconds, and find a safe place for your game character to avoid accidents! Ten, nine, eight, seven,... Song Jian was dumbfounded, as the entire cave began to shake violently. Huge rocks fell from above as he felt like he was on a rocking boat, barely able to stand. At that moment, a pale blue teleport gate appeared in front of Song Jian. Seeing the countdown had less than five seconds left, Song Jian dashed towards the gate without hesitation; The instant Song Jian''s silhouette disappeared into the gate, all the online players were simultaneously kicked out of the game and returned to the real world. ... As Song Jian opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the hard bed in his rented room. The window seemed not to be properly closed, and the wind kept blowing in with a "whoosh."; It seemed to be late at night, around four or five o''clock. Song Jian''s head felt a little messy as he sat up, and it took him a while to recall the recent memory fragments. "The game suddenly kicked all players offline, and it seems to be related to the suddenly appearing Spatial Rift in the dungeon!" Song Jian murmured to himself, "That Spatial Rift seemed to be filled with the aura of the Abyss!" In fact, Song Jian guessed correctly. The game had kicked all the players out because more and more Abyssal Rifts had appeared, not only in dungeons but also in many places in the game. Similar rifts had appeared everywhere; just a few seconds before Song Jian went offline, those rifts suddenly exploded. The areas that were originally just tiny cracks suddenly expanded to several dozen centimeters or even one or two meters long, nearly causing the entire world to collapse. He picked up his phone and saw that the game icon had turned gray again. After a few taps, there was still no response, so it seemed that he wouldn''t be able to enter the game again today. Just as Song Jian was about to put down his phone, the communication app suddenly sent out a series of urgent beeps, as if a dozen messages had arrived at once. Song Jian opened his phone to find that all the groups in the app were frantically forwarding a message: "Do you believe in a game where people can die? If you die in the game, you''ll also disappear in the real world, leaving no trace. It''s terrifying!" There was also a link below the message. Song Jian casually clicked on it, and his phone screen immediately turned black. An abandoned city slowly emerged from the center of the screen. Clicking on the abandoned city again, Song Jian entered a web page where the header read "Doomsday City" in large characters. ... Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 463: Website 463 Chapter 463: Website Song Jian opened a website that was quite straightforward in content. On the homepage, there was an article on the "Apocalyptic Theory", detailing the existence of the game "Doomsday City", followed by a series of videos. The content of these videos was quite startling, akin to supernatural phenomena. For instance, there was a teenager walking down a dark alley, accompanied by a skeletal arm that seemed to follow him like a servant. After a few steps, the teenager seemed to sense someone watching him; he turned around, his crimson eyes causing the camera to shake violently. There was another video of a female student vanishing in the middle of a street while carrying her backpack, only to reappear in a spot ten meters away after some time, an occurrence that was quite eerie. Yet another set of videos took place overseas, with two sides armed with guns, engaged in a shootout on the street. Suddenly, a soldier stood up from a cove, raised his hands, and a huge fireball appeared above his palms. He then launched the fireball towards the adversaries, turning an armored vehicle into pieces, although the soldier was soon riddled with bullets from multiple submachine guns. "It appears as if all these are skills obtained from the game!" After viewing a few more videos, Song Jian put his phone away. This game was beginning to impact the real world. Although Song Jian has always been prepared for this, upon the actual arrival of the day, he felt rather complicated. There were people from the military appearing in the game, and the police were conducting door-to-door investigations in the real world. The number of new players entering the game every day probably exceeded ten thousand and a good deal of players died within the game. Though these numbers were minuscule in comparison with the total population of over seven billion, traces would still be left behind, which could attract attention from the observant. Currently, the power of players in the real world, without the bonus of game equipment, was still incapable of resisting powerful weaponry. Intelligent players would try their utmost to conceal their player identities and not exhibit any abnormalities before the might of the government. Song Jian did not know what would happen to those who revealed their player identities, but losing some freedom was inevitable. There might even be the establishment of a unique department specifically for recruiting players in the future. However, for many players, absolute freedom was still more important. Players yearning for actual freedom would, at least, need to have the capability to face powerful weaponry head-on even when stripped of their game equipment bonuses. However, with the continuous upgrade of player levels and the increasing obtainment of treasures within the game, such circumstance should seem inevitable. Eventually, the real world might be thrown into chaos. "Whatever, as long as I''m living well." Song Jian murmured to himself, looking out of the window at the bright moonlight. He then sat cross-legged on his bed, absorbing the moon''s essence to enhance his physical body. With Song Jian''s current physical quality, he could ignore small-caliber handguns even without the equipment bonuses. However, for more powerful weapons, he was still apprehensive. The next day, early in the morning, Song Jian left his rented house and walked to a real estate agency. Through the agency, Song Jian selected a villa in a scenic area. After paying the deposit, he also reserved a car that cost more than three hundred thousand. He then headed back to his rental. He now had several million cash in hand and, at most, another twenty million incoming in three months. It was almost like a dream, getting rich overnight and suddenly becoming a millionaire. After settling the house and car issues, Song Jian felt a sense of loss - he didn''t know what to do next. When Song Jian returned to his rented apartment community, he noticed two police cars were parked at the entrance. Song Jian immediately went on high alert. Instead of entering his community, he walked to a nearby store across the street. After purchasing a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, he took one out and offered it to the shop owner. Nodding towards the police cars at the entrance of the community, he asked, "Hey, buddy, what''s the situation over there? Why are there cops?" "Well, who knows? Maybe they are here because of that superpowered person from yesterday," the retailer replied nonchalantly, accepting the cigarette with obvious pleasure. "The superpowered person from yesterday? Haven''t they caught him yet?" Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked. "Is it that easy to catch him? The guy can run on walls, how could anyone catch him?" The shop owner looked around and whispered, "Those two police cars have been there since the morning, and haven''t left. I reckon they are conducting door-to-door investigations. I don''t know what''s going on these days; it feels like all manner of bizarre things are happening..." Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After smoking a cigarette with the store owner, Song Jian took one glance at the two police cars at the entrance of the community and left for a narrow path nearby. Whether these cops were here for him or not, Song Jian did not want to interact with them this early. Although he knew that it was inevitable that they would find him, given his strength was not strong and his player identity could be possibly exposed extremely late in the game, it would be better. By the evening, Song Jian arrived at the scenic villa he bought earlier in the day. It was a fully furnished terraced house covering more than three hundred square meters, with two floors. In Coastal City, it would only be considered mediocre at best. Yet, this house almost exhausted all the cash Song Jian had, leaving him with only around ten thousand yuan in his account. As for the car that cost more than three hundred thousand, it would take about ten days before he could pick it up, as there was no existing stock in the 4S shop. After arriving back at the villa, Song Jian tried to open the link released last night on his phone, but found the site to be inaccessible - it seemed to be blocked. The game also seemed to be in maintenance. Song Jian waited until midnight when the game icon on his phone finally turned from gray to color. "Phew, it''s finally ok again. I thought I won''t be able to enter the game today." Song Jian let out a sigh of relief, his anxiety finally eased. He constantly felt like a giant net was closing in on him. Even without the game equipment, Song Jian''s actual strength was less than a third of what it was in the game, but his keen intuition for danger made him feel incredibly insecure. It seemed that he would only feel safe when he was inside the game. Upon clicking the icon, a huge skeletal arm emerged from the phone screen, grabbing hold of Song Jian and pulling him inside the game. "Damn, it''s like this every time..." Chapter 464: 464: Game Update Chapter 464: Game Update Returning to the game once again, Song Jian felt an inexplicable sense of security. Standing under the dazzling stars, he stared wide-eyed at the game updates that flowed like a waterfall before his eyes. What on earth happened within just one day? Song Jian looked at the update content in surprise, checking every detail carefully, fearing he might miss a single word. System: The new version of the game, Abyssal Shadows, has been updated. Players can now choose their own Abyss faction! Note: There is no unique method to choose the Abyss faction; players can explore it themselves. Warning: Once a faction is changed, it cannot be reverted; players previous game experiences will cause significant changes; System: The game time has been altered from the real time scenario, where 4.8 hours in the game world would be equivalent to 1 hour in the real world. Players can exist for a maximum of 8 hours in the real world; if the time is exceeded, they will be forcefully kicked out of the game; sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: The players safehouse will now have an Occupation mode. During territorial expansion wars, players can opt to flee in advance; System: The cooldown time for territorial expansion wars will be reduced from one month in-game time to 8 hours; Song Jian carefully read through the multitude of updates. It took him almost half an hour to read all of them. This game is getting more and more realistic. Song Jian felt a sudden sense of heaviness in his heart, unsure why he felt this way. It seemed as if the game was actually another real world. Bang- A crisp sound shattered the starry expanse beneath Song Jians feet, turning it into countless fragments. He plunged downwards, the feeling of weightlessness making him panic slightly, but all his skills were rendered useless. Both Morphing into Dark Cloud and Steel Wings lost their effects, as if he had suddenly reverted to an ordinary person. Ah! Song Jian broke into a cold sweat, sitting up abruptly in bed; Where is this? Song Jian looked around in a daze, finally recognizing the space he was in: This is my Manor Castles bedroom. Could everything that just happened have been a dream? Song Jian shook his head, summoning his attribute menu, and carefully observed it. Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to flash in his mind, and he appeared to remember something: No, I was just entering the game before! Shock spread across Song Jians face as he momentarily believed that the virtual game was the real world. The existence of the safehouse, personal attribute menu, skill bar, task bar, and inventory seemed like genuine parts of that world with no inconsistencies. Whats wrong with me? Why did I treat this game as the real world? Song Jian lifted the covers and walked to the window, gazing into the distance. The lush farmland, the overlapping medieval buildings, and the passing NPCs finally made Song Jian aware of the games presence. At this moment, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he noticed thick black smoke rising from distant abandoned skyscrapers. There were at least a dozen such instances in sight. In the center of the city, where once a television tower stood as the tallest building, a dark pyramid now stood in its place. The pyramid reached a height of almost too meters, and even from where Song Jian was, he could see it clearly. A dense black aura enveloped the surface of the dark pyramid, the smoke-like blackness rising into the air and forming a fiendish demon face with two horns on its forehead. The face wore a sly smile, and despite being suspended in mid-air, it seemed incredibly tangible. Song Jian couldnt help but feel an instinctive sense of dread as he looked at the monstrous, grinning visage. However, this feeling was soon dissipated by a wave of chill; Is this the new Abyss Demon Cave instance in the new version? Song Jian murmured to himself. With this game update, more game content was revealed. In the new version, numerous Abyss Demon Cave instances had appeared throughout the world. These instances were categorized as level 5, level 10, level 20, level 30, and the final Abyss Territory instance; Within Doomsday City, the towering black smoke signified the presence of Abyss Demon Caves, while the black pyramid at the center of the city represented the final Abyss Territory instance. Moreover, the entry requirement for the Abyss Territory instance was to reach Tier-1 combat power. Only players who passed the test and reached Tier-1 combat power were eligible to enter the Abyss Territory instance. The Abyss Territory instance holds clues to advanced professions. It is a place that every player must enter after reaching level 30 Song Jian muttered as he gazed at the distant black pyramid. At that moment, Song Jians bedroom door was suddenly pushed open with a bang. Bloodline Wizard Wallace floated in excitedly, fell to one knee before Song Jian, and said in an uncontrollable, excited tone, Honorable master, my research has finally succeeded! I have created a perfect Black Dragon Bloodline body. In the near future, you will have the most powerful Bloodline Wizard at your disposal, the Dragon Wizard! Wallaces sudden entry took Song Jian by surprise, and he frowned, about to rebuke him. However, upon hearing Wallaces explanation, Song Jians face broke into a smile. Wallace, have you succeeded? Have you created a real body for yourself? Song Jian asked. Yes, master, I have succeeded! Wallace lifted his head and looked at Song Jian with gratitude, saying, I would like to invite my master to witness my resurrection ceremony! For Wallace, the soul body fusion resurrection ceremony was crucial, equivalent to a new birth. If the ceremony failed, not only would the newly created body be destroyed, but Wallaces soul body would also suffer a severe blow, perhaps losing any chance of regaining a body in the future. Therefore, most Bloodline Wizards would hold the resurrection ceremony in the most secluded places, never inviting any friends to watch. During the resurrection ceremony, Wallace was even more helpless than a newborn baby. Even an ordinary adult man could easily disrupt the ceremony. Song Jian was unaware of the importance of the resurrection ceremony for Wallace and thought it was similar to the harvest festival. He smiled and nodded, saying, Of course, my friend, after your true resurrection, I will hold a large celebration for you. Also, I will build you a Magic Tower! Wallace was taken aback, and even his soul body seemed unstable. Stuttering, he asked, M-master, are you serious? Are you really willing to build a Magic Tower for me? This is its just Sorry, I forgot to update today! Apologies, apologies! Chapter 465: 465: Resurrection Ceremony Chapter 465: Resurrection Ceremony For a mage or wizard, owning a Magic Tower is something they dream about. Even though Wallace once had the power of a first-order Bloodline Wizard, he never had a Magic Tower of his own. When Song Jian said he was willing to build a Magic Tower for him, it made Wallace excited and grateful, raising his appreciation to a new level. System: You promise to build a Magic Tower for Follower Bloodline Wizard- Wallace; his favorability towards you greatly increases, and the relationship between you and Follower Bloodline Wizard-Wallace is elevated to Admiration! Just by making a promise, I can greatly increase the favorability of my Followers? Song Jian laughed and thought to himself: Thats so simple. Maybe this is a loophole, a way to quickly increase favorability for Followers or even NPCs. However, Song Jian also knew that this promise, over time, would lose its effect very quickly if it was not realized. The favorability would drop even faster and more than how much it had increased, perhaps eventually turning the relationship with the Follower into hatred and ultimately leading to betrayal. This shortcut, though fast, had more severe consequences if not handled with confidence, especially when making promises to NPCs or ones followers. Alright, lets go and check out your resurrection ceremony first. Song Jian stood up and said with a smile. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Master, I have one more request! Wallace knelt on one knee, his head bowed low. What is it? As long as its not too much, I will agree, Song Jian said. Master, I know theres a Blood Pool in the basement of the Manor Castle Wallace said nervously, If the body I am going to fuse with my soul can be soaked in the Blood Pool for some time, it would help me recover my strength greatly. Blood Pool? Song Jian furrowed his brows and asked after a moment of contemplation, How did you know theres a Blood Pool in the basement? The basement was a forbidden area, which Song Jian used as a safe keeping place for items from his inventory that he didnt need at the time. Even the butler George didnt know about the basement, let alone Wallace. In the entire Manor Castle, apart from Song Jian, the only other entity that possibly knew about the existence of the Blood Pool was the Blood-chilling Shadow Tree Alex. However, Alex was usually in a dormant state and would only wake up when enemies invaded the Manor Castle. Moreover, Alex couldnt communicate with anyone else. So how did Wallace learn about the Blood Pool? Did he sneak into the basement when Song Jian wasnt looking? With this thought, Song Jians expression became stern, and he stared intently at Wallace, waiting for an explanation. Master, after I created the body with the Black Dragon Bloodline, I tried to fuse with it once. Although the effect wasnt great, I suddenly gained a special ability when I entered the body, Wallace said quietly, I seem to be able to sense the existence of the blood slaves on the territory, and I can also communicate with the blood wolves What, you can sense the existence of blood slaves? Song Jians face showed a surprised expression. The blood crows that served as scouts and the blood zombies and blood wolves that served as guardians were thought to be Song Jians summons, and others didnt know about the existence of the Blood Pool. Moreover, these blood slaves would only obey one persons command C the person who built the Blood Pool. And since mastering the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, Song Jian had grown deeper with these blood slaves. In the depths of their souls, Song Jians mark had been engraved, allowing him to annihilate the blood slaves with a single thought C preventing them from being resurrected. Can you order them to do things? Song Jian asked seriously. No, I cant, Wallace said nervously. Right now, I can only communicate with the blood wolves, while I can only vaguely sense the existence of the blood crows and blood zombies due to their low intelligence and inability to communicate. So, it was the blood wolves that told you about the Blood Pool? Song Jian asked in a deep voice. Yes, Master. I was curious about the blood wolves with red fur, and I accidentally asked one of them about their origin, which is how I learned about the Blood Pool, Wallace lowered his head even more, his soul body trembling slightly. Alright, I understand. You have my permission to use the Blood Pool! Song Jian contemplated for a long time and decided to observe for a while longer. After all, Wallace was once a first-order Bloodline Wizard, and both his strength and knowledge were something that Song Jian longed for. Song Jian was now at level 22, and reaching level 30 wasnt that far away for him. Once he reached level 30, Song Jian would have to undergo the test to reach the first-order Combat Power, and Wallaces experience in this area would be of great help to him. Thank you, my Master! Wallace was so excited that he knee-walked a few steps and gently kissed Song Jians boot. Lets go take a look at your laboratory first, I presume your resurrection ceremony will be held there? Song Jian glanced at Wallace and asked. Yes, Master, its there! Wallace replied. With a thought, Song Jians figure vanished and reappeared inside Wallaces laboratory. As he entered Wallaces laboratory, Song Jian felt a sense of resistance, as if some mysterious force was trying to prevent his entry. In this lab, Song Jian had complete control over the entire Manor Castle and all its surrounding territories. After entering the lab, he frowned and looked around. At this point, Wallaces lab seemed to be enveloped by a semi-transparent shield of energy. On the surrounding walls, there were hundreds of complex golden runes with pulsing lights, like breathing, connecting them mysteriously. Is this a Magic Defense Array? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Although he could see that this was a magic defense array set up by Wallace, he didnt know specifically what kind of defense array it was. He was still severely lacking in knowledge about magic C he could only recognize one or two of the golden runes on the walls. After waiting in the laboratory for a while, Wallaces soul body passed through the wall. Upon seeing Song Jian, Wallace greeted him nervously. Im sorry, Master, I forgot to turn off the magic defense array! Wallace said nervously. Chapter 466: 466: Black Dragon Essence Blood Chapter 466: Black Dragon Essence Blood In reality, it wasnt that Wallace forgot to close the door, but rather that Song Jian had come too quickly, not even giving Wallace a chance to close the door, let alone explain in advance. However, Wallace knew clearly that within Manor Castle, no matter how formidable the defense array was, it couldnt stop Song Jian from entering. Song Jian waved his hand, indicating he didnt mind. His gaze swept over the lab, finally resting on a nutritive tank in the middle of the lab. This was a tank similar to a glass coffin, filled with a light green liquid. Suspended within the liquid was a human body, with tentacles reminiscent of arthropod joints spreading out from the interior wall of the tank, intermingling with various parts of the body, providing the nutrients the body needed. Song Jian examined this human body carefully. Pale skin, tightly closed eyes, a somewhat thin body with not much muscle, and a quite handsome face. He judged the age to be between twenty and thirty. Master, this is how I looked when I was young Wallace glanced at the human body in the nutrient tank. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Very good. Are you sure you can fully fuse with this body? Song Jian nodded. If Wallace truly could recover to a first-grade combat power, it would be of great assistance to him. Of course no problem, but Master, I still need a drop of Black Dragon Essence Blood to serve as the fuse for integration! Wallace said nervously. Wallace had conducted dozens of experiments before, but every time after entering a body, it wouldnt be long before his soul would be automatically rejected by the body. After extensive research, Wallace finally found the cause. The body he had created possesses the Black Dragon Bloodline, but his soul had no trace of the Black Dragon Bloodline, naturally, making a complete fusion impossible. This was why he had been hesitant to merge with the body. He had to absorb a drop of Black Dragon Essence Blood during the complete fusion process. At this moment, Song Jian seemed to hear a roar of anger from the Black Dragon Hatchling inside the Pet Space. The Dragon Hatchling despised the soul who wanted its essence blood and wished it could swallow it whole. The reason why Song Jian hadnt summoned the Black Dragon hatchling to assist in battle was because it had lost a considerable amount of blood due to Wallaces previous experiments, causing it to remain weak. It was unable to level up. Now, they were asking for another drop of the Black Dragon Hatchlings essence blood. Song Jian worried that this might cause fundamental damage to the Hatchling. If that were the case, Song Jian would rather Wallace not fully fuse and resurrect. After all, in terms of potential, the potential of the Black Dragon Hatchling outstripped Wallace by a long shot. Wallace, my battle partner, this Black Dragon is still in its juvenile period. Would taking a drop of blood essence cause fundamental harm to it? Would it affect its future growth potential? Song Jian asked, staring seriously at Wallace. Master, I swear upon my soul that it wont irreversibly harm your Battle Pet. At most, it will prolong its time of weakness. And it will not affect the Hatchlings potential for growth, Wallace solemnly stated. Moreover, Master, if I can perfectly fuse with this body, my strength will recover quickly. I pledge to you that as soon as I regain first-grade combat power, I will find a stalk of Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass for your Battle Pet to enhance its capabilities! Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass? This was the first time Song Jian had heard of this medicinal herb. He closed his eyes slightly, his consciousness entering the Pet Space. The Black Dragon Hatchling had a pure lineage. The heritage of the Dragon Clan depended on their bloodline genes. With the increase in age, the knowledge contained within their bloodline would gradually be released. Although the Black Dragon Hatchling was only at level fifteen and not yet mature, the inheritance of thousands of years had opened a door for it. Song Jian believed that if the Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass could truly help the Dragon Clan, the Black Dragon Hatchling would certainly gain the related knowledge. Upon hearing the words Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass in the Pet Space, the Black Dragon Hatchling suddenly paused. Then, a look of intense excitement crossed its face. It began jumping around continuously in its space, reflecting the ecstatic feeling in its heart. Clearly, it was highly desirous of the Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass. For the Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass, the Black Dragon Hatchling agreed readily after only a slight hesitation, despite it cost a drop of its essence blood. Seeing the Black Dragon Hatchling agree, Song Jian didnt quite understand the usage of Dragon Crystal Blood Rage Grass, but he knew that it must have a special significance to the Dragon Clan. Very well, remember your promise! Song Jian nodded at Wallace. Wallace wore an excited look. It was only after losing his power that he realized how valuable it was. Now having a second chance, he certainly didnt want to let it go. He had to seize it firmly. With a thought from Song Jian, a drop of essence blood from the Black Dragon Hatchling floated up from the Pet Space. The Black Dragon Hatchling, having lost some essence blood, immediately fell into a deep sleep. It seemed like it would be a long time before it could be summoned for battle again. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This drop of essence blood, looking like a ruby, even exuded a flickering energy aura, as if it were a flame. Th-thankyou, Master! Excitement filled Wallaces eyes. After such a long period of experimenting, he was finally at the last step. This drop of Black Dragon essence blood could completely change his future. As a Bloodline Wizard possessing the Black Dragon Bloodline, he had the potential to become the strongest. Wallace walked to the control panel and began to feed a series of precious synthesis drugs into the nutrient tank, continuously injecting them into the human body lying inside. This was Wallaces final enhancement to the quality of this human body. He didnt want to resurrect as a weakling. The human body inside the nutrient tank, which had been lying quietly in the green nutrient fluid, suddenly began to shake unnaturally, as if it had come alive. Its thin frame, as if blown up by a balloon, began to swell rapidly, the muscles bulging, the stature growing at a visible speed. Wallace stared nervously at the body inside the nutrient tank. This was the most crucial step. He had tested all the other steps before, but he couldnt test this step. After all, those precious drugs werent easy to come by. He had no control over what might happen at the last moment. He could only pray silently in his heart for the final step to be successful. Boom! The lid of the nutrient tank was suddenly kicked up by a powerful force. The nutrient fluid inside splashed all over the place. But Wallaces soul body was so excited that it seemed about to leap up. Now is the time! Wallace exclaimed involuntarily, his soul body pouncing towards the human body in the nutrient tank. Chapter 467: 467: Constructing the Magic Tower Chapter 467: Constructing the Magic Tower Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The moment Wallaces soul body plunged into the nutrient tank, the originally violently struggling body suddenly stiffened and then slowly sank, becoming quiet. Under Wallaces skin, merged with her soul, strings of energy were constantly flowing as if they were like little snakes crawling everywhere. Is thisa success? Song Jian glanced at the Black Dragon Essence Blood still floating in mid-air and then at Wallace in the nutrient tank, seemingly sleeping, and thought to himself. Just then, the body in the nutrient tank began to tremble. Wallaces soul was being pushed out by a force of rejection. Wallaces soul struggled desperately not to leave his body. But the speed of being pushed away was slow and steady. At this rate, within a minute, Wallaces soul would have completely left his body. At this moment, the Black Dragons Essence Blood floating in mid-air suddenly dropped down and landed right on Wallaces forehead. Alt a shrill scream burst out from the body in the tank. A burning sound was heard from the forehead, and a wisp of green smoke began to waft from his body. Song Jian saw that the drop of Black Dragons Essence Blood, as soon as it touched the skin on the forehead, seemed to possess consciousness as it dug into the body. Numerous filaments finer than hair tendrils also extended from the Essence Blood, spreading all around. In no time, this Black Dragons Essence Blood was like a red gem embedded in the bodys forehead. Around this red gem, numerous thin tendrils were deeply imprinted into the skin. Wallace suddenly opened his eyes. He could feel the intense pain from the Black Dragons Essence Blood on his forehead, but he could also feel that not only pain but also an endless power was nourishing his body and soul. Due to the nourishment offered by the Black Dragons Essence Blood, this body began to accept Wallaces soul. However, to achieve a full fusion, it would require a lot more time. Success, Ive finally succeeded! Wallace exclaimed enthusiastically; in his emotional upheaval, his eyes suddenly changed into a pair of golden vertical pupils, just like the eyes of a Black Dragon. Damn it, the body has mutated! Wallace was immediately anxious. Bloodline Wizards were prone to ancestral regression, a partial mutation in their bodies. This mutation could grant the Bloodline Wizards a portion of their ancestors power, but it could also change the wizards personalities drastically and without warning. In severe cases, they would even lose their sense of self and turn into a crazy, raging monster. This was the thing Bloodline Wizards were most afraid of. Boom~ With a loud bang, the nutrient tank suddenly shattered. The lab was swept up as if in a violent storm, with a gust tearing up everything into pieces. In the instant the explosion struck, Song Jian, with a thought, left Wallaces lab immediately. As a defensive array was arranged in advance, the explosion was contained within the lab. After a while, a tense-faced Wallace, wrapped in a half sheet, came out of the lab. Seeing Song Jian standing at the labs doorway, he quickly knelt before him. Master, my apologies. While the resurrection ritual was successful, there are still many side effects. I, I wish to request to recover in the Blood Pool immediately Wallace said hastily. The sudden surge of Bloodline power had temporarily been suppressed using a clarity potion, but if the situation continues without remedy, even the clarity potion would lose its effect on him. Go ahead, I hope you can recover your former power soon! Song Jian nodded. Wallaces figure suddenly crumbled like yellow sand; a strange breeze blew and the sand pile instantly vanished completely. But Song Jian, with his senses, could clearly see that Wallace had already entered the basement and had laid down impatiently in the Blood Pool. The Blood Pool was where the Blood Slaves were born. Once a Blood Slave has died, he would be resurrected in the Blood Pool. As all of the Blood Slaves were in their territories now, the Blood Pool had been idle. As soon as Wallace entered the Blood Pool, the blood water inside began to boil, just like boiling water, bubbling continuously. But Wallace, lying in the Blood Pool only with his head showing, demonstrated a relaxed expression on his face and even emitted a moan of relaxation. Song Jian glanced at the ruined lab, shook his head, stepped out of the castle ignoring Wallace; Now, Song Jian had decent equipment, and his skills were more numerous than that of the average player. Not only was he ranked first in level, but his power also greatly surpassed other players. As he walked out of Manor Castle, he looked at the black pyramid in the distance, his eyes full of ambition. The black pyramid situated in the middle of the city must be the highest-level instance dungeon in the city. Currently, players couldnt even get near to the dungeon, let alone pioneer it. That is, at least, the instance dungeon you need to possess first-order combat power to enter Song Jian looked at the black pyramid and sighed. Just then, a tremor came from afar, and a red beam of light shot into the sky; the light then began to slowly expand outwards. A loud voice resounded in the ears of all the players in Doomsday City. Song Jian looked at the red beam of light in the distance, murmured to himself: The Territorial Expansion Campaign, the cooldown time changed from a month to eight hours. This should be a strategy by the game developers to expedite the growth of the war alliances choosing the strongest war alliance as quickly as possible, and then focusing all their efforts on the Abyss Demon Clans invasion! Song Jian couldnt confirm his speculation, however, the Territorial Expansion Campaign had inevitably unfolded among the citys war alliances. Song Jian glanced at his own alliances territorial expansion campaign cooldown time, which had already expired, gave a slight smile, and immediately chose to launch the territorial expansion campaign. The territory, which was initially several hundred meters in scale, once again spread out all around. Some of the weaker players, watching the spreading red light, then looked at Song Jians Manor Castle in the distance, had no choice but to abandon their safe houses and flee. This time, to Song Jian, the Territorial Expansion campaign encountered no worthy resistance. His territory spanned a radius of five hundred meters now, but due to the absence of the Magic Tower, all new buildings within the alliance couldnt be constructed. Master, the Manor Castle must be upgraded to level four. Only then can all the new buildings be unlocked! said Butler George, looking somewhat helpless. Within his territory, Butler George had already reserved a spot for the construction of the Magic Tower. Song Jian walked into the empty space and took out a Magic Source Stone the size of a human head from his backpack. He instructed George: George, start constructing the Magic Tower. Chapter 468: 468: Shadow Circus Troupe Chapter 468: Shadow Circus Troupe With the most critical material, the Magic Source Stone, the construction of the Magic Tower became smooth and seamless. More than a dozen construction NPCs pushed various building materials to the open space. In just a short while, a rough foundation was built. Master, because we dont have special building blueprints, we can only build the most basic Magic Tower. Its effects may not be very significant, the housekeeper George said nervously. Building blueprints for the Magic Tower? Song Jian was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. There were various types of building blueprints in the game with many ways to obtain them. Furthermore, many blueprints were unique, so many players territories had a variety of styles. One notable example was Luo Tianyus military camp. Song Jian believed that Luo Tianyus safe house was built into a military camp model because he acquired a special building blueprint. As long as it doesnt affect the upgrade of Manor Castle, its fine, Song Jian said indifferently. The Magic Tower was a special building in the territory, and the material, the Magic Source Stone, was incredibly precious. Song Jian knew that a single Magic Tower could make players trying to upgrade their safe houses desperate. As for the special building blueprints of the Magic Tower, they were rare treasures. Even if they appeared in the auction house, Song Jian wouldnt be able to afford them, let alone other players. Even if someone had a special building blueprint for the Magic Tower, constructing it would probably be very difficult, at least ten times harder than building an ordinary Magic Tower. If it slowed down the safe house upgrade, Song Jian would rather not go through the trouble. Hearing that Song Jian had no complaints, George finally breathed a sigh of relief. In his heart, the safe house upgrade was the top priority, so he immediately began building the Magic Tower after Song Jian took out the Magic Source Stone. Master, the Magic Tower will take three working days to build. Once its completed, should we upgrade the Manor Castle immediately? housekeeper George asked. h Upgrade it right away! Song Jian nodded in agreement. Song Jian delegated many safe house authorities to George, but George still sought Song Jians opinion on important matters. George nodded and left. Song Jian glanced at the New Media Library and then at the Book of the Abyss in his hand, letting out a sigh. The task of the Cecilia Priest had been hanging on him and had never shown failure, but Song Jian couldnt return the Book of the Abyss to the library as a task item anymore. After all, the Book of the Abyss was now a Dark Gold Quality equipment. Cecilia would not be generous enough to give Song Jian the Dark Gold Quality equipment as a task reward. I wonder how my follower Ya is doing now! Song Jian glanced at the follower interface, where both Ya and Wallace were in an unsummonable state. Song Jian looked at his level and then at a black pillar of smoke in the distance. If I cant fight large Abyss Territories, can I still fight small Abyss Demon Caves? Song Jian thought to himself. As Song Jian was about to head towards the nearest Abyss Demon Cave, a noisy sound suddenly erupted from the edge of his territory. Song Jian frowned and looked in that direction, only to see a team of dozens of people slowly approaching his territory. This team was composed of more than ten large caravans pulled by huge, but gentle Kodo beasts. The drivers of the caravans had weather-beaten faces and exhaustion written all over them. A few performers dressed as clowns were playing with rattle drums, making pleasant music while singing and dancing, attracting a crowd of onlookers. It seems like a circus troupe? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he noticed large cages at the back of the caravan, holding tigers, lions, bears, and other beasts. These animals had lost their ferocity and lay lazily in their cages. Even when poked by children with sticks, they would just lazily brush them away without getting angry. The team stopped at th edge of Song Jians territory, where a large area was just grassland without any buildings. As soon as the caravan stopped, several people jumped off and began unloading things and setting up tents. Are they crazy? In this apocalyptic-themed game, theres a circus troupe wandering around performing shows? Arent they afraid of being swallowed by monsters in the wild? Song Jian was dumbfounded, feeling like everything happening in front of him was like an illusion. All he could confirm now was that everyone in the circus troupe was an NPC in the game, and there were no players present. At that moment, a beastman with a full-faced beard jumped off one of the caravans. This beastman seemed very old, with a wrinkled face and a broken tusk protruding from his mouth. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian couldnt sense any aggressive aura from this beastman, who seemed harmless with a friendly smile on his face. However, Song Jian didnt dare to underestimate him, because this beastman was at a higher level than him! Level 30,1 wonder if hes passed the first-class Combat Power assessment, Song Jian thought to himself. When Song Jian looked at the members of the circus troupe again, he was even more shocked. Over half of them had reached level 30. Several performers painted as clowns and making funny expressions were putting on a show for the oncoming crowd. These clowns were actually first- class thieves by profession. These people they all have the ability to level my territory! Beads of sweat formed on Song Jians forehead. Seeing Song Jian, the elderly beastmans eyes lit up, and he quickly approached. He took off his worn-out cowboy hat and bowed respectfully to Song Jian, saying, Honorable lord, I am Hakus Stanley from the Northern Wastelands, offering my sincerest blessings to you! Song Jian stared at the beastman in front of him and asked, Who are you and why have you come to my territory? Honorable lord! The beastman Hakus had a flattering smile on his face, not looking down on Song Jian even though his level was much lower, and his tone was humble: We are a wandering circus troupe, the Shadow Circus Troupe, originally planning to perform in the City of Sin, but as we passed by, we wanted to rest here for a while and provide some interesting shows for your people! Shadow Circus Troupe? Song Jian looked at the people who were busily setting up tents, his face thoughtful. Chapter 469: 469: Increasing Favorability Chapter 469: Increasing Favorability People in the Shadow Circus Troupe are mainly professionals, and theyre all high-level professionals, which is why they can enter Doomsday City with impunity. What Song Jian currently cares about the most is how this circus troupe managed to cross the black fog outside Doomsday City. It must be very dangerous in that patch of black fog. If not for a random system teleportation or having teleportation door technology, no NPC would be willing to enter Doomsday City through the black fog. However, this is just his first interaction with the Shadow Circus Troupe. The old beastman standing before him seems to be the troupe director, and since theyre performing near his region, there will be many chances for further encounters. He can ask questions later. After finishing his conversation with Hacus, Song Jian suddenly received a system notification: System: Your territory has attracted the Shadow Circus Troupe, the satisfaction of residents in your territory increases, and all NPCs will have their work efficiency increased by 30% during the stay of the Shadow Circus Troupe; Hint: The Shadow Circus Troupe is a hidden group within the game. Players could obtain numerous valuable items through it, so players should explore by themselves; Work efficiency increased by 30%? Many valuable items? Song Jian was slightly stunned as his gaze shifted to the constructing Magic Tower. Indeed, the efficiency of the dozen or so construction workers seemed to have significantly increased. Joy filled their faces and each of them brimmed with energy. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian decided to postpone his plans to explore the Abyss Demon Cave. From a distance, he regarded this strange circus troupe with a keen interest. It seemed like this circus troupe did not aim for profit. The performance venue they built was open, with no walls or fences, nor anything like a ticket booth. Anyone who was interested could come and go freely. By the time the circus troupe finished setting up their performance venue, it was already evening. All the NPCs in Song Jians territory started to rest. After changing their clothes, they walked towards the circus troupe in small groups; Only then did Song Jian realize how many NPCs were in his territory. From a distance, the number already exceeded one hundred. Moreover, the Shadow Circus Troupe didnt only attract NPCs from Song Jians territory. Even the NPCs from other players and those from several streets away were drawn in as well. This area had pretty much become a safe zone. Unknown to Song Jian when it started, no more NPCs were refreshing on the streets. But some resources would refresh inside the abandoned buildings. Every day, some low-level players would search for resources in the buildings. The performances of the circus troupe were splendid, prompting sighs of awe or laughter from the watching NPCs now and then. They clapped their hands enthusiastically. Song Jian observed them from the afternoon until he noticed that the troupe consisted of quite a number of rare professions. The Beast Tamer who performed animal training, the Flying Knife Master who performed masked knife-throwing, the highway knight performing stunts on a motorcycle through a ring of fire, they were all rare professions. If any players below level ten who hadnt undergone a profession change found out about this place, it would be a blessing for them. There were still many ordinary professions in the game. For every ten professions that one came into contact with, there would be only one or two rare professions. If they wanted to acquire a more powerful profession, they would have to try their luck in areas with higher-level monsters. Many players died in those high-level monster areas for this reason. The circus troupes performances went on until around ten oclock at night. They performed for six to seven hours straight. For the Shadow Circus Troupe that had just come to a new place, such a long performance was quite strenuous. I wonder how long theyll stay here? Song Jian watched the busy circus performers and pondered. Honorable Lord, what do you think of our performance? Old Beastman Hacus strolled over and asked with a smile. Song Jian glanced at Hacus. Hacus had just performed a magic trick, controlling five or six burning fireballs to dance around him. He even made several seemingly dangerous moves, causing the surrounding spectators to gasp in amazement. Excellent, a spectacular performance! Song Jian praised with a smile. At this moment, an idea flashed through his mind. He said to Old Beastman Hacus, As a token of my gratitude to the Shadow Circus Troupe, I would like to provide you with some provisions. As he spoke, Song Jian summoned his steward, George, and whispered a few words to him. Moments later, a group of NPCs brought a batch of food over. Most of the food was meat, with many pieces of bread and cakes as well. There were vast farms and a Livestock Pen in Song Jians territory, which provided more than enough food for self-sufficiency. This is marvelous, thank you, merciful Lord! Hacus expressed his gratitude with a look of appreciation. System: You have provided a large amount of food to the Shadow Circus Troupe, earning the gratitude of the Troupes leader, Hacus. Your relationship with the Shadow Circus Troupe has improved to a friendly status; As expected, giving gifts to NPCs is the best way to improve relations! Song Jian thought to himself. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After enhancing his relationship with the Shadow Circus Troupe to Friendly, Song Jian discovered while walking around the circus that the staff of the circus troupe would greet Song Jian when they noticed him. Some of them would even offer Song Jian a toast. The evening celebration entertained not only the members of the Shadow Circus Troupe but also the NPCs in Song Jians territory. After all, big celebrations like this were rarely held in his territory. The loyalty rating of many residents towards the territory increased by three to five points. It was a clear benefit for the NPCs to boost their loyalty towards their territory. Not only would they work harder normally, but NPCs with high loyalty would also fight back when the territory was invaded. To them, defending their territory meant defending their homes. In contrast, those NPCs with less loyalty would panic with aimless running or even flee when there was an invasion. The population was also a crucial element for a territory. If the NPCs started to flee as soon as a war broke out, it would impact the development of the territory. At night, Song Jian returned to Manor Castle. After absorbing the essence of the moon for fifteen minutes, he slowly opened his eyes. At this growth stage, his sense of touch was the most acute, so he suddenly felt a hint of coldness in the room. Swoosh~ The vertical eye on his forehead instantly opened, emitting a silver glow, and a semi-transparent figure appeared in the room. The Eye of Discernment? A hoarse voice echoed around the room. The once semi-transparent figure wavered like water and materialized out of thin air. Chapter 470: 470: Qi Yun Appears Again Chapter 470: Qi Yun Appears Again At this moment, a person wrapped in thick black cloth, with only a pair of eyes exposed, appeared in Song Jians room. The pupils of this persons eyes were as tiny as sesame seeds, surrounded by dead-white eyes. Regardless of it being late at night or even in broad daylight, being stared at by such eyes would make anyone feel a chilling sensation. The man in black stared at the vertical eye on Song Jians forehead without saying a word. It seemed that his interest in the vertical eye was much greater than in Song Jian himself. Who are you, and what do you want from me? Song Jian tensed up, staring at the man in black and asked. There was no information revealed about this man in black. It seemed that players could hide their information, just like Song Jian, who had nothing displayed above his head. However, Song Jian couldnt sense any players presence from the man in black. Instead, there was a gloomy feeling, as if suddenly possessing great power but unable to control it, unconsciously leaking energy. Such a situation would not happen to a player. Even if a player had an adventure and suddenly gained strength, they would master their power in a very short time and not give others this kind of feeling. Song Jian, dont you really recognize me? The man in black spoke, his voice rather hoarse, as if his throat was being gripped. The black cloth wrapped around his head began to unravel, controlled by a mysterious force. A pale, jade-like skull appeared in front of Song Jian. You are Song Jian slightly frowned. The man before him was not a real skeleton, but there wasnt a trace of flesh on him. The skin, which was emitting a faint white light and tightly covering his skull, made him look like a skeleton. You dont recognize me anymore, do you really not recognize me anymore, ah~ The man in black let out a miserable scream, sounding both angry and sad. There was a soft sound as the black cloth wrapped around the man disintegrated in an instant, revealing his body. He only wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt and pants. His exposed body, like his head, was wrapped in a crystal-clear skin that made him look like a skeleton. Hearing the other partys wailing, Song Jian suddenly felt it was familiar. In his memory, he seemed to have heard the other partys voice somewhere. You areQi Yun? Song Jians eyes widened as he looked at the monstrous Qi Yun in front of him and shouted. Qi Yun, Qi Yun, hahaha, thats my old name. I didnt expect you to remember A complicated expression appeared on Qi Yuns face as a gray tear rolled down from his eye. At that time, Qi Yun was forced to become Song Jians slave. However, for some reason, he broke the slave contract later. Song Jian thought Qi Yun had died, but he didnt expect him to turn into such a ghostly appearance. Did you use Zeus Shield Companys gene potions? Song Jian asked, staring at Qi Yun. Yes, I was in a coma at that time, but if I wanted to survive, I had to inject those gene potions. Fortunately, my luck wasnt bad. In the laboratory of that building, I got a perfect-quality Gene Modification Potion Qi Yun stared at Song Jian. Perfect quality Song Jian looked up and down at Qi Yuns current appearance. If someone said that Qi Yun had turned into a skeleton soldier, Song Jian wouldnt have doubted it. A perfect-quality gene modification potion turned you into this? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Hahaha, isnt this great? Invulnerable to swords and spears, possessing immense strength, a long life, and even the ability to control the power of shadow A strange smile appeared on Qi Yuns face, and a ball of shadow flame appeared in his raised right hand. In that flame, there were painful wails, as if countless souls were burning in it. At this point, Qi Yuns attributes slowly emerged above his head. Qi Yun, Level 26, Occupation: Shadow Priest, Vitality Points: 3200/3200, Spirit Points: 1500/1500 A Shadow Priest? I remember you werent Song Jian was surprised. He wanted Qi Yun to become his slave because Qi Yun was a healing priest who could help him recover his vitality. Unexpectedly, when they met again, not only had Qi Yuns appearance changed completely, but his occupation had also changed. All of these, I can thank you for. If it werent for you, I wouldnt have injected this perfect-quality gene modification potion, I wouldnt have possessed the Shadow Priests bloodline, and I wouldnt have met you again! Qi Yun roared loudly. So, you came here for revenge? Song Jian sneered. It was impossible to assassinate Song Jian here in his territory. Not to mention the ability to teleport anywhere within his domain, in Song Jians senses, the blood-stained, gloomy Alex had already woken up from his slumber. If anyone looked out the window at that time, the entire outer wall of the Manor Castle was filled with Alexs thick roots, which would attack Qi Yun instantly if he made any ill-intentions. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, the castle where Song Jian resided had become a cage, and it would be impossible to escape from it without special means. Revenge? Why would I want to take revenge on you? Qi Yun suddenly revealed a strange smile: If it werent for you, I wouldnt have such great power. I came to thank you! Is this how you show gratitude? Breaking into my bedroom quietly at night without my consent, just like an assassin? Song Jian laughed. Song Jian wouldnt believe a single word that Qi Yun said. If their positions were switched, Song Jian would want to kill himself immediately. I came to you to seek cooperation. If you help me, I can let go of all the past events! Qi Yun said seriously. Cooperation? What kind of cooperation do you need from me? You should know that your strength now far surpasses mine! Song Jian laughed. At the moment, Song Jian was only Level 22, and Qi Yun was six levels higher. In many peoples eyes, Qi Yun, who was four levels higher, had an overwhelming advantage over Song Jian. Moreover, Qi Yuns occupation as a Shadow Priest was no less inferior to Song Jians position as a Sword Controller. Before Qi Yun could speak, Song Jian suddenly looked outside the window: Is your target them, the Shadow Circus Troupe? Chapter 471: Shadow Crystal Chapter 471: Shadow Crystal On the first day the Shadow Circus Troupe appeared, Qi Yun also showed up. Song Jian couldnt help but suspect that there might be something Qi Yun wanted in the circus, or perhaps Qi Yun had already infiltrated the troupe and had been following their movements. How did you know? Qi Yun was taken aback, surprise showing in his eyes. Hehe, tell me, what is it in the circus that you want? Song Jian smiled slightly, sat down on a chair, and looked at Qi Yun as he spoke. Qi Yuns face darkened. Since he had injected the perfect quality Gene Modification Liquid, his strength had greatly increased, and his potential had also grown. The Gene Modification Liquid had unearthed and strengthened the most powerful genes in him. Originally possessing only a slight healing talent, Qi Yun had almost instantly gained the genetic talent of a Shadow Priest, greatly enhancing his power. Even now, he still couldnt fully control the immense energy within him. The actual purpose of this circus is to escort a Shadow Crystal to Dark Castle! Qi Yun hesitated for a long time before finally saying. Shadow Crystal? Dark Castle? Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. The name Dark Castle sounded oddly familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Are you talking about the level 30 dungeon, Dark Castle? Song Jian suddenly remembered and quickly asked. Dark Castle was located in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. In the City of Hymns, Song Jian had heard that the professionals of the city considered clearing Dark Castle a great honor. Dungeon? Qi Yun was puzzled, as if he hadnt heard the term before. Song Jian immediately realized that dungeon was a term used only by players. In the game, NPCs called them secret realms. Secret realm, I meant secret realm! Song Jian said. Thats right. This circuss true destination is the Dark Castle secret realm. They want to deliver this Shadow Crystal to the Dark Castle! Qi Yun said, My goal is the Shadow Crystal! Why do they want to transport the Shadow Crystal to Dark Castle? Song Jian suddenly asked. This is the circuss highest secret. Do you think I would know? Besides, what does it have to do with me? I just need that Shadow Crystal! Qi Yun cracked a smile and said. Whats in it for me if I help you? Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun, summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and placed it horizontally on his lap. Seeing the sword, Qi Yuns eyes showed a cautious look. He hadnt expected Song Jians strength to have increased so quickly. If he hadnt inherited the bloodline abilities of the Shadow Priest, he might not even have had the qualifications to stand before Song Jian. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What do you want? Equipment? Skills? Treasures? Qi Yun stared at Song Jian, asking, Everything you want is in the Shadow Circus Troupe. If you can wipe them all out, everything in the troupe can be yours. And I just want the Shadow Crystal! Hehe, you can leave now. Song Jian sneered, his eyes suddenly sharpening. Whoosh~ A thick tree root broke through the window, turning into a giant python that hissed deeply at Qi Yun. Boom! The shadow energy on Qi Yuns body suddenly erupted, creating a phantom of a giant beast around him. Its eyes turned into a ghost-like green flame. Youll regret this~ Qi Yuns hoarse voice had a chilling undertone. Do you believe I can prevent you from leaving this room? Song Jian laughed, standing up and gripping the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hands. Qi Yun was immediately speechless. This was Song Jians territory, and if Song Jian really didnt want to let him go, he could definitely keep him here! Qi Yun didnt dare to continue talking, snorted coldly, turned into a cloud of black mist, and disappeared. Alex, if you see him again in the castle, just attack! Song Jian, touching the tree roots beside him, whispered softly. At this time, Alex had fully mutated, and even the surface of his tree roots was covered with black scales, emitting a metallic luster. Honored, master! A resounding voice came from the courtyard. Alexs roots were actually spread throughout the area centered on Manor Castle, covering a radius of dozens of meters. After this incident, Alex had memorized Qi Yuns aura, and if Qi Yun dared to step into the castle again, Alex would definitely be alerted. The Shadow Crystal must be of great help to Qi Yun C just by looking at his occupation, one could tell. Qi Yun, the Shadow Priest, would undoubtedly resort to any means necessary to obtain shadow power. But for Song Jian, he had no idea what the Shadow Crystal could be used for. Moreover, what he wanted to know the most now was the relationship between the Shadow Crystal and Dark Castle, and what exactly the Shadow Circus Troupe intended to do with the Shadow Crystal. To think that he wants me to go provoke the Shadow Circus Troupe, thats insane! Doesnt he know how powerful this circus is? Idiot! Song Jian muttered, staring at the still brightly lit circus camp in the distance. The next morning, Song Jian found that more and more players came to visit the circus. Various tasks could be taken from the Shadow Circus Troupe, from supplying materials to hunting monsters, and the rewards were quite good. The arrival of the Shadow Circus Troupe had attracted more and more players after just a day. What excited Song Jian the most was that many players became interested in his Alliance of Warfare and started contacting him to join. After all, the territory of his alliance seemed huge to the players, and such a large territory meant that the alliance must have formidable strength. Song Jian left the recruitment of new alliance members to Wang Qi and the others, and recruits had to go through strict scrutiny. Strolling through the Shadow Circus Troupe, Song Jian saw various amusement facilities open even though there were no performances at the moment. The troupe members also took the opportunity to sell small souvenirs, and there were even chances to take photos with wild animals such as tigers and lions. Kind Lord, welcome to the circus. Hacus suddenly appeared beside Song Jian, always wearing a friendly smile. Just looking around. Song Jian laughed. He wanted to see if he could sense where the circus had hidden the Shadow Crystal, but found nothing after walking around. If it werent for Qi Yun telling him the night before, Song Jian might not even have thought about it. As for the use of the Shadow Crystal, Song Jian was completely clueless. However, he was certain that the Shadow Crystal was definitely a treasure. Chapter 472: Epic Level Task Chapter 472: Epic Level Task Song Jian stared at the elderly beastman in front of him. It looked about seventy or eighty years old, its face wrinkled, adorned with a kind smile. From him, Song Jian could sense no air of a strong warrior, yet he knew that this elderly beastman might be the most powerful person in the entire circus troupe. To manage such a large circus troupe, more than half of which are professionals, some even having grade-one combat power, this old beastman is certainly not as simple as he appears, thought Song Jian. My Lord, do you know, our journey has been extremely difficult, with the wilderness teeming with monsters and plagued by bandits. I recall one time when we were passing through the Desolate Mountain Range, we encountered over a dozen bandits, they were vicious, The old beastman started prattling on about the troupes experiences on the road while casually scrutinizing Song Jian. After listening for a few minutes, Song Jian noticed Hacus showing no signs of ending his ramblings, which prompted him to furrow his brows; he didnt have time for the old beastmans idle chatter. Besides, Song Jian noticed that while the other man was speaking, he kept subtly sizing him up as though he had something to say. By fog grass, is this guy trying to give me a task? Song Jian thought, watching Hacus appear to struggle to articulate his words. Hacus, is there anything I can help you with? Song Jian raised the question using standard task-undertaking parlance. Hacus felt he was running out of things to say. Hed even recounted his childhood story about nearly drowning while catching fish in the pond, and yet, the other man seemed not to be catching on at all. Right when Hacus was thinking about how to subtly pass the task onto Song Jian, Song Jian finally asked the question signaling readiness to undertake a task. For Hacus, these words were a godsend. Hahaha, Lord, I do have an epic task that I wish for you to undertake! Hacus laughed out loud, speaking in the quietest voice possible. What, an epic task? Song Jian was taken aback. He knew the rewards for epic tasks were usually epic items. A player being assigned an epic task wasnt short of divine favor. Given the tier of this task, Song Jian naturally couldnt resist and quickly asked, Troupe Leader Hacus, could you please elaborate on the task? Lord, do you know why we decided to stay in your domain? Hacus asked. Didnt you say yesterday that you wanted to rest a while before moving on? Was that not the case? Song Jian asked, raising an eyebrow. Of course, haha, of course it is. You know, journeying is a particularly strenuous task, and its an honor to rest in your domain for a while! Hacus hastily said. However, on our journey, a large Demonized Ant Group blocked our way, and I hope, my Lord, that you could help us kill all those Demonized Ants! I see, but why dont you make this a public task? The more people undertake the task, the higher the chances of success, right? Song Jian asked curiously. Sorry, my Lord, as you know, the perimeter of the city has the protection of the divine. One or two people can use artifacts to navigate through the fog, but if there are too many, they will undoubtedly encounter misfortune in the mist Hacus shook his head. At present, with our capabilities, we can only allow one person to pass through the fog surrounding the city! What, youre capable of enabling people to pass through the outer fog? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise: Are you sure that you can traverse through the fog rather than opening a teleportation gate? Lord, opening a teleportation gate requires specific coordinates. Our entrance into the city also involved sending one person in first, then opening the teleportation device to allow others to enter! Hacus explained. Could I ask how many members the Demonized Ant Group has, and whats their maximum combat power? Song Jian hesitated for a moment before asking. Song Jian knew that there were many in the circus troupe who were higher in level and stronger than him, and yet Hacus was offering the task to him. He wasnt sure what Hacus was playing at. If he couldnt figure it out, even if it was an epic task, Song Jian wouldnt accept it. After all, no treasure was worth more than his own life. My Lord, there are many ants in the Demonized Ant Group, at least a thousand, each one above level twenty-five, and among them, there is a level-thirty elite boss. Their Ant King possesses grade-one combat power! Hacus said seriously. Hacus had a clear understanding of the strength of this Ant Group. In fact, within this ant colonys cave, two level-thirty bandit NPCs had met their untimely end. Only one grade-one combatant boss? Why are you afraid, then? With the strength of your circus troupe, you should be able to easily wipe out such a group. Isnt that right? Song Jian asked in surprise. He had seen more than one professional in the circus troupe with grade-one combat power. How could such a group fear a Demonized Ant Group? Was Hacus joking? Well Im sorry, the people in our troupe cant make a move. They um they have other tasks to fulfill Hacus looked uncomfortable, as if there was some secret he wasnt sharing. Just as Song Jian was about to press on, the system issued a sudden warning; System: Beware, your questioning has probed into the core secret of the Shadow Circus Troupe. Continuing to question may cause Troupe Leader Hacus of the Shadow Circus Troupe to become hostile! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hostile? Song Jian was taken aback. Suddenly, he remembered the Shadow Crystal Qi Yun had mentioned the night before. Could the high combat power individuals in the circus troupe be protecting the Shadow Crystal, hence they cant fight the Demonized Ant Group? But isnt there only one grade-one combat power Ant King in that group? With so many grade-one combat power individuals in the circus troupe, it would be a walkover to kill the group and it wouldnt conflict with protecting the Shadow Crystal, would it? Song Jian was at a loss, but seeing Hacuss troubled expression, he knew he couldnt pursue it further, so he quickly said, Hacus, Im willing to take this task, to eliminate the Demonized Ant Group! Upon hearing Song Jians words, Hacuss eyes lit up, and immediate joy washed over him. He patted Song Jians shoulder and said, Haha, I knew you would take this task. You will forever be a friend to the Shadow Circus Troupe! Chapter 473: 473: Concealment Ring Chapter 473: Concealment Ring System: You have obtained the epic quest Eradicate the Clan, task content, to hunt and stop the Demonized Ant Group of the Dark Night Circus; Task target: Demonized Worker Ants: 0/500, Demonized Soldier Ants: 0/100, Demonized Ant King: 0/3; Task reward: Epic Treasure Chest (1); Upon accepting the task, Song Jian looked at the epic task description in his taskbar and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He had initially prepared himself to fight against an Ant King with the first level of combat power, but he hadnt expected that the task target was actually three Ant Kings! Are you sure there is only one Demonized Ant Clan there? Song Jians face suddenly turned ugly. Definitely. It is detailed information that I obtained at the cost of two lives! The old beastman, Hacus, said confidently. Although those two sacrificed professionals hadnt reached the first level of combat power, hardly anyone rivaled them in stealth and reconnaissance. But why does my task involve hunting three Demonized Ant Kings? Song Jian said a bit angrily. Players cant display task contents like NPCs can; otherwise, Song Jian would surely throw this task in the face of this old beastman. Impossible! As a clan, Demonized Ants would have only one Ant King. Even if another Ant King were born, the new Ant King would leave the clan to establish its own. Its never possible to find two Ant Kings in one clan, let alone three Hacus nearly jumped up, shouted loudly. What Song Jian said went against common sense and seemed unbelievable to Hacus. Youre deceiving me. I think the constitution of this task violates the principle of fairness and equity. Im going to ask the system gods to cancel this task! Song Jian said seriously. No, no, please, dont do that. Hacus was shocked and hastily stopped him. Ill compensate you. Ill compensate you in a way that will certainly satisfy you! Hacus took out a light blue ring from his chest and handed it to Song Jian with an expression of loss. This is the Concealment Ring. It was originally just on loan to you, but now, as compensation, its yours. With it, you have the ability to enter the Protection Black Mist freely Concealment Ring (Blue), an item of level 20. Equipment effect: Gains invisibility, can converge all traces, rendering one undetectable. Once hostility is shown towards a target, the invisibility effect disappears. Item description: This ring is an alchemical item and needs to recharge every use, with an automatic recharge time of 12 hours. Equipment requirements: 10 Spirit Points. Song Jian took the ring and saw that a golden gem was embedded in it. In the center of the gem was a vertical slit, like a crack, resembling an eyeball. Song Jian was about to put on the ring for a try when Hacus immediately stopped him. Once the ring is used, it needs 12 hours to cool down. I suggest you get ready and put it on when entering the Protection Black Mist. Song Jian nodded, put away the ring, and Hacus seemed to heave a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, We cant stay here for too long. You have at most three days to complete this task. This is the location of the Demonized Ant Clan. Just follow the instructions on it, and you will find them soon. Having said that, Hacus handed Song Jian a piece of beast skin, marking the route to the Demonized Ant Clan. Song Jian glanced at it and put it into his pack. It simply marked the direction to Doomsday City and the location of the Demonized Ant Group. From this map, the Demonized Ant Clan was not far from Doomsday City, probably less than a kilometer away. The task only lasts for three days? The time is quite tight Watching the old beastman leave, Song Jian murmured to himself. After Song Jian accepted the task, Hacus just left. For him, protecting the Shadow Crystal was the priority. Soon after Song Jian left the circus, Hacus went to another player, coughed twice, and said to the player with a solemn face, Brave warrior, I see that you are quite strong. I have an epic task here. I wonder if you are interested Song Jian did not know that Hacus had issued this so-called epic task to many players. As long as Hacus thought their power had reached a certain level, he would issue this task to them. After all, the task reward would ultimately belong to only one person. And the more people who accepted the task, the lower the probability of completing it. Song Jian quickly reached the edge of the city and looked at the rolling black mist in front of him, which surrounded Doomsday City like a wall. The closer to the black mist, the more fear and terror he felt. This was not a bad effect, but it could trigger the deepest fear in peoples hearts. Even the profession with the lowest spirit perception could feel the danger in the black mist. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian solemnly put on the Concealment Ring that Hacus gave him. To wear this ring, Song Jian had specifically removed the Ring of the Fire God. He now had two rings of gold quality. The Ring of the Fire God focused on attack power, and the other, Ring of Blood, focused on defense. It could activate a Bloody Shield with a defense of one thousand, during passing through this black mist, Song Jian obviously focused on defense. After putting on the Concealment Ring, Song Jians figure vanished on the spot. Even Song Jian himself felt as if his body had become somewhat translucent. With all smells and traces completely wrapped up by a layer of invisible mysterious power, not a bit was leaked. Even stepping on the grass, the weeds didnt bend, as if he had turned into an energy body. In Song Jians status bar, there appeared a concealed status, which could last as long as Song Jian didnt initiate an attack. This feeling was quite special. The instant he turned invisible, Song Jian no longer felt the oppression and fear caused by the Protection Black Mist ahead. After turning invisible, Song Jian slowly walked into the black mist. Soon, his figure was swallowed by the thick black mist. Not long after Song Jian left, several players arrived at the edge of the city. Staring at the black mist that seemed to be alive and constantly rolling, they all showed fear on their faces. They clenched their fingers with the Concealment Ring, turning their finger joints somewhat white, and their faces drenched in sweat. Even their bodies couldnt stop shaking. Does this ring really work? Cao Shuis heart was pounding violently. He felt that there was a tremendous threat hidden in the black mist, as if a giant beast was opening its mouth wide to trap them. This is an epic task. The reward is an epic chest. It might be the first epic item in the game. If you guys are scared, just cancel the task and go back. Fan Jin, a warrior, looked at the others with disdain. He snorted, put on the Concealment Ring, and walked towards the black mist. Chapter 474: 474: Protection Black Mist Chapter 474: Protection Black Mist What kind of crappy mission is this that disallows teaming up, damn it. What if all other monsters have been gathered, but there is one modifying worker ant missing, am I supposed to cry? After glancing at the others, Lv Pei put on the Concealment Ring and said to the other players, Im out, good luck!. Watching the players vanish one after another with their rings, Cao Shui thought of the epic treasure chest mission reward, gritted his teeth, and put on the Concealment Ring. After sensing the changes in his body, Cao Shui, bracing his fear, headed into the black fog step by step. Soon, all players were in the black fog. Song Jian moved slowly within the black fog. In the black fog, his sense of direction seemed entirely lost, the grass beneath his feet turned into gravel land after a few meters of progress. In the dense fog, he could barely see his fingers even with the vertical eye, only able to see about five meters around him. There seemed to be a strong interference here, blocking the sensory perception of the players. How big is this black fog, how long do I have to walk to get out? As Song Jian carefully groped forward, he started to talk to himself. He was unaware that several players were entering the Protection Black Mist like him. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a rumble in the distance. The ground was slightly trembling, as if a giant was approaching him. Although he had concealed his form, Song Jian froze up instantly, standing in place without daring to move. Before long, he saw a robust skeletal foot stepping down from mid-air. As the foot landed, the ground trembled violently, leaving an imprint nearly ten meters deep. Song Jian looked up to see a giant skeletal figure faintly visible in the mid-air. It reminded him of the giant skeleton he had once seen from afar on a night in Doomsday City. The skeleton is right in the Protection Black Mist. I havent seen it since that time! Song Jian exclaimed. The gigantic skeleton was less than ten meters away from Song Jian. Looking up, Song Jian could only see the two skeletal legs, and nothing above the waist. Standing still, Song Jian felt the giant skeleton slowly distancing from him. Still, just when it was about to leave, it suddenly stopped and picked up a giant Skeleton Longbow from behind and shot a bone arrow towards where Song Jian was. The bone arrow, full of jagged barbs and piercing through the air, was as hefty as a siege crossbow, measuring about twelve to thirteen meters in length. The arrow tore open the Protection Black Mist, revealing a giant passage with a diameter greater than five meters, forcing Song Jian to step back a few paces involuntarily. Bang! The arrow hit the ground at an extremely high speed, causing a loud explosion. Song Jian heard a terrified gasp from behind him, but the sound quickly faded. There are people behind me The look of surprise spread across Song Jians face. He didnt expect to find that there were living beings inside the Protection Black Mist. Cao Shui was trembling as he gazed at a deep pit less than three meters away from him. A bone arrow, the size of a pillar, was stuck in the middle of the pit. The pit was full of blood and chunks of flesh and bone. He had witnessed a fellow player who had entered the black fog with him get instantly killed by the arrow, leaving not a single intact body behind. Cao Shui covered his mouth, forcing back the urge to retch, trying to push away the image of his companions body exploding. But a wave of nausea still whitened his face. The person before had been too nervous and wet his pants, which the giant skeleton had noticed, resulting in his demise. Cao Shui knew if he vomited, he would share the same fate. The Concealment Ring couldnt save his life. The players who had accepted the task stood motionless in place, maintaining a distance of at least seven to eight meters from each other, afraid of drawing the attention of the cataclysmic skeleton and endangering themselves. Boom, boom, boom~ The shaking of the earth slowly died down as the giant skeleton distanced itself. Cao Shui fell hard on the ground, feeling a violent wave of nausea. He couldnt contain the lunch he had earlier any longer and threw up. Seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of game monsters killed by Cao Shui, and none of them died as terribly as this. The pungent smell of blood coming from the pit made him want to vomit. He crawled away quickly. A few players moved close to the pit, seeing the bone arrow stuck in the middle of the pit, which was emitting a heavy smell of blood. Their faces turned pale. They could imagine what had happened here, even if they hadnt seen it themselves. This, this is too gruesome Lv Pei glanced into the pit and dared not look again, speaking in a frightened tone. Lets get out of here fast. This place is too dangerous. Id rather fight with a level-thirty Ant King than see that massive skeleton again someone whispered and quickly ran away. Song Jian also started perspiring profusely. Hed seen that arrow clearer than anyone else, and its image kept replaying in his brain. If that arrow had been aimed at me, could I have escaped or defended myself? Song Jian wondered, and the conclusion sent a chill down his spine. If he had indeed been the target of the arrow, there was no doubt hed be dead. The arrow had targeted all of the players breath entirely. Even as a bystander, I couldnt move a muscle, then how could the target of the arrow dodge or resist? Song Jian thought. Shaking his head, Song Jian tried to forget the scene. The giant skeleton was too powerful. Compared to it, Song Jian felt the gap between them was like an ant to a Giant Dragon. There was no comparison at all. I need to leave here as soon as possible. This place is too dangerous. Even with the Concealment Ring, its not a hundred percent safe. Song Jian thought and quickened his pace. After another two hundred meters, Song Jian suddenly saw a flicker of light from the corner of his eye and instinctively froze, standing still. The Protection Black Mist was fraught with peril, and Song Jian was on high alert. Anything unusual immediately made him pause and assume a defensive posture. Chapter 475: 475: Legendary Herbs Chapter 475: Legendary Herbs What is that thing? Song Jian turned his head and looked into the distance. His current field of vision was only within a radius of five meters, and that was due to the vertical eye on his forehead. Otherwise, in this black mist, even his perception was compressed to a minimum. A player who entered this area could see only the surroundings within less than a meter. Song Jian stared in the direction where the glittering light had just flashed. Shortly, another burst of light flashed very quickly. If Song Jian hadnt been staring in that direction, it would have been difficult for him to notice. After some hesitation, Song Jian slowly moved towards the position of the flashing light. In no time, Song Jian saw a verdant plant about a foot high growing on a desolate land filled with rubble. This plant was jade-green all over as if carved out of jadeite. It had only seven leaves from top to bottom. The entire plant emitted a faint green glow, which resisted the invasion of the surrounding black mist. The black mist around it, constantly transforming into tentacles, attempted to uproot this plant but ended up being shattered by the plants glowing surface. The green glow on the surface of the plant was very faint. Beyond a distance of one meter, no one would notice the plant. However, after every certain period, a palm formed from the surrounding black mist would emerge and try to slap the plant as if it wished to destroy it completely. At such times, the whole plant would emit dazzilng light that shattered the black hand. What Song Jian had seen earlier was the plant emitting that bright light. Seven Stars Shard (Legendary), Herbal plant, Harvestable, Usability: 1. One of the main ingredients to make Pill of Tribulation; 2. When used on pets, it can significantly enhance their potential; 3. Successful harvest can directly increase the Medicine Gathering Skill by one level; Harvest requirements: Gathering Skill Level 7; Damn, a legendary herb After reading the attributes of this herb, Song Jian could not help but catch his breath. He had never seen a legendary herb before. Unexpectedly, for the first time, he discovered one in the Protection Black Mist. Moreover, harvesting this herb required the Medicine Gathering Skill to be at level seven. It was a rarity for ones Medicine Gathering Skill to reach level seven. Even Song Jian only had a Medicine Gathering Skill level of five. Luckily, I have the gear to compensate for my lack of level! Song Jian pulled out a spade from his inventory and equipped it. This spade was a silver-quality spade that Song Jian had obtained, known as the Purple Bamboo Spade. It was quite powerful, with attributes like Increase Medicine Gathering Speed by 40%, Medicine Gathering Success Rate +8, and most importantly, Medicine Gathering Skill Level +2. After equipping the Purple Bamboo Spade, Song Jian met the requirements to harvest this herb. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The moment Song Jian swung the Purple Bamboo Spade and started digging the ground, a light blue progress bar appeared in front of him. Tenten minutes? To harvest this herb, it takes ten minutes? Song Jian felt surprised. This was the time after increasing the gathering speed by 40%. Normally, it took him only a few seconds to gather herbs. As expected of a legendary quality herb The progress bar moved slowly. Song Jian dared not move while maintaining his herb-gathering posture. Although the Purple Bamboo Spade provided a +8 Medicine Gathering Success Rate, Song Jians Medicine Gathering Skill barely met the requirement for gathering the Seven Stars Shard, hence it did not guarantee 100% harvesting success. Just as the progress bar was about to finish, Song Jian suddenly heard the voices of a few players behind him. The light I just saw was in this direction Be careful, this Black Mist is too strange. Be careful with your life, it could be some powerful monster I dont think so, its probably a treasure. Lets go take a look. Fortune favors the brave. If youre scared, dont follow us! Yes, this place has never been entered by players before. If there is a treasure, it makes sense. We are the first batch of players to enter here. If we miss the treasure by chance, wont we regret it to death Song Jians heart sank as he glanced at the progress bar which indicated that he had more than fifty seconds left for successful harvesting. In no time, Song Jian saw about six players emerging slowly from the left side. All of these players were above level twenty. Judging by their gear, they were quite powerful, and among players, they were considered the cream of the crop. See, I told you there was a treasure, and you didnt believe me one player pointed to the Seven Stars Shard herb and exclaimed excitedly. Mist Weed, a legendary-ranked herb! someone cried out in astonishment. Heh, buddy, finders keepers. You cant monopolize this herb Stop talking and attack him. Interrupt his gathering! Right, right, we cant let him succeed! All at once, the players pulled out their long-range weapons and aimed at Song Jian. They only used normal attacks, without using any skills, as they merely wanted to stop Song Jian from gathering, not kill him. If they had really used skills, they would become mortal enemies with Song Jian, which would result in a fight to the death; Thirty-six seconds left Song Jian could feel the ill-intention from these players. Seeing them raise their weapons towards him, Song Jian was taken aback. Abyssal Phantom! With a thought, a semi-transparent, grey shadow appeared beside Song Jian. The blurry figure was similar to Song Jian in stature and wore identical gear. During the gathering process, Song Jian could not suffer any damage, or else it would interrupt the gathering. Once the gathering of ordinary herbs was interrupted, it could cause irreversible damage to the herb. If the gathering of this legendary herb was interrupted, there was a high chance of it being ruined; The gear on the Abyssal Phantom matched Song Jians exactly, but it was mere appearance without any attributes. If the Abyssal Phantom could also copy the attributes of Song Jians gear, that would be way too overpowered. Thud, thud, thud~ Several attacks were shot at Song Jian, but they were all blocked by the Abyssal Phantom. Instantly, the phantoms 1000 vitality points decreased by more than half. To serve as Song Jians shield, the phantom couldnt move or dodge, and so had to bear all the attacks; Keep attacking, lets burst this thing first! someone yelled, the muzzle of his gun started emanating a dazzling red light. The players were blinded by the legendary herb, and all they could think about was gaining the treasure. While they were attacking, they failed to realize that once they attacked a target, or were damaged themselves, the effect of the Concealment Ring would dissipate; As they were jointly attacking Song Jians phantom, they didnt notice that their figures had already begun to appear gradually; Crack~ A faint cracking sound echoed, but it was drowned out by the roar of their attacks; Song Jian nervously watched the last bit of the progress bar, turned back to look at those players, his eyes gradually sharp. Chapter 476: 476: Sending to Death Chapter 476: Sending to Death Bang! With the combined fire of five people, the Abyssal Phantom finally could not withstand the attacks. Its Vitality Points were depleted, and its body shattered like a bubble. Just as Song Jian saw the progress bar reach its end, a crisp ding sounded in his ear. Without even looking at the system prompt, he shoved the Seven Stars Shard into his inventory and quickly rolled away from his standing position. Whiz-whiz~. Several bullets pierced the ground where Song Jian had just stood, raising clouds of dust. Kill him! Thats a legendary-quality herb! It can definitely enhance physical abilities! Cao Shui gritted his teeth and shouted loudly. It was well known among players that certain special herbs could improve their attributes. Not to mention a legendary-quality herb, even a gold or silver-quality one could increase a players attributes by one or two points. The attributes enhanced by a legendary-quality herb would, of course, be much higher. The pursuit of self-improvement was the primary goal for players, especially since enhanced physical abilities could be brought back to the real world. Who wouldnt want to become a superhero in reality? Is this really a good idea? Some hesitated, sensing that Song Jian was not weak. Hes just one person, and we are five! Whats there to be afraid of? Follow me! If he doesnt hand over that herb, he wont be able to leave this Black Mist! After a brief discussion, the players formed a temporary alliance. Initially, they didnt intend to kill Song Jian but merely disrupt his gathering so they could negotiate ownership of the herb together. However, Song Jian proceeded to gather the herb without offering any benefits, which left the five players feeling unjustly treated. Song Jian glanced at the Seven Stars Shard in his inventory. It was in good condition, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked back. The dense black mist obstructed his vision, making it impossible to see the positions of the five players. Song Jian felt an impulse to charge in and kill them all, but considering his current situation, he quickly dismissed the thought as if being doused by a bucket of cold water. After a moment of contemplation, Song Jian turned around and dashed forward. If he wanted to take revenge, he would have to leave this area first. The five players, including Cao Shui, were unaware that their concealment had worn off. They slowly crept forward, assuming that Song Jian also wanted to retaliate after being besieged for so long. Huh? How can I see all of you now? A player suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Earlier, while attacking Song Jian, the five had deliberately huddled together, making them aware of each others presence but invisible to each other. However, now they could see one another. Damn, my concealment effect is gone One person cried out in shock. So is mine, and my Concealment Ring is broken and unusable. What now? We shouldnt have attacked him earlier. What if we encounter that monster again? None of us will be able to escape. The players immediately panicked and started running without targeting Song Jian. After exchanging glances, they sprinted desperately forward. Gulu-gulu~ As the players sprinted, the ground suddenly began to shift, with debris rolling around. Pulled together by a mysterious force, the rocks fused to form gigantic stone monsters seven or eight meters tall. As Cao Shui ran desperately forward, a shrill scream from his left made him shudder. He continued running forward, stumbling and falling several times, his nose and face bruised and swollen, but not daring to slow down. Suddenly, Cao Shui saw a shadow approaching from the front. In a panic, he held his weapon horizontally to block it. Bang! Cao Shui felt a powerful force hit him, and his weapon let out a piercing screech. A sharp pain traveled up both his arms. A seven- or eight-meter-tall stone monster charged toward Cao Shui, lifting its foot to stomp on him. A level-30 elite boss? Cao Shuis eyes widened in surprise. At least its not that huge skeleton from before. The earlier skeleton boss had made Cao Shui give up any thoughts of fighting back. However, though the stone monster was several levels above him, it did not instill that same sense of despair. Even if I cant beat it, I can still run. Cao Shui thought. But just as he had this thought, he found himself surrounded by seven or eight stone monsters, all trying to block his escape route. How did this happen Despair colored Cao Shuis face. He might have had the confidence to deal with a single level-30 elite boss, but the sheer quantity of bosses overwhelmed him. I shouldnt have attacked earlier! Cao Shui regretted his actions. Soon, he was engulfed by a swarm of stone monsters. If the Protection Black Mist wasnt covering the area, one could see from a birds-eye view that at least hundreds of stone monsters were frenziedly charging at the players who had lost their concealment effect. Upon hearing the rumbling sounds and the shrill death screams of her companions, Lv Pei was enveloped by a feeling of terror. She glanced at her shattered Concealment Ring, gritted her teeth, and took out a scroll from her inventory, tearing it open. Immediately, a blue light enveloped Lv Pei, who vanished from the spot in a flash of light. This was a Town Return Scroll she had earned from a quest, which could mark her location in her safehouse. If she encountered danger, tearing the scroll would instantly teleport her back to her safehouse. This was Lv Peis trump card, and she had never told anyone about it. Back at her safehouse, she panted heavily, her face full of fear. Before teleporting away, Lv Pei had seen more than a dozen seven- or eight-meter tall monsters rushing toward her. Had she been even a little slower and dragged into battle by those monsters, Lv Pei would have been stuck in the Protection Black Mist, unable to use the Town Return Scroll. As he ran forward, Song Jian heard the screams from behind him. He hesitated for a moment but quickly accelerated again. This was why Song Jian did not immediately seek revenge on the players. The Protection Black Mist was full of hidden dangers, and the slightest carelessness could cost him his life. This is an epic-tier quest. Did you really think it would be as easy as just killing monsters? Song Jian thought to himself as he continued running without looking back. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 477: 477: Demonized Worker Ant Chapter 477: Demonized Worker Ant Song Jian had been walking within the Protection Black Mist for over an hour. Only then did the dense mist began to fade away. The mist blanketed a vast area, blocking all detection methods and withheld powerful monsters. Without the Concealment Ring, it was impossible for Song Jian to escape this area based on his strength alone. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Finally made it out! Song Jian looked back anxiously at the swirling black mist. He would never have ventured into this region if not for this epic mission. It was far too dangerous. All the other players, who had accepted the same mission, had perished within the black mist. Their greed had caused the Concealment Ring to malfunction. However, this area was simply too dangerous for players of their level. Song Jian looked at the Concealment Ring and was surprised to notice another vertical scrape mark on it. The ring could only withstand another use. Damn it, I knew that old Beastman Hacus was too kind. This ring actually has a usage limit! Song Jian instantly became discontent. In fact, the ring gifted by Hacus to Song Jian was already exceptional. The Concealment Rings granted to other players could only be used once. Any anomaly would cause the ring to shatter, rendering it useless. After exiting the black mist and crossing a field, Song Jian finally saw a wide tarred road. However, the road was now covered in wild grass. If not for the abandoned cars left on the road, Song Jian might not have even noticed its existence. The nest of the Demonized Ant Group was near this road. By following this road, he was bound to encounter the Demonized Ants. Looking at the rusting scrapped cars, Song Jian lost all interest in scavenging for supplies. Generally, it was quite challenging to find supplies in the wilderness. Most materials had decayed under the exposure to the elements. Even equipment would have rusted and rotted from the weather, quickly becoming similar to these scrapped cars. But, out here, materials like herbs were incredibly abundant. As long as plants could grow, herbs were sure to be present. The higher level the area, the higher the quality of herbs that could be found. Along the journey, Song Jian gathered quite a number of herbs of blue-green quality. Although not very valuable, they were ideal for creating potions. What Song Jian found puzzling was the fact that he didnt encounter a single monster along his journey. It was widely known that even within Doomsday City, monsters ruled. The wilderness, being the natural Gathering Area of monsters, felt almost desolate. Only when Song Jian saw a wolf-sized ant dragging a monster ten times its size, did he realize that this entire area was claimed by the Demonized Ants. No other monsters could survive in their territory. Any that did dare enter were like the monster dragged by the ant, ending up as ant food. Finally running into a Demonized Worker Ant, Song Jian quickly whipped out his hand crossbow, shooting the ant. Despite being weakened by 80%, the crossbow bolt should still be sufficient to distract the ant. Flamed bolts shot towards the Demonized Worker Ant. The bolt was deflected, leaving behind a white mark on the thick ant shell. Watching as a -1 damage popped up above the ant, Song Jian was stunned. It actually didnt pierce the ants defense? This was merely a level 25 ordinary monster, there was no way Song Jian, even after reducing his damage by 80%, couldnt breach its defense! Upon being attacked, the Demonized Worker Ant immediately flared up in anger. It dropped the food it was carrying and charged at Song Jian. Its so fast! Song Jian thought to himself. He quickly summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and slashed towards the ants head. Clang! Song Jian felt a vibration within his arm as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword chipped off a large chunk of shell from the ants head. Despite being a normal attack, Song Jians attack was as potent as a two-hit attack from other players. Two instances of nearly 200-point damage floated up from the ants head. The Demonized Worker Ant had incredible defense, matching even level 30 monsters. Hitting it also caused a small counter shock. Over time, it would accelerate stamina consumption. The injured Demonized Worker Ant became even more aggressive, its robust jaws jittering, making a clashing sound. Song Jian stared at the serrated jaws of the Demonized Worker Ant, his expression changed. He really didnt want to directly experience the sensation of being clamped by those jaws. Sword Finger! Song Jian raised his left hand, a silvery Sword Qi shot forward, hitting the ants forehead. This sudden strike flopped the ant over. By the time it managed to struggle back to its feet, an ominous red long sword was already hurtling towards it from mid-air. The Demonized Worker Ant might have had a high defense, but it was still just a level 25 monster. When Song Jian got serious, a few sword techniques were all it took to slice this food hauling ant into two halves. Staring at the Demonized Worker Ant, its health had depleted, its body was sliced into two halves, but it was still twitching its antennae and jaws. Song Jian couldnt help but marvel, These giant ants are quite resilient. Are they even able to move after their health is fully depleted? Suddenly, a cluster of black flame engulfed the ant, fiercely burning. In no time, the ant was cleanly burned up to ash, leaving behind a palm-sized shell that shone with a black metallic luster. Upon killing the Demonized Worker Ant, no items were dropped. Initially, Song Jian felt a little disappointed but upon seeing the ant shell left behind after being burnt to ash by the demonic flame, his face lit up with excitement once more. Fine Quality Demonized Ant Shell (Blue Grade), Material, Usage Effect: Can be used to create Demonized Worker Ant Set. When constructing, there is a chance to increase the gear quality by one grade! Usage requirements: Forge Art Level 5. Demonized Worker Ant Set? Has a chance to increase grade by one? Doesnt this mean that I could create a silver-grade Demonized Worker Ant Set? thought Song Jian. One must know, an individual silver-grade piece of gear cannot compare to the attributes of a gold-grade gear. However, a complete set of silver-grade gear is much stronger than several pieces of gold-grade gear. If Song Jian could truly create a silver-grade Demonized Worker Set, his strength would surely skyrocket. However, to construct the set, he would need the corresponding blueprints. Plus, this small ant shell wasnt enough to complete a set. Song Jian stashed the blue-grade material into his bag, took a final look at the ants prey lying by the side of the road, and continued on his journey along the main road. Chapter 478: 478: Ant King Chapter 478: Ant King As he continued down the road, the number of demonic worker ants increased. These level 25 common monsters had great strength and high defense, but no other advantages. Unless surrounded by hundreds or thousands of them, they posed no threat to Song Jian. Throughout the afternoon, Song Jian hunted down these demonic worker ants. After killing several of them, Song Jian discovered that they didnt just drop materials, but also other items, albeit at a low drop rate. In the afternoon, Song Jian managed to kill more than a hundred demonic worker ants. Besides collecting over seventy blue-quality ant shell materials, he also obtained a silver-quality throwing knife, several dishes that could replenish Vitality Points during a battle, and two pieces of level 25 green-quality plate armor. The quantity might not be vast, but the quality was quite good, at least compensating for the effort he put. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although the demonic worker ants did not pose much of a threat to Song Jian, if their number exceeded five, he would have to pay a price to kill them all. As dusk fell and the surroundings became hazy, Song Jian hadnt noticed that the trees on both sides of the road have started rustling. The noise was akin to the sound of a spring silkworm munching on mulberry leaves, just ten times louder. After Song Jian killed another demonic worker ant and picked up the dropped materials, he checked his task counter. He had already killed more than a hundred and seventy demonic worker ants. To complete a task of killing five hundred, hed need another three to four days. Initially, Song Jian was worried about monster scarcity making it hard to complete the task, but he realized here that the demonic worker ants were overwhelmingly numerous, in thousands and tens of thousands. It would be impossible for Song Jian alone to eradicate the entire horde. No wonder the old Beastman offered this mission to so many players. What a shame, they didnt leave the Protection Black Mist. Otherwise, we might have formed an alliance Song Jian thought. However, if those players had truly left the black mist, Song Jian would probably be the first to attack them; if he even received the slightest damage within the black mist, the Concealment Ring would lose its effectiveness, and his fate would be no better than the other players. Swish Swish Swish~ Song Jian suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as if a massive threat was charging at him. Turning his head, dozens of demonic worker ants popped out from the trees around him. Behind these worker ants, there were larger ants, as big as calves and with wings on their back. Demonic soldier ants? Shit, have I already arrived at their nest? Song Jian was shocked. The crowd of demonic worker ants alone was too much for him, let alone the soldier ants. In a split second, Song Jian turned into a shadow and dashed towards the back. Sword Shadow Step! It could increase his movement speed by 35%, and had a 50% chance of evading ranged damage for 8 seconds! When the group of demonic worker ants saw that Song Jian was trying to escape, they sped up. Those demonic soldier ants flapped their wings and quickly flew towards him. The speed of the demonic soldier ants was too fast, like bombers swooping down from the air towards Song Jian. Song Jian immediately pulled out two high-explosive grenades from his inventory and threw them behind, which exploded mid-air. Two demonic soldier ants that were less than three meters away from Song Jian were capsized in the air. Two damage points of over two hundred appeared above their heads. On the ground, a carpet of densely-packed demonic worker ants was rushing towards Song Jian. In the air, dozens of soldier ants were shrieking eerily, trailing closely behind Song Jian, spurting out pools of corrosive liquid that carried a strong acidic smell. This specific attack called Acidic Splurge was a special ranged attack of the soldier ants, extremely powerful and corrosive. Even though it was slow, several tens of soldier ants attacking together gave Song Jian a feeling of being overwhelmed. He was hit twice in the back. Suddenly, intense pain surged from his back. Song Jian could feel that his defense equipment had completely failed, and the muscles on his back were nearly corroded away. Two damage points of over three hundred floated above Song Jians head, accompanied by the lasting effect of Acidic Corrosion, which would decrease his Vitality Points by 10 every second for 30 seconds. Song Jian stomped on the ground, his speed increased by a large margin instantly, leaving behind a white Ice Path. This was a life-saving skill from Song Jians gold-quality boots called Frost Sprint, which could increase speed by 100% for 10 seconds. When he used this move, almost all of the demonic ants got left behind. The ants Acidic Corrosion attacks that had been spat out towards him landed on the road instead, corroding it and forming holes. To kill the enemy, one must first injure oneself. Song Jian took out a high-level healing potion and gulped it down, replenishing his lost Vitality Points. However, he couldnt instantly mend his damaged equipment. The durability of Ghostly Leather Armor dropped from 100 points to 63 points, nearly halved. If he took a few more hits from the demonic soldier ants, his silver-quality armor would be completely ruined. Although the Ghostly Leather Armor was only a level 15 silver-quality armor, its properties and special effects were quite powerful. Song Jian was unwilling to replace it. If it got destroyed due to this mission, Song Jian would definitely have tremendous heartache. As Song Jian was sitting under a big tree to recover his vitality, he suddenly heard a terrifying roar of a beast coming from afar. Song Jian immediately stood up and rapidly climbed up the tall tree behind him to get a good look. In the middle of the wide road, a huge ant, over three meters tall and five meters long, demolished everything in its path just like a heavy armored tank. It casually tossed the abandoned vehicles parked by the road. Its jaws, over a meter long and glistening like metal, effortlessly snapped small cars in two. This giant ant was completely different from the worker ants and soldier ants previously encountered. Not considering its immensely larger body, just the thick layer of armor covering its body was enough to make anyone lose confidence in fighting against it. Is that the Ant King? Song Jian was completely taken aback. He had no idea that there could be an Ant King here. Could it be that he had killed so many demonic worker ants that he drew the attention of the Ant King? Arent you supposed to be at the deepest part of the ant nest, waiting for warriors to challenge you? Why are you here? Song Jian muttered, furrowing his brows, and spread his senses to estimate the number of ants following. Eh, theres only one Ant King? Song Jians eyes lit up. This was a perfect opportunity to kill it. Even though this Ant King was at level 30 and had the combat power of the first level, it would be much easier to kill it here than to venture into the nest. Chapter 479: Terrifying First-Order Combat Power Chapter 479: Terrifying First-Order Combat Power The demonized Ant King, after charging recklessly for dozens of meters, seemingly sensed the presence of Song Jian and roared towards the sky. The monstrous creature then blusterously charged towards the forest. The color in Song Jians face drained. At this moment, he was over fifty meters away from the Ant King. Such a distance would usually make one undetectable, yet it seemed to have noticed his presence. Clearly, its mental strength was not inferior to his own. Creak, creak~ One tree after another was sent flying as they were struck. With only a casual swing of its mandible, as though it were a serrated scythe, rows of huge trees were cut down at their base, leaving behind surfaces as smooth as mirrors. Facing such a terrifying beast, Song Jian didnt dare approach; the mere power radiating from it could overwhelmingly crush him. Song Jian retrieved a potion from his pocket and forcefully threw it at the Ant King. Suddenly, the humongous figure of the demonic Ant King was shrouded by a gray dust. Its originally shimmering black metallic shell also became cloaked in gray. Eyes of Doom! On top of a great tree, Song Jian opened the vertical eye in his brow. A dazzling silver beam, like a lightsaber, pierced towards the demonized Ant King. In an instant, light scattered in all directions. The silver beam striking the Ant King abruptly halted it. The Ant King let out infuriated roars as its six legs continuously dug into the ground, trying to surge forward against the beam. However, its body was as if blocked by a thick barrier, unable to advance even slightly. It dug out several large pits beneath it in the process. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Every second, the silver beam caused the Ant King over three hundred points of damage. This damage was not just physical, but also included mental damage. Its originally sturdy shell, weakened by 35% in its defensive degree, couldnt withstand such a vigorous attack. Its hard shell began to crack like tofu under the silver lightsabers onslaught, revealing the purplish-red flesh within. Large spurts of fresh blood and coarse muscle fiber flew in all directions. It was as if a rain of blood and flesh had fallen in the surrounding forest, where dozens of trees were splattered with blood and flesh, sizzling like they had been doused in sulfuric acid. Exhaustion appeared on Song Jians face as he hurriedly drew a vial of potion for rapidly replenishing Mental Strength from his pocket and drained its contents. He was incapable of producing this kind of potion; every bottle used reduced his inventory. He had been reluctant to use it, but if he didnt use it now, he might never get another chance. The Ant King, in tremendous agony, spewed a jet of green thick liquid at Song Jian. The liquids intense sour smell reached Song Jians nostrils from afar, turning his face instantly pale. Song Jian swiftly jumped up, and in mid-air he unfolded a pair of steel wings from his back, carrying him off to one side. The green liquid soaked the entire tree he had been standing on, from top to bottom. In a matter of seconds, the tall tree, standing several meters high, was corroded into a pool of foul-smelling liquid. Song Jians figure swirled in mid-air, tracing an arc, and charged back at the Ant King. In his hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword carved a dark red trajectory in mid-air, savagely hacking into the back of the Ant King. Immediately, a deep scar emerged on its tough shell. The Ant King, with its bulky body, found it hard to turn around. Song Jian, now with a pair of steel wings, continuously maneuvered to the sides and behind the Ant King to launch his attacks. His Rapid Swords attack speed was astounding, leaving the demonized Ant King unable to react. In vain, it kept spinning its body, kicking up clouds of dust, and letting out frustrated howls. Song Jian didnt dare linger after launching an attack. He would swiftly move on to the next target location. It didnt take him long to slice off one of the Ant Kings hind legs. With the loss of one of its hind legs, the Ant Kings eyes gleamed a sinister red. Lowering its head, like a heavy armored vehicle, it suddenly accelerated. This seemed to be one of its skills, the strength of which lay in the fact that it didnt require much acceleration time to unleash its maximum power, thereby greatly reducing the limitations imposed by the terrain; Moreover, the sprint was incredibly fast, even faster than Song Jian activating his Frost Sprint. Plus, given the massive size of the mutated Ant King, once this skill was activated, its power was simply unstoppable. Song Jian slashed his sword through the air, striking the ground. By the time he looked up, the mutated Ant King had already charged tens of meters away, plowing a giant path through the forest. The broken trees lay haphazardly around him; This fellow actually knows how to keep a distance? Song Jian was surprised. It seemed the monsters intellect was not much inferior to that of a human. The distanced mutated Ant King slowly turned its head around, its blood-red eyes fixed on Song Jian. It lowered its head and activated its sprint skill once more; Damn it, does your skill not have a cooldown time? Song Jians face turned pale. Before he could react, the mutated Ant King was less than three meters in front of him. Its speed was almost like teleportation. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Instinctively, Song Jian held his long sword across his chest, his body reflexively performing the Sacred Parry. Boom! Song Jian felt as though he had been hit by a train, his entire skeleton made a frail sound, as if it would break at any moment; Both his arms were inundated with severe pain as if his bones were shattered to pieces. Huh~ Song Jians body, like a baseball, flew into the air, only to rapidly descend; he hit a large tree with a pattering sound, leaving a fresh, vicious streak of blood; The vitality that had been almost full was instantly reduced by a third. This was still under the assumption that he fully resisted the assault of the mutated Ant King. If Song Jian was directly hit, even if his vitality was full, he would have been instantly killed by the mutated Ant King. Spurt~ A mouthful of blood was spat out. Song Jians teeth were streaked with blood, making him appear particularly miserable. He struggled to stand up from the ground, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes as he looked at the mutated Ant King; Is this the strength of a first-order BOSS? Its even more formidable than the lion eagle beast by three points! Song Jian thought. As miserable as Song Jian was, the mutated Ant King was even worse off. The previous Sacred Parry had fully rebounded the Ant Kings powerful attack back at it; The mutated Ant King now had a huge fissure on the shell of its head, one eye already burst open. The entire skull looked like it had been smashed hard. If it werent for its strong vitality, it would have been impossible to rise again from such a severe injury if it were a human. The mutated Ant King was now in a state of dizziness. Seeing this, Song Jian clenched his teeth, activated the Sword Shadow Step again, and pounced towards the mutated Ant King; Ive got to risk it! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword began to emit a dazzling golden light. A fierce Sword Qi slashed towards the immobilized mutated Ant King. With a cackling sound, the mutated Ant King let out a piercing scream, a powerful aura suddenly exploded from within it. Within a radius of ten meters, it was as if a giant palm was pressing down from the sky, shattering all the trees into powder. Even the ground sank more than a foot in depth; Chapter 480: Golden Ant King Youngling Chapter 480: Golden Ant King Youngling It exploded? Song Jian was flung seven or eight meters away by a powerful force, aching all over, and he didnt even want to get up from the ground; Many BOSSes, when nearing death, would trigger a self-destruct-like skill. This type of skill could inflict massive damage to both enemies and the BOSS themselves. The BOSS would only use this move if it was at its last resort. Of course, some BOSSes would flee instead of exploding when theyre close to death. They often have a special acceleration skill that could only be used when their vitality points decreased to a certain level. These BOSSes were the most hated by players: they fought for a long time only to let the BOSS escape, a feeling worse than if the BOSS yielded a bunch of useless garbage equipment. Song Jian panted heavily with a pale face. At this moment, his status bar contained the negative effects of fracture, bleeding, and his vitality points had reached a dangerous level. The BOSSs explosion was too fast for anyone to react to. Since the high-level healing potion was still on cooldown, Song Jian, leaning against a tree, slowly stood up. He first cast Surgery on himself to remove the negative effects, and then looked at the BOSS. After the explosion, the BOSS was no longer a threat to Song Jian. At this time, its whole body was covered with cracks, and some parts even exploded directly, revealing the purplish-red muscles inside; The pair of wings on its back broke apart, and the Ant King, which had been transformed by magic, now had trouble standing up. All six of its legs, except for the one that Song Jian had cut off, were broken, bending at strange angles. At this point, the magic-transformed Ant King had only a sliver of health left, less than 100 vitality points. Song Jian took a deep breath and stuffed a piece of food that could replenish vitality points during battle into his mouth. When his vitality reached one-third, he slashed at the magic-transformed Ant King that was on the verge of death. Before he could reach the creature, he heard a pop. A crack suddenly exploded on the magic-transformed Ant Kings back, extending from its neck all the way to its tail. As the shell, which was originally shining with a black metallic luster, weathered and decayed rapidly, a wet ant struggled to crawl out through the crack on its back. What is this? Song Jian was taken aback. He pulled back the sword that he had raised and retreated two steps, feeling cautious about the strange situation before him. In the game, monsters possessed various skills. Some seemingly unremarkable skills could cost players dearly. When encountering an unfamiliar monster, many players would hold back a bit to prevent an unexpected skill from causing them trouble. The ant trying to crawl out of the magic-transformed Ant Kings body looked similar to an ordinary magic-transformed worker ant. Its size was many times smaller than the BOSS and even smaller than a magic-worker ant. However, this struggling ant was golden in color, and even the two antennae on its head emitted a dark gold glow, making it look like an exquisite artifact carved from a solid gold block. Level 1? Just level 1? Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim as he saw the attributes displayed on top of the Golden Ant. Golden Ant King Juvenile, Rare, Level 1, Vitality Points: 500/500, can be captured Song Jian paused, seemingly realizing something, and immediately opened the taskbar to check. Sure enough, the task target Magic-transformed Ant King: 0/3 had already changed to Magic-transformed Ant King: 1/3. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Magic-transformed Ant King died? Song Jian was surprised but found no loot scattered around the surrounding area. This was a level 30 elite BOSS with tier-1 combat power, far stronger than an ordinary level 30 elite BOSS. Logically, when a BOSS like this was killed, the loot should be much more abundant and valuable than that of an ordinary level 30 elite BOSS. However, Song Jian saw no spoils around the Magic-transformed Ant Kings corpse. Next, his eyes fell on the Golden Ant King Juvenile struggling to crawl out. Could it be that this capturable Golden Ant King Juvenile is the spoils of killing the Magic-transformed Ant King? Song Jian muttered to himself. Song Jian was right: the Golden Ant King Juvenile was indeed the most valuable loot dropped by the Magic-transformed Ant King BOSS. Its value was even higher than a gold-class weapon; Certainly, it couldnt compare to a Black Dragon hatchling, but the Golden Ant King Juvenile had enormous growth potential, making it much more precious than ordinary combat pets. Moreover, the probability of obtaining a Golden Ant King Juvenile as loot was not high. If it wasnt for Song Jians high luck and that it was his first time hunting the Magic-transformed Ant King, he wouldnt have had a chance of getting this rare pet. Most importantly, if the capture attempt failed, the Golden Ant King Juvenile would still run away and eventually grow into a level 30 elite BOSS, the Magic-transformed Ant King. As it was a spoil of war, the combat pets level was only 1. Thus, capturing the Golden Ant King Juvenile would be easy with just a white-quality Pet Contract Scroll, which had a high chance of capturing it. White-quality Pet Contract Scrolls could be purchased in system stores, and players generally carried several of them when fighting monsters since even ordinary monsters had a certain probability of dropping combat pets. However, Song Jian didnt have any Pet Contract Scrolls in his inventory because he already had a Black Dragon hatchling and didnt care for ordinary combat pets. Seeing that half of the Golden Ant King Juveniles body had crawled out and that it would escape soon if not captured, Song Jian immediately took out the Book of the Abyss and started using its Abyss Temptation skill. The Abyss Temptation skill had many disadvantages compared to Pet Contract Scrolls: longer summoning time, the need for the target to be immobilized, and the creature becoming an Abyss creature once successfully tempted, bearing a trace of Abyss aura. Moreover, pets captured using Abyss Temptation had a much higher chance of betrayal than those captured with Contract Scrolls. However, Abyss Temptation also had many advantages: high success rate and the ability to tempt creatures of any quality, unlike Contract Scrolls, which required higher quality scrolls to capture higher quality pets. Song Jian opened the Book of the Abyss, targeted the Golden Ant King Juvenile with the Temptation skill, and started casting. A series of bizarre syllables came out of Song Jians mouth, and black flames ignited on the surface of the Book of the Abyss. An abyss aura emanated from the book, coalescing into chains in the air that wrapped around the Golden Ant King Juvenile. Chapter 481: 481: Ant King Slave Chapter 481: Ant King Slave The Golden Ant King Juvenile was only at level one, so even a common white Pet Contract Scroll could capture it, let alone the Abyss Temptation. The possibility of failure of the capture was minimal since it was a spoils of war from killing the Mutated Ant King. Black gas materialized in mid-air, forming three black chains that bound the Golden Ant King Juvenile firmly. The juvenile, who was still struggling to get out of the Mutated Ant Kings carcass, gradually felt stiff all over its body as the black chains tightened. The black abyssal aura emanated from the chains, continuously burrowing into the Golden Ant King Juvenile. Before long, the original golden ant shell had been coated in a layer of black aura, making it look like a mini Mutated Worker Ant at first glance. The Abyss Temptation skill ended, and Song Jian was drenched in cold sweat, feeling almost drained. Casting this skill not only tempted the target with the Abyssal words, but the caster themselves would also be tempted by the waves of Abyssal words. If they were careless, they might fall into corruption, be eroded by the abyssal aura and become an abyssal creature. System: You have successfully released Abyss Temptation on the Golden Ant King Juvenile, it has become your second slave, and you can rename it. Warning: You are not an abyssal creature; each casting of Abyss Temptation will increase the temptation of the Abyssal words on you. After three times, if you cast Abyss Temptation again, you will definitely change your racial traits and become a member of the Abyssal Clan. Upon seeing the system prompt, Song Jian frowned. This warning hadnt appeared the first time he used it, and he suspected its appearance now had something to do with the game version update. Moreover, he could feel that the temptation of the Abyssal words in his ears was much stronger than the first time he used Abyss Temptation. If he used it a third time, Song Jian truly didnt know whether his innate skill could withstand the temptation of the Abyssal words. I dont want to become a member of the Abyssal Clan! Song Jian thought to himself, deciding never to use the Abyss Temptation skill again. Looking at the now freed Golden Ant King Juvenile standing quietly beside him, Song Jian stroked its head. The touch from his fingertips felt as if he were stroking icy steel. He opened the attribute panel of the level one Golden Ant King Juvenile. Its attributes were already higher than many ordinary level five monsters, and it also possessed two other skills. One was Pursuit Slaughter, the acceleration skill previously used by the Mutated Ant King. The skill effect allowed the user to run at a frantic pace for thirty seconds. If the user collided with a target during that time, the skill would be interrupted, dealing physical damage equal to the users strength minus the targets strength multiplied by ten. The target would also be stunned for three seconds. This skill could be used for chasing enemies or escaping, as well as a control skill to deal damage to enemies. It could be employed in various tactics, making it a decent skill. The other skill was a passive one called Spiked Aura. Within a 5-meter range around the Golden Ant King Juvenile, all allies could gain effects such as defense increased by 30% and 10% damage reflection. The Golden Ant King Juvenile was now no different from Song Jians pet. It was not only more obedient than pets but also had a loyalty level of adoration. Even if Song Jian asked it to commit suicide, the Golden Ant King Juvenile would carry it out without any hesitation or resentment. This was the difference between a slave and a pet, but the downside was that the Golden Ant King Juvenile couldnt be stored in the Pet Space like the Black Dragon hatchling. Moreover, once it died, there would be no chance of resurrection. The most important thing now is to raise your level so you wont die so easily here Song Jian whispered as he stroked the head of the Golden Ant King Juvenile. This area was filled with level 30 Mutated Ants. Even if the level one Golden Ant King Juvenile had great growth potential, it was no match for a regular Mutated Worker Ant. Since it couldnt be stored in the Pet Space, death would be irreversible. Night fell, and Song Jian spent the night hugging the Golden Ant King Juvenile on a large tree. The strength of monsters increased during the nighttime. Some players tried to hunt monsters at night to level up, but few persisted for long. One reason was the increased strength of the night monsters, but another was the appearance of powerful monsters at night. Escaping was even more difficult during the night, and many players found more and more monsters chasing them as they ran. Some even unintentionally ran into monster dens Nighttime outside Doomsday City was even more dangerous. Song Jian could hear the frenzied howls of the Mutated Worker Ants in the woods. This place was about seven or eight miles away from the area where Mutated Soldier Ants appeared. Although there wouldnt be any flying Soldier Ants, it was still part of the Mutated Worker Ants territory. If any monster entered this area, it would attract swarms of Mutated Worker Ants. The sounds of battles came from all around, and the aura of slaughter made the Golden Ant King Juvenile in Song Jians arms feel restless. However, it was obvious that the intelligence of the Ant King wasnt much lower than a humans. It simply wriggled slightly in Song Jians arms and let out a low-pitched hiss. The next day, as soon as day broke, Song Jian saw an injured Mutated Worker Ant, dragging its broken body to leave the area. The Mutated Worker Ant was heavily injured; almost half of its body had been bitten off by a monster, showing signs of being gnawed on. Its Vitality Points were less than one-third, and it moved very slowly. Song Jian knew that this severely injured Worker Ant intended to move away from its group to die alone, but for Song Jian, it was one of his mission targets. With a thought, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his right hand. Song Jian leaped forward, and before the severely injured Worker could react, the sword had already pierced its skull. Flash Thunder Strike! Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Pop, pop, pop~ Six damage figures appeared above the Worker Ants head, its Vitality Points instantly depleted. To deal with this severely injured Worker Ant, Song Jian only needed to use one sword technique to kill it. Swish, swish, swish~ Eight rays of light appeared on the Golden Ant King Juveniles body, raising its level from one to nine. Checking its Experience Points, the Golden Ant King Juvenile was only a little over three hundred Experience Points away from level ten. The Experience Points from a level 30 monster were simply too abundant for a level one Golden Ant King. Song Jian glanced at the Ant King, which had nearly doubled in size, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. With the help of this Ant King slave, completing the epic mission would be much easier. Chapter 482: 482: Forming a Team Chapter 482: Forming a Team After killing an injured demonized worker ant, Song Jian set the Ant King slave to Follow. The level nine Ant King slave was incapable of assisting Song Jian in combat. If involved in battle, it was likely to die; Only by leveling up this Ant King slave could it take part in combat; Moreover, Song Jian had learned his lesson from yesterday. He couldnt get too close to the Demonic Ant Nest, otherwise, he would be surrounded by the demonized soldier ants. He himself could obviously escape, but the recently obtained Ant King slave, which he had gone through great lengths to obtain, would surely die there. Song Jian began to search in the forest. The quantity of demonized worker ants here was minimal. Perhaps it was because he had killed too many yesterday. Song Jian spent more than half an hour searching but didnt discover a single demonized worker ant; Just then, Song Jian suddenly smelled a rich aroma, causing his throat to involuntarily swallow. At this moment, he noticed that he seemed to have skipped breakfast. Following the aroma, Song Jian found a human adolescent, about seventeen or eighteen years old, attentively applying condiments to a grill. On the grill, a worker ants thigh was getting roasted to a golden brown. The hot oil droplets on the charcoal emitted a rich fragrance; Song Jian looked at the top of the boys head. There was no displayed information. This meant the juvenile had hidden all his personal information. Most of those who did this were players. Though this juvenile seemed no older than seventeen or eighteen, he exuded a unique charisma, not unlike a battle-hardened veteran who has gone through life and death experiences. The scent of gunpowder still lingered around him. Are you a player? Song Jian tentatively asked. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The teenager looked up at Song Jian, then focused his attention on the Ant King Slave by Song Jians side for a moment. He released a look of admiration, but quickly turned his head back towards the roasted ant meat. You must be hungry, come join me the teenager invited. Song Jian sat down, took out some drinks from his storage column, and speaking to the teenager, said, Im Song Jian, here hunting demonized ants for a mission! Lu Mingyuan. My target is the demonized Ant King! the teenager replied in a deep voice. Thats good, how about we team up? Itll be much safer and more efficient to hunt together! Song Jian suggested cheerfully. The teenager glanced at the Ant King slave again, hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement to Song Jians teaming up request; Song Jian smiled slightly, using the Fifth Battle Flag to invite Lu Mingyuan to become a teammate; Suddenly, a pale-blue halo surfaced under Lus feet; You can use team skills? surprise flashed through Lu Mingyuans eyes. Having seen the increase in his own attributes, his astonishment became even more profound. This is a skill that my equipment has. Its not mine. Song Jian frankly revealed some of the attributes of his Fifth Battle Flag for Lu Mingyuan to see, while carefully observing the teens facial expression. If this teenager showed any sign of greed, Song Jian wouldnt consider teaming up with him. Fortunately, after glancing at the attributes of the Fifth Battle Flag, Lu Mingyuan only revealed understanding, without expressing any interest in claiming it as his own. Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. There are no restrictions in the game, and the only constraints a player has to adhere to are their own moral standards and abilities. Betraying and killing another player over an equipment is common in the game. Fortunately, Lu Mingyuan is not such a person. Otherwise, whether for Song Jian or for himself, this would not bode well. Where were you born? Is there a city nearby? Song Jian asked curiously. I was born in the wild Lu Mingyuan spoke in a low voice, his face full of melancholy. Song Jians face filled with sympathy. For average players, being born in the wilderness meant a 90% chance of failure. Even for Song Jian, if he had been born in the wilderness, he dared not guarantee that he could still be alive now. Everyone knows the dangers of the wilderness are ten times, no, a hundred times higher than those in Doomsday City; Though, since there are players who can be born into the safety of the City of Hymns, being born in the wilderness is not that hard to accept. Life must be tough in the wilderness, right? Song Jian asked. Lu Mingyuan fell silent, the muscles on his face started to twitch. He seemed unwilling to recall the memories of his early days in the game, he shook his head and said, Its okay. This meat. Can we really eat it? Song Jian frowned at the grilled ant meat. Lu Mingyuan nodded, smiling slightly, Yes, you can eat it. The taste is not bad. You can try it later. After grilling for another ten minutes or so, Lu Mingyuan took out a small knife and cut the grilled meat into slices. It was placed onto two plates. He handed one to Song Jian. Song Jian picked up a slice and tentatively bit into it. Instantly, his mouth was filled with the rich aroma of roasted meat. The demonized ants looked terrifying, but their meat was unexpectedly tender and delicious when cooked; After eating seven or eight slices of roast meat, Song Jian downed a large gulp of his drink. Then, he let out a content sigh saying, This is truly delicious. Hehe, my cooking skill is already at level eight. If it wasnt, I wouldnt be able to get rid of the Abyssal Demonic Aura in the ants Lu Mingyuan explained with a laugh. Level eight? Thats incredible! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. However, he quickly realized that if Lu Mingyuans cooking skill was not high-level, he would have probably starved to death since he was born in the wilderness. Oh right, where did you catch this ant pet from? Ive tried to catch one myself but Ive never succeeded. It would be much easier to hunt these beasts if I had an ant pet here. Lu Mingyuan glanced at the Ant King and asked. Song Jian smiled slightly. Lu Mingyuan had been staring at the Ant King since they first met, his question must have been nagging at him for quite a while. Noticing Song Jians smile, Lu Mingyuans face blushed. Before he could speak, Song Jian spoke up, I caught it when I happened to encounter a young spawn after hunting a demonized Ant King. You hunted a demonized Ant King? Lu Mingyuan looked shocked. He stood abruptly, his movement so large it nearly knocked over the grill. I was lucky only and found a solitary Ant King. Song Jian nodded and replied. Why dont I have such good luck! Lu Mingyuan expressed in a gloomy voice. Considering he dared to hunt demonized Ant Kings, it was clear Lu Mingyuan was confident in his abilities. Having such a strong teammate made Song Jian believe there was a higher chance of completing the mission. Lets go, Song Jian said nonchalantly as he stood up, Weve eaten enough and the demonized ant population in this area is abundant. There must be more than one Ant King. Well surely encounter another Ant King as we continue on. Lu Mingyuan nodded, packed up the grill, and the two set off along the road; Chapter 483: 483: Perfect Cooperation Chapter 483: Perfect Cooperation Although Song Jian had become team members with Lu Mingyuan, he did not fully trust him. For instance, he did not share the details of his epic-level task with Lu Mingyuan, who, in return, did not inform Song Jian of his reasons for hunting the mutated Ant King. The pair had barely walked ten meters along the main road when a mutated worker ant rushed out from the nearby woods and crashed onto an abandoned truck. With a boom, the truck was overthrown and rolled onto the road. The mutated worker ant seemed a bit dazed and stood in the middle of the road, shaking its head. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, the ant spotted Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan, and, turning toward them, gave a loud roar. At the stretching of Lu Mingyuans right hand, a delicate magic staff appeared in his palm. The completely crimson staff, which looked like red crystal and was just over a foot in length, held a fist-sized red gemstone at its top. Fireball Spell! Pointing the magic staff towards the mutated worker ant, the red gem at the top instantly glowed brilliantly. A hot energy gathered in the air, quickly forming three basketball-sized fireballs. Boom, boom, boom! Without any distinction in timing, the three fireballs smashed into the mutated worker ant. Damage points amounting to more than 300 each began showing above the ants head. At this point, Song Jian understood that Lu Mingyuan was a Fire-element Mage. The vitality points of the mutated worker ant had fallen by a great deal. Burn marks appeared on its body. The injured ant suddenly became enraged and, roaring, it charged towards Lu Mingyuan. At this point, Lu Mingyuan suddenly put down his magic staff and glanced at Song Jian. Song Jian immediately realized that Lu Mingyuan wanted to assess his capabilities. If Song Jian proved to be weak, their partnership would probably end immediately. Even though he knew that Song Jian had solo killed a mutated Ant King, without witnessing Song Jians abilities firsthand, Lu Mingyuan would remain unsure. With a thought, Song Jian summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Lu Mingyuan glanced at the dark red long-sword in Song Jians hand, a surprised look in his eyes. Weapons that could merge into the users body were not common. Lu Mingyuans magic staff was one such weapon. Naturally, he understood the value and rarity of such weapons. Sword Silk! Three silver threads appeared beside Song Jian. Beside the three silver threads of Sword Silk, there was an illusory Sword Silk which was challenging to notice unless scrutinized closely. Song Jian swung his sword towards the charging mutated worker ant, sending it flying with one stroke. Snapsnap~ Six consecutive sharp sounds exploded on the mutated worker ants body, causing its carapace to break, blood and flesh to splash around, and its vitality points to plummet to a third of its total. Song Jians attack left Lu Mingyuan amazed. He had not expected that Song Jian could cause such incredible damage. Broken Wing Dance! The long-sword struck the mutated worker ant again. The ant, the size of a hunting dog, was helpless against Song Jian. It could only suffer the damage passively, like a punching bag, as it was sent flying by Song Jian. Swish~ Song Jian lightly flicked his dark-red long-sword from bottom to top. The head of the mutated worker ant fell off instantly. The headless body trembled slightly as if it wanted to continue its attack, but it was merely a muscular reflex. It only managed to take two steps forward before falling with a thud, leaving behind a palm-sized piece of chitinous ant shell. By now, Song Jian had collected more than a hundred ant shells, sufficient to craft a full demonic worker ant suit. The only issue was that he still needed the blueprints. He would have to exchange them for mission points at the Shadow Circus Troupe. Clap, clap, clap~ With a beaming smile on his face, Lu Mingyuan walked towards Song Jian while applauding. I didnt expect to encounter such a powerful teammate like you! he exclaimed. Likewise, likewise! Song Jian replied with a grin. Despite only having used an instantaneous skill, Lu Mingyuans triple cast of Fireball Spell knocked off nearly a thousand Vitality Points from the demonic worker ant. Such devastating damage, even Song Jian couldnt help but feel taken aback. It was clear that anyone who dared to hunt the demonic Ant King alone must be a formidable individual with full confidence in their own abilities. Swish, swish~ Two rays of light simultaneously rose up. Both Song Jian and the Ant Kings Slave had levelled up at the same time; Song Jian had advanced to level twenty-three, while the Ant Kings slave had reached level ten. Song Jian smiled slightly as he allocated his newly acquired skill points into Sword Silk, upgrading it to level four. The level ten Ant King let out a painful roar as its body violently trembled. From its back came a series of crackling sounds, reminiscent of something shattering. In no time at all, two tender shells protruded from its back and a pair of transparent wings as thin as cicada wings gently unfolded. Is this evolution? Song Jian asked in surprise. Indeed, worthy of the Ant King. Not only can it aid in attack when it matures, but it can also serve as a flying mount Lu Mingyuan said, clearly envious. His goal had been to hunt the demonic Ant King, with the hope of acquiring an Ant King larva not absent from his mind. As for the spoils, Song Jian received the dropped materials, while the body of the demonic worker ant went to Lu Mingyuan. Lu Mingyuan pulled out a small knife from his bag and began dissecting the worker ants corpse. Song Jian also had Dissection Technique, but his was only level one and paled in comparison to Lu Mingyuans skill. Lu Mingyuan had advanced his culinary skills to a high level, so it was clear to Song Jian that his Dissection Technique must also be highly advanced. The materials obtained from the dissection were more than ten times the amount of dropped materials. However, most were of white quality, with only a few green quality pieces and no blue quality ones. After cleaning up their loot, the two delved deeper. Song Jian engaged in close combat while Lu Mingyuan provided long-range support. They quickly found their rhythm and started to effectively hunt the demonic worker ants, considerably faster than Song Jian alone. They had killed three hundred and seventeen of them by the afternoon, completing nearly half of Song Jians mission. Moreover, their margin for error had noticeably increased now that they were together. Even when faced with seven or eight demonic worker ants at once, they could calmly eliminate them. If Song Jian were alone, he could kill all of them but would undoubtedly have to pay a hefty price. Lets call it a day here. Im nearly out of mana. Lu Mingyuan, his face slightly pale, declared loudly. Song Jian looked out into the distance. A mere two or three miles ahead was the place where he had been surrounded by demonic soldier ants the day before. Originally, he thought that with Lu Mingyuans help, they could avenge that loss. It seemed like that would have to wait until the next day. As dusk fell, Song Jian lit a campfire and sat down for a rest. The Ant Kings Slave had reached level nineteen. Its size had grown more than tenfold compared to when it was first born, almost equivalent to two demonic soldier ants. Its shell had become significantly thicker and it had sprouted numerous sharp spikes. Its passive skill, Spiked Aura, had advanced to level three and its stats dramatically increased. Its jagged mandibles looked even more menacing, and the fine barbs resembled a sickle, capable of easily tearing a crack in the shell of an ordinary demonic worker ant. Lu Mingyuan sat by the bonfire, entering a shallow meditative state to restore his mana. The surroundings were eerily quiet. Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from the distant forest, abruptly pulling Lu Mingyuan from his meditative state. With wide eyes, he exchanged glances with Song Jian. The two stood up simultaneously, prepared for battle. Chapter 484: 484: Mysterious Gold Ant-Eating Beast BOSS Chapter 484: Mysterious Gold Ant-Eating Beast BOSS Lu Mingyuan quickly got to his feet and retreated cautiously about five or six steps, a distance of at least three meters from Song Jian and the bonfire. As a mage, distance provided a semblance of safety. Three meters already pushed Lu Mingyuans response boundary to the limit. Any closer, and hed barely have any time to react or cast a spell if something unexpected arose. Song Jian swiftly put out the bonfire, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness. From the middle of his forehead, the vertical eye embedded in Song Jians brow radiated faint light, providing clear visuality within the encircling darkness. From afar, a cacophony of growls approached, sounding like a pack of monsters frantically charging their way. The two men shared a quick look and began to climb up the nearby tree. Song Jian noticed Lu Mingyuans eyes glowing with an unusual bluish light, indicating that he too had the ability to see in the dark. Climbing up a tree about ten or more meters high was not a problem for the two of them. Given the urgency of the situation, it was the best available option. Before long, they saw dozens of demonic worker ants and soldier ants running towards their location. Some soldier ants seemed to sense something and glanced up at the tree where Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan were perched. Their eyes glinting menacingly. Yet, they didnt stop, swiftly scurrying past the mens tree, as if some terrifyingly fierce creature was chasing them. After the swarm of demonic ants gradually disappeared, Lu Mingyuan put away his short staff and asked Song Jian with some uncertainty, They should have noticed us just now, but why didnt they attack us? Whether it was the worker ants or the soldier ants, all were aggressive creatures with wide alert ranges. A slight lapse in attention could attract the attention of two to three demonic ants simultaneously. What should we do now? Lu Mingyuans voice was filled with nervousness. He could feel the place was no longer safe. However, it was nighttime, and they were near the Demonic Ant Nest. If they ran, they risked stumbling into a herd of demonic ants. Song Jian responded with a wry smile, It seems were not safe here anymore. Why dont we return to where we met this morning? We should encounter fewer demonic ants there. Thats the best we can do Lu Mingyuan nodded, seemingly relieved. Just as they slid down the tree to leave, they heard a sudden hissing noise growing from far to near. Song Jian reacted by quickly rolling to hide behind a large tree. With a thump, blood splattered, and a mutilated corpse of a demonic soldier ant flew past and hit a large tree, slowly sliding down, leaving behind a gruesome, purple-red blood trail. The mens eyes naturally followed the direction from which the ants body had been flung. Their eyes widened in shock, and they held their breath. A blurry figure was slowly coming towards them. The figure stood as tall as a building, with a length of least eight or nine meters. To this creature, the demonic ants seemed like babies standing next to a burly adult man. As the silhouette came into clear view, they realized it was a gigantic ant-eating creature. It stuck out its long tongue and wrapped it around the mangled body of the soldier ant, rolling it into its mouth. Its two sinewy forelimbs, like sickles, easily tore apart the lengthy ant. The insects exoskeleton was fragile like a sheet of paper in comparison. The rounded head of the creature plunged into the ants body, gnawing continuously. Its bodys dark green scales shimmered even in the darkness of the night. After eating a few bites, there was little flesh and blood left on the soldier ants body, leaving behind only the broken shell. The ant-eating creature tossed the shell away and turned its head, focusing on Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Its triangular eyes, beneath the dark green scales, glowed with a savage madness. Its muscles swelled, and it lunged towards them, revealing its sharp teeth smudged with fresh blood and released a fearsome, shrill roar. Mystery Gold Ant-Eating Beast, Level 30 Lord-class BOSS, First Order Combat Power, 9,800 Vitality Points As Song Jian reviewed the beasts attributes, he was stunned. The creature before them was a Lord-class BOSS with First Order Combat Power, something too formidable for him to tackle, even with the aid of Lu Mingyuan. Song Jians heart skipped a beat as he looked at the beasts slender, sharp teeth stained with blood veins. He knew better than anyone how high the defensive capabilities of the ants exoskeleton were. Yet, the ant-eating creatures teeth could easily slice through it. If they were bitten, their equipment would likely be torn to shreds. Glancing at the beasts long, resilient tongue that could firmly grip a demonic ant, incapable of freeing itself, Song Jian doubted if his long sword could even sever it. Seeing the ant-eating beast looking at him, Song Jian instinctively drew his long sword but dared not make any move as its tongue was remarkably versatile. If he aggravated it, he feared he wouldnt even have the chance to escape. Lu Mingyuan also recognized the attributes of the ant-eating beast, his heart racing, and his hands sweaty gripping his magic staff. Seeing the beasts attention drawn to Song Jian, he felt a sense of relief. Watching the ant-eating beast lunging at Song Jian, Lu Mingyuan seemed to realize something and yelled out, Its targeting your Ant King pet! Seeing the ant-eating beast charging towards him, Song Jian initially planned to dodge, but upon hearing Lu Mingyuans shout, his heart dropped. His Ant King slave was currently only Level 19. Even if it were upgraded to Level 30 and had First Order Combat Power, Song Jian believed it would be no match for the beast they were currently facing. If Song Jian dodged, his Ant King slave would undoubtedly be captured, and the Ant King, which hed worked so hard to obtain, would meet an inevitable death. Because of the Abyss Temptation, once the Ant King slave died, it could never be resurrected. With this in his mind, Song Jian steadied himself, drew a Weakness Potion from his inventory and threw it at the charging beast, simultaneously stabbing his long sword towards it. Are you insane? Lu Mingyuan yelled, looking at Song Jian in astonishment. Reflexively, he began to retreat. They were currently in a team, and if he got too close, it would automatically put Lu Mingyuan in battle mode. Kill it! Theres a chance it could drop some item that can restrain the demonic ants! Song Jian yelled back. Lu Mingyuan paused, showing a hesitant expression. After a moments thought, he gritted his teeth, waving his magic staff. A dense ball of magical energy started to form in his palm. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 485: 485: Long Tongue Chapter 485: Long Tongue The Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS was extremely fierce, and Lu Mingyuan was disinclined to provoke it. His target was strictly the mutated Ant King. However, a single statement from Song Jian was enough to pique his interest. The mutated ants, in the presence of the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS, became not but fodder. Whether it was a mutated worker ant, or a mutated soldier ant, neither stood a fighting chance against the beast, their only option was to run away in a scramble. Lu Mingyuan believed that even the mutated Ant King itself, facing the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS, would also be in for a tough fight. Maybe if I kill it, I might come across an item that could subdue the mutated Ant King. If I were to have such an item, I need not form a team with Song Jian. The spoils from killing the mutated Ant King would be all mine Once the thought struck, it spread throughout Lu Mingyuans mind like wild weed. Glancing at Song Jian with an odd look, Lu Mingyuan joined the battle. Seeing Song Jian daring to rush and attack it, the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast grew even more irate. In its eyes, even a mutated soldier ant was better than Song Jian. Humans were too insignificant in its view. Had it not been for the Ant King by its side, which attracted the attention of the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast, this colossal BOSS might not have even cast Song Jian a glance. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the seemingly insignificant human launched an attack, the rage of the Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast was palpable. Bellowing in fury, it opened its gaping jaw, filled with jagged teeth, and its fluid, tough tongue whipped out against Song Jian. The beasts attack was incredibly swift, with multiple afterimages appearing mid-air, making it impossible to discern its actual target. This kind of soft weapon, similar to a whip, could not be fended off with a long sword. Song Jian could only leap into the air, but the beasts tongue followed suit, its serpentine antenna swiftly snaking around a large tree behind Song Jian and circled back towards Song Jian in mid-air. Once caught by the beasts tongue, Song Jian would face the same fate as the corpse of the mutated soldier ant, getting pulled into the beasts mouth and ripped apart by its sharp teeth. Iron Wings! With a mental command from Song Jian, a pair of wings glistening with metallic radiance suddenly sprouted from his back. With a sound of whoosh, Song Jian accelerated in mid-air, leaving the Ant-eating Beasts extended tongue clutching at thin air. Though the Beast had shifted all its attention to Song Jian, Lu Mingyuan continued to observe from a distance. Thick magic energy swelled up around him, but he dared not release a spell. At this moment, Song Jian had not inflicted any damage on the Beast. In other words, Song Jian had not firmly drawn the Beasts aggro onto himself. The moment Lu Mingyuan entered the clash, the Beasts aggro would quickly switch to him. Song Jian, hovering in mid-air, was also acutely aware of this. Seeing the Beasts tongue retract, Song Jian raised his sword and slashed at the Beast with all his might. Light Strike! A dazzling golden light suddenly illuminated the surrounding darkness as bright as day. The golden Sword Qi mercilessly slashed at the Beasts back, causing over a dozen black-green scales to shatter instantly. As Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast was not a shadow creature, Song Jians holy attack was not able to deal double damage. Therefore, this strike only caused the Beast to suffer around two-three hundred Vitality Points of damage. The Beast let out a painful roar. It turned around and swung its right claw in the direction of Song Jian. Three blade-shaped light traces appeared out of nowhere in midair, emitting a sharp whistling sound, and swooped towards Song Jians chest. These three light traces left white striae in the air as if they were tearing the space apart. The light traces were incredibly fast; Song Jian had no time to dodge. By the time he noticed the light traces and planned to evade, they had already arrived at his chest. The Iron Wings sprung forth as if they had a mind of their own, quickly furling over from both sides to shield Song Jian. Clang, clang, clang~ The crisp sound of impact echoed in mid-air. The Iron Wings gained three significant scratches, scattering countless dazzling sparks; the Iron Wings had a damage immunity limit. Song Jian suddenly felt a tearing pain in his chest, taking over eight hundred points of damage. This amount of damage to an average level 20 player would cause severe injury and life-threatening damage, even if it didnt result in instant death. The damage is too high! Song Jian exclaimed. After all, the equipment on him was of a far higher quality compared to average players. Even though he wore leather armor, Song Jian was confident that even a defensive warrior in plate armor wouldnt have much more defense and resistance than himself. After dealing a successful hit, The Ant-eating Beast BOSS suddenly lunged at Song Jian mid-air. Song Jian was shocked. He didnt expect such a huge Ant-eating Beast to have an amazing leaping ability. Hastily, he controlled his Iron Wings to dodge laterally in mid-air. Whoosh~ The Beast in mid-air shot out its long tongue towards Song Jian again, and its blood-red tip darted out like an arrow. Just as Song Jian evaded the Beasts leap by drawing an arc in mid-air, he had not expected the Beasts tongue to coil around his right leg from behind. Alarmed, Song Jian turned around to strike the tongue with his sword. The Beasts tongue was as resilient as old cowhide. Even after four or five slashes, Song Jian failed to leave a single cut, dealing only five-six hundred points of damage to the Beast. When Song Jian raised his sword again to strike, a strong force pulled his right leg, making him lose balance. No matter how hard he flapped the Iron Wings, he was unable to control his body mid-air, and the flying sword in his hand was thrown away. The head of the Ant-eating Beast BOSS fiercely jerked down, causing Song Jian to fall from the sky like a meteorite and crash into the ground, creating a huge crater. Song Jian spat out a mouthful of blood, and his vitality points decreased suddenly by more than three hundred. Seeing Song Jian in a miserable state, Lu Mingyuan, who was prepared to attack, hesitated again. The fireball he had conjured in his hands had yet to be unleashed. Song Jian gritted his teeth, and with a thought, two burly Fire Elves suddenly appeared next to him. As soon as they appeared, they spewed scorching flames toward the long tongue wrapped around Song Jians right leg. The Ant-eating Beast BOSS, in what seemed like a reflexive action, began to shake its tongue and growled. It tried to pull Song Jian into its mouth. Song Jian clutched the long tongue with both hands, pushed his feet against the inner wall of the crater, and pulled back. For a moment, both the Beast and Song Jian were engaged in a tug of war with the long tongue stretched taut. The Xuanjin Ant-eating Beast BOSS let out a thunderous roar, and the force it exerted suddenly increased. Song Jian felt his body being pulled by a massive force, causing his body to get hauled toward the Beast. Chapter 486: 486: The Final Blow Chapter 486: The Final Blow Lu Mingyuan watched as Song Jian and the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast Boss fought only for a few rounds before falling into a disadvantageous position, with their Vitality Points dropping to less than half. He couldnt help but tremble in fear, and was already prepared to flee. Even the fireball he had been gathering in his hand for so long dissipated directly. Song Jians heart raced as he faced the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast, which already had an overwhelming advantage in terms of strength. Its attack and defense was extremely strong, and he knew if he was caught in the enemys mouth with his current vitality, he would surely be defeated in an instant. Seeing the two Flame Elementals constantly spouting flames and scorching the Ant-Eating Beast Bosss long tongue, Song Jian gritted his teeth and issued a command for the Flame Elementals to self-destruct. Boom, boom! As they lacked intelligence, the Flame Elementals only listened to Song Jians command. After he ordered them to self-destruct, the two Flame Elementals didnt hesitate to charge at the Ant-Eater Beast Bosss long tongue and exploded directly. The intense explosion caused the ground to tremble endlessly. Within a radius of ten meters, it appeared as if a meteorite had struck, breaking all the trees. The dense fire elements rampaged fiercely, and almost all the trees were set ablaze. A mushroom cloud rose in the sky, and the scorching flames almost lit up half of the sky. The Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast let out a painful scream, and half of its tongue already lost sensation. Song Jians eyes flickered, and with a wave of his right hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flew back into his palm with a spin. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian slashed at the long tongue coiled around his right leg. At this moment, the tongue had lost its original flexibility and toughness, and had mostly turned black, losing its vitality. It was like a weathered oxhide. Whoosh! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword easily cut off a section of the blackened tongue, revealing a touch of deep red at the very center. After freeing his right leg from the blackened long tongue, Song Jian threw it aside and glanced back at Lu Mingyuan. He didnt say a word as he took an Advanced Healing Potion from his bag and gulped it down before rushing towards the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast, which was constantly shaking its head. With a single thought, Song Jians running figure suddenly blurred and, in the blink of an eye, split into two identical shadows charged at the Ant-Eating Beast. Song Jian felt a peculiar sensation as he was somehow able to control both bodies simultaneously, as easily as lifting a finger. There was no delay in issuing commands; he just needed a single thought to control the Abyssal Phantom, as if it were simply an extension of his own body. Without its long tongue, the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast Boss lost its mid to long-range attack capabilities. All it could do was rely on its sharp fangs and claws on its forelimbs to battle Song Jian. The two identical Song Jians continuously attacked the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beast, leaving the Beast Boss unable to discern which was the real body and which was the phantom. The Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beasts Vitality Points kept dropping, and in a short while, its Vitality Points plummeted below 50%. At this time, Lu Mingyuan finally rejoined the fight, with a swirling flame spreading out beneath the Bosss feet within a radius of five to six meters. Song Jian was startled and hesitated for a moment, missing the perfect angle to attack the Xuanjin Ant-Eating Beasts neck with his sword. However, he quickly realized that the flames at his feet didnt cause him any damage, and he felt relieved. It seemed that forming an alliance with Lu Mingyuan beforehand was the right choice, as teammates were immune to each others damage during battle. The Ant-Eating Beast stomped the ground within the flames, sending a wave of air outward. Song Jian lost his balance and fell to the ground with over a thousand points of damage floating above his head. Almost two thousand damage points floated above the Abyssal Phantom, causing its figure to disappear like a bubble with a puff sound. The Ant-Eating Beast Boss leaped up once again, this time reaching a height of three to four meters in the air. Its massive body was like a meteor, charging towards Song Jian. Aerial Strike! If this attack landed, Song Jians recently restored Vitality Points would likely plummet again, entering a near-death state, or even be instantly killed. Song Jians pupils contracted as he activated his Immortal Sword Body state. He raised his sword high and suddenly leaped towards the Ant-Eater Beasts abdomen. At this moment, Lu Mingyuans fireballs also struck, but the Ant-Eating Beast seemed to have entered a Tyrant Body State. Dozens of fireballs struck its body, causing less than three hundred points of damage. Light Strike! Brilliant golden Sword Qi erupted, forming a beam of light that shot towards the Ant-Eating Beast Bosss abdomen. The Ant-Eating Beast Boss felt a tingling sensation in its belly, as if it was being propped up by something. Its enormous weight, combined with the additional power from its skill, made it descend rapidly. This also meant that if there was an indestructible object beneath it, the backlash damage would be immense. At first, the Beast Boss didnt feel anything due to the skill, but it soon felt as if a burning iron rod had penetrated its abdomen, breaking through its scales and burrowing into its body. Bang! With a loud shout, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword shone brightly as it fiercely slashed at the Ant-Eating Beasts stomach. The sword easily pierced the Ant-Eating Beasts abdominal scales, tearing through its defenses. The Beast felt an intense tearing pain in its abdomen, causing its huge body to lose balance in mid-air and tumble down. Boom! The Ant-Eating Beast Boss fell from the sky, crashing through five or six large trees before coming to a stop. Copious amounts of blood gushed from its stomach, and even pieces of its internal organs spilled out of the wound. The rich scent of blood filled the surrounding area for several meters. Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief. Even if his attack was powerful, it should not have caused such devastating injuries to the Ant-Eating Beast Boss! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As they saw the Ant-Eating Beast Bosss Vitality Points rapidly depleting, Lu Mingyuans eyes lit up. He tightly grasped his Magic Staff and began to chant spells. Magical energy surged wildly towards him, and even Song Jian noticed the abnormal fluctuations in the air. Watching Lu Mingyuans actions, Song Jians mouth curled into a cold smirk. It seemed like this guy wanted to snatch the final blow on the Boss. A level 30 Boss would grant massive experience points, and the players who scored the first and last blow would receive a large amount of experience. Song Jian stomped his right foot hard, sending a fang-shaped Qi cluster at the struggling Ant-Eating Beast Boss. Transforming into a shadow, he rushed towards the Beast Boss, aiming to kill it before Lu Mingyuan could intervene. Chapter 487: Silver Suit Chapter 487: Silver Suit Flash Thunder Strike! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ Six flows of intermingling virtual and real lightning erupted from Song Jians long sword, striking the body of the Mysterious Metal Ant Beast. Subsequently, he activated his Rapid Sword skill, and his attack speed greatly increased; Though the ant beasts scales had high defences, under the effects of the Weakness Potion as well as Song Jians relentless rapid attacks, a long wound was finally torn open. The Mysterious Metal Ant Beast roared painfully, a blood arrow spraying from its vast body; The magic energy behind him intensified, leaving very little time for Song Jian. He directed all his skills toward the wound on the ant beast. The Mysterious Metal Ant Beast, originally struggling fiercely, gradually weakened. In the end, the Ant Beast Boss staggered and lifted its head, letting out an eerie howl. The flickering life light in its eyes gradually dimmed until it finally fell, heavily, to the ground; Just at that moment, a gigantic fireball, over three meters in diameter, was speeding toward the Ant Beast Boss. It smashed fiercely into the lifeless body of the beast, blowing its enormous corpse to smithereens; Too late! A smile emerged on the corner of Song Jians mouth; Lu Mingyuan swiftly rushed toward the remains of the Ant Beast Boss. If he could not claim the Experience Points, he would absolutely not give up the battle loot; This is the boss that sometimes drops loot that counters the Magic Ants Lu Mingyuan thought internally, his eyes full of anticipation. During the earlier hunting of the Magic Ants, the two had a good partnership and divided the spoils according to certain rules. However, in front of the loot dropped by the Mysterious Metal Ant Beast Boss, such an understanding did not exist anymore. But no matter how fast Lu Mingyuan ran, how could he be faster than Song Jian? As a melee combatant who had dealt the final blow, how could he possibly let Lu Mingyuan snatch away the bosss drop? Song Jian stretched out his hand and grabbed the three pieces of equipment. The Boss dropped a total of seven or eight items. Song Jian got the three most valuable ones, leaving the rest as inferior equipment or materials; This boss could be said to have been hunted by Song Jian alone, as Lu Mingyuan didnt offer much help. To leave him some leftovers, Song Jian was already quite gracious. Buzz~ A shimmer flashed, and the Ant King Slaves level was abruptly improved. It shot up from level 19 to level 25, even higher than Song Jians level; It was due to the existence of the Ant King Slave that had drawn the attention of the Mysterious Metal Ant Beast. During the battle, the Ant King Slave kept hiding far away and dared not participate at all, but after the beast was killed, since it was Song Jians slave, it gained a large amount of battle experience. Song Jian checked out the Ant King Slaves properties. The physical attributes of this Golden Ant King had improved tremendously. Its skill Spiked Aura was also upgraded to level 6. Spiked Aura, Level 6, within a 10-meter radius around the Golden Ant King larva, all teammates can get a defense increase by 80% and reflect 40% of the damage effect; The Ant King had been hiding too far away, so Song Jian could not benefit from the Spiked Aura. However, after upgrading to level 6, the range of Spiked Aura increased to 10 meters. If Song Jian encountered a similar ant beast in the future, the Ant King Slave could provide the effects of Spiked Aura even if it was hiding far away. Upon reaching level 25, the Ant King Slave had gained a new skill: Acid Spray; Acid Spray, level 1, sprays acid at enemies within a 10-meter radius, causing 500 points of acid damage, with an additional Acid Corrosion effect: targets defense decreases by 50%, and it loses 10 Vitality Points per second. This effect lasts 10 seconds; The level 25 Ant King Slave finally possessed a long-range attack skill. This attack skill was also quite powerful. Ordinary creatures rarely had acid resistance. Once hit, defenses would prove useless. All 500 points of acid damage would definitely be inflicted, and the subsequent acid corrosion effect would also bother the attacked creature. Continuous blood loss wasnt a big deal, but a 50% decrease in defense was absolutely distressing. Even defense warriors in full plate armor would feel withered when hit by the Acid Spray attack. After checking the attributes of the Ant King Slave, Song Jian turned his attention to the three pieces of equipment obtained earlier; The first one was a peculiar-looking weapon that looked like a long knife. However, the tip of the blade was jagged like a saw, and several fang-like spikes extended from the back of the blade, making it look very ferocious. Savage Blade (Silver), one-handed weapon, Item Level 25, Equip Effect: Attack 87-108, Strength +5, Agility +3, Weapon Life Steal +3, Special Effect 1: Unending Bleeding (Passive). When damaging the target, there is a certain probability that the target will continuously bleed for sixty seconds, losing a total of 300 Vitality Points; Special Effect 2: Savage (Active). Once activated, attack speed increases by 30% for 5 seconds, can only occur once every 5 minutes; Note: This item is one of the components of the Savage Set. After completing the Savage Set, special attributes will appear and be shown when equipped; Equipment Requirement: Strength 30, Constitution 25; Can this item be taken out of the game: No A silver quality set weapon? Song Jians eyes lit up. Originally he thought that he had just acquired a silver quality weapon, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a silver set weapon. This immediately increased the value of the Savage Blade substantially; If I can gather a full set of Savage Gear, the value of this weapon could rival that of gold quality ones! Song Jians face showed a pleasantly surprised expression. Keep in mind, once the Savage Set was completed, the set attributes of this weapon would make themselves known. The originally top-tier weapon, with the addition of set attributes, could absolutely rival gold quality gear; Aside from this weapon, Song Jian also received a scroll and a gem. He had originally thought that the silver set weapon was the most valuable item dropped by the boss, but unexpectedly, this scroll turned out to be worth far more than even the Savage Blade; Scroll C Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion Recipe: Using it, you will learn how to make an Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion. Usage Requirement: Alchemy Level 5; In the game Song Jian had not yet seen potions that recover Spirit Points. Most items that restored Spirit Points mostly came from cooking or supplies discovered by players. For this reason, consumables that restore Spirit Points were far more valuable than those that restore Vitality Points; Even those consumables that restored Spirit Points which couldnt be used in battle, once they appeared on the market, were fervently sought after by players. If Song Jian could indeed make an Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion, the players who wanted to buy it might well break down the doors of his shop; sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 488: Saving People Chapter 488: Saving People Song Jian glanced at the recipe for the Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion and chose to use it right away. His Alchemy skill met the requirement, so naturally, he was able to learn this formula easily. Checking the materials required to make the Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion, he found that a substantial number of them were items dropped by level 20 monsters or herbs from areas with level 20 monsters. This, for Song Jian, was quite easily accessible. With both the Advanced Vitality Recovery Potion and the Advanced Spiritual Recovery Potion, Song Jians monster hunting and leveling up had become safer and more enduring. Indirectly, it also augmented his power. Lu Mingyuan picked up the remaining items, checked their attributes, and his face darkened slightly. After giving Song Jian a cynical huff, he drew out his dissecting knife and started to slice up the shattered corpse of the Ant. Having seen Lu Mingyuans reaction, Song Jian gave a slight smile and began to examine the last orb. Ant Soul Orb (Silver), Accessory, item level 30, equipped effect: +5 Agility, +15% damage, special effect: each time a Demonic Ant is killed, you gain its soul. Once a sufficient number of souls are accumulated, it can produce a daunting effect on Demonic Ants. The more Demonic Ant souls, the more significant the daunting effect. The highest daunting effect can reduce the Demonic Ants defense by 50%, deduct 30% damage, and slow down the targets attack speed by 30%. Number of souls: 0/1000; Requirement: Level 20; Can be taken out of the game: No. Song Jians eyes sparkled, he looked at Lu Mingyuan, he himself hadnt expected that this Xuanjin Ant would indeed drop an item that could counter Demonic Ants. Although this accessory was of the silver quality, it was extremely target-specific. It was perfect for dealing with Demonic Ants. However, besides Demonic Ants, the special effect of this accessory would lose its power, leaving only the basic attributes. Song Jian seemed hesitant for a moment, but he put away his postmans bag. The postmans bag was a twelve-slot bag that took up one accessory slot. After being removed, the items inside could still be taken out, but nothing could be put back in. Song Jian put twelve temporarily unnecessary items into his postmans bag and then unloaded the bag from his equipment slot, putting it into his inventory slot. After equipping the Ant Soul Orb, Song Jian would need to kill 1000 Demonic Ants to bring out the real power of this silver accessory. Having gone over the spoils of battle, Song Jian saw Lu Mingyuan stand up, having finished dissecting the Ants corpse. Judging by his appearance, it seemed that Lu Mingyuan had managed to extract quite a few useful things from the Ants carcass, and his resentment noticeably dissipated. The presence of the Ant caused all the Demonic Ants within a kilometer radius to vanish. The two decided to rest there for the night. Regarding the item to counter Demonic Ants, Lu Mingyuan did not inquire whether Song Jian had obtained it. His face looked very calm, and Song Jian had no way of guessing what he was thinking. The following day, the two of them got up early and continued towards the Demonic Ant Nest. Now with the enslaved Ant King, their speed at killing Demonic Ants had become much more efficient. In less than half a day, Song Jians task of killing 500 worker ants was finished, and they had even slain over a dozen soldier ants. Nonetheless, with the increase in the number of Demonic Ants killed, the number of ant souls captured by Song Jians Ant Soul Orb also grew. He had now stored the souls of over two hundred Demonic Ants. Song Jian realized that, once the Ant Soul Orb had acquired the souls of one hundred Demonic Ants, it would exhibit its special effect. The effect of one hundred souls was a reduction of 5% defense, 3% damage, and 3% attack speed of the Demonic Ants; The effect of having two hundred souls was a reduction of 10% defense, 6% damage, and 6% attack speed of the Demonic Ants; Killing off the level 30 monsters gave Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan a huge amount of experience points. Song Jian had already leveled up to 23.70%, and it was estimated that he would level up again after killing several dozen more Demonic Ants. Lu Mingyuan, an hour ago, had already shown a promotion glow. The Ant King slave had leveled up to level 25, giving off a fierce aura. The shell of its body had become similar to spiked armor, with sharp spikes covering its whole body. Its two blood-red eyes radiated an endless brutal temperament. As soon as a Demonic Ant appeared, the Ant King slave would be the first to pounce. Not a single Demonic Ant it killed had a complete body as all were bitten into multiple pieces. The ferocity in its fighting chilled even Song Jians heart. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Each time it killed a Demonic Ant, the Ant King slave would look back at Song Jian. Underneath its calm exterior, it seemed to be hiding a turbulent undercurrent. This pet of yours wont turn against you, will it? Lu Mingyuan looked at the frenzied Ant King slave in battle. When the fight ended and the Ant King slave quietly walked next to Song Jian, Lu Mingyuan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldnt help asking. Song Jian was also a bit worried as the downside of Abyss Temptation was that the chances of turning the charmed creatures into traitors were incredibly high. However, now was not the time to tell Lu Mingyuan the truth, so he just silently glanced at him without saying a word. Just then, Lu Mingyuans actions came to a sudden halt, pointing down the road he said, There seem to be other players fighting up ahead! Song Jian looked up, and sure enough, before long, a figure was seen running desperately on the road. The person turned out to be Lv Pei, who had previously used a Teleportation Scroll to escape back to Doomsday City through the Protection Black Mist. For some reason, he had reappeared here and was now being chased by a large group of Demonic worker ants, with five to six Demonic soldier ants constantly spitting acid balls at him from the air; Without hesitating, Song Jian exclaimed, Save him! As they proceeded, the number of Demonic Ants became increasingly larger, and the two were starting to feel overwhelmed. To hunt down the Demonic Ant King, they would have to penetrate into the heart of the Demonic Ant Nest. Given their strength, approaching, let alone entering deep into the nest, would probably be extremely difficult. Now, one additional person meant one extra strength in the group. At crucial times, even if there was just one more pawn, it would still give them a higher chance of escape. Even if Lv Pei died here, it would not benefit Song Jian or Lu Mingyuan in any way. And now, saving him wouldnt require a lot of effort either. Song Jian glanced at Lu Mingyuan. If it came down to the range of attack, Song Jian was no match for Lu Mingyuan. At this point, Lu Mingyuan had already started calculating Lv Peis running speed and timing his attack. Lv Pei felt overwhelming regret. He hadnt expected that after leaving Doomsday City again, he would be teleported straight near the Demonic Ant Nest. As soon as he appeared, he was chased by a huge swarm of Demonic Ants. Just as Lv Pei felt his strength dwindling, he spotted two players standing on the road ahead. His face instantly lit up with joy as though hed survived a calamity. Without even taking a second to discern their faces, he shouted, Help me! towards Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Chapter 489: 489: Upgrading Chapter 489: Upgrading Fiery Rain Skill Suddenly, Lu Mingyuan raised his Magic Staff, pointing in Lv Peis direction. Lv Pei instantly felt a surge of magic energy around him, causing his heart to sink. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Above Lv Peis head, a large patch of crimson clouds formed. The heavy clouds began to churn, absorbing surrounding magical elements. Soon, droplets of rain began falling from the sky, enveloping the demonic ants behind Lv Pei; The wings of the airborne demonic soldier ants quickly burnt in the fiery rain, causing them to tumble down from the sky, and crash into the swarm of demonic worker ants below. Dozens of demonic ants, covered by the vast fiery rain, shrieked and roared crazily. Each raindrop only inflicted a low amount of damage, about five or six points, on the demonic ants, but within the area covered by the fiery rain, hundreds of raindrops fell every second. This damage spread densely over the heads of the ants, causing unease to anyone with acrophobia; Lv Pei rolled and crawled over, revealing a look of fear when seeing Song Jian. However, he soon calmed himself, deeply bowing to both of them, saying, Thank you for saving my life! Song Jian glanced at Lv Pei and thought he looked somewhat familiar. Furthermore, he noticed that despite the fleeting expression of fear on Lv Peis face when he first saw him, the look was captured by Song Jian. Could it be that he was part of the group that attacked me within the Protection Black Mist? A thought flashed across Song Jians mind, and his gaze became more playful as he looked at Lv Pei. No problem, were all players. We should naturally help each other Song Jian glanced at the charging demonic ants saying, Lets get rid of these demonic ants chasing you first, then we can talk later. The demonic ants who had experienced a round of Fiery Rain Skill were all wounded. They had lost more than a third of their Vitality Points. Moreover, most of the demonic ants were afflicted by the adverse Burning effect, their bodies turning crimson, and their surfaces ablaze with flames. The Burning effect would decrease 5 Vitality Points every three seconds. Every few steps, a burning injury floated above the head of these demonic ants; With a sharp roar, before Song Jian could charge up, the Ant King Slave led the flight with its wings open, pouncing on the swarm of demonic ants. A stream of acidic liquid was sprayed towards the demonic ants, soaking several soldier ants from top to bottom. Then, its massive mandible crushed the head of a demonic worker ant, while its forelimbs brutally tore the unfortunate demonic worker ants body; In no time, the Ant King Slave appeared like a tiger among sheep, wildly attacking the demonic ants. In a short while, the hatred that the demonic ants had for Lu Mingyuan was overtaken by the Ant King Slave; Seeing the falling Vitality Points of the Ant King Slave, Song Jian was startled and hurriedly leaped forward to assist. Lv Pei hesitated for a moment, before drawing out a mechanical crossbow to attack; Even though their level was much lower than the demonic ants, their momentum was like a rainbow. Further supplemented by Song Jians Ant Soul Orb, which reduced the demonic ants attributes, they immediately took the upper hand. The battle began a one-sided slaughter. After about fifteen minutes, the last demonic soldier ants head was crushed by the Ant King Slave. The ants headless body convulsed as it was ripped apart by the Ant King Slave, finally bringing the battle to an end; The souls of the demonic ants absorbed by Song Jians Ant Soul Orb reached three hundred, changing its special effect to reducing the defense of the demonic ants by 15%, inflicting 9% damage, and reducing the attack speed of the demonic ants by 9%. A ray of light flashed by, and Song Jians level increased to 24 with 2% experience. Looking at his skills, only the Sweeping Sword Style had reached a proficiency of 100%. So, Song Jian directly assigned the skill point to Sweeping Sword Style. Song Jian felt helpless regarding the upgrading of skills. Sometimes, two or three skills would reach 100% proficiency at the same time. On the other hand, sometimes he would have a skill point but no skills that met the upgrading conditions. As of now, Song Jian had adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards upgrading skills. Anything that had a skill point and whose proficiency was at 100% would be upgraded without a second thought. He was quite looking forward to what changes would occur when other skills reached 100% proficiency. Moreover, when the skills reached level 10, they could be evolved by melding with each other. Therefore, all skills were useful to him. Maybe merging two average skills could create a god-like skill. Seeing Song Jian advancing another level, envy appeared in Lu Mingyuans eyes as he nodded at Song Jian, saying, Congratulations! Congratulations, congratulations! Lv Pei also said, smiling broadly. Having had a personal experience of Song Jians capability, Lv Pei was amazed by his ability to react instantaneously and avoid all harm despite being ambushed by so many people. Lv Pei admitted to himself that even if he increased his level by ten, he probably wouldnt be able to react as quickly as Song Jian. Lv Pei had originally escaped, using his Town Return Scroll to return to his safe house. However, after returning to Doomsday City, the more Lv Pei thought about it, the more frustrated he became. This was an epic quest, but he had failed at the very first step. He didnt even manage to leave Doomsday City and even lost a Town Return Scroll in the process. After thinking for a day, Lv Pei couldnt accept his failure. So, he went to the Shadow Circus Troupe and found the old Beastman leader, who gave him one last chance, using the Transmission Array to teleport him out of the city. As a result, Lv Pei was successfully teleported out of Doomsday City. His destination turned out to be less than a kilometer away from the Demonic Ant Nest. Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan hadnt reached here yet so the area was teeming with demonic ants. The moment Lv Pei appeared, a large swarm of demonic ants chased after him. Fortunately, he encountered Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Otherwise, without a Town Return Scroll, Lv Pei would likely have perished here. Lv Pei was somewhat anxious, unsure if Song Jian recognized him. He spoke cautiously, not even explaining to the two why he had turned up here. What he didnt know was that his cautious demeanor only confirmed Song Jians suspicion that Lv Pei had been among the group that attacked him in the Protection Black Mist. Lets move ahead, were likely very close to the Demonic Ant Nest. Song Jian said; The appearance of the demonic soldier ants indicated they were near their nest, and their current location was also the place where Song Jian had been ambushed; To hunt the Demonic Ant King, they would have to delve deep into the nest. Previously, Song Jian was incredibly fortunate to encounter a Demonic Ant King that had left its nest to chase him. After picking up the spoils of their battle against the swarm of demonic ants and waiting for Lu Mingyuan to finish dissecting them one by one, the three of them set off towards the Demonic Ant Nest; Chapter 490: 490: Nest Chapter 490: Nest The closer the three of them got to the Demonic Ant Nest, the more monsters they encountered. At first, only two or three would appear, but later on, groups of a dozen or more began to emerge. Oftentimes, before they could finish off one swarm of demonic ants, another swarm would discover them. Do you see it? The Demonic Ant Nest is right ahead Lv Pei pointed and exclaimed loudly. Suddenly, a sharp scream echoed through mid-air, and demonic ants surged towards them. With Song Jian and the enslaved Ant King as the spearhead, they stood their ground like a solid rock, unfazed by the waves crashing against them; Under the influence of the Ant Soul Orb, the attributes of the demonic ants attacking them were significantly weakened. The trio fought their way through, feeling invincible. The closer they got to the nest, the fewer worker ants appeared, and the number of soldier ants began to increase steadily. Finally, they were surrounded by winged demonic soldier ants. These demonic soldier ants were agile attackers, coming at them from front, back, left, and right, as well as from the air above. At a distance, it looked as if the three of them were buried by demonic soldier ants. At this point, all three of them were fighting back-to-back against the attacking demonic soldier ants, their roles no longer distinct as close-range or long-range fighters. We cant go on like this. I wont last much longer Lu Mingyuan furrowed his brow and shouted loudly. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lv Pei was even more beleaguered. Two cuts on his face were bleeding profusely. Song Jian had not added him to the team lineup, so Lv Pei had not enjoyed the attribute buffs, and the demonic soldier ants killed by Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan were not credited to him. Only the monsters he killed himself counted towards his quest target; By now, they had been trapped for more than ten minutes, with demonic soldier ants continuously pouring out of the nest in front of them, surrounding them. Song Jians heart sunk as the numbers of demonic soldier ants grew increasingly dense around them, with the air above them turning dark as well. If they didnt change their strategy soon, they could very well die here. The nest is less than 500 meters ahead. Shall we charge into it or retreat? Make a decision quickly! Lu Mingyuan yelled anxiously. The current situation left them with two choices: either retreat and abandon their mission or charge into the Demonic Ant Nest and hope to use the terrain to their advantage against the soldier ants. After hesitating for a mere two seconds, Song Jian shouted decisively, Charge forward! Well enter the nest! By now, Song Jian had killed over a hundred demonic soldier ants as part of his quest objective. Based on their current attacking power, they would be able to complete the soldier ant quest in at most another hour. Moreover, the Ant Soul Orb was already close to having 500 souls. The more they killed, the more powerful the Ant Soul Orb became. Even with demonic worker ants blocking their way, it would be more challenging to retreat than to charge into the nest, especially with the Demonic Ant Nest so close at hand and their entire retreat path swarming with demonic ants; Ill clear the way! Lu Mingyuan shouted, swapping positions with Song Jian. Holding the Magic Staff firmly in both hands, he waved it horizontally and chanted an incantation loudly. Scorching Disintegration Ray! Boom! A dazzling crimson pillar of light burst forth from Lu Mingyuans Magic Staff, like a laser beam, piercing through the bodies of dozens of demonic soldier ants in front of them. One after another, damage values appeared above the heads of the affected demonic soldier ants, their Vitality Points visibly draining away rapidly, their bodies starting to disintegrate under the impact of the light beam. Having killed the demonic soldier ants blocking the way, Lu Mingyuan began to slowly rotate his body, sweeping the Scorching Disintegration Ray around him, taking out the surrounding demonic soldier ants. This move was the perfect counter to the tightly packed formation. The area around the trio was completely filled with monsters, and this single attack displayed its full power instantly. This skill is quite similar to the Eye-kill technique, but it is several times stronger! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. The red disintegration ray stretched for more than ten meters, quickly eliminating the Demonic Soldier Ants within its range. In one strike, at least twenty to thirty Demonic Soldier Ants were killed, clearing a path more than two meters wide. Go quickly! Lu Mingyuan shouted with a fatigued expression. The greater the power of the skill, the more it consumed. The Scorching Disintegration Ray could continuously attack as long as Lu Mingyuan provided it with enough mana. However, Lu Mingyuan didnt dare to use up all of his mana now. After clearing a path, he stopped using the skill, saving at least half of his mana. The trio rushed up a mound of dirt, and before them was a huge hole more than ten meters wide. The Demonic Soldier Ants continuously flew out from the hole. This is the entrance to the Demonic Ant Nest, lets jump down from here! Lv Pei shouted excitedly. The mission interface clearly marked the location of the Demonic Ant Nest. Lv Pei was almost scared to death when he first teleported out. Lu Mingyuan took the lead and jumped into the hole. Mid-air, his body seemed as light as a feather, falling slowly. Lv Pei smiled at Song Jian and took out a pale-green potion from his bag. After drinking it, he closed his eyes and jumped into the hole as well. Song Jian recognized the potion; it was called the Light Body Potion, which could reduce body weight by 60% and decrease fall damage by 80%. After drinking the potion, even a fall from a hundred meters would only result in a numb feeling in the legs, without causing any harm. With a thought, Song Jian sprouted a pair of metallic wings from his back. He leaped into the air, folded his steel wings, and dashed towards the bottom of the nest like an arrow. Above, the Demonic Soldier Ants swarmed like a tornado towards the nest. The slower they descended, the more attacks they would suffer mid-air. During the fall, Song Jian didnt receive any attacks from the Demonic Soldier Ants. His speed was too fast, and many Demonic Soldier Ants didnt even have the chance to react before he passed them by. As he approached the bottom of the cave, Song Jians wings suddenly spread open. Flapping them powerfully, he executed a sideways roll in the air, completing five or six rolls before landing firmly on the cavern floor. Upon landing, Song Jian smelled a foul odor, similar to the stench of something rotting. His vertical eye in the middle of his brow opened, and he saw that the bottom of the cave was filled with countless bones of various creatures. It resembled a bloodbath slaughterhouse, sending shivers down peoples spines. Right then, Lu Mingyuan suddenly fell with a loud thud, looking somewhat disheveled. His hair was messy, and his dark gray cloak seemed to have been slashed apart, reduced to pieces of rag hanging off his back. I havent seen him wear this cloak before. It seems to be one of his trump cards, Song Jian thought after a glance, But its obvious that, whether its completely damaged or not, its no longer usable. Just as Song Jian was about to speak, a terrible scream came from above, and a few drops of liquid fell onto his shoulder. When he touched it, his fingers felt slippery. Blood? Song Jian looked up, his brows furrowed. Chapter 491: 491: Disperse Chapter 491: Disperse In midair, Lv Pei was surrounded and furiously bitten by a group of demonized soldier ants, looking as if he were being torn apart, his body covered in wounds. As someone chosen by the Shadow Circus Troupe leader to take on an epic quest, Lv Peis strength should not be underestimated. However, when compared to Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan, the gap was apparent. Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan dared to jump down because they had their own trump cards to ensure their safe landing at the bottom of the cave. However, Lv Pei thought that a bottle of Light Body Potion would suffice for him to safely reach the bottom, clearly underestimating the demonized soldier ants swarming behind him. Plop! A severed arm fell from the sky, and Lv Pei let out a piercing scream. It seems he is done for Lu Mingyuan looked up at Lv Pei, who was increasingly enveloped by demonized soldier ants, and said emotionlessly. Weakness is a sin. In this insane game, bystanders might watch with indifference as you are killed by monsters, then loot the boxes left behind after your death. Song Jian understood Lu Mingyuans question C should they save him? Upon landing at the bottom of the cave, Song Jian had already observed the surroundings. The entire cave was surrounded by deep tunnels, each over three meters in diameter. The demonized ants entered and left through these tunnels, leaving and returning to the lair. Save him, having an extra scout is better than none, Song Jian shrugged nonchalantly. Lu Mingyuan nodded, waving his magic staff and releasing a string of fireballs towards the demonized soldier ants in midair. Boom, boom, boom~ As the fireballs exploded in the sky, they instantly attracted the hatred of the demonized soldier ants. Lv Pei, covered in blood and wounds with one arm severed, fell to the ground like a corpse. With only a fifth of his Vitality Points left, Lv Pei crashed onto a rock at the caves bottom, and after spitting out another mouthful of blood, passed out. If not for the faint movement in his chest, Song Jian would have thought he had died from the fall in an instant. With the Ant Soul Orb in hand, Song Jian was much more at ease when facing the onslaught of demonized soldier ants. Swinging his sword in hand, it left dark red streaks in midair. The Ant King Slave roared, and the demonized soldier ants seemed to fear it and didnt dare to attack it proactively. The Ant King Slave, however, ferociously attacked the demonized soldier ants as if they were hell-bent on mutual destruction. Leaning against the cave wall, a transparent light barrier appeared around Lu Mingyuan as he continuously used instant-cast magic to attack the demonized soldier ants approaching him. As the number of demonized soldier ants increased, Lu Mingyuan furrowed his brows, coldly saying, If we dont leave now, we may not have a chance to leave later. The bottom of the cave was not very spacious, and in a short while, Song Jian was surrounded by a dense mass of demonized soldier ants, with no room to even stretch his foot. Glancing at Lv Pei, who still lay beneath the rock, Song Jian noticed that his wounds were healing at a visible rate, and his Vitality Points, which were originally down to one-fifth, had already recovered to nearly half. Stop pretending to be dead and get into the nearest tunnel, Song Jian ordered coldly, not even looking at the other two as he commanded the Ant King Slave to open the path and headed toward the nearest tunnel. Lu Mingyuans eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Song Jian, seeming to want to say something. In the end, he only shook his head, glanced at Lv Pei lying on the ground, snorted coldly, and threw a firewall into a tunnel on the side. A path instantly opened up, and he disappeared into the tunnel. As the two vanished into the tunnel, a chill ran down Lv Peis spine. He quickly scrambled to his feet and hurriedly followed Lu Mingyuan before the demonized soldier ants could encircle him. While battling the monsters, Song Jian had deliberately kept some distance from Lu Mingyuan and Lv Pei, and thus, they didnt enter the same tunnel. He had teamed up with Lu Mingyuan previously to complete the task, as their efficiency in defeating monsters as a team would be much higher. But now, Song Jians task was more than half completed. The number of demonized worker ants met the requirements, and he was less than a hundred demonized soldier ants away from his goal, with only two more demonized Ant Kings needed. Moreover, with the Ant Soul Orb, Song Jian no longer cared about having teammates to help. All along the way, Song Jian felt that Lu Mingyuan seemed to harbor ill intentions towards him. If Lu Mingyuan had wanted to use Song Jians assistance to hunt the demonized Ant Kings earlier, now, Song Jians value might be much higher than the demonized Ant Kings in his eyes. Taking advantage of their entry into the demonized ant lair, Song Jian deliberately separated himself from the duo and entered a tunnel alone. This tunnel was spacious enough for two demonized soldier ants to walk side by side. The walls were made of hard rock, with corrosive acid traces visible on them. Darkness enveloped the tunnel. With his vertical eye, Song Jian quickly dashed forward, soon leaving the cacophony of demonized soldier ants behind. Song Jian glanced at the Ant Soul Orb, which had collected the souls of over four hundred demonized ants, nearly approaching five hundred. Within the tunnel, the rustling sounds of something swiftly crawling could be heard from time to time. In no time, Song Jian saw a demonized soldier ant in front of the tunnel. Before he could act, the Ant King Slave growled, spread its wings, and pounced at the demonized soldier ant. Before the demonized soldier ant could react, it was overturned by the Ant King Slave. The serrated mandibles easily tore through the demonized ants carapace, violently ripping apart the purple-red muscles within. Watching the howling demonized soldier ant, Song Jian pointed his left finger, and a golden Sword Qi blossomed from it, piercing the demonized ants skull and vanquishing its last trace of Vitality. The Ant King Slaves mandibles and fangs were covered in purplish-black blood. Seeing Song Jian kill the demonized soldier ant, it seemed to ignite its ferocity as it turned its head, opened its mouth wide, and let out a threatening growl at Song Jian. Startled, Song Jians face darkened. Perhaps to other players, an Ant King pet would be precious and needed to be carefully looked after, but Song Jian did not care. Even killing the Ant King would not make him hesitate. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a thought, a black rune formed on the Ant King Slaves forehead, radiating dazzling light. A wave of black aura spread through the dungeon, like blades surging towards the Ant King Slaves joints. Soon, the Ant King Slave lost all strength and slumped to the ground. Whip-like black auras formed small knives inside its body, relentlessly slicing it and causing it great pain. Chapter 492: 492: Ant Eggs Chapter 492: Ant Eggs The Ant King slave writhed, convulsing all over its body, its mournful howls weak and feeble. Purple-black liquid seeped from its bloodshot eyes. In a short time, the Ant King slave collapsed like a corpse, its six legs twitching sporadically. Remember your status! Song Jian said coldly to the Ant King slave with the language of the Abyss. The Ant King slaves level now surpassed Song Jians, making the probability of a rebellion even higher. However, the superiority of Song Jians strength ensured that even without a slave mark, he could easily kill it. Feeling Song Jians chilling aura, the Ant King slave finally snapped out of its bloody frenzy. Staggering to its feet, it hung its head and let out a series of appeasing hisses after Song Jian paused his punishment. Continue forward, kill all mutant ants! Song Jian commanded. The Ant King slave obediently let out a low hiss and led the way down the corridor. The nest harbored even more mutant worker ants, and the connected tunnels spanned over a hundred kilometers in total. However, within the tunnels, the mutant ants were unable to surround Song Jian as before. Now, he only had to face two at a time, greatly reducing the pressure. Any mutant ants appearing within the tunnel could only hope to escape. As Song Jian advanced, the bodies of many dismantled mutant ants were left in his wake. The number of souls collected by the Ant Soul Orb had surpassed six hundred. Song Jian had already slain enough mutant ants, and the only objective remaining for the epic quest was two mutated Ant Kings. Song Jian knew that mutated Ant Kings only resided at the deepest parts of nests. Therefore, no matter how diverged the tunnels were, he persistently chose to delve deeper. Soon, at a crossroad, Song Jian wanted to go straight ahead, but the Ant King slave stood at another entrance, emitting a low hiss at him. What, you choose this path? Song Jian asked. The Ant King slave gave a slight nod, glancing back at its path before returning its gaze to Song Jian. Fine, Ill trust you this time! Song Jian laughed. The Ant King slave had never behaved like this before. Clearly, the tunnel it had chosen contained something of interest. They continued along the path chosen by the Ant King slave. Before long, a large swarm of mutant ants rushed out, swelling like a long black snake attacking Song Jian. Upon seeing so many mutant ants, Song Jian was unperturbed and even a little joyous: Looks like theres something valuable ahead, otherwise there wouldnt be so many soldier ants guarding it The Ant King slave charged ahead, Song Jian at its side. From the Ant Soul Orb he wore emanated a faint gray aura which rendered the mutant ants charging towards him sluggish, as though bewitched, and their sturdy shells became brittle. With one swipe of his sword, blood geysered from the cracks in their shells. The intelligence of the mutant ants seemed low. No matter how many they were, they only charged forward one by one. The remaining ants could only emit anxious hisses and spin around in place, not even capable of spraying acid. Only after their vanguard was eliminated, the following ants would charge to fill the gap. The majority of the mutant ants attacks were absorbed by the Ant King slave. Thanks to the weakening effect of the Ant Soul Orb, the damage caused to the Ant King slave was minimal, but it cut down the ants as easily as slicing through butter. The number of soldier ant souls captured by the Ant Soul Orb kept increasing six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred With every step Song Jian took forward, there were two or three corpses of mutant ants under his feet. If this place were open, there would already be a mountain of these corpses. If it were a situation like the previous cavern floor, he would have been engulfed by the swarm. It was thanks to the narrow pathway that Song Jian could kill so many. His movements became numb, and he swung his longsword mechanically, mindlessly reaping one mutant ant body after another. As soon as his skill cooldowns were up, he would throw them towards the mutant ants in front of him without even looking. Like most players, Song Jian once fantasized about such a situation, where monsters would line up for him to kill. However, after experiencing it in reality, Song Jian felt somewhat overwhelmed. This kind of hunting was indeed convenient, and the battle experience accumulated fast, but seeing the endless line of mutant ants was a deep blow to his mentality. Song Jian even doubted whether he would fully exterminate the mutant ants in front of him. It was like laboring on a factory assembly line. This grueling battle lasted over two hours. Song Jian had used up all the consumable items in his inventory, and the durability of his equipment had fallen to a third. When Song Jian killed the last mutant ant, he slumped to the ground, feeling like he could not get up again. If I hadnt leveled up halfway through, I probably wouldnt have made it. Song Jian looked at his 25th level status, a wry smile crossing his face. The Ant King slave had now reached level 28, and Song Jian had leveled up too. The level 30 monster had given him a plentiful bounty, but as Song Jians level went up, these rewards would decrease. Now, the most abundant item in Song Jians inventory was the blue-quality ant shell, a key material for producing Mutant Worker and Mutant Soldier Ant equipment sets. With the ant shells Song Jian had currently, he could produce dozens of sets. Unfortunately, he still had not obtained the set recipe. The information about the Mutant Worker Ant equipment set came from the Shadow Circus Troupe, perhaps the set recipe can be obtained from there. Song Jian thought to himself as he lay on the ground. After a short rest, Song Jian continued onward, reaching the end of the tunnel. A huge cavern opened at the end, filled with white ant eggs over a meter tall. From afar, there were at least thousands of densely packed ant eggs. Is this the incubation room for the mutant ants? Song Jian asked in surprise. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Ant King slave let out a joyous hiss and charged towards the cavern. It rushed to an ant egg, bit into the white shell fiercely, tearing it open to devour the immature young ant within. You lead me here just to pig out yourself? Song Jian gaped in astonishment at the Ant King slave greedily consuming the eggs. After a moment, the Ant King slave, which was enjoying a lavish feast, suddenly felt a chill go down its spine. Turning its head, it looked at Song Jian who had murder in his eyes. Squeak squeak squeak~ In a panic, the Ant King slave quickly rolled an ant egg to Song Jians foot, pointing to it and chirping as if offering a treasure. Chapter 493: 493: The Ant Kings Guard Chapter 493: The Ant Kings Guard Song Jian snorted coldly, placing his hand on the ant egg to examine its attributes. A look of surprise quickly washed over his face. Ant Egg (White), Rare item, Usage effect: Can enhance ones own attributes after use, with strength+1 and defense+3%; this effect is only valid for the first three uses. What a great item! Song Jians face lit up with joy. Nowadays, it was getting increasingly difficult to improve his personal attributes. When he first started playing the game, he frequently ran into miraculous items like the Attribute Fruits, but once he crossed level 20, such items had become scarce. He hadnt come across any since level 20. Although equipment could increase his attributes considerably, most couldnt be taken out of the game, except for the players inherent attribute skills. With his current strength, Song Jian could be considered superhuman in the real world. In a serious fight, even if hundreds were to attack him without using any firearms, he wouldnt fear. But Song Jians goal now was to compete against firearms, so, of course, the more items he had to increase his attributes, the better. What a pity, only the first three are effective. Looking at the nest filled with ant eggs, Song Jians eyes revealed disappointment. Use! Song Jian placed his hands on the ant egg, whispering in his mind. Suddenly, the white egg, nearly the height of Song Jians chest, began to dissolve slowly, turning into a warm current flowing into his chest. In no time, Song Jian felt a warm sensation throughout his body. Exhausted from the previous battle, Song Jian felt like all his cells were rejoicing and cheering, bursting with excitement. This feeling, its truly addictive! Song Jian sighed as the warm current gradually dissipated. Using one ant egg, Song Jian moved to the next one. After using three of them in succession, he reluctantly looked away. When Song Jian found out that the ant eggs were valuable, he tried to store them in his inventory but was rejected by the system C it clearly said that the item could not be stored in the inventory. Otherwise, Song Jian would have cleaned out his inventory to store all these ant eggs. Even if he failed this epic task, it would be worth it if he could bring all these eggs back, but unfortunately It seemed that the usage limit of the ant eggs did not apply to the Ant Kings slaves. Seeing Song Jians happiness, the Ant Kings slave breathed a sigh of relief and started to tear and devour the eggs. By the time Song Jian absorbed three ant eggs, the Ant Kings slave had already consumed over ten eggs. The size of the eggs it consumed was many times larger than its own body, but it showed no signs of stopping as it continued to eat. Bzzz~ A white light erupted from the Ant Kings slave, and its level rose by one, reaching level 29. Song Jian was startled; he hadnt expected that these ant eggs could increase the Ant Kings level. What surprised him more was that every time an egg was destroyed, the number of souls that the Ant Soul Orb could contain also increased. In other words, destroying an ant egg was equivalent to killing a mutated ant. This place is simply a paradise for farming Ant Soul Orbs! Song Jian burst out laughing, swinging his sword and releasing a destructive Sword Qi. A dozen ant eggs were split in two, spewing out a milky white liquid that looked like milk. The Ant Kings slave gave Song Jian a pitiful look, speeding up its consumption of the ant eggs. The Ant Soul Orb had already absorbed nearly a thousand souls after the previous battle. After Song Jian continuously chopped dozens of ant eggs, the number of souls absorbed by the Ant Soul Orb reached the maximum capacity of one thousand. In an instant, the Ant Soul Orb emitted a strong grey aura. The aura ascended to the top of Song Jians head, taking the form of a phantom of a mysterious golden anteater beast. It roared silently towards the sky, its posture arrogant and savage. The Ant King slave appeared to be frightened and immediately jumped out, looking at Song Jian with a terrified gaze. At this moment, a terrifying aura suddenly appeared in the hatchery. At the depths of the cave ahead, hundreds of ant eggs burst open simultaneously. A creamy liquid flowed out, filling the entire hatchery with a sweet fragrant smell. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. On the ground where the ant eggs exploded, the earth slowly heaved upward and a giant Ant King soon burrowed up from the ground. Its pair of crimson eyes fixated on the phantom of the mysterious golden anteater beast above Song Jians head. It stretched its neck and let out a shrill howl. Clap, clap, clap~ All the ant eggs in the hatchery burst open at once. This gigantic mutated Ant King, looking at the creamy liquid flowing on the ground, revealed a hint of pain in its eyes. Theres actually an Ant King guarding here? Song Jian exclaimed with wide eyes, hardly believing his discovery. Roar~ The Ant King slave let out a hiss and, without any command from Song Jian, charged directly at the mutated Ant King ahead. The Mutated Ant King, looking at the spiky Ant King slave, showed a hint of hesitation in its eyes. But soon, it seemed to understand something and became furious. Even its dark carapace was exuding a red glow of extreme heat. The two Ant Kings collided fiercely. The Ant King slave was obviously no match for the mutated Ant King and was thrown backward. Before it could get up, the mutated Ant King had already lunged towards it, its giant mandible aimed at the slaves skull. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped air mass whistled towards the mutated Ant King and exploded violently at its side. The powerful shockwave caused the mutated Ant King to sway for a moment, its massive body wavering. Seizing this opportunity, the Ant King slave got up and, swinging its huge mandibles, let out a howl at the mutated Ant King. Seeing the Ant King slaves bravado, the mutated Ant King became even more furious, completely ignoring Song Jian and rushing towards the Ant King slave like a bolt of lightning. It seemed determined to kill the Ant King slave, even at the cost of its own injury. Song Jian wouldnt let it succeed. He swung his sword at the mutated Ant King, letting loose a series of sword techniques that caused massive damage to the mutated Ant King. As soon as Song Jian got close, the mutated Ant King instantly felt a strange power entangling it. Its body became weak and its movements restrained, as if tethered by something. Even its attacks became sluggish. Seeing the state of the mutated Ant King, Song Jian was instantly delighted. The effect of the Ant Soul Orb on the mutated Ant King was successful; it had reduced its defense by 50% and weakened its damage and attack speed by 30%. Even if the mutated Ant King possessed first-tier combat power, it could only end up crippled now. The Ant King slave seemed to sense the weakened state of the mutated Ant King and immediately pushed off its hind legs, charging towards it. The spikes on its carapace pierced through the tough exterior of the mutated Ant King effortlessly, like a hot knife through butter. The intense pain caused the mutated Ant King to let out a painful roar towards the sky. Chapter 494: 494: Silver Suit Chapter 494: Silver Suit The recently emerged demonized Ant King, for some unknown reason, harbored great hatred towards the slave Ant King, and its attention was completely focused on the slave. No matter how much Song Jian attacked, its target was always the spiky slave Ant King. Thanks to the existence of the Ant Soul Orb, the difficulty for Song Jian and the slave Ant King to besiege this Ant King Guard was much simpler than hunting the previous demonized Ant King. Half an hour later, the Ant King Guard was finally killed when the slave Ant King had less than a fifth of its Vitality Points left and had lost one of its front claws. After killing the Ant King Guard, the slave Ant King immediately rushed up, tore open the thick armor, and devoured the purple-red flesh within. After devouring this Ant King Guard, the broken front claw actually grew back slowly. Although the shell of this front claw still looked somewhat tender, it would be exactly the same as before as time passed. Regeneration of severed limbs? Interesting Song Jian watched the fierce slave Ant King thoughtfully while stroking his chin. If this slave Ant King could really devour the flesh of other creatures to replenish energy and regenerate severed limbs, then the idea of using it as a disposable consumable would have to change. Because slaves who have undergone Abyss Temptation cannot be revived once they die, they were considered cannon fodder in Song Jians mind. Even if they were severely injured, Song Jian would consider abandoning them. However, if this slave Ant King could regenerate even severed limbs by devouring flesh, there would be no problem with ordinary injuries. At that point, there would be no risk of being fatally injured. As long as it didnt die instantly, even if it had only a breath left, the slave Ant King could recover its combat power by devouring flesh. Well done! Song Jian patted the slave Ant Kings head with a smile on his face. The Ant King Guard dropped a blueprint, Demonic Ant Queens Skull (Helmet) Forging Blueprint, and a large pile of ant shell materials, among which three pieces were of silver-quality. Song Jians inventory was now almost full of blue-quality demonized ant shells, but this was the first time he encountered silver-quality ant shell materials. Seeing the silver-quality demonized ant shell and the forging blueprint, Song Jian had a bad feeling in his heart. Picking up the blueprint, sure enough, the Demonic Ant Queens Skull blueprint was indeed part of the Demonic Ant Queen Set; and crafting this helmet required silver-quality demonized ant shells. Lucky me, I thought I could only get a set of demonized worker ant or soldier ant armor. I didnt expect it to drop the Ant Queen set directly Song Jian glanced at the blueprint and thought, Its just that the materials are hard to come by; I guess they can only be obtained from the demonized Ant King. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To craft the Demonic Ant Queens Skull (Helmet), twelve silver-quality demonized ant shells were needed, meaning Song Jian still needed to find nine more. Moreover, the attributes of a single Demonic Ant Queens Skull (Helmet) were already of silver quality. If an entire Ant Queen set could be assembled, the overall equipment could be comparable to that of gold quality. Unfortunately, the forging blueprint required Forge Art Level 8 to be used. Song Jian had recruited several intermediate Forging Masters at the City of Hymns Starfire Shop. He just needed to find a suitable Forging Master, sign a contract, and give them the blueprint for them to forge it for him. It would be great if I could collect a complete set of Demonic Ant Queen blueprints. Song Jian couldnt help but think. Blueprints like these were known only to be dropped by the demonized Ant Kings; other soldier ants and worker ants could not drop them. Moreover, not every demonized Ant King would drop them. The first one Song Jian hunted did not drop the corresponding blueprint. To gather a full set, it was estimated that he had to hunt dozens or even hundreds of Ant Kings. With Song Jians current strength, having the aid of the slave Ant King and the Ant Soul Orb, he could deal with a single demonized Ant King, but if the number exceeded two, he would most likely run away. Also, with the overwhelming tide of demonized worker ants and soldier ants, hunting enough Ant Kings was virtually impossible. I dont even know if there are twenty Ant Kings in this ant nest Song Jian said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. After the Ant King Guard was killed, the slave Ant King seemed to sink into exhaustion, its body swaying and trembling slightly before slowly lying down and remaining motionless. Song Jian frowned slightly, with only one more demonized Ant King left before the task could be completed. Once it was found and killed, he could return to Doomsday City and obtain an epic-quality item. If he lost the help of the slave Ant King at this point, the difficulty of the task would increase drastically. Could it be because the battle just now was too intense, and its consumption was too great? Song Jian guessed in his heart and couldnt help but reach out to shake it a few times. But just as he touched the slave Ant King, he suddenly received a system prompt; System: Your slave Golden Ant King is currently in the process of evolution. Disturbing it will cause irreversible effects. Do you wish to continue? Song Jian was startled and instinctively pulled his hand back. Evolution? At this point, Song Jian suddenly remembered the slave Ant King devouring many ant eggs earlier, Maybe its because it devoured so many ant eggs? If he were to disturb its evolution at this moment, there was a high chance that it would anger the slave Ant King. Song Jian hesitated for a long time before shaking his head and walking towards the tunnel entrance. Because of the slave contract, once the slave Ant Kings evolution was complete, it would instinctively seek and return to its master, Song Jian. Thus, he was not worried about the slave Ant King getting lost. However, there were too many demonized soldier ants in the Demonic Ant Nest at this point, and without the help of the slave Ant King, things would become troublesome. The system did not provide a duration for the evolution. It seems that I wont be able to rely on it for now! Song Jian thought to himself. Song Jians figure vanished into the egg-chamber. The entire floor of the egg-chamber was covered in a thick layer of milky-white liquid. The slave Ant King suddenly opened its eyes, and a dazzling golden light bloomed in its blood-red eyes. It stared fixedly in the direction Song Jian had left, motionless for a long time before slowly closing its eyes again. At this moment, a strong suction force emerged from within the slave Ant Kings body. The surrounding milky-white liquid began to ripple slightly, and then all rushed towards the Ant King, forming a giant white ant cocoon over three meters tall in a short time. Chapter 495: 495: Black Lake Chapter 495: Black Lake Song Jian returned to the previous fork and chose another passage to continue forward. Demonic Soldier Ants swarmed towards him; each time Song Jian advanced one meter, he had to kill several, even a dozen of them. Without the Ant Soul Orb, regardless of Song Jians strength, he could only seek to retreat under the tide-like attack of Demonized Soldier Ants, and it would be impossible to continue deeper. The Demonic Ant Nest was dark and gloomy, and Song Jian didnt know how long he had been killing. Unconsciously, the number of Demonized Soldier Ants blocking his way had become fewer, while more and more bodies of the slain ants were left behind. If it wasnt for their self-immolation after a while, the entire passage would be full of Demonized Soldier Ant corpses. After an unknown period, Song Jian suddenly found himself in a bright open space, and a vast black lake appeared before him. Above the lake, a five or six-meter-long spatial rift stood in mid-air. Endless black breath came out from the rift, which both consolidated the rift and continuously merged into the lake below. The black lake covered a large area, and Song Jian couldnt see its end. As the black breath infused the lake, its surface continuously churned and occasionally bubbles emerged, like boiling water. In the black lake, there was a small island where nothing grew, only a huge, golden ant lay, bound tightly by black chains. Some chains had even embedded themselves into the hard shell of the golden ant. Song Jian saw that numerous golden ant eggs radiated around the golden ant, forming an incubation chamber similar to the previous one. The only difference here was that the ant eggs were much larger, while their quantity was several times less. Just then, a huge golden ant egg suddenly burst open, and a wet ant squeezed out. As soon as it appeared, it flapped its wings and gave a roar towards the big ant bound by black chains. This is an Ant King? Song Jian stared in amazement at the newly hatched golden ant, not expecting that all the golden ant eggs would hatch into Golden Ant Kings. Buzz~ Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a soft vibration, the newborn Ant King rushed towards the ant bound by the black chains, and the moment it approached, it flapped its mandibles savagely biting the chains. Puff, puff, puff~ Acid continuously sprayed from the Ant Kings mouth. Upon contact with the chains, it caused a violent reaction, and the sound of corrosion was endless. However, as soon as the black chains were damaged, the spatial rift above released a vast amount of black breath, which continuously attached to the chains, repairing them. The huge ant bound by the black chains didnt move at all, as if dead, allowing the Golden Ant King to struggle against the chains using its acid. But it didnt take long for the surrounding black breath to surge towards the Golden Ant King. Numerous strands of black breath transformed into ropes and bound the Golden Ant King entirely before slowly dragging it into the black lake. Song Jian suddenly found this scene familiar, as if it resembled the Summoning of the Abyss he used previously to enslave the Golden Ant King. Abyssal Power, I didnt expect this place to be corrupted by the Abyssal Power too Song Jian was at a loss for words. Although he also borrowed the power of the Abyss, seeing this scene made him feel a sense of heaviness in his heart. Song Jian observed that golden ant eggs continuously hatched, and all the emerging ants were Golden Ant Kings. Their first action after hatching was to pounce on the huge golden ant bound by black chains, using acid, mandibles, fangs, claws, and any means necessary to try to free the giant golden ant. However, due to the existence of the spatial rift in the air, black Abyssal energy continuously surged out. If the black chains were damaged, it would quickly merge with them and fully repair the damage. Song Jian was convinced that the black chains on the giant golden ant were condensed by Abyssal energy, and were very much similar to the chains he summoned during the Abyss Temptation. The newly hatched Golden Ant Kings were soon bound by the ropes condensed from the Abyssal energy and dragged into the black lake, never to be seen again. Song Jian could sense that the giant golden ant on the island was resisting the Abyssal Power with all its strength. A thin golden light barrier enveloped its body, and it continued to resist the invasiveness of the black chains even though they had deeply buried into its shell. However, all it could do was resist with all its might. But due to the existence of the spatial rift in the air, the continuous flow of Abyssal energy meant that, if it didnt have any other means, it would eventually be corroded by the Abyssal energy and turn into an Abyssal creature. At that moment, Song Jian saw that the edge of the black lake began to churn vigorously, as if bubbling like lava. A pitch-black Ant King slowly emerged from the water. A Demonized Ant King, this is a Demonized Ant King? Song Jian stared at the Ant King that had just emerged from the lake, with a look of surprise on his face. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. Could it be that all the Demonized Ant Kings in this nest were produced like this? Were the Golden Ant Kings dragged into the lake, transformed into Demonized Ant Kings after being corroded? But this didnt add up! The Demonized Ant King that emerged from the lake turned its head to look in the direction of the island. Its crimson eyes glared and opened its mandibles, roaring loudly before slowly walking towards a passage. At this moment, Song Jian saw the motionless golden ant suddenly open its eyes to look at the Demonized Ant King, its gaze full of helplessness and sadness. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, glanced at the newly transformed Demonized Ant King, and moved towards the black lake. He could sense that the black lake was filled with rich Abyssal Power, and any ordinary creature that came close would likely be transformed into an Abyssal creature immediately. The moment Song Jian approached the black lake, five or six black tentacles suddenly shot out from the churning waters, flying towards him. Chapter 496: Legendary Creatures Chapter 496: Legendary Creatures Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These several black tentacles shot towards Song Jian, attempting to confine him. The Abyssal Power harbored a greed that wished to transform all entities into Abyss creatures. As soon as it perceived the presence of other organisms, it would adopt this coercive means to make others succumb; Boom~ Suddenly, a raging flame erupted on the surface of Song Jians body. The black flame was far darker than the surrounding lake, immediately causing the tendrils that were reaching out at him to stiffen, hanging in the air in a flustered manner. Song Jian summoned the Book of the Abyss. A rich Abyssal aura emanated from it. The few black tentacles originally stretched out towards Song Jian, suddenly softened down and lay on the ground as if subjects beholding their monarch. The black tentacles began to disintegrate, turning back into liquid, and slowly flowed back into the lake. Upon witnessing this scene, Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. As his thoughts stirred, the burning black flame on his body instantly transformed into a suit of armor, protecting him all around. Song Jian slowly stepped towards the black lake. The moment he stepped on the lakes surface, a sudden feeling of hardness was felt underneath his feet, as if walking on solid ground. A thought arose in Song Jians heart, and he moved forward. Indeed, with every step he took, the churning water of the lake quieted down, turning into a solid-like entity, supporting Song Jian to walk forward; Soon, Song Jian arrived on the island in the middle of the lake. Calling it an island is a bit far-fetched; in reality, its a massive rock devoid of any vegetation. The jet-black rock was indistinguishable from the black lake water. Only after Song Jian stepped onto the island did he realize that the massive golden ant in front of him was even larger than the one he had seen on the lakes edge. This giant golden ant was more than ten meters tall, comparable to a tower. Its entire exoskeleton was streamlined, exhibiting a strange sense of beauty. The hard shell shimmered with a golden luster, akin to an armor. Underneath the hard golden shell, Song Jian could sense chunks of flesh filled with power releasing a vigorous life force, conveying a sense of strength and vitality. A series of question marks hovered over the head of this giant golden ant, faintly yellow in color, indicating that this is a neutral-type monster; Thick black chains were wound around every joint of this giant golden ant. These Abyssal Chains had merged with the small black rock island beneath its feet, making it impossible for it to break free; As soon as Song Jian set foot on the island, the giant golden ant seemingly sensed his presence. It abruptly opened its eyes and stared at Song Jian. The eyes of this giant golden ant were like massive flawless jade blocks, emitting a dark green radiance. Human, I can sense that your soul has not been corrupted by the Abyssal Power. Why are you here? The voice of the giant golden ant resounded in Song Jians mind. The voice was deep and husky, calm, unencumbered by the shackles of imprisonment; I am just an adventurer who stumbled upon this place Song Jian stared into the eyes of the giant golden ant as he spoke. The enormous monster before him was the second-largest creature he had ever encountered in this game, surpassed only by a gigantic skeleton towering over a hundred meters high. In this game, a monsters power was often proportional to its size. The larger the monster, the stronger it was. Although this golden ant was tightly bound by the black Abyssal Chains, Song Jian could still sense the formidable vitality within it. The closer he got to the giant golden ant, the stronger this feeling became. Song Jian even had the illusion that if this giant golden ant wished, it could escape the shackles of the Abyssal Chains at any moment. Adventurer The giant golden ant fixated on Song Jian, his voice reverberated in Song Jians mind, You carry the scent of my spawn, uncorrupted by the Abyssal Power. Although I am restrained here, I can still sense their existence. An idea came to Song Jians mind. The ant the golden ant mentioned must refer to his enslaved Ant King. With a slave contract in place, Song Jian naturally bore a trace of the Ant Kings scent. I have a Golden Ant King as a battle partner. We have fought together, but it is currently on the brink of evolution, so it is not with me at the moment, said Song Jian. He did not disclose that he had a young Golden Ant King as a slave to the colossal golden ant. If the creature learned of it, the giant golden ant would probably, in its fury, struggle free of its shackles and kill him immediately. You are fortunate, so is my spawn that encountered you The giant golden ants antennae twitched and it pointed at Song Jian. A white light enveloped Song Jian entirely. You will have my blessing and I hope it will assist you, the voice of the giant golden ant echoed in Song Jians mind. System: You have received the blessing of a legendary creature, the Emperors Mark. It intimidates all species whose rank is lower than that of a legendary creature; Intimidation effect? Surprised, Song Jian raised an eyebrow. Any creature of lower rank than the massive golden ant here would first response upon meeting Song Jian would be to flee. Even if they were to fight Song Jian, they wouldnt be able to unleash their full strength. If this effect persists on Song Jian, it would make his future monster hunting and leveling up much easier; Thank you, honorable legendary creature, for your blessing. Is there anything I can do to assist you? Song Jian said as he bowed to the golden ant. After bestowing the blessing, the giant golden ant showed signs of exhaustion and its antennae drooped. It then said to Song Jian, This is your due, and moreover, theres something I need you to do for me. A faint smile crawled up Song Jians lips. As expected, the giant golden ant blessed him because it had a request. It might have sensed the pure Ant King scent on Song Jian, but it surely needed something from him. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please let me know. Song Jian said. Do you see that spatial rift in the sky? Thats a spatial crack leading to the Abyssal Land. I want you to mend it for me. said the golden ant. Mend the spatial rift? Surprise flashed across Song Jians face, he replied, Given my current strength, Im afraid I might not be able to complete this task. Dont worry, as long as you do as I instruct, it will be easy to accomplish this task the golden ant assured, If you can mend this spatial rift, I will present you with a treasure as your task reward. Chapter 497: Ant King’s Treasure Chest Chapter 497: Ant Kings Treasure Chest After listening to the colossal golden ants words, Song Jian hesitated. He could feel a lack of sincerity from it, thus insisting to hear the details of the task before making the decision whether to accept it or not. It had been a long time since he joined the game, and Song Jian had realized how merciless the games tasks could be. Moreover, not all tasks could potentially be completed with his current strength C many of the NPCs which assigned tasks often had ill intentions. Young human, this really is an extremely simple task, particularly for you. I can sense that you have a strong power within you, said the golden ant. The golden ant eyeing Song Jian, slowly closed its emerald eyes and spoke, This rift is a passage for the Abyssal Land to violate the Space Law and invade reality. If overlooked, it will continue to grow larger, eventually forming the Abyssal Gate. By then, the abyssal forces will keep showing up here To seal this rift, a treasure with the power of space is necessary. This black lake was originally my dwelling place, but it has transformed into its present state due to the invasion of Abyssal Power I need you to delve into this lake, and find a necklace from within. Only by finding the necklace, will it be possible to mend this spatial rift System: Do you wish to accept the commission from the Legendary creature, Torros the Progenitor of the Golden Ant King? Find the Temporal Spatial Chain, Time Limit 1 hour. Penalty for Mission Failure: Level drops by 1; One hour? This lake is so big, its impossible for me to retrieve a small necklace from the bottom of the lake within such a short time! Song Jian looked at the system notification. Surprisingly, the giant creature before him was the Progenitor of the Golden Ant King. This revelation caused quite a surprise, but seeing the time limit and punishment for the task, he couldnt help but furrow his brows. In reality, you wont need the full hour The item is at the depths of the lake under my feet. You just need to dive down following this islet and circle around it at most once to find the necklace. Moreover, there are other treasures along with the Temporal Spatial Chain. If you find them, they are all yours as a gift Just circling around the bottom of this small island lake? After eyeing the piece of black rock under Torres, the Progenitor of the Golden Ant Kings feet, Song Jian mulled it over for a long time. Finally, he nodded and agreed. Upon seeing Song Jians agreement, a heavy burden lifted from Torres. A smile spread across his face, human-like. Even though his eyes were shut, he still managed to nod towards Song Jian. Currently, all his energy was being used to resist the erosion of the Abyssal Power. Any movement would drain his energy significantly, which was why he dare not move at all. System: You have accepted the commission from the Legendary creature, Torros the Progenitor of the Golden Ant King; As Song Jian saw the countdown appearing in his task bar, he leapt into the black lake. Torros opened his eyes, watching Song Jian dive into the lake, stirring ripples in its wake. His eyes held a trace of expectation. The Abyssal Power concentration in the lake matched that of the real Abyssal Land, threatening to corrupt any creatures that entered and rob them of their consciousness, turning them into creatures of the abyss. Only Song Jian, who could control the Abyssal Power, could leap into the lake unscathed and search for the Temporal Spatial Chain at the bottom. Upon entering the lake, Song Jian could barely see his own hand in front of his face. It was as though he had jumped into a vat of ink. Furthermore, the lake was full of Abyssal Power. After entering, he could even feel the water around him turning into countless tentacles, trying to wrap around him. However, as these tentacles approached him, they sensed the aura of his Abyssal Demon Armor and retreated instantly, leading Song Jian to sigh in relief. With the help of the Abyssal Demon Armor, Song Jian managed to descend to the bottom of the lake without any hiccup. The Vertical Eye on Song Jians forehead emitted a faint light about three inches long. It was barely enough for him to see his surroundings within a meters radius. In such a low visibility environment, finding a necklace was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, Torres had given Song Jian the search parameter, otherwise, even if he were to search the lakebed for three days and nights straight, it would be impossible for him to locate the quest item. Song Jian arrived at the bottom. He seemed to have stepped on something, which on closer investigation turned out to be a crispy and brittle skeleton. Ant King? Song Jian was startled and he focused on it intently. Indeed, underneath him was the skeleton of an Ant King. It was unclear how long it had been dead C its flesh had completely decomposed, only leaving the shell covering its body. The shell, however, had already been eroded by the Abyssal Power, becoming brittle and rotten. A simple touch would cause a massive hole. Suddenly, Song Jian recalled the Golden Ant Kings dragged into the lake by the water. It seemed as though not all Golden Ant Kings had been transformed into demonized Ant Kings. Many had simply perished in the lake. Upon realizing this, Song Jian was taken aback. Within his field of vision, at the bottom of the lake, lay a thick layer of Golden Ant King skeletons. It seemed that many Ant Kings died here without turning into demonized Ant Kings. Song Jian shook his head slightly. Just one Abyssal Rift had wreaked such havoc upon an enormous species. Should such a rift appear in the Doomsday City, the whole city might eventually become Abyssal Land. No, its not like there arent any Abyssal Rifts in the Doomsday City. Its just that those places have evolved into instances of special Dungeons Limit in the game, securely restricting the scope of the Abyssal Rift, preventing it from spreading out like it has done here Song Jian thought of the towering columns of black demonic fog he had seen before, and of the black pyramid in the middle of the city, which caused him to shudder involuntarily. I have no clue where the Temporal Spatial Chain is. Fortunately, this island isnt large. It should be easy to search Song Jian started to look around slowly, moving along the huge black rock beside him. Torros had mentioned that the Temporal Spatial Chain and a pile of treasures were together, and would be conspicuous. Now, Song Jian had no other choice but to broaden his search as much as he could. After all, he could only rely on his Vertical Eye for now. Soon, Song Jian circled to the back of the island. On an outcropping rock, he saw a golden treasure chest over a foot tall, radiating dazzling light. Amidst the black lake water, it shone like a radiant sun. Ive found it! A look of elation crossed Song Jians face. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 498: 498: Abyss Ant Kings Skeleton Chapter 498: Abyss Ant Kings Skeleton Upon catching sight of the golden chest before him, Song Jian finally heaved a sigh of relief. After all, this mission was time-sensitive and the penalty for failure was a reduction of one level. Song Jian was already at level 24, and every increase in level required several times the prior experience. Falling a level meant that all his efforts over the past few days would be for nothing. Checking the time, Song Jian saw that he had more than forty minutes left. He should have ample time. He carefully approached the golden chest. The closer one gets to completing a mission, the more cautious one has to be. He wasnt sure if one more step would render the mission accomplished and reward him handsomely or turn out to be a trap, a metaphorical abyss that would cost him his life. Just as Song Jian was about to reach the chest, he suddenly felt a dark shadow rushing towards him. There were two balls of green flame burning in the shadow, which stared at Song Jian as if regarding him as prey. What is this? Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt anticipated the presence of a monster in this lake filled with Abyssal Power. His previous caution paid off. Song Jian quickly reacted, pushing off a rock beneath the chest with his foot and propelling himself backward. Woosh~ A sharp streak of white light flashed by, cutting through the lake where Song Jian had just been standing. Only then did he get a good look at the creature. It was a skeletal creature made entirely of ant bones. Although its size was significantly smaller than that of Toro, the golden ant gladiator, it was still twice the size of a typical charmed Ant King. Its entire body was constructed from a black shell, but at the joints and seams of the shell, it was clear that there was not a shred of flesh inside this giant creature. Deep green light emanated from these joints and seams. It had a pair of broken wings; black wisps hanged from the edge of the wings, making it look like their extensions. Abyssal Ant King Skeleton, Level 30, Lord-level, first-stage combat power, Vitality Points: 9000/9000 The Abyss is watching you The abyssal ants skeleton moved its lower jaw slightly, uttering a deep voice in Song Jians mind. The language of the Abyss Song Jians heart tightened. The creature in front of him, although it was only a skeleton, was a genuine abyssal entity. Most of the entities Song Jian had encountered so far were creatures or monsters corrupted by the power of the Abyss and possessed only a trace of the abyssal aurathey were not fully transformed. Even the charmed Ant Kings could not be considered true abyssal entities because they did not understand the language of the Abyss. Only a creature that understood the language of the Abyss could be identified as an abyssal entity. After finishing its speech, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton opened its mouth wide and a sharp energy burst forth. This energy stirred the lakes water, forming a water dragon that charged towards Song Jian. Song Jian swung his sword at the water dragon, and with a loud explosionreminiscent of a dynamite blasta column of water shot five or six meters into the air. Over Song Jians head, there floated a figure indicating over a hundred points of damage. Despite shattering the water dragon, it had exploded into countless black icicles that hurled towards him. The Abyssal Ant King Skeleton moved swiftly in the lake that was saturated with Abyssal Power. Just as Song Jian steadied himself, the Abyssal Ant King was already charging towards him. A ball of pitch-black liquid spewed from the Abyssal Ant Kings mouth. Song Jian had no time to react before the black liquid slammed into his chest. A critical damage point of over six hundred popped up over Song Jians head. The burning pain in his chest made him groan in agony. Staring at the green flames burning in the eye sockets of the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton, Song Jian gritted his teeth. A roar burst from his throat, and his sword radiated a dazzling golden light. He swung his blade upwards, striking a golden Sword Qi. The sword energy sliced through the black water and heavily slashed at the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton. With that, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton was thrown back. Its massive body leapt high and let out an eerie shriek in mid-air, before it heavily plummeted back into the lake. Divine Power inflicted the most damage on abyssal entities. Caught off guard, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton was unable to withstand the Divine Power that was seething within its body. Crack, crack~ Boom! Halfof the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton began to shatter piece by piece. A sudden surge of intense, golden energy burst from within, causing its hard shell to explode. For a moment, a green light, akin to blood, ejected from the Abyssal Ant King Skeletons body, splattering everywhere. A hint of a smile appeared on Song Jians lips. He glanced down at his chest. He saw his previously silver armor had been heavily corroded, its durability decreased to less than ten points. Even the flesh on his chest started to dissolve, and his vitality was continuously decreasing. Song Jians eyebrows furrowedthe Ant Soul Orb he was wearing seemed to have no effect on the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton. Just then, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton suddenly let out a stern howl. The bubbling water of the lake started to continuously wash over its body. The green light that was previously gushing out began to recede back into its body, and its exploded body began to repair itself surrounded by streams of black mist. In no time, the severely injured Abyssal Ant King Skeleton had completely recovered. With eyes wide and mouth agape, Song Jian suddenly realized how foolish it was to battle an abyssal creature in this environment saturated with abyssal energy. Damn it A thought crossed Song Jians mind and a pair of steel wings sprung from his back. His body shot toward the sky like an arrow, leaping out of the black lake and flying into mid-air. However, the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton didnt lag behind. With one flap of its broken wings, it followed Song Jian out of the lake. In mid-air, Song Jian and the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton faced each other. On the island below, the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan, Toro, lifted its head to look at the Abyssal Ant King Skeleton and showed a hint of surprise. This this is It couldnt sense any trace of the Golden Ant Clan from this Abyssal Ant King; it was an entity entirely formed by the power of the Abyss. Only its shape and the material that constituted its bodythe shells and bones of the Golden Ant Kingresembled the Golden Ant Clan. Sacrilege, this is a sacrilege against the Golden Ant Clan! Toro, the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan, suddenly became infuriated and let out a roar that shook the sky and earth. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 499: 499: Ten Seconds Chapter 499: Ten Seconds In the eyes of the Golden Ant King Toros, all members of the Golden Ant Clan were its children. Even those who were tainted by the Abyss and had become part of the Magical Ant Clan were merely temporarily fallen. As long as the gap in the Abyss was filled and the Abyssal energy was completely dispelled, these Magical Ants would eventually return to being part of the Golden Ant Clan. However, it never expected that deep within the black lake, there were indeed Golden Ants who had completely fallen and become Abyssal creatures. There was not a trace of the Golden Ant Clans aura on the Abyssal Ant Kings corpse, which was fighting Song Jian in mid-air. The appearance of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton made Toros feel a thread of fear. Once they had completely become creatures of the Abyss, there would be no turning back. Angry Toros began to struggle. Even though it was tightly bound by Abyssal Chains, it exerted its full strength, with energy surging like tidal waves throughout its body. Boom! The entire black rock carrying Toros trembled, and the black Abyssal Chains squeezed even tighter. Some had even embedded themselves into Toross shell; if not for the faint golden light barrier blocking it, these black chains would have shattered Toross entire shell, dealing a fatal blow. Crack, Crack, Crack~ One by one, the Abyssal Chains were broken by Toros, and the Abyssal energy could not repair them in time. Toros suddenly stood upright, although several Abyssal Chains were still tightly bound to the lower half of its body, its height had already reached that of Song Jians. Annihilation, blasphemers! Toros roared in anger, causing the entire cave to tremble slightly. Its massive front claws swung towards the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton, and three brilliant waves of energy radiated dazzling light as they flew towards the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton. Inexplicably, the Abyssal Ant Kings skeletons body stiffened, and it didnt even attempt to dodge the three dazzling golden energy waves. Swipe~ A crisp tearing sound, and the body of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton, was directly torn apart by the three brilliant golden energy waves. Song Jian was stunned; he hadnt expected that despite being bound by the Abyssal Power for countless years, Toros still possessed such terrifying strength. After releasing this attack, Toros still wore an angry expression; its body began to plummet towards the ground. Boom! With a loud crash, Toross body slammed onto the black rocky island, and the surrounding lake water surged violently, rising to a height of several dozen meters. Song Jian watched the shattered body of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton fall into the lake, feeling a sense of unreality. When he looked back at Toros, though, he sensed intense sorrow in its eyes. Countless black mists poured from the gap in the Abyss and transformed into thicker and stronger chains that wrapped around Toros. Toros didnt move, allowing these Abyssal Chains to tightly bind it. Song Jian frowned slightly as if detecting something. His steel wings flapped, and his figure shot into the black lake like an arrow, diving into the depths. Song Jian could feel the Abyssal Power in the lake quickly surging towards the spot where the body of the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton had fallen. It seems that in such an environment, Abyssal creatures are immortal Song Jians heart sank as he quickly rushed towards the Ant Emperor Treasure Box. Song Jian didnt know if Toros could still burst forth again; if the Abyssal Ant Kings skeleton truly recovered in this environment, he would have no chance of defeating it with his current strength. Song Jian dashed to the treasure chest and touched its lid; System: Do you want to open the Ant Emperor Treasure Box? Warning, if you open the box without the permission of the Ant King ancestor, you will be pursued relentlessly by the Golden Ant Clan; Open it! Song Jian immediately chose this option, as every second was crucial. He could feel that the Abyss Ant King ancestor was rapidly recovering; A progress bar appeared before Song Jians eyes, indicating that it would take thirty seconds to open the treasure chest; System: Ant Emperor Treasure Box opening 3%5% Roar~ A beast-like roar exploded in Song Jians ears; he felt that the flow of water beneath the black lake suddenly accelerated, as if someone was stirring the lake water vigorously; At this point, the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton had fully recovered with black air lingering around its body. Its figure seemed to have grown larger, and a sharp horn grew on its forehead. Its wings turned into bat-like wings, with black wings and dark red meridians. At the joints, a bone claw was slowly emerging Song Jian remained motionless, nervously opening the treasure chest, its progress inching forward. He could feel the horrifying aura emanating from the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton, which had now fully recovered and was even stronger than before. Song Jians Vitality Points had dropped to less than a thousand, and all his supplies had been used up. He could only rely on his Vitality recovery speed to regenerate, but he was no match for the Abyss Ant King at this moment; Hurry up, faster Song Jian was extremely anxious in his heart. Every second of the thirty felt like torture. If the Abyss Ant King interrupted his progress of opening the chest, he might never get another chance to touch it. Boom~ The Abyss Ant King soared into the sky, and its ghostly green eyes stared intently at Song Jian, who was opening the treasure chest. The black lake water seemed unable to block its vision, and it didnt even glance at the Golden Ant King ancestor. sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian suddenly felt his muscles tense and his hairs stand on end, as a huge sense of threat enveloped him like a net, immobilizing him; Its noticed me! Song Jians heart sank, and he immediately felt despair; It would take another ten or so seconds to open the chest, but Song Jian knew that the Abyss Ant King wouldnt give him those extra seconds; Ten seconds, I only need ten more seconds Song Jian screamed in his heart. He hoped that the Golden Ant King ancestor could help him stall the Abyss Ant King for a moment, but the Golden Ant King ancestor was firmly bound by a dozen Abyssal Chains, unable to move at all. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly remembered that he still had the Abyssal Phantom skill, but the clone it created would be illusory, so he wasnt sure if it could fool the Abyss Ant King. With a thought, a replica identical to Song Jian appeared next to the chest. As soon as the doppelganger appeared, it burst out of the lake, brandishing its longsword and rushing towards the Abyss Ant King; The Abyss Ant King showed a human-like confused expression on its face, glancing at the approaching clone, then looked back at the treasure chest beneath the lake, completely ignoring the incoming clone. It folded its wings and dove towards the location of the chest; Chapter 500: 500 Book of the Abyss Chapter 500: Book of the Abyss Song Jian saw the Abyssal Ant King skeleton charging straight towards him, and his heart suddenly sank. Could it actually distinguish between the Abyssal Phantom and the real body? Is it because of the thick Abyssal aura on the Abyssal Phantom that it was detected by the enemy? There were less than ten seconds left to open the treasure chest, but ten seconds was enough for the Abyssal Ant King to kill Song Jian three or four times. Under Song Jians control, the Abyssal Phantom swung its sword and rushed towards the Abyssal Ant King. But first it struck, only to be blown away by the opponents wing. The sharp bone claw created a wound over a foot long on the Abyssal Phantoms chest, with dense black qi spewing out like blood. In an instant, the Abyssal Phantom became much more illusory, its figure slightly flickering, as if it would disappear at any moment. Song Jian was greatly surprised that the Abyssal Phantom was no match for the Abyssal Ant King skeleton! Roar~! The Abyssal Ant King spread its wings and roared at the black lake surface. In an instant, an invisible tornado rose from the lake surface, and a large amount of black lake water was rolled up to form a true black tornado; Song Jian suddenly felt lighter around him. In a radius of ten meters around him, there was not a single drop of lake water, all of it being rolled up into midair. The Abyssal Power formed a circular wall, blocking the surrounding black lake water outside, creating a depression in the area. Song Jian pressed his left hand on the Ant Emperor Treasure Box, his right hand clenched the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and, looking up, saw a hint of mockery in the eyes of the Abyssal Ant King skeleton. The Abyssal Ant King tilted its head back and gathered a thick black qi in its mouth. Soon, it condensed a huge black energy ball with a diameter of over one meter; Now, Song Jian couldnt move at all, like a fixed target, and could only let the Abyssal Ant King accumulate power and perform its most powerful attack; I cant go on like this. I must find a way not only to open the treasure chest but also to avoid being killed by the opponent in one hit! Song Jians eyebrows furrowed, cold sweat running down his cheeks. The Abyssal Ant King skeleton, after being revived, was even more formidable than before. Otherwise, the Abyssal Phantom, possessing 70% of Song Jians strength, would not have been so severely injured that it couldnt even withstand a single confrontation. Song Jian thought quickly: What methods do I have to stop it? Just then, the Book of the Abyss in his dantian suddenly bloomed with dazzling brilliance. Song Jian was startled, and delight appeared on his face: Damn it, how could I forget the Book of the Abyss? Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With this thought, Song Jian sent a mental command, and the Book of the Abyss flew out of his body and floated in front of him. Splash~ The Book of the Abyss opened itself, its pages flipping rapidly. When the pages stopped, a heavy sigh suddenly echoed across the entire lake surface. Upon hearing this sigh, the Abyssal Ant King, which had been charging towards the lake surface like a cannonball, suddenly stiffened and stopped abruptly. A look of terror appeared in its ghostly green flame eyes. Immediately, its six legs lay on the cold lake surface, its flesh wings drooped, and its head did not dare to rise, looking like a giant reptile trembling all over. The black tornado had already begun to attack Song Jian, but the moment the Abyssal Ant King skeleton lost control, the uncontrolled tornado suddenly exploded with a loud bang, instantly shattering. Tons of black lake water fell from the sky, as if it was a heavy downpour. Due to the protective wall formed by the Abyssal Power around Song Jian, not only was the black tornado explosion blocked, but even the heavy rain was kept outside. Seeing the Abyssal Ant King in such a state, Song Jian was overjoyed. Only a few seconds were left to open the treasure chest, but he didnt expect that the Abyssal Ant King skeleton would actually be so humble in front of the Book of the Abyss. What Song Jian didnt know was that, the moment the Book of the Abyss appeared, the Priestess, who was originally sitting and reading a book in the New Media Library, suddenly paused, closed the book, and looked towards the direction of the Demonic Ant Nest. Her deep gaze seemed to be able to penetrate through millions of obstacles, and after a long time, the Priestess sighed deeply, her eyes filled with a touch of sadness and compassion. Standing up, the Priestess drew a pale blue portal in the air, and stepped into it, disappearing from sight. In a temple of the Goddess of Dawn, a brave Dawn Knight was kneeling on one knee, holding a sword in one hand and pressing it against his chest, bowing his head in prayer to the goddess statue; At this time, a pale blue portal appeared behind him, and the Priestess Cecilia stepped out of the portal. Seeing the praying Dawn Knight Ia, a smile appeared on her face, and she nodded slightly; Ia! The Priestess called out; Ia raised his head, revealing a handsome and resolute face. Since being brought back to the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn by Cecilia, Ia had been under the tutelage of the Knights of Dawn. By now, Ias level had reached 30, and as long as he passed the first-order combat power test, he could be promoted from a Dawn Knight to a Knight of Dawn. Lord Priestess! Ia stood up and bowed deeply to Cecilia, speaking respectfully. Ia, the power of the Abyss is growing stronger and stronger. I need you to return to Song Jians side and help him fight against the Abyssal Power! Cecilia said. As the spokesperson of the Goddess, it was normal for the priestess to command the Goddess Guardian Knights. All the Knights of the Goddesses must obey the priestess orders. Upon hearing this, Ias eyebrows furrowed, and he looked into the priestess eyes and said, Lord Priestess, although Song Jian is a God-favored one, he is not a follower of the great Goddess of Dawn. Moreover, I can also sense the presence of Abyssal Power on him Didnt you also feel the presence of divine power on him? the priestess suddenly retorted. Ia remained silent. The main reason he was willing to follow Song Jian and become his Follower was that he sensed the Divine Power on Song Jian, and since Song Jian could also use the sword technique that only Knights of Dawn could use, Ia naturally considered him a follower of the Goddess of Dawn. However, after being brought to the Goddess temple by the priestess, he realized that Song Jian was not a follower of the Goddess of Dawn. As a result, he didnt care much about being his Follower and didnt even want to return to Song Jians side at all. All of this is the Goddess will! the priestess emphasized, You must do your best to assist Song Jian, even if it means sacrificing your life! Ia shuddered, surprise appearing on his face. But when he saw Cecilias determined expression, he bowed his head and knelt on one knee before her, promising, Dawn Guardian Knight Ia obeys Lord Priestesss command! Chapter 501: 501: Backlash Chapter 501: Backlash Song Jian was chanting an Abyssal Spell, casting the Abyss Temptation skill on the corpse of the Abyss Ant King. Applying Abyss Temptation to an Abyss creature seemed to be highly successful; the Abyss Ant King, which had already reached the surface of the lake, was frozen in place, and its eyes full of fear were glowing like ghost fire. If the Abyss Temptation was cast for too long, once other creatures sensed the power of temptation, it would surely incite them into rage. No matter how strong their previous enmity was, they would charge directly at Song Jian if not restrained. Yet the corpse of the Abyss Ant King did not dare to move. It was lying on the surface of the lake, wailing constantly. Even the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan opened its eyes to look over, the surprise evident in its gaze. A soft click. Song Jian had successfully opened the Ant Emperor Treasure Box. As Song Jian reached into the bottom of the box, he quickly took hold of a cross necklace tinged with a deep hue of purple that had become entangled around his hand, drawing it out. Then, he found a palm-sized pet egg. The egg was entirely snow-white, with faint golden patterns shimmering on its flawless, crystal-clear surface. Song Jian was overjoyed. He hadnt expected to acquire a pet egg. Typically, the chances were high that a pet egg found in the nest of the Golden Ant Clan would also be from the Golden Ant Clan. At the very least, it was an Ant King egg if it was stored inside the Ant Emperor Treasure Box. Song Jian placed the pet egg in the bag, felt around the treasure box a bit more, and found a gauntlet that resembled an ant leg. At that moment, due to the interruption of Abyss Temptation, the Abyss Ant Kings corpse gave out a mournful roar and struck violently towards the surface of the lake. With a bang, water sprayed several meters high. Song Jians surrounding wall of abyssal aura also collapsed at once; wave after wave of lake water tumbled toward him like a charging mountain. Grabbing the gauntlet, Song Jian rummaged through the box a couple more times. Finding nothing else, he leaped out of the water. How do I use this? Song Jian shouted to the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan, clutching the Cross Light Sword Necklace. Throw it into the Space-Time Rift! The progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan had excitement in its eyes. It roared with a voice that echoed fortissimo in Song Jians heart. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was likely the only chance for the Golden Ant King to escape his predicament. If he failed, no matter how strong his power, he would eventually sink under the relentless, drip-by-drip erosion. With a roar, Song Jian threw the Cross Light Sword Necklace towards the Space-Time Rift. In mid-air, the necklace suddenly burst into a dazzling purple-red light, transforming into a giant cross sword. The sword blade was aflame with golden fire. The cross sword struck the Space-Time Rift ruthlessly as if wielded by a person. The golden fire spread, engulfing the entire cavern in its flames. Boom! A loud noise reverberated, causing the entire underground cave to shake violently. Debris tumbled from the ceiling, and the black lake, seemingly enraged, raised a series of high tides that pummeled the surroundings. The corpse of the Abyss Ant King let out an angry roar. Under the illumination of the golden flames, its enormous body began to erode and burn, quickly crumbling into sand-like particles that were blown away, leaving no trace behind. Song Jian also felt an intense burning sensation. Seeing that bubbles started to form on the surface of his Abyssal Demon Armor, he dismissed it in the blink of an eye. With no trace of abyssal aura remaining on him, the curtain of golden light felt warm on his skin, replacing the searing temperature he had previously felt. The Space-Time Rift in mid-air disappeared, as did the Cross Light Sword Necklace. They seemed to have destroyed each other, or perhaps, the necklace had filled the rift. The golden flames still roared in the cave. Black water in the lake started boiling, with towering flames ignited on its surface, seemingly burning down the Abyssal Power within the lake. With an excited roar, the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan used its six sturdy legs to lift its mountain-like body. Crack, Crack, Crack One after another, the Abyssal Chains wrapping around the body of the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan shattered, but at this point, there was no more Abyssal Power to mend these black chains. In just a short while, the ancestor of the Golden Ant Clan regained its freedom, but upon shattering the chains, it seemed to have exhausted too much strength, collapsing back onto the ground, panting heavily, its visage fatigued. Thank you, human warrior, you have saved the Golden Ant Clan. From now on, the Golden Ant Clan will forever be your friend. The progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan looked at Song Jian and spoke gratefully. System: You have been recognized by the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan. Your relationship with the Golden Ant Clan has been elevated to reverence! Song Jian was taken aback, a smile spreading across his face. This relationship is upgrading at a fast pace. To think that Ive advanced directly to reverence, Im just one step away from awe! Thank you, great progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan, I also hope to become forever friends with the Golden Ant Clan. Song Jian said, bowing to the progenitor of the Golden Ant Clan. At that moment, something stirred within Song Jian, and he turned to look at the tunnel from whence he came. An Ant King covered in spikes and cloaked in a tough, black shell shuffled out from the tunnel, fluttering its wings. The behemoth, its eyes blood red, was three to four times the size of a typical Mutant Ant King. Each step it took etched a deep scratch on the ground. Is this the evolved Ant King servant? Song Jian, startled by the faint connection he felt with the creature in front of him, wore an expression of shock. At this point, the power of the cross-shaped Temporal Spatial Chain had completely counteracted the Space-Time Rift, and what was left were massive areas of golden flames burning vigorously on the black lake surface. Evidently, the flames wouldnt be extinguished until they fully consumed the Abyssal Power within the lake. The level of the Ant King servant had reached thirty, and it had evolved into a Level 30 Elite BOSS. It roared in fury at Song Jian, flapping its wings and charging at him like an arrow. A backlash? Song Jians face clouded over. Although he had already expected it, the rebelling Ant King servant still incited a rush of anger within him. Chapter 502: 502: Ant Emperor Pearl Chapter 502: Ant Emperor Pearl Song Jian gritted his teeth, leaped with all his might and swung his long sword, hacking at Slave Ant King. Though Slave Ant King had become a level thirty elite boss, it had never achieved the first rank in combat power. The gap in strength between it and the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton was vast, not to mention compared to the Ancestral Golden Ant King. Song Jian had managed several rounds with the Abyss Ant Kings skeleton, so dealing with a level thirty elite boss, six levels higher than him, was a piece of cake. After several dozen rounds with the Slave Ant King, Song Jian had almost fully grasped the Slave Ant Kings skills. Yet, the Slave Ant King had never seen Song Jians trump cards. After fighting on the ground for several rounds, Slave Ant King soared into the air, and a jet of black blood slowly trickled out of its jagged mouth, dropping onto the lake surface ablaze with golden flames. Boom~ A bushel of golden flames suddenly flared up, burning away all the black substances. Slave Ant King seemed to feel the power in the golden flames and its eyes showed a hint of terror. It involuntarily rose higher into the air. Song Jian snorted coldly, and slowly spread a pair of wings, which shone metallically, out from his back. With a flick of these wings, Song Jian rocketed towards the Slave Ant King. Since you could become my slave, I can subdue you! While he was fighting the Slave Ant King, Song Jian suddenly thought of Qi Yun, who had now become a Shadow Priest. Qi Yun had also been his slave once. Die! Song Jian swung his sword, sending a scintillating golden Sword Qi, more than ten meters long, slicing toward the Slave Ant King. Bang~ A loud noise rang out as half of the Slave Ant Kings body was obliterated by the golden Sword Qi. Its hard black shell was instantly turned into ashes, purple blood was splattered, and even one of its legs was severed at its base. Although the Slave Ant King could still stand, its agility had evidently decreased significantly. Just as Song Jian was about to pursue a killing strike against Slave Ant King, the Ancestral Golden Ant King behind him heaved a heavy sigh, stopping him: Human warrior, could you spare its life? After all, it has only been corrupted by the Abyssal Power. As long as the Abyssal Power is expelled, it will remain a member of our Golden Ant Clan! Song Jians sword-swinging arm halted, and after watching the Slave Ant King, who was still defiantly glaring at him, deliberated for a moment. Then he snorted coldly, sheathed his sword and stepped aside. Seeing Song Jian giving up on killing Slave Ant King, the Ancestral Golden Ant King revealed a gratified smile and said to Slave Ant King: Come, my child! Slave Ant King sensed a strong threat, and immediately shifted its gaze from Song Jian to the Ancestral Ant King on the rocky island. Hiss, roar~ With a roar, expressing fear in its heart, Slave Ant King stepped back to the path behind it. At that moment, a strong force tightly bound Slave Ant King, as if it were holding a sandbag. It was hauled into the air and flew toward the rocky island. Song Jian watched as the Slave Ant King lightly landed on the island. The Ancestral Golden Ant King exhaled a breath of golden air towards Slave Ant King. In an instant, starting from the antennae of Slave Ant King, the black on the surface of its body gradually receded, and golden light burst out again. Just then, Song Jian was startled and suddenly felt that the connection between him and the Slave Ant King shattered abruptly. His face turned white, and he couldnt help spitting out a mouthful of blood. The Abyssal Power in Slave Ant King was completely expelled by the Ancestral Ant King, and even the spikes on the shell covering its body retreated one by one. It returned to the streamlined shape of Golden Ant King. As he watched Song Jian spit out blood, the Ancestral Golden Ant King revealed a regretful look. He spewed out a golden bead from his mouth and presented it to Song Jian. Human warrior, my child can no longer assist you in battle from now on; it has regained its freedom. This is compensation for you; I hope it can slightly make up for your loss Song Jian picked up the golden bead and immediately broke into a joyous smile. Ant Emperor Pearl, a wonder. Usage effect: After consumption, it can increase Vitality Points by 200 and increase one attribute point immediately. Usage requirements: It must be a gifted by an Ancestral Ant King and the user must be revered by the Golden Ant Clan. It was evident that the Ancestral Ant King had seen Song Jian spit out blood earlier, so he compensated him with this pearl. And, this pearl could only be used by Song Jian. If given to others, they would not be able to use it. Without wasting any time, Song Jian swallowed the bead. The Ant Emperor Pearl melted as soon as it entered his mouth and turned into a warm current that rushed into his stomach. A surge of power erupted from Song Jians body. The increase in two hundred Vitality Points allowed Song Jians Vitality Points to break through the two thousand mark, reaching two thousand one hundred and sixty points. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And that extra attribute point was added to Song Jians strength attribute. At this point, Song Jians strength attribute, along with various items bonus, had reached fifty points. The moment Song Jians strength hit fifty points, he suddenly felt something inside his body break, as if a shackle binding him had suddenly come off. System: Player Song Jians strength attribute broke through fifty points. He qualified to challenge the first rank of Combat Power. Would you like to challenge the first rank of Combat Power immediately? What, I already qualify to challenge the first rank of Combat Power? Wasnt it said to be available for challenge only at level thirty? Song Jian looked astonished. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian asked: If I give up now, will I be able to challenge again in the future? Soon the game system gave a reply. System: Can be challenged at any time before level thirty. If the players level reaches thirty, a challenge will be compulsory. If the player fails the challenge, then the players level can never be advanced. So, thats how it was. Song Jian suddenly understood. It seemed that he didnt need to worry about challenging the first rank of Combat Power until he reached level thirty. Moreover, only his strength attribute had reached fifty points at the moment. If he could raise his other attributes to the fifty-point limit as well, it would further enhance his strength. Wouldnt that make the challenge simpler? Just as Song Jian was contemplating the attribute limit, he suddenly heard a rustling sound from the surrounding channels. Soon, he saw countless Abyss Ant Kings emerging from the tunnels in droves, jumping into the lake ablaze with golden flames, without any reservations. There are so many Abyss Ant Kings? Song Jian looked surprised as the number of Abyss Ant Kings that appeared before his eyes had already exceeded a hundred, and the number was still increasing. What surprised Song Jian even more was that behind the Abyss Ant Kings, lines of Abyss Soldier Ants and Worker Ants crazily followed the Abyss Ant Kings and jumped into the lake. The calm lake surface began to ripple. The Ancestral Golden Ant King, with a look of sorrow on his face, watched all these happen without moving an inch. Chapter 503: 503: Transformation Chapter 503: Transformation Song Jian watched as groups of black ants fearlessly jumped into the burning lake, but only a handful could crawl back out and transform into golden ants; Earlier, the golden Ant King ancestor had several light gold ant eggs around him. After the newly hatched Ant Kings were dragged into the lake, they sank and became Demonic Ant Queens. Only one or two of them out of more than ten could crawl back onto land. Now, these Demonic Ant Queens wanted to transform back into members of the Golden Ant Clan, but the trials they faced were more than ten times as difficult as before; Among hundreds of Demonic Soldier Ants and Demonic Worker Ants, only one or two could transform back into Golden Soldier Ants and Golden Worker Ants. After watching for a while, the Golden Ant King ancestor trembled and slowly closed its eyes, two large tears running down its hard cheeks. Although the vast majority of the Demonic Ants couldnt make it out of the burning lake, this didnt stop them from eagerly rushing into the water. All the ants that had transformed back into members of the Golden Ant Clan climbed onto the rocky island together, surrounding the Golden Ant King ancestor and cheering excitedly. My children The Golden Ant King ancestor looked at the increasing number of Golden Ants on the island with a complex expression. As Song Jian saw fewer and fewer Demonic Ant Queens coming out of the passage, he felt a strange sense of forgetting something. After a long while, Song Jian finally realized: Mistgrass, if they all turn back into the Golden Ant Clan, what will happen to my epic task? Keep in mind, Song Jian had only killed two Demonic Ant Queens, but his task required him to kill three. If all the Demonic Ant Queens turned back into Golden Ant Queens, his task would surely fail. To fail at the last moment, Song Jian would definitely lose his mind. Upon checking his task list, Song Jian was surprised to find that his task had already been completed; How is this possible? I only remember killing two Demonic Ant Queens Confused, Song Jian opened the task information panel and flipped through it. Oh, after obtaining the Temporal Spatial Chain and filling the Space-Time Rift, this epic task was completed. Does this mean the Abyssal Ant King skeleton that was destroyed by the Divine Power counts as a Demonic Ant Queen as well? Song Jian stared at the task information panel and speculated. Keep in mind, the Demonic Ant Queens were merely Ant Kings that had been corrupted by Abyssal Power. The Abyssal Ant King skeleton, on the other hand, was a dead Ant King that had been completely corroded by Abyssal Power, turning it into a true Abyssal creature. Compared to the Demonic Ant Queens, the Abyssal Power in the Abyssal Ant King skeleton was ten or even a hundred times stronger. It wasnt impossible for the system to consider it as a Demonic Ant Queen as well. Looks like I got lucky! Song Jians mouth curled slightly into a joyful expression. At that moment, a golden Teleportation Gate suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian; Friend, I hope you dont mind if I give you a ride. Song Jian heard the voice of the Golden Ant King ancestor in his mind. Song Jian looked up and saw the Ant King ancestor nodding at him. With a slight smile, Song Jian stepped into the golden Teleportation Gate and disappeared. Not long after, Lv Pei, who had lost an arm, and Lu Mingyuan, in a disheveled state, crawled out of the passage. They stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before them. Both of them had chosen the same passage, but the swarming Demonic Ants were like a tidal wave. The two were forced to collaborate, fighting and retreating. If the passage hadnt been so narrow, they wouldve been swallowed by the Demonic Soldier Ant army long ago/> Just when they were about to give up, the Demonic Soldier Ants attacking them suddenly retreated and quickly climbed along the passage, their actions full of urgency. Out of curiosity, the two followed the Demonic Soldier Ants all the way to the cavern. How how is this possible? The two looked at each other in astonishment. Countless Demonic Ants rushed into the lake that was burning with golden flames. A giant golden ant stood like a ruler on a huge rocky island. Immovable, body-surface shimmering with golden light, the ants followed it without a sound. How there are so many Demonic Ants Lv Pei hadnt even fulfilled the required number of Demonic Worker Ants in his epic task, let alone Demonic Soldier Ants and Demonic Ant Queens. If it came to a one-on-one fight with a Demonic Worker Ant or even a Demonic Soldier Ant, Lv Pei had confidence in defeating or even killing his opponent. However, with his current strength, it would be very difficult for Lv Pei to kill a Demonic Ant Queen by himself. This was the reason why he wanted to team up with Song Jian and Lu Mingyuan. Lu Mingyuans target was the Demonic Ant Queen. With his strength, if he met a Demonic Ant Queen alone, he could kill it with some effort. However, encountering a lone Demonic Ant Queen in this lair was almost impossible. Along the way, he and Lv Pei had cooperated to hunt down many worker ants and soldier ants, but they had not encountered a single Ant Queen; Thats why they had followed the passage all the way here. There are so many Demonic Ant Queens Lu Mingyuan exclaimed in surprise. Ming, brother Ming, do you think theyre are they committing suicide? Lv Pei pointed at the ants jumping into the lake with a stunned expression. After watching for a while, Lu Mingyuan slowly shook his head and said, Theyre trying to expel the Abyssal Power from their bodies and return to their Golden Ant Clan status But A puzzled look spread across Lv Peis face. He pointed at the lake, unable to think of what to say. Keep in mind that only one or two out of nearly a hundred Demonic Ants could transform back into members of the Golden Ant Clan. The rest would dissolve and vanish at the bottom of the lake. In Lv Peis eyes, there was no difference between this and suicide. What a pity. It seems my mission cannot be completed Lu Mingyuan sighed and shook his head. The number of Demonic Ant Queens was dwindling, and there were quite a few Golden Ant Kings. Unfortunately, they were all clustered around the Golden Ant King ancestor. Even if Lu Mingyuan was confident in himself, he didnt think he could handle the challenge of reaching the island to kill an Ant King. My mission thats right, my mission! I havent completed it yet! As if remembering something, Lv Pei glanced at the dwindling number of Demonic Ants in the passage and his face became flustered. At that moment, Lu Mingyuan suddenly noticed that the halo beneath his feet had disappeared. Startled, he called out, Song Jian, where did Song Jian go? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 504: 504: Magic Tower Chapter 504: Magic Tower Lu Mingyuan and Lv Pei suddenly realized that Song Jian seemed to have left the ant nest. Looking at the mission bar, Lv Pei noticed that more than a hundred Demonic Worker Ants, over sixty Demonic Soldier Ants, and three Demonic Ant Queens remained unslain, and his face immediately fell into despair. He knew he had lost his eligibility to complete this epic-level task. If only I had his power Lv Pei silently thought to himself, glancing at Lu Mingyuan. Lv Pei had not fully appreciated Song Jians ability. Inside the Protection Black Mist, he had assumed it was merely a stroke of good luck for Song Jian. However, in the tunnels of the nest, faced with countless creatures, he and Lu Mingyuan were forced to collaborate. Lu Mingyuan had revealed nearly eighty to ninety percent of his strength, which not only surprised Lv Pei but also ignited a slow burn of jealousy within him. Meanwhile, Song Jian had returned safely to Manor Castle through the golden Teleportation Gate. Although the intense monster hunting had significantly increased his level, the mental exhaustion couldnt be alleviated by a few potions. Song Jian inspected his gains: over a thousand pieces of blue-quality Ant Shells, three silver-quality Ant Shells, a blueprint of the Demonic Ant Queen Sets gauntlet, and a Golden Ant King Egg. In exchange, he had completely depleted the supplies in his inventory, even the high-grade healing potions, and, more critically, lost a powerful Demonic Ant Queen slave. However, the minions gained through the Abyss Temptation skill had a high chance of betraying and backfiring. Should their power surpass Song Jians, the likelihood of betrayal would shoot up to nearly one hundred percent. With this in mind, Song Jian resolved to treat any minions gained through the Abyss Temptation skill as expendable resources rather than dedicating himself to training them as combat pets. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, the only thing troubling Song Jian was the Golden Ant King Egg. Song Jian already had a Black Dragon hatchling, an elite companion. He felt it would drain him to nurture another Golden Ant King; but then again, an elite flying pet like this was a rare find, and he was reluctant to sell it. Ill keep it in my inventory for now and turn in the epic task first. Ill decide what to do based on the task reward, Song Jian decided, glancing at the Ant King Egg in his hand. He shook his head and put it away again. Leaving Manor Castle, Song Jian headed towards the Shadow Circus Troupe on the border of his territory. It had only been two or three days, but the Shadow Circus Troupes reputation had already spread throughout Doomsday City. The circus was now swarming with people. Aside from the multitude of leisurely NPCs, the number of players had also multiplied. Hey, Ive been given another scavenger hunt task. The reward is a silver-quality shoulder pad. Incredible! So what? I heard someone received an appointment task here and gained a rare profession Have you seen that Night Elf lady? I heard if you build up your relationship with her to worship status, you can invite her to be a follower Most of the players visiting the Shadow Circus Troupe were there for the missions it offered. The rich mission rewards of the Shadow Circus Troupe attracted a considerable number of players. As Song Jian approached the circus, a deafening rumble suddenly resonated in his ears, as thunderous as a clap of thunder, making everyone in the territory gasp. He turned his head and saw a seven-story tower in his territory emitting radiant, colorful light. Intense magical energy was blossoming from the pinnacle of the tower, flowing down the left side and seeping into the towers base. Then, the magical energy flowed from the towers base to its pinnacle via the right side, forming a constant cycle. Is this the Magic Tower completed? Song Jian wondered to himself. Once the Magic Tower was built, as long as a Mage resided in the tower, the safety level of Song Jians Safehouse could be elevated another level. Behold the Magic Tower! Hahaha, my Master built this for me. Praise be upon you, my greatest Master! Youve breathed new life into me. Your servant, Wallace, pledges undying loyalty to you! In mid-air, a naked figure suddenly flew out of Song Jians Manor Castle, hovering and laughing in ecstasy. Wallace, put some clothes on! Song Jian yelled, furrowing his brow. Clothes Oh my god! Wallaces figure suddenly dispersed, transforming into a swarm of red bats and flying towards Manor Castle. It seems the Mage presiding over the Magic Tower is already in place, Song Jian shrugged, continuing his journey to the Shadow Circus Troupe. As soon as he entered the circus, he saw Hacus the old beastman leaning on a cane, slowly walking towards him. Hacus, Im delighted to see you! Song Jian laughed, opening his arms and walking towards Hacus. I seem to recall that you didnt have this cane the last time we met. Why are you using it now? His gaze fell first on Hacuss cane. The cane appeared to be carved from a single piece of wood, its surface ornate with intricate designs. Some details were indistinct due to years of use. The cane radiated a sense of the passage of time and the weight of history. Having handled various valuable items, Song Jian had developed a strong ability to assess them. He noticed the cane the moment Hacus appeared on the stage. If this cane is a piece of equipment, its at least silver-quality, or perhaps even higher, Song Jian thought to himself. Ahem, Ive been hit with a chill these days. My strength is greatly reduced, and even moving around has become harder. I had no choice but to rely on my old friend here Hacus coughed, smiling weakly. Song Jian was taken aback. When he focused his attention on Hacus again, he realized that Hacus did seem much weaker than before. He had felt threatened by Hacuss power when they had first met, but it seemed like Hacus had suddenly lost most of his strength, becoming a true old man. The loss of power, a common cold couldnt cause such significant damage This thought immediately flashed through Song Jians mind. However, he didnt show any confusion on his face, but gently patted Hacuss shoulder and said with concern, My old friend, you must take good care of yourself. Its all destiny! Hacus gave Song Jian a meaningful look. I can tell that youve perfectly completed the task I gave you. Heres your reward. I hope it satisfies you. With that, Hacus handed Song Jian a treasure chest the size of a soccer ball and slowly walked away. Chapter 505: 505: Blueprint of the Suit Chapter 505: Blueprint of the Suit System: You have completed the epic quest given to you by Shadow Circus Troupe leader, Hacus, and have obtained an Epic Chest; your favorability level with the Shadow Circus Troupe has been elevated to Respect; you have gained 500 Shadow Circus Troupe points; Upon seeing the system notification, an excited smile appeared on Song Jians face instantly; An Epic chest, this is truly an Epic chest! If it yields any gear, it would probably be the first Epic gear in the game. Compared with the Epic gear, the favorability level, the Shadow Circus Troupe points, they all were trivial and unworthy of mention! Song Jian didnt even glance at what purpose Shadow Circus Troupe points served, his eyes were solely fixed on the chest in his hand. However, this is not the place to open the Epic chest, so Song Jian suppressed his excitement, and stored the chest in his inventory. The abnormality in Hacuss behavior that he displayed earlier, Song Jian had already forgotten about it, his whole being was fully engrossed in the Epic item. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As he was eagerly turning around to return to Manor Castle to open the chest, a player suddenly yelled out loud, Hahaha, I finally traded for the blueprint of the Golden Worker Ant Set! Song Jian froze for a moment, turned his head to look, not far away, in front of a tent, a player wearing leather armor was waving a forging blueprint in his hands, showing off excitedly; The blue set blueprints indeed good, but do you have the materials to forge this gear? a player next to him snorted disdainfully. What do you understand, since we can exchange for blueprints, we definitely can obtain the forging materials, its just that we havent found it yet The player who received the forging blueprint calmed down a bit, glanced scornfully at the mocking player, and stored the blueprint in his inventory. Exactly, and most importantly, this circus wont stay here forever. Once they depart, the Golden Worker Ant Set will become out of print another player sighed. As we know, once any item in the game becomes out of print, it will be adored by a vast number of players. Remembering that the items exchanged from the Shadow Circus Troupe would no longer appear in the future, a large number of players instantly became restless and blocked the tent where the blueprints could be exchanged. Seeing that he couldnt squeeze in for a while, Song Jian glanced at a player next to him, nudged toward the crowd with his lips, and asked, Hey, brother, can you tell me what that guy has traded for? You, you just got, got internet connection, dont you even know, know this? This player was actually a stutterer. He looked down at Song Jian and his tone was filled with an inexplicable sense of superiority: You, you, you just have to complete, complete the tasks, tasks posted by the circus, then, you, you can get, get, get points. You, you, you can use these points to exchange, exchange for a lot of out, out, out-of-print treasures Although the players speech was strenuous to listen to, Song Jian attentively listened and soon understood that so many players came to do the tasks published by the Shadow Circus Troupe not just for the hefty task rewards. Each completed task not only gave out task rewards, but also provided points which could be used to exchange for a lot of good stuff from the Shadow Circus Troupes staff; Hey, I traded for a helmet blueprint of the Golden Soldier Ant Set, who wants to buy it? Highest bidder gets it, no poor offers! At that moment, a player flourishingly waved his forging blueprint, emerged from the tent, and yelled loudly as he walked. Asssembling a Set requires too many forging blueprints. If you only get one or two pieces, you cannot fully utilize the advantage of the Set, so some players often sell the blueprint after trading for it; The Gol, Golden Soldier, Soldier Ant Set is better, better than the Worker, Worker Ant Set by a long shot! The stuttering player adjacent to them said enviously. Golden Worker Ant, Golden Soldier Ant, then is there an even better set? A thought occurred to Song Jian and he quickly asked. Of, of course there is, compared, compared to Golden Worker Ant and Soldier Ant Sets theres the Demonic Worker Ant, Demonic, Demonic Soldier Ant Sets Hearing Song Jians query, the player next to him immediately answered, as if knowing something Song Jian didnt made him something of a higher rank. Song Jian just smiled, not minding the stuttering players attitude, and continued to ask, Are there even better set blueprints? The stuttering player paused, looked Song Jian up and down, and said with surprise, It, it seems you, you really are a bit not, not ordinary Of, of course there are better set blueprints, but, but Im, Im afraid it, it, it will scare you! The stuttering player glanced at Song Jian and said, Gold, Golden Ant King Set, Demonic Ant, Ant King Set, these, these two sets are the, the top tier sets, but, but pity that you cant, cant trade for them Golden Ant King Set, Demonic Ant King Set? A corner of Song Jians mouth slightly turned up, seems like his guess was correct, the Shadow Circus Troupe really did have the blueprints for these two sets; If only there was Golden Ant King Ancestor Set Song Jian secretly thought to himself. You, you know something The stuttering player deliberately looked around then whispered something in Song Jians ear. What? According, according to rumors, the Shadow Circus Troupe has, has, has gold quality set, set blueprints The stuttering player spoke softly. Gold quality set blueprints? Song Jian was startled, as we know, the Worker Ant and Soldier Ant sets were blue quality, and the Ant King sets individual pieces were already silver quality. If there really are Gold quality set blueprints, then it must be the individual pieces of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set So there really is an Ant Emperor Ancestor Set? Song Jian spoke to himself. What, what, what did, did you just, just say? The stuttering player asked, puzzled. Oh, nothing, who can I get the Gold quality set blueprints from? Song Jian asked. Hey, anyone else wouldnt know this The stuttering player grinned proudly: But, but I, I happen to know While saying this, he stretched out his right hand, and rubbed his thumb and index finger in front of Song Jian a couple of times, raised his eyebrows, and looked at Song Jian with a smile on his face. Song Jian paused, took a deep breath, took out a thousand Doomsday Coins from his inventory, and handed them to the other party; Only, only one thousand Do you want it, or should I take it back Song Jians face sank as he spoke. One thousand, one thousand is, is okay The stuttering player quickly took the Doomsday Coins and whispered into Song Jians ear: According, according to rumors, you can get the, the news of, of, of the gold-quality set blueprints from the circus, circus, circus leader Hacus? An astonished look appeared on Song Jians face. Chapter 506: Equipment Box Chapter 506: Equipment Box Eh, you actually, actually know, know the name of the circus, circus, circus boss? The stuttering player looked at Song Jian in astonishment. Song Jian gave a faint smile, and after observing for a while, slowly exited the crowd. The stuttering player glanced at Song Jians fading figure, appearing as if deep in thought. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and followed Song Jian out of the crowd. Hacus, I cant believe he actually possesses the blueprint for the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set Song Jian mumbled to himself as he walked. After asking around, Song Jian arrived at Hacus tent; despite being the leader of the Shadow Circus Troupe, Hacus dwelling was far from conspicuous. The tent was small and an unremarkable grey, its edges weather-worn, and a large patch of white cloth sewn into the left side. If Song Jian hadnt triple-checked, he would never have thought that Hacus lived here. There was no guard outside the tent, only a half-rolled curtain; Song Jian approached, lifted the curtain and saw the old Beastman Hacus sitting at a wooden table, slowly sipping a thick, green liquid. Seeing Hacus weary expression, it was obvious the green liquid was as unpleasant as the smell it gave off. Hearing the curtain rustle, and sensing someone come in, Hacus eyed his visitor warily, his right hand quickly moving to his waist; Why, its you? Recognizing Song Jian, Hacus immediately relaxed, then frowned and took another sip of the green liquid, coughing twice as he asked. Are you ill? Song Jian sniffed the pungent smell in the air, recognizing one or two of the herbs. However, with his basic knowledge of alchemy, Song Jian could only identify a few of the components; Cough, didnt I tell you, a bit of a cold Hacus squinted at Song Jian and asked, What brings you here? Song Jian smiled slightly. The excuse of a cold was absurd, and probably even Hacus didnt believe it. Song Jian, however, didnt call him out on it; I heard you know about the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set? Song Jian asked straightforwardly. By now, his favourability with the Shadow Circus Troupe had reached Reverence, so asking Hacus for information wouldnt be rejected. If it were any other player, without reaching a certain level of favourability, not only would they be unable to inquire from Hacus, but they would probably also face Hacus wrath just by entering his tent. Hacus was silent for a while, then asked Song Jian with a strange look, Havent you looked at your task reward yet? Too many people, havent had time to open it, plan to look at it when I get back! Song Jian casually remarked with a shrug. Why not open it now? Hacus suggested. Song Jian paused, seemed to realize something, then took the epic-level chest from his inventory and placed it on the table. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Open it now? Song Jian rubbed his hands and glanced at Hacus. Hacus smiled and nodded; Song Jian placed his right hand on the epic-level chest. The reward chest of the task doesnt require time to open, it can be opened directly; Ka-chuck~ The epic-level chest opened, a faint purplish-red light emanated from the chest, though the glow was very weak. Song Jian opened the chest completely, and the epic-level chest disappeared. In its place on the wooden table was a square metal box with a handle. On the four sides of the metal box, there was a relief of a giant golden ant; This metal box looked rather old, with rust stains at some corners, and numerous marks of cutting and hacking on its surface, as if it had been through many battles. Hacus Equipment Box (Special Item), Epic level, Item Description: This is Hacus former battle gear. It has accompanied him through countless battles and is his most intimate companion; Equ, equipment box? Song Jian looked at the attributes of this metal box and was stunned. Open it and see. Looking at the metal box, a gentle smile surfaced on Hacus face. Song Jian grabbed the round handle of the box and pulled hard; Clatter~ The sound of gears grinding and turning came from within the box. The entire box opened completely to reveal a model of a golden ant regally roaring towards the sky; No, no, this isnt a model, this, this is, this is equipment, this is a complete set of equipment! Song Jian was dumbfounded. He didnt expect that the reward for the epic-level task assigned by Hacus would be a full set of equipment; This, is the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set! Hacus sighed softly as he touched the set. Golden quality, golden quality, it is, it is all golden quality Song Jian carefully examined each piece of equipment in the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set. Each individual piece was of golden quality, and the full set combined was of epic level; Level 30 equipment, but, this durability is a bit too low, isnt it? Song Jian scanned it carefully. Upon completion, he couldnt help but frown. The set was complete with a helmet, chest armor, shoulder guards, gloves, trousers, leg guards, hand guards, boots and a beltnine items in total. And two pieces of equipment together added an extra attribute. Each extra piece added another attribute. With nine pieces, there were eight additional attributes in total. These eight additional attributes made the whole set of epic level. What slightly upset Song Jian was the low durability of this set. All were below ten points, the chest armor durability was even reduced to three points. Song Jian suspected that if he wore this set of equipment, roughly half the setup would be ruined after fighting for five or six hours. Although its epic level, if the durability is too low, the value will be much less Song Jian looked somewhat pained. Moreover, the most important thing was that, currently, the blacksmith shop could only repair silver quality equipment. Any equipment exceeding silver quality required a Master Level Forging Master for repairs. Even in the City of Hymns, there had never been a Master Level Forging Master. Even high-level Forging Masters were extremely rare. Therefore, theres no way to repair this Golden Ant King Ancestor Set. Who said this set of equipment cant be repaired? Hacus looked up at Song Jian and said, We have people in the Shadow Circus Troupe who can repair it What, really? Song Jians eyes sparkled with glee, he asked in surprise. Chapter 507: The Art of Throwing Knife Chapter 507: The Art of Throwing Knife If this set of epic-level equipment could not be repaired, Song Jian would only treat it as a decoration, something to occasionally take out and admire. Now that he had the chance to repair it, Song Jian would definitely seize it; Hacus, youre not honest at all. As a quest reward, why not give me a brand new set? Giving me a used set is forgivable, but its even about to become scrap metal Song Jian complained. Hehe, do you think I dont want to repair it? You should know that it has accompanied me for decades. If it were not for it, I would have died without even leaving a corpse behind. Hacus said with a bitter smile. Enough, enough, tell me who can repair this set of equipment, I want to fix it as fast as possible, Song Jian remarked. Although this set of equipment requires a level 30 to be worn, Song Jian levelled up quickly. It wouldnt take long for him to wear it if he focused on leveling up. Once the equipment is repaired, and he reaches level 30, he can put on the epic-level Golden Ant King Ancestor Set and ride the Black Dragon mount. By then, challenging first-rank Combat Power would be much easier. If he can reach this goal, Song Jian would undoubtedly be the number one player in the game. Go to the tent at the far left of the circus, the one embroidered with a burning rose. Look for a girl named Betty there, and tell her that old Hacus sent you, Hacus said, shaking his head. Hacus touched the side of the metal box, and the whole box closed up again. Alright, leave it to me. Song Jian put the equipment box into his inventory and couldnt wait to leave Hacuss tent. Far away, Yuan Peilong watched in surprise as Song Jian walked out of Hacuss tent, mumbling: I didnt, didnt expect, he, he actually knows, knows the head of the circus Song Jian quickly found the tent embroidered with the burning rose. At that moment, a red-haired girl was practicing throwing knives at a wooden target five meters away in front of the tent. This girl looked only seventeen or eighteen, she was quite short but had a great figure. She wore a tight leather armor on her upper body, revealing her shoulders and arms, a battle skirt on her lower body, engraved with glimmering metal protective plates. Moving inward, she was wearing a loincloth, with tall boots on her feet; She wore a belt round her slim waist, crammed with throwing knives, and in her hand, she held four or five more knives; There was a black cloth covering her eyes, and she was throwing the knives solely by perceptual ability. However, she was extremely accurate with her throwing knives; all the knives stuck deep into the center of the target, and together, they made the pattern of a blooming rose; Song Jian waited quietly by her side, waited until all her throwing knives were stuck in the targets heart, waited till she took off the black cloth from her eyes, and then walked up to her and said, Hello, my name is Song Jian, Hacus asked me to find you. He said you could help me repair this equipment Song Jian took out the equipment box and placed it on the ground; Betty raised her eyebrows, her gaze fell first on the equipment box, then on Song Jian. A meaningful smile appeared on her face as she whispered: I didnt expect that old man to actually give you this equipment set When she finished speaking, Betty walked towards the wooden target and pulled out the throwing knives, slipping them back into her belt; Indeed, I can repair this set. But why should I help you? Betty looked Song Jian up and down, a proud look on her face. What do I need to offer to earn your assistance? Song Jian asked with a smile; If that old man gave this set to you, it seems that he values you greatly Betty stroked her smooth chin thoughtfully, and mumbled to herself, That old mans vision is usually accurate. Could this guy really have something special about him? After hesitating for a moment, Betty revealed a mischievous smile as she stared at Song Jian, making him uncomfortable. Well, if you help me practice my knife-throwing skills for a while, I promise to help you fix this set, Betty said cheerfully. Is it that simple? Song Jian became suspicious. The equipment had never been repaired during Hacuss time. If its really so simple to fix, why didnt Hacus do it himself? Its just that simple, Betty affirmed, nodding her head. Okay, Ill do it, Song Jian hesitated for a moment, but eventually agreed. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Great. Betty giggled, pulling Song Jian in front of the wooden target and saying, First of all, I will tie you to this wooden target, then I will stand at a distance and throw knives. The knives will stick precisely at your surroundings You saw my knife-throwing skills just now; its very precise. Ill absolutely not hit you Betty said seriously. When Song Jian heard that they planned to rope him to the wood target, he immediately knew what Betty intended to do. It startled him, and he carefully looked at Betty twice. Level 30, first-rank battle power Song Jian was speechless for a moment. He didnt expect that this petite girl before him would be so strong. You really wont hit me? Song Jian asked. I promise, I absolutely wont! Betty said quickly, her face serious. But the teasing look in her eyes didnt escape Song Jians notice. Song Jian looked at the wooden target, then at Betty, hesitating for a long time before he slowly nodded. Great, this will be my grand finale as Betty the One-Blade Piercing Heart Throwing Knife. She cheered, and dragged Song Jian to the wooden target where she bound his hands and feet in a big shape. With my strength, even if she stabs me a couple of times, she cant kill me instantly. Plus, I also have a shield skill, as well as the Morphing into Dark Cloud ability. As long as she doesnt kill me instantly, this task is only thrilling but not dangerous, Song Jian thought to himself. Betty walked to a place five meters away from the wooden target and was about to throw a knife when she suddenly stopped. She seemingly remembered something. Then, Song Jian saw Betty continue to backtrack until she was eight meters away from the wooden target. Betty stopped and nodded to herself. Good, this time, Im going to challenge an eight-meter throwing knife skill. Lets do it! Betty cheered for herself; Swish~ Before Song Jian had time to react, a shining blade was already lodged into the wooden target near his temple. The blade of the knife was less than three centimeters from his eye, he could even feel a slight chill coming from the knife; -210 A damage number popped up from Song Jians head. Feeling the blood slowly dripping from his brow, Song Jian suddenly had a bad feeling. Chapter 508: 508: Almost Died Chapter 508: Almost Died Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She didnt even hit me directly, just the daggers energy, and I already lost 200 Vitality Points Song Jians face turned pale, and a bad feeling surfaced in his heart. Yay, perfect! Far away, Betty clenched her fists and raised them in excitement, cheering aloud. Can we please wait a moment Song Jian shouted loudly. Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ This time, three daggers circled around Song Jians head, with one of them slashing through his cheek before embedding into the wooden target. -172 -150 -280 Three more damage numbers floated above Song Jians head, his over two thousand Vitality Points had almost plummeted by half. What the hell! Betty has more than ten to twenty daggers on her waist, and my Vitality Points are already almost halved after just four throws. The most important thing is that these are just simple scratches. Song Jian now believes that Betty definitely has the strength to kill him instantly. Buzz~ With a thought, Song Jian activated the Heart of Ice, and a pale blue Frost Shield appeared around his body. With 800 Defense Points on the Frost Shield, it should be able to block at least four more daggers, right? Song Jian thought to himself. Upon seeing the Frost Shield surface around Song Jians body, a smirk appeared on Bettys lips. She suddenly feigned realization and yelled, Oh no, how could I forget? I usually perform blindfolded! With that, Betty took out the black cloth used earlier, wrapped it around her eyes twice, and tied it shut. Holy crap, is she insane?! In Song Jians mind, a million horses galloped past. Why am I upgrading the set? Why do I need to upgrade the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set? Are my Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword not good enough, or can I not single-handedly defeat elite bosses anymore? My equipment already surpasses most players, so why do I need to upgrade this set? Song Jian felt bitter, wanting to cry. Screw this, Im not playing anymore! With a thought, Song Jian instantly tried to Morph into a Dark Cloud, seeking escape from the wooden target. However, he soon received a skill release failed notice. System: You are in a state of Sealed Escape Skills, Morphing into Dark Cloud skill release failed. Sealed Escape Skills? Can I even play properly anymore Feeling helpless, Song Jian couldnt help shedding tears of frustration. Unexpectedly, his trump card became useless before it even saw action. In a panic, Song Jian began struggling vigorously. The wooden target shook, creaking loudly, revealing his incredible strength reaching an astonishing 50 points, bordering on a superhuman level. Although sealed on the target, the restriction only limited his skills, not his physical attacks. Amidst Song Jians struggle, the shackles binding his hands and feet started to sway, and small cracks appeared at the connection point with the wooden target. Frowning, Bettys face turned cold, with an icy aura as she snorted. Like a razor-sharp line, she shot the dagger at Song Jian; Clang clang clang~ This time, the daggers drew even closer to Song Jian, with almost every single one cutting into the Frost Shield. The collision created cracks and shattered the shield completely, the defense instantly reduced to zero. As all the daggers embedded into the wooden target, Song Jians Vitality Points barely hung on, with less than 500 left. Im going to die! Song Jian broke out in cold sweat, not hesitating to activate the second shield, the Bloodthirsty Shield. This was a golden-grade equipment of Song Jian, a special effect of the Ring of Blood; Bloodthirsty (Active): Upon activation, the user gains a Bloody Shield with 1000 defense points. 50% of the damage Bloody Shield takes will be converted into Vitality Points for the user. When the Bloody Shield shatters, all enemies within range will take 500 true damage and be inflicted with a trembling state, preventing them from attacking or moving for 3 seconds; Cooldown: 60 minutes This ability was much stronger than Frost Shield, but with a long cooldown, Song Jian rarely used this skill, only using it as a last resort in life-and-death situations! Huh, you have quite a few life-saving skills! There was a hint of astonishment in Bettys eyes. Though her eyes were blindfolded, her strong perception allowed her to detect everything around her, making the blindfold essentially no hindrance; Bettys lips curled up, staring at Song Jian with great interest. For Betty, this was an unconventional challenge. Her thrown daggers had to bring Song Jians Vitality Points to the lowest without making any contact, whereas Song Jian only needed to ensure his own survival. At this point, Betty still had eight daggers on her C four in her hand, and four tucked in her waist; Her fingers danced, and the four daggers gracefully leaped in Bettys right hand like mischievous elves, yet completely under her control. With a flushed face, Song Jian clenched his right hand and broke free from the handcuffs on the wooden target with a bang. Before Song Jian could show any joy, Betty snorted coldly, and a flash of cold light swiftly flew through the space connecting the handcuffs and the wooden target, nailing the handcuffs firmly back onto the target. Dont move, these daggers dont have eyes! Betty warned coldly. Song Jian instantly felt a chill run up his legs, daring not to move; Wham! Wham! Wham~ Three more daggers flew past Song Jians body and penetrated the wooden target. This time, the red light of the Bloodthirsty Shield violently trembled but remained unshattered; Huh, interesting Betty appeared to take the challenge more seriously. She drew the remaining four daggers from her waist, clasping her hands together and throwing them with all her strength towards the wooden target; Pop! Pop! Pop~ The Bloodthirsty Shield finally shattered after three explosive sounds. At the moment the shield shattered, a green light fell on Song Jian from above, raising his Vitality Points from just over 400 to 820; Simultaneously, a surge of energy erupted from Song Jians body. Unable to withstand the 500 true damage, the wooden target behind him broke apart. Pop! Pop! Pop~ The wooden target disintegrated into countless fragments, scattering in every direction. Song Jian was instantly freed and fell from the target to the ground; At this moment, the last dagger flew at Song Jians chest. Had the wooden target not shattered and Song Jian still bound, the dagger would have only struck the left side of his waist on the target. However, as Song Jian fell to the ground, the daggers trajectory shifted abruptly from his waist to his chest; Watch out! Bettys face changed dramatically. She had only meant to scare Song Jian, not kill him. Seeing the dagger aiming for his chest, she panicked. At the critical moment, a black shadow suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian, transforming into his double; Abyssal Phantom! The moment the phantom appeared, the dagger pierced its chest. A damage figure of over 1800 emerged from the phantoms head, causing the just-summoned Abyssal Phantom to shatter like a soap bubble. Chapter 509: 509: Blueprint Chapter 509: Blueprint Betty didnt expect Song Jian to break free from the wooden target on his own; this was completely beyond her expectation. If Song Jian didnt move, the last flying knife would just graze his body and embed itself into the wooden target, leaving him in a near-death state at most. However, now Song Jian had broken free, his position changed, and the last flying knife posed a risk to his life. Since Song Jian could take out the equipment box, it was evident that he had a good relationship with Hacus. Everyone in the Shadow Circus Troupe knew about this set of equipment. If Betty accidentally killed Song Jian this time, Hacus would probably be furious. Fortunately, Song Jian had many life-saving skills. Abyssal Phantom appeared, and the flying knife instantly killed the Phantom Clone. Song Jians face was pale; the power of this knife astonished him. Even he himself would find it difficult to instantly kill Phantom Clone since it had seventy percent of his attributes. Betty patted her chest, scared out of her wits. Seeing Song Jian still alive, she showed a relieved expression on her face, but it quickly faded. She walked up to Song Jian, tossed a purple potion at him, and said with distaste, Youre so weak. My flying knife didnt even touch you, and you look like youre about to die. Were you scared? Song Jian gave a bitter smile, took the purple potion, and was stunned when he looked at it. Full Recovery Potion? Instantly fills 100% Vitality Points, with a cooldown time of 30 seconds? Song Jian exclaimed. All right, drink it quickly, and dont tell the old guy about it. It was just for fun, and youre just too fragile Betty said nervously. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, ultimately putting the potion into his inventory. As for his lost Vitality Points, he wasnt in battle right now, so he could just wait for them to recover slowly. It would only take two or three hours for Song Jians Vitality Points to be fully restored. Do you have the Alchemy formula for the Complete Recovery Potion? Song Jian asked, glancing at Betty. I dont know Alchemy Betty rolled her eyes. Song Jian nodded. Hacus told him to find Betty to repair the equipment. Obviously, her Forge Art must have reached a high level. It was reasonable that she didnt excel in Alchemy, but there must be someone in the Shadow Circus Troupe who was an expert in Alchemy. Um, my equipment Song Jian pointed at the equipment box. Of course, since I promised you, Ill fix it for you Bettys eyes gleamed slyly and nodded. Thank you so much Song Jian nodded, his heart filled with tears. After all, he had just risked his life for this chance to repair the equipment! Dont be in a hurry; I havent finished talking Betty waved her hand, and Song Jian suddenly felt a sense of unease. I can repair this equipment, but you have to provide the materials required for the repair said Betty. May I ask what materials are needed and how much of them? Song Jian asked cautiously. He finally understood why after so many years, Hacus hadnt repaired the equipment. Apparently, the last difficulty must be the materials required for the repair. Youll need the Ant shells from the Golden Ant Clan Betty said. Thats easy Song Jian sighed in relief. He had plenty of ant shells in his inventory, which was almost full. Golden-quality Ant shells Betty added. Song Jian: Ordinary soldier ants and worker ants would only drop blue-quality Ant shells, while the Ant King would have a chance to drop silver-quality ones. To get golden-quality Ant shells, they had to hunt down the Ant King Progenitor. If Song Jian hadnt witnessed the power of the Ant King Progenitor, he would have agreed to do it. However, now that he had seen the power of the Ant King Progenitor, he didnt dare to say he could kill it, even if he reached level 30 and attained the First-Order Combat Power. No wonder Hacus hasnt been able to repair this equipment for so many years Song Jians face suddenly darkened. This equipment was just his gear before he gained First-Order Combat Power. Theres no need to repair it at all. After he gained First-Order power, he stopped using this equipment Betty said, sticking out her tongue. Is there any other way? Song Jian asked tentatively. Regular blue Ant shells will also work, Betty suddenly said. But you must have a large number of blue-quality Ant shells. I can merge blue-quality Ant shells into silver-quality and then use silver-quality to merge into golden-quality Song Jians face showed a hint of joy; Betty glanced at him and said, To fully repair this equipment, youll need at least eight thousand blue-quality Ant shells. Also, theres a failure rate in the merging process. Lastly, I wont merge them for free. Ill need a certain amount of labor fees No problem! Song Jian waved his hand. The labor fee will be about 1.3 million Doomsday Coins Betty said. Song Jians waving hand suddenly froze. Originally, he thought it would only cost a few thousand Doomsday Coins, but he didnt expect it to be 1.3 million Doomsday Coins. Miss Betty, isnt this price a bit too high? Song Jian said with a bitter face. Although Song Jians current financial strength far exceeded that of ordinary players, 1.3 million Doomsday Coins was still beyond his means. Arent you a lord? Betty looked surprised, thinking that lords were supposed to be wealthy. Sorry, do you have a misunderstanding about lords? Song Jian said helplessly. Even if I sold my entire territory, I wouldnt have 1.3 million Doomsday Coins Fine, then give me 130,000 Doomsday Coins Betty waved her hand. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian: Im so tired! Just when Song Jian was about to take out the money, he suddenly remembered something, took out a forging recipe from his inventory, and asked Betty, Can I use this recipe to substitute the 130,000 labor fees? Forging recipe? Betty looked interested. Let me see. Song Jian handed over the Demonic Ant Queen Set Gauntlet recipe he obtained from the Golden Ant Clan lair. The Demonic Ant Queen Set? Not bad. Let me see. Hmm, the forging method is somewhat different from what I know, but the handling of the forging arc is excellent Betty took the recipe and studied it carefully. After a long study, Betty seemed to remember that there was another person beside her. Looking slightly embarrassed, she coughed and raised her head, saying, All right, Ill accept this recipe for the labor fee Seeing Bettys excited expression, Song Jian wondered if he had just sold the recipe for too little Chapter 510: 510: Shadow Giant Dragon Chapter 510: Shadow Giant Dragon In fact, after Song Jian gave most of the ant shells to Betty, the blueprint for the forging of the Demonized Ant Kings gauntlet had lost its value. Without the Demonized Ant Shell, it was impossible to forge this gauntlet, and importantly, Song Jian only has the blueprint for this gauntlet, without any blueprints for other parts. Even if he managed to make it, its value would be much diminished. Once he got the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set, Song Jian lost interest in the Demonic Ant Queen Set. These ant shells of yours are tainted with the aura of the Abyss; it would take a lot of work to rid them of it, Betty said while frowning, looking at the pile of blue-quality ant shells that resembled a small mountain. It would be a bother if you could do that, consider these as extra craftmanship cost, Song Jian took out a little over a thousand ant shells, chuckling as he did. Seeing Song Jian took out over a thousand ant shells, Betty looked slightly happier. Now Song Jian didnt have a single ant shell left from his Ant Cavern haul, but these materials didnt hold much value for him anymore. Compared to the thirty-level epic armor set in front of him, all this did not amount to much more than mere recycling. Leave it to me; come back for the equipment in three days, Betty swept the ant shells resembling a small mountain into her storage space with one wave of her hand and entered her tent. It was lively in the Shadow Circus Troupe, the equipment repair issue had been settled, and Song Jian was not in a hurry to level up, but began leisurely making his way around the troupe. Having only interacted with the Shadow Circus Troupe a few times, Song Jian rapidly discovered that the troupe harbored deep secrets. It was bolstered by impressive resources, such as the Complete Recovery Potion in the storage section, which piqued his curiosity. His Advanced Healing Potion was pretty decent, but compared to the Complete Recovery Potion, it was practically garbage. If only I could get my hands on the formula for the Complete Recovery Potion Song Jian muttered to himself. But he also knew that the difficulty of attaining the brewing method for the Complete Recovery Potion would be akin to the epic level mission he had previously completed. While Song Jian was wandering around, someone suddenly bumped into him, and a note found its way into his hand. Song Jian watched as the figure that had bumped into him quickly melted into the crowd, frowning slightly as he did. He opened the note to a drawing of a skull, and an address followed by the signature, your old slave. Qi Yun? Song Jian frowned. As far as Qi Yun was concerned, Song Jian remained indifferent. Even though Qi Yun had advanced to the profession of Shadow Priest, with colossal potential for the future, Song Jian felt that his Sword Controller was not any worse. Moreover, he was much higher in level than Qi Yun and could easily overpower him in head-on combat. However, it now seemed that Qi Yun had infiltrated the Shadow Circus Troupe. If conflict arose, it might disrupt the restoration of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set. Lets see what mischief this guy is up to, Song Jian began walking toward the address penned on the paper. Soon, Song Jian arrived at the edge of the Shadow Circus Troupe. There was an inconspicuous low tent, where a man with golden vertical pupils, fully wrapped in black cloth, was standing at the entrance. Upon spotting Song Jian, Qi Yun started to cough and laugh, emitting a creepy voice as if he was forcing it out from his throat. You finally came, Qi Yun said in a hoarse voice. What do you want? Out with it Song Jian said impatiently, If its about the same thing as last time, save it. The fact that I didnt report you to the Shadow Circus Troupe is a favor enough. Dont you get it! I called you over to offer you a good deal. Arent you going to listen? said Qi Yun. A good deal? What good deal? Song Jian scoffed. He found it hard to trust Qi Yuns words. If he were Qi Yun, he would probably wish the worst on himself. Hehe, are you going to discuss this out in the open? Qi Yun looked around and said, Lets go inside the tent. I trust you wont be afraid. Dont try to goad me, it wont work, Song Jian responded disdainfully, walking towards the tent. Qi Yun glanced around before entering the tent right behind Song Jian. The interior of Qi Yuns tent was very simple, comprised of a bed and several stools. Standing inside, Song Jian felt as if his head was about to touch the top of the tent. What is it? Song Jian asked. Qi Yun began by setting up an anti-spying enchantment in the tent. Soon, soft lights were emitted from the four corners of the tent. Song Jian felt as if the entire tent was enveloped in a bubble. If any mental strength tried to probe this place, he would be immediately found. However, the enchantment had no defensive capabilities. It could be effortlessly broken from the inside or the outside. Ive told you before, this Shadow Circus Troupe, in reality, is transporting a Shadow Crystal to the Shadow Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range Qi Yun spoke slowly. Song Jian listened attentively, with an initially dismissive expression that quickly changed into a serious one. So youre saying that there are shadow dragons in the Shadow Castle? And that the entire Shadow Circus Troupe is basically this dragons slave? Song Jian asked, stunned. Indeed. This is the information I gathered after joining the Shadow Circus Troupe. The reason why they are transporting the Shadow Crystal is because this Shadow Dragon is getting old and needs the crystal to sustain its life Qi Yun laughed, coughing as he did. What does this have to do with me? Song Jian asked, his face impassive. In fact, Song Jian was greatly shocked. Any dragon of any attribute was at the peak of the food chain. In this game, defeating a dragon would instantaneously make a player a fortune. Moreover, this was an elderly dragon on the brink of death, providing a tantalizing opportunity for Song Jian. However, Song Jian was clearly aware of his strength. He hadnt even reached the first combat power level yet. A large number of people in the Shadow Circus Troupe had already reached level one in combat power, and they were still reduced to being the Shadow Dragons servants, let alone Song Jian himself. A dragon isnt enough to whet your appetite? Qi Yun chuckled. Heh, you think too highly of me Song Jian shook his head and calmly said, although, he was now fully interested in this Shadow Dragon. Even if it is an aging dragon on the brink of death, it still has a few years, or even a decade of life left. I can afford to wait until Im stronger before hunting it down Song Jian thought to himself. Thats fine, since youre not interested in the Shadow Dragon, how about resurrection after death? Are you interested in that? Qi Yun asked, watching Song Jian closely. Resurrection after death? Song Jian felt a jolt run through his body. He stared at Qi Yun, his face filled with surprise. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 511 - 510: Signing the Contract Chapter 511: Chapter 510: Signing the Contract What is it that makes players fear this game? Isnt it that dying in the game means losing ones life in the real world? It is important to note that the danger level in this game is a thousand times, even ten thousand times higher than in the real world. Pick any dungeon or monster encountered on the road, and there is a possibility of losing ones life. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thus, after seeing so many people die, players in this game have become more cautious, willing to be conservative, missing out on some opportunities, but also ensuring their lives are safe. Are you saying you possess a resurrection skill? Song Jian asked in surprise. It is normal for a priest to possess the Resurrection Skill, but in this game, Song Jian has never heard of any priest who possesses it. Qi Yun laughed and took out a dazzling crystal ball and displayed it to Song Jian. Skill Crystal C Rebirth in Fire, special player skill. Skill Description: When a player with this skill has zero Vitality Points, they will be reborn in a nearby place with fire. After being reborn, the player becomes weakened, attributes decrease by 80% for one hour; Skill cooldown time: 24 hours; Usage requirements: Player. It really is a resurrection skill Song Jians eyes gleamed, and for a moment, his thoughts raced as he looked at Qi Yun with a malicious gaze. The good feelings between Song Jian and the Shadow Circus Troupe have already risen to admiration. If he kills Qi Yun now, the good feelings with the Shadow Circus Troupe will undoubtedly be affected; However, in front of the Rebirth in Fire skill, Song Jian did not care about any loss of goodwill with the Shadow Circus Troupe or even the entire territory of Doomsday City. Kill him, kill him and get this Skill Crystal Evil thoughts arose in Song Jians heart as sweat appeared on his forehead, and unconsciously, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword materialized in his palm. In Song Jians ear, barely audible moans were heard, as if someone was whispering in his ear, reciting something in the language of the Abyss. A hint of black aura appeared in Song Jians brows; At that moment, a cooling flow rushed through Song Jians head, waking him instantly; Whatwhat happened to me? Song Jian looked at the faint black aura that emerged around his body and could not help but feel a chill. Abyssal aura, I didnt expect you to have it too haha~ Qi Yun seemed to see something interesting, looking at Song Jian up and down and laughing. When you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss stares back at you Qi Yun suddenly said. Huh~ Song Jian took a deep breath, just now he really wanted to kill Qi Yun, even resorting to killing and looting here, he had to obtain that skill. Noticing Song Jians intentions, Qi Yun played with the crystal ball in his hand, This kind of Skill Crystal will be lost once it shatters, and this crystal is very fragile, even the slightest force could break it. What will it take for you to give me this skill? Song Jian asked with a stern face. His previous performance was too obvious, and Song Jian no longer had a chance to negotiate. No matter how harsh the conditions Qi Yun proposed, Song Jian could only grit his teeth and accept them. Even if it meant Slaughtering the entire Shadow Circus Troupe, gambling with the entire territorys resources, Song Jian would most likely agree. Resurrection and rebirth skills are simply too valuable for players. Dont worry, the task I have for you is definitely within your capabilities Qi Yun smiled, now in control of the situation. No matter what you ask me to do, I need to get this skill first Song Jian insisted, cutting off Qi Yun as he began to speak, These are the prerequisite conditions, or else we have no need to continue talking. Song Jian had made up his mind, once negotiations broke down, he would use any means necessary C steal or rob C to obtain this Skill Crystal even if it cost him everyone in the Shadow Circus Troupe. Seemingly noticing Song Jians determination, Qi Yun hesitated for a moment and slowly put away the crystal ball. Tell me, what do you need me to do Song Jian asked, Help you get the Shadow Crystal? No problem. Qi Yun glanced at Song Jian and slowly shook his head, This Shadow Crystal within the Circus Troupe seems to have a problem; my target is no longer it. What do you need then? Song Jian frowned. You know my profession Qi Yun looked at Song Jian, sighed, and said, To advance, I need a large number of Shadow Crystals. Since this Shadow Crystal cant meet my requirements, then I need to find another one. You want me to find another complete, problem-free Shadow Crystal for you? Song Jian asked in surprise. No, I need you to escort me to the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range and lure out the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour Qi Yun said. What, you actually Song Jians face was full of astonishment, he couldnt believe Qi Yuns audacity in targeting the Shadow Giant Dragon. Its a fully-grown Giant Dragon, I wouldnt stand a chance, let alone half an hour, Id probably be killed in an instant Song Jian shook his head. Compared to fighting a Giant Dragon for half an hour, killing Qi Yun seemed much easier. Dont worry, how could I give you a task you cant complete? Qi Yun looked at Song Jian and quickly said, It is said that the Shadow Giant Dragon took a serious irreparable injury during its maturity period. Its strength has significantly weakened; otherwise, it wouldnt be alone in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. With your strength, holding it off for half an hour is not an issue, and killing it may even be possible. Kill it? Song Jian was astonished, then he suddenly realized that the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range was only a level 30 dungeon after all. If he leveled up to 30 and gained the combat power of a first-order, then it might be possible for him to clear the dungeon. It seems that the injured Shadow Giant Dragon should be the final boss of the Dark Castle dungeon Song Jian guessed. Alright, if its really like you said, then Ill have no problem holding off that Shadow Giant Dragon. But I still need to get this Skill Crystal first Song Jian stared at Qi Yun. After pondering for a moment, Qi Yun said, If you can sign a Spirit of Authentication contract with me, then I can give you this skill first. In fact, Qi Yun didnt expect Song Jian to care so much about this skill. He didnt dare to keep it for himself any longer; perhaps Song Jian would agree now and then turn around and assassinate him to snatch the skill back. Qi Yuns strength was too weak, and this Skill Crystal was like a hot potato that he desperately wanted to discard. Agreed! Song Jian nodded without hesitation and quickly said. Chapter 512: Skill Fusion Chapter 512: Skill Fusion When players take on quests, they are essentially signing contracts with the NPCs who issue those quests. The game system supervises these contracts, guaranteeing rewards upon completion and imposing penalties if the quest fails. However, the indigenous inhabitants of this game world were not aware of the game system; they preferred to have a Spirit of Notarization to supervise when making agreements. Regardless of the supervisor, as long as Song Jian accepted the task, it would simply appear as a quest in his quest log. Qi Yun pulled out a small silver knife and cut his finger. A drop of dark red blood flowed out. Then, Qi Yun signaled for Song Jian to do the same. After cutting their fingers, Qi Yun recited an incantation. Summoning the Spirit of Notarization to oversee the contract was a skill that ensured both parties abided by the terms of the contract. Once breached, the consequences would be severe. Suddenly, the light in the tent dimmed. In the space between the pair, a milky-white light appeared out of thin air, followed by a translucent, octopus-like shadow. Qi Yun dripped his blood onto a parchment detailing the quest requirements, then handed it to Song Jian. Song Jian carefully read through the quest requirements and found no traps. He also dripped his blood onto the parchment. The Spirit of Notarization waved its tentacles and rolled up the parchment, slowly reading it out loud. Its voice manifested directly in their minds, leaving the tent in silence. The contract is established. Violators will be erased at a soul level! The voice of the Spirit of Notarization echoed in the depths of their minds. Agreed! Agreed! Both of them said. Whoosh~ The parchment burned in the Spirit of Notarizations tentacles. Then, it sent two translucent tentacles towards the pair, wrapping around them before the spirit slowly disappeared. Song Jian felt as if something was entangling his soul, leaving him with an uncomfortable sense of restraint. A quest notification appeared in his quest log. However, at the bottom of the notification, there was a line of small red text: The contract may be nullified by using Blood of Blasphemy. Seeing this last line, Song Jian couldnt help but smile. It seems that this so-called Spirit of Notarization is of a much lower grade than the game system Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun and thought, Moreover, not every NPC in the game has the right to issue quests! If Qi Yun could directly give quests to Song Jian like the Shadow Circus Troupe leader, there would be no need for the Spirit of Notarization. Using the so-called Spirit of Notarization not only required blood, but the contract could also be nullified by Blood of Blasphemy, a perfect method to avoid penalties for failed quests. After signing the contract overseen by the Spirit of Notarization, Qi Yun seemed relieved and directly handed the Skill Crystal over to Song Jian. Song Jian looked at the Skill Crystal and chose to use it without a second thought. Boom~ A burst of black flame suddenly erupted from Song Jians body, emitting an intense aura that forced Qi Yun, who was caught off guard, to retreat two steps, his back pressing against the tent. This what is this? Fear flickered in Qi Yuns eyes as he stared at the black flame surrounding Song Jians body, disbelief evident in his gaze. System: You used the player-specific skill Rebirth in Fire! This skill perfectly resonates with Abyssal Raging Flame. Do you want to bind these two skills? Note: If bound, a special unforeseen effect may occur, making the skill potentially more powerful or weaker. Fusion mutation? Song Jian was startled but quickly showed a look of joy. This kind of skill upgrade fusion rarely occurred before both skills reached level 10. Since the system already indicated a perfect fusion, there was a high probability that merging them would result in an even more powerful skill. Fuse! Song Jian declared inwardly. The black flame on Song Jians body gradually diminished and disappeared. The Rebirth in Fire skill he had just acquired also began to change. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Enemy of Death God (Passive): Level MAX. Skill Effect: After Vitality Points reach zero, gain invincibility for 10 seconds, removing all skill costs and cooldown times. Skills on cooldown can still be used normally. After 10 seconds, the player can revive at any location within a 1000-meter radius. Upon revival, both Vitality Points and Spirit Points are restored to full, and all skills enter a cooldown period and cannot be used. Cooldown time: 12 hours. Skill Description: Fire is not synonymous with destruction. It also possesses the power to nurture life. This power is so potent that even the Death God cannot face it directly. Those who wield this power are considered the Death Gods greatest enemies! Perfect! Song Jian looked at the new skill that had formed from the perfect fusion of Abyssal Raging Flame and Rebirth in Fire, his face breaking into a delighted smile. The 10-second invulnerability and the ability to ignore skill costs and cooldown times gave Song Jian incredible retaliatory power. Even an enemy with one-grade combat power would be unable to withstand Song Jians 10 seconds of all-out assault. Moreover, after the 10 seconds, Song Jian could revive at any location within a one-kilometer radius. Though his skills would enter a cooldown, his fully restored Vitality and Spirit Points would grant him over 80% of his total combat power. This would allow him to choose his revival location based on the situation at hand. After the fusion, the cooldown time was reduced by half, down to twelve hours. In other words, after a fight, Song Jian could sleep and wake up with the skill available for use once more. Once the fusion was complete, the Abyssal Raging Flame skill disappeared and was replaced by Enemy of Death God. For Song Jian, this only meant that he couldnt benefit from the bonus of the Abyssal Magic Flame during secondary professions like alchemy or engineering. He rarely had the opportunity to use Abyssal Raging Flame during regular combat anyway. After the black flame vanished from his body, Qi Yun stared at Song Jian with a puzzled expression: What was that? It seems that this skill clashes somewhat with the power of the Abyss, Song Jian smiled and casually replied. As for whether or not Qi Yun would believe his explanation, Song Jian didnt concern himself with it. He just didnt want Qi Yun to know that the Rebirth in Fire skill had already fused and changed, significantly altering its properties. If Qi Yun ever tried to thwart him based on the effects of the Rebirth in Fire skill, Song Jian would deliver a significant surprise. Chapter 513: 513: A Series of Tasks? Chapter 513: A Series of Tasks? They agreed that Song Jian would follow the Shadow Circus Troupe in secret to the Shadowfang Mountain Range, three days after their departure from Doomsday City. Having agreed on the details, Song Jian left the tent. Qi Yun sat inside the tent, tapping his fingers lightly, seeming deep in thought. The dark flame on him radiates an aura of the Abyss Qi Yun pondered, Could it be that he has become an Abyssal creature? No, thats not right. Abyssal creatures are always filled with murderous intent. He couldnt possibly be one of them. But, that dark flame The Level Four Abyssal Raging Flame on Song Jian greatly alarmed Qi Yun. Such advanced Magic Flames were typically known only to the mighty Abyssal Lords. Just then, Qi Yun sensed someone outside of his tent. Whos outside my tent? Qi Yun called out sternly. Hearing his voice, the person outside the tent noticeably trembled, and after a moment, a nervous Yuan Peilong peered inside. Upon seeing Qi Yun, he was visibly taken aback by his appearance, stiffening on the spot. What brings you here? Qi Yun asked Yuan Peilong gravely. Yuan Peilong swallowed hard and stuttered, Is there is there anything I I can assist you with? That phrase was typically used by players accepting quests from NPCs. Hearing that, Qi Yun formed an idea. Perhaps I can With that thought, a hint of a smile crept onto Qi Yuns face. Yet, due to the bandages that wrapped tightly around his body, Yuan Peilong could not discern Qi Yuns expression. Indeed, I do require your assistance Qi Yun gave a slow nod and retrieved a parchment from his pocket, starting to write on it. Yuan Peilong took the parchment to find a quest contract has been penned on it. Quest Name: The Threat of the Shadow Dragon. Stage One: Tracking? Upon carefully reading the contract, he was shocked and began trembling slightly. This this is a chain quest, a quest chain! Yuan Peilong roared in his heart. He had only heard of such quests before and had never seen one himself. The final reward of a quest chain was typically substantial, having the power to completely transform the abilities of an ordinary player. Chance! This is my golden opportunity! I, Yuan Peilong, am about to strike it rich! Yuan Peilong thought to himself excitably. If youre willing to accept this quest, place a drop of your blood on it Qi Yun instructed coldly. Blood? Alright, alright! Yuan Peilong had complete confidence in the quest and hurriedly dripped his blood onto the contract. Chain quests really are unique. Even the way of accepting them isnt like ordinary quests Yuan Peilong mused. The appearance of the Spirit of Verification made him appreciate the distinctiveness of chain quests. Even when he saw the note at the bottom of his quest log, Yuan Peilong scoffed. This level of quest was so sought after that it was impossible for anyone to revoke it willingly. You must keep this quest a secret, tell no one! All you need to do is report this persons daily activities to me. If Im satisfied with your report in three days, Ill give you the next step in the quest, Qi Yun stated. No, no problem! Yuan Peilong nodded in agreement. Looking at the reward of 5,000 Doomsday Coins for the first stage of his quest, Yuan Peilong was immediately thrilled. If the reward for the first stage was this generous, he couldnt even begin to imagine how grand the final prize would be upon the quests completion. Epic-quality gear? Special skills? Top-tier pets? Just thinking about it was enough for Yuan Peilong to start salivating. Watching the excited Yuan Peilong leave, Qi Yun scoffed with a look of disdain on his face, Pathetic god-favored. Upon returning to his territory, Song Jian noticed an increase in the number of players in his land. Checking the guild, he saw that the once sparse group had ballooned to a cohort of about forty players. Looks like Wang Qi and the others have been doing well while I was away! Song Jian commented with a smile. Oh, Guild Master, youre finally here! Seeing Song Jian standing in front of the Manor Castle, Wang Qi wore a delighted expression and hurried over. In reality, Song Jian had noticed Wang Qi quite early. Wang Qi was currently arranging the guild members Safe Houses. After several territorial expansions, Song Jians territory had become the largest safe zone in the area, and his status as the top player on the Honor Leaderboard had drawn many players to join Song Jians guild. However, Wang Qi and Luo Tianyu followed a quality over quantity approach in managing the guild members and had instituted strict selection criteria. Hence, despite its popularity, the guild only had about forty members. Otherwise, the guilds membership could have easily reached its limit. Have there been any significant problems with the guild? Song Jian asked, smiling. Wang Qi momentarily fell silent. Trying to develop the guild presented a multitude of challenges such as managing relationships among the guild players, arranging Safe Houses, organizing guild activities, scavenging for resources, and scouting the surroundings of the guild territory. He was so busy each day that his leveling was getting delayed. Unsure of where to start, he eventually responded with a succinct, Its manageable. Song Jian nodded. The guilds smooth development was largely attributed to Song Jians combat power and his territory. Since the construction of the Magic Tower, Song Jian could upgrade his Manor Castle again. The Level Five Safe House was already considered the highest level in Doomsday City. The towering Manor Castle could be seen clearly by all the players in the safe zone, making it the most prominent building nearby and attracting lots of players to join the guild. Just then, a player rushed over and reported to Wang Qi, Vice Guild Master, Ive found a Level 25 field boss. It seems to be injured and is hiding in a garage to rest A Level 25 field boss? Wang Qis interest was piqued. He ordered the player, Sun Li, gather our forces. Were going to take on this boss. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Most players had already reached Level 20 or above, so a Level 25 field boss would naturally have enticing drops. Okay, Vice Guild Master. But well need to gather more people for this. While the boss is injured, it has summoned too many minions, at least a hundred Sun Li warned in a low voice. Over a hundred minions? What level are they? Wang Qi asked, startled. The lowest is Level 18, the highest is Level 20, Sun Li answered. Thats a bit troublesome Wang Qi frowned. If it was only an injured Level 25 field boss, that would still be manageable. However, with so many minions, even if every guild member participated, it might not be enough. Players in this game greatly cherished their lives as they were only granted one life. They would rather level up by killing lower level monsters than risk their lives battling higher level opponents. With so many minions, merely clearing them out would likely take an entire day. Perhaps we should forget about it. Its too risky After pondering for quite a while, Wang Qi eventually shook his head. Gather our forces. Ill also participate in this operation, Song Jian announced upon hearing Wang Qis decision. Wang Qi was taken aback, staring at Song Jian in surprise. He was about to say something, but seeing that Sun Li was still standing beside them, he simply nodded and instructed Sun Li, Gather our forces! Chapter 514: 514: War Alliance Activity Chapter 514: War Alliance Activity Ever since the creation of the guild, Song Jian had never participated in any guild events, so much so that many new guild members have not met him even once till now. If it were not because his name constantly hanging under the guild leaders title in the list of guild members, many players would probably mistake the guild as a scam. Sun Li, in order to convene the guild members, looked at Song Jian with a somewhat mocking smile as he walked off, So the guild leader finally decided to participate in a guild event? Whatever the guild needs me to do in the future, just let me know. Song Jian said with a smile. Wang Qi nodded, he knew well that Song Jian often liked to go leveling in dangerous areas where normal players could not venture into, making it impossible for them to see him. However, Wang Qi understood that the guild could function without anyone, except they cant be without Song Jian. Half an hour later, more than 90% of the guild members gathered at Wang Qis call, totaling thirty-one people. All of them had gathered in an open area to the left of the guilds territory. A crowd of more than thirty people stood in a disorderly manner, curiously observing Song Jian, and carried out discussions among themselves. Wang Qi reported the situation to Song Jian. Two members are in dungeons, one member cant be contacted temporarily, the rest are all here. Wang Qi laughed, This is the largest gathering we had for a guild event since I became the Vice Alliance Leader. When Wang Qi usually organizes events, at most only a dozen or so people would come, of whom three or four would be close friends. Generally, the guild activities include hunting powerful bosses which are very dangerous, hence many people werent willing to participate. However, upon hearing that the guild leader would be participating today, many people were intrigued. Moreover, since the leader was present, the difficulty of the boss should not be too high; therefore, almost all guild members turned up. Hey, since I joined the guild, I havent seen the guild leader even once. A member who was looking at Song Jian murmured under his breath. Exactly, this is the number one in the glory rankings, he doesnt look that impressive! Not impressive? You all should take a close look at his gear and ring before you speak, theyre not bad. Dont disgrace yourselves Gear? He turned off the special effect of his gear, how do we see it? Saying youre dumb is really not wronging you, you cant even see the design and texture of the gear? Can common gear be compared to silver or gold quality gear? Gold quality gear? Are you saying he has gold quality gear on him? Very likely, and not only one piece The crowd was buzzing with chatter, it was just like a market place, without any form of discipline. But there was nothing that could be done, these people were all ordinary folks in reality. Those who could survive until now in the game all had some skills. If Song Jians strength were a bit weaker, he might not have been able to keep them in check. With these types of players, regardless of how many there are, they cant possibly defeat an army Song Jian muttered to himself a bit disappointedly in his heart. He had once encountered people from the Coastal Military Zone, and their meticulously disciplined appearance left a deep impression on Song Jian. A strategist from the military had previously invited him to join the Coastal Military Zone with the position of a junior officer, but Song Jian felt that his rank was too low and till now, he has not been in contact with them. Guild leader, would you like to say something to everyone? Wang Qi asked Song Jian in a low voice beside him. Forget it, lets head straight to the boss. Song Jian shook his head. Originally, he was full of expectations for the guild members, but after observing them, they were just undisciplined ragtag individuals which resulted in him losing interest. Sun Li, come out here quickly, tell us where to go. If we dont hurry, the boss will be snatched away by others. Wang Qi shouted loudly. Here, here, its at the Songhui Intersection. Everyone should be more cautious, this is a level 25 monster zone Sun Li shouted loudly. Most of the guild members have reached level 20 or above now, but a lot of them have never been to a level 20 monster zone. They generally stayed in the level 15 monster zone to grind, where it was not too dangerous even in unforeseen situations. Hey, I say, Sun Li, youre quite something, dare to venture into a level 25 monster zone? someone exclaimed in surprise. Hes a thief, capable of becoming invisible. He can easily escape from the monsters even if they discover him. Right, moreover, the higher the level of the monster zone, the higher the chance to find high-quality items. Ah, why didnt I think of this before, if I knew earlier I would have been a thief too! A group of people chatted and laughed as they headed towards the level 25 monster zone. Even though they have never been there, they roughly knew the location. Song Jian followed behind and he appreciated the way these players formed a subconscious formation as they moved along. Tanks walked along the outer circle, to protect the magic users in the middle. The rest of the party also moved to positions suitable for their own classes, impressed, he nodded. Although they were undisciplined ragtag individuals, each of them was meticulously selected by Wang Qi. All of them had notable strengths, and their team coordination was better than most. The team soon arrived at the location where Sun Li discovered the level 25 boss at the Songhui Intersection; On the road, there was a large group of level 20 monsters wandering around. These creatures bent their backs stooped and were short, resembling 13 or 14 year old zombies. They had a stiff grey shell on their back and crystalline gemstones shimmered from the joints of their bodies. These, these small monsters are all level 20 elites! Looking at these monsters, some members felt intimidated. Forget about level 20 elite monsters, even regular level 20 monsters were not something many in the guild had slayed before. There are so many someone swallowed nervously while fear could be seen on their faces. The number of monsters in front of them was at least fifty or sixty, occupying the entire street. If they were to be surrounded, they would not even have a chance to escape. Eh, why did they all run to the street, when I last saw them they were all hiding in the garage over there dont they run out? Sun Li said with some confusion. Garage? Do you mean the one in front over there? Wang Qi pointed at a three-story building in the distance and asked. Yes, thats the one Sun Li answered. Wang Qi frowned slightly. He had organized hunts several times before, but they were all against level ten elites. He had never seen so many small monsters. Even if we manage to defeat these monsters, the losses will be huge, and we might even lose lives here Wang Qi thought to himself, deciding to give up this activity. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Guild leader, maybe we should Wang Qi said hesitantly. Isnt it good that the small monsters are out? We dont need to lead them out. Just let the range attackers lure them one by one! Song Jian ordered immediately. This, all right then. Wang Qi reluctantly nodded and started to arrange the formation. Chapter 515: 515: Solo Kill Chapter 515: Solo Kill Soon, a few plate-armored defense professionals with shields and swords stood at the front of the team, while the attack and healing professionals stood at the back. Who has the monster-attracting skill? Wang Qi asked, It must be a skill that doesnt easily attract hate value. Usually, monster-attracting is the task of ranged professionals in the team, but many ranged attack skills are unsuitable for this purpose. Some cause splash damage, easily attacking nearby monsters, while others generate a large amount of hate, attracting other monsters. Vice President, how about my Chaos Fang? It can seal a monsters senses and prevent it from calling out to other monsters! A player with a bow raised his right hand and shouted. Forget it, your Chaos Fang has a chance to trigger a small monsters mental destruction effect, causing it to run randomly and attract a bunch of monsters to us. Wont we all be wiped out here? someone immediately refuted. It only has a 3% chance of triggering The archer muttered softly. Vice President, my newly acquired skill, Traction Rope, can bind and pull small monsters from a distance, a magician with a magic staff said softly. Will it attract a lot of hate? Wang Qi asked. It shouldnt, but its prone to causing collateral effect, binding nearby monsters together The mage said. You might as well let Sun Li throw his flying knife! Wang Qi glared at him and said. Hehe, thats true. But my flying knife has a certain chance to trigger rebound, hitting a maximum of five monsters Sun Li grinned and quickly replied. The skill settings in the Doomsday City game are different from other games. Every skill has a small chance to trigger special effects, such as paralysis, bleeding, rigidity, etc. Many ranged attack skills will trigger group attack effects. In battle, this increases the power of the skill, but its not very suitable for attracting monsters. Forget it, Ill do it myself. I have the longest attack range and the lowest threat value A player with a sniper rifle spoke up. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Your gunshot is too loud. To avoid attracting other monsters, you need to be at least a kilometer away Wang Qi frowned at the sniper. Song Jian watched their arguments and furrowed his brows. Usually, fighting monsters doesnt require such caution. However, the monsters on this street are too close to each other, so its easy to accidentally attract neighboring monsters. The level of these monsters is high, so no one wants to cause a team wipe by attracting too many. Ill do it. Song Jian stepped forward to the front of the team. At this moment, everyone fell silent and looked at Song Jian. Wang Qi had confidence in him and nodded repeatedly, Yes, its still up to the Alliance Leader! Song Jian locked onto the closest monster, stomped his right leg, and a strident howl came from a fang-shaped Qi mass as it rushed towards the monster. Bang! Earth Teeth Assault hit a Cave Zombie hard, immediately tearing open a huge wound on its leg. Blood gushed out, and the Cave Zombie let out a miserable scream, its eyes turning red as it swung its claws and charged at Song Jian. As the Cave Zombie approached, the two closest to it were also attracted by its howl, stirring their hatred and charging alongside it towards Song Jian. Three of them, its okay, its okay Wang Qi sneakily glanced at Song Jian and said. The other players had strange expressions in their eyes. Attracting three monsters was an ordinary feat that any of them could achieve. But just then, the sound of the three monsters running actually alarmed two more Cave Zombies hiding in a nearby shop, causing a total of five Cave Zombies to swarm at Song Jian. Defense, get ready to intercept the monsters! Wang Qi suddenly became nervous. If there were only three, the defense line could manage one each, but now that there were five, the pressure on the teams defense had doubled. Damn, Vice President, my equipment cant handle level 20 elite monsters! A warrior with a round shield complained with a mournful face. Cant you handle it for just ten seconds? We have so many people, just one round of firing can kill them all!, Wang Qi said irritably. The warrior suddenly fell silent, his face looking terrible. A single critical hit from a level 20 elite monster could take away 300-400 Vitality Points from him. If he was unlucky and suffered multiple critical hits, he could be killed instantly. This monster-attracting technique is so amateurish! a player from a war alliance whispered in the crowd. Exactly, I thought he was a top player, but hes just bronze What a waste of that good equipment! Well, hes the war alliance leader; its easy for him to get good equipment, right? Sigh, although the equipment is part of the strength, the technique is even more important Murmurs of complaint arose from the crowd, but Song Jian paid no attention. He raised his right hand, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. With a leap, he charged towards the five monsters. Holy shit, what is he doing? Is he trying to die? Apologizing with his death? He cant be that stubborn! Everyones eyes widened in disbelief. Five level 20 elite monsters could deal 500-600 Vitality Points damage in a single attack, and even a defense warrior with over 1000 points could be killed in one hit with a critical strike. Based on Song Jians equipment, he was a Swordman, wearing leather armor. Even if the equipment grade was high, it still couldnt handle five monsters at once! Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians figure danced, his sword swept across, instantly blocking the offensive of the five monsters. Each monsters head showed two 400+ damage points, instantly reducing their Vitality Points by two-fifths. With such high damage, he firmly attracted the monsters hate value, and before they could react, the second stage of Broken Wing Dance followed, dealing two more 300+ damage points to each monster. With that hit, the monsters Vitality Points suddenly dropped to less than half. Level 20 elite monsters had a Vitality Points cap of only around 2700. Song Jian had not taken any damage yet, but had already cut the monsters Vitality Points by half. Such powerful attack power stunned everyone, and they even forgot to attack. In the third stage of Broken Wing Dance, Song Jians figure leaped high into the air, and his sword ruthlessly slashed down at the monsters. Boom! A surge of Qi wave burst from Song Jians sword, and the five monsters bodies bounced into the air, floating. Sword Finger! Song Jians left hand released Sword Qi, and a silver three-meter-long Sword Qi swept past the floating monsters. Whoosh! Instantly, three monsters were cut in half, while the other two fell to the ground with only a sliver of Vitality Points left, entering a dying state. They struggled weakly on the ground, but couldnt get up. Chapter 516: 516: Golden Thigh Chapter 516: Golden Thigh Having harvested the last slither of vitality points from the remaining two elite monsters, Song Jian picked up the dropped items and turned around. The surprised expressions on almost everyones faces seemed to ask, Are we playing the same game? They looked as if they had just seen a ghost. Song, Brother Song, did you just solo five level 20 elite monsters? Wang Qi stuttered. And he soloed them without injury! Our leader didnt lose a drop of blood! someone nearby exclaimed, as if they had just realized something. Only then did everyone notice that Song Jians vitality points indeed hadnt dropped at all. In other words, Song Jian had killed all five monsters before they could attack him. If I didnt see this with my own eyes, I would never believe it, no matter how convincingly someone told me! One of the Alliance players stood still, mumbling to himself in shock. It was too incredible to believe. If Song Jian could solo twenty-level elite monsters, no one in the alliance would be surprised. If he couldnt, he should step down as their leader. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soloing five level-20 monsters would surprise them, but soloing five level-20 elite monsters without losing a single vitality point C that was an absolute tall tale. Even as they witnessed it, they couldnt believe it. In fact, the reason Song Jian could create such a gap with ordinary players was because many players were too conservative. They were afraid to take risks, face high-level challenges, or fight bosses they were uncertain about. Although they quickly levelled up by diligently killing monsters, their equipment and skills were significantly lacking. A lot of over-level-20 players were still wearing level 10 or level 15 equipment, some didnt even have a single piece of blue-quality equipment. Thats why these players felt tied up when facing same-level elite monsters. Even with more than thirty people, they only dared to pull one or two monsters at a time. All right, its just a level 25 Overlord BOSS, and its already injured. Theres no need to panic! Song Jian brushed off his hands and said. If he had said this before, these Alliance players would have sneered at him, even if they didnt voice their contempt. Boss, however you say we should fight, we will follow. We will obey you! someone in the crowd suddenly shouted. Yes, leader, you take command, well follow you! Yeah, following the leader is definitely the right move, theres loot to share around! The players in the City of Hope Alliance suddenly erupted in high spirits and excitement. They initially thought Song Jian was here to freeload, taking the BOSSs loot while they did all the work. Some even planned to leave the alliance after this event. Unexpectedly, Song Jians performance in his first battle impressed everyone. Now they were all glad to belong to his alliance. What a big, shining, golden leg he has to stand on, Li Xiu wiped the corner of his mouth, looking at Song Jian with shining eyes. Li Xiu was a level 21 Curse Master, skilled in various curses and negative magic. Although his damage was lower than that of a mage at the same level, his endless negative effects could torment opponents to the point of madness. He joined this alliance just for safety in numbers since the territorial wars had started and he didnt even own a safe house anymore. Li Xiu hadnt participated in the few Alliance events held by Wang Qi before. He was fully capable of soloing those level 10 elite BOSS es. Why would he join up with the others? But this time, Song Jian had joined the event and they were going to fight a level 25 Overlord BOSS. After much thought, Li Xiu decided to join. On one hand, he wanted to check out Song Jian, the mysterious leader. On the other hand, he wanted to see if the admin team would skim any of the loot under various pretexts. If the alliance was a personal playground for some, then Li Xiu would have to plan his exit. The alliance wont last long in that case. Seeing just how powerful Song Jian is, Im stunned, Li Xiu blurted out. The leader of the alliance is much stronger than I expected! Those were five elite monsters at level 20, and he killed them without taking a single hit. Such strength would conquer the game! With a big tree like him around, I wouldnt mind even if all the BOSS loot goes to him! Li Xiu mused to himself. Considering Song Jians strength, maybe he could single-handedly kill the level 25 Overlord BOSS. Why would he care about the drops from the BOSS? Even if he didnt share any of the loot with the others, just the abundant monster experience and loot from the small monsters would satisfy Li Xiu. Now everyone, follow my lead! Song Jian yelled loudly. Merely by soloing five monsters, Song Jian quickly established his prestige. Nobody dared to ignore his words; everyone listened attentively. Now, form teams with one defender, one healer, and three damage dealers each! Song Jian ordered. Soon, over thirty people formed five teams. But since there were only four healers, Song Jian restructured the teams into four. One team, which had a weaker defense, was given two defenders. Once the teams were sorted, Song Jian stood by and let them start pulling monsters in their team groups. This increased the efficiency greatly. Originally, Wang Qi planned to spend an entire day clearing these smaller monsters, but with this four-team approach, Wang Qi estimated that all the monsters on the road could be cleaned up within three hours. Soon, the four teams began pulling monsters methodically. The defenders stepped forward to engage the monsters, the healers provided healing, while the remaining three spilled out their attacks confidently. Even if a team pulled too many monsters at once, it didnt matter; they just had to yell, and Song Jian would instantly step in to kill the excess monsters. Hey, these monsters can drop gems, which can enhance equipment attributes! a player exclaimed. You could guess that just by looking at them. Did you have to yell so loud? You scared me! Haha, these gems have pretty decent attributes. If you embed these into an entire set of equipment, its almost as good as wearing an extra piece of armor The fact that gems could drop excited everyone. Even without getting any equipment drops, getting some gems would be excellent. Everyone became instantly much more enthusiastic! Because of Song Jians presence, nearly all the players were more relaxed. Some, who had been holding back their final moves, also began to use them, greatly improving their efficiency in fighting monsters. For the distribution of the spoils, Song Jian didnt require them to turn in the items for a contribution-based distribution. The items each team obtained belonged to them. The extra equipment could be traded among each other, exchanged for contribution points at the Alliances warehouse, or even sold directly. This distribution method had everyone cheering instantly. Chapter 517: 517: Tactics Chapter 517: Tactics The reason why free players would rather their safe houses be invaded and destroyed than join a guild is because once they join a guild, the administrators of the guild would use all sorts of excuses and methods to exploit the free players benefits. Song Jians way of allocation is almost no different from their self-teaming monster hunting, and there is a great master for protection, naturally gaining the support of many people. Guild leader, this way of allocation is simply no organization and no discipline. It may make people happy in a short time, but in the long run, its detrimental to the guilds development Wang Qi frowned slightly, reminding Song Jian in a low voice. If they cant even distribute the items that they drop from hunting monsters themselves, who would want to join the guild in the future? Song Jian asked. Wang Qi hesitated for a moment and asked, What if its items dropped by the BOSS? Shouldnt the guild have a universally recognized DKP system? Dont tell me you havent set one up by now? Song Jian turned his head and asked, surprised. Wang Qi was stunned, then he realized and nodded, not saying another word. Song Jian did this not to please the guilds members, a proper system for distributing loot is the foundation of a guilds existence. If this system makes everyone unsatisfied, the guild will have a problem. However, no one dared to claim that the monsters Song Jian killed single-handedly were lured by them, everyone accepted the principle of reward proportional to effort. Even if good items were dropped, they just watched Song Jian pick them up with envy and didnt snatch them. Within less than three hours, the small monsters on the street were wiped out. Looking at the empty streets and the burning remains of the monsters, everyone felt as if they were dreaming. Its really all cleared up, its incredible! Yeah, so many elite level 20 monsters, we didnt lose a single person Although most of the guild members were above level twenty, many of them had never fought level twenty monsters. Hehe, Ive got two pieces of level 20 green equipment A player exclaimed joyfully, touching his head and saying. Me too, one green and one white Looking at the highly motivated members, Wang Qi was very satisfied, he nodded, shouted loudly: Dont be happy too soon, theres still a BOSS in the garage, whether we can kill it depends on all of you! With the guild leader here, what are we afraid of! Someone in the crowd yelled, immediately causing laughter all around. Unknowingly, Song Jians prestige among the guild members grew higher and higher. Everyone came casually to the entrance of the garage, looking inside. The garage door had already been destroyed by the monsters, the area inside was vast. A BOSS, much taller than the elite Cave People Zombies, stood at the deepest point of the garage. Even though its back was hunched, it was over three meters tall. Looking from a distance, its physique was very imposing, muscles bulging, full of power; Its joints were adorned with jewels that were different from the other cave people, emitting a rich purple glow. Most importantly, unlike the ordinary elite little monsters, this BOSS was holding a sturdy spear in its hand. This spear, in the eyes of ordinary players, was like a dragon spear, about five or six meters long. But in the hand of the Cave People Zombie BOSS who was over three meters tall, it didnt seem awkward at all. Standing next to this BOSS were elite Cave People Zombies, about the same number as those on the street, around fifty or sixty. But, their levels were two higher than the monsters outside. Seeing the BOSS and its minions, everyone fell silent. Monsters that existed with BOSS and those that didnt were completely different types of creatures, not to mention that these monsters were two levels higher than the ones they previously fought. Dont look down on this two-level gap, because of this gap, an attack might be dodged or a monsters attack might become an overwhelming one and it could lower the hit rate of ranged professions. A small change could cause a team wipe out. Li Xiu, wheres Li Xiu? Hurry up and come see how we should fight this BOSS! Wang Qi suddenly yelled. Then, Wang Qi explained to Song Jian in a low voice: This guy Li Xiu is a curse master, a rare profession. Hes very adaptable and he was responsible for formulating some of the strategic behaviours we used to tackle bosses, very reliable! Li Xiu, upon hearing Wang Qi call his name, immediately came out standing tall, nodding at Song Jian and displaying a flattering smile. Hello, guild leader! Li Xiu greeted respectfully. Song Jian sized up Li Xiu, a young man of about the same age as himself. He wore a gray mages robe with silver magic runes embroidered on it, occasionally emitting streaks of silver light. What set him apart from other mages was that Li Xiu wasnt holding a magic staff, but a jewel. At first glance, it looked like a crystal ball, but it was filled with profound magical energy and a sense of mystery emanated from it. Li Xiu, how are you planning to fight this BOSS? Song Jian asked. Guild leader, lets have the person who first found this BOSS introduce its situation first, Li Xiu said with a smile. Song Jian looked at Wang Qi, Wang Qi nodded, and called Sun Li out again. Not everyone would have an opportunity to be in front of Song Jian. Like Li Xiu, Sun Li made a gesture of respect to Song Jian and said, Hello, guild leader. Song Jian nodded and said, Sun Li, tell everyone about how you found this BOSS. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No problem, guild leader. In fact, the discovery of this BOSS was also accidental. At that time, I was Sun Li recounted how he had found the BOSS in detail. On the side, Li Xiu listened attentively, occasionally interrupting Sun Li to ask a few questions. Soon, Li Xiu nodded to Song Jian, Guild leader, hunting this BOSS wont be easy, firstly we need to confirm one thing. If we start attacking the minions around it, will it trigger the BOSS? If attacking the minions can also trigger the BOSS, I think we have no chance of hunting it. Song Jian nodded, each BOSS had different characteristics. Some BOSSes would be indifferent even if all the surrounding little monsters were cleared, but others would be immediately provoked if their nearby minions were attacked, attracting a lot of hatred. Lets try it, everyone back up, if that triggers the BOSS, then well figure it out! Wang Qi looked at Song Jian and said loudly. This was the first time Song Jian participated in a guild event, and if they couldnt kill this BOSS, the event would end in failure. Even if Song Jian doesnt pursue it, Wang Qi would feel humiliated. No need, you handle the minions, leave this BOSS to me! After staring at the BOSS for a while, a smile formed at the corner of Song Jians mouth. Chapter 518: 518: Leading the Strangeness Chapter 518: Leading the Strangeness What? Thats a level 25 Lord BOSS. Even if its injured, it Li Xius eyes widened in shock. Though he admired Song Jians strength, that was a boss of his level. Even if all of them attacked together, they might not be able to defeat it. Brother Song, isnt this a little too risky? Wang Qi looked at Song Jian with worry. No problem. If attacking the smaller monsters triggers the bosss aggro, Ill handle the boss. If not, just proceed as you suggested, stated Song Jian. For this operation, Song Jian felt that he was providing a safety net and also showcasing his strength to these guild players. In his opinion, a level 25 Lord boss pose little threat to him. He had even eliminated several level 30 bosses with first stage combat power. Lets bait one beast to test it, finally suggested Wang Qi. Should I do it? Wang Qi turned towards Song Jian and asked. Stay calm, boss. Dont make a move! Wang Qis face changed drastically. He had witnessed Song Jians baiting skills; there were many more small monsters here than there were on the road previously. If Song Jian were to bait the monsters, the entire garage of monsters might go wild. Ill bait the monster instead, Li Xiu sighed and offered. Alright, you handle it, Song Jian shrugged, not really bothered. Li Xiu held the orb and locked on the nearest monster. Its image immediately appeared in the orb. As his lips parted slightly, Li Xiu gently expelled a musical note. The sound was akin to a womans moans. Almost everyone turned to him with odd expressions, causing Li Xiu to blush from embarrassment. This was also why he hadnt volunteered to bait the monsters before. Using this skill was simply too embarrassing. He was reluctant to use it in front of everyone else. Abyss language? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he turned to look at Li Xiu. The musical note released by Li Xiu resonated in the ears of the targeted zombie. Its previously blood-red eyes gradually showed bewilderment. Wordlessly, it started to walk towards Li Xiu in what appeared to be an aimless manner. Perfect! Wang Qi couldnt help but exclaim. Turning his head, he said to Li Xiu, Li Xiu, I didnt realize you had this trick up your sleeve. From now on, you are our guilds professional baiter! Li Xiu, where did you learn that? That sound it made my bones go soft. Fortunately, youre not a woman A nearby player snickered as he put his arm around Li Xiu. If I were a woman, I still wouldnt want you. Get lost! Li Xiu grumbled and pushed him away indignantly. If not for wanting to show off in front of Song Jian, Li Xiu would absolutely not use this trick with so many people watching. Observing the orb in Li Xius hands, Song Jian appeared deep in thought. Li Xius move seemed similar to Abyss Temptation, but its power was evidently weaker. It could only control monsters for a short period of time. When the small monster approached them, the zombie boss in the distance suddenly turned its head to look over. No good, weve triggered the bosss aggro! Wang Qis heart dropped. This was a situation that nobody wanted to confront. Indeed, the boss who had been standing quietly unleashed a roar and charged towards them with its spear. On the way, it knocked away the small monsters in its path and quickly arrived in front of them. Seeing the ferocious boss, everyone instinctively retreated a step, and then all their gazes turned to Song Jian. Sung Jian gripped his sword and sprung into the air. He unfurled a pair of steel wings that shimmered with a metallic luster from his back. He made a twirl mid-air and ruthlessly swung his sword towards the boss; Hehe can fly!? He has wings. Li Xiu exclaimed in surprise, looking up. Stop gawking, start directing attention away from the bosss minions! Wang Qi smacked Li Xiu on the back of his head and shouted. The fight between Song Jian and the boss attracted the surrounding small monsters. At least a dozen or so of the monsters roared and ran towards Song Jian, only to be drawn away and taken down quickly by the other players; Song Jian, who was facing both the boss and the minions attack, directed all his sword skills at the boss; Flash Thunder Strike! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian had many sword techniques at his disposal. After one set of combos, the bosss Vitality Points were reduced by more than two thousands, but Song Jians Vitality Points were also reduced by half. These damn monsters are too dense and annoying Song Jian said, frowning at the swarm of monsters surrounding him. His fight with the boss wasnt confined to a single spot. During the battle, he was bound to attract more nearby minions. Even though the other players were pulling them away one by one, there were always a dozen or so monsters chasing behind Song Jian. Even if each small monster only took away ten or so Vitality Points, coupled with the bosss damage, the toll was starting to add up over time. Frost Shield! Song Jian activated his shield, and the monsters attacks set off countless tiny icicles; The eight hundred defense points held up for less than ten seconds, but these ten seconds allowed Song Jian to reduce the bosss Vitality Points by more than a thousand. Insight! A bright light flashed in Song Jians eyes, and a blood-red crosshair appeared, scanning the bosss body; He quickly found his target C a spot on the bosss wounded leg, where a purple gem was embedded. The gem was full of cracks, as if it were about to shatter. The crosshair lingered on the gem for a few seconds before vanishing. During the subsequent fight, Song Jian noticed the boss was always unconsciously placing its injured leg behind and its movements seemed forced. It was as though a tiny stone was stuck in a tight mechanism, causing an overall sluggish performance. The boss also knew its vulnerable spot and would always keep its center of gravity low and guard it diligently. Attacking this spot proved to be a challenge. Song Jian focused on the bosss wound, attacking it multiple times, only to have the boss dodge every attempt; This guys intelligence isnt much lower than that of humans. Its noticed that Ive found its weak spot, Song Jian squinted at the boss whose blood-red eyes were flashing cunningly. Spear Thrust! The boss suddenly roared and thrust its five to six-meter-long spear towards Song Jian. Its speed increased drastically, leaving several afterimages in the air. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 519: 519: Underground Zombie Lord Chapter 519: Underground Zombie Lord BOSSs attack caught everyones attention. The three-foot-long spear tip gleamed with dazzling white energy, leaving a burning trail in peoples vision; Be careful! Wang Qi couldnt help but exclaim. Although Song Jian was taking on the BOSS alone, his every move was being watched by everyone. Once Song Jian couldnt take the BOSSs attack, most people in the field would immediately use their last-resort escape skills and flee in all directions; BOSSs speed was extremely fast, and Song Jians attention was entirely focused on its injured leg. By the time he reacted, BOSSs spear tip was already less than a meter away from him. Instinctively, Song Jian placed his sword across his chest, almost reflexively using the Sacred Parry skill; Clang! A crisp collision sound was heard as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the spear collided fiercely, setting off a large burst of sparks. Taking advantage of the moment, Song Jian executed a backward flip, landing steadily in place. Meanwhile, a damage of over 1,200 points and a three-second stun effect floated above the BOSSs head; Awesome! Amazing! Cheers burst forth from the crowd, knowing that as long as Song Jian could withstand the BOSS, they could draw out and eliminate all the smaller monsters one by one. Everyone, split into groups and continue as before, forming four teams to each pull a small monster. Lets relieve our leader of some pressure! Li Xiu suddenly shouted. After Song Jian blocked the BOSS, Li Xiu had been directing everyone to hunt down the smaller monsters; It was indeed much safer if everyone was attacking a single small monster, and no one would be in danger. However, this method was also very inefficient and couldnt provide support to Song Jian; Subconsciously blocking the BOSSs deadly attack, Song Jian instantly boosted everyones confidence, making Li Xiu grow somewhat anxious. As the commander of this operation, Li Xiu was supposed to be in the spotlight, but if they continued like this, even if Song Jian didnt voice it, he would probably be unhappy with him. We must make a change! Li Xius mindset quickly shifted, and he immediately made the decision to alter the strategy. Dividing into four small teams to hunt the smaller monsters was a bold choice, because they dared to do so only when Song Jian was around to protect them in case they attracted too many monsters at once. But now, Song Jian alone had pinned down the BOSS C in other words, the BOSS had dragged down Song Jian. If any of the four teams made a mistake, it could immediately lead to a total wipeout; Sun Li, your team doesnt need to pull any monsters. Act as the mobile team and be on standby for reinforcement! Wang Qi suddenly shouted. Li Xiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood, looking at Wang Qi with admiration in his eyes. Even if only three teams were pulling monsters, the efficiency would be improved several times. The additional team was, in fact, playing the role of Song Jian, significantly increasing the safety of the others. With this team in place, the other three monster-hunting teams felt much more confident. As expected of our vice president, your arrangement is absolutely brilliant! Li Xiu said with a smile as he stood beside Wang Qi. Alright, lets perform well and not let our leader look down on us! Wang Qi smirked, glancing at Li Xiu with a hint of warning; Watching the BOSS retreat several steps, Song Jians eyes lit up as he glanced at the shattered purple-red gem on its injured leg. Then, raising his left index finger, he sent a silver Sword Qi through the air and directly at it. BOSS had no way to defend or dodge and could only endure the hit; If it had hit any other part of its body, the BOSS wouldve most likely lost only three to four hundred Vitality Points. However, this was its weak point and the injured area; With a snap, the gem on the inner part of BOSSs thigh shattered, and a stream of black-red blood spurted out like an arrow; -1800 A critical damage of nearly two thousand floated above the BOSSs head. Just then, the BOSS suddenly broke free from its stun state, letting out a heartrending scream, dropping its spear, and clutching at the injured part of its leg as it wailed in pain. The whole of BOSSs right leg had become as stiff as a piece of stone, unable to move at all, causing the BOSS to lose balance even while standing. As it staggered back, the BOSS suddenly fell to the ground, like a wild beast on all fours, its dark, rigid shell on its back flashing with a dark glow. Roar~ With a roar, the BOSS raised its head and howled, looking like a real beast, its bloodthirsty eyes filled with murderous intent; Is this the second phase? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, guessing internally. Many BOSSes would go berserk once their Vitality Points were reduced to a certain level. Some would use powerful special abilities, while others would change forms. It seemed that this BOSS belonged to the latter category; Once transformed, the BOSS lost all traces of rationality and had become a wild beast. Its sole target was to tear Song Jian to shreds; With a roar, the BOSS charged straight at Song Jian. Although its right leg had become a burden and could only be dragged on the ground, the remaining three legs did not slow down at all; Seeing the BOSS charging towards him, Song Jian gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with determination! Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a soft cry, Song Jians body shone with a golden light, his attributes soaring. Slowly orbiting around his body were eight phantom longswords, and even the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand seemed sharper; sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Light Strike! With both hands gripping the sword, Song Jian raised it overhead, slashing fiercely at the oncoming BOSS. A brilliant golden sword energy drew an arc in the air, heading straight towards the BOSS as if to split it completely in two. At that moment, the BOSS hesitated in mid-leap, unsure whether to dodge or take the hit. However, it was too late as the golden sword energy rained down on its head; The BOSS swiftly turned around, exposing its back to Song Jians golden sword energy; Boom! Amidst the loud explosion filled with power, the entire garage shook violently. Song Jian felt a strong backlash coursing through his arms, causing numbness and almost making him lose grip on his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword; Looking carefully, Song Jian saw a deep sword mark on BOSSs back shell, almost cleaving the whole top shell in half. A damage of over four hundred floated above BOSSs head, and just then, the BOSS suddenly counterattacked and quickly approached Song Jian. Both hands reached forward, and its sharp claws madly scratched at him; Song Jian thought quickly, and the steel wings on his back enveloped him like two large hands, providing sturdy protection; Clang clang clang clang ~ A series of rapid metallic clashing sounds echoed. Song Jian felt the steel wings violently trembling while a burst of intense pain shot from the connecting point at his back. Biting the bullet and enduring the pain, Song Jians mouth corner oozed a trace of blood; Chapter 520: 520 Golden Quality Equipment Chapter 520: Golden Quality Equipment Song Jian resisted the BOSSs attack for a full ten seconds. When the steel wings were stretched out again, a large pile of iron scraps appeared on the ground. They had all been scratched off the steel wings by the BOSS. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking at the broken and disorganized steel wings, only half remained making them hardly recognizable as wings. Song Jian was relieved, Luckily this is just a skill, not equipment. If it were equipment, it probably would have been completely ruined by now, with no value left to repair. After the BOSS used this skill, it seemed somewhat exhausted, squatting in place and gasping heavily, a trace of fatigue evident on its face. Sweeping Sword Style! With the BOSS clearly flagging, Song Jian showed no mercy. He brutally hacked at the BOSS who roared like a beast, raising its right claw to block. Song Jian barely suppressed a smile, to say he possessed first-order combat power was a bit of an overstatement. Even though he had killed a few elite bosses with first-order combat power, he hadnt done so on his own. For some of the peak creatures with first-order combat power, such as the Ant King skeleton he had encountered before, Song Jian could only stand up to a few rounds. However, taking on this Level 25 Lord level BOSS one-on-one posed no problem. Moreover, this BOSS was injured and clearly showed weak points. The long sword and the BOSSs front claw collided forcefully. The chopping three times, each one fiercer than the last. On the final strike, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword finally cut through the bone seam of the BOSSs front claw. An over six hundred points critical strike popped up from its head. At that moment, even the BOSS itself probably foresaw its own destruction, a hint of desperation appearing in its eyes. Abyssal Power remains indestructible! In the final moment, the Cave Lord seemed to recover some of its sanity. A bitter look in its crimson eyes, it roared and unleashed a suicidal attack on Song Jian. As Song Jian was about to counterattack, he suddenly felt an incredibly turbulent power erupting from the Cave Lord BOSS. Is this guy going to self-destruct? Song Jian squinted. He had encountered monsters that could self-destruct before. On sensing their impending demise, these bosses would use their own bodies as a weapon to take the enemy down with them. Everyone get out of the garage, NOW! Song Jian yelled. An Abyssal Phantom Clone charged out from his body towards the BOSS, while he himself quickly retreated. Boom~ A loud explosion, the garage was scattered with gore. The explosive force flung the surrounding Cave Zombie Lord into the air, some smashed into the walls of the garage, instantly turned into dark crimson filth. This explosion killed at least twenty to thirty ordinary elite Cave Zombie Lords. The surviving Cave Zombie Lords sensed their boss had perished and let out a shrill scream, scattering and fleeing. Several defenders within the War Guild were severely injured from protecting others and were blown into a near-death state by the blast force. Thankfully, several healers reacted quickly, shielding and healing their teams defenders with swift spells and saving their lives! This BOSS is too terrifying. We are lucky Song Jian was taking it on by himself, if we had all been involved, at least a third of us would have died Wang Qi said, his face reflecting having survived a disaster. Song Jian was also taken aback. This BOSSs self-destruction technique was the most powerful one he had ever seen. Fortunately, he had many Acceleration Skills. Combining Sword Shadow Step and Frost Sprint increased his speed to the limit. The Abyssal Phantom Clone bore the brunt of the self-destruction force, enabling Song Jian to come out unscathed. At this moment, several players in the War Guild leveled up and golden light erupted from their bodies. The group having killed over a hundred Cave Zombie Lords, after dividing up the experience points among them, this allowed several close-to-leveling players to advance a level. Golden light also erupted from Song Jian. He had already gained 95% of his experience points from completing the epic quest earlier. Although Song Jian had been playing a supporting role, he had indeed killed many Cave Zombie Lords, and the final boss experience points allowed him to level up, too. Level 26, my god, the gap on the Level Honor Board between him and the second place is only getting wider~ Wang Qi saw the leveling-up golden light on Song Jian and immediately opened the Level Honor Board to check. When the Level Honor Board was first opened, Song Jian was two levels ahead of the second-ranked player, but now the gap had grown to three levels. He casually added the skill points to his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body. The Immortal Sword Body had now been upgraded to level 7, only three levels away from the maximum. Because the Immortal Sword Body was too powerful, once deployed, Song Jians strength increased more than double, persuading him to consciously train the Immortal Sword Bodys proficiency during normal practice. However, the Immortal Sword Body had a long cooldown time of one hour. If a battle broke out, this trick was reserved as a last resort. Only when not fighting could Song Jian ensure he is able to use it every hour to accumulate proficiency. Ive been at Level 25 for quite a long time, its time to level up, Song Jian smiled at Wang Qi, Have our men search and see if there are any spoils of war! The earlier twenty or thirty elite Cave Zombie Lords had died due to the BOSSs self-destruction, but the system attributed their kills to the players and not the BOSS, so they dropped loot too. Under Wang Qis command, several players rushed into the garage. In a short while, some players came out holding a pile of items, their eyes shining. We struck it rich, haha, we got a pile of stuff. We only picked up this much. Theres still a lot inside. Send a few more people in to loot! One player shouted ecstatically. Upon hearing his shouting, everyone was stunned. Without needing Wang Qi to speak, several people sprinted towards the garage, with some even activating their Acceleration Skill, a ball of white light glowing at their feet as they rushed off. The spoils of war belonged to the War Guild. Without getting permission from Song Jian or Wang Qi, they could not transfer the items into their own inventory. So, they could only hold them like this and take them out. Crash~ Several players stacked the items in front of Song Jian, looking up to him with reverence. Were it not for Song Jian, they would not have such abundant spoils of war. The War Guilds operation this time could be said to have been a complete success. Golden-grade equipment, it actually dropped golden-grade equipment? Wang Qis gaze immediately landed on a robe radiating a soft golden light. He couldnt help reaching out to pick it up. Chapter 521: 521: The Oath of Loyalty from the Cave Lord Chapter 521: The Oath of Loyalty from the Cave Lord Hearing Wang Qis shout, Golden quality robe!, everyones gaze turned towards him; What, golden quality equipment dropped? Where is it? Let me see? Damn, golden quality, its the first time Ive seen golden quality equipment drop Did you drop it? Dont flatter yourself, it must have been dropped by the BOSS! The alliance players were instantly excited. A player possessed of a blue grade item was already considered very impressive. If they had a silver item, they probably would not even want to turn off the equipment glow and would love it if everyone saw the silver light emanating from their gear; Even for Wang Qi, this was the first time he had seen a golden quality item. Seeing the wolf-like eyes of the surrounding players, Wang Qi quickly posted the equipment attributes in the team chat; Cave Lords Robe, cloth top, gold level, item level 25, defense 34, resistance +25, wisdom +6, spirit +8, constitution +5, spirit point limit +200, special effect 1: Magic Ripple (Active), the robe can absorb the surrounding free magic power, filled up in 2 hours; when damaged, it triggers a magic ripple effect, reducing 80% of damage received for 10 seconds; special effect 2: Lords Fury (passive), increases magical attack power and healing effects by 30%; special effect 3: Phase Out (Active): After casting, your body will gradually become transparent, effectively reducing the monsters threat value towards the caster, and increasing movement speed by 50% for 8 seconds; equipment requires: level 20; whether it can be taken out of the game: No Seeing the attributes of this item, everyone who played a magic-based profession gasped. The robe was of extreme high quality, it would greatly enhance the survivability of a typically fragile magic-based professional; One passive special effect, two active ones, these were godlike abilities for magic-based professionals. If one were in danger, they could immediately activate Magic Ripple, reducing 80% of damage. Even a BOSSs damage could be reduced to a very low level. Moreover, Phase Out not only increases movement speed but also quickly reduces monster hate, making escape easier; In addition, as the body becomes transparent, it is nearly equivalent to a rogues stealth ability. Even if in front of other players, there is still a good chance to save ones life. Boss, how are we going to distribute the spoils of this battle? Suddenly someone yelled out loud. All eyes instantly turned to Song Jian, a keen desire evident in their gaze. Distribute? Are you guys blind? The equipment must have been dropped by the BOSS. Did any of you even touch the BOSS? Wang Qis face turned stern, it was clear that the distribution of spoils at this time was to claim the golden quality robe. Song Jian smiled slightly, glanced at Wang Qi, raised his hand, and gestured for him to stop; All spoils of this battle will be distributed according to everyones contribution points! Song Jian yelled. Everyone was stunned, and immediately someone asked, Even this golden robe will be distributed based on contribution points? As I said, all items! Song Jian gave that person a look, calmly stating. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wow~ Everyone was overjoyed, their faces showing expressions of excitement. In their eyes, the so-called alliance members were merely seeking the protection of the alliance, working diligently for the boss. If a boss was defeated, high-quality equipment usually went to the boss, who might offer subordinates a scrap if he was generous, and that would be considered good enough. This time, hearing Song Jian proposing to distribute all spoils according to contribution, nearly everyone was in disbelief. Brother Song, this is not quite right. You soloed this BOSS. Wang Qi said in a low voice with a slightly upset expression at Song Jians side. No problem. From now on, we will use this rule for all alliance events. Song Jian patted Wang Qis shoulder and said. What are you so happy about? Even if it is distributed according to contribution points, this equipment is none of our business. Dont forget, the boss soloed a BOSS. Even according to contribution, his contribution points would be the most! Suddenly, someone in the crowd coldly said. All the excitement seemed to be doused with a bucket of cold water. The previous enthusiasm seemed to be extinguished all at once. Everyone stared blankly at the person who had spoken. Song Jian laughed and said loudly, Lets set another rule. From now on, for alliance events, if it is not an equipment unique to your profession, you cannot compete for it with contribution points! As soon as Song Jian said this, everyones eyes lit up and they immediately started cheering. This rule set by Song Jian was equivalent to him renouncing the golden robe because Song Jian was a swordsman, and leather armor should be his equipment of choice. Upon hearing Song Jians words, Wang Qi also showed a look of admiration in his eyes. This was a golden quality item even if he didnt use it, it could be sold at an auction house for at least hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins; Such a big benefit, Song Jian was willing to give up directly, which was very admirable! In the end, this robe was obtained by Li Xiu who had spent all his contribution points. Seeing Li Xius proud face made many people green with envy. The spoils were not only a golden robe, but also a large number of blue and green items. Almost everyone got one or two items with contribution points, and everyone had a joyful look on their faces. Boss, look at this item. Wang Qi held an old parchment scroll in his hand and handed it to Song Jian. What is it? Song Jian paused. He did not intend to keep any equipment from this BOSS hunt, seeing it as a kind of benefit for the alliance members. No one wanted this thing. But it looks like it dropped from the BOSS. I think it should be no ordinary junk. Wang Qi scratched his head and said. Cave Lord Zombies Oath of Loyalty, junk, white quality, item description: This is the oath of loyalty given by the Cave Lords Zombie to a more powerful entity, filled with revolting flattery. If sold to a system merchant, a reward of 10 Doomsday Coins will be given! For a piece of junk worth 10 Doomsday Coins, no one would want to buy it with contribution points, and it ended up back with Song Jian. Strange, thats a level 25 boss. To drop such junk, its too stingy. Wang Qi muttered under his breath. Perhaps its a quest item, and we just didnt handle it properly. Song Jian laughed, opened the Oath of Loyalty scroll, and began reading it carefully. Honorable Ninth Demon of the Abyss, your glance alone causes me to shiver. I am willing to lead the entire species of cave people and swear allegiance to your immense abyssal power. I will (the following part is missing) The Ninth Demon of the Abyss? Is this the Cave Lord Zombies oath of loyalty to the Ninth Demon of the Abyss? With raised eyebrows and a surprised look in his eyes, Song Jian pondered. Chapter 522: 522: Is someone following? Chapter 522: Is someone following? Abyss, something else related to the Abyss Song Jian frowned, looking at the battered piece of parchment in his hand. At that moment, Song Jians finger touched a section of this oath of allegiance, and a faint black aura suddenly began to emit from it. The emanation was so weak that even Song Jian did not notice. System: You have obtained a mission item, the Oath of Allegiance from the Dungeon Zombie Overlord. You will receive a hidden mission, The Secret of the Dungeon Zombie Overlord. Do you accept? Mission item, hidden mission? Song Jian was taken aback, but quickly chose to accept. System: You have accepted the hidden mission, The Secret of the Dungeon Zombie Overlord. Please deliver this Oath of Allegiance from the Dungeon Zombie Overlord to the Hellish Arachnid, Wenrui Si. Who is the Hellish Arachnid Wenrui Si? Where is he? The mission didnt specify, and Song Jian didnt even know if they were in Doomsday City. How was he supposed to deliver this oath? Ill hang on to it for now and see if I can get more detailed clues in the future. Song Jian was helpless and could only stash the mission item away for the time being. With the BOSS killed and the union event ended, everyone was preparing to leave when a player wielding a bow and arrow suddenly approached Wang Qi and whispered something in his ear. Wang Qis expression changed, and he immediately said to Song Jian, Someone has been watching us nearby, could it be players from another union? Song Jian glanced at the archer player and said to Wang Qi, The BOSS has already been killed, so it doesnt matter if they keep watching us. Then, Song Jian turned to the archer player and asked, Whats your name, and how did you know someones watching us? Song Jian was puzzled. With his perception, he hadnt noticed any other players nearby. How did this longbow-wielding player discover it? My name is Zhou Kai, and my profession is Pursuer. I have a detection skill that lets me scout out any humanoid creatures within a one-kilometer radius The player with the longbow excitedly explained to Song Jian. Zhou Kais Pursuer profession was also rare, somewhat similar to a Hunters profession. He had an active skill called Detect Humanoids. This skill consumed very little energy; once activated, he could continuously scout all humanoid entities within a one-kilometer radius. He had noticed someone following them since they left the union territory. Initially, Zhou Kai didnt think much of it, as there were many people in the vicinity of the union territory. However, during their union event, this person was always stationary in the distance, clearly observing them, which made Zhou Kai become more cautious. Soon, the unions players all went their separate ways, and Zhou Kai accompanied Song Jian toward the player who had been watching them. The two of them killed monsters and moved forward, looking as if Song Jian was coaching Zhou Kai on leveling up. Over half an hour had passed, Zhou Kai continually reported the players location. They kept changing positions, and the distance to the spy was reduced from the initial 700 meters to just over 200. His position hasnt changed, but Im sure that hes been following us from our unions territory Zhou Kai whispered. It seems hes not surveying our union, hes surveilling me Song Jian revealed a hint of a smile, apparently finding this observation interesting. With his current distance, Song Jians perception could only vaguely sense that he was being watched, but that too only in a dedicated exploration. Otherwise, he would not be able to detect the persons presence at all. It seems this person has excellent tracking skills, perhaps some similar abilities as well Song Jian pondered. With his formidable perception, he could only vaguely feel someone observing him from about 200 meters away if he specifically focused. Song Jian didnt believe that there were people whose skills and abilities were several times his, who could observe his movements within a one-kilometer radius without using any abilities. Union Leader, should we quietly creep up on him and take him down? A hint of murderous intent flashed across Zhou Kais eyes. The rules of survival in the game world and the real world are entirely different. Its evident the deliberate tracking and surveillance have revealed hostility, and now it would only be proper to take the initiative to strike first. Wait a moment, let me see who he is? Song Jian said, revealing a faint smile. He split off an Abyssal Phantom Clone from his body, which quickly moved towards the persons location. Soon, the phantom clone arrived in front of a three-storey building, where Yuan Peilong was standing atop the roof, peering in Song Jians direction with a high-powered telescope. Its him? Song Jian quickly recognized this somewhat stuttering player from the Shadow Circus Troupe. Why is he here? Could it be, has he been following me from the Shadow Circus Troupe? Song Jian wondered internally, took another glance and dispelled the Abyssal Phantom skill. Turns out its an old friend! Song Jian laughed. What, Union Leader, do you know that person? Zhou Kai asked curiously. Thats enough. Leave this to me, and you can return to the union, Song Jian said. He had brought Zhou Kai along to prevent the one spying on him from escaping, but now that he had recognized who it was, there was no reason for Zhou Kai to continue tagging along. Seeing Zhou Kai suddenly leave, Yuan Peilong didnt mind; his target was Song Jian. As long as he kept an eye on Song Jian, everything would be fine. Just then, Yuan Peilong saw Song Jian smiling in his direction through his telescope. In the lens, Song Jians face was right before his eyes, and it seemed as though he was staring straight at Yuan Peilong. Bad news, hes spotted me! Yuan Peilong was immediately covered in a cold sweat. During the time Song Jian had singlehandedly fought the BOSS, he had realized that he was no match for Song Jians strength. If he were discovered, his ending would be tragic. But Yuan Peilong was unwilling to give up this hard-earned hidden mission. While he was in a dilemma, Song Jian had already discovered him. How could his perception be so high? An incredulous Yuan Peilong fumbled his climb down from the roof, packed up his tool, and tried to escape into the distance. Song Jian transformed into a shadow, his speed dramatically increased, and he dashed in Yuan Peilongs direction. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For the 200-meter distance, Song Jian took only thirteen seconds to reach. By the time he got there, the effect duration of his skill had ended, and his speed decreased, but he could already see the rapidly retreating figure of Yuan Peilong. You still want to run? Song Jian squinted, metallic wings sprouted from his back, and his figure soared into the air, charging towards Yuan Peilong. Yuan Peilong turned back and glanced at him. With a horrified scream, his figure suddenly split into four and escaped in different directions. Song Jian was taken aback. This guy had a skill similar to phantom cloning and even a high-level one that could create three clones. Song Jian stopped in mid-air, watching the four Yuan Peilongs who looked almost exactly the same and were extremely fast, disappearing in a blink of an eye. There is one more chapter, the one that repeated yesterday needs to be changed to todays chapter, so you guys wont have to pay to read it again. But I cant change the chapter name right now, youll have to wait. Chapter 523: 523: Leaving Chapter 523: Leaving Yuan Peilongs speed was incredibly fast, not even giving Song Jian a chance to open his vertical eye. In no time, he disappeared without a trace, and Song Jian couldnt even determine the direction in which he had escaped. This guy Song Jian was speechless. In the game, even the weakest players would have a couple of life-saving skills up their sleeves, and no one could be underestimated. Why is he spying on me? Could it be that hes also aiming for the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set? Song Jian furrowed his brows and thought to himself. The reason he knew Yuan Peilong was precisely because of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set. Perhaps Yuan Peilong had been following him since then. I was too careless! Song Jian shook his head and became more cautious. Three days passed quickly. Whether Song Jian was leveling up by fighting monsters outside or building infrastructure in his territory, he always felt he was being watched by a pair of eyes. During these three days, the Shadow Circus Troupe had stopped performing and started packing up, as if they were ready to leave for a long journey. This made many players feel regretful. After all, in the Shadow Circus Troupe, many rewarding tasks could be obtained, in addition to a lot of experience, and many rare skills and equipment. After three days, Song Jian arrived at Bettys tent early in the morning. At this time, all the items around Bettys tent were packed up, and Betty was rolling up the tent. Upon seeing Song Jian, Betty pointed to the side with her lips and said, You must be anxious. Your equipment box is over there! Song Jian followed Bettys direction and saw the equipment box of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set under a big tree nearby. After opening the equipment box and checking each piece one by one, Song Jian found that all the set components had been completely repaired. He couldnt wait to reach level 30 and put on this set of equipment. With this set, I should be able to challenge first-order combat power with ease, right? Song Jian speculated in his heart. Thank you, Betty! Song Jian shouted loudly. Betty waved her hand at Song Jian without saying anything. She had to collect all her belongings by ten oclock when the Shadow Circus Troupe would leave the city. If she didnt catch up, she might forever be left behind. Song Jian returned to his territory, watching the busy scene of the Shadow Circus Troupe from afar. Just then, a skinny old mouse emerged from the ground and ran towards Song Jian. The voice of Qi Yun came from the mouses mouth, Are you ready? The Shadow Circus Troupe is leaving today. Dont forget our agreement Dont worry, as long as nothing goes wrong on your end, I wont break our agreement. Song Jian looked at the skinny mouse with an indifferent expression. Thats good! The mouses face showed a human-like smile, and then its body began to rot rapidly. In no time, it turned into a stain on the ground. A chill ran through Song Jians heart as the Shadow Priests methods seemed somewhat bizarre. The mouse had a strong smell of decay, obviously it had been dead for a long time. Qi Yun had controlled its body to deliver the message, a technique quite similar to the Necromancers Corpse Manipulation. The vehicles of the Shadow Circus Troupe began to slowly move out of Doomsday City towards the rolling black mist outside. Everyone was surrounded by a faint blue light, and even a dozen carriages had a blue light shimmering on the surface. With the appearance of this light, Song Jian could see the massive convoy with his eyes, but once he closed them, he couldnt feel anything. As the circus entered the swirling black mist, no one appeared nervous. They all remained silent, apparently having experienced similar situations many times before. Song Jian took out the Concealment Ring and put it on his finger. There were now two cracks in the ring, and it could only be used once more before being useless. With a thought, Song Jians figure gradually disappeared in place, accompanied by a faint, crisp shatter sound. By now, Song Jian had entered the Protection Black Mist for the second time. He followed the Shadow Circus Troupe from behind and left Doomsday City through the black mist. Once inside the Protection Black Mist, Song Jians feeling of being watched finally disappeared. It seemed that Yuan Peilong couldnt enter the black mist like he could. Visibility was almost nonexistent in the black mist. Song Jian couldnt let the circus know he was following them, but he also couldnt lose track of their whereabouts, so it was difficult to trail behind them. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It seemed as if the circus was trying to evade something. They didnt follow a straight line in the black mist, instead, winding around a long detour. It took more than two hours to finally emerge from the black mist. Alright, tell everyone to rest here for a while. Well rest here for half a day and continue on our journey tomorrow! The old beastman leader, holding a wooden staff, spoke with a tired expression. Everyone had expended a lot of energy coming out of the Protection Black Mist, and it wasnt safe to continue traveling without resting. It was better to rest for a while and continue on their journey the next day. Since they were only resting temporarily, everyone simply erected their tents without unpacking other items. At night, the sky was filled with brilliant stars, and a bright moon hung high above. It had been a long time since Song Jian had seen such a dazzling starry sky in the game world. The night in Doomsday City was completely different from the night in the wilderness. Song Jian sat cross-legged, absorbing the essence of the moon. In Doomsday City, he could only absorb it for fifteen minutes at specific times, but there was no such restriction in the wilderness. In no time, Song Jian immersed himself in the comfort of absorbing the moons essence, as if he were in a deep sleep with a blank mind. His whole body emitted a silver light, looking like a light bulb from afar. If he hadnt chosen a hidden spot, he might have been exposed by now. System: Youve absorbed the essence of the moon, and your physical fitness has been slightly improved. System: Youve absorbed the essence of the moon, and your physical fitness has been slightly improved. Messages like this appeared in the notification bar every few dozen seconds. Finally, after hundreds of similar messages appeared, a special light yellow message stood out. System: Your body has been tempered by the essence of the moon, and all attributes have increased by 1 point. After this message appeared, Song Jians body shook violently, and he suddenly woke up. His eyes were still filled with confusion after waking up, and it wasnt until he regained consciousness that he realized he had been absorbing the moons essence for more than two hours. What happened? At this moment, Song Jian noticed the hundreds of system messages in his notification bar and the final message about all his attributes increasing by one point. What a pleasant surprise! Song Jian looked up at the moon, which had shifted positions, with an excited look on his face. Chapter 524: 524: Small Town Chapter 524: Small Town With a gain of one on all attributes, it was a pleasant surprise. Previously, when he was in Doomsday City, he could only absorb lunar essence for fifteen minutes daily. The effect was not particularly significant as Song Jian often found it ending before he even felt anything. He didnt expect such a significant harvest after leaving Doomsday City today; Perhaps it was because the lunar essence within his body had become plentiful. No matter how Song Jian tried to activate the absorption of lunar essence, it was impossible to enter the absorption state, so, he had to give it up eventually. In the middle of the night, Song Jian suddenly felt someone approaching, immediately became alert, as a dark shadow slowly moved towards his location. When the shadow was about seven or eight meters away from where Song Jian was, it stopped in its tracks; Whos there? Song Jian clenched his long sword and demanded in a low voice. Who else could it be? Qi Yun seemed quite amused at Song Jians alarmed state, took off his hood and revealed a gnarled, emaciated face. At this point, Qi Yun had removed all the black cloth strips wrapped around his body. His exposed skin was an abnormal shade of blue and was without any flesh. He looked more like a skeleton wrapped in skin than a human. Why have you come so late? Hasnt the circus uncovered your real identity yet? Song Jian asked, his brows slightly furrowed. You dont need to worry about me, just do as I instructed, Qi Yun glared at Song Jian and replied. It seems like you dont need me to stay with the circus anymore. So Ill head directly to the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range to wait for you! Song Jian said, his face somber. Arent you curious about this Shadow Circus? Qi Yuns red eyes pierced Song Jian. A thin smile emerged upon his dried lips. It is a rare occurrence that they are having problems with their shadow crystal. The Circuss high-level fighters have to expend their own strength every day to maintain this shadow crystal. This is the best time for us to attack them Song Jian considered Qi Yuns words carefully, recognizing that there indeed lay many valuable items within the Circus. Just the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set he had obtained was enough to provoke intense envy. Moreover, he knew the circus also possessed a Complete Recovery Potion. Song Jian had discovered that among the troupe, there was a master level alchemist who could possibly have created this potion. After some hesitation, Song Jian eventually shook his head and said, I just want to complete the mission as soon as possible. I dont want any more complications! Although he could terminate the contract with Qi Yun, Song Jian had no way of finding the Blood of Blasphemy, so he would need to stick to the contracts terms in good faith. Hehe, just because you have no interest in the Circus doesnt mean others wont Song Jian was startled and quickly asked, Are you suggesting that someone plans to ambush the circus on the road? You are totally ignorant of this Shadow Circus, it happens to be one of the dragon servant troops that the Shadow Giant Dragon values the most Qi Yun stared pointedly at Song Jian, then slowly his body turned into a pile of black sand and vanished. Looking at the place where Qi Yun had disappeared, Song Jian wore a contemplative look on his face. The reason he hasnt agreed to stay with the Circus was that he believed that with his current ability, he wouldnt be able to gain any advantages there. No matter what the problem was, to safely reach the Dark Castle in Shadowfang Mountain Range, he would need the guarantee of several high-end fighters. Therefore, no matter what Qi Yun said, Song Jian would never believe that all high-end fighters from the Shadow Circus could be considerably weakened due to the shadow crystals issue. But if someone was genuinely planning an ambush on the Circus, then this could potentially be an opportunity for him. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the past, they only agreed to meet once after leaving Doomsday City. After that, Qi Yun would no longer concern himself with Song Jians itinerary. Song Jian just needed to reach the Dark Castle in Shadowfang Mountain Range within the stipulated time. In fact, Qi Yun was constantly alluring Song Jian to attack the Shadow Circus, even consistently hinting that he could derive immense benefits from it; Perhaps, as you mentioned, there will be an ambush on the Circus and Ill be able to profit from it. But Song Jians eyes grew sharper, and he chuckled, I dont trust you! Turning into a dark cloud, Song Jian floated off into the distance. Not too far away, behind a rock, Qi Yun watched the shrinking cloud with red eyes and a disappointed expression on his face. . Song Jian only knew the general direction to Shadowfang Mountain Range. Although Qi Yun had given him some information about the Dark Castle, Song Jian realized after leaving Doomsday City that without a detailed map, it was incredibly easy to lose his way if he traveled blindly. After walking in the wild for three continuous days, Song Jian saw no trace of any modern civilization. All he saw was barren, infertile land strewn with rubble and full of mutated, corrupt creatures that crazily threw themselves at him without caring for their strength mismatch. This was entirely different from the monsters in Doomsday City, who seemed more rational. Even the most crazed of monsters there knew to steer clear of powerful players. At first, Song Jian would kill them, but there were so many creatures that he started growing impatient. With these low-level monsters offering insignificant experience points and dropping nothing more than garbage, Song Jian, having limited inventory space, couldnt possibly pick up all the junk, leaving it abandoned in the wilderness. Taking the form of a dark cloud, Song Jian was flying in mid-air, continuing towards Shadowfang Mountain Range. The skies above the wilderness were dangerous as flying monsters tended to be stronger than their same-level counterparts that couldnt fly. Song Jian proceeded cautiously, evading whenever he encountered large amounts of flying creatures and continuing on his journey only after they had flown far away. That day, Song Jian unexpectedly saw a deserted town ahead and immediately flew towards it; In the wilderness, finding an abandoned town was quite a fortunate occurrence because it offered a place to rest and shelter from the weather. System: You have discovered Garden Town and earned 2000 Experience Points; A wide asphalt road was laid out head of Garden Town, although the road was hardly recognizable now, completely covered by overgrown weeds. It was challenging to discern that it had once been a road unless one looked closely; Near the road, there was a massive gate with the words Garden Town engraved upon it. This entrance had collapsed halfway, leaving the words Garden remaining. There were several shops and houses built beside the gate. These structures were still mostly intact. Moving further in, there was a deserted plaza with an enormous flower bed in the center, filled with a variety of vibrant flowers; Song Jian glanced towards the flower bed, feeling an unsettling eeriness about it and a sense of discomfort. Just as Song Jian was about to investigate the flower bed, a voice behind him warned, If I were you, I would never approach this flower bed! Chapter 525: 525 Materials Chapter 525: Materials Song Jian turned around and noticed a young man wearing a black robe, holding a bone wand in his hand, standing about five or six meters away from him. He was looking at Song with an affable smile. The young man had silver shoulder-length hair, piercing purple eyes, and a handsome face. He appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. Next to him stood a skeleton warrior gripping an sharp ax. Its crimson eyes appeared somewhat dim, unmoving and obedient. It seemed to be a summon of the young mans. Are you a necromancer? Song Jian ventured to ask. I guess you could say that. Tang Ming eyed Song Jian up and down, his smile broadening. He then inquired, Who are you? Why are you here? I am Song Jian. I am heading to Shadowfang Mountain Range. I saw this small town and decided to take a break here. Song Jian responded with a smile, Is this your hometown? Its quite remote. There was no information above the youths head, indicating that he was also a player. Very few players come here. Likely, Im the only one to have spawned here. Tang Ming lamented, Since starting the game, Ive been playing solo. Ive never interacted with other players. It seems youve had some poor luck, randomly spawning in such a desolate place. Song Jian shook his head. Its not too bad. At least Im still alive. By the way, my names Tang Ming. Youre the first player Ive met! Tang Ming said. Song Jian nodded, then pointed to the flower garden and asked, You mentioned earlier not to approach this flower garden. Does it pose a danger? Indeed it does! Tang Ming nodded, It hides a level 30 monster with significant strength. Any creature that comes within three meters of the garden will be snatched up and swallowed by it! So dangerous? Song Jians brow furrowed, wondering if the hidden monster had Tier 1 Combat Power. If it was just a level 30 ordinary monster, or a Boss without Tier 1 Combat Power, then Song Jian was confident he could kill it. Not particularly dangerous, as long as you keep your distance. And its presence actually helps me survive in this town Tang Ming said, a shiver running down his spine. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Is this town dangerous? Song Jian looked around and asked. Its fine during the day, but at night, powerful spectral monsters appear in the town. So, I generally try not to leave the house after dark. Tang Ming explained, Ive never ventured beyond a five kilometer radius of the town, so I have no clue where Shadowfang Mountain Range is. Could you tell me about the world outside? Of course! Song Jian replied enthusiastically, glancing at the garden once again. Interestingly, it seemed as if this creature served as a protector. Though the creature itself probably had no awareness of this, and simply hunted anything that approached it; However, such behavior could be manipulated by players seeking to protect themselves. Lets head to my safe house first. It will soon be nightfall. Tang Ming glanced at the setting sun and urged Song Jian to follow. Song Jian nodded, and they both headed towards Tang Mings safe house. Tang Ming led Song Jian to an old two-story building and walked in through the front door. This is your safe house? Song Jian was taken aback. Surveying the room, he noticed the house was very dilapidated. There was no defensive wall and the ground floor had a large hole in the wall that appeared to have been caused by an impact. Such a safe house barely offered any defense. Song Jian wondered how it could have withstood the monster attacks it wouldve faced during construction; If Tang Ming hadnt brought him here, Song Jian would have never considered it a safe house. Technically, we havent entered the actual safe house yet. Tang Ming revealed a mysterious smile and headed towards a fireplace on the wall of the living room. Song Jian paused for a moment, then followed Tang Ming. Indeed, Tang Ming walked directly into the abandoned fireplace and was out of sight. After some hesitation, Song Jian followed suit. As he walked through the fireplace, he felt as if he were passing through a thin bubble. Once he entered the fireplace, he discovered a spiraling stone staircase leading underground. My safe house is built underground. Its safer and easier to defend here, Tang Ming explained, descending the staircase. Magical lanterns were embedded in the walls on either side of the staircase, illuminating the way down. Soon, they arrived in a spacious room. Song Jian glanced at the ceiling and estimated they were about tens of meters underground. It was clear that Tang Ming had put a great deal of effort into this safe house. Please feel at home. Youll be the first player to visit here. Tang Ming said, smiling. Thank you for your hospitality. Otherwise, I would have to spend another night in the wilderness. Song Jian replied, his face flashing a bitter smile. Spending the previous two days in the wilderness had been tough. He couldnt even light a fire, making it impossible to cook. He had to snack on hardtack and sleep in trees; Thankfully, it hadnt rained these last two days, otherwise Song Jian might have found himself in even greater hardship; Stay as long as you like! Tang Ming cheerfully insisted. After a hearty dinner, Song Jian retired to his bedroom for rest. Having seen Song Jian enter the room, Tang Mings warm smile suddenly morphed into a sly grin. Surveying the rather simple bedroom, Song Jian had a strange feeling; Isnt Tang Ming being a little too enthusiastic towards me? Its unusual. Song Jian thought, But then again, having never met another player since entering the game, his overexcitement upon meeting one is not too strange. After watching Song Jian enter the bedroom, Tang Ming went to another room. It appeared to be a lab; a large experimental table was filled with beakers and test tubes. Across the room a small crucible bubbled viscously with red liquid, filling the air with a sweet aroma; In the middle of the lab, a complex magic array flickered with light. At its core stood a coffin-like crystal trough. Through the crystal, it seemed as if there was a person lying inside. Upon examining the crystal trough, a smile crossed Tang Mings face. He gently patted the skeleton warrior that stood guard beside him and whispered, Soon you will gain a new comrade. Today is indeed a lucky day for me. Not only will I acquire another skeleton warrior, but I will also obtain a potential for a skeleton champion. Chapter 526: 526: Bone Bead Chapter 526: Bone Bead In the deep quiet of night, Song Jian lay sleeping peacefully in his bed, his chest rising and falling slightly, indicating he was fast asleep; Just then, the bedroom door was slowly opened without making a sound. A figure cloaked in black appeared at the doorway, and behind him were two skeletal warriors, wielding axes and emitting a chilling pale glow. Tang Ming looked at the sleeping Song Jian, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He had sprinkled some sleep-inducing powder in the room earlier on. It was faintly scented, just enough to escape the notice of most people. Such a drug had no harmful effects on the human body, it simply made those who were asleep to fall into an even deeper slumber, making it impossible for even the most alert person to detect its existence. Shadow Binding! With a wave of Tang Mings right hand, a grey mist burst from his Bone Wand, stealthily flying towards the beds occupant. The instant it reached Song Jian, it transformed into black chains, binding him tightly. Looking at Song Jian securely tied up, a smirk of satisfaction appeared on Tang Mings face. Hahaha, Success! Song Jian, let me give you a lesson today. This game is extremely dangerous! Never let down your guard against strangers! Gazing at the immobile Song Jian, Tang Mings joy was palpable. Come now, the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were strong, which is why youll become my most powerful skeletal warrior! At that moment, Song Jian on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Tang Ming. A strange smile appeared on his face. Tang Ming was taken aback for a moment, as if he was thinking of something. His face turned pale, and he quickly retreated. Earth Teeth Assault! A fang-shaped mass of energy shot up from under the bed towards Tang Ming, its sharp whistling sound piercing the air. Block it! Tang Ming shouted, and a skeletal warrior behind him advanced a step forward, shielding him with its body. Bang! This Earth Teeth Assault triggered a critical strike. The skeletal warriors body jolted violently, and with a crack, one of its femurs shattered, causing a number depicting over two hundred damage points to float above its head. Damn it, youve shattered the leg of my painstakingly created skeletal warrior Annoyed, Tang Ming directed another skeletal warrior to attack Song Jian. Observing Song Jian, bound by black chains and immobile on the bed, Tang Ming finally realized C the one trapped was merely Song Jians clone. The real Song Jian was likely hiding under the bed. Sword Shadow Step, Broken Wing Dance! A shadowy figure suddenly dashed from under the bed, sword swinging at the two skeletal warriors. Upon entering the bedroom, Song Jian immediately sensed something was amiss. However, he didnt suspect Tang Ming. He just felt an intangible unease which wouldnt let him sleep, and so he never truly went to sleep. Only when he heard deliberately muffled footsteps outside his door at night, did Song Jian realize something was wrong. It seemed like Tang Ming harbored ill-intentions towards him. He quickly activated Phantom Clone, letting his clone lie on the bed while he hid underneath. Unexpectedly, Tang Ming truly had malicious intentions. Glancing at the black chains on his clone, Song Jian realized he couldnt even cancel the clone as it seemed to be completely bound. Hearing Tang Mings words, Song Jians anger surged inside him: You actually use players bodies to create skeletal warriors! Tang Ming waved his Magic Staff, launching a Shadow Arrow at Song Jian and directing his skeletal warriors to attack. Hehehe, their bodies have been transformed into undying skeletal warriors; they should feel honored! Tang Mings face twisted into a sinister smile. He fished out a Bone Bead from his pocket and tossed it at Song Jian. Song Jian and the two skeletal warriors were locked in combat, their level of strength equivalent to that of ordinary Level 20 monsters, they couldnt stop Song Jian. Each of Song Jians sword swings left deep marks on the skeletal warriors. In just a little while, the skeletal warriors bodies were left in a terrible state, their Vitality Points reducing to less than a third. When he saw Tang Ming throw a Bone Bead at him, Song Jian felt a chilling sense of impending danger and swiftly activated his Frost Shield! Boom! S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Bone Bead exploded in mid-air. Song Jian felt an intense surge of energy. The Frost Shield shattered instantly, and his body felt as if it had been hit by hundreds of bone shards, causing waves of piercing pain. Song Jian was thrown back by the force of the explosion, crashing into the bedroom wall. His chest felt tight and nauseous, and he couldnt help but vomit blood, which made him feel a bit better. He checked his damage, the explosion had reduced his Vitality Points by over six hundred. The power was even more significant than an improved Self-Destructing Robot or a powerful hand-grenade. However, numerous damage immunity notifications appeared in his combat information dashboard, which gave Song Jian pause. System: You received splash damage from the Bone Bead explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points, talent Thick-skinned takes effect, this damage is immune. System: You received splash damage from the Bone Bead explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points. The Ghostly Leather Armors Void effect is triggered, this damage is immune, and the next damage received will be reduced by 50%. System: You received splash damage from the Bone Bead explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points. Your talent Thick-skinned takes effect, this damage is immune. A series of immune damage notifications left Song Jian startled. Looking at dozens of bone shards in his body, Song Jian estimated that had he not been immune to the harm, these shards would have caused more harm than the previous explosion. If it werent for the damage reduction, a single Bone Bead could cause thousands of damage points? This could instantly kill a player with a weaker Vitality level. Song Jian couldnt help but gasp in surprise, silently cursing in his heart. However, objects causing splash damage are more potent in confined spaces. If used in an open area, the splash damage would drastically decrease. Seeing that Song Jian was still standing even after facing a Bone Bead, Tang Ming wore a shocked expression. Truly, youre worthy of being the powerful skeletal warrior Ive chosen, possessing such an excellent physique. Hahaha, the better the bodys quality, the higher the chance of success in creating a skeletal warrior. Today is indeed my lucky day! With that, Tang Ming took out three Bone Beads from his pocket, hesitating a little. There was a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but he soon steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and threw the three Bone Beads at Song Jian. Chapter 527: 527: Destroy Chapter 527: Destroy Seeing the three Bone Beads flying towards him, Song Jian got a scare. He instantly activated the Bloodthirsty Shield while a pair of steel wings spread out from his back, firmly protecting his body. Boom, boom, boom~ The Bloodthirsty Shield shattered as the sound of steel wings being struck like rain hitting banana leaves echoed. One MISS after another floated up above Song Jians head. The moment the steel wings spread out, his defense significantly increased. Moreover, it automatically nullified damage below 50 points. Coupled with Song Jians natural talent, if the damage dealt didnt exceed 65 points, he would remain completely unharmed. When the Bloodthirsty Shield broke apart, Song Jians Vitality Points suddenly increased by more than 500, completely replenishing the previously lost Vitality Points. Tang Mings eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him. Just by throwing one Bone Bead earlier, he managed to deal more than 500 damage to Song Jian. Now, he had thrown three beads at once and expected that at least it would leave Song Jian severely injured, if not kill him outright. But why did the opponent not receive any damage, and his Vitality Points even restored? Could it be that my three Bone Beads have a healing effect? Feeling the effect of the Bone Beads fade, Song Jian fiercely lunged forward. An icy path appeared beneath his feet as he passed between the two Skeleton Soldiers. His powerful sword cut through the air towards Tang Ming. Death Shield! Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Tang Ming calmly wielded the Bone Wand, causing a grayish shield to appear around him instantly. As Song Jian rushed towards him, a smile appeared on Tang Mings face. Embrace death. My Skeleton General, feel the Force of Death. One day, you will understand its greatness! Death Shield, Tang Mings strongest defense, would cause any living creature that attacked it to suffer from the Force of Death, reducing their attributes by 30%. Moreover, the Death Shields defense value was as high as 1,200 points. Even the Bone Bead needed two beads to break its defense. Watching Song Jian wielding his sword, slashing towards the Death Shield, Tang Ming seemed to have already seen his weakened opponent. A complete body was a prerequisite for creating a Skeleton General. With Song Jian in a weakened state, it would be easier for Tang Ming to obtain his intact corpse. Clang~ With a crisp shattering sound, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword easily tore through the defense of the Death Shield, ruthlessly striking Tang Mings shoulder. A stream of black blood spurted out, and Tang Ming felt an intense pain in his shoulder, giving him a sense of unreality. How could this be Subsequently, Tang Ming saw the deep wound on his shoulder, reaching the bones, and became enraged. Ill kill you! Ill sink your soul into the flames of Hell and burn it for a hundred, a thousand years! Tang Ming gritted his teeth. His body suddenly transformed into a pool of black blood seeping into the ground and disappeared. The two Skeleton Soldiers still rushed at Song Jian aggressively. However, without Tang Mings command, these two puppets had become even weaker than ordinary monsters. Song Jian quickly shattered them into a pile of bone fragments. Skeleton Soldiers like these had to be present in large quantities to showcase their true power. An endless sea of skeletons in the wilderness could terrify any class of players. Unfortunately, Tang Mings current strength still had a long way to go to reach such a level, and it might be impossible for him to ever create such a scene. Seeing the black traces remaining on the ground, Song Jian couldnt help but frown. Tang Mings methods were too strange; he effortlessly turned into blood and merged with the earth. Killing him was becoming increasingly difficult. This place was Tang Mings safe house, and he couldnt get away from here. Song Jian believed Tang Ming was still inside the safe house and hadnt fled too far. While searching the safe house, Song Jian quickly found Tang Mings laboratory. Entering the room, he could sense a strong force of death. The smell of rotting corpses made any living creature feel uncomfortable. Song Jian carefully left everything on the experiment table untouched due to his cautious approach to unknown things. The nutrition tank in the middle of the laboratory had been opened with some thick green liquid inside. A strong force of death emanated from the nutrition tank. Upon closer inspection, the entire set of experiment equipment was actually a set of blue-quality Skeleton Soldier conversion apparatus. It could be used to transform player corpses into Skeleton Soldiers. There was a slight chance that powerful player corpses could be transformed into Skeleton Generals, and an even smaller chance to be transformed into Skeleton Kings. However, the apparatus conversion rate was reduced. Even the lowest-tier Skeleton Soldier only had a 10% success rate, and each conversion took seven days. Looking at the laboratorys left wall, Song Jian found a cabinet filled with a row of corpses. Taking a closer look, these were all players below level 20. It was unclear how Tang Ming managed to preserve these player corpses. This guy must be a lunatic in the real world! Song Jian couldnt help but feel disgusted by the sight of the player corpses, his face grimacing. If I destroy this place, I wonder what Tang Mings expression would be like. Im looking forward to it. A slight smirk appeared on Song Jians face as he took out two high-explosive grenades from his inventory and placed them beneath the experiment table and nutrition tank. There was nothing worth taking in the safe house except for the valuable Skeleton Soldier conversion apparatus. Song Jian didnt want to use it to harm others and decided to destroy it instead. Reaching the stone steps to leave the safe house, Song Jian took out a Self-destructing Robot and controlled it to walk towards the laboratory. Sword Shadow Step! Transforming into a dark shadow, Song Jian dashed towards the outside of the safe house. The power of two high-explosive grenades and a Self-destructing Robot was enough to send the safe house flying, and Song Jian didnt want to get caught in the destruction. Bang! With a single sword strike, Song Jian slashed open the entrance to the safe house and quickly dashed towards the outside of the town. Before he could leave the town, Song Jian felt the ground violently tremble. A muffled explosion rang out behind him. The powerful force tore down the buildings around the safe house, causing large cracks to form on the cement road. Song Jian stumbled and fell on the ground, unable to balance himself. He turned to see the safe house now reduced to a sunken crater. No! Behind him, Tang Mings mournful roar echoed as a dark shadow slowly floated into the air. Tang Ming was disheveled at this point, never expecting Song Jian to possess high-explosive grenades and a Self-destructing Robot. Caught off guard, the Tang Ming hidden underground was also affected and blasted out. Chapter 528: 528: Death Thorn Chapter 528: Death Thorn Tang Mings black robe, resembling bat wings, was spread out behind him, but it was clearly torn in a few places, and the edges of the robe bore scorch marks; At this point, Tang Ming had only less than 60% of his Vitality Points left. His face was filled with rage, gritting his teeth at Song Jian; Despite his serious injuries, Tang Ming didnt mind, even if he had to abandon his body, Tang Ming could exist in another form. But the safe house was destroyed, especially the laboratory, the set of equipment that had been painstakingly collected was utterly destroyed, this was what truly caused Tang Ming indescribable pain; I am going to kill you, I am going to kill you, Ill show you the miserable fate of angering a Death Summoner! Tang Ming roared, starting to chant the incantation of Death Magic, while his Bone Wand also started to emit a grey glow. Death Thorn, seize the life of the enemy before me! Tang Ming whispered, pointing his Bone Wand to the ground; Whoosh~ A burst of breaking soil sounded, a rich aura of death pierced the sky, like a black beam of light, then, this black beam of light started to twist, as if a black serpent was waking up. Whoosh~ The black beam violently sprouted numerous tentacles, turning into a huge thorn vine. At the tip of this barrel-thick vine, a mouth filled with fangs extended a blood-red tongue at Song Jian; Whoosh~ This vine, filled with the Force of Death, was covered in over a foot-long sharp spikes. Dancing, these spikes easily scratched deep marks on the walls of the houses around, looking sturdier than metal. What on earth is this? Song Jian frowned slightly, he suddenly felt, some vaguely malicious energy and bodies were closing in on him. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Vertical eye! Between Song Jians eyebrows, a silver-eye opened, looking around; Indeed, around Song Jian, transparent human-shaped souls were slowly clustering towards his position, these souls with grimaces and full of madness and greed, all absent of intelligence; Is this the ghost monster Tang Ming mentioned? Song Jian whispered. Death Soul, Level 25, Vitality Points: 3000/3000, characteristics: immune to physical attacks; Song Jian, you cant escape! Tang Ming clenched his fist fiercely, the Death Thorn vine let out a sharp roar and rushed quickly towards Song Jian; Whoosh~ Like a black python, the Thorn vine almost slid on the ground, leaving deep marks on it; Song Jian advanced instead of retreating, holding his sword with both hands and raising it above his head, the dark red sword emanated a dazzling golden glow. Light Strike! With a stern shout, Song Jians long sword violently chopped forward, sending a burst of dazzling golden Sword Qi, wave-like, chopping towards the Death Thorn vine; At the moment the golden Sword Qi burst, the Death Souls around Song Jian suddenly let out a sharp scream, as if they had encountered something terrifying and scattered in fright, some slower Death Souls started to phase out, like they were made of wax; The golden Sword Qi easily pierced through the defense of the Death Thorn vine, almost severing it completely. Thick black blood spurted out like a spring from the wound, the Death Thorn vine writhed violently and let out a series of mournful screams; Divine Power? Hmph, do you think those gods are really reliable? Only death is the true eternity! Tang Ming let out a roar, waved his Bone Wand, and fired a Shadow Arrow at Song Jian. Sacred Parry! Song Jian placed his long sword horizontally in front of his chest. A sphere of energy emitting gray light came crashing towards him. He violently shook as a golden light flashed, and his body tumbled backwards onto the ground in a stable manner. The Shadow Arrow disappeared. Moments later, where the arrow and sword had collided, another Shadow Arrow materialized out of thin air and shot towards Tang Ming. A surprised look flashed across Tang Mings face. He looked somewhat flustered. Bang! An energy arrow emitting gray light appeared in front of Tang Ming instantly, piercing his chest fiercely. Tang Mings body slightly shivered. A corrosive sensation came from his chest. A mouthful of fresh blood welled up, but he forcefully swallowed it down. However, a trickle of black blood slowly seeped out from the corner of his mouth. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian cast a brief glance at Tang Ming who was suspended mid-air. He leapt up, his long sword lit up with lightning. Three flashes of Sword Qi fiercely hacked at the Death Thorn vines. The already dying Death Thorns split into two sections. The bisected Death Thorn vines didnt die immediately. Instead, like snakes, both sections kept jumping on the ground. The front section even had a large mouth. It attempted to bite Song Jian, but Song Jian sent it flying with a slash of his sword. Seeing that the Death Thorn was of no use, Tang Mings face darkened. He waved his Bone Wand fiercely. A heavy death energy radiated from him, gathering into large patches of black fog in mid-air. This is my home ground! Tang Ming waved his Bone Wand, pointed at Song Jian. The black fog above his head immediately began to churn like boiling water. Within the fog, appeared to be a huge monster swimming around. Hmph, youre trying to fool me! Song Jian sneered coldly, leaped forward with his steel wings spread out, and charged at Tang Ming with his sword. Bang! Song Jians dark red long sword violently collided with Tang Mings Bone Wand. Song Jian used the force in his arms to push against Tang Ming. At this point, Song Jians power had already surpassed fifty points. Not to mention Tang Mings role of a mage, even a melee role with strength as the main attribute might not be as strong as Song Jian. With the long sword pressing against the Bone Wand, it slashed towards Tang Ming. Oh, quite strong, arent you? Looking at the long sword just a few centimeters from his face, Tang Ming could feel the chill coming from the blade of Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. But he didnt seem flustered in the slightest. He met Song Jians eyes with a teasing look. A sudden fear swept over Song Jian. He quickly used the Foot Kick skill and kicked Tang Mings lower abdomen hard, then jumped back with a flutter of his steel wings. Just as he jumped backward in mid-air, the black cloud above him suddenly twisted into a black skeletal Giant Dragon. The sharp claws fiercely scratched at the place where Song Jian had previously stood. Just when the claws of the skeletal Giant Dragon were about to touch Song Jians body, his steel wings flipped, drawing an arc in the air and avoiding the attack. Thinking of dodging now? Isnt it a bit late? Tang Ming looked at Song Jians figure in the air and quickly uttered a few syllables. The black skeletal Giant Dragon, over ten meters long, flipped in the air and pounced at Song Jian. Chapter 529: 529: Skeleton Giant Dragon Chapter 529: Skeleton Giant Dragon This skeletal giant dragon wasnt a genuine giant dragon, but a creation of Tang Mings spell. Yet, the power of the skeletal dragon was not much weaker than that of a true giant dragon; Splat~ Tang Ming vomited another mouthful of blood. At this point, his magical power had been exhausted, and he had lost 10% of his Vitality Points. Furthermore, he was in a weakened state. All these sacrifices were made to summon the skeletal giant dragon to exist for only thirty seconds; This was Tang Mings most formidable move, which he could only use when faced with life or death situations. He believed that even if Song Jian was strong, it would be impossible for him to withstand the skeletal giant dragon for thirty seconds. Whooosh~ The skeletal giant dragon blew a gray Dragon Breath at Song Jian, carrying the Force of Death. The dragons breath left a long-lasting trace in the air, corroding a large area of the void. Seeing this, Song Jian felt a chill in his heart and did not dare to underestimate it. He quickly swung his steel wings to dodge to one side. Just as he stabilized, the skeletal giant dragons tail, like a bone hammer, viciously smashed towards him; Boom! With wide-open eyes, Song Jian saw a mass of shadows rushing over. Before he could react, his chest was hit by a sharp pain. Only then did the sharp whistling sound of the skeletal dragons tail slicing through the air reach his ears; Like a stone, Song Jian fell from the sky and crashed heavily into the ground, causing dust to rise. This hit made him lose more than 500 Vitality Points, and even added a negative effect of bone fracture to his status window; Cough-cough~ Song Jian was full of blood foam in his mouth, with intense pain radiating from his chest. It felt as if his lungs were on fire. The broken rib seemed to have punctured his lung, making each breath feel like tearing pain; Physical Treatment! Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian raised his right hand, and a white light enveloped him. It then gathered at his chest, and his broken bones were instantly repaired; Boom! The skeletal giant dragon fell from the sky, stirring up clouds of dust on the ground as it walked towards Song Jian step by step; I cannot face this behemoth head-on! Song Jian thought. In the previous confrontation, Song Jian had already observed the strength of this skeletal giant dragon. From its power to its speed, it had surpassed the first-order combat power and was not something he could face now; Tang Ming hasnt even reached the first-order combat power. How could he summon such a terrifying skeletal giant dragon? Song Jian wondered suspiciously. Previously, he had met a Beastman Shaman who, after completely depleting his vitality and spirit, had summoned only a giant beasts right palm and nothing more. Now, this skeletal giant dragons aura felt very close to that of the previously seen giant beast. Since he summoned such a terrifying dragon, it must have come at a great cost. Now he should be at his weakest point. I just need to kill him, and this summoned creature will naturally disappear. With this thought, Song Jians feet flashed with white light, and his figure shot towards Tang Ming like an arrow, leaving behind an ice path with chilling cold air. The most direct way to deal with a powerful summoned creature is to kill the person who summoned it. When the summoner is dead, the summoned creature loses its reason to exist in this world; Upon seeing Song Jian charging towards him, Tang Ming revealed a sneer of disdain on his face. Even though he was powerless at this moment, there was no way the skeletal giant dragon would let anyone hurt him; Indeed, just as Song Jian was about to reach Tang Ming, he suddenly sensed an immense threat and hurriedly flipped aside to escape; Boom~ With a loud bang, a bone hammer fell from the sky, landing at the spot where Song Jian had just dashed. A deep pit over six meters long appeared on the ground. If Song Jian hadnt dodged and continued to charge forward, this attack could have directly smashed him into a puddle of flesh. Damn it! Song Jians face was unpleasant as he looked at Tang Ming, who was only five or six meters away from him, with a frustrated look in his eyes. At this moment, the skeletal Giant Dragon guarded Tang Ming, and there was no way to break through the dragons protection and hurt Tang Ming. Song Jian, give up your dream of killing me! You cant do it. Just wait for me to lead the skeleton army to flatten the safe house you have built. Hehe~ Tang Mings face revealed a hint of madness as he burst into arrogant laughter. Song Jian squinted his eyes, staring intently at Tang Ming. In his heart, he had sentenced the opponent to death. However, the skeleton Giant Dragon was indeed troublesome, so he could only retreat temporarily and come back later when there was an opportunity. Just as Song Jian considered retreating, a dragons roar suddenly echoed in his heart. The Black Dragon cub, which had been asleep in the Pet Space, had awakened at this moment. The awakened Black Dragon cub seemed a bit weak since it had consumed a lot of its blood to create a body for Bloodline Wizard Wallace. It was already lucky that the cub had not dropped its rank, and now Song Jian would need to find some treasures to replenish its strength. Thinking about this, Song Jian suddenly realized that he had gathered a legendary medicinal herb, the Seven Stars Shard, while in the Protection Black Mist. This medicinal herb was one of the main ingredients for the Breaking Tribulation Pill, and could also directly enhance pet aptitude, which was extremely beneficial to pets. Although he did not know what the Breaking Tribulation Pill was for, Song Jian knew that a pill that used a legendary medicinal herb as the main ingredient could not be garbage, and no one would believe it if he said it was. However, the Breaking Tribulation Pill was too far away from him, while the second effect of the Seven Stars Shard could be used now. With that in mind, Song Jian directly gave the Seven Stars Shard to the Black Dragon cub. Suddenly, in the Pet Space, a green medicinal herb with seven leaves, carved like jade, appeared. The Black Dragon cub had just awakened and seemed somewhat listless. Then, it caught the scent of the medicinal herb, looked up, and showed excitement in its golden vertical pupils the moment it saw the Seven Stars Shard. It swallowed the Seven Stars Shard in one bite. Swish, swish, swish~ Golden light burst out from the Black Dragon cubs body as it began to grow rapidly. Its scales became wider and heavier, and its height doubled from just under three meters to nearly seven meters. With just one medicinal herb, the Black Dragon cub had grown from infancy to adolescence. Its level jumped from 15 to 30, surpassing Song Jian, its master. Song Jians heart stirred, and he quickly summoned the Black Dragon cub. Now a majestic young Black Dragon, it was no longer a cub. Excited for its first time out of the Pet Space, the Black Dragon raised its head and let out a roar. The sound waves vibrated in the air, smashing some ghost-like monsters into pieces instantly, while the remaining ones fled in fear. After a short time, there were no ghost-like monsters within a radius of several hundred meters. The skeletal Giant Dragon seemed to feel its authority being challenged and roared angrily at the Black Dragon. How, how is it possible, a real Giant Dragon A surprised expression appeared in Tang Mings eyes, quickly followed by ecstasy. A Giant Dragon, a real Giant Dragon! If I could possess its body, I could create a truly powerful skeletal Giant Dragon instead of this imitation Tang Ming licked his lips, greed showing in his eyes. Chapter 530: 530: Guardian of the Small Town Chapter 530: Guardian of the Small Town Kill him, kill him, just kill him, and this Black Dragon is mine! Tang Mings eyes gradually turned red, and his face became ferocious, Even a level 30 Black Dragon cant be a match for my Skeleton Giant Dragon. As long as I kill Tang Ming, this Black Dragon is mine! Song Jian, do you think summoning this adolescent Black Dragon can kill me? If you cant kill me today, you will forever live in my nightmare. One day, my skeleton army will cover every corner of this game, and you wont have anywhere to hide Song Jian raised his eyebrow with contempt, You have only managed to transform two skeleton warriors in all this time. By the time you have a skeleton army, I am afraid I will have become a god Tang Mings face turned gloomy. The low success rate and long transformation time, especially the difficulty of sourcing materials to transform into a skeleton warrior, all limit the number of skeleton warriors. At this time, the Skeleton Giant Dragon has already pounced towards Song Jian. The Black Dragon roared and leaped towards the Skeleton Giant, the two titans fighting in mid-air, their battle waves continuously destroying the buildings in the small town. Just then, in the vivid flower bed at the door of the town, a pair of emerald eyes suddenly opened, looking up at the sky. The disturbance caused by the fighting dragons had already aroused the attention of the towns Guardian. Song Jian, if you hand over this Black Dragon to me, then you can earn my friendship! Tang Ming licked his lips and said. Ha ha Song Jian laughed awkwardly, did Tang Ming think he was a three-year-old child, and easy to fool? Die! Song Jian swung his sword and charged at Tang Ming. Deprived of the protection of the Skeleton Giant Dragon, Tang Ming was like a fatty lump on a chopping board, ready to be butchered. When Tang Ming saw Song Jian charging at him, he gritted his teeth, took out a scroll from his bag, tore it, and threw it at Tang Yun. Cloud of Death! The torn magic scroll changed into a cloud of death energy, flying towards Song Jian. Frost Shield! A pale blue ice shield appeared on Song Jians body, resisting this cloud of death energy while charging towards Tang Ming. Sizzle~ When the shield and the Cloud of Death came in contact, corrosive burning sound could be heard from the shields surface, its defensive power was rapidly falling. Tang Ming was taken aback when he saw Song Jian charging over directly, and hastily retreated. Kill me, and you will be relentlessly hunted by Deaths Scythe! Tang Mings eyes showed panic as he quickly spoke. Song Jians sword had no hesitation, and he hacked down viciously at Tang Mings body. Ahh~ Tang Ming let out a blood-curdling scream, a damage score of over six hundred floated above his head. For a magic professional like him, damage over six hundred points was enough to take him down. Feeling its summoner was threatened, the Skeleton Giant Dragon slapped the Black Dragon away with its claw, coiled its body, and pounced at Song Jian. Get lost! Song Jians eyes were fierce. He swung his sword again, slashing out a golden Sword Qi. Light Strike! The Light Strike, filled with divine energy, was the ultimate nemesis of death energy. The Skeleton Giant Dragon took the hit straight on and let out a shrill scream. Its huge body, as though hit by a large hammer, swayed backward. Tang Ming took the opportunity to run towards the flower bed by the town gate. The reason he had been able to survive in this abandoned town in the wilderness for so long was because of a neutral monster in the town. Each time Tang Ming encountered a monster he couldnt defeat, he would lead it to the flower bed in the town and use this neutral monster to kill it. This time, Tang Ming wanted to repeat his old trick, lead Song Jian to the flower bed, and kill him there. If he killed Song Jian, not only could he obtain a players corpse that could be transformed into a skeleton warrior, but there was also the chance to get a Black Dragon. If he managed to make a real Skeleton Giant Dragon out of the Black Dragon, Tang Mings strength would instantly make him a top player in the game. As he approached the flower bed, Tang Ming took out a potion from his bag and drank it directly. Soon, the effects of the potion took hold, causing an agonizing expression to appear on Tang Mings face, but he still gritted his teeth and bore it. In no time, Tang Mings body gradually turned semi-transparent, like a ghost. The Force of Death radiated from his body. There was no longer any trace of life in him. Come on, come chase me. You will soon find out what it means to wish for death! Tang Ming looked back at Song Jian, who was chasing him, and a sneaky grin appeared on his face. Just then, a vine as thick as a water bucket emerged from the flower bed. This vine, covered in obscure black runes that flickered faintly, was so dizzying that it could make ones head spin just from looking at it. The vine didnt seem to detect Tang Ming presence. It silently stretched out of the flower bed like a snake. Song Jian saw Tang Ming turn semi-transparent and noticed his fearless posture beside the flower bed. This reminded him of what Tang Ming had said before: that there was a powerful monster within the flower bed. So, he halted his steps. Seeing that Song Jian didnt come chasing after him, Tang Ming was slightly disappointed. He sneered at Song Jian, You cant kill me! Well see about that! Song Jian responded, taking out two high-explosive grenades from his bag. Tang Mings face changed immediately. He had felt the power of these grenades before. Even if he hid underground, the blast wave had still forced him out. Song Jian looked at the grenades, hesitated for a moment, and put them back. The materials for making high-explosive grenades were not easy to gather. Song Jian had only three left in his bag, and was a bit reluctant to use them. Then, Song Jian pulled out a Self-destructing Robot and controlled it to walk towards the flower bed. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Self-destructing Robots caterpillar tracks rolled quickly towards Tang Ming, who let out a cry of fear and quickly hid far from the flower bed. The Self-destructing Robot was even more powerful than the grenade. If it got close to Tang Ming in his weakened state, he would likely be killed in an instant. Boom! A violent explosion stirred up a roar next to the flower bed. Tang Ming felt like he was hit in the back by a heavy truck. He was sent flying forward, the pain from the explosion was intense. His bones seemed to be shattering one by one, and his head was ringing, causing a splitting headache. At this time, Tang Ming, half-naked, had many of his equipment damaged. His body was full of burnt-black marks, his limbs twitching involuntarily, he seemed to be in a near-death state, only half a step away from real death. Just then, a shrill roar came from the flower bed, and several thick vines rose into the sky, intertwined in mid-air, and eventually formed into a thick plant with a diameter of more than ten meters. Chapter 531: 531: Hundred-eyed Vine Tree Chapter 531: Hundred-eyed Vine Tree Song Jians self-destructing robot was chasing Tang Ming, exploding just before reaching the flower garden. Almost all of its power was absorbed by the garden, while Tang Ming only suffered some aftershocks; The flower garden, originally made of green bricks, had collapsed more than half at this time, and the soil inside was scattered everywhere, along with the colorful flowers, like wilted flowers and broken branches; This directly enraged the guardians of the flower garden in the small town. Several thick cyan vines emerged from the ground, intertwining in mid-air and forming a large tree; This trees roots were twisted, and its branches were stout. Every green vine was covered with large and small eyes, looking very frightening when seen up close; When these hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at Song Jian together, even he couldnt help but feel goosebumps and retreated involuntarily; Hundred-eyed Vine Tree, Level 30, Neutral, First Order Combat Power, Vitality Points: 14000/14000, Status: Enraged; 14,000 vitality points? Song Jian felt surprised instantly. A level 30 monster, even if it was a lord-level, shouldnt have 14,000 vitality points. Could it be that the tree in front of him was much more powerful than a lord-level monster? Whoosh~ A vine as thick as an arm whipped towards Song Jian like a whip. Song Jian instinctively swung his sword to block it; Bang~ A strong force came, and Song Jians arm felt intense pain. His fingers loosened, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was flung away; How could this happen Song Jian retreated in a hurry, his face showing a look of horror. The power of this tree monster far surpassed his own! Fighting it would mean death! Song Jian realized in his heart and immediately lost the will to fight the tree monster; with a wave of his right hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, which was stuck diagonally in the ground, flew towards him as if controlled by an invisible hand and was caught by Song Jian; It seems that I cant kill him today. Song Jian glanced at Tang Ming, who was in a semi-conscious state, feeling a little annoyed. Tang Ming was lying within the attack range of the Hundred-eyed Vine Tree. Even if Tang Ming had only one breath left, one ordinary sword strike could take his life. However, that one sword strike was something Song Jian just couldnt land; Its a pity. If only I had long-range attack abilities, Song Jian sighed in his heart. Sword Controllers belonged to the Swordman class, and all their skills were either close-range or mid-range combat. Among all their skills, Earth Teeth Assault had the longest range, reaching 12 meters. However, even then it was still within the alert range of the Hundred-eyed Vine Tree, and once Song Jian entered this range, he would have to bear the attack of the tree first; Just then, an angry roar suddenly sounded from the sky. The skeleton giant dragon had already pressed the Black Dragon beneath it. The Black Dragon was bleeding all over its body, even the roots of its fangs were filled with blood. At this time, one of the skeleton giant dragons front claws was grabbing the Black Dragons neck, while the other huge claw was pressing down on its head; However, at this moment, the summoning time of the skeleton giant dragon had run out. The thirty seconds it had were fleeting. Looking at the struggling Black Dragon, which still refused to admit defeat, the skeleton giant dragon let out an angry roar. Its figure gradually became illusory; The Black Dragon turned over, flapping its meat wings and looking around with a confused expression. Soon, it gave up on searching for the figure of the skeletal giant dragon, turned around, and flew towards Song Jian. Before Song Jian could call to it, the Black Dragon turned into a black shadow and automatically entered the Pet Space. Song Jian looked at the Black Dragon. By now, it had been seriously injured, with less than a third of its vitality points remaining. As it entered the Pet Space, it lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The Pet Space had the function of slowly healing injuries. As long as the pet didnt die immediately, no matter how severe its injuries were, it could slowly recover after entering the Pet Space; Closing the Pet Space, Song Jian looked at Tang Mings location; At this time, Tang Ming had actually woken up from his coma. Although he looked disheveled, there was a victorious smile on his face; Song Jian, I told you, you cant kill me! After laughing, a ferocious expression appeared on Tang Mings face: I told you, from now on, youll live in my nightmare forever. Just wait, one day, my army of skeletons will level your safe house, and I will present your corpse in front of me, my skeleton warrior! Song Jian stared into Tang Mings eyes with a calm expression and said, I also said that I will kill you! Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Tang Ming was taken aback, suddenly feeling a strong sense of threat emerging from his heart. Impossible, what means can he use to kill me within the alert range of this small town guardian? Tang Ming suddenly felt a sense of panic in his heart. Just then, the Hundred-eyed Vine Tree suddenly shook violently. A shrill roar came from the tree, and the thick vines with the thickness of an arm emitted a sharp breaking sound as they shot towards Tang Ming; Tang Ming was startled, but soon found that the target of these vines was not him; At my back! Tang Ming was about to turn around when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a dark red sword tip protruding from his chest. This is Song Jians weapon. How, how did he do it Tang Mings right hand tightly grasped the sword tip. He looked up and saw Song Jian in the distance, staring at him coldly. Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was tightly gripped in his hand; Its his Phantom Clone, I was careless! Tang Ming suddenly understood and fell to his knees; As the Abyssal Phantom Clone stabbed Tang Ming, it was also pierced by the trees vines and torn into pieces. However, at this point, the Phantom Clone had already fulfilled its mission, so its disappearance didnt matter. When I was unconscious just now, the Shadow Binding had already dissipated Tang Ming coughed up blood and regretted in his heart. If he hadnt been unconscious and lost control of the Shadow Binding, Song Jians Phantom Clone would still be tied to the bed in the basement, buried underground along with the entire safe house. Because of the Shadow Binding, the Abyssal Phantom Clone could not disappear even when its duration was over and was trapped underground. However, once the Shadow Binding was gone, the Abyssal Phantom Clone was just a mass of energy and floated out from underground, launching a suicidal attack on Tang Ming; Cough, cough. Song Jian, even if you kill me, you wont get off easy. Deaths Scythe wont let you go. From now on, youll live in the fear of being hunted down at any moment. Hahaha. Tang Mings laughter abruptly stopped, and his body fell heavily to the ground. Soon, the effects of the potion he had taken disappeared, and his body returned to its normal state; At this moment, a thick vine stretched out and wrapped around Tang Mings corpse, slowly pulling it into the collapsed flower garden. Chapter 532: 532: The Hunt Chapter 532: The Hunt Upon seeing Tang Ming fully dead, his body even used as fertilizer by the hundred-eyed vine tree, a sense of relief washed over Song Jians face. Finally, its over. Using dead players to create skeleton warriors, its downright perverse! Song Jian sighed. But at that moment, Song Jian suddenly received a system alert, and his expression changed dramatically. System: Youve killed a member of the Deaths Scythe organization, lowering your relationship with them to hostile. Deaths Scythe will send assassins to kill you. You must survive three assassination attempts for them to temporarily give up on hunting you! How could this be, what exactly is this organization, Deaths Scythe? Song Jian frowned. In the game, there were all sorts of factions. Song Jian had already had a previous encounter with a faction called 101 Gathering Area. He had killed a few militiamen from the 101 Gathering Area that were trying to enter Doomsday City and had thus incurred their wrath. As a result, he was nearly killed. However, even after killing the militiamen of the 101 Gathering Area, the game didnt send out a warning of oncoming hunters like this one. Worse, he must fend off three assassination attempts for it to be over temporarily. I assume the assassins abilities will increase with each attempt. If I can resist them three times, theyll deem my strength beyond their estimation. Continuing to chase me would then harm the organization, hence the temporary halt. Song Jian managed a bitter smile and shook his head. If he were back in Doomsday City, in his own Manor Castle, even if this Deaths Scythe organization sent a killer of the first-order combat power, hed be confident of overpowering them. But now he was in the wilderness on his way to Shadowfang Mountain Range. If he was hunted down now, he could only count on his own strength, which was tricky. Song Jian looked around. The small town had been almost completely destroyed by the battle, leaving only a few remote buildings relatively intact, everything else was completely leveled to the ground. He glanced at the hundred-eyed vine tree still standing in the garden and heaved a sigh. Although he had destroyed Tang Mings safe house in the battle and the equipment that harmed people, Song Jian gained nothing, moreover, he had wasted two high-explosive grenades, and two self-destructing robots. If I could kill this level thirty monster, I might receive lots of nice loot. Song Jian glanced at the hundred-eyed vine tree, a hint of greed gleaming in his eyes. However, Song Jian quickly suppressed his greed. His quest was to fight a real Shadow Giant Dragon. If all his hidden cards were used up here, then his quest might not only fail, but he might also lose his life at Shadowfang Mountain Range. He gave the hundred-eyed vine tree a regretful look and marked the location on his map. Once he reached level thirty, put on the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, passed the first-order combat power test, and if he had a chance to leave Doomsday City, he would pay a visit to this hundred-eyed vine tree with over ten thousand vitality points. Three days went by in a flash. The wilderness outside Doomsday City was desolate, with large chunks of rubble everywhere. Sandstorms blew from time to time. Song Jian often walked dozens of kilometers without seeing any living creatures, except for monsters occasionally. Speaking of green plants, it was a luxury to see a single green weed in the wilderness. However, after leaving the town, Song Jian did stumble upon a small green forest. Inside, trees the thickness of an arm grew neatly, and hearing the birds chirping among them was melodious. If it were the real world, these scenes would be nothing special, but in this desolate ruin game world, Song Jian felt an eerie sensation and didnt dare approach, taking a wide berth around the area. At dusk that day, Song Jian set up a campfire behind a huge rock to prepare his dinner. At that moment, not very far from where Song Jian was, a fist-sized screen of light appeared. It expanded and distorted like a living thing until it was over a meter tall. A man shrouded in a black cloak, emitting an aura of death, walked out of the light screen with his head bowed and his arms crossed. This man had dark skin, frighteningly bright eyes, a hooked nose in the center of his face, spoiling his overall look and giving him a fierce and sinister appearance. What a terrible environment, I wonder what the boss was thinking, even allowing membership in such a place Looking at the endless sandstorms and the coarse stones under his feet, the man couldnt help but complain Narrowing his eyes and relying on his senses, a grim smile crossed the mans face: I have found you, humble crawler. No one survives after killing a member of Deaths Scythe. Prepare to meet your death! With a cold laugh, the man turned into a puff of black smoke, scaling towards Song Jians location with the force of the wind. Song Jian was roasting a piece of meat on the fire. The meat sizzled as the hot oil dripped, emitting a tantalizing aroma. Song Jian took out his spice box and carefully scooped out a small bit, spreading it on the roast meat. Before setting out, Song Jian had prepared various food supplies. However, he didnt carry many spices, with no way to replenish them in the wilderness. He treasured every bit of it. This should be ready to eat! Song Jian looked at the fragrant piece of roast meat, nodding in satisfaction. Once in the wilderness, Song Jians cooking skills soared, now at level three. He had also figured out five or six recipes for roasting meat. Just as Song Jian was about to taste his handiwork, his expression changed. His body turned into a shadow and he abruptly sidestepped to the left. Bang! A sharp bone spear fell from the sky, piercing the burning campfire. Immediately, sparks flew and the intense shockwave scattered the burning wood everywhere. Huh, good reflexes! A surprised voice called out from the air. Song Jian looked up to see a man in black floating mid-air, his black cloak fluttering like a pair of wings. Deaths Scythe! Song Jians eyes narrowed, growing serious. This man looked identical to Tang Ming, especially the robes allowing them to float in the air, giving the impression of wings. You insignificant crawler, it seems you know who I am. So be quiet and accept Deaths Scythes punishment. Let your soul fall into the endless hell to make up for your disrespect to Deaths Scythe. The man, with an arrogant expression on his face, pointed at Song Jian and murmured: Finger of Death! Immediately, a bolt of black light, reminiscent of lightning, shot straight towards Song Jian. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 533: 533: The Sanction of Deaths Scythe Chapter 533: The Sanction of Deaths Scythe Song Jian found that for a Sword Controller, attack range is a large weakness. Its fine if the enemy engages in close combat, but if they were ranged classes like mages, capable of launching attacks from tens of meters away, Song Jian would be put in the awkward position of taking hits without being able to retaliate. Song Jian always felt that his Invisible Sword Qi should be an energy higher-grade than magic power, but the way it was released, that is, the sword technique, minimizes the effect of the Invisible Sword Qi. The executioner of the Deaths Scythe opposite to him lightly pointed at Song Jian. A black lightning bolt instantly rushed towards Song Jian at an extreme speed. Subconsciously, Song Jian cast a Frost Shield. The magic Finger of Death collided with Frost Shield, resulting in a dull explosion. Boom, the Frost Shield directly shattered. A thousand points of defense were like a piece of thin paper before the Finger of Death. Such a feeble defense! A disdainful expression surfaced on Nasos face. It seemed a bit of a waste that he had to chase after someone so weak. The Finger of Death easily tore through the defense presented by the Frost Shield, hitting the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in front of Song Jians chest. Hum~ With a soft sound, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword burst into dazzling gold light. Song Jians body immediately fell back and stood firmly on the ground. Huh? A surprised look appeared on Nasos face. Although this move, Finger of Death, seemed casual, it was one of the strongest skills Naso had mastered. Not to mention a level 26 Gods Chosen, even a level 30 person possessing first-order combat power could be seriously injured if caught off guard. Its no wonder that the organization sent me here, it seems this Gods Chosen person does possess some strength Nasos face showed a trace of relief. Naso is a game NPC, possessing the strength of a level 25 elite boss and the class of a wizard proficient in death magic. Just when he thought Song Jian was quite powerful, his face suddenly changed, and he screamed. The ring on his left wrist suddenly burst into dazzling light. A faint light, kindled from Nasos ring, wrapped around his entire body. The silver-gray light quickly formed into a phantom-like armor surface, emerging on Nasos body. Naso, now clad in silver-gray armor, looked like a formidable Holy Knight, but his face was filled with terror. How can this be Naso exclaimed. A black lightning bolt suddenly appeared out of thin air and shot at Naso. It was so fast that Naso could only manage to release the defensive spell saved on his left wrist ring. Boom~ The black lightning bolt fiercely bombarded the silver-gray armor on Nasos body. A clear shattering sound rang out, and the ring on Nasos left hand directly shattered into countless crystal spots, dissipating in the air. Spurt~ A mouthful of blood spat out. Naso looked at the slowly dissipating light spots with a painful expression in his eyes. He momentarily forgot about the corrosion inflicted by the Finger of Death. Damn it, that was my Naso angrily roared. He took out a fang-shaped knife from his waist and fiercely sliced open a wound on his left palm. In an instant, blood spurted out. Nasos face rapidly turned white, but soon, his entire left arm gleamed with a silver light. His muscles bulged, and his entire arm swelled in size. His fingernails rapidly elongated, hooked inwards as the tips shimmered with a metallic sheen. One by one, cyan-black scales slowly came out from under the skin of his left hand. His entire arm looked like it had changed from a human arm into a beasts claw. Claw of Death! Naso roared, raising his left hand high and fiercely slashing it down at Song Jian; Four sharp, light-grey claw marks emanated a piercing howl in the air, as if they could puncture a persons eardrums; Light Strike! Song Jian held his sword with both hands, and with a fierce slash forward, the dazzling golden Sword Qi illuminated the surrounding space. The four sharp claw marks collided brutally with the golden Sword Qi, triggering a thunderous blast; Crack crack~ Naso exclaimed in shock as the golden Sword Qi severed the four claw marks directly, leaving a foot-long sword scar on Nasos chest. Blood gushed out, and a faint golden glow permeated from the wound, shattering the gathering black aura and preventing the regeneration of Nasos wound. Seeing that Nasos vitality points had fallen below half, Song Jian revealed a bizarre expression in his eyes. Your power is not even equal to Tang Mings, and yet you dare to pursue me? Song Jian laughed wildly, spreading out the steel wings behind him. With a leap, he brandished his sword and charged at Naso. At this point, Naso seemed quite disheveled. The four fingers of his left hand had been chopped off at the base, and blood from his chest had stained half his body red. The two powerful spells he released not only failed to harm Song Jian, but they also led to the loss of a precious defensive magical artifact and severe injuries to himself. What, you dare underestimate me! A burst of anger appeared on Nasos face. He moved his thoughts and concentrated on the Force of Death, which surrounded his left hand and had already lost four fingers. This Force of Death condensed into four sharp claws on his fingers, then the black aura spread along his arm, creeping towards the elbow. In no time, his entire left arm seemed to be fitted with a black metal claw cover. Today, Ill let you personally experience the terror of the Death Gods Scythe! Naso swung his left arm, blocking Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a bang, sparks flew, and the black claw cover formed by the Force of Death exhibited an indestructible strength. Even the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was unable to shake it. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Death Binding! Naso uttered softly, spreading his right hand and stretching it towards Song Jian. Five streams of black Force of Death shot out from his palm, forming five black chains in mid-air and binding towards Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback, as this move was similar to Tang Mings Shadow Bind; With a thought, a shadow surged from Song Jian, quickly condensing into a phantom clone, standing in front of him. Almost simultaneously, the five chains tightly bound the phantom clone. Looking at the surprised expression on Nasos face, a smile emerged at the corner of the phantom clones mouth; Whoosh~ A sword reached out below the phantom clones ribs, its dark-red blade pierced easily into Nasos abdomen, spewing out a jet of blood; No! Naso roared, swinging his left claw and tore the bound phantom clone to pieces; Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian cut him again, and Nasos vitality points were left with only about one-tenth; Feeling his strength rapidly depleting, a fierceness flashed in Nasos eyes. With gritted teeth, he roared, No one can escape the sanction of the Death Gods Scythe! Chapter 534: 534: The Abandoned Military Camp Chapter 534: The Abandoned Military Camp Song Jian suddenly sensed an uproar of the Force of Death within Naso and immediately realized what he intended to do. Self-destruction? Attempting to achieve mutual destruction? Song Jian narrowed his eyes as a flicker of coldness formed at the corner of his mouth. Naso, sensing his impending death, had chosen self-destruction. As part of the Deaths Scythe, he feared no death. As long as his soul remained intact, there were many ways for him to revive within the Deaths Scythe. Whoosh~ A chilling glint crossed Song Jians face. Just before the Force of Death within Naso reached its apex, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword mercilessly strove for his neck. Bang! Nasos head, full of unwillingness and regret, flew high into the air before landing on the ground, his eyes wide open in death. His decapitated body underwent a series of violent explosions. The out-of-control Deaths Force collided within him, causing his body to explode into pieces. A badge, radiating a silver glow, rolled out from his corpse. It was the only spoil of war fallen from the slain Naso. Upon picking it up, Song Jian found it to be a silver-grade accessory. Death Gods Badge (Silver), Equipment Level 28, Equipment Effect: Agility +4, Skill Damage Increase 40%, Special Effect: After wearing it, it can disguise as a senior member of Deaths Scythe. Note: There is a certain chance of being uncovered by the real Deaths Scythe member who will then relentlessly hunt the wearer down. Equipment Requirement: Level 25. Can it be brought out of the game: No. The most potent attribute of this silver-grade equipment is probably the increase in skill damage by 40% C almost equivalent to enhancing the skills power by three to four levels. Regarding disguising as a senior member of Deaths Scythe, this effect has no practical meaning for Song Jian currently. Though it might be useful later on, Song Jian had no plans to wear this badge now. The two accessories that Song Jian is currently wearing include one blue-grade Heart of Ice, which can unleash a Frost Shield, a beneficial effect that he frequently uses. The other accessory is the silver-grade Ant Soul Orb. Although its actual effect, intimidating the Magical Ant Clan, is no longer needed by Song Jian, its base attributes of increasing agility by 5 points and damage by 15% are excellent, making Song Jian reluctant to replace it. The Death Gods Badge had potent base attributes, but the special effect was indeed a double-edged sword with significant side effects. After some hesitation, Song Jian added it to his bag. Two more times Song Jian looked at Nasos mangled corpse, musing to himself. The first assassin dispatched was of only the Elite Level 25. Next time, it might be a Level 30 assassin. The strength of each sent assassin is much greater than the last. Song Jian wondered if he could hold on until the end. Shadowfang Mountain Range Song Jian consulted his rudimentary map. He felt that he had lost his way, being unable to locate the abandoned military camp marked on his map. Once he found this camp, he would only need to continue traveling south for 300 kilometers to see the Dark Castle of the Shadowfang Mountain Range. I hope I can resolve the pursuit from Deaths Scythe before entering the Shadowfang Mountain Range Song Jian sighed, speaking to himself. Had he known it would be this troublesome, he might have decided to spare Tang Mings life. Since he had already destroyed the equipment he used to create the skeleton soldiers, he certainly wouldnt have been able to create more in a short amount of time. After completing the mission in the Dark Castle, Song Jian could conveniently kill him on the way back. However, its too late for regrets now since he has already killed him. Theres no use in having regrets. Deaths Scythe, I will root your organization out sooner or later, Song Jian stated fiercely. Though it might be too early to talk about taking down Deaths Scythe given Song Jians current strength, it is not necessarily impossible in the future. Upon checking his map, Song Jian realized that the abandoned military camp should be nearby. He wondered why he had not found it yet and figured that he must have gone off course. Just then, he heard the sound of cartwheels crushing the ground from a distance. Turning his head, he noticed a giant beast pulling a peculiar four-wheeled cart. This beast looked terrifyingly similar to an alligator but had two curved horns on its head. Its limbs were muscular and full of strength. The name above this beasts head appeared green, followed by a subtitle that read, Player Jiang Shuangs Pet. Dedicated Cart One. It looked like this beasts name had been changed by a player named Jiang Shuang, thought Song Jian. The cart pulled by the beast was peculiar. It seemed to be a pickup modified with sections of iron welded all over it, making it look patchy. Seated in front of the cart was a goblin, controlling the beast. Upon spotting Song Jian, the goblin halted the cart and lifted his worn-out felt hat, greeting, Hello there, honored god-blessed. Hello there. I wonder where youre headed? Song Jian glanced into the cart, which was mysteriously empty of people but piled high with goods. Although it clearly wasnt a cargo cart, it was filled with goods. Moreover, the cart-pulling beast was obviously a players pet, yet Song Jian couldnt spot any players nearby. God-blessed, you can call me Torolf. My master is also a god-blessed. Im currently hauling goods for his shop! the goblin cheerfully explained. Judging by his wrinkled face, this goblin was quite old. Shop? The word caught Song Jians attention. He quickly asked, Could you tell me where your masters shop is located? Sure! Its just ahead in the military camp town, about ten kilometers from here, replied Torolf, pointing forward. Military camp town? Could this town be the abandoned military camp marked on my map? Song Jian wondered to himself. Torolf, my name is Song Jian, and Im an adventurer. Could you give me a lift to the military camp town? I need to purchase some supplies, Song Jian requested. Of course, theres no issue with that. If my master knows Ive assisted a god-blessed, he would surely praise me, Torolf humbly replied, moving aside. However, I must apologize. The goods have filled up the cart, so you can only sit beside me Many thanks, Torolf! Song Jian expressed his gratitude and sat next to the plump goblin. Not at all. I might have even brought a new customer back for my master, humbly replied Torolf. You mentioned earlier that you needed supplies? Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Haha, Torolf, youre a natural businessman, Song Jian laughed. Of course, I am a goblin after all, sir! Torolf laughed heartily, guiding the cart forward slowly. Chapter 535: 535: Old Military Camp Hotel Chapter 535: Old Military Camp Hotel The monster pulling the cart seemed uneasy at the presence of a stranger. After Goblin Torolf scolded it a few times, however, the powerful creature quieted down. Torolf, can you tell me about Military Camp Town? This is my first time going there, Song Jian said. He wanted to know if Military Camp Town and the abandoned army base on the map were the same place. Actually, my master and I decided to settle down in this town not too long ago, Torolf replied. I heard that the towns predecessor was an abandoned army camp. Someone discovered it and turned it into a gathering area using the resources found there. Over time, it grew into a small town Song Jian nodded. It seemed like the Military Camp Town was indeed the abandoned army base marked on the map Qi Yun gave him. So it took a decade to develop an abandoned army camp into a town I wonder when this map was drawn, its so unreliable Song Jian muttered to himself. Are there many god-blessed people in the town? Song Jian asked. Not too many, Torolf glanced at Song Jian and shook his head, There used to be a few dozen, but now theres probably less than ten Song Jian remained silent. Players born in the wilderness had to endure harsher environments compared to those born in bigger cities like the City of Hymns who, at least, had their basic survival guaranteed. The danger in the wilderness was ten times worse than in the City of Hymns. One could easily encounter high-level monsters at any moment and lose their lives. Even if they hadnt met any monsters, gathering supplies would be much more difficult than in other places; However, in such harsh environments, the players who managed to progress could potentially gain many more opportunities and become much more powerful! Just like Tang Ming, who was born in the abandoned town and surrounded by dangerous environments, but could obtain rare jobs and summon terrifying skills such as the skeletal giant dragon. He even managed to join a powerful force like Deaths Scythe. If it werent for meeting Song Jian, Tang Ming could have easily been a protagonist with great potential for growth; Along the way, Song Jian continued chatting with Torolf and managed to gather quite a bit of information about Military Camp Town. After more than two hours, Song Jian finally saw the solid walls of the town. God-blessed Sir, thats Military Camp Town up ahead, Torolf excitedly shouted. Roar~ The monster pulling the cart became excited as well and let out a roar to the sky; Song Jian noticed that, while the cart-pulling monster didnt have a fast speed, its strength was truly immense, walking effortlessly all the way to their destination. Song Jian followed Torolf into the Military Camp Town and arrived in front of a general store called Guns and Roses. A chubby young man was sitting at the counter with a worried look on his face, sighing from time to time. Master, we have returned! Torolf parked the cart in the backyard of the general store and led Song Jian to the counter. Alright, good job, Torolf. You can go rest now, and dont forget to feed our monster some fresh meat, the young man said, not even looking up. Master, this is Song Jian, a fellow god-blessed. Hes planning to go to the Shadowfang Mountain Range and wants to buy some supplies at our store! Torolf hurriedly explained. Buying supplies? The young mans eyes lit up as he looked at Song Jian. You seem to be new here, is this your first time in Military Camp Town? The young man smiled widely, My name is Wang Chui, and Im the owner of this store. If youre heading to Shadowfang Mountain Range, I have all the supplies you need! Boss, do you have any maps here? Song Jian asked. Qi Yuns map was so old that many places had either disappeared or changed, causing Song Jian to have quite a tough journey; A map? Wang Chui hesitated, then quickly said, Of course, I have the latest version here! Not only does it cover all the gathering areas, monster leveling zones, and dungeons within a few hundred meters radius, it even includes a small part of the Shadowfang Mountain Range. The location of the level 30 dungeon Dark Castle is marked very clearly too How much for a copy? Song Jian asked, pleasantly surprised to find a map with such clear markings in this small town; Wang Chui raised a finger and said, Ten thousand Doomsday Coins for one! Song Jian was startled, Boss, your map isnt cheap, is it? Well, with this map, youll save quite a bit of trouble. They say youre heading to Shadowfang Mountain Range, right? That area is a level 30 monster zone, so without this map, you might accidentally wander into a monsters lair and suffer great losses C far more than ten thousand Doomsday Coins Wang Chui spoke as if he was truly concerned for Song Jians wellbeing. Alright, Ill buy it. And give me some supplies, too, Song Jian said. Wang Chuis face broke into a huge smile C it seemed he had found a big customer. Song Jian had bought the map for the whole price without bargaining. In fact, the cost of producing the map was only three thousand Doomsday Coins. Wang Chui had initially planned to sell it for six thousand Doomsday Coins, but seeing as Song Jian had bought it without batting an eye, it motivated Wang Chui to prepare more supplies for him. Brother, whats going on in Shadowfang Mountain Range lately? Why are so many people heading there? Wang Chui asked while packing the supplies and chatting with Song Jian. Song Jian paused, then quickly asked, Have a lot of people been going to Shadowfang Mountain Range recently? Yeah, in just the past two days, Ive seen two groups of people, all players, and just like you, they spent money like they didnt care about the cost, Wang Chui said in awe. Two groups of players? Song Jian frowned, asking, Did they mention where they were going in Shadowfang Mountain Range? Not really, but judging by their direction, I think they were heading to the Dark Castle, Wang Chui replied. The players in these two groups were not weak, at least level 23 or 24, and their equipment was pretty good. Perhaps they plan to be the first to conquer the Dark Castle? Song Jian asked casually. Heh, its not so easy to be the first to conquer the Dark Castle, Wang Chui snorted. Thats a level 30 dungeon. Their strength may be impressive compared to ordinary players, but it wont be that easy to clear a level 30 dungeon. By the way, is there a hotel in this town? Song Jian asked. After spending so many days in the wilderness, Song Jian felt as though fleas might start breeding on him soon. He desperately needed to take a hot shower, eat a big meal, and get a good rest on a bed. There was still half a month left until the time he agreed to meet with Qi Yun, so there was no rush. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Theres only one hotel in town. Just walk straight down this street for about two hundred meters, then turn left, and youll find the Old Army Camp Hotel. You can rest there. I recommend trying their honey wine C it has a rich and sweet flavor and can also replenish Spirit Points! Replenish Spirit Points? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he couldnt help but smile; Chapter 536: 536: Beastman (Extra Chapter as a Reward for Chapter 536: Beastman (Extra Chapter as a Reward for Chopsticks Li) In Doomsday City, the number of food and drink that could replenish Spirit Points in a non-combat state was dwindling, let alone potions that could restore Spirit Points during combat; sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The price of these supplies had almost doubled since Song Jian first entered the game, making it impossible for him to use them as normal consumables. Now, hearing that this military camp town had items to restore Spirit Points, whether for non-combat use or for in-combat use, Song Jian planned to stock up on them first. Following Wang Chuis guidance, Song Jian arrived at the only inn in the small town, the Old Army Camp Inn. Standing outside the inn, Song Jian heard faint noises come from inside: swearing, the sounds of rowdiness, and the loud laughter of a group of people. As he pushed open the door, a surge of noise mixed with the smell of alcohol and sweat assaulted his senses. Song Jian couldnt help but frown, approaching the counter of the inn that seemed more like a bar. I need a quiet room for the night, Song Jian asked, How much is a single room per night? Youve come at the perfect time. Come any later, and Im afraid all rooms would be taken, a one-eyed, bearded old man cleaning a glass of wine, took a few gulps of the half-empty bottle of liquor set next to the counter before squinting at Song Jian and saying, A single room costs eight hundred Doomsday Coins a night, including breakfast! Thats not cheap at all Song Jian said speechlessly. Eight hundred Doomsday Coins were what he made from lumbering trees for three whole days when he just started the game. As he handed over eight hundred Doomsday Coins to the innkeeper, Song Jian casually asked, This place seems deserted, but it has many visitors? From his previous conversation with the goblin Torolf, Song Jian learned that this military camp town didnt have many inhabitants, probably just a few hundred. Since it was located in a remote place, it was rare to even see a person for months. This locality served as the nearest restocking station to the Dark Castle in the Shadowfang Mountain Range and gave occasional sightings of adventure teams. These small teams consisted of seven or eight people at most, considered a small relief to the monotonous lives of the towns residents. Who knows? The innkeeper shrugged, carefully checked the Doomsday Coins, stuffed them into the drawer beneath the counter, took a glance at Song Jian, and said, Maybe adventurers like you are getting stronger and feel like exploring the Dark Castle. Weve seen a lot of people coming here recently, but not many are returning Song Jian couldnt help but chuckle, shaking his head. He initially intended to discuss the mead with the innkeeper. Seeing the noisy lobby, however, he decided it wasnt the right place for conversation and told the innkeeper, Prepare a meal and send it to my room. Is that okay? Of course, a roast deer leg, half a pound of ginger sugar bread, and a bottle of mead, totaling six hundred Doomsday Coins. When the food arrives, you can pay the waiter directly, the innkeeper said. He then seemed to lose interest in Song Jian and turned his head to yell, Pike, Pike, take this guest to the last single room quickly. Remember to send him a dinner of roast deer leg, bread, and mead. Dont mess it up again, or Ill throw you into the wilderness for your relatives to roast you into meat skewers Coming, sir, your humble servant obeys your order. Is it this guest? Please, follow me, honorable guest. Pike will take you to your room. Please watch your step; theres a threshold here A goblin waiter in grey clothing materialised from somewhere, genuflected with a respectful demeanour, rested his right hand on his chest, and bowed to Song Jian. He then led Song Jian upstairs. Song Jian raised his eyebrows. He noticed that this town seemed to favour goblins as their labour force. As he followed behind the young goblin, Song Jian casually asked, Its been busy around here recently, with all kinds of people coming in Yes, honorable sir, Pike hasnt been this busy in half a year. Weve had especially many guests recently Pike said as they walked along. After reaching the second floor, they followed the corridor with Pike in the lead. As they walked a few steps further, a guest room door suddenly opened, and a beastman cloaked in black emerged. Song Jians body tensed up. He sensed a strange energy from the beastman a force similar to the Abyssal Power but radically different. This force was filled with chaos and evil as if a tranquil lake concealed a vehement torrent of magma beneath its surface. Shorty, does your place sell or rent mounts? the beastman looked at Song Jian for a moment before blocking Pike, asking loudly. Honorable beastman sir, theres a Beast Tamer located at the northern wall of the town. You can purchase combat pets and mounts from there. However, considering your size and weight, sir, he probably doesnt have mounts that can carry you, the goblin Pike bowed to the beastman, careful not to offend. Sorada, I told you to lose weight a while ago, but you didnt listen. If all of us ride mounts tomorrow, you might have to run after us, a seductive and charming female voice resonated from the room. Sorada, cant you summon demons from Hell? Let it carry you, just be careful with your ass, dont let the demons flames cook it, another voice, a young mans taunting voice, came from the room. Damn it, I should have thrown you bastards into the Dark Castle, and let that giant worm turn you all into its slaves The beastmans face soured. He cursed under his breath and headed downstairs on his own accord. Upon hearing the word Dark Castle, Song Jian felt a jolt in his heart. He didnt show anything on his face but followed Pike to his room. Honorable guest, your dinner will be served shortly. Please wait Pike bowed and backed out of the room. That beastman and his companions target is clearly the Dark Castle. What on earth is going on? Why are so many people focused on the Dark Castle recently? Did Qi Yun sign that contract with me because he noticed something as well? Dammit, theres information hidden in this that Im not aware of Song Jian looked gloomy. He hated feeling manipulated and in the dark. He needed to gather more information. Chapter 537: 537: Battle Chapter 537: Battle Song Jian had been in the room for half an hour when Pike, the goblin, came in with a large tray containing Songs dinner. Roasted deer meat: Food, Use effect: Recovers 500 Vitality Points in 30 seconds. Must be consumed in a non-combative state. If consumed for more than 15 seconds, you will achieve a fully satiated effect, increasing both physical strength and Spirit Points by 2, lasting 1 hour. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gingerbread: Food, Use effect: Recovers 450 Vitality Points in 30 seconds. Must be consumed in a non-combative state. If consumed for more than 15 seconds, you will achieve a fully satiated effect, increasing strength by 3, lasting 1 hour. Honey wine: Beverage, Use effect: Recovers 300 Spirit Points in 30 seconds. Must be consumed in a non-combative state. If consumed for more than 15 seconds, you will achieve a fully satiated effect, enhancing Spirit Point recovery speed by 30%, lasting 1 hour. These are some good food attributes, especially the honey wine. It recovers 600 Spirit Points in 30 seconds and gives a fully satiated effect. If consumed before a battle, you can still enjoy the effect of a 30% increase in Spirit Point recovery speed during a fight, Song Jian said with a look of pleasure on his face. What mattered most is that the honey wine was inexpensive here. All together, these three items only cost 600 Doomsday Coins. Song Jian estimated that if he could sell honey wine in Doomsday City, he could sell a single bottle for more than 500 Doomsday Coins. A single item slot can carry up to 200 units of the same item. If Song Jian wasnt busy with other tasks, he could stockpile thousands of bottles of honey wine and easily make a two to three times profit upon selling them in Doomsday City. Just then, an explosion sounded from outside the inn, and the room slightly shook. Startled, Song Jian quickly looked out the window. The black-cloaked beastman Song Jian had seen before was fighting two others. The black beastman kept trying to distance himself while casting Shadow Magic on the two adventurers. Both adventurers retaliated with sword qi reaching five to six meters long, pressuring the beastman. He was making roaring noise in anger and confusion. Scum of Death Gods Fang, dare to ambush me! I will make you pay dearly for offending the Shadow Council Alliance! roared the beastman. Sorada, hand over the Shadow Crystal you have, and we might spare your life! a warrior in chainmail armor demanded sternly. Hand over the Shadow Crystal, or die! the other warriora femalelaid out their only two options. It would have been impossible to guess her sex had she not spoken; her attire did nothing to betray her gender. Why should I hand over the crystal we fought hard to obtain from the dragons minions, to a pack of jackals like you! Sorada roared, gripping a Magic Staff as though it were a warriors weapon and lunged at them. Just then, Song Jian heard some noise from the neighboring roomsomeone had seemed to have jumped out of the window. Two of Soradas companions leaped down from mid-air, landing beside him. One of the two was a man dressed in an elegant red suit, looking extremely handsome save for the pair of fangs protruding from his lips that ruined his appearance. The other one was a tall woman wearing a crown of thorns. Her clothes, made from woven vines, were rather revealing, merely covering private parts. Her body was somewhat visible amidst the entanglement of the vines. Upon seeing Soradas two companions, the two warriors of Death Gods Fang hesitated and took two steps back. Both parties stood facing each other on the street, and for a while, even the air seemed to stagnate. Actually, we dont have to began the warrior who initially demanded the Shadow Crystal. He fell silent for a moment before continuing. Chichichi~ The moment he opened his mouth, the vine-dressed woman waved her hand, and a circle of pale green light radiated from her hand. Several dark green vines tipped with thorns shot up from the ground, like pythons, pouncing towards the two warriors. Why waste breath? If you want the Shadow Crystal, show us that you have the skills. With a stern shout, the vine-dressed woman began controlling the dark green vines, continually altering their attack direction. I am thirsty for the taste of your blood, murmured the vampire-like man beside the beastman. With those words, he unsheathed a short sword from his waist. His body seemed to teleport, and he appeared instantly in front of one of the warriors of Death Gods Fang. Damn! Its a Shadow Assassin! Run! We are no match for them Red light suddenly burst forth from the warriors, looking like flames. The force from the qi caught the vampire, who was about to stab his dagger into his victim, off guard and sent him flying. He managed to steady himself in mid-air and made a threatening gesture at the two warriors, floating like a bird. Do you really want to be enemies with the Death Gods Fang? The warrior, shrouded in red qi, shouted angrily, but the spectators could hear the fear in her voice. Kill them all! The beastman roared, his staff aloft. He slammed it onto the ground. An explosion. A crevice appeared where the staff struck, and hot magma poured out. A claw covered in scales reached out and gripped the edge of the crevice before a huge figure leaped out. Oh, my God, a demon! What the hell is that? Itll destroy the town! Onlookers were frightened at the sight of the creature that emerged and scrambled in every direction. Damn it, Sorada, how could you summon a Hell Demon here! complained the vine-dressed woman angrily. Oh, Sorada, youll destroy this town, chimed the vampire man with a mischievous smile on his face. Run! The two warriors exchanged a glance and immediately turned tail and ran towards the town gates. Chase them! I want to tear them to shreds and banish their souls to burn in the flames of Hell for 10,000 years! roared the beastman. Enraged to the point of madness, he started chasing the warriors. Soradas lost his mind again; we need to follow him. Why did I have to end up in a group with him? the vine-dressed woman complained angrily. Vines sprouted from the ground, raising her up, and carrying her like she was flying. This way is more interesting, isnt it? The vampire man chuckled, shaking his blood-red robe. He looked like a large bird as he flew after the beastman. Chapter 538: 538: Queen Bee Wine Chapter 538: Queen Bee Wine Song Jian stood at the window of the second-floor inn, looking at the traces left by the battle in the town. The fight between the two sides had been brief, but the damage caused was extensive. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The entire street was in complete disarray, a seven- or eight-meter-wide crack dividing the street in two. Molten magma surged within the crack, sporadically spewing outwards and igniting various flammable materials around it. Many townsfolk had begun to fight the fires, but even more, were frantically fleeing towards the towns outskirts. Deaths Fang, such a name sounds vaguely familiar. Song Jian watched as the group disappeared into the distance, pondering to himself. Deaths Scythe, Deaths Fang, whats next, Deaths Skull, Deaths Hand? Why not just be direct and call themselves the Death God Knock Knock Knock~ A knock echoed as Pikes voice carried in from beyond the door. Dear guests, are you still there? I hope the commotion earlier didnt bother you. You know, Ive been in the Garrison Town for over three years, and this is the first time Ive encountered such a situation. I swear, things like this dont happen often here. I believe it wont be long before someone steps forward to take care of this mess. Of course, the boss has said that perhaps we might have to adjust your accommodation costs due to this incident Alright, Pike, dont worry about it. In fact, you can come in and talk to me. Song Jian drew the curtains and walked towards the dining table. Cold venison shanks were no treat. Pike carefully stepped in, let out a sigh of relief when he spotted Song Jian enjoying his venison, and apologized: I hope I didnt disturb your dinner, esteemed guest Song Jian waved his hand at Pike to cut him off and asked directly: Do you know who was involved in the fight just now? Pike hesitated for a brief moment before whispering, I apologize, esteemed guest. Neither of those two parties are locals. They are outsiders, and it seems their destination is the Dark Castle about 300 miles from here. They had both inquired about the Dark Castle with me Indeed, it fits my premonitions. Song Jian quietly sighed with relief. Pike, Im fine, you should go and assuage the other guests. The hotel is quite packed today Song Jian said with a laugh; Please accept my sincere apologies once more. The boss will be personally paying you a visit shortly to apologize. If theres anything you require at this moment, feel free to let me know. As long as it isnt too demanding, I believe the boss will try his best to accommodate. Pike said. Oh, is that so? Could the boss bring me a bottle of honey wine then? I really adore its flavor. Song Jian replied with a chuckle. I believe the boss should be able to fulfill this small request. Please wait a moment. Pike said with a smile as he carefully backed out of the room. Before long, the tavern owner, an old man with only one remaining eye, came into Song Jians room bearing a bottle of honey wine. Honored guest, I have come here to express my apologies for the fight earlier The tavern owner said as he bowed. Please sit, may I ask your name Song Jian rose from his chair, pulled out another one for the old man, smiling as he asked. Poke Basto, but you can call me Old Boke. Everyone in town calls me that. The innkeeper sat down, placed the honey wine on the table, and said, This is a bottle of my treasured Queen Bee Wine, made from the honey of the twenty-fifth-level Wild Queen Bee. Its much more mellow and rich than ordinary honey wine. I would like to offer it to you as an apology, and I hope you can accept it. Queen Bee Wine? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he picked up the bottle, which appeared to have been aged for quite some time. Queen Bee Wine: Beverage, usage effect: restores 1000 Spirit Points in 30 seconds. Must be out of combat when consumed. If you spend over 15 seconds consuming it, you will achieve a well-fed status, increasing the speed of Spirit Point recovery by 50% for one hour. As I thought, the effects have improved substantially. Even for someone skilled in magic, this one bottle alone would allow them to fully recover their combat capabilities in just thirty seconds! Song Jian exclaimed with delighted surprise. I greatly appreciate this, Old Boke. Actually, theres a matter I wanted to discuss with you. Song Jian replied with a broad smile as he stored away the Queen Bee Wine. His current Spirit Point cap was barely over two hundred, so regular honey wine would be sufficient for his needs. Using the Queen Bee Wine would be somewhat of a luxury. Oh, what seems to be the matter? Old Boke asked with a hint of confusion in his only eye. I am interested in purchasing a large quantity of your honey wine. If you have more of this Queen Bee Wine, that would be even better! Song Jian stated directly. A large purchase? Old Bokes face showed clear relief. May I ask how many bottles you were thinking of buying? I would like to buy two thousand bottles for the first purchase! Song Jian replied. What? Two thousand bottles? Thats the entire towns consumption for a year! Old Boke cried in surprise. If possible, I would like to establish a long-term trade relationship with you. I have a store at the City of Hymns and I would like to sell the honey wine there. Song Jian stated. It was impossible to establish trade relations with Garrison Town due to the Protection Black Mist around Doomsday City. Even though the City of Hymns had a greater distance from Garrison Town than Doomsday City, establishing a regular trade route shouldnt be a problem. The City of Hymns? Poke responded in shock. Its over a months journey from here. Thats quite far If its not convenient for you, I can send a caravan specifically to buy from here. However, in that case, I expect some concessions on the price Song Jian suggested. Hiring a caravan in the City of Hymns would not be expensive. Song Jian could even hire a Silver Moon Commerce caravan to help him purchase honey wine. Esteemed guest, the amount you require is simply too much. Our small inn alone wouldnt be able to meet your request. With our production capabilities, we can only produce at most two hundred bottles of honey wine per month. Old Boke regretfully admitted. Only two hundred bottles? Thats a shame Song Jian expressed his disappointment. Two hundred bottles really were too few. The profits might hardly cover the hiring costs for a caravan. After hesitating for a while, Old Boke tentatively asked, Honored guest, since we are unable to produce a large volume of honey wine, maybe you would be interested in purchasing the recipe to produce it? Song Jians eyes sparkled, and he immediately asked, The recipe for honey wine, are you willing to sell it? Old Boke laughed, Of course, provided you have an appropriate offer. I would be more than happy to sell you the recipe for honey wine. Chapter 539: 539 Wild Bee Forest Chapter 539: Wild Bee Forest Song Jian, judging by his own standards, always thought that such a precious honey wine recipe wouldnt be sold by the tavern owner. However, he didnt realize that the honey wine recipe he found so valuable was not as important to the tavern owner. After all, in the garrison town, the honey wine of the tavern owner, although famous, was always sold as ordinary wine at a relatively low price that the average residents of the town could afford. How much does this recipe cost? Song Jian felt he might have overestimated the importance of the recipe and was afraid hed be at the mercy of the tavern owners pricing. Hehe, three thousand Doomsday Coins, how does that sound? Old Boke asked with a broad smile on his face. What, three thousand Doomsday Coins? Song Jian looked surprised. He thought not that the recipe was too expensive, but that Old Boke was selling it too cheap. In his view, as long as the price was under ten thousand Doomsday Coins, he would buy it. Yes, three thousand Doomsday Coins! Old Boke confirmed, placing a rolled-up piece of parchment on the table. Song Jian nodded without hesitation and paid three thousand Doomsday Coins, taking the recipe in his hand. Recipe: Honey Wine. Cooking formula. Use: Teaches you a more efficient way to make honey wine. Usage Requirements: Level 3 Cooking. Ingredients: Grains (3), wild honey (1), clean water (1); If you want to make a higher-grade royal jelly wine, you just need to replace the wild honey in it with royal jelly. Old Boke explained with a smile. Song Jian nodded and, unable to wait, unfolded the recipe and used it. The requirement for making honey wine is only to have a Cooking skill level of three. Song Jians Cooking skill had long reached level three, naturally meeting the learning requirements of the recipe. After using it, the recipe in Song Jians hand turned into a ray of white light and disappeared, and all the information about making honey wine instantly appeared in Song Jians mind. Closing his eyes and going over the method of making honey wine in his mind, Song Jian found that its method of preparation was not complex, otherwise, a mere level three Cooking skill wouldnt be sufficient for one to learn it. Acquiring grains was not difficult, as they could be grown in Song Jians territory. However, the biggest challenge in making honey wine was finding wild honey. Without it, there would be no making of honey wine. Boss, where can I get wild honey? Song Jian asked. Walk ten miles south from the garrison town, and there is a Wild Bee Forest. By killing the wild bees there, you have a chance to get this wild honey. Once a month, a wild bee queen appears there. If you kill it, it will drop royal jelly, which you can use to make royal jelly wine! Old Boke revealed, without any reservation, the location and methods to obtain wild honey to Song Jian. Thank you, boss. Song Jian nodded and said. Dont mention it. But be careful when you go to the Wild Bee Forest. The bees there are all level twenty-five. The bee queen is even a level thirty elite BOSS. Moreover, there are a large number of wild bees there. If you attract too many, even a ten-person adventure team will suffer big losses. Old Boke reminded him. I got it. I certainly wont risk my life just for a bottle of wine! Song Jian laughed. The next day, early in the morning, Song Jian left the garrison town and headed towards the Wild Bee Forest. In reality, the map he bought from Wang Chui clearly marked the location of the Wild Bee Forest, including the types and levels of monsters inside. However, it only indicated the levels of ordinary wild bees and did not mark the bee queen. If he were to rely solely on this map, he would definitely suffer a big loss. With still a bit of time before his meeting with Qi Yun, Song Jian decided to go to the Wild Bee Forest first to gather some materials for making honey wine. After leaving the inn, Song Jian only bought twenty bottles of honey wine. These bottles were just enough for his personal use and could not be sold for profit. Although Song Jian has a fief in Doomsday City and a shop in the City of Hymns, and could earn nearly ten thousand Doomsday Coins a month even without doing anything, as his level and strength grow, the money would no longer satisfy his needs. He planned to take advantage of this time to gather more wild honey. If he could get two or three thousand portions of ingredients, when he returned to Doomsday City, he could sell a large amount of honey wine and make a profit of at least a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. Song Jian, following the maps guidance, quickly arrived at the Wild Bee Forest. Only then did he realize that the Wild Bee Forest was not a wood but a large stone forest. Ugly stalagmites stood erect here, big and small, high and low. The distance between these rock pillars was very narrow, allowing only one person to pass through. The low buzzing sound emanated from the stone forest, and Song Jian saw fist-sized black wild bees constantly flying in and out of the forest. When Song Jian looked at the wild bees at the edge of the stone pillars, he found that there were no lone bees. They all moved in groups of three to five, and the distance between each group was quite close. Thank goodness, these are only level twenty-five ordinary monsters. As long as Im careful, there shouldnt be a problem, Song Jian reassured himself. Taking out a banner with a red edge, Song Jian waved it vigorously. Immediately, two beams of light emerged from the Fifth Battle Flag, transforming into two fire elementals about a meter in height on the ground. Song Jian put away the flag and directed the two fire elementals to lure the monsters. His own attack range was too short, and if he tried to lure the monsters on his own, he might attract too many. By using fire elementals to draw monsters, this situation could be avoided. Even bees ten meters away could be attacked by the fire elementals, which would then lure them over. Bzz, bzz, bzz~ The three bees that were attacked immediately flew towards the fire elementals. These bees could even use semi-ranged attacks. When they flew to a distance about a meter from the fire elementals, they suddenly stopped, lifted their tails, and shot venomous stingers at the fire elementals. Shoo, shoo~ The black stingers, each about a finger long, looked like crossbow bolts fired at the fire elementals. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These little guys, they have quite strong attacks! Seeing the damage numbers floating above the fire elementals heads, Song Jian was taken aback. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian could not afford to wait and see. The vitality points of the two fire elementals were falling quickly. It wouldnt take long before they dropped to less than half. Once these two fire elementals die, it would take an hour to summon them again. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword viciously cleaved into one of the bees, making it somersault backwards. These level twenty-five bees had a rather high defense. Even Song Jian could only deal two to three hundred points of damage per hit. Having attracted the aggression of all three bees, Song Jian swung his sword and began to focus on one, dealing all-out damage. Chapter 540: 540: Wilderness Poisonous Bee Chapter 540: Wilderness Poisonous Bee Wild Poison Bee, Level 25, Vitality Points: 3000/3000, Characteristics: Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Toxicity, Skill: Poison Sting; These wild bees were resilient with high defense; even with the sharpness of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, it was still challenging to break the monsters defenses all at once. A single slash only sent these bees flying, and once they paused slightly in mid-air, they instantly recovered and continued to launch their toxic stings at Song Jian. Pfft pfft~ The poisonous stings hit Song Jians body, held at bay by his Ghostly Leather Armor, producing a muffled sound. Numbers representing damage floated above Song Jians head, in the range of fifty to sixty points each time. Although this type of damage was bearable for Song Jian, the simultaneous attack of the three bees also made it hard for him to hold on for long. His only option was to finish the fight quickly, rapidly casting his sword skills one after another towards these bees. Thanks to the aura aspect of the Sword Control Skill, Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi now reached almost three hundred points, enough to support him in casting all his skills at once. Smack smack smack~ Three lightning-fast Sword Qi strikes hit the same bee, finally breaking through its defense, and with a pop sound, the bees entire body exploded with a light yellow liquid splattering everywhere, filling the air slowly with a light sweet fragrance. As the rest of the bees felt the death of their companion, they became even more crazed. A layer of crimson glowed on their dark bodies, increasing the frequency of their poison sting attacks, which hurt Song Jian significantly, reducing his vitality rapidly. Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ With both wild bees firing their stingers, Song Jian felt as if a line of soldiers was firing at him simultaneously. Plop~ With a soft sound, Song Jian felt a numbness at his neck, followed by a burning pain spreading out from it, making him inhale sharply. Flash Thunder Strike! Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Traces of dark red streaks appeared in the sky as the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword swung through the air. Each attack took away more than three hundred vitality points from the bees. Song Jian noticed that the Flash Thunder Strike, which causes lightning damage, and the accumulatively damaging Sweeping Sword Style, did particularly high damage to these defensively enhanced bees. But his previously unbeatable Light Strike did only moderate damage. Song Jian changed his strategy, started to apply sword techniques specifically and simultaneously activated the Frost Shield, completely protecting his body. More than a minute later, the two wild bees were finally cut in half by Song Jian, falling on the ground, their bodies twitching slightly. Out of the three bees, only one dropped wild honey and nothing else. The bees bodies could have been used to extract some materials using a skill like the Dissection Technique, but Song Jian had acquired this technique too late and its level was still only one, rendering it unable to decompose the bodies of the level twenty-five wild bees. So he had to leave the bodies to gradually burn to ashes. At this point, the burning pain on Song Jians neck was intensifying. He could feel a hot breath gushing out from the wound, like a wildfire trying to spread to other parts of his body. But it was quickly crippled by a refreshing energy from his mind. Upon opening the battle damage information panel, Song Jian saw a screen filled with poison damage. System: You have been affected by the fire poison damage of the Wild Poison Bee, losing 30 vitality points per second. This damage triggers the talent skill Thick Skin, reducing the damage taken. Final loss: 15 vitality points; This sort of fire poison damage message, flickering more than a dozen times without stopping. Every few seconds, a fifteen-point damage would pop up above Song Jians head. These wild bees are far stronger than regular level twenty-five monsters. I wonder how the innkeeper managed to gather so much honey. The fire poison on the wild bees stingers was so potent that even the talent skill Thick Skin couldnt negate it; it could only weaken the damage. Even an elite-level boss would probably not have such strong poison damage. Song Jian touched his neck, where a small lump was emerging, one-third of the stinger that had hit his neck was still protruding from the wound. Song Jian took hold of the tail end of the stinger and yanked it out forcefully, instantly pulling out the finger-long stinger from his neck. After removing the poisonous sting, the fire poison damage Song Jian was receiving gradually weakened until it was finally suppressed by the talent skill and slowly faded away completely. At this point, Song Jians vitality was just over five hundred points. These three bees deal almost as much damage as a level twenty-five elite-level boss. With so many wild bees, its going to be a slow and steady process to whittle them down one by one, Song Jian exhaled. For now, he had only found out that these bees were not very resistant to lightning damage, yet, they had high resistance to both fire and holy damage; While skills like Sweeping Sword Style, that pile up force, also deal considerable damage to them, it seems I should use Flash Thunder Strike and Sweeping Sword Style more when attacking them, thought Song Jian. He glanced at the long sword in his hand and with a thought, the golden long sword shadow on his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly materialized, while the dark red Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword turned into a shadow, attached to the golden sword conducting a faint golden glow. Since they are resistant to fire damage, lets see if gold attribute damage can break their defense. Song Jian thought, looking at the Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand. After sitting down and fully recovering his vitality, Song Jian, with the fire element elf in control, triggered three wild bees again; Sweeping Sword Style! The Golden Demonslaying Sword fiercely slashed against the hard shell of the bee. With a slight flash of light, a smooth cut was made on its shell. The bee let out a shrill scream and, trembling, lost control over its body and plummeted to the ground; The effect is good! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he immediately started to swing the Golden Demonslaying Sword in his hand like a madman, attacking the three bees; Golden Demonslaying Sword (Gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment effect: Attack 87-96, Critical Hit +5, Strike Back +3, Evil-destroying +1, Attack Speed +7, Gold Attribute Damage +35, Excellent Strike Rate +10%; The damage of the Golden Demonslaying Sword was slightly lower than the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, but the bees had no significant resistance to the golden attribute. Added with the increased critical hit and excellent strike rate, the bees were frequently incurring massive damage. It took just over thirty seconds for Song Jian to eliminate all three bees. Picking up the two pots of wild honey dropped by the bees, excitement budged in Song Jians eyes as he looked towards the stone forest. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There are many types of monsters in the game, and each one has its distinct features. When players encounter a monster for the first time, they will carefully probe the characteristics and weaknesses of the monster. Once mastered, they can develop highly efficient hunting methods specifically tailored for that monster, turning it into an object for leveling and collecting items. After having probed twice, Song Jian had also discovered the characteristics and weaknesses of the Wild Poison Bee. The efficiency of the second hunting round had improved at least twofold compared to the first round. Excitement filled Song Jians heart. Hearing the buzzing in the stone forest, his ears began to find it pleasing. Chapter 541: 541: Wild Honey Chapter 541: Wild Honey sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wild Honey, ingredient, edible, Effect 1: Direct consumption can restore 300 Vitality Points and 150 Spirit Points within 30 seconds. If you take more than 15 seconds to consume it, you will gain a full meal effect, increasing your Spirit attribute by 1 for an hour; Effect 2: Can be used to make honey wine. The wild honey dropped by the Wilderness Poison Bees is not only one of the ingredients for brewing honey wine, but it can also be directly consumed, restoring both Vitality Points and Spirit Points. Most importantly, there is no restriction on using it in non-combat situations, meaning that it is a replenishing item that can be used directly during combat. This characteristic makes wild honey much more valuable. If it werent for its small one-time recovery of Vitality Points and Spirit Points, selling it might make more money than honey wine. Having found a highly efficient way to hunt Wilderness Poison Bees and being enticed by the benefits of wild honey, Song Jian dives into a frenzy of monster killing. For an entire day, Song Jian fought monsters on the edge of the stone forest until the sky gradually darkened. Reluctantly, he stopped and headed towards Army Camp Town. In a single day, Song Jian had hunted nearly a thousand wild bees with minimal consumption of resources. Aside from the initial probing of the Wilderness Poison Bees weaknesses, he spent the rest of the day completely recovering through brief rest. In one days time, Song Jian had collected over 300 pieces of wild honey, enough for him to make more than 300 bottles of honey wine. At the same time, his combat experience also increased by 21%, bringing him a small step closer to Level 27. Returning to Army Camp Town, Song Jian went straight to the Old Army Camp Inn. Initially, he planned to stay only for a day and head to the Dark Castle in Shadowfang Mountain Range after confirming the direction. It seemed like he would have to spend a few more days in this small town. As the lava in the huge crack on the street outside the inn lost its magic energy support, it gradually dispersed, leaving only a seven or eight-meter-long and more than one-meter-wide gap. Still, one day was enough for the townspeople to repair the crack, and when Song Jian returned to the inn, the crack was no longer visible. Seeing Song Jian walking into the inn, the one-eyed innkeeper Old Boke raised his eyebrows, sniffed, and his face broke into a broad smile. He opened his arms and shouted loudly: Welcome back to Old Bokes inn, brave divine protector! I bet youve been hunting wild bees in the Wild Bee Forest all day, otherwise, your body wouldnt have such a strong Wild Bee honey scent. Haha, lets toast to the warrior! Clang, clang, clang~ Old Boke shook a small copper bell on the counter, making a pleasant ringing sound. Everyone raised their glasses and shouted loudly towards Song Jian: To our warrior! Song Jian was taken aback, then he picked up a glass of beer and shouted loudly: To the Old Army Camp Inn! Everyone drank and laughed heartily. Some played the violin, some sang valiant military songs, and even more people punched the tables along with the beat. The atmosphere in the inn instantly reached a climax. Old Boke, you got a hounds nose Song Jian took a few strong sniffs of himself but didnt smell anything. Haha, how many Wilderness Poison Bees did you kill today? Fifty or a hundred? Otherwise, there wouldnt be such a strong sweet scent! Old Boke patted Song Jian on the shoulder vigorously and said, There are too many wild bees in the Wild Bee Forest. Im afraid one day theyll swarm the town, and if that really happens, I believe the Army Camp Town wont stand a chance. You can post hunting quests. I believe if the rewards are reasonable, divine protectors would be willing to accept the quests, Song Jian shrugged and said. Although there arent many players in Army Camp Town, those who can survive in this harsh environment are all elites. The wild bees are thorny, but they are no match for these players. The players lack of interest in the Wild Bee Forest is just because its not attractive enough. I cant afford to offer quest rewards, even for the wild honey needed for brewing honey wine every month, it already emptied my pockets, Old Boke shook his head and said. Honey wine is the specialty of the Old Army Camp Inn. To maintain this reputation, Old Boke had to spend at least half of his profits each month to hire divine protectors to hunt Wilderness Poison Bees and acquire honey. Song Jian shrugged, thinking that honey wine could be considered Army Camp Towns specialty. If it could be traded with other places, it would not only eliminate the monster threats around the town but also bring prosperity to the towns commercial activities. However, this had nothing to do with Song Jian, as he couldnt stay here forever. By the way, did the group who fought yesterday come back? Song Jian asked. They dare to come back? Hmph, the damage they caused to the town yesterday exceeded a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. They have been marked as the least welcome people in town and wont receive any service or help in the future! Old Boke said angrily. Those who have been living in Army Camp Town for a long time have already considered it their home and do not allow anyone to destroy it. The two Death God warriors and the three Dark Council Alliance members from yesterday will most likely never be able to set foot in the town again. I think Ill be staying here for a few more days. Prepare a dinner for me, just like yesterdays, Song Jian had a couple of drinks, chatted casually with Boke, and then returned to his room to rest. No problem! I hope you can kill all those creatures in the Wild Bee Forest! As Old Boke watched Song Jians back, he lifted his glass of wine and shouted loudly. For several days, Song Jian tirelessly hunted Wilderness Poison Bees, obtaining more than 2,000 wild honeys. His inventory was nearly full. There were no more Wilderness Poison Bees at the edge of the Wild Bee Forest. One had to go nearly a hundred meters deep into the stone forest to find traces of wild bees. As Song Jian looked at the dense rows of wild honey in his inventory, he nodded in satisfaction: The time is almost up. I should go meet Qi Yun at the Shadowfang Mountain Range. This past few days of grinding wild bees has made me sick. Just as Song Jian was about to turn around and leave, a wild bee the size of a basketball appeared before his eyes. Wilderness Poison Queen Bee? Song Jians eyes lit up; he had hunted so many wild bees but hadnt encountered a single Poison Queen Bee. The Queen Bees respawn time was once a month. Song Jian thought he wouldnt encounter one, but it respawned today. Queen Bee Honey, this is a good item for making Queen Bee Wine. Im lucky today. Song Jian gripped his long sword, a smile appearing on his face. He controlled the fire elemental elf and threw a ball of flame at the Poison Queen Bee. Chapter 542: 542: Wild King Bee Chapter 542: Wild King Bee Boom, Boom~ Two hot balls of fire hit the Wild King Bee, immediately grabbing its attention. A low hum as loud as a bomber filled the air, the Wild King Bee moved with astonishing speed, leaving after-images as it rushed towards the two fire-elemental elves. Swoosh, Swoosh~ As soon as it was about three meters away, the Wild King Bee shot two poisonous stings. The finger-long stings, emitting purple-black light, left a trailing afterimage on Song Jians cornea before directly hitting the bodies of the two fire-elemental elves. Bang! Bang! The sharp poisonous stings, like two sniper bullets, blew a large hole in the chests of the fire-elemental elves. The purple-black poison spread in an instant, coloring their entire bodies, turning even their surface flames into purple-black fire. After shooting out its stings, the Wild King Bee charged violently at one fire-elemental elf, and after a series of chomp and bite sounds, the elfs head showed a successive loss of fifty to sixty vitality points. In less than three seconds, this fire-elemental elf exploded completely. After killing one fire-elemental elf, the Wild King Bee rapidly flew towards the other one, but this time, instead of using its chomp and bite skill, it used a normal attack. It took a good ten plus seconds to kill the second fire-elemental elf. Just as it finished off the two fire-elemental elves and was preparing to target Song Jian, Song Jians Golden Demonslaying Sword had already viciously slammed onto it. With a thump sound, the Wild King Bee was sent somersaulting, tumbling several rounds in the air and emitting a hum. Swoosh, Swoosh~ Two more poisonous stings were shot at Song Jian. Ordinary Wild Bee stings, he could resist relying on his equipment, but the stings of the Wild King Bee, Song Jian didnt even dare to try, directly activated his Frost Shield and darted aside. Thump, Thump~ With two muffled sounds, the poison stings grazed the edge of the Frost Shield and flew away, causing a large part of the ice shield to explode. Song Jian had a scare. The two near misses reduced the shields 800 vitality points to critical red. Only a thin layer of the Frost Shield was left on the surface of his body. Sword Silk! Song Jian wielded his long sword in the air, and three strands of hair-thin Sword Silk appeared out of thin air, lashing viciously on the carapace of the Poison King Bee, leaving three white marks. -122 -142 -135 -56 -75 -68 Three damage points of over one hundred, and three slightly smaller damage points floated up from the top of the Poison King Bees head. Song Jian spun around, his dark gold sword blade flickering with a trace of blue electric light. Flash Thunder Strike! Crackle, Crackle, Crackle~ Three sword Qis carrying lightning damage hit the Poison King Bee almost simultaneously, instantly cracking its hard exterior shell. The King Wasp let out an angry, piercing shriek, its form shooting towards Song Jian like lightning. The sharp tool on its mouth was full of fierce barbs, once it used its Sting Bite technique, it could easily tear open any sturdy defense; Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jian swung his long sword, and a light flow of creamy white Qi began to encircle his body; Ding Ding Ding Ding~ A flurry of sounds like rain striking banana leaves rang out. Over Song Jians head floated words like Evade and Resist. Even when damage was dealt, it amounted to just single digits, so insignificant it could be disregarded; Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill was only Level 2, too low to cause serious damage or break through the King Wasps defense. But the essence of Tai Chi Sword Skill lay in its defense; no attack, however powerful, could break through it; It could not only weaken an enemys attack, but also make one immune to all negative states, and even had the chance to rebound enemy attacks. If anyone claimed Tai Chi Sword Skill to be the ultimate defensive sword skill, Song Jian would not disagree; After the King Wasps Sting Bite technique was used, it caused less than thirty points of damage to Song Jian, even less than a normal attack; This was the attacking pattern of the Boss that Song Jian had figured out by sacrificing two Fire Elemental Sprites. He temporarily had no good way to deal with the King Wasps quick double poison needle attack and could only put up a defense shield to resist it. His Tai Chi Sword Skill was indeed the perfect counter to the Sting Bite technique, a damage-over-time skill. Sweeping Sword Style! Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The long sword in Song Jians hand suddenly grew heavy and swung thrice in succession at the King Wasp. The intense Qi overlapped and exploded within the King Wasps body; Boom, Boom, Boom~ Three times the damage, each time more intense than the last, causing the King Wasp to stagger slightly in the air; Flash Thunder Strike! Three sword Qi C each with the attribute of lightning C once again struck the King Wasp. The Flash Thunder Strike, with a cooldown of only ten seconds, could almost be considered a standard attack. Moreover, its lightning attribute perfectly countered the King Wasp, causing tremendous damage; The fight continued. Song Jian mercilessly executed sword skills to attack the King Wasp while remaining vigilant for any potential new techniques the King Wasp could unleash; The King Wasps vitality kept decreasing, and after more than ten minutes, its Vitality Points had dropped to quarter. A hint of joy appeared on Song Jians face. At this rate, in another five to six minutes at the most, the already deeply wounded King Wasp would meet its demise under his sword; A few minutes later, just as Song Jian was preparing to reap the fruits of victory, he suddenly detected a whiff of blood. Song Jian, who was in the midst of attacking the King Wasp, seemed to sense something. The sword strike he had already launched was swiftly drawn back, and he lashed out with a slash of sword Qi behind him based on instinct; Clink~ The figure of a rogue slowly appeared, with crossed daggers in his hands, employing the Parry skill to repel the sword Qi released by Song Jian. How did you detect me? Kun Jue asked in surprise, looking at Song Jian. As a top-ranked assassin within the Death Gods Scythe organization, Kun Jue was known for his unpredictable appearances. This, in no small part, was due to his stealth technique having reached the maximum level 10. Even when passing by high-level creatures with great power, Kun Jue would go unnoticed; Some even met their end at his hands without having any clue who attacked them. Deaths Scythe? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he squinted at the strange symbol on Kun Jues leather armor; The Death Gods Scythe had dispatched a second assassin at this time, but how they learned that the first assassin had died was anyones guess. Kun Jue was level thirty and had picked the suitable profession of a rogue for the assassin. Had Song Jian not detected him earlier, he might have fallen into a pincer attack just now. Such persistent ghosts! Song Jians eyes narrowed as a chilling murderous intent surfaced. Chapter 543: 543: Smoke Bomb Chapter 543: Smoke Bomb Song Jian was caught in a pincer attack between the wounded Wild King Bee boss in front and the level-30 Deaths Scythe assassin pursuing from behind. Go to hell! Kun Jue revealed himself, but instead of retreating, he charged like a warrior towards Song Jian, his dagger slashing towards Song Jians neck like a hunters fang. Song Jian saw a flash of white light and quickly raised his sword to block. With a clang, the dagger was stopped inches from his face. A dark green flash crossed the blade of the dagger and a nauseating stench drifted from it. Song Jians heart sank. The dagger was poisoned! As Kun Jues dagger was almost knocked away, he stabilized it with effort. He felt a numbness in his arms and was taken aback. Although Song Jian had hidden all his attributes, they were still revealed under Kun Jues inspection skill. Song Jian was only level 26, four levels lower than him, giving Kun Jue a psychological advantage. However, during their collision, Kun Jue discovered that Song Jians strength had far surpassed his own, causing his face to darken. However, the battle-hardened Kun Jue did not feel discouraged. Many of his assassination targets had greatly exceeded his own power, but in the end, they were all killed by him. Such a small surprise was nothing to Kun Jue. Like a swallow, he suddenly flipped and stabbed at the back of Song Jians head. This was one of Kun Jues signature attacks, the Side Flip Chisel Attack, a rare skill owned by assassins. It was a reward he obtained after laboriously accomplishing a special task. Such tasks were so rare that they did not come across by every one in a thousand assassins, and perhaps only one or two in a hundred who received such a task could complete it and receive the reward. Kun Jue was one of them. This unexpected move had turned defeat into victory many times for him. However, just then, Song Jian surged forward, his long sword cutting down violently, causing Kun Jue to miss. Realizing Song Jians move, Kun Jue hesitated for a moment before understanding that Song Jian was using a skill that forced a displacement, evading his fatal strike. The Broken Wing Dance! After Song Jian made a vacant slash in front, he immediately turned around and slashed at Kun Jue. Clang, clang~ Reacting swiftly, Kun Jue used his dagger to block, leaning back like a willow leaf to offset the force of the blow. Two numbers over thirty floated above his head, signifying the damage he had taken. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The opponents damage is too high. Even though I successfully blocked it, I still got hurt. Kun Jues heart sank. He had underestimated his opponent and thoughts of a thousand mile escape arose in his mind. In truth, Kun Jue should have retreated immediately after Song Jian discovered him and broke his invisibility status using Sword Qi. This was a basic instinct of an assassin when a strike misses, retreat thousands of miles. Song Jians level 26 status misled Kun Jue, making him overconfident and causing him to believe he could kill Song Jian in a direct fight, even if he didnt get the first strike. But the ensuing confrontation went beyond Kun Jues expectations. Song Jians strength attribute completely dominated his own despite being four levels lower. Kun Jue noticed for the first time that there seemed to be something wrong with the information on Song Jian. At this point, if Kun Jue had given up the assassination and retreated immediately, Song Jian would have had to deal with the attacks of the Poisonous King Bee and probably wouldnt have pursued him. Kun Jue only needed to regain Song Jians information and form a new assassination plan. However, he decided to take the chance, believing that his assassination experience could help him overcome this little setback. However, when Song Jians formidable damage was laid bare before Kun Jues eyes, it was like a bucket of cold water poured on him from head to toe. The chilling feeling made him feel as if he were standing naked in the Siberian wind. Danger! This thought flashed through Kun Jues mind. He was ready to retreat. Just then, a burst of Qi exploded from Song Jians long sword. Kun Jue felt a loss of control over his body, which was launched into the air, now weightless. Damn it, how did this happen! Kun Jues face turned ghastly pale, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks. It doesnt matter. Even if he takes this opportunity to attack me, it would only result in serious injury. He cant kill me. I can use Doppelganger Illusion and Aurora Shadow to escape safely. Kun Jue comforted himself internally. Even though he had lost control of his body, he quickly formulated a number of escape plans should he regain control. He had confidence to escape. Just then, Kun Jue realized that Song Jian did not continue to attack him but moved to the side. Why did he not take this golden opportunity to severely injure me? Kun Jue was puzzled. Although he didnt know why, he felt that there was a bigger threat waiting for him. As expected, just as Kun Jues body began to fall and was about to regain control of his body, a buzzing sound of rapidly flapping wings sounded in his ears. The Wild King Bee! Kun Jues heart plummeted. He instantly understood Song Jians plan. The latter was preparing to use him as a shield to block the Wild King Bees attack! Damn it, how could this happen! A look of despair washed over Kun Jues face. His initial plan was to ambush Song Jian when he was absorbed in battling the nearly-dead boss. He didnt expect his own steps to be detected early, and worse still, he ended up becoming the target of the Wild King Bees attack due to Song Jians tactics. Whoosh, whoosh~ Two purple-black poisonous needles were shot at Song Jian, who sneered. Transforming into a black shadow, he slid away from the airborne Kun Jue and gave him a kick, sending him flying towards the needles. Thud, thud~ Both poisoned needles hit Kun Jue with deadly accuracy. One drilled into his chest and the other into his ribs. It felt like corrosion was spreading from the punctured areas, and soon the rest of his body. Kun Jue crashed to the ground, rolled a couple of times, and biting down on his teeth, quickly took out a smoke grenade and smashed it onto the ground. Boom! After a spark, a thick white smoke began to spread around them. In no time, everything within a few dozen meters became completely invisible. Chapter 544: 544: Forced Stealth Chapter 544: Forced Stealth Flash Thunder Strike! Without giving Kun Jue a glance, Song Jian turned around and rushed towards the Wild King Bee. A streak of lightning flashed three times in quick succession. The Wild King bee let out a piercing shriek, as it exploded into fragments, as though a delicate porcelain was smashed to pieces. Song Jian was stunned for a moment. He didnt expect such a strong reaction from the death of the Wild King Bee. However, now that it was dead, Song Jian casually picked up the few items it had dropped and glanced cautiously around him. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although Kun Jue seemed to have left, Song Jian believed he wouldnt give up so easily. He was likely still lurking in the vicinity, perhaps even gritting his teeth and staring at him bitterly. Those two Bee King Poison NeedlesI wouldnt dare to let them hit me casually. The venom alone it would be enough to drive a person mad, Song Jian thought of Kun Jue tormented by the venom of the Wild King Bee, a faint smile appearing on his face. After waiting for a while, as Kun Jue didnt show up, Song Jian carefully exited the stone forest. The monster respawn rate in this area was rapid, and carelessness could result in being swarmed by wild bees. Once he was out of the stone forest, Song Jian began to examine the spoils in his inventory. First was the almost guaranteed drop of Wild King Bee honey. This time, he had gotten three portions. These could be used to brew three bottles of Bee King Wine but after looking at the properties of the Wild King Bee honey, Song Jian became hesitant, unsure if he should brew into a Bee King Wine which only restored Spirit Points. Wild King Bee Honey: ingestible and used in brewing. Effect 1: Immediate consumption restores 800 Vitality Points and 200 Spirit Points, and continuously restores 500 Vitality Points and 150 Spirit Points over the next 30 seconds. Upon first use, permanently increases physical attribute by 1 point. Subsequent uses will not increase attribute points. Effect 2: Can be used for brewing Bee King Wine. The properties of the Wild King Bee Honey were so great, it made Song Jian feel that turning it into Bee King Wine, besides the taste and the restoration of 1,000 Spirit Points, didnt have any other benefits. For magic users, maybe the wine would be better, but for Song Jian, the honey was more suitable, especially the permanent increase in physical attributes after direct consumption. After reviewing the properties of the Wild King Bee honey, Song Jian turned his gaze to the next item. Soul Capturing Bead: Special Item, Silver Grade, Item Level 28, Usage Effect: Allows players to store Spirit Points/Mana Points/Magic Points and other types of energy. When players have exhausted their energy, they can continue using the stored energy in the bead. The beads maximum storage capacity is 0/2000. This item can be used while stored in the inventory. Can only be used by players of Level 25 or above. This is useful, but not for me. I can only put it in the guild warehouse and see if others need it, Song Jian muttered with some disappointment. This item could be viewed as a permanent energy potion which did not clash with recovery potions used during the cooldown period. It might save the lives of magic users at critical moments. However, it had limited value for Song Jian. His Invisible Sword Qi recovery speed was swift, he didnt need to store it. But magic users might find it particularly useful. Many magic users might not even have 2,000 mana points, but with this bead, they could go all out with their spells in battle, instantly transforming into an artillery platform with infinite firepower, truly terrifying. Song Jian was confident that once this item hit the auction house, all magic users would try to get their hands on it. They would spend their fortune, if necessary, to possess the bead. Apart from these two items, the boss also dropped some materials for forging like the Bee King Poison Needle and Bee King Wing as well as some for making potions like the Bee King Poison Sac and Bee King Honey Gland. All items were of blue quality and had a high value. After checking his gains, Song Jian stood under a massive rock, his mind whirring as a pair of iron wings appeared behind his back. He fanned them a couple of times, before loudly stating, If youre not making a move, Ill leave Before he completed his sentence, a dark figure dropped from midair with a dagger in hand that let out a harsh shriek as it aimed for Song Jians head. I knew you wouldnt let it end! Song Jian sneered, stamping his foot and flapping his wings twice quickly. His figure moved sideward with the swiftness of electricity. Ever since Song Jian left the stone forest, he felt as if he was being watched, as though a thorn was pricking at his back. He knew Kun Jue, the assassin of Deaths Scythe, lied in wait in the vicinity. Kun Jue could not accept his defeat and would definitely attack again. Song Jian displayed his iron wings to send a message to Kun Jue that if he did not strike soon, Song Jian would take to the skies, at which point locating him would be much harder. Furthermore, he had carefully chosen this spot. Within a few hundred meter radius, there was only this massive rock. By standing with his back against the rock, he protected himself from an ambush from behind. Assassins had many high burst skills that required launching from behind their target. By leaning against this rock, Song Jian could avoid being killed by Kun Jue in an instant strike from behind. The time and location were almost entirely dictated by Song Jian. The second assassination attempt had lost its element of a surprise attack. Yet, what surprised Song Jian was that Kun Jue had been hiding on top of the rock behind him and had launched an attack straight downward. Kun Jue descended from the sky, his dagger aiming for Song Jians head as he executed the Knockout skill. If the attack landed, Song Jian would be stunned for a solid eight seconds. Even though one could wake up with a shock of damage, Kun Jue could take advantage of this gap to select the perfect position and finish him off. Song Jian flapped his wings and held his longsword vertically in front of him. With a clang, the dagger and longsword clashed, releasing a burst of golden light. With a flip in mid-air, Song Jian retreated a couple of steps. However, Kun Jue felt a severe pain in his forehead, and his body became stiff and unable to move. A stunned symbol appeared in his status bar. How can this be Kun Jue was furious. His own skill was reflected back on him. Not only was the damage reflected, but also the negative status effect. This was impossible! A hint of a smile crossed Song Jians face. His longsword, crackling with electricity, swung straight at Kun Jue. Flash Thunder Strike! Six damage figures floated above Kun Jues head in an instant, and his Vitality Points shrank by a third in a flash. This damage startled Kun Jue, and his body released a puff of white smoke and disappeared. Forced Stealth! Song Jian frowned. A skill to enter stealth mode in combat was definitely a rare skill. Having so many rare skills, Kun Jue must be one of the elites in the Deaths Scythe. Chapter 545: 545: Night Chapter 545: Night Kun Jue felt his cheeks burning hot, two consecutive failures made a ball of fire rise in his heart, his two red eyes twisted his face into a fierce and distorted expression. During his first ambush on Song Jian, he was poisoned by the wild bee king. This kind of continuous damage made it impossible for him to use his stealth skills. Once he got injured in his invisible state, he would automatically reveal himself; Left with no choice, Kun Jue could only use a smoke bomb to escape; In order to get rid of the bee kings poison from his body, Kun Jue even used a super antidote potion. This kind of potion could only be made by a master pharmacist. Kun Jue had only obtained it by accident after completing a task. He had spent a precious detox elixir but failed to kill the target, which made Kun Jue feel utterly humiliated. Once recovered, Kun Jue couldnt wait to strike again, but he never expected that Song Jian could reflect his attacks, and the opponents damage was extremely high; one move could take away a third of his vitality points. If Song Jian was allowed to attack, Kun Jue might be instantly killed by him. Am I supposed to admit defeat? Let those in my organization mock me? No, I have to kill him, kill this god-favored one! Kun Jue gnashed his teeth, blood seeping between them, but he didnt seem to feel any pain. Song Jian stared at the empty wilderness and put away his iron wings, feeling a little regret in his heart; Though his damage was already strong, he didnt have much control over his abilities. Professionals like Kun Jue, who could fight and run as they pleased, gave him a headache. Being watched constantly felt like a dark cloud hanging over his head and just wouldnt go away. In response, Song Jian hesitated for a moment before deciding not to return to the military camp town but headed towards the Shadowfang Mountain Range instead. Song Jians map was far more detailed than the simple version provided by Qi Yun. According to the maps directions, it would only take four or five days to reach the Shadowfang Mountain Range at Song Jians speed. If he could hire a mount in the military camp town, he could potentially arrive one or two days earlier. As night fell, large dark clouds appeared in the sky, looking just like in Doomsday City. Song Jian sat before a bonfire, sighing quietly. It seemed impossible to absorb moonlight essence tonight. However, even if he could absorb it, Song Jian wouldnt dare to do so now. The feeling of being watched was always lingering in his heart. The opponent was unlikely to give up in the night, an environment perfect for ambushes. With a thought, thirty blood crows appeared beside Song Jian. In no time, the crows were evenly distributed within a hundred-meter radius around him. Any slight movement or sound would prompt him to discover it and react; While blood crows had a weak attack, they could fly for a long time without eating, drinking or resting, making them excellent scouts; they could even be compared to wild zombies; Next, Song Jian summoned thirty blood wolves, spreading them out, so that it would be impossible to conceal their scent from these sharp-smelling creatures even if Kun Jue were to enter a stealth state; Only after setting up layers of defenses did Song Jian lay down to rest. He didnt believe that the blood crows and blood wolves alone could stop Kun Jue. However, it would be incredibly difficult for Kun Jue to approach him unnoticed. As long as the blood crows and blood wolves could detect Kun Jues traces, Song Jian was confident he could kill his opponent, or at least force him to retreat. Time passed quickly, and soon it was late at night. The bonfire slowly dimmed, and Song Jian lay motionless by its side. With only the slight rise and fall of his chest, it seemed he had fallen deep into sleep. Suddenly, Song Jians eyes snapped open. A cold chill crawled from his chest and spread throughout his body. Alarm bells rang in his heart. Although the blood crows and blood wolves hadnt signaled to him any danger, Song Jian knew that he was in grave danger; A phantom clone appeared in Song Jians resting position. Song Jian rolled to the side, hiding in a dark corner; Whats going on? How did he manage to silently break through the defenses of the blood crows and blood wolves? Song Jians forehead was drenched in sweat. At first, he felt slightly drowsy, but now it was like he had been doused with cold water, and he was wide awake; Just then, Song Jian saw a bean-sized red dot appear on the chest of the phantom clone lying on the ground. The dot quickly moved up to the clones head and stayed there for a moment before it moved back to its chest, remaining still; Is this an infrared sight? Song Jian narrowed his eyes as he stared at the red dot and suddenly understood the opponents tactic; The Death Gods Scythes killer also possessed long-range sniping capabilities that he hadnt revealed during the day; Using the infrared sight, his position should be between three hundred and five hundred meters away from here Song Jian glanced into the pitch-black wilderness following the direction of the infrared line, a fierce glint flashing through his eyes; Suddenly, a cloud of black mist floated upwards from where Song Jian had been and flew towards the distance; At that moment, a muffled sound came from a distance. While the sound wasnt loud, it was carried clearly into Song Jians ears in the dead of night; S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He even installed a silencer So his firing range has been reduced, it should be within three hundred meters! Without even looking at the phantom clone, Song Jian flew straight towards where he believed Kun Jue was hiding; At this time, Kun Jue was lying on top of a rock, observing Song Jian through the night vision scope of his sniper rifle; Since Song Jian had laid down, Kun Jue had patiently waited, just like a hunting cheetah prey. Waiting for hours wasnt a problem as long as he found the perfect time to strike; When Kun Jue believed Song Jian was sound asleep, he finally set up his sniper shot. To improve accuracy, he had also installed an infrared laser sight. But as he pulled the trigger, he realized something was awry when the bullet penetrated the targets chest without any blood pouring out. His face changed, heart sinking; How could this be, how did he find out about me?! Kun Jue hammered the rock beneath him with anger, quickly packing up his sniper rifle and getting ready to leave; At that moment, he didnt notice a cloud of black mist slowly approaching him from above. Chapter 546: 546: Seeing Through Chapter 546: Seeing Through Song Jians killing intent grew even more intense. This Deaths Scythe assassin, like a bone-devouring maggot, refused to leave him be. Kun Jue had already sensed the threat approaching and had prepared to retreat and leave after finding out he hadnt killed Song Jian, but only eliminated one of his clones. At this moment, he was more than 250 meters away from the bonfire Song Jian had lit. He thought it was impossible for Song Jian to locate him so quickly. However, unbeknownst to him, Song Jian had already morphed into a dark cloud and appeared in mid-air less than ten meters away from him. Warnings of impending death resounded continuously in Kun Jues mind. The more assassination attempts there were, the more cards Song Jian revealed, making Kun Jue feel he had a better chance of victory. But what he didnt know was that the more times he tried to assassinate Song Jian, the more Song Jian learned about him. Whoosh~ A breeze swept by, and Kun Jue suddenly found himself enveloped in a dark fog. He couldnt see his hand in front of his face. The fog continuously caused him harm, not much, but enough to unsettle him. How can he pinpoint my location so quickly? What kind of skill is that? Why cant I even sense anything one meter outside this thick fog Kun Jue immediately activated his Acceleration Skill and dashed in one direction. However, no matter how fast he was, he couldnt escape the area covered by the dark fog. The fog seemed to cling to him like his shadow; wherever he went, it followed. Come out and fight me for three hundred rounds if you have the guts! Kun Jue roared in madness, swinging his dagger frantically in the dark fog as if his enemy were right before him. It seemed as if Kun Jue had fallen into despair and lost control due to being cornered, but in reality, as a battle-hardened assassin, how could he go mad over such a minor setback? Everything Kun Jue did was meant to lower Song Jians guard, hoping that he would become complacent and reveal a weakness. Song Jian remained still, as he naturally understood that the damage caused by the dark cloud to Kun Jue was minimal, and it was impossible for him to crumble so easily from just being suppressed and occasionally hit by some unexplainable attacks. The two opponents had actually begun a psychological contest at this point. Fifteen minutes passed in a blink of an eye, and Song Jians Morphing into Dark Cloud ability was about to end. Now calm, Kun Jue drank a potion continuously restoring his Vitality Points, his face cold. Do you think you can kill me with such weak damage that cant even kill a mosquito? Kun Jues expression was full of disdain, but in reality, his palms gripping the twin daggers were already sweating slightly. This seemingly endless and inescapable dark fog state made Kun Jue increasingly tense. Even if the damage he sustained each time was minuscule, his potions were limited. If he were forced to endure this for three or four hours, his death would be certain. Fifteen minutes, although not enough for him to lose control, had already made Kun Jue anxious. Just then, Kun Jue suddenly saw light as the dark fog disappeared. His senses could finally extend outward once more, and his heart soared with joy. Light Strike! A soft shout erupted overhead, and dazzling golden Sword Qi instantly dispelled the surrounding darkness. Startled, Kun Jue hurriedly activated his Acceleration Skill and dodged to the side. Whoosh~ As the golden Sword Qi changed from slashing to sweeping halfway through, it struck Kun Jues waist with a combined damage of over 600 and 300+ points. The numbers floated above Kun Jues head. Song Jian dropped from mid-air and, with a push of his feet, pounced towards Kun Jue like an arrow. The blood crow and blood wolf guarding the bonfire also rushed toward him, encircling Kun Jue. Without noticing the blood crow and blood wolf, Kun Jue sidestepped, executed a critical attack, and sliced a wound in Song Jians waist. Then, his dagger poised like a beasts fang, he stabbed towards Song Jians chest. Song Jian parried with his sword, and the two engaged in close combat. After more than a dozen rounds, Kun Jue discovered that Song Jians equipment was even better than his own. Song Jian, too, found that the assassins skills were bizarre and he had numerous life-saving tactics. This cant go on, or hell escape again, Song Jian frowned. Although his damage was overwhelming Kun Jue, the assassin was like a slippery mudfish whose whereabouts couldnt be grasped. Five minutes later, Kun Jue felt the urge to retreat. After several skirmishes, he realized that it was impossible to kill Song Jian head-on! Sensing that Kun Jue seemed to be planning another escape, Song Jian took a Weakness Potion out of his bag and threw it violently onto the ground. A gray smoke rose, enveloping Kun Jue. Kun Jues face turned pale when he found that his bodys surface seemed to be covered in a layer of gray dust, reducing his defense by almost half. What kind of potion is this! Alarmed, Kun Jue immediately used his Vanish skill. A puff of white mist appeared and quickly dissipated, revealing Kun Jue had vanished from Song Jians sight. I wont let you escape this time! Song Jian muttered with a hint of coldness in his voice as he controlled the remaining twenty-nine blood wolves to search and attack freely. Quickly, a blood wolfs howl came from less than ten meters away, causing all other blood wolves to charge in its direction as if they heard the call to action. sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 547: 547: Shadowfang Mountain Range Chapter 547: Shadowfang Mountain Range The figure of Kun Jue was once again forced out of his stealth state, glaring at the blood wolf who had found his scent and was now lunging at him. Kun Jue wished to tear it to pieces, but right now, every second made the difference between life and death. Sprint! At Kun Jues thought, his speed instantly increased, leaving phantom images behind him. From a distance, it appeared like a veil of illusion. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sword Shadow Step! Song Jians figure too, turned into a shadow. His speed surprisingly increased, keeping a close pursuit behind Kun Jue. Earth Teeth Assault! A tusk-shaped energy mass burst from beneath Song Jians feet, with a sharp shriek lunging at Kun Jue. The hard ground displayed a mark as though scraped by a long sword. Bam! The Earth Teeth Assault slammed into Kun Jues back, causing him to stumble. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! An ethereal long swords illusion emerged over Song Jians head. As he swept his sword forward, the ethereal sword whizzed towards Kun Jue. Bang! Kun Jue immediately felt as if his head had been severely chopped. After a moment of dizziness, sharp pain surged into his mind. It felt like his soul had been sliced by a sword, which made him let out a painful cry. As an elite assassin of Deaths Scythe, Kun Jue could endure any physical injury. But this time, the pain was like his soul was being torn apart, which he couldnt bear any longer. He held his head in his hands, incessantly rolling on the ground. Song Jian rushed over in a few strides and swung his sword down at him. Flash Thunder Strike! Crackle, crackle, crackle~ A few flashes of lightning passed, and Kun Jue, who had previously only recovered about half his vitality points, was once again left in a near-death state. Dont, please, dont kill me! Im a senior member of Deaths Scythe. If you kill me, the organization wont let you off! Kun Jue stopped Song Jian, who was showing no mercy and was about to slash at him. With a cold expression on his face, Song Jian thrusted his long sword into Kun Jues throat. A fountain of blood spouted out, draining his last strand of vitality points. Hehe~ Kun Jues eyes bulged, a look of disbelief appearing on his face. The dagger dropped from his hands onto the ground. His hands tightly clung to Song Jians long sword. It seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he fell heavily, collapsing onto the ground, dead. Finally hes dead! Song Jian removed his sword, taking a deep breath. Kun Jues assassinating capability was truly intimidating. Even though in a direct confrontation he had been slightly inferior to Song Jian, his presence still lurked, ever ready to strike like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness. In such a pursuit, Song Jian was ceaselessly in a state of extreme alertness. If this condition persisted, Song Jians capabilities would reduce by at least a third in three days. In fact, every passing day had escalated Kun Jues probability of successfully assassinating Song Jian, which was why Song Jian intended to kill Kun Jue as soon as possible. My attack is sufficiently deadly, but I severely lack control abilities. If I had one or two control skills, this prolonged struggle wouldnt have occurred. In the end, I had to rely on the blood wolf to kill him. Song Jian, glancing at Kun Jues body, thought to himself. He casually picked up the two daggers Kun Jue had dropped. This was the spoils of battle he left behind after his death. The two daggers, one of silver quality, the other, surprisingly, a growth-type gold quality dagger. It wasnt far off in comparison to the long sword in Song Jians hand. He had already withdrawn the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Golden Demonslaying Sword back into his body. Playing with the growth-type gold quality dagger, a mischievous smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. This dagger must not be sold. It can be given to a best friend or it can be a spare weapon for me. If I sell it and it ends up in the enemys hands, thatd be me shooting myself in the foot. Song Jian thought to himself. Having killed Kun Jue, Song Jian could finally rest. The blood crows and blood wolves, as previously arranged, were dispersed around him while Song Jian himself laid by the bonfire, deep in slumber. His careful journey continued over the next few days. But the Deaths Scythe didnt seem to send another assassin his way. He had fended off two out of the three assassination attempts. If the Deaths Scythe failed again with the last one, it would probably stop dispatching assassins to hunt Song Jian, at least for a while. The second time was a level 30 assassin; could this third time be an assassin with a first-rank combat adept? Song Jian thought to himself. Perhaps the Deaths Scythe was evaluating Song Jians actual strength. With Song Jian having killed their level 30 assassin, Kun Jue, the person in charge of the Deaths Scythe had raised Song Jians appraisal to a very high level. Nonetheless, there werent many first-rank combat adept assassins even within the organization. To summon a first-rank combat adept assassin would require some time, which was why Song Jian hadnt encountered another assassin for several days. Two more days passed and Song Jian finally entered the Shadowfang Mountain Range. This mountain range was filled with dense shadow energy. Large purple-grey trees covered the entire range, and the beasts within were all shadow beasts filled with shadow energy. Their bodies were semi-transparent, revealing their true forms only when attacking. This presented the adventurers in the Shadowfang Mountain Range with quite a headache. Song Jian opened his map and glanced at it. If he bypassed the not-so-far-off level 30 monster domain and travelled another ten li, he would reach Dark Castle. The meeting spot he and Qi Yun had agreed on was in a small valley not far from Dark Castle. The monster domain ahead is the territory of the level 30 shadow leopard. According to the map, not only are these beasts formidable, they are also extremely fast. If targeted, its hard to escape. The most important thing is that these monsters are usually in a stealth state, blending with their surroundings. Its only when they strike that their existence is revealed. But when you notice that, its too late Song Jian frowned slightly. If he could cross this area, it would save at least half a day. To bypass it, he would have to travel an additional forty kilometers. After some hesitation, Song Jian decided to bypass this area, considering the scarcity of supplies here. The closest supply base, a military camp, was three hundred li away and was impractical for resupply. If he were to get caught up in a battle with the beasts here, even if he made it out alive, the expenditure would be too great, rendering the gains not worth the losses. In the event that he encountered issues due to a lack of supplies during the battle with the Shadow Giant Dragon, the results could be fatal. As Song Jian was about to find an alternative route, he suddenly heard a scream and a low growl from ahead. Not long after, a group of people crawled out of the forest ahead, looking panicked. Chapter 548: 548: Indifference Chapter 548: Indifference Among the group, a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy was leading the charge, dressed in a flamboyant outfit which makes him appear bloated. His body was adorned with numerous pieces of jewelry; he wore three necklaces alone, and each finger of his hands bore a ring. He also had two bracelets on each wrist. The boys long, golden hair shone under the sunlight, giving him a rather handsome appearance, but his panicked expression slightly diminished his charm. Right beside him, five or six armored guards followed closely, protecting him within their center. Upon spotting Song Jian, the boys face lit up and he hurriedly called out, Adventurer, I am Solando, the son of the City of Sins lord. Now, I command you, in my capacity as a Viscount, to protect me, and hold back the monster chasing us! At this point, a girl by the boys side, dressed in black, bow at her hand, and a short sword swaying at her waist, angrily replied, Solando, mind your status! How can you utter such words? The beast chasing us is the Elite Level Boss, Shadow Teeth! How can you ask a stranger adventurer like us to fend off this calamity for us? Indeed, Young Master, the lady is right, this is beneath your dignity. A middle-aged knight standing near the boy softly suggested, More importantly, do you think this adventurer can stall the monster behind us? And even if he can, for how long? A second? Or five seconds? Solando gave a hostile glance to the middle-aged knight beside him, turned around and yelled at the girl, Anna, you are just my cousin. If our Sakel family hadnt taken you in, you would have been long dead. Thus, you have no right to lecture me! You. Annas eyebrows rose sharply, her face turning red in anger. She swiftly pulled out the short sword hanging from her waist and glared fiercely at Solando. Solando immediately began to tremble. Although he knew that Anna wouldnt damage him, seeing her with the drawn short sword, he couldnt help but be overcome by fear; A thousand Doomsday Coins. As long as you can lure the monster away, I will give you a thousand Doomsday Coins! Solando loftily pointed at Song Jian. A thousand Doomsday Coins was a considerable fortune for an average adventurer. However, compared to barring a Level 30 Elite Boss, it was too cheap of a price. Song Jian smiled slightly, realizing that this entire group was made up of native game characters, or in other words, NPCs in the game. Naturally, he would not take them seriously. Whoosh~ A shadow leapt out of the forest, knocked down an armored warrior before Song Jians narrowed eyes. He immediately felt a chill down his spine. It was an entirely ink-black panther, its body radiating a phosphorescent glow. Not a speck of impurity tainted its fur. Its eyes, however, were blood-red, flashing a cruel, bloodthirsty light. With a roar, the panther clawed at the fallen warrior. A sharp, grating sound reverberated as the hard armor seemed to tear open like paper under the panthers claws. Then, just like consuming pre-cracked walnut kernels, the panther proceeded to rip the warrior to pieces, the screams incessant. Being eaten alive by a panther, experiencing its teeth tearing flesh off his body and swallowing it, reduced the warriors sanity to tatters. He screamed in immense pain, loudly begging his companions to end his life. Nonetheless, everyone was guarding Solando and Anna, maintaining their distance from the powerful panther Boss. Shadow Teeth, is this the Shadow Teeth theyre talking about, a Level 30 Elite Boss? Song Jian already had the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword summoned, firmly gripped in his hand. Initially, hearing about a Level 30 Elite Boss, Song Jian did not think much of it. However, upon witnessing this panther, he immediately understood. This Elite Boss, known as Shadow Teeth, definitively possessed First Order Combat Power. At such a speed, I simply cannot resist Song Jian looked serious as he slowly moved backward; The terrifying speed, coupled with a potent attack power, made the Shadow Teeth an absolute overlord in the surrounding Shadowfang Mountain Range. Even though the Dark Castle populated by the Shadow Giant Dragon is less than ten miles away, the Shadow Teeth show no fear and become the most terrifying existence in this monstrous region. It is not to say, however, that the Shadow Teeth have the power to rival the Shadow Giant Dragon. It just implies that the Shadow Teeth have the ability to escape when the Shadow Giant Dragon in the Dark Castle notices it. Craack~ Just like claws scraping across glass, an ear-piercing sound resonated continuously. The Shadow Teeth directly shredded the armor of the soldier beneath it into scrap metal. Its tusks, covered in fresh blood, pierced through the soldiers body and ripped him out from his now useless armor; The high pitched scream gradually dwindled, finally turning into a powerless whimper, then all that remained was the sound of the Shadow Teeth chewing and tearing; What, what do we do now? Solando turned pale as a ghost, watching the guard who was just beside him now reduced to a mess of flesh. He felt like vomiting, a sour taste persisting in his mouth; Lets hope its full now and wont trouble us anymore. Anna gripped her dagger tightly, her face full of tension as she spoke. At this point, she had slung her longbow on her back. With the speed of the Shadow Teeth, there was simply no opportunity for her to draw her bow and shoot; Young Master Solando, rest assured, as long as I, Kalen, am breathing, I will not let this monster harm you! With a determined face, the middle-aged knight who had been protecting Solando spoke. Hearing Kalens reassurances, Solando exhaled deeply, his heart relaxing. At this moment, however, he saw Song Jian gripping a long sword with a vigilant expression, his eyes fixed on the boss monster, and anger welled up within him; Adventurer, you refused a viscounts offer of friendship! Solando glared at Song Jian and threatened, Since you refused to grasp the hand of friendship I extended to you, be prepared to face my high raised sword and imminent death. Song Jian was momentarily stunned, suddenly receiving a system prompt; System: You have elicited the disdain of the son of the City of Sins lord, your relationship with the City of Sin has dropped to Indifferent; Ind, indifferent? Song Jian was astonished. Even if he hadnt been to the City of Sin before, relations with human-dominated cities for all players were generally neutral. Then, by completing tasks, you could gain the citys reputation points, and gradually improve your relationship with the city. If your relationship with a particular city is reduced to Indifferent, then the citizens of that city wont offer you any tasks. It means your relationship with that city will never improve, and once you enter the city, you would find it difficult to make any progress; sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Solando is just the son of the city lord, and not the city lord himself. Otherwise, if it was the City of Sins lord that Song Jian angered, a single word from the lord could reduce Song Jians relationship with the City of Sin to Hatred, placing him on the citys most wanted black list. Interesting~ A hint of a smile crept up on Song Jians face. He initially intended to hold the fort for a while and save these NPCs, but he didnt expect this to happen Upon seeing Song Jians lack of fear and his nonchalant expression, Annas face changed instantly. Only at this moment, did she realize how different Song Jian was; God, Gods Chosen One, he is a Gods Chosen One! Anna exclaimed; Chapter 549: 549: Epic Level Task Chapter 549: Epic Level Task Only NPCs in the game refer to players as Gods Chosen, players among themselves dont use this term, deeming it somewhat embarrassing; The games natives have always held a reverence towards these god-chosen players who can disappear without a trace and possess massive growth potential. My apologies, my Lord of the Gods Chosen, we were incredibly rude just now! Anna quickly apologized to Song Jian. Gods Chosen? Solandos eyes lit up. He immediately took the short sword hanging from his waist and shouted loudly at Song Jian, Gods Chosen, I have a task for you C if you can escort me safely out of here, this precious Elf Sword is yours. System: The son of the City of Sins Lord, Solando, has issued you an escort task. Task Requirements: Successfully escort Solando to a safe area. Task Reward: Elfs Sword, 500 points of goodwill from the City of Sin, Task Failure Penalty: None; Solando may be somewhat dissolute, but he is incredibly smart. He knows what a player values most. It seems like Anna has quickly understood as well, and she looks at Solando appreciatively. Song Jian gave a cold chuckle, and without even giving it a glance, he flatly refused. Solando and Anna were stunned as they watched Song Jians ice-cold figure retreat and escape into the distance. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing the faintly resonating high-pitched screams from behind, Song Jian sighed slightly in his heart; The strength of the Shadow Teeth was far from ordinary. Song Jian had no confidence in escorting Solando and the others to safety. Against a beast with formidable defense or attack, Song Jian could still try his luck. But against the speedy Shadow Teeth, its already a challenge for Song Jian to escape by himself, let alone protect such a large group of people. Another reason was that the Elf Sword was nothing more than a piece of silver-quality equipment. It was nothing compared to the dangers Song Jian was about to face. Just as Song Jian was about to leave, he suddenly received a red system prompt; System: You have obtained an epic level task C Rescue; Task Content: Protect Anna Katerina and escort her to a safe place; Task Reward: Receive Anna Katerinas gratitude, raise goodwill to Friendly; Task Failure Penalty: Anna Katerina dies, task fails, attribute points decrease by 5, do you accept? The dark red text sparkled in front of Song Jians eyes. Epic level task? Song Jian was immediately excited. You see, getting an epic level task in this game is very difficult and the rewards are always substantial, containing at least one epic level item. Just like the task Song Jian accepted earlier, he obtained a complete set of gold-quality equipment that could combine to form an epic level set; Such a task is a rare opportunity, even if it presents some risk to Song Jians life, it must be accepted and completed! The task reward is just Annas goodwill, but the failure penalty is 5 attribute points. The reward and punishments are utterly disproportionate. Could it be that this epic level task is part of a quest chain? Song Jian wondered. After carefully reading the task content, Song Jian chose to accept it, then turned around and walked towards the group of people; At this moment, a 10-minute countdown appeared before Song Jian, he didnt fully understand it, but he knew he needed to reach Anna as quickly as possible; One by one, Solandos escorts were brought down and killed by the Shadow Teeth, leaving only Anna and the middle-aged knight, Kalen. We will all die here Solandos face was as white as a sheet, despair evident in his eyes. The Shadow Teeth in front of him seemed like Death Gods pet, constantly reaping the lives of the escorts. Furthermore, with the strength of the Shadow Teeth, it could kill all of them, but it patiently took them down one by one, playing with the remaining people like a cat toying with a mouse. Fear loomed in everyones hearts. The Shadow Teeth slowly came down from a corpse. It had only eaten the victims heart, unlike the first guard where it ate everything; Looking at the bloody face of the Shadow Teeth and its threatening fangs, Kalen gritted his teeth, firmly held his knight sword, and shouted without turning his head, Young Master, Miss, run! Ill hold it off! Kalen! Solandos face turned pale, full of regret. If he hadnt insisted on adventuring in the Shadowfang Mountain Range, he wouldnt have ended up in such a dangerous situation. Whats worse, Kalen was the City of Sin Lords trusted aide, and was assigned to protect him. If Kalen lost his life because of him, his father would be furious. It needs to be known, Solando isnt the only son of the lord of the City of Sin. If Solando falls out of favor with his father, he will have no future. Solando, run! Dont let Kalens sacrifice be in vain! Anna picked up the almost crumbling Solando and shouted loudly into his ear. At that moment, Shadow Teeth glanced at Kalen, its eyes brimming with mockery. It roared at Kalen and charged as swift as lightning; Whoosh~ Kalen only felt a gust of wind brushing past him, it seemed like the Shadow Teeth had vanished from sight. Roar~ A low growl came from behind. Kalens face changed dramatically, he quickly turned to see that the giant black Shadow Leopard had suddenly appeared in front of Solando and Anna, blocking their escape; It wants to keep us all here! Kalens face turned ghostly pale, instantly understanding the intentions of the beast. Anna tightly held her short sword and positioned herself in front of Solando. Even though she was terrified and nervous, she knew that if Solando died here, even if she safely returned to the City of Sin, the citys Lord would still be furious with her. Using courage in the face of death, to fight for hope of survival! Anna murmured to herself, the short sword in her hand began to glow brilliantly. Just then, a dazzling golden light burst forth in the distance, slashing towards Shadow Teeth; Light Strike! The dazzling golden Sword Qi tore through the sky. As it was about to reach Shadow Teeth, the black Shadow Leopard let out a large roar and spun around fiercely, swiping a claw towards the sword qi from behind. A sharp sonic boom suddenly sounded; Claw Clash glimmered with ferocious light, even leaving traces in the air that lingered for quite some time; Thump! With a muffled sound, the Shadow Teeth let out a painful howl, its massive body was lifted and thrown like a ripped bag towards a Shadow Tree; Boom C The back of the Shadow Teeth collided with the tree causing a clear breakage sound and then tumbled onto the ground. Chapter 550: 550: Resistance Chapter 550: Resistance Song Jian blinked, surprised at the force of his own attack, which had immediately landed a critical hit, depleting a third of Shadow Teeths Vitality Points. Youyou came back? Annas face lit up in pleasant surprise as she exhaled deeply. She had already decided to tap into her latent life force. Thankfully, Song Jian arrived just in time, otherwise, if she had exhausted that life force, Anna would have died quickly afterwards. It was a secret technique of the Elf race known as Elf Anthem that had massive power C it could detonate ones life energy accumulated over decades in just an instant; Because Anna had Elf blood in her veins, she could use this secret technique, something ordinary humans didnt have the ability to master. Having pushed back Shadow Teeth with a single blow, the countdown that lingered before Song Jians eyes disappeared. Looking at a visibly relieved Anna, Song Jian realised that if he hadnt made it to her in time, Anna would have been killed by Shadow Teeth and his epic-level task would have ended in failure. Actually, Song Jian didnt realize that if Anna used the Elf Anthem technique, his mission would be considered failed too. Luckily, he made it in time, saved Anna, and in doing so, rescued his own five ability points. Beloved of God, oh great Beloved of God, save us. I am the son of the lord of the City of Sin. As long as you can save us, I promise anything! Solando suddenly rushed over to Song Jian, desperately clinging onto the sleeve of his robe as he begged. Alright, hide behind me and slowly move back. Leave this place immediately, Song Jian ordered, keeping his watchful gaze on Shadow Teeth, not even sparing Solando a glance. Kulun had already moved to stand next to Solando, giving Song Jian a sombre look, and then whispered something into Solandos ear. The three of them hid behind Song Jian and, rather than leaving immediately, they stuck close to him. Song Jian was surprised, believing that this was a task requirement and must guard the people he was to protect C he didnt pay this much mind and focused on Shadow Teeth, gradually moving backward. Anna and the other two mirrored Song Jians movements, keeping close to him. The dramatic scene of Kulun defending against Shadow Teeth had left a profound impression on them C if they strayed too far from Song Jian, Shadow Teeth could catch up to them in an instant with its speed. Only by staying near Song Jian would they be safe. Shadow Teeth had been dangerously wounded and had fallen from a tree. It got up and stared menacingly at Song Jian, letting out a thunderous roar before launching itself at him like a bolt of black lightning. Immortal Sword Body, activate! Song Jian shouted, immediately playing his trump card. His body began to glow gold C the seventh level of the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body technique, enhancing all his abilities by eleven points. This spell caused Song Jians strength to shoot up drastically, and its safe to say that the Song Jian with the Immortal Sword Body activated and the Song Jian without it were two entirely different people. Before using the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jian could barely perceive Shadow Teeths movements. Each time, all he saw was a streak of black lightning left on the surface of his eyes. Even when attacked, he was unable to come up with an effective defense; After using the Immortal Sword Body, to Song Jian, Shadow Teeth was still lightning fast, but it was no longer swift enough to prevent him from tracking its movement; Flash Thunder Strike! Upon seeing Shadow Teeth charging at him, Song Jian swung his sword C three waves of Sword Qi imbued with the power of thunder and lightning struck Shadow Teeth fiercely. Simultaneously, Shadow Teeths claws struck Song Jians shoulder heavily. A damage point of over three hundred floated above Song Jians head C just a casual attack from Shadow Teeth had already resulted in Song Jian losing more than three hundred Vitality Points; Sword Finger! Song Jian raised his left hand and a silver Sword Qi burst forth, stabbing fiercely into the abdomen of Shadow Teeth. At the same time, Shadow Teeth let out a roar, releasing an unseen wave of sound attack covering a fan-shaped range of sixty degrees before it. This sonic attack caused them to lose their footing. Solando was even knocked to the ground, rolling about. Anna and Kalen could only manage to stabilize their bodies by violently shaking; Song Jian felt dizzy but thankfully only for a brief moment, less than a second. And then suddenly, Shadow Teeth accelerated its speed, leaping into the air to swoop down on him. Its sharp claws, flashing coldly, whistled through the air. Its blood-red eyes exuded a brutal glow, as if it wanted to tear Song Jian apart; Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jians movements suddenly became gentle, a mysterious aura emanating from him. Under the assault of Shadow Teeth, Song Jian was like a fragile blade of grass in a storm, bending but not breaking, his sword clashing time and time again with the sharp claws of Shadow Teeth, ringing out with the sound of metal on metal. Using the momentum from Shadow Teeths charge, each clash would push Song Jian two steps backwards. After a series of attacks, Song Jian had already retreated more than a dozen meters. Hehes incredible. He can actually fight Shadow Teeth to this extent! Anna stared at Song Jian in awe. Even Kalen C looking shocked C was staring at Song Jian. He hadnt expected this seemingly young Beloved of God to actually be capable of saving them from the clutches of Shadow Teeth. Ding, ding, ding, ding Shadow Teeths attacks were continuously deflected by Song Jian. After six seconds, when the duration of the Tai Chi Sword Skill came to an end, during a break from his offensive, Song Jian heard a roar and a powerful force hit him hard in the chest; An enormous force propelled Song Jian backwards in the air; -680 Song Jian was sent flying with almost seven hundred points of damage floating above him. His Vitality Points had now fallen to about half, and a stabbing pain shot through his chest. Song Jian fell from mid-air, braced himself with his left hand and rolled over twice before he steadied himself. The moment he was steady, Shadow Teeth was already in front of him. Song Jian took off running, his footsteps flashing white. A glowing Ice Path was left behind him, full of cold air; Seeing Song Jian escape, Anna and the others also started running towards Song Jian. Shadow Teeth stepped onto the Ice Path C every two steps forward, its limbs were frozen stiff by the freezing air, causing it to be rooted to the spot. Struggling free and taking another two steps forward had it frozen again, slowing it down considerably; Hearing the angry roar coming from behind, Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at the three panting figures, he said in a low voice: Were not safe yet get away from here as soon as possible Anna and the others nodded their heads eagerly, not daring to look back. They trailed behind Song Jian, running into the distance; sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 551: 551: The Second Ring Chapter 551: The Second Ring The Ice Path gradually melted, and the Shadow Teeth recovered its previous speed. Having suffered significant damage, it gave up the chase after pursuing in the direction Song Jian had escaped for several more meters. It cast the direction a regretful glance and emitted an angry roar before turning to rush towards the Shadow Forest. Not until the Shadow Teeth had returned to the Shadow Forest did Song Jian receive a notification that he had completed the system task. System: You have completed the first link of an Epic-level quest C Rescuing Anna Katerina, and you have earned her gratitude. Your relationship with Anna has improved to friendly. As expected, this is an Epic-level quest chain, and Ive only completed the first step, which is probably the simplest one! A wry smile appeared on Song Jians face. The simplest first step had nearly cost him his life. If it hadnt been for his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body that endowed him with the power to confront the Shadow Teeth, the level-30 elite boss, with the combat power of a first level fighter, it could definitely have killed everyone at the scene. Having completed the first part of the Epic-level quest, the task in his taskbar did not disappear, indicating that the second part of the mission required Song Jian to find a trigger himself. If Song Jian couldnt trigger the second part, the task would be stuck here. I guess were safe now Song Jian let out a sigh and said. Ththank you, reincarnate! Anna bowed to Song Jian in gratitude. Thank you for saving us. If you ever come to the City of Sin, Ill treat you to a good drink. Carter gave Song Jian a knight salute. Youve gained the friendship of the Sakel Family in the City of Sin, Divine One. Solando struggled to compose himself, glanced at Song Jian, and spoke somewhat arrogantly: Given your abilities, youre qualified to become my Guardian Knight. If you pledge loyalty to me, youll hold the title of a knight and become a member of the nobility! Song Jian smiled faintly, ignoring Solando and turned to Anna, Is there anything else I can assist you with? Solando was the son of the Lord of the City of Sin. However, according to Solandos previous remarks, Anna was not a member of the Sakel Family, but a relative living under their roof. Although the servants referred to her as young lady, her status was not comparable to Solandos. However, the Epic-level quest released by the system was to rescue Anna, not the nobler Solando. Clearly, the game system believed that Anna was much more important than Solando in the game. No one told Song Jian this, but as a player, he understood that only those favored by the game system would become big shots in the future. These were the ones players needed to establish good relationships with. Perceiving the indifference from Song Jian, Solando turned livid, clenched his teeth silently, and sneered inwardly. He had no choice but to snort coldly, his dislike for Song Jian deepening. Reincarnate, we came here in search of the Dark Castle. According to legend, the Dark Castle hides a Goblet of Life. Any water held in the Goblet of Life turns into holy water that can cure any ailment. Our aim is to find this Goblet of Life. Could you help us retrieve it? Anna inquired. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Anna, how dare you disclose such confidential information to him, to a stranger! Solandos face darkened, and he glared at Anna in dissatisfaction. Solan, do you think we can obtain the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle with our current abilities? Anna turned her head and asked Solando. Solando grew silent. An elite knight squad had almost been wiped out; it seemed impossible for the remaining three of them to even approach the Dark Castle, let alone enter it to retrieve the Goblet of Life. Right after Anna made her request, Song Jian received the second link of the Epic-level task. System: You received the second link of an Epic-level quest, Recover the Holy Grail. Task Objective: Retrieve the Holy Grail from the Dark Castle and hand it over to Anna Katerina. Task Explanations: The Holy Grail is one of the treasures of the Dark Giant Dragon, you must enter the treasure room of the Dark Castle to obtain it. Task Reward: You will earn funds with Anna Katerina and your relationship will upgrade to respect. You will also receive a skill point. Task Failure Punishment: Your relationship with Anna Katerina will downgrade to indifferent. Having seen the contents of the second link of the mission, Song Jian was slightly worried. It seemed that the first few links in this Epic-level quest were all for the purpose of improving his relationship with Anna which appeared much more difficult than the first. In the first link, he just had to deal with a level 30 elite boss with the combat power of a first stage fighter. However, in the second link, he may have to face the Dark Giant Dragon, making the risk increase exponentially. Yet Song Jian had set out precisely to enter the Dark Castle and engage in combat with the Dark Giant Dragon for half an hour. It turned out that in the process he could complete the second link of the Epic-level task. Of course, it would be my pleasure, madam. I will fulfill your wish and deliver the Holy Grail to you! Song Jian gave Anna a bow and assured her. Thank you so much, brave warrior. If you complete this task, you can find me at Aromatic Castle in the City of Sin to deliver the Grail! Anna smiled charmingly and continued, However, make sure you are quick. The Grail must reach my hands within a month! Alright, I understand. Within a month, I will deliver the Grail to you. Song Jian nodded in acknowledgment. As they watched Song Jians departing figure, Solando sneered, Anna, do you truly believe that a god-chosen who hasnt even reached level 30 can retrieve the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle? Solan, remember, you are not the only son of my uncle. You are the sixth in line to succeed. Do you think, if my uncle doesnt make it through this time, that you will still have the same status once your elder brother becomes the lord? Anna glared at Solando dismissively. Solandos face turned ashen. He coldly snorted and fell silent as though something had occurred to him. Kulun stood still behind Solando like a statue, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. You should pray that he succeeds because this is your only chance! After giving Solando a look, Anna turned around and left. God damn it, I hate the way you talk to me. Solando muttered under his breath and staggered after Anna. Chapter 552: 552 Magical Formation Chapter 552 Magical Formation Song Jian took a large detour through the Shadow Forest, arriving at a small valley less than ten miles away from the Dark Castle; Standing at the entrance of the valley, Song Jians brow furrowed slightly as he sensed a hint of death energy emanating from the valley, identical to the energy waves emitted by those who possessed Deaths Scythe. Shadow and Death energy waves were similar, and many people often confused the two, but in reality, they were completely different energy systems; However, in some places, the two could be combined, such as the Shadow Arrow in Shadow Magic. Tang Ming had previously used it, but the Shadow Magics Arrow focused on corrosion, while the Shadow Arrow of Death energy emphasized damage; Whats the matter, reached the destination but didnt dare to enter? A mocking voice suddenly came from the mouth of the valley, as Qi Yuns voice rang in Song Jians ears. Song Jians brow furrowed slightly, as Qi Yuns voice now sounded even more hoarse than before, to the point that it no longer sounded like a human voice, but rather like the voice of an undead creature. It seems you arrived quite early? Song Jian entered the valley and found that Qi Yun, wrapped in a long black robe, was sitting at the center of a Magic Array. It was a Hexagram Star Magic Array, with each corner possessing a crystal emitting a grayish light. One of the crystals had developed a crack within it, with the surface shimmering light inconsistently. Is that the Shadow Crystal from the Shadow Circus Troupe? Song Jian asked in surprise, looking at the cracked Shadow Crystal. He didnt expect that with Qi Yuns strength, he really managed to steal this crystal from the Shadow Circus Troupe; I just borrowed some external power Qi Yuns eyes gleamed with a smug expression, as obtaining this Shadow Crystal from the Shadow Circus Troupe was a very difficult task. There were at least ten people in the circus whose strengths were stronger than Qi Yuns. There were more than five people who possessed Tier 1 Combat Power alone, so under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Qi Yun to obtain this crystal from the troupe. Actually, Qi Yun had contacted a thief group, disguised as bandits, to ambush the Shadow Circus Troupe halfway. Originally, he planned to kill Song Jian as well, but Song Jian did not choose to stay with him. You should rest for now. Well enter the Dark Castle in three days! Qi Yun glanced at Song Jian and said, then closed his eyes, ignoring him. Song Jian noticed that Qi Yuns level had suddenly risen to level 27. The Magic Array he was in was continuously drawing energy from the six Shadow Crystals to be infused into him. The shadow aura around him seemed to grow denser. However, what puzzled Song Jian was that he sensed a faint trace of death energy from Qi Yun. If his perception had not been so sharp, he might not have noticed it at all. Whats going on? Although Death energy is similar to Shadow energy, the two energies cannot be absorbed together, and cannot be merged. Once the two energies clash, there can only be one outcomebeing blown to pieces. Song Jian frowned, thinking to himself. Whether it was a player or an NPC, once they chose a profession, they also chose the path they would follow in the future. Qi Yuns Shadow Priest profession could not fuse with the Force of Death. It could be used, but absorbing this energy into the body was simply playing with fire; It was the same with Song Jian. His foundation was the Invisible Sword Qi, and although he often used Abyssal Power, he never dared to introduce Abyssal Power into his body alongside Invisible Sword Qi. From the moment Song Jian entered the valley, he felt a thick force of death. At first, he didnt pay much attention to it, but now it seemed that this was also due to Qi Yun. Just then, a white light suddenly flashed on Qi Yun, and his level unexpectedly rose from 27 to 28. This caused a surprised expression to appear on Song Jians face. This Magic Array can actually increase levels! Song Jian thought to himself, his focus involuntarily gathered on the faintly glowing Magic Array on the ground. Just staring for a few seconds, Song Jian felt dizzy. The Magic Array was too complicated, composed of thousands of Magic Runes. Each Magic Rune appeared to Song Jian like ever-moving tadpoles, staring at them for a while made his chest feel stifled and nauseous; This is really difficult. Its much harder than comprehending ordinary skills Song Jian thought to himself. Both Chopping Skill and Mining Skill, which Song Jian currently possessed, were the simplest and most basic skills. Ordinary people could even comprehend them just by watching for a while; But compared to the Magic Array before him, these skills were like a small mound compared to the Himalaya Mountain. Boom~ Song Jian felt a sudden tremor in his mind and let out a muffled hum, as blood flowed from his nostrils; S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You forcibly tried to comprehend the knowledge about Magic Array and suffered backlash, losing 30 Vitality Points; Song Jian fell to the ground, closed his eyes and rested for a while, then stood up again; The system only said that I would suffer backlash when trying to comprehend but didnt say that I couldnt comprehend! Song Jians eyes sparkled, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth; It was impossible for Song Jian to fully understand the entire Magic Array that could directly level up in one go. Therefore, Song Jian began to focus his gaze on a small corner at the edge of the Magic Array, where three Magic Runes formed a simple loop circuit. Song Jian had no foundation in the knowledge of Magic Arrays so he could only note one Magic Rune at a time. As he stared at the three Magic Runes, Song Jians right hand involuntarily began to trace the three Magic Runes; This time, Song Jian stared at the three Magic Runes for ten minutes before he suffered another backlash; System: You forcibly tried to comprehend the knowledge about Magic Array and suffered backlash, losing 60 Vitality Points; This time, Song Jians knees weakened, and his entire body knelt on the ground. Blood seeped from his nostrils, ears, eyes, and mouth, making him look very miserable; It took more than half an hour lying on the ground before Song Jian could barely control his body to crawl up slowly; For him, as long as the system did not explicitly say he could not comprehend, he would persist on. He believed that even if he couldnt fully comprehend the complete Magic Array that could level up directly, he should be able to comprehend the basics of Magic Array knowledge. If I cant comprehend a serial loop circuit, then Ill start from the most basic Magic Rune. I dont believe that I cant remember a single tiny Magic Rune! Song Jian wiped the dried blood from his nostril, his eyes revealing a fierce expression; Chapter 553: Understanding Skills Chapter 553: Understanding Skills Be tough on your enemies and even tougher on yourself, Song Jian once again focused his gaze on a tiny magic rune at the edge of the magic array. This magic rune was rather simple. Under Song Jians continuous watch, the tiny rune slowly began to gain three-dimensionality. At this moment, Song Jian realized that the rune, smaller than a little fingernail, was actually split into two layers, and its magic structure was far more complex than he had imagined. He cant help but start imitating this magic rune, his right index finger moving slowly. This time, for more than half an hour, Song Jian was absorbed in the task of imitating this magic rune. The drawing of a magic rune must be completed in one stroke. Song Jian continuously imitated it. Slowly, under his right hand, an invisible screen appeared, leaving obvious marks as his finger moved across it. When Song Jian had just copied a third of the rune, the markings on the screen suddenly shattered into light spots. Song Jian, sensing this, started over again from scratch. Once, ten times, a hundred times The magic rune under Song Jians hand disintegrated time and time again. Every time it dissolved, he restarted from the beginning. At this point, he seemed like a novice rock climber attempting to scale a mountain with bare hands. From his first grip on a protruded chunk of stone on the mountainside, he kept falling off. He did not stop until he could scale halfway up the mountain. To stand on the peak, he fell over and over again. But each fall gave him a better understanding of what he should do next time he reaches that spot. If he fails once, he tries twice, and if twice doesnt work, ten times Song Jians understanding of this magic rune was rapidly improving After an unknown amount of time, he was finally able to completely imitate this simplest magic rune. As soon as the rune was successfully engraved on the screen under his right hand, Song Jian came out of his state of enlightenment. He was now a mess, his Vitality Points and Spirit Points dangerously low. Startled, Song Jian glanced at Qi Yun in the middle of the magic array. Qi Yun, encased in a light shield, was deeply absorbed in the experience of absorbing shadow energy and oblivious to his surroundings. System: You have observed, imitated, and acquired the skill Magic Rune Engraving. Skill level: 1, number of magic runes mastered: 1. Song Jian sat aside and took out some supplies to recover his Vitality Points and Spirit Points. He had plenty of honey, which he had originally planned to use to make honey wine once he returned. However, at this point, it was more important to recover quickly and focus on learning these magic runes. After recovery, Song Jian couldnt wait to start imitating the second magic rune Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A day passed quickly and night fell, darkness enveloping the surroundings, and the magic array was the sole source of dim light. By this time, Song Jian had successfully imitated all three magic runes and the Magic Rune Engraving skill had been elevated to level three as well. Magic Rune Engraving: Active, Level 3, basic understanding of magic runes, capable of producing accurate magic runes, number of magic runes mastered: 3. These three magic runes make up a simple circuit, and once energy is activated in this circuit, it is transferred to the next set of magic runes. Now, I need to figure out how these three runes form this circuit Song Jian focused on the three runes, brooding over them. He was in a situation somewhat similar to learning three English words and trying to understand English grammar to form sentences with these words. The difficulty multiplied by more than one any simple imitation. After an entire night, Song Jian finally, by a mixture of guesswork and cogitation, had understood the principles and functions of the three simplest runes in the loop. System: Youve understood the skill Magic Rune Array, Level 1; [Magic Rune Array]: Active, Level 1, have the most basic understanding of the magic rune array, understanding how to build the simplest magic rune array; Just the simplest, most basic rune loop took Song Jian a day and a night to figure out. The magic array in front of him was a thousand times more complex and larger in scale than what he had just comprehended. It seemed impossible for him to fully comprehend this magic array given the time left. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian finally decided to give up on continued comprehension. He sighed, ate some food and drank some water, and started to rest; Half a day later, Song Jian was once again full of energy. Looking at the magic array, he thought to himself, It would be nearly impossible to learn how to construct a magic array by self-comprehension. If only I could get a corresponding Skill Book. With this thought, Song Jian involuntarily glanced at Qi Yun in the center of the Magic Array. Since he could set up this magic array, then he must have mastered this skill. If I kill him, I might be able to get the corresponding Skill Book Engrossed in the process of increasing his strength, Qi Yun suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He almost broke out of his ascension state and his brows furrowed slightly. But as he did not sense continued danger, and the magic array was designed to protect him, he ignored it, thinking of it as his imagination. After three days, the six dark Shadow Crystals on the magic array became increasingly dim, as if all their energy had been drained, only the Shadow Crystal with the internal crack still emitted a brilliant glow. Bang~ At this moment, a dim grey crystal suddenly exploded. The magic array flickered, and one after another, more Shadow Crystals exploded. These Shadow Crystals had been drained of all their energy and could no longer withstand the impact of the magic arrays energy. In just a short time, five Shadow Crystals had exploded, leaving only the Shadow Crystal with an internal crack to maintain the array. Song Jian could clearly sense that the magic array was drawing power from this single Shadow Crystal at six times its original rate. A large amount of shadowy energy was rapidly drawn from the crystal, even forming small magic whirlpools in its surroundings. The energy of the magic array began to fluctuate wildly. Originally designed to run on six Shadow Crystals, it now only had one. This situation not only damaged the magic array, but also the remaining Shadow Crystal. If this had been an ordinary Shadow Crystal, it would have shattered from the instability. However, what surprised Song Jian was this Shadow Crystal, despite having a crack, seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of energy that managed to support the entire Magic Rune Array; Qi Yun, who was currently absorbing dark energy to improve his strength, also found this situation unusual. According to his estimates, the six Shadow Crystals should have been depleted by now, and the magic array should have stopped running. How can this be? Just as Qi Yun was doubting his senses, a wave of unfamiliar energy surged from the magic array, flooding into him; Qi Yuns eyes opened wide. A swirl of dark energy coiled around his eyes, and his flesh began to wither rapidly, making him look thin and emaciated. What is this Qi Yuns eyes blazed with anger. He tried to stand up, but found himself inexplicably bound, unable to move even a finger. Chapter 554: Temporary Task Chapter 554: Temporary Task Watching Qi Yun now enveloped by a mass of black fog, Song Jian couldnt help but take two steps back; This energy was all too familiar to him, as it was the Force of Death, a power only found in Netherworld Hell; How could this be Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as his eyes suddenly locked onto the cracked Shadow Crystal in the center. At this moment, tendrils of black mist were surging out of the crack in the Shadow Crystal, as if the fissure connected to another dimension, reminding Song Jian of the Space Rift connecting the Abyss. Could it be that the crack in the middle of this Shadow Crystal is not a break but rather a Space Rift connected to Netherworld Hell? Song Jian had a look of astonishment on his face. At this point, Qi Yun felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, with his body no longer under his control, defenses wide open, allowing the Force of Death to surge into his body; A tremendous amount of Death Force caused changes in Qi Yuns body. Originally injected with the Perfect Gene Potion, Qi Yun had eliminated the defects in his genes, and his entire body was always kept at its peak, being the perfect man in the eyes of the world. However, to avoid attracting attention, Qi Yun had been using illusionary techniques to disguise his body. He never expected there would come a day when his body would become withered like this. But now, Qi Yun no longer resembled his former self, with his flesh and blood constantly being eroded by the Force of Death, muscles withering, skin losing moisture and luster, appearing to have aged by more than a decade. Even his once-black hair gradually turned pale and fell out in large amounts; The Shadow Energy within Qi Yun, sensing the invasion of foreign energy, instinctively began to resist. As the Shadow Energy and the Death Energy clashed and eroded each other, using Qi Yuns body as a battlefield, Qi Yun felt as if every part of his body was being torn apart. Blood seeped from his pores, and soon, he was completely drenched in blood; The oozing blood quickly dried up, leaving Qi Yuns withered skin tightly clinging to his skeleton, looking like a zombie from a video game. Save, save me! Qi Yun pleaded with a desperate look on his face, using his eyes to signal Song Jian to destroy the only Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array. Are you issuing a task to me? A smile emerged on Song Jians face. By now, Qi Yuns level had been raised to 30, and the aura emanating from his body was much more formidable than that of ordinary Level 30 monsters, second only to Level 30 Elite Level Bosses with Tier 1 combat power. Song Jians strength could initially completely overwhelm Qi Yun, but now, Qi Yun possessed the power to fight against Song Jian; The Death Force eroding Qi Yun was not a bad thing for Song Jian. This excess energy would not increase Qi Yuns strength but would weaken him, and could even possibly kill Qi Yun; However, if Qi Yun were to die at this point, it would not align with Song Jians interests, as killing Qi Yun without going through Song Jians hands would not yield any loot. Looking at Qi Yun in the Magic Arrays light barrier with a pained and distorted expression, Song Jians face remained calm. What, what do you want? Qi Yuns face was now riddled with fine wounds, looking like many small mouths had opened up. Ive recently developed an interest in Magic Rune Arrays and want to learn more about them, Song Jian laughed, pointing at the Magic Array beneath Qi Yun. As long as, as long as you break that crystal and save, save me, I, Ill fulfill your request! Qi Yun struggled to say. System: Shadow Priest Qi Yun has issued a temporary task to you, Rescue; Task content: Destroy the Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array and free him; Task target: Destroy the Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array, Quantity: 0/1; Task reward: Magic Rune Array Analysis; Task failure penalty: None; Task time: 3 minutes; Song Jian was taken aback. Qi Yun actually had the authority to issue tasks to players through the game system! Before, when Qi Yun gave Song Jian a task, he had to summon the Spirit of Public Notary to sign a task contract under its power of contract; Such contracts, witnessed by the Spirit of Public Notary, had loopholes that could be exploited and were far from being as secure as issuing tasks to players through the game system. It seems that Qi Yuns strength has indeed increased a lot, otherwise he wouldnt have been granted such privileges. Song Jian thought inwardly, raising his evaluation and vigilance of Qi Yun in his mind; Task accepted! A three-minute countdown suddenly appeared in Song Jians eyes; S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The time limit for the task is three minutes, which should be his limit, Song Jian looked at the three-minute countdown with a smile on his face; Fast, break the crystal quickly The aura of Death Force surrounding Qi Yun intensified. Wait a little longer Song Jian whispered softly as he slowly approached the Shadow Crystal; Three minutes, two minutes, one minute, forty seconds, Standing in front of the Shadow Crystal, Song Jian carefully observed it with a faint smile on his lips. The more Death Force that invaded, the harder it would be for Qi Yun to expel it afterward, and the more severely his strength would be suppressed. For Song Jian, this was more than ideal, as Qi Yuns current strength was making him feel somewhat wary; Hurry destroy At this point, Qi Yuns Shadow Energy had been completely suppressed by the Force of Death, and his body had begun to transform into a being of death; Qi Yun was filled with terror. If he were a professional who controlled the Force of Death, then this moment would have been the most exciting time for him. But as a Shadow Priest, once completely invaded by the Force of Death, he would become a mindless undead creature; Thirty seconds, twenty seconds, ten seconds, Qi Yuns consciousness was already blurring, as the Death Force began to erode every cell in his body. Song Jian glanced at him and swung his sword at the Shadow Crystal; Golden Sword Qi burst forth, and with a clear shattering sound, the Shadow Crystal cracked like glass, its translucent fragments scattering in all directions; The Death Force polluting Qi Yun gradually dissipated, allowing the Shadow Energy within his body to slowly recover. Looking like a corpse, Qi Yun suddenly moved a finger, his emaciated body violently trembling as he let out hehe gasps of breath; By the time Qi Yun regained consciousness, he found that Song Jian was standing in front of him with a sword in hand. The task has been completed. Can you give me the task rewards now? Song Jian said with a smile, extending his hand towards Qi Yun. Chapter 555: 555: Passage Chapter 555: Passage Looking at Song Jians faint smile, Qi Yun clenched his teeth in resentment, the corners of his mouth twitching relentlessly. If it werent for the fact that he couldnt beat Song Jian right now, Qi Yun would probably have turned on him directly. It was because Song Jian had delayed for more than two minutes, cutting off the source of the Force of Death at the last moment, that Qi Yun was in his weakest state at this moment. Although the Force of Death in his body had lost its source, the infiltration had gone deep, and removing the Force of Death completely from the cellular level required a significant amount of time, energy, and precious treasures, all of which would increase exponentially. Before the Force of Death was completely removed, half of the Force of Shadows in Qi Yuns body had been used to fight it, making Qi Yuns strength seem shackled, unable to be fully manifested. Is this what you wanted? Qi Yun stared at Song Jian with crimson eyes and chilly expression on his face. At this point, he had not yet used any illusion, and the erosion of the Force of Death made Qi Yun look like an undead creature. Task reward! Song Jians face darkened, his eyes chilling as they stared at Qi Yun. Qi Yun opened his mouth but could not make a sound. He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly took out a black book from his bosom and handed it to Song Jian: Book: Magic Array Analysis. Item description: This book contains the basic knowledge of magic rune arrays, granting 5000 points of magic rune array proficiency and mastery of three hundred magic runes upon use. To use this book, please choose a quiet location. It takes one hour to study. Song Jian glanced at it and put the Skill Book into the inventory column. With three magic runes, he directly upgraded his Magic Rune Inscription skill to level three. With three hundred magic runes, this skill should be able to reach the advanced level; Life skill Level 10 is a milestone: up to Level 10 is primary level; up to Level 20 is intermediate level; up to Level 30 is advanced level. As for the 5000 points of magic rune array proficiency, Song Jian estimated that it should at least bring his magic rune array skill to the intermediate level; However, using this book requires a quiet place and an hours study time, so Song Jian cannot learn it for now. Lets go to the Dark Castle! said Song Jian. You should have a map of the Dark Castle now, so give it to me. I will hold back the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour. I dont care what you do during this time, but once the half-hour is up, Ill retreat directly. Youll have to manage the time yourself C dont blame me if the Shadow Giant Dragon corners you! As long as you put your heart into it, this situation will never happen. Qi Yun handed an old sheepskin scroll to Song Jian, his face ashen. Song Jian took a look and saw that the Dark Castle was completely built inside a mountain in the Shadowfang Mountain Range, almost hollowing out the entire mountain peak, with an area similar to a small town; You need to enter from here Qi Yun pointed to a small path and said, This is a secret passage of the Dark Castle, left by the dwarves who originally built the castle After briefly mentioning the secret passage, Qi Yun began explaining Song Jians task in detail. Just like that, you only need to inform me when the battle with the Shadow Giant Dragon begins using this Remote Crystal, and you dont need to do anything else! Qi Yun handed a transparent crystal ball the size of a fist to Song Jian. Song Jian glanced at the crystal ball, the corner of his mouth curled up and put it in the inventory column, saying, You two signed a contract, though. If something goes wrong during the task, I cant afford the penalty for failure! Qi Yun was momentarily taken aback, then nodded his head and said, Lets get started. Im going to sneak into the Dark Castle and get more of those Shadow Crystals! Song Jian smiled faintly and turned away. The crystal ball Qi Yun gave him was not actually a Remote Crystal but a Detection Crystal, which allowed Qi Yun to observe everything within a hundred-meter radius of the Detection Crystal. He was also afraid that Song Jian would not give it his all, and if he gave wrong information, maybe his life would be lost in the Dark Castle. After all, their enemy was a Shadow Giant Dragon, and what they were doing now was like dancing on a knifes edge, one misstep could lead to irreversible consequences; Song Jian naturally understood why Qi Yun did this, simply because he didnt trust him completely. So even though he saw through it, he didnt say anything, but just took the crystal into his inventory column and walked towards the marked secret passage; The Dark Castle was a Level 30 dungeon, and many teams exploring it often entered from the main gate of the castle. At the main gate, there were two powerful half-dragon guards, and only by defeating these two half-dragons could they enter the Dark Castle; Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These two half-dragon guards were referred to as gatekeepers by many player teams, and some Level 25 players were brutally beaten by them and eventually gave up on exploring this dungeon. But they didnt know that there was another way into this dungeon, which could bypass the two half-dragon guards and enter the castle directly. At this moment, Song Jian stood below a cliff. The original builders of the Dark Castle, the dwarves, had left a passage that was actually a sewage outlet, located several dozen meters above the cliff. Therefore, even if someone knew about this passage, not everyone could enter C they had to have some flying ability. This was, in fact, a form of entry threshold, and it served the same purpose as the two half-dragon guards at the main entrance of the Dark Castle. With his steel wings spread out, Song Jian easily flew to the entrance on the precipice. Because of the long disuse, the sewage in the cave entrance had dried up, leaving only large patches of dirt. With his back bent, Song Jian walked along this passage. It was pitch black inside, and he could only open his vertical eye to see the surroundings. This passage was winding and had many exits, but Song Jian didnt look at them as he walked straight towards the depths of the castle; Soon, Song Jian arrived at a barred gate. Using his sword to chop open the barrier, he entered and found himself before a spiral stone staircase. The staircase spiraled downward, and from below, a series of dark, cold breaths and faint, bloody smells wafted up; Theres a dungeon down there, and past it is the Shadow Giant Dragons treasure room! Song Jians mouth curved into a smile. Not only did Qi Yun give Song Jian a map of the Dark Castle, but Anna had also told him the exact location of the castles interior, because the Goblet of Life she needed, also known as the Holy Grail, was hidden in the deepest treasure room of the Dark Castle. As for the Shadow Giant Dragon, it preferred to stay in the Chamber of Shadows due to its large size. The place where Song Jian was now was still several hundred meters away from the Chamber of Shadows; Chapter 556: 556: Regional Tasks Chapter 556: Regional Tasks To enter the Treasure Hall, one must pass through the underground prison. Song Jian was uncertain if this prison was still in use, so as he descended the stone steps, he moved cautiously, afraid to make a sound. The underground prison was dim and damp. As he reached the end of the stone steps, a system prompt immediately popped up; System: You discovered the Underground Prison and gained 100 experience points. Song Jian entered, finding the area chaotic. In the middle of the prison was a corridor wide enough for two people to walk side by side. There were iron cages lined up along the corridors, filled with hay and some of it spilled onto the corridors. Some of the cage doors were broken, but others were intact C and unbelievably, still housed some prisoners. There were humans, elves, and Song Jian even spotted a Minotaur Beastman among the prisoners. In the corridor, several half-dragon guards, wielding tridents, were patrolling back and forth. The half-dragons had bodies like humans but heads like dragons, with long, spindle-shaped tails. They were covered in dark purple scales, giving them the appearance of wearing thick suits of armor. Each of them held in their left hand a leash attached to a giant black wolf. These wolves, towering over humans, closely followed their half-dragon masters. Shadow Seat Wolf, a level 25 elite BOSS? When Song Jian saw the attributes of these wolves, a look of surprise crossed his face. If the combat pets were level 25 elite BOSS, how powerful were these half-dragon guards? Song Jian quickly turned to look at the half-dragons. As expected, these half-dragons were all level 28 elite BOSS. Facing such a combination, even Song Jian felt a bit of a headache. Just then, a half-dragon leading a Shadow Seat Wolf approached the entrance where Song Jian was. He quickly retreated up the steps. However, he soon heard a low growl of the wolf, as if it had sensed him. A sinking feeling filled his heart and Song Jian quickly moved backwards. Not long after, a gigantic black wolf appeared in his sight, charging at him along the stone steps. Since the fight was inevitable, Song Jian readied himself. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flickering with a dark red light, he swung it towards the oncoming wolf. The collision caused both to grapple, and a figure of damage floated above Song Jians head C 160 points. Above the wolfs head, however, there were two hundred plus points of damage. I can fight it. This Seat Wolfs defense is lackluster. I should kill it before the half-dragon guard comes. Song Jian muttered with determination, speeding up his attack. While fighting, he retreated. Soon, the half-dragon guard rushed towards him, swinging his trident. But he couldnt get close to Song Jian because of the wolf in front. A sneer appeared on Song Jians face. He had been worried earlier about being surrounded and attacked. Now, it seemed that the spiraling staircase would lighten his burden. A level 25 elite BOSS wasnt too challenging for the current Song Jian. In less than three minutes, he had killed the Seat Wolf, and then he moved on to face the half-dragon guard. Obviously, the level 28 half-dragon guard was much stronger than the wolf. The dragon scales on his body alone were far more superior than the wolfs. His trident was also extremely sharp, and though it was less powerful than the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, it could still inflict two to three hundred points of damage. Broken Wing Dance! Light Strike! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Sweeping Sword Style! Song Jian could now adeptly deploy various sword techniques he had mastered. Each move seamlessly flowed into the next, forming an incessant attack that flowed like clouds and water. Sparks flew as Song Jians sword clashed with the half-dragon. Its impact on its body seemed like striking steel. However, even the toughest steel would become scrap metal under Song Jians attack. Soon, he broke through the half-dragons defense, piercing its heart and killing it. Lucky me. It actually dropped a Silver Quality Dragon Scale Armor! Picking up the loot, Song Jian smiled. His only complaint was that he killed two elite BOSS, but only the half-dragon guard dropped loot. The level 25 elite BOSS Seat Wolf dropped nothing. This spiraling staircase was an Achilles heel for these half-dragon guards. By leading them over one by one, Song Jian could first kill the Seat Wolf before dealing with the half-dragon guard, avoiding the situation of being surrounded and attacked. Thus, Song Jian lured and killed the half-dragon guards one by one. It took him more than an hour to clear the underground prison of the half-drangon guards. The loot was good. Song Jian got three pieces of level 25 blue equipment and five pieces of level 25 green equipment. However, for silver equipment, only the first half-dragon guard dropped the Dragon Scale Armor. Besides that, there were quite a few gray pieces of equipment. These gray equipment were of little use and could only be sold in shops. Even so, they could still fetch about three to four thousand Doomsday Coins in total. Moreover, Song Jians combat experience had grown swiftly. It was now at 96%. Perhaps it wont be long before he levels up again. After clearing out the guards, Song Jian restored his Vitality Points and Spirit Points to their maximum, then slowly walked into the prison. The confined prisoners wouldnt attack Song Jian on sight, instead begging for freedom when he approached. Oh, chosen one, please rescue me. Im just a pitiful person who was captured Please, save me save me Oh Lord, my prayers have been heard. Are you here to rescue me? Seeing Song Jian, the prisoners became excited, gripping the thick bars of their cages and looking at him in anticipation. Just then, Song Jian received another system prompt. System: Youve triggered a regional mission: liberate the imprisoned. Mission Requirement: Release the prisoners in the Dark Castle Underground prison (0/10). Rewards: 1,000 points reputation in the City of Sin, random rewards. Punishment for failure: Loss of 500 points reputation in the City of Sin. At this point, Song Jians reputation in the City of Sin had dropped to indifferent because of Solando. If he lost another 500 points, he would be on the brink of being detested, and would not be able to enter the city and could even be chased away by city guards. After considering for a moment, Song Jian accepted the mission. System: You have accepted a regional mission. Please kill the prison warden to obtain the keys to the cages. Suddenly, a virtual map appeared before Song Jians eyes, showing the location of the prison warden. The map only lasted for five seconds, but Song Jian quickly memorized the entire map. The prison warden was in a small house next to the entrance he had come from. Having memorized the map, a sinister smile crossed his face. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I should have known you didnt have any kind intentions Chapter 557: 557: Treasure Map Chapter 557: Treasure Map The warden of the underground dungeon was a level 30 Elite Level BOSS named Longya Suoli. However, Song Jian was not interested in that. What he cared about was the virtual map that had just been revealed to him and the map that Qi Yun had given him, which had a significant discrepancy. The main difference was that the location of the treasure room, which Song Jian had originally thought, was not necessarily through the underground dungeon but in another place. In fact, the room accessed through the underground dungeon was a hatchery containing a Shadow Giant Dragon egg. Perhaps knowing that it was severely injured, the Shadow Giant Dragon had laid down an egg with all its essence a long time ago. The reason it needed a large number of Shadow Crystals was for both its own healing and the hatching of the dragon egg, which required a large number of Shadow Crystals. One could imagine that where the Shadow Dragon egg was stored would definitely be the most heavily guarded place in the entire Dark Castle. Song Jian would likely trigger an alarm the moment he stepped into the room, and then he would have to face the wrath of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Qi Yun probably had calculated this in advance, and his goal was for Song Jian to confront the Shadow Giant Dragon head-on. However, Qi Yun could not have anticipated that Song Jians luck would be so good, completing a quest and obtaining a 5-second glimpse of the Dark Castles map. Song Jian took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. He figured Qi Yuns target must be the treasure room, and stealing Shadow Crystals was merely a bonus. Finish this quest first, then go to the treasure room, Song Jian thought to himself. He approached the first prison cell, carefully examined the lock on the door, and pulled out an item like half a piece of wire from his inventory. This was a Master Key that Song Jian had obtained from a previous quest. It could open any locked treasure chest of Epic Level or lower. If it could open Epic Level treasure chests, the prison cells in front of Song Jian should pose no problem. Song Jian inserted the Master Key into the keyhole, and moments later, with a gentle twist and a click, the lock was indeed opened. The person imprisoned in the cell was a human commoner NPC. Seeing that Song Jian didnt hunt down the warden but took out a piece of wire instead, the NPC let out a long sigh. He didnt think Song Jian could open the lock with a half piece of wire, as he seemed to be a Swordsman rather than a Thief. But as the click sound was heard and the lock opened, an incredulous look of ecstasy appeared on the human NPCs face. Opened?! He rushed to the cell door, trembling as he opened the door and walked out. Im saved! The human NPC cried tears of joy, covering his mouth as he sobbed quietly. Soon, he took out a silver coin from his pocket and handed it to Song Jian. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thank you, blessed one, this is my gratitude, please accept it, the human NPC said in a low voice, pushing the silver coin into Song Jians hand, and then turned around to run towards the stairs. Song Jian didnt know how he would escape the Dark Castle, but as soon as he released the man, his quest showed that he had rescued a prisoner. Song Jian looked at the silver coin in his hand, only to realize it was actually a valuable item, which could be exchanged for 200 Doomsday Coins. He smiled bitterly and put the silver coin away in his inventory. So, Song Jian proceeded to save the prisoners one by one, receiving their gratitude and various small gifts, such as precious little mirrors, delicious pastries, exquisite harmonicas, and so on. These items could be sold for 300 to 500 Doomsday Coins each, and if all were sold, he would earn a few thousand Doomsday Coins. It would be considered a sizable fortune to ordinary players, but it wasnt particularly exciting for Song Jian. Hmm, whats this, a treasure map? Song Jian received another small gift C an old piece of parchment that looked like it had been stored for several decades. This is a treasure map that has been in my familys possession. As a token of my gratitude, Ill give it to you! The human NPC, who seemed to be a noble, gave Song Jian a bow before walking calmly towards the stairs, in contrast to the panicked escape of the others. Song Jian examined the map carefully and found that the location marked was in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. It seemed that this person had also been captured because of the treasure map. It would be nice to check it out after completing this quest, Song Jian thought to himself. By now, Song Jian had rescued nine prisoners, leaving only one last one C the bull-headed Beastman. Human, have you come here for the Shadow Giant Dragon? The bull-headed Beastman stared at Song Jian as he picked the lock, showing no urgency on his face, as if Song Jian wasnt there to rescue him. Shadow Giant Dragon? Song Jian opened the cell door, looked at the bull-headed Beastman and laughed, Do you think I can defeat it? Its an adult dragon, after all! Not an adult dragon, but a dragon that has weakened to the point of near death! The bull-headed Beastman slowly stood up and said. Still a dragon! Song Jian shrugged. The bull-headed Beastman laughed and said, I have nothing to give you, but if you want to deal with the Shadow Giant Dragon, I can help you! Help me, are you serious? Song Jian asked in surprise. Of course, a Beastman always keeps his word! The bull-headed Beastman nodded, turned around, pulled a huge wooden hammer from the hay, carried it on his shoulder, and walked out of the cell. Song Jian stared at the mighty bull-headed Beastman, then at the wooden hammer on his shoulder, and asked curiously, How did you manage to carry this big thing with you all the time? Didnt the people who imprisoned you confiscate your weapon? The bull-headed Beastman looked at Song Jian and said solemnly, This is a soul weapon; no one can separate it from me. You should know this better than anyone since I can sense the existence of soul weapons on you. Song Jian wondered if he was talking about the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Golden Demonslaying Sword. At the moment the bull-headed Beastman stepped out of the cell, Song Jian received a quest completion notification. System: You have completed the regional quest, The Imprisoned. Your City of Sin reputation increases by 1000 points, and you are now Friendly to the City of Sin. Song Jian checked his reputation in the City of Sin and saw that it had jumped from Indifferent to Friendly, relatively high within the Friendly range, only a step away from Revered. If it wasnt for Solando, I might be Revered by now, Song Jian thought to himself. Looking at the bull-headed Beastman standing like a guard next to him, Song Jian nodded and said, Lets go, lets meet the real owner of this Dark Castle! Chapter 558: 558: The Holy Grail Chapter 558: The Holy Grail The treasure room within the Dark Castle was as large as a football field, crammed full of gold, jewels, and diamonds making the entire room appear extraordinarily chaotic and congested. Among all these, two small hills composed of stacked gold coins were prominent. At the very top of one such hill sparkled a diamond as large as a human head, radiating dazzling multi-colored radiance all around. This place is simply magnificent, Song Jian exclaimed, casually picking up a gold coin to put into his bag, but suddenly received a red system prompt; System: This coin is imbued with the magic of the Shadow Giant Dragon. As soon as you put it in your bag, it will trigger the magic, provoking the Shadow Giant Dragons rage and it will hunt you down relentlessly; Thats perfect, attracting the attention of the Shadow Giant Dragon is exactly what I aim to do. Song Jian said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smirk as he casually threw the coin back. Dont touch anything here, it is all guarded by magical alarms! Song Jian advised the Bullman. The Bullman, with his wooden hammer, did not utter a word but only nodded in acknowledgment. Even if he wanted to attract the Shadow Giant Dragons attention, one coin wouldnt be enough. After all, the Holy Grail was also in this treasure vault, but there were so many gold coins and jewels that many things were buried. By the way, whats your name? Song Jian turned to ask the Bullman. You can call me Cain, Cain Blackhoof, the Bullman replied in a deep and resonant voice. Alright, Cain, help me find a cup to hold water. It should be in this treasure vault, but it might be buried under all this gold Song Jian scratched his head, frowning as he spoke. A cup for water? Cain pointed to a rough stone pillar less than one meter tall in the center of the treasure vault and asked, Are you referring to that one? Song Jian turned to look, and saw a crude cup made of gray wood, about the size of a palm, sitting atop a rough stone pillar surrounded by a pile of gold coins and jewels. The wooden cup looked just like a piece of wood, simply hollowed out in the middle, with distinct wood grain visible both inside and out. It appeared rather coarse and simple. What Im looking for is the Holy Grail, which can turn ordinary water into the Water of Life. How could it possibly be this thing? Song Jian shook his head, picking up the wooden cup. He found it strange that such a crude wooden cup would be in the treasure vault of the Shadow Giant Dragon. But the moment he picked up the cup, he immediately received a system prompt; System: You obtained the Goblet of Life (Holy Grail), please hand it over to Anna Katerina of the City of Sin; Surprised? Song Jian stared at the wooden cup in his hands with a face full of surprise. The handle was so rough there were even splinters remaining. It felt incredibly coarse in his hands; This is the Goblet of Life? Song Jian exclaimed incredulously. In life, its often the ordinary ones that turn out to be priceless treasures! Cain Blackhoof observed Song Jian deeply and said. Alright, Cain, is there anything you need here? If not, you might as well take some of these gold and jewels because the moment I put this wooden cup away, its definitely going to alert the Shadow Giant Dragon! Song Jian said. Cain hesitated for a moment before saying, Actually, the reason I came here was to recover a lost relic of our tribe, the Bloodthirsty Totem. I dont know if its in this treasure vault! Alright, lets move quickly. If that thing you speak of is truly a treasure, it must be in here, Song Jian nodded, holding the Holy Grail in one hand while beginning to dig through the gold coins with the other. No need for that. The artifacts from our tribe all bear the mark of our ancestors. I can identify its exact location based on that. The Bullman stopped speaking, put down his wooden hammer, brought his hands together, and started chanting. Cain seemed to be chanting a historical epic his voice was deep and desolate. Song Jian could even hear a trace of melancholy. Before Cain even finished his chant, he abruptly stopped, quickly walked over to a corner of the treasure vault, and forcefully uncovered a thick layer of gold coins to pull out a robust stone pillar just over a meter tall from underneath; This stone pillar weighed at least a ton and was carved with various patterns flowers, plants, and wild animals filled its surface, creating a dizzying sight. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Cain grabbed the stone pillar and swung it around like a heavy weapon momentarily. He made it look as though this stone pillar didnt have any weight at all. Is this a Dark Gold tool? Song Jian looked at the glaring Dark Gold radiance emanating from the surface of the stone pillar and couldnt help but express his astonishment. Dark Gold quality tools are the pinnacle of the Gold stage many say that Dark Gold equipment has the potential to advance into the Epic stage. Song Jian never expected the item Cain was looking for to be of Dark Gold Quality. This is a relic that our tribe has passed down for hundreds of years. As long as I can take it back, I will become the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe! Cain gripped the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar tightly, his face full of excitement. Just then, a shadow suddenly appeared in the treasure vault. Song Jian felt an intense Force of Death and instantly summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, swinging it at the shadow; One needs to know, reapers from Deaths Scythe can appear at any time. Such an intense Force of Death could only come from a reaper of Deaths Scythe. You, why are you here! The shadow removed his hood, revealing a face resembling a skull, and stared at Song Jian in shock. Qi Yun? Song Jian was taken aback and sheathed his sword. In a flash, he understood why Qi Yun was here. It seems that when you asked me to distract the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour, it was so you could search for treasure here and escape safely, right? Song Jian chuckled, a chill flashing in his eyes. It seems that you have already grabbed what you need, hand it to me! Qi Yun stared at the wooden cup in Song Jians hands and demanded. Your goal was the Shadow Crystal, why do you want this Goblet of Life? Song Jian gripped the wooden cup tighter upon hearing Qi Yuns words. Isnt it all thanks to you! My body has been completely corroded by the Force of Death, even a hundred shadow crystals are useless in purging it A look of resentment flashed through Qi Yuns eyes as he spoke, Now, my only way out is to use the power of the Goblet of Life to counteract the Force of Death within my body. To completely purge the Force of Death, I must use the Goblet of Life. The power of life, for ordinary people, can prolong life, alleviate physical ailments, and even rejuvenate. Its a divine power that drives people to madness. But for those infected with the Force of Death, its extremely toxic; Using the Goblet of Life to eliminate the Force of Death within his body was Qi Yuns only chance at survival; Chapter 559: 559: Shadow Giant Dragon Chapter 559: Shadow Giant Dragon Upon hearing that Qi Yuns target was the Goblet of Life in his possession, Song Jians lips curled up slightly and said, Im sorry, but this was not part of our agreement. Upon hearing Song Jians response, Qi Yuns face darkened instantly, and intense murderous intent surged in his heart like a wave. Originally, he had no intention of sparing Song Jian. Hence, the map he gave him was a modified version where the locations of the Treasure Vault and the Shadow Giant Dragons eggs were swapped. Ninety percent of the content was true; If he were Song Jian, the first room he would reach upon entering the Dark Castle would unmistakably be the Treasure Vault. Once Song Jian followed this map into the room with the Shadow Dragon eggs, it would trigger an alarm and incur the pursuit of the Shadow Giant Dragon; This way, he could easily enter the Treasure Vault, secure the Goblet of Life at his leisure, and leave; However, to his surprise, Song Jian reached the Treasure Vault before he did. While Qi Yun was still pondering why Song Jian was here, he suddenly saw that the latter had already obtained the Goblet of Life that he desired. Speak, what would it take for you to hand over the Goblet of Life to me? As long as I can offer it, I will give it to you, Qi Yun exclaimed angrily, taking a deep breath. Talking about these things now is pointless. Song Jian laughed heartily and said, I just want to ask you one thing. Are you ready? Ready? Ready for what? Qi Yun asked in confusion. Ready to face the wrath of the Shadow Giant Dragon together with me! Song Jian laughed, skilfully stowing away the Goblet of Life into his bag. Upon losing its sense of the Goblet of Life, the Shadow Giant Dragon in the grand hall of the Dark Castle let out an angry roar, stood up and strode towards the Treasure Vault; Thieves, despicable thieves, daring to steal within the grand Bladesedge Castle, unforgivable! A violent roar that made the entire Dark Castle slightly tremble; Youre courting death! Qi Yuns face changed drastically. Just as he was preparing to flee, the door of the Treasure Vault was blown open with a thunderous boom by the Shadow Giant Dragon. A huge head pressed through the doorway; This creatures head alone was the size of a truck, followed by a neck as large as a giant python, covered in thick scales. Its strong forelimbs managed to fling the thick door away just like that, and its entire body barged into the Treasure Vault. Thick gold coins and jewels flowed from beneath its massive claws and with each step it took, it left a giant pit in the ground. Are you three the petty thieves? Daring to steal in front of the great Bladesedge, this makes me very angry. Now, youll face the punishment of the Shadow Giant Dragon, Bladesedge, roared the Shadow Giant Dragon at the three of them; This creature, nearly a hundred meters long, had enormous wings that could conjure a storm capable of destroying a city, sharp claws that rivalled divine weapons, able to tear open any solid armour; corrosive Dragons Breath was brewing in its huge mouth, with the Dragon Flame in its throat flickering; Compared to it, Song Jians Black Dragon seemed like an infant; However, Song Jian noticed a seven or eight-metre wound at the root of the Shadow Giant Dragons right wing. The wound emitted a faint golden light, inhibiting the dragons self-healing. Besides, the dragon seemed rather aged, its body exuding an aura of decay and senility. Kane roared loudly, wielding the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, and heavily slammed the ground. Suddenly, several totems as thick as human arms appeared around them; A defence totem, a healing totem, a Flame Totem, a Steel Totem, a binding totem Kane deployed all the totems he possessed at once, then heaved heavily, his face pale as a sheet. I love defiant little rats. The more you resist, the more excited I get! The Shadow Giant Dragon roared, stomping its forepaws. Its upper body lunged forward and stood up, then it stomped heavily on the ground; Boom~ A loud noise sounded, and a shockwave radiated from its feet, scattering all the heavy gold coins and jewels on the ground, exposing the floor of the Treasure Vault. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian and his companions were unable to hold their footing and were hurled back by the blast, crashing hard into the stone pillar within the Treasure Vault. Blood spurted out, and Song Jian discovered with shock that his Vitality Points had plummeted by more than five hundred; This Is the attack power of the Shadow Giant Dragon too formidable? Song Jian looked alarmed. His Vitality Points were just above two thousand. In one hit, a quarter of those points were gone. How was he supposed to continue the fight? How did you assure me earlier that I could hold it off for half an hour? Song Jian turned his head, staring at Qi Yun as he asked. Qi Yun: Earlier, Qi Yun had planned for Song Jian to die at the hands of the Shadow Giant Dragon without considering that he himself would have to face the beast. Activate Immortal Sword Body! Song Jian activated the Immortal Sword Body without hesitation and charged towards the Shadow Giant Dragon; He He actually dares to fight this Shadow Giant Dragon? Qi Yuns eyes widened in shock. This Shadow Giant Dragon was the final boss of the Dark Castle, and killing it would at least require the combined effort of ten players, all at level thirty with tier-one combat power. Song Jian was actually charging at it alone now. Wasnt this courting death? Such speed! The shadow giant dragon, Bladesedge, was taken aback at the sight of Song Jian charging towards it. Boom! Song Jian leapt high, and his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashed towards Shadow Giant Dragons torso; The dragon was too massive; every part of it was a potential target. However, for the dragon to attack Song Jian, it would have to use large-scale skills. Thud! With a loud sound, Song Jian shattered several of Shadow Giant Dragons thick scales. The dragon hollered in pain and viciously swung its tail towards Song Jian; The spindly tail covered in thick scales, like a giant hammer, tore through the air, making a sharp, shrill sound; The strength attribute the Shadow Giant Dragon possessed far exceeded Song Jians. At this point, Song Jian dared not confront it directly; he could only dodge nimbly; Watching as Song Jian and the Shadow giant dragon tussling together, the Minotaur, Kane, let out a thunderous roar. From the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar he held, a dazzling red light burst forth. Instantly, Kanes body swelled up, radiant with red light. His eyes were filled with bloodlust, and he seemed to turn berserk all of a sudden. He brandished the totem pillar and charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon; For glory! Kane roared, lifting the Totem Pillar and smashing down on the dragon; Woosh~ The Shadow Giant Dragon let out a roar, waving its wings, and knocked Kane away fiercely. Its sharp talons ripped three bone-deep wounds on his chest. Chapter 560: 560: Shadow Whirlwind Chapter 560: Shadow Whirlwind While the Shadow Giant Dragon was focusing its attention on the Minotaur Kane, Song Jian seized the opportunity to mercilessly strike it a few times. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword kept hacking away at the Shadow Giant Dragon, easily shattering its scales. Enraged, the Shadow Giant Dragon opened its mouth wide and let out a roar as hot Dragon Breath surged from within. It was like a massive waterfall, or rather a scaled-up Flame Ejection; This Dragon Breath, imbued with the Force of Shadows, completely melted the gold coins on the ground into juice before they solidified. With the movement of the Dragons head, the Dragon Breath covered a radius of several dozen meters all around; This, this is too terrifying! A look of terror emerged on Qi Yuns face. This incandescent Dragon Flame was uncontrollable for an ordinary person. Song Jian instantly deployed his Frost Shield and initiated the Frost Sprint. His body became a shadow, and he began to dodge around the Shadow Giant Dragon. The Shadow Dragon Flame grazed past Song Jian, practically chasing him as it spurted out. The temperature in the blink of an eye was enough to melt gold and smelt iron; Song Jian, who had activated the Immortal Sword Body, was incredibly valiant. With steel wings spread out behind him, he amazingly flew onto the back of the Shadow Giant Dragon, swinging his long sword and hacking away; The scales on the giant Dragons back were the thickest, and its defense was the strongest. Sparks flew as Song Jian hacked, and it took at least three to four swipes of the sword to shatter a single scale on the Dragons backbone. Feeling Song Jian land on its back, the Shadow Giant Dragon became even more enraged. Besides the Inverted scales located around its neck, another taboo area was its back. In its rage, its neck, like a giant python, twisted and writhed as the Dragon repeatedly spewed five or six bouts of Shadow Dragon Breath at Song Jian; The battle instantly went into full swing. Knocked away, Kane got up and shook his head. His bulls eyes, full of blood vessels, revealed a hint of confusion, but he quickly regained his senses and roared as he charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon again; Get yourself some armor, gear up and then return to the fight! Song Jian yelled at Kane; At this point, Kane only wore a worn-out linen shorts, with his upper body garment in tatters. It was no different from being bare; Kane like this couldnt handle the front-on attacks from the Shadow Giant Dragon. A critical hit might kill him instantly; In the Treasure Vault were not only gold coins and jewels but many weapons and armors as well. The equipment hoarded by the Shadow Giant Dragon in the Treasure Vault were naturally extraordinary, at least of gold grade or above; Kane hesitated a moment before immediately turning around and beginning to search the Treasure Vault. Armor suitable for Kanes size was not easy to find, and the gold coins and jewels scattered everywhere made searching more difficult. Song Jian turned back to Qi Yun and shouted, What are you standing there for? If you dont want to die with me, better start fighting now! The Shadow Giant Dragon did not know Song Jians relationship with Qi Yun. In its eyes, the three intruders in its Treasure Vault were no different; thieves coveting its treasure. It had long sentenced all three to death in its mind; As soon as Song Jian were defeated or killed, Kane and Qi Yun would have to bear the wrath of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Damn it, how did it turn out like this! Qi Yuns face was filled with rage, but at this moment, if he didnt join forces with Song Jian, he would undoubtedly die here; Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom! A ball of Shadow Flame erupted from Qi Yuns hand, brutally smashing into the chest of Shadow Giant Dragon. A damage value of over thirty points floated up from the top of the Shadow Giant Dragons head; Upon seeing that Qi Yun only inflicted such little damage, Song Jian was speechless. He wasnt sure if it was because Qi Yuns body had been corroded by the Force of Death, causing severe damage, or because the Shadow Giant Dragon was highly resistant to the Force of Shadows. Qi Yuns full-force attack only resulted in about thirty damage points. For the Shadow Giant Dragon, with its health points surpassing nine thousand, this damage was no different than a tickle. Although Song Jian could cleave through the Shadow Giant Dragons scales, the dragons outer skin was also incredibly tough. When he struck it with his sword, not only was he unable to break through its defenses, but there was also a slight rebounding force that almost made Song Jian lose his grip on the longsword. The Shadow Giant Dragons body was overwhelmingly strong. Even without the protection of its scales, it was not so straightforward to break through its strong defenses. Thinking of this, Song Jian took a Weakness Potion out of his parcel and fiercely smashed it against the Shadow Giant Dragon. With a puff sound, the grey potion spread out, but it only corroded a small area before slowly disappearing. A resistance floated up from the top of the Shadow Giant Dragons head. Resistance? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he gritted his teeth, As long as its not immune, I can just use more potions. The level of the Weakness Potion was too low and was unlikely to have an impact on the Shadow Giant Dragon. Song Jian took out the Weakness Potions from the parcel, one by one, and smashed them on the Shadow Giant Dragons back. Almost all of the potions were resisted by the dragon. After using up the Superior Quality Weakness Potions, Song Jian directly utilized the Mutated Weakness Potions. These Mutated Potions were much superior to the previous ones and, after smashing three of them, the huge body of the Shadow Giant Dragon was cloaked in a grey aura. The Weakness Potion (Mutated) reduced the targets defense value by 55%. Additionally, the attack interval was extended by 60%. This was the best Weakness Potion that Song Jian managed to create, finally affecting the Shadow Giant Dragon. Song Jian clutched the sword in both hands and fiercely thrust it into an area where the scales were shattered. Pu-chi` The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword plunged halfway in, and a stream of hot dragons blood spurted from the wound, resembling a blood arrow. An agonized roar echoed, filling the Treasure Vault with the enraged voice of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Youve finally enraged me, you lowly creatures! Youve provoked the great Shadow Giant Dragon. I will roast your bodies into charred ashes with Dragons Flame. Your souls will be banished to Shadow Hell and will forever sink! The Shadow Giant Dragon went berserk, waving its wings and instinctively thrashing wildly, trying to shake off Song Jian from its back. By this time, Kane had already put on half a set of armor and eyed a two-handed sword almost taller than a person. Seeing the Totem Pillar in his hand, he hesitated for a moment. Kane still choice the Totem Pillar. Holding the Totem Pillar, he charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon with an accepting of death demeanor. Accursed pests! The Shadow Giant Dragon flapped its wings vigorously, and bands of grey Shadow Whirlwind began to swirl in the Treasure Vault. Song Jian suddenly felt the dragons back tremble violently, and a powerful force lifted him and sent him flying off. The coins and jewels of the Treasure Vault began shaking and flying in the direction of the dozens of Shadow Whirlwinds. As soon as they approached, they were ground to dust by the powerful whirlwind. What horrified the three of them was that these dozens of Shadow Whirlwinds around them were producing a powerful attraction, pulling them involuntarily towards the whirlwind. Chapter 561: Dragon Horn Chapter 561: Dragon Horn Dozens of shadow whirlwinds, spread out in several rows like a large net, slowly moved towards the trio. They sucked in anything they passed over, grinding it into powder; Countless coins and jewels were sucked in, as if there were millions of blades within the whirlwind, turning them all into dust. All of you, will die! The Shadow Giant Dragon roared madly, raising its head. With this skill, we must either resist or pass through the gaps in these shadow whirlwinds Qi Yun said, looking at Song Jian. To resist is to die! Song Jians thought, as a red bloody light grew on his bodys surface. The Bloody Shield activated, his most potent protective shield. Entering will be what leads to death! Qi Yun sneered. These shadow whirlwinds moved slowly but kept shifting. There appeared to be a repelling force between them, pushing each other away if they got too close. Dozens of whirlwinds filled the hall. It wasnt as simple as getting past one, there were at least five or six layers. Any slight mistake could result in being sucked into a whirlwind. Song Jian did not spare a glance at Qi Yun and transformed into a shadow, rushing forward; Even before he got close, Song Jian could feel the harsh momentum emanating from the whirlwinds. It felt like a small knife, the gaps between them seemed to be filled with this force turning them into countless blade edges. Song Jians Bloody Shields defense level began to decline, like rain falling into a river, ripples continuously spread. Qi Yun watched Song Jian with a cold smile: He still has a chance to retreat now. If he goes any further, Im afraid he wont even have the chance to retreat and will just be shredded by the whirlwinds. Kane, the Minotaur, glanced at Qi Yun, roared, lifted a helmet onto his head and with the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar in his arms, blindly charged into the gap between the shadow whirlwinds; Qi Yuns face darkened, it seemed that the Minotaur was willing to believe Song Jian over him. Looking at the Minotaur taking multiple hits with five to six points of damage each time, Qi Yuns lips curled into a cold smile. Following this rate of damage, the Minotaur would be killed by the force, without even needing to be sucked into the shadow whirlwinds; Waving its wings, the Shadow Giant Dragon sent out countless Shadow Arrows at the trio. Song Jian was startled, this boss was too terrifying, with far too many group attacks, all of immense power. Even a team of ten might not be able to succeed in vanquishing it. Sacred Parry! His sword drawn sideways, a halo of gold bloomed. Song Jians body jolted, reflecting the shadow arrows aimed at him back, continuing his forward charge; Expending nearly eight hundred Vitality Points, Song Jian finally broke through the shadow whirlwinds large net. With the flap of his iron wings, Song Jian leaped high into the air, stabbing at the Shadow Giant Dragons skull with his sword; Meanwhile, the Minotaur warriors pace was slowing down. His armors durability was plummeting, and his Vitality Points had dropped to less than a third. His exposed skin was covered with bloody gashes, making him look rather pitiful. He was right in the center position of the shadow whirlwind. Whether he went forwards or retreated, the damage taken would be nearly the same. He had fallen into the predicament that Qi Yun had warned of earlier where advancing or retreating was impossible. Qi Yun smirked, a mocking look in his eyes: This is what happens when you believe him! Kane, the Minotaur, took off his single-digit durability helmet, horribly panting. His eyes were bloodshot but still displayed an unyielding spirit. Blessing of the ancestors! Kane let out a earth-shattering roar. The Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar in his hand suddenly burst forth with a bloody glow. A giant Minotaur phantom appeared above Kanes head, shaking the sky with a roar while brandishing two gigantic axes; Thump, thump, thump~ Profound war drum sounds resonated. Surprisingly, a set of seemingly simple armor appeared on Kanes body. The armor, made by binding a few pieces of iron with animal skin, was very crude, protecting only a few critical areas. Yet Kanes face revealed a surprised and joyous expression, he couldnt help but roar, his eyes filled with tears; This ancestral battle armor could only be worn by the bravest warriors of the tribe. Only those who received the recognition of the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar could summon this armor. With this ancestral battle armor, the damage Kane took was reduced to a terrifying level. The damage that would usually deal more than a dozen points, was directly reduced to single digits; Moreover, wearing this battle armor increased Kanes attributes, almost doubling them. Holding the totem pillar in his hands, he too broke through the blockade of the shadow whirlwinds, roaring as he charged at the Shadow Giant Dragon. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Qi Yuns face turned deathly pale. He slowly backed away from the slowly approaching shadow whirlwinds until his back hit the icy rock walls of the treasure vault, and he finally stopped. Damn it! Qi Yun was quickly getting nervous. The coins and jewels within the treasure vault were all turned into powder by the shadow whirlwinds. This filled the vault with a golden fog. The originally grey shadow whirlwinds had now also turned golden. I have to charge out. If I continue to stay, Ill only face death. Qi Yun gritted his teeth, preparing to charge out, but suddenly noticed that the shadow whirlwinds were beginning to change. The originally repelling shadow whirlwinds started to attract each other and merge. Four combined into two, two into one. In less than ten seconds, dozens of shadow whirlwinds had merged into one giant cyclone, with a diameter of over ten meters. This golden cyclone, like a giant dragon, let out sharp roars. Its powerful suction shook the vault itself. No, how can this happen! Qi Yun looked at the cyclone over ten meters high, despair evident in his eyes. His body involuntarily flew towards the cyclone, and in no time, his entire person disappeared within it. Song Jian, however, had not realized that Qi Yun had been sucked into the cyclone. His sword ruthlessly stabbed into the Shadow Giant Dragons forehead. He then swung himself onto the Dragons head; holding onto one horn with one hand, he started attacking with his sword in the other; Bang, bang, bang~ Sounds of iron striking landed on the Shadow Giant Dragons skull. Song Jians sword pierced through the dragon scales, but failed to break through the dragons cranial defense. Even after using the Weakness Potion, reducing the overall defense of the Shadow Giant Dragon, it was still not possible to penetrate the skull, the hardest part of its skeleton, with the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, at least not immediately. Chop off its horn, and itll lose its power! Kane swung his totem pillar, fiercely smashing it on the Shadow Giant Dragons leg. Seeing Song Jian fiercely chopping the Shadow Giant Dragons skull, he roared loudly. Chapter 562: The Hunt Chapter 562: The Hunt Hearing Kanes roar, Song Jians eyes lit up, gritting his teeth to raise his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, with all his might, he hacked towards the horns of the Shadow Giant Dragon; Boom! Boom! Boom! With every slash, a cluster of brilliant sparks erupted from the dragons horn. Song Jian found that the hardness of the Shadow Giant Dragons horns was slightly higher than its scales, but it was far from the hardness of its skull. After a few slashes, a deep groove had appeared on the horn. Feeling Song Jian hacking at its horn, the Shadow Giant Dragon was suddenly filled with fear and rage. It let out a roar, flapping its wings to fly into mid-air and rolling madly in the sky, constantly twisting its neck to ram against the rock wall of the Treasure Vault. The entire Dark Castle, which is constructed by hollowing out an entire mountain peak, had several walls in the Treasure Vault which were actually heavy rock walls. After a few collisions, not only did the Shadow Beast suffer considerable damage, but Song Jian also felt a little dizzy and lost five or six hundred Vitality Points. Just as Song Jian was about to give up, he suddenly received a system prompt: System: Under the witness of the Spirit of Notary, the client who issued your task has died, and your task has been revoked; Song Jian paused for a moment, then a look of ecstasy appeared on his face. His task was to hold off the Shadow Giant Dragon for half an hour. At this point, not even ten minutes had passed, and Song Jian had almost exhausted all his trump cards. Half an hour, even Song Jian himself wasnt confident he could hold on to. If it werent for this task, like the Sword of Damocles was hanging over Song Jians head. If he hadnt already collected the task reward in advance, Song Jian would have given up and fled a long time ago. That guy really held on well! Song Jian suddenly thought, Qi Yun had been swept into the huge shadow tornado, and it had already lasted for nearly a minute, not expecting him to only die now, it looked like he had exhausted all his cards before finally being killed. Since the task has already been terminated, Song Jian didnt need to desperately fight the Shadow Giant Dragon. At this point, he had the idea of retreating. Just then, the Shadow Giant Dragon made a head bash towards the rock wall; The sharp dragons horn, like cutting through tofu, easily pierced the rock wall. Song Jians body shook violently and was fiercely smashed against the rock wall; A damage of over three hundred points floated up from Song Jians head; Just then, Song Jian heard a slight crack sound. The constant collisions had cracked the interior of the horn that he had slashed a flaw in. By this time, the duration of Song Jians Immortal Sword Body state had long since ended. After constant collisions, Song Jian couldnt hold on any longer, his hand loosened, and he fell from the head of the Shadow Giant Dragon. As he fell, Song Jian looked at the horn he had already cut in half, and a ruthless look appeared in his eyes. Even if I cant kill you, Ill still give you a good bite! Song Jian thought in his heart. Light Strike! sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A bright golden sword Qi struck towards the horn that was about to break off; With a crack, the Shadow Giant Dragon let out a painful sizzle. The entire Treasure Vault started to shake violently. The rocks from the ceiling kept falling down; Ding~ A clear sound echoed as a dragons horn, as long as an arm and sharp as a dagger, was embedded slantingly in the stone pillar in front of Song Jian. For the glory of the tribe! Kane roared, lifting the Totem Pillar and preparing to charge at the Shadow Giant Dragon; Song Jian stopped him and said, This Giant Dragon isnt something we can kill right now. Lets retreat for now, build up our strength, and hunt it down when were stronger! Since theres no need to complete the task anymore, Song Jian lost the meaning to continue the fight with the Shadow Giant Dragon. The Shadow Giant Dragon now was far superior to first grade Combat Power, which he and a half-baked Tauren Warrior could not kill. To hold on for more than ten minutes under a Shadow Giant Dragon, that was already a spectacular accomplishment for Song Jian right now. Hearing what Song Jian said, Kane hesitated, looking at the Shadow Giant Dragon rolling wildly in mid-air, his eyes showing reluctance. Kane also understood that, although this Shadow Giant Dragon had suffered irreversible severe injuries and was also in its old age, its strength was undeniable. If the fight continued, he and Song Jian would both be killed here; This time we take away its horn. Next time we take its life. Song Jian pulled out the broken horn from the stone pillar and handed it to Kane. Alright, let it live for a little longer then Kane held the horn tightly, speaking grudgingly. Damn pests, how dare you damage the body of the great Blade of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Unforgivable! The Shadow Giant Dragon opened its huge mouth, and its lava-like flame spewed at the two of them; Run! Song Jian let out a loud shout, his figure turned into a dark shadow, and he sprinted towards the gates of the Treasure Vault; Kane followed closely behind Song Jian with large strides. The scorching Dragons Breath swept over their feet, causing the rocks on the ground to slowly start to melt. The two of them quickly rushed out of the Treasure Vault, the Shadow Giant Dragon was flapping its wings, catching up to them; Song Jian saw that Kane was preparing to run towards the main door of the Dark Castle, he quickly pulled him by saying, Lets go to the sewer pipe! With that, he hurried towards the entrance of the pipe they had entered when they first arrived at the Dark Castle. Hearing about the sewer pipe, Kane was stunned, but he followed Song Jian closely, and soon, he saw the sewer pipe; Seeing Song Jians figure disappear at the entrance of the sewer pipe, Kanes eyes lit up, without hesitation, he hoisted up the Totem Pillar and crawled in as well. As soon as Kane crawled into the pipe, he could feel a strong collision from behind him. The Shadow Giant Dragons front paw had slammed heavily on the stone steps. The intense shaking caused the first section of the pipe to collapse; The Shadow Giant Dragons body was too massive for it to crawl into the pipe. Even the Dragons servants probably never paid attention to this place. Dragon servants, capture those mice who like to burrow underground for me! A furious roar of the Shadow Giant Dragon sounded from behind Song Jian. System: You have stolen the treasure of the Shadow Giant Dragon, the Goblet of Life, and your relation with the Shadow Giant Dragon is locked as a permanent enmity! It will send a massive amount of Dragon servents to hunt you down! Every half an hour, the magic on the Goblet of Life will be triggered, allowing the Dragon servents to sense your location, lasting for 10 minutes; System: You must hold on to the Goblet of Life for twenty-four hours to possess its ownership! System: You can also discard the Goblet of Life to avoid being hunted down by the Dragons servants! System: Once you discard the Goblet of Life, your relationship with Anna Katerina will be reduced to indifference! System: The Goblet of Life will significantly affect the future course of the story, please make every decision carefully! Chapter 563: 563: Worship Chapter 563: Worship Noticing the series of system prompts, a serious expression appeared on Song Jians face. He had gone through considerable trouble to steal the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle. It was impossible for him to just let it go now. Besides, not all the dragon servants possessed the same combat power. Moreover, Anna had told him earlier that the City of Sin was less than two hundred kilometers away from the Dark Castle. With Song Jians speed, he could reach the City of Sin in less than twelve hours; Once inside the City of Sin, even the strongest of the dragon servants would not dare chase and attack him in a city filled with humans. The two quickly left through the passage and entered the Shadowfang Mountain Range. My human friend, you saved me, and you helped me find my tribes totem. You will always be a friend of the Blackhoof Tribe! Kane, the beastman, embraced Song Jian tightly, expressing his gratitude. System: Your relationship with the Blackhoof Tribe has been upgraded to friendly, and your relationship with the beastman Kane has been upgraded to revered; Not bad! A smile danced on Song Jians lips. Kane was not only a beastman warrior, but he also had shaman abilities. Now that he had retrieved the tribes Totem Pillar, there was a high likelihood he would become the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe. Having such a revered relationship with an NPC was indeed a rare occurrence for Song Jian. This is the dragon horn that you cut off yourself. I cant take it! said Kane, pulling out the dragon horn from his chest and returning it to Song Jian. With a serious look, he continued: This is your feather in the cap. I need to earn my own honor. The other horn of the Shadow Giant Dragon has my name on it! Great, make sure to inform me next time you go to claim it. Well do it together! Song Jian laughed, punching Kane lightly. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Of course, friend, I wont forget you. But you must also strive hard, dont let me surpass you. Kane laughed. Kane is excited because with the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, his strength would undergo a tremendous transformation when he becomes the tribe leader; Oh, by the way, heres a treasure map for you. The location marked on it is somewhere near Shadowfang Mountain Range. I hope it will be of help. Song Jian handed over the treasure map he had obtained earlier. The rescue mission was not hard, and Song Jian predicted that the reward wouldnt be much. The rewards given by other rescued characters werent valuable. The treasure in the map was either already taken by someone, leaving only worthless stuff, or the treasure itself wasnt worth much. Song Jian couldnt spare the time to hunt this treasure at the moment. His time was precious. He had to race against time to march towards the City of Sin. But this belongs to you. How can I. Kane stared at Song Jian, astonished. Consider it a gift from me. You must accept it. Saying this, Song Jian put the treasure map into Kanes hand. This This is Kane was so touched and excited, he was momentarily speechless. System: You gifted a treasure map to Kane, significantly improving your rapport with him. Your relationship with the beastman Kane of the Blackhoof Tribe enhances from revered to worshiped level; System: You can try to recruit Kane as your follower. You have a high chance of successfully recruiting Kane; Song Jians heart leaped with joy. Gifting valuable items to NPCs could enhance Song Jians affinity with them.; Song Jian estimated that his rescue and help in retrieving the Bloodthirsty Totem had already pushed their relationship to the peak of reverence. Now, giving just a not-very-valuable item had allowed him to break through reverence to reach the level of worship; Alright, lets not waste any more time. I have to head to the City of Sin! Song Jian told Kane. After bidding farewell to each other, Song Jian immediately cast his acceleration skill, rushing towards the City of Sin; A distance of two hundred kilometers would have taken Song Jian at least three or four days at his previous speed. However, the dragon servants were hunting him, there were killers lurking everywhere. Song Jian had to move as quickly as possible; Song Jian fled to the Shadow Forest. It was already dark, so he lit a bonfire preparing to rest. However, the Goblet of Life stored in his bag unexpectedly emits dazzling rays of light. A mysterious fluctuation was spreading from his bag; The players bag was equivalent to another dimension. Anything placed in the bag would lose all physical effects on this plane; However, the magic on the Goblet of Life was able to penetrate Song Jians bag, emit fluctuations, and alert the dragons servants. This left Song Jian flabbergasted. At this moment, outside the Dark Castle, a team of half-dragon beings rode grey war bears. Their formation was orderly, at least dozens of them; Their leader, riding a colossal raptor, was fixated on the compass in his hand; Soon, the compass needle began to spin. A grotesque, scale-covered face revealed a smile. He roared, In that direction, charge! He pointed, and dozens of war bears roared, shaking the earth as they quickly dashed towards the direction their leader pointed; The magic fluctuation from the Goblet of Life in Song Jians bag went on for tens of minutes before it gradually died. However, he knew that the pursuers behind were aware of the direction he had fled in and were still rapidly chasing him. He could not afford to delay even by a minute, or they might catch up. Song Jian glanced at the Black Dragon in his pet space. The Black Dragon was currently in deep slumber. Yet, from the status displayed in the pet space, the Black Dragon was in unusually good health. Moreover, it seemed to be in some sort of special condition. Its level and power were automatically increasing. By now, the Black Dragon was at level twenty-eight. This baffled Song Jian, who couldnt understand what was happening to his Black Dragon. If only it could wake up now. With its help, dealing with those pursuers behind us would be a lot easier, at least it could carry me and expedite our journey. Song Jian thought internally. The Black Dragon was large enough to carry Song Jian with ease; Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt the ground vibrating rhythmically, as if something was charging towards him; Theyre so fast? Song Jians heart sank. He hadnt expected the pursuers to be faster than him. He had been using his acceleration to speed up, but he hadnt thought that these pursuers would be mounted; Blood Raven, come out! Song Jian thought, summoning several Blood Ravens, which he directed towards the approaching pursuers; With the help of these Blood Ravens, which extended his sense of perception over a long distance, he quickly got a clear visual through their eyes on the situation behind him. When he saw the half-dragon troops, who looked like a miniature army, and the war bears beneath them, Song Jian found himself drawing a sharp breath. Chapter 564: 564: Ambush Chapter 564: Ambush The soldiers pursuing from behind were all level thirty, but only the leader riding the Velociraptor had the strength of first grade. From their overwhelming aura, Song Jian even suspected, were they iron-blooded warriors from some army? Could they merely be the servants of a giant dragon? You must know, the servants are merely slaves of the Shadow Giant Dragon, the overwhelming aura these people had, anything but what a slave army could carry; Just as Song Jian was observing through his Blood Crow, the group suddenly stopped. The leader servant retrieved the longbow from the back of the Velociraptor and aimed at the Blood Crow; Oh no, it spotted me Song Jian gasped in his mind, just as he was about to command the crow to flee, and a sharp bone arrow pierced through the air like lightning, hitting the Blood Crow and bursting it into pieces; It detected that I was watching Song Jians face turned dreadfully gloomy. He didnt expect the pursuers sent by the Shadow Giant Dragon to be so formidable; Merely by fixating his eyes on them for a little longer, he managed to alert them. Their keen perception rendered any ambush or surprise attack boundary impossible; to defeat or to kill them, he had to face them head-to-head in battle. Initially, Song Jian thought of turning around to annihilate his pursuers, but now it seemed that continuing to escape was the right choice. Without time to extinguish the fire, Song Jian opened his wings of the steel on his back, and shot skyward, eventually disappearing into the night. The half-dragon leader that took down the Blood Crow commanded the group in an offensive formation to furiously pursue Song Jian. But when they arrived, all they saw was a burning bonfire; The half-dragon leaders face turned icy. He prowled around the fire, smelling, then raised his head, fixed his blood-red eyes upon the dark night sky with a sharp, not-so-easy-going look. In the desolate wilderness, not daring to stop for a moment, Song Jian deployed all his acceleration skills just as their cooldowns ended. At this time, he was immensely grateful for the tons of honey he had previously gathered for brewing honey wine. Otherwise, faced with so much exertion, he would have collapsed on the road by now. Escaping from the night to daylight, and from daylight till dusk again, Song Jian was caught up with and battled a few times with the half-dragon pursuers, before escaping again; With the Morphing into Dark Cloud and Wings of Steel, on top of the Frost Sprint and Sword Shadow Step, if Song Jian wanted to flea, itd be quite difficult to capture him. Moreover, Song Jians secret weapon, the passive skill of Enemy of the Death God, ensured him of revival even after death. In the wasteland, not a single plant was in sight, only coarse gravel and boulders. Song Jians Wings of Steel gradually disappeared as he descended down from the sky. Just as he was leaning against a giant rock and panting heavily, he suddenly felt a chilling sensation. It seemed as if a huge beast was right in front of him, baring its bloodthirsty jaws; A surge of potent death energy was gathering fast in front. Song Jian suddenly opened his eyes wide and raised his head to look forward; From behind were pursuers, and from the frontan ambush; Song Jian was frantically forming ideas in his mind. All his acceleration skills were on a cooldown, so he summoned a phantom clone to shield himself in the front. Boom! An enormous surge of death magic energy exploded violently in front, the shockwave and the aftermath completely shattered the phantom clone into pieces, despite it having seventy percent of Song Jians strength, wasnt much different from a typical level thirty monster combat attribute. Song Jians face sank, he quickly turned to dodge. If he had taken the hit head-on, even if he wasnt dead, he would be severely injured and lose his combat power; Got you, boy, did you think you could evade the Deaths Scythe hitmans pursuit? As the blasts shockwave began to settle and the smoke cleared, a man clothed in a black cape was seen floating in midair. The face concealed beneath the cape emerged, revealing a hideous expression, and his gaze shot towards Song Jian. You are a killer from the Deaths Scythe? Song Jians face darkened. He hadnt expected that at this time, the final pursuit of the Deaths Scythe would arrive as planned. This man, from his outfit, seemed exactly like the killer from the Deaths Scythe that he had encountered earlier. So you do know, why not surrender then? Dont worry, I will be gentle. I wont hurt you. The killer from Deaths Scythe showed a strange smile on his face. Seeking death! The assassins words evidently angered Song Jian; he squinted his eyes as he leaped high in the air. In mid-air, he lifted the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand, and sent a dazzling golden sword qi sweeping towards him. The maximum attack range of Light Strike was ten meters. Song Jian was too far from the target, so he had to leap into the air. Without waiting to see if he could hit his target, Song Jian fell heavily to the ground. After rolling for some distance, Song Jian finally raised his head to look at the assassin in mid-air; The golden sword aura, when it was three feet away from the killer, seemed to have struck something, giving a roar. The air around the killer twisted, and a clear cracking sound came from the air. The defense was broken, but the killer seemed indifferent, still showing Song Jian his cold smile. Finger of Death! The killer pointed a finger at Song Jian, and a zapped of black lightning burst from his finger, shooting towards him; Song Jians face changed drastically. This was one of the trump cards of the second killer he previously faced C so powerful and extremely fast. In a blink, it had reached Song Jians chest. Song Jian instinctively held Long Sword to his chest, and a touch of golden light just shone from the long sword, and it suffered a heavy blow; Boom! Song Jian felt as if he were hit by a heavy hammer and his body involuntarily moved backward; Song Jians feet heavily dragged on the ground, sliding more than five or six meters before stopping; Seeing that the black lightning was reflected back by the target, the face of the Deaths Scythes killer changed color; Youve got some skill, no wonder you killed two previous groups of our organizations killers! said the killer. Just then, a roar echoed from behind Song Jian, the raging howl, like a thunderbolt, resounded from the distance. The Shadow Giant Dragon is watching you! You cannot escape the thief! Song Jians face changed; The half-dragon pursuer was so fast! The killer from Deaths Scythe suddenly laughed heartily when he saw Song Jians complexion change for the worse: Hahaha, should I say that you are fearless or stubborn? You dared to provoke a Shadow Giant Dragon after already angering the Deaths Scythe? Looks like you stole something from the lair of the Shadow Giant Dragon, otherwise, it wouldnt have sent a pursuer after you! The Deaths Scythe killer looked at Song Jian thoughtfully, and a glint of greed flashed in his eyes: If youre willing to give me the treasure you stole from the lair of the Shadow Giant Dragon, not only will I not kill you, but I will also help you repel the people who are trying to kill you. Moreover, I can recommend you to join the ranks of Deaths Scythe. What do you think? Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 565: 565: Unable to Withstand Chapter 565: Unable to Withstand As soon as the assassins words fell, Song Jian received a system prompt: System: Gold Assassin William of Deaths Scythe is offering you a loyalty mission: Hand over the Goblet of Life to William, and hell give up pursuing you and help you fend off the Half-Dragon pursuit. Afterward, you will become an affiliate member of Deaths Scythe: Do you accept? System: Warning, this mission will have a significant impact on your game progress. Please make a careful decision! Song Jian didnt even look at it and directly chose to refuse! As for the Goblet of Life, Song Jian would not hand it over to anyone other than Anna. Moreover, the organization of Deaths Scythe was clearly not suitable for Song Jian, as the power of death wasnt something ordinary people could touch; In that case, Ill just search for it on your corpse. A ruthless look emerged in Williams eyes. Just as he was about to make another move, he suddenly heard the roar of beasts in the distance and saw a group of Half-Dragon pursuers appear not far away, while he was in mid-air. It seems that the pursuers behind you have arrived. Maybe Ill let you fight it out before making another move. A malicious smile appeared on Williams face, and his figure floating in the air gradually disappeared like mist. Song Jians face was extremely gloomy. He was already having a hard time dealing with the pursuers behind him and having an assassin hidden in the dark as well, Song Jian did not doubt that the moment he reveals any flaw, William will absolutely appear first and stab him in the heart. With a thought, thirty majestic blood wolves appeared beside Song Jian. Escaping now was pointless; he was less than two hours away from the twelve-hour protection time. The City of Sin was less than twenty kilometers away from his current location. If he let the Half-Dragon pursuers chase him all the way to the City of Sin, it would be too humiliating. Lets decide the battle here and now! Song Jian decided. Soon, dozens of Half-Dragon pursuers riding battle bears appeared in Song Jians sight. Having chased for more than ten hours, most of the Half-Dragon pursuers were already exhausted. Moreover, their mount battle bears had also lost their combat abilities due to the long-distance galloping. Once they stopped, most battle bears collapsed on the ground and refused to move. Seeing Song Jian standing still, the Half-Dragon pursuers eyes erupted in excitement, and they all screamed in excitement. They clenched their long spears and rushed towards Song Jian; The Half-Dragon Leader riding a Velociraptor gestured a throat-slitting action at Song Jian, dismounted from the Velociraptor, and gave Song Jian a vicious smile, shouting, Lowly thief, you cant escape! The eyes of the Giant Dragon will always lock onto you! Song Jian waved his hand, and the thirty blood wolves let out a howl together and then quickly charged towards the Half-Dragon pursuers; The number of Half-Dragon pursuers was almost three times that of the blood wolves, but the blood wolves showed no fear and rushed towards the Half-Dragon pursuers frantically; The Half-Dragon Leader grabbed a blood wolf that pounced towards its throat, and looked at the blood wolf in his hand, struggling madly and trying to bite him. The Half-Dragon Leader squinted his eyes and directly tore the level 30 blood wolfs body in half with his hands. Do you think, that with this trash, you can resist us? Thats too naive! The Half-Dragon Leader roared, not realizing that the blood wolf he tore in half did not leave a corpse but turned into a pool of blood and merged into the ground. Powerful strength, a first-order Combat Power Elite! William, hiding in the dark, saw the Half-Dragon Leader tearing a Level 30 Blood Wolf in half and his eyes brightened, a look of appreciation appearing on his face. A glimmer of schadenfreude flashed in Williams eyes. As a first-order Combat Power Assassin himself, he knew what this kind of power represented. In his opinion, Song Jian was as good as dead this time. As far as William was concerned, as long as Song Jian died, the mission would be considered complete. He didnt care whether Song Jian died by his hand or not. When he fought with Song Jian earlier, he discovered that Song Jians strength was not weak, and even if he could kill Song Jian, he might also suffer some injuries. But now, being able to make Song Jian fight the Half-Dragon pursuers to the point of exhaustion was the outcome William most looked forward to; If any accidents happen in the end, William would naturally be able to kill Song Jian with little effort; Williams lips curled up in a smile; the battle in front of them continued, with the Half-Dragon Leaders figure suddenly becoming faint, and Song Jian leaving where he originally stood; After testing the strength of the blood wolves, the Half-Dragon Leader directly targeted Song Jian; In its view, the strength of the blood wolves was about the same as the Half-Dragon pursuers, but the number of Half-Dragon pursuers it brought was three times that of the blood wolves. It was only a matter of time before they wiped out the blood wolves; Their ultimate target had always been Song Jian. Only by capturing or killing Song Jian and bringing him or his body to their master, the Shadow Giant Dragon Blade Spear, would their mission be considered complete. Song Jians and the Half-Dragon Leaders bodies continually collided in the wilderness, and every impact caused thunderous roars. A faint golden light appeared around Song Jians body, and eight illusory long swords circled around him. At this time, he had already activated the Immortal Sword Body, and only Song Jian, with the Immortal Sword Body activated, was qualified to fight against the Half-Dragon Leader with first-order Combat Power. Otherwise, the only thing awaiting him would be the Half-Dragon Leaders merciless crushing. Their weapons in hand constantly collided, and strong auras destroyed everything within several meters. The rocks, several meters high and hardened over time, were turned into powder in an instant due to the energy stirred up by the two of them in the battle. These two seemed to have transformed into ancient behemoths, recklessly unleashing the endless violent energy in their bodies; sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Half-Dragon Leader stabbed its claw-like fist towards Song Jians brow, but Song Jians expression remained unchanged. He raised the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand, and collided fiercely with the Half-Dragon Leaders fist; Bang! It was as if a bomb exploded, sending a hum through the air. Countless fragments flew all around like bullets from a machine gun, causing dust to rise and forming a gray fog in the air. From the fog, two figures flew out in opposite directions; Boom, boom! Like cannonballs, the two crashed into massive rocks; I didnt expect you to have such formidable strength! No wonder you could steal that treasure from our masters Treasure Vault! The Half-Dragon Leader looked at Song Jian with a cautious look on his face. Song Jian waved his tingling right hand, his face extremely gloomy; Only he himself knew that his current state could not last too long. The seventh-level Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body could only last for 150 seconds, and there wasnt much time left for him now. Chapter 566: 566: Departure Chapter 566: Departure Song Jians strength far surpassed the half-dragon leaders expectation. Unaware that Song Jian had used a special ability, he mistakenly thought this was Song Jians inherent strength. Human, I underestimated you! The half-dragon leader slowly rose from the ground, debris scattered behind him. He ripped off his tattered felt shirt, revealing his dark green scales as sturdy as armor. However, regardless, you must die here today. Nobody can offend the Giant Dragon Pavilion and continue to exist in this world. The half-dragon leader smirked menacingly at Song Jian. Song Jian was half-bent, using his long sword as a crutch to prop up his body. He could feel the power of the Immortal Sword Body slowly receding from him. After using two pieces of wild honey, Song Jians vitality and spirit points had been restored to their peak state. However, there were less than ten seconds left before the cooldown of the Immortal Sword Body ended. More importantly, he could sense that his summoned blood wolves were being slaughtered one after another. Of the original thirty blood wolves, less than ten remained after a little over two minutes. Once the blood wolves were completely wiped out, these half-dragon pursuers would join the battle to kill him. By then, he would be a sitting duck. Song Jian looked around. It was getting dark. The assassin of Deaths Scythe was hiding somewhere, yet Song Jian could feel his malignant gaze on him. Am I going to die here today? Song Jians face was grim. If it was only the half-dragon pursuers, his passive skill Enemy of Death God might have tricked them, but the assassin of Deaths Scythe would not be deceived so easily. He knew that once he resurrected, his corpse would disappear. This strange phenomenon would definitely attract the attention of the assassin. Just then, a clear dragon chant echoed in Song Jians mind. He could sense that the black dragon in his pet space had awakened and was urgently calling out to him. Upon awakening, knowing that its master was in immediate danger, the black dragon couldnt wait to join the battle. Song Jian opened the pet space and caught a glimpse. The joy on his face was unstoppable. The black dragon had now grown to be five to six meters high and more than ten meters long. Although it couldnt compare with the thousand-year-old Shadow Giant Dragon, the black dragon could effortlessly carry Song Jian and fly at this moment. The black dragon had also leveled up to level thirty, surpassing the elite level directly to become a Boss. The words First Order Combat Power in its attribute introduction gave Song Jian a sense of ecstatic joy. Song Jian, with a relieved smile on his face, stared at the half-dragon leader. I think I can live a long time. On the other hand, you and those half-human, half-dragon monsters behind you might have a hard time getting out of this wilderness! The half-dragon leader felt that the power in Song Jian that could contend with him was quickly fading, and suddenly understood. A cruel smile appeared on his face: Empty threat! At this moment, the last blood wolf was also killed by the half-dragon pursuers. They wiped off the blood on their blades and slowly surrounded Song Jian. William, hiding in the shadows, looked excited. Song Jians Immortal Sword Body had ended. Not to mention nearly a hundred half-empty pursuers, even a single half-dragon leader could kill Song Jian. Will you obediently come back with us, or should we bring your corpse back? The half-dragon leader stepped towards Song Jian. All of you must die! Song Jian growled lowly, and with a thought, a gigantic figure covered the crowd up above them. Roar~ A crisp dragon chant sounded, immediately throwing the half-dragon pursuers into chaos; As dragon servants, they had absolutely no resistance against a giant dragon. Some of the half-dragon soldiers even kneeled down on the spot, terrified to raise their heads. This is the sorrow of being a dragon servant, this is the belief ingrained deep within their souls, this is the shackle they are bound with for life. Even if thoughts of resistance rise within their hearts, a pain akin to cellular tearing would pervade their bodies. M-mighty Giant Dragon! The half-dragon leader kneeled on one knee in a panic, deeply burying his head between his knees, his entire body trembling slightly. Despite being on the same level of combat power, under instinctual restraint, the half-dragon leader didnt dare to stand before the Black Dragon. Seeing a figure who could easily decide his fate now kneeling before him like a humble ant, Song Jian experienced a fleeting sense of loss. The present Song Jian could easily kill these helpless dragon servants, but he had absolutely no interest in exterminating these powerless half-dragon people. The Giant Dragon fanned its wings, stirring up a fierce wind, then slowly landed beside Song Jian. Looking at this behemoth, William, who was hiding in the darkness, had an astonished look on his face. The shock nearly revealed his hidden position. H-how is this possible he has a Giant Dragon as a battle pet! Williams lips trembled, and his forehead was covered in sweat. At this moment, he was overwhelmingly relieved. Thankfully, this group of half-dragon soldiers arrived; otherwise, he would have been the one facing this giant dragon. Even as arrogant as he was, he dared not consider a giant dragon as his enemy. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Everyone in the intelligence department should be hanged! William wiped the sweat off his forehead, glanced at the Giant Dragon before retreating quietly, disappearing into the wilderness. Feeling the ominous surveillance on him disappearing, Song Jian knew that William had escaped. The third assassination had quietly passed. Song Jian believed that once the news of his Giant Dragon battle pet reached the Deaths Scythe, this organization probably wouldnt send any more assassins after him. Song Jian approached the half-dragon leaders velociraptor mount. This creature, taller than a man, had collapsed to the ground, exposing its white belly and letting out mournful cries ever since the Black Dragon made its appearance. As Song Jian had now gained the upper hand, he naturally did not want to travel on foot. This rough and brutal velociraptor was perfect as his mount to the City of Sin. Song Jian forcefully pulled up the velociraptor, mounted it, and was about to drive it towards the City of Sin when he heard the Black Dragon let out an angry roar. A spurt of hot dragon flame sprayed out, incinerating the velociraptor into charcoal. Song Jian jumped up from the ground in surprise, looking at the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon slowly lowered its body, gently nudging his body with its head, implying for him to mount. A smile appeared on Song Jians face. The Dragon Clan was the most conceited of all species. The reason why he had not immediately mounted the Black Dragon was because he was worried the Black Dragon would resist. It seemed that the Black Dragon had fully accepted him as its master now. He mounted the area where the dragons neck and back converged, a flat and comfortable seat. The Black Dragon let out a soft chant, spread its wings, and took flight. In no time, it had disappeared with Song Jian into the dim sky. Chapter 566: Departure Chapter 566: Departure Song Jians strength far surpassed the half-dragon leaders expectation. Unaware that Song Jian had used a special ability, he mistakenly thought this was Song Jians inherent strength. Human, I underestimated you! The half-dragon leader slowly rose from the ground, debris scattered behind him. He ripped off his tattered felt shirt, revealing his dark green scales as sturdy as armor. However, regardless, you must die here today. Nobody can offend the Giant Dragon Pavilion and continue to exist in this world. The half-dragon leader smirked menacingly at Song Jian. Song Jian was half-bent, using his long sword as a crutch to prop up his body. He could feel the power of the Immortal Sword Body slowly receding from him. After using two pieces of wild honey, Song Jians vitality and spirit points had been restored to their peak state. However, there were less than ten seconds left before the cooldown of the Immortal Sword Body ended. More importantly, he could sense that his summoned blood wolves were being slaughtered one after another. Of the original thirty blood wolves, less than ten remained after a little over two minutes. Once the blood wolves were completely wiped out, these half-dragon pursuers would join the battle to kill him. By then, he would be a sitting duck. Song Jian looked around. It was getting dark. The assassin of Deaths Scythe was hiding somewhere, yet Song Jian could feel his malignant gaze on him. Am I going to die here today? Song Jians face was grim. If it was only the half-dragon pursuers, his passive skill Enemy of Death God might have tricked them, but the assassin of Deaths Scythe would not be deceived so easily. He knew that once he resurrected, his corpse would disappear. This strange phenomenon would definitely attract the attention of the assassin. Just then, a clear dragon chant echoed in Song Jians mind. He could sense that the black dragon in his pet space had awakened and was urgently calling out to him. Upon awakening, knowing that its master was in immediate danger, the black dragon couldnt wait to join the battle. Song Jian opened the pet space and caught a glimpse. The joy on his face was unstoppable. The black dragon had now grown to be five to six meters high and more than ten meters long. Although it couldnt compare with the thousand-year-old Shadow Giant Dragon, the black dragon could effortlessly carry Song Jian and fly at this moment. The black dragon had also leveled up to level thirty, surpassing the elite level directly to become a Boss. The words First Order Combat Power in its attribute introduction gave Song Jian a sense of ecstatic joy. Song Jian, with a relieved smile on his face, stared at the half-dragon leader. I think I can live a long time. On the other hand, you and those half-human, half-dragon monsters behind you might have a hard time getting out of this wilderness! The half-dragon leader felt that the power in Song Jian that could contend with him was quickly fading, and suddenly understood. A cruel smile appeared on his face: Empty threat! At this moment, the last blood wolf was also killed by the half-dragon pursuers. They wiped off the blood on their blades and slowly surrounded Song Jian. William, hiding in the shadows, looked excited. Song Jians Immortal Sword Body had ended. Not to mention nearly a hundred half-empty pursuers, even a single half-dragon leader could kill Song Jian. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Will you obediently come back with us, or should we bring your corpse back? The half-dragon leader stepped towards Song Jian. All of you must die! Song Jian growled lowly, and with a thought, a gigantic figure covered the crowd up above them. Roar~ A crisp dragon chant sounded, immediately throwing the half-dragon pursuers into chaos; As dragon servants, they had absolutely no resistance against a giant dragon. Some of the half-dragon soldiers even kneeled down on the spot, terrified to raise their heads. This is the sorrow of being a dragon servant, this is the belief ingrained deep within their souls, this is the shackle they are bound with for life. Even if thoughts of resistance rise within their hearts, a pain akin to cellular tearing would pervade their bodies. M-mighty Giant Dragon! The half-dragon leader kneeled on one knee in a panic, deeply burying his head between his knees, his entire body trembling slightly. Despite being on the same level of combat power, under instinctual restraint, the half-dragon leader didnt dare to stand before the Black Dragon. Seeing a figure who could easily decide his fate now kneeling before him like a humble ant, Song Jian experienced a fleeting sense of loss. The present Song Jian could easily kill these helpless dragon servants, but he had absolutely no interest in exterminating these powerless half-dragon people. The Giant Dragon fanned its wings, stirring up a fierce wind, then slowly landed beside Song Jian. Looking at this behemoth, William, who was hiding in the darkness, had an astonished look on his face. The shock nearly revealed his hidden position. H-how is this possible he has a Giant Dragon as a battle pet! Williams lips trembled, and his forehead was covered in sweat. At this moment, he was overwhelmingly relieved. Thankfully, this group of half-dragon soldiers arrived; otherwise, he would have been the one facing this giant dragon. Even as arrogant as he was, he dared not consider a giant dragon as his enemy. Everyone in the intelligence department should be hanged! William wiped the sweat off his forehead, glanced at the Giant Dragon before retreating quietly, disappearing into the wilderness. Feeling the ominous surveillance on him disappearing, Song Jian knew that William had escaped. The third assassination had quietly passed. Song Jian believed that once the news of his Giant Dragon battle pet reached the Deaths Scythe, this organization probably wouldnt send any more assassins after him. Song Jian approached the half-dragon leaders velociraptor mount. This creature, taller than a man, had collapsed to the ground, exposing its white belly and letting out mournful cries ever since the Black Dragon made its appearance. As Song Jian had now gained the upper hand, he naturally did not want to travel on foot. This rough and brutal velociraptor was perfect as his mount to the City of Sin. Song Jian forcefully pulled up the velociraptor, mounted it, and was about to drive it towards the City of Sin when he heard the Black Dragon let out an angry roar. A spurt of hot dragon flame sprayed out, incinerating the velociraptor into charcoal. Song Jian jumped up from the ground in surprise, looking at the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon slowly lowered its body, gently nudging his body with its head, implying for him to mount. A smile appeared on Song Jians face. The Dragon Clan was the most conceited of all species. The reason why he had not immediately mounted the Black Dragon was because he was worried the Black Dragon would resist. It seemed that the Black Dragon had fully accepted him as its master now. He mounted the area where the dragons neck and back converged, a flat and comfortable seat. The Black Dragon let out a soft chant, spread its wings, and took flight. In no time, it had disappeared with Song Jian into the dim sky. Chapter 567: 567: City of Sin Chapter 567: City of Sin Only when the Black Dragon disappeared did the Half-Dragon Leader dare to lift his head, looking up at the sky with eyes filled with terror and despair. He he actually possesses a Giant Dragon as a war pet The Half-Dragon Leaders feelings were in turmoil. As a slave of a Giant Dragon himself, it was shocking to witness an individual less powerful than he, viewing such creatures as mere war pets. If it werent for the Half-Dragon Leaders unwavering will, he wouldve crumbled by now. Return, report to the master! The Half-Dragon Leader directed towards a war bear. As their mission had failed, all they could do was return and accept their punishment from the Shadow Giant Dragon, but the emergence of the Black Dragon was simply insurmountable for them. I hope the master will spare us the Half-Dragon Leader silently hoped. At this moment, Song Jian was soaring through the sky on the back of the Black Dragon, a sensation entirely different from flying on his own. There are numerous airborne monsters in the game. Usually, Song Jian would not dare to fly too high, yet now, the aura exuding from the Black Dragon sent hundreds of creatures into a panic and scrambling to escape. Song Jian could even spot fleeing monsters from a distance. Many of them outclassed the Black Dragon when it came to levels, yet they were still seen scurrying. The hierarchical suppression of species was deeply ingrained in their genes; the slightest hint of Dragon Might was enough to send these monsters into frantic retreat. The Black Dragon travelled at an incredible speed, and in less than half an hour, Song Jian could see the city walls of the City of Sin. He landed in a grove some distance away from the City of Sin and put the Black Dragon into his inventory. Flying into the city on the dragons back would draw too much attention. He feared the City Defense Army would treat him as an enemy before he could even reach the City of Sin. After getting himself presentable, Song Jian treaded along a wide stone path towards the City of Sin. Not long after, he noticed that the City of Sin was far more flourishing than he had pictured. He passed three to four convoys within just a few hundred meters, each loaded up to the brim with goods heading towards the city. The closer he got to the centre, the wider the road became and the more people there were. Along the way, he saw no monsters in the vicinity of the City of Sinit appeared as though someone was routinely clearing the city of them. Observing closely, Song Jian found many players in the City of Sin. They rode various mounts towards the city. Warhorses, wolves, bearshe even saw a little girl flying less than a metre off the ground on a broom. Seeing Song Jian staring at her broom, the little girl glowered at him and yelled, What are you looking at? Never seen someone with a fear of heights riding a flying broom, huh! Apart from these, there were also motorcycles, military jeeps, and even regular cars. On the whole, Song Jian deduced that the City of Sin was at least ten times more bustling than the city of Hymns. Seeing someone riding a motorcycle, Song Jian also took out his own, taking his time driving towards the city. Accompanying Song Jian, apart from players, were NPCs, or commoners, who were driving spacious carts laden with vegetables, fruits, and other commodities. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These NPC commoners seemed to hold players in awe. Whenever they encountered players, they would make way and let them pass first, often doffing their hats to salute the players. It seemed to Song Jian that in their eyes, players were treated no differently from nobles. Players born in this city are indeed quite fortunateat least their safety is guaranteed! Song Jian observed an NPC on a cart, who saluted him, and greeted him with a nod and a smile. In time, the scenic view in front of Song Jian opened up. To his surprise, a vast amount of crops were being cultivated around the City of Sin. The green waves, reminiscent of sea tides, gently rustled in the breeze, filling the air with an earthy aroma. Given this desolate games setting, this idyllic scene in front of him felt dreamlike to Song Jian. How incredible, Song Jian disembarked from his motorcycle to gaze in awe at the boundless green expanse. Hmph, country bumpkin! A player on a tall horse glanced greedily at Song Jians motorcycle before sneering at him. Henry, dont speak to other players like that, a girl riding a red warhorse next to him scolded, before turning to Song Jian with an apologetic smile, Im sorry, hes not usually like this. This is your first time in the City of Sin, isnt it? The girl was dressed in a white robe, a string of pearls draped across her chest and a headpiece made of silk and sapphire adorning her forehead. Although not extraordinarily beautiful, her smile gave off a warm and comforting aura. Her calm demeanour made Song Jian feel as if he was speaking to a caring elder sister. Though she was only level twenty and appeared to lack the intimidating aura of an experienced fighter, it was surprising how easily she approached Song Jian without any guard. If Song Jian were to attack her at this distance, he could have her severely injured or even killed instantly without her putting up any resistance. Hello, I am a player raised elsewhere, and indeed it is my first time here, Song Jian greeted her with a gentle smile, looking utterly harmless as he introduced himself. My name is Caisy. Im a priestess. Are you surprised seeing these crops? Caisy asked, proactively engaging Song Jian in conversation. Seeing Caisy chatting happily with Song Jian, the man who had sneered at him earlier looked a bit put out, though he said nothing and simply trailed behind Caisy on his horse. Yes, as you know, vast farmlands like this are quite rare in this game. Sometimes, its difficult to even find green plants, Song Jian remarked with a hint of wonder. All this is thanks to the Science Academy of the City of Sin. You will understand once you enter the city. Many players long to be a member of the academy, but getting an admission is challenging. There are over five thousand players in the City of Sin, but only a handful, three or four, actually make it into the academy! Caisy responded with a mysterious and eager glow in her eyes. Caisy, I believe you too can make it! Henry, who had been silent, suddenly interjected. I hope so, Caisy responded to Henry with a forced smile. Song Jian felt as though Caisy was like a sheltered maiden who hadnt seen much of the outside world and bore no suspicion or caution towards anyone, but could a player who had levelled up to twenty really be this innocent? Chapter 568: 568: Epic Profession Chapter 568: Epic Profession Ever since stepping into this game, human natures ugliness had been amplified indefinitely. Those who kill for a piece of equipment or a Skill Book were rampant. One needed to understand that death in the game also meant death in the real world. Therefore, there was no difference between killing in the game and killing in reality. The only difference was that there were no laws in the game to restrict players. Having been in the game for so long, Song Jian had become wary of everything and everyone and would not easily trust others. Along the way, Song Jian and Caisy chatted happily, but most of the time, it was Song Jian probing Caisy for information. Through her words, Song Jian learned a lot about the City of Sin. As they moved forward, nearing the city gate, a sound of iron hooves suddenly echoed from afar. A team of soldiers in heavy armor, wielding sharp spears, swiftly charged out of the city gate. All the people, including players, scurried to hide on the sides of the road; Who are they? Song Jian asked in a low voice. These are the City Lord Mansions guards. It is said that the Lord of the City of Sin has fallen seriously ill which has caused some unrest within the city. You need to be very cautious when you enter the City of Sin. Caisy reminded quietly. Song Jian nodded, he had previously suspected that Annas aim of getting the Goblet of Life was to save the life of the Lord of the City of Sin. Looks like he was right about his guess. Upon entering the City of Sin, Song Jian bid farewell to Caisy and, as per the address given by Anna, proceeded to meet her for task submission. At this moment, Anna sat in her room, her face full of despair. Im so useless, I couldnt help at all! Anna shook her head: Uncles illness is getting worse, if we dont find a solution, I fear he might A female warrior in plate mail consoled her, Miss, you mustnt think like that. Remember how you almost got into trouble before when you dared to accompany Master Solando to the Dark Castle; were you planning to steal the Goblet of Life from the hands of the Shadow Giant Dragon? Yes, Kalen, thats exactly what we planned! Anna said with determination: As long as I can get the Goblet of Life and save my uncles life, even if it costs me my life, I wont feel any regret! Miss, its not about regretting or not. The problem is, by taking Master Solando on a risky adventure, you both almost never returned. The Lord is already in this condition, have you ever thought about what would happen if Master Solando got killed in the Dark Castle? Kalen advised with genuine concern. Havent you noticed, since you two have come back, the attitude of many people towards you has subtly changed? sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ive never thought about these things, I just want to cure my uncles illness! Anna said, hanging her head. Just then, a servant walked in, bowed to Anna, and said, Miss, a Gods Chosen is looking for you. He says he completed your task and has come to submit it. A Gods Chosen? Anna looked puzzled and mumbled to herself, I dont know any Gods Chosen. Also, what task submission is he talking about? After leaving the Shadowfang Mountain Range, Anna had completely forgotten about Song Jian. In her eyes, Song Jian, being a mere level 27 Gods Chosen, simply lacked the strength to steal the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle; Its known that when she had gone with Solando earlier, they had brought an entire team of thirty-level guards, who totaled twenty in number. Yet in the end, only she, Solando, and Solandos guard Carter returned to the City of Sin alive; Miss, do you want me to drive him away? The servant, seeing Annas furrowed brow and the obvious rejection in her eyes, asked quietly. Wait, let me think Anna waved her hands and said. It took quite a while for Anna to slowly recall the Gods Chosen who had saved them from the Shadow Teeth in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. Song Jian, is his name Song Jian! Anna suddenly leaped from her chair, her face glowing with surprise. Is he here to submit the task? Could it be that he really stole the Goblet of Life from the Shadow Giant Dragon? At this thought, Anna immediately got excited and quickly rushed out of the room; It must be Song Jian! Anna mumbled to herself, her eyes full of anticipation. As she rushed out of the room, Anna saw a man standing in the courtyard. On a closer look, if this man was not Song Jian, who else could it be? Song Jian, did you really you really completed the task I entrusted to you? Anna shouted upon seeing Song Jian. There were many people around, and Anna didnt want the others to know about her acquiring the Goblet of Life, so she did not ask directly. Yes, Miss Anna, as expected, I have brought that object back for you. Song Jian responded with a smile. Quick, come in and rest, you must be exhausted! Anna immediately walked over, took Song Jians hand, and led him into her room. Kalen, please stand guard outside the door and ensure that no one disturbs us. Anna instructed Kalen. Kalen was originally Annas guard. She immediately saluted Anna and shut down the main door. Did you, did you really bring it? Anna asked excitedly. Mission accomplished! Song Jian said smilingly, taking out the Goblet of Life from his bag; Upon seeing the Goblet of Life, Anna paused for a moment, looked up at Song Jian with bewilderment and said, This is what the Goblet of Life looks like? The Goblet of Life looked like a simple wooden cup. If Song Jian hadnt said it was the Goblet of Life, Anna would probably not even give it a second glance. This is the Goblet of Life that I found in the Treasure Vault of the Dark Castle! Song Jian handed the Goblet of Life to Anna. The Goblet of Life had the ability to transform ordinary water into holy water which could prolong life span and cure all diseases. But in Song Jians hands, it was just displayed as a Task Item. Anna hesitantly took the Goblet of Life. The moment her hands touched it, a gentle energy radiated from the Goblet, seeping into her body. In an instant, a strong white light burst from Annas body, illuminating the whole room; System: Anna Katerina has received the energy of the Goblet of Life, triggering her bloodline talent, and advanced to the epic profession C Life Priest; System: Anna Katerinas all attributes increase by 10 points; System: Anna Katerina comprehends the epic skill C Life Blossom; System: Anna Katerina comprehends the epic skill C Life Anthem; System: Anna Katerina comprehends the epic skill C Resurrection Skill; Chapter 569: 569: The Water of Life Chapter 569: The Water of Life Seeing the system notifications appear on the screen like a splash, Song Jian was dumbfounded. When completing this mission, the system mentioned several times that any decision made by Song Jian could change the course of the game. Song Jian was originally referred to as the City Lord of the City of Sin by the game system, but surprisingly, it turned out that the game system was actually referring to Anna herself. If Anna couldnt get in touch with the Goblet of Life, she wouldnt be able to awaken her bloodline potential and couldnt advance to the epic career, Life Priest, which would have a significant impact on the games progress. Upon advancing her career, she instantly learned three epic-level skills. The effects of the first two skills were unclear just by looking at their names, but the third skill Resurrection Skill amazed Song Jian. Resurrection Skill is the signature profession of priests in all games. If a priest doesnt know the resurrection skill, they would definitely be called a fake priest; However, what was strange about this game was that there wasnt a single priest who knew Resurrection Skill. Now, Song Jian finally understood that it turned out that only Life Priests would know the Resurrection Skill, and whats more, the grade of the skill was not low, as it was an epic-level skill; Even if a player could become a Life Priest, it would probably take a considerable effort to master the Resurrection Skill; The Goblet of Life, this is really the Goblet of Life! Anna held the Goblet of Life tightly in both hands and exclaimed excitedly. At this moment, her entire body was glowing faintly, making her look like a goddess who had come down to earth. A stream of water was poured from the kettle on the table into the Goblet of Life, and a melodious song by a woman echoed through the room as the water rippled gently in the goblet. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The ethereal and beautiful melody of the song that appeared out of thin air struck a chord in the hearts of both Song Jian and Anna, making them immerse involuntarily in the music; Having no idea how much time had passed before the singing stopped, Song Jian felt a sense of los in his heart. Is this holy water? While looking at the slightly rippling, milky-white liquid in the Goblet of Life, Anna asked in amazement. As Song Jian lowered his head to look, the liquid in the Goblet of Life emitted a sweet, plant-like fragrance and appeared as thick as milk. If Song Jian hadnt seen Anna pour the water into the Goblet of Life with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the thick white liquid was transformed from the clear water she poured in. It really turned into holy water! Anna covered her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes, and couldnt help but sob quietly; After enduring all this pressure for so many days, Anna was finally able to let it all go today. System: You have completed the second part of the epic-level quest. Anna is filled with gratitude towards you, and your relationship with her has been promoted to Respect. You have gained one skill point; System: Because of your actions, Anna Katerina has obtained the epic-level profession Life Priest. Your behavior greatly influenced the games progress, and the game system highly approves of everything you have done. You are awarded 150,000 experience points. A ray of light rose from Song Jians body, and his already nearly filled experience bar was instantly replenished. After being promoted to level 27, it jumped forward by a small margin, reaching 27 level 13%; The experience reward given this time was extremely generous, almost equivalent to the experience points Song Jian would gain from killing monsters for a week; With the two additional skill points, he upgraded his Flash Thunder Strike to level 3. The damage from level 3 Flash Thunder Strike improved from the original 150%, 110%, 70% to 210%, 170%, 120%, further increasing its power; Song Jian, thank you so much. This cup of life water, Ill give it to you to drink. Anna grabbed Song Jians hand and handed him the Goblet of Life. Song Jian took the Goblet of Life and began to examine its properties. Goblet of Life (Holy Artifact), Effect: The holder of this item will receive the protection of the Goddess of Life, be immune to bad luck, and will not lose their life due to accidents; Vitality Point recovery rate increases by 300%; all properties increase by 15 points; the power of all life magics increases by 50%; Special Effect 1: Life Water (Passive), pour clean water into the Goblet of Life, and the water will turn into holy water. The first time a person drinks the holy water, their Vitality Points will increase by 500, and their cellular activity will be greatly improved; at the same time, all negative states will be removed from their body, and their Vitality Points and Spirit Points will be fully restored. This effect is only effective the first time it is used, and subsequent uses can only remove negative states and restore Vitality Points and Spirit Points; Cooldown: 24 hours; Special Effect 2: Life Shield (Active), activating this skill will trigger an 8000-defense shield around the users body for 30 seconds. While under the protection of the Life Shield, the user recovers 5% of their Vitality Points per second; this skill can be used only three times a day; Special Effect 3: ???; Special Effect 4: ??? Item Description: This item is Soul Locked to Anna Katerina, and no one else can use it. A Holy Artifact, this is actually a holy-level item! Song Jians eyes shone, and he could hardly believe what he was seeing. This was the first time he encountered a holy-level item in the game. Furthermore, the attributes of this item were just too good. Having it was like being almost invincible. Just the 15-point increase in all attributes and the 300% increase in Vitality Point recovery rate alone were enough to make Song Jian salivate, not to mention the four special effects; Apart from Life Water and Life Shield, there were still two special effects that werent activated yet. Once activated, they would likely be two powerful skills; If it werent for the fact that this item was already Soul Locked to Anna, Song Jian would have probably been willing to risk failing the epic-level quest just to claim the item for himself; After reading the properties, Song Jian raised his neck and drank all the Life Water in one go. His original Vitality Points of 2,260 instantly increased to over 2,700. With such high Vitality Points, it would be hard to disagree if someone called Song Jian an elite-level BOSS; As for the significant increase in cellular activity, Song Jian didnt feel any different, only feeling much lighter, as if he had taken off a burden weighing several hundred pounds; Song Jian, I really dont know how to express my gratitude towards you! Anna appeared flustered as she said to Song Jian, I dont know if you could accompany me to the City Lord Mansion tomorrow to help treat my uncle? Song Jian handed the empty Goblet of Life back to Anna and immediately received a system prompt; System: Anna issues you the third part of the epic-level quest: Escort; do you accept? Mission content: Escort Anna to the City Lord Mansion and assist her in successfully treating City Lord Kayne Sacke; Mission rewards: Obtain permanent residence rights in the City of Sin; promote your relationship with Anna Katerina to Admiration; Mission failure penalty: significantly reduce the favorability of Anna Katerina, and downgrade your relationship with her to indifference; Accept! Song Jian accepted the mission, having already completed the first two parts, there was no reason to give up; After carefully reading the mission content, Song Jian had a smile at the corner of his mouth, It seems that this escort mission wont be easy. There must be many people in the City Lord Mansion who dont wish the City Lord to get better! Chapter 570: 570: The Lady of the City Lord Chapter 570: The Lady of the City Lord City of Sin City Lord Mansion At this time, the City Lord Mansion was heavily guarded, with soldiers stationed every few steps. Almost all the finest soldiers in the City of Sin were dispatched here. Hows the old man doing? a woman in luxurious clothes, sitting in the lords seat, casually asked as she sipped from her wine glass. Madam, the city lord is still unconscious, and Suravi is constantly at his side, a frail doctor answered with a trembling voice. A wild look flashed in the womans eyes, and her gaze turned fierce. She said contemptuously, This old bastard sure knows how to hang on This woman was Onika, the new wife of Kayne, the lord of the City of Sin. Ever since she married him, Kaynes health gradually declined until he became bedridden and unconscious. The doctor, trembling with fear and keeping his gaze lowered, did not dare to utter a word. He wished he could cover his ears. Ever since the city lord fell into a coma, his wife had become more unbridled. The doctor feared he might hear too much and hence, become silenced permanently. Get out and remember to keep your mouth shut. If I hear any bad rumors, your entire family will be annihilated, Onika said, a hint of a bloodthirsty glow in her eyes. Y-Yes, I dare not the doctor murmured, clutching his medicine box, and ran cowered out of the City Lord Mansion. Its so boring. When will I actually become the master of this castle? Onika muttered to herself as she caressed the lords chair with a tinge of melancholy. When Kayne was healthy, he used to sit here and discuss important matters with his subordinates. This was a seat reserved only for the city lord. Ha-ha, the Blood Queen, are you struggling even with a mere human? A man whispered into Onikas ear. Suddenly, her hair began to dance as though in the wind, wildly twisting and twirling. A giant brown bat flew in through the window, transforming into a man in a red suit. He had fair skin, a face bearing a trace of decadence, and ruby eyes that hinted at a violent temperament. Just as he appeared, Onika vanished from sight. In an instant, her pale right hand grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall. An oomph sound echoed, and the man crumbled against the wall, causing several cracks to appear. His body made crunching noises as though bones snapping, and bloody froth spilled from his mouth. His once handsome face was now a ghastly sight, as crimson fangs slipped through his parted lips. When did a mere viscount dare to play the fool before me? As Onika spoke, a pair of silver fangs glimmered while her eyes were bathed in a bloody glow. Onika, are you betraying the Dark Council Alliance? the man roared furiously. The Dark Council Alliance? Onika gave a disdainful smile. The hand holding the mans neck gradually turned pale and shriveled. Her nails grew sharply, piercing into his neck. When I fully control the City of Sin, even the Elder Council of the Alliance will grovel at my feet! Onika howled, thrusting the man onto the hard floor. As the man was about to hit the floor, his body dissolved into countless fist-sized bats and flew to the other side of the hall. Onika raised her left hand, but after a moment of hesitation, slowly lowered it back down. Her murderous aura did not fade away. Speak. What is the Elder Council up to now? Onika glared at the man, now restored to human form. The man touched the wound on his neck, his face twisting with resentment. Lifting his head, he coldly said, The council is dissatisfied with your slow progress of taking control of the City of Sin. They hope you can speed up! Ha! Whose fault is that? Onika sneered. Half a year ago, I reported to the Elder Council that if we could kill Suravi, Kaynes wizard, I could easily become the master of this city. But how did that turn out? Onika returned to her previous elegant demeanor, took a leisurely stroll up to the lords seat, and sat down. She had the sophistication of a noble lady and radiated the charm of a mature woman. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man couldnt help but admire how she effortlessly switched between bloodthirsty ferocity and gentle nobility. But he had a mission to accomplish, that was to convey the decision of the Dark Council Alliances Elder Council to Onika. Over the past half a year, the council has dispatched many assassins for nine assassination attempts. The mans face was grim as he gnashed his teeth, But not a single mission succeeded. Moreover, not one of these assassins returned alive! The council suspects theres something wrong with your information, leading to the failure of The mans words were cut short by Onikas screech, Thats your incompetence! Suravi is just a thirty-fifth level wizard with first-tier combat power. Even if there are discrepancies in his level, he definitely does not possess second-tier combat power! But three of the assassins who targeted him were fifty-level powerhouses with second-tier combat power! The man stepped forward, growling lower. This left Onika speechless. She panted heavily, her chest heaving. After a long silence, she slowly said, He must have a secret weapon that we are unaware of, a hidden secret! These are all your problems! the man said coldly, If you fail again this time, the Elder Council will no longer tolerate you. Theyll not only punish you for this, but theyll also hold you accountable for the deaths of those assassins! They dare to! Onika stood up abruptly, her powerful aura bursting out. Even the man couldnt help but retreat. Even without the City of Sin, I am still the lord of the City of Blood. Those stinky, decaying elders want me to withdraw from the Dark Council Alliance! Ha-ha-ha! Onika laughed hysterically. Chapter 571: 571: Joke Chapter 571: Joke The man and Onika parted on bad terms, turning into a black shadow flying out of the window and disappearing into the air. Onika stared at the window, her left hand constantly swirling with a crimson energy, but it did not launch even as the man disappeared. With a wave of her hand, she dispersed the energy, snorted coldly, and turned to enter the room behind her. Just then, a servant came to report: Madam, Miss Anna has brought a Gods Chosen One, claiming that they can cure the city lords illness! Anna? Hmph! A disdainful smile appeared on Onikas lips, and she said, Tell Anna that the city lord is resting in bed and cannot be disturbed. Also, tell her that those Gods Chosen Ones are frauds, and they have no ability to save the city lord! The City of Sins city lord had fallen ill, and the news had not been concealed for long. Players who were born in the City of Sin were ecstatic at the news because if they could cure the city lord, they would not only receive generous rewards but also increase their intimacy with the city lord. This hidden benefit attracted every player born in the City of Sin. In the beginning, the people in the City Lord Mansion were full of expectations for those players who claimed to be able to cure the city lord. However, soon they discovered that these so-called Gods Chosen Ones were all frauds. They came with some basic healing elixirs or Detox Elixirs to heal the city lords illness. Before they even met the lord, they were exposed by the city lords attendant wizard, Suravi, and driven away. After several incidents, the people in the City Lord Mansion developed a strong dislike of the Gods Chosen Ones. However, Onika was happy with this situation. The city lords disease was, in fact, a slow-acting poison she had administered. Onika knew its potency well. When she saw the Gods Chosen Ones pull out basic healing elixirs or basic Detox Elixirs, she almost laughed out loud, but her acting skills stopped her from revealing her thoughts. During the time the city lord was in a coma from the poison, Onika began to extend her reach into the City of Sins guards. Almost half of the guards had pledged allegiance to her. As for the guards that didnt want to defect to her, their commanders were assassinated by her, or she sent their entire army out of the City of Sin. Now, only the Science Academy and the City Lord Mansions Guard hadnt been controlled by her. More importantly, the commander of the City Lord Mansions guards, the wizard Suravi, had already become suspicious of her and was now residing in the City Lord Mansion, guarding the city lord around the clock. Moreover, Suravi had somehow suppressed the toxins in the city lords body, allowing him to cling to life up to now. Otherwise, the city lord should have died from the poison a month ago. Yes, madam. I will persuade Miss Anna to leave, the servant bowed to Onika and prepared to leave before suddenly being called back by Onika. Wait, Susan! Onika resumed her gentle and noble demeanor, smiling slightly, I have been worried about the city lords safety these past days, causing me to become somewhat neurotic. Since Anna is here, let her go and see the city lord. Gods Chosen Ones are people who can create miracles. Perhaps they have a way to cure the city lord. Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Because of the city lords illness, the Gods Chosen Ones abilities had slowly spread throughout the City of Sin. Now, the whole city mocked the arrogant Gods Chosen Ones. Although they would pay respects when encountered, in their hearts, they treated the Gods Chosen Ones as the biggest joke in the City of Sin. The servant seemed accustomed to Onikas capriciousness and nodded, expressionless. After bowing, Susan headed toward the hall. Miss Anna and this honorable Gods Chosen One, please follow me. Madam has instructed me to lead you to the city lords bedroom, the servant spoke respectfully at the entrance of the City Lord Mansion. Song Jian, lets go in. Im sure we can cure my uncle this time, Anna declared confidently. Her confidence not only stemmed from the Goblet of Life but also her own awakened epic profession as a Life Priest. Even if the city lord was dead, she could bring him back, let alone his current unconscious state. Song Jian noticed that people in the City Lord Mansion, from the passing servants to the guards around, were casting strange glances at him. Feeling perplexed, he heard Anna calling him and nodded slightly before following her into the City Lord Mansion. As they walked, Song Jian suddenly overheard some servants whispering. Although they were seven or eight meters away and their voices were low, Song Jian could hear their conversation clearly with his current physical condition. Did you see that? Another Gods Chosen One! A servant smirked, deliberately emphasizing the last few words. So ridiculous. I heard that these Gods Chosen Ones cant even enter the City Lord Mansion anymore Hmph, theyre all a bunch of liars. Wizard Suravi easily debunked their tricks. Do they think that our City Lord Mansion can be deceived like the other people in the city? I heard that these Gods Chosen Ones are now targeting other people. Lord Solando has even recruited some of them, and they claim to have a way to cure the city lord already Hmph, if they really had a way, they wouldnt have waited until now. Lord Solando shouldnt let himself be fooled by them See? Miss Anna has brought a Gods Chosen One here too. These people really never give up! After listening to the servants conversation for a while, Song Jian couldnt help but be speechless. The players still considered this game too simplistic. As a city lord holding absolute power, the resources at his disposal were far beyond what new players could match. If the city lord couldnt solve the issue himself, how could the players have such confidence in basic healing elixirs or basic Detox Elixirs? What a bunch of arrogant fools! Song Jian shook his head, thinking helplessly. However, this was unavoidable. There were simply too many players in the City of Sin, and in this environment, as long as a player didnt take risks, it was hard for them to die. Unlike other places where harsh environments eliminated a large number of people. After entering the backyard of the City Lord Mansion, Song Jian saw a noblewoman in a luxurious dress enjoying flowers in a garden. She revealed a kind smile when she saw Anna and nodded, asking, Anna, is this the Gods Chosen One you found? The one who can save the city lord? Chapter 572: 572: Self-confidence Chapter 572: Self-confidence In front of Song Jian was a noble lady who looked to be in her thirties. Every smile and frown exuded warmth and generosity, her dignified beauty radiating a kind and benevolent aura. Her gaze towards Anna was filled with affection. She reached out and held Annas hand, bringing her to her side. After glancing at Song Jian, Onika whispered something in Annas ear; Anna immediately blushed and began shaking her head as if explaining something, not daring to gaze in Song Jians direction. Onika chuckled softly, turned to Song Jian and said, Looking at you, I wouldnt have guessed you possessed the skill to save the city master. However, you chosen ones of God are all quite mysterious, appearing and disappearing without a trace, always capable of producing miracles. I have high hopes for you. Song Jian bowed respectfully to Onika without uttering a word. In reality, when Song Jian first saw Onika, his instincts were screaming alarms in warning. This woman held a presence not weaker than Shadow Giant Dragon. If not for Song Jians composure, he might already be drenched in sweat, shaken to his core. This strong scent of blood is as if I am standing before an endless sea of blood Song Jian thought to himself. Though his face remained expressionless, the clenched fist in his sleeve betrayed his inner thoughts. Song Jian, this is the city masters wife and my aunt, Lady Onika! Anna introduced. Greetings, respected Lady Onika! Song Jian bowed to Onika. As he heard she was the city masters wife, the puzzle in his mind clicked, connecting all the clues. Perhaps, the reason for the city masters unconsciousness lies right in front of me! Song Jian thought. He became even more humble, wishing he could become invisible to avoid Onikas attention. However, Onikas gaze remained on Song Jian. Her face wore a kind smile, but her eyes held a discerning light. Youre a good lad. Keep it up! Anna is the young princess of the City of Sin Onika jokingly insinuated. Aunt Blushing intensely, Anna promptly tugged at Onikas hand to halt her amused teasing. Enough joking now. You should go check on Kayne. Oh God, why did you have to let this disease torment Kayne? I would rather bear this pain for him Onikas face fell, showing a hint of sorrow. Aunt, everything will get better, Anna quietly comforted. Song Jian stood to one side, remaining as still and silent as if he were a wooden statue; even his movements were minimal. After chatting with Onika for a while, Anna led Song Jian towards the masters chamber where Kayne was recovering. Onikas gaze was still focused on Song Jians back. She could see through Song Jians abilities: just a man who had not even reached the first Combat Power level. Such a person could not possibly dispel the poison she had unleashed. Even though the chosen ones of God had become the citys laughingstock, Onika still wanted to judge him with her own eyes, to prevent any unwelcome surprises. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Another pitiful fool, huh! A cold smile surfaced on Onikas face. With a harsh rub of her fingers, she ground a flower into dust. Song Jian followed Anna through the City Lord Mansion, where armed soldiers in armor were visible everywhere. These are my uncles guards, loyal to him alone. Since my uncles sickness, they have been stationed here in the City Lord Mansion to protect him, Anna whispered. Song Jian nodded in understanding. If not for these loyal soldiers, the city master might have died long ago. In a moment, you will meet Sir Suravi. He leads the mansion guards and is my uncles most trusted man. He has been by my uncles side this whole time, so you must be extra respectful to him, Anna reminded. Song Jian nodded in understanding, suspecting that this Suravi likely possessed strength comparable to Lady Onikas. I never thought that so much power would be concentrated around one city master! Song Jian mused, But one day, my territory will spread across the entire Doomsday City, and by then, I will be a true city master! The area of Doomsday City is similar to that of the City of Sin. However, one is a city in ruins, while the other is bustling with prosperity. Comparisons between the two are futile. But if Song Jian could truly expand his territory to encompass an entire city, perhaps there would indeed be an opportunity for him to compete with the City of Sin. Song Jian, following Anna, arrived at a three-story house. It was unremarkable from the outside, but Song Jian could sense that within a hundred meters of this house, heavy guards were stationed. The aura emanating from these soldiers C each seasoned and hardened from countless battles C ensured this place was impervious to intrusion, not even a mosquito could sneak in. After a thorough search, Song Jian and Anna were led to the city masters sickbed. A middle-aged man in a gray robe stands nearby, casting a weary glance at Anna and Song Jian. Miss, you have come to visit the master again! Suravi faintly smiled, nodding towards Anna. Sir Suravi, good day! Anna curtsied to Suravi, saying, This is Song Jian. Although he is a chosen one of God, he possesses an artifact capable of curing my uncles illness! Suravi didnt even glance at Song Jian as he shook his head, Miss, the city master is not sick, hes been poisoned. The poison hes afflicted with is highly lethal, even I cant completely eliminate it. I can only slow it down, but recently, the poison has shown signs of spreading. Ive already dispatched soldiers to the City of Hymns to purchase sufficient life potions Sir Suravi, I understand my uncle is poisoned. Yet, I believe the artifact Song Jian has can heal him fully! Anna interrupted Suravi, her voice filled with confidence as she nodded towards Song Jian. Chapter 573: 573 Holy Water Chapter 573: Chapter 573 Holy Water Annie gave Song Jian a sign, and Song Jian nodded. From the bag, he pulled out the Goblet of Life and handed it to Annie. Lord Suravi, this is the Goblet of Life that Song Jian got from the Treasure Vault of the Shadow Giant Dragon in the Dark Castle. It can turn ordinary water into holy water that heals any injuries and detoxifies any kinds of poison. Annie explained to Suravi, holding up the Goblet of Life. Suravi, the magician, stared at the crude wooden cup in Annies hand, felt it quietly, but didnt sense any energy fluctuation from it. Shaking his head, Suravi said, I didnt feel any energy fluctuation from this cup. Its impossible for it to be the Goblet of Life! Not to mention Suravi glanced at Song Jian, a dash of disdain flashing in his eyes, and stated, I do not believe that he, with his current abilities, could have stolen the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle! What kind of place is the Dark Castle? Its the nest of the Shadow Giant Dragon. Even if the dragon had been seriously injured and was now dying, the threat of a dragon couldnt be underestimated. Most importantly, how could this crude wooden cup possibly be the Goblet of Life? Even a child wouldnt use it as a toy. It looked simply terrible. Annie didnt say anything. Ever since she touched the Goblet of Life, it has become more ordinary, giving a feeling that this divine artifact was self-concealing. Only Annie herself could feel the potent life energy brimming within the Goblet of Life. Lord Suravi, could you give me a bottle of clear water? Annie insisted. Sighing inwardly, Suravi shook his head slightly. It seemed that Annie had been seriously tricked by this devotee. With just a wave, Suravi motioned towards the table, Thats fresh water a servant just brought in Annie walked over there, slowly poured the clear water from the bottle into the Goblet of Life; At first, there was no anomaly. But when the water level reached the rim of the cup, an odd energy began to radiate from the water. Suravi clearly felt the ripple of this potent life force. One of his brows lifted, and he couldnt help but make a surprised sound of Eh. The clear water in the holy grail began to ripple. A silver glow burst from the water, and a surging life energy began to spread around. It really is it really is the Goblet of Life! The look of wild joy on Suravis face was unmistakable. The city lord had been poisoned for so long, and Suravi had been under extreme pressure. He had nearly exhausted all his energy in suppressing the spread of the poison. Even knowing that Lady Onika was seizing power, he couldnt spare any effort to stop her. He could only keep a firm grip on the City Lord Mansions guards, letting them protect the safety of the mansion, while he stayed by the city lords side all the time. Feeling the life energy emanating from the holy grail, Suravi was filled with deep emotion, his eyes welling up with tears. He bowed deeply to Annie and Song Jian, full of gratitude and regret, I apologize for my previous attitude towards you, Miss, and the devotee. I didnt expect I didnt expect At that moment, Onika was holding a glass of red wine, figuring out how to install her men into the Mansion guard. As long as the city lord was not dead, she could not rest. She had arranged for her men to be around all the offspring in the mansion. Once news of the city lords death was conveyed, they would all die on the same day. Then, Onika, with power in her hands, would become the master of two cities. When I fully control the City of Sin, naturally there will be a seat for me in the Council of Elders. Hmph, then, Ill make those old farts Just as Onika was secretly pleased, she suddenly felt a surge of life energy coming from the backyard. Onika frowned. What was happening? Suddenly, she thought of the place where the energy fluctuation was strongest, apparently where the city lord was lying unwell. Her face turned white abruptly. Her right hand clenched tightly, the glass in her hand was instantly shattered. Onika rose to her feet, her beautiful face instantly turned fierce, she roared in a low voice: Impossible! Whoosh~ A black whirlwind blew over, and Onikas figure disappeared from the room. Suravi slowly helped the sallow middle-aged man on the sickbed to sit up. Annie was holding the Goblet of Life, prepared to pour the holy water into the mans mouth. Just then, a violent argument came from outside. It seemed like the guards of this room were quarrelling with someone and had started fighting. Ignore whats happening outside and continue! Suravi furrowed his brows and said firmly. Annie nodded. She touched the holy grail to the City Lords lips. The city lord seemed to sense something, his body involuntarily started to suck, and the thick milk-like holy water started to flow into his mouth; Bang! The door of the room was pushed open. Blood-stained Onika, her aura as fierce as ever, stormed in; What are you giving the city lord to drink? Onika asked abruptly. Feeling no movement behind Onika, Suravis eyes showed a trace of sorrow. He rose to his feet, standing in front of the sickbed. Onika, what on earth do you want to do! Suravis robe started to ripple with no wind. The aura radiating from his body was on par with Onika. It felt as if a whirlwind had blown up in the room. All the furniture and utensils were ground into dust by the conflicting energies. However, the city lords bed was safe and sound, guarded by Suravi; This is Song Jians eyes showed a horrified look. These two peoples strength had certainly exceeded the first-order combat power, even somewhat similar to what he felt when he confronted the Shadow Giant Dragon. Suravi, you conspired with Annie and this devotee to poison the city lord. Today, in the city lords name, I will punish you! On Onikas face, a black aura emerged. Her cheeks slowly sunk in, two fangs gradually protruding from her lips, her fair arms started becoming withered like branches. Her hands, like the claws of a devil, shimmered with a metallic cold light. It really is you A trace of understanding appeared in Suravis eyes. He had long suspected Onika but had no evidence. In front of others, Onika always acted very well. He didnt expect that she would lose her temper today, and reveal her true nature. City lord of the City of Blood, Blood Queen Onikxia! Suravi broke Onikas identity. With his right hand grabbing into the empty air, an exquisite magic staff that was over a foot long appeared in Suravis hand. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Roar~ Onika roared like a wild beast at Suravi. Behind her, a colossal phantom slowly emerged, displaying its arrogant posture. Chapter 574: 574: Dragon Soul Chapter 574: Dragon Soul Get out of here! Suravi roared, wildly waving the magic staff in his hand. Instantly, countless light arrows shot towards Onika, like a sudden downpour. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, focusing on the shadowy figure behind Onika. This ethereal shadow gave Song Jian a strange feeling, both familiar and unfamiliar. Onika let out a shriek, retreating from the room and into the courtyard. Suravi followed close behind, and Song Jian glanced at Anna. At this moment, she was holding the Goblet of Life, staunchly standing guard by the City Lords sickbed. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian rushed out of the house. The chance to witness combat between two individuals who had exceeded the first-tier of combat power, was exceedingly rare. If Song Jian could spectate, it would potentially be greatly beneficial to his future growth. However, battles of such caliber were fraught with extreme danger. Mere aftershocks from the fighting would be more than enough to overwhelm an ordinary person. Many who had stumbled upon such scenarious not only failed to benefit but ended up losing their lives. Suravi floated in mid-air above the City Lord Mansion. The elegant robes Onika was wearing had vanished, replaced with pitch-black form-fitting scale armour. In her hands, she held two short swords that shimmered with a sinister green light, evidently coated in potent poison. Blood Queen, the City of Sin is not yours to touch! Suravi thundered as dark clouds roiled above him, streaks of lightning darting through the sky like silver dragons. Behind the Blood Queen, the illusory form of a dragon was roaring at the heavens, exuding an imposing aura. A thick, blood-red aura emanated from her body, making one feel as if gazing upon a mountain of corpses bathed in blood. Song Jians gaze showed relief. The discomfort he had felt ever since first meeting the City Lords wife now made sensehe had felt as though he was standing before a tumultuous sea of boiling blood. He had initially assumed it was an illusion, but it seemed that the City Lords wife had managed to hide her true nature under a deep disguise. The fight between Suravi and Onika escalated, causing many buildings within the City Lord Mansion to crumble into ruins. However, soon a barrier of light enveloped the entire mansion, shielding it from the aftereffects of the battle. The battle moved from the ground to mid-air, splitting the sky in two. One side was covered in dark clouds with flashes of lightning, while the other half roiled like a sea of blood with massive waves. Such a battle was astonishingly spectacular, leaving Song Jian yearning for the day when he might possess such terrifying power. Roar~ The shadowy figure behind Onika suddenly let out a roar, spewing a jet of black flame at Suravi. Suravi swiped his right hand in front of him, creating a shield of light that blocked the flaming onslaught from the shadowy figure. Dragons Breath! Song Jian murmured, eyes narrowed. This attack was all too familiar to Song Jian; the Shadow Giant Dragon, and even his pet, the Black Dragon, both employed Dragons Breath as their primary attack. Simple as it was, the attack packed a tremendous punch and was hard for most to withstand. What kind of ability allows for the summoning of a Black Dragons illusion? And moreover, why does it bear little difference to a real dragon? Song Jian frowned, carefully analyzing the abilities used by both combatants. Suravi was a wizard, although Song Jian didnt understand all of his abilities, he was able to relate the basic energy usage and some other magical aspects to similar occupations. On the other hand, Song Jian didnt have a clue about Onikas profession. Her equipment and weapon suggested that she was a melee fighter, but she also seemed to have the ability to conduct magical attacks and even summon an image of a dragon. Seemingly undefeatable, as the time passed, Onika gradually began to gain the upper hand. Suravi increasingly adopted a defensive stance, hardly ever attacking Onika anymore. Song Jians heart sank. If the current situation persisted, Suravi was bound to be defeated. Once that happened, who would be able to resist Onika? Just then, a beam of white light descended from above Suravi, momentarily restoring a small portion of his Vitality Points. Song Jian turned his head and saw Anna, supporting a middle-aged man standing at the mansions entrance. The man looked drained, but his eyes shimmered with determination. The pain was evident in his eyes as he gazed at Onika. The healing light on Suravis head was released by Anna. As a Life Priest, Annas healing ability was undoubtedly the most formidable amongst priests of equal level. With Annas help, Suravi quickly regained his footing and stabilized the situation. Onika, why have you become like this? Whywhy have you tried to kill me? The City Lords face was scored with pain as he bellowed out loud. Dont call me Onika. My name is Blood Queen Onikxia! Onika roared back, the dragonic shadow behind her letting out an angry roar towards the City Lord. Just then, Song Jian suddenly sensed strong fluctuations coming from his Pet Space. When he checked, it was his pet Black Dragon, roaring furious and signaling to him its strong desire to join the fray. Song Jian thought against summoning his Black Dragon at that moment, knowing it would make no difference in the outcome of the battle. However, going against the dragons will could seriously affect the loyalty of his pet. With a mere thought, the Black Dragon, massive in size, appeared beside Song Jian, roaring furiously at Onika in the sky. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To Song Jians surprise, the Black Dragon decided to take matters into its own claws, flapping its wings, and charging directly at Onika. Song Jian was taken aback. Although the Black Dragon commanded first-tier combat power, it still was no match for Onika. Its Dragon Might was unlikely to have much effect on a formidable opponent like Onika. A dragon? A young dragon! Suravi looked surprised as he turned to look at Song Jian. Anyone capable of owning a dragon as their pet was sure to be someone extraordinary. Young man, call back your pet. Even though its a dragon, its still growing and is no match for Onika or rather, the Blood Queen! Suravi advised Song Jian with a nod and a friendly demeanor. II cant control it. I dont know why, but it was being restless in the Pet Space. The moment I let it out, before I could command it, it just charged straight into the fight, Song Jian explained with a bitter smile and a shrug of his shoulders. Suravis eyebrows furrowed. After pondering for a while, his gaze returned to the dragon shadow behind Onika and an expression of astonishment crossed his face. This this isnt mimicry magic. This this is a dragons Dragon Soul! Suravi exclaimed in shock. Onikxia, you dared to refine a dragons Dragon Soul! Suravi roared, Your audacity knows no bounds! Arent you afraid of incessant, relentless retaliation from the Dragon Clan! Chapter 575: 575: Griffin Knights Corps Chapter 575: Griffin Knights Corps In fact, initially, Suravi did not recognize the phantom behind Onika as the soul of a true Giant Dragon. Its important to realize that in this game world, there are numerous magics that can imitate the form of a Giant Dragon, even Suravi can imitate it to some extent with his witchcraft. But these simulations yield negligible practical effects. Only some distinct magics can mimic the true power of a Giant Dragon. However, the anger exhibited by Song Jians battle pet, this young black dragon, prompted Suravi to realize that the huge dragonish phantom shadow behind Onika was not some magic simulation, but rather a Dragon Soul. Such a being can only be formed by personally slaying a Giant Dragon, then extracting its soul and refining it with special magic. But this method is exceedingly cruel; those utilizing dragon bodies as material for crafting equipment and weapons are seen as enemies by the Dragon Clan. If discovered, it ensures a fight to the death. Although Song Jians Battle pet is merely a maturing Black Dragon, when it sensed that Onika had refined a Dragon Soul, it attacked her in rage, knowing it couldnt win. This is the pride of the Dragon Clan; an unending war between the Dragon Clan and the offenders! Such behavior of Onikas was sacrilege against all the Dragons. Once this news leaks out, even though she was the ruler of a city, the angry dragons will not hesitate to completely destroy her City of Blood until the Dragon Soul she had refined is set free. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Onikas face changed drastically. She did not expect to encounter a true Giant Dragon in this place. She had been adept at hiding the Dragon Soul she had refined and even used it numerous times during battles, but no one ever recognized it. Even if they vaguely detected it, it couldnt be confirmed one way or the other. But today, Onikas secret was finally exposed. For her, the consequences were far more severe than failing to capture the City of Sin! Being pursued and hunted by the Dragon Clan across the entire continent turned her blood cold. Damn it! Seeing the Giant Dragon lunging toward her, a vicious expression flashed across Onikas face. She wished she could tear this young Dragon to shreds, extract its soul, and torment it for ten thousand years. Just as she was about to make her move, she suddenly saw dozens of multi-colored energy rays shooting from Suravis hand. Like birds, these energy rays flew in all directions. This isa magical message! Onikas face changed dramatically. Onika, no, Blood Queen Onikxia, I have disseminated the news of your Dragon Soul refinement to neighboring cities. I believe it wont be long before the news spreads across the entire continent. The time left for you is not much. Even if you completely destroy the City of Sin, what would it mean? Suravi then flashed a smile, looking like he had the winning hand. Just then, a beast-like roar emerged from a distance and a large group of warriors riding Gryphons appeared in the sky, heading their way. The Academy has reacted too! Suravi thought to himself. Gryphon riders belonged only to the Academy of the City of Sin. They were a military force that the Academy held control over, and their might was even more formidable than the city guard under Suravis control. Their only drawback was their limited number and the difficulty in replenishing their ranks once diminished. Otherwise, the City of Sin would entirely focus on raising Gryphon riders! Onikxia, you have failed! Suravi declared victory! This matter will not end here. I will return one day! The Blood Queen let out a roar, shot a hateful glance at Song Jian, and repelled the Black Dragon lunging towards her with a red pillar of light before disappearing into the distance. Upon the Blood Queens departure, Suravi finally heaved a sigh of relief, exhaustion visible on his face as he slowly descended from the sky. Master, you have finally come to your senses! Suravi dropped to one knee in front of the Lord of the City. Suravi, even though I was unconscious, I was aware of everything happening around me. You have worked hard during this time, the City Lord said with a gratified smile, raising Suravi from the ground. Suravi was his playing mate since childhood. He was the person the City Lord trusted the most in this world. And Suravi had indeed justified his trust. In this period, had it not been for Suravi, the City of Sin would have fallen into others hands a long time ago. At this moment, the Gryphon knights in the sky descended one after another. A man wearing silver armor dismounted from his Gryphon, got down on one knee before the City Lord. Master, you have finally awakened! he said respectfully. This man was Yin, the leader of the Academys Gryphon knights. Amid the City Lords unconsciousness due to poison, only Suravis city guard and the Academy not been won over by the Blood Queen. Because of Suravi, the city guards always firmly stood by the City Lords side and worked tirelessly to save him. But the Academys attitude was ambiguousthey hadnt completely sided with the Blood Queen, nor did they make efforts to save the City Lord; they seemed to display a neutral stance to the outside world. This time, they had hurriedly dispatched the Gryphon Knight legion only upon learning of the City Lords awakening. Even though its referred to as a legion, there are fewer than a hundred Gryphon Knights under the control of the Academy. Rise, Yin! Your arrival here with the knights in my hour of need brings me great comfort! the City Lord said, smiling. He helped Yin rise and then placed a hand on his shoulder. Alright. Dismissed. Yin, notify the Academys Dean Kormit, therell be a meeting in my mansion tomorrow, ordered the City Lord. I obey, Master! Yin respectfully saluted and then led the Gryphon knights back to the Academy. The City Lord watched the Gryphon knights in the sky until they disappeared from view. Suravi, Anna, and you Song, Song Jian, come with me, I have something to The City Lord hadnt finished speaking when a warhorse came galloping towards the city lords mansion. Upon seeing the City Lord, the rider showed evident delight, then immediately spurred his horse towards the crowd. Claw, whats wrong? Has anything happened to young Master Solan? Suravi asked, seeing the knight and immediately changing color. In fact, on the day the City Lord fell ill, Suravi had deployed soldiers to protect all the City Lords children. Claw was one of the soldiers assigned to protect the young Master Solan. Master, Chief, not only young Master Solan, Haben, Ennis and young Master Angrade All have been have been assassinated! Claw said, kneeling and hanging his head. Upon hearing this, the City Lord felt as if a huge hammer had struck his chest. A wave of darkness washed over him, and he spouted a mouthful of fresh blood. His body swaying, he fell backwards. Chapter 576: 576: Viscount Chapter 576: Viscount Controlling all of Lai Yins heirs and then killing them at the right opportunity was originally part of Blood Queens plan. But her plan couldnt be so simple and crude; it must be like causing the death of the City Lord, either by poisoning or by creating various accidents, definitely not like now, with several heirs being assassinated at the same time; Although Suravi sensed something wrong, he sent the City Lord Mansion guards to the side of each heir with inheritance rights, claiming it was for protection, but in reality, it was surveillance. Once City Lord Lai Yin died, Blood Queen controlling the entire city as the City Lords wife would not be very reasonable. The best approach would be to support an heir, make them the City Lord, and gradually insert her own confidants. Once all the rights in the City of Sin were in her hands, it would no longer matter whether there was a City Lord. However, no one expected Blood Queen to be so ruthless; after her conspiracy failed and she had to flee, she directly killed all of the City Lords heirs with inheritance rights, which was a blatant revenge on the City of Sin. City Lord, whats wrong with you? Suravi saw the City Lord fall backward and quickly stepped forward to support him while shouting, Call for a doctor, get a doctor right away! Song Jian followed Anna and temporarily lived in the City Lord Mansion. No one knew whether Blood Queen would reappear and assassinate the City Lord. Although her actions of concocting Dragon Soul had already spread throughout the continent, and she must be in a desperate situation now, not even daring to go back to her own city, City of Blood. But with Blood Queens ruthless character, no one could guarantee that she wouldnt return to City of Sin and assassinate City Lord Lai Yin. If City Lord Lai Yin died and all the heirs with inheritance rights were also dead, then the City of Sin would definitely fall into chaos due to the struggle for the position of City Lord. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suravi had just experienced a great battle, and although Anna had healed all his injuries, his mental fatigue could not be entirely eliminated. Instead of resting, he had to guard the City Lord due to the Lords sudden unconsciousness, just like the time when he was poisoned. Anna, as a Life Priest, naturally had to stay by the City Lords side. As for Song Jian, he had no choice but to follow Anna because of the mission. The third ring mission was considered complete, and his relationship with Anna had jumped from respect to reverence. However, the other reward was long overdue, which was the reason Song Jian had to follow Anna. The permanent residency right in the City of Sin was still very attractive to Song Jian at the moment. This city was prosperous in development, not just a city of technology but also a city of trade. Most importantly, it had the most significant number of players Song Jian had ever seen. In such a city, he wouldnt be surprised if any miracle happened. To obtain permanent residency in this city, one must own a property in the city, just like Song Jian owning a 100% personal store in the City of Hymns, so he could apply for permanent residency with the municipal government. The reward for successfully completing the third ring was to grant Song Jian permanent residency in this city, which meant that Song Jian would obtain a property in this city. As for the type, size, and location of the property, Song Jian couldnt control it; he had to wait for the City Lord to wake up. Suravi had already ordered the City Lord Mansion guards, who had been sent out, to be summoned back. In fact, City Lord Lai Yin himself was a strong man not weaker than Suravi, but the death of all his heirs had dealt a massive blow to Lai Yins spirit. At his age, if he had no heir, it would be difficult for him to have another one in the future. Blood Queens move had indeed struck Lai Yins weak spot. Everyone stayed in the City Lord Mansion, waiting for Lai Yin to wake up. One day passed quickly, and it wasnt until the evening of the next day that Lai Yin slowly opened his eyes. Suravi was very excited to see City Lord Lai Yin wake up, but when he saw Lai Yins lifeless eyes, his originally excited body suddenly slowed down; Lai, City Lord, whats wrong with you? Suravi carefully asked. Lai Yin, are all my bloodlines really cut off? After a long time, Lai Yin asked softly. Suravi was at a loss for words, as he had carefully examined the bodies of all Lai Yins heirs and preserved them in ice; Soladu, Haben, Ennis, and young Master Angrade, their bodies have all been preserved in the underground ice cellar, and you can check them at any time Suravi hesitated for a long time before whispering. Angrade was only eight years old, how could she do it! Lai Yin suddenly roared with anger and a ferocious expression. Suravi, I want to issue a City Lord mobilization order, summon all the soldiers, and declare war on the City of Blood! Lai Yin roared with a hateful face. Suravi hesitated for a moment before saying softly, Lai Yin, now is not the best time for revenge. While you were unconscious these months, many people have secretly pledged allegiance to the Blood Queen Suravi stopped there. In the past, everything in the City of Sin was decided by Lai Yin, who had absolute power to control the city. But now, many people had betrayed Lai Yin. As soon as Lai Yin woke up, a purge was inevitable; otherwise, if a war with the City of Blood broke out, those who had already betrayed Lai Yin would push the City of Sin into a desperate situation. Lai Yin fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Suravi and asked, Who are they? Suravi saw the anger in Lai Yins eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, Lai Yins eyes were filled with deadness, and Suravi was afraid that he would give up and sink into despair from then on. But seeing Lai Yin now, Suravi was relieved. Even if his heart was filled with rage, it was still a hundred times better than giving up and sinking. The two talked in the room for a long time, orders were issued one by one from the room, until late at night, when Song Jian was suddenly woken up by a servant and brought to Lai Yins room. Greetings to City Lord! Song Jian placed his right hand over his chest, saluting the half-lying City Lord Lai Yin. In addition to Lai Yin in the room, there were also Suravi and Anna, both of whom smiled at Song Jian. This time, saving Lai Yin could be considered Song Jians greatest achievement. Not only did he obtain the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle, but his battle pet, Black Dragon, was also the first to detect that she had actually concocted Dragon Soul when Blood Queen freaked out. This discovery allowed Suravi to frighten Blood Queen away. Song Jian, I want to thank you for saving my life and the city of City of Sin! Lai Yin nodded to Song Jian and slowly said, To express my gratitude to you, I have decided to confer a nobility title upon you. From today on, you will be a Viscount of the City of Sin! Chapter 577: 577 Servant Chapter 577: Chapter 577 Servant A noble title? Song Jian was taken aback. Knowing that for players to acquire a noble title in the game was incredibly difficult, even impossible at the current stage. On one hand, the NPCs in the game were amazed at the potential of the players and respected them greatly. Ordinary citizens even regarded them as nobility, offering them greetings when they met. On the other hand, the real nobility were on their guard against players, considering them no more than brawlers, hardly different from the mercenaries in the Mercenary Guild. Until now, let alone noble titles, there were even very few players who had become knights within the game. The knights in this context werent players profession, but rather a rank. For example, in the game, the person who owned a city would automatically be given a dukes title, like the Blood Queen or Lai Yin. By the way, the Blood Queen title of Onikxia was self-proclaimed. She should actually be known as the Blood Duke, as she only had a dukes title and had no right to be called a queen. However, she had taken the moniker Blood Queen for herself. Many people, including players, had grown accustomed to this name. But among true nobles, they scorned her actions and not a single one acknowledged her title. Following the rank of duke were marquis, count, viscount, baron, and then knight. Knights were essentially in reserve for the nobility, but even then, becoming a knight was an incredibly difficult task. Yet now, Song Jian had jumped straight to the title of viscount, which was simply unbelievable to others. In the city, you will have a mansion of three hundred acres, you will have the right to assemble your own private army, the number of which cannot exceed three hundred men. You can create your own family insignia, and Suravi was detailing to Song Jian his rights and responsibilities upon becoming a viscount. System: You have completed the third cycle of the epic task and have performed perfectly in the process, earning the praise of City Lord Lai Yin; System: The City Lord of the City of Sin, Lai Yin, has appointed you a viscount. You now have the title of Viscount. System: You have become the first player in the game to obtain a noble status, awarded a level up. A light radiated from Song Jian. He had just reached level 27 but now instantly advanced to level 28. The additional skill points were used on Broken Wing Dance. The fourth level of Broken Wing Dance significantly increased the damage, and the control range of the final strike also increased slightly. Conferring the viscount title was a very significant matter for the nobles of the City of Sin, and usually would require a grand ceremony. However, since the city lord was in ill health, a simple ceremony was chosen instead. The next day, Song Jian left the City Lord Mansion for his own estate. The epic-level mission had not ended. Although he had completed the third cycle, the fourth cycle had not yet begun. Song Jian could only wait patiently. The City of Sin was lively during the day, remaining unaffected by the combat that had taken place in the sky above the City Lord Mansion two days ago. The only difference was that there were more soldiers patrolling the streets than usual. Walking down the street, Song Jians first impression was that the city was incredibly crowded. Players typically didnt loaf about in the streets; most of them were out of the city, leveling up by battling monsters or going to the Mercenary Hall for quests. Even when they appeared in the streets, they would be hurrying to their destinations. The NPCs and the shops and stalls lining the street were more plentiful here. The noise of haggling, hawking, and soliciting was cacophonous, but it also gave a sense of peace when one was immersed in it. Many NPC adventurers in armor were arguing with the vendors, their faces turning red, yet once the transaction was completed, they embraced like old friends, patting each other on the back. This is almost like a real-world marketplace. Song Jian thought while walking and observing, No, its even livelier than a real-world marketplace. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After all, in real-world markets, Song Jian had never seen members of the Alien Clan, Goblins, Beastmen, Half-beastmen, Jackalmen, or the Gill-faced Fishmen Clan. In this city, they were accepted just like humans. They werent discriminated against but rather welcomed for the unique resources their races bring. Song Jian saw a stall owned by a member of the Fishmen clan swarmed with people, as they vied for a fist-sized pearl. Esteemed god-favored one, is this your first time in the City of Sin? Song Jians relaxed and curious demeanor drew the attention of many, including a small boy with a pair of beast ears, who squeezed out from the crowd, bowed before Song Jian, and with a flattering smile, asked, Sir, do you need a guide? I grew up in the City of Sin and Im familiar with every inch of it. Plus, my rates are the cheapest. Do you know how to get to Champs Elysees Street? Song Jian asked. Champs Elysees Street? Of course, its the most famous street in the City of Sin. Those who live there are all of noble status! The small boy looked Song Jian up and down, responding with surprise. Whats your name? Song Jian questioned, eyeing the boys pair of beast ears. This was a human with Beastman lineage. These half-beastmen would often die prematurely if they were in other places. Humans rejected other races and saw these Beastman-blooded humans as monsters. In many places, Song Jian would rarely encounter members of the Alien Clan, just as in the City of Hymns. Suoen, my name is Suoen, sir! The boys heart lifted upon seeing he might get his chance at some business. Sir, it will only cost you twenty Doomsday Coins to hire me as your guide to Champs Elysees Street. I can assure you, I will take you there via the fastest route, Suoen confidently promised. Alright, Ill entrust you with that then. Song Jian nodded and smiled. A look of joy appeared on Suoens face as he led the way. After weaving through the crowded streets and even forcefully pushing away a couple of pickpockets approaching Song Jian, Suoen led him to a road crossing after half an hour. This location was much more tranquil compared to other places, but the surrounding streets were noticeably wider and the buildings were arranged more methodically, in stark contrast to the disordered and chaotic areas he had previously seen. Sir, this is Champs Elysees Street. If you follow this road, you will find the famous Mandel Auction House, Suoen replied regretfully. However, people of my status are not permitted to enter Champs Elysees Street. I can only take you this far. Song Jian nodded and handed him fifty Doomsday Coins. Suoen was a clever kid, and on the way there, he shared several rumors about the City of Sin. He seemed to know every bit of street gossip and even revealed to Song Jian several places frequently visited by players. What an interesting little fellow, Song Jian muttered under his breath. While watching Song Jian walk down Champs Elysees Street, Suoen held onto his fifty Doomsday Coins with a conflicted look on his face rather than leaving. After a pause, he suddenly ran toward Song Jian, calling out as he did. Sir, sir! Do you need a servant? I grew up in the City of Sin, and know it like the back of my hand. I can definitely be of help. Song Jian paused, turned around, and looked at the panting boy before him, a playful smile playing on his lips. Chapter 578: 578: The Fourth Ring Chapter 578: The Fourth Ring S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Early in the morning, Song Jian pushed open the window of his bedroom, and fresh air washed over him. Before him lay a vast plaza, in the middle of which was a fountain gushing with clear water. Some servants had begun to clean the entire mansion early on. This was a manor spreading over three hundred acres; such manors were rare in the City of Sin, reserved only for those of high standing. I originally thought I would only get a normal residency, but I never expected to gain such a large place. This is almost as big as the land I own in Doomsday City! Song Jian stood on the castle, overlooking the entire manor as he reflected. Upon gazing at the estate, Song Jian felt a sudden impulse to relocate his safe house here. After all, the City of Sin is far safer than Doomsday City. After breakfast, Suoen approached Song Jian, holding a pile of magical materials. Suoen, now dressed in servant attire, respectfully said to Song Jian, Master, I have gathered all the materials you need. Song Jian had been in the City of Sin for almost a week. On the third day after acquiring this estate, City Lord Lein held a grand knighting ceremony for him. Everyone in the City of Sin knew that a new lord had been born. Suoen was ecstatic, and for several nights, his excitement had prevented him from getting a good nights sleep. He now acted as Song Jians attendant, serving a distinguished Viscount. Normally, he wouldnt even have the chance to approach such an influential character. It took Song Jian half a day to learn the Magic Rune Array skill from Qi Yun. Then, he began to set up a defensive magical array around his estate. The Magic array required numerous materials, some of which were even controlled supplies that ordinary supply stores did not sell. This was when Suoens local knowledge came in handy; being well-versed in the citys alleys, Suoen knew about almost every black market and underground trading area. It took Suoen only two days to purchase all the materials Song Jian needed. Song Jian was very pleased. He inspected the magical materials Suoen brought back. Soon, he nodded in satisfaction. The quality of these materials was good, entirely suitable for constructing a magical array that could defend the entire estate. Having left Doomsday City, Song Jian could not return for the time being. The concealment rings usage limit had already been depleted. If he wished to return, he would need to find a transfer gate that could bring him directly back to his safe house. This type of gate was typically set up by the game system, so encountering one relied on luck. Another method involved the Transmission Array to return to Doomsday City. However, the main problem was that Doomsday City did not have its own Transmission Array yet. So, for now, Song Jian had to purchase materials to build a Transmission Array in the City of Sin; then, he would have to figure out how to use the in-game mailing system to ask other guild members to build the Transmission Array. The materials required for the Transmission Array are all controlled materials! Song Jian shook his head. He had once asked Annie of the Silver Moon Commerce from the City of Hymns to purchase these materials, but ultimately, she did not succeed. The Transmission Array and the Magic Tower were the special buildings required to upgrade a safe house to a city. Without the Transmission Array, the safe house could not be upgraded to a city. Suoen, heres a list. I want you to buy the materials on it. Remember, even if it costs a lot or takes a long time, the most important thing is to keep it a secret! Song Jian handed Suoen a list of materials needed for the transmission array and said solemnly. Taking the list, Suoen glanced at it. Astonishment flashed across his face, but he didnt ask any questions and only safely put the list away. He said, Master, rest assured, as long as these materials can be found in the City of Sin, I will buy them all. Ill be discreet! Song Jian nodded and said, These are materials for building a transmission array; they are all strictly controlled. You have to be careful! Despite his young age, Suoen was well experienced in dealing with such matters, so Song Jian didnt need to worry for him. Soon, Suoen left the manor with the money Song Jian gave him. Im currently at level 28. Just two levels to go before I reach level 30, at which point I can wear the Golden Ant King Ancestor Set. At that time, I can challenge the first-tier Combat Power! Song Jian contemplated. At the thought of the Ant King Ancestor Set, Song Jian was filled with anticipation. This was an epic level set, and wearing it would significantly improve his abilities. Taken by this thought, Song Jian was eagerly considering heading out of the city to hunt monsters and level up. Suddenly, a servant entered the room and bowed, saying, Sir, a lady named Anna is here to meet you! Anna? Song Jian was taken aback, then promptly responded, Please let her in. Before long, Anna, dressed in a white dress, came in. Seeing Song Jian, a smile spread across her face, Song Jian, are you settling in well here? Im fine, thank you for your concern! Song Jian bowed his head. Ever since he moved into the Viscounts mansion, he hadnt had any contact with Anna. However, he still paid attention to her whereabouts as the epic level quest on his plate was closely related to her. Ever since all of City Lord Lai Yins children were killed by the Blood Queen, Anna had moved into the City Lord Mansion. It also seemed like Anna had not yet disclosed her job class as a Life Priest. I came here because I have something that requires your help, Anna got straight to the point. Song Jian felt a stirring in his chest. It seemed like the fourth phase of the epic quest was about to begin. Seeing Annas hopeful expression, Song Jian quickly nodded, No problem. Ive been looking for something to do. Anna clapped her hands to her chest in relief, I was worried that you might be too busy after becoming a Viscount. With your help, I feel so much more assured. What is the problem? Can you explain the situation to me first? Song Jian asked. This time, its about my profession advancement. I need to gather a Bloodline Vine flower from the Mysterious Garden. With the Bloodline Vine flower, I can use the power of the Goblet of Life to improve my constitution and breakthrough to the next realm! Anna said solemnly. Mysterious Garden? Song Jians brows furrowed. The name was strange and unfamiliar to him. He had never heard of it before. The Mysterious Garden is a secret location not far from the City of Sin, located in a valley of Thunder Beast Mountain. However, it lies within the territorial reach of the Minotaur Black Hoof Tribe. These beastmen are very wary of humans, we need to approach with caution, Anna explained. System: Anna has issued the fourth phase of the epic quest to you: Gather Bloodline Vine Flowers. Do you accept? A secret location? The Black Hoof Tribe? I might even run into an old friend, Song Jian smiled, No problem, Anna. Im ready to leave anytime and accompany you to the Mysterious Garden at Thunder Beast Mountain. Chapter 579: 579: Thief Chapter 579: Thief It was said that the Mysterious Garden was a place created by a research institution prior to Doomsday. They had accidentally discovered a particular plant, capable of extracting a substance from it that could delay aging, hence, it resembled a laboratory. In addition to studying this plant, they also cultivated many rare plants for research. After Doomsday, this place gradually fell into disrepair and turned into a secret realm of the 30th level where many plants became aggressive. Anyone who trespassed here would be attacked by them. The most significant thing was that this secret garden was very discreet, and its information was deliberately concealed. Even players born in the City of Sin were rarely aware of it. From Anna, Song Jian learned that the level of this secret garden was far lower than that of the Dark Castle. It was merely a small three-person dungeon, without any first-order combat creatures inside, so Song Jian was quite at ease accompanying Anna there. After all, with Song Jians current strength, unless assisted by someone else, when facing a creature of first-order combat power, once the duration of his Immortal Sword Body expired, he would be suppressed on all sides and could only escape. Now, with the assistance of Anna, a Life Priest, Song Jian believed that just the two of them could clear the entire dungeon. After a brief preparation, Song Jian and Anna set off towards the secret garden. Although the difficulty of this secret realm is not high, it takes some effort to approach it, Anna explained to Song Jian: It lies within the territory of the Blackhoof Tribe of the Tauren Tribe, which is very watchful against humans. We must sneak in during the night The two rode on their warhorses for a day, arriving at a mountain range by dusk, densely covered with towering trees, resembling an untouched primordial forest. Since leaving Doomsday City, Song Jian had passed through a vast desert and few green plants. The crops outside the City of Sin had already astounded Song Jian, let alone the existence of such a large primordial forest here. The Thunder Beast Mountain is ahead, and beyond that lies the territory of the Blackhoof Tribe. You guys should go back and inform my uncle that we will return in about three to five days. Anna handed the reins of her warhorse to her guards. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Besides Song Jian and Anna, three guards from the City Lord Mansion also accompanied them. Although they were elite, they were of little use in getting into the Mysterious Garden. They had now completed their task of escorting Anna to Thunder Beast Mountain. Miss, Sir Song, be careful! A middle-aged man in armor took the reins of the two warhorses. I wish Miss and Sir Song triumph! The guards pounded their chests with their right hands, saluted, and shouted loudly to them. Watching the three leave, Song Jian said to Anna: How about we rest here for the night and climb the Thunder Beast Mountain tomorrow? Anna shook her head: We need to sneak in during the night when the Taurens are not paying attention so we can get into the Mysterious Garden. There are too many Taurens nearby during the day. Song Jian nodded, wondering if Kane had returned to the Blackhoof Tribe after their separation and whether he had become the chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe with the help of the Totem Pillar. If they rashly visited and found that Kane hadnt returned, or failed to seize the chieftain position, wouldnt it be awkward? The night in the forest was not quiet. This was when many wild beasts came out for hunting. Song Jian saw a black panther that was five or six meters long perching on a big tree, staring at them with its emerald green eyes. A giant snake as thick as a water bucket and tens of meters long slithered past them. The wild beasts in this forest were all no lower than the 25th level. The level of the black panther and the giant snake he saw earlier were even at the 30th level which was higher than Song Jians level. This area belonged to the high-level monster zone, which the players hadnt dared to venture into yet because their levels were still low. But as the players levels grew higher, whether this original forest on Thunder Beast Mountain could be preserved was uncertain. Strange, why dont the wild beasts in this area attack us? Song Jian was somewhat puzzled along the way. The names of the wild beasts in this forest were all red, which meant they were creatures that launched attacks actively. Once anyone entered their alert range, they would launch an attack. However, Song Jian and Anna didnt intentionally avoid them, but the beasts did not launch an attack even when they noticed the two of them. This is my passive ability taking effect, Life Affinity! Anna laughed: No living creature will attack me on its own. Song Jian was stunned, taking a sharp intake of breath. This passive ability is too powerful. Why did his Sword Controller seem so weak compared to this epic profession? Compared to this Life Priest, my Sword Controller profession is so shabby that its embarrassing to mention! Song Jian thought, shaking his head. The two walked for most of the night and finally arrived at a valley. Anna pointed to the valley ahead and said: The entrance to the Mysterious Garden is in that valley. Look at the place with the burning torches, thats the Blackhoof Tribe Song Jian looked ahead. Around 500 meters away from them was a sunken area. Looking into it from the entrance, the valley was bald without any plants. This was in sharp contrast to the luxuriant forest around it, as if someone had plucked out a patch of the forest. In more than an hour, it will be dawn. This is the perfect time for us to enter the Mysterious Garden! Anna said, showing a trace of fatigue on her face. After walking one night in Thunder Beast Mountain, even without the disturbance of wild beasts, they had expended a lot of energy, even Song Jian felt some fatigue, not to mention Anna, a young girl. Just as the two were preparing to move towards the valley, a frightened cry for help suddenly came from a distance. Following that, a small, thin figure ran towards them in panic. He looked a little ragged, as if he had been greatly frightened. Player? Song Jian looked at the mans face and then glanced at the top of his head. The mans information wasnt hidden, which meant he was a player. Ye Tong, Level 25, Thief, Vitality Points: 1100/1100, Spirit Points: 300/300 Hes a Gods Chosen! Anna murmured. NPCs couldnt see a players information, but Anna obviously had her own way to identify them. Song Jian frowned slightly, summoned his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, and assumed a defensive posture. He originally thought that no player would appear on Thunder Beast Mountain, but unexpectedly, he encountered a player being chased here. Meanwhile, Ye Tong, who was being pursued by something at the moment, was running for his life in terror. Upon seeing Song Jian and Anna, a gleam of joy flashed across his face, and he hurried towards them. Chapter 580: 580: Life Chain Chapter 580: Life Chain Seeing Song Jian, Ye Tongs face lit up with joy. Although the information above Song Jians head was all hidden, she immediately recognized him as a player. Hey, brother, help, save me! Ye Tong shouted as she ran. Players in the game were a strange group. They could easily become enemies over a piece of equipment, but when in danger, they would ask the nearest player for help, even if they hadnt met before. This phenomenon seemed odd to NPC adventurers in the game, but not to players. As a rogue, Ye Tong came to the Blackhoof Tribe to complete a mission but was discovered by the tribe members during the mission and had been pursued until now. My level is still too low. If I were two levels higher, I wouldnt have alerted anyone when leaving, Ye Tong thought with some regret. This mission was important to her and couldnt be easily given up. Seeing Song Jian, she saw her last straw and hurried towards him without hesitation. Song Jians face darkened. He and Anna originally came here to quietly enter the Mysterious Garden dungeon without alerting the Blackhoof Tribe, but now their whereabouts were likely exposed, and it became doubtful whether they could enter the Mysterious Garden. As for Ye Tong, although she was also a player and a female player at that, Song Jian didnt trust her easily. He had seen several instances of people bringing trouble upon others and then slipping away. More importantly, Anna, a Life Priest, had weak combat capabilities, and he had to ensure her safety. Ye Tong saw that Song Jian only had a guarded expression and didnt come forward to help, which made her feel disappointed and lost. But this was her only chance of survival, so she stumbled and gasped for breath as she ran towards Song Jian. Song Jian stared at her with his longsword tightly held in his hand, protecting Anna behind him, without obstructing her actions. This gave Ye Tong a slight hope, and she ran faster. Be careful, there are beasts chasing me! Ye Tong whispered. Afterward, a loud roar was heard from the depths of the dense forest behind her. It was full of dominance, like the king of beasts, almost shattering the air. The strong energy swept the forest ahead, and all the trees seemed like they were about to be crushed. Song Jian gave Ye Tong a cold stare, aware of her malicious intentions, but now that he was involved, he had no choice but to confront the enemy. Im s-sorry, I had no choice Ye Tong stood a few meters away from Song Jian, panting heavily, with her hands on her knees. She knew she had done something inappropriate and gave Song Jian an embarrassed smile. At that moment, three huge black tigers emerged from the woods, each seven or eight meters long. Their massive claws gripped the ground as they encircled the group in an arc formation. Their eyes glinted with bloodlust, and they wore vicious expressions, even when facing Anna. Theyve been controlled. My passive ability is useless against them, Anna said, her face pale. The three black tigers put tremendous pressure on her, reminding her of the Shadow Teeth she had encountered before in the Shadowfang Mountain Range. This thief even brought two helpers! Tuya, go inform the chief, Ill hold them off! a deep voice rang out, and soon after, two burly Tauren emerged from the dense forest. What did you steal from them? Song Jian grabbed the retreating Ye Tong and stared into her eyes. Its my mission item! Ye Tong struggled but couldnt break free from Song Jians grip. How could his strength overpower mine? Ye Tong thought. As a rogue, her main attribute was agility, but close combat professions would also add some strength. Ye Tong had obtained two Strength Fruits and one potential crystal, and with her equipment, her strength had exceeded thirty points. His strength must be at least forty-five points, or even higher! Ye Tong guessed. Is your life important, or is the mission item important? Song Jian retorted. If you block them for me, Ill split the mission reward with you! Ye Tong clenched her teeth. Ill say it again, hand over the mission item, or Ill throw you to those beasts! Song Jian said impatiently. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ye Tong narrowed her eyes, and a snake-blade dagger appeared in her right hand. You forced me into this, Ye Tong gritted her teeth and thrust the dagger towards Song Jians chest. Humph, na?ve! Song Jian snorted coldly, grabbed Ye Tong by the collar, and with a terrifying burst of strength, lifted her up and threw her violently onto a nearby tree. Ye Tong flew through the air like a stone towards a tree, but at the last moment, she managed to control her body, performed a mid-air flip, and landed firmly on a tree branch. Hey, thanks for the help, brother! Ye Tong gave Song Jian a triumphant smile and a flying kiss before turning to leave. Song Jians attack hadnt harmed her but indirectly helped her escape. Not good! Song Jians face darkened. If Ye Tong escaped, he and Anna would face the wrath of the Blackhoof Tribe. Even if Kane had become the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe, he couldnt explain away aiding Ye Tongs escape. Life Chain! Anna raised her hand, and a milky white chain shot towards Ye Tong. Ye Tong paled and suddenly emitted a puff of black smoke that enveloped her body, making her disappear. She had been saving this powerful invisibility skill for a while but hadnt used it because the beasts could still detect her using their sense of smell. After turning invisible, Ye Tongs speed was reduced by 40%. As she took a step to run, the white chain curved in mid-air and wrapped around an empty space. Slowly, Ye Tong reappeared, her entire body bound by the milky white chain, unable to move. How did you find me? Ye Tong looked at Anna with an incredulous expression on her face. Chapter 581: Meeting Kane Again Chapter 581: Meeting Kane Again Anna flashed a slight smile and pulled her right hand with force. Ye Tong involuntarily flew in the direction of Song Jian, her entire body now out of her control. With Annas Life Chain, as long as it locks onto a target that possesses vital life force, it can automatically track and bind them, no matter where Ye Tong hides, as long as they are within a certain range. Take out the item, or we will hand you over to them! Song Jians face turned ugly, he threateningly said to Ye Tong, who had almost managed to escape due to his lapse in judgment, almost making him and Anna scapegoats for her actions. But that is my quest item! Ye Tong protested, but when she saw the three black tigers and the robust Minotaur, she finally admitted defeat: If you keep binding me like this, how can I retrieve it? Wont you let me go? Song Jian glanced at Anna, he was a bit concerned. If they released Ye Tong, she might take the chance to escape; No problem, if she runs again, I can just bind her back! Anna confidently assured. Song Jian gave a slight smile and nodded his head. At Annas thought, the chains binding Ye Tong suddenly transformed into a radiant white light, vanishing into thin air. Ye Tong gave Anna a curious look, then turned to Song Jian enviously: You are really lucky to have recruited such a formidable Follower. Cut the crap and hand over the item! Song Jian retorted impatiently. Fine, Im giving it to you, no need to be so fierce! From her belongings, Ye Tong took out a stone carving and handed it to Song Jian. Song Jian accepted the carving and saw it was a well-crafted stone statue of a Minotaur. The Minotaur was depicted wearing simple clothes, one hand held behind his back, the other molded into a knife shape. The sculpture was brought to life with such detail that even the prideful expression of the Minotaur seemed lifelike, as if nothing in the world could faze him. Upon holding the carving, Song Jian discovered it had no special attributes, just a simple item. But if it were merely a trinket, the Blackhoof Tribe wouldnt have guarded it so strictly. After Ye Tong stole it, they quickly noticed it was missing and sent two experts to pursue. This is the statue of our Blackhoof Tribes ancestor, give it back to us! The remaining sturdy Minotaur watched Song Jian vigilantly, his eyes occasionally glancing at the stone carving in Song Jians hand, the Minotaur appeared very tense. Hey, now that Ive given the item back to you, I can leave, right? Ye Tong glared at Song Jian and hollered loudly. After handing over the item, Ye Tongs mission was directly flagged as a failure, which irritated her, but she was helpless. Fine, you can go now. Song Jian waved a hand dismissively at Ye Tong, appearing impatient. Hmph, Ill remember this! Ye Tong rolled her eyes at Song Jian, activated her Acceleration Skill, and quickly disappeared into the jungle. Just then, a deep drum beat suddenly echoed from the direction of the Blackhoof Tribe. Thud, thud, thud. The low and rapid drum beats made ones heartbeat follow its rhythm involuntarily. Upon hearing the drumbeats, the Minotaur who was keeping an eye on Song Jian and Anna showed a hint of joy. The three black tigers also began roaring towards the sky in unison. The tigers roar echoed throughout the forest, causing all the surrounding animals to flee in alarm. Who dares to steal from the Blackhoof Tribes territory! A loud roar echoed, and a group of Minotaur warriors in leather armor emerged from the woods. The Minotaur in the lead appeared especially robust, towering over the others. Over his shoulder, he carried a massive stone pillar. Kane, do you remember me? Upon seeing the Minotaur leading the group, Song Jians face lit up with joy as he hurriedly shouted. Song Jian, is that you? Kane looked startled for a moment, but then recognized Song Jians voice and burst into loud laughter, striding towards Song Jian and Anna. My friend, have you come to visit me? It excited Kane to see Song Jian, and he enthusiastically hugged Song Jian, patting him on the back and saying, You said you would come to see me. I knew you would keep your word! Song Jian was a bit embarrassed; he hadnt intended to visit Kane on this trip. He didnt even know if Kane had become the Chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe, so how could he visit recklessly. Chief, he is with the woman who stole our sacred object! A young Minotaur whispered into Kanes ear. Nonsense, Song Jian is my friend, my benefactor. He rescued me from the Dark Castle of the Shadow Giant Dragon, and also helped me retrieve the tribes Totem Pillar! How could he possibly be with our enemy? Kane released Song Jian, glared back with his bulging ox eyes, and scolded. Kane, its true, I dont know that woman. However, I have retrieved the item she stole. Song Jian explained, at the same time he handed the Minotaur stone carving to Kane. Kane held the stone carving above his head with both hands and shouted, See this! My friend Song Jian has retrieved our sacred item for us! ROAR~ All of the Minotaurs shouted as they held their weapons high. Song Jian, come on, lets return to the Blackhoof Tribe, and well celebrate! Kane slapped Song Jian on the shoulder, his face beaming with smiles. It was almost dawn by the time Song Jian had followed Kane back to the Blackhoof Tribe. And he was directly led to the tribal square where Kane lit up a three-meter tall bonfire. He hosted a grand welcome celebration for Song Jian. Goblets of wine were raised, huge mouthfuls of meat were ingested. Horns and war drums sounded together, accompanied by earth-shaking songs. Dozens of Minotaurs danced around the bonfire, performing a unique tribal dance. The celebration lasted for over three hours. Song Jian drank until he passed out and was carried into a tent. All Anna could do, with a helpless look on her face, was to stay at his side and take care of him. By the time Song Jian woke up, it was already late afternoon. Noticing Anna, who had been by his side the whole time, Song Jian felt a pang of guilt and immediately apologized: Anna, Im sorry for the delay weve caused going to the Mysterious Garden. Anna cuts him off, shaking her head: I didnt expect you to be friends with the Chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe. If we had known, we wouldnt have had to sneak in. I met Kane in the Dark Castle. Back then, he wasnt the Chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe yet. After obtaining the Goblet of Life, we parted ways, and I was not informed of his latest situation At this moment, Kanes voice echoed from outside the tent: Song Jian, are you awake? Song Jian quickly got up and called out, Im awake, come in! S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The tent curtains lifted, and Kane entered. Seeing Song Jian, Kane couldnt hide his delight. He said to Song Jian, Song Jian, you have come at a great time. Today is the day of our Blackhoof Tribes ritual ceremony. During the ceremony, the young people of the tribe will have the chance to understand their natural talents. For this ceremony, I want to invite you to take part. At that time, lets see if you can win the favor of the ancestors of our Blackhoof Tribe! Chapter 582: The Existence of Mother Earth Chapter 582: The Existence of Mother Earth By the time evening arrived, the Blackhoof Tribe was bustling with more people than yesterday when Song Jian was welcomed; for today was the annual sacrificial ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe. The young minotaurs of the tribe had been preparing their bodies and minds at home, hoping for the blessings of their ancestors and the chance to acquire better skills through the sacrificial ceremony. Xerxes was one of the most outstanding warriors in the Blackhoof Tribe. He had spent a month alone in Thunder Beast Mountain to train before the sacrificial ceremony, only returning to the tribe three days ago. Once he returned, he locked himself in his room, refusing to talk to anyone as he tuned his body and mind to its peak condition. The more robust the body and spirit, the longer one can withstand the test, the higher the chance of acquiring a superior skill! This time, I must get an epic-level skill. It would be perfect if I could obtain the War Stomp skill, Xerxes contemplated as he sat, adjusting his breathing. As he was thinking, suddenly there was a knocking sound at his door. Before Xerxes could answer, the door was banged open, and a young minotaur with wide shoulders and a massive physique, albeit with a slightly childish face, barged in. Xerxes, the sacrificial ceremony is about to begin, why arent you getting ready? Im almost dying of anxiety! The moment he entered, the young minotaur sat on the stone chair, grabbed a piece of cold roast meat from the table, and started eating. Like a solid tower, the young minotaur sat down, and the stone chair creaked as it endured his weight. Kalu, when will you stop being so impulsive? Luckily I sensed it was you before you walked in. Otherwise, you might have been a corpse by now Xerxes released a puff of white air, which remained suspended like an arrow after shooting more than a foot from his mouth. He glanced at the young minotaur sitting on the stone chair and sighed slightly. Hey, of course, I knew you would recognise me, Xerxes. I wouldnt do this in anyone elses house Kalu replied nonchalantly. Kalu, hows your training with the Powerful Bull Demon Fist that I taught you last time? Xerxes stood up slowly, his muscular upper body naked. His body was not as robust as Kalus, but it was well-proportioned, full of explosive power. If Kalus body was an unrefined iron ingot, then Xerxess body was already a piece of fine steel. Elder brother Xerxes, that Boxing seems great, but its not very powerful. You said there was a current in my body, but I cant feel it Kalu scratched his head, showing a worried expression. You fool, this boxing practice is not for fighting. Its to refine your spirit and harmonize it with your body. In the future, with each punch you throw, you can utilise 100% of your power without hurting your body Xerxes shook his head, showing a slightly exasperated expression as he looked at Kalu. Kalu was Xerxes cousin and has been following him since childhood. He is Xerxes most loyal follower. By the way, Xerxes, this time, the chief invited a human to attend our sacrificial ceremony. Many in the tribe object, but the chief insists, even the elders cant convince him. Kalu suddenly mentioned. A human? Xerxes frowned, thought for a while, and then said, I read in our tribes records that, hundreds of years ago, our Blackhoof Tribe was the most prosperous among the tribes on Thunder Beast Mountain, with a population of over ten thousand. We not only invited humans to our sacrificial ceremony but also many other allied races. However, after the war that nearly wiped out our tribe, this tradition stopped What? Other races were invited to our sacrificial ceremony? Kalu looked surprised and dubious. Xerxes shook his head. He knew Kalu would prefer fighting a beast over surveying the tribes records. Talking to him about it was really a pointless endeavour. Xerxes patted Kalus shoulder and said, You look so eager. Lets go and attend the tribal sacrificial ceremony. Besides, I want others to know that not just anyone could attend the Blackhoof Tribes sacrificial ceremony hundreds of years ago! The sacrificial ceremony was a tradition of the Blackhoof Tribe and deemed a very important event. Even during the tribal war hundreds of years ago, the tradition was never discontinued. This was a source of immense pride and considered sacred by the minotaurs of the Blackhoof Tribe. In Xerxes view, even if Kane was the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe, he wouldnt dare to desecrate this sacred tradition in the hearts of his tribesmen. If you insist on inviting a human to participate in the sacrificial ceremony of our Blackhoof Tribe, then I will challenge him according to tradition, to see if he is worthy of receiving the blessings of our minotaur ancestors, Xerxes thought to himself. The now hungover Song Jian was unaware of the pressure Kane was under to allow him to participate in the sacrificial ceremony. After quickly freshening up, he sat cross-legged on the ground, adjusting his body state, as per Kanes instruction. You need to sense the existence of the Mother Earth and appreciate her gifts! Thats why you should sit on the ground, Kane had advised before leaving. Song Jian, do you feel the presence of Mother Earth? Anna sat on a stone chair and curiously asked Song Jian, who seemed no different from someone fast asleep. No, but I can feel the presence of the god of sleep. Im so sleepy! Song Jian yawned, rubbing the corners of his eyes, looking like he had just woken up. He had not slept all night and had been drunk and carried back in the early hours of the morning. He had barely woken up before he was roused by Kane to prepare for the sacrificial ceremony. If not for the fact that this was a game world, Song Jian would have collapsed. I wonder what the sacrificial ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe looks like. Theyve always been very secretive, isolated from the world, and rarely interact with other races Anna played with the Goblet of Life, speaking in a low voice. Song Jian glanced at Anna. Since becoming a Life Priest, she was softer, but her equipment was quite ordinary, usually just the Goblet of Life. I need to get Anna some equipment when I have a chance Song Jian thought to himself. At that moment, Kane walked in looking a bit worried, The sacrificial ceremony is about to start, Song Jian, lets go. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 583: Bull Head Man Language Chapter 583: Bull Head Man Language The Ritual Ceremony is the most sacred ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe, and only invited guests can participate. Anna can only stay in her room until the ceremony is over. As they walked, Kane explained some matters of attention to Song Jian; Finally, after a moment of hesitation, Kane said to Song Jian, During the Ritual Ceremony, you may be challenged by warriors from the tribe during the ancestors protection segment. You need to be prepared! The Ritual Ceremony consists of many steps and rituals that elicit the talent skills of each young Tauren warrior, particularly in the final ancestors protection segment. In the past, being invited to participate in the Ritual Ceremony of the Blackhoof Tribe was considered the highest honor among other races. Moreover, each participating non-tribal person was also an elite member of their respective race. Facing the challenge of the young Blackhoof Tribe warrior in the ancestors protection segment was an essential part of the ceremony. If you could successfully defeat the challenger, you would naturally continue to participate in the ancestors protection ritual, and you might even gain a valuable talent skill. However, if you failed, it would mean that you were not the best, and naturally, you would not be able to continue with the ancestors protection segment. Song Jians heart sank, but he soon realized that this must be a test, just like defeating a boss in a game. In order to obtain good equipment dropped by the boss, you must first kill the boss. There must be a proportional relationship between the harvest and the difficulty, otherwise, the game would not allow Song Jian to gain an opportunity to increase his talent skills easily. This was a talent skill, after all, something that each person would only acquire when entering the game. Some players didnt even have a talent skill after birth, and only obtained one after reaching level 10 and gaining a profession. Therefore, talent skills were much more valuable than other ordinary skills; No problem, Kane. I am willing to accept anyones challenge! Song Jian laughed. Kane nodded. He was well aware of Song Jians strength. Anyone who could fight the Shadow Giant Dragon for a few minutes, not to mention the young Tauren warriors of the Blackhoof Tribe, even an empowered Kane himself would not be confident that he could definitely defeat Song Jian. Thunder Beast Mountain, the Blackhoof Tribe; Atop Mount Dagogya All the important figures of the Blackhoof Tribe were gathered here. Standing in front of the crowd was the tall figure of Kane, the chieftain of the Blackhoof Tribe and now the strongest in the tribe. Even the Blackhoof Tribes sacred relic C the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar C had already recognized him as its master. He looked around and nodded, announcing, It seems that everyone has arrived. So, I hereby declare the Blackhoof Ritual Ceremony to begin now! Boom, boom, boom~ War drums were struck. At first, only one person was drumming vigorously. Soon, another person joined, and two war drums were struck simultaneously. Before long, there were three, four, ten, and finally, a total of thirteen war drums were struck at the same time. Xerxes, who was standing amidst the crowd, stared at the drummers and sighed in his heart; The tribal chronicles once recorded that at the height of the Blackhoof Tribes power, during the Ritual Ceremony, more than a thousand war drums were struck simultaneously. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Someday, under my leadership, the Blackhoof Tribe will definitely return to the glory of our past! Xerxes clenched his fists and swore in his heart. A bleak song echoed on Mount Dagogya, resonating across the mountain. The song was mournful and sad, like a mothers lament, making every member of the Blackhoof Tribe feel a pang in their heart. The song was initiated by a few elders of the tribe. Soon afterward, Kane loosened his throat and joined in. In no time, all the members of the Blackhoof Tribe who were standing on Mount Dagogya began to sing together; Song Jian felt a bit embarrassed as everyone else around him was singing, and he was the only one who hadnt opened his mouth. However, the melody and lyrics of the song were quite simple, and it kept looping as it was sung. Song Jian listened to it two or three times and had already memorized it. When the song came around for the fourth time, he joined in quietly. At first, Song Jian was merely imitating. As time went by, however, his voice grew louder. As it blended with the surrounding sounds, he became immersed in a mysterious state. Although he initially didnt know the meaning of the lyrics, somehow, after a while, the meaning of the entire song manifested itself in Song Jians mind. Humility, bravery, honor! Mother Earth watches over you! Our tribe has faced numerous disasters, Struggling at the edge of death and destruction. The cries of children, the sighs of the elderly, tears in the eyes of our sisters all fill me with shame! The roar of beasts, the laughter of enemies, and the corpses of our companions lie before my eyes! Warriors of the Blackhoof Tribe, remember every night of the battle to eliminate our race! Do not forget the shame of our ancestors, do not let that night descend upon us again! Mother Earth watches over us! Song Jian sang this ancient song over and over again, not even knowing when the lyrics had become deeply engraved in his mind. By the time the drums stopped, Song Jian suddenly realized that, like the other Tauren, he was already in tears. System: You have learned Tauren language! A simple prompt appeared in the system bar, but it brought Song Jian an exhilarating feeling. It should be noted that in the game, all races communicate with players using a universal language. However, each race actually has its own unique language. If you dont understand the language of a race, many things you may obtain cannot be used, including but not limited to various racial skills, racial recipes, and racial blueprints. One can say that from now on, the Tauren race would have no secrets left for Song Jian. Song Jian didnt know if it was just his imagination, but after the song had ended, the eyes of the Tauren around him seemed to have softened quite a bit, even Kane was showing him a gratified smile. Each phase of the Ritual Ceremony unfolded, paying tribute to the ancestors and the tribe members who had died in wars. This continued for a long time, until late at night, when the full moon rose above them. Finally, the last part of the ceremony arrived C the Ancestors Blessing, for unlocking talent skills. At this moment, all the young Tauren under the age of thirty stood up excitedly. A dozen arm-thick stone pillars slowly rose atop Mount Dagogya. Some pillars had stone-carved Tauren statues displayed on them, while others were bare, displaying nothing. Song Jian glanced and saw that the empty pillars and those with stone statues were about half-and-half. The stolen statue he had retrieved from the thief earlier was placed on one of the pillars. Choose the ancestor you worship and pray to them devoutly. If the ancestor acknowledges you, you can unlock your talent skill under their blessing! Kane shouted at the young Tauren. The young Tauren began to walk towards the pillars with statues, gathering around them. Kane motioned for Song Jian to follow. As he was about to step forward, a voice suddenly called out. Wait, chieftain! According to the customs of our tribe, I want to challenge this human participating in the Ritual Ceremony! Xerxes stepped out from the crowd, his eyes firm as he looked at Song Jian standing beside Kane. Chapter 584: Challenge Chapter 584: Challenge During the sacrificial ceremony, challenging other racial elites who were invited was a tradition of the Blackhoof Tribe, as well as a means for the tribe to showcase its strength to the outside world. Elites from other races could refuse the challenge, but by refusing, they would automatically lose the qualification to participate in the upcoming ceremony. Facing Xerxes challenge, Song Jian stepped forward and shouted loudly, I accept the challenge! In response to Xerxes challenge and Song Jians acceptance, all members of the Blackhoof Tribe let out a unanimous cheera show of appreciation and support for both Xerxes and Song Jian. Xerxes pulled out a pair of metal gauntlets from his chest and wore them on his hands. The gauntlets surface was built from countless metal scales, resembling snake scales. On the knuckles of the gauntlets, there were wild beast fangs inlaid and protruding outward, looking extra ferocious. Song Jian squinted. The surface of Xerxes gauntlets emitted a dark gold glow, indicating they were Dark Gold Quality weapons. In terms of grade, they were not much different from his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With a thought, Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. The two of them faced each other, their auras constantly building and the battle ready to ignite. Be careful! Xerxes shouted in a low voice, his gauntlet-covered fist striking down towards Song Jian. The fangs on his gauntlet shimmered with cold light, closing in on Song Jians face in an instant. So fast! Song Jian was startled. Even though Xerxes was a few levels lower than him, only level 26, he felt Xerxes was even stronger than a level 30 elite. Song Jian brandished his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword to block Xerxes punch, then took the opportunity to thrust his sword forward at Xerxes neck. Xerxes body was like a python, swaying gently, barely dodging yet giving Song Jian an intense sense of danger. The sword in his hand was less than three centimeters away from Xerxes neck. With a slight extension, it could penetrate through his throat. However, Song Jian retreated hastily with a look of surprise on his face, as if he wasnt about to pierce Xerxes but rather Xerxes was stabbing towards his throat. In the blink of an eye, Xerxes let out a growl, and a strong surge of energy suddenly erupted from his body. The surrounding air burst into a thunderous roar, and the solid rocks beneath their feet trembled violently. Many places cracked open, revealing finger-width fissures. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Song Jian evade in time, Xerxes also revealed a moment of surprise in his eyes. Song Jians sensitivity to danger had exceeded Xerxes expectations. With a twist of his body, Xerxes leaped into the air. The momentum between his fists was like a hurricane, emitting a piercing scream. A tremendous force burst out from Xerxes fists, like a mountain pressing down, rushing towards Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! A dazzling Sword Qi blossomed from the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Facing Xerxes, Song Jian fiercely slashed towards the sky. For a moment, the two of them exchanged blows, the sound of intense clashes occasionally erupting like thunder on the peak of Mount Dagoa. It didnt take long for them to exchange dozens of moves, with the battle reaching its boiling point. The unrestrained Sword Qi and surging fist force forced the onlookers to retreat three or four meters away. The fierce battle between the two men stirred the blood of the young minotaurs all around, who couldnt help but cheer excitedly, clapping their hands. Kalu was left dumbfounded. Its the first time Ive seen Xerxes unleash his full strength Kalu stared intently at the battling duo, his eyes filled with admiration for Song Jian. Xerxes was the most formidable among the young minotaurs and was heralded as the Blackhoof Tribes most promising young warrior. Minotaur warriors of his age could hardly put up a fight against him. Kalu hadnt seen Xerxes unleash his full power in a long time. To be able to fight like this with Xerxes, the strength of this human is not to be underestimated! An elderly minotaur next to Kane, leaning on a cane, remarked solemnly. The old minotaur was an elder of the Blackhoof Tribe who had been strongly opposed to Song Jian participating in the sacrificial ceremony. Now that he had seen Song Jians strength, he had come to acknowledge and accept Song Jians abilities. Kane remained silent, enjoying the show of the two warriors. Although they seemed to be fighting fiercely, Song Jian had not yet unleashed his full strength. At least, he had not used the power that could double his abilities and directly compete with the Shadow Giant Dragon. If Song Jian were to unleash his full power, Xerxes would not stand a chance against him. After another exchange, Song Jian and Xerxes were separated by a distance of three to four meters, standing face to face. I can feel that youre still holding back. Next, I will unleash my strongest move. If you can withstand it, I will admit that you have the qualification to participate in the upcoming sacrificial ceremony! Xerxes stared into Song Jians eyes, speaking word by word. Xerxes could clearly sense that Song Jian had not given it his all, which was something he found hard to accept. While Song Jians strength was indeed high, the gap between them should not be so vast. Song Jian smiled slightly and held his sword across his chest, saying to Xerxes, Come on. Xerxes hands spread open in front of him like claws, ready to pounce like a ferocious beast. His lower body stood firm, his upper body leaned forward, and his waist slightly swaying, exuding a violent, bloodthirsty air. Tiger Demon Fist! Xerxes let out a roar akin to a tigers growl, the air trembling in response. In an instant, he transformed into a terrifying whirlwind, swirling around his body. Song Jian suddenly saw a blur before his eyes. The next moment, he felt a violent pain in his abdomen. As the pang of pain crept up his chest, it felt as if he had been bitten by a wild beast. Xerxes figure turned into a terrifying tornado, and Song Jians eyes couldnt even capture his movements. He could only passively endure the onslaught of attacks. One punch, two punches, three punches Song Jian was battered around like a human punching bag, without any room for retaliation. The young minotaur observers erupted in exultant roars, their excitement palpable. Song Jian was hit by several heavy punches, his Vitality Points dropping by a third. Xerxes speed was too fast for the naked eye to catch, making it seemingly impossible for a level 26 Minotaur warrior to bear. He wont be able to hold on for much longer! Song Jians eyes narrowed, and his sword started to move automatically in his hand. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Clang! Clang! Clang! A series of crisp collision sounds rang out as countless sparks exploded around Song Jians body. Each burst of sparks was the result of a collision between Xerxes metal gauntlets and the sword. With the seemingly slow yet swift Tai Chi Sword Skill, Song Jian blocked almost all of Xerxes attacks. Despite a few punches slipping through, their damage had been reduced by 92%, preventing Xerxes from causing any further harm to Song Jian. Chapter 585: 585: Discarded Chapter 585: Discarded Xerxes moves extremely fast, and to the other minotaurs, he seems to be at a complete advantage, leaving Song Jian unable to resist and forced to adopt a defensive stance. In reality, Xerxes felt like vomiting blood in frustration. Each of his blows, no matter how fast, always landed on Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. And the force transmitted from the sword felt incredibly tenacious, like an old cowhide, which no matter how powerful the impact upon it, it would quake violently and then quickly dissipate the force, causing no harm at all. Well done, Xerxes! Truly worthy of being the finest youth of our Blackhoof Tribe! Hes completely dominating! He has completely suppressed his opponent! Who would have thought Xerxes was this powerful! What kind of skills is he using? How can he be so fast? This is just terrifying! The younger minotaurs around began to clap and cheer, but the elders among them remained silent, wearing furrowed brows. Some venerable minotaurs with a chill in their aura exchanged looks among themselves, subtly shaking their heads. Chief, this cant go on. If they continue to fight, Xerxes will get hurt. He is the most promising youth of the Blackhoof Tribe whispered a minotaur with a broken horn on his left on Kanes ear. Kane nodded, and holding his Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, he took a step forward. He was just about to stop the fight, but the situation in the ring suddenly changed. Xerxes suddenly slowed down, stumbled a couple of steps and knelt to the ground. His face was flushed red and his skin reflected a swirl of currents underneathlike insects squirming within his body. Spewed A mouthful of dense blood gushed out of Xerxes mouth, and his aura was suddenly low; When Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill finally ended, he sheathed his sword and stood in place. Seeing Xerxes suddenly fall, he looked surprised. Tai Chi Sword Skill had a certain chance to rebound the opponents attacks. But Song Jians Tai Chi Sword Skill was only at level 2, making the probability of triggering a counterattack very small. He normally used it as a defensive measure in battles. But today, under Xerxes storm-like attacks, the sword skill actually triggered a counter effect; Even if it did trigger a rebound, it shouldnt have caused him this much damage. What exactly happened? Song Jian was puzzled and didnt know how to react for a moment. Xerxes! Kalu cried out in a loud voice, rushing forward to hold onto Xerxes. He glared at Song Jian, his eyes filled with rage. Xerxes was the person whom Kalu admired the most. Seeing him being defeated, a fury filled his heart, and he desperately wanted to fight Song Jian himself. It was just a friendly match. How could you hit him so hard? Kalu yelled. At this moment, Xerxes looked extremely frightening, continuously vomitting blood from his mouth while drenched in sweat. He lay curled up on the ground, his body was involuntarily convulsing, as if all his muscles were contracted together. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kalu, dont be rude! An elderly minotaur leaning on a walking stick came over to examine Xerxes. Before long, the old minotaur let out a sigh, slowly stood up, and said, He overused his Tiger Demon Fist. The surging fist energy has broken through his meridian restraint and begun rampaging within his body Elder, please save Xerxes. He cant be injured! Kalu was instantly panicked and begged the old minotaur. Kane and several elders of the Blackhoof Tribe surrounded them. Xerxes was the most promising young tribal member. If he was injured and had to delay the triggering of his innate skills, it would already be quite unacceptable. If he was really incapacitated, it would be devastating for the Blackhoof Tribe. Several elders of the Blackhoof Tribe began to examine Xerxes. When they finally stood up, they shook their heads gravely at Kane. His meridians have been damaged severely. It would be a miracle if he survives one elder said with a sigh. The Tiger Demon Fist is too demanding for him at his current state. It would have been better if he had waited until he was at level 30 before using it! The energy from the Tiger Demon Fist has already flooded every part of his body. Even if he can be healed, he would likely be bedridden for the rest of his life What a shame. This is a loss our Blackhoof Tribe cant afford The elders eyes reflected their heartache. Xerxes was the most promising among the younger generation, and seeing him get crippled in a friendly match was just unbearable. However, none of the elders blamed Song Jian. On one hand, Xerxes injury was primarily due to his poor control over Tiger Demon Fist. His state now was akin to getting possessed by a devil and had little to do with Song Jian. But the younger minotaurs glared at Song Jian in anger. They believed that it was the friendly match with Song Jian that led to Xerxes condition. They viewed Song Jian as the culprit. Alright, the winner of the challenge is Song Jian! Kane announced with a grim face. Quickly take Xerxes for medical treatment. The ceremony will continue! The ceremony couldnt be interrupted just because of Xerxes, but everyone from the Blackhoof Tribe, including Kane, felt heavy-hearted and were worried about Xerxes. Just at that moment, Song Jian suddenly raised his hand to stop the minotaurs from carrying off Xerxes. Wait! Song Jian looked at Kane and said, My friend Anna came with me. Shes a Life Priest. She may be able to heal Xerxes. Kanes eyes lit up and he quickly stopped the minotaurs from moving Xerxes. He asked Song Jian excitedly, Brother, are you sure? Can she really heal Xerxes and restore him to his original state? Anna is a Life Priest. If even she cant heal him, then Im afraid theres no one in this world who can, Song Jian said quietly, glancing at Xerxes. The power of life is the best healing energy in the game. There is virtually no disease or wound that Anna cant heal in this world. Quick, bring Miss Anna here! Kane quickly said to a minotaur nearby. A Life Priest? The tribes record seems to have mentioned them! The elderly minotaur who examined Xerxes earlier had a reminiscent look on his face. Soon, under the guidance of a minotaur, Anna arrived at the mountaintop. Chapter 586: 586: Ancestral Stone Sculpture Chapter 586: Ancestral Stone Sculpture Anna arrived at the peak, and Song Jian quickly explained what had happened. Anna, can you cure him, restore him back to normal, without affecting his strength? Song Jian asked. Anna glanced at the twitching Xerxes and said, her eyebrows slightly furrowed: I can heal his body, no problem. But whether it will affect his strength, this I do not know. Really, can his body be healed? Kane exclaimed excitedly, As long as his body can be healed, the impact on strength isnt important. Yes, as long as the body is healed, its fine if the strength slowly recovers. The other elders also said comfortingly. Anna met Song Jians eyes, Song Jian gave a slight nod, and Anna took out the Goblet of Life and said to Kane, Could you get me some clear water? Shortly, a jug of clear water was fetched. Anna poured the clear water into the Goblet of Life, and in no time a surge of vibrant life energy began to ripple from the Goblet of Life. The originally tormented, twitching Xerxes gradually calmed down; Anna gestured for two people to hold up Xerxes, she brought the Goblet of Life to his lips. Xerxes, who had slipped into a coma, surprisingly began to sip instinctively. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In a short span of time, the liquid in the Goblet of Life was drained. Xerxess twitching body had calmed down, his complexion rosy. He looked as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. Only when Xerxes finally settled down, could all of the Blackhoof Tribes minotaurs breathe a sigh of relief. Anna, we are truly indebted to you this time for saving the life of one of our tribe members! Kane acknowledged Anna with a solemn salute. Anna seemed a bit shy and she shook her head a little. Life Priest, Life Priest, oh my god, the epic occupation recorded in the scriptures really exists! An elderly minotaur couldnt help but blurt out in excitement, seemingly remembering something. Elder, what is this? Kane looked at him, puzzled, not understanding what he was saying. That is an epic occupation. Our Blackhoof Tribe has existed for nearly a thousand years and in this long history, only one person possessed an epic occupation. The elderly elder was very excited. His gaze involuntarily darted towards a stone pillar in the distance. What, Elder, are you talking about the Quel Blade Master? Kane couldnt help but scrutinize Anna from top to bottom, his face drawn by surprise. As the chief of the Blackhoof Tribe, Kane was naturally very familiar with the tribes scriptures. Hearing the elder comparing Anna with legendary figures like the Quel Blade Master was quite astonishing. You should know that throughout the nearly thousand-year history of the Blackhoof Tribe, only one Quel Blade Master ever emerged. It was precisely because of his existence that the Blackhoof Tribe thrived for over a hundred years. His tales were still enjoyed by the tribespeople today. Kane could hardly imagine that the seemingly frail girl before him could be compared to the Quel Blade Master. Eh, Brother Xerxes moved. Kalu, who had been fixated on Xerxes, suddenly exclaimed and pointed at him, I just saw Brother Xerxess finger twitch. All eyes were turned to Xerxes; Soon, Xerxes slowly opened his eyes, a look of confusion appearing in them: Whatwhat happened? Xerxes, you woke up! Kane helped Xerxes up, his face revealing a look of relief. Xerxes was the hope of the Blackhoof Tribe, and the one Kane personally groomed as the next leader. Seeing that he was able to recover fully, Kane was very happy. I, I was fighting against someone Xerxes started to recall slowly, his face suddenly changed: Tiger Demon Fist! Xerxes, dont practice the Tiger Demon Fist C its too dangerous. At least not until youre level 30, said Kane in a serious tone, You were lucky this time. We happened to have an epic occupation Life Priest in our tribe, or else, you could have ended up totally paralyzed, bedridden for life, if you survived at all! What, paralyzed? Xerxes was scared, his whole body broke into a cold sweat from the thought of himself paralyzed for life. Remember this lesson! Kane slapped him on the shoulder, harshly. Yes, Chief, I will remember this lesson! Xerxes said earnestly. Good. Remember, you are the hope of the tribe. You must think things through before you act, dont disappoint me again! Kane hugged Xerxes tightly after speaking. Xerxes, looking rather mortified, expressed his thanks to Anna and Song Jian, then stood aside in silence. Continue with the Ritual! Kane shouted, all of the minotaurs shouting excitedly in response. Kalu looked worriedly at Xerxes and asked him quietly, Xerxes, are you feeling better? Hows your body? Will there be any effect on the upcoming activation of your talent abilities? The activation of talent abilities only has one chance. Even if he were to skip the opportunity this time, it would still be the same next time. However, once a challenger participates and fails to activate his talent abilities, he will not be able to activate them in the future, no matter how many times he participates. Kalu was worried that Xerxes, due to his bodily condition, would have his talent activation affected. Xerxes remained silent for a moment, then a strange look appeared on his face. He whispered, Its strange. Not only did I fully recover, but it seems my strength has even increased a bit! The water of life not only healed injuries but for its first users, also enhanced their attributes. Xerxes could clearly feel the changes in his body. Young tribesmen, choose the blessing of our ancestors, ignite your natural talents. Now, make your choices. Kane shouted. Dozens of young Minotaur began to sit around the stone pillars on the peak, reciting hymns; The stone pillars around which these Minotaur were sitting all had Minotaur stone sculptures placed on them. These stone sculptures had different appearances that clearly displayed their occupational characteristics. Song Jian walked towards the stone pillars under Kanes gesture; After succeeding in the challenge, he had earned the chance to receive the blessings of the ancestors of the Blackhoof Tribe. Although the ritual might not necessarily activate talent abilities, such an opportunity would undoubtedly result in cutthroat competition among other players if they knew about it. Song Jian went to the stone pillar nearest to him. As soon as he approached, a system prompt appeared before him; System: You found an ancestral stone statue of the Blackhoof Tribe C Elemental Shaman. Within a three-meter radius of the statue, you have a chance to comprehend one Elemental Shaman skill to become your talent ability. Chapter 587: The Fist Sect Chapter 587: The Fist Sect Elemental Shaman? Song Jian subtly shook his head, thinking this profession was far too different from his own. Even if he obtained one of its abilities as his own talent, it would just be the icing on the cake and wouldnt fully utilize the original profession capabilities. Its contribution to his strength would be limited. He walked towards the next stone pillar. Each time he drew near a pillar, the effects of the minotaur stone statues formed in his mind. The Blackhoof Tribe has been around for nearly a thousand years; those whose professions have been carved into the ancestral statues all contributed significantly to the tribe. However, after a tribal annihilation war that took place hundreds of years ago, many ancestral stone statues have been lost, leaving only half of them. Finding the lost ancestral statues is the responsibility every member of the Blackhoof Tribe is born with. As Song Jian looked upon each statue, in the end, he stopped in front of a pillar. The ancestral statue on this stone pillar was the statue Song Jian had recovered earlier from the thief Ye Tong. System: You found the ancestor statue of the Blackhoof Tribe, profession C Minotaur Swordsman. Within a three-meter range of the statue, there is a probability to obtain a skill of the Minotaur Swordsman profession as your innate skill. Song Jian was initially startled, then his face lit up with joy. The skills of a Swordsman perfectly align with my Sword Controller profession! He inwardly rejoiced, I choose you! Having made his decision, Song Jian immediately took a seat around the Minotaur Swordsman statue. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was then that he noticed the majority of the tribe chose the Minotaur Swordsman statue; nearly one-third of the minotaurs did, making it quite crowded within the three-meter radius around the statue. Song Jian sat tranquilly, cross-legged, amidst the other minotaurs who were chanting praises in the minotaur language with closed eyes. These songs were all to express reverence to the ancestors, praying for blessings. Being not part of the Blackhoof Tribe, Song Jian felt it inappropriate to join their chant. So he sat quietly without uttering a word. Soon, he felt a strange force emanating from the statue and flooding towards him. This energy was peculiar, faint but it perfectly merged with the Invisible Sword Qi within his body, once again slowly increasing the caps of his Invisible Sword Qi. Originally, the cap of Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi was only a hundred points. However, after obtaining the Sword Control Skill-Qi Circulating Chapter, the cap of his Invisible Sword Qi began to slowly escalate. It had risen from a hundred points to 278 points, but the rate of increase gradually decreased from once every tens of minutes to every few hours, and even tens of days. Now, more than half a month had passed by and the cap of his Invisible Sword Qi hadnt risen a bit. It stayed at 278 points. Now, as the energy from the ancestral statue flowed into his body, his Invisible Sword Qi cap increased by five points within mere minutes. This change delighted Song Jian greatly. An increase in the Sword Qi cap was equivalent to a disguised enhancement of his strength. In other words, the higher the cap, the better. This opportunity was rare, so Song Jian quickly closed his eyes and started to circulate the Invisible Sword Qi within his body to accelerate the absorption of this mysterious energy. As time passed, Song Jian realized this energy was going through a transformation; from its initial gentle state, it was gradually becoming sharper. This feeling was like a needle prick. There wasnt much pain, but it was discomforting, with a tingling sensation similar to that of an electric shock coursing through his entire body. At this moment, among the young minotaurs seated around the statue, continuous roars peppered the silence as different colored lights emanated from their bodies. Among these lights, most of them were grayish. Occasional flashes of green and blue could be seen too. The faces of the spectators from the Blackhoof Tribe were filled with joy as they pointed towards the seated young minotaurs, engaging in excited discussions. Kane was delighted; these lights represented the awakening of the minotaurs bloodline talents. The tribesmen who had awaken these talents would all become the tribes warriors. It looks like this time, there are quite a few tribesmen who have awakened advanced abilities. An elderly minotaur declared with satisfaction. Yes, if only one or two could obtain the War Stomp talent. Minotaur warriors are the bravest and strongest warriors in this world! I hope that a few more minotaurs will master the Elemental Shaman skills; abilities like the Chain Lightning and Hurricane Assault can display extraordinary effects during wars. Heh, curious to see the talents Xerxes will unlock this time. Lets just hope he isnt affected by the previous battles Dont worry. It wont be a problem. Xerxes has recovered very well, there wont be any issues unlocking his talents. Its now just a question of what kind of talent he will unlock. The gazes of nearly all the minotaurs fell on Xerxes, who was sitting on the ground. The ancestral statue in front of him was of a minotaur wielding two fists and roaring towards the sky. Boxing Clan, sigh, after all, he chose this path! commented an elder reluctantly. Xerxes has always loved boxing. Being able to master the Tiger Demon Boxing skill at level 26 shows his extraordinary talent in this field. Who knows, our tribe could have another Boxing Clan someday! another elder remarked nonchalantly. But however formidable a Boxing Clan is, its only a rare profession in the end. How can it compare to a Swordsman? Considering Xerxess potential, if he could unlock a Swordsman talent, his future would be boundless! The former elder sighed. Yes, he might be the one to revive our Blackhoof Tribes prosperous golden age. If only a Swordsman could emerge As the discussions among the elders continued, Kane involuntarily clenched the totem pole in his hand. The talent Kane had awakened was the War Stomp. Although it was a powerful ability, it was only a general minotaur warriors talent. It could never be compared on an equal footing with a Swordsman, let alone a Boxing Clan. If he hadnt retrieved the Bloodthirsty Totem Pillar, their tribes inherited artifact, from the Shadow Giant Dragon, he would not have even been considered worthy of the chieftains position. A powerful profession doesnt necessarily mean that the one who inherits it is powerful. Even as a regular warrior, Ill revive the Blackhoof Tribes golden age and make it even more prosperous than in its historic past! Kane made a promise to himself. Just then, Xerxes, sitting on the ground, began to change. Chapter 588: Double Talent Chapter 588: Double Talent Quick, look! Xerxes seems to be comprehending his talent skills shouted an elder. All eyes immediately followed the shout and focused on Xerxes. Xerxes face was distorted, his eyes tightly shut as he let out a deep roar. In an instant, a gray and a silver light emanated from him. How is this possible, he actually awakened a dual talent! An elders face showed a look of surprise as he couldnt help but exclaim. Dual talent? Hahaha, the Blackhoof Tribe is about to rise again! This is incredible! In history, the instances of dual talent awakenings within the Blackhoof Tribe are extremely rare. And among these talents, theres clearly a superior skill! I wonder what it is. Its going to take him some time to stabilize Everyone expectantly looked at Xerxes, waiting for him to finish his awakening. Soon, the glimmer on Xerxes increased in intensity until it reached its peak and became blinding, with even the figures of those around him being obscured by the light. After a while, the light around Xerxes gradually converged and dimmed, eventually clinging tightly to his skin, giving the appearance of wearing a silver-gray armor. Xerxes stood up, his eyes shining with two sharp gleams, and left the stone pillar to walk towards the crowd. When Xerxes entered the crowd, he was immediately surrounded, with everyone taking turns congratulating him. Xerxes, can you tell us about your dual talents? asked an elder hesitantly. Typically, one would not share their awakened talents with others, as it was considered private. The elders question was somewhat inappropriate in that regard. However, throughout the Blackhoof Tribes history, there had only been a handful of people with dual talents, so many were curious. Hearing the question from the elder, those around quieted down, looking at Xerxes in anticipation, waiting for his answer. Xerxes, if you dont want to answer, you dont have to, said another elder suddenly. Right, right, that previous elders face showed an apologetic expression as he hastily added, Im just curious. If you dont want to say, you dont need to Xerxes smiled faintly and said, I have nothing to hide. This time, I gained two talent skills C one of them is the Half-step Rush Punch! Xerxes suddenly moved, taking only half a step forward, his right fist pierced forward like a spear. An intense qi gathered around his right fist, creating a white light as the air exploded with a boom, similar to thunder. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bang! Those standing next to Xerxes were caught off guard and felt the ground shaking beneath their feet. The shockwaves in the air, like ripples in water, spread out in all directions. What a powerful move! someone exclaimed. This Half-step Rush Punch skill of Xerxes was not only fast, but it also possessed immense power. In a fight, the distance between opponents was short. Executing this move suddenly would make it difficult for the opponent to react. The other one is a passive skill called Fist Dominator! smiled Xerxes, It allows me to increase the power of my fist moves by 50%, and theres a chance for an additional punch! An increase of 50% power, heavens, this is terrifying! I think the chance for another punch is even more terrifying. Its like dealing double damage, plus the 50% increase in power. Its equal to the effect of three punches in one Xerxes, youre so lucky Indeed, even in history, dual talents are very rare, only a handful have appeared Xerxes responded with a smile, but in reality, he hadnt revealed all the information about his gained talents. Half-step Rush Punch was only a gray talent, while Fist Dominator was a silver talent, and its effects were far more powerful than what Xerxes had shared with everyone. Fist Dominator (Talent Skill), Level 1, Passive. Skill effect: Permanent strength +3, agility +5, constitution +3. When using fists as weapons, damage is increased by 50%, power of fist moves increased by 80%. When attacking targets, theres a chance to trigger the Fist Emperor Shadow effect; Fist Emperor Shadow creates an invisible burst of qi, dealing triple Armor Break damage to the target and restoring 15% of the damage dealt as Vitality Points for the caster. Kane was watching Xerxes, and when he heard the words Fist Dominator, his eyes flashed. In the tribal records, there was a book accessible only to the chief that recorded the skills of mighty warriors throughout the history of the Blackhoof Tribe. One of them was the skill of a minotaur Fist Emperor. In part, the reason why this minotaur became a Fist Emperor was because he comprehended the Fist Dominator talent skill. The book recorded detailed information about Fist Dominator, so Kane knew Xerxes was hiding some attributes of the skill. However, it was normal for a warrior to keep some of their cards hidden, and no one would reveal everything to others. It seems another Fist Emperor is about to emerge in the Blackhoof Tribe; I must say, Im quite envious! Kane thought secretly while looking at Xerxes. Its important to note that a Fist Emperor is a legendary-level profession, far superior to any warrior, boasting tremendous potential and a smoother development path. Witnessing Xerxes being surrounded by the tribe members, Kane decided that more tribal resources should be allocated to him. I wonder if Song Jian will be able to stimulate a talent skill Kanes gaze lingered briefly on Xerxes before moving to Song Jian, who was seated next to the minotaur swordsman statue. For the other races, comprehending talent skills was extremely difficult, with only one or two people out of every ten managing to do so. This was an incredibly low probability compared to minotaurs, who had a seven in ten chance or even higher of awakening a talent skill. One by one, the Blackhoof Tribe members sitting next to Song Jian at the minotaur swordsman statue welled with light and began roaring before standing up and leaving. The sacrificial ceremony continued late into the night. The number of minotaurs seated next to the stone pillars had dwindled, and as time went on, the chances of awakening a talent skill grew ever slimmer. Out of dozens of tribesmen, only five or six had failed to awaken one, a number already considered quite high. Chieftain, do you think we should announce the end of the sacrificial ceremony? asked an elder softly, standing by Kane. Due to Song Jian, the sacrificial ceremony had already been delayed by half an hour, but there was still no sign of light emanating from him. Kane shook his head slightly, it seemed Song Jian would not be able to gain a talent skill. Just as Kane stepped forward to announce the end of the sacrificial ceremony, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth from Song Jian. Chapter 589: 589: Holy Sword Chapter 589: Holy Sword From the start of the sacrificial ceremony, Song Jian had been diligently absorbing the energy radiated from the stone sculpture; The energy given off by the stone sculpture would slowly increase over time, and then start to gradually decrease after reaching a peak, until eventually, no more energy could be absorbed; On the contrary, those who sat around the stone sculpture would stimulate their own bloodlines and gain innate skills when this energy reached its peak. If they still failed to stimulate their innate skills at this time, the likelihood of success would decrease considerably thereafter. With Song Jian seated around the stone sculpture, he felt the energy surging into his body increasing. The upper limit of his Invisible Sword Qi increased at a faster pace, pulsating every few minutes; Furthermore, what was most surprising was that this force entering Song Jians body, instead of falling after reaching a peak, kept gushing into Song Jians body in a steady stream. The upper limit of Invisible Sword Qi began to spike wildly. This pace terrified Song Jian. His body appeared to be a bottomless pit. No matter how much his Invisible Sword Qi increased, there was no sense of overflow. A massive amount of Invisible Sword Qi began to gather in Song Jians dantian. As time went by, the Invisible Sword Qi in Song Jians dantian started to slowly rotate. In no time, a small silver vortex had formed. Song Jian could feel that the number of Minotaurs around him was gradually decreasing. By now, the upper limit of Invisible Sword Qi had exceeded eight hundred points, a number that continued to steadily rise. The faster the silver vortex in his dantian spun, the stronger the slamming noises resembled tidal waves crashing against rocks ringing in Song Jians ears. Kanes gaze had been locked onto Song Jian the entire time, only after a reminder from an elder did he slowly step forward, ready to declare the end of the sacrificial ceremony. It is important to note that once the sacrificial ceremony ends, these stone pillars venerating the stone sculpture would sink into the peaks. Anyone who had not triggered their innate skills would lose all chances to do so. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, just at the moment when Kane was about to announce the end of the ceremony, a dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from Song Jian. This light illuminated in a flowing pattern which seemed almost corporeal. At the same time, a brilliant speck of gold suddenly flashed within the rapidly spinning silver vortex inside Song Jians dantian. The brightness of this golden speck almost overshadowed the entire silver vortex. An image of a Minotaur suddenly appeared in Song Jians mind, looking exactly like the stone sculpture. Sword Saint! Song Jian was taken aback. However, this image that appeared in his mind looked like it was in the third-person perspective, making it impossible to communicate; All things under the heavens, sliced by my sword! A bold voice echoed in Song Jians mind; The Minotaur figure in his mind suddenly stepped forward, raising its right hand, and brilliant golden Sword Qi burst from its right arm; His right arm swung forward forcefully, the golden Sword Qi rushed forward in an unstoppable manner, severing everything in front of the Minotaur Sword Saint. Song Jians head buzzed, two small streams of blood seeped from his nose, his face pale, but a look of extreme excitement was plastered on his face. System: You observe the Minotaur Sword Saint sculpture, Invisible Sword Qi reaches the limit, you attained an advancement; Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi changed from the previous silver Sword Qi to golden Sword Qi. Meanwhile, the energy value of the Invisible Sword Qi became one hundred points; Although the upper limit of the Invisible Sword Qi decreased, it underwent a substantial transformation; Invisible Sword Qi (Golden): Increases the Sword Qi energy slot. When using any melee weapon, the Invisible Sword Qi can be attached to the weapon to increase the weapons power; Damage increased by 30%, Armor Break +3, Sharpness +3; The advancement of the Invisible Sword Qi elevated Song Jians strength significantly, dealing much higher damage. Even an ordinary attack could cause a level of damage that other players could only achieve by using skills; Besides getting an upgrade in Invisible Sword Qi, Song Jian also awakened another innate skill; Holy Sword (Innate Skill), Level 1, Passive. Skill effect: Permanently adds +8 to strength attribute, +5 to agility attribute, +5 to physique attribute, and +5 to spirit attribute. When using sword-type weapons, damage gradually increases over time, up to a maximum increase of 100%; Sword technique skill cooldown reduced by 50%, a certain probability to trigger the Indestructible effect when inflicting damage on targets. Indestructible, has a destructive effect on any item, and this effect has a priority in the field; Holy Sword, is this the sword swung by the Minotaur Sword Saint that appeared in my mind? Song Jian was thrilled. The golden Sword Qi that the Minotaur Sword Saint had swung with his arm earlier, gave him the impression that it could split a mountain in half. Such Indestructibility and unstoppable momentum had deeply shaken Song Jian. Seeing the golden light shine from Song Jian, all the Minotaurs expressed surprise on their faces. Xerxes stared at Song Jian with a serious expression, knowing all too well that the achievement of the Minotaur Sword Saint was far greater than that of the fist master of their past; they simply were not at the same caliber. Kane laughed heartily, giving off a very pleased look. The stronger Song Jian was, the greater the help to him; With Song Jians awakening of the Holy Sword innate ability, the Blackhoof Tribes sacrificial ceremony drew to a conclusion. This sacrificial ceremony brought a huge boost to Song Jians strength, significantly increasing his damage output. Even those with Tier-1 Combat Power might not be able to surpass him in this regard. One could say that Song Jian now had one foot in the threshold of Tier-1 Combat Power. Later that night, in Kanes room, Kane lifted his horn mug, indicating to Song Jian and Anna, before downing the drink in one go; Song Jian, congratulations! I can feel your strength growing by leaps and bounds! Kane wiped the drink from his mouth and laughed heartily, Facing you now, Im starting to feel like how I did when I first encountered the Shadow Giant Dragon Song Jian shook his head with a smile, despite his great increase in strength, he was still no match for a fully-grown Shadow Giant Dragon. However, with the blessing of his Immortal Sword Body now, cracking the Shadow Giant Dragons defense would be easier than before. If he were to seize an opportunity, he might be able to seriously wound the Shadow Giant Dragon. Kane, in fact, Anna and I came to Thunder Beast Mountain to enter the secret realm of the Mysterious Garden! Song Jian said to Kane. Participating in the sacrificial ceremony could be considered a stroke of luck for Song Jian. But his and Annas actual goal was to enter the Mysterious Garden and find a treasure, the blooms of the Bloodline Vine, that could help Anna advance. Mysterious Garden? Upon hearing this, Kanes eyebrows furrowed. Chapter 590: 590: Can You Introduce Us? Chapter 590: Can You Introduce Us? The Mysterious Garden is a very dangerous place Kane mused. We used to consider it a trial ground for our tribe, but we soon discovered that it was far too perilous. Any plant within carries a profound potential for attack. Furthermore, there are plants capable of sowing their seeds within organisms, controlling their bodies as though they were puppets. Hundreds of warriors from the Blackhoof Tribe fell into this trap we remain unsure whether they are dead or alive. Countless adventurers attempt to explore it every year, but the majority never return The Blackhoof Tribe lives near the Mysterious Garden secret realm and has gathered much information about it. Kane told Song Jian everything, emphasizing above all its terror and danger. The horror of the Dark Castle comes from the Shadow Giant Dragon, but the horror of the Mysterious Garden well, no one can really articulate that, Kane concluded. Song Jian nodded knowingly. Both the Mysterious Garden and the Dark Castle were Level 30 dungeons, however the Mysterious Garden is considered less difficult since it didnt have a BOSS with first-tier combat power. But after hearing Kanes introduction, Song Jian realized that the horror of the Mysterious Garden was more concealed, more insidious. The next day, under Kanes guidance, Song Jian and Anna went to the valley where the Mysterious Garden is located. The valley was a barren place, with no plants or even a single weed growing in it. Amid the lush Thunder Beast Mountain, this valley was a stark anomaly. At the entrance of the valley, Song Jian felt sharp gazes being shot towards him. Probably due to the presence of Kane, these gazes circled around him twice before retracting. Soon after entering the valley, Song Jian felt another five or six prying eyes on him. These eyes belonged to highly skilled individuals, not quite reaching first-tier combat power, but not far off. I had no idea the Blackhoof Tribe is even more formidable than it appears Song Jian thought, utterly astounded the further he ventured. If we were to sneak in here at night, we would definitely be spotted Song Jian glanced at Anna, silently deducing. Once they entered the valley, they saw a partially transparent, multicolored screen stretching across the middle of the valley, dividing it in half; below it stood a huge stone door, wreathed by the broken light, adorned with intricate carvings that curled around it like a vine, as if a beast baring its fangs and claws all over the door. To enter the Mysterious Garden, you need a key seed, do you guys Kane seemed to suddenly recall something and opened his mouth to ask. Before he could finish his sentence, Anna pulled out a bluish seed the size of a fist from her pocket. The seeds surface was ragged and radiated a dim blue light. Anna stepped forward, inserting the blue seed into a softly-planted niche at the bottom of the stone door. Soon, a blue beam of light emerged, tracing the vine pattern etched into the door until it enveloped the entire gateway. Boom! The stone door shuddered. A beam of white light spewed out from the gap, giving the appearance of some space-time fluctuations. As someone familiar with the power of space, Song Jian knew that behind this stone door lay a portal of sorts; Lets go inside. Anna said to Song Jian, taking the initiative to walk towards the open stone door; Each time the stone door is opened, theres only a minute to enter, and it can only accommodate up to five people at once, Kane reminded from the side. In fact, it is quite difficult for the player to open the Mysterious Garden dungeon. Firstly, they need to enhance their familiarity with the Blackhoof Tribe, spending at least half a month to generate enough reputation to be respected by them, only then can they have the privilege to enter this valley. An alternative method would be to force their way in, however this requires annihilating the entire Blackhoof Tribe, which if a player possesses such power, this dungeon wouldnt pose any significant assistance to them. Once the reputation of the Blackhoof Tribe is elevated enough to be respected, the player will need a key seed. The acquisition of this seed is relatively easier C the creatures within Thunder Beast Mountain may occasionally drop the seed. If you are lucky, you can get one from killing two or three beasts, if unlucky, several days may pass by without obtaining a single one. Each key seed allows a small team of five to enter, and if they fail to navigate the dungeon, they must kill more monsters on Thunder Beast Mountain to obtain another. After Song Jian and Anna vanished from the spot, Kane just stood there watching the stone door close gently, not choosing to leave immediately. It seemed like he was waiting for something. A bar in the City of Sin Ye Tong pushed the door open with a sour face. The bar door hit the wall with a loud bang and bounced back fiercely; A glass of Hot Red Lips, no water, no ice! Ye Tong walked up to the bar counter and slapped her hand forcefully on the hard surface as she shouted. Oh, isnt this the darling of the night, Ye Tong? Why are you so upset today? Do you need me to help you vent some steam? Ha-ha-ha, a scornful laughter rang out in the bar. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ye Tong turned her head to see a middle-aged man with a scar on his face wearing leather armor, holding a large glass of beer and staring intently at her. Ghost Face, you dare to mock me? Do you really think I cant poison you into impotence? Ye Tong threatened viciously. Ha ha ha ha~ Ye Tongs menacing threat ignited an uproarious laughter throughout the bar; Ye Tong, theres really no need to be so angry even if your mission failed! A burly bartender handed a large glass of blood-red cocktail to Ye Tong. Damn it, success was already within my grasp! If it werent for that meddling man, theres no way I would have failed! Ye Tong gulped down the alcohol in one go, releasing a big breath afterward, a hint of abnormal red flushing her cheeks. So, someone edged you out? Someone capable of doing so must be quite skilled! The bartender wore a look of admiration. His strength attribute is extremely high and he completely overwhelmed me! Ye Tong grumbled. Whats so amazing about that? Even in this bar, there are at least a dozen people with strength attributes high enough to crush you! The bartender flexed his arm and his muscles bulged, giving him an iron-like appearance; His perception attribute is not low either, making ambush impossible. Ye Tong carried a terrible, menacing look on her face and the glass in her hand squeaked under pressure; So what? Many classes give perception bonuses, as far as I know, some even specialize in hunting monsters in the city sewers to level up. The bartender seemed unimpressed. Ye Tong: He also recruited a young, beautiful female Follower! Ye Tong suddenly added. The bartenders eyes lit up, a look of amazement appearing on his face: This brother must be incredible! If theres a chance, could you introduce us? Chapter 591: 591: Breaking In By Force Chapter 591: Breaking In By Force Just when Ye Tong was left speechless, the bar door was abruptly flung open, and three burly players walked in. After briefly scanning the room, the leader of the trio announced in a deep voice, Mysterious Garden instance; three present, two needed. Anyone interested in joining us? These guys they seriously want to try their hands on the Mysterious Garden? Ye Tongs grip on her glass tightened, but her face remained void of expressions. Hahaha, these three noobs think they can pull off the Mysterious Garden a middle-aged man, drunk and bleary-eyed, pounded the table while pointing at the trio, laughing uproariously. His words caused laughter to ripple through the bar, as everyone seemed to look at the trio as some sort of joke. The three men ignored their ridicule, their faces unchanging. The leader reiterated, Ill repeat once more, Mysterious Garden instance, three present, two needed. Any takers? His words only brought about louder laughter, and a hint of disappointment flashed across the eyes of the three men before they turned to leave the bar. However, at that moment, Ye Tong abruptly stood up holding her right hand high and shouted, Ill go, count me in for the Mysterious Garden instance! Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The three burly men looked somewhat surprised. They turned back to evaluate Ye Tong, while the leader gave a slight nod and said, Keep up! As the trio left the bar, Ye Tong quickly downed the last of her drink, and dashed out while calling out, Keep a tab for the drink. Ill return and pay you double! Did that damsel lose her mind thinking anyone could just waltz into the Mysterious Garden? A man with a scarred face turned to the bartender in surprise. These three, theyre not to be underestimated! the bartender responded, wiping the glass from which Ye Tong had just drunk. Hmph, underestimate, whats there to underestimate! The scarred man snorted dismissively and ordered another pint. The bartender glanced at the scar-face, lowered his eyes, and whispered, They are very strong. Any of them could easily take on the whole bar. Scar-face shivered and looked at the sleeping drunk on the table, shaking his head, That lucky bastard! Ye Tong followed the trio out of the bar, watching as they headed towards the outskirts of City of Sin. Hey, you three, wait for me, Ye Tong implored. Only if you can keep up, will you have the privilege of becoming our teammate. One of the men uttered coldly, without turning his head and not slowing down in the least. Ye Tong looked slightly surprised, then a playful expression appeared on her face, and she muttered to herself, Heh, a speed contest against me, an agility class With a flash of light on her feet, Ye Tongs speed increased markedly. The men stopped only at the foot of Thunder Beast Mountain, where they looked up at the mountain range. Before long, Ye Tong arrived, panting hard and glaring at the men, What on earth is your class? These three were clearly not of the agility class by their build, yet they had run all the way from the City of Sin to Thunder Beast Mountain at a speed faster than hers, a rogue. Impressive, youre not too bad! The leader among the hulks looked at Ye Tong, nodded slightly, and asked her, Are you familiar with the terrain of Thunder Beast Mountain? Do you know the way to Mysterious Garden? Ye Tong leaned back against a large tree, took a couple of deep breaths, and responded with an odd look on her face, Yes, its in a small valley on Thunder Beast Mountain, less than three miles from here. The burly men looked at each other, nodded, and the leader introduced himself, Now that were teammates, let me introduce myself. Im Eagle Flight, and these are my brothers Eagle Soar and Eagle Sprint. We only need a guide. Once were in the instance, you just need to stay close and take care of yourself. If any equipment that suits you drops, its all yours! Im Ye Tong, a rogue, Ye Tong replied honestly. Can you tell me what you plan to do in the Mysterious Garden? Theres one more thing you need to remember. Eagle Flight added in a solemn voice, Dont ask anything youre not supposed to. Ye Tong : After entering Thunder Beast Mountain, Ye Tong led the way with the trio closely following. Oh yes, to enter the Mysterious Garden, you must raise your reputation with the Blackhoof Tribes Tauren, at least to honored, otherwise youll have to force your way in! Ye Tong suddenly remembered something and quickly added, Moreover, opening the instance requires a seed. Killing the beasts in Thunder Beast Mountain has a chance of it dropping. Without it, you can forget about entering the Mysterious Garden instance. You neednt concern yourself with that. We have our ways of getting in, Eagle Soar, standing beside Eagle Flight, remarked confidently. Soon, the four arrived near the Blackhoof Tribe. See that barren valley over there? The entrance to the Mysterious Garden is there. But beware, at least tens of level 30 elite Taurens guard it, and were too close to the Blackhoof Tribe here. Once they raise the alarm, the whole Tribe could swarm out, Ye Tong pointed at a small valley ahead and whispered. Thats not a problem. Just follow us, Eagle Flight replied in a deep voice, striding towards the small valley. As soon as they entered the valley, they were stopped by several Tauren. This is a restricted area of the Blackhoof Tribe. Outsiders are not allowed! A Tauren with a nose ring stretched out his hand to stop them. At that moment, Eagle Sprint, speechless until then, stepped forward. His eyes turned a strange shade of red. Look into my eyes Eagle Sprints voice, hoarse and low, sounded like sand rubbing against glass. The Tauren unwittingly looked into Eagle Sprints eyes, which emitted a crimson glow that left them blank-faced. Lead us to the entrance of the Mysterious Garden! Eagle Sprint commanded in a low voice. The Tauren turned like puppets and walked stiffly into the valley. Lets go. Just follow them, Eagle Sprint glanced at Ye Tong and took the lead in following the Tauren. Ye Tong was startled by Eagle Sprints skills. He had immediately taken control of several level 30 elite Tauren. It was terrifying. I really dont know if joining them on this journey is a blessing or a curse, Ye Tong murmured to herself. Seeing the men walking away, she quickly followed after them. Chapter 592: 592: Guarding the Devil Vine Chapter 592: Guarding the Devil Vine Song Jian felt a bout of dizziness, and upon recovering, he found himself standing on a stone platform; Phew~ He took a deep breath, rubbing his brows. No matter how many times I experience this, I can never get used to it. Its simply too uncomfortable. Song Jian, this place is so beautiful! exclaimed Anna, her bright eyes radiating surprise as she surveyed their surroundings. From their perch on the stone platform, wilderness teeming with lush plants spread before them, and flowers of all colors vied for attention. A sweet scent permeated the air. Song Jian looked up, the sky above seeming as clear as a flawless sapphire, the brilliant sunlight warming everything beneath it. Didnt we infer this place to be dangerous? It seems more like a tourist spot to me. murmured Song Jian. No place, be it this apocalyptic world or the real one, could compare to the beauty before his eyes. Anna, can you sense the location of the item we seek? Song Jian asked. No. Anna shook her head. I know its in the Mysterious Garden, but I have no idea where exactly. We might as well look for it while exploring then. Song Jian shrugged and suggested, Since this place used to be a lab, we should find that first. Maybe there are some clues. Anna nodded in agreement, and the two descended the stone platform via the stairs. Just as they stepped off the platform, Song Jian suddenly felt a strong threat approaching him. Almost instinctively, Song Jian summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, held defensively in front of his chest, performing the Sacred Parry skill. The moment he completed the skill, a purple-black vine as thick as an arm suddenly sprung from the ground. Like a sharp spear, it aimed straight for his chest. Clang~ Feeling a great force through his sword, Song Jian involuntarily stepped back. Gold light flashed and the purple-black vine that sprung out suddenly split, foul smelling liquid sprayed out from the wound, filling the air with a pungent smell. Song Jians face darkened. The intensity of that strike was not weaker than that of a full-force strike from a level 30 elite boss. If he had not leveled the Holy Sword skill during his times with the Blackhoof Tribe and gained many attribute points, this strike, even with his Sacred Parry, would have left him in disarray rather than as composed as he was now. Anna, you best stay on the platform! Song Jian said in a low voice. He suspected that the platform might be the only safe zone in the area, given they were attacked the moment they stepped off it. As Song Jian was on high alert, the ground suddenly began to rumble. With a sloshing sound, dozens of purple-black vines rose from the ground, twisting and coiling into a creature resembling a python in mid-air; Guarding Devil Vine, Level 30, Vitality Points: 3500/3500 A level 30 regular monster! Song Jian readied himself as the Guarding Devil Vine paused in mid-air, before launching itself towards him. In mid-air, the Guarding Devil Vine shot several purple-black vines from its surface, striking at Song Jian like long whips. The silhouette of Song Jian flickered as he swung his sword at the incoming vines; Clang, clang, clang~ His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword clashed against the vines, creating a sound reminiscent of metal on metal. Remarkably, these vines were as hard as steel. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sword Silks! In an instant, three strands of fine Sword Qi appeared around Song Jians body. The three strands of Sword Qi traced an arc in the air as they each wrapped around a vine. Once they tightened mercilessly, they issued a series of sounds like cracking and three purple-black vines as thick as a mans arm dropped to the ground. After twitching like a snake twice, they grew still. Smack~ A vine coiled around to Song Jians back and hit him hard, causing him to stumble forward. Song Jians heads-up display showed a damage of over a hundred points from the hit. Song Jian swung his sword backhand, unleashing a golden Invisible Sword Qi. His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword now looked as if it was coated with a layer of gold, bursting with dazzling brilliance. Whoosh~ This time, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword cut through the vine like a hot knife through butter, unopposed by any resistance. Song Jian was taken aback. Had his Invisible Sword Qi become so powerful after his promotion? Inspecting the battle log, Song Jian understood. His last strike had activated the Indestructible effect. It seems that adding Invisible Sword Qi makes it easier to trigger this effect, Song Jian speculated. However, now his maximum Invisible Sword Qi was only a hundred points and most of his sword techniques consumed it, so maintaining it all the time was impossible. While fending off the vines assault, Song Jian moved closer to the Devil Vines main body, even if it meant taking a few hits along the way. He realized that severing the tentacle-like vines inflicted only minimal damage on the vine. To defeat it, he had to damage its main body. Swish~ A ray of white light poured down on Song Jian. His Vitality Points, which had dropped by a third, were fully restored. With Anna at his back, Song Jian boldly rushed to the front of the Devil Vines main body. The main body of the vine was formed from dozens of vine stems as thick as arms. Transformed and entwined in the air, it resembled a ferocious python. Broken Wing Dance! His long sword darted up and down, leaving multiple scars on the Devil Vines main body. The tentacle-like vines kept shooting out at Song Jian, but he was fearless. He was willing to take a damage exchange, to risk his life in this fight. In the heat of the battle, the Indestructible effect was triggered occasionally. Soon, cut vines were scattered all around him. Although severing the vines caused minimal damage to the Vines main body, the Vines sole means of attack was through these vines. After losing a significant number of tendrils, the Vines damage to Song Jian decreased drastically. Finally, after triggering the Indestructible effect once more, Song Jian slashed through the Vine. A look of joy crossed Song Jians face as he observed the vine pieces scattered all around. Not counting the enhanced Invisible Sword Qi he had gained after his promotion, just the activation of the Indestructible effect of the Holy Sword delighted Song Jian. No matter how infrequent the effect was triggered in a battle, it was enough to make a decisive impact. Song Jian, are you okay? After the battle ended, Anna came down from the stone stage to ask. Im fine. With you here, how could I be in danger? Song Jian replied with a smile, picking up the blue equipment dropped by the Devil Vine. Robe of the Vine Guardian, cloth armor, quality: blue, equipment effect: physical defense +7, spell resistance +5, Intelligence +3, Spirit +2, special effect 1: improves all spell damage and healing effect, up to a maximum of 10%; special effect 2: recover 600-800 mana points immediately upon use, with a cooldown of 5 minutes; item level: 32, required level for use: 28. Anna, this equipment is for you, Song Jian handed the blue-quality item over to Anna. Chapter 593: Blocking the Way Chapter 593: Blocking the Way The Robe of the Guarding Devil Vine, while merely being of blue quality, has excellent attributes, nearly comparable to a silver quality cloth armor. It has two very practical special effects. The first one improves Annas healing efficiency, while the second one is equivalent to having a free mana potion that recovers between five hundred and eight hundred points every five minutes; This is equivalent to giving Anna an extra five hundred to eight hundred mana points compared to ordinary players, which is quite a significant advantage; The robe has a green foundation interspersed with purple magic patterns, clearly distinguishing it from ordinary items. Upon wearing the robe, Annas demeanor immediately changed, giving her an air of mysterious elegance. Song Jian, do I look good? Anna twirled in her Robe of the Guarding Devil Vine and asked, full of anticipation. Not bad, you look good in anything. Song Jian took a careful look and teased her lightheartedly. Annas cheeks blushed slightly, appearing a bit shy; Anna, its dangerous here, be careful. Song Jian reminded her; Yes, Ive done my homework before coming here. Anna nodded, Over the years, several hundred adventurers have died here. This place was once open to everyone for free, but due to the high death count, my uncle ordered the Blackhoof Tribe to mark this place as forbidden, denying entry to most people. Song Jian nodded, what Anna said mirrored Kanes warning about the dangers of the Mysterious Garden! They continued to move forward, amidst the dense vegetation, formidable monsters could appear any time. Thankfully, there was a manmade path leading away from the stone platform, and they followed it carefully; Before long, Song Jian felt a sudden chill wind blowing, immediately giving him a feeling of being watched; Theres an enemy nearby! Song Jian squinted and surveyed the area, immediately spotting several dark shadows moving between the large trees ahead; Be careful, there are monsters up ahead! Song Jian warned in a low voice. Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt as if he had stepped on a rope. As his vigilance elevated, the rope-like object underfoot twisted like a live serpent and wrapped around his ankle, as if trying to hoist him up. It was actually a dried vine curling like a snake, seemingly lifeless, and indistinguishable from a withered vine. In reality, its appearance was but a trap to fool people. As soon as anyone touches it, it would immediately wrap around them and hoist them up. Just as Song Jian was about to be hoisted, a faint golden Sword Qi bloomed from his left index finger, cutting the vine wrapped around him in half; These dried vines were extremely tenacious; ordinary people would find it hard to break free once entangled. But for Song Jian, his strikes were these monsters nemesis. His sharp Sword Qi easily split them in two; Just when Song Jian thought he was out of danger, the large tree standing beside him suddenly came alive. All the dried vines entwined around it seemed to be activated at once. They slithered towards Song Jian like snakes, and the tree itself even sprouted eyes, nose, and a mouth, transforming into a Tree Demon with a roar; Dried Vine Tree Demon? Song Jian was taken aback, and after glancing at the monsters properties, he quickly ordered Anna to retreat; Rather than backing off, Song Jian ran towards the Tree Demon, sword in hand. With a loud thud, his sword mercilessly slashed the Tree Demon, easily tearing its defense; The Dried Vine Tree Demon distinguishing trait was its strong defense, and it could also control the dried vines on its body to bind enemies. Even for a five-player team, this monster was a real headache. Luckily, the Dried Vine Tree Demons attack was not strong; a five-player team could defeat it as long as they stayed calm and spent a little more time on it. However, the Tree Demons defense was a joke in front of Song Jian. His formidable attacks made the Tree Demons defenses irrelevant. The only thing that gave Song Jain trouble were the dried vines on the Tree Demon that would occasionally slither like snakes, trying to bind him and distract his attention. Song Jian swung his long sword, continuously hurling strikes at the Tree Demon. Wood chips splashed off the Tree Demons body constantly. Anna occasionally healed Song Jian and he was at ease, his Vitality Points never dropped below 80%. It didnt take long for the Dried Vine Tree Demon to let out a heartrending scream and turn into a pile of wood chips. The dried vines on its body also lost their vitality and lay motionless on the ground. Did it drop anything good? Anna asked, her face brimming with excitement. Song Jian bent down, picked up the items left by the Tree Demon, and handed a green belt to Anna. It dropped a green-quality belt. The attributes are mediocre, but it should be better than what you currently have. This belt only increased spirit by two points. However, it had the special effect of having four storage slots for holding potions, making their use more convenient. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Anna happily fastened the belt. She seemed to have discovered the fun of defeating monsters and gaining loot. Upon encountering monsters, her feelings of worry were replaced with excitement. Apart from this belt, the Dried Vine Tree Demon had also dropped some materials needed for pharmaceutical and forging use. If sold in the auction house, they could bring in several thousand Doomsday Coins. The Mysterious Garden truly lives up to its name. Just killing the monsters here can make you a small fortune. Song Jian chuckled and his mood tuned cheerful all of a sudden. They continued to move forward, but the path was teeming with annoying plants. Just any old weed could attack Song Jian like a snake, which annoyed him immensely. Thinking for a moment, thirty Blood Raptors and thirty Blood Wolves suddenly appeared by his side. Go scout ahead! Song Jian commanded. The Blood Raptors flew into the air while the Blood Wolves dived into the bushes, making Song Jians journey much easier. The Blood Wolves dashed in front of him like a demining team, coming into contact with many dry vines. Some vines remained motionless, while others tried to wrap around the agile Blood Wolves, albeit unsuccessfully. The Blood Raptors also dispersed and rushed at the suspicious-looking trees. Before the Tree Demons had any chance to react, the Raptors gestured agilely and flew back to the sky; With the help of Blood Raptors and Blood Wolves, Song Jian was able to distinguish between ordinary plants and monsters disguised as ordinary plants. They avoided any identified creatures as much as possible, only attacking when it was impossible to bypass, neutralizing the threat. They made progress smoothly, but soon Song Jian discovered a group of monsters blocking their path ahead. Chapter 594: Golden Backpack Chapter 594: Golden Backpack In the dense jungle in the distance, a group of strange monsters were moving ahead, completely blocking the road. These monsters were of various shapes, there were minotaurs, fishmen, werewolves, and even a few that looked human. Green plants covered their bodies, and a brightly colored red flower bloomed on their heads. Upon closer look, the flower was surprisingly rooted in the skulls of each creature. Song Jian controlled a blood crow to approach slowly, about seven or eight meters away from the monsters. The monsters appeared to sense its presence and turned to look in its direction. Song Jian was startled and quickly ordered the blood crow to land on a tree. Seeing the crow not making further movements, the monsters returned to their aimless wandering. Are thesePuppet Beasts? Song Jian closely observed through the eyes of the blood crow. It turned out that these creatures had been parasitized by plant seeds, not controlling their actions, turning them into puppets. The puppet beasts, completely controlled by the plants, had their potential fully stimulated, greatly enhancing their power. However, in such a state, they could not last long, at most a month, before their potential would be exhausted, their bodies would wither, and the parasitic plants inside them would emerge, taking root in the soil to continue growing. Song Jian carefully counted, there were in total fourteen puppet beasts here, blocking the small path tightly. Their vitality was about 40% more robust than the Tree Demons, and they even retained some of their original skills from when they were alive. Even if a five-person squad encountered these monsters, they would find them tough and tricky, let alone only two as they were now. No matter how powerful Song Jians attack was, faced with this group of puppet beasts at the elite BOSS level, he would also be besieged to death. There are too many monsters ahead, lets pause first. Song Jian said to Anna. Whilst Anna possessed an epic profession, she currently lacked effective attack skills and could not protect herself well. She could revive others, but if she died, she could not be resurrected again. Anna was pampered from a young age. Even though her family had fallen into hardship, the lord of the City of Sin was her uncle. Usually, she had very few experiences in battles and adventures. The most dangerous time was probably the last time when she was tricked into going to the Dark Castle and encountered Shadow Teeth. Are the monsters ahead very powerful? Anna whispered, Are they more formidable than the Shadow Teeth? The most powerful creature Anna had ever encountered in her life was probably Shadow Teeth; the black panther still haunted her dreams. They are not as powerful as Shadow Teeth. Song Jian shook his head, But their number is too large. Even Shadow Teeth would have to retreat if all of them charged together. So what should we do? Should we find a way around? Anna asked with a frown. If theres really no way, we can only detour. Song Jian shook his head. In the Mysterious Garden, the monsters often appear alone, whether they were the Devil Vines or the Tree Demons. Another monster wouldnt appear in one monsters alert range. Having so many puppet beasts gathered here, was there something special about this place? Using the eyes of his blood crow, Song Jian took a closer look. He quickly noticed something unusual; In the middle of the puppet beasts lay a corpse. The corpse was completely rotten, with only a skeleton remaining. A thick layer of broad-leaf plants covered the remains. Among the pile of plants, a backpack was emitting a dark gold light. Because the thick plants concealed the backpack, Song Jian hadnt noticed it initially. This time, a beam of golden light penetrated the gap between the plant leaves and caught Song Jians attention. The backpack was strapped to the skeleton, hidden by the broad-leaf plants. If it werent for the golden light it emitted, even if he stood close, Song Jian would have found it challenging to discover it. A Dark Gold Quality backpack? Could it be that these Puppet Beasts are guarding it? Song Jians eyes lit up, staring unblinkingly at the concealed backpack. Whats up, Song Jian? Did you notice something? Anna asked, seeing Song Jian standing still, she gave him a gentle push. Theres a Gold Quality piece of equipment over there. It seems to have been left behind by a dead adventurer. Song Jian said excitedly, pointing ahead. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The equipment left by an adventurer after death is usually preserved for a period of time. The higher the quality of the equipment, the longer its preserved. Gray and white equipment lasts for a maximum of three days. Green and blue equipment even longer. As for silver equipment, they are preserved even longer. Gold and above items, if not meeting special geographical conditions, would almost never corrode. Gold Quality equipment? Anna also became excited. Let me see if I can lure these monsters one by one. Song Jian jumped onto a big tree and controlled the five or six blood crows to fly towards the group of monsters from all directions. During usual control of the blood crows, Song Jian just had to issue them a simple command. No matter how many blood crows there were, Song Jian could control them. But now, Song Jian needed to use the vision of the blood crows. The difficulty had increased more than tenfold, even hundreds of times. Having six different images appearing in his brain at the same time, and having to divide his attention amongst them for an extended period, made Song Jian feel dizzy and weak. Faced with such a large group of monsters, the general practice was to use ranged attacks to lure a few, the fewer the better. Luring monsters was the most challenging test for players, even if a little biased, it would touch all the monsters, leading to the total annihilation of the party. Even some well-coordinated teams could not guarantee success every time. After observing for a while, Song Jian couldnt find any opportunity and finally determined bitterly. Song Jian controlled all the blood wolves and blood crows to surround these monsters from all directions. When the blood wolves and crows entered the alert range of the Puppet Beasts, the Puppet Beasts immediately became violent, their bodies enlarged and a red hue emerged on their surfaces. They roared and pounced on the blood wolves and crows. The Puppet Beasts were very powerful. Even though the number of blood wolves and crows was several times higher, the Puppet Beasts still had the upper hand. Just at the initial contact, seven or eight blood wolves were torn to shreds by the Puppet Beasts. Disappear! Song Jian gritted his teeth to bear the headache and issued a command. Immediately, the remaining blood wolves and crows ran in all directions. To the Puppet Beasts with no rationality, the smell of blood was the biggest stimulation, and they roared and chased after the blood crows and wolves. Song Jians figure immediately turned into a shadow, and a path of icy air appeared under his feet. He rushed towards the corpse guarded by the Puppet Beasts as fast as lightning. Chapter 595: 595: Magic Wand Chapter 595: Magic Wand Upon reaching this skeleton, Song Jian didnt dare to hesitate. He grabbed onto a backpack emitting a dark gold glow, intending to pull it off, but suddenly felt a severe pain in his wrist. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He looked down to see several green vines had wound themselves around his wrist. Song Jians heart sank. He hadnt expected that the plants growing on this skeleton would also attack strangers. He tugged hard several times, but with his current strength attribute surpassing sixty, he couldnt break away from the vines, which took him by surprise. One should know that with a strength attribute of sixty, he could even snap a piece of rebar, but these vines seemed even tougher than steel bars. Song Jian extended his left hands index finger and pointed at the vines. Swish~ A golden Sword Qi emitted from the tip of his finger, easily cutting off all the green vines entwined around his wrist. The severed vines appeared to have been frightened, squirming wildly and emitting a sharp screech from beneath the carcass. Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian broke free and fled. As soon as he left, he heard roars from the Puppet Beasts echoing from behind. The Puppet Beasts that had been pursuing the blood wolves and blood crows had actually given up their chase and started to return. That screech just now was summoning these Puppet Beasts! Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his brow, thinking to himself. The Invisible Sword Qi has upgraded, almost all sword techniques have improved because they consume Invisible Sword Qi, but the skill that improved the most is the Sword Finger. There is a stark difference between the Sword Finger with silver Sword Qi and the Sword Finger with golden Sword Qi. The latter, with a mere sweep, can cut in half the vines that were tougher than steel bars. Hearing the roars of the Puppet Beasts, Song Jian grabbed Anna with one hand and the dark gold glowing backpack with the other, then bolted into the distance. After he grabbed the backpack, he wanted to put it into his storage slot but was notified by the system that it couldnt be placed there. So, he had to keep holding it in his hand. After running a few hundred meters, the roars of the Puppet Beasts slowly faded. Song Jian wiped his sweat; it was fortunate that the Invisible Sword Qi upgraded. Had he been unable to break free from the vines, even a few seconds delay would have led to an attack from the Puppet Beasts. Even with his abilities, facing a dozen of Puppet Beasts equivalent to level thirty elite bosses, he would have ended up dying there, perhaps even triggering the Enemy of Death God effect. That was a close call! Anna had a look of relief on her face. She patted her chest, her gaze drifting towards the hand where Song Jian was holding the backpack. Hey, a golden-quality backpack! Song Jian lifted the backpack, excitedly announcing. Huh, there seems to be something inside Song Jian froze, opened the backpack and started searching inside. Song Jian soon pulled out a dark gold Magic Staff from the backpack. The staff, just over a foot long and exquisitely made, looked like a piece of art. At the top end of the staff, eight gems about the size of fingertips were embedded, guarding a fist-sized golden crystal. Even when the glow of the staff was turned off, faint rainbows still danced around it. As soon as the staff was brought out, Annas eyes lit up and she looked pleadingly at Song Jian. Its yours. Song Jian gave a slight smile, handing the staff to Anna. The staff had excellent attributes, perfectly suited for Anna. With this staff, Annas basic self-defense capabilities would be ensured. The Staff of Elunes Prayer, single-hand staff, Dark Gold tier, equipment level 35, ranged damage 268-321, speed 1.8, +5 to all abilities, +8 attack speed, +10 critical strike, all attributes increased by 10 points; Special Effect 1: Brutal Damage (Passive), automatically switch to the property that restrains the target during the locked target attack. If all the targets resistances are positive, it automatically switches to true damage; Special Effect 2: Life Drain (Passive), while dealing damage, 45% of the damage value is converted into self-sustain; Special Effect 3: Gaze of Elune (active), applies a mark on the target. After the mark is cast, the target receives 50% more damage, and healing received is increased by 100%, and critical strike chance is increased by 1. This skill lasts 10 seconds and can only be used once per hour; only once every three hours for Special Effect 4: Blessing of Elune (active), after casting, the user will be protected by Elune, reducing all damage taken by 98%, resistance increased by 100 points, immune to all negative states, movement speed increased by 150%, this effect lasts for 10 seconds. This staff is simply the best of the best, its attributes can even rival those of an epic staff. With this staff, Anna even has the capital to compete with close combat professionals. Unless she is targeted by a bunch of people, few could directly contend with her. Anna clutched the staff, a bright smile on her face as her gaze towards Song Jian softened even more. Song Jian didnt notice the soft look in Annas eyes, his attention was all on the backpack in his hand. After taking out the staff, the dark gold glow on the surface of the backpack began to slowly disappear. Apparently, the light wasnt emanating from the backpack but from the staff that had just been taken out. After taking out the staff, Song Jian pulled out a scroll made of fine sheepskin from the backpack. It was a letter. Research in the lab has been forcibly halted. They were too reckless; they dared to touch Gods realm, and thus suffered the consequences All experimental subjects have lost control. They we cant do anything anymore The energy has leaked out; everyone is starting to mutate. I can also feel my own body Oh my God, there really are creatures that can absorb such energy, it is becoming more powerful The lab base is too dangerous, I have to escape immediately. My body has started to mutate, and the speed of mutation is accelerating I escaped, but I am too weak now, I might die soon If someone sees this letter, I hope you can go to the lab and kill that creature. Otherwise, it will destroy everything, consume everything. No one can escape! Many places in this letter were smeared but from the context, Song Jian could guess roughly what it was about. After reading the letter, a task dialogue box suddenly appeared before him. System: You have received a Strange Letter. This item will trigger a task. Do you accept? Chapter 596: 596: The Airborne Pyramid Chapter 596: The Airborne Pyramid Song Jian carefully studied this letter again. Although the task did not explicitly state what it was, Song Jian deduced from between the lines that this task was likely to enter the experimental lab base and kill the suddenly more powerful experimental subject. Annas target is the flower of the Bloodline Vine, and its information should also be obtained from this experimental lab base. Its a good opportunity to do this task at the same time. Song Jian thought secretly and immediately chose to accept it. Sure enough, this task was a Level 30 task. The goal was to kill the most powerful boss in the lab base, the Fallen Puppet Beast, Hisemanthi! Song Jian continued to rummage around but quickly withdrew his hand in disappointment; besides the magic staff in Annas hand and this letter, there was nothing else in the bag. Song Jian took another look at the bag in his hand. It was a special item, a fourteen-slot bag, which could be used to expand his bag bar. Song Jians equipment was gradually becoming more abundant. The previous postal bag and storage ring had been replaced by other equipment, and the bag bar was crowded. With this newly added fourteen-slot bag, Song Jian would no longer need to pick and drop some junk when he encounters good equipment in the future. Im taking the bag! Song Jian happily said to Anna. Okay! Anna obediently nodded. If it werent for the need to advance her profession, Anna would not have come to such a dangerous secret realm, and she didnt have many opportunities for adventure in the future. This bag is more useful in Song Jians hands. The two continued to move forward. Without the exploration of the blood crows and blood wolves, their journey became difficult again. The monsters in the Mysterious Garden disguised themselves as ordinary plants. Unless you enter their alert range, even the sharpest perceptions wont be able to discover them. Song Jian stumbled along the way, but after getting familiar with the attack patterns of the monsters in the secret realm, Song Jian became more and more relaxed. As soon as a monster was spotted, Song Jian would charge straight at it, fully utilizing his firepower. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword whirled about, the golden sword qi was rampant, and before the monsters could react effectively, they would be hacked into a pile of wood chips by Song Jian. With a mournful roar, a puppet beast with a piece of deadwood on its back fell to the ground with a thud. The moment it fell, its body shattered like rotten wood. Song Jian searched around the corpse and found two silver coins and a skill book. These two silver coins were not a currency and could not be traded. But they were valuable items. Selling a silver coin to the system shop could be exchanged for 500 Doomsday Coins. The skill book was a universal skill book that could be used by players of all professions. Skill Book: Agile Evasion. Skill Description: Passive skill, enhances the players ability to perceive and dodge attacks; Skill attributes: Gain an additional Intuition Evasion check +3, Perception check +1, passive parry chance increase by 10%; Usage limit: All professions. Although this skill book can be used by all professions, its obviously more suitable for melee professions. Anna gave it a glance and then gave up on this skill book. Song Jians attack was very fierce, not even inferior to some people with tier one combat power. But his defense attribute was average. When fighting monsters, he usually relied on footwork and rapid attacks to kill opponents to cover up this weakness. After acquiring this skill, Song Jians defense will have a significant improvement. After learning this skill, Song Jians Intuition Evasion and Perception improved substantially. A passive skill that adds permanent attributes is far more valuable than a piece of equipment. The two continued following the path while intermittently battling. After spending most of the day, they arrived at a small hill. When they climbed over the hill, Anna suddenly pointed forward in surprise and shouted, Song Jian, look over there, what is that? Song Jian looked up and saw a black pyramid hanging in the air about the size of a small hill. The pyramid was a hundred meters off the ground, and for some reason, it floated motionlessly as if it had no gravity. Song Jian always thought that, even before the apocalypse, the level of human development in the game world should be similar to that of the real world. But now, he realized how absurdly wrong he was. The ability to make such a massive pyramid float in the sky, this technology is not something humans in the real world could grasp. That should be the lab base, right? Song Jian exclaimed. This massive pyramid has obvious signs of human activity. Besides those mad humans who create so many monsters, Song Jian could not think about who else could build such a magnificent building in this secret realm. The two started walking towards the huge pyramid floating in mid-air. Anna kept staring at it all the way. Song Jian, this building seems to be more than just a lab base Anna suddenly said, It has obvious magical cannon muzzles and launch racks, its a military base with weaponry, even a large airship! How do you know so much? Song Jian asked in surprise. Similar weapons exist in the City of Sin, as for the rest, I read about them in some books in my family. Anna glanced at Song Jian, If this is truly a large airship, even one of these can form a considerable airship formation, which is a strategic weapon that could deter a country before the apocalypse. A large airship naturally couldnt form an airship formation by itself. The number of escort ships alone would be in the hundreds. This might indeed be an airship left by a certain country before the apocalypse Song Jian had a look of envy in his eyes. If he could have this floating black pyramid in the sky, then wouldnt he be unstoppable in this game world! Such a strategic weapon could contend with a superpower. The cities in the game, whether it be the City of Hymns or the City of Sin, simply could not compete with it. But this thought could only cross Song Jians mind. Not to mention getting control of this base. Even if Song Jian truly had control, moving it would not be attainable by one or two people. Thousands of professionals would be needed to make it work. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lets go, lets check it out over there. The clue to the Bloodline Vine should be in that base! Song Jian said with anticipation. Chapter 597: The Man-Eating Flower Chapter 597: The Man-Eating Flower Finally here, huh? Song Jian stood below the black pyramid, gazing upward; Upon getting closer, the enormity of this black pyramid was felt even more, like a small mountain, the pyramid eerily suspended in mid-air. This gripping sensation made ones heart palpitate. Song Jian, howhow do we climb this? Anna asked, her brows furrowed, staring anxiously at the looming shadow overhead. There must be a passage to get up there, lets look for it. Song Jian responded. Soon, both of them found a wrecked transportation aircraft nestled in a hollow; the engine on the left wing of the plane was severely destroyed, revealing a huge hole. The fuselage was filled with fractures, half of the cockpit was embedded in the hollow. After the crash, the aircraft caught fire, leaving burnt marks all over the plane. Luckily, the fire stopped, possibly due to rain or some other reason, preserving most of the aircraft intact. This appears to be a plane used to transport personnel and supplies to the base Song Jian said, pointing out the label which read Carrier 152 on the surface of the aircraft. What a pity that it is no longer operational, said Anna in disappointment. Let me see if I can find some useful things, said Song Jian before climbing into the wrecked aircraft. Not long after, Song Jian emerged with a small black metal box from the remains of the plane. This is a recognition device for the base. As long as we approach the base, it will automatically open the gate. Revealed Song Jian, holding up the metal box. But how are we going to get up there? Anna furrowed her brow. Ill go up first to check it out. You wait here. Just as Song Jian finished speaking, a pair of metal wings unfolded from his back, and with a flap, he soared towards the pyramid above. Soon, Song Jian reached the bottom of the pyramid. The base of it appeared to be made from a giant sheet of iron, not a single crack was visible. Even when he tried to feel for any joints with his hand, there was no trace of them. Song Jian hovered around the pyramid base, and when he reached the lower left-hand corner, a section of the base melted away like ice and snow, revealing a large hole. Song Jian perked up, flew towards the hole. Once Song Jian entered, the opening quickly restored itself, leaving no trace behind. Upon entering the base, Song Jian stood before a metallic hallway, a pair of steel wings slowly disappearing from his back. Embedded sidelights emitted a soft glow on either side of the corridor. It appeared that some basic facilities of the base were still operational, even without human control. Being unfamiliar with the base, Song Jian had no choice but to wander aimlessly. The structures within the base were all interconnected by corridors, much like a spiders web. Initially, Song Jian managed to draw some rudimentary maps, but as he ventured deeper into the base, it got overwhelming. The base was as vast as a medium-sized town. With Song Jian delving further into the base, it was evident that the bases defensive forces strengthened significantly. Puppet Beasts appeared one after the other in the corridor. The Puppet Beasts consisted of various races, but they all shared the same characteristics C vegetation covered their bodies, and their movements were controlled by these plants. The narrow metal corridor was rather convenient for Song Jian; most of these Puppet Beasts were at levels 26 to 29, and posed little threats to Song Jian. This only contributed to Song Jians battle experience. Even though he lacked a map, Song Jian could rely on his instincts and ventured deeper into the base. After an hour, he reached the heart of the base. It was much more chaotic here compared to the entrance, with corpses and bloodstains everywhere. The Puppet Beasts vanished, and in their place, towering man-eating flowers replaced them. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Roots of these carnivorous plants had evolved into an existence resembling octopus tentacles, which moved freely across the ground. Tube-like bodies still grown with leaves, but at the top was a gigantic mouth, filled with double layers of sharp teeth. Long tongues stretched out from the mouths, swayed as they moved along. It was a rather disgusting sight. The levels of these carnivorous plants ranged from 28 to 29, with occasional ones at level 30. During attacks, they continually lashed at their victims with their tongues and when the victims Vitality Points dropped to a certain level, they would suddenly snap up the target. Upon seeing the slimy tongues of these carnivorous plants, an offensive odor drifted over. Song Jian looked sick and had no intention of going near these abhorrent creatures. His vertical eye at the center of the brow opened, sending out a silver column of light, which struck the nearest man-eating flower. With the dazzling light flaring, the man-eating flower let out a shrill cry and started moving towards the source of the silver light. Watching the Vitality Points of the man-eating flower drop drastically, Song Jian displayed a cold smile; with a powerful stomp on the ground, a sharp, fang-shaped energy cluster sprang forth towards the man-eating flower. The energy cluster exploded upon impact, reverberating loudly. For a moment, the nauseating odor in the corridor intensified. The attacked man-eating flower sprayed out pungent liquid from the wound, its Vitality Points plummeted drastically. Light Strike! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian stepped back leisurely, swinging the Invisible Sword Qi around casually as if it cost him nothing. The golden Sword Qi exploded, immersing the whole corridor in a golden hue. Man-eating flowers let out mournful cries, their volume gradually lowering over time. Unable to get near Song Jian, their Vitality Points hit zero, collapsing lifelessly onto the cold ground, leaving only a withered corpse. Song Jian sliced his way through, and soon, he spotted an open room filled with control panels and equipment. His eyes lit up immediately. This should be the central area of the base, perhaps the control center of the entire base! speculated Song Jian, heading towards the room ahead. Arriving at the entrance, Song Jian kicked the partially ajar door wide open, startling the man-eating flowers and Puppet Beasts in the room. Song Jian immediately summoned the Abyssal Phantom Clone and activated the Immortal Sword Body. He charged into the room and after about ten minutes, he had eliminated all the creatures, leaving traces of foul-smelling fluid from the man-eating flowers stained on him. After clearing the room, Song Jian proceeded to the largest control panel; Chapter 598: Small Probability Explosion Chapter 598: Small Probability Explosion The huge screen on the control console was now shattered in the bottom left corner, which seemed to have been caused by a stray bullet hitting the area. The cracks from the circular hole spread outward, with one of them even splitting the screen in two. There were three rows of buttons on the control panel, with several of them constantly emitting sparks. Most of the remaining buttons seemed to have lost their function, leaving only seven or eight still lit up, indicating they could be used normally. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian carefully pressed one of the still-lit buttons, and after waiting for a while and not noticing any anomalies, he directly pressed all the remaining buttons one after another. Perhaps triggered by one of the buttons, the shattered screen suddenly started up. After a burst of static noise and snowflakes, an image of a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and glasses, with a thin figure appeared on the screen. He was sweating profusely and even had bloodstains on his white work clothes. Behind him, a huge creature over three meters tall, with grotesque lumps of muscle all over its body similar to tumors, bent down and squeezed into the laboratory. It grabbed a retreating researcher with one hand, let out a low growl, and tore the researcher apart with just its two hands. Blood and viscera were spilled all over the floor as the giant monster started eating the two pieces of the corpse in its hands; In the screen, the disheveled-looking middle-aged man frantically pressed buttons on the screen while shouting: This is the control room of the mysterious base. The experimental subject has gone out of control and is rampaging through the base. Many experimental specimens have been released by it. The vine of life has also escaped its confinement, and the base is in chaos To prevent the secrets of the base from being leaked, I have no choice but to activate the self-destruction device and release the Shafilin virus! The middle-aged mans face was pale, and he seemed completely unaware that the giant monster behind him was slowly approaching. Finally, he yelled, Himan, my son, I love you! Then screamed, Long live the empire! The giant monster appeared behind him and reached out with its large palm-like hand. With a slap, it crushed the mans head. The last image on the screen showed the giant monster continuously licking the blood and brain matter from the palm of its hand; Could the final boss mentioned in the mission, the Degenerate Puppet Beast, be that giant monster in the screen? Song Jian wondered. Moreover, the self-destruct device was activated by the man in the screen, but the base is still intact. I wonder if someone shut it down in the end or if the self-destruct device didnt activate at all? Song Jian carefully recalled every detail of the screen, trying to uncover some hidden secrets. Just then, a sudden burst of sparks erupted from the control console, and several buttons that had previously been extinguished flashed twice in quick succession. Then, the entire console went dark, completely damaged and unusable. Song Jian suddenly felt a slight vibration beneath his feet. Immediately, the metal bottom plate beside the console silently slid open to both sides. A rotten, foul-smelling stench rushed out, making him want to vomit; Turning his head, Song Jian saw a 30-degree downward slope appearing beside the console, appearing like a hidden passage leading to the control rooms lower level. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian walked along the sloped passage heading downwards; The space below was surprisingly large. As if sensing his arrival, a series of shrill, mad screams erupted from below. The chaotic, violent sounds intertwined, making peoples eardrums ache and causing a dizzying sensation. Below there should be the monsters captured as experimental subjects by the bases researchers. I didnt expect them to still be alive after all this time C no, thats not right. Their bodies must have all been invaded by the strange plants in this place, turning them all into Puppet Beasts. Song Jian speculated. Just as he reached the end of the passage, Song Jian saw two dark shadows pouncing towards him. Upon closer examination, they were actually two man-eating plants with flesh wings. However, these two man-eating plants had rather small body sizes, while the flesh wings on their backs were extremely large, appearing to be two to three times the size of their bodies. What kind of research is being done here that can create such disgusting monsters! Song Jian felt increasingly disgusted by this place. These two winged man-eating plants were not very strong, and Song Jian easily killed them without much effort. After killing them, there was a small probability of a drop; these two ordinary level 28 monsters actually dropped a golden-quality ring; Bloodied Man-Eating Flowers Claw, Ring, Golden Grade, Item Level 30, Equipment Effect: Intelligence +8, Constitution +7, Increases magic damage or healing effects by 50 points; Special Effect: Light Body Skill (active), once activated, it makes the wearer as light as a swallow, falling from a high place at a slower speed, avoiding any damage; the effect lasts for 8 seconds, and can only be cast once within 30 minutes; The attributes are average, but its still a golden-quality ring suitable for Annas use. Song Jian wiped the ring clean and stored it in his inventory. After killing these two monsters, Song Jians gaze fell on the cells here. The top layer of the cells was about five to six meters above the ground, covering an area the size of a soccer field. The dark metal grid walls separated the space into twenty or thirty independent compartments. Song Jian walked over to one of them and gripped the thick metal bars, exerting force on them. His face suddenly changed as there was no response to his grip on the metal bars. It should be noted that Song Jians strength attribute had already exceeded sixty points, which could be considered as extremely powerful, but it had no effect on these iron bars. How did those monsters escape such sturdy cells? Song Jian wondered as he continued walking along the central aisle between the cells. At this point, the cells were empty except for large areas of dried, dark brown stains. Song Jian reached the deepest cell without discovering anything. Just as Song Jian sighed and prepared to turn around and leave, he suddenly noticed that the strange letter stored in his inventory began to emit dazzling light. Song Jian took out the thin sheepskin letter and immediately felt a burning sensation coming from it. Instinctively, he let go of the letter. The letter actually floated in the air, and started burning slowly; A piercing, heart-wrenching cry echoed through the empty room; Chapter 599: 599: Rebellion Chapter 599: Rebellion In the empty room, a sudden heart-rending cry rang out, startling Song Jian. Even with his strong psychological endurance, the abrupt wail made his heart pound. Fortunately, the cries slowly faded as the mysterious letter burned to ashes. Song Jian collected himself, noticing a strange smile appearing on the wall in front of him. It looked as if it had been drawn with the smoldering ashes. Song Jian was certain that before he took out the strange letter, there was nothing on the wall; Playing tricks! Song Jian gave a cold hum and summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He struck the wall fiercely. A golden Sword Qi flashed, making it feel like he was slashing at a mass of cotton, unable to channel his strength. Suddenly, the sound of shattered glass echoed in his ears. Just then, the wall unexpectedly caved in with a rumble, revealing a pitch-black hole. The black hole was completely dark; he could not make out what was inside; Just then, a chilling roar pierced through from the black hole. A pair of crimson eyes, like two lights in the darkness, shone onto Song Jian; Who are you? Another reckless adventurer? It is quite commendable that you managed to find this place a strange voice echoed in Song Jians ear. It sounded like two dry pieces of wood rubbing against each other. Who are you, and what are you doing here? Song Jian clenched his sword, his face full of vigilance. The red eyes in the darkness stared at Song Jian for a long time, finally letting out a sigh; Next, faint red light illuminated the surrounding area, revealing the rooms interior to Song Jian; It was a chamber of about twenty square meters with an empty surrounding, except for a stone platform rising waist-high in the center. A creature that appeared to be human was tied to it. This creature was almost identical to a human, except that its body was nearly naked, save for a piece of cloth around its waist; What surprised Song Jian was that the surface of this human-like creature was marked with patterns resembling tree bark. If not for its red glowing eyes, Song Jian would have thought it was a tree sculpture; Surprised, arent you? Do you think Im a monster? Its mouth curled into a mocking grin. The red eyes stared hard at Song Jian, What if I told you, I was once a human? Would you believe me? Have you been poisoned? Has your body mutated? Song Jian asked with a slight frown. Actually, I was a researcher on this floating base! The bound wooden man said helplessly: During the research, a sudden rebellion broke out in the base, most researchers were killed, and I was infected with the Shaferin virus, a virus that turns people into wood. If it had not been for the antidote, Id have long rotted into a pile of decaying timber. A rebellion? What rebellion? And what were you researching? Also, who are you? Since you were poisoned, why are you tied up here? Song Jian asked a series of questions, his brows furrowed. The base has been deserted for God knows how many years, and its incredible that some of the original researchers are still alive; You have too many questions. As for the rebellion, I dont know much. I guessed it was because there was a significant breakthrough in our research, which some people wanted for themselves, thus the rebellion ensued. As for me, you can call me Simon, just a humble researcher on this floating base! Our research, hahahaha. Do you want to know what we were researching? Simons wood-textured face broke into a crazy grin, laughing wildly: Our research is something everyone who is alive cares about; no matter their influence, or their wealth, once our research results are published, it will be a mad scramble. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Our research is Simon stared at Song Jian and said clearly, Our research is on immortality! Immortality? A sarcastic smile appeared on Song Jians face, Are you implying eternal youth? Stupid mortal, you dare mock the great Simon seemed enraged by Song Jians facial expression, his voice suddenly booming. But quickly, he noticed something, gave a cold hum, and explained, Humph, you wouldnt understand. What do you think thousands of the empires most outstanding biologists were doing in this giant metal cage all year round, deprived of daylight? Do you think your intellect and knowledge can compare to those of the thousands of elite biologists of the great empire? Simons words made Song Jian fall into deep thought. Could it be that everything this strange fellow said is true? The original research of this floating base was to pursue immortality, not to produce Puppet Beasts and other war weapons? Song Jian had always thought that the bases research was for military purposes. He never expected that his conjecture was wrong from the start. Can you tell me more about your research, Simon? Song Jian asked curiously. Of course, its not a problem! A mysterious smile spread across Simons face, This should start when the empire discovered a peculiar plant. At the time, I was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old greenhorn Simon began to recount the entire event to Song Jian. Initially, a massive empire discovered a plant full of life energy, the same Life Vine that Anna mentioned. The juice extracted from the Life Vine had a miraculous effect that could save the critically ill. Ingesting one drop of its essence could rejuvenate a person by at least twenty years; This discovery drove the empires nobles insane. They assembled all the biologists in the empire and brought them to this floating base to research this plant; During the study, they found that the Life Vine emitted energy fluctuations or radiation all the time. Any organism frequently exposed to this radiation environment would experience mutations; These mutations could be good or bad, but the unknown always sparked human curiosity. Some researchers gradually changed their research direction towards triggering evolution after discovering this characteristic of the Life Vine. This was the root cause of the many Puppet Beasts and other plant monsters in the replicas; Researchers of immortality and evolution began to diverge significantly. Ultimately, when no one could convince the other, a purging massacre was inevitable. Chapter 600: 600: Heisman Ti Chapter 600: Heisman Ti And so, the last researcher activated the bases self-destruct mechanism and released the Sand Phili virus. For some unknown reason, the self-destruct mechanism was ineffective, and the Sand Phili virus filled the entire base instead sighs Himan, a complex expression on his face. All the researchers here, except for you, are dead? Song Jian asks in surprise while also feeling worried. He has already been inside the base for nearly two hours. If the Sand Phili virus is still present, he might have already been infected unknowingly. Yes, theyre all dead. Theres no cure for the Sand Phili virus. The so-called antidote can only suppress and alleviate the symptoms. Otherwise, I wouldnt have ended up like this Himan stretches out his hands, showing a bitter smile. Song Jians face immediately darkens. Himan seems to have guessed his thoughts and smiles lightly, saying: Dont worry. Sand Phili virus decomposes quickly. Not only does it dissolve in water, but it can only exist in the air for twenty-four hours. If the ventilation system is good, it should be completely decomposed in eight hours Song Jian breathes a sigh of relief. If he really was infected by the Sand Phili virus, he would have to use the passive skill Enemy of Death God once. Is there anything I can help you with? Song Jian glances at the chains that bind Himans limbs and asks. A smile emerges on Himans face. Hasnt he said so much just to let Song Jian ask this question voluntarily? Song Jians identity as a god-favored one was known to Himan the moment he opened the mysterious cave, but Song Jian still doesnt know who or what He is. Himan is unlike any creature Song Jian has encountered in the game. His attributes are all hidden, just like a player. This makes Himan the strangest creature Song Jian has met since entering the game, not quite a player, but possessing some basic rights of a player. After Song Jian asks the unique players task inquiry, a smirk sneakily appears on Himans dry face before he quickly covers it up. Himans gaze at Song Jian feels like that of a spider who sees its prey struggling on a spiders web. You are a god-favored one? I know there is an incredibly precious treasure for god-favored ones inside this base. It can greatly enhance your strength! After carefully observing Song Jian for a moment, Himan suddenly says: If you can rescue me from this prison, I can take you to acquire that treasure! System: You have received a branch missionBreak Free. The missions difficulty is unknown. Mission objective: Help the creature in front of you break free from its binds and regain its freedom. Warning: Due to the presence of other missions involving this creature on your person, accepting this mission will greatly increase the difficulty of the other missions. Please choose carefully. System: Do you accept this mission? Yes/No? Song Jian raises his head and smiles gently, and says, Before I accept this task, can you tell me how to get you out of here? The chains that bind you here must not be ordinary, right? Of course! These four chains and the entire secret chamber were made using the latest materials researched by the empiremeteorite alloy. Not only is it incredibly hard, but it also possesses the self-repairing ability of living organisms. Ordinary weapons couldnt possibly cut through it, Himan says with an excited smile. So, what should I do? If its so sturdy, Im afraid I wont be able to rescue you. If I accept and fail this mission, wont I also be punished? Song Jian shows an apparent hesitant expression. No, this mission is quite simple! Himan quickly says, You just need to go to Laboratory 6 in the base. Stored there is a corrosive solution extracted from plant bodies. You just need to bring it here, and itll corrode the four iron chains binding me. Song Jian nods and smiles, Laboratory 6, huh? Where is this Laboratory 6, and how do I get there? The floating base is too vastSong Jian hasnt even explored one-tenth of it. If Himan doesnt point him in the right direction, he probably wouldnt find Laboratory 6 after an entire day of searching. Seeing Song Jians calm face, Himan suddenly feels somethings off and says, You must accept the mission first; as soon as you do, I will provide you with a detailed map of the base. Song Jian doesnt say anything, continuing to stare intently at Himans woodgrain face. Finally, after a long pause, he sighs, saying, I initially thought your imprisonment for so long would have rendered your mind dull, but it seems I was wrong Himan suddenly realizes something is amiss and Song Jian moves at that moment. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand emits a golden Sword Qi, swiftly stabbing toward Himan on the stone platform. How dare you! Himans face fills with rage, and murderous intent is seen in his red eyes. Swish~ Himan opens his mouth, and a bloody tongue shoots out like a spear aimed at Song Jian. Song Jian swings his sword to slash, drawing an arc in the air with his long blade, chopping towards Himans long tongue. With a clang, the sword slashes the tongue, sounding like the clash of gold and steel. Sparks burst out, and a soybean-sized notch is cut into Himans tongue. Himan howls in pain, expressing shock in his eyes, as he had not expected Song Jians sword to be so sharp. Withdrawing his tongue, Himans mouth slowly oozes a dark red blood. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why, why? Himan yells angrily. Song Jian is the first living creature he has encountered in so many years that could enter the floating base. He had originally intended to deceive him into helping him break free but never thought he would see through Himans schemes. How did you know? Himans face becomes dreadfully dark, and he wonders when Song Jian started suspecting him. You have too many flaws! Song Jian shakes his head, speaking slowly, Firstly, the virus killed everybody in the base, but you survived. Your identity must not be that of an ordinary researcher, as you claim to be. Secondly, how did you, a person who has been imprisoned for so many years, even know about god-favored ones? Song Jian smiles coldly. Furthermore, its your eyes. Ive been observing your eyes since I first saw you Song Jians eyes sharpen like knives, staring at Himan, Your eyes are identical to those of the final recorded BOSS in the control room! You are not called Himan; you should be called Xisimante, shouldnt you? Song Jian questions. Chapter 601: 601: The Three Eagle Brothers Chapter 601: The Three Eagle Brothers Xisumante! The corrupted Puppet Beast that Song Jian must kill for his mission! Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Roar! Ximan, nay, Xisumante, suddenly became enraged and let out a bellow towards Song Jian: Dont utter that name to me! With Xisumantes roar, his body expanded rapidly. He went from an original size of one and a half meters to a towering three meters in height in an instant. On his body surface, lumps appeared like nodules, clustered together layer after layer, which looked incredibly revolting. At this moment, his name and attributes appeared above his head. Just as Song Jian guessed, this was the final boss in the floating base, the Corrupted Puppet Beast, Xisumante. Thirteen thousand vitality points? Upon seeing Xisumantes attributes, Song Jians eyes betrayed a look of shock, and he involuntarily took a sharp intake of breath. Xisumante raised his arm high and fiercely hammered it down onto the ground. Boom~ An explosion, a wave of strong force, sprang up towards Song Jian. He, like a small stone, was flung far away, hitting the wall at the entrance hard with his back. In an instant, a severe pain erupted from his back, and a damage of more than five hundred points hovered above his head. An enemy with first-order combat power? This cant be! A look of disbelief surfaced on Song Jians face. This Mysterious Garden instance was only a level-thirty instance, not high enough to contain a monster with first-order combat power. At this moment, Song Jians gaze fell on the iron chains bound around Xisumantes limbs. As Xisumantes body rapidly expanded, the black chains binding its limbs did not change, causing the muscles near the iron chains to squeeze together, the chains deeply embedded into its flesh. Xisumante swung his arm madly, but couldnt break free from the chains. Looking at the continuously roaring Xisumante, Song Jian slowly retreated from the room. It was these very chains that deprived Xisumante of his original battle strength despite his first-order combat power. Even with the chains restraining it, killing Xisumante wouldnt be an easy task Song Jian glanced at the task bar, shook his head slightly, and thought silently. Xisumantes long tongue could reach three to four meters, and the attack that sent Song Jian flying had a range of seven to eight meters. If he were to fight Xisumante in that chamber, it would be impossible to dodge its attacks. With this in mind, if he wanted to kill Xisumante in the chamber through battle, the impact of the chains wouldnt be as significant. The best way to kill it would be to stand in a spot Xisumante could not reach and injure it from there. If it were a team of five, there would be long-range professions among them who could easily kill this boss. If I truly kill it this way, the quality of the items dropped by the boss will undoubtedly be considerably reduced. However, my main purpose here is to obtain the flower of the life vine for Anna, followed by completing the task of killing Xisumante. Losing the quality of the drops is acceptable. Song Jian thought privately. To safely kill Xisumante, Song Jian must attack it from a distance of ten meters. However, there were not many skills Song Jian had that could reach ten meters. Looking at Xisumantes large physique, one could tell that it was a boss specialized in health, with thirteen thousand vitality points. If the damage did not reach a certain degree, killing this boss would take a long time. Therefore, Song Jian planned to search other parts of the base first. If he could find the Life Vine, that would be great. If not, finding other powerful weapons to use against Xisumante would also be helpful. Just as Xisumante mentioned the corrosive solution, if Song Jian could find Laboratory Six and obtain this solution, then he could easily kill this boss by applying the solution to Xisumante. There were still many Puppet Beasts and plant monsters remaining in the base. These monsters levels were mostly between twenty-seven and thirty. Their strength was, of course, insignificant to Song Jian. If not for Anna waiting outside, Song Jian would not want to delay too long here. The efficiency of grinding levels here was at least three to four times faster than outside. Nevertheless, throughout his search, Song Jians combat experience escalated rapidly, almost reaching half of the required points. He was only two levels away from level thirty. After reaching level thirty, Song Jian could wear the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set. That was an epic-level set. After putting it on, Song Jians strength would undergo drastic changes. Then, even soloing Xisumante would be an easy task. During his exploration, Song Jian had encountered a few base storage rooms. Most of the things inside had corroded beyond use, but even so, Song Jian still found materials worth several thousand Doomsday Coins, so it was not a total loss. The most important thing was that, in a small lab, Song Jian had found an incomplete diary. This diary surprisingly contained a small section of the base map. Clearly, the owner of the diary had encountered the same problem as Song Jian when they first entered the base. In this broken map, Song Jian saw the specific locations of Lab Number One, Two, and Three, and most importantly, a strictly guarded major lab in the base was also marked. This should be the lab where the life vine is researched. Song Jian tapped on the central lab on the map and smiled. As Song Jian made his way towards the large lab in the center of the base, outside the instance, Ye Tong and the three Eagle brothers also arrived at the entrance of the instance. This should be the place, Eagle Yang muttered as he looked at the stone door at the entrance. Eagle Fei pulled out the Seed of Opening, saying, Lets go, elder brother. We dont have much time. We need to hurry. Eagle Yang nodded, glanced at Ye Tong, causing Ye Tong to feel a chill down his spine and stammer, You you arent planning to eliminate the witness, are you? Eagle Ji laughed out loud: Theres no advantage in killing you. Follow us closely once were inside. This is a level-thirty instance. Given your level, things could be quite dangerous. Ye Tong released a sigh of relief. The pressure from these three was too much. Surrounding them were five or six Tauren that stood still just like wooden stakes. They were members of the Blackhoof Tribe controlled by the three brothers. Eagle Fei stepped forward and placed the Seed of Opening into the lower alcove of the stone door. After waiting for a while, the door to the instance showed no sign of opening. The faces of the Eagle brothers changed dramatically as they shared glances. Elder brother, someone started the scenario task first. We have to wait for him to leave before opening the instance! Eagle Fei said with a worried look. Chapter 602: 602: Blood Sacrifice Chapter 602: Blood Sacrifice In the game world, instances, also known as dungeons, were parallel spaces that players could enter. Inside the instances, players would only encounter their teammates and not run into other players. However, there existed a highly exceptional situation within the instances: when special mission events that could affect the games progress occurred, the involved instance would temporarily turn into a one-time-use instance. The instance would only revert to its former state once the special event was concluded. While carrying out a special plot mission, unrelated players and teams would be temporarily blocked from entering the instance. Annas need for a flower from the Life Vine was precisely such a special plot mission. At this point, Song Jian was unaware that he was participating in a storyline mission that drove the games progress. Only when Anna obtained a flower from the Life Vine, or when Song Jian failed to help Anna get the flower, would the Mysterious Garden instance return to its original state. Big brother, what do we do? Eagle Fly nervously asked Eagle Soar. We must be involved in this plot mission! Eagle Soar contemplated for a moment, a vicious determination on his face. He gritted his teeth and said, Perform the Blood Sacrifice to forcibly break open the gate! Eagle Fly and Eagle Swift trembled as the Blood Sacrifice was not a trivial undertaking. Failure was highly likely, and even if they succeeded, the damage inflicted on the trio would be severe. Each person would have to pay the price of losing three permanent attribute points. This plot mission is crucial, and if someone completes it before us, we will have to pay an even greater price! Eagle Soar gritted his teeth, for their trio was unwittingly part of a mission involving the games progress. However, their mission was different from Song Jians, and they were a day slower. Otherwise, it would have been Song Jian and Anna standing gloomily outside the gate. Understood, big brother! Eagle Swift nodded, controlling several minotaurs towards the entrance of the instance. Ye Tong stood dumbfounded nearby, not understanding a single word of what Eagle Soar and his brothers said. However, she could feel the intense sense of danger conveyed by the words Blood Sacrifice. In an instant, Ye Tong was filled with regret as she had wanted to follow them to benefit from their actions. Little did she expect to encounter such ruthless individuals. Even her strength was incomparable to theirs. If the trio were to harm her, she wouldnt stand a chance of resisting. Plup plup plup~ The minotaurs unhesitatingly slit their own throats, their blood spattering like arrows onto the stone gate outside the instance. Eagle Swift began chanting the incantation for the Blood Sacrifice. His voice resembled the fluttering wings of an insect. As he continued chanting, the blood from the minotaurs gushed outward as though from a fountain. Despite this, none of their faces showed any emotion, as if they couldnt feel their life force draining away. In just a few seconds, the blood from the minotaurs splattered outward, their imposing bodies withering at an alarming rate. Their dried wounds spurted blood once again. The sight before her terrified Ye Tong. She instinctively backed away, prioritizing her life over the allure of valuable in-game equipment. The unmistakeable sense of looming danger was rapidly closing in on her. Soon, the blood from the minotaurs bodies was completely exhausted. Their desiccated corpses fell to the ground and instantly turned to dust. The tightly shut stone gate at the entrance was now entirely covered in blood, an intricate web of bloody veins blanketing its surface. These blood veins writhed like living creatures, as if they were absorbing something. After finishing the incantation, Eagle Swifts face flushed an unnatural red. He turned to Ye Tong with a cold stare and said, We still require one players soul sacrifice Ye Tongs face twisted in terror as she screamed. With every acceleration skill activated she ran towards the valley, trying to flee for her life. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whoosh~ A pitch-black whip lashed out, entwining itself around Ye Tongs ankle and yanking her to the ground. The strike was swift and precise, as if meticulously planned. Eagle Soar slowly reeled Ye Tong back in, expressing his regret, We intended to bring you into the instance, but unluckily for you Ye Tong struggled desperately, crying out, Please spare me! Dont kill me! Please, dont kill me! The games progress has been disrupted. This was originally our chance, but someone beat us to it. You should blame the person who entered the instance first and carried out the plot mission, Eagle Fly coldly retorted, his gaze on Ye Tong as if looking at a corpse. The whip in Eagle Soars hand reached its end, and he grabbed Ye Tong by the collar, tossing her to Eagle Swift. Plup~ Eagle Swift flipped his right hand, brandishing a foot-long dagger that plunged into Ye Tongs heart with deadly precision. Ye Tong felt a sharp pain in her chest, her strength draining away as her body went limp. Look into my eyes! Eagle Swift grasped Ye Tongs throat, his low voice resonating in her ear. Ye Tongs convulsing body gradually calmed. Unfazed by the dagger embedded in her chest, she stared blankly into Eagle Swifts eyes. The sacrificial incantation sounded once again from Eagle Swifts mouth. Ye Tongs body suddenly ignited in a translucent flame, countless radiant specks of light bursting forth. They slowly drifted towards the stone gate, while her vitality points rapidly depleted, a series of damage numbers appearing above her head. The specks of light quickly melded into the gate and vanished. As they did, the gates surface erupted in dazzling brilliance, illuminating the entire valley. After several seconds, Ye Tongs body was no longer able to produce any more light specks, and her vitality points hit zero. She became a lifeless corpse. That should do it! Eagle Swift callously threw Ye Tongs corpse aside like a piece of trash. Boom boom boom~ The stone gate, glowing with a crimson hue, slowly creaked open, revealing a narrow passageway that could accommodate only one person at a time. Quickly, it will only be open for five seconds! Eagle Swift yelled, his figure dashing towards the center of the gate like a bolt of lightning. Eagle Soar and Eagle Fly swiftly followed, their forms disappearing into the gate just before it slammed shut with a thunderous crash. The valley became tranquil once more. However, outside the gate now lay several withered skeletons and the corpse of a female player. Chapter 603: 603: The Gate Chapter 603: The Gate At this moment, Song Jian had no idea that several other players had entered the duplicate where he was. He made his way along the metallic corridor towards the deepest part of the floating base, quickly arriving at the largest laboratory marked in the discarded diary. This laboratory had no number, but the researchers in the base referred to it as Laboratory Zero. The floating base had been unused for a long time, many of the rooms entrances had lost their resistance. However, the laboratory in front of Song Jian had all its facilities intact. Even the two laser cannons at the laboratory entrance were still operational. Caught off guard, Song Jian was severely attacked twice, losing over 1,900 of his over 2,000 vitality points. He almost died, inducing cold sweat across his forehead and a wave of fear. Damn it, I assumed that all internal defenses in the base are defunct, disregarded this place toohow careless! Song Jian exclaimed. He sat at a curve in the metal passageway, taking out supplies and started to recover his vitality points. The diary did not lie; this must be the lab for studying the life vines, the most important place in the entire floating base. Otherwise, its defenses would not have been preserved this well! Song Jian reflected. These two laser cannons would indeed pose a threat to Song Jian if operated by someone, but currently, they could only act defensively and couldnt stop Song Jian at all. With a thought, a pitch-black figure appeared before Song Jian. It looked almost identical to him, even its equipment. Abyssal Phantom Clone! A phantom clone made using the Abyssal Power has seventy percent of Song Jians attributes and skill power and also inherited all equipment attributes; Swish, swish~ A white light suddenly appeared under the clones feet, and a chill emanated from its feet. Its body was also covered in a layer of grayCblack, appearing like a dark shadow. At the same time, Song Jian mirrored the actions of the phantom clone. Swish~ The clone rushed towards the laboratory door. The lightning-fast figure couldnt react in time, and the clone was directly transformed into a cluster of black fog, slowly dispersing, after being hit by the laser cannons. Song Jian had already reached his attack range at this point. The long sword in his hand was swung forward, sending a golden Sword Qi towards the left laser cannon; While the two laser cannons were turning their barrels to lock onto the returning Song Jian, the one on the left side was directly hit by the golden Sword Qi and exploded; Following the release of Light Strike, Song Jian immediately held his long sword horizontally to his chest. As he saw the right laser cannons muzzle flashing, he directly used the Sacred Parry skill; Whistle~ A dazzling laser shot towards Song Jian. His body shone with a golden glow as he instinctively parried; Bang! A loud boom; the rapidly advancing Song Jians body jerked to a stop as he felt a strong force from his sword, causing him to stumble backwards two steps before releasing this force; The laser which was originally shot towards Song Jian disappeared into thin air, but soon it reappeared in midair, retracing its path and directly destroying the right laser cannon; With both laser cannons destroyed, the entire passageway lit up with glaring red lights, and an alarm suddenly sounded; Alert, alert! A humanoid life-form has breached the laboratory! A humanoid life-form has breached the laboratory! Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An emotionless mechanical voice echoed throughout the passageway. The door to the laboratory, originally made of tempered glass, suddenly had two metal alloy doors descend over it from above and the left, blocking the entrance completely. Song Jian sneered, swinging his sword towards the metal alloy door; Ding~ A dull sound echoed as sparks scattered, leaving Song Jians arm numb. Looking at the metal alloy door, only a white sword mark remained on the surface. As he lightly brushed his hand across, the white mark disappeared, leaving only a shallow sword mark on the door. Song Jian was taken aback. What on earth was this material made of? His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword with the colorless Sword Qi had only left such a shallow mark? Thisthis material seems to be the same as the chains that bound the fallen puppet beast! Song Jian, touching the cold metal alloy door, showed a surprised look in his eyes. No wonder its so hard but thinking that such thing could stop me is rather naive! Song Jian laughed, continuing to hack at the alloy door; His newly gained Holy Swords passive talent was, when using a sword weapon, the damage increases over time, up to 100%. And during attacks, he could trigger the Indestructible effect. He could cut through anything in the world with a single blow; Thump, thump, thump, thump~ In the metallic corridor, a dull sound of hacking echoed. Song Jian kept hacking for over thirty times before finally triggering the Indestructible effect; Crack~ A slight noise sounded, and incredibly, the robust metal door cracked open, leaving a sixteen-inch gap through which one could see the other metal door inside. Damn it, my sword! Song Jian suddenly noticed that after triggering the Indestructible effect, although he managed to open a gap in the metal alloy door, the durability of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand dropped drastically by over thirty points. It wont last for more than two more rounds, rendering the sword useless. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Golden Demonslaying Sword were Song Jians most potent weapons. Even the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set didnt have any weapons. If he wore out the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword here, it would be too tragic for Song Jian; Moreover, judging by the metal alloy door, despite the over a foot-long gap made by hacking, if he wanted to destroy the entire gate, he would need to trigger the Indestructible effect, at least a dozen times. By then, even if the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was worn out, he still wouldnt be able to break open this gate, even if he were to wear out the Golden Demonslaying Sword. Also, dont forget, there are two metal alloy doors, after breaking one down, there is still another. If the door cannot be hacked open, but if it was the chain that bound the fallen puppet beast, it would probably be cut easily! Song Jian suddenly remembered the four black chains he had seen binding Hesmant. Song Jian, heartbroken, glanced at the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, his gaze wandering to both sides of the metal passageway. The door is made of special meteorite alloy, but I dont believe the entire laboratory is built from such alloy. Since I cant enter the door, its just the same if I enter from other places! Song Jian squinted, rushing toward a metal room on the side. Chapter 604: 604: Life Vines Chapter 604: Life Vines Lab Zero is the largest of all the laboratories situated in the Floating Base. Despite being unoccupied for several decades, the internal support system continues to function seamlessly; In the center of Lab Zero, within a tens-of-square-meters glass chamber, is a two-meter-high vine. The vines trunk, roughly the width of a bucket, bears patterns reminiscent of snake scales. Innumerable branches sprawl from its main body, enveloping the entire glass chamber; Atop the vine, three flowers bloom, each the color of purple-red. Glowing subtly, their surfaces resemble the sheen on a ceramic glaze, appearing as fine pieces of art. The glass chambers intelligent system continues to regulate the temperature, humidity, and nutrient supply. Thus, even after the passage of decades, the plant thrives. Today, Lab Zeros peace is abruptly shattered. Out of nowhere, a sword tip emerges from a wall. Soon, an irritating scratching noise fills the air, quickly followed by a gaping hole breaking through the iron-forged wall; On sensing the damage to the structure, the emergency system in Lab Zero activates, bathing the lab in intermittent dark-red light while a high-pitched alarm blares out. Lab Zero, being the most important section of the Floating Base, is designed to be sealed off and surrounded by guards within ten seconds of the alarm going off. But presently, the alarm does nothing more than create noise. Song Jian breaks through the wall and steps into Lab Zero. The steel wall, over half a foot thick, crumbled like tofu before him. As soon as he steps into Lab Zero, a gender-neutral voice rings in his ear. Adventurer, you should not be here. Leave immediately, or you will suffer devastating consequences! Devastating consequences? Based on what? Song Jian sneers at the hostility, staring at the plant within the glass chamber, he retorts, Are you, a mere research subject caged within a glass chamber without any freedom, supposed to threaten me? Moreover Song Jian eyes the dwindling layer of nutrient feed at the bottom of the glass chamber, a smile spread wide across his face, Looks like your nutrient supply is running low. I wonder how long you can survive once its gone? A day? A week? Or a month? With the Floating Base on lockdown since the catastrophic disaster, the amount of nutrient feed left in Lab Zero, which lasted this long, has already exceeded Song Jians expectations. In fact, he had worried all along that the vine would wither and die from lack of attention. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To his surprise, this vine has actually evolved consciousness, and can communicate with people through something similar to brainwaves; Human, state your purpose here. This lab is no cage for me. If I want to leave, no one can hold me back, announced the gender-neutral voice, calmly. I need one of your flowers! Song Jian cuts to the chase; Impossible. It takes me ten years to produce a single flower. The fact that Ive survived this long is entirely due to the energy I absorb from the flowers. Do you really believe this lab contains such an abundance? Anger resonates in the vines voice. You can grow flowers from yourself and then swallow them? Song Jians face mirrors his surprise. Is that so strange? Havent many of you humans committed acts of child exchange and subsequently consumed them? More importantly, this flower is merely an organ of my body, responded the indifferent vine. Well, if youre not willing to offer it, then Ill have no choice but to take it myself. Song Jian shrugs nonchalantly. How dare you! The vine instantly loses its cool. Within the glass chamber, the branches of the previously idle vine shudder, thrashing about like a horrifying tentacled monster; A mere level 30 elite Boss, I wonder who gave you the courage to talk to me in this way. Song Jian chuckles, shattering the glass chamber in the center of the lab with a single strike, and storms toward the vine; Smack, smack, smack~ Several dozens of vine tendrils lash out at Song Jian like a torrential downpour. Each vine is coated with hair-like fibers that deliver excruciating physical hits and toxic attacks to any organism they come in contact with. The vine secretes a bio-toxin, resulting in sustained vitality loss and, when stacked, the side effect of reducing attack and defense power, slowing attack speed, and increasing failure rate of ability usage; Unprepared parties of five face certain defeat against this vine Boss. However, the immunity to poison damage granted by Song Jians maximized Thick Skin talent renders the vine toxin ineffective; System: The vine uses the Whip skill to attack you, dealing 167 physical damage. In addition, you have been inflicted with Toxin Attack (Layer 1). Your talent and gear defense mitigated 123 physical damage, you ultimately sustained 44 physical damage. Thick Skin (MAX) negates the toxin damage; The vine has several dozen tendrils that can perform area of effect attacks. When dealing with a single target, toxin attacks can stack over ten folds instantly, preventing the inflicted party from escaping if struck even once; While Song Jians immunity negates the serious toxin damage, he still suffers over 400 vitality points in one attack. Even he wont be able to withstand multiple attacks from the vine; Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a call, Song Jians body emanates a dazzling golden light. Eight phantom long-swords orbit his body at a leisurely pace. At a thought, a pair of wings sparkle with a metallic sheen unfurled behind Song Jian. Resembling a conscious being, they flit back and forth to parry the raining vine attacks; The steel wings can automatically block damage below fifty points. After deploying the steel wings, Song Jians overall defense and resistance increase by 30%. Coupled with the Immortal Sword Bodys additional effects, each of the Vines attacks only manages to deal about thirty points of damage. Surprisingly, the Steel Wings negate every bit of it. Its fair to say that, at this point, the vine is unable to deal Song Jian any damage. Song Jian chuckles, leaps toward the main body of the vine. Hes at the pinnacle of his might. Even the Shadow Giant Dragon possessing a super first-tier combat power only provides a close match, let alone the vine that hasnt even reached a first-tier combat power! Swish, swish, swish~ Golden Sword Qi dances around him, causing the vine to unleash heartrending screams. Countless vines are sliced apart, filling Lab Zero with a strong scent of sweetness. Chapter 605: 605: Seed of Life Chapter 605: Seed of Life The rich, sweet scent filled the entire Lab Zero. Song Jian, who had initially lost a quarter of his Vitality Points, actually felt invigorated upon smelling this fragrance, his Vitality Points gradually starting to recover. Although the recovery wasnt substantial each time, predominantly ranging around five to six points, to Song Jian, it was still an excellent healing effect. In actuality, when the Life Vine was injured, its body fluids would radiate into the air, providing a sustained recovery effect for Vitality Points to all who were exposed. Essentially, this was a method of compensating for the strong toxic damage inflicted by the Life Vine. As long as one could withstand the initial attack of the Life Vine and cause some damage to it, this recovery effect would subsequently manifest. Otherwise, dozens of vines attacking simultaneously can instantly stack multiple layers of toxin damage. No matter how formidable a warrior might be, they wouldnt be able to endure such onslaught, and healing would be utterly futile. If it was indeed the case, even though the Life Vine might not possess a first-order Combat Power, its actual damage would far exceed that, hence the need for this type of compensation. Yet, to Song Jian, who was entirely immune to toxin damage and unaffected by physical damage, the diffusion of the Life Vines body fluids wasnt a compensatory measure, it was a direct benefit to the enemy. Before long, Song Jians nearly 500 lost Vitality Points were fully recovered, while the Life Vines Vitality Points had been gravely decreased to less than a tenth. Spare me, spare my life. I, Ill give you a flower! A terrified voice of the Life Vine suddenly echoed in Song Jians mind. A cold sneer flickered across Song Jians mouth, paying no attention to the Life Vines pleas. The attack speed of his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword even increased, continuously slashing onto the main body of Life Vine, his golden Sword Qi easily piercing its defense, causing it to continuously spurge body fluid from every wound, equivalent to blood for the Life Vine. If you dont stop your attack, I will destroy the flower, and wont let you attain it! The Life Vine roared, and a purple-red flower on its crown quickly withered at visible speed; in an instance, it lost all its moisture, energy surged, and turned it into dust. Seeing the flower of the Life Vine destroyed, Song Jian paused, This BOSS is truly vicious, harsh on its adversaries and ruthless on itself. One must know, the flower was an organ of its body, and also its most critical means for perpetuating life. Song Jian reckoned that at most, it could blossom thrice and then gradually digest these flowers, conserve the energy, and then foster new flowers. For decades, the Life Vine had probably been surviving this way, along with the nourishing fluid stocked in Lab Zero, dragging on till now. If it was without a flower, this BOSS might not be able to prolong its own life. Yet, even so, facing Song Jians life-threatening assault, the Life Vine did not hesitate to destroy one of its flowers. In ten years, I can only foster three flowers. If theyre all destroyed, youd be unable to obtain a flower for at least the next ten years, the firm resolution in the voice of Life Vine surfaced in Song Jians mind. Looking at the remaining flowers, Song Jian hesitated; The flower was an item Anna needed for her job advancement, and also the primary reason for their visit to the Mysterious Garden. If the Life Vine indeed destroyed the flower then Song Jians epic-level mission chain would fail. Raising an eyebrow at the remaining Vitality Points of the Life Vine, Song Jian reluctantly agreed, nodding, Alright, as long as you give me a flower, Ill spare you! System: The Life Vine has issued you a task, Redemption of Life. Task content: Bring a seed of the Life Vine out of the Mysterious Garden and plant it in an environment suitable for its growth. Upon accepting the task, your relationship with Life Vine elevates to friendly, making it impossible for you two to harm each other. Task reward: Flower of Life Vine, quantity 1. Penalty for task failure: Permanent loss of 5 maximum attribute points. Plant the seed? Song Jian looked at the mission with a frown and sighed, Dont push your luck. How do I know that after obtaining the flower, you wont turn against me? The Life Vine replied, And I have already destroyed a flower. If I cannot purify everything into a Seed of Life and replant it, then my life will be coming to an end By suitable environment for your growth, what do you mean? Song Jian asked, considering the loss of five maximum attribute points seriously. It would be best to plant near a Spring of Life replied the Life Vine. Song Jian widened his eyes at the Life Vines reply which immediately added, If you cant find it, then any fertile land will suffice. I have four empty Spirit Fields in my Manor Castle where I can plant it, huh, lets see how youd threaten me under my domain, Song Jian muttered to himself and decided to accept the mission. Upon accepting the mission, the color atop the Life Vines head instantaneously changed to light green, and Song Jian could no longer attack it. Remember your promise! The voice of the Life Vine echoed in Song Jians ear as a puff of transparent flame emerged from its body and quickly began burning. Song Jian was taken aback as he prepared to depart when one of the remaining two flowers of the Life Vine voluntarily detached itself and drifted towards him, while the other remaining flower became even more vibrant, but soon began to shrivel slowly, revealing a seed the size of a fist at the center of the flower. Song Jian heard an ethereal, melancholy song in his ears that moved him towards tears. Before long, Life Vine burned to ashes, leaving behind a shiny Seed of Life. This Seed of Life bore an outer surface nearly identical to the texture of snakes scales and felt somewhat chill to the touch. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Youve obtained the Seed of Life! Song Jian stashed the Seed of Life along with Life Vines flower into his storage tract. His primary objective had been accomplished. However, he still had a mission to kill the Fallen Puppet Beast. The mission did not provide any reward items but offered an enormous amount of battle experience. If Song Jian could complete it, his level would instantly rise by one. Song Jian was just about to turn around and leave when he suddenly saw a streak of Dark Gold from the ashes of the Life Vine. His heart leapt with joy, and he quickly stepped forward, sifting through the ashes. A weapon radiating a Dark Gold light appeared before Song Jian. Chapter 606: 606 Engineering Drawings Chapter 606: Chapter 606 Engineering Drawings Although Song Jian did not deliver the final blow to the Life Vine, in practice, the kill was credited to him. Therefore, when it died, the Life Vine also dropped an item. It was a green long sword, its blade shimmering with a glaze-like glow. It looked more like a work of art than a weapon. Verdant Crystal Wood Sword (Gold), One-handed Sword, Equipment Effect: Attack 98-112, Poison Attack +3, Corrosion Damage +5, Life Recovery Speed +10%, Wood Attribute Damage +35, a certain chance to trigger double damage effect. Special Effect 1: Binding (Passive), this item absorbs the users blood for binding. Special Effect 2: Growth (Passive), this item is growth-type equipment, initial level 1, gains combat experience to level up in battles, the higher the level, the stronger the property of the item, item level cannot surpass the users level. Equipment requirement: Level 1; Set: 1/5. Can it be taken out of the game: No. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Another set sword! Song Jians eyes showed a surprised look, without hesitation he cut his own wrist, and dripped blood onto the green sword. Like a sponge absorbing water, all the blood droplets on the sword were swallowed clean, without leaving a trace on the sword. After losing more than a thousand Vitality Points, the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword turned into a green light and merged into the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. With this, Song Jians damage had increased significantly. All three swords were growth-type weapons. As Song Jian leveled up through fighting monsters, they could automatically absorb combat experience. Aside from the just-obtained Verdant Crystal Wood Sword, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had already reached level seven, and Golden Demonslaying Sword had upgraded to level four. Even with Song Jians regular attacks, he could deal three times the damage, totaling over three hundred points. Normal level 20 players only have just over a thousand Vitality Points. Even when considering damage reduction from defenses, Song Jian could severely injure opponents with just one encounter. With the use of skills, he could take out an opponent with one move. Just thinking about it felt brutal. Carefully examining it again, Song Jian found no other discoveries and walked out of Lab Zero, heading towards the other labs. Lab One, Lab Two, Lab Three Song Jian continued to search for supplies in the lab, finding three standard laser guns and some valuable materials needed for engineering studies. However, he still didnt have a good plan to kill the Corrupted Puppet Beast. If all else fails, Ill just have to brute force it to death! Song Jian thought to himself. The Corrupted Puppet Beast is formidable with a wide range of attacks. Its restrained from moving, but its strong attacks and first-order combat power make it challenging for Song Jian to fight against it. If he couldnt take advantage of its immobility, the battle would be no different from fighting with a first-order BOSS. If he did that, Song Jian would be at a great disadvantage. The BOSS might not be killed, but Song Jian himself might. The diary only recorded the locations of Lab Zero and six other labs. If he continued to search, time would be of the essence. When Song Jian searched to the fifth lab, he saw a blueprint emitting a pale white light on an experimental platform. Schematic: crude magic cannon, requires level 6 engineering to learn. Instruction: teaches you how to craft a crude magic cannon. Crude Magic Cannon, a defensive artillery, can only be constructed in a fixed location, it is immovable once built. Every 10 seconds it automatically generates a magic crystal shell, cannon range 500 meters, splash damage 680-980, with a certain chance to trigger a knockback effect. Crafting requirement: Rosan Wood (3), Magic Crystal Energy Core (2), Hardened Gold Fine Pipe (2), Mystic Steel Stabilizer (3). Upon seeing this blueprint, Song Jians eyes lit up. Wasnt this the perfect weapon for a long-range attack against the immobilized Corrupted Puppet Beast? Because of his profession, Song Jians damage would be weakened when using any weapon other than a sword. But this magic cannon isnt a weapon, its defensive artillery that should be built on city walls and is immovable once constructed. But for the immobile Corrupted Puppet Beast, this magic cannon is its nemesis. Engineering requires level six, and Im now only level five. However, the proficiency is high enough. If I fabricate these parts, Ill probably be able to level up to six. As for the materials, Ive already searched enough from the previous labs. A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Deciding to do it, Song Jian started to work. The lab was equipped with a testing table and tools. Before long, Song Jian had a pile of components glowing with white light in front of him. A white light flashed, and Song Jians engineering level increased to six. He immediately learned the crude magic cannon blueprint. Song Jian collected the components and quickly made his way to the vault where the Corrupted Puppet Beast was being held. Anna must be getting anxious waiting outside the base, I need to speed up! Song Jian thought. By this time, Anna had been waiting under the floating base for over two hours. Not knowing how Song Jian was doing, Anna was very anxious. Suddenly, she sensed three powerful life energies rushing towards her. Who is it? Anna was alert and quickly hid in the shadows behind a rock. Before long, the three Hawk Brothers headed straight for the floating base. Is it, is it a Gods Chosen? How is that possible, why would there be other Gods Chosen here? A look of surprise appeared on Annas face. Anna understood the rules of the secret realm better than anyone. She had never seen others being able to invade someone elses secret realm before. This is not a public secret realm, how could this happen Anna frowned. Big Brother, the item to open the floating base must be nearby, should we search for it? Hawk Fei looked at the looming floating base above their heads and asked. No need, the person who wanted to enter this secret realm must have already entered the floating base. We dont have time to waste. Hawk Yang looked solemn, took a palm-sized bomb from their package and handed it to Hawk Fei, Go, blow up an entrance. Hawk Fei nodded, took the bomb, and with a thought, a pair of bat-like wings appeared on his back, and he soared into the sky. Bang! A loud explosion sounded, thick smoke billowing out. The entire floating base slightly shook, and a hole with a diameter of over three meters appeared on the floating base. Soon, a rope fell from the hole. Hawk Yang and Hawk Ji both used both hands alternately to climb up the rope and quickly disappeared into the hole. Chapter 607: Task Completed Chapter 607: Task Completed The moment the Eagle Brothers entered the levitating base, Song Jian had already arrived at the entrance of the secret chamber where the Corrupted Puppet Beast, Hismenti, was imprisoned. Even with all of the components, assembling a Rudimentary Magic Cannon would take a long time. Upon sensing Song Jians arrival at the door once again, the dark secret chamber echoed with the crazed roars of Hismenti. It seemed to foresee its own doom and began to violently struggle. You will not succeed, you will not succeed, I will kill you, kill you! Hismentis voice pierced Song Jians ears, causing a sharp, painful sensation, as if a giant hammer was violently pounding away in his mind; This made the already slow construction process even slower. Damn it, whats the use of your stalling? Do you think anyone will come to your rescue? I have wiped out all the monsters nearby. There wont be anyone to save you. Why cant you just die quietly? Song Jian thought to himself. Seeing the progress bar crawling forward at a slow pace, Song Jian became slightly restless. This was because his Engineering level was too low. It barely met the requirements to build a Magic Cannon, resulting in an extremely slow manufacturing process with a decent chance of failure. Song Jian had enough materials to build three Magic Cannons as a backup plan in case of failure, but it seemed it wouldnt be necessary to use the materials designated for the other two. After dozens of minutes, the progress bar was two-thirds complete. Just then, Song Jian felt a tremor beneath his feet, and the entire levitating base seemed to sway slightly. His heart pounded suddenly with apprehension. What happened? Why is there vibration? Panic filled Song Jians eyes. The whole floating base was as big as a town. The only cause for such a shake could be a seismic event; Could it be that there is a problem with the levitating system of the base, and the whole base is about to collapse? Song Jian wondered. At this moment, he was not aware of the presence of other players in the instance. He could only speculate that there was an issue with the levitating system. Fortunately, the shaking wasnt severe and didnt affect the construction of the Magic Cannon; After a few more minutes, the construction progress bar finally reached the end, and a Magic Cannon consisting of a base + barrel appeared before Song Jian. The Magic Cannon was indeed very rudimentary, taller than half a persons height with four steel claws reaching out from the base to grip the ground firmly. A barrel about thirty centimeters in diameter extended outwards, aiming at the entrance of the secret chamber; At the back of the barrel, an oval ammunition depot started charging. A shot every ten seconds was extremely slow in comparison to other weapons, but it wasnt too slow for a defensive cannon; Just as the depots charging reached its peak, a dazzling white light suddenly flashed from the pitch-black barrel; An intense white light, solidified yet scorching, burst out from the barrel. The massive recoil caused the Magic Cannon to let out a sonorous roar, like the howling of a wild beast. A violent vigor shot out from the Magic Cannon, taking Song Jian by surprise and causing him to step back three to four steps before steadying himself. Then, a painful wail from Hismenti echoed from the chamber. In the pitch-black chamber, a ball of white light exploded. It seemed to have encountered a severe invisible resistance, spraying out a blazing light and vigorously shooting inwards; Boom~ A loud rumbling erupted, and the ball of light shattered, scattering in all directions. However, right at the center of the explosion, a damage number exceeding five hundred floated above Hismentis head; Five hundred points of damage, it will take more than twenty cannons to kill it! Song Jian frowned. The power of the Magic Cannon was massive. If a normal player was shot, it could potentially deal over eight hundred points of damage which would instantly push them into critical condition. But when the shot hit Hismenti, it only dealt a little over five hundred points of damage, proving that the defense of this BOSS was not as weak as Song Jian had assumed; Ten seconds later, another dazzling ball of white light shot into the chamber. After a rumbling noise, Hismenti let out a bestial shriek, struggling more violently. The chain that bound it clanged but no matter how it struggled, it couldnt break free from the lock chain made of meteoric metal. Song Jian waited patiently. With each blast, the durability of the Magic Cannon began to decrease slowly. With continued use, every shot decreased the Cannons durability by one or two points. After killing Hismenti, this Magic Cannon would likely be on the verge of destruction. However, its mission was to kill Hismenti. As long as it could kill the BOSS, its mission would be accomplished. Even if it didnt break down, Song Jian would destroy it. Time slowly ticked by, and Hismentis roar grew weaker until it could no longer struggle and roar, like a giant mountain of flesh, it lay on the ground motionless. If not for the faint movement of its body, anyone would have mistaken it for a corpse. Hismentis lumpy tumors were mostly shattered, its body flowing with stinky pus and blood. Large patches of charred marks littered its body, emitting white smoke. The mixture of the smell of charred flesh and stinky pus and blood filled the chamber with a nauseating stench; sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Job done! Song Jian clapped his hands, a smile appearing on his face. The fact that he was able to kill a first-grade BOSS without any danger brought him immense satisfaction. However, it was clear that using this kind of sneaky method to kill Hismenti might complete the quest, but the quality of Hismentis drop would greatly decrease. If he could get a blue-quality equipment, it would mean that Song Jian was incredibly lucky. Boom! With the final strike, Hismentis massive body was blown into pieces. It was as if a blood rain descended in the whole chamber, and the stench of blood suffused the room; Song Jian glanced at his task bar. The quest triggered by a weird letter was completed. As Song Jian clicked to receive his quest reward, a beam of light shot out from his body, boosting his level to 29; Song Jian gave a slight smile and added the newly gained skill point to Earth Teeth Assault; This was the first active attack skill he gained after entering the game. It had been at level 2 with maxed experience for a while but lacked the skill points to upgrade it; When Earth Teeth Assault upgraded to level three, it directly reached max level, unable to be further upgraded. Its attributes had undergone a dramatic change. Song Jian frowned, stared at the description of Earth Teeth Assaults attributes, and numerous thoughts raced through his mind. Chapter 608: Siege Chapter 608: Siege Earth Teeth Assault (Active), Level 3 (MAX), Skill Effect: Launch a tooth-shaped attack on the target in front, dealing 90-110 damage and reducing the targets movement speed by 40%. Attack Range: 13 meters, Cooldown: 10 seconds, Skill Consumption: 15 Vitality Points. After the upgrade of Earth Teeth Assault, the damage and attack range were both increased. That wasnt much, but the reduce targets movement speed by 40% effect was new. Moreover, most importantly, Earth Teeth Assault at level 3 had already reached max level, and couldnt be further upgraded, which made Song Jian somewhat puzzled. He knew that his talent ability Thick Skin had been upgraded to level 10 before reaching max, and he had several skills that had been upgraded past level 3 without showing MAX and being unable to upgrade further. When Song Jians gaze landed on Earth Teeth Assault, a prompt suddenly appeared behind the skill: Please select a skill to fuse with. This was a prompt that appeared after all skills reached max level. When Thick Skin was upgraded to max, a similar prompt appeared, but at that time, Song Jian only had this one skill upgraded to the max level; he couldnt fuse even if he wanted to. Song Jian tried to fuse Earth Teeth Assault with Thick Skin. Soon, a furnace-like illusion appeared before his eyes, with two empty slots in it. Song Jian dragged the two skills into the slots, and a Fusion symbol appeared on the illusory furnace. System: Skills C Earth Teeth Assault and Thick Skin are starting to fuse. Confirm? Yes/No System: Detection shows that the success rate of these two skills fusing is 0.12%, the failure rate is 98.72%, and the mutation rate is 1.98%; If the fusion is successful, the two skills will become a new skill with the characteristics of both skills; If the fusion fails, both skills will be permanently removed; If the fusion mutates, the two skills will become one, and the new skills power and effects are unknown. What?! A success rate of only 0.12%? Song Jian was startled and quickly chose to cancel the fusion. If the Earth Teeth Assault skill disappeared upon failure, so be it, but if his talent skill Thick Skin disappeared, Song Jian would cry! Losing Thick Skin would reduce his strength by at least 30%, making him unable to resist some skills with special effects. After he canceled the fusion, Song Jian stepped towards the secret chamber. Even if the item drop from the Fallen Puppet Beast was greatly reduced, it was still an elite level Boss with first-order Combat Power, and Song Jian didnt want to leave its dropped items lying there for nothing. After taking just two steps, Song Jians face drastically changed. In front of him appeared an invisible but solid barrier that blocked his path; even the hard metal ground began to emit a stench of liquid and mud, like a swamp, with disgusting bubbles rising constantly. Numerous emaciated, fleshless arms emerged from the ground, groping and grabbing at everything, making it difficult to move. System: You are under the attack of player Swift Eagle, and youll have the right to fair defense for the next 30 minutes. Killing him wont increase your evil points; System: Upon detection, player Swift Eagle is a red-named player; killing him can earn a large number of justice points. Song Jian took a deep breath. He could feel two powerful forces condensing rapidly at the end of the passage. Both forces had different attributes but shared a common feature C long charging times and astonishing power when unleashed. The goal was to kill him in one hit, leaving him no chance to counter. Turning around, Song Jian saw three burly men standing at the end of the passage. One of them held a Bone Wand, muttering incantations. The top of the Bone Wand was inlaid with a palm-sized skull, which was emitting a rich green light. The skill trapping Song Jian had a mysterious connection to it. Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The other two were also preparing their moves. One raised an oversized hunting bow more than two meters long, and a metal arrow more than one meter long was gathering crimson flame energy, which was full of explosive power and felt ready to explode at any moment. The other man held both hands above his head with a painful and twisted expression. In front of him was a bizarre Magic Array emitting a dark purple light. Song Jian narrowed his eyes; it was a Summoning Array, and the man was summoning evil creatures to assist in battle. From the Magic Array, he could sense the strong aura of Abyssal Power. Immortal Sword Body, activate! With a soft cry from Song Jian, a dazzling golden light burst from his body. Eight long sword illusions circled his body, slowly rotating. As he stomped his foot, the emaciated arms clutching his ankle were torn apart. Song Jians figure transformed into a mass of black mist, charging towards the three enemies. At level 7, the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body increased magic resistance by 60%, immunity determination to negative effects by +9, and coupled with the level 10 talent skill Thick Skin C which raised resistance by 50% and provided immunity to taunts, slow, charm, corpse poison, paralysis, and other adverse effects C the binding effect of the Yn Hn J Mi Array was almost completely nullified for Song Jian. How can this be A shocked look appeared on Swift Eagles face as he controlled the Yn Hn J Mi Array. The opponent could actually break free from the arrays restraints and move freely? No one whom Swift Eagle had encountered since learning this skill could break free from the Yn Hn J Mi Arrays binding; even level 30 elite level Bosses were limited by the array, having their duration shortened at most. No Boss had ever broken free, let alone other players. As long as a player was trapped in the array, they could only await death. This was also the reason the other two could boldly charge their long-duration skills. But as they hesitated whether to abandon the skills they had charged, Swift Eagle controlled the Yn Hn J Mi Array and yelled: Dont be afraid! Even if he is immune to the binding effect, he wont be able to break through the arrays defense in a short time! The other two looked at each other and decided to trust their teammate instead of canceling their skill. At that moment, a brilliant golden light burst through the Yn Hn J Mi Array, and a crisp sound like shattering glass rang in the three mens ears. Swift Eagle spat out blood, collapsing weakly to the ground with a look of horror in his eyes. Stammering, he muttered: How how could this be? The Yn Hn J Mi Array, with a defense rating of 2800 points he destroyed it in one hit? Chapter 609: 609: No Other Choice Chapter 609: No Other Choice Eagle Yang watched as Song Jian broke through the Soul Destruction Array, grit his teeth, and released the longbow he had been charging, a long metal arrow covered in magic patterns. The arrow whistled sharply and shot towards Song Jian. The whole arrow exuded dazzling white light, like a meteor, dragging a long, hot tail, leaving an afterimage that could not dissipate for several seconds in the air. Thud~ Eagle Yang spouted a mouthful of blood. He released the skill when it had only been charged two-thirds of the way, and therefore naturally suffered some backlash. But his condition was much better than Eagle Speeds; he merely coughed up blood and the backlash damage was negligible. Despite sustaining backlash damage, a shadowy smile spread across Eagle Yangs face. Comet fall! Even if its only charged two-thirds, you cant withstand this arrow~ Eagle Yangs mouth curled upward as he looked expectantly at Song Jian. This shot was equivalent to a long-range heavy sniper rifle, consuming more than half of Eagle Yangs Spirit Points. It was originally intended to be fully charged over a period of fifteen seconds. However, despite being released in just ten seconds, the shot dealt a whopping damage exceeding one thousand points. On the other side, Eagle Fly was shrouded with black mist. His eyes were bloodshot and a bizarre symbol appeared on his forehead. In front of him, towering black flames soared upwards. A black crack split open at the center of the magic array, from which a beastly roar emanated. A claw covered in purple-black scales extended from the crack, gripping the edge of the magic array as it struggled to free itself. Upon breaking the Soul Destruction Array, Song Jian was neither surprised nor alarmed at the damage he had caused. Instead, with a forward momentum, he charged towards the three men. Having made only two strides forward, Song Jian suddenly felt a tightness over his skin, as a chill rose up from his tailbone, reaching the back of his head in an instant. Song Jian felt as though a fierce beast was pouncing on him. Its fangs were already touching his forehead. The breath of death was bearing down on him. A brilliant white arrow, trailing a lengthy tail as if a comet, rushed towards Song Jian at an incredible speed, leaving a long hollow image in the air. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sacred Parry! Song Jian instinctively swung the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward. He immediately felt a tremendous impact against it which sent a numbing sensation up his arm and made the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword tremble violently. Song Jian himself was thrown backward. Bang! As Song Jian skidded along the metal wall, he crashed into the floor. Half of his body was numb and he had no idea when the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword had slipped from his palm and embedded diagonally into the wall of the adjacent metal passage. Song Jian coughed up a mouthful of blood. At that moment, his whole body emitted golden light, with countless tiny particles falling from him and dissipating in the air. Eagle Yang, mouth agape, watched as Song Jian managed to get up, using one hand to support his entire body on the ground while the other hung limply at his side. His eyes, like those of a wolf, stared fiercely at Eagle Fly, and a trace of crazed laughter appeared on his face. Song Jian could now estimate the opponents power level based on the feeling he had from using Sacred Parry. He knew that the damage from Eagle Yangs last move was at least over a thousand points. He stared ahead intently, wanting to see whether Eagle Yang could withstand his attack. A brilliant white long arrow suddenly appeared out of thin air from mid-air. About to launch itself at Eagle Yang, it replayed the entire scenario when Eagle Yang stored his attack. Rebound damage, can it even rebound a long-range attack? How is this possible Eagle Yangs face was filled with fear. He couldnt believe one day he would bear the brunt of his own most powerful hit. No! Eagle Yang let out a horrified roar, a desperate look in his eyes. At that moment, he suddenly noticed Eagle Speed, limp on the ground in front of him. An insidious look flashed across his eyes and with a swift kick, he sent Eagle Speed hurtling towards the incoming arrow. Big brother, you Eagle Flys eyes displayed surprise and his hand, which was summoning the abyss demon, trembled unconsciously. Eagle Yang didnt reply and stared ahead, his face pale. Eagle Speed was currently in a state of skill backlash, his body weak and all attributes reduced by 70%. His vitality points were less than one-third of the original. Under such conditions, not to mention taking a hit from Eagle Yangs full-strength assault, he wouldnt be able to withstand even a normal attack. Boom~ An explosive noise echoed as Eagle Speed was blasted to pieces. A look of disbelief crossed Eagle Yangs face. He can actually rebound skill damage Eagle Yang shouted involuntarily. From the time he entered the game up until now, Eagle Yang had never seen anyone who could fully rebound an opponents attack back onto them. It was beyond his imagination. So it wasnt an illusion Eagle Yang lowered his head, looking at Eagle Speeds mutilated corpse, a feeling of fear welling up in his heart as he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. At that moment, a demon of the abyss, its body ablaze with grey flames, wriggled its way out of the magic array before Eagle Fly. The Abyss watches you! The demon of the abyss, standing nearly three meters tall, with two legs, winged back, and a fearsome face stood in the middle of the magic summoning array, roaring towards the sky. After summoning the abyss demon, Eagle Fly backed a few steps, standing on one side of the metal passage. Intentionally or not, he created a distance between himself and Eagle Yang. Kill him, and you will receive a reward in return! Eagle Fly coldly stated. The Abyss Demon turned back to look at Eagle Fly, a greedy smile spread across its ghastly face as it growled, The soul of this man is not considered as part of the reward! Third brother, cooperate with this Abyss Demon to kill this guy as soon as possible! Eagle Yang glanced at Eagle Fly and whispered. Big brother, having summoned this Abyss Demon, Ive exhausted all my Spirit Points and only have less than half of my Vitality Points left. Im out of strength to continue the fight. Eagle Fly glanced at Eagle Yang, his expression cold, and wariness flickered in his eyes. Third brother, I had no choice earlier Eagle Yangs face was horribly gloomy. I know, big brother. Eagle Fly had quietly closed all his attributes by then. In fact, he had not exhausted all his Spirit Points. He still had at least one-third remaining, and he had more than eighty percent of Vitality Points left. But the motions Eagle Yang made earlier deeply chilled his heart, making him wary and cautious of his older brother. Alright then, third brother, take a rest at the back. Me and this Abyss Demon are enough to kill him. Afterwards, we will share the mission reward equally! Eagle Yang turned back, a strong intent to kill flashing in his eyes. Chapter 610: 610: Betrayal and Unfaithfulness Chapter 610: Betrayal and Unfaithfulness Feel the wrath of the Abyss, and die! The demonic creature of the Abyss roared and charged at Song Jian. Even though the demon had no weapons, its burning fist was more terrifying than any weapon. Song Jians momentum suddenly faltered as he helplessly had no choice but to block with his sword. The Abyss demons long-awaited right fist, burning with gray flames, had a touch of dark blackness at the edge of the gray flame, making it look like a giant fist outside of a flaming boxing glove. When it was still about five or six meters away from Song Jian, the demons right fist swung violently. The intense pressure made it difficult for Song Jian to breathe, as if he were in a hurricane. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword collided fiercely with the Abyss demons right fist. Feeling the powerful force, Song Jians sword was deflected. Immediately after, the flaming fist struck Song Jians chest with a heavy blow; The demons power attribute its actually stronger than mine? Song Jians eyes revealed a look of surprise. The punch was extremely powerful. Although it did not cause a crushing effect, the damage to Song Jian was significant. A burnt fist mark appeared on his chest, his body was thrown three or four meters away, and a mouthful of blood spurted out, his chest experiencing severe pain. Crack~ A few faint sounds of cracked bones were heard, as the chest of Song Jian collapsed inward; Life Recovery Surgery! Song Jian waved his left hand, a beam of white light fell from the sky, blending into his chest. His slightly cracked bones began to heal quickly; Broken Wing Dance! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian became more cautious. The power of the Abyss demon was far more powerful than that of a level 30 elite BOSS, even if it didnt reach the combat power of tier one. What was even more terrifying was that at this moment, Yng Yng had put away his longbow and was holding a wolf-tooth-like dagger in his left hand and a short sword in his right hand. Both weapons emitted a silvery-gray light. A silver set of weapons? Song Jian revealed a look of surprise. He never expected that Yng Yng would be able to obtain a complete silver set of weapons. It seemed that in the game, he wasnt the only one with good luck. Phantom Clone! Song Jians thoughts moved, and a dark shadow condensed in front of him, quickly transformed into his likeness, wielding his sword at Yng Yng; Just as the Phantom Clone appeared, the Abyss demon hesitated for a moment. The high-raised fist stopped, its eyes stared at the phantom clone, showing an expression of bewilderment. Song Jian was taken aback, and then seemed to think of something, letting out a cold smile. A black flame suddenly rose from the surface of his body and enveloped him completely; Next, the black Level 4 Magic Flame, Abyss Raging Flame, continued to change, eventually forming a fierce-looking set of armor that clung to his body. At this moment, Song Jians body emanated a strong Abyssal Power, looking more like an Abyssal creature than the Abyss demon itself; No, it cannot be; how could you? The giant Abyss demon, facing Song Jian, actually displayed a look of fear, retreating step by step, as if Song Jian was more terrifying than itself; Seeing this scene, not only Yng Yng, but even Yng Fi, who was preparing to strike from a distance, had a look of terror in their eyes;` How how could this be? The demon from the Abyss is afraid? Yng Fi felt that the thought itself was absurd. The demon from the Abyss was the most powerful being among the creatures he could summon from other dimensions in battle. As soon as he could summon the demon, he could sit back and watch the fight; No one could match the demon from the Abyss, no one! But today, the performance of the Abyss demon had overturned his previous understanding, making him feel a chill quietly rising from his spine. Cold sweat was beginning to form on his forehead; Its impossible, impossible for him to be this strong, its just breaking the game balance Yng Fi murmured to himself, his body instinctively retreating slowly. He suddenly had the urge to turn around and run; Song Jian, clad in black Abyssal Demon Armor, wielded his sword and lunged at the demon. In fact, his Abyssal Demon Armor was not a piece of equipment, but similar to an effect that enhanced his abilities; But the naturally thick demonic aura in his magical armor seemed to have an extremely powerful deterrent effect on the Abyss demon; For now, Song Jian waved his long sword, slashing it continuously upon the demons body, but the demon desperately used both hands to block, not daring to launch a counterattack against Song Jian. Its mouth continuously wailed; My lord, my lord, I meant no offense, please spare me~; The suppression between Abyss creatures of different levels was clear. The demon of the Abyss saw Song Jian as an Abyss aristocrat, believing that only an aristocrat could control such a high-level Abyssal Fire; sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian halted and pointed his sword at Yng Yng and Yng Fi, shouting, If you want me to spare you, kill these two for me!; The Abyss demons face showed a look of relief as it spoke solemnly, As you command, my lord!; Yng Fis face suddenly turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood. His aura withered, and the demon severed the connection between them, turning to strike Yng Yng with one fist; What are you trying to do! Yng Yngs face showed an angry expression. raising his silver set of weapons, he actually blocked the demons heavy punch. Although the force of the punch pushed him back two or three meters, he didnt suffer any damage; Yng Yngs performance took Song Jian by surprise. Apparently, Yng Yngs power had far exceeded his expectations; Youve hidden very deeply, Song Jian murmured to himself; Luckily, the Abyss demon, fearing the magic flames on Song Jians body, had betrayed him and attacked. If Yng Yng were allowed to join the battle and launch a surprise attack, such a secretly powerful opponent could cause fatal damage to Song Jian when the demon joined forces; Damn it, how could this happen! Yng Yngs face turned dark, his originally well-planned ambush turned into a disaster. He had already sensed the failure of his plot; Third brother, quickly banish it back to the Abyssal Land Yng Yng shouted without looking back; The Abyss demon was summoned by Yng Fi and he surely had the ability to send it back; Third brother, Third brother? Yng Yng called out several times and found there was no response. Turning around to see, there was no one behind him. He was extremely shocked and couldnt believe it.; Yng Fi, you treacherous traitor! I will not let you go! Yng Yng furiously roared with rage; Chapter 611: 611: Interrogation Chapter 611: Interrogation At this moment, Eagle Flights face was flushed with an abnormal tint of red. Grasping his chest with his right hand, he staggered toward the floating base exit. The moment the Abyss Demon severed its connection with him, Eagle Flight had immediately decided to flee. Without the Abyss Demon, even if both he and Eagle Soar worked in unity, they could never kill Song Jian, let alone now when they were disillusioned with each other. Their defeat was only a matter of time. What a pity. I cant believe the storyline chapter has failed like this. Im not willing to accept it! Eagle Flight coughed, spitting out bloody froth, filled with resentment. But even if the mission failed, it was better than losing his life. Though he might have the ability to banish the Abyss Demon back to the Abyssal Land, it would consume his last remaining bit of mental strength. This was not something Eagle Flight could possibly accept. Big brother, since you were ruthless, dont blame me for being unjust. By doing this now, Ive also avenged our second brother, Eagle Flight thought as he was escaping. Meanwhile, Eagle Soar was on the losing end against the Abyss Demon. At this point, his hair was dishevelled and his body was awash with burn marks. A faint trace of Abyssal energy lingered around his wound, hindering the healing of his vitality. Song Jian, fight me one on one if you dare, fight me one on one! Eagle Soar was yelling furiously, his eyes bloodshot. The Abyss Demon let out a gruesome laugh, with a whoosh of his right fist he swung it upwards and landed a hit on Eagle Soars abdomen. The punch took all the strength the Abyss Demon could muster, causing Eagle Soars eyes to bulge out. A massive force propelled him upwards, sending him airborne. The Abyss Demon roared loudly; its robust arms, their muscles as tense as steel, emitted an explosive power. Dark green veins, slithering like tiny snakes, ran across its muscular arms. Its huge hands tightly gripped Eagle Soars neck, hanging him up high as if executing him. The strength in the demons hands made Eagle Soar feel suffocated. The sense of oxygen deprivation darkened his vision. His body writhed like a fish gasping for air, while his neck emitted cracking sounds. Heh heh, this is what you get for offending His Highness! The Abyss Demon revealed a hideous grin, roaring loudly. In its eyes, the crueler its torture on Eagle Soar, the more delighted His Highness behind it would be. This Abyss Demons strength was probably at the lowest level in the Abyssal Land. Otherwise, Eagle Flight would not have been able to summon it. However, even the weakest existence in the Abyssal Land is a terrifying being that ordinary players cannot resist. Eagle Soars vision was growing darker. He was on the verge of death, but in his mind, he kept calculating the time the Abyss Demon could remain in this plane. It was important to note that extradimensional creatures like the Abyss Demon, once they lose their connection with their summoner, would be repelled by the current dimension. This repulsion would grow over time, and no creature, no matter how strong, could resist the force of an entire world. Ultimately, it would be driven back to its original dimension. Eagle Soar did not know if the Abyss Demon had forgotten or deliberately failed to remind Song Jian of this. Perhaps at this moment, it, too, was waiting to be forced back to its own dimension by the force of the world. At this critical juncture in the struggle for his life, Eagle Soar knew he lacked the strength, and after trying in vain to break free from the Abyss Demons grip, he turned his attention to Song Jian. Alright, finish him off quickly and dont forget, one of them has already escaped. You shouldnt let him get away! Song Jian said coldly. Song Jians indifferent tone sent chills down Eagle Soars spine as he struggled desperately, pleading, Wait, wait a second, I.. I have valuable information, extremely valuable information Hmph, dont you know villains die from talking too much? Song Jian sneered. You think I would give you a chance? You dont you want to know how we infiltrated your instance dungeon? Eagle Soar choked, his face flushed red. The giant hands of the Abyss Demon on his neck felt like an iron clamp, making it very difficult for him to breathe, let alone beg for mercy. Something stirred in Song Jians heart, he was indeed curious about how the Eagle triplets had managed to break into the instance dungeon. Such a disruptive ability made him extremely cautious. Let him go! Song Jian looked up and ordered the Abyss Demon. As you command, master! The Abyss Demon responded to Song Jian, releasing its grip, and Eagle Soar fell to the ground like a dead weight. Cough, cough~ Eagle Soar was a miserable sight, kneeling on the ground, propped up on his hands, coughing incessantly, panting heavily. Speak, how did you infiltrate my instance dungeon? Song Jian stared at Eagle Soar and asked indifferently. Youre youre doing a storyline chapter too, right? Eagle Soar raised his head, a sycophantic smile on his face. Indeed, Song Jian nodded in confirmation. Actually, we too were doing a storyline chapter Eagle Soar drawled, casting a glance at the Abyss Demon and noticed its form was becoming more transparent, as if shrouded in a thin layer of fog. A subtle smile flickered on the edges of Eagle Soars mouth. He incessantly panted laboriously, clutching his throat. He seemed in great pain and his words were broken and hard to understand. We, cough, cough, we paid a hefty price to create an array. Eagle Soar explained the workings of the Blood Sacrifice Array to Song Jian. It was through this method that we, cough, cough, managed to infiltrate your instance progress. Song Jian nodded, understanding that this kind of method was unconventional and came at a steep price. Furthermore, mastering the Blood Sacrifice Array was particularly challenging. Since Eagle Rapid, the one who knew this array, was already dead, there probably wouldnt be another opportunity to infiltrate someone elses instance dungeon in the future. You just said that you guys also received a storyline chapter? A light flashed in Song Jians mind, prompting him to ask suddenly. Yes, our our storyline chapter was was to release a prisoner held captive here, named Hismenti! Eagle Soar glanced at Song Jian and whispered. Hismenti? Song Jian paused, then his face lit up with a smile: So when you guys encountered me, it was also the moment when your mission failed, right? Yes, but after the mission failed, we received a new one to kill you and a NPC.If we kill you and a NPC named Anna Katerina, our storyline chapter would be considered complete, Eagle Soar declared. Anna? Song Jian squinted his eyes, his heart sinking. Just then, the Abyss Demon let out a heart-wrenching roar, its silhouette gradually turning illusory, eventually dissipating into the air like fog. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 612: 612: Hidden Card Chapter 612: Hidden Card Seeing the Abyss demon disappear, a strange smile appeared on Ying Yangs face. Its not a creature of our plane, once it loses its connection with the summoner, it will be rejected by the world power. Even if the summoner does not banish them, they will be expelled from this plane by the world power over time! As Ying Yang spoke, he slowly stood up, a jade-green light shimmering around him. His vitality points, originally reduced to less than half, soared back up; Now, you can no longer command the Abyss demon, and your damage reflection skill, I suspect, is still in cooldown, isnt it? With both hands at his waist, his silver suit weapon shone brightly in his hands. Song Jian paused, then broke into laughter, Do you think I cant defeat you without the Abyss demon? Why dont we test that? With twin blades in hand, Ying Yang advanced, his daggers and sword shimmering as he hacked at Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword blazed, radiating a dazzling golden Sword Qi. As for the suit weapon, Song Jian also held one in his hand. Although it wasnt a complete set, the quality and quantity of his outweighed Ying Yangs silver-grey suit weapon. Twin Blade Execution! Ying Yang cried out, his weapons exploding in a silver-grey aura more than a foot long, rushing straight for the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Boom! With a loud crash, the two weapons collided violently, gold and silver-gray light bursting forth. An intense force spread outward, causing Ying Yang to grunt, feeling a powerful surge and losing his balance, he staggered a few steps backwards. Before he could regain his balance, Song Jians second attack was already hacking towards him. Ying Yangs face changed drastically, no longer daring to meet him head on and resorting to dodging instead. Before the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword hit down, it made an arc in mid-air and swept upwards at Ying Yang, who had no choice but to dodge again. The sword brush past the tip of his nose, and a drop of blood slowly seeped from it. Before he could react, a surge of force appeared out of nowhere under his feet, propelling him into the air. Ying Yang lost control of his body. Aerial state! Ying Yang felt a sinking feeling, as most of the skills that could induce negative effects in the game were precious and rare. He possessed only a single skill that could inflict the crippled effect and was well aware of the value of such abilities. I cant let this continue! Ying Yang thought while in his aerial state, his defense dropped by 100%, and the critical hit rate would increase exponentially. In such a situation, allowing Song Jian to continue his assault would leave Ying Yang without any retaliatory force. Even now, Ying Yang didnt want to abandon his storyline mission. Being able to participate in a storyline mission was considered extremely lucky, even if it was dangerous, the rewards would also be extraordinary. Previously, when Song Jian reflected Ying Yangs Comet Strike back at him, it raised Song Jians threat level a few notches. But now it seemed that he had underestimated his opponent. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a flash of white light, the hovering Ying Yang suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was at the end of the metal corridor, tens of meters away from Song Jian. Song Jian, you forced me into this! Ying Yang gritted his teeth, pulling a white crystal from his pack. The moment it appeared, the temperature in the entire metal corridor dropped instantly, even Ying Yang himself was covered with a thin layer of frost. Ying Yang did not dare to hold onto the white crystal for long. As soon as he took it out, he bit his finger, letting his blood drip onto the crystal before flinging it violently towards Song Jians direction. Craaack~ In mid-air, the white crystal began to fracture, much like a spider web. Then, it smashed hard onto the ground, shattering into tiny fragments. A handful of cold spring water appeared out of thin air on the metallic floor. It looked like a phantom, but Song Jian could sense the clear vital energy surging within it. In no time, a two-meter-tall Water Elemental Elf formed from the cold spring water. The Water Elemental appeared as a middle-aged man from the waist up, while the bottom half was a rolling mass of water. Both arms bore silver arm rings adorned with intricate magic patterns. As soon as the Water Elemental appeared, it stretched its hand into the spring, took out a semi-transparent ice sword, and unleashed a high-pitched roar at Song Jian. A level 30 elite boss? Song Jians eyes narrowed, his eyes fixed on the tall Water Elemental. A cold smile played around his lips. From his point of view, as long as there was no existence with a first-level battle power involved in the fight, the outcome was simply the same for him. Looking at the Water Elemental before him, Ying Yangs eyes revealed a sense of distress. This was previously obtained from a hidden task, a last resort hed been saving. He never expected he would have to use it today. As long as I can kill him and find that NPC named Anna to complete this storyline mission, even if I waste a summoning crystal, the rewards will be more than enough to compensate, thought Ying Yang. Song Jian, go to hell, Ying Yang growled and charged towards Song Jian. Meanwhile, the Water Elemental swung its sword, unleashing an icy Sword Qi towards Song Jian, causing frost everywhere its path. Song Jian conjured two Flame Elementals, both of which were only at the level 30 normal monster strength and much smaller compared to the Water Elemental. Without hesitating, the Flame Elementals flung their balls of Flame straight into the icy Sword Qi. Boom! The two opposing elements collided inside the metal corridor, creating a violent blast. The shockwave hit the metal walls, causing them to cave in on both sides. Song Jian tightened his grip on his long sword and charged towards Ying Yang. Clang~ The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword clashed with Ying Yangs twin blades, sending out a shower of sparks. Ying Yangs strength was inferior, and as such, he couldnt face Song Jian squarely. The moment their weapons contacted, Ying Yang rolled to the side, his left-hand dagger akin to the teeth of a wild beast, aiming at an odd angle towards Song Jians ribs. Chapter 613: 613: Killing Chapter 613: Killing Eagle Yang glanced at the two fire elementals opposite him, feeling a sink in his heart. Initially, he thought that with the assistance of the water elemental elf, defeating or even killing Song Jian would not be a problem. However, unexpectedly, the other party had summoned two fire elemental elves as well. Although the two fire elemental elves were no match for the water elemental elf in terms of grading or strength, they were suppressed by the water elemental elf as soon as they appeared. Their defeat was only a matter of time. However, even so, it wouldnt be a problem for the two fire elementals to hold down water elemental elf for a while. In this time, Song Jian would have enough time to kill him. I should have let the water elemental elf cover my retreat earlier, Eagle Yang thought with regret. The water elemental elfs attacks had a high probability of triggering a slowing effect. If Eagle Yang had wanted to flee before, he might have been able to escape, but he was too greedy and wanted to complete the plot mission. Kill! Song Jians cold gaze fixed on Eagle Yang, as if he was looking at a corpse, making Eagle Yang shudder. Broken Wing Dance! The golden Sword Qi burst out, and Eagle Yangs face changed drastically. His left hands dagger had not yet been withdrawn, but his right hands short sword was pressed against his chest by the longsword. Eagle Yang did not dare to take it head-on. He knew that Song Jians move had a forced floating effect, so he retreated continuously, desperately swinging his dagger and short sword to protect his chest. However, Song Jians damage was too high. Despite Eagle Yangs desperate defense, his head was continuously showing three-digit damage scores. Clang, clang, clang, ~ Their weapons collided continuously, and within the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than a dozen moves. With each collision, Eagle Yang had to step back to unload the force, defending desperately without the power to fight back. Bang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword struck the short sword again, and Eagle Yangs body arched backward involuntarily. Song Jian seized the opportunity to kick him in the abdomen, sending him flying out and slamming hard against the metal wall at the bend of the corridor. Before Eagle Yang could even stand up, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword was already coming down on his head. His face twisted in a ferocious expression, and he let out a roar before throwing his short sword at Song Jian and turning around to run away. Clang~ The longsword swiped sideways, sending the short sword flying. Song Jians face showed a cold smile as he watched Eagle Yang staggering away. Earth Teeth Assault! He stomped his right foot on the ground, and a sharp-toothed air mass flew towards Eagle Yangs retreating figure. Upon hearing the sharp whistling behind him, Eagle Yangs heart sank. He desperately rolled and dodged to the side. But unexpectedly, the Earth Teeth Assault abruptly curved and struck him directly. A searing, tearing pain enveloped his entire body, causing him to let out a painful howl. Just as Eagle Yang struggled to stand up and continue running, he suddenly felt his foot being tripped and fell to the ground. Only then did he realize that his speed had become slower. When he looked at his status bar, he found a debuff Movement speed reduced by 40% hanging on him. Hehe actually mastered two skills that inflict debuffs! Desperation was visible in Eagle Yangs eyes, but he still tried to crawl forward with all his might. Dont kill me, dont kill me! Eagle Yang screamed in terror, seeming to be on the verge of madness. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Song Jian strode forward and swung his sword lightly in the air. Suddenly, three transparent sword shadows appeared, one large and two small, flying towards Eagle Yang. Puff, puff, puff~ Three transparent sword shadows struck Ying Yang, who seemed oblivious and still struggled to stand up, staggering to run outside. However, his running speed was now slower than that of an ordinary person walking. A second or two after he was struck by the three transparent sword shadows, Ying Yang suddenly let out a beast-like roar, clutching his head and falling to the ground, rolling continuously. It was then that three pale blue damage numbers floated above his head; Spiritual Sword Control Technique was a sword technique that directly attacked the opponents mind and soul, making it difficult to defend against. Its attack method was extremely strange. Sometimes, the victim didnt even know when they had been hit; Song Jian dashed forward a few meters, raising the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword high, the dazzling golden Sword Qi as thick as burning flames. Light Strike! The dazzling Sword Qi filled the entire metal corridor, as scorching as flames, enveloping Ying Yang entirely. Boom! The golden Sword Qi exploded, and the staggering Ying Yang was blasted away sharply, then heavily fell to the ground. Song Jian took a step forward, raising the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand and chopping down at Ying Yang, who was covered in blood and wounds. Dont! Ying Yangs dagger had already been lost somewhere, revealing a begging expression in his despairing eyes. He weakly raised his right hand as if to resist Song Jians next strike. Thump~ Song Jian hesitated for a moment before changing his chop to a thrust, stabbing his sword into Ying Yangs throat. A jet of blood spurted out, and Ying Yang made a hissing sound from his throat. His neck turned, and his eyes lost their luster. After killing Ying Yang, Song Jian immediately turned around. At this point, only one of the two Fire Elemental Elves was left, and the remaining one had been driven back into a corner by the Water Elemental Elf. The Water Elemental Elf continuously slashed its ice sword at the Fire Elemental Elf, a burning shield appearing on the surface of the Fire Elemental Elfs body as it struggled to resist. Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jians figure turned into a cloud of black mist and pounced on the Water Elemental Elf. Such one-time consumption summons had powerful monsters, which were overwhelming to ordinary players. The only limitation was the summoning time. Ordinary players encountering such creatures always retreated and waited for the summoning time to end, thereby eliminating the danger. However, Song Jian chose a different approach, wielding his sword and standing up against the Water Elemental Elf, treating it like a BOSS; Boom, boom, boom~ The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the ice sword collided with each other. Each collision had a high probability of triggering freezing, slowing, or decelerating effects. However, the words Immune and Dodge kept floating above Song Jians head, showing that he didnt care about the Water Elemental Elfs attacks. The battle lasted for more than ten minutes. The Water Elemental Elfs Vitality Points were down to less than a third, while Song Jian still maintained 80% of his Vitality Points; If this continued, the Water Elemental Elf would be slain by Song Jian. However, at this moment, the Water Elemental Elfs summoning time ended. From bottom to top, the Water Elemental Elf was directly frozen, turning into an ice sculpture; Bang! With a crisp, shattering sound, the ice sculpture exploded, turning into countless crystal shards that sprayed all over the place; Song Jian glanced at the messy corridor, shook his head, and turned to walk towards the chamber where the Puppet Beast was imprisoned. Chapter 614: 614: Professional Advancement Chapter 614: Professional Advancement The secret chamber imprisoning the fallen Puppet Beast was drenched in blood, with a thick layer of blood covering the ground. On the stone platform, four powerless iron chains that had lost their captive hung down, and in the center was a blood-red bead; Song Jian stepped forward, picking up this blood-red bead and taking a closer look, only to find that it was another augmentation equipment; Puppet Armor (Blue), external augmentation equipment, installation location: skin; equipment effect: This item can merge with the user, enhancing the users physical condition; after integration, Physique +5, Strength +3; special effect: Covers the bodys surface with a layer of blood and flesh armor, increasing overall defense by 80%, Vitality Points +200, Vitality Points recovery speed increased by 40%, this effect lasts for 5 minutes, and can only be used once within 6 hours; item description: This item contains the evil remnant soul of the fallen Puppet Beast, Hesmanth, once merged with the user, the evil soul of Hesmanth may corrupt the users soul, with a chance of turning the user into an Abyss creature! When Song Jian saw the items attribute description, he couldnt help but reveal a delighted smile on his face. This attribute could be fully comparable to a silver quality equipment. However, when he saw the items description, his face immediately darkened; No wonder its only a blue-quality equipment. Without Hesmanths evil soul, Im afraid this equipment would be at least silver-grade! Song Jian thought to himself with a touch of regret. Regardless of silver quality, gold quality, epic quality, or even legendary quality, with such major side effects, Song Jian would never consider using this item. After the new version, players can change their profession to an Abyss profession, or even directly change to an Abyss attribute. If I encounter such a player, I might be able to sell this thing for a good price. Song Jian held the red Blood Bead, pondering in his heart. Putting the item in his inventory, Song Jian strode towards the outside of the floating base; By the time he arrived at the nearest passage to the bases foundation, he realized that a large hole had been blown open below the floating base. Those three people must have entered from here, Song Jian thought to himself. At that time, the entire floating base shook, and Song Jian had thought it was due to a problem with the floating system, not suspecting that it was these three guys who had blasted an entrance; With the Wings of Steel unfolded, Song Jian flew down; At this moment, he was worried for Anna, unsure if she had encountered the fleeing player. Although Anna was an epic profession, she didnt have many offensive skills. If she really encountered the escapee, Eagle Fly, she would likely be caught in a few encounters; Fortunately, when Song Jian came down from the floating base, he saw Anna emerging from behind a rock and cheering, running towards him; Song Jians heart was instantly relieved. He quickly held Anna and asked, Anna, did you see anyone coming out of the floating base? I did, Anna nodded, Just now, three people blew open the floating base, but about ten minutes ago, only one person ran out from inside. He looked like he was being chased by something behind him and appeared rather disheveled. Song Jian nodded, took out the flower of the Life Vine from his inventory, and handed it to Anna, saying, This is the flower of the Life Vine. Annas face lit up with joy as she reached out to take it, gratefully saying to Song Jian, Song Jian, Im really, really grateful to you. System: You have completed the fourth part of the Epic-Level mission, gaining Annas gratitude. Your intimacy with Anna has increased to worship! System: You may attempt to recruit Anna Katerina as your Follower; since you already have one Follower, you will need to pay the price of a permanent decrease in your highest attribute point if you wish to recruit Anna Katerina as a Follower; System: After detection, the game character Anna Katerina is an important figure related to the games story and progress, and players cannot recruit her as a Follower; System: Epic-Level mission, The Birth of Queen Katerina complete, your mission rewards will be issued once you return to the City of Sin! A series of drip drip drip system notification sounds filled Song Jians ears, with a waterfall of information displayed in his info bar. First, Song Jians relationship with Anna leveled up to worship, which meant that Anna fully trusted Song Jian, likely considering him as her closest person, which met the players recruitment conditions; Since Song Jian had previously recruited a Knight of Dawn, Ya, as his Follower, although Ya was tricked away by the female Priest, his Followers quota still occupied; If Song Jian wanted to recruit a second Follower, he would need to pay the price of a permanent loss of one highest attribute point. Now, Song Jians highest attribute point was in Strength, followed by Agility. If he could really recruit Anna as his Follower, Song Jian wouldnt be stingy with his attribute points. After all, Anna was an Epic-level profession, a Life Priest, and also possessed the Resurrection Skill, which was a divine skill for the current players. Spending an attribute point to have her as a Follower was definitely worth it for Song Jian; However, the subsequent system notice quickly extinguished Song Jians eager thoughts to recruit, as Anna was involved in the games story direction. He knew this, but he didnt expect her status to be so important that even recruiting her as a Follower was outright denied by the game. Whats more important was that the mystery of this chain of missions Song Jian had been doing was finally revealed; Song Jian looked at Anna in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that the slightly dazed and clumsy girl in front of him would grow up to be a queen. Looking at Annas dazed face, Song Jian pointed at the flower in her hand and said, You should need a quiet illusion to advance, so why not do it in this instance? I think this is the quietest and safest place now. Where else could be safer than an instance? Song Jian didnt believe that another group of people would break in. The chances of such a continuous invasion were slim, almost negligible. In addition, dont forget that Song Jian was no pushover. If they happened to fight, Song Jians current damage could be on par with that of a First Order Combat Power expert. Then.. then wait for me. It might.. it might take some time! After glancing at Song Jian, Anna carefully held the flower and walked over to a rock and sat down; With her eyes closed, Anna began chanting a ballad. Song Jian was stunned, realizing that the ballad Anna was chanting was exactly the same as the one sung by the Life Vine when it was ending its life and condensing the Seed of Life. Soon, the purple-red flower in Annas hand slowly glowed, and the petals began to disintegrate one by one, turning into fine, sandy specks of light and floating away. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 615: The Flying Eagle Chapter 615: The Flying Eagle The flower of the Life Vine took more than an hour to completely decompose into tiny specks of light, all of which seeped into Annas body. The singing stopped. Anna looked tired but joy was reflected in her radiant eyes, affirming her successful healing session. At Annas feet, a green halo appeared and expanded from under her feet, radiating like ripples in the water. As Anna stood up, she waved her hand and a white light fell on Song Jian, instantly sweeping away the injuries and mental fatigue he sustained from the previous battle. Song Jian looked at Anna in surprise. Her ability to restore his Vitality Points and Spirit Points was not surprising. However, the fact that she could eliminate mental fatigue stunned him. Mental fatigue is a similar to a value of exhaustion, which slowly accumulates whether through battling or other activities. Once it reaches a certain level, it impacts ones health and can only be eliminated through means such as sleep or meditation; If fatigue could be removed, Song Jian could actually battle non-stop twenty-four hours a day. Thank you, Anna! Song Jian smiled with a touch of regret in his heart, It is a pity that I couldnt recruit you as my follower. Dont mention it! Anna replied with a radiant smile. Anna, what is your profession now? Song Jian asked curiously. After Annas upgrade, her attributes had been completely hidden. From his perspective, apart from her name, all he could see were question marks; I have been promoted to the legendary occupation of Life Guardian. Unfortunately, this occupation has reached its peak at the legendary level and cannot be further enhanced. There was a hint of disappointment in Annas eyes, but it quickly disappeared and she said with a smile of joy, However, I now have the ability to fight. If similar situations occur in the future, even if Im alone, I can complete them! Song Jian nodded and the two walked towards the exit of the instance run; To enter the Mysterious Garden instance run, one needs to activate a seed. But to leave, no such object is required. When they arrived at the entrance platform, a light door already existed there, waiting for them to exit. As he looked at the light door, Song Jian thought, If only it could transport me back to Doomsday City. Without the Concealment Ring, Song Jian could no longer enter Doomsday City through the Protection Black Mist. Moreover, there was no Teleportation Array in Doomsday City, so if he wanted to return, he had to use the spot-teleportation technique. There is a distinction in the spot-teleportation, mainly in terms of success rate. Simple spot-teleportation has at best a 50% success rate. The more reliable the spot-teleportation, the more valuable it is. The most advanced technique in the City of Sin could reach a success rate of 89%. If push comes to shove, Ill have to ask Anna for a spot-teleportation device! thought Song Jian in his heart. Spot-teleportation is somewhat dangerous. Not only is the success rate variable, but the so-called spot it refers to is only a designated area. I cant guarantee that the destination after teleportation is safe. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If he had the choice, Song Jian wouldnt want to use it. The safest and quickest method would be like the light door in front of him, a product of the system, ensured to be good quality. Song Jian and Anna entered the light door one after another, leaving the instance run. The scenery blurred. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing in front of the stone door in the valley. At this moment, Kane, along with a big group of his people from the Blackhoof Tribe, stood in front of the instance run door as if they were waiting for something. Seeing Song Jian coming out, Kane breathed a sigh of relief, looking as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Song Jian, are you alright? Kane walked up to him, gave him a heavy hug, patted his shoulder and asked. Im okay, there were three rat-men who broke in. Two were killed by me, and one escaped, Song Jian laughed, But we achieved our goal. Anna has successfully advanced to the legendary profession, the Life Guardian. What, a Legendary profession? Kane was shocked. In the hundreds of years history of the Blackhoof Tribe, only one Epic level professional has ever appeared. The legendary profession, to them, was akin to a deitys spokesperson on earth. There was a buzz of discussion among the Minotaurs behind Kane, all their eyes filled with awe as they looked at Anna. Oh, right, why are you all standing here? Song Jian asked curiously. There was a much larger group sending him off into the instance run this time than the last, with more than a hundred Minotaur warriors gathered. They all had stern expressions and weapons in their hands as if preparing for a battle. The three rat-men you mentioned used an evil spell to break the taboo of the secret land gate, killing some of our tribesmen, said Kane solemnly. We detected this and called our warriors here to investigate! We were lucky. After arriving here, we caught the man who escaped from the secret land. He must be the one that got away that you mentioned, Kane said gravely. Bring that guy over! Soon, under the escort of four Minotaurs, an eagle took flight. Looking at Song Jian and Anna, the eagles face showed despair: I didnt expect even Eagle-Yang to be no match for you Song Jian gave the eagle a cold glance. This creature was capable of summoning abyssal demons. Although they were just the lowest ranked demons, possessing such abilities still made it an elite among average players. Song Jian nodded and said, These were the three. I killed his two partners. As for this one, Ill leave him to you. Kane looked at the eagle with cold eyes, cracked a smile and said, They used the blood and lives of our tribesmen for their evil ceremony. We will do the same with their blood and lives to give our people peace. Take him away, and we will hold a sky worship ceremony in a few days to let the spirits of our tribesmen rest. Upon hearing the words sky worship ceremony, the eagle showed a look of horror and despair, struggling violently, No, no, kill me now, kill me now, ah~ Seeing the fear in the eyes of the eagle and its futile struggle, it was clear that it knew about the content of the sky worship ceremony, which was not a very friendly or even a bloody event for the one being sacrificed. Song Jian didnt bother with him. He was about to return to the Blackhoof tribe with Kane when suddenly a shining point of light appeared in the sky and quickly flew towards them, crashing down into the valley like a shooting star; Its an urgent message from the City Lord Mansion! Anna looked up at the light and showed a serious expression, This kind of communication is only used when an emergency occurs. Something important must have happened in the City Lord Mansion. The light soon flew to Anna, floating in front of her, and countless particles of light dispersed in all directions. An anxious voice echoed in the air; Anna, the City Lords health is deteriorating rapidly. You must rush back to the City Lord Mansion as soon as possible! Chapter 616: Return to the City Chapter 616: Return to the City In the radiant orb, Suravis anxious voice could be heard. Anna was greatly alarmed, her face instantly turning pale, and her body tottering as if she was set to faint any moment. How could this be Anna muttered to herself, her entire body shaking slightly. The communication sphere quickly disappeared, and Anna was so anxious that tears were rolling in her eyes; Song Jian, we As Anna grabbed Song Jians sleeve and was about to speak, tears began to uncontrollably trickle down her face. I understand. Song Jian consoled her, patting her shoulder. Kane, Im sorry, we cant go to the Blackhoof Tribe anymore, we need to hurry back to the City of Sin. Song Jian said, looking at Kane. I understand, do you need any help with transportation? With our tribes Kodo beasts, you could return to the City of Sin in half a day. Kane responded. Ordinary mounts were unable to enter Thunder Beast Mountain. Previously, the soldiers of the City of Sin only escorted the two to the foot of Thunder Beast Mountain. Ordinary warhorses found it near impossible to advance in Thunder Beast Mountain and were easily targeted by beasts, attracting unwanted trouble. On the other hand, the Kodo beasts raised by the Blackhoof Tribe were naturally strong creatures. After being tamed by the Tauren of the Blackhoof Tribe, they became docile and incredibly speedy, navigating through Thunder Beast Mountain as though it was flat ground. Thank you, but that wont be necessary. Song Jian responded, and summoned the Black Dragon without further ado; The magic of the Pet Space was that no matter how wounded a combat pet was, it could quickly recover. As soon as the Black Dragon emerged from the Pet Space, it spread its wings and flew into midair, letting out a dragons roar. Get down, you fool! Song Jian scolded. The once proud Black Dragon immediately stiffened, obediently descended, and lay on the ground, letting out pleasing purrs; Its its a Giant Dragon! The members of the Blackhoof Tribe let out a gasp, retreating as their faces bore expressions of terror. In the game, a Giant Dragon was at the top of the food chain. Even a young ones faint Dragon Might was unbearable for the members of the Blackhoof Tribe. A relieved expression appeared on Kanes face. He had already known that Song Jian possessed a Giant Dragon as a combat pet from their encounter at Dark Castle. This second encounter only increased his awe of Song Jians fortunes. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Anna, lets go! Song Jian picked up Anna and leaped towards the back of the Black Dragon; After giving the Black Dragons head a pat, Song Jian commanded, Lets go back to the City of Sin! The Black Dragon lifted its head and rose to its feet. With a few beats of its wings, a gust of wind swept up, and the Black Dragon launched its massive body into the sky; A Giant Giant Dragon, a living, breathing Giant Dragon! An elder from the Blackhoof Tribe sighed in amazement after the Black Dragon had disappeared into a tiny dot in the sky. Its just a young dragon, but you can already sense the immense power emanating from it. This dragon has a pure lineage and might grow into an Ancient Giant Dragon in the future! Another elder lamented nostalgically, In the old days, there used to be a Dragon Knight in the Blackhoof Tribe Chief Kane, this god-blessed friend of yours is really extraordinary. You should interact with him more often Yes, indeed, this young friend called Song Jian is not only able to control a Giant Dragon, it seems he has a good relationship with the City of Sins City Lord Mansion. We are not far from the City of Sin and our relationship with them has always been delicate. Our tribe often needs to trade in the city and having a good relationship with him might make it easier for us Blackhoof Tribespeople to go to the City of Sin in the future. Kane didnt respond, but deep inside, he held even more respect for Song Jian; The Black Dragon flew at an extremely fast speed. In a little over an hour, they could already see the towering walls of the City of Sin. Should we land here, or fly directly in? Song Jian asked. The Black Dragon made a huge commotion and flying directly into the city would likely cause panic. Furthermore, Song Jian did not want others to know that he had a Black Dragon as a combat pet. After all, there were a lot of players in the City of Sin. Fly directly to the City Lord Mansion, Song Jian. Im worried about my uncle! Anna said pitifully, clutching Song Jians sleeve as though she was about to cry any moment; Song Jian nodded and, without any hesitation, steered the Black Dragon towards the City of Sin; The soldiers on the walls of the City of Sin noticed a Black Dragon flying towards them from afar, and their faces paled with fear. Most of these soldiers were NPCs, with a minority being players who had joined the city defense force for patrol quests; Upon seeing the Black Dragon, the soldiers went pale, their eyes filled with despair. Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Ring the alarm bell, we need reinforcements! A player bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, managing to snap himself out of shock and immediately began to howl for backup; At this, the other soldiers finally came to their senses. Some shouted about the enemy attack and aimed their bows and arrows at the Black Dragon, while others ran into the guard towers; In no time at all, the alarm bells tolled and alert beacons lit up one after the other, exploded into a giant red fireball in the sky, glowing brightly. Seeing the commotion below on the city walls, Song Jian forced a bitter smile. But, he had no time to worry about that and flew directly towards the City Lord Mansion; As they approached the City Lord Mansion, a voice sternly demanded, Who goes there, daring to cause trouble in the City of Sin? Are you not afraid of being wanted across the entire continent! Uncle Suravi, its me, Anna! Anna shouted from atop the Black Dragons back; Suravi was currently in the air, using a levitation spell. Even though he looked stern, his palms were drenched with cold sweat. Seeing Anna, Suravi immediately let out a sigh of relief. When he saw Song Jian, standing atop the Black Dragon, his eyes filled with astonishment. Anna, lets go down. Controlling the Black Dragon, Song Jian slowly descended onto the plaza in front of the City Lord Mansion. After patting the Black Dragons head which had nuzzled against him, Song Jian stored the Black Dragon back into the Pet Space. Uncle Suravi, what happened to my uncle? Anna ran forward anxiously to ask. The City Lord was perfectly fine initially, but for some reason, he suddenly fainted in the backyard at noon, and his vitality is rapidly declining Suravi replied, his brows knitted together and his face filled with worry. Quickly, take me to see him! Anna dragged Suravi by his hand as both of them swiftly walked towards the City Lord Mansion; Chapter 617: 617: City Lord Seal Chapter 617: City Lord Seal Anna looked at the city lord on the sickbed, who seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably; Uncle~ A brilliant golden light burst from Annas body, and behind her, a tall goddess phantom with a kind smile on her face appeared, looking down at the city lord on the sickbed. The goddess phantom bent down, gently touched the city lords forehead with her finger, and then let out a sigh. The entire phantom broke apart, turning into countless shimmering light spots scattered over the sickbed. Annas face suddenly turned pale as snow as her body weakened. As she was about to fall to the ground, Song Jian caught her and gently placed her in a chair nearby. Sigh of the Life Goddess~ Song Jian stared in disbelief. He had heard from Anna that the cooldown time of this skill was extremely long and that it could only be used once a month. It consumed all the users spirit and locked the users Vitality Points to a tenth of their original value, only able to recover after a month; sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Despite its great consumption, the power of this skill was astonishing, healing any injuries as long as the target still had a breath in them, even if the person was just a severed limb or a head. It could heal them back to a complete body. Moreover, this skill could remove any toxins, curses, diseases, and other negative effects. No matter how powerful, they could all be dispelled; It could be said that this was an epic skill, second only to the Resurrection Skill. Anna was so anxious about the city lords condition that she went all out from the start. As the city lord lay in bed, his face gradually turned ruddy, breathing heavier, eyelashes twitching, looking like he was about to wake up soon. City Lord, City Lord? Suravi quickly leaned in close to the city lords ear, calling out softly. Song Jian stared at the city lord, carefully observing him. Although Annas previous skill completely restored the city lords condition, Song Jians eyes saw that the city lords upper limit of Vitality Points was constantly decreasing, already more than halving since he first saw the city lord. This was the upper limit of Vitality Points. Once the upper limit hit zero, no matter how powerful the recovery skill was, it couldnt save him. Suravi, what is happening to me? The city lord opened his eyes, stared at Suravi right before him, and looked weak. My Lord, you fainted. Fortunately, Miss Anna arrived in time and saved you, Suravi whispered. Anna, that child The city lords lips lifted a little, they looked to see Anna sitting weakly in a chair, her face showing a loving expression. City Lord, you should rest. We wont disturb you further! Suravi pulled the blanket up slightly on the city lord and whispered. No, Suravi, gather the ministers. I need to announce my successor! The city lord slowly sat up, speaking determinedly. My Lord, your current condition? Suravi sighed worriedly. Although the city lords face was currently rosy, looking as if she had recovered, Suravi could keenly sense that the city lords life force was gradually weakening. Call everyone here. I want to appoint Anna as the heir to the throne of the City of Sin! The city lord whispered in a low voice, Suravi, I hope you can assist Anna just like you assisted me. She needs you! My Lord, I I understand, Suravi choked and quickly left the room. Anna, come here! Seeing Suravi leave, the city lord glanced at Song Jian. His eyes were sharp like an eagles, seemingly scrutinizing, but Song Jian was unfazed, calmly looking back into the city lords eyes. The city lord smiled faintly and no longer paid attention to Song Jian, turning his head to signal Anna to his bedside; Anna leaned against the bed and couldnt help but embrace the city lord, sobbing loudly; The city lord sighed softly, stroking Annas hair, and whispered in a low voice, Silly child, you cant always cry like this after becoming the city lord. I really had no choice but to force this burden on you. I am sorry Anna, extremely sensitive to life force, had felt long ago that the city lords life force was weakening, even though Suravi could only just sense it. However, she was powerless to do anything, as his life force was naturally decaying. It wasnt a disease or an injury C it was as if a persons life had reached its end, having exhausted their life potential. Uncle, I I cant do it Anna cried out loud; The city lord sighed and fell silent, waiting for Anna to express her grief; After a long time, Anna finally quieted down a bit, and continued to sob. The city lord then spoke, Your brothers have all been killed by the Blood Queen. The hatred of the entire Sakel Family must be borne by you. It is your responsibility! No matter how long it takes, you must kill the Blood Queen! A pained expression flashed across the city lords eyes. He and the Blood Queen had been husband and wife for almost three years, and some affection still lingered in his heart. However, the Blood Queens actions were too cruel; after her failure and escape, she had killed all his offspring. This complexity in the city lords feelings for the Blood Queen made things complicated. However, for the sake of the Sakel Family, the Blood Queen must be killed! I understand, uncle! Anna agreed while sobbing; At this moment, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from outside the room, showing that all summoned ministers had already arrived at the City Lord Mansion. Also the city lord lowered his voice and whispered in Annas ear, You can trust Suravi, but you must kill the Dean of the Institute, Bonis. Only by killing him can you control the Institute yourself. The City Lord Mansions guards and the Institute must be firmly controlled by you, so you can become a true city lord! Anna was astonished, seemingly wanting to say something. However, she eventually just nodded vigorously; Good girl! The city lord revealed a relieved smile, took a trembling hand from his breast and pulled out a gold seal, handing it to Anna, Drip your blood onto it, and from then on, this City Lord seal will be bound to your soul, and you will have control over everything in the city! Seeing the City Lord seal, a thought crossed Song Jians mind. This seal represented the power to control an entire city. He already had ambitions of taking over Doomsday City entirely, so now was the perfect time to gain more experience in this area. In the future, I will definitely have a City Lord seal of my own! Song Jian thought to himself. Being away from Doomsday City for so long, Song Jian wondered how things were progressing, an intense yearning filled his heart. Anna took the heavy City Lord seal, bit her fingertip, and dripped a drop of blood onto it. Instantly, the City Lord seal emitted a dazzling light, and the whole room was enveloped in golden light. At that moment, a tumultuous clamor of argument came from outside the room. The city lord glanced towards the door, a hint of coldness flickering at the corners of his mouth. Chapter 618: 618: Acting City Lord Chapter 618: Acting City Lord Outside the City Lords sickroom, several key ministers of the City of Sin had already been summoned; The City Lord fainted suddenly in the backyard, such a thing could not be concealed for long. Those present exchanged glances, speculating that the City Lords health was likely in serious trouble. Some were worried, some delighted, and some simply watched coolly. Yet none showed their actual emotions, maintaining a business-as-usual demeanor. Suravi, do you know why the City Lord has gathered us all here? Is there something he wishes to announce? a stout middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit and glasses asked softly. Dean, please calm down. The City Lord does indeed have an important announcement to make, which is why I called you all here, Suravi replied quietly after giving him a glance. Is the City Lord intending to name a successor? Haha. 2019Dean, watch your tongue. Such words shouldnt be coming from you. The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses and smiled but spoke no more. This man was the Dean of the Institute of Scientific Research, Bonis. Despite the City Lords illness and the Blood Queens aggressive courting of influence, the Institute remained neutral. It seemed to be loyal to the City Lord Mansion, but in reality, Bonis had even deeper plans. After they waited for a while, a dazzling golden light suddenly emanated from the City Lords sickroom at the Mansion. Everyone was stunned, and a look of surprise flashed across Bonis face, which quickly turned to anger. How how can this be? How can he Bonis roared, his face flushed with rage. How can the City Lord pass on the City Lord Seal unofficially? That goes against the constitutional laws of the City of Sin! There must be a majority of us present in agreement for the City Lord to confer the seal onto someone else! Oh, Bonis, getting upset that the City Lord isnt passing the City Lord seal to you? A man dressed in black armor sneered. Dont forget, the City Lord seal will only pass within the line of the City Lord, as stipulated by the constitution of the City of Sin. You neednt harbor such wild fantasies. Without the consent of over half the Executive Ministers, this does not count. The City Lord seal must be reclaimed and Bonis face turned sullen and his mind was thrown into disarray. Fine, lets vote on the City Lords intentions here and now. Regardless of who the Lord confers the seal to, I will vote in favor. How about you all?! The man in black armor slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and shouted. Im in favor. Suravi looked at Bonis with a smile, then turned her gaze to other Executive Ministers. A few ministers ignored them, gazing up at the sky, while others furrowed their brows, seemingly weighing their thoughts. I agree! Im in favor! Agree Eventually, a few more voices expressed their agreement, but at least two-thirds of the Executive Ministers did not immediately speak up. This was certainly not a formal occasion, especially given that the City Lord was not present. It seemed rash to vote in such circumstances. Those of you who havent spoken, what is it? Do you harbor the same thoughts as Bonis? The man in the black armor turned towards the remaining silent ministers, his face was full of hostility. Adela, what are you trying to do, are you trying to force the other ministers? Bonis stood up abruptly, a savage, beast-like power radiating from him as his eyes glowed with a vengeful blood-red light. Adela was the commander of another legion in the City of Sin. His regular duty was to eliminate all monsters within the City of Sin and expand its sphere of influence. Ever since the City Lord had recovered from his poisoning, he had been urgently summoned back. Collectively, the Mansion Guard and his legion accounted for over eighty percent of the entire military strength of the City of Sin. At that moment, a deep voice from the City Lord came from the sickroom. Everyone get in here! What are you grumbling about outside? S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At the City Lords call, everyone fell silent. Some of the ministers looked surprised. City Lord! The ministers saluted towards the sickroom door. Then the door opened, and they walked in one by one. The City Lord was propped up by Anna, sitting up against his pillow and covered with a brocade blanket. He seemed frail, but showed no sign of illness on his face. His eyes were shockingly bright. Even though he was sitting on his sickbed, he seemed to be sitting in the City Lords seat in the City Lord Mansions meeting hall. There was no trace of his illness. Imposing even when ailing, the City Lord squinted at the assembled individuals. What were you arguing about just now? he asked. City Lord, Bonis is initiating a revolt! Adela burst out. Everyone looked at Adela in surprise as Bonis, seething with rage, pointed at Adela, unable to speak. Adela, what nonsense are you spouting? Are you looking to be stationed at the Dark Forest? The City Lord snorted coldly, shooting Adela a fierce glance. I wouldnt dare, my Lord! Adela trembled, hastily gesturing denial. The Dark Forest is no place for people. Just breathing the air there made me feel like I was turning into a shadow creature myself. Hmph, then next time, remember to watch your mouth! The City Lord huffed, before turning to the others. I summoned you all here to announce something. The heir to the City of Sin will henceforth be Anna. Remember to assist her accordingly. Having said that, the City Lord, with the steely expression of a beast, watched the faces of the gathering, waiting for their reactions. Bonis shivered slightly, adjusted his glasses, and looked incredibly gloomy. He glanced at an Executive Minister standing next to him but said nothing. The minister Bonis glanced at hesitated, appearing as though he wanted to speak, but suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness sweeping over him, as if he was under the gaze of a beast ready to pounce and tear him apart if he dared utter a word. Shivering, the minister broke into a cold sweat, lowered his head, and dared not say one word further. The City Lord fixed his gaze on several other ministers who had not yet spoken, and not a single person dared to open their mouth again. The overwhelming atmosphere enveloped the entire room. Even Suravi started to feel anxious. What is the true state of the City Lords health? Is he faking his illness to deceive us? The same question arose in almost everyones minds. The City Lords comportment wasnt at all reflective of a dying patient. Since no one objects, then let it be so. I have handed over the City Lord seal to Anna. While I am ill, Anna will act as the City Lord. All matters are to be reported to her. The City Lord swept everyone with his gaze, gave a satisfied nod and said. Alright, you all may leave now. Suravi, stay. The City Lord closed his eyes and said leisurely. Chapter 619: 619: Level 6 Manor Chapter 619: Level 6 Manor Everything that happened in the sickroom, Song Jian had been a bystander, not speaking a word, but he was also shocked in his heart. He knew that the City Lords life was constantly being consumed, and this was the loss of life energy, something no treatment could mend. To remedy this situation, perhaps only the Goddess of Life herself could intervene and make up for the City Lords loss of potential life. However, even so, the City Lord still managed to deter all the high-level members of the City of Sin with his residual power. When he opened his mouth and made decisions, no one dared to object. It could be imagined that in the City of Sin, as long as the City Lord was there for even a day, no one would dare to have any strange thoughts. The City Lord gave a few more instructions to Anna and Suravi, and then went to sleep. He did not ask Song Jian to avoid these matters, nor deliberately ask for his opinion, as if he didnt exist. Song Jian knew that although he was a Viscount of the City of Sin, such a status would not be worthy of the City Lords attention. The reason he could stay here was still because of Anna. Perhaps he already sees me as a similar character to Suravi, Song Jian thought to himself. In the following days, Anna had been staying in the City Lord Mansion. After casting Sigh of the Goddess of Life, Anna was now in the most vulnerable state. Besides being able to cast a few healing spells every day, she had no self-defense capabilities; The City Lord Mansion was the safest place in the entire City of Sin, and Anna didnt have to worry about herself here. During these days, Anna had started to get involved in the City of Sins government affairs. Under Suravis assistance, Anna methodically undertook all the responsibilities and power of the City Lord, and things were slowly and steadily transitioning. All of this was actually because the City Lord was backing her. Although his vitality points were decreasing day by day, and he was becoming more and more haggard, as long as he was there for a day, the City of Sin would be stable for a day. In this short period of time, Anna had to grow rapidly. In these many days, Song Jian also didnt sit idle. He borrowed all the books about Magic Rune Arrays in the City Lord Mansion and studied them carefully. His Magic Rune Array skill was rapidly improving; A week later, Song Jian had finished reading all the books about Magic Rune Arrays, and his Magic Rune Array skill had been raised to Level 7, even able to set up some simple Magic Rune Arrays now. On this day, Song Jian left the City Lord Mansion and returned to his own Viscount Mansion. As soon as he entered the gate, Suoen immediately came to meet him; My lord, youre finally back. A smile appeared on Suoens fuzzy face, seemingly very excited. Suoen, have you completed the task I assigned to you? Song Jian looked at Suoen and asked with interest. Yes, my lord. The materials you ordered to buy were really hard to find. I went to great lengths and asked many people to collect some. Suoen smiled and handed Song Jian a small bag; The bag was only palm-sized, light in the hand as if it had no weight at all, but Song Jian knew that this was a one-time storage bag. The magic materials he had ordered Suoen to buy for building the Transmission Array were all inside. Once the items were taken out of the bag, the storage bag would be scrapped and could no longer be used. However, even so, such a storage bag still sold for more than 100,000 Doomsday Coins, which was not something ordinary people could afford. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians spirit dove into the bag and carefully checked the magic materials. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, nodding and saying, Very good, Suoen, youve done a great job. Hearing the praise, Suoens face showed an embarrassed expression, and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart; This was the first thing Song Jian had arranged for him after he joined his service. If he hadnt satisfied Song Jian with this task, he might have been driven out of the Viscount Mansion. He was able to purchase these materials so smoothly on the black market this time, in part because of the contacts he had made previously, and also because everyone knew that he had joined a newly promoted Viscount of the City of Sin, and was now a popular figure. Some large businessmen who had previously disregarded Suoen now even actively contacted him and provided him with supplies, making it easier for him to handle this task. Now that he had the magic materials, he still needed to find a mage to build the Transmission Array. It should be known that with the current level of Song Jians Magic Rune Array, he could only set up a few small Magic Arrays at most. For a strategic Magic Array like the Transmission Array, one would need to have mastered the Magic Rune Array to be able to understand even the blueprint. Since the task was completed, Song Jian prepared to return to Doomsday City. After all, that was where his foundation lay. A few days later, Anna visited Song Jians Viscount Mansion; Song Jian, are you leaving the City of Sin? The first thing Anna asked when she saw Song Jian was. Ive been away from Doomsday City for too long; I should go back and check on it. Im a little worried! Song Jian spoke candidly. Ever since the cool-down time for the Territorial Expansion battle had been shortened in Doomsday City, there had been almost continuous warfare. During the days he was away, Song Jian learned through his communicator that his Manor Castle had been upgraded to Level 6, even having built a Warrior Camp. He now had more than 300 warriors, and although their levels were only in the teens, they could still be upgraded. Many players in the War Alliance used their Contribution Points to upgrade these warriors for their protection, as well as to increase the levels of the warriors recruited from the Warrior Camp, killing two birds with one stone. However, if these warriors were killed during the hiring process, a large number of Contribution Points would be deducted, and if this happened too often, it would even affect the players evaluation within the War Alliance. In the worst case, they would be kicked out of the War Alliance. Song Jian was already eager to see what his Level 6 Manor looked like; A Level 6 Manor has already reached the standard of upgrading to a City-Level Safe House, but to upgrade to a City-Level Safe House, special buildings need to be constructed first, and the Transmission Array is one of them, Song Jian thought. Song Jian, I heard that youve been collecting magic materials for building a Transmission Array recently. Is there anything I can help with? Anna asked. Song Jian was taken aback, but soon understood. Suoens actions in purchasing materials were too conspicuous and certainly reached the ears of the City Lord Mansion. After all, these materials were all strategic restricted materials. Furthermore, without the tacit consent of the City Lord Mansion, it was doubtful that those merchants would dare to openly sell these materials to Song Jian. Chapter 620: 620: Goblin Merchant Chapter 620: Goblin Merchant Looking at Annas sincere gaze, Song Jian chuckled and said, Ive nearly gathered all the materials. If Im able to build a Transmission Array in Doomsday City, Ill contact you at once. Then, you could also use the Transmission Array to travel to Doomsday City. I look forward to that day. Anna smiled and replied. Over the past week, Song Jian hardly saw Anna. Although she appeared the same as before, Song Jian noticed a hint of exhaustion deep in her eyes. If you ever need my help, dont hesitate to contact me. Ill come to your side as soon as possible. Song Jian looked at Anna and said softly. Upon hearing Song Jians promise, Annas eyes sparkled, and she revealed a sweet smile, nodding. Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon and climbed onto its back, heading towards Doomsday City. He had gained much from this trip. Not only had he obtained an entire set of level-30 epic gear, but he also obtained the title of Viscount in the City of Sin. Most importantly, his relationship with the future mistress of the City of Sin, Anna Katerina, had risen to the level of adoration. This was crucial for his future development, and even for Doomsday Citys future growth. With his position now, Song Jian was already actively participating in the games progress. Shes destined to become an Empress. With the chilly wind in the sky, Song Jian couldnt help but smile, feeling like hed hitched a ride on a rising star. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After several days, Song Jian finally arrived at the edge of the Black Mist that enshrouded Doomsday City. Looking from above, the entire region was covered in the mist, impenetrable, as high as dozens of feet, surrounding the city completely. Even the skies above Doomsday City were covered by an invisible dome. Without close inspection, it was hard to detect this layer of light. Furrowing his brows, Song Jian suspected the Black Mist wasnt naturally occurring C it seemed heavily man-made. He even vaguely sensed that it was actually a massive Magic Rune Array. But, with his current understanding of Magic Rune Arrays, he couldnt see any further clues C it was just a hunch. Song Jian mentally summoned a blood crow, instructing it to fly towards Doomsday City from above. As the blood crow neared the dome, it suddenly vanished. In his mind, the connection with the crow was abruptly severed. Song Jian had a solemn expression on his face. He had suspected that there would be certain defenses in the air preventing access to Doomsday City, but this sudden, silent disappearance sent chills down his spine. After observing for a while, Song Jian slowly landed the Black Dragon on a hill outside the Black Mist. Being unable to enter via the air and with dangerous monsters lurking within the Black Mist on the ground, Song Jian shifted his attention to the underground. However, after careful probing, a look of disappointment appeared on Song Jians face. It seemed like the places shrouded by the Black Mist had been dyed with an ink-like substance. He was sure that, no matter how deep he dug, he wouldnt be able to create a tunnel under Doomsday City through the ground. It seemed easy when the Dark Night Circus entered Doomsday City, but surprisingly Song Jian spoke with a bitter smile on his face. While Song Jian was at a loss, a Goblin suddenly appeared in the distance, riding a Thunder Lizard several times larger than himself. The Thunder Lizard was burdened down with goods, filling almost every spot on its body. Seeing Song Jian standing nearby, the Goblins eyes brightened, and he steered the Thunder Lizard towards Song Jian. Hey, my friend, it seems like you could use some help? The Goblin jumped off the Thunder Lizard, patting Song Jians knee as he convincingly said, I bet you could use my goods, theyre quite remarkable. Who knows, they might help you out. Of course, we can discuss the price. I can give you a 99.9% discount. Do you have anything that could help me pass through this Black Mist? Song Jian inquired, pointing to the rolling Black Mist. Pass through it? Why do you need anything special? Just walk straight through it. The goblin was puzzled and looked at Song Jian as if he were a fool. Song Jian was left speechless, and said, But there are many dangerous creatures inside Thats an entirely different problem. The Goblin chuckled, a scheming look in his eyes. So, how much do you want? Song Jian asked, resignedly. I could tell you a method to pass through the Black Mist freely, without any charge at all. The Goblin grinned widely at Song Jain. Song Jian shook his head and said, In this world, the most expensive things are those said to be free. Name your price. Is it ten thousand Doomsday Coins? Or a hundred thousand? Its genuinely free! The Goblin chuckled, rubbing his hands and responding, All I need is for you to provide me with a space in your Alliances settlement where I can set up a shop. Of course, Ill pay the monthly rent. Do you know who I am? Song Jian asked, a surprised look on his face. Of course, how could I not recognize the master of the City of Hope Alliance? Ive visited your Alliances territories countless times. If I want to make a living on your grounds, how could I not know whos in charge? The Goblins face broke into a flattering smile, You just dont recognize me, thats all. Alright, as long as you can tell me, how to safely enter and exit the Black Mist, Ill give you a shop. The area should not exceed one hundred square meters. Song Jian generously offered. In the past few months, although he had been briefed on the progress of the Alliance, he didnt have a specific understanding of it. He didnt know that in the City of Hope Alliance, a shop was like a golden goose. Even if people were waving cash to rent, it was impossible to secure a spot, let alone buy one. What, youre giving me a shop of one hundred square meters? The Goblins eyes widened disbelievingly, You are the great master of the City of Hope Alliance, you cant deceive a small Goblin like me! Its just a shop, no big deal. Why would I need to deceive you? Song Jian chuckled at the absurdity. As his territory expanded, what seemed to be a precious shop to others wasnt worth much to him. But even so, when he returned to the territory of the Alliance and understood the value of retail space within his territory, he was filled with regret. The current price of the shops was at least ten times higher than what he had envisioned. My dear lord, you are indeed very generous. The Goblin was so excited that he was trembling slightly, on the verge of fainting, as he praised Song Jian with clasped hands. Enough, just tell me now, how do I safely pass through the Black Mist? Song Jian replied, shaking his head with a smile. The method to safely pass through this Black Mist is actually worth nothing. I will tell you now, my lord! The Goblin chortled, Actually, its like this Chapter 621: 621: Earth Spirit Bead Chapter 621: Earth Spirit Bead Song Jians eyes flickered as he saw thousands of Earth Elementals within the Protection Black Mist, as well as Earth Elemental Bosses with tier one combat power, and even a Giant Earth Elemental Dragon sleeping inside? How is it possible? How did they appear here and why? Song Jian asked in astonishment. Alliance Leader, you may not know that this black mist is actually a huge magic rune array, serving as the defense array for this city. These Earth Elementals are the guardian spirits of the city. As for the Earth Elemental Giant Dragon, it is actually just a Dragon Soul. The powerful creator of this magic rune array forcibly extracted the soul from a Giant Earth Dragon and integrated it into the array to become the arrays spirit! the Goblin explained. Song Jian was dumbfounded. This information was simply shocking. The person capable of creating this magic rune array was a figure so high above that Song Jian could only see their back. Its simply unbelievable! Song Jian shook his head and sighed. Yeah, the original owner of this city was one of the most powerful figures on the entire continent. But for some unknown reason, they left the city they personally built. As a result, the city was abandoned and eventually became a paradise for monsters, the Goblin lamented. Back then, this city was the most bustling city in the world. Its a pity, sigh. Alright, tell me how to get in first, Song Jian asked after a long silence. Its simple. As long as you have an item containing Earth Elemental energy, you can safely enter and exit the black mist. The Earth Elementals inside will not attack you as long as they sense the Earth Elemental aura on you, the Goblin explained, taking out a fist-sized stone ball from his pocket and showing it to Song Jian. This is an Earth Spirit Bead. Wear it, and your aura will be covered by Earth Elemental energy. The higher the grade of the Earth Spirit Bead, the greater the area it covers. This one can cover a radius of six meters, enough for me and my Thunder Lizard to pass through freely. If its any bigger, it wont work. Once youre outside the coverage of the Earth Spirit Bead, the guards inside will initiate an attack. Song Jian nodded. The function of the Earth Spirit Bead was similar to that of the Concealment Ring. The Concealment Ring would mask all auras, making it seem invisible, while the Earth Spirit Bead would cover ones aura with Earth Elemental energy, causing the Earth Elementals to mistake them for their kind. Though the items were different, their principles and effects were similar. How much for this Earth Spirit Bead? Ill buy it! Song Jian said. Sorry, I only have this one. If I dont have it, I wont be able to enter and leave this city freely in the future. So I cant sell it to you, the Goblin shook his head and said. Besides, I cant take you in. The Thunder Lizards size is too large. If I bring you along, our aura may be easily exposed, which is too dangerous. This Earth Spirit Bead was actually a treasure passed down through the Goblins family for hundreds of years. It was thanks to this bead that the Goblins family had been able to travel between Doomsday City and the City of Hope, engaging in smuggling activities for a long time, though Doomsday City had not been called by that name in the beginning. After the monsters occupied the city, the Goblins family gradually declined. It wasnt until the recent arrival of the chosen ones that the Goblin saw a business opportunity, took out the Earth Spirit Bead, and resumed the smuggling business of their ancestors. If I cant go back, then I wont be able to give you the shop. After all, the transfer procedures for the shop must be personally approved by me, Song Jian smiled and said. Goblin: Alliance Leader, rest assured, since Ive told you this method, I will naturally help you obtain an Earth Spirit Bead, the Goblin hurriedly said. Since this magic rune array contains rich Earth Elemental energy, many Earth Elementals have been bred around it. By killing these Earth Elementals, you may potentially obtain Earth Spirit Beads. You mean, you want me to kill these Earth Elementals to get an Earth Spirit Bead? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked. Yes, you can go and kill these Earth Elementals. They are all level 30 monsters and shouldnt be too difficult for you, the Goblin nodded and said. This Goblin was already at level 35, but his combat abilities were extremely poor. The skills he usually learned were mostly related to concealment, escape, and business. It could be said that he had no combat power at all. You dont have any combat power, yet you dare to venture alone into Doomsday City for trade? Song Jian looked at him with a surprised expression. It was well known that the outside world in the game was a hundred or even a thousand times more dangerous than the cities. Goblins were also one of the most timid races. Could it be that this Goblin was a rare talent with astounding courage among the Goblin race? Hehe, my Thunder Lizard will eliminate anyone who has ill intentions towards me! The Goblin patted his mount with a smile on his face. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thunder Lizard? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. It was at this moment that he noticed the huge Thunder Lizard was actually an elite Boss with tier one combat power and had reached level 35. Song Jian nodded slightly. A level 35 elite Boss with tier one combat power would be hard-pressed for nearby monsters to target. Alright, you go in first. Ill go get an Earth Spirit Bead. As for the shop, you can find me at the Alliance headquarters once I return, said Song Jian as he nodded and walked in the direction the Goblin pointed. Watching Song Jians figure disappear, the Goblin muttered to himself: Its extremely difficult for ordinary Earth Elementals to drop Earth Spirit Beads. The probability is perhaps one in ten thousand or even one in one hundred thousand. Only the Earth Elemental Lord Bosses with tier one combat power have a higher chance of dropping Earth Spirit Beads. However, even my Thunder Lizard is no match for them. Im afraid With some regret, the Goblin shook his head and thought, It seems that theres no hope for the City of Hope Alliances shop. If he finds out I didnt tell the truth, I wonder if hell ban me from entering his Alliance territory in the future. Id better sell off these goods as soon as possible and close up shop for a while to see how things turn out. Alas, business is getting harder and harder, the Goblin muttered to himself while riding the Thunder Lizard toward the rolling black mist. In no time, he vanished into the mist without a trace. Chapter 622: 622: The Lord of Earth Element Chapter 622: The Lord of Earth Element The location that the goblin mentioned was a marshland more than ten miles to the northeast. Within this marshland, besides countless soil elemental creatures, there was also a type of slime monster that gave Song Jian a big headache. The slime monsters level was slightly lower than the soil elementals, being only level twenty-eight. Its power was not strong, but the slime monster was like a puddle of mud, exuding a rotten stench of decayed food. Its attacks were splash attacks, spraying large clumps of foul-smelling mud from its mouth. The odor of the mud lingered no matter how much one washed, leaving a faint smell, which was a huge nuisance to Song Jian. Light Strike! Earth Teeth Assault! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon encountering such creatures, Song Jian would use abilities with a large attack range. He would kill the slime monsters before they could get close; this was the only way Song Jian found to get rid of the smelly odour. The nauseating stench of the slime monsters was headache-inducing, but the items they dropped after being killed were excellent. Sometimes they even dropped treasure chests of various qualities, ranging from broken to ordinary, complete, and exquisite. Different quality chests could contain equipment of varying qualities. Song Jian even opened a silver-quality single-handed axe from an exquisite chest. Naturally, he couldnt use such a weapon, but other players coveted silver-quality weapons. If he placed it in the auction house, it would be sold out instantly. There were a vast number of soil elemental monsters here, and their defenses were at least 30% higher than monsters of the same level. If one were not careful, they would provoke a large group of them. For players of slightly weaker strength, it was impossible to farm and level up here. Not only would their weapons be damaged, but attracting a large group of monsters could prove less efficient than farming somewhere else. However, this place was a leveling paradise for Song Jian. The defense of the soil elementals was nothing to him. Even if they were numerous, they couldnt pose a threat to him. In just one morning, Song Jians experience points increased by a third, which pleased him. He even felt the urge to stay here for a few more days to farm monsters and level up. However, what regretted Song Jian was that after killing hundreds of soil elementals and raising his experience points to level 29 and 34%, he hadnt obtained a single Earth Spirit Bead. According to the goblin merchant, the Earth Spirit Bead also had grades. The higher the grade of the Earth Spirit Bead, the more abundant the soil elements contained within, and the greater the range it could cover. Song Jian was intent on obtaining a high-quality Earth Spirit Bead that could shield the Black Dragon, which would then allow him to ride the dragon into the Protection Black Mist. Everyone knew that the area covered by the Protection Black Mist was substantial. Initially, it took him almost a day to walk out of the Protection Black Mist with the Shadow Circus Troupe. In the evening, after farming the soil elementals all day, Song Jian looked at the scattered rocks in the marsh and couldnt help frowning. Is the drop rate so low, or is that goblin merchant just cheating me? In a days time, Song Jian had killed at least two hundred soil elementals, and countless slime monsters. His experience points had risen to 49%, yet he still hadnt found a single Earth Spirit Bead. Just as Song Jian was hesitating, the marshland beneath his feet suddenly shook. At a distant part of the ground, a small hill suddenly rose from the ground as if it were a living being. Song Jian furrowed his eyebrows. This sudden hill gave him a dangerous vibe. Rumble~ Mud and water splashed everywhere, and a giant rock monster slowly stretched out its body. Song Jian stared at the rock monster in the distance, which looked like a small hill, with surprise. This was simply a larger version of the soil elementals. It stood over ten meters tall, its body composed of numerous rocks. Even the slightest movement it made caused a rumble noise. Soil Elemental Lord? A level thirty Boss? And its a Boss with level one combat power? Song Jian said, narrowing his eyes as the properties of this giant monster flashed in front of him. Human, you randomly kill my kin, are you declaring war against the mighty king of soil elementals? The giant Soil Elemental Lord uttered in a low voice, causing Song Jians head to buzz. After hearing the Soil Elemental Lords words, Song Jian finally understood why it had appeared. It seemed that he had farmed the soil elementals too egregiously today, which had provoked it. Damn, I was careless! Song Jian slapped his forehead, cursing under his breath. When he first started playing this game, Song Jian realized while leveling up by killing the games monsters, that farming monsters in one area for too long would provoke the Boss. But because he wanted to obtain an Earth Spirit Bead, Song Jian disregarded this unwritten rule of the game. He had farmed the soil elemental monsters for an entire day and ended up provoking the Soil Elemental Lord, Boss. Ordinary soil elemental monsters have a very low drop rate, I wonder if you, as a Boss, would drop an Earth Spirit Bead for me! Song Jian said to himself as he focused on the Soil Elemental Boss. Song Jians damage now could be on par with level one combat power. However, his other attributes couldnt match up to those possessing level one combat power. But Song Jian was not alone. With a thought, a dragons roar echoed across the world, and the Black Dragon, flapping its wings, appeared in mid-air. The Black Dragon was currently over six meters in length, but compared to the over ten-meter tall soil elemental, whether in terms of size or momentum, it was slightly deficient. Nevertheless, the Black Dragon continued to roar at the Soil Elemental Boss next to Song Jian, demonstrating a preparedness to fight. Dragon Clan, do you truly wish to make an enemy of the soil elementals? The Soil Elemental Lord bellowed upon seeing the Black Dragon. The Dragon Might of the Dragon Clan had almost no effect on elemental creatures. Therefore, the Soil Elemental Lord showed no signs of fear and instead seemed a little angry upon seeing the Black Dragons appearance. Song Jian couldnt care less. He summoned the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and rushed towards the Soil Elemental Lord. The Black Dragon flapped its wings and sprayed a hot Dragon Breath towards the Soil Elemental boss. The Soil Elemental Lord let out a roar of fury. It raised its hands towards the sky, and suddenly, a stone sphere more than one meter in diameter was formed and thrown towards the Black Dragon in the air. Song Jian showed a trace of a smile. The Soil Elemental Lord subconsciously considered the Black Dragon as the primary threat and ignored his existence. But this was normal. Regardless of size or level, the Black Dragon was much stronger than Song Jian, and to the Soil Elemental Lord, which already possessed level one combat power, only the Black Dragon, which had level one combat power, was qualified to be its opponent. Song Jian reached the foot of the Soil Elemental Lord and slashed his sword at its leg. A flash of golden light, and Song Jian felt as though hed met no resistance. His sword had effortlessly sliced through the Soil Elementals leg. The unique ability, Holy Sword, was activated from the first slash. This was a pleasant surprise. Boom! A section of the rock leg more than a meter long was directly severed and flew toward a nearby marsh pit. Suddenly, Song Jian felt himself swallowed by shadow. An angry roar echoed from above. Looking up, he saw the massive Soil Elemental Lord leaning towards him, like a person losing balance and falling over. Song Jians face changed drastically. His figure turned into a cloud of black mist, and with a dramatic increase in speed, he moved away. Chapter 623: 623: The Wrath of the Earth Chapter 623: The Wrath of the Earth The first strike activated the passive skill Holy Sword, which took Song Jian by surprise. The defense of the Earth Element Lord was several steps above the lesser earth element beasts he had faced before; its whole body was as tough as iron-like rock. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword struck against it, sparks flying, leaving only a faint mark. The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, having fused with two set swords, could deal damage comparable to an epic weapon. But Song Jians ordinary strikes could only cause two-digit damage to the Earth Element Lord. His ordinary sword skills could only cause less than two hundred points of damage. For the Earth Element Lord who had more than seven thousand vitality points, killing it with that amount of damage would be a formidable challenge. I wonder how an ordinary player would feel when facing the Earth Element Lord BOSS! Song Jian couldnt help but think. With such terrifying defense, most people wouldnt even break through its defense. It would either display a series of dodges and resists, or forcibly deduct a vitality point; After one of its legs was severed, the Earth Element Boss toppled over with a thud, like a giant collapsing. Boom! A loud noise echoed, and the entire swamp slightly trembled, mud splashing around. The black dragon pet seized the opportunity to breathe several Dragon Breaths at the Earth Element Lord. The black dragons fangs and claws inflicted minimal damage on the Earth Element Lord, and Dragon Language Magic, was beyond the comprehension of the current black dragon. Therefore, it could only use its innate Dragon Breath to attack the Earth Element Lord. Splash! The fallen Earth Element Lord suddenly disintegrated, transforming into stone spheres about a meter in diameter, which began to roll on the ground; Even the severed rock leg broke down into several smaller stone spheres rolling towards the body of the Earth Element Lord; Damn, its healing itself Song Jians face darkened as he swung his sword at the nearest stone sphere; The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword slashed fiercely on the stone sphere, Bang! still, the stone sphere shattered into several pieces. Over three hundred points of damage floated from the shattered stone, which then quickly broke down into even smaller stone spheres. Wow, the defense of the BOSS drops markedly after it decomposes! Song Jians eyes lit up, his expression joyful. He was originally prepared for a protracted battle, intending to wear down this BOSS with its astonishing defense, but unexpectedly, the opponent would automatically decompose after the body was mutilated, and then recombine; After decomposing, its defense significantly dropped, to the point where even ordinary players could easily shatter it; Song Jian laughed out loud, as long as they found the weakness, no BOSS could not be killed by the players; Sword Silk! Rapid Sword! Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian moved like a whirlwind, slashing at the giant stone spheres around him. Sword Qi raced through the air, and wherever Song Jian passed, a series of crackling explosion sounds followed. One by one, the meter-wide stone spheres exploded into heaps of rubble, and then re-condensed into smaller stone spheres; The smaller the stone sphere, the lower the defense, and in the end, even a casual squeeze could turn it into mud; However, there were too many stone spheres around, and even if Song Jian was fast, he couldnt stop these stones from reassembling; Human, youve angered me! The reassembled Earth Element Lord let out an angry roar. Its two fists clenched and hammered the ground; At this point, the Earth Element Lord, after reassembling, had directly lost over a thousand vitality points. Damage caused by Song Jian after its disintegration did not constitute actual harm to its body, but was deducted at a certain ratio. If not, the Earth Element Lord could have been unable to reassemble. When Song Jian caused it to break down into countless stone spheres, he dealt tens of thousands of points of damage to it. Seeing that the Earth Element Lords vitality had dropped by over a thousand points, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. If he wanted to deal over a thousand points of damage right now, it would take at least half an hour. But in just a few minutes, he had already lost an eighth of its vitality. Boom! The fists of the Earth Element Lord fiercely smashed into the swamp, immediately starting a rain of mud. A wave of air hit the surface of the swamp, arousing a mud-wave that spread out in all directions. Song Jian stomped his feet, his figure leaping into the air. In mid-air, a pair of wings gleaming with metallic luster appeared on his back. With two flutters, his body rose even higher; The Earth Element Lord raised his head and stared at Song Jian in mid-air. Opening his mouth, a jet of gray mud spewed out towards Song Jian; Song Jian had just risen into the air and was unable to dodge in time. By the time he reacted, the mud was already rushing towards him from everywhere; Boom! Song Jian felt as if hed been caught in a mudslide, a five-hundred points worth of damage floated overhead. His body became uncontrollable, wrapped in the mud, and he fell towards the ground; By the time Song Jian managed to get up from the ground, he found his body felt dozens of kilograms heavier, and every step he took was a struggle; Taking a glance at himself, Song Jians face displayed a bitter smile. At this moment, he looked as if he had just crawled out from a squelch of mud, his body entirely covered in it. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Checking his status bar, there was a new debuff labeled mud bind. Not only was his movement speed and attack speed reduced by 30%, even his physical attributes temporarily dropped by 5 points. Feel the wrath of the earth! The Earth Element Lord roared, raising its hands abruptly. Within a radius of dozens of meters, all the mud in the swamp congealed into dozens of thick mud pillars, which rose from the ground like tentacles, lashing out at Song Jian and the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon let out an angry roar, being wrapped up directly by five or six mud pillars of the size of water buckets. It struggled mightily at first, easily breaking free of the mud pillars constraints. But each time it broke free, some mud was left on its body, the more it left behind, the slower the struggle became. In the end, the Black Dragon was heavily wrapped by more than a dozen mud pillars and pulled from mid-air to the ground. It looked as if it was wrapped in a thick cocoon, leaving only a dragonhead, bellowing in anger; Meanwhile, around Song Jian, the pillars of mud went erect, one after the other, crashing down towards him; Boom, boom, boom ~ Each mud pillar came down, colliding violently with the ground, the impact sounding like a landslide. Song Jian tried to dodge, but still got hit hard twice, his vitality immediately plunged considerably; I cant keep going on like this, or Ill have to use the Enemy of Death God skill. Song Jian glanced at the incapacitated Black Dragon, thinking to himself. Chapter 624: 624: Level Thirty Chapter 624: Level Thirty Immortal Sword Body! With a light shout from Song Jian, a dazzling golden light radiated from his body. Eight long sword phantoms appeared and began to slowly rotate around him. The original Mud Binding effect slowly disappeared as the Immortal Sword Body came into effect; the mud on his body shattered under the pressure of his strong aura. The previous shallow imprints left by his sword strikes on the body of the Earth Elemental Lord C the Boss C turned into deep incisions; each attack scattering numerous small rocks. Light Strike! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly erupted with a golden Sword Qi several meters long, slashing towards the Earth Elemental Lord; Glug glug! Golden Sword Qi left a one-inch deep cut on the body of the stone elemental, the wound filled with golden Sword Qi that caused the surrounding rocks to collapse continuously; The Light Strike was primarily targeted towards creatures of darkness attribute, but this didnt mean its power would diminish when attacking creatures of other attributes. In fact, Light Strike was always Song Jians strongest attacking skill, dealing even more significant damage to creatures of darkness attribute; sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Boss roared and raised its foot towards Song Jian. Song Jian gathered his sword aura and moved aside; A massive boom echoed as the ground within a ten-meter radius sank a foot deep. A shockwave sent Song Jian flying, resulting in over three hundred points of damage. Its hard to avoid the Bosss area attacks, Song Jian grumbled, taking out an Advanced Healing Potion from his bag and gulping it down; Roar~! A dragon roar echoed as the mud binding the Black Dragon was turned into a thick shell by the searing dragons breath and lost its adhesive nature. The Black Dragon broke free and regained its freedom; Seemingly irritated by the Earth Elemental Lord that had brought it down from the sky, the Black Dragon flew up and opened its mouth wide. From the depths of its throat, an impressive red light was gathering; Seconds later, the red light morphed into a red vortex filled with the volatile essence of flames; Boom! A rapidly rotating Vortex Fireball spewed out from the Black Dragons mouth, harshly slamming into the Earth Elemental Lord. The fiery energy, like a drill, bore into the body of the Earth Elemental Lord. The rocks in contact with the Vortex Fireball turned red hot, and lava even started flowing at the areas closest to the fireball; When the Vortex Fireball could no longer penetrate deeper, the violent flames burst out all at once. The powerful explosion created a pit over a meter in diameter on the body of the Earth Elemental Lord, scattering numerous rocks and spraying hot lava; The blow caused significant damage to the Earth Elemental Lord, an injury exceeding a thousand points appeared above its head. Half of its body was blown up, and it let out a painful roar. Its previously raised arms slumped, and its body disintegrated again; Song Jians eyes lit up. This time, the disassembled rocks of the Earth Elemental Lord were even smaller than before, each barely measuring a foot in diameter; Black Dragon, use an area attack on these scattered rocks Song Jian ordered. The Black Dragon, weakened after using the Vortex Fireball, dove towards the ground, spewing flames as it flew. Song Jian, with his long sword, rapidly slashed at the surrounding rock spheres. The defenses of the stone spheres greatly decreased as they crumbled into smaller ones. However, Song Jian turned his attention to the initially disassembled rocks; The Black Dragon dove down, spewing fire as it flew, turning the smaller rock spheres into ash. A gust of wind blew, and they turned into dust. After ten seconds, all the stone spheres began merging again. However, the fully fused Earth Elemental Lord was now half its original size, measuring only six to seven meters tall; An injury of over two thousand points floated above the newly formed Earth Elemental Lord; Lets see how many times you can regenerate Song Jian squinted, determinedly declaring. With a thought, a figure made of shadows appeared before him C an Abyssal Phantom C who together with Song Jian, charged the Earth Elemental Lord from both sides. Though unable to activate the Holy Sword skill, the Abyssal Phantom was able to draw the Earth Elemental Lord Bosss attention. Song Jian activated his Rapid Sword, and his attack speed increased instantly; At this point, Song Jians Immortal Sword Body was about to reach its time limit. Once the effect ended, Song Jian would not be able to fight the Earth Elemental Lord head-on. Thud, thud, thud~ The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword continuously hit the Earth Elemental Lord. Song Jian hoped to activate the Holy Sword effect by increasing his attack speed, but the effect did not activate before the Rapid Sword effect wore off; Song Jians expression darkened. If he could not shatter the Earth Elemental Lord again, once his Immortal Sword Body effect wore off, his only option would be to flee. However, at that very moment, Song Jian suddenly received a system alert; System: You have completed the Epic Task, Queen Katerina. Anna Katerina has officially taken her first step to becoming Queen. Task reward: Level increased by 1, all attribute points increased by 2; A ray of light emerged from Song Jian. The twenty-ninth level Song Jian instantly became level thirty; His Vitality Points that had dropped to 60% also immediately replenished to full; Eye of Doom! Song Jians vertical eye on his forehead opened, shooting a dazzling silver beam towards the Earth Elemental Lord Boss. The Boss has a stout physical defense, but its mental resistance should be slightly weaker. Song Jian had never come across a Boss with robust physical, magical, and mental defenses; The silver beam hit the Earth Elemental Lord, immediately causing countless sparks. The impacted area started cracking quickly, shedding stone powder; The Earth Elemental Lord let out a fearful roar as it stuck its hand into the swamp mud. In no time, the murky mud followed its body towards other parts, quickly coating the Earth Elemental Lord Boss; The silver beam from Eye of Doom continued to hit its target, continuously opposing the mud, and after five seconds it had only caused slightly over two hundred points of damage after an initial damage of over eight hundred points; It appeared that the mud layer covering its body was aimed at resisting mental damage and increasing its mental resistance; Chapter 625: 625: The Body Becomes Smaller Chapter 625: The Body Becomes Smaller After leveling up to 30, Song Jian used the extra skill point to upgrade Sword Silk. The sixth level Sword Silk was more powerful, increasing the number of sword silks from three to five, and each one dealt more damage. Moreover, the attack range increased by two meters, making it even stronger. Once Sword Silk is upgraded to level ten, it evolves into a more powerful skill: Sword Web. Song Jian was eagerly anticipating this advanced skill. With only one-third of its Vitality Points remaining, the Earth Elemental Lord Boss was nearing defeat. Once its shattered again, it would be possible to deal massive damage as it crumbled into pieces, thereby finishing off the boss. Surging abruptly to level thirty left Song Jian feeling frantic. The system kept issuing alerts, but the Bosss attacks were so intense that Song Jian didnt have time to check and could only destroy the Boss first before dealing with anything else. With the effects of the Immortal Sword Body worn off, Song Jian could no longer face the Earth Elemental Lord Boss head-on and had to navigate around its enormous body. His long sword kept chopping at the body of the Earth Elemental Lord. Previously, Song Jian was only able to reach its lower legs, but now he could slash at the thighs. For the moment, sparks flew off the body of the Earth Elemental Lord. Intense counter-impact forces kept hitting Song Jians right arm, but he gnashed his teeth and persistently kept slashing. At this time, the Black Dragon, continuously spewing Dragon Breath, suddenly extended a few phantom spider legs from the Spider Spear Armor it was wearing. Each leg, with the likeness of a spear, targeted the Earth Elemental Lords body. Clang, clang, clang~ The phantom spider spears kept hitting the body of the Earth Elemental Lord, giving off a metallic clanking sound and leaving only superficial marks but not even a small dent. A series of -1 floated above the head of the Earth Elemental Lord Boss, and its defense wasnt breached. Although the Spider Spear Armor is a silver-grade piece of equipment, its level is too low, just level 15. The spider spear attack it triggered inflicted almost no damage on the Earth Elemental Lord Boss, but inexplicably drew its aggro. The Earth Elemental Lord, which had fist clenched and was about to smash Song Jian, suddenly roared at the Black Dragon, locked its gaze on it, and started absorbing Earth Elemental Energy from the swamp. In just a short while, a stone ball with a diameter of over one meter appeared in its right hand, and the surface of this stone ball constantly oozed foul-smelling mud. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this time, the Black Dragon looked exhausted after casting the super-grade skill Vortex Fireball and continuously spewing Dragon Breath. In its weakened state, it failed to notice that the Earth Elemental Lord Boss had shifted its attention to it. Song Jian had a quick thought, and the moment the Earth Elemental Lord took action, he put the Black Dragon into the Pet Space. The mud-covered stone ball passed through the afterimage of the Black Dragon and slammed into the distance. After being put into the Pet Space, it would take at least ten minutes before the Black Dragon could be summoned again. Moreover, once the Black Dragon entered the Pet Space, it would fall asleep and couldnt be counted on for the battle. Song Jian aimed at the right leg of the Earth Elemental Lord and continued his relentless chopping there. Each stroke landed almost at the same spot. When it lost track of the Black Dragon and turned to attack him, Song Jian had already chopped a three-inch-deep cut at the root of the right leg of the Earth Elemental Lord. I refuse to believe that, without triggering the passive talent skill of the Holy Sword, I cannot hack off one of your legs! Song Jian declared forcefully. He moved agilely around the massive body of the Earth Elemental Lord, continuously dodging its attacks. A boss of such size is naturally less agile. Using the bosss huge body to dodge its attacks isnt a new trick invented by Song Jian. This kind of dodging method requires not only a high level of player perception and insight but also agility attributes that are at least one level higher than the monster. This is like dancing on a knifes edge, playing with a broadsword on a tightrope. A momentary lapse can not only fail to dodge the bosss attacks, but it can also lead to heavy injuries. Most importantly, this method is only effective against bosses like the Earth Elemental Lord, which have massive bodies and lack agility. Song Jians nerves were on edge. The skills of the Earth Elemental Lord mainly dealt area-of-effect damage. If he wasnt timely with his dodges, he could be affected, and most of its skills also had dizzying and slowing effectshe found it a headache. Just as Song Jian thought that it would take him more than half an hour to sever the right leg of the Earth Elemental Lord, suddenly a flash of gold flickered. With a hefty swing of his sword, he surprisingly slashed through the base of the thigh of the Earth Elemental Lord without any resistance. Song Jians eyes lit upThe effect of Holy Sword had been triggered! Boom, boom, boom~ A thick stone leg fell, and the boss let out an angry roar. Its entire body crumbled into countless stones which were about 30 to 40 centimeters in size and rolled all over the place. Song Jians heart leaped with joy. A golden Sword Qi bloomed from his left index finger. With a sudden swipe, several stones around him shattered. Sword Silk! Whoosh, whoosh~ Five golden silks, each carrying a vicious Sword Qi, whipped out in all directions, shattering seven or eight stones instantly. These five golden sword silks were highly condensed Sword Qi, with a sharpness equaling the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. In just a matter of seconds, Song Jian shattered dozens of stones. On the one hand, going up a level had undoubtedly made him stronger. On the other hand, the stones from the Earth Elemental Lord, once it crumbled, became even more brittle, almost no different from ordinary rocks. Song Jian used his full strength to continuously shatter each stone. This was the Earth Elemental Lord Bosss weak point when it was crumbling into stones. It was the only time when massive damage could be inflicted. Otherwise, facing the Earth Elemental Lord Boss, whose body was as hard as the toughest alloy in the world, Song Jian would likely need to grind for several hours to kill it. However, in front of a Tier One Boss, it was impossible to hold out for several hours, let alone several minutes, without the Immortal Sword Body enhancement. Ten seconds later, all the remaining stones began to gather towards the center. In no time, they solidified into an Earth Elemental Lord over three meters tall. This height would already be considered that of a giant among humans, but compared to the Earth Elemental Lord, which was previously over ten meters tall, it was merely a child. The moment the Earth Elemental Lord returned to human form, a damage reading of 1800 floated above its head. Song Jian swung his sword, giving it a harsh slash. With a swoosh sound, a golden Sword Qi created a wound over three feet long and deeper than a finger at the chest of the Earth Elemental Lord Boss. Huh, it seems its super defense has vanished after it shrunk? Song Jians eyes brightened, and a smirk appeared at the corners of his mouth. Chapter 626: 626: Stone Man Battle Pet Chapter 626: Stone Man Battle Pet The Earth Elemental Lord with its giant body over ten meters tall, crumbles and disintegrates every time it receives severe damage, only to reform anew. However, as it fragments into countless small stone spheres, its defense drastically weakens. Failing to deal substantial damage during this moment would mean its inevitable reconsolidation, by which all wounds on its body are healed as if new. After several episodes of disintegration, Song Jian inflicted considerable damage. Each blow reduced the height of the Earth Elemental Lord. Now, its body had shrunk from over ten meters to barely three. Moreover, as its height decreased to three meters, its defense became much weaker. Thump! The Earth Elemental Lord swung its arm, smashing violently towards Song Jian. Song Jian defended himself with his sword, but the moment it made contact with the blow, he was sent flying backward, taking more than three hundred points in damage. Although it has fallen in stature, its attack power remains unchanged Song Jian muttered, narrowing his eyes. Broken Wing Dance! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword left traces in midair, slashing repeatedly at the Earth Elemental Lord. Its defense drastically reduced, the Lord was beset by a flurry of stone shards, with each hit doing over three hundred points of damage. The smaller Earth Elemental Lord could no longer dodge attacks by relying on its huge yet unwieldy body. With its significantly lowered defense, even though Song Jians Immortal Sword Body had been activated, he could still compete briefly with the Earth Elemental Lord. The vitality points of the Earth Elemental Lord plummeted rapidly. With its weakened defense, it stood no chance against Song Jian. A few minutes later, its vitality points dropped to zero, and deep cracks began to appear on its large body. Cursed human, the Earth Elementals will remember what youve done! roared the Earth Elemental Lord, snarling its final wrath. Boom! With a thunderous explosion, the body of the Earth Elemental Lord splintered into countless fragments, scattering across a fifteen-meter radius. System: The Earth Elemental Lord cursed you before its death, lowering your reputation with the Earth Elementals to indifferent. Song Jian was left speechless. His reputation with the Dwarven clan had already dropped to hostile, and now his reputation with the Earth Elementals, one of the elemental beings, had dropped to indifferent. If he continued playing this game, he might gain the title of public enemy. However, upon seeing the experience points he had obtained from the battle, he immediately placed his reputation with the Earth Elementals to the back of his mind. Such a large amount of experience? Song Jian exclaimed, looking at his slightly elevated experience bar. His experience, which had initially almost reached halfway, had risen by an eighth, and was now almost 70% towards level 30. After surveying his battle experience, Song Jian turned his attention to searching for the Earth Spirit Bead amongst the BOSSs dropped items. This BOSS dropped over a dozen equipment and items, amongst which was only one bead-like object. Song Jian picked it up and found that it was indeed an Earth Spirit Bead. Flawless Earth Spirit Bead (Silver Grade), Special Item C Effects: Constitution +3, Physical Defense +300; Possesses significant elemental earth energy, allows its bearer to disguise as an Earth Elemental being; The effects of the item are activated the moment it is placed in the equipment slot; Usage Level: 1; Can it be taken out of the game: Yes. This Earth Spirit Bead has a much higher quality than the one sold by the goblin merchant! A look of delight crossed Song Jians face. The bead sold by the goblin merchant had no properties, it just claimed to possess a significant amount of elemental earth energy, enough to conceal someones presence. However, this bead not only has the property of Constitution +3, Physical Defense +300 but can also allow its bearer to disguise as an Earth Elemental being. With this thought in mind, Song Jian immediately placed the Earth Spirit Bead into his equipment slot and sure enough, a new skill named Disguise as an Earth Elemental being appeared. After it was activated, Song Jians image instantly transformed into a dorky stone man. However, this was merely an illusion that was shaped by the elemental earth energy. The moment a battle begins, the surface layer of this energy will be disrupted. Furthermore, this transformation skill couldnt be used constantly. Its cooldown time was as long as half an hour. After trying out the transformation skill, Song Jian shifted his attention to other dropped items. Very soon, the items dropped by the Earth Elemental Lords BOSS had been sorted out by Song Jian. Apart from the Earth Spirit Bead, there were six green-rated level 30 equipment, two blue-rated level 30 equipment, and a Battle Pet Stone that could summon a rock man from the Earth Elementals as a battle pet. There was no limit to the number of players battle pets. Only when recruiting NPCs to become followers would the increasing number carry penalties. Song Jian thought for a moment, then summoned the rock man himself. Suddenly, a rock man under a meter tall appeared by Song Jians side. Luckily, the starting level of this rock man was already level 30, so Song Jian didnt have to help it level up. A level 30 rock man had attributes far superior to most players and could almost rival a level 30 elite BOSS. Squeak squeak squeak~ This rock man, who only reached Song Jians thigh, began looking around curiously as soon as it appeared. Upon spotting Song Jian, it immediately ran over, hugged his thigh, made a sound similar to a chicks chirping, and looked up at Song Jian pitifully. What do you want? Song Jian inquired, looking down. Squeak squeak squeak~ The rock man hugged onto Song Jians thigh, looking very anxious. It then started to nibble on his leg. After a brief pain, a lightbulb lit up in Song Jians head as he realized something. Are you hungry? Song Jian asked. Squeak~ The rock man nodded vehemently, a look of longing on its face. What do you want to eat? Dirt? Song Jian pointed at the muck in the swamp as he asked. The rock man looked to where Song Jian was pointing and immediately kept shaking its head, a look of distaste on its face. So, what do you want to eat? Song Jian felt a headache coming on, feeling as if he had just adopted a baby. Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The rock man looked around, and suddenly spotted the stone fragments left behind after the death of the Earth Elemental Lord. Its eyes sparkled, and it rushed toward the rock fragments, picking them up and starting to nibble. You eat rocks? Song Jian was stunned, then took out a unit of rock from his inventory. Seeing the rock in Song Jians hand, the rock man immediately threw aside the rock it was eating, opened its arms and ran over to Song Jian. It let out a sound similar to a kittens meow as it eagerly embraced the rock in Song Jians hand. Song Jian handed the rock over and the rock man grabbed it, starting to devour it with big bites. Youre actually quite easy to take care of. Song Jian patted the smooth head of the rock man, chuckling to himself. Chapter 627: 627: The Campaign of Territorial Expansion Chapter 627: Chapter 627: The Campaign of Territorial Expansion Within Doomsday City, the territory of the City of Hope Alliance was continuously expanding, and Song Jians castle manor became increasingly magnificent. The players who had joined the City of Hope Alliance had surpassed two hundred, and their safe houses were almost all connected to form a large area. It could be said that the City of Hope Alliance had become the largest alliance within Doomsday City. The promotion of a safe house to the next manor level only requires approval from the Vice Alliance Leader. However, to promote a Level 6 Manor to a Level 1 City, the Alliance Leaders approval is required. In addition, a special building, the Teleportation Gate, has to be constructed before it is eligible for promotion. Wang Qi, how is the construction of the Teleportation Gate? Li Keer sat in the main seat of the conference room, leaning forward, her two hands on the table, and asked earnestly. Keer, Wallace could construct the Teleportation Array, but what we lack now are the magical materials for constructing it. These are forbidden goods in the game, and no Commerce Group is willing to sell them! Wang Qi helplessly spread his hands. Miss, the Teleportation Array belongs to special buildings for territory promotion. All cities strictly control its distribution; even the Silver Moon Commerce cannot supply us. The likelihood of other Commerce Groups selling is even lower. The butler George said with a troubled face. This is unacceptable. When Song Jian returns, we must be ready to construct the Teleportation Array. This way, when he returns, we can immediately upgrade to a city-level Alliance territory! Li Keer said grimly. But this is too difficult I just want to know, can it be done? If you cant do it, well let someone else who can be the Vice Alliance Leader! Li Keer stared at Wang Qi and asked with a serious expression. Even though her face was stern, her young age devoid her of any imposing aura, making her appear rather adorable instead. Well, Ill do my best. I will mobilize everyone in the Alliance to search for these construction materials Wang Qi gritted his teeth. Good, very good! Li Keer nodded with satisfaction, acting like a leader commending her top-performing manager. Just then, a player hurried into the conference room and shouted, Vice Alliance Leader, the cooldown period for the territory expansion battle is almost over! The nearby Summit of Heroes Alliance rejected our proposal to unite. They have begun to dispatch troops to areas adjacent to our territory! What, how dare they Wang Qi raised his eyebrows, about to slam his hand on the table and stand up; But then, he heard Li Keer gently cough twice. Wang Qi instantly froze and silently mouthed to the player, Dont you have eyes, cant you see the leader sitting there? Make your report to her first! The player wore an embarrassed expression and quickly saluted to Li Keer, Young leader, the war between our City of Hope Alliance and the Summit of Heroes Alliance is imminent. Please give your instructions! Hmph, leader is leader, why call me a young leader? Li Keer snorted coldly and stared at the player. Are you looking down on me? In fact, Li Keers current level was twenty-eight, three levels higher than the player. But her youthful appearance, no matter how mature she tried to behave, couldnt command respect from others; Yes, thats my fault. I should have said, leader, leader! The player lightly slapped his own cheek and quickly apologized. Alright, go now. Let sister Luo Tianyu lead the citys defense force to prepare for the enemy. Wang Qi, you go and gather the other players, prepare for the guild war! Li Keer ordered. Yes, leader! The player saluted again, quickly turned, and left; Wang Qi also stood up with a wry smile on his face and walked out; Both Li Keer and Wang Qi were Vice Alliance Leaders of the City of Hope Alliance. But no matter how thick-skinned Wang Qi is, he wouldnt compete for authority with a little girl. Every time there was any Alliance matter, it was Li Keer who made the final decisions. But Li Keers commands were always not only playful but also targeted. Despite her youthful demeanor, she already exhibited the demeanor of a female CEO. I wonder what kind of family Li Keer comes from in the real world! Wang Qi, shaking his head, walked out of the Alliance building. At this time, Luo Tianyu, riding a war horse and wearing shiny red armor, held a Square Sky Halberd glowing with a dark golden aura. This Square Sky Halberd was over two meters long, so long that even while she was riding the war horse, its tip dug into the ground; Behind her there were three square arrays of one hundred soldiers each: one consisted of sword and shield infantry, another of long spear infantry, and the last of longbow archers; Scattered around these three arrays were fifty lightweight cavalrymen clothed in leather armor. On the left side of these light cavalrymen hung a long spear, and on the other side, a war knife. They all carried double-barreled hunting rifles on their backs, making them look rather peculiar; Tianyu! Wang Qi greeted Luo Tianyu. Luo Tianyu nodded and asked, How much longer until the cooldown period for the territory expansion battle? Less than an hour! Wang Qi checked the Alliance panel and said. Good, Ill go to the border and set up our formation, you send people to guard all around, be careful of the enemys detours and ambushes! After Luo Tianyu finished speaking, she raised her halberd. The soldiers standing behind her gave out a unified shout, then, following Luo Tianyus lead, they headed towards the outskirts of their territory; Watching Luo Tianyus figure, Wang Qi shook his head slightly. A lovely girl like her who loves to fight and turned her safe house into a military camp to train her soldiers was really unusual; Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When the Alliance upgraded to a Level 6 Manor and could construct a soldiers military camp, Wang Qi immediately set the camp next to Luo Tianyus safe house. This way, the two military camps were both under Luo Tianyus command; However, the Alliance members could rent soldiers from the military camps to assist in battles based on the contribution points they earned. During the war period, all NPC soldiers were commanded exclusively by Luo Tianyu; Several territory expansion battles later, Luo Tianyu became adept at commanding forces. She had never lost any direct battles; even when facing players twice her number, she always emerged victorious. But while Luo Tianyu feared no one on the front line, many Alliance players would attack the City of Hope Alliances hinterland from other directions. They snuck into the hinterland to cause destruction. Given that the cooldown period for the territory expansion battle had shortened significantly, they couldnt construct defensive walls like they used to while setting up their safe house; If they started to build a wall, they would probably end up having territory that expanded hundreds of meters outward before the construction was completed. Thus, they couldnt defend their territory like an impenetrable fortress, leaving no opportunities for the enemy. They could only dispatch more personnel to guard around and form another team to counter-attack once the enemy was found; While the territory expansion battle raged on, a stone man over two meters tall and a small stone man just over one meter high emerged from the Protection Black Mist and entered Doomsday City. Chapter 628: 628: The Surprise Attack Squad Chapter 628: Chapter 628: The Surprise Attack Squad After leaving the Protection Black Mist, Song Jian was somewhat surprised to discover that the territory of his Alliance had expanded to the outskirts of the city, all the way to the Black Mist of the Pixiu Tigers; The moment he stepped out of the Protection Black Mist, he received a system notification. System: The location youre now in belongs to the Hope Alliance. You must abide by the rules of the Hope Alliance. Violators will be punished, and in serious cases, you may be expelled. System: Welcome home, Alliance Leader! Has the territory of the Alliance expanded this much? Song Jian was somewhat surprised and quickly opened the Alliance interface to have a closer look. During his absence from the City of Hope, many players were weakened, including communication, alliance information, etc. Now that he had returned to the City of Hope, everything had returned to normal. What surprised Song Jian was that the area of the Hope Alliance was ten times larger than when he left. At this point, the territory of the Hope Alliance encompassed the novice area he was in when he first started the game, taking up nearly a tenth of the city. Impressive. It seems like Wang Qi really has the potential to be a leader. Without me, hes been doing an exceptional job. Excellent! Song Jian praised happily. The Alliance only has two Vice Alliance Leaders, one is Wang Qi, and the other is Li Keer. Li Keer was too young, and Song Jian did not believe that the Alliances prosperity was due to her. However, reality is always more exciting than ones imagination. Song Jian would be astonished to realize that the Alliances decisions and development direction have all been controlled by Li Keer. Just then, Song Jian suddenly noticed that seven or eight players were sneaking over from a distance, and all their names were in red. Song Jians eyebrows furrowed. Red players only exist in two situations: those who have killed too much and have a high sin value, and those who are part of Alliance guilds in territorial expansion battles. Hey, look, therere two Stone Men over there A player from the Summit of Heroes Alliance suddenly notices two Stone Men, one large and one small, standing beside the Black Mist in the distance, and immediately points and whispers to his companions. Monsters? Isnt this the territory of the Hope Alliance? Why would monsters still spawn here? Another player wondered. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this point, both Song Jian and the Stone Man had red names while maintaining the image of Stone Man. Upon first glance, players would instinctively see them as monsters. Song Jian, haha, this monster has a strange name. But why does it sound familiar? A player, staring at the name above Song Jians head, laughed. Song Jian, Song Jian A player with a red mole on his forehead frowned in concentration, as if recalling something. Moments later, his face paled, and he cried out, Fog grass! Isnt this the first ranked player on the Honor of Level List and the leader of the City of Hope Alliance? City of Hope Alliance? Impossible. Hasnt that player disappeared for a while? If it werent for the Honor of Level List still having his name, many people would think he was already dead! A player argued in disbelief. Fog grass, look for yourself, see if the name of that Stone Man is Song Jian or not! The player with the mole pointed exasperatedly in the direction of Song Jian. Ehh, it really is him. Could it be a case of the same name and surname? Are you an idiot? How could there be a person with the same name and surname! But hes clearly a monster. Maybe hes even a BOSS. Look, he even has minions Because of Song Jians transformation into an Earth Elemental, this led to a dispute among the players from the Summit of Heroes Alliance. Their small groups purpose was to sneak attack the Hope Alliances interior. If they cant breach the Alliance Crystal in the Manor Castle, they will seek to destroy as many of the City of Hope Alliance buildings as possible, delaying its development. There were three groups like these. There werent many players in the Summit of Heroes Alliance. Their alliance was only level four, and they had not managed to build a barracks yet. On the frontlines, they still needed a lot of players to resist. Lets not bother with the details. Lets just kill him first! The leading player narrowed his eyes, releasing an intimidating murderous aura. Above Song Jians head, only his name was displayed, not his level or Vitality Points. If all his attributes were displayed, these players would probably lose their courage to fight. Whoosh, whoosh~ A rain of arrows came flying towards Song Jian. It was actually just a dozen arrows. This was only possible because the raiding party from Summit of Heroes had a long-range archer. Without him, they wouldnt have had the first strike advantage. After all, a stealthy rogue was the most suitable for sneaking in. Song Jian sneered, stretching out his right hand to summon the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He activated the Rapid Sword skill, using the long sword in his hand to parry the incoming arrows. After a series of clinks and clanks, the dozen or so arrows were all deflected away by him using ordinary techniques. This move stunned everyone, and they all stared open-mouthed at Song Jian, then turned to glare at the archer. Did did you go easy on him? a rogue ventured hesitantly. Ill kick your The archer was almost bursting into vulgarities. Just as he was about to explode, a rogue suddenly pointed at Song Jian and exclaimed, Quick, look! Only then did the group realize that the Stone Man had transformed into a human. Fog Grass, its Song Jian, Song Jian, the leader of the City of Hope Alliance! someone yelled in alarm. What are you afraid of? Theres only two of them, and we have eight! Were the majority! The leader gritted his teeth and said. Thats right, this is a golden opportunity. As long as we kill him, we can directly swallow their alliance! Another rogue, his eyes glazed with fervor, roared like a gambler. Lets do it. Perhaps we can really kill him. Hes the top-ranked player on the Honor of Level List! The other players exchanged glances, each seeing a burning ambition in the others eyes. Seven rogues simultaneously entered Stealth mode and spread out to approach Song Jian. As for the archer, he continued to hold his bow and arrow, aiming at Song Jian. He didnt hope to deal much damage, only to obstruct Song Jians movements to the best of his ability. Song Jian completely ignored the existence of the archer. A semi-transparent aura appeared around him, emitting a bloody red light. Then, an eye slowly opened on his forehead C a Vertical Eye. A silver light shimmered within the Vertical Eye, immediately revealing the movements of the seven sneaking players with perfect clarity. Youre all going to die! Song Jian muttered with a cold, sinister grin at the corner of his mouth. Chapter 629: 629: Annihilation Chapter 629: Chapter 629: Annihilation Upon seeing a distant archer aim at Song Jian, the little stone figure at his side was momentarily taken aback. Then, with a furious shriek that sounded like Ji Ji Ji Ji~, the figure plunged both hands into the ground. Like water, the surrounding soil swiftly flowed towards its hands, forming a basketball-sized stone in no time. With a mighty heave, the figure hurled the stone at the archer. The stone whistled sharply through the air at high speed. The archer, who at the moment was taking aim at Song Jian, noticed a dark shadow flying towards him. Before he could react, he felt a powerful impact on his chest. Sharp pain erupted from his chest, and the bone-cracking sound of Ka-cha, ka-cha echoed in his ears. He was sent flying like a scarecrow far into the distance. Spurt~ Blood spewed from his mouth. The archer realized in horror that he had lost two-thirds of his Vitality Points in one hit. It had almost instantly killed him. What What kind of damage is this? Is he a level thirty Elite Boss? the archer asked, gaping at the mini stone figure, who was not even a meter tall. He couldnt reconcile the idea of this little stone figure dealing such a powerful blow at all. The stone figure pumped its fists in a triumphant display, continuing to emit a stream of Ji Jis after clocking the archers bewilderment. Meanwhile, Song Jian was all too aware of the seven robbers that were moving in on him. However, a smirk crept onto his face. Robbers that revealed their whereabouts were not much of a threat, regardless of their numbers. One of the robbers had snuck within two meters behind him. His dagger was already aiming for the back of Song Jians head. The other robbers watched with amusement, waiting for their companion to strike Song Jian unconscious, so they could attack him one by one like a relay race and bring him down. Die, stone monster! The robber behind Song Jian tensed, intending to plunge his dagger into the back of Song Jians head like an animals fang. Heh, gotcha! The other robbers, seeing the action, had smiles creeping onto their faces, and the second relay player was already subtly moving towards Song Jian. Just as the robber behind Song Jian was about to make his move, a dazzling golden light burst forth from Song Jian, forcing everyone watching him to involuntarily close their eyes due to its intense brightness. The thief behind Song Jian also instinctively shut his eyes, and the very next instant, he felt a surge of danger engulfing him. This is bad! He had barely registered this feeling when he felt a piercing pain in his chest, as if something sharp had penetrated his body. Blood came surging out, and the robber felt his strength rapidly ebbing away as his body slumped to the ground. Just before he died, he finally saw what had ran him through C a dazzling golden Sword Qi that was radiating from Song Jians left index finger. Song Jian didnt even turn around but simply used Sword Finger to take out the robber whose Vitality Points werent even up to 800. Instant kill? How is this possible? The remaining robbers rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon witnessing Song Jians terrifying damage, two of the robbers shivered and began to retreat. Not one of you will escape! Song Jian snarled, his figure dissolving into a dark fog as he dashed towards the remaining robbers. Whoosh~ His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword easily tore through a robbers weakly defensive armor, and he slashed off half of the robbers Vitality Points with a mere regular attack. The robber was visibly terrified. How could his damage possibly be this high! the robber cried out, deflecting Song Jians attacks with a flurry of dagger swings. Help! he yelled to the others. Clang, clang, clang~ Sparks flew as the metallic weapons clashed. Every blow pushed the robber further back, until his back harshly met a wall after stumbling seven to eight steps backward. His arms were too weak to even grip his dagger anymore. Petrified, he saw Song Jian brandishing his long sword, aiming a heavy blow at his head. The golden Sword Qi that shimmered on the surface of the long sword was as fierce as a burning flame. No! the voice ended abruptly, and another robber fell under Song Jians attack. All of you are going to die! Song Jian said coldly. A pair of iron wings spread wide behind him, more than doubling his speed. The remaining robbers turned cold, no longer caring about anything else as they activated their Acceleration Skills and fled in all directions. Despite their best efforts, they were no match for Song Jians combined Frost Acceleration, Sword Shadow Step, and the enhancements of his iron wings. Song Jian defeated them one by one. Even the seriously injured archer was eventually slain by the small stone figures attack. Seeing Song Jian return, the stone figure pointed at the archers corpse and started to crow, obviously pleased with its recent achievement. With a faint smile, Song Jian patted the smooth head of the stone figure. He hadnt expected the figure to be so powerful in its attacks. While it wasnt as formidable as the Black Dragon, it showed great potential to be a valuable ally in the future. At this point, a sound came from the archers body. Ci Ci~, Ci Ci Ci ~ Undercover Team 3, Undercover Team 3 respond please. Teams 1 and 2 are already at predetermined locations, ready to act. Please report your progress! Song Jian looked over and saw a black walkie-talkie still functioning amidst the crushed corpse of the archer. Half of the walkie-talkie was smashed in, making it look like a piece of junk. Surprisingly, it was still working, albeit with some interference. Picking it up, Song Jian examined the device, only to find that it was something a player had created. I didnt realize that players could create these things already, Song Jian said, slightly dazed. Besides, this walkie-talkie was a product of engineering manufacturing. If there were blueprints, Song Jian could make it too. Why would players use this instead of the more convenient communicator for adding friends? Song Jian studied the walkie-talkie, flipping it over numerous times. Chapter 630: 630: Where is the Third Explosion? Chapter 630: Chapter 630: Where is the Third Explosion? The walkie-talkies range was only ten kilometers, which was no comparison to communication with friends. Song Jian held this walkie-talkie, thought for a moment, and began to disassemble it. The item was not of a high level. With Song Jians engineering skills, he was fully capable of analyzing it. Moreover, disassembling engineering items had a certain chance of understanding the blueprint of the item alone. However, in order to understand the engineering drawings on his own, the item must not be of high grade and there must be limitations on the quantity. It was impossible to disassemble only one item and directly understand the engineering blueprint of the item. Soon, the walkie-talkie in Song Jians hand was disassembled into several parts; Hmm, what is this? Song Jian picked out a metal ring and inspected it closely. A tracking device? Interesting! Song Jian smirked, it seemed that the Summit of Heroes Alliance did not trust them who had infiltrated their team. They were even tracking their location through the walkie-talkie. After disassembling the walkie-talkie, Song Jians engineering making skills gained two points. After that, he smashed the tracker into dust. This team is only the third infiltration team, there should be a first and second team too! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, two roars were suddenly heard from far away, and two plumes of black smoke billowed up. Song Jians face fell, it seemed that his act of killing this infiltration team had been discovered by the enemy, and they had directly ordered the remaining two teams to act. Because the territory had become increasingly large and the areas to defend had also increased, building walls was impossible, thus creating many vulnerabilities for enemies. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The citys defense troops could at most protect important buildings, such as buildings affecting territory promotion like the Magic Tower. It would be very difficult to rebuild if these types of buildings were destroyed, whereas other buildings like shops would be much easier to rebuild if destroyed. Song Jian looked in the direction of the explosion. One of them was the location of the Magic Tower. The other place was where he had expanded after leaving, which must also be an important building. What is Wang Qi doing, not defending such an important place? Song Jian was somewhat irritated. He was quite happy when he saw the development of the territory after returning to Doomsday City, but now it seemed that there were many problems. With a thought, Song Jian stored the Stone Man into the Pet Space, flapped his iron wings, and flew towards the nearest position of the Magic Tower. Upon arriving, Song Jian found that there were already two groups of players engaged in a fierce battle, and the buildings around the Magic Tower had all been shattered. A transparent screen appeared on the surface of the Magic Tower, reflecting the sunlight. A muscular mage was standing on the third floor of the Magic Tower, looking down at the two groups of people fighting beneath him. You are seeking your own deaths, thinking that you can destroy my Magic Tower with a little bit of explosives! Bloodline Wizard Wallace roared, continuously waving the bone wand in his hand, releasing a barrage of magical attacks on the enemies below as if he was a turret. Retreat, retreat, retreat! The intel is wrong, the defense of this Magic Tower is too strong, the TNT cant even break it! a thief yelled, glancing frantically in all directions, looking for a way out. However, players from the Hope Alliance were continuously pouring out from the streets and alleys, completely blocking their retreat. This is a trap! One of the players from the Summit of Heroes roared in anger just before dying. Haha, still realizing now? Its too late. Even you know that the Magic Tower is an important building, dont you think we do? We were just waiting for you fools to fall into the trap! The players from the City of Hope all burst into laughter. The City of Hope had a larger number of players in the beginning. In addition, Luo Tianyu on the front lines was equal to an army. Even with battle pets, less than two hundred players simply couldnt resist her, which also resulted in the City of Hope having plenty of manpower for internal defense in the territory. Hmm, strange, why were there only two explosions? According to the intelligence, the Summit of Heroes sent three infiltration teams, didnt they? Wang Qi stood in the headquarters building of the alliance, overlooking everything around him. Seeing that only two buildings had exploded, he was immediately puzzled. From the third level of the mansion, each level up requires a special building. Now the sixth level League territory, in addition to the Magic Tower and auction houses, also includes a library. These are special buildings, and destroying these three buildings would significantly slow down the advancement speed of the City of Hope Alliance. Theoretically, if the Summit of Heroes Alliance wanted to delay the development of the City of Hope Alliance, they shouldnt have attacked only the Magic Tower and the auction houses. However, there had been no sound of explosions at the location of the library. The news from the one hundred elite players lurking around it stated that there is no movement at all, which made Wang Qi feel as if things were getting out of control. When Song Jian saw the light curtain on the surface of the Magic Tower and the players of the Summit of Heroes being killed on the ground, he breathed a sigh of relief; It looks like Wang Qi did a good job, even learning wartime strategies now. A slight smirk curled up at the corner of Song Jians mouth. Just then, a fight broke out in the distance, with shouts that rocked the skies. Squinting, Song Jian looked far out to where the territory borders the land of the Summit of Heroes where a large group of people were fighting fiercely. The most noticeable was a female general dressed in red armor, wielding a Square Sky Halberd. Luo Tianyu? I didnt expect her to have grown so much! Song Jian said in surprise. Previous Luo Tianyu could only command thirty to fifty soldiers. Now, she was able to command hundreds of soldiers and players to fight, even effortlessly. The Summit of Heroes Alliance simply was not her opponent. Now already showing signs of collapse, they seemed likely to be defeated soon. Song Jian glanced at the alliance interface. If they won this territory expansion campaign, the territory would expand to an extreme. If they dont upgrade the level-six manor to a level-one city, they might not be able to expand the territory in the future. The territory of the City of Hope Alliance only accounted for a very small part in the entire Doomsday City. If it can be upgraded to a level one city, they would encompass one-fifth of the entire City of Hope. It would also become the largest territory among all alliances in Doomsday City. Sooner or later, I will dominate the whole Doomsday City, becoming the true city lord! Song Jian looked at the map of Doomsday City, involuntarily clenched his fist. Chapter 631: 631: Magic Material Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Magic Material We won! All players from the City of Hope Alliance cheered out loud. The Summit of Heroes Alliance was absolutely crushed; even their territory was seized by the City of Hope Alliance. The area occupied by the City of Hope Alliance had almost doubled, taking up a fifth of all Doomsday City. Hmph, we told you to merge, but you refused. Now youre the stray dogs you deserve to be! Li Keer sat at the head of the conference table, waving her small fists in the air, venting her resentment. Wang Qi! Li Keer suddenly turned her head and shouted at him. Wang Qi shivered involuntarily. He was afraid whenever the little tyrant called his name; every call always meant trouble. Little tyrant, I mean, leader, whats your order? Wang Qi replied helplessly. Li Keer, drumming her fingers on the table, frowned and said, Ive urged you countless times. When are you going to collect all the magic materials for the Transmission Array? Old Wallace cant wait any longer. Without creating a Transmission Array, how can we upgrade the city or maintain our position as the top alliance? Wallace, sitting at the conference table, remained silent with an innocent look on his face, feeling like a bystander. Damn, didnt we just talk about this this morning? Theres no way I could pull this off in such a short time, even if you sold me! Wang Qi nearly fainted in frustration. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hmph, useless. If Song Jian was here, he wouldve collected all these magic materials by now. Li Keer rolled her eyes and said disdainfully. Wang Qi felt a lump in his chest and was speechless for a while. Finally, he managed to choke out, Even if our leader were here, he couldnt gather all these magic materials either. These are items banned from trading in all cities! Suddenly, a voice echoed in the conference room. Well, thats not necessarily true! Song Jian walked in. He had absolute control within the entire territory, and could freely access anywhere and could set permissions for others. Song Jian! Li Keer jumped up from her chair and pounced on Song Jian, You finally came back, I was really worried something happened to you! Leader! Lord Leader! All the people in the meeting, started saluting to Song Jian. Wang Qi was incredibly excited. Since Song Jian left, everyone seemed to lose their confidence despite the smooth growth of the City of Hope Alliance. Song Jian took a look around the room. There were some faces he recognized and some that were new. As the City of Hope Alliance expanded, there seemed to be more and more management personnel. After walking naturally to the head of the conference table, Song Jian laughed and said to Li Keer, Keer, introduce me to everyone. Seeing Li Keer sitting at the head of the conference table, Song Jian realized that this elementary school girl was now in charge of the City of Hope Alliance. Li Keer introduced everyone Song Jian didnt recognize. Just as Song Jian thought, they were managers in charge of different duties. Hey? Wheres my Beastman slave? Why dont I see him? Song Jian asked with a frown. The Beastman Warrior he was referring to was the one he had enslaved using the Abyss Temptation spell. However, Song Jian hadnt seen him during the territory expansion war nor the present meeting. Theoretically, the Beastman Warrior was entitled to sit in the conference room based on his strength. Are you referring to the Beastman Warrior you brought back last time? Li Keer asked. Yes, him, Song Jian replied with a nod. Hmph, ever since you brought these sorts of riffraff to our Alliance, one of them has disappeared without a trace. We thought he was lost and went to great lengths to find him but to no avail. Li Keer said indignantly. Once Song Jian left Doomsday City, the Beastman Warrior began acting erratically. Not long after, the Beastman Warrior ran away. Some people saw him in other parts of Doomsday City. Song Jians face darkened. The flaw of the Abyss Temptation spell became increasingly apparent. While it has a high success rate, if the tamed slave doesnt stay with the master for a long period, theres a big chance of betrayal. Song Jian glanced at Wallace, another recruit hed brought in. However, his performance had consistently been excellent. After Song Jian appointed him to supervise the Magic Tower, he became even more active. His attendance at this meeting was proof enough that he had truly become one of them. Wheres the doctor? Song Jian asked. Doctor Ebsiting spends all day in the lab. Besides when he comes out to eat, we never see him, Li Keer complained. At one point, during a territory expansion war, a thief from an opposition alliance sneaked into Manor Castle. If not for the Bloody Ghost Poison Tree that detected his presence, Dr. Ebsiting might have been assassinated. Song Jian was startled. Someone had infiltrated his Manor Castle? Among all the territories controlled by the alliance, Manor Castle had the tightest defenses. Not only did it have a Bloody Ghost Poison Tree, but also numerous Bloody Ravens, Bloody Wolves, and NPC soldiers guarding the castle. Despite such strong defenses, someone still managed to sneak in. It appeared there were quite a few proficient players amongst them. All of Doctors needs have to be met immediately. He is a treasure of our alliance, Song Jian said solemnly. His safety is of paramount importance, and we must protect Dr. Ebsiting at all costs. By the way, what were you discussing before I came in? About constructing a Transmission Array? Song Jian asked with a laugh. Yeah, the territory of our alliance has already expanded to its limit at Level 6 Manor. If we want to expand further, we must upgrade to a Level 1 City. However, to upgrade to a Level 1 City, we need a special structure like a Transmission Array. Wallace knows how to build it, but we lack the magic materials needed. Its really troubling us. Li Keer sighed like an adult and glanced towards Wang Qi. Then, she shook her head. Wang Qi: So its my fault, huh? Enough. Dont worry anymore. Ive already gathered all the materials needed to construct the Transmission Array. Song Jian glanced at Wallace. He was always worried about finding someone who knew how to build the array, and unexpectedly, Wallace was capable of it. However, thinking about it, Wallace used to be a Tier 1 wizard and belonged to a large magic organization. The knowledge about constructing a Transmission Array could only be kept a secret from outsiders but, among the wizards who researched magic daily, this information wouldnt be kept so secretive. Seeing Song Jian throwing a small pouch onto the conference table, Li Keer dove to check its contents immediately. Ha ha, its all here. What do you say to that, Wang Qi? Li Keer proudly held up the storage bag. Wang Qi: Chapter 632: 632: First Order Combat Power Qualification Assessment Chapter 632: Chapter 632: First Order Combat Power Qualification Assessment With the magical materials at hand, Wang Qi and his companions didnt bother with gaining new territories but immediately headed to the central square of the City of Hope territory. In fact, this area used to be Camel Square, with a fountain garden in the center. It was the place where the original Doomsday Supermarket had descended. After their alliance territory was upgraded to a Level 6 Manor, everyone had decided to build a Transmission Array at Camel Square. The Transmission Array wasnt that large. From the outside, it looked like a five-meter diameter circular platform, but it involved the extremely advanced skill of Magic Runes. Normally, the installation would have required the efforts of more than a dozen mages and even more apprentices. However, currently, in the entire City of Hope, only Wallace knew how to build a Transmission Array. At most, just over a dozen mage-class players could help, which made the construction quite slow. However, as long as they could construct the Magic Array, the development pace of the City of Hope Alliance was sure to enter a rapid growth period. Within the entire Doomsday City, there were more than just one alliance who owned a Level 6 Manor, but only the City of Hope Alliance could construct a Magic Array. We need to pay attention to our defenses and not start any territorial expansion for a while. Also, keep an eye on all the other alliances that have upgraded to Level 6 Manors, Song Jian advised. Dont worry. We have our inside people in all alliances that are Level 4 and up, Wang Qi reassured. Keer ordered so very early on when we upgraded to a Level 5 Manor. Song Jian was surprised and looked at Li Keer. He hadnt expected the mature Li Keer to be so adept with these deceptive tactics. I learned all of them from my mom! Li Keer said, her head held high and looking somewhat proud. Song Jian nodded, saying nothing. Just then, he felt a vibration from the token in his inventory that he had gained in the Imperial Dragon Devil Cave. He opened his inventory to see an invitation: System: The unique profession promotion competition has started. Do you accept the invitation to participate? System reminder: This is your second invitation. This token only has three chances to invite you. You only have one last invitation chance left. System warning: Until you attain First Order Combat Power, accepting the invitation will result in a high probability of challenge failure, with a death rate of 98.97%. Song Jian felt a weight in his heart. He had just leveled up to level 30 and hadnt completed the First Order Combat Power test. He might waste this chance. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Decline! The vibration from the token in his inventory started to fade, as though it had never happened. I must join the last invitation; its the chance to get a unique profession! Song Jian decided inwardly. His Sword Controller, though an epic profession, wouldnt be able to attain the final Sword Immortal profession through either re-profession or leveling up. He could only become a Sword Immortal through the unique profession competition. The construction of the Transmission Array would take at least a month. After resting for half a day at the Manor Castle, Song Jian started to apply for the First Order Combat Power qualification test with the system. As a player with Level 30, he could apply for a First Order Combat Power evaluation competition. If he passed, he would gain many attribute and skill points and be awarded a Skill Book of his own profession, which would certainly be a rare one. A player with First Order Combat Power could undoubtedly crush any opponent of the same level who had not yet passed the First Order Combat Power evaluation. The next day, Song Jian put on his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set and applied for the First Order Combat Power qualification test. A flash of white light later, he disappeared from the Manor Castle. When Song Jians vision cleared, he found himself standing on a teleportation stone platform. The stone platform was in a castle that was about seventy to eighty feet tall and more than ten feet long, looking very much like a plaza because it was so spacious. In the center of the castle was a statue of a dwarf holding a knife in one hand and an axe in the other, as though he was roaring at the sky. Many people were gathered around this dwarf statue, seemingly doing something. After descending from the stone platform, Song Jian moved towards the dwarf statue. When he got to the statue, he noticed that there were more than a dozen oval-shaped teleportation gates encircling it, each with a crowd of people around it. Most of these people were NPCs, with only a few human players. These players were all gathered in front of a pale-green gateway. Song Jian had discovered long ago that he was the highest-level player on the honor rankings, but that was within Doomsday City only. Other than him, there were also over a dozen players at level 28 and over a hundred at level 27, totaling just under five thousand people on the list. Song Jian didnt know how many players were in the entire game, but combined, there were over ten thousand players in the City of Sin and the City of Hymns alone. As time passed and more people entered the game, the total number of players was already more than a hundred thousand. Therefore, seeing that over a dozen players had reached level 30 and were prepared to challenge their First Order Combat Power, Song Jian didnt find it strange. The other teleportation gates were surrounded by NPC professionals, so naturally Song Jian headed towards those players. As soon as he reached the pale-green teleportation gate, he heard the players murmuring among themselves. How many worlds did you clear today? Four. But the difficulty level seems so highan A-rank, two A+ ranks, and an S-rank. Ill probably wait until tomorrow if it still doesnt work. The higher the rank of the world, the more rewards you get in the end. If its an A-rank world, we can still try to fight it! Anyone want to form a team to conquer this A-rank world? No, an A-rank is too difficult. If we fail, well have to wait a month for the next chance. By then, someone might have already leveled up to 35, so its not worth it! Exactly, it would be great if we could draw a B or B- rank world Song Jian silently listened to the chatter and put his hand onto the teleportation gate when he had understood the basic situation. Soon, several lines of system messages appeared before him: Do you want to conduct the First Order Combat Power trial? Yes/No Please choose a trial world that matches your own strength. During the trial, players will not die C they will be automatically transported out the moment before their health points hit zero if their life is in danger; Failure in the trial task means you will have to wait for a month to reselect the trial task; Please choose from the following trial worlds for the First Order Combat Power qualification test. The higher the level of the world, the more rewards you receive upon successful completion; Trial World 1: A-rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 15 points, +5 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than blue quality; Trial World 2: B-rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 10 points, +2 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than Gold quality; Trial World 3: A+ rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 18 points, +6 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than Dark Gold quality; Trial World 4: S-rank World; Task Reward: All attributes increase by 25 points, +8 skill points, also receive a Skill Book of no less than Epic quality; Chapter 633: 633: SS-Level Trial World Chapter 633: Chapter 633: SS-Level Trial World The first-tier Combat Power assessment test requires choosing one world to enter out of the four that refresh daily, once the assessment task is completed, the test is passed, and one-tier Combat Power rewards are obtained. If the assessment task fails, it enters a cooldown period, during which a first-tier Combat Power assessment cannot be conducted for a month; The Assessment Worlds range from the lowest grade C-Class to S-Class, refreshing randomly daily. The C-Class Assessments are the simplest, but the rewards for completing tasks are the least, awarding a few Stats Points and Skill Points but no Skills. Whereas, the S-class world, upon completion, offers the most generous rewards, not only numerous Stats Points and Skill Points, but also a chance to receive a high-tier job Skill Book; In the game, gaining stats points are relatively easy. Certain tier equipment would increase stats points. If one wishes to have permanent increases, Attribute Fruits, Attribute Gems and the likes were not uncommon items. However, acquiring skill points were more difficult. Some quests offer skill point rewards, and some items can increase stats points directly; As for Skills, they were coveted by all. During job apprenticeships, instructors usually gifted one or two. After that, learners had to acquire them by themselves; Skills of inferior quality were relatively easy to acquire, but those of high tiers were something one could stumble upon but not pursue. Many common players still havent set eyes on what silver-tiered skills look like. Song Jian clicked on the first world, a system notification immediately popped up; System: The world is A-Class with a minimum Combat Power entry of 15,000; Do you wish to enter? Yes/No ?There are entrance requirements?? Song Jian paused, checking his own Combat Power; Equipping the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, Song Jians Combat Power soared impressively and has now reached 68,000. To regular players, an A-Class world is very difficult, but to Song Jian, it was almost too simple to bother about; Song Jian skipped over the A+ Class World and looked at the entrance requirement for an S-Class World; The entrance requirement for an S-Class World is merely a Combat Power of thirty thousand Song Jian frowned; Other players find these worlds exceedingly challenging, conversely, Song Jian found them too simple. Given my current Combat Power, venturing into these worlds seems somewhat wasteful Song Jian thought. At that moment, a red teleportation gate beside them shimmered. The NPCs around them collectively gasped in surprise; It refreshed! A spontaneous refresh. God, such a difficult world has actually appeared Spontaneous refresh? How could we have run into it, jeez Haha, no need for assessment today. Spontaneous refreshes only start from S-level. Impossible for anyone to enter such a difficult world! The players around the light green gate take pleasure in the misfortune of NPC professionals surrounded by the crimson red teleportation gate. The light green gate is a first-tier Combat Power Assessment. While the gates behind it lead to the worlds of second-tier Combat Power, third-tier warriors, and even higher Combat Power Assessments; Currently, players who could participate in the first-tier Combat Power were few and far between. In Song Jians vicinity, there were only about ten. Other teleportation gates had more NPCs, and some couldnt even get close to the gate, having to line up behind; Each teleportation gate would have a time of spontaneous refresh once a month, and these occurrences were random. Once it spontaneously refreshed, the difficulty level of the world the gate leads to would be at least S-Class; Many people who encountered the spontaneous refresh time would consider themselves unlucky and then wait until the next day to continue. Those who wanted to challenge a difficulty above the S-Class, however, would wait at the gate each day, anticipating the day of the spontaneous refresh. Thats because under normal circumstances, the highest difficulty level world the gate could lead to was S-Class; Song Jians eyes lit up, and his hand, which had already clicked on the S-Class world, paused; Spontaneous Refresh? I wonder when this one-tier Combat Power Assessment gate will spontaneously refresh. Song Jian thought to himself. Since theres a choice, I should choose a world close to my Combat Power limit. Thats the only way to get maximum improvement. According to my Combat Power, I should aim for at least an S+ or even more challenging worlds! Its just wasting a few more days, even if I have to wait an entire month, Ill wait for that spontaneous refresh! Song Jian withdrew his hand, standing in the crowd like an observer, listening to the conversations around him to pick up useful information. Wow, thats the fourth-tier Combat Power Assessment gate, right? It even had a spontaneous refresh today It doesnt matter now, the fourth-tier Combat Power players, wishing to refresh a suitable world, some have waited more than a month already, they wouldnt mind an extra day or two. Dont even mention them anymore. Didnt we also wait a week just to refresh a B-Class dungeon? Sigh, the rewards of an A-Class world are so good. Stats points and skill points are fine, but getting that Gold-Tier Skill Book is really tough Yeah, skills are the hardest to get, I currently only have three or four attack skills A group of players were discussing, soon their attention returned to the entrance of the first-tier Combat Power Assessment world; Its A-Class now, Ill choose A-Class world. Anyone wants to team up with me? Theres no limit to the number of players in a world. Even though our assessment tasks may not be the same, we can still help each other. The difficulty could be reduced to a certain extent, probably similar to B+ Class a thief wearing leather armor gritted his teeth and shouted out. With a combat power of fifteen thousand, I wont even qualify to enter, at best I can only enter B- Class someone expressed regretfully. Im just short of getting into A-Class, I can only make it into A- Class I, I think Ill wait one more day. Maybe a B-Class world will show up tomorrow, a blue-tier Skill Book isnt too bad Seeing that no one was willing to enter an A-Class world with him, the leather-armored thief turned his sights onto Song Jian, who was new. Hey, new guy, are you interested in going on an A-Class world trial with me? Song Jian glanced at him and slowly shook his head; A person on the side mocked: Arent you being desperate, Da Yong? How could he, a newly upgraded level thirty player, possibly have a combat power of fifteen thousand? Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Exactly, he probably can do the same as us at most, waiting for the B-Class world to refresh! Might even be waiting for the C-Class world, haha! At this moment, the light green gate flashed, and the four random worlds immediately disappeared. In their place were four S-Class trial worlds; One was S-Class, two were S+ Class, and there was even an SS-Class world; What on earth! Even the first-tier Combat Power trial world has a spontaneous refresh! a player with an incredulous look on his face exploded. What does two S mean here? Dual S Class world? There are actually SS Class worlds? Holy hell, the difficulty level! Even the entrance requirement is a Combat Power of fifty thousand Double S-Class trial world? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he immediately clicked to check it out. Chapter 634: 634: Assessment Task Chain Chapter 634: Chapter 634: Assessment Task Chain Oh my god, there really is a double S world, I thought it was just a rumor before! A player exclaimed. Hmph, youve just entered the game for a while, and you really think youve seen everything? But on the other hand, the upper limit of the double S world is very high, and if you really do well, you might get even more benefits in the trial world than the rewards. Fifty thousand combat power is just the entry condition, there must be second-tier combat power in this world So envious, the task reward is so generous, a legendary-quality skill book or higher, do you think theres a possibility that a skill book beyond legendary quality will appear? Beyond legendary quality? Whats that? Ive never even heard of an item of higher quality than legendary, divine tier? Hehe A group of players were discussing, and no one paid attention to Song Jian, the newcomer. At this time, Song Jian was seriously checking the information of the SS-level Assessment World. Trial World 1: SS-level world; task reward: all attribute points are increased by 45, skill points +12, and a skill book of no less than legendary quality is randomly obtained. The trial tasks must be received after entering the world. However, these task rewards indeed made Song Jian gasp. Forty-five attribute points, probably not even the main attributes of current players might reach 45 points, let alone other attributes. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Right now, without equipment, Song Jian only had his strength and agility attributes above forty-five points, while his physical attribute was forty-four points, and other attributes were all below thirty points. If all attributes really upgraded by 45 points, it would give those who havent completed the first-tier combat power assessment, and even those who have completed lower difficulty players, the power to crush their opponents. Ill choose this trial world! Song Jian made up his mind in his heart, just with the attribute points, it was worth trying. With this thought, Song Jian directly clicked on entering the SS-level trial world. Soon, a flash of white light passed, and Song Jians figure disappeared from the trial hall. This scene was noticed by the surrounding players, and they were all shocked. He, he actually chose the S-level trial world, is this newcomer that strong? Just reaching level thirty and being able to enter the S-level trial world, are all newcomers so fierce nowadays? I need to hurry up and complete the trial assessment, or Ill be overtaken by others. S-level? Look carefully, its not just S-level, he entered the double S-level trial world! Suddenly someone exclaimed. Originally, there was the number of players who entered the trial behind each trial world. Now, in the three S-level worlds, the number of players who entered the trial was all zero, while in the double S world, the number of players who entered the trial was one. At this moment, almost everyone was speechless. They were all frightened, and after a while, a player voiced everyones thoughts: Its best if he falls in this world, otherwise, there might be one more divine-level player in the game in the future. After choosing the double S-level trial world, Song Jian was immediately wrapped in a ball of white light, and his whole body was in a state of weightlessness. He didnt know how long it took before Song Jian suddenly opened his eyes. He was lying in a simple wooden hut. In the room, besides the hard wooden bed underneath him, there was only a large wooden chest and a table. Whats more, his body seems to have returned to the quality of an ordinary person before entering the game. He opened the game interface and saw that his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set had been sealed and lost its effect. And his level had also become level one, and his attributes returned to the status when he first entered the game, but all the attributes were there, and they were all in a sealed state. Skills were the same, except for his innate skills Thick Face and Holy Sword which were not sealed. Only a max-leveled Earth Teeth Assault skill could still be used, and all other sword skills were sealed, and the level to unlock various skills would vary depending on the skill tier. For example, Sweeping Sword Style would require level ten to unlock, and Immortal Sword Body would require level thirty to unlock. His life skills were all usable, but this didnt help him much in terms of strength enhancement, so Song Jian ignored it. The Vertical Eye, the Hexagram Array Diagram on my chest, and the Zombie tattoo, they are all sealed. Im no different than a newbie who just entered the game, how can I play like this? After checking himself, Song Jian got up from the bed and muttered to himself. Fortunately, there were explanations behind all the seals, as long as Song Jian reached level thirty, his strength would be completely restored. Is this trying to make me play the game again? Song Jian shook his head and said. He felt dizzy, like he had a cold. Since entering the game, Song Jians physical fitness had greatly improved, and he hadnt been sick for a long time. Wait, why is there suddenly an extra memory in my mind? Song Jians face changed, and he quickly checked the strange memory that appeared in his mind. His last 20 years of memory had been added to his mind, and this kind of ability was horrifying. It was like watching a movie, Song Jian browsed through the sudden extra memories in his mind. He found that the memories were like a movie, and didnt affect him at all, just like the background information of this trial world. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief. Im now the lowest-level handyman disciple of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Ive been here for three years and havent even learned the most basic introductory sword technique. In three days, there will be a Sect assessment. It seems like Im about to be kicked out of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Song Jian looked at the game background in his mind and shook his head with a bitter smile. Although its called the trial world, its actually like a big dungeon; the dungeons Song Jian encountered in the game were mostly a castle, a cave, or a building. Some larger areas might be a manor or a town, but the copy he currently was in was a complete world. Just as Song Jian understood the background of this trial world, a system prompt suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. System: Trial player Song Jian has entered the SS-level trial world. Do you want to start the first-tier combat power trial task immediately? Yes/No. Song Jian chose Yes. A semi-transparent screen immediately appeared with the trial task description. First-tier combat power trial task, part one: assessment; task content: you must get the first place in the Qingyun Sword Sect disciple assessment three days later; if not achieved, the trial task fails, and you will be forced to leave the trial world; if achieved, the second task will be started. This is a task chain? Song Jian frowned. For this kind of task, the beginning is usually a relatively simple task content, such as courier tasks. Afterward, the difficulty of the tasks will gradually increase. So players familiar with the game usually judge the difficulty of the entire task chain based on the opening of the task chain and the rewards obtained. To let an ordinary person who hasnt even learned a basic sword technique get first place in the Qingyun Sword Sect disciple assessment, this task chains opening is simply hellish. Song Jian muttered to himself: But for me, it shouldnt be a big deal! Chapter 635: 635: Task Chapter 635: Chapter 635: Task Song Jian picked up a sword from the wooden table and hung it around his waist, slowly walking out of the room. At this moment, he discovered that the entire Qingyun Sword Sect was stationed on a mountain peak. The higher status disciples lived closer to the top of the mountain, while the menial disciples, like him, could only live at the mountains base. A lot of people entered and exited the Qingyun Sword Sect, with most of them wearing the same gray attire as Song Jian. It seemed that this was the standard clothing for menial disciples. The most important thing now is to find a way to level up. I am only at level one, and if I want to get first place in the assessment three days later, I need to raise my level to at least ten so that I can at least unlock the Sweeping Sword Style, Song Jian muttered to himself. Although his two talents had not been sealed, and he still had an attack skill called Earth Teeth Assault, it would be scrutinized if he used this skill during a sword sect assessment. Just then, a group of disciples dressed in menial attire came in from outside, cursing as they walked. Those bandits on Blackwind Mountain are too arrogant, daring to rob near our Qingyun Sword Sect. They really dont know when to stop! Hmph, sooner or later, our Qingyun Sword Sect will wipe out all the bandits of Blackwind Mountain. Hey, with so many skilled disciples in our Qingyun Sword Sect, why cant we take down Blackwind Mountain? I heard that the leaders of Blackwind Mountain only have first-order combat power We can only blame our own disciples for not being competent enough. Although there is a mission to eradicate the bandits within the sect, no one has been able to complete it. Im afraid our overall evaluation will be lowered a grade this year, sigh! Suddenly, the group noticed Song Jian standing outside the wooden shack, they paused before walking past him as if they hadnt seen him at all. Even if our evaluation is lowered by a grade, Im afraid it wont have anything to do with Song Jian. In three days, hell be kicked out of the Qingyun Sword Sect anyway. Heh, not being able to learn the most basic Qingyun Sword Skill in three years is merely a miracle. How could such a fool stay in the sword sect for three years, wasting resources. Exactly, he cant even defeat a disciple who has just entered the sect for a year. We, who entered the Qingyun Sword Sect with him, are all ashamed. Its a wonder he dared to continue staying here. If it had been me, I would have quietly left by now. It seems like my status in the Qingyun Sword Sect is quite low, Song Jian bitterly smiled to himself. With the long sword at his waist, Song Jian headed to the task receiving area for menial disciples. In the residential area for menial disciples, there was a three-story wooden house. On a rocking chair, a chubby man was reclining with his eyes closed. Disciples coming in and out seemed to respect him, walking around him when they entered the building. Song Jian glanced at the chubby man, not paying much attention, and went straight into the building. The chubby man was named Wang Dafu, who looked unassuming but was actually a Swordmaster of the Qingyun Sword Sect. He had first-order combat power but had suffered serious injuries in a battle, causing his strength to decline. He was sent here as the task manager of the task building, essentially retiring. Although he had fallen from first-order combat power, in Song Jians eyes, this man called Wang Dafu could rival a level 30 elite level boss. There were quite a few menial disciples who received tasks inside the building. The resources they obtained were the least among the entire Qingyun Sect. If they didnt take on some tasks here, they would not be able to practice at all. New menial disciples were only taught a basic sword technique, the Qingyun Sword Skill, and received some meager resources every month. Anyone with a bit of ambition would come to the task building, take on suitable tasks, and exchange the rewards for cultivation resources after completion. This is probably the first time in three years that Ive entered the task building, Song Jian bitterly smiled to himself. Previously, he hadnt even learned the most basic Qingyun Sword Skill, so why would he come to the task building to receive rewards? Hey, isnt this Song Jian? Are you here to see what the task building looks like before you leave the Qingyun Sword Sect? A menial disciple noticed him and instantly sneered. In the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian had already become somewhat of a celebrity among menial disciples. To stay in the sect as a waste for three entire years was something most people couldnt do, simply because their faces wouldnt be thick enough! Ignoring the taunts of others, Song Jian picked up a task, and under the strange gazes of everyone, turned around and left the task building. Brother Wong, what task did that guy take? Someone curiously asked the disciple who had given out the task. The disciple known as Brother Wong glanced at him and whispered, Kill the head of Blackwind Village! What, Blackwind Village? Almost everyone gasped. Blackwind Village was less than ten miles away from the Qingyun Sword Sect, but up until now, it had still managed to stand strong without being wiped out. While the Qingyun Sword Sect aimed to hone their disciples in battle, the fact that Blackwind Village hadnt been eradicated already indicated its unusual strength. An ordinary person who hadnt even learned the basic Qingyun Sword Skill taking on a task to kill the head of Blackwind Village was simply courting death. He wont just take the task and never come back, right? Suddenly someone spoke in a gloomy tone. For a moment, everyone had a look of sudden realization on their faces. Exactly, in three days, whether Song Jian wanted to leave Qingyun Mountain or not, he would be kicked out. Why not take a task to leave the mountain and never return? At the very least, he left the mountain with a task that no one else dared to accept, saving face to the very end. Heh, whats the point of that? We all know what kind of person he is, right? A menial disciple sneered. Yeah, hes known as the man with the thickest skin among Qingyun Sword Sects menial disciples! Hahahaha! As everyone ridiculed Song Jian, he had already left the Qingyun Sword Sect and was heading towards Blackwind Mountain. At this time, his battle pets were sealed. Black Dragon could no longer be used in this world, and Little Stone Man could only be unsealed at level 30. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As for Follower Ya, he could not be summoned in this world either. Many items in Song Jians inventory were also sealed, including the motorcycle. Moreover, the identity he inherited was extremely poor, unable to even rent a regular horse for transportation. Song Jian could only rely on his own legs to run to Blackwind Mountain. Blackwind Mountain was about several miles away from the Qingyun Sword Sect. It took Song Jian half a day to finally reach the foot of Blackwind Mountain. Chapter 636: 636: One Person Short Chapter 636: Chapter 636: One Person Short Looking up from the foot of the mountain, a massive village loomed halfway up the slope. A towering flagpole stood in front of the village gate with a black flag fluttering in the wind. A bright red Hong character seemed to dance against the black cloth. A winding path led up to the village from the base of the mountain. As Song Jian prepared to follow the path, a middle-aged man with a crooked mouth and a twisted face suddenly emerged from the trees lining the path. With a cleaver in his hand, he pointed its tip at Song Jian and sneered, Hey, kid! What are you doing here all by yourself? Do you have any idea where you are? Is Blackwind Village up there? Song Jian asked with a smile as he looked at the level three Blackwind Mountain Bandit before him. Oho, is another one coming to join us? The middle-aged mans eyes lit up as he sized up Song Jian. After a moment, his face suddenly stiffened and he said, Your clothes I feel like Ive seen them somewhere Without another word, Song Jian stomped his right leg on the ground, sending a fang-shaped air mass whistling towards the level three Blackwind Mountain Bandit. With a loud thud, the bandit was struck by the Earth Teeth Assault and sent flying back, a damage burst of over a hundred points rising above his head as he fell, instantly dead. System: You have killed a level three Blackwind Mountain Bandit and gained 36 Experience Points. As expected, killing gave him combat experience. This would be helpful in leveling up quickly. As long as he could reach level 30, he could unlock most of his strength. Song Jian shook his head and didnt even glance at the dead bandits body. He continued slowly up the path towards Blackwind Village. Three days later, the Qingyun Sword Sects menial disciple exam proceeded as scheduled. Hundreds of disciples clad in gray robes lined up neatly at the square at the foot of the mountain. Everyone stood up straight, not daring to say a word. The hundreds of people resembled statues, not moving an inch. On the stands overlooking the square, several middle-aged men in blue robes seemed to be in high spirits, talking and laughing. Their relaxed attitudes didnt match the solemn atmosphere of the square. Master Wang, I didnt expect that you would preside over these menial disciple examinations this year. Is the Sword Casting Hall short on manpower? A middle-aged man with three long whiskers asked with a laugh. The burly man beside him laughed heartily and said, Weve just forged a blue-quality longsword. I thought Id take a break. Blue-quality? The scholarly-looking man with long whiskers looked amazed and complimented, Your craftsmanship is becoming more and more refined, Master Wang. It wont be long before you become a Master Level blacksmith. Ah, its still too early for that title. Im not like Qin Hua. She became a Dan Master at such a young age. Even the Sect Leader cant stop raving about her Seven Treasures Pill! A young woman nearby showed a slight smirk, her lips curling slightly as she nodded to Master Wang. Master Wang, Qin Hua, since its getting late, why dont we start the examination of these disciples? Li Guiqing stroked his long whiskers and suggested with a smile. Out of the three, his strength was the greatest; a level 30 Swordmaster with tier-one combat power. The other two were slightly weaker. The man addressed as Master Wang was Wang Hai, a forging craftsman. Although his strength was average, he was a senior blacksmith in Qingyun Sword Sects Sword Casting Hall. He was an expert-level blacksmith who could become a Master Level at any time. The other was even more remarkable C a newly ascended Dan Master of the Alchemy Hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Though a woman, she was not to be underestimated. Her Seven Treasures Pill could not only heal internal injuries but also assist in cultivation. Even the Sect Leader was full of praise for her, and she was the current favorite within the Sect. Naturally, Li Guiqing wouldnt dare to offend either of them and always maintained a modest attitude. Haha, actually, we dont know much about these exams. Li, you arrange it. Qin Hua and I are just here for the fun, Wang Hai laughed heartily. Qin Hua raised her pretty eyebrows slightly, shot Wang Hai a glance, but didnt object to his words. Alright, lets begin! Li Guiqing stood up and announced in a loud voice, The triennial examination for the outer menial disciples will now begin! Li Guiqing looked at the crowd on the square. Seeing so many people, his brow furrowed. In the inner court battles, two people would be selected for each arena. If the methods used in those inner court competitions were applied here, it would take three days and nights to examine these hundreds of menial disciples. These outer menial disciples were not highly valued by the Qingyun Sword Sect, and their role was similar to the gold prospectors panning for gold in a riverbring in talent to serve the sect. Even if they couldnt find talent, it would not impact the sect. Checking the roster, Li Guiqing discovered that the number of examining participants this year was exactly three hundred. Suddenly, a bright idea came to him. He announced, This year, there are three hundred examination candidates. So, divide yourselves into groups of one hundred each. Stand independently, fight amongst yourselves, and whoever is left standing in the end shall be the victors, allowed to enter the inner sect! sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All the menial disciples were momentarily stunned at hearing this unusual examination method. But since the examiner had said so, they had no choice. Quickly, they divided the three hundred people into three groups, occupying the entire square. Wang Hai patted Li Guiqing on the back, This is a good idea! Easy without wasting time and able to pick out the real talents. Lightheartedly, Li Guiqing, stroking his whiskers, said, Its not worth wasting the valuable time of you two on these outer sect disciples. Hmm, one of the groups seems to have only ninety-nine people instead of a hundred Qin Hua suddenly interjected. Upon hearing this, Li Guiqing frowned, checked the roster again, and summoned a disciple to investigate. It didnt take long for the disciple to return with an explanation that brought understanding to Li Guiqing. Qin Hua giggled, Someone escaped? One person has undertaken the mission to eliminate the Blackwind Mountain bandits and slay the leader of their village, Li Guiqing explained. They have yet to return. Wang Hai and Qin Hua couldnt hide their astonishment, wondering how such a situation could have occurred. Chapter 637: 637: The Examination Begins Chapter 637: Chapter 637: The Examination Begins The Qingyun Sword Sect has used the Blackwind Village as a test subject for its disciples for a long time. However, despite its longevity, the sect has been unable to eradicate the village, which has somewhat tarnished the sects reputation. If the task remains unaccomplished, the masters of the Qingyun Sword Sect plan to take action. However, this would downgrade the overall assessments of all disciples present today. Within the sect, rumors about this situation spread like wildfire. Naturally, Qin Hua and Wang Hai had heard these rumors and were extremely surprised when they suddenly heard that a mere menial disciple had accepted the task of eradicating Blackwind Village. Could it be that there is such an extraordinary swordsmanship prodigy among the menial disciples? Wang Hai wondered in astonishment. In the sect, many of the core or directly taught disciples look down on menial disciples and treat them with contempt. It was unthinkable that a menial disciple could accomplish what even the core or direct disciples wouldnt dare to undertake. Singularly taking on thousands of bandits with only a sword has the bold style of an ancient swordsman. Qin Hua expressed her admiration. As the path leads, I will follow, no matter the odds. How heroic! Listening to their praise, Li Guiqings face revealed a hint of embarrassment. He coughed and said, This person is no genius. I heard that he has been a menial disciple for three years and hasnt even mastered the basic Qingyun Sword Skill Qin Hua: Wang Hai: The two exchanged glances, both feeling a bit embarrassed. Forget it, if he isnt here yet, lets not wait. Maybe he ran off somewhere else Li Guiqing said after coughing twice. Boy, such a slow learner is indeed a rarity in this world Wang Hai shook his head in sigh; three years and still hasnt learnt the simplest beginner swordsmanship. If it were him, he would have run down the mountain in humiliation. Li Guiqing stood up, ready to announce the start of the assessment. Suddenly, he squinted his eyes, and his right hand instinctively clenched into a fist. This was his instinctual reaction to danger; he wanted to grip his sword hilt, but he didnt have his sword with him as he was here to assess the menial disciples. From the entrance of the Qingyun Sword Sect, a figure slowly walked up. This figure was clad in grey menial disciple clothes, which was so soaked in blood that its original color was almost unrecognizable. Even from a distance, Li Guiqing could smell the sharp scent of blood emanating from him. Song Jian, with a face full of determination, was carrying a cloth bag and took step by step toward the square. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Apprentice Song Jian, I have finished eradicating Blackwind Village, but due to this, I am late for the assessment. I ask for your understanding and a chance to participate! Song Jian threw the cloth bag aside and shouted at the three people on the viewing platform with his fists crossed in front of him. What? You have achieved the task of annihilating Blackwind Village? Li Guiqing shook all over with disbelief on his face. The BlackwindVillage is home to over 3,000 bandits, with five chiefs each at level 30, and the main head having level 1 combat power. Even Li Guiqing himself didnt have the confidence to defeat them, let alone eradicate the whole Blackwind Village with just a single sword. Impossible, did he wipe out the entire Blackwind Village by himself? Nearby, the Forging Master Wang Hai muttered under his breath. Li Guiqing was also doubtful and reluctant to believe Song Jians words. However, the killing intent still lingering on Song Jian and his blood-soaked clothes all testified to his feat. Whats in your cloth bag? Qin Hua pointed to the blood-soaked cloth bag beside Song Jian and asked. Its the item for my task! Song Jian made a fist-palm salute toward Qin Hua and politely replied. Task item? You mean? Wang Hai stood up abruptly and exclaimed in surprise, Thats the head of the main leader of Blackwind Village? Since he brought the head back, it cant be faked, right? Qin Hua gave Wang Hai a sidelong glance and said in a low voice. Li Guiqing glanced at the cloth bag beside Song Jians foot and composed himself. He smiled and said, You have just returned from a task. Would you like to rest a bit? We can put off the assessment for a while. The assessment was postponed because of one person, something that was likely to only happen with the menial disciples. Thats unnecessary. Its unreasonable for so many fellow disciples to wait for me. Besides Song Jian glanced at the three locations prepared for the assessment and smiled, The assessment should not take long. Hearing his confident words, the three examiners approved, but the rest of the menial disciples showed expressions of resentment. Song Jian was popular among the menial disciples. It enraged them to see someone usually looked down upon now bragging here. If not for the three examiners presence, Song Jian would have probably been drowned in spit by now. Alright, you areSong Jian, correct? Li Guiqing stroked his long beard and smiled, So be it, you can participate in the assessment. Join the third group. Song Jian saluted the three of them, picked up the head of the main leader of Blackwind Village, tucked it into his waist, and strode toward the third group of one hundred people. Song Jian, now at level 30, had all the seals on his skills and equipment lifted. However, he couldnt show off too extraordinary skills or equipment right now; otherwise, he would be suspected, unless he could kill everyone present. After recovering, Song Jian, facing these menial disciples whose levels were at most level 10, was unassailable even if he let them attack while he stood still. The greatest gain for Song Jian from journeying to Blackwind Mountain was finding a way to level up. This world was no different from other levels; he could level up just by killing monsters. Let the assessment begin. The last three to stand on the stage will be promoted to core disciples! After Li Guiqings loud announcement, everyone swung their wooden swords almost simultaneously at the person next to them. There were shouts and cries everywhere. Of the hundred people in Song Jians group, 99 of them spontaneously rushed at Song Jian. Youre nothing but ants! The corner of Song Jians mouth twitched as he beat a disciple with his wooden sword. A great force flowed through, knocking down the menial disciple instantly. System: You defeated a menial disciple and gained 1,000 experience points; Oh? Even without killing these disciples, I can gain experience points? And this amount of experience is quite high! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he saw these disciples as large experience gifts. He swung his wooden sword and charged at these menial disciples. Chapter 638: 638: Inciting Public Outrage Chapter 638: Chapter 638: Inciting Public Outrage Song Jian spent a full three days, exterminating all the bandits on the entirety of Blackwind Mountain. The few leaders possessed first-tier battle strength, and Song Jian relied on his stone figurine and surprise attacks to kill each of them. Especially during the fight with the head leader, he even used the passive skill Enemy of Death God. With the effects of Enemy of Death God, he suddenly experienced a pseudo-death and revival before dealing a severe blow to the head leader, killing him and taking his head. This was the toughest battle Song Jian had ever faced. Now, however, each disciple, who were mostly at the eighth or ninth level and not exceeding the tenth, was giving him more points than twenty-level monsters. How could Song Jian not be thrilled? Even without using any special skills, and just relying on physical strength, Song Jian was capable of mowing down every disciple with a single sword sweep, leaving them all flattened on the ground. If he wasnt afraid of intervention by the examiners, he wouldnt have even shown mercy. Seeing Song Jian dominating the hundred-man team where no one could withstand a single move from him, surprise was written over all three examiners faces. I knew he was strong, but I did not expect him to be this strong! Whats more, he seems to wield the sword by sheer brute force, with no sword skills at all. Yet the power he unleashes is so great No, although he is using brute force, traces of sword skills can still be discerned in the transmission of his power. He does know swordsmanship, it has been deeply embedded into his blood and bones. Even a casual swipe from him can convey the presence of Sword Intent. Li Guiqing, the most accomplished in swordsmanship, was also filled with astonishment when looking at Song Jian. Sword Intent? Li, are you talking about Sword Intent? Am I hearing things? Wang Hai turned sharply towards Li Guiqing with a tense look. How is that possible? Hes just a lowly servile pupil Qin Hua too, was looking at Song Jian with a shocked expression. Whats wrong with being a servile pupil? Dont forget our Sect Leader was also a servile pupil before Li Guiqing looked around before murmuring quietly. This brat, how can he be compared to the Sect Leader Wang Hais eyes flickered uncertainly. What a shock to him, if he had not used his sword talent earlier, how could he have ended up in the Sword Casting Hall, becoming an apprentice swordsmith? Sword Intent, huh even among official Swordmasters, there arent many who can comprehend Sword Intent. Qin Hua sighed and shook her head. Li Guiqings mouth twitched a littlehe was one of the official Swordmasters who had not comprehended the Sword Intent. Indeed, it is Sword Intent. But he has only just barely scratched the surface, its not yet what one would call true Sword Intent. However, given his age and talent, grasping the true Sword Intent is only a matter of time. Even though Li Guiqing himself had not grasped the Sword Intent, his eyes were sharp enough to tell. Do you think it could be because he single-handedly wiped out Blackwind Village? Qin Hua suddenly speculated. Li Guiqing shook internally, thoughts whirling in his mind. Should I also go eradicate a bandit camp or two to try and attain Sword Intent? As Li Guiqing gazed at the blood-covered Song Jian, a single sentence from Qin Hua had rooted itself in his mind, sprouting wildly like weeds. In just the time it takes to brew tea, Song Jian had felled all the disciples around him. Most of them were unconscious, while quite a few had their bones broken by Song Jian, clutching their hands or feet in pain on the ground, moaning in pain. Alright, we have our winner. Have someone take the injured for treatment. Li Guiqing frowned, sneering at the disciples rolling in pain on the ground and ordered. Bring Song Jian over. We ought to get closer to him. With his abilities, before long, hell catch the eye of the elder and perhaps even the Sect Leader, and become a direct disciple. Li Guiqing muttered to the two people beside him. Qin Hua and Wang Hai glanced at each other and subtly nodded. They were already plotting what kind of gift they should give this servile disciplesomething that would be accepted yet not appear too sycophantic. At that moment, much to their surprise, they saw Song Jian charge towards the scene of another hundred-man trial, mowing down the disciples around him with his wooden sword, like a tiger among sheep. What what is he doing? Qin Hua spoke, flabbergasted. Ahem, did he arrive too late and missed the competition rules, and assumed that he must defeat all competitors to pass? Wang Hai coughed twice, offering an explanation. Maybe, just maybe? Li Guiqing wore a stunned look, aware that Wang Hai was making excuses for Song Jian. That said, after having toppled so many competitors, how much energy must this kid have left? Wasnt he tired? He was courting everyones ire! When Song Jian burst into the second hundred-man team, the 70 or 80 members were quickly scattered, like the ones before, into unconscious or groaning heaps clutching their limbs. After taking a look at his level, Song Jian found that he had soared to level thirty at 69%. The experience was freely gained without any effortit was incredibly satisfying. Most importantly, he wasnt doing this for some qualification to join the inner sect. From start to finish, Song Jians goal was one and onlyto clinch first place in this disciple trial. How could he secure the first position without defeating everyone else? sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, after defeating the second hundred-man competition team, Song Jian was panting a bit. When he turned his gaze to the third competing team, the remaining dozens of people actually stopped their fights unanimously and looked at Song Jian in unison. Almost every disciples eyes were filled with fury. At this moment, it seemed as though Song Jian had truly become everyones enemy. Phew, damn, Ive overdone it Song Jian looked at the remaining disciples, a bitter smile creeping onto his face. Having already defeated more than a hundred trial disciples, even though their levels were much lower than Song Jians, it also drained him of a substantial amount of energy. Seeing the remaining trial disciples unexpectedly stopping in unison, the three examiners glanced at each other. Not only did they not stop Song Jian, but they wore interesting expressions: Heh heh, this is getting interesting! Song Jians strength had already received their recognition, but if he could not beat the remaining disciples, he would not be able to pass this trial test. If he fails, Ill take him as my disciple! Li Guiqing stroked his three strands of long beard, his face breaking into a smile. If Song Jian really passed the trial, with his talent, he would definitely be accepted as a disciple by an elder or possibly the Sect Leader. Then, he wouldnt have any chance. At that moment, Li Guiqing found himself hoping that Song Jian would fail the trial. Come on! With a wave of his wooden sword, Song Jian shouted at the remaining disciples. Before the others could react, the thoroughly bloodstained Song Jian, his spirit still burning bright, plunged alone into the crowd, sword in hand. Chapter 639: 639: The First Person in the Assessment Chapter 639: Chapter 639: The First Person in the Assessment Song Jian held a wooden sword and charged towards a group of fifty to sixty people. In the eyes of many, this was tantamount to suicide. After all, Song Jians demonstrated strength hadnt yet reached a level where he could ignore such numbers. Song Jians dismissive attitude angered the remaining disciples, who swung their swords and charged at him in rage; even those who were initially intimidated by his strength. Hes underestimating us, this guy who hasnt even mastered the Qingyun Sword Skill in three years. How dare he look down on us! Yes, lets surround him. I think his stamina is almost exhausted. Lets immobilize him first! Dozens of people attacked Song Jian simultaneously. Some even threw their wooden swords away and lunged at him, arms wide open, trying to pin him down. At this point, Song Jian couldnt even muster a tenth of his combat power. Almost all of his skills were unusable, his equipment unshowable. Even his physical attributes were suppressed. It was like he was fighting this group with chains wrapped around him. In this SS-ranked trial world, he wasnt the first player to enter. During his battle with the Black Wind chieftain, he was quickly recognized by his opponent. The initially retreating chieftain, once discovering that Song Jian was not of their world, became frenzied. In the end, he attempted a murder-suicide. Faced with his opponents immense combat power, Song Jian was forced to use Enemy of Death God. This made him more secretive about his foreigner identity for fear of getting exposed. The risk of being hunted down was one thing, but if the trial failed, that was a massive loss. A bit overconfident arent we? But I am curious to see my own limits. A devilish smile appeared on Song Jians lips. His sword suddenly became lively, accurately piercing the approaching disciples from unexpected angles. He kept moving back, not giving them a chance to surround him. It took Song Jian more than half an hour to defeat the remaining fifty or sixty people, twice as many as the two competing teams he defeated before. Leaning on his sword, Song Jian laughed heartily while looking at the defeated disciples on the ground. The relief he felt was even greater than when he took down several first-order leaders of the Black Wind fortress. Just as he took down the last individual, he suddenly received a system prompt indicating that the task was completed. System: You have completed the first part of the trial task. Reward: Level increased by one, +2 free attribute points. Would you like to claim them now? System: This reward is separate from the assessment completion reward. If claimed, it will not affect the assessment completion reward. If not claimed, it will accumulate for the next step. The more you accumulate, the bigger the final reward. However, if the subsequent tasks fail, the accumulated reward will disappear. Song Jian was taken aback. He didnt expect each part of the assessment task to contain a reward, and that it was separate from the final success reward of the assessment. Should I claim the reward for each part? If accumulated, the reward would definitely be higher than claiming each parts reward. However, if I fail in the future tasks, even this reward will be gone. For a moment, Song Jian was hesitant. Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After some deliberation, he gritted his teeth and chose to accumulate. In his heart, he understood that claiming the rewards now would be the safest bet. Even if he failed the final mission, he would not end up empty-handed after a months wait. But Song Jian was thinking that if he was going to win, he wanted to win big. If he was going to lose, he wouldnt take anything with him. This was a clear gamblers mentality. After choosing to accumulate, the second part of the mission immediately appeared before Song Jian. Assessment task part two: Annihilate the Qingyun Sword Sect, kill the Sect Leader Liu Qingyun! Song Jian was almost knocked off his feet when he saw the second part of the assessment task. Was the mission already so difficult at the second part? Annihilate the Qingyun Sword Sect? Just with him alone? Even if Song Jian had reached the first-order combat power, it would be impossible to annihilate a sect with over ten thousand members with a single strike. Even if I were to unlock Black Dragon its impossible. Even if Black Dragon is unlocked, I wouldnt be able to annihilate the Qingyun Sword Sect with one strike! Song Jian was stupefied. If he had known the second parts task was this, he should have claimed the reward for the first task! While Song Jian was worrying about the second task, three examiners strode over, all smiles. Congratulations, Song Jian. You passed this exam and even became the first rank with an absolute advantage! Li Guiqing said with a smile. Young man, I see great potential in you. Are you interested in joining our Sword Casting Hall? We need disciples like you in our hall! If you choose to become our disciple, we can guarantee you the best benefits in the entire sect. Furthermore, your weapons would be taken care of by the Sword Casting Hall. Wang Hai said cheerfully. Master Wang, why waste his potential in the Sword Casting Hall? Qin Hua glanced at Wang Hai and said, Hed better come to our Alchemy Hall. Here, he wont have to worry about his future cultivation pills and can even eat them like jelly beans, how could his cultivation not make great strides? You two Li Guiqing didnt know whether to laugh or cry at their words. Hahaha, were just joking. Brother Song will eventually become an elder or even a personal disciple of the Sect Leader. How can he possibly join us? Wang Hai laughed and gave Song Jian a badge, saying: This is our Sword Casting Halls Martial Order. With this order, you can choose a weapon of blue quality or higher in the Sword Casting Hall. Consider it a gift to celebrate your passing the exam! This is the Pill Order from our Alchemy Hall, you can use it to get ten Qi Boosting pills. Keep it well. Qin Hua also gave Song Jian an order with a smile. Song Jian took the two orders with a smile, thanked them, and then turned his eyes to Li Guiqing. This Li Guiqing immediately felt his scalp prickle. He originally intended to host a random disciple exam and have some fun. He hadnt expected to have to pick up the tab. Both the Martial Order and Pill Order were given by Wang Hai and Qin Hua, but the resources consumed came from the Sword Casting Hall and the Alchemy Hall. They managed to curry favor without spending any of their own money. However, whatever gift Li Guiqing might give would definitely come out of his own pocket. After hesitating for a moment, Li Guiqing pulled out a notebook from his robe, gave it to Song Jian, and said: These are my personal insights on practicing the Qingyun Sword Skill. Take it. I know you may not care much for this basic sword skill of the Qingyun Sect, but let me tell you. Practically all of the advanced sword skills of the Qingyun Sect evolve from this basic skill. Learning this will greatly assist you in mastering more advanced sword skills in the future! Chapter 640: “ 640: Doubt” Chapter 640: Chapter 640: Doubt Song Jian hadnt learned the Qingyun Sword Skill in three years, and the three examiners had known it long ago. But now it seemed that Li Guiqing had misunderstood that Song Jian didnt disdain the Qingyun Sword Skill and was unwilling to learn. However, what they didnt know was that Song Jian had never learned the Qingyun Sword Skill at all. Seeing Li Guiqing hand over his own cultivation experience, Song Jian respectfully took it with both hands and thanked him. Song Jians attitude made Li Guiqing feel very satisfied. He nodded with a smile and stroked his long beard lightly. Alright, the test is over. You should go back and rest now. Take a good wash, the smell of blood on you is too strong. Li Guiqing laughed, Come to the Qingyun Hall tomorrow, the Sect Leader and the elders of the sword sect will personally assess you. If you catch their attention and become their personal disciple, you will soar to the heavens in one step. Yeah, perform well during that time! Wang Hai laughed heartily. Im rooting for you! Qin Hua smiled, covering her mouth, an enchanting expression on her face. After exchanging pleasantries with them for a while and obtaining their contact information, Song Jian smiled and watched the three leave. After the test, Song Jian didnt go straight back to his lodgings. Instead, he headed towards the mission tower to collect the reward for exterminating the Blackwind Village, which he had not claimed yet. As the Blackwind Village had not been eliminated for a long time, the reward for this mission had been constantly increasing. It had now reached a level that even official swordmasters were envious of. Seeing Song Jian, who was covered in blood, enter the room, even Wang Dafu, who was sunbathing outside the mission tower, was startled. You really destroyed the Blackwind Village? Wang Dafu asked in amazement. The leader of Blackwind Villages head is right here! Song Jian raised the cloth bag and said. Good, good, good! Wang Dafu exclaimed three times, his face full of admiration, I didnt expect it, but you really soared to the skies after three years of silence, stunning everyone! Hehe, thank you, thank you. Song Jian cupped his hands in gratitude, handed over the cloth bag, and said, Please, Manager, check it! For such an important task, ordinary disciples definitely had no qualifications to check the mission item, only the manager could do so. Wang Dafu opened the cloth bag, glanced at the bloody head inside, nodded, and said, Alright, leave it here. If there are no issues in three days, the mission reward will be given to you! For such an important mission, they naturally couldnt just rely on a bloody head. The sword sect would send someone to Blackwind Mountain for a detailed investigation. Song Jian nodded and left the mission tower. This kid Wang Dafu shook his head and said, I never expected that I, Wang Dafu, would misjudge someone. This useless mud can actually turn into a gem! When it was known that Song Jian had single-handedly defeated the remaining 999 people in the disciples test, it caused a commotion among the inner court disciples. The disciple assessment of the Qingyun Sword Sect was not only for the odd-job disciples, but the inner court disciples as well. At the end of the day, when all assessments were completed, the information of the outstanding disciples was immediately sent to the Sect Leader and all elders. In the main hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect, a middle-aged man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, who appeared to be in his thirties, was carefully reading the data in his hands. The other elders were also sitting together, going through the information of outstanding disciples from the test, to see if they could find some good seeds to accept as personal disciples. Song Jian, the only winning disciple among the odd-job disciples? An elder with white hair held Song Jians information in his hand, looking very interested. Oh, odd-job disciple? Isnt it that they should take the top three every year? How come theres only one qualified this year? Another elder asked curiously. Hehe, he single-handedly beat the other 999 participants, so he was the only one who came out on top! Eh, thats interesting, let me look at his information. Whats his name, Song Jian? The elders began searching among the information in their hands and pulled out Song Jians information. This disciple is quite interesting, he hasnt even learned the Qingyun Sword Technique in three years. But in just three days, he exterminated the entire Blackwind Village. I heard that the leaders are quite strong, especially the main leader; even I wouldnt dare to say that I could definitely defeat him! The difference in strength displayed before and after, isnt it too disparate? Could it be Elder Zhao hesitated. It shouldnt be, look at the evaluation below. This disciple has extraordinary talent, and seems to have sword intent in his gestures. His moves are natural and flawless, without any hint of artificiality. Hes like a piece of jade, with great potential! An elder pointed at Li Guiqings evaluation and said, Obviously, he doesnt know any sword skills or other abilities. Which of the invaders from the other world doesnt possess strange skills or sword techniques weve never seen before? Lets send someone to check the battle traces at the Blackwind Village first. If theres no problem, let him join the inner court. The Sect Leader pondered for a moment and said. Ahem, by exterminating the Blackwind Village, he has earned the reward of becoming an inner court disciple. An elder reminded. Well, since thats the case Sect Leader Liu Qingyun looked at the other elders and smiled, Any of you elders willing to accept this disciple as a personal disciple? Sect Leader, his identity hasnt been investigated yet. What if hes an invader from another world An elder frowned. Yes, his combat power is suspicious. Its hard to believe that one person could destroy an entire Blackwind Village! Whats so unbelievable about it? The test evaluations stated that the disciple had a hint of sword intent. Isnt it normal for a disciple with sword intent to defeat enemies of a higher level? Lets investigate it first. Otherwise, it will make people feel uneasy! Well, lets investigate it first. If theres no problem, Im interested in him! Sword intent its really hard to believe. I dont know what kind of sword intent he has comprehended, if it is Elder Hong, youre overthinking it. With his current age, its most likely that hes only touched the threshold of sword intent. To form a true sword intent of his own is simply impossible. There are not many geniuses like our Sect Leader in this world who can do that! Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. While the Qingyun Sword Sects higher-ups were discussing, Song Jian was in his room reading through Li Guiqings Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique which was given to him. In addition to the complete Qingyun Sword Skill, it also contained Li Guiqings experience with every move and every form. This was a formal swordmasters experience; it could not only allow people to quickly understand the Qingyun Sword Skill but also guide their future sword path. Its value was immeasurable. After browsing through the entire booklet, Song Jian suddenly saw a golden light in front of him, and the system prompt followed; Chapter 641: 641: Summoned Chapter 641: Chapter 641: Summoned Song Jian was unaware that annihilating Blackwind Village had aroused suspicision among the higher ranks of the Qingyun Sword Sect. In spite of this, the village, being the closest bandit hub to the Qingyun Sword Sect, was inevitable in Song Jians path to a fast recovery of his powers. Rather than sneaking there, he considered it more sensible to openly accept the mission, and once the battle was over, Blackwind Village was reduced to ashes by Song Jians hand. He doubted anyone would manage to unearth any evidence from the piles of ash. In the aftermath of his assault on Blackwind Village, the looted gold, silver, and jewels alone were worth hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. The regular bandits didnt drop much, mostly gray miscellaneous items and ordinary goods which Song Jian couldnt care less about. However, the bosses surprisingly dropped some valuable items. Each of the five bosses dropped two to three golden tickets for Song Jian which could be exchanged at any shop in the game for either a hundred liang of gold or ten thousand Doomsday Coins. Besides, the chief boss dropped his skill book, Ghost Howl Blade Skill, which was of blue quality. Although Song Jian could not use it, he could sell it for a good price; Song Jian planned to exchange this skill book for a sword skill book of the same grade. He had already mastered many skills, but was stuck due to a lack of skill points for upgrading. If he passed the test mission, he would receive a lot of skill points. At that time, he could merge his maxed out skills to create an even more powerful one. As such, his demand for sword skills was growing. The mission rewards for wiping out Blackwind Village offered by the Sect were also tempting. He could become an inner sect disciple directly and even get a significant amount of pill cultivation and custom weapons. Song Jian didnt care much about the status of being an inner sect disciple nor the weapon, but he was quite interested in the cultivation pills. Alchemists held a prestigious position in this world, as they were not only capable of creating pills that rivalled Advanced Healing Potions, but could also create pills that could recover Spirit Points during battles or even permanently increase his attributes, a true eye-opening experience for Song Jian. If it werent for needing to focus completely on the examination tasks, he would have contemplated learning the Alchemy Skill; The next day, Song Jain dressed in a clean grey robe and made his way towards Qingyun Hall, the conference hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect. As he neared the hall, Song Jian was led into a side house which served as the reception of Qingyun Hall. It was required to wait here until being summoned by the Sect Leader or the Elders. Also seated in the side house were a few other disciples, all clad in white robes, much more luxurious than the grey one Song Jian wore; Inner Sect disciples Song Jian thought to himself; These were the top performers in the inner disciple examination. Upon seeing Song Jian arrive, a peculiar light flickered in their eyes, observing him up and down as if he were some exotic creature. Under their probing gazes, Song Jian remained indifferent, instead proceeding to sit down at a tea table nearby. He poured himself a cup of tea and began to leisurely have his snack. The other inner sect disciples were nervous in anticipation of the summons from the Sect Leader and the Elders. Even while sitting, they maintained an upright posture, sitting impeccably straight and properly. Observing how Song Jian casually helped himself to refreshments, drew both contempt and admiration from the inner sect disciples. You must be Younger Brother Song Jian, said a man who looked to be in his twenties. Weve heard about how you single-handedly annihilated Blackwind Village, and demonstrated your might in the disciple examination, defeating over nine hundred opponents alone. We admire your courage, he complimented Song Jian with a bow and a smile; You flatter me, elder brother, responded Song Jian, returning the polite gesture. The second phase of the mission required Song Jian to destroy the entire Qingyun Sword Sect and even kill the Sect Leader. Having been operating around the base of Qingyun Mountain for the past three years, his knowledge of the Sect was nearly non-existent. He didnt even know who the Elders were, let alone their individual strengths. With such scarce information and no knowledge of the Sects high-ranking members, attempting to destroy it was laughable. This was why Song Jian had decisively attacked Blackwind Village, not only to restore his Combat Power, but also to draw the attention of an Elder or even the Sect Leader, in hopes of being taken in as a direct disciple. This would allow him to learn more about the Qingyun Sword Sect and devise a plan to annihilate it. Song Jian had already become more or less part of the inner disciples after he destroyed Blackwind Village. Taking into account his performance in yesterdays examination, he was likely to be summoned by the Sect Leader and the Elders, potentially becoming a direct disciple. So, while the successful inner disciples held some distaste for him, they always maintained a friendly expression, hoping to establish a congenial relationship with Song Jian. The atmosphere in the side house was harmonious, with everyone discussing which Elder was most powerful and who was the best at mentoring disciples. Compliments were freely given. Song Jian listened attentively, enjoying their conversations about the Qingyun Sword Sect Elders and subtly gathering information from them. About half an hour later, another disciple entered and said indifferently to everyone, The Sect Leader and all the Elders have summoned you. Follow me. Thank you, brother! The inner disciples promptly rose and bowed to the man who was dressed in a purple robe. Song Jian also stood up and followed suit, showing respect. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wearing a purple robe was a privilege for only the Sect Leaders and Elders direct disciples. Although they didnt recognize this disciple, his status as a direct disciple was enough for them to show respect. The disciple barely acknowledged them with a nod and led them out of the side house. The group hastily followed him. They soon arrived at Qingyun Hall, one of the most important buildings in the Qingyun Sword Sect where regular official discussions and receptions took place. The grandeur of the building was awe-inspiring, especially the plaque above the main entrance bearing the inscription Qingyun Hall. It radiated an extraordinary aura and the vigorous strokes of the inscription hinted at a violent Sword Intent that set the heart pounding upon viewing. The mere sight of the inscription made Song Jian go cold. It seemed that the second mission was far more challenging than he had anticipated. Chapter 642: 642: Sword Intent Chapter 642: Chapter 642: Sword Intent Here we are, this is Qingyun Hall. You can enter by yourselves, said the core disciple indifferently. Pushing open a large green metal door, Song Jian and the others headed towards the hall of Qingyun Hall. The hall was spacious and somewhat vacant, Sect Leader Liu Qingyun and more than a dozen elders turned their gaze simultaneously towards Song Jians group. Greetings, Sect Leader, greetings elders! The group respectfully greeted. Each of these dozen or so elders emitted fluctuations of Tier-1 Combat Power, surpassing ordinary Tier-1 combatants. Song Jian had felt this level of intimidating might only once before, on the leader of Blackwind Village. As for Liu Qingyun, seated on the Sect Leaders throne, even Song Jian couldnt discern his actual strength. To what extent had he reached? The only descriptor in his mind was unfathomable. No need for formality, you all represent the future of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Weve asked you here mainly for us old fellows to meet you, and as a reward for your performance yesterday, Liu Qingyun said amiably. We are willing to serve the Sect! Song Jian and the others bowed and shouted in unison. Good, other than Song Jian, all of you are inner disciples. Several elders appreciate you a lot and wish to take you as their direct disciples, said Liu Qingyun. The inner disciples looked at each other in surprise, then burst into excitement. Becoming a direct disciple of a master, was like taking a step up into the heavens. Not all successful participants in the disciples trial could become direct disciples, they must be selected by the elders. Chu Qiang, Hao Dadong here, you must have heard of me. Today, I wish to take you as my twelfth direct disciple. What do you think? A burly white-haired old man stood up and shouted loudly. The disciple who had spoken with Song Jian earlier stood up, his face glowing with excitement. Holding his fists in respect, he bowed to the old man and said, Disciple, disciple is willing! Liu Chunhua, old man One by one, elders stood up, taking the internal disciples as their direct ones. The information of these disciples was already known to them, so it was more a matter of formality. Those who became direct disciples would see their status greatly improved. No inner disciple would refuse to acknowledge this favor. All the disciples who were accepted as direct disciples stood behind their masters, leaving only Song Jian standing alone in the middle of the hall. Everyone quietly watched him. Song Jian, can you tell us how you managed to annihilate the whole of Blackwind Village by yourself? Liu Qinghuan asked slowly. The Qingyun Sword Sect had already sent people to examine Blackwind Village. It turned out that it was completely empty and had been burned down. The bodies of the people had been burned to ruins and no trace could be found. Some elders were even preparing to strike. As soon as Song Jian showed any indication of weakness, they planned to launch a powerful attack to kill him on the spot. Sect Leader, Honorable Elders! Song Jian responded without arrogance or humility, When I initially accepted this assignment, I did not plan to annihilate the entire Blackwind Village. I knew my own strength. I was not, at the time, capable of completely annihilating Blackwind Village. My intent was only to kill some ordinary bandits, and earn some cultivation pills in the process. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, after killing the ordinary bandits, I suddenly entered a strange state. I dont even know what I was doing, I just moved continuously towards the Blackwind Mountain Village. When I came to my senses, the bandits of the entire Blackwind Village had been killed by me! I was afraid at the moment, so in my panic, I over turned a brazier, and fled back here overnight. Song Jian added. What is this strange state you are referring to? An elder asked with wide eyes. I I dont know With a slight frown, Song Jian shook his head. The elders closest to Sect Leader Liu exchanged glances before looking back at him. With a hint of a smile, Liu Qingyun asked, Can you enter that state again? A few elders eyes brightened. This was exactly what they wanted to know. If Song Jian said he couldnt enter again, his suspicion would greatly increase. If he could, but his strength didnt change at all after entering the state, he would not be able to prove his innocence, and would definitely be under intense scrutiny in future. I can! Song Jian replied, Afterwards, I attempted to enter that state multiple times. After numerous trials, I can now deliberately enter and exit that state. Can you show us now? Liu Qingyun asked with a smile, appearing relaxed throughout, unlike the tense elders around him. The rest of the elders were mostly like spectators, sitting quietly, saying nothing. Song Jian nodded, lightly closed his eyes and tensed his muscles, seemingly using all his strength. After a moment, Song Jian activated his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body technique, causing a keen aura to radiate from his body. Golden Sword Qi swirled around, and eight sword shadows slowly rotated around Song Jian. Song Jian was taking a gamble. The concept of Sword Intent was well-known in the Qingyun Sword Sect. Their sect leader had been considered a genius in his youth for his independent comprehension of Sword Intent. Due to the enthusiastic endorsement of some people, the types and strengths of Sword Intent were a common topic among the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Song Jian found that the so-called Sword Intent was akin to a boost in status. Depending on the specific Sword Intent, the effect varied. His Immortal Sword Body greatly resembled this amplified state. Although Song Jian didnt know if there were any Sword Intents similar to the Immortal Sword Body in this world, he felt that his chances of winning this bet were high. Sword Intent, its really Sword Intent. This isnt just touching the threshold of Sword Intent, this is complete Sword Intent! An elder stood up in shock, staring at the Song Jian, who was exuding a fierce aura with golden Sword Qi swirling around him, and cried out in surprise. Liu Qingyun squinted his eyes, involuntarily squeezing the armrest of his throne. A crack sound echoed as the sturdy armrest developed a crack. What kind of Sword Intent is this? It feels powerful, definitely capable of contesting a Tier-1 combatants strength All the elders turned their gaze to Sect Leader Liu Qingyun. Among them, only a few had touched the threshold of Sword Intent. In the entire Qingyun Sword Sect, only Sect Leader Liu Qingyun had truly mastered Sword Intent. Chapter 643: 643 Sword Formation Chapter 643: Chapter 643 Sword Formation Liu Qingyun stared at Song Jian and said slowly, Indeed, this is Sword Intent! The moment his words fell, the gazes of several elders became red-hot as they looked at Song Jian. Even disregarding Song Jians potential for now, just his comprehension of the complete sword intent was enough to spark the elder disciples envy. If they could personally teach him, wouldnt their chances of understanding sword intent increase significantly under his influence? Ahem, Sect Leader, now that Song Jian is cleared, can I An Elder rose and hinted with a respectful bow towards the Sect Leader. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Before he could finish his sentence, a robust man interrupted him, Old Hu, why are you always trying to hog everything good for yourself? Havent you already taken a disciple directly under your wing? Greediness isnt virtuous. Let those elders who havent taken any disciples yet have a chance. As for Song Jian, I would I also havent taken a direct disciple yet. I think Song Jian is quite suitable. My Duan Yue Sword Skill is very suitable for him A few elders ranked higher clamored with an eagerness to take Song Jian as a direct disciple. Initially, the elders ranked lower also shared the same thought, but seeing the current situation, they all gave a bitter smile and shook their heads, just watching the scene while sipping tea. Enough already. We are all experienced people, yet were bickering like kids, arent we setting ourselves up for ridicule? Liu Qingyun frowned at the incessant arguing elders and finally reprimanded them. Once everyone had quieted down, Liu Qingyun addressed Song Jian, Song Jian, are you willing to become my disciple? Upon hearing Liu Qingyuns words, the Elders wore various expressions. The in-door disciples who were just taken in as direct disciples all watched Song Jian with envious looks. I am willing! Song Jian respectfully replied. Good! Liu Qingyun expressed his satisfaction with a smile, From now on, you are the third disciple directly under my wing. Congratulations to the Sect Leader for taking another direct disciple. What a joyful occasion! All elders congratulated in unison. Finally, Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Although his involvement in the Blackwind Bandit raid was concealed, his possession of Sword Intent was exposed, and he was accepted as a direct disciple by the Sect Leader himself. As such, his reputation spread throughout the Qingyun Sword Sect, making him known to almost everyone. This made him step more cautiously than ever. Once Song Jian became a direct disciple of the Sect Leader, he was allocated a separate small courtyard. His attire was changed from the simple gray robes to a splendid purple robe, and he even had two maid-servants at his command, which essentially catapulted his status within the Qingyun Sword Sect. A few days later, the rewards for eliminating the Blackwind Bandits were distributed. Moreover, with the welcome gifts offered by several examiners during the disciple assessment, Song Jian spent several days engrossed in the study of swordsmanship in his courtyard, politely declining all disciple visits. In this world, I can study new sword techniques that dont need skill points to level up! Song Jian exclaimed in wonder, carefully examining a scroll. This scroll was the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique, given to him by Swordmaster Li Guiqing during the disciple assessment. As he studied it, his proficiency in Qingyun Sword Skill gradually increased. When his proficiency reached 100 percent, a golden light suddenly appeared, and the level of Qingyun Sword Skill had leveled up. At this point, Song Jians Qingyun Sword Skill reached level eight. Its highest level is nine, much higher than many of Song Jians other skills. Although learning new sword skills didnt require skill points in this world, other skills like Flash Thunder Strike and Broken Wing Dance still required skill points for upgrades, making them seem oddly out of place. This world is truly a haven for swordsmanship cultivation. If I study and master more sword skills and constantly integrate them, maybe Ill be able to develop epic or even legendary-level sword skills. If I succeed, my rewards in this world will be far greater than mission rewards. Moreover, even if I fail, I can still carry those sword techniques back with me. A smile couldnt help but creep across Song Jians face. Several other disciples resided around the small yard where Song Jian lived, who were all elder disciples. Song Jian was supposed to visit his two senior brothers, i.e., Liu Qingyuns other two direct disciples, first, but they were both out on tasks, and he had no other option but to let it go. However, a disciple living next to his courtyard would often come over to see him. After many refusals, Song Jian finally decided to maintain civility with his neighbor. Qi Leng, cant you learn a bit of courtesy like Elder Wans direct disciple? Song Jian helplessly watched the young man clad in a purple robe jump over the wall and walk straight to the stone table in the courtyard. He picked up a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth while savoring each bite. That bookworm is such a pushover. People like him are bound to lose out. Qi Leng replied with a self-satisfied expression. Song Jian referred to Elder Wans direct disciple, his neighbor on the other side. After being refused by Song Jian once, he never returned. Also, can you please enter through the main gate next time instead of always hopping over the wall? It doesnt reflect well on you. Song Jian said, rubbing his forehead. I cant help it. This route is more convenient for me. If you dont like it, you can buy a sword formation from the Sect and set it up around your house. Qi Leng seemed to choke on his words and drank a large cup of tea to wash it down. Then he continued, I know you are super wealthy now. Even we other direct disciples looked greedily at the rewards you got for eliminating the Blackwind Bandits. Moreover, dont tell me that you gained nothing from eliminating the entire Blackwind Bandits. Song Jian smiled faintly. His assets probably were a lot more abundant than those of average direct disciples. For his everyday cultivation, he used Dan pills like candy, which greatly sped up his progress. He could afford to practice the Qingyun Sword Skill with no restrictions on the usage of Dan pills Sword formation? What do you mean by that? Song Jian asked, intrigued by Qi Lengs words. Indeed, with Song Jians expertise in magic runes, setting up a defensive magic array in his yard would be a piece of cake. Doing such a thing, which would blatantly reveal his true identity, was something only novices who were new to this world and knew nothing would do. This Qi Leng took out three transparent crystal stones from his pocket and tossed them on the ground. The crystal stones automatically arranged themselves in a triangle, and a sharp Sword Qi rose from the middle of the triangle and slashed towards Song Jian. Chapter 644: 644: Trading Zone Chapter 644: Chapter 644: Trading Zone Seeing the Sword Qi approaching, Song Jians brows raised. He formed a sword with his right hand, lightly tapping the Sword Qi. Bang A sound like metal clashing rang out in mid-air, and a strong force burst forth, causing a gust of wind in the small courtyard. Song Jians eyes lit up. The power of this Sword Qi was almost on par with his max-level Earth Teeth Assault. Moreover, from these three transparent crystals, Song Jian felt a familiar sensation. This is the most basic Sword Qi array, formed with three Sword Stones. Those who can create Sword Stones are called Sword Array Masters. If youre interested, you can look into it, Qi Leng smiled and said, You can go to the trading area in the sect, where youll find everything you want. Song Jian nodded and put the matter aside, chatting casually with Qi Leng. After Qi Leng left, Song Jian continued to level up his Qingyun Sword Skill until it reached max level. Then he put away the book Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique. Now, the skills Song Jian had mastered included Earth Teeth Assault at max level, which could be fused. However, when he put Earth Teeth Assault and Qingyun Sword Skill into the fusion column, he found that their fusion rate was only 2.32%. It seems that to fuse skills, you need to choose those with similar types and effects. The fusion rate will be higher, Song Jian thought as he closed the fusion column. After making simple preparations, Song Jian left his residence directly. This place is like a small town! Song Jian walked in the trading area of Qingyun Mountain and looked at the buildings on both sides of the mountain road with a surprised expression on his face. Those entering included inner disciples, direct disciples, and Swordmasters of the Qingyun Sword Sect, making the place quite lively. There were numerous shops in the trading area, mostly owned by Swordmasters, and the majority of the customers were inner disciples. Song Jian casually glanced at the shops on both sides while walking towards the center of the trading area. At the center of the trading area, a stone pillar stood erect. Many people were gathered around the pillar, seemingly examining something. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With the stone pillar as the center, a circle with a diameter of ten meters was drawn on the ground. As Song Jian stepped into the circle, he instantly felt a breath drilling towards his forehead. This breath touched the skin of his brow, giving a tingling sensation like being electrocuted. Instantly, a large amount of information composed of text and images flashed before Song Jians eyes. Eventually, the information twisted and condensed into a thick book that appeared in his mind. With a thought, Song Jians consciousness made contact with the thick book and gently flipped to the first page. Weapons, Materials, Pills, Sword Techniques, What first caught Song Jians eyes was a densely packed index. He hesitated for a moment and directly chose Sword Array. Hum~ A soft buzz sounded in his mind, followed by a plethora of information regarding sword arrays. Basic Sword Array Course Completed Sword Arrays for Sale Sword Array Materials Sword Array Shops All sorts of information related to sword arrays appeared before Song Jian. After looking through them for a while and gaining a general understanding, he then moved onto the Sword Techniques section. All kinds of sword techniques appeared before him. Some were already fully mastered by the Qingyun Sword Sect. If these techniques were chosen, a specialized Swordmaster responsible for explaining them would be available, in addition to the technique books. However, there were many other sword techniques that the Qingyun Sword Sect had obtained from other places, with few practitioners. If such techniques were chosen, self-exploration would be required, and the possibility of encountering various issues was high. As expected, the higher the tier of the sword techniques passed down by the Qingyun Sword Sect, the higher the required level of the Qingyun Sword Skill! Song Jian thought as he browsed through the information. Cultivating sword techniques on my own is too slow. Unless I can get a book like the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique, its better to level up sword techniques during combat Song Jian thought, I should follow my original plan and learn more about sword arrays. Soon, after filtering, Song Jian was left with only a few pieces of information. Course: Basic Sword Array, Instructor: Zhao Tianliang, Array Level: Advanced, Class Time: Every Wednesday 9 am to 11 am; Fee: 2 points. Buying 10 grams of Mysterious Iron Pure Gold at a reasonable price, items for trade available: White Tiger Sword Formation Analysis, Cloud-rising Steps, Roaring Tiger Sword Techniques, Flowing Cloud Sword (blue), Golden Silk Armor (blue), Items sold in-store: Basic Sword Array Analysis, Sword Spirit Grass, Sword Stone (blank), Spirit Accumulation Pill, Blood Replenishing Pill, It doesnt seem easy to learn about sword arrays Song Jian frowned. There were specialized teachers in the sect to teach sword array knowledge, but it required points. These points were like the currency circulating within the Qingyun Sword Sect, and any item could be exchanged with points. As a direct disciple of the Sect Leader, Song Jian received a welfare of 100 points a month. However, the class time was short, and there were still five days until the next class. Song Jian couldnt wait that long. As for the remaining options, Song Jian didnt have the items they wanted in exchange. It seems like I can only check out those shops selling sword array knowledge, Song Jian thought to himself. Among the information he chose, there were three shops selling basic sword array knowledge. Song Jian headed directly towards the one closest to him. According to the information left on the webpage, Song Jian quickly found a shop. This shop was located at the end of a narrow alley on a mountain road, built on a huge rock. The shop was a bit remote, so there were no customers inside, making it very quiet. Inside the shop, there were shelves lined with various items, making it look like a general store. What do you need? A middle-aged mans face emerged from behind the counter. He looked somewhat chubby, with round, rosy cheeks and a pair of small, shrewd eyes. I need some basic books on sword arrays, Song Jian said. The middle-aged man stuck his head out, looked Song Jian up and down, and upon seeing the purple clothes on his body, he muttered quietly: Another brother who has been promoted from inner door to direct disciple. Do you really think learning sword arrays is so simple? Better to buy some finished products for self-defense instead of wasting energy and time to learn this As he said this, the middle-aged man came out from behind the counter and picked up a thin booklet from the shelf. He handed it to Song Jian and said, Ten points. Also, the items sold in this store are non-refundable. Chapter 645: 645 Sword Array Hall Chapter 645: Chapter 645 Sword Array Hall Song Jian bought a few more blank Sword Stones and a Sword Array Talisman Cutter, spending all his hundred points, before he left the shop. Is this guy trying to squeeze every last point out of me? Song Jian looked at the bulging small cloth bag in his hand and thought to himself. Back at his residence, Song Jian instructed his two maids not to disturb him, took out the Basic Sword Array Analysis and started studying. After carefully flipping through the entire book, the word Sword Array appeared in Song Jians skill bar at level 1; System: You have learned the basic Sword Array, mastered the skill of setting up Sword Array, and obtained the title of Junior Sword Array Master. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Junior Sword Array Master (Title): Equipping this title increases the speed of setting up a Sword Array by 5% and the success rate by 5%; Not bad! A smile crept onto Song Jians face, with the help of the gaming system, he could learn any skill quickly as long as he had a Skill Book. This Basic Sword Array Analysis only includes a simple array, the Blazing Blade Array. He could carve the array diagram of the Blazing Blade Array on a blank Sword Stone, and once successful, he could activate the array diagram on the Sword Stone for attack at any time; He continued to flip through the book, and each time he gained proficiency in Basic Sword Array Analysis. He spent an entire afternoon almost memorizing the entire book, and his Sword Array level only increased to level three, and his proficiency could no longer increase. After a light dinner, Song Jian took out a blank Sword Stone and a small wooden box the size of his palm. Opening the box, there was a silver needle as thin as a hair. The needle was only a knuckle-long, sparkling like a star. This was the Sword Array Talisman Cutter, which cost Song Jian sixty points alone. Song Jians eyes focused on the silver Talisman Cutter. In a short while, the Talisman Cutter began to vibrate slightly, slowly floating in mid-air as Song Jians Mental Strength began to slowly consume; The so-called carving of a Sword Array involves using Mental Strength to control the Talisman Cutter to carve a complete array diagram on the Sword Stone. Song Jian looked at the trembling Talisman Cutter in front of him and frowned, he took back the Sword Stone in his hand, it would be a waste to carve the array diagram on the Sword Stone in this state, a waste of Sword Stones, a waste of points. Its like using a trembling hand to embroider, the final result is just wasting materials; I have to practice controlling the Talisman Cutter first. Song Jian thought to himself. However, not long after, Song Jian felt dizzy, and the silver Talisman Cutter fell onto the table with a clatter. It consumes too much Mental Strength Song Jians face was gloomy, he took out a pill and swallowed it, gradually recovering his Mental Strength. It seems that learning the Sword Array is much harder than I thought In fact, with the help of the system, Song Jian was already much faster than others. Ordinary people who first learn the Sword Array cannot master it, even after one or two years of hard work, and he only took a short afternoon to become a junior Sword Array Master. Although he still cant produce any Sword Array Stone, he already has the qualities of a Sword Array Master. After resting for a while, when his Mental Strength recovered, Song Jian began to control the Talisman Cutter again. He spent three straight hours and consumed enough pills to bankrupt an inner disciple, but the level of his Talisman Cutter control didnt improve. Why is it so hard? No wonder the shop owner looked at me like I was wasting time learning the Sword Array. It seems only real Swordmasters can learn the Sword Array! Song Jian thought, unwilling to concede. The so-called Swordmasters are those with first-tier Combat Power, their attributes are much higher than ordinary disciples, so they naturally have no problem controlling the Talisman Cutter. Song Jian was holding a pill, about to put it in his mouth, but suddenly felt nauseous. The faint fragrance emanating from the pill became a repulsive smell his nose; I cant eat any more, my body is sending a warning, if I eat more, Ill develop pill toxin, which is harmful to the body! Song Jian frowned. The pills in this world do not have a cooldown time, they can be used consecutively, but if you eat too many at once, they can produce toxins in the body. Am I to just give up? Song Jian frowned, then an idea hit him, he picked up the silver Talisman Cutter. Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Suddenly, a transparent Spirit Sword condensed from Song Jians forehead, he controlled this Spirit Sword to shoot at the silver Talisman Cutter; As soon as the Spirit Sword neared the Talisman Cutter, it immediately entered it. Suddenly, Song Jian controlled the silver Talisman Cutter as if it was second nature, flexible and nimble, as if he had been practicing for a long time. What made him even more delighted was that after the Spirit Sword was integrated into the Talisman Cutter, controlling the Talisman Cutter no longer required the consumption of Mental Strength. That is to say, each time he made a Sword Array Stone, he only needed to consume thirty points of Mental Strength and he could control the Talisman Cutter indefinitely to make Sword Array Stones. Even a Swordmaster with first-tier Combat Power couldnt do this. It was as if Its like a glitch in the system Excitement shone in Song Jians eyes. For more than a month, Song Jian stayed home. Every day, he instructed his maid to go out and buy Sword Stones for him. When he ran out of points, hed exchange his gold, silver, and jewels. There were several baskets of defaced Sword Stones, each time the two maids watched as the ruined Sword Stones were removed, they were speechless. One day, Song Jian was controlling the Sword Array Talisman Cutter to engrave the Sword Array diagram on the Sword Stone, and six shining Sword Stones were already placed on his table. At this moment, a maid suddenly shouted at the door: Young master, the Sect Leader wants to see you! Song Jian jolted, and with a crack, the Sword Stone in his hand emitted a slight shattering sound. Song Jian expressionlessly threw the ruined Sword Stone in his hand into the trash bin, taking the remaining six Sword Stones, these are the ones he had prepared for creating the Seven Stars Sword Array, he only needed one more to complete the set. This time the summon was not a formal one, Song Jian arrived at Sect Leader Liu Qingyuns private courtyard. I heard that youve been secluded at home lately, studying the way of the Sword Array? Liu Qingyun laughed when he saw Song Jian enter. Song Jian nodded, this was not a secret in the Qingyun Sword Sect. At this time, his Sword Array skill had reached level nine, and he was about to be promoted from Junior Sword Array Master to Intermediate Sword Array Master. There were only a few in the entire Qingyun Sword Sect who could reach the level of Intermediate Sword Array Master, and there wasnt a single Advanced Sword Array Master. Closing yourself off from the world wont work. Liu Qingyun smiled, Since you like to research into the Sword Array, then go to the Sword Array Hall. You wont need to waste points purchasing those materials Song Jians eyes lit up, it seemed that his foster father was specially taking care of him. However, he soon realized that his mission was to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect and kill the man in front of him. His heart suddenly became conflicted. Chapter 646: 646: Awe of Getting off the Horse Chapter 646: Chapter 646: Awe of Getting off the Horse The next day, under the guidance of a disciple, Song Jian arrived at the Sword Array Hall. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Sword Array Hall of the Qingyun Sword Sect was surprisingly located in the belly of the entire mountain, almost hollowing out Qingyun Mountain, utilizing the Earths vein firepower to refine sword arrays. Next to the Sword Array Hall was the Sword Casting Hall, both entrances very close to each other. Eh, Song Jian, what are you doing here? A familiar voice sounded. Song Jian turned to look and saw that it was Swordmaster Wang Hai, who had assessed him before. Master Wang! Song Jian respectfully bowed and greeted him. No need for that, youre a genius who has comprehended Sword Intent and the Sect Leaders personal disciple. If anything, I should be the one bowing to you. Wang Hai hurriedly waved his hand and stepped aside. Why are you here? Could it be that you joined the Sword Array Hall? Wang Hai glanced at the entrance leading to the Sword Array Hall and asked. Yes, my master knew that I like to study sword arrays, so he let me come here to learn. Song Jian said with a smile. Wang Hai gave Song Jian a meaningful look, nodded without saying anything, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then turned and left. Watching Wang Hais retreating figure for a while, Song Jian followed the disciple guiding him and entered the Sword Array Hall. Master Song, Ive brought the person! The disciple guiding the way saluted a middle-aged man dressed in white and said. Song Jian looked up and saw that the man appeared to be in his forties with an average build. Although his face showed no wrinkles, there was a wisp of white hair at his temples. He doesnt look like a Swordmaster but rather like a scholar! Song Jian wondered in his heart but didnt hesitate at all. He took a step forward and bowed to the Hall Master of the Sword Array Hall, Greetings, Hall Master. Good, good! A smile flashed across Master Songs face, and he raised a hand in a light gesture, You are the Sect Leaders personal disciple, no need to be so restrained. The Sect Leader told me that you like to study the way of sword arrays, but to truly master sword arrays, one must possess at least first-order Combat Power, otherwise, a careless mistake could cause severe damage to ones Mental Strength. I heard that you have already comprehended complete Sword Intent, so you should be able to break through and become a real Swordmaster soon. By then, you will truly understand the power of sword arrays. Master Song said, smiling. Thank you, Master Song! Song Jian clasped his hands in a salute. You will be assisting Master Sun, acting as his deputy for now. Master Sun is our most experienced Junior Sword Array Master in the Sword Array Hall. Learn from him well. Master Song turned to an elderly man with white hair and a beard and said with a smile, Sun Changlin, Im leaving the Sect Leaders personal disciple to you. Dont hold anything back, teach him well, and our Sword Array Hall may have another Sword Array Master, and youll be credited for it. Cough, cough, thats fine. Im getting old, my Mental Strength is weakening a lot, and even holding a talisman blade makes me tremble now. Im afraid it wont be long before I cant even make the simplest Stone-splitting Array. Sun Changlin seemed somewhat weak, coughing twice, But teaching this little kid here shouldnt be a problem. Follow me. Sun Changlin took Song Jian to a small room and handed him a four-finger-thick book, saying, First, understand what a sword array is. These are all basic knowledge about sword arrays, and you must memorize them all. However, its necessary to read through them at least once, and preferably, read them thoroughly. This is the most comprehensive basic knowledge regarding sword arrays in the entire Sword Array Hall. Song Jian looked at the book in his hands and was dumbfounded. The title of the book was also Basic Sword Array Analysis. What, is there a problem? Sun Changlin glanced at Song Jian and asked. I had previously bought a book about basic sword arrays as well Saying that, Song Jian took out the book he had bought for ten points from his bosom. Bought it from the trading area, right? Sun Changlin just glanced at it and said, Most of the books sold in the trading area are written by memory from the disciples of the Sword Array Hall. If you buy ten such books, the content inside each of them might be different. Song Jian was somewhat speechless, but his face soon showed excitement. His sword array skill had already reached Level 9, but no matter how he practiced creating Sword Stones, his proficiency could not be improved. It seemed that he had reached a bottleneck. But the book in front of him might just help his sword array skills continue to improve, and he might even have a chance to break through the Junior Sword Array Master level and reach the Intermediate Sword Array Master level. From then on, Song Jian began to lead a life of two points and one line. He paid no attention to anything else in the Qingyun Sword Sect, and even the first-order Combat Power assessment task was put aside. Of course, with his current strength, even if he wanted to complete the assessment task, it would be beyond his reach. The Qingyun Sword Sect was not something he alone could eliminate. Half a month later, just like before, Song Jian left his residence and headed towards the Sword Array Hall. He was currently only doing some tasks to assist Sun Changlin, such as organizing sword array drawings and collecting materials for making Sword Stones. However, in fact, Song Jian was already an Intermediate Sword Array Master with his sword array skills breaking through Level 10 and reaching Level 14. In the entire Qingyun Sword Sect, there were only a few people with higher sword array achievements than him. Perhaps the key to completing the assessment task lies in this sword array technique. Song Jian walked and thought with his head down. Just then, a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy ran toward Song Jian, panting. Brother, the Sect Leader summoned you! The young boy said, gasping for breath. Song Jian smiled gently and said, Linger, speak slowly and dont rush. The boy called Linger was Sect Leader Liu Qingyuns pageboy, making him something like half a personal disciple. The other two personal disciples of the Sect Leader have returned to the sect. The Sect Leader, he wants you to meet your other two senior brothers. Linger said. Song Jian was slightly startled. Since he was accepted as a personal disciple, he had never met these two nominal senior brothers. He didnt expect they would have already completed their tasks and returned. Lets go quickly. Song Jian said as he followed Linger towards Liu Qingyuns estate. The moment Song Jian stepped through the main gate of the estate, he immediately felt a chilling murderous intent. Inside the estate, it seemed as if thousands of sharp swords were stabbing towards him. Subconsciously, Song Jian activated his Immortal Sword Body, condensing a mental longsword over three feet long in his brow and slashing it fiercely forward. Bang! A dull sound echoed through the air. Song Jian felt as if the mental longsword he had condensed had struck a thick steel wall, sending a strong rebound sensation through his mind. Song Jian grunted, blood streaming from his nostrils. Chapter 647: 647 Senior Brother Chapter 647: Chapter 647 Senior Brother Is that Song Jian? Come in quickly! Liu Qingyuns voice came from the mansion hall. Song Jians face was somber. He wiped off the blood seeping out and headed toward the mansion. As soon as he entered the gate, Song Jian saw a man wearing an iron mask, looking at him with a mocking face. It seemed that the man who had just taught him a lesson was this man. The mans iron mask only covered half of his face. The mask was shaped like a soaring hawk. Seeing Song Jian, he revealed a sarcastic expression, Is this the genius who has grasped complete Sword Intent even before becoming a Swordmaster, whom my Master has taken in? To me, hes nothing special! Jian Qi, say less. At his age, you were no match for him. Said a man wearing a black robe, glancing at him. Humph, eldest brother, why are you so eager to play the good guy? I think our little junior brother isnt so simple! Jian Qi snorted coldly and turned his head. Alright, I have only taken in three disciples. I hope you all get along and support each other. Im not asking you to make me famous. Liu Qingyun, sitting at the main seat, glared at Jian Qi. Jian Qi, with an unconcerned look, shrugged his shoulders at Liu Qingyun. Greetings, Master! Song Jian bowed his head and saluted. Song Jian, I asked you here to introduce you to your two senior brothers. This is your eldest brother, Chang Qinghe. The one wearing an iron mask is your second brother, Jian Qi. Liu Qingyun explained. Greetings, eldest brother and second brother! Song Jian saluted. The eldest brother smiled and nodded back, while Jian Qi snorted coldly, a hint of disdain on his face. The aura around the eldest brother, Chang Qinghe, was dense and deep, like a surging river. In contrast, Jian Qi exuded a fierce aura. It was as if he were a longsword freshly forged from the furnace, his blade glowing red-hot, while his sharp Sword Qi held a touch of flame. Both of them had reached the first level in Combat Power. Chang Qinghe was at level thirty-six, while Jian Qi was at level thirty-two. Song Jian, how have you been doing in the Sword Array Hall recently? Any gains? Liu Qingyun asked with a smile. Quite well. I feel that Ive gained a lot Song Jian nodded and said. Psh, you havent even reached the first level in Combat Power and you dare to learn sword arrays. Can you even hold the talisman blade firmly? Jian Qi disparagingly remarked. Liu Qingyun snorted coldly. Jian Qi froze, bowed his head, and began to drink his tea. As long as you gained something. Liu Qingyun nodded and said. The two of you executed this mission very well. Liu Qingyun spoke a few words with Song Jian, then turned to Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi. Especially Qinghe, the quality of the Xuan Tian Snowmans heart is extremely high. It will significantly enhance the power of my Sword Talisman War Soldier. Sword Talisman War Soldier? Song Jians heart skipped a beat. It seemed there were several things Liu Qingyun had up his sleeve that he wasnt aware of, like this Sword Talisman War Soldier C this was the first time hed heard of it. Song Jian perked up his ears, eager to learn more about the Sword Talisman War Soldier, but Liu Qingyun merely mentioned it in passing without further explanation, and swiftly changed the topic to their respective progress in cultivation. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The morning slipped away like this. For the most part, Liu Qingyun doing the talking, while the trio listened. Between analyzing the internal situation of the Qingyun Sword Sect, Liu Qingyun suggested improvements to the trios sect techniques and cultivation progress. Song Jian discovered that Liu Qingyun was lax and allowed them leeway; he would occasionally offer guidance when he was in the mood but let things be when he wasnt. Alright, stay for lunch. Its been a while since we teacher-and-disciple have eaten together! Liu Qingyun laughed and added, Next time you two go into the secret realm, take your junior brother along for some experience. Song Jian noticed that after Liu Qingyun finished his sentence, the look his two senior brothers directed at him had become strange. Master, junior brothers strength is still weak. The monsters in the secret realm, even the weakest, have the first-level Combat Power. It would be dangerous for junior brother! Chang Qinghe said hesitantly. Master, if we bring him in, its not just risking our own necks, but if something happens to him, wed have a hard time explaining it to you! Jian Qi glanced at Song Jian and remarked. Hmph, do you think that your junior brothers strength is weaker than yours? Liu Qingyuns face darkened as he snapped, He has grasped the complete Sword Intent. Once he enters Sword Intent state, he can match the first level Combat Power! What, is that possible? Liu Qingyuns eyes widened in surprise, and he looked up and down at Song Jian. Comparable to first level Combat Power? How is that possible? Jian Qi jumped from his chair, his face full of disbelief. What, you think your Master would lie to you? Liu Qingyun snorted coldly and, giving them both a look, he left flapping his sleeve. Little junior brother, when you have time, let your brothers bear witness to the true Sword Intent! eldest brother Chang Qinghe laughed. Yes, yes, we are not qualified to see Masters Broken Water Flow Sword Intention. We have always heard that Sword Intent is indeed very mighty, but weve never seen anyone use Sword Intent! Jian Qi looked at Song Jian, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. Broken Water Flow Sword Intention Song Jian thought to himself, it seems I should interact more with these two cheap senior brothers to learn more about Liu Qingyun. After lunch, Song Jian continued on his way to Sword Array Hall. In the Sword Array Hall, Song Jian had mastered numerous powerful sword arrays. Although they were only blueprints, Song Jian was confident that as long as he had enough materials, he could produce the Sword Array Stones needed for these sword arrays. Come, Song Jian, today Ill teach you how to make Sword Array Stones! Sun Changlin saw Song Jian come in and quickly waved at him. Make Sword Array Stones? Song Jian was taken aback. After all, to make Sword Array Stones in Sword Array Hall, one had to have the first level Combat Power, an unwritten rule in the Sword Array Hall. What, you dont want to learn? Sun Changlin asked with a straight face. I do want to learn, Id love to! Song Jian laughed. Sun Changlin laughed, took out an empty Sword Stone, handed it to Song Jian, and said, I know you have a Talisman Blade. Come, try it out and show me how far youve come. Song Jian smiled slightly, took out a wooden box, pulled out a silver Talisman Blade from inside it, and with a thought, the silver Talisman Blade slowly floated up, transformed into a silver light, and burrowed into the empty Sword Stone in Song Jians hand. Sun Changlin was stunned, a look of surprise in his eyes. After looking at Song Jian, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Chapter 648: 648: Official Sword Array Master Chapter 648: Chapter 648: Official Sword Array Master Sun Changlin looked at the silver talisman knife controlled by Song Jian, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. You are holding the talisman knife very stably! Sun Changlin said in astonishment. Song Jians mouth curled up slightly, his formation skills were much higher than anyone had imagined. He only revealed a little, and it had already shocked the junior Sword Array Master. The Sword Stone in Song Jians hand kept flashing, and inside, it seemed as if there was a small silver fish swimming constantly. Fine gold! Song Jian whispered. Sun Changlin was stunned for a moment and then immediately realized. He took a wooden box from the shelf, opened it, and inside was golden powder as fine as sand. Swish~ As if a breeze blew, a thin layer of the fine gold powder was scraped from the wooden box. It looked like a golden thread, rushing towards the transparent Sword Stone in Song Jians hand. Sweat began to trickle down Song Jians forehead, making him appear very exhausted. However, in reality, forcing out sweat was even more laborious than making the simplest Sword Array Stone in his hand. Dragging the creation process for almost one-third longer than usual, the Sword Stone in Song Jians hand suddenly burst out with a dazzling white light. The Sword Array was recorded, and a fresh Sword Array Stone was produced. The silver talisman knife seemed like a stream of light, flying out of the Sword Array Stone and landing in the wooden box. Song Jian seemed to be drained of strength as he collapsed into a chair, and the Sword Array Stone also fell from his hand and landed on the table. Seeing Song Jian gasping for breath, Sun Changlin fell silent. He could not remember how long it had taken him to finally make his first Sword Array Stone in his early days, but it was definitely much longer than Song Jians time. Although Song Jian tried his best to hide it, many details revealed his proficiency in making Sword Array Stones. This guy must have made a Sword Array Stone before, even though its just the simplest Starlights Sword Array Stone. Sun Changlin thought to himself. Ordinary Sword Array Stones could only release one Sword Qi at a time, and based on the power of the Sword Qi, they were divided into Starlight, Moonlight, and Sunburn. The complete set of Seven Stars Sword Array Stones that Song Jian had successfully made earlier was even more powerful, capable of easily slaughtering a hundred-man squad. Not bad, not bad. Although its just the simplest Starlights Sword Array Stone, it can actually be triggered three times, which is considered a minor extreme quality. Sun Changlin picked up the Sword Array Stone on the table and examined it carefully. The originally transparent Sword Array Stone now had golden patterns within, like fine hairs. These patterns were like a spider web, wrapping around the entire Sword Array Stone. With just one use of internal breath, such a Sword Array Stone could shoot out a Sword Qi towards the enemy. Moreover, the quality of the Sword Array Stone that Song Jian made was quite high. It could accumulate and trigger three Sword Qis before it would be scrapped. I originally wanted to teach you something, but I didnt expect that you had already taught yourself to this level. Its really amazing Sun Changlin looked at Song Jian with complex emotions. Taking a porcelain bottle from his bosom, Song Jian took out a pill and stuffed it into his mouth. His face gradually regained its color. Hearing Sun Changlins praise, a smile appeared on Song Jians face. Alright, with this Sword Array Stone, youre now considered a junior Sword Array Master. Ill talk to the Hall Master and sign an official contract with you. From now on, youll be a formal member of the Sword Array Hall! Sun Changlin said as he waved the Sword Array Stone in his hand. Song Jian nodded slightly, still seemingly exhausted. Sun Changlin knew the feeling of depleting ones mental strength. He gave a few instructions and told Song Jian to go back and rest directly. Holding the freshly made Sword Array Stone, he went to find the Sword Array Hall Master. It didnt take long for the entire Sword Array Hall to learn that Song Jian, after only a little over a month of practice, could independently produce a Sword Array Stone, albeit the lowest ranked Starlight Sword Qi Array Stone. Song Jian, can you deal with this Sword Stone? There seems to be some purity issues. Every time it reaches the Qi attraction point, theres some blockage. Has the Jin Yanghua arrived yet? Send someone to urge them. We cant afford to delay the Sect Leaders task. Song Jian, go and remind them! Although he had become an official Sword Array Master, Song Jians displayed strength was limited to producing only one Starlight Sword Array Stone per day, which was too slow. As a result, most of the time, he was busy with miscellaneous tasks. Despite this, many people were still amazed by Song Jians progress in learning Sword Array techniques. As the days went by, Song Jian didnt seem to be in a hurry to complete the second round of the assessment task. He knew that in this world, his strength could never break through to the first-tier Combat Power. Only by completing the assessment task and leaving this world would it be possible. If he couldnt break through, he would arouse suspicion from others sooner or later. Three months later, Song Jian gradually revealed his true strength. Having previously only been able to make one Starlight Sword Array Stone per day, he could now, like the other Sword Array Masters in the Sword Array Hall, complete daily tasks. Song Jian took three months to reach this point. Although his progress was astounding, nobody had any suspicions about his performance when he and the other Sword Array Masters worked together to make Sword Array Stones. One day, Song Jian was working on some blank Sword Stones at the public workbench in the main hall of the Sword Array Hall. At that moment, a figure walked in through the door of the Sword Array Hall. Everyone, this months task has arrived. The quantity of Sword Array Stones has increased by 25% compared to last month. Master Song said with an uneasy expression. What, it increased again? In recent months, the task quantity has been increasing continuously. Our current tasks are more than double those of a few months ago Yes, recently, when I sleep every night, I feel a headache coming on. If this continues, Im afraid my consciousness will suffer permanent damage Master, you must report this to the Sect Leader and the other elders. We cant hold on much longer like this Hearing that this months task had increased again, it immediately caused an uproar among the Sword Array Masters. Theres no other way. The conflicts within the Holy Yuan Secret Realm have intensified, and our disputes with the Red-sun Sect are growing. In the past month, there have been more than a dozen small-scale battles. Our fellow apprentices in the secret realm have a great demand for Sword Array Stones. Everyone, please hold on a little longer. The Sect Leader has already ordered that all your benefits will be doubled during this time, and once we defeat the Red-sun Sect, there will be rewards based on your contributions. Everyones efforts wont go unrewarded! Master Song comforted them. The monthly tasks were determined by the higher-ups of the Qingyun Sword Sect, and the Sword Array Masters couldnt resist. Their complaints now were merely a way to vent their frustrations. Upon hearing about the compensation, everyone quieted down, as continuing to make a fuss wouldnt benefit them. Song Jian smiled faintly. A month ago, he had noticed that many of the materials in the Qingyun Sword Sect, including pills, talisman paper, weapons, and equipment, had risen in price. In particular, the prices of auxiliary combat items like Sword Array Stones were increasing rapidly. It seems that the Qingyun Sword Sect is not the only dominating power. The key to destroying the Qingyun Sword Sect might be in this Holy Yuan Secret Realm Song Jian thought to himself. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 649: 649: Entering the Secret Realm Chapter 649: Chapter 649: Entering the Secret Realm Seeing that the Sword Array Masters stopped complaining, Master Song smirked and continued: Additionally, theres another thing I have to announce. This month, we need to send two Sword Array Masters to the Holy Yuan Secret Realm. No need to get anxious, everyone. The other halls will also need to send personnel to the Secret Realm. Theres nothing much to say about this; its a must-do task. Lets discuss who to send this month. As for the situation next month, we will decide then! Master Song looked around and said. Sect Leader, why send us to the Holy Yuan Secret Realm? Arent new Sword Array Stones being sent to the Secret Realm every day? Why assign two Sword Array Masters there when theyre not needed? Isnt this redundant? A Sword Array Master asked curiously. I heard that some incredible treasure has been discovered in the Holy Yuan Secret Realm, so the sect is increasing its efforts in the exploration of the realm. In the future, the entire Sword Array Hall and even the whole sect may move into the Secret Realm. For now, we are just laying the groundwork! Master Song responded: The daily tasks for those going will be the same as here; repairing damaged Sword Stones and creating new Sword Array Stones. Theres no need to fight anyone! Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Also, in addition to the regular monthly benefits, those going to the Secret Realm will receive an extra reward of 300 points! Master Song announced. Hum~ The Secret Realm was dangerous, so many people were reluctant to go. However, upon hearing that the reward was so generous, many people were tempted and began discussing it among themselves. Actually, as long as we dont enter those disputed areas, its not as dangerous as people say in the Secret Realm A young Sword Array Master hesitated. The reward is high, but its risking our lives Sun Changlins face was somewhat ugly. Secret Realm? Is it very dangerous? Song Jian feigned curiosity. Oh, I forgot, Song Jian. You were just promoted to a direct disciple not long ago and probably dont know much about the Secret Realm. Sun Changlin slapped his forehead and said. Song Jian, what do you think is most important to you right now? Sun Changlin asked. Cultivation techniques, skills, pills? Song Jian pondered. Resources, ultimately, it all comes down to resources! Sun Changlin said: The equipment you wear, the sword in your hand, the pills you use regularlyCall of these things are resources! Secret Realms represent a massive amount of resources! Some realms are naturally formed, containing many natural treasures like precious herbs and minerals, fertile Spirit Fields, and various types of spirit beasts. Some realms are created by ancient practitioners who cultivated their private worlds. Such realms are even more valuable than naturally formed realms. The Holy Yuan Secret Realm is the kind of realm created by ancient practitioners. Besides the resources found in natural secret realms, the most important thing is the blessings left by the ancient practitioners. The cultivation methods inherited from ancient times are worth a fortune each. This is why our Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-sun Sect have been fighting for so long. I guess that an ancient relic left by ancient practitioners has been discovered in the Holy Yuan Secret Realm Sun Changlin glanced around and whispered: Song Jian was stunned. What Sun Changlin described was different from what he had imagined. In the gaming world, secret realms were merely instances for leveling-up and acquiring high-level equipment. However, here, it seemed more like the private garden of some ancient powerhouse. Im getting old, and the Secret Realm is too dangerous for me! Sun Changlin turned to Song Jian and said: Youre still young, and you should seize the opportunity to explore the Secret Realm. Who knows, you might get lucky and obtain a cultivation technique left by an ancient practitioner. That could propel you to great heights! Song Jian, Li Xi, this month, you two go to the Secret Realm. Stay in Qingyun Town and dont go out. Just make a few Sword Array Stones and repair some damaged Sword Array Stones every day. Think of it as a change of environment to relax! Master Song called out their names directly. Song Jian was taken aback, not expecting Master Song to pick him to go into the Secret Realm. In fact, he had already seen a few Sword Array Masters showing their intention to go, but Master Song ignored them and picked him instead. Master Song, Ive only just started learning sword arrays, Im afraid Im not qualified yet? Song Jian showed a bitter smile on his face as he spoke to Master Song. Its okay. The task in the Secret Realm is much easier than outside. You are now a qualified Sword Array Master and can fully take on the task! Master Song grinned; Song Jian nodded and didnt refuse any further. In fact, he was quite interested in the Holy Yuan Secret Realm and wanted to take a look. At present, most of Qingyun Sword Sects strength had been focused on the Holy Yuan Secret Realm. If anything were to go wrong there, the strength of Qingyun Sword Sect would be greatly diminished. This was advantageous news for Song Jian. The next day, Song Jian and another man named Li Xi followed Master Song toward the back of Qingyun Peak. Along the way, the three of them passed through five or six checkpoints and numerous hidden guards. Song Jian could feel the gazes coming from the shadows. The entire back mountain area seemed unremarkable, but surprisingly, it was the most tightly guarded place in the entire Qingyun Sword Sect. The trio walked all the way to a secluded valley at the rear mountain, where they saw a man sleeping on a huge rock, holding a sword in his arms. Next to him was a wine gourd, from which a strong aroma wafted out and gradually dispersed. Honorable Uncle, by the sect leaders orders, Im bringing my disciples into the Secret Realm. Please check and verify! Master Song respectfully bowed to the man who was sound asleep. Alright, just go in. Dont disturb my sleep! The man on the rock, seemingly annoyed, turned over and said. Lets go. Master Song shook his head and smiled bitterly, leading Song Jian and the other person toward the cliff in front of them. The entrance to the Secret Realm was hidden within this cliff face. Master Song took out a token and pressed a seemingly inconspicuous spot on the cliff. Soon, the surface of the rugged cliff began to ripple like water waves. A dazzling white light shot out from the center of the waves, and then spread out in all directions. Eventually, an oval-shaped white light gate formed and slowly stabilized. This is the entrance. Follow me in, one at a time! After finishing his words, Master Song took the lead and stepped into the light gate. Chapter 650: 650: Map Chapter 650: Chapter 650: Map Song Jian felt a blur before his eyes, as if he were suddenly plummeting from a great height. His body felt weightless, and he lost control. However, Song Jian quickly felt solid ground beneath his feet. Instinctively taking a couple of steps forward to regain his balance, he rubbed his swollen eyes and thought to himself: This has been the most uncomfortable teleportation Ive ever experienced, bar none! Upon opening his eyes, Song Jian found himself standing on a giant platform. This platform was over thirty meters in diameter, surrounded by a circle of smaller platforms about ten meters in diameter. There were many other disciples moving around these platforms. Around this platform was a small, careful town. Beyond that was an endless green plain, dotted with fields of medicinal herbs and the glow of various protective formations. So this is the Holy Yuan Secret Realm. Its much bigger than I imagined! marvelled Li Xi, who stood by his side, his face filled with surprise. Alright, lets go and check in first. Youll have plenty of time to explore this place later, said Master Song, leading them towards the town. This is Qingyun Town, where you will be living for the next month, instructed Master Song as they walked. This area that extends for five miles is Qingyun Sword Sect territory. Id advise against venturing beyond its borders without notifying authorities. It might be tempting to explore the Secret Realm for opportunities, but remember its also fraught with danger. Even a random beast encountered might possess the combat power of the first order After they had reported their arrival and Master Song had organised their work and accommodation, he left the Secret Realm, leaving only Song Jian and Li Xi in town. Seven days later, having completed his task of making three Moonlight Sword Array Stones for the day, Song Jian stretched his back and walked out of the room. Life in the Secret Realm was indeed more comfortable. As long as he completed his daily tasks, no one bothered him, and he was free to explore the area outside the town or wander around the town itself. Within Qingyun Town, the other disciples respectfully saluted Song Jian upon seeing the distinctive uniform of the head disciple. Without a care, Song Jian headed straight for the centre of the town. In the Secret Realm, the town centre of Qingyun was a trading area. Many disciples and even Swordmasters would sell items they discovered whilst exploring the Secret Realm here. Song Jian had discovered by chance that rare treasures from the Secret Realm could be bought quite cheaply in this area. Hey, Song Jian, youre here! Come in, come in. I have lots of new goods today, come see if anything catches your eye! a middle-aged man, barely more than a meter tall, called out to him, his eyes lighting up. Song Jian chuckled. So, have you got any more of those fruits? The shop was a simple log cabin, a two-story building constructed from raw logs, the bark not even removed from their surfaces, giving it a rugged, rustic feel. A few days ago, while browsing, Song Jian had stumbled upon a fruit in this shop that could increase attribute points. Initially, he had wanted to purchase it with points, but the dwarfish shopkeeper had taken a liking to the mead that Song Jian had been carrying at the time. Eventually, Song Jian had traded ten bottles of mead for the fruit that could increase his strength attribute by one point. Heh, Ive got something even better than that fruit, the shopkeeper said with a mysterious grin. Come on, step inside and take a look! Song Jian followed him to the second floor of the shop where, among a pile of junk, there sat a black coffin. With a wicked grin, the shopkeeper slid open the coffin to reveal a set of stark white skeletal remains. A skeleton? Song Jian furrowed his brows. I think theres been some sort of misunderstanding here. Why would I be remotely interested in a skeleton? Just wait a moment, wait a moment! The shopkeeper motioned with his hands and glanced outside the window. Youll understand once the sun sets. This here is a rare treasure. Youll have to exchange it for, not five, but ten boxes of mead! Song Jian shook his head, looking quizzically at the shopkeeper. He couldnt sense any energy fluctuations from the skeletonit seemed like a common corpse. After waiting for over an hour, the sun finally began to set, with half the sky blushing into a deep red. Just then, the skeletal finger of the right hand lying peacefully in the coffin twitched. Song Jian tensed up as the sight before him defied all logic. He knew that there were no energy fluctuations emanating from the skeleton, so how could it possibly move? Soon the skeleton began to rise slowly from the coffin, with a hand continuously sketching something on the ground. Song Jian took a couple of steps back, unable to take his eyes off the skeletons movements. After a while, he asked, Whats going on here? Do you see what its drawing on the ground? Doesnt it feel familiar? the shopkeeper asked, pointing towards the pattern being slowly etched by the skeleton. Is this a map? After squinting for a moment, Song Jian excitedly exclaimed, This is a map of Qingyun Town! Heh heh, keep watching, the shopkeeper remarked with a mysterious smile. Soon, the map being depicted by the skeleton started to extend beyond Qingyun Town. Eventually, an incomplete map of the Secret Realm appeared before Song Jian. It seems this isnt a complete map of the Secret Realm, Song Jian muttered to himself. Its not the whole map, but its much more detailed than what we have. Even the maps of the Secret Realm in possession of the Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-sun Sect arent as comprehensive as this, the shopkeeper exclaimed proudly. So, youre planning to sell me this skeleton? Song Jian suddenly asked. Exactly, the main focus is this map, the shopkeeper replied, indicating towards the floor. Although most of this incomplete map has been explored by the Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-sun Sect, about two or three-tenths of it still lies in the unexplored territory. And let me tell you, the resources in these unexplored areas are far more abundant than in those explored by the Qingyun Sword Sect or the Red-sun Sect! The shopkeeper tapped his finger lightly on a location labeled Sword Control Hall. Is this a relic? Song Jians eyes widened. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So, is it worth ten crates of mead? the shopkeeper laughed heartily. But its a relic Why dont you explore it yourself? Song Jian asked, a puzzled expression on his face. One needs to know ones limits the shopkeeper smiled cryptically. Song Jian nodded and, pulling out his sword, chopped the skeleton and coffin into pieces. He then turned to the shopkeeper and said, Ten boxes of mead. Come to my place to collect it tonight. Chapter 651: 651: Relics Chapter 651: Chapter 651: Relics Watching Song Jian leave, the shopkeeper took out a stack of parchment from his bosom. Carefully examining it, each sheet was imprinted with the map depicted by the skeletal figure, with the location of the Sword Control Hall specifically marked in red ink. How can I only sell each map once? The shopkeeper selected a sheet from the pile and placed it on the counter. He stashed the remaining papers back into his robe, muttering to himself, At least I sold you the original. You didnt suffer a loss. Still, I dont know if anyone will want these maps without the skeletons performance The skeletal remains and the coffin were real. Every sunset, the skeleton would creep out of the coffin to depict the fragmented map. The shopkeeper then made several identical copies of the map. However, without the performing skeleton, many people might doubt the maps authenticity, considering it contained locations unexplored even by the Qingyun Sword Sect or the Red-sun Sect. Upon returning home, Song Jian took out an empty Sword Stone to craft a new Sword Formation. The capabilities of regular Sword Array Stones were no longer sufficient for him. Nowadays, Song Jian quietly produced large scale Sword Formations, such as the Seven Stars Sword Array and the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array he intended to create that day. Song Jian found that his Light Strike skill was perfect to incorporate into the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array. Here, it was inconvenient for him to deploy Light Strike. But if he used the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, no one would suspect anything even if they saw him. Moreover, the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array was powerful, comparable to simultaneously executing five or six Light Strikes. Whether in single combat or facing a group, it was very effective. The Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array was composed of five Sword Stones. The more complex the Sword Formation, the more Sword Stones were required. A single Sword Stone could not accommodate the complete formation it could only store part of it. To use, multiple Sword Array Stones needed to be applied together to form the full Sword Array. Having completed the final stroke, a silvery light flew out from the Sword Stone in Song Jians hand, lightly landing into a wooden box beside him. This newly created Sword Array Stone suddenly burst into a dazzling golden light. The other four Sword Array Stones on the table also emitted light simultaneously, as if responding to each other. The golden light merely shone for a moment before slowly fading. In its place, the previously transparent Sword Stones had turned into Sword Array Stones emitting a faint golden glow. Whew, its finally finished Song Jian looked slightly weary. The more complex the Sword Formation, the more delicate the operation required. Any minor mistake could potentially render the entire Sword Stone useless. The creation of the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array had taken up four to five days of Song Jians time. He used over a hundred Sword Stones just for testing, but it was all worth it for a successful creation. The Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array and the Seven Stars Sword Array are the most powerful attack Sword Arrays I have mastered. Song Jian placed the finished Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array into his inventory and began pondering the type of Sword Array to create next. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, a voice suddenly sounded outside his door. Is Song Jian living here? Song Jian realized he should craft a defensive Sword Array next. It didnt need to be highly protective, but at the very least it should have soundproofing and sonic transmission capabilities. Had someone called him while he was crafting the Sword Array, it would have distracted him and affected the creation of the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array. Coming! Song Jian quickly tidied up his table, got up, and walked towards the door. Upon seeing the people standing outside, Song Jian was taken aback. Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother. What brings you two here? Song Jian asked in surprise. Standing outside his room was Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi. Haha, Song Jian! Our Master asked us to bring you into the secret realm and look after you. But we didnt expect you to enter the secret realm before us. Chang Qinghe laughed. Jian Qi maintained his cool demeanor, not uttering a single word C his expression somewhat arrogant. Hehe, Senior Brother, I was suddenly assigned to a task by the Sword Array Hall. There was no time to report to our Master, Song Jian laughed. Are you going into the secret realm to complete tasks or delve deeper into the exploration? The full extent of the Holy Yuan Secret Realm was still unknown. Apart from the Gathering Area, Qingyun Town, the secret realm was brimming with dangers. Many disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect didnt return after leaving Qingyun Town. But despite the dangers, the rewards were equally significant. Almost every day, Song Jian heard stories of disciples finding treasure while exploring the secret realm and making great advancements in their cultivation. This led to an increasing number of Qingyun Sword Sect disciples venturing to explore the secret realm. However, this was a result deliberately encouraged by the Qingyun Sword Sect. Hence, Song Jian wasnt surprised to see his senior brothers. We discovered some ruins last time. It seems that a capable individual once lived there for a while and left quite a lot of valuable items. Chang Qinghe shared. We only explored the outskirts with Jian Qi last time. Were planning to delve deeper this time. How about it, junior brother? Would you like to accompany us? Ruins? Song Jian felt a bit uneasy. He was worried that the ruins his senior brothers had found were the Sword Control Hall depicted by the skeletal remains. Im relatively weak. If I tag along, Im afraid I might slow you two down, Song Jian laughed, shifting his gaze to Jian Qi. Hmph, stingy! Jian Qi rolled his eyes at Song Jian. I underestimated you before. I didnt expect you to become a Sword Array Master in such a short time. It seems I misjudged. Im apologizing for the things I previously said to you. Happy now? Ever since the news of him officially becoming a Sword Array Master spread, Jian Qi, who previously underestimated him, changed his attitude. However, despite his apology, he still came across as quite domineering. Stop joking, Second Senior Brother, Song Jian said with a smile. As long as you two arent bothered by me, I would be happy to explore the ruins with you. Great! We knew our junior brother wasnt a coward! Chang Qinghe clapped. But to be clear, in the ruins, each of us will acquire treasures relying on our own ability. If the three of us spot something simultaneously, the division will be based on the amount of effort each put in. Sound fair? Fair enough! Song Jian nodded in agreement. Alright! If there are no issues, lets set off now. The location of the ruins is quite far from Qingyun Town. After a simple preparation, Song Jian, with a regular longsword slung across his back, followed his senior brothers out of Qingyun Town. Chapter 652: 652: Wandering Soul Chapter 652: Chapter 652: Wandering Soul On the outskirts of Qingyun Town, there was a dense forest where three people were running through at top speed. Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi seemed to be trying to test Song Jian, without slowing down their pace. However, to their surprise, Song Jians running speed was hardly slower than theirs, keeping only two or three steps behind them. Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi exchanged glances, both seeing the astonishment in each others eyes. Although the two of them were not speed-type Swordmasters, their physical fitness had greatly increased after reaching the first level of Combat Power, which ordinary warriors could not match. What they didnt know was that although Song Jian had not reached the first level of Combat Power, his physical fitness was only slightly worse than theirs. With the attribute bonus from his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, there wasnt much difference between their body attributes. In some individual attributes such as strength and agility, Song Jians were even slightly higher; Though Song Jians equipment had been unlocked in the equipment column, it could be hidden, leaving no trace on the surface, and even someone using Mental Strength to search for it would find no sign of it. However, the downside was that in this world, Song Jian could not obtain any attribute bonus from his equipment, and could only use them as if they were cosmetic items. The further they ran, the heavier Song Jians heart became, as they were running straight towards the Sword Control Hall; I must have terrible luck. The ancient ruins they discovered might be the Sword Control Hall! Song Jian thought to himself. After acquiring the map, Song Jian had been preparing to explore the ancient ruins of the Sword Control Hall and making the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array for that purpose. He had not expected that his two senior brothers would discover the Sword Control Hall before he was ready. The ancient ruins were exploring this time are an abandoned hall. There are countless monsters around the hall, as if they were endless. We fought for three days and nights before, but we couldnt kill them all. Chang Qinghe said to Song Jian while running beside him, Inside the abandoned hall, theres an imposing aura with divine lights shining from within. There must be plenty of treasures! Junior Brother, if I set my sights on any treasure, you cant fight me for it! Jian Qi glanced at Song Jian and said loudly. No, if its something my senior brothers want, Ill back down! Song Jian smiled. Hehe, wise choice! Jian Qis face showed a satisfied smile. Chang Qinghe also smiled slightly at Song Jians words. They had brought him along not only because of their masters order but also because Song Jian was weaker than them and would not fight for any treasure with them. Otherwise, anyone would be unhappy if a treasure that originally had to be shared among two people now had to be shared among three. Dont worry, Junior Brother. If we find anything suitable for you, well let you have it! Chang Qinghe assured him with a smile. Song Jian smiled and said nothing. His current goal was to complete the assessment and improve his strength along the way. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just being able to learn about Sword Formations here was a bounty in itself. Since his senior brothers had discovered these ruins earlier, he wouldnt hold any illusions about them. If it werent for the similarity between the name of these ruins and his Sword Controller occupation, Song Jian might not have even followed them here. Soon, the three of them passed through the forest, crossed a lake, and arrived in a hilly area. Deep within the hills, there was a half-buried hall surrounded by hundreds of ghost-like monsters that wandered around it; These are the monsters. As long as we get close to the ruins, theyll attack us furiously Chang Qinghe pointed ahead and frowned. Song Jian was now sure that these ruins were the same ones marked as Sword Control Hall on the map. The entire hall was almost buried in sand and stone. It was difficult to notice its existence unless one looked closely. His two senior brothers might not even know that this hall was the Sword Control Hall; So, shall we eliminate these ghosts first? Song Jian asked. Of course, we wont be able to enter the ruins without killing them, Jian Qi added immediately. But to kill them, we have to work together. Eldest Senior Brother will deal with the ghosts in front, Ill deal with the ones on the left, and the right ones will be left to Junior Brother, how about that? Jian Qi turned his head and asked Song Jian. Song Jian looked at the dense ghosts ahead, a slight smile spreading across his face, and nodded, No problem, leave it to me. Seeing Song Jian agree, Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi exchanged glances, seemingly relieved; Remember not to be greedy, dont go too deep, and if youre in danger, just shout for help, and well come to your aid! Chang Qinghe instructed. I know! Song Jian nodded and went towards the right group of ghosts. What do you think? Can he handle that big guy? Jian Qi whispered as he watched Song Jians departing figure. Even if he cant, he should be able to buy us some time. Just one teas time will be enough for us to rush into the ruins. After that, whether or not he survives will depend on his luck! Chang Qinghes face darkened as he muttered, staring at Song Jians figure. We dont seem like good senior brothers! Jian Qi suddenly laughed lightly. Hmph, good senior brother? Do you think I cant see through it? Chang Qinghe said unhappily, Our master didnt have good intentions when he accepted him. Have you seen our master teach him anything all this time? He didnt even reach the first level of combat power when he was thrown into the Sword Array Hall to fend for himself. Its just that we didnt expect him to turn things around. Its really strange. He hadnt even reached the first level of Combat Power, yet he managed to become an official Sword Array Stone. And I heard he could even independently make Moonlight-grade Sword Array Stones. What an anomaly! That just means his Mental Strength is superior. Thats just his talent. Theres no point in being envious! Chang Qinghe sighed, Its just like Sword Intent. Only one person in the entire Qingyun Sword Sect can have Sword Intent. Dear Junior Brother, if you must blame something, blame yourself for having possession of a valuable treasure. Sword Intent, huh? I havent seen what his Sword Intent really looks like yet! Jian Qi said with a hint of regret. Stop daydreaming. Sword Intent is not something we can aspire to! Chang Qinghe said seriously, When we go back, just say that something unexpected happened. Our master probably wont blame us too much. Alright, Senior Brother, lets get to work, or well regret it if the opportunity arises and were hindered by these monsters! Alright, be careful yourself, these ghosts are very difficult to deal with, dont get overwhelmed by too many After speaking, the two of them charged towards the wandering ghosts outside the hall; Chapter 653: 653: Seven Stars Sword Array Chapter 653: Chapter 653: Seven Stars Sword Array Song Jian stared at the semi-transparent soul bodies that kept wandering in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed. These wandering soul bodies were of level thirty-two with no tier-one combat power. Despite their numbers, how could they possibly hinder the progress of two swordmasters with tier-one combat powers towards the main hall? Having a tier-one combat power and not having a tier-one combat power were akin to being two completely different beings. No matter how many of these ghosts there were, they couldnt possibly form a qualitative leap and hinder the steps of two powerfully skilled fighters. It seems there must be something strange about these ghosts, I should tread cautiously! Song Jian mused. These ghosts retained a human-like appearance, and one could vaguely recognize their mysterious facial features. However, the gazes of these creatures were vacant, showing only a slight wit once they became aware of Song Jians presence within their alert range. The number of ghosts in front of him was tremendous, clustered closely together. Luring them one by one was not an option, hence Song Jian took out three sword array stones and threw them into the air. A strand of Sword Qi entered the sword array stones, instantly activating the sword array within them. The three sword array stones transformed into three streams of Sword Qi, each over a foot long. They circled slowly around Song Jian like fishes in water, capable of attacking any hostile target that got close. Each stream of Sword Qi was equivalent to a full strength attack by Song Jian. Moreover, each Sword Qi could be used ten times. After that, they needed to be recharged with Sword Qi by Song Jian. This Sword Qi array was Song Jians improvement on the standard Sunburn Sword Array Stone. The ordinary Sunburn Sword Array Stone couldnt provide a protective effect as it did now. Qingyun Sword Technique! Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wielding his long sword, Song Jian lunged at the ghost that was closest to him. Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe were not too far from him. If he used other sword techniques, it could easily arouse their suspicion, and thus, Song Jian had to use the basic Qingyun Sword Technique for battling. Although the Qingyun Sword Technique was the most fundamental sword technique at the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian with the help of the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique written by an official swordmaster, had cultivated it to level nine. However, it could only be cultivated up to level nine. Any improvement thereafter would not be possible via the Detailed Explanation of Qingyun Sword Technique. Qingyun Sword Technique (Active), Level Nine (1%), Skill Effect: Sword Damage Boost by 45%, Attack Speed Boost by 15%, Block +3; Skill Description: Basic entry-level sword technique of Qingyun Sword Sect. Although the damage it causes is average, it is a prerequisite for all other sword techniques at the Qingyun Sword Sect. The examiner had once told Song Jian that the Qingyun Sword Technique was the foundation of all the advanced sword techniques of the Qingyun Sword Sect. To master other more profound techniques, one must first master the Qingyun Sword Technique. The phrase Qingyun Sword Technique breeds Qingyun meant that all sword techniques within the Qingyun Sword Sect originated from the Qingyun Sword Technique. Song Jian had been a named disciple for several months now, but he had never learned other sword techniques. Currently, he could only use the most fundamental Qingyun Sword Technique. Fortunately, Song Jians Qingyun Sword Technique was at a considerable level. Coupled with his innate skill bonuses, combating these regular level thirty-two monsters was somewhat effortless. The three Sword Qis circling his body incessantly cleaved the ghosts rushing towards him, and in no time, a small area was cleared. These monsters give a lot of experience points! Song Jian astonishingly discovered that these level thirty-two ghosts provided experience points two to three times higher than monsters of the same level in the outside assessment world, which excited him immediately. Ten minutes later, Song Jian had extinguished more than twenty ghosts. However, he still lingered on the periphery of the monster region, without delving deeper in. As for Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe, they were clearing the surrounding ghosts while advancing towards the main hall a few hundred meters ahead. Could it be that Ive been overly cautious and misunderstood them? Song Jian watched his two senior brothers delving deeper, feeling puzzled. Just then, a roar like a thunderclap rang out from in front of Song Jian. Large swathes of black mist surged up from underground, roiling and condensing in mid-air, eventually forming into a giant black ghost over ten meters tall. Just as this giant black ghost let out an angry roar, Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe suddenly accelerated towards the main hall. Sharp Sword Qi, like a downpour of rain, fell on the surrounding ghosts. Dozens of ghosts hadnt reacted when their bodies were torn apart by Sword Qi, they were unable to stop the twos forward charge. The moment Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe started their sprint, Song Jian understood their true purpose for bringing him to these ruins was to have him distract this giant boss attention, so they could make their way into the main hall smoothly. A lord-level boss with tier-one combat power! Song Jian squinted his eyes as he watched the gigantic black ghost that was as big as a small hill rushing towards him. The moment this black ghost appeared, almost all the other ghosts became frenzied. Their semi-transparent bodies turned crimson as though in a rage, gnashing their teeth and growling fiercely as they surged towards Song Jian. From a birds-eye view, it almost looked like a dark tide converging towards a single point. Ive been tricked! Song Jian thought to himself, preparing to retreat. His current position was on the edge of the monster area, with no ghosts behind him. Escaping should be quite easy. However, when he cast his eyes towards his two senior brothers, he suddenly paused and stopped in his tracks. At that moment, the figures of Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe had already dashed into the half-buried entrance of the main hall. I can run away, but then wouldnt I be benefitting them for nothing! This thought flashed through Song Jians mind. Hmph, I refuse to be manipulated by you! Song Jian was indignant. Gritting his teeth, he chose to advance instead of retreating. His figure turned into a cloud of black mist and he rushed towards the horde of monsters. Seven Stars Shine! With a soft yell, Song Jian threw out seven sword array stones glittering with brilliant starlight. This was the Seven Stars Sword Array he had prepared beforehand. He input a strand of Sword Qi into one of the sword array stones. Crack With this noise, the seven sword array stones shattered almost simultaneously. Song Jians eyes revealed a hurt look. The Seven Star Sword Array was immensely powerful, but it could only be used once. Its array diagram was extremely complex and crafting it was extremely tedious, with a high failure rate. Song Jian was lucky enough to have successfully produced one set! As soon as the Seven Stars Sword Array was activated, an area of five hundred meters in radius turned instantly into darkness, with the sky above sparkling with stars. Seven shining stars, like meteors, plummeted towards the ground. The ordinary ghosts had no consciousness, and were simply crazily rushing towards Song Jian. However, the gigantic black ghost with tier one combat power sensed the massive threat overhead. It roared towards the sky and incredibly, threw a punch towards a falling meteor. Chapter 654: 654: Entering the Great Hall Chapter 654: Chapter 654: Entering the Great Hall Song Jian looked at the giant black ghost boss, who was actually swinging at one of the meteors in the Seven Stars Sword Array, and a cold smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. This is a sword array that only a middle-level Sword Array Master can create. Its power is comparable to the full blow of seven Swordmasters with Tier-One Combat Power. How can you withstand it on your own? These seven meteors were the core of the Seven Stars Sword Array. Each one contained hundreds of fierce Sword Qi, which even Swordmasters with Tier-One Combat Power dared not confront head-on. They could only retreat. Boom~ The fist of the black ghost boss, and the bright silver meteor falling above his head, collided fiercely. The air immediately exploded with a violent tremor. An invisible surge of energy spread in all directions, like a whirlwind. This meteor suddenly glowed, just like a full moon emitting a silvery radiance. The ghost boss let out a mournful howl, seemingly severely wounded. In an instant, the silvery moon above its head shattered into hundreds of Sword Qi, swooping towards the boss. Thump thump thump thump~ Wounds exploded continuously on the bosss body, releasing a dense black aura. A damage value in the hundreds floated above its head. For a while, the boss couldnt fight back against the Sword Qi, and could only endure the hits with its enormous body. The remaining six meteors also fell towards the ground one after another, and the ghosts that came into contact with them were crushed into dust without being able to resist. Boom! The six silver meteors exploded almost simultaneously. The ground blossomed with six full moons, spreading out their silvery light like the day while Song Jian rushed towards the main hall in front of him. When the six meteors splintered apart, thousands of Sword Qi nearly covered an area of four to five hundred meters. All the ghosts within this range were hit by over a dozen Sword Qi without having time to react; they were instantly annihilated. Any Sword Qi approaching Song Jian seemed to have its own consciousness, actively evading him, passing by his side in an arc to pursue the ghosts. Song Jians Experience Points surged forward drastically. Then a ray of light erupted from his body: He had directly leveled up. Level 31! This leveling speed is like riding a rocket! Too bad the cost is slightly high! Song Jian thought ruefully. Making the Seven Stars Sword Array was somewhat difficult. This one-off array had powerful might, but only a handful of people in Qingyun Sword Sect could actually create it; So far, Song Jian had only made one set. If he hadnt wanted to test its power today, he wouldnt have dared to use it. The power of the Seven Stars Sword Array satisfied him, but when he thought about the production cost, Song Jian couldnt help but wince. If converted into Doomsday Coins, the cost of such a set of Seven Stars Sword Array would be at least over half a million. Ordinary people could hardly afford it. Even if they forcibly obtained a set, they would only use it as a trump card to save their lives. They wouldnt use it to fight monsters and level up. That would be too extravagant! In an instant, all the ghosts within a few hundred meters were wiped out cleanly. The remaining dozen or so Sword Qi, lacking attack targets, surprisingly turned back and flew towards the black ghost boss; Thump thump thump~ Dozens of Sword Qi chopped the black ghost boss again, the surrounding Sword Qi having been consumed, and the boss, full of wounds from which black energy was continuously seeping, became the only surviving monster. The boss was a sorry sight. When it looked at Song Jians retreating figure, its blood-red eyes showed a hint of fear and panic. It hesitated whether to continue pursuit. At this moment, Song Jian had already rushed into the main hall, which was half buried in sand and gravel, and disappeared. The ghost boss seemed to sigh in relief, and let out a roar in the direction of the main hall before transforming back into a ball of black fog and disappearing underground; Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Jian Qi and Chang Qinghe successfully broke into the main hall. Before they could celebrate, they heard the howls of a large group of ghosts coming from outside the hall. The two looked at each other in unease, uncertainty in their hearts. Is this commotion a bit too big? It seems like the ghosts in the whole area have been enraged. Could it be that our junior brother is now fighting with all the ghosts besides the black ghost boss? Jian Qi said in surprise. As long as the boss appears, all the ghosts in this area will go berserk. If we dont run away in time, Im afraid well never get another chance to Chang Qinghe sighed, with a hint of coldness appearing at the corner of his mouth; Hehe, it would be a good thing if he did something useful before dying! Jian Qi laughed. Brother, the interior of this main hall is vast. Why dont we split up to search? Okay, you go left, Ill go right. An hour should be enough to search the entire main hall. Then, we can meet back here. Chang Qinghe nodded and agreed. Then I wish my brother all the best in finding the treasure he desires! Jian Qi gave Chang Qinghe a salute with a smile at the corner of his mouth, and then he dashed towards the left annex hall; There were plenty of ghosts guarding outside the main hall, so it wouldnt be empty of monsters inside. But both men clearly didnt want to stick together. Instead of being on guard against each other, it would be better to go their separate ways. Even if they found something valuable, the other wouldnt know about it. Chang Qinghe watched Jian Qis figure disappear, then rather than rushing to the right passage, he began to observe the arrangement of the surrounding hall. After searching for a while and gaining nothing, Chang Qinghe shook his head, heading towards the left passage. His figure quickly disappeared from sight. Not long after the two disappeared, Song Jian entered the main hall. Heh, that boss only has one-third of its Vitality Points left. If I grind for another half an hour, I can definitely kill it Song Jian thought to himself. But the most important thing now is to search this Sword Control Hall. I always feel that there is some connection between this place and my profession Song Jian did not want any treasure related to his vocation to be seized by Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi because of one boss. The hall he had just entered was covered by sand up to one-third of its area. Apart from several standing stone pillars, there was only a stone statue standing upright in the front. It seemed to be a human statue, but unfortunately, half of the statue had cracked open, looking rather broken. Other than that, there were no other items, making it seem rather empty. Song Jian thoroughly searched and tapped on each pillar. There was nothing unusual, so he shook his head and walked towards the passage on the left of the hall. Chapter 655: 655: Skill Book Chapter 655: Chapter 655: Skill Book Song Jian entered a narrow passage, with both sides lined with stone walls covered with scratches and fissures, creating a sense of antiquity. It wasnt long before Song Jian saw a pile of scattered bones on the stone floor ahead, as if a skeleton had been shattered into pieces. Song Jian moved closer to examine the remains; the bones seemed to have shattered from within, but the skull had been cleanly cut in half, likely by a sharp Sword Qi that left a smooth, mirrored surface. As he touched the smooth cut, Song Jians fingers felt a tingling sensation, as if an electric current was present at the cut. This Sword Qi should have been released by Jian Qi; only he could have such a chilling Sword Qi! Song Jian thought to himself as he rubbed his fingers, stood up, and looked ahead with a smile on his face. Continuing forward, Song Jian quickly came across a fork in the road. Without hesitation, he chose the left path. He walked about ten meters further and encountered another fork, maintaining his emotionless expression as he continued down the left passage. After several minutes, Song Jian had encountered more than a dozen similar forks. Despite always choosing the left path, he began to suspect something was amiss. A maze? Or has the space been altered? Song Jian furrowed his brow: Although the hall is vast, it shouldnt be this extensive The length of the passage Song Jian had traveled could easily encircle the entire hall and then some, making it clear that the situation was not as simple as he initially thought. Looking back, the winding passageway now seemed blurred, as if a thin layer of fog had enveloped it. As Song Jian tried walking backward, he found the air becoming viscous, hindering his retreat. The further back he went, the greater the resistance, and he felt like a bug trapped in resin, unable to escape its entrapment. After he hesitated for a moment, Song Jian turned around and continued forward. As he did, the airs viscosity and resistance gradually decreased, and quickly returned to normal. A strange place! Song Jian kept an increasing sense of caution in his heart. At that moment, a ghostly, white-haired skull appeared before him, its gore-filled, blinded eyes an utterly miserable sight. What technique should you use to counter the 17th move Turning Glance of the Swallow from the Returning Swallow Sword Technique? Which Sword Technique must be mastered to complete the Spiritual Snake Sword Technique? The skull relentlessly fired questions at Song Jian through its shattered eyes. Song Jians face darkened as he slashed his sword, unleashing a dazzling golden Sword Qi that filled the passage. Light Strike! Light Strike was extremely effective against these dark creatures. As the golden Sword Qi passed, the inquisitive old skull vanished. Still wearing a grim expression, Song Jian continued walking forward. He didnt receive any confirmation for killing the monster nor gained combat experience, suggesting the encounter was either an illusion, or his attack had not harmed the opponent. This hall is more dangerous than I thought! Song Jian said to himself. After another half hour of monotonously traversing the identical stone passages, Song Jian eventually reached the end of the hallway. A small room appeared before him, spanning around 20 square meters, with minimal furnishings except for a stone platform, upon which stood a monster over two meters tall. Song Jian squinted at the motionless monster, before his attention was drawn to an item on the stone platform behind it. It was a Skill Book, illuminated with a golden glow. A Skill Book? Song Jian was delighted, but to obtain it, he first needed to defeat the BOSS guarding it. Song Jians gaze once again focused on the monster in front of the stone platform. This monster looked like a wooden puppet, composed of thousands of wooden planks, and it firmly gripped a seven-foot-long sword that shimmered with a chilly gleam, seemingly unaffected by the passage of time. This sword also looks like a treasure! Song Jians eyes lit up, his fondness for one-handed swords undiminished despite already owning the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Set. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I dont need to hide anything here; I can unleash my full power! Song Jian put away his regular sword and, with a thought, summoned a dark red, glowing sword into his hand. At the same time, an entire set of Dark Gold armor appeared on his body, clearly part of the same set based on their design and style. The Ant Emperor Ancestor Set appeared in this world for the first time; Song Jian, enveloped in the Dark Gold armor, looked imposing and fierce, resembling a humanoid beast. A level 35 Swordwood Puppet BOSS with first-grade Combat Power. Let me see just how big the gap between my current strength and first-grade Combat Power really is! Song Jian muttered to himself. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jians figure dashed towards the Swordwood Puppet BOSS; The seemingly statue-like Swordwood Puppet instantly detected Song Jians hostility and opened its eyes, glowing with a red light. Clang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword fiercely clashed with the Swordwood Puppets sword, sending a shower of brilliant sparks flying as the blades connected; Clang, clang~ Two more strikes landed on the Swordwood Puppets sword, accompanied by the dance of two more sword shadows, one emitting a pale golden light and another a greenish-blue hue. Song Jian remained motionless as his frontal attack caused the Swordwood Puppet to stagger and step back. His confidence soared, and a sense of surprise filled his heart. With the Ant Emperor Ancestor Sets enhancement, my strength has more than doubled. I now have the ability to resist a first-grade Combat Power BOSS! Previously, Song Jian could only face a first-grade Combat Power BOSS after employing the Immortal Sword Body. This Skill Book will be mine! Song Jian glanced at the stone platform, his eyes shining with determination. Chapter 656: 656: All Foreigners Must Die Chapter 656: Chapter 656: All Foreigners Must Die The Puppet Boss made of Swordwood was pushed back, but it didnt pause at all. Its long sword danced in its hands, and its body became light and graceful, its flexibility even exceeding that of Song Jian by a noticeable margin. Song Jian squinted his eyes. How was it that this wooden puppet was giving off the feel of a living persons sword dance? He looked closer and saw that every movement of the Swordwood Puppet Boss comprised thousands of wooden components. It seemed that the body of the puppet was made not of cold wood but was akin to the musculature and skeletal system of a living being. The long swords in their hands collided continuously. Their figures lunged at each other like lightning, clashing many times in an instant. The defense of the Swordwood Puppet Boss was formidable, but under Song Jians incisive attacks, every hit left a scar over an inch deep. Beauty Sword Skill, first move, Drunken Royal Consort!, a synthesized voice low and deep came from the Swordwood Puppet Boss. It sounded a bit weird, but with that voice, the long sword in its hand suddenly became muddled. Clang, clang, clang~ Song Jian displayed his Broken Wing Dance. His figure was as intimidating as a roc in flight, but in front of the Swordwood Puppet Boss, it was as if he was ensnared in a silk net, even the final aerial effect of his attack was resisted by the Boss. After exchanging a dozen or so moves, Song Jian found no way to overcome the Swordwood Puppet Boss. All his attacks were dismantled, and the words dodge, parry, lost target floated above his head, indicating the dismantling of his attacks. After the Swordwood Puppet Boss finished a sequence of the Beauty Sword Skill, it began to alternate every move freely and smoothly, from any angle, at any position. Every sword strike that Song Jian made was parried by the Swordwood Puppet Boss. It continued to strike him with its sword, each strike taking only a small amount of Vitality Points, but over time, Song Jians Vitality Points gradually started to dwindle. Song Jians total vitality was less than the Swordwood Puppet Boss. Although it looked as if they were evenly matched, in reality, Song Jian was already at a disadvantage. Sword Silk! Sweeping Sword Style! Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian used all the techniques he had mastered but the Swordwood Puppet Boss countered all of them perfectly with the Beauty Sword Skill. He hardly inflicted any damage. Ever since it started using this strange sword technique, I havent been able to hurt it Song Jians heart sank. The joy he felt from his increased strength disappeared without a trace, replaced by a sense of helplessness. Beauty Sword Skill, first move, Drunken Royal Consort! The voice of the Swordwood Puppet Boss rang out again, it was launching the first move once more, attacking Song Jian. A strange thought crossed Song Jians mind. Could it be is it trying to teach me its sword technique? Once this idea popped up, he couldnt dismiss it. So, gritting his teeth, he decided to follow the Puppets moves and began to practice the Beauty Sword Skill with the Boss. For a time, Song Jians figure also became flexible. His sword technique resembled a graceful dance. Clang, clang, clang, clang~ A series of crisp block sounds echoed. This time, Song Jian completely withstood the attacks of the Swordwood Puppet Boss. Although he wasnt able to harm it, it didnt land any attacks on him either. For a moment, he got excited and threw all his attention into the study of the Beauty Sword Skill. Before he knew it, he had received a system prompt. System: You have grasped the Silver Level Sword Skill Beauty Sword Skill, currently at Level 1. Its simply teaching me its technique? Song Jian was stunned as he stared at the Swordwood Puppet Boss, and the Beauty Sword Skill continued to flow from his hands. Beauty Sword Skill (Silver), Level 1, Skill Effects: Physical damage increased by 12%, resistance +11, evasion +5, dodge +3, parry +7, attack speed increased by 5%; Skill Description: This sword technique divides into nine moves, each named after a beauty. The implementation of this sword technique is graceful, pleasing to the eye; Special Attributes: If the practitioner is female, the power of the sword technique increases by 100%; Looking at the skill column, Song Jian was speechless at the last special attribute mentioned in the description of swordplay. At this moment, this special attribute appeared in his skill column in gray, showing that this attribute was not activated; So Ive learned a sword technique for women Song Jian was slightly dumbfounded. He felt that without the power boost from the special attribute at the end, the power of this technique would probably compare to the Qingyun Sword Skill. Clang clang~ Without employing any other skills, Song Jian used the Beauty Sword Skill to battle the Swordwood Puppet. As the battle continued, the skill level of the Beauty Sword Skill also swiftly increased. It quickly rose from level one to level five, becoming increasingly powerful. Drunken Royal Consort, Xishi Wraps the Yarn, Goose Fall Strike, A Smile to Overwhelm the City, With his sword dances whirling, a small smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. His eyes softened, and a strange aura surrounded him. Clang! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword broke through the Swordwood Puppets defense and pierced its chest; Crack~ A sharp sound erupted from inside the Swordwood Puppets body. Its entire body stiffened, and the long sword in its hand slowly fell; Beauty Sword Skill, assessment passed! A deep voice echoed from within the body of the Swordwood Puppet. Song Jian was stunned, glancing at his skill column. Unbeknownst to him, the Beauty Sword Skill had already progressed to level six; As it turns out, one just needs to defeat this BOSS with the sword skill it teaches Song Jians face bore an expression of realization. However, just as Song Jian was about to walk past the Swordwood Puppet to get the scroll on the stone platform, the Puppet suddenly moved again. The long sword in its hand emitted a low whistling sound, sweeping towards Song Jian; First Style of Wind Spirit Sword Skill, Sweeping the World! Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not again! Song Jian screamed, instinctively performing the Sacred Parry. Immediately, a burst of golden light radiated from his body and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his hand collided fiercely with the long sword of the Swordwood Puppet; Boom! With a loud noise, Song Jian was tossed against the stone wall of the room. The Swordwood Puppet, hit by the first style of its Wind Spirit Sword Skill, had a foot-long crack appear at its right shoulder. A faint oily scent wafted out from the opening. Drip, drip, drip, drip~ The Puppets scarlet eyes began flashing rapidly, and an alarm-like sound emitted from within its body; Significant damage sustained. Beginning analysis of combat process Enemy performed unknown sword skill, not present in records Beginning search in foreign skill database Beginning analogous matching search Probability that enemy used foreign skill is 99.8% Target determined as foreigner, activating level one alert, entering combat mode Foreigners, must die! The Swordwood Puppet roared in a deep voice. Its figure suddenly grew taller by tens of centimeters. Astonishingly, from the back of its shoulder blades, another pair of arms emerged. Together with the left arm, they held a longsword withdrawn from its body. Now, each of the Puppets four arms was holding a longsword, all pointed menacingly at Song Jian. Chapter 657: 657: Jian Qi Chapter 657: Chapter 657: Jian Qi Seeing the Swordwood Puppet BOSS suddenly becoming berserk, Song Jians heart sank, and his face instantly turned ugly, as he once again felt this worlds deep malice towards outsiders. How many challengers have entered this world in the past, bringing so much damage to this world, that every person in this world holds such deep hostility towards outsiders? Song Jian thought to himself. This relic called Sword Control Hall has existed for hundreds of years, and even in the configuration of this Swordwood Puppet, there is a deadly command against challengers like him. It can be seen that hundreds of years ago, there were challengers who entered this world and caused great harm to it, otherwise, outsiders would not be as unwelcome as stray dogs now. Watching the Four-armed Swordwood Puppet rush towards himself, Song Jian felt regretful in his heart. If he had not subconsciously used Sacred Parry just now, this Swordwood Puppet would not have discovered his true identity, and he might have been able to learn more sword techniques from it. It is well-known that in this world, upgrading sword techniques doesnt have skill point restrictions, as long as the proficiency is sufficient, it will automatically upgrade. Learning more skills in this world, even if the final mission fails, it wont be too much of a loss; Die now, foreigner! The Four-Armed Swordwood Puppet roared as if it had a vendetta against Song Jian. It waved its four long swords at Song Jian, seemingly like four well-coordinated Swordmasters attacking him at the same time. Even if Song Jian had not yet reached the first tier of Combat Power, facing this Swordwood Puppet would be challenging for a first-tier Combat Power peak expert. A faint grey and white aura emerged around Song Jians body. As the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword danced, the grey and white aura slowly flowed, forming a faint Tai Chi Yin-Yang fish pattern around Song Jian. When the Swordwood Puppets attacks touched Song Jians body, they would be drawn away by the Yin-Yang fish pattern formed by the grey and white aura, unable to damage Song Jian. But this effect could not last long. The short six-second duration soon passed, and Song Jian gritted his teeth, cast the Immortal Sword Body directly, and Summoned the small stone man to run to the side, throwing stones from a distance to harass the Swordwood Puppet. Although the little stone man was also level 30, it hadnt reached the first-tier Combat Power and could not compete with the Four-armed Swordwood Puppet. However, it had a skill called Throwing Stone Blocks, which was like a natural skill for the stone man, consuming very little energy but with decent power. If it hit the target, it could cause 150 damage points each time, and there was a certain chance to stun the target for 3 seconds. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With the Immortal Sword Body activated, Song Jians strength increased significantly. The level 8 Immortal Sword Body allowed him to maintain a certain advantage against the frenzied attacks of the Swordwood Puppet. Although he could not avoid losing some blood, his damage to the Swordwood Puppet was greater. Bang! A stone hit the head of the Swordwood Puppet hard, and the previously frenzied Puppet suddenly stalled, with a stun symbol appearing above its head. Song Jians eyes lit up, and the sharp blade in his hand quickly cut off the already injured arm of the Puppet. Sword Silk! Flash Thunder Strike! Light Strike! Since his cover was blown, Song Jian had no scruples. He unleashed all his powerful skills at once, aiming to cut the injured arm of the Swordwood Puppet at the shoulder blade. The three seconds were not enough to cause huge damage to the Swordwood Puppet, but it was more than sufficient to destroy one of its already injured arms. Quickly, the arm holding the long sword was chopped off by Song Jian; The moment this arm fell to the ground, Song Jians eyes brightened. Although he didnt know the quality of the long sword used by his opponent, the fact that it had lasted so many years without rust indicated that it was likely of high quality. Song Jian took a step towards the severed arm, but before he could reach it, the hard outer wood of the arm slowly turned grey and black and turned to ashes in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the long sword held by the arm seemed to have experienced thousands of years of erosion. In an instant, it rusted and eventually became a pile of iron slag. Song Jian was stunned, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face. It seemed that there was no way to get the Swordwood Puppets weapon now. Just then, the Swordwood Puppet had already awakened from its daze and, seemingly unaffected by the loss of an arm, roared and rushed towards Song Jian; Checking the remaining time for the Immortal Sword Body effect, there was nearly two minutes left. Song Jian turned around, brandishing his long sword, and fiercely collided with the Swordwood Puppet. Jian Qi looked at the scene ahead with a sullen face, feeling as if he had entered a labyrinth. No matter how he walked, he couldnt find any way out. At first, he was able to rely on his memory to remember the passages, but as more forks appeared, Jian Qis memory began to blur. His mind felt like a confusing web. Click, click, click~ A familiar sound came from the front, and a skeleton holding a long sword appeared before him. He had already encountered dozens of such monsters, sometimes in groups of three or five and sometimes just one. Although these sword-wielding skeleton monsters were at level 35, they did not possess first-tier Combat Power. Jian Qi could easily deal with them, but the chaotic passages and endless skeleton monsters made Jian Qis mood increasingly worse. Damn it, what is this place? Why are there so many forks and passages Jian Qi angrily cleaved the sword-wielding skeleton monster in front of him into pieces, unable to restrain himself from roaring out loud. Just then, a rumbling tremor came from the distance, sounding as if something had suddenly started up. Finally, something unusual happened. Jian Qis eyes lit up, and he sprinted towards the source of the sound. After enduring more than an hour of boredom, Jian Qi was about to go mad. Even if there was a first-tier Combat Power BOSS ahead, he would rather fight it than continue wandering aimlessly in the endless passages. Following the passage forward for more than ten meters, Jian Qi finally saw a side hall ahead. This side hall was only about twenty square meters, surrounded by huge stone walls. A monster covered in hard steel armor was slowly relaxing its body. Behind this BOSS, there was a gorgeous weapon rack, on which a long sword was placed diagonally. It emitted a dark golden light, shining brilliantly! Jian Qis eyes lit up, and his face was filled with ecstasy. Unable to restrain himself, he burst into laughter. Chapter 658: 658: Self-Destruction Chapter 658: Chapter 658: Self-Destruction Jian Qi could not help but fixate his gaze on the long sword that radiated a dull gold light, and an exhilaration filled his heart. I indeed made the right choice, these ruins do contain treasures! Jian Qi stomped his foot, his figure darted like lightning towards the iron-armored beast guarding the treasure. Sword Qi filled the air, causing an intense tremor. The light of the sword flashed. The iron puppet let out an infuriated roar, its double-handed sword whistling through the air like the wind, entangling itself with Jian Qi. Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword continually slashed at the other arm of the Swordwood puppet. He was determined to chop off the opponents arm, even if it meant taking a few hits from the Swordwood puppet. In just a few minutes, Song Jian had attacked the Swordwood puppets other arm dozens of times. A large crack appeared at the puppets shoulder area. Not long after, Song Jian had chopped off the other arm of the Swordwood puppet. Now, it only had the pair of arms on its back left. These two arms were not as agile as the previous ones. Moreover, the wounds on the left and right shoulders of the Swordwood puppet also affected these two arms. The swordplay performed by these arms was already less coordinated than before, the two long swords even collided with each other at times; Boom! Another stone hit the Swordwood puppet. Even though it did not trigger a dizzying effect, it made the puppet wobble a little, disrupting its attack rhythm. Seizing this opportunity, Song Jian swiftly moved to the left side of the Swordwood puppet boss and violently stabbed its wound. Crack~ The long sword pierced into the body of the Swordwood puppet. Song Jian stirred it vigorously, causing a shattering noise from within the puppet. A critical damage point of over a thousand was lifted from the top of the Swordwood puppets head. A smile surfaced on Song Jians mouth. The Swordwood puppets movement was slowing down significantly. Song Jian could already sense the advent of victory beckoning to him, and his gaze fell once again on the stone platform behind the boss. A dark gold quality skill, I wonder what kind of swordplay it is! Song Jian speculated in his heart. At this moment, the vitality points of the Swordwood puppet had dropped to less than one-third. Suddenly, a red light emerged on the surface of its body and started flashing rapidly. Song Jian immediately sensed a massive threat rushing towards him. His body stiffened and he hastily retreated; Damn it, I was too careless. I didnt expect this BOSS to explode! Song Jians face instantly turned ugly. His rapid increase in strength made him somewhat complacent. Despite not having first-order combat power, he was able to kill a BOSS with first-order combat power. All these altered Song Jians mentality. However, the scene before his eyes felt like a cold bucket of water drenching him from head to toe. Before he could exit the room, the Swordwood puppet BOSS exploded like a bomb; Song Jian had just enough time to use Iron Wings to protect himself. He didnt have time to activate the bloody shield that inherently came with his ring. He was directly blasted off by the explosion. Boom~ A thunderous roar shook the stone house, causing everything to tremble violently. Song Jian felt as if he had been hit by a heavy punch. He lost control of his body and charged forward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the stone wall. Crack~ Fragments of stone flew around, and Song Jian felt as if all the bones in his body had shattered. His entire body ached, his mouth was full of blood, and his vision turned black. He seemed to have lost all his strength. Looking at his vitality points, there were only double digits left, and he was afflicted with impairments like bone fractures and bleeding; Struggling, Song Jian performed a surgical treatment on himself. He eliminated the status of bone fracture and bleeding, then fumbled out a bottle of healing potion from the bag and drank it painfully. What an oversight, I didnt expect it to explode Song Jians face was pale, and his expression was full of fear. His Iron Wings were now shattered, barely recognizable. Fortunately, it was a skill, not a piece of equipment. Otherwise, it probably would have had zero durability and be ruined. I was so close, so close to triggering the Enemy of Death God. Damn it Gasping heavily, Song Jian sat up. In the distance, Jian Qi had already knocked the iron-armored puppet to the ground, but he himself had sustained considerable injuries. A wound more than a foot long was slashed on his left shoulder, the muscles were exposed, revealing the crimson flesh inside. The blood continued to pour out, quickly soaking half of his clothes, making him look quite in a sorry state. Sitting on the ground, Jian Qi took out a bottle of pills from his pocket, popped a red and a green pill into his mouth, and started to channel his energy to accelerate the absorption of the pills. After a short time, his face regained its rosy color. The frightening wound on his shoulder had also grown a thin layer of flesh on the surface and stopped bleeding. At this moment, a thunderous boom came from afar. Even the ground under him trembled slightly, causing him to frown and look towards the direction of the explosion. Could it be the senior brother? Jian Qi murmured to himself. However, he quickly shifted his gaze back and headed towards the weapon rack in the center of the side hall. The dark gold quality long sword was worth a fortune, much better than his current weapon. Song Jian sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed, silently recovering his vitality points. After a short while, Song Jian felt something nudging his calves. He opened his eyes and saw the little stone man was laying on the ground, continuously nudging him with its head. Song Jian gave a small smile. The damage caused by the little stone man was quite substantial. Most importantly, it had stunned the BOSS at least three times. It was during those times when the BOSS was stunned that Song Jian had the opportunity to chop off the sword-wielding arm of the BOSS; During the BOSS explosion just now, the little stone man was at a distance due to its ranged attacks and hence received less damage. Its vitality points were still nearly half left. However, it still looked pitiful at the moment. Almost half of its body was shattered by the explosion. It was also missing an arm, and its steps were faltering. It seemed like it would be unable to continue fighting anytime soon. Song Jian patted its smooth head and put it into the pet space. In the pet space, regardless of how serious the injuries were, they could gradually recover over time; After Song Jian felt that his condition had mostly recovered, he stood up and walked towards the stone platform. This is a dark gold quality skill book, which for Song Jian, might be the biggest gain from this assessment world. As he was walking towards the stone platform, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a golden glow among the scattered remains of the Swordwood puppet. His face instantly lit up with delight. This guardian BOSS had actually dropped a golden quality item. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 659: Book of Fusion Chapter 659: Chapter 659: Book of Fusion Many times in the game, Bosses guarding treasures didnt drop items. The treasures they protected were actually their loot. However, the fact that the Swordwood Puppet also dropped an item and that of high quality, gave Song Jian an unexpected thrill. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian was originally going to retrieve the Dark Gold Quality Skill Book, but he casually picked up the golden item dropped by the Boss as well. Skill Book: Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Usage Effect: The user can learn the skill Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique after usage. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique (Gold quality): A sword technique created by perceiving natural forces such as wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. The technique contains twelve moves, each can harness the power of nature to deal extra damage to the target. A sword technique that uses the power of nature? Song Jian frowned slightly as he read the skill introduction. This sword technique was somewhat vague and didnt specify its attributes. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian decided to learn it directly. The Skill Book turned into a golden light and disappeared. Instantly, a stream of information containing the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique flooded into his mind. Ouch~ Song Jian didnt expect the content of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique to be so vast. He momentarily felt as if his brain was being hit with a heavy hammer. He immediately felt dizzy, and blood trickled from his nostrils. Evening Snow, Lightning Thunder, Wind Sweeping Clouds, Torrential Rain, Nine Suns Shining the Sky, Stars Surrounding the Moon, In his mind, a figure appeared, constantly brandishing a long sword, where every stroke and every move could trigger the transformation of natural phenomena. Song Jian was stunned. He didnt expect the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique to be so powerful that one sword strike could harness the natural forces within several hundred meters for his own use. This this is unbelievable, is this a sword technique, or sorcery! Song Jian exclaimed: However, although this sword technique is powerful, mastering it is not something that can be achieved in a short time Each move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique can harness a different natural force such as thunder, fog, frost, and even the power of the sun, moon, and stars. After resting for a while, Song Jian stood up slowly. In his skill bar, the icon of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique had already appeared. However, of the twelve sword moves, now only the first one Evening Snow could be used. The other eleven were all in an unusable grey state. Song Jians gaze fell on the second move and found it could only be unlocked when the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique reached level 2. It seems that each time the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is upgraded by a level, a corresponding move can be unlocked Song Jian mused. Song Jian removed his eyes from the moves of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique and walked towards the stone platform. The dropped sword technique from the Boss was an unexpected delight, but Song Jian didnt forget that there were more precious items awaiting his collection. It seems to be another skill book. I wonder what skill it will be this time. Probably another sword technique. Well, with so many different sword techniques, which one should I practice? Song Jian immediately fell into a happy confusion. Other players complained about having too few skills, while Song Jian was worried about which sword technique to focus on. However, when Song Jian picked up the book on the stone platform, he was taken aback. Its not a Skill Book but an item? Song Jian was surprised. Song Jian had one book type item before, the Book of the Abyss, which almost allowed Song Jian to impersonate another profession, similar to an Abyssal Mage; However, all the skills in this book required a vast amount of battle experience to activate. So far, Song Jian had only activated the basic two skills: Abyss Magic Flame Armor and Abyss Temptation; The Book of the Abyss covered a complete skill tree, and if all the skills on it were activated, Song Jian could completely impersonate an Abyssal Mage. Book of Fusion? What is this! When Song Jian examined the book sparkling with dark gold light in his hand and figured out its use, his face lit up with ecstatic joy. This, how is this possible, how can there be such an overpowered item? Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. Book of Fusion (Dark Gold): Special item, Usage Effect: Can fuse two skills into one; Method of Usage: Set one skill as the primary skill and another as the secondary skill, for upgrading; Upgrade Effect 1: The secondary skill will disappear, and the primary skill will acquire the corresponding level increase; Upgrade Effect 2: Both primary and secondary skills will disappear, giving birth to a new skill which will cover all the characteristics of the two skills; Usage Requirement: None. Without the Book of Fusion, if one wants to fuse two skills, both skills must be upgraded to the max level. This requires a considerable amount of time and energy to raise the skill proficiency, and a vast number of skill points for skill progression. However, with this special item, the Book of Fusion, all previous limitations are removed, and two skills can directly be fused into one. Moreover, the biggest benefit of the Book of Fusion is that there is no possibility of failure. Either the proficiency of the primary skill increases, thus upgrading the level of the primary skill, or a stronger new skill will emerge after fusion. After obtaining this item, Song Jian had an urge to fuse all his skills immediately; However, Song Jian soon calmed down. Certainly, it was impossible for this book to be flawless. The most critical point was that after using the Book of Fusion, regardless of the outcome, two skills will always transform into one skill. If he used this item frequently, he could end up with fewer skills in the end, leading to a potential decrease in power. After some thought, Song Jian finally decided to first fuse two skills of lesser importance to see the results; After selecting from the skill bar for a while, Song Jian finally picked two skills, the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique and the Qingyun Sword Skill. The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is a sword technique that borrows the power of nature, while the Qingyun Sword Skill is a sword technique realized by the state of natural flowing clouds. The core of both is very similar, its just that Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is more comprehensive pondered Song Jian. He opened the Book of Fusion, set the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique as the primary skill and Qingyun Sword Skill as the secondary skill and started the fusion process. Whoooosh~ The Book of Fusion slowly floated up, hanging in mid-air with the pages flipping automatically. The two original skills turned into two swirling energy balls, and under the pull of the Book of Fusion, slowly came together and gradually fused into one. A flash of white light, and the Book of Fusion flew back into Song Jians hand. At this time, his skill bar had changed. The Qingyun Sword Skill which had been cultivated to level nine had disappeared, replaced by the proficiency level of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, which had significantly increased. The first situation occurred. The secondary skill disappeared, and the primary skill gained proficiency? Song Jian frowned slightly, opened the fusion information and started to read. System: You used the Book of Fusion, set Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique as the primary skill and Qingyun Sword Skill as the secondary skill, and began fusion System: Fusion successful, Qingyun Sword Skill disappeared, Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique gained three hundred and twenty points of proficiency. The second move of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Wind Sweeping Clouds, has its effect strengthened; Wind Sweeping Clouds skill power increases by 15%, attack range +3. Within the skill range, the lagging effect is triggered, changing from the original movement speed decrease by 30% to movement speed decrease by 45%. Chapter 660: Occupational Advancement Chapter 660: Chapter 660: Occupational Advancement After merging, it not only enhances proficiency but also improves skill effects? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Its a pity, however, the second move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique can only be unlocked at Level 2. Even if the power and effect of the Wind Sweeping Clouds is enhanced now, Song Jian cant feel it yet. It requires two sword techniques with compatible inner nature to potentially enhance the corresponding skill effect and power Song Jian pondered for a moment, before shifting his gaze onto the Flash Thunder Strike. Flash Thunder Strike carries electrical attributes. If it is fused with the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, it might be able to enhance the power and effect of the Electric Thunder Strike sword move; Nevertheless, even if it could be enhanced now, Song Jian had no intention of doing so. Having more skills is not necessarily better, but having fewer isnt better either. Enhancing it now would not only erase the Flash Thunder Strike, but the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique couldnt be immediately enhanced either. There would be no use for the Electric Thunder Strike sword move for a while, and strength would be reduced instead of increased C it wouldnt be worthwhile. Ill continue to merge other skills after mastering the first move Song Jian thought to himself. He puts away the Book of Fusion and continues forward; Jian Qi, at this moment, was also holding a longsword emitting a dark gold glow, laughing heartily towards the sky; After many twists and turns, Chang Qinghe finally exited the passageway, arriving at a place that resembled a back garden, filled with various planted flowers and plants. However, due to years of neglect, it appeared somewhat disarrayed; At the center of the garden was a pond, which looked like a huge sapphire, without a single ripple on its surface. What was most strange was the complete silence in the area, it was utterly eerie; Chang Qings brow furrowed in suspicion. Hesitating for a moment, he remained vigilant as he slowly approached the pond; Is this place still part of the main halls ruins? Or was I unknowingly teleported somewhere else? Chang Qinghe wondered. As he stood by the pond, he suddenly spotted a dazzling golden glow emitting from the light-blue bottom of the pond. A golden quality treasure? Chang Qinghe was delighted, but soon a trace of doubt surfaced on his face: Why would such a valuable treasure appear at the bottom of the pond? Could someone have discarded it here? After pondering for a while without figuring it out, Chang Qinghe was still very tempted by the golden quality item. He had no intention of leaving; A gift from heaven, missed, must bear its curse! Chang Qinghe gritted his teeth: This treasure appearing before me must mean its mine. Upon this thought, Chang Qinghe takes a step forward, stepping on the edge of the pond as the water quickly soaked his shoes. At that moment, the originally calm water surface suddenly began to ripple. Soon, the gentle ripples turned into violent undulations; the entire pond seemed to be boiling, tumbling violently. I knew it wouldnt be so simple Chang Qinghe retreated a step, drawing his sword in preparation. In no time, all the clear water in the pond started to gather toward the center. A huge elemental water monster rose from the pond, roaring at Chang Qinghe; This elemental water BOSS was made entirely of pond water. Its waist and below had merged with the pond. Its muscular body was light blue, with prominent muscles; Intruder, Intruder detected, Destruction, all creatures are enemies of Gulras! The elemental Water Boss Gulras roared. With both hands held in front of his chest and cold Ice elements constantly condensing there, a cold and chilly ice sphere soon appeared in its palm. Frost Arrow! With a roar from Gulras, the ice sphere in his hands, trailing a long icy tail, shot towards Chang Qinghe like an arrow. Wielding his long sword, Chang Qinghe shouted: Water has no definite shape, one sword can break it! A dazzling Sword Qi, radiating the aura of surging waves, swept towards the Frost Arrow like a great river; S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom~ The collision was fierce as cold air spread out. The intense force sent Chang Qinghe back by two steps, his face turned pale and he felt a slight stifling sensation in his chest. This BOSS is so powerful? Chang Qinghe exclaimed in surprise, but his face did not show fear, instead, he was delighted. The stronger the guardian beast, the more precious the golden quality item must be. Chang Qinghe let out a big laugh, his body suddenly emitted a brilliant light, and three iron chain-like shadows appeared on his body, tightly binding him. Ill let you witness my real power today! Chang Qinghes face was all smiles. Gathering up his strength, he shouted: Open! Crack! A crisp shattering sound was heard. The three iron chain shadows wrapped around his body suddenly shattered into pieces. Chang Qinghes aura soared, and behind him emerged a shadow of a turbulent, roaring river; Furious Waves! Chang Qinghe stomped his foot, and his entire body shot into the air. His sword let out a dazzling light as he slashed towards the water elemental BOSSs head; Song Jian tidied up a bit, put away the Book of Fusion, and then walked through the stone room and down the corridor in front; The subsequent passage seemed much simpler. After walking for only a tens of minutes, Song Jian arrived at a spacious hall. This hall was as large as three or four basketball courts. Every few meters, a tall stone statue stood. These statues were of various races, including humans, beastmen, elves, and even one that had a head similar to an octopus. The common thing between all the sculptures was that they each held a long sword in their hand, gripping the hilt with both hands, pointing the blade downward in front of them. The moment Song Jian stepped into this hall, a grand voice sounded in his ears; To control the sword with the body, to master the sword with the mind, to break through ones limits. If you wish to advance your occupation even further, you must undertake a more rigorous trial. Are you ready? Advance my occupation? Song Jian paused, then became ecstatic; he had stumbled upon an occupation advancement trial here C it was an unexpected joy; When he first obtained the Sword Controller occupation, his occupation mentor, Duan Jian, had said that continuing along this path, the next level was the Sword Master, followed by an even higher-level occupation, and the final occupation would be one of the ten singular occupations C the Sword Immortal! Im ready! Song Jian immediately shouted. In the hall, the deep voice echoed once again; Choose your trial target. Each one of them was once a formidable swordsman. Defeat them with your sword, and you will gain a more powerful occupation! During the battle, no one is allowed to assist you. If you receive any help during the fight, the trial will be deemed a failure! Chapter 661: 661: Duan Wudi Chapter 661: Chapter 661: Duan Wudi Song Jian glanced at his own status and found that after taking on the trial, his Pet Space had been directly sealed. He had lost all contact with his pets; whether it was the Black Dragon that could not be summoned in this world, or the small stone man who was recovering from its injuries in a deep slumber, he could not reach any of them; His Follower Asia could no longer send him any messages; he was also unable to transmit any messages in this world; sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Blood Pool Summoning Skill was sealed too. But even without the seal, a group of blood birds, blood corpses and blood wolves, without any first-grade combat power, most likely couldnt provide much assistance; Please choose the trial target you want to defeat! The voice sounded again, as if urging him to make a selection quickly. Song Jian turned his gaze toward the statues in the hall. Though these statues were all of formidable swordsmen, there would certainly be differences in their capabilities. Even if their strength was at the same level, the sword techniques they excelled at could never be identical. If he could select a target that he could counter, the fight would undoubtedly be much easier; Song Jian looked over each of these statues in turn; Kuto, Human, born in Dark History year 1187, died in Light History year 117, devoted his life to the liberation movement of the world, killed 7,900 aliens, known as Nightmare of Aliens, skilled in sword techniques C Wailing Sword, Ten Directions Strangling Sword Technique, etc. His swordsmanship is bold and confident, and its especially suitable for battlefield environments Wu Luer, Beastman of the Fox Clan, Sword Saint, born in Dark History 1153, died in Light History 120, skilled in Beast Blade Roar, Spirit Flash Sword Skill, etc. His swordsmanship is as fast as lightning, with an offensive as thunderous, extremely fast, suitable for close combat As Song Jian approached each statue, the information about the statues past life would appear in his mind. From these details, he could understand the sword techniques used by the statue and the style of its swordsmanship; After checking out seven or eight statues, Song Jian came to the last one. The material used for this statue was the poorest, but it was the most intricately carved one. Each detail was brought to life, as if it wanted people to recognize it at first glance. The armor this man is wearing looks somewhat familiar Song Jian inspected the statue from head to toe and began to read its information. Duan Wudi, an alien, arrived in Light History year 101, disappeared in Light History year 105, killed seventy-eight powerful figures with the title of Sword Saint. His most famous battle was the one after his alien identity was revealed, where he was ambushed by hundreds of Sword Saints, but managed to escape by killing more than ten people at the cost of sustaining severe injuries. This battle was dubiously known as the Battle of Shame. He was adept at the sword techniques C Dugus Nine Swords, Formation Breaking Blade, Middle Rushing Sword Finger, Young Merchant Sword Finger, Sword Twenty-Three Duan Wudi, an alien? Is this an NPC from the game world? A wry smile spread across Song Jians face, surprised that among his trial targets, there was someone from his own world, and also an NPC. This mans surname is Duan too, I wonder if he has any connection with my Combat Mentor Duan Jian. Song Jian thought secretly: Even if he did, he probably wouldnt know who Duan Jian is, given the age difference, Duan Jian might be centuries apart from him Well, lets choose him then. After all, we both come from the same place. Hes a fellow townsman. Song Jian muttered to himself, choosing the statue in front of him, named Duan Wudi; Do you confirm your trial target? Confirm! Cra-ck Cra-ck Cra-ck~ An echoing series of cracking sounds rang out, and the statue of Duan Wudi began to reveal spiderweb-like fractures on its surface. In no time at all, with a loud boom, Duan Wudis statue exploded into pieces. In its place, a figure began to slowly transition from illusion to reality. Tsk, tsk, tsk, cant you guys who come for class advancement not choose me every time? Amongst the rubble, a figure that seemed rather flustered appeared in front of Song Jian. Did an alien eat your rice? You choose me every time during class advancement. Do you think Im easy to bully? A fairly young man, who was the spitting image of Duan Wudis statue, appeared in front of Song Jian. Senior! Song Jian saluted with his fists. Huh? Duan Wudi was taken aback as he carefully examined Song Jian. Haha, youre just like me, youre also Duan Wudi pointed at Song Jian and started to laugh uproariously; I didnt expect, truly didnt expect, that Id meet someone from the same world here Holding his belly, laughter brought tears to Duan Wudis eyes. Oh my, this is hilarious. I wonder if those who placed me in the Trial Hall ever expected this day to come, that an alien would enter the Trial Hall. I wish I could see their faces! Duan Wudi leaned on his knees, laughing for quite a while before finally stopping. Senior, are you being imprisoned here? Do you need me to help you get out of here? Song Jian asked. Apparently, this mans existence had been a trial target for a long time, and Song Jian wasnt sure how many years he had been here. However, it should have been several centuries at least; No need, I am just a fraction of Duan Wudi! The man in front of him waved his hand and said: When they severely injured Duan Wudi in the past, they used a secret method to extract a piece of his spirit and created me. As soon as I leave this hall, I will disappear. Then, Senior, shall we start? Song Jian made a fist with one hand and placed it in the palm of the other hand, Please show mercy! Come on, show me your most powerful sword attack. Let me see what level of strength the youths of our world are at now! Duan Wudi adopted a pose with a sword in his right hand, the tip of the sword pointing down, while his left hand was held behind his back. He had a smile on his face, the demeanor of a grandmaster, appearing to be an enlightened being. Well, I wont be polite then! With a thought, Song Jian activated the Immortal Sword Body immediately, and his aura soared; Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, First Style, Twilight Snow! With a soft shout, the Invisible Sword Qi within Song Jians body, in an instant, all rushed towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in his right arm; The entire hall was covered in a thin layer of frost, snow actually began to fall from the ceiling of the hall. In no time, the hall was filled with snow, and the temperature dropped by twenty to thirty degrees; The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique? Haha, this was that old mans most powerful sword maneuver, and youve learned it? A surprised look appeared in Duan Wudis eyes. At this moment, his feet were deeply buried in the snow, and his legs from the knee down were encased in thick ice, completely immobilized; Song Jians figure had disappeared in the heavy snow. Now, at this moment, all the snow in the sky was rapidly converging onto Duan Wudi, with each snowflake made from condensed Sword Qi; Youve mastered it somewhat Duan Wudi still maintained the light smile on his face. Watching the snowflakes rushing towards him from all directions, the next moment, the long sword in his hand suddenly began to whirl; Dugus Nine Swords, Arrow Breaking Style! With a soft cry, vibrant Sword Qi suddenly began to shine within a three-foot radius around Duan Wudi. His figure began to move correspondingly, but only the part of his body from the waist up. His feet remained stuck in the ice and snow. Chapter 662: 662: Sword Master Chapter 662: Chapter 662: Sword Master Ding ding ding ding~ A rapid series of collision sounds echoed around the hall. Around Duan Wudis body, snowflakes made from condensed Sword Qi continuously shattered. With each exploding snowflake, countless tiny needle-like Sword Qi would shoot out in all directions C but they were unable to penetrate Duan Wudis immediate vicinity. Three feet around his body, it was as if an invisible air wall blocked all the Sword Qi. The snowflakes in the air grew more numerous and dense, but Duan Wudi exhibited no signs of exhaustion. The speed of his swaying body increased; Song Jian could only watch as countless sword lights bloomed around him. In the instant when all the snowflakes shattered, a chill light appeared behind Duan Wudis head. Song Jians figure appeared behind Duan Wudi, and the chill light was the long sword in his hands. You have the same habits as that old man, preferring to strike with the final sword from behind? Duan Wudi chuckled, as he surprisingly swung his long sword from below his ribs at a bizarre angle, stabbing towards Song Jians forehead. Song Jian was taken aback. If he continued his strike, before his sword could even touch the back of Duan Wudis head, he would smash into Duan Wudis sword tip. Senior, how are you so familiar with this sword technique? Song Jian promptly stopped himself, performing a backflip to dodge Duan Wudis long sword. He stumbled back two steps, a look of surprise on his face. Hahaha, the guy who created this sword technique fought with me a dozen times. One of his eyes was taken by me, how could I not be familiar with his sword technique? Duan Wudi heartily laughed. Song Jian glanced to the left. Indeed, one of the statues in the hall was blind in one eye. However, there was no mention of him excelling at the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique in his description. Yes, that old man Duan Wudi laughed. Come on, dont try to fight me with the sword techniques you learned in this world. Ive encountered at least 90% of the sword techniques. As long as its a somewhat famous sword technique, I have a way to counter it! Song Jian nodded and started using other sword techniques. However, no matter what sword technique he used, Duan Wudi was always able to counter with another technique. Even though the strength Duan Wudi was currently exhibiting was barely that of a first-grade combatant, Song Jian was left feeling helpless. Just as Song Jian was about to give up, he suddenly remembered one of his auxiliary battle skills C the Minds Eye! With a thought, a crimson cross appeared around Duan Wudis body, an aiming crosshair that was undetectable by Duan Wudi, only visible to Song Jian. Tai Chi Sword Skill! Song Jian drew upon the Tai Chi Sword Skill. The grey and white energy quickly concentrated around his body, shaping into a phantom image of the Yin Yang fish that symbolises Tai Chi. Tai Chi Sword Skill? Interesting! A smile appeared at the corner of Duan Wudis mouth, he seemed to have thought of something. He retracted his long sword and surprisingly reinitiated Dugus Nine Swords. Song Jian was only using the Tai Chi Sword Skill to stall for time, not to defeat Duan Wudi. Three seconds later, the crosshair moved to an empty space three meters away from Duan Wudis side and began to blink without moving. Song Jian was taken aback, but decided to trust his skill. In the middle of his brow, the Vertical Eye slowly opened. A dazzling silver beam of light shot out towards the location indicated by the crosshairs. Boom, boom, boom~ A series of explosions sounded. Duan Wudi, who had been facing Song Jian, suddenly vanished, and a figure slowly emerged from the bombarded location. You were able to find my true body? Duan Wudis voice suddenly echoed, filled with a tone of surprise. The power of Minds Eye was variable, causing damage that was based on a percentage. The stronger Song Jian became, the greater the damage Minds Eye inflicted. With Song Jians current strength, the damage caused every second had already exceeded five hundred. If you fully bore the damage from Minds Eye from start to end, the final damage could exceed two thousand C and thats without a critical hit. The moment Duan Wudis real body appeared, a system notification sounded next to Song Jians ear. System: You have completed the profession upgrade task. Your epic profession, Sword Controller, has been promoted to Sword Master! S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You have comprehended the core skill of Sword Master, Sword Control Skill! System: You have comprehended the core skill of Sword Master, Creation of Sword Spirit! System: Your strength attribute permanently increases by 5 points, agility attribute permanently increases by 8 points, physique attribute permanently increases by 5 points, and spirit attribute permanently increases by 50 points. In an instant, Song Jian felt as if his head had been struck hard. Something exploded in his mind, causing him to lose consciousness. Blood streamed from his seven orifices, giving the appearance of imminent death. Watching Song Jian collapse onto the ground, Duan Wudi smiled slightly. His figure slowly faded, eventually disappearing completely. His previously shattered statue began to show a phantom image. This phantom gradually solidified with the passage of time. It wouldnt be long before it returned to its original state. Song Jian lay motionless on the cold ground for an unknown amount of time before slowly opening his eyes. Within his eyes, a star-like radiance flickered brightly, only slowly fading after a long while. What happened to me? Touching the dry blood on his face, Song Jian looked confused. However, he quickly regained his memory. Ive successfully advanced! A joyful expression emerged on Song Jians face. He then realized that his memory seemed greatly enhanced. He could clearly recall things from his childhood that hed forgotten, even every lesson hed learned in elementary and middle school. He could remember how he had entered the game, his fighting and slaughtering adventures in the game, and all the detailed experiences. Reaching into his chest, he took out a blank Sword Stone. With a thought, a silver talisman knife flew out. Without using the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, Song Jian was able to control the talisman knife as easily as his own limbs, carving the blank Sword Stone. Other auxiliary materials automatically flew into the blank Sword Stone. In a short while, a Sunburn-class Sword Qi Stone was successfully finished. Nine times, a Sword Qi Stone that can release Sunburn-class Sword Qi nine times! Looking at the golden Sword Qi Stone in his hand, Song Jians face lit up with a joyful expression. The 50-point enhancement to his Spirit attribute transformed Song Jian. Now, he could almost be compared to a magic-related profession which specialized in the Spirit attribute. Moreover, the Spirit attribute had become his highest attribute, even exceeding his strength, agility, and physique. Am I even considered a melee class now? A peculiar expression appeared on Song Jians face. Chapter 663: 663: Sword Control Skill Chapter 663: Chapter 663: Sword Control Skill Song Jian checked his status; his strength attribute had exceeded sixty-five points, agility attribute reached sixty points, constitution attribute reached forty-nine points, and spirit attribute reached seventy-four points. Song Jian discovered that his perception now enveloped the entire hall, and any minor changes within it couldnt escape his detection. This sudden increase in spirit made Song Jian feel like he was in control of everything. However, Song Jian knew that this was just an illusion, and this feeling would gradually disappear once he adapted to his current state. As Song Jian was slowly adapting to his new status, his eyes suddenly widened, seemingly perceiving something. At that moment, a figure appeared behind him. Jian Qi looked at the hall and the statues in it, a surprised expression on his face. Heritage Statues? Are these Heritage Statues? Jian Qi couldnt help but shout. But when he saw Song Jian sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and the last statue turned into a phantom, his expression instantly darkened, and a touch of sinister flashed in his eyes. Second Senior Brother, youre here too? Without turning his head, Song Jian spoke, a trace of coldness on the corner of his mouth; Little Junior Brother? Jian Qi was startled, seemingly not expecting to see Song Jian in this place. However, he immediately thought about the statue that had turned into a phantom and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes. Song Jian, how did you enter this ruin? Jian Qi asked harshly. Second Senior Brother, your question is a bit strange. Isnt it you who invited me to come explore this ruin together? Song Jian slowly stood up, turned around, and looked at Jian Qi with a half-smile; Jian Qi was momentarily speechless. He and Chang Qinghe had invited Song Jian without any good intentions, they merely wanted to use Song Jian as cannon fodder to attract the attention of the guardian BOSS outside. However, unexpectedly, the other party did not back down but instead entered the ruins as well. Could it be that he killed the BOSS? Jian Qi wondered in his heart, but quickly dismissed the idea. With the strength of that BOSS and the hundreds of ordinary ghosts surrounding it, even if Chang Qinghe and I joined forces, it would be impossible to kill all these monsters. Once those ghosts enter a berserk state, even we would have to retreat. How did he break in? I never thought that Little Junior Brother was so good at hiding his true abilities! Jian Qi sarcastically said. I have to thank both of my Senior Brothers for bringing me here; otherwise, how could I have obtained such a great opportunity? Song Jian displayed a happy smile on his face. Jian Qis face became even more gloomy, and he sneered: Little Junior Brother, it seems that you have already obtained the inheritance of this powerful person. I wonder what kind of inheritance youve gained. Can you show it to your Senior Brother? Senior Brother, why dont you have a look yourself? I just obtained it, and my control over it is not very good yet! Song Jian laughed, showing a shy expression on his face. This hall was his professional advancement assessment, but for the people of this world, it was the Heritage Hall, where one could accept the inheritance of any statue. It was nothing short of a pie falling from the sky for the people of this world; Jian Qi glanced at Song Jian and slowly walked towards the statues; Its better for the inheritance you received not to be too outstanding; otherwise A trace of fierceness flashed in the depths of Jian Qis eyes; In reality, not all the inheritances from these Heritage Statues were powerful; some of them had a very specific orientation. If Jian Qi encountered such an inheritance, he likely wouldnt accept it either; Little Junior Brother, perhaps you dont know that the inheritances in this Heritage Hall can only be passed on to one person every hundred years. Afterwards, you must wait for a hundred years for that Heritage Statue to recover before it can continue to be passed on to the next inheritor. Jian Qi slowly spoke as he walked. Moreover, the most important thing is, if you havent left this ruin, by killing you, the inheritance you just obtained will drop in the form of an inheritance scroll Jian Qi coldly glanced at Song Jian and then placed his hand on the phantom statue of Duan Wudi. With his eyes slightly closed, Jian Qi examined Duan Wudis information. Although the summaries of these statues did not contain inheritance content, by examining the deeds of the person in front of the statue, one could roughly guess the strength he possessed and the possible inheritance he left behind. A foreigner? He killed seventy-eight powerful Swordmasters? Under the siege of hundreds of Swordmasters, he counter-killed more than ten and successfully escaped? Jian Qis arm trembled slightly, as he had never heard of such a powerful Swordmaster before; Although hes a foreigner, his power is beyond doubt. This- this is just Jian Qis face was filled with astonishment. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why did Song Jian receive his inheritance? Why not me? Jian Qi looked regretful as he thought: If it werent for the prolonged battle with the Dark Gold Quality Guardian BOSS, maybe I would have been the first one to enter this Heritage Hall! No, this inheritance must be mine! It must be mine! Jian Qi trembled all over, his face twisted in greed. If he didnt know about this, it would have been fine. But now that the inheritance had almost brushed past him, it was like millions of little worms were gnawing at his heart, causing him unbearable pain, and his eyes starting to redden; Song Jian! Jian Qi turned his back to Song Jian, slightly bowed his head, and his Sword Qi surged like scorching flames: Its not that I dont have the spirit of camaraderie, its just that this foreigners inheritance is too important for me! So, please die. Jian Qi turned around, the longsword in his hand emanating a hint of Dark Gold light. A dazzling Sword Qi slashed towards Song Jian; Sword Twenty-Three, Sword Twenty-Three, this is that persons inheritance, how could I possibly give it up! Jian Qi screamed crazily and charged at Song Jian; If this were before entering this hall, I might not be a match for you. But now A touch of coldness appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth, and behind him, three longswords slowly unfolded like the tail of a peacock; Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, Golden Demonslaying Sword, Verdant Crystal Wood Sword C all three were of Dark Gold Quality, emitting a strong radiance. Each sword was enveloped in a golden Sword Qi, resembling three feathers swaying gently in mid-air; Sword Control Skill! The three longswords, as if controlled by three invisible arms, hacked at Jian Qi, wildly spraying Sword Qi in the air and performing three different sword techniques; Broken Wing Dance Flash Thunder Strike Sweeping Sword Style The three longswords attacked Jian Qi from three different directions, one of them clashing head-on with Jian Qi. Golden Sword Qi and white Sword Qi collided and intertwined, emitting a deep rumbling sound; How is this possible Jian Qi busied himself with dealing with the three longswords attacks. Meanwhile, Song Jian stood at a distance with a cold smile on his face, as if watching a prey struggling in a net; Chapter 664: 664: Rules of the Sect Chapter 664: Chapter 664: Rules of the Sect Song Jian wielded three long swords to attack simultaneously, appearing as though he still had plenty of strength left. The staggering increase in his Spirit attributes made Song Jians strength vastly different. From his current attributes, he was no weaker than someone who had just passed the B-level assessment with the strength of a first level combat power strongman. If he activated his Immortal Sword Body, with Song Jians current strength, he could fully compare to a strongman who had just passed an A+ level assessment of first level combat power. In other words, he now technically had first level peak combat power. Jian Qis strength was at most on par with a first level combat power strongman who had just passed through the B+ level Assessment World. Faced with Song Jians Sword Control Skill, he had no power to resist. At first, we was able to hold out for a while, but soon, scars began to appear on Jian Qi. How, how can he be so strong! Jian Qi was sliced again by the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and fresh blood spurted out. His face showed an expression of disbelief. Is that mans legacy really that strong? In fact, if Song Jian really got Duan Wudis legacy, his fighting power would certainly be much stronger than it is now. But to get such a strong power like Duan Wudi, there was a process which must be followed. Even if all of Duan Wudis sword techniques were taught to Song Jian, to master such a strong power, Song Jian needed to practice diligently for a long time. For a Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Song Jian didnt know when he would be able to learn all twelve moves. If Song Jian really got Duan Wudis legacy, it would also not be possible to immediately raise such a huge fighting power. The main reason why Song Jians strength had changed dramatically in just a few hours was that he had passed the profession upgrade assessment, upgrading from Sword Controller to Sword Master, achieving an essential evolution. Power, agility, and physical strength all gained a permanent increase, but more importantly, the spirit attribute directly increased by fifty points. Spirit power would probably not exceed fifty points for most magic power strongmen who had not yet achieved first-level combat power. Boom! Long sword in Jian Qis hand struck harshly against the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword in mid-air. He staggered back a few steps, while the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword merely twirled in mid-air before continuing to attack him. The use of the Sword Control Skill continuously depleted mental strength, but now Song Jians Spirit Points had surged from over two hundred to eight hundred and ninety. The Sword Control Skill consumed one spirit point every three seconds. For Song Jian, this could be considered a regular combat method. Song Jian, do you really want to kill your fellow disciples? Jian Qis clothes were already dyed red with blood, with his Vitality Points dropping to one third. He had already been seriously injured in the previous fight with the Guardian boss. Now, after fighting Song Jian for so long, he was injured even more. Most importantly, Jian Qi saw no hope of winning. The Qingyun Sword Sect rules prohibit killing fellow disciples. Those who violate this rule will have their martial arts destroyed and will be expelled from the Sect. Jian Qi cried out, his eyes filled with panic. How could he be so strong? Even if he did get that guys legacy, it shouldnt make him this strong. Multiple thoughts arose in Jian Qis mind. Unless, unless hes been hiding his power all along Also, why does he have three Dark Gold Quality long swords? Even the eldest brother, who is a direct disciple, may not have such high-quality long swords, yet he has three Song Jian, as long as you let me go this time, I will pledge my allegiance to you in the Qingyun Sword Sect. If you aim for the sect leader position in the future, I will do my best to support you! Jian Qi begged. His current state was equivalent to fighting three individuals with similar strength to him. Song Jian was on standby nearby, it wasnt that he didnt want to attack Jian Qi, but the three swords alone were enough to disempower him. Jian Qi was filled with doubts, but now was not the time for him to clarify them. As long as I can survive this time, I will pay you back a hundred times over for the humiliation I suffered today, Song Jian! Jian Qi roared in his heart, but his face showed more and more humility. Song Jian, we are brothers of the same sect. I can act like nothing happened today. I will cover for you with the master, do you really want to kill everyone? No matter what you say, I will not let you off today. Youd better give up on that. Song Jian sneered, controlling the three long swords to accelerate the speed of the siege. Controlling three long swords, executing three different sword techniques, it was still a great burden for Song Jian. Despite Jian Qis many wounds and bleeding status, which depleted his Vitality Points below one thousand, he still didnt give up and fought back. Song Jian, dont forget, not only are we two in the ruins, theres also eldest brother. Arent you afraid that your murder will be revealed and the eldest brother will hunt you down! Jian Qis eyes were filled with desperation. He was just resisting stubbornly at this point, and defeat was just a matter of time. As long as I kill you here, no one else will know. Song Jian sneered. That may not necessarily be the case! A cold voice came from the entrance of the passageway behind Song Jian. Eldest brother! Jian Qi cried out in surprise, a joyous smile appearing on his face. His gaze at Song Jian immediately became vicious. Song Jians heart sank. Chang Qinghe always gave him a feeling of being unfathomable. Even now, with his increased mental power, he couldnt sense how strong Chang Qinghe truly was. Just from him, he could feel a breath that came from the sect leader of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Eldest brother, he has obtained an extremely strong swordmaster inheritance. We can get the Sword Twenty-Three if we kill him! Jian Qi yelled. Song Jians inheritance had been lost to Jian Qi, but if he could kill Song Jian, he could get some form of revenge. Besides, he and Song Jian had now become mortal enemies, only one of them could survive. Jian Qi was completely overwhelmed by Song Jians strength. If he wanted to kill Song Jian, he had to borrow Chang Qinghes hands. Upon hearing the words Sword Twenty-Three, Chang Qinghes eyes narrowed and his right hand clenched instinctively. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a while, Chang Qinghe sighed and said to Song Jian, Junior brother, dont you know that same-sect killing is forbidden within the Qingyun Sword Sect? Eldest brother, would you believe me if I said Jian Qi started it? Song Jian said slowly. At this time, he was still controlling the three long swords and had Jian Qi surrounded, but did not launch an immediate attack. Chang Qinghe glanced at Jian Qi, shook his head slowly and said, Junior brother, you say Jian Qi started it, but I did not see. I only saw you attacking Jian Qi relentlessly and even wanting to kill him! Now, I have no choice but to apprehend you and take you back to the Sect to have the master decide what to do! Chang Qinghe declared righteously. Chapter 665: I’m Determined to Kill You! Chapter 665: Chapter 665: Im Determined to Kill You! Hearing Chang Qinghe speak, Jian Qi burst out laughing, a smug expression overtaking his face. Song Jian, did you not hear what elder brother had to say? better put down your sword and surrender. Youll answer to the master when we get back to the Sect! Seeing his elder brother, Jian Qi became arrogant once again. Ever since he first saw Song Jian, Jian Qi had taken an instant dislike to him and had intimidated Song Jian as soon as they met. Now looking at Song Jian humbled before Chang Qinghe, Jian Qi was filled with malignant glee. He wished he could be the one pointing his sword at Song Jian instead of being on the receiving end. Elder brother, his three swords are all of Dark Gold Quality. I think, till master forgives him, you should hold on to them, Jian Qi said with a cruel smirk. Elder brother, do you really have to do this? Song Jian asked without turning back, seemingly indifferent to Jian Qis words. Thats the rule, I cant help it! Chang Qinghe said calmly, his eyes falling on the three longswords controlled by Song Jian. A sparkle of desire flashed in his eyes. Song Jian slightly smiled and nodded, as if resigned to his fate. Alright then, I will go back to the sect with elder brother and see what the master says. A satisfied smirk spread across Chang Qinghes lips at Song Jians words, but it quickly disappeared. Jian Qi, on the other hand, burst out in boisterous laughter. Even though Jian Qis vitality was less than a third of the others, he still had enough strength to fight. Moreover, Chang Qinghes abilities were unfathomable. Even Jian Qi himself had no clue how far his elder brothers abilities could stretch! Now it was two against one, this was unfavorable for Song Jian! Jian Qi concluded in his mind that surrender was the only option left for Song Jian. But at this moment, Jian Qi suddenly felt a chill run through his body as if he had been thrown naked into a pit of ice. A look of fear crossed his face. You actually Just when Jian Qi prepared to mobilized his vigor, three loud blasts echoed around him. Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh~ A sound of cleaving air suddenly rang out, almost synchronizing into one noise. Jian Qis brow, throat, and heart were simultaneously pierced by a longsword, sending out three spurts of blood. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. How dare you! Chang Qinghe roared in rage from behind him. Unbelief was etched across Jian Qis face as he slowly fell forward. Feeling a tsunami-like force rushing at him from behind, Song Jian turned into a shadow and dashed towards the passageway in front of the hall. Clank~ With a crisp sound, the Dark Gold Quality longsword that Jian Qi had just obtained fell to the ground. As Song Jian brushed past him, he casually picked up the fallen longsword and popped it into his inventory, not having a moment even to look at it, and dashed straight towards the passageway ahead. You want to run? Think you can escape! Chang Qinghe roared out in anger, swinging his longsword. The air around him exploded into a roaring sound akin to a tsunami. Is that Sword Intent? Song Jian was shocked and didnt dare to look back. Grinding his teeth, he activated his Bloody Shield and continued to charge forward. Unpredictable water form, sever with a sword! Chang Qinghe shouted: Broken Water Flow! A white silken Sword Qi slashed towards Song Jians back. It sounded like a surging wave approaching his ear. Song Jian gritted his teeth, turned back and thrust his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward. Sacred Parry! A dazzling golden Sword Qi burst from the longsword. Clang~ The sound of a resonating bell echoed. The river-like Sword Qi vanished into nothingness. Song Jian, on the other hand, utilized the impact force to somersault backwards, landing steadily on the ground. After a glance at Chang Qinghe, a serious look appeared in Song Jians eyes. He didnt expect Chang Qinghe to comprehend Sword Intent, and even the Broken Water Flow Sword Intention of the Sect Leader of Qingyun Sword Sect! It seems that among all the disciples, only Chang Qinghe is the real direct disciple accepted by the Sect Leader! Song Jian thought to himself: Until his death, Jian Qi probably didnt realize that he wasnt important in Liu Qingyuns eyes! Chang Qinghe watched in amazement as his all-out attack vanished without a trace. But soon, a fierce Sword Qi mixed with an overwhelming wave-like Sword Intent slashed towards him. This is my Broken Water Flow Sword Intention? Chang Qinghe was stunned. Then, as if he had thought of something, he roared wildly. Foreigner, Song Jian, you are a foreigner! Correct, I am a foreigner, and Ive also obtained the inheritance of the strongest Swordmaster. Want it? Song Jian coldly stared at Chang Qinghe, As long as you kill me, you can have this inheritance to yourself. If not, youll have to hand it over to others! Boom! Caught by surprise, Chang Qinghe was hit by his own full-strength attack and was sent flying. A damage of over 1600 points floated above his head. Pallid-faced, Chang Qinghe slowly got up and looked at Song Jian, who was at the entrance of the hallway on the opposite side. You cant escape. Once your identity is exposed, the whole world will become your enemy. No matter where you run, endless pursuits would follow, he said. Youre right! A faint smile crossed Song Jians lips: However, once you step out of these ruins, you wont have any chance to obtain the strongest inheritance again. You can check under the Heritage Statue to see how formidable the inheritance I obtained is. Chang Qinghes face was dark and terrible. He knew that once he left the ruins, even if he managed to kill Song Jian in the future, thered be no chance of obtaining the inheritance on him. To get the inheritance, he had to kill Song Jian within the ruins to cause a drop! Watching Song Jian gradually retreat, disappearing into the passageway, Chang Qinghe stood still. I wager you wont leave! Song Jians voice echoed from the distance. Chang Qinghe walked slowly towards the statue that had become a shadow, his brows furrowed and his face ferocious. His expression alternated constantly as if he was in the midst of a fierce mental struggle. Foreigners are the enemies of the world. Whoever discovers them must alert the entire continent. Chang Qinghe had discovered Song Jians identity and should have left the ruins immediately to report back to the Qingyun Sword Sect about Song Jians identity. But if he did that, he would only receive a meager reward. Compared to the potential gains he could get from staying in the ruins, it was negligible. Chang Qinghes eyes burned with passion as he silently reviewed Duan Wudis information. Sword Twenty-Three, it really is Sword Twenty-Three! Chang Qinghe murmured to himself, staring fixedly at where Song Jian disappeared, and whispered: Youve won the wager! Finishing his sentence, Chang Qinghe stomped on the ground, making a loud sound. With the speed of lightning, he pursued Song Jian towards the passageway from which he left. Now that he had made up his mind, he wouldnt allow for any hesitation! Song Jian, youre as good as dead! Chang Qinghes eyes were filled with a strong intent to kill. Chapter 666: Abyss Temptation Chapter 666: Chapter 666: Abyss Temptation Although Duan Wudi was considered an enemy by the people of this world, no one would turn down his legacy; Being a Sword Saint was already the most revered title in this world, and they were the strongest group of people in this world. Yet even such powerful people could not stand a chance against Duan Wudi in battle; In order to kill Duan Wudi, hundreds of powerful people bestowed with the title of Sword Saint joined forces to ambush him. Such an astonishing event would be unbelievable if it were to be told, but it really happened. This subverted everyones perceptions; most importantly, the ambush failed, with Duan Wudi killing more than ten of the powerful attackers; This was an extremely humiliating event for the entire continent. If Duan Wudi could have been killed, it would have been a different story. But the fact that so many top-notch powerhouses from the continent had failed to ambush him had filled people with anger and humiliation while also leaving them in awe of Duan Wudis strength. Jian Twenty-Three, a sword technique that was widely circulated during the ambush, was highly praised by almost all sects. That was why Jian Qi was so eager to kill Song Jian when he saw Jian Twenty-Threes sword technique amongst the heritage statues, in order to acquire the inheritance. This was also why Chang Qinghe was willing to momentarily put aside his hatred towards foreign people and pursue Song Jian alone! If word gets out that the inheritance is here, I am afraid that even the Sword Saint powerhouses will be attracted Chang Qinghes eyes were burning with fervor; Even his master, Liu Qingyun, a powerful swordmaster who had comprehended sword intent, was not qualified for the title of Sword Saint. If Chang Qinghe could obtain Duan Wudis inheritance, he would definitely become a Sword Saint C and not just any Sword Saint, but the most top-notch, formidable Sword Saint. Such temptation was irresistible for anyone who practiced swordsmanship. Song Jian swiftly traveled through the passages. Regardless of the type of intersection he encountered, he did not hesitate to randomly choose a direction and rushed past. In a short amount of time, he had already gone through more than twenty intersections. Even with his formidable memory, he would have difficulty retracing his steps should he reattempt the same path; My strength has increased too rapidly, I must adapt. The probability of me winning against Chang Qinghe in my current state is low! Thoughts raced through Song Jians mind as he continuously assessed the strength comparison between himself and Chang Qinghe; Chang Qinghe also possessed sword intent, which was, in a sense, similar to Song Jians Immortal Sword Body skill; The Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body was Song Jians core skill as a Sword Controller. Its appearance was similar to the sword intent possessed by this worlds swordmasters, which was why so many people had mistaken it; Song Jian had previously researched the sword intent of this world and found that there were many types C Broken Water Flow Sword Intent, which was comprehended by Liu Qingyun and Chang Qinghe, was just one of them; Unlike the Immortal Sword Body, Chang Qinghes sword intent did not consume much energy when activated, so he could maintain it for hours. In contrast, Song Jians Immortal Sword Body, now at level eight, could only be sustained for a mere three minutes. If he were to be caught in a stalemate, it would be highly unfavorable for him; Furthermore, due to the sudden increase in his attributes, Song Jian was unable to properly control his own power. At this moment, he just wanted to find a safe place to carefully experience and familiarize himself with his newly advanced profession; A Sword Master was obviously much more powerful than a Sword Controller. One could see the difference from the core skill of Sword Control, which, when activated, was almost equivalent to fighting against four opponents with similar strength to Song Jian. This skill alone possessed enough power to crush opponents of a comparable strength; The Sword Control Skill is already so powerful. I cant help but anticipate the power of the other core skill, creating a Sword Spirit! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, he wished he could immediately go into seclusion to thoroughly study his newly advanced profession. However, he could not allow Chang Qinghe to leave the ruin. Once his identity as a foreigner was exposed by Chang Qinghe, he would find it impossible to venture around this continent, let alone complete the first-ranked battle power assessment mission. Chang Qinghe must die here! A resolute look flashed in Song Jians eyes. As he continued to travel through the web-like passages, Song Jian suddenly felt as if he had broken through a thin film, facing very little resistance. If not for his greatly increased mental strength, he might not have noticed the anomaly at all; He stopped abruptly and looked back, only to find nothing unusual about the passage behind him. It was no different from the passages he had traversed before; When Song Jian turned his head back, he was shocked to find that the scene before him had suddenly changed; Previously, there was just a straight passage ahead of him. However now, before his eyes, appeared a lush valley. At the center of the valley stood a huge golden pyramid, which was black and shimmered with a metallic luster. The golden runes on its surface appeared and disappeared intermittently. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What, what is this place? Wide-eyed and stunned, Song Jian realized that he must have just passed through some sort of barrier; He looked back again, and while the passage was still there, ahead of him was the valley. It felt as though the space at his current position had been split into two and then mysteriously glued back together; Just then, a weird voice suddenly sounded in Song Jians ears. Young man, do you want to possess great power? Become my follower, and I shall grant you the power to conquer this world! The voice was filled with temptation, but it sounded somewhat familiar to Song Jian, who couldnt help but smirk and mutter to himself, Abyssal Language, I never thought that the power of the Abyss would also exist in this world! Ever since he entered the game, Song Jian had noticed that the power of the Abyss seemed to be constantly eroding the gaming world. Before the new version of the game was launched, many places held traces of the Abyssal Power; After the launch of the new version, the Abyssal Power had flooded the entire world overnight. Just in Doomsday City alone, there were dozens of Abyssal instances, which had also opened up the possibility for the Abyssal Clan and professions! Come to think of it, the Abyssal instances in Doomsday City do share a resemblance with the mysterious black pyramid before me! Song Jian said softly as he gazed at the pyramid in the valley. Song Jian leaped onto a large rock at the edge of the valley and peered inside. At the same time, a figure suddenly rushed into the valley several hundred meters away from him. Upon closer look, it was none other than Chang Qinghe; At this point, Chang Qinghe seemed to be oblivious to Song Jian and was only startled by the scene before him. However, his eyes soon fell upon the huge golden pyramid in the center of the valley, and his body began to uncontrollably tremble, his eyes losing focus as if he was lost in some memory; Song Jian stared at Chang Qinghe and smirked with a hint of wonder, whispering, Not everyone can handle the abyssal language. Chapter 667: Crafting the Sword Spirit Chapter 667: Chapter 667: Crafting the Sword Spirit Song Jian had a long-standing contact with the Abyssal Power, and held a certain resistance towards the Abyssal language. The charmers power seemed to be greatly suppressed; the allure of the Abyssal language had almost no effect on him. However, for Chang Qinghe, caught off guard, he had absolutely no power to resist. Furthermore, his heart was filled with desire to obtain Duan Wudis legacy and become a Sword Saint, which naturally created a vulnerability in his spirit which the Abyssal Power exploited. The allure of the Abyssal language easily affected him. Watching Chang Qinghe stumble towards the black pyramid like a walking corpse, Song Jian felt amused. The person he initially saw as a formidable enemy had easily fallen in this way. Song Jian sat cross-legged on the rock, ignoring the Abyssal language. He began to closely comprehend the various changes that came with advancing in his profession. He found that his original profession as Sword Controller had progressed to the Sword Master, gradually changing from short-distance to semi-long and even long-distance. The reason why this was so is because the Sword Masters core skill, Sword Control Skill, had no concepts of attack range. As long as your Mental Strength was strong enough, anywhere within the range of your Mental Strength was within your attacking range. Song Jians present Mental Strength perception could reach up to almost 100 meters, beyond which it became somewhat fuzzy. But if he were to use the Sword Control Skill, the most suitable attack distance would only be between 50 to 60 meters C any further would be more difficult to control. Moreover, after the significant increase in Mental Strength, Song Jian could easily control two or even three or four swords simultaneously. At his limit, Song Jian could control four long swords at the same time, and if he activated Immortal Sword Body, he could easily control five long swords. This meant his enemy would have to face five simultaneous attacks from him; if the enemys strength was equivalent to Song Jians, they would likely be at a disadvantage from the start. Am I invincible at this level? Song Jian laughed to himself. Song Jian began to closely examine the Sword Masters other core skill while adapting to his rapid increase in power C the creation of Sword Spirits. Its actually a supportive skill Song Jians brows creased. Supportive skills generally did not provide direct combat power, but in the game, the effect of a good support skill was not inferior to combat skills. Similar to Song Jians talent skill, Thick Skin, which was also a supportive skill, has saved Song Jian from the brink of death multiple times. Swallow the Essence of the Five Elements, nurture your own Sword Spirit After carefully reading the skill introduction, Song Jians face turned pale. The so-called Sword Spirit production involved using a weapon as the main body, then continually devouring other high-quality weapons. The main weapon would then nurture its own spirit so that the weapon and the users consciousness could become one. If a weapon produced a Sword Spirit, it would be essentially a division of the users consciousness. Controlling it would be as easy as moving a limb, according to the users will. If one were to use the Sword Control Skill to control a weapon with a Sword Spirit, it wouldnt consume Mental Strength, and the difficulty of control would also significantly decrease. In conclusion, this skill complemented the Sword Control Skill. If a Sword Master did not possess a long sword with a Sword Spirit, theyd feel embarrassed to claim they were a Sword Master! Has this game finally begun to make people spend money? Song Jian asked emotionlessly. To create a Sword Spirit, you need to start with a simple blood acknowledging ceremony, but the following step of devouring the Essence of the Five Elements is like a black hole. Good weapons of higher tiers C and an indeterminate amount at that C the higher the main weapons tier, the more youll have to devour. This game is practically forcing players to spend money! Song Jian shook his head, sighing. Moreover, Song Jians weapons were sets, and if fully collected, would make five. The consumption would be five times that of other Sword Masters. However, speaking of high-quality weapons, after killing Jian Qi, it seems I dropped his weapon! Song Jian suddenly remembered that there should be a Dark Gold quality long sword in his inventory, which would be perfect for creating a Sword Spirit. Removing this Dark Gold quality long sword from his inventory, Song Jian found that its attributes were excellent. If it were not for the fact that he already had the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Set, he would probably use it as his own weapon. Even if sold, this level thirty Dark Gold quality long sword could raise hundreds of thousands of Doomsday Coins. Throwing away that kind of money feels like throwing it into water! Song Jian couldnt help but feel a pang of regret. Cutting open his finger, he let the fresh blood drip onto the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He drew a complex guiding rune on the blade of the sword. Luckily, thanks to his previous study of array formations and magic array, Song Jian was familiar with runes; for someone without any familiarity, trying to draw guiding runes with their blood could possibly be filled with failure and end up making them lose too much blood. With blood as the guide, and shared spirit C Sword Spirit, awake! Song Jian shouted lightly and the guiding rune on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword glowed, the fresh blood slowly seeped into the sword and disappeared. At this point, when Song Jian looked at the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword again, an option for Devour was now available, along with a slot to insert items. Song Jian sighed lightly, placed the newly obtained Dark Gold quality long sword in the devouring slot and with a trembling hand clicked on it. The long sword, worth hundreds of thousands, was immediately deconstructed and disappeared. The progress bar for the creation of the Sword Spirit only moved about one-tenth of the way. Does that mean that to make the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword produce a Sword Spirit, I need to at least get ten similar quality and level weapons? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Level thirty Dark Gold quality weapons were priceless, with none available on the market. At this stage, no equipment of Gold quality would appear on the market. Even if one or two items were to appear, they would be snatched up in an instant. There are even fewer Dark Gold quality weapons. Its unheard of C dont even think of getting it on the market! It seems that in the future, Ill only be able to get it to devour weapons of Blue or Silver quality Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, a roar came from afar. Song Jian looked up to see Chang Qinghe, now less than 100 meters away from the black pyramid. He was roaring loudly, and his aura was crazily growing. Sword Qi was pouring out uncontrollably in all directions, forming the illusory image of a great river dozens of meters long behind him. Whats happening to him? Song Jian stood up and looked at the scene ahead with a serious face. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chang Qinghe seemed to be stimulated by something and expressed all his power as well as his Sword Intent to the extreme. This made Song Jian fully understand Chang Qinghes power. This is close to the power of an elder from Qingyun Sword Sect. I didnt expect him to hide his strength this deeply A pensive expression appeared on Song Jians face as he intently watched Chang Qinghe from a distance. Chapter 668: Joining Hands Chapter 668: Chapter 668: Joining Hands No one knew what had happened, but just as Chang Qinghe was about to enter the pyramid, he seemed to realize something and began to struggle violently. It appears that this abyss creature isnt that powerful either, letting the meat that was at its mouth fly away A sneer appeared on Song Jians face. Abyss Temptation would increase over time, the fascinating effect getting stronger and stronger. Once one couldnt break free at the initial seduction, it would be hard to get rid of later. However, surprisingly, Chang Qinghe began to break free just as he was about to enter the pyramid; Boom! With a loud explosion, the river phantom, condensed by Sword Qi, behind Chang Qinghe completely shattered. The rampant Sword Qi filled almost the entire valley. Flowers, plants, and trees were shredded into fragments by the Sword Qi in an instant. Even the black pyramid was left with countless white traces from swords, and the entire pyramid rumbled tremulously. Whos fooling around? Show yourself! Anger flashed in Chang Qinghes eyes. Upon entering this strange space, his mind had been manipulated, leaving a massive vulnerability in his spirit. To improve his cultivation in the future, the energy and time required would multiply. After unleashing all his power, the burden on Chang Qinghe was also tremendous. At this moment, he, panting heavily, stared at the black pyramid ahead, a trace of fear in his eyes. Mortal, submit to me, and I will bestow you with immense power. You will become the ruler of this continent! A hundred-meter tall phantom of a colossal demon loomed over the black pyramid. This demon possessed all the characteristics of an Abyssal Demon, radiating black abyssal aura. As soon as the phantom appeared, Song Jians face suddenly changed. From this Abyssal Demon, he felt an infinite Abyssal Power; This, this isnt an ordinary Abyssal Demon, this is an Abyssal Demon Lord Song Jian said in surprise. You should know that the limit of an ordinary Abyssal Demons power is simply first-tier Combat Power. However, the Abyssal Demon Lords, in the Abyssal Lands, rule vast territories and their power is at least of the second-tier Peak Combat Power. The stronger ones can even reach the third-tier Combat Power, and they are absolutely invincible to the current Song Jian. Just this phantom alone emits such a powerful aura, reaching the peak of first-tier Combat Power. Such a powerful being, how on earth was it sealed here? Song Jian was astonished. Human, you cannot resist the will of Lord Soloer. Submit to me, and you will gain even greater power! The Abyssal Demon phantom laughed wildly, pointing a finger at Chang Qinghe. Countless black abyssal auras gathered at his fingertips, and in an instant, these black auras intertwined and turned into two black chains that entwined towards Chang Qinghe. Abyssal Chains~ Song Jians eyes narrowed, this skill seemed universal amongst all high-level Abyssal beings. When used to restrain someone weaker than themselves, it was almost invariably successful. Furthermore, this skill seemed to have a certain chance to hit directly, making it extremely challenging to dodge. Using this on Chang Qinghe seems like a bit of an overkill. I wonder if this Abyssal Demon Lord has lost his senses due to being imprisoned for too long or is just overly confident! Song Jian murmured to himself. Chang Qinghes displayed strength had already reached the peak of first-tier Combat Power. The Abyssal Temptation couldnt hold him, let alone the Abyssal Chains. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As expected, as soon as the two Abyssal Chains bound Chang Qinghe, without much effort, he directly broke free from the restraints of the Abyssal Chains. Abyssal Demon Chang Qinghe seemed to have also recognized the identity of the floating phantom above the pyramid. After hesitating for a moment, he actually turned around and sprinted towards the passage he had just entered. Abyssal creatures liked to invade other worlds. Almost all worlds discovered and targeted by them couldnt escape their clutches. Evidently, this trial world was also one of the objectives of the Abyssal creatures. The imprisoned Abyssal Demon Lord in this black pyramid had comparable strength to Chang Qinghe, just from a phantom. Its actual body must be inconceivably powerful. Although its actual body had been sealed, who knew how long the effects of this Sealed Tower could last after all this time? It seems that it wont be long before this Abyssal Demon can break free! Chang Qinghe thought to himself. It already can emit its own aura, making it clear, that this sealed tower, before long, would lose its sealing effect. We are too close to the Qingyun Sword Sect here. Once this demon breaks free, it would need a countless amount of human souls and flesh to recover its strength; the Qingyun Sword Sect would be its first target. I must rush back to the sect and report this to the Master, thought Chang Qinghe anxiously. We cant let him escape just like that! Song Jian stared at the figure of Chang Qinghe, murmuring under his breath. Once Chang Qinghe got back to the Qingyun Sword Sect, not only would the news of the Abyssal Demon Lord spread across the entire mainland, but Song Jians identity would also be revealed to everyone. Then, traversing this world would become impossible for him. The difficulty of his assessment task would increase a hundredfold, a thousandfold. Hence, Song Jian absolutely would not let Chang Qinghe escape this place alive. Suddenly, Song Jian employed the Sword Shadow Step and charged towards Chang Qinghes location. Sword Control Skill! Shrr Shrr Shrr~ Three long swords, gleaming with Golden Sword Qi made a sharp piercing sound in the air, heading straight towards Chang Qinghe. Song Jian! Chang Qinghe roared. Once this Abyssal Demon broke free, not only the Qingyun Sword Sect, but it would be a catastrophe for the entire mainland. An Abyssal Demon with second-tier peak combat power would virtually be invincible within a range of thousands of miles. No individuals or sects could stand a chance against it. Thousands upon thousands of people would die innocently due to the breakout of this Abyssal Demon. Thats why he would rather abandon Duan Wudis inheritance and leave this place. But all this was irrelevant to Song Jian. Getting into this world had just been part of his trial quest. Chang Qinghe also understood this, so he didnt bother to extensively engage with Song Jian, and as he fended off the three long swords attacks, he strived to run towards the passage. The moment he got into the passage, he could leave this sealed land. The actions of Song Jian had taken the sealed Abyssal Demon by surprise, but the demon laughed uproariously in no time, combining two abyssal chains and winding them around Chang Qinghe. Seeing the Abyssal Chains, Chang Qinghe changed color and yelled to Song Jian, The Abyssal Demon is an enemy to humanity, Song Jian, colluding with it wont end well for you too! Flash Thunder Strike! Sword Silk! Broken Wing Dance! The three long swords sometimes split apart, chopping at Chang Qinghe from different positions and angles with different sword strokes, and at other times, they regrouped into one long sword to inflict three times the damage on Chang Qinghe. Moreover, with the Abyssal Chains wrapping round him, there was no chance for Chang Qinghe to break into the passage. Song Jian, it wont be easy for you either. Colluding with the Abyssal Demon, youll become an Abyssal Demon yourself, and live worse than dead! Chang Qinghe roared defiantly, struggling fiercely. This time, however, he just couldnt break free from the Abyssal Chains. Song Jians eyes flashed with intent to kill, and the three long swords constantly aimed at Chang Qinghes vital points. Chapter 669: 669: True Name Chapter 669: Chapter 669: True Name The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, the Golden Demonslaying Sword, and the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword: these three long swords were being manipulated as if by three invisible hands, crazily attacking Chang Qinghe with a clear intention to kill him. From the hands of the Abyssal Demon Lord project in the mid-air of the Sealed Tower, two chains exuding black aura tightly locked around Chang Qinghe, binding and restricting his movement. For a moment, Song Jian and the Abyssal Demon Lord formed a silent pact to besiege Chang Qinghe. Song Jian, no matter which world you are from If you let the Abyssal Demon Lord replace you, he can descend on your world through you Chang Qinghe struggled, desperately blocking the three swords. However, as the Abyssal Chains increasingly bound him, he could only watch helplessly as the three swords aimed at his vital points. You will become the sinners of your world, and your world itself will ultimately be corroded by the Abyssal Power and become a part of the Abyssal Land! Struggling fiercely, Chang Qinghe wielded his sword, slashing at the Abyssal Chains that bind him. Thud! Thud! Thud! Without mercy, Song Jian controlled the flying swords to penetrate Chang Qinghes brain and heart. Three consecutive fatal blows left a wounded Chang Qinghe unable to withstand any longer, spewing out black blood. A helpless bitter smile appeared on his face as all his strength seemed to be drained in an instant and his body collapsed. Crackle! The black chains held up Chang Qinghes body, preventing him from falling. Wisps of vitality were extracted from Chang Qinghes body, passed through the black Abyssal Chains, and transferred to the shadow of the Abyssal Demon Lord above the black pyramid. Before long, Chang Qinghes body turned into a pile of dried up corpses, without a trace of moisture. It fell to the ground with a thud, turning into ashes. Ah~ The Abyssal Demon Lord issued a satisfied moan, tremblingly said, A thousand years Ive been imprisoned for a thousand years. I have not tasted human flesh and blood for a thousand years Song Jian observed the Abyssal Demon Lords projection on top of the black pyramid. It seemed more substantial after absorbing Chang Qinghes flesh and blood. Human, you did very well! The Abyssal Demon Lord opened his crimson eyes, staring at Song Jian with a smile, From you, I feel the aura of another world. Perhaps you could tell me what your world is like. If I get a chance, Id definitely like to see it! Whats your name? Song Jian asked. My name? Hahaha, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord looked at Song Jian, seeming somewhat amused, You actually inquire about the name of an Abyssal Demon Lord. Puny human, you arent worthy of knowing the true name of a great Abyssal Lord. All you can do is offer your flesh, your soul, and the memory coordinates of your world deep within your soul to me, a mighty Abyssal Lord. `Offer all of you to me, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared. The black aura burned around the projection like flames. From the outside, Song Jians current strength seemed much weaker than Chang Qinghe, the peak combat power of the first order. Even Chang Qinghe was not considered by the Abyssal Demon Lord, let alone Song Jian! Pledge your faith, dread me, damn me, become my slave, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord was reciting in the Abyssal language. The power of the Abyss Temptation rushed towards Song Jian wave after wave. In the eyes of the Abyssal Demon Lord, Song Jian was like a tiny boat out at sea, at the brink of annihilation any time. A cold smile flashed across Song Jians face. Thats not to mention that his innate passive ability Thick Skin had strong resistance to the Abyssal Temptation, even without this skill, the Book of the Abyss within him could protect him from the corruption of the Abyssal Power. A mere prisoner, what right do you have to demand my allegiance? Song Jian laughed coldly. Huh, youre actually not affected by the Abyssal Powers temptation The Abyssal Demon Lord expressed surprise. In his memory, there were almost no life-forms that could resist the temptation of the Abyssal Power. Put away your pathetic tricks. Tell me your real name and then tell me why you are imprisoned here! Song Jian shouted, staring at the Abyssal Demon Lord, If you continue to play these ridiculous tricks, Ill turn back immediately and spread the news of your impending escape widely across the continent! Human, you cant Seemingly panicked, the Abyssal Demon Lord falls silent for a moment before speaking to Song Jian, Human, remember my true name. I am Saffer Lance Tuya Salla, the Blade of the Abyss. A string of strange syllables came from the Abyssal Demon Lords mouth, a string of names each with hundreds of syllables. The Abyssal Demon Lord has existed for thousands, or even tens of thousands of years. His family lineage has lasted for tens of thousands of years. Their names incorporate the names of their ancestors, right up to their first direct ancestor. The names, like an old womans foot binding, were smelly and long, but this was their tradition! Human, my name is too long. You can call me the Blade of the Abyss! The Abyssal Demon Lord explained. Hehe, Blade of the Abyss Saffer Lance Tuya Salla Song Jian smiled slightly, repeating the hundred-syllable name of the Abyssal Demon Lord. Human, you The Abyssal Demon Lord was taken aback, a trace of fear rising in his heart. In this world, there are many ancient curses. Knowing its true name could invoke similar curses against it. Never underestimate anyone! Song Jian laughed. Human, are you willing to sign a contract with me? As long as you free me, I can grant you the title of viscount in my dominion, allowing you to own vast lands within my territory! The Abyssal Demon Lord proposed. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A viscount of the Abyssal Land? Song Jian chuckled, Do you think I, a human, would be interested in the title of the Abyssal Land? The Abyssal Demon Lord was temporarily speechless, but then became furious and roared, I have been imprisoned for a thousand years, apart from territory, Ive got nothing else! What would your strength be like once you are free? Song Jian suddenly asked. Judging by the current strength of the Abyssal Demon Lord, he was only on par with the peak of the first-tier combat power. Song Jian hoped that his strength could be stronger, at least to help him complete the assessment task! Chapter 670: 670: Contract Chapter 670: Chapter 670: Contract The Abyssal Demon Lord is powerful, definitely not as it appears now. Even though it has been imprisoned for thousands of years and weakened significantly, as long as it can get out of the Sealed Tower, it wont take long for it to return to its peak state. Although the assessment task has no time limit, Song Jian doesnt want to stay in this world for too long. If he can use the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian can complete the assessment task in the shortest time possible; How strong are you at your peak? Song Jian asked. Hahaha, the power of the Blade of the Abyss is not something that a small mortal can comprehend The Demon Lord laughed heartily. Have you reached the second tier in combat power? Song Jian asked; Demon Lord: Song Jian speculated that to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, at least a second tier combat power is needed. The Sect Leader of the Qingyun Sword Sect, Liu Qingyun, gave him an unfathomable feeling. After witnessing the peak level of Chang Qinghes first tier combat power, Song Jian believed that Liu Qingyuns strength was definitely much higher than Chang Qinghes, at least at the early stage of second tier combat power; One has to reach level fifty to be eligible to challenge the second tier combat power, which means that Liu Qingyuns level is at least above fifty Song Jian speculated in his heart; Leveling up in this world is not as easy as in Doomsday City. In Doomsday City, there are many monsters, and they refresh every day. As long as one is willing, there is no shortage of monsters to level up. However, in this world, Song Jian cant go on a killing spree, he can only level up by hunting bandits and the like, which is very slow; And most importantly, this world is his Assessment World. No matter how high his level increases, it is impossible for him to break through the first tier combat power. It is very difficult to complete the assessment task with his own strength alone. Every Demon Lord has third tier combat power! The Blade of the Abyss roared, seemingly dissatisfied with Song Jian belittling its strength. Third tier? Song Jians eyes brightened. If this Abyssal Demon Lord could reach the third tier, it should be very easy to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect. Even if there were a few hidden Grand Elders in the sect, their strength could not reach the third tier. After all, the Qingyun Sword Sects foundation is not deep, and it is a sect that has existed for less than a hundred years; Very well, if I release you, I need you to go to the Qingyun Sword Sect and retrieve an item for me! Song Jian said. He dared not reveal his true intentions to the Demon Lord. It is known that betrayal and deception are ingrained in their beings. Anyone who tries to cooperate or trade with these creatures usually ends up regretting it. Once the Abyssal Demon Lord knows that he wants to destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, it might create a lot of trouble; If he lets it steal an item from the Qingyun Sword Sect, then with its character, it will definitely attack the sword sect directly. Once conflicts break out, all the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect will be seen as food to replenish its energy, and it wont spare a single one. Hahaha, I could destroy a human sect with just a flip of my hand. I will kill them all, and you can have anything you want! The Blade of the Abyss laughed heartily. It had been sealed for thousands of years, and its body had been severely weakened, its power plummeting from the early stage of third tier combat power to first tier combat power. However, its level and strength still remained, and as long as it was given time to recover, it would quickly return to its peak; Very well, lets sign a contract then. As long as I release you from the Sealed Tower, you will destroy the Qingyun Sword Sect, and then I just need to retrieve an item from it. Song Jian smiled; sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A contract, I love signing contracts with humans! The Blade of the Abyss laughed, plucking a golden scroll from the air, which fell into Song Jians hands; Upon opening it, he saw the contract written in both the Abyssal language and human language, surrounded by a circle of intricate patterns; System: You have obtained an Abyss Contract. Only when you voluntarily sign your name on it will the contract take effect; System: Warning, warning, this Abyss Contract is suspected of fraud. Please inspect carefully before signing! Song Jian smiled slightly. Even without the systems warning, he wouldnt sign this contract. The contents of the contract were written in two languages, and the Abyssal language content was completely different from the human language content. Once he signed the contract, Song Jian would immediately lose his freedom and become a slave to the Abyssal Demon Lord before him; The content of the Abyssal language and human language in your contract is completely different. Im sorry, I cannot sign this contract! Song Jian shook his head; Hahaha, I didnt expect you to understand the Abyssal language? The Blade of the Abyss laughed, not feeling embarrassed at all. With a wave of its hand, the contract in Song Jians hand turned into a cloud of black mist and dissipated in the air. Then, the Blade of the Abyss brought out another contract and told Song Jian, There were some errors in the previous one, but I believe you will be satisfied with this one. System: You have obtained an Abyss Contract. Only when you voluntarily sign your name on it will the contract take effect; System: Warning, warning, this Abyss Contract is suspected of fraud. Please inspect carefully before signing! Song Jian frowned. In this contract, the Abyssal Demon Lord had removed the Abyssal language and only left the human language. The content seemed to have no problems; However, the system still gave a hint of suspected fraud for this parchment contract. Obviously, there were still traps that Song Jian had not noticed. Im sorry, I cant sign this contract either! Song Jians expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Human, do you think you can offend a Demon Lord of the Abyss without any punishment? The tone of the Blade of the Abyss became unfriendly. If you continue with this attitude, I think there is nothing left for us to talk about. You might as well stay in this Sealed Tower and enjoy the rest of your life. Song Jian said coldly. Song Jian believed that, compared to him, the Abyssal Demon Lord probably desired to sign this contract even more so that it could escape the Sealed Tower sooner. The Blade of the Abyss fell silent. Playing small tricks in the Abyss Contract was something they enjoyed the most. The look on the faces of those who signed contracts with them and were ultimately deceived or even betrayed when they learned the truth was their favorite thing to witness. In this contract, not only were there problems with the surrounding patterns, but there was also another layer of contract content written with special ink after the formal contract. Only by using special means would the true content of the contract appear. Such a method could only be found among the Abyssal Demon Lords and was not even understood by ordinary demons. The Blade of the Abyss did not understand why this human could be so certain that there was a problem with the contract; Human, I hope you will not regret your decision today! The Blade of the Abyss said softly, pointing at the contract and causing the golden parchment to once again turn into black mist and vanish; Chapter 671: 671: Core Area Chapter 671: Chapter 671: Core Area The Blade of the Abyss once again condensed a contract scroll, this time, the scroll was clean without any decorative patterns or mysterious techniques; Song Jian took the scroll, and this time the system did not give a suspected fraud prompt for the contract; a smile appeared at the corner of his lips; If it were someone in the game, they might have fallen for the deception of the Abyssal Demon Lord, but Song Jian was a player, and for such transactions, the game would give prompts; Very well, I hope you will keep your promise! Song Jian laughed, forced a drop of blood from his finger, and pressed it onto the contract; Boom~ A flame rose from the golden contract scroll, and in a short time, it burnt up completely; Talking about keeping promises with an abyssal demon, Hehe~ Blade of the Abyss showed a mocking expression and muttered to itself. Alright, now you can tell me how to get you out of the Sealed Tower. Song Jian laughed; he had received a system prompt that the contract was established. Without system assistance, not a single word from the Abyssal Demon Lord could be trusted, let alone a punctuation mark. The Blade of the Abyss suddenly became excited, being imprisoned for thousands of years; although the seal of the Sealed Tower had loosened a bit, its current strength had been weakened to the extreme, so it had no way to escape on its own. It seemed that whoever sealed it had already calculated this situation. With the failure of the Sealed Tower, it would lose all its power and be killed by the remaining power in the moment the Sealed Tower collapsed; Rather than sealing it, it was more like using the power of the Sealed Tower to destroy this Abyssal Demon Lord; The Blade of the Abyss understood this too. After thousands of years, it finally met Song Jian, an outsider who might help; it was afraid that Song Jian would just walk away; Enter the Sealed Tower, find the sealing core, and as long as you break it, I can escape from here! Blade of the Abyss roared. Finally seeing a chance to escape, The Blade of the Abyss became very excited; Song Jian hesitated for a moment and then walked toward the black pyramid; Chang Qinghe was right, dealing with abyssal demons was like striking a bargain with a tiger, like dancing on the tip of a needle, and any carelessness could lead to self-destruction. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But for the sake of completing the assessment missions, he had to take this risk. Looking at the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array made up of five Sword Stones in his inventory, a sense of security settled in Song Jians heart. At the base of the black pyramid was a stone door wide enough for one person. After entering the door, there was only a two-person-wide passage. If one followed the passage straight, they could reach the core area where the Abyssal Demon Lord was imprisoned; In the passage, numerous monsters emitting demonic energy lay on either side, their crimson eyes staring at Song Jian, looking eager and ready to pounce at any moment. These were ordinary creatures transformed by the Abyssal Demon Lord using its own demonic energy after the seal had loosened. These monsters were all above level thirty, each possessing elite-level power. Although they were not genuine abyssal creatures, they were somewhat stronger than ordinary abyssal creatures; If Song Jian had not reached an agreement with the Abyssal Demon Lord, he would have had to put up quite a fight to reach the core of the Sealed Tower; After walking a few hundred meters, Song Jian saw a giant tree tens of meters tall. The thick tree was covered with purple-black, scale-like bark, and its branches and leaves were also purple-black, emitting a rich abyssal aura; Upon seeing the tree, the Book of the Abyss in Song Jians body suddenly throbbed; A level 35 elite BOSS with first-order combat power? Song Jian narrowed his eyes; this demon tree in front of him was different from the monsters he had seen before, and it was a genuine abyssal creature that had been transformed by the Abyssal Power for hundreds of years; Hehe, how is it? I havent been idle for thousands of years! The voice of the Blade of the Abyss resounded in Song Jians ears, apparently very proud of its creation; How did you do it? Song Jian asked curiously; If anyone knew that the person who sealed it in the first place, they would definitely not think that it could seal any other abyssal creature. Obviously, this Abyssal Demon Lord had used its own Abyssal Power to transform this Abyssal Demon Tree. The people who sealed me left a seed, and after I discovered it, I spent hundreds of years using my Abyssal Power to transform it into a demonic seed filled with Abyssal Power! The Blade of the Abyss said proudly, And then it took hundreds of years to grow into what it is now! Song Jian shivered; the demon in front of him was a deep schemer, just from an unintentionally left seed, it could play such tricks. No matter how careful he was, it would not be enough; Its just a pity that although it has grown up, it cant get any closer to the sealed area. Otherwise, I should have escaped by now! The Blade of the Abyss sighed; In fact, it had a great use for this Abyssal Demon Tree; at the last moment when the Sealed Tower lost its effect, there would be a final Sword Qi to wipe it out. By then, it would have been worn down by the Sealed Tower to the extent that it could no longer withstand the attack. It spent so much effort cultivating a seed into an Abyssal Demon Tree just to use it as a shield to bear the last Sword Qi in the end; This was just its last gamble, as no one knew whether the final Sword Qi would strike it or the Abyssal Demon Tree. At most, it only had a 50% chance of survival, which was also the reason why it wanted to sign a contract with Song Jian. As Song Jian passed the Abyssal Demon Tree, he carefully observed its attributes. This Abyssal Demon Tree was very powerful, having reached the peak of first-order combat power. With Song Jians current strength, it would be pitifully slim to kill it successfully without resorting to his trump card. After bypassing the Abyssal Demon Tree, Song Jian arrived at the core area of the Sealed Tower. It was a hall with thousands of square meters of space. Around the walls of the hall sat stone statues. Song Jian glanced around and counted nineteen statues altogether, each of them pointing to the center of the hall, where a golden cage composed of Sword Qi was located; Power was drawn continuously from these statues, merging into the golden cage, maintaining the sealed state of the cage, which contained a huge, slow-beating heart; Chapter 672: 672: Destruction Chapter 672: Chapter 672: Destruction Before entering the Sealed Tower, Song Jian had wondered what a state the Abyssal Demon Lord, being sealed for thousands of years, would be in. However, he hadnt imagined that it would lack a complete body. Staring at the heart, the size of a basketball and colored purple-black before him, Song Jian fell into deep thought. Its unclear how long it would take to restore such an Abyssal Demon Lord. Would it be worthwhile to wait? Human, if you destroy these stone statues, I can break free from this cage! The demon heart suspended in midair seemed to beat faster, showing its excitement. Song Jian realized that the entire black pyramid was a sword formation, constantly absorbing energy from the outside. These nineteen stone statues were the nineteen core nodes of the entire sword formation. They transformed the energy absorbed by the pyramid into true Sword Qi to confine the heart. The whole sword formation would collapse once these statues were destroyed. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These probably arent just statues, but real people! Song Jian became silent. These nineteen human statues should have been powerful swordmasters in their lifetime. In order to seal the Abyssal Demon Lord, they sacrificed their lives and used their own flesh and blood to constitute a part of the Sealing Sword Array. They spent thousands of years just to destroy this heart of the Abyssal Demon Lord. Any creature with Abyssal Power that approaches them will be met with a fierce attack. Only you, as a human, can destroy them! The Blade of the Abyss became somewhat frantic. After being imprisoned for thousands of years and now on the verge of escape, any being would become excited. Song Jian furrowed his brow. He himself possessed Abyssal Power. Both the Book of the Abyss and the Abyssal Demon Flame made him emit an aura of Abyssal Power. He wondered if the statues could detect this. With a thought, the Book of the Abyss within him became motionless. The black flame burning on the surface also slowly extinguished. Song Jian stepped towards the closest statue. As soon as he got close, this statues surface burst into radiant, golden Sword Qi. A phantom image appeared above the statue and swung its sword at Song Jian. Golden Sword Qi rushed towards Song Jian like a thunderbolt. How is that possible Red eyes emerged on the surface of the purple-black heart, looking towards Song Jian. Song Jian felt a shock in his heart, could it really still not work? A thought crossed his mind, and the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. He casually waved, releasing an abundant Sword Qi from the Light Strike, which collided with the golden Sword Qi rushing towards him. A muffled sound echoed in the hall. Song Jian was thrown back by a powerful force, smashing violently into the hard wall of the hall. He spat out blood. His pallid face revealed a significant loss of over a thousand Vitality Points. Peak First-Tier Combat Power! Song Jians face was filled with terror. It merely senses your strength and responds accordingly! If you continue to attempt to destroy them, the power of these statues will further increase! The Blade of the Abyss suppressed its rage and roared in a low voice: Human, tell me now, why would they attack you? They should only be wary of Abyssal beings! Its hope of escape had been destroyed. The Blade of the Abyss no longer needed to coax Song Jian and directly revealed its true face. An angry phantom image of the Abyssal Demon appeared in the hall, roaring loudly at Song Jian: You deceived me, you deceived a great Abyssal Demon Lord The wind was harsh in the hall. The Blade of the Abyss vented all its rage. However, just at that moment, a faint golden light burst from the nineteen statues. Above each statue, a human phantom image appeared. The swords in their hands pointed at the Demon Lords heart caged in golden Sword Qi. The phantom image of the Blade of the Abyss suddenly froze. If it behaved, it could still survive for at least hundreds of years more. If it tried to break free now, it would trigger the entire Sealing Array. Song Jian, we did sign a contract. If you fail to complete your part, you will suffer severe damage too! The Blade of the Abyss angry roar was thoroughly stifled in the hall, filled with Sword Qi. Shut up, and let me think! Song Jians face was gloomy. He didnt know if these statues rejected his approach due to the Book of the Abyss within him or his inadvertent exposure to the Abyssal Power. It must be noted, although the Abyssal Clan and Abyssal classes were stronger than ordinary classes after the games new revision, Song Jian always felt a certain risk. If he ended up turning into an Abyssal being because of too much exposure to the Abyssal Power, it was definitely not a result that Song Jian would want to see. Song Jian contemplated, and the Book of the Abyss soon appeared before his eyes. The Book of the Abyss, burning with fierce, fourth-tier, black flames, immediately bathed the entire hall in dazzling golden light on its appearance. What are you doing, put it away quickly The Abyssal Demon Lord roared loudly. The phantom image in the hall was torn apart by Sword Qi, and the imprisoned Demon Lords heart stopped beating too. Song Jian immediately stashed the Book of the Abyss into his bag. He felt it was too dangerous to keep such an Abyssal item within him all the time. After the Book of the Abyss disappeared, the Sword Qi in the hall gradually dissipated, restoring its original state. The Blade of the Abyss rematerialized a phantom image with a terrified look, staring at Song Jian without uttering a word. At this point, Song Jian cautiously approached the statues again. This time, these statues did not prevent him from getting close. Soon, he was right next to the statue. Good, thats how you do it. Destroy it, as long as you destroy these statues, I can break free from this damn cage. I can regain my freedom! The Abyssal Demon Lord felt like an Abyss, going from the peak to the valley and back, all in one day. Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like the Book of the Abyss within him had set off the alarm on the statues and not him. Looking at the statue before him, Song Jian hesitated a bit. These statues represented the powerful beings from a thousand years ago. They sacrificed themselves to eradicate the Abyssal Demon Lord, becoming part of the Sealing Array. Song Jian deeply respected this spirit. But now, for the sake of his mission, Song Jian had to destroy them. After glancing at the expectant eyes of the Abyssal Demon Lord behind him, Song Jian could only apologize silently, Im sorry, then he lifted his sword. Chapter 673: Exorcising Demons Chapter 673: Chapter 673: Exorcising Demons Song Jian knew that if he swung his sword down, the hard work and efforts of these nineteen powerful beings over a thousand years would be in vain. The Abyssal Demon Lord who was trapped and was about to be freed would inflict tremendous harm to the world. It may even cause the entire continent to fall, becoming a vassal to the Abyssal Land; No wonder the locals are so hostile towards the outlanders A bitter smile appeared on Song Jians face. As he was not from this world, he found it hard to empathize with it. Even if this world was completely destroyed, as long as he had completed his mission, Song Jian wouldnt feel sad; Its a little annoying to be me right now! Song Jian sighed. Gritting his teeth, he swung his sword hard at the statue beside him; Crack~ A crisp shattering sound echoed C a fissure formed on the statue in front of Song Jian. A phantom appeared from the fissure, looking at Song Jian with complex eyes, let out a deep sigh, and slowly vanished into thin air; Thud~ The statue turned into ashes in an instant, scattering all over the ground; The entire pyramid suddenly trembled slightly. Having lost the supply of Sword Qi energy from this statue, the golden Sword Qi Cage restraining the Abyssal Demon Lord faintly swayed and its glow dimmed; Hahaha! Thats it, Song Jian! Just keep going like this, destroy all the remaining statues, and I will be free again! The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed wildly. The demonic heart contained in the golden Sword Qi Cage began to beat violently; Song Jian expressionless, destroyed all the remaining eighteen statues. Without the statues to supply energy, the golden Sword Qi Cage began to crack. In just a few minutes, the cage shattered into countless specks of golden light that dissipated into the air; A purplish-black heart swelled in mid-air and black smog, like tendrils, spread out from the heart. In no time, the body of an Abyssal Demon Lord almost two meters tall was reformed. His blood-red eyes fixed on Song Jian. The Abyssal Demon Lord extended his long, snake-like tongue to lick a piece of broken flesh stuck to his cheek and let out a hearty laugh, Freedom, after more than a thousand years, I am finally free. I owe it all to you, human, my friend, hahaha! Just then, a deafening sound echoed throughout the pyramid. Suddenly, the hall was filled with dazzling golden light, and a human phantom appeared in mid-air, a hint of a smirk on the corners of his mouth as he coldly eyed the Abyssal Demon Lord whose body had already taken shape; Damn demons! A booming voice echoed in the hall. As the voice rang out, images of the nineteen statues, previously destroyed by Song Jian, appeared out of thin air; The shadow figures paid no attention to Song Jian, their icy gaze solely fixed on the Abyssal Demon Lord. Now, the entire hall was enveloped in golden Sword Qi, making it impossible for anyone to leave. As I thought, despicable humans! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared angrily, yelling towards the hall entrance: Numan, its time for you to do your part! Outside the hall, the Abyssal Demon Tree let out a low growl and awakened from its slumber; His thick roots struggled free from the ground, transforming into a huge tree man over fifteen meters tall, marching rapidly towards the hall; As he came near the hall, golden Sword Qi struck him, leaving deep marks on his body; The Abyssal Demon Tree screamed in pain, but its movement didnt falter at all. It kept on striking the golden Sword Qi Cage around the hall; Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Damn demons! The nineteen shadowy figures of the sculptures in mid-air, yelled in unison, their swords also blazing with dazzling golden Sword Qi!; Numan! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared angrily, fear showed on his face for the first time; Song Jian was also taken aback. The twenty human apparitions floating in the air currently started burning with a faint golden flame. They were clearly burning their final soul imprints, ready to land their strongest attack; Once their soul imprints are burnt out, these people will be gone forever, unable to reincarnate; Theyre at the peak of the first tier. No, their aura has already far surpassed the apex of the first tier. This, this is a second-tier combat power! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise; The aura of these twenty human apparitions kept on rising, to a degree that Song Jian could not decipher; Slam, Slam, Slam~ The Abyssal Demon Tree, Numan, was still relentlessly smashing into the golden Sword Qi Cage covering the hall. Even at the cost of burning its Abyssal Demon Core, it was determined to break into the hall! Twenty dazzling Sword Qi erupted and converged over the Abyssal Demon Lords head, forming a three-foot-long golden sword; Damn demons! The twenty human apparitions became fainter, as if all their power had been transformed into the golden long sword. Boom! The Abyssal Demon Tree, Numan, finally broke through the golden Sword Qi Cage and stormed into the hall; The moment the Abyssal Demon Tree broke in, the golden Sword Qi Cage instantly repaired itself, covering the large opening rapidly. Song Jian narrowed his eyes C the golden Sword Qi Cage seemed to allow the Demon Tree to enter deliberately; Could it be, they want to kill this Demonic Tree along with others? A thought shot through Song Jians mind, but his face instantly turned pale as soon as he considered the possibility. Damn it, theyre planning to annihilate everyone in the hall! Song Jians expression changed wildly. Given his current strength, he had no way to withstand an attack from these twenty human apparitions; Now, their strength had reached a realm, so high that even Song Jian could not discern. If they strike with all their might, even if he wasnt the target, he would be unable to withstand even the residual waves of their attack; Morning light, Dew, Waterdrop, Rock Sword Formation, awake! With a yell, Song Jian quickly cast three Sword Qi Stones around himself, setting up a defensive Sword Formation; On top of that, Song Jian summoned his Iron Wings, wrapping them tightly around his body, then activated his bloody shield and Frost Shield; Multiple layers of protection, like a turtle shell, enclosed Song Jian in its center; Song Jian waited quietly. Before long, a huge boom echoed from within the hall. Brilliant golden light filled the entire hall. Song Jian couldnt open his eyes and had to keep them tightly shut; The alarmed screams of the Abyssal Demon Lord alongside explosions reached his ears. The layers of defense set up by Song Jian had been pierced through as if they were paper; Even the residual waves from the explosion were unbearable for Song Jian. His body felt like a tiny pebble violently thrown against the hard walls of the hall by a giant; With a loud bang, Song Jian only felt a pain surge through his entire body before losing consciousness completely, oblivious to everything; Chapter 674: Betrayal Chapter 674: Chapter 674: Betrayal Song Jian didnt know how much time had passed before he finally woke up, surveyed his condition and found the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set broken beyond recognition. Almost all components were down to less than 10 durability. If he didnt repair them soon, the set, which is of epic level, might become unusable. Did I, did I actually survive? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. His Vitality Points had dropped below the danger level, but the passive ability Enemy of Death God hadnt been triggered yet. It seems that I survived, thanks largely to this armor. Thought Song Jian, somewhat relieved. The Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, each individual piece is of gold rank, wearing the complete set, supplemented by its set attributes, is completely on par with epic equipment. Song Jian credited his survival largely to this set of armor. Looking around at the hall, it was a total mess. There were broken rocks everywhere and many parts of the surrounding rock walls had collapsed. A charred, sturdy tree trunk stood before his eyes. The Abyssal Demon Tree Song Jian looked somewhat speechlessly at the charred remains of the tree in front of him. The massive demonic tree, which had towered over fifteen meters high, was now reduced to an under two meters high trunk. Around it lay charred remains scattered, all chopped and burnt to a crisp by countless slices of Sword Qi. A level thirty-five elite BOSS with peak first tier Combat Power was slain just like that! Song Jians face darkened. Even he would not dare to provoke such a BOSS, yet it was instantly killed here. A world that could possibly possess third tier Combat Power Song Jian sighed. Ever since he entered this world, he had encountered too many strong opponents, leaving him a bit numb. Wheres the Abyssal Demon Lord? Surely it couldnt have been slain as well? Song Jian frowned, starting to search around. The entire Sealing Array targeted the Abyssal Demon Lord. Almost over ninety percent of its power was used to counter it. Song Jian merely endured some aftershocks and despite that, he almost died. The damage must have reached the second tier, otherwise wouldnt end up in such a sorry state! Song Jian thought. Looking at the Abyss Contract he had signed, it was still effective. Apparently, the Abyssal Demon Lord and the Blade of the Abyss were still alive if they hadnt been for the appearance of Song Jian, and after more than a hundred years, the strength of the Blade of the Abyss would have been exhausted. Even with the demon tree, it wouldnt have survived when the Sealing Array collapsed. I I survived, haha, I survived! An exhausted voice echoed in the hall. The phantom of the Abyssal Demon Lord again appeared in the air of the hall, but at this point, his phantom was so weak that it was almost invisible. The crimson eyes stared at Song Jian, scrutinizing his current state. Human, you did well! The Blade of the Abyss chuckled. Swish~ Under the remnant of the withered Abyssal Demon Tree in the ruins, a demonic heart that was only a third of its original size rolled out. The surging purple-black blood flowed out from this broken heart and quickly gathered into a mass. A nude middle-aged man then stepped out from the pool of blood. He beckoned with his right hand, and an endless stream of black abyssal qi gathered around him, coalescing into a black armor around him. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I like how I am now, this is reminiscent of my joyful conquering days in this world a thousand years ago! The Abyssal Demon Lord said to Song Jian with a laugh. The Abyssal Demon Lord at this moment was probably at its weakest primit, but its aura still maintained a first-tier caliber, completely unlike its weak form when it just escaped from the Sealed Tower. He was as suave as a distinguished noble. Now its your turn to fulfill the contract! Song Jian was on guard, holding the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array in his hand, prepared to deal a fatal blow to the Abyssal Demon Lord at any time. Although the current Abyssal Demon Lord didnt seem to show any weakness, its strength was still at a first-tier level. Song Jian might not be outmatched against it. Humans, yes, now it is my turn to fulfill the content of the contract, but The Abyssal Demon Lord showed a smile and said, Im too weak. As you can feel, my strength is less than one-thousandth of my peak status. Its really hard for me to fulfill the contract with my current strength. Im afraid Ill need a long time to recover Song Jians heart sank and a mocking sneer appeared on his mouth. As expected, dealing with an abyss demon means being prepared for them to back out at any moment. So, you have no intention of fulfilling the contract? Song Jian asked. Of course not, the Abyss Contract must be kept. The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed elegantly, Its just as I said before, I need time to recover, a lot of time. Song Jians face turned pale, and his eyes were instantly filled with murderous intent. Originally, he had always felt guilty and uneasy about releasing this Abyssal Demon Lord. If it really had no intention of fulfilling the contract, he wouldnt hesitate to kill it on the spot. Ive killed a monster with first-tier Combat Power before, and I can just figure something else out for the evaluation mission Song Jian gritted his teeth, gripping the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, ready to give the Abyssal Demon Lord a harsh blow. However, if you help me, my recovery time could be significantly reduced! The Abyssal Demon Lord seemed to sense something and hurriedly said. Song Jian paused, and asked, Help you, how can I help you? You were attacked by the Sealed Tower because it mistook you for a creature of the abyss due to an abyssal treasure, right! The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed, As long as you give that abyssal treasure to me, I can regain my strength quickly and then help you retrieve the object you want from the Qingyun Sword Sect. This will save me a lot of recovery time, and thereby saving you a lot of time as well. Its a good deal, isnt it? Song Jian suddenly realized that this Abyssal Demon Lord was eyeing his Book of the Abyss. Could it be any more? Are you talking about this? Song Jian took out the Book of the Abyss from his package. A strong black aura emanated from the Book of the Abyss. A look of ecstasy appeared on the face of the Abyssal Demon Lord, and he nodded repeatedly. Yes, it is this one. As long as you give it to me, I can regain my strength in the shortest time possible. Then I can help you Perhaps, I dont need to give it to you, and you can directly regain your peak strength! Song Jian glanced at the Abyssal Demon Lord, opened the Book of the Abyss, and his gaze fell on the second tier of the Book of the Abyss Skill Tree. Chapter 675: Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array Chapter 675: Chapter 675: Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array In Song Jians hand, the Book of the Abyss is actually a complete skill tree with nine levels. The first level has only two skills C one is Abyssal Demon Armor, and the other is Abyss Temptation. The Abyssal Demon Armor is formed by using the fourth-tier Abyssal Raging Flame to condense a full body armor on the surface of the body. However, this armor only enhances resistance and does not provide defense power. Song Jian would only summon this armor when facing Abyssal creatures. The other skill, Abyss Temptation, not only has an extremely long casting time but can only be used when the target is immobilized or even severely injured and loses the ability to resist. Another drawback is that the longer the effect lasts, the higher the chance that the enchanted creature will betray. After trying it a few times, Song Jian never used it again. These two skills were not very helpful to Song Jian, so he did not continue to activate the skills on the skill tree of the Book of the Abyss. However, at this moment, facing the betrayal of the Abyssal Demon Lord, Song Jian suddenly felt that one of the skills on the second layer of the Book of the Abyss was perfect for dealing with it: Abyss Skill C Shackles Mark: Use the targets flesh and true name to brand its soul with the Shackles Mark. The mark lasts for three months. During the existence of the Shackles Mark, you can torment the targets soul at any time or even directly destroy its soul! This skill requires 230,000 combat experience points to activate! This skill can only be used once on the same target! This skill is tailor-made for you! Song Jians mouth curled slightly, and he hesitated not to illuminate this skill. His experience, which had originally risen to level 31 and 29%, instantly became level 31 and 2%. You want this, dont you? Song Jian shook the Book of the Abyss in his hand and smiled at the Abyssal Demon Lord. Yes, give it to me! The Abyssal Demon Lords eyes revealed a greedy expression. The middle-aged man in his original human form began to show purple-black scales on his body, and the demon horns on his head faintly appeared. Then I need you to exchange something with me! Song Jian held up the Book of the Abyss and walked step by step towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Exchange? What things? The Abyssal Demon Lords face darkened, and he spoke quietly: I already mentioned that I have nothing now but this broken body! What I want is your broken body or, to be precise, your broken demon heart! Song Jian narrowed his eyes and pointed his right hand at the Abyssal Demon Lord. Five Sword Qi Stones floated around his body and flew towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom~ Five booms resounded around the Abyssal Demon Lord, and five scorching golden light orbs rose simultaneously, just like five proud suns. Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, slash! Song Jian let out a soft shout, and the five raging suns above the head of the Abyssal Demon Lord burst into endless golden Sword Qi. Each Sword Qi could rival Song Jians skill Light Strike! Human, what are you trying to do? The Abyssal Demon Lords human body swelled violently, transforming into a demon giant over three meters tall. This was the true form of the Abyssal Demon Lord, almost identical to the phantom it had previously shown in the sky. This is your punishment for not honoring the contract! Song Jian shouted in a low voice, his figure flashing like electricity as he charged towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Dont think that I will be afraid of you like this, human! The Abyssal Demon Lord said viciously, I am already free now, and although I am very weak, do you think that your itchy sword array alone can kill me? How ridiculous! A nearly two-meter-long black blade appeared in the hands of the Abyssal Demon Lord. The blades edge was extremely sharp, while the back had several huge serrations. The blades surface was burning with raging black flames. Abyssal Strike! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared in a low voice, swinging the blade in the air, unleashing a dazzling black blade qi that slashed towards a raging sun. Boom! With a loud bang, the entire hall shook slightly, and dust fell rustlingly; The sun-like formation made of golden Sword Qi was shattered, making the Sword Formation incomplete and losing one-fifth of its power; However, the remaining four suns were continuously emitting endless golden Sword Qi, like the rays of the sun, constantly slashing on the body of the Abyssal Demon Lord; sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Abyssal Demon Lord laughed heartily. Although damage of over a hundred points kept floating above his head, it did not bother him, as his Vitality Points were already over 50,000. This little damage didnt mean anything to him, but instead, gave him the feeling of returning to the battlefield; This damage, not even reaching a first-tier combat level, is like tickling to me! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared, Ill help you destroy this fragile Sword Formation. The Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array could kill hundreds of monsters above level 30, but for the Abyssal Demon Lord, the damage was not fatal! At this time, he had lost over 5,000 Vitality Points, but he still showed a nonchalant expression on his face, waving a black long knife and continuing to slash at the remaining four suns; Break, break, break, break! Destroy everything! Boom, boom, boom, boom! The violent explosion made the already fragile Sealing Hall even weaker, with large rocks falling from overhead and huge cracks appearing on the surrounding walls, as if the entire hall would collapse at any moment. After five consecutive full-force attacks that broke the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array, the Abyssal Demon Lord became somewhat exhausted. This Sword Formation had already depleted over 8,000 Vitality Points from him. Destroying it was not as easy as it seemed for him, who was now in an extremely weakened state; Use all your means and display them, human. After its all over, Ill replenish my strength with your blood and flesh! The Abyssal Demon Lords eyes became fierce. The contract did not stipulate that they could not kill each other; as long as he killed Song Jian and then destroyed the Qingyun Sword Sect entirely, the terms of the contract would still be fulfilled, and he would not be impacted by the backlash of the contract; After breaking the Sword Formation, he suddenly discovered that Song Jian had vanished; Human, where are you hiding? The Abyssal Demon Lords heart sank, could this human have run away during the chaos? Just then, a brilliant golden beam suddenly stabbed out from behind him, piercing through his body and emerging from his chest; A critical damage of over 3,000 points surfaced above his head; At this moment, Song Jian was standing behind him, his left index finger pointing diagonally upward, and the golden Sword Qi was emanating from the tip of his finger; Human! The Abyssal Demon Lord became furious. If his body was damaged, he could recover without any limits, but if his heart was damaged, it would cause irreversible harm. Song Jians strike was aimed right at his broken heart. With a large hole opened in his back, Song Jian had a thought, and his steel wings unfolded with a whoosh, propelling him toward the Abyssal Demon Lords body; Chapter 676: Shackles Mark Chapter 676: Chapter 676: Shackles Mark With a flap of his steel wings, Song Jian rose into the air, charging towards the back of the Abyssal Demon Lord; He wrestled the disrupted heart of the Abyssal Demon Lord from a gaping wound in the demons back. Whispering in the demons ear, Song Jian said: I told you, I want your flesh and blood. Blade of the AbyssSaffer LanceKutoyaSara, Song Jian murmured the true name of the Abyssal Demon Lord. The heart he held, now little more than a third of its size, reacted as if frightened, its beats wildly intense; The Book of the Abyss emerged before Song Jian, its pages flipping as if caressed by an unseen wind. An enigmatic black aura began to waft from the book; Hearing his true name spoken, the Abyssal Demon Lord felt uneasy. The unease was amplified by the sight of Song Jian holding his heart; Human, what do you think you are doing? Do you believe that heart is indispensable to me? The Demon Lord began to panic a bit. Losing his heart would set him back an epoch of years to regain his peak state; Give it back to me! Because the Abyssal Demon Lords true name was so long, Song Jian rapidly recited it, but he couldnt stop the demon from trying to snatch back his heart. However, just as the Abyssal Demon Lords massive hand reached for Song Jian, an unseen transparent barrier enveloped and protected Song Jian; The Abyssal Demon Lord, could only futilely claw at the barrier, causing ripples but not able to penetrate the defenses; Binding with your true name, certified by your flesh and blood, Shackles Mark, apply! Song Jian extended the hand holding the heart towards the Abyssal Demon Lord. Suddenly, a black flame appeared out of nowhere and flew towards the demon lord; Sizzle~ At the centre of the demons forehead, a black lotus bloomed, its radiant glow, stunning. The Abyssal Demon Lord let out a shrill scream, clutching his head and rolling on the ground; Song Jian glanced at the heart in his hand, now reduced to a quarter of its size after casting the Shackles Mark, leaving a barely recognizable, bruised fleshy lump as a demons heart; Nonchalantly tossing the remaining heart back to the writhing Abyssal Demon Lord, Song Jian, with an expression of disgust, wiped off the purplish-black blood on his right hand, then stared coldly at the demon Lord; What did you do to me? You damned human, Ill kill you! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared, charging at Song Jian with bared fangs and claws; Shackles, Pain! Watching the monolithic Abyssal Demon Lord rushing towards him, Song Jian stood his ground and said a single word; Suddenly, the Abyssal Demon Lord felt as if his head was splitting apart, as if someone was repeatedly striking his skull with an axe or as if a red-hot needle was being stirred inside his skull; This pain was not physical, it originated from the depth of his soul; The agony endured for fifteen long minutes. The Abyssal Demon Lord had lost all his strength, collapsed on the ground like a heap of mud, his body convulsed non-stop, a faint hint of blood appearing from his seven orifices; No, mercy, spare me, I will honour our pact, as soon as I recover a bit, I will immediately help you claim the treasure from the Qingyun Sword Sect! Finally, unable to endure the soul-wrenching agony, the Abyssal Demon Lord begged for mercy from Song Jian; Song Jian smirked, with a mere thought, the Abyssal Demon Lord instantly felt relief from the pain; What what did you do to me? The Demon Lord asked weakly; Nothing much, just a little trick to ensure you comply with the pact! Song Jian responded, lightly kicking the shoulder of the Abyssal Demon Lord, and said: Stop playing dead, get up and recover your strength quickly. As long as you help me annihilate Qingyun Sword Sect, I will cancel this Shackles Mark! After a long while, the Abyssal Demon Lord reverted to a human form. With a conflicted expression, he struggled to his feet and looked at Song Jian: Human, I hope you keep your word! Do you think I am an Abyssal Demon? Song Jian scoffed and turned towards the exit; A month later, Qingyun Town, the closest settlement to the ruins, had been utterly destroyed. The entire town was so deserted that not a single corpse was to be found; This towns humans were too weak, I couldnt replenish enough energy from them, not even as much as the previous town, the Abyssal Demon Lord, garbed in a black cloak, complained; The moment Song Jian and the Abyssal Demon Lord emerged from the ruins, they promptly laid waste to the several towns within the secret realm controlled by the Red-sun Sect. The flesh and blood of every human was used to restore the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord; At this point, the Abyssal Demon Lords power had finally been restored to the early stages of a second-tier combatant, his level had also soared to level fifty-one. However, even though the demon lords power had surpassed Song Jians by far, the effect of the Shackles Mark on his soul had not weakened. This subdued the Abyssal Demon Lords budding aspirations; So Ive heard, there are quite a few treasures in this secret realm! Song Jian stared into the distance, rubing his chin thoughtfully. I can steal all the treasures for you if only you release this Shackles Mark, the Abyssal Demon Lord said quietly. Never mind that, the Qingyun Sword Sect is the priority! Song Jian hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he abandoned the tempting idea; Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After all, with the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord, he could sweep across this secret realm unchallenged; Unless there were more powerful beasts hidden in the secret realm. But if that were the case, Qingyun Sword Sect and the Red-Sun Sect would have known by now; The effect of the Shackles Mark lasts for only three months. Restoring the power of the Abyssal Demon Lord to the early stages of a second-tier combatant already took a month. If they really explored the secret realm for treasures, time would quickly run out. So when that happens, Song Jian would no longer have the means to restrain him, causing the assessment task to be indefinitely postponed. What a pity that this skill can only be used once against the same individual. Otherwise, I could have him following me around all the time, Song Jian muttered under his breath; Exit through this Transmission Array. Be careful, on the other side lies the backyard of Qingyun Sword Sect, home to several powerful beasts. You may not be powerful enough to face them right now, so be cautious and hide. Once youve regained your strength, you can then take them on, he ordered, pointing at the Transmission Platform. No worry, we Abyssal Demons are the unparalleled masters of disguise, the Abyssal Demon Lord chuckled, his body rippling like water. In a moment, he had taken on the appearance of Chang Qinghe; He gave Song Jian a nod, then stepped onto the Transmission Platform. With a flash of white light, the Abyssal Demon Lord disappeared. Chapter 677: 677: Identity Exposed Chapter 677: Chapter 677: Identity Exposed Song Jian was quietly guarding in front of the teleport stone platform. A day later, he stood on the teleport stone platform and was a bit uneasy about letting the Abyssal Demon Lord return alone; All the humans in the hidden realm had been slaughtered by the Abyssal Demon Lord. Taking advantage of the fact that the news had not yet spread, Song Jian had to leave here. Otherwise, once the news got out, Song Jian would arouse suspicion from others. Then, if the teleport stone platform were to be sealed, Song Jian wouldnt even be able to escape; With a flash of white light, Song Jian disappeared from the hidden realm; At Qingyun Sword Sects back mountain, Song Jian stood on the teleport stone platform with a vigilant look on his face, casting cautious glances around. The valley was quiet, seemingly devoid of people. It must be remembered that this was the most important area of the entire Qingyun Sword Sect. When he entered here last time, there were at least dozens of disciples with first tier combat power guarding this place. However, now, despite his powerful perception, spreading around like mercury, Song Jian couldnt find a single person; In just one days time, did it kill everyone? Song Jian was somewhat puzzled. The Abyssal Demon Lord only possessed the initial power of the second tier combat power, which was already stronger than a few elders of Qingyun Sword Sect. But Sect Leader Liu Qingyuns power was probably slightly stronger than the current Abyssal Demon Lords; Together with the foundation of Qingyun Sword Sect, if the Abyssal Demon Lord dared to set off a massacre as soon as it arrived, it could be facing a second sealing; Its really strange that there isnt a single person. Song Jian stepped off the teleport stone platform and continued walking towards Qingyun Hall; In the task bar, the second round of the assessment task had not been completed, indicating that Qingyun Sword Sect still existed, and Liu Qingyun certainly wasnt dead; Song Jian, why are you here? One of the direct disciples suddenly rushed out, revealing a surprised expression when he saw Song Jian. Chu Qiang? Song Jian froze. This disciple was Chu Qiang, who was promoted to be a direct disciple with him. He was taken in as a direct disciple by an elder at the time. The two had seen each other a few times afterwards, Song Jian didnt expect that the first person he encountered after leaving the hidden realm was him. What happened in the hidden realm that made such a monster come out! Chu Qiang yelled out angrily, his face filled with rage. Where are the Sect Leader and the elders? Song Jian asked. Chu Qiang spoke with an anxious expression, Everyone is in Qingyun Hall. You better come with me quickly. Right now, the entire Qingyun peak is surrounded by monsters! Song Jian was caught off guard. He didnt expect that the Abyssal Demon Lord would act so quickly. In just one day, it had already reached this point; Lets go, the Sect Leader is looking for you everywhere! Chu Qiang said, rushing forward to grab the sleeve of Song Jians robe; You said, the Sect Leader is looking for me? Song Jians heart lurched, he hurriedly asked, And what about Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi? Did the Sect Leader mention them? No, he just ordered the disciples that if they see you, they should immediately bring you to Qingyun Hall. Chu Qiang hesitated and said; Song Jian nodded slightly and said, Alright, lets go to Qingyun Hall quickly! Chu Qiang was inwardly pleased. Finding Song Jian carried quite a reward, and he didnt expect that he would be the one to run into him; Just then, Chu Qiang suddenly felt a pain in his back. When he looked down, he saw a sword tip poking out from his chest; Turning his head, Chu Qiang saw Song Jian pulling out the sword from his chest with an expressionless face; Wh-why Chu Qiangs eyes suddenly lost their light, and he collapsed onto the ground; When Chu Qiang fell to the ground, his body seemed to have been drained by an invisible force, turning into a pile of ashes. The vitality that was drawn from his body turned into a bright red flow of energy, rushing towards the foot of Qingyun peak; It seems that Liu Qingyun already knows that his two disciples are dead. However, whats more puzzling is, how does he know Im still alive? Song Jian muttered under his breath; Staying in Qingyun Peak was too dangerous now. Once someone found his traces, it would be hard for Song Jian to escape even if he had wings; With a thought, Song Jians figure instantly transformed into a ball of black fog, flying into the half-empty space; Just then, in Qingyun Hall, the usually meditating Liu Qingyun suddenly opened his eyes, his face showing anger. Crack~ A crisp breaking sound was heard, as the hard armrest was crushed by him; Foreigner! Liu Qingyun growled lowly, his body darting out of Qingyun Hall like electricity; Song Jian had just risen into the air when he felt as if he was being tracked. The opponents mental strength seemed to bind him like a rope. Liu Qingyun! Song Jians heart sank, and he immediately canceled the black fog state. In mid-air, Song Jian sprouted a pair of iron wings from his back. He flapped them hard a couple of times and shot down towards the foot of the mountain like an arrow; The black fog state was a balance of offense and defense and was immune to physical damage. But its weak point was its slow flight speed, which wasnt as fast as Song Jians speed when he used his iron wings; At this time, Song Jian could see from the air that the entire Qingyun Mountain was surrounded by dense, black Abyssal Demons. There were at least hundreds of thousands of them, and more Abyssal Demons were continually converging towards Qingyun Mountain; In just one days time Song Jian looked at the swarm of demons below that were like a tide and was speechless; These were not Abyssal creatures, but ordinary creatures tainted with Abyssal power. There were wild beasts, and there were humans. Song Jian did not know how the Abyssal Demon Lord had managed to gather so many creatures in just one day. Song Jian! A shout came from behind, and overwhelming sword qi surged towards him like a tidal wave. At the top of Qingyun Mountain, a huge river of sword qi was set off, just like a heavenly river; Second Tier Combat PowerPeak! Song Jian was dumbfounded. He didnt expect Liu Qingyuns power to be so formidable. At this moment, Liu Qingyun, who was in mid-air, was standing on a flying sword. He pointed at Song Jian, and immediately, the river of surging sword qi that was like Mount Tai on top of his head came crashing down on Song Jian; Im going to die! Song Jians hair stood on end. He felt as though he had been locked in place, the entire surrounding space seemed to have solidified. He felt like a bug trapped in amber, utterly unable to dodge; Blade of the Abyss! Song Jian roared. In an instant, the power of the Shackles Mark was released to its maximum; Roar~ At the foot of the distant mountain, a beast-like wail echoed out, and a big shadow rose from the ground, like a column of black smoke; Stop! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared, staring fixedly at Song Jian. The deep red eyes revealed unstinting killing intent; If I die, you die too! Song Jian said coldly; The Abyssal Demon Lord hesitated immediately. After contemplating for a moment, he glanced at the surging sword qi that was pressing on Song Jian like Mount Tai, and there was a look of humiliation in his eyes. Abyssal Strike, Break! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared in anger, waving the black long knife in his hand, throwing himself towards Liu Qingyun; Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 678: 678: Qingyun Sword Array Chapter 678: Chapter 678: Qingyun Sword Array The Demons Blade had detected Song Jian suspended in mid-air and Liu Qingyun a while ago, but it hadnt made any move, even deliberately concealing its aura. Once hes killed, the contract with him will be null and void! The Demons Blade sinisterly thought to itself, And the curse he cast on me will be lifted with his death! The Demons Blade has always believed that Song Jian had cast some sort of curse on it. As an Abyssal Demon, it naturally knew the severity of curses. Once the curse-caster dies, all the curses they had cast would gradually disperse over time. The Demons Blade was eagerly awaiting the moment when Liu Qingyun would behead Song Jian. However, Song Jians roar made it slightly panic. It didnt believe that it would die along with Song Jian, but evidently, Song Jian had the ability to disperse his soul upon acknowledging his impending death. The heart-wrenching pain started again. With no other choice, the Blade of the Abyss revealed itself and bellowed with rage. Focusing all its fury towards Song Jian into its swing, it cleaved at Liu Qingyun. Boom~ The black blade energy shattered the sky full of sword Qi, like a tidal wave. In an instant, the Blade of the Abyss and Liu Qingyun had crossed blows over ten times, punctuating the sky with explosion sounds akin to thunder. Song Jian was impacted by the aftershock of their battle, hitting his back and sending him crashing to the ground, creating a large crater. As he climbed out from the crater, Song Jian saw countless Abyss demons all around him, their crimson eyes filled with greed. Hmph! Song Jian snorted coldly as black flames ignited on his bodys surface. These flames converged to form a black armor, covering his entire body. The pure Abyssal aura emanated from Song Jian caused all the nearby Abyssal demons to tremble, not daring to even take a step forward. Looking up, Song Jian saw the sky split into two halves, one side pitch black, the other azure. The auras from both sides were constantly rolling and colliding violently. The Abyssal Demon Lord and Liu Qingyun fought evenly matched. In a single day, the Abyssal Demon Lord had progressed from the initial stage of second-tier combat power to the peak of second-tier combat power. Within the same tier, progress was merely a matter of accumulating power; given sufficient resources, this progression was not impossible within a day. More importantly, while it was extremely difficult for Liu Qingyun to progress from the peak of the second tier to third-tier combat power, it was quite simple for the Abyssal Demon Lord, because he had once attained that level. I was too careless! Song Jian focused fiercely on the battling silhouettes in the sky, clutching his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh. The current Abyssal Demon Lords power had only improved to roughly match Liu Qingyun. If it had waited a few more days, destroying only a few human towns first, the Abyssal Demon Lords power could naturally ascend to third-tier combat power. At that time, exterminating the Qingyun Sword Sect would be too easy. Couldnt you delay a couple of days, wait until youve fully recuperated, then challenge the Qingyun Sword Sect! Song Jian was irritated. Attacking the Qingyun Sword Sect with such fanfare would no doubt be noticed by many. Once the news of Abyssal Demon Lords appearance spread, the whole continent would be shaken. Song Jian did not believe that the highest combat power in this world was only the third tier. Were the millennial, even older, clans to learn of the Abyssal Demon Lords presence, they certainly would dispatch forces to exterminate him. What mattered most was that Song Jians identity had now been exposed. If the annihilation of the Qingyun Sword Sect were to fail, he would become a public enemy, hunted down by countless individuals. Then he would have no choice but to abandon the examination task, wait a month, and then select another task to complete. However, this couldnt be blamed entirely on the Abyssal Demon Lord. Within a thousand miles, the Qingyun Sword Sect was the largest sect. Eliminating it would allow the Abyssal Demon Lords power to return to its peak directly. Then whether continuing to invade this world or returning to the Abyssal Land, he would have full flexibility. He probably never expected that within the Qingyun Sword Sect, there would be one who could hold him at bay for so long. As the battle progressed, Song Jians heart became heavier. Within the same tier, few races could match humans. Apart from creating countless powerful techniques, humans also possessed many unforeseen offensive methods. The Qingyun Sword Array that Liu Qingyun was now deploying was one of them. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. During his time in the Qingyun Sword Sect, Song Jian had never known that Sect Leader Liu Qingyun was also a master of arrays, and his level had definitely surpassed that of a senior. Hes harnessing the power of the entire mountain range to set up this sword formation! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Using the power of nature, borrowing the might of heaven and earth to set up a sword formation is the most advanced method. While human energy could be exhausted, the energy of the heavens and earth was infinite and could not be countered by humans. The Abyssal Demon Lord was now at a disadvantage under the pressure of the Qingyun Sword Array. In not too long, he would likely be suppressed by the Qingyun Sword Array leading to total defeat; Again with this, again with this, Why are you humans so sly? Cant you fight me head-on! the Abyssal Demon Lord roared loudly, feeling abandoned by the world. Within thousands of kilometers, wherever it tried to hide, endless attacks would rain down on it. Heaven and Earth Grinding Plate! Liu Qingyuns face wore a serious expression. Sweat started to bead on his forehead, and his movements grew heavier. Controlling the Qingyun Great Array and mobilizing such massive power from the mountain range was also very exhausting for him. It felt like a wooden lever trying to pry a huge mountain. If not careful, the wooden lever could easily snap. I cant let this continue, or the Abyssal Demon Lord will be defeated! Song Jians brows furrowed. Even if defeated, Liu Qingyun wouldnt be able to annihilate the Abyssal Demon Lord, but he would certainly make the existence of it and Song Jian known to the world first thing. Then, the hunt would ensue, and there would likely be no more chances to wipe out the Qingyun Sword Sect. Song Jian focused on the array nodes formed by hundreds of Sword Qi Stones floating in the sky and began to carefully observe them. If he could break the Qingyun Sword Array, just the backlash from the array would cost Liu Qingyun half his life. The hundreds of Sword Qi stones flickered in the void, forming a complex and mysterious array. Given Song Jians current level, he could only perceive some vague patterns. Trying to find the key node and destroy the entire array was wishful thinking. Damn it! Determined, Song Jian took out the Book of Fusion, prepared to fully upgrade his Array level. Chapter 679: Chapter 679: Chapter 679: Formation Upgrade The power of the Book of Fusion lies in empowering the primary skill set without any dependency on the compatibility of fuelling secondary skills. It could even promote skills with properties totally against each other. Theoretically, Song Jian could merge all his skills to generate a full-level skill. But doing so without identifying the quality of the primary skill would only weaken him. Set Array Formation as the primary skill! Song Jian decisively dragged the skill into the primary skill slot. He then scanned through other skills and finally selected Magic Rune Inscription and Magic Rune Array to be consumed. Magic Rune Inscription was only a third-level skill, but Song Jian had already promoted Magic Rune Array to seventh level. Both skills could supply a lot of proficiency for the promotion of Array Formation. Song Jian was immediately greeted by a system notification after dragging the two skills into the secondary skill slots: System: Would you like to merge skills Magic Rune Array and Magic Rune Inscription with skill Array Formation? [Yes/No] System: Confirmation of the fusion will erase skills Magic Rune Array and Magic Rune Inscription. You have a chance to develop a new skill or a chance to enhance the Array Formation skill. If fusion fails, proficiency will accumulate towards Array Formation to boost the skill level. Fuse! Song Jian instantly clicked the Fuse button. The Book of Fusion radiated a white light, and the two skills in the secondary skill slot gradually vanished, yet the Array Formation skill in the primary skill slot sparkled with glorious radiance. System: Your skill Array Formation has been promoted from intermediate to advanced. System: Your skill Array Formation gains enhancement; formation time reduced by 50%, power of formation increased by 30%, formation analysis+2, key point detection+3, formation comprehension+5. A smile crept up to Song Jians face. He was considering filling in several more skills. But now, it seemed unnecessary. Indeed, enhancing fusion success rate is more likely if the skills being fused are of close attributes, Song Jian mused. A significant reduction in formation time and power boost wouldnt mean much to him right now. But formation analysis and the two features C key point detection and comprehension C were of paramount importance. In practice, these features needed to be combined with formation comprehension. When faced with a formation never encountered before, there was a chance to learn it. But for Song Jian now, he didnt need to learn the Qingyun Sword Array, he just needed to break it. Demolition was always easier than construction. The more intricate the formation, the more easily it could be influenced by some key nodes, thus making it unstable. It was just like setting up dominoes. With just a light touch at the right place, the entire array could be affected. Once the Array Formation skill was fused, a massive flow of information instantly flooded Song Jians mind. But with Song Jians strong psychological attribute, all he felt was a slight dizziness. In no time, he had fully comprehended all the information. Now when Song Jian looked up at the Qingyun Sword Array above, he found the array much clearer. To invoke the power of the entire mountain range, Qingyun Sword Array is indeed extraordinary, Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim. The higher the level of the formation, the more clearly Song Jian could see the extraordinariness of the Qingyun Sword Array, and his respect for Liu Qingyun arose from the bottom of his heart. Liu Qingyun was indeed worthy of the character who founded a sect based on his extraordinary talents. But the brighter Liu Qingyun shined, the more Song Jian wanted him eliminated. Not only because of the mission requirement, but most importantly, being the enemy of such a person, Song Jian would never be able to sleep soundly at night. Although the sword array is profound, I dont need to break the whole formation. I just need to sever the link between the sword array and Qingyun Peak so it can no longer draw strength from the mountain! Song Jian thought to himself. At this moment, the Abyssal Demon Lord was struggling mightily. The aura of the abyss that once filled the sky was now shattered by the Qingyun Sword Qi and barely covered half of its previous area. If this continued, defeat was inevitable. Damn it, just give me a few more days, and Ill recover to my peak strength. Then you, a mere human, wouldnt stand a chance against me! roared the Abyssal Demon Lord. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If it could recover its third-tier strength, no matter how strong the Qingyun Sword Array was, the Abyssal Demon Lord could break it with mere brute force. At that point, it could crush the entire Qingyun Peak with a simple flick of its hand, and the Qingyun Sword Array powered by Qingyun Peak wouldnt stand a chance. Your existence has already been communicated to the neighbouring sects of the Qingyun Sword Sect by my flying sword messenger. Before long, your existence as a Abyssal Demon Lord will be known all over the continent. You will never have the time to recover to your peak strength! Liu Qingyun shouted with a deathly pale face. Controlling the Qingyun Sword Array had drained much of his energy. All he could do now was to hope that the Abyssal Demon Lord would retreat, give him and the Qingyun Sword Sect a breather for a day or two. Help from neighbouring sects would arrive soon, and in due time, a small Abyssal Demon Lord like it would soon be suppressed. At this point, the Abyssal Demon Lord was wavering. Qingyun Sword Sect was a tough bone to chew, he thought he could find a couple of human towns and offer their flesh and blood as a sacrifice to recover his third-tier combat power quickly. Human, how about we temporarily withdraw? In just two to three days, I could The voice of the Abyssal Demon Lord echoed in Song Jians ears. Hold on, I can break this formation soon! Song Jian cut off the Abyssal Demon Lord. The Blade of Abyss hesitated, disbelief in its voice: How could that be possible? This is I know what Im doing, just remember, you must keep on fighting until I say we can retreat! Song Jian declared firmly. But Or would you prefer to experience your soul being torn apart again? , alright, I obey your command! Under Song Jians stubborn persistence, the Abyssal Demon Lord had no choice but to continue fighting. However, roars and howls echoed in his heart. Damn humans, wait for your day. One day, I will tear your body to pieces and cast your soul into the misery of the Magic Flame in the Abyss for ten thousand years! While the Abyssal Demon Lord was desperately fighting against the Qingyun Sword Array, Song Jian, who had been observing for a long time, finally brightened his eyes and a smile spread across his face. I found it! Song Jian muttered to himself. Chapter 680: Third Stage of the Assessment Task Chapter 680: Chapter 680: Third Stage of the Assessment Task The complexity of the Qingyun Sword Array exceeded Song Jians imagination, as he had never seen such a massive sword formation before. Even the Sword Array Master at the Sword Array Hall who held the title of a high-level Sword Array Master couldnt set up such a huge formation; However, after Song Jian had used the Book of Fusion to upgrade his Sword Array skills, he gradually grasped the intricacies of this massive formation; This sword formation is truly profound, and even with my current level, I cannot set up such a massive sword formation! Song Jian exclaimed, However, if its just about destroying it, its not as difficult as I thought! Song Jian took out a blank Sword Stone from his package. With a thought, a silver Rune Blade flew out and quickly began to inscribe on the Sword Stone; Various auxiliary materials continuously poured into the Sword Stone, and in no time, Song Jian created a Sword Qi Stone that emitted a faint golden glow. This was merely an ordinary Sunburn-level Sword Qi Stone. With Song Jians current strength, it only took him a few seconds to make it. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To build a skyscraper, it might take years, countless materials and manpower. But to destroy it, you only need to blow up a few key support points! Song Jian muttered to himself and quickly made several more Sunburn-level Sword Qi Stones; For such a profound sword formation, even a high-level Sword Array Master can hardly set it up, but if you want to break it, just a few Sword Qi Stones that a junior Sword Array Master can make will do. Song Jian whispered. He raised his right hand, and the newly made Sunburn-level Sword Qi Stones quickly rose into the air. They disappeared into the invisible Sword Array in the sky. In no time, these Sword Qi Stones had become identical to the other ones in the Qingyun Sword Array, appearing faintly in the void; Seeing all the Sword Qi Stones had integrated into the Sword Array, Song Jians mouth curved slightly upward, and he gently shouted, Break! Boom! There was a loud noise, and the void suddenly trembled. Liu Qingyuns face changed drastically, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out, his eyes filled with horror. How is it possible Liu Qingyun muttered to himself; Break, break, break! Song Jian whispered as the void shook violently. The sky full of azure Sword Qi instantly shattered inch by inch. Without the support of Qingyun Peaks power, Liu Qingyun alone couldnt maintain such an immense Sword Array. A look of despair appeared in Liu Qingyuns eyes as he lowered his head and stared at Song Jian. His hands couldnt help but tremble; The biggest mistake I made in my life was taking you as my disciple! Song Jian shook his head slightly and said, No, the worst thing you did was to let me into the Sword Array Hall! Although Song Jian had previously masked his intentions, Liu Qingyun had never trusted him. After all, no matter how it was explained, anyone would doubt how he could destroy the entire Blackwind Mountain by himself. But at that time, there was no evidence. According to the sects rules, Song Jian should have either been promoted to an inner disciple or become a personal disciple of an elder. However, Liu Qingyun was already suspicious of Song Jian, so naturally, he wouldnt let him be in a place where he couldnt keep an eye on him. So, he took Song Jian as his personal disciple and kept him under close observation. Although Song Jian had become Liu Qingyuns personal disciple, Liu did not teach him for a single day, and did not pass on any Qingyun Sword Sect sword techniques to him. Despite receiving the same benefits as other personal disciples, he was actually being closely monitored by Liu Qingyun. If Song Jian could have quietly stayed by Liu Qingyuns side for a few years, he might have won his trust, but Song Jian didnt have that much time to waste, so he had to find another way; Subsequently, Song Jian began to learn sword formations, which Liu Qingyun readily accepted. After all, for ordinary people to study the way of Sword Array, it was extremely time-consuming and energy-consuming. Some people spent their whole lives without achieving anything remarkable; Even when it was later reported that Song Jian had become a formal Sword Array Master in just over a month, Liu Qingyun didnt take it seriously; Because Liu Qingyun was a Sword Array Grandmaster, he naturally understood the mysteries of Sword Arrays. Song Jian hadnt even reached the first level of combat power, so to study more advanced Sword Arrays would be impossible for him. However, Liu Qingyun never expected that the one thing he least cared about would become the key to the destruction of the entire Qingyun Sword Sect; I hate this! As the azure Sword Qi in the sky dispersed, Liu Qingyun was hit by the backlash of the Sword Array. His whole body appeared as if it was made of porcelain, with fine cracks appearing on the surface of his body; Thud~ With a muffled sound, Liu Qingyuns entire body exploded into a cloud of blood, not leaving behind a complete corpse; Hahahaha~ the Abyssal Demon Lord laughed wildly. With Liu Qingyuns protection gone, the entire Qingyun Sword Sect was nothing more than a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered in its eyes, just nourishment to restore its strength; Abyssal creatures, like a dark tide, surged from the foot of the mountain in the direction of Qingyun Peak. In no time, the entire Qingyun Peak was occupied by Abyssal creatures, and the whole mountain was filled with the roars and howls of these monsters. With the Sect Leader dead and the sect occupied by Abyssal creatures, almost all the disciples became sacrifices for the Abyssal Demon Lord to restore its strength. Only a handful of people managed to break through the encirclement of the Abyssal creatures and escape; Regarding these few insignificant beings, the Abyssal Demon Lord didnt care at all, as its eyes were always on the elders in the Qingyun Hall. At the moment when Liu Qingyun died, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Liu Qingyun is dead, your contribution value is 78%; System: Qingyun Sword Sect is destroyed, your contribution value is 61%; System: You complete the second phase of the First-Level Combat Power Assessment Task; System: The third phase of the First-Level Combat Power Assessment Task is released, and you need to kill a Third-Level Combat Power expert in this world; After reading the system prompt, Song Jian almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. This ghostly task had a third phase, and it was about killing a Third-Level Combat Power expert; Do you have any misunderstanding about third-level combat power experts? Song Jian couldnt help but roar loudly, This is my first-level combat power assessment! Although Song Jians current strength was completely capable of fighting head-on with a First-Level Combat Power expert, no matter what, he was just an occupation without even reaching the First-Level Combat Power. Even if a Third-Level Combat Power expert stood still, didnt fight back and let Song Jian hit him, the speed of the damage Song Jian could inflict would not be as fast as the automatic recovery of the expert; System: Then, do you have any misunderstandings about the SS-Level Assessment Task? Double-S Level difficulty means sending me to my death? Song Jian sneered; System: Assessment tasks will not issue certain death missions. Sometimes, seemingly difficult tasks only require a change of mindset. Song Jian was taken aback, and as if understanding something, he turned his head and looked at the Abyssal Demon Lord, who was constantly devouring the vitality of the Qingyun Sword Sect disciples. Chapter 681: 681: Leaving Chapter 681: Chapter 681: Leaving The Abyssal Demon Lord mercilessly slaughtered the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect, extracting every last bit of their vitality; Those disciples drained of their vitality turned into dust, leaving no trace of their bodies; Looking at the demonic shadow that nearly obscured half the sky, a smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth; I never expected that Ive hit the nail on the head and had locked onto the target of the third task in advance! Song Jian murmured, Maybe luck is part of strength? Who said that again? As it consumed more and more vitality, the aura of the Abyssal Demon Lord grew heavier and more dense. Song Jian squinted and watched it closely. It was currently breaking through from the peak of second-tier combat power to the third tier, a transformation that Song Jian could learn from. If he could advance without completing the assessment, he would have never entered this world; The Abyssal Demon Lord was also quickly enhancing its strength, and when it looked at Song Jian, it felt a sense of wariness; I wonder if elevating to third-tier combat power can dispel this Shackles Mark, damn it! What the hell is this thing that can ignore level suppression! The Abyssal Demon Lord grumbled darkly. Regardless of the control technique, as long as the disparity between the caster and the recipient is large, the technique will be weakened. However, the Shackles Mark did not behave this way. After the Abyssal Demon Lord elevated to the peak of second-tier combat power, it did not feel the effect of the Shackles Mark weaken at all; By the time the Abyssal Demon Lord had devoured all the living beings on Qingyun Peak, its aura explosively increased; Ha ha ha, I have finally recovered to third-tier combat power! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared in midair, its level had risen to eighty, and its strength restored to the level of third-tier combat power. At its current strength, Song Jian wasnt even qualified to be its opponent, but due to the Shackles Mark, the Abyssal Demon Lords soul was manipulated by Song Jian; The restrictions of this skill are high, but the effects are surprisingly perfect! A smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth. After the Abyssal Demon Lord had restored its third-tier combat power, he tried to find that the concealed effects of the Shackles Mark had not weakened at all, and it had no effect on physical strength. This world will bow at my feet! The Abyssal Demon Lord roared. It never forgot why it came to this world. At the third-tier combat power, it could create a larger Abyssal Demon Legion, or even change a piece of land into a territory for Abyssal Demons, opening the Abyssal Gate, and guiding the Abyssal Demon Legion to continuously enter this world; At that time, this world would carry the unique mark of its Blade of the Abyss, it would become a resplendent addition to its war record; I will become the pioneer of this world, maybe I could even become a noble duke, ha ha ha! The Abyssal Demon Lord was lost in thought. Though it was not at the top in this world, it had enough strength to protect itself. As long as it was careful, the confinement seal from thousands of years ago would never befall it again. But at this moment, a piercing pain erupted in its soul. The Demon Lord opened its eyes wide and roared at the ground, Song Jian, what are you trying to do! However, to his surprise, he couldnt find a trace of Song Jian, as if he had never been there at all. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The tearing sensation in his soul intensified. It felt as if a pair of hands were continually kneading and pulling at his soul. Yet, it was powerless to stop them; Song Jian, killing me wont do you any good! The Abyssal Demon Lord was panicked. It could not figure out any reason for Song Jian to kill it. Has he gone crazy? Is my value when alive less than my body after death? What on earth does he want to do? The Abyssal Demon Lord was furious but helpless. It could only beg Song Jian loudly, willing to be his loyal slave to save its life; A few minutes later, the Abyssal Demon Lord felt its soul increasingly weak, to the point where it could no longer control its powerful body. It sensed Song Jians determination to put it to death; Song Jian, your fate will not be much better than mine. One day, you will die miserably amidst painful wails! The Abyssal Demon Lord released its most vicious curse with its dying breath; Thud~ A faint sound echoed as a dazzling light flew out of the top of the Abyssal Demon Lords head like fireworks. It propelled into the air before exploding, turning into a rainbow that lit up the entire sky; An intact body of the Abyssal Demon Lord fell from the sky onto Qingyun Peak. Instantly, countless black fog rose from Qingyun Peak, quickly spreading out in all directions; Centered on Qingyun Peak, black fog enveloped areas of several thousand kilometers, within which all animals, plants, and soils underwent earth-shattering changes. All Abyssal Demons let out a shrill roar, feeling an inexplicable joy towards the change in the environment; This was the pure Abyssal Power, released by a third-tier Abyssal Demon Lord. The area of several thousand kilometers, for thousands of years to come, would become a hell filled with death for ordinary creatures; But for the hundreds of thousands of Abyssal Demons created by the Abyssal Demon Lord, this was an excellent land for evolution. Maybe in hundreds of years, all these Abyssal Demons could become the purest Abyssal organisms. System: You have completed the third part of the first-tier combat power assessment. Your trial task is completed! You will leave this world in sixty seconds, please get ready! 60, 59, 58, Song Jian emerges from the shadows, putting away the three Sword Stones around him. This was a concealment sword formation, capable of hiding his form and launching a killer move on approaching enemies; It was not easy to use the Shackles Mark to kill the Demon Lord. If it sensed his intent, it would retaliate at its dying moments. Song Jian had no confidence that he could resist the sudden counterattack of a third-tier combat power, and so he had to rely on the sword formation for concealment. Its all over! Song Jian looked at the spreading black fog and sighed; With a flash of white light, Song Jian disappeared, completely leaving this world; Chapter 682: 682: After-effects of a Sudden Increase in Power Chapter 682: Chapter 682: After-effects of a Sudden Increase in Power The vision in front of Song Jian blurred, and when it cleared, he realized he hadnt returned to the Assessment Hall, but directly to his safehouse, in the Manor Castle. No one noticed his appearance, nor cared about it. The existence of the City of Hope Alliance relied on Song Jians strength and his Manor Castle. But during its development process, Song Jians presence was largely overlooked. For the rest of the Alliance, Song Jian being gone for several months was a common occurrence. Even the new players who had joined the Alliance loved to share stories with their friends about their mysterious and elusive Alliance leader. In the end, it was the house steward George who predictably appeared before Song Jian. Master, welcome home! George said, bowing respectfully. Song Jian smiled faintly, George, give me a report on how the territory has developed these past few months. Yes, Master, in the three months and 27 days you were absent, the development of the territory went as follows As George gave his report, Song Jian laid in a rocking chair, with his eyes half closed, attentively listening, but his mind was focused on other matters. Ive completed my first rank battle power assessment mission, but why hasnt my mission reward been given to me? It wasnt swallowed by the system, was it? Song Jian had completed the double-S difficulty assessment, for which the reward included an increase of 45 attribute points, and 12 additional skill points, along with a skill book of at least legendary quality. In addition, with the accumulated rewards from every stage, Song Jian was able to upgrade directly by 4 levels and gain 10 additional attribute points. Such a generous reward and yet, he had not received any system information after completing his assessment. This aroused his suspicion. Individuals with first rank battle power can completely overpower those who havent reached the first rank. Moreover, I completed a double-S difficulty assessment, so I should hold a crushing advantage over players who only have completed B or C ranked assessments. Yet, when will this reward be given?, Song Jian thought, his brows furrowing slightly. Just as Song Jian was feeling puzzled, a surge of enormous power erupted from within his body, and his body shot up from the chair, and hovered, floating in midair. George, who was meticulously reporting, was startled by this scene. But soon, he was gently pushed away by an unseen, gentle force. George, you may leave, Song Jian said, struggling to suppress his discomfort. Yes, Master, George murmured, his lips moving as if he wanted to ask something, but in the end, he quietly shut the door and left the room. Damn it, is it necessary to make issuing a reward this painful?, Song Jian gritted his teeth. He felt his body being compressed into a fine powder by a tremendous force, and then reformed bit by bit. Despite being in enormous pain to the point of losing consciousness, every cell in his body was being shattered and reassembled, and Song Jian felt this process vividly. Those 10 minutes felt like years to Song Jian. His overall attribute points increased by 45, transforming him entirely. Every single cell in his body was reshaped and optimised. Song Jian lay on the floor, panting heavily. His armour was soaked with sweat, and although his complexion was rosy and he radiated vitality, a trace of untouchable fatigue swirled in his eyes. At this point, his power had undergone a earth-shaking transformation. He felt capable of destroying the entire Manor Castle with a flick of his finger. The feeling of being able to obliterate a planet with a single punch made Song Jian extremely cautious. He did not even dare to move a finger, and continued to lay on the floor, reflecting on the feeling. A day passed in this manner. The last rays of the sun slowly disappeared from the window, and soon the moonlight shone into the room, illuminating Song Jians body. Instinctively, the mark on Song Jians chest began to glow, slowly absorbing the essence of the moon. Fifteen minutes later, the moon was again hidden behind thick clouds, and the room returned to darkness. After some time, Song Jian slowly stood up from the floor. His body was extremely light, as though a gust of wind could blow him away. He moved slowly to the bed, and once he lay down, the wooden bed made a crisp creaking sound. Soon thereafter, all was quiet, and Song Jian quickly fell into a deep sleep, his steady breathing the only sound that could be heard. The night passed without incident. The next day, Song Jian rolled over and sat up. After a day and night of adjustment, he could finally control his drastically increased power, at least enough to drink without crushing the cup and to sleep without collapsing the bed. Wang Qi and others who knew about Song Jians return had come to the castle. Watching Song Jian eat his breakfast in slow motion, they exchanged glances. Li Keer even burst out laughing. Song Jian, whats happened to you? Are you ill, or injured? Asked Wang Qi, his brows furrowed. The City of Hope Alliance was developing rapidly, but also facing increasing pressure and resistance. If it werent for Song Jian consistently holding the top spot on the Level Honor Board, the pressure on the Alliance would be even greater. Its nothing. Itll be fine after a while, Song Jian said, not willing to explain too much, and asked, So hows the development of the Alliance recently? Weve actually constructed the Transmission Array, and have also gained access to other cities, Wang Qi said excitedly, Although right now, the only city willing to open access to us temporarily is the City of Sin. Song Jian was taken aback, but quickly understood. It seemed that in order to use the Transmission Array to reach other cities, not only did one need to construct their own Transmission Array, but they also needed to get permission from the other cities to connect to the Transmission Network. However, for now, having a link between the City of Sin and Doomsday City via the Transmission Array was enough. If they wanted to go to other cities, they could just make a detour via the City of Sin. Also, the City of Sin has supplied us with a lot of upgrade materials, so we should be able to attempt to upgrade to a Level 1 City soon! Wang Qi said excitedly. Song Jian smiled slightly. Upgrading to a city was just a matter of time. He not only intended to upgrade his territory to a city, but also to expand until it included the entirety of Doomsday City. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Considering the area of Doomsday City, we would need to upgrade to a Level 9 City at least, to incorporate it all, Song Jian thought. By the way, has anyone left via the Transmission Array since it was built? Song Jian asked. There are a few, but not many, Wang Qi said. Besides, some have left and then returned. Song Jian smiled slightly. Although the living environment of Doomsday City was harsh, it offered many opportunities and no restrictions. Other cities may be safer than Doomsday City, but fixed social hierarchies had already formed in these cities. For players to stand out in these cities, the difficulty would be much higher than that in Doomsday City. Chapter 683: 683 Pantheon Battle Alliance Chapter 683: Chapter 683 Pantheon Battle Alliance In Doomsday City, newcomers could establish their own safe houses step by step according to the system prompts. Even if an alliance expands in the future, as long as they didnt oppose the alliance and chose to join, their safe houses would still be protected by the system. However, in a city like the City of Sin, wanting to own a property required a significant investment. If you wanted to live more comfortably in a larger house, you would need to possess a noble rank within the city. Ordinary players in such cities could only rent homes designated for civilians, and these were quite expensive. Moreover, the monsters surrounding the city were regularly cleared out by the city guard forces, and those who wanted to level up by fighting monsters had to travel far and engage in combat with higher-level monsters. This setting was in stark contrast with Doomsday City, so it wasnt impossible for some players to choose to return to the latter. Oh, right, theres also this. After the Transmission Array was activated, it automatically connected to an unowned Transmission Array located in a place called the Valley of the Undead, said Wang Qi. Once a Transmission Array is established, it will automatically search for other Transmission Arrays within a certain range. For cities like City of Sin and City of Hymns, their Transmission Arrays would give access rights. The owners of these cities would have to allow the connection for the Transmission Array to operate effectively. But if the other party refused to link their array, then the newly created Transmission Array would only show the existence of the other partys array in its listing, but would be unable to teleport anyone there. However, there were some unowned Transmission Arrays that didnt require access rights. As soon as they were discovered, they could be automatically linked. Most of these areas were uninhabited monster territories. The Valley of the Undead? Song Jian looked up at Wang Qi, puzzled. Is there anything peculiar about this place? The entire valley is filled with poisonous mist. As soon as you enter, you continuously lose vitality. The longer you stay, the faster you lose vitality. And the valley is filled with monsters above level 30! explained Wang Qi. Song Jian looked at Wang Qi, waiting for him to continue speaking. However, this valley produces this Wang Qi took out a pitch-black stone, the size of a fist, from his pouch and laid it on the table. This is Song Jian picked it up and looked at it, surprise taking over his face. A Shadow Stone? If used to craft a weapon, it has a certain chance of boosting shadow damage that ignores defense? sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shadow Stone (Low grade), forging material, usage effect: can be used to create weapons up to level 10, has a certain chance of adding the attribute increase of shadow damage that ignores defense; Requirement to use: Level 3 Forging Art. There are a lot of these ores in the Valley of the Undead. Theyre easy to gather, and the people from the City of Sin have said they would buy these ores. Theyve quoted a high price, said Wang Qi excitedly. Currently, they were the only guild in Doomsday City that had established a teleportation array. This means that only members of the Hope Alliance can access the valley and gather Shadow Stone. If successful in mining the ore, the Hope Alliances power within Doomsday City would no doubt grow exponentially within a short period. Are there only low-grade stones? Song Jian asked. After all, weapons at level ten werent worth much money now, even those with attributes that ignored defense. There are high, medium, and low grades! Wang Qi exclaimed, According to explorers, there may even be Shadow Stones of higher grades, but the monsters there are too high-level and can nullify invisibility effects. They werent able to get close they only caught a glimpse from afar. Song Jian nodded. If only low-grade ores were available, then the place wouldnt be of much value. Level 10 weapons were only useful for newcomers to the game who didnt possess a lot of Doomsday Coins. By now, the main player group of Doomsday City had already reached level 20, with many even achieving level 25 or higher. The current top ten players ranking revealed that they were all at level 30. Song Jian, somebody reached level 31, Li Kerer suddenly announced. Everyone was startled, hurriedly checking the Level Honor List. Its the leader of the Pantheon! Wang Qis face fell, and he muttered, That guy in the final stage of his delusions. The Pantheon? Another alliance? Song Jian asked, curious. Its a group of people who fancy themselves as a new breed of humans. No, not new humans, they actually consider themselves gods. Theyre a bunch of lunatics! Wang Qi grumbled. Oh? Gods? Song Jian chuckled, suddenly interested in this alliance. Tell me more about this alliance. Wang Qi began to thoroughly explain the organization dubbed The Pantheon. Song Jian listened attentively, nodding his head periodically. So, like I said, all the players who join The Pantheon have issues. They actually consider themselves gods. Childish! Wang Qi exclaimed, clearly annoyed. You seem to have a lot of issues with this Pantheon alliance? Song Jian looked at Wang Qi curiously. Upon hearing this, Wang Qi was momentarily speechless. He dueled with one of the deputy leaders of The Pantheon in the arena and lost. He felt humiliated! Li Keer laughed. The Pantheon is quite strong with many players joining. At least five of them are within the top ten ranks on the leaderboard! Luo Tianyu suddenly added. So, it seems a lot of players want to become gods, huh! Song Jian chuckled. What is a god? Many people believe that gods are simply a group of stronger individuals. From this perspective, all the players who entered this game were gods! The Pantheon has always used this as a selling point, attracting many players to join. They were now the second-largest alliance outside of the City of Hope Alliance. However, their territories were quite far from those of the City of Hope Alliance, so it would take some time before they could make contact. Even so, The Pantheon continued to regard the City of Hope Alliance as their imagined enemy, always attempting to suppress them. Song Jian opened the Level Honor List, and his expression turned curious. Did you guys just say the second person on the list is the leader of The Pantheon? Song Jian looked at everyone and added, This guy called Zeus, is his real name Zeus? Players entering the game would always use their real names. However, the second person on the Level Honor List had his name displayed as Zeus. Which set of crazy parents would name their child Zeus? He didnt always go by that name. We heard that he used a name change card and changed his name in the game to this, Wang Qi explained. There sure are a lot of odd things in this game! Song Jian laughed. Song Jian, Ive heard that members of The Pantheon have been alternating turns to reduce monsters vitality to a sliver, then letting him, Zeus, deliver the finishing blow. This is to boost his leveling speed. They want to snatch the title of Top Player on the leaderboard! exclaimed Li Keer frantically. No need to worry about that. Let him snatch it if he wants to, Song Jian nonchalantly replied. A smirk spreading across his face as he added, Plus, this is something that you cant necessarily snatch even if you want to. Chapter 684: 684: Scramble Chapter 684: Chapter 684: Scramble Song Jian is still at level thirty-one, only having received the reward for the first-order combat power assessment mission yesterday, but he has not yet accumulated the rewards for each part of the mission process; The total reward for the three-phase mission is a four-level advancement and ten free attribute points. Currently, Song Jian has twelve skill points in his hand as well as the right to receive a skill book of no lower than legendary quality. To players who have not yet reached the strength of the first-order combat power, this is an invincible status. Song Jian glanced at Zeus, who was ranked second, whose level was already thirty-one. He merely caught up in levels, but didnt attend or pass any first-order combat power assessment. Facing Song Jian, who had broken a hundred points in three attributes, Zeus probably couldnt even lift a sword. Even if this guy who had changed his name to Zeus surpassed Song Jian in levels, he wouldnt remain first for long. Once Song Jians full mission rewards are distributed and he instantly advances to level thirty-five, it will induce deep despair in his opponents. They all take turns to level up this guy named Zeus, we can do the same, and we have many more people than they do. Suddenly, Ma Yu spoke out. Ma Yu is right, we can also get people to grind mobs, to raise the guild leaders level! said Wang Qi, nodding his head. In reality, in this game, the level isnt really that important. Leveling up only gives one skill point, it doesnt help as much with the improvement of ones abilities Luo Tianyu commented. Thats not acceptable, the Honor Rankings are our banner, the first place must be our City of Hope Alliances leader! Wang Qi said decisively. Song Jian finished his meal and was about to stand up, with a light press on the table; Crack~ A clear sound of shattering rang out and a crack several feet long appeared on the sturdy wooden table, extending outward from Song Jians palm. Song Jian frowned slightly. His elevation in power had been too quick, he still couldnt properly control his strength, often unintentionally causing damage to his surroundings. A great strength is harmful rather than beneficial to me if I cant control it well! Song Jian thought to himself. Guild Leader, whats happening Wang Qi asked, looking at Song Jian with astonishment. Sorry, my power has been growing a little fast recently! Song Jian said with a smile, Continue your discussion, dont mind me. With that, Song Jian slowly made his way to the castles exit with movements were exceedingly slow, as if he were walking in space. The group exchanged glances, all equally surprised; What were you doing in the months you were absent, Guild Leader? Luo Tianyu curiously asked. I was completing a first-order combat power assessment mission! Song Jian replied with a smile. First-order combat power? Surprise flooded everyones faces. None of them had reached level thirty yet and hadnt encountered the concept of first-order combat power. First-order combat power, isnt that something only a boss possesses? Can players have it too? Luo Tianyu asked in astonishment. Indeed, but bosses who possess first-order combat power are really tough to beat. So does that mean players who possess first-order combat power would become stronger than ordinary people? Wang Qi asked curiously. Once you reach level thirty, you will encounter your first-order combat power assessment mission. I spent these months completing my assessment. Song Jian said with a chuckle. Crack~ The hard marble tiles under Song Jians feet shattered entirely. Frowning slightly, he walked slowly out of the castle. I believe we should solidify our position as number one on the Honor Level Ranking before we discuss anything else. Wang Qi stated: The game only opened the Honor Level Ranking for now, which is in essence an advertisement. As the top guild of Doomsday City, we need to keep that number one spot. We cant let Pantheon snatch it away! Right, I concur. The top spot on the Honor Level Ranking is like a live advertisement, our banner, we cant give it up so easily! said Ma Yu as he nodded in agreement. Yeah, Song Jian, the first-order combat power may enhance our abilities, but many players dont know that. What they can see is the Honor Level Ranking! Li Keer also nodded. The top spot on the Honor Ranking, he wont be able to take it! said Song Jian, now standing outside the castle, gazing at the lush vegetation of the Spirit Field with a smile. At the northern breeding ground of Doomsday City, on the other hand, A group of people were viciously killing monsters of level twenty or so in the breeding ground, while even more people were luring the monsters towards them from a distance. The people who were struggling with the monsters down below would stop attacking when the monsters vitality points were reduced to one-tenth. Standing beside the building, a mage alternated between the Fire Rain and Snowstorm area-of-effect spells to deal the final blow to the monsters; A dozen healing professionals were busy replenishing the vitality of those embroiled in the fight with the monsters; Upon careful counting, there were actually more than a hundred people serving this mage. Although the mage was already at level thirty-one and the monsters of level twenty-five or twenty-six yielded very little experience, the sheer quantity of monsters, nearly endless, meant he was leveling up much faster than usual; Boss, that guy from the City of Hope Alliance hasnt increased his experience points for a while. According to our speed, we should be able to surpass him in six or seven hours, then you will be the first one in the Honor Level Ranking! a priest standing beside Zeus whispered. Our Pantheon will be the largest guild in Doomsday City, and we aim to become the largest guild in this game as well! Zeus confidently declared, In due course, we wont just be known in the game, but in the real world as well. Well establish our own organization, and with great power, each one of us will become a true god, ruling the entire world! Zeus looked as if he was in his twenties, yet he exuded a sense of wise maturity. He was constantly instilling the concept of becoming a god in the people around him, attracting a large number of ambitious players. Boss, people have found a thirty-level elite BOSS. Do you want to go beat it? a hunter from below shouted loudly. Ignore it for now, dont alert any of the BOSSes that are found, draw only the regular monsters here. Our current goal is to help the boss climb the Honor Level Ranking as fast as possible! the priest beside him shouted in response. Understood! While Pantheon was giving their all to help Zeus level up, Song Jian, on the other hand, was presented with a semi-transparent roulette, laden with dozens of shining books. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Epic quality items are purple, legendary items are orange, and above legendary is mythic. Mythic items are brilliantly multicolored. The books placed on the roulette were all shining with an orange or multicolored light. These are all no less than legendary quality books specifically for the Sword Master class, lets see if my luck allows me to get a book of a higher grade! Song Jians gaze fell onto the three books emitting a multicolored light. He blew on his palm and spun the wheel. Chapter 685: 685: Sword Core Chapter 685: Chapter 685: Sword Core Up till now, Song Jian had not come across a skill book of epic quality or better, let alone legendary quality. The opportunity in front of him represented a certainty of getting a legendary skill book tailored for his chosen profession. However, since there was also a possibility to draw from the divine quality skill books, Song Jian naturally hoped to land one of the three divine-quality skill books displayed on the wheel. As the wheel spun, Song Jian stared at it nervously. Once the wheel began to spin rapidly, all the icons on it became colors as brilliant as a flowing rainbow. The wheel was a reward from Song Jians assessment task, only visible to him. To others, it looked as if Song Jian randomly waved his hand in the air and then continued to gaze tensely at the empty space in front of him. Whats going on with Boss? Ma Yu whispered. Wang Qi shook his head slightly. Having not seen Song Jian for a few months, he found Song Jian had changed quite a bit and was hard to read. At that moment, everyone saw Song Jian burst into loud laughter as a look of wild joy flashed across his face. Skill Book C Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue (Divine Myth). Skill book, Use: Can learn Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue skill; User restriction: Sword Master; Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue: Can condense the essence of five elements to forge a sword core, which can be hidden in the soul during usual times to immunize from all types of soul damage. Sword Core is a soul attribute equipment that doesnt occupy an equipment slot, and only one can be forged in a lifetime. It can accumulate power and after three hours, it guarantees a critical strike on the target. Attributes of Sword Core will vary based on the forging material, and the better the material, the stronger the Sword Cores attributes. Please use a weapon endowed with Sword Spirit as priority for forging. A divine myth-class skill book! I cant believe I actually won a divine myth-class skill book! Song Jian exclaimed with a beaming face. However, as he examined the skill book carefully, his eyebrows furrowed. This skill will merely give me an additional weapon, although it carries accumulative effect, guaranteeing a critical strike. But the fact that I am required to forge the sword core in advance Song Jian hesitated, considering the skill book a bit of a white elephant. His current weapon set was of golden quality, and if collected as a complete set, that would mean attacking with the force of five long swords. Thus, gaining the skill from this book would only grant him one more scoring weapon, Sword Core. He didnt expect a significant increase in his power. Maybe its because the Sword Core can protect the soul? Song Jian speculated. His passive skill Thick-skinned could only counter unfavorable conditions, but it was ineffective against soul damage. Song Jian glanced at the Shackles Mark skill in the Book of the Abyss, its most terrifying attribute being that once a target is marked with the Shackles, regardless of its formidable strength, it disperses the targets soul instantly, killing on the spot. There must be similar soul-attacking methods in this gameif I encounter those Song Jians expression suddenly turned serious. The condition of deploying a Shackles Mark requires not only the targets true name but also a form of horrific blood sacrifice, making it extremely difficult. Yet, once executed, it creates a defense that is impossible to break, indicating an impending attack not to be taken lightly. Forging a sword core does seem to be a good precaution, Song Jian secretly thought. Just then, the skill book in his hand, which was radiating a flowing, multicolored light, started to vibrate slightly. A piece of information was transmitted from the book and shot straight into Song Jians forehead. Suddenly, an image appeared in Song Jians mind. A middle-aged man in a white robe stood alone in the void, his feet resting on a long sword. Around his body, a metal ball the size of a nail was constantly revolving. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In front of the middle-aged man, hundreds of monsters of the same level swarmed towards him like a tidal wave. Go! With the mans commanding shout, the revolving metal ball expanded instantly to form a dagger three inches long. Whiz~ A dazzling blade three feet long flew from the dagger towards the monsters, leaving a long-lasting white mark in the air. This three-inch blade flew among the monsters, slitting their throats as though it had a consciousness of its own. A fountain of blood spurted out as it moved unstoppably through the monster crowd, with a slew of damage points popping up, almost overflowing Song Jians field of view. Howhow is this possible? Song Jian stared dumbfounded. Even those in the profession with the strongest AoE attack, would not be able to confront hundreds of same-level monsters simultaneously. Critical Strike, Critical Strike, Critical Strike! All the monsters had taken critical strike damages. Is this the result of Charge Up? No, the Charge Up effect only guarantees critical damage for the first attack, yet not all of these attacks are critical As Song Jian closely observed, he finally figured out why all the floating damage points were critical strikes. Every Sword Core attack hits the enemys weak point. So, it could automatically locate and attack the creatures weak point? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise, It must be the Sword Spirit! The Sword Spirit must have played a key role! A small Sword Core alone slew hundreds of monsters, leaving them all sprawled on the ground, defeated. The man in the white robe, throughout the ordeal, remained standing in the empty air, stepping on his flying sword. Thisthis is beyond cool. Song Jian was amazed and his eyes lit up with a fervent glow. I must make this Sword Core! As expected of a divine myth-class skill! With the Sword Core, he didnt need other weapons. Glancing at the three long swords in his dantian, Song Jian made up his mind. Since Im going to make a Sword Core, I am going to make the most powerful Sword Core! With this thought, Song Jian chose to use the skill book. A burst of multi-colored light sank into his forehead. Then the skill Casting Soul Sword Gallbladder Jue appeared in his skills column. Upon opening this skill, a slot for an item appeared along with a system prompt: Please choose a weapon equipped with Sword Spirit to forge the Sword Core! I can only put in one weapon. Seems like the higher the quality of the weapon, the more formidable the Sword Core thats forged. Song Jian thought to himself. Song Jians current three long swords are all set weapons. Each one alone is of gold level, but if he could collect all five long swords, they would become an epic level weapon set. I need to collect the remaining two long swords so that I can use the complete set to make the Sword Core! Song Jian planned in his mind. Wang Qi? Song Jian called out, Start collecting weapons of gold level or above, level 25 or higher. The more, the better! Gold level weapons? Wang Qis face changed. Boss, that would require a large sum of money. Our alliance is currently focusing on upgrading to a Level 1 city. If we start purchasing weapons now, it will put a strain on our finances. Song Jian frowned slightly. Upgrading the Alliances territory was also a crucial matter. Any delay would have significant repercussions. Wont we have more than enough funds after weve taken down the Valley of the Undead? Li Keer interjected; Song Jians eyes lit up, and he respond immediately, Lets arrange this quickly then. Well go to the Valley of the Undead tomorrow to examine the situation and aim to seize it directly! Chapter 686: 686: Upgrade Chapter 686: Chapter 686: Upgrade Doomsday City, the northern breeding ground. Endless monsters were gathered in the center of the breeding ground. As Zeus drank potions to replenish his mana, he watched the players below beat the monsters Vitality Points to the very last shred before standing up and releasing powerful area-of-effect magic attacks. Guild leader, you only need 2% more Experience Points to catch up with Song Jian and become the number one on the Glory List! Zeus face flushed with excitement, becoming the number one on the Glory Level List had always been his dream. If he succeeded, the Pantheon becoming the number one power in Doomsday City would be just around the corner. Why did the City of Hope Alliance develop so fast? Isnt it just because Song Jian has always been holding the number one spot on the level rankings? If I become number one on the level rankings, the Pantheon will also become number one! Zeus thought confidently. The players below, handling the monsters, had already been replaced twice. Over eighty percent of the members from the Pantheon were helping Zeus level up. Almost there, the guild leader is about to become number one! Haha, our hard work over the past week hasnt been in vain! It seems Song Jians experience has never increased. Doesnt he care about the top spot on the level list? Of course he cares, its just that they arent as united as we are, and no one is willing to help him level up! Hahaha, thats right, its our Pantheon that is the number one power in Doomsday City! At that moment, a player casually glanced at the level ranking and was immediately dumbfounded, not even reacting when a monster charged at him. Dude, what are you doing? Are you trying to get killed, getting lost in thought at a time like this? Another player immediately lured the monster away and yelled at the stunned player. Look at the level ranking! Damn it, there must be a bug in the game! The player yelled, his face full of shock and horror. Almost everyone opened up the Glory Level rankings, their eyes glued to the screen. There were no changes in the level rankings from before; Zeus was still in second place, and Song Jian was still in first. However, at this point, Song Jians level had changed. It was no longer level 31 but had jumped to level 35, a whole four levels higher! Impossible! How could he have leveled up four levels at once? There must be a BUG! Is there a game GM? I want to report this! How could this game have a GM? He must have mastered some method that we dont know! How did he suddenly increase four levels? How did he do that? Players from the Pantheon were immediately in an uproar, the sudden shock too much for them. They had been pulling monsters and killing them tirelessly for a week, and just when they were about to succeed, they were once again slapped down by their opponent. Even Zeus was dumbfounded, his face full of shock. He didnt know what went wrong and why the other party could instantly raise four levels. How could this happen? The nearby priest furrowed his brows, considering all possibilities. Damn it, hes playing us! Zeus roared in anger. He was so close, just 2% Experience Points away from surpassing Song Jian and becoming number one in the level rankings. Now, Zeus felt that if he continued and caught up to Song Jians level, would Song Jian instantly level up another four or five times, slapping him back down from the sky to the ground? With this in mind, even Zeus felt somewhat disheartened, and the other players could only heave sighs of defeat. Everything they had done now lost its meaning. After being silent for a while, Zeus finally spoke with a haggard expression, Tell everyone to disperse, let our brothers rest. Guild Leader, are we not chasing anymore? The nearby priest asked, Theres no way he can do this a second time, so we Even if its only once, the gap has now widened to four levels. Thats not just a 4% difference Zeus said, Do you know how big a four-level gap is? The priest remained silent. After level 30, the required experience for leveling up increased exponentially. Just a 1% or 2% difference required them to chase for hours. Now, the gap was four levels. It was chilling even to think about, let alone catch up. In the end, the Pantheon members dispersed quickly, and the leveling operation came to a failed end, with everyone feeling the sting of failure. From then on, no one spoke of surpassing Song Jian to become the top name on the Glory List. Inside Song Jians Manor Castle, Wang Qi sighed as he watched Zeuss rapidly increasing combat experience. He knew the importance of being the number one on the Glory level list, but it seemed that Song Jian didnt care about it. Perhaps, with his current strength, Zeus couldnt defeat Song Jian. However, many ordinary players didnt know this. The level list was the most realistic ranking, and once the number one spot was snatched, many players, even those from the City of Hope Alliance, would become disappointed in Song Jian. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Better think of a solution for Brother Song getting caught up, Wang Qi said quietly. Sigh, its too hard. With all those people grinding for experience, its practically cheating! someone shook their head and said. Whats the use of talking about it now? Besides, with the guild leaders current rate of growth in strength, going to kill monsters to level up isnt very realistic. Its better to let him adapt to his improved control as soon as possible! Forget it, lets prepare for our trip to the Valley of the Undead tomorrow. Theres a calamitous poison fog there, and if not managed properly, our numbers will be reduced significantly! At that moment, Song Jian received a system notification that he had received the rewards for passing the assessment tasks, instantly raising him four levels and granting him 10 additional free attribute points. Song Jian slightly smiled and immediately added the free attribute points to his mental attribute. Now, Song Jians mental attribute had been raised to 129 points, and with just a thought, all the actions within the Manor Castle appeared in his mind. Having received all assessment task rewards, Song Jian still had sixteen skill points left, but many of his skills in the game needed to be fully proficient before skill points could be used to upgrade them. So, all those skill points could only be put aside for now. You guys, quick, look at the level list! someone suddenly exclaimed. What, has Zeus surpassed Brother Song? Wang Qi sighed as if already predicting it, opened the level list to take a look, and instantly wore a shocked expression on his face. Holy crap, Song Jian, what did you do? Little Jian Brother, are you cheating? Li Keer shouted loudly. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Song Jian, who was slowly walking in the courtyard to adjust to his body. How did his level suddenly rise to level 35 in such a short period? How did you do it? Wang Qi asked blankly. Didnt I say, dont care about the level list? Even if he takes the top spot, he wont be there for long, Song Jian laughed. Chapter 687: 687: Venturing Deep Alone Chapter 687: Chapter 687: Venturing Deep Alone Valley of the Undead This is a small valley over two hundred kilometers from Doomsday City, so remote that its not even mapped. Currently, Song Jian and over twenty players from City of Hope stand upon a decrepit transmission array within this valley. Weve already collected most of the nearby shadow stones. If we want a greater yield, we need to delve deeper into the valley, Wang Qi said earnestly. However, before we can enter the valley, we must first grapple with the calamitous poisonous mist pervading it. Song Jian nodded and began his careful scrutiny. The valley was bereft of vegetation, filled only with pitch-black rocks. A grey-green mist permeated the valley, but around the transmission array C a radius of about three meters C a thin curtain of light kept the corroding mist at bay. What are the effects of this grey mist? Song Jian asked. It causes continuous loss of vitality. Initially, you lose just one point every five seconds, but the deeper you go, the faster the loss. The effect is cumulative. Our team could only withstand up until we were losing ten vitality points every five seconds. Even with potions, we couldnt hold on. Furthermore, there are many monsters inside Wang Qi explained, Theres also a fixed effect reducing all attributes by 10%! Song Jian nodded. A 10% reduction in attributes he could handle, but the continuous loss of vitality, coupled with the increased speed the deeper one ventured, made further exploration impossible even with advanced healing potions. Given that the valley was also teeming with level thirty monsters, this place was strictly off-limits for players who were only around level twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Lets go and take a look! Song Jian decided, stepping out of the light curtain protecting the transmission array first. The moment the others followed him inside the valley, the grey-green mist swirling in the air surged towards them like a pack of sharks catching the scent of blood. Soon, everyone was seeing -1 damage figures floating above their heads, while words like Immune and Resistance floated over Song Jians head. Checking his status, Song Jian noticed that he did not have the negative status of reduced attributes by 10%. He smiled faintly, pleasantly surprised by his talent skill Thick Skin yet again. Guild Leader, whats going on? The other players stared at the words floating above Song Jians head, speechless. You guys stay here. I will investigate alone! Song Jian said. Be careful, Guild Leader! Wang Qi said. Song Jian nodded and moved forward. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Watching Song Jians retreating figure, Wang Qi sighed quietly. From the moment he met Song Jian, he felt as if they were playing two completely different games! Song Jian carefully explored the Valley of the Undead alone. He discovered that the valleys mist not only decreased attributes and drained vitality, but also suppressed perception. Despite his currently potent mental attributes, his sensory coverage was restricted to a radius of just a few meters within the valley. Soon, Song Jian encountered the monsters of the valley C two skeletons emitting a dark green aura. Toxic Skeleton, Level 31, Vitality 4000/4000, Traits: Toxic Attack. These mere level thirty-one monsters might have given ordinary players a headache with their additional toxic attack. However, they posed no threat to Song Jian. Broken Wing Dance! His Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword radiated a sharp Sword Qi as it lunged at the two toxic skeletons. With his first-order combat capabilities, Song Jian made quick work of them. Damage figures in the hundreds continually floated up from the two toxic skeletons, and in less than half a minute, they were reduced to mere bone fragments. Huh, a silver-grade weapon dropped? Nice! Song Jians eyes lit up as he pulled out a double-handed sword from the pile of bone fragments. Blade of Deadly Poison, an attack with additional poison damage, and also two special effects. Not bad! Song Jian smiled faintly. Unexpectedly, upon entering the valley, he had already found an excellent silver-tier level thirty weapon. He didnt know whether it was because the drop rate here was higher, or he was just lucky. Looking over the swords attributes, Song Jian hesitated, ultimately deciding to put it in his storage. Silver-tier weapons can also speed up the gestation progress of the Sword Spirit in his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. However, the progress added by the silver-tier weapon is too little. Compared with the attributes of this long sword, it wouldnt be worth keeping, so its better to sell this long sword and buy an ordinary gold-tier weapon instead. After all, the price difference between an exceptional silver-tier weapon and a gold-tier weapon with standard attributes is not that significant. After dealing with the two toxic skeletons, Song Jian continued forward. His exploration speed was significantly faster than the previous exploration team. On the one hand, he crushed any monsters he encountered, and on the other hand, he was not bothered by the calamitous poisonous mist and did not feel the same level of psychological pressure. After encountering several more batches of monsters, Song Jian crushed them all with ease, only losing a little over a hundred vitality points in total. He didnt even need to drink any potions. His vitality recovery speed alone was enough to refill his vitality pool. However, the quality of the items dropped later was rather mediocre, mostly white-grade materials. Continuing deeper, Song Jian found many quality shadow stones along the way. He realized that this valley was a treasure trove. Not only were there shadow stones, but there was also a shadow forest towards the north-western part of the vallet. As long as a players lumbering skill was at level eight, they could hack down the shadow trees in this area. Players could gain quality shadow wood from these trees. These possessed stronger defensive capabilities compared to ordinary wood and had high resistance to both fire and shadow damage, making them suitable for construction. Soon, Song Jian crossed the perimeter of the Valley of the Undead and reached the central region. A shadow river extended from east to west, along which a seven-storey tower made entirely of superior shadow stones stood. Such extravagance. A multitude of weapons could be forged with all these shadow stones, Song Jian remarked. When he turned his gaze towards the shadow river behind the tower, his face took on a stupefied expression. Ge-Gems. There are so many gems? Song Jian noticed that the rivers bed was covered with a thick layer of gems of all colors. All of these could be embedded in weapons and gear. These gems were worth a fortune and were usually only dropped by Boss monsters. Before him, however, was an entire river bed filled with them, just waiting for him to collect. Strike rich! Just these gems alone could double the entire guilds power. They can even foster the Sword Spirits in my five swords, he thought, avarice lighting up in his eyes. Load failed, please RETRY Chapter 688: 688: Black Warrior Chapter 688: Chapter 688: Black Warrior The Valley of the Undead is in a harsh environment, yet it is like a treasure trove with valuable resources everywhere, simply waiting to be picked up with no effort at all. The only thing that causes a headache is the Calamity Poisonous Fog permeating the whole valley. At the location where Song Jian currently is, the damage caused by the poisonous fog has reached as such that it decreases 30 Vitality Points per second. Even for a level 30 beefy warrior, their current vitality points wouldnt exceed five thousand. They definitely wont be able to linger here for long, as they would be forced to retreat soon. This Calamity Poisonous Fog has limited the development of the Valley of the Undead. I wonder if theres any way to eradicate this poisonous fog or to become immune to the damage caused by it, Song Jian thought to himself. Since his innate skill can make him immune to the damage from this poisonous fog, there must be other ways to become immune to or mitigate the effects of this poisonous fog. Right then, a hoarse voice came from the stone tower beside the Shadow River. Who dares to trespass the territory of the Undead Sorcerer, Lord Saramo? Song Jian looked up and saw a humanoid creature standing at the top of the dark tower, wearing a black robe and holding a bone wand; The distance was too far for Song Jian to see the creatures face, but he sensed a familiar aura from it. Undead Sorcerer? A sneer appeared on Song Jians face: Then why does it reek so strongly of the Abyss? Rumble~ The huge door at the base of the tower opened, and twelve Skeleton Warriors and a warrior wearing pitch-black armor, holding a two-handed giant sword, came out. Twelve level 32 Skeleton Warriors and a level 35 Elite BOSS Black Warrior? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise, You can actually control the Force of Death! Saramo, standing at the top of the stone tower, was radiating with a strong Abyssal Power, yet he was able to control these undead creatures. Clearly, he also possessed the Force of Death that allowed him to control the undead. Could it be that this Saramo has dual professions? Song Jian frowned, his heart sinking. If the opponent could indeed control both the Abyssal Power and the Force of Death, the opponents strength wouldnt just be a simple addition of the two. It would grow by geometrical multiples. But if he didnt eliminate the opponent, Song Jian wouldnt dream of claiming the treasure-filled Valley of the Undead as his own. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Twelve Skeleton Warriors are just ordinary monsters, the Black Warrior is a level 35 Elite BOSS with the power of a first-order. If its only these, I can still manage on my own, but theres also Saramo I have no idea if hes an Abyssal Wizard or an Undead Sorcerer Song Jian hesitated. Song Jian had grown significantly stronger now and wasnt afraid of dealing with ordinary monsters, no matter how many came at him. However, facing two creatures with the power of a first-order at the same time would be quite challenging. Whats more, Song Jian couldnt identify Saramos specific attributes. He wasnt clear whether Saramo was an Abyssal Wizard or an Undead Sorcerer. If a fight were to break out, there would be too many variables; But just as Song Jian was hesitant, the Black Warrior and Skeleton Warriors at the entrance of the stone tower had already rushed towards him; Without having to make a choice, Song Jian charged towards them, engaging in a fierce battle with these undead creatures; Frigid Falling Snow! With a swing of his sword forward, a flurry of large snowflakes suddenly fell from the sky. In a matter of seconds, a layer of snow more than half a foot thick quickly covered the ground; The Black Warrior and Skeleton Warriors legs were buried deep in the snow, significantly slowing their movement speed down. They were also covered in a layer of frost, reducing their defense by 20%, and increasing the chances of inflicting critical hits by 10%. Broken Wing Dance! Song Jian lightly tapped his foot, charging towards a Skeleton Warrior. The effect of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique didnt apply to him, so walking on the thick snow didnt slow him down in the slightest; With the flickering sword light, ordinary monsters were no match for Song Jian. In a short while, two Skeleton Warriors were chopped into fragments by Song Jian; Just then, a glint suddenly shone in the Black Warriors crimson eyes, brandishing his bone sword that was now tinged with a reddish hue, hacking down towards Song Jian; Bang! His back received a heavy slash, causing him to stumble forward for several steps, while an indicator of over-300-point damage floated above his head; Looking at the Black Warrior, it seemed to have shaken off the slowing effect of the snow, charging towards Song Jian like a heavy truck, plowing a path more than a meter wide through the thick snow; Rage? Song Jian squinted his eyes, brandishing his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, clashing in a fierce fight with the Black Warrior; Though Song Jian had a significant advantage over the Black Warrior, the fight was still difficult due to the aid of the Skeleton Warriors. His Vitality Points quickly dropped below 60%. However, Song Jian swiftly took down six Skeleton Warriors, and also depleted more than half of the Black Warriors Vitality Points; Defeating these creatures in front of me is merely a matter of time. The key is Saramo! Song Jian couldnt help but look up at the dark tower. To his surprise, Saramo, who had been standing at the top of the tower, had vanished. Damn it, the effects of the fog are too strong. Its suppressing my senses. I didnt even notice when he disappeared Song Jian furrowed his brows. Forget him, lets clear these creatures in front of me first! Song Jian quickly made a decision; Light Strike! A dazzling golden sword light slashed towards the Black Warrior. Against these undead creatures, Light Strike would inflict double damage and there was a high chance of it triggering critical damage; Boom! The golden Sword Qi heavily bombarded the Black Warriors chest, knocking him catapulted backward; Damage of more than 1800 points floated above the Black Warriors head, reducing his vitality to critical conditions; When a creatures Vitality Points dropped below 10%, it would trigger a weakening state, with both movement and attack speed decreased by 30%; Song Jian glanced at the struggling Black Warrior trying to get up, directed his sword against the remaining Skeleton Warriors. At this moment, the Black Warrior was no longer a threat to him. While it had not yet risen, it was better to take down these Skeleton Warriors first; Chapter 689: 689: Entering the Undead Tower Chapter 689: Chapter 689: Entering the Undead Tower Once free from the restraint of the Black Warrior, these common monsters were no match for Song Jian. And within no time, all the remaining Skeleton Warriors had turned into a pile of shattered bones. After collecting the materials dropped by the Skeleton Warriors, Song Jian took out an Advanced Healing Potion from his bag and drank it, slowly restoring his Vitality Points. At this time, the limping Black Warrior was making its way towards him, its bone knife radiating a striking red glow. Song Jian slightly furrowed his brows. The Black Warrior in front of him strangely seemed devoid of intelligence, acting like a mere killing machine without any regard for its own safety. Superior-level humanoid creatures wouldnt act like this Song Jian thought to himself. However, facing the severely wounded Black Warrior, he swung his long sword, depleting its last bit of Vitality Points. It only dropped a white quality material? Song Jian picked up the item dropped by the Black Warrior, and upon inspecting it, he couldnt help but shake his head, disappointment evident on his face. This was a level thirty-five elite BOSS with first-order combat power, and it didnt even drop equipment, only dropping a white quality material. It was even worse than the previous low-level monsters, a disgrace to its BOSS title. The chance of a BOSS dropping a white quality item was about the same as a low-level monster dropping a silver or higher quality item. Unexpectedly, Song Jian had encountered such an occurrence here. At this time, the doors of the black tower swung wide open, like a beasts wide-open mouth, waiting to swallow its prey. Are you inviting me in? Song Jian looked at the open door of the black tower, a smile appearing on his face as he walked towards it without hesitation. At the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead, the players of the City of Hope Alliance were somewhat disheartened. I feel like we are a burden Li Keer softly mumbled. Our leader can resist the plague fog here, but we cant. Theres no way, we can only wait here What if our leader encounters a monster inside? The monsters here are all above level thirty! If the monster our leader encounters is something he cant handle, do you think we could handle it with a few more players? We cant! Just when everyone was feeling downcast, the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead suddenly lit up. The players of the City of Hope Alliance were immediately put on alert, and they all drew their weapons. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In a short while, several figures emerged from the Transmission Array. Song Jian stepped into the black tower, and the door behind him closed with a rumbling sound. The inside of the tower was pitch black. System: You have entered the territory of Abyssal Wizard Saramo. In this Undead Tower, your attributes are suppressed, weakening by 10%. Abyssal Wizard? As expected, another abyssal creatures invasion. They are everywhere, lingering like ghosts! Song Jian muttered with a cold snort. An Abyssal Wizard who can summon undead creatures, the secret must lie within this Undead Tower. A 10% attribute degradation was not much of a concern for Song Jian now, as it actually allowed him to better control his power; Bang~ With a light sound, green firelight burnt up on the walls around him every few meters apart. Human, this is not a place where you should tread! rasped a voice, As punishment, I will leave your body here. I believe your corpse should suffice to make a Death Knight! The Death Knight, the only creature among the undead capable of overkill, has an inherent attribute C Fatal Strike which can inflict tenfold damage. However, this passive effect has a rather low occurrence rate. As the raspy voice echoed again, Song Jian noticed pairs of crimson eyes lighting up, and behemothic wolves, exuding a dark aura, stepped out from the shadows. Abyssal Demon Wolves, each a level-thirty elite BOSS with first-tier combat power? Song Jian blinked in surprise, realizing that he was surrounded by nine such massive black wolves. Kill him but try to keep his body intact. The more complete his body is, the stronger the Death Knight that can be made of it! At Saramos command, the nine gigantic black wolves growled and lunged at Song Jian- You think these big dogs can kill me? Isnt that wishful thinking? Song Jian sneered, taking out a few rocks emitting milky white light from his bag, and hurled them around. Thud! Thud! Thud~ A few crashing sounds, and a dense white fog suddenly surged around Song Jian, enveloping him and the black wolves, spreading through the entire hall on the first floor of the Undead Tower. This white fog also had the effect of suppressing senses, Saramo found that he had unexpectedly lost contact with the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves and could no longer control them. What the hell is this! Saramo, standing at the top of the Undead Tower, watched the white mist on his surveillance monitor. His face darkened with anger. In the center of the seventh-floor hall of the Undead Tower, there was a stone platform, above which hovered a black crystal over a meter high. Saramo stood in front of this crystal, monitoring Song Jians every move. But now, all he could see was the white mist rolling into the hall on the first floor. Mist Shadow Sword Array! This was a primary sword formation that Song Jian had mastered, and it proved highly effective against this sudden onslaught and encirclement. The Mist Shadow Sword Array not only shields against external sensory probes, but it can also severely suppress all investigative abilities of enemies trapped within the formation. The Abyssal Demon Wolves, despite their sharp vision and keen senses, were utterly blinded. They couldnt even detect their comrades who were only a foot away. However, Song Jian, who was inside the sword array, faced no such impediments. Thump! A rock the size of a human head suddenly hit an Abyssal Demon Wolf. The creature crashed against the hard wall behind it, letting out a dreadful scream- At that moment, Song Jian had summoned his rock golem to hide and launch ranged attacks on these bewildered Abyssal Demon Wolves. He himself charged at the wolf that was closest to him. In a one-on-one situation, these Abyssal Demon Wolves were not his match. The Mist Shadow Sword Array not only concealed the sounds made by these wolves, but it also blocked all noise. The other wolves couldnt hear their companions roars and screams. An Abyssal Demon Wolf, riled up in the white mist, suddenly ran into a sharp Sword Qi, which directly cut off one of its ears. As it roared and clawed in the direction of the Sword Qi, it saw nothing. Thus, Song Jian, like an assassin, kept darting in and out among the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves. After each successive hit, he immediately disappeared into the white fog, leaving the beasts no trail to follow. The vitality of the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves steadily dropped, while Song Jians remained at maximum. Thump! Another stone hit an Abyssal Demon Wolfs head, triggering a stunning effect. As it was immobilized, Song Jian rushed out of the fog and directly removed a third of its vitality with a series of sword techniques. Just when it was about to snap out of the stun, he vanished back into the fog. Chapter 690: 690: Double-Headed Giant Chapter 690: Chapter 690: Double-Headed Giant Nine Abyssal Demon Wolves, all of which were Level Thirty Elite Bosses with a first-rank combat power, were extremely difficult to deal with, even for Song Jian. Even if he could ultimately triumph, it would likely be a Pyrrhic victory; However, after using the Mist Shadow Sword Array, Song Jian managed to defeat each of the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves individually with ease; About twenty minutes later, the white fog in the hall began to fade. The effect of the Mist Shadow Sword Array, a basic formation, could only last for thirty minutes. Soon, the suppressing effect of the sword formation started to weaken and Saramo could vaguely see a few demon wolves and the figure of Song Jian through the surveillance screen; Damn it, hes on the left, surround and kill him! roared Saramo; The Nine Demon Wolves seemed to have received Saramos order. They turned around simultaneously and pounced towards Song Jians position; The tiny stone figure behind Song Jian was throwing stone blocks at the pack of wolves desperately. However, the cooldown time for its stone-throwing skill was three to four seconds, which was inadequate to suppress them; Watching as the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves drew closer and closer, a mocking smile appeared on Song Jians face. He stood still and exclaimed, Mist Shadow Death Strike, Sword Formation, arise! In an instant, the white fog inside the hall of the Undead Towers first floor roiled fiercely, collapsing instantly. In mid-air, dozens of chilling, fog swords materialized; Whiz~Whiz~Whiz~ Dozens of white fog swords, seemingly manipulated by an invisible hand, constantly struck at the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves; Faced with this sudden attack, the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves could only passively endure it, unable to even locate their enemy; Following a series of mournful howls, the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves, already severely injured by Song Jian, turned into corpses lying across the cold floor; Eventually, the demon wolves transformed into black mist, slowly dissipating in the air; Saramo, staring at the surveillance screen, raised his head. His crimson eyes radiated anger, but deep down, he couldnt help but feel a sense of trepidation; These nine Abyssal Demon Wolves were one of his trump cards. Even he himself would not escape unscathed when facing them. Yet, this human before him managed to kill them all without sustaining any injuries despite his suppressed condition. His power exceeded Saramos expectations; What power does this human possess to be so formidable? Saramo growled. But soon thereafter, a faint smile appeared on his thin, withered face and he said; The stronger the body, the higher the chances of producing a Death Knight. I look forward to your upcoming performance Having killed the nine Level Thirty Elite Boss Abyssal Demon Wolves with first-rank combat power, he received nothing. All the Demon Wolves turned into a black abyssal aura that dissipated in the air; However, after the death of these nine Demon Wolves, a rotating staircase leading to the second floor appeared on the side of the first-floor hall of the Undead Tower; Is this some sort of test, climbing up one level at a time? A change flashed across Song Jians face, he muttered to himself; There were seven levels in the Undead Tower. If each level contained enemies, by the time Song Jian reached the seventh floor where Saramo, the Abyssal Wizard, was, he would most likely be left with only a fraction of his power. How was he supposed to fight Saramowho would remain in peak conditionat that time? Song Jian sneered, brandishing his long sword. He swung it fiercely towards the ceiling. A sharp Sword Qi whirled and whissed through the air, striking the ceiling above him. Frustration creased Song Jians brow as the Sword Qi disappeared instantly upon contact with the ceiling, nullified by a mysterious power. Ripples spread across the ceiling before everything returned to normal; The Undead Tower itself cant be attacked? Song Jian mused. This was an open strategy. Song Jian could refuse to continue climbing the tower and turn away. Saramo would not pursue him outside the Undead Tower. Now, it did not have any certainty of defeating Song Jian either. However, Song Jian should not expect to take over the entire Valley of the Undead for the City of Hope Alliance. After all, as long as the Abyssal Wizard, Saramo exists, no one dares to fight him under the invasion of the plague fog. The treasures of this valley, most of them cannot be taken away either. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then took a step towards the stone stairs. In no time, he arrived in the hall of the second floor. As soon as Song Jian stepped into the second-floor hall, a strong smell of blood and rot hit his nose. Upon entering, he saw that the whole hall was filled with mangled corpses. A large two-headed giant was snoring, sprawled among the pile of bodies. Drew, wake up. Ive brought food for you! Saramos hoarse voice echoed on the second floor. The two-headed giant twitched its ears, both heads opened their eyes simultaneously and roared loudly: Drew likes food, Drew is hungry! The two-headed giant, Drew, got up from the floor. Only now did Song Jian notice that this monster stood over three meters tall. Its strong body was layered with bulging muscles, and a layer of purple-black scales faintly appeared on the skins surface. Another first order elite BOSS Song Jians lips curled into a mocking smile: Nine first-order elite BOSSes couldnt even cause me the smallest injury before. Now theres only one. How long do you think it can hold me off? One minute or thirty seconds? Hehe, lets see, Drew will give you a surprise! Saramos hoarse laugh echoed in Song Jians ear. Although Song Jian said nonchalantly, this two-headed monster in front of him was probably more powerful than the nine Abyssal Demon Wolves on the first floor combined. Otherwise, it wouldnt be allowed to reside on the second floor. Thump thump thump~ The two-headed giant beat its chest furiously, letting out a roar like a gorilla. With a grab, Drew pulled out a giant war blade over two meters long from the pile of corpses and gripped it tightly in his right hand. Then his left hand fumbled around where he was sleeping and seized a magic staff. He then swung it forcefully at Song Jian. Swoosh swoosh swoosh~ Dozens of Frost Arrows condensed in the air and shot towards Song Jian. Song Jians face changed instantly and he quickly dodged to the side. The Frost Arrows were swift and hit the spot where he was standing in an instant, exploding on impact with the floor. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom boom~ An area of about ten square meters was instantly covered in frost. Although Song Jian was not hit directly, he was swept by the residual force and half of his body was covered with frost, heavily slowing his movement. Instant-cast group Frost Arrows? Song Jian was stunned by the two-headed giants move. He had never seen a mage who could cast a group Frost Arrow spell, let alone instant-casting it. Seeing Song Jian avoiding the Frost Arrows, the two-headed giant wielding the two-metre-plus war blade, charged at him. I recommend everyone a book, Super Private Server, where spiritual energy disappears, alien races roam, and Chen Tian obtains a legendary private server, fighting across the heavens! If it sounds good, everyone can go have a look! Chapter 691: 691 Chaotic Blade Sword Array Chapter 691: Chapter 691 Chaotic Blade Sword Array Is this guy a melee class or a magic class? As the dual-headed giant rushed at him, Song Jian quickly brandished his sword to block it. With his strength attribute surpassing a hundred points, even without using his sword skills, Song Jian could still stand firm against the dual-headed giant without losing ground. Broken Wing Dance! Sweeping Sword Style! When Song Jian unleashed his sword techniques, the dual-headed giant struggled to fight back, bearing numerous sword scars on its body. Although the giant was bare-chested, its skin was incredibly tough. The layer of purplish-black scales on its body surface greatly reduced the damage it took. Even though it looked suppressed and miserable under Song Jians attack, in reality, its Vitality Points hadnt decreased much. Just a big punching bag Song Jian smirked coldly, crouched slightly, and stabbed his longsword from under the giants ribs into its lower back, but a burst of sparks emerged as the tough scales blocked it. Roar~ The dual-headed giant swung its war saber upward, forcing Song Jian to dodge quickly. As he readied himself to charge in, he suddenly saw a dazzling crimson light emitted from the magic staff in the giants left hand. A fireball, as big as a basketball, was rapidly forming at the top of the magic staff, and before Song Jian could steady himself, the fireball was already pummeling towards him. Instant Fireball Spell! Song Jian cried out in surprise as he was too late to dodge. He was directly hit in the chest by the fireball, forcing him to stagger backwards five or six steps before brutally colliding with the wall. A damage of over three hundred floated above Song Jians head. His face turned grim: the dual-headed giant, though it looked like one individual, fought as though a mage and a warrior were working together. Moreover, any magic cast from the staff in its left hand was instant- in the close combat, there was no way to dodge in time. Song Jian gritted his teeth, gave a cold snort, and directly summoned the little stone man. After appearing, the over one-meter tall little stone man seemed very cheerful, continuously jumping around and making incomprehensible noises. Hit its head! Song Jian ordered. Forceful Strike! the right head of the dual-headed giant bellowed. Its right hands war saber traced a red mark in the air. The scorching aura raised the surrounding temperature by a few degrees. A ball of flame emerged from the surface of the war saber, chopping down towards Song Jian. Flash Thunder Strike! Electric light flickered on the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword as it collided hard with the war saber. At this moment, a rock as big as a human head flew towards the giants head. The target was the left head of the dual-headed giant, whose left hand was stealthily directing the tip of the magic staff at Song Jians abdomen. At the tip of the staff, a seething breath was condensing. Boom~ The stone ball hit the left head of the dual-headed giant, thrusting the head backward. Although it didnt trigger a dizziness effect, the energy gathered at the top of the staff surged and then quickly dispersed. A rebound damage of over five hundred floated above the giants head. Well done! Song Jian laughed. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Snow at Dusk! Song Jian let out a low roar and swung his longsword violently. It seemed as if a tornado brewed in the air, and suddenly, snowflakes were drifting in the entire second-floor hall. In a few seconds, a thick layer of snow covered the floor, and all the bodies were buried underneath. As Song Jian swung his sword, the snowflakes in the air spun towards the dual-headed giant. Each snowflake was a condensed Sword Qi. The moment they approached the giant, their speed increased sharply, leaving a three-inch-long sword mark on it with a breaking-the-air sound. Plop Plop Plop~ With Song Jians sword dancing, a series of damage points, sixty or seventy points each, floated above the two-headed giants head, and its body surface was also covered with a layer of frost making its movement and attack speeds significantly slower. Boom, boom, boom~ The little stone man on the side was shouting while continuously forming stone balls and aiming them at the two-headed giants skull. Light Strike! A dazzling golden Sword Qi harshly slashed onto the two-headed giants shoulder. Although it was not a shadow undead creature, the damage from this strike could rank within the top three of all of Song Jians sword techniques. Roar~ The dazzling Sword Qi directly broke through the two-headed giants defense, leaving a wound over a foot long on its shoulder. The flesh was turned inside out, revealing the white bone inside. The two-headed giant suddenly raised its magic staff with its left hand and then heavily struck the ground with it. Boom! With a soft sound, Song Jian suddenly felt a surge of energy emanating from the two-headed giant sending him flying. Countless dark grey energy light points appeared around the giant. Starburst Skill! Damn, another instant spell! Song Jian glanced at his Vitality Points; this strike had directly dealt over eight hundred points of damage. What bad luck, it even scores a critical hit! Song Jian took out an Advanced Healing Potion and drank it. Blade Dance of Bloodshed! The right head of the two-headed giant roared, swinging its war blade faster, stirring up waves of crimson energy and dispersing all the surrounding snow. Startled, Song Jian quickly used the Rapid Sword skill. Clang, clang, clang~ A series of clashes occurred dozens of times in an instant. Even though Song Jian had used the Rapid Sword skill, he still couldnt completely block the two-headed giants attacks and was hit several times. However, each blows damage was not high, and by the time the effect of the giants skill ended, Song Jian had only lost over five hundred points of Vitality. This is only the second level and its this difficult, and there are at least four more levels to go Thinking about it, Song Jian couldnt help but feel gloomy. After achieving first-order Combat Power and experiencing a powerful surge in strength, Song Jians mentality had slowly changed. However, he was no longer the same as he was before. From the package, he took out three sword stones and threw them into the air, which resulted in the appearance of a saber-toothed shadow in the air. Chaotic Blade Sword Array! In the air, dozens of round-shaped Sword Qi about three feet long slowly emerged. As Song Jian ordered, Kill!, these sword edges, like wild animals fangs, began to spin in the air and hack towards the two-headed giant. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although this sword array was also a beginner level, it was among the most fierce in terms of attack within the beginner-level sword arrays. It didnt have any other additional effects; it purely pursued attack. As the sword array was released, the two-headed giant couldnt resist. Its hands flailed wildly as it roared, continuously retreating. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~ The fierce Sword Qi easily tore apart its scale defense. In no time, the two-headed giant was bloodied all over, its Vitality Points rapidly decreasing. Id like to recommend a book to you all, Super Private Server. When spiritual energy has vanished and alien races roam freely, Chen Tian obtains a legendary private server and fights across the heavens! Its quite good, you all should check it out! Chapter 692: 692: The Stitched Monster Chapter 692: Chapter 692: The Stitched Monster Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sword Formation, is a skill that Song Jian obtained during an assessment task, and its been elevated to a high level, allowing him to create advanced Sword Formations. But creating an advanced Sword Formation drains too much energy and time. After Song Jian returned, he didnt have time to create them, and could only manage to put together a few primary Sword Formations and two sets of intermediate ones for self-defense. Unexpectedly, he got to use them. Even though the Chaotic Blade Sword Array is a primary Sword Formation, it managed to inflict over three thousand points of damage on the double-headed giant, virtually obliterating over half of its scales, drastically reducing its defense. Snowfall at dusk! The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword danced, and a cold wind swept through the second-floor hall, causing the dissipating snow to pile up once again, and snowflake-like Sword Qi whipped up in the air. The snowfall at dusk attack was like the Chaotic Blade Sword Array, but it also carried the effects of slowing down the movement and reducing the defense of its target. The attacking strength of the snowflake Sword Qi was far less than that of the Chaotic Blade Sword Array, and once an attack was launched, the snowflake Sword Qi would dissipate, unlike the tooth-like Sword Qi in the Chaotic Blade Sword Array, which was capable of relentless, repetitive attacks. Swish, swish, swish, swish~ The chill wind whipped up snowflakes, ceaselessly battering the double-headed giant, even obstructing its sight. Initially, it could only inflict double-digit damage, but after the giants skin and scales had been slashed apart, each drop of blood resulted in three-digit damage. Soon, after Song Jian finished his Snowfall at dusk swords move, the double-headed giant swayed twice before crashing heavily onto the floor. Song Jian heaved a sigh of relief. As the entire second floor was covered in snow and the smell concealed, Song Jian took out food and honey wine, slowly recovering his lost Vitality Points and Mental Strength. Well done, but youve only cleared the second floor. You still have four floors to breakthrough. Every floor is more difficult than the last, but I hope you can face me in the end, hehehe~ Saramos voice echoed in Song Jians ear once again, the coarse voice sounding as irritating as two broken pieces of glass grinding against each other. Song Jian snorted, choosing not to reply. If things really were as Saramo said, with the defense power on each ascending floor being stronger than the last, even if Song Jian could reach the top of the seventh-floor tower, he would be powerless to fight against Saramo. Damn it, why should I follow his path? This Undead Tower isnt very tall, only about thirty meters. My steel wings and Morphing into Dark Cloud, could both fly up there Song Jian thought to himself, eyeing the appearing staircase. Once he recovered, Song Jian didnt immediately go up to the third floor. Instead, he turned and headed first floorwards. You felt like you couldnt continue and youre planning to leave, are you? Saramos taunting voice echoed in Song Jians ear again. Youre just going to give up like that? Dont you want to try again? Perhaps the upper floors arent as I described. After all, such a powerful Guardian cant be easily subdued! This Undead Tower, it controls the entire valley. Aha, it seems Ive caught some interesting images. Ha ha, those people who came in with you seem to be pursued by others. Do you want to go help them? Perhaps directly ascending the tower is the right choice. Because right now, you dont even know where your companions are. But now all you need to do is defeat me, take control of this Undead Tower and you can control the whole valley. Maybe you can still save them. Why dont you have a try? Song Jian felt a sinking feeling, Saramos words made him hesitate. Maybe hes deceiving me, or maybe its true. After all, the Transmission Array in this valley can be linked not only by us, but also by anyone nearby Maybe what you said is right, now they must not be near the Transmission Array, and instead of searching blindly in the valley, its better to kill you directly and control the Undead Tower! Song Jians eyes flashed with a strong intention to kill. There must be surveillance equipment in the Undead Tower, otherwise, Saramo wouldnt be intimately familiar with Song Jians actions. Therefore, theres a high likelihood that Saramo is right. By controlling this Undead Tower, the entire valley can be controlled. But as to how to control it, that can only be known after ascending to the seventh floor of the Undead Tower. Just as Song Jian was about to rush out to the first floor, the two heavy stone doors suddenly closed automatically. You want to escape, huh? Ha ha ha, how could I possibly let you go? Youre the Death Knight Ive chosen! The sound of Saramos insane laughter echoed in the first-floor hall. The attributes of the stone doors are the same as the Undead Tower, immuno-attack damage. After trying twice, Song Jian had no choice but to turn back and continue towards the stairs to the second floor. In actual fact, flying directly to the seventh floor from the outside would be possible, but it would require the person controlling the Undead Tower to open the permissions. Given Song Jians current state, even if he flew up from the outside, he would be blocked by the protection facilities outside the Undead Tower and would not be able to approach it. In order to seize the authority of the Undead Tower, one must travel up floor by floor, defeating the Guardian of each floor before meeting the actual controller of the Undead Tower. This advantage of the terrain gives the controller of the Undead Tower a significant advantage. The Guardian of the third floor is a grotesque Stitched Monster, bloated with various parts of different beasts stitched onto its body. The entire body sagged into a gigantic pile, just like a meat mountain. One cant even discern where its head ends and where its rear begins. Right in the middle of this meat mountain, theres a huge mouth continuously murmuring Kurasomodo. Above this huge Stitched Monsters head was a display of its attributes. Abyssal Stitched Monster- Kurasomodo (Tier One Combat Power), Elite BOSS, Level Thirty-Five, Vitality Points: 8500/8500, Features: Decay, Super Recovery Looking at the meat mountain that occupied half of the hall, Song Jians face darkened immediately. This gigantic Stitched Monster, besides having a ghastly and disgusting appearance, gave off a very unpleasant odor all over. Even standing at the doorway, Song Jian got the feeling akin to being in a dump. Battling such a monster would certainly be a severe psychological test. Ha ha ha, Kurasomodo is my favorite Abyssal Stitched Monster. See the beast remains stitched onto it? They were all captured by me and merged into its body. Its my most perfect masterpiece, and it even has a soul. Ha ha ha ha, I am the greatest Abyssal Wizard! The sound of Saramos insane laughter echoed in the hall once again. Three huge eyes had been stitched into the body of the Stitched Monster, each one about a meter in diameter. Besides these three large eyes, a dozen more human-sized eyes had also been stitched in. Hearing Saramos voice, all the eyes of the Stitched Monster opened and stared at Song Jian. Froth spewed from its tusk-filled mouth, creating a putrid odor. It kept murmuring: Kurasomodo I wish to recommend a book to everyone, Super Private Server. The spiritual energy disappeared, and the alien races ran rampant. Chen Tian obtained a legendary private server and embarked on a journey across various worlds! Its a good read, and everyone can check it out! Chapter 693: 693: Abyssal Wizard Saramo Chapter 693: Chapter 693: Abyssal Wizard Saramo Looking at the towering mass of flesh in front of him, Song Jian frowned, this sort of monster didnt even inspire a desire to fight, he simply didnt want to get near it. However, upon hearing the stitched monster repeatedly calling its own name, an idea crossed Song Jians mind about a skill he possessed, the Shackles Mark; Once you know your opponents true name and have some of their flesh, you can infuse it with the Shackles Mark, leading to the direct destruction of their soul; Kurasomodo, I like this name. Song Jian said with a small smile, and then with a swing of his sword, he cut into the monster, slicing off a piece of rancid-smelling flesh before it could react; Roar~ The stitched monsters senses appeared remarkably dull, it wasnt until Song Jian retreated that it realized it was in pain. It let out an angry roar, and opened its fanged mouth to spew a thick green venom at Song Jian; Song Jian hastily dodged, the venom splattering on the floor where he had just been standing. Hiss~ Grey bubbles began to appear on the floor, the corrosive venom continually eating away, yet, because of the Undead Towers special properties, there was an unseen mystical power counteracting the corrosive force of the venom. Waves rippled across the floor, spreading out in all directions; You idiot, didnt I tell you not to use this corrosive venom inside the Undead Tower! roared Saramo, his voice echoing through the hall; Kurasomodo is in pain, I want to eat him, gobble him up! The stitched monsters numerous limbs flailed violently, exerting its rage as its tremendous body writhed towards Song Jian; Kurasomodo Song Jian utilized the Shackles Mark, the piece of flesh in his hand igniting, enveloped in black flame, the pure essence of the Abyssal Demon Flame embodying an intense Abyssal power; The essence of the Abyss Abyssal Demon Flame! No, human, why do you possess this power that does not belong to you? Saramo, who seemed to constantly be monitoring the hall, cried out in alarm at the sight of the black flame in Song Jians hand; Song Jian ignored Saramos enraged cry and continued softly reciting the spell; Using its true name as a guide and its flesh as authentication, the Shackles Mark, MARK! Boom! The Abyssal Demon Flame flared up, quickly reduced the flesh in Song Jians hand to ashes. Then it condensed into an odd Abyss Rune and flew towards the stitched monster; Hiss~ On the monsters body, a black lotus opened, emitting an eye-catching light. The stitched monster gave out a dreadfully shrill roaring shriek. Its massive form uncontrollably thrashed about on the floor, splotches of blood emerged all over its body, looking as though it would collapse at any moment; What the hell did you do to it! Saramo roared, but at this point, all he could do was watch helplessly, unable to inflict any harm on Song Jian; Mark, Pain! Upon seeing the stitched monster writhing on the floor, Song Jian spoke under his breath; Roar~ A sorrowful roar burst from the monsters mouth. Blood began to seep from its three gargantuan eyes. Even the areas where it had healed and fused together flawlessly begun to bleed slowly. Its colossal form seemed like it could crumble at any second; It seems that the mark has taken effect! A hint of a smile formed at the corner of Song Jians mouth, he then yelled out: Mark, Annihilate! The monsters roaring suddenly halted. Its enormous form, like a fish out of water, bounced up and then smashed back down heavily. The entire Undead tower quivered as though it had experienced an earthquake; Hehe~ The noise coming from the stitched monster sounded like a traveler, who had been wandering the desert for a dozen or so days without a single drop of water. The sound, filled with despair and desolation; Thin rays of light began to rise from the monsters body and wisp away slowly in mid-air. As the light particles overflowed, the stitched monsters body began to slowly harden, its Vitality Points visibly falling at an alarming speed; With no soul, the body has no reason to exist, even for undead monsters. They may not need flesh and blood, but they must have a soul to continue surviving; Not much later, Song Jian felt the connection between the Shackles Mark and him disappear, signifying that the powerful stitched monster before his eyes was utterly and completely dead; And in fact, it was just as he thought; bloody stitches appeared on the surface of the stitched monster, all the integrated animal limbs had begun to rot and crumble. Within a mere few seconds, the stitched monster was releasing a strong stench of rotting flesh; Looks like this place would need a thorough cleaning ten times over before anyone could live in it again. Song Jian said softly, as he ran for the stairs that had appeared; Floors Four, Five, Six, they were all infested with formidable monsters possessing Stage One Combat Power. But all of their names and attributes were clearly visible above their heads, and they were all beings of flesh and blood. After a simple fight, Song Jian harvested their flesh, then using the Shackles Mark, he slaughtered them all; Damn it, what kind of technique is that? Why does it carry the essence of the Abyss when I have never seen it before! Saramo bellowed, his eyes reflecting a touch of trepidation; Saramo did not know what the Shackles Mark was, but he instinctively feared it. It was an unsettling skill, one that even he himself did not wish to have cast on him; To run away again like a fleeing dog? Saramo muttered to himself: No, no, Ive already run away once, I dont want to do it again. I refuse to believe that a skill that potent and terrifying comes without any repercussions! Rumble~ The stone door of the seventh floor of the Undead Tower gradually opened, and Saramo finally faced Song Jian; Are you the one controlling the entire Undead Tower? As soon as he entered, Song Jians eyes were drawn to the black crystal on the pedestal next to Saramo. Such an eye-catching sight; You think youve won? All because of that peculiar skill of yours! Saramo roared, his black cloak billowing around him though there was no wind. He slowly began to ascend into the air; sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Abyssal Wizard Saramo. Song Jian asked with an easy expression: Just to confirm, Saramo is your real name right? Saramo is my name, but not my surname. I belong to the Abyssal Clan and my family name is Modo Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off in Saramos mind and he clamped his mouth shut, his eyes immediately gleaming with excitement as he began to guffaw: Hahaha, does that peculiar skill of yours need to know our true names to cast? Hahaha, I wont tell you my true name! Without it, that terrifying skill of yours cant touch me! Chapter 694: 694: Flame Lord Chapter 694: Chapter 694: Flame Lord There are no small number of monsters who can hide their true names and information, and the more intelligent the species, the deeper the hiding of their own true names; Only the words Abyssal Wizard Saramo were shown above Saramos head, but obviously, Saramo was only a part of his name, not all of it. What a pity! Song Jian felt a little regretful, as the effect of Shackles Mark was really too powerful and could completely enable him to kill monsters of higher tiers, no matter how powerful they were. Even those with first, second, or even third tier or higher combat power could be instantly killed once affected by the Shackles Mark; Shadow Arrow! Saramo launched the first attack, raising his Bone Wand and casting an Abyssal magic spell at Song Jian; When Song Jian saw Saramos arm holding the magic staff, the disappointment in his eyes deepened; Although Saramo in front of him was an Abyssal Wizard, he was an undead creature without any flesh and blood, so even if his true name was known, there was no way to use the Shackles Mark on him; Gloomy Snowfall! With a swing of his sword, snowflakes began to float around Song Jian, and the ground quickly began to accumulate snow. As Song Jian deepened his understanding of this move, the originally less than one-foot deep snow now buried people up to their knees, reducing their movement speed by at least 40%; Boom boom boom~ Countless snowflakes surged towards the Shadow Arrow, and each snowflake collision would cause a roar, weakening the power of the Shadow Arrow. Under the sweep of countless snowflakes, Saramos move directly collapsed midway, causing no harm to Song Jian; S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But the remaining blood flowers flew towards Saramo like moths to a flame; Abyss Shield! With a wave of Saramos Bone Wand, three translucent shields appeared in front of him, arranged in a triangle pattern to protect him. Then, Saramo began to retreat rapidly; The seventh floor hall was less than a hundred square meters, but as Saramo withdrew rapidly, the space seemed to expand infinitely. In a short while, Song Jian found that the space of the seventh floor hall had exceeded half the size of a football field; Is this the advantage of controlling the Undead Tower? A look of envy appeared in Song Jians eyes; Bang bang bang~ Snowflake Sword Qi constantly struck Saramos conjured shield, and the sound of explosions was heard one after another. The three Abyss Shields surfaces were all marked with deep sword marks; Crack~ With a crisp shattering sound, one Abyss Shields energy was exhausted and was finally shattered by the Sword Qi, but the remaining two Abyss Shields persisted; Blade of the Abyss! Saramo swung his Bone Wand at Song Jian, and a crescent-shaped gray air mass over a foot long flew towards Song Jian; This crescent-shaped gray air mass had a metallic luster on its edge and moved with extreme speed, making a sharp whistling sound in the air; Earth Teeth Assault! Song Jian stomped his right foot, and a fang-like air mass emerged from the ground, rushing towards Saramo at the same speed; Boom~ The two air masses collided with each other, causing a thunderous explosion and the release of intense energy; Up to this point, Saramo had only used low-level Abyssal spells, and Song Jian had not put in his full strength, seeming to be testing each others limits; However, after several exchanges, both sides realized that continuing in this way would never cause fatal damage to their opponent; Song Jian suddenly rushed towards Saramo, turning into a hazy gray mist, moving extremely fast, while Saramo quickly chanted incantations, chanting enchanting Abyssal words from his mouth, and the strong Abyssal Power began to ripple violently around him. In an instant, both of them started to unleash their full power to attack. Song Jian had found out that after advancing from Sword Controller to Sword Master, his attack methods had gradually transitioned from close combat to long-range attacks. The significant increase in mental attributes became Song Jians main attribute. Moreover, after grasping several core skills of the Sword Master, he had to make changes. However, before giving birth to a Sword Spirit and crafting his Sword Core, Song Jian had to continue using his previous fighting style. Closing the distance between them was the only way to achieve victory. Wings of Steel! Behind Song Jian appeared a pair of wings flickering with metallic cold light. With a fierce flap of the wings, his speed instantly surged to the next level. Saramo watched as the distance between him and Song Jian grew closer without any sign of panic on his face. Instead, a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Kuladisa, Xiwa! Just as Song Jian was about to approach him, Saramo finally finished reciting a long incantation. Boom! The entire hall resounded with a thunderous roar, and the Abyssal Power within the hall became almost tangible. Even on the ceiling seven or eight meters above, there appeared a huge black vortex formed by the Abyssal Power. Saramos body began to violently expand, his skeletal frame started to be covered in flesh and hard scales, and his limbs grew thicker. A huge tail emerged from his back, and sharp bone spurs sprouted from his spine. Even a pair of dark red flesh wings appeared behind him. The black cloak was torn apart by the expanding body, and Saramo transformed into a true Abyssal Demon. Roar~ Saramo let out an angry roar, sparks flying from his mouth and nose, exhaling a scent of molten lava and sulfur. A Flame Lord of the Abyssal Demons? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he stared at the transformed Saramo and spoke in a low voice. At this moment, Saramos body radiated intense heat, and dark red flames rose around him. There were many creatures in the Abyss, and demons were just one of them, belonging at the top of the food chain. However, there were many types of Abyssal Demons, with the Flame Lord being just one of them. The most proficient race in controlling Abyssal Magic Flames among the Abyssal Demons Song Jian was somewhat speechless, looking at the Abyssal Flames burning on his opponents body, which should be the lowest level of Magic Flames in the Abyss. Did you think Im just a fragile Mage? Youre wrong! The body of the Abyssal Demon race is harder than steel! Saramo roared, filling the air with thick smoke and the smell of sulfur. Whoosh~ Saramos flesh wings flapped violently towards Song Jian, sending a scorching hot airflow mixed with the breath of flames at him. Flame Flow Impact! Song Jians face changed, and he swung the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword forward. A dazzling Sword Qi collided with the scorching air, causing a loud explosion. Flame Giant Blade! Saramo roared, and the Bone Wand in his hand ignited into raging flames, in the air it condensed into a three-to-four-meter-long flaming blade, ruthlessly slashing down at Song Jian. Chapter 695: Slave Chapter 695: Chapter 695: Slave The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Bone Wand in Saramos hand collided fiercely. The Sword Qi directly broke the Flame Giant Blade, hitting the Bone Wand and leaving a deep mark on it; At this moment, Saramo discovered that the Flame Giant Blade condensed on the surface of his Bone Wand seemed to cause no harm at all to Song Jian, like an illusion; You, is your Fire Resistance so high? Saramo exclaimed in surprise, and at the same time, his heart sank, having a bad feeling; Transforming into the Flame Lord was his most powerful move. The Flame Lord not only possesses the robust body of an Abyssal demon but also excels in using flame spells. He is equally strong in both melee and ranged combat, a fairly balanced warrior race; However, if the opponent has high Fire Resistance, it would be equivalent to severing one of Saramos arms, leaving him to fight with only one arm; Fire Resistance? Hahaha, do I need that thing? Song Jian burst into laughter, and a surge of black flame suddenly rose on his body surface; Magic Flame of Abyss? Saramos eyes showed horror, he backed away, shouting, How can a human have such pure Magic Flame of Abyss, no, no, this is not just Magic Flame of Abyss, it is the advanced Abyssal Raging Flame! Saramos face expressed shock. He was a pure Abyssal demon and a Flame Lord who excels in Abyssal Flames. He could only control the lowest level of Abyssal Flames, but the human in front of him controlled an advanced Abyssal Raging Flame that was many levels higher than his. Everything happening before him made Saramo feel like he was dreaming, and it was the most unrealistic kind of nightmare; A human holds control over the Abyssal Raging Flame, something that even an Abyssal demon doesnt have control of, this, this is simply Saramo roared in his mind, but he couldnt change the reality unfolding before him; Song Jian was covered in demonic flames that coalesced into a suit of black armor. Saramo suddenly realized that the Abyssal Flames which once felt like a part of his body, were beginning to break free of his control, and were starting to harm him instead; This was not just like severing one of his arms. It was as if somebody had taken control of it to attack him; Saramo suddenly realized, his decision to transform into the Flame Lord didnt seem like a good decision; But, at this point, he couldnt revert to his previous form of Undead Skeletons. If he really did that, he would probably die faster facing the closely-approaching Song Jian; No, this shouldnt be happening! Saramo howled in despair. He was originally a wandering wizard expelled from the Abyssal Land. Due to an accident, he became an undead creature, and surprisingly found fortune in his misfortune. He took over the Valley of the Undead and became the master of the Undead Tower. He originally wanted to take his time to grow here, but he never expected that someone would break into this valley, fight past the six guardians of the Undead Tower, and confront him directly. The most important thing was that this person was controlling the Abyssal Raging Flame, which suppressed his power. This filled Saramo with deep despair. It made all his efforts feel meaningless, with death slowly approaching him; S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I have already died once, I dont want to taste that desolate flavor again, death is too terrifying! Saramo let out a despairing roar; Human, I am willing to offer you this Undead Tower. With it, you can control the entire Undead Valley and even save your companions Saramo finally pleaded Song Jian; Upon killing you, I can still control this Undead Tower! Song Jian remained unmoved, he continued to wield the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, hacking at the Flame Lord Saramo; Having lost the power of Abyssal Flames, Saramo was now simply a larger foot soldier, inferior even to the six tower guardians; Human, if you spare me, Im willing to serve you as my master and become your slave! Saramos Vitality Points kept dropping. He had no trump cards left and had nothing that could convince Song Jian apart from himself; Bang! Song Jian knocked Saramo flying with a slash of his sword, with a hint of a smile on his face, he said: Are you really willing to respect me as your master and become my slave? A glimmer of joy flashed across Saramos face. He stumbled towards Song Jian and kneeled with one knee on the ground. With one hand propping him up and the other on his chest, he bowed his head to the ground and roared: I, a humble Abyssal demon, the Flame Lord, offer my loyalty to my great master! I am willing to become a slave to the master and never betray! Never betray? A cold smile crept on Song Jians face, he said, This is not something you just say. Saramo suddenly felt something was amiss. He looked up with a puzzled look on his face and asked, Master, do you want to make a slavery contract with me? Its possible.I am willing to sign a slavery contract with my great master Theres no need. Any contract will have loopholes, also, anything so powerful cant be bound by a piece of paper, Song Jian said solemnly: Now, tell me your true name! Even the slave contracts provided by the system couldnt guarantee that a slave will never rebel. As soon as the slaves level and the masters level become significantly differed, its pretty easy for a rebellion to occur; Tr, True Name? Saramos face wore an expression of terror. He hesitated and asked in a low voice, Master, you are you going to use that move on me? Its just a method of control. As long as you obey me, I wont resort to it. After all, a living Abyssal demon is worth more than a dead one! Song Jian laughed; Saramo hesitated. His lips moved, but he didnt speak his true name. A voice deep within him was defiantly telling him not to tell Song Jian his true name; Saramo wanted to believe his intuition, unwilling to give his True Name to Song Jian. However, Song Jians smile gradually faded, replaced with a fierce expression and the glint of murderous intent in his eyes. Saramo suddenly realized that if he didnt say his True Name now, he would have to die. If he told Song Jian his True Name, he might die, but there was a chance he might not; Master, my True Name is Saramo Karishis Mote Saramo finally revealed his true name. A smile spread across Song Jians lips. As soon as Saramo finished speaking, he suddenly swung his sword and hacked fiercely at him; Chapter 696: Ancient War Tree Chapter 696: Chapter 696: Ancient War Tree Seeing Song Jians sword slashing towards him, Saramo instinctively wanted to dodge backward, but upon seeing Song Jians gaze, he couldnt help but shiver and remain motionless, clenching his teeth to endure the strike; Thud~ The sword cut into Saramos arm, scraping off a fistful of bloody flesh. Saramos pained face was distorted, but he didnt dare to move; Saramo, youre doing very well! Song Jian nodded; Saramo immediately knelt down on one knee and respectfully said, Great Master, everything of Saramos is yours Song Jian didnt pay him any attention, directly grabbing the bloody flesh and began casting the Shackles Mark; Saramo instantly felt an irresistible mysterious force heavily binding him, but upon slightly moving his body, he found nothing unusual about it; Soul! He has imprisoned my soul! Saramo roared in his heart, but his facial expression became even more respectful; Watching the bloody flesh in Song Jians hand slowly being burned to nothing by black flames, Saramos eyes flashed with a trace of understanding; So, its necessary to use my true name and flesh to cast this skill. If only I had known earlier Saramo felt endless regret in his heart. If he hadnt transformed into an Abyss demon, how could an undead creature possibly have any flesh and blood? Furthermore, he had guessed earlier that the other party needed his true name, but in the end, why did he still let this human cast such a terrifying skill; Saramo knew that from now on, he would probably become this humans lifelong slave; After casting the Shackles Mark, Song Jian finally let out a sigh of relief, looking at Saramo with a hint of a smile in his eyes; Saramo, youre doing great. Now, tell me how to control this Undead Tower and how to control the entire Undead Valley. The Shackles Marks duration was only a month, but Saramo was no Blade of the Abyss, and his current strength was just at the first rank of Combat Power. Even Song Jian could easily kill him now; The only reason to keep Saramo alive was for Song Jian to gain control of the Undead Tower more quickly; On the other side, Wang Qi and his group were currently fleeing in disgrace within the Valley of the Undead. Behind them, a standard five-member team was easily pursuing them, occasionally attacking them as if they were toying with mice. They, they seem to want to drive us deeper into the Valley of the Undead Luo Tianyu panted, her armor severely damaged. The durability of some parts had been reduced to zero, and the equipment disappeared. It would only reappear after being repaired. There was also a bloody mark on her cheek, seemingly cut open by a sharp blade; Damn, the effects of the Heavens Disaster Poison Fog have already stacked up to three layers. We lose 15 Vitality Points per second and cant hold on much longer. Just who are these people? Why are they so powerful? We couldnt even defeat them with our group of over twenty. Wang Qi angrily roared; You guys, dont you notice that the aura they emit is very similar to the one radiated by Song Jian? Suddenly someone reminded. Song Jian? First Rank Combat Power? All of them have First Rank Combat Power! Wang Qi and the others were dumbfounded, not expecting there were even players who possessed first rank combat power at their level, moreover, a whole well-coordinated team; Even if they were merely first rank combatants who had only passed the Class B assessment, all their attributes could be increased by more than 10 points. Combined with the advantages of having higher levels, killing players below level 30 like Wang Qi and the others was extremely easy; Moreover, it seemed that these five were at least Class A or even Class A+ players. Any of these attributes could crush anyone in Wang Qis group; Tulu, is there any fun in driving them like this? Do you really think they can make it deeper into the Valley of the Undead? A lazy archer shot an arrow ahead and said somewhat discontentedly. Its just for a little extra insurance. With them scouting the path ahead, wouldnt it make things easier for us? a man with animal ears shrugged indifferently and said, If youre willing to take the lead, I dont mind just killing these guys now! Just based on these God-favored ones? Hmph, I think they will die from the poison fog before they even reach half the way! The archer pursed his lips and said, but he didnt complain any further. These God-favored individuals sure have great potential. In just a few short months, they have almost reached level 30. If we let them grow, they would pose too great a threat to us! A man wearing fluffy animal skin clothes stroked the black giant wolf by his side. In his eyes, which lingered on Wang Qi and the others, there was a deep killing intent; Why else would they be called God-favored? People who are favored by the gods I can see that they are almost unable to hold on. Huh! Theyve found a Shadow Forest! Thats a great find! Just this Shadow Forest alone, our trip wouldnt be a loss! Hurry up and keep up! Cant let them get away; their equipment is pretty good, and losing even one of them is our loss! Hmph, where else can they run? Weve blocked their way back, and running deeper is suicide. Theres no need for us to do anything; theyll be poisoned to death! Wang Qi looked at his companions around him. They were all injured, and their vitality was less than half. They were all relying on Advanced Healing Potions to hold on. However, Advanced Healing Potions also had a cooldown time, and the Heavens Disaster Poison Fog currently stacking on them made the effect of these potions weaker and weaker; Theres a forest up ahead! Lets go quickly! A player wearing a robe suddenly pointed ahead and shouted loudly. Ziqiang, are you thinking about summoning a Tree Shepherd? One of his companions beside him, with brightened eyes, shouted; Thats right, my class is Tree Shepherd! Im invincible in a forest! Zhang Ziqiangs face was filled with excitement. Hurry up! Try to stall for time. The Alliance leader will definitely come and save us! Wang Qi shouted loudly; Since Song Jian was in the Undead Tower, he had been cut off from all contact methods, and they couldnt even get in touch with him; Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The group quickly rushed into the Shadow Forest. Ancient Shadow Tree! Great! The quality of the trees here is extremely high. Perhaps we can summon a golden Ancient War Tree! Zhang Ziqiang touched a huge tree that required several people to embrace and excitedly roared; After a series of incantations, the Ancient Shadow Tree that Zhang Ziqiang touched suddenly shook violently. An old face appeared on the sturdy trunk, and the branches coiled together, forming two robust arms. The roots buried in the ground became two stout legs, struggling to climb up from the soil; Ancient War Tree of Shadows, I salute you, great master! The resurrected tree-man roared and knelt on one knee before Zhang Ziqiang; Chapter 697: Assassination Chapter 697: Chapter 697: Assassination Summoned by Zhang Ziqiang, this Ancient War Tree Shadow stood over ten meters tall, and upon seeing its attributes, a shocked expression appeared on Zhang Ziqiangs face. My God, I can actually control such a colossal tree man! First-stage combat power, haha! This Ancient War Tree also possesses first-stage combat power. My God, I cant believe I can actually summon a tree man with first-stage combat power! Zhang Ziqiang exclaimed excitedly. Dont just gawk, quickly make your tree man fight these people. Also, everyone, give Zhang Ziqiang all your Mental Strength recovery potions! Wang Qi urged nobly. First-stage combat power, haha! This Ancient War Tree also possesses first-stage combat power. My God, I cant believe I can actually summon a tree man with first-stage combat power! Zhang Ziqiang exclaimed excitedly. Understood, Vice Alliance Leader. As long as we can defend this place, Im certain we can hold on until the Alliance Leader saves us! With renewed confidence, Zhang Ziqiang controlled the Ancient War Tree and charged towards the five-member team. Boom, Boom, Boom The Ancient War Shadow moved towards the group, and after drinking a bottle of Mental Strength recovery potion, Zhang Ziqiang placed his hand on another robust Ancient Shadow Tree. An Ancient War Tree? Dammit, they have a Tree Shepherd among them! Tulu changed color and swore softly. Its not an ordinary Tree Shepherd, the Ancient War Trees he has summoned all have first-stage combat power! Salin, the archer, exclaimed surprisedly. What, he can summon beyond his level? No, this should not be his unique ability, it should be the Shadow Forest being unusual! We need to be careful! No worries, look at them, they only have one Godfavored with the profession of a Tree Shepherd. How many Ancient War Trees can he summon? You all hold these tree men back, Im going to eliminate other Godfavored! Then an individual holding a dagger appears with a cruel smile, and his figure gradually faded out of sight. Suddenly, three Ancient War Trees came roaring out of the Shadow Forest. Ive reached the Summoning Limit! Normally, I could summon five tree men Zhang Ziqiangs face turned pale as he went. Itll do, three Ancient War Trees with first-stage combat power should be able to hold up for a while. Ziqiang, you take a break first, Wang Qi said. Even with Mental Strength healing potions, using up all his Mental Strength three times in a row would put tremendous strain on Zhang Ziqiangs body. Hey, they are one fewer now! One person is missing! One of the players seemed to have found something and raised his voice to alert others. A chill ran through Wang Qis heart, and he immediately shouted, Everyone, huddle up. They have an Assassin who can turn invisible, hunters, releases flares, Shadow Warlocks summon the Eye of the Demon, Priests release Light of Purification Mutula, you resist one tree man, Miss, your pet also resists one, Salin, you lead one away, walk far, lets first kill a tree man together! Kulu instructed. Perhaps before we kill one, Lachi can finish them all! Salin aimed her arrow at an Ancient War Tree. It seems they have discovered something, looks like they know of Lachis profession, and they are deploying invisibility-breaking skills! Miss was ever so curious, shivering as she stroked the black giant wolf by her side, donned in her furry beast hide. There are more than twenty of them, can Lachi kill all of them alone? Mutula, a sturdy figure dressed in plate armor, said worriedly. No need to kill all, just have to kill that Tree Shepherd. Kulus mouth curled into a cruel smile. If they expected Lachi to kill all these twenty or so Godfavored, some of them might have doubted Lachis ability. However, if the task is only to assassinate a Tree Shepherd, they have a hundred percent faith in him. However, this point seemed to be clear to Wang Qi and his crew too. They circled Zhang Ziqiang, who was the center of attention. Only if Zhang Ziqiang was alive, they would have the chance to wait for Song Jians support. If Zhang Ziqiang were to die, the odds of winning against this five-member team were less than grim. Among the twenty or so, nearly half were close-combat professions, including six Sword and Shield Guardians. Since they followed Song Jian into the Valley of the Undead, the professions chosen by Wang Qi were mostly tough and highly resistant, making them capable of enduring longer periods in the Valley. The six Sword and Shield Guardians formed a ring around Zhang Ziqiang, and the other close-combat players around them. Further inside were some hunter, mage, and other attack professions, though they were few. Even further inside were the priests with healing professions, and Zhang Ziqiang was at the very center. Attempting to bypass everyone else to kill him was virtually impossible. Just at this moment, a gory trail gushed out at the neck of a Swordman on the outermost ring. His Vitality Points plummeted, and he shouted, Someone attacked me! Lachi, a first-stage combat power Assassin, had very potent attacks. This strike almost halved the Vitality Points of this 28-level Swordman. Maintain the formation, mages attack, hunters mark, priests quickly heal! Wang Qi shouted. This was a standard method of hunting bosses, but the person in front of them was far more challenging than any boss with a first-stage combat power. Firstly, the priest shielded the Swordman, and then started using Rapid Healing. Just then, smoke billowed out from the semi-visible Lachi, and when the clouds cleared, Lachi was nowhere to be seen. Hunter? Wang Qi bellowed. He vanished too quickly, we couldnt mark him! Two hunters wore a grin of bitterness; the opponent had seized the initiative too perfectly. Just in the moment they were about to raise their hand and release their skills, Lachi had cast a skill that resembled smoke cover, obstructing their sight. If they couldnt visually lock onto Lachi, it would be impossible to cast the mark. Just then, a grappling hook shot out from an Ancient Shadow tree and went around Zhang Ziqiangs neck. Instantly, Zhang Ziqiangs face turned red, he gripped the rope with both hands and struggled to break free. Soon after, a strong force yanked Zhang Ziqiangs body off the ground and sent him flying towards Lachi, who was standing on the Ancient Shadow Tree. This happened too fast, all within a moment. Everyone else had no time to react; by the time they noticed, Zhang Ziqiang was already in mid-air. Ziqiang! Wang Qis eyes were filled with compelling fury. With Zhang Ziqiangs Vitality Points, he would not survive an attack by a first-stage combat power Assassin. It was almost certain that if Zhang Ziqiang fell into Lachis hands, a single combo would kill him instantly. Without needing Wang Qis commands, the two mages and some distant professions fired their skills as they targeted Lachi who was on top of the Ancient Shadow Tree. Moreover, a bright red arrow marking appeared above Lachis head. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 698: The Effect of the Poison Fog Disappears Chapter 698: Chapter 698: The Effect of the Poison Fog Disappears A brutal smile spread across Lachis face. His left hand clung to the lock, while his right hand gripped a dagger with a sharp tooth over a foot long. With a ferocious stomp of his foot, he dashed towards Zhang Ziqiang who was flying towards him. Both of them toppled onto a sturdy tree branch. Zhang Ziqiangs Vitality Points were less than a thousand. Lachis attack caused his Vitality Points to plunge to under half instantly. Two critical hits popped above Zhang Ziqiangs head, making him feel the touch of death brushing his nose. Void! A faint yell rang out from the crowd. A mage clad in a grey robe waved his Magic Staff and Zhang Ziqiangs body was cloaked in a light grey haze, fading into a phantom-like presence. Immune, immune, immune All of Lachis attacks were nullified. Looking at Zhang Ziqiang, who now had less than one-tenth of his Vitality Points, a hint of regret flashed across Lachis eyes. If only one more critical hit had landed, he would be dead now! Lachi cursed inwardly. Void could confer immunity against all damage, lasting for 10 seconds. Lachi knew hed likely missed his best chance to kill this Tree Shepherd. Instantly, he retracted the rope, leaping onto another Ancient Shadow Tree, disappearing from sight once more. After reappearing from the Void, Zhang Ziqiang looked at his remaining tenth of Vitality Points with lingering fear. This was his closest brush with death. He wished to return to the crowd, but being in the state of Void made him immobile, forcing him to wait out the skill duration. Priests, time it right. That Assassin is nearby. Dont give him another chance to strike! Wang Qi yelled. Understood! Three priests responded, sweat dripping from their foreheads. A glance at one another revealed mutual tension. The enemy Assassin was putting immense pressure on them. No one could say they would undoubtedly rescue Zhang Ziqiang from his enemys hands. Wang Qi knew the Assassin must be hiding near Zhang Ziqiang, waiting for the Void skill to end. The storm of attacks that would follow would be overwhelming. Wang Qi wasnt confident that he could save Zhang Ziqiang in time. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If only Song Jian was here! Wang Qi couldnt help thinking. Zhang Ziqiang also knew the formidable Assassin must be lurking nearby. His mind was fraught with tension. With his current Vitality Points, forgetting the Assassin, even the Valleys Catastrophic Poison Fog could kill him in a few seconds after the Void ended. Three, two, one, release! Wang Qi yelled warningly. The moment the grey mist around Zhang Ziqiangs body disappeared, a priests Light Shield enveloped him. At the same time, a flash of white Rapid Healing light fell on him, instantly boosting his Vitality Points from less than a tenth to about half. At that moment, everyone suddenly screamed, Watch out, Ziqiang, hes behind you! Zhang Ziqiang spun around and just a fraction of a second later, a metallic glint appeared in his vision C Lachis counterattack. This time, it was clear that Lachi was intent on delivering a killing blow. The Void skill could not be used consecutively and was currently cooling down for a minute. Whoosh~ Another healing light flashed above Zhang Ziqiang, instantly restoring his partially-healed Vitality Points to full. Among the three priests, one gave a shield to Zhang Ziqiang, another used an immediate healing skill with moderate healing power, and the remaining one used a skill that required chanting but offered extensive healing. Combining their efforts, they successfully healed Zhang Ziqiangs Vitality Points to full before Lachi could strike again. However, even with his Vitality Points fully restored, Zhang Ziqiang would not be able to hold on for long against Lachi. A combo attack could instantly kill him. Zhang Ziqiang watched as Lachis dagger struck twice, piercing through the priests Light Shield and into his chest, but he remained unflustered. Twig Activation Skill, Twig Entwining Skill, Twig Restraint Skill! Zhang Ziqiang unleashed three skills in a flash, instantly draining more than half of his Spirit Points. On the Ancient Shadow Tree where Lachi stood, two robust twigs creaked as they extended, like two arms restraining him from behind. Following that, five or six slimmer twigs snaked towards Lachi, wrapping him completely. Zhang Ziqiang had already reached the limit of how many Tree Shepherds he could summon and couldnt summon another Ancient War Tree. But this limit didnt apply to some other activation skills. Seeing Lachi restrained, Zhang Ziqiang finally let out a breath of relief, clutching his wound while he jumped down from the Ancient Tree, and returned to the crowd. Well done, Ziqiang! Wang Qi said, giving Zhang Ziqiang an enthusiastic pat on the shoulder, exclaiming excitingly. The three Ancient War Trees Zhang Ziqiang had summoned would not disappear as long as he stayed alive. Lachi was temporarily immobilized, so all the long-range fighters unleashed their most potent skills on him, one after another. Youre all going to die! An angry expression twisted Lachis face as he let out a furious roar. A golden light burst out from his body, instantly shredding all the twigs binding him, in a surge of frigid qi. Boom, boom, boom~ All the ranged attacks hit Lachi one after another. However, they caused no damage. The golden light emanating from his body actually blocked all forthcoming attacks, creating an invincible effect similar to Zhang Ziqiangs Void. In the midst of this, Zhang Ziqiangs expression suddenly changed as he shouted, Theyve downed one of the Ancient War Trees! All of them felt their hearts lurch at this. To their shock, Lachi leaped forward, charging straight at more than twenty players. He was preparing a single, powerful attack, aimed directly at more than twenty players. Ziqiang, quickly summon another Ancient War Tree! Wang Qi yelled anxiously. Zhang Ziqiang pressed his hand against an Ancient Shadow Tree, teeth gritted, a regular Tree Shepherd soon emerged, struggling to rise from the soil, with thunderous rustling. This this is just an ordinary Tree Shepherd, not an Ancient War Tree! Zhang Ziqiangs face turned pale, a trace of despair flashing in his eyes. A regular Tree Shepherd, both in level and tier, couldnt surpass its summoner. This Tree Shepherd was only a level 28 Silver Quality creature, not possessing any Combat Power. Zhang Ziqiang could summon a more significant number of these beings, but it would not be as helpful as one Ancient War Tree with Combat Power. After witnessing Lachis horrifying damage, Zhang Ziqiang no longer dared boast, In the forest, I am invincible. He now had this feeling, that even if he could turn all the Ancient Shadow Trees of the forest into Tree Shepherds, it would still not be enough to stop Lachis assassination attempt on him. Just then, a violent tremor came from deep within the Valley of the Undead. A surge of qi swept across the entire valley. The Ancient Trees in the Shadow Forest shook violently, rustling loudly. Wang Qi was surprised to find that the accumulation of the three tiers of Catastrophic Poison Fog had mysteriously disappeared. Moreover, Song Jians voice echoed in his ears. Chapter 699:Departure Chapter 699: Departure Wang Qi, lead your men to retreat deeper into the Valley of the Undead! Song Jians voice echoed in Wang Qis ear. Brothers, our Alliance Leader is coming to reinforce us. Follow me and retreat deeper into the valley, Wang Qi shouted. The effect of the poisonous fog has dissipated, were no longer losing Vitality Points! someone exclaimed. Retreat quickly, quickly! This tree-man wont hold out much longer! Zhang Ziqiang also started yelling. Inside the Undead Tower, Song Jian first shut off the Transmission Array in the valley, then one by one he granted access to Wang Qi and the others, preventing the Catastrophe Poison Fog from affecting them. Then, he increased the effects of the Catastrophe Poison Fog to the maximum, changing it from a loss of 1 Vitality Point every 5 seconds to losing 30 Vitality Points every second on the periphery. Near the Undead Tower, Vitality Points fell by a whopping 80 points per second. Even the most robust among them perhaps couldnt last long here. This entirely precluded strangers from entering the Valley of the Undead. However, this also significantly increased the consumption of the Catastrophe Poison Fog. Originally, the Catastrophe Poison Fog could exist continuously for 24 hours. But now, the Catastrophe Poison Fog can only last eight hours, after which it will enter a cooldown time. Only after another eight hours could it be activated again. Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Saramo, take control of the Undead Tower here, cause unlimited trouble for these few people. Better yet, annihilate them. Im going to assist my friends! Song Jian instructed. Honored, great master! Saramo, now restored to the form of an undead skeleton cloaked in a black cape, replied respectfully. At this time, Song Jian had full control over the Undead Tower, becoming the lord of the entire Undead Valley. But to manipulate the entire Wangling Valley, he needed to stay on the seventh floor of the Undead Tower. Wang Qi and his part were suffering continuous defeat. The Ancient War Tree could no longer hold off the five-man team. If Song Jian didnt step in to help soon, Wang Qi and the others would quickly be caught. It would then turn into a massacre. My third tree-man has been killed. I now only have one Ancient War Tree left and its Vitality is less than half. Zhang Ziqiang, looking grim, said to Wang Qi. Dont panic. Our Alliance Leader is on his way, when he arrives, well be safe! Wang Qi said helplessly. Their only hope was now placed on Song Jian. But, our Alliance Leader has only just stepped into the first rank of Combat Power. The five people behind us are all of first rank Combat Power. Five to one, our Alliance Leader doesnt stand much chance! a player hesitated. The combat strength of the five people behind them was truly terrifying, causing some of the players from the City of Hope Alliance to shiver. Wang Qi also had no confidence, but he could only forcefully say: The Alliance Leader now controls the entire valley, he must have a way to deal with them! Right now, their only hope was to rely on Song Jian, they had no other way. There are ancient trees up ahead, lets go there. Ill summon some more tree-men to delay them! Zhang Ziqiang spotted a few large trees ahead, his eyes lit up and he shouted. When they reached these large trees, Zhang Ziqiang discovered that although they were old, they were not Ancient Shadow Trees. Even if he did summon, he feared he wouldnt be able to summon the Ancient War Trees that had first rank Combat Power like before. Zhang Ziqiang gulped down a potion to restore his Mental Strength. He was already feeling dizzy and understood that frequent use of the restoration potion had backfire effects. If he were to continue like this, he might suffer permanent damage to his mental attributes. However, now, in order to escape, he disregarded all this. Zhang Ziqiang placed his hands on two of the ancient trees and chanted the summoning spell. In a short time, both trees turned into tree-men, struggling to rise from the ground and guarding Zhang Ziqiangs rear. Zhang Ziqiang glanced at the two tree-men, his eyes showing disappointment. Indeed, the summoned beings were only Level 30 Giant Tree-men, devoid of first rank Combat Power. After summoning two Giant Tree-men, Zhang Ziqiang didnt stop. He continued to summon and quickly, five towering tree-men over ten meters in height appeared before everyones eyes. However, the previously summoned Ancient War Trees possessing first rank Combat power had all been killed by the pursuing five-man squad. Zhang Ziqiangs Mental Strength once again depleted, he felt dizzy, even standing was becoming difficult. But in his heart, he felt pity for the previous Ancient War Trees. It should be known that these summoned Ancient War Trees could have had the opportunity to sign a contract with him and become his guardian tree-men, but now they had all been obliterated. Support Ziqiang, lets move swiftly! Wang Qi instructed two Sword and Shield Guardians to support Zhang Ziqiang and the group continued to flee deeper into the valley. The five Giant Tree-men that Zhang Ziqiang had summoned were left behind as rearguards. These rats have summoned five more tree-men, dammit! Lachi looked irritable. He hadnt managed to kill Zhang Ziqiang, which was a blow to his ego. After all, their opponent was a group of newcomers who hadnt even reached the first rank of Combat Power. Even if Lachi charged head-on, he had a chance to kill them all. Damn it, why is the effect of this Catastrophe Poison Fog so intense? Im losing thirty-five Vitality Points per second? We still arent too deep in the valley, why is our Vitality decreasing so horrifically! Salin, the archer, suddenly screamed. She took out a healing salve from her bosom and took a gulp. The others responded similarly and detected that their Vitality Point losses had significantly increased. How can this be? It would appear as if the group ahead doesnt seem to experience much Vitality loss. Were barely able to hold on, how come they seem fine? This is too strange. By all means, they couldnt have lasted until now. This frightful rate of Vitality loss, even Mutula couldnt stand it for long! Miss ran her hand over her fluffy fur coat, a white light radiated out, and her Vitality loss speed significantly dropped. Kulu, I cant hold on any longer, cant continue the pursuit. My Vitality Points have already dropped to less than half. If we continue, even if we kill them all, Im going to be left here to become an undead creature! A touch of impatience crossed Lachis face. Among everyone, his Vitality Points were the lowest. He was already struggling to keep up. Damn it. Lets go back and report the situation here to the Captain. I think just the Shadow Forest can earn us quite a bit of military merit! Kulu touched a piece of dark grey wood in his pocket and shook his head. The dark grey wood was Shadow Wood, a spoil of war obtained from killing the Ancient War Tree, an evidence that could back up their claims. The group reluctantly glanced ahead and turned to rush in the direction of the Transmission Array. Chapter 700: 700: Slaying Chapter 700: Chapter 700: Slaying Theyve retreated, theyre not chasing us anymore! Haha, thats great! Weve finally managed to save our lives! Huh, why arent they chasing us? Theres no reason not to, could it be theres an even more powerful monster up ahead? Stop guessing. We were saved by the Alliance Leader. Just follow me and keep moving forward! Wang Qi looked irritably at his companion next to him and said. Zhang Ziqiang breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the five Giant Tree-men to return and guard this group of people as they continued their journey forward. The pressure those five individuals put on them was immense, so seeing them retreat gave everyone a sense of escaping a sure death. As they continued forward, it didnt take long for them to quickly reconvene with Song Jian. Song Jian had initially prepared himself for battle, but he didnt expect the Disaster Poison Fog to be so effective as to drive away the pursuers directly. Under Song Jians lead, everyone finally arrived at the base of the Undead Tower. My God, Shadow River, an entire Shadow River! Its the main ingredient for crafting Shadow Defence Elixirs! Only three drops of Shadow Water are needed for one bottle. How many elixirs could this craft! exclaimed a player with Alchemy as his life skill, looking awestruck. Shadow River water was the purest form of Shadow Energy and a superior ingredient for some potion crafting. The income from selling the water from this river alone could be massive, and its value lay not just in crafting Shadow Defence Elixirs. Just this river could probably nurture hundreds of Alchemy Masters. Look at the riverbed, what are those? Gems? someone pointed at the riverbed and shouted loudly. Theyre gems, gems that can be embedded into equipment! Haha, so many! Im gonna fill my equipment with gems! Look at that mountain! It is full of Shadow Stones, and they are of the highest quality! We need lots of miners, we have to encourage Alliance members to quickly improve their Mining Skills! Looking at the players in the Alliance thrilled by the abundant resources, a smile spread across Song Jians face. Once they secure the Valley of the Undead with plentiful resources, the strength of the Alliance would greatly improve. Not only would they be able to upgrade to a city-level, his Sword Spirit would presumably birth quickly as well. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sword Core An image emerged in Song Jians mind once again C a man alone with a sword, facing thousands of soldiers, and a tiny Sword Core killing hundreds of monsters from hundreds of meters away. The scene of damage was so overwhelming that it left Song Jian still shaken to this day; he couldnt stop longing for it. With a thought, Song Jian returned to the seventh floor of the Undead Tower. Saramo was much more proficient in controlling the pivot of the Undead Tower than Song Jian, having done so for several years now. Saramo, whats the situation with those men? Song Jian asked. They have escaped to the Transmission Array, but they dont have the authority. They cant use the Transmission Array to leave! Saramo said respectfully. Be careful not to let them destroy the Transmission Array! Song Jian reminded. Rest assured, great master. The Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead is protected by Magic Rune Array. If they dare to attack the Transmission Array, they will suffer the backlash from the Magic Rune Array which would leave them no chance of survival! Saramo explained respectfully. Song Jian nodded, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes as he looked at Saramo. The Shackles Mark only lasts for a month. After a month, the Mark would disappear. When the time comes, Song Jian will have to make a choice: either offer Saramo a slave contract or kill him outright. Song Jian cant possibly stay in the Undead Tower indefinitely. If under Saramos control, it would be ideal. However, the Undead Tower is too crucial, and if Saramo were to have any devious plans, he could potentially manipulate it to cause the death of all members of the City of Hope Alliance in the Undead Valley. What a pity! Song Jian thought to himself. At the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead, a look of terror crossed the faces of Kulu and his men. They discovered that the Transmission Array in the Valley of the Undead seemed to have ceased functioning. Regardless of how they tried to operate it, they couldnt teleport out. What frightened them the most was, even after hiding here, the effect of the Disaster Poison Fog showed no signs of weakening. Why is this happening? Its not supposed to. Why would the Transmission Array shut down?! Lachi roared in anger. A look of despair flashed in his eyes. His Vitality Points had dropped to about one-third, and there were only two potions left to restore his Vitality Points. He couldnt hold on much longer. Damn it, the effect of this poison fog isnt weakening at all when we first entered, it only took one Vitality Point every five seconds Someone must be targeting us. They can control the whole valley! Whoever you are, stop hiding and come out! The group screamed in a frenzy, but in Song Jians eyes, it was nothing more than their futile struggle before dying. We are warriors of the Crow Legion from the 101 Gathering Area. If you spare us this time, youll gain the friendship of the 101 Gathering Area! Kulu suddenly shouted into the air. 101 Gathering Area? Song Jian squinted his eyes. He and the 101 Gathering Area were arch-enemies. They had thwarted his operations in Doomsday City several times, and he didnt expect to encounter their members here, of all places. It seems like the 101 Gathering Area is preparing the upgrade to a city-level too! Song Jian thought to himself. The 101 Gathering Area had been around for over a decade and had profound resources. Their advancement to city-level had been hindered by the Transmission Array building for a long time, and unexpectedly, they had successfully built one already. It seemed that it wouldnt be long before the 101 Gathering Area would become the 101 City. Since you are from the 101 Gathering Area, I cant let you leave alive even more! A hint of killing intent flashed across Song Jians eyes. He placed his hand on the control crystal and with a thought, the Disaster Poison Fog near the Transmission Array started to boil and formed a gigantic vortex above the five of them. Soon after, several tentacles, each hundreds of meters long emerged from the vortex, waving and intertwining towards the five individuals like octopus tentacles. Each of these tentacles possessed the power of a first-tier warrior, way beyond the capabilities of the now seriously injured Kulu and his men. A few minutes later, Lachi, the assassin, let out a dreadful scream before spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsing weakly. One after another, the rest also ended up as corpses. Just before dying, Kulu looked up at the enormous poison fog vortex above him with an enlightened look on his face, realizing that the person controlling the Undead Valley must be an enemy of the 101 Gathering Area. What a pity I cant pass this information to the leader A regretful look flashed across Kulus face just as he drew his last breath and passed away. Chapter 701: 701: Sword Core Chapter 701: Chapter 701: Sword Core The plan to develop the Undead Valley was soon under way; Wangling Valley was rich in resources, but it was impossible to sell them all at once. Doing so wouldnt fetch a good price. Song Jian instructed Wang Qi and the City of Sin to jointly develop the valley, and then left the matter in their hands. Half a month later, Song Jian acquired dozens of Level 30 Gold Grade weapons. Looking at the dazzling array of weapons in front of him, he couldnt help but feel a little extravagant; These weapons had average attributes, but were hastily purchased, so the sellers took advantage of the urgency. However, Song Jian, with his vast wealth, didnt care about this. In comparison to the resources of the entire Valley of the Undead, these were just a drop in the ocean; I guess Im a man with a mine at home now! Song Jian thought to himself as he touched the weapons; He took out the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, intending to birth a Sword Spirit in it first; After devouring more than a dozen Gold Grade weapons, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword successfully birthed a Sword Spirit; In the center of the blade, a faint dark red halo pulsed like a heartbeat, continuously absorbing and emitting light, transmitting it to every part of the sword; Song Jian detached a sliver of his consciousness, slowly connecting with the halo. Since the birth of the Sword Spirit required Song Jians blood nurturing during activation, it was not unfamiliar with him. Sensing Song Jians consciousness, the Sword Spirit of the sword actually moved closer to him on its own. A tendril-like light string touched Song Jians consciousness, and he instantly understood the Sword Spirits abilities; It even has an independent consciousness, and can learn sword techniques! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise; System: You have successfully birthed a Sword Spirit in the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. A newborn Sword Spirit can learn three sets of sword techniques. Please specify three sword techniques for it to learn, which must be ones you have already learned and mastered; System: Please continue to nurture the Sword Spirit of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. As the spirit grows, it can learn more sword techniques! Song Jian directly let the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Swords Sword Spirit learn the Broken Wing Dance, Sword Silk, and Sweeping Sword Style. Soon, he saw the sword perform the three sets of techniques on its own, without his control. What astonished him the most was that, as the Sword Spirit practiced these techniques, the skill proficiency of these three sets of sword techniques in his skill bar was slowly increasing; It can even improve skill proficiency! Song Jians face showed a hint of delight. After reaching the Tier 1 Combat Power, he had obtained twelve skill points. However, since none of the skill proficiencies were full, he had been saving up these points, not using them. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now that the Sword Spirit could practice sword techniques on its own and help him improve his skill proficiency, these skill points could soon come in handy. Once used, his strength might increase significantly; With a thought, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword flew to a corner of the room and practiced the sword techniques on its own. Song Jian took out the Golden Demonslaying Sword next; He continued to devour Gold Grade weapons to birth Sword Spirits, and in no time, the Golden Demonslaying Sword also nurtured a pale golden halo; This time, Song Jian specified the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, Tai Chi Sword Skill, and Light Strike as the three sword techniques. Then he controlled the Golden Demonslaying Sword to fly to one side and practice the techniques on its own, increasing its skill proficiency; Next, Song Jian let the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword devour all the remaining Gold Grade weapons to birth a third Sword Spirit. A pale green halo slowly pulsed, emitting joyful emotions towards Song Jian; Assign Flash Thunder Strike, Sacred Parry, and Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique as the three sword techniques! Song Jian instructed; Soon, the Verdant Crystal Wood Swords Sword Spirit mastered Flash Thunder Strike and Sacred Parry, but it could not imprint the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique on the sword; System: The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique is too high in grade for a beginner Sword Spirit to learn. Please upgrade the Sword Spirit to a higher level before learning; Song Jian paused, surprised that the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique could not automatically increase in proficiency. He then reluctantly gave up; Actually, the skill Song Jian wanted to improve the most was the Immortal Sword Body. However, although it was a core skill of a Sword Controller, it wasnt a sword technique and couldnt be learned by a Sword Spirit; In the room, sword Qi crisscrossed, and fierce winds howled. The three longswords occupied a corner each, continuously practicing the sword techniques they learned. Song Jian found that although he didnt need to control the swords, he could still maintain a connection with them at all times. If he wanted them to do something, a single thought would suffice, as if they were extensions of his body, without any delays; This power if used against an enemy, it would be a crushing force! Song Jians face showed a look of excitement. Controlling the three swords now was much easier than when he had used the Sword Control Skill to control the swords against enemies in the Assessment World. His Spirit Points consumption was almost negligible, as if he was physically controlling the swords; Most importantly, the power of the swords was several times stronger than when he used the Sword Control Skill. Previously, when using the Sword Control Skill, there would always be a brief pause when switching sword techniques, no matter how proficient he was. But now, the three longswords could independently perform their techniques, with no delays when fighting an enemy. However, conversely, each sword could only perform three sets of sword techniques. Moreover, the Verdant Crystal Wood Sword could only learn two sword techniques because the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was too high-grade and Song Jian didnt have a suitable alternative; To craft a Sword Core, I need a longsword with a Sword Spirit. I wonder what grade of Sword Core I can create when I combine these three longswords! A thought suddenly crossed Song Jians mind; Opening the Sword Core crafting interface, Song Jian combined the three longswords. Two phantom longswords appeared on the blade of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Next, he placed the combined sword in the crafting interface for the Sword Core; Soon, the originally dim crafting button lit up, indicating that it was ready to craft; System: Do you want to craft a Sword Core? Once the crafting process begins, it cannot be stopped, and the materials used will disappear upon completion; Song Jian glanced at the Sword Core after crafting, which looked like a ball of fog. The attributes displayed were Unknown. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to cancel the crafting; If he were to craft a Sword Core, he would want to make the strongest one possible. The combination of the three longswords was not the limit. Song Jian decided to wait until he had collected the entire set of longswords before attempting to craft the Sword Core; Just then, Song Jian received a system prompt; System: Your in-game time has reached six months. Do you want to leave the game? If you choose not to leave, your next departure time will be postponed to six months later in game time; Chapter 702: 702: Rejection Chapter 702: Chapter 702: Rejection Can I leave the game now? Song Jian was taken aback. Unaware, six months had passed in the game. This stirred up a sense of nostalgia in him. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian chose to leave the game. Before his eyes, he found out that instead of entering a virtual space for mission conclusion, he had returned directly to the real world. It appears that those so-called initial missions were merely benefits from the newbie period, only to aid players in adapting to the game world! murmured Song Jian. You finally came out! A voice suddenly echoed in the room. It was the middle of the night. The room was shrouded in darkness. Song Jian had just exited the game and his mind was caught in a momentary lapse. Otherwise, with his first level combat power, he wouldnt have missed another presence in his room. After leaving the game world, almost all the equipment couldnt be brought out, but the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Book of the Abyss integrated into his body could enter the real world with him. Add to that, Song Jian had completed the first-level combat power assessment mission. The added attributes had made him capable of exhibiting seventy to eighty percent of his in-game strength in the real world. Before, Song Jian was somewhat afraid that the large-scale city-wide arrest would pose a threat to him. But now, unless a nuclear bomb was used to wipe out his entire city, his current strength left him fearless of any threat from the real world. Councilor Wang? Song Jian squinted his eyes, as an image of a glasses-wearing military officer flashed across his mind. After the rapid enhancement of his spiritual properties, Song Jians memory power had greatly strengthened. He could instantly recall any incident that had occurred or any person he had met. Although he could only see the silhouette of the man in the darkness of the night without discerning any facial features, Song Jian was familiar with the mans voice. When he was in level twenty-plus, Song Jian had obtained a Holy Flame Pearl, the key to unlocking the Frost Cave instance. He had once encountered a group of soldiers while going to the Frost Cave. Councilor Wang was one of them. Unexpectedly, you still remember me! Wang Zi was surprised. He had only met Song Jian once and didnt expect that Song Jian would recognize him so soon after only uttering a sentence. Your strength is higher than we estimated! Wang Zi turned on the room light, looked at Song Jian, and said enigmatically. What is the reason for Councilor Wang visiting me so late at night? Song Jian asked, taking a seat at the couch in front of Wang Zi. His senses spread around like quicksilver, and he found out that all his neighbors were gone. In their stead were countless soldiers armed with guns, surrounding the place. By only looking at the numbers, there were probably more than five hundred soldiers. This made Song Jian a little surprised. This kind of manpower, just for him, was quite overwhelming. And that was only within his sensing range. He didnt know how many more were beyond that. Mr. Song, what do you think about our last proposal? Wang Zi asked with a smile. Song Jian glanced at Wang Zi. His level wasnt high, just twenty-one. In a time where most players were already at levels twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and even level thirty players had emerged, such a level was considered low. Opinion, haha, I dont have any opinion! Song Jian shrugged and sneered. Surrounding his home with this many men, they obviously had the intention to resort to force if necessary. If this was the case, then there was nothing much he could say to him. Mr. Song, we really are sincere in inviting you to serve the country! Councilor Wang exclaimed cheerfully. Is surrounding my place heavily with hundreds of soldiers your sincerity? Song Jian laughed. Wang Zi finally changed his expression. Song Jian had just come out from the game. How could he know that there were hundreds of soldiers outside? Wasnt a players strength supposed to decrease heavily when returning to reality from the game world? Wang Zi, also a professional, knew well that a large portion of a players strength comes from their equipment. When they leave the game world, their abilities decrease significantly. Some skills might even get weakened due to the decrease in personal attributes. As per his understanding, Song Jian was a melee professional, and his weapon was a one-handed sword. All sword skills required attribute support. Without equipment, his swordsmanship would lose its power. Even if his abilities were strong, they would be undermined. Why did he know immediately after coming back that there are so many soldiers surrounding him? Wang Zi adjusted his glasses and thought to himself, Could it be that he has developed a skill with scouting functionality? Mr. Song, as you know, this is merely a security measure. We wont really use it against you. Wang Zi said with a smile, We just want to request you to join the special squadron of the Southwest Military Region. Also, since I heard you are the guild leader of the largest guild in Doomsday City, we could let you be the squad leader of this unit. What do you think? The players that entered the game all used their real names. Since Song Jian was quite renowned in Doomsday City, it was very easy to investigate him. Therefore, Wang Zi knew much information about Song Jian. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not so good! Song Jian stood up and said to Wang Zi, If theres nothing else, I would like you to leave. I am preparing to rest. Wang Zis face turned grim, but he knew that Song Jian must have his own cards and confidence. Starting an argument now would only disadvantage him. Moreover, if it truly came down to a confrontation, Wang Zi didnt know how many soldiers would he have to sacrifice to catch Song Jian. The most likely outcome would be sacrificing hundreds of soldiers and letting Song Jian escape. Capturing a batch of players while they were still weak was the strategy of the Southwest Military Region. They had already recruited hundreds of players of various professions. However, there were still many players who refused to be recruited. These players were under strict surveillance. If thats the case, then Mr. Song, lets talk next time. Wang Zi managed a smile and turned to leave. Song Jian stood quietly, waiting for the moment when soldiers would storm in. But soon, he noticed the soldiers gradually retreating. They didnt rush in to arrest him. Only when the soldiers left did Song Jian startlingly realize that one-third of these soldiers were professionals. Although their levels werent as high as his, the lowest ones were still at level twenty-five. Song Jian gave a faint smile, shook his head, and turned to lie back down on his bed. A night passed without a word. Just as day broke, Song Jian opened his eyes forcefully and stepped out of his room. He looked back, a complex expression on his face. He probably wouldnt be coming back to this place again. Walking down the street, even though no one was bothering him anymore, Song Jian could still sense someone monitoring him nearby. However, the person was too far away to be detected. Just then, Song Jians phone suddenly rang. Chapter 703: 703: Fifty Million Chapter 703: Chapter 703: Fifty Million From the auction house? A smile emerged at the corner of Song Jians mouth. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A month had passed in the real world, and his two pieces of jewelry probably hadnt been sold yet. He wondered why the auction house was calling him now. Hello, Mr. Song, came the voice of the steward who had received him at the auction house. What can I do for you? Song Jian asked. The thing is, Mr. Song, there is a client who wants to purchase your two pieces of jewelry in advance. He has offered to buy them for 50 million! The steward carefully continued, We believe that even if these were auctioned off, they would not reach this price. We recommend that you sell the jewelry directly to this client. Fifty million? Song Jian was taken aback. The initial assessment from the auction house was 23 million for the two pieces. Even in a bidding war, it would not have exceeded 30 million. But now, someone was willing to almost double the price to buy these two pieces of jewelry. Song Jian was immediately puzzled. After a moment of thought, he asked, Does this person have any additional conditions? Yes, Mr. Song, he would like to meet you and invite you to dinner, the steward replied. Song Jian gave a slight smile, and said, Then sell it to him. Dinner is unnecessary, but I can chat with him face to face. Very well, Mr. Song! The steward hung up the phone. Shortly after, Song Jian received a message from his bank. Fifty million was directly deposited into his account, and the auction house didnt charge any fees. Soon, Song Jians phone rang again. Mr. Song, the money has been transferred to your card. Please check it. In addition, the client wishes to meet you at Tianxi Building. You can choose the time! Ive received the money. Ill be at Tianxi Building in an hour, Song Jian replied. Alright, Ill pass the message along. The client will meet you at Tianxi Building in an hour! The steward seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. An hour later, Song Jian stood at the base of the Tianxi Building. The Tianxi Building is probably a landmark building in Coastal City and the second tallest building there. Wanlong Group Song Jian murmured. When the steward from the auction house mentioned Tianxi Building, Song Jian already knew who the client was. Mr. Song, this way please, Mr. Gao has been expecting you! A man in a servants costume quickly came out to greet Song Jian. Song Jian nodded and followed him into Tianxi Building. Soon, the two took the private elevator to the eighteenth floor. A middle-aged man with a smiling face came over to greet them. Welcome, Mr. Song, Im Gao Da Nian. Please follow me! The Chairman of Wanlong Group, Gao Da Nian. Nice to meet you, Chairman Gao, Song Jian said with an unsurprised smile. Tianxi Building was owned by the Wanlong Group. Song Jian had suspected something might be up when he knew the meeting place was at Tianxi Building. Soon, the two arrived at a large hall. After some small talk, Gao Da Nian took out the two pieces of jewelry that Song Jian had sold at the auction house and asked, Mr. Song, these two pieces of jewelry are not ordinary. Can you tell me where you got them? Given Mr. Gaos capabilities, shouldnt you already know where that is? Song Jian replied with a smile. Those chosen by the game were not required to keep it a secret. Plus, as the gap between time in the game and the real world was getting shorter and shorter, many people who hadnt entered the game also knew of its existence. Many even hoped they could be selected to enter the game. This time, the time ratio between the game and the real world changed to six to one, and players time inside the game had noticeably increased. Clearly, the game was encouraging players to spend as much time in the game as possible to avoid causing too much disruption to the real world. Song Jian had noticed that Gao Da Nian was not a player. However, his demeanor had made it clear to Song Jian that he knew about the game. Doomsday City, correct? Gao Da Nian asked, playing with the two pieces of jewelry Song Jian had brought from the game. Yes, Mr. Gao. Did you request this meeting to learn more about the game? Song Jian asked. No. Gao Da Nian shook his head. Song Jian was taken aback as he had assumed that Gao Da Nian had asked to meet out of curiosity about the game. In fact, my understanding of this game might be no less than yours! Gao Da Nian smiled, gestured to someone standing behind him, and received a briefcase. Gao Da Nian opened the suitcase. Song Jian noticed several items inside, including a red potion, a ring emitting a green glow, a light blue ore, and others. These items all had the property of being able to be brought out of the game. Mr. Gao, are you collecting items from the game? Song Jian asked. Not just collecting. I want to go into the game! Gao Da Nian said, a fervent look in his eyes. Get into the game? Song Jian shook his head and said, Im afraid I cant help with that. I dont know how to enter the game. I was chosen because Song Jian told Gao Da Nian about how he first entered the game and then said, Since then, I havent seen that old man again! Ive said before, my knowledge of this game might be no less than yours! Gao Da Nian laughed after listening to Song Jian, It might even be more than yours! Oh, does Mr. Gao have a way? Song Jian raised an eyebrow. It seemed Gao Da Nian knew quite a bit! Have you ever heard of a game invitation card? Gao Da Nian asked. Invitation card? Song Jian slowly shook his head. He had never encountered such a thing in the game, and no one in his guild knew about it. However, he couldnt be sure if such a thing existed in the game, given the variety of items. I also heard about it from a friend. I havent seen one either, Gao Da Nian said, but he seemed very confident. Mr. Gao is interested in invitation cards? Do you know how to get them? Song Jian asked. Of course, the reason I invited Mr. Song to meet with me is that I hope you can help me. I want to get a game invitation card, Gao Da Nian said with a smile. That might be difficult, Song Jian remarked after glancing over at Gao Da Nian. Of course, its not going to be easy, Gao Da Nian laughed. He snapped his fingers and said to Song Jian, But the reward Im offering will surely satisfy you! PS: Something came up today, so there will only be two updates. The missing one will be made up for tomorrow. My apologies! Chapter 704: 704: The Fourth Long Sword Chapter 704: Chapter 704: The Fourth Long Sword Since Gao Da Nian had called Song Jian over, naturally, he had the ability to let Song Jian help him solve the problem of the invitation card. After a snap of his fingers, in a while, a long-haired girl walked in, holding a wooden box; Song Jian was stunned, the girl who looked to be in her early twenties was a player too. Moreover, her level was quite high, already at level twenty-nine. Furthermore, she was wearing three pieces of equipment brought out from the game world: a headband that emitted a blue glow, a brilliant blue gem embedded at the position of the forehead, a pair of green-quality wrist guards, and a green-quality belt; In the game, equipment that can be brought into the real world either would have a low quality and level or would be high-grade goods like the Book of the Abyss that Song Jian had. Its hard for regular silver-quality or gold-quality equipment to have the property to be brought out of the game; The girl curiously glanced at Song Jian, placed the wooden box on the table in front of him, then stepped back behind Gao Da Nian; Open it and see. If you can bring me a game invitation card, then its yours, Gao Da Nian signaled for Song Jian to open the wooden box; The wooden box was not locked. As soon as Song Jian lightly opened the wooden box, his eyes light up; The moment the wooden box was opened, a dazzling Dark Gold glow burst forth from the box; What reflected in Song Jians eyes was a long sword. As he gently stroked the spine of the sword, its properties instantly appeared before his eyes. Surging Wave Breaking Sword (Gold), one-handed sword, Equipment effect: Attack 91-108, Slow +3, Critical Strike +5, Penetration +5, Water-element Damage +40, 15% of the damage inflicted upon a target will restore the users Vitality Points. Special effect 1: Ownership (passive), the item absorbs the users essence blood for recognition, after recognition, the item cannot be destroyed, cannot be dropped, never wears out. Special effect 2: Growth (passive), this item is a growth-type equipment, starting level is level 1, obtaining battle experience and leveling up in battle, the higher the level, the stronger the item attributes are. The item level cannot exceed the users level. Equipment requirement: Level 1. Set: 1/5. Can it be brought out of the game: No This is, this is my set sword A surprising expression appeared on Song Jians face. Mr. Song, are you satisfied with the rewards? Gao Da Nian laughed. How did you know that I need this long sword at this moment? Song Jian suddenly realized that everyone seemed to know about his information. Mr. Song is the first person on the Doomsday City leaderboard. Many people hope to make friends with you, haha! Gao Da Nian laughed. I cant refuse this reward, Song Jian said. However, theres a question. This long sword cannot be brought out of the game, right? How did you get it out of the game? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To bring something that cannot be taken out of the game into reality, the cost is great! Gao Da Nian shook his head: Its cost is not less than that of a gold-quality equipment, but its not that theres no chance at all. If thats the case, then why didnt you contact me in the game? You know, I cant refuse this long sword! Song Jian glanced at the girl behind Gao Da Nian and said. This sword was not intended for you in the beginning! The girl behind Gao Da Nian said: This was originally meant to be given to Sister Dan Shut up! Gao Da Nians face sank, and he glared at the girl behind him. He apologized to Song Jian: The girl was reckless. I apologize for any offense it might have caused. Song Jian waved his hand and said, Im the one who took what wasnt meant for me. But Im sorry, this long sword is indeed very important to me! If so, can we continue the discussion? Gao Da Nian laughed. Yes, tell me, how can I get a game invitation card? Song Jian nodded and said; In the real world, there is an arena. As long as you defeat ten opponents in a row in this arena, you can get a game invitation card! Gao Da Nian said. This doesnt sound very difficult. Youre quite capable, buying one shouldnt be a problem, right? Song Jian said, surprised. But in reality, its very difficult! A bitter smile appeared on Gao Da Nians face: So far, no one has been able to obtain a game invitation card! Does this arena have any connection with the game? Song Jian was taken aback and suddenly asked. Its inextricably linked to the game! Gao Da Nian nodded and said: We even suspect that this arena is a part of the game! What? The game content can extend into the real world? Song Jian wore a shocked look on his face. Of course it can extend. How else did the long sword in front of you come out? The girl behind Gao Da Nian retorted. A thought flashed through Song Jians mind. Yes, not only the items, even the players themselves, arent they from the game world extending into the real world! I never really thought about this issue before! Song Jian shook his head. This arena appeared out of thin air. Not many people in Coastal City know about it yet. However, over a hundred people have died in this arena already! They were all skilled fighters invited from all over the world! Gao Da Nian said. Who were their opponents then? Song Jian asked. Monsters! A nostalgic look appeared in Gao Da Nians eyes, followed by a look of horror: Ive never seen such beings before. They, they They are all monsters from the game world. Some I recognize, some I dont even know what they are, but they are definitely monsters from the game world! The girl behind Gao Da Nian affirmed. Couldnt even you beat them? Song Jian cast a curious glance at the girl and asked. With the strength of this girl, plus her three pieces of equipment, Song Jian was sure that none of those so-called martial arts experts in this world could face off against her. No, each challenge will steadily increase the strength of the opponents. The first challenger randomly selects from monsters of levels 1 to 3, the second selects from levels 5 to 8, the third from levels 10 to 13, the fourth from levels 15 to 18, the fifth challenger is already at level 20, the sixth is at level 25. By the time of the seventh challenger, it is a level 30 monster The girl shook her head: The eighth challenger has never appeared before, so we dont know how many levels the eighth, ninth, and tenth challengers have! And their grades? Song Jian asked. All of them are elite bosses The girl said. Chapter 705: 705: Transaction Chapter 705: Chapter 705: Transaction All of them are monsters with elite BOSS strength! the girl said. From the first challenger? Song Jian asked. Yes, from the first challenger! Song Jian nodded. Even a level 1 elite BOSS was likely as strong as real-world professional fighters. Without a player status, without skills and equipment from the game, a regular person, no matter how tough, could only pass the first couple of stages. A level 10 elite BOSS would send players of the same level running in fear, let alone a regular person without any skills. However, it appeared that this girl knew about the seventh challenger, which probably meant that players had been competing in this arena before. A level 30 elite BOSS wasnt much to Song Jian, but the three challengers that followed could possibly be level 40 or above. Most importantly, it was likely that any BOSS above level 30 would possess Combat Power of the first order. Mr. Gao, this long sword isnt easy to come by, Song Jian murmured, brushing his fingers lightly over the cold spine of the sword in the wooden box, a wry smile on his face. This is a gold-quality set, forcibly brought out from the game world. My father wouldnt have offered it as a reward if not for the invitation card, the girl huffed. Ha ha ha ha, Miss Gao is right! Song Jian laughed uproariously. His hand on the hilt of the sword, he said to Gao Da Nian, Mr. Gao, I can accept your request and win ten consecutive matches to get you an invitation card, but I want to take this sword now. After all, the strength of the last three challengers is unknown. It might enhance my strength a bit, making it more likely for me to complete the task. What do you think? Well Gao Da Nian hesitated, glancing at his daughter. What if you take the stuff and dupe us? the girl cried out. Thatll require some gambling on Mr. Gaos part, Song Jian chuckled. The strength of the final three challengers in the arena is unknown. That I dare to accept this task is also gambling. Mr. Gao hiring me is also gambling. You can gamble on whether Id go back on my words and fail to complete the task after receiving the weapon. If Mr. Gao isnt willing, we can cancel the task or find someone else to do it! Finishing, Song Jian lightly pushed the wooden box in Gao Da Nians direction. At Song Jians action, Gao Da Nian paled and hurriedly waved his hands. Since we invited you, we naturally have faith in you, Mr. Song. Please accept the weapon. As for the arena challenge, when would Mr. Song be free? Ha ha, excellent. Mr. Gao is straightforward, and so am I! Song Jian instantly lifted the sword from the box, twirled it skillfully, and chuckled, Why delay? Is this afternoon a good time? Hearing that Song Jian planned to go to the arena that afternoon, Gao Da Nian let out a sigh of relief. His face relaxed, he nodded approvingly. Good, good. Mr. Song, you go and rest first. After lunch, well go to the arena. Song Jian nodded, stored the sword in his bag, and then turned to leave the room. Seeing Song Jians departure, Gao Da Nian let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair, the fatigue showing in his eyes. Dad, how could you agree to give him the weapon in advance! Gao Dongxin shook Gao Da Nians shoulder, complaining. Little Xin, be gentle. Your dad isnt a player. Dont shake my old bones apart! Gao Da Nian patted his daughters hand and shook his head with a smile. Dad, you havent told me why you gave him the weapon first. What if he Didnt he already promise? Gao Da Nian laughed. This afternoon, hes accompanying us to the arena What if he reneges at the last minute? So far, no one has been able to win ten consecutive matches. Didnt you hire a level 30 player before who couldnt even pass the 28th level BOSS in the 6th round? And thats supposed to be an expert! Gao Dongxin huffed. Well, that player was just unlucky to encounter a monster that countered his class. Otherwise, he should have made it through the seventh round Gao Da Nian replied. And all Song Jian has to his name is the level-35 mark? Youre sure he can make it to the final BOSS? Gao Dongxin grumbled. Only level 35? Gao Da Nian shook his head. Among the thousands of players in Doomsday City, there are less than ten who have reached level 30. The others have mostly just reached level 30. With the information we have, the battle experience required for leveling up beyond 30 increases geometrically. So, Song Jians level advantage isnt just one or two levels, but four or five. And he managed all this without the aid of a guild. Isnt that reason enough for us to place heavy bets on him? Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But the sword Did you notice his eyes when he pushed the sword forward a bit? Gao Da Nian suddenly asked. His eyes? Gao Dongxin hesitated, shaking her head. No, what I did! Gao Da Nian cut her off, saying, His eyes were determined! He fully expected to win. Determined? You mean Gao Dongxin exclaimed. Gao Da Nian hurriedly swung his hand in a zip-it motion before heaving a sigh. Who knew that hed Gao Dongxin muttered. Lets stop here and not mention this again! Gao Da Nian said. Take him to the arena this afternoon. I wont be going. That place is too bloody, seeing it once is more than enough Alright, Ill go with him this afternoon. I hope he ends up the same as the rest dead Gao Dongxin grumbled. Hmph, is that how you should be talking? You should be hoping that he wins! Otherwise, wouldnt we have spent our money for nothing? Be nice when you take him down there. Gao Da Nian huffed. Gao Dongxin stuck out her tongue, not daring to continue. That afternoon, Gao Dongxin drove Song Jian to the outskirts of Coastal City. Along the way, Gao Dongxin didnt give Song Jian a chance to chat, nor did she say a word. Song Jian sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, conserving his energy. After more than an hour, the two arrived at a rural estate. The estate looked like a holiday resort from the outside, full of new buildings seemingly just constructed. Here we are. The arena is inside. Follow me. Gao Dongxin parked the car and huffed as she walked towards the main building of the estate. Song Jian smiled faintly, unfazed by her attitude. After all, this was a mutually beneficial agreement. He had gotten closer to obtaining the Sword Core, which filled him with joy. Chapter 706: 706: Arena Chapter 706: Chapter 706: Arena After the fourth longsword was fused, another set attribute appeared: Attack +100, which greatly increased Song Jians damage output; Even with just a normal attack, he could deal six to seven hundred points of damage, and when up against those fragile professions who had not passed the first level of Combat Power assessment, two or three hits would be enough to kill them instantly; Song Jian and Gao Dongxin entered the mansion, and a man with a smile on his face immediately came forward to greet them; Miss Gao is here again, welcome, welcome. Are you here to challenge the arena again? Wang Shuyu said enthusiastically. This time my father invited an expert specifically to challenge the arena, Manager Wang, please arrange it. Gao Dongxin said expressionlessly. Wang Shuyu glanced at Song Jian, nodded slightly, and smiled: It seems like this is the expert brother, welcome, welcome! At this moment, a car drove into the estate from outside. Gao Dongxin took a look and immediately showed a hint of joy. Before the car stopped, Gao Dongxin rushed up to it. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sister Dan, why are you here too? Gao Dongxin happily exclaimed while holding the hand of a girl who had just gotten out of the car. Take it easy! Zhao Dan patted Gao Dongxins shoulder gently and said. Dont worry, Sister Dan, I am a Chosen One, nothing will happen to me. Gao Dongxin said with a grin. Im afraid youll damage my car! Zhao Dan said irritably. If I break it, Ill buy you a new one! Gao Dongxin laughed, Sister Dan, why are you here today? I heard that the Gao family is challenging the arena again, so I came to take a look! Zhao Dan laughed, Your father never gives up, huh? At least ten players have died at your hands just for that invitation card, right? No choice, who asked my good-for-nothing younger brother to be jealous of his sister? Gao Dongxin sighed. Zhao Dan laughed, At least with you around, if your brother becomes a player, you can take care of him a little. Not like us What about us? We still survived, didnt we? And we became strong! Gao Dongxin clenched her fists and said defiantly. Strong? Zhao Dan smiled and shook her head, If youre really strong, the Gao family wouldnt need to hire other players to get this invitation card. By the way, who did you hire this time? Sister Dan, youre so well-informed, dont you already know? Gao Dongxin chuckled and, without beating around the bush, pointed at Song Jian and said, Its him, Song Jian, the number one on the Doomsday City Level Rankings, impressive, right? Song Jian? Zhao Dans eyes lit up, and she exclaimed in surprise, You actually invited him? Hes not just the number one on the Level Rankings, hes also the leader of Doomsday Citys First Alliance. According to our analysis, his City of Hope Alliance might already have the qualifications to advance to a first-class city! Hmph, so what? He is still here just for a golden weapon, Gao Dongxin rubbed her nose and said, Such a person has limited ambition! A golden quality weapon? Zhao Dan frowned slightly, shook her head, and said softly, He doesnt lack golden-quality weapons. Perhaps if it were legendary or mythic, he might be tempted, but golden Really, Sister Dan, Im not lying to you! Gao Dongxin said anxiously, Its really a golden-quality longsword. Oh, right, its not just an ordinary golden-quality one, its part of a golden set! Golden set? Zhao Dans eyes showed a touch of relief. She nodded and said, No wonder. His current weapon is a golden set, and we suspect that he has already collected at least two set longswords Miss Zhao seems to know a lot about me! Song Jians voice suddenly rang out beside Zhao Dan; Aiyah, youre trying to scare me to death! Gao Dongxin exclaimed in surprise before glaring at Song Jian and rolling her eyes at him. I heard you guys seemed to be discussing me? Song Jian helplessly shrugged his shoulders. Gao Dongxin was momentarily at a loss for words, her face slightly flushed. She was enjoying the chat with Zhao Dan so much that she almost forgot that Song Jian was with her. Hello, my name is Zhao Dan! Zhao Dan smiled faintly and reached out her right hand; Song Jian shook her hand gently and said with a smile, Song Jian! Im really looking forward to Mr. Songs performance today! Zhao Dan said. Just fulfilling my obligations as requested by others! Song Jian laughed. Maybe we can collaborate with Mr. Song in the future, heres my card! Zhao Dan handed Song Jian a business card; Song Jian took it with both hands, glanced at it, nodded, and smiled, Lets first see if I can make it out of the arena alive this afternoon! After entering the mansion and waiting for more than an hour, Song Jian was taken to an elevator, which went down. Soon, Song Jian arrived in front of a Teleportation Gate. Teleportation Gate? Song Jian raised his eyebrows. In the game world, teleportation gates were not uncommon, but he didnt expect that they would appear in the real world as well, giving him a faint feeling of unease; As soon as Song Jian walked into the Teleportation Gate, he was surprised by the loud, chaotic noise. Judging by the sound, there were definitely not just tens or hundreds of people, but rather thousands of them, making heart-wrenching screams; What is this Song Jian said in astonishment. Hehe, these spectators are not real, just a kind of background presence. As long as the arena is open, these spectators will appear automatically! The guide by his side explained with a smile. Really? As Song Jian entered the arena, a minotaur came forward, looked him up and down, and laughed loudly, The arena has finally welcomed a decent challenger! This is the arenas receptionist, his strength is very high, so you should be very respectful to him. The man who brought Song Jian over whispered in his ear. As if hearing the mans words, the minotaur laughed loudly, No need to be so nervous, Im actually very easygoing too! The man looked a little embarrassed, and said to Song Jian, I can only bring you here, and for the rest, just follow this gentleman. After that, the guide walked towards a private room without looking back; Humans, such an interesting race, arent they? The minotaur split its big mouth and showed Song Jian a smile. Hello, my name is Song Jian, may I have the honor of knowing your name? Song Jian asked respectfully, bowing to the minotaur. Hahahaha! The minotaur laughed and said, Ive received many challengers, but none of them have ever asked for my name. Why do you want to know? Because I believe that the strong deserve respect! Song Jian said; The minotaur looked at Song Jian once again, smiled, and nodded, Youre right; the strong deserve respect! Then listen well, my name is Indra Ironhoof! Chapter 707: 707: Elite BOSS Chapter 707: Chapter 707: Elite BOSS Self-proclaimed as Indra Ironhoof, the minotaur leader was a level 50 powerhouse. Without him willingly disclosing his level information, even Song Jian might not have known his current level. Hes not just a level 50 powerhouse, the most important thing is, he also possesses a second-tier combat power! Song Jian secretly thought. Although the minotaur had not revealed any other information besides his level, just by the aura emitting from him, Song Jian could affirm that his adversary was a second-tier combat power contender. This was something he had witnessed firsthand when he was in the first-tier combat power Assessment World and encountered contenders with second or even third-tier combat power. Youre not bad either, I believe, today we might welcome the first challenger to defeat ten opponents! the minotaur chuckled. Hopefully! Song Jian responded with a smile. In no time, under the guidance of the minotaur, Song Jian reached the center of the arena. As he stepped into the arena, a strong scent of blood filled his nostrils. Looking around, stair-tiered spectator stands surrounded him on all sides. Spectators of various races were shouting at Song Jian inside the arena. Their collective roars were so loud that Song Jian could not discern what they were saying. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These arent just any audience Song Jian shook his head. All these individuals were characters within the game, appearing as NPCs in the players eyes. Above the stair-tiered spectator stands were private boxes which only real-world individuals could access. This preferential treatment aimed to favor native humans. At present, most of the boxes were already occupied. The reason for waiting over an hour before entering the arena was due to the need to inform these influential individuals to watch the arena match! In one of the boxes, Gao Dongxin was anxiously watching the fight below. Zhao Dan joked, Didnt you say you didnt care about that guy? I dont care if he drops dead! Gao Dongxin cried out. Im just worried that the rewards would be wasted. Hey, Dan, do you think we can retrieve our equipment if he dies? What are you thinking of? Zhao Dan responded gruffly. If he dies in the arena, let alone getting his equipment, you wont even be able to claim his body! Ah, I hope he lives up to the title of number one in Doomsday City. Otherwise, our Gao family will suffer a huge loss! Gao Dongxin sighed. Taking out equipment not designed to be taken out of the game came with significant costs. The Gao familys investment didnt just lie in a golden-quality longsword; if calculated properly, Song Jians expenditure on this occasion was worth at least an epic-grade piece of equipment. The arena was almost as big as a football field. Song Jian stood in the middle, waiting for a few minutes until he furrowed his brows. He felt like a monkey in a cage on display for people to watch. Soon, however, slow thuds sounded as the cage doors gradually opened and a giant, crimson-colored bat with wide wings started to fly out. This bat was as big as a cow, and although it had wide wings, it couldnt fly too high, only managing to hover about two or three meters above the ground. A Level 3 Elite Boss, the Bloody Bat-Winged Beast. This guy is really unlucky! Gao Dongxin shook his head. To him, it should be just a piece of cake. Theres a big level gap, so I dont think hell tangle with this Bat-Winged Beast for too long! Zhao Dan shook her head. If the first challenge is this tough, there will certainly be stronger Bosses appearing later Gao Dongxin said despairingly. Having already witnessed dozens of arena fights, Gao Dongxin had discerned some patterns: the stronger the Boss in the first round, the stronger the Bosses would be in the subsequent rounds within the allowed rules. The previously hired level 30 powerhouse from the Gao family was eliminated before even reaching the sixth round because a level three Twin-Headed Wolf Boss showed up in the first round. You should have faith in him. After all, hes the number one in Doomsday City, hehe! Zhao Dan laughed, her eyes sparkling. Hmph, if you knew the weapon that was supposed to be given to you was taken by this kid, Id like to see if you could still force a laugh. Gao Dongxin muttered under his breath. Suddenly, a dazzling Sword Qi appeared in the center of the arena, startling both of them. An instant kill? He actually instantly killed a Level 3 Elite Boss! Gao Dongxin jumped up from his seat, his face full of astonishment. Zhao Dan was also taken aback, a serious look on her face. She approached the railing of the stand to get a better view of the arena. At that moment in the center of the arena, the giant crimson bat was seven or eight meters away from Song Jian. Its body, however, had already been cleft into two, and its foul-smelling blood dyed the ground of the arena red. The stadium fell silent for a moment before erupting again in a far more intense cacophony of roars and howls. Click, Click, Click~ The cage doors on the opposite side slowly opened again without giving Song Jian any time to rest. The second Elite Boss rushed out. A Level 8 Ghost-Faced Vicious Bear Boss, even a five-member, level 10 squad might not be able to defeat it Zhao Dan exclaimed, a hint of surprise in her eyes. Today, the Bosses dispatched by the arena are all top-tier creatures! This gigantic black bear stood at over three meters tall. On its chest was a patch of white hair that looked like a grimacing ghost face. Dan, will he be able to persevere to the end? Gao Dongxin asked nervously. Zhao Dan slowly shook her head. I dont know. But if I were to fight this Level 8 Elite Boss now, Id probably have to make sacrifices to kill it. Dan, how is that possible? You are already level 30! Gao Dongxin expressed his surprise. But my attributes arent much higher than this Level 8 Elite Boss! Zhao Dan gave a bitter smile. Improving attributes in gaming was easy to say but incredibly hard to achieve. Attribute-enhancing treasures were outrageously expensive. Even though Zhao Dan had been using all her real-world money to buy Doomsday Coins, she had only managed to purchase ten Attribute Fruits over an extended period. This raised her intelligence attribute to over thirty points, but all her other attributes remained below ten points. The Ghost-Faced Vicious Bear now appearing in the arena had a high magic resistance. Not to mention needing to sacrifice something to kill it, even losing to it was a possibility. Roar~ Again, in the arena, another sword light gleamed brightly, followed by the anguished screams of the Ghost-Faced Vicious Bear. Another instant kill Gao Dongxin couldnt believe his eyes. Zhao Dan also let out a cry of shock. Both of them stood on the viewing deck, staring at Song Jian, who was still standing in the same spot as before, not having budged an inch. Chapter 708: 708: Items Dropped Chapter 708: Chapter 708: Items Dropped Third, fourth, fifth, sixth It was not until the seventh one, a Level 32 elite BOSS, that Song Jian got serious; This was a huge earth elemental, towering over three meters tall, its body made of solid rocks, its eyes were two large sapphires, and in the middle of its forehead, there was a diamond-shaped black crystal; Earth Elemental Leader Ulath (Elite), Level: 32; Vitality Points: 9800/9800; Special Traits: Super Defense, Damage Reflection; Its over, were up against a melee nemesis! despair appeared on Gao Dongxins face. Previously, Song Jian had taken down the lower-leveled bosses with ease which had thrilled Gao Dongxin, however, this newly appeared boss had challenged them twice before. Both previous times had ended with the same result: it reflected high defense and melee damage, irrespective of the attack. The two melee challengers were killed by the reflected damage. Song Jian primarily used his one-handed sword as his weapon, which gave Gao Dongxin the impression that he was a swordsman, a class of melee combatants. This earth elemental boss seemed to have a crippling effect on him. Maybe he can create a miracle? Zhao Dan comforted, but a trace of helplessness appeared on her face. Thats the risk of arena challenges. If a creature that you can suppress shows up, it doesnt matter if its higher level than you. But if you encounter a creature that suppresses you, your outcome is certain death; Thats why, even though Zhao Dan was already level 30, she hadnt thought about attempting to score ten consecutive wins. After all, the reward for ten wins was more than just a game invitation card; When everyone in the audience saw the seventh monster, an Earth Elemental Leader, they all started buzzing. They, too, knew that this boss was a melee nightmare, and this human challenger was in big trouble. Tear him to shreds, big stone, avenge your fallen comrades! This human is no match for you, take him down, Ill reward you with a magic crystal! The arena spectators could reward the combatants based on their performance, but it seemed that they knew that the challengers were all Earth humans, so none of them ever rewarded the human challengers. Their rewards went to the monsters that killed the challengers; Magic crystals were like a tasty treat for earth elemental, one of their favorite foods. But these magic crystals were expensive and difficult for them to obtain normally; The earth elemental moved slowly, shaking the ground with each step. The arena floor vibrated with its movements; A smirk appeared on Song Jians face as he summoned a meter high little stoneman beside him; Gulu, Gulu~ As soon as the little stoneman appeared, it hugged Song Jians thigh, mumbling as though upset about being left alone for so long; Alright little guy, its time for battle. Song Jian patted the smooth head of the little stoneman and smiled; Gulu Gulu~ Upon hearing about the battle, the little stoneman instantly became alert and turned to look at the Earth Elemental Leader approaching step by step; Seeing the form of the Earth Elemental Leader, the little stoneman looked down at itself, its eyes filled with confusion. Song Jian then brandished his sword, sending wave after wave of Sword Qi towards the Earth Elemental Leader, attacking it from a distance of five to six meters. Even so, he was still subjected to reflected damage, albeit weaker than close combat; Song Jian frowned and stopped attacking, instead, he gave a push off the ground and quickly retreated; The little stoneman also joined in the attack, throwing stone balls the size of a human head at the Earth Elemental Leader like bullets. But these rocks caused little damage, it could be said that the little stonemans attack was completely countered by the Earth Elemental Leader. Although the damage was insignificant, the little stoneman, following Song Jians command, continued to throw stones at the Earth Elemental Leader; See, hes not the Earth Elemental Leaders match. This monsters damage reflection is too powerful! Gao Dongxin looked at Song Jians rapid retreat, disappointment smeared across his face as he remarked. Not necessarily, look at his Sword Qi attack just now, it did quite some damage to the Earth Elemental Leader! Zhao Dan suggested. The higher his attack damage, the higher the reflected damage hell suffer. The Sword Qi attack is too short, even though it can weaken the reflected damage, how could his vitality points compare to that of the BOSS? Hell be killed by the BOSS eventually. Gao Dongxin sighed, saying. Why did he summon a little stoneman? Its hilarious. He did no damage, not even a minor disruption. Look, the Earth Elemental Leader doesnt even care about it! Zhao Dan pointed at the little stoneman and laughed. Its over, its over, we Gao family have really lost this time, both the lady and the army, a golden set weapon! Gao Dongxin gave out a howl, directly lying on the sofa, not wanting to continue watching. Just then, a quiet command echoed in the middle of the arena: Sword Control Technique! Hum~ He threw his long sword into the air. With a soft sound, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword instantly split into four long swords, flying towards the Earth Elemental Leader like meteors; Broken Wing Dance! Flash Thunder Strike! Sweeping Sword Style! Light Strike! Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Each long sword launched different sword techniques at the Earth Elemental Leader. At this point, Song Jian was at least twenty meters away, dividing his mind into four to control the four long swords as they continuously slashed at the Earth Elemental Leader; A series of critical damage floated above the Earth Elemental Leader, it roared in anger, its fists flailed at the swords flying in the air. But the mental control over the swords made them extremely agile, the leader couldnt touch them at all; This twist of events made the entire audience of the arena roar in rage, yelling at Song Jian in protest. Zhao Dan covered her mouth, her face full of astonishment as she looked at the arena. When the BOSSs vitality points dropped to half, it finally reacted and roared as it charged at Song Jian. Seeing the Earth Elemental Leaders bulky body rushing towards him, Song Jians face couldnt help but form a smirk; Sword Shadow Step! Song Jians figure turned into a cloud of black fog and swiftly retreated into the distance. The arena was spacious, it was impossible for the slow-moving Earth Elemental Leader to catch up with Song Jian. About ten minutes later, the Earth Elemental Leaders vitality points were finally depleted. Its massive body exploded, scattering countless shards of rock that covered an area of five to six meters around it.; Huh, whats this? Song Jian glanced at the scattered stones of the Earth Elemental Leader and found an item shimmering with a golden light, which intrigued him. PS: Thanks to Fiery Moon O Night for the gift of 100 star coins~ Chapter 709: 709: Fire Elemental Lord Chapter 709: Chapter 709: Fire Elemental Lord Weve won, weve won! Song Jian has won! Hahahaha! Gao Dongxin happily jumped up; It seems like I came at the right time, someone actually passed the seventh round! Zhao Dan whispered to himself. Song Jian picked up the golden item dropped by the Earth Elemental Leader, his face full of surprise. Killing a BOSS in the arena even drops items? But why didnt the previous BOSS drop any items? Song Jian found it strange and couldnt figure out the reason after thinking about it for a while. So, he decided to stop thinking about it and carefully studied the dropped item instead; Earth Elemental Crystal Core (Gold), Special Item. Usage effect: This is the essence of the Earth Elemental Leader, which can be used on flesh-and-blood creatures to turn them into Earth-attribute creatures. If used on Earth-attribute creatures, it will greatly enhance their quality! Is this prepared specifically for this little guy? Song Jian glanced at the bewildered little stone man beside him and thought to himself. Seeing Song Jian look at him, the little stone man happily called out, Gulu, Gulu~ Song Jian smiled slightly and handed it the Earth Elemental Crystal Core; The little stone man took the Crystal Core with a puzzled face, examined it left and right, tried to bite it a couple of times, had his eyes light up, and then stuffed it straight into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound; After eating, the little stone mans eyes became hazy, he yawned, lay down slowly, and shrunk into a stone ball about one meter in diameter; Before Song Jian could react, the stone ball turned into a white light and entered the Pet Space; Song Jian took a look and immediately received a system prompt; System: Your pet Stone Man is undergoing evolution, the evolution time is unknown. If you forcibly summon it during the evolution process, it will cause permanent damage to the pet; Song Jian just glanced at it and closed the Pet Space. The little stone man fell into evolutionary slumber, and the Black Dragon seemed to sense that Song Jian was viewing the Pet Space. It roared discontentedly; Dont worry, Ill let you out soon to get some fresh air. Song Jian sent a message to the Black Dragon and then withdrew his mind from the Pet Space; At this time, the bars on the opposite side had not yet opened, and angry curses came from the audience seats of the arena. Some people even threw garbage directly at the entrance of the bars, and in a short while, the entrance was filled with various trash; Perhaps unable to withstand the audiences noisy curses, the bars on the opposite side finally started to rise slowly, and a massive Fire Elemental Lord drifted out; The moment this Fire Elemental left the bars, the temperature in the entire arena increased by more than ten degrees, and the garbage that had accumulated at the entrance of the bars instantly ignited. In no time, it turned into a pile of ashes; Fire Elemental Lord, Level 35 Elite BOSS, Tier 1 Combat Power! Song Jian stared at the Fire Elementals attributes and whispered with a smile, A BOSS with Tier 1 Combat Power has finally appeared, huh! Song Jian had long anticipated that a BOSS with Tier 1 Combat Power would appear. Sure enough, it appeared right after the never-before-passed seventh round. Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This Level 35 Elite BOSS is the same level as Song Jian, he should be able to beat it, right? Gao Dongxin hesitated as she spoke. This isnt just a matter of level! Zhao Dans face showed a cautious expression as he said, You should have seen that this BOSS has Tier 1 Combat Power! Tier 1 Combat Power? What is that? Gao Dongxin wondered; Youre not Level 30 yet. When you reach Level 30, youll receive a mission to assess Tier 1 Combat Power! Zhao Dan explained, This mission is very difficult, even the simplest C-rank task might take several years to complete! Several years? Gao Dongxin exclaimed, Why is it so hard? Thats also the reason why I havent taken the assessment yet! Zhao Dan glanced at Gao Dongxin and continued, Even a player who has only passed the C-rank assessment can crush players of the same level who havent passed the assessment! What, crush? How is that possible! Gao Dongxin exclaimed; Do you know the rewards for passing the assessment? Zhao Dan questioned, Its an all-property reward, equivalent to an increase of dozens of attribute points. If you can pass B-rank, or even A-rank, not only are there all-property rewards, but also skill points, profession skill books, and rare Skill Books! Gao Dongxins mouth was agape, her face showing a shocked expression. Then, as if realizing something, she looked at Song Jian; He, he Gao Dongxin pointed at Song Jian; Youre right, he must have passed the Tier 1 Combat Power assessment, and at least an A-rank one at that, or even an A+ rank Zhao Dans eyes showed a complex look as he watched Song Jian, who was relentlessly fighting the Fire Elemental Lord in the arena; This Fire Elemental Lord was far stronger than the previous Earth Elemental Leader, most importantly, in its hand was a burning hammer radiating scorching heat. Even though Song Jian deployed the Sword Control Skill and attacked it simultaneously with four long swords, the Fire Elemental Lord still blocked all the attacks with its flawless hammer technique; Clang, clang, clang, clang~ Brilliant sparks exploded continuously in the air from the four long swords. Each impact sent a trembling sensation through Song Jians mind, with 30-40 points of damage floating above his head; Fire Elemental, huh! Song Jian wiped the blood from his nostrils and, with a thought, had his four long swords simultaneously launch the first move of Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Evening Snowflakes; In an instant, the entire arena was filled with snowflakes as thick as goose feathers, and a thick layer of snow accumulated on the ground. The flurry of snowflakes swayed in the wind along with the constant movement of the four long swords. In a short time, four snow dragons fluttered in the air of the arena and pounced on the Fire Elemental Lord; Boom~ The four snow dragons slammed into the Fire Elemental Lord, extinguishing its blazing flames in an instant, and even covering its surface with a layer of frost. Four critical hit damages of over a thousand points floated above the Fire Elemental Lords head, making it look like a Snow Elemental Lord rather than a Fire Elemental one. Only one of the four long swords was engraved with the Evening Snowflakes of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, the other three were conjured by Song Jian. The consumption was also quite high for him, but now that the Fire Elemental Lord was suppressed, it was time to strike while the iron was hot. Song Jian gritted his teeth and went all out with his full power, making the four long swords fly up and down around the ice-covered Fire Elemental Lord. The bursting Sword Qi continuously slashed at it, with several hundred points of damage floating above the Fire Elemental Lords head; Chapter 710: 710: Self-Destruction Chapter 710: Chapter 710: Self-Destruction Snow and fire counteract each other. If Song Jian were to only use a long sword to execute Snowy Dusk, the sword qi of snowflakes appearing for an instant would be immediately reduced to nothing by the fire of the Fire Elemental Lord. However, using four long swords simultaneously to employ Snowy Dusk puts the Fire Elemental Lord at an immediate disadvantage; The surface flames are extinguished by the snowy sword qi, but an endless amount of fire elemental power still resides within the Fire Elemental Lord; The more suppressed it gets, the more fiercely the continuing fire elemental energy within its body responds. With the snow and ice piling on, Song Jians remaining Spirit Points are already insufficient to deploy four sets of Snowy Dusk simultaneously; But it is no problem just using a single long sword. At this time, snowflakes began to drift again throughout the entire arena. Although the power was much weaker than when the four swords were used together, and it was no longer able to gather a snowy dragon, these injuries are more than enough for the Fire Elemental Lord, now covered in snow, to contend with; Snowy Dusk, Snowy Dusk The four long swords successively employed Snowy Dusk: the accumulated snow on the ground of the arena now reached Song Jians knees and the Fire Elemental Lord was covered in a massive ball of snow, unable to even swing the flaming hammer in its hands, unable to oppose the four long swords in any way; As instances of Snowy Dusk are continually unleashed, Song Jian seems to reach a profound state where his execution of this sword technique becomes smoother and faster; initially, Song Jian controlled three other long swords and executed other sword techniques, but quickly, he abandoned the other techniques to focus solely on Snowy Dusk; As one sword is exercised, the other three swords just silently float in the air C though this certainly wasted some attack damage, by now Song Jian was fully immersed in the sword technique of Snowy Dusk, as if about to break through any moment. However, just at this moment, Song Jian felt a sudden, intense sense of danger in his heart. The ongoing sword technique was immediately interrupted, and he rapidly retreated back; the four long swords turned into a meteor-like stream, following Song Jian; Boom~ In the center of the arena, a violent explosion suddenly occurred. The Fire Elemental Lord, covered in layers of snow, actually self-detonated, an explosion from a first-tier fire elemental, powerful enough to flatten all buildings within hundreds of meters radius; Buzz~ In the mere moment when the explosion erupted, the arena was suddenly enveloped by a transparent light screen, restricting the force of the explosion within the arena only; The transparent light screen, washed over by the scorching flames, turned red. The force of the explosion incessantly bombarded against the screen, making its surface ripple like water, but it never broke through the screen. The thick snow in the arena vaporized in an instant, engulfing the entire arena in a dense mist; It was not until the explosion ended that Gao Dongxin exclaimed in horror: If that explosion just now If it hadnt been for that protective screen, the entire arena would have blown away! Even as players, we would have died just now! uttered Zhao Dan, a hint of fear in her eyes. Just then, an automated voice rang out from the booth: The defensive shield of the arena can withstand a tenth level forbidden spell. Unless a second tier power were to self-detonate, it is impossible to break through the shields defense. Furthermore, the treasure chest youre in has a strong defensive array, enough to ensure the safety of our esteemed guests! Who are you? Zhao Dan shouted in surprise, having visited this booth at least a dozen times without ever hearing this voice. I am the Arena System Manager, you may call me, Elf! the automated voice explained; System Elf? Zhao Dan and Gao Dongxin exchanged looks, both seeing the surprise in each others eyes. You may also address me that way! replied the System Elf; Why havent you appeared before? wondered Gao Dongxin. I only appear when Im needed The System Elfs voice gradually faded away. System Elf, System Elf? called Gao Dongxin. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Stop calling, better focus on Song Jian. Zhao Dan said grumpily: Such a strong explosion, even if there were protection around, the area would have been already leveled to the ground. Do you think he could still be alive? Right, right, what happened to Song Jian? Gao Dongxin suddenly became anxious: He cant die, otherwise our Gao family Alright, alright, its just a set of golden quality equipment, is it necessary to keep mentioning it? snorted Zhao Dan, walking to the front of the stand, looking down; By this time, the thick fog in the arena gradually dispersed. The Fire Elemental Lord originally had one third of its vitality left. Nevertheless, the continuous squeezing and pressure from Snowy Dusk enabled the fire energy within the Lords body to continuously compress and gather. Once it self-detonates, the strength increases by more than a third. Even if Song Jian had sensed it beforehand and hid in the furthest corner, the severe injury was inevitable. Without the protection of the equipment, Song Jian was beaten to near death by the Fire Elemental Lords self-detonation, if it hadnt been for the Book of the Abyss automatically protecting its master at the last moment, melting out the Abyssal Flame Armor, Song Jian might have perished along with the Fire Elemental Lord. He fished out an advanced healing potion from his pack and began slowly recovering; After finishing off an advanced healing potion, Song Jian then pulled out a bottle of honey liquor and gulped it down; See that? The healing potions he has are all high-quality! Zhao Dan motioned towards Song Jian and said, envy filling her eyes. Currently, there arent many players who can afford advanced healing potions, let alone potions that replenish mental strength. Some elementary mental strength recovery potions can be found on the market, but intermediate and advanced mental strength healing potions are basically unseen, the occasional ones are immediately purchased; Watching his slowly reviving vitality and mental strength, Song Jian felt a surge of fear, if he hadnt noticed something was off and retreated in time, even with the protection of the Book of the Abyss, he would have perished along with the Fire Elemental Lord. The most annoying kind of monsters are those who can self-detonate! Standing up, Song Jian summoned the four swords that had been blown away, they vibrated with a hum and returned to his side, slowly revolving around his body like satellites, protecting him. Squeak, squeak~ At this moment, the gate on the opposite side opened slowly again. This time, two level 35 elite BOSS monsters with first-tier combat power emerged simultaneously. Chapter 711: 711 Undead Knight Chapter 711: Chapter 711 Undead Knight Undead Knight, the ninth challenge is an Undead Knight! Gao Dongxin exclaims with surprise, followed by a furious expression. This is cheating, that undead horse is even an elite level 35 boss! Additionally, that mount itself has tier one combat power. Its strength is probably slightly lower than the knight, Zhao Dan shakes his head. Besides, its not just any undead horse, its an Abyssal Nightmare, skilled in fear magic. How can we fight this? Even though Song Jian has first-tier combat power, its two against one; how could he possibly win! Gao Dongxin said indignantly. They are already at the ninth level, getting closer to success. Gao Dongxins anticipation is getting higher, but now, the appearance of the Undead Knight was like a bucket of cold water poured over him. Song Jian stands up, looking at the Undead Knight slowly stepping out, with a sober expression on his face. The Undead Knight is dressed in dark metal armor, only two eyes are glowing with a bright red light. Underneath is the Abyssal Nightmare, flames burning on its four limbs, wrapped in battle armor. The Abyssal Nightmare is similar to an undead creature, with scarce flesh and most of its bones exposed, emitting a black abyssal aura. The Undead Knight is a formidable being with a Fatal Strike passive capability and is the only first-tier combat power creature capable of killing a second-tier combat power creature. Accompanied by its Abyssal Nightmare, the combination of two elite bosses with first-tier combat power, the effect would definitely be more than one plus one. Seeing the Undead Knight coming towards him, Song Jian steps forward and calls out: My name is Song Jian, who are you, the knight of which undead duke? With the Undead Knights rarity, each one inherently holds a noble title upon their creation. Only a noble of Count level and above would have the privilege to recruit them. My name Her the Undead Knight began, but stopped after just two words. A moment of pause later, the Undead Knight spoke, Human, do you wish to know my true name? When I kill you, I will tell your corpse my name. If possible, I could turn you into an undead creature, becoming my servant. Song Jian was a little disappointed, but since the opponent was an undead creature, it probably wouldnt have much flesh. Even knowing the true name, he didnt know if the Shackles Mark skill would work on it. With a neigh, the Abyssal Nightmare suddenly accelerated towards Song Jian. This is the Undead Knights charge ability, boosting its speed by 150% in an instant, causing a 30% damage boost on impact and a high possibility of causing a stun effect. Boom! Suddenly, Song Jians body was engulfed in raging black flames, filling the air with a strong abyssal aura. Swish~ The Abyssal Nightmare had already sprinted to a distance less than ten meters from Song Jian. But the moment the abyssal flames rose, the Abyssal Nightmare abruptly stopped. With its forehalf raised high, its hooves swung wildly in the air. Fearful, it looked at Song Jian and lowered its head towards him. The charge was interrupted by its own mount, the Undead Knight suffered a backlash. Over a thousand points of damage floated above its head, leaving it stunned for three seconds. The Undead Knight probably never expected its own mount would betray itself. This has never occurred since the day it became an Undead Knight. The fourth-tier Abyssal Flames on Song Jian, now bestowed with first-tier combat power, gave off a terrifying aura. Despite both the Abyssal Nightmare and the Undead Knight being elite level 35 bosses with first-tier combat power, they were on completely different standings. Undead Knights are part of the undead aristocracy, but Abyssal Nightmares are only strong common beings in the abyssal world. Confronted with Song Jians terrifying abyssal aura, the natural hierarchy discouraged it from initiating an attack on Song Jian. Stupid! The Undead Knights eyes blazed with a bright red light, kicking the belly of the Abyssal Nightmare repeatedly, desperately tugging the reins to make it move. However, no matter how hard he tried, the Abyssal Nightmare remained stationary, constantly letting out a mournful neigh. Waste! The Undead Knight struck at the head of the Abyssal Nightmare, dismounted, took out a lance hanging on the Nightmare, intending to rush at Song Jian but hesitated. He put the lance back onto the Abyssal Nightmare, took out a two-handed greatsword from the other side, and rushed towards Song Jian. Without the speed boost from the Abyssal Nightmare, the Undead Knight was essentially just an oversized foot soldier. Many of its skills, which require a mount to execute, were unusable, making a fight against it extremely dangerous. The Undead Knights passive ability Fatal Strike could trigger anytime, whether in a mounted fight or close combat, with melee combat seemingly having a higher chance. I cant engage in close combat with him! Song Jian thought, repeating the fight strategy used against the Fire Elemental Lord. Controlling four long swords and constantly unleashing Snowy Night, keeping a safe distance from the Undead Knight using Sword Shadow Step. After losing the speed boost from the mount, the Undead Knight wasnt fast to begin with. Under the heavy snow, his speed was slower than a normal person. Seeing Song Jian continuously kiting the Undead Knight around the coliseum while the Abyssal Nightmare was harmless, standing in the middle of the coliseum causing an uproar in the spectator stands; they didnt seem satisfied with the situation in the coliseum. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Cheating, this is cheating! An Undead Knight without a horse- still call it a knight? Unfair! Damn it, you cant do this. This kind of battle is completely unwatchable! Kill him, we want to see bloodshed, not some pansies fighting! What the hell are they up to? Just now, against two Level 35 Elite Bosses, they never once shouted! Gao Dongxin angrily hit the observation deck. They just want to see how these monsters kill real humans Zhao Dan said. Those bastards! Gao Dongxin cursed. As long as Song Jian sticks to this plan, Its possible to wear down the Undead Knight. If the ninth level could be passed this easily, then the chances of achieving ten wins in a row are much higher. Suddenly, an Undead Witch in the spectator stands stands up and shouts out, I am willing to offer a pair of speed boots to this pitiful knight, request for a bloodletting judgement! Chapter 712: 712: Bloody Judgement Chapter 712: Chapter 712: Bloody Judgement Just as Song Jian was on the verge of victory, having already whittled down the Undead Knights Vitality Points to below 70%, a female Undead Witch suddenly stood up in the audience, shouting loudly, I want to provide this poor knight with a pair of Acceleration Boots! I request a Bloody Verdict! The audience beside the Undead Witch cheered loudly and shouted together, Bloody Verdict, Bloody Verdict! Soon, the entire audience stood up and roared in unison: Bloody Verdict, Bloody Verdict What what are they doing? Gao Dongxin said in surprise. Bloody Verdict? Whats that? I havent seen it in previous duels Zhao Dan also looked astounded. At this moment, the system Elfs voice rang out across the arena: Bloody Verdict is a sacred verdict initiated by the live audience. To activate a Bloody Verdict, one million Doomsday Coins must be consumed. The verdict allows the audience to provide help to any duelist in the arena by giving them a single item! Arena duels are sacred and fair. Regardless of the tier or level of the equipment provided by the audience, an equivalent item must be given to the opponent as compensation! Bloody Verdict cannot be refused and can only be activated once during a duel! Bloody Verdict will upgrade the reward for ten consecutive victories! Gao Dongxin exclaimed in shock, This this is cheating, right? This is cheating, cheating! In the last two sentences, he even leaned on the railing and shouted. I never thought there would be so many rules in the arena! Zhao Dan appeared thoughtful and whispered, Previous challengers were too weak and couldnt gather any information. It seems that today will be different. I have to write down all this information! System Elf: Undead Witch Susanna pays one million Doomsday Coins to initiate Bloody Verdict! Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System Elf: Undead Witch Susanna hands over a level 35 Gold Quality item Rowells Charging Boots to the Undead Knight. System Elf: Undead Witch Susanna hands over a level 35 Gold Quality item Stealth Orb to Challenger Song Jian. Song Jian, who was more than a dozen meters away from the Undead Knight, suddenly found an extra item, the Stealth Orb, in his inventory. Stealth Orb (Gold), special item, usage effect: Immediately takes effect when placed in the backpack, allows the user to automatically master max level Stealth Technique, movement speed increased by 5% while stealthed, detection probability reduced by 30%. Seeing the attributes of this orb, Song Jian revealed a bitter smile on his face; This piece of gold equipment was very valuable, and the Stealth Technique was the core skill of thieves and assassins alike; currently, not a single player could level up their Stealth Technique to max level. The most important thing was that the Stealth Technique learned by players reduced movement speed during stealth; level 1 Stealth Technique reduced movement speed by 50%, whereas max level Stealth Technique reduced movement speed by only 5%. However, this orb increased movement speed by 5% during stealth and reduced detection probability by 30% a highly valuable item. Such a treasure would surely be fiercely contested by players in the auction house, especially for those professions that relied on stealth; they would be willing to spend their entire fortune to acquire this item. However, this equipment had no use for Song Jian at the moment, as Stealth Technique could not be used during combat. This piece of equipment, as good as it was, could not immediately enhance his power. The boots obtained by the other party, as their name suggests, are ones that increase the users movement speed and undoubtedly possess an acceleration skill, greatly benefiting the current Undead Knight. As long as the Undead Knight can catch up to Song Jian, the situation would immediately turn around. In a close combat situation, the Undead Knight is even capable of fighting against someone with second-tier combat power. If the passive skill Fatal Strike activates during close combat, it would be an instant kill for anyone. Song Jian could clearly see that the Undead Knight had changed into a pair of boots, which are visibly different from the rest of its equipment. Apparently, the previous ensemble was a set, and replacing the boots now could mean a loss of a set attribute. Nevertheless, the change in the Undead Knights speed was apparent after equipping the boots. Most importantly, the thick snow seemed unable to slow it down. It moved as if gliding on the snow towards Song Jian. Immunity to slow status? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. He originally thought the boots would carry some acceleration abilities or an active ability to temporarily remove slow debuffs. However, he didnt expect these scorpion boots to possess a passive skill with immunity to slow effects. This puts a big restraint on Song Jians Snow Dance Sword technique. You think I can only restrict your speed? Song Jian snorted coldly, counterattacking and charging directly towards the Undead Knight. Seeing Song Jian ready to face the Undead Knight head-on, the audience roared with excitement! Fatal Strike, Fatal Strike, Fatal Strike! The Undead Witch stood up, clenched her fists, and shouted loudly. Following her lead, almost everyone in the audience rose from their seats and roared, Fatal Strike, Fatal Strike They all wanted to see Song Jian being killed by the Undead Knights passive skill, the Fatal Strike. All humans in the treasure chests looked somber. In room 102, a middle-aged man stared at the field intently and whispered, Fortunately, these monsters wont appear on Earth That may not be true. They have already appeared before our eyes. How can you be sure that they wont show up on the streets or even in your own home in the near future? Clutching the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, Song Jian battled against the Undead Knight. At his side, the three longswords moved as if controlled by invisible hands, thrusting at the Undead Knight from various angles. For a moment, it was as if four master swordsmen were besieging the Undead Knight. The clamor about the Fatal Strike irritated the Undead Knight, whose passive skill, Fatal Strike, was not something it could activate at will. Sometimes it wouldnt even trigger in several battles, but since the effect is so strong, the chances of it activating are extremely low. Soon, the Undead Knight found that in close combat, it was no match for Song Jian. By the time it managed to land a blow on Song Jian, he had already slashed it four or five times. Song Jians vitality points loss would be around 300 compared to the Undead Knight, who would lose 1,500 to 2,000 vitality points. Why is your damage so high? The Undead Knight couldnt help but roar out. Although its vitality points were five or six times that of Song Jian, by now, the Undead Knight had lost more than half of its vitality, while Song Jians vitality still remained above 60%. Most importantly, during the battle, Song Jian could actually take out items to restore vitality and spirit points from time to time. How could the Undead Knight bear this? Its irritation grew increasingly, to the point where the Undead Knight finally couldnt take it anymore. With a low growl, it swung the double-handed sword, sending two longswords in mid-air flying. The Undead Knight leaped high into the air; A brilliant crimson glow flashed across the blade of the double-handed sword, and Song Jian immediately sensed a colossal threat charging towards him. Instant kill? Song Jians face finally changed, and the sharp-eyed spectators in the audience excitedly yelled out. Chapter 713: 713: The Deadly Strike Chapter 713: Chapter 713: The Deadly Strike The fatal blow! The Undead Knight finally triggered its passive talent, Fatal Blow! Regardless of the opponents strength, defense, or how much vitality points they have, there is a great chance of killing the opponent instantly! This is the terror of the Undead Knight, the only first-tier combat power that can kill a second-tier combat power; Its the fatal blow, it triggered the fatal blow! Someone in the audience shouted out loud, his face glowing red with excitement. The chance of triggering Fatal Blow is extremely low. Very few people have been able to witness the power of the Fatal Blow. Most of the people who have seen the Fatal Blow were already dead. Now, the audience had the opportunity to witness its power, they all became immediately excited. The entire audience was buzzing, even the humans in the boxes had all stood up, nervously looking towards the arena; This was the first time a human had reached the ninth round, and almost all the audience was cheering for Song Jians opponent. Unconsciously, all the humans in the boxes were emotionally standing behind Song Jian. Die! The Undead Knight growled, a surge of joy rushing to his heart. No matter how formidable his opponents attack, as long as he triggered the Fatal Blow, the opponent would have no chance of surviving; What a pity for that Stealth Orb! A strange thought suddenly surfaced in the Undead Knights mind; At that moment, a brilliant golden Sword Qi suddenly exploded onto Song Jians Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. The Undead Knight sneered to himself internally that no matter how hard the opponent struggled, there was no technique that could defend against the Fatal Blow! Sacred Parry! Song Jian muttered, his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and the Undead Knights Double-handed Sword violently collided with each other; Pop~ Just like a bubble bursting, all the power of the Undead Knight disappeared, the red light on his sword blade also vanished, and both of them were thrown towards the back after the collision; Song Jian struggled to get up. A foot-long sword wound appeared on his chest, and blood was gushing out; Surgical Treatment! Song Jian swiftly cast a healing skill on himself to stop the bleeding, then took out a bottle of honey wine to slowly recover; The Undead Knight, on the other hand, rolled over twice on the ground before struggling to stand up; How did you not die? The Undead Knight said in surprise; Just then, a red light suddenly appeared in the sky, slashing fiercely towards the Undead Knight; Crack~ The red light flashed through the Undead Knights body and disappeared. The standing Undead Knight wobbled for a moment, then suddenly split in two and fell onto the arena floor; The arena fell silent, then after a while a heartbreaking scream rang out from the audience stands: No! Heracles! Looking up, the Undead Witch who had called for the Bloody Judgment was furiously screaming, her piercing screech echoed throughout the entire arena. I curse you, human, I, Susanna, swear on my life core, you will The Undead Witch, Susanna, glared at Song Jian with vicious eyes, and started to chant a curse loudly; Just then, a peal of thunder sounded in the sky over the arena, a sword formed of thunder, the Sword of Divine Punishment, stabbed down at the Undead Witch, Susanna; Boom~ With a muffled crash, the Thunderbolt Sword brutally hit the Undead Witch. Without even letting out a scream, the Undead Witchs body turned into ash instantly; The rules of the arena are sacrosanct and inviolable. Anyone who dares to offend will be punished! The voice of the system elf echoed throughout the entire arena. This time, its voice was loud and resonant, filled with an endless sense of authority; The audience fell silent, no one daring to challenge these events, all out of fear. Song Jians lips twitched into a small smile; it looks like one of his enemies had just disappeared. The opponent had even given him a thirty-five-level gold quality item. The Undead Knight was killed by the Sacred Parry, which rebounded his passive skill Fatal Blow. After it died, the Abyssal Nightmare let out a long hiss, its figure gradually fading away, returning to the Abyssal Hell; He did it, Song Jian won! Gao Dongxin excitedly hugged Zhao Dan, starting to bounce in joy. What skill did he use? Zhao Dan wore an astonished expression. She was surprised by Song Jians combat power when he was previously fighting the Undead Knight head-on. After the Undead Knight triggered the Fatal Blow, an unbeatable skill, Song Jian was able to use a rebound skill, bouncing the opponents passive skill effect back. This gave Zhao Dan an almost unbelievable feeling. I dont know. Whatever it was, he won! He won! Gao Dongxin exclaimed excitedly; Alright, theres still the last round. Dont celebrate too early! Zhao Dan patted Gao Dongxins shoulder and said. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No problem, he will definitely be fine! Gao Dongxin laughed: Even the Undead Knight couldnt beat him, and the Abyssal Nightmare was scared stiff by him, he will definitely win the tenth round! Youve become Song Jians little fan girl now, so much faith in him? Zhao Dan joked; Gao Dongxin blushed slightly, huffed, and ran back to the grandstand to watch the arena carefully. Song Jian sat in the arena, slowly recovering his status. Without the addition of all his equipment, his actual combat power had declined by more than three levels, otherwise, he wouldnt have been injured; Most of the players who came to the arena to challenge were in the same situation as him, without the enhancement of equipment. Many players were not used to this and overestimated themselves, which usually resulted in a bitter defeat. After Song Jian had fully recovered, the opponent for the tenth round still hadnt shown up. The railing gate on the opposite side was tightly closed, and the audience around was silent. It seemed that everyone was waiting for the tenth round opponent; Whats happening? Dont tell me they dont have an opponent for the tenth round? Gao Dongxin complained discontentedly. By now, more than ten minutes had passed and she was growing impatient. Isnt it good to give Song Jian more recovery time? Zhao Dan laughed; Hmm, he has long been ready. Didnt you see him preparing? Gao Dongxin grumbled; Oh, so youre not worried about the tenth round opponent, but youre concerned that Song Jians been waiting too long! Zhao Dan laughed; Gao Dongxin was stunned, then her face turned red: Dan sister, why do you also like to tease people While Zhao Dan was teasing Gao Dongxin, in the arena, the rail gate opposite Song Jian slowly opened, his opponent for the tenth round had finally appeared. Chapter 714: 714: Gladiator Chapter 714: Chapter 714: Gladiator The arenas fence slowly opened, and a gladiator clad in simple armor, wearing a big red cape, holding a spear in his right hand and a shield in his left hand, slowly walked out of the fence; Level 35, tier one combat power? Song Jian squinted his eyes, examining the opponent who walked out of the fence: With strength less than an Undead Knight, how could he possibly be the tenth guardian? Song Jian was puzzled, but soon, his face changed because he saw that behind this gladiator, more than ten similarly dressed gladiators walked out in a row; All level 35, tier one combat power! Song Jians face turned gloomy, the previous Undead Knight, although the cheating was somewhat hidden, since the Abyssal Nightmare was the mount of the Undead Knight, it barely made sense; But now, this was blatant cheating, as a total of twelve level 35, tier one combat power gladiators walked out of the fence; The most important thing was that after these gladiators came out, they automatically formed a square, raising their spears high and shouting, Sparta, Sparta, Sparta! Damn it, this isnt cheating! Song Jian was instantly furious. After all, he was only a level 35 player with a tier one combat power, and all his equipment was left in the game. If he were allowed to wear all the equipment, he would still have the confidence to fight the twelve Spartan gladiators. But now, his strength was less than sixty percent of what it was in the game. To battle against these twelve well-coordinated tier one combat power elite BOSSes would be no different from courting death; The audiences noises surged, whistling, cheering, and boisterous laughter filled the air; This is simply murder! Zhao Dans face changed dramatically, never expecting the arenas tenth stage to feature a small squad of elite BOSSes with tier one combat power. No player would be able to win at this stage! Its over, I didnt expect this arena to be a trap! Gao Dongxin revealed a look of despair on his face. Other spectators in the stalls also shook their heads, some even got up and left, and it was unlikely that anyone would challenge the arena again for a long time to come. You want to compete on numbers with me? Song Jian sneered. Opening the skill bar, Song Jian directly cast the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, and soon, he received a system prompt; System: Do you want to use the Blood Pool Summoning Skill in the real world? In the real world, the cost of using Blood Pool Summoning Skill is doubled! System: Casting Blood Pool Summoning Skill in the real world may have some adverse effects, do you want to continue? Song Jian hesitated, wondering about the adverse effects? What did that mean? The system did not provide an answer; Summon! Song Jian said silently in his heart; Whoosh- Streams of red light flashed beside Song Jian, and thirty red crows appeared around him. As soon as they appeared, they began to fly around haphazardly, soon landing on the walls around the arena; These blood crows were the size of basketballs, spreading their wings like small eagles. Their eyes emitted a demonic, scarlet glow that released a strange energy when staring at a person, causing confusion; Level 30 summoned creatures? Is Song Jian a summoner too? Zhao Dan exclaimed in surprise. Only summoners in the game could summon so many battle pets at once. Ordinary players only had one or two pets, and having more would come at an increasingly higher cost. But that wasnt all, Song Jian quickly summoned thirty blood corpses and thirty blood wolves; Next, Song Jian opened the skill bar and put a skill point into the Blood Pool Summoning Skill.; As the Blood Pool had not leveled up further, Song Jian could not summon any new summoned creatures. However, after upgrading the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, all the summoned blood creatures had their levels raised to 35, and even gained a passive critical strike blood-sucking effect; The spectators were stunned. They were now somewhat confused about the profession of the human in the arena; A two-headed troll with meaty wings sneered: Does having a lot of summons make him great? Humph, even if they are all raised to level 35, these summoned creatures still lack tier one combat power against the twelve Spartan gladiators; annihilation is just a matter of time., Exactly. Hes obviously a swordsman, yet hes diverting his attention to so many pets. Its a total lack of focus! Ha ha ha, I remember the Spartan gladiators have a passive skill called Bloodthirsty Cruelty. The more enemies they kill, the more powerful their attack. Is this human here to make a joke, deliberately boosting the enemys attack power? Seeing Song Jian summon so many pets, the twelve Spartan gladiators didnt show any fear; on the contrary, they roared excitedly, Victory, victory, victory! The chief Spartan gladiator, wielding a spear, pointed at Song Jian and roared, Charge at the enemy! Its skull will become the glory of the Spartans! Boom- Twelve Spartan gladiators charged together, raising an unstoppable momentum; Song Jian looked at the Spartan gladiators rushing towards him and a sneer appeared on his face, Do you think this is over? Too naive! With a thought, a black giant dragon, about seven or eight meters long, appeared above Song Jians head. With a spread of its wings, a crisp dragon chant echoed throughout the arena; A dragon, a black dragon, how is this possible? How could he have a giant dragon as a battle pet! In the stands, countless races of various appearances all stood up in surprise, staring in disbelief at the black dragon flying in the arenas sky. Although it hasnt grown into adulthood, it is indeed a member of the Dragon Clan, and even the most formidable black dragon among the five-colored dragons Damn, giant dragons have a natural order difference. Even within the same combat power tier, these Spartan gladiators cannot defeat a black dragon! No, it hasnt fully grown yet; its still young. The Spartans still have a chance! Have you forgotten the human who summoned it? Do you think hed do nothing while those muscle-brained Spartans attack the black dragon? So, is this human going to achieve the ten consecutive victories? Impossible, this is absolutely impossible! In the spectator stands, the noise grew louder, and everyone seemed to have forgotten about the arena duel itself, focusing entirely on the black dragon summoned by Song Jian; Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, an angry voice rang out from the stands: Human, you dare to capture a member of the Dragon Clan as a battle pet! This behavior is unforgivable! Prepare for being hunted down by the Dragon Clan for eternity! PS: Thank you to Scarlet Moon O Night for the reward of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 715: 715: Ancient Red Dragon Chapter 715: Chapter 715: Ancient Red Dragon The very instant Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon, everyones attention in the spectators seats was already completely transfixed on the Black Dragon. Nobody cared anymore about whether the Spartans could kill Song Jian. Then, at this moment, a voice roared furiously, Human, you shall face the relentless pursuit of the Dragon Clan, for you have insulted a mighty race! Song Jian lifted his head to find an elderly figure in a bright red robe hovering in the air above the spectators seats, standing like a deity in mid-air. The furious look in his eyes was enough to set Song Jian alight. Hovering behind this elder was the terrifyingly powerful spectral projection of an ancient Red Dragon. Practically all of the spectators around it were trembling, falling to their knees at its feet. Dragon Might! This is a mature giant dragon! Moreover, it has Tier Three combat power! Song Jians heart sank. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly received a system notification. System: Youve been marked with a Dragon Mark by an ancient Red Dragon, your reputation within the Dragon Clan has dropped to hostility; System: The Dragon Mark emits a unique signal that only the Dragon Clan can detect. Within a thousand meter radius, any dragon clansmen will proactively attack you relentlessly; System: Due to the Dragon Mark, all dragon beasts, dragon servants, and half-dragon beings of impure lineage will fear you. As long as they detect your presence, they will flee and dare not to face you in combat directly! I knew something like this would happen sooner or later! Song Jians face turned grim as he sensed the faint Dragon Might emitting from his body. Just then, three golden chains materialized out of thin air around the ancient Red Dragon, binding it tightly. Following this, a black whip about thirty feet long appeared in mid-air; Ancient Red Dragon, youve violated the Arenas rules. Due to minor charges, you are sentenced to three whippings! the voice of the systems elf resonated within the entire Arena; Smack, smack, smack~ The black whip lashed ruthlessly against the ancient Red Dragon. Blazing radiance exploded from its robe as if a defense mechanism was activated. However, it was useless. The first strike shattered its robe and left deep gashes across its body, some of which were so severe that the bone was visible; Human, the pain Ive suffered today will be returned to you a hundredfold! I swear on the name of the ancient Red Dragon Tuya Tymas Edisia, I will hang your head on the Red Dragon Cliff Before it could finish its threat, the second strike of the whip severely lashed its body; The three Dragon Punishment strikes leveled the ancient Red Dragon with Tier Three combat power to the brink of death; After the punishment ended, the ancient Red Dragon collapsed from the air and slumped onto its seat. It took a few gasps for breath, shot two malicious glances at Song Jian, then slowly faded from its seat, seemingly having left the premises entirely. Tuya Tymas Edisia, huh? A chill flashed across the corners of Song Jians mouth; After the spectacle, everyones eyes returned once again to the arena. The appearance of the Black Dragon immediately sent the morale of the twelve Spartan Fighters plummeting. Although they mustered their courage and shouted at the Black Dragon, they immediately halted their charge when the Black Dragon released its Dragon Might; Spartans fear nothing! shouted the leader, brandishing his spear and throwing it at the hovering Black Dragon; The spear, as swift as lightning, punctured the body of the Black Dragon dealing over six hundred damage. The other Spartan Fighters seemed encouraged and joined the leader in throwing their spears; The Black Dragon roared, beating its wings so that a wild wind arose, scattering the spears. In the end, they only inflicted double-digit damage to the Black Dragon; At this point, Song Jian had summoned four long swords. He held one in hand, while the remaining three orbited him like satellites, rushing towards the Spartan gladiators. The weaponless Spartans could only engage with Song Jian bare-handed. In a short time, their bodies were riddled with sword cuts, causing their vitality points to plummet. Shield Strike! The gladiators gripped their shields in both hands, using them as weapons to hurl a fierce blow at Song Jian. Clang, clang, clang, clang~ Song Jians vitality points dramatically dropped, almost halving instantly. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Tai Chi Sword Skill! A faint stream of grey energy revolved around Song Jian, deflecting all incoming attacks. At that moment, the Black Dragon above let out a roar, blasting a scorching dragon breath towards the Spartan gladiators. Boom~ Over each Spartan gladiators head floated more than a thousand damage points. Along with the burning effect, the dragons flaming breath ignited on their bodies. The Blood Wolves and Blood Ghouls summoned by Song Jian also roared, pouncing towards the Spartan gladiators. A grand melee ensued within the arena. With the aid of these summoned creatures, Song Jian suddenly had his hands free. He used the four long swords simultaneously to unleash a flurry of snow-covered attacks, covering the entire arena in a thick layer of snow. The flurry of sword qi swept across, slashing the Spartans repeatedly. A blizzard of damage numbers floated up from their heads, looking brutally relentless. At this moment, a Spartan gladiator suddenly leaped high, picking up a long spear flung aside by the Black Dragon, and lunged at the Blood Ravens perched on the arena wall. His aim was to stack the passive exploitable effects of the Blood Ravens, which among the summoned creatures, seemed easiest to kill. The chosen Blood Raven merely tilted its head without flying away. Its blood-red eyes twinkled with an eerie light. Just then, the leaping Spartans sharp gaze grew misty. He seemed to forget what he was doing and abruptly thrust his spear into his own thigh. Thud~ A gush of blood sprayed out from his leg. The pain brought him to his senses, but his body uncontrollably plummeted to the ground. His self-inflicted wound was so powerful, it caused a Disabled effect to appear in his status bar. At Song Jians command, the Golden Demonslaying Sword traced an arc in the air, sparking with electricity. It viciously hacked into this already disabled Spartan gladiator. Flash Thunder Strike! Fast beyond the Spartans reaction time, the Golden Demonslaying Sword slashed him hard across his back, eliciting a tragic scream. The slashing continued relentlessly. By the time he fell, he was already a lifeless corpse. Upon sensing their comrades death, the remaining Spartan gladiators let out sorrowful howls. Astonishingly, they clawed deep bloody marks on their own chests, looking at Song Jian with furious eyes and roaring loudly: Blood fight, blood fight, blood fight! Chapter 716: 716: Fight to the Death Chapter 716: Chapter 716: Fight to the Death The Spartans roared for a bloody battle, which meant they were determined to fight to the death, but in the arena, only one would stand in the end, whether challenger or defender. Thus, their cries for a bloody battle had no meaning; With a thought from Song Jian, thirty Blood Crows flew towards the Spartans, targeting a Spartan gladiator with his Vitality Points reduced by half using a control skill; The spear that originally aimed at Song Jian suddenly weakened. Song Jian took advantage of this, controlling four longswords and launching four Flash Thunder Strikes onto the Spartan, each attack dealing over a thousand damage; These Spartan gladiators originally had less than 8000 Vitality Points. With this round of damage, the injured gladiator was instantly killed. The second one! Song Jian whispered. After leveling up the Blood Pool Summoning Skill, these originally scouting Blood Crows had now also gained a control skill called Enchantment, which was difficult to guard against due to its stealthy release. However, the skill duration was very short, lasting less than two seconds and was difficult to use repeatedly on the same target. When used for the second time, the odds of being resisted would increase significantly; However, for Song Jian, he didnt need to keep these Spartans controlled. As long as there was a brief pause, he could deal heavy damage to them and even instantly kill some injured Spartan gladiators; Sparta A scream rang out as another Spartan gladiator was hit by a Vortex Fireball sprayed by the Black Dragon. Engulfed in scorching Dragon Breath, he couldnt finish his last words before dying; The remaining Spartan gladiators showed sorrowful and furious expressions. One of them fiercely thrust his spear into a Blood Wolves body, before unleashing a skill and launching a fierce attack. In an instant, dozens of spear phantoms relentlessly stabbed the Blood Wolf, turning it into a pool of blood; As he excitedly raised his spear, preparing to shout, two Blood Wolves targeted him and pounced; With the Black Dragon in the air not daring to attack, these Spartan gladiators who couldnt fly could only desperately dodge the dragons assaults. However, Song Jian was surrounded by at least four gladiators, while the rest were fending off the monsters he had summoned. Fighting with the strength of a Tier 1 elite, they could completely crush these Blood Zombies and Blood Wolves, however, the number of these creatures was several times that of the gladiators. They knew no fear and would even risk severe injuries to bite a gladiator, causing considerable trouble for those left; Most importantly, Song Jians formidable attack power could not be resisted by just one or even two gladiators. Even with four gladiators attacking Song Jian simultaneously, under the powerful assault of four longswords, they could only retreat incessantly; All the Blood Zombies were killed, only seven or eight Blood Wolves remained, and even the flying Blood Crows had been skewered to death by the gladiators with their spears; Only the Black Dragon continued to wreak havoc, breathing fire and launching Vortex Fireballs. At level 35, the Black Dragon had learned a new skill C Meteor Fall Strike! Meteor Fall Strike was a composite magic, dealing triple damage to the target through fire, earth, and physical impact. However, with the Black Dragons current strength, it could only release one meteor at a time and needed a long rest in between; At this moment, the gladiators were glowing faintly crimson, a result of their passive skill Bloodthirsty Cruelty, which stacked their attack power based on the enemies they killed. The effect lasted a long time, up to 120 minutes; Moreover, with each enemy slain, the duration would refresh. The more enemies the Spartans killed, the stronger they became; Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The gladiator with the most stacked Bloodthirsty Cruelty was the leader, who had already gained twelve stacks and increased attack power by 120%. This effect could be infinitely stacked, and if allowed to do so, no one could withstand their attacks; Spear Throw! The leading gladiator roared, and his spear drew an arc in the air, piercing a Blood Crow and causing it to explode. His Bloodthirsty Cruelty effect immediately added another stack; Song Jian frowned, as by now the Blood Crows had all used their Enchantment skill on the gladiators and the chances of being resisted again were huge. The skill had lost its usefulness in battle. Now, the Blood Crows had become tools for the remaining gladiators to stack Bloodthirsty Cruelty. With a thought from Song Jian, the remaining dozen Blood Crows turned back into blood and returned to the games Blood Pool; Roar~ Two Blood Wolves tackled a gladiator to the ground, their sharp fangs fiercely piercing his throat and instantly killing him; On the other side, a gladiator who had been constantly attacking Song Jian couldnt take it anymore, and he roared, charging towards the two Blood Wolves. He thrust his spear into one of the wolves before lifting it up and smashing it into the other; Even though the gladiators strength far surpassed that of the Blood Wolves, by facing seven or eight of them at once, they showed no fear. The cunning wolves didnt fight gladiators in good condition. Instead, they continuously moved around, targeting the severely injured ones; The number of Blood Wolves was also dwindling, and by the time Song Jian killed another gladiator, all of the Blood Wolves in the arena had been wiped out as well. At this point, apart from Song Jian and the Black Dragon above him, there were only five Spartan gladiators left. Though among these five, besides the leader who still maintained over 60% Vitality Points, the other four were all severely injured, with scars and wounds all over their bodies; However, the momentum of these gladiators remained strong, giving off the impression that they could fight against a hundred enemies despite being only five in number; The remaining gladiators were all covered in a strong Red Glow, with at least ten stacks of Bloodthirsty Cruelty on each, while the leader had already gained eighteen stacks; Sparta! Two gladiators shouted, holding their spears and initiating an attack on Song Jian; At this moment, the Black Dragon in the sky suddenly launched a Meteor Fall Strike towards the two of them. A flaming meteor, the size of a grinding stone, appeared out of thin air in mid-air and fiercely crashed down; Boom! The two Spartan gladiators were directly sent flying, with their already low Vitality Points hit hard by this attack, bringing them to the brink of death; At this moment, the leading Spartan gladiator suddenly roared, rushing towards the two injured gladiators, and viciously thrust his spear into their throats, finishing their last sliver of Vitality Points; Chapter 717: 717: The Twenty-Second Floor Chapter 717: Chapter 717: The Twenty-Second Floor After the leader of the Spartans gladiators reaped two more of his comrades, the effect of his savage carnage stacked to twenty layers, his body ablaze with a fiery red glow that rose like flames into the sky. The remaining two gladiators looked at each other, deserted their shields, and threw them at Song Jian, then rushed at him with long spears in a desperate kill-or-be-killed approach. Grrr~ The Black Dragon spewed another stream of scorching Dragon Breath at the two men, who, instead of evading, charged at Song Jian enduring the Dragon Breath. They thrust their spears frantically, relentless as a rainbow. Song Jian, taken aback, stumbled back five or six steps to regain his footing. Clang, clang, clang~ The constant clattering of metal resonated in the air as the two gladiators were hit directly by the Dragon Breath, causing their Vitality Points to plummet drastically. Their bodies cloaked in roaring flames, their bright red cloaks caught fire as well, which they swiftly yanked off and discarded. Splat, splat~ Song Jians shoulder and abdomen were pierced by the long spears of the two gladiators, creating two bloody holes. Thud, thud, thud~ Song Jian withdrew a dozen steps, the blood spouting from his wounds like a fountain. He immediately employed surgical treatment to stop the bleeding. Lifting his gaze to the two gladiators, a look of astonishment crossed his face. At this moment, these two gladiators appeared beyond recognition, their bodies burnt and no intact skin in sight. Covered in sword wounds, their injuries were at least five or six times worse than Song Jians. These two managed to land their hits by completely foregoing their defense, allowing all four of Song Jians long swords to slash across their bodies on a counterattack. Sparta! Both gladiators roared in unison, raising their long spears imbued with their last vestiges of energy. Their bodies arched backward like drawn bows, before they hurled their spears almost simultaneously. After releasing their final blow, the two Spartan gladiators knees buckled and they slumped to the ground drained of all energy, their heads still held high, their gaze tracking the trajectory of their thrown spears towards Song Jian. Witnessing the two spears spearheading his way like shooting stars, Song Jian wore a serious expression on his face. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, Dusk-Drifting Snowfall! Song Jian brandished his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword and initiated the first move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. At his side, the three long swords maneuvered spontaneously, their movements identical to those of the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword in Song Jians hands. Snow fluttered throughout the sky, forming four ice-encrusted dragons that bellowed, their claws reaching out to snatch the two flying spears. But as soon as the four frosty dragons touched the spears, they were instantly shattered by the concentrated energy emanating from them. Did they have the certain-hit attribute? Song Jians eyes widened in surprise. His figure swiftly retreated, instantly arriving at the lower wall of the arena. The two spears adjusted their angles in midair and continued to surge towards Song Jian, with no decrease in their speed. Tai Chi Sword Skill! With no other choice, Song Jian had to resort to his strongest defensive skill, the Tai Chi Sword Skill. The four long swords initiated the Tai Chi Sword Skill simultaneously, the four hazy streaks of energy coalescing into a massive yin-yang Tai Chi insignia that slowly began to rotate beside him. Upon contact with the Tai Chi insignia, the two long spears visibly slowed down, but continued their unwavering trajectory towards Song Jian. Thud, thud~ The two long spears pierced Song Jians shoulder almost simultaneously, but this time they barely penetrated an inch before they fell limply to the ground. The two fallen Spartan gladiators wore disappointed expressions. They turned their heads to look at the last standing Spartan gladiator in the arena. The Spartan, burning with a flame-like, crimson energy, showed a face full of determination. With a leap, he landed in front of his two fallen comrades, thrusting his long spear into their backs to reap the last remnant of their Vitality Points. Boom! The crimson energy on the Spartan gladiator intensified like scorching flames, making him appear like a man of fire. Sparta! The Spartan gladiator, now with twenty-two layers of bloody cruelty stacked, leaped high into the air, charging at the Black Dragon hovering in midair. The Black Dragon, at this moment, was more than thirty meters above the ground. Yet this Spartan gladiator was soaring towards its belly as if he was flying. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With half his body shielded by the shield, the long spear in his hand, akin to a beasts fangs, brutally impaled the Black Dragons belly. A painful roar echoed throughout the arena as torrents of fresh blood gushed from the Black Dragons belly, causing its Vitality Points to drop by more than a third in an instant. Song Jian was shocked, not anticipating that the enemy would target the Black Dragon. Watching the severe injury of the Black Dragon, Song Jian immediately cast surgical treatment on the Black Dragon and withdrew it back to the Pet Space. Although the final Spartan gladiator managed to critically wound the Black Dragon, he was also pretty battered, being fiercely slapped to the ground from midair by the Black Dragons claw. Three severe wounds extended from his shoulder to his ribs, deep enough to expose the bone. How did his damage stack up to such a terrifying extent? Song Jian was surprised as he observed the wilting Black Dragon in the Pet Space. Prior to this, the Spartans gladiators barely made a dent to the Black Dragon. Their spears couldnt even puncture the Black Dragons robust scales! But now, the Spartan gladiator before him not only broke through the Black Dragons defense, but also critically wounded it. What Song Jian didnt know was that once the Spartans gladiators bloody and savage effect stacked over twenty layers, it triggered a burst effect that raised critical hit rate by 50%. Each subsequent kill provided an additional 5% increase in critical hit rate, up to a maximum of 80%. At this point, his bloody and savage effect reached twenty-two layers, with a bone-chilling 60% critical hit rate. Coupled with the 220% increase in damage, the strike just now would have instantly killed any other player if they had taken the hit. After rolling twice on the ground, the final Spartan gladiator, disregarding his grave injuries, held a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. Crying out his battle cry, he charged at Song Jian again. With a thought in his mind, Song Jian merged his four swords into one and softly exclaimed, Immortal Sword Body! A brilliant golden radiance enveloped his body as eight shadows of long swords slowly revolved around him. A powerful force welled up from within. The Immortal Sword Body was Song Jians real trump card. The merging of the four long swords boosted his damage four-fold, along with the additional benefits from the Immortal Sword Body. Now, even a basic slash from Song Jian could cause a damage of a thousand points. If the Spartans gladiator in front of him was a sharp spear, then Song Jian was his sharpest Heavenly Sword, countering attack with attack. The domineering crimson aura and the golden Sword Qi filled the air above the arena. The two opposing forces constantly clashed, causing a stalemate. Song Jian and the Spartan gladiator fought fiercely, their spear and swords colliding countless times. Both gave it their all, vying to kill the other. PS: Thanks to Scarlet Moon O Night for the reward of 500 QiDian coins~ Chapter 718: 718: Competitive Treasure Chest Chapter 718: Chapter 718: Competitive Treasure Chest Boom! Another fierce collision took place. They then separated, with Song Jian sustaining two bloodied gashes. His gladiatorial opponent was in a worse state. His entire left arm was rendered non-functional, hanging limp aside. He had three broken ribs, and the most dangerous strike had split the area beneath his ribs. His bloody wound was gaping, reminiscent of a childs mouth, his heart beating violently within view. This was the last gladiator, his vitality points were already down to just over 800, almost low enough to be killed with a single strike. But Song Jian couldnt land the killing blow on the man, whose fighting skills had been honed to perfection. Eventually, Song Jian could only resort to offensing at the expense of his own defense. After applying a bandage to himself to stop the bleeding, Song Jian took out a bottle of honey wine and downed it. Now, Song Jian was at his wits end. If he were in a fully-equipped game mode, it wouldnt have been this brutal. Unfortunately, this was reality. Seeing Song Jian slowly regaining his vitality and mental strength, the Spartan gladiator narrowed his eyes. He knew he couldnt drag the fight out any longer since he would never manage to defeat this opponent before him. Sparta! the gladiator cried, bounding like a spring until he was about seven or eight meters high. Hovering slightly in mid-air, he then bolted down towards Song Jian, landing like a meteor with a long trailing blaze. This deadly dive from the sky was the gladiators last-ditch effort, akin to self-destruction, ensuring his death no matter the outcome of the attack. Crucially, this skill, like the previous Spear Throw, had an attribute of certain hit C it was unavoidable. To execute such a skill, the gladiator used up most of his vitality points and defence points in addition to consuming a significant amount of mental strength, a choice only made by gladiators resigned to mutual destruction. The falling gladiator left Song Jian preparing to dodge, but he suddenly felt a sense of dj vu, much like when he was previously confronted with two long spears. Its that certain hit attribute again! Song Jian wrinkled his brows. There was no escaping this type of attack, neither could skills be used to hide during battles, as once this skill was executed, the target was already locked on; forced to endure the blow passively. Having glanced at his skill bar, he noted that the Sacred Parry had cooled down. As the gladiator plunged down, Song Jian mimicked a throat-slitting action and raised his sword to his chest. Just as the gladiators spear was less than three meters away from Song Jian, a golden light radiated from him, and he fiercely swung the sword at the oncoming gladiator. Ding~ The clear sound of collision echoed around the arena, sending Song Jian flying backwards. The intense impact made him spit a mouthful of fresh blood again. Pulling himself off the ground, the beaten and battered Song Jian began to laugh heartily while tilted head back. The gladiators expression was one of disbelief. He had definitely struck his opponent, yet the inflicted damage was minimal. Impossible! In that moment, the gladiator was sent airborne by a sudden attackan over-3000-point critical hit popped from above his head and onto the display, instantly draining his vitality points. By the time his body hit the air, the gladiator was already a corpse, without even a moment to react. As the gladiators corpse landed with a heavy thud, the entire arena erupted with the roars of firecrackers and fireworks. Above the arena, a dazzling array of fireworks lit up the sky. All the spectators who had come to watch the duel started to leave, cursing as they did. One by one, their figures disappeared from the stands. Those who were in the boxes were all looking at Song Jian, standing in the center of the arena, drenched in blood and utterly disheveled. Their faces portrayed sheer disbelief. He He won? Gao Dongxin couldnt believe his eyes. He even pinched his cheeks hard until they turned red. Only then did he begin to jump around with excitement. Zhao Dan, too, looked at Song Jian, ecstatic. She was startled to find that he finally won under the assault of twelve elite first-tier bosses. Moreover, Song Jian had managed to summon a Black Dragon in the end, which was beyond her wildest imagination. As a player, Zhao Dan knew how hard it was to capture high-grade battle pets in the game! At present, many players cumbersome pets were too weak to assist in combat. The stronger creatures were beyond their capabilities and couldnt be captured; hence, many players didnt have battle pets. In the auction house, the powerful monster cubs or pet eggs were sold at sky-high prices, and they were in such high demand that they were always out of stock! A dragon, it was a dragon Zhao Dans eyes were misty, What battle pet could possibly have greater potential? Stronger power than the Dragon Clan? However, having a dragon as a battle pet would mean not only that you had strong forces, but also that youd be pursued incessantly by the Dragon Clan! Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After his victory, lines of system prompts appeared in front of Song Jian, just like in-game alerts. System: Congratulations, you have achieved a great victory in the real world! System: You have received the title of Arena Slayer. Title effect: Intimidate your opponents in the arena, causing them to fear when they battle with you. The effect of this title exists whether it is worn or not; System: You have received an Arena Treasure Chest! In the center of the arena, a magnificent chest slowly emerged. This chest was more than half the height of a person, over a meter long. It was adorned with various precious gems and complex golden magic runes, hinting it was no ordinary item. Song Jian walked up to the chest, opened it up, and a radiant purple-golden light emanated from within. System: You received a special item: Game Invitation Card. Game Invitation Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to become a player and enter the game; System: You received a special item: Game Unbanning Card. Game Unbanning Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to unban the Cannot be Taken Out of the Game attribute of an in-game item, which makes it possible for the item in question to be brought from the game into the real world; System: You received a special item: Game Follower Card. Game Follower Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to capture a creature in the real world as your follower and bring it into the game. This follower will not count towards your number of followers in the game, and you dont have to pay an extra cost for this; System: You received a special item: Game Bag Expansion Card. Game Bag Expansion Card: A special item whose effect is that it can be used to unseal the sealed slots of the bag. This allows any item in the real world to be brought into the game, as well as the ability to bring any item with the attribute of can be brought out from the game into the real world; Chapter 719: 719: Special Task Chapter 719: Chapter 719: Special Task Song Jian put away four cards glowing with a purple-gold light, and the treasure chest in the center of the arena gradually disappeared. Congratulations, Song Jian. I didnt expect that you actually achieved the remarkable feat of ten consecutive victories! Gao Dongxin looked at Song Jian with a look of surprise and joy on his face. Song Jian had fully recovered now, but there was still a hint of fatigue in his eyes. The previous battles did not consume much, but from the moment he started fighting the Undead Knight, the drain on Song Jians strength started to grow bigger. In the final fight against the twelve Spartans, he had to use all his hidden cards and fight with all his might. Im honored to fulfill your expectations! Song Jian said with a smile, handing over a Game Invitation Card that was also glowing with a purple-gold light to Gao Dongxin. Among all the previous rewards, this card was of no great use to Song Jian, but for those who desired to enter the game to enhance their abilities, this card was an invaluable treasure! Zhao Dan was looking at the card in Gao Dongxins hand with envy. Although she was already a player, many people in her family wanted to join the game. Mr. Song, I wonder if you could cooperate with us, the Zhao family as well? We also need the Game Invitation Card! Zhao Dan laughed and said, And besides, there must be more rewards from the ten successive wins, right? If Mr. Song has other things and is willing to sell, our Zhao family is willing to offer a high price! Song Jian chuckled, I am not considering selling the other rewards for the time being. If you want me to sell, its pretty simple, just bring out something that interests me! Zhao Dans smile froze for a moment, and she could not help but shake her head helplessly. Considering Song Jians current strength, how could ordinary items interest him? If Gaos Family hadnt offered a part of his equipment set, believing an equipment of Gold quality could make Song Jian sell its utterly unimaginable! Leaving the Manor Castle of the arena, a satisfied smile spread across Song Jians face. Although there had been some unexpected turns in the battles in the arena, the rewards were fairly generous; The Game Unsealing Card for Song Jian was simply the more the better. If he could bring all of his equipment from the game to the real world, then he wouldnt have had to fight so hard in the arena; Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A Game Follower Card could bring creatures in the real world into the game, and of course, it could bring humans in as followers. Sometimes, the Follower Card was even chased after more by big shots than the Invitation Card; As for the Bag Expansion Card, it could be said that was the biggest gain from this arena trip for Song Jian. By unlocking all the bag slots, Song Jian wouldnt have to worry about what to bring out of the game every time he left, because so far, he could only bring two items out of the game at a time; Before leaving the arena, Song Jian had already used the Bag Expansion Card, and every single grid in his bag turned into a light gold border. Song Jian hadnt decided which equipment to use the Unsealing Card on, and the creatures in the real world, even tigers and lions, were not as powerful as the monsters in the game. Currently, the Follower Card had no use for Song Jian, so he could only store it inside his bag. Song Jian no longer intended to return to his previous rented room and believed that with the strength of the Southwest Military Region, the villa he had previously bought was definitely within their surveillance range. Thinking of this, Song Jian walked directly towards Coastal Citys largest port; In the Manor Castle of the City of Hope Alliance in the game, a flash of white light passed, and Song Jians figure appeared in the castle. As soon as he entered the game, Song Jian received a message from the system. System: City of Hope Alliance has successfully created a first-level city. You automatically become the city lord of the City of Hope Alliance (first-level city)! System: You have received the City Lord seal of the City of Hope! The seal is currently in a sealed state; System: You automatically received a special task, I am a city lord! Depending on how you complete the task, youll receive different evaluations and the seal of the City Lord will be unsealed to varying degrees! Basic completion: 50% function of the seal will be unsealed, Excellent: 65%, Perfect: 98%, Extraordinary: 110%; The perfect rating only unseals 98%? How do you get the extraordinary rating, shouldnt the maximum unsealing be 100%? What is this extra 10%? Song Jian frowned slightly and immediately opened the task bar to view the special task he was automatically assigned; Special Task: I am the City Lord! Task Content 1: As a great city lord, you must first have enough resources! Please collect the following resources within a month! Food: 300,000 units, Timber: 200,000 units, Stone: 150,000 units, Gold: 50,000 units, Gems: 30,000 units; Task Content 2: As a great city lord, you must ensure the safety of all residents in your territory. Please clear all the monsters inside your territory within a month. During the task, the monsters that you kill will not respawn. After the task ends, for every extra monster, the task rating drops 1%; Task Content 3: As a great city lord, you must ensure the safety of the entire city. Please create enough defensive buildings within a month. After the task ends, the total defense value of the defensive buildings you created must reach 100,000. For every point less, the task rating drops 1%; Task Content 4: The final test: As a newly created city, you must go through the trial of blood and fire before you can truly become a shelter for humanity! A month later, you will experience a most brutal monster siege! If you successfully resist, the city will be established; if you fail, all your previous efforts will be in vain, and the City of Hope Alliance territory will become a wasteland! Song Jian carefully read every word of this special task. Each of the four tasks was not easy, whether it was resource accumulation or monster removal. It required mobilizing the entire Alliance to complete; The moment Song Jian received the task, all the people in the City of Hope Alliance received this special task. Everyone was immediately excited; I was saying, we have already completed all the steps to create the city, why isnt there a successful establishment prompt, turns out we need to complete this special task first! Wang Qi shouted in the Alliance channel. This task is too twisted*! All these resources, the time limit of one month is too tight! No matter how twisted* it is, theres no other way. We can only do our best to complete it, otherwise, all our hard work in this long time will be wasted! Yes, we need to complete it even if we have to grit our teeth, we are the first ones to create a city in Doomsday City, we must succeed! After thinking for a while, Song Jian directly said, Wang Qi, bring your team to the Manor Castle, lets have a meeting to discuss! Soon, a dozen of the City of Hope Alliances administrators gathered in the conference room. They all wore serious expressions; this task could be said to be the biggest challenge the City of Hope Alliance was facing! Chapter 720: 720: Sword Formation Chapter 720: Chapter 720: Sword Formation Boss, resources are no problem. We now have more than 800 members in our alliance. With this many people, we can gather all these resources in a month! A middle-aged man with a rough face shouted loudly. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian looked up at him and found that he didnt recognize the man, who seemed to be a new player recently absorbed into the alliance; We cant have everyone gather resources, but we can increase the development effort in the Valley of the Undead and buy the resources directly. I think, as long as the price is right, it should be easy to gather these resources! Wang Qi nodded and said; Song Jian nodded. Food, wood, and stone are the most basic materials. Even if buying them from Sin City, it wont cost much money. Gold and gems must be mined from the caves. The most important thing is that gold can be processed into gold bricks. During the process of making gold bricks, there is a chance to produce gold bricks that can be brought into the real world. Therefore, many miners like to mine gold ores, which makes gathering 50,000 units of gold in a short period difficult. As for the gems in the resources, they are not the ones found in the Valley of the Undead that can be embedded, but a material that accompanies all ores. When mining any material, there is a certain probability of obtaining it, and the higher the grade of the ore, the more likely it is to produce this kind of gem; The demand for this kind of gem on the market is not huge, and purchasing them is not difficult. The main issue is that gathering 30,000 units in a month may cause the price of these gems to rise sharply; However, since obtaining the Valley of the Undead, the City of Hope Alliance isnt short of money lately. And many players, upon learning about it, want to join the City of Hope Alliance. After all, apart from the resources in the Valley of the Undead, there are numerous undead creatures C countless Skeleton Soldiers! These monsters have high levels and low strength, so leveling up here using AOE skills is incredibly satisfying! Lets leave the matter of supplies to Wang Qi. Can you gather all these supplies within 20 days? Song Jian asked. Wang Qi shook his head and said: As long as there is enough funding, these are just ordinary materials. Moreover, our Transmission Array has opened connections with two other cities, so we can purchase supplies from them! Song Jian nodded. If these materials are placed in one alliance, the amount is massive, but if they are distributed among several major cities, they might not even cause a ripple. As long as the operation is done correctly, the price may only increase by 10 or 20% in order to gather all the required supplies; As for the second task Before Song Jian could finish speaking, Luo Tianyu interrupted him: Dont worry about the second task. As soon as our territory expands, well first clear out the small monsters in the area. Its already been done many times! We must not be careless; we need to check every nook and cranny! Wang Qi said, Especially those monsters that can go invisible but dont attack proactively. We might not notice them if they hide in some corner After thinking for a moment, Song Jian asked, Did you clean the sewers? Several people were astonished and looked at Song Jian; Damn, if you didnt remind us, we might have overlooked the monsters in the sewers Yeah, who goes in the sewers to fight monsters and level up? The environment there is terrible. But, indeed, there are quite a few monsters in the sewers. Ive been in there when doing a quest Boss, what about the sky? Do the monsters in the sky count? Someone suddenly asked. Only the territory counts, not the airspace! Song Jian said immediately, if the task included the monsters in the sky, probably no player could complete this task perfectly; So we just need to organize people to clear out the monsters in the sewers again! We must check carefully multiple times and not miss a single monster! Song Jian said with a serious expression. Although clearing out monsters seems simple, it is challenging to thoroughly clean all the monsters hiding in the corners. Players dont frequently visit some places, and some monsters can turn invisible; these factors need to be considered. The people brainstormed and came up with several targeted suggestions, all while looking at the third task; The defensive buildings provided by the system, including city walls, gates, Arrow Towers, Caltrops, and even moats, can only provide a little more than 60,000 defense points when added together! Wang Qi frowned and said. Song Jian was taken aback, how could this be? Are you sure? Song Jian asked. Definitely, even if we build all those that we cannot currently use, its only a little over 60,000! Wang Qi said; Song Jians brow furrowed. The third task seemed independent of the other tasks, but it was closely related to the monster siege in the fourth task. If the defense facilities are insufficient, it will be tough to resist the monster invasion. Therefore, Song Jian estimated that 100,000 defense points might be the minimum requirement. To successfully defend against the monster siege in the fourth task, the constructed defense facilities must have at least 150,000 or even 200,000 defense points. However, the system has provided only a little more than 60,000 defense points worth of defensive buildings. In one month, they not only need to build but also find new defensive buildings C this is probably the most difficult part of the task. Wang Qi, first order our brothers to build the available defense buildings, then send people to other cities to find new blueprints. If there are none, invite the master builders from other cities to construct them for us.. Song Jian said. Wang Qi nodded, clearly realizing that this defense building task is the most difficult among the four tasks. After some discussion, everyone left the Manor Castle and started getting busy; Song Jian suddenly remembered the defensive array that the Sect Leader of Qingyun Sword Sect used during his battle with the Demon of the Abyss in the assessment mission world C the Qingyun Sword Array! If we can set up a city-defending grand array similar to the Qingyun Sword Array, it would definitely meet the tasks defense requirement! Song Jian thought silently in his heart. With Song Jians current mastery of sword arrays, setting up a Qingyun Sword Array that relies on the power of heaven and earth is far too difficult, but arranging a simpler defense array shouldnt be a problem; However, the most important thing is that Song Jian doesnt have many sword stones left. As the carrier of the sword array, the more complex the sword array, the more blank sword stones are required, and since Song Jian returned from the assessment mission world, he has discovered no more sword stones, and the stored sword stones have been almost consumed. Song Jian looked at the remaining thirty or so blank sword stones in his inventory, and couldnt help but frown. Chapter 721: 721: Stealth Orb Chapter 721: Chapter 721: Stealth Orb Song Jian sighed, looking at the thirty-odd blank sword stones on the table, pondering what kind of city defense sword formation he could create with these stones. If he was using it himself, these thirty-odd sword stones would be enough for Song Jian to use for a few months. However, if they were used to set up a large formation for city defense, he could only create a sword formation that could defend a single city gate at most. This would only increase the defense of the city gate by a few thousand degrees. When compared to the defense of the entire city, it wouldnt be much use. The task of ten thousand defense units is merely a baseline, utterly insufficient. If we want the city defense to be easier, we need at least two hundred thousand, or even three hundred thousand defense units! Song Jian gritted his teeth. Now, in the game, the players only have one life. If things are too dangerous, the majority of players will directly abandon the city defense task and flee. Therefore, if the citys defensive infrastructure is insufficient, there may be many players who wont even set foot on city walls. They would rather resign. After all, the City of Hope Alliance currently occupies only one-third of the area of Doomsday City, and there are plenty of areas to house these players who have lost their safe houses. Just then, Li Keer walked in with a red fox wrapped in her arms. Brother Song Jian, what are you doing? Li Keer asked. Li Keer was too young, and rarely got involved with the alliances affairs. Having stayed in the alliance for a while and finding it boring, she had been hanging around in her Sunflower Bar. The second floor of the Sunflower Bar was now open to players as well, causing the most common lower-level zombies in Doomsday City to become endangered species. As soon as they refreshed, they were immediately exterminated by patrolling players. Additionally, the value of the crystal cores dropped by zombies had increased multiple times. Although the probability of the slot machine yielding good objects was very low, many players still took a chance and won good items. The zombie crystal cores and those good items couldnt be compared. It attracted many players, even spawning a group of professional player merchants who sold crystal cores directly in front of the slot machine. Having heard that Song Jian had returned, Li Keer had come specially to play with him. Seeing Li Keer, Song Jian gave a slight smile and said, Big brother received a task, and is thinking about how to complete it. Whats Keer doing? Is this a pet youve caught? Song Jians gaze casually swept over the small red fox in Li Keers arms and immediately noticed something unusual. This small fox was entirely red, without a single stray hair. In Keers arms, it looked like a ball of flame. However, it seemed a bit lazy, lying motionless on Li Keers arm. Only when it heard Song Jians words did its ears twitch. This is Little Li, who I happened to catch in the wild! Li Keer laughed, her eyes almost squinted shut, then she patted the foxs head and said, Little Li, say hello to Brother Song Jian! Little Li lazily opened his eyes and looked at Song Jian. He curled his mouth, revealing sharp teeth, then returned to curling up in Li Keers embrace. Song Jian was taken aback. The moment this little fox showed its teeth, he found that this seemingly harmless, pet-like fox actually possessed first-tier combat power! Little Lis already reached level thirty! Li Keer said proudly to Song Jian. Song Jian shook his head internally. Li Keer was only at level twenty-nine. He really didnt know how she had tamed this fox with first-tier combat power. Moreover, from the sound of it, it seemed like she had directly tamed it in the wild rather than having captured a cub or received a pet egg to raise. Pets caught from the wild could instantly gain combat powers. However, such pets required a lot of time to cultivate loyalty. Otherwise, they could easily run away. Pets raised from newborns or pet eggs would have high loyalty from birth. Nevertheless, it would still take a lot of time to raise their level and combat power. The time spent on both types was about the same. Brother Song Jian, do you like these white stones? Li Keer asked. I found plenty of stones that looked like white crystals in the valley where I found Little Li! As she spoke, Li Keer took out two white stones from her bag that were significantly larger than the sword stones on Song Jians table. Song Jian looked up and saw them, instant happiness spreading across his face. What Li Keer had was the most primitive ore. With a little cutting and carving, they could become blank sword stones that could be used to create a sword formation. Keer, big brother currently needs a lot of these white stones. Can you tell me where you found these stones? Song Jian picked up one of the stones and examined it carefully. The two sword stone ores that Li Keer had brought out were of extremely high quality and could be used to create top-quality sword stones. Its in the southwest of Doomsday City. Theres a resort there with a big lake nearby, which is so beautiful. Next to the big lake, theres a small valley. These white stones were found in that valley! Li Keer, stroking the little fox in her arms, said with a laugh. Li Keer had two little tiger teeth that looked very cute when she smiled. She felt very happy to be able to help Song Jian. Song Jian knew the place Li Keer was talking about. It was a thirty-five level monster area. Few people usually went there. Li Keer was only level twenty-nine, and she dared to run to such a dangerous place alone. He didnt know whether to call her brave or foolhardy. Thats a thirty-five level monster area! Song Jian exclaimed. Arent you afraid, Keer? I didnt know that, I just saw the lake was beautiful and went to take a look! Li Keer replied, But the lake has monsters. They are very powerful, and they can even rush ashore. Song Jian big brother, you have to be very careful if you go there! Song Jian thought for a while, then took out the Stealth Orb and handed it to Li Keer. Keer, I will give you this orb. Use the Stealth spell in advance if you are in danger in the future! Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Stealth Orb was a trophy Song Jian had won in the arena. It could cast stealth spells at the highest level and increase stealth effects. It was much more powerful than the stealth spells of current thief class players. Li Keer liked to run around in the game. Giving her this orb would at least improve her chances of survival. As soon as he took out the orb, Li Keer liked it right away and took it happily, saying, Thank you, Big Brother Song Jian! The little fox in her arms opened his eyes to look at the Stealth Orb, slightly curling his lips, showing a look of disdain, and then curled up again. He wrapped himself up with his large tail and fell into deep sleep in Li Keers arms. Chapter 722: 722: Deepwater Crocodile Beast Chapter 722: Chapter 722: Deepwater Crocodile Beast The Lanscape Love Resort, strictly speaking, should be considered beyond the scope of the Doomsday City, and belongs to the suburban area. However, this place still falls within the range of the Protection Black Mist, and therefore is also regarded as a part of the Doomsday City; The next day, Song Jian arrived at this place. It took him more than two hours to drive here from the City of Hope. Along the way, he passed through two Level 30 monster areas and was pursued for a while; The entire resort looked desolate. On the left was a large villa area, from which came occasional howls of mutated zombies. On the right was a blue deepwater lake, with several yachts moored by the shore. These yachts, however, were already corroded beyond recognition, half sunk in the water and half leaning on the shore; With exception of the villa area, the whole resort was eerily silent. It was as if it was a dead zone where not only monsters, but even ordinary small animals were absent; Li Keer mentioned that powerful monsters lived in the lake. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Song Jian avoided the lake and walked around it. His goal was to check the valley Li Keer mentioned and see how many Sword Stones were there. If there were many, Song Jian could use these Sword Stones to set up a defensive Sword Formation. Even with his current strength, he could not set up one that harnesses the power of heaven and earth like the Qingyun Sword Array, but a simple defensive Sword Formation wouldnt be a problem. If necessary, he could set up more, and win by numbers! The valley Li Keer mentioned was on the opposite side of the lake. Song Jian spread his wings and flew up, but as he prepared to cross the lake, he suddenly felt a strong sense of caution. Almost subconsciously, he descended to the ground; At this moment, a few violent ripples suddenly appeared on the lake, as if something was rolling around underneath. Is even the air a forbidden area? Song Jian wondered. Although he didnt have a chance to identify what kind of monster was in the lake or at what level, the warning he just felt signaled that continuing flying might pose a danger to his life! It seems I have to walk around the lake! Song Jian shook his head. This huge deepwater lake might contain countless monsters, and if they were disturbed, Song Jian might not be able to enter the valley even if he finds it. Although Song Jian didnt want to provoke any mishaps, he found himself at odds with the monster in the lake. In the middle of the deepwater lake, a giant crocodile over ten meters long, like a piece of weather-beaten driftwood, slowly rose from the bottom of the lake. Its eyes, half-submerged in water and glittering like lanterns, were fixated on Song Jian, who was swiftly passing by the shore. Li Keers valley was less than five hundred meters away from him, and Song Jian could already see the giant rock at the valley entrance, resembling a rhinoceros; If it wasnt for this rhinoceros-like rock, I wouldnt have noticed anything even standing right at the valley entrance, Song Jian stared carefully at the entrance for a while, finding no sight of it anywhere; At this moment, Song Jian suddenly felt an almost invisible stare was fixated on him; Song Jians body stiffened as he ran, but he quickly recovered. He laughed coldly in his heart; he came here for Sword Stones and didnt want to cause trouble. If any monster lays eyes on him, he wont back down. With all his equipment on in the game, Song Jians strength was top-tier even among all first-order Combat Power. He didnt fear the first-order Combat Power elite bosses at all. If he fought with those Sparta fighters now, one slash would drain one-third of their Vitality Points; An explosion resounded in the sky just as Song Jian was about to reach the valleys entrance; Boom~ Numerous droplets of rain shot towards him like arrows, showering the area within tens of meters around him. A huge figure by the lake quickly swam towards him and the moment it emerged onto the shore, the creature picked up speed. Like a heavy-duty tank, it rumblingly charged at Song Jian; Deepwater Crocodile Beast (Elite), Level 35, First-Order Combat Power, Vitality Points: 12000/12000 A level thirty-five elite boss appeared. It seemed that this beast was proficient in Water Magic and its physical attacks were not weak either. At this moment, it was using a skill similar to a warriors charge; Snowy Twilight! Song Jian somersaulted backward and chopped down with his sword. In an instant, countless flakes of snow appeared accumulating heavily on the ground while snowflakes started to float in the air. The rain droplets flying towards him instantly turned into icicles and fell with a clinking sound. Even the huge crocodile rushing towards him got slowed down by the thick snow, making strenuous efforts to move its limbs and let out a painful howl. Song Jian flicked his wrist, pointed his sword at the giant crocodile, and all the snowflakes rolled toward it, as if caught up in a whirlwind, they all surged towards the Deepwater Crocodile Beast; Whizz Whizz Whizz~ All the snowflakes condensed into sharp thin blades as long as a finger, continuously leaving trails of sword wounds on this Deepwater Crocodile Beasts surface. The health of this first-order combat power elite boss fell in steady numbers; It has a strong defense! Song Jian was taken aback. The Snowflake Sword Qi could only leave white marks on the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts surface and couldnt break through its defense. Song Jian had already noticed the first flaw of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. The first move, Snowy Twilight, could limit the targets speed and lower its defense, but the attack was too scattered. If it was used against weaker monsters, it was as strong as a Mages Blizzard. But against a first-order combat power elite boss, these scattered attacks couldnt even break its defense; Thinking of this, Song Jian immediately retracted his sword and promptly changed his attack method; Light Strike! A dazzling golden Sword Qi slashed towards the Deepwater Crocodile Beast. With its speed greatly reduced, the crocodile could only withstand the blow head-on; The golden Sword Qi directly hit one of the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts front legs, immediately severing it; The sound of the crocodiles thick leg, larger than Song Jians body, breaking echoed in the air, followed by fresh blood gushing out like a fountain. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Deepwater Crocodile Beast let out a terrible scream. It gave Song Jian a vicious look, and abruptly turned around and rushed back into the lake; Song Jian was taken aback. Even though he had severely injured this Deepwater Crocodile Beasts front leg, it had only lost less than a third of its Vitality Points. Why would it turn and flee so abruptly? In the blink of an eye, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast had already entered the lake, and a trace of blood spread out on the lake surface. The crocodile quickly disappeared, and the lake surface became calm again. Chapter 723: 723: Limb Regeneration Chapter 723: Chapter 723: Limb Regeneration Song Jian suddenly found that this Deepwater Crocodile Beast was extremely fast at fleeing, and had vanished into the lake without a trace after he hesitated for a moment. Song Jian stood for a while, shook his head, and turned to walk toward the valleys entrance. The entrance of the valley was obscured by countless vines at this moment, and if Song Jian hadnt known there was a small valley inside, he might not have dared to venture further in. Pushing aside the vines, a narrow and winding path appeared before Song Jian. The path was difficult to traverse, full of protruding rocks with sharp edges like knives; just a little carelessness could result in an injury. After walking along the path for about ten minutes, Song Jians view suddenly opened up, revealing a small valley about ten acres in size. Inside the valley was an open grassland where several rabbits were grazing on the grass. Hearing the commotion, they looked up towards Song Jians direction, stood still for a moment, and then vanished with a swish. As Song Jian surveyed the valley, he quickly discovered a white crystal the size of a human head lying on the ground. Picking it up, he realized it was Sword Stone Ore, which could produce five or six blank Sword Stones! However, at this moment, the ore was simply labeled Special Ore, and its properties were unknown. Most players would probably consider this kind of ore to be trash and sell it to the system store if it were given to them. Only Li Keer thought these white crystals looked beautiful, so she picked up two and took them back. Otherwise, Song Jian might not have known that there was Sword Stone Ore here. However, this area was inhabited by level 35 monsters, and even the large lake at the entrance of the valley housed a level 35 elite BOSS. Most players in the City of Hope Alliance had yet to reach level 30; venturing here to mine Sword Stone Ore would be nothing short of suicide for them! Left with no choice, Song Jian had to gather the Sword Stone Ore himself. Sword Stone Ore was scattered on the grassland throughout the valley, and Sword Stone Ore veins surrounded the valley. Song Jian first collected the scattered Sword Stone Ore on the grassland, then began to use his Mining Skill, sweating as he worked to gather more Sword Stone Ore. Fortunately, after these Sword Stone Ores were mined, they were automatically stored in his inventory bar, with each slot capable of holding 200 units of Sword Stone Ore. Song Jian spent three consecutive days in the valley, filling every remaining space in his inventory slots with over ten thousand units of Sword Stone Ore before finally stopping. These Sword Stone Ores are enough to refine more than 30,000 high-quality Sword Stones, which is more than enough to set up a Qingyun Sword Array! Song Jian thought as he looked at his bulging inventory. To learn the Sword Formation skill, one had to visit the world of Song Jians previous double S-ranked assessment mission, where it was unlikely any player could acquire the skill. Moreover, the most important factor was that skills learned from the assessment mission world didnt require skill points to upgrade; as long as the proficiency was reached, they could be directly upgraded. In the assessment mission world, Song Jian had already achieved an advanced level in his Sword Formation skill. However, the skill level in the game world was different from that in the assessment mission world; an advanced level there was merely level eight in the game world. Song Jians current Sword Formation skill was at level eight, with about a third of the proficiency still required before it could be leveled up again. With this many Sword Stone Ores, Song Jian could raise his Sword Formation skill to over level ten in a short period of time. Song Jian glanced at the valley surroundings. The amount of Sword Stone Ore he had gathered was a drop in the bucket compared to the valleys Sword Stone Ore veins. Ill leave the rest here for now since these Sword Stones are no different than regular rocks to other players at the moment, Song Jian thought as he turned to leave the valley. At the entrance of the valley, Song Jian thought for a moment and took out more than a dozen Sword Stones to set up a large concealment array, completely covering the entrance to the valley so that no players would accidentally come across it. Having done all this, Song Jian left the valley; The moment he stepped out of the valley, he suddenly heard an angry roar, and a huge shadow charged straight towards him; Upon closer inspection, Song Jian realized it was the Deepwater Crocodile Beast from three days ago; This guy, its actually holding a grudge! Song Jian thought, and four long swords appeared around his body, like shooting stars, slashing towards the Deepwater Crocodile Beast; Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Four sets of sword techniques were executed simultaneously, with Sword Qi surging and constantly slashing at the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, stopping its attack; I didnt pay close attention before and let you escape, but now youre just asking for death by coming out again? Song Jian snorted coldly, using the Surging Wave Breaking Sword to perform Frosty Snowfall, completely cutting off the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts chance to escape back to the lake. The other three long swords continuously executed their imprinted sword techniques, consuming virtually no energy from Song Jian. For now, Song Jian had only nurtured the Sword Spirit of three long swords, and the newly obtained fourth Surging Wave Breaking Sword didnt have enough golden quality weapons to ferment a Sword Spirit; Originally, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast was no match for Song Jian. However, during their last encounter, Song Jian had only slightly revealed some powerful damage, which scared off the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, causing it to misjudge Song Jians strength; As a result, when the four long swords attacked it simultaneously, their power had increased several times since their first encounter, making the Deepwater Crocodile Beast terrified and trying to turn back and flee into the lake; However, at this point, the area within several dozen meters was covered in a thick layer of snow, and even the edge of the big lake was frozen with a thick layer of ice over a distance of more than ten meters. Escaping into the lake like last time was now impossible; In the end, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast found that its only choice was to turn and attack Song Jian, depleting some of his Vitality Points before dying; Several minutes later, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast humiliatingly died in the thick snow, its body slashed with countless sword marks. If Song Jian knew the skinning skill, he would only get a worthless, tattered hide from it; Looking at the two materials dropped by the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, Song Jian couldnt help but look disdainfully at its corpse, as it was a level 35 elite BOSS with loot not even equivalent to a level 35 ordinary monster. Huh, strange? Song Jian looked at the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts corpse and suddenly felt that something was off. At this moment, he realized that the monsters right claw was completely intact! Didnt I cut off this elite BOSSs right claw before? Why did it grow a new one? Could it be that the Deepwater Crocodile Beast has the ability to regenerate severed limbs? Song Jian wondered; However, he knew that the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts size and strength should have already exceeded 60 points, but its recovery ability was really average, otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to kill it so easily; Song Jian examined its right claw more closely and found that it had indeed just grown, and even the color of its skin was different from the surrounding areas. Transparent flames slowly burned the Deepwater Crocodile Beasts corpse, as Song Jian raised his head to look at the calm lake, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. I didnt expect there to be unexpected surprises! Chapter 724: 724: Electric Energy Stone Chapter 724: Chapter 724: Electric Energy Stone The lake was enormous, and Song Jian knew, there were more monsters lurking within than just the Deepwater Crocodile Beast he was currently facing. There might even be more vicious ones. However, Song Jian was confident that the treasure which enabled limb regeneration was indeed located beneath this lake; After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian slowly sank into the water, opened his eyes, and began intently observing his surroundings. The amount of time he could spend underwater was only 15 minutes. If he exceeded 15 minutes, he would start losing Vitality Points increasingly faster. And in just a few seconds, he would lose all of his Vitality Points; The lake was crystal clear. Song Jian spotted many monsters underwater, including dozens or even hundreds of Deepwater Crocodile Beasts. Other monsters, similar to fish with no legs were also plentiful; Furthermore, the lake contained an abundance of water-elemental creatures, similar to those Song Jian had previously encountered in Jinyang Lake, but markedly larger and more formidable; Song Jian was there not to hunt monsters and level up, but in search for the limb-regenerating treasure. As such, he carefully avoided any confrontations. When running out of breath, he would swim up for a rest before diving back; After a little over an hour, he had covered less than a tenth of the area. Despite all the efforts, he didnt find anything except a horde of monsters at the lake bottom. Should I try cutting off another monsters limb and observe its regeneration process? Song Jian pondered with a frown; Suddenly, a strong water disturbance was felt ahead. Glancing forward, Song Jian saw a cloud of silt being churned from the lake bed. It seemed like two monsters were fighting; All of the surrounding monsters were drawn to the commotion but are soon scared away; Before long, all the other monsters had completely retreated from the fighting duo; Song Jian examined the stats of these two battling monsters. Both had first-tier Combat Power. One was a level 35 Deepwater Crocodile Beast, and the other was a level 38 Deepwater Lake Eel; The battle was intense. As Song Jian moved closer, he saw the two monsters tiring. Suddenly, the tail of the Deepwater Lake Eel swept around, releasing a huge electric shock attack at the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, flinging him away; Boom! The Deepwater Crocodile Beast was propelled five or six meters away, as if it hit an invisible wall underwater, creating a dull sound; In the void, a crack seemingly appeared and vanished almost immediately in the water. However, its brief flash caught Song Jians eye, and his heart brimmed with anticipation. Could there be something similar to a hidden realm at the bottom of this lake? He thought to himself. Resting his impulsive urge to investigate, he decided to wait for the two monsters to finish their duel; Before long, the Deepwater Crocodile Beast lost and retreated. The victorious Deepwater Lake Eel was also severely injured and didnt pursue its defeated opponent. In time, the fleeing Crocodile Beast disappeared, and the Eel remained in place, curling its wounded body; Song Jian noticed the Deepwater Lake Eel seemed to be guarding a dazzling stone. This stone was the size of a human head and was partially buried in the lakebed but was exposed during the fight; This stone emitted a strong, pale blue light. Its surface crackled with small arcs of electricity. The Deepwater Lake Eel frequently licked the surface of the stone, seemingly obtaining pleasure from it; Just then, four sharp long swords raced through the water like lightning. Before it could react, the Deepwater Lake Eel, already gravely injured, was sliced into several pieces. It died without even catching a glimpse of what Song Jian looked like; Song Jian swam over, picked up two items dropped by the Deepwater Lake Eel, then turned his attention to the brilliant blue stone; Since the Deepwater Lake Eel had been severely injured in a lengthy battle with the Deepwater Crocodile Beast, it was not too challenging for Song Jian to kill it. Therefore, the quality of the items it dropped was not much to look at. After a brief glance, Song Jian threw them into his inventory; The pale blue stone, however, was a Power Stone. It could trigger evolution in pets and potentially bestow electric attack skills; The energy contained in this Power Stone was too robust for the Deepwater Lake Eel to devour directly, as it would likely burst. Hence, it was absorbing the energy slowly; As a result, the Power Stone ended up being a steal for Song Jian; Looking at the stone-person and the Black Dragon in his Pet Space, Song Jian hesitated. Who should he give the Power Stone to? The stone-person, who had swallowed the core of an earth-element lord, was currently in a deep sleep. It had grown significantly, now nearly as tall as a grown man; The Black Dragon, having healed, was dozing idly. Sensing Song Jians attention on him, the dragon abruptly opened its golden eyes and roared a profound dragon chant, seemingly sending a greeting to Song Jian; Song Jian smiled slightly. The stone-person was merely a common beast and didnt even possess the first-tier Combat Power. If it tried to absorb this electric Power Stone, who knows how long it would take. It would be better to give it to the Black Dragon. With the Black Dragons ranking, it probably wouldnt struggle as much as the Deepwater Lake Eel in absorbing the stone; Song Jian held the Power Stone and selected use for the Black Dragon. Instantly, a pale blue Power Stone, crackling with electricity, appeared in front of the Black Dragon in the Pet Space; Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing this Power Stone, the Black Dragon pawed at it curiously and then popped it into its mouth as its eyes gleamed with anticipation; Zzzzt! Electric currents ran across the dragons scales, emitting increasingly intense dragon chants. These sounds didnt seem painful but rather enjoyable; This is pretty much like an electric massage Song Jian watched the Black Dragon roll around in the Pet Space, occasionally being zapped by a surge of electricity. However, it was clear that the dragons strength was swiftly increasing, and its level was rapidly climbing, from 30 to 32, and still rising; Looks like this wont be over any time soon. Ill check once it fully absorbs the Power Stone. Song Jian shook his head, closed the Pet Space, and walked towards where hed noticed the spatial crack; Chapter 725: 725: Underwater Palace Chapter 725: Chapter 725: Underwater Palace Song Jian swam to the place where he had seen the spatial rift light flash earlier and began to investigate carefully; If he hadnt noticed it before, it wouldve been very difficult to detect any abnormalities around him, considering the vast lakebed. It would be practically impossible to see any clues within a short time, but knowing the specific location now made the search much easier; Soon, Song Jian felt a faint aura of a formation. This aura was extremely weak, and the surrounding lake water was constantly flowing. If Song Jian didnt know the exact location and investigate carefully for a long time, it would be very difficult to discover its existence; Song Jian slowly walked across the lakebed, his steps appearing rather mysterious. Often after taking two steps forward, he would step back towards the left rear or right rear, then spin around and jump onto a protruding rock, and then leap down from the back of the rock, appearing as if hes moving along an extremely narrow path. In no time, Song Jians figure suddenly whooshed and disappeared from the lakebed; Made it in! Song Jian looked around and a joyful smile appeared on his face; There was indeed a large formation at the bottom of the lake, but it was only a concealment and defensive formation, without any offensive effects. Perhaps due to some reasons, the offensive part of the formation had already failed; The most important thing was that this formation had existed for too long, and many parts had already been damaged. Otherwise, Song Jian wouldnt have discovered it so easily; When entering the formation, Song Jian felt it even more clearly. He could distinctly sense the flow of aura within the formation, and he caught a glimpse of the content of this formation, which could greatly help improve his sword formation; Truly amazing. Not only does the Assessment World have sword formations, but so does the game world! After entering the space, Song Jian looked around with an admiring expression on his face; Looking up, Song Jian found himself in a vast space. The entire space seemed to be covered by a transparent bowl, shielding it from the surrounding lake water; However, this transparent bowl seemed to have some damage, and occasionally it flickered with rays of light, revealing spatial rifts. These spatial rifts appeared and disappeared quickly, as if the entire formation was constantly repairing itself. Just then, a dozen meters away from Song Jian, a damaged spatial rift light flashed and disappeared. Subsequently, a two-meter-tall Water Elemental BOSS appeared in the space. As soon as it entered the space, it detected Song Jians presence and growled at him, then quickly ran away; Below the Water Elemental BOSSs waist was not a pair of legs, but a mass of constantly flowing water, allowing it to move very fast. Song Jian had an idea and hurriedly followed the Water Elemental BOSS closely. In no time, Song Jian saw a palace buried deep underground. One-third of the palace was sunk into the ground, with the remaining two-thirds exposed above the surface, surrounded by broken bricks and tiles, looking desolate; The Water Elemental BOSS rushed into the palace and never came out again. Song Jian waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and finally went to the palace, unable to resist his curiosity; After leaping down from the broken gate, Song Jian looked around. Being buried underground made the surroundings a bit dim, but there was a dazzling light deep in the palace, flickering on and off; Song Jian charged towards the light and, before he got close, heard a roar. The Water Elemental BOSS was guarding the entrance, trying to prevent Song Jian from going in; At the moment, the Water Elemental BOSS seemed to have grown even larger compared to when it first entered. It had grown at least a foot taller, and its upper body, which was originally made of rolling water, now displayed strong and muscular lines; It seems the treasure Im looking for is inside! Song Jian was overjoyed and immediately drew the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, charging towards the Water Elemental BOSS blocking the entrance; Seeing Song Jian rushing towards it, the Water Elemental BOSSs face showed anger. The human who interrupted its promotion actually dared to attack first, making it furious; The Water Elemental BOSS rubbed its two hands together continuously, and within a second, a Frost Arrow had formed in its palm. With a whoosh sound, it shot towards Song Jian; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian tried to dodge, but the Frost Arrow seemed to have a tracking function, constantly adjusting its flight path during its journey, drawing an arc in the air and striking Song Jians chest; Boom! A muffled sound echoed as a powerful force hit Song Jians body. His momentum slowed, and his entire body was covered in a thin layer of light blue frost, causing his movement speed to drop by 50% 500 damage? Song Jian was shocked. His current Fire Resistance and Ice Resistance had already reached a high level. Moreover, he was wearing a full Gold-quality set. The combined sets attributes made the equipment comparable to Epic-quality items. Usually, he could resist or only suffer single-digit damage from Elemental magic attacks, but now, a single ordinary Frost Arrow caused him to lose 500 damage points; If it were an ordinary player, they might have been killed instantly by this attack! Song Jian couldnt help but marvel, becoming cautious; Sutset snow! With a swipe of the sword, snowflakes danced around the palace, and a thick layer of snow covered the ground. A cold chill ran up the Water Elemental BOSSs body, and in no time, the Water Elemental transformed into a huge block of ice; Crack~ Just as Song Jian was about to swing his sword to break the frozen Water Elemental BOSS, cracks appeared on its surface. A huge Ice Elemental BOSS appeared before Song Jian; Bang! The sword chopped down on the already frozen Water Elemental BOSS, leaving behind a white mark, and ice shards scattered around. Song Jian also felt a strong rebound force; Whoosh~ The Water Elemental BOSS swung its huge fist and smashed it towards Song Jian. The frozen Water Elemental BOSS, its body harder than steel, hit Song Jian like a heavy hammer, sending him flying away. Damn it, it backfired. Now its defense increased dramatically, and its attacks seem even more powerful too. Song Jian rolled on the ground twice before spitting out a mouthful of blood. He stared at the Water Elemental BOSS charging towards him with a gloomy look in his eyes. Chapter 726: 726: Treating the Goddess Statue Chapter 726: Chapter 726: Treating the Goddess Statue After the Water Elemental Boss was frozen, it transformed into an ice elemental Boss, breaking free of the freezing effect. Its strength increased dramatically, and it chased after Song Jian, punching him one after another. Thud~ The Ice Elemental Bosss punch created a large pit in the ground. Song Jian dodged the attack and took the opportunity to slash at the Boss once more. After a while fighting, Song Jian suddenly realized that although the Ice Elemental Boss had increased defense and strength, it seemed no longer able to use magic, resorting to close combat attacks instead. After several tests, Song Jian finally confirmed that the Water Elemental Boss had switched from being a long-range mage to a close-combat fighter, but with none of a fighters special skills, relying solely on its fists to flail wildly. Even if it managed to hit Song Jian, the most damage it could do was reduce his Vitality Points by just over two hundred, which was much weaker than its magic attacks. Rapid Sword! Song Jian used his speed-enhancing attack skill, and the attack speed of his four longswords suddenly increased dramatically. Ice splinters flew everywhere, and a continuous stream of damage numbers floated above the Ice Elemental Bosss head. The Boss roared loudly and swung its fists repeatedly, but couldnt even touch the hem of Song Jians clothes. It now seemed like a giant punching bag to him, posing no threat at all. After fighting for more than ten minutes, the surface of the Ice Elemental Boss started to show cracks. Through the cracks, it was clear that its body contained flowing water, indicating that the icy state was about to end. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian controlled his Surging Wave Breaking Sword and cast Frosty Dusk once more, freezing the Boss again and returning it to its Ice Elemental state. It took Song Jian over an hour to finally defeat the Boss, which shattered into several huge blocks of ice. After the Boss died, it dropped only one item, of silver quality. Song Jian picked it up and after a glance, an interested expression appeared on his face. Transformation Orb (Silver), accessory, Item Level 35, Equip Effect: Spirit+15 points, Ice Resistance+30; Special Effect 1: Transform into a water elemental after use, granting the ability to breathe freely underwater for 1 hour; transformation effect is removed when taking damage or entering combat; cooldown: 30 minutes; Special Effect 2: Frost Shield, unleash all energy within the orb to create a Frost Shield with 3000 points of defense and +50 Ice Resistance, lasts 30 seconds before the shield is destroyed; cooldown: 1 hour; Item Equip Level: 30, Can be taken out of the game: No. After defeating so many monsters, Ive finally found a decent item! Song Jian looked at the Transformation Orb, nodding in satisfaction. He removed the Heart of Ice from his equipment and replaced it with the Transformation Orb. Although Song Jians defense equipment and weapons were decent, his accessories, necklaces, and rings had very average quality, most of which were level 10 or 20 items. Now, he finally had a better accessory. With the addition of the Transformation Orb, Song Jian could now disguise himself as a Water Elemental, making his disguises more versatile than before. After equipping the Transformation Orb, Song Jian glanced at the Bosss corpse and walked towards the spot emitting a bright light in the distance. Soon, a stone statue appeared before Song Jians eyes, with the light emanating from it. This was a female-figured goddess statue holding a Magic Staff embedded with a large, deep blue orb. The white jade-like statue emitted milky-white light which spread outward like flowing waves. On the ground, a light circle with a diameter of over ten meters emanated from the statue. As Song Jian entered the light circle, his lost Vitality Points recovered at an extremely fast speed. Within a few seconds, his Vitality Points, which were originally at half, were completely restored. After placing his hand on the statue, its attributes immediately appeared in front of Song Jian. Healing Goddess Statue (Building), special strategic item, Usage Effect: Once placed, this item cannot be moved for 12 hours; within a 10-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 1000%; within a 100-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 500%; within a 1000-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 300%; within a 3000-meter radius, recovery speed increases by 100%; automatically releases a buff healing effect every 30 minutes; Special Effect 1: Light Screen Sky Splendor (Active), can set up to ten connection nodes, after activation, all connected nodes form a large Light Screen Sky Splendor Array, the array has 5000 points of Absolute Defense, immune to all damage and lasts 30 seconds; after 30 seconds, it continues to consume 5000 points of defense until the defense points reach zero and the large array disappears; this skill can be used only once every 24 hours; Special Effect 2: Holy Healing (Active), casts Holy Healing on everyone within a 100-meter radius, restoring them to their peak state; this skill can be used only once every 24 hours! A strategic building item? Song Jians eyes lit up. Though this item couldnt enhance his own strength, it could play a crucial role in completing the City Lords quest he was currently undertaking. The recovery speed boost alone would make the final Monster Siege far easier, and both special effects could be used to turn the tide of battle during crucial moments! Song Jian directly put the statue into his bag. Once moved, a twelve-hour cooldown time appeared on the statue, with it being ready for placement only after the cooldown. The moment Song Jian put the statue in his bag, the entire space began to shake violently. He quickly burst out of the stone cave and looked up to see cracks appearing in the light barrier above, like a shattered porcelain bowl. Bang! In an instant, the entire light barrier shattered, and the lake water, weighing tens of thousands of tons, pressed down on Song Jian. The force of impact sent him flying out, and he spewed out a mouthful of blood as damage numbers over a thousand floated above his head. After tumbling in the lake for a while, Song Jian slowly sank to the bottom. It was then that he discovered the entire lake seemed to be boiling, as every monster in the lake roared and rushed towards the collapsed formation. Song Jian, alarmed, quickly controlled the Transformation Orb to turn into a water elemental and stayed quietly beside a rock at the bottom of the lake. Soon, a dense swarm of monsters appeared at the bottom of the lake. Song Jian even spotted three level 40 Lord-level Bosses roaring in anger. Song Jian dared not move amid the horde of monsters, as they all frantically searched for the thief who stole the Goddess statue. However, even after more than half an hour, they never found him. At last, the monsters let out unwilling roars of frustration and gradually dispersed. It wasnt until all the surrounding monsters had left that Song Jian slowly rose from the bottom of the lake and set course for Manor Castle. Chapter 727: 727: Progress Chapter 727: Chapter 727: Progress Half a month later, almost all players in Doomsday City knew about the City of Hope Alliances extremely important quest, which sparked much discussion and led to another wave of recruiting players. In just one week, the number of players in the City of Hope Alliance had exceeded 1,000, which is currently the maximum number of players allowed to be recruited. Otherwise, at least another 1,000 players could be recruited. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, for the remaining players, the City of Hope Alliance did not give up and organized them into a reserve force. Those who had contributed to the defense of the city would be given priority to join the alliance once it leveled up. Afterward, all players of the City of Hope Alliance, including the reserve force players, tirelessly collected various resources. The Transmission Array occasionally emitted beams of white light, which were players going out to purchase materials from others. In just one week, the energy stones of the Transmission Array had consumed more than 500,000 Doomsday Coins! In the conference room of Manor Castle, there were only Wang Qi and Song Jian. Alliance Leader, we have almost collected all the materials, except we still need 20,000 units of gold and 8,000 units of gems. In one more week at most, we should be able to collect all of them, Wang Qi reported to Song Jian. In addition, the Valley of the Undead has entered the stage of full-scale mining. However, nearly all the profits from mining have been invested into this quest, so there are not many Doomsday Coins left in the alliance Also, we have hired players from three small alliances, a total of over 500 people, who will also help us defend against the monster siege Song Jian, listening to Wang Qis report, nodded repeatedly. Overall, the progress of the quest was still good. Moreover, the fourth sword required to nurture a Sword Spirit, which was a gold weapon, had also been brought to Song Jian by Wang Qi. With a sword imbued with Sword Spirit, the release of swordsmanship consumed almost no energy. Otherwise, with Song Jians strength, controlling four swords for an extended period of combat would be impossible. How is the progress of the second cleaning task? Song Jian asked. Now, the territory of the City of Hope Alliance was quite extensive, and it would take at least five or six days to clean it up completely. Ensuring no corners were missed and not leaving any monsters behind would be very difficult. The lower-level monster areas have almost been cleaned up, but the areas with monsters over level 28 are slower to clean Wang Qi said. What about the sewer area? Song Jian asked. The sewer area is the slowest in cleaning progress Wang Qi hesitated, The terrain in the sewers is complicated, like a maze, and there are many monsters with levels above 25. Currently, we have only cleaned up less than half of the area Song Jian frowned slightly. The cleaning progress was much slower than he had anticipated Is the sewer area map drawn? Song Jian asked. It has been drawn! Wang Qi handed the sewer map of the territory to Song Jian. Also, mark the areas on the ground that are difficult to clear out! Song Jian said. He was not satisfied with the cleaning progress, so it seemed he would take matters into his own hands. Oh, right, Alliance Leader, pay special attention to this area in the sewer Wang Qi pointed to an area on the map and said, This area is suspected to have a high-level BOSS. Two rogue players disappeared here and have vanished from the friend list What, players died? Song Jian was shocked. There was only one life in the game, and dying in the game was equivalent to dying in the real world. Many players avoided entering dangerous areas and only hunted monsters they were confident in killing. Do you know their identities in the real world? Song Jian asked. I dont know Wang Qi said, We havent established a player information database for the alliance yet! Get it done immediately. Of course, this requires the players consent. Then, establish a complete welfare and compensation system for the alliance! Song Jian said. The games interference to the real world was becoming more and more significant. The exchange rate of one Doomsday Coin had risen from an initial rate of 100RMB to 300RMB. All items that could directly enhance ones strength in the real world were becoming more expensive, especially those that increased ones attributes. They had fetched astronomical prices. Who wouldnt want to be a superman in the real world? The wealth that Song Jian had already exceeded tens of millions of Doomsday Coins, equivalent to billions in the real world. Naturally, he would not be stingy with the players who joined the City of Hope Alliance. Yes, Alliance Leader, Ill do it right away! Wang Qi replied. After discussing the construction status of the defense buildings, Wang Qi left Manor Castle. He had been very busy recently. As Vice Alliance Leader, almost all matters were pressing on him, and only when he could not solve them would he come to Song Jian. After Wang Qi left, Song Jian opened the map. The territory of the City of Hope Alliance now covered thousands of square kilometers. However, it was impossible for them to defend such an area. Song Jian decided to abandon some territories and build the city walls three thousand meters from Manor Castle. This way, the Healing Goddess statue placed in Manor Castle would come into full play. For the abandoned territories outside, Song Jian filled them with various traps and self-destruct devices. Among them were landmines, which many players had mastered. These days, players who had learned the art of making landmines were frantically producing them, turning the area outside the City of Hope Alliance into a minefield. However, even if they willingly abandoned constructing buildings on their territory, the monsters above had to be cleaned up, as this was also part of the quest. There are three monster areas on the ground that are difficult to clean up, one at level 28, one at level 30, and one at level 33 Song Jian moved his gaze slowly across the map, examining those monster areas. It was not difficult to clean up the level 28 monster area, as it would not contain a BOSS with Tier 1 Combat Power. However, it was not certain for the level 30 and 33 monster areas, where BOSS monsters with Tier 1 Combat Power might appear and even Lord-class BOSS monsters might emerge, making the cleaning task more challenging. The most difficult part is the sewer Song Jian looked at the maze-like sewer terrain in front of him and suddenly felt a headache. It would take at least a day just to walk through the entire area. Never mind, do it one by one. First, clean up these three monster areas! Song Jian put away the map and walked toward the outside of Manor Castle. Chapter 728: 728: Master Architect Chapter 728: Chapter 728: Master Architect In three days, Song Jian had swept clean all three areas on the ground with monsters above level twenty-eight. After the monsters here are killed, they no longer respawn, marking the areas as safe zones. The first two areas were fairly straightforward; Song Jian only encountered one level-thirty elite boss, whom he overpowered directly. However, in the level thirty-three monster zone, Song Jian met a Lord-level Boss that had tier one combat power. Not only did this Lord-level Boss possess a formidable strength, but it was also accompanied by two level-thirty elite bosses and a dozen other ordinary level-thirty monsters. If it were any other player from the City of Hope Alliance in this situation, even a hundred players might fail to defeat this Boss. Every Lord-level Boss held an aura-like skill that bestowed significant enhancements to their minions, making them even more formidable. Song Jian painstakingly eliminated these minions one by one and finally faced the Lord-level Boss and its two elite underlings. With Song Jians ultimate tactic, he managed to lethally cripple the Lord-level Bossthanks to his numerous Sword Stones that allowed him to create many Sword Formations. Otherwise, facing three bosses at once could have spelled a different outcome. In the course of the battle, Song Jians Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique made a breakthrough, and he mastered the second move, Wind Sweeping Clouds. Leveraging the Book of Fusion, this move merged various sword techniques, thereby greatly magnifying its power. A single execution of the area attack blanketed a hundred-meter radius with enveloping dark clouds and swirling winds, stopping monsters from even approaching Song Jian. However, the damage inflicted by this move occurred over time and lacked burst damage. This was ideal for taking down many weaker monsters but was less effective against bosses. Once all ground monsters in the region were exterminated, Song Jian instructed Wang Qi to deploy hundreds of people, who meticulously cleared the entire area inch by inch. All that remained were the monsters in the sewer. First, lets clean up this area! Song Jian said as he placed his hand on the sewers map, specifically on a bright red marker. This was the last known location of two thieves who had died. Logically, the survival capability of thieves was superior to all other trades. This rationale led Wang Qi to employ a group of players with thief-based occupations for map construction, but they still lost two members. Evidently, there were formidable monsters in the area. As Song Jian was preparing to delve into the sewer, Wang Qi suddenly ushered in an NPC. Guild leader, let me introduce you to someone! Wang Qi said, brimming with excitement. This is Master Kutiya, a wandering architecture master. He wishes to join the City of Hope Alliance and settle down here! What, an architecture master? Song Jian looked astounded and started to assess Kutiya before him. This architecture master was an NPC, not a player. Most importantly, he was the first NPC attracted to Song Jians territory. NPCs do not take up player slots in a guild. The more NPCs that a guild can attract, the bettereven if they lack combat capabilities! Kutiya was such an NPC. While he possessed weak combat abilities, he was a master of a lifestyle occupation and possessed tremendous architectural talent. We welcome you, Master Kutiya, as a member of the City of Hope Alliance! Song Jian stood up and greeted him with a smile. Kutiya breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Song Jians welcoming words. To join the City of Hope Alliance, he needed the consent of the guild leader, Song Jian. No one else could admit him. For Song Jian, Kutiyas contribution to the alliance was significant, especially given the need for a large number of defensive buildings. Kutiyas arrival was opportune! Thank you for taking me in, guild leader. I, Kutiya, promise to fulfill my duties in the guild! Kutiya expressed his gratitude. As a wandering NPC, being able to find a stable home made him feel very fortunate. Once Wang Qi had led Kutiya away and settled him in, he quickly returned to Manor Castle. Weve hit the jackpot this time! Wang Qi said, seeming ecstatic. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Oh, how so? Is this Master Kutiya any good? Song Jian asked smilingly. Hes more than goodhes super incredible! exclaimed Wang Qi. The reason hes referred to as a master is not just because of his master-level architectural skills; he can construct a Magic Crystal Railgun too! What? A Magic Crystal Railgun? Song Jian stood up in astonishment. The Magic Crystal Railgun was known for its immense powerit was the most potent city-defending cannon known at the present. Even the City of Sin did not have one; Song Jian had only seen one in the City of Hymns. The Magic Crystal Railgun was powerful enough to send any creature with tier one combat power running for covera single normal shot could instantly kill any creature at the peak of tier one combat power. If used in conjunction with other more powerful bombs, it could even pose a threat to creatures with tier two combat power. Fantastic! Song Jian exclaimed in excitement. However, the Magic Crystal Railgun requires many materials, many of which come from high-level Bosses drops, and we currently have less than one-third in storage. Plus Wang Qi said, frowning, constructing a Magic Crystal Railgun requires the assistance of at least three senior architects, and even at the shortest, the construction time still spans a week! Song Jian nodded. List out the required materials, and Ill do my best to collect them. Even if we can construct just one Magic Crystal Railgun before the monster assault, it would greatly help our defense! Soon, Wang Qi handed Song Jian a list, and Song Jian realized that he had more and more to deal with. Alright then, Im going to check the sewer. I aim to clean it up within a day and then go gather these materials! Song Jian said before leaving Manor Castle. Watching Song Jians retreating figure, Wang Qi allowed a smile to tug at his lips. There were many trivial matters associated with the City of Hope Alliance. However, with Song Jian, they could solve any challenge and retrieve any material, which other ordinary players could not. For the City of Hope Alliance, Song Jian was their greatest asset. Song Jian went directly to the nearest sewer in his territory. Here, he could still see many players from the City of Hope Alliance entering and exiting. Evidently, even after reporting sewer clearance progress to Song Jian, Wang Qi did not halt the clearing operation. Many players were still working on it. For such a wide-scale operation, numerical advantage certainly held sway. However, Wang Qi had ordered everyone to avoid the area where two players had diedthat zone belonged to Song Jian. Song Jian soon entered the sewer, and following the map, began moving towards the perilous area. Chapter 729: 729: Insect Nest Chapter 729: Chapter 729: Insect Nest The light in the sewer was very dim, but the surrounding walls were covered with light-gray moss. The moss emitted a faint halo. Although it wasnt enough to brighten the sewer as daylight did, the feeble light was sufficient for ordinary players to walk around. Thieves, the class of players that loved this environment the most, could even thrive here. Song Jian directly opened his vertical eye in the middle of his brows and the surrounding environment immediately brightened up. Since the vertical eye naturally offered dark vision, even in a pitch-dark environment, Song Jian could see clearly as if it were daytime. Hence, having clear vision here was certainly not a problem. The conditions in the sewer were awful. Not only did a strong, stinky odour fill the air, but the ground was also littered with lots of garbage. As a direct consequence of this, the status bar of Song Jian displayed a Movement speed reduced by 5% debuff. Additionally, the sewer was inhabited by many small animals like rats. Though they couldnt inflict any damage on Song Jian, their incessant squeaking and scampering around were quite bothersome. Song Jian advanced along a cleared path, not encountering a single monster along the way. It seemed like the players from the City of Hope Alliance had thoroughly cleared this area. As he neared the area where the two players had perished, Song Jian felt some movement above him. If it were not for his strong mental attributes, he wouldnt have noticed anything unusual. Glancing up, he saw, to his surprise, fist-sized beetles crawling frenziedly towards him. Looking back, he saw dozens of beetles like this had already appeared behind him. How could there be so many beetles Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Even though these beetles were just normal monsters, they were level twenty-five and were seemingly endless in numbers. He finally understood why the two thieves had perished here. Even if thieves had strong survival skills, once their escape route was cut off by the endless tide of beetles, there was no chance they could escape. Wind Sweeping Clouds! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, wind gusts stirred up in the sewer channel, like countless wind blades slashing towards the beetles above. Whizz, whizz, whizz~ The level twenty-five normal monsters could not withstand such violent attacks. For them, Song Jians damage output was indeed terrifying. In an instant, Song Jian had killed dozens of beetles, cleaning out the whole channel. This was only with the employment of Wind Sweeping Clouds using a single longsword. I cant even imagine how much power it would hold if four longswords were used simultaneously! Song Jians excited face revealed his utter satisfaction. The way of killing many enemies at once was always thrilling. As Song Jian proceeded further, he encountered more and more beetles. Their levels had escalated from twenty-five to twenty-eight, increasing significantly in size. The two large pincers on their forejaws were gleaming like metal, constantly clashing together and shooting sparks. When Song Jian looked forward using his vertical eye, he noticed a huge dome-like object in the distance that reached the top of the sewer. Why does it look like a giant heart pulsating? Song Jian thought to himself. Upon getting closer, he was shocked to realize that it was actually a huge insect nest, continually discharging beetles covered in slime. These beetles were the size of a fingernail at birth, but they grew to the size of a fist within mere seconds. They were identical to the level twenty-five beetles seen before. Most beetles stopped growing after reaching level twenty-five. However, a few could grow to level twenty-eight. For every hundred level twenty-five beetles, one could grow to level twenty-eight. But level twenty-eight beetles were not the pinnacle. Among every hundred level twenty-eight beetles, one could break through to level thirty. These level thirty beetles, elite monsters acting as guards, were stationed around the insect nest. Only the level twenty-five and twenty-eight beetles roamed around, preyed on every creature in the sewer, and even the small animals like rats were not spared. The corpses of these creatures were then transported back to the insect nest to be stored as food. Looking at the insect nest, Song Jian broke out in a cold sweat. Even if he managed to clear the surface area thoroughly, if he didnt annihilate the insect nest in front of him, the ultimate task completion rate would still be shockingly low. The insect nest produced a swarm of beetles after a certain period of time. From afar, it looked like a surging black tide. Something like that could frighten a person with agoraphobia into a coma. Even Song Jian couldnt guarantee that he could escape unscathed if surrounded by these many beetles. However, if he didnt destroy the insect nest, his City Lords task would certainly fail. Even if he did manage to complete the task, the rank would still be very low. He might end up with a City Lord seal that had only unlocked 60% of its power. This was something Song Jian completely couldnt accept. Even if I cant reach the exclusive 110% unlock rate, I have to at least reach the perfect unlock rate of 98%! Song Jian gritted his teeth and declared inwardly. The Sword Spirit of the fourth longsword, the Surging Wave Breaking Sword, had been conceived. Song Jian summoned all four longswords and erased all previously engraved skills. The Sword Spirits were still maturing, thus they could only memorize three sets of sword techniques. Song Jian directly engraved the first two moves of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique onto the four longswords. Re-engraving the sword techniques consumed a lot of Mental Strength. However, with the help of honey wine boosting his recovery, Song Jian successfully engraved the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique onto all four longswords. Today, Ill show you how powerful the combination of the Blizzard Snowfall and the Wind Sweeping Clouds can be! Song Jian glared at the insect nest and prepared to attack. With a thought, one of the longswords flew towards the insect nest. The moment it got close, almost all the beetles noticed its existence and immediately let out sharp cries. Thousands of beetles cried out at once, filling the sewer with piercing sounds. Song Jian felt as if countless needles were piercing his eardrums. Even the long sword he was controlling couldnt help but shudder. The startled look on Song Jians face changed to one of alarm as he watched his Vitality Points rapidly deplete. This shrieking was not a beetle skill, but it was more frightening than any sonic attack skill. Blizzard Snowfall! The longsword flying towards the insect nest performed a turn in mid-air and, under Song Jians control, executed the first move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. In an instant, the beetles on the ground were nearly submerged in snow. Even the beetles on the ceiling of the sewer had been sliced into halves by the snowflake Sword Qi and fell to the floor. Then, the second longsword was also released by Song Jian. Immediately, a gust of wind swept through the sewer. PS: Thanks to Reader150218030845673 for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 730: 730: Explosive Flame Bomb Chapter 730: Chapter 730: Explosive Flame Bomb Under the accumulated snow, swaths of beetles were frozen in icy lumps, but some slightly more powerful beetles were still able to move, despite their bodies being covered in ice and snow. As for the elite beetle guards, which were painstakingly selected to protect the insect nest, their movement speed was only slightly reduced; they could still charge towards Song Jian at the speed of walking humans on the snowy ground; Wind Sweeping Clouds! Following the second longsword, the blade danced, and the second move of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was immediately unleashed. Countless winds swirl with snowflakes, resembling an enraged jade dragon, which surged towards the insect nest in front; All the snowflake Sword Qi wildly danced in the sewer, and the beetles they touched burst open one after another. Song Jian was surprised to find that when these two moves were executed simultaneously, their power actually increased by 30%. Both Twilight Snow Blizzard and Wind Sweeping Clouds were originally group attack techniques, good at dealing with monsters with weak strength but large in numbers. The beetles produced by the insect nest just happened to fit these characteristics. If they were facing other people or creatures, even those with first-order Combat Power would have to retreat in the face of the tide-like beetles, not daring to confront them directly. Once surrounded by the insect nest, they would fall into a tragic situation of being consumed by ants. Violent winds spread, countless snowflakes seemed like flying swords, charging towards the tide-like beetles. The grade of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was extremely high, and dealing with these level-25 monsters could directly kill them instantly. Even the stronger level-28 beetles could not withstand two or three swords. Only the elite level-30 beetles could survive amidst the snowflake Sword Qi, but their Vitality Points fell very quickly. The third longsword flew by, followed by the fourth. Since Song Jian had engraved the Ten Thousand Facet Sword Technique, the consumption of executing these two moves was minimal. The beetles were fearless, even if they were killed instantly, they still rushed towards Song Jian without hesitation. The tide-like beetles churned and burst open one by one under the heavy snow and violent winds, filling the entire sewer with a nauseating stench. The number of dead beetles was so large that the corpses almost blocked the entire sewer. Fortunately, the bodies of ordinary beetles had a very short existence time. In a little while, they were burned clean by transparent flames, leaving only a pile of low-level materials on the ground; Wind Sweeping Clouds! Twilight Snow Blizzard! Song Jian gave up on other sword techniques and slowly retreated while using these two techniques back and forth. Countless beetles died every second, but even more beetles filled the gaps. Despite the small energy consumption, Song Jians Spirit Points were slowly being consumed. In the end, even the recovery speed of the Invisible Sword Qi began to slow down, indicating that his body was approaching its limit. It was unknown how many beetles he had killed, but there was a thick layer of beetle corpses on the ground that hadnt been burned yet. It was evident that the number of beetles near the insect nest had decreased a lot. Compared to the previous beetle tide, there were now at most only one-tenth of them left. However, Song Jian had also reached his limit. Continuing the battle would bury himself here. With a thought, the four longswords flew up and down and simultaneously used Wind Sweeping Clouds, causing tornado-like whirlpools to appear in the sewer, sweeping forward with an unstoppable force; Song Jian took advantage of the situation and turned into a shadow, using the Sword Shadow Step to slide towards the rear, only breathing a sigh of relief after leaving the range of the insect nest. This was the first time that Song Jian had seen such a terrifying insect nest, capable of producing and controlling tens or even hundreds of thousands of beetles. If it was allowed to grow, even if Song Jian successfully built a city, it would eventually be destroyed under the attack of such tide-like beetles; Fortunately, most of the beetles it produces now are ordinary ones. If they were all elite beetle guards, it might have been really difficult to escape today! Song Jian thought to himself. And if all the elite beetles were present today, Song Jian wouldnt have fought until now. He probably would have fled the moment he encountered them. Upon returning to the Manor Castle, Song Jian headed for Dr. Ebsitings laboratory; As soon as he approached, Song Jian heard a muffled explosion from afar, causing the ground to shake slightly; Luckily, the doctors laboratory had been reinforced multiple times by himself, and it could withstand continuous explosions! Doctor, have you made any new inventions lately? Song Jian pushed open the laboratory door and said directly, I need to deal with a large number of monsters. They are weak, but there are too many of them With a face covered in soot, Dr. Ebsiting shook his charred lab coat and coughed, These monsters you speak of, do they have any obvious resistances, such as extremely high fire resistance? Song Jian thought for a moment, recalling the previous battle, and shook his head, Just ordinary monsters, no noticeable features that enhance certain resistances! But they come in great numbers, thousands of them! Song Jian emphasized; Try this! The doctor took out a flat metal disc from the storage shelf and handed it to Song Jian, Bursting flame bomb! It has a time delay function, which can extend up to thirty seconds. After the explosion, it will deal 500 points of explosion damage to all targets within a ten-meter range, and then trigger white phosphorus burning effect, causing a similar Mage firewall skill effect, dealing 100 points of damage per second to any creatures entering the range, lasting for 30 seconds! Song Jians eyes lit up. The ordinary level-25 beetles had only slightly more than 1,000 Vitality Points. Just one such bomb could cause massive damage and kill them in large numbers, probably even more powerful than the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique! Ill take this, how many do you have? Give me a hundred! Song Jian laughed. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What, a hundred? The doctor was shocked, How could I have that many? These are just experimental products; at most, there are thirteenfourteen; Ill give you all of them! A moment later, Song Jian put all fourteen Bursting Flame Bombs into his inventory and went back towards the sewer. He had to race against time, or else the insect nest would produce even more beetles, and the results of his hard work would cease to exist. Half an hour later, Song Jian arrived back at the place where he had fought before. Now, it was clear that almost all the beetles were controlled by the insect nest, gathering around it. Even the ordinary level-25 beetles couldnt move a step away; Song Jian approached slowly, and when he was only a dozen meters away from the insect nest, the beetles on the outermost layer seemed to sense something. They let out a threatening hiss towards the location where he was standing. Song Jian smiled faintly, stopped, and buried the first Bursting Flame Bomb here, with a thirty-second delay; Chapter 731: 731: Abyss Insect Nest Chapter 731: Chapter 731: Abyss Insect Nest Boom, boom, boom~ In the sewer, a series of explosions suddenly rang out, startling the players who were clearing monsters in the sewer, not knowing what was going on. Whats happening? Whats going on, is the sewer collapsing? Is there a BOSS? Did we encounter a BOSS? The direction of the explosion is quite far from us. It seems to be where the two sacrificed brothers last appeared. Do you think it might be the work of our Alliance Leader Its possible. We can hear it from so far away; the explosion must be powerful. They must have encountered a BOSS The players of the City of Hope Alliance were all guessing, but they did not know that what Song Jian encountered was not a BOSS, but something even more terrifying than a BOSS. A dozen explosive fire bombs turned the entire tunnel, several tens of meters wide, into a sea of flames. These beetles had no consciousness of their own and were controlled by the insect nest. After identifying Song Jian as their target, they rushed recklessly in his direction. In the end, swathes of beetles fell in the sea of fire, including the elite beetle guards, who could not withstand the damage dealt in the flaming area and also fell. In just less than ten minutes, there were no more active beetles in front of Song Jian. The effect of the explosive fire bombs was surprisingly good, much better than the battle Song Jian had fought for hours before. However, this was due to the fact that he had already eliminated most of the beetles, and the fire bombs only served as a finishing blow. The strong explosion and the high temperature of the fire caused cracks on the muddy walls of the tunnel and sand began to fall from the ceiling. It seemed that it wouldnt be long before this section of the tunnel would collapse. Song Jian walked towards the insect nest, a three-meter-tall mass resembling a swollen tumor, stretching up to the top of the sewer, with numerous vents similar to exhaust holes on its surface. This insect nest was also a level 30 Lord class BOSS, but with no attack power of its own, relying solely on the beetles it spawned. If allowed enough time, it could become one of the top-notch Lord class bosses. However, without beetles, it would be among the weakest of Lord bosses, even worse than ordinary monsters. As Song Jian approached, the insect nest began to tremble wildly, making a humming sound from within, as if trying to plead with him. Just as Song Jian was about to plant the last explosive fire bomb beneath it, a flash of inspiration struck him. This thing seems to be a living creature with its own consciousness. I wonder if the Abyss Temptation skill would work on it? thought Song Jian. He directly summoned the Book of the Abyss, flipping through the pages to the Abyss Temptation skill. Song Jian began chanting the Abyssal Spell towards the giant insect nest. A faint, whisper-like sound echoed through the sewer. Dark, Abyssal Chains wrapped around the entire insect nest, which let out mournful cries under the erosion of the Abyssal Power but had no means of resistance. After ten whole minutes, the system finally told Song Jian that the insect nest had become his slave. Song Jian opened the insect nests attribute panel and carefully examined its properties. Abyss Insect Nest (Lord class): Special creature, produces 3 eggs every 10 seconds. These eggs will hatch automatically, with a 90% chance of hatching an ordinary beetle, a 10% chance of hatching a strong beetle, and a 1% chance of hatching an elite beetle guard. All beetles have no independent consciousness and are strictly controlled by the insect nest. After being corroded by the Abyssal Power, the insect nest becomes a special creature with Abyssal Power, and the eggs it lays have a 0.1% chance of hatching an Abyssal Beetle (elite). The creature is currently Song Jians slave, with 10 loyalty points. Trait: This creature needs to devour a large amount of flesh and blood. When enough flesh and blood are consumed, the creature will evolve on its own. Only 10 loyalty points Song Jian was somewhat speechless. This was the flaw of the Abyss Temptation skill: creatures enslaved by it had low loyalty and were prone to rebellion. With such low loyalty, Song Jian dared not place the insect nest directly on the ground. For now, he could only leave it in the sewer. However, now the beetles spawned by the Abyss Insect Nest were all Song Jians slaves, no longer considered monsters, effectively eliminating a major threat. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As soon as Song Jian left the sewer, he instructed Wang Qi to deliver all the flesh obtained from the monster kills to the sewer to feed the Abyss Insect Nest. Although monster corpses would be burned to ashes by translucent flames after death, players with butchering or skinning skills could still obtain materials from them, including monster flesh, which was a cooking ingredient. These materials were cheap and easy to collect. Soon enough, players started delivering monster flesh to the location in the sewer designated by Song Jian. The piled-up flesh was continuously transported by the beetles controlled by the Abyss Insect Nest. In just half a day, its loyalty rose to 20 points, and it spawned a large number of beetles once again. Then, under the control of the Abyss Insect Nest, the beetles began to actively clear out monsters in the sewer. Since the insect nest was Song Jians slave, it could receive orders from him and then relay them to each beetle. The players clearing monsters in the sewer were surprised to find beetles actually competing with them for kills. Hey, look, whats that? How is ithow is it attacking the monsters in the sewer? A player exclaimed, pointing at the beetles crawling along the sewer walls. These must be monsters too, right? But when I lock onto them, I get a system prompt saying that these beetles are affiliated with our Alliance Leader and attacking them would mean challenging him! Are all these beetles the Alliance Leaders combat pets? How come there are so many of them But these beetles are so weak. I can take on more than ten of them by myself! Humph, you can handle ten, but what about fifty? That would be tough, right? And if there are more than a hundred, youll have to turn tail and run. Look at how many there are here, at least three hundred, and there must be more elsewhere With the help of the Abyss Insect Nest, clearing out the sewer monsters went much more smoothly. Monsters killed by the beetles were not burned by the transparent flames. Instead, the beetles dragged their corpses into the insect nest, where they were devoured. After attending to the sewer monster problem, Song Jian immediately headed to the vacation manor where he had discovered the Sword Stone. Chapter 732: 732 God Slayer Chapter 732: Chapter 732 God Slayer To construct a Magic Crystal Railgun, a tremendous amount of rare materials are required, materials that are not dropped by ordinary monsters. Only formidable BOSS monsters have a certain chance of dropping them; Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There are many such powerful BOSS monsters in Doomsday City, but each of them is surrounded by a swarm of monsters of the same level. To hunt such a boss often requires tedious and time-consuming clearing of the surrounding creatures. Previously, the lake where Song Jian found the statue of the Healing Goddess was teeming with Elite Level Bosses. The bosses in that lake were as common as ordinary monsters, and there are even more powerful Lord Level Bosses. This lake is the ideal place for boss hunting and gathering materials. The only downside is that if you lack the strength, coming here is a guaranteed death sentence; Even with Song Jians capability, he cannot sweep through this lake. He has to cautiously lure the Boss monsters one by one and then hunt them; Within three days, Song Jian had managed to kill over 20 Elite Bosses here, raising his level from 35 to 36. The valuable materials he gathered were sufficient to construct a Magic Crystal Railgun. At this time, in the City of Hope Alliance, the master builder Kutiya, along with a group of architects, had begun constructing the Magic Crystal Railgun. Remember, Kutiya is a Master Builder, who is capable of constructing many defensive structures independently. His participation increased the progress of the Song Jians Alliance tasks by at least 10%; With only ten days left until the task deadline, Song Jian was still hunting Boss monsters in the lake. He hoped to gather more materials and construct a second Magic Crystal Railgun. A single Magic Crystal Railgun can only defend in one direction. Once the city walls of the City of Hope Alliance are built, they have to defend against enemies from four different directions. Just as Song Jian was leading a Deepwater Crocodile Beast Boss to the shore, preparing to kill it, a group of people from the Pantheon appeared at the entrance of the resort out of nowhere. Are you sure Song Jian is here? asked a thief with a scar on his face, his voice deep and composed. God Slayer, I stake my head on it, Song Jian has been leveling here for the past two days, only returning to the Alliance once, probably to resupply for consumables. If we head forward from here, theres a big lake, hes hunting there! a player with an archer class said softly. Alright, wait here, Im going to meet this number one on the glory rankings! God Slayer revealed a strange smile, licked the blade of the dagger in his hand with his tongue, and his figure slowly disappeared in place; Do you think this guy is a psycho out in the real world? the archer whispered. Quiet! A player nearby changed his expression and said in a low voice: He just left. Do you want him to hear you? The expression on the archers face immediately changed. He looked nervously around, his hand gripping the bow trembling noticeably. Other players huddled around all had expressions of fear on their faces. It was evident that God Slayer held a strong deterrent power over others; In actuality, the name God Slayer wasnt his original. Like Zeus, he had also used a name change card after joining the Pantheon, changing his in-game name to God Slayer. Moreover, he held one of the positions of the Twelve Main Deities within the Pantheon, effectively making him a core player; At this time, Song Jian was engaged in intense combat with a Level 33 Elite Boss. Under his control, four long swords kept revolving in mid-air, dealing a tremendous amount of damage to the boss, who was roaring furiously and attacking Song Jian with his skills; Just as the Boss had only a sliver of vitality left, and Song Jian was preparing to finish him off, he suddenly felt an alarm ringing in his heart. His Spirit attribute had already exceeded 100 points, his senses were several folds or even ten times stronger than those of a regular player. This made things like sneak attacks almost immunized against him; Normally, he could sense if someones gaze lingered on him for a fraction too long, those filled with hostility could be sensed from far away. However, hostile gazes and murderous intentions were different things. At this moment, Song Jian felt the most serious threat to his life. Filled with urgency, he instantly activated the Frost Shield skill of his Transformation Orb. An ice shield with a defense strength of 3000 points emerged around him; At this point, Song Jian realized that there was a cut more than a finger-length long on his left cheek; The attacker was already right next to me when I sensed the threat! Realizing this, Song Jian was filled with shock. Who exactly attacked him with such stealth capabilities? Even a max-level stealth skill couldnt accomplish such a feat; Looking back at the place where he was standing, Song Jian could only see a shadowy figure disappear back into stealth. The Boss with only a sliver of vitality was killed by the attacker who also took away a third of the experience points. The dropped items didnt even get a glance from him. If the attacker hadnt needed to finish off the monster and collect its drops, Song Jian probably wouldnt have noticed the figure at all; At least two high-level stealth skills! Song Jian thought to himself. Ordinary thief and assassin-type players always emerge from stealth to deal damage and then transform into combat thieves to fight directly. If they are at a disadvantage, they will use high-level stealth skills either to deal greater damage or to escape; With such skills having long cooldowns, they are generally reserved for preserving lives and wont be employed casually. The person in front of him, however, immediately disappeared from sight after causing minor injuries, indicating that he was not so stingy with his high-level stealth skills. The surroundings were deathly silent. A bead of sweat rolled down Song Jians forehead, which he dared not wipe clean. He opened the vertical eye on his forehead and started searching his surroundings. Yet, he found no clues; How can he be so fast? Song Jian was puzzled. The speed after stealth was so fast that he couldnt even track him; At this time, hiding behind a tree about six meters away from Song Jian was God Slayer. His bloodshot eyes stared unblinkingly at Song Jian through the dense foliage. His dagger still held a droplet of blood from Song Jians cheek, which he tasted with his snake-like tongue. He began shaking in excitement; Chapter 733: 733: I lured him out! Chapter 733: Chapter 733: I lured him out! Woo~ The blood of the strong! For me, its the most powerful supplement! The eyes of the God Slayer turned into snake-like golden vertical pupils, looking at Song Jian with an expression full of greed. At this moment, the tree where the God Slayer was hiding was directly behind Song Jians direction so he didnt see Song Jians third eye open, watching Song Jian carefully looking around to investigate. The God Slayer couldnt help but let out a cold sneer in his heart; A mere swordsman, thinking that simply observing the movements around him would reveal his presence was just too naive! The God Slayer leapt out from the tree, landing without making a sound, and then rushed towards Song Jian like a ghost, the dagger in his hand like the fangs of a wild beast, aiming for Song Jians neck; Backstab! This was a starting move for the Assassin profession, attacking from behind the target, dealing 200% damage while gaining two combo points; The power of this move was great, and the God Slayer had already maxed it out, not only causing massive damage to the target, but also paralyzing them for two seconds after hitting them; However, just as the dagger was about to strike Song Jian, he suddenly turned around, all three of his eyes locking onto the position of the God Slayer, and the four swords in his hand shot towards the God Slayer like a meteor; The God Slayer saw the light blooming in the silver vertical eye on Song Jians forehead and immediately felt a sense of foreboding. Startled, he realized what was happening and abandoned his attack, retreating backwards; He can see through my stealth! The God Slayer was shocked, seeing the four swords coming at him, his body flashed with white light, and his speed increased dramatically; Clang, clang, clang, clang~ The four swords stabbed the God Slayer almost simultaneously, but they did not cause any damage to him, and the words Immune to Damage floated up above his head; Invincible state? Song Jian was taken aback, seeing the white light appearing under the God Slayers feet, running at an extremely fast speed, he immediately understood what skill the other was using. Gale Step! Song Jian muttered in a low voice; Gale Step was a core skill of the Assassin and Thief professions, but the Assassins Gale Step was more focused on making them invincible, while the Thiefs Gale Step was more focused on increasing their movement speed; When at max level, the Assassins Gale Step grants half a second more invincibility time than the Thiefs Gale Step, while the Thiefs running speed is increased by 5% more than the Assassins Gale Step, and lasts for one more second; You think only you have acceleration skills? Hmph! Song Jian snorted coldly, and a pair of steel wings suddenly expanded behind him. With a flap, he began to fly at low altitude, chasing after the God Slayer; At this point, Song Jian had already checked the God Slayers attributes and naturally saw that he was a member of the Pantheon. He knew that the City of Hope and the Pantheon had long been in competition, trying to surpass each other in every way possible in Doomsday City. The City of Hopes construction was about to be successfully completed with just one step remaining, and due to Song Jians city lord mission, the City of Hope Alliance had attracted a lot of attention, with almost all of its members participating, whether in collecting materials or clearing monsters in the territory. This kind of involvement meant that there was no way to keep information hidden; Almost all the players in Doomsday City had learned that the City of Hope Alliances city-building mission was in the final and most crucial step; Some smaller alliances could only look on with envy and at most secretly curse that it would be better if the city failed, but the Pantheon, which had always treated the City of Hope Alliance as an imaginary enemy, didnt want Song Jian to complete his mission smoothly; However, whether it was by collecting materials or clearing the territory of monsters, the Pantheon was unable to obstruct those activities. Moreover, at this time, the City of Hope Alliance had already built walls and numerous defensive facilities, and if the Pantheon dared to make trouble, those facilities alone would be enough to make them regret it; Still, it didnt take long for the Pantheons people to find Song Jians whereabouts since he had been in one place for a long time; Seeing Song Jian alone in the resort, everyone in the Pantheon thought he was grinding levels, trying to improve his level during the last bit of time, especially since he had just leveled up again, which solidified the Pantheons idea. So they decided to come and assassinate him, at the very least, to prevent him from leveling up smoothly; At this moment, the Pantheon player sent to assassinate Song Jian was idling near the resorts entrance, quietly discussing amongst themselves; What do you guys think? Can our God Slayer kill Song Jian all by himself? Hard to say, the God Slayer is formidable, but Song Jian is no pushover either. Plus, the God Slayer is only level 33 while Song Jian is already level 35 C oh, no, hes level 36 now! Hmph, the God Slayer passed the first-class combat power test and even scored an A on it. Its said that even our alliance leader Zeus is not his match now! I hope he can kill Song Jian, it would save us all the trouble and we could gain Contribution Points for doing nothing, how great is that? Hahaha, yeah, itd be best if he kills him, it would be easy for all of us! Just as the group was discussing, someone suddenly shouted, Look, the guy running towards us, is that the God Slayer? He looks like hes being chased! Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Everyone was alarmed and quickly looked into the distance; Damn it, its that guy, how can he run faster than a rabbit? Did he fail to assassinate Song Jian? Thats impossible, isnt it? The God Slayer is so powerful, even if he couldnt assassinate Song Jian successfully, he shouldnt be running away so pathetically. Hmph, I told you Song Jian wouldnt be easy to deal with, but he insisted on going alone. Now hes scared the snake, hasnt he? Look, the guy chasing behind him, isnt that Song Jian? Yeah, thats him, look at the steel wings on his back, hes the only one with wings in the entire Doomsday City! The God Slayer is such a waste! So, what should we do now? Should we just run together? Despite their numbers being dozens more than Song Jian, seeing the God Slayer running away like a rabbit caused them to lose all confidence and begin planning their escape; But just then, the distant God Slayer suddenly shouted, Hey, Ive lured Song Jian out! Hurry up and attack him! All: .. After an exchange of glances, everyone realized the shamelessness of the God Slayer. He had clearly failed his solo assassination and yet claimed he had deliberately lured Song Jian out. Originally, the plan was to ambush the enemy, not bait them out like in a boss fight in the wild! Run! One player shouted, and all the Pantheon players immediately used various acceleration skills and fled into the distance like the wind; Chapter 734: 734 Pantheon Chapter 734: Chapter 734 Pantheon sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian had long noticed a large crowd of people at the entrance of the resort. Looking at their revealed attributes, they were all players from the Pantheon, but none of them were level thirty. Even if there were any at level thirty, they hadnt passed the first-stage combat strength assessment. In Song Jians eyes, the only one who could be considered a worthy opponent in this crowd was the God Slayer pursuing him. After several confrontations, the God Slayer realized that he couldnt kill Song Jian alone. The latters spiritual attributes were too high and his sensing ability was too strong, eliminating the chance for a surprise attack. Without a surprise attack, no matter how egotistical he was, he wouldnt believe he could kill Song Jian in a straight fight! He initially thought he could use the crowd at the resort entrance to delay Song Jian and make a getaway. But unexpectedly, they slipped away faster than he anticipated, leaving him behind! Damn it, these guys the God Slayer cursed under his breath. Seeing Song Jian getting closer, he pulled out a grenade from his pocket and threw it at him. Boom! After the explosion, a thick cloud of smoke quickly spread, engulfing a matter of tens of meters in a few seconds. Song Jian gently tapped his foot in mid-air and abruptly halted. Staring at the dissipating smoke, a cold smile appeared on his lips. Among the Pantheon members, probably only the so-called Twelve Main Deities could pose a slight threat. Everyone else was just sacrificial fodder. After waiting for a while, Song Jian turned back towards the lakeside. With the deadline for the final task approaching rapidly, he couldnt afford to waste time battling with players from the Pantheon. If he chased after those players, regardless of success or failure, it would slow down the task completion. Thats what the Pantheon Alliance wanted. Pantheon! A murderous intent flashed in Song Jians eyes. He had always been focused on improving his strength, not taking alliances too seriously. After all, no matter how powerful an organization is in the game, it couldnt affect the real world. But after experiencing a real-life arena fight, this thought had begun to change. He noticed that the game world was gradually pervading the real one. Not only the players but also the game items began to appear in the real world increasingly. Most importantly, the existence of the game was no longer a secret, but something more and more people knew about. Alliances are important. Being a city lord, for me, may be even more important than power! Song Jian had a vague thought in his mind. He felt as if it was his sixth sense informing him about something. After the assassination attempt, Song Jian became more cautious. He summoned thirty blood crows, distributing them around a radius of over a hundred meters. These blood crows were great scouts. They would detect even the smallest movement, ensuring Song Jian didnt get caught off guard. No more Pantheon members appeared. According to Song Jians thinking, his position was exposed, yet he stayed. The Pantheon should have gathered a force to assassinate him again. However, several days passed without a sign of them, right up until the mission time was about to end. In fact, the reason Zeus hesitated was that Song Jian hadnt left. In several previous conflicts with the City of Hope, he never gained any advantage. The closest he ever got to success was when he was contesting the top ranking on the glory leaderboard with Song Jian. He was just 1% experience points away. Yet, in the end, Song Jian defeated him with a surprising strategy, pushing him from the throne he was about to secure. This failure left a shadow in Zeuss heart. He began to overthink Song Jians unusual behavior. In the Pantheon Alliances meeting room, twelve players were seated in high-backed chairs, similar to the main deities in the Olympus Pantheon. Could it be a trap, with numerous minions lying in ambush? Zeus thought aloud. The God Slayer snorted and replied: Ive thoroughly scouted the area, other than him and some of his summoned creatures, theres no one else. Then can you explain why, knowing his position has been exposed, and knowing we are trying to kill him, he doesnt leave? Zeus turned to face the God Slayer, his face almost touching the latters. He fixed him with a stare and whispered: Why is he doing this? Blind confidence? The God Slayer wore a puzzled expression, guessing. Impossible, hes not like you! Zeus sneered, straightening up. Song Jian is confident but never blind. He may be waiting for us to find him, planning to capture us all. Are we just going to watch blindly as he fights the bosses and levels up? You know that lake is teeming with Elite Level bosses. Its a treasure hunting sanctuary! The God Slayer sounded anxious. Are we lacking high-quality equipment? Zeus asked with a frown. But we cant just let him complete the city-building task. Once the City of Hope succeeds in city-building, will there be a place left for us, the Pantheon? A half-naked, muscular man with primitive leather armor slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, angrily roaring. God of War, be patient, God King surely has his reasons! A woman in a gorgeous dress, holding a golden scepter, smiled, her eyes constantly on Zeus. Thats right, we should not engage with the City of Hope Alliance head-on, Zeus said with a smug smile, nodding satisfactorily to the woman. If they want to build their city, let them do so. Have our previous attempts to stop them been successful? No! Why did we fail every time? Is it because we are weaker than them? Zeus asked the room aloud. No, we are destined to become the True Gods of the entire world. All enemies shall be trampled under our feet! The God of War shouted, standing and raising his double-bladed battle axe. Zeus watched him. After a moment, the God of War sheepishly lowered his arm and sat back down. Chapter 735: 735: Early Preparation Chapter 735: Chapter 735: Early Preparation Our goal is to become True God, but were not gods yet, so we must have a clear understanding of ourselves! A handsome man wearing leather armor and carrying a giant longbow stood up and said, Our current strength is indeed inferior to that of the City of Hope. Thats a fact! The God of Hunting is right! Zeus roared, Thats the truth! Were constantly failing because our strength is weak! The other core members fell silent, their heads slightly lowered, some of them disheartened; Zeus glanced around and a sneer flashed across his lips; Being weak now doesnt mean well always be weak! Zeus said, Now is a perfect opportunity. If the City of Hope fails in building their city, they will be ruined, and from then on, the Doomsday City will only hold us and the Pantheon in high esteem! Zeuss words slightly boosted everyones confidence. From what weve learned, the city-building mission is indeed challenging, but A short, near-transparent man hesitated, But what can we do to make their city-building mission fail? Its simple, well borrow power! Zeus slowly walked toward the short man, a smile on his face, and said to him, God of Thieves, I need you to stay in the City of Hopes territory 24 hours a day starting today, gathering information! Youre invisible to other players, and I need you to find out everything about the city-building mission from them! Whats the specific content of the mission, how far along are they, what plans do they have, and so on, every single detail! God of Thieves nodded, as it was not a complicated task for him. He had already gained a heightened stealth skill from a mission and upgraded it to the max level, which resulted in a mutation, giving him incredible concealment effects. Almost no one could detect him as long as he didnt reveal himself; Moreover, there were very few methods available to counter a thiefs Stealth skill now, and all detection skills had short durations and long cooldown times. Ordinary players wouldnt use them carelessly in their free time. Also, the God of Thieves had infiltrated the City of Hope Alliances territory more than once without being discovered. This time, he would just have to stay a bit longer; Leader The God of Thieves began to speak. Call me God King! Zeus yelled; God of Thieves shuddered and quickly corrected himself, God King, God King Whats the matter? Zeus asked with a cold snort. I I uncovered some information earlier that the City of Hope Alliances city-building mission seems to have several stages with the last being a monster siege. A large number of monsters will attack the city theyve built God of Thieves said. Humph, I already knew that. Everything theyre doing now is in preparation for the final monster siege! Zeuss mouth was adorned with a sinister grin as he said, So when I say well borrow power, it means using the strength of these monsters to completely destroy the City of Hope. At that time, with a little push from us, we will not only destroy the City of Hope Alliance at minimal cost, but also plunder a massive amount of resources from them! Ever since the City of Hope Alliance obtained all the resources in the Valley of the Undead, their strength had greatly increased, and various buildings were being developed continuously. Players who had been to the Valley of the Undead had previously showcased resources they had obtained, making others envious and drooling. However, only a small portion of the Valleys resources circulated among Doomsday Citys players, with the majority being transported through the City of Hope Alliances Transmission Array to the City of Sin and City of Hymns to be sold at a better price; This had led many Doomsday City players to covet the resources obtained by the City of Hope Alliance; Meanwhile, Song Jian continued to farm BOSSes in the resort, at first worried that players from the Pantheon would come and mess with him, but later, seeing no one coming, he began to lure two or three BOSSes at a time to kill. The first two forms of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique were AoE abilities, so the more monsters, the better the effect. Although the effects on BOSSes werent as good as with the beetles, they didnt decrease his efficiency in killing them, and soon Song Jian had to go back to clean up his inventory again. Time flew, and the City of Hope had begun constructing its second Magic Crystal Railgun. Song Jian had finally finished his tedious days of farming materials and returned to the City of Hope Alliance to set up sword formations in various places. Exploration Sword Formation, Attack Sword Formation, Defense Sword Formation, each sword formation used dozens, even hundreds of Sword Stones. Song Jian ingeniously linked all the sword formations together so that when they were activated, they could coordinate with each other. Although the effect couldnt reach that of the Qingyun Sword Array, monsters from events like the creation of safehouses couldnt even reach the walls of the City of Hope. Song Jian knew that the scale of the final monster siege in this city-building mission would definitely be more significant than the previous safehouse event. Previously, only monsters from the surroundings were attracted, but this time, monsters from outside Doomsday City might appear! Boss, the Magic Crystal Railgun at the north gate is complete, Wang Qi approached Song Jian and asked. Do you want to check it out? Its already built? Song Jians face showed a satisfied smile. The Magic Crystal Railgun was a powerful weapon, just one of which would mean hed no longer need to worry about monsters above Lord-level appearing in the north direction. Lets go take a look! Song Jian laughed. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The pair quickly arrived at the north wall of the Alliances territory. Standing on the five or six-meter-high wall, they looked out at the vast area still belonging to the City of Hope Alliance. However, due to the limited number of players, they couldnt protect the entire territory, so they had to abandon it. But on this piece of land, countless types of traps and mechanisms were laid out, and powerful landmines were buried. Even Song Jian himself wasnt confident that he could make it out of the area; Is this the Magic Crystal Railgun? Song Jian looked at a massive fortress on the north wall, about as tall as a six-story building, and exclaimed! Yes, this is the Magic Crystal Railgun, and its extremely powerful! Wang Qi excitedly said, Boss, take a look at the gorge in front of us. Its the result of our test shot after construction was completed. With just one shot, a 33-story building was turned into ruins PS: Thank you Book Friend 141222210642736 for the 100 Qidian coins tip! Chapter 736: 736: Abyssal Beetle Chapter 736: Chapter 736: Abyssal Beetle This trench under the north city wall, more than two meters deep and five or six meters wide, extends hundreds of yards from the wall until it disappears in front of a tall ruinous building outside the Alliances territory. The entire trench displays a crystallized state, leaving one to imagine just how high the temperature must have been when the cannon fired! Whats the firing speed? And, what kind of consumption does it have? Song Jian inquired. It can only shoot once per minute, but its possible to initiate a rapid fire skill that shortens the time to ten seconds! Wang Qi explained, When the rapid fire skill is activated, energy consumption triples. It can only last for a minute. After that time, the railgun needs to cool down for ten minutes before it can fire again! As for the energy Wang Qis expression became troubled as he continued, It consumes a huge amount of energy. Given our storage capacity. If we take two magic crystal railguns into account C even if we only use them at normal firing rates C well only be able to endure for about half an hour. If we were to activate rapid fire, I fear that the railgun wouldnt be usable after just one round! Song Jian frowned. The power consumed by the magic crystal railgun was the magic crystals themselves, strategic materials that were forbidden from sale in any city. City of Hope was only able to purchase some at a high price with the help of City of Sin to create a magic crystal railgun. The remaining magic crystals are simply not enough to support an intense battle; This was exactly why Song Jian didnt continue to farm for boss materials. Having the railgun alone wasnt enough. They also needed an adequate supply of ammunition! Magic crystals Are there no magic crystal mines in Doomsday City? Song Jian asked with a furrowed brow. Wang Qi had a bitter smile on his face. Magic crystals are probably the most difficult resources to obtain in this game. Not only in Doomsday City, but also in big cities like City of Sin and City of Hymns, there are no magic crystal mines around! At present, only three magic crystal mines have been found in the entire game, all in areas populated by level 50 or higher monsters. The nearest city is more than a hundred kilometers away Wang Qi shared. He obtained all this information from City of Sin. Before, Wang Qi hadnt even heard of magic crystals, let alone seen them. He only studied this knowledge when they needed to construct the magic crystal railgun. Song Jian sighed internally. It seemed that these two railguns could only be used at the most critical moments and not as regular weapons! When will the other railgun be completed? Song Jian asked. It needs another four days. It will definitely be completed before the task ends! Wang Qi said. How many defense buildings do we have now, and have we reached the required level of defense? He glanced at the war machines densely packed on the city wall and asked. Hehe, weve already reached the standard. Our citys total defense is now one hundred and sixty-five thousand. After the magic crystal railgun is built, it can increase the defense by another thirty thousand! Wang Qi replied with a laugh. Initially, reaching the required defense was the most troubling part. Even if all the defense structures provided by the system were constructed, it would still only amount to sixty thousand defense points, far from the target. But now, by the time the task ends, the defense of the City of Hope Alliance is almost set to double the task requirement! The higher the defense, the safer the defending players, and naturally, the more willing they are to participate in the defense. Otherwise, there might be mass resignations from the City of Hope Alliance during the monster siege phase; In this game, everyone has only one life. As long as youre alive, there are endless possibilities. Regardless of the rewards, no one is willing to risk their life! When he heard that the defense could reach close to two hundred thousand, Song Jian finally nodded in satisfaction. The higher the defense, the better. Even if all the buildings were destroyed at the end, as long as the core of Manor Castles Alliance and the players in the alliance are still alive, it is a victory! The materials have been collected, the defense has met the requirements, two out of the four tasks have been completed, only the clean-up task and waiting for the final monster siege are left! The clean-up task seems to be not difficult, but it is actually the most tedious part of the job. To achieve perfection, there cant be a single system monster left in our territory! Whether its on the ground or in the sewer, they were patrolled over and over again. But every time, some new monsters are always discovered. This is the most troublesome thing for Wang Qi. There are times when he truly wishes he could turn the entire ground upside to inspect! Song Jian glanced at the loyalty of the nest, which had risen to sixty points. It seems that recent feeding activities have been successful. More than thirty thousand beetles have hatched. According to the ratio of one to ten and one to a hundred, three thousand strong beetles and three hundred elite beetles have appeared. However, none of the more powerful abyssal beetles have yet appeared. It seemed that the chance of hatching an abyssal beetle was lower than what was indicated. Just then, Song Jian suddenly felt a slight tremor in the ground. But the vibration was very subtle, only he, with his Spirit Points exceeding a hundred, could feel it. Wang Qi and the other players nearby were completely unaware. Whats going on? Song Jian furrowed his eyebrows. He then suddenly sensed a wave of weakness emanating from the nest, accompanied by bouts of hunger. When Song Jian opened the nest interface, he was shocked to find that the nest had actually hatched an Abyssal Beetle! Prepare a lot of food, send it to the sewer, quickly! Having said that, Song Jian ran straight towards the sewer entrance. Unlike the direct control Song Jian had over the Black Dragon and the Blood Beast, the beetles hatched by the nest were controlled through the nest. Therefore, he could only see the number of beetles hatched, not the specific attributes of each beetle from the interface. Hatching just one abyssal beetle caused such a movement C even larger than when over thirty thousand beetles were hatched. This piqued Song Jians curiosity. He wondered just how powerful this abyssal beetle was! Standing in front of the nest, Song Jian saw a pile of monster corpses. Many of them were high-ranking boss bodies, of course, most of them were contributed by Song Jian who had been actively farming level thirty or above elite bosses recently. Although many boss bodies couldnt make it here in time, even a small fraction was enough to significantly increase the nests loyalty to Song Jian. Gazing at a beetle the size of a small car in front of him, Song Jian couldnt help but guess in his heart that perhaps it was through devouring these high-level boss corpses that the nest could produce abyssal beetles. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 737: 737: Keep Going Chapter 737: Chapter 737: Keep Going The Abyssal Beetle was about the size of an ordinary car, covered with a thick shell. Sharp spikes, more than a foot long, protruded from the surface of the shell, resembling sharp blades. A faint black aura emanated from its body, its scarlet eyes fixed on Song Jian as he approached. It growled menacingly like a wild beast, overflowing with murderous intent. If not for the hive control, the Abyssal Beetle would have already lunged at Song Jian, launching its most ferocious attack. However, due to the presence of the hive, the Abyssal Beetle could only watch helplessly as Song Jian reached out to touch it, unable to make a move. The moment Song Jians finger touched its shell, the attributes of the Abyssal Beetle immediately appeared before his eyes. Abyssal Beetle, controlled by the hive, level thirty-three, first-order Combat Power; attributes: Strength 75 points, Agility 43 points, Intelligence 12 points, Spirit 24 points, Constitution 66 points; Skill 1: Devour (active), can swallow the flesh and blood of any creature to accelerate its own recovery rate; Skill 2: Bloodthirsty Shred (active), inflicts 300% damage on a single target, increasing critical hit chance by 20%; 15% of the damage can be used to restore its own Vitality Points; Skill 3: Spiked Shell (passive), defence increases by 100%, while also reflecting 30% of close combat damage. Its like a monstrous tank. During a siege by monsters, if it can withstand the front line, it will greatly reduce the pressure on our defenses! Song Jian grinned satisfactorily. The only regret was that he was unable to control these beetles himself. Command had to be passed through the hive, which could cause communication delays in intense battles. Moreover, I can only issue these beetles with the simplest commands, such as attack and defend. Any more complex commands, Im afraid they wouldnt understand! Song Jian thought ruefully. Initially, Song Jian planned to move the hive to the surface once its loyalty reached a certain level to assist in the defense. But now it seemed better to leave it in the sewer. At this point, the sewer was void of any living creatures except the beetles. All small critters, such as rats, had disappeared. Aside from the original sewer, the hive also commanded the beetles to dig new tunnels. These new tunnels had spread to outside the city walls. Should the defense in that direction fail, the beetles would surface from underground in the shortest time to attack the monsters. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking at the enlarged hive, Song Jian felt rather satisfied with his previous decision to charm it into his slave using Abyss Temptation, instead of killing it. With only one day left to complete the task, players from the City of Hope Alliance began to gather. Preparing to brace for the upcoming storm. Every corner of the ground was thoroughly cleared by players. No monsters were left, even the bodies were all tossed into the sewer to feed the hive. Make one last check, there must not be any monsters left, not even one at level one! Wang Qi was somewhat anxious, continually issuing various commands. All defensive structures need to be checked once more, also have someone posted on guard duty to prevent sabotage! Try the Magic Crystal Railgun once more, there mustnt be any issues. The northern and eastern defenses are dependent on it! Supplement any necessary traps in front of the territory again Song Jian patted Wang Qi on the shoulder and smiled, Youve done well, dont be so nervous. I believe we will definitely succeed in building the city this time! Wang Qi took a deep breath, forced a smile at Song Jian, and nodded. For a day, players from the City of Hope Alliance stayed on the city walls, quietly waiting. The surroundings were eerily silent, and the air permeated with a grave tension. As time slowly passed and the skies darkened, a rumbling sound echoed from the distance. Everyone looked up. A giant silver skeleton gradually emerged from the abandoned city streets. This was the skeleton that stood over a hundred meters tall, which Song Jian had seen the first time he entered the game. However, back then, the skeleton had sparkling white jade-like bones, but now it had turned silver-grey, exuding a metallic texture. As the giant silver-gray skeleton was about approach the City of Hope Alliances city wall, it suddenly stopped. Everyone became tense, some even drew their weapons, and pointed their bows and crossbows at the giant skeleton. Everyone, put down your weapons! Song Jian shouted, Dont show any hostility! To everyone, the skeletons attributes were all question marks, making it impossible to assess its level or strength. Mainly, it was a non-aggressive creature due to its pale-yellow attribute. Song Jian stared at the giant skeleton, sensing a potent third-order Combat Power aura from it. If such a terrifying entity attacked the City of Hope, he would immediately order a retreat. Any resistance would be futile in front of it. Even the Magic Crystal Railgun would only cause minor grazes. The skeleton turned and looked at the city wall of the City of Hope. Its closed mouth suddenly opened, showing an apparent smile. Song Jian instantly felt as if the skeletons attention had locked onto him, transmitting a message into his mind. Next, the skeleton continued down the abandoned road of Doomsday City, disappearing from sight. Phew, I got scared to death! Once the skeleton disappeared, Wang Qi finally sat down against the city wall. His back had completely soaked in just a few seconds, the pressure from the creature was just too much. The monsters we are defending against, they cant be that big, can they? A player guessed in a low voice. Impossible. If such a horrifying creature appears, we wont be able to defend at all. In front of it, I cant muster any courage to fight! Hey, Xiao Yong is pretty badass, he even dared to aim an arrow at it Xiao Yong, Xiao Yong? Dammit, the kids scared stiff. Whos got alcohol to let him take a sip The commotion caused by the giant skeleton quickly died down. Song Jian stood atop the city walls, eyebrows furrowed, the message from the skeleton still echoing in his mind. The message was composed of two words: Keep it up. Typically, monsters harbor enmity towards player-established cities, so why did it seem to convey encouragement? Song Jians brow furrowed deeply, racking his brains but unable to understand. Chapter 738: 738: City Lord Seal Chapter 738: Chapter 738: City Lord Seal Players from the City of Hope Alliance silently waited, so did the players from the Pantheon. They gathered less than a kilometer away from the City of Hope Alliance, staring fixedly at the towering city walls and the densely packed crowd atop them. God, God King, arent we too close? If monsters really do appear later, wouldnt we be the first to bear the brunt of their attack? a short man clutching a hammer hesitated to voice. He was the Craftsman God, not one of the twelve Main Deities in the Pantheon, which means hes not a core member. However, thanks to his masterful Forge Art, he held a prominent position among the players of the Pantheon, second only to the twelve Main Deities. Craftsman God, dont worry. When the monsters are attacking the city, their aggro will be set on the City of Hope by the system. As long as we dont damage them, even if we are next to them, they wont attack us. The Wisdom God tenderly laughed and spoke softly. The Craftsman God looked at the Wisdom God, his eyes revealing a hint of intoxication. He repeatedly nodded and stuttered, Th-thank you, thank you, Wisdom God, for clearing my doubts. I I understand now! At that moment, an ethereal figure gradually appeared next to the God King. The God of Thieves whispered to Zeus, God King, not only us, but at least a dozen guilds are also lying in ambush around here. They seem to have the same objective as us! The City of Hope has made a lot of noise in the past month. Almost all players in Doomsday City got the news that they were building a city. Bear in mind that theres only one Doomsday City. The guild who succeeds in building a city will have a great chance to gain control over the City of Hope in the future. This is something the ambitious guilds absolutely do not want. Therefore, theres no lack of guilds that share the same objective as the Pantheon. Of course, many guilds are just here to fish in troubled waters. If the City of Hope Alliance failed in their city defense, then to these guilds, the City of Hope Alliance would be an absolute feast. Hmph, dont mind them, theyre merely a pack of hyenas! contempt surfaced in Zeus eyes. He didnt take these minor guilds seriously. But unknown to him, in Song Jians eyes, the Pantheons actions were no different from those petty guilds who were here to fish in troubled waters. Not far from these guilds, numerous crimson crows, still and silent, stood amid the surrounding ruins. They looked just like stones, but their eyes were fixed on the players hiding nearby. Song Jian waited silently until the whitening sky heralded the arrival of dawn. That was when he finally received a system prompt: System: Special Task I Am the City Lord, the task time has arrived. Only after completing the task can the City of Hope Alliance successfully establish the city! System: Task 1 C Gather resources to meet task requirements, unlock 30% of the City Lord seal functions! System: Task 2 C Exterminate the monsters in the territory to meet task requirements, unlock 60% of the City Lord seal functions! System: Task 3 C Construct defense buildings to meet the task requirements, unlock 90% of the City Lord seal functions! System: The first three tasks are completed, City Lord seal begins to form! Song Jians eyes suddenly flickered with a dazzling glow. The previously dim and dark environment now felt like a golden bottle being cracked open or the slow rise of a morning sun. Surprised looks spread across everyones faces. In mid-air, a golden five-clawed dragon swam around, emitting continuous dragon roars. After a long time, the golden dragon rushed toward Song Jian. Its body twisted in mid-air, forming a human-head-sized golden seal, which then gently dropped toward Song Jian. As Song Jian reached out to catch the golden seal, it transformed into a golden light and merged into Song Jians forehead. In an instant, a new City Lord Interface with various options appeared on Song Jians game UI, of which the last three options were still greyed out, indicating they were not unlocked yet. With the help of the golden seal, Song Jian felt his consciousness covering the entire City of Hope. With a single thought, he could know everything happening within the territory of the City of Hope Alliance. Wang Qi, in the territory outside the western city wall, there is a damaged trap about 130 meters from the city gate. Send someone to repair it quickly! There are too many guild brothers defending the eastern city wall. Withdraw one-third of them to the western city wall! Construct two more Arrow Towers on both sides of the southern city gate. That place is a gap in the defense. If flying monsters appear, they could easily breach from there! The entire territory of the City of Hope Alliance appeared in Song Jians mind like a 3D map. Any detail, any deficiency, was clear in his mind. System: The City Lord seal has successfully formed. You have ten minutes to adapt. Ten minutes later, Task Four Monster City Attack will start. Please get ready! Song Jian has only ten minutes to get used to the functions of the City Lord seal. If he could control the City Lord seal within these ten minutes, the success rate of the defense could be enhanced by several percentage points. Activate resource data representation! Song Jian began to modify the data of the entire City of Hope Alliance using the City Lord seal. The resources piled up like a mountain in the warehouse disappeared instantaneously, transformed into streaks of light. However, no one noticed as all players belonging to the City of Hope Alliance were already on the city walls. View all buildings! A virtual representation of the City of Hope, with its various pre-constructed buildings, appeared in Song Jians mind. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The city wall should be able to be upgraded to Level 9, becoming a steel fortress Song Jian wrinkled his eyebrows while looking at the building blueprints and properties in the city. What he had initially thought was a flawless defense structure now seemed full of holes. The city wall which could have been upgraded to Level 9 was merely at Level 7. Many of the Arrow Towers were not upgraded to their limit and could be further enhanced. Even some buildings, which were used for research and development and logistical support but didnt add to defense, were left unbuilt. These buildings, however, could have been essential for the citys development. Song Jian sighed slightly. Building these would require time and special conditions, two things that he was currently short of. With the monster attacks imminent, there wasnt much he could do except plug the obvious gaps and see what could be perfected. Eh, the City Mercenary System? I can hire neutral mercenaries to participate in the war and defend the city? Song Jians eyes lit up as he found an option that could immediately enhance the defensive strength. PS: Thanks to Tian Zeng Xin for the reward of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 739: 739: Mountain Giant Chapter 739: Chapter 739: Mountain Giant The urban mercenary system is a function of the City Lord seal. It allows city lord to hire mercenaries from other cities. Moreover, if the City of Hope is successfully established, a Mercenary Hall can be created. Song Jian will also be able to open his unique mercenaries through the Mercenary Hall, to be employed by other city lords. Its worth mentioning that this hiring system only exists between city lords, and other people cant see it. Only those who own a City Lord seal can use this function. Many city lords, who are not strong, like to hire powerful mercenaries, either to fight monsters and level up for themselves or to ensure their protection. The cost is just some insignificant Doomsday Coins. Song Jian clicked to hire city mercenaries, then swiftly started searching through the mercenary list. The mercenary list is detailed and spans more than a hundred pages. Depending on the star level, the hiring price varies. The highest is five stars, and the lowest only one star. The five-star mercenaries are the most expensive, requiring at least a million Doomsday Coins for one day. The one-star mercenaries are the cheapest, costing at least a few hundred or at most a few thousand Doomsday Coins per day. Furthermore, a mercenarys star level doesnt necessarily correspond to their strength. Five-star mercenaries have only completed many tasks, while one-star mercenaries have completed only a few tasks; thats all there is to it. Sometimes, spending as little as a one-star mercenarys fee can hire a mercenary with second-tier combat power. However, this kind of thing wholly depends on luck. Song Jian rapidly flipped through the list, hoping to pick the one with the best price-performance ratio. After a short time, he identified the mercenary he wanted to hire. Mountain Giants! One million Doomsday Coins each if they bring their own weapons, and only one-hundred thousand each if they dont! This is such a good deal! An excited expression appeared on Song Jians face. Mountain Giants are a unique race with the lineage of the earth element but do not belong to elemental beings. They prefer to use ancient trees aged over a hundred years as their weapons. The older the trees are, the stronger the Mountain Giants are. They are the only race that can derive power from their weapons. Mountain Giants with weapons, and those without, are entirely different in terms of power. After a while, Song Jian spent more than a million Doomsday Coins to hire a dozen Mountain Giants. Each of these giants was over ten meters tall, standing inside the city walls, and towered over the walls by a considerable margin. With one wave of their hand, they could sweep out all the players within tens of meters on the city wall. Mountain Giant leader Gu Bo reports to the great City Lord Song Jian! A burly Mountain Giant said in a deep voice to Song Jian. The giants voices sounded like thunder, buzzing in peoples ears. Gu Bo, I hired you to assist us in defending the city. In a while, a massive number of monsters will attack this newly built city. We need your strength! Song Jian shouted. Mountain Giants are never afraid of fighting. We will fight with you till the last moment! Gu Bo roared. These mercenaries were hired by Song Jian. As long as he didnt withdraw, they would keep fighting, even if it meant risking their lives. Yet if Song Jian couldnt withstand the attack and chose to escape, these mercenaries would also run away. This rule is clearly stated in the mercenaries manual. Song Jian nodded his head and started directing the Mountain Giants, arranging for them to be distributed around the four city walls. Honorable city lord, theres something I need to tell you! Gu Bo said: Mountain Giants have no ranged attack capabilities, and we can only fight at close range. Also, if you can provide us with ancient trees that are over a hundred years old, our combat power could at least double, and we can assist you in the fight better! Dont worry, I have already prepared weapons for you, and they will be delivered to you soon! Song Jian laughed. Soon enough, someone came carrying a bunch of Ancient Shadow Trees, each several dozens of meters long; Seeing these Ancient Shadow Trees, the Mountain Giants immediately became excited, showing a strong desire to test their power. The Mountain Giants can only use ancient trees as weapons during fights, and they can draw strength from these trees and level up. The higher the quality of an ancient tree and the longer its age, the stronger the power the giants can draw and the easier they can level up. Therefore, employers who can provide ancient trees as weapons will always be favoured by Mountain Giants. These are your weapons. Feel free to choose! Song Jian laughed. Gu Bo was the first to choose the bulkiest Ancient Shadow Tree, which he held high above his head. Roaring joyfully, he said, An Ancient Shadow Tree of over five hundred years old, I can feel the tremendous power. After this battle, I will definitely be able to level up again! Fight! The other Mountain Giants also picked up the Ancient Shadow Trees one after another, and roared loudly. Only through fighting can they draw power from the ancient trees faster. Therefore, the Mountain Giants, having obtained their weapons, crave the fight even more than the players of the City of Hope. After hiring these Mountain Giants, Song Jian spent all of the last financial reserves of the City of Hope Alliance. All the remaining options in the City Lord seal were about complete control of the entire city. Many more functions are yet to be developed. Song Jian can only take a cursory look at them now. Even the remaining three unsealed functions, he barely had time to check when thunderclaps suddenly echoed in the sky. The already dark clouds in the sky seemed to have been stirred up by a gigantic hand, violently rolling about. Streaks of lightning crisscrossed the sky, with thunder booming. It was as if giant dragons were roaring in anger. In the city wreckage outside of the City of Hope, a surge of monsters sprung up. Their eyes were blood red and full of rage as they gazed at the City of Hope. They wore expressions full of hatred, roaring and charging towards the city. The sheer amount and variety of the monsters were simply terrifying. Some of the players who had been lurking outside the City of Hope Alliances territory, hoping to take advantage of the situation, were all scared out of their wits. Despite knowing that these monsters wont attack them, most decided to temporarily flee from the place, including quite a few players from the Pantheon. This is This is horrifying! Craftsman Gods knees trembled as he watched a tens of meter-long python, the size of a tank, slide by just three meters away from him. He suddenly felt a chill running down his leg. A level 30 elite BOSS Lord-class! Look, there are so many Lord-class BOSSs. This is terrifying How can they defend against this? They are practically all BOSSs. This isnt a monster siege, its a BOSS siege! sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 740: 740: Monster Attack Chapter 740: Chapter 740: Monster Attack Standing on the city wall, looking at the swarming monsters, all the players showed a shocked expression on their faces. Why why are there so many BOSSes? Level 30, level 30 elite BOSSes, there are too many of them, can the city wall stop them? Look at the monsters in the back, they are at least three meters taller and can climb over the city wall with a wave of their hands. Lord level, they are all Lord level BOSSes, we are not their opponents at all! Are all the BOSSes in Doomsday City gathered here? The players of the City of Hope Alliance are not inexperienced in handling monster sieges. Everyone who has survived the game until now has successfully completed the beginners tasks and created their safe haven. They have experienced monster sieges, but the current situation is totally different from the previous attacks during safe haven creation. The besieging monsters of the safe haven are mostly ordinary monsters that are not higher than the players level. Occasionally there are some elite BOSSes. But now, the majority of the monsters are BOSS level, with very few ordinary ones. Song Jians face was serious and his mood extremely heavy. He knew that establishing a city was a highly challenging task. Many gathering areas have the qualifications to build a city, but few of them are successful. For example, the previously attempted Gathering Area 101 was destroyed more than three times when trying to build a city. Dont panic, activate all defensive buildings. Once the monsters are within range, start attacking freely! Song Jian shouted loudly, Long-range professions get ready, fire at will! Mountain Giants, you guys take the frontline and withstand the monsters first charge! Hearing Song Jians composed roar, the players hearts slightly eased. At this point everyone had to fight, there would be no one trying to escape. The long-range professions started to lock onto the monsters charging in front, waiting for them to enter their attack range before they began chanting and releasing long-range spells. The archers had already begun to shoot at a forty-five degree angle upwards. At this moment, precision was not required, they simply had to let the arrows fly. The leader of the Mountain Giants, Gu Bo, let out a roar. With one hand against the city wall, his enormous body leaped up, managing to jump over the wall and outside the city. He raised his Ancient Shadow Tree weapon high, then slammed it down hard into the swarming monsters. Boom~ With a roar resembling a landslide, dozens of monsters were crushed into meat paste under the Ancient Shadow Tree. Meanwhile, a grey whirlwind resembling a Sword Qi was created and struck out in a cone shape in front of the Mountain Giant, sending all the monsters within a few tens of meters flying backward. Knockback effect! Gu Bo was taken aback, seemingly not expecting these monsters could contain such a large amount of energy, and at the same time, a streak of unfamiliar energy entered his body from the Ancient Shadow Tree in his hand. This tiny flow of energy was very weak. If he had not been focusing most of his attention on the Ancient Shadow Tree in his hand, he might not have noticed it at all. Although he did not know what this tiny flow of energy was for, Gu Bo understood that it would undoubtedly play a crucial role in his advancement. Mountain Giants, fight! Gu Bo shouted excitedly. He felt that after this battle, he would be able to advance to the next stage. Gu Bos voice echoed over the City of Hope Alliance territory. All the Mountain Giants roared back in response. They sensed their leaders excitement and joy, and knew that he must have discovered something and was signaling them. Its no secret that Mountain Giants can absorb energy from ancient trees during battles. The older the tree, the more crazily they can fight. This is why many city lords choose to hire Mountain Giants during battles. However, making full use of a Mountain Giants potential would require the provision of ancient trees that are more than one hundred years old. Also, these trees must have been cut down within an hour. For city lords with limited resources, this could be a headache. They could only hire Mountain Giants with their own weapons, and such Mountain Giants could, at best, give satisfactory performance. It was a case of getting what one pays for. On the other hand, if a city lord hires a Mountain Giant without a weapon to save money and doesnt provide it with a weapon, the Mountain Giant would be nothing more than a sandbag in battles, making any city lord regret being stingy. Gu Bo swung his Ancient Shadow Tree wildly, sweeping through the enemy. Though only an elite BOSS of level 33, he was able to hold his grounds even against seven or eight BOSSes of the same level. Even Lord level BOSSes were knocked down by his Ancient Shadow Tree. The other Mountain Giants also jumped out from the city and ran rampant among the monsters. Their appearance was like a few reefs in the tide, no matter how strong the waves were, they would turn into foam when meeting these Mountain Giants. Their stunning performance left all players dumbstruck, even forgetting to attack and just watched them in astonishment. What are you doing, standing there? Hurry up and attack! Wipe out those monsters! a player shouted next to him. Only then did everyone come back to their senses and began to launch all their long-range skills at these BOSSes. Boom! From the direction of the city wall in the north, a ground-shaking noise suddenly was heard. Song Jian was startled. This was the sound of the Magic Crystal Railgun. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. How long has it been, and the Magic Crystal Railgun is already been fired? Song Jian frowned. The lack of Magic Crystals meant that the Magic Crystal Railgun could not be used normally and could only be utilized as a trump card in the most dangerous situations. But now, less than ten minutes into the monsters attack, the Magic Crystal Railgun in the north was activated. Could it be that something extremely powerful has appeared in the north? Thinking of this, Song Jian unfolded his wings and soared into the sky, flying towards the city wall in the north. What happened? Song Jian asked loudly when he arrived at the north city wall. Boss, a super BOSS has appeared. A burly man pointed outside the city wall and roared. His voice trembled slightly, and a trace of fear remained on his face. Song Jian looked up and saw that the direction facing the north city wall was where Doomsday City had not yet been captured. The monsters attacking from this direction were typically the greatest in number, which was why the first Magic Crystal Railgun was set up here. Song Jian saw that the monsters in front of him, both in terms of level and quality, were a bit higher than those on the other sides of the city wall. At this moment, a huge Armored Zombie was slowly getting up from the ground, with other monsters constantly falling off its body. When the Armored Zombie BOSS stood up completely, Song Jian saw that it was over ten meters tall. If it got close to the city wall, the city wall, which was only seven or eight meters high, would completely lose its defensive function. Peak of the first order combat power Song Jian squinted and looked closely. The BOSSs attributes made his heart sink. The monster attack had just started, and a BOSS at the peak of the first-order combat power had appeared. The difficulty of this city-building task was a bit too much. Chapter 741: 741: The Wall is Breached Chapter 741: Chapter 741: The Wall is Breached This massive mutant zombie, already missing half of its body and left with only one arm, had less than a third of its Vitality Points remaining. However, it was apparent that the person who fired the Magic Crystal Railgun aimed slightly off-target, otherwise, this peak first-level Combat Power BOSS wouldnt have been left injured, but would have been annihilated on the spot! Everyone, focus fire on that zombie! The commander of the northern city wall roared, marking the severely injured Armored Zombie. Even though it was severely injured, if this peak first-level Combat Power Armored Zombie got close to the city wall, it would inevitably cause devastating damage. If it breached, monsters from the north would swarm in. There were four Mountain Giants along the northern wall. Seeing the Armored Zombie approach, they gave each other a glance, let out a roar, and lunged at it. These Mountain Giants were barely at level thirty and hadnt reached first-level Combat Power. If the Armored Zombie wasnt severely injured, they wouldnt have dared to confront this BOSS head-on. Mountain Giants arent fast, but Song Jian was much quicker. Spreading his wings, he charged at the Armored Zombie like an arrow. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Four long swords stabbed towards the Armored Zombie like shooting stars, continuously cutting across its body. Sparks flew everywhere as the Armored Zombie screamed in anger. However, the Armored Zombie was no match for Song Jian in its weakened state. The four swords released the Flash Thunder Strike skill simultaneously, with twelve bolts of lightning appearing out of thin air and hitting the Zombie with each slash. Song Jians damage had far exceeded the Armored Zombies limit. After a short dash of seven or eight meters, the remaining Vitality Points of the Armored Zombie came crashing down at a visible pace. Soon, the Armored Zombie collapsed to the ground like a small hill, crushing a large number of monsters underneath it. Coordinate with the Mountain Giants to attack, and any injured brothers should retreat to Manor Castle for recovery! Song Jian pocketed the items dropped by the Armored Zombie and ordered. Just as Song Jian was about to leave the northern city wall, he suddenly received a system notification. System: City of Hope Alliance has slain an Armored Zombie (Peak First-Level Combat Power); the duration of the monsters siege has been reduced by 10 minutes. All players in the City of Hope received this message, boosting morale considerably. Everyone knew that the monsters siege was not endless. Like the construction of the safe house, the siege has a time limit. If the monsters cant breach the citys core crystal within the specified time, the defenders win and the monsters will quickly retreat. Killing a peak first-level Combat Power BOSS shortens the siege time? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he turned his gaze towards the Magic Crystal Railgun. Currently, only the Magic Crystal Railgun had the power to instantly kill a peak first-level Combat Power BOSS. Unfortunately, only two had been constructed in the City of Hope. Song Jian quickly returned to the southern city wall. Due to its proximity to the Protection Black Mist, fewer monsters appeared here compared to the other sides. Most of them were from the western and eastern sides, who had squeezed their way around the city wall due to congestion. However, Song Jian had a bad feeling. The monsters in the Black Mist were no weaker than the current BOSS monsters. If they also joined the monster siege, it would greatly increase the difficulty. The battle proceeded swiftly. Despite the help of the Mountain Giants, there were simply too many BOSS monsters. Especially on the west wall, where no Magic Crystal Railgun was built, two BOSS monsters with peak first-level Combat Power had reached the city wall and caused significant damage. If it werent for Song Jians timely arrival and elimination of these two BOSS monsters, a hole wouldve been blasted in the western wall. At this point, the west wall was already on the brink of collapse, it was only a matter of time. More than an hour had passed. The City of Hope Alliance had killed a total of five peak first-level Combat Power BOSS monsters. The siege time set by the monsters was three hours. Meaning that if they could hold on for less than an hour, the monster siege would end! However, at this point in the battle, every member of the City of Hope Alliance felt a cloud of uncertainty hanging over their heads. Even the eastern and northern city walls, where Magic Crystal Railguns defended, were riddled with holes. The remaining durability of the city wall was only one third, with the northern wall slightly better off due to fewer monsters. Boom~ The western wall finally collapsed under the onslaught of the monsters, falling in a five or six-meter long section. Three Mountain Giants let out a roar, blocking the gap with their bodies, standing steadfast like rocks in the hole. However, a few Mountain Giants could not stop the defense of the western wall. In no time at all, the entire section of the city wall collapsed. Soon after, cracks appeared in the eastern and northern walls and smaller-sized BOSS monsters managed to penetrate into the Alliance territory through the gaps. Song Jians face was gravely gloomy as he roared, Abandon the city wall, retreat to Manor Castle! At this point, letting players stay on the city wall was tantamount to murder. Already, over a dozen players had been instantly killed by BOSS monsters without any chance of rescue. Song Jian didnt want to use the lives of the Alliance players to buy more mission time any longer. All Alliance players began to retreat towards Manor Castle, with the Mountain Giants covering the rear, swinging their Ancient Shadow Trees and slowing the monsters advance. Song Jians Manor Castle also had solid walls, but they were only a bit over three meters high, and any BOSS could easily climb over. Less than half an hour remained until the end of the monster siege, but Manor Castles defenses couldnt compare to the city walls. If there were just one or two monsters, it would have been okay. But Song Jian was facing hundreds, possibly thousands of BOSS monsters laying siege, and the castle walls would probably not hold for even a couple of minutes. The shadow of defeat began to loom over each member of the Alliance. Some had already started sneaking away, knowing that as long as they didnt run toward Manor Castle, the besieging monsters would not chase them. The only benefit of defending Manor Castle was that under the influence of the Healing Goddess Statue, everyones Vitality Points recovery rate had increased by 1000%. Unless instantly killed, it would be impossible for the monsters to kill them. Even the Vitality Points of the Mountain Giants surrounding the Manor were rapidly recovering. This made them roar in excitement as they swung their Ancient Shadow Trees even more wildly. Due to the existence of the Healing Goddess Statue, the battle once again reached a stalemate. Though the Vitality Point recovery rate was boosted, there was no similar boost for mana regeneration. Many magic-using occupations were already out of magic and unable to continue fighting. They retreated into the castle to recuperate naturally. This recovery speed was extremely slow, and by the time enough magic for one spell was restored, it would be immediately used from the window. Lair, control all the beetles, start attacking! Song Jian commanded silently. If they did not play the Hive card now, there might not be another opportunity to use it. PS: Thanks to Su Poman for the reward of 100 QiDian coins ~ Chapter 742: 742: Reinforcements of the Monster Chapter 742: Chapter 742: Reinforcements of the Monster Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle~ Suddenly, mounds of soil rose from the ground and beetles began to burrow their way to the surface, charging madly at the monsters. Each beetle was fearless in the face of death. Some didnt even contribute anything to the attack, getting instantly squashed by the BOSSes, but as more and more beetles appeared, they finally started to injure the monsters. BOOM! A sewer cover suddenly flew into the sky, and an Abyssal Beetle the size of a small car, brandishing two large claws, burst forth from the sewer opening. Its body, like a bomb, blasted a pit over three meters in diameter at the mouth of the well. Behind it, tides of beetles swarmed out. Over these past few days, the hive had been producing beetles round the clock. The number of beetles had long exceeded one hundred thousand. Although most of them were ordinary beetles at level twenty-five, there were also more than a thousand elite beetles at level thirty. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. More importantly, these beetles were fearlessly marching into death. Even when they were crushed by the BOSSes, they would take a bite of the BOSSs leg just before dying, dealing a trivial amount of damage. It was exactly this tiny bit of damage that, when accumulated in large quantities, could pose a lethal threat to the BOSSes. BOOM! A sewer cover in another direction was lifted up, and two Abyssal Beetles crawled out from it, charging toward the BOSSes. These days, the hive had hatched another two Abyssal Beetles. It had deployed all the Beetles it had now. In the sewer, only a lone nest remained, which any ordinary person now could pose a lethal threat to. However, at this moment, everyones attention was focused on the Manor Castle, and nobody was paying attention to the nest in the sewer. The Abyssal Beetles possessed strong tanking properties, and under the effect of 1000% increased vitality regeneration speed, they were all like invulnerable roaches. A group of BOSSes surrounded it and constantly attacked it. In the end, these BOSSes often didnt die under the attack of the Abyssal Beetle; instead, they died under their own attacks. The passive skill of the Abyssal Beetle in group battles was simply divine. Many BOSSes were killed directly through damage reflection. Theres only twenty minutes left, everyone hang on! Song Jian yelled. At that moment, banging sounds were heard from the south side of the city wall. Cracks had started to form on the originally sturdy wall. The south side faced the Protection Black Mist, and no monster had ever rushed out of the black mist before. But now, as the monster siege was about to end, the south side finally showed movement. Large groups of stone people walked out from the Protection Black Mist, joining the attacking ranks. With no one defending the south side, the city wall held on for less than five minutes before a large hole was blown through. Countless stone people swarmed through the hole and charged towards the Manor Castle. Is this Is this the monsters reinforcements? a player yelled, his face full of shock. At that moment, Song Jian was dumbstruck, staring at the system notification. System: The Defense Stone Spirits from the Protection Black Mist have joined the attack. If the defense is successful, the area of the Protection Black Mist near the south city gate will integrate into the citys defense system, and the city lord can set the conditions for entering and exiting the Protection Black Mist! What? I can control the passage through the Protection Black Mist? Song Jians face was full of shock. Everyone knows that the biggest limitation to the development of Doomsday City is the Protection Black Mist surrounding the city. Without reaching the second and even the third tier of Combat Power, entering the black mist is almost impossible. Even though the City of Hope Alliance has established Transmission Arrays to other cities, greatly weakening the restrictions of the Protection Black Mist, the limitations of using the Transmission Array are also quite numerous. The most significant impact is that trade caravans cannot travel between various cities via the Transmission Arrays! If they cannot cross the Protection Black Mist, Song Jian cannot set up his own caravan, and caravans from other cities cannot enter. All goods can only be transported through the Transmission Array in small quantities, which is too costly. If it werent for the city construction task, Song Jian would not have allowed so many people to use the Transmission Array to purchase materials. The cost of transporting the needed materials for the collection task through the Transmission Array is several times the value of the materials themselves! If he can freely cross the Protection Black Mist, Song Jian can form his own caravan. The honey wine of the barracks small town is an item he has been longing for. Phew, lets complete the task first. If we cant resist these monsters, everything else is irrelevant! Song Jian took a deep breath and thought to himself. Just then, a tremor came from the Pet Space. Upon checking, both the little stone man and the Black Dragon had awakened at the same time, completing their rank upgrades. The little stone man had fully grown from a child to the height of an adult, from being just over a meter tall to nearly two meters. Its body, made up of pieces of hard granite, now showed an outline of muscles. If not for its distinctive simplistic features of a stone man on its head and face, it would look no different from a fully-grown man. Summoning the little stone man, it immediately rushed towards Song Jian, making gulu, gulu sounds from its mouth. Song Jian quickly stopped it. When it was smaller, it wasnt a big deal, but now with a stone man who was nearly two meters tall rushing towards him, it felt terrifying to even think about it. Since you keep making gulu, gulu sounds, lets just call you Gulu! Song Jian patted Gulu on the shoulder and said. Gulu, gulu~ The upgraded stone man Gulu was now a level thirty-five elite BOSS with tier one Combat Power. Sensing that Song Jian was in the middle of a battle, Gulu waved his right hand, throwing a stone the size of a millstone into the monster crowd. Song Jians eyes lit up. It seemed that Gulus stone throwing skill had also upgraded. It used to take at least three seconds to form a stone, but now, the throwing had become an instant skill, and the stone thrown was much larger than before. BOOM! The stone smashed into the crowd of monsters. It was like a bomb, causing a violent explosion, and the monsters within a radius of two to three meters were all blown away. The power is much greater than before, and it has changed from a single-target attack to a group attack! Song Jian exclaimed joyfully. Perhaps sensing that Song Jians mood had become more cheerful because of the stone man Gulu, the Black Dragon became restless and eager in the Pet Space. It had just ranked up and was itching for a fight, continuously sending Song Jian its desire to come out and battle. With a thought, Song Jian brought out the massive Black Dragon, over ten meters in length, hovering over Manor Castle, instantly shrouding the entire castle under a shadow. ROAR~ An earth-shaking dragon roar echoed. The monsters surrounding the Manor Castle, whether they were BOSSes or regular monsters, all trembled and stopped their attacks, looking up in fear at the Black Dragon. PS: Thanks to Su Poman for gifting 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 743: 743: The Last Ten Minutes Chapter 743: Chapter 743: The Last Ten Minutes At this moment, the Black Dragon had already advanced to a level 35 Lord tier BOSS. It originally possessed Tier 1 combat power, and after promotion, it easily reached the peak strength of Tier 1; Moreover, since the giant dragons were at the top of the biological pyramid, even if they were at the same peak strength of Tier 1, the Black Dragon could easily defeat its opponents; Normally, the Black Dragons Dragon Might could directly cause weaker creatures to flee in all directions. At least ninety percent of the monsters besieging Manor Castle would give up their attack. However, due to the system quest, the monsters, after a brief pause in their attack, returned to their violent and crazy state despite their previous terror. Under system interference, Dragon Might lost its original effect. The monsters, as insignificant as ants in the dragons eyes, dared to ignore the dignity of the Dragon Clan. This caused the Black Dragon to be furious. It roared loudly and spewed scorching dragon breath towards the ground; With the help of the Black Dragon, the defending players took a sigh of relief. Regardless, having a giant dragon as an ally overhead was something that put many players at ease; Although the battle continued, the monsters were madly assaulting Manor Castles walls. Large groups of Stone Spirit Guardians threw stone blocks at the players on the walls. Although the healing Goddess Statues recovery buff blocked any damage, the knockback and knockdown effects of the skills were unavoidable; The most important thing was that the walls of Manor Castle had limited space, and it was impossible to accommodate nearly a thousand players simultaneously. This effectively wasted a portion of the players combat power. With the walls durability visibly deteriorating, every second felt like an agony for the City of Hope Alliance players; Bloodlust Alex, the Ancient Shadow Tree, went mad and completely covered a section of the wall with its branches, using its own vitality to replace the defense of the wall. At the same time, countless tree roots wrapped around the attacking monsters like pythons, continuously absorbing their blood; However, there were simply too many monsters. Although Alexs vitality was restored by the Goddess Statues healing, the tree roots could not regenerate immediately after being severed; In just a few minutes, Alexs tree roots were all cut off, exposing Manor Castles walls to the monsters once again. Boom, boom, boom~ The monsters violently rammed the wall with their bodies. Even if they crushed themselves into a bloody pulp, they showed no signs of retreating. This chilling sight was observed by all. Spider-web-like cracks appeared on the surface of Manor Castles walls, and in less than a minute, the wall began to crumble under the monsters onslaught; Rumble~ A section of the wall less than two meters long collapsed, signaling more collapses in the surrounding area. As the walls were breached, desperation filled many players eyes. Even though there were still ten minutes left for the monster siege, they had lost all means of defense and were left with only a solitary castle; Thousands of monsters were in front of them, and more BOSSes were continually joining the influx. Some players had already begun to use escape skills, fleeing towards the distance; Song Jian gritted his teeth and directly controlled the Healing Goddess Statue to cast its unique skill, Light Screen Sky Splendor. Instantly, a transparent light screen radiated from the statue, enveloping the entire Manor Castle; Thirty seconds of invincibility eased many peoples minds. Song Jian directed the players to get off the crumbling walls and enter the castle. The castle was the last line of defense. The citys core crystal, also the battle alliances core crystal, was placed inside the castle. This place was meant to be the future City Lord Mansion. If it were breached, this city-building quest would fail; With only a dozen minutes left, Song Jian glanced at the status of the players. Many casters had exhausted their mana, and everyones faces showed fatigue. Over two hours of continuous high-intensity battle had pushed many to the limit. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, then controlled the Healing Goddess Statue to cast Divine Healing once more, restoring everyones condition to its peak. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hang on for less than ten minutes, everyone! Song Jian encouraged them; It was not uncommon for great efforts to fall just short. The castles defense was similar to the walls, and once the monsters rushed in, they might not even withstand thirty seconds; The Bloodlust Ancient Shadow Tree had almost lost all its branches and roots. Now it could only contribute by using its massive body to block the castle door with the last of its strength! Song Jian also summoned all the blood creatures from the Blood Pool to join the fight. Although these blood creatures were weak in the eyes of the monster hordes, at this critical moment, even the slightest bit of combat power could tip the scale; All the Mountain Giants had fallen in battle; however, like earth elemental creatures, they wouldnt die if their core remained intact. If given some time, they would regain their bodies, and since they had absorbed Ancient Shadow Trees powers, their new bodies would be even stronger. Their leader, Gu Bo, might even advance to a more powerful existence. Chief, we might not be able to hold on for ten more minutes! Wang Qi whispered beside Song Jian. The number of BOSSes blocked by the transparent light screen outside had already exceeded five hundred and more monsters were continuously converging in their direction with no end in sight; Once the invincibility time ended, the castles defense wouldnt last even a minute; Right now, there were less than three hundred players in the castle. Under fifty of them had died, and the remaining players had either fled after the walls destruction or lost hope and ran away when the walls collapsed; Big brother Song Jian, lets escape! Li Keer suddenly suggested. Seeing Keers concerned eyes, Song Jian knew she wasnt frightened but worried about him. Among the people here, Song Jian probably felt the most reluctant to give up. After all, he was the chief of the battle alliance, and the future City Lord of City of Hope! If the city construction failed, all his previous investment would be wasted, resulting in huge losses; The thirty seconds of invincibility ended, and the castles light screen appeared with 5,000 defense points. With the monsters attacks, this defense couldnt even last ten seconds; At the last moment, Song Jian opened the alliance interface. He promoted over three hundred players present to core members, then said, This is the final moment. Once the monsters break through the castles defense, everyone, save yourselves! We can build the city again, but we cant die again! Just then, Li Keer suddenly shouted, Big brother Song Jian, theres a Tier 1 peak strength BOSS at the forge! Chapter 744: 744: Sword Demon Zombie Chapter 744: Chapter 744: Sword Demon Zombie All players of the City of Hope Alliance had retreated within the castle, their faces filled with despair. The 5,000-point defense of Light Screen Sky Splendor was unable to hold off against the assault of hundreds of monsters even for ten seconds. The defense of the castle they were in was far more fragile and could barely last for twenty seconds before the monsters could level the entire castle. In other words, they now had half a minute left. If nothing changed in half a minute, the several hundred people present would be completely devoured by the monsters. At this moment, Li Keer suddenly shouted, Theres a BOSS with peak tier-one combat power at the blacksmiths shop! Everyone froze before revealing expressions of surprise, their eyes turned to Song Jian. The territory of the Alliance, which had almost turned into a vast empty field, was wildly attacked by the monsters once they breached the walls. The blacksmiths shop Li Keer was referring to was obtained by Song Jian from a dwarf. Initially, it was protected by the system and couldnt be damaged. However, after the monsters besieged the city, its properties changed, and it had durability like any other building, meaning it could be damaged and destroyed. The blacksmiths shop had turned into a complete wasteland, the territory of the City of Hope Alliance becoming a playground for monsters. The Manor Castle was heavily besieged by monsters. Light Screen Sky Splendor already had a defensive rating. A defense of 5,000 points couldnt last long, but this was Song Jians last chance. Ten seconds to kill a BOSS with peak tier-one combat power. If he could use the Magic Crystal Railgun, this would be an easy task. However, Song Jian could only rely on his own strength. He had ten seconds to break through the monsters thorough encirclement and kill the BOSS with peak tier-one combat power. Black Dragon! Song Jian roared loudly. The Black Dragon was battling numerous flying BOSSes outside the Light Screen, preventing them from approaching the Manor Castle. Due to system interference, the dragons Dragon Might had no effect on these monsters, so it had to fight with its own strength. However, the Black Dragon, as a member of the Dragon Clan, stood at the pinnacle of the food chain. Whether in terms of physical strength or skills and spells, it possessed the ability to easily overcome other tier-one BOSSes. Even when surrounded by dozens of BOSSes, it didnt show any signs of weakness. Hearing Song Jians shout, the Black Dragon gave a long roar, spread its wings, and spun fiercely. Its blade-like wings instantly sliced the BOSSes attacking it into a bloody mess. The Black Dragon broke through the monsters encirclement and charged towards the Manor Castle where Song Jian was. Light Screen Sky Splendor could block the monsters but wouldnt obstruct Song Jians battle pets. Seeing the Black Dragon soar in, Song Jian leaped onto its back and instructed it to charge towards the blacksmiths shop. Song Jian landing on the dragons back made the Black Dragon slightly uncomfortable, but it only let out a low growl without any other protest and turned to dash toward the blacksmiths shop within the territory. As soon as they left the Light Screen, the Black Dragon was instantly attacked by numerous flying monsters. If it were Song Jian flying out alone, he probably wouldnt be able to break through the encirclement of these monsters. Seeing the monsters rushing towards it, the Black Dragons golden eyes instantly flashed a hint of bloodthirstiness. It wanted to tear apart all monsters that dared to offend the majesty of the Dragon Clan, but under Song Jians control, it could only let out an angry roar and continue flying towards the blacksmiths shop. It rammed through one Doomsday Vulture, and then, hot Dragons Breath spewed out. Dozens of monsters were set ablaze by Dragon Flame, uttering shrill screams, like fireballs, they fell towards the ground. The Black Dragon watched the monsters falling to the ground with satisfaction and spread its wings, darting towards the blacksmiths shop within the territory. The territory was already occupied by monsters. Those on the periphery, unable to approach the Light Screen Sky Splendor due to the crowd, vented their fury on the buildings within the territory. All the buildings were turned into ruins and vast fields were completely destroyed. Song Jians face was full of rage. Even if he completed the mission, just repairing these damaged buildings would require at least millions of Doomsday Coins! However, now was not the time to think about these things. First, the mission had to be completed! The ferocity of the Black Dragon momentarily shocked the monsters in the sky. Song Jian took advantage of the opportunity to direct the Black Dragon to fly down to the blacksmiths shop. After a brief shock, the monsters eyes turned red again as they rushed towards the direction where the Black Dragon was. Song Jian already saw a humanoid monster on the ground, more than two meters tall, covered in dark purple scales, and wielding a long sword. It was standing on the rubble of the blacksmiths shop, issuing a roaring challenge to the dense crowd of monsters obstructing its path to the Manor Castle. Sword Demon Zombie (Elite), Level 34, Peak Tier-One Combat Power, Vitality: 7400/7400 Thats it! Song Jians eyes lit up, and he directed the Black Dragon to fly towards this BOSS. After a brief pause in mid-air, a vortex fireball shot towards the BOSS. The Sword Demon Zombie seemed to sense something. It looked up at the Black Dragon, and upon seeing the Vortex Fireball, it gripped its sword with both hands, slashing fiercely at the void. A more than three-feet-long, dark purple sword qi, slashed towards the sky, colliding fiercely with the Vortex Fireball. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bang!. A loud noise echoed, followed by a strong rumbling in midair. Heatwaves spread from the sky, and the sword qi easily dispersed the Vortex Fireball. Song Jian leaped off the Black Dragons back, holding the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. The other three long swords rotated around his body as he pounced towards the Sword Demon Zombie. The surrounding monsters surged towards Song Jian. The Black Dragon let out a roar and launched itself at the surrounding monsters, stopping them all behind Song Jian and creating an environment for him to have a one-on-one duel with the Sword Demon Zombie. Ten Thousand Facet Sword Technique! A chill emanated from Song Jians sword, and the area within tens of meters around him became a snowy land. Large snowflakes fell from the sky, and within a few seconds, the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow. The snowflake sword qi, along with the swinging of the long sword, flew towards the Sword Demon Zombie like flying daggers. The Sword Demon Zombie revealed a cruel smile on its face. It let out a low growl from its throat, Sword Demon! The giant sword in its hand swung rapidly, spinning countless dark purple sword qi around its body, shredding all the approaching snowflakes. Song Jians heart sank. The BOSS in front of him was formidable. If it were normal times, Song Jian would love to spar with such a sword master. But now was not the time to spar. He had to kill it in a short period of time to earn the systems reduction of siege time by ten minutes in order to complete the mission. However, the opponent was highly skilled in swordsmanship. It seemed impossible to kill the Sword Demon Zombie BOSS in a short period of time. What should he do? PS: Thank you to Bread84 for the gift of 100 Qidian Coins~ Chapter 745: 745: True Name Chapter 745: Chapter 745: True Name I am Song Jian, the leader of the City of Hope Alliance. Who are you! Song Jian pointed his sword at the Sword Demon Zombie, asking sternly. The corners of the Sword Demon Zombies mouth cracked into a smile. In his gaze towards Song Jian, a hint of disdain flashed across. I am Sword Demon, demon for the sword, I want to kill all those who wield a sword in this world! The hoarse voice of the Sword Demon echoed in Song Jians ear. Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly: Sword Demon? Is this fucking a human name? But there was no choice, now he could only give it a try. Song Jian squinted, directly using the Immortal Sword Body. Four long swords hovered up and down, the first two moves of the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique were successively displayed, rushing towards the Sword Demon; The combat power of the Sword Demon was impressive. Song Jian, who had performed the Immortal Sword Body, was evenly matched with his opponent. To Song Jian, this was simply unbelievable. After all, Song Jian had passed the double S test. His first-tier combat power was a class above everyone elses; Even without using the Immortal Sword Body, Song Jian had the power at the peak of the first-tier. With the Immortal Sword Body, he should be able to completely overwhelm any creature with first-tier combat power; But now, he was evenly matched with the Sword Demon Zombie. It wasnt easy to defeat the opponent, let alone kill it in ten seconds. Dammit, am I going to fail this city building mission? Anxiety appeared on Song Jians face, his gaze towards the Sword Demon was filled with angry killing intent; Youre desperately trying to kill me? The Sword Demon looked at Song Jian, his lips trembling slightly, his voice hoarse. The vocal chords of regular zombies had rotted away, making it impossible for them to speak. At most, they could only produce some unintelligible roars. But this Sword Demon Zombie in front of him not only regained consciousness, it seemed that all functions of its body were also slowly recovering; You destroyed my territory, of course I want you dead! Song Jian roared, his long sword radiating a dazzling golden light. Light Strike! With a low roar, the golden Sword Qi instantly blossomed. A sword blade three to four meters long composed of golden Sword Qi fiercely slashed towards the Sword Demon. The other three long swords beside Song Jian also simultaneously released golden Sword Qi. Four Light Strikes one after other fiercely slashed towards the Sword Demon Zombie; Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. God Destroying Slash! The Sword Demon hadnt the time to think. These four Light Strikes could severely injure him. Holy power was the bane of zombies. With a bit of bad luck, a critical hit could take it out instantly! After releasing the four Light Strikes, a hint of fatigue showed up in Song Jians eyes. The Light Strike wasnt engraved on the four long swords, so he could only control the four long swords to release Light Strike by using the Immortal Sword Body. However, this operation consumed a significant amount of his energy, causing his Invisible Sword Qi to plummet to its lowest level, then began to rise slowly! The Sword Demon slashed out a three to four-meter long purple-black Sword Qi. With each slash, a chilling scream of agony echoed in the air, as if the void itself would shatter from such a blow. Where it passed, a black trace like a crack was left in the air, lingering for a long time without healing; Light Strike and God Destroying Slash clashed violently with each other, creating an explosion like the sound of thunder. The surrounding monsters within a radius of several tens of meters were all cut into fist-sized pieces by the sword Aura that filled the air; Ah~ A beast-like scream echoed. Three gashes deep enough to see bone appeared on the Sword Demon Zombies body. Purple-black blood gushed out of the wounds without stopping. Its scale-like skin was like thin paper, easily penetrated by the Aura of the Light Strike. Song Jians figure turned into a cloud of dark fog and rushed over. With a thought, four long swords slashed simultaneously. A fierce wind blew, covering a several dozen meters radius area. All the monsters within this area started losing blood continually. The violent wind, mixed with countless Sword Qi, was directed at the Sword Demon Zombie; Clang, clang, clang~ Sparks continually flew from the scales of the Sword Demon Zombie. The Sword Qi left white marks on its body; However, as the fierce wind swept through, its scales began to crack one after another, then started shattering piece by piece; Flash Thunder Strike! Again, four long swords simultaneously launched Flash Thunder Strikes. The weapons in Song Jians hands were excessively powerful. Even when fighting alone, it felt like he was using a multitude to bully the few; At this moment, with every move Song Jian executed, it equaled the simultaneous attack from four skilled warriors, causing even the Sword Demon Zombie to be forced to retreat relentlessly from his onslaught! Clang~ A crisp sound of shattering resonated from afar, sounding like a tolling bell in Song Jians ears. This abruptly disrupted his assault and his face paled significantly. The Light Screen Sky Splendor had been shattered! Although he had already anticipated this, when it really happened, Song Jian still felt a sudden twinge of anxiety. Without the protection of the Light Screen Sky Splendor, only the weak defense of the Manor Castle remained. Regardless of the adventurers 1000% increase in recovery speed, they had no confidence of defending the castle against the sieges of numerous bosses. Bang! The Sword Demon was blasted away by a dozen bolts of lightning, smoking as he crashed brutally into a pile of rubble. Observing a piece of flesh dangling from his sword, Song Jian clenched his teeth, grasping it and began to chant the Abyssal Spell; With the true name of the Sword Demon as a guide, and the flesh and blood of the Sword Demon as the proof, Shackles Mark, activate! Boom~ A ball of black flame rose from Song Jians hand. The flesh in his hand instantly charred and he spewed a mouthful of fresh blood, a damage indication of 1,000 points floating above his head. Damn it, Sword Demon isnt its real name! Song Jian had a sinking feeling, wiped the blood lingering on his lips, and roared furiously, charging towards the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon, leaning on his double-handed sword, rose slowly from the rubble. Just now, it had a very mysterious sensation, as if something was trying to imprison its soul, but ultimately proved unsuccessful. Seeing the enraged Song Jian charging at him, a smirk appeared at the corner of the Sword Demon Zombies mouth: You, are so furious! Sweeping Sword Style! Broken Wing Dance! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Equipped with four long swords, Song Jian executed four sword techniques simultaneously in an unending assault on the Sword Demon, as if he were four master swordsmen simultaneously attacking it. The Sword Demon roared violently, a grey aura surrounding its body as it swung its double-handed sword to engage Song Jian in battle! Time passed by second by second. The Sword Demons vitality points were slowly decreasing, but at this rate, Manor Castle wouldnt last the duration of Song Jian slaying the Sword Demon Zombie; In the end, Song Jian completely abandoned his defense. He traded strikes with the Sword Demon Zombie, taking one of Sword Demons strikes equated to four of Jians. In no time, Song Jian was covered in blood; Die, Die, Die! Song Jian roared wildly. Focusing his mind, Sword Qi Stones continually flew out from his inventory, assembling in the air to form a Sword Formation. In just a moment, the few dozen meters surrounding the Sword Demon Zombie were shrouded by countless strands of Sword Qi. Nearby monsters didnt dare to approach. Once they entered this area, they were instantly minced by the Sword Qi. This time, Song Jian held nothing back. He was determined to kill the Sword Demon Zombie in the remaining ten-odd seconds. At this point, the Sword Demon Zombie seemed to have sensed something. It gave up on counterattacking Song Jian directly, and instead began to defend with its sword. Chapter 746: 746: The Sin of Non-War Chapter 746: Chapter 746: The Sin of Non-War Your city is about to fall! The Sword Demon Zombie suddenly gave a grin, ignoring the flaw that Song Jian had purposely exposed. If the surrounding area wasnt completely surrounded by monsters and the Sword Demon Zombie couldnt fly, it probably would have turned tail and run away by now, and would never have squared off against Song Jian! It realized by now that as long as it lived, it could cause the maximum damage to Song Jian! I will not be killed by you! Iron Wall Sword Skill! A mocking grin surfaced in the eyes of the Sword Demon Zombie as it unleashed a defensive sword skill. Immediately, the damage inflicted by Song Jian was reduced several times. This sword skill had seemingly similar effects to the Tai Chi Sword Skill, both aiming to decrease damage taken. A hint of despair crossed Song Jians face. At this moment he wished he had a kamikaze skill that he could use to take this boss down along with him! Song Jian had already started hearing the sounds of the castle falling apart. If the castle were to be breached and the citys core crystal shattered, the remaining monsters would enter a massacre mode, killing every living thing in the territory. By then, the number of players that could escape would only be in the single digits! Just as everyone was about to lose hope, a teleportation portal suddenly appeared not far from Song Jian. A man clad in golden armor and wielding a sword and shield, almost resembling an oversized infantry soldier, emerged from the portal; Master, I am late! Yar took a quick look around only to see ruins everywhere. Seeing Song Jian, he immediately shouted; You are Yar? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. He hadnt expected that Yar, the Dawn Warrior who had been taken away by the Cecilia Priest at the last moment, would suddenly appear. He had not completed the mission given to him by Cecilia to seize the Book of the Abyss. The Book of the Abyss, originally a quest item, had now become a special golden object that had recognized Song Jian as its master, permitting him to wield the power of the Abyss. He didnt want to give the Book of the Abyss to Cecilia, so for a long time, he had not contacted her, let alone asked her about his follower, Yar. Although he could always check Yars status in his follower interface, which did not show any change, Song Jian had no knowledge of what Yar had gone through after leaving; Now seeing the radiant Yar suddenly appear, Song Jian was extremely surprised! Yar, you actually have tier-one combat power? Song Jian astonishingly discovered that the instant Yar appeared, all of his attributes in Song Jians follower interface had undergone a drastic change; Yar, who had originally been around level twenty, had directly escalated to level thirty-five. All his attributes had increased significantly, and his profession had changed from Dawn Warrior to the special profession of Dawn Holy Knight! Yar, help me kill this boss, now! Song Jian hollered, pointing at the Sword Demon Zombie; Now was not the time for catching up! Since Yars strength had greatly improved, there were high chances that they could take down the Sword Demon Zombie Boss if they teamed up. As long as they killed it before the castle was completely destroyed, there would still be time! Yes, master! Yar shouted loudly, charging at the Sword Demon Zombie with his sword; The taste of light, how disgusting! The Sword Demon Zombie sneered in disgust at the sight of the approaching Yar. It swung its right hand, unleashing a purple-black Sword Qi in Yars direction; Radiant Battle Armor! Yar bellowed, his speed unaffected but a set of armor composed of golden light materialized on his body; Song Jian leapt forward, waving his right hand and four long swords flew towards the Sword Demon Zombie like shooting stars; Bang! The dark purple Sword Qi slashed onto Aya, however, it couldnt shatter the radiant battle armor he wore, not even able to slow down his speed. At this moment, the face of the Sword Demon Zombie drastically changed. Sword Shadow Clone! The Sword Demon roared, immediately creating a clone from Sword Qi which looked exactly like itself, with no discernable differences; The two Sword Demon Zombies charged towards Song Jian and Aya; Only after engaging in combat with the Sword Demon Zombie did Song Jian realize that the one he was dealing with wasnt the real Sword Demon Zombie, but a Clone! Damn, am I being underestimated here? Song Jian coldly snorted, directly executing the Broken Wing Dance; Four long swords, one after another, performed the Broken Wing Dance, rendering the Sword Shadow Clone in front of them floating in mid-air. Its important to note that while in a floating state, its completely defenseless. All damage inflicted is full damage, no defense is calculated. Countless Sword Qi continuously slashed onto the clone floating in mid-air, within just three seconds, Song Jian blew up the clone! The Sword Demon Zombie took a glance back at Song Jian, it didnt expect that the Sword Shadow Clone wouldnt even last three seconds. You should know, its Sword Shadow Clone Skill was leveled up to the maximum, inheriting 60% of its attributes, and it could use all sword skills, albeit with slightly reduced power; Such a powerful clone was blown up by Song Jian, it couldnt even buy a few seconds, this caught the Sword Demon Zombie by surprise; But compared to Song Jian, Aya, the Dawn Holy Knight in front of it, was more difficult to deal with. Everyone knows, Divine Power is extremely effective against Zombie-type monsters, these reanimated creatures are filled with a strong Death Force. This power, in front of Divine Power, is like snow under the sun, it immediately crumbles at a touch. This is why the Sword Demon Zombie found Aya more challenging than Song Jian. Demon Slayer Slash! Divine Punishment! All of Ayas skills were aimed at the Forces of Death. The skills released by the Sword Demon Zombie, the dark purple Sword Qi would immediately crumble just like snow under the sun when it comes into contact with Ayas Golden Sword Qi. Each of Ayas moves would inflict wounds on the Sword Demon Zombie that could not be healed or replenished. Every two to three damages would result in a critical hit. The Sword Demon Zombie in front of Aya didnt seem like a boss with peak tier-one combat power, which left Song Jian stunned; S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You should know, Song Jian with the activation of the Immortal Sword Body could only fight on par with the Sword Demon Zombie. Without the weapon set, Song Jian couldnt possibly suppress the Sword Demon Zombie! The sight before him seemed as if he were in a dream. Just as Song Jian prepared to step forward and aid Aya, he suddenly realized that Ayas attacks were continuously flowing. If he intervened, it would likely disrupt Ayas attack rhythm; Realizing this, Song Jian directly took control of the flanks, the four long swords continuously unleashed the Heavy Snowfall and Light Strike; Heavy Snowfall could lower the Sword Demon Zombies defense and slow down its speed, while Light Strike was filled with Divine Power, exerting a great suppressing effect on the Sword Demon Zombie; The Sword Demon Zombie had a strong attack but comparatively, its vitality points were not high. From the previous battle with Song Jian, it was already reduced to half health, now facing the suppressive presence of the Dawn Holy Knight Aya, it couldnt even fight back; After losing its last bit of vitality points, the Sword Demon Zombie glared at Aya, from its mouth oozing with dark purple blood, it uttered hoarsely: Your sin is not fighting! Chapter 747: 747: Unsealing Chapter 747: Chapter 747: Unsealing The Sword Demon Zombie swayed on the verge of collapse but still steadfastly refused to fall over. A crime fought not in battle! it managed to choke out in a hoarse voice, looking at Ash. Ash remained silent. If he had not advanced to the rank of the Dawn Holy Knight and restrained the Sword Demon Zombie at every turn, if a human possessed the strength of the Sword Demon Zombie, perhaps he would have been like Song Jian, struggling in a hard-fought battle. Just as the Sword Demon Zombie fell, a heavenly system prompt sounded in the ears of Song Jian and all the players of the City of Hope Alliance who were fighting to death in the castle. System: The City of Hope Alliance hunted the Sword Demon Zombie (First-order Combat Power Peak). The monster siege time was shortened by 10 minutes. System: The monster siege time of the City of Hope has arrived. The monster siege now is over! System: Congratulations to the City of Hope Alliance, the city has been successfully constructed! System: Congratulations, you have completed the special task I am the City Lord. The City Lords seal has been unsealed by 110%! The first few system prompts sounded in the ears of all the City of Hope Alliance players, while the last system prompt was heard only by Song Jian. Weve succeeded, weve really succeeded! Wang Qi, with a bloodstained face and a look of disbelief, looked around at his companions, muttering to himself and seemingly asking his companions to affirm the unbelievable deed. Weve done it, weve done it, ha ha ha! I told you, we were surely going to succeed, long live the leader! Thats amazing, the leader actually killed that boss, we won! All the Alliance players cheered wildly. The monsters, nearly within reach, were all but invisible in their eyes. All the monsters also stopped attacking at the same time, motionless like statues, even though these players had been fighting them for a long time, and the distance between them was less than a foot. It was as if a mysterious power controlled all the monsters. Moments later, the red light gradually disappeared from the monsters eyes, like awakening from a deep dream. Fear instantly took hold of all the monsters. With a harsh roar, all the monsters within the territory of the City of Hope Alliance, regardless of their strength, turned tail and ran as if they were being pursued by predators. Weve won! Song Jian felt a rush of joy and the threat of tears. He never wanted to experience this feeling of survival after a catastrophe again! Ash, we owe this victory to you! Song Jian looked at Ash with gratitude. He had merely schemed him into becoming his Follower, but at the crucial moments he had saved him and the entire Alliance! It was my duty, Master! Ash knelt on one knee on the ground, paid homage to Song Jian, slowly rose, and said, Im afraid this is my last time helping you, Master. From now on, I will be a Holy Knight of the Goddess of Dawn and no longer your Follower. Song Jians face changed. He found the connection between him and Ash slowly weakening until it finally disappeared. In the Followers interface, Ashs attribute interface also disappeared. From then on, Ash was no longer his Follower. Ash, you are Im sorry, a knight of the Goddess can only serve one master! Ash said with a blank face, without any reluctance, turned towards the teleportation light door and walked away. Watching Ashs figure disappear into the teleportation light door, Song Jian immediately felt a sense of loss. If it wasnt to sever their relationship, Ash probably wouldnt have appeared at this critical moment. Exchanging the construction of City of Hope for a Follower, Song Jian didnt know whether it was a gain or a loss! Forget it, if his heart is no longer here, theres no point in insisting! Song Jian shook his head, sighed, and walked towards the body of the Sword Demon Zombie. During a monster siege, if a monster is killed by an installation, such as a Magic Crystal Railgun, there wouldnt be any loot drops. But if a player kills a monster, there will be spoils of war! Now, three items had dropped from the body of the Sword Demon Zombie. A Skill Book, an Enhancement Stone, and a piece of equipment. Honestly, the items dropped by the Sword Demon Zombie were not bad, but Song Jian still felt a twinge of regret after picking up and checking them. The Skill Book dropped was Sword Shadow Clone. This wasnt the best skill of the Sword Demon Zombie. From the battle process with the Sword Demon Zombie, its best skill should be similar to Immortal Sword Bodys skill Sword Demon. It could temporarily enhance the users state massively, just like the Immortal Sword Body. Boosting ones own attributes was just the basics. The most formidable should be the enhancement of other areas of attributes. However, without obtaining this Skill Book, Song Jian was unable to know the specific content of Sword Demon. Skill Book C Sword Shadow Clone (Gold): You can learn the Sword Shadow Clone skill after use. Requirements: Mastery of Sword Qi Profession. Sword Shadow Clone: Active skill, Level 1, uses 50% of the users Sword Qi to create a clone. The clone inherits 30% of the attributes of the original and all skills of the original with a skill level of 1. It inherits all the basic offensive and defensive attributes of the equipment and weapons of the original while all special effects and skills of the equipment cannot be used! Using Sword Qi, it creates a castrated indigent version of oneself, which looks exactly the same on the outside C even the most formidable scanning magic cant distinguish, but once you start to fight, you can immediately identify which one is the clone and which one is the original. Song Jian clapped his hands and learned this skill. He stored more than a dozen skill points. Any skill can be directly upgraded as long as it is proficient. In addition to this Skill Book, the boss also dropped a Enhancement Stone. This Enhancement Stone enhances equipment above +6, and has no quality restrictions. As long as it is an item above +6, it can be used for enhancements. Song Jian had not enhanced any of his equipment, after all, golden Enhancement Stones are rather rare. This Enhancement Stone can only be stored for the time being. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The last piece of equipment was a belt. This belt was just a level 30 silver-grade equipment. Song Jian casually glanced at it and directly threw it into the Alliance warehouse. Finally, Song Jian brought out the City Lords seal. With the mission completed, the City Lords seal was fully unsealed, and most importantly, the unsealing degree reached 110%. Ordinary citys City Lords seals could never reach such a high level of unsealing! The three previously unsealed features were Fast Construction, Quick Repair, and Territory Teleportation! Unsealing 98% gives only one Fast Construction, while unsealing 110% give out two additional skills, Quick Recovery and Territory Teleportation. Fast Construction shortens the construction time of a building, up to 50% of the construction time. Quick Recovery can instantly repair the city buildings after being destroyed, but the materials and costs of recovery are three times that of normal recovery. As for Territory Teleportation, just like before, as long as he is in the city being constructed, Song Jian can teleport to any location, and the cooldown time is very short. This makes it very difficult to assassinate him within the city. PS: Thanks to Su Po Man for the tip of 100 Star Coins~ Chapter 748: 748 Task Chapter 748: Chapter 748 Task Quick recovery and territorial teleportation, the two abilities that can only be obtained once the City Lords seal has been unlocked to 110%. Generally speaking, if one could unlock the seal to 98% to gain rapid construction, it would already be pretty amazing. Many city lords dont have the last three abilities. After the monsters siege ended, the players inside the castle burst out, their cheers resonating loudly. At the final hour, almost everyone had lost hope, and many even gave up. But unexpectedly, they succeeded at the last moment, a feat so incredible it felt like a dream. Standing amidst the ruins, watching as the monsters retreated, many players are reduced to tears of joy. We did it, we really did it, hahaha! We won, we won! In Doomsday City, this was the first guild to successfully build a city. Previously, many had doubted them, even members of the City of Hope Alliance who didnt think the city-building mission would succeed. Out of the original alliance of over a thousand players, less than three hundred remained! Song Jian took a deep breath as the glow of the healing goddess statue enveloped everyone, continually refreshing their Vitality Points. It was at this moment he noticed a large number of players advancing rapidly towards the City of Hopes territory. With a hint of coldness in his eyes, Song Jian pulled out the City Lords seal. As he manipulated it, a virtual map of the City of Hopes territory appeared. The map, almost 90% ruins, seemed translucent. Quick repair! Song Jian, controlling the City Lord seal, pointed at the city walls and city gates. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Splash! The digitized resources started to disappear like flowing water, and all the city walls were instantly rebuilt. Arrow Towers, Catapults, City Defence Crossbows, Caltrops Song Jian quickly repaired all the citys defenses with resources disappearing like running water. Usually, repairing these structures would cost only a third of their original building cost, but now it was almost like rebuilding them from scratch. Looking at the two Magic Crystal Railguns, Song Jian shook his head. Even ordinary repair methods wouldnt be enough given the lack of resources. The two Magic Crystal Railguns had killed at least three peak level bosses. They were the heroes of this monster siege! Even without the Magic Crystal Railguns, Song Jian was confident he could fend off any guild challenges with the city walls, defences, and the remaining City of Hope players; all had regained their peak condition, including their vitality, spirit points, and mana. Seeing the citys wall reappear, all the guilds who had hoped to take advantage of the situation showed disappointment. They stopped in their tracks, sighed, and slowly disappeared from Song Jians sight. In the end, only the few hundred players from the Pantheon were left, looking up at Song Jian on the city walls with dissatisfaction. Hmph, if I knew it would be only them, I should have let them enter the territory and then rebuild the walls, trapping them inside, Song Jian thought, looking at the Pantheon players. But he quickly dismissed the idea. After all, it wasnt just the players from Pantheon who had hoped to benefit from the situation C over sixty percent of the guilds in Doomsday City had similar ideas. Some were just quicker, while others still hesitated. Just those who had shown up outnumbered his team by over a thousand. Song Jian didnt want the City of Hope, which had just lost more than thirty players, to suffer another loss. Damn, they actually succeeded! Zeus gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, and his body trembling slightly. Never had he thought that city-building could be so easy. A horde of bosses had nearly reduced the Hope Citys territory to void. Yet, the city had still been successfully built. The reality felt surreal to Zeus. Guild Leader, lets retreat. Theres no profit to be made here anymore, the Wisdom God sighed and said softly. The Pantheon had planned for this for a long time. They had hoped to attack the City of Hope alongside the monsters. But upon seeing the bosses that appeared, most of which were elite or even lord level bosses, everyone pulled back. After all, what if those bosses turned against them? Without the protection of city walls, their defeat would be inevitable! In the end, as the monster horde grew, no one proposed to jointly attack anymore. Everyone believed it was impossible for the City of Hope to hold back such a large number of attacking bosses. Guild leader, we won! Weve done it! Wang Qi, leading all the players, charged towards Song Jian. It looked like they were planning to lift Song Jian into the air and toss him upwards twice in celebration. Song Jian managed a small smile and flew into mid-air with his steel wings. Wang Qi, take care of the compensations for our deceased brothers. You must do it properly! Song Jian commanded. Hearing that the first thing Song Jian did after completing the mission was to ensure the proper compensation of their lost companions, everyones excitement diminished a bit, replaced by a sombre mood. More than thirty brothers had lost their lives, all directly one-shotted by bosses. Over half of them were killed inside the castle C their vitality, despite the 1000% increase in recovery speed, couldnt catch up with the boss lethal attacks. Also, everyone here is now a core member of the City of Hopes future. Well elevate welfare benefits according to contributions. All the brothers standing here will be granted the title of knight! Song Jian declared. After becoming a city lord, Song Jians overall power greatly increased and his previous title of Viscount in the City of Sin was automatically revoked. Every city lord automatically gets the Duke title, and no city lord can grant a title to another city lord. Regardless of the size of their city, all city lords hold equal standing. Following the successful city foundation, it was time to celebrate. Buildings in the city were repaired one after another, returning the city to its former glory. Recruitment of NPCs was also stepped up. As for players, Song Jian believed that the current 300 were more than enough. After the celebration, everything returned to normal, and once again, Song Jian found himself idle. On that day, an unexpected visitor caught him by surprise. Priest Cecilia, why why are you here? Song Jian asked with a somewhat guilty smile. It was Priestess Cecilia who had taken away his follower Yarra, but when he saw Cecilia again, Song Jian couldnt help but feel guilty. Song Jian, how did you do with the task I gave you? asked Cecilia, her face full of smiles. Chapter 749: 749: Devil Flame Chapter 749: Chapter 749: Devil Flame Several months ago, Priestess Cecilia assigned the task of destroying the Book of Abyss to Song Jian. However, during the task, the Book of Abyss, which should have been an ordinary quest item without any attribute, unexpectedly transformed into a gold quality piece of equipment. This invoked a sense of greed in Song Jian, leading him to claim it as his own! Although the Book of Abyss is only a gold quality item, its effect is no less than epic, even legendary level equipment; Having the Book of Abyss is nearly the equivalent of an additional profession. As long as Song Jian is willing to expend combat experience, he can fully activate all of the skills on the Book of Abyss and become a true Abyssal Mage! However, no matter what, this item should have been returned to Priestess Cecilia. Song Jian hadnt returned it, and now, seeing Cecilia again, undoubtedly he feels a bit guilty. For thistask, haha, task, this task Song Jian stammered with an awkward smile trying to come up with an excuse! Was the task too hard to complete? Cecilia asked with a smile. No, no, its been completed, haha, its been fulfilled! Song Jian quickly waved his hand. In the task list, the step of getting the Book of Abyss was already marked as complete, leaving only the work of returning it to Priestess Cecilia; Song Jian knows this, and undoubtedly, Cecilia, the task issuer, is even more aware! There was an accident with the task item! Song Jian shook his head, looking into Cecilias eyes and failed to come up with any excuse to deceive her; Accident? What kind of accident? Cecilia raised an eyebrow and asked. Song Jian directly summoned the Book of Abyss from his body and handed it over to Cecilia; At this point, the Book of Abyss had entirely bound his being, meaning even if he gave it to Cecilia, she wouldnt able to use it; System: You handed over the Book of Abyss to Cecilia, the task was completed, and you received fifty-three thousand Experience Points; System: Your intimacy with Cecila has increased to reverence! Its nature has changed! Cecilia caressed the cover of the Book of Abyss with a serious expression. Yes, I dont know how it happened. It transformed suddenly, at that time Song Jian described the situation at the time. Its Abyssal Demon Flame, I cant believe you possess the advanced Abyssal Demon Flame Cecilia stared at Song Jian and said: No human has ever been able to control the Abyssal Demon Flame and still maintain their sanity! Gods chosen, indeed, are people who are blessed by the gods So . Song Jian motioned towards the Book of Abyss in Cecilias hand. Since it had become a piece of equipment and had already bound itself to him, naturally, it should belong to him. Haha, congratulations, you are quite lucky to have obtained such a treasure! Cecilia smiled and handed the Book of Abyss back to Song Jian. Thank you! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. This has been weighing on his mind for so long and causing him much distress. Now, he can finally relax. In fact, this Book of Abyss is the ultimate treasure of the Abyss realm. It should have originally been a legendary quality equipment. No, it should not be called legendary quality. It should be called a Demi-God Artifact! Cecilia said. What, a Demi-God Artifact? Song Jian was stunned. How is this possible? Even if it has a complete professional skill tree, theres still a significant gap between it and a Demi-God Artifact! Yes, this was originally a legendary quality item. Its previous master wanted to advance it to an artifact, but ultimately failed. However, it broke through the quality limit and became an item between the peak of legend and the artifact. Such an item, we usually call it a Demi-God Artifact! explained Cecilia. But now its only a gold quality item Song Jian didnt understand. Thats because, it has not been fully unsealed. Would you like to restore it to its former state, a Demi-God Artifact? Cecilia smiled. Song Jian knew, Cecilia wouldnt just casually share this information with him without expecting something in return. Behind this was certainly some task he would need to accomplish. This was like bait on a trap. If he wanted to take the bait, he must prepare himself for the trap! Okay, I will do it, tell me how to restore it to a Demi-God Artifact! Song Jian resigned. A Demi-God Artifact, such a temptation is impossible for Song Jian to resist! Haha, its not an easy task to restore it to its original quality. Cecilia laughed, like a fox that had stolen a chicken! Im listening Song Jian shrugged. All you need to do is gather seven Abyssal Demon Flames, then fuse them together with it. It will then be unsealed back in its original form! Cecilia said. Seven Abyssal Demon Flames? Song Jian shook his head: That sounds like something thats not easy to accomplish! Correct, in Abyssal Hell, there are eight Abyssal Demon Kings, each of them controlling a different Abyssal Demon Flame. Only by collecting all these Demon Flames, can a clear passage to the outer world be created Abyssal Hell loves to explore other planes of existence, conquer them, and merge them with Abyssal Hell. Now, our world has been discovered by Abyssal Hell, and Abyssal Hell is trying in various ways to permeate our world Some are worried about the invasion of Abyssal Hell, but others want to explore and tap into Abyssal Hells resources Cecilia said with a serious face: When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares back at you! When you try to harvest the resources in Abyssal Hell, Abyssal Hell is preparing to swallow you whole! Hundreds of years ago, an Abyss Demon King from Abyssal Hell found a space-time rift and entered our world. But unexpectedly, he fell in this world. The Abyssal Demon Flame he wielded remained here! Speaking of which, Cecilia turned her gaze onto Song Jian; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian was stunned for a moment, then pointed at himself! Correct, the Flame you previously acquired was that Demon Flame! Cecilia nodded: Without that Flame, Abyssal Hell would not be able to construct a large-scale invasion pathway. It can only rely on the some abyss rifts and infiltrate this world. If you want a complete Book of Abyss, youll need to acquire the Demon Flanes from the other seven Abyssal Demon Kings! Haha, actually, the gold quality Book of Abyss is quite good, and I dont really use it on a daily basis. This task, you should probably assign it to someone else, Im afraid I wouldnt be able to complete it. Song Jian laughed, took the Book of the Abyss back into his body, turned around, and prepared to leave; What a joke! The seven rulers of the Abyssal Hell, their powers probably have long exceeded level three combat power. To ask him, who just barely reached level one combat power, to obtain the Abyssal Demon Flames from these kings, isnt that like asking him to commit suicide? Chapter 750: 750: Legacy Chapter 750: Chapter 750: Legacy Upon hearing Cecilia Priest mention about seizing seven abyssal demon flames from the seven Abyssal Demon Kings of Hell, Song Jian immediately smirked and refused without hesitation. After the game updated the Abyss Demon expansion pack, a lot of information about Abyssal Hell was revealed. Moreover, it includes a profession transfer to abyssal professions that would directly teleport one to Abyssal Hell, essentially changing the map. To return to the main plane of the game, one must either accept relevant quests or await the true opening of the Abyss Passage; As for Abyssal Hell, its introduction in the expansion pack only mentioned the existence of seven Abyssal Demon King monarchs therein, unlike Cecilias claim of there being eight demon kings; However, according to Cecilia, the eighth demon king had fallen a long time ago. Perhaps, thats why the expansion pack only described the remaining seven Abyssal Demon Kings! Each of these seven kings is at least a third tier in power. To challenge third-tier power, one needs to reach level 100 after passing first-tier power at level 30 and second-tier power at level 60! These seven Abyssal Demon Kings have existed for at least thousands or even tens of thousands of years. With Song Jians current strength, trying to snatch the abyssal demon flame from them, was undoubtedly like throwing an egg against a rockonly resulting in certain death! As for the Book of the Abyss upgrading to a Demi-God Artifact, Song Jian thought it was not worth risking his life for such an item; Do you think I would give you a deadly mission? Cecilia Priest laughed; Of course not, but Song Jian shrugged, ready to refuse again when Cecilia interrupted him. The seven demon kings disappeared a hundred years ago! Cecilia declared; Disappeared? Song Jian was taken aback, as this was not mentioned in the expansion packs introduction; sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yes, the seven demon kings of Abyssal Hell vanished from it a hundred years ago. Cecilia explained: Some people said they found a better world and left together, while others say they fell from internal strife over a treasure There are many legends and nobody knows the real one! Cecilia looked at Song Jian and revealed: But the fact is C no demons appeared in Abyssal Hell for a hundred years! What if they had just gone on vacation and would return in a few days? Song Jian shrugged. Even drinking water can be deadly! Cecilia laughed; Song Jian hesitated and said after a while: But aside from the demon kings, there must be formidable creatures in Abyssal Hell, like those second-tier powerhouses Indeed, there are powerful creatures in Abyssal Hell Cecilia looked at Song Jian: Not only are they strong, but there are also many of them. But do you think you are the strongest in this world? But Song Jian hesitated; The inheritance of the Sword Immortal had once appeared in Abyssal Hell! Cecilia blurted out. What? The inheritance of the Sword Immortal? Song Jian was taken aback. The Sword Immortal had always been the profession he admired most. Despite slim chances, he continued to strive towards this goal; Among the top ten unique professions, each is hard to achieve. Upon hearing that the Inheritance of the Swordsman Immortal Profession had appeared in Abyssal Hell, Song Jian made up his mind to venture there; Upon coming to this decision, Song Jian took out a black token from his backpack; A qualification token? You managed to get such a treasure? Seeing the token in his hand, Cecilia exclaimed in surprise: Such tokens are extremely rare in this world and only appear at specific times! Whats the purpose of this token? Song Jian asked. By using the qualification token, you would be eligible to enter the Inheritance Tower and face its trials. If you were to pass all of those, the token would grant you the qualifications for one of the ten unique professions. By choosing Sword Immortal, after passing the Trials of the Inheritance Tower, you would be a short step away from becoming a Sword Immortal! Cecilia explained. What? It only grants the qualification to become a Sword Immortal, whats a preparatory Sword Immortal? Song Jian asked with surprise. Did you think it was that easy to get the qualifications for one of the ten unique professions? Cecilia said with a cold hum: There hasnt been a unique profession in thousands of years, all of the deeds attributed to these professions in game legends were actually accomplished by their preparatory professions. Moreover, the preparatory professions are only half a step away from the ten unique professions. If you take the step, you would become a being that could match a deity! Seems like its not so easy to take that half-step Song Jian said with a bitter smile; Half a step is a huge difference. If you can step over, you can. If not, even half a step is as insurmountable as an abyss. Cecilia said, Those are beings comparable to deities. Do you think the gods would want them to appear? Song Jian was stumped. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and quickly asked: What did you mean by the inheritance of the Sword Immortal being in Abyssal Hell? It could be so! Cecilia corrected: The last real Sword Immortal is said to have perished in Abyssal Hell Song Jian: If even the Sword Immortal perished in Abyssal Hell, dont you dare to say that its not a suicide mission! Song Jian yelled with anger. That happened thousands of years ago, I dont know the specifics. I only learned this news from the books of the temple Cecilia shook her head and said, Without the seven demon kings, the power of Abyssal Hell has greatly diminished. Many of the realms it had invaded have now shaken free of its control. Even though it would be dangerous for you to enter, it is not a do or die situation! So youre saying that the fallen Sword Immortal might have left his inheritance in Abyssal Hell? Song Jian questioned. Maybe he did Cecilia stared into Song Jians eyes: This was mentioned in the most important books of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn. Do you think the books would mention something irrelevant? Moreover, if you were a Sword Immortal, what would you want to do most before your death? Have a drink? Song Jian shrugged. Very funny! Cecilia huffed: Alright, I will ask you for the last time, will you accept this mission to upgrade the Book of the Abyss to a Demi-God Artifact? Chapter 751: 751: Leaving Chapter 751: Chapter 751: Leaving Youre going to Abyssal Hell? Are you crazy? Wang Qi couldnt help but yell in surprise when he heard Song Jian wanted to go to Abyssal Hell. Now, Song Jian was the lord of the City of Hope, holding the City Lords seal, and it wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that a single persons safety was related to the safety of an entire city. What kind of place was Abyssal Hell? Although many people had already learned about the existence of Abyssal Hell after the release of the Abyssal Demon Shadow DLC through forums or other means, ordinary people were absolutely unwilling to set foot in such a terrifying place. Many players who had changed their careers to Abyssal professions were also regretful. Although the environment of the Doomsday World was harsh and hardly saw the sun for a day, compared to the environment of Abyssal Hell, it was simply like paradise; Yes, Im planning to make a trip to the Abyssal Hell! Song Jian confirmed. How long will it take and when can you come back? Wang Qi asked. Since becoming the city lord, many matters had to be approved by the city lord. Even the expansion and upgrade of city walls required the city lords personal operation, and it was no longer as easy as before; just having materials and construction workers could easily build them. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If Song Jian were to leave for several months like he did during the first phase of the combat assessment, Wang Qi was worried that if something happened to the City of Hope, they would not be able to control the situation without the city lord. At the earliest, seven days, and at the latest, one month! Song Jian said. The task Cecilia had given him did not have a time limit. However, it was better to upgrade the Book of the Abyss to the Demi-God Artifact as soon as possible. Only when the Book of the Abyss is upgraded to the Demi-God Artifact would the power of the Abyssal Hell be further weakened. At present, the entire game plane has been eroded too severely by the Abyssal power. To eliminate this erosion, it is necessary to continuously weaken the Abyssal power; That long? Wang Qi furrowed his eyebrows. We are now back on track and have taken a big step ahead of other alliances. We can continue with the territorial expansion and city construction. Sooner or later, the entire Doomsday City will be ours! Song Jian laughed. Alright, I guess we have no choice, Wang Qi reluctantly said; Oh, yes, help me get a few items for expanding larger inventory slots, the larger the space, the better. The unique resources in the Abyssal Hell are extremely abundant, and we cant rely solely on the Valley of the Undead! Song Jian said. If it were only one alliance, the resources of the Valley of the Undead would be more than enough. However, if they wanted to invest in a city or even include the entire Doomsday City into the City of Hope, the amount of materials needed would be astronomical, and relying solely on the Valley of the Undead would not be enough; In addition, has the trade group been established yet? Lets try going to the garrison town first. The honey wine there is a specialty, and we can transport more of it! Song Jian said. Now that the Protection Black Mist has expanded into an area more than ten meters wide and belongs to the territory of the City of Hope, as long as one is a member of the City of Hope Alliance, they can enter and exit freely. To take advantage of this superiority, they must establish their own trade group. Its easy to establish a trade group, but its not that easy to assemble a trade team. Give me three more days, and Ill assemble a small trade team of twenty to thirty people first, and then explore the route, Wang Qi reluctantly said; Running a business in the game is not an easy task, as there are many more monsters in the wild, and a safe trade route must be found; Alright, just get me some items to expand my inventory slots first! Song Jian said. Song Jian had previously obtained some items to expand his inventory slots. Now, his inventory was already considered quite large with thirty-six slots, and each slot was gold, which meant that Song Jian could take thirty-six items from the game world to the real world at once. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was simply an incredible thing, as others could only take one item at most; Just a single healing potion brought to the real world would be snapped up like crazy, and those treasures that could enhance ones physical attributes would be priceless if brought to the real world; However, now Song Jian was no longer satisfied with being a game transporter; he now had higher aspirations; Obtaining Abyssal Demon Flame was not something that could be done overnight. Song Jian only planned to enter Abyssal Hell this time to explore the route and familiarize himself with the terrain, and then take the opportunity to obtain Abyssal Demon Flame. As for the Sword Immortal inheritance, it could only depend on luck as there was no clue at all; Soon, Wang Qi brought four large forty-slot backpacks to Song Jian. These backpacks could be embedded into the inventory slots to expand the inventory slots but could only be used in-game and could not bring items back to the real world; After using these backpacks, Song Jian purchased a large number of supplies: advanced Vitality recovery potions, honey wine, Sword Qi Stones, high-explosive hand grenades, self-destructing robots, and the previously used explosive fire bombs. These items were stackable, filling three backpacks with over a hundred inventory slots! After explaining everything about the City of Hope, Song Jian returned to Manor Castle. He took out the Book of the Abyss and flipped the page to the Abyssal Gate chapter. When he first obtained the third-order Abyssal Demon Flame, Song Jian could already open the Abyssal Gate and enter Abyssal Hell. However, his strength was still weak at the time, and entering Abyssal Hell would be suicidal. Now Song Jian finally had some self-protection abilities. As long as he was careful, there should be no problem surviving in Abyssal Hell; Chanting the Abyssal Spell, black flames rose from Song Jians body, and a black light appeared in front of him. With the continuous chanting of the spell, the light grew larger and eventually turned into a disc. The Abyssal Demon Flame on Song Jians body began to surge towards the black disc, forming a black ellipse-shaped portal in a short amount of time. On both sides of this elliptical portal, two bone dragons intertwined to form a unique door frame, and a mirror-like curtain of light in the center. Faint heartrending wails came from the light, while a seductive scent lingered inside. Ordinary people would probably not dare to approach the portal, as once they got close, they would inevitably be drawn toward it; Huh, the cooldown time is actually twenty-four hours! Song Jian looked at the Book of the Abyss, the Abyssal Gate icon had turned gray and entered the cooldown time. The next opening must be twenty-four hours later, which means that once Song Jian enters the Abyssal Hell, he will have to stay inside for a full twenty-four hours before he can leave; This black portal constantly emitted Abyssal aura, like tentacles, constantly exploring the surrounding environment. Song Jian stepped towards the portal, his figure disappeared within the castle, and the portal vanished as well. Chapter 752: 752: Skills Chapter 752: Chapter 752: Skills Master Kutiya, all the materials are here. When can these two Magic Crystal Railguns be repaired? Wang Qi directed a group of people, constantly transporting precious materials. The two Magic Crystal Railguns were also damaged during the monsters siege, but repairing them was not as complicated as their initial creation, which required a large amount of precious materials; the repair process was relatively simpler. It will take at most half a day to repair these two Magic Crystal Railguns! Kutiya carefully examined the materials sent by Wang Qi, saying. The power of the Magic Crystal Railguns had withstood the test of war. If not for these two railguns, the city-building mission might have failed this time. Master, the City Lord said he wants to build a few more Magic Crystal Railguns! Wang Qi said. If there were more Magic Crystal Railguns, even without Song Jian, Wang Qi would be confident in defending the entire city; Railguns are easy to construct; as long as there are enough materials, it doesnt matter how many you want to build. However, there are two issues! Kutiya held up two fingers and said: First, the railguns have tremendous recoil, and there must be more than 20 meters between them. The foundation must be made of the hardest materials. In that case, the entire city wall needs to be redesigned and rebuilt! Second, even if there are more Magic Crystal Railguns, without magic crystal ammunition, they would be just decorations. Before finding a Magic Crystal Mine, I suggest not building so many, instead, using the resources to build smaller projectile launchers and Goblin fire cannons which can also pose a threat to creatures with peak strength in the first-order! Wang Qi knew that as for the Magic Crystal Railguns, Master Kutiya was the more professional person, and professional matters should be handled by professionals. However, before Song Jian left, he specifically instructed them to build more Magic Crystal Railguns. If he returns from the Abyssal Hell and sees that I havent followed his instructions, then Wang Qi frowned, hesitated for a long time, gritted his teeth and said: We must build them all into Magic Crystal Railguns! If we need to redesign and rebuild the city walls, then well do it. Others will solve the problem of magic crystal ammunition! Kutiya nodded, said nothing more, turned around and directed the other architects to speed up the repair process, while she began to redesign and rebuild the entire City of Hopes walls; As a master builder, she just needed to offer her professional advice; whether it was accepted or not was up to the owners. She just needed to do her job well! Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a brief period of weightlessness, Song Jian came to a completely new area. There was no sunlight here, only darkness. The only light came from the faint red glow that seeped through the cracks in the ground. The entire land seemed to float on lava, with deep gorges everywhere. Some were only a few meters wide, while others seemed to have no end in sight; These gorges emitted red light, heat, and rumbling sounds. Song Jian felt as if he was standing on the brink of an erupting volcano. Song Jian wandered aimlessly through the wasteland. The surrounding temperature was at least 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. Ordinary humans wouldnt be able to survive here. Even for players, they would need at least 10 points of fire resistance to survive in this place. However, players who have changed their profession to Abyss-related ones would naturally gain at least a dozen or more fire-resistant points, so their survival here would certainly not be a problem. After walking for half an hour, Song Jian finally saw some monsters ahead. They looked like demon wolves, with dense dark red fur covering their bodies. Their claws occasionally emitted a ball of flame, making them look extremely fierce. Song Jian approached these monsters and checked their attributes. Abyssal Demon Wolf, Level 38, Vitality Points: 12000/12000 Though merely ordinary Abyssal creatures, their Vitality Points were higher than some Level 30 elite bosses. Their appearance suggested that not only did they have considerable attack power, but also likely inflicted fire damage. Looking ahead, there were many such creatures wandering around in the wasteland, some even lying directly in front of the dark red ground fissures, swallowing the magma that welled up from below. Song Jian took out the Book of the Abyss and clicked on the second layer of the skill tree several times. In an instant, his Experience Points, which had previously risen to 36, fell to the bottom, becoming 36 1%; Song Jian had now activated all the skills on the second layer of the Book of the Abyss; There were four skills on the second layer, namely Shackles Mark, Mental Breakdown, Abyssal Corrosion, and Evil Seed; Shackles Mark had great power, capable of instantly killing any monster. However, the conditions required for its release were quite strict. Not only did the targets flesh and blood need to be known, but also the targets real name. Otherwise, releasing this skill would only result in Song Jian receiving backlash damage; As for the other three, Song Jian used his combat experience to activate them all at once; Once the skills in the Book of Abyss were activated, they automatically reached the highest level, which was very convenient. With these three powerful skills, Song Jian could easily disguise himself as an Abyssal Warlock; Mental Breakdown (Active): MAX, Instant, Skill Effect: When used on a target, causes the target to lose their rationality and become enraged, attacking any creature nearby. The higher the targets Willpower, the greater the chance of resisting this skill. This effect lasts for up to 30 seconds. After the effect ends, the targets aggression will be firmly locked onto the user. Spirit Points Consumption: 45; Abyssal Corrosion (Active): MAX, 3-second cast time, Skill Effect: After casting on a target, immediately deals 490-600 damage, and continues to deal 300 damage over the next 10 seconds, while reducing the targets armor value by 30% for 30 seconds. Spirit Points Consumption: 50; Evil Seed (Active): MAX, Instant, Skill Effect: Plants an Evil Seed inside a target, continuously reducing their resistance. After 15 seconds, their resistance is reduced by 50%, and the Evil Seed erupts inside the target, causing 500 damage. The targets next received damage is guaranteed to be a critical hit. Spirit Points Consumption: 30; Song Jian raised his right hand and directly cast Mental Breakdown on one of the Abyssal Demon Wolves in the monster group. Soon, the huge wolfs body was covered with a faint dark red light, its eyes became blurred, and the wolf became angrier and more ferocious, roaring in its mouth; Without warning, it pounced on the nearest Abyssal Demon Wolf, fighting fiercely as if they were mortal enemies, attacking each other with their fire-covered claws; After ten seconds, the mind-broken Abyssal Demon Wolfs eyes suddenly regained clarity. Ignoring the attack from the other wolf next to it, it turned its head and rushed toward Song Jian; Chapter 753: 753: Player Chapter 753: Chapter 753: Player Seeing the attacking Abyssal Demon Wolves, Song Jian first cast the Evil Seed skill, then began to apply Abyssal Corrosion on them; A fluctuating green seed phantom appeared on top of the Abyssal Demon Wolf, followed by a rising damage number and a weakening armor condition appeared in its status bar; Before it could even reach Song Jian, it was hit by three Abyssal Corrosions. The already half-health Abyssal Demon Wolf saw its Vitality Points plummet to less than one-third of its total; Just as it leaped towards Song Jian, the green phantom image of the Evil Seed had already ballooned from the size of a fingernail to that of a fist. After a muffled thump sound, the airborne Abyssal Demon Wolf froze mid-air and its attack wavered. It fell from the sky like a stone and crashed on the ground in front of Song Jian. Song Jian swung his long sword, stabbing it at the head of the Abyssal Demon Wolf. It was just an ordinary thrust, yet it cranked out direct critical damage of over two thousand points. The Abyssal Demon Wolf let out a mournful howl. Its Vitality Points hit rock bottom, turning it into a corpse. Another Demon Wolf, which had been biting at its heels, looked puzzled when its prey vanished. After standing still for a moment, it turned and ran back towards where it came from; Looking down at his sword, Song Jian shook his head slightly. None of the equipment he had on increased magic damage, and the activated skills from the Book of the Abyss were too few. As an Abyssal Warlock, relying solely on these skills to combat monsters was far from enough. The Book of the Abyss had four skills on the third level, but each skill required nearly a million battle experience points to activate C something Song Jian hadnt been able accomplish yet; With this in mind, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon and Gulu the Stone Golem. The two battle pets, both possessing stage one Combat Power, were able to grind monsters in this area without any pressure. Song Jians attack pattern also changed. He first used the skills from the Book of the Abyss to attack the Abyssal Demon Wolves from afar. When they rushed towards him, he would then use his long sword to claim their lives. With the assistance of the Black Dragon and the Stone Golem, it wasnt long before the Abyssal Demon Wolves collapsed under Song Jians feet; Abandoned buildings and streets were everywhere in Doomsday City. Even if there were numerous monsters, he couldnt grind them as swiftly as he could in the wilds. Song Jian positioned the Stone Golem and Black Dragon at the front, continually invoking skills from the Book of the Abyss, inflicting swathes of damage with the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. The monsters from the Abyssal Hell granted high experience points. Song Jian incessantly lured monsters one wave after another. With the aid of the Stone Golem and Black Dragon, Song Jian hadnt lost any Vitality Points, but hundreds, if not thousands, of Abyssal Demon Wolves were slaughtered along the way, leaving a trail of their carcasses. The system notification sound rang out. Song Jian glanced at his level and found that he had unknowingly risen to level 37. Initially, activating three skills from the Book of the Abyss had depleted his battle experience. Unexpectedly, his level had increased again in less than half a day. Level progression here was both swift and enjoyable! Having upgraded the Sword Silk skill to level seven, the Sword Finger skill to level four, the Broken Wing Dance to level five, and the Light Strike to level two, Song Jian still had almost ten skill points remaining; Looking at the rankings for the Glory Level within the Doomsday City area, he remained in first place. The second place was held by Zeus from the Pantheon, whose level hadnt budged from thirty-one in quite some time. It seemed the previous blow had been too big. From the looks of it, he had lost his motivation to level up; The remaining top twenty were all at level thirty. It appeared that there were quite a number of players who loved to rush their levels. In just a few days, so many level thirty players had emerged. The Abyssal Hell was like a leveling sanctuary. Song Jian was somewhat reluctant to leave. However, his primary objective now was to find a larger city. Whether it was for gathering information or completing tasks, it would be much more convenient; He hadnt forgotten why he came to Abyssal Hell. Whether it was for the seven Abyssal Demon Flames or for the Swordsman Immortal profession, he didnt want to miss out on any; While Song Jian was continuously grinding monsters, he suddenly saw points of light in the distant wilderness. At the same time, he could faintly hear the sound of explosions; Song Jians eyes lit up. That was the sound of somebody casting magic. It seemed he had encountered other players; From the moment they switched professions, the players in the Abyssal Hell were in a different faction from the players in the game world. They would kill each other on sight. Moreover, killing a player from a different faction does not lead to an increase in sin-value but instead raises honour points; Therefore, upon seeing players up ahead, Song Jian did not approach immediately. Instead, he put away both of his battle pets and proceeded alone, slowly advancing; The light in the Abyssal Hell was originally very dim. If it werent for the everywhere-present red crevices along the ground, this place would probably be completely enveloped in eternal darkness. Using the faint glow emitted from these crevices, players could only see their immediate environment within ten meters. Anything beyond that distance would be hazy, unless they possessed some special skills. The Vertical eye in Song Jians forehead was already open, and he could clearly see the several players tens of meters away; He could see the figures coming into view were completely different from regular game world players. They had dark skin, with a distinct layer of fine scaly patterns emerging. They radiated a strong Abyssal aura. Like countless tentacles, it constantly stretched out before slowly dissipating in the void. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Such appearances were somewhat terrifying but gave off a sense of peculiar individuality; They must be players who have switched to Abyssal professions. Song Jian guessed in his mind: there were currently no players that could enter the Abyssal Hell immediately upon entering the game. They would first need to reach level ten in the game world before they could accept the transition task for an Abyssal profession; The appearance of these players meant that there should be a city of the Abyssal Hell nearby; To Song Jian, these players who had switched to Abyssal professions had essentially given up on their human identities. Undoubtedly, at the very least, Abyssal professions were rarer, and far stronger than ordinary professions. But after transitioning to an Abyssal profession, the whole person would become an Abyssal creature and would unconsciously be corroded by the Abyssal aura. For these players who had transitioned to Abyssal professions, the brilliant side of their humanity would become increasingly diluted while their darker side would be amplified. In the end, they would completely succumb to being Abyssal creatures, prioritizing the interests of the Abyss above all; As Abyssal creatures, their greatest desire was to invade other dimensional worlds. At that time, there would inevitably be a deadly battle between the players of the Abyssal Hell and the game world! Chapter 754: 754: Soul Ripper Chapter 754: Chapter 754: Soul Ripper The Abyss profession system is very complex, similar to the game world, its also divided into close combat and ranged combat, physical and magical categories. Among the few players in front of me, there is an Abyss Warrior, Abyss Mage, Soul Ripper, Abyss Thief, and an Abyss Warlock! The Abyss Warrior, Abyss Mage, Abyss Thief, and Abyss Warlock, all are rare professions. However, all of these belong to the basic professions in the Abyss professions. But the one called Soul Ripper is a legendary professional; Abyss Warriors are similar to warriors but cant use shields. They can only rely on their professional talent, Demon Skin, to increase their armor. Moreover, during the battle, the higher the Abyss Warriors attack, the more Vitality Points they can absorb from the damage to heal themselves. Their battle style resembles the Berserkers, although they are not as able to resist damage as the warriors, but their attack power and endurance far exceed the warriors; The Abyss Mages differ from the elemental mages of the game world; they use Abyssal energy. This kind of energy often gets strengthened in charming and controlling, but does not possess the damage and burst power of Abyss Mages. Battling with Abyss Mages always gives every profession a headache. If you cant quickly gain the advantage, once the battle enters a stalemate, Abyss Mages often use endless control magic to torment their opponents until they collapse. Abyss Warlocks are good at summoning powerful Abyss demons to fight while also attacking enemies with the Abyssal Power, like the Abyssal Mage. On the other hand, the Abyss Thief has an additional talent compared to a normal human thief, the Abyss Will. Its an active skill, which can resist all control and slowdown effects. Although its duration is very short and the cooldown time is very long, in battle, this talent skill is a divine technique, giving the Abyss Thief a big advantage in combat; As for the legendary profession Soul Ripper, its a very rare profession in the Abyss. They excel at soul attacks, almost combining the powers of the Abyss Mage and Abyss Warlock. They possess strong attack power, and can capture Abyss creatures as their temporary combat pets, having excellent survival ability; The five-member team in front of Song Jian is not high in level, all are level thirty. Such a level is considered an expert in the game plane, but in Abyssal Hell, any creature is much higher in level than them; The equipment they wear is nothing impressive, mostly green grade. Only the Soul Ripper has two pieces of blue equipment. The weapon in the hands of the Abyss Mage is even a white grade piece of equipment. At this moment, a level thirty Flame Demon follows beside the Undead Warlock. Two Abyssal Demon Wolves are captured by the Soul Ripper, theyve just captured them. The five players huddle together, seemingly discussing something in hush tones. Taking advantage of the dim environment, Song Jian quietly approached them, wanting to hear what they were discussing. All these people were speaking in the language of the Abyss. The Abyss language natively has a mesmerizing ability for other creatures. Listening for a long time can potentially Corrode individuals who dont understand the language of the Abyss, transforming them into Abyss creatures that are neither human nor ghost; But in Song Jians ears, he could easily discern what they were discussing. Also, the possession of the Book of the Abyss protected him from being affected by the Abyssal Power; Toothpick, how much more till you Level up? The Abyss Mage asked. With a toss of his hand, he threw an Abyssal Energy Orb at an Abyss Demon Wolf in the distance. The head-sized gray energy ball, emitting a strong Abyssal Power, travelled an arc in the air, fell onto an Abyss Demon Wolf in the wilderness. With a boom, the Abyssal Energy Orb exploded, causing more than three hundred points of damage to the Abyss Demon Wolf. This abruptly enraged the Abyss Demon Wolf, and also attracted the attention of the two Abyss Demon Wolves nearby. The three Demon Wolves rushed at the players together. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seventeen percent left! Upon seeing the three Demon Wolves rushing at them, the Abyss Thief got scared and immediately activated his Stealth skill complaining, Could you be a bit careful when youre pulling mobs? Every time you pull so many. If it wasnt for Elder Brother Wanderer, we wouldnt even be able to level up here! Sorry, the light is too dim and visibility is only about seven to eight meters. I didnt see that the two Demon Wolves were so close to it! The Abyss Mage apologized. Elder Brother Wanderer, can you handle one by yourself? The Abyss Warlock turned his head to the player with the occupation of Soul Ripper and asked. No problem, you guys quickly finish off those two! Leave one to me! The player with the occupation of Soul Ripper, referred to as Wanderer, glanced at the others with a hint of arrogance as a smile appeared on his lips. He already had two Abyss Demon Wolves under his control. For the next two hours, these two Abyss Demon wolves would be his most loyal combat pets, willing to die for him without hesitation. However, after two hours, these two Abyss Demon Wolves would break free from his control, and within a day, he could no longer regain control over them. If I had known, I would have bought the Eagle Eye Skill from the auction house. At least it could increase the visibility by ten meters! The Abyss Mage said regretfully. Dont be silly, the Eagle Eye Skill costs at least a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins; with that money, wouldnt it be better to exchange for a blue-grade Magic Staff for yourself! The Abyss Warlock looked at the Abyss Mage, wearing his ragtag environmentally friendly equipment, and laughed. The player with the occupation of the Soul Ripper, controlling the two Abyss Demon Wolves, led one of the jumping Abyss Demon Wolves aside and started attacking slowly; the remaining four players were continuously attacking the two Abyss Demon Wolves. Although the Abyss Demon Wolves dealt a decent amount of damage, and their Vitality Points were much thicker than that of other creatures, under the coordinated attacks of the four players, they were quickly suppressed and their Vitality Points were continuously decreasing. By the way, did you guys take that mission? The one where you open the Abyssal Hell conduit and enter the main game world? The Abyss Thief suddenly asked; Of course, had we known we would have ended up in Abyssal Hell, I wouldnt have chosen the Abyss profession. The Abyss Warlock cast a Corrosion Spell, and then began attacking the Abyss Demon Wolf with his Flame Demon. Levelling up here is much faster than in the Main Plane, otherwise, we wouldnt have gotten to level thirty so quickly! The Abyss Thief replied. Thats the only advantage for levelling up faster. The loot drop rate in this place is so poignant that it makes people want to cry. If it werent for the boss fights, the regular creatures would hardly drop anything. They dont even drop crafting material. Otherwise, with me already at level thirty, how could I still be wearing all this environmentally-friendly gear, and even have a white-grade weapon? The Abyss Mage complained. The others glanced at the Abyss Mage and then chuckled. Chapter 755: 755: Surround and Kill the BOSS Chapter 755: Chapter 755: Surround and Kill the BOSS The five-man squad in front of him worked seamlessly together. The vitality points of the Abyssal Demon Wolf they engaged dropped rapidly to less than half. Song Jian quickly set his sights on the Soul Ripper, the most substantial threat in the team. It was absolutely necessary to neutralize them first; These players, having transitioned into Abyssal professions, never forgot their desire to enter the main game world via the Abyssal Hell Passage and pillage. Even though from their perspective they did nothing wrong, as far as Song Jian was concerned, killing them wasnt wrong either. The differences in power and faction alignment inevitably led to such conflict, disregarding right and wrong! Moreover, if these five people saw Song Jian first, they would undoubtedly swarm and kill him without hesitation; Thinking about this, Song Jian summoned Gulu the Rock Golem and the Black Dragon. He first restricted them from taking any action, then directed the Black Dragon to slowly slither towards the left, while the Rock Golem slowly advanced from the right; The surroundings were engulfed in darkness at that time. These players had limited vision, which extended at most twelve meters. The movement of the Rock Golem and Black Dragon wouldnt attract their attention. After the five-man team killed the three Abyssal Demon Wolves, they all began to recuperate on the spot; When will the Abyssal Passage open? I cant wait to return to the game world and slaughter! the Abyssal Thief complained with a sigh. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Humph, our current level is at least five levels higher than the average players in the outer world. Over time, this disparity will only increase. We will become the absolute nightmare of players in the game world! the Abyssal Warlock retorted with a cold hum. Hehe, killing players from the opposite faction can earn us merit. Maybe we could even game for a title! The Abyssal Mage chuckled; Just as the player with the Soul Ripper profession was about to speak, the Flame Demon, who had been guarding the Abyssal Warlock, suddenly growled; The Abyssal Warlock instantly became vigilant, whispering, Somethings going on! The figure of the Abyssal Thief vanished on the spot. The Abyssal Mage looked around warily while adding an Abyssal Armor spell on himself to boost his armor value; The eyes of the Soul Ripper turned blood red, and countless black aura radiated from them, revealing a terrifying spider web pattern; Over there, it seems like theres a big creature! The player with the Soul Ripper profession pointed at where the Black Dragon was, shouting excitedly in a low voice. Big creature? Is it a BOSS? Joy flickered across the face of the Abyss Warrior. The creatures in Abyssal Hell were formidable. If they encountered a BOSS alone, even a player with the Soul Ripper profession wouldnt be able to engage a level 30 or above BOSS solo. But they were now a five-man teama BOSS could be handled. But we dont have a healer, what if A hint of hesitation flashed on the face of the player with the Abyssal Mage profession. In this current group, only he had the weakest escape capabilities. The Abyss Warrior had a sprint-like skill which allowed him to charge tens of meters once he locked onto a distant enemy. The Abyssal Thief had a skill that allowed him to become invisible during battle. The Abyss Warlock could command the Flame Demon to stall the BOSS or even swap positions with the demon at critical moments; The Soul Ripper had more life-saving techniques. The most famous one was a skill called Soul Wander which could tear a rift in space for a teleportation-like effect; The Abyssal Mage specialized in numerous crowd control and damage-over-time skills but was notoriously weak at escaping danger, even compared to elemental mages who had frost rings and teleportation. As long as they wanted to escape, no BOSS could catch them. Im a melee profession and Im not afraid, why are you, a ranged profession, worried? The Abyss Warrior scorned, As long as Im standing, youre safe. Even if I die, the BOSS is still a long way from you and theres ample time for you to escape! Alright, tank, get ready to pull the monster! Everyone hold your damage and be mindful of over-aggro. Once the tank has the aggro stable, well let loose! The player with the Soul Ripper profession shot the Abyssal Mage a cold glance and directed; As he was of the legendary profession, the player with the Soul Ripper profession has always assumed the role of team leader. Though usually quiet, once he gives an order, he didnt want any rebuttal. The Abyssal Mage looked at his comrades, his face sullen, but he kept silent and followed them. Among the group, his equipment and power were the weakest. If he left his comrades, hed probably have to settle for leveling in an area with lower level monsters. The group began moving forward. Upon entering their field of vision, they were all taken aback. A black dragon over ten meters long and higher than three meters appeared before them. A dragon, from the Dragon Clan I cant believe the Dragon Clan exists in Abyssal Hell! The player with the Soul Ripper profession started shivering with excitement. Level 35, just an elite BOSS. Judging by its looks, it should be a Young Dragon or just barely past its juvenile stage, The Abyssal Warlock carefully examined the Black Dragon and analyzed; We are indeed lucky. Ive heard bathing in dragons blood will make one immune to weapons! the Abyssal Warrior licked his lips, a greedy look in his eyes. Shall we go for it? Its merely a level 35 elite BOSS. With our power, we can definitely take it down! The player with the Soul Ripper profession said excitedly; Even though he was the strongest among the five, he couldnt challenge a level 35 elite BOSS alone. He had to utilize the power of the other four! Go for it! This is a rare opportunityits a dragon! The Abyssal Warlock was thrilled. If he could obtain a complete dragon skeleton, he might be able to concoct a formidable Abyssal Bone Dragon when his power improved; Apart from the hesitant Abyssal Mage, the other four conveyed an eager expression. They had never seen a dragon so far. The highest-ranked creature theyd come across in Abyssal Hell was an Abyssal Chimera with a trace of Dragon Bloodline. This chimera had a dragon-like head that could spew highly corrosive venom. A village home to several hundreds was wiped off the map in less than ten minutes by it, and the creature itself was left with only minor injuries. But the Dragon Clan was on a whole different level, far superior to the previous Abyssal Chimera theyd seen. Killing a dragon would certainly yield golden quality treasures or better; Lets go! The Abyss Warriors eyes were bloodshot, filled with blood counts. He was also aware of the dreadfulness of a dragon, even if it was only one that had barely outgrown its juvenile stage. Furthermore, once the fight broke out, hed be the one in the most danger. But the lure of hunting a dragon was too irresistible. Holding tightly to his double-handed axe, he growled and rushed towards the Black Dragon; Chapter 756: 756: Another BOSS Chapter 756: Chapter 756: Another BOSS Seeing them rush towards the Black Dragon, Song Jian was taken aback. He had not expected that some of them possessed the skill to extend their field of view. If it wasnt for the fast speed of the Black Dragon which drew their attention, they might have focused their fire on Song Jian the time he charged in; This also works, let the Black Dragon distract them first! A smile formed on Song Jians face as he commanded the stone giant Gulu slowly move towards them; The Abyss Warrior let out a low roar, a hint of blood color spreading on his body, and he charged at the Black Dragon with an Abyssal Impact; Instantly, the Black Dragon was drawn to the Abyss Warrior and lifted its claw to pounce; The Abyss Warriors axe swung fiercely onto the Black Dragon. Bang sparks flew, and the Black Dragons scales were hard. The Abyss Warriors strike didnt break its defense, causing only less than fifty points of damage; The Black Dragons body stalled for a moment, scratching towards the shoulder of the Abyss Warrior, causing over two hundred points of damage; The moment this damage appeared, several people immediately felt relieved. It seemed that this Black Dragon was weaker than they thought. A single attack only caused over two hundred points of damage C this was something even an Abyssal Mage in environmental protection gear could resist for a while without dying; Its damage isnt high, everyone attack freely once Ive locked its aggression onto me! the Abyss Warrior shouted, launching a cleaving strike at the Black Dragon, causing over sixty points of damage. At the same time, a number representing the restoration of twenty-eight points floated up above his head; Spiked Shell the Abyss Warrior roared softly, and the phantom of a set of spiked armor appeared on his body surface. The Black Dragons damage towards him immediately went down a notch. Moreover, each time the Black Dragon attacked the Abyss Warrior, it would also suffer certain damage; The Black Dragons attributes included the text Song Jians Player Pet, but only players from the same faction could see this. Players from different factions would only see an ordinary elite BOSS Black Dragon, they couldnt even discern its first-order Combat Power, unless they had special scouting abilities that could reveal its first-order Combat Power; Although the Black Dragons body was strong, it was after all a magical attack pet, with only average physical damage. This caused some illusions for these people. But in a while, these players from Abyssal Hell would realize how wrong they were. The Dragon Clan, even if its just a dragon that just passed its infancy, was not something they could hunt down! The Black Dragons Vitality Points dropped bit by bit, the Abyssal Thief also surrounded it, a few people desperately outputting damage on the Black Dragon, their faces full of excitement. Under Song Jians control, the Black Dragon continuously approached the Soul Ripper player. Soon, this teams strongest player was already within the magic attack range of the Black Dragon. But in the eyes of the Soul Ripper player, he was still at a safe distance from the Black Dragon; Just then, a massive rock let out a low whooshing sound, hurtling towards the head of the Abyssal Warlock who was chanting a spell; sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian had originally wanted to set the rock giant Gulus attack target as the Abyssal Mage, but seeing the Abyssal Warlock chanting a spell, he subconsciously felt that this skill of the Abyssal Warlock could cause great damage to him. Therefore, he quickly changed his target, asking the rock giant Gulu to attack the Abyssal Warlock; The Abyssal Warlock was casting his Level 30 ultimate skill, Demons Gate. This skill had a long chant duration and consumed a huge amount of power, requiring more than eighty percent of his Spirit Points. However, it was also very powerful; As long as the spell was successful, a Demons Gate would be summoned, and Abyssal Demons would continuously appear from the gate. Every thirty seconds, a random Abyssal Demon would appear, and as long as the Demons Gate was not destroyed, Abyssal Demons could keep coming out indefinitely. If the Abyssal Warlock was given enough time, he could summon a strong Abyssal Demon army. However, the summoned demons also had a time limit C the stronger the Abyssal Demon, the shorter its duration. But just as the Abyssal Warlocks spell was about to be completed, a huge stone suddenly hit his head, and a dizzy symbol appeared on his status bar. The Demons Gate that was about to appear immediately vanished. The dizziness lasted just under a second, and the Abyssal Warlock spewed out a mouthful of blood. He suddenly wilted, unable to stand anymore. With the backlash from a level 30 ultimate skill, he was completely incapacitated for at least five minutes. Even a rookie who just entered the game could easily kill him at this moment! Were under attack! The Abyssal Warlocks face turned pale. Lying weakly on the ground, he let out a roaring warning to his companions. At this moment, a two-meter-tall stone giant slowly walked towards them, entering their field of vision. Damn it, youve attracted another BOSS! The Soul Ripper player looked back and immediately felt his heart sink, unable to help but curse; The Abyssal Warlock and the Mage, both standing the farthest away, saw a BOSS attacking the Abyssal Warlock. Everyones first reaction was that the Abyssal Warlock had attracted other monsters! Even the Abyssal Warlock himself was questioning whether he had attracted the stone giant. He didnt dare to speak a word facing his companions blame; But even if it was really the Abyssal Warlock who attracted the monsters, they wouldnt let the Abyssal Warlock be killed by monsters. The Abyssal Flame Demon they were attacking first abandoned attacking the Black Dragon, and stepped towards the Abyssal Warlock with loud roars while charging at the rock giant Gulu; Soon after, the Abyssal Thief Tooth Pick, also abandoned the Black Dragon, and turned around to pounce at the rock giant Gulu; The Soul Ripper player only glanced at the Abyssal Warlock and snorted coldly, then once again focused his attention on the Black Dragon, continuously directing his two Abyssal Demon Wolves to attack the Black Dragon; For him, it wouldnt matter even if all the others died, as long as he could kill this Black Dragon! At this moment, Song Jian had reached a point less than ten meters away from the Soul Ripper player. Black essence was still hovering around this Soul Ripper players eyes, his field of view at least over fifteen meters; As long as he took a quick glance in Song Jians direction, he would discover Song Jians existence. But at the moment all his attention was on the Black Dragon, and he didnt notice that Song Jian was slowly creeping towards him. As for the others, due to the limited field of view, along with their attention being drawn by the BOSS, they also didnt notice a figure was slowly moving towards the Soul Ripper player; Dragon Breath! A thought flashed across Song Jians mind, and the Black Dragon immediately flapped its wings and flew into the air, opened its mouth wide and spat a scorching Dragon Breath Flame towards the Soul Ripper player; Chapter 757: 757: Transfer of Hatred Chapter 757: Chapter 757: Transfer of Hatred No one expected that the Black Dragon would spew Dragon Breath at this moment, which shocked the Soul Ripper player. He instinctively activated his Soul Wander skill. This core skill of his profession allows him to enter a unique 2D space, making him immune to any attack. The most significant feature of this ability is that it boosts his movement speed by 100%. He can move freely in this 2D space, making it a superb tool for either chasing enemies or fleeing. However, such a core skill doesnt consume magic or mental strength. It consumes his own soul power. The recovery of soul power is extremely slow. Once depleted, all his core skills become unusable. The scorching Dragon Breath was burning around him, even crystallizing and melting the ground, but the Soul Ripper himself was not injured at all. Maintaining the state of Soul Wander also consumed his soul power. As soon as the Dragon Breath ended, he deactivated the skill and returned from the 2D space. Damn it! Looking at the skills cooldown time and the depleted soul power, his face immediately darkened. Soul Blade! Zhou Dong roared. An ethereal half-moon shape blade emerged in his right hand, flying towards the Black Dragon under his control. Soul attacks are extremely terrifying to all living creatures, as currently, there is no way to defend against such attacks. No equipment or skills can deflect it. The damage caused is all real. Song Jian himself possesses a sword technique, the Spiritual Sword Control Technique, that targets the enemys soul. He is well aware of the terror of soul attacks. Upon seeing the Soul Ripper Zhou Dongs move, Song Jian frowned, immediately withdrawing the Black Dragon into the Pet Space. The attacks of several people either failed or directly hit the empty ground. During their momentary shock, the Black Dragon reappeared in front of them. However, this time, the Black Dragon was flying high with its mouth wide open, brewing a revolving fireball. Zhou Dong, the Soul Ripper, instinctively sensed the threat and yelled, Dodge! He immediately controlled two Abyssal Demon Wolves to gather around him to act as shields against the Black Dragons attack. However, this time, the target of the Black Dragon wasnt Zhou Dong, but the Abyss Mage in the green uniform. Boom! A fireball, spinning like a nebula, violently crashed into the Abyss Mage. It made the Mage feel as if he had fallen into an ice pit, with the threat of death looming large. Why is it attacking me? the Abyss Mage screamed in horror. He gritted his teeth and took out a bead emitting a silvery light from his pouch and squeezed it The silvery bead shattered instantly, and a light screen shield appeared in front of the Abyss Mage. This one-time use defensive item had been something the Mage was reluctant to use, but now he had to use it to save his life. Bam! The Vortex Fireball viciously hit the Mages light screen shield. The shield shattered instantly, and the Abyss Mages body flew out like a baseball. When he hit the deep ground, he became seriously injured with only a tenth of his vitality points left, falling into a near-death state, experiencing an 80% slowdown in his mobility and loss of combat power. Its just-used skill might be able to erase hostility. Be careful, everyone, Ace, you go pull that Stone Golem Boss! Zhou Dong, the Soul Ripper, loudly shouted. The Black Dragon rose into the sky. All melee professionals couldnt attack it. Only ranged professionals could harm it. At this point, the vitality of the Black Dragon had already fallen to less than half, but Zhou Dong still didnt intend to give up. By now, no one doubted anything. Very few other players could come to Abyssal Hell. All players they encountered were fellow Abyss professionals. Of the five of them, two have now been eliminated leaving an Abyss Warrior, an Abyss Thief, and a Soul Ripper. At this moment, the Abyss Thief was beaten to a pulp by the Stone Golem Boss. Elemental monsters are a great restraint on thieves. The thiefs combat heavily depends on the battle effect of skills, which are entirely ineffective on elemental objects. The most powerful thieves can control their opponents from start to end without getting hurt a bit but there is no way to impose this on elemental type monsters. At this moment, the Abyss Thief has already decided to follow Zhou Dong and leave this losing battle, though hes kept a forcefully activated stealth skill in his hand not yet activated. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Toothpick, lure this dumb beast over here! The Abyss Warrior bellowed. He was sprinting toward the Abyss Thief. Looking at the Warrior, the thief instantly understood his plight. It seemed that he too was holding the Abyss Impact skill in his hand and not using it. His purpose was the same, escape at the last moment. It is known that the Abyss Warrior is a melee professional, and among all of them, he was the slowest. Without the Abyss Impact skill, the Abyss Warrior would be in a desperate situation, getting kited and killed by all ranged professionals. Two melee professionals were holding off the Stone Golem Boss, and Zhou Dong was now facing the Black Dragon alone. If he were a bit more rational, he would understand that he couldnt defeat the Black Dragon with his power. Even if the Black Dragons health was now less than half, he wouldnt stand a chance against it. But greed had overcome reason. All Zhou Dong could think of was the rewards he would get after killing the Black Dragon, completely ignoring the risk to himself. Song Jian glanced at the situation and withdrew his Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. Although this five-member team is all level 30, none of them possessed first-order combat power. Their two first-order combat pets were enough to crush them, and he did not need to take action himself. Ace, I cant handle this, elemental monsters are too restrictive to me! The Abyss Thief applied bandages to his wounds and whispered to the Abyss Warrior. This boss is too hard and too heavily armored. I cant make any blows on it, the Abyss Warrior frowned, Lets wait and see if Zhou Dong manages to defeat the Black Dragon. After all, he is a legendary professional, there may be a trick up his sleeve If the two melee fighters fled, Zhou Dong alone would not be able to handle the two bosses and would definitely escape too. In the future, Zhou Dong would definitely seek revenge from the two. Chapter 758: 758: Honorable Kill Chapter 758: Chapter 758: Honorable Kill Black Dragons combat power was clearly much higher than Stone Man Gulus; the two melee professionals believed that if they couldnt withstand it, it would definitely be Zhou Dong who would fail first. When Zhou Dong tried to escape, the two of them were ready with their escape techniques, which were faster than Zhou Dongs, but not slower. Moreover, in this way, even if this hunting attempt failed, Zhou Dong wouldnt be able to find fault with the two of them. Before long, the two of them heard a miserable scream coming from behind them, their hearts rejoicing, as it seemed that Zhou Dong had already received a serious injury and couldnt hold on much longer. But when the two turned their heads to look at Zhou Dong, they were instantly startled. The Black Dragon had already fallen from the sky, and under its right claw, was the corpse of the Soul Ripper Zhou Dong. Dead, hes dead? How could this happen The Abyss Warrior couldnt help rubbing his eyes, wanting to see if the corpse under the Black Dragons claws was indeed Zhou Dongs real body. Fog grass! Hes really dead! The Abyss Thief glanced at the team interface, and behind Zhou Dongs name was already marked with Death Status, causing a sudden shock in his heart. It should be known that Soul Ripper Zhou Dong was the strongest of the five, and moreover, he had many life-saving abilities. Besides Soul Wander, the Soul Ripper also had at least two acceleration skills and one substitution technique. If he really wanted to escape, almost no one would be able to hold him back. However, what they didnt expect was that Soul Ripper Zhou Dongs eyes had been blinded by greed, and without understanding the true power of the Black Dragon, he went recklessly into battle, resulting in him being killed instantly by the Black Dragons attack! With his strength not up to the first-order combat power, he couldnt withstand the Black Dragons ultimate move at all! Without a sound, the figure of the Abyss Thief slowly disappeared from the spot. Seeing this, the Abyss Warrior scolded himself, and immediately utilized the Abyssal Impact skill, aiming it at an Abyssal Demon Wolf ten meters away from him. In an instant, the Abyss Warrior collided with the Abyssal Demon Wolf, knocking it unconscious, and the Abyss Warrior stepped forward, attempting to escape into the distance; Just then, a huge rock whistled toward the back of his head, and before he could react, he was directly knocked over by the stone. Knocked down! Now Stone Man Gulus Throwing Stone Blocks skill had also been upgraded, not only increasing its damage significantly but also changing its triggering effect from just one stun effect to two; one was to stun, the other was to knock down, and each time it was used, one of these two effects would randomly appear; The Abyss Warrior struggled to get up from the ground, still somewhat dizzy from the impact. At this moment, the Abyssal Demon Wolf he had struck also woke up from its stun, let out a growl, and pounced on him; Damn it! The Abyss Warriors heart was instantly plunged into despair. A single Abyssal Demon Wolf posed no real threat to him, but the Stone Man who had already rushed over from behind made him feel utterly hopeless. Without his only teleportation ability, he simply couldnt escape Stone Man Gulus attacks; Just then, a dragons roar suddenly sounded from behind him. Turning his head to look, the Abyss Warrior didnt even have the courage to fight, and the Black Dragons hatred had somehow shifted to him, flying towards him; The Abyss Thief, in his invisible state, took one look at the Abyss Warrior and began to silently mourn for him while feeling incredibly grateful to be a thief himself. Forced invisibility completely erased the monsters hatred towards him, so the Black Dragon went instead after the Abyss Warrior, or so the Abyss Thief speculated. But in reality, he didnt know that the actions of the two pets were both controlled by Song Jian, and after the death of the Soul Ripper, there was only a one-in-four chance that the Black Dragon would go after the Abyss Warrior since there were still two heavily injured companions lying on the ground who had not yet died; The Abyss Thief, feeling overwhelmingly grateful, had no idea that he was heading right towards Song Jians position as he ran away. The vertical eye in Song Jians brow emitted a faint light. As he saw the translucent figure of the Abyss Thief running towards him, Song Jian felt bemused. With a wave of his hand, a dark red longsword appeared in his palm. The blade of the sword was adorned with three long sword phantoms, which shone brilliantly as they moved in sync with Song Jians movements. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique! sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In an instant, large snowflakes of goose feathers appeared around the Abyss Thief, and at the same time, wild winds swept in, scraping against their faces like a knife. As the Abyss Thief touched his cheek, he suddenly let out an exclamation of Fog grass. There was horror all over his face, and his hands were covered in dark red blood. The entire area felt as if it had been plunged into an ice cave, with snow reaching up to the thiefs knees and a wind so strong that it was impossible to keep ones eyes open. This made the Abyss Thief feel as if he had gone from summer to winter within the blink of an eye. xpath.XPathException: The Abyss Thief, whose vitality was already running low, couldnt understand what was happening. It was well known that the temperature in Abyssal Hell was always above forty or fifty degrees Celsius, with some places even reaching over seventy degrees. But now, the surrounding temperature had dropped by twenty or thirty degrees, as if they had instantly gone from summer to winter; With astonishment and confusion on his face until the very end, the Abyss Thief never understood why he had been frozen to death while in the scorching heat of the Abyssal Hell! System: You killed a professional player in the Abyssal Hell, the player was a commoner, the kill was an honorable kill, you earned 2 merit points; System: You killed a professional player in the Abyssal Hell, the player was a commoner, the kill was an honorable kill, you earned 3 merit points; When killing players of opposing factions, depending on the players level, strength, and ranking, different merits can be earned. The higher and stronger the player, the more merits can be gained after killing them. Conversely, the lower and weaker the player, the fewer merits can be earned, and if the gap is too big, no honor will be granted; Song Jian originally thought that killing three players would be good enough, as he had given up on the Abyss Warrior and Abyss Thief. Unexpectedly, he had given up on them, but his pets hadnt. On top of that, the Abyss Thief happened to run towards his location by mistake, and so he had no reason to let him go either. As a result, all of this five-person team died by his hand. After gathering the two immobile players, Song Jians merit points reached 10, averaging two points per person. Just as Song Jian was about to turn and leave, he suddenly noticed a red glow flashing beneath the body of the Soul Ripper class player. In this dim environment, any bit of light was more conspicuous than usual. Song Jian was taken aback, and there was an expression of surprise on his face. He hadnt expected any loot to drop after the kill, which was an unexpected delight; Chapter 759: 759: Integration of Skills Chapter 759: Chapter 759: Integration of Skills Players from the same camp killing each other is a rare event, with almost no chance of dropping anything. Kill dozens of players in your own camp, and youll probably get nothing for it. But the drop rate increases dramatically when players of different camps kill each other. Song Jian had only killed five players from a different camp, and there was already a drop from one of them C the strongest one in the group. Picking up the drop from the Soul Ripper player, Song Jian frowns. It isnt equipment this guy dropped; its a skill scroll. This isnt common C a drop like that is less likely than equipment drop. But of all the potential drops, skill drops are the least popular. Thats because the dropped skills are all class-restricted; players of a different class cannot use them. The dropped skill scroll contained Soul Rippers core skill; Soul Wander. Skill Scroll C Soul Wander: Gold quality. Effect after use: Acquire the skill Soul Wander. Only players of the Soul Ripper class can learn this. Soul Wander: Level 1, Instant cast. Skill effect: User enters a special 2D space. All damage except space spells is negated and the users movement speed increases by 50%. This effect lasts three seconds. After three seconds, the user returns to their own space. Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes. Spirit Points consumption: 30. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This skill is incredible. Even at level 1, its tantalizing. It essentially makes you invincible for three seconds, with the only potential for harm being from powerful space spells C something that Song Jian has not seen any player or NPC capable of casting so far. It also boosts your speed. Whether you use it to pursue opponents or escape from enemies, this skill is a razor-sharp tool. Too bad its only for the Soul Ripper class. Even if Song Jian gets the scroll, he cannot use it. Worst of all, hes misaligned with the Abyss, the class that produced the Soul Ripper C this scroll would only end up as dust collector on the bottom shelf of his inventory. Such a pity! Song Jian sighs. As hes about to put the skill scroll back in his inventory, he sees the Book of Fusion. A lightbulb goes off above his head. The Book of Fusion can blend two skills into one. At worst, it will boost the proficiency of the main skill. But does it work with skill scrolls? Lost in thought, Song Jian takes out his Book of Fusion and opens his skill list for a detailed check. If fusions possible, the closer the two skills are, the better, or else theres a large probability that only the main skill proficiency will increase. Technically speaking, Soul Wander is a movement skill. Among the skill he possesses, the only other movement skill is Sword Shadow Step. He sets Sword Shadow Step as the main skill, then puts the Soul Wander skill scroll into the secondary skill box. Unexpectedly, it fits, and the previously grayed-out fusion button lights up. Instantly, Song Jians face reveals a surprised joy. System: Do you want to fuse these two skills? Fuse! Song Jian clicks the fuse button and a Tai Chi symbol appears on the fusion interface with the two skills rotating in the positions of the yin-yang fish eyes. In no time, a dazzling golden light emerges from the Book of Fusion. A skill box is left where two stood. System: Skill fusion successful. Please name your new skill! Successful! And it fused into a new skill! Song Jian bursts into laughter at this development. There are three outcomes to skill fusion: increased skill proficiency, skill variation, and new skill fusion C the latter being the best outcome of the three. Skill: Unnamed (Active), Level 1, Instant cast. Skill effect: After activation, the player instantly becomes a ghost, immune from all damages. This effect lasts for 1 second. Meanwhile, movement speed increases by 30%, with the ability to go through any obstacles. After 1 second, the invincible status fades but the user only sustains damage from soul attacks. Skill duration: 3 seconds. Spirit Points consumption: 15. Skill cooldown: 5 minutes. Usage restriction: User Song Jian. Reading the skill description, Song Jian cant suppress the gleeful expression on his face. This skill is far more powerful than either Sword Shadow Step or Soul Wander. Perhaps only the core skill of the Thief class, Gale Step, could rival it. Though if truth were told, this skill is more powerful than Gale Step. After all, aside from being invincible for a second after activation, Gale Step cannot experience any type of attack, and it cannot pass through obstacles. However, Gale Step does increase movement speed faster, if limitedly so. An exclusive skill! A golden quality exclusive skill, haha! Upon seeing the usage restriction at the end of the skill description, Song Jian couldnt help but laugh out loud. Exclusive skills were once a legend C skills tailored for the user. Song Jian thought it was a rumor. Who knew the day would come when he had his own exclusive skill. After great deliberation, Song Jian, who suffered from a chronic inability to name things, ultimately decides to name this skill Soul Wander. Just as Song Jian is about to close his skill interface, after putting the Book of Fusion away, he discovers that the plus sign next to Soul Wander is lit up. You should know, the plus sign on all skills is grayed out when the proficiency value doesnt reach 100%. When the proficiency value reaches 100%, the plus sign lights up. At this point, spending a skill point will upgrade the skill by one level, reset the proficiency value, and the plus sign would darken again. Song Jian had only previously encountered the situation of a newly learned skills plus sign lighting up during the double S world trial of the first tier combat power assessment. With this thought in mind, Song Jian couldnt resist clicking on the lit plus sign next to Soul Wander. Surprisingly, it really spent one skill point and upgraded Soul Wander to level 2. This was literally an unexpected windfall. Song Jian now had eleven skill points saved up, and he promptly used all of them on this skill. Finally, the Soul Wander skill was upgraded to level 12 C the level cap for this skill C and all the skill points Song Jian had earned from the first tier combat power assessment had been exhausted. The attributes of the skill had greatly enhanced by now and it was another deadly weapon in Song Jians arsenal. PS: A big thank you to Su Poman for the tip of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 760: Desolate Highland Chapter 760: Chapter 760: Desolate Highland After reaching the maximum level, the Soul Wander skill greatly improved; Soul Wander (Active), Level 12 (MAX), Instant Cast, Skill effect: Upon use, the player immediately enters a soul state, becoming immune to all damage. This effect lasts for 3 seconds, and during this time, the players movement speed is increased by 200%, allowing them to pass through any obstacles. After 3 seconds, the invincibility effect disappears, but only soul-based attacks can deal damage to the user. Skill duration: 9 seconds; Skill cost: 50 Spirit Points; Skill cooldown: 1 minute; Skill usage restriction: user Song Jian. The invincible state increased from one to three seconds, movement speed increased by 200%, skill effect duration increased from three to nine seconds, and most importantly, the cooldown time was shortened from five minutes to one. Although the skill cost was also increased, the formidable properties of this skill made the extra cost negligible to Song Jian. With a cooldown of only one minute, I can use it as a regular skill now. In Song Jians mind, with a 9-second acceleration duration and a 1-minute cooldown, he could even use the skill to travel faster. With a thought, Song Jians entire body became transparent and illusory. If not carefully observed, it would be difficult to detect his presence. Song Jian discovered an effect that wasnt written in the skills description: in his soul state, he was like an invisible shadow. Although it didnt reach the stealth effect of a rogue class, it was hard to detect his soul state in the dim Abyssal Hell. At the very least, it had an effect equivalent to Concealment Effect +3. After returning his two battle pets to Pet Space, Song Jian rushed forward in his soul state. Even a powerful skill wouldnt be able to display its full power if the user was not familiar with it. Song Jians journey in the Abyss had just begun, and he was likely the only human player in the entire Abyssal Hell. He started to level up in the Abyssal Hell while searching for nearby towns. Time passed slowly, and Song Jian encountered several groups of players in the Abyssal Hell leveling up along the way. With the assistance of his two battle pets, he killed quite a few players who had betrayed humanity, but many others escaped. After all, it was just him, and even with the Soul Wander skill, it was impossible to kill all players. Killing players from different factions resulted in high drop rates, but since he acquired the Soul Wander skill scroll, it seemed that Song Jians good luck had run out, and the subsequent drops were all low-level equipment. The players in the Abyssal Hell were of much higher levels than those in the game world, but the drop rates seemed to be much lower here. None of those killed by Song Jian even had a single silver-quality equipment, which was unimaginable in Doomsday City. In Doomsday City, a level 30 player would have at least full blue equipment, and one or two silver or even gold equipment wouldnt be surprising at all; However, in the Abyssal Hell, most players had white and green equipment, while having a single blue-quality item was considered remarkable. On the third day of exploration in the Abyss, the dark region of the map suddenly illuminated, revealing a corner of a city at the edge. In the Abyss, almost everyone spoke the Abyssal language. Other human players in Hell couldnt understand it, but for Song Jian, there was no difference between the Abyssal and human languages. Song Jian had learned that he was in an area called Desolate Highland, which used to be the territory of Duke of Istanbul, the Abyss Demon King. However, ever since the duke disappeared a hundred years ago, the area had been in chaos and wars had lasted for a century. At that time, dozens of large and small forces occupied the region, waging endless wars. However, the players in the Abyssal Hell enjoyed this chaotic situation. Whenever there was a war, the game system would issue hunting missions to players. These missions were also considered faction missions, and completing them was the most efficient way to join a desired force. However, many players didnt want to join the NPC forces so quickly. Today, they might take a task from one force to kill a target from another, and tomorrow, they would take another task to kill their previous employers forces, working as mercenaries to earn money. The situation in Desolate Highland was a microcosm of the entire Abyssal Hell. All seven Demon Lords disappeared almost at the same time, leaving the Abyssal Hell without a ruler, and the wars continued for hundreds of years. On the fourth day since Song Jian entered the Abyss, stories about him spread quickly among the players in Desolate Highland. Many players who had changed their classes to Abyss classes came to know about his presence. The fact that a human player dared to enter the Abyss without changing their professions seemed absurd and provoked animosity amongst the players. Some powerful players even began to form teams to hunt him down. Moreover, at the Flame Forge, the only main city of Desolate Highland, the Mercenary Guild posted a permanent bounty; Mission: Kill the human player Song Jian appearing in Desolate Highland, with a bounty of 300,000 Doomsday Coins! With a bounty of 300,000 Doomsday Coins, even smaller guilds began to get tempted and organized their members to search for Song Jian in Desolate Highland. The chances of finding a person in the vast Abyss of Desolate Highland were slim unless luck decided to bump into them. Moreover, whenever Song Jian encountered a player, he would kill them directly, leaving only a few scattered survivors to report his whereabouts. However, by the time people arrived, Song Jian had long left the area. Five days later, Song Jian had reached level 37, with the extra skill points added to his Sword Silk, which was already fully mastered. At this point, the Sword Silk skill had reached level 8, its attack range increased to 12 meters, and the number of sword silks increased from five to six, with the power of each silk also being increased accordingly. However, Song Jian was looking forward to the Sword Silk reaching level 10 and advancing to become Sword Web, which would likely result in a qualitative leap in the skills power. Standing on a desolate, low-altitude hill, Song Jian looked towards a crimson city in the distance. This was the main city of the Desolate Highland area, the Flame Forge. To inquire about Abyss Demon King Istanbuls information, he needed to enter the city. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But with Song Jians current human identity, he would likely be blasted into dust just by approaching the city, let alone the thousands of Abyss-class players within. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian summoned the Book of the Abyss and opened the Abyssal Gate, stepping into it and leaving the Abyssal Hell. However, to his surprise, a pair of scarlet eyes were watching him intently from one side of the low hill all the time. When he left through the Abyssal Gate, the owner of the eyes slowly retreated. Chapter 761: 761 Business Negotiations Chapter 761: Chapter 761 Business Negotiations Upon returning to the City of Hope, Song Jian noticed an influx of NPCs throughout the city. These NPCs were extravagantly dressed with their clothes glistening with gold and silver, and draped in numerous pieces of jewelry. They held an air of arrogance and distinction, unlike any NPCs Song Jian had previously encountered. Clearly, they were individuals with a certain degree of status and identity. Wang Qi, who had rush over upon hearing the news, let out a sigh of relief when he saw Song Jian. Chief, its a relief to have you back, Wang Qi grabbed Song Jians sleeve and pleaded, Come and have a look, Im almost driven insane by these NPCs. Whats the matter? Isnt everything going well with the construction? Song Jian replied with a smile. Upon his return, he didnt stay in Manor Castle, but instead took a stroll around the city. The previously destroyed buildings in the city had been completely restored. Following the citys upgrade, numerous new structures had sprung up, including two Magic Crystal Railguns still under construction on the city walls. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To Song Jian, everything seemed to be progressing orderly, with the only oddity being an increase in flamboyantly dressed human NPCs. Have you seen those NPCs? Wang Qi pointed to the NPCs outside the castle, They just popped up out of nowhere, claiming they wish to invest in the City of Hope and develop entertainment and commercial districts. I have no idea how to handle these unfamiliar dealings, so I opted to postpone the decision-making until your return! Entertainment and commercial districts? If they want to invest and construct, let them do it. After all, its our territory, and there are plenty of areas that we arent currently utilising. Why not just hand over a parcel to them? Song Jian said, puzzled. They wish to purchase our land, buy it permanently! Wang Qi explained. Some others have proposed renting, but the lease agreements are all for very long terms, spanning several decades. Are we that short of money now? Song Jian asked, furrowing his brow. Indeed, were quite strapped for cash! Wang Qi nodded in affirmation. The compensations for the thirty-odd players we lost alone make up quite a substantial sum. Furthermore, almost our entire city was demolished and had to be reconstructed, which, despite costing only a third of the original construction resources, is still a considerable amount. And now that weve upgraded to a city, weve also begun the construction of new buildings Wang Qi lit off a list of expenditures to Song Jian. What about the Valley of the Undead? How are things going in terms of its exploitation? Song Jian felt somewhat bothered. Even in reality, he was no more than a recent graduate, he had never dealt with these kinds of issues before. The Valley of the Undead cannot be exploited recklessly. We have to proceed with a plan, otherwise, the entire valley will turn into a wasteland sooner or later. Currently, we have put a stop to our resource collection from the Shadow Forest, and have started planting saplings within the forest. As for the gems in Shadow River, weve also limited the extraction scale. The entire gem market has been impacted by our actions, the prices have dropped down by three-fold, we cant go on like this Wang Qi explained. Song Jian nodded. The Valley of the Dead could be considered a treasure trove, but if something becomes too abundant, its price is bound to plummet. It should be handled like diamond mining in reality, whereby extraction is limited each year, allowing diamond jewelry to fetch exorbitantly high prices. It seems like we need to recruit a team of skills negotiators to deal with these NPCs, Song Jian sighed. If they were not short on funds, Song Jian wouldnt even give these NPCs a second thought. Even if the construction took longer, it wasnt a problem, after all, they owned the territory and had no external enemies. Hence, time wasnt a pressing issue. However, now that they have faced financial difficulties, Song Jian could no longer ignore these potential benefactors who were offering money. Yet, skill would be required to obtain significant funds from them without giving up too much in return.Upd@te by novg0.co These territories were fought for by our brothers, risking their lives. If they want to buy this hard-earned land with money Hm, I owe it to the fallen members of our alliance to make these guys pay a hefty price! Song Jian looked at the NPCs wandering around the city, pointing and discussing his territory, a fierce glint in his eyes. Go and get Li Keer over here, see if she can assist us in any way! Song Jian suggested after thinking for a bit. Keer? How can she be of any help? Wang Qi expressed his surprise. Li Keer was like the mascot of the alliance, spending her days within the game, frolicking around. However, she was also extremely lucky, and managed to obtain a lot of good equipment. Li Keer herself didnt care much for those items and often gave them to her friends, hence why a lot of people enjoyed spending time with her; Some liked Li Keer for herself, while others wanted a piece of her good fortune. As for those with ulterior motives, Li Keer would usually notice them after a while. Even though she was a mere child, her emotional and intellectual quotient surpassed even those of adults in their twenties. Wang Qi was fond of her, and could guess from their interactions that Li Keer was from a fairly wealthy family. However, the idea of her being a skilled negotiator was something he found hard to believe, given her young age. You and I put together might not be as good as Keer in dealing with such things, Song Jian laughed and shook his head. Alright, Ill go get her over! Wang Qi replied. He left the conference room shortly and returned with Li Keer trailing behind him. Song Jian Brother, you were looking for me? Upon seeing Song Jian, Li Keers eyes squinted into crescents, her face exuding happiness. Looking at Li Keer, Song Jian was taken aback. In just a few days, most of the equipment she possessed were now of gold and silver quality. The mini crossbow tied to her waist was now an epic quality piece. Keer, the alliance needs your assistance! Song Jian informed her. What is it, Song Jian Brother? Just tell me! Li Keers eyes lit up. The fact that she could assist Song Jian made her even happier. Recently, numerous NPCs have arrived in our city. They all intend to buy plots of land and construct commercial areas for business. They plan to make money here. Song Jian said, But we need to extract money from their pockets. However, we cant afford to make a significant loss. Every inch of the alliances territory has been won through the blood and sacrifices of our brothers. We cant easily let them buy it. You understand, right? Understood, we need to attain maximum benefit at the least cost! Li Keer nodded seriously. Wang Qi, standing nearby, was astonished. Such words were definitely beyond the capabilities of a teenager. Keer, I want you to engage in negotiations with these NPCs. Do you think you can handle that? Song Jian placed his hand on Li Keers shoulder, asking seriously. Business negotiation? Li Keers face lit up. She replied, No worries, brother, let me handle this. Ill ensure they bleed money! Chapter 762: 762: Ambush Chapter 762: Chapter 762: Ambush Li Keer didnt have much experience in business negotiations, or rather, her experience was limited to casual conversations with her mother and some experiences being taken to her mothers company. As a result, Li Keers business negotiation experience wasnt much less than that of professionals, but shed never truly experienced it. When she heard Song Jian entrust her with such a significant task, she was naturally overjoyed. However, for Song Jian to entrust such a significant task to an eleven-year-old girl, it could be said that he was taking a significant risk, and the City of Hope Alliance was truly lacking in talents in this area. For now, they could only let Li Keer try her hand, negotiating with one or two companies first and seeing the results. After making these arrangements, Song Jian went to Dr. Ebsitings laboratory to see if he had come up with anything new lately. As soon as he entered the laboratory, Song Jian saw more than a dozen NPCs manufacturing engineering bombs under the doctors guidance. Doctor, what is this? Song Jian asked somewhat stunned as he looked at the NPCs. These are some students I recruited. The demand for this stuff by the Alliance is too great; I cant handle it all by myself! Dr. Ebsiting said with some helplessness. Haha, dont worry, doctor. Now that we have upgraded to a level-one city, we will soon be able to build a research institute. I want you to lead the research institute. What do you think? Song Jian laughed. The research institute is considered a core building in a city. After becoming a level-one city, the number of buildings provided by the system are increasingly limited. From now on, city development will be dependent on the guidance of the research institute, and its research will impact the entire citys development. In the City of Sin, the research institutes ability to compete with the City Lord Mansion was due to its unique position. A research institute? Dr. Ebsitings eyes lit up. His current laboratory was too small for him, as many experiments couldnt be conducted. However, if he could lead a research institute and become its director, the equipment there would be more than enough to validate his theories. But its such a large research institute; surely it wont just be me, right? Dr. Ebsiting hesitated. Haha, of course not! Dont you already have them? Song Jian gestured with his chin towards the apprentices who were manufacturing the engineering bombs. What, you really want me to be the sole commander? Ebsiting was furious. Dont worry, there will be many researchers in the future. After all, not everyone likes fighting and killing. When the time comes, Ill select some good candidates for you to train. Once they become successful, you wont be so busy, Song Jian reassured. Hmmph, thats more like it! Dr. Ebsiting snorted and turned away. After a moment, he felt something was wrong. When he turned back, Song Jian had disappeared without a trace. No, Song Jian, come back! In the end, isnt the whole research institute still being propped up by me alone? Dr. Ebsitings roar echoed throughout Manor Castle. This old guys reaction is quick! Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his brow and muttered to himself. It wasnt that Song Jian didnt want to assign people to the research institute; he simply had no suitable candidates. For now, Dr. Ebsiting had to support it by himself, cultivating talent while conducting research. Most.p> players who entered were between eighteen and thirty years old, with very few outside that age range. Although there were people from all professions, it was challenging to find researchers. After spending a day in the city, Song Jian noticed that while the number of players in the City of Hope Alliance had not increased, the number of NPCs was continually growing. These NPCs were either powerful or had unique skills. Because the City of Hope had successfully been established, more and more NPCs were attracted to it. Many places where NPCs could be recruited, such as taverns, became increasingly lively. Many players had their own Followers, and whether doing quests or leveling up, having helpers increased efficiency exponentially. After a day, Song Jian opened the Abyssal Gate and returned to Abyssal Hell. As soon as he entered, he was greeted with darkness and scorching red light flickering like flames, illuminating only small areas around him. I really admire those players who have changed their professions to Abyssal ones. To think they can survive in such a harsh environment Song Jian pursed his lips, about to head towards the city shown on the map when he suddenly felt an immense threat looming over him. Soul Wander! With a thought, his body instantly turned transparent, and a barrage of magical energy struck the spot where he had been; Boom, boom, boom! Explosions covered every inch of ground within several meters of Song Jian. From afar, hundreds of players relentlessly unleashed various skills on his location. This was an ambush. orld;>Song Jian had been seen leaving a day ago, and it had given the players on the Desolate Highland enough time to gather a considerable force. ! !!}, The bombardment lasted for more than ten seconds. Song Jians location had sunk more than a foot deep, with a crater more than five meters in diameter at the center. Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He must be dead, right? No matter how strong he is, he couldnt possibly withstand the attack of so many players a player hesitated. He must be. Even if he had an iron body, he should have been blown to pieces, right? Humph, a mere human dares to run wild in Abyssal Hell. Hes simply courting death! Do you know his identity? Its said that hes the leader of a large Alliance Not just any leader, their Alliance has successfully built a city. The first player Alliance to do so! Its all over the forums! Several days had already passed, giving the players on the Desolate Highlands ample time to gather information about Song Jian. The leader of Doomsday Citys primary Alliance and the top-ranked person on the honor leaderboard couldnt be kept a secret. As for why he came to Abyssal Hell, many players speculated that it was due to a quest, but the exact details remained unknown. When the dust settled, everyone slowly gathered around, staring into the massive crater but seeing nothing. Is he disintegrated? someone guessed. Impossible! Since he killed so many players in Abyssal Hell and gained so many merits, how could we not get any dropped items after killing him? someone objected. If a player killed someone from an opposing faction, the drop rate would increase significantly. The higher the merit, the higher the drop rate. With Song Jians merits, it would be practically impossible for no items to drop after his death. Did he run away? someone guessed. Maybe he has some life-saving skill! Just then, a dragons roar sounded overhead, and everyone looked up to see a vague shadow floating in mid-air. A torrent of scorching flames, like a waterfall, poured down towards them. Chapter 763: Undead Bone Wing Chapter 763: Chapter 763: Undead Bone Wing Dragon Breath, its Song Jians Black Dragon war pet! someone exclaimed, immediately using Acceleration Skill to flee to a distant spot; The appearance of the war pet meant that Song Jian wasnt dead. Although they had more people, Song Jian definitely wouldnt engage them head-on. The fact that only the Black Dragon had appeared so far and not Song Jian himself confirmed this. No matter how many people they had, they couldnt possibly be a match for a Black Dragon, which could fly. Even if hundreds of people worked together to kill the Black Dragon, how many of them would die in the process? Moreover, Song Jian was hiding and wouldnt stand idly by as his war pet was killed; Some smarter players had already started fleeing, while others were still shouting loudly, calling for everyone to attack the Black Dragon. After all, they had a numerical advantage. Song Jian, no matter what, was just one person, alone in Abyssal Hell. Even if he was the leader of a war alliance, he couldnt possibly summon others here; In the end, there were still about forty or fifty people left. They couldnt believe that Song Jian would dare show himself in front of so many people. Even if he was incredibly powerful, a single skill from so many people could blow him to pieces; Far away, on a heated rock, Song Jian stood quietly with his vertical eye in the middle of his forehead emitting a faint light, watching the Abyssal players attacking the Black Dragon; System: You killed a professional player in Abyssal Hell. The player is a civilian. This kill is an honorable one; you gain 1 merit point; System: You killed a professional player in Abyssal Hell. The player is a civilian. This kill is an honorable one; you gain 3 merit points; Within a short while, Song Jians system messages were intermittently popping up with notifications; The first-tier Black Dragon, even when faced with dozens of times more players, didnt falter. Although its Vitality Points were gradually dropping, it had killed even more Abyssal Hell players. Not everyone had an escape skill as powerful as Soul Wander. The Black Dragon was Song Jians war pet, so naturally, all the merit points earned from killing Abyssal Hell players were attributed to him. As the Black Dragons Vitality Points were reduced to a third, Song Jians merit points had increased by twenty-eight. That meant the Black Dragon had killed more than a dozen Abyssal Hell players. Push harder, desperately output, its almost done! someone shouted loudly. After more than a dozen deaths, it caused a disturbance among the forty or fifty people. If it werent for the Black Dragons Vitality Points nearly running out, the remaining people would have scattered already; Far away, Song Jian sneered, and with a wave of his hand, the Black Dragon that was continuously spewing Dragon Breath in the air suddenly disappeared. In an instant, all their attacks fell into empty space; Everyone was dumbfounded, a heaviness rushed to their hearts. They all forgot: the Black Dragon wasnt a BOSS, but Song Jians war pet. He could withdraw it into the Pet Space at any time; Find him! The human must be nearby if he can withdraw his pet! A player suddenly roared, his tone filled with anger; So many players ambushing one human, only to be toyed with by him. The remaining thirty or forty players all felt their faces burning with shame. Find him! Yes, he must be nearby. Warlocks, use Demonic Vision to see where he is! In the Abyssal profession, many skills could increase dark vision. Normally, it would only reach about seven to eight meters, but when an enhanced dark vision skill was used, they could see more than ten or even twenty meters away. However, it was easy to use such skills, but the duration was short and the cooldown time was long, so they couldnt use it continuously. They could only use it at critical moments; Over there, on that rock! an Abyssal Warlock suddenly pointed to the left and shouted. Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and indeed, there was a silhouette standing on a rock about ten meters away, although they couldnt see the persons face clearly due to the distance. Its him! Attack! A thin man growled, and bone spurs suddenly emerged from his shoulder blades. As he groaned in pain, the bone spurs grew rapidly, extending continuously. In no time, a pair of wings made entirely of bone appeared on his back; Whoosh~ The bone wings flapped, and a strong gust of wind blew. The thin man took to the air and quickly flew toward Song Jian; Its Zack! I didnt expect him to be here too! Some players recognized the thin man; What? The most famous Bounty Hunter from Desolate Highland? They say no one he sets his sights on has ever escaped his pursuit! Hmph, Undead Bone Wing. Only he would have this piece of external equipment! Lets go too, surround and kill that human! Move! Kill that human and avenge our brothers! Zacks eyes emitted a faint green light, which was his skill for increasing dark vision, Undead Evil Eye. He had acquired it along with the external equipment Undead Bone Wing, and even maxed out the skill. Although the skill level was only seven, at maximum level, it not only expanded his dark vision to thirty meters, but also granted him Deterrence, an active skill. This could only be used when he made eye contact with the target while in Undead Evil Eye status, and it could deter the opponent for three seconds; Three seconds of an upper hand were enough for him to inflict significant damage on his target. Thats why he had become a famous Bounty Hunter in Desolate Highland. Song Jian, Ill borrow your head today! Zack looked at Song Jian in front of him and smirked. As he saw it, Song Jian stood so high because his dark vision range was pathetically small. Zack planned to take advantage of this weakness to kill him; In midair, Zack circled around and landed behind Song Jian. His white Bone Spur, more than three feet long, stabbed toward Song Jians heart; Die! Zack was less than a meter away from Song Jian, his Bone Spur emitting a green light as it accelerated at a furious speed; Thud~ The Bone Spur easily pierced Song Jians heart, but before the surprise on Zacks face had time to fade, the Song Jian in front of him turned into a puff of black smoke; sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Your damage is really high! A surprised voice came from the side, followed by four long swords swinging like shooting stars in the air, drawing arcs towards Zack; Broken Wing Dance! Flash Thunder Strike! Spiritual Sword Control Technique! Sweeping Sword Style! This time, Song Jian didnt use the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique. Instead, he controlled four long swords to perform four different sword techniques, continuously hacking at Zack; How could this be! Zack waved the Bone Spur to block the attacks, and the Undead Bone Wings on his back flapped continuously, but damage numbers kept popping up above his head; Chapter 764: Demon Slayer Canyon Chapter 764: Chapter 764: Demon Slayer Canyon Zack only had 1,800 Vitality Points. Even though he was at level 33 and possessed the Undead Bone Wings, he had not passed the first rank combat power test. He was a formidable adversary for an average player, but in front of Song Jian, he was inconsiderable. As the four long swords danced around, spouts of blood shot from Zack. Even his Undead Bone Wings were reduced to two damage-ridden main bones. Impossible, how could your damage be so high? In less than ten seconds, Zack was soaked with blood, with only 300 Vitality Points remaining. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He looked at Song Jian with fear in his eyes, like facing the Death God himself. He lost all his courage to fight, only thinking about how to escape; There was a large group of players a dozen meters behind him. Those who were observant noticed the disheveled Zack and slowed their rush towards him, much to Zacks frustration. If these players could hurry, they might provide him a chance to escape. But now, facing Song Jian with full Vitality, Zack was filled with despair; Flash Thunder Strike! All four long swords flew into the air, then slashed towards Zack. Flashes of lightning sparkled on the swords, finally striking Zack with a mighty force. Boom, boom, boom~ The camera flashed as if it was daytime, Zack took three lightning strikes, and his Vitality Points hit zero. The remaining strikes were raining down on his unresponsive body; Song Jian scooped up a dimly silver item that Zack had dropped, glanced at the players rushing towards him, and his figure instantly turned transparent, disappearing on the spot. A successful ambush was avoided by Song Jian using the Soul Wander skill. Even without any losses, Song Jian was reluctant to experience death again even if he could use the passive skill Enemy of Death God. But through this ambush, Song Jian understood that someone must have seen him leaving the Abyssal Hell last time. He would have to be more careful the next time he wanted to leave. Running across the wilderness for a day and a night, Song Jian finally saw tall city walls in front of him. This was the main city, the Flame Furnace, in the Desolate Highland area. Every brick of this city was made from molten red lava stones. The surface of the lava stones emitted soft, illusory flames, making the entire city built from lava stones look red-hot from a distance, as if it was constantly engulfed in flames. It resembled a giant furnace, which was the origin of its name the Flame Furnace. Just as the city came into Song Jians sight, he suddenly received a system message: System: You have discovered the City of the Flame Furnace, controlled by the sixth Abyss Demon King, Estantin. You have unlocked the map of the Desolate Highland; In an instant, a large area of the Abyssal Hells map was illuminated. It was the entire map of the Desolate Highland area where Song Jian was now. This made Song Jians journey in the Abyssal Hell much easier. Upon seeing the city in the distance, Song Jian continued walking forward. He only realized when he got closer to the city that he probably wouldnt be able to enter any of the main Abyssal Hell cities; at the gate of the Flame Furnace, a team of Abyss Demons with at least first-level peak combat power was guarding it. Those entering and leaving the city were all creatures of Abyssal Hell and players with Abyss professions. If he approached as a human, he would definitely attract the attention of the city guards. To find the thread of Abyssal Demon Flame left by the Abyss Demon King, at the very least, Song Jian had to enter the citys library to learn about the history of the city over the past century and find clues from there; But now Song Jian couldnt even enter the city, let alone get into the library in it. Song Jian sat on a small mound outside the city, frowning deeply; Just then, a group of players with Abyss professions walked from a distance towards the main city. They were loudly discussing on their way and didnt notice Song Jian, who was not far away from them, was gazing at them intently. How far along are you with your quest? A man in leather armor with two short guns on his waist asked loudly to someone in the group. Its too hard. I have no idea why, but my continuous quest has taken me to the Demon Slayer Canyon on the third ring. The monsters there are all above level 35, I cant go in at all. Haha, only you would be so lucky, to accept a hidden mission. Hey, do you guys think theres something the Abyss Demon King has left in that canyon, why else would this mission be called the Benevolence of the Abyss Demon King? This is a continuous mission. If theres any inheritance, it would probably be on the final ring. Im just on the third ring now, I guess I have to go to the Demon Slayer Canyon to get some quest items As the group continued walking and talking, they swiftly passed the mound where Song Jian was laying in wait. They didnt notice an invisible figure, laying upon the mound, watching them intently. Reportedly its to explore the information about the Abyss Demon Flame left by the sixth Abyss Demon King in an abandoned temple in Demon Slayer Canyon. I suspect that the final reward of this quest might be the Abyss Demon Flame left by the sixth Abyss Demon King! The man who accepted the quest boasted. Abyss Demon Flame, youre going to hit the jackpot if you get that. Isnt your occupation a blacksmith? The Abyss Demon Flame is a Strange Fire. Your Forge Art would be top-notch. Remember to forge some equipment for your brothers! Someone said enviously. We arent there yet. I cant even enter the Demon Slayer Canyon, let alone complete the mission. Who knows when I will get the Abyss Demon Flame. The man sighed and responded; We will help you with it. Tomorrow, we can go to the Demon Slayer Canyon together. With seven or eight of us, theres no reason we cant escort you to finish your quest, right? Yes, yes! We dont have anything better to do anyway. Lets go to the Demon Slayer Canyon and help Little Bear finish his mission. But Little Bear, you better not forget your buddies if you really get the Abyss Demon Flame! The group exclaimed together. Of course not, my Forge Art is already at level seven. If I really get the Abyss Demon Flame, Silver quality equipment for everyone, I promise! The name Abyss Warrior, identified as Little Bear, patted his chest and assured loudly. Demon Slayer Canyon Song Jian slowly recovered from his soul state. He meditated as he watched the group walk away. If he couldnt enter the city, he might as well check out the Demon Slayer Canyon they mentioned. Perhaps he could find some information about the Abyssal Demon Flame there; Thinking about this, Song Jian opened up the map and began to study it carefully; Chapter 765: White Bone Spirit Talisman Chapter 765: Chapter 765: White Bone Spirit Talisman System: You have entered Demon Slayer Canyon; Song Jian looked at the hundreds of meters deep canyon before him, the sight of which seemingly endless, a hint of astonishment surfaced on his face. He found that the walls of the canyon were as smooth as a mirror, as if they were chopped out with a sword. But who could leave such terrifying sword marks on the earth? Even the zenith of ones combat power at the third stage couldnt achieve this, making Song Jian suspect that this canyon could only be created by a sword strike from divine beings as spoken of in legends. The entrance of the canyon was a long slope, with boulders scattered all over. Thirty-five level Flame Demons respawned here. Each was about the size of an average adult, with horns growing on their heads and a faint red flame burning all over their bodies. There would occasionally respawn some leaders of the Flame Demons here, all of which were thirty-five level elite BOSS, and had combat capabilities of the first stage. Average players were no match for these BOSS at all, so few people would come here to level up. Looking at the canyon in front of him, Song Jian suddenly thought of the item he picked up from Zack. He hadnt had time to check it before he left, so now it was a good opportunity to see if he could use it; This is Song Jian took out the item dropped by Zack from his package, which was a bead carved from bone, named Undead Bone Bead. This is actually a charm Song Jian looked at the properties of this bone bead, a look of surprise surfaced on his face, and with a thought, this bone bead turned into a stream of air, flowing toward Song Jians chest; Song Jians Hexagram Array Diagram embedded in the Nightslaughter, had already fused two charms, namely the Dragon Blood Talisman and the Lion Hawk Beast Bloodline Charm. This Undead Bone Charm was the third charm; Undead Bone Charm: Intelligence +8, Spirit +8, Defense increased by 100 points, Special Effect: Bone Shield (Active), the ability to summon three Undead Bone Shields, lasts for 30 seconds with a cooldown of 5 minutes; Under the state of Bone Shield, overall defense is increased by 80%, resistance is increased by 50%, immune to damage below 100 points, damage over a hundred points will cause damage to the Bone Shield. During its duration, after the Bone Shield breaks, it will inflict 500 points of piercing damage to all enemies within a range of 10 meters per shattered piece; With a thought, three shields made of bone structures appeared around Song Jians body, slowly revolving. Song Jians defense and resistance immediately improved by a large margin. The method of increasing defense and resistance by a percentage will have a greater increase as time progresses. Now, after Song Jian activated the Bone Shield, the increased defense and resistance were almost equivalent to a level 35 silver gear. As Song Jians power increases, his defense and resistance will improve even more significantly. Song Jian walked towards the Demon Slayer Canyon. He had barely walked ten meters when a Flame Demon suddenly rushed out from behind a huge rock, roaring and charging at him; Flash Thunder Strike! Song Jian instinctively put out his fastest sword skill. Three Sword Qis mixed with electricity damage almost simultaneously slashed at the Flame Demon. Without showing any mercy, the claws of the Flame Demon swiped at Song Jian; sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jians Bone Shield hadnt ended yet. The gigantic claws engulfed in fire collided harshly with the Bone Shield, making a sound similar to that of claws scratching on glass; Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly, he realized that a tiny crack had appeared on the surface of the Bone Shield; Bang! The Flame Demon didnt mind the Sword Qi that hit its body, and threw another punch at Song Jian. The Bone Shield trembled violently a couple of times, revealing a noticeable crack. However, at the same time, the protective shield, which already showed a significant crack, blinked, and it astonishingly switched places with the Bone Shield next to it; The three Bone Shields held a joint defense, sharing the damages. Either all three shields would shatter, or none at all; After taking seven or eight heavy punches from the Flame Demon, the Bone Shield finally began to crackle; in the meanwhile, Song Jian had inflicted over six thousand points of damage to the Flame Demon, reducing its vitality points to less than one-tenth. At the moment the shattering sound was heard, the three Bone Shields fragmented into dozens of palm-sized pieces, shooting out in all directions; The Flame Demon was hit by five or six bone fragments, each one causing 500 points of damage; The Flame Demon, which was already severely injured, let out a cry of agony. Its body was wrapped in a ball of fire, and it didnt take long to turn into a pile of ashes. This Bone Shield, with both offense and defense integrated, is quite powerful! Song Jian nodded satisfactorily. This Flame Demon might not be a BOSS, but its power is comparable to elite monsters in instances. The Bone Shield could withstand seven or eight of its attacks, so its defense is indeed impressive. What surprised Song Jian the most, was the bone fragments that shot out when the shield shattered in the end. Each fragment dealt 500 real damage points, ignoring the targets defense; Plus, if the distance was close, each attack could be hit by five or six bone fragments at least, inflicting over two thousand points of damage. This was real damage, with no any consumption. Even when facing a BOSS, such damage would surprise anyone. The 5-minute cooldown wasnt too long, most importantly, this skill did not consume anything, as long as the cooldown ended, it could be used directly. If encountering a BOSS, this could even be used several times during a fight. Compared with the three-hour cooldown of the Iron Feather Wings, this skill could practically be used as a regular one. Walking further along the canyon, Song Jian encountered more and more Flame Demons. His pet Black Dragon was recovering in the Pet Space and could not assist in the fight temporarily, so Song Jian summoned the Stone Man Gulu. However, as more and more Flame Demons appeared, Song Jian felt somewhat overwhelmed. These Flame Demons were in groups of at least three to five, sometimes even seven or eight gathered together. There are too many monsters here, and its unknown where the temple is. If I continue to go deeper and get surrounded, I might really die here Song Jian frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then took out the Book of the Abyss, wanting to see if there were any useful skills in it; The skills on the first two layers had already been activated by Song Jian, and he couldnt yet activate any skill on the third layer since each required millions of battle experiences. However, Song Jians gaze quickly fell on the Abyss Temptation skill; Maybe I can use this skill, charm a few Flame Demon slaves to serve as cannon fodder? Song Jian thought to himself. Chapter 766: Skill Advancement Chapter 766: Chapter 766: Skill Advancement The success rate of the Abyss Temptation skill was quite high, but its drawback was that it took a long time to cast, and the enslaved creatures were prone to betrayal after being charmed. With the Bone Shield, Song Jian could cast the skill before the shield shattered. As for betrayal, he only needed the Flame Demons to act as cannon fodder; they would probably die before they had a chance to betray him. As Song Jian ventured deeper, he encountered three Flame Demons huddled together, blocking the path ahead. If he wanted to continue further, these three demons would have to be eliminated first; Along the way, some Flame Demons were positioned off the beaten path and could be bypassed, but some not only blocked the path but also moved back and forth. If one didnt have stealth skills, it would be impossible to get through without exerting much effort to kill them. Song Jian wasnt here to fight monsters and level up; he had to find the temple mentioned by other players as soon as possible. Seeing the three Flame Demons in front of him, Song Jian didnt immediately rush into battle but instead stood at a distance, waiting patiently and observing. Soon, he picked up a small pebble and tossed it towards the nearest Flame Demon. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He didnt throw the stone at the demon itself, but instead aimed for a rock three meters away from it. Thud~ The sound of the pebble falling into a crevice attracted the Flame Demons attention. It couldnt help but walk a couple of steps towards the noise, swinging its head from side to side as it looked around. The other two Flame Demons merely glanced at it before turning their heads away, unaffected by the sound. Song Jian was delighted and threw another stone at the approaching Flame Demon For Song Jian, this was akin to playing with fire; one misstep and he might end up attracting all three Flame Demons to fight him. However, for Song Jian, three elite monsters at level 35 that hadnt even reached First-order Combat Power didnt pose much of a threat. Along the way, hed already used up more than half of his supplies. If he continued at this rate, he probably wouldnt last twenty-four hours before running out of supplies and leaving the Abyssal Gate to collapse. Fortunately, Song Jian managed to lure the first Flame Demon towards him without alerting the other two demons. Now, he could cast Abyss Temptation. Gulu, the stone golem, rushed forward to engage the Flame Demon, while Song Jian opened the Book of the Abyss and began chanting the spell for Abyss Temptation. As soon as Abyss Temptation was cast, it immediately attracted the Flame Demons hatred. With a low growl, it abandoned Gulu and rushed towards Song Jian. But just then, a stone the size of a grinding wheel slammed into the Flame Demons head, momentarily stunning it for three seconds. During these three seconds, Gulu relentlessly pummeled the Flame Demon, causing hundreds of points of damage to float above its head. However, once the stun effect ended, the Flame Demon was still irresistibly drawn towards Song Jian. Abyss Temptation forcibly attracted hatred; unless the target was beaten senseless, it was difficult to successfully charm them. But this time, Song Jian had the Bone Shield, so he didnt need to bring the Flame Demon to the brink of death before charming it. Gulu continued attacking the demon from behind as the Flame Demon charged towards Song Jian. Its burning claws relentlessly rained blows on the Bone Shield, causing a series of deep, resonating thuds. Just before the Bone Shield shattered, a black Abyss Rune floated out of the Book of the Abyss and flew towards the Flame Demons forehead. Upon seeing the Abyss Rune, the Flame Demons face contorted with fear. It halted its attacks and turned to flee into the distance. However, the moment the Abyssal Slave Rune appeared, it indicated that Song Jians Abyss Temptation skill had succeeded. It was impossible for the demon to evade the Slave Rune by running away. As the sound of burning flesh resounded, accompanied by the low howl of the Flame Demon, its attribute above its head instantly turned from red to green in Song Jians eyes. With a bitter expression, the Flame Demon slowly approached Song Jian, lowering its head in submission. The Abyssal Slave Rune constantly tormented its body and soul; as long as thoughts of harming Song Jian invaded its mind, it would relentlessly torture the demon until it abandoned such thoughts. Such torture would make the Flame Demon feel fear and dread in the short term, but in the long run, once it adapted to this torment and became capable of enduring it, then the moment of betrayal would arrive. With the first Flame Demon under his control, dealing with the rest became much easier. After the Bone Shields cooldown time ended, Song Jian lured the other two demons one by one. Gulu and the first Flame Demon acted as a distraction while Song Jian cast Abyss Temptation. As the Flame Demon charged towards him, he activated the Bone Shield to block the damage inflicted on him. As long as Song Jian didnt take damage, the Abyss Temptation skill wouldnt be interrupted. Half an hour later, three Flame Demons stood beside him, each with an identical Abyssal Slave Rune etched on their foreheads. With these three Flame Demons, Song Jians controlled team grew like a snowball, increasing in size. More Flame Demons were charmed, some betrayed him or were directly killed, but overall, the number of Flame Demons under Song Jians control continued to increase. Finally, when eight Flame Demons stood behind Song Jian, virtually filling the entire valley passage, he received a system prompt: System: Abyss Temptation target limit reached. To break the charm limit, continue to upgrade Abyss Temptation skill level! Song Jian was stunned. What was going on? Werent the skills in the Book of the Abyss supposed to be MAX level when activated? How could they still be upgraded? Upon opening the Book of the Abyss, he discovered that beneath the Abyss Temptation skill icon, a line of small text appeared, indicating that one million battle experience was required to advance the skill from Abyss Temptation to Abyss Intimidation. Not only would the number of controlled slaves increase from eight to fifteen, but their initial loyalty would also be higher, making betrayal less likely and indirectly extending the duration of control. Most importantly, the casting time of the skill would be significantly shortened, and it would no longer forcibly control the targets hatred. Compared to Abyss Temptation, this was practically a qualitative change. In every aspect, Abyss Intimidation was on a totally different level than Abyss Temptation; However, the battle experience required to advance to Abyss Intimidation had also increased exponentially. Initially, activating Abyss Temptation had only cost one hundred thousand battle experience, but now advancing to Abyss Intimidation required a million experience points C a hundredfold increase. This was practically equivalent to one-eighth of the experience Song Jian needed to level up. Even if he diligently killed monsters and leveled up, it would take at least three or four days. Chapter 767: Abyss Intimidation Chapter 767: Chapter 767: Abyss Intimidation Abyss Intimidation, Abyss Intimidation! Song Jian kept muttering in his heart. Would it be worth it to spend three to four days advancing such a powerful skill? Of course, it would be. If Song Jian had enough battle experience now, he would have chosen to advance without a second thought. But he had just leveled up, and his battle experience was far from reaching ten million, not even a hundred thousand. He wanted to advance this skill but just couldnt. If the Abyss Temptation can be advanced, what about the other skills? A brilliant idea flashed across Song Jians mind, he turned his attention to the other skills in the Book of the Abyss. Unfortunately, no matter which skill icon he clicked on, he received a system prompt saying, The conditions for advancing this skill have not been met. Cannot advance. Never mind, triggering the conditions for an advancement is a surprise. However, this means I can no longer avoid those Flame Demons. I must bulldoze my way through! Song Jian muttered internally. His initial idea of finding the temple was replaced by the urge to gain battle experience through monster hunting. Owning eight Flame Demons amounting to the strength of Level 35 Elite monsters meant Song Jian had the power to sweep through the entire Demon Slayer Canyon. The next moment, Song Jian transformed into the Abyssal Warlock again. Amidst a group of Flame Demons acting as meat shields, he stood in the back, continuously casting spells acquired from the Book of the Abyss. A day passed like that, and the number of Flame Demons around Song Jian was consistently eight. Without any healing method, Song Jian waited until the Vitality Points of a controlled Flame Demon Slave were about to run out before choosing to remove the Abyssal Slave mark, attack this Flame Demon Slave as a group to gain battle experience, thoroughly squeezed out its value, and then went on to charm another Flame Demon. The deeper into the Demon Slayer Canyon, the wider it became, and the more Flame Demons. At this point, Song Jian suddenly spotted a remarkably more significant monster than the regular Flame Demons in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it was a Level 35 Elite Boss C the Flame Demon Leader. If I can charm this Flame Demon Leader into becoming a slave, its effect is undoubtedly much better than ordinary Flame Demons! Song Jian gazed at the huge figure, calculating internally. However, it seemed impossible to control this Elite Boss with the Abyss Temptation skill. Eight Flame Demons could not stop the Elite Boss from charging at Song Jian. Also, this Level 1 Boss had a mightier attack power than ordinary monsters. The Bone Shield couldnt stand it for long, making it impossible for Song Jian to successfully cast the Abyss Temptation. I have to advance to Abyss Intimidation at least, to charm this Elite Boss into a slave! Song Jian thought to himself. Looking at his battle experience that was still two-thirds away from ten million, Song Jian secretly marked the location of this Boss and began to clear those ordinary Flame Demons incessantly. One day, two days, three days News about the ambush had already caused a sensation in the main city of the Desolate Highland, Flame Furnace. Many Abyss players were shocked. The ambush of over a hundred people had not succeeded. Just how formidable was this human named Song Jian? The Flame Furnace city once again raised the bounty on Song Jian. Anyone who killed Song Jian could receive five million Doomsday Coins. Such high bounty had never appeared in the city. At this point, not just Abyss players, even several Abyss NPCs, were tempted by the high bounty, joining the ranks of hunting Song Jian. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After three endless days of battling Flame Demons, Song Jian finally gathered ten million battle experience. Ten million experience points seemed like a lot, but for current Song Jian, leveling up would require nearly one hundred million experience points. If just grinding monsters of the same level, it would take thousands of kills to level up. At anyones best performance, taking at least half a month would be needed to level up. Taking a deep breath, Song Jian directly tapped the advancement button for the Abyss Temptation skill. A ray of white light flashed by, and the small increment of experience he just gained was instantly wiped out. In place of the Abyss Temptation skill, a golden skill appeared C the Abyss Intimidation. Abyss Intimidation (Active): MAX. Skill Effect: After locking on to a target, this skill is cast on the target, stunning them for three seconds. The target is forcibly transformed into the users slave. This process lasts ten seconds. During this skills release, the users hatred of the target gradually increases. The skill can be interrupted. Any damage to the user during the release process will interrupt the skill. After the casting period ends, a seed of fear will be planted in the targets heart, making them the users slave. This skill has a small chance of failing to cast. The stronger the targets willpower, the higher the failure rate. After a failed cast, it inflicts 1,000 points of real damage on the target, concurrently feared for 5 seconds. Skill Cost: 30% Spirit Points. Slave Quantity: 8/12. After a successful advancement, Song Jian couldnt wait to verify the effect of Abyss Intimidation. He began casting Abyss Intimidation towards a distant Flame Demon. As soon as he uttered the spell, he caught the attention of the Flame Demon, which roared and charged at Song Jian. Just as it took a step forward, its body suddenly shuddered, and a look of terror spread across its face, immobilizing it. Three seconds later, the Flame Demon woke up from its stunned state. Its eyes looking towards Song Jian were filled with fear. After hesitating, it still continued to pounce on Song Jian, knowing that if it killed Song Jian, it could escape the miserable fate of becoming a slave. Just as it decided to rush forth, a rock was hurled at it, followed by eight roaring Flame Demons charging towards it, making it impossible for it to reach Song Jian. Before it could break free from the eight Flame Demons, an Abyss Slave mark glowing with a black light floated out from the Book of the Abyss, heading straight for its forehead. Abyss Intimidation, Enslave! A deep voice echoed in the Flame Demons ears, leaving it in a daze. By the time it regained consciousness, the Abyss Slave mark had already been engraved on its forehead. Song Jian had gained another Flame Demon slave. The effect of Abyss Intimidation was surprisingly good. Song Jian didnt even have to activate the Bone Shield and had directly enslaved a Flame Demon. Overjoyed, Song Jian immediately commanded the nine Flame Demons to move to another location. Soon, Song Jian had enslaved eleven Flame Demons. After casting Abyss Intimidation, not one of the eight original slaves betrayed him, and the control duration was more than double the previous one. It must have been a hidden attribute of Abyss Intimidation C it would intimidate already controlled slaves and reduce their betrayal rate. Eleven Flame Demons surrounded Song Jian. At this moment, Song Jians eyes were set on the distant Flame Demon Leader. Chapter 768: World BOSS Chapter 768: Chapter 768: World BOSS Having the Abyss Intimidation and the assistance of eleven Flame Demons, Song Jian initially thought that it would be easy to charm a Flame Demon leader into servitude. However, he never expected that the Flame Demon leader would also possess a skill similar to intimidation. Even though it only worked on Flame Demons, it caused slight errors in Song Jians plan; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The eleven Flame Demons that were supposed to block the Flame Demon leader all knelt down, shivering uncontrollably after the leaders furious roar. No matter how Song Jian tried to stimulate the slave mark, it was useless. Despite being tortured in pain, they refused to attack the Flame Demon leader. Finally, it was Gulu, the Stone Man, who bravely held back Flame Demon leader, allowing Song Jians skill of Abyss Intimidation to be successfully cast. Thank goodness Ive acquired Abyss Intimidation, otherwise, I would have had to kill this Level 35 Elite BOSS! Song Jian mumbled, wiping his cold sweat; The strength of the Flame Demon leader was far superior to ordinary Flame Demons. The Bone Shield could only endure for three seconds before it shattered. If it werent for Gulus Throwing Stone Blocks skill causing the leader to be stunned at the critical moment, Song Jians Abyss Intimidation might have been forcibly interrupted. Though there were slight errors during the process, the result was good. Eventually, Song Jian still managed to successfully enslave the Flame Demon leader. Upon opening the Flame Demon leaders attribute interface, Song Jian saw the skill Demon Control as expected. Unlike the control skill of a Lord BOSS, the leaders Demon Control could only prevent Flame Demons from attacking it, but it couldnt command them to do anything else. If it was a Flame Demon Lord, its Demon Control skill could directly control ordinary Flame Demons. If Song Jian had encountered a Lord level BOSS, the ordinary Flame Demons he had enslaved would betray him instantly and, under the Bosss command, attack him. With the Flame Demon leader, Song Jian could more easily grind mobs. Ordinary Flame Demons were slaughtered by his new recruit without him having to lift a finger. Another day passed just like that. Song Jians grinding efficiency had improved considerably. His Experience Points increased from Level 37s 1% to 6%. Most surprisingly, none of the eleven ordinary Flame Demons betrayed him after he enslaved the Flame Demon leader. It was a pleasant surprise as the frequent use of Abyss Intimidation put a huge strain on his Spirit Points. Even if he had plenty of honey wine, too much of it would make him feel sick. To Song Jians disappointment, he hadnt found any clues about the temple in the Demon Slayer Canyon yet. At that moment, Song Jian noticed streaks of magical lights flashing in the distance within the gloomy canyon, dazzling like splendid fireworks, though they were a fair distance from where he stood. Are there players grinding mobs here? Song Jian was surprised. His merit points hadnt increased since he entered the Demon Slayer Canyon. The monsters here were all at least Level 35, so you hardly saw any Abyss players leveling up here. Yet, surprisingly, he discovered Abyss players deeper into the canyon. He retracted the Stone Man, Gulu, and controlled twelve Flame Demons to walk towards that direction, and hid himself among them. In Demon Slayer Canyon, seeing twelve Flame Demons together wasnt unusual. Even if discovered, it wouldnt attract attention; people would certainly not imagine a human hiding amid the group. After a five-minute run in the canyon controlling the Flame Demons, Song Jian finally approached the battle site. It was a noisy location where the light from magical spells shone brightly. Song Jian could finally see the situation clearly; There were at least fifty to sixty people in front of him who seemed to be Abyss players from a war alliance. They were attacking a giant Flame Demon. The Flame Demon was burly, over three meters tall, with red flames burning all over it. It had thick armor and wielded a huge weapon, constantly attacking with it; Song Jians vertical eye emitted a light, looking at this giant boss. Demon Guard Leader, Level 40 Lord, Vitality Points: 289621/320000 Song Jian inhaled sharply. A Level 40 Lord BOSS with a thick 320,000 Vitality Points. Even though he couldnt see the other attributes, the robust Vitality Points alone took him by surprise. A world BOSS! An idea flashed through Song Jians mind and he couldnt help but blurt it out; Only a world BOSS could have such a gigantic pool of health. Such an intimidating presence was something Song Jian had only previously heard of, and it was his first time witnessing it; Initially, when he saw so many people attacking the BOSS, he thought they were overdoing it. But now it seemed that just fifty to sixty people were trying to kill one world BOSS, this groups audacity was not small; Song Jians gaze again turned to the group of Abyss players and discovered varying roles among them. They were many special types like the Soul Ripper, suggesting they were elite among the Abyss players. Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five Song Jian counted. The levels of these players were no less than thirty-three, with the highest even being level thirty-six. Luckily, they didnt appear in Doomsday City. Otherwise, they would have replaced everyone among the top fifty of the honor ranking, Song Jian excluded. In the group, a player who seemed to be a mage was standing at the back, constantly issuing orders, commanding the other players to attack. This mage, dressed in a pitch-black robe, emanated a dense Abyss aura. Behind him, a pair of tattered dark wings were shedding black feathers which disappeared mid-air without causing any visible change to the wings; Fallen Angel Wings Song Jian narrowed his eyes at these dark wings as their properties slowly surfaced in his mind. Compared to Bounty Hunter Zacks Undead Bone Wings, the Fallen Angel Wings of this Abyss player mage were much more magnificent. Furthermore, the attributes were far more formidable. If Zacks Undead Bone Wings were of Silver quality, then these Fallen Angel Wings were at least Dark Gold, if not Epic quality. .. Chapter 769: Furious Chapter 769: Chapter 769: Furious This Abyssal Mage player looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a handsome face and a light golden strand of hair falling on his forehead, giving him a noble air. Coupled with the black Abyssal aura constantly emanating from his body, he exuded an aristocratic feeling reminiscent of the Blood Clan. He was the leader of the entire team, and under his command, the whole squad appeared very coordinated. Although they played somewhat conservatively, they were attacking a World Boss, and no one knew what skills it possessed. Therefore, being more cautious made the Abyssal players under his command feel more at ease. This guy, he does have some organizational skills! Song Jian stared for a long time, nodding silently in his heart. He felt that even if Wang Qi were to compare with him, Wang Qi would be somewhat inferior; at the very least, Wang Qi would not have his strength. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and the players attributes instantly appeared before them. Thomas, Profession: Abyssal Mage, Level: 37, First Order Combat Power. A 37-level player with First Order Combat Power? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. This was the only player Song Jian had seen so far who had passed the First Order Combat Power assessment. Many players could not pass the First Order Combat Power assessment after reaching level 30, so they could only wait until a month later to participate. As a result, many players who had risen to level 33, 34, or even higher levels had never possessed First Order Combat Power. Thomas, who had First Order Combat Power, exerted some pressure on Song Jian. However, Song Jian had passed the Double S assessment, so if he faced a First Order Combat Power passer below the S level, he would also occupy a huge advantage. Therefore, Song Jian would not be afraid of anything. Controlling the twelve Flame Demons, Song Jian slowly approached them. Having chosen the Abyssal profession meant giving up their human identities, so Song Jian wouldnt mind annihilating them if given the chance. Dealing with this group of players was not an impossible task for Song Jian at the moment. They were currently facing a level 40 World Lord BOSS. There were many players, but only one of them had First Order Combat Power. As long as Song Jian took action, the team might be annihilated here. Under Song Jians control, the Flame Demons quietly circled around to the side. The group of Abyssal profession players didnt notice Song Jian at all, as their entire focus was on the World BOSS before them. Suddenly, the Demon Leader let out a roar, and his flame-covered claws were raised into the air. Thomass face changed drastically as he shouted, The BOSS is about to unleash its ultimate move. Everyone, be careful! Boom! A scorching flame burst from the BOSS and spread in all directions. All the melee proficiencies that surrounded it were swept away, their heads displaying hundreds of points of fire damage. Quickly, however, the Abyss Warriors behind them stepped up, and the healers furiously replenished the melee fighters Vitality Points, soon restoring them to full. This group of players coordinated very skillfully, judging by their previous experiences of hunting numerous BOSSes. This was why they dared to attempt hunting a World BOSS with just fifty or sixty people. Although Song Jian seldom participated, the City of Hope Alliance had also organized many similar activities. The process was basically the same as the team in front of them, except that the City of Hope had never hunted a World BOSS before. This made Song Jian even more curious. After watching for some time, Song Jian found that these people were truly elite. Even in the face of hunting a World BOSS, they were organized and methodical. Even when the BOSS unleashed several ultimate moves, there were no accidents, and its Vitality Points continued to decrease. Curious about this team, Song Jians gaze turned to their chest emblem. The emblem of their guild was a Fallen Angel wielding a sharp blade. When Song Jian looked over, the words Fallen Angel Alliance appeared on the badge. Fallen Angel Alliance? Song Jians face was full of surprise, looking at the man who was commanding the battle and muttering, Could it be that this is the guild leader? It wasnt that Song Jian was guessing blindly; the pair of Fallen Angel Wings on the mans back were truly conspicuous. Anyone who saw him would be attracted to his wings that were constantly fluttering with black feathers. After spending so many days wandering in the Desolate Highland, Song Jian had learned a bit about the situation here from the players conversations. The Fallen Angel Alliance was arguably the most powerful alliance in the entire Desolate Highland area, virtually dominating the Blazing Furnace. Before entering the Demon Slayer Canyon, Song Jian had encountered many players from the Fallen Angel Alliance, and their quality and strength were much higher than those of other people. I only killed some small fries before, but if I mess with these people now, I might face the entire Fallen Angel Alliances pursuit. At that time Song Jians eyebrows knitted slightly. So far, the Abyssal Demon Flame mission had no clue, and there was no shadow of the Swordsman Immortal profession inheritance. If he made a deadly enemy of the largest alliance in the Desolate Highland, Song Jian would most likely be unable to move an inch in this area. However, after thinking about it for a long time, Song Jian still decided to take action, sensing that it wouldnt be long before the Abyss Passage would open. This was a game progression that could not be stopped by humans. The Abyss profession players originally had an advantage, as they were rare professions. Although the environment was harsh, their leveling speed was at least double that of ordinary players. Their average level was at least five levels higher than ordinary players. If such a group of people appeared in the game world, it would definitely have a huge impact on ordinary players. These people were the elite of Abyss players, and eliminating a batch of them would at least reduce some pressure for the future. With this in mind, Song Jian no longer hesitated, controlling the Flame Demons to move closer and look for an opportunity. At this point, the Flame Demons had already extinguished the flames burning on the surface of their bodies and were in a lurking state, so they were not afraid of being discovered even if they got a little closer. The BOSSs Vitality Points have dropped to 30%, its about to go berserk. Everyone, be careful. Ranged profession, scatter, dont stand so close! Thomas warned in a deep voice. As soon as his words fell, all the surrounding ranged professions immediately began to move their positions, quickly dispersing and occupying suitable attacking spots. Ranged professions maintain output! Carter, raise the Shield Wall. Resist a wave of attacks and then retreat. Fasthan, prepare to attract the BOSSs aggro! After the Demon Guard Leader went berserk, the flames on his body became more intense. The edges of the flames began to show a hint of black, and his body size increased a little, making his attacks even more fierce. A wave of his blade sent all the frontal melee proficiencies flying away. The Guard Leader took a fierce step forward, causing the ground to tremble violently while a surge of air rushed forward. At this moment, an Abyss Warrior who had activated his Shield Wall roared and ruthlessly slammed into the Demon Guard Leader, using all his strength to chop his two-handed battle-axe onto the BOSSs body. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 770: Refreshed? Chapter 770: Chapter 770: Refreshed? The demonic guard commander was heavily struck and took two steps back instantly, all his hostility fully targeted on the player before him. He swung his weapon, slashing relentlessly at the player; The blazing blade, burning with intense flames, carried fire damage. If the player was not able to withstand the heat to a certain extent, he would be reduced quickly to ashes by the BOSS; Carter, who had activated his Shield Wall, had his damage reduced by 65%, yet still, even so, he struggled to withstand the onslaught of attacks from the now berserk World BOSS. His Vitality Points dwindled rapidly. Behind him were three Abyss Pastors, healing him continuously, but even they could only maintain his Vitality Points at about fifty percent. The rise and fall of his Vitality Points caused Carters heart to leap to his throat. He was mired in relentless combat, but he was also acutely aware of the duration of his Shield Wall skill. The moment the effect of the Shield Wall ended, even if three Abyss Pastors were healing him, he would be slashed to death directly by the BOSS; Three seconds before the Shield Wall expired, Carter began to retreat slowly. At this point, a man clad in black metallic armor and holding a large heavy shield taller than himself, fiercely slammed the shield towards Carter; Glancing at the man, Carters eyes showed a hint of envy. Even though all Abyss professions are rare, Abyss Warrior like the one before him were common among the Abyss professions; The man before him, clad in metallic armor and holding shields in both hands, is of a rare profession within the rare ones. He was an Abyss Shield Striker, a class lower than the epic profession, the Soul Ripper, but visibly a tier higher than ordinary ones like Abyss Warrior and Abyss Thief ; Abyss Shield Strikers are the only profession in Abyss that can use shields. Moreover, they can only use shields as their weapons and cannot equip any other weapons like swords; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They can equip two one-handed shields at the same time, or a two-handed shield. This profession, renowned for their astounding defense, not only possessed a multitude of defensive skills but also dealt significant damage, alongside a plethora of skills that could knock back, stun, and slow their enemies. It could be said that they possess a shell as sturdy as a tortoise, combined with a wolf-like powerful attack; Fasthan launched a spiteful shield strike, seizing the hatred of the BOSS. The world BOSS, originally hacking away at Carter, suddenly set his sights on Fasthan. Seeing Fasthan successfully take over the BOSSs aggro, a smile finally appeared on Torass face. The plan was progressing steadily. Although the BOSSs special skill was unknown, the preparatory measures had taken effect. Killing this BOSS was only a matter of time. Victory seemed near, making every person involved in killing the BOSS feel much more relaxed. Boss, when can the Abyssal Passage be opened? I can hardly wait to return to the city a player shouted. Yeah, I really want to see the look on those arrogant fellows when they see me again. Humph! Hehe, Ive heard that after some time, there wont be any job transfers to Abyss professions. By the time we return to our original world, those who didnt job transfer will definitely regret it! Those players, in our eyes, are merely honor points. By then, we can also mess around with a Duke or Count title! Duke, Count? Youre too ambitious. How many would you have to kill for that? Id be satisfied if I can manage a Viscount! Haha, whats there to fear? Therell be plenty to kill then. For those who havent job transferred into Abyssal professions, theyll be worth nothing to us, just like pigs and sheep, waiting for us to slaughter! Yes, yes, haha, what Bloodhand said makes sense. It would be better if those players were scared off from entering the game ever again! The battle was nearing its end. The BOSSs vitality had dropped below 20%. The Abyss Shield Striker, who was tanking the BOSS, had his vitality constantly maintained above 80% due to the treatment from two Abyss Priests. Furthermore, the BOSSs berserk state was about to end. Besides external interference, it would only take about ten more minutes to kill off this World BOSS; Therefore, Thomas did not stop the chatter of the clansmen. Instead, he joined and discussed the matter with a smile on his face. Looking at the BOSS whose vitality was less than a fifth remaining, a flame of anticipation surfaced in Thomass eyes; A world BOSS, one that could possibly drop epic tier equipment! At this thought, he trembled with excitement; However, some things exceeded his expectations. When victory was near for everyone, seven or eight Flame Demons suddenly rushed out. Their blazing claws were lifted high, striking down simultaneously on the heads of four Abyss Mages; A series of piercing screams echoed; the four Abyss Mages fell to the ground almost simultaneously. The backline was thrown into chaos, and the ranged classes began to scatter; Be careful, the monsters have been refreshed! There are Flame Demons! Melee professions, quickly come and restrain them. These Flame Demons deal huge damage! Dammit, why do monsters have to spawn at this time! The team became instantly chaotic; Noticing the group of Flame Demons, Thomas was taken aback. During their hunt for the World BOSS, they had made sure to clear all the nearby minions. Even if they respawned, it wasnt possible for seven or eight monsters to appear at once; Damn it! How did these guys suddenly appear! Thomas was furious. Their arrival was too abrupt, catching everyone off guard. Moreover, these Flame Demons coordinated perfectly, killing off four Abyss Mages instantly. Thomas felt as though they had fallen into a longstanding trap; The death of four Abyss Mages had significantly lowered the teams offensive power, prolonging the time taken to kill the BOSS, leading to an increased risk of their team being wiped out; Warriors, four warriors, quickly restrain these few Flame Demons! Toras flapped his wings. A grey aura spiraled towards two of the Flame Demons, binding them firmly in place; The remaining Flame Demons, after killing the four Abyss Mages, pounced on the nearby ranged classes. The faces of several Abyss Priests paled as they fled in all directions; At this moment, a deep roar echoed. Thomas felt a chill run down his spine. This was not a sound that an ordinary Flame Demon could make. Looking up, he saw a Flame Demon leader, with four to five Flame Demons, rushing towards the Abyss Priests who were healing the Abyss Shield Striker; Stop them, dont let them get close! Thomas shouted, his forehead veins bulging out in exasperation. The whole team went into disarray; some were running in all directions, some continued to attack the BOSS, and some turned their attacks to the incoming Flame Demons. Thomas tried to direct orders loudly, hoping to regain control of the situation. There were fifty-seven people present. If they could divert half to lead the Flame Demons away, the remaining could still kill the World BOSS; Chapter 771 - 771 Ambush Chapter 771: Chapter 771 Ambush An Abyss Hunter with a crossbow fixed to his right arm continuously fired at a Flame Demon. Once he successfully garnered the hatred of the demon, he started to run off into the distance. He was well-practiced at leading mobs away, having done it numerous times. It didnt matter if it was just a regular level-35 creature or a Boss; he could successfully lead them away. However, what he didnt notice was that, other than him, nearly everyone elses attempts at leading away the mobs had failed. It appeared that these Flame Demons were aware of the profession with slow movement speed and low defense and would always charge towards them. Despite attempts to lead them away, no one was successful. If it werent for that world Boss, I could easily take down this level 35 creature myself! A smirk appeared at the corner of the Abyss Hunters mouth as he turned and fired another arrow toward the Flame Demon. At that moment, a sharp whistle echoed in his ear. A long sword fiercely slashed towards him, dancing in the air as if controlled by an invisible arm. At the same time, another long sword was brought down on the Abyss Hunter, surrounded by several silver threads that whipped him repeatedly. Before he could react, two more swords were launched towards him like meteors. Four long swords simultaneously carried out four different sword techniques, leaving the player playing the Abyss Hunter profession with no time to react. He fell to the ground immediately. Song Jians basic damage had already exceeded five hundred points. Along with his weapon set, even his regular attacks could cause over two thousand points of damage. Using a skill, this damage could increase even further. Subtracting the opponents defense, theres no issue killing an Abyss Hunter with leather armor. The reason why this Abyss Hunter could successfully lead away this Flame Demon was precisely because the direction he was leading it was Song Jians hiding spot. The sudden death of the Abyss Hunter did not attract anyones attention, for the scene was already quite chaotic. If the Abyss Shield Striker was not still attracting the Bosss hatred, everyone might have already scattered and fled. Rogues, pair up and hold off the Flame Demons. These are just ordinary level 35 creatures. Just hold on for a bit! Carter, hold off that Boss. Everyone else, focus on attacking the world Boss. Try to kill it within five minutes! Thomas roared. Having eleven ordinary creatures and one elite Boss for a team of more than fifty people could only cause some minor chaos at most. Had several Flame Demons not suddenly focused their attacks on the four Abyssal Mages and instantly killed them before they could react, these small disturbances wouldnt have caused any casualties. Thomass face looked somewhat ugly as he suddenly noticed that in addition to the four Abyssal Mages, two Abyss Priests and one Abyss Hunter had also died. The Abyss Priests were challenged and killed by the elite Boss, but how did the Abyss Hunter die? Thomas wondered. An Abyss Hunter had an escape and survival ability along with the Abyss Rogue. Even in the wild, its survival ability was stronger than the Abyss Rogue. He just couldnt understand how an ordinary level 35 creature could kill an Abyss Hunter. Just then, a rogue bearing a Flame Demon suddenly screamed in agony and died instantly, shocking everyone. Thomas saw that this Abyss Rogues Vitality Points vanished from over ninety percent to zero. Alerted, he immediately yelled, Watch out, everyone! Were being ambushed! Everyone instantly became tense. What they feared the most during a world Boss fight was harassment. While Fallen Angel Alliance dominated in Flame Furnaces main city, there were still many who were dissatisfied with their alliance. Just then, another Abyss Priest was killed instantly at full health, causing everyone to panic. Its that human, the wanted human! someone shouted suddenly. When Song Jian killed this Abyss Priest, he had used a skill to enhance his dark field of vision, which allowed him to see Song Jians appearance clearly. That wanted human? Thomas exhaled in relief, fearing that this was a planned plot by other alliances in the Flame Furnace, preparing to ambush them. Because that would mean a group of people would be coming to ambush them C they might not only steal their world Boss, but they could even end up eliminating all of them. But if it was that wanted human, then it just meant that the other party was merely one person, merely coming to make a mess. Drunken Master, take a few people and kill him! Thomas shouted. Leave it to me! A middle-aged man with a scar on his cheek licked the blade of his weapon, revealing a ferocious smile. Concerning the human who had appeared in the Desolate Highland, the players of Fallen Angel Alliance had already heard about him. However, these past few days, they had been focussed on this world Boss, preparing to kill it. They did not have spare energy to participate in hunting down Song Jian. They never thought that when they did not go after him, this human actually came to them. Be careful and dont be careless. He has killed quite a number of Abyss players in the Desolate Highland! Thomas reminded. Hmph, he just killed some people through ambushes. If it comes down to face-to-face combat, I alone could take him down! said the Drunken Master arrogantly. Seeing five or six Abyss players following the Drunken Master and rushing towards Song Jian, Thomas suddenly had a bad feeling. Seeing a few Abyss players charging towards him, Song Jian did not retreat. Instead, he advanced with a cruel smile on his face. As soon as he thought, his figure turned transparent and charged towards the crowd. Stop him, dont let him get here! Thomas seemed to think of something, his face instantly changed as he shouted urgently. Several alert players immediately shifted their targets and started casting magic attacks towards Song Jian. But no matter what type of attack hit Song Jian, all that would appear were the words immune. Song Jian moved swiftly, his transparent figure quickly getting into the crowd. Four long swords flashed and danced around him. Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique! A low hum sounded, and snowflakes filled the air around him. Along with the snow, a strong wind swept across the area, with countless Sword Qi covering an area of several tens of meters. Blood spattered from all the Abyss players, their Vitality Points dropping continuously. A thin layer of frost began to appear on everyones armor, causing their defense to drastically decrease. The defense decrease caused by Frosty Twilight was a percentage decrease. For those fragile occupations, this decrease in defense didnt matter. But for close-combat occupations with high armor points, the decrease in defense was terrifying. Looking at the Abyss Shield Striker holding a large shield and bearing the world Boss in front, Song Jian sneered. He pulled a potion from his pocket, threw it at the Shield Striker, and then, before his Soul Wander had ended, he charged towards the distance. During this escape, Song Jian also managed to chop down another Abyss Priest. PS: Thank you Zi Ling Bamboo Wang for the 100 Qidian Coin gift! Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 772: Retreat Chapter 772: Chapter 772: Retreat Seeing that all the players from their alliance were already at half Vitality Points, with some even closer to death, a somber dreariness flowed over Thomass face. After muttering a few curses under his breath, a visible struggle of hesitation appeared in his eyes. The world BOSSs Vitality Points had already decreased to 10% or less. With five or six minutes at most, they could kill the BOSS. However, Song Jians recent attacks had taken down five or six players, resulting in a significant drop in the teams overall Combat Power. More crucially, there were only two healers left in their team, who were utterly inadequate for healing their many injured players. Should we give up? This thought continued to swirl around in Thomass mind. Giving up would mean that all their previous efforts were in vain. If they didnt give up and Song Jian launched another attack like the previous one, they would risk full-scale annihilation. His displacement attack is probably his trump card, with a cooldown time of at least ten minutes. Well have plenty of time to kill this world BOSS and then deal with him! A player whispered in Thomass ear. Thomass eyes brightened, and he roared, Focus all fire on the world BOSS. Drunkard, take a few men and clear out these minions, ASAP! It was this decision that plunged the Fallen Angel Alliance into an abyss of irreversible doom. The level 35 Flame Demons, under the attack of all players, wouldnt last long. At this point, only six remained. There was one more Flame Demon boss, but Carter had restrained it, preventing it from threatening the players. From afar, Song Jian watched as the Flame Demons he had painstakingly recruited were defeated one by one; nevertheless, he remained stoic. He had never expected these minion Flame Demons to annihilate the team before them. Song Jian summoned Rockman Gulu, then checked the Black Dragons Vitality Points, which had recovered to over 60%. After a moments hesitation, Song Jian summoned the Black Dragon. The Black Dragons Dragon Breath and Vortex Fireball, an area-of-effect attack and a single-target attack, both possessed impressive power, especially the Dragon Breath. Its power was not inferior to the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, and when combined, they could generate a power that exceeded the sum of their parts. Song Jian watched as the players from the Fallen Angel Alliance continued to attack the world BOSS, quietly awaiting the cooldown of his Soul Wander skill. Thomas had inaccurately estimated the cooldown time of Soul Wander. A fully upgraded Soul Wander skill only had a one-minute cooldown. Even without any unexpected events, it would take them at least five minutes to kill this world boss. It was due to the underestimation of Soul Wanders cooldown that what awaited the Fallen Angel Alliance was Destruction. A minute passed quickly, but Song Jian made no move, silently watching the ongoing fight between the Fallen Angel Alliance and the world BOSS. At this critical moment, the bosss Vitality Points were below 10% and continued to drop. Among the crowd attacking the BOSS, several players with rogue roles had disappeared. Clearly, they were Thomass contingency plan against Song Jians sudden attack. 8%, 7%, 6%, The world BOSSs Vitality Points kept dropping. When they reached 3%, Thomas still didnt see Song Jian making a move. It seems his ability cooldown is indeed very long! Finally, Thomas breathed a sigh of relief. A satisfied smile unconsciously appeared on his face. There was a high probability that a world BOSS would drop Epic level equipment. His alliance had prepared many days for this, with killing a world BOSS being the end goal. Victory was in sight. If Song Jian hadnt interfered, no player would have died in this hunt. With these thoughts in mind, Thomass face hardened. He was determined to rally all players of his alliance to relentlessly hunt down Song Jian once they returned. However, just then, Thomas suddenly sensed a surge of potent magic energy above his head. Looking up, he saw a massive Black Dragon looming above them, its mouth wide open, slowly gathering a fear-inducing torrent of flame. Watch out above! Thomas sensed danger, letting out a miserable roar. The Fallen Angel Wings behind him gave a strong flap, shooting him toward the sky. Boom! A wave of scalding Dragon Breath fire was spat out onto the crowd, with floating damage numbers indicating hundreds of points of damage above everyones heads. Although Dragon Breath was a fire-based attack, it fell under Dragon Language Magic, not fire magic. The Abyssal players high Fire Resistance couldnt weaken or mitigate this type of damage. Everyones attention was instantly drawn to the Black Dragon as ranged players subconsciously started targeting it. Meanwhile, Thomas charged directly at the Black Dragon, flipping his wrist to reveal two daggers, similar to a hunters fangs, in his palms. Most Abyssal Mage class tend to use magic staffs or wands, but Thomass weapons of choice were a pair of magic daggers. Abyssal Exile! Thomas waved his daggers, a grey light erupting from them like tendrils snaking towards the Black Dragon. Soon, the Black Dragons huge body was enveloped in grey energy, like a large net. It was as if the dragon was exiled from this world, unable to attack any player and temporarily losing connection with Song Jian. Having successfully exiled the Black Dragon, Thomas was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but he noticed his Spirit Points had dropped to less than 30%, making his face pale immediately. The Abyssal Exile skill uses more Spirit Points against stronger targets. The Black Dragon was a level 35 creature with first-tier combat power and a member of the Dragon Clan. If Thomas were not so powerful, he wouldnt have been able to exile it. After a moments hesitation, Thomas pulled out a vial of light blue potion from his inventory and deliberated whether to use it when he suddenly heard the cries of the players in his alliance erupt from below. Looking down, he saw a familiar scene replay before his eyes. The endless snow flurry, covering all players from the alliance, again filled his eyes with clusters of damage numbers. Human, I will definitely kill you! Thomas bellowed out in anger. Due to the lack of healing roles, almost all players had low Vitality Points. The only one with sufficient Vitality Points was the Abyss Shield Striker who was standing up against the world BOSS, as all the remaining two Abyss Priests had been solely healing him. This round of attack, though lacking the assistance of Flame Demons, caused even more damage to this group of players than the previous one. Once the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique was deployed, within a few seconds, more than a dozen players fell in the snowy field, including two priests who were healing the Abyss Shield Striker. Retreat, everyone, retreat! Thomas bellowed. He took one last painful look at the world BOSS with less than 3% Vitality Points. His heart bled at the sight. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 773: Killing the BOSS Chapter 773: Chapter 773: Killing the BOSS All the healing professionals had fallen, and even if the Abyss Shield Striker was formidable, he couldnt withstand the attack of a World Boss. Failure was certain. To keep going would only unnecessarily sacrifice the lives of their brotherhood. Thomass heart was bleeding, not only because those who died were the elites of the Fallen Angel Alliance, but moreover, the World Boss only had 3% Vitality Points left. If they retreated now, all their hard work over the past few days would be in vain. Issue a city-wide manhunt. I want his skin hung on our alliances flagpole! Rage consumed Thomas as he looked at Song Jians figure in the distance and roared through gritted teeth. Boss, we should get out of here quickly. The duration of your Abyssal Exile is almost up! a player reminded from the side. Only then did it dawn on Thomas. A tale beast was eyeing them, and once the Abyssal Exile ended, they likely wouldnt escape. Retreat, retreat! Thomas bellowed twice and, flapping his Fallen Angel Wings twice, fled into the distance. The remaining alliance players had no heart to continue fighting. Even if they killed the World Boss, the loot wouldnt be shared with them. At most, they would gain some alliance contributions. At the end of the day, their own lives mattered most. The Abyss Shield Striker, who had been tanking the World Boss, saw the other players in his alliance scatter and lost the will to fight. Without a priest to heal him and, regardless of how high his armor value was, he couldnt withstand the attack of a World Boss. After stunning the Boss with a shield strike, he retreated quickly. The Abyss Shield Strike that could normally stun its target for three seconds only stunned the World Boss for half a second. The World Boss roared upon seeing the Abyss Shield Striker retreating and charged at him, swinging its weapon. Bang! The flaming weapon forcefully collided with his shield. The impact sent him flying away. It took the Abyss Shield Striker over a dozen retreats before he steadied himself. Looking at his shield, he saw a delicate crack in the center C a sight that pained him. This shield was of Dark Gold quality; other than requiring a lot of Doomsday Coins for repairs, it would also need many precious ores. But then wasnt the time to sorrow over a shield, his life was at stake. If he didnt find a way to break from the aggro of the World Boss, he might leave his corpse right there. Where are the healers? Are they all dead? Heal me! The Abyss Shield Striker, whose vitality points had dropped to less than half, roared. Unbeknownst to him, all the healing professionals in his team had indeed died. Hu~ Strong wind pressure rushed at him. A huge weapon swiftly swept him off his feet. The World Boss, now low on health, had become even fiercer, relentlessly hacking at him. Had it been any other player, they would have been instantly killed by the World Boss. The Abyss Shield Striker crashed into a black rock, blood spewing from his mouth. He was shocked to find that his defense had decreased by 15% and his movement speed by 30% due to a negative weak-status effect. Damn! Struggling to stand, the only thing on his mind was to run. He didnt want to face this rampaging demon guard anymore. He glanced at the Boss and put his shield away, emptying his hands to run. Running with a shield in hand was too inconvenient. Running with empty hands allowed him a bit more speed. Just then, a crimson longsword suddenly appeared before him, like a demons fang, thrusting toward his chest. The Abyss Shield Strikers face drained of color. He wanted to bring out his shield to block the sword but the sword was too fast, it didnt give him a chance to react before it had pierced his chest. Blood spewed out, reducing his vitality points to almost zero. Ignoring everything else, the Abyss Shield Striker quickly reached into his item bag to produce a potion, but just as he was about to drink it, the longsword in his chest was pulled out and, like it was being controlled, began to swirl in the air, blades flashing with electricity. Flash Thunder Strike! Kakakaka~ Three electrical Sword Qi strikes landed on him, immediately draining his remaining vitality points. Gulu, a potion bottle with a faint golden glow rolled out of the Abyss Shield Strikers hand. His body fell, his face filled with bitterness. Song Jian picked up the potion and found it to be a Complete Recovery Potion which could fully restore ones vitality points. Lucky! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. The lower the vitality points, the higher the potions effectiveness. But the lower the vitality points, the more dangerous it gets. You might end up like the Abyss Shield Striker, dead before you even had the chance to use it. After stashing the Complete Recovery Potion, Song Jian found an item, radiating a dark gold light, squashed under the fallen Abyss Shield Striker. Looking closely, he realized he had looted the other guys shield. Dark Gold Quality, not bad, not bad! A smile of surprise appeared on Song Jians face as he gathered the shield. He then looked at the World Boss who was currently chasing and killing other players. After losing the aggro of the Abyss Shield Striker, the World Boss started to charge at those inflicting the highest damage. Often those were squishy characters who wouldnt even have a chance to escape if chased by the Boss. Even though the World Boss only had 3% vitality points left, it still had nearly ten thousand points of health. These players stood no chance against it. Song Jian also seized the opportunity to slaughter the players. Humans and Abyss players were inherently enemies to the death. Killing these players was no burden to Song Jian, if anything, he regretted not killing more. With a dragons cry, the Black Dragon above him ended its exile status. A scorching Dragon Breath billowed toward the scattered players. Under Song Jians control, the Black Dragons attack intentionally stayed away from the World Boss. He wouldnt want to unnecessarily attract the Bosss aggression now. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a rush, many bodies lay on the ground. Only a handful of them escaped the World Bosss chasing range, the rest were all killed there. Many items, some gleaming silver and gold, were scattered on the ground. Its no wonder theyre considered the top alliance in Flame Furnace. Their equipment is significantly better than the rest! Song Jian quickly gathered all the equipment dropped by the players and then his gaze landed on the Boss with only 3% vitality points left. Chapter 774: Chapter 774: Chapter 774: Vortex Fireball! Song Jian controlled the Black Dragon, casting Dragon Language Magic. A fireball that swirled like a starry nebula ruthlessly slammed into the World Boss, instantly drawing the Bosss aggro to the Black Dragon. Watching the Black Dragon in mid-air, the Demon Guard Commander let out a low growl and swung its war blade violently. A dazzling red Qi strike cleaved towards the Black Dragon, seemingly tearing space itself. The Black Dragon flapped its wings, barely dodging the direct hit of the Qi strike. However, it was still injured by the residual force. A large chunk of scales on its abdomen was shattered, resulting in over a thousand damage points floating above its head. oo much, Abyss Intimidation cannot be used! A bright red system prompt appeared before Song Jians eyes. Having no choice, Song Jian put away the Book of the Abyss and focused all his attention on controlling the four flying swords. If he couldnt charm the Boss, he would have to kill it and see what kind of loot the World Boss would drop for him. A World Bosss defense, attack, and Vitality Points far exceeded Song Jians. If it were a Boss at its peak state with full Vitality Points, someone like Song Jian wouldnt stand a chance. However, this Bosss Vitality Points were now less than 3%, only around eight thousand. With Song Jians current strength, he had a chance to kill it. Hearing the roars of the World Boss from afar, Thomass heart bled. He glanced back and murder oozed from him like a tangible substance. Guild leader, should we go disturb him? We cant defeat the Boss, but we cant let him take advantage! one of the Alliance players who had barely escaped said indignantly. After wavering for a while, Thomas finally gave up on this tempting idea. Their greed had already caused great damage to the Fallen Angel Alliance, resulting in the annihilation of an entire Elite Team. He was heartbroken. There were only three or four of them now, and with the humans strength, they would likely die if they went back to cause trouble. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Boss only has a few thousand Vitality Points left. We dont stand a chance! Thomas said hatefully. If the Boss had over 10% Vitality Points, he would have done everything in his power to prevent someone from taking it. No one would be willing to willingly hand over a Boss that their Alliance had worked so hard to defeat. However, with a several thousand Vitality Points remaining, the boss would probably be killed by Song Jian by the time they returned. Wouldnt they just be walking into their deaths if they tried to interfere? As the nearby player prepared to argue further, he suddenly heard a shrill scream from the World Boss in the distance. A huge ball of flames rose into the sky, illuminating half of the canyon as bright as day. How is it possible? Even a World Boss with only a few thousand Vitality Points left shouldnt be killed so quickly The player stared blankly at the soaring flames in the distance, mumbling to himself. Song Jians damage output was simply terrifying. In less than a minute, he killed the World Boss with just a few thousand Vitality Points remaining. The Fallen Angel Alliance players who had witnessed the power of a World Boss now realized how formidable Song Jian was. The remaining players exchanged glances and followed him immediately. At last, the Demon Guard Commander fell under Song Jians sword. The Black Dragon was severely injured again and was sent back to the Pet Space to recover. Its previous injuries hadnt fully healed, with its Vitality Points only a bit over half of its maximum. The new injuries compounded the old, making recovery slower than ever. But it was all worth it. Gazing at the fallen World Boss and the loot spread around its corpse, Song Jians eyes gleamed with excitement, and he couldnt wait to step forward. Chapter 775: 775: Harvest Chapter 775: Chapter 775: Harvest Next to the corpse of the Demon Guard leader, there were shimmering items of various colors. There were more than a dozen pieces, and they were all of exceptional quality. The least impressive among them was a piece of silver equipment that required a minimum of level 30. But Song Jians gaze fell instantly on an item that had been flashing a purple-red light. Epic level gear! A joyful expression appeared on Song Jians face. The probability of a World Boss dropping epic level gear was considerably higher than that of any normal boss. This piece of epic gear was within Song Jians expectations. Abyss Concealment Necklace (Epic): Necklace, item level 40, All Attributes +5, Dark Vision +30, Damage increase 20%, Special Effect 1: Enhanced Skill (Passive), All skills effectiveness increased by 30%; Special Effect 2: Abyss Concealment Skill (Active), Uses Abyssal Power to conceal ones figure and aura, entering a stealth state. Unless harmed, the stealth state will remain. This skill cannot be used in combat, cooldown thirty seconds; Equip Requirement: Level 37, Not allowed to be taken out of the game: No. This necklace was indeed worthy of being an Epic level item. It was crafted entirely from a unique Abyssal metal. The pendant was a black crystal, and on its surface were designs resembling an eye. With its eerie glow, it felt as though it was staring right at you. The five-point boost to all attributes would make any player, irrespective of their class, green with envy. For Song Jian, none of his five attributes was useless, thus this all-attribute boost was of immense help to him. The boost in Dark Vision by thirty points essentially extended Song Jians line of sight by thirty meters. This attribute was simply more valuable than a boost in all attributes to Abyss-class players. It felt as miraculous as a divine skill here, but for Song Jian, it wasnt as important. His Vertical Eye could increase his Dark Vision as well, but when it was activated, it would emit a faint glow that could be easily noticed by others. Needless to mention the 20% increase in damage that would make Song Jians attacks even more terrifying. A casual attack could inflict damage in the thousands, making it unbearable even for heavily armored knights after just a few hits. Enhanced Skill, would not only boost the potency of his skills but also greatly enhance those like Immortal Sword Body and Soul Wander. The most apparent enhancement was to the duration of the Immortal Sword Body, which extended by nearly a minute, while the invincibility of Soul Wander increased by almost a second, making the total time for the skill to persist reach 11.7 seconds. As for the Abyss Concealment Skill, it was virtually identical to the Stealth Skill of the rogue class, though it required actual combat validation to ascertain if it worked as effectively as a few basic level Stealth Skills. What a treasure! After seeing the attributes, Song Jian couldnt wait to equip this Epic level necklace. As for the white skull necklace he had been wearing, he just chucked it into his inventory. Having equipped the Epic quality necklace, Song Jians gaze then moved to his other pieces of equipment and started evaluating each one. Out of the dozen pieces of equipment, most could only be used by Abyss classes and only two could be used by other human classes. One was a plate armor hand-guard for close-combat classes and the other was a Mages element headband. Both were Golden Level equipment at level 35 with decent attributes. Song Jian planned to take them back and put them in the guild warehouse to see if anyone could use them. Oh? Is this the shield dropped by that Abyss Shield Striker player? Song Jians line of sight suddenly caught a shield emitting Dark Gold radiance. This was a two-handed shield that all classes capable of equipping shields could use. It also didnt have level requirements to equip, but instead, required specific attributes. Abyss Imprisonment Shield (Dark Gold), Two-handed shield, Item Level 38, Equipment Effect: Defense 195-218, Resistance 93-110, Defense success rate increased by 25%, Toughness +8, Special Effect 1: Endurance (Passive), Forcefully reduces critical hit rate by 30%; Special Effect 2: Protection (Active), Chooses a target, forcibly reducing the damage it takes by 80%, lasts for 5 seconds; This skill can only be used once every hour; Equipment Requirements: 60 Strength, 50 Constitution points; Not allowed to be taken out of the game: No. This is a top-notch item! Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Dark Gold gear was already considered the cream of the crop among Gold Level gear, but the attributes of this shield were almost as good as those of Epic Level ones. Put up for auction, it would be worth at least a few hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. If he happened to encounter a spendthrift, selling it for over a million Doomsday Coins, Song Jian wouldnt even be surprised. The only pity was that this shield was a two-handed one, which brought down its value a little. If it was a one-handed shield, the starting price would have been a million Doomsday Coins! Apart from the necklace and this shield, the rest of the equipment was of rather normal quality and most of them were class locked and could only be used by Abyss classes. For Song Jian, they were of no use other than dissolving them for materials, which was somewhat of a waste. Such a shame, if it werent for the class restrictions, this batch of equipment could have been worth at least two million Doomsday Coins, excluding the Dark Gold Shield! Song Jian, shaking his head, stated regretfully. At that moment, an item in his bag drew his attention. It was a white finger bone of small size that was tucked away among the other items and could easily be overseen. Item: Demon Lord Finger Bone (Special), Quality: Unknown, Use Effect: A quest can be obtained by using it! A quest item and the name of this finger bone stirred something inside Song Jian. Looking at this jade white bone, Song Jian didnt hesitate to chose to use it. System: You have obtained an epic-tier quest, The Last Will of The Seven Great Demon Lords; Quest Content: First, find the Demon Guardian Temple, proceeding steps of the quest will be revealed after that. As expected, its a task involving the Seven Abyss Demon Kings. Maybe I can find the whereabouts of the seven Abyssal Demon Flames through this task. Staring at this new quest in his quest bar, Song Jian murmured to himself. He came here also in search of the temple that the players he had previously encountered spoke of. The temple they mentioned is likely to be the Demon Guardian Temple of the task, and the world boss he had beaten just now was named Demon Guard Captain. If anyone claimed that the World Boss had no connection with the Demon Guardian Temple, surely no one would believe it. Otherwise, how could the Demon Lords Finger Bone drop from it after being slain? With a quest in hand, the search for the temple became much easier, thanks to the fact that a quest map would appear in the task content. The map would show the general location of the temple. This was much easier than having to search the entire Demon Slayer Canyon without any hints. Glancing at the area marked on the quest map, Song Jian collected all the items and rushed towards the mission area. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 776: 776: Quarrel Chapter 776: Chapter 776: Quarrel Song Jian spent half a day and finally arrived at the area marked on the map of his mission. But all he found was a Broken Stone Mountain. The rest of the area was barren, without any trace of buildings. The area is marked clearly on the map. Why cant I see anything? Song Jian frowned slightly, the vertical eye in the center of his eyebrows radiating light, revealing everything within hundreds of meters. However, all he saw was desolation. Apart from Flame Demons wandering around, he found no trace of any buildings. Could it be underground? Song Jian looked around and murmured. Just then, a dull roar echoed from the Broken Stone Mountain in front of him. Song Jian stared at the mountain closely. Upon reaching the base of the mountain, Song Jian picked up a piece of broken stone tablet. Astonishingly, two lines in Abyssal tongue were carved onto it. In the pitch-dark night, a dazzling golden light blooms. Seven lords let out a world-shaking roar, together they head towards Though the tablet was severely damaged, the words seven lords successfully caught Song Jians attention. Looking at the Broken Stone Mountain, Song Jian pondered for a moment before summoning his stone golem, Gulu. Clear a pathway so that I can see what secrets this mountain holds, Song Jian ordered. Gulu, gulu~ The stone golem twisted its head twice and nodded. Placing its hand on the surface of the Broken Stone Mountain, it emanated a heavy presence of earth-element magic. Soon, countless small stones rolled away like flowing water, creating a two-meter-high, one-meter-wide pathway right before Song Jians eyes. As pure earth-element creatures, the ability to control dirt and rock is an innate skill of the Gulu. However, carving a tunnel through a mountain was extremely exhausting even for it. Feeling Gulus exhaustion, Song Jian decided to let it rest in the Pet Space while he ventured into the tunnel by himself. As he entered the tunnel, a scorching flame burst out, forcefully pushing him backward. A giant Flame Demon emerged from the tunnel, clutching a ball of flame in its right hand, which it hurled towards Song Jian. Level 40 elite BOSS Song Jian narrowed his eyes, focusing on the Flame Demons head. That attack had cost Song Jian more than 500 vitality points. This Level 40 elite BOSS was powerful. A similar attack would have siphoned at least 800 vitality points from any other player in the Abyss. Song Jian lifted his right hand to reveal the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword. He slashed forward, sending a golden Sword Qi directly into the flame. With a muffled bang, both the Sword Qi and the flame dissipated. Song Jian leaped towards the Level 40 Elite BOSS, but surprisingly, the BOSS, upon seeing Song Jians golden Sword Qi, showed fear in its eyes. It let out a miserable roar and turned to flee back into the mountain. What is happening? Song Jian paused, his eyes filled with confusion as he watched the retreating figure of the Flame Demon. Monsters in the Abyss seldom run away from a fight. They would usually fight to the death, even among themselves. Even if their vitality points dropped to a critical point, they would prefer to die fighting rather than flee. Song Jian had never seen a Flame Demon flee a battle before. Hesitating for a moment, Song Jian followed the beast into the tunnel. Within the main city of the Desolate Highland, the Flame Furnace, there was an estate spanning more than 300 acres. It was the territory of the Fallen Angel Alliance. Despite being called an estate, both its exterior and interior were more akin to a robust war fortress. The entire fortress was built with crimson boulders. The fortress wall was fitted with Arrow Towers and Catapults. Hundreds of hired NPC warriors patrolled the area. Aside from the members of the Fallen Angel Alliance, anyone who came close would be warned by the NPC warriors, and if ignored, they would face an attack. In the heart of the Fallen Angel Alliance, Thomas sat in the conference room, his face dark and his eyes burning with fury as he looked at a robed Abyss profession player sitting next to him. Tubi, what is the meaning of this? Ive said it hundreds of times; it was an accident! Thomas roared, barely able to conceal his anger. Tubi was an Abyssal Curse Magician. Like the Abyss Shield Striker, even though they werent epic-level professions, they were half a rank higher than regular Abyss professions. His attack and burst damage might not be quite as strong, but his bizarre curse skills were hard to defend against. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ha, Thomas, you claimed that hunting the world BOSS was a sure thing. You took the entire Elite Team with you, and what did you come back with? A handful of survivors. Do you think you can explain this away by calling it an accident? Tubi revealed a look of scorn, tugged at his gold-trimmed cloak, and spoke chillingly. The Fallen Angel Alliance was not solely controlled by Thomas. In fact, a large group from the real world was backing it. Without this support, the Fallen Angel Alliance couldnt possibly dominate the Flame Furnaces main city, suppressing other alliances to the point where they couldnt even lift their heads. Tubi, as the deputy chief of the alliance, saw this as an opportunity to remove Thomas from his position as the leader of the alliance after he had nearly destroyed the entire Elite Team. Tubi, appearing to be in his late twenties, was tall with a constant grey aura in his eyes. His gaze was stern, and he radiated a cold aura that contradicted the hot climate of the Abyss. His robe was a curse magicians suit of Silver quality, which matched the level 35 Abyssal Curse Magician. The properties of this suit were even better than ordinary Gold equipment. Stitched with grey silk in the neckline of the robe was an eyeball pattern, eerily blinking and shifting around occasionally. I told you, if it werent for the interference of that human, we would have brought down that world BOSS who was already at 3%, but Thomas slammed the table angrily and yelled with a murderous look in his eyes. But the BOSS was stolen by someone else, and the hard-built Elite Team was wiped out! Tubi sneered: Oh, sorry, not a complete wipe, at least you, the alliance leader, managed to escape! You Thomas revealed a murderous intention in his eyes. At this moment, a player of around Level 20 Abyss Warrior class sitting by the conference table suddenly interrupted, Enough, both of you stop arguing. What we need now is a solution to the problem, not pointless bickering! Chapter 777: 777: Video Chapter 777: Chapter 777: Video Hearing this over-twenty-level player speaking, Thomas and Tubi immediately fell silent, no longer arguing. They looked at the player with great respect, and everyone else also seemed to think it was natural. Respected Mr. Kurul, what do you think is the best way to handle this situation? Tubi asked respectfully. Thomas also looked anxiously at Kurul. Kurul appeared to be in his forties. Theoretically, people over the age of thirty arent allowed to enter the game, but in reality, there are game invitation cards in the real world. Moreover, the underground arena is not exclusive to Coastal City. Kurul waved his hand and said, The consortium has commissioned me to come here only to assist you and serve as a communication bridge. I have no right to make any decisions about the alliance, but the dominant position of the Fallen Angel Alliance in the Flame Furnace Main City, and even in the Desolate Highland area, must not be shaken! Tubi smiled slightly and said, Mr. Kurul, this incident has dealt a heavy blow to the reputation of the Fallen Angel Alliance. There is only one human being, but he has defeated our elite team of over fifty players. Not to mention the cost of training so many elite players, their equipment alone is a significant loss! Glancing at Thomas, Tubi continued, Also, that Abyss Imprisonment Shield, though only a dark gold quality shield, is not inferior to an epic shield. Without this shield, it will directly affect the progress of our Elite Team in future boss raids. Oh, Im sorry, I forgot, the Elite Team has been wiped out What do you mean, are you saying Thomas roared angrily at Tubi. As Thomas and Tubi were about to start arguing again, Kurul frowned and tapped the conference table a few times, saying, What we need to do now is not to pursue responsibility, but to minimize the impact of this incident on the Fallen Angels position in the Flame Furnace! Hunt down that human and release a video of his death, letting everyone in the Desolate Highland know that it was our Fallen Angel Alliance that killed him! Tubi immediately suggested. Kurul nodded in satisfaction and smiled, Ive heard that the Bounty Hunters Mercenary Guild in Flame Furnace has raised the bounty on the person again, which has now reached 1,500,000 Doomsday Coins. This number is not only tempting to players but also to many NPCs. If the Fallen Angels can kill this human, they will definitely be able to re-establish their prestige in the Flame Furnace! Mr. Kurul, I hope to be the one to handle this matter. I will definitely be able to kill that human! Thomas immediately stood up and declared. Youve already failed once. I think its better to give this opportunity to someone else! Tubi immediately objected. Someone else? Who, you, Tubi? Thomas sneered, looking at Tubi disdainfully, With your strength, chasing and killing the human is just a suicide mission! Tubis face darkened instantly, staring at Thomas and saying, Thomas, dont think that just because youve obtained the Fallen Angel Wings, youre the number one person in the alliance. You still have a long way to go! Oh, really? Thomas laughed coldly, How about we both go to the Abyss Arena and spar? If you win, Ill back off from this matter. But if you lose, leave chasing and killing Song Jian to me! Tubi was speechless. With his current strength, he was no match for Thomas, even if the latter didnt use the Fallen Angel Wings. After all, Thomas has already passed the first stage of combat power assessment and was rumored to have passed the B+ level assessment. Tubi had already failed once and would have to wait another month before taking the test again. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Enough, stop arguing! Kurul glanced at Tubi and said, Leave this matter to Thomas. Remember, Thomas, that human must die! This is your last chance! Thomass body shuddered, and he said solemnly, Mr. Kurul, rest assured, even if I die with him, I will kill him! Kurul nodded in satisfaction and said, Remember, try to get that two-handed shield back if you can. Its such a pity to lose such an excellent shield! Thomas hesitated for a moment, then clenched his teeth and said, Ill do my best! It is very difficult to drop items that have already been placed in a players inventory. Even if Thomas kills Song Jian and by chance manages to drop an item, its not guaranteed that it would be the shield; The highest probability is for dropping the equipment on Song Jians body before his death, followed by items in his inventory. If Song Jian does not voluntarily return the shield, regaining possession of it is almost an impossible task. The video of the Fallen Angel Alliance besieging the world boss and being disrupted by the human who entered the Abyssal Hell, leading to their annihilation, and the human taking the world bosss head and obtaining an epic-level item, quickly appeared on the main forum of Flame Furnace. As soon as this video appeared, the players in the Flame Furnace Abyss were in an uproar. In the city center, a huge billboard clearly displayed the scene of Song Jian harvesting the last remaining vitality from the world boss. After killing the boss, all viewers gazes were concentrated on that dazzling purple-red glowing item. From the angle of the video shooting, it was obvious that not only Song Jian and the Fallen Angel Alliance players were present, but also a third-party player. However, this player remained silent and appeared like a ghost, recording the events happening there. This video caused the reputation of the Fallen Angel Alliance in the Flame Furnace to plummet. All the alliance players felt that people were looking at them with mocking eyes; At the same time, the video also exposed some of Song Jians skills and trump cards. Seeing how Song Jian seemed to effortlessly control four long swords, wreaking havoc and hardly allowing anyone to withstand him for more than a few seconds, those planning to hunt him chilled in their hearts and weighed it carefully; After this video appeared, Song Jians bounty at the Mercenary Guild increased from 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 Doomsday Coins. This huge sum not only tempted the Bounty Hunters of the Desolate Highland, but also attracted people from other regions of Abyssal Hell. They flocked to the Flame Furnace, trying to find Song Jians whereabouts; Chapter 778: 778 Wolf Spider Demon Chapter 778: Chapter 778 Wolf Spider Demon The last known location of Song Jian was in the Demon Slayer Canyon. After the video release, it was no secret anymore. However, knowing that Song Jian was in the Canyon, many people gave up trying to kill him. The Demon Slayer Canyon was a place infested with level thirty-five monsters. If one did not have the strength to fight off the elite bosses there, pursuing Song Jian was akin to seeking death. Those who dared to enter the Demon Slayer Canyon were powerful and confident. After all, the reward of two million Doomsday Coins wasnt so easy to get hold of. Song Jian was now walking through a deep passage, heading towards the core of the Broken Stone Mountain. After roughly a hundred meters, his journey was met by a vast clearing with a deserted temple right before his eyes. Calling it a temple would be an overstatement. It was more like rubble, with fragmented rocks strewn all over. Signs of a battle were evident everywhere, and it seemed like a war had leveled everything here. Just then, a massive monster covering Song Jians path appeared. The creature was humanoid above the waist and its lower part resembled a giant spider, with six sturdy legs. It held a long spear in its hand and emanated an intense demonic aura. Wolf Spider Demon, Elite Boss, Level Forty, Vitality Points: 9000/9000 Another level forty elite boss. Does this mean all the monsters here are level forty elite bosses? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed as he began analyzing in his mind. Song Jian had once encountered an area entirely filled with elite bosses and had even farmed there for several days when constructing the Magic Crystal Railgun, which helped him gather lots of valuable materials. The Wolf Spider Demon did not have high vitality, but it obviously had other potent attributes: either a powerful attack, exceptional defence, or an attack with additional effects. The stone man Gulu was asleep due to exhaustion, and the terrain was unfit for the Black Dragon. Hence, Song Jian had to fight these monsters blocking his path all alone. Song Jian raised the Skeleton Crossbow and fired it at the Wolf Spider Demon. Thud, thud, thud~ After three consecutive shots, the fire-lit crossbow bolts struck the Wolf Spider Demon. However, they failed to penetrate its defense and only inflicted seven to eight points of damage each. Using weapons other than the longsword reduced damage by 80%. So even with Song Jians high attack power, the output damage would be limited. Using the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword would create a bigger ruckus and might attract other monsters. Dealing with an array of bosses would be a headache for Song Jian. Although the skeleton crossbow inflicted low damage, the noise it made was also minimal. It successfully lured the monster, and the Wolf Spider Demon immediately charged at Song Jian after being hit. He put away the crossbow and produced an abyss-infused black book in his hand. At the same time, a three-sided bone shield appeared around him, slowly revolving. Abyss Intimidation! The Wolf Spider Demon trembled and came to a sudden halt, but it woke up from the stun in less than two seconds and lunged at Song Jian with a roar. Song Jian shook his head. Normally, Abyss Intimidation could stun for around three seconds. Coupled with the effect of an epic necklace, the stun could last nearly four seconds. But this time, the boss only got stunned for less than two seconds, implying its strong resistance to stun effects. As the Abyss Intimidation spell continued, the Wolf Spider Demon darted to Song Jians side. The demon thrust its spear towards his chest. Bang! One of the bone shields collided with the spear creating a breaking sound near Song Jians ear. All three bone shields cracked, each with a more than foot-long gap. Such high damage! Song Jian was shocked, realizing that his Bone Shield may not be able to handle the monsters attacks for ten seconds. Just as expected, the Bone Shield lasted just over five seconds before it completely shattered. Several shards of bone pierced the Wolf Spider Demon, subtracting over 2,000 Vitality Points from it; After taking the damage, the Wolf Spider Demon was instantly enraged. It swung its spear in a wide sweep. Song Jian had no time to dodge and was directly sent flying by the spear, a damage figure of over 300 points floating above his head; System: Abyss Intimidation skill failed! After the Wolf Spider Demon sent Song Jian flying, a real damage number of 1,000 suddenly appeared above its head. Its face showed a look of terror and it started to run around chaotically; This was the special effect of the Abyss Intimidation skill. If the cast fails, it will cause 1,000 points of real damage to the target, and inflict fear for 5 seconds! Because of the epic necklace, this fear time was extended to six and a half seconds; Song Jian stood up, and with a thought, four long swords appeared on both sides of his body. With a wave of his right hand, the four swords flew like meteors towards the Wolf Spider Demon that was running around chaotically; The quad sword technique was simultaneously unleashed, the sword light dazzling, the Wolf Spider Demons body was marked with sword wounds, blood splashed out; The period of fear ended, and the Vitality Points of the Wolf Spider Demon had reduced to a third. However, it showed no signs of fleeing. Instead, it quickly approached Song Jian, using its six spider legs. Then, a gap split open from its abdomen, and a foul-smelling venom was shot out at Song Jian; With a change in Song Jians face, he hastily dodged to the side, but his left shoulder was still hit by the venom, emitting a sizzling corrosive sound. The durability of the shoulder protection of the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set had directly dropped by a dozen points; At the same time, a gray aura began to spread from the corroded part of the shoulder, and in a short while, Song Jian was completely covered in a layer of gray aura; System: You are hit by the venom of the Wolf Spider Demon BOSS, defense reduced by 30%, movement speed decreased by 15%, paralysis effect triggered every 5 seconds; Looking at the status bar, Song Jian discovered a poisoning status that would last for 30 seconds; Dammit, this means I will be paralyzed six times! Song Jians face instantly turned pale; Before he could react, the Wolf Spider Demon surprisingly threw its spear directly at him, and Song Jian subconsciously activated the bloody shield skill from the Fire God Ring; Boom! The newly arisen red shield was directly pierced by the spear, shattering like glass. A healing number of 500 appeared above Song Jians head, simultaneously a scorching heat wave emanated from his body, dispersing in all directions. The heatwave hit the rushing Wolf Spider Demon, a real damage of 500 points floated up from its head, and its body violently shivered, falling into a trembling state; Song Jian pulled the spear out of his chest and threw it aside, looking at the trembling Wolf Spider Demon, a fierce look appeared in his eyes; Flash Thunder Strike, kill! The four long swords glowed with electricity, the Sword Qi slashed at the Wolf Spider Demon, the trembling Wolf Spider Demon had no power to counterattack, it could only endure the twelve electric-infused Sword Qi attacks with only its body. Damage numbers exceeding five hundred floated above its head. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Before it could recover from its trembling state, the twelve Flash Thunder Strikes had taken all of its remaining Vitality Points. The Wolf Spider Demons eyes were filled with unwillingness and fury as its body heavily fell to the ground; Chapter 779: 779: Great Demon Chapter 779: Chapter 779: Great Demon Although Song Jian had killed the Wolf Spider Demon, the poisoning effect on his body had not disappeared. Every five seconds, Song Jian would be as stiff as a stone for three seconds. If he were still in battle, such a state would be enough for the Wolf Spider Demon to kill Song Jian three or four times, without giving him a chance to take any medicine to recover. Finally, after enduring the thirty-second poisoning, Song Jian took out a piece of roasted meat and sat down to slowly replenish his lost Vitality Points. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Never let the Wolf Spider Demons venom touch you! Song Jian secretly reminded himself. It was only a level 40 elite BOSS, and with Song Jians strength, he should have been able to hunt it down in a crushing manner. However, he didnt expect almost having to give away his Enemy of Death God skill here, which made him secretly cautious. Picking up the three blue-quality pieces of equipment and materials dropped by the BOSS, Song Jian curled his lips. The level 40 elite BOSS had only dropped items worth no more than 30,000 Doomsday Coins, which was quite stingy. But the Experience Points are quite generous! Song Jian glanced at his Experience Points, and finally, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. The Experience Points gained from a level 40 elite BOSS were equal to more than a dozen ordinary monsters of the same level. Moreover, Song Jian had leveled up by killing the higher-level Wolf Spider Demon, which greatly increased his experience bar. As he continued to move forward, the temple ruins in the belly of the mountain were vast. All the monsters here were elite BOSSes, and there were more than one type of demon. Up to now, Song Jian had encountered both Flame Demons and Wolf Spider Demons. But soon, Song Jian saw the Goat-faced Demon and the Cerberus Demon; As its name implied, the Goat-faced Demon had a goats head and a burly body, and the pieces of bulging muscles on its body contained explosive power. This was the only monster that Song Jian had seen capable of surpassing his strength attribute since he gained first-order Combat Power. The Bone Shield he had released was shattered with a single blow by the Goat-faced Demon BOSS, and if it hadnt been for Song Jians use of the Soul Wander skill in the end, he might not have been a match for this Goat-faced Demon with his powerful skill effects and attack power. As for the Cerberus Demon, it looked exactly like the three-headed dog that guarded the gates of Hell in legends. A huge body, three ferocious demonic dog heads, and Abyssal Flames burning on its limbs and back. The scorching magma flowed through the cracks on the surface of its body like spider webs, making it appear less like a living creature and more like a puppet golem. Both of these demons failed to charm Song Jian. The Goat-faced Demon could directly shatter the Bone Shield, and the Cerberus Demon could spew flames, venom, and frost from its three heads. Even if Song Jian had used all the shield skills provided by the Bloody Ring and the Transformation Orb, he wouldnt have lasted long enough to use the Abyss Intimidation skill. Damn, if only my battle pets could fight and stall for ten seconds, it would be too easy! Song Jian secretly thought. At that moment, he suddenly remembered that he still had a Sword Shadow Clone skill, which, although not as powerful as his main body, could effectively confuse opponents. Just as Song Jian felt a bit annoyed and regretful about not thinking of this skill earlier, he finally encountered the fifth kind of demona Great Demon, wearing a cloak and wielding a scythe, looking like the legendary Death God! The Great Demons damage was extremely high, and it could also cast teleportation skills. Less than two seconds after being intimidated, it teleported directly in front of Song Jian, raised its scythe, and slashed at him. The Bone Shield only withstood three hits from the Great Demon before it shattered, and a black blade of light flashed. Song Jian was actually cut in half by its attack. However, the Great Demon was puzzled because it had clearly killed its target, but the Abyss Intimidation spell was still echoing in its ears. An illusion! The Great Demons face changed dramatically. It could feel a tremendous threat enveloping it, and as its eyes turned blood-red and it rushed towards Song Jians real body, an Abyssal Slave seal suddenly branded its brow. With a shrill scream, the Great Demons body suddenly burst into intense flames. The flames consumed its body, and it disappeared in an instant. But in less than a second, the Great Demon reappeared, clutching its head and rolling on the ground covered in debris. Not long after, this Great Demon BOSS finally stopped, as if it had resigned to its fate. It walked towards Song Jian, fell to one knee in front of him, and said in the Abyssal language, Master! The Great Demons hoarse voice was like rubbing a handful of sand in its throat, making Song Jian frown. But when he saw the demons attributes clearly, he couldnt help but laugh out loud, feeling relieved. This Great Demons attributes were extremely powerful. Not only did it have incredible attack power and teleportation skills, it also had a passive ability called Fatal Blow. Although it couldnt instant-kill any creature like the Undead Knight, it had a certain chance to trigger triple damage. As long as it wasnt a BOSS, ordinary monsters being hit with triple damage by the Great Demons powerful attack would be instantly killed. In practice, this Fatal Blow wasnt much different from the Undead Knights ability. Most importantly, the trigger rate of the Great Demons Fatal Blow was much higher than that of the Undead Knight15%, which already made Song Jian very satisfied. If I can recruit twelve Great Demons, then when attacking together, the triggering probability of this passive ability will be extremely high. Its the perfect weapon against players! Song Jian thought to himself. With the addition of the first Great Demon, the efficiency of Song Jians grinding increased significantly. Soon, he successively charmed eleven more Great Demons, forming a team of Great Demons that began sweeping through all the monsters in the temple ruins. More than an hour later, Song Jians level had increased by one. With his current level, leveling up meant grinding over half a month of same-level monsters. However, in the temple ruins, his efficiency had increased more than tenfold. Upon reaching level thirty-eight, Song Jian added the new skill point to his core skill, Immortal Sword Body. The now ninth-level Immortal Sword Body provided a significant increase in attributes and duration. Clearly, level nine was not the limit for the Immortal Sword Body skillit could still be upgraded even further. The higher the quality of the skill, the higher its level limit. Just like the Soul Wander skill, its level limit was twelve. Song Jian estimated that the Immortal Sword Bodys level limit was at least the same as Soul Wander, if not higher. Chapter 780: 780: Angels Feather Chapter 780: Chapter 780: Angels Feather Song Jian led twelve Great Demons, sweeping through this area, and in just three hours, all the monsters he saw were killed. When the twelve Great Demons attacked together, at least one of them would trigger a lethal blow, dealing three times the damage directly, causing more than three thousand points of damage. The damage caused by the other eleven Great Demons attacks wasnt much less. These elite BOSSes of the same level couldnt bear it at all. In this temple ruin area, as long as an elite BOSS was targeted by Song Jian, they couldnt even get close to him before being killed by the Great Demons. Song Jian only needed to pick up the dropped items behind them. Where Song Jian had passed, burned corpses were left behind. After the death of the Abyssal Demons, most of them would be devoured by the Abyssal Flames and turned to ashes. Along the way, in addition to the five Demon BOSSes encountered previously, Song Jian encountered two more types of demons C Abyssal Succubus and a Fallen Angel with a pair of black wings. These two types of monsters were rare in number but stronger than the previous five types. The Abyssal Succubus had a natural ability to charm, and all twelve Great Demons were charmed by it, not attacking at all. Even Song Jian wouldve been controlled by Abyss Temptation if it wasnt for his powerful talent skill Thick-skinned. However, if one resisted her charm, the Abyssal Succubus was easy to deal with. Both its attack and defense power were slightly weaker than other elite BOSSes; Meanwhile, the Fallen Angel was the most powerful Abyssal BOSS Song Jian had ever seen. It was like a combination of a warrior and a mage. Not only could it cast Abyssal spells, but it wielded a long sword and was unmatched in close combat. If not for the large number of Great Demons, the Fallen Angel could have fought three same-level Great Demons without losing; Such combat power made Song Jian envious. Except for the first Fallen Angel, which was killed by the Great Demons siege, all the other Fallen Angels he encountered were charmed by Song Jian using the Abyss Intimidation skill and turned into his slaves. It was just a pity that there were so few Fallen Angels. By the time Song Jian arrived at a semi-collapsed temple, he had only charmed three Fallen Angels, and the remaining nine slaves were still Great Demons. The items dropped by these BOSSes were not bad, at least all of them were of blue quality. Song Jian picked up more than 30,000 Doomsday Coins along the way. The other materials and equipment took up a whole backpack. Song Jian even discarded some low-value blue materials and equipment to save space. After all, he brought a large amount of supplies with him. No one could guarantee what would happen during the mission, and sufficient supplies could determine whether he could survive in Abyssal Hell. Even if he encountered valuable items, he couldnt throw away these supplies; Among the dropped items, a silver feather emitting a silver glow caught Song Jians attention. It was a palm-sized silver feather with mysterious magic patterns occasionally appearing on its surface. A faint Divine Power emitted from the feather. If Song Jian hadnt experienced Divine Power before, he wouldnt have sensed this weak force. The whole feather was crystal clear, like an art piece. Holding it in his hand, Song Jian could feel its weight C this single feather weighed at least a hundred pounds; Angels Feather (Special), Medium item, Usage requirements: 100 Intelligence points; Usage effect: Spirit Summoner class players can use this item to summon a Bicolumned Angel to assist in battle. The angel exists for one hour and disappears automatically upon death. During its existence, the Spirit Summoner has a certain chance to increase the Bicolumned Angels favorability. When the favorability reaches respect, the angel will permanently become the spirit summoners battle pet! An Angel?! Song Jians eyes lit up. The three Fallen Angels behind him were wearing armor, and their genders could not be seen. Even their faces were covered by black metal masks that covered the area below their noses. Yet, even with only half of their faces visible, the three Fallen Angels were incredibly handsome, making people want to take off their masks and take a look; One could imagine that if they could really recruit a real angel, it would cause quite a sensation. Besides, judging from the combat power of the Fallen Angels, Song Jian could infer that the strength of the summoned Bicolumned Angel would not be weaker than that of the Black Dragon and had potential for continuous growth. However, Song Jian had never encountered the Spirit Summoner class before, and this feather could only summon the angel for one hour. As for how to increase the angels favorability and make it a permanent battle pet, Song Jian had no clue; The value of this item was difficult to determine. Its applicability was narrow, only usable by Spirit Summoners, and it had a great chance of being a one-time use item. If a wealthy player was encountered, then the value of this feather would be equivalent to that of a Bicolumned Angel, otherwise, it could only be sold as a one-time use item; Song Jian had killed only one Fallen Angel, and this feather should have been dropped by that Fallen Angel. Other than this feather, no other items interested Song Jian. The items dropped were mostly restricted to the Abyss profession. If they couldnt be sold here, they could only be taken back to the City of Hope and disassembled into materials; Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian walked towards the half-collapsed temple, and as soon as he entered the Temple Gate, a magma river as wide as ten meters appeared before his eyes, dividing the temple in two. The dazzling red light shone from the magma river, as the magma constantly churned and flowed. The scorching air came rolling towards him, and even standing at the entrance of the temple, Song Jian could feel the heatwave. With a thought, a pair of steel wings appeared behind Song Jian. With a flap of his wings, he flew across the magma river; As he crossed the magma river, Song Jian found that the ground on the other side was covered with bottomless ravines, as if someone had wielded a giant sword and randomly chopped the ground. As he approached these ravines, Song Jian suddenly felt the pain of needle pricks on his skin. The residual Sword Qi around here actually condensed for hundreds of years without dissipating. Isnt this supposed to be the Guardian Temple of the Abyss Demon King? Why are there such terrifying Sword Qi here? Song Jian frowned as he walked around the ravines, heading towards the temple; As he continued forward, some relatively intact buildings appeared before Song Jians eyes. Along with them came groups of Fallen Angels and Abyssal Succubi. Song Jian realized that it seemed that all the Abyssal Succubi and Fallen Angels in the entire area were concentrated here, which was why there were so few of these demons outside the temple. These monsters were numerous, and the distance between them was very short, making it difficult to single them out. Song Jian ordered the demon slaves behind him to stay where they were, cast the stealth skill from the Abyssal Stealth Necklace he wore, and slowly approached the buildings ahead; PS: Thanks to Silver Snake for rewarding 500 Qidian coins~ Chapter 781: 781: The Fallen Angel Chapter 781: Chapter 781: The Fallen Angel Song Jian noticed that the Abyss Temptations and the Fallen Angels here seemed to be more spirited than the ones outside. Some of them even engaged in quiet conversations. They all spoke in the language of the Abyss which wasnt a problem for Song Jian. A Fallen Angel brushed past Song Jian, causing him to tense up. This Fallen Angel appeared to have sensed something and turned to look in Song Jians direction, its eyes filled with confusion. Song Jian stood perfectly still. A bead of cold sweat rolled down from his forehead, down his cheek. After a moment, the Fallen Angel shook its head and continued to walk forward. Song Jian managed to catch the drop of sweat, his heart pounding. It seemed that the Abyss Concealment Skill inherent to the Concealment Necklace was of a high level, able to conceal him even from the perception of a level 40 Elite Boss. Song Jian headed towards the relatively intact buildings. The farther he ventured in, the more creatures he encountered. They roamed around the buildings, their activities unknown to Song Jian. He then spotted a rather grand building ahead, a three-story stone tower. This stone tower, which bore numerous scratches and moss, was probably the best-preserved structure here, carrying the traces of time. Despite the towers ancient appearance, it was the most intact and eye-catching building he had come across. After some hesitation, Song Jian headed towards the stone tower. Two Fallen Angels stood guard at the entrance. As he carefully walked past them, the one on the left seemed to sense something. It pulled out its longsword and made a hostile swipe at the entrance. Song Jian rolled into the first floor of the stone tower the moment he sensed the Fallen Angel draw its sword. The sword only cut through empty air. The Fallen Angel pulled back its sword expressionlessly. Its companion on the other side looked at it strangely but didnt say anything. The two Fallen Angels returned to their statue-like stance. Song Jian was covered in a cold sweat. The level of the Abyss Concealment Skill might have been just enough to jolt the edge of detection of a level 40 Elite Boss. While it couldnt see through Song Jians stealth state, it could sense slight traces. If he hadnt been so alert just now, his stealth wouldve been compromised by the Fallen Angel. The first floor of the stone tower was empty of possessions. A stone staircase by the wall led to the second floor. Song Jian thought about it, then decided to ascend the stairs. On the second floor, there were several racks apparently for placing items. All of them were made of blackwood, emitting a metallic sound when knocked. It felt like ironwood. Unfortunately, the racks were all empty, devoid of any item. Song Jian felt a pang of disappointment. Could it be that there were no clues about the seven Great Demon Lords in this stone tower and all his previous guesses were wrong? Unwilling to give up, Song Jian continued to climb to the third floor and entered the highest level of the stone tower. Here, Song Jian finally made a discovery. He saw two Fallen Angels in silver armor. But unlike others, the wings of the two were not black but grey. Black mists, the Abyssal Chains, were wrapped around them. The black mists, looking like tentacles, sprouted from the chains and reached towards the wings of the Angels. Whenever the grey aura touched the wings, sparks flew, causing the black mists to retract like a frightened animal. However, after a short while, the black tentacle-like mists would extend from the Abyssal Chains again. Each encounter elicited energy from the wings, repelling the mists. But with each encounter, a strand as thin as a hair remained on the wings. Despair was evident on the faces of the two angels, bound by the Abyssal Chains. Even suicide was not an option for them. They could only endure, quietly, the erosion of the languid aura of the abyss. They kept resisting, refusing to fall. But if they succumbed, the aura would drag them into the Abyss, turning them into Fallen Angels. Between the angels, there was a large half person-tall chest, radiating a dark golden light. It was constructed of an unknown material, inscribed with complex and eerie magical patterns that intermittently glowed. The two bound angels ignored the treasure chest between them, silently enduring the corrosion of the Abyssal Chains. Kekaul, can you can you keep going? The Fallen Angel on the left asked in a pained whisper. Tula, are you giving up? Kekaul gritted his teeth. Have you truly forgotten the glory of God and want to become a monster like those outside? God? Tula gave a bitter smile. Weve been tormented here for hundreds of years. But our God he never once showed up! Tula, this is Gods test for us. I believe as long as we persist, we will be saved! Kekaul responded with steadfast conviction. Just then, the black chains binding Kekaul coalesced into a 7 or 8 meter-long whip, and started to lash his body viciously. Crack, crack, crack. Black lash marks appeared on Kekauls silver armor. The whipping seemed to inflict more than just physical pain; his soul also bore a sensation of being ripped apart. Large beads of sweat rolled off Kekauls forehead. A pained expression twisted his face as he struggled to suppress his moans. After more than a dozen lashes, the whip dissipated back into the black mists of the Abyssal Chains. Seeing Kekaul being whipped, Tulas face clouded with remorse, soon replaced by a look of agony. Kekaul, I I feel like I cant hold on much longer! Tula took a deep breath, his body trembling slightly. His once light-grey wings instantly darkened. With his head lowered, Kekaul didnt engage Tula in further conversation. Instead, he started softly reciting hymns. As he chanted, the Abyssal Chains constricted him even more, causing his silver breastplate to creak, as thin cracks started spreading across its surface. God, why wont you save us! Tula roared in anguish, and his wings turned jet-black, as if doused in a bucket of ink. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 782: 782: Rescue Chapter 782: Chapter 782: Rescue These two angels, who knows who captured them and placed them inside this stone tower, experienced untold torture and torment within it. Over a hundred years ago, they firmly believed that the gods would come to save them. However, a century passed, and these two angels experienced unending suffering, both physically and emotionally. Eventually, one of the angels finally couldnt bear the torment any longer. With resentment towards the gods in its heart, it gave up its angel status and became a fallen angel. The instant its wings turned pitch black, its silver armor also turned black, and countless Abyssal energies emerged from the void. They coalesced into a dark metal mask that covered its face. Sizzle sizzle sizzle~ The sound of flesh searing emanated, and a faint scent of roasted meat filled the air. Tula raised his head abruptly, a pained scream escaping from beneath the mask. The moment this black metal mask covered Tulas face, the Abyssal Chains that bound it shattered with a clang, dissolving into strands of Abyssal energy that quickly merged into Tulas body. Previously withered and weak, Tula regained its strength. With its black wings unfurled, it stood on the ground, black energy continuously seeping from its body, and an overwhelming aura emitted from it. A pained expression surfaced on Kekauls face, and he closed his eyes tightly, constantly reciting hymns with his head lowered. Tula turned its head. Its once-golden eyes were now blood-red. It glanced at Kekaul, who was still bound by the Abyssal Chains, and spoke lowly with a hoarse voice, Im waiting for you! After speaking, Tula strode towards the tower exit. Tears rolled down Kekauls cheeks. He knew that he had lost a companion forever. In the past hundred years, their mutual encouragement helped them persevere. Now he was alone, and Kekaul didnt know how much longer he could hold on. His wings had been eroded into a light gray, and he felt himself losing strength each day, while Abyssal forces slowly infiltrated his body. It was at this moment that Kekaul suddenly spotted a figure materializing in mid-air. Song Jian deliberately terminated his stealth and appeared in front of Kekaul. Yourea human? Kekaul could hardly believe his eyes. In this Abyssal Hell filled with demons, seeing a human being made Kekaul think he was having a hallucination. Yes, respected Angel. I am indeed a human! Song Jian bowed to Kekaul and replied with a smile. How did you come here? Kekaul asked in astonishment, This is the Abyssal Hell, where there are demons everywhere I am following the guidance of the Goddess of Dawns believer, High Priestess Cecilia, and have come here to seek the Demon Lords Abyssal Demon Flame! Song Jian responded. He didnt know which god Kekaul worshipped, but he could ascertain that the god Kekaul worshipped must belong to the same righteous faction as the Goddess of Dawn. Demon Lord? Kekaul furrowed his brows slightly and sighed softly, As far as I know, all seven Abyss Demon Kings have already fallen System: Youve discovered the Demon Guardian Temple. The mission Last Wishes of the Seven Demon Lords will begin its next phase; System: Please talk to Imprisoned Angel Kekaul and gather information about the fall of the seven Demon Lords; Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian glanced at the system prompt and pursed his lips. The so-called Demon Guardian Temple in the mission must be the abandoned area previously buried beneath Broken Stone Mountain. Song Jian entered but hadnt discovered the Guardian Temple until he found the two angels. Clearly, the missions requirements went beyond simply discovering the temple; Song Jian had also to locate the critical mission NPC. It seemed that the angel Kekaul in front of him was indeed the critical mission NPC for this epic mission. If it also fell like Tula and became a Fallen Angel, I wonder how this mission will proceed! Song Jian mused silently. In reality, this epic mission indeed had the possibility of failing from the get-go. If Song Jian hadnt arrived within the time limit, Kekaul wouldve followed in Tulas footsteps and succumbed, becoming a Fallen Angel in at most one day. By then, no matter how thorough Song Jian searched the area, he wouldnt have been able to complete the quest. The Seven Demon Lords have already fallen? Song Jian raised his eyebrows and asked softly, Respected Angel, could you please explain in detail how the Seven Demon Lords perished? The white finger bone in his inventory shone brightly. Ever since accepting this epic mission, Song Jian had known from the missions name that the seven Demon Lords had fallen. His current inquiry was just to continue along the missions path. With a sigh, Kekaul recounted everything he knew about the fall of the Seven Demon Lords to Song Jian. Apparently, a hundred years ago, an incredibly powerful human had trespassed into the Abyssal Hell, causing immense destruction. The Demon Slayer Canyon was said to have been created by this human and the Demon Lord during an intense battle. The humans reckless actions eventually angered the rulers of the Abyssal Hell. The seven Abyss Demon Kings challenged the human in unison. As a result, after a great battle, the Kings perished while the heavily injured human vanished without a trace. Kekaul and Tula were just ordinary twin-winged battle angels who ventured into the Abyssal Hell for training. Yet, they were extremely unlucky. During a demon hunt, they inadvertently got too close to the battlefield where the Demon Lords fought, and the aftermath of the battle gravely injured them. They were subsequently captured and imprisoned at the Demon Guardian Temple until the present. It took Kekaul more than twenty minutes to relay all the information that Song Jian required. System: Youve learned the truth about the fall of the Seven Demon Lords. The next step of the mission has begun. Mission content: Save Angel Kekaul! Human, can you rescue me from the binding of the Abyssal Chains? Kekaul pleaded hopefully, If you set me free, I am willing to become your companion in the Abyssal Hell and assist you in battle until you leave the Abyssal Hell! Chapter 783: 783: Underground Cave Chapter 783: Chapter 783: Underground Cave The angel Kekaul issued a mission to Song Jian to save himself, but this mission was not easy for Song Jian; Song Jian frowned slightly. This was an epic-level task; every step was incredibly challenging and even filled with hidden traps. Just like the first mission to explore the Demon Guardian Temple, even after reaching the temple area, one has to find the key NPC to complete the task; To save Angel Kekaul, its necessary to free him from the Abyssal Chains. If the key to the liberation was a level 40 Lord Boss, Song Jian would not be surprised; Song Jian had the Book of the Abyss. If Angel Kekaul became a Fallen Angel, it would be easy for Song Jian to recruit him as a slave, but releasing him was a tough task indeed. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian nodded, agreeing to the task; Its my honor! Song Jian said. A look of relief appeared in Angel Kekauls eyes. The fall of his companion had dealt a severe blow to him. If Song Jian hadnt appeared, Kekaul would likely become a Fallen Angel, a creature of the Abyss, within a day. Thank you, human, you have won the friendship of the Temple Legion! Kekaul said gratefully; System: You have unlocked Neutral Faction, Prestige in Sky City. Your fame in Sky City has reached Ordinary. You have unlocked the Temple Legions Prestige. Your reputation in the Temple Legion has reached Friendly! Your relationship with Angel Kekaul reached Friendly; Song Jian was stunned, not expecting to gain benefits simply by accepting the task. There were many factions within the game, most of which were established by NPC. These big and small organizations have lots of resources, but to obtain these resources, one must first establish a good relationship with these factions and improve their reputation. Song Jian had never heard of Sky City and the Temple Legion. However, such organizations had been in existence for hundreds of years, and being able to open up prestige would undoubtedly bring benefits; I wonder how I can save you from here? And, I want to ask, is this chest yours? Song Jian pointed at the Dark Gold Treasure Chest next to the bound Angel. On the third floor of this tower, the only thing that piqued Song Jians interest was this Dark Gold Treasure Chest. Its a trap! Kekaul had a wry smile on his face as he continued, Inside this Dark Gold Treasure Chest is actually a wicked trap. Once you open it, youll be killed by the mechanisms inside! What? Song Jian broke out in a cold sweat. Had he not witnessed the fall of an Angel, he probably would have tried to open the chest right away. The existence of this chest is to let us witness the wickedness of human hearts firsthand. Five other adventurers had appeared here but ignored us who were bound, and directly opened the chest! Kekaul lamented, The Abyss Demons are experts in manipulating the hearts of humans. Theyre using this methodology to crush our confidence and willpower Song Jian suddenly realized that creatures like Angels seem to always show up as protectors of people. When theyre in danger, those theyve always protected only see the Dark Gold Treasure Chest, seek benefits, and dont consider rescuing the Angles in distress. This is indeed hard for the Angels to accept. If it were a more intense Angel, it might have fallen into an Abyss creature on the spot; After understanding this, Song Jians face became grim. The Demon that could come up with such a method was clearly an old, crafty fox. To save the Angel in front of him, theres a high chance hell confront the Demon; As expected, Angel Kekaul continued, To touch the shackles of the Abyssal Chains, you must obtain the fang of the Sixth Demon King Ishtan, which is now controlled by the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist Iphisna! It was her idea to use such a wicked method and so many of my companions have fallen to become Abyss Demons. May I ask about the strength of this Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, Iphisna? Song Jian tentatively asked. Her power is very strong, almost comparable to the might of the Archangel. In the language of you adventurers, she is a level 50 Lord Boss possessing peak First Order Combat Power! Angel Kekaul bluntly revealed. Song Jian almost spat out a mouthful of blood. A peak First Order Combat Power, level 50 Lord Boss, this epic-level mission is only the second ring and its already this difficult? With Song Jian currently at level 38, facing this Boss, he cant even check her attributes. Just looking at her level, which is in the shape of a skull, is a sign that shes ten levels higher than him, possessing the power to crush lower-level beings. With my strength, Im just not a match for her! Song Jian said with a grim expression. A Lord Boss wouldnt be like an Elite Boss, going about without any subordinates. If she didnt have hundreds of minions following her at all times, she would be too embarrassed to even greet other Lord Bosses. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You dont need to fight her. Although the Fang of the Sixth Demon King is controlled by Iphisna, its placed on an altar. The Wolf Spider Demons want to resurrect the Sixth Demon King through blood sacrifice. You just need to steal the Fang from the altar. Angel Kekaul said. Phew, thankfully we dont need to fight such a powerful Boss! Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief, you can imagine how strong the guardians of the altar which could resurrect the Sixth Demon King would be. However, theres always a way if you aim to steal; even the tiger dozes off once in a while. With this considered, the difficulty of the mission has dropped considerably; After telling Song Jian the location of the altar, Angel Kekaul seemed exhausted and closed his eyes, no longer speaking. The fall of his companion who had been with him for hundreds of years had dealt a great blow to him. His mental defense had gaps now. Song Jian quietly waited for the cooldown of the Concealment Necklace to end, then entered stealth mode and walked towards the outside of the tower; With the Abyss Concealment Skill, Song Jian carefully moved through the shadows of these buildings. Abyss Temptation and Fallen Angels occasionally passed by but as long as he didnt make a noise, it was difficult for these creatures to detect him; Once he passed through the relatively intact architecture, Song Jian arrived at a stretch of cliff; it was the edge of the cavern. Here, a massive cave appeared before him. Red light constantly radiated from the cave and eerie screams could be faintly heard from inside the cave, making one shudder; Chapter 784 - 784 Blood Sacrifice Chapter 784: Chapter 784 Blood Sacrifice Song Jian stepped into the cave entrance, where a narrow passageway lay ahead. The rock walls of the passageway emitted a dim, red glow, the scorching temperature proving almost unbearable even for him. The passageway led steeply downwards, deep into the earth. Having navigated through it, Song Jian soon arrived at an underground square. Despite its location, the environment here wasnt any different from the surface. The ground was riddled with cracks through which lava flowed slowly, occasionally spluttering upwards before solidifying into blackish-red rocks. However, the environment here was a little bit darker than the surface. With his Vertical Eye slightly open, Song Jian could see that the underground square was quite expansive. A few rudimentary straw huts were scattered around, and at the center of the square was a giant altar surrounded by rows upon rows of stone steps, as many as a hundred. At the very top of the altar was a roaring bonfire. Before the bonfire was a stone platform similar to a bed, on which a young girl dressed in ragged clothes was bound. However, this girl clearly had Abyss Demon lineage. Little horns protruded from her forehead, and faint black patterns appeared on her cheeks C characteristic magical markings of Abyss Temptation. Clearly, this girl held Abyssal Succubus blood. Several Wolf Spider Demons stood unmoving on the altars stone steps, quietly watching the altar, looking like statues. Next to the stone platform atop the altar, a Wolf Spider Demon adorned with numerous ornaments held a magic staff towards the bonfire, loudly chanting something. This Wolf Spider Demon, encrusted with ornaments, was massive. Its lower body was a bloated spiders abdomen, while from the waist up it had a young girls body, fair skin, slender arms, and long black hair. If one were to view only its upper body, it would resemble an enticing, wondrous figure. However, when Song Jian saw her face, he was visibly taken aback, as if he had encountered something unbelievable. The face of the Wolf Spider Demon was lined with wrinkles, its skin as gnarled as old tree bark, devoid of any teeth, the lips seemed shrunken. It looked like an old man in his eighties. The magic staff in her hand resembled a creatures spine. A faint red glow seeped from inside the staff, akin to blood coursing through it. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, Iphisna Song Jian whispered. He could not discern the name of this monstrous creature. To him, the Ritualist with an elderly face and a young girls body appeared as statistically unknown, its attributes marked by question marks, its level indicated by a skull symbol, but he knew that it was the only monster present whose attributes he could not discern. Without a doubt, this was the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist referred to by the Angel Kekaul: Iphisna. A Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, an altar. This must be where the Sixth Demon Lord Istantins Fangs are kept. But where are the fangs, the objective of the quest? Song Jian muttered to himself, glancing left and right, but he did not find any traces of the fangs. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist muttered an incantation. Song Jian could hear clearly that she was reciting in the Abyssal language, but he could not understand a single word. The Ritualist slowly approached the stone platform. The young girl with the Abyssal Succubus bloodline, who was bound on the platform, looked listless. Seeing the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist approaching, fear flashed across her face. She fervently shook her head, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes as if pleading for mercy. For some inexplicable reason, she couldnt make any sound. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist elevated her magic staff and gently touched the girls forehead. Streams of dark red essence flowed from the staff into the girls body. The girl struggled violently, her entire body went rigid, arched like a bow, before falling heavily onto the stone platform. Streams of gray essence emerged from the girls body and rushed toward the large bonfire. The gray essence became increasingly dense. Eventually, a semi-transparent gray silhouette appeared, resembling the girl, and was being drawn out of her body, flying towards the enormous bonfire. The girl lying on the stone platform, seemed increasingly frail, her breath intermittent, and her state was critical. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist glanced at her, flicked her hand and the ropes binding the girl ripped apart. Two Wolf Spider Demons stepped forward and lifted the girl away. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist leaned on her magic staff, slowly walked towards the bonfire, and began chanting loudly. Suddenly, the formerly crimson flame soared several feet high. A streak of black began spreading from the center of the flame, and in no time, the entire flame turned black. The Abyssal Magic Flame! Song Jian squinted toward the blaze. The black flame was unique to the Abyssal Hell. Only those flames imbued with the purest Abyssal Power were black. The instant the flames turned black, the Book of the Abyss inside Song Jian began stirring. The surface of the book surged with a black flame, enveloping the entire tome. As if responding to something, the black flames on the altar became more intense, bounding higher. In the heart of the black flames, a foot-long curved fang slowly emerged, suspended in mid-air and encased in flame. Song Jians eyes lit up. It appeared that the fangs in the midst of the black flames were indeed the quest items. Only the fangs of the Sixth Demon Lord could be compatible with the Abyssal Magic Flame. No other items could possibly withstand the Abyssal Magic Flame for an extended duration. Securing this quest item would not be an easy task. Given the numerous Wolf Spider Demons occupying the altar C and the presence of a skull-level Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist C with Song Jians current strength, it was impossible for him to charge forward and seize the Demon Lords fangs. Song Jian waited patiently. While his Abyss Concealment Skill might be able to fool the numerous Wolf Spider Demons, it would certainly not fool the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. If he ventured too close in stealth, she would undoubtedly detect him. Consequently, Song Jian dared not use his stealth skill to advance. The black flame appeared, and so did the fangs of the Abyss Demon Lord. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist reversed her magic staff and plunged it into her own heart. A spray of fresh blood shot forth. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist let out a pained groan. Like a fountain, blood erupted from her chest, aiming for the fangs within the black flames. Chapter 785: Tusks Chapter 785: Chapter 785: Tusks Blood continuously spouted from the chest of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. The amount, already exceeding two to three times its volume, made the smooth skin of its body slowly wane in moisture and luster, matching the unparalleled age of its cheeks skin. Even the spider body below its waist showed a color of grey decay. However, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist quickly pulled out its magic staff and from its waist pouch, took out a lump of black ointment and smeared it on its chest; Song Jian knew that the creature was at its weakest, stirring a blistering urge in him. Yet, the surrounding hundreds of Wolf Spider Demons immediately cooled his enthusiasm. Even if all of his twelve demon slaves were present, even if the Black Dragon and Stone Man Gulu both participated in the fight, he couldnt possibly withstand the siege of hundreds of Wolf Spider Demon Bosses. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist seemed very exhausted, but she still knelt down, with all of its eight spider legs curled up, its forehead pressed against the cold surface of the stone altar, and started praying in a low voice; All of the Wolf Spider Demons also knelt down simultaneously, with their six spider legs curled, their heads resting on the ritualistic altar steps, murmuring prayers with the Ritualist in the Abyssal language; sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a long while, the black flames gradually shrank, as though they were being absorbed by the Demon Lords fang, which slowly faded like a phantom before disappearing into the void. At this point, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist finally heaved a sigh of relief, slowly getting up, assisted by two Wolf Spider Demons. She began to venture down the altar steps, leaving the impression that their blood sacrifice had been completed. All of the surrounding Wolf Spider Demons respectfully lowered their heads, facing the Ritualist, and waited for her to descend the altar. Half an hour later, the Wolf Spider Demons surrounding the altar had departed, leaving only a dozen or so Wolf Spider Demon guards patrolling around, watching over the towering altar. Song Jian was aware that even with many fewer Wolf Spider Demon Bosses here, he still couldnt fight without drawing the attention of other Wolf Spider Demons, perhaps even that of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. Song Jian, now in stealth mode, carefully avoided the surrounding Wolf Spider Demon Bosses and slowly headed towards the altar. One of the Wolf Spider Demon Bosses bumped into him, seemed to sense something, emitted a low growl from its throat, and stopped in its tracks. It gazed around with a confused expression, but it was not capable of detecting Song Jians presence and after a while, this Wolf Spider Demon slowly drifted away. Despite this, Song Jian was perspiring cold sweat. This must be the place of most concern for the Wolf Spider Demons, seemingly lightly defended, but once an enemy is spotted, by just guarding the entrance, the Wolf Spider Demons could render the enemy unable to escape even if they had wings; Song Jian climbed onto the altar and stood before the altars bonfire, which had once again resumed burning with red flames. It was then that he discovered that the bonfire was not ordinary, burning not regular firewood but the bones of some enormous abyssal creature. As Song Jian stood before the bonfire, he did not detect anything unusual. He couldnt summon the black Abyssal Demon Flame either. Without the Abyssal Demon Flame, the Demon Lords fang would not appear. Song Jian glanced at the dozen or so Wolf Spider Demons below the altar, his brows furrowing. He could sense that as he approached the massive bonfire, the Book of the Abyss in his body started to stir. If he were to bring out the Book of the Abyss, it would surely draw forth the Abyssal Demon Flame here, but that might alarm the surrounding creatures. With this thought, Song Jian suddenly had an idea. He still had twelve demon slaves waiting outside. If these were to attack, they would likely draw the attention of most of the Wolf Spider Demon Bosses. If it could distract the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist as well, then the difficulty of this mission would be significantly reduced! With this in mind, Song Jian ordered his twelve demon slaves who had been guarding outside to rush into the underground cave where the wolf spider demon altar was located. Soon, Song Jian could feel his demon slaves vitality points were decreasing, and they had entered a combat state. Then, he heard an enraged roar from the distance. Subordinates of the Fifth Demon Lord, have you lost your minds? You dare to attack the Sixth Demon Lords resurrection altar! The raspy voice of the wolf spider demon ritualist echoed with suppressed rage. Song Jian could hear almost all the wolf spider demons roar with anger, and they followed the wolf spider demon ritualist, charging at the demon slaves who invaded their territory. Among the demon slaves Song Jian had recruited were three fallen angels and the rest were great demons, which led the wolf spider demon ritualist to mistakenly think that it was they trying to hinder the resurrection of the Sixth Demon Lord. Therefore, he summoned all the wolf spider demons, unaware that the only invaders were the twelve abyssal demons before him. The wolf spider demons guarding the underground altar also started to stir, and even five or six of them rushed out of the cave. Even those who did not rush out moved toward the mouth of the cave, intending to take advantage of the terrain to guard the underground cave. Seeing the wolf spider demons had left the altar, Song Jian immediately took out the Book of the Abyss. Boom! The surface of the Book of the Abyss suddenly erupted with black flames which served as a catalyst. The massive bonfire in front of Song Jian instantly turned from scarlet to black. Streams of black flames seemed to surge towards the Book of the Abyss, and a fang over a foot long slowly emerged from the void. Song Jian stepped forward and grabbed the protruding fang. A searing sound rang out and Song Jian felt a throbbing pain in his palm. A puff of white smoke rose from his palm, as if something had taken a bite out of it. This unexpected event took Song Jian by surprise. An 800-plus damage value floated above his head, and his stealth status was immediately broken, gradually revealing his figure! System: You have seized the Demon Fang of the Sixth Demon Lord, causing him to lose the chance of resurrection. Your reputation among the wolf spider demons is permanently set to unflagging hostility! System: The wolf spider demon ritualist, Iphisna, has targeted you and will chase you relentlessly until one of you is completely annihilated! System: You have obtained the Abyssal Demon Flame left by the Sixth Demon Lord, and the ranking of your Book of the Abyss has been upgraded, increasing the power of all skills in the book. Your existing Abyssal Demon Flame has been promoted to tier five. Chapter 786: Escape Chapter 786: Chapter 786: Escape Song Jian was startled and hurriedly put the fang in the bag and ran towards the exit of the underground cave; It was too terrifying. A level 50 first-order battle power peak lord-level BOSS targeted him and intended to chase him relentlessly. If Song Jian didnt leave quickly, he would probably be trapped here forever, even the death gods enemy skill wouldnt be helpful. As Song Jian rushed to the entrance of the underground cave, he suddenly felt that he had quickly lost contact with the twelve abyssal slaves, which meant they had all been killed. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In just less than three minutes, eight great demons and one fallen angel were already killed. It was easy to imagine how powerful the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist was, as it could completely crush them; The wolf spider demons guarding the altar were furious when they saw Song Jian rushing down, and under a mixture of fear and anger, they swarmed towards him, intending to stay behind even if it meant perishing together. Otherwise, what would await them would be a fate worse than death; Song Jian didnt dare dally with these wolf spider demons, as every second mattered. The moment he took the Demon Lords fang, he felt a powerful mental strength locking onto him. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist had already detected his presence and rushed towards the altar in big strides without even bothering to kill the remaining abyssal slaves; Every second was precious for Song Jian. If the wolf spider demons blocked the exit of the underground cave, he would lose his life here. Whoosh~ A stinky green venom sprayed towards Song Jian, who immediately used the Bone Shield skill. A three-sided bone shield appeared around his body, continuously protecting him from the damage of the venom; In just a short while, the three shields turned green due to the venom with faint corrosive green smoke rising from them. Although their defense was reduced, they could still last for quite some time. The venoms damage wasnt high, but its negative effects were terrible. Even Song Jians passive skill, Thick-skinned, couldnt completely resist them, but merely weaken them. At this moment, more than a dozen wolf spider demons had returned to the cave entrance. When they saw Song Jian rushing towards them, they immediately lifted their bone spears and hurled them at him; Bang, bang, bang~ The bone shield faced its most severe test, as dozens of bone spears ruthlessly pierced it, and radial cracks appeared at the point of impact. In a short while, the three bone shields shattered simultaneously, and palm-sized fragments scattered in all directions. The narrow entrances wolf spider demons were shot by the fragments like a downpour. Enemy of the Death God skill dealt 500 points of true damage in an instant, losing nearly one-third of their vitality points; However, this damage still could not deter them. They blocked the entrance with their bodies and didnt give Song Jian the chance to escape; Soul Wander! Song Jians figure instantly turned transparent as he charged towards the crowd. Before the wolf spider demons at the entrance could react, Song Jian had already passed through their bodies and entered the passageway; Soul Wanders first three seconds made him invincible and allowed him to pass through any obstacles. Due to the effect of the epic necklace, Concealment Necklace, the duration extended from three to nearly four seconds, giving Song Jian enough time to pass through the entire passageway and escape from the underground cave; The passageway was dim, and countless wolf spider demons had already rushed in. Yet Song Jian kept accelerating through the passageway, passing through their bodies undetected. He escaped, he got away. Catch him! The wolf spider demons blocking the entrance roared in fear with their abyssal language. As Song Jian fled the underground cave, they saw their miserable fate approaching. In his soul state, Song Jian saw not the bodies of the wolf spider demons but various sizes of soul energy. Some wolf spider demons had powerful soul energy like a kerosene lamp, while others had soul energy like a soccer ball-sized light group; Song Jian didnt have time to think and rushed forward blindly. Four seconds was not too long, but it was not short either, and he couldnt afford to waste it. At this moment, Song Jian suddenly noticed a large ball of light appearing ahead. The soul energy in it was like a small sun, and he even felt a burning sensation as he approached it; Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist! Song Jian had no way to retreat, so he clenched his teeth and charged towards the soul energy sun. As he passed through the body of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, it seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped. It roared angrily at Song Jian and raised its spine-like magic staff. A scorching black flame flew towards Song Jian; Boom! The black flame engulfed Song Jian entirely, but since he was invulnerable at the moment, an immune number floated above his head. However, the black flame explosion still caused damage to the nearby wolf spider demons. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist was shocked and prepared to continue attacking, but then it saw the spider demons burned by the black flame wailing miserably. It paused, and by the time it wanted to search for Song Jian again, he had already disappeared, and the passageway behind it was filled with wolf spider demons. Roaring angrily, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist slammed its magic staff into the ground; Boom! A shockwave spread out from the ground, sending all the surrounding wolf spider demons flying. While the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist stepped over the spider demons on the ground and chased after Song Jian; Song Jians speed was extremely fast. Plus, he was in a soul state and surrounded by darkness, making it nearly impossible to be detected by the naked eye. After escaping the underground cave, Song Jian headed towards the stone tower. On his way, he found the bodies of several abyssal slaves and some others who still had more than half of their vitality points. When they saw Song Jian, they immediately surrounded him; Stop all enemies behind! Song Jian commanded directly. At this moment, the guards guarding the stone tower were all gone. Song Jian quickly rushed to the third floor, took out the fang, and slashed it against the Abyssal Chains binding Kekaul; Chapter 787: 787: Sacrifice Chapter 787: Chapter 787: Sacrifice Song Jian felt as if he was dancing on the edge of a blade, one false step and he would fall into a deep abyss. The Abyssal Chains shattered inch by inch under the collision of fangs, and the angel Kekaul let out a satisfied moan. Its wings sprung open vigorously as a powerful aura radiated from it. Thank you, human, for saving me. To express my gratitude, I will be your most loyal guardian until you leave Abyssal Hell, ready to sacrifice my life for yours! Kekaul bowed respectfully to Song Jian. Only then did Song Jian realize that the angel Kekaul in front of him was also a level fifty, possessing the peak power of first-order combat level. However, it was rated as elite, not lord, and its strength was a notch below that of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. Most importantly, in Kekauls attribute bar, there was a weakened status. All attributes were reduced by thirty percent, meaning that Kekaul currently only possessed the combat power of seventh-order at its peak. To let Kekaul halt the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist probably wouldnt be significantly better than his Abyssal Slaves. However, this mission still left Song Jian quite satisfied as he had obtained the Abyssal Demon Flame of the Sixth Abyss Demon King. Not only did the grade of the Book of the Abyss upgrade, but the Abyssal Demon Flame he controlled also went up a level. For Song Jian, there was no better reward than this. ... We need to leave here first, the demons are coming! After saying this, a pair of iron wings emerged from Song Jians back. He broke through the wall of the third layer of the stone tower and flew towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. In just a few short minutes, Song Jian realized that he had lost contact with all his demon slaves. If he didnt leave now, the stone tower would likely be surrounded by Wolf Spider Demons. Kekaul hesitated for a moment. But quickly, he felt a strong aura closing in swiftly, his face changed color. It was the Wolf Spider Demon Priest who had captured him earlier. While he was severely injured at the time, his current state wasnt much stronger. Although death was only a release for Kekaul and he didnt fear it which was why he pledged to fight side by side with Song Jian, even at the cost of his own life if he could survive, Kekaul wouldnt throw his life away intentionally. With a single stroke of his grey wings, Kekaul followed closely behind, flying towards the outside of the Demon Slayer Canyon. Watching the two shadows in the sky, the Wolf Spider Demon Priests eyes glowed bright red. She gritted her teeth, You wont escape Then, she turned around and told a Wolf Spider Demon Guard beside her, Go notify the other priests. Tell them I have important matters to discuss! Inside the Demon Guardian Temple, there wasnt merely the Wolf Spider Demon, there were other six demon races as well. They were all subordinates of the Abyss Demon King and were all dedicated to resurrecting their own Demon Lord. When they heard that the Wolf Spider Demon had lost the key resurrection tool of their king and the unique Abyssal Demon Flame of the Demon Lord, the other demon races laughed at the Wolf Spider Demons while also raising their guard. Iphisna, I heard you lost the resurrection artifact of the Sixth Demon King? Is that true? Hahaha! A demon with a goats skull laughed and strolled into the conference hall of the Demon Guardian Temple. A shade of anger flushed Iphisnas ancient face, but before she could speak, the other demon priests also walked into the conference hall one after another. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hmph, Kubisuo, if you think that the goat-faced clan doesnt need any information from me, feel free to leave now! Iphisna said with a stern face. Hmph, its just a mere human who has infiltrated Abyssal Hell. Find him, capture him, and kill him. I dont need any information from you! Kubisuo, the ritualist of the Goat-faced Demon Clan, said with a scornful laugh. Despite his words, he made no move to leave. Instead, he merely lifted his goats head and stood arrogantly in place. Kubisuo, you may consider humans as worthless, but dont forget; it was a human who once killed the seven great Demon Lords! A Demon Ritualist, holding a huge scythe and looking like a shadow, spoke in a raspy voice. As soon as the Great Demon Priest Saffer began to speak, the faces of the other seven ritualists changed drastically. The fall of the Abyss Demon King is a taboo among them, not something that can be casually spoken of. Saffer, I really want to see what will happen when the second Demon Lord revives and hears how freely you speak of his demise, a Demon Ritualist burning with dark red flames, with a sinister smile on his face like a venomous snake, stared at the Great Demon Priest Saffer, who was shrouded in black fog. Black, I think you wont live to see the day the great Lords revive! Saffer slightly lifted his head, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes from beneath his black hood. The Flame Demon Ritualists face completely changed. Among the seven major demonic clan ritualists, he could more or less gauge the others powers, but he was utterly unable to see through Saffer. But Black guessed that Saffers power was definitely formidable. Perhaps only the Fallen Angel Priest Ailei could overpower him. The others were no match for the Great Demon Priest Saffer. Enough, are you trying to instigate infighting? The scantily-clad Abyssal Succubus Ritualist with a voluptuous figure and a pair of tiny wings on her back, Mesomiya, snapped. Upon hearing Mesomiyas voice, almost all the demon ritualists couldnt help but shudder. Her voice was filled with seductive power, and just hearing her speak sparked a flame in all the demon ritualists bellies, even the female Wolf Spider Ritualist blushed and silently cursed in her heart. The combat power of the Abyssal Succubus Clan was arguably the weakest among the seven major demon clans. Still, no other demon clan wanted to be their enemy. Thats because all who stood against the Abyssal Succubus Clan became their slaves. The Abyssal Succubi possessed an innate talent for charm. Unless the victim had strong willpower, no matter how powerful they were, they would fall under their spell unsuspectingly. Mesomiya is right. Internal fights are forbidden in the Abyss Demon Clan! The three heads of the silently-watching Cerberus Demon Ritualist spoke in unison. The furthest right head turned to the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist and asked, Iphisna, why did you call us here? Surely not just to inform us that a human thief stole the key item for reviving the Sixth Demon King? An instant fury appeared on Iphisnas aged face. She took a deep breath and said, This human didnt just steal the task of the Sixth Demon King, but he also stole the Abyssal Demon Flame controlled by the Sixth Demon King! Upon hearing Iphisna speak, several Demon Ritualists gasped in shock, exclaiming, How is that possible! Chapter 788: 789: Bounty Hunter Chapter 788: Chapter 789: Bounty Hunter To call the Abyssal Demon Flame a sacred object of Abyssal Hell would not be an exaggeration. Even ordinary Abyss creatures wouldnt dare to touch it. Only powerful Abyss creatures, possessing formidable Abyssal Power, have the right to touch the Abyssal Demon Flame. However, only the seven great Abyss Demon Kings can extract power from it. Upon hearing that Song Jian was able to touch and steal the Sixth Demon Kings Abyssal Demon Flame, almost all the demon ritualists couldnt believe the truth. If the opponent could steal the Sixth Demon Kings Abyssal Demon Flame, it meant that he could also steal the Abyssal Demon Flames of the other Demon Kings. How could one be prepared for a thief for a thousand days if one only commits theft for one day? The fact that he could touch and steal the Abyssal Demon Flame was the reason why demon ritualists had to deal with Song Jian; Seeing the shocked expressions on the other priests faces, Iphisna continued, The weapon this human uses is a longsword, and it releases dark gold Sword Qi If Iphisnas first piece of information was shocking, this one was frightening to everyone! What, do you mean this human and that human from before are are A trace of fear involuntarily appeared on the face of the Flame Demon ritualist; ... I didnt say that! Iphisna looked at the Flame Demon ritualist coldly and said, I just told you what I saw. As for this humans identity, its for you to judge! Using a sword and dark gold Sword Qi doesnt necessarily mean that this human has any relationship with that powerful person from before the Goat-faced Demon ritualist said softly. But clearly, his words didnt get the approval of the other demon ritualists. Kill him. We must kill this human. We cannot let the past events repeat themselves! Ailei, the Fallen Angel Priest, said solemnly. Exactly, kill him before he grows too strong. Dont even spare his soul! Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All the demon ritualists chimed in. The Wolf Spider Demon ritualists mouth curled into a triumphant smile, but it quickly disappeared, and he remained silent. If he relied solely on the Wolf Spider Demons, he wouldnt be able to catch Song Jian and snatch back the Sixth Demon Kings tusks. Now, there was a higher chance of capturing and even killing Song Jian by dragging the other six Abyss Demon races into the fray; At this time, Song Jian had already escaped from Broken Stone Mountain and entered Demon Slayer Canyon. Looking at the dark hole behind him, Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. The task was extremely difficult, and if it werent for the gains along the way, Song Jian would have been unable to persevere; Kekaul, what should we do now? Song Jian asked the angel who had been following him. Kekaul looked at Song Jian with a surprised expression and said, You have already saved me. Now I am just your guard. How would I know what you want to do? Song Jian paused and quickly opened the taskbar. He had completed the first part of the epic tasksaving the angel Kekaulbut the next part of the task hadnt been released yet! Whats going on? Do I need to meet some conditions to get the next step? Song Jian sighed, guessing that he hadnt met the requirements to trigger the next part of the task, which was why it was stuck at this stage. Such a situation was common. Whenever there was a chain of tasks, players would encounter this issue. Some players couldnt trigger the next step for a long time, leaving the chain tasks until the time limit was reached and they automatically failed; Its important to note that almost all tasks have time limits. Some tasks will state the limit, while others will hide it within the task content. The higher the rank and better the rewards for a task, the shorter the time allowed to complete it. If Song Jian couldnt trigger the next step in time, he might fail this epic task; However, failure was rare because as long as you followed the tasks requirements, you would eventually trigger the next stage. The problem was when you didnt do anything and gave up; Now that Ive obtained the Sixth Demon Kings Abyssal Demon Flame, I just need to get the Abyssal Demon Flames of the remaining Demon Kings. Since I know the location is here, I can search again after I rest a bit and the Wolf Spider Demons have calmed down! Song Jian thought. What he didnt know was that at this moment, the Abyss Demon Guardian Temple had gathered representatives of the seven great Abyss Demon races, and several high priests were discussing how to kill him and completely destroy him; Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Demon Slayer Canyon, wave after wave of Abyss players began to enter the canyon, not just these players but also a large number of NPCs appearing at the entrance to Demon Slayer Canyon. These people had come to hunt down Song Jian, and the most eye-catching among them was a group from the Fallen Angel Alliance, led by Thomas. Behind him was a group of well-equipped elite players who were all at least level 35. However, anyone familiar with the Fallen Angel Alliance would know that these people were in no way comparable to the previous group of elite players organized by Thomas to hunt down the world BOSS. In fact, this group was elite reserves of the Fallen Angel Alliance. After the elite team was annihilated, a great cost was incurred to cultivate the elite reserve players of the Fallen Angel Alliance. Their purpose in hunting down Song Jian was twofoldone, it was for the reputation of the Fallen Angel Alliance, and two, it was to test the Abyss players of the elite reserve team. Seeing the Fallen Angel Alliance players at the entrance, the Abyss players nearby, who also had the same goal, showed various emotionsadmiration, jealousy, and disdain. Many of them looked at the Alliance players mockingly; Since the news of the Fallen Angel Alliance accident came to light, many other alliances in the Flame Furnace have been gloating. Even some random individuals unrelated to the Alliance expressed a sense of schadenfreude at their misfortune. Hey, looks like the Fallen Angel Alliance is dead set on killing that human. Theyre going all out in their pursuit! a nearby Abyss player whispered; Hmph, these people cant be compared with the previous elite team. The elite team was wiped out. What can they expect to do? Give away their heads? Hard to say, last time it was because of the World BOSS. This time theyre specifically hunting down the human. No matter how strong he is, hes only one person. So many people attacking him at once would finish him off! Do you think its as easy as hitting a wooden stake? Wont the guy run or hide? Besides, with so many people entering the Demon Slayer Canyon, itll take a lot of time just to clear the monsters! The people from the Fallen Angel Alliance, hearing the surrounding discussions, looked displeased. However, they maintained their discipline and did not argue with the bystanders. They soon entered Demon Slayer Canyon and vanished from everyones sight; Just then, an NPC wearing a black cloak and a cowboy hat, carrying an old-fashioned Mauser rifle on his shoulder, appeared before everyone. He entered the Demon Slayer Canyon without hesitation, moving quickly and leaving only a dark shadow in everyones vision. But everyone who saw him couldnt help but gasp, as this NPC seemed to be well-known among Abyss players. Chapter 789: 790: Players Chapter 789: Chapter 790: Players Legendary Bounty Hunter, the Abyss Gunner Burn! A player exclaimed. What? That NPC in the black windbreaker is the legendary Gunner? someone nearby said with a shocked expression. Others also started to discuss. After all, the name of Burn the Abyss Gunner resounded too loudly. Every player who chose the Abyss profession and entered Abyssal Hell, even if they hadnt seen him, had heard of his famous name; The Abyss Gunner, just like the Soul Ripper, both are epic professions, but unlike the player who had only held the Soul Ripper profession for a few months, Burn was an NPC who had been an Abyss Gunner for at least over a decade, mastering almost all of the core skills of the Abyss Gunner. His strength is incomparable to that of a newly appointed Soul Ripper. Even the Abyss player who has only a few core professions can hardly match him; Burn seems to be a wandering NPC, he does not stay in one place for too long, but if the reward in a certain area is high, he would always appear. Some players have tried to contact him, wanting to inherit his profession, but they have never succeeded; ... However, Burn posts many tasks, and the rewards for these tasks are very substantial. Sometimes, you can even learn some common skills of the Abyss Gunner, and thats why most Abyss players know him. After all, having an NPC like a self-operating task issuer in the players hearts is like having an adventure in the game. As long as you meet them, you always get some benefits; Seeing Burn appear, the players, who were initially hesitant, rushed towards Demon Slayer Canyon. They didnt care about whether they could kill Song Jian and claim the high reward, as long as they could obtain some benefits from Burn, it would be worth it for them. Song Jian left Broken Stone Mountain with the Angel Kekaul and headed towards the exit of Demon Slayer Canyon. Suddenly, he found that there seemed to be fewer monsters in Demon Slayer Canyon. After running for hundreds of meters, he didnt even find a single Flame Demon, as if all the Flame Demons in this area had been cleared. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him, hovering about ten meters above the ground. He was wearing a black robe, his face hidden under his cloak, even his attributes were all hidden. Song Jian frowned. This was an Abyss player and it looked like he had been waiting here for a long time. You Song Jian was about to speak when he saw the player in the air wave his magic staff at him. Suddenly, a dark fireball was shot at him; Seeing the dark fireball howling towards him, Song Jian didnt act. Kekaul at his side immediately rushed up with his sword. Heretic, accept your judgment! With a swipe of his sword, Divine Power erupted, colliding with the dark fireball. Bang! The fireball exploded, sparks scattering in all directions. The player in the air began to chant spells. The unique tone of the Abyss language echoed in the air, and a black chain slowly manifested around him, slithering around him like a python; Seeing this Abyssal Chain, Kekauls expression changed. Being bound by the Abyssal Chains for hundreds of years had left him traumatized. But as Kekaul was hesitating, the Abyss player in mid-air had completed his spell. With a wave of his magic staff, the black Abyssal Chains snaked around him, and like a venomous snake, shot towards Angel Kekaul; Kekaul showed a trace of fear on his face, gritted his teeth and slashed at the Abyssal Chains with his sword. With a clang, the Abyssal Chains were cut in two. But the severed Abyssal Chains, just like two snakes, entwined Kekauls arm and coiled towards his body. In no time, they had Kekaul tightly bound. Having lost control of his body, Kekaul fell from the sky. Song Jian was left speechless. No matter how weak he was, he was still a level 50 boss. Was he caught just like that? With such strength, dont come out and make a fool of yourself. Assisting me in a fight? Itd be nice if you didnt hinder me! Song Jian complained inwardly. With a thought, four swords shot out like meteors towards the player in mid-air; Seeing the four swords flying towards her, the players face finally showed a serious expression. With a corner of her mouth lifted, she muttered, Interesting! Although her voice was small, Song Jian could hear it clearly and was taken aback: Huh, its a female player? Abyss players can be considered a hell race. After changing their profession, some abnormalities appear on their bodies. They might grow horns, brandish black tattoos, or scales appear on their bodies. These phenomena are something that ordinary players couldnt accept. In addition, the harsh environment of Abyssal Hell, very few female players would choose Abyss profession. Seeing the four swords coming, Katie smiled faintly. With a wave of her magic staff, a transparent shield with a metallic luster appeared in front of her. Within the transparent shield, you could see hair-thin lines, like a spider web, embedded in the interior of the shield; Boom, boom, boom, boom! The four swords were originally hitting Katie from different directions. But the moment this shield appeared, they were all attracted to it, slashing at the transparent shield that she had summoned; The most important thing was that the shield skill Katie used was noticeably stronger than Song Jians Bone Shield. Four sword skills unleashed at once could cause damage exceeding 3000 points. But slashing on this shield could only make it tremor slightly. Katies face was adorned with a look of contempt, but Song Jian looked shocked. Although he didnt use all his strength, how could his attack not even break the opponents defense? For the first time, Song Jian doubted his own attack; The most remarkable characteristic of the Sword Master profession was its strong attack. Even without the Dark Gold weapon set, Song Jians damage was not something ordinary players could resist. Moreover, four swords could cause four times the damage. Not even the most robust Abyss Shield Striker could withstand Song Jians attack; Invincibility effect? Song Jians mind lit up, and he quickly understood. Ordinary invincibility, attack effecting an immune prompt, but when attacking this Abyss players transparent shield, there was no prompt, leading to a misconception that the opponent had robust defense; Invincibility will last for a while, lets see how long you can hold on! Song Jian narrowed his eyes, and with a thought, four swords spun in the air, continuing to slash at Katie; Chapter 790 - 791: Forming an Alliance Chapter 790: Chapter 791: Forming an Alliance Katies face turned pale, her cheeks bearing black patterns like blooming roses, and two small, sharp horns were sprouting on top of her head. Seeing that Song Jian had not ceased attacking her, Katie immediately spoke, Do you know, youre about to die! By your hands? Song Jian sneered. His four long swords kept attacking. Even though the shield Katie had conjured did not show any damage numbers, it had already begun to crack. Katie was horrified. She had never expected Song Jians attack to be this strong. She had battled a five-member team before, and until she killed all five, they hadnt managed to break her shields defense. Katie was startled by Song Jians strikes. While Song Jian couldnt see the shields damage, Katie saw it clearly. Her skill only rendered her invincible for the first three seconds, after which it merely reduced 35% of the damage. Given Song Jians attack intensity, the shield would completely shatter in about five more seconds. If the shield breaks, with Katies defense, she would probably be killed instantly by Song Jian. ... She had to either flee immediately or make Song Jian stop attacking. Katie chose the latter. Do you know, nearly all Abyss players in the Flame Furnace have come to the Demon Slayer Canyon, and your bounty has attracted a lot of NPC bounty hunters! Katie spoke quickly, When the time comes, the entire Demon Slayer Canyon will be searched inch by inch. Youll have no place to hide. Right now, Im the only one who can help you! Song Jian paused, and with a gesture from his right hand, he halted his assault. He originally thought that he would only be hunted by members of the Fallen Angel Alliance. It had never occurred to him that his actions would alarm a main citys players, or even attract NPC bounty hunters. What happened exactly? Explain what happened. Why are so many people chasing me? Song Jian asked curiously. Dont you know what you have done? Katie sighed in relief when she saw Song Jian stop his attack. With a wave of her magic staff, the shield that had been badly damaged and almost unrecognizable gradually vanished. Katie slowly floated down from mid-air, standing before Song Jian. Her bloody-red eyes were filled with curiosity. Youre the bravest person Ive met! Katie smiled, My name is Katie, and I am the leader of the Thorny Bird Alliance! Song Jian was taken aback. He hadnt expected the girl in front of him to be a leader of an alliance. We have fewer than three hundred members. Compared to the City of Hope, we are nothing! Katie laughed. Song Jians intel had been thoroughly sifted through by the people in the Flame Furnace. His public info was well-known. Ever since the City of Hope Alliance was established successfully, countless players wanted to join. The current City of Hope Alliance, however, had tough requirements for their new recruits. The three hundred players who had together defended the city were now core players, receiving significantly increased benefits. The selected players, after layers of screenings, exceeded six hundred. Almost all of the elite players in Doomsday City were included. The City of Hope Alliances power skyrocketed, and their fame had even spread beyond Doomsday City. I hope your information doesnt disappoint me, Song Jian wasnt moved by Katies compliment. He wasnt afraid of the Abyss players pursuit. He could always leave and return to the City of Hope Alliance. Still, if others found out he had left, he might be ambushed again just like last time. After all, every time he used the Abyssal Gate, he needed to wait for its one-day cooldown period. And he couldnt possibly not enter the Abyssal Hell since his mission was half completed. Do you know how much your bounty is in the Flame Furnace? The latest news is that your bounty has reached 1.8 million Doomsday Coins! Katie glanced at the information and said. As time went by, Song Jians bounty kept increasing. It was now the highest bounty ever offered in the Flame Furnaces history. The number of players hunting you has exceeded two thousand. In addition, some famous NPC bounty hunters, like Abyss Gunner Burn, Ghostly Phantom Lobos, and Abyss Wanderer Branqi, have also joined the hunt! Katie said, Mind you, these bounty hunters are very powerful. Each of them possesses the highest level of first-order combat power. However strong you are, you cant be a match for them! First-order combat power peak? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, feeling the pressure. Why do you want to help me? Song Jian asked. Of course, I need your help in return if I help you. You can freely come and go from the Abyssal Hell and youre also the leader of a strong alliance. I need your friendship! said Katie. What if I tell you that I dont need your help and that I wont be killed by those people. Would you believe me? Song Jian confidently stated. Katie was speechless. In her opinion, Song Jian was a little too arrogant. To her, even disregarding the Abyss players hunting him, any of the bounty hunters could easily overcome Song Jian. In that case, lets just wait and see. If you need my help, you can contact me through this! Katie threw a ring at Song Jian, then turned and walked away with an unhappy look. After Katie left, the Abyssal Chains that bound the Heavenly Angel Kekaul broke apart, and Kekaul, his face flushed, got up with a look of shame. Im sorry, I Kekaul said in a low voice. Song Jian made a dismissive gesture with his hand. Kekaul was not weak by any means. After all, he was a level-fifty elite Boss with a first-order combat power peak. However, after being chained for hundreds of years, Kekaul had perhaps forgotten most of his combat skills, and was in a weakened state. His current power was probably equivalent to a level-thirty-five elite Boss. Song Jian looked at the ring Katie had thrown him. The silver-quality ring was a communication ring, made in pairs. One can talk to the owner of the other ring with one of them, much like a walkie-talkie. Song Jian couldnt add Abyss players as friends, nor could he communicate with them. If it werent for the fact he knew Abyss languages, normal communication would have been impossible. To communicate long distances, he had to use tools. That was why Katie gave him one of the communication rings. After inspecting the rings features, Song Jian casually put it into his bag. Katie wouldnt help a player on an opposing team so wholeheartedly. Rather than bounties, she wanted more. This was a minor interruption. However, now that he knew many were out to kill him, Song Jian certainly wouldnt continue to the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon. Since you all want to kill me, lets have some fun right here! Song Jian snorted coldly, turned around, walked toward Broken Stone Mountain. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 791 - 792: The Pursuit to Kill Chapter 791: Chapter 792: The Pursuit to Kill Damn it, he wont shed a tear until he sees a coffin! Katie murmured, as she watched Song Jians retreating figure. When she learned that he was able to freely enter and exit the Abyssal Hell, she knew this was an amazing opportunity to strengthen the Thorny Bird Alliance. If they could grasp this chance properly, surpassing the Fallen Angel Alliance might not be impossible. However, upon meeting Song Jian, Katie found him to be incredibly arrogant. He was dismissive of her offers for help, which not only enraged her but also stirred in her a perverse pleasure at the thought of his misfortune. All the information she relayed to Song Jian was true. Many Abyss players had already entered the Demon Slayer Canyon and those bounty hunter NPCs from legends had emerged one after another. Whether for fame or high rewards, they would spare no efforts to kill Song Jian. Katie hadnt strayed far. She wanted to witness Song Jians despair. At his most helpless, she would step in to help him. Not only could she have the pleasure of mocking him then, but also the matter of allying with the City of Hope Alliance could naturally be settled C achieving two goals at once. Watching Song Jian walk towards the depth of the Demon Slayer Canyon, Katie began to laugh. The canyon ended at a massive cliff and the lava below churned relentlessly. There was no escape route. To leave, he would have to exit through the entrance of the canyon. ... At this point, in the Demon Guardian Temple, a few Demon Ritualists began to bicker again about how to capture Song Jian. Suddenly, the face of the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice changed. He had sensed that Song Jian was now approaching the Abyssal Demon Guardian Temple. Has the guy gone mad? The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice was startled and doubtful, but a smirk emerged on his face momentarily before quickly disappearing. He looked at the others, arguing about how to kill Song Jian. What are you all squabbling about? Dont you know that the guy is now outside the Guardian Temple and heading this way? Iphisna, the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice, with a look of fury on his old face, growled. Wait, are you saying that human kid dared to come back? Has he gone mad? Black, the Flame Demon Priest, said with an incredulous expression on his face. He must have other motives, perhaps trying to steal the resurrection tools of the other Demon Lords! Kubisuo, the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist suddenly suggested. The Demon Ritualists froze before breaking out in an angry roar. Kubisuos guess was highly plausible; if the Sixth Demon Kings resurrection tool could be stolen, the possibility of the other Demon Lords resurrection tools being targeted was high. Kill him! The Cerberus Demon Ritualists three heads echoed, and a long howl spread far and wide from its mouths. It couldnt wait to summon its kin and start the hunting of Song Jian. Right, perhaps this kid doesnt realize that Iphisna can sense his presence. Maybe his goal is the resurrection tools. We only have one chance, we cant let him escape again, kill him! said Saffer, the Great Demon Priest. Kill the human! Almost all the priests roared in unison. Half an hour later, the temple was emptied as the horde of monsters led by the seven Abyssal Demon Sacrifices flooded out like a tide. Song Jian hadnt gone far. As soon as the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice began to move, Song Jian turned and ran towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. The angel Kekauls face was filled with confusion. He had followed Song Jian away from the Demon Guardian Temple, and then followed him back towards it, they had paused, and now they were running towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. Kekaul didnt know what Song Jian was planning, but he did know that Song Jian was toying with the abyssal demons and those chasing him. Before long, the roars of demons echoed in succession like a tidal wave from behind. Turning his head, Kekaul saw countless demons streaming from the tunnel in the Broken Stone Mountain that Song Jian had dug. Kekauls face changed, but it quickly hardened again; Boom! The long sword in his hand burned with golden flames, and with it held high, Kekaul shouted loudly, Glory is my life! Battle, let this world Song Jians face changed dramatically, seeing Kekauls demeanor, he actually wanted to rush towards the demons and fight these demons to death! Are you insane, run! Song Jian roared at Kekaul, the steel wings behind him spread out, and he flew towards the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon; Kekaul suddenly froze. Originally, he thought Song Jian was going to leave him to hold the enemies off, he didnt expect, to be asked to run. Was he still charging? Wouldnt it be embarrassing if he didnt charge after getting this emotional? S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kekaul hesitated for a moment, and without a word, his grey wings unfolded and he frantically followed behind Song Jian; Although these abyss demons cant fly, many of them possess long-range attack capabilities, and the Demon Slayer Canyon can only fly up to a height of ten or so meters, beyond that, they would be chopped down by the infinite Sword Qi contained in the sky above the canyon; Once the abyss demons behind them catch up, the two people who can only fly a dozen meters would be perfect live targets, being shot down within minutes; Now near the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon, there were over a thousand abyss players, like treasure hunters, bending their heads and searching every inch of the canyon, some players even took out exploration tools to look for Song Jians possible hiding places, using all kinds of search methods, determined to find Song Jian. In addition to these abyss players, many NPCs were also searching for Song Jian. At this time, the Abyss Gunner Burn seemed to sense something, suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp, staring into the middle distance; You want to escape through the air? Heh, ridiculous!, Burn directly grabbed the old-fashioned rifle on his shoulder, aiming at Song Jian in mid-air, and firmly pulled the trigger; Bang! With a muffled boom, the bullet visibly flew towards Song Jian at a speed visible to the naked eye; Song Jian in the mid-air had already seen a large group of players appearing in front of him, a smirk floated up at the corner of his mouth, ready to dive down, but suddenly heard a gunshot, his heart immediately sunk. With a thought, a three-sided Bone Shield appeared in front of him. As soon as the Bone Shield was summoned, Song Jian saw a spark on one of the shields in front of him, a brass bullet as thick as a finger was continuously rotating on the surface of the Bone Shield like a drill; Within less than two seconds, the Bone Shield made a crisp sound and shattered directly, and the brass bullet drilled viciously into Song Jians shoulder. Chapter 792 - 793: Escape Chapter 792: Chapter 793: Escape A spurt of fresh blood shot out, and Song Jian felt as if he had been struck on the shoulder by a heavy hammer. He groaned and began to plummet to the ground; When he hit the ground, Song Jian discovered that the attack had not only pierced through his shoulder, but also left a fist-sized hole in the steel wings behind him; A damage number of over eight hundred floated above his head, which made Song Jian astonished. He knew that he was currently wearing a Dark Gold Quality suit, and his defense bonus from the equipment alone was higher than that of an ordinary Sword and Shield Warrior. On top of that, he possessed first-tier Combat Power, and his stats had increased by a large margin. If an average player with ordinary equipment had taken such a hit, they would have been instantly killed; Seeing the over eight hundred points of damage floating above Song Jians head, Burns eyebrows furrowed, and a realization soon came to him after he quickly calculated the numbers in his heart; How is it possible for his defense to be so strong?! Burn hesitated slightly in his heart, but he still rushed towards Song Jians direction; Seeing Song Jian being attacked, Angel Kekaul raised his sword and was about to charge at Burn, but he was stopped by Song Jian; ... Keep hovering in midair and observe the situation! Song Jian ordered. Kekaul was stunned, as thousands of players were rushing towards Song Jian, and a large group of Abyss demons were chasing him from behind. Caught in a pincer attack, Kekaul didnt know what else to observe C was now not the time to escape? Human, I will not leave you behind and run away on my own! There was a hint of gratitude on Kekauls face, as he thought Song Jian was trying to create an opportunity for him to escape. After all, the only way to get away now was to take to the air under this kind of encirclement; Song Jian rolled his eyes and didnt bother to deal with this guy who seemed to have become somewhat rigid-headed after being imprisoned for hundreds of years; Soul Wander! Song Jians figure instantly turned transparent, and he ran diagonally towards where the Abyss players were. Instead of rushing into the crowd of players, he avoided them at an angle. Burn frowned. Song Jian had fallen from the sky, but he was the only one who could see that since the distance was too far and there were too few people with such a far sight. Now, it seemed that no one other than him had noticed Song Jians whereabouts. But after falling, Song Jian seemed to have used some sort of stealth technique and had disappeared. Even Burns ultra-far vision couldnt find his target. Hmph, do you think you can escape by stealth? Its useless! Watch me break your hidden state! Burn snorted coldly: Eye of Defeating Evil! Soon, a black Abyssal aura quickly emerged around his eye sockets, looking as if numerous tiny tentacles were extending from his eyes and crawling towards his cheeks; Huh, whats that up ahead? Burn did not find Song Jian, as his speed was too fast, and even the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist would find it difficult to spot him under his transparent state, let alone Burn who only had the strength of a level 35 elite BOSS. However, with the help of his ultra-far sight and the skill bonus of the Eye of Defeating Evil, Burn discovered a tide-like swarm of demon monsters rushing towards him from ahead. These monsters were all level 35 to 40 elite BOSSes, with thousands of them covering the area like a dark mass. Burn was petrified on the spot, trembling all over. After a moment, he let out a sharp scream and turned to flee towards the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon. Hey, look at that legendary Bounty Hunter. Whats wrong with him? Its like hes seen a ghost! a player who saw Burn running away with a terrified face, asked curiously; Actually, many players hadnt paid all their attention to chasing Song Jian. Instead, a significant number of them were watching Abyss Gunner Burn. This legendary Bounty Hunter often issued some tasks with generous rewards, but he didnt stay in one place and was difficult to encounter as he often wandered around different areas. The players behind Burn saw him running towards them with a frightened face, and they all showed delighted expressions as they surrounded him; Honorable Abyss Gunner, is there anything I can help you with? An Abyss player, whose body was covered in dark green scales, said to Burn with a full-faced smile; Honorable Bounty Hunter, this is a gift I offer you, hoping to gain your friendship; An Abyss player shouted loudly while holding up a blue-quality ring. Presenting items to an NPC could gain their friendship. The higher the value of the items, the more favorable the NPC would be. In the players view, the value of a blue-quality ring was already very high. Even the rewards for Burns tasks were mostly blue-quality items; However, the player was employing a long-term plan, not caring about the gain or loss of one or two items. As long as he could get Burns favor and inherit his profession, it would be a profitable exchange no matter how many items he offered. Mr. Burn, Im Hello, Mr. Burn, can I ask Players used various means to try and gain Burns tasks, but he looked at the crowd of Abyss players surrounding him, his forehead bulging with veins and his face full of anger. Get the hell out of my way! Dont block me! Burn grabbed an Abyss player in front of him and threw him away furiously; System: Your behavior has disgusted the Abyss Gunner Burn, and your favorability with him has decreased by 10 points; The Abyss players surrounding Burn all received this message at almost the same time and were left dumbfounded; Move away! Burn was extremely anxious at this moment, as every second he was delayed reduced his chances of escape. However, he couldnt say anything, because he needed these guys to block the demons behind him and buy him time to escape; System: Your behavior has disgusted the Abyss Gunner Burn, and your favorability with him has decreased by 20 points; Every few seconds, the system sent out a message, causing the Abyss players surrounding Burn to panic and start retreating to the back one after the other; They didnt know why Burn was so angry. Could it be because there were too many people? Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Burn pushed away the players in front of him and quickly ran towards the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon; At that moment, the leading Abyss players suddenly felt the ground tremble slightly, as if there was an earthquake; Whats going on? The searching players looked at each other in confusion. Just then, a player looked forward with a terrified face and exclaimed, Look at that! What is that? In the dim canyon, a large mass of shadows appeared ahead, charging towards the group of Abyss players like a tidal wave; Thank you to Piercing Piggies for the reward of 100 Qidian Coins~ Chapter 793 - 794: Merits Chapter 793: Chapter 794: Merits Run! A player from the Abyss at the front yelled out a heart-wrenching scream, a look of terror flashed across his face as he turned and ran toward the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon at full speed; Can you escape? The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice spotted the crowd of Abyss Players ahead and a vicious grin broke out on his face. As he raised his Magic Staff, countless tiny, gray light beams burst from the tip of his staff towards dozens of fleeing players; Each gray light beam headed straight for a running Abyss Player. As the beam neared a player, it suddenly swelled into a giant gray spider web, completely engulfing the player. Every strand of the web shimmered with a gray metallic sheen, no matter how much the players struggled, they were helpless against the constraining spider web. The Abyss Demons and players were locked in a life-or-death battle. The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice couldnt pinpoint Song Jians exact location, but it sensed he was nearby likely mixed in among these players. Humans, you cant escape! The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifices eyes shone with cruelty. With a wave of his Magic Staff, a multitude of Wolf Spider Demons charged toward the crowd. The players ensnared by the spider web wailed in agony, their bodies torn apart by the Wolf Spider Demons; ... Behind them, the Cerberus Demon Sacrifice let out a furious roar from its three heads, releasing a shower of flaming poison that instantly killed over a dozen Abyss players, among them two NPC Bounty Hunters. Damn it, the monsters are rampaging, run! Level fifty Boss monsters, so many of them, what are they trying to do All the Abyss Players were dumbfounded, wishing they had extra legs to escape faster. A tidal wave of monsters was charging at them, forcing even the strongest players to retreat; Amidst the chaos, Song Jian melded into the crowd, taking on the invisibility of the Abyss Concealment Skill. As the Abyss Gunner turned and fled, Song Jian had already left the heat of the battle and could use the Abyss Concealment Skill. The crowd was in total disarray, oblivious to the stealthy human right next to them. The Abyss Concealment Skill didnt slow down Song Jian at all, so he wasnt running any slower than the others; Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hes right ahead, dont let him get away! The Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice pointed towards the fleeing mass and roared loudly; The other Abyss Demon Sacrifices also let out furious roars, commanding the Abyss Demons to chase in Song Jians direction; Only the Wolf Spider Demon Sacrifice Iphisna could detect Song Jians location. Other sacrifices could not sense Song Jians presence. Angel Kekaul cluelessly floating in mid-air, suddenly feeling like a burden. Song Jian actually didnt need its help; As soon as Song Jians Soul Wander cooldown was over, he activated it immediately. With double his normal speed, he swiftly outpaced the pursuing Abyss Players and headed toward the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon. Group after group of Abyss players fell to the ground, with the Abyss Demons behind them looking like a tide. Seeing them, the Abyss players instinctively turned and fled, not having the slightest inclination to fight. System: You instigated a rampage of the Abyss Demons, slaying player Ding Quan, who is a civilian. This is an honorable kill and you have been rewarded 1 Honor Point; System: You instigated a rampage of the Abyss Demons, slaying player Carter who is a civilian. This is an honorable kill and you have been rewarded 1 Honor Point; Song Jians system alert was filling with messages just like a waterfall. In no time, his Honor Points exceeded one hundred, still increasing at a speed of one per second. All the Abyssal Demons were targeting Song Jian; every Abyss player they killed, Song Jian got part of the credit even though he didnt lift a finger. He was able to share a portion of the honor. However, the majority of the Abyss players were just ordinary civilians, so for each Abyss player killed by the Abyssal Demons, Song Jian only gained a minor increase in his honor value. Nonetheless, Song Jians honor value was rapidly increasing. When he finally escaped the Demon Slayer Canyon, his honor value had actually surpassed five hundred points. This meant that in just over ten minutes, more than four hundred Abyss players had died within the Demon Slayer Canyon. Song Jian took a glance behind him, unsure as to what extent the Abyssal Demons would chase him. Perhaps they would cease their pursuit at the entrance of the Demon Slayer Canyon? However, Song Jian quickly felt an evil intent enveloping him, as if a voice was constantly hissing in his ear: I will not rest until you are dead! It looks like you guys plan to chase me indefinitely! said Song Jian coldly, and continued to run forward. An hour later, the rate at which Song Jian was gaining honor value had gradually slowed, and at last, it almost ceased altogether. By this time, Song Jians honor value had reached over eight hundred and thirty points; had he tried to rack up this amount on his own, it would have likely taken him several months. Song Jian could feel that the demons chasing him had never given up, though the Abyss players behind him had bought him quite a bit of time. Once he had left the Demon Slayer Canyon, the Abyss players had scattered in all directions, but the Abyssal Demons were always on his tail. Song Jian could feel the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist getting closer and closer, while his Soul Wander ability was extremely powerful with only a minutes cooldown. It was thanks to this skill that Song Jian had managed to evade the Abyssal Demons. Three hours later, Song Jian looked exhausted. Continual use of Soul Wander was a great drain on his body strength; had he not prepared ample supplies before venturing into the Abyssal Hell, his Spirit Points from constantly using his ability would have long been depleted. However, at this point, a crimson city appeared ahead; it looked as if it was ablaze. He glanced over his shoulder, a smile creeping onto his face. If you dare, chase me into the city and kill me there! With a thought, Song Jians body turned transparent again as he rushed towards the Flame Furnace main city in the Desolate Highland. There were guards at the city gate, so Song Jian went around and arrived at the foot of the city wall, about ten meters away from the gate, where he quietly waited out the cooldown of his Soul Wander ability. At this moment, a black thread appeared in the distance, like a tidal wave, rushing towards the Flame Furnace city. Ding Ding Ding~ At the same time, a warning bell started to ring within the Flame Furnace city. Scores of guards, clad in armored gear, appeared atop the city walls. Just like the Abyss players, these NPC guards were also transformed, emanating a dense abyssal aura. Although they looked humanoid, they had actually turned into abyssal creatures! A moment later, the cooldown for Soul Wander was over; Song Jian gave his will and turned transparent again. Like a ghost, he passed through the thick city walls and entered the main city. Thank you Piercing Piggies for the gift of 500 Qidian coins~ Chapter 794 - 795: Transaction Chapter 794: Chapter 795: Transaction Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The main city of the Flame Furnace was in a state of full alert, with all its defenses activated and every city guard stationed on the walls. Many Abyss players in the main city, upon hearing the alarm, curiously gathered at the city gate, looking out at the swarm of monsters rushing towards them. Whats going on? Is this a monster attack on the city? Holy crap, there are so many bosses, all of them are level 35 and above elite bosses Look over there, there are some huge guys too, all of them are skull-level and Lord-level bosses! My god, what happened?! Interesting, I was getting sick of grinding monsters every day. Finally something interesting is happening. Is this a regional quest? ... So many bosses, if I killed just one, Id strike it rich. Haha! At this time, the city gate of Flame Furnace hadnt closed yet. Some players even wanted to go out and fight the monsters. But when they saw the number of monsters, they turned pale, retreated, and shouted to close the gate! It was simply too terrifying. If it was just one or two bosses, the players would have the courage to go out and fight. But with so many bosses, just a glance would be enough to deter them from even picking up their weapons due to the horrifying aura emitted by the bosses. Soon enough, a fierce battle unfolded between the monsters and the city of Flame Furnace. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist could clearly sense that Song Jian was inside the main city, and if they wanted to kill him, they had to break through the city! Boom, boom, boom~ The city level of Flame Furnace was much higher than that of the City of Hope Alliance. The powerful city cannons began to fire, tearing apart large swathes of monsters. The NPCs in the city stood on the walls, unleashing long-range attacks that sliced through the air and exploded on the densely packed monsters. Countless damage numbers floated above the heads of the monsters. At the main city, Abyss players also showed their prowess by joining the NPCs in attacking the monsters. They gained honor points in defending the city and gained prestige in the Flame Furnace. Standing on the walls and attacking was safe, easy, and low-risk. All they had to do was throw their skills out without worrying about dodging or evading the monsters. The city walls were filled with magical light and the sound of explosions. The area outside the Flame Furnaces main city instantly turned into a battlefield. As the cause of this chaotic situation, Song Jian strolled leisurely through the city while being invisible. During this time, Song Jian suddenly felt something in his inventory start to vibrate violently. Opening the inventory, he saw that the Communication Ring given to him by a player named Katie was shaking. Taking out the ring, Song Jian put it on his finger. Soon, Katies amazed voice came through the ring: Hey, hey, hey! Can you hear me? You actually made it out; youre amazing! What do you want? Song Jian asked. Ahem, are you now in the Flame Furnace? Katie asked. Seeming to think about it for a while, Song Jian replied, Yes. With monsters attacking the Flame Furnace, Song Jian lying about his location would be unbelievable even for himself. Why arent you leaving? Katie asked. Why should I leave? Song Jian retorted. Although he seemed to be in danger, he was actually as steady as a rock. Whether the Flame Furnace drove away the monsters or the monsters broke through the city, it had nothing to do with him. If worse came to worst, he could simply leave before the city fell. Katie was speechless. She hadnt expected that even at this point, Song Jians stubbornness still persisted. After a moment of silence, Katie seemed to have an idea and suddenly asked, Do you happen to have a lot of equipment that can only be used by Abyss professions? Song Jian was taken aback before a pained look crossed his face. This time, the players who pursued him and died in the Demon Slayer Canyon were probably close to a thousand, if not more. Moreover, those who dared to chase Song Jian in the canyon had very high-quality equipment. Adding the fact that Song Jian was their target, their chances of dropping equipment were extremely high. At this point, the Demon Slayer Canyon might be filled with high-quality equipment. Song Jian couldnt believe that all the players had been chased out by the Abyss demons. There had to be some who were able to evade their pursuit. After all, only Song Jian was their target, not the other players. As long as they hid and avoided direct confrontation, they had a high chance of surviving. Once the Abyss demons left the Demon Slayer Canyon, the equipment that dropped would be theirs for the taking. Taking all of this into account, the joy of gaining over 800 merit points vanished, and Song Jian felt like hed helped others gather equipment for nothing. Theres some. Do you want it? Song Jian asked casually. Compared to the equipment dropped in the Demon Slayer Canyon, the items in his inventory were worth nothing. Sell them to me. Its not like you can use them anyway, Katie said. She wanted to use this approach to gradually get closer to Song Jian and eliminate his wariness. As for the equipment Song Jian had, she didnt think it would hold much value. Sure, where do you want to trade? Song Jian agreed readily. Most of the equipment in his inventory belonged to the members of the Fallen Angel Elite Team, and the dozens of items indeed took up a lot of space. He wouldve thrown them away had it not been for the thought of trading the items. In an obscure alley in the Flame Furnace, Song Jian saw Katie wearing a black robe, with her entire face hidden under the hood. Displaying all of the equipment, Song Jian said, These are all of the items. Your alliance should be able to handle them, right? He showed off dozens of items that could only be used by Abyss professions. Most of the equipment was of silver quality, with only a handful of blue and gold quality. If not restricted to Abyss professions, their collective worth would be at least several million Doomsday Coins. Seeing Song Jians display, Katies expression hidden beneath her hood revealed a hint of shock. This was when she suddenly realized that the Mercenary Guild had increased the bounty on Song Jian because he nearly annihilated the entire Fallen Angel Alliance Elite Team while they were besieging a world boss. In other words, these items were worn by the members of the Fallen Angel Alliance Elite Team just a few days ago. Dark Gold Two-Handed Shield, Gold Magic Staff, Silver, Silver Longsword oh my god Katie moaned in her heart. All this equipment was of high quality, and if her small, 300-member alliance could get them all, their overall strength would surely increase significantly. Ill take them all! Katie declared resolutely. Thank you Bread84 for the 100 Qidian Coins~ Chapter 795 - 796: Transaction Chapter 795: Chapter 796: Transaction Katies main motivation for trading with Song Jian this time was to build a foundation for future dealings, estimating that the total value of Song Jians equipment would only amount to around two or three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins at most. No matter how much equipment he offers, Ill pay him 30% of the market price. No, make that 50%! That was Katies original intent, but when Song Jian displayed all his equipment, her plan fell by the wayside. Since Im making such a large purchase, could you please offer me a better price? Katie asked shyly. She initially planned to make Song Jian owe her a favour, but it now seemed that she was the one whod owe him a big one. After all, the value of the equipment on display was too high. Do you want it? Song Jian asked with a faint smile. ... Of course, I do! Katie retorted, rolling her eyes: These must be equipment from the Fallen Angel Alliances Elite Team, arent they? As black market goods, they cant be sold at the market price. You should offer me a lower price, especially since Im buying it all at once Katie put the favour to one side. Once she acquired all this equipment, the power of the Thorny Bird Alliance would surge significantly. Ill give you all this equipment for free! Song Jian said with a smile. As Katie was trying to haggle and persuade Song Jian to sell her the equipment at a lower price, his words left her dumbfounded. Wha-What? Youre giving it to me? she exclaimed incredulously. This batch of equipment, priced at a minimum of 3 million Doomsday Coins in the market, was enough to make an average player rich overnight. Indeed. Just help me with a small task and all this equipment will be yours, Song Jian said with a smile. Katies face lit up with excitement. Even if she wanted to kill Song Jian and claim the bounty of 1.8 million, an opportunity to gain 3 million Doomsday Coins was right in front of her, and she wasnt about to let it slip away. Speak up! Whether its climbing up the blade of a sword or diving into a sea of flames, as long as it wont get me killed, mention any request! she assured Song Jian, patting her chest. I want you to defeat the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist outside as quickly as possible, Song Jian said, narrowing his eyes. The Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist? Katie flinched and after hesitating for a moment, finally agreed: Alright, deal! Then, she took out a silver Contract Scroll, bit her finger to let out some blood, and quickly wrote the contract contents. With her handprint stamped on the bottom of the scroll, she handed it over to Song Jian: Sign this contract, and Ill get my team ready immediately. Song Jian took a look and it stated that Katie would kill the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, and he would provide the 67 pieces of equipment worth 3 million Doomsday Coins in return. But theres a time limit. You must kill it within half an hour, Song Jian added. What? But thats a Level 50 Lord BOSS! Katie exclaimed. There were seven Level 50 Lord Ritualists in the Demon Slayer Canyon which often wanders around the Demon Guardian Temple; it was no secret in the Flame Furnace. Did you think it would be easy to earn 3 million Doomsday Coins? Song Jian asked, squinting at Katie. Katie hesitated for a moment before nodding and added a time limit to the contract. After reading it through, Song Jian saw no problems and with his bleeding finger, printed his handprint on the contract. Boom! sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The contract spontaneously flew into the air and disintegrated into ashes in a puff of black smoke. Alright, Ill gather my team! Katie headed towards the city walls right away while Song Jian quietly watched her receding figure. Given his current identity in the Flame Furnace, he could only take less-travelled roads and avoid encountering any NPCs or else hed be attacked. However, the Flame Furnace was currently under siege by monsters; the NPCs were either guarding the city on the walls or hiding in their rooms with the doors tightly shut. As long as Song Jian was careful, he wouldnt be discovered. It took Katie just five minutes to gather the online members of the Thorny Bird Alliance. Essentially, most players were attacking the BOSS from the city walls. As long as they dealt damage to the BOSS, they would earn Contribution Points once it was defeated. Thats why lots of players were farming Contribution Points from the city walls, after all, the citys artillery guns would do most of the work in killing the BOSS. Guys, focus on taking down the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist! Katie shouted in the group channel. Boss, the Ritualists are cunning; theyre standing too far away, we cant reach them! one of the players yelled back. Katie glanced at the city walls. Currently, the ones directly attacking were all Level 35 Elite Bosses, while the seven Level 50 Lord Bosses were standing outside the attack range of the citys artillery. These Bosses are cunning! Katie cursed under her breath. She checked the timeten minutes had already passed. If they continued like this, the Flame Furnace would be overrun before they even got to touch the Lord Bosses. With that thought, Katie took a strong leap forwards; her cloak billowing like wings as she soared into the air, heading towards the Lord Bosses. Holy shit! Our boss is fearless! Is she trying to commit suicide? Is she tired of attacking from the city walls and reckons its more fun to attack from within the group of monsters? Thats too risky! Be careful not to attract the mobs concentrated fire! Judging from her direction, it seems shes headed towards those Ritualists Katies actions left the players of the Thorny Bird Alliance flabbergasted. When had their guild master become so brave? Come closer, a bit more Katie muttered to herself, slowly and carefully getting closer in mid-air: You cant see me, none of you can see me! The Ritualists were all focused on the distant city walls, watching the steady decrease in the walls durability while the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist had her attention occupied by sensing Song Jians location. Being cautious, Katie gradually approached and soon, the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist got into her attacking range. The moment Katie locked onto the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, the latters brow creased as she instantly detected she was being targeted. As she looked upward, Katie was swinging her Magic Staff, and innumerable energy arrows flew towards her. PS: Thanks to Piercing Piggies for tipping 100 QiDian Coins~ Chapter 796 - 797: Luring the Monster Chapter 796: Chapter 797: Luring the Monster Due to the terms of the contract, Katie had to kill the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist within half an hour. However, these ritualists stayed beyond the range of the citys defense cannon and completely refrained from taking a step closer. Grinding her teeth, Katie unexpectedly flew into the air, planning to draw the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist to her; The moment Katie locked onto the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, he noticed her floating in the sky. Looking up, Katie cast the area-of-effect skill Shadow Arrow Rain, firing countless black energy arrows directly at the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist; Insect! the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist Iphisna roared in anger. Pointing her magic staff at Katie, she unleashed an arc of black lightning that burst forth from the tip of the staff, cutting across the air towards Katie; Katies expression drastically changed. The opponent was a level fifty lord-type BOSS, so, without the time for second thoughts, Katie instinctively cast a defensive skill. A transparent shield, layered with golden spiderwebs, suddenly appeared in front of her; Bang! ... The black lightning violently crashed into the shield, letting out a loud explosion. Katies face paled, and daring not to linger any longer, she turned and flew towards the city wall; Shadow Arrow Rain covered a five to six meter radius around the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist Iphisna. One after another, damage numbers over a hundred points floated above Iphisnas head; Iphisna, why does everyone want to pick on you? a Flame Demon Ritualist not far away looked curiously at Iphisna and asked with a hearty laugh; The gaze of the other ritualists turned odd too when they looked at Iphisna. Everyone was scrambling for the revival objects, and the human had chosen the one protecting the resurrection artifact of the Sixth Demon Lord under Iphisnas care. Now, another player from the Abyss was attacking Iphisna despite numerous ritualists around. This made it seem like Iphisna was a pushover; Iphisna was enraged. The insignificant being in front of her had somehow blocked her death lightning without suffering a scratch. The mockery from the other ritualists made the situation even harder to stomach for her. With a cold huff, Iphisna pushed through the monsters blocking her path and went after Katie; Has Iphisna gone mad? the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist, Kubisuo, was taken aback. The citys defense cannons were extremely powerful, and even they dare not confront them directly. Breaking through the city wall depended on their elite BOSSes charging at the front, sacrificing themselves in the process; This city isnt something we can conquer The Great Demon Ritualist, Saffer, suddenly spoke out, Its defensive walls are too high, and the power of the defensive cannons is immense. With only our tribesmen, we simply cant break its defense. Saffer, do you feel sorry for those tribesmen? Haha, after all, they will reappear after a day. It doesnt matter if they all die here! The Abyssal Succubus flirtatiously glanced at Saffer and said gigglingly; Do not forget our mission! Saffer coldly swept his eyes over the other ritualists and said, The resurrection artifact of the Sixth Demon Lord was stolen, but the resurrection artifact of our lord is still here. Our mission isnt to conquer this city, but to protect the resurrection artifact and wait for the lord to descend upon Abyssal Hell again! All the others were shocked. If all the tribesmen were depleted at this city, then there would be a void of a day, during which the defense would be significantly weakened. If you dont kill that human, do you think you can protect the resurrection artifact of the lords with your current ability? the Fallen Angel Ailei coldly said. The other ritualists immediately fell silent. After a long time, the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist shook his head and said: Its just a human of a little over thirty levels. As long as we are cautious, then Just then, a heartrending roar suddenly echoed from the distance. The several ritualists looked up and were shocked to see that Iphisna had already charged into the attack range of the citys defense cannon; Meanwhile, all players from the Thorny Bird Alliance focused their fire on the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. Impressively, two players pulled out tokens that briefly controlled the two large city defense cannons for ten minutes and joined the attack on the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. In a blink of an eye, Iphisnas Vitality Points were reduced by 40%. Its a trap, this is a trap! Iphisna screamed, turning to flee. Just then, Abyssal Chains shot out from the city wall, binding Iphisna tightly in place. At this moment, a second round of strikes landed on Iphisna. More than two hundred Thorny Bird Alliance players unleashed their most powerful skills all at once against Iphisna. Help me! Iphisna struggled, trying to break free from the Abyssal Chains. Katies face was pale as the Abyssal Chains continued to drain her Spirit Points, and because Iphisna was too powerful, Katies Spirit Points visibly decreased significantly every second! The Abyssal Chains, which originally could last more than thirty seconds, could now barely hold for ten seconds, no, even five seconds. Longya, transfer your Mental Strength to me! Katie yelled. A girl with a horn over an inch long on her head put her hand on Katie, reciting an Abyssal Spell, and her Spirit Points began to decrease rapidly. In contrast, Katies Spirit Points started to increase slowly. This replenishment, which was converted at a certain rate, was actually very unprofitable. But now, for every extra second that Katie could hold Iphisna, the chances of killing her would exponentially increase. Boom, boom~ Once again, the two city defense cannons fired a deep rumble at Iphisna! Two damages, each over thousands of points, floated above Iphisnas head. One of her spider legs was blasted off, spinning, and flew seven or eight meters away. What are you doing, come and save me! Iphisna slumped to the ground, looking horribly tragic covered in blood. Looking back, she let out a sharp scream at the other Ritualists. However, her position was too dangerous at the moment, completely within the firing range of the city defense cannons. Just then, the NPCs defending the city seemed to notice the severely injured Iphisna. Killing her, a level 50 Lord Boss, was more rewarding than killing a hundred level 35 Elite Bosses. Instantly, five or six city defense cannons on the city wall turned and targeted Iphisna. No! Iphisna felt the shadow of death completely enveloping her and struggled with all her might. Creak, creak~ The Abyssal Chains binding her were starting to crack. In just one second, the entire black chain continuously broke apart. Katie, as if hit by a powerful punch, couldnt help but spurt out blood. Just when Iphisna broke free from the chains and attempted to flee, five or six chilling cannonballs flew towards her. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 797 - 798: Demon Guardian Temple Chapter 797: Chapter 798: Demon Guardian Temple Boom, boom, boom, The citys defensive cannons roared in unison, the shells brutally slammed into Iphisnas body. The violent explosion caused her figure to disappear. Several seconds later, as the dust and smoke cleared, parts of Iphisnas body were scattered across the battlefield. About a dozen items, each emitting a different color, were scattered around her corpse, among them were two that radiated a dark-golden light that captured the attention all Abyss players. At this moment, Song Jian finally felt the attention that had been fixed on him gradually dissipating, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face. With just a thought, Song Jians figure turned transparent and he dove through the city wall. In an instant, he managed to traverse the city wall, leaving the main city of Flame Furnace. He circled around and made his way towards the Demon Slayer Canyon. Upon Iphisnas death, the Wolf Spider Demons let out mournful howls, launching suicide attacks against the city wall. Watching Iphisnas dismembered corpse, the remaining Demon Ritualists were filled with a deep sense of sorrow. ... Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Iphisna was really too impulsive The Flame Demon Ritualist, Black, shook his head and spoke in a low voice. The Sixth Demon King has truly fallen! The Great Demon Ritualist, Saffer, sighed, looking up towards the city wall of the Flame Furnaces main city. At this moment, cheers erupted from the city wall C killing a Demon Ritualist was equivalent to severing the hope of a Demon Lords resurrection. It should be noted that Flame Furnace was originally the main city of the Sixth Demon King, Estan. Only after his death did the city change hands, and naturally, they were not eager for the Sixth Demon King to awaken again. To resurrect the Seven Abyss Demon Kings, firstly, an object from the Demon Kings remains would be required as a resurrection tool to gather the faith of the followers. Following this, a resurrection ritual needs to be held by the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist to fully resurrect them. Now, the revival artifact of the Sixth Demon King has been stolen by Song Jian, and the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist had been killed. This completely severed any hope of the Sixth Demon Kings resurrection. Should we continue? The Flame Demon Ritualist hesitated. At this point, the defense of the Flame Furnace city wall had fallen to less than half, with numerous demons corpses piled up below. During the siege, the monsters corpses wouldnt immediately burn to ashes. The bodies piled against the city wall had reached more than half of its height, and many demons were even able to climb the bodies to reach the wall. Didnt you see that we are about to break through this city? If we retreat now, our tribesmen would have died in vain! said the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist with a cold snort. Indeed, breaking through the city walls can give us huge rewards, even if we havent killed that human! A strange smile drifted across the Abyssal Succubus Ritualists face as she giggled. Among the few Demon Ritualists, perhaps only the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist wanted to kill Song Jian, for the artifact required for the resurrection of the Sixth Demon King was still on him. Without personal grudges, the other Demonic Ritualists held a nonchalant attitude towards killing Song Jian. However, the prospect of breaking into the main city and acquiring the wealth of the city was a huge temptation for the few Demonic Ritualists! Let those crazed Wolf Spider Demons take the lead! A savage look flashed in the Great Demon Ritualists eyes as he spoke softly. With the death of the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist, all the Wolf Spider Demons were filled with a suicidal determination. Glancing at each other, the Ritualists secretly nodded in agreement. They collectively commanded the demons to slow their assault, leaving the Wolf Spider Demons to run at the front. At this moment, Song Jian was already heading towards the Demon Slayer Canyon. He had only obtained the Abyssal Demon Flame of the Sixth Demon King. The Abyssal Demon Flames of the other six Demon Kings were still out of reach. Currently, almost all the demons in the Demon Guardian Temple were striking at the Flame Furnace. This was the best time to complete the task; Upon entering the Demon Slayer Canyon, Song Jian immediately received a system prompt; System: Epic-level mission Legacy of the Seven Demon Kings triggered. Collect the Demon Flames of the Demon Kings and destroy the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. Sword Immortal Severed Blade? Song Jian was surprised and thought to himself, Could it be possible that the seven Demon Kings fell because they fought with a Sword Immortal and ended up perishing together? In the Abyssal Hell, there is an inheritance of the Sword Immortal. Only by going there can you have a chance to learn how to become a Sword Immortal Cecilias voice echoed in Song Jians ears. Demon Slayer Canyon is the place where a human Sword Immortal fought with the seven Demon Kings. It is also their mutual burial ground! Song Jian was immediately excited. If successful, not only could Song Jian obtain a Demi-God Artifact, but he could also obtain the inheritance left behind by a human Sword Immortal. When Song Jian arrived deep in the Demon Slayer Canyon, he suddenly detected a figure picking something up. Upon taking a closer look, wasnt that figure Kekaul, the angel that Song Jian had rescued? Kekaul, what are you up to? Song Jian surprisingly found that Kekaul had entirely changed his equipment. From the previous silver armor, he was now adorned with a resplendent golden glow. Seeing Song Jian, Kekaul appeared sheepish and said, Hehe, I saw so many items dropped on the ground, so I took the liberty of changing my wardrobe! How many did you take? Song Jian asked curiously. Not that many, most were snatched up by a few thief-like chaps Kekaul pointed to his armor, I simply picked up this set Okay, go with me to the Demon Guardian Temple! Song Jian stated. At this time, in the Demon Slayer Canyon, one could still see a few Abyss players swiftly picking up something. After all, over a thousand Abyss players and NPC bounty hunters had perished. Even if the equipment they dropped was not the best they had, the sheer number meant that those who managed to escape would make quite a fortune. Song Jian, pressed for time, had no time to pick up this equipment, most of the good quality ones were already taken, and what was left wasnt particularly good; Soon, Song Jian and the Angel Kekaul arrived at Broken Stone Mountain. The mountain had completely changed its form. The once towering mountain peak that nearly reached the top on both sides of the canyon seemed to have exploded from within. Numerous fragments were scattered in all directions; In the middle of the Broken Stone Mountain, the Demon Guardian Temple, initially hidden within, also appeared. Earlier in the mountains belly, Song Jian had not taken a good look. Now, he realized that there were eight Demon Guardian Temples. Seven slightly smaller temples protected a central large temple; Song Jian had inadvertently ventured into the Wolf Spider Demon Temple on the left; Where are we going now? Kekaul asked. In order, we will visit every temple! A smile appeared on Song Jians face. Looking at the quiet Demon Guardian Temple, devoid of a single monster, he whispered; Chapter 798 - 799: Treasure Chest Chapter 798: Chapter 799: Treasure Chest Song Jian and the angel Kekaul approached a temple near the Wolf Spider Demon Temple. The temple was empty with no monsters around. As they continued forward, Song Jian noticed two Cerberus Demon Elites guarding a pathway. Kekaul, lets each take one and see who kills theirs first, what do you think? Song Jian pointed to the two Cerberus Demons guarding the pathway and proposed with a smile. No problem, its a perfect time for me to get used to my new equipment! Kekaul lifted his sword and shield, laughing out loud. Kekaul was originally using a double-handed sword, and now he switched to a one-handed sword and a shield. Even though his defensive capabilities had increased, the damage he inflicted did not decrease by much. With a loud roar, Kekaul even attacked a Cerberus Demon before Song Jian, his fighting instinct was gradually resurfacing. His sword and shield combination pushed back the Level 35 Elite boss, completely dominating the battle. Song Jian slightly smiled, releasing four swords flying towards another Cerberus Demon. The Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique emerged, a whirlwind mixed with large snowflakes swept towards the Cerberus Demon. It was like a melee, a series of damage numbers floated above the Cerberus Demons head. ... The Cerberus Demon that Song Jian attacked didnt have a chance to touch even the hem of Song Jians clothes. It was cut down directly by the four swords. At this point, the Elite boss fighting Kekaul still had about half of its Vitality points left. How is this possible? How can your damage be so high? A surprised expression appeared on Kekauls face. He was a Level 50 Elite Boss with peak first-tier combat power. Even though he had been restrained for hundreds of years and was currently in a weakened state, his strength was not much different from a Level 40 Elite Boss. The victory over a Level 35 Elite Boss was only a matter of time. However, Kekaul never expected that Song Jian, who was only Level 38, could execute a flawless kill against a Level 35 Elite Boss. Keep going, we dont have much time! Laughing, Song Jian collected the materials dropped from the two monsters and began to walk down the passage. The monsters in Abyssal Hell dropped materials with distinctive features of the Abyss which were not available anywhere else. These materials were worth a great deal and extremely rare to find in the market. The demon siege could abandon at any time and return to the Demon Guardian Temple. Perhaps because the Cerberus Demon has three heads, its detection range was large. As Song Jian and Kekaul walked through the corridor, the Cerberus Demon always found them first and initiated the attack. However, most of the demons in the temple were taken by the Cerberus Demon Ritualist, leaving only a handful in the corridor. Within less than half an hour, Song Jian and Kekaul had cleaned up all the Cerberus Demons in the corridor. Ahead of them was a spacious square, just like the previous Wolf Spider Demon Temple. In the center of the square, there was a huge altar with flames burning on top that seemed to never extinguish. Song Jian, look over there! Kekaul pointed to the corner on the left side of the altar. There was a huge tent with a shining dark gold treasure chest in front of it. In front of the chest, a monster that was much larger than a regular Cerberus Demon was crouched on the ground. Two of its heads were resting on its front paws, sleeping. Of its three heads, one was always opened, vigilantly observing the surroundings, while the other two were sound asleep. A Level 40 Elite Boss? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked Kekaul, What do you think? Want to give it a try? Kekauls face showed a difficult expression. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and replied, No problem, leave it to me! Song Jian laughed and replied, You just need to hold on for a while. After I get the treasure from the chest, I will come to help you! Hearing what Song Jian said, Kekaul breathed a sigh of relief, his facial expression relaxed significantly. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For glory! Kekaul let out a low growl and charged towards the sleeping Cerberus Demon boss. The head that was awake saw Kekaul and immediately let out a low growl, opening its mouth to spit a ball of venom at Kekaul. Kekaul blocked the venom with his shield and swung his sword at the Cerberus Demon. In an instant, the other two sleeping heads woke up and attacked Kekaul. While fighting, Kekaul managed to lure the Boss away from the chest. After gaining about ten meters of distance, Song Jian took the opportunity to run towards the Dark Gold treasure chest. Song Jian bent down and began to unlock the chest. System: Chest Opening, 2% 4% 9% As Song Jian was opening the chest, the Cerberus Demon Boss, who was originally fighting Kekaul, suddenly roared and unexpectedly turned to charge at Song Jian. Much to his horror, Kekaul swung his sword at the Cerberus Demon Boss shouting, Intimidate! By the name of the sacred, deem it as my nemesis! A ray of white light came out from Kekauls sword, shooting towards the Cerberus Demon Boss. In a flash, the Cerberus Demon Boss became furious and charged back towards Kekaul. A bitter smile appeared on Kekauls face as he lifted his shield to resist, trying his best to withstand the Bosss attack. This was a forced hatred skill in which he could make any target attack him compulsively. The downside was that it put the target into a berserk state. This berserk state caused no energy consumption and had no sequelae after dissipating. A level 40 Elite Boss was already hard for Kekaul to handle. After going berserk, the Cerberus Demon Bosss damage and attack speed went up a notch, leaving Kekaul only with the power to resist, unable to counterattack. Song Jian, hurry up, I cant hold on for long! Kekaul yelled. As time ticked away, with a click, the Dark Gold chest opened. Without checking what he had found, Song Jian quickly put it into his bag and charged towards Kekaul. Seeing Song Jian charging towards, Kekaul breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, the Cerberus Demon Boss swung its claw at him, smacking the shield and sending Kekaul flying back several meters. Just as the boss was about to continue its attack, Song Jian controlled the four swords, chopping down on the boss. Song Jians damage was too high. In just a few minutes, he successfully attracted the hatred of the Boss to himself. Kekauls forced hatred skill had already worn off. Seeing the Boss starting to attack Song Jian, Kekaul finally breathed a sigh of relief, stepped back a couple of steps and sat down on the ground. PS: Thanks to Piercing Piggies for the gift of 500 coins. Chapter 799 - 800: Heart of the Angel Chapter 799: Chapter 800: Heart of the Angel As Song Jian took the Cerberus Demon Bosss hatred and pulled it towards himself, Kekaul could no longer hold on, retreating two steps back before sitting on the ground, panting heavily. By this time, Kekaul the Angels Vitality Points had dropped to one-third of their original amount. If Song Jian had arrived later, Kekaul might have died right here. During the fight, Kekaul didnt notice it, but now that he thought about it, he felt a bit apprehensive. Although he didnt fear sacrifice, he had been bound for hundreds of years and didnt want to die here just like that. Four long swords seemed like they were being operated by four people simultaneously, performing various sword techniques that intertwined like a net. The Cerberus Demon Boss couldnt break through, getting slashed by the swords, leaving wounds on its body. Damage points in the hundreds floated above the bosss head. Song Jian opened the Book of the Abyss and began to demonstrate the Abyss Intimidation skill on the Cerberus Demon Boss. Under the influence of the profound Abyssal language, the Cerberus Demon Boss became even more aggressive. Its three heads continuously spat flames and poison at the long swords hovering in mid-air, but the swords agilely avoided the attacks. ... In no time, an Abyssal Seal floated up from the Book of the Abyss and went towards the Cerberus Demon Boss. The Abyssal Seal split into three parts and simultaneously imprinted itself on the bosss three heads. All the demon slaves that Song Jian had previously contracted had died, so he needed to catch new ones. Seeing the Book of the Abyss in Song Jians hand, Kekaul couldnt help but frown and muttered to himself, When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you! What did you say? Song Jian, startled, couldnt help but ask. Abyssal Power cannot be easily obtained. As you use it, you will also be corroded by it Kekaul looked worriedly at Song Jian. Song Jian nodded; he had heard similar warnings before, but since controlling the Abyssal Demon Flame and using the Book of the Abyss, he hadnt shown any signs of being eroded by the Abyssal Power. Seeing that Song Jian didnt care, Kekaul sighed silently in his heart and didnt continue to discourage Song Jian from using the Book of the Abyss. By the way, I didnt have time to look at the stuff in the chest earlier! Song Jian laughed, put away the Book of the Abyss, and took out a Dark Gold item from his inventory. This was a heart-shaped transparent crystal with a Dark Gold glow on its surface! Heart of the Angel (Dark Gold): Special item. Usage effect: this item can only be used by the Angel Clan. When used, it upgrades the user by one tier! Seeing the heart-shaped crystal with a Dark Gold glow in Song Jians hands, Kekauls face changed, and a trace of sadness appeared on his face. This is the Heart of an Archangel that only forms after their fall. Each appearance of such an item means that an Archangel has fallen! Kekaul, in sadness, explained. Only angels can use it! Song Jians eyebrows knitted as he glanced at Kekaul and handed him the Heart of the Angel, Here, take it. Kekaul became startled and quickly explained, This Heart of the Angel can not only advance Angels but is also a precious material. It is the main component for making resurrection potions. If you can find the Tears of the Angel and the Spring of Life, you can make a precious resurrection potion! After considering it for a moment, Song Jian shook his head, Let alone how difficult it is to find the Tears of the Angel and the Spring of Life, even the formula for the resurrection potion is not easy to obtain. Its better for you to use it now and enhance your Combat Power. This would have an immediate effect on my mission. Kekaul sighed and took the Heart of the Angel. In reality, the Angel Clan rarely used the Heart of the Angel to enhance their power because each Heart of the Angel represented the fall of an Archangel. They usually enshrined them in the Sacred Spirit Temple. When the Angel Clan needed to use the Heart of the Angel, they would hold a grand assembly, where the chiefs and elders would discuss and decide its usage. Kekaul was just an ordinary member of the Angel Clan, and under normal circumstances, he would not have the qualifications to use the Heart of the Angel for promotion. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, as he held the Heart of the Angel, Kekauls heart was filled with intense sadness. As if sensing Kekauls sorrow, the dazzling transparent crystal in his hand erupted with blinding white light. The phantom of an eight-winged Archangel appeared before Kekauls eyes. The Angels face was obscured by a cloak, making it difficult to discern its true appearance. Behind it, four pairs of luminescent wings moved gently, and the figure looked incomparably sacred. The Angel phantom pointed at Kekauls forehead, then transformed into a beam of white light that entered his brow. At the same time, the Heart of the Angel disappeared, leaving only a handful of shattered light points that fused into Kekauls palm and flowed into his heart. In an instant, Kekaul let out a painful groan, his face showing discomfort as his entire body glowed bright, as if he were a light bulb. *Crack crack* There was a sound of shifting bones from Kekauls back. A new pair of wings slowly grew beneath his original pair. In no time, Kekaul, a low-rank two-winged Angel, had ascended to the rank of a four-winged Angel. As a four-winged Angel, Kekaul could be a squadron leader within the Angel Clan. Moreover, the weakened status in Kekauls stats vanished. Not only had his strength returned to its peak, but it had also risen even higher. Level 50 Lord-level Boss! Song Jians eyes sparkled, revealing a look of surprise on his face. With a significant increase in Kekauls power, he could provide significant help to Song Jians mission completion. At the very least, he could hold off one or two Demon Ritualists. As for the other level 35 elite bosses in the Guardian Temple, Kekaul could easily sweep through them on his own. With Kekauls help, the two quickly ascended to the altar, where Song Jian summoned the Book of the Abyss. A black Abyssal Demon Flame appeared, with a fist-sized eyeball flickering within it. Song Jian did not hesitate to grab the eyeball from the Abyssal Demon Flame and placed it in his inventory. In contrast, the originally raging Abyssal Demon Flame turned into a dark light and merged back into the Book of the Abyss. Having absorbed the second Abyssal Demon Flame, the Book of the Abyss now had a glazed flowing light on its surface. The book appeared infused with new vitality, resembling a piece of art. System: You have snatched the eye of the fourth Demon Lord, causing them to lose their chance of resurrection. The Cerberus Demon Clans reputation towards you is locked to hunt to the death. System: Cerberus Demon Ritualist Guyar has targeted you and will initiate a hunt to the death against you until one side is completely annihilated! System: You have obtained the fourth Demon Lords Abyssal Demon Flame. The tier of your Book of the Abyss has been upgraded, and the power of all skills within it has been increased. Your Abyssal Demon Flame has been upgraded to the 6th tier. PS: Thank you Bread84 for the donation of 100 Qidian coins! Chapter 800 - 801: Resurrection Item_1 Chapter 800: Chapter 801: Resurrection Item_1 After Song Jian absorbed the Abyssal Demon Flame from the Cerberus Demon Temple, that sensation of being overwhelmingly suppressed resurfaced. It was exactly like the feeling he had when he acquired the Sixth Demon Kings fang from the Wolf Spider Demon Temple and was targeted by the Wolf Spider Demon Ritualist. At this moment, a giant breach had appeared on the walls of the Flame Furnaces main city, with countless Abyss Demons swarming to break through this gap. However, they were all thwarted by a group of heavily-armored warriors wielding large shields; These were all Abyss Shield Strikers trained by the main city of the Flame Furnace itself, with some other professionals capable of wielding two-handed shields joining in. Everyone understood that once these Abyss Demons broke into the city, it would be completely destroyed; But everyone inside the main city knew that the citys fall was only a matter of time. The Abyss Demon army numbered over ten thousand, and if they were ordinary monsters, they wouldnt be able to breach the city. But now, over ten thousand elite bosses had arrived, and there were even several level fifty lord bosses looking on greedily. The main citys Transmission Array had been shut down, and some NPCs and players began to use their own methods to leave the main city one after another. They certainly did not wish to share the citys fate. Katies mood also turned somber. She hadnt expected that these monsters really had the strength to break through the Flame Furnace. The thought of the main city being utterly demolished made Katie feel panic and at a loss. She wanted to negotiate with Song Jian for assistance, also for the sake of developing the Thorny Bird Alliance. But if the main city were breached, then her so-called alliance development would become a joke; ... Standing on the city walls, Katie gazed toward Demon Slayer Canyon, silently praying in her heart; The stalemate was about to be broken, and a shadow of despair fell over the hearts of those defending the city. At that moment, all the Cerberus Demons on the battlefield suddenly halted their steps, letting out a furious roar; Damn humans! The Cerberus Demon Ritualist, Guyar, stomped a front paw heavily onto the ground, causing the surrounding earth to shake violently, almost like an earthquake. Guyar, whats gotten into you? The Goat-faced Demon Ritualist, stationed closest to Guyar, steadied himself before bellowing furiously at the Cerberus Demon Ritualist; That human, that human is no longer in this city, hes returned to the Guardian Temple, and he has stolen the Fourth Demon Lords resurrection artifact! All three of the Cerberus Demon Ritualists heads roared loudly at the same time, raging furiously, nearly going mad. What, how is that possible? We have completely surrounded this city; how could he have gotten out? The ritualists were shocked, knowing that the temples they guarded were very close to each other. Retreat, I must return and tear this human to pieces! The Cerberus Demon Ritualist roared loudly, and with that command, all the Cerberus Demons withdrew from the battlefield and began to retreat, following Guyar towards Demon Slayer Canyon; Whats this all about? Were about to break through this city, you know. A whole citys worth of wealth, and were just giving up? muttered the Flame Demon Lord under his breath. Just then, the Goat-faced Demon Ritualist also let out a roaring, and without a second word, waved his huge hand giving his commands to the attacking Goat-faced Demons, leading them in a hurried dash towards Demon Slayer Canyon. The other ritualists looked at one another, glanced up at the shaky Flame Furnace, and reluctantly issued orders to retreat, rushing off towards Demon Slayer Canyon; Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Their mission was to protect the resurrection artifacts of the Demon Lords, collect beliefs, and wait for the day of the Demon Lords revival. If the resurrection artifacts were stolen, then even if they destroyed ten main cities and gained the wealth of a hundred main cities, it would be meaningless to them. Damn humans, they are too cunning. If only we could wait for one more hour, no, half an hour, we could have The Great Demon Priest cast a regretful look back at the huge breach in the walls of the Flame Furnace city. At this moment, Song Jian had already emerged from the second Demon God Temple and was rushing towards the next one. We need to speed up, it wont be long before those Abyss Demons might come back! Song Jian said as he hurriedly made his way towards the adjacent temple; There were five more temples, thankfully these temples were not far from each other, and Demon Slayer Canyon was at some distance from the Flame Furnace. If the Abyss Demons were still attacking the city at this point, even if they received the message now, there should be enough time to make it here; With this in mind, Song Jian, accompanied by the significantly strengthened angel Kekaul, continued to rush towards the next temple. In just half an hour, Song Jian had traversed the five temples, gathering all the resurrection items of the five Abyss Demon Kings, while the remaining five Abyssal Demon Flames were all absorbed by the Book of the Abyss; The Book of the Abysss surface shimmered with flowing light, and a strange eye appeared on its cover. When Song Jian looked at it, he even felt as if the eye were alive. At this point, the Book of the Abyss also entered a sealed state, rendered unusable. Checking the sealing time, it would take a full seven days to unseal, which meant that all the skills contained within the Book of the Abyss were now inaccessible. Demi-God Artifact Song Jian looked at the Book of the Abyss burning with black flames inside him and his heart suddenly became ablaze with excitement; As for another mission, to collect the resurrection artifacts of seven Demon Lords, and then sever the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, Song Jian temporarily lost his train of thought. He had already collected all seven resurrection artifacts of the Demon Lords: the heart of the First Demon King, a horn segment of the Second Demon King, the purple-red scales of the Third Demon King, the eyeball of the Fourth Demon King, the tail of the Fifth Demon King, the fangs of the Sixth Demon King, and a black feather of the Seventh Demon King; The seven resurrection artifacts lay quietly in Song Jians inventory, their surfaces emanating a thick black aura. What should I do next? Song Jian frowned deeply. What he lacked most now was time. The Abyssal Demon Sacrifices would have certainly received the alert by now and were frantically rushing this way. Any further delay meant that once those Demon Ritualists returned, they would be trapped in the Demon Guardian Temple, even with the formidable power of the angel Kekaul. Song Jian, is it possible that there might be a clue for the next step of your mission in the central temple? the angel Kekaul suddenly said. The central temple? Song Jian was startled. It was known that the Demon Guardian Temple was actually a complex, with seven temples surrounding and protecting an even larger temple. The other seven temples were each controlled by one of the seven Great Demon Priests, but Song Jian had never been inside the central and larger temple; However, compared to the other temples, the central one was more severely damaged. With time pressing, if there were no clues inside, it would mean a total waste of time; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian gritted his teeth and said, Lets go have a look at the central temple! Having said that, the two of them flew towards the central temple; Chapter 801 - 802: The Devil’s Throne_1 Chapter 801: Chapter 802: The Devils Throne_1 Just as Song Jian and the angel Kekaul entered the Central Temple, a faint golden line appeared on Song Jians task map. Song Jians eyes brightened, it seemed that the task clue was indeed inside this Central Temple. Follow me, Song Jian said, and he quickly dashed in the direction indicated by the golden line. The Central Temple was even more severely damaged, many parts had already collapsed, and the interior was very complex, with numerous large and small rooms connected by countless maze-like corridors. On top of that, the debris from the collapsed structures made navigating the temple very difficult. Without the guidance of the task, searching the entire temple would take at least two or three days. There were also monsters inside the temple, short figures emitting a faint black aura, Shadow Demons prowling everywhere within the temple. These Shadow Demons appeared and vanished intermittently, blocking Song Jians path forward. If he were to eliminate them one by one, the Abyssal Demon Sacrifices would probably lead their armies and trap him here before he could finish. ... Kekaul, Ill leave this to you, draw them all out, Song Jian whispered. After speaking, he used the Concealment Necklace to enter a stealth state. Kekaul roared loudly and pointed his sword at the nearest Shadow Demon, shouting, Intimidate, in the sacred name, mark it as my enemy! The targeted Shadow Demon was instantly furious, its eyes turned blood-red, and it screamed, brandishing its dagger, charging at Kekaul. The Shadow Demons beside it also rushed towards Kekaul. Just as Kekaul was preparing to face the enemy, he suddenly felt something off and noticed a flash of cold light at the corner of his eye. Kekaul was shocked and quickly dodged to the side, only then realizing that a dagger was stabbing towards his temple. Kekaul quickly raised his shield, and with a clang, the dagger collided with the shield, making his arm feel heavy. Taking advantage of the momentum, he retracted his shield and fiercely slashed at the enemy with his right hand. Clang~ A figure slowly emerged, different from the other Shadow Demons, this one wore light grey scale armor. While other Shadow Demons only wielded a dagger, this one held daggers in both hands, the blades gleaming with a faint green light. Shadow Demon Leader? Kekaul narrowed his eyes, focusing on the faint green glow on the enemys weapon: Poisoned! A level 40 elite boss, the Shadow Demon Leader, was not much of a challenge for Kekaul. But combined with a dozen level 35 elite Shadow Demons, Kekaul immediately felt the pressure. Divine Blessing, a golden light fell upon Kekauls head, he first bestowed a status spell on himself, and then, while fighting the group of Shadow Demons, he started to retreat. Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian infiltrated further inside, the sounds of battle behind him growing fainter and fainter. Following the path indicated by the task, Song Jian had to pass through many rooms. Some were empty and devoid of monsters, but others occasionally had one or two roaming Shadow Demons. Although these Shadow Demons were easy for Song Jian to deal with, they still delayed him considerably, making him increasingly anxious. Having passed through a dozen rooms, Song Jian could feel that the Demon Ritualists were getting closer and closer; there wasnt much time left for him. Over half an hour later, Song Jian finally arrived at the end of the guided route shown on the map. It was a spacious hall, and at the end of the hall, there was a throne emitting a dark gold glow. The throne was carved entirely out of dark gold metal, and the guided route shown on the map ended right at this throne. Song Jian quickly walked up to the throne, opened his task panel, but there were no prompts. Could it be that I need to sit down? The throne was quite wide, able to accommodate three or four people side by side. Song Jian sat on it and after a moment, nothing out of the ordinary happened. After some thought, Song Jian tried taking out a resurrection artifact of the Demon Lord and placed it on the throne; then he noticed that the glow of the throne seemed to grow slightly stronger. It was then that the long-awaited task prompt finally appeared in the task panel. System: You have discovered the Abyssal Demon Throne. Place the seven Demon Lord resurrection artifacts on the throne to open the Teleportation Gate to the Fallen Space. Song Jian quickly arranged the seven resurrection artifacts on the throne. The dark gold glow of the throne grew more intense, almost blinding. Just then, the apparitions of seven Demon Lords slowly materialized above the throne, roaring angrily and ceaselessly. At that moment, in the midst of these Demon Lord apparitions, a fist-sized black lotus seed appeared out of nowhere. This lotus seed continuously extracted energy from the apparitions of the seven Demon Lords, as strands of black Abyssal Vitality flowed incessantly from the apparitions to the black lotus seed. Before long, the apparitions of the seven Demon Lords began to fade increasingly, eventually disappearing completely as if they had never been there. Meanwhile, the black lotus seed rapidly grew, rooting itself in the emptiness, quickly blossoming into a lotus, and in no time, all its leaves and stems withered away, leaving only one lotus flower floating in mid-air. At this time, the seven resurrection artifacts of the Demon Lords arranged on the throne were also slowly decaying, as if eroded by thousands of years, their energy being drawn out into the apparitions in mid-air, and from there, continuously extracted into the black lotus blooming in the sky. The lotus unfolded layer by layer and quickly turned into a gate of light, leading to an unknown world. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian could hear the sounds of countless demons roaring angrily behind him, and also heard the angel Kekaul chanting spells resolutely. Knowing he didnt have much time left, he immediately rushed towards the gate of light. The moment his figure rushed through, the entire lotus platform began to wither slowly, with black lotus petals falling down, dissolving in the air, and soon after, the lotus Teleportation Gate vanished from within the throne. At that time, the Quartet angel Kekaul, who was blocking the entrance of the Central Temple, faced countless swarming demons with a resolute expression on his face. The Demon Ritualists, seeing a Quartet angel guarding the temple gate, swarmed in without a second thought. They could feel that Song Jian was inside the temple, and if they killed him, they could retrieve the stolen Demon Lord resurrection artifacts. Although Kekauls strength had significantly improved, facing six Demon Ritualists that were almost his equals, he was beaten without the power to fight back. As his Vitality Points continued to drop and more wounds appeared on his body, he sensed that his end was near. Suddenly, a powerful force whisked him away, flying towards the interior of the temple. PS: Thanks to Martial God Zhao Yun for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 802 - 803: The Final Battlefield_1 Chapter 802: Chapter 803: The Final Battlefield_1 The human is in there! the Abyssal Succubus Priestess bellowed, her eyes flashing with an unholy light as she smiled coquettishly at the four-winged angel Kekaul guarding the gate, You truly are a powerful one. Look at your wings, so beautiful. I too have a pair of lovely wings, see! As she spoke, the Abyssal Succubus Priestess fluttered her bat-like black wings and was about to continue her seductive charm when Kekaul, with a look of disgust, said, How can demon wings compare to the feathers of an angel? Your black wings are a sign of your fall, while mine are the fount of holy power! By this time, Kekaul had resolved himself to death, knowing that even if he were twice as strong, he could not possibly be a match for so many demons. Seeing her charm fail, the Abyssal Succubus let out an angry roar, her faces black demonic tattoos surfacing and appearing ever more ferocious. I told you your charm spell doesnt work on everyone, its a waste of time! the Great Demon Priest complained. Then with a sudden flash, he teleported in front of Kekaul, his massive scythe tracing an arc through the air as he cleaved down at Kekaul. Clang~ ... The Demons scythe struck Kekauls shield, instantly transferring a great force that made Kekaul stagger back two steps. He managed to stabilize his figure only when his back hit a collapsing wall. Before he could swing his longsword to counterattack, the Cerberus Demon Priest let out a roar. All three heads spewed flames and venom simultaneously, and the other demon ritualists also roared and pounced towards Kekaul. Just with you trying to stop us? But if you submit to me, I can make you my lieutenant, a four-winged angel priest. Haha, that sounds pretty good! The Fallen Angel Priest laughed heartily, swinging his sword that emitted a black aura, sending out black Sword Qi that struck the helpless Kekaul. While fending off the attacks, Kekaul chanted healing spells, doing everything in his power to buy time. He knew that Song Jian behind him desperately needed time. Just as Kekauls Vitality Points fell below one-third, suddenly a powerful force from behind turned him into a beam of white light and pulled him into the temple, leaving the demon priests without a target. Whats happened, why have I lost the sensation of that human! the Flame Demon Priest suddenly cried out in terror. Damn it, me too. Did that human manage to escape again? the Goat-faced Demon Priest snarled, his face darkening. This mutual sensing had its distance limits; once exceeded, the sensation would fade. Its impossible, this temple bars any means of teleportation. He couldnt possibly escape! the Great Demon Priest cried out. The demon priests exchanged glances and charged into the temple together. Soon, they reached the Dark Gold Throne within the temple. Oh, no! cried the Abyssal Succubus Priestess in agony, her face etched with despair as she saw the resurrection artifacts of several Abyss Demon Kings atop the Dark Gold Throne had all turned to rot. The demon priests felt as if their strength had been sucked out in an instant, collapsing weakly to the ground. Years of persistence vanished in that moment, a blow so severe that it rendered the demon priests with a feeling of unbearable pain. The angel has disappeared from here too! the Flame Demon Priestess declared, picking up a shattered, unrecognizable shield before the throne. Search, search the entire temple, find that human and angel. I will make them regret being alive in this world! Great Demon Priest Saffer bellowed, his eyes bloodshot, on the verge of exploding. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian rushed through the black lotus dais portal, feeling dizzy and promptly blacking out. He didnt know how much time had passed when he regained consciousness, finding himself lying on a patch of dry grass. The cold rain beat on his cheeks like the cut of a knife. Next to him, the four-winged angel Kekaul lay limply on the ground, his body covered in scars, with pale gold blood slowly flowing out; his breath had weakened to an extreme point; Kekaul Song Jian looked at the barely breathing Kekaul with a complex expression. The moment he entered the light gate, he had already given up on this temporary Follower in his heart. Unexpectedly, Kekaul had followed him and entered this mysterious space as well. Kekauls shield was nowhere to be seen, and his right hand was tightly clutching a long sword full of notches, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, as if he was still fighting in his dreams; Song Jian first performed a surgical treatment on Kekaul to remove the continual bleeding status and then took out a bottle of high-grade healing potion, slowly pouring it into his mouth; Soon after, a pained moan issued from Kekauls mouth, and a pair of pale blue eyes slowly opened. Where, where am I? Kekaul asked in a hoarse whisper; It was then that Song Jian finally lifted his head to look around; I dont know, but it looks like a battlefield! said Song Jian in a low voice; Kekauls strength slowly returned, and the four pairs of wings on his back unfurled as he stood up; This was a vast wilderness with no signs of life anywhere to be seen. Corpses and weapons were scattered all around, stretching out beyond the range of sight; It was at this time that the system prompt finally arrived late; System: You have discovered the Final Battlefield! System: Please find the Sword Immortal Severed Blade here and completely destroy it! Song Jian checked Kekauls condition; by now, his Vitality Points had slowly recovered to over sixty percent, but his Spirit Points were recovering very slowly; Lets go and continue to explore what exactly happened here! said Song Jian as he started walking aimlessly forward; After spending half a day, Song Jian still hadnt discovered anything, but during the search, he could feel that the space was not very large, possibly even smaller than the Demon Guardian Temple they had entered before; Moreover, there were quite a few monsters in this special region. All these monsters were soul-state, all above level fifty Elite Bosses. Fortunately, these monsters were all yellow-named and would not initiate attacks. Moreover, as Song Jian approached them, these monsters would panic and flee far away, making Song Jian click his tongue in wonder; What exactly are we supposed to be finding here? Kekaul couldnt help asking curiously. Its supposed to be a weapon, and a broken one at that! Song Jian hesitated for a moment, saying somewhat uncertainly. Do you think, it could be over there? Kekaul suddenly said, pointing into the distance; PS: Thank you to Piercing Piggies for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 803 - 804 Death’s Scythe_1 Chapter 803: Chapter 804 Deaths Scythe_1 Song Jian entered this final battlefield map, which was strange not only because of the corpses and decayed armaments scattered around but also because of the junk pile made entirely of broken and abandoned weapons at the center of the map. This pile, comprised of thousands of weapons, looked like a mountain from afar. When Song Jian searched, he didnt pay much attention to this junk pile because the weapons accumulated here had all decayed to the point of being unrecognizable; a mere flick would crumble them into iron filings; But after scouring the entire map, Song Jian and Kekaul still ended up standing in front of the junk pile constructed of countless broken and discarded blades. The blade youre seeking might just be here, the angel Kekaul hypothesized. Perhaps, Song Jian said noncommittally. After all, he was looking for a weapon exclusive to a unique profession in the gamehow could it be discarded like trash here? At the very least, it should be enshrined and worshipped in a temple, much like the revival artifacts of those Demon Lords from before. Yet there were no clues to be found here about the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, so they decided to turn this place inside out first; ... The two of them began tossing the broken and battered weapons all around, much like ragpickers; The weapon pile was so vast that it took them well over ten hours just to clear less than half of it; soon, Song Jian and Kekaul realized that not everything in this massive pile was junk. Beyond the outer layer of weathered and decayed weapons, there were quite a few pieces of white-quality equipment above level forty; Despite the lower quality, the sheer volume represented a considerable fortune; With Song Jians discerning eye, he naturally had no interest in these weapons, discarding them just like trash; Hey, this shield is not bad! Kekaul exclaimed, grabbing the corner of an item and forcefully pulling it out from the pile of junk, wiping it to reveal a faint glimmer of gold where he rubbed; A gold-quality shield? Song Jian said, surprised, and looking at Kekaul with a smile, he added, Lucky find. Although the shield didnt compare to his previous dark gold shield, its attributes were decent, fairly standard among gold-quality shields. Kekaul equipped the shield and swung his arm a few times, nodding in satisfaction; Seeing this shield of gold quality, Song Jian suddenly took an interest in the weapon pile. Maybe there were even better-quality weapons buried within, and perhaps even the Sword Immortal Severed Blade from the quest might be hidden here; With this thought, Song Jian significantly sped up his digging; A few hours later, countless broken and discarded blades surrounded Song Jian, all radiating a faint blue-green glow. The weapons were of high level, mostly above forty. Even though they were blue-green, in such quantities, they were worth at least several hundred thousand Doomsday Coins; However, selling these equipments would have to wait a while since most players were around level thirty at the moment, and these items were somewhat too advanced for them; Song Jians storage space was limited, so he could only pick out and store some of the equipment with higher quality and attributes; There were mostly valueless, broken weapons, however, and Song Jian, already feeling numb, even knelt directly on the pile of weapons and kept rummaging; Just then, a purple-red light suddenly burst out from a crevice, instantly causing Song Jians heart to contract sharply; Epic equipment! The thought exploded in Song Jians mind, and he could hardly believe his guess; Rustle~ A flurry of intense rummaging later, the purple-red light grew stronger, and before long, Song Jian extracted a sickle from the pile of weapons; This sickles design was very similar to the one held by the Great Demon Priest, but both its quality and appearance were levels above the weapon in the hands of the Great Demon Priest; Deaths Scythe (Epic): Two-handed polearm weapon, item level: 50, damage: 402-610, equipment effects: strength +30, agility +25, constitution +25, rending damage +30%; Special Effect 1: Fatal Strike (Passive), when causing damage to the target, theres a 0.1% chance to trigger a fatal strike, causing immediate death to the target! Special Effect 2: Vitality Drain (Passive), 30% of the damage dealt to the target will be converted into Vitality Points, restoring the users own health; this effect is only effective when the target is a creature of flesh and blood; Special Effect 3: Critical Hit (Passive), has a 30% chance to deal 3 times the damage to the target, this effect can only occur once every 100 seconds; Special Effect 4: Flame Strike (Passive), has a certain chance to trigger Flame Strike when causing damage to the target, dealing 300 points of fire damage; Special Effect 5: Whirlwind (Active), deal consecutive hits to all enemies within a five-meter radius over three seconds, with each hit increasing damage by 30% more than the previous, if a target killed by the whirlwind ability, their soul will be extracted by the user, assisting in attacking for 1 minute, skill cooldown time: 30 seconds; Item Equipment Requirement: Abyss Profession; Can be taken out of the game: yes Epic, its really an epic weapon! Song Jian stared dumbfounded at the sickle about a meter long in his hand, murmuring to himself: Top-notch, its truly a top-notch weapon! With excellent attributes, after checking the weapons characteristics, Song Jian even felt an impulse to change his class immediately to an Abyss profession; whether it was damage or attributes, everything was what melee players needed most, and not a single attribute was wasted; five effects, four passive and one active skill, were all potent offensive attributes. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Especially the last active skill, it was simply a weapon of war in group battles, and its efficiency, especially when leveling up by grinding small mobs, was astonishing! If this game could be reborn, countless players would probably be willing to commit suicide to respawn just for this weapon; Too bad, its limited to the Abyss profession! Seeing the red text at the end, Song Jian shook his head in regret; this limitation greatly diminished the value of the weapon, and as a human, he was naturally opposed to Abyss playersit was one thing to sell other weapons to Abyss players, but this weapon could play a key role on the battlefield, so under no circumstances would Song Jian consider selling it to Abyss players; The only fate for this weapon was to be taken back to Doomsday City by him and then broken down into materials; Thinking that such a powerful weapon would have to be dismantled into materials, Song Jian couldnt help but feel a pang of pain and deep regret; Just as Song Jian was storing the weapon in his inventory, he suddenly felt a slight tremor underfoot, which quickly grew more intense. Song Jians face changed, and he hastily pulled Kekaul back; An earthquake? Kekaul looked puzzled, staring ahead; By now, the weapon pile had been thoroughly rummaged through by the two of them, leaving only a three-to-four-meter mound, and the epicenter of the shaking was precisely this small hill filled with discarded weapons; PS: Thank you to Piercing Piggies for the gift of 500 Doomsday Coins~ Chapter 804 - 805: The Eighth Demon King_1 Chapter 804: Chapter 805: The Eighth Demon King_1 Get out of the way! Song Jian shouted. As soon as his voice fell, there was a loud boom as a pile of rocks burst open, sending countless broken blades flying towards Song Jian and his companion. Angel Kekaul instinctively raised the newly acquired golden shield in front of him. It was only when Kekaul suddenly remembered Song Jian beside him and turned his head that he saw three Bone Shields floating continuously around Song Jians body, and a scarlet Light Shield also appeared on the surface of his body; Kekaul: Your defense seems even stronger than mine! Clang, clang, clang~ ... A torrential downpour of ringing sounds ensued as countless blades struck the shields. Kekaul had no energy to think of anything else and could only focus on protecting himself with all his might; Song Jian continuously retreated backward, but his speed was no match for those flying broken weapons. Weapon after weapon stabbed at him, all deflected by the Bone Shield; In the midst of the bristling onslaught of weapons, Song Jian saw streaks of purple and red glimmers shining brightly in the dim sky; So many epic-quality weapons hidden below A sharp pain seized Song Jians heart. If he had been even a moment later, all these weapons would have belonged to him. But just as these weapons reached midair, Song Jian suddenly noticed a purple light slowly rising from the deepest part of the pile of rocks; It was a sword, but a broken one, with only a third of its blade remaining. The sword emitted a purple glownot quite purple, significantly different from the epic-quality purple-red, but more like a dazzling gold. Purple gold Song Jians eyes widened: This, this is a Legendary Level weapon, purple gold This was the first time Song Jian had seen a weapon stronger than the epic quality, a broken Legendary Level sword. Sword Immortal Severed Blade! These four words suddenly flashed in Song Jians mind; The Legendary Level weapon slowly ascended, and in an instant, all the swords blown into the air seemed to be controlled and became frozen in place. After a one-second pause, all the weapons clattered to the ground. In the air, only six weapons emitting a purple-red glow were left, along with the Severed Blade that rose like a small sun; The six epic-quality weapons trembled ever so slightly, and even the Deaths Scythe in Song Jians inventory vibrated as if in fear. Whip, dagger, armguard, battleaxe Song Jian was momentarily mesmerized by the six weapons; Then, the rising sword Severed Blade suddenly drew an arc in midair, and with a clang, it struck the epic-quality battleaxe; One collision broke the epic-quality axe in two, and then the sword, as if wielded by an unseen hand, whirled in the air, grinding the battleaxe into dust. It felt as though it was dismembering a body after a murder, and a strong sense of vengeance wafted from the Severed Blade; The other five epic-quality weapons let out a mournful cry, then rapidly fled in five different directions. But the Severed Blade, not content with destroying one weapon, barely swayed in the air and split into four identical copies of itself, each looking exactly like the first Severed Blade. These five Severed Blades pursued the five fleeing epic-quality weapons, determined to utterly annihilate them; Before long, Song Jian heard five clear, ringing sounds of slashing coming faintly to his ears; Suddenly thinking of something, Song Jians face changed drastically, and a drop of cold sweat slowly slid down his cheek; If this broken sword is indeed the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, my task is to destroy it, but The power to shatter an Epic Quality weapon with a single strike, if such a force were to strike Song Jian, no matter how formidable his strength, his end would be instant annihilation; Just then, the phalanx bone in Song Jians package suddenly burst into dazzling light, vibrating intensely as if to remind Song Jian of something. Song Jian hurriedly took out the phalanx bone, knowing that the task of fulfilling the Demon Lords last wish was triggered by this very bone. The moment the bone was taken out, seven shadowy apparitions of Demon Ritualists suddenly materialized behind Song Jian, their ferocious gaze fixed on Song Jian and the floating bone, their monstrous maws silent in their roar; At that moment, the bone also manifested the shadow of a demon, a diminutive figure with horns entwining the skull and the back of the head, and eyes crimson as blood; Shadow Demon Song Jian looked at the apparition of the demon, suddenly feeling something strange deep inside; I am the Eighth Demon King, Ancient Leiya! The apparition of the Shadow Demon glanced at Song Jian, a sinister smile appearing at the corner of its mouth, How ironic, that my resurrection was triggered and accomplished by a human! After Ancient Leiya spoke, a look of terror appeared on the faces of the Demon Ritualist apparitions, as each one of them knelt on one knee and paid respects to Ancient Leiya; For my true resurrection, I need the last piece of the puzzle! Ancient Leiya turned his gaze to the seven Demon Ritualists, smiling broadly, That is, I need an endless supply of faith to rebuild my body. All the faith you have gathered over the years, give it all to me. Having spoken, Ancient Leiya opened his great maw and sucked fiercely. The apparitions of the seven Demon Ritualists were drawn by an invisible force, flying towards the mouth of Ancient Leiya; Over a hundred years, the seven Demon Ritualists had continually performed blood sacrifices to resurrect their respective Demon Lords, accumulating a vast amount of racial faith, but unexpectedly, it all ended up benefiting the Eighth Demon King; My successor, well done! The Eighth Demon King showed a grotesque smile to Song Jian, raising his right hand. Song Jian suddenly felt the Book of the Abyss within him begin to slip out of his control, slowly squeezing out from his body. The Book of the Abyss was still in a sealed state, awaiting its final transformation, but under the Summoning of the Eighth Demon King, the Book of the Abyss flew into his left palm and was grasped firmly; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Old friend, long time no see! The Eighth Demon King gently stroked over the Book of the Abyss with his right hand, instantly releasing the seal; brilliant tricolored divine light burst forth from the surface of the Book of the Abyss; A Demi-God Artifact Song Jian stared at the Book of the Abyss in the Eighth Demon Kings hands, his throat felt dry, and he was overcome with the sensation of preparing a wedding gown for someone else. All the hard work he put into collecting the seven Flames of Demons, and was about to upgrade the Book of the Abyss into a Demi-God Artifact, yet at the last moment, it was taken by the Eighth Demon King who had fallen for who knows how long. The thought alone was profoundly saddening; At that moment, from a distance, five purple-golden meteors flew by, dragging long trails of flame, the Eighth Demon Kings expression suddenly changed, and stretching a hand toward Song Jian, he shouted in a low voice, Give it to me! PS: Thank you Piercing Piggies for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 805 - 806 Refusal_1 Chapter 805: Chapter 806 Refusal_1 The Eighth Demon King was the first to fall, but he did not perish in Abyssal Hell, rather, he fell in the human world. The Abyssal Demon Flame that Song Jian first acquired was also the flame controlled by the Eighth Demon King, and the Book of the Abyss was the treasure of the Eighth Demon King; Looking at the gradually solidifying phantom of the Eighth Demon King in the sky and the Book of the Abyss in its hands, Song Jian couldnt help but frown, feeling disgust in his heart. Just then, the Eighth Demon King turned its head to Song Jian and shouted, Give me the weapon now! System: The Eighth Demon King, Ancient Leiya, is demanding your epic weapon Deaths Scythe. Only by wielding Deaths Scythe can Ancient Leiya sever the Sword Immortal Severed Blade! sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You may choose to refuse giving Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, thus making the epic quest The Demon Lords Last Wish a total failure; your choice will have a significant impact on the games progression, so choose wisely! ... System: If you refuse to give Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, the enmity of the Shadow Demon Clan will become locked in an unending vendetta against you, and Ancient Leiya will also regard you as an enemy! Song Jian looked into the distance, where the five Sword Immortal Severed Blades had gathered back into one and were slashing towards Ancient Leiya. Ancient Leiya held up the Book of the Abyss, chanting the Abyssal Spell, as black Abyssal Demon Flame blazed up, forming a suit of armor around it, firmly protecting it; Boom, boom, boom~ The Sword Immortal Severed Blade relentlessly struck Ancient Leiya, sending large clumps of black sparks flying in all directions. For a moment, Ancient Leiya seemed to have no power to counterattack, only desperately defending; Give me Deaths Scythe, and you will gain the friendship of the Shadow Demon Clan, you will become the High Priest of the Shadow Demon Clan, and when I am fully resurrected, the entire Abyssal Hell will be under my control. By then, you will be second to none, above tens of thousands! Ancient Leiya roared loudly, an anxious expression emerging in its brows and eyes. The resurrection artifacts of the other seven Demon Lords were all destroyed, and the Power of Faith accumulated by their clan over centuries had also been stolen by the Eighth Demon King; they had completely lost the possibility of resurrection; Now, in the whole of Abyssal Hell, only the Eighth Demon King had the chance to be fully resurrected. If it could sever the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, it would fully resurrect, and by then, no one in Abyssal Hell would be able to contend with it. It would truly become the supreme ruler of Abyssal Hell, the only ruler! Song Jian crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched Ancient Leiya coldly. If he were an Abyssal career, he would not hesitate to give Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, but just thinking about it, one would know that once Ancient Leiya was fully resurrected, the human world, which had already been targeted by Abyssal Hell, would certainly become its prey. Moreover, a unified Abyssal Hell would be far stronger than when the eight Demon Lords coexisted! You can forget about it! Song Jian directly chose to refuse giving Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya! In an instant, a look of despair appeared on Ancient Leiyas face. It must be known that Song Jian had gone through great hardships to reach the final step of this epic quest. If it were someone else, they surely would not give up so easily because just by handing over Deaths Scythe to Ancient Leiya, the epic quest would be completed! The reward for an epic quest would definitely involve epic items, and one could also gain the prestige of the Shadow Demon Clan and the favor of Ancient Leiya. This favor, after all, is the future sole ruler of Abyssal Hell and is far more valuable than any epic item; Strictly speaking, the reward for this epic quest could be considered the richest among all epic quests, but the cost, or rather the consequences, could bring serious harm or even Destruction to the human world! Song Jian is not an Abyssal professional, all his efforts are based on the City of Hope of the human world; naturally, he would not want the human world to suffer an invasion from Abyssal Hell; For several seconds, thoughts raced through Song Jians mind, and he ultimately decided to give up the epic quest. After all, this quest was really meant for players of the Abyss, but due to some twist of fate, it had fallen into Song Jians hands; Of course, this was also largely related to Song Jian obtaining the Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss from the Eighth Demon King. It could be said that this quest was a follow-up to those earlier events with the Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss; Do you know what you have refused! roared Ancient Leiya, turning his head with a ferocious glare at Song Jian, looking as if he was about to devour him; Die! With a thought, Song Jian sent four long swords flying toward Ancient Leiya. The swords executed the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique, sending a flurry of icy Sword Qi sweeping towards Ancient Leiya; The slowdown and weakening of defenses made it harder for Ancient Leiya to cope with the Sword Immortal Severed Blade; however, the Abyssal Demon Flame on its body soon eliminated the negative effects brought by the Ten Thousand Facets Sword Technique; In Ancient Leiyas eyes, Song Jians attack was like an annoying fly buzzing around his earit did not do much damage, but it was irritating and distracting; Human, you must die! Ancient Leiya was struck hard on the shoulder by the Sword Immortal Severed Blade, and the armor condensed from the Abyssal Demon Flame shattered instantly, a damage number of over five thousand points floating above his head; A howl as mournful as a wolfs emerged from Ancient Leiyas mouth. The monsters in this space suddenly had their eyes turn red and began to roar in unison. To Song Jians shock, the monsters that were originally marked with yellow names turned red in an instant, and they all swarmed towards him; Damn it, how could this happen! Song Jian gasped in horror. The battle space was not large, with not many monstersonly about fifty to sixty, but each one was an elite boss above level fifty. With so many monsters swarming him, Song Jian was no match for them; Kekaul! Song Jian shouted loudly. Kekaul swung his long sword and struck his shield hard, making a dull sound: Fight to the death! The two stood back to back, watching as countless translucent demonic creatures swarmed towards them; Boom~ The battle erupted, and Song Jian and Kekaul were besieged by a group of fifty-level elite bosses, while above them, the Eighth Demon King and the Sword Immortal Severed Blade were locked in constant combat. Weaponless, the Eighth Demon King Ancient Leiya could only use the spells from the Book of the Abyss to attack the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. However, this seemed no more than a tickle to the blade; all the energy blasts hitting it couldnt even slow it down, let alone cause any damage; A look of despair appeared on the Eighth Demon Kings face, his failure coming just as victory seemed within his grasp. He had not anticipated that he would miscalculate Song Jians intentionsa mistake that now cost him his hope of resurrection; If I am to die, you wont live either! The Eighth Demon King Ancient Leiya twisted his head to look at Song Jian, his eyes filled with deep resentment; Chapter 806 - 807: Holy Point_1 Chapter 806: Chapter 807: Holy Point_1 In the dim half-light, large raindrops fell ceaselessly, a longsword shimmering with purple-golden light pursued the Eighth Demon King relentlessly, hacking down at him without cessation; At this time, the Eighth Demon King had completely given up resistance, allowing the purple-golden broken sword to hack at his body, unconcerned as his Vitality Points continued to drop; Ancient Leiya turned fiercely and lunged at Song Jian; Before I die, I will drag you into the boundless Hell! Wail with me in the flames of Abyssal Hell! Ancient Leiya roared, punching towards Song Jian; Song Jian was desperately fending off the attacks of surrounding demonic soul monsters. When he sensed the attack from Ancient Leiya above him, he couldnt react in time and was brutally struck in the chest by Ancient Leiya; Crack~ ... The Dark Gold Quality chestplate of the Emperor Ant Suit emitted a crisp cracking sound. Pieces of the shattered chestplate splattered in all directions, and blood spurted out as Song Jians Vitality Points plummeted by 1500! You are even weaker than I thought! Ancient Leiya was almost face to face with Song Jian. Song Jian could even feel the scorching flame breath exhaled from Ancient Leiyas mouth; Watching the mocking look in Ancient Leiyas eyes, Song Jian desperately controlled the four longswords, thrusting them at Ancient Leiya, but despite their immense power, they only inflicted double-digit damage; Second-tier Peak Combat Power? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling a profound sense of powerlessness. First-tier combatants facing second-tier was like those who hadnt passed the first-tier assessment, facing one with first-tier combat power; This kind of power disparity only brings despair! Most importantly, this wasnt even the peak combat power of Ancient Leiya. It was known that he hadnt fully resurrected yet and his power was greatly reduced, but even so, he was not someone the current Song Jian could handle; Song Jian took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stretched out his right hand. The four longswords traced an arc in the air, merging into one and flying back into Song Jians hand; Light Strike! A brilliant golden Sword Qi slashed fiercely at the Eighth Demon King, like a long river, emanating a terrifying pressure. Even the surrounding demonic soul monsters showed a look of fear on their faces and ceased their attacks for a moment; For the creatures of the Abyss, the Divine Power-filled Light Strike was the most damaging! Ancient Leiya stretched out his right hand toward the Sword Qi and snorted coldly, wanting to crush the Sword Qi with brute force to show Song Jian the vast gap between their powers; sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, the Sword Immortal Severed Blade from behind, like a Light Arrow, stabbed at him, piercing deeply into Ancient Leiyas back. A rich black breath surged from the wound, like flowing blood. No! Ancient Leiya let out a painful cry, his spirit instantly shattered. At that moment, the brilliant golden Sword Qi swept towards his right hand and sliced through; Half of his palm flew up, and Ancient Leiyas aura sagged. He could no longer control his body and fell towards the ground; Lets die together! Ancient Leiya, looking at the purple-gold broken blade flying toward him, roared. A pale black halo emanated from his body, wave after wave of aura burst forth, oppressive and frightening; Shit, another self-destruct, run! Song Jian, sensing the chaotic aura emanating from Ancient Leiyas body, was shocked and quickly used Soul Wander to escape into the distance; All the demonic soul monsters besieging Song Jian and Kekaul showed terrified expressions and scrambled away in panic. Boom~ A massive roar echoed in the final battlefield, the explosion filling the entire space, causing the once-stable space to shake violently. Huge cracks appeared on the ground, and the air was riddled with spiderweb-like spatial fractures; A giant black mushroom cloud rose from the site of Ancient Leiyas self-destruction. All demonic soul monsters were torn to shreds by the intense blast, instantly killed. The items dropped by these monsters were also destroyed by the explosive aftermath as soon as they appeared; The entire space was filled with intense chaotic currents. After the four-second invincibility time of Song Jians Soul Wander ended, although he was in a soul state, he still suffered damage from the aftermath of the explosion; Bone Shield, Bloody Shield, Iron Wings Song Jian instinctively used all his defensive skills, but the moment they were deployed, they were immediately destroyed. Even the Iron Wings that enshrouded him were stripped away layer by layer by the powerful force, until they were utterly obliterated; A series of damage floated above Song Jians head; -120 -110 -109 -102 -85 -75 The numbers were getting smaller, but in the end, Song Jian was still blasted away by the force, crashing hard into a gigantic rock, and he immediately lost consciousness; After an unknown amount of time, Song Jian finally came to. He found that his entire body was in extreme pain, as if all his bones were shattered, and even moving his fingers brought heart-wrenching agony; At this moment, his Vitality Points were reduced to less than one-tenth, putting him in a near-death state. What surprised him the most was that his passive skill Enemy of the Death God was in a cooldown state. This meant that previously, he had been killed by the self-destruction of the Eighth Demon King. Had it not been for the activation of Enemy of the Death God, which revived him, his game would have likely been over; Kekaul, Kekaul~ Song Jian called out weakly, but received no response; A look of sadness appeared on Song Jians face. The self-destructive force of the Eighth Demon King was immense, and Kekaul had likely fallen during the explosion; Opening his inventory, Song Jian began to use healing potions to slowly recover. It was only then that he realized he was still in the small confined space of the final battlefield; Only now, the space had completely collapsed, the ground had shattered into dozens of pieces, floating continuously in the void. The spot where he lay was no more than thirty square meters in size, slowly drifting in the void; In the system information bar, several system messages were flashing incessantly; System: Epic quest The Last Wishes of the Seven Demon Lords has failed. You have gained 10,000 points of human war merits! System: Your choices have led to the fall of the Eighth Demon King. Your reputation among the demons of the Abyss has decreased to Hate; killing you in the Abyssal Hell will yield a large amount of war merits; System: Your choices have delayed the attack on the human world by the Abyssal Hell. The upcoming expansion Abyssal Shadows will be continued; System: You have made a significant contribution to the human world, you have earned 1 Divine Point; Chapter 807 - 808 Leaving_1 Chapter 807: Chapter 808 Leaving_1 Song Jian looked at the mission prompt and was somewhat speechless. His epic mission had failed, yet he still gained ten thousand achievement points, giving him a feeling of not knowing where to even begin his complaints. But on second thought, it wasnt strange. The epic mission was actually about resurrecting the Demon Lord and eliminating the threats to their existence, namely the Sword Immortal Severed Blade. Moreover, during the mission, the eight Demon Lords of Abyssal Hell all had their hopes of revival entirely destroyed by him, and he also successfully delayed Abyssal Hells invasion of the human world. Naturally, for the human world, this was an enormous merit, and receiving ten thousand achievement points became understandable. However, when compared to the final rewards of this mission, these ten thousand achievement points seemed more like a consolation prize, given that becoming the second-in-command in the entire Abyssal Hell, with authority over thousands, was worth much more than these ten thousand points. As for altering the games progression and delaying the release of the expansion, causing Abyssal Hells unity to fail and the Demon Lords to lose their chance at resurrection, it naturally meant the invasion of the human world was indefinitely postponed. This was yet another event that had changed the course of the games history. In fact, there were many such epic missions in the game, and the history within the game was shaped by the players completing these missions, based on their different choices. In essence, the players who completed epic missions could be said to have created the games history. ... The fall of the Demon Lords and the postponed invasion of the human world by Abyssal Hell were positives for human players and also very good news for Abyssal players. After all, the endgame of the Abyssal Shadow expansion was destined to be the opening of the Abyssal Passage, allowing Abyssal players to move freely in and out of the human world. The delay wasnt the end of the event. To continue the expansion, there would definitely be related missions, and their ranking would certainly not be low. This was equivalent to Song Jian giving away an epic mission to them for free. As to who would receive it, it was a matter of luck. Prior to this, the push for the Abyssal Shadow expansion was supposed to come from in-game NPCs, the eight Great Demon Lords. But now, it seemed that this driving task would fall into the hands of the Abyssal players. Where did that Sword Immortal Severed Blade go? Song Jian stood up and looked around. The final battlefield was like a miniature plane on the verge of collapse. In reality, it was already slowly disintegrating, leaving no intact ground in sight. All around, space was fractured with cracks, suggesting that in no time at all, this miniature plane would completely disappear. Seeing the space around him rife with rifts, Song Jian felt a sense of despondency. For all he knew, the Sword Immortal Severed Blade might have already flown through one of these rifts to who knows where. The Book of the Abyss was also missing. Song Jian had lost the ability to freely enter Abyssal Hell. Thinking about the combat experience he had expended above, he couldnt help but feel a twinge of regret. Unable to open the Abyssal Gate, Song Jian had no way to leave this place. Just then, he noticed a faint blue portal shimmering with a soft glow on a floating piece of ground not far away. Checking his skills, Song Jian noticed that his Iron Wings skill was still cooling down, with over ten minutes left to go. It seemed his period of unconsciousness hadnt been long. The space around was collapsing slowly, but it would take several days for this small semi-dimensional plane to fully disintegrate. Once the cooldown of Iron Wings ended, Song Jian immediately activated it and flew toward the faint blue portal. After all, this was just a mission space, and it wasnt designed to trap players who entered for a mission without a means of escape. Approaching the pale blue teleportation gate, Song Jian was about to enter when he suddenly saw, lying next to the gate on the ground, a pale golden orb, and a blade that had lost its luster and looked like nothing more than a firewood-chopping knife. Sword Immortal Severed Blade? Song Jians eyes lit up. This weapon, looking like trash, was identical to the Sword Immortal Severed Blade that had once been wielded so mightily to slay the Eighth Demon King. But the blade now lacked the purple-gold radiance, appearing no different from a common grey weapon; Without hesitation, Song Jian picked up the blade and checked its attributes. Indeed, even the name of the weapon had changed to Broken Longsword (Grey), and its properties were utterly worthless, nothing but a piece of junk; Yet Song Jian still carefully stowed it away in his inventory. After all, it had once been the weapon of a Sword Immortal, and its current state of disrepair couldnt erase its storied past; Then, Song Jian picked up the pale golden orb; Angel Egg? Can it hatch a battle comrade angel? A peculiar expression crossed Song Jians face. This semi-dimensional plane was quite small in actual size, and after the Eighth Demon Kings self-destruction, a small part had been destroyed, leaving this semi-dimensional plane on the brink of collapse, which could be seen at a glance. Song Jian found no trace of the angel Kekaul, nor any remains left behind, but now, an angel egg for a battle comrade had appeared, which inevitably led him to consider its connection to Kekaul; Perhaps after hatching, it will become the four-winged angel Kekaul again, Song Jian thought to himself. The question is whether it will retain Kekauls memories after hatching. As a temporary battle comrade, Song Jian had great respect for Kekaul. Whether it was covering the retreat in Demon Slayer Canyon or standing guard at the entrance to the Demon Guardian Temple, or even courageously fighting in this semi-dimensional plane without fear of sacrifice and without the slightest hint of retreat; Even after being tortured for over a hundred years by the Abyssal Chains in the Demon God Temple, he had never succumbed, his mind resolute and unflinchingly brave. Song Jian especially hoped that Kekaul could become his everlasting Follower; With this thought, Song Jian stored the angel egg and stepped through the pale blue teleportation gate; After Song Jian passed through the gate, the entire semi-dimensional plane returned to a state of dead silence. In a region where the land slowly drifted, half a sheet of black paper unrolled gently, and a gleaming jade-like finger bone rolled out from within; This finger bone was full of cracks, as if it would turn into bone powder upon the slightest touch. Boom~ sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A burst of black flame suddenly ignited on the surface of the finger bone. This flame appeared fragile, as if it could be extinguished by a mere breath. Under the searing of this black flame, the tiny cracks on the finger bone began to mend slowly, one by one; PS: Thanks to Piercing Piggies for the 500 starting coins reward~ Chapter 808 - 809 Cursed Land_1 Chapter 808 - 809 Cursed Land_1Emerging from the pale blue portal, Song Jian returned to the bedroom in Manor Castle, a look of fatigue spreading across his face. He didn''t want to do anything but lie down on the bed and fall sound asleep. Time passed, and Song Jian eventually woke up. He looked up and was surprised to find that a ray of sunlight was streaming through the window. It was a luxury to bask in the sunlight in Doomsday City where the sky was perpetually shrouded by a thick layer of dark clouds. Only at certain times during the night would the clouds disperse for a quarter of an hour to reveal the moon, but they never scattered during the day. Song Jian went to the window and looked out to see that the gloomy clouds which usually covered the sky had somehow completely dispersed. At that moment, the territory of the alliance was bathed in warm sunshine. He took out the City Lord seal and checked the attributes of City of Hope. "It looks like in the many days I wasn''t in City of Hope, the alliance members managed to expand the territory so much..." Song Jian discovered, somewhat surprised, that the area of City of Hope had expanded once again, almost reaching half the size of Doomsday City. Now, City of Hope was starting to resemble the likes of the big cities such as City of Sin and City of Hymns. However, compared to those large cities which had existed for decades, City of Hope still had a shallower foundation. But with the rate at which players were developing, it was only a matter of time before they caught up with these big cities. This journey to Abyssal Hell had been somewhat of a loss for Song Jian. He had gained ten thousand war merits but lost a Demi-God Artifact, the Book of the Abyss. Moreover, the ninth-tier Abyssal Demon Flame he possessed was also gone, causing his strength to decrease instead of increase! "But still, at least I got an epic weapon back," Song Jian consoled himself as he looked at the "Death''s Scythe" in his inventory. "If only I could have obtained the Sword Immortal heritage as well." Song Jian took out a gray-quality, broken longsword and stared at it for a long time before he sighed and placed the broken sword on the table. If he had managed to obtain the Sword Immortal heritage on this trip, even the loss of the Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss wouldn''t have mattered. After caressing the broken blade on the table, Song Jian shook his head slightly, turned around, and walked towards the door of the room. After Song Jian had left, the broken longsword, which was originally of gray quality, suddenly flashed with a faint white light. The light was fleeting and went unnoticed by anyone. As soon as he left the bedroom, Song Jian saw Wang Qi and the others waiting outside his door. Upon seeing Song Jian emerge, it was quite obvious that they all breathed a sigh of relief. "City Lord, you''ve returned!" Wang Qi and the others greeted Song Jian with a bow. After the success of building the city, they began to address Song Jian differently, calling him City Lord. "What happened, why are you all here?" Song Jian glanced at them and asked with a smile. "Brother Song Jian, you fell asleep as soon as you got back yesterday. We were really worried about you!" Li Ke''er exclaimed loudly. "Is that so?" Song Jian patted Li Ke''er''s head and smiled, "Brother was just too tired from the mission, so I slept as soon as I got back." Wang Qi and the others exchanged glances, not continuing the topic. Players in the game hardly needed sleep, and only when utterly exhausted would they resort to slumber to replenish their energy in the game. "City Lord, shall I give you a report on the city''s development during these days you were away?" Wang Qi offered. "No need, I can understand everything about the city through the City Lord seal," Song Jian waved his hand and said. The City Lord seal was nearly equivalent to a remote control and surveillance device for the entire city, enabling Song Jian to be aware of everything that happened within it without needing someone specially appointed to report to him as before; This made Song Jian''s control over the entire city even tighter than before. Now, the likes of Wang Qi needed to apply first for any action they wanted to take. Only after Song Jian approved through the City Lord seal could they proceed with transforming the city; otherwise, they couldn''t even build a single residence; "By the way, my Lord, we''ve discovered a Magic Crystal Mine!" Wang Qi suddenly said; "What, a Magic Crystal Mine, where?" Song Jian''s eyes brightened. Magic crystals weren''t only used for constructing Magic Crystal Railguns and their ammunition, but they were also key in manufacturing many other high-end items and involved in many industries. Even forging and alchemy required certain special recipes to contain magic crystals; It could be said that magic crystals were commodities more solid than Doomsday Coins. Sometimes, for the same item, many people preferred payment in magic crystals over Doomsday Coins; "It''s within Doomsday City, less than ten kilometers from our territory," Wang Qi explained. "But there''s a problem; it''s difficult for ordinary people to approach the area!" "What, are the monsters in the area high level?" Song Jian raised an eyebrow, inquiring; A Magic Crystal Mine, such a precious resource, would be strange if it didn''t have high-level monsters nearby; "It''s not just the monsters. The area is barren, and any life that enters it continuously loses health and cannot stay for long..." Wang Qi elaborated; Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Is it like Valley of the Undead?" Song Jian asked with a start; The calamitous poison fog in Valley of the Undead had a similar effect. However, after claiming Valley of the Undead, the area belonged to Song Jian, who could freely decide which group of people would be affected by its effects; "That place is Cursed Land!" the Cecilia Priest slowly walked over, sizing up Song Jian before revealing a charming smile, "You''re much cleaner now!" Song Jian huffed coldly; he knew precisely what Cecilia was referring to. The Abyssal Demon Flame and the Book of the Abyss had already vanished, and without the contamination of the Abyss''s aura, he would no longer be tempted by the power of the Abyss; "What is Cursed Land?" Song Jian asked; "That was once the territory of the Mountain Gray Dwarves, but they committed an act that incited the disdain of the gods, earning them a curse. Now they''ve all turned into undead monsters, and their homeland has become a place no living being can step into!" Priest Cecilia explained, "The events are clearly recorded in the archives of the Dawn Temple!" Song Jian fell silent for a moment before asking cautiously, "Are there really gods in this world?" "Of course, gods exist; they are omnipresent and omnipotent!" Cecilia said sternly, "And you, of all people, should believe in the existence of gods." Cecilia gave Song Jian a meaningful glance and smiled slightly; "Sacred points?" Song Jian immediately realized what Cecilia meant and eagerly asked, "Do you know what sacred points are used for?" ... PS: Thank you to "Piercing Piggies" for the tip of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 809 - 810 Trade_1 Chapter 809 - 810 Trade_1``` "Divine Points are a supreme glory!" Cecilia gazed at Song Jian with envy in her eyes and said, "Even deities need them. It takes a thousand years of divine power to condense a single Divine Point. I am not at liberty to divulge what the gods use them for, but if an ordinary person happens to obtain Divine Points, they can trade with deities and purchase some extremely precious items from them." "You mean they can act as a currency? And it''s a currency recognized by the gods?" Song Jian''s heart was stirred, and he quickly asked. "Indeed!" Cecilia nodded and said, "The Goddess of Dawn has issued a divine decree to me; she wishes to trade with you for the Divine Point you have acquired!" Having said that, Cecilia waved her hand, and a translucent screen appeared before Song Jian. It displayed an array of items, each of immeasurable value; This screen was only visible to Song Jian, and all the items on it could only be purchased with Divine Points; "Epic and Legendary Level items are the least valuable on this screen?" Song Jian stared at the screen, dumbfounded, the shock in his heart indescribable; However, there were many treasures on the screen, but Song Jian could only buy three items because he had only one Divine Point; The three items were "Goddess of Dawn Holy Child Qualification," "Dawn Secret Art: Holy Bird Massacre Slash," and "Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword"; Only the values of these three items were one Divine Point, Song Jian could only salivate at the rest; The Holy Child qualification and the Dawn Secret Art seemed worth the exchange for one Divine Point, but the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword, merely a Dark Gold Quality longsword, required one Divine Point, which made Song Jian''s face turn somewhat unsightly. "A Dark Gold Quality longsword for one Divine Point? Isn''t this a bit of a rip-off?" Song Jian asked with a displeased look, pointing at the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword on the screen. "All trade is voluntary, there''s no coercion in buying or selling!" Cecilia said with a smile on her face; Song Jian fell silent. If this sword wasn''t the last one needed for his set, he wouldn''t have given it a second glance. All of a sudden, a respectful and attentive expression appeared on Cecilia''s face. After a moment, she said to Song Jian, "If you choose the Holy Child qualification, then this sword can be given to you directly for free!" "In fact, not just anyone can take on the Holy Child qualification. You see, once you become the Holy Child, you will have tremendous authority..." Cecilia thoroughly explained the privileges of the Holy Child of the Dawn Church to Song Jian. A Holy Child qualification, in any church, is an existence second only to one, above tens of thousands, with only the Pope of a church ranking above him, yet he has no authority to control the Holy Child; Moreover, the next Pope is very likely to have the Holy Child assume the position. Most importantly, the Holy Child has the right to directly converse with the deity at any time, which is far superior to the rank of Archbishop promised by the Eighth Demon King; "What must be done to become the Holy Child?" Song Jian couldn''t help asking; "First, you would need to establish a temple of the Goddess of Dawn in the City of Hope. Then you must develop devotees and promise the church the same authority as the city lord..." Cecilia softly explained. Song Jian''s brow furrowed deeply as he listened; "I choose the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword!" Song Jian declared, and with a light tap on the screen, the Dark Gold Quality longsword disappeared from the screen and materialized in the palm of Song Jian''s hand; Cecilia hadn''t finished speaking when she saw Song Jian had already made his choice. She fell silent, her gaze towards Song Jian filled with an inexplicable sentiment; "May you have no regrets in the future!" Cecilia whispered, her figure slowly vanishing into thin air; "City Lord..." Wang Qi and the others surrounded him with concern; to refuse a god seemed to them, a very unwise thing to do. ``` "The City of Hope is not a place for others to covet, and who would allow another to snore beside their bed? Even gods are not allowed!" Song Jian said decisively. If it were merely a matter of establishing a temple to the Goddess of Dawn in the City of Hope, Song Jian would not have refused, but the other party demanded a share of the city lord''s authority, which Song Jian would never allow. "Alright, step back for now. I''ll go back to that magic crystal mine and scout around, see if it''s possible to take it into my possession," Song Jian said. Wang Qi and the others exchanged glances, bowed to Song Jian, and quietly withdrew. Holy points are extremely precious, coveted even by gods. Exchanging holy points for a dark gold quality weapon was clearly a big loss, but Song Jian had no choice. Such set weapons are unique, and a second Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword would never appear. Song Jian''s weapon set would never be complete. The moment Song Jian obtained the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword, the four long swords within his dantian resonated, as if they were eager to merge with the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A gentle swipe of his finger on the blade, a drop of blood merged into the sword, and Song Jian immediately felt a sense of kinship emanating from the long sword. With a stretch of his right hand, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword appeared in his palm. The newly acquired long sword, like swallows returning to their nest, flew towards the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword, merging with it as a ghostly sword shadow. At that moment, the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword suddenly burst into a dazzling light and then, the long sword disappeared, replaced by a pebble-sized orb of light. Within this orb, one could vaguely see five dark gold streams of light swimming like fish, constantly moving about, sometimes separating, sometimes merging into one. Upon checking the properties of the orb, it was labeled "Unknown Properties," and there was a twelve-hour cooldown period. Clearly, the fusion of the five long swords had resulted in a new change. "I hope it brings me a pleasant surprise!" A smile formed on Song Jian''s face. Then, Song Jian took out the battle pet angel egg. He already had two battle pets, and if he continued to incubate this one, he would have to pay the price of a 3-point reduction in all attribute points. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian called Wang Qi back. Since the establishment of the City of Hope, nearly all its operations were actually carried out by Wang Qi, which cost him a lot of time that could have been used for leveling up. His strength might now be the weakest among the City of Hope''s management team, having only just reached level thirty. "Wang Qi, this is for you. Train it well, I believe it will be of help to you!" Song Jian handed the angel egg to Wang Qi, saying. "A battle pet egg?" Wang Qi''s eyes lit up, and he smiled as he took it, saying, "What kind of pet is it? It''s not a giant dragon, is it?" Having a black dragon as a battle pet, members of the City of Hope Alliance were envious and had always hoped to have a giant dragon of their own. "It''s not a giant dragon!" Song Jian said with a smile. Disappointment flashed in Wang Qi''s eyes. "It''s an angel!" "What, an angel? How is that even possible..." ... Chapter 810 - 811 Legacy_1 Chapter 810 - 811 Legacy_1Wang Qi looked at the battle pet egg in his hands that exuded a faint, milky white glow, instantly feeling a sense of surrealism; The white light seemed to pulse gently like a heartbeat. Wang Qi originally thought it was just a white-quality pet egg, but to his surprise, it turned out to be an egg that could hatch an angelic war pet. This made him astonished while filled with an unexpected joy. It''s hard to say who is stronger between the Angel Clan and the Dragon Clan, as both are among the most elite races; Wang Qi was certain that if he were presented with both a giant dragon egg and an angel egg, he would definitely choose the angel egg; You see, an angel at its peak was not much weaker than a giant dragon at its peak. Moreover, when an angel ascended to twelve wings and received its title, it could rival a demigod. If raised well, it was uncertain whether his angelic war pet would be stronger or weaker than Song Jian''s black dragon war pet. Most importantly, from the aspect of appearance and beauty, angels obviously surpassed dragons by more than just a little; "Really, really an angelic war pet?" Wang Qi couldn''t quite believe it, cradling the milky white battle pet egg with both hands, as if he feared breaking it. sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Raise it well, and it will definitely help you in the future." Song Jian envisioned the determined expression of the angel Kekaul and couldn''t help but sigh softly in his mind; He did not know if the angelic war pet that hatched from this egg would still possess Kekaul''s memories; "Haha, don''t worry, don''t worry, I will definitely treat this angel big sister well!" Wang Qi laughed heartily, his face full of excitement; Song Jian froze, a strange expression crossing his face, "...this, might possibly be an angel big brother..." "No no, it''s definitely an angel big sister, haha, I''ll make them all green with envy!" Wang Qi said, laughing excitedly. Seeing that Song Jian had nothing else to instruct, he turned and left. Seeing Wang Qi''s retreating figure, Song Jian thought silently, "I hope that after you hatch, you won''t be too sad..." ... Song Jian had wanted to go directly to the Magic Crystal Mine, but now that his weapon was undergoing an upgrade fusion, Song Jian had no choice but to wait patiently. However, he still needed to collect the weapon required to nurture a Sword Spirit, and one day''s time was enough to nurture a Sword Spirit from the Shattered Rock Sky-breaking Sword. Returning to his bedroom, Song Jian looked at the Sword Immortal Severed Blade laid out on the table and couldn''t help but sigh; In the final battleground space, the purple-gold blade was simply an invincible force. It killed all monsters in a single strike, and even the Eighth Demon King ultimately fell to the Severed Blade; With the remarkable grace of this Severed Blade, Song Jian could imagine just how terrifying an existence its owner must have been. With a gentle touch of his fingers on the spine of the broken sword, Song Jian suddenly felt a faint heat flow into his body from the sword; When Song Jian carefully examined it, the sensation suddenly disappeared, and even the heat that had flowed into his body was nowhere to be found, as if he had just experienced an illusion. "Impossible, I really felt a trace of heat flow into my body from the broken sword just now!" Song Jian grabbed the broken sword and examined it closely, but after a long time, he found nothing. Just as Song Jian was about to put down the broken sword, a flash of insight struck, and he sent a thread of Invisible Sword Qi into the blade. Just as the Sword Qi was infused into the broken sword, it seemed to activate something within it. The entire broken sword suddenly burst into a brilliant radiance, and at the same time, Song Jian felt the Invisible Sword Qi within his body surge uncontrollably towards the broken sword, as if a river had breached its dam. Due to the "Sword Control Skill: Luck Chapter," the total amount of Song Jian''s Invisible Sword Qi had increased significantly. Now he had over three hundred points of it, and the recovery speed of Sword Qi had also increased much. However, these three hundred-plus points of Invisible Sword Qi lasted less than thirty seconds before being completely depleted. Once the Invisible Sword Qi ran out, the suction from the broken blade grew even stronger, and Song Jian was unable to satisfy the demand of the sword. Soon after the Invisible Sword Qi was gone, the broken sword began to consume Song Jian''s Mental Strength. 14:02 Feeling the continuous drain of Invisible Sword Qi from his body, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Song Jian''s face. Due to the "Sword Control Skill: Luck Chapter," the total amount of Song Jian''s Invisible Sword Qi had increased significantly. Now he had over three hundred points of it, and the recovery speed of Sword Qi had also increased much. However, these three hundred-plus points of Invisible Sword Qi lasted less than thirty seconds before being completely depleted. Once the Invisible Sword Qi ran out, the suction from the broken blade grew even stronger, and Song Jian was unable to satisfy the demand of the sword. Soon after the Invisible Sword Qi was gone, the broken sword began to consume Song Jian''s Mental Strength. Song Jian only had less than three thousand points of Mental Strength, but the speed at which the broken sword absorbed Mental Strength was several times faster than it absorbed Sword Qi. The two thousand eight hundred plus Spirit Points also lasted less than half a minute before being exhausted. It is worth noting that the recovery speed of Spirit Points is countless times slower than that of Invisible Sword Qi. Feeling no reduction in the power of the broken sword''s suction, Song Jian''s heart sank, sensing something ominous. At this moment, the surface of the originally gray-quality broken sword slowly began to emit a faint purplish-gold light. This light was very weak, like a thread finer than a strand of hair, appearing in the center of the broken blade. Finally, the broken blade began to drain Song Jian''s Vitality Points. With more than three thousand points of Vitality, they were dropping at a rate of over a hundred points per second. Song Jian suddenly felt alarmed and took out a large number of replenishing potions from his inventory, pouring them all into his mouth. "Damn you, when will you stop sucking!" A fierce look appeared on Song Jian''s face as he took a scalpel from his inventory, a tool specifically for dissecting monster corpses. He placed the scalpel against the wrist of his left hand, which was touching the broken sword. If his Vitality Points fell below ten percent, Song Jian would not hesitate to cut off his own left hand. Compared to his life, the loss of a left hand was not an unacceptable price to pay. Fortunately, after losing half of his Vitality Points, Song Jian felt the suction from the broken blade weaken. When only a third of his Vitality Points remained, the suction from the broken blade disappeared completely. At the same time, a purplish-gold light shone from the broken blade, and the original thread-like light fully spread, enveloping the entire blade. Now, the broken blade had regained its former glory seen in the final battlefield space, with a purplish-gold light filling the entire room. "Your power is too weak, you can''t contain my complete inheritance..." A voice laced with aged regret sounded beside Song Jian''s ear, filled with disappointment. Song Jian was somewhat speechless. His strength could be said to surpass that of over ninety percent of the players, and even some NPCs who had been cultivated in combat professions for decades were no match for him. Yet, in front of this broken sword, Song Jian felt as vulnerable as a child, utterly unable to withstand a single blow from it. At that moment, the Sword Immortal Severed Blade suddenly shattered into countless sparkling points of light that surged towards Song Jian, and at the same time, Song Jian received a system prompt. System: You have gained the recognition of the "Sword Immortal Severed Blade." Do you want to upgrade the "Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body" to max level and permanently solidify it as a passive talent skill, Yes/No? System: You have gained the recognition of the "Sword Immortal Severed Blade." Do you want to remove all your skills and instead gain the skill "Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art," Yes/No? Selection time 30-second countdown, 30, 29, 28, 27, ... ... Chapter 811 - 812 Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword_1 Chapter 811: Chapter 812 Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword_1 Two options instantly made Song Jian feel extremely troubled; The first was to upgrade the Immortal Sword Body to max level and further solidify it into a passive innate skill, something Song Jian had always dreamed of. Once the Immortal Sword Body became a passive skill, Song Jians strength would soar to become one of the top-tier existences, so much so that even if he wasnt level forty, he would still be no less formidable than those with second-tier combat power. As for the second option, the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art was clearly a very powerful skill, possibly even a core skill of the Swordsman Immortal profession, but it required the elimination of all skills as its price, which made Song Jian hesitate; The thirty seconds passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, less than ten seconds remained; Song Jian glanced at the permanently solidified Immortal Sword Body and then at the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art, finally clenching his teeth and choosing the second option; ... Since it requires all skills as the price, the power of this Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art must be even greater than I imagined! After Song Jian chose the second option, he immediately burst into golden flames, and in the skill bar, all skills began to slowly fade away, as if they were completely consumed as fuel. The golden flames were not scorching; Song Jian felt a faint warmth surge throughout his body, flowing through every limb and detail; Meanwhile, a light chuckle sounded in Song Jians ear, then gradually disappeared; Broken Wing Dance, Sweeping Sword Style, Spiritual Sword Control Technique, foot kick, Earth Teeth Assault Over a dozen skills disappeared without a trace, even the Immortal Sword Body he had leveled up to nine slowly faded away; However, a few skills remained, one was the maxed-out Soul Wander, and another was the skill Sword Shadow Clone; The Sword Control Skill and the passive skill Enemy of Death God hadnt disappeared either; now, only these four skills remained in Song Jians skill bar, while all other life skills were unaffected and retained; Only these four skills are left Song Jian thought, full of reluctance; now, he had no offensive skills at all, not even the Immortal Sword Body, which greatly diminished his strength. All he could hope for was that the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art would live up to its expectations and possess formidable power; In the skill bar, besides the previous four skills, all other skills had disappeared, replaced by a skill that emitted a purple-gold light, which slowly appeared at the very top of the skill bar; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision (Active), Level 1 (0%), Skill Effect: Summon 1-12 Spirit Swords to inflict damage equal to (number*120% weapon damage) on the target, and each Spirit Sword has a chance to cause an enhanced damage effect on the target; Attack range: 1000 meters; Skill Consumption: 100 Invisible Sword Qi points; Skill Cooldown: 10 seconds; Skill Description: This skill is one of the core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, condensing thousands of Spirit Swords, gathering thousands of sword techniques, with Qi filling the heavens and earth, and Sword Qi reaching afar, causing mountains to crumble and seas to part, turning the world upside down! This skill cannot be upgraded through proficiency, it can only be leveled up by consuming other skills/skill books! This skill doesnt seem as strong as I imagined, Song Jian said, slightly disappointed. It looks like each use randomly summons between one to twelve Spirit Swords to attack the target. The damage of the Spirit Swords is only slightly higher than weapon damage. If youre unlucky and only summon one sword, its power might not even compare to a silver-grade sword skill His weapon was still in the process of fusing and upgrading, so Song Jian couldnt yet verify the strength of this skill. For now, his only attack skill was the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art, all his other sword skills having been burned up as nourishment; The next day, Song Jians weapon finally finished fusing. The five longswords had merged into one, radiant and translucent, emitting a faint glow. A streak of purple-red light circulated continuously within the longsword, making it look like a lightsaber. Epic Song Jians eyes lit up, he hadnt expected that fusing five gold-quality longswords would actually elevate it by a whole tier. Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword (Epic), one-handed sword, item level 46, equipment effect: Attack 560-680, Critical hit +5, Armor Break +5, Exorcism +3, Five Elements damage +300, all attributes increase by 15 points; Special effect 1: Damage Deepening (passive), increases the effect of critical hits by 20%, and has a chance to inflict triple damage on the target; Special effect 2: Life Drain (passive), 18% of the damage inflicted on the target will restore the users Vitality Points; Special effect 3: Spiritualization (passive), can be stored within the users dantian to nurture the Sword Spirit, if nurtured for more than 12 hours, then the weapons sharpness increases by 30%, lasting for 30 seconds; Special effect 4: Five Elements Sword Array (active), enables the attack on the target to split into five longswords of the Five Elements and set up the Five Elements Sword Array. The Five Elements Sword Array forms its own space, where the elements circulate endlessly, tirelessly, unto death! Cooldown time for this effect is 12 hours; Equipment requirement: User Song Jian (already bound); Can be taken out of the game: Yes. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The damage of this sword is quite terrifying, Song Jian gasped, it was even higher than the previous five longswords combined, and both the attributes and special effects were eye-catching; Holding the longsword, it felt as if it was weightless, and with a thought, it turned into a purple-red light and flew into the dantian within Song Jians body; At this moment, Song Jian was eager to try out the new sword moves and the longsword; The Desolate Land, Magic Crystal Mine, lets go there first and see what the situation is! he thought to himself, stepping out of the Manor Castle; When Song Jian reached the gate of the Manor Castle, he was surprised to see Cecilia standing there, apparently waiting for him; Priestess, may I know what brings you here? Song Jian asked. I have been awaiting your arrival, Lord of the Manor! Cecilia bowed respectfully to Song Jian and said, Are you heading to the Desolate Land? Yes, the Magic Crystal Mine there is too important for the City of Hope! Song Jian nodded and responded; That place is a land forsaken by the gods, any creature that steps onto it will be cursed by the gods! warned Cecilia. However, if you gain the favor of a deity, then you can set foot on that land without being cursed! Song Jian narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, Is that so, how can one gain the favor of a deity, and what price would I have to pay? Its quite simple! Cecilia smiled, took a round and smooth pearl from her bosom, offered it to Song Jian, and said, This is a Pearl of Dawn. With this, you can enter the land forsaken by the gods without suffering their curse! As for the price, it only needs a word from you! Chapter 812 - 813 Cursed Land_1 Chapter 812: Chapter 813 Cursed Land_1 Song Jian looked at the orb the size of a chicken egg in Cecilias palm, which emitted a faint golden glow, its surface brimming with rich Divine Power; You just need to put it into the inventory slot, and you can use it, each activation can last for 3 hours. Afterwards, the divine power will automatically recover. After twenty-four hours, it can be used again! Cecilia said with a smile; The cost is but a single sentence, I wonder what words are so valuable? Song Jian didnt reach out to take the orb, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, as he spoke indifferently. All you need to allow us is to construct a temple to the Goddess of Dawn within your territory! Cecilia said; After the city was successfully built, all the land of the City of Hope could only be leased, not sold, this was one of the city rules Song Jian had established. You are completely free to lease a piece of land, the terms are negotiable, and the rent is only one Doomsday Coin per year! Song Jian said with a smile: This is my show of gratitude for the help the Church of the Goddess of Dawn has provided to me in the past! ... I, on behalf of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn, thank you for your kindness! Cecilia bowed slightly, then said after performing a curtsy: However, everything of the church temple will belong to the Goddess of Dawn, including the land. Her followers would not wish for the Goddesss temple to be sited on leased land, for it would be a desecration to the Goddess! Song Jian was taken aback, fell silent, deep inside, he was reluctant to sell any inch of land within his territory, but when facing a deity, he simply didnt have the right to choose; To agree to Cecilias request would mean that a piece of land not under the control of the citys lord would appear in the City of Hope. If he refused, then Song Jian had to consider what consequences might follow from refusing a deity; Song Jians brows furrowed involuntarily, as he continually weighed his options, while Cecilia wore a smile, quietly watching Song Jian. Her outstretched palm remained still, a dazzling Pearl of Dawn continued to emit a soft radiance. Song Jian stared at the Pearl of Dawn, yet felt its light to be somewhat glaring; After a long while, Song Jian slowly shook his head, refusing: Im sorry Before Song Jian could finish speaking, Cecilia retracted her extended hand and said coldly, Understood! Having said that, Cecilia turned around and left without any hesitation; Song Jian took a deep breath, knowing that even without any system alert, his reputation with the Church of the Goddess of Dawn might plummet severely; Leaving the City of Hope, heading towards the Magic Crystal Mine, all the way, Song Jian felt a heavy heart. Before the gods, Song Jian felt like an ant facing an elephant, utterly insignificant; However, having been in this strange game for so long, Song Jian also knew that gods could not directly appear and take action. Otherwise, this game world wouldnt exist at all, it would have been torn apart by the wars of the gods long ago; But each deity had their own spokesperson and church in the game, their influence in this world was immense. Having refused the goodwill of a High Priest of the Goddess of Dawn, he feared that trouble might follow. Song Jian quickly arrived at an area shrouded in gray fog, where no life existed, everything was silent. Song Jian could even see bones of small creatures scattered everywhere, those who had inadvertently entered this area and were killed by the Desolate Land before they had the chance to escape; The Magic Crystal Mine was within this area, and as Song Jian stepped onto it, he instantly felt as though the air had become heavier, as if he had entered another region; At the same time, a system alert sounded in his ear; sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: You have entered the land forsaken by the gods, the Cursed Land, all attributes are weakened by 5 points, losing 2 Vitality Points per second; Song Jian instantly felt a trace of strength being drawn out from within him, becoming somewhat weak, but fortunately, his attributes were strong, and his recovery rate had long surpassed the loss of 2 Vitality Points per second, so stepping onto this land had no significant impact on him; If it were other ordinary players, they would probably be so scared by this prompt that they would immediately leave here and not continue to explore further; I wonder who was so bold to explore here and even discovered the Magic Crystal Mine inside; they should be rewarded when they return! Song Jian thought to himself. Continuing inside, Song Jian quickly discovered a dark pit. Around the pit, there were some monsters a little over one meter tall, with sturdy builds, their bodies an abnormal shade of gray. They held hammers almost as tall as themselves and wandered aimlessly around the entrance; These monsters looked like dwarves, but they were renegades of the dwarf clan, the Gray Dwarves who were been hunted down by their own kind. Moreover, these Gray Dwarves had also all lost their lives and become something like Zombies; Elite Gray Dwarf Zombies, level 40, Vitality Points 9000/9000 Song Jian counted; at this entrance, there were a total of twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies. These monsters had tough skin, their bodies full of strength, and they wielded heavy hammers with no mean force. Furthermore, having always stayed in the Cursed Land, their resistance was extremely high. Although these Gray Dwarf Zombies werent as powerful as elite BOSS monsters, they were clearly much more formidable than ordinary monsters of the same level; Song Jians mind stirred, and he instantly summoned the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword, executing the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art toward the twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies at the entrance; In an instant, the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword flew into midair, transforming into eight radiant Spirit Swords, flying towards the entrance of the mine; Lucky, summoning eight Spirit Swords on the first try! Song Jian mused to himself. Still, the eight Spirit Swords covered the entrance area, slashing towards the twelve monsters; In the end, only six of the monsters were injured, while the other six, not only unharmed but also enraging their hatred, swarmed and pounced towards Song Jian; Each Spirit Sword can inflict over seven hundred points of damage, which is quite good. Although it cannot kill any monster instantly, such power far exceeds the damage of ordinary players! Song Jian quickly retreated while thinking to himself. The only regret was that in this attack, Song Jian had clearly locked onto one monster, but after executing the Thousand Swords Art, he attacked an area nearly six or seven meters wide at the entrance; The sword then flew back to Song Jians hand, and at this moment, the monsters were less than five meters away from him. Song Jian swung the long sword towards the monsters once more, and in an instant, the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword split into five, five shimmering swords of different colors quickly formed a cage, firmly trapping the twelve monsters in the center; Five Elements Sword Array, rise! This was a Sword Formation skill inherent to the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword. Once executed, it created a space of its own, inflicting continuous damage on all the trapped monsters; The murky Sword Qi enveloped a large area, but Song Jians vision could penetrate the gray sword mist and see the scene within the Sword Formation. At that moment, countless flashes of sword light appeared around the twelve monsters, these flashes of light left deep, bone-deep wounds on the bodies of the monsters; Chapter 813 - 814 Entering _1 Chapter 813: Chapter 814 Entering _1 Twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies struggled desperately within the Five Elements Sword Array, continuously attacking the Sword Formation space. Song Jians brows furrowed slightly as he realized that this Sword Formation space seemed to have something similar to a health bar, and moreover, when it was under attack, both he and the Sword Formation space were losing Vitality Points together; Damn it, the Five Elements Sword Array operates continuously until death. Does until death not only refer to the monsters being attacked, but also to me? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Once the Five Elements Sword Array was deployed, if he couldnt kill all the monsters within the Sword Formation space, their counterattacks could also kill Song Jian; However, the damage inflicted within the Sword Formation space was extremely high, and the monsters attacks on Song Jian, coming through the Sword Formation space, were considerably weakened, enough to last a long time; Song Jian could see that within the gray fog of the Sword Formation space, countless sword lights shimmered, and with every hit, the monsters would have damage numbers of over seven hundred floating above their heads, with some even showing critical hits. The damage of the Sky-breaking Sword was divided into five, but it didnt decrease in strength, equivalent to five Sky-breaking Swords attacking these monsters; Before long, as Song Jians Vitality Points dropped to about half, all twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies within the Five Elements Sword Array Space had been killed, dropping a pile of items on the ground; ... The gray sword mist slowly disappeared, and the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword returned to Song Jians hand, with the attribute Five Elements Sword Array on the long sword turning gray, entering a cooldown state. The Five Elements Sword Array is immensely powerful, at least much more so than the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, but it must be used cautiously. If used well, it is a sharp weapon, but if not, its simply suicide! Song Jian thought with a lingering fear; From the twelve Gray Dwarf Zombies, three pieces of Magic Crystal Ore were dropped, along with some level-forty materials and green equipment. Song Jian picked them all up and continued towards the mine; Upon entering the cave, Song Jian felt a wave of heat hit him in the face. The temperature inside the cave was actually dozens of degrees higher than outside, giving Song Jian a familiar feeling of being in Abyssal Hell; However, this place didnt have the pervasive Abyssal aura found in Abyssal Hell; the aura of the flames here seemed extremely pure; Entering the cave, Song Jian discovered that the entire cave had been hollowed out and a massive underground castle had been constructed. The castle appeared to be designed for giants to live in, with its open doors and spacious halls, definitely not for the Gray Dwarves, who were only the height of twelve or thirteen-year-old children; Song Jian shook his head. As he entered the cave, he indeed found it to be a Magic Crystal Mine. However, the Magic Crystal Ore at the entrance was extremely poor, and the quality was low, giving one the frustrated feeling that it would be a pity not to mine, but to do so would be a waste of effort; These Magic Crystal Ores at the entrance are even less valuable than those dropped by the slain Gray Dwarf Zombies; theres really no point in mining these. It would be better to check out this underground castle of Gray Dwarves; there may be surprises! Song Jian thought to himself. After only a glance at the ores at the entrance of the mine, he continued forward; The Gray Dwarf Zombies were very numerous in the castle hall, and among them was a level forty-five lord-level monster wielding a two-handed sword as big as a door, constantly pacing back and forth in the hall; There were too many monsters tightly packed here. If he tried to lure them out one by one, it would likely be very difficult, and there was a high risk of a disaster occurring. Song Jian hesitated for a moment and decided to bypass them and explore further inside first; If there really were abundant Magic Crystal Ores stored here, he could later gather players from his guild to clean out these monsters. If the Magic Crystal Ores inside were not as plentiful as imagined, then there would be no loss in giving this place a miss; At the end of the hall was an extremely small door, a size that matched the stature of the Gray Dwarves. However, getting there meant having to cross the hall, which would inevitably disturb these monsters; Song Jians thoughts flashed, and he activated the Stealth Skill inherent to his Concealment Necklace, the Abyss Concealment Skill. A faint whiff of the Abyss emanated from the necklace, enveloping his entire being. Song Jians figure instantly became transparent; The Gray Dwarf BOSS in the center of the hall seemed to sense something. It raised its head and sniffed vigorously in the air, but it found nothing. Frustrated, it grew increasingly violent, roaring and moving about more and more erratically. An ordinary Gray Dwarf Zombie monster failed to dodge in time and stood in its way, only to be casually kicked away by the BOSS, crashing heavily into one of the halls columns; Boom~ This massive stone column, which required several people to hug its girth, actually shook slightly. Bits of rock fell from the top of the column, causing the surrounding ordinary Gray Dwarf Zombies to scurry to the side; Song Jians eyes lit up. The columns in this hall didnt seem as sturdy as they appeared! Looking around, there were thirteen such massive columns in the entire hall. If they could be shaken like this one, only half needed to be destroyed to collapse the entire hall while still preserving a small safe area; If we really need to clear this place in the future, these columns might just be the key to killing these monsters! Song Jian smiled faintly, committing all this to memory as he slowly made his way towards the small door at the end of the hall; Because of the BOSSs outburst, all the ordinary Gray Dwarf Zombie monsters were thrown into a panic, running about chaotically. This made Song Jians stealthy trek across the hall towards the small door at the far end even more challenging. A Gray Dwarf Zombie that was originally running forward got startled by the BOSSs roar, abruptly turned, and charged toward the direction of the invisibly cloaked Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback and it was too late to dodge. Subconsciously, he used Soul Wander, and the monster passed directly through his body, rushing forward two steps before changing direction and running off in another direction; Song Jian, feeling the monster pass through his body, stomped his foot hard and made a beeline for the small door at the end of the hall. In just over three seconds, coupled with his enhanced speed, he had actually passed through the hall and entered the small door at the end; Behind the small door was a winding corridor. Song Jian entered the corridor and only then felt a trace of fear. Just a moments inattention could have led to all the monsters ganging up on him, and with his current strength, he wouldnt have stood a chance of surviving; Huff huff, I didnt expect that I could still use Soul Wander while in stealth mode. Stacking up these abilities greatly increases my chances of survival when escaping, Song Jian thought back to the situation just now and couldnt help but smile; Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a series of faint metallic clanging sounds coming from ahead; Clang, clang clang, clang clang clang, clang Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 814: 815: War Puppets_1 Chapter 814: Chapter 815: War Puppets_1 Song Jian passed through the narrow passage and came upon an underground mine. At this moment, the temperature around him increased significantly, giving the impression of stepping into a steam room. In this mine, a scorching red glow permeated the air. Deep in the mine, a Magma River could be clearly seen slowly flowing, and at the end of the mine, there was an enormous Magma Lake. This Magic Crystal Mine was actually located in the belly of a volcano; Now, above the Magma River, there was a large stone bridge erected. In the center of the bridge, there was a massive forge, continuously drawing heat from the river of lava; Prowling around were numerous Gray Dwarf Zombies, wielding heavy hammers. Their skin was slightly reddened and utterly devoid of life, all around level forty monsters, wandering about the cave. Some were digging into the surrounding rock walls, while others were by the side of the Magma River, seemingly fishing something out of the lava. Next to the forge in the center of the stone bridge, three topless Gray Dwarf Zombie Bosses had iron hammers in hand, tirelessly hammering upon a massive anvil as if forging weapons. And beside them, piles of Magic Crystal Ore lay heaped like a small hill; A Gray Dwarf Zombie wielding a heavy hammer approached Song Jian at the end of the passage. Song Jian swung his sword at the creature, and with a thought, six gleaming Spirit Swords appeared around him, constantly thrusting at the monster; ... The combined power of the six Spirit Swords erupted, dealing over five thousand points of damage to the creature. One Spirit Sword inflicted a damage amplification effect in the monsters status bar after dealing damage, and the subsequent three Spirit Swords inflicted over 50% increased damage; In just one strike, the creatures Vitality Points plummeted below 40%. After being attacked, the monster rushed towards Song Jian, who, wielding the Sky-breaking Sword, engaged in battle with it. In a short time, he killed the ordinary level forty monster; After collecting all the items dropped by the creature, Song Jian slowly explored along the cave walls. On his way, he discovered many high-quality Magic Crystal Ores. It seemed that this was the true Magic Crystal Mine, capable of producing high-grade Magic Crystal Ore. However, to gather the Magic Crystal Ore here, one must have at least level 8 Mining Skill. Only those who pursued life skills professionally as miners could increase their Mining Skill to this level at this stage; Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Having killed over twenty Gray Dwarf Zombies who were mining for Magic Crystal Ore and obtaining a dozen Magic Crystals, Song Jian slowly approached the stone bridge over the Magma River; Now, Song Jian observed that the three Gray Dwarf Zombie blacksmiths forging weapons beside the giant forge in the middle of the stone bridge were all forty-five level elite Bosses with over twenty thousand Vitality Points. To gather ore here, he needed to kill all the monsters in the vicinity. Most importantly, City of Hope would even have to dispatch a team to protect the mines, ready to take down the monsters as they spawned to ensure the miners safety. Most importantly, in this area, because it was Cursed Land, any creature that entered would suffer a reduction of 15 points in their attributes, while also losing 10 Vitality Points every second; Such negative effects were impossible to resist or dispel. Hence, whether one wished to gather Magic Crystal Ore or hunt the monsters here, the difficulty was immense; Lets continue exploring deeper and, if possible, find the reason why the gods have forsaken this area! Song Jian thought to himself, slowly making his way towards the stone bridge over the Magma River; After clearing the monsters at the edge of the stone bridge, Song Jian entered a stealth mode, quietly waiting for the cooldown of the Soul Wander skill to end. Soon, the cooldown for the Soul Wander skill expired, and Song Jian immediately cast it, then rushed towards the stone bridge; The stone bridge was roughly fifty meters long. Song Jian charged onto the bridge and, as he neared the forge, did not attract the attention of the three grey dwarf zombie blacksmiths. Their entire focus seemed to be on the iron felt they were hammering; This piqued Song Jians curiosity. He wanted to see what they were forging. Peeking through, Song Jian caught a glimpse, between the three grey dwarf zombie blacksmiths, of a strange item on the large iron felt. This item appeared somewhat ugly, while the grey dwarf blacksmiths kept breaking down refined magic crystals into powder and then merging it into the peculiar item. Although he couldnt tell what the item was for, Song Jian got the impression that it might be a part of some vast contraption; Song Jian frowned slightly and checked the remaining duration of Soul Wander C just a few seconds left. He hurriedly continued rushing forward; Beyond this stone bridge was a deeper mine tunnel that seemed to stretch all the way down to the earths core. Without hesitation, Song Jian plunged into it. The direction of the mine tunnel seemed to lead towards the area beneath the churning Magma Lake in the distance; Within this mine tunnel, Song Jian discovered that the ores here were even richer than those along the walls by the Magma River. There were not just Magic Crystal Ores but also vast amounts of Mithril Ore, Truesilver Ore, Truegold Ore, and Star Iron Ore; Each type of ore was exceedingly valuable and many were strategic materials that couldnt be bought even with money. This made Song Jian feel an impulse to give up exploring and simply start mining and gathering here; However, Song Jians Mining Skill was only at level five, which made it a waste to harvest such precious ores here, and he couldnt mine most of them regardless, so he could only feast his eyes on them; This winding tunnel was devoid of any monsters, almost entirely filled with precious ores, and after walking for roughly a hundred meters, Song Jian finally arrived at a vast underground hall; Within this hall stood towering war puppets over ten meters tall, all forged from steel and in various ferocious forms C demons, mythical beasts, and other menacing appearances. Around these war puppets, numerous gray dwarf zombies were continuously building something, apparently adding components to these giant war puppets to make them even more terrifying; Boom, boom, boom~ At that moment, a war puppet resembling a man with a wolfs head and wielding a heavy hammer started to shake violently, and a copious amount of steam burst from its back; The grey dwarf zombies around it let out a shriek of terror. Several grey dwarf zombies began to clamor loudly, as if due to someones operational mistake, they had accidentally activated this nearly completed war puppet; Click, click, click~ Inside the body of this war puppet, a series of movements could be heard, as if it were awakening from a deep slumber. The heavy hammer in its hand slowly rose and then smashed down towards the panic-stricken grey dwarf zombies around it; Chapter 815: 816: The Correct Way to Use_1 Chapter 815: Chapter 816: The Correct Way to Use_1 Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These War Puppets that looked like statues with gray-colored names stood motionless in the hall, just like part of the games background. However, the War Puppet that had been activated had its name turned red, becoming a monstermoreover, a monster above level fifty. In Song Jians eyes, it was at a skeletons level, with its Vitality Points exceeding one hundred thousand; Such War Puppets were often used in wars as engineering machinery with immense power, beyond human strength. If there had been one or two of them during the founding of the City of Hope, they could have turned the City of Hope into a barren wasteland; It was then that Song Jian suddenly recalled the three Gray Dwarf smith BOSSes by the huge furnace on the Lava Bridge, who seemed to be crafting parts for these gigantic War Puppets; To kill such a gigantic War Puppet, at least a team of about thirty players would be needed, and the Shield Warriors equipment had to be exceptionally good. Otherwise, facing such a terrifying war machine, running away would be the wisest choice; The unintentionally activated War Puppet swung its hammer continuously at the Gray Dwarf Zombies around it. With each heavy strike, the ground would tremble slightly, and the Gray Dwarf Zombies hit by it could only dream of leaving a complete corpse behind. With a single blow, they would instantly turn into a pool of human-shaped grime; ... Song Jian slowly backed away. The War Puppets attack range didnt seem to be very large, only attacking the active monsters nearby and not straying far. Once all the surrounding Gray Dwarf Zombies had scrambled away, it gradually quieted down. Although it still appeared activated, it did not wander around but stood quietly in place; After waiting for a long time, the War Puppet exited its combat stateits energy seemed to have been depleted, the steam from its back lessening. In a short while, its name returned to gray, remaining utterly still, just like a statue. Only then did the surrounding Gray Dwarf Zombies slowly gather around again, those who were cleaning up did so, and those who were repairing went about their tasks, falling back into a busy state; There were more than fifty such terrifying War Puppets in this hall, all of them still incomplete, half-finished products, but their power was beyond what Song Jian could currently handle; Song Jian entered a stealth state and skirted the edge of the hall, continuing to explore deeper. In the deepest part of the hall, he found a War Puppet covered in a thin layer of rock wall, standing over fifteen meters tall. It seemed to have been discarded for a long time, many of its exposed joints were rusted, and its messy wiring, like nerves, protruded from the gaps in its body, with some parts even fused to the surrounding walls by rust; Next to this War Puppet, which looked like trash, there was a small door with another mechanical puppet about one meter tall standing beside it. This puppet also looked like a Gray Dwarf with its body covered by a layer of gray rock; As Song Jian approached the door, the rock on the mechanical puppets body began to flake off gradually. Before long, a metal-forged Gray Dwarf mechanical puppet, shining with silver light, was revealed to Song Jian; This Gray Dwarf mechanical puppet was forged from a metal that shined with silver light, and Song Jian could tell that it contained elements of star iron, but the metal used to forge this puppet was clearly an alloy, much stronger and tougher than star iron; Furnace Puppet, level 40 elite BOSS, Vitality Points 80000/80000 If he wanted to enter through this door, he would have to defeat this Furnace Puppet. Song Jian glanced back at the hall, where the tall War Puppets and the assembling Gray Dwarf Zombies were some distance away, so fighting this Furnace Puppet likely wouldnt attract them; Song Jian gritted his teeth and swung his sword towards the puppet; A metallic clang rang out, and the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Sword only left a white mark on the surface of the puppet, as a little over a hundred points of damage floated above its head. You should know that even with a simple slash, the weapon in Song Jians hands could deal over six hundred points of damage, but when it struck this puppet, it inflicted only a little over a hundred points of damage. This showed how incredibly sturdy the body of the Furnace Puppet was; its defense was just too strong. As he chopped at it, Song Jian also felt a numbing soreness in his wrist, indicating that the puppet had a considerable restraining effect on melee professions. Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian swung his right hand, and this time, he conjured up twelve Spirit Swords, sending them flying towards the Furnace Puppet; Boom! Boom! Boom! The Spirit Swords that slashed at the Furnace Puppet triggered violent explosions, and damage numbers of four to five hundred floated up from the puppets head; Although this attack inflicted about five thousand points of damage on the Furnace Puppet, for an elite BOSS with eighty thousand Vitality Points, this damage was not significant. The Furnace Puppet, bare-handed and seemingly without any skills, swung its fists and smashed them towards Song Jian fiercely. Song Jian swung his sword to block, but a great force sent him flying; Over three hundred points of damage, I can still take it! Song Jian noted the damage of the punch and nodded slightly. With a thought, the Invisible Sword Qi drastically decreased, and a clone that looked exactly like Song Jian appeared beside him. As soon as the Sword Shadow Clone materialized, it slashed at the Furnace Puppet with its sword from afar, sending seven or eight Spirit Swords, glowing brightly, towards the War Puppet; Though the Sword Shadow Clone only inherited 30% of Song Jians attributes and possessed only level 1 skills, for the current Song Jian who had lost many skills and whose Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was also only level 1, the clones attack power was not diminished, but rather increased; The clones strike dealt over three thousand points of damage to the BOSS, and with that hit, one-eighth of the BOSSs Vitality Points were gone. At this moment, the BOSSs aggro was firmly locked on Song Jian. Ignoring the clones attacks, Song Jian tangled with the BOSS while he kept the clone at a distance from the fight, lest it be affected by the combat, as the clones attributes were fragile and couldnt withstand several hits from the BOSS; In this manner, Song Jian attracted the BOSSs aggro, while the clone, like a ranged profession, continuously executed Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision on the BOSS. A cooldown of ten seconds was enough to make this skill a regular attack; When Song Jian and his clone simultaneously executed Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, they could deal nearly ten thousand points of damage to the BOSS in one go. In less than three minutes, the level forty elite BOSS was effortlessly slain by Song Jian; Looking at the equipment scattered on the ground from the BOSS, Song Jian finally found a trace of self-confidence. It seemed that the only reason he thought this skill wasnt potent was that he had not found the correct way to use it; Chapter 816: 817: Divine Disgust Light Screen_1 Chapter 816: Chapter 817: Divine Disgust Light Screen_1 Previously, Song Jian once thought that exchanging all his skills for a level one Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was a losing deal. His attack power did not increase but decreased, and his strength fell; However, during this battle with the level 40 elite boss, Song Jian discovered that his strength had significantly improved. If it had been before, even with all his trump cards, killing this boss would have taken at least twenty minutes, but now, in less than three minutes, he had slain the boss. The power of the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was much stronger than the forbidden spells of the magic classes of the same level, only slightly less stable; Among the items dropped by this Furnace Puppet boss, Song Jian unexpectedly obtained a Skill Scroll, Charge Heavy Strike; after checking the requirements to use this Skill Scroll, Song Jian realized that it was a universal skill requirement; Skill Scroll C Charge Heavy Strike, Effect: Upon use, you will learn the skill Charge Heavy Strike; Charge Heavy Strike: Lock onto a target 6 meters away and charge towards it, dealing a heavy strike causing (120%*weapon damage) and stunning the target for 3 seconds; Requirements: 30 Vitality, 35 Agility; Universal skills refer to those that any class can use as long as they meet the attribute conditions, meaning even mages who meet the requirements for vitality and agility can learn this skill; However, even for a mage player who has passed the first-order combat power assessment, if they have not gone through an A+ level Assessment World, it would be impossible for them to attain more than thirty points in vitality and agility, as most points for a mage class would typically be allocated to intelligence and spirit; ... This skill, compared to the warriors charge skill, not only inflicts greater damage to the target but also has a longer stunning effect, making it an enhanced version of the charge skill; If it had been when Song Jian had just learned Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, he certainly would have learned this skill without hesitation, but now, he did not hesitate to let the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision devour it, raising the level of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision; After all, the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision couldnt be upgraded through proficiency and could only gain levels by devouring other skills; With this, my Book of Fusion seems to be of little use! Song Jian looked at the Book of Fusion lying quietly in his inventory and mused; With the Skill Scroll in hand, Song Jian chose to learn it. Quickly, the scroll turned into a beam of white light that entered Song Jians forehead, and the ability Charge Heavy Strike appeared in his skill bar; Then, Song Jian selected the devouring effect of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision and consumed the skill he had just learned, converting it into proficiency points for Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision; A flash of purple-gold light, and the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was leveled up to 2; The level 2 Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision transformed the originally 1-12 Spirit Swords into 2-24, doubling their number, and the power of each Spirit Sword increased by 10%; other effects remained unchanged, each sword still having a certain chance to inflict a deepen damage effect on the target, and the attack range was still one kilometer; After picking up the other items, Song Jian looked back at the Gray Dwarf Zombies and War Puppets behind him and, noticing that the battle had not attracted their attention, turned and walked towards the small door; Entering the small door, Song Jian suddenly found a large light screen in front of him. The surface of this light screen was covered with numerous strong electric currents, with many plasmas flowing on it, looking very powerful. Song Jian approached the light screen and found that the Divine Disgust effect in his status bar had seemingly decreased; This area was a place despised by all gods; any creature that entered this Gray Dwarf territory would be cursed by the gods. Not only would their attributes decrease, but they would also lose a certain amount of Vitality Points every second; Now, Song Jian had entered the territory of the Gray Dwarves, the deepest part of the Magic Crystal Mine, where the effect of the curse, the Divine Disgust effect, had reached All attributes decreased by 20 points, every second 50 Vitality Points are lost; The decrease of twenty points in attributes was acceptable to Song Jian, but the rate of blood loss at fifty Vitality Points per second had surpassed his limit. Had it not been for the Blood Replenishing Elixir, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to stand before this light screen; However, as Song Jian approached the light screen, the Divine Disgust effect significantly diminished, and the closer he got to the light screen, the more its weakening effect intensified; Standing before the light screen, Song Jians body experienced the Divine Disgust effect, which had reverted to the weakening effect he felt when he first stepped into the Cursed Land, something he could completely bear with minimal impact; Hesitating for a moment, Song Jian actually reached out to touch the light screen filled with intense electricity. As his fingertips slowly made contact with the light screen, he discovered that the violent retaliation he had anticipated did not occur, but instead, the properties of the light screen appeared before his eyes. Divine Disgust Light Screen, defensive installation; Effect: shields from the sight of gods, erases any divine power effects; There were no defenses or retaliatory effects, its sole purpose was to prevent the gods from discovering this place, and it could even erase any divine powers within its range! The latter effect was actually to avoid the watchful eyes of gods. Wherever divine power reached, there was a possibility it could be noticed by deities; The Divine Disgust effect in this Cursed Land arose precisely because of the application of the powers of the gods, therefore as Song Jian approached the light screen, the Divine Disgust effect on him weakened. If he entered the light screen, he would no longer be affected by the Divine Disgust effect; Back then, this Magic Crystal Mine must have been the territory of the Gray Dwarves. The reason the entire tribe of Gray Dwarves were eradicated and became the zombies we see now must be because they angered the gods. But even if the Gray Dwarves were mighty, how could they have possibly provoked the gods? Song Jian pondered in his heart. It is known that it wasnt just one or two deities that eradicated the Gray Dwarves, but rather a majority of them held disdain for the entire tribe. The Gray Dwarves, a branch of the dwarves, had their own gods to worship, including the God of Dwarves, the God of Smithing, the God of Flames, the God of Mountains, etc., all of which are deities worshiped by the dwarf race; However, when the extermination of the Gray Dwarves took place, these deities did not help, most remained mere observers, some even took matters into their own hands, eventually leading to the complete destruction of the Gray Dwarf tribe; Tens of millions of Gray Dwarves were killed, and the zombies seen in the mine now dont even make up one ten-thousandth of the tribes number back then; This part of history has long been buried in the sands of time, recorded only in the annals within the temples, but the reason for the gods disdain for the Gray Dwarves has never been documented; Song Jians heart stirred with excitement. Perhaps within this Divine Disgust defensive light screen, he could find the answers, and if he could acquire the method to create the Divine Disgust Light Screen, he could fulfill his wish to send miners here to extract from the Magic Crystal Mine; With this in mind, Song Jian stepped forward without hesitation, heading towards the light screen, and soon disappeared within it; S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 817 - 818: Divine Fall Warrior_1 Chapter 817: Chapter 818: Divine Fall Warrior_1 Stepping into the light screen, Song Jian felt as if he had arrived in another space; This place was very similar to the final battleground semi-dimensional plane he had entered before, seemingly a small world detached from the main plane of the game, but Song Jian could distinctly sense that the other things in the Magic Crystal Mine werent entirely severed from this place, which was an odd feeling, as if he had stepped into a fissure between a semi-dimensional plane and the main world; After entering the light screen, Song Jian looked up and was startled to see a War Puppet standing tall like a skyscraper, over a hundred meters high, under the firmament-like dome of light; This War Puppet resembled a small mountain, with sixteen black and white wings on its back, although most of these wings were already severely damaged. The body of the War Puppet was also covered in scars, one of which extended from its chest to its waist, almost splitting it in half, making it seem as if this War Puppet had been through a fierce battle. Song Jian even suspected that this War Puppet had been scrapped for a long time and could no longer move even the slightest finger. Divine Fall Warrior? Song Jian stared at the War Puppet, carefully checking its attributes, and indeed, it was a War Puppet, named Divine Fall Warrior. ... At that moment, Song Jian noticed clear signs of repairs on the right thigh of the War Puppet. A flash of insight struck him, recalling the three Gray Dwarf blacksmiths he had seen in the Flame Furnace, who, although they had become lifeless shells, were still forging something. Initially, Song Jian thought they were forging items out of instinct, but now it seemed that they were clearly repairing parts for this War Puppet; Such a terrifying being, far superior to the ten-meter-tall War Puppets we saw before. No wonder the Gray Dwarves were able to create such a formidable war machine that it caught the attention of the gods! Song Jian slowly approached, carefully examining the War Puppet, and muttered to himself; Just then, a thought struck Song Jian like lightning: Could it be that this War Puppet has become a threat to the existence of deities, and that is why it attracted the gaze of the gods, evoking their disgust, and even fear? Song Jian exclaimed in shock; Divine Fall, Divine Fall, a warrior capable of felling gods, Song Jian fixated on the name of the War Puppet, his face showing a look of surprise. This War Puppet was already severely damaged, but it was known that the strength of every War Puppet was directly proportional to its height. Those ten-meter-tall War Puppets needed only one or two to destroy a city; this towering behemoth, standing over a hundred meters, would have been a genuine threat to the gods in its intact state, perhaps possessing the power above that of a demigod; The most terrifying part was that such an entity could be mass-produced. Imagine that, with hundreds or even thousands of such fearsome beings, challenging the gods would seem not so impossible; Of course, all of this was just Song Jians speculation, given his current strength, he had no way to fathom the terrifying power a real deity might possess; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that thought, there was a moment when Song Jian even considered taking the damaged War Puppet with him, but seeing the dome of light around him like the vault of heaven, Song Jian knew that once he left this area, the War Puppet would certainly be exposed to the gaze of the gods. By then, with his meager strength, he wouldnt be able to protect the War Puppet, and he might even incur the dissatisfaction of the gods, who could directly obliterate him and the entire City of Hope, just like they destroyed the Gray Dwarves before. At the thought, Song Jian felt some regret. He was like entering a treasure mountain and coming out empty-handed. Such a massive weapon was laid out before him, yet he could reap no benefits from it. Just then, Song Jian suddenly noticed a purplish-red light shimmering behind the left leg of the terrifying war automaton. He walked over and found that the glint came from a treasure chest that was half-buried in the dirt. This treasure chest was stuck in the dirt, right up against the metal skin of the automatons left leg. Carved on the surface of the chest was the finely detailed head of a Gray Dwarf, as if it were roaring loudly at Song Jian. In its eyes sat two dazzling gems, one red, one blue; each was the size of a fist, and just those two stones alone were worth a fortune. Seeing this chest sent Song Jians heart racing with excitement. No other players had been here before, which was why an epic loot chest appeared. Otherwise, the best one might find here would be a gold or even silver-quality chest at most. Song Jian crouched down, inspected the chest carefully, and dug it out of the dirt. It wasnt locked, which allowed Song Jian to breathe a sigh of relief. If it had been locked, he surely would have fainted from disappointment right then and there. With both hands on the chest, Song Jian began to open it, and the progress bar for opening the chest slowly started to move. The higher the quality of the chest, the slower it opened. Such a chest required at least three minutes of maintaining the opening gesture for Song Jian to unlock it. System: Chest opening in progress 1% 2% Song Jians entire attention was focused on the chest opened before him, unaware that as he was doing so, the eye sockets of the broken war automaton next to him, previously dark as two deep voids, began to glow faintly red from deep within. Song Jian watched the progress bar inch forward, and just as it was about to reach the end, he felt something amiss. For some unknown reason, the ground began to tremble ever so slightly. Click~ At a soft sound, the chests lid sprang open. Song Jian immediately gathered up all the items inside. Besides two scrolls, there was also a piece of equipment in the chest. While Song Jian was about to check the properties of the equipment, he suddenly noticed that the large metal column next to the chest, which was the automatons left leg, started to rise slowly. This guy can still move? Song Jians heart sank instantly. He hastily looked up, and in midair, two red lights kept blinking, as though they were intently watching him. The automaton, comparable to a god, had somehow been activated without his notice. Its eyes were flashing a frightening red as its left leg stomped down hard toward Song Jian, like squashing a roach scurrying everywhere. Chapter 818 - 819 Destruction_1 Chapter 818: Chapter 819 Destruction_1 The massive armored golem was activated and stomped viciously towards Song Jian; Song Jian was taken aback and instinctively activated his Soul Wander skill, his figure turning translucent as he rushed towards the light screen; Just as he neared the light screen, he heard a dull roar from behind; Boom~ With a loud crash, Song Jian felt a strong pressure on his back, followed by a blast of air that sent him flying forward; ... It was like a baseball hit for a home run, smashing towards the light screen; Song Jian passed through the light screen and was brutally smashed against the hard wall of the mine, by now the three seconds of invincibility had passed, and he found himself embedded in the rock wall, his Vitality Points plummeting by more than two-thirds; This filled Song Jian with terror; he hadnt been hit directly, but just the shockwave of the attack was nearly enough to kill him on the spotthis place was too dangerous; Song Jian struggled fiercely and soon broke free from the rock wall, quickly running towards the small door. Although there were dozens of War Puppets and over a hundred Gray Dwarf Zombies outside the small door, compared to the terrifying creature behind him, those War Puppets and Gray Dwarf Zombies didnt seem so frightening; No sooner had Song Jian rushed through the small door than he discovered that the hall beyond was even more chaotic. The nearest Gray Dwarf Zombies seemed to have sensed that the Divine Fall Warrior had been activated by accident, prompting them to flee outside; At this time, no one noticed Song Jian. Although these Gray Dwarf creatures had already died once, their instinct as monsters still drove them to desperately avoid the slowly awakening Divine Fall Warrior War Puppets; Just then, three Gray Dwarf blacksmiths rushed in from outside, bellowing loudly at each other. It seemed they were blaming one another. Having turned into zombies, they had lost much of their original memories, but repairing the Divine Fall Warrior seemed to have become their instinct, engraved in every cell of their bodies; Even after becoming zombies, these three Gray Dwarf blacksmith BOSSes still continued the work of relentlessly repairing the Divine Fall Warrior; Boom~ The hard wall behind Song Jian was kicked open by a Divine Fall Warrior, immediately revealing a large hole. The towering stature of the Divine Fall Warrior now became a hindrance in its pursuit of Song Jian. Given the sturdy walls of the Magic Crystal Mine, not even the Divine Fall Warrior could break through it in a short span of time; Stop arguing! It has left the Divine Disgust Light Screen and could draw the gods attention at any moment. We need to find a way to stop it immediately! one of the Gray Dwarf blacksmiths shouted; Who activated it in the first place? It looks like it has entered kill mode. It will not stop unless it kills its target or its energy reserves are depleted, another Gray Dwarf blacksmith yelled; Its energy reserves arent great, only enough for some basic functions. With this rate of consumption, it will stop soon. But if it continues like this, the damage will become increasingly severe, and when the time comes, repairing it completely will be absolutely impossible, the third Gray Dwarf blacksmith observed calmly, as the Divine Fall Warrior continued to punch through the wall aiming to break into the chamber where the War Puppets were stored; While the three Gray Dwarf blacksmiths stood helplessly apart, waiting for the Abyssal Warrior to run out of energy, Song Jian had already rushed into the passage leading away from the main hall and onto the stone bridge over a river of lava in the underground mine; The enormous furnace on the stone bridge was still burning fiercely, surrounded by a large quantity of magic crystals and other precious ore; when Song Jian had seen it, he had been very envious, but due to the strength of the three boss monsters, he could only look on from a distance. But now, the area was swarming with zombie gray dwarves, who didnt even glance at Song Jian. He immediately rushed towards the pile of precious ore, continuously stuffing them into his inventory slots; Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Before long, Song Jians inventory was completely filled with these cherished ores. With that, there were still many ores scattered around. Song Jian could only helplessly shake his head and turn away; Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard a booming roar coming from behind him. It buzzed in his ears, and the ground beneath his feet shook violently as the objects around him began to topple and fall; What on earth has happened, why is there suddenly an earthquake? Song Jian couldnt help but quicken his pace to escape. He turned his head and saw the hall where the war puppets were placed, spewing dust and rubble falling from above, quickly sealing off the passageway tightly; Such a pity, there were quite a few precious ores in that passage! Song Jian shook his head slightly and quickly ran towards the entrance of the mine; Just as he ran out of the mine, another violent shake occurred behind him, and a stream of scorching lava burst forth from the mouth of the mine like a fiery dragon. About a dozen zombie gray dwarves, their bodies engulfed in flames, swarmed out of the mine, but it wasnt long before they were reduced to a pile of ashes; Dull explosions continued to echo within the cave. Song Jian, with lingering trepidation, sat down on the grass at a distance, looking at the mountain range before him, continuously collapsing. His mood was very heavy; It looked like this magic crystal mine was done for. Even if one wanted to excavate again, the cost would be somewhat disproportionate to the gain; Just then, Priest Cecilia suddenly approached from the distance; These gray dwarves, even in death they find no peace. Now its just right; theyve completely perished! Cecilia said coldly, staring at the distant, dust-covered mountain range with a deep voice; Song Jian remained silent, and after a long while, he finally asked, What exactly did these gray dwarves do wrong? With mortal bodies, they sought to usurp the power of the gods, daring to deceive and annihilate the gods! Cecilia gave Song Jian a glance and said, They are not wrong; they committed a crime, a crime of blasphemy! Are you saying, those war puppets they created, the Divine Fall Warriors, really possess the ability to contend with the gods? Song Jian suddenly asked. What, they were still constructing Divine Fall Warriors? A flicker of fear passed through Cecilias eyes as she said in surprise. I only saw a badly damaged Divine Fall Warrior wreckage inside. Song Jian shook his head; Cecilia let out a sigh of relief, her appearance one of fright. She hesitated for a moment before saying, Yes, the very reason the gods find the gray dwarf race so reprehensible, and even fear them, is because they have actually created war puppets that can contend with the gods! Chapter 819 - 820 Mysterious Moonlight Sword_1 Chapter 819: Chapter 820 Mysterious Moonlight Sword_1 To think that there really are War Puppets capable of contending with the gods Song Jian had a look of amazement on his face. As long as the damage reaches a certain degree, it can harm the gods, but gods definitely cannot be defeated by something crafted by mortals! Cecilias face showed a hint of coldness as she pointed towards the mountain range that was collapsing and said, The Gray Dwarves created War Puppets that could injure the gods, but in the end, they were unsuccessful, and their entire clan was eradicated. This is the punishment from the gods for their audacious attempt to usurp divine power with mere mortal bodies! Song Jian remained silent. To him, all this was too distant. He wasnt even up to level forty, nor had he achieved second-tier Combat Power. The levels of those gods had probably long since surpassed several hundred; Song Jian, you are the most outstanding divine descendant I have seen. Your arrival in this world is not without reason! Cecilia said, The gods are watching you, hoping to select from among you someone to represent their will in the mortal realm, to become the Holy Child. You will obtain everything! Sorry, I need to think this over carefully and cant give you an answer right now! Song Jian said with a smile, However, if you really wish to build a temple dedicated solely to the Goddess of Dawn within the territory of the City of Hope, its not impossible, but you will have to pay a corresponding pricea price matching the value of a temple! Going against the Church of the Goddess of Dawn with Song Jians current strength was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, but Song Jian also couldnt just donate hundreds of acres of land to the Church of the Goddess of Dawn for nothing. ... Cecilia smiled faintly and said to Song Jian, What if I use a Magic Crystal Mine in exchange for three hundred acres of the City of Hopes land, what do you think? A Magic Crystal Mine? Song Jian was startled, then looked towards the already collapsed mountain range, pointing to the ruins where magma continued to erupt and spread, and said, You mean this one right here? Exactly, this one! Cecilia nodded; Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian quickly asked, Can you restore it to its original state? The gods are omnipresent and omnipotent! Cecilia said with a serious expression. Alright, as long as you can restore this Magic Crystal Mine to its original state, then in the City of Hope, you will have a piece of three hundred acres of land, forever belonging to the Church of the Goddess of Dawn! Song Jian nodded and said; Cecilia smiled slightly, spread her hands, and a Codex as thick as a finger suddenly appeared out of thin air, hovering in her palm. Rustle~ The Codex turned its own pages as if an invisible hand were flipping through it, and in a short time, it flipped to a certain page in the middle, immediately emitting a milky white light. Now, its the moment to witness a divine miracle! Cecilia said with a reverential expression, speaking softly; The milky white light bursting from the Codex was like a vast heavenly tree, slowly extending upwards into the sky, and then gently spreading out in all directions. In a short while, a giant phantom of a goddess appeared in the sky; Cecilia, holding the Codex, knelt on the ground, reciting praises to the Goddess of Dawn, and the phantom of the goddess in midair, almost occupying half of the sky, turned towards Song Jian with a slight smile, raising her right hand gently; The mountain range, which had already collapsed, suddenly issued a rumble, as if a mysterious force had reshaped it. In a short while, the collapsed Magic Crystal Mine slowly restored itself, and the familiar entrance of the mine reappeared before Song Jians eyes. A look of shock emerged on Song Jians face. He had not expected to witness such mighty power within the game; It was important to note that the abilities in the game could be brought back to the real world, which also meant that the miracle performed by Cecilia summoning the Goddess of Dawn had a significant chance of being realized in reality; After the mine was restored, the goddesss silhouette in the sky and the white light from the temple in Cecilias hands began to fade away. Clasping the temple together, Cecilia stood up, and with a smile on her face, said to Song Jian, The inside of the mine has been restored to its original state, and the monsters inside have been cleared out! Song Jians heart leapt with joy, and he quickly asked, Will they never appear again? Cecilia nodded and said, They will not appear again. However, this place is ultimately cursed by the gods, and even the Goddess of Dawn cannot eliminate the god-repelling effect of this area, after all, it is filled with the divine powers of various deities! Song Jians heart sank a bit. If that was truly the case, the number of miners who could enter the mine to extract ore would drastically decreaseafter all, not many players could withstand the god-repelling effect and continue mining; Back at Manor Castle, Song Jian thought of opening his inventory to check the items he had obtained from the epic chest earlier; From the chest, Song Jian had gained three items in total, two scrolls, and one piece of epic gear; Both scrolls were of gold quality, one of which was a sword technique scroll that could teach a move called Mysterious Moonlight Sword; Mysterious Moonlight Sword, level 1, instant cast, skill effect: Lock onto a target three meters away, instantly rush to the targets side, inflicting nine consecutive hits of damage to the targets body. If the first strike causes damage, then it will certainly induce a float effect, followed by continuous attacks, each strike causing 35% weapon damage; Skill cost: 18 Spirit Points, cooldown: 5 seconds; Usage requirement: One-handed Sword; Even Song Jian was somewhat envious of this sword technique, reluctant to use it to increase the proficiency of the Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art, as this sword skill was both practical for ambushes and regular combat. If one could not withstand the first sword, it would cause a floating effect; It was well known that enemies in a floating state were completely defenseless, making it easier to inflict critical damage, without the chance of block or immunity to damage effects; Although the subsequent damage was only 35% of the weapon damage, slightly low, with the skill level increased, he believed its damage could be enhanced. With the rapid succession of nine strikes, plus the Five Elements Heaven-breaking Swords ultra-high base damage, this sword technique would surely bring Song Jian pleasant surprises; After hesitating for a long while, Song Jian decided not to use this skill to enhance his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision. If he later felt that the skill was not as good as he imagined, he could still feed it to his Ten Thousand Swords Flying Immortal Art; The other scroll was an engineering blueprint. Seeing this blueprint, Song Jians eyes suddenly lit up; PS: Thank you Bread84 for the gift of 100 Starting Point coins~ Chapter 820 - 821 Hatching_1 Chapter 820: Chapter 821 Hatching_1 The Divine Aversion Bead, you just need to wear it or put it in your bag slot, and it can remove the curse effects of the godsthats even more convenient than the Divine Disgust Light Screen! Song Jian looked at the blueprint in his hand, his face uncontrollably revealing a look of surprise and delight. Originally Song Jian wanted to obtain the construction method for the Divine Disgust Light Screen, so he could build it in the Magic Crystal Mine to lift the curse of the gods, allowing the miners to safely extract the ore here; But such a large defensive structure would definitely have an extremely complicated blueprint, and the materials needed for construction would be incredibly rare. Not to mention, the engineering skill level required to construct the Divine Disgust Light Screen would be very high. Even if he could get his hands on such blueprints, it was likely that he wouldnt be able to build it anytime soon. The mining project would have to be postponed indefinitely. However, now that he had the blueprint for the Divine Aversion Bead, the production method was obviously much simpler in comparison to the Divine Disgust Light Screen; the materials were precious but nothing compared to the entire Light Screen; As for crafting, the Divine Aversion Bead only required a player with an Engineering profession at level 8 in Divine Flame to make it, and many players specializing in the crafting profession in the City of Hope had already reached that level. ... Moreover, the Divine Aversion Bead is akin to an accessory. If employing NPC miners, they just need to wear the bead. If its a player, they can directly place it in their bag slot, which is very convenient. Plus, since this item is tradable, theres no need to craft too many. He just needs to make a batch, and when the miners need to take over shifts, they can just trade the beads, which is also very handy. Its a pity theres only one blueprint, better give it to Dr. Ebsiting to master first, then let him teach his disciples, Song Jian thought for a moment and made a decision; Dr. Ebsiting could impart his skills to his disciples, so once the doctor learned the manufacturing method for the Divine Aversion Bead, his apprentices would also be able to master it, which would greatly facilitate the production of the beads; Putting the blueprint back into his bag slot, Song Jians gaze fell on the last item. The very reason this chest was of epic grade was because of this piece of equipmentit was an epic-grade item; Armageddon Iron Cape (Epic Grade), Cape, Item Level 50, Equipment Effects: Defense +210, Evasion +15, Stealth +30, All Attributes +10, Special Effect 1: Overall defense increased by 50%; Special Effect 2: 20% chance to be immune to the damage from an attack; Special Effect 3: When attacked from behind, defense increased by 500 points, resistance increased by 300 points; Equipment Requirements: Strength 100 points, Agility 80 points; Product Description: This item is a part of the Armageddon King Krubas set, and only by collecting all parts of the Armageddon Kings set, can one obtain the sets properties; Set Collection: 1/6. Can it be taken out of the game: No. This piece of equipment was vastly different from the golden-quality Abyssal Shadow cape that Song Jian was currently wearingpractically the two extremes; where the Abyssal Shadow capes attributes mostly improved damage, the Iron Cape focused on defense; The only thing was that the Abyssal Shadow capes active skill, Abyssal Phantom, overlapped somewhat with Song Jians skill, Solid Clone, and Song Jians damage was already high, so he now needed equipment to enhance his defense, hence he didnt hesitate to equip the cape adorned with iron armor plates. The Armageddon Iron Cape was no lightweight, almost equivalent to the weight of chainmail, but the defense it provided was even higher than that of a plate armor. Most importantly, if someone tried attacking Song Jian from behind, the cape would instantly provide an additional 500 points of defense and 300 points of resistance, which was even higher than what an epic-grade shield would offer in defense. Whats more important is that it is a part of a level 50 epic-tier set, which is somewhat more powerful than his current golden-quality set, the Ancestral Ant King set; The only issue now is that he only has one part of the set, and it looks like its going to take quite some time to collect the entire set; Returning to Dr. Ebsitings lab, Song Jian handed over the engineering blueprint to Song Jian, and then assigned Wang Qi the task of collecting Magic Crystals from the Magic Crystal Mine. Just as Song Jian was about to turn around and leave to grind and level up, Wang Qi stopped him; Brother Song, Im planning to hatch this angelic battle pet egg, do you want to come and see? Wang Qi said with a smile; Do battle pet eggs need special hatching? Song Jian was startled, curiously asking, as both of his battle pets had been hatched quite casually: Isnt it enough just to drop blood onto the battle pet egg? Of course, you cant be that careless. This pet egg you gave me hasnt been identified yet. It has to be identified before it can be hatched, and using a hatching chamber might even increase the pets quality by a certain chance! Wang Qi shook his head as he spoke; Increase the pet quality? Song Jian was astounded; he had never heard of such a thing before. Yeah, but the chance is pretty small, and the higher the quality of the pet, the lower the chance of improving it. I reckon if this is really an angel battle pet egg, it might be quite difficult to increase its quality! said Wang Qi; Then why bother? Song Jian shook his head, when a sudden inspiration struck him. Grabbing Wang Qi, he asked, Who came up with this pet hatching? It started with a wandering NPC that came after the City of Hope was established. Rumor has it, hes a pet master by profession and has opened a pet shop in the city square. Generally, you can buy any common battle pet from that store! Wang Qi explained; Since the establishment of the City of Hope, many wandering NPCs had been attracted to the game. These NPCs, most of whom had special talents, enriched the variety of professions in the city. Newly arrived players, if they didnt like combat professions, could also find life skill professions they liked in the city and learn from the corresponding NPC; Song Jian nodded his head and walked with Wang Qi towards the city square; Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The center of City of Hope, hundreds of meters away from the Camel Square of Doomsday City, was designed by professional urban planners. Walking down the spacious streets, Song Jian felt there was hardly any difference from the real world; The central square was bustling with noise, with many teams shouting to team up for monster hunting and dungeon raids, and quite a few players even set up street stands on the square with just a piece of black cloth; Having not really visited since the establishment of the City of Hope, Song Jian found everything fresh and new as he arrived at the central square with Wang Qi, and just then, a familiar voice reached his ears; Looking for group for the Jackal Wolfman Cave, level 12 Dark Night Hunter, damage over a hundred! Song Jian looked toward the source of the voice, and a solitary figure appeared before his eyes. Seeing him, Song Jians heart suddenly sank; Chapter 821 - 822 Zhao Yu_1 Chapter 821: Chapter 822 Zhao Yu_1 Zhao Yu, how did he even get into this game? Song Jians face looked terrible as he stared at that familiar figure in the distance. Back when he was a salesman in the real world, Zhao Yu had a pretty good relationship with him and often helped him out, making him Song Jians first friend after graduation; Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After entering this game, Song Jians relationship with Zhao Yu gradually faded, and now in the real world, they seemed to be capturing players like them who entered the game. Song Jian further distanced himself from Zhao Yu to avoid getting him involved. Unexpectedly, he ran into Zhao Yu here today. From his appearance, Zhao Yu must have not been in the game for long, only level twelve by now. However, his profession seemed not too shabby, a rare one at that; The Jackal Wolfman Cave was a level ten dungeon, where not a few level ten blue leather equipment were produced. It looked like Zhao Yu was planning to head to this dungeon to grind for some gear; But seeing him standing there alone, with no team to join him, it seemed he wasnt doing so well either; Hey, Zhao Yu, havent found a team yet, huh? As a rich second-generation in the real world, cant you just buy some Doomsday Coins, get yourself a better weapon? Otherwise, with your range, its going to be tough for any team to want you! a warrior carrying a double-handed axe walked up to Zhao Yu, sneered, and shouted loudly. ... Hmph, Guo Qiang, I have a rare profession. Once I gear up, even if you beg me to join your team, I wont! Zhao Yu retorted loudly. Give it a rest. With that little range of yours, Id rather team up with a thief, or a warrior. Guo Qiang said with a cold snort: Other archer professions, although they deal less damage than you, have a longer range, man. In a dungeon, they can even lure monsters. But you? Asking you to lure monsters is less useful than having a warrior throw knives! The Dark Night Hunter class was somewhat awkwardalthough it was a ranged class, it had only half the range of regular archer classes. While its attack was marginally higher, it wasnt so high as to be a game-changer. The difference was at most that between the same-level blue and green weapons. Compared to a mage class, it still fell short, and even compared to thieves, it was less desirable. Thieves, after all, could scout and unlock treasure chests in dungeons, making them way more valuable than a Dark Night Hunter. This made it extremely difficult for Zhao Yu to find a dungeon raiding team; sometimes, he would shout for an hour or two without being able to get into a dungeon to level up. Hmph, Guo Qiang, dont look down on me. Once I level up, taking you down will be a matter of minutes, Zhao Yu said defiantly. Hahaha, sure, sure, Ill be waiting. Lets see when you can take me down! Guo Qiang laughed heartily, patted Zhao Yu on the shoulder, and left with a group of teammates, obviously not taking Zhao Yu seriously; A trace of humiliated anger flashed in Zhao Yus eyes. He took a deep breath and continued to loudly call out for a team; Zhao Yu! Song Jian started walking towards Zhao Yu. He had stayed away from Zhao Yu before so as not to cause him trouble, but seeing that he had also entered into this perilous game, Song Jian felt he naturally had to lend a hand to his friend. At the sound of someone calling him, Zhao Yu immediately brightened up, turned around, and shouted, Hey, team up Song Jian? Seeing Song Jian in his glamorous equipment, Zhao Yu couldnt quite believe his eyes and even rubbed them vigorously; Holy smokes, the number one on the level glory leaderboard is really you? I thought someone just shared your name! Zhao Yu stared at Song Jians equipment and exclaimed in amazement; Although Song Jian had already turned off the golden glow of the Emperor Ant Suit, Zhao Yu immediately recognized the design and quality of the gear Song Jian wore, which was undoubtedly high; Thinking of the exact same name on the level leaderboard, Zhao Yu suddenly realized that his former colleague had now skyrocketed to success. When did you get into this game, and how? Song Jian pulled Zhao Yu along toward the pet shop; Man, dont even mention it. I was out for a meal and ran into someone handing out flyers. I just felt sorry for the old man, grabbed one casually, and threw it in the car. And then Zhao Yu slapped his head, his face full of regret, I havent been in here long, just made it to level ten. I didnt dare to build a safe house in the wilderness, so I could only buy a residence in the City of Hope to use as a safe house. My God, the houses in this game are way more expensive than in the real world, a tiny pigeonhole of fifty to sixty square meters actually cost me three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! With a look full of hatred for profiteers, Zhao Yu continued, For this pigeonhole, not only did I spend all my savings in the game, but I also used up all my spending money in the real world. The exchange rate between Doomsday Coins and RMB is also outrageously high, over two hundred RMB for just one Doomsday Coin! Song Jian was shocked. Doomsday Coins are so expensive now? Werent they one hundred RMB per Doomsday Coin before? How could it have shot up so much in just a few days; All the way, Song Jian listened to Zhao Yus complaints. Shortly after, the three of them arrived at a shop. At the entrance of this shop, there were three or four cages with some combat pet cubs inside. Although these cubs were only of white quality, they all looked promising: a pure white tiger, a red fox with two tails, and a juvenile eagle whose feathers shone with a metallic lusterit all appeared to have great potential; Many players were gathered at the entrance of the pet shop, continuously checking the attributes of these pets and discussing amongst themselves; Song Jian, are you really the number one on the level leaderboard? Already at level thirty-eight? Zhao Yu asked in surprise; Yeah! Song Jian nodded and said, Lets go in and have a look. If you fancy any combat pet, Ill give it to you as a gift. Then Ill call some brothers to help you level up and get your level up as soon as possible! What, are you serious? Zhao Yu asked, his face bright with surprise; Of course, when have I ever not meant what I said? Song Jian replied with a smile; Wang Qi smiled quietly to himself, following behind Song Jian as they entered the pet shop; Inside the pet shop, two NPC salespeople were introducing combat pets to several players. Another girl, with fiery red hair, was lounging in a rocking chair, looking bored as she idly flipped through the pages of a book; When the girl noticed Song Jian and his companions enter, she glanced over casually but her eyes quickly locked onto Wang Qi. She hurriedly stood up, her face full of smiles, walking over to Wang Qi; Lord Mayor, what brings you to my humble shop today? Ha ha, if theres anything you need, just send someone to inform us. Why bother coming here yourself! The girl laughed merrily, leaning in close to Wang Qi; Chapter 822 - 823: Shadow Claw_1 Chapter 822: Chapter 823: Shadow Claw_1 Wang Qi felt a bit awkward when the pet store owner addressed him as the City Master. He coughed twice, steadied her leaning body, and said with a stern face, I am only the Vice City Lord of the City of Hope. This is the real master of the City of Hope, Song Jian, City Master Song. You must recognize him clearly! The pet store owner Laurenie was greatly alarmed, judging by her reaction, the way she had just addressed Wang Qi was likely to have offended the real City Master present. As an NPC who had wandered through countless cities, Laurenie naturally knew the extent of power held by a citys master. She quickly bowed to Song Jian and spoke with a hint of panic on her face, I didnt know the City Master was here, and failed to welcome you from afar. I ask for the City Masters forgiveness! Its no bother, no bother at all! Song Jian waved his hands with a beaming smile, Today, I am just accompanying a friend to buy a battle pet, so thats why we had Vice City Lord Wang come with us! Accompanying a friend to buy pets? Laurenies eyes brightened as she turned her gaze to Zhao Yu; Seeing Zhao Yus tattered gear and the white quality long crossbow hanging on his back, Laurenie frowned slightly. ... Had Zhao Yu come to purchase a pet by himself, Laurenie probably would not have given him a second glance, but now that he was a friend of the City Master, countless ways to flatter Zhao Yu suddenly came to mind; Judging by this young brother, you seem to be a ranged professional, Laurenie said with a sweet smile, If Im not mistaken, you are also a rare professional, a Dark Night Hunter, impressive, very impressive! With that, Laurenie summoned a maid and whispered a few words in her ear. In just a moment, the maid brought out three ornate boxes from the back room and placed them on the counter; Laurenie smiled as she opened all three boxes. Each box contained an egg that emitted a silver glow. It should be noted that most of the pet eggs displayed in this pet store were of white quality, with an occasional appearance of green and blue quality ones. Such eggs were usually snatched up quickly by customers and would be sold within minutes after appearing; By directly presenting three pet eggs this time, it was clear that Laurenie was willing to make a significant investment to curry favor with Song Jian; Young brother, take a look at this Battle Pet Egg first. This is an Andes Hunting Spiders egg. The Andes Hunting Spider belongs to the jumping spider family; its extremely fast and though its attack and defense are somewhat modest, it specializes in poison attacks and web casting! Laurenie explained, pointing at the first egg. This egg had a few dark spots on its surface and looked quite unremarkable. If not for the pale silver glow it emitted, it would be hard to believe it was a rare Battle Pet Egg; Next, Laurenie pointed to the second egg and said, This is a Shadow Owls egg. Not only does it possess vision comparable to a hawks during the day, but it also has dark vision. Being a shadow creature itself, it has the ability to shadow dodge and is very hard to detect, making it an extremely rare scouting battle pet! Seeing Zhao Yus drooling expression, Laurenies smile grew wider, but as she saw the expressionless faces of Song Jian and Wang Qi, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. It seemed that the battle pets from her store had not caught the interest of the two city lords; Laurenie became more enthusiastic towards Zhao Yu, gently setting down the second egg and picking up the third wooden box; Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking at the wooden box, Laurenies eyes revealed a hint of pain; This third pet, known as the Shadowclaw Tracker, is a snow leopard with Shadow Panther lineage. It has extremely fast short-distance sprint capabilities, and its damage output is very high. Furthermore, its fur is incredibly smooth, which allows it to evade attacks. When attacking enemies, it automatically enters stealth mode, and most importantly Laurenie looked at Zhao Yu and smiled, A level 30 Shadowclaw Tracker will automatically learn the Sword Shadow Clone skill, creating four clones at the same time, although the attributes of each clone are only 30% of the original bodys. Even so, this still is a very rare ability. Song Jians eyebrows raised slightly, as he could actually create four clones, which sounded even stronger than his own Sword Shadow Clone. Zhao Yus gaze flitted back and forth over the three silver pet eggs, already appearing somewhat dazzled and unsure of which one to choose. Zhao Yu, the brighter the glow of an item, the better its quality! Song Jian reminded. Among these three pet eggs, the Andes Hunting Spider was a pale silver, the Shadow Owl was bright silver, but the one named Shadowclaw Tracker, a snow leopard, was radiating a snowflake-like lively glow. Then Ill choose this Shadowclaw Tracker! Zhao Yu said, pointing to the third pet egg. Young man, youve got quite the eye! Laurenie said with a smile, waving her hand, the other two wooden boxes were immediately stowed away. She pushed the wooden box with the Shadowclaw pet egg forward and said, A special offer of six hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, and in light of the two City Lords presence, I can offer you a fifty percent discount, just three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins will do. As she mentioned the fifty percent discount, the corners of Laurenies eyes twitched involuntarily. She had originally set a low price for this pet egg, and it could sell for at least eight hundred thousand, if not more, at an auction. But even three hundred thousand was beyond Zhao Yus current means; he couldnt help inhaling sharply, as this single pet egg cost three times more than his safety house. Ms. Laurenie choosing to open a shop in the City of Hope is an honor for us, and how could I take advantage of you? Song Jian said with a smile, handing over several banknotes: We appreciate your kind gesture, heres six hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, please take it. Laurenie was startled for a moment, but then she smiled and said, That amount of money is naturally nothing to the City Lords, so let my store hatch this pet egg for this young man, as a little gesture of goodwill from us. Song Jian nodded; he was indeed curious to see the difference between hatching at the pet store and hatching with his own blood. Laurenie personally led Zhao Yu to a small room, then extracted a drop of his blood and placed it into a sci-fi-looking nutrient tank, where the Shadowclaw Battle Pet Egg was inserted. After that, a staff member slowly injected a tube of pale red liquid into the machine, which contained Zhao Yus drop of blood. The machine started up, and after a slight vibration, it was visible that the nutrient solution in the nutrient tank was disappearing at a visible rate, and the surface of the Shadowclaw Battle Pet Egg began to show cracks. In no time at all, the cracks on the surface of the Battle Pet Egg interconnected like a spider web, and a faint golden light burst forth from these fissures. The, the grade has been enhanced? Laurenie looked at the nutrient tank in astonishment, an incredulous expression on her face. PS: Thank you Pao Ge Meng Da Nai for the 100 Qidian Coins reward~ Chapter 823: 824 Holy Light War Pet_1 Chapter 823: Chapter 824 Holy Light War Pet_1 Song Jian heard Wang Qi say that theres a certain chance to enhance the quality of a battle pet by hatching it in a pet shop. He was initially skeptical, but to his surprise, he witnessed a quality upgrade during a hatching right before his eyes; However, looking at Laurenies astonished expression, it seemed like it was also her first encounter with such an event; Gold, a gold-quality battle pet, and I sold it for only six hundred thousand, Im, Im at such a loss! Laurenie was full of regret in her heart, but her face showed an expression of surprise as she said to Zhao Yu, Congratulations, congratulations, young man, a gold-quality battle pet is worth a million Doomsday Coins. If youd like to sell this battle pet, Id be willing to buy it back for one million two hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! What, one million two hundred thousand? Zhao Yu was dumbstruck, silently calculating the exchange rate in his mind. If he sold this battle pet and converted it all into RMB, that would be a sum exceeding twenty million. Although Zhao Yu was a second-generation rich kid, his father was just a small businessman worth a hundred or two hundred million, and he had never seen this much money at once; Mrs. Boss, thats not generous of you, ah. A gold-quality battle pet, if put up for auction, would start at at least three million Doomsday Coins. My friend here wont sell this battle pet! Song Jian laughed; Song Jians words, like a bucket of cold water, suddenly sobered Laurenie up. The person in front of her was no ordinary deitys favorite; he had a significant backing. Trying to take advantage of him was just wishful thinking on her part. ... With this in mind, Laurenies face instantly revealed an awkward smile, and she stood silently to the side; Once all the nutrient solution in the nutrient slot was completely consumed, the battle pet egg also completely cracked open, and a shadow emerged from the nutrient slot, darting onto Zhao Yus shoulder; A coal-black leopard, about the size of a five or six-month-old kitten, clung firmly to Zhao Yus shoulder, extending its pink little tongue to lick Zhao Yus cheek incessantly; Eh, young man, whats the initial closeness level of your battle pet? Seeing the affectionate behavior between Zhao Yu and the small black leopard, Laurenie showed a hint of curiosity and couldnt help asking. It was common knowledge that freshly hatched battle pets generally had an initial closeness level between thirty and fifty and would not show such an intimate demeanor; Zhao Yu opened the battle pets attributes and, scratching his head, said, Just eighty-one points, is that high? Eighty-one points? Laurenie exclaimed, Ive hatched over a thousand battle pets, but Ive never encountered one with such a high initial closeness level. You should know, the higher the initial closeness level, the slower the closeness level drops when the battle pet is starving or in death! Looks like youve hatched a top-quality battle pet! Song Jian laughed; Thank you, thank you so much, Song Jian! Zhao Yu said gratefully. Having played the game for a while, he was well aware of how much a good battle pet could help him; As long as he raised this battle pet, he could even go solo against elite BOSSes of the same level in the wild; Alright, alright, my turn now! Wang Qi laughed heartily as he carefully took out a battle pet egg shrouded in milky white light from his inventory; Come on, Laurenie, see what you make of my battle pet? Wang Qi laughed; A white battle pet? Laurenies eyebrows raised. Wang Qi, after all, was a Vice City Lord, how could he cherish a white-quality battle pet so preciously? No, no, thats not the glow of a white-quality battle pet, this, this is, this is Holy Light! This is a Holy Light War Pet! Laurenie screamed in astonishment, her face full of shock; A Holy Light War Pet, isnt that supposed to be a golden quality battle pet? Wang Qi looked at Song Jian with some confusion; Song Jian shrugged his shoulders. When he had obtained the Angel Battle Pet Egg, it was indeed just a pale gold color. However, after leaving it in his inventory for a few days, for some reason, it turned into a milky white halo; Laura, Laura, hurry, take out the purple gold solution from the top left cabinet of my storage room. Susan, prepare to mix the Holy Spirit Nutrient Fluid, quick, quick! Laurenie seemed very anxious, almost mobilizing all of the servants, turning the hatching room into a flurry of activity; Lance, go and invite Master Ackman, tell him theres a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg that needs his appraisal! Laurenie grabbed a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, and said seriously; Ah, Master Ackman? At this time, hes usually napping, I, Lance hesitated, knowing Ackmans temper was not good. Waking him up now might end up getting a severe scolding; Go quickly, just say its a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg. If he dares to scold you, Ill have Brian do the appraisal! Laurenie said loudly; Yes, yes, Boss! Lance ran off towards the back house. Shortly after, an old Elf with a face full of wrinkles, walked in quickly; Laurenie, you said theres a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg that needs my appraisal? Youd better not be lying to me, otherwise Oh, my goodness, it really is a Holy Light Battle Pet Egg! Ackmans face showed surprise as he slowly bent over, closely observing the Battle Pet Egg in Wang Qis hands; After a long observation, the old Elf slowly stood up straight and sighed, Such a pity, this is an egg condensed from a four-winged angel who died in battle. Its truly too precious! Four-winged angel! Laurenie exclaimed in surprise; Honorable sir, appraising this Battle Pet Egg will cost three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins! To incubate it will need one million Doomsday Coins! Arman said in a deep voice; Wang Qis body swayed slightly, a look of shock appearing on his face. Just for an appraisal, it required three hundred thousand, and incubation demanded a staggering one million Doomsday Coins it was practically robbery! Lord Vice City Master, rest assured, I guarantee that every penny you spend will be worthwhile! Laurenie said seriously; Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wang Qi glanced at Song Jian; Song Jian shrugged his shoulders again. Anyhow, he had already given the Angel Battle Pet Egg to Wang Qi, and if he was not willing to spend that much money, incubating it later would not be too late; Lets start. Wang Qi gritted his teeth, pulling out a stack of Doomsday Coins from his bag and tremblingly handed them to Laurenie; Wang Qi understood in his heart that the higher the cost, the more valuable the war pet would prove to be. Once hatched, it would definitely be worth the expense! Zhao Yu also widened his eyes; just for appraisal and incubation, the cost had surpassed a million. If it were to be sold, wouldnt the price exceed ten million! This is a battle pet worth tens of millions, I cant miss the chance to see it hatch! Zhao Yu thought to himself. After a busy period, Master Arman, the pet appraiser, completed the appraisal of the egg radiating with a milky white glow it indeed was an Angel Battle Pet Egg. By this time, the Battle Pet Egg had turned into a sphere of light, emitting a faint milky white halo. Within the sphere of light, one could see a figure with pristine white wings at its back, kneeling and hugging its knees tightly, the wings covering its entire body like a blanket; PS: Thanks to Lethal Countdown for the tip of 1000 QiDian Coins~ Chapter 824: 825: Flying Mounts_1 Chapter 824: Chapter 825: Flying Mounts_1 Angels, Song Jian, do you see it? Angels, its really an angel! Wang Qi held up the battle pet egg in his hands, excitedly said; The angel within the pet egg looked quite blurry and its gender was indiscernible, but Song Jian vaguely felt that this was the angel Clowell; Master Arman, if we were to hatch it now, would it still retain its memories from before? Song Jian suddenly asked. The memories of the Angel Clan will never fade! Arman looked at Song Jian and said, However, newly born angels will seal their own memories. Only when their strength reaches a certain level will the memories be unsealed! Song Jian nodded, saying nothing more. Upon death, common angels would usually vanish without a trace, with a very small chance of condensing into a Heart of the Angel; As for condensing into a battle pet egg, perhaps not even one in a thousand angels could achieve this feat. For the Angel Clan, this was almost a means of resurrection and rebirth; ... After a busy flurry of activity, Wang Qi carefully placed the angel battle pet egg into a solution that emitted a faint golden glow. A million Doomsday Coins, at least the majority, were spent to concoct the nurturer solution in a Holy Spirit Solution; Many of the rare materials in the Holy Spirit Solution were priceless, not necessarily attainable even with money. If Wang Qi hadnt been the Vice City Lord, Laurenie might not have been willing to concoct the Holy Spirit Solution; With the equipment activated, the angel battle pet egg began to absorb the nutrients from the Holy Spirit Solution in the nurturer. Soon, the Holy Spirit Solution was drained, and the battle pet egg started to crack open. A palm-sized Bicolumned Angel flew towards Wang Qi; This angel was only wrapped in a white sarong at the waist, holding a mini bow and arrow. It looked incredibly endearing yet seemingly lacked combat strength; Too bad, it didnt advance in rank! Wang Qi said with a touch of regret; It doesnt need to advance in rank. This is a Holy Light War Pet, in other words, an evolvable war pet. As long as it is well-cultivated, it can continuously evolvefour wings, six wings, eight wings, and even to the most formidable twelve-winged archangel! Laurenie immediately said; What, an evolvable war pet? Wang Qis eyes widened in disbelief; However, evolving on its own is very difficult, and sometimes it requires some rare materials! Laurenie seemed to think of something, covered her mouth and giggled, saying, Be careful not to go bankrupt! The angel war pet fluttered its wings and flew onto Wang Qis shoulder, sitting down on it, then started fiddling with the bow and arrow in its hand, looking around curiously and energetically; An initial intimacy level of seventy-eight, not too bad! Wang Qi said with a beaming smile; Song Jian nodded. It seemed that it was still better to hatch battle pets at the pet store. Even if the chance for advancing was low, the initial intimacy levels would be much higher; Currently, his Black Dragon war pet and his intimacy level was only at sixty-two points, while the Stone Golem Gulu was slightly higher at seventy-three. Each injury would cause their intimacy levels to drop a few points, and Song Jian was genuinely concerned that if it dropped too severely, these two war pets might directly defect; By the way, do you have something here to raise the intimacy level of battle pets? Song Jian suddenly asked; Laurenies eyes lit up and she immediately said, Of course, and depending on the type of battle pet, different items are used. I heard that City Lord Songs battle pet is a Giant Dragon, and my store just happens to have food that raises the favor of dragon-type battle pets! After purchasing several sets of food to increase the favor of dragon-type war pets and earth-elemental war pets, Song Jian and his group left the pet store; Right, call some brothers, take Zhao Yu down to the Jackal Wolfman Cave a few times, get all the equipment he needs, and then level him up! Song Jian said; Zhao Yus level was too low, and if he fought alongside Song Jian, he wouldnt gain any experience, so it was left to the players of the alliance to lead him; Song Jian, thank you! Zhao Yu said with a complex look in his eyes; In the real world, as the son of a wealthy family, Zhao Yu had always felt a sense of superiority when helping Song Jian; however, he had never expected that in just a few short months, there would be such a dramatic change in status between them; Even if Zhao Yu was slow to catch on, he now understood that the Lord of the entire City of Hope was none other than the man before him who seemed to do nothing but hand out flyers every day. Ang~ Just then, a sharp cry suddenly came from the sky, and several people looked up to see a giant hawk descending slowly toward the square. On the back of the hawk, there was the silhouette of a player; A flying mount, its a flying mount! shouted a player on the square; It wasnt until the flying mount had landed that Song Jian realized the person sitting on it was actually Li Keer; The giant hawk, over five meters in size, stirred up a strong gust of wind as it landed, pushing the crowd of onlookers who were trying to get a closer look back by five or six meters; Eh, Brother Song Jian and Brother Wang Qi! Li Keer jumped down from the hawk, her eyes immediately finding Song Jian and Wang Qi, squinting into crescent moons with joy; Keer, where did you get this flying mount? Wang Qi asked in amazement. It was known that a flying mount did not take up a battle pet slot, and each person could have both a land mount and a flying mount simultaneously; Near a cliff about a hundred li away, theres a large group of hawks. I sneaked into a birds nest and grabbed a small hawk, Li Keer said with the look of someone who had been caught doing something naughty, sticking out her tongue as she laughed; Song Jian, if we can get a batch of flying mounts, we could definitely speed up the city expansion. With just five hundred, no, even three hundred hawk mounts like this, I am confident that within three months we could expand the territory of the City of Hope to encompass the entire Doomsday City! Wang Qi said, his face flushed with excitement; So far, Li Keer was the only one in the City of Hope with a flying mount. It was known that after the city was established, the flying creatures in the vicinity no longer dared to approach the City of Hope, or else they would be taken down by the defensive installations on the city walls; However, outside of the City of Hope in other areas, the sky still belonged to the flying creatures. The hawk captured by Li Keer was evidently an especially fierce mount, unafraid even of the flying creatures in the wild; Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If the City of Hope could have a batch of such flying mounts, they could establish their own corps of airborne cavalry. Then, during campaigns for territorial expansion, they could achieve remarkable results; Keer, how about you take me to see that cliff? Song Jian asked with a smile; Of course! Li Keer nodded and said, but her face soon turned to an expression of difficulty as she added, Little Grey can only carry one person; it cant fly with two. Little Grey was the name of the hawk Li Keer had captured, and it could only carry one person; Song Jian smiled slightly and summoned the Black Dragon. A dragons roar echoed across the plaza, causing almost all the battle pets to tremble and crouch, not daring to move; Even Li Keers captured hawk, which had been holding its head high with an air of pride, immediately spread its wings and crouched down emitting a series of low moans after the dragons roar; Brother Song Jian, can the Black Dragon carry people in flight? Li Keers eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly eager to ride the Black Dragon. Chapter 825: 826 Falcon Cliff_1 Chapter 825: Chapter 826 Falcon Cliff_1 Song Jian mounted the Black Dragon, slowly rising into the air, while Li Keer followed closely on her hawk at a distance, perpetually directing Song Jians flight path. However, her hawk dared not get too close to the Black Dragon, so the two could only communicate via their private chat channel; Mid-flight, Song Jian glanced down unintentionally and discovered that the area of the City of Hope had by then surpassed half the size of Doomsday City, separated by a tall and distinct city wall; One side was brimming with vitality, looking every bit a human city, while the other was filled with dead silence, and zombies roamed everywhere, their howls resounding continuously; Between the territories of Doomsday City and City of Hope stood a wall several dozen meters tall. Atop the broad ramparts, three or four Magic Crystal Railguns were being constructed simultaneously. Roughly every ten meters, there was a railgun, and between each pair, numerous arrow towers and giant crossbows flanked by hundreds of city guards stood vigilant on the walls, sealing the City of Hope tight; The Divine Aversion Beads had already been mass-produced by the dozen, and the Magic Crystal Mine had begun to slowly transition into the extraction phase. However, given the mine was located in the wilderness, there was always the threat of monster attacks, so they dared not mine on a large scale. Only about a dozen miners and a mining team of over a hundred people were arranged to extract near the entrance of the Magic Crystal Mine, hesitant to delve deeper; Therefore, the Magic Crystal Ores currently being mined were merely enough for the City of Hopes own use and not yet for sale. After all, Magic Crystals were a strategic resource, not found on the market, and could even be used as currency, more stable than Doomsday Coins; ... Li Keer continued to guide Song Jian through the friend channel. Her hawk didnt dare to approach the Black Dragon, which made her quite frustrated, prompting her to stealthily kick the hawk twice; After flying for over an hour, Song Jian finally saw a range of undulating mountains ahead. These mountains appeared very steep, with no place to climb. One would need a flying mount to get up there; Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Brother Song Jian, be careful. This is the Gathering Area of hawks. If we get close, they will attack us! Li Keer warned cautiously through the channel, Lets land ahead and slowly make our way over. You land first, Ill check it out and see! Song Jian said. The Black Dragon emitted a long howl, its speed abruptly increasing as it rushed toward the towering cliffs; System: You have discovered Falcon Cliff, gaining 1000 Experience Points; As Song Jian neared the cliff, still hundreds of meters away, a large mass of black dots erupted from atop the cliff. Narrowing his eyes, Song Jian realized that these black dots were all level 45 hawks, swarming in the hundreds; A dragon roar echoed through the heavens, and the opposing hawks instantly became disorganized, but they quickly regained composure and continued to charge toward Song Jian; Song Jian frowned slightly, as the Black Dragons Dragon Might seemed to have lost its deterrent effect on these hawks; Seeing hundreds of level 45 creatures bearing down on him like a blanket, Song Jian turned the Black Dragon around and flew away into the distance; Seeing the Black Dragon leave, the hawks did not pursue, but made a symbolic chase for some tens of meters before returning to their nests inside the steep cliff caves; This was the hawks nest; their nests built upon the cliffs, each one resembling a honeycomb, and once they flew back to their nests, from the outside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary; Gently bringing the Black Dragon down and storing it in the Pet Space, Song Jian shook his head and said, There are too many monsters. As soon as we approached, they all came out. Its quite troublesome! Li Keer giggled and said, Whats this? If you go further in, youll see level 45 elite BOSS hawks, and even a level 50 lord BOSS! What, a level 50 lord BOSS? Song Jians face was full of surprise. It was known that reaching level 50 was already touching the edge of second-tier combat power. He wondered if this lord-class hawk boss already had second-tier combat power. If it truly were a second-tier strength being, Wang Qis desire to capture the hawk to form a cavalry of flying riders might very well be dashed. How on earth did you get that hawk? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Ever since he met Li Keer in the game, Song Jian noticed that Li Keer had incredible luck in the game. Whether it was equipment or pets, she hardly needed to put in any effort and didnt have to grind daily to level up like other players. Although she couldnt monopolize the top ten in the leveling rankings like those hardcore levelers, she was definitely five or six levels ahead of ordinary players. I was just wandering around here when I found a little hawk that had fallen off the cliff. So I just captured it, and it became my flying mount. It was easy, and I didnt have to do much! Li Keer said with wide eyes. Song Jian shook his head; this luck was simply too good to be replicable. Approach slowly, maybe walking from the ground wont alarm them! Song Jian said. If it hadnt been for the Black Dragons roar earlier, they probably wouldnt have drawn out so many hawks from so far away. The two of them approached slowly, and after passing through a large expanse of dead woods, they finally got close to the cliff. Song Jian realized that even the lowest hawk nest was nearly a hundred meters above the ground. Climbing up there wasnt going to be easy, and now that they were so close, if they attracted too many creatures, Song Jian was confident he could escape, but he didnt know if Li Keer could. Thats enough for today, Keer, lets go back, Song Jian said with a smile. Are we just going to go back like this? Li Keer said with wide eyes and a puzzled look. Shouldnt we go up and check? There might be chicks in the nest. You havent gone up to check? Song Jian said curiously. Given Li Keers personality, having come here and found a chick, it seemed impossible for her not to go up and take another look. I wanted to, but when I climbed halfway up, the lord BOSS poked its head out and stared at me, so I didnt dare to climb any further, Li Keer said, frowning. Song Jian thought about the situation at the time and couldnt help but take a sharp breath, sizing up Li Keer. If someone now said Li Keer wasnt the beloved daughter of this game, Song Jian would absolutely not believe it. She had already caught the attention of a lord-class BOSS, yet the creature only chased Li Keer away, even allowing her to take away a chick. How was that possible? After thinking for a while, Song Jian decided that he couldnt let Li Keer take the risk, as she was too young and it made him somewhat uneasy. After much persuasion, he convinced Li Keer to go back. With a thought, Song Jian extended a pair of steel wings behind him and flew toward the closest cave on the cliff; PS: Thank you to Guardian VS Divine for the 1000 starting Doomsday Coins tip~ Chapter 826 - 827: Chance Encounter_1 Chapter 826: Chapter 827: Chance Encounter_1 Song Jian dared not to climb up directly like Li Keer. As soon as he began to fly, he used a Concealment Necklace to enter a stealth state. Soon, Song Jian entered the nearest cave to the ground. Just as he stood at the entrance, he heard a low growl from within the cave. The hawk inside seemed to have sensed something but couldnt find anything. It only felt some danger and became restless; Song Jian crept inside slowly. He saw that there was only one level forty-five hawk in this cave, and in the grass nest deep within the cave, which was over a meter in diameter, lay seven or eight white eggs; How can there be so many eggs? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. If every cave had so many eggs, then the flying cavalry Wang Qi desired might be assembled very soon; However, to get close to the nest, it might be necessary to take out this level forty-five common-quality hawk, but once a fight ensued, the caves were too close to each other, which might provoke the wrath of the whole hawk tribe. Lets lure it away first! Song Jian hid behind a protruding rock, and with a thought, a figure identical to his appeared at the entrance of the cave; ... The Sword Shadow Clone appeared in an instant, and Song Jian saw the level forty-five hawks feathers on its neck stand on end as its wings spread wide. The entire bird was in combat mode, loudly calling out as it lunged toward Song Jians clone; The clone did not engage in combat but instead leaped out of the cave with a bound, spreading its steel wings in mid-air and tumbling through the air before flying off into the distance; The moment the hawk chased the clone out of the cave, Song Jian swiftly dove towards the nest; In the withered forest not far from Falcon Cliff, a group from the Pantheon, led by Zeus, was slowly approaching the cliff. Zeus, its just ahead. Theres a huge group of hawks there, and its the easiest place to obtain a flying mount, a leather-clad rogue pointed toward the cliff and said; God of Thieves, with your strength, cant you steal a single hawk egg? Why do you have to drag us all over here? a knight wielding a war hammer sneered; The monsters in that area are strangetheir aggro is linked. If just one hawk discovers you, it will attract the aggro of a big group of hawks around it! The rogue referred to as the God of Thieves said with a pale face, explaining, Moreover, theres a level fifty lord BOSS inside that can see through my stealth! No way, hasnt your stealth skill reached max level? How could you still be seen? someone beside him exclaimed in surprise; The level difference is too great, thats why. But Ive heard that reaching max level with a skill is not the end, and that it can still be improved! another player wielding a Magic Staff said hesitantly; Its just a rumor, but no one has ever seen it! the player known as the God of Thieves glanced at the other and said, Maybe that skill itself can be upgraded, so even after reaching the max level, it might continue to improve! Alright, lets talk about how to get flying mounts first! Zeus said with a slight frown, If we had had three hundred, no, even just one hundred players with flying mounts back then, City of Hope wouldnt have been able to dominate like this! Guild leader, even if we had mounts now, it wouldnt help, we cant even get close to the walls of City of Hope. The power of the Magic Crystal Railgun is just too formidable! a player said with lingering fear, who had witnessed the strength of the Magic Crystal Railgun firsthand, capable of killing a level thirty or forty boss with a single shot. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hawks can fly at heights exceeding three hundred meters, while now all Arrow Towers and powerful crossbows can only reach up to one hundred eighty meters at most. The range of the Magic Crystal Railgun is farther, but it cannot cover defense, the angle simply cant reach high enough! the God of Thieves said coldly, With flying mounts, if we were to launch a siege, the success rate would be at least 10% higher. Plus, Ive heard that flying mounts have already appeared in City of Hope. Just think, if the next Territory Expansion Campaign starts and they have flying mounts while we dont, how will we counterattack? If the members of Pantheon were still considering attacking before, after the successful establishment of the City of Hope Alliances city, many had already lost the will to oppose them. Some players even left Pantheon to live in City of Hope. Even if they couldnt join City of Hope, buying a safe house there to farm monsters and level up was quite comfortable, and safety was guaranteed at the very least. Although Pantheon still speaks of waging siege warfare against the City of Hope Alliance, most people are thinking about how to preserve themselves during the upcoming Territory Expansion Campaign. We must succeed in getting the Falcon flying mounts this time! Next, I will arrange what each of you needs to do to ensure we get at least more than ten flying mount eggs! Zeus said through clenched teeth. Just then, a series of shrill cries suddenly came from the distant cliffs, and everyone looked up in surprise. They saw a figure with wings on its back frantically fleeing towards the distance, pursued by a large group of Hawks attacking him, and Zeus even saw among the Hawks, there were several level forty elite bosses. Look, doesnt that person look like Song Jian? someone shouted. The Steel Wings had become a symbol of Song Jian, and everyone was shocked. Squinting, they saw that indeed, the wings shimmering with metallic luster on the fleeing figure belonged to a pair of Steel Wings. It looks like City of Hope has also set their sights on these Hawks, Zeuss face immediately darkened. Heh, this is going to be good to watch. With so many level forty-plus monsters, even Song Jian wont be able to take advantage, the God of Thieves chuckled wickedly, his face revealing schadenfreude. In the sky, the clone that looked almost exactly like Song Jian was constantly dodging sonic attacks from the pursuing Hawks but didnt fight back. Its orders were to flee as far as possible, so after a while, hundreds of Hawks were chasing after it. As the distance between them closed, the clone took more and more damage, and finally, after flying more than a hundred meters, its Vitality Points depleted, and it plummeted straight towards the ground. Seeing Song Jian attacked by Hawks, the Pantheon players were pleased, yet they found it unbelievable to just watch Song Jian being targeted and killed by the Hawks without interference. Chapter 827 - 828 Passage_1 Chapter 827: Chapter 828 Passage_1 Zeus had imagined Song Jians death more than once, but when Song Jian actually died before his eyes, his heart was filled with doubt; Impossible, how could he die so easily? Zeus muttered to himself; Could it be, could it be an illusion, a clone skill of some sort? someone speculated; It must be, that means, hes already nearby, maybe hes already entered the nest, using a Phantom Clone to lure away the hawk guarding the chicks, then stealing the Battle Pet Egg? Yes, thats definitely the case, which means hes already inside Falcon Cliff. Should we? At this point, Song Jian was isolated, and he was in a place as dangerous as Eagle Falcon Cliff; moreover, the Pantheon, calculating without his knowledge, wanted to kill Song Jianthis was the best opportunity; ... Lets do it, the main goal of this operation is to eliminate Song Jian. As long as we finish him off, getting the flying mount later wont matter! Zeus gritted his teeth. The Pantheons group of more than a dozen swiftly headed toward Falcon Cliff; At this moment, Song Jian had already put all seven or eight eggs from the nest into his inventory. Just as he was about to turn and leave through the cave entrance, he suddenly lost contact with his Sword Shadow Clone, which gave him a start; So fast! Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Sword Shadow Clone was only level one, inheriting only 30% of Song Jians attributes and couldnt withstand several seconds under the attack of a large group of hawks, leaving Song Jian no time to escape through the cave entrance; Just as Song Jian reached the entrance, a clamor of screeching sounds came at him, and hundreds of hawks began returning to their respective nests; Song Jian stopped in his tracks, his mind raced, and he re-entered stealth mode, slowly retreating deeper into the cave; The level 45 hawk returned to its nest, lay down comfortably, faced the entrance, and began to rest with its eyes closed. After a moment, it seemed to sense something was amiss, couldnt help but look back at its nest made of various grasses, and found that the seven or eight eggs that should have been there were all gone. Roar~ A heart-rending cry of anguish echoed from the nest as the level 45 hawk shot out like an arrow, circling continuously midair, its eyes fixed on the ground, as if searching for something. At this time, Song Jian hid in the deepest part of the cave, not daring to make a single move for fear of alerting the frenzied hawk to his presence. Outside the cave at this moment, another dozen hawks had flown out, circling continuously in the sky, and even the group from the Pantheon didnt dare move forward, temporarily stopping; Look, Song Jian must still be inside the hawks nest. Maybe hes already got his hands on the eggs; otherwise, why would these hawks be going crazy like this! the Pantheons God of Thieves said excitedly, pointing to the hawks circling in the sky; At this time, Song Jian was checking the hawk eggs in his inventory. He noticed that these hawk eggs were not stacked upon each other, but each one occupied a separate slot in his inventory; Whats going on here, could it be that these hawk eggs are all different? Song Jian frowned slightly; If there were identical eagle falcon eggs in large quantities, they would likely stack in one slot in the bag, only eggs of different qualities would be kept separately; Song Jians gaze fell on the first eagle falcon egg, and his expression changed instantly; A damaged eagle falcon egg, quality: white, usage effect: Opening it may yield some materials from the eagle falcon! Usage requirement: none! Its actually not a flying mount Song Jian sighed slightly in his heart, but he also understood that the system couldnt be so generous as to give seven or eight flying mounts at once! Looking at the other eagle falcon eggs in his inventory, Song Jian couldnt help but hope in his heart that at least one would be a flying mount, otherwise, risking his life to steal eagle falcon eggs really wouldnt have been worth it this time. Upon clicking on this eagle falcon egg, Song Jian obtained a piece of green-quality eagle falcon meat, which could be used for cooking. This piece of green-quality meat was pretty high-level and could be sold for a few Doomsday Coins. If it were another player, they would surely be satisfied, but for Song Jian, this value wasnt worth the risk to his life; The second, the third, the fourth After opening six eagle falcon eggs in a row, the result was only some green and blue-quality materials, which together might be worth around ten or twenty thousand Doomsday Coins, but without a flying mount, Song Jian really felt at a loss this time; The last eagle falcon egg was a perfect eagle falcon egg. He had obtained two perfect eagle falcon eggs before, and the materials that came out of them were more valuable than those from the damaged eagle falcon eggs; Song Jian didnt hold much hope for this one either and just casually clicked on it; At that moment, a beam of silver light burst forth from the egg, and a bead the thickness of a finger appeared in the inventory slot. Eagle Falcon Soul, grade: rare item, usage effect: When used on a flying mount, permanently increases flight speed by 2 points! This item can only be used on the same flying mount up to 10 times! A rare item? Song Jians eyes lit up. Although the item was not as valuable as an eagle falcon mount, it was still pretty good. Items that permanently increased attributes were always highly priced, and this eagle falcon soul, though only enhancing the flight speed of flying mounts and meaningless for players without one, wouldnt fetch a high price. However, if the number of players with flying mounts increased, then such a soul wouldnt be much less than those Attribute Fruits that increased strength or agility; After taking the eagle falcon soul, Song Jian looked up towards the cave entrance. By now, the eagle falcons circling outside in the sky had calmed down, all except for the one in the nest Song Jian was in, as the others had returned to their respective nests. After a short while, the eagle falcon of Song Jians cave also flew over slowly and settled down at the entrance, motionless; In this state, Song Jian had no way to exit through the entrance, so after quietly waiting for a bit, he began to explore deeper into the cave; All the caves at Falcon Cliff had a narrow passage in the back, no wider than half a meter, completely inaccessible to the adult eagle falcons, typically used only for ventilation, and it was only the newly hatched eagle falcon chicks, when their parents were away, who would sneak into these passages to play. As a result, many of these passages contained the skeletons of young eagle falcons; Song Jian moved slowly forward through the passage, which was so narrow in some places he had to bend over to crawl through. Along the way, he saw a few young eagle falcon skeletons that were only half the size of an adult humans arm and seemed to have died from falling from the passage and hitting sharp rocks; Song Jian gave these skeletons only a glance before continuing forward, and soon, light appeared ahead, indicating the end of the passage. He quickened his pace involuntarily; Chapter 828 - 829 Mission_1 Chapter 828: Chapter 829 Mission_1 Passing through the narrow passage, Song Jian was met with a sudden expanse of openness. Behind Eagle Falcon Cliff, it turned out to be a vast valley filled with monsters with wings on their backs, constantly shrieking and frolicking in the valley; Witch-winged Harpies? Song Jian locked his gaze on these creature soaring through the air, scrutinizing their attributes; Witch-winged Harpy, Level 42, Vitality Points: 5000/5000 These monsters, with wings on their back and mostly covered in feathers, looked quite ferocious, with gaunt, hollow cheeks, two fangs protruding from their mouths, and a vicious look in their eyes. As they flapped their wings, there was also the flash of lightning, even as they played with one another, they showed a fierce and aggressive nature; This is actually a hidden monster gathering area! Song Jian thought to himself, and he slowly made his way toward the valley along the crevices of the cliff; It seemed this region was a monster area yet to be discovered by anyone. Such areas often harbored many treasures; rare herbs, ores, treasure chests, and even some rare BOSSes. One could say that every undiscovered monster area was a treasure trove; ... Just as Song Jian stepped into the valley, suddenly, a small figure burst out from the trees of the valley. Upon seeing Song Jian, the diminutive figure jumped in fright, retreating rapidly until it hit a tree, then it began to scrutinize Song Jian closely; Song Jian narrowed his eyes, the small fellow in front of him turned out to be a green-skinned goblin named Dassok Goldstamp, and was also a yellow-named NPC that wouldnt initiate attacks. Ah, let the great merchant Goldstamp have a look, isnt this the blessed one, favored by the gods? Goldstamps face broke into a radiant smile as he hurried over to Song Jian, whispering, O favored one, I have a quest here, I wonder if you could help me complete it? A wry smile appeared on Song Jians face. The NPCs in this game were shrewder than any others he had encountered; they knew the identity of the favored ones and were good at exploiting the desires of the favored ones to make them work; And the favored ones, that is, the players, when they meet an unknown NPC, the first question they ask is always, I wonder if theres any way I can assist you? It was the standard way to take on a quest; while usually it wasnt wrong, many cunning NPCs often issued exceedingly low-value quests with high difficulty levels. Players often found that after completing such quests, the rewards hardly compensated for the damages incurred during the quest; Those that enjoy doing this sort of thing tend to be goblins, so much so that many players dislike taking on quests offered by the goblin race; However, Song Jian knew that goblins who dared to venture out always had a few good items on them, which couldnt be looted even by killing them. These items could only be obtained by completing the quests they offered; Oh, what kind of quest is it, and what will you offer as a reward if I help you? Song Jian asked with a smile; Those damned Harpies, theyre nothing but robbers, executioners! Goldstamp complained loudly, My caravan was attacked by these bandits, they took all my goods! I have followed them all the way to their nest, and I can now confirm that this is the place where theyre hiding, right up ahead, inside that cave, lies the leader of these Harpies. I hope you can help me kill the leader of the Harpies and help me take back my goods! Dassok Goldstamp clenched his teeth and glanced at what he was holding, then raised his head to size up Song Jian and said, But before that, I need to first ascertain your strength to see if you can help me. Go hunt thirty Harpy Wanderers and bring me their claws. If you can complete this task, you will gain thirty-six thousand combat experience points and a reward of three thousand Doomsday Coins. Of course, you could also choose three Hawk Essences as your quest reward! System: Goblin Dassok Goldstamp has issued you the quest Harpy Bandit. Quest details: Hunt thirty Harpy Wanderers, collect their sharp claws, and give them to Dassok Goldstamp. Completion requirements: Witch-winged Harpy claws, 0/30. Quest reward: 1. Thirty-six thousand combat experience points, three thousand Doomsday Coins; 2. Three Hawk Essences (choose one of the two rewards). Quest failure penalty: Dassok Goldstamps favorability decreases by 100 points, reputation with goblin race drops to Indifferent. For Song Jian, thirty Harpy Wanderers werent much of a challenge. He had already intended to explore this area, and monsters at level forty-two were ideal for grinding and leveling up. Song Jian glanced at the quest description and accepted the task on the spot, striding towards the valley. Hawk Essence, I didnt expect that a goblin would offer it as a quest reward. This quest is indeed a catch! Song Jian thought with a smile at the corner of his mouth. From the seven or eight Hawk eggs, only one Hawk Essence was hatched, and each time one entered an Eagle Falcon Cliff, there was a risk to life, so in Song Jians view, the value of a Hawk Essence was second only to that of a Hawk flight mount egg. Now that he could directly obtain three for completing a quest, Song Jian naturally wouldnt pass up the opportunity. Harpy Wanderers did not cast spells, and their wings did not flash with lightning. Among seven or eight Harpy Wanderers, there would only be one with lightning on its wings, known as a Witch-winged Harpy Priestess, which was three levels higher than the Harpy Wanderers. Song Jian wasnt very skilled at using the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision yet. Often when he locked onto a single target, the spell he cast would result in an area of effect attack, but when he wanted to attack multiple targets, the summoned Spirit Swords would all fly towards a single target instead. After accepting the quest, Song Jian began by stealthily approaching the sparse Harpy Wanderers on the outskirts. With a thought, he swung the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand forward, and suddenly about a dozen Spirit Swords appeared by his side, tracing arcs in the air like a constellation and flying towards a forty-two level Harpy Wanderer. Boom, boom, boom~ The Spirit Swords struck the Witch-winged Harpy, causing dull explosive sounds, and a forty-two level monster with five thousand Vitality Points was directly killed without even having time to react, plummeting to the ground. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A smile emerged on Song Jians lips. If not for the randomness in the number of Spirit Swords summoned by the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the damage by twenty-four spirit blades would be enough to injure a forty-level elite BOSS. If a few critical hits landed, even killing a forty-level elite BOSS instantly wouldnt be out of the question. The Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, which originally seemed to have insufficient damage, began to show its power upon reaching level 2. Song Jian wondered how many Spirit Swords could be summoned if this skill were maxed out. Perhaps it truly could, as its name suggested, summon ten thousand swords? Song Jian looked forward to it! Chapter 829: 830: Task Reward_1 Chapter 829: Chapter 830: Task Reward_1 There werent many Hawk Harpies roaming around, totaling only about thirty, but as the peripheral hunt progressed, their numbers dwindled. Inevitably, Song Jian had to venture deeper into the valley. Deeper in the valley, the monsters werent just roaming Hawk Harpies anymore. There were also Witch-winged Harpies with lightning flickering on their wings and Harpy Wizards donning a red crowntheir attacks were all ranged, and they mingled with the roaming Hawk Harpies. One careless move could attract their attention. Song Jians attack skills were limited to two: the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision and the Mysterious Moonlight Sword. The former was a long-range attack, while the latter was a melee damage skill. While Song Jian used the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision against a Harpy Witch, a Spirit Sword uncontrollably lunged toward another Hawk Harpy four meters away. A critical hit exceeding a thousand points burst above the Hawk Harpys head. With a screech, it flapped its wings and charged toward Song Jian. Before he had a chance to collect the loot dropped from the recently fallen Harpy Witch, Song Jian brandished his Sky-breaking Sword and rushed at the Hawk Harpy. ... His figure was like lightning, even faster than a warriors charge skill, leaving faint afterimages in the air. The long sword pierced the Hawk Harpys chest viciously. Suddenly, the creatures body tilted sideways, as if it had lost control, and began floating in mid-air. Swish, swish, swish~ Bright sword lights flashed continuously, splattering blood, and the Hawk Harpys head showed damage numbers of three to four hundred. Its Vitality Points plummeted by more than half. When Song Jian sheathed his sword and withdrew, the suspended Hawk Harpy crashed to the ground, struggling fiercely to stand back up. Not bad, not bad at all, it seems that integrating this sword technique into Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was the right choice. This move truly combines damage, control, and displacement skills into one powerful stroke! Song Jian thought excitedly to himself. After leveling up Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision to level 2, its proficiency had greatly increased. At least two or three high-quality sword techniques would be required for another upgrade. Even if he fed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword to it, it wouldnt immediately level up to 3. Considering the potency of this sword technique, Song Jian hesitated for a moment but decided to keep it, and to his surprise, it gave him a pleasant surprise during live combat. The Hawk Harpy, left with just over a thousand Vitality Points, was dispatched by Song Jian with a couple of simple slashes, dropping its last breath along with a palm-sized, jade-crafted claw. It took over an hour for Song Jian to kill more than fifty roaming Hawk Harpies, along with twenty or thirty Harpy Witches and Priests, before he collected thirty Witch-winged Harpy claws. One should note that not every Hawk Harpy would drop a claw, and Witches and Priests were even less likely to drop them than roamers, resulting in Song Jian having to kill close to ninety Witch-winged Harpies to gather all the quest items. Had I known it would be like this, I should have asked for more rewards! Song Jian hadnt anticipated being so cautious yet still letting the Goblin Gold Seal take advantage. He suddenly felt rather frustrated. In this game, the NPC quest givers didnt offer fixed rewards. Players could even negotiate with them to increase the quantity or quality of the quest rewards. However, this increase had to be within a certain range, or else it would result in the NPC refusing to issue you tasks and even cause the NPC to dislike you, which could result in a loss not worth the gain; Considering the difficulty of this quest, Song Jian estimated that even if he asked for two more Hawk essence cores, there was a good chance that the Goblin would agree. Returning to the location of the Goblin Gold Seal, the little dwarf was actually hiding behind a huge rock, causing Song Jian a bit of a search; Here, these are the Harpy claws you wanted! Song Jian dumped all thirty Harpy claws, glowing with the light of white jade, in front of the Gold Seal, saying discontentedly; You really are a powerful deity-favored one. I didnt expect you to finish the task so quickly! The Gold Seal said with a smile beaming across his face, cautiously glanced at Song Jians expression, and hesitated before saying, Youve done an excellent job on this task, Ive decided to give you a little extra reward. No matter which reward you choose, youll get an additional Hawk essence core! Goblins could be said to be the most calculating race in the game. Feeling Song Jians dissatisfaction, the Goblin immediately offered to increase the quest rewards; Seeing the Goblin being so tactful, Song Jians expression lightened slightly, and he gave a nod as a sign of agreement; Soon, Song Jian had pocketed four Hawk essence cores in his pack, in addition to the one he had obtained earlier, he now had five Hawk essence cores, which would increase his flight mounts speed by 10 points; Song Jian gave it a try, and these essence cores could still be used on the Black Dragon, even though strictly speaking, the Black Dragon was his combat pet and not a flight mount; Ordinary flight mounts only had a flying speed of thirty to fifty points. A twenty-point increase was a significant improvement. However, for the Black Dragon, which already had a flying speed of one hundred and eighty points, a twenty-point increase was not very noticeable; Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I could use another five, but I wonder if theres a better way to get them, Song Jian thought to himself. By the way, Hawk essence cores are very useful to me. If you have any spares, I wonder if you could sell some to me? I can give you a satisfying price! Song Jian said; As more players would acquire flight mounts in the future, Song Jian wanted to stock up, not to mention that giving them out as benefits to the brothers in his league would also be good; Of course, Im a merchant. Meeting the needs of my customers is my duty! The Gold Seal said with a brilliant smile, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. However, you have to recover my goods for me first. Otherwise, its impossible for me to sell any items to you. Even those four Hawk essence cores were carried on my person, and now I dont have a single one left! The Gold Seal quickly added, his eyes rolling with cunning; All right, lets continue with the next task. Am I to go directly to hunt the leader of these Harpies? Song Jian asked. Deity-favored one, you have already proven your strength. Next, you can go and kill the Harpy leader in the cave deep in this valley. As long as you bring me its crown and the batch of goods I lost, I will give you a generous task reward! The Gold Seal said, grinning widely: But before that, I hope you can first kill the six Harpy slaughterers who stole my goods and bring me their Guardian Feathers. Otherwise, those Harpy slaughterers will interfere with your fight against the Harpy leader! Chapter 830: 831: Breaking In_1 Chapter 830: Chapter 831: Breaking In_1 The golden seal described in detail the positions of the six Harpy Slaughterers to Song Jian, then shrank back into the shadows of the rocks. If one didnt look closely, it would be very difficult to discern its voice. Song Jians temporary quest had updated, becoming the task of slaying six Harpy Slaughterers, obtaining their Guardian Feathers, then killing the Harpy leader, obtaining the crown of the Harpy leader, and at the same time finding the Goblins goods; After reviewing the quest details, Song Jian didnt immediately go to look for the Harpy Slaughterers. Instead, he turned and continued to search the valley for Harpy Wanderers and Witches, Sacrificers, slaying them one by one, turning them into his own battle experience; The Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision also became more proficient as Song Jian cast it time and again. Not only was the number of Spirit Swords approaching the maximum limit of twenty-four, but he was also able to target his attacks more accurately, avoiding situations where he intended to launch a group attack, but ended up stabbing all the swords into a single monster, or intended a single attack, but covered a seven to eight-meter area like a blanket. In no time at all, wails of utter misery from the Harpies echoed throughout the mountain valley, causing the golden seal hidden in the rocks shadow to become frightened; I feel like this divine favored one harbors even more intense hatred for the Harpies than I do! The golden seal muttered under its breath, suddenly feeling an inexplicable fear towards Song Jian; ... At this moment, in a cave at Eagle Falcon Cliff, several players from the Pantheon were sitting on the ground eating and drinking to recover. Next to them, the corpses of two level forty-five Hawks lay on the ground, their flesh being slowly consumed by transparent flames that kept rising; Boss, you dont think somethings happened to Yong Ge and the others, do you? a player asked with some concern; Zeus glanced at him and snorted coldly, What can happen? Its not like we asked them to fight these Hawks head-on. If they cant fight, cant they run for their lives? The player who had spoken immediately shrunk his neck and said no more; Climbing Eagle Falcon Cliff was no easy task. Get too close, and it would attract the enmity of the Hawks. Attract one Hawks enmity, and all the monsters on the entire cliff would be alerted; Zeus had no choice but to have a few of the faster players lure the Hawks away for a distance before leading the others into a cave; What they didnt expect was that two Hawks had not left the cave. Two level forty-five Hawks immediately caused panic among the group of players who were only in their thirties. Fortunately, the seven or eight people that Zeus left behind were some of the stronger members of the battle alliance. Although the level forty-five monsters were troublesome, they eventually managed to take down the two creatures; Hey, these monsters give pretty high experience, I got 4% more experience! a player said jubilantly; The dropped loot isnt bad either, two monsters dropped a level forty blue piece of gear. Its too high-level to use right away, well have to wait a while! Didnt they say there were pet eggs in these caves, did you guys see any? No, theres just this nest made of weeds, we didnt find anything. But the cave is quite deep, maybe theyre further inside? After recovering, several players were attracted by the passage that extended behind the cave; Boss, none of us have found a trace of Song Jian. What do you think, could he have gone through to the other side? one of the players pointed at the passage behind the cave and whispered; Lets go and have a look! Zeus hesitated for a moment, nodded, and led the way into the low passage; Before long, several members of the Pantheon had crawled through the passage and arrived on the cliff of the valley; facing the valley before them, they exchanged looks of surprise. Like Song Jian, they had never expected to find such a vast expanse of valley hiding behind Eagle Falcon Cliff. This place is like a paradise. Should we explore it? We might find treasure! one of the players said excitedly; Hey, look over there, that seems to be the corpse of one of the monsters here. By the looks of it, someone got here before us and has been farming the monsters! said another player curiously, pointing at the half-burned corpse of a monster on the cliffside below; It must be Song Jian. Hes gotten into this valley ahead of us. Boss, these corpses must be his handiwork Lets take it slow and not alarm him. He is not to be underestimated; he can actually solo farm level 42 monsters here. Unless we ambush him, I doubt wed stand a chance! sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lets go down and check it out, following these corpses! A fierce light flashed in Zeuss eyes as he spoke; He had already received intelligence; after Song Jian became the lord of the City of Hope, he obtained a City Lord seal. If they could kill him, the seal would drop, and anyone who got their hands on it could easily take control of the City of Hope; Meanwhile, Song Jian relentlessly slaughtered Witch-winged Harpies deep in the valley. These level 40-plus monsters not only provided a lot of combat experience but also dropped items of very high quality; In just a short while, Song Jians inventory was filled with over a dozen green-quality level 40 equipment and seven or eight blue-quality level 40 items; Besides the equipment, the Harpies also dropped a good amount of materials. Among them, over twenty light feathers for mages, which could sell for fifteen hundred Doomsday Coins each at the auction house. These materials alone amounted to a considerable income; Because the Black Dragon was too noticeable, Song Jian did not summon it, but he did release his Stone Golem, Gulu. Having bought a lot of the food that earth elementals prefer from the pet store, Gulus affinity with him had now reached ninety-one points, which was the limit that could be achieved with pet store food. Raising it further would not be easy; With the help of earth elemental Gulu, Song Jian hunted the Harpies even more quickly, and his combat experience had risen to 38th level, 87%. He didnt know how many Harpies he had killed, but Song Jian slowly made his way to the depths of the valley, where gradually, signs of man-made structures began to appear; There were lookout posts made of wood and some low wooden huts, even some rudimentary traps, which instantly put Song Jian on high alert; Soon, a level 45 elite BOSS appeared before Song Jian. This Witch-winged Harpy was larger than the average Harpy marauder, dressed in simple leather armor, wielding a long sword, and looked much more ferocious than the Harpy marauders. Its eyes emitted a faint crimson glow, and it exuded a terrifying aura; Harpy slayer? Damn, that little dwarf tricked me again. The Harpy slayer is actually an elite BOSS! Song Jian cursed to himself in frustration; Chapter 831: 832: Claw of the Harpy_1 Chapter 831: Chapter 832: Claw of the Harpy_1 Several Witch-winged Harpy Slaughterers wandered back and forth at the edge of a spacious cavern, appearing as though they were guarding the entrance. Even if Song Jian entered stealth mode, it would still be very difficult to slip past them into the cavern. To enter, he would have to take out all the Harpy Slaughterers loitering at the entrance. Song Jian surveyed the surroundings and slowly made his way over. He began by picking off the common Witch-winged Harpies further from the cave entrance one by one to avoid attracting these regular monsters while fighting the Slaughterers; The distance between these Witch-winged Harpies was quite vast, and they seemed reluctant to approach the entrance too closely. Song Jian methodically killed them off, eliminating all the regular Harpies within the vicinity. After slaying these common Witch-winged Harpies, Song Jian started to observe the area around the cave. He needed to remember the patrol area and timing of each Harpy Slaughterer to ensure he could lure only one at a time. Being a level 45 elite boss, they had a level advantage over him, who was only level 38. Given that the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was very random, if he summoned twenty-four Spirit Swords, Song Jian was confident he could instantly kill a Harpy Slaughterer. But, if only the minimum of two were summoned, Song Jian, lacking in offensive capabilities, would probably be in for a tough fight. Entering a state of concealment, Song Jian hid behind a huge rock and waited intently; One of the Harpy Slaughterers passed by this spot every three minutes before turning back. Thus, the area behind this rock was an ideal ambush spot and easy to hide in. As long as Song Jian made no noise, it would be difficult to spot him in the shadow of the rock unless the elite boss had some exceptionally strong perception skills or an eye technique that could see through stealth; ... Three, two, one Song Jian could already hear the sound of the Harpy Slaughterers wings flapping and even a faint scent of blood lingering at his nostrils; With a thought, a pile of rocks about seven or eight meters from Song Jian suddenly trembled, and a giant stone golem nearly two meters tall slowly unfolded its body, hurling a millstone-sized rock at the Harpy Slaughterer; If Gulu, the stone golem, had not entered combat status, it could disguise itself as a pile of rocks. Unless someone had the ability to see through disguises, it would be impossible to detect it even up close; As it made its move, the Harpy Slaughterer noticed Gulu. Its gaze locked onto the golem, and it issued a low, threatening screech from its beak; When the rock was hurled towards it, the Harpy Slaughterer, surprisingly, neither dodged nor avoided it, swinging its sword to slash at the giant stone; At that moment, the concealed Song Jian suddenly sprang into action. His sword, like the fangs of a wild beast, stabbed toward the Harpy Slaughterer that was mere tens of feet above the ground; Thud~ The Sky-breaking Sword pierced through the gaps in the armor, hitting the Harpy Slaughterers body and instantly a damage figure exceeding five hundred floated above its head; This strike caught the Harpy Slaughterer off guardthe sword it had swung was only halfway through before it could no longer continue its downward path. Pain distorted its movement severely, leaving it unable to cleave through the incoming rock; ` Bang! The rock smashed viciously onto its body, flipping it to the ground, while a dizzying symbol appeared above its head. Taking the opportunity, Song Jian executed the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, and this time he was extremely lucky to summon twenty-four Spirit Swords. Swinging the Sky-breaking Sword, the shimmering Spirit Swords soared towards the harpy executioner that lay on the ground. Boom, boom, boom~ Each Spirit Sword burst forth with the power of TNT explosives, dealing 130% weapon damage, with each sword inflicting nearly a thousand points of damage, and with a chance to trigger damage amplification effects. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When the fifth Spirit Sword struck the harpy executioner, it triggered the damage amplification effect, deepening the damage and raising the subsequent damage taken by 50%, which made every Spirit Sword after the fifth inflict close to fourteen hundred points of damage. By the time all twenty-four Spirit Swords had sliced the harpy executioner, Song Jian was able to see the elite BOSSs true form. By then, its leather armor was already torn to shreds, its body covered in sword marks, and its eyes wide open in death, as if refusing to close. In fact, by the time the twenty-first Spirit Sword had struck its body, it had already reaped the last of its Vitality Points. The damage from the subsequent swords was completely superfluous, but to Song Jian, it no longer mattered. This battle had once again made him realize the terrifying damage of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision. The harpy executioner was a level forty-five elite BOSS with over twelve thousand Vitality Points, but it was instantly killed by the full firepower of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision. This not only shocked Song Jian, but even Gulu the stone creature from afar seemed puzzled, and even glanced at its own hands as if wondering when its attacks had become so formidable! Besides dropping a quest item, the Guardian Feather, the harpy executioner also dropped a silver level forty accessory, Claw of the Harpy. Claw of the Harpy (Silver), accessory, item level 40, equipment effect: All attributes +5, attack speed increased by 10%, damage increased by 20%, exerts a deterrent effect on ordinary witch-winged harpies. As long as you do not initiate attacks, ordinary witch-winged harpies will avoid you when they see you! Item equipment requirement: Level 35; Can it be brought out of the game: No Song Jian examined the accessory and was interested in the boost to his attributes. As for the deterrent effect on ordinary witch-winged harpies, he felt it was somewhat superfluous; to him, those common witch-winged harpies were no threat. Unless he was attacked by more than ten harpies at once, he could annihilate them all in a short time. Nevertheless, the properties of this accessory were significantly better than the Ant Soul Orb, so Song Jian ultimately replaced the Ant Soul Orb with it, instantly enhancing his strength by a bit, with his damage increasing by at least forty points. Once Song Jians strength reached a certain level, it became very difficult to advance further. Sometimes, it would take months to replace a single piece of equipment because high-quality, high-level items were exceedingly rare to drop. In addition to the accessory and quest item, the harpy executioner also dropped some materials that Song Jian didnt even bother to look at before storing them all in his inventory, continuing his hunt for the next harpy executioner. ` Chapter 832: 833: Instant Kill_1 Chapter 832: Chapter 833: Instant Kill_1 Song Jians mastery of the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision became increasingly proficient. With Gulu the stone golems coordination, although he never again managed to summon twenty-four Spirit Swords at once, the number of Spirit Swords he summoned each time was always more than twelve. He took less than five minutes to annihilate the remaining five Harpy Slaughterers. Such efficiency was beyond Song Jians imagination before, and this step affirmed the correctness of his choice. After killing the six elite BOSSes, besides the first one dropping a silver-quality accessory, the other five BOSSes only dropped level 40 blue and green equipment, which Song Jian did not mind and simply collected. Entering the cave, a putrid smell hit him full in the face, and at the cave entrance, Song Jian even saw remnants of some creatures, a layer of white bones eerily scattered on the ground. First, Song Jian had Gulu the stone golem disguise himself as a pile of rocks, scattered outside the cave entrance, then he sneaked in by himself. Along the way, Song Jian carefully avoided the bones underfoot, fearing that any noise might alert the BOSS inside the cave. Knowing that the guards were level 45 elite BOSSes, Song Jian understood that the caves leader would be of an even higher level and quality. ... With no other monsters in the cave, Song Jian smoothly arrived at the depths, where, on a huge black rock, he found the invisible Harpy leader lying down, asleep. This Harpy leader, actually a named monster, Sels Bloodfeather, was a level 46 lord-class BOSS, with Vitality Points exceeding fifty thousand. Just as Song Jian was preparing to initiate the fight, he suddenly felt Gulu at the cave entrance transmit to him an image. It was a group of players, cautiously approaching the cave. Seeing the person leading them, Song Jians eyes narrowed, and a hint of anger appeared on his face. It was those people from the Pantheon again! Thinking this, Song Jian glanced at the distant BOSS and slowly retreated to a corner, where he used the necklace to enter a stealth state. The cave was dimly lit. Song Jian hid in the shadows, and even if someone from the other party constantly used skills to see through stealth, they would have a hard time detecting him in the shadows of the cave wall. Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zeus, leading a group of people, slowly sneaked in. After just a couple of steps, the God of Thieves pulled Zeus aside with a grave expression and slowly shook his head. The group slowly retreated, and Zeus, puzzled, looked at the God of Thieves, wanting an explanation. The cave is just too quiet The God of Thieves shook his head and whispered, Either Song Jian has already killed the BOSS and left, or he hasnt entered this cave, or The God of Thieves scanned the surroundings and whispered, Or weve been discovered, and he is now in the cave, preparing to ambush us! Several members of the Pantheon were startled and quickly started looking around. The monsters at the entrance, they are all level 45 elite BOSSes, and there were six of them! a player whispered. How could his strength be so formidable, killing six level 45 elite BOSSes so quickly? How about we retreat? Since he has already detected us, theres no point in an ambush now! Yeah boss, I reckon a few of us are no match for him! Along the way, the sight of bodies strewn throughout the valley had terrified several people. To see such high-level monsters slain single-handedly by Song Jian, as effortlessly as if he were cutting vegetables, without sustaining any damage to himself, made them realize that attempting to ambush Song Jian was akin to seeking death; The expression on Zeuss face grew increasingly grim. He had noticed that since Song Jian became the city lord, his strength had soared at an astonishing rate. Zeus attributed all this progress to the City Lord seal, suspecting it to be the reason behind Song Jians rapid advancement; He is but one man, and we are six, Zeus said in a low voice. What do you think? Even without an ambush, can we not defeat one man with six against him? A few elite players from the Pantheon glanced at each other, seeing thick fear in each others eyes. To say nothing of six, even with sixty of them, they might not dare to make a move against Song Jian; Boss, maybe we should just let it go this time, a player said softly. Wait until we have gathered enough manpower and then settle the score with him, how about that? Zeus swept a glance at them and realized that these people had all lost their courage. Even the God of Thieves appeared emotionless; Zeus knew that when the City of Hope was successfully established, they had made no significant move, which had severely impacted his prestige. However, he had not expected this collective defiance of his decision this time; Maybe attempting to ambush Song Jian is indeed overestimating our own abilities? Zeus couldnt help but question himself internally; Song Jian had waited for quite a while and saw no one from the Pantheon approach. Finding it strange, Gulu, the stone creature, transmitted a series of images into his mind. It turned out that the group from the Pantheon had retreated to the cave entrance and begun discussing. It seemed the pressure he had exerted on them was too great, causing them not even to have the courage to come in and take a look; Song Jian sneered and took the initiative to walk towards the cave entrance. Since they wouldnt come in, he decided it was best to go out; Zeus let out a sigh, feeling disheartened. It seemed there was no point in staying in Doomsday City anymore; sooner or later, the entire city would fall to the City of Hope Alliance. Considering they hadnt yet made direct contact with the territory of the City of Hope Alliance, perhaps it was best to leave and seek development in another city; While Zeus hesitated, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look at the cave entrance, only to see more than a dozen gleaming Spirit Swords rushing towards them; Song Jian! Zeuss eyes seethed with rage. He had not expected that Song Jian would dare to launch an attack on them, six players, all by himself; Thirteen Spirit Swords locked onto a Mage player next to Zeus, and no matter how the Mage tried to dodge, the swords, as if they had eyes, traced arcs through the air, changing direction mid-flight and always zooming towards the Mage player; Boom, boom, boom~ After a series of roars and the dust settled, the body of the Mage lay on the ground; A look of horror appeared on everyones faces. Mages might have low Vitality Points, but they possess numerous defensive skills. To be killed in a single blow with such terrifying damage meant that if it happened to anyone else, even if it didnt result in instant death, they would assuredly be gravely wounded and lose the ability to fight; Instantly, two Thief players immediately used their stealth skills to enter a hidden state and fled swiftly into the forest of the valley, while the remaining two players also used their Acceleration Skills to run into the distance; Zeus snorted coldly, his cape billowing out behind him as he rose on a gust of air, his cape acting like the wings of a bird, carrying him into the sky; Chapter 833: 834 Battle_1 Chapter 833: Chapter 834 Battle_1 Song Jian took the initiative, instantly killing a member of the Pantheon, causing everyone else to fear him, none daring to approach and fight Song Jian, all of them using their own escape abilities to flee; Zeus was unwilling to give in, but he also knew that he was no match for Song Jian alone, so he immediately used the cloaks built-in ability Flying Cloak and flew into the air; Ever since he knew that Song Jian had the Steel Feather Wings ability, he had also been spending a lot of money to collect flying abilities, but after a long time of acquisition, he had not succeeded, so he had to settle for the next best thing and spent a lot of money on a cloak with flying capabilities; Seeing everyone else had already run away, Zeuss heart sank, and he gave Song Jian a look, preparing to fly away when suddenly he felt a pile of rocks next to the cave entrance start to crash and move. Immediately startled, Zeus forcefully stamped his feet, his figure shot into the air, the cloak behind him opened like wings, and he flew off like a giant bird. Having just left the ground by less than five meters, a millstone-sized rock smashed towards his back; ... Thump~ Zeus stumbled in midair, coughing out a mouthful of blood, and cast an intense look back at Song Jian before flying straight towards the valley; Song Jian stood at the entrance of the cave; it was clear to see that there seemed to be a layer of invisible transparent energy protecting the surface of Zeuss cloak, as the rock hit it, ripples like water waves appeared; At the same time, the word Immune appeared above Zeuss head; It seemed that the cloak, besides its ability to fly, also had the ability to immunize against dizziness and repel such adverse effects, otherwise, after taking a hit from the stone person Gulu, Zeus would not have been able to continue flying away; Song Jians Steel Feather Wings were still on cooldown. Watching Zeus fly farther and farther away, a coldness appeared on the corners of his mouth. The Pantheon didnt need his direct intervention to be dealt with. The next strategy of the City of Hope Alliance was to break down the domains of some other alliances around them, completely incorporating the entire Doomsday City into the territory of the City of Hope, with the Pantheon Alliance as the next target. Song Jian hesitated for a moment but decided not to continue the pursuit; otherwise, with Zeuss flying speed, he would soon be caught up by the Black Dragon, and midair, Song Jians Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision would leave Zeus no escape. Ill spare your life today. If you know whats best for you, leave Doomsday City as soon as possible; otherwise, the next time we meet will be your end! Song Jian said coldly; In the game, killing someone is no different from killing in the real world. Song Jian glanced at the body of the Mage player at his feet, picked up a pair of Mage gauntlets that had dropped, and turned to walk deeper into the cave; When Song Jian returned to the depths of the cave, the Witch-winged Harpy leader had already woken up. Seeing Song Jian, it let out a shrill scream and pounced at Song Jian; Is the alarm range this large? Song Jian was shocked. You see, he was now more than ten meters away from the Witch-winged Harpy leader, the cave was dim, and even standing in the Harpy leaders place looking towards Song Jian, one could only see a blurry figure, unable to make out Song Jians appearance clearly; Damn humans, this is not a place you should step into! the Harpy leader Blood Feathers voice was sharp, as if speaking with a throttled neck, akin to the scratching of sharp claws on glass, causing an annoying feeling when heard; Song Jian snorted coldly and swung his Sky-breaking Sword forward, immediately manifesting eighteen Spirit Swords in front of him; Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~ The sharp sound of slicing through the air rose as the eighteen Spirit Swords flew towards the Harpy leader; Blood Feathers wings flickered slightly, and streaks of lightning-charged electricity suddenly emerged; Crackle~ Streaks of lightning traced distorted arcs through the air, flying toward Song Jian and instantly enveloping the small area around him; Boom boom boom~ The Spirit Sword hacked at Blood Feathers body, releasing a series of intense explosion noises, accompanied by painful screeches as damage numbers of seven to eight hundred points floated up above Blood Feathers head; This strike had cost Blood Feather nearly a fifth of its Vitality Points, and in its gaze towards Song Jian, a hint of frightened expression appeared. Song Jians figure rapidly retreated, and where he had previously stood was immediately pockmarked by lightning strikes, stones splintered, and the atmosphere grew terrifyingly tense. Song Jian was also hit by two bolts of lightning, with damage numbers over five hundred points floating above his head, while his body shook as if electrocuted; However, soon his innate skill Thick-skinned took effect, and what should have been a 6-second-long Trembling effect disappeared in just over a second. The Trembling effect prevented Song Jian from moving or attacking, and if it lasted six seconds, hed be forced to endure more of Blood Feathers assaults. If the Trembling effect recurred, Song Jian might even be worn down alive by this Lord-level BOSS. With this in mind, Song Jian willed it, and an exact duplicate of himself appeared and began to unleash the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision on Blood Feather from the side; Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Sword Shadow Clone had only 30% of Song Jians main body attributes, and even while executing the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, it could only inflict 30% of Song Jians damage on Blood Feather, but Song Jians use of the clone wasnt for its attack power, it was to divert the BOSSs attention; Seeing the Sword Shadow Clone deploy the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the BOSSs attention was instantly drawn to it, while the cooldown-bound Song Jian, rushing towards it, went ignored; Lord-level BOSSes were much more intelligent than regular monsters, capable of autonomously deciding which enemy posed a greater threat during combat, and not simply following the principle that the highest damage generates the most aggro; Having suffered once from the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, Blood Feather had developed a strong fear and dread of the skill, and seeing the Sword Shadow Clone deploy it again, all of its attention was instantly captured; With a piercing screech, Blood Feather turned and pulled a human-sized Magic Staff from behind a dark rock. The staff looked incredibly ornate with a gem the size of a fist embedded at its top; Wielding the Magic Staff, a multitude of electric currents started to converge in front of Blood Feather. This culminated in the creation of a huge lightning orb, over half a meter in diameter, which flew toward the Sword Shadow Clone; After releasing the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the Sword Shadow Clone, under Song Jians control, didnt continue the fight and instead turned to run toward the caves exit; Unexpectedly, the massive lightning orb, although not quick to pursue, seemed to have locked onto the Sword Shadow Clone and followed it towards the exit; Meanwhile, Song Jians main body had already executed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, a shadow swept by, and the Sky-breaking Sword had fiercely pierced into the body of the Harpy leader, Blood Feather; Chapter 834: 835 Picking Up a Bargain_1 Chapter 834: Chapter 835 Picking Up a Bargain_1 The floating state of the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was significantly more powerful than the Broken Wing Dance sword technique; if the first strike wasnt blocked, then the following eight strikes would continue to benefit from the utterly defenseless floating state, rendering even the highest defenses effectively useless; The effects of the Moonlight Sword also appeared particularly shocking; Blood Feather, in a floating state, seemed like a sieve, spurting several streams of blood arrows, letting out a series of piercing, agonizing screams, while its body started to convulse slightly; At this moment, Song Jian also realized that his Sword Shadow Clone had lost connection with him; the Harpy leader Blood Feathers lightning ball had instantly wiped out the Sword Shadow Clone, sinking Song Jians heart, it seemed that this BOSSs ranged damage was much more formidable than he had anticipated, and he would need to engage in close-quarters combat to restrain it; Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You should know, the greater the power of the ranged damage, the longer the casting time, and only in close combat could Song Jian interrupt its skill casting; Once the Mysterious Moonlight Sword skill had been released, Blood Feather crashed heavily to the ground. With a pained roar, Blood Feather flipped over to stand up and lunged at Song Jian, only to suddenly see more than a dozen long swords with radiant energy shadows materialize in front of Song Jian; Blood Feathers eyes showed a glimpse of fear as it hastily retreated; Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ ... The Thousand Swords Art was executed again, with more than a dozen Spirit Swords bombarding Blood Feather into a forced retreat; The cooldown for the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was five seconds, while the cooldown for Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was ten seconds; interweaving a couple of normal slashes in between nicely linked these two skills together. However, the Mysterious Moonlight Sword needed to be initiated from three meters away; every time it needed to be cast, Song Jian had to actively widen the distance, which was a slight flaw; After releasing the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian leaped forward, swinging his long sword viciously at Blood Feather. His damage-dealing abilities were still too few at the moment, with both skills in cooldown, he could only continue attacking with normal slashes; However, Song Jians weapon, the Sky-breaking Sword, was inherently high in damage. Coupled with the talent skill Holy Sword, which progressively increased damage dealt to the target over time and could also shorten the cooldown of skills, the most important aspect was the chance to trigger the Indestructible effect; During regular use, Song Jian found that it took at least ten minutes for the Holy Sword to maximize its damage enhancement and cooldown reduction effects; But with Song Jians current strength, ten minutes was more than enough to deal with the Lord-level BOSS before him, resulting in the Holy Sword effect not being fully utilized due to his high damage output. It seemed that only by hunting more formidable BOSSes could he fully leverage the Holy Sword effect; Yet stronger BOSSes often had the power to instantly kill Song Jian, and it wasnt just a matter of ten minutesto last even one minute would be a challenge for Song Jian; Seeing Song Jian rushing toward it, Blood Feather swung its Magic Staff as if it were a warrior, engaging Song Jian in a fierce combat. A set of cape staff techniques was executed, and in a short while, it had managed to suppress Song Jian, which took him by surprise; the Harpy leader, supposedly a ranged magic attacker, was also adept at close combat techniques, and seemed even more skilled than him; Although many of Song Jians sword skills had been devoured and vanished, he clearly remembered how to perform them, having used them hundreds, if not thousands of times before. These skills were deeply etched into Song Jians memory. Its just that his current applications lacked the power of those sword techniques and caused only regular attack damage; Even without the enhancement of skills, Song Jians sword techniques were no weaker than a Swordman who had practiced for over a decade; yet, unexpectedly, in front of the Harpy chief Blood Feather, he felt completely suppressed. It seemed that the Harpy chief had devoted a long time to mastering various close combat techniques; Seeing Song Jian being suppressed, a glint of joy flashed across Blood Feathers face, but no sooner had that joy appeared than it witnessed Song Jian once again swing his longsword, slashing through empty space towards it, and more than ten glowing sword phantoms appeared in midair once more; With a shriek, a shocked and furious expression spread across Blood Feathers face. The Magic Staff that was smashing towards Song Jian was immediately withdrawn as it retreated in succession while simultaneously casting a defensive skill. With a wave of its Magic Staff, its body was enveloped in a layer of defense covered in crackling electric light; Crack, crack, crack~ This layer of electric defense only managed to withstand three Spirit Swords before being shattered, and the following Spirit Swords showed no mercy as they slashed fiercely at its body. Blood Feathers electric defense wasnt just for protection; it also had the ability to counterattack. This was especially restrictive against melee professions, as attacking the shield could trigger electric damage, resulting in paralysis and trembling. However, the counterattack capabilities of this layer were completely wasted against long-range damage; As Song Jian saw the layer of electric defense covering its body, his eyes narrowed. The electric arcs on the shield flared wildly, lashing out like whips whenever struck by the Spirit Swords, and he understood that the threat of this shield, in close combat, was likely greater than the attacks of the Harpy chief; Fortunately, the Harpy chief only resorted to this defensive skill when under severe threat; otherwise, if it had released this skill during their close combat earlier, Song Jian might have been caught off guard and suffered a loss; After reaping nearly ten thousand Vitality Points, Song Jian leapt into the air, his figure flashing like lightning, as his longsword thrust towards the Harpy chiefs throat; A critical hit damage of nearly two thousand points floated up from the Harpy chiefs head, and its body involuntarily floated upwards; Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ A flash of sword light dazzled as the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was executed once again. If the previous electric shield hadnt disappeared, the first strike of this move might have been blocked, which would have prevented the floating state and subsequent damage wouldnt have been so severe. But once the boss failed to block the first hit, the following sword techniques became unstoppable; As the BOSS fell to the ground and Song Jian prepared to leap forward and continue the attack, from the doorway, the stone figure Gulu suddenly transmitted another image. Two Thief class players had sneaked back again, seemingly hoping to take advantage of the situation; Song Jian snorted coldly, pausing momentarily, but then thrust his longsword at the Harpy chief once more. With a scream, the Harpy chief abandoned its defense and took the sword with its chest, but its Magic Staff swung down howling toward Song Jians head; Chapter 835 - 836 Seeking Wealth and Danger_1 Chapter 835: Chapter 836 Seeking Wealth and Danger_1 The Harpy leader Blood Feather had Vitality Points that were several times that of Song Jian, and even after losing nearly thirty thousand points of Vitality, the remaining points were still enough to allow it to fight with a strategy of trading injury for injury, life for life; Seeing the Harpy leader swinging the Magic Staff toward him, Song Jian immediately released his longsword and retreated. The Magic Staff struck hard where Song Jian had been standing, instantly creating a large crater with debris flying everywhere; Seeing Song Jian abandon his longsword, a savage smile appeared on the Harpy leaders face. Without his weapon, Song Jians threat to it immediately dropped by several times; Before the smile on the Harpy leaders face faded, Song Jian reached out his hand, and the longsword, stuck in the BOSSs chest, seemed to be pulled by a mysterious force, struggling to fly toward Song Jians hand; No! The face of the Harpy leader showed a look of terror, waving the Magic Staff and fiercely striking the ground. Suddenly, lightning spread wantonly, from the point where the staff touched the ground, shooting out countless bolts of lightning, turning the surroundings into a field of thunder and electricity, with myriad bolts lashing out like whips; Under the control of the Harpy leader, several bolts of lightning struck toward the Sky-breaking Sword. A series of muffled sounds exploded and the Sky-breaking Sword in mid-air wobbled a few times, but still firmly flew toward Song Jian; ... Song Jians face turned pale. His Sky-breaking Sword was connected to his mind. The Harpy leaders electric field was extremely powerful, and the attacks on the Sky-breaking Sword also caused Song Jians mind to be injured, as if a large hammer kept hammering at his sea of consciousness; By the time the Sky-breaking Sword returned to Song Jians hand, his body weakened, and he fell to one knee on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood; The Harpy leader let out an arrogant cry and continued to pounce toward Song Jian, swinging the Magic Staff with a sharp whistling sound through the air and smashed fiercely toward Song Jian, who was kneeling on one knee; Grinding his teeth, Song Jian swung his sword in an attempt to block. With a clang, sparks flew as the Magic Staff was deflected. The Harpy leader shrieked and continued to strike down with the staff, lightning surging over its surface. This time, the Harpy leader used all its strength; Song Jian took a deep breath. He couldnt block this strike and had to roll backward to dodge the attack; Boom! The entire cave shook slightly. The strike was like an explosion of dynamite, with lightning flashing. Song Jian had not yet stood up when he saw that the cooldown for Thousand Swords Art was over. He swung at the empty space in the direction of the Harpy leader; This time, only three Spirit Swords were summoned, flying toward the Harpy leader; Song Jian was stunned. This was one more than the minimum number of Spirit Swords he expected to summon. He thought he had mastered the Thousand Swords Art, but to his surprise, such an anomaly occurred; The three Spirit Swords struck the Harpy leader, forcing the BOSS to step back. Song Jian took the opportunity to pull out a healing potion and gulped it down; Through the images transmitted by the stone creature Gulu, he had already seen two thieves entering stealth and approaching inside the cave; Song Jian snorted, and the Vertical Eye at his brow opened, shooting a silver column of light toward the Harpy leader; Boom, boom, boom~ The power of the Eye Kill had also received a significant boost with the rise of Song Jians strength. After 5 seconds, five damage numbers of over a thousand points each floated above the BOSSs head; The cooldown time for the Mysterious Moonlight Sword had expired, and Song Jian leapt forward again, deploying the Liu Guangjian as he rushed toward the BOSS. Two thieves slowly stealthed their way into the cave, unaware that behind them, a pile of scattered stones was quietly observing their every move. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even at max level, a thiefs stealth ability still reduces their movement speed by 20%, which is why both thieves had only entered stealth mode when they neared the cave. What they didnt realize was that the stone pile at the entrance of the cave, which looked just like a bunch of rubble, was actually Song Jians battle pet, closely monitoring everything happening nearby. God of Thieves, with the boss running off and just the two of us left, can we really take him down? asked the somewhat gaunt thief next to the God of Thieves with a touch of concern. Havent you heard the sounds of fighting coming from inside? Humph, thats a level 46 lord-level BOSS. No matter how strong Song Jian is or how confident he is, its not possible for him to kill a lord-level BOSS without getting injured, right? The God of Thieves glanced at his companion. If he hadnt thought about using him as cannon fodder in case of danger, the God of Thieves wouldnt have brought him along for the ambush on Song Jian. Fortune favors the bold. Hes already fighting the BOSS. I dont believe he can kill a level 46 lord-level BOSS as easily as before! A sharp look flashed in the God of Thieves eyes as he heard the sounds of battle from the cave, and a confident expression appeared on his face. Song Jians equipment made the God of Thieves drool with envy. Just one item looted from Song Jians corpse would make him rich, let alone the possibility of reaping the spoils of a level 46 lord-level BOSS. Thinking of this, the God of Thievess heart ignited with fervor. What he didnt know was that the pile of rocks behind him had been staring at them the entire time and only started trembling and slowly reassembling into a nearly two-meter-tall stone golem after they both entered stealth mode. Meanwhile, Song Jian also began to slow down the rhythm of the fight with the BOSS. The lower the BOSSs Vitality Points got, the greater the power of its abilities, and a sudden outburst could instantly inflict grievous wounds on Song Jian, at which point it would be easy for the two thieves to finish him off. His vertical eye opened, piercing the dim cave with its clarity, and soon, Song Jian saw two blurred figures stealthily approaching deeper into the cave. While fighting Blood Feather, Song Jian slowly pulled the BOSS further back. Seeing Song Jian actually fighting a level 46 lord-level BOSS all by himself, the two thieves hearts were still filled with shock. They had only speculated that Song Jian had the strength to solo a level 46 lord-level BOSS, but speculation was all it had been. Now, seeing it with their own eyes, they were still profoundly shaken. Damn, look at his equipment, a full set of golden-quality gear! Ive never even heard of anyone owning a full set of gold gear, let alone seen it! The God of Thieves companions eyes lit up, a golden cross star emerging from his pupils, indicating that he possessed the ability to see the attributes of the opponents equipment. My god, an epic necklace! His necklace is epic! How is this possible; can you actually get epic necklaces now? The God of Thieves was startled and looked at the necklace around Song Jians neck. Since he had turned off his quality glow, the God of Thieves couldnt see anything, but he trusted his companions words a lot. Bringing him along was not only because he thought of using him as cannon fodder but also because of his ability to discern the details of Song Jians equipment, which was one of the main reasons he chose him. It looks like the most valuable piece of equipment on him is that necklace, muttered the God of Thieves, holding a small token in his hand with a hint of glee at the corner of his mouth. Chapter 836 - 837 Designated Drop Token_1 Chapter 836: Chapter 837 Designated Drop Token_1 Specified Drop Token! This was a task reward that God of Thieves obtained from a mission, allowing one to specify a drop from a slain targetproviding that the target indeed possessed the item in question; Take a necklace, for example, if the designated target did not have a necklace, then even after utilizing the drop token on them, a necklace would not drop, unless the target was indeed wearing one; However, such specification could be perilous, as the quality of the specified item may not be as high as one imagined! For instance, when God of Thieves hunted a BOSS and noticed that its weapon was quite impressive but didnt know the exact quality, once he specified the weapon, the item that dropped could likely be of white or green quality, valued far less than the specified drop token itself; Therefore, to maximize the effect of the token, one would need a skill like the one currently at his disposal, able to see the attributes of the targets items, then combined with the token, one could reap the utmost benefits; ... Thinking this, God of Thieves was about to use the token to specify the necklace on Song Jian as the drop, but just as he was about to apply it, he heard an exclamation from the person beside him, The weapon, the weapon is also of epic quality, with such strong attributeshow can there be a one-handed sword with such high damage? Its absolutely top-notch! A tremor went through God of Thieves heart; while most solo players would boast about having a silver-quality item, Song Jian actually had two pieces of epic quality equipment! Even Zeus at most only carries three pieces of gold-quality equipment God of Thieves thought, He truly is worthy of being the leader of the number one battle guild in Doomsday City, rich and imposing. But now, should I aim for his equipment? After hesitating for a moment, God of Thieves eventually decided to go for Song Jians weapon because, after all, a one-handed sword of the same quality was much more valuable than a necklace; Just as God of Thieves was stealthily using the token to make Song Jian drop his one-handed sword, he received a Cannot specify prompt from the system; System: The targets weapon is a bound exclusive weapon and cannot be dropped! Bound exclusive weapon? What is that? God of Thieves was startled, but quickly, he tried specifying Song Jians necklace, and this time he received a Specified successfully prompt from the system; Suddenly, an image of a necklace appeared on the surface of the token in his hand, identical to the one Song Jian wore around his neck. God of Thieves subtle actions went unnoticed by his companion, who whispered as he stared intently at Song Jian, Shall we make our move now? Wait a bit longer, his vitality points are still over two thousand. Even if we ambush him now, we wouldnt be able to kill him, and he might even turn the tables on us, God of Thieves shook his head and said; At this moment, Song Jian had already spotted the two thieves some fifteen meters behind him. Engaged in battle with the BOSS, he had been relying on basic attacks; Blood Feathers magic staff technique was at a high level, so even with Song Jians utmost effort to defend, he was somewhat struggling to fend it off; Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As he fought and slowly retreated, Song Jian appeared to be completely suppressed by the BOSS, exciting the two thieves immediately; Almost there, hes about done for. Hes retreating in our direction. Once he gets close, well join forces and take him down in a second, God of Thieves whispered; What a pity, the BOSS still has half its vitality points left. With our strength, we probably wont be able to take down this level 46 lord-grade BOSS, his companion said with some regret; One must know that BOSSes above level 40 have a certain chance of dropping gold-quality equipment, and he was unaware that God of Thieves had used the specified drop token, so even if they killed Song Jian, it was uncertain if any equipment would drop; Dont be greedy, any piece of equipment that bursts from him will make us rich! The God of Thieves glanced at his companion, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth; Both of them watched as Song Jian slowly backed away, and when he was about five or six meters from them, they already had their weapons firmly in hand, staring intently at Song Jian, with cold sweat beginning to break out on the God of Thieves forehead; Get ready! The God of Thieves whispered; Just then, Song Jian, who had been tangled in battle with the BOSS, suddenly turned his head to look in their direction, a cold smile emerging on his lips; Seeing the bizarre vertical eye on Song Jians forehead, the God of Thieves felt the hairs on his body stand up one by one; No good, he can see through stealth mode! The God of Thieves screamed, immediately turning and running towards the exit of the cave; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jian locked onto the God of Thieves and, like a bolt of lightning, chased after him. The God of Thieves feet emitted a white light as he canceled stealth mode and activated his Acceleration Skill, sprinting outward; The thiefs Acceleration Skill could increase movement speed by 40% for 7 seconds, making it extremely practical for both chasing and escaping; But before Song Jians Mysterious Moonlight Sword, the God of Thieves speed was simply not enough. He hadnt taken two steps before he felt a pain in his back and immediately lost control of his body; Pupu pu~ Countless swords glimmered. The God of Thieves body, like a funnel, had several jets of blood spurting out. Nearly two thousand Vitality Points were instantly obliterated by Song Jian; How, how is this possible All strength left the God of Thieves, and an incredulous expression emerged on his face as he died. He couldnt believe that Song Jian, who was only five levels higher than him, could instantly kill him like this; After killing the God of Thieves, a small token fell from his bodyexactly the Designated Drop Token the God of Thieves had planned to use on Song Jian; If the designated target isnt killed and the user of the token is counter-killed, the token is guaranteed to drop and also resets to an unused state; Song Jian didnt even glance at the token, turned, and swung his sword in the direction of the other thief. More than ten Spirit Swords appeared and, like shooting stars, flew towards the man; Seeing the traces left by the Spirit Swords in the air, even Blood Feather, which was rushing towards Song Jian, paused for a moment. The effect of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision left a deep impression, instilling deep fear; No, dont, mercy, spare me The thief, his face full of terror, actually turned and ran towards the BOSS Blood Feather, deeming Song Jian seemingly more terrifying than this Lord-level BOSS! A malicious smile suddenly appeared on Blood Feathers face as it swung the Magic Staff towards the player, instantly unleashing a lightning bolt as thick as a finger from the staff, striking the player; The damage from the lightning bolt wasnt high, causing only over two hundred points of damage, but it triggered a paralysis effect that left the player completely rigid, unable to move, forced to watch helplessly as more than ten Spirit Swords cleaved into him; Chapter 837 - 838 Self-Destruction_1 Chapter 837: Chapter 838 Self-Destruction_1 Humans, only capable of slaughtering one another, filthy creatures Seeing Song Jian unhesitatingly killing the two thieves, Blood Feathers face revealed a look of pleasure and let out a shrill cry; Song Jian, with an expressionless face, swung his sword and charged towards Blood Feather. Behind him, the stone creature Gulu had already entered, its hand forming a millstone-sized rock that was hurled at Blood Feather; The stone creature Gulu was Song Jians backup plan, originally intended to deal with the two thieves. However, to his surprise, the thieves panicked upon realizing he had seen through their stealth, wanting nothing but to flee, only to be quickly dispatched by Song Jians swift moves; Blood Feather, eyeing the whistling rock approaching mid-air, snorted coldly. With a flick of the magic staff in hand, a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm burst forth, striking the rock and instantly blasting it to pieces; ... Seizing the opportunity, Song Jian lunged forward, fiercely striking twice. At that moment, the cooldown for Sword Shadow Clone ended. With a thought, an identical replica of Song Jian appeared, and he immediately executed Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, attacking the BOSS; The Sword Shadow Clones attributes were only 30% of Song Jians own, and its skills were at level one, making the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision it cast only a third as powerful as Song Jians own. However, it still managed to inflict at least two to three thousand damage on the BOSS each time; Song Jian controlled the Sword Shadow Clone to keep a distance from Blood Feather, much like a long-range Mage, continuously using Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision to attack. Meanwhile, he himself was entangled in close combat with the BOSS, as Gulu the stone creature kept forming rocks and throwing them at the BOSS. For a time, BOSS Blood Feather was beset by attacks from three directions, unable to cope with all at once, causing its Vitality Points to steadily decrease; It was only because the cave was too narrow to summon a Black Dragon; otherwise, Blood Feather would have stood even less of a chance against Song Jian; Song Jians Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision could deal nearly ten thousand damage to the BOSS in a single hit, and before long, the BOSSs Vitality Points had dropped to less than a tenth of its total; Only then did Song Jian suddenly remember the specified drop order token he had gotten from the two thieves. After checking its properties, he directly used it on the BOSS to specify the drop of the weapon in its hands; Song Jian noticed that most of Blood Feathers lightning attacks were released from the magic staff, instantaneously, while the other Witch-winged Harpies generated lightning with the movement of their wings. Song Jian guessed that Blood Feathers staff must inherently possess lightning properties, and in the game, a weapon with innate skills meant that it was not low in quality and very valuable. Song Jian didnt have the skill to detect attributes, so he had to rely on his own judgment to use the token; After using the specified drop token, an image of a magic staff crackling with lightning surfaced on the face of the token; Humans, harpies will never submit! Blood Feather growled through clenched teeth; I dont need your submission, I just want your life! said Song Jian, sweeping his long sword, and eighteen Spirit Swords appeared, bombarding Blood Feather; Boom, boom, boom~ The Spirit Swords hit Blood Feather, resulting in a series of explosions, but strangely, although this should have depleted Blood Feathers final Vitality Points, there were no numbers indicating damage above its head; Invincible? Song Jian narrowed his eyes, a cold smile forming on the corners of his mouth. Skills like invincibility usually lasted for a very short time. You might survive this time, but what about after ten seconds? Death is inevitable, so why not make it simple and let me Song Jians muttering stopped abruptly, his eyes fixed on Blood Feather, widening in disbelief, he couldnt help but swear, Fuck! With a thought, Song Jians figure instantly turned transparent and he turned to flee toward the outside of the cave; At this moment, Blood Feathers body had swelled in size, with blood vessels bulging out prominently and muscles filled with explosive power, a faint red glow surrounded his body, appearing like a light screen; It was this light screen that had blocked the damage from Thousand Swords Art before and even absorbed some of its power. Now, Blood Feather looked like he was about to self-destruct; Song Jian had just turned and fled for less than a second when a deep boom came from behind him, the whole cave shaking violently, as the Sword Shadow Clone lost contact with Song Jian immediately; A wave of air mixed with a strong scent of blood surged forth from behind. At this moment, Song Jian was still in the invincible state of Soul Wander and couldnt actually feel the power of the explosive blast wave; sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. By the time Song Jians invincibility ended, the explosion had gradually subsided, and the blast wave had cracked open the rock walls of the entire cave, creating crevices the width of fingers that spread throughout the caves walls, with small pebbles continuously falling from above; Damn it, this cave is about to collapse! Song Jian cursed under his breath, and quickly turned and ran deeper into the cave. The mission was not to kill Blood Feather, but to get the crown that Blood Feather dropped. Also, the goods that the goblin merchant had were inside the cave. If the cave collapsed, Song Jian was not willing to dig out the cave again by hand; At this point, the little Gulu, a stone creature, had been blasted to pieces, with large chunks of stone slowly gathering from all around, reassembling into a humanoid form; Seeing Song Jian rushing back, the stone creature Gulu let out a sound of grievance: Gulu, gulu gulu~ The stone creature Gulu could reassemble itself no matter how many times it was blasted, as long as its core wasnt destroyed. However, each reassembly required some energy to be consumed; Song Jian had no time to console it. With a raise of his hand, he summoned it into the Pet Space, and dashed toward a magic staff on the ground flashing with lightning; By now, Blood Feathers corpse was nowhere to be found in one piece, but there were still many pieces of loot scattered around the staff. Song Jian hurriedly gathered all the loot, which included the mission item needed by the goblin merchant, the Harpy leaders crown; After that, Song Jian began searching in the depths of the cave for the goblin merchants goods, soon finding several large crates in a corner deep in the cave. As Song Jian placed his hand on these large crates, a progress bar appeared in front of him. He could already hear the sound of rocks cracking close by, and as he watched the slow-moving action bar, Song Jian became anxious; But there was no other way; this was how the game was set up. Whether it was opening crates or picking up mission items, it all required time; I hope this damned rocky cave can be a little tougher, at least sturdy enough to hold out until I complete the mission! Song Jian thought with worry. Soon, the progress bar completed, and the several large crates in front of him slowly disappeared. Song Jian immediately dashed out of the cave. Just as he rushed out, a thunderous rumble came from behind, and the entire cave collapsed; Chapter 838 - 839 Harvest_1 Chapter 838: Chapter 839 Harvest_1 Looking back at the collapsed cave behind him, Song Jian let out a sigh of relief. Although his physical strength meant he wouldnt die even if buried, digging his way out wouldnt be an easy feat. Even using Soul Wander to pass through the thick layers of rock would take too much time, and if he dared to attempt it, the most likely outcome would be getting stuck and dying in the rocks; Opening his inventory, Song Jian looked at an item slot showing Gold Seals Goods, a quest item that Song Jian couldnt open and could only return to Gold Seal. This was a task completed at the risk of my life; a mere reward like this isnt enough. I must ask for a higher price! Song Jian thought to himself; From previous tasks, Song Jian had found that even with a set reward, he could still ask for more upon completion, as long as the request was within reason; This task was much more dangerous than the last, with Blood Feather being a Lord-level BOSS and those six slaughters also Elite-level BOSSes, which significantly increased the difficulty of the mission. Aside from the quest item, the inventory also contained three items dropped by Blood Feather, one of which was the staff in its hand, called the Thunderbolt Staff. It was a level forty Dark Gold Quality weapon. Dark Gold Quality is the cream of the crop among gold-quality gear, which comes in pale gold, shiny gold, and dark gold. Dark Gold equipment actually has the potential to be promoted to Epic level, but such an upgrade is incredibly difficult, much like nurturing a Sword Spirit, as it requires the destruction of several, or even dozens of, weapons of the same quality as a price; ... The attributes boosted by the Thunderbolt Staff were formidable, with no waste stats for a remote magic class profession, and it even came with three skills: Wrath of the Thunder God, Electric Light Barrier, and Instant. Wrath of the Thunder God unleashed a massive thunder orb with tracking ability and powerful force, no less potent than a rocket launcher. Most importantly, this skill didnt require any consumption, and its cooldown was short, only three minutes, meaning every three minutes, a strike as powerful as a single soldiers rocket could be releasedjust the thought was terrifying; The Electric Light Barrier was the same protective Light Shield with electricity retaliation that Blood Feather had cast. Similar to a Mages Frost Shield, not only could it block attacks but it would also cause melee attackers to suffer electric shocks, resulting in paralysis and trembling; As for the Instant skill, it was a teleportation-like ability, allowing users to instantly move tens of meters away. However, for some reason, this skill was greyed out and couldnt be used. When Song Jians eyes fell on this skill, he received a system prompt; System: Your profession does not match the weapons requirements, you cannot obtain the related quest! Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It looks like I need to complete a quest to activate this skill! Song Jian thought to himself. This staff was better than he expected. If the third skill Instant could also be activated, Song Jian even felt it could rival an Epic level Magic Staff in value. Such a weapon naturally couldnt be sold. It would be better to give it to Wang Qi and award it to the player who contributed most to the guild; Song Jian obtained the staff by using a designated loot token, which broke immediately after acquiring the staff, serving as a one-time-use item. Once successfully used, it could no longer be utilized. Apart from the staff, Blood Feather also dropped a Battle Pet Egg and a feather emanating silver light; The Battle Pet Egg goes without saying C it could hatch into a Witch-winged Harpy. These flying battle pets were worth much more than regular pets, and if well raised, they could even enable their owners to fly for short periods, making it half a flying mount; As for the feather, it was an item similar to a token, akin to the black badge Song Jian previously received that allowed him to partake in a unique job assessment; Using this feather, one could enter a hidden dungeon called Harpys Nest. Its a level forty, grade five dungeon that would be a death sentence for less than ten elite players above level forty to enter; however, if one could successfully conquer it, the rewards would be substantially greater than those of a normal level forty dungeon; Maybe I dont need Hawk eggs to form a flying cavalry brigade! Song Jian toyed with the silver-glowing feather, thinking to himself; If he could put together a team entirely comprised of Witch-winged Harpies, its power would likely not be far off from a team with flying mounts. Whether it could be achieved depended on how Wang Qi utilized this hidden dungeon pass; After sorting himself out a bit, Song Jian headed towards the Goblin merchant. There was still a task reward waiting for him there; Upon seeing Song Jian return unharmed, the Goblin merchant Gold Seal narrowed his eyes, his expression morphing from surprise to sheer joy; Gold Seal stepped out from the shadows of the rocks eagerly, arms wide open, running towards Song Jian as if welcoming a hero; Haha, great favored one of the gods, I knew you could do it. Have you brought back poor old Gold Seals goods? Gold Seal asked joyfully. Of course! Song Jian said with a slight smile, taking out six Guardian Feathers and a small crimson crown from his inventory and laying them before Gold Seal; Seeing the six Guardian Feathers and the crown of the Harpy leader, a look of relief spread across Gold Seals face. He continued to look at Song Jian with hopeful eyes. Before we finalize the task completion, shouldnt we talk about the task details first? Song Jian said with a hint of malice, fixing his gaze on Gold Seal. You only mentioned that the Harpy leader was a BOSS, but you didnt say that the six Harpy slayers were also BOSSes. Do you know, your omission nearly got me killed there! Gold Seal was momentarily taken aback, puzzled, I didnt say? I thought I did. Arent you forgetting that before we Before he could finish, Song Jian let out a cold snort and snatched back the six Guardian Feathers and the Harpy leaders crown, turning to leave; Wait, wait, I remember now, I did forget to tell you, alright, Ill increase the task reward by 20%, thats the best concession I can make. Is that acceptable? Gold Seal hurriedly said. Song Jian smiled faintly, took out all the items again, and handed them to Gold Seal, who handed over six Hawk eggs to Song Jian with a pained expression; Chapter 839 - 840 Pond_1 Chapter 839: Chapter 840 Pond_1 The quest reward this time was five Hawk mount eggs, and with a 20% increase in rewards, that was essentially an extra Hawk egg given out. You should know, these are flying mounts, and their price is now over three hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, with them being perpetually in short supply. Plus, the reason Song Jian entered here was precisely for these flying mounts; Do you have any more? Ill pay for them! Song Jian stared at the Goblin merchant Jin Yins cargo box and asked; Its very expensive. These are flying mounts. If it werent for this batch of goods, I would never have offered them as quest rewards, said the Goblin merchant, his face pained. Dont worry, market price. You wont be at a loss! Song Jian reassured him. At this moment, the Goblin merchant was quietly placing six Guardian Feathers and a crimson Harpy leaders crown into the cargo box when a sudden insight struck Song Jians mind. ... I originally thought these quest items were merely hunting proofs, but it seems their value far exceeds my imagination! Song Jian thought to himself. Being able to offer up five, no, six Hawk flying mount eggs as a reward, apart from being able to retrieve the goods, likely meant the value of these quest items was not much less than the Hawk eggs themselves; Upon this realization, Song Jians expression turned grim; Seeing Song Jians gaze fixed on those quest items, Goblin merchant Jin Yins complexion also changed, and with a sigh, he said, Alright, alright, since youve helped me out this much, Ive got another five Hawk eggs here. Ill sell them all to you. As he spoke, Jin Yin pulled another five Hawk eggs from the cargo box and placed them in front of Song Jian; Having spent over a million Doomsday Coins on these five Hawk eggs, Song Jians expression visibly softened after completing the transaction, which inwardly relieved Jin Yin. By the way, is there any other secret place in this valley besides the Harpies nests? Song Jian asked as he put the Hawk eggs into his inventory and stood up, looking around. This isnt the Harpies nest but merely a simple place. Besides, the Harpies that occupy this area are just traitors who have escaped from the actual Harpy nests. They are now no more than a band of bandits and have nothing to do with true Harpies, said Jin Yin, shaking his head. The real Harpy nests are hidden within a Spatial Rift. Without a key, its impossible to find the place. Its said to be a paradise for Harpies, with ten great mountains as their dwelling! Ten great mountains? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, thinking of the silver feather in his inventory slot, the token that could open the Harpy nests, likely the key Jin Yin mentioned that could enter the Harpy nests; Yes, ten great mountains! Jin Yin nodded, his face showing a longing as he said, It is said that within these mountains lie the true treasures of the Harpies, valuables collected by them over hundreds of years, priceless indeed. Unfortunately, its the real home of the Harpies, and without being one of them, its simply impossible to enter! Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian smiled faintly, now that his mission was accomplished, he no longer needed to stay in this valley. Just as he was about to bid farewell to the Goblin merchant, a sharp hawks cry suddenly echoed from the distant valley, instantly changing his expression. Are there Hawks in this valley too? Song Jian was taken aback and couldnt help asking. I dont know, I just followed these harpies here and didnt know there was anything in this valley, the goblin merchant shook his head and said. Song Jian nodded without saying anything and turned towards the direction where he had just heard the cry of the hawks; The goblin merchant stayed where he was to take stock of his inventory that had been returned to him. After he had packed up everything, he was ready to leave when he suddenly stopped, seemingly recalling something. He then hid all of his goods in the shadow of a large rock and stealthily headed in the direction Song Jian had left; The valley was vast. Along the way, Song Jian managed to gather a few rare herbs in the valleys forest, a fruitful harvest. Passing through the forest, he came upon a waterfall. The waterfall was only a few meters wide and over ten meters high. Below it was a deep pond from which a faint threat seemed to emanate, as if there was something lurking that could endanger his life; Looking up, Song Jian saw two adult hawks circling constantly above the waterfall, crying out mournfully again and again. Sometimes they even looked as though they would dive down, but ultimately, they seemed to have a deep wariness of the area and never did come down. Song Jian found it odd and began to search carefully around the edge of the pond. Before long, he spotted two young hawks, each about the size of a chick, flapping their newly grown downy wings as they tumbled over each other on the grass, trying to stand up. Hawk chicks? Song Jians eyes narrowed. Natural flying pets like these were easy to find but difficult to capture due to the adult hawks that invariably guarded them nearby; These two young hawks had somehow fallen into the valleys grassland, and the adult hawks guarding them did not dare to come down because of the creature lurking in the pond; Song Jian strode over and caught the two young hawks in his palm. Seeing Song Jian capture the young hawks, the two adult hawks overhead cried out in despair and actually turned to leave; System: You have discovered young hawk chicks. Would you like to subdue them to become combat pets/flying mounts? Generally, after capturing a young beast, there are two types of training directions: one as a combat pet that can aid in battle, and the other as a mount; As it is now, once a direction is chosen, it cannot be changed. If you opt to train them as combat pets, the young hawks will develop towards combat as they level up. If you choose to train them as flying mounts, they will develop towards carrying riders in flight. Song Jian directly chose to decline. Whether it was flying mounts or combat pets, Black Dragon already met his needs; he decided to just take the two young hawks back to Wang Qi to establish a flying cavalry unit. Having taken the young hawk chicks, Song Jian began to carefully inspect the surroundings. This was a valley, and there wouldnt be young hawks here under normal circumstances; Soon, Song Jian noticed on the cliff next to the waterfall, there was a vast cluster of holes in the rock that looked like honeycombs. These holes were identical to those he had seen when he first entered this valley. It was not hard to imagine that behind these holes were more hawk nests; Looking back, Song Jian realized this place was at least several hundred meters from the area where he had entered the valley. He hadnt expected the territory of Eagle Falcon Cliff to be so vast, and the number of hawks in Eagle Falcon Cliff was likely far greater than he had initially discovered; Chapter 840 - 841: The Magical Snake Meat_1 Chapter 840: Chapter 841: The Magical Snake Meat_1 Looking at the cave in front of him, Song Jian squinted his eyes and started to observe carefully. These two hawk fledglings must have rolled out from these holes, right? Song Jian speculated. In the holes he had passed by earlier, there were many corpses of hawk fledglings. The holes there were steep, and once the hawk fledglings entered, they could easily crash into sharp rocks and die from injuries if they couldnt control their bodies; Looking at these two hawk fledglings, although they seemed a bit listless, their bodies were unharmed. It seemed that the holes in this area were relatively gentle, and the fledglings could fall from their nests without sustaining serious injuries; If thats the case, there should be many traces of hawk fledglings around here. Why is there not a single trace left? Song Jians eyebrows knitted slightly as he observed the area; Just then, the surface of the pool beneath the waterfall started to ripple gently, and a massive snake, seven to eight meters long, slowly swam out from the pool, lunging toward him from behind; The giant snakes scales glistened with a metallic sheen, effortlessly sliding across the water without making a sound. Moreover, it seemed to fly, for once it left the water, it soared into the air and lunged straight for Song Jians back; ... Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian was examining the holes that were taller than a person, wondering whether he should crawl through them to check the hawk nests. Perhaps, with some luck, he could catch a few more hawk fledglings. At that moment, a faint whizzing noise suddenly reached Song Jians ears, and a faint stench wafted to his nostrils. On the ground, a thick shadow was pouncing toward him; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision! Song Jian gripped the long sword in his hand and turned around to slash at the void behind him; Nearly twenty Spirit Swords floated out of thin air in front of him, following his gaze towards the shadow, whooshing through the air toward it; Boom boom boom~ After a series of explosions, the python that looked much like a giant forest boa had fallen and already turned into a corpse, its body full of sword wounds over a foot long, continuously spurting blood; This python was just a level 43 common monster with less than six thousand Vitality Points and was instantly killed by Song Jian; staring at the three-inch horn protruding from the giant snakes forehead, Song Jians thoughts stirred, picking up a level 40 green quality item the snake had dropped, he casually cast a Dissection Spell; Song Jians Dissection Spell was still low level, and he hadnt practiced it specifically. Now, seeing the three-inch horn on the pythons forehead, he became curious and couldnt help casting the Dissection Spell. Surprisingly, it was successful. The monsters corpse, which had already started to burn with transparent flames, began to vanish slowly, leaving behind two items on the ground; Huh, pale golden material? Song Jian was surprised to see a piece of snake meat emitting a pale golden glow on the ground and a blue quality horn, a hint of delight appearing on his face. This was the first time Song Jian had encountered a material of golden quality; Strange, my Dissection Spell level isnt high. How could it produce such high-quality material? Song Jian looked at the two materials in his hands, feeling puzzled; With his level of Dissection Spell, it was most likely that he would produce materials of grey quality, which were utterly useless. With some luck, he might get white quality materials that could be used, but it was difficult to get green or higher quality materials; Not to mention this golden quality material, even if he could normally gather this blue horn, Song Jian would probably be happy for several days. It is quite strange! Song Jian began to inspect the properties of these two materials; The blue-quality horn appeared quite ordinary, a forging material to be utilized for crafting daggers or short swords; However, the light-gold-quality snake meat opened Song Jians eyes. Magic snake meat, cooking ingredient, quality: gold, effect when used: can be used in cooking to have a high chance of making food that permanently increases attributes; requirement for use: cooking skill level eight; material description: This is a piece of material filled with magical power, its a dream ingredient for many chefs, by using it you can make various kinds of food that increase attributes, and as for which attributes will be increased, that depends on your cooking methods and your cooking level! A cooking material that permanently increases attributes? Song Jian wore a surprised look on his face; Among players, there had always been a rumor that, if cooking skills reached the top level, one could concoct food that permanently increases attributes, but that had always been just an unconfirmed tale, and no one had ever made real material that could increase attributes; Song Jian always thought, even if such rumors were true, it would surely be due to some high-quality recipe; unexpectedly, the legend did exist, and what could make such food was not dependent on the recipe, but on the cooking materials; Cooking was one of the best life skills for leveling up, and after some time in the game, almost all players would acquire this skill; Song Jians cooking skill had already been leveled to nine, and he did not lack various high-quality cooking materials; besides purchasing some recipes at the auction house, Song Jian had also researched many recipes on his own, especially since his cooking skills were quite good in the real world; Seeing this material, Song Jian became somewhat impatient, immediately lighting a bonfire and starting to use this material; as he did not have the corresponding supplementary ingredients at hand, he could only use it to make the simplest grilled meat; And the properties of this material also confirmed to Song Jian that the attributes of the food made would not depend on the recipe, but rather on this gold-quality material; Suddenly, a piece of fragrant grilled meat, emitting a faint gold glow, appeared before Song Jians eyes. Indeed, the final quality of the food is determined by the material, not the cooking skill or recipe! Song Jian thought to himself as he observed the attribute of the grilled meat. Magical Grilled Meat, food, quality: gold, effect when used: after consumption, permanently increases Constitution by 2 points, every second increases Vitality Points by 128, for a total increase of 3200 Vitality Points, if consumed for more than 15 seconds, it can restore all hunger levels, and also grant a temporary effect of Constitution +10 for a duration of 30 minutes; item description: the effect of the permanent attribute increase from the same type of food can only take effect once per person; Without hesitation, Song Jian ate the steaming grilled meat, thereby increasing his Constitution by 2 points and gaining a temporary effect of Constitution +10; Even without the temporary effect, Song Jians Constitution had reached 106 points, and considering that each point of Constitution increased Vitality Points by fifty, his Vitality Points had already exceeded five thousand, which was higher than that of some poorly equipped warriors; Its a pity, you can only eat the same kind of food once, otherwise just by food alone, one could build a veritable vitality powerhouse, Song Jian mused inwardly. But soon, a lightbulb went off in his mind: The same kind of food, the same kind of food if I change the cooking method, wouldnt it become a different kind of food? Damn it, besides Constitution, I still have other attributes, and even if the food increases Constitution, the effects of different recipes are not the same With that thought, Song Jians gaze shifted toward the pond, his eyes filled with deep expectation; PS: Thank you Bread84 for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 841: 842: The Bottom of the Pool_1 Chapter 841: Chapter 842: The Bottom of the Pool_1 Standing by the waterfall basins waters, Song Jian looked down; The depth of this pool was unfathomable, and even though he utilized his vertical eye, Song Jian could see nothing. Yet, he could sense that deep within these waters lurked many strange creatures, or perhaps monsters; In such a situation, jumping in rashly would be nothing short of suicide. After pondering for a while, Song Jian took out a piece of raw meat from his pack, which was also a cooking ingredient. However, he did not use it to make food, but instead used a scalpel to slice it into finger-thick strips, then threw them one by one into the pool; Song Jian waited quietly. Soon, the water began to waggle, becoming more and more violent. Several dark shadows continuously stirred the water, all heading towards the surface; As expected, its impossible for there to be only one of these pythons Song Jian smiled faintly, slowly backing away as he gripped the long sword in his hand. Very soon, dozens of giant pythons burst out of the water and lunged towards Song Jian. These pythons were massive in size, yet their movement speed was not slow at all. ... Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision! In an instant, more than ten long swords enveloped the pythons, with explosions sounding one after another, disrupting their assault; Following that, Song Jian threw his long sword into the air, immediately conjuring five long swords that formed the Five Elements Sword Array, engulfing the dozen or so pythons that had surged out of the pool; The Sword Qi Value dropped by more than half in an instant. The Invisible Sword Array consumed Sword Qi Value based on the number and strength of the targets. Once the Sword Qi Value was depleted, the Five Elements Sword Array would collapse on its own. Fortunately, after learning the vital energy chapter of the Sword Control Skill, Song Jians Sword Qi Value limit had increased considerably. And after advancing into the golden Sword Qi, the quality of his Sword Qi had improved several times, with an extremely fast recovery speed. Dealing with a dozen ordinary monsters required a larger consumption to condense the Sword Formation, but maintaining it did not require too much Sword Qi; From within the murky sword mist, came the continuous hissing and roaring of the pythons. The levels of these pythons ranged from the lowest at forty-two to no higher than forty-five, with most of their Vitality Points around six thousand. As sword light flickered, each strike inflicted seven to eight hundred points of damage on them, so it wasnt long before the hissing within the Sword Formation gradually weakened, until silence prevailed; After all the pythons had perished, Song Jian astonishingly discovered that not only did these pythons provide precious cooking materials, but the Experience Points they offered were also surprisingly high. These dozen or so pythons actually provided over two hundred thousand Experience Points, increasing Song Jians experience bar by more than 5%; The only regret is that the drop rate is just too low! Song Jian said with some frustration as he looked at the sparse white-quality equipment scattered on the ground; Over a dozen monsters of level forty and above had only dropped three pieces of level forty white-quality equipment and two pieces of green-quality equipment. No materials had dropped at all. With such a drop rate, if Song Jian hadnt known he could extract precious cooking materials from their bodies, he probably would have lost interest in these monsters after just one fight; Using the scalpel to dissect one python after another, Song Jian obtained quite a few materials. After completing the dissection, Song Jians dissection skill also advanced to level eight; Every python could be dissected into a piece of pale golden-quality cooking ingredient, and there were also some materials like blue-quality snake skin and scales. Just these materials alone are probably worth a lot of money! A smile appeared on Song Jians face; In addition to the miraculous snake meat, Song Jian also got eight pieces of snake skin for making level forty leather armor, and scales for making level forty scale armor. However, he only managed to gather two horns from atop their heads, along with the one he had gathered before, totaling three horns collected; Looking at the dozen or so pieces of pale golden snake meat in his inventory, Song Jian cracked a slight smile and began to repeat the action he had used to attract the giant pythons previously; For the entire day, Song Jian, much like fishing, lured one python after another from the depths of the pond and then used his sword techniques to kill them all; Magical snake meat, Song Jian collected over a hundred pieces in total, along with a large amount of other materials. Most importantly, Song Jians level had risen directly by one, from thirty-eight to thirty-nine; Song Jian allocated the skill points to the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, increasing the power of each strike from the previous 35% to 40%. The increase was not large, but the overall damage had increased by at least over two thousand; Looking at the pale golden snake meat in his inventory, Song Jian thought to himself, If all these materials were cooked into food, the attribute enhancement alone would probably be equivalent to successfully passing a B-tier first-order combat power assessment world! Due to the recipes and consumption limits, it was impossible for Song Jian to use all these materials by himself, so he would definitely have to share some with other members of his alliance. Moreover, cooking with this snake meat would increase the speed of earning cooking experience points much faster than usual. Even if sold, each piece of snake meat fetching thirty thousand Doomsday Coins would probably attract many eager buyers; However, the current Song Jian was no longer in need of Doomsday Coins. What he preferred now was bartering, and these pieces of snake meat could potentially be exchanged for many valuable items; Continuing to lure, no more giant pythons emerged from the pond. It seemed that Song Jian had exterminated them all. Shaking his head, Song Jian was ready to turn around and leave; Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But at that moment, Song Jian hesitated for a moment and then turned around and jumped directly into the pond, slowly sinking towards the bottom; This pond was truly strange, having nurtured such peculiar giant pythons. Song Jian wanted to see what oddities lay at the bottom of the water; The pond was silent inside, and the deeper Song Jian dived, the greater the pressure he felt. If not for the significant enhancement of his physical quality, Song Jian wouldnt have been able to endure for long and would have had to surface; After about fifteen minutes, Song Jians surroundings were utterly dim, and he could only open his vertical eye on his forehead to observe everything around him. Indeed, the giant pythons at the bottom of the pond seemed to have all been lured ashore and killed by Song Jian. There was no sign of any monster presence in the pond. After a while, Song Jian suddenly felt as if he had passed through a thin layer, and he fell straight to the bottom of the pond; The bottom of the pond was dry sand without a trace of moisture, while about seven or eight meters above his head, there was a layer of membrane emitting a faint luminescence, resembling a half-spherical bowl, firmly sealing off the bottom of the pond; Indeed, the place that could nurture such giant pythons was not as ordinary as I initially thought! Song Jian patted the sand off his body and stood up; The luminescent barrier was seven or eight meters above the bottom, and Song Jian had fallen from there quite unexpectedly. If it had been an ordinary person, they might have been severely injured, but for Song Jian, he hadnt suffered any damage whatsoever. Walking along the pond bottom covered with fine white sand, Song Jian suddenly caught sight of a flash of dark gold light ahead, instantly capturing all of his attention; Chapter 842: 843 Cooking_1 Chapter 842: Chapter 843 Cooking_1 The area at the bottom of the pool was not large, roughly just three to five acres. The dark gold light Song Jian had seen was right beside a rock at the bottom. As he approached, he discovered that it was actually a plant over three feet tall; This plant looked like bamboo, with rings of nodes on its surface from which several branches extended, sprouting palm-sized leaves; These leaves were covered with dense, gnawed marks. Looking closely, the partially eaten leaves seemed to be what remained, and many leaves had been devoured completely, leaving only the bare bamboo stalks; To think that a bamboo plant is growing at the bottom of the pool, how strange! Song Jian lightly touched the bamboo and its attributes immediately appeared before his eyes; Vitality Jade Bamboo, a rare treasure, usage effect: every ten days, it grows thirty bamboo leaves which can be used for alchemy, making Vitality Pills; directly consumed, they can heal wounds and increase the upper limit of Vitality Points, with a maximum use of 5 leaves; item description: this item can create its own world, resistant to water and fire, and once rooted, it cannot be moved! Increase Vitality Points? Song Jians eyes lit up. Players of all professions coveted treasures that could improve Vitality Points, and this jade bamboo was priceless; ... What a pity it cant be transplanted; otherwise, I would move it to the Spirit Field in the Manor Castle, Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly; This was the wilderness, and once discovered by others, not only would all its leaves be plucked, but the jade bamboo itself could also be destroyed; At this time, nearly all the leaves on the jade bamboo had been eaten, and there were less than three days left until the bamboo would grow new leaves. Song Jian thought for a moment, then took out several Sword Qi Stones and set up an Illusion Sword Array around the Vitality Jade Bamboo to conceal it; After everything was done, Song Jian thoroughly searched the bottom of the pool again but found nothing else. He then turned and headed toward the upper stream of the pool; Back in Manor Castle, Song Jian found that Li Keer and Wang Qi were waiting for him in the castles conference room; Seeing Song Jian appear, Li Keer immediately rushed up, grabbed his sleeve and asked with anticipation, Brother Song Jian, did you get the hawk eggs? Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian smiled slightly and took out all the hawk eggs from his pack, along with two young hawk fledglings, and placed them all on the conference table; Seeing that Song Jian had gained so much from just one trip, Wang Qis eyes nearly popped out; How is that possible, how did you get so many? Wang Qi murmured to himself. Brother Song Jian, youre amazing! Li Keer jumped up, immediately attracted by the fluffy hawk fledglings, and ran over to play with them; I heard that Eagle Falcon Cliff is very dangerous, and that the hawks there have a collective vengeance. If you provoke one, a whole swarm will come at you. How did you manage to get so many? Wang Qi asked, puzzled. Although Song Jian was powerful, Wang Qi had also sent people to scout. With hundreds of hawks chasing en masse, even someone as strong as Song Jian wouldnt likely last long. I sneaked up there and entered a valley through a tunnel in a hawks nest, which was filled with Witch-winged Harpies, Song Jian divulged without reservation. I met a goblin merchant there whose goods had been stolen by the harpies. I retrieved the goods for it, and these are part of the quest rewards. Quest rewards, a hint of disappointment flashed in Wang Qis eyes. Such quests were often one-time and couldnt be replicated. Although Song Jian acquired more than ten eagle falcon eggs this time, he was still far from being able to establish a flying cavalry unit. If he could not find other ways to obtain eagle falcon eggs, the formation of the City of Hopes flying cavalry unit seemed an unattainable goal. Seeing Wang Qis expression, Song Jian smiled slightly and said, Dont worry, we will soon have more eagle falcon eggs. In no more than ten days, that goblin merchant will bring a large quantity, and we can just buy them directly! Upon hearing this, Wang Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief. The development of the Valley of the Undead was ongoing. Aside from the Shadow Forest, the gems from the river beside the Undead Tower also had excellent properties. Their supply was in high demand but scarce, so their prices remained high, bringing in a net profit of about 100,000 to the City of Hope every day. If not for the rapid development of the City of Hope, they would have amassed a huge fortune by now. Is there anyone in the alliance specifically skilled in cooking? Song Jian asked. Cooking? Wang Qi pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, Yes, Song Dapeng. Hes thirty-two this year. In the real world, he is a chef at a five-star hotel. Since entering the game, he hasnt been much into leveling and is only level twenty-six now. However, his cooking skills have reached the Master Level, with more than a hundred recipes to his name, most of which he has figured out himself! In the real world, if one is a chef, comprehending recipes in the game is a very simple matter; they only need to replicate a dish from reality in the game to comprehend the corresponding recipe. Where is he now? I have some materials that I need him to prepare! Song Jian said. Hes been busy these past two days decorating his shop, getting ready to open a restaurant near the plaza. Wait a moment, I will notify him to come here, Wang Qi said. Within a short time, a bearded man was led in. Seeing Wang Qi, Song Dapengs face showed a flattering smile. He bobbed his head and wrung his hands, laughing, Wang, Lord Wang, did you call for me? Wang Qi pulled him over to Song Jian and said, Lord Mayor, this is Song Dapeng! When Wang Qi addressed Song Jian as the Lord Mayor, Song Dapeng was startled and bowed repeatedly to Song Jian, saying nervously, Lord, Lord Mayor, Im sorry, I havent seen you before. My apologies! Song Dapeng, dont be nervous, Song Jian laughed. He took out all the snake meat from his bag and spread it on the table, saying, I called you here because I need your help with something. I have a batch of cooking materials, and I want you to process all of it into food. As soon as he heard that Song Jian only wanted him to cook, Song Dapeng immediately relaxed and nodded repeatedly, Rest assured, Lord Mayor, I wont waste a bit of the materials and guarantee that everything will be of at least fine quality! Even with the same recipes, the higher ones cooking skills, the higher the grade of the food produced. With Song Dapengs Master Level cooking skills, he could ensure that every dish he made would be at least of fine quality, if not higher. Good, Song Jian nodded and said, However, I have one requirement: the food you make must not be the same; you have to create a different dish for each type of material! Song Dapeng was taken aback. He turned his head to look at the pile of snake meat on the conference table that resembled a small mountain and his eyes widened in astonishment, Gold, gold quality ingredients Chapter 843: 844 Master Level_1 Chapter 843: Chapter 844 Master Level_1 Though Song Dapeng had not been playing the game for long, he had already encountered thousands upon thousands of different ingredients. The various monsters in the game could all drop cooking materials, even the lowest level Zombies could drop Zombie meat as a cooking ingredient. This made it evident how incredibly complex the variety of cooking materials in the game was; Up till now, most of the cooking ingredients Song Dapeng had seen were of white quality, and the best he had seen was blue quality. He had never even seen silver quality ingredients, so you can imagine how his heart pounded violently when he saw so many gold quality cooking ingredients now; Master Level culinary skills, when used with ordinary cooking ingredients and recipes, could no longer increase proficiency. While he could develop recipes himself, obtaining high-level cooking ingredients was not something a player of barely over level twenty could do at will. Most of the Doomsday Coins Song Dapeng earned in the game were spent on purchasing high-level cooking ingredients. This was also why he wanted to open a restaurant in the City of Hopeto earn more Doomsday Coins. These, all these need to be cooked? Song Dapeng looked at the mountain-like pile of snake meat, feeling his throat turn dry and his palms sweaty; Yes, but each portion of ingredient can only make one type of dish. There are a total of one hundred thirty-six portions here, meaning you have to make one hundred thirty-six different dishes. Can you do it? Song Jian said to Song Dapeng in a calm tone. Upon touching the ingredients and seeing their attributes, Song Dapeng instantly understood what Song Jian meant. It would be the greatest waste if these ingredients were not turned into different dishes. ... Song Jian glanced at the ingredients with a trace of regret in his eyes. With so many gold quality cooking ingredients, he could have advanced to Expert Level culinary skills at the very least, but to him, using these ingredients to upgrade his culinary skills would be an utter waste. During the cooking process, not only would it fail to maximize the potential of the ingredients, it might also lead to a massive waste; Take the same grilled meat, for example, the grilled meat prepared by Song Jian could only increase physical constitution by 2 points. But if it was made by Song Dapeng, the same grilled meat might increase constitution by three, or even more, points; I can. I have already mastered over one hundred eighty recipes. Though not all of them use meat as the main ingredient, I can definitely develop new dishes, ensuring these ingredients are used to their fullest! Song Dapeng assured with a serious face; Good, then you stay here and finish them in the next two days. You cannot leave the Manor Castle until youre done! Song Jian stared at Song Dapeng as he spoke. Song Dapeng was startled but quickly nodded in agreement; These gold quality cooking ingredients were worth their weight in gold. Even if thrown directly into the auction, they would sell for at least several million Doomsday Coins. Money can sway hearts, so Song Jian had to take some precautions. City Lord, where did you find so many gold quality cooking ingredients? Thats amazing. This time, Song Dapeng is going to have a blast. With so many ingredients, his Master Level cooking proficiency will soar! Wang Qis face was full of astonishment. Seeing these materials, Wang Qi was dazzled. Permanent attribute-increasing materials, if only made into food, would almost be of comparable value to Attribute Fruits; You should know, now an Attribute Fruit is sold for up to one hundred fifty thousand Doomsday Coins, and thats with demand exceeding supply. If not for the fact that consuming too many of the same Attribute Fruit is ineffective, their price would have already skyrocketed even further; Song Jian smiled slightly. These gold quality ingredients were much more precious than the Attribute Fruits currently on the market. The Attribute Fruits available can only increase one to two attribute points, while even with his level nine cooking skills, Song Jian could make food that would increase 2 points. If Song Dapeng were to cook, the resulting food would probably increase attribute points by at least three, if not four or more; After its all done, we can give some to the brothers in the City of Hope Alliance as a benefit! said Song Jian with a smile; The City of Hope Alliance had become very selective about adding new players. Any player wanting to join the City of Hope Alliance had to undergo strict assessment, and even if they passed, they could only become peripheral members of the alliance. They were required to undergo a three-year probation period and make significant contributions to the alliance before they could become official members. Such stringent conditions would normally discourage many players, yet to Song Jians surprise, thousands of players swarmed the City of Hope Alliances registration office, eager to join the moment the conditions were announced. Wang Qis eyes sparkled as he realized that when Song Jian mentioned benefits for the alliance brothers, he was referring to those players who had followed them and fought to the death in the city-building task. These players were the core members of the alliance and naturally would be the first to receive any good items. Three days quickly passed. Song Dapeng, with red-rimmed eyes, laid out dish after dish on the conference room table. The table, twelve meters long and more than three meters wide, was filled with all sorts of foods, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, that just one glance could make anyones mouth water uncontrollably. Dapeng, what level is your cooking skill? Wang Qi asked, looking at Song Dapeng who appeared exhausted yet excited, teasing him. Master Level Nine! Song Dapeng said proudly. You must know, life skills are graded from one to ten, and reaching level ten is considered a milestone. After level ten, one advances to a Junior title. After Junior Level Ten, one progresses to Intermediate, and so forth, up to Master Level. Previously, Song Dapeng was only at Master Level Three, but after cooking over a hundred dishes with golden ingredients, he had shot straight up to Master Level Nine! Impressive! Wang Qi exclaimed in surprise. Whats the level above Master? It should be Grandmaster Level, but you must complete a certain task to advance to Grandmaster Level, Song Dapeng said, though no one had told him this information. It had come to him when he advanced to Master Level Nine. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mayor, please try some of these dishes. They can all permanently enhance attributes! Song Dapeng said to Song Jian with a beaming smile, Out of one hundred and thirty-six ingredients, Ive made seventy-eight of excellent quality and fifty-eight of perfect quality! Perfect quality? Song Jian glanced over the dishes, which all gave off a faint golden glow, with no obvious differences at the surface. Yes, the effect of the excellent quality food increases by 40%, and the perfect quality food by 100%. That is to say, food that originally could only increase an attribute by 3 points would increase it by 4 points if its of excellent quality and by 6 points if its of perfect quality! Song Dapeng explained. Song Jian nodded and began to taste the dishes one by one. After sampling a few dishes, Song Jians brow furrowed. He realized that his earlier assumption was somewhat off. Not all different recipes necessarily led to increased attributes. Within these dishes, some increased strength by 4 points, others by 5 points, and some even by 6 points. Although the dishes were different, Song Jian could only choose one type. If he ate a dish that increased strength by 4 points, then the dishes that increased it by 5 or 6 points would no longer have any effect on him. Chapter 844 - 845 Emerald Bamboo Leaves_1 Chapter 844: Chapter 845 Emerald Bamboo Leaves_1 Looking at the table full of food, Song Jians brows furrowed, which made Song Dapeng think Song Jian was dissatisfied, and he immediately became nervous; After trying a few more dishes, Song Jian found that although the effects of foods that increased the same attribute could not stack, if one dish only increased strength, while another dish increased both strength and agility, the effects of these two foods could stack; After being selective, Song Jian ate a total of thirteen dishes. With each dish adding an average of five attribute points, he gained over sixty attribute points in total, nearly equivalent to passing an A-grade first tier Combat Power assessment; moreover, both his Vitality Points and Spirit Points limits had also increased by five hundred; This time, Song Jians strength had greatly improved. The increase in basic attributes determined the improvement in Combat Power. It was an all-around enhancement whether it was in attack, defense, reaction speed, or the speed of action. Now, he could even confront an early second tier Combat Power opponent head-on. One must know that to reach second tier Combat Power, one needed to be at least level fifty, and Song Jian had just reached level thirty-nine; Song Dapeng, you did very well, and I am very satisfied, Song Jian said to Song Dapeng with a smile, Tell me, what kind of reward would you like as compensation? As long as its not excessive, I can fulfill it! Hearing Song Jian say he was satisfied, Song Dapeng, whose heart had been in his throat, immediately felt it fall back to his stomach, and he waved his hands continuously, saying, This time my cooking skill has improved to the ninth master level. Honestly, Ive taken advantage of the City Lord. How dare I ask for compensation? No need, no need at all! ... That wont do. You were the one I asked for help, and I heard that in order to prepare these dishes, you did not sleep for three days and nights, even developing a few recipes that have never existed before! Song Jian shook his head and said, If you have made an effort, there must be a reward! Even though Song Jian said this, Song Dapeng still persistently refused, and he was already sweating profusely in his anxiety; Wang Qi glanced at Song Dapeng and whispered into Song Jians ear, If the City Lord really wants to give him compensation, why not just give him the shop he is currently using to open his store? In the City of Hope Alliance, shops, like land within a territory, are leased and not for sale. All players who want to open a store must rent these shops; Desiring to start a restaurant, Song Dapeng had rented more than a hundred square meters of commercial space near the square. Hearing Wang Qis suggestion, Song Jian nodded slightly and said to Wang Qi, You handle that matter. Ill just need to sign off on it when the time comes. The sale of land within the city must be approved with the City Lord seal by Song Jian, otherwise, no one could sell even an inch of land; Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Old Song, you really scored big this time. You should know that no shop in the city has ever been sold before. To show his thanks, the City Lord has decided to gift you the shop youre using for your store! Wang Qi laughed heartily and patted Song Dapeng on the shoulder. What, what? Its given to me? Song Dapengs face was one of disbelief, then he burst into ecstatic joy, bowing repeatedly and thanking: Thanks, thanks, City Lord, thank you, City Lord! The cost of renting a shop in the City of Hope is not cheap. If Song Dapeng wasnt very confident in his cooking skills, he wouldnt have rashly opened a restaurant. Now being able to own a shop was like a pie falling from the sky for Song Dapeng, not only saving the monthly rent but also owning a property to call his own. After Song Dapeng left, Song Jian pointed at the table full of food and said to Wang Qi, Put all these in the Alliance warehouse, let the brothers exchange them for Contribution Points! Heh, those guys will be overjoyed! Wang Qi collected all the food and then secretly calculated his own Contribution Points, realizing he could exchange for at least four dishes, immediately a joyful expression appeared on his face. Song Jian set corresponding Contribution Points for these dishes. The more attributes a food item increased, the more Contribution Points it required. These dishes were much better than Attribute Fruits, each dish adding at least four attribute points, you couldnt buy such items on the market at all. By the way, have you allocated a location for the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn? Song Jian asked; I plan to set aside the location of the temple here! Wang Qi took out a map from his bag, marked with the entirety of Doomsday City, and pointed to a spot on the very edge of the City of Hope: This place is close to the biggest Abyssal Shadow instance in Doomsday City. If the Abyss invades us in the future, this will be the first place to be attacked, heh heh! After the release of the Abyssal Shadow expansion, many black pyramid-shaped buildings appeared in Doomsday City. These buildings, filled with the aura of the Abyss, are all instances. Inside, one could find plenty of high-quality equipment. And most importantly, Abyss class conversion proofs are produced from these instances. Players who aspire to become Abyssal classes attack these instances tirelessly every day. These instances vary in size; the smallest is for solo players, while the largest, the one Wang Qi was pointing to, is a forty-man instance. So far, no alliance or team has succeeded in conquering this largest instance. The final chapter of the Abyssal Shadow expansion is the Abyss invasion. At that time, these instances will become the bridgeheads for the Abyss to attack the human world. And this largest instance that Wang Qi pointed out might well become the biggest base from which the creatures of the Abyss launch their assault on the human world; Placing the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn near this instance means that when the Abyss invasion occurs, the temple will be on the front lines. Wang Qi intended to use it as cannon fodder; After looking for a while, Song Jian pressed his finger on that area and then moved it outward, saying, Put their temples location here! Upon seeing this, Wang Qi was stunned. The spot Song Jian had pressed was not within the City of Hopes territory at all and was less than three hundred meters away from the largest Abyssal instance; This was practically using the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn to block a gunhole! My Lord, this place, this place is not within our territory of the City of Hope yet! Wang Qi hesitated to say; Tell Cecilia, our city will continue to expand! Song Jian said with a slight smile; Harpy Valley Song Jian then entered Harpy Valley from the cave at Eagle Falcon Cliff. At this time, many Harpy monsters had respawned. Song Jian did not disturb them this time but went straight to the waterfall in the valley; Arriving at the pond beneath the waterfall, Song Jian took out several strips of meat and tossed them into the water. After a long while, with no monsters leaping out, Song Jian cautiously dived to the bottom of the pond; The bottom of the pond was silent. Song Jian approached the Vitality Jade Bamboo, and by now, it had regrown thirty emerald leaves. Each leaf was the size of a palm, appearing so thin as to be paper-like. He carefully plucked one and observed it. The emerald leaves began to emanate a soft golden glow once they were separated from the Jade Bamboo, clearly indicating they were items of gold quality; Vitality Jade Bamboo Leaf, rare treasure, Effect 1: Ingredient for potion-making, can be used to create Vitality Pills; Vitality Pills immediately restore 2800 Vitality Points, cooldown 60 seconds; Effect 2: Can be consumed directly, increasing 30-100 Vitality Points, with a limit of 5 leaves per person. Overconsumption may cause poisoning, leading to a permanent loss of physical attributes; Can be taken out of the game: Yes Chapter 845 - 846 Leaving_1 Chapter 845: Chapter 846 Leaving_1 Upon examining the properties of the Emerald Bamboo Leaf, Song Jians eyes suddenly lit upit was a treasure that could be brought out of the game! It was well known that items with such fantastic properties were often greatly restricted and could not be carried out of the game. However, this Emerald Bamboo Leaf possessed the attribute of being taken out of the game, which meant that the Vitality Pills made from it could very likely also be taken out of the game. In the real world, whether one is sick or injured, the most direct effect is a loss of Vitality Points. If one could have a Vitality Pill that completely replenished ones Vitality Points, then no matter the illness or injury, it would often heal immediately. Unfortunately, I dont have the method to make Vitality Pills, Song Jian sighed softly and put the Emerald Bamboo Leaf into his mouth. As soon as the Emerald Bamboo Leaf entered Song Jians mouth, it directly turned into a liquid, flowing from his mouth into his stomach, and a fresh and slightly bitter taste immediately filled his mouth. System: You have used the Emerald Bamboo Leaf, Vitality Points increased by 80. ... By then, Song Jians Vitality Points had reached 5650. An increase of 80 points was not very noticeable, but to the average person in the real world, 80 Vitality Points were almost double. After continuously consuming five Emerald Bamboo Leaves, Song Jians Vitality Points finally broke through to 6000 points. Although it wasnt an increase of 100 points every time, which was the maximum, each consumption added at least seventy to eighty points. Six thousand Vitality Pointsif I were to stand still, Im afraid it would take others over ten minutes to hurt me. In the real world, ordinary handguns, or even some rifles, are no longer a fatal threat to me. Even those high-powered sniper rifles, if they dont hit a vital spot, cannot kill me in one shot! Looking at his attributes, a confident smile appeared on Song Jians face. The bolder people become with increasing strength. At this moment, in the real world, the government had already started to search for game players, and in some places, they had even deployed troops to arrest them. The reason they dared to do this was because the current strength of the players was not enough to resist real-world firearms. But with Song Jians current strength, even without equipment enhancements, he was like a mini-Superman. If he wanted to escape, no one could catch him; and even in direct combat, if there was no heavy firepower, they wouldnt be a match for him. After picking all the Emerald Bamboo Leaves, Song Jian rearranged the Illusion Sword Array and sat down slowly at the bottom of the pool. The game time was almost up, and this time Song Jian didnt plan to stay on. He was ready to return to the real world. Five, four, three, two, one A line of system prompts appeared before Song Jian, asking if he wanted to leave the game and return to the real worldYes/No. After choosing Yes, Song Jians figure started to fade and soon there was no one at the bottom of the pool, as if Song Jian had never been there. The real world, early morning, the suburban area of Coastal City, Wang Hai Town. Wang Hai Town was located near the port area of Coastal City and resembled an urban village. Everywhere were two or three-story self-built little buildings rented out to outsiders, and many young people who came to work in Coastal City chose to live here. The main attraction was the cheap rent, though the trade-off was having to wake up an hour early every day to catch a bus into the city center. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The small courtyard where Song Jian rented had two buildings: one was a two-story building where the main family lived, and the other one was a three-story building specifically made for renting, with five or six rooms on each floor, just like pigeonholes. At that moment, the courtyard was quiet. The young workers had already left for work, and the morning sun shone warmly through the windows, illuminating Song Jians face comfortably. Just then, Song Jian heard the sound of the gate opening. Looking down, he saw the landlord leading two people in. Oh my, this place is the quietest, and the price is really cheap. Dont worry, I wont cheat you guys. You can ask around the townif anyone is renting cheaper than me, Ill refund your rent~ In the courtyard, a middle-aged man in his forties led a young man and woman into the small yard and escorted them toward the three-story building; This middle-aged man was named Liu Zhiqiang, who looked somewhat aged. His cheeks were slightly red, as if suffering from a lasting effect of being frequently blown by the sea breeze. His legs appeared to have some issues, walking with a slight limp, but he made a great effort to conceal it, moving very slowly. He was the owner of this small yard. According to himself, he had been a crew member on a hundred-thousand-ton ocean-going vessel, but later he fell ill and settled down in this little town, making a living by collecting rent; Uncle Liu, have you taken care of the thing I asked you to do? Song Jian stood on the second floor and called out to the courtyard loudly; The middle-aged man looked up at Song Jian, waved his hand, and said, In a minute, in a minute I will come to your room to talk about it, havent you seen I have guests right now, wait a bit~ Song Jian cracked a slight smile, closed the window, and turned back to his room to wait patiently. About twenty minutes later, Song Jian heard Liu Zhiqiangs footsteps in the hallway. He opened the door and saw that Liu Zhiqiang had a very cautious expression. He looked around, entered the room, and promptly locked the door behind him, gesturing to Song Jian; Young man, Ive found out the information you wanted. This afternoon, theres a cargo ship heading to the Philippines that can take you along. But as you know, smuggling isnt cheap. Did you bring enough cash? Liu Zhiqiang whispered to Song Jian; Dont worry about that; you wont be shortchanged, Song Jian said with a laugh. As long as I can get out quickly, money is not an issue! Alright! Liu Zhiqiang struck his thigh and said, The fare is fifty thousand, plus a ten percent handling fee. Any problems with that? Fifty thousand? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. Although not a local, after living in the city for seven or eight years and having some understanding of the prices for these human cargo businesses, he knew that a price of fifty thousand was quite outrageous; Fifty thousand is for a private room. If youre willing to squeeze into a cargo hold with dozens of people, twenty thousand is enough. Its your call! Seeing Song Jians narrowed eyes, an involuntary chill ran down Liu Zhiqiangs spine. He seemed to think of something, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he hurriedly spoke. The higher the price, the more he would earn in handling fees, so naturally, he wanted to make more money. But seeing Song Jians expression, Liu Zhiqiang felt inexplicably afraid and quickly changed his offer. Fine, fifty thousand then! Just dont cheat me, Song Jian suddenly revealed a smile, turned around, and took out sixty thousand yuan from a carry bag, handing it to Liu Zhiqiang. Relief washed over Liu Zhiqiang upon seeing Song Jians smile. Looking at the unopened stacks of cash in his hand, he beamed, Ill get you your change~ No need for that. Consider the extra as a running errand fee for you, Uncle Liu, Song Jian said with a smile; For ordinary people, its customary to not show off wealth while away from home. Someone like Song Jian, flashing cash around, seemed as if he was afraid others wouldnt know he was carrying a lot of cash. But with Song Jians current strength, he didnt care about these things at all. Just a moment ago, with a single glance, he had Liu Zhiqiang nearly prostrate in fear. Unless someone had a death wish, they wouldnt dare target him; Chapter 846 - 847: Board the Ship_1 Chapter 846: Chapter 847: Board the Ship_1 Song Jians generosity delighted Liu Zhiqiang. The extra ten thousand yuan was clearly his commission, equivalent to the fee he normally received for facilitating five or six people. If it had been an ordinary person showing such wealth, Liu Zhiqiang would probably have had dishonest intentions, but recalling Song Jians gaze, Liu Zhiqiangs heart shook, and all ill thoughts dissipated. He gave Song Jian repeated assurances and agreed on a time to leave in the afternoon before turning and walking out of the room. There are too many ruthless people around these days, all seeming like murderers with their sharp eyes. Damn it, maybe I should also go into hiding for a couple of days As Liu Zhiqiang walked slowly, he frowned and muttered to himself. Just after five in the afternoon, Song Jian carried a handbag and left the courtyard with Liu Zhiqiang, who drove an old van that was falling apart toward a desolate beach. This beach had not yet been included in the governments development plans, and even during the day, it was desolate. Now, as evening approached, not a soul could be seen, save for a solitary small boat drifting on the sea; There it is, boss. Take your stuff and get ready to board! Liu Zhiqiang said with a beaming smile; ... Song Jian nodded. He could feel that the small boat, which looked like an old fishing vessel, already had seven or eight people on it. It was only after boarding that Song Jian discovered the cabin was filled with others dressed just like him; Captain Fish, this is my relative. Please take extra care of him~ Liu Zhiqiang handed over a cigarette, smiling at a middle-aged man squatting at the bow of the boat; Right, as if every person you bring isnt your relative? Dont worry, they are all familiar with the ways here and wont break any rules! The man known as Captain Fish glanced at Song Jian and took the cigarette, saying; This one is different~ Liu Zhiqiang said with an ingratiating smile on his face; Alright, alright, you are always the slowest. Everyone is here, time to set sail, Ghost Head Qiang, see you later! Captain Fish clipped the cigarette behind his ear, waved at Liu Zhiqiang, and signaled his crew to start the boat; As the boats motor started and they gradually moved away, Liu Zhiqiang finally relaxed and turned towards his van; Being with Song Jian, Liu Zhiqiang felt uneasy all over and instinctively wanted to stay away from him. Only when Song Jian had boarded and left did Liu Zhiqiang start to feel slightly better; Song Jian sat in the cabin with a slight frown. A strong stench of fish and decay filled his nostrils. Looking around, he saw that the others planning to leave secretly had extremely uncomfortable expressions on their faces as well. Bear with it for now. This area is shallow, and big ships cant cross here. Once were at sea, youll be transferred to a bigger ship, Captain Fish walked into the cabin, took a deep breath almost as if enjoying it, and smiled; Soon, the group approached a large vessel. A soft ladder was lowered from the big ship, and a crew looked over the side, watching the smaller boat with an air of amusement; How are we supposed to climb up that? Its too difficult, what if someone falls into the water? a bespectacled fat man exclaimed in astonishment as he stared at the towering cruise ship; If you dont want to use the soft ladder, theres a cargo net beside it. You can ask the crew above to pull you up. Although this method is safe and comfortable, youll need to pay a service fee, Captain Fish looked the fat man up and down and said, Over a hundred pounds means double the fee! How, how much? the fat man asked, his complexion turning ugly. Not much, just six thousand. For you though, twelve thousand, Captain Fish laughed; What, thats outright extortion! the fat man blurted out in alarm. You can also choose the rope ladder; no one is forcing you! the chief fisherman said with a darkened expression. But Im only stopping here for half an hour. If you cant get on the ship by then, Ill throw you into the sea to feed the sharks! The fat man shuddered all over and hesitated for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and nodding. By now, some people had already started climbing the rope ladder toward the ships deck; Song Jian saw a teenager about seventeen or eighteen, agile in his movements, grabbing the rope ladder and scurrying up. In no time, he reached the deck. The rest, who had never encountered a rope ladder before, swayed and wobbled, some even let out sharp screams; The sailors gathered on the deck burst into laughter at the sight of these people clumsily climbing the rope ladder; The fat man at that moment sat in a basket, slowly being pulled up. A few sailors hauled the fat man onto the ship, their faces ugly with displeasure, slowly closing in to demand money; Hey, brother, why arent you going up? the chief fisherman, upon seeing Song Jian with a carry-on suitcase, frowned and asked. Ill wait until theyre all up; theres still plenty of time, isnt there? Song Jian said with a faint smile, making it clear he was not in the habit of making a spectacle of himself for others; The chief fishermans brow furrowed slightly, sizing up Song Jian from head to toe, he snorted coldly and said no more; Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Half an hour later, a ships horn sounded from the large vessel, and the chief fisherman started the motorboat. By now, three people were still on the rope ladder, slowly climbing upwards; Hurry up and get on, Im leaving. If you cant get on board, youll have to pay again next time, said the chief fisherman to Song Jian. Song Jian stood up, lightly stepped on the side of the boat, and soared towards the deck of the large ship like a large bird; What the heck! The chief fishermans eyes nearly popped out in disbelief. He couldnt fathom how a person could jump so high. With a height of fifteen to sixteen meters, almost equivalent to a buildings, to jump that high from a standing position, is this even a human! The sailors on the deck were also startle, their mocking laughter cutting off abruptly, all wearing expressions of disbelief as they looked at Song Jian. At that moment, Song Jian noticed that the teenager who had climbed the rope ladder swiftly didnt show a hint of surprise; instead, his face was playful as he stared at Song Jian, a faint, indiscernible smile tracing the corners of his mouth; Once everyone had boarded, the large vessel began to move slowly. It was a freighter, its deck stacked with many containers. Song Jian knew that inside one of those containers were all the people who had left secretly. Song Jian was taken to a cabin. The room wasnt big, just a few square meters. After squeezing in a single bed, it was difficult to fit anything else. But compared to dozens of people crammed in one container, this environment was undoubtedly much better; The trip to the Philippines would take about eight hours. Just as Song Jian was preparing to lie down and rest, he heard footsteps approaching from afar, stopping at his cabin door; Thump thump thump~ Knocks on the door followed by a teenager pushing open the half-closed door and walking in, looking at Song Jian with a smiling face; Chapter 847 - 848: Player Conference_1 Chapter 847: Chapter 848: Player Conference_1 The cabins on this cargo ship couldnt be locked from the inside. Seeing the youth push the door open, Song Jians brow furrowed slightly as he turned to stare at him. Player? the youth asked with a smile. You are one too, right? Song Jian sized up the youth and said. In the real world, it was not as easy to distinguish a player from an NPC as it was in the game; no names and attributes appeared above their heads. Everything had to be judged by oneself. Song Jians ostentatious leap from the fishing boat to the cargo ship was partly to show off his muscles, to avoid unnecessary trouble, and partly to see if there were any game players aboard the ship. When he stepped onto the deck, almost everyone had an incredulous, shocked expression. Only this youth showed no great surprise. At that moment, Song Jian took notethe youth must have witnessed similar powers before, making it highly likely that he was a game player. ... Song Jian was on his own, clueless about what to do next; he only wanted to avoid the scrutiny of the authorities and pursue what was called freedom. Hao Dong, a Level 33 Spirit Swordsman, my goal this time is to go to the Philippines to attend the players gathering. Your aim must be the same as mine, right? Hao Dong looked at Song Jian with a smile and said. Players gathering? Song Jian was taken aback, gave Hao Dong a look, and slowly shook his head, My player identity has been exposed. The place I was staying at isnt safe anymore, so I need to lay low for a couple of days! Hao Dongs heart skipped a beat at Song Jians words, and he took a step back, eyeing Song Jian warily, Did you break the law? No, what are you talking about? Song Jian was somewhat bewildered. Then why are you running? Hao Dong rolled his eyes and said, Its normal for a players identity to be discovered. If you want to join the authorities, you can get an extra subsidy. If not, they dont force you to do anything. Just dont stir up trouble, thats all! But Ive already seen the officials capturing players with my own eyes! Song Jian said with a slight frown Then that guy must have done something illegal. Hao Dong stated confidently, Otherwise, the authorities wouldnt capture him. Some people get abilities from the game and start thinking they are supermen, doing whatever they want, lawlessly. Ive heard some players even use their powers to kill people in the real world. Those guys are a blight, and if I ran into them, I wouldnt be lenient! And where did you get this information from? Song Jian asked. What, the authorities found out about you and didnt send you the notice to players? It explains everything in detail, Hao Dong asked. Song Jian was taken aback. Since he had discovered that officials were capturing players, he had left his rented room and didnt stay long in the villa he had bought before he hurriedly found a way to leave. Even if there were any notices to players, he probably wouldnt be able to receive them. Alright, alright, dont worry. Seeing how strong you are, I thought you were an old hand at this. I didnt realize youre a newbie, Hao Dong sighed, When you jumped up from that fishing boat just now, you must have used a skill. I thought your physical strength was really that formidable. Hao Dong walked into the room, shut the door, and plopped down on the bed, complaining, Fifty thousand bucks just for such a shabby place to stay. What a rip-off, more expensive than a five-star hotel. Song Jian glanced at Hao Dong. He hadnt heard of the Spirit Swordsman class before, but by intuition, it was at least a rare class. However, even against a Level 33 player like Hao Dong, with Song Jians strength and without any equipment attribute bonuses, killing him would just take a blink of an eye, especially since his Sky-breaking Sword could be taken out of the game. Whats this player gathering you mentioned? Song Jian asked. Its a meeting organized by gamers in Southeast Asia, to exchange information and equipment, and Ive heard they want to set up the largest player organization in Asia to unify all players so they can help each other out in the game, Hao Dong explained. Right, which game area are you in? asked Song Jian. Yinfeng City, a city abandoned for who knows how many years, filled with ghostly and undead monsters. Im sick of grinding them every day! Hao Dong glanced at Song Jian and asked, How about you? Where are you? Doomsday City, filled with zombies, Song Jian laughed. Hey, pretty much the same. Both of us are not so lucky, Hao Dong sighed, Ive heard that some people are born in a human main city, very safe, and they dont even need to grind monsters to level up every day. They just find a job in the city like going to work and can earn Experience Points! Song Jian smiled faintly. He knew what Hao Dong was referring to: those places like the City of Sin and City of Hymns. Although they were safe, they werent as comfortable as Hao Dong described. When players were born, they were very weak. Even if they found a job, they would be exploited by NPCs, and nearby monsters were mostly cleared out by the city guards, making leveling by killing impossible. These players generally had to perform tasks and find jobs in the city, patiently waiting until around level ten before leaving to level up by killing monsters. Although it was much safer than for those born in abandoned cities, the speed at which they could increase their strength was slow. If they couldnt join a significant power by then, it would be ten times more difficult for an individual to progress than for the players in Doomsday City. After chatting for over an hour, Hao Dong invited Song Jian to attend the gathering. Any person with a player identity could join, and after thinking it over, Song Jian nodded in agreement. Hao Dong had also been hoping to find someone to accompany him to the gathering and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Song Jian agree, preparing to take his leave. Just then, a dull thud resonated near them, and the entire cargo ship jolted. Song Jians face changed color; the vessel had been steady during the voyage and barely shook, and given it was loaded with cargo, an impact that could make it sway like that would have to be over three hundred tons. Be careful, something might have happened, Hao Dong said tensely, such a massive impact might be more than the cargo ship could withstand. For all they knew, at the point of collision, a crack might have already formed. If something were to happen to the ship, even though both of them were players, the idea of crossing the ocean on their own was completely unthinkable. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 848 - 849 Monster_1 Chapter 848: Chapter 849 Monster_1 Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian and Hao Dong reached the deck together, and by that time it was already 2 a.m. The surroundings were dim, and even with two searchlights, it wasnt possible to fully illuminate the vicinity; It looks like the ship should be fine. Hao Dong glanced around, observing that the crew didnt have expressions of panic, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if something had gone wrong with the ship, none of them would have been able to escape; Could it be that weve hit a reef? Hao Dong speculated. This is the deep sea, how could we possibly hit a reef? Song Jian sighed. He had sensed from the moment he stepped onto the deck that around the freighter, there was a creature over ten meters long circling the vessel incessantly, only that it was lurking in the sea and no one had discovered it. Sharks cant be that large, could it be a whale? How could there be whales in these waters? Song Jian frowned; This wasnt a game where the stronger a monster was, the larger its size was. Song Jian had seen monsters ten, twenty, even hundreds of meters long, but this was the real world, and such gigantic creatures were improbable; ... Just then, Song Jian suddenly sensed that the marine creature over ten meters long beneath the sea began to accelerate towards the freighter, seemingly aiming to strike the ship once more. Hold tight! Song Jian shouted loudly while gripping a handrail beside him tightly; Before the others could grasp what was happening, there came a dull thump from the left side of the cargo ship; Boom~ The entire ship tilted slightly to the right and then swayed back again. A sailor standing on the edge of the deck cried out in alarm and toppled over the side, falling into the water; Oh, damn it, the rope, Hongzi has fallen down another sailor yelled nearby; Just then, Song Jian sensed that the enormous marine creature beneath the ship swiftly passed under and headed towards the sailor who had fallen into the sea, floundering and trying to grab onto a rope that had just been cast down. Seeing Hongzi grasping the rope, the deckhands all exhaled in relief; as long as the distance wasnt too far, and they had a rope, these seafarers who dealt with the ocean year-round could quickly climb up with its help. Damn it, what on earth is it, and why is it attacking us! a sailor said through clenched teeth. Get the spearfishing gun, go get the spearfishing gun. Im going to give that thing a taste of a big shot! The bottom of the ship is already deformed, if it keeps ramming like this, were all done for! While they were speaking, Hongzi had already grabbed the rope and was pulling up half his body. His muscular arms tightly grasped the rope, climbing upwards. At that moment, a large dark shadow appeared beneath him, a gigantic shark suddenly leaped out of the water and swallowed him whole, leaving only his two arms still tightly clutching the rope, drifting near the bottom of the ship; A shark, how could it be a shark, why would there be such a big shark? a sailor saw the entire process of the shark swallowing and started talking to himself with a pale face; Song Jians expression was dark. When the shark leaped out of the water, he had shockingly noticed a row of eerie characters appear on the sharks head; Deep Sea Fury Shark, Elite Quality, Level 35, Vitality Points: 5000/5000 This was the kind of information that would only appear above monsters in the game, but this is the real world, how could there possibly be monsters from the game? Did, did you see that monster just now? Hao Dongs face turned pale; even in the game, he couldnt handle such a monster alone. If it were just an ordinary creature from the real world, Hao Dong wouldnt be worried, but if it were a level 35 elite BOSS from the game, with his power, hed likely have no chance to deal with it alone; However, he did have a companion by his side. Although he didnt know the extent of their strength, if the two of them joined forces, there was a good chance of killing this level 35 elite BOSS. Song Jian nodded and said, A monster from the game! Damn it, that rumor is actually true! Hao Dongs face turned ugly as he spoke through gritted teeth. Rumor? What rumor? Song Jian raised his eyebrows, unable to help asking; You wouldnt be someone who spends all day in the game and rarely returns to the real world, would you? How can you be so out of touch? Although that rumor sounds unbelievable, its still common knowledge, just that no one has really looked into it! Hao Dong looked at Song Jian with some surprise, feeling as if Song Jian was a novice who had just started playing; What exactly is the rumor! Song Jians expression darkened as he stared at Hao Dong. Hao Dong suddenly felt as if he had been cornered by a ferocious beast, a chilling sensation creeping up on him. It was then that he realized the gravity of his mistake; If humans can enter that damned game, why cant other creatures from the real world, including tigers, lions, and other wild beasts, enter the game world? Hao Dongs face turned deathly pale as he said in a low voice, If we humans enter the game and become game players, the Chosen, then what would other animals from the real world become when they enter the game? Monsters in the game! Song Jians heart sank as he spoke softly; Correct. Just like us, there will be many who cannot adapt to the game and get killed by the monsters in the game. The survival rate for those other creatures entering the game would be even lower, but, but Hao Dongs face showed a hint of fear. But some will survive, and not only survive, but thrive and perhaps even level up and evolve in the game, becoming existences like BOSSes! said Song Jian; So, there really are such beings! Hao Dong collapsed onto the ground. The real world had always been a safe haven for gamers. After waging battles in the game for too long, one would crave a period of tranquility and peace. If monsters from the game started appearing in the real world, could it still be called a safe haven? What difference would there be between the real world and the game world then? Rest assured, even if such monsters exist in the real world, their numbers wont be many, not like in the game, Song Jian consoled; Just then, Song Jian saw a burly sailor, with the cooperation of a few companions, swiftly assembling a crossbow. This weapon was more than a meter long, and the bolts themselves were as thick as a babys arm and more than a meter long; With the cooperation of three people, the crossbow slowly stretched, like a beast gradually opening its massive jaws, exposing its sharp fangs. When the bowstring was pulled to the maximum, the strong sailor held the crossbow with both hands, placed the bolt on it, and then stared intently at the sea surface, waiting for the monster to reappear; Chapter 849 - 850 Can’t Kill_1 Chapter 849: Chapter 850 Cant Kill_1 Right side, right side, its swimming over here! a sailor shouted, pointing at the sea. The sailor holding the harpoon gun, hefting the weapon that weighed over a hundred kilograms, ran to the right side of the cargo ship and placed the harpoon gun on the rail, aiming at the massive shadow beneath the ship and pulled the trigger; Boom~ With a muffled sound, the harpoon shot out toward the huge shadow beneath the water; Plop~ It was clearly visible that the harpoon hit the enormous creature under the water. The sailors cheered, as it seemed almost impossible to miss such a massive target; ... Be careful, the monster is injured, keep loading harpoons, everyone hold on tight, a wounded beast is the most ferocious, the sailor with the harpoon gun shouted loudly, knowing that with such a large body, it would be unlikely to hit a vital spot with just one arrow; Several people hurried over to help him reload, and everyone was confident they could drive away or even kill the creature; This giant harpoon gun was a private possession of the cargo ships captain. Usually, it was used for whaling, but it could only kill small whales three to five meters long; they had never hunted a marine creature more than ten meters long like they encountered today; At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing a crumpled suit, with a full beard and a fierce look on his face, walked out from the cabin. Seeing the strong man aiming the loaded harpoon gun at the sea, his eyes sparkled with excitement; Bazi, what is that thing in the water? the middle-aged man bellowed; Captain, its a shark, a shark over ten meters long! Bazi shouted back without turning his head. A shark over ten meters long? the captain with the fierce look was stunned and then started cursing, Bazi, have you been drinking again? What shark grows to over ten meters? Captain, it really is a shark, we saw it with our own eyes, it leaped out of the water and swallowed Hongzi whole! a crew member said softly. Yeah, yeah, Captain, we all saw it! a few others chimed in; The captains face darkened as he quickly walked to Bazis side and looked down into the water. When he saw the dark shadow under the water, he couldnt help but gasp; Damn it, how could there be such a big shark, have I gone back to the Jurassic Period? the captain muttered under his breath. Ive already hit it with one arrow, straight on target. It should be injured by now. If I shoot it a few more times, I should be able to scare it away! Bazi spoke softly; Is there a chance to kill it? This thing might fetch a good price! the captains eyes gleamed with greed. Captain, I think we should consider ourselves lucky if we can drive it away, Bazi said helplessly, as he triggered the harpoon gun again; Boom~ Another dull sound. The harpoon was fired, hitting the dark shadow underwater. Two harpoons, even a whale should be injured and flee, but the shadow under the water seemed to be enraged instead of retreating, still looming around the cargo ship, showing no sign of leaving; With a puzzled look, Bazi stared at the surface of the water, feeling that something was not quite right. Damn it, keep attacking, what are you dazing out for! The captain, seeing Bazis expression, slapped him on the shoulder and shouted loudly; Why do I feel like somethings off, like theres something I missed! Bazi murmured quietly. Is this the time to think about such nonsense, continue the attack, kill it, kill that monster! the captain yelled. Boom~ Once again, the giant shark beneath the ship charged towards the freighter, and Song Jian could even hear the grating sound of the steel hull twisting underwater; Do you think they can kill that monster? Song Jian shrugged and asked. How could they? Hao Dong exclaimed in surprise: Their current attacks are at best equivalent to those of rookie players, and without any enhancements at that. This is a level 35 elite boss; their attacks cant even break through the bosss defense. At most, they can force some health to drop, but with their current attack speed, they cant even keep up with the bosss health regeneration! Then why arent you taking action? Do you really want to swim to the Philippines on your own? Song Jian glared at Hao Dong and said; Just then, Bazi suddenly started screaming in horror: I, I know whats wrong now, blood, its the blood, this creature isnt bleeding at all, we, we cant hurt it! Crossbow bolts as thick as an infants arm, once they hit, even if the target was a giant whale, blood would have long stained the surrounding seawater red, but this shark, after being hit by two bolts, did not bleed a single drop. Demon, this is a demon, we simply cant kill it! Bazi seemed to have seen something terrifying and let the huge crossbow fall from his hands onto the deck. Watching Bazi stumble and rush towards the cabin, the captains face turned ugly; Damn it, how could we encounter such a monster! Just when everyone was at a loss, Hao Dong walked up to the captain and said, Ill take care of this monster, but besides refunding my ticket, youll have to upgrade my cabin as well. That single room is far too small; I can hardly stretch my legs in there! What, you can kill this monster? The captain was startled, then looked at Hao Dong with a face full of disbelief. Of course, as long as you agree to my terms! Hao Dong said; Just then, Song Jian coughed twice, and Hao Dong turned, pointing at Song Jian and said, Two people, refund both our tickets, and then arrange a new room for us! No problem, as long as you can kill this monster, Ill even give up the captains quarters to you! The captain glanced at the giant shark charging again at the freighter and said urgently: But you need to act fast. My precious ship might not last much longer; once theres a leak at the bottom, Im afraid well have to swim to the Philippines! Alright, leave it to me. Hao Dong picked up the huge crossbow from the ground, weighing it, and muttered to himself: This has at most the power of a level 5 or 6 common weapon. With that, Hao Dong actually pulled the bowstring of the huge crossbow by himself and mounted a crossbow bolt on it, a sight that left all the sailors dumbfounded and ghost-faced; No one had been able to draw that massive crossbow by themselves; it required the combined effort of two or three people just to draw it back, but afore them, this somewhat thin man effortlessly drew back the bowstring with the strength of a single arm. Hope ignited in the captains eyes as he stared intently at Hao Dong; Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 850 - 851 Small Island_1 Chapter 850: Chapter 851 Small Island_1 Hao Dong raised the whaling crossbow and aimed at the approaching monster shark, pulling the trigger; The triangular arrowhead of the crossbow bolt burst into dazzling light, like a light arrow shooting toward the giant shark; Sploosh~ A small spray of water splashed on the ocean surface. Then, the dark shadow rushing toward the cargo ship suddenly flailed violently and leapt straight out of the water, lunging towards Hao Dong; Damn it, only thirty-six points of damage? Even if the weapons rank is low, it shouldnt cause only this little damage! Hao Dong cursed as he saw the damage numbers floating above the sharks head; Seeing the leaping giant shark, Hao Dong disdainfully tossed aside the massive crossbow in his hand and raised his right hand high over his head as if gathering all his strength; ... Song Jian stood by, watching Hao Dong intently; it appeared he was executing a skill he had learned from the game, a skill that seemingly did not require a weapon to perform; Spirit Light Sword! With a light shout from Hao Dong, his raised right arm erupted in flames-like white brilliance, with myriad flames continuously flickering, making his right arm appear like a torch held high; Following Hao Dongs light shout, he chopped down fiercely with his right arm, and a blinding pillar of Spirit Light slashed toward the giant shark soaring through the air; The pillar of Spirit Light extended more than ten meters forward, brutally striking the giant shark, causing blood to splatter as a gash over three feet long appeared on the beasts body. Blood gushed out, turning the surrounding seawater red; Song Jian squinted, noticing an over eight hundred point critical damage number floating above the giant sharks head. Hao Dongs move must be an ace skill, and after using it, a trace of fatigue showed on his face; If I had my weapon, the damage could have been higher! Hao Dong glanced at Song Jian and said with a touch of reluctance, But from now on, its up to you. Without my equipment, I cant even exert half the power I have in the game! Alright, leave it to me, Song Jian replied with a smile, jumping onto the gunwale. He looked out at the sea, but his senses spread wide as mercury spilling to the ground, firmly locking onto the giant shark; Boom~ Another muffled sound came from the seafloor, and the cargo ship trembled violently. The thirty-five-level Elite BOSS seemed to have become even more frenzied after being injured; Song Jian realized that the BOSS, when ramming the cargo ship, would also take damage. Even in the game, a monster would absolutely not initiate an attack if it resulted in self-injury when targeting something; Could it be that theres something on this cargo ship that it must have? Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, the giant shark breached the water surface again, pouncing toward Hao Dong on the deck; The damage Hao Dong had inflicted was not minor, and at this point, its hatred was firmly fixed on Hao Dong. Seeing the giant shark lunging at him, Hao Dong showed a hint of fear on his face. His body instinctively wanted to retreat, but seeing Song Jian standing firmly on the gunwale, Hao Dong gritted his teeth and stood his ground; Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A smile appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth, and he extended his palm. A purple-red light blossomed in the center of his hand; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision! In an instant, more than a dozen long swords emitting spirit light illusions appeared around Song Jians body. With a gentle forward swing from Song Jian, these Spirit Swords all stabbed towards the Sea Shark monster; Boom Boom Boom~ After a series of violent explosions, the body of this Level 35 Elite Level BOSS viciously crashed into the sea, slowly sinking towards the ocean floor; Song Jian saw a wisp of transparent flame slowly rising from the body of the monster, unaffected by the sea, as if the transparent flame and the water were in two separate dimensions, not influencing each other, only overlapping in Song Jians line of sight. Real, really fake? Instant, instant kill? Hao Dong stared dumbfounded, his face full of shock. Unlike the other crew members who just felt Song Jian was incredible, Hao Dong knew how formidable one had to be to instantly kill a Level 35 Elite BOSS in the real world; Song Jian glanced at the item floating on the sea surface, emitting a blue light, and shook his head slightly. He said to Hao Dong, That equipment is for you! Hao Dong was stunned for a moment, then a look of surprise appeared on his face. Thank you, thank you, big brother! This was equipment dropped by a Level 35 Elite BOSS, perfectly suited for his usenot to mention, if he sold it, it could probably fetch tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins; Moreover, most importantly, this equipment had dropped in the real world, naturally possessing the attribute to be taken out of the game, which made it even more valuable; Since players dont get attribute points from leveling up, equipment is very important for enhancing a players strength. Owning this Level 30 and above blue equipment in the real world could, at the very least, double Hao Dongs strength; Hey, a blue-quality Double-handed Sword, just what I needed! Hao Dong jumped directly into the sea and picked up the blue-quality spoils of war; The other crew members could see the long sword, but they couldnt see the quality of light it emitted. Seeing Hao Dong picking up a Double-handed Sword from the sea, the ordinary crew members were very curious and puzzled, but not one dared to approach and ask. Checking the attributes, Hao Dong laughed heartily. This Level 35 Double-handed Sword, requiring Level 30 to equip, somehow had better attributes than his weapon in the game. The cargo ship had been hit several times by the Deep Sea Shark, and although it didnt break apart, the bottom of the ship was severely deformed and couldnt continue sailing. It could only manage to reach a small island, where it had to stop temporarily for repairs; This small island wasnt large, measuring just over a square kilometer, near the Dongsha Islands, and wasnt even marked on the map. Yet, Song Jian saw that on a rudimentary dock on the island, there were over a dozen sea vessels of various sizes moored. Some of the boats were as small as three to five meters, while others were even larger than the cargo ship Song Jian was on, including both cargo and fishing boats. What is this place, why are there so many boats? Hao Dong exclaimed in surprise; Well stay here for a couple of days, wait till we fix the ship before we leave, it wont delay you guys too much! The Captain, with his fierce-looking face, said with a trace of ingratiating smile, This place is a playground for the crew, theres everything on the island. If you two feel bored, you can go up and have a look. Just mention my name, Sea Wolf, and no one will dare to give you trouble up there. During the docking period, the people on the ship werent allowed to leave the ship, not even the crew. But, it seemed from what the Captain said, that he wanted Song Jian and his companion to go up and take a look. Even the crew members listening by the side, upon hearing that they could go on the island, showed excited expressions on their faces. Chapter 851 - 852: The Underling _1 Chapter 851: Chapter 852: The Underling _1 Hao Dongs face showed a hint of contempt as he listened to the captain describe the fun spots on the island. Hmph, whats so fun about this place? Its just some stuff not allowed by law. If I wanted to gamble, wouldnt I go to Macau or Las Vegas? And if I wanted to play with women Hao Dong suddenly paused, glanced at Song Jian, and forcefully swallowed the rest of his words before continuing, Its boring. Just fix the ship quickly, so it doesnt delay our business. Dont worry, dont worry, I wont delay a thing. Just a minor repair, and itll be good as new. This ships quality is absolutely reliable! the captain assured, pounding his chest, but as he glanced at the island, a hesitant expression flickered across his face. What, is there something else different about this island? Song Jian glanced at the captain and asked with a smile. There is, indeed! Not only is there a human combat arena, but theres also a beast-fighting pit where people battle wild animals! said the captain excitedly: Moreover, theres the largest black market transaction in the world here. Whatever you want, you can buy it here! Whatever you want, you can buy? Isnt that a bit of an exaggeration? laughed Hao Dong: So if I wanted to buy a potion of immortality, could I also find it here? ... As long as you can afford the price, even something as outlandish as immortality can be achieved here! the captain said with absolute certainty; Oh, in that case, this black market is something Im really interested in seeing, Song Jian chuckled; Haha, no problem. Ill have someone take you to the island right away. When you get there, just say that Sea Wolf referred you, and you can skip the entrance fee! the captain laughed heartily; Soon, two sailors pulled over a lifeboat, and after several people boarded, it was slowly lowered into the sea. The motor roared to life, and the lifeboat putt-putt-putted towards the small island; This island doesnt look very big. That captain made it sound like some metropolis! Hao Dong looked at the few ramshackle wooden houses on the small island and couldnt help but comment; Youre wrong there, said a sailor steering the boat: Those houses above are just for show. The real interesting places are all below. Below? Undersea? Hao Dong said, astonished. Not the seafloor, the sailor shook his head: Dont be fooled by the small size of this island. Below sea level, it gets bigger the deeper you go. The entire island, in fact, has been hollowed out. The space below is several times the size of what we see! Who on earth would undertake such a massive project? Hao Dong exclaimed. The idea of hollowing out an entire small island, ignoring the extensive manpower and resources, seemed unbelievable to him; he thought only a madman would consider such a venture. Who knows? But inside there, its quite fascinating. Some people call this place a sailors playground, but in reality, most of those who come here arent real sailors, the sailor beside explained; When was this place built? It must have taken at least a few years, if not decades, Song Jian said with a chuckle; Humph, with the amount of work involved, Id believe you if you said two or three decades! Hao Dong snorted; Its strange to say, but this sailors playground seems to have only appeared a few months ago. Ive never heard of it before that, and its nowhere near any known sea route. Few people ever come here, the sailor explained. Both Song Jian and Hao Dong were visibly shocked and exchanged glances. The time in the game world and the real world was slowly changing. Previously, an hour in the real world was equivalent to several months in game time, but now, slowly, the gap between game time and real-world time was closing; If it was indeed a matter of a few months, itd align precisely with the emergence of the game; Looks like we really need to check this place out, Song Jian said with a smile, glancing at Hao Dong; Hao Dong nodded solemnly; They quickly reached the dock near the shore in the lifeboat, and once ashore, a few sailors courteously led Song Jian and Hao Dong to a dilapidated wooden house; A few brawny men covered in tattoos were sitting together playing poker. Seeing the group enter, they didnt bother looking up, except for one man who glanced over while the others didnt even bother to lift their heads; Hey, Sea Wolfs men, you guys rarely come here. Whats up today, you guys got paid? the man who looked up eyed the newcomers and joked; Hey, dont even mention it. Encountered a monster at sea, a huge Shark over ten meters long damaged the ship, so we came to fix it. One of the sailors seemed to know him as well and quickly explained with a smile plastered on his face: Weve got two distinguished guests on board, and the boss had us bring them here to see the world! Since when has Sea Wolf gotten into the business of pimping? Another brawny man who had been looking down suddenly spoke up, lifting his head and staring at the group with a hint of menace in his eyes; S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing him, the sailors faces changed, and a look of fear appeared. Song Jian looked over to see the burly man wearing an eyepatch on his right eye and sporting two scars on his left cheek like those from a wild beasts claws, making him appear fierce; Water Ghost, the issue between you and our boss was already settled, werent it? one of the sailors spoke sternly, Youre not looking for trouble with us common crew members now, are you? He emphatically increased his tone on the words common crew member; Heh heh, of course. The matter between Sea Wolf and me would not involve you all Water Ghosts face twisted into a ferocious smile as he continued: I just want to ask about this monster encounter of yours. A Shark over ten meters long, do you think youre still living in the Jurassic Period? What kind of Shark did you come across, a Megalodon? Youre really lucky. Why dont you say you met Godzilla? Water Ghost, theres no need to lie to you. The corpse of that monster isnt too far from here. If you go now, you can still find it at the bottom of the sea, 1500 meters down. At the very least, you can surely see some remains, said a sailor with a stern face. The sailor was clever enough not to reveal that the monster was killed by Song Jian and Hao Dong, nor did he mention their names, which added credibility to his story. After that, he no longer paid attention to the brawny man called Water Ghost and led the others towards the backyard of the wooden house; Water Ghost watched their retreating figures, an aggressive look in his eyes, and glanced at the others, asking: A Shark over ten meters long, do you believe it? Chapter 852 - 853: Abyss Player_1 Chapter 852: Chapter 853: Abyss Player_1 The brawny men playing poker all showed a mocking expression when Water Ghost mentioned the shark over ten meters long, clearly incredulous that there could be such a shark in these waters; All these men had been sailors before, with at least a decade of experience each. They had heard every ocean legend there was, but most were just tall tales among sailors, none of them true. Yet Water Ghost appeared contemplative, gazing toward the backyard where a few had entered. After a while, he threw his cards onto the table and said, Im going to have a look! Without further ado, Water Ghost headed for the backyard. Whats gotten into Water Ghost? Hasnt the feud between him and Sea Wolf been resolved? asked one of the brawny men, puzzled, as he watched Water Ghost walk away. Resolve a familys grudge just like that? Impossible! Another burly man picked up the cards to reshuffle and deal to the players. ... But wasnt it said that the Jazz had mediated between them? someone lamented while glancing at their hand, then threw their cards down on the table in annoyance. Of course, thats certain. As long as Jazz is around, I believe their issues are settled, but dont forget, Jazz is already over seventy. Tell me, what will Water Ghost do when Jazz one day passes away? The dealer slowly fondled the cards in his hands, a hint of excitement on his face. Gun down Sea Wolf at his home? shrugged one of the brawny men, unconcernedly. Thats why I have no plans to marry! said another, laying down his cards gently, Three hundred, anybody want to call? First, youd have to find a girl who would even look at you. Ill call with five hundred! laughed the one who began dealing, as he threw a few bills onto the table; Song Jian and Hao Dong followed a few sailors to the backyard, a barren space with only a few apartment blocks lined up. One of the sailors excitedly took out a card, swiped it at the entrance of the first building, and the large door to the apartment opened for them to enter; For just ten thousand yuan, you can get a card like this, but this lowest-level White Card only lets you go down to the third floor. There are also Green Cards, Blue Cards, and Silver Cards that go deeper, and its said the further down you go, the more fun there is. As for the immortal substance youre talking about, I bet youd have to go where the Silver Card goes to even have a chance to buy it! the sailor said with a grin; Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So youre saying, you actually arent sure whats really down here? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked; Some things, weve truly never seen with our own eyes, but you cant doubt their existence. Trust me, once youre in here, you can have everything! the sailor said seriously; Taking the elevator, they went all the way down to the third underground level. Before the elevator fully stopped, Song Jian heard the noisy tumult coming through the elevator gap, and noticed the sailors already eager and restless. When the door finally opened, the sailors waved to Song Jian and Hao Dong before rushing out; Song Jian and Hao Dong stepped out of the elevator somewhat baffled. The scene before them was identical to a nightclub in a typical big citywith the DJs loud music, the air thick with the scent of perfume and alcohol, dim laser lights flickering on bustling figures, and a few shabbily dressed girls wildly writhing on stage. So we paid fifty thousand yuan to take a smuggling boat here, just to end up at a nightclub? Hao Dong said, his face an expression of disbelief. Dont say it like that, didnt the captain give you the fifty thousand yuan? Song Jian glanced at Hao Dong as he spoke; Just then, a young man in a suit slowly approached and shouted loudly, Is this your first time here? Do you need a guide? Oh, how do you charge? Song Jian looked at the young man and smiled as he asked; Very cheap, just a thousand yuan for one day! the youth shouted, holding up one finger; Damn Hao Dong was immediately angered, feeling as if the other party was trying to extort them. Song Jian raised his hand to stop Hao Dong from getting angry and nodded, Okay, a thousand! Whats your name? Hey, my name is Zhao Guoming, but you can call me Mingzi. Song Jian had already noticed that this third level underground wasnt just the nightclub-like place before his eyes. Outside, it was almost like a small town, and he even spotted many people who seemed to be game players, wandering around the town; Lets go, lets take a walk outside, its too noisy here, Song Jian said; Zhao Guoming nodded and was about to lead the two men outside when he suddenly paused. In the midst of the noisy music, where even he had to shout to make himself heard, the man before him seemed to be speaking normally, but his voice came through to Zhao Guomings ears crystal clear; Gentlemen, this way, please! Zhao Guoming immediately became much more respectful, leading Song Jian and Hao Dong outside; After passing through another corridor, they stepped onto the streets outside. Zhao Guoming took a deep breath, and his entire being relaxed; To tell the truth, Im not really used to places like that, Zhao Guoming said, touching his nose with a slightly embarrassed expression; Song Jian and Hao Dong paid him no mind and started looking around. The streets here were narrow, but the shops on both sides were almost as good as those in the big cities, probably because of the limited land area. After all, they were only on the third level underground, which was only about a third larger in area than the island above; Noble guests, may I ask why you are here? Zhao Guoming asked respectfully, Are you in search of power, here for trade, or simply to relax and have fun? Oh? Are there so many considerations here? Song Jian asked with a smile, unable to help but glance at a young girl passing by him; She was a girl with Eastern European heritage, her chestnut-red hair like a flaming fire, dancing with her movements, and her figure was outstanding, catching the eye. Hey, BABY! The beautiful girl, noticing Song Jians gaze, wasnt bothered; instead, she blew him a kiss and passed by with a smile; Smoking hot! Hao Dong stared at the back of the girl, swallowing hard, his eyes almost following her as she walked away; Shes also a player, very strong! Song Jian slightly turned his head and whispered into Hao Dongs ear, audible only to the two of them. Song Jian sensed the aroma of the Abyss from this girl, she was a professional player of the Abyss! Chapter 853 - 854 Mage_1 Chapter 853: Chapter 854 Mage_1 Seeing the player emanating an Abyssal aura, Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. This player did not have the obvious characteristics of an Abyssal player, such as purplish-blue scales, sinister magic patterns, or the horns on their head. They looked just like ordinary humans, perhaps because they had a special disguise after entering the real world, or maybe because these features simply could not manifest in the real world. For the sake of your safety, I suggest you stay away from that beautiful lady, Zhao Guoming said with a tense face, There are many powerful people here, especially that lady called Enchantress; anyone who gets involved with her ends up in a bad situation. Song Jian smiled slightly and said to Zhao Guoming, Tell us about something interesting here. Were not here just for fun. Song Jian found that despite the number of entertainment facilities here, they still couldnt compare with a big city, at best they were on par with the entertainment level of a second or third-tier city. But there must be something special about this place to attract so many people; ... Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Of course, esteemed guests, why dont we go check out the Magic Tower here? They do aptitude testingjust a small fee will allow us to test whether you have the ability to become Mages. If you do have the aptitude, you can learn those cool spells from the Magic Tower! Zhao Guoming said with a beaming smile; Magic Tower? Testing for magical aptitude? Hao Dong, his face full of surprise, whispered, Damn, theres no such place in the game, and yet it exists in the real world. Im starting to have trouble telling which is reality and which is the game! How do you know there isnt a Magic Tower in the game world? Song Jian glanced at Hao Dong, then nodded to Zhao Guoming to lead the way; In reality, there was a Magic Tower within the City of Hopes territory. When it was upgraded from a Level 6 Manor to a city, constructing a Magic Tower was a mandatory requirement. The Magic Tower of the City of Hope had already been upgraded to level 3, but the library of magic books within was not extensive, and the wizard presiding over the Magic Tower would perform magical aptitude testing for the children under twelve in the City of Hope for free every month. If they had the aptitude, they would be taken on as Magic Apprentices. However, for ordinary NPCs to become Mages was incredibly difficult, with apt candidates being one in a hundred thousand. Until now, the Magic Tower of the City of Hope only had three Magic Apprentices; The reason Song Jian wanted to visit the Magic Tower in Sailors Paradise was to understand what differences it had compared to the Magic Tower in the City of Hope; Soon, the three of them arrived at the very edge of the subterranean third-floor area, where Song Jian could even see the uncarved black rocky outer wall. Here, a stone tower that appeared to be only three stories high came into view. Isnt this a bit too shabby? Hao Dong frowned and said; Havent you heard the saying, dear guest, Its not the height of the mountain, but the dragon within that makes it magnificent? Zhao Guoming laughed; Shouldnt it be the presence of immortals makes the mountain famous? Hao Dong looked at Zhao Guoming with disdain and said; Its the same, all the same, hehe. Esteemed guests, would you like to give it a try? Zhao Guoming said; Lets go take a look, Song Jian glanced at the simple stone tower and could indeed feel a surge of magic pulsing within it. It seemed that this was indeed a Magic Tower, although the person who built it must not have been skilled in construction, otherwise it wouldnt look like this. Walking into the stone tower, Song Jian saw that the vast first floor contained only an office desk and a chair. A man dressed in a gray mages robe was lounging with his legs propped up on the desk, eyes closed in repose, a Magic Staff emitting a blue-quality glow casually placed on the table beside his legs; My lord, these two distinguished guests would like to test their magical aptitude! Zhao Guoming said with a fawning smile to the reclined man; Looking over at him, Song Jian saw that the man was only a level 25 mage class. For players, such a level was quite low, but in the eyes of ordinary people in the real world, a level 25 player in possession of magic was both mysterious and powerful. This was evident from Zhao Guomings attitude towards him, which was respectful but tinged with a hint of fear, as well as envy. Five thousand dollars each. Place your hand on that crystal ball, one by one. If the crystal ball lights up, it means you have magical aptitude. If not, then youre just a Muggle! The mage said lazily without even opening his eyes. Five thousand? And in dollars? Damn, do mage jobs earn money like this? If I had known, I wouldve chosen the mage class, Hao Dong muttered softly. Hmm? The reclined mage suddenly opened his eyes and looked over at them: Players? The mage asked tentatively, and seeing Song Jian and Hao Dong smiling amiably at him, the mage immediately understood and his expression soured: You two arent here to cause trouble, are you? Your classes are already fixed, so why come to test for magical aptitude? Were here for the first time and didnt know that this place isnt open to players! Song Jian said with a smile. After handing over a thousand dollars and sending Zhao Guoming away, he spoke to the mage: Perhaps you can tell us what exactly is going on here, why is there a building that only exists in the game? This place is known as Sailors Paradise, but its actually established for players like us! the mage explained. Welcome to this place, which you can actually call Players Paradise. This is essentially a gathering and exchange spot for all players on earth. Oh, then whats the purpose of that player conference in the Philippines? Song Jian raised an eyebrow and asked curiously. He always felt that the so-called player conference had some intricate connection with this Players Paradise; Actually, the ultimate destination of that player conference is also here! the mage replied. Since its your first time here, take these two badges, As he spoke, the mage drew two silver-quality badges from his chest and handed them to Song Jian and Hao Dong: Silver badges allow access to areas below the ninth floor of the underground, except for the deepest thirteenth floor, which you can enter freely in all other areas! What is this thirteenth floor? Song Jian inquired curiously; Thats a place only accessible to members with golden badges. As long as you have enough Contribution Points, you can exchange for a golden badge! the mage said with a smile: Like me, for example, guarding this Magic Tower, I earn ten Contribution Points every day. Once I accumulate ten thousand points, I can get a golden badge. It really is just like in the game Song Jian played with the silver badge, a playful smile appearing on his face. Chapter 854 - 855: The Treasure of the Store_1 Chapter 854: Chapter 855: The Treasure of the Store_1 After hearing the explanation from the Mage, Song Jian suddenly developed a strong interest in this players paradise. Moreover, for players, the true currency here turned out to be the Contribution Points mentioned by the Mage, rather than the earth currency which would only be effective for those ordinary humans who entered; Just like in the games alliance, Contribution Points could be exchanged for many good things, various elixirs produced in the game, equipment, special alchemy blueprints, smithing blueprints, and so on, and there might even be items that permanently increased attributes. Although the variety of items wasnt as rich as in the game, it still broadened Song Jians horizons. Some items that he had only heard of were available here. What surprised Song Jian the most was that this Mage had actually heard of the recipe for Vitality Pills; Following his guidance, Song Jian and Hao Dong came to a shop that looked somewhat shabby. The shop was filled with the scent of herbal medicine. The front hall had display cases with trays inside, each holding pills the size of longan fruit. These pills varied in color and emitted a faint glow from their surfaces, suggesting they were anything but ordinary. Below these trays were small cards detailing the names and uses of these alchemy pills; ... Song Jian discovered that Alchemy should be a type of life skill similar to Alchemy in the game. Compared to the liquids of Alchemy, Alchemy mostly produced powders or pills that had effects similar, yet there were also many unique aspects; For instance, the reddish pill before Song Jian was also called Vitality Pills, but the card described that its main ingredient was a herb called Vitality Grass rather than bamboo leaves; However, the effect of these Vitality Pills wasnt very impressive, only increasing Vitality Points by 50. For ordinary people with only about a hundred Vitality Points, it would be considered a miraculous elixir that could bring the dead back to life, but for Song Jian, even if it were given to him for free, he would consider it a waste of inventory space; The rest of the pills also mainly had average effects, only suitable for ordinary people or total novices in the game who were below level ten. After browsing for a while, Song Jian and Hao Dong shook their heads slightly; Hao Dong said, At this level, its probably only level three or four Alchemy Skill. For us, its just too low-end! Heh, Alchemy, this lifestyle profession is actually the first Ive seen, not very different from Alchemy, but the effects seem to be more or less the same! Song Jian laughed; Just then, a voice came from upstairs, Alchemy is the orthodox skill from Huaxia Daoism, it is countless times stronger than those barbaric Alchemy Skills! Both lifted their heads to look, and a girl in her twenties with a ponytail, wearing a green robe, with sparkling eyes, smiled at Song Jian and Hao Dong as she slowly descended the stairs, I am Meng Tiantian, a level three Alchemist. The items on the first floor are only for those ordinary people. If you two have any needs, please come upstairs to take a look. A level three Alchemist? Hao Dong exclaimed in surprise, Your Alchemy Skill has already reached the Master Level? Meng Tiantian just smiled at him, not saying a word, but gesturing for them to come upstairs; Lets go, lets take a look upstairs, maybe there really are some good things. Hao Dong walked quickly with an excited face, knowing that even in the game, it wasnt easy for regular players to meet a Master Level professional in a lifestyle profession. A Master in blacksmithing or engineering or alchemy was already capable of making transcendent items, not much different in quality from those produced by the system; Song Jian also headed toward the stairs. As he reached Meng Tiantian, he paused and asked softly, In the real world, how do you acquire the herbs for making those alchemy pills? Sorry, thats a secret, not to be told to outsiders! Meng Tiantian declared with a look of self-satisfaction; By the way, I want to start by learning how to make Vitality Pills. I wonder if you could teach me? We can negotiate the fee! Song Jian said with a smile; On the first floor, he had seen that Vitality Pills were probably the easiest in Alchemy Skill, akin to the basic healing potion in Alchemy. It shouldnt be too difficult. You want to learn Alchemy Skill? Meng Tiantian expressed with a face full of surprise. No! Song Jian shook his head and said, I dont want to learn the entire Alchemy Skill, just how to make Vitality Pills! Isnt that the same as wanting to learn Alchemy Skill? Meng Tiantian remained unchanging in expression, If you want to learn how to make basic healing potions, dont you have to learn Alchemy first? Song Jian was taken aback, then nodded and said, You have a point. So, whats the price to learn Alchemy Skill? Although Vitality Pills were easy, the main ingredient was Vitality Grass. Song Jian planned to learn and use bamboo leaves as a substitute for Vitality Grass to see if he could create a different kind of Vitality Pill; Hmph, I wont teach you! Meng Tiantian glanced at Song Jian, lifted her head, and said coldly, then headed towards the second floor; A wry smile appeared on Song Jians face. It seemed that his words had just offended the young lady; If the pills on the second floor are useful to me, Ill buy extra, as an apology, thought Song Jian. When Song Jian reached the second floor, he saw Hao Dong staring at the dazzling array of pills behind the counter, his mouth practically watering. Battle recovery pills, my god, and they only have a two-second cooldown? Hao Dong exclaimed aloud; You should know that consumables that can be used during battle, like healing potions, often have a long cooldown. Advanced Healing Potions have a cooldown of five minutes, so in a fight, you can use at most one bottle; However, the pill in front of Hao Dong could restore more than a thousand Vitality Points in battle, which was better than the effects of an Advanced Healing Potion, and it only had a shockingly short two-second cooldown; If I had a lot of these blood recovery pills, couldnt I take on a BOSS by myself? Hao Dong shouted, since a BOSS of the same level, apart from having strong attacks and defenses, its most formidable aspect is having Vitality Points several times or even dozens of times more than that of a regular player. If Hao Dong could use these pills during battle, he could easily wear down a BOSS of the same level; Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian glanced at the pills on the second floor, which were truly worthy of being crafted by a Master Level Alchemy Skill practitioner. There were not only pills for restoring Vitality Points and Spirit Points but also ones that temporarily increased attributes, dispelled diseases, and curses. Most importantly, Song Jian also saw two Second Transformation Golden Pills radiating faint golden light, capable of one-time enhancement of all attributes by five points! How much for these Second Transformation Golden Pills? Song Jian asked, pointing at the two golden pills displayed prominently in the most conspicuous countertop; Hmph, those are the treasures of our shop, for display only, not for sale! Meng Tiantian glanced at Song Jian and said with pride. Chapter 855 - 856 Second Transformation Golden Pill_1 Chapter 855: Chapter 856 Second Transformation Golden Pill_1 The second floor is only allowed for players to go up, and commoners are prohibited from ascending. Therefore, ordinary people simply cant come into contact with the elixirs on the second floor. After all, the effects of the elixirs on the first floor are already considered miraculous to them. Too much of a good thing can be harmful, and if they were to see the elixirs from the second floor, they would only find it absurd and believe that the shop was swindling people. In the eyes of common people, the elixirs from the second floor are the kind that only immortals can concoct, they are elixirs of immortality; how could mortals possibly refine such a thing? Thus, they would surely doubt the authenticity of this shop! Meng Tiantian showcased the Second Transformation Golden Pill mainly for the other players to see. On one hand, it demonstrated her own strength, and on the other, it was not without an element of showing off. Seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of Song Jian and Hao Dong, Meng Tiantian felt as sweet as honey inside, very proud of herself, and she didnt try to hide it. She let her pride show blatantly in front of the two men with a admire me, worship me, hurry up and kowtow to me demeanor. This thing, even in the gaming world, must be worth a fortune, right? Hao Dong said, his tongue nearly tying itself in a knot; even in the game, he had never encountered such high-level goods, let alone in the real world. ... Can I exchange something with you for it? Song Jian asked with a smile; such an elixir was beyond the purchasing power of any currency in the world. If it really could be bought, he suspected that those tycoons on the Forbes list would be willing to trade their entire fortune and life for these two pills! Oh? Items from the game, you say? Show me what youve got, Meng Tiantian said languidly. She had encountered many players who made such requests, but the items taken out from the game were either of very average quality, or she simply found them uninteresting, to say nothing of their value compared to the Second Transformation Golden Pills she crafted; Song Jian gave a slight smile and pulled a green bamboo leaf from his inventory, placing it in front of Meng Tiantian; At the sight of this bamboo leaf, Meng Tiantians face initially displayed scorn, but soon, a seriousness crept over her features. The leaf radiated a faint fragrance that only those with a keen sense of smell could detect, and clearly, Meng Tiantian was no ordinary person; She looked at the bamboo leaf intently for a long while, then, raising her head, she asked Song Jian, May I touch it, to see its properties? Song Jian nodded and gestured for her to proceed. Meng Tiantian gingerly touched the bamboo leaf with her fingertips, as delicately as if the leaf were a fragile treasure. My god, it really is a rare treasure from heaven and earth. How did you come by such a treasure? Meng Tiantians face was full of amazement as she looked up at Song Jian, her eyes revealing shock. Its just a pale golden plant, whats the big deal? Hao Dong glanced at the bamboo leaf and muttered under his breath. What do you know! Meng Tiantian rolled her eyes at Hao Dong, flipped open the lock of the display case, picked up a Second Transformation Golden Pill, and tossed it to Song Jian, saying, Trade, one emerald treasure bamboo leaf for one Second Transformation Golden Pill! Song Jians eyes lit up. He caught the Golden Pill, but his gaze remained fixed on Meng Tiantian. Meng Tiantians recent actions were quite bold, as though she didnt care about this treasure of the shop, whereas she seemed to value the emerald bamboo leaf even more; A Second Transformation Golden Pill shouldnt be anything remarkable to her eyes, she might be able to refine even stronger elixirs, maybe a third, or even a fourth, fifth Transformation Golden Pill? Song Jian speculated in his mind. The Second Transformation Golden Pill in his hand had a consumption limit of two pills per person, which meant it could instantly boost all attributes by 10 points. If Song Jian had gotten his hands on these two Second Transformation Golden Pills when he first entered the game, his path in the game would have been much easier; After glancing at the other Second Transformation Golden Pill in the display case, Song Jian directly took out another bamboo leaf and said, Another one! Meng Tiantian was taken aback and stared at the bamboo leaf in Song Jians hand, then looked at the one in her hand, her face showing a puzzled expression. She even took out a pill from her bosom and swallowed it, then looked towards the leaf in Song Jians hand; S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Damn it, such a precious material, and you have two of them! Meng Tiantian said through gritted teeth. She then opened the display case, took out the remaining Second Transformation Golden Pill, and handed it to Song Jian. Song Jian didnt hesitate, and swallowed the two Second Transformation Golden Pills right away. Meng Tiantian wore a look of anticipation for the drama that was about to unfold. Only after Song Jian had swallowed both pills in one go did she slowly say, The power of the Second Transformation Golden Pill is fierce, its best to dissolve it in water before taking it. Moreover, there should be a seven-day interval between taking two such pills to avoid discomfort. She hadnt finished her sentence when Song Jian felt a powerful heat surge from his stomach, spreading towards his limbs and bones. His entire body felt as though it was roasted by an intense flame, his skin turning as red as a cooked shrimp, and wisps of faint steam emanated from his pores; Seeing Song Jians state, Hao Dong was instantly enraged, pointing at Meng Tiantian and shouting, Why didnt you say that sooner! Meng Tiantian chuckled slyly, casually saying, You didnt ask me, and besides, he acted so fast I didnt have the chance to say it! Hao Dong, frustrated and unable to hold back, drew the blue-quality sword he had been clutching. Meng Tiantians expression changed, and she quickly waved her hands, Dont worry, dont worry, its fine. He might suffer for a moment, but it wont cause any damage to his body. Plus, because the power of the pill has erupted all at once, it will expel impurities from his body, equivalent to marrow cleansing and meridian cutting. His physique will even improve slightly! Hao Dong, dont attack! Song Jians face was flushed, but there was no sign of pain on his face. He raised his hand to stop Hao Dong, smilingly looking at Meng Tiantian, The power of the medicine is indeed strong. I wonder if Miss Meng has any better pills, I would like to exchange items for those! Meng Tiantian looked at Song Jian as if he were a monster. Even she would not dare to endure the ferocious power of swallowing two Second Transformation Golden Pills at once. Although marrow cleansing and meridian cutting were beneficial to the body, the pain was not something ordinary people could bear; But now, having taken two Second Transformation Golden Pills, Song Jian was able to speak in less than a minute, which made Meng Tiantian feel as though the pills she made were fake; Are you, you alright now? Meng Tiantian asked cautiously; Still good! Song Jian replied with a smile; At that moment, Meng Tiantian suddenly thought of another possibility, causing her face to abruptly change. Chapter 856 - 857: Peaceful Heart Tea_1 Chapter 856: Chapter 857: Peaceful Heart Tea_1 Meng Tiantian stared at Song Jian, uttering each word deliberately, To be able to fully absorb the energy of two Second Transformation Golden Pills in such a short period, you either must have an extraordinary physical constitution that completely disregards the strength of the pills, or the potency of my two pills has diminished. However, I can assure you that these two pills were made just three days ago and there is no chance that their potency has diminished. Thus, there remains only one possibility who exactly are you? Who I am is not important. As far as youre concerned, I am just an ordinary customer who wishes to purchase the alchemy pills that you have on offer! Song Jian said with a smile. In the game he had played before, his attributes had surged enormously, and now they had suddenly increased by another ten points across the board, giving him a sensation of not being able to control his own strength; Even Hao Dong and Meng Tiantian felt that the person before them had suddenly become almost unreala moment he seemed like a towering mountain or a raging ocean unleashing monstrous waves, the next he seemed like an ordinary person from the real world; I dont have any better alchemy pills left. I am closing shop now, both of you, please leave, Meng Tiantian said, essentially throwing them out; Song Jian, noticing her tightly holding two bamboo leaves, asked with a laugh, Are you about to start making Vitality Pills with them? I wonder if I could watch? If the Vitality Pills you make meet my requirements, perhaps we could form a long-term partnership! ... The Jade Treasure Bamboo would grow thirty leaves every ten days. Initially, Song Jian had wanted to study Alchemy Skill and make Vitality Pills himself, but in reality, he neither had the energy nor the time. Even the engineering manufacturing and Alchemy skills he had mastered had not been improved for a long time, still lingering at the elementary levels five and six; Moreover, if he were to start learning Alchemy Skill from scratch, as well as the production of Vitality Pills, it would likely result in a massive wastea waste that would not be just a few hundred or thousand Doomsday Coins but could amount to hundreds of thousands, or even millions of Doomsday Coins. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing this shop and meeting Meng Tiantian gave Song Jian a sudden flash of insight. He could completely entrust Meng Tiantian with making the Vitality Pills, similar to how he had others prepare the Miraculous Snake Meat. Letting professionals handle professional tasks was the best way to maximize benefits; Hmph, collaborate? What qualifications do you have to collaborate with me? Meng Tiantian said pompously, her nose turned up in arrogance: Unless you can produce ten more leaves like these, its best if the two of you leave quickly. Dont think that just because I am an alchemist, Im easy to bully. You should know that Oh my god, you actually have so many! While she was speaking, Song Jian had already taken out twenty Jade Treasure Bamboo leaves from his bag, placing them one by one on the display counter, grinning at Meng Tiantian. Now, are you interested in discussing a partnership with me? Song Jian asked with a smile; At that moment, Meng Tiantians face was a picture of shock; she stared blankly at Song Jian for a full ten seconds before her expression suddenly changed, blooming into a bright smile; Esteemed guest, please, come upstairs. The tea I brew is quite good. Shall we go up and talk over a cup of tea? Meng Tiantian said gently, curtseying to Song Jian with a sweet voice; Very well, Song Jian nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he gathered the twenty Jade Treasure Bamboo leaves and walked leisurely towards the staircase; Meng Tiantians eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Song Jian collect the Jade Treasure Bamboo leaves, a faint look of distress flashing across her face, but it quickly disappeared, and she followed behind Song Jian slowly towards the upstairs. Ah, in that case I Hao Dong said anxiously, stepping forward, ready to follow upstairs, but Meng Tiantian stretched out her hand to stop him and said fiercely, The alchemy area is off-limits to outsiders. The general public, please wait outside the shop! Just as Hao Dong was about to argue, he suddenly felt an overwhelming force rush towards him, and the world spun around him. He lost control of his body, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself standing dumbfounded in front of the store that sold elixir medicines; Although Song Jian had already stepped up to the third floor, he was clearly aware of the scene where Hao Dong was driven out. He seemed to clearly visualize in his mind the scene of Hao Dong standing foolishly in front of the shop, as if he were standing right beside Hao Dong. By now, Song Jians Spirit Points had risen to one hundred and fifty-five. After exceeding one hundred and fifty points, Song Jian felt his perception was broader, with more details and clarity. It was as if he had a pair of omniscient, omnipotent eyes that could see every detail within ten meters around his bodycrystal clear, as long as he wished to see it. Upon reaching the third floor of the shop, which seemed to be an alchemy room, there was a meter-tall, bronze elixir stove in the corner still radiating intense heat. Whiffs of fragrance wafted from the stove, and at the top, white cloud-like flowers continuously formed and dissipated; On one side of the third floor was a small partitioned area with tea sets. Meng Tiantian led Song Jian to this area, then began boiling water and preparing tea; Song Jian noticed that Meng Tiantian carefully picked out a few tea leaves from a porcelain jar. As she picked them, she seemed to feel that she had taken too many, and her hand shook slightly. She then let a few leaves drop back into the jar; Meng Tiantian smiled at Song Jian and said, This tea is called Peaceful Heart Tea, it can calm the mind and filter ones aura, enhancing enlightenment. Its quite valuable! After placing a tea leaf in the porcelain cup in front of Song Jian, Meng Tiantian poured hot water over it. Moments later, the cup emitted an enticing fragrance, as if placing one amid nature itself. Truly amazing! Song Jian laughed, drinking the tea in one gulp, even swallowing the leaf that remained; Song Jians action caused Meng Tiantians brows to furrow slightly, but she quickly pretended not to see and continued to sip her tea in small, delicate sips; After finishing the tea, Song Jian suddenly fell into a state of enlightenment. Thoughts raced through his mind at lightning speed, inspirations surged forth like springs, yet when Song Jian tried to grasp and retain them, he caught none; After some time, Song Jian slowly exhaled a breath of murky air and opened his eyes. At that moment, his eyes flashed like lightning, emitting a dazzling light, which when it fell upon Meng Tiantians face, made her feel a sense of prickling pain. However, like the radiance in Song Jians eyes, the sensation soon vanished completely. At this point, an enlightenment status appeared in Song Jians status bar, lasting one hour; he felt that his mental strength was constantly evolving every moment under this state of enlightenment, becoming more solid. The increase in Mental Strength due to the attribute surge was also gradually condensing again, and that sense of control returned to his body; Chapter 857 - 858 Phase-3 Golden Pill_1 Chapter 857: Chapter 858 Phase-3 Golden Pill_1 Meng Tiantian saw a surprised look flash across Song Jians face and said with a slight smile, Take a look at your skill column, is there a new change? When Song Jian opened his skill column, he was shocked to find that his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision had unexpectedly advanced to level 3; Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision (Active), Level 3 (1%), Skill Effect: Summon 3-36 Spirit Swords, causing (number*140% weapon damage) points of damage to the target, and each Spirit Sword has a chance to deepen the damage to the target; Attack Range: 1000 meters; Skill Consumption: 110 points of Invisible Sword Qi; Skill Cooldown: 10 seconds; Skill Description: This skill is one of the core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, condensing myriad Spirit Swords, gathering myriad sword techniques, Qi filling heaven and earth, Sword Qi pointing in all directions, thousands of swords staring down, mountains crumbling, seas splitting, heavens turning, and earth overturning! This skill cannot be improved through mastery but only by consuming other skills/skill books! It, it actually advanced a level? Song Jian said in surprise. One must know that the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision can only be improved by consuming other skills, and the higher the skill level and tier, the more mastery gained; But now, a so-called Pure Heart Tea had actually increased the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision by one level, which made Song Jian feel an unexpected delight; ... What, it only advanced one level? Meng Tiantians face showed a puzzled expression, and it took a while before she came to a realization and said, It seems that your skill has a pretty high tier, at least a gold quality or above, right? Song Jian smiled slightly but did not answer, his eyes and eyebrows however, could not hide his sheer joy. Is this tea for sale? Song Jian pointed at the porcelain jar next to Meng Tiantian, where the tea leaves were placed, and asked; Pure Heart Tea works best the first time you drink it, afterwards, the effect decreases with each subsequent use, and it will not enhance the skill level anymore, only entering an Epiphany state, and after ten times, it will become a regular beverage! Meng Tiantian explained. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even so, its worth a fortune. One leaf can save several skill points; a trade like this, I believe many players would be happy to make! Song Jian said with a smile; Sure, one piece of Cuibao bamboo leaf for one leaf of Pure Heart Tea! Meng Tiantian said with a sly look in her eyes, smiling. Song Jian was about to agree but suddenly felt something was amiss, and turned his head to look at the potted plant placed on the windowsill; It was a plant over a foot long with iron-blue stems, robust and powerful, reflecting a metallic luster as it curved upward, resembling clouds and mist, with green-black leaves the size of fingertips growing on it; The potted plant at first glance seemed nothing special, but Song Jian could smell the fragrance emanating from this plant, which was exactly the same as the aroma of the Pure Heart Tea he had drunk before; Following Song Jians gaze, Meng Tiantian turned her head to look and her face changed dramatically when she saw that plant, and she cursed under her breath, Damn, how could I have placed it there! Oh, well, lets talk about a collaboration! Meng Tiantian clapped her hands and said to Song Jian, Maybe you want to see me personally crafting a batch of Vitality Pills, to see how effective they are? Song Jian withdrew his gaze and smiled, Of course, I hope it will turn out as we expected! No problem, in fact, pill refining is even more complex than medicine making. First, you must have an alchemy furnace like this one, the Four-Direction Divine Beast Furnace, a tier-3 alchemy furnace, capable of refining pills up to the third grade. It can also refine fourth-grade pills, but the failure rate would increase significantly! Meng Tiantian pointed at the bronze furnace that was burning with fierce flames as she spoke; Dont you need to be present during the pill refining process? Song Jian was quite surprised; he knew that even with his portable medicine-making station, he had to be present during the concoction process, or else the success rate of the potions would be frighteningly low. Of course, I can temporarily leave during the medicine-making process as long as I control the heat well. I only need to keep a close eye on it at the very end. After all, collecting the pills requires a special technique that relates to the final quality and quantity of the pills! Meng Tiantian explained. As they were talking, the alchemy furnace, which had been still up until now, began to vibrate slightly. The white smoke emanating from it got thicker, and the cluster of white mist flowers that had formed above the furnace started to dissipate quickly, replaced by ferocious beasts made of condensed mist, all making fierce growling and roaring motions; One after another, beasts made of white mist formed and dissipated, with not a single beast resembling another; At this moment, Meng Tiantian swiftly walked to the front of the alchemy furnace, her right hand quickly forming seals, and streaks of spiritual light burst forth from her fingertips, continually touching the alchemy furnace; As the spiritual light collided with the alchemy furnace, ripples of light pulsated outward. Soon, the alchemy furnace started to become transparent, revealing the scene inside; Inside, a mass of golden liquid was churning within the furnace. As more spiritual light struck the furnace, the rolling golden solution began to shake and, in a short while, turned into dozens of droplets the size of fingernails. Each droplet shook as if trying to merge together, but soon enough, a droplet would burst with a pop, turning into a clump of black residue that fell to the bottom of the furnace; One by one, the droplets all broke apart over time, turning into black slag. At this point, Meng Tiantian, drenched in sweat, continued to strike the furnace with spiritual light; Eventually, nearly all the liquid droplets disappeared, and in the furnace, only the last droplet remained intact, solidifying slowly and eventually forming a round, smooth pill that rolled continuously along the furnaces inner wall; Out! Accompanied by a light shout from Meng Tiantian, the lid of the furnace made a muffled thud. A rich fragrance emanated from inside the furnace, the lid automatically popped open, and the golden pill that had been revolving inside was ejected. When it met the air, it quickly solidified, and its color began to change; The previously rich golden hue, as if it was all retracted into the pill itself, now exuded only a faint golden luminescence; Ive finally succeeded once! Meng Tiantian looked at the pill in her palm, her eyes showing a relieved expression, The Phase-3 Golden Pill, Ive finally refined the Phase-3 Golden Pill! A joyful smile appeared on Meng Tiantians face. Ignoring the pills residual warmth, she immediately took the pill to a cubicle, dropped it into a teacup, and then poured Enlightenment Tea over it. When the pill had completely dissolved into a cup of light golden liquid, Meng Tiantian grabbed the teacup and swallowed the pill fluid in one gulp, almost exactly replicating Song Jians earlier performance with the Enlightenment Tea. Chapter 858 - 859 Introduction_1 Chapter 858: Chapter 859 Introduction_1 A Phase-3 Golden Pill? The one you just refined was a Phase-3 Golden Pill? What effects does it have? Song Jian asked curiously. He had not seen the specific attributes of the Phase-3 Golden Pill, but the name alone suggested that its effects should be much better than those of the Second Transformation Golden Pill. This is my first successful refinement, it was so difficult! This is a fourth-grade pill, and being able to refine it depended purely on luck. It looks like my luck is pretty good, yay! Meng Tiantian seemed very happy, her face full of smiles; A Second Transformation Golden Pill increased five points of all attributes, while a Phase-3 Golden Pill could increase at least eight, perhaps even more. Song Jian estimated silently. Even if Meng Tiantian didnt pass the first stage of combat power assessment, by the time she reached level thirty, her overall attributes would hardly be inferior to those who passed the A-grade assessment. If she managed to pass even a B-grade assessment, the boost in her attributes might well compare to an S-grade player; Can I pre-order some Phase-3 Golden Pills? Song Jian asked. The more of these attribute-enhancing pills, the better. Even if there was a limit on how many each person could use, there were a lot of people in the City of Hope Alliance, so even one pill per person would require a large batch; The materials have all been used up, that was the last batch! Meng Tiantian shook her head: The success rate for Phase-3 Golden Pills is too low, its not cost-effective. However, I can mass-produce First Grade Golden Pellets now, do you want some? Theres plenty, and theyre cheaper, each person can use three! ... First Grade Golden Pellets? How much do they enhance attributes? Song Jian asked; One point! Meng Tiantian said, somewhat embarrassed, as she raised a finger; Song Jian nodded. Compared to the Second Transformation, the First Grade Golden Pellets were much less effective, but compared to attribute fruits that cost hundreds of thousands, or even millions, they were just as effective. We can talk. I need First Grade Golden Pellets, too! said Song Jian: But first lets look at the Vitality Pills youve refined. Well discuss everything together later. Meng Tiantian nodded, realizing that Song Jian was a major client and became more cautious; After clearing out the Alchemy Furnace, Meng Tiantian began to refine Vitality Pills. Vitality Pills were only first-grade pills, now only replacing Vitality Grass with Bamboo Leaf, all the refinement processes were the same, and it didnt take long to make a batch; The flames rose, and all the materials inside the furnace turned into a medicinal liquid, a light bitter scent wafted from the furnace, and a pale green mist rose, condensing into a bamboo above the furnace, swaying gently; Its rare for a first-grade pill to condense a pill essence! Meng Tiantian said with a look of surprise on her face, unable to help herself; Before long, Meng Tiantian cast out several spiritual lights, and the Vitality Pills were successfully refined, this batch actually producing more than a dozen reddish pills. Vitality Pills, rare, Effect 1: Permanently increases 1 point of stamina, 10 Vitality Points, Usage limit: 10 pills; Effect 2: Instantly recovers 3000 Vitality Points, cooldown time 5 seconds; Not bad at all, a first-grade pill with properties comparable to a third-grade pill. Its just a bit of a waste to recover 3000 Vitality Points no player has that much Vitality Points now Meng Tiantian evaluated as she looked at the reddish pills in her hands; Ordinary Vitality Pills, also first-grade pills without permanent attribute enhancement, could only restore fifty Vitality Points compared to the current pill, the difference was like heaven and earth; The change was all because the main ingredient had been switched to Bamboo Leaf. Meng Tiantian clearly understood, taking two pills from these, then giving the rest to Song Jian saying, A tip, no problem, right? Song Jian nodded: From now on, Ill supply the Bamboo Leaves, you provide the rest of the auxiliary materials. Out of the pills refined, I only want ten per batch, the rest are yours. How does that sound for a distribution? Vitality Pills were the most basic of first-grade pills, and the auxiliary materials were not highly valuable, plus the refining time was short. This batch produced twelve Vitality Pills. Song Jian only wanted ten, so the remaining two were Meng Tiantians. As Meng Tiantian heard it, her face immediately showed a satisfied smile, and she nodded eagerly: Great, great, well go with that arrangement. Hahaha! You see, this was just the first attempt at refining, and Meng Tiantian could still adjust some details. As a first-grade pill, for her, an Alchemy Grandmaster, failure was not a possibility, and there was even room for improvement in the refining method. Refining thirteen or even more in a batch was not impossible. The most important thing was that after just refining one batch, she had found that her proficiency in Alchemy Skill had increased by a point. Usually, her proficiency only increased when refining fourth-grade pills, and refining first-grade pills could no longer raise her proficiency. But now, refining Vitality Pills also added a point, which was an unexpected joy; Next, the two discussed the purchase of First Grade Golden Pellets. The First Grade Golden Pellets were second-grade pills, pricey, but much cheaper than Attribute Fruit only about one-tenth of the price of Attribute Fruit. For Song Jian, it was absolutely affordable. Even if the alliance players used them all, they could still be sold externally there was no loss overall; In fact, what Song Jian really wanted to purchase were Second Transformation and even Phase-3 Golden Pills, but given Meng Tiantians current skill level, the success rate of refining Second Transformation Golden Pills was only one-eighth, and for Phase-3 Golden Pills, it was a matter of luck, with more than ten batches possibly not yielding a single success, and the materials were even harder to find. Even if Song Jian wanted to reserve them, it was not possible. They had to wait until Meng Tiantians Alchemy Skill improved another level; After the transaction was completed, Song Jian suddenly realized that this place seemed very suitable for players to reside in as a temporary haven from official scrutiny, and additionally, there were many player-run stores here, just like in the game. These players were spread across every corner of the game, usually impossible to contact for trades, but here, trading was a breeze. Some would even deliver goods first and settle up later with Doomsday Coins in the game, very convenient. I wonder what conditions are needed to reside here? Song Jian asked; Meng Tiantians eyebrows arched as she asked, Are you planning to live here? I can be your reference, its very easy, you just need to go through some procedures. Come on, lets register now! It seemed Meng Tiantian was even more eager than Song Jian, pulling him outside; After closing the shop, Meng Tiantian dragged Song Jian to a stone house, banging on the door and shouting, Old man, old man, open the door! Ive got a player who wants to live here! sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 859 - 860 Residence_1 Chapter 859: Chapter 860 Residence_1 Song Jian followed Meng Tiantian into a rather shabby-looking stone house. As he entered, he was struck by a blinding beam of light and couldnt help but shield his eyes with a hand; Once he had adjusted to the rooms light, he was startled to discover that he had come to an island. Warm sunlight was overhead, and the sea water gently lapped around him. Even the air carried a faint salty, fishy scent; This place was supposed to be an underground space, and although it was fully equipped with electric lights, it still felt somewhat dim compared to the outside world. However, the scene before him made Song Jian feel as though he had passed through a Teleportation Gate to another location; Looking back, a wooden door stood incongruously behind him, completely out of place with the surrounding scenery; At the moment, he and Meng Tiantian were standing on a pristine white sand beach where an old man, dressed in Hawaiian-style shorts, was lazily reclining in a chair, sipping juice and basking in the sun. Around him, a pair of seagulls soared in the air, occasionally swooping down to steal some dried fruit snacks beside the lounger; Meng Tiantian, having evidently been to this place many times before, showed no sign of surprise. Instead, she ran up to the old man, picked up the untouched glass of juice, and took a big gulp. Then, letting out a refreshed sigh, she grabbed some of the dried fruit snacks from beside her and popped them into her mouth; ... I say, Tiantian, you always use some excuse to come here and nibble away. If you keep this up, be careful I might never let you in again, the old man, with his eyes closed in repose, sighed and slowly opened his eyes; Song Jian, looking into those eyes that seemed filled with the vicissitudes of the ages, thought he saw a universe flare into existence and then extinguish in an instant within them. Yet, when he came back to his senses and looked again, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The old man before him appeared no different from those frail, hunched-over elders in the real world, those that seemed as though a gust of wind could knock them down. This time its different; Im here to introduce a player to settle here! Meng Tiantian said, cheeks full and speaking with some difficulty. Player? The old man looked toward Song Jian with a smile across his face, yet there was a strange sparkle in his eyes. In that instant, Song Jian felt as if the old man could see right through him, which made him uncomfortable. He couldnt help but frown; Hmm, your perception is very strong, young man. Your spirit attribute must have already broken a hundred, right? The old mans face showed a curious tinge, and he nodded, saying, You can call me Mu Xianzhi, old Mu, or just old man like the girl does if you prefer! Mu Xianzhi stood up, gripping a wooden cane next to his chair, and shuffled towards the back of the beach. Behind a huge rock, he fumbled for a moment and then pulled out a badge that emanated a golden glow, returning and handing it to Song Jian, Drop a drop of blood on it, and it will belong to you. You will be able to freely enter any area from the first to the thirteenth level! A golden badge, old man, are you sure he qualifies for this? Meng Tiantian exclaimed in surprise. You see, ordinary players, when they come here, can at most receive a silver-quality badge, allowing them to enter only up to the twelfth level, never the thirteenth. Without enough Contribution Points, it is impossible to obtain a golden-quality badge; The Mage who had assessed the qualifications before was arduously accumulating experience and earning Contribution Points, hoping to enhance the quality of his badge. Moreover, if Hao Dong wanted to settle here too, at most hed be able to use a silver badge, albeit with some additional permissions. His strength is more than enough to be the Guardian of this little island. Dont you trust the old mans judgment? Mu Xianzhi glanced at Meng Tiantian as he spoke. Alright, if the old man thinks he can do it, then he definitely can, Meng Tiantian said, rubbing her nose. Guardian, what is that? Song Jian fiddled with the badge in his hand, asking; This was a badge made in the real world, with no attributes, but Song Jian discovered that inside the badge there was a tiny electronic chip. Its just an identity, with it you can have a place to live on this small island, you can open a shop like me, or even build a villa, whatever you like. Plus, you can freely enter and exit the thirteenth layer. Actually, only players who can enter the thirteenth layer are considered real island residents! Meng Tiantian explained, showing off her own badge as she spoke, If I werent an Alchemy Grandmaster, I wouldnt have been able to get such a badge! Meng Tiantians badge, also golden, was displayed briefly and then tucked back into her chest; sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Alright, that settles it! Mu Xianzhi slouched lazily back into his chair and said to Song Jian, Go have a look at the thirteenth layer first. If you like, you can report your game identity and activity area, and maybe youll get some help. Of course, you can also lend a hand to others, and thats also a way to earn Contribution Points. For the true residents of the island, Contribution Points are as valuable as Doomsday Coins, you can never have too many. Tiantian, take him to pick out a place to live, I dont mind that you just snuck some of my drink and snacks. After leaving Mu Xianzhis stone house, Song Jian and Meng Tiantian returned to the dimly lit streets; Do you need me to take you to the thirteenth layer? The guide fee is just ten Contribution Points, Meng Tiantian said with a smile; I just got this badge, how could I possibly have any Contribution Points? Are you saying you can run a tab here? Song Jian asked; Every newbies badge comes with ten Contribution Points! Meng Tiantian chuckled, a sly look in her eyes. After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian still shook his head, No thanks, lets head to the living quarters first, its almost time to enter the game. Such a miser! Meng Tiantian rolled her eyes and said, Which layer do you plan to live on? The lower you go, the smaller the living space, the higher, the larger it gets. If youre willing to live in the underground first layer, you can have a three-hundred-square-meter residence! The third underground layer is mostly inhabited by ordinary people, living there has no meaning, its better to go down a bit. Although the environment is worse, most of the neighbors are players, making it easier to interact; Lets stay on this layer, having more players around is better! Song Jian said; Oh, right, the little building next to mine seems to be vacant, why dont you live there? Itll be more convenient for you to deliver materials to me in the future, Meng Tiantian suggested. But that place used to be inhabited by an Undead Sorcerer, and it seems theres still a restless spirit lingering inside. If you live there, you could conveniently take care of it! Chapter 860 - 861 Assessment_1 Chapter 860: Chapter 861 Assessment_1 Song Jian didnt return to his residence, but instead went to Meng Tiantians shop and handed over all the emerald bamboo leaves in his package to Meng Tiantian before directly entering the game; Back in the game, it was now early morning in the virtual world. Although there were still clouds in the sky, they had thinned out considerably. The morning sun filtered through the clouds, casting its light over the surrounding greenery, making everything appear so peaceful. Of course, if there werent any players trying to uproot trees with their bare hands nearby, Song Jians experience would be even better. New players were still arriving in this world. Like the other cities, the City of Hope now allowed newcomers to familiarize themselves with this new world rather than directly facing monsters, giving them enough time to adapt; However, for new players, the initial task was always to collect wood, amassing their first batch of funds, then to buy one or two general Skill Books before leaving the city to fight monsters and level up. In this way, compared to when Song Jian and his companions first arrived in the game and had to fight monsters barehanded, the situation was a hundred times better. The death rate had plummeted, and as long as they didnt seek out death, players could generally grow smoothly; Truly blissful! Song Jian, watching a few young players diligently gathering wood outside the castle, couldnt help but exclaim; ... Just then, several lines of system prompts suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian; System: The 138th Unique Profession Assessment is about to begin. Do you wish to start? System: You have two remaining chances to refuse. If you refuse again next time, your qualification token will vanish forever; System: Your Combat Power has reached the first tier. You will directly pass the initial selection phase and can immediately enter the competition; Unique Profession Assessment? Song Jian was taken aback. He remembered Cecilia mentioning that such qualification events only selected reserve qualifiers, which meant they were effectively the reserve team for a Unique Profession. Moreover, sometimes the person bestowed with a Unique Profession wouldnt necessarily come from these reserves Oh well, lets go have a look. Maybe I can discover more information about the Swordsman Immortal profession! Song Jian mused to himself and directly chose Start. In his package, the black token that had always been there suddenly turned into a beam of black light, enveloping Song Jian as if he was encased in a black Light Cocoon; Next, a pitch-black Space-Time Rift appeared at the spot where Song Jian stood, and the Light Cocoon engulfing him plunged into the rift. After a short while, the Space-Time Rift slowly vanished, as if it had never existed. Song Jian felt the world spinning around him, like he had been thrown into a washing machine. But soon, he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and the black Light Cocoon wrapping around him gradually faded until it disappeared. Now, Song Jian found himself standing in a vast square. There were already quite a few people there, with black Light Cocoons descending like meteors onto the square. The scene looked magnificent; This, there must be at least a thousand people here, right? Song Jian surmised, spotting a person every few meters and unable to see the end. Above, swarms of black Light Cocoons kept falling, with new arrivals appearing continuously in the square; Eh, Zhang Hong? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he saw a bald monk not far from him, bowing his head with slightly closed eyes, holding a Magic Staff as if he were a venerable monk of high virtue. This was the martial monk Zhang Hong, whom he had encountered before and who was also a monk in the real world, with the monastic name Hongyi. Looking at his level, he had already advanced to level forty, which was even higher than Song Jians; Moreover, Song Jian could feel that around Zhang Hong, there seemed to be a chilly aura faintly lingering, as if many ghosts were entwining around him. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, Zhang Hong appeared motionless, his head hanging low, but in reality, he was continuously observing the surroundings with the corner of his eye. Due to the angle, however, he had not noticed Song Jian. But when Song Jians gaze fell on him, Zhang Hong seemed to sense something. His left ear twitched slightly as if trying to detect who had set their eyes on him. Seeing Zhang Hongs reaction, Song Jian smiled slightly and didnt mind. He casually shifted his gaze away and began to assess the condition of the other players around. Before long, a look of surprise appeared on Song Jians face. None of the players standing in the square were below level thirty-five, but there were not many who possessed second-tier combat power. It was important to note that, in order to pass the first-tier combat power assessment world, aside from strong strength, luck also played a significant part. Hence, many people failed their first assessment and could only wait for the second one a month later, or even more. However, attempting the first-tier combat power assessment was not always an option. If one tried more than five times or if their level exceeded forty, they would permanently lose the chance to pass the first-tier combat power assessment, effectively losing dozens of attribute points forever. But this didnt prevent them from attempting the second-tier combat power assessment. Once their level reached fifty, they could confidently undertake the second-tier combat power assessment, and upon passing, they would still receive attribute points as reward. However, for those players who had not passed the first-tier combat power assessment, without the additional ten or sometimes dozens of attribute points, the difficulty of passing the second-tier combat power assessment would be multiplied several times over, and very few players managed to accomplish this. After waiting for half an hour, the dark Light Cocoons in the sky gradually diminished until there were none left. By that time, Song Jian roughly estimated that there were over three thousand players standing in the square, though this number could be higher, as many were beyond the range of his sight. Just then, the entire square suddenly began to tremble slightly, and a large altar, hundreds of square meters in size, slowly rose from the center of the square. When the altar finally settled, its height had exceeded thirty meters. Everyones attention was drawn to the altar, and atop it, one by one, teleportation gates began to light up. Once stable, the number of gates had reached ten. At this moment, everyone simultaneously received a system prompt: System: Players participating in the selection race, please enter the light gates within thirty seconds; otherwise, it will be treated as forfeiture. Damn it! Hearing this system prompt, many players let out an angry curse and rushed hurriedly towards the altar in the square. The positions occupied by the players were determined by the time they had chosen to accept. The earlier they made the choice, the further they were from the altar. The later, the farther away from the altar they were. Those who were beyond the range of Song Jians vision would likely fail the selection race if they did not possess abilities like teleportation or an Acceleration Skill. Before long, the number of people on the square had reduced by two-thirds, and a faint red glow emerged on the surface of the others. After ten seconds, those who were still standing in place also received a system prompt: Chapter 861 - 862 Begin_1 Chapter 861: Chapter 862 Begin_1 Song Jian looked around, and there were only about a third of the people left standing in their original spots, just like him, they had all passed the phase one combat power assessment. Looking at the red glow emanating from his body, Song Jian immediately had a very bad feeling, because the light was just too similar to flowing blood, and he even caught a whiff of a bloody scent at the tip of his nose; Soon, after all the players who had entered the selection competition vanished, another system prompt appeared before the eyes of Song Jian and the others still present; Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Please get ready, you will be transported into the Trial Space in ten seconds, and the method of entry will be random; ten, nine, eight, seven A countdown timer appeared before Song Jians eyes, and in the instant time ran out, everyone turned into a beam of red light that shot up into the sky, the spectacle was quite magnificent; But for Song Jian and the remaining players, the feeling wasnt very pleasantthe sensation of being tossed into a washing machine resurfaced, followed by dizziness, as if someone had punched him hard in the stomach, making him feel like vomiting; ... When he finally managed to steady himself, he couldnt help but lean against a damaged wall, heaving non-stop; this feeling was even more intense than the dizziness he had experienced when he first entered the game. At that moment, the system prompt appeared again; System: You have entered the Trial Space City after a nuclear war, with the number of players entering this Trial Space being: 385; System: Please find protective gear within ten minutes, otherwise, you will continuously lose Vitality Points, and as time goes on, the rate at which Vitality Points are lost will increase, until you enter a critical state; System: The trial mode is survival mode, when the number of players in the Trial Space is reduced to one, the trial will end. System: On the edges of the Trial Space, a toxic aura will appear, shrinking its range by one kilometer randomly every ten minutes; players within the toxic aura will continuously lose Vitality Points, and protective gear will become ineffective; System: In this Trial Space, players will not truly die; once the damage taken exceeds their own threshold, an Invincibility Aura will be triggered, and players who trigger the Invincibility Aura will be teleported out of the Trial Space, failing the trial; those who fail will receive a bonus of all attributes increased by 1 point; System: After thirty minutes, the winners of the selection competition will descend into the various Trial Spaces one after another, please be cautious of these competitors! Like a waterfall, the system prompts appeared in front of Song Jian, and at the same time, a ten-minute countdown timer also appeared. Simultaneously, Song Jian felt a stinging pain on his exposed skin as if pricked by needles, his Vitality Points began to inexplicably decrease, and above his head floated numbers indicating -1 damage; This kind of loss was completely bearable for Song Jian, as the rate at which his Vitality Points recovered ensured he could survive in such an environment indefinitely; But Song Jian still actively started searching for the so-called protective gear, knowing well that this bleeding would gradually intensify with time, and eventually, it would become more than he could handle; This city was very much like the previously encountered Doomsday City, seemingly abandoned for hundreds of years, with a great deal of greenery having enveloped all the buildings, even the wide roads were cracked, with various plants spreading out from the gaps. The only difference from Doomsday City was that this city was utterly lifeless, without any signs of living creatures, not even a single monster; Song Jian randomly burst into a shop, where he discovered a bottle of beverage placed on the counter that was completely out of place with its surroundings, looking as if there wasnt a speck of dust on it, as though someone had just put it there. It was only when Song Jian picked up the beverage that he realized it was an energy drink for restoring Spirit Points, and that this bottle could only be used within the Assessment Space. Once he left the Assessment Space, the beverage would instantly disappear; The moment Song Jian picked up this beverage, all the recovery items in his inventory, whether they were for restoring Vitality Points or Spirit Points, whether they were for use in combat or only outside of combat, all turned gray. From that moment on, these recovery items could no longer be taken out of the inventory, becoming sealed; When Song Jian realized something was wrong and threw away the beverage in his hand, the sealed status of the recovery items in his inventory did not disappear. He checked, and they would not vanish until he left the sealed space; Damn it! Song Jians face turned ashen as he turned back and picked up the beverage again; Just by touching a potion, similar items I have will be sealed. If I pick up equipment or weapons, will they also seal my equipment and weapons, making them unusable? Song Jian suddenly became vigilant. Out of more than three hundred people, only one could remain in the end. Though it was called a survival trial, once the players encountered each other, battle was their only choice; Song Jian had many supplies in his inventory, which were now all sealed, meaning his logistical advantage had disappeared, and he needed to collect more items like the beverage; After searching the entire shop, Song Jian found two bottles of pills for replenishing Vitality Points; By then, the prickling pain on his skin was becoming more and more intense. Song Jian dared not delay and rushed to the next room. His primary concern now was not these supplies, but to find a protective suit within ten minutes; After searching three rooms in a row, Song Jian finally found a protective suit in a clothing shop. It was made of a film resembling plastic, light as a feather, and weightless when worn; Upon donning this protective suit, the prickling pain on his skin immediately disappeared, and his Vitality Points began to slowly recover, but what frustrated Song Jian was that after picking up the suit, all of his equipment, except for the necklace, accessories, and rings, were automatically removed and sealed in his inventory; This meant that at that moment, Song Jian was as if he had left the game and returned to the real world, losing all equipment bonuses; Its simply unpredictable, but all players who entered here should have lost their equipment bonuses as well, otherwise, theyll be automatically kicked out after ten minutes! Song Jian thought to himself; Song Jians equipment was far superior to most players. With the supplies and equipment sealed, the gap between him and the other players began to slowly close; I cant keep picking up items in this space, or else my accessories, rings, and necklaces might also get sealed! Song Jian thought to himself; But just then, an item emitting a purple-red glow suddenly appeared in front of Song Jian, causing him to open his mouth wide in disbelief. PS: Thanks to Hopes for Tomorrow for tipping 100 starting coins~ Chapter 862 - 863 Elimination_1 Chapter 862: Chapter 863 Elimination_1 Damn it, how can this be? Song Jians eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and an expression of shock appeared on his face. He looked at the weapon in front of him, radiating a purplish-red glow, and cursed inwardly, Epic weapons, damn it, have epic weapons become as common as cabbages here, starting to flood the streets? This was, after all, an epic dagger. In this Trial Space, were epic weapons just casually thrown around on the streets? Song Jians equipment had been sealed, but his weapons had not been sealed and could be summoned at any moment. However, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword was only an epic-quality one-handed sword, which he had obtained after paying a great price and spending a lot of time. But now, a weapon of the same quality as the Sky-breaking Sword was blatantly placed before him, making all his previous efforts seem like a joke. However, Song Jian was certain that such weapons could only be used within the Trial Space and couldnt be taken out. Yet, this would increase the chances of other players obtaining epic weapons, further narrowing the gap between him and the other players. Song Jian gave the weapon a resentful glance, gritted his teeth, and turned his head to search elsewhere; apart from a protective suit, he now wore only a single layer of clothes with no defensive power, and had to find more armor. ... If youve got the guts, let me find a few pieces of epic armor! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, Song Jian suddenly saw a piece of equipment radiating a dark gold glow casually placed on a garbage can at a corner of a distant street. While this made Song Jian feel frustrated, he couldnt help but run towards the garbage can; As Song Jian approached the garbage can, he suddenly felt a chilling threat, as if someone was aiming a life-threatening weapon at his temple. Song Jian instinctively lunged forward and then rolled toward a low wall on the side. Thump~ A soft sound was heard, and a fist-sized hole appeared in the wall next to the garbage can, causing Song Jian to break out in a cold sweat. Without the protection of the Emperor Ant Suit, his current defense was utterly unable to withstand such a terrifying strike. If it were not for his powerful perception, a moments hesitation just now might have left him severely injured or even kicked out of the assessment space. Following the direction of the attack, Song Jians perception spread out like a tidal wave. Less than a hundred meters away, on a tall building, a player in protective gear was hastily putting away a dark gold sniper rifle and seemed to be evacuating the scene. Song Jians perception within a ten-meter radius allowed him to detect any detail, even if someone was hiding underground, they couldnt escape his notice. However, beyond ten meters, his perception became very vague. A distance of one hundred meters was the limit of his perception; beyond that, he could no longer sense that player. In no time, the player had moved out of the range of Song Jians perception, disappearing quickly from sight. Didnt expect to encounter fishing law enforcement just after entering the game? Song Jian snorted coldly, not even glancing at the dark gold equipment on the garbage can. He instead followed the wall corner, chasing in the direction the player had left; It was only a bit over a hundred meters away. Even after taking some detours, Song Jian quickly caught up. A fleeting shadow darted around the corner, and a fierce look appeared on Song Jians face. With a thought, the Soul Wander skill was activated, and his speed instantly reached its limit. Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An invisible figure, like a ghost, appeared behind the player who was hurrying away. Song Jian summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, slashing fiercely at the player; Instantly, around his transparent figure, nearly twenty Spirit Swords appeared, slashing at the player like torrential rain; The level 3 Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision could now almost instantly kill any elite BOSS of the same level, and using it against a player who had lost all their equipments defense and had less than fifteen hundred Vitality Points was like using a cannon to swat a fly. The player only felt a pain in his back as a brilliant golden light screen rose directly up. What, how is this possible? Did he just instantly kill me? The player was shocked to his core, and the remaining Spirit Swords continued to strike the invincible light screen like torrential rain. The surging energy made the players heart tremble with fear as he watched the ripples on the light screen, feeling that it might shatter at any moment. Damn it, what kind of luck is this, to have encountered such a terrifying player! Just as he turned his head to catch a glimpse of the imposing figure he had provoked, his vision blurred, and he turned into a stream of white light, flying into the air. At that moment, the player count in the corners of everyones vision in the Trial Space suddenly ticked down by one, inducing a sense of urgency among the remaining players. Good thing Im still maintaining an advantage in terms of skill power for now! Song Jian played with his sword, smiled slightly, and sheathed the long sword into his dantian. System: You have eliminated Trial Player Jiang Dayun. Trial Points +1, these points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. Eliminating a rival and getting points and rewards thrilled Song Jian, although it was a pity he didnt yet know what these points could be exchanged for, but in any case, the more points, the better. After eliminating a player, Song Jian continued to search forward. It was then that he suddenly found a book emitting a Dark Gold glow lying next to a fallen telephone pole in the street. Damn! Song Jians face immediately turned sour as he walked slowly towards the book, only to discover Chaotic Blade Skill written boldly on its cover. Can one even find high-level Skill Books lying around here? Song Jian suddenly felt an urgency, as the gap in strength between him and the other players narrowed. With time, other players would obtain more Epic-Quality equipment and skills, and then Song Jian would have a real headache. Should I end things quickly? Song Jian frowned, staring at the Skill Book in front of him, pondering a solution: This city is too big, its simply impossible to find all the players in a short time. Although the deadly light ring at the edges keeps driving people towards the city center, it shrinks by one kilometer every ten minutes, it would take at least a whole day to shrink to the center of the city Song Jian glanced at the Chaotic Blade Skill Book within arms reach, sighed, and was about to turn away. He was not about to give up the Thousand Swords Art and Soul Wander for a mere Epic-Quality Skill Book. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly received a system notification. System: You have found the Skill Book Chaotic Blade Skill, would you like to devour it to enhance the proficiency of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision? What, the Skill Books in this Assessment Space can actually enhance the proficiency of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision? Song Jian shivered, his face showing an incredulous expression: How is this possible? Chapter 863 - 864 Battle_1 Chapter 863: Chapter 864 Battle_1 Everything within the Trial Space, including items, can only be used within the space and cannot be taken out. Even skills would be directly deleted upon leaving. Song Jians Thousand Swords Art was a Legendary Level skill, and he wouldnt have it sealed for a Dark Gold Quality skill, but if he could use these skills to improve the proficiency of his Thousand Swords Art, even if it was only effective in the Trial Space and would disappear after leaving, for Song Jian, it still represented an enhancement of his strength; Devour! Song Jian inwardly commanded. Instantly, a purple-golden light flashed in his skill column, enveloping the Chaotic Blade Skill Book before him. In a short while, the Skill Book vanished, and the proficiency of his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision in the skill column had increased by a small notch; ... Hmm, the proficiency gained isnt much! Song Jian frowned slightly. A Dark Gold Quality Skill Book should at least increase the proficiency of his Thousand Swords Art by one-fifth of three levels, but now it only increased by one-fiftieth, which was merely one-tenth the effect of a typical Dark Gold Quality Skill Book; Forget it, its free loot anyway, a little less is fine, Song Jian shook his head, closed his skill column, and turned to leave the place; More than three hundred players were scattered in an abandoned city, much like a handful of sand tossed in the desert. If it werent for incredibly good luck, it would be quite difficult to encounter others in the early stages of the trial. Therefore, aside from Song Jian eliminating one player, the remaining player count hadnt changed much in the first thirty minutes; However, this situation wouldnt last long. As the deadly halo at the citys edge further shrank, intense conflicts would erupt among the players in the trial; By this time, players who had passed the selection had started to enter the Trial Space one after another, and the number of remaining players had directly broken through five hundred. These players, who did not possess the first-order Combat Power and had entered half an hour late, were at a disadvantage. But one should not underestimate these individuals. To stand out from several thousand players, they surely had their trump cards. Moreover, in the Trial Space, as long as they were careful and as time passed, the gap between these newly entered players and those with first-order Combat Power would narrow; Nevertheless, due to the random nature of entry into the Trial Space, some of the players who had passed the selection found themselves randomly placed near those with first-order Combat Power. Players who had been searching for more than half an hour were now equipped with gear, almost none of which were below Dark Gold Quality. Some had even found one or two Dark Gold Level or Epic Level skills suitable for themselves, and their strength had undergone a drastic change, increasing by several tens of times; Seeing new players just entering the game, still looking confused, they immediately raised their slaughter knives and eliminated everyone they came across, reducing the number of players quickly from five hundred to fewer than four hundred; Forty minutes later, Song Jian was already equipped with a set of Dark Gold Quality gear, which included two Epic pieces: a Wrath Helmet and Demons Gauntlets. Although these pieces were individual and the overall effect was slightly inferior to his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, the difference was limited; Song Jian was searching for other players while getting accustomed to the skills that came with his new equipment. If he did not master these newly acquired skills quickly, he could make grave errors in battle so minimal they could lead to significant consequences; As for Skill Books, Song Jian had found five or six, but only three were suitable for his use. He sacrificed all these skills in one go, raising the proficiency of his Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision by nearly one-fifth; Boom~ From a tall building ahead, a sudden explosion sounded, and the building collapsed with a thunderous crash, stirring up waves of dust. Amid the dust, magical energy kept flashing. Song Jians eyes brightened. It seemed there were players fighting up ahead; As Song Jian approached, he found that ahead was a group of players engaged in a melee, around a dozen of them attacking each other. They appeared to be fighting individually, rather conservatively. At that moment, Song Jian also noticed that like sharks smelling blood, more players were beginning to converge on this area. The battle ahead was about three to four hundred meters away from where Song Jian was, which was beyond his perception range. However, the attack range of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was a thousand meters. Song Jian hid in a concealed corner, holding the Sky-breaking Sword and swung it towards the combatants. Instantly, more than thirty Spirit Swords appeared around him. Song Jian gave a rough position with his mind and then let go of control. The Spirit Swords scattered and flew towards the fray. Seven or eight swords flew beyond the target range, with only about twenty exploding within the battleground of the players. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom, boom, boom~ Another series of intense explosions followed. After releasing Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, Song Jian immediately moved to another dark corner. In just a short time, he received three system notifications; System: You have eliminated trial player Zhao Haitao. Trial points +1. These points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. System: You have eliminated trial player Wang Zufa. Trial points +1. These points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. System: You have eliminated trial player Sun Hai. Trial points +1. These points can be exchanged for trial rewards after the trial ends. Only killed three players? Thats a bit of a pity, Song Jian glanced at the added points and thought to himself. The power of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision was not something these players could withstand; each Spirit Sword could now cause damage exceeding a thousand points. If the damage amplification effect was triggered, or if a critical hit occurred, even a heavily armored Shield Warrior could be killed in one strike. The total damage from that one hit could have wiped out all the players who were fighting, but with only three system notifications, it was clear that most of the damage had been wasted. This had a lot to do with Song Jians perception range. His current limit for perception range was only one hundred meters, and the control range was merely ten meters. Beyond one hundred meters, Song Jian couldnt sense the existence of others, so he couldnt lock on to them. If the previous battle had been within Song Jians perception range, he could have directed each Spirit Sword at an enemy for a precise strike. However, besides those fighting players, the surroundings were also fraught with danger, and rashly approaching would not only expose Song Jians own position after eliminating those combatants but also result in him being fired upon by onlooking players, which would be more trouble than its worth. This is a survival trial, not a contest of who kills more people or who has higher points! Song Jian thought to himself, his gaze shifting towards a tall building not far away. Chapter 864 - 865: NPC Professionals_1 Chapter 864: Chapter 865: NPC Professionals_1 If it werent for those high-quality items in the Trial Space, Song Jian would probably have charged out and wreaked havoc by now. With his current equipment and skills, he completely possesses an overwhelming strength against the average player; However, this Trial Space clearly wasnt created for him alone. Those high-quality equipment and skills are enough to make even Song Jian envious, let alone the average players who have obtained these items. One could imagine how crazy they would become after discovering them. In this chaotic battle, theres no denying the element of lesser players wanting to experience the thrill of becoming powerful, as gaining entry into this Trial Space itself is a feat C none of the players here are fools, and those who have obtained the trial tokens are considered elites among the players; The sudden attack woke the battling players up a bit, and they realized that many people looking to take advantage had surrounded them. They instantly lost interest in continuing to fight, retreated to a safe distance from each other, and then turned to flee; But having exposed themselves, they inevitably became targets. Soon after, the sounds of battle could be heard from afar again, but this time the combatants seemed restrained, not causing too much of a stir and containing the skirmish within a small area, seeking a quick resolution. Now is not the time for the real battle Song Jian thought to himself. Only when the toxic aura further narrowed, forcing everyone together, then would the most intense fighting erupt; ... Song Jian glanced at the electronic map. The toxic aura had shrunk by less than one-fifth of Doomsday Citys area; it would probably take more than ten hours to cover the entire city; However, just as Song Jian was about to close the map and head to the city center, he suddenly noticed that the deep green toxic aura had sped up its contraction significantly; Why is this happening? Song Jian furrowed his brow. The velocity of the toxic auras contraction at the citys edge had suddenly increased, and the final battle might now occur several hours earlier. Moreover, within the toxic aura, protective suits were useless. With each contraction, the auras damage multiplied several times, and by the end, its power could likely instantly kill any player; I must hurry to the city center! Song Jian thought urgently, and his speed involuntarily increased yet again. Just then, Song Jian felt a faint current of air brush past the back of his head, and alarm bells went off in his mind. Without even the chance to dodge, he instinctively used the Soul Wander skill, turning his body transparent. The next moment, a dagger blade surfaced with a hint of dark green toxic poison, plunging viciously into the back of Song Jians head, and a Immune floating above his head; With a violent turn of his body, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword slashed fiercely toward his attacker, as a figure slowly emerged from the void; Interesting! A chilling smile appeared on the figures lips, and his eyes fixed on Song Jian as if he were a lone wolf. He withdrew the dagger, faced Song Jian, but moved backward rapidly as if pulled by an invisible rope; Trying to run? Song Jians eyes narrowed, and he stomped hard on the ground, shooting towards the person like lightning; You cant catch me. I am the wind, can you catch the wind, hahaha! The man laughed arrogantly, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at Song Jian: Dont hurry; youve caught my attention. We will meet again, wait for the next time The mans speed increased, and he even outpaced Song Jian, who had used the Soul Wander; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jians figure transformed into a streak of light, as his Sky-breaking Sword fiercely pierced toward the opponent; sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The ambusher only felt a blur before his eyes, and by the time he could see Song Jian clearly, his chest had already been pierced by the Sky-breaking Sword, and a damage number of over nine hundred points floated up from his head; How is this possible? The ambushers eyes showed a look of disbelief. His escape skill, acquired in the Assessment Space, was an epic-level escape skill. Once his target was locked on, the distance between himself and the target would either increase or decrease over time; However, whether it expanded or shrank had to be decided in the instant the target was locked. It was an ability very suitable for escaping or pursuing; Moreover, this skill was especially designed to counter those with Acceleration Skills. The faster the opponents speed, the more his own speed would increase; But the increase in his speed, after all, needed a process, similar to charging or skills like the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, which could perfectly restrain him. Before the ambush, he had specifically observed Song Jian, and only after confirming that the other party was not a warrior did he make his move. Unexpectedly, the other party possessed a skill even more terrifying than a charge; After being hit by the first sword, the ambusher lost control over his body, immediately lifted off the ground, and found himself floating in the air. The following eight swords directly turned his body into a funnel. If he were a common player, the damage from the Mysterious Moonlight Sword alone would have been enough to instantly kill him, but after Song Jian unleashed all nine swords, the opponents body still showed no sign of an Invincibility Aura, which struck him as odd; Such a high Vitality Points threshold exceeded that of normal players by far, nearly comparable to a level thirty-something elite BOSS. Since an Invincibility Aura didnt appear, Song Jians attacks naturally didnt stop. The inherent skill of the Sky-breaking Sword, the Invisible Sword Array, was immediately released, engulfing the man in a grey fog of swords; There were too many nearby players at the time, and using the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision would be too conspicuous. It was quieter to use the Five Elements Sword Array. The sword mist filled the area, and no sound from within could escape. Even if someone saw it, they would just think it was ordinary mist; Within the mist, the ambusher wore a look of madness and despair, howling in desperation while frantically trying to block the five swords of the Five Elements attacking him. Blood gushed from his wounds, and damage numbers close to a thousand floated above his head; Thirty thousand Vitality Points? Song Jian, looking at the ambusher struggling frantically within the mist, involuntarily furrowed his brows. The ambusher had already lost over thirty thousand Vitality Points but was still not showing any signs of falling, an impossible scenario for a player. It was at that moment Song Jian suddenly recalled that during the battle for the token, it was not only players involved; the NPCs, upon learning of the tokens existence, had pounced on it like mad dogs, some even resorting to special measures just to enter Doomsday City shrouded by the Protection Black Mist. Could it be that in this assessment, in addition to players, there are also NPCs with professions within the game? Song Jian stared at the struggling ambusher in the mist, his mind racing with speculation; PS: Thanks to Bread84 for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 865 - 866 Deadly Poison Aura_1 Chapter 865: Chapter 866 Deadly Poison Aura_1 The space of the Five Elements Sword Array was a murky gray, as if it was the visage of the heavens and the earth at the beginning of chaos. Within this space, five swords of varying colors drew mysterious trajectories through the air, launching endless attacks on any creature within, without rest, until their life was extinguished; The NPC assailant who ambushed Song Jian kept his gaze locked onto the five long swords, thinking that destroying them would break the space. However, existing somewhere between spectral and tangible, the swords suffered minimal damage when colliding with the assailants dagger; In just three short minutes, the assailant in the space had already lost over ten thousand Vitality Points. By now, Song Jian could confirm that his opponent was an NPC, as only NPC professions loaded with the elite BOSS template would possess such an abundance of Vitality Points; Song Jians Spirit Points and Sword Qi Value continued to deplete while maintaining the Five Elements Sword Array, the expenditure was huge even for him. He had thought he was trapping a player, to his surprise, it was an elite BOSSand this one was much more formidable than other elite BOSSes of the same level, with Vitality Points several times higher than its peers; This is like a giant punching bag. Now its a battle of attrition, to see whether your Vitality Points run out first or my Spirit Points, Song Jian thought to himself. In the sword formation space, the assailants Vitality Points were dropping nearly a thousand points per second. Despite his struggles, without understanding the principles of the sword formation space, his efforts were in vain. He could only watch as his Vitality Points rapidly decreased in chunks, powerless to do anything; ... As death drew closer and the attacker could no longer bear the fear, he began to loudly plead for mercy, which confirmed Song Jians suspicion: he was indeed an NPC professional; Spare me, I am willing to become your Follower. I am an Assassin, I am willing to forfeit this trial. I can help you become the final victor! the attacker shouted loudly in the space, his face filled with fear. Song Jian pulled out a drink he had found and downed it, replenishing his nearly depleted Spirit Points. Unmoved by the attackers pleas for mercy, Even if he became a Follower, even a slave, there was the potential for betrayal. The privilege of having ones own profession could compel anyone to gamble with their life, let alone merely betray? Song Jian, expressionless, kept channeling his Sword Qi and Spirit Points. The golden Sword Qi provided a damage bonus to the Five Elements Sword Array. As time passed, the power of the sword formation grew, eventually surpassing the endurance of the assailant. His speed could no longer keep up with the attacks of the five long swords. A scream echoed through the sword formation; it wasnt long before the assailant, his body covered in sword marks, lay on the grounda lifeless corpse; At that moment, the murky sword fog slowly dissipated, and the five long swords merged back into one, flying towards Song Jian; Hmm? Song Jian narrowed his eyes at the body of the attacker, feeling puzzled. Wasnt there supposed to be no death in the assessment space? Why then had this NPC been killed by him? Could it be that NPC professionals arent protected during the trials? Song Jian thought to himself. Looking at the body of the attacker, around his corpse there lay more than a dozen items glowing in various colors, with the lowest quality being Dark Gold, most of them of Epic Level, and even some of Legendary Level; Are these all items he gathered in the assessment space, all dropping upon death? Song Jian murmured to himself. Picking through the dropped items, Song Jian obtained three pieces of epic equipment, replacing his golden quality gear, then scooped up all the supplies that had burst forth and fixed his attention on seven or eight skill books. All of these skill books were high-tier, and Song Jian let the Thousand Swords Art devour them all in one go, slightly increasing its proficiency. The skill books in this space seemed to be quite diluted; had they been outside this space, such a quantity of high-quality skill books would have improved the Thousand Swords Art by two or three levels, but now, its level had only increased by about a third; These NPC professionals, theyre actually not included in the remaining count. Song Jian looked at the unchanged remaining count and was startled. If that were the case, there might be far more than four hundred people undergoing the assessment in this space; Just then, sounds of battle rang out again in the city, but this time several places erupted in conflict at once. The toxic aura had only contracted by a third of the entire city, and the battles now were just small skirmishes. Song Jian glanced at the map, noting that the toxic aura behind him was less than ten kilometers away. It seemed he needed to pick up the pace. It was at this moment that Song Jian received another system prompt; Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Test player Charlie Ritz has fallen in the public area, eliminated by the toxic aura, all points cleared; What, killed by the toxic aura and all points are lost? Song Jian was taken aback, shook his head, and continued rushing toward the center of the city. Meanwhile, the players involved in the surrounding battles seemed to have been startled by this system prompt as well. Soon, almost all the battles stopped, and everyone headed towards the central area of the city; Ten minutes later, Song Jian shockingly discovered that when he looked back, he could see a dense green light screen advancing toward the city center. Its contraction speed seemed to have increased significantly; After observing it for a while, Song Jian immediately turned and ran. The speed at which the toxic aura was closing in had now surpassed the running speed of a regular player. If this continued, by the time it had shrunk to half the city, likely all players without an acceleration skill would be engulfed by the toxic aura; Being overtaken by the toxic aura would mean not only elimination and disqualification but also the loss of all accumulated points. This would be an unacceptable outcome for many players. Of course, those players who had not yet eliminated anyone would be unconcerned, but to be disqualified from the unique professional assessment over the toxic aura would always be somewhat hard to accept; Rumble, rumble~ From a distance on the road, a sound like the roar of a wild beast suddenly emerged, drawing the attention of almost every player nearby to the road. There, a six-wheeled armored vehicle was emitting thick smoke, tearing down the road. Any obstacles in front of it were sent flying to the side by the armored car; Transport vehicles, there must be transport vehicles in this space! A player realized with sudden clarity and began searching for a garage-like place, hoping to find a vehicle that could be started; Song Jian stared at the armored vehicle, then smacked his head, remembering he too had a mount. If not for this armored cars reminder, it might have taken Song Jian a long while to remember. PS: Thank you Deadly Countdown for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 866 - 867 Bridgehead Sniping_1 Chapter 866: Chapter 867 Bridgehead Sniping_1 Song Jian could now summon both of his battle pets, but only the Black Dragon could serve as a flying mount. However, revealing the Black Dragon at this moment might attract the attention of all other players. If that led to them being besieged, it could end up being more trouble than it was worth; After pondering for a moment, Song Jian took out a motorcycle key and summoned his original ride, a Harley-like single-rider motorcycle; Seeing Song Jian on the motorcycle, the eyes of the players lit up instantly, and some even harbored thoughts of snatching the motorcycle. But Song Jian was driving too fast, and even with the use of Acceleration Skills, they couldnt catch up, only watching as the motorcycle sped away into the distance. The poisonous aura would shrink every ten minutes, and it had been an hour since the game started. The speed of the poisonous auras contraction had increased several times and had now surpassed the running speed of an ordinary player. Moreover, every ten minutes, the speed of this contraction would accelerate, virtually forcing all players to head to the city center as quickly as possible. The roads of this abandoned city were also far from smooth, with damaged vehicles strewn about everywhere, in addition to many areas overtaken by weeds and plants. ... Sometimes Song Jian had no choice but to take detours, which caused more and more players to notice someone riding a motorcycle, with the number of people looking for vehicles also increasing; Soon, Song Jian arrived at a bridge crossing a river. The bridge was at least two hundred meters long, flanked by countless steel cables as thick as arms. On the bridge deck were several cars emitting thick smoke, seemingly damaged, with items casting a purplish-red glow scattered near them; A sense of tension gripped Song Jian, just as a dull roar sounded next to his ear. Bang~ It was the distinct sound of a sniper rifle. Song Jians heart trembled, and he instinctively squeezed the brake, steering the motorcycle behind a stout bridge pillar. Bang! Another sniper rifle shot rang out, and Song Jian noticed that the number of survivors had decreased by one following the sound of the gunshot; Someone is ambushing ahead! Song Jians heart sank. At that moment, Song Jian saw five or six people slowly swimming toward the other bank from under the bridge. Meanwhile, the person on the opposite side of the bridge with a sniper rifle was aiming precisely at those few people on the surface of the water. Bang, bang, bang~ Splashes blossomed on the water surface. The swimmers were incredibly fast, and Song Jian even noticed that one person was always submerged, apparently possessing an item that allowed them to breathe underwater. A thought crossed Song Jians mind, and his figure slowly disappeared. His epic necklace came with a Stealth Skill that easily allowed him to enter a stealth state. Creeping slowly along the edge of the bridge, Song Jian arrived at the cars billowing black smoke. Around the vehicles, three bodies were strewn about, with several pieces of epic loot scattered around them. Song Jian carefully selected his loot, swapping all of his equipment for epic gear. Although these items could only be used in this trial and would vanish upon leaving, for Song Jian at the moment, upgrading his gear had increased his strength by at least half compared to when he first entered the game. Among the equipment were scattered five Skill Books and Skill Scrolls. Song Jian seized the opportunity to absorb all of them, increasing the proficiency of Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision to just over halfway; Its a pity I cant level up. I wonder if this proficiency will be retained after leaving here? Song Jian glanced at the level three Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision and mused to himself. Just then, Song Jian suddenly heard the roar of car engines behind him as two trucks and a sports car successively charged onto the bridge; Song Jian saw that there were six people on the three vehicles, who seemed to have formed a temporary alliance. They did not notice anything unusual on the bridge, seemingly ignoring the damaged cars smoking up ahead, and sped forward at an extremely fast pace; Bang! A sniper bullet drilled viciously into the right tire of the lead car, the enormous impact flipping the vehicle to the right, while the two cars behind simultaneously slammed on their brakes. Several people quickly jumped out and took cover behind their vehicles; Theres a sniper ahead! Brent pulled a longbow from behind his back and looked out through the vehicles rearview mirror; Hes really lucky to have randomly ended up here! A man wielding a longsword and clad in heavy armor peered half his head out to take a quick glance forward, then swiftly drew back and said, Its in the villa on the opposite side of the bridge, third floor. I saw the reflection of his scope! Brent, can you hit him? Are you kidding? The distance is over one hundred and sixty meters. My range cant reach that far, and I cant draw my bow as fast as he shoots. The moment I dare to stand up, he could take me out instantly! Brent gritted his teeth; sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Youre wearing three pieces of epic equipment, how could he possibly kill you in one shot? exclaimed the player holding a dagger next to him. And how do you know that the opponents weapon isnt an epic piece of equipment? Brent retorted. Just then, another gunshot sounded. The player on the opposite side, seeing that the group on the bridge had not shown themselves, turned his attention to the players swimming desperately below the bridge. Kai Lun, stealth over there and see if you can take him down! Brent shouted to the player with the dagger; Sure, I also want to test how powerful this epic dagger really is! Saying this, Kai Luns figure gradually faded and disappeared into thin air. Seeing Kai Lun heading towards the other side of the bridge, the group looked down below. At that moment, another player emerged with an Invincibility Aura. Aside from the one who had been stealthily underwater all along, there were now only three players left. Brent, why dont you take out those three guys? the player holding the longsword said in a low voice, eyeing the trio. Wait a minute, let them draw the fire from the other side, and give Kai Lun some cover time, said another player; All these players were from the same battle alliance, allowing them to form a temporary team. Otherwise, only one person would survive this trial, a zero-sum game. Even if players formed teams, most of their effort would likely be spent watching their teammates, to their own detriment. As they watched Kai Luns transparent figure get closer to the opposite side of the bridge, suddenly a violent explosion came from across the bridge, blasting Kai Luns figure into the air. Landmine! The group shouted in unison, looking ahead; Just at that moment, the boom of a sniper rifle rang out, and Kai Lun, mid-air, manifested an Invincibility Aura, and was quickly teleported out of the assessment space; This scene made Song Jians heart sink as he watched from not too far away, realizing Kai Lun had become his decoy. If not for Kai Lun being blown up and eliminated, it would have been Song Jian himself. Chapter 867 - 868 Summoning_1 Chapter 867: Chapter 868 Summoning_1 Looking at the big hole at the end of the bridge emitting white smoke, Song Jian squinted his eyes and carefully observed. There must be more than one landmine there, and the sniper hiding in the villa on the opposite side of the bridge didnt want anyone to pass through here; At this moment, player strength had greatly increased, so if they were ordinary landmines, they simply wouldnt have been able to instantly kill the sneaking player. These must be high-explosive landmines with tremendous power, or even more fearsome tactical blasting landmines. With the bridgehead blocked, Song Jian looked down at the river beneath the bridge. The river was quite wide, with concrete riverbanks on both sides. The surface of the river was at least a dozen meters below the riverbanks, so those who wanted to cross to the other side either had to go over the bridge or swim under it, followed by climbing up the sloped foundation at the end of the bridge. If there was a flying mount, one could also fly straight over this bridge! Song Jian thought to himself. Just then, a shrill cry came from afar in the sky, where a giant vulture was rapidly carrying a player towards the citys center; Meanwhile, a hovercraft on the river was searching along the bank for a place to land, and further away, several players were using ropes to climb the dozen meter-high riverbanks. If left un-sniped, they would quickly be able to cross the river and enter the opposite side. ... Thinking one can become the ultimate winner just by holding a bridge is obviously impossible. I wonder if he will give up this place and move into the city center first to seize some advantageous terrain? Song Jian pondered. Bang~ Another gunshot sounded, and one more player in the river was eliminated. Clearly, the sniper on the other side had no intention of giving up the advantageous terrain. After all, eliminating each person earns a point. Although I dont know what the points can be exchanged for yet, clearly they must be part of the competitors rewards! Song Jian thought to himself. The snipers weapon on the other side was evidently also a high-quality sniper rifle, at least of epic quality, and possibly even legendary. Otherwise, it could not possibly cause such significant damage to the players. Song Jian estimated that, even if he encountered it, he wouldnt last more than three shots unless he used his Soul Wander ability. Just then, the sounds of battle suddenly erupted from the villa at the end of the bridge. Song Jians eyes lit up it looked like someone had stealthily made their way into the villa and launched an attack on the sniper; Constantly sniping from the bridgehead had actually already revealed his position. As long as one could cross the bridge, it was very easy to ambush him, and those who used sniper rifles were generally long-range professionals. Once they were approached closely, all their weaknesses would be laid bare; Not only did Song Jian sense the battle ahead, but many players behind him who had rushed onto the bridge only to be stopped by a sniper rifle, also noticed the fight in front. They thought their opportunity had come; At this moment, a player clad in a black robe exuding the aura of the Abyss stepped forward, waving the magic staff in his hand and chanting an Abyssal Spell; Within a short time, space was torn apart, and a demon with legs growing from its head and its body engulfed in red flames crawled out from the Spatial Rift; It roughly yanked at the edges of the Spatial Rift, making it slightly larger. Its actions caused the player who was casting an Abyssal Spell to go pale, as a trickle of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He glared fiercely at the demon, yet his gaze held no real threat. He could only struggle to maintain the existence of the Spatial Rift; Soon, demons from the Abyss over two meters tall crawled out of the rift, howling up at the sky. Their crimson eyes fixed on the summoner, revealing malicious intent; One by one, the Abyssal demons emerged until a total of five were summoned. The Space-Time Rift couldnt withstand the strain and shattered completely. The Abyssal Summoner wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression twisting slightly. This was the first time he had summoned so many Abyssal demons, and controlling them placed great pressure on his soul; S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Charge forward and destroy all living creatures inside that villa! the Abyssal Summoner player bellowed, pointing at the villa where a battle was taking place; This is your first command to us and also the last. Once we complete it, we will regain our freedom. Now, start running, Summoner. As soon as the task is done, we will kill you first! An Abyssal demon said with sinister eyes and a savage smile on its face while staring down the player. Abyssal language was a compulsory course for Abyssal Summoners. After hearing what the demon had said, the Summoners face turned even paler, seemingly realizing he had made a colossal mistake; No, no, damn it, my power has grown too quickly, how could I forget the prohibitions of Abyssal Summoning! Panic surged across the players face. All creatures summoned from the Abyss would obey only one command and complete one task. After that, their contract with the summoner would be fulfilled. Once the task was completed, the Abyssal demons would regain their freedom and be bound by no constraints; At that point, these summoned demons often saw the one who had summoned them as an enemy and relentlessly pursued them; Therefore, Abyssal Summoners would only summon those demons they could deal with, or give them commands that essentially sent them to their deaths. But in this Assessment Space, where his powers had grown too fast, the Abyssal Summoner, with all his might, had summoned demons beyond his control. Most importantly, he had issued a foolish order. The players inside the villa could not possibly stand against five Abyssal demons, each as strong as a level 38 elite BOSS. As the Abyssal Summoner despaired, his companion suddenly pulled him aside and whispered, Have you forgotten about the landmines at the end of the bridge? Those are high-explosive landmines capable of instantly killing a level 38 player. Just those mines should be enough to deal with the big guys youve summoned! Indeed, well follow behind them and hurry across the bridge. Right now, they are the perfect meat shields! another player whispered, gradually moving and following behind the five Abyssal demons. By this time, more than twenty players had gathered on the bridge. During the stalemate, the corrosive aura was closing in at an accelerating pace, leaving them little time. This also led the twenty-plus players to form a temporary alliance. Even if they had to determine a winner, it would have to wait until after crossing the bridge; Chapter 877: 878: The Broken Divine Country_1 Chapter 877: Chapter 878: The Broken Divine Country_1 Youre called Hao Da? Song Jian directly interrupted Hao Da, who was still incessantly analyzing the items, and asked, Which city were you born in? Huh? Place of birth? What are you going to do? A hint of wariness appeared in Hao Das eyes as he took a step back and asked. Nothing much, do you know where Doomsday City is? Song Jian asked with a smile; The scope of territories within this game was immense, even for people from a single city in the real world, it could be thousands of miles apart, making it extremely difficult for them to gather. Doomsday City? I think Ive heard of it; it seems to be a location that the Transmission Array only recently connected to, but the cost to go there is too high, Ive never been! Hao Da said with a slight frown, shaking his head after pondering for a moment; Thats alright, as long as the Transmission Array is accessible, it seems it shouldnt be too far from Doomsday City! Song Jian nodded and said, Are you interested in joining the City of Hope Alliance, it is now the biggest alliance in Doomsday City! City of Hope? Hao Da paused, seemingly recalling something, and hurriedly took out a notebook from his inventory to flip through, saying as he browsed, Wait a moment, City of Hope Alliance, I remember this name Song Jian saw that, in the notebook that Hao Da was flipping through, a lot of information was densely recorded; Found it, City of Hope, damn, thats the alliance that built the first city in the vicinity, the one with the highest difficulty to join! Hao Da couldnt help exclaiming, raising his head to look at Song Jian, a hint of skepticism in his eyes. Only three hundred and two people are core members of the City of Hope Alliance, can you really get me in? Hao Da asked doubtfully; Forget about becoming a core member, are you interested in being an outer member? Song Jian said directly, If you join, after a period of assessment, you might well become a core member; think about it? Is there really a chance to become a core member? Dont lie to me! Song Jian hesitated; Haha, no problem, you just need to come to the Doomsday City Lords Mansion, and say Song Jian sent you, someone will take care of your joining! Song Jian patted Hao Das shoulder and laughed; Song Jian, Song Jian You, you are the leader of the City of Hope Alliance, you are the City Lord of City of Hope? Hao Das face showed surprise, and he looked incredulous. Thats right, Ill be waiting for you! Song Jian said, and then bought a golden skill point from the vending machine, directly adding it to the Thousands of Swords Ascension Art! Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision (Active), Level 5 (0%), Skill Effect: Summon 5-60 Spirit Swords, inflicting (Quantity * 160% Weapon Damage) points of damage on the target, and each Spirit Sword also has a chance to deepen the targets damage; Attack Range: 1000 meters; Skill Consumption: 140 points of Invisible Sword Qi; Skill Cooldown Time: 10 seconds; Skill Description: This skill is one of the core skills of the Swordsman Immortal profession, gathering tens of thousands of Spirit Swords, amassing tens of thousands of sword arts, with aura crisscrossing the heavens and earth, and Sword Qi facing everything, the Swords look disdainfully down upon all, mountains collapse, seas split, heaven and earth turn upside down! This skill cannot be improved by proficiency but can only be upgraded by consuming other skills/skill books! With Level 5 of the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, its power had greatly increased. Hao Da glanced at the vending machine and was momentarily stunned, somewhat puzzled, but he did not say anything more and nodded toward Song Jian, directly exiting the Assessment space; sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian closed his eyes slightly, sensing it spreading out in all directions like quicksilver. After not detecting anything unusual, he directly chose to exchange for the Shattered Divine Country. A seed about the size of a fingernail, emitting a purple-gold radiance, appeared from the void; after its appearance, it instantaneously transformed into a divine light and entered Song Jians brow; Song Jian soon felt an inexplicable connection to a bizarre region, as if mere thought would allow him entry; Moreover, this region, hidden who knows where, seemed to be calling out to him, as if it urgently needed him to enter. Hesitating for a moment, Song Jian did not directly enter the shattered Divine Country from this space but instead withdrew from the assessment space and returned to the Manor Castle of the City of Hope Alliance; Just as Song Jian left this starry sky, a figure slowly materialized about ten meters from the vending machinethis person was not a player, but the NPC professional Gases, who had stayed until the end, even going as far as to use Finger of Death on Song Jian. Gases, with eyes revealing a hint of hatred, had not only maxed out his Stealth Skill but, upon reaching max level, had also undergone a mutation and advanced to another level, making him undetectable even to Song Jians formidable spiritual perception; As Gases looked upon the star domain now empty save for himself, a smile crept onto his facehe knew Song Jian was the ultimate victor, and that even with his powerful attacks, the guarding BOSS must have surely perished by his hand. Gases believed that killing the BOSS had to yield score rewards, although he didnt know how much; Soon, Gases approached the vending machine, and within minutes, a shocked expression appeared on his face. On the vending machines interface, the sales count for Shattered Divine Country had become zero; Finally, Gases knew what Song Jian had purchased hereit was the best thing available throughout the entire star domain space; Doomsday City, huh, sneered Gases, his face twisting into a sinister smile as his figure slowly vanished; Upon returning to the Manor Castle in the City of Hope, Song Jian immediately relaxed. Everything in the assessment space had been too eerie, keeping his mind exceedingly tautonly within the confines of the Manor Castle could he truly unwind; Once back at the Manor Castle, that urgent voice calling out to him in his mind seemed to grow stronger. With a thought, Song Jian disappeared from the room in the Manor Castle; At this moment, Butler George gently knocked on the door. After a long silence, receiving no response, George slowly opened the door. Each time Song Jian returned to the Manor Castle, the butler would come to ask if there was anything he needed. However, today, even though George had felt Song Jians presence, upon entering the room, he couldnt find any trace of him; What has happened to the master George furrowed his brows, scrutinized the room, found nothing out of the ordinary, and slowly retreated, closing the door behind him; At this moment, Song Jian had arrived in a strange place that seemed like a semi-dimensional plane. The sky above and the distant land were full of immense space-time rifts. Around these rifts, there were mountains, plains, and lakesexcept that the mountains were scarred with ravines, with huge fissures spreading across them. The plains, on the other hand, were barren, with some areas even ablaze with scorching flame. As for the lakes, they resembled putrid ditches, mostly dried up with only a small murky pool remaining, above which swarms of mosquitos and flies buzzed. Chapter 878: 879 The Cost of Repair_1 Chapter 878: Chapter 879 The Cost of Repair_1 Song Jian looked at the dilapidated scene before him and was instantly stunned. This place was even more desolate than Doomsday City when he first entered it, devoid of any trace of life. He feared that in a few hundred years, this semi-dimensional plane would completely collapse. Such a semi-dimensional plane is actually so expensive, its simply Song Jian couldnt help but complain, just as he was about to leave disappointed, suddenly a soccer ball-sized orb of light appeared before him. Master, welcome back to the Divine Country! a childish voice came from within the orb, sounding like a five or six-year-old child speaking. You are Song Jian furrowed his brows. I am the spirit of this Divine Country. When Master is not here, I can take care of the Divine Country for Master! the orb of light explained. Divine Country, haha, how come I see this place as nothing but ruins? Song Jian shook his head and laughed. Master, this truly is the Divine Country, a place only deities can reside in! the orb of light said, Although Master is not yet a deity, your mark has already been imprinted onto this land of the Divine Country! This is what I bought for five hundred points. You have to know that five hundred points could at least buy five hundred attribute points. If I had bought all attribute points, my power by now could possibly even easily defeat those with second-tier combat power! Song Jian complained inwardly. Master, the resources of the Divine Country have been completely depleted. It will take one thousand points of divine power to repair this broken land! the spirit spoke directly, If there is no replenishment of divine power in the next five hundred years, then this Divine Country will fall! Divine power? Song Jian paused, a bitter and helpless smile appeared on his face. Do you think I have the power to supply you with divine power with my current strength? Master, if you cannot provide divine power, then souls will do as well. As long as Master can gather one million souls, you can just barely repair the Divine Country! the spirit continued. One thousand souls are equivalent to one point of divine power? Song Jian pondered. What use does this Divine Country have for me? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. The desolate land before him had diminished any interest he had in it. If it wasnt for the suddenly appeared spirit that made Song Jian feel somewhat intrigued, he would rather have wasted the five hundred points than show up in this space. The defense of the Divine Country is impregnable, and its whereabouts are impossible to trace. Only deities can discover the Divine Country, and only deities have the power to breach the Divine Country! the spirit continued, With Masters current power, the Divine Country can help you escape all threats to your life. With your minds guidance, Master can enter and exit the Divine Country at will, avoiding disaster! Song Jians eyes lit up. This use was indeed not bad. In this game where you have only one life, being able to save your life was the greatest utility. What else? Song Jian nodded slightly. The total area of the Divine Country is currently three hundred and twenty square kilometers. If Master has anything temporarily not in use, you can store it in the Divine Country, the spirit continued, The flow of time within the Divine Country can be adjusted at will. Any item, as long as it is within the Divine Country, will never decay! So its like a larger storage bag. Not bad, not bad! A smile appeared on Song Jians face as he asked, This means I can store living things in it, right? Living beings can also be brought into the Divine Country? If Master can fully repair the Divine Country, in theory, you could store living creatures within. However, in the Divine Country, these creatures will gradually be transformed into holy spirits. The only beings that can survive in the Divine Country, apart from gods, are spirits, the spirit continued. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I see! Song Jian nodded, and said, What else is there? There are many functions of the Divine Country! the spirit went on, But most of the functions can only be utilized after the repairs are completed. I hope Master can repair the Divine Country as soon as possible! A million souls! Song Jian sighed and asked, Do they all have to be human? Of course not, Master. Its best to hunt those powerful creatures, the stronger the creature, the more abundant its soul energy. A standard unit of soul energy is equivalent to the soul strength of a level thirty elite BOSS! Ling explained. Hiss~! Song Jian took a sharp breath; the difficulty of this repair was much greater than he had imagined. A million level thirty elite BOSSeseven if he worked tirelesslyit might take several years to accomplish. Do I have to hunt these powerful creatures alone? It will tire me to death! Song Jian couldnt help but say. Master can build altars elsewhere and sacrifice living powerful creatures so that the Divine Country can extract their souls! Moreover, Master, you can use soul energy to create Storage Spirit Beads. These items can be worn by others who, upon killing monsters, can directly store the monsters souls Ling continued. If thats the case, its not so difficult after all! Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since he could enlist the help of others, then restoring the Divine Country was not as difficult as he had thought. Master, here are the instructions for constructing the altar and the methods for making the Storage Spirit Beads! After saying this, Ling transmitted a stream of information to Song Jian, including methods for constructing the altar and making Storage Spirit Beads. Alright, Ill get to repairing this place as soon as possible. Song Jian looked around again, and the widespread devastation made him sigh slightly. Even gods have their days of defeat and death; he was merely someone who had inherited some unique professional skillswhat was there to be proud of? With a thought, Song Jian returned to his room in Manor Castle. It was indeed very convenient to enter the Divine Country; in addition to the Enemy of Death God skill, Song Jian had acquired another powerful life-saving measure. Soon, Song Jian sent the material list for constructing the altar and making Storage Spirit Beads to Wang Qi, instructing him to collect these materials. By the way, Wang Qi, has anyone in the alliance encountered especially powerful monsters? Song Jian asked. Especially powerful? Of course, I have a map of the BOSS distribution areas on hand. Almost all the elite and lord-level BOSSes near the City of Hope Alliance are included in it! Wang Qi said. Have you discovered any BOSS that is more formidable than the lord-level? Song Jian inquired. Song Jian had never seen a second-tier monster, but he suspected that they must be much more formidable than the lord-level ones. BOSSes more formidable than the lord-level? Wang Qi was startled. It was widely known that at this stage, not to mention lord-level, even elite-level BOSSes were not something an ordinary player could handle. Encountering one often meant summoning friends and forming teams to hunt together. City lord, when we encounter lord-level BOSSes, we have to hide. As for those stronger than lord-level, even if we did see them, we wouldnt recognize them! Wang Qi expressed his difficulty. Upon hearing this, Song Jian was taken aback, then shook his head. Wang Qi was right; lord-level BOSSes were already the limit for players. Encountering one often required dozens or even hundreds of players to have a chance of taking it down. As for BOSSes stronger than lord-level, if ordinary players encountered one, they likely wouldnt even have a chance to escape. City lord, I once went to a place, but even before I entered, I felt a terrifying sensation that was so horrifying, I dared not step even half a step inside. In hindsight, if there really are BOSSes more formidable than lord-level ones, they would probably only appear there Wang Qi hesitated for a long time before finally saying in a low voice. Chapter 879: 880 Heart Speech Grass_1 Chapter 879: Chapter 880 Heart Speech Grass_1 The place Wang Qi spoke of was a vast swamp located thirty kilometers southwest of Doomsday City, filled with mud pits of various sizes everywhere. Some of these pits were so shallow that they couldnt even cover ones feet, while others could swallow hundreds of people without a single ripple; The air throughout the swamp was permeated with a poisonous fog full of corrosive properties, the gas exuding vibrant hues of colors, which under the sunlight, appeared as if one was in a dreamlike realm. This is Song Jian gazed at the poison fog swamp emitting a strange glow in front of him, his brow deeply furrowed. Ordinary players dare not even talk about exploring this place, for merely approaching it was extremely dangerous. However, Song Jians innate passive skill Thick Skin once again took effect, directly immunizing him against the corrosive damage of the poisonous fog. Of course, on one hand, it was due to his innate skill, and on the other, it was because of Song Jians robust physical attributes. At this time, Song Jians physical attributes had reached over one hundred and twenty points, and for the perennial poisonous fog in the swamp, even if the damage was ten times more severe, the impact on Song Jian would be minimal; Just as Wang Qi had said, the moment Song Jian set foot into the poisonous fog swamp, he immediately felt a faint pressure surging towards him; It was as if a giant beast with eyes as large as lanterns was watching him closely, not pouncing, but the fierce sense of threat was already overwhelming; This, this seems somewhat similar to the Black Dragons Dragon Might Song Jian frowned, thinking to himself that this persistent sense of threat was very similar to the Dragon Might exuded by a Black Dragon; Could it be that theres a Giant Dragon as the BOSS inside the poisonous fog swamp? Song Jian revealed an incredulous look on his face but then thought his idea was too far-fetched, laughed, and shook his head, discarding the thought from his mind; Just as Song Jian was about to step into the poisonous fog swamp to search for the hidden BOSS, which was very likely of command-level, an elderly dwarf suddenly emerged from a mud pit; Deitys Chosen, are you planning to venture into this swamp? The dwarf was covered in a thick layer of mud that made him look a bit like a distant relative of the stone people Gulu. If you really intend to enter this poisonous fog swamp, could you do Old Som a small favor? A very simple one, rest assured, Ill pay you a fair price, the dwarf said to Song Jian with a smile on his face; May I know what you need help with? Song Jian asked. Its nothing much, actually quite simple. You just need to help me collect ten Heart Speech Grass from the poisonous fog swamp! As he spoke, the old dwarf rubbed his rough hands together, somewhat embarrassed; Heart Speech Grass, is that a type of herb? Song Jian asked curiously; Yes, it indeed is a herb, I need it to craft a petrification potion! Dwarf Som did not hide anything and openly stated; So, you mean to tell me youre an Alchemy Master? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise, as he had not expected a dwarf to forgo the study of smithing in favor of alchemy, which was indeed quite astonishing. Haha, thats right, I am indeed an Alchemy Master! Dwarf Som seemed quite proud, stroking his long beard that almost touched the ground as he laughed and spoke; Actually, Im also fond of studying alchemy, its just that I mostly grope about on my own, and now I havent truly stepped into the threshold of alchemy. Song Jian said somewhat sheepishly, I can help you collect ten Heart Speech Grasses, I wonder if you could impart some of your insights into alchemy to me? Song Jians alchemy skill was only level seven, and he had yet to become a true Alchemist, only after reaching level ten would he earn the title of a junior Alchemist, and only then would he qualify to call himself an Alchemist, for now, at best he was just an alchemy apprentice; Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Oh, are you also a seeker of the path of alchemy, how rare! Dwarf Soms expression softened even more as he nodded with a smile, Alright, if you can collect ten Heart Speech Grasses for me, then I will give you a book, my many years of alchemical insights, and I hope it can help you improve! Since thats the case, then let me thank you in advance, ten Heart Speech Grasses, I will definitely gather them for you, Song Jian laughed; He was originally planning to enter the Poison Fog Swamp to look for Heart Speech Grass anyway, so it was merely a side task; Young man, you must be careful, as there will be a BOSS guarding near every Heart Speech Grass, and the older the Heart Speech Grass, the stronger the guarding BOSS! the old dwarf said seriously, In the middle of this swamp, there is a Dominant-level BOSS, you must not get close to the poison pond in the center of the swamp, should you alert that Dominant-level BOSS, Im afraid you wont even be able to escape. Dominant-level? Is there really a Dominant-level BOSS here? A smile appeared on Song Jians lips, and he nodded at the old dwarf before turning to walk toward the Poison Fog Swamp; I didnt expect there to really be a Dominant-level BOSS here, and even its exact location was revealed, this is really too lucky! Song Jian thought to himself. Inside the Poison Fog Swamp, the further he traveled, the denser the poisonous fog became, with the corrosive damage continuously increasing, and it even hindered Song Jians vision, until at last, Song Jian could only extend his perception to explore the surroundings; The place was filled with traps, some areas that seemed like just a small puddle turned out to be bottomless upon stepping into them; Thanks to his strong perception, Song Jian had avoided many such traps, but soon, his luck ran out. As he dodged a deep water swamp pit, a net with a diameter of over five meters swooped down over his head; A giant poisonous spider issued a sharp scream, spitting a stream of poison toward the net-entangled Song Jian; Swamp Poison Spider, Level 45, Elite Level BOSS, Vitality Points: 62000/62000 An Elite Level BOSS with over seventy thousand Vitality Points, a Level 45 spider, launched a stealth attack on Song Jian from less than three meters away and succeeded in its strike. When it spat the web, Song Jian didnt even notice, and it wasnt until the web was overhead that Song Jian sensed the danger; It has a talent for concealing perception, with powerful stealth? Song Jian was shocked and immediately used the Soul Wander ability. The white web that had enveloped him just acted as if it had covered nothing, softly falling to the ground, while Song Jian escaped from the nets grip and lunged at the Level 45 Elite BOSS; PS: Thank you Bread84 for tipping 100 starting coins~ Chapter 880: 881: Gathering_1 Chapter 880: Chapter 881: Gathering_1 Thousand Swords Art Over forty spirit swords flew towards the poison spider, which seemed to sense something and emitted a piercing shriek. It opened its mouth wide and spat out a mouthful of venom; Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as the venom collided with the countless spirit swords, the swords in mid-air, as if possessing their own consciousness, all changed direction in the air, tracing an arc, and continued to slash towards the poison spider; Boom, boom, boom~ The spirit swords struck the poison spiders body, splashing blood everywhere; Squeak~ The poison spiders body was left with dozens of sword marks, each over half a foot long, continuously oozing blood. Such wounds resembled being sliced by a thousand knives, causing the poison spiders body to twitch uncontrollably and let out bursts of agonizing howls; Puff, puff, puff, puff~ The severely injured poison spider had less than a thousand vitality points left, almost on the verge of death; it couldnt even stand up. But at its tail end, with each contraction, it continuously laid fist-sized spider egg sacs; These white egg sacs would explode upon contact with the air, and young spiders would crawl out. In no time, a large number of spiderlings surrounded the grievously injured poison spider; These spiderlings were only level one, with just one hundred vitality points. Song Jian didnt understand what use there could be in having so many such weak spiderlings; With each spiderling born, the poison spider lost a point of vitality. Before long, it had lost over a hundred vitality points, and the number of spiderlings around it had grown to over a hundred; Lying on the ground, the Swamp Poison Spider BOSSs compound eyes showed a light of hatred. After a loud cry, the spiderlings rushed towards Song Jian like a flood; Five Elements Sword Array! Song Jian threw the Sky-breaking Sword into the air, where it split into five and turned into a grey fog of swords, enveloping all the spiderlings; Boom, boom, boom~ The long swords not only struck these spiderlings, but to his surprise, the spiderlings could self-destruct. Once killed, their bodies burst open, like little bombs. The Five Elements Sword Array Space lasted for less than three seconds before it was blown apart, and Song Jian spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes revealing an expression of disbelief. The explosion had caused enormous damage to the Sword Array Space; his spirit points plummeted instantly, not leaving him any chance to use replenishing potions. Without spirit points, the Sword Array Space could no longer be maintained and directly collapsed, and Song Jian also suffered backlash from the destruction of the sword formation, spewing out a mouthful of blood; Seeing dozens more spiderlings crazily rushing towards him, Song Jians expression changed slightly, and he spread his steel wings, flying into the midair. These little spiders didnt have the ability to fly, each of them gathering under Song Jians feet, continuously emitting sharp screams; Glancing at the dying Swamp Poison Spider, Song Jian controlled the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand to slash fiercely at it; After mastering the Sword Control Skill, Song Jian found that he had become even more adept at handling long swords. The Sky-breaking Sword felt like an extension of his own arm, and when he used it for long-range attacks, there was no cost at all. As long as he could sense it, that was within the strike range of the Sky-breaking Sword; With less than a thousand Vitality Points left, they were taken by the Sky-breaking Sword. The Swamp Poison Spider let out a pitiful scream, its raised front half crashing down. A white, semi-transparent shadow seemed to float out from its corpse and was absorbed into an unknown space. Song Jian could feel that this was the soul energy of the Swamp Poison Spider, absorbed by his shattered Divine Country, becoming the energy to repair the Divine Country. Song Jian saw that next to the corpse of the Swamp Poison Spider, a purple grass had broken through the soil. It rapidly grew at a visible speed, and in no time, the purple grass had grown over half a foot tall, swaying in the wind. Meanwhile, the body of the Swamp Poison Spider looked as though it had been drained of all its flesh and turned into a thin, dried-up leather; Is this the Heart Speech Grass the old dwarf mentioned? It doesnt seem like it grew in the swamp, but rather burst out from the BOSSs corpse. Could it be that these Heart Speech Grasses all grow inside BOSSes? Shaking his head, Song Jian discarded the thought and turned his attention to the group of self-exploding little spiders; Even after the death of the Swamp Poison Spider, the little spiders did not disperse and were still eyeing Song Jian. The cooldown time for the Thousand Swords Art had elapsed, so Song Jian cast the Thousand Swords Art right away, summoning Spirit Swords to wipe out all these little spiders; Boom, boom, boom~ The intense explosions flung all the nearby swamp mud into the air, creating a crater over three meters in diameter, but soon, the surrounding mud gathered back together, and the crater turned back into a swampy pit; Soul energy was collected by Song Jian; the flesh became the nutrient for cultivating the Heart Speech Grass. As a result, the level 45 elite BOSS Swamp Poison Spider had only dropped one piece of green-quality crafting material, an Explosive Poison Sac, which was an ingredient required for a branch of Alchemy, poison-making, valued at two hundred Doomsday Coins; A level 45 elite BOSS, and in the end, it only dropped a piece of material worth two hundred Doomsday Coins. Im afraid no one would believe this if it were told! muttered Song Jian while collecting the Heart Speech Grass; Because he had accepted a gathering quest, collecting the Heart Speech Grass didnt require a high level of the Medicine Gathering Skill, so Song Jian was able to gather a complete stalk of Heart Speech Grass smoothly. This grass was dark purple all over and emitted a faint fragrance that was refreshing and seemed to relax the soul; After storing the Heart Speech Grass in his bag, Song Jian continued to explore deeper into the swamp; This swamp was teeming with not only bizarre creatures but also various undead and earth elemental monsters, most of which were level 40 or above. If it werent for the pervasive corrosive miasma and poison fog, this would be a decent spot for grinding. Unfortunately, after exploring the area for over an hour, Song Jian hadnt encountered a single player; Song Jian had killed seven or eight elites above level 40, and hed gathered nine stalks of Heart Speech Grass. These grasses only emerged after the BOSSes were slain; it seemed as if where a BOSS died, there a Heart Speech Grass would grow, and their development was all by drawing nutrients from the corpses of the BOSSes. Not only flesh-and-blood creatures but even the undead and earth element BOSSes, upon death, had their remains absorbed as nutrients by the Heart Speech Grass; Looking at the nine stalks of Heart Speech Grass in his bag, radiating a dim purple light, Song Jian felt a strange sensation rising within him. Such bizarre herbs were likely to produce very special potions, and Song Jian was now looking forward to the moment the old dwarf would create the petrification potion; Chapter 881: 882 Highly Poisonous Lake_1 Chapter 881: Chapter 882 Highly Poisonous Lake_1 The further he walked into the depths of the poisonous fog swamp, the more intense the oppressive aura that pervaded the air became. Moreover, the deeper he traveled, the stronger the monsters he encountered. Song Jian was no longer seeing any monsters below level forty-five. Nearly every few meters throughout the swamp, there would be a monster roaming. Splosh~ Song Jian stepped into a puddle of sludge, and suddenly, an arm-thick tentacle covered with green-black scales shot out from the sludge. This tentacle, similar to an octopuss limb, was covered with suckers of various sizes and was continuously wriggling, which looked somewhat disgusting. He had already encountered quite a few of these monsters, and after killing them, they would drop cooking ingredients of a decent tier, some even dropping gems that could be set in equipment to enhance attributes. Song Jian quickly slew the monster, picked up a segment of the tender tentacle material that had dropped, and continued to walk forward. After exploring the swamp for over two hours, his experience bar had increased by 6%, but Song Jian still hadnt found a trace of the Sovereign-level BOSS. He hadnt even encountered an ordinary Elite BOSS, which meant that the quantity of Heart Speech Grass remained at nine, far from completing the task the old dwarf had given him. Just then, Song Jian suddenly saw a dazzling magical light illuminate the sky ahead, almost lighting up half of the sky. Instantly invigorated, Song Jian quickly headed toward the source of the brilliant light. As he ran, he noticed that the entire swamp seemed to have been disturbed, with nearly all monsters, like him, frantically heading towards the source of the light. Could it be that some treasure appeared in this swamp? Is that whats causing such agitation among these monsters? Song Jian thought to himself. Soon, Song Jian arrived at the location of the resplendent magical light. To his surprise, it was a lake spanning several thousand kilometers, with thick, foul-smelling green water on its surface. Bubbles constantly surfaced and burst, emitting a nauseating odor. But within this seemingly lifeless and highly toxic water, there grew a strange plant. It resembled a large banyan tree rooted in the water. Its trunk was knotted, and the surface of its bark had patterns like animal scales. What was even more astonishing was its crown, shaped like a dragons head roaring defiantly into the sky. The brilliant magical light that Song Jian had seen earlier was emanating from this tree. Along with the radiance came waves of a rich fragrance spreading outwards in all directions. At first, Song Jian found the scent very pleasant, but before long, it became cloying, as if his entire body were enveloped in a mass of filthy blood, every pore oozing grease. Around the highly poisonous lake, large groups of monsters began to appear. They gathered in greater numbers, and within a matter of minutes, nearly ten thousand monsters had congregated, a dense mass that was quite terrifying to behold. Having the skill to enter the Divine Country at any time, Song Jian wasnt too worried about being surrounded by these monsters. Moreover, the monsters near him seemed to be ignoring him entirely, their eyes fixated on the odd tree in the Poisonous Water Lake. At first, these monsters were able to remain quiet, but as time passed, they became increasingly restless. Some of their eyes turned blood-red, radiating a frightening glow. Thump, thump~ After a long wait, finally, some monsters could no longer restrain themselves and began to jump into the Poisonous Water Lake. Suddenly, Song Jian noticed that the oppressive presence that was always filling the air had inexplicably vanished. Ao~ Agonizing roars came from the water as Song Jian suddenly discovered that the poisonous water in the lake was like concentrated sulfuric acid. Any monster that jumped into the lake was rapidly dissolved by the water, eventually becoming nothing but skeletons that sank to the bottom; But this tragic scene did not instill fear in the other monsters. Instead, they continued to leap into the lake one after another, in a manner resembling suicide; Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking around, Song Jian saw that, although the monsters appeared frenzied, there was a hint of confusion in their blood-red eyes as if they had no idea what they were doing, which sent a chill through Song Jians body. Turning his gaze back to the large tree in the lake, his eyes suddenly took on a strange expression; Could it be that this peculiar Dragon Head Tree is the ultimate boss? Song Jian thought to himself, All these creatures in the toxic swamp are its food, roaming freely around the swamp until its time for harvest, then they are all lured over Just as Song Jian was pondering, he suddenly saw a huge dragon head emerge from the thick green water, two emerald eyes staring intently at him, and that oppressive aura once again surged in his heart; Theres actually a Giant Dragon here Song Jians heart sank, but the dragon head that was slowly emerging seemed to be different from his war pet, the Black Dragon. This creature had only one horn on its head, right at the position of the brow; Perhaps its not a Giant Dragon, but just a creature with the bloodline of the Dragon Clan Song Jian speculated; However, at that moment, another Unicorn Dragon head emerged from the water. Quickly, a vast body stood up from the lake. This monster turned out to be a terrifying Double-Headed Monster with two Unicorn Dragon heads; This monster seemed to be the guardian of the strange tree in the lake, standing motionless next to the tree. Its four eyes on both dragon heads were all fixed on Song Jian, appearing somewhat puzzled; But soon, it seemed to lose interest in Song Jian, with both dragon heads beginning to look at the strange tree in the lake. By this time, the number of creatures that had committed suicide by jumping into the lake had surpassed three thousand, and there were still more monsters continuously rushing into the waters. The thick green viscous water was like a bottomless pit, constantly swallowing the bodies of monsters big and small. The odd tree in the lake also began to slowly grow three dark red fruits; These three fruits, originally the size of a fist, slowly grew larger and larger, eventually becoming three fruits as big as basketballs. The surface of these three fruits also revealed scale-like patterns, emitting a dark red glow. Their light ebbed and flowed as if they were throbbing hearts. After these three fruits ripened, the monsters around seemed to suddenly come to their senses. Now, only a few hundred monsters remained on the lakes shore, their faces showing terrified expressions as they retreated repeatedly, some even scared to the point of wetting themselves and collapsing by the lakeside. The Double-Headed Monster in the Poisonous Water Lake didnt glance at its surroundings and slowly approached the fruits of the great tree in the lake; This monster with two Unicorn Dragon heads is the true ultimate boss. Song Jian gripped the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand and thought to himself. Chapter 882: 883: Domination Level_1 Chapter 882: Chapter 883: Domination Level_1 This monster with two unicorn dragon heads, Song Jian could only see its level and Vitality Points, which were level forty-eight, and it had five hundred thousand Vitality Points; Dominion-level, this must be a dominion-level BOSS! Song Jian was shocked in his heart. A BOSS with five hundred thousand Vitality Points, if it wasnt at dominion-level, then he really couldnt imagine what a true dominion-level BOSS would look like! Ordinary lord-level BOSSes could at most control a hundred or so normal monsters and a dozen or so Elite Level BOSSes, but this BOSS in front of him could easily control tens of thousands of monsters. The poisonous fog swamp that spanned dozens of kilometers, all the monsters within were reared and recklessly harvested by it as fodder. Just thinking about it was terrifying; Swoosh swoosh~ The monster waded through the highly toxic lake, stirring waves upon waves. The lake water, which could melt the bones of other monsters, seemed to have no effect on it; When it reached the strange tree in the middle of the lake, the two unicorn dragon beasts each bit into a red fruit, chewing continuously, and a rich fragrance pervaded the air as the two dragon heads let out a comfortable howl; Just then, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword in his hand fiercely slashed towards its direction, and over fifty Spirit Swords appeared out of thin air, falling like meteors, tracing arcs through the air, and flying toward the gigantic monster; Boom, boom, boom~ sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The lake water churned as the Spirit Swords harshly hacked onto the monsters body. The Spirit Swords, which should have caused over eighteen hundred points of damage, managed to inflict less than a thousand points of damage on this creature. Clearly, this monsters defensive power was not something those lord-level BOSSes could match; More than fifty Spirit Swords instantly reduced the monsters Vitality Points by one-tenth. Feeling the intense pain, the BOSS immediately grew furious. It stopped devouring the last fruit and turned to charge at Song Jian; The BOSS, over eight meters tall, looked like a small hill. After being injured, its attributes were revealed to Song Jian. Dragon Head Poisonous Flood Dragon Beast, level forty-eight, dominion-level BOSS, Vitality Points: 442580/500000 Before it rushed out of the lake, the unicorn dragon head on the left spewed out a large amount of poison at Song Jian. He quickly dodged, and a foul smell immediately filled the air from where he had just been standing. A white smoke rose, and the sound of hissing corrosion reached Song Jians earsthe ground where he had stood was covered in poison, slowly corroding into blackness; Song Jian had barely inhaled some of the poisonous gas and immediately felt dizzy and saw double, as if he was stepping on cotton. The talent skill Thick-skinned activated at this moment, and Song Jian quickly became alert again, but he was shaken to his core. Having inhaled just a bit of poison and feeling such a fierce effect, if he were sprayed with this poison, he feared that even the talent skill would not be able to completely immunize against the poisons damage; Realizing this, Song Jian became even more cautious and immediately used the Soul Wander skill to increase his distance from the BOSS; The Poisonous Jiao BOSS was massive, yet its speed was not slow at all. It closed the distance with just a few strides, following closely behind Song Jian. The muddy and tough swamp terrain didnt seem to impede it in the slightest. Even after Song Jian increased his movement speed by 100%, he was caught up after just a few seconds, and the two massive dragon heads fiercely bit at his back; Song Jians steel wings burst open behind him, and his figure flew into midair. The two dragon heads swept past, like battering rams, leaving a deep trench in the ground. Seeing Song Jian take to the sky, the unicorn dragon head on the right raised high, expelling a pale gray poison fog like an arrow towards midair; Song Jian hastily dodged, as this was the poison fog of a commend-level BOSS, and even he did not dare to be touched by it lightly; The poison fog was sprayed more than twenty meters high before it ran out of strength and slowly dispersed. Amazingly, the fog was heavier than air and floated down like dust, enveloping an area of several dozen meters around it; Floating mid-air, Song Jian looked down at the poisonous Jiao BOSS resembling a giant two-headed lizard, and he heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this BOSS couldnt fly; otherwise, it would have been quite a headache to dodge its attacks; As soon as the ten-second cooldown ended, Song Jian continued to use the Thousand Swords Art, with dozens of Spirit Swords howling towards the BOSS. After a thunderous roar, the BOSSs Vitality Points suffered a loss of nearly forty thousand; A vitality of five hundred thousand, in the eyes of other players, was simply an insurmountable mountain, leaving them with no slightest intention to fight. However, under Song Jians formidable attacks, as long as there was enough time, killing this BOSS was just a matter of time, assuming he could survive long enough under the BOSSs assaults; The injured BOSS grew even angrier, and the eyes of both Unicorn Dragon heads revealed a fierce look as they gazed at Song Jian floating above; Heart-wrenching roars came from the two dragon heads, echoing throughout the poisonous fog swamp. Before long, a large number of dark spots appeared in the distant sky. When they flew closer, Song Jian realized they were a flock of flying monsters; These monsters resembled humanoid bats, with a striking resemblance of about seventy to eighty percent to the bat-winged Zombies he had encountered before, complete with long feathers covering their bodies. Their faces were fierce, with two sharp fangs sticking out of their lips. Their hands were like human hands, except with nails over half a foot long. Their legs, however, were similar to bird claws, curled in flight, revealing gleaming bird claws from among the feathers, which looked somewhat intimidating; To be able to summon so many monsters from such a distance? Song Jian was startled. Previously, gathering all the monsters in the poisonous fog swamp was not solely due to the ability of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, but mostly because of the strange tree in the center of the lake. But now, Song Jian truly witnessed the strength of a command-level monster; To dominate all the monsters in a territory, the range of this enormous Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos dominion was within several tens of kilometers of the toxic swamp. Any monster living in this swamp was under its command, even controlling their life and death. Song Jian looked at the group of monsters flying towards him, with his Sky-breaking Sword ready to strike; Toxic Bat-winged Talon Beast (Ordinary), Level 40, Vitality Points: 12000/12000 Though these approaching monsters appeared fierce, they were in fact just a group of level 40 ordinary monsters. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao in the swamp still eyed Song Jian in mid-air with a malicious and cunning look; Song Jian tossed the Sky-breaking Sword into the air and executed the Five Elements Sword Array, encompassing the several dozen Toxic Bat-winged Talon Beasts that were rushing at him. The Sword Qi, grey and hazy, covered an area of dozens of meters mid-air; Piercing cries rang out within the Sword Arrays space. Although the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao couldnt hear it, it could feel the life of these monsters rapidly slipping away. Watching Song Jian, a wary look flashed in its eyes. PS: Thanks to No Strength to Get Up for the reward of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 886: 887 Kill_1 Chapter 886: Chapter 887 Kill_1 Boom, boom, boom~ Over a dozen spirit swords bombarded the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao BOSS, and Song Jian whispered hoarsely, Continue summoning! Feeling Song Jians threat, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao hesitated for a moment before, in a humiliated manner, raising its heads and bellowing loudly. In no time, thousands of monsters swarmingly headed towards the Highly Poisonous Lake. Song Jian began to repeat the previous steps. The ground was now covered with a thick layer of monster corpses, and around them lay many variously colored items. Many pieces of loot, due to the passage of time, slowly vanished, which made Song Jian feel pained. After all, these were items above level forty, and even if sold to the system store, they could fetch a good number of Doomsday Coins. Furthermore, the leading players levels in Doomsday City had nearly reached level forty, so putting these items up for auction would see a fierce bidding war. At this point, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao looked somewhat listless, but Song Jian had not slackened his vigilance in the slightest. Should he give this Overlord-level BOSS an opportunity, it might very well turn the tables and kill Song Jian at a critical moment. Even with the backup of Enemy of Death God and Shattered Divine Realm, Song Jian was not willing to risk capsizing at the final hurdle. All the common monsters, facing Song Jian who could freely fly in the air, had no way to cope. If it were any other time, these monsters would have already scattered and fled, but under the control of the Overlord-level BOSS, these monsters didnt even think of escaping. Their lives were no longer under their own control. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, watching Song Jian killing the monsters on the ground to level up with impunity, showed a look of humiliation and hatred in its four eyes. The two heads exchanged glances before they slowly retreated towards the Highly Poisonous Lake. Although Song Jian was continuously killing monsters and leveling up, he had at least half his attention on monitoring every move of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao. Seeing the creature eager to retreat back into the Highly Poisonous Lake, Song Jian took out a high-explosive grenade from his inventory and threw it towards the path of the retreating Double-headed Poisonous Jiao. Boom! A violent explosion tore through the muddy swamp, blasting a large pit and causing the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao to pause abruptly in its movement. The wisdom of a Lord-level BOSS was already not inferior to that of humans, so naturally, the Overlord-level Double-headed Poisonous Jiao understood Song Jians intentions. It dared not make another move and showed a look of desperation in its eyes. It understood that Song Jian was keeping it alive to summon the swamps monsters for him to slaughter. Once all the swamp monsters were killed, that would signal the moment for it to meet its end. The cunning Double-headed Poisonous Jiao would not sit still waiting for death. Seeing that Song Jian had killed another few thousand monsters and was looking over, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, without needing a threat, proudly lifted its heads and began summoning other monsters. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao would not summon all the monsters in the Highly Poisonous Swamp at once. It summoned only a few thousand at a time, biding its time. But Song Jian was unconcerned. After summoning the monsters and seeing Song Jian start the monster grind, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao lay prone on the ground, motionless as if it had given up on resisting. In reality, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao was ceaselessly digging the mud beneath it. In no time at all, it had dug a large hole. Raising its heads, the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao let out a piercing wail and deftly slipped a shiny, mucus-covered white egg into the hole beneath it, and then it covered the hole with mud, leaving no trace. The Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos howl caught Song Jians attention. He turned his head to look at it and noticed that the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos body was starting to burn with black flames, its Vitality Points dropping by the hundreds. Given its current state, if it continued like this, there would be no need for Song Jian to act C it might burn its Vitality Points to exhaustion on its own. Seeing something unusual with the BOSS, Song Jian suddenly became more alert. At this point, the BOSSs Vitality Points had soared to over fifty thousand. When hit down to twenty thousand earlier, it had not shown such symptoms. So why now? Could it be there was some powerful move waiting for him? Song Jian was very cautious with his life, and this was his first time hunting a Dominance-level BOSS, so he had to be as careful as possible. Seeing the BOSS charging towards him, Song Jian controlled his Sky-breaking Sword beneath his feet, tracing a path through the air, and put some distance between himself and the BOSS. When the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao saw Song Jian fly away, a sneer appeared in its eyes. It roared loudly and began to wriggle its body, stirring up a great deal of mud. It then started to actively attack the surrounding monsters, its two heads tearing into those lying on the ground, motionless with fear. After it bit them to death, it flung their bodies behind it with a fierce shake of its head, not sparing them a single glance. In just a moment, dozens of monsters had been bitten to death by the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, their bodies strewn everywhere. Song Jian frowned in the air, finding the actions of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao to be quite eerie. He had initially planned to leave it alive for a while longer, but now it seemed better to kill it as soon as possible. Thousand Swords Art! Countless Spirit Swords descended. The already Vitality-drained Double-headed Poisonous Jiao had its last bit of Vitality Points reaped, and its body collapsed with a thud. The two Unicorn Dragon heads also fell heavily to the ground, slowly closing their eyes. Transparent soul energy was instantly pulled from its body, merging into the void. Song Jian could feel the previously ravine-filled mountains within his Shattered Divine Realm beginning to heal slowly. The spirit energy of a Dominance-level BOSS was tremendously powerful, far stronger than that of ten or a hundred Lord-level BOSSes. It wasnt only a matter of quantity; it was a qualitative leap. Next to the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos body, five or six items of various colors were scattered around. Among them were two Dark Gold Quality items, three silver Quality items, and one item that emitted a purple-red glow. Epic equipment? Song Jians eyes lit up. You should know, Lord-level BOSSes had a chance to drop Epic equipment, but the odds were too small. On the other hand, Dominance-level BOSSes theoretically had a chance to drop Legendary Items, but unfortunately, Song Jian wasnt very lucky this time. He didnt get any Legendary Items, only one Epic item. Song Jian slowly descended from the air. With the BOSSs dominance gone, all the monsters fled wildly. Song Jian could no longer level up by farming monsters like before. The ground was littered with items dropped by the monsters. Song Jian first picked up the items dropped by the BOSS and then began to select other high-tier items dropped by the monsters. After some busy work, Song Jian filled his inventory to the brim. There were still a lot of items left, which Song Jian unceremoniously dumped into his Shattered Divine Realm. He stowed away the good items; as for the gray and white items, Song Jian didnt bother with them. They were too low in value to recoup the cost of opening the Divine Realm, so he left them where they lay. Looking at the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos body, which was like a small hill, Song Jian couldnt help but feel a sense of regret, sighing inwardly. PS: Thanks to Bread84 for the 100 Doomsday Coins tip~ Chapter 887: 888 Black Dragon Advancement_1 Chapter 887: Chapter 888 Black Dragon Advancement_1 The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao was indeed an Elite Level BOSS, and its corpse was extremely valuable. Unfortunately, whether it was Dissection Technique or Gathering Skill, Song Jians level was too low to gather any materials from the BOSS carcass; otherwise, just the materials gathered from the BOSS carcass alone would be worth a fortune; Just as Song Jian sighed, a plant emitting a purple-gold glow rapidly broke through the soil next to the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos corpse, just like the Heart Speech Grass before. Soon the plant grew over one foot tall, looking almost identical to the Heart Speech Grass, only the color on its surface was an even more distinguished purple-gold; At this time, the body of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao BOSS began to rapidly shrink, as if all its flesh, blood, and bones were being absorbed by the purple-gold plant in front of it, quickly turning into a withered carcass that was incinerated into a pile of ash by transparent flames; Heart Speech Grass, this is also Heart Speech Grass Song Jian touched the plant and was momentarily speechless. The plant before him was also Heart Speech Grass, but both the name and the level were quite different from the common Heart Speech Grass; Song Jian had already gathered thirty-one stalks of Heart Speech Grass. These plants that absorbed the BOSSs flesh only existed for a quarter of an hour; once the time elapsed without being gathered, they would quickly wither. During his monster farming, Song Jian had seen countless Heart Speech Grass, but he could not possibly descend to gather them at the time, resulting in many Heart Speech Grass and other items dropped by the monsters being directly reclaimed by the system; However, only ten stalks of Heart Speech Grass were needed to complete the quest, and Song Jian had already surpassed the requirement. He only knew that Heart Speech Grass was an ingredient for making petrification potions; beyond that, he was clueless, and keeping them was of no use; Song Jian planned to sell all the extra Heart Speech Grass to the old dwarf to see if he could exchange them for other items; As for the plant in front of him, Song Jian hesitated for a moment before beginning to gather it, just like the other Heart Speech Grass; It should be known that with Song Jians level of the Medicine Gathering Skill, even gathering common Heart Speech Grass was somewhat difficult. These plants were of a high tier, and one needed to have at least a beginner level in the Medicine Gathering Skill to gather them, but the difficulty was much reduced for this quest given by the old dwarf; The plant before him, named King Heart Speech Grass, was of an even higher tier. In normal times, Song Jian wouldnt even dream of being able to gather it whole, but now was an opportunity; Even if its called the king, it should still belong to Heart Speech Grass! Song Jian thought to himself as he began to slowly gather it; Indeed, the speed at which he gathered this King Grass was only one-tenth the speed of gathering ordinary Heart Speech Grass, so slow that Song Jian thought he could not gather it, as the progress bar barely moved for a long time; After nearly three minutes, Song Jian finally gathered the King Heart Speech Grass into his inventory. Looking at it, the full inventory, indeed, this King Heart Speech Grass could not stack with the other common Heart Speech Grass and occupied an inventory slot all of its own. Checking its attributes, there was nothing special, only a note that it was an alchemy ingredient that could increase the success rate of concoctions by 10% and the mutation rate by 5%. As for what potion it was an ingredient for, there was no mention in the description; After picking up all the items, Song Jians gaze fell on the Dragon Head Strange Tree at the center of the Highly Poisonous Lake. Initially, the strange tree had produced three crimson fruits, of which the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao had eaten two, and there was still one bright red fruit left on the tree; This Dragon Head Strange Tree looked very peculiar. The fruits it bore could incite a frenzy among all the creatures in the swamp, and with an Elite Level BOSS like the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao guarding it, it was definitely not ordinary; Song Jian used Sword Flight Art and came to the strange tree, gathering the last fruit; Dragon Scale Fruit, a precious rarity, usage effect: can be used on creatures with the Dragon Clan lineage, has the effect of enhancing lineage rank and level, and has a certain chance of causing mutation; a creature can only consume three of these fruits in a century! For other creatures, use may also trigger random mutations! Its actually for combat pets! Song Jian was somewhat disappointed, as a human he could naturally use the fruit too, but it could trigger mutations, and Song Jian did not want to become a two-headed monster; For ordinary creatures, mutations always increase strength, but for Song Jian, such items were harmful rather than beneficial; The Double-headed Poisonous Jiao probably became what it was now because it had consumed too many Dragon Scale Fruits, and other creatures likely harbored the idea of mutating to enhance themselves by acquiring Dragon Scale Fruits; Glancing at the two pets slumbering in the Pet Space, Song Jian tried, and astonishingly, both battle pets could use it; it was within his expectations that the Black Dragon could use the Dragon Scale Fruit, but even an elemental creature like the stone golem Gulu could use the Dragon Scale Fruit, which surprised him; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian still decided to let the Black Dragon use the Dragon Scale Fruit, as the fruit gave greater enhancement to creatures with the bloodline of the Dragon Clan, and deep down, he even harbored a faint hope that the Black Dragon could mutate into a Double-headed Black Dragon; Clutching the Dragon Scale Fruit, Song Jian sent the use command to the Black Dragon, who was sleeping soundly in the Pet Space, and the Dragon Scale Fruit vanished from his hand, reappearing within the Pet Space; The slumbering Black Dragon seemed to smell something, its nostrils flaring continuously, and in a short while, it opened its golden vertical pupils, staring intently at the fist-sized Dragon Scale Fruit floating before it; An excited dragons roar resounded in Song Jians mind, and as a master, he could also feel the Black Dragons joyful emotions. The Black Dragon swallowed the Dragon Scale Fruit in one gulp without even chewing, much like Zhu Bajie devouring the ginseng fruit. Before long, a crimson blood-qi surfaced on the Black Dragons body, looking like flames that enveloped the Black Dragon entirely; Song Jian noticed that the Black Dragons body was swelling continuously, its already majestic and robust body was inching towards terrifying proportions; The three-meter-tall stature had now exceeded five meters, its body length extended from six meters to over ten meters, and the palm-sized bluish-black scales had turned into the size of a football, becoming much thicker; The horns on its head had grown another three inches, its teeth and claws had become even sharper, especially the pair of flesh wings on its back, which had extended to about five or six meters; at the tip of the wings, a bone claw as dark and metallic as the rest appeared, looking quite formidable; Level 35, Level 36, Level 37, With its increasing size, the Black Dragons level also climbed steadily, rising straight from Level 35 to Level 45 before finally stopping, and all attributes began to skyrocket, far surpassing ordinary Elite Level BOSSes. Finally, a golden light burst forth from the top of the Black Dragons head, turning into a scatter of fine light spots, advancing the Black Dragons rank directly to the Lord Level; A Level 45 Lord Level BOSS! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Elated, Song Jians eyes revealed his pleasure, saying nothing else, just a battle pet like the one before him was enough for Song Jian to strut through the entire Doomsday City! A high and clear dragons roar sounded off, and the Black Dragon seemed somewhat restless in the Pet Space, appearing a bit agitated, ceaselessly clawing at the surrounding space; With a thought, Song Jian released the Black Dragon from the Pet Space, and immediately he was shrouded by a vast black shadow; PS: Thank you to ᡱ for the gift of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 888: 889: Elementary Alchemy_1 Chapter 888: Chapter 889: Elementary Alchemy_1 S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Black Dragon, now even more massive, seemed like the tyrant of the entire swamp as it soared through the midair, constantly letting out dragon roars filled with an intimidating power. After circling in the air for a while, the Black Dragon slowly descended toward the Highly Poisonous Lake. The lake carried a strong corrosive damage that even the Black Dragons scale defense couldnt break through. The Black Dragon slowly landed in the lake and made its way towards the Dragon Head Strange Tree in the center; Reaching the middle of the lake, the Black Dragon started to tear off the monstrous trees leaves and gulp them down, continuing until it had devoured nearly half of the Dragon Head Strange Trees leaves before it slowly stopped. Boom~ Flames suddenly erupted from the body of the Black Dragon and quickly spread across the lakes surface. In no time at all, the entire lake was aflame with roaring fire; Song Jians brows furrowed slightly. After consuming the Dragon Scale Fruit, the Black Dragons strength had greatly increased; it had never had the capability to set the entire lake on fire before. However, Song Jian did not understand why the Black Dragon was doing this now; Before long, the lake water began to boil, and a thick poison fog rose from the burning lake. Song Jian couldnt help but take a few steps back; the fogs damage was slightly lesser than that of the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao, but only by a little. Ordinary creatures would be poisoned to death if they got too close; As flames rose, the water level of the Highly Poisonous Lake slowly declined. It seemed as if the Black Dragon intended to completely dry out the entire lake. The poison fog in the sky began to spread in all directions. Under the continuous blaze, the lake water was quickly evaporated; A large pit appeared before Song Jian, and at the bottom of the pit, the flames were still not extinguished, burning fiercely. The colossal body of the Black Dragon lay prostrate under the Dragon Head Strange Tree, motionless; A feeling of heaviness settled in Song Jians heart. It seemed the Black Dragon wanted to remain under the Dragon Head Strange Tree, reluctant to leave, as if it aimed to become the Guardian of the monstrous tree, like the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao; He opened the Pet Space interface to take a glance, and saw that the Black Dragon was still his battle pet. Even so, this did not put Song Jian at ease. After all, the former Knight of Dawn, Ya, had been lured to the Dawn Temple by Cecilia while still his follower, and afterwards had forsaken his status as Song Jians follower to become a true Knight of Dawn; The current situation with the Black Dragon might not be so different. Perhaps, after guarding the Dragon Head Strange Tree for a while, it could become a sovereign-level BOSS just like the Double-headed Poisonous Jiao and then continue to guard forever, no longer Song Jians battle pet; Song Jian wanted to recall the Black Dragon back into the Pet Space, but as soon as this thought occurred to him, he saw the Black Dragon open its eyesa pair of cold, golden pupils stared at him as their intimacy index began to plummet, scaring Song Jian into immediately abandoning the thought; In barely three seconds, the Black Dragons intimacy had dropped from eighty-nine to sixty-three. If Song Jian had been a moment slower, he might have directly broken the threshold for pet betrayal; Damn it, whats so great about this broken tree thats worth your guardianship? Song Jian inwardly cursed, If I had known, I would have cut this tree down right away! Song Jian waited for more than half an hour, but the Black Dragon showed no signs of leaving the Dragon Head Strange Tree, almost as if it had fallen into a deep sleep. The entire Highly Poisonous Lake had turned into a sea of fire. Under such intense flames, the Dragon Head Strange Tree didnt even show any signs of being scorched on the surface, which seemed quite miraculous. With no other option, Song Jian left reluctantly, heading towards the place where the old dwarf was located; As Song Jian mastered the Thousands of Swords Flying Immortal Decision, the Black Dragons utility had lessened. In most cases, its role was to attract monsters attention or to use Dragon Might to drive away lower-level creatures nearby; However, the potential of the Black Dragon was immense, and once it grew, its strength would definitely not be much less than Song Jians, The only problem was that Song Jian simply had no time or energy to cultivate it, and the Black Dragons growth could almost be said to be entirely up to fate. But if the Black Dragon just left like that, Song Jian always felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. Arriving at the edge of the swamp, the old dwarf who had been seen earlier had vanished. By the time Song Jian got there, the old dwarf slowly crawled out of a mud pit. There were almost no monsters to be seen around, as most had been devoured by the Highly Poisonous Lake. The remaining few had become part of Song Jians battle experience. At this point, Song Jians battle experience had reached level forty at 89%, If it werent for the Double-headed Poisonous Jiaos final outburst, Song Jian might have been able to level up twice in one day. At this moment, he was unaware that the entire Doomsday City was abuzz due to his rapid leveling up, yet he still harbored some resentment toward the Black Dragon in his heart. Seeing the mud-covered old dwarf, Song Jian directly took out ten stalks of Heart Speech Grass and handed them over. Judging by your expression, you dont seem very happy, the old dwarf said, taking the Heart Speech Grass and giving Song Jian a glance. The monsters in the swamp have all gone berserk. You didnt cause that, did you? Song Jian shook his head and replied, There is a lake at the center of the swamp that houses a dominion-level BOSS. It was its doing! What, you actually ventured into the center of the swamp and saw that dominion-level BOSS? The old dwarf trembled all over, nearly dropping the Heart Speech Grass into the mud. You actually came out alive, you must be very lucky! The old dwarf shook his head, his face full of disbelief, and then he took a notebook from his bosom and handed it to Song Jian, saying, This is a notebook I made when I first learned Alchemy, I believe it will be of help to you! Song Jian accepted the notebook glowing with a blue light. Beginner Alchemists Notebook (Blue), consumable item, use effect: can improve the users Alchemy experience. Usage requirement: Alchemy level one; Clapping his hands together, the blue-quality notebook turned into a white light that entered Song Jians forehead. Soon after, many pieces of knowledge about Alchemy emerged in Song Jians mind, and the level of Alchemy in his skills tab was also rapidly rising. In a short while, his Alchemy level broke through to level ten, earning him the title of a Junior Alchemist. Junior Alchemist level one, Junior Alchemist level two, Junior Alchemist level three, Song Jians Alchemy skill continued to rise until it reached Junior level six before slowly coming to a halt. At this moment, Song Jian felt as though an iron ring had been tightened around his head, causing a throbbing pain. Information about Alchemy was sparking in his mind like fireworks, those sparks eventually turning into roaring flames, until Song Jian felt as if his brain was being incinerated to ash. After an unknown period, Song Jian let out a pained moan and slowly opened his eyes. He found himself lying on the edge of the Highly Poisonous Swamp, and the old dwarf Alchemist had disappeared without a trace. PS: Special thanks to Book Friend 20191127234229646 for the reward of 2000 QiDian coins~ Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a Happy Laba Festival! Chapter 889: 890 Ancient Red Dragon_1 Chapter 889: Chapter 890 Ancient Red Dragon_1 After killing a Dominion-level BOSS, my alchemy skill climbed to Junior Level Six, and my level rose to 40. My bag was stuffed with a variety of items for level 40, but the Black Dragon, my battle pet, was left behind in the Toxic Swamp. I wasnt sure if I ended up gaining or losing overall. Back at Manor Castle, I tossed all the loot into the guild warehouse. You have to realize, there arent many players right now who can hunt monsters above level 40. When Wang Qi saw so many level 40 and above items suddenly appearing in the guild warehouse, he knew Song Jian had returned and quickly headed over to Manor Castle. Lord, how did you manage to level up in less than a day? Wang Qi asked bluntly. You should know that leveling up from 39 to 40 requires far more combat experience than from level 30 to 39. Ordinary players would have to stay at level 39 for at least a month or two before they could even hope to reach level 40. Its nothing, I simply swept through all the monsters in the Toxic Swamp, Song Jian said with a smile. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All the monsters in the Toxic Swamp Wang Qi was momentarily speechless. The swamp was tens of kilometers in area C leaving aside the monsters, just the toxic miasma suffusing the whole swamp was something ordinary people couldnt withstand, which is why almost no one wanted to grind there for levels. Wang Qi didnt believe that the monsters in the Toxic Swamp would let Song Jian hunt them at will without resistance, and doubted Song Jians ability to tread every inch of the swamp in less than a days time. Song Jian chuckled and began to recount his experience in the Toxic Swamp. When he heard that there was indeed a Dominion-level BOSS in the swamp, Wang Qi couldnt help but exclaim in amazement. Just as they were chatting, a dragons roar suddenly resonated overhead the City of Hope. Song Jian was elated, but he soon realized that the roar above wasnt emitted by the Black Dragon. This dragons roar was filled with majesty, the sound deep and slightly hoarse, while the Black Dragons roar was much clearer. Accompanied by this dragon roar, a shrill alarm rang out in the City of Hope, and nearly all the Magic Crystal Railguns aimed at the giant figure in the sky. Song Jian and Wang Qi exchanged a look and stepped out of Manor Castle to gaze upwards. In the sky, a massive shadow blotted out the sun. It was a terrifying behemoth over a hundred meters in length with wings spanned out over two hundred meters, its body covered in crimson scales that shined dazzlingly under the sunlight, as if it was cloaked in red flames. Third, third tier combat power! Song Jians face turned pale at once. If it had been a Giant Dragon with just second tier combat power, he would have had the confidence to contend with it for a while and, relying on the City of Hopes defenses, may even have had the chance to slay it. But third tier combat power was beyond the limit of what he could handle! The other players did not understand the terrifying strength of the Giant Dragon overhead, but they were overwhelmed by the frightening aura it exuded, struggling even to breathe. A flash of red, and the terrifying beast above vanished. In its place stood a lady in a long red robe with two dragon horns on her head. The lady silently floated in mid-air, her wings C at least two sizes larger than her body C spread out behind her like a cape. Watching a Red Dragon transform into a human form, Song Jian couldnt help but let out a groan, Damn it, an Ancient Red Dragon! Seeing the Red Dragon in human form, the last bit of resistance in Song Jians heart was also dispelled. Such a terrifying existence was simply not something that the current Song Jian could handle, Is it you who has imprisoned one of my kin and treated it as a humiliating battle pet? The Red Dragon Lady, as if descending steps, walked down through the air, one step at a time, until she stood in front of Song Jian. Her eyes shone like a pair of dazzling rubies, staring intently at Song Jian, radiating a fierce intent to kill, Petty human, the noble Dragon Clan is not something you can provoke. If you dont want to perish along with this city, then quickly summon that pitiable Black Dragon and let me take it away said the Red Dragon Lady; At this time, the City Defense Army of the City of Hope had already begun to assemble, a force of thousands of NPC troops appearing before everyones eyes, each NPC Guardian being level fifty, possessing first-tier combat power. At the same time, several Magic Crystal Railguns also slowly turned around, aiming at the Red Dragon Lady, ready to raze the surroundings to the ground with just one signal, The Red Dragon Lady seemed utterly unconcerned with these threats, even revealing a hint of mockery in her dark-red eyes. Song Jian furrowed his brows, directly summoned the Lords Order, and issued the command to disband the City Defense Army and reset all Magic Crystal Railguns to alert mode rather than pre-firing status; Song Jian had complete control over the entire city and could easily mobilize all of its resources, After seeing Song Jians actions, the Red Dragon Lady let out a cold laugh and said, What, the defense forces of this city dont give you peace of mind? For a member of the Ancient Dragon Clan with third-tier combat power and the ability to transform into a human form, this newly built city poses no threat to Your Excellencys power! Song Jian said with a bow to the Red Dragon Lady, May I have the honor to know your name, respected Lady! My name is Eugenia, and I am an Ancient Red Dragon who has lived for three thousand years! declared the Red Dragon Lady in a flowing red cloak; Respected Eugenia, I am Song Jian, the master of this city! Song Jian said, I indeed have a Black Dragon battle pet, but it was not acquired through contemptible means. We made a pact of combat alliance when it was very young. As far as I know, even the Ancient Dragon Clan has had instances of fighting alongside humans, some of the Dragon Clan even becoming mounts for humans, which is why humans have professions such as Dragon Knights! Song Jian said gravely, But why cant I have a Black Dragon as a fighting companion? What you said is true; any human who can gain the approval of the Dragon Clan can also gain their friendship and assist them in fighting during their brief lives, the Red Dragon Lady frowned slightly, seemingly impatient, yet still explained, But such things can only happen between humans and adult dragons, and you have beguiled a young dragon and made a pact of combat with it while it was still a juvenile. This is not permitted by the Dragon Clan, as it would limit its growth! Cant make a combat alliance with a juvenile dragon? Song Jian was stunned; he had never heard of such a thing before. Chapter 890: 891 Confrontation_1 Chapter 890: Chapter 891 Confrontation_1 In the Dragon Clan, young dragons are always accompanied by adult dragons until they come of age. Ordinary people cant even come into contact with young dragons, but in the special place that is Doomsday City, the adult Black Dragon had already been slain by dragon slayers, allowing Song Jian to stumble upon a bargain and sign a War Pet Contract with a newly hatched Black Dragon. Actually, signing a contract with a member of the Dragon Clan is an extremely difficult task, but the power of the game system was so overwhelming that the Dragon Clan had no power to resist, and Song Jian easily signed a War Pet Contract with the young Black Dragon. The growth cycle of the Dragon Clan is too long. Signing a contract with a young dragon is not what a wise man would do! The Red Dragon Lady grew increasingly impatient and said, Hand over the Black Dragon whelp, let me take it back to the tribe to raise until it grows up. If after it becomes an adult, it still wishes to come back and fight alongside you, the Dragon Clan will not stop it! Song Jian suddenly realized that the attitude of the Ancient Red Dragon before him seemed to have undergone a subtle change. Previously, she seemed to wish nothing more than to kill Song Jian, yet now she was actually taking the time to explain things to him; But no matter what, it looked like he wasnt going to be able to keep his Black Dragon War Pet. Sorry, but the Black Dragon isnt with me right now! Song Jian sighed and said, Its now at Just then, a dragons roar suddenly sounded from the sky. Song Jian turned his head to look, and to his surprise, the Black Dragon War Pet had flown back from the Poisonous Swamp. That dragons roar had interrupted what Song Jian was about to reveal about its activities in the Poisonous Swamp, seemingly not wanting its whereabouts to be disclosed. The Black Dragon was extremely fast, and in a short while, it had already landed next to Song Jian, its golden eyes staring at the Red Dragon Lady with a hostile gaze. The Red Dragon Lady stared at the Black Dragon for a long time, her face showing an expression of incredulity: How, how is this possible? Isnt it just a young dragon? How, how did it grow into A Level 45 Lord-level BOSS. Such strength is not what one would expect of a young dragon. The Black Dragon had already grown, and although it still appeared immature, it was now a young dragon, and its current power could even match that of the adult dragons who had lived for hundreds of years. The Black Dragon only possessed Tier One combat power, which was vastly inferior to that of the Red Dragon Lady Eugenia, but the Black Dragon did not retreat an inch when facing Eugenia and instead began to loudly roar at her. Eugenia focused on the Black Dragon and started conversing with it using the Ancient Dragon language. Almost all of the Dragon Clans inheritance is hidden within their bloodlines, which gradually unlock the knowledge contained as they age. Dragon language is a skill innate to the Dragon Clan. From birth, all dragons of pure bloodline possess the ability to speak it. The Black Dragon began conversing with the Red Dragon Lady in the dragon language. Although Song Jian did not understand what they were talking about, he could guess that the Red Dragon Lady was obviously trying to persuade the Black Dragon to leave with her and return to the Dragon Clan. If the Red Dragon Lady truly insisted on taking the Black Dragon with her, Song Jian would have no choice but to annul the War Pet Contract with the Black Dragon. After all, compared to a War Pet, the status of City of Hope in his heart was much more important. With Third-tier Peak combat power, demolishing a city was an effortless task for the Red Dragon Lady. Almost all instances of city destruction in the game could be linked to the Dragon Clan. After the two Giant Dragons conversed in dragon language for a long time, the Red Dragon Lady seemed to become a bit impatient and let out a roar. She reverted from her human form to her true form as a member of the Dragon Clan. With a body spanning hundreds of meters, she radiated a terrifying presence. Spectating players and NPCs around her began fleeing, unable to withstand the Dragon Might. Many even knelt down and remained immobile. Wang Qi, too, was gritting his teeth and persevering, his cold sweat flowing unstoppably, yet he did not take a single step back. Compared to the others, Song Jian seemed much more composed, standing upright like a sharp sword, with strands of fierce Sword Qi radiating from his body. The terrifying Dragon Might approached like a tidal wave, yet he stood firm like a rock, shattering the oncoming waves. The Black Dragon showed no signs of shrinking back or fear in front of the much larger Red Dragon; instead, it let out a series of roars at her, suggesting their discussion wasnt going smoothly. Soon, the Red Dragons gaze locked onto Song Jian, and a deep voice echoed in his mind, Human, beware! With that, the Red Dragon spread its wings, causing gusts of wind as it quickly took flight, circling the City of Hope before turning to fly off into the distance. But just then, a childish dragon chant suddenly sounded from within Doomsday City. The Red Dragon, which had been about to leave, stopped and looked puzzledly toward the area outside the City of Hopes territory. A young dragon, covered in grey scales and less than two meters long, wobbled and flapped its wings as it flew toward the Red Dragon. Another, another member of the Dragon Clan? And a young one at that? Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim in surprise. He knew that if the dragon slayer hadnt killed an Ancient Black Dragon here, this now-abandoned city would never have been home to any dragons. Song Jian remembered that there were initially three dragon eggs: one had shattered upon his arrival, while another had turned into a stone orb and lost the ability to gestate and hatch. Looking at the young hatchling of the Earth Dragon in front of him, Song Jian suddenly realized that this must be the young dragon that had hatched from that stone orb. At that time, I was certain that the dragon egg which turned into a stone orb had shown no signs of life Song Jian was full of doubt and even considered taking another look at the building that the Black Dragon used as a temporary nest. In her eyes, the Red Dragon Eugenia showed a look of surprise; she hadnt expected to take the Black Dragon back to their kin, only to be outright rejected. She thought shed leave empty-handed, but to her amazement, another young dragon was lurking within this city. Somehow, the Black Dragon seemed to sense a bloodline connection with this Earth Dragon, looking at the smaller-bodied dragon with complex emotions. The Earth Dragon glanced back at the Black Dragon with its grey eyes and quickly flew to the back of the Red Dragon, quietly lying down. It wasnt long before the Red Dragons silhouette disappeared into the sky, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Phew~ Wang Qi wiped the cold sweat off his face, sitting on the ground with a thump after the Red Dragon had gone, gasping heavily. Everyone else had kept their distance when the Red Dragon unleashed its Dragon Might, but Wang Qi didnt want to retreat. He didnt have Song Jians strength to stand his ground, relying solely on his stubborn will to hold on, nearly wetting his pants. After watching the Red Dragon leave, the Black Dragon turned its head to glance at Song Jian, nodded, and then took to the air towards the direction of the Poisonous Marsh. Song Jian checked the war pet interface; the Black Dragon was still his war pet, and their intimacy had even increased a bit, now at seventy-eight points. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What is this guy thinking? Song Jian frowned slightly, murmuring to himself. Chapter 891: 892 Abyssal Demon Shadow_1 Chapter 891: Chapter 892 Abyssal Demon Shadow_1 Song Jian watched as the Black Dragons figure slowly disappeared, and his brow furrowed. It seemed intent on guarding that bizarre Dragon Head Tree closely during this period. Could it be that the Dragon Scale Fruits still benefit it, making it want to keep guarding the Dragon Head Tree? Song Jian thought to himself, And just now, it also subtly signaled for me not to reveal its location. Could it be trying to keep the Dragon Head Strange Trees secret from the Red Dragon, Eugenia? Song Jian didnt know the use of the Dragon Head Tree, but he had a feeling that it was far more important to the Dragon Clan than he had imagined; Having hunted down a sovereign level Boss, Song Jians Sword Immortal Path quest was one-tenth complete. Sovereign level Bosses werent easy to find; the emergence of one meant that it held dominion over tens of kilometers, and within this territory, another sovereign level creature would not appear; Lower-level monster areas had already been explored by others, and normal players didnt dare to venture too deeply into higher-level areas. Thus, finding a sovereign level Boss was something only Song Jian could figure out; City of Hope was being built in an orderly fashion, everything proceeding without need for Song Jians concern, thanks to the City Lord seal, he could control every situation at any time. A few days later, it was time for another territorial expansion campaign. This time, the City of Hope Alliances territory would once again expand. According to the previous expansion rate, the massive black pyramid at the citys center would be included within City of Hope after this expansion. Secret realms, also known as instances to players, cannot become part of ones territory automatically during territorial expansion campaigns. To incorporate an instance into ones territory, one must confront the instances true difficulty when the territory expands to its location. After clearing it, the instance will become part of the territory, and then players will have the options to either destroy or integrate the instance; Destroying an instance means it is completely obliterated and will never reappear. After the launch of the Abyssal Demon Shadow Expansion Pack, some Abyssal Instances that emerged during the City of Hopes territorial expansions were all destroyed. This was a firm order issued by Song Jian, and although it caused dissatisfaction among some players, Song Jians will was resolute, and he suppressed all opposing voices. It must be known that within the Abyssal Demon Shadow Expansion Pack, these black pyramid Abyssal Instances were all future passages from Abyssal Hell to the games Main Plane. Once these instances transformed, they would each become a barracks connected to Abyssal Hell, providing endless logistical support for the invading forces; Such information could not be obtained by ordinary players, and Song Jian only acquired it after entering Abyssal Hell. Hence, within City of Hope, not a single Abyssal Instance remained; once the true difficulty of the black pyramid was cleared, it was immediately destroyed. This also forced City of Hopes players who wanted to farm instances for equipment to delve into places beyond the city; This gigantic black pyramid in front of him was the largest instance in all of Doomsday City, with a maximum entry limit of forty people, and offered four levels of difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard, and True; The first two difficulty levels had already been conquered by the players of City of Hope, but the Hard difficulty had never been cleared, failing over a dozen times, with even some deaths, creating a long-lasting fear among City of Hopes players of the Hard difficulty Abyssal Demon Shadow instance; City Lord, if we cant clear the True difficulty, our territorial expansion campaign will probably be quite difficult this time, Wang Qi said with concern; Now, all the other alliances in Doomsday City had been defeated in turn, even the Pantheon had wisely withdrawn from Doomsday City to develop elsewhere. Other alliances either merged directly into the City of Hope Alliance or, like the Pantheon, left Doomsday City. It was only a matter of time before City of Hope unified the entire Doomsday City; This Abyssal Demon Shadow instance before them was the biggest obstacle to City of Hopes unification; After a few days of rest, Song Jian felt an itch in his bones, looking at the enormous black pyramid in the distance, he nodded and said, Ill explore it first before anything else, if possible, Ill clear it directly! Upon hearing this, Wang Qis face immediately showed a look of surprise, City Lord, thats a forty-person instance with six bosses, and up to now, we havent even gotten past the third boss on hard difficulty I know, Im just going in to scout, if it doesnt work out, Ill retreat and then we can come up with another plan! Song Jian waved his hand and said; With his current strength, forty players over level thirty wouldnt stand a chance against him, once the Thousand Swords Art was unleashed, it was more terrifying than a missile; Furthermore, it was incredibly difficult to kill Song Jian now, even if one could launch a surprise attack and kill him instantly, the trigger of Enemy of Death God would allow him to retreat directly into the Shattered Divine Realm, which was essentially an unstoppable move like the Holy Knights hearthstone back to the city; After some preparation, Song Jian arrived at the Abyssal Shadow instance in the city center, a level five instance. An immense pyramid, towering a hundred meters tall, stood in the middle of the city, and only upon approaching did Song Jian discover that this huge pyramid was actually more than a foot off the ground, floating above the surface, and the entire surface of the pyramid, it was like a mirror without a single seam, and there wasnt even an entrance to be seen. To such a massive pyramid, the weight probably exceeded ten million tons, but in Song Jians eyes, it seemed almost like an illusion, somewhat unreal; In fact, these black pyramid instances that appeared suddenly after the expansion pack were projections of Abyssal Hell, they only become real for a moment when the Abyssal Passage is opened; Song Jian walked towards the black pyramid, and as he drew closer, several options appeared before him; System: Would you like to enter the Abyssal Shadow (Level 5) Secret Realm? To enter, please select the challenge level: Easy, Normal, Hard, True; System: This instance can only be challenged once every seven days, once you enter, the next time you can enter will be after seven days; In Song Jians eyes, the first three challenge levels were illuminated, but the True difficulty was greyed out, which would only be unlocked after clearing the instance on Hard difficulty; This was a game setting, the same for any secret realm; Song Jian immediately chose Hard difficulty, ready to enter the instance; After the selection was made, a section of metal staircase slowly extended from the corner of the black pyramid to the ground. This was the only passage into the instance, and it would only appear after the difficulty had been chosen; Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian stepped onto the staircase and walked step by step towards the interior of the pyramid. The end of the staircase led to a door swirling with black vaporthe gate to the level five instance, the Abyssal Shadow. Soon, Song Jians figure disappeared into the light of the gate; Chapter 898: 899: Boarding_1 Chapter 898: Chapter 899: Boarding_1 Returning to Manor Castle from the instance, Wang Qi gazed at the dozen or so pieces of Dark Gold and gold quality equipment with a surprised and delighted expression on his face. This, this many high-quality pieces of equipment? Fantastic! Wang Qi was visibly overjoyed and couldnt help but examine them one by one. These are all level forty and above equipment, haha, now those kids have the motivation to level up! Wang Qi laughed. Did you get all these from the difficult Abyss Shadow instance? Amazing! Song Jian gave a slight smile and said, Most are here, lets have the Elite Team level up as soon as possible. With these, tackling the difficult Abyss Shadow will be much easier. Dont worry, within a month, no, twenty days, Ill definitely get all these guys up to level forty and above! Wang Qi said confidently. Actually, most players in the Elite Team were already above level thirty-six. With this equipment as motivation, their levels were believed to soon rise; By the way, hows the acquisition of Skill Books and Skill Scrolls going? Song Jian asked. Its kind of difficult! Wang Qis face showed a troubled expression. High-quality Skill Books are simply not appearing on the market. As soon as a gold or even silver quality Skill Book shows up in the auction house, its instantly snatched up. Recently, a silver quality passive universal skill was bid up to 1.2 million Doomsday Coins at the auction, these people are simply crazy! In the real world, more and more people were learning about the game and many consortia, like sharks that had smelled blood, began investing in the game. Numerous gamers even started working for these consortia, forming specialized teams or alliances, farming items in the game, and then transferring them out through special methods; In the game, just a bottle of basic healing potion could sell for several tens or even hundreds of thousands in the real worldimagine the allure of this game for those consortia; This also led to any good items in the auction house being frantically vied for by many people; So far, we have only managed to acquire three Skill Books! Wang Qi said while placing three Skill Books glowing with golden light on the table; Boss, we cant go on buying like this, continuing will affect the citys construction funds, Wang Qi advised in a low voice; Song Jians brow furrowed slightly, he sighed quietly and nodded, Alright, city development and construction is crucial! City of Hope was in a rapid expansion phase and needed funds for various purposes. Wang Qi had already told Song Jian more than once that there were consortia willing to invest, but they had all been turned down by Song Jian; Now, the revenue of City of Hope came partly from the development of the Valley of the Undead and partly from renting out various shops in the city. Furthermore, a trading caravan that had just been established was heading to the old military barracks and other cities for trade; But as the territory of City of Hope kept expanding, just the basic infrastructure alone was like a money-sucking beast, with investment going in but no return, leaving City of Hopes finances actually quite tight, not as wealthy as outsiders might imagine; After stowing away the three gold quality Skill Books, Song Jians gaze drifted toward the distant Sky City; Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The location of Sky City was a vast expanse of farmland, originally a grain planting base, but after the apocalypse, it had obviously been abandoned and had turned into a wild field overgrown with weeds. Inside, there were many man-eating-plant-like monsters, most of which were between levels thirty to thirty-five, just the right level for most players to handle at the time. Therefore, many players would come here to level up by grinding these monsters; Moreover, in this wasteland, players would occasionally find some high-quality grain seeds, akin to treasure chests generated by the game. When planted, these would yield ingredients of fine quality for cooking, and players would often buy them at high prices. If one managed to find them, it would be considered a small fortune; But ever since a city appeared above this wasteland, shrouded within the clouds, this level-thirty monster grinding area suddenly became bustling; For anyone wishing to enter Sky City, having the ability to fly was a must. Some players with flying mounts even started a ride service here, charging to ferry players up to Sky City. In just half a day, they made a huge profit, which turned the eyes of those without flying mounts green with envy. However, most flying mounts could only carry one player at a time and needed to rest after a while. As more people learned of Sky City, the wasteland became overcrowded. Every player who had a flying mount was surrounded by a throng of people. By the time Song Jian arrived at the wasteland, he was taken aback by the crowd in front of him. There were at least a thousand people, but the few who could actually get up to Sky City were exceedingly rare; Whoosh~ A sound of flapping wings arose, and Song Jian looked up to see a player with a pair of white wings carrying another player, flying toward Sky City; Hey, did you see that? Thats the player who got a pair of Angel Wings in Sky City, damn lucky bastard. He can make back and forth trips about fifteen times in an hour, earning ten thousand Doomsday Coins each trip, son of a bitch, he made more in half a day than I do in a month a player nearby grumbled enviously; Whoosh~ The sound of wingbeats rose again as a flying mount carrying two players took off with a shrill cry, heading toward Sky City; Those with flying mounts were the envy of all other players. Song Jian took a quick glance and saw that there were about seven or eight mount owners facing a customer base of over a thousand. There was a clear shortage, and the price for a ride kept skyrocketing; Song Jian shook his head as his Steel Feather Wings unfolded, and he took off into the air; A player standing nearby was dumbfounded, watching Song Jians departing figure, and couldnt help but spit on the ground; Tch, another lucky bastard. Are Angel Wings that easy to come by? he muttered under his breath. Youre blind as a dog! another player glared at him from the side and said in a low voice, Cant you see the difference between his wings and the common Angel Wings? Eh, youre right, they are different. The feathers on his wings are reflective, they look like they are made of steel, whats up with that? Hmph, those are Steel Feather Wings. In Doomsday City, only one person has such wings! the man said with a scornful look in his eyes: The city leader of the City of Hope, Song Jian, you know him? Chapter 899: 900 Eagles Eye_1 Chapter 899: Chapter 900 Eagles Eye_1 Sky City appeared like a mirage, nestled within the thick clouds, vaguely visible; it wasnt until Song Jian flew up that he realized, although the city seemed high, it was actually only about five or six hundred meters from the ground; At this moment, Song Jian stood before the abandoned gate of Sky City. The gate, once towering, had collapsed halfway, leaving just enough space for people to pass through one half of the door; This gate was completely constructed from a peculiar type of stone. The moment Song Jians perception touched these stones, it disappeared without a trace; Strange patterns were etched on the surface of the stone-built doorframe, but Song Jian knew they were not mere designsthey were a kind of script. They looked somewhat similar to the language of the Abyss, yet they were entirely different; Song Jian picked up a broken piece of stone to examine it more closely. These stones, which blocked all sensory exploration, had no properties; they were just worthless rubble; Taking steps into the city, Song Jian soon heard the noisy clamor of battle in the distance. After walking toward the direction for a while, he found two players teaming up to hunt a ferocious monster covered in feathers; This monster had the head of an eagle on a humanoid body, with sharp claws for hands and thick feathers all over. Instead of wings, it had a pair of bat-like flesh wings at its back; It fought barehanded, but its damage was anything but weak. Its claws were like blades, leaving trails of afterimages as they slashed through the air, forcing the two level thirty-seven players to retreat step by step. Upon spotting Song Jian, the two players were overjoyed and waved to him, shouting, Brother, come help us out, well share the loot with you! The monster was only level forty-two, and a common one known as Temple Eagle Servant, with just over thirty thousand Vitality Points, and the two had already whittled down over ten thousand points; Song Jian cracked a slight smile, drew his sword, and slashed at the monster. Each strike took away a couple of thousand damage points, and in no time, he drew the monsters ire onto himself, giving the two players a much-needed breather; Seeing how formidable Song Jian was just by swinging his sword, the two players faces lit up with joy, exerting themselves to unleash skills and assist in the attack. Such a staunch and strong support like him was someone they had to cling to tightly; Before long, the three of them finished off the monster, which dropped several items, including a piece of silver-quality equipment that glittered on the ground. Neither of the players made a move to pick it up. The one who had called out to Song Jian earlier spoke up, Brother, you pick first. Even if you take everything, its fine by us. Just leave us a couple of things you dont want! Song Jian glanced over, noting the silver-quality equipment was a level forty plate armor helmetsomething that might fetch a few tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins at the auction house but was of little use to him. Instead, it was one of the blue-quality materials that caught his eye; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ill just take this, Song Jian said with a smile as he picked up the blue-quality material, then spoke to the two players; Thanks a lot, big bro! The two players exchanged smiles, their faces bursting with joy. Song Jian turned and walked down another path. The player who had initially called out to Song Jian was about to reach out to say something but was stopped by his companion; To him, were just a burden. Lets not hold him back, his companion said in a low voice, shaking his head. Yeah, thats true. We better not hunt monsters. Lets just search the rooms here; we might find something unexpected! another sighed. At least we have to earn back our travel expenses! his companion chuckled. Weve already made back the travel expenses. The silver-quality plate armor is worth at least a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins. It suits youtake it for now. The rest of the stuff is mine! The entire Sky City didnt seem very large. It felt like a military outpost, not even one-tenth the area of Doomsday City. Standing at this end, one could see the city walls on the opposite side. Although Sky City wasnt large, it was teeming with monsters. Nearly every two steps, one could hear the roars and bellows of monsters and catch glimpses of their figures lurking in the rooms lining the streets. The deeper one ventured into Sky City, the more numerous and higher-level the monsters became. Other players dared only to explore near the edge of Sky City, not venturing too deep; after all, as precious as treasures were, they werent as valuable as ones own life. These ordinary monsters above level forty didnt hold much attraction for Song Jian. After killing a few and only obtaining some common materials, he gave up on hunting further. Instead, he took out the blue-quality material he had obtained before. Eagles Eye (Blue), enhancement material, item level 38, usage effect: Can enhance the effect of pupil technique skills; Can enhance the effect of pupil technique equipment; During enhancement, there is a certain chance to improve the users field of vision; Usage requirements: Possess pupil technique skills/have pupil technique equipment. This item wasnt very valuable to the average player, but for those with special pupil techniques or players with a Vertical Eye like Song Jian, it was worth a fortune. Upon choosing to use it, the item in his hand that resembled an eyeball instantly turned into a beam of white light and entered the Vertical Eye in the center of Song Jians forehead. Soon, a cool sensation spread from his forehead throughout his body. The Vertical Eye on Song Jians forehead immediately became more vivid; whereas before it had looked almost metallic, it now seemed to possess muscular-like textures. System: You have used Eagles Eye. The attributes of the external equipment Vertical Pupil have been strengthenedfield of vision +3, all attributes +5, Special Effect 1 Falsehood Breaker is enhanced and can see through illusions and false statuses such as invisibility up to level nine, with a certain chance to discern the principles behind enemy skill releases, reducing skill power by 60%; Special Effect 2 Gaze of Death is enhanced, increasing damage and reducing consumption; Special Effect 3 Weakness Removal is enhanced, when attackers target the users head, defense is increased by 150%, and the head will no longer be a weak point, immune to critical and fatal hits. This blue-quality enhancement material directly upgraded Song Jians Vertical Pupil by one grade, from the original white-quality to green-quality, and its item level had also increased to twenty-five. After enhancing the Vertical Pupil, Song Jian continued to delve deeper into Sky City. If an ordinary monster could drop such good material, then wouldnt the elite bosses or lord-level bosses inside drop even higher quality, better attribute items? With this thought, Song Jians heart blazed with excitement. It was then that a church suddenly appeared before Song Jian, a large crucifix erected atop the high loft. The cross was covered in dark brown, dried bloodstains, and bound to it was a monster baring two fangs, a sight very eerie to behold. Chapter 900: 901 Monster_1 Chapter 900: Chapter 901 Monster_1 Song Jian stepped towards the strange church. All the windows of the church seemed to be sealed from the inside, and the door was actually a heavy stone door, which ordinary people probably could not even push open; Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As soon as he stepped onto the stairs of the church, Song Jian received two system prompts; System: You have entered the Blood-Red Church, the territory of the Blood Count Xi Boyaer. Entering rashly will bring about the enmity of the Blood Count; System: You may go to the City Lord Mansion in Sky City to find Ms. Bafalian and take on a quest related to the Blood-Red Church; Song Jians eyes narrowed, indicating that the BOSS he was searching for should be inside this church. This Blood Count Xi Boyaer is at least an elite BOSS, and with some luck, could possibly be a lord-level BOSS. Pushing open the heavy door, Song Jian was startled to find the church hall quite dim, lit only by countless candles burning around the hall; In the church halls combined seating, there were actually quite a few people sitting with their heads lowered in prayer. And on the church halls pulpit, a man clad in a red priests robe, holding a book with black and red covers, was chanting hymns in a low voice; Song Jians intrusion seemed to disturb them as low growls arose from the seats; Dont you know you should close the door when you come in? a deep voice sounded from a seat closest to the door, as a man in a suit raised his head and stared at Song Jian with a pair of crimson eyes; At that moment, sunlight from outside the door shone right on the mans face. His originally pale cheeks quickly decayed at a speed visible to the naked eye, with half his face turning into a ghostly visage of mangled flesh. His lips and eyelids twisted into a ghastly grimace, making the man look as terrifying as a zombie; Dont you think this look suits you more now, at least its real! said Song Jian with a slight smile, wielding the Sky-Breaking Sword and slashing towards the man; Roar~ A deep growl escaped the mans mouth as two sharp fangs protruded. He lunged towards Song Jian with claws bared; his once yellow name turned red in an instant, the man turning into a monster and using his arms to block Song Jians long sword; With a clang, the mans arm seemed to be made of steel, sparking as it collided with the Sky-Breaking Sword; Song Jians figure danced, engaging in close combat with the man. Throughout their fight, the others, whether they were seated and praying or the priest chanting at the pulpit, acted as if they saw nothing, completely ignoring the two men engaged in fierce combat. However, a red aura began to slowly surface on the skin of these people, resembling a thin veil of mist. Song Jian and the level forty-two monster clashed. He did not use any abilities but relied on his regular sword techniques to spar with it. Although he only dealt normal attack damage, each strike caused nearly a thousand points of damage to the monster; As the battle grew more intense, the mans attack speed also increased, producing afterimages with each movement. Although Song Jians strikes on the monster felt as if he were slicing into steel, causing his wrists to grow numb, the damage inflicted didnt lessen in the slightest; Hiss~ In a moment of carelessness after stabbing the opponent with his sword, Song Jian was viciously scratched on the arm by the monsters claws, leaving skin exposed and three bloody marks that quickly oozed fresh blood; The monster, getting a whiff of fresh blood, became even more frenzied. It looked at the bloodstains on its sharp nails as if it were an addict, its body shaking violently. Its lips couldnt help but move toward the blood on its nails, and then it ferociously stuffed its entire hand into its mouth. The taste of blood! A groan-like roar erupted from the monsters mouth as its originally dark eyeballs instantaneously turned blood red. Roar~ The monster suddenly pounced toward Song Jian, its limbs spread wide like a wild beast, aiming to bite at Song Jians neck. Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian forcefully waved his hand forward, and dozens of Spirit Swords appeared, stabbing toward the monster that was already halfway through its leap. Puff, puff, puff~ Every Spirit Sword that pierced the monsters body released a jet of blood. In no time, the beasts body looked like a funnel, dark brown, filthy blood covering it entirely. Just then, one of the Spirit Swords suddenly flashed a dark gold light. As it struck the monster, the creatures body was instantly split in two, leaving the rest of the swords to slash apart the two halves. Triggered the passive skill Holy Sword? A glint appeared in Song Jians eyes, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. Although using the Thousand Swords Art meant the monster wouldnt survive, the fact that he triggered the passive skill Holy Sword in battle was still a stroke of luck. The monster, which originally had over twenty thousand Vitality Points, now had zero after being split in two; however, it was still not dead. Its two halves kept moving, attempting to pull themselves together, as if they could resurrect themselves if they recombined. Cant be killed? Song Jians eyebrows furrowed immediately. He brandished the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand and ruthlessly stabbed at one of the halves. He then realized that the monster, now severed into two pieces, seemed to have lost its defensive capabilities. The sword easily pierced its body, causing over two thousand points of critical damage. At that moment, a health bar appeared above the half of the body that had been struck, roughly a third of what it was when whole. Song Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued attacking the half-body, quickly depleting its Vitality Points. The monster, having its Vitality Points emptied once again, let out a dreadful scream. Both halves burst into flames, turning to ashes within seconds. A red bead, emitting a silver glow, rolled out from the ashes, coming to a stop near Song Jians feet. Song Jian casually picked up the bead but didnt have a chance to check its attributes as a heavy breathing sound filled the entire Church Hall. He looked up to see that everyone who had been sitting in the pews praying now stood up, their bodies emanating a strong scent of blood. Their eyes were bloodshot, and fangs protruded from their lips. Even the Priest on the pulpit was staring at Song Jian with a savage face, his crimson eyes filled with greed and ferocity. The scent of blood A low growling began as everyone, claws bared, lunged toward Song Jian. Chapter 901: 902 Divine Oracle Mirror_1 Chapter 901: Chapter 902 Divine Oracle Mirror_1 The people in this church didnt seem much different from ordinary humans at first, just sitting on the benches with their heads bowed silently in prayer. Their names and attributes were also yellow above their heads, indicating they were neutral monsters. As long as Song Jian didnt initiate an attack, they wouldnt attack Song Jian either. These praying people seemed to have a great fear of sunlight, which could harm them. The first monster that attacked Song Jian did so because Song Jian had opened the door, and the sunlight had fallen on it, causing it injury; Seeing these monsters swarm towards him, all with ferocious and bloodthirsty expressions, Song Jians brows immediately furrowed. The previous battle hadnt touched them, so why had these guys suddenly become crazed? Song Jian glanced at his shoulder where three claw marks that had been inflicted were slowly disappearing. His strong physical attributes endowed him with superhuman recovery abilities. Such a minor wound didnt require any medication and would heal quickly. Once again, he thought of the appearance of the first monster, and his brows tightened even more. They ignored the previous battle, but now theyve all become aggressive creatures. Could this all be because of fresh blood? Song Jian speculated in his heart. Roar, roar~ Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In fact, the monsters were truly stimulated by the fresh blood. Upon smelling the scent of blood, they all turned into terrifying beasts. Song Jian narrowed his eyes and pushed the stone door behind him completely open, allowing the warm sunlight to pour in and illuminate the area around him in a radius of three to four meters. A monster that had already rushed forward was caught in the full blast of the sunlight. It instantly looked as though it had been doused in concentrated sulfuric acid, as thick white smoke began billowing from its body and its skin started to rapidly decay, almost as if it were being flayed. It let out a painful howl but didnt shrink back. Although its movement speed was significantly reduced and damage numbers kept floating above its head, it continued to lunge decisively towards Song Jian; Standing in the sunlight, Song Jian swung the Sky-breaking Sword towards it. Just like the previous monster, this one seemed to have skin as hard as steel, able to clash with the Sky-breaking Sword and send sparks flying; Sunlight is like poison to them, it can injure and limit them, but it cant kill them immediately! Song Jian analyzed coolly as he fought; The other monsters, upon reaching the shadowy area just before the sunlight, all hesitated, seemingly unwilling to step into the sunlit area, and just continued to roar at Song Jian; Soon, Song Jian had killed the monster fighting him. Under the sunlight, it quickly turned to ash and didnt show the same freakish survival ability as the first creature; Sunlight is their weakness but its hardly fatal. To kill them with sunlight, they must be exposed for about half an hour Song Jian thought to himself. Watching the fearful display of the monsters, a smile emerged on Song Jians lips. He extended his left hand and used the Sky-breaking Sword to viciously slice his palm, immediately causing blood to fountain out. He intended to use his blood to lure these monsters, but Damn, I cut too deep! Song Jian watched the spurting blood and was momentarily at a loss for words. He had somewhat underestimated the sharpness of the Sky-breaking Sword. The blood quickly drenched his entire palm and began to drip to the floor; The scent of blood made the monsters even more frenzied. Several charged into the sunlit area, completely disregarding the white smoke billowing from their bodies and their skin rapidly decaying. Damage numbers floated above them as they lay on the ground, eagerly sucking up the blood from the floor, even cracking the flagstones as they bit into them, making a crack, crack sound; Song Jian slowly retreated, trying to draw them outside the church, but the churchs main doors seemed to be enchanted. Even though the monsters had descended into madness, they still refused to approach the doors. Left with no choice, Song Jian re-entered the church and began to fight the monsters in a melee, swinging his sword; The monsters were only common quality level forty-two beasts. Even without using the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian could easily annihilate them. Under the sunlight, they quickly turned into piles of ash; You shouldnt have killed them, they were striving to suppress their own instincts The priest, holding a black and red-covered codex, had a distraught look on his terrifying face, showing a tinge of sadness. Level 45, elite BOSS? Song Jian stared at the priests head, but for some reason, he could only see the opponents level and rank, with no name; Are you the Scarlet Count Xi Boyaer? Song Jian asked aloud; Have you come to seek the master? The priest, taken aback, asked, What do you want with the master? It has already fallen into eternal slumber! Then who are you? Song Jians eyebrows knitted together; I am but a humble servant of the master, a spirit trapped here! the priest said; Stop deceiving with trickery! Song Jian snorted coldly and rushed at him, swinging the Sky-breaking Sword; Thousand Swords Art! As Song Jian charged forward, dozens of Spirit Swords floated around him, whooshing towards the priest; Slaughter is the original sin, Divine Oracle Mirror, open! The priest held the Codex in his left hand and raised his right hand, lightly pushing forward, and suddenly dozens of Spirit Swords seemed to strike an invisible transparent shield, exploding with force three feet from the priest; Boom, boom, boom~ After a series of booms, the priest remained unscathed, except for a wound on his raised right hand, resembling the size of a babys mouth, with skin peeling back and flesh mangled; A damage count of over five thousand floated up from the priests head, and the injured priest, displaying a surprised expression, gazed at Song Jian and asked in a low voice, Who are you, that you can penetrate the defense of the Divine Oracle Mirror? In fact, Song Jian was even more astonished than he; this time he had summoned a total of fifty-six Spirit Swords. To say nothing of a level 45 elite BOSS, even a level 45 lord-level BOSS could be instantly killed. But unexpectedly, the real damage inflicted on this BOSS wasnt even one-tenth; Divine Oracle Mirror? What is that, a skill or an item? Song Jian couldnt help asking; It is a treasure bestowed upon me by the deities. Only the power of the gods can break its defense! The priest actually answered Song Jians question and then seemed to realize something, his face twisting into a crazed expression. You possess the bloodline of the deities. Killing you your blood can awaken the master. Roar~ The priest, who had seemed somewhat human until this point, now completely transformed into a beast and charged at Song Jian; The Codex in its left hand glowed continuously, projecting magic onto the priest, enhancing it with numerous buffs, such as the strength of a bull, pain reduction, monkey-guard Meanwhile, the fingers of its right hand grew long and slender, nails slowly emerging, as the skin cracked and became covered in a layer of scale-like patterns; Whoosh~ With the left hand like a claw, the priest lunged for Song Jian, his sharp nails leaving a trail in the air, as Song Jian parried with his sword. Instantly, the entire church filled with the sound of metal clashing, as Song Jian and the priest fiercely dueled; Chapter 902: 903 Blood Beads_1 Chapter 902: Chapter 903 Blood Beads_1 The Priests style of combat was somewhat akin to a Berserkers, yet the Codex in his left hand continuously unleashed various auxiliary spells, enhancing the Priests ability in close combat. Furthermore, when the Priest sustained injuries, the Codex could cast healing magic, replenishing the Priests Vitality Points, which left Song Jian speechless; This is simply cheating! Song Jian stared at the Codex in the Priests left hand, his facial muscles starting to twitch slightly; Thousand Swords Art! The Sky-breaking Sword fiercely slashed at the Priest, and without the protection of the Divine Oracle Mirror this time, the Spirit Sword brutally struck the Priest, sending him flying seven or eight meters away; By the time the Spirit Sword vanished, the Priests Vitality Points had plummeted, leaving him with roughly less than one-fifth left. The Codex once again burst into a milky white glow, beginning to restore the Priests Vitality Points, but this time, the Codex only raised the Priests Vitality by 5% before it ran out of power, and the healing light disappeared; Song Jian scoffed, a mocking smile appearing on his face, and as he pointed the Sky-breaking Sword forward, his figure instantly turned into a streak of light, charging toward the Priest; Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Pu~ The Sky-breaking Sword stabbed viciously into the Priests left shoulder, going right through him, and a burst of fresh blood sprayed out. What followed was the Priests horrified discovery that he had lost control over his body, which began to slowly float upwards; Pop, pop, pop~ Song Jians right hand moved like lightning, repeatedly thrusting in rapid succession eight times. With each attack, the Priests body drifted higher, eventually hovering nearly a meter above the ground before crashing down hard; Taking advantage, Song Jian swung his long sword, striking down on the Priests left hand. A dark golden light flashed, and the blow surprisingly triggered the Holy Sword talent; Pu~ With a dull thud, the Priests left hand, which was tightly clutching the Codex, was severed cleanly and was sent flying seven or eight meters away, crashing into the seats within the Church Hall; The glow on the surface of the Codex gradually dimmed, as a dark red phantom emerged from it, forming a skeleton-like figure that let out a piercing shriek before vanishing. Deprived of the Codexs support, the Priests power was instantly weakened by more than one-third. Already no match for Song Jian, now he was completely powerless to fight back. Sword lights appeared around the Priests body. Each time a sword light materialized, it was accompanied by a pained groan from the Priest, and within a short span, this Level 45 Elite Boss lay in a pool of blood, his body quickly igniting; Song Jian, full of anticipation, looked toward the severed arm that was clutching the Codex on the seat, but to his disappointment, the arm, along with the Codex it held, also started to burn up, turning into a pile of ashes in no time; What a shame Song Jian shook his head slightly regretfully. The Codex had impressive effects, capable of automatically releasing many auxiliary spells and continuously healing the user during combat. Most importantly, it seemed to require no consumption of Mental Strength or any similar energy. Song Jians One-handed Sword was right-held, leaving his left hand free to equip an off-hand item, but unfortunately, the Codex had not dropped. He picked up a robe emitting a dark golden glow from the ashes, the very black priest robe that the priest had been wearing; This robe had a high collar, wide and flowing sleeves, with cuffs embroidered with strange patterns in gold thread, looking quite luxurious and a bit mysterious; And its attributes were top-notch too, although it was a cloth armor, it provided higher defense than a leather armor of the same level and tier, and none of the additional properties were wasted, especially the special effects of the robean defensive skill, another enhancing the power of spells, both coveted by arcane professionals. Shaking out the robe, Song Jian looked at it for a long time before finally placing it into his inventory. If this arcane robe were to be sold at an auction, it would probably fetch at least 800,000 Doomsday Coins, and if the bidding war escalated, surpassing a million wasnt impossible. However, such a fine item, Song Jian would only deposit it into the guilds warehouse for guild players to exchange with Contribution Points, bolstering the guilds strength; Besides the robe, the priest had also dropped three golden Blood Beads; Song Jian had already collected more than forty, all from the monsters in the Church Hall, but those common monster drops were of silver quality, while the priests drops were of golden quality, and even their properties were far superior; The purpose of these Blood Beads was to change bloodlines, the silver quality ones could enhance ones physical constitution and also had a small chance of turning the user into a member of the Blood Clan; The golden quality Blood Beads dropped by the priest, however, could turn the user directly into a Blood Clan member, and even bestow the strength of a Viscount within the clan; This was a temptation similar to the post-expansion ability to become a member of the Abyssal Clan and obtain exotic classes, with the Blood Clan also harboring many rare, even epic and Legendary Level professions; For the average player, these Blood Beads were treasures that could change their fate, but regrettably, Song Jian decided that he would rather let them rot in his inventory than sell them or allow guild members to exchange for them; While the game had not explicitly stated that the Blood Clan would become enemies of humans, Abyssal Hell loomed like a blade over the heads of the games human race, and Song Jian did not wish to create another hostile race against humanity; The principle of those who are not of our kind must have a different heart was firmly engraved in Song Jians mind; After gathering all the loot, Song Jian went through the Church Hall and into a narrow passage; This passage was long, with windows along the walls already sealed, and every few meters, there was a recessed sconce with a candle as thick as a finger burning, barely illuminating a small area; On both sides of the passage were murals depicting a group of angels with white wings fighting a host of monsters with bat-like flesh wings; The content of the murals showed either the monsters being slain by angels and burned with fierce fire, or a group of monsters pinning an angel to the ground, encircling him to drink his blood, looking cruel and terrifying; This Sky City may have been conquered by these monsters, but whether those angels guarding it have all left or have been killed Song Jian thought to himself while looking at the murals; Just then, the sound of metal clashing came from the end of the passage, deep and powerful. Each clash seemed to strike right at Song Jians heart, causing his Vitality to surge uncontrollably, his cheeks flushing red; Chapter 903: 904: Angels Battle Servant_1 Chapter 903: Chapter 904: Angels Battle Servant_1 Song Jian walked to the end of the corridor, where he found a spacious room. In the center of the room was a black sarcophagus made of ironwood, surrounded by several skeletons that were nearly weathered away. A burly monster with a hunched back was hammering giant iron nails, each over a foot long, fiercely into the four corners of the sarcophagus with a massive hammer he held; By its stature, Song Jian could sense the monster had immense strength. The hammer in its hand was almost as huge as those used in battle, causing the entire room to tremble slightly with every strike. However, despite such formidable strength, it could never fully drive the nails into the coffin. Each blow only sank the nails a short way in, and it would probably take several hours to hammer them all the way; Song Jians gaze fell upon the creature wielding the hammera colossus, almost completely naked, save for a piece of tattered felt tied around its waist. Its body bore scars of all sizes crisscrossed over one another, almost leaving no patch of skin unmarked; On either side of its spine were two deep, gaping wounds, one of which still had a shard of white bone protruding from it, as if a pair of wings once grew there but had been broken off in battle; This monster, could it have once been an angel? Song Jian wondered, looking at the pure white bone on its back. It was hard for him to relate this muscular brute before him to an angel; Song Jian looked up at the monsters head, where its name and attributes were displayed. Moreover, the monsters name was in red, which meant that even if it was a Battle Angel, it was a monster to Song Jian; Angel Servant Toros, Level 45, Elite BOSS, Vitality Points: 45000/45000 Angel Servant? So its not a true Battle Angel? Song Jian thought to himself, as he swung his sword towards the creature; Thousand Swords Art! This time, Song Jian only managed to summon over a dozen Spirit Swords, which made him feel somewhat helpless. The number of Spirit Swords summoned was random, resulting in varying amounts of damage. Creatures that could have been killed instantly were now only suffering a fifth or even less of the damage; Song Jian believed he had mastered the Thousand Swords Art quite proficiently, capable of targeting both large groups and single enemies at will, but even now, he could not control the number of Spirit Swords he summoned; Over a dozen Spirit Swords ruthlessly struck Toros, causing it such intense pain that it let out a thunderous roar and turned its head to look at Song Jian; Enemy! With a hoarse bellow, Toros swung its hammer furiously at Song Jian; Boom! The Sky-breaking Sword clashed with the hammer, and Song Jian immediately felt an overwhelming force surge towards him, pushing his body back three to four meters, leaving two trails on the hard floor; This strength attribute must be over a hundred and eighty points, right? Its only a servant, how can it possess such incredible power Song Jian looked at Toros with astonishment. How could a mere Level 45 Elite BOSS possess such formidable strength; Even Kekaul, the four-winged angel who had fought alongside him in the Abyssal Hell, did not have such fearsome strength. After all, Kekaul was a true Battle Angel; Sacred Fire Assault! Toros roared, swinging its hammer down hard on the ground; Boom, boom, boom~ From where the hammer struck, a scorching flame burst forth, its core a dark red while the surface showed a bizarre silver-white color; After the first flame rose, another burst up a meter away, followed by yet another flame bursting forth in succession; In less than a second, seven flames rose continuously between Toros and Song Jian, with the last one emerging right under Song Jians feet, engulfing him completely; The impact of the flames made Song Jian lose control of his body instantly, sending him soaring into the air while the ensuing fire damage made his Vitality Points drop rapidly; -500 -680 -869 -993 Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The damage he was taking kept rising, and at the same time, Song Jian noticed that his resistance and defense were also rapidly declining; The fiery assault had continued for a full three seconds before it suddenly disappeared, and by the time Song Jian crashed heavily onto the ground from midair, he shockingly found that his Vitality Points had already dropped by more than three thousand; It should be known that the Vitality Points of an ordinary heavily-armored shield warrior were just slightly over three thousand; in other words, most players, if faced with this BOSS, would likely be killed instantly; Sword Shadow Clone! Song Jians figure began to shake violently, and after a short while, two Song Jians that looked exactly alike appeared in front of the monster; Thousand Swords Art! The clone wielded the Sky-breaking Sword to attack the monster, and Song Jian, meanwhile, took out an Advanced Recovery Potion and gulped it down, just as he had managed to slightly recover some Vitality Points, he saw Toros bearing the attacks of the Spirit Sword, and with a swing of its hammer, it smashed into the clones head, dispelling the clone into a burst of white light after only two hits. The Sword Shadow Clone, only having 40% of Song Jians attributes, was no match for the BOSS before him; its purpose was to deal over six thousand points of damage to the BOSS and delay it for a few seconds, allowing Song Jian the time to unleash the next Thousand Swords Art! As the BOSSs gaze locked onto him, the cooldown period for Thousand Swords Art came to an end, and Song Jian, without hesitation, released the Thousand Swords Art once more; this time, the number of Spirit Swords broke through to over fifty. The densely packed Spirit Swords emitted an aura of terrifying force, flying towards the BOSS like a meteor shower; Boom, boom, boom~ After a burst of energy bombardment, the BOSSs body, already riddled with wounds, erupted with countless spurts of blood, its Vitality Points plummeting, and it was instantly killed by Song Jian; Do not open the coffin; inside there is The BOSS, with a glimmer of sentience in its eyes, blood spraying from its mouth, struggled to say to Song Jian as it fell; Not open the coffin, huh? But the more you say that, the more I want to open it, damn it! Song Jian glared hard at the corpse of the BOSS and collected all the loot it had dropped; Truly worthy of being a level 45 elite BOSS, it dropped two golden quality items, one of which was the weapon used by the BOSS, that hammer, while the other was a thin Skill Book; The hammers properties were average, not presenting many advantages as a weapon, but this hammer had another propertyit could be used as a forging hammer and could also increase the Forging skill level by 2 levels, which for players who had learned Forge Art, could be said to be extremely good; As for the Skill Book, Song Jian glanced at the cover and saw that it was a golden cover with several silver characters: Skill Mutation Secret Manual. Song Jian couldnt help but be stunned for a moment, focusing on the attributes of the book and examining it carefully. Chapter 910 - 911: Pillar of Courage_1 Chapter 910: Chapter 911: Pillar of Courage_1 Solanda was a rare profession, a Soul Summoner, who could enslave the souls of monsters once they were near death, but the condition was strict: the final, killing blow must be delivered by Solanda himself, otherwise, there would be no way to enslave a killed monsters soul; Moreover, after enslaving a monsters soul, depending on the monsters strength and attributes, Solanda would be granted several special skills; the stronger the monster, the better the skills bestowed; Most importantly, Solanda could also summon the enslaved monster souls to assist in battle. These souls, even though they could only exert 80% of their strength from when they were alive, had no upper limit to how many Solanda could enslave; Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As long as he had enough Mental Strength, in theory, he could enslave a whole army of monster souls. Although Solanda was also a profession with a special affinity for Mental attributes, with his current Mental Strength, he could enslave at most fifty ordinary monsters, only ten elite bosses, and a mere five lord-level bosses; Any more would impact his ability to cast spells; The enslaved monster souls had a time limit for their existence; ordinary souls could last for seven days, elite boss souls for five days, and lord-level boss souls for only three days. Once the time was up, the enslaved souls would dissipate; Furthermore, if these monster souls were summoned to assist in battle and died during the combat, they would be gone forever, and even the skills they had granted would vanish, which made this profession considerably restricted. Originally, Solanda had enslaved enough monster souls, but after several battles, the ordinary monster souls had been nearly all consumed, and none of the three elite boss souls he had enslaved remained, causing Solandas combat power to plummet drastically; However, once Solanda enslaved the souls of ten elite bosses, his strength would leap to become the strongest in the entire team. As long as he adapted to the skills granted by enslaving the bosses, Solandas power could completely overwhelm a Mage of the same level; The boss soul he enslaved this time, just the Blood Shadow Stacking alone, if used against an unguarded player, could completely obliterate that player in ten seconds. Boss, Im going to activate the pillar! a magic-class player wearing a blue robe, holding a dagger in his right hand and a magical orb in his left, shouted to Tula; Go ahead, but be careful! Li Mu nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly approached the stone pillar that was no longer guarded by a boss; He was the only Chinese player in the team, usually quiet, but his strength was not to be underestimated; he was the only formal Mage in the team. In every battle, his damage output was always among the highest, and it was he who first discovered this hidden mission; Originally it was a solo mission, but after he claimed it, it was selflessly transformed into a team mission. Even though it reduced the reward he would have gotten, it was definitely safer. Li Mu walked up to the stone pillar, squinting his eyes to discern the tattered designs on it. It was hard to make out the patterns on the cracked and creviced pillar, and soon, sweat began to form on Li Mus forehead. His companions didnt dare to approach, watching from a distance, feeling anxious for him; Soon after, Li Mu took out a stone piece from his bag, glanced at the pattern on it, then looked up again to confirm with the pillar before nodding vigorously and muttering to himself, Pillar of Courage, it must be this one! Having said that, Li Mu slammed the stone piece hard against the pillar; Seeing Li Mus action, almost all of his teammates stepped back two paces, except for the Heavy Shield Warrior, who took a defensive stance, solidly protecting the others behind him; This mission required the correct placement of six stone pieces onto six stone pillars, each stone corresponding to a specific pillar, clues for which needed to be sought from the mission description; Although everyone had picked up the task, only Li Mu, who had received it first, could complete the selection of rocks and pillars; If the choice of rocks and pillars was wrong, then a violent explosion would occur, putting the chooser in mortal danger, which was precisely why Li Mu was so tense. At the moment Li Mu slammed the rock onto the pillar, the entire Sky City seemed to tremble slightly, and the already cracked pillar began to shake violently, then boom, it collapsed completely, replaced by a beam of light shooting straight into the sky; On the surface of this blue beam, several golden runes emergedif Li Mu and his group knew the language of angels, they would recognize these runes as the words Pillar of Courage; We did it, we did it! His companions, who had been hiding behind the Heavy Shield Warrior, saw the beam of light soaring upward and instantly became excited, all jumping up and cheering loudly; Continue, continue, there are still five pillars, and five more BOSSes, haha! The leader Tula laughed out loud, their gaze shifting to the guardians under the other five pillars. At this moment, Song Jian had already entered the Judgment Hall, and after stepping on the stone stairs, he found himself in a vast space that appeared to be a training ground, with wooden human-shaped targets placed all around the empty square, bearing marks of being battered and slashed, seemingly used for many years; Scattered on the ground were many iron swords and spears for training, which looked like they had been abandoned for a long while; Song Jian looked around as he walked towards the training ground; How come there are no monsters in this instance? Song Jian frownedup until now, he hadnt detected any monsters in the instance; Just then, a strange change occurred in the training groundthe orderly wooden targets suddenly burst forth with intense white light; Soon, the white light grew stronger and merged into one, enveloping Song Jian entirely, causing him to squint and shield his eyes with his hands; At that moment, a resonant voice sounded in Song Jians ear; Only the most elite Battle Angels can join the ranks of the Judgers, are you ready? Song Jian was startled and suddenly felt that the surrounding white light had vanished. When he opened his eyes again, he found the training ground gone, replaced by an area resembling an arena; Around him were three tiers of steps, and each step had rows of wooden chairs arranged on it; In front of Song Jian was a spacious platform, and on the platform, luxurious armchairs were placed every few meters. Song Jian countedthere were a total of twelve such armchairs; At this moment, whether the simple wooden chairs or the twelve luxurious armchairs in front, there was not a single soul, but inexplicably, a thirty-second countdown appeared before Song Jian; System: You have triggered the hidden mission, Angel Judger. If you can successfully clear this instance, you will receive the special title Angel Judger, which can be advanced! Chapter 911 - 912: Stage Two_1 Chapter 911: Chapter 912: Stage Two_1 This, this is just a dungeon, why is there a hidden quest? Song Jian was astonished but didnt show any signs of it. He simply summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, holding it tightly in his hand; Such instances where players receive quests within a dungeon are rare. Most players encounter quests first and then seek out dungeons. However, receiving a quest in a dungeon indicates that the rewards are extremely generous, something many players can only dream of. Soon, vague silhouettes began to appear on the wooden chairs around him. They didnt say a word, just silently watching Song Jian. These figures looked like orbs of light, except they each had a pair of wing-like shadows flickering faintly behind them; On the twelve splendid armchairs in the front, silhouettes of angels also appeared. Those angels sitting on the spacious viewing stands, each with six pairs of glorious wings, seemed like flowing flames, exuding a sense of awe and oppression; These shadows kept watching Song Jian, some even with a look of anticipation on their faces, but Song Jian knew these were not real angels but rather residual images from earlier in the Judgment Hall. Before long, facing Song Jian, a Battle Angel with a pair of flaming wings appeared. This angel, handsome in appearance, radiated a sharp aura. He carried a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right, looking like the most common sword-and-shield warrior, His flame wings, unlike the white feathery wings of the other Battle Angels, bore some resemblance to those of the twelve Great Angels sitting in the stands; System: To become a Judger, you must possess exquisite martial skills. You must last half an hour against an official Judger in the Judgment Hall to qualify for the title of Judger; Glancing at the flame-winged Judger opposite him, a slight smile appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth. It was just a level forty-five elite BOSS with less than one hundred thousand Vitality Points, barely over eighty thousand. His Thousand Swords Art could potentially kill him in one hit. Was this task too simple? Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. While he was thinking, a bell rang. The Judger wielding a sword and shield opposite him struck his shield harshly with his sword before charging at Song Jian; Before the Judger could close the distance, Song Jian swung the Sky-breaking Sword fiercely at him, and instantly, dozens of Spirit Swords emerged, streaking towards the Battle Angel like meteors; The Battle Angel seemed to sense the danger and swiftly lowered his center of gravity, raising his shield in front to protect most of his body, yet still charging towards Song Jian without slowing down; Boom! Boom! Boom! Most of the Spirit Swords struck the shield, while more than ten hit other parts of the Battle Angels body, but to Song Jians surprise, whether the swords struck the shield or his body, they each only caused minimal damage; How, how is this possible? Shock was evident on Song Jians face, but the distance between them only allowed for one strike. After releasing the Thousand Swords Art, the Battle Angel had already reached him, swinging his longsword down in an attack; The chilling wind from the sword left his cheeks stinging. Song Jian hurriedly parried with his sword, and with a clang, he felt a powerful force in his right hand. Song Jians expression changed; the strength attribute of this Battle Angel was almost equal to his own; In a moment of hesitation, the Battle Angels shield came crashing down on Song Jian, who quickly dodged to the right. Barely steadying himself, the angels longsword came slashing down again, forcing Song Jian to retreat once more; In just a few seconds, Song Jian was forced back by the Battle Angel for over ten meters, and his back had slammed fiercely against the stone wall surrounding the training arena. Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian swung out his Sky-breaking Sword once more, and this time, the number of Spirit Swords directly hit sixty, which brought a hint of surprise to Song Jians face. Sixty Spirit Swords could form the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, and even a sovereign-level BOSS couldnt survive in this sword formation. The Battle Angel facing him, with just over eighty thousand Vitality Points, wouldnt stand a chance against it. Countless Spirit Swords ignited into fierce flames, turning into fiery red lotus petals. All the petals converged together, and a resplendent Karmic Fire Red Lotus encircled the Battle Angel. Clashes of metal rang out as numerous gold and red flames surged from the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, and the scorching aura spread like a tide. However, the engulfed Battle Angel seemed to possess strong immunity against the flames. Only strings of -1 floated above their head, indicating that these flames, capable of killing a sovereign-level BOSS, couldnt even break through their defenses. Soon, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation underwent some changes. Within the flames, a metallic luster began to glimmer, and a three-foot-long sword slowly coalesced from the midst of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus. As soon as the sword appeared, all the gold and red flames rushed toward it, and in an instant, the entire blade burst into raging flames. The blades flames grew fiercer and more intense until, in just a few breaths, the flames on the sword had expanded into a giant Flame Giant Blade seven to eight meters long. Billowing flames burst forth from the blade, turning the entire training arena a golden red. What, what is this? Is this the second tier of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation? Song Jian was stunned. He had no idea that the sword formation even had a second tier, so he could only watch it change before his very eyes. When all the flames in the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation were swallowed by the long sword, a deep black aura began to emerge from its center. In the instant the black aura appeared, the expressionless Battle Angel finally showed a look of shock, and then, looking at Song Jian, their eyes were filled with anger and hatred. Looking up at the blade in midair, Song Jian realized that he seemed capable of controlling it. With a thought, the long sword swung violently, cleaving fiercely toward the Battle Angel. In a moment, it was as if the air itself had frozen. The terrifying Flame Giant Blade, mixed with a furious howling, came crashing down on the Battle Angel, engulfing the training arena in scorching flames instantly. The Battle Angels expression changed, and with a rapid shuffle of feet, they streaked backward, trying to escape the range of the fiery blade. However, as soon as the flame blade was swung, it locked onto the Battle Angel, and as they retreated quickly, the blade stretched even longer, making it impossible for the Battle Angel to escape its coverage. The enormous flame blade, accompanied by a thunderous roar, chopped down. Before the sword even arrived, the solid stone slabs of the training arena had already begun to silently crumble and shatter. With this one swing, a deep trench was etched into the ground, making it seem as though the entire training arena was about to be split in two. Chapter 912 - 913: Flame Light Wings_1 Chapter 912: Chapter 913: Flame Light Wings_1 The massive flame blade extended for dozens of meters and slashed viciously onto the Battle Angels body. A crack sound echoed, as if something had been directly shattered. A hundred thousand points of damage floated above the Battle Angels head. Vitality Points were instantly depleted, and the figure of the Battle Angel slowly vanished, leaving only a pair of Flame Light Wings, burning and flapping in the mid-air. System: You have defeated the assessment Judger, with an assessment rating of Perfect. System: You have replaced the assessment Judger, awarded the Battle Angel Judgers Title. Judgment Angel: Possesses the right to judge the Angel Clan; if an offender violates the angelic codes, the Judger holds the right to imprison, and even execute the target. Streams of system information cascaded before Song Jians eyes, recording the so-called angelic codesthere were at least hundreds of them, dense and numerous. These codes regulated the behavior of the Angel Clan, and violators would be punished accordingly, with the Judger holding the authority to exact such punishments. The Flame Light Wings in mid-air transformed into a stream of light and flew towards Song Jian. Soon, a pair of Flame Light Wings appeared behind Song Jian, looking as if they had grown right out of his back. These Flame Light Wings were far more magnificent than any normal angelic or the Wings of Steel, with flames flowing from the fluttering wings dribbling toward the ground. As the flames left the wings, they gradually disappeared into thin air. The entire set of wings radiated a dazzling light, looking like a perfect work of art. There was a time limit for flying with the Wings of Steel, and the Sword Flight Art not only occupied the Sky-breaking Sword but also continuously consumed Sword Qi. However, these Flame Light Wings endowed Song Jian with the capability of sustained flight. As long as his body could withstand it, flying for three days and nights would be no issue. Moreover, Song Jian was now even more agile when using the Thousand Swords Art in the air. Song Jian, holding the Sky-breaking Sword with Flame Light Wings constantly fluttering behind him, almost looked indistinguishable from a true Battle Angel. The angelic apparitions on the surrounding benches slowly vanished, and the twelve archangels in the stands all stood up, their figures disappearing one after another until only one twelve-winged archangel remained. He walked slowly down from the stands, strolling in the void, and soon arrived in front of Song Jian. This archangel was dressed in a tattered grey robe that shrouded his entire being, his face obscured under the hood and indiscernible. The archangel drew a long sword and placed it upon Song Jians left shoulder as a deep voice rose from beneath the hood. In the name of the Judgment Angel, I bestow upon you the authority to decide. You must remember the glory of the Angel Clan, justice, fairness, courage, and mercy You shall abide by the laws of righteousness, fight against evil with bravery, and fear no sacrifice Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With the sword in your hand, you must protect all the beautiful things in this world For the weak, you must harbor a merciful and compassionate heart Against oppression, you must not fear to resist and fight back As the Judgment Angel imparted these admonitions, Song Jian felt strong currents of heat surging from the Flame Light Wings behind him, flowing through his bodys meridians to every limb and bone. His entire body seemed as if it were being constantly brushed by these warm currents, with every pore of his skin beginning to emit a faint white glow. Song Jian submerged himself entirely in the flow of this heat. After an unknown amount of time, Song Jian slowly opened his eyes to find the Judgment Angel had disappeared at some point. He had returned to the previous training ground. Looking around at the wooden dummies, Song Jian had a feeling as if he were in a different era; everything he had experienced before seemed like an illusion. However, he quickly noticed the Flame Light Wings still fluttering behind him. Is all of this real? Song Jian gently caressed the ethereal Flame Light Wings with his fingertips. There was no sensation of burning, just a warm feeling between his fingers. With a thought, the Flame Light Wings gently flapped, and he felt as if he were about to take flight, his feet involuntarily lifting from the ground. This feeling is simply Song Jians face lit up with surprise. Even when using the Wings of Steel to fly, he always felt like he was using a tool. But now, these Flame Light Wings felt like an extension of his body, as if they were a part of him all along. Flame Light Wings (Tier 1), external equipment, usage effects: Spirit Point recovery speed increased by 50%, capable of flight; Item description: This item is unique to the Judgers of the Angel Clan. Only players with the Judgers Title from the Angel Clan are qualified to use it! Spirit Point recovery speed increased by 50%? A smile of delight appeared on Song Jians face. Although his current limit of Spirit Points was much higher than that of an ordinary player, he also used more Spirit Points. Abilities like the Sword Shadow Clone, which directly consumed a percentage, caused him much headache; With the Flame Light Wings, at least Song Jian wouldnt need to frequently use potions to restore his Mental Strength. Most importantly, he could now use the Thousand Swords Art in the air anytime, greatly increasing his agility. Crack, crack~ Just then, the surrounding wooden dummies suddenly shattered one by one, and from inside the rooms surrounding the Judgment Hall, low growls were heard. Boom, boom~ The buildings around the Judgment Hall suddenly collapsed, revealing enormous cages made of steel as thick as an arm. They contained giant, gruesome monsters with ferocious appearances. These monsters all looked different, but they had one thing in common: each had a pair of wings on their back; Is this really a Judgment Hall, or a prison for confining monsters? Song Jian couldnt help but quip after looking around; All the monsters became excited the moment the surrounding buildings collapsed, continuously slamming their bodies against the cages, trying to break free; They gazed at Song Jian with greedy eyes, some of them even drooling uncontrollably; If I were you, Id leave this place quickly before these creatures break free! A calm voice suddenly came from behind Song Jian. Song Jian turned around and saw a Battle Angel imprisoned in an iron cage. This angel had only one wing remainingthe other, it seemed, had been cut off; Who are you? Song Jian asked in a low voice; The heritage of the Judgers of the Angel Clan has actually fallen into the hands of a human, how pitiful! The one-winged Battle Angel looked at the Flame Light Wings behind Song Jian with a sorrowful expression. Go now, without the suppression of the array, these monsters will soon break out of their cages. They were all once sinners, captured and brought to the Judgment Hall for trial. But hundreds of years have passed, and they have lost their sanity, becoming monsters! The eyes of the one-winged Battle Angel slowly turned blood-red, his face showing a struggling expression. He seemed to be exerting all his strength, as if desperately suppressing something. Run! The Battle Angel suddenly stood up and let out a roar at Song Jian; Chapter 913 - 914 Judgment_1 Chapter 913: Chapter 914 Judgment_1 Chapter 913: Chapter 914 Judgment_1 Crack, crack~ The imprisoned monsters furiously rammed into the cage bars around them, seemingly having lost all reason, their eyes revealing only greed and a ravenous hunger. With robust bodies, they continuously crashed into the sturdy cage bars, uncaring of the blood that flowed freely from their wounds; soon, the fine iron bars of the cage began to warp and distort under the force, slowly bending and stretching until they finally shattered, creating a large hole. A monster with two horns on its head and a body covered in dark, cyan scales, sporting a pair of grey wings on its back, burst out of the cage. It was barehanded and half-naked, its tough skin marked with bloody slashes from the cage bars some scales had even been scraped off, hanging on the cage bars, presenting a ghastly sight; The Sinful Angel awaiting judgment, Level 45 Elite BOSS, Vitality Points: 93000/93000 Level 45, Elite BOSS Song Jian squinted his eyes, sizing up the monster charging towards him and swung his Sky-breaking Sword fiercely at it; The sharp longsword issued a low whistling sound, tearing through the air like lightning, a dazzling sword light flashed, leaving a deep wound on the chest of the monster that the bone could be seen, blood spurting out; Without even using skills, Song Jian could still inflict terrifying damage. Its worth noting that the Sky-breaking Sword is an epic longsword with frightfully high damage and attributes, easily able to breach the defenses of these Level 45 Elite BOSSes, causing them massive damage; The monsters charge faltered, forced to take a step back, but it quickly lunged again, its hands now beastly claws, swooping towards Song Jians head; With an upward sweep of his sword, Song Jian parried the claws of the monster, sparking a spray of sparks, the creatures claws proving as tough as steel; The gale howled as the Sky-breaking Sword danced in Song Jians hands. At the same time, he stepped aside, dodging the BOSSs attacks, the sword light continuously shimmering around the BOSSs body. Even with normal attacks, Song Jian still inflicted colossal damage on the BOSS, its Vitality Points steadily decreasing. It seemed that even without deploying the Thousand Swords Art, the death of this Level 45 Elite BOSS was only a matter of time; Whoosh~ The BOSS, having already lost a third of its Vitality Points, suddenly flapped its grey wings, smacking them towards Song Jian. A thought flashed through his mind, and his Flame Light Wings unfurled behind him as well; Bang~ A dull thud echoed as the two pairs of wings collided fiercely. Song Jian felt a jolt through his body and couldnt help but take two steps back, but the Level 45 Elite BOSS opposite him was sent flying as if hit by a train, crashing hard into a steel cage behind it. Its grey wings emitted a wisp of blue smoke and were left with a large scorch mark; It seemed that even for a Level 45 Elite BOSS, the wings on its back were at a significantly lower grade than his own Flame Light Wings and stood no chance in resistance; A thought struck Song Jian; the impact reminded him that after becoming a Judger of the Angel Clan, he acquired the authority to judge and sentence ordinary angels. And the creature before him was an unpunished Sinful Angel. In the name of the Angels Judger, I shall judge the sinner before me! Song Jian exclaimed in a low voice, pointing his Sky-breaking Sword at the struggling Level 45 Elite BOSS. After he finished these words, a majestic and solemn voice suddenly boomed from the sky; Judgment begins! An inexplicable pillar of mysterious light suddenly appeared, enveloping the Elite BOSS that had just managed to get back on its feet; at the same time, strands of white light emerged within the pillar of light, binding the BOSS from head to toe like ropes; Above its head, a golden Judgment inscription appeared. The BOSS roared furiously, struggling desperately, but it was unable to break free from the white lights bonds; After a short while, that dignified and solemn voice sounded once again; The trial is over, verdict: Guilty! He has fallen into darkness and shall be met with eradication as punishment! Once a verdict of guilt is pronounced, punishment follows. There are various forms of punishment, but eradication is undoubtedly the most severe. It is reserved exclusively for sinners who have fallen into darkness, subjecting them to such an extreme penalty! Suddenly, a dazzling white light blossomed in the sky. Song Jian looked up to see an enormous cross-shaped lightsaber materialize out of thin air. The entire instance echoed with the sound of eradication; this was the sword of punishment. Once it appeared and locked onto its target, the punished angel had no chance to resist. It could inflict catastrophic damage on the angels very being; Whoosh~ The cross-shaped lightsaber fell, striking fiercely at the neck of the boss, an elite boss with two-thirds of its Vitality Points left, was instantaneously killed, its head severed. Blood gushed from the neck as the body swayed slightly before crashing down to the ground. Within moments, its corpse began to dissolve into countless shimmering white light spots, floating away into the air and disappearing. Instant kill? A look of shock appeared on Song Jians face. He glanced again at the skill titled Judger, and a hint of delight quickly replaced his surprise. Although usable only against the Angel Clan, this skill was incredibly powerful. Once a verdict of guilt was made, no matter how strong the angel was, it was helpless against the punishment of the trial. The cooldown time is a full ten minutes Glancing at the monsters around him, Song Jians expression showed a touch of helplessness. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Dozens of monsters were battering the cage, and within a minute, they would all break free; the Judger skill wouldnt be ready for a second use so soon; Suddenly, Song Jian seemed to think of something and hurriedly looked back at the spot where the monster he had just judged used to lie. At this point, the bosss corpse had already disintegrated entirely into white light spots and vanished, leaving nothing behind; Monsters judged are not leaving behind any loot! Song Jians face immediately turned sour. For any player, defeating monsters without obtaining any loot was an unacceptable outcome. Watching the monsters constantly assaulting the cage, Song Jian gripped the Sky-breaking Sword tightly and thought to himself, It seems that Ill need to personally slay these monsters! As he spoke, Song Jian swung his sword fiercely at a monster that had already broken through half of the cage; Thousand Swords Art! Dozens of Spirit Swords, ablaze with roaring flames, shot out, slashing toward the monster. After a flash of sword light and an explosion, the boss with over ninety thousand Vitality Points was instantly reduced to a critically injured state. Its huge body fell heavily, broken pieces of the iron cage impaled its body, blood splattered everywhere. The boss let out a miserable scream as it drained of its last Vitality Point and its head slammed into the ground; Five or six items, emitting various colors, burst forth from its corpse. Song Jian glanced at them and a satisfied smile appeared on his face; This is the proper way to slay monsters! Song Jian thought to himself and then targeted another monster, swinging his sword at it; Chapter 914 - 915 Its a Bit Tough to Win_1 Chapter 914: Chapter 915: Its a Bit Tough to Win_1 Chapter 914: Chapter 915: Its a Bit Tough to Win_1 In the game, players hunt monsters for combat experience and loot, but using the Judgment skill yielded no rewards, not even loot or combat experience, which made Song Jian lose interest in the Judgment skill instantly. He decided to treat it as a skill to be kept at the bottom of his chest, possibly never to be used in his lifetime. The cages were broken open one by one, and the unjudged Sinful Angels rushed out toward Song Jian. They bore ferocious expressions that seemed intent on tearing Song Jian apartand their strength was enough to chill the average player to the bone, their numbers bred despair. You, you cant possibly kill them, run away quickly, as long as you leave this place, you can survive! The one-winged angel who was fighting the evil power within him was perhaps the most willful amongst all the Sinful Angels. Hundreds of years had passed; others had already degenerated into monsters, but only he still clung to the last vestige of rationality in his mind; Song Jian glanced at him. He had some admiration for the angels perseverance until now, but the angels cheeks had begun to show faint dark magic patterns, and even on his pure white wings, a faint grey aura was emerging. Song Jian knew he would not last much longerperhaps ten days, perhaps five, or maybe in the next instant, this Sinful Angel imprisoned for hundreds of years would completely fall and become a monster just like the others; A Sinful Angel with a beastly face and clawed hands let out a piercing scream and pounced at Song Jian. It was small enough to have easily escaped from the cage, and behind it were seven or eight other Sinful Angels, who had fallen into darkness and were struggling fiercely, about to break free from their cages; Song Jian rushed toward this boss, the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand brutally stabbing into its body, and with the body impaled, he charged backward; The boss let out a pained howl; its claws reached for Song Jians head. Song Jian bent his right knee, slamming into the bosss abdomen. He yanked the Sky-breaking Sword out fiercely, causing a geyser of blood to spurt out. The boss was kicked down and rolled backward twice before quickly getting back on its feet; At that moment, a burly boss had also broken free from its cage, its massive body lunging at Song Jian like a heavy truck barreling down the freeway; Midway, the ferocious boss raised its sharp claws, with the metal-cold claws producing a sharp howling as they seemed to rip through the air, swiping viciously at Song Jian; Song Jians expression was solemn. More and more bosses were escaping their cages, and the entire dungeon was only as big as a training ground. If surrounded by these bosses, it would be difficult for Song Jian to break free. With a flick of his wrist, Song Jian executed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, charging at the boss that was farthest away from him. In an instant, five or six streaks of cold light swept across the spot where Song Jian had just been standing; At this time, Song Jians sword had pierced deep into a newly liberated Sinful Angel. Critical damage numbers floated up from the bosss head. It tried to struggle, but having lost control over its body, moving even a finger became a remote hope; The Mysterious Moonlight Sword struck nine times in an instant, and the bosss body floated more than half a meter off the ground. When the Sky-breaking Sword halted, the boss crashed heavily onto the ground, and Song Jian, seizing the moment, turned around with the Thousand Swords Art surging forth; This time, Song Jian summoned more than fifty Spirit Swords, and the blazing Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, like shooting stars, sped toward a dozen charging bosses; After a series of booming sounds, all the bosses were struck down, covered in sword scars and burn marks, their Vitality Points greatly reduced; You cant possibly kill them all. Although they are sinful, after falling into darkness, they gained even stronger powers! The one-winged angel, who sat motionless in a cage, wore a distressed expression, as if he had once again overcome his evil thoughts and felt relieved, but the hint of blood in his eyes could not be dispelled; If you cant offer me any good advice, then could you please shut your mouth! Song Jian couldnt help but turn his head and shout at the one-winged angel as the Sky-breaking Sword viciously stabbed into an elite boss once more; Now, Song Jian was battling against the assault of three elite bosses, making the fight even more challenging. He had already been fiercely struck twice, his steps faltering; If it were just two or three bosses, it would only be a matter of time before Song Jian could take them down with his strength. But now, with over thirty bosses filling the training ground, they left hardly any space for Song Jian to dodge or move around; After taking a couple of heavy hits and losing over a thousand Vitality Points, Song Jian realized he couldnt keep this up, or he would eventually be surrounded and killed by these bosses; With that thought, Song Jian immediately flapped his Flame Light Wings and flew into the air to temporarily evade, but soon seven or eight Sinful Angels also spread their gray wings and soared up, lunging at Song Jian; The remaining Sinful Angels, though they had wings, had become heavier due to the strengthening and mutation of their bodies after falling into darkness, losing their ability to fly; Song Jian had little experience fighting in the sky, but these Sinful Angels, already fallen into darkness, had an abundance of experience, and even with only seven or eight of them, they gave Song Jian quite a headache; Damn it, if I could only release the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, I could wipe out all these bastards in one go! Song Jian wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and clenched his teeth in secret; Bang! A stabbing pain came from his back. Song Jian flipped in the air, swinging his Sky-breaking Sword upward, but the Sinful Angel behind him dodged agilely and gave him a mocking smile; Whoosh whoosh~ sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian flapped his Flame Light Wings, striking at the Sinful Angels closing in. These unjudged Sinful Angels seemed to dread the light wings behind Song Jian, and they immediately backed away; Judgment! Song Jian locked onto a Sinful Angel in the sky with his sword and bellowed; He had thought he wouldnt use the Judgment skill again, but now, facing the besiege of these bosses, Song Jians life was almost at stake, and he couldnt care less, unleashing it directly on a particularly ferocious Sinful Angel; A grand voice resounded, and a white beam of light immediately locked onto the Sinful Angel. No matter what, the Sinful Angel, having fallen into darkness, could not escape the fate of being erased; After the Judgment, the Sinful Angel instantly turned into ash, scattering in the air and drifting toward the ground; This scene instilled fear in all the Sinful Angels. Once judged, those who had fallen into darkness had only death to face. Soon, the cornered Sinful Angels became frantic, recklessly rushing at Song Jian; Chapter 915 - 916 Annihilation_1 Chapter 915: Chapter 916 Annihilation_1 Chapter 915: Chapter 916 Annihilation_1 Song Jian, suspended in mid-air, was surrounded by a group of Sinful Angels relentlessly attacking him. Two bosses even spread their arms and lunged at him, tightly hugging his body and biting at the armor on Song Jian with their teeth, while the remaining flying bosses also pounced on him, tangling up into a mass; Flame Light Wings continuously struck these bosses, leaving large swaths of black, charred marks on their bodies. The Sinful Angel bosses howled in pain, but none of them avoided the attack, clinging tightly to Song Jian, who soon became weighed down by the bosses and began plummeting toward the ground; The one-winged angel fighting desperately against evil thoughts suddenly showed a distressed expression, muttering to himself, Its impossible to win, youre definitely going to die, its impossible to win At that moment, the corner of the one-winged angels mouth curled up into a strange smile, and he whispered to himself, Do you feel the power of darkness? It is so strong. If you give up your current identity and embrace the darkness, you too can have such formidable power A moment later, the one-winged angels face drastically changed, and he began to tremble like a sieve, his forehead bulging with veins, his sweat quickly soaking his entire body; S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No, the Judgers legacy has not ended, I will surely obtain a just verdict! the one-winged angel roared, as if waking from a nightmare, he lay on the ground, propping himself up with his hands, taking deep breaths, sweat dripping downhe knew that his complexion must look terrifying; The Judgers legacy? Heh, are you referring to that dying human? a sinister voice rose next to the one-winged angel Zhuo Wens ear. This voice seemed to emanate from the depths of his heart, audible only to him: Watch as the last Judger of the Angel Clan is killed before your eyes. At that moment, you will entirely embrace the darkness and become one of us The sinister voice faded away, but the pained expression on Zhuo Wens face grew more intense. He shook his head in agony, trying to stand up: No, I cant just watch the Judger being killed by them, I cant! Zhuo Wen leaned on the bars of the cage, slowly standing up, gripping the bars with both hands, trying with all his might to pry them apart. But no matter how hard he tried, the bars were as immovable as if rooted to the ground; Having lost one of his angel wings was equivalent to losing half of his source of strength, and his body, after hundreds of years of imprisonment, had been continuously eroded by darkness. Now, his strength was probably no different from that of an ordinary human, leaving him no means of escaping the bonds of the cage; No! Zhuo Wen let out a low roar, a look of despair on his face. Watching Song Jian, who had already fallen from the sky, immediately surrounded by dozens of bosses, his heart also began to sink. Black magical patterns once again slowly appeared on his cheeks. The moment Song Jian died would be when he completely fell into darkness; At this moment, Song Jian felt a surge of intense pain throughout his body as bosses kept attacking him. However, he was utterly unable to fight back, completely encircled by bosses; all he saw were menacing, vile faces, tightly surrounding him; Vitality Points kept dropping, rapidly falling below 50%, and with only a little over three thousand Vitality Points left, he could hold on for no more than a dozen seconds before being killed by these creatures; Soul Wander! Song Jians figure instantly became transparent, darting through the dense encirclement. He flew through the monsters siege, and with a flap of his Flame Light Wings, he soared into the air. He took out a potion from the storage column that could restore Vitality Points in battle and guzzled it down, Song Jians face darkening terribly. There were simply too many monsters, and the space was too small, offering no room for him to dodge and maneuver. He could only fight head-on with these bosses, but with only a little over six thousand Vitality Points, how could he possibly clash with bosses that had more than a hundred thousand Vitality Points? Moreover, there were over thirty of these bosses; Glancing at the skill bar, the cooldown for Thousand Swords Art was still five seconds. Song Jians vertical eye on his forehead opened, locking onto the boss with the lowest Vitality Points among the mob with a brilliant pillar of light; A dazzling pillar of light blasted toward this boss, with a series of real damage points, amounting to five hundred, floating up from its head; Several bosses with flight ability immediately flapped their wings and rushed towards Song Jian in the air, but at that moment Song Jian was in soul state, and their attacks simply could not harm him; After the release of the Vertical eyes killing skill, the cooldown of Thousand Swords Art had also ended; Glancing at the remaining time of the Soul Wander state, with less than three seconds left, Song Jian slashed fiercely towards the ground, and in an instant, countless flames danced through the air like shooting stars, a hint of joy appearing at the corner of his mouth; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation! A dazzling red lotus slowly bloomed on the ground, its powerful suction drawing all the bosses on the ground towards its center; Song Jian narrowed his eyes, checked the Soul Wander time again, with less than a second left, spread his Flame Light Wings, and charged towards the center of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; The flying Sinful Angels behind him roared as they followed, like moths to a flame, utterly indifferent to whether their next step would lead them into the realm of death; Boom~ A loud noise erupted as scorching flames shot up into the sky, hot waves rolling out like shockwaves across the training field, instantly raising the air temperature by several tens of degrees; All the bosses trapped within the Sword Formation let out painful roars, and from afar, Zhuo Wen of the Angel Clan erupted with an unusual expression in his eyes, a single wing on his back suddenly bursting forth with a milky white light, and the black demonic markings on his face began to slowly recede; The giant flame lotus began to slowly close up, the Vitality Points of all bosses rapidly dropping, some even turning to ash, their numbers swiftly diminishing; After the huge lotus had completely closed, only less than ten bosses remained trapped within the Sword Formation, all of which were the darkest and most formidable ones. After the flame lotus had fully closed, a dazzling sword light was nurtured within the lotus, and a huge longsword appeared in midair, slashing fiercely towards the closed lotus; Boom~ After a loud bang, the dust settled, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of ash, while dozens of items of various colors lay scattered around; This time, Song Jian reaped a bountiful harvest, killing over thirty elite bosses above level forty-five in one go; just the Experience Points alone increased more than half, and the remaining equipment was enough to completely reequip the entire Elite Team of the City of Hope; Picking up all the items, Song Jians gaze locked onto the one-winged Angel still in the prison cage, and he slowly walked towards him; Chapter 916 - 917 Innocence_1 Chapter 916: Chapter 917 Innocence_1 Chapter 916: Chapter 917 Innocence_1 Seeing Song Jian approaching, the one-winged battle angel Zhuo Wen dropped to one knee, seemingly resigned to his fate. Respected Judger, Battle Angel Zhuo Wen salutes you. I am willing to accept your judgment and atone for the errors I have committed in the past, Zhuo Wen said, lowering his head to Song Jian. Do you know what the outcome will be if you are judged? Song Jian asked. Nearly all the angels in the Judgment Hall were there for the errors they had made and were waiting for judgment. Unfortunately, following the fall of Sky City, after centuries of lonely years, the majority of battle angels were seduced by the forces of darkness, breaking their vows and becoming slaves to those dark powersturning into monsters. But this battle angel before him, though also eroded by the dark forces quite a bit, remained resolute and did not succumb to the darkness, falling into a murderous monster. Only by undergoing judgment can I cleanse myself of the sins I bear. No matter the outcome, I will face it bravely! Zhuo Wen lifted his head, his eyes clear as he spoke to Song Jian. What Song Jian didnt know was that it was precisely because he had eradicated all the sinful angels who had fallen into darkness that Zhuo Wen received immense encouragement. It allowed him to temporarily break free from the dark forces and regain his sanity. At this moment, Zhuo Wen felt a relaxation he had never experienced before, wishing only to quietly wait for the adjudication of the Judgerthis had been his obsession for centuries. Song Jian looked at Zhuo Wen, raising the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand and pointing it at him, he loudly recited, Judgment! The Sound of Judgment echoed in the sky, and a white beam of light descended from above, enveloping Zhuo Wen completely. The Judger judges the Sinful Angel Zhuo Wen. Verdict: Innocent. Zhuo Wen is restored to the glory of a Battle Angel! Song Jian was taken aback. To think that those detained in the Judgment Hall were all angels burdened with sins, how could Zhuo Wen possibly be innocent? Maybe there was a mistake before? Or perhaps after centuries of confinement, Zhuo Wen had in fact already atoned for himself? Song Jian speculated in his heart. A look of surprise appeared on Zhuo Wens face. He too seemed shocked and taken aback by the verdict, but soon his expression turned to one of relief, and a smile spread across his face. The white column of light that enveloped him didnt disappear but instead condensed continuously until it formed a single white feathered wing covering his back. Originally a one-winged Zhuo Wen, he had now been restored as a Battle Angel. Powerful strength flowed unceasingly from the Angels Wings, and Zhuo Wen let out a satisfied groan. This sensation of power had been absent for centuries, and today, it finally returned to him. Just like that, a cross-shaped sword appeared in his hand. With a casual swing, a large hole broke open in the cell before him, and Zhuo Wen walked out of his cage. Sky City has fallen. I fear I might be the last angel in this world, Zhuo Wen lamented. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. How can that be? Arent there many Sky Cities in this world? Song Jian said curiously. Ive heard that theres more than one Sky City. What you speak of is merely a projection of Sky City, whereas this city is the origin! Zhuo Wen gave Song Jian a glance, shaking his head, Even the Judger inheritance has been obtained by a human, Im afraid it wont take long for angels to become creatures of legend. Song Jian was somewhat at a loss for words. He could sense that Zhuo Wen was somewhat dissatisfied with him having attained the title of Angel Judger, but if he hadnt received the Judgers title, he wouldnt have been able to judge Zhuo Wen, and Zhuo Wen wouldnt have been able to get a not guilty verdict. Eventually, the darkness would erode him, and he would fall into becoming a monster just like the other Sinful Angels; I want to visit the Prayer Tower to see for myself. Inside the Sacred Spirit Temple there, there should be a considerable number of Heart of the Angel. As long as we have enough Heart of the Angel, the glory of Sky City will surely reappear in this world! A determined expression emerged on Zhuo Wens face. Since he was now the last Battle Angel in this world, the responsibility of rebuilding Sky City and restoring the Battle Angels glory naturally fell upon his shoulders; In fact, I once fought alongside a Battle Angel in Abyssal Hell, and his name was Kekaul! Song Jian hesitated before speaking, Sadly, he fell in battle within Abyssal Hell, but his roar coalesced into an Angel Egg. My friend hatched it, and it became his combat companion! What, are you saying that Im not the only angel in this world? Zhuo Wen suddenly became excited; He hasnt grown up yet, still looks like a child, only at level seven! said Song Jian, shaking his head; Level Seven Zhuo Wen mused for a moment, then plucked a feather from his Angels Wings and handed it to Song Jian, Since he has chosen to become your friends combat partner, I will respect his choice! Please pass this Angels Feather to him. Once he reaches level ten, he must return to Sky City and undergo the most orthodox Battle Angel training. The inheritance of the Battle Angels will be passed down through us two; that is his duty! Song Jian nodded, taking the Angels Feather and placing it into his inventory. He suddenly realized why Sky City appeared so close to Doomsday Cityperhaps it was because it sensed Xiao Yongs presence that it appeared here; After explaining everything, Zhuo Wen flapped his wings and flew toward the exit of Judgment Hall. Song Jian carefully searched the Judgment Hall once more and found nothing else, so he had to leave the instance; By the time Song Jian left the instance, the trace of the Battle Angel Zhuo Wen had already vanished. His gaze turned toward the white tower, and at that moment, Zhuo Wen was probably already inside it. Just then, a violent explosion suddenly came from afar; Boom~ A small mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and the ground of Sky City trembled slightly; Song Jian frowned and looked in that direction, unable to help but mutter, Who just dropped an intercontinental missile here? Of course, the power of the explosion was not comparable to an intercontinental missile. If it were really an intercontinental missile, this city floating among the clouds would probably have been shattered to pieces, utterly destroyed; After the explosion, Song Jian heard a roar like thunder. A monster wrapped in golden chains appeared before him. Several players were continuously attacking it, but their attacks were like mosquitoes around an elephant to the monsterannoying at best and without any real deterrent effect; Chapter 917 - 918 Task Sharing_1 Chapter 917: Chapter 918 Task Sharing_1 Chapter 917: Chapter 918 Task Sharing_1 My God, what kind of monster have we unleasheda supreme-level one, what kind of monster is that? Bonita, with her flaming red hair, was now drenched in sweat, looking at the towering creature over five meters tall with horror and shouting loudly; Keep attacking, this must be the biggest BOSS in the whole city, other players will definitely be attracted to it; as long as we can hold it off for a while, thats enough! Team leader Tula spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, clenched his teeth and said; This big guy is too terrifying, were no match for it, eight hundred thousand Vitality Points, my God, even if it stood still and let us hack at it, Im afraid it would take a day to kill! Magic Archer Yani drew her bow and notched an arrow, which shone with a red light and whistled towards the distant giant BOSS, only to burst into sparks on its shoulder without breaking through its defense; Twenty-three Vitality Points, this is my most powerful Burst Arrow, and it only caused twenty-three points of damage, can you believe that? Yani couldnt help but shout, I think our wisest choice right now is to run away quickly, to leave this damned city! Then our mission will fail! Tula immediately said, A Dark Gold Quality Skill Book for our own profession would slip away from us, are you willing to accept that? If you are, then we retreat right now! Several players exchanged glances, then looked at team leader Tula and shouted in unison, No! Then keep attacking! Tula gritted his teeth, then turned his head and yelled at a skinny boy, Solanda, didnt you get a skill that can stop the BOSS from automatically regenerating its Vitality Points? Use it quickly, or the damage we do to it wont be as much as it heals itself! Solanda nodded frantically with a look of panic, followed by six semi-transparent phantoms looking somewhat wooden; Kalarica, shrink Tula Solanda chanted the spell, a gray light burst forth from his palm and shot towards the BOSS like an arrow; In an instant, a trace of gray appeared on the surface of the BOSSs body, but it quickly disappeared as if it had been absorbed into its body; Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the BOSSs status bar, a Regeneration Block debuff appeared; Seeing Solandas success, Tula nodded vigorously and said, Good, continue the attack, this big guy cant hit us, just attract enough players, and we can surely take this BOSS down. Dont forget, the instinct to snatch a BOSS is already in the players bones. Hahaha Several companions showed a hint of excitement on their faces, all laughing heartily; To others, they seemed to have encountered a super BOSS, preparing to gang up for loot, but in fact, who would know that this BOSS was just a hunting target for their mission; If they could get the loot that would be great, but if the BOSSs power exceeded their capabilities, then abandoning the loot to ensure mission completion was also an acceptable outcome; Theres a supreme-level BOSS, how lucky! Seeing the giant BOSS entwined with golden chains in the distance, Song Jians face showed a hint of joy as he hurried towards the BOSS; Seeing Song Jian running from afar, Tulas face showed a hint of joy, and he hurriedly called out, Hey, brother, weve found this BOSS, but hes too strong. What do you say we team up? The loot will be distributed according to the contribution! No problem! Song Jian twirled the Sky-breaking Sword and made a flourish with it, then said to Tula, But before that, could you share your quest with me? After all, this BOSS is your target monster, and whether it will drop any loot is still uncertain. Tula and his companions faces immediately turned sour as it seemed that their conversation had been overheard by the man in front of them. Make a decision fast, were about to have more company! Song Jian glanced at them and urged. Friend, isnt this a bit like profiteering off someone elses crisis? Tula said with a displeased look on his face. Hehe, a quest monster, huh? What if I shout out here that this is your quest monster? Do you think the players who come after will help you kill it? Song Jian chuckled, resting his entire body against the Sky-breaking Sword planted in the ground like a fire poker, making him look like a lump of rolling meat. Damn it! Yani cursed under his breath. Everyone knew that in such situations, most people would rather be safe than sorry. If Song Jian really shouted out that it was a quest monster after other players arrived, most of them would probably just stand by and watch. Players have no qualms about stealing a BOSS, but no one likes to be made a fool of. Therefore, if Song Jian did that, the number of players who would attack the BOSS would surely be few, and most would definitely stand by and watch. Even if Song Jian lied to them, it was much better to fight for the loot later than to work for someone else like a fool. Damn you, arent you afraid well join forces and take you down first? Bonita threatened with a ferocious look in her eyes, stepping forward and growling at Song Jian. Of course, thats one of your options. But do you think you can spare the energy to fight me while under the BOSSs attack? Song Jian replied with a smile. Although he was holding his weapon, he hadnt attacked the BOSS yet and was not currently the primary target since he was not in a combat state. The others exchanged glances, realizing that Bonitas words were just spoken in anger. If they really dared to make a move on Song Jian, he might be able to wipe them out all by himself. After all, once the battle started, this reigning-level BOSS would instantly become Song Jians ally. Fine, I can share the quest with you, but you must keep it a secret. Remember, there is a limit to the number of people a quest can be shared with! Team leader Tula sheathed his great sword and immediately made a decision, realizing that many players were already converging on their location. Any further delay would be disadvantageous for everyone. They were unaware that Song Jian also had a quest to kill a reigning-level BOSS and were worried that he might ruin their plans. Soon, Song Jian received a system notification. System: Player Tula has shared the hidden quest Prison of Bonds with you. Quest requirements: Activate the six pillars of light in Sky City and release the High Priest Igurata from captivity. If the High Priest has been corrupted by the dark forces, then use your swords to end his life, allowing his soul to be set free! Quest rewards: A Dark Gold Quality Skill Book for your class! Jackpot! A delighted smile appeared on Song Jians face as he looked at the BOSS bound in golden chains, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Chapter 918 - 919 Siege_1 Chapter 918: Chapter 919 Siege_1 Chapter 918: Chapter 919 Siege_1 The task reward is actually a professional skill book? Song Jian could hardly contain his joy. He knew that his current profession was that of an epic Sword Master. He could hardly ever meet a professional mentor, let alone learn any skills specific to his profession; Though common professions are mediocre, in any city you can find corresponding professional mentors. As long as youre willing to pay a certain price, you can learn new skills from them. A common profession player above level thirty usually possesses over a dozen skills. By leveling up these skills and combining them into combos, their power can be quite impressive; But for those with rare, epic, or even legendary level jobs, their professional mentors wander all over the world. Trying to learn a skill for their profession is truly a painstaking endeavor. Take Song Jian himself; the only skills he possessed in his profession were Sword Control Skill, Thousand Swords Art, and Soul Wander. Skills like Sword Shadow Clone were not even core skills of the Sword Master profession; some were mutated skills, while others were general-purpose skills; Hey, I said, Ive shared the task with you, what are you standing there for? Get moving! Yani looked at the unmoving Song Jian and felt a bit of dissatisfaction, shouting loudly; Haha, dont worry, watch me! Song Jian was in high spirits and didnt mind Yanis impolite attitude. He let out a laugh and swung his Sky-breaking Sword toward the giant BOSS in the distance; Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In an instant, more than fifty spirit swords engulfed in roaring flames flew toward the BOSS, leaving dark red trails in the air; The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Thousand Swords Art took Tula and the others by surprise. Over fifty spirit swords dancing in the air, with flames leaving scorching traces behind, was truly a spectacular sight. What, what kind of skill is this? Thats so cool, this skill must be at least dark gold peak, or even epic level, otherwise it wouldnt cause such a commotion! Just dont know how powerful it is. Hope its not just a pretty facade that cant even break the BOSSs defense! The group muttered quietly to themselves, even stopping their attacks, curious about the power of Song Jians move; Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The spirit swords flipped and flew above and below, slicing open wounds on the BOSSs body. The formidable defense of the BOSS was worth nothing in front of the spirit swords. Blood spurted like arrows, and the entire street echoed with the BOSSs pained roars; Boom, boom, boom! A series of violent explosions enveloped the BOSS, and Tula and the others changed their colors. Even though they couldnt see the BOSSs condition at the moment, they could still see chunks of damage numbers rising from the BOSSs head. Nearly a hundred thousand points were instantly slashed from the eight hundred thousand Vitality Points, which made Yani rub her eyes in disbelief; How is this possible Yani murmured softly to herself; Its terrifying. I, I have the feeling that he could take on this BOSS alone, Solandas face showed a hint of fear. Song Jian glanced at the few daydreamers and shouted loudly, Are you guys planning to let me take it down by myself? If so, there wont be any loot for you! Boss, if you eat meat, at least leave some soup for us to drink! A bitter expression crossed Yanis face; A few people were also awakened from their shock and began attacking the BOSS, but their damage was too low, barely reaching the threshold to break the defense, with double-digit damage numbers, which made each of them feel a bit embarrassed; Soon, more players approached; their first reaction upon seeing the BOSS was to attack immediately, without requests for quest sharing or joining teams like Song Jian did; A player stood atop a building, raising both hands, palms coming together to aim at the BOSS, murmuring spells under his breath. Quickly, vast ripples of red waved into being in the void before him, and a massive fireball emerged from the waves; This fireball was the size of a small car, with deep red flames roaring all over it, and a hint of dazzling gold light faintly visible on its surface. Go! the player roared softly, arms trembling slightly as if it took a great deal of effort to push forward, the fireball moved slowly at first, but after a few seconds, its speed increased, eventually letting out a deep whistling sound as it flew towards the BOSS like a meteorite falling to Earth; Elsewhere, a girl with a ponytail wore a solemn expression. She raised her hands high above her head, and massive black clouds gathered and swirled overhead. In no time, a vortex of clouds formed above her head, lightning flashing wildly within, thunder rumbling continuously. With the girls control, this thick cloud layer, spanning over one hundred meters in diameter, slowly moved above the BOSSs head, striking down with relentless lightning bolts, hitting its body. All the players arriving at the scene, upon seeing the BOSS, unilaterally deployed the most powerful abilities they could control; To gain loot from a wild BOSS like this, one had to inflict significant damage, otherwise, they would have no rights to collect anything; However, while the players skill were impressive in show, they did less damage than a single Spirit Sword wielded by Song Jian, and in no time, dozens of players had gathered, attacking the BOSS frantically; A lord-level BOSS, almost all the players present were encountering one for the first time, and they understood that such a terrifying BOSS likely dropped items of very high quality; Just then, tens of Spirit Swords bombarded the BOSS, and as terrifying numbers floated above its head, its Vitality Points visibly plummeted by a substantial amount, causing the surrounding players to curse under their breaths at the same time; At this point, the BOSSs aggro was completely focused on Song Jian alone as it took large strides, chasing after him, while other players didnt have to worry about their damage drawing the BOSSs attention; Damn it, why does every BOSS template have such high Vitality Points! Song Jian cursed softly, leaping forward vigorously, and then a thick iron chain whipped cruelly onto the spot where he had been standing; The golden chains that were supposed to bind the BOSS had turned into its weapon after it broke free, and it was these chains that extended the BOSSs attacks by dozens of meters, making it very difficult for Song Jian to dodge. Song Jians mind stirred, and the Flame Light Wings materialized behind him; he flew into the sky as the BOSS let out a roar, brandishing the iron chain wrapped around its right hand, whipping towards Song Jian in mid-air; Song Jian moved nimbly, as if he had eyes on his back, his wings fluttered when the chain whipped at him, drawing an arc in the air and evading; Seeing Song Jian flying towards the white tower, the BOSS seemed to hesitate, standing still, but just at that moment, Song Jian turned around and released the Thousand Swords Art at him again; Tens of Spirit Swords slashed fiercely, and the intense pain made the BOSS go berserk, striding quickly after Song Jian; PS: Thank you One Night Song of Mourning Chaos for the reward of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 919 - 920 Can the BOSS Fly Too_1 Chapter 919: Chapter 920: Can the BOSS Fly Too?_1 Chapter 919: Chapter 920: Can the BOSS Fly Too?_1 Is that guy an NPC? The damage is terrifying! Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The figure looks familiar, seems like the lord of City of Hope, but werent his wings the Wings of Steel? How did they turn into Flame Light Wings? Holy crap, 98,000 damage, is this even human? More and more players were attracted by the commotion of the battle; considering how small Sky City was, the ruckus released by the BOSS alerted everyone in the city. It wouldnt take long before all players that could enter Sky City would be drawn here; Song Jian had once again performed the Thousand Swords Art, but the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation he had been hoping for still did not appear, leaving him visibly disappointed; The power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation was immense, but the triggering method was random. It might trigger on the first try, or it might not even trigger after a dozen attempts. Song Jian would have preferred the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation to be less powerful if only the activation were under his control rather than random; Leaping onto the white tower, Song Jian turned his head toward the BOSS and immediately saw dozens of golden chains flying towards him; Song Jians face changed, and as the Flame Light Wings flapped rapidly, he dodged to one side. Dozens of chains smashed down onto the tower, but still, one hit him, knocking him down from mid-air; Boom~ Song Jian crashed into a stone house fiercely, causing the entire house to collapse under the massive impact, dust billowing into the sky. The BOSS, still unyielding, grabbed the golden chain on his body and once again whipped it fiercely at the already-collapsed stone house; Bang, bang, bang~ Huge stones were smashed into rubble, and the stone house was reduced to ruins, yet the BOSS couldnt see Song Jians figure; Rumble~ Other players attacks followed immediately, but in the eyes of the BOSS, these players were no different from annoying flies. Though they didnt do much damage, they were extremely bothersome; With a low growl, the BOSS swung its left hand fiercely behind him, sending dozens of golden chains flying back at the players, and after a series of roars, the players attacking the BOSS were decimated in an instant. A player who didnt dodge in time was severely injured by the chains. His face full of horror, he leaned against a broken wall and hurriedly pulled out a potion to guzzle down; The damage from this guy is terrifying! Damn it, Solan got one-shot. Everyone get to a spot 30 meters away from the BOSS and attack from there, no getting closer! At this moment, Song Jian was in a soul state, flying in mid-air. The BOSSs damage was too terrifying, so he dared not get too close and could only use Thousand Swords Art to continuously attack the BOSS; The previous strike had directly caused over three thousand points of critical damage. If it werent for the invincibility effect of Soul Wander for the first three seconds, the following attacks from the BOSS could have immediately triggered Song Jians passive talent Enemy of Death God. Quickly, the BOSS on the ground locked onto Song Jian in mid-air. Song Jians position was now out of the BOSSs attack range, and since the BOSS didnt seem to have wings behind it, it probably couldnt fly, which allowed Song Jian to calmly recover in mid-air. An Advanced Healing Potion was clearly not enough to replenish his Vitality Points to full, so Song Jian guzzled a second one, waiting for the cooldown period of Thousand Swords Art. Seeing Song Jian fly into the mid-air, the BOSS on the ground raised its head and let out a roar. The golden chains entwined around its body also began to transform at this moment; The iron chains that were originally emitting a faint golden glow slowly became stained with a black aura. A few seconds later, the iron chains restraining the BOSS had all turned black, which made Song Jians heart sink, sensing that something bad was about to happen; Soon, the iron chains wrapped around the BOSSs body started to move slowly. Before long, all the chains had slipped onto the BOSSs two arms, winding from shoulders to wrists and dragging a long section on the ground; At that moment, Song Jian saw a sinister smile form at the corners of the BOSSs mouth, and its eyes, looking at him, were filled with intense killing intent; In fact, the iron chains on this dominion-level BOSS originally suppressed it when first released, but as time passed, if the players were unable to kill the BOSS within a certain time, those chains would become tainted by the BOSSs dark aura and transform into its weapon; Now, these iron chains had become the dominion-level BOSSs weapons, greatly enhancing its strength. Countless chains moved on the BOSSs body, weaving and intertwining with each other. In short order, they had congealed into wing-like structures behind the BOSS; Swoosh~ The huge iron chains formed a pair of wide, butterfly-like wings that propelled the BOSS into flight; Damn, it can do that? Song Jian was startled, and after casting Thousand Swords Art at the BOSS, he quickly flapped his Flame Light Wings and fled into the distance; This time, Thousand Swords Art had only summoned just over thirty Spirit Swords. Song Jians mind suddenly flickered, realizing that the more his attention was divided, the fewer Spirit Swords he would summon, and the more focused he was, the more he would be able to summon; Those times when he triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, Song Jians attention was highly focused, completely intent on killing the BOSS before him; However, now was not the time for Song Jian to experiment. Although the BOSSs flying speed was slower than the Flame Light Wings, the range of its chain attacks from the arms was extremely wide. If he didnt flee, he would likely be ensnared by the BOSS once again; With that thought, he flapped the Flame Light Wings twice, and Song Jians figure flitted through Sky City like lightning; Swoosh~ The chains on the BOSSs arms kept flowing, its arms swinging. Over ten iron chains, like steel tentacles, closely pursued Song Jian, who could only fly at a low altitude, using the buildings within Sky City to dodge the BOSSs attacks; Most players, seeing the BOSS become even more formidable, stood still, as the BOSSs damage was too high, capable of instantly killing any squishy class with a single hit. Even for tank classes, a single blow would leave them critically wounded. If the BOSS were to use a skill, tank classes too would be killed in one strike; Only the members of Tulas squad, after a look at each other, gritted their teeth and gave chase. Ranged classes continuously attacked from behind, while the melee classes did not dare to get close and could only stand by the ranged classes side. Should the BOSS attack, the melee classes would rush to intercept, ensuring the DPS of the ranged classes; Damn it, this task is way beyond our level! Yani shot an arrow at the BOSSs back and roared in a low voice; All our classes are at least of rare-tier, isnt one Skill Book enough motivation for you to risk your lives? Tula glared at Yani fiercely and said, If youre unwilling, you can quit the mission! Damn, after coming this far, you want me to give up? Yani shot back a glare at Tula and growled, If it werent for this guy, do you think Id give up? Looking at the distance where Song Jian was flying low, Tula revealed an indescribable expression. At this point, he really didnt know whether sharing the mission with Song Jian had been a loss or a gain for them; Chapter 920 - 921 Proactive Release_1 Chapter 920: Chapter 921: Proactive Release_1 Chapter 920: Chapter 921: Proactive Release_1 Hidden tasks in the game can often be shared, but the overall task rewards dont change, meaning that for each additional person who completes the task, the rewards for others get diluted. If it werent for Song Jian, Tula and his team might have gotten a Skill Book of epic profession for each member upon completion of the task. However, with the addition of Song Jian, they could only possibly get a Dark Gold or even a gold-quality Skill Book each. The more people sharing the task, the lower the tier of Skill Books each person receives. Sharing the task with Song Jian actually filled every member of Tulas team with dissatisfaction, as it would dilute their rewards. But now it seemed that without Song Jian, they wouldnt be able to complete the task at all. We cant have no contribution at all, right? That would be too embarrassing, Solanda murmured, feeling somewhat ashamed. Full output! Tula said with a grimace, feeling like he was riding on someone elses coattailsan intolerable feeling for someone with strong pride. Boss, should we use that move? Solanda suddenly asked. No, thats our life-saving skill, and its not time to use it yet, Tula said immediately. Yani, fly up and attack from the sky. Be careful and keep your distance. Among Tulas team, only Yani had the ability to fly. The others could only attack from the ground, but often Song Jian and the BOSS would fly high out of their attack range. No problem, boss. Leave it to me, Elf Wings! With a thought, Yani materialized a pair of transparent, luminescent wings on his back. The wings, though seeming delicate and covered in fine patterns, resembled the intricacy of a spiders web. Yani took to the air, bow in hand, closely following behind the BOSS, unleashing skills constantly. His damage against the dominion-level BOSS was too lowjust barely penetrating defenses with most hits in the double digits and occasionally bursting into hundreds, which to the BOSS was no different than a mosquito bite. If it werent for the debuff on the BOSSs status bar preventing recovery, Yanis damage would probably be less than the BOSSs automatic Vitality Point regeneration. At that moment, Song Jian flew high, then dove toward the streets, his unpredictable flight trajectory dodging the BOSSs attacks time and again. However, a prolonged defense inevitably leads to failure, and Song Jian was once again struck hard by several iron chains on his back. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, and his recently recovered over five thousand Vitality Points were reduced by half in an instant. Song Jian was slammed down onto the street, causing large stone slabs to shatter. He felt a tingle in his scalp and saw a dark shadow flying toward him from the corner of his eye. Soul Wander was still on cooldown. With a thought, Song Jians figure vanished from the spot, and a dozen black iron chains passed through where he had been. Gasping for breath in the broken Divine Country, Song Jian gulped down a potion with glug, glug sounds. The Divine Country had already been nourished by the soul power of two dominion-level BOSSes. The mountain range in the distance was almost back to its original state, with the fine cracks on the surface no longer visible and little saplings beginning to sprout in the mountains, suggesting that in not too long, the entire mountain range would return to its lush state. What a pity, the Divine Country hasnt fully recovered yet, otherwise, I could have dragged the BOSS straight into the Divine Country and used divine power to grind it to death! Song Jian clenched his teeth, guzzling down potion after potion, thinking to himself; Unfortunately, this idea of his was not going to be realized for a long time to come. Not to mention how long it would take for the Divine Country to recover, even if it were fully restored, without divine power, Song Jian wouldnt be able to harness the power of the Divine Country to hunt down the BOSS. After his Vitality Points were fully restored, Song Jian immediately left the Divine Country. At that moment, he saw the BOSS charging towards Tulas team. Yani was awkwardly dodging the sky full of iron chains, while on the street below, Tula and the others were attacking the BOSS with all their might, Tula had even rushed right in front of the BOSS with a double-handed sword, desperately hacking at its thighs; Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian floated in mid-air, his gaze locked on the BOSS, and with a thought, the Invisible Sword Qi inside him surged like a tide into the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Song Jian whispered in a low voice, Thousand Swords Art! In an instant, the Thousand Swords Art, which normally consumed only one hundred forty Sword Qi Value, drained all of Song Jians Invisible Sword Qi in a flash, and sharp Sword Qi burst forth from the surface of the Sky-breaking Sword like lightning; In a split second, sixty Spirit Swords ablaze with raging flames appeared around Song Jians body. As he flung his right hand forward, the Spirit Swords emitted a deep roar, transforming into blazing hot flames during flight. These flames looked like red lotus leaves, ultimately converging to form a giant fiery red lotus flower; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation! Song Jian shouted lowly, and the red lotus bloomed explosively, enveloping the Dominating-class BOSS within it; Sword Qi slashed towards the BOSS relentlessly, the scorching flames bombarding its body nonstop. The horrifying temperature cracked its skin and flesh in an instant; Rolling heat waves swept in all directions, causing all the surrounding players to turn pale and retreat hastily. Being caught in such fearsome flames would undoubtedly mean more bad luck than good; Tula and the others brightened up, never expecting Song Jian to have such a terrifying move up his sleeve. Seeing the smile that appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth, Tula breathed a sigh of relief; In fact, Song Jian himself hadnt expected that he would be able to trigger the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation directly. It was just that the more Invisible Sword Qi he used, the more powerful the skill would be. Song Jian had subconsciously wanted to strengthen the power of the Thousand Swords Art, but he had accidentally hit the bullseye! The scorching Karmic Fire Red Lotus, mixed with the tyrannical and sharp Sword Qi, was like a giant millstone, grinding against the power of the Dominating-class BOSS; The BOSSs roars echoed through Sky City, and after a stalemate of no more than three seconds, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus erupted with a wave of heat, its sixty petals began to close slowly, executing the final grind on the BOSS; At this moment, the BOSSs Vitality Points had dropped to less than one-third. Desperation was written all over its face as it seemed to foresee its tragic end; A massive sword phantom emerged from the closing lotus, growing bit by bit in midair. The moment it fully formed, resolute golden Sword Qi blossomed from the sword, as if an invisible hand was maneuvering it, and it struck fiercely at the closing lotus; Chapter 921 - 922 One-Sword Instant Kill_1 Chapter 921: Chapter 922: One-Sword Instant Kill_1 Chapter 921: Chapter 922: One-Sword Instant Kill_1 ` This longsword, nurtured from the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, looked ninety percent similar to the Sword Immortal weapon Song Jian had seen before. When the sword floated up and slashed towards the closing red lotus, the BOSS immediately went mad; Under the terror of death, the BOSS frantically swung the iron chains on its arms, which seemed to have a mind of their own as they constantly moved around the BOSS. In a short time, they wove a massive iron net that completely enveloped the BOSS; In the scorching heat of the surrounding Red Lotus Karma Fire, the black iron chains quickly heated to a red glow, but the BOSS, protected by the chains, saw its Vitality Points stop dropping; Just then, a huge sword split down from the sky, and the glowing red chains didnt provide any defense at all, shattering instantly under the impact of the sword; A streak of cold light flashed by, and the blade of the sword plunged directly into the neck of the BOSS, penetrating effortlessly, blood gushing forth like a fountain; Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a thump sound, the BOSSs enormous head fell to the ground, and a few seconds later, its massive body swayed continuously, finally crashing down, raising a cloud of dust; Scattered all around the corpse of the BOSS were pieces of red iron chains, which, like burnt-through charcoal, flickered with red light a few times before slowly fading away and turning back into pieces of scrap steel; Seeing the BOSS fall, Song Jian finally let out a long sigh of relief, having at last taken down this difficult foe. This BOSS had virtually no weaknesses, capable of one-shotting any leather-armored profession and severely injuring even plate-armored ones with a single frontal hit. Its defense was incredible, Yani, the Magic Archer, needed to go all out just to inflict triple-digit damage. If it werent for the anti-regeneration effects afflicting the BOSS, the damage dealt might not have outpaced its healing; The BOSSs movement speed was also not slow. After mastering the chains, it even acquired the ability to fly. Most importantly, its Vitality Points were much higher than other command-level BOSSes. If Song Jian hadnt had a stroke of insight during the fight and channelled all his Sword Qi into the Thousand Swords Art, triggering the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, it might not have been possible to kill this command-level BOSS so quickly. If you had to point out a weakness of this BOSS, its probably its inability to control too many minions at once! Song Jian stroked his chin, pondering; perhaps it was for this reason that this command-level BOSS was strengthened in various ways; Not far away, Tula and the others with pale faces also took a long breath of reliefit was indeed too dangerous. They had only fought with the BOSS for less than thirty seconds and nearly got wiped out. If it hadnt been for Song Jian suddenly appearing at the last moment, drawing the BOSSs attention away, they might all have been dead by now; Looking at the corpse of the BOSS, they all wore incredulous expressionsit was unfathomable to them that the BOSS, which had almost wiped their group out, was instantly killed by a single sword stroke from Song Jian; Just now, didnt the BOSS still have over four hundred thousand Vitality Points left? Yani, doubting his life, muttered softly; Four hundred sixteen thousand three hundred points! Tulas lips moved slightly, and a trickle of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Although he wasnt a Shield Warrior, he had prepared to sacrifice himself to protect his teammates just moments ago, stubbornly holding off the BOSS. Because of that, Tula suffered several heavy hits from the BOSSif his teammates hadnt thrown in all their trump cards, Tula wouldnt have lasted until Song Jian appeared and would have already become a corpse; Song Jian took a deep breath and looked towards the loot dropped by the BOSS. An epic item, radiating a purple-red glow, lay quietly beside the corpse of the BOSS. There were also two golden-quality items, three silver-quality, and a large pile of blue and green materials; A major haulthis was definitely a major haul! In his mind, a rumbling sound echoed; it was the sound of the Shattered Divine Realm healing. The previously parched and cracked land began to slowly recover. Trenches were automatically filled in, and in just over ten seconds, all the cracks large and small on the ground were gone, and though the land still looked desolate, it was completely different from the spiderweb-like cracked land before. ` The soul power of a Dominion level BOSS is indeed mighty; its even better than what could be repaired by the soul power of ten Lord level BOSSes! Song Jian secretly rejoiced in his heart. The most important thing was that the completion of the Sword Immortals Path had taken another step forward, having successively killed three Dominion level BOSSes. In Song Jians view, that was incredibly lucky; He glanced at the items dropped by the BOSS, and his eyes immediately fixated on an item radiating a purple-red glow. Without any hesitation, Song Jian reached out and picked it up; Im taking this item, no objections, right? Song Jian waved the item in his hand and asked the Tula party; No, no objections, even if you take all the spoils, we wont complain, as long as the mission is completed! Tula said with a smile plastered all over his face; At this moment, Tula and his groups attitude towards Song Jian had done a complete one-eightyan almost groveling demeanoras if they were just short of clinging to Song Jians leg and asking, Boss, need any leg accessories? If it werent for Song Jian, not only would they have failed the mission, but they probably would have all perished here. Now, saying that Song Jian had saved their lives went unopposed; Song Jian smiled faintly and placed the item in his inventory. This venture into Sky City, the loot, probably had the highest value of all! The rest is yours to take; you did put in a fair amount of effort after all! Song Jian gestured at the remaining spoils; Instantly, Tula and the others faces turned beet red. Their total damage to the BOSS, when combined, might not even compare to a fraction of what Song Jian had dealt. His remark about their effort sounded almost like a taunt. If Song Jians expression hadnt been seriously earnest, they might have already jumped up in protest; Thank you, boss. Thank you, boss! Tula quickly gathered the rest of the spoils. He had noticed other players were approaching. Competing for a BOSS might not be their forte, but when it came to snatching up loot dropped by a BOSS, each player was formidable in their own right! Indeed, before they could pick up all the items, they heard someone shouting, Hey, I say, this BOSS was killed by all of us together. Isnt it a bit unfair for just you few to pick up all the spoils? Tula and his group turned to look, and a group of players, seemingly from the same alliance, began to slowly gather around. Behind them, more and more players started to converge; During the BOSS hunt, indeed, many players joined the attack, but most were ranged classes just there to leech damage. After all, having dealt damage entitled one to loot rights over the BOSS spoils. But when it came to truly wishing to hunt the BOSS, aside from Song Jian and Tulas group, there were no others. To them, dealing a little damage or ten thousand damage didnt make much practical difference; Chapter 922 - 923 The Greatest Contributor_1 Chapter 922: Chapter 923: The Greatest Contributor_1 Chapter 922: Chapter 923: The Greatest Contributor_1 Hey, come on, have you got no shame? Yani cursed directly, pointing at the player who had spoken and yelled, How much damage did you do to the BOSS? Did you even hit a thousand points? You didnt even match the BOSSs automatic Vitality recovery. After the initial hit at the start, you just stood by and watched, no contribution whatsoever. And now you still want a share of the loot? Yani was furious with these players. After Song Jian had fled into the Shattered Divine Realm, nearly all the aggro from the BOSS was on them. The rest of the players did nothing but spectate, not attacking the BOSS at all, which was why the fight had been so tough. They had been forced to use all their trump cards, and the elite BOSS beast souls summoned by Solanda had all vanished. Hmph, did you few kill this BOSS? Clearly, it was that brother who did! Zuo Wuquan curled his lip and said to Yani, Compared to us, you just did a bit more damage. Laughing at someone fifty steps away when youre at one hundred steps yourself, is that amusing? Yeah, we dont want that brothers share of the loot, but you picked up so much. You ought to share some with us. Dont be too greedy! Zuo Wuquan sneered. He had seen that Tula and the others had already played all their trump cards, their current strength probably reduced to a mere five or six-tenths of their usual. Most importantly, Zuo Wuquan had picked his target well; he was only bothering Tula. As for Song Jian Zuo Wuquan stole a glance at Song Jian, who stood to the side, and his heart couldnt help but race. A BOSS with over 800,000 Vitality Pointsif he encountered such a terrifying BOSS in the wild, he would turn tail at the first opportunity, sparing no Acceleration Skill to put as much distance between them as possible, never giving the BOSS another glance. Yet, such a BOSS had actually been killed, and right before his eyes, no less. If Zuo Wuquan hadnt recognized Song Jian, he wouldve thought the killer was an NPC professional. How could a player possibly have such terrifying strength? Trying to take advantage of such a person, Zuo Wuquan thought, was no different from courting death. As the crowd around them grew larger, a smug smile appeared on Zuo Wuquans face. Though they were members of a small alliance of a dozen or so players from Doomsday City, in the matter of distributing the BOSSs loot, he now considered himself the representative of the majority. Show everything youve picked up, and lets divide it equally! Zuo Wuquan shouted, Everyone contributed, so its finders share! Right, finders share, weve contributed too! Zuo Wuquans teammates shouted along. Tulas expression was unsightly. There were too many of them, and whether they had come on their own or hired help, everyone who could reach Sky City shared one thingthey were confident in their own abilities. In other words, they were all elite players, stronger than the typical gamer. With at least fifty to sixty people closing in, they had no chance against such a group, especially after they had depleted all their abilities. Captain, maybe we should Fear flashed across Soradas face as he whispered to Tula. Impossible. Look how many of them there are. Do you think we should share the loot we risked our lives for with this trash? Yani immediately snapped back angrily, glaring at Sorada. But there are so many of them Sorada shrank his neck, avoiding Yanis eyes. Tula looked troubled. If it came to a fight, they were no match for the crowd, but he couldnt bear to hand over the hard-won loot. As they hesitated, Song Jian approached and said, The BOSS is down, time to turn in the quest, right? The group had shared the quest with Song Jian but hadnt told him where to turn it in. The quest details didnt specify either, so completing the quest and obtaining the items required sticking with Tula and the others. Tulas face brightened. Looking at the large group of players nearby, he said worriedly, But they If they block the way, kill them! Song Jian said coolly, taking the lead and walking towards the crowd. Tula hurriedly followed closely behind him. Seeing Tula following Song Jian, Zuo Wuquans face changed, and without saying a word, he and his teammates turned and left. The other players also fell silent, clearing a path for Song Jian to walk through with an indifferent expression on his face. Tula and his company followed closely behind Song Jian, with Yani giving several players a fierce stare. But those who met his gaze quickly looked away, which gave Yani a sense of exhilaration. The previous battle between Song Jian and the BOSS was witnessed by almost everyone. Some players from other regions didnt know Song Jian, but the majority in Sky City were from nearby Doomsday City. Finding out that such a powerful player was in their realm, they felt honored to spread the word of Song Jians power, some even exaggerating a bit. However, in the face of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, these players realized that their previous exaggerations of Song Jians power now seemed almost like they were underselling him. Soon, Song Jian led Tula and the others away from there. Under Tulas guidance, they arrived at the edge of Sky City. Beyond lay a mere ten meters of roiling white clouds where one could stand, but any further and they would fall through the clouds. This area was practically the outskirts of Sky City, and even in its most prosperous times, probably few would choose to live here. Its just ahead. We stumbled upon this place by chance, Tula said, pointing towards the rolling clouds ahead. Shortly, a low tree stump appeared before Song Jian. The stump was less than one meter in height but was incredibly wide, with a diameter of over twenty meters. Had the tree still been alive, it would have been thousands of years old. In front of this low stump was a large hole, and an elderly Goblin with brown-green skin stood in front of the stump, leaning on a walking stick as though waiting for something. Upon seeing Tulas group, the old Goblins deeply wrinkled face showed a slight smile of relief. How unexpected, you really killed it! he said. The old Goblins gaze swept over everyones face, and when he saw Song Jian, there seemed to be a moment of surprise, which quickly turned into understanding as he nodded and smiled at him, It seems that you were the biggest contributor to this quest, young man! sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 923 - 924 Skill Book_1 Chapter 923: Chapter 924 Skill Book_1 Chapter 923: Chapter 924 Skill Book_1 Song Jian noticed the goblin approaching him and nodded slightly. He found that the goblin was just an ordinary NPC of level ten, with nothing particular about him, a fact that struck him as strange; Knowing that the tasks that offer skill books for various professions shouldnt possibly be issued by a mere level ten goblin, and the difficulty of this task, to slay a Sovereign Level BOSS, matched the reward. But why then, was the task issuers power so low? You must know, players are not just able to kill monsters, these NPC professionals, in the eyes of the players, are essentially no different from those monsters; If he can offer such a generous reward, then he must also possess the strength to protect these rewards! Song Jian thought to himself; You have completed it well, here is your reward! The old goblin did not pay much attention to Song Jian but instead drew out several pale golden skill books from his chest and handed them to Tula and the others; If this BOSS had been killed by Tula and his group, then the pale golden quality skill books would definitely not satisfy them. But now, it was no different from picking it up for free; all of them were overjoyed, and after receiving the skill books, they immediately chose to learn them; When it was Song Jians turn, the old goblins face showed a troubled expression and he said to Song Jian, On you, I sense two powerful professional skills, one you already possess, the other is unattainably high, yet you are already on the right path. Which professions skill book should I give you? Song Jian was startled, what was going on? Could it be that this old goblin of just level ten had Unique Profession skill books? Elder, if possible, I hope to obtain the skill book for that more powerful profession! Song Jian said respectfully; The old goblin smiled, nodded, and said, Pursuit of power is everyones ideal, theres no harm in it, but to acquire more powerful skills, one must put forth greater effort! If you choose the skill of your current profession, then you dont need to pay any additional price, after all you have completed the task requirements. However, if you wish to pursue a more powerful skill, then you must be willing to put in more effort! the old goblin said seriously, This is an additional quest, can also be seen as an extra test for you, after all, the chances to acquire that profession are really too small! No problem, I am willing to accept the test! Song Jian said without hesitation; he had thought he was going to get a skill book for the Sword Master profession, but to his surprise, he could also get one for the Swordsman Immortal profession; Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Its just an extra task! Song Jian thought to himself, the corner of his mouth unwittingly revealing a smile, I can solo a Sovereign Level BOSS, what task can possibly be too difficult for me? I see your bravery and a tenacious heart in pursuit of strength! the old goblin nodded and said, As long as you can bring back a Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel, then you can pick one suitable for yourself from these three skill books! Legendary quality Heart of the Angel? Song Jians face showed a look of surprise. You should know, he had seen a Heart of the Angel before, and even after the fall of a Four-winged War Angel, it would only drop a golden quality Heart of the Angel. To get a legendary one, it would require at least an eight-winged or above War Angel to fall; Furthermore, the Heart of the Angel did not condense upon every death, only those War Angels with particularly strong willpower would condense their own Heart of the Angel just before their demise; Elder, do you have a grudge against the Angel Clan? Song Jian showed a bitter smile on his face. He had fought side by side with the angel Kekaul and even saved him, so Song Jians reputation with the Angel Clan had already reached friendly, although just barely. For Song Jian, he was still unwilling to damage this friendship; Haha, I am not asking you to kill anyone from the Angel Clan. I am just asking you to retrieve something of mine! the old goblin laughed heartily, seemingly noticing Song Jians concern and explained, You just need to go to a certain place in Sky City, help me get back something of my own, this will not harm anyones interests! Moreover, if you can take up this quest, I can give you the quest reward in advance! The old goblin then cast another tempting bait; What, youll give me the quest reward in advance? Song Jian was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded and said, No problem, Ill take the quest! System: You have taken up the legendary-level quest released by the Mysterious Person, Heart of the Angel! Quest Requirement: Find a Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel inside Holy Spirit Hall in Sky City and hand it over to the Mysterious Person! Quest Reward: Unique Profession Skill Book, choose one out of three! Quest Failure: Annihilation! Seeing Song Jian take the quest, the old goblin seemed to heave a sigh of relief, pulling out three skill books radiating purplish-red light from his chest and placing them before Song Jian. Tula and the others gasped when they saw the skill books produced by the goblin, skill books of Epic Quality! You should know, they too had fantasized about owning an Epic Quality skill book, but that was incredibly difficult. To acquire an epic skill, one must first possess a profession of epic quality, ordinary, excellent, and rare professionsall could not possess an epic skill book; These professionals could acquire advanced skills or variant skills, which were just as powerful as epic skills, and were easier to obtain compared to epic skills; However, it couldnt stop the players passion for pursuing high-quality skills. You must know that Epic Quality skills can also be advanced and mutated, its just that the chances of advancement and mutation are a hundred times harder compared to ordinary professions! Song Jians Soul Wander skill was actually a variant skill, derived from a mutation of a golden quality skill; After taking the quest, Song Jian couldnt wait to look at the three skill booksall were for the Swordsman Immortal profession, each invaluable. Song Jian even wanted to snatch all three books for himself; But, unfortunately, his strong spiritual attribute made him aware of the formidable seals on these three skill books; if he dared to snatch them, the consequence would not be too pleasant; Soul-Slaying Vermilion Bird Sword Body, Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body, Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Bodythese, these three books are all for cultivating sword bodies? Song Jians eyes shone, wishing he could take all three skill books into his possession; Chapter 924 - 925 Key of Sacred Light_1 Chapter 924: Chapter 925: Key of Sacred Light_1 Chapter 924: Chapter 925: Key of Sacred Light_1 ` As a Sword Immortal a reservist, if he didnt master a skill related to the sword body, Song Jian felt that it would be embarrassing even to greet others when venturing out; Thats also why, after mastering the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian was heartbroken, as losing other skills was bearable, but losing the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body skill, which was also devoured by the Thousand Swords Art, pained him to the bones; The Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body was simply the most perfect explosive skill. Once unleashed, it absolutely carried the ability to turn the tides of battle. All attributes, as well as the power of skills, almost doubled. To call it explosive was no exaggeration. Moreover, under Song Jians deliberate cultivation, the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body had already reached a very high level. To put it bluntly, being with or without the Immortal Sword Body activated were completely different states; Now, when Song Jian saw three Skill Books for cultivating sword bodies laid out before him, his joy was imaginable; Soul-Slaying Vermilion Bird Sword Body, Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body, Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, geez, the names of these three Skill Books alone are so impressive. Which one should I pick? Song Jian instantly faced a decision paralysis, not knowing which one to choose; sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Old man, may I take a closer look at the content of these Skill Books? You should know, if I choose a Skill Book that isnt suitable for me, and then fail to complete the task, that would really be a trouble! Song Jian cautiously said; It should be noted that this was a Legendary Level quest. If he completed it, all would be well. Should he fail to complete it, it would mean eradication, and he wondered if his Enemy of Death God talent could save his life! Of course, you can check the detailed content of all three books! the old Goblin said with a beaming smile; On hearing this, Song Jian was too eager to wait and touched the three Skill Books with his fingers, carefully making his choice; The Soul-Slaying Vermilion Bird Sword Body could significantly enhance his ability to perceive spiritual entities. Once cultivated, no demon or ghost could escape his detection, and hed possess an extremely high damage bonus against these so-called spiritual entities; At the pinnacle of cultivation, Song Jian could transform into the body of the Southern Li Ming Fire Vermilion Bird, wielding powerful fire-based area-of-effect damage; The description is quite impressive, but Im not sure how this Southern Li Ming Fire compares with my Red Lotus Karma Fire in terms of power! Song Jian thought to himself. However, having already mastered Red Lotus Karma Fire, he suddenly lost interest in this Southern Li Ming Fire; Song Jians gaze then moved to the second book, Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body. After cultivating this Skill Book, his attack damage would greatly increase, as would his combat power. In other words, his physical attacks would become extremely fearsome. However, against those creatures with high physical defense, or even those immune to physical damage, it would be somewhat ineffective; At the pinnacle of cultivation, one could transform into the Geng Metal White Tiger Divine Body, relishing the thrill of one-hit kills, yet if facing a monster specifically resistant to physical damage, effectiveness would immediately wilt. It was a sword body cultivation skill whose advantages and disadvantages were starkly apparent; The last one, the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, would greatly enhance regeneration abilities after cultivation, and it also provided terrifying rejuvenation capabilities. Against enemies, it could inflict them with eerie additional adverse effects. Withering Power could cause a dozen or more harmful effects to the target at once, but it didnt offer a high increase in damage output. At the pinnacle of cultivation, one could transform into the Azure Dragon Divine Body, possessing the dreadful ability of near-immortality; I want this one! Song Jian laid his hand on the third book, the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body Skill Book. His innate talent, Holy Sword, already gave him a terrifying damage boost. Moreover, whether it was the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art or the Sky-breaking Sword, both possessed terrifying attack damage. If he sought single-damage prowess, the Geng Metal White Tiger Sword Body would undoubtedly be the best choice. However, as a player, his first priority was still choosing means of survival; ` If one were to cultivate the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body to its deepest stage, it would indeed be difficult to even think of dying! Yes! The old goblin nodded with a smile, took the remaining two Skill Books, and then bit his finger, dripping a drop of silver blood onto the surface of the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body Skill Book; The blood droplet rolled around on the cover of the Skill Book a couple of times and seemed to merge into a pool of liquid, creating ripples on the surface of the book. Then, something appeared to vanish into thin air; The old goblin handed the Skill Book to Song Jian, who took it and chose to learn it immediately; A low dragons chant resonated beside Song Jians ear, and he could feel as if the Skill Book had turned into an azure dragon, merging with him into one. His body seemed to undergo some strange transformation, but after a thorough examination, he found nothing out of the ordinary; Glancing at the skill column, the purple-gold Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body had already appeared at the very top of the skill list; Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, active skill, Level 1 (0%), all attributes increased by 10 points, passively enhances Vitality Point recovery speed by 10%, Vitality Points +1000; Active effect: Recovers all Vitality Points and Spirit Points, removes all adverse effects from oneself, receives a false life of 5000 points, damage taken prioritizes deduction from false life, false life lasts for 30 seconds, after which the false life disappears; Possesses Withering Power, can cast Withering Power on any target, the target will receive a debuff of 30% reduced movement speed, lasting for 1 minute, cannot be dispelled; Skill release: Instantaneous; Skill consumption: 100 Sword Qi Points; Skill cooldown: 30 minutes; The Level 1 Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body didnt have particularly eye-catching effects and could at most be used like an enhanced version of a Complete Recovery Potion and a slowdown potion; But Song Jian had seen the cultivation of the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body to MAX level. The Withering Power alone could instantly afflict the opponent with more than a dozen adverse statuses, all of which were undispellable. No matter how fearsome the creature, once it was afflicted with these dozen or so negative effects, it would be fortunate to use even six or seven-tenths of its full power, which would already be considered an extraordinary talent; Alright, your quest reward has already been given to you in advance, take this. Only by taking it can you enter the Holy Spirit Hall! The old goblin, trembling, pulled out an object resembling a hook jade and handed it to Song Jian. Key of Sacred Light? Song Jian took it and his face immediately showed a look of surprise. One should note that the key to entering the level five secret realm of the Prayer Temple was a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light, yet what Song Jian now held in his hand was an intact Key of Sacred Light; Is this the key to enter the Prayer Temple? Song Jian asked in surprise; Correct, the Sacred Spirit Temple is inside the Prayer Temple, and you must have the complete Key of Sacred Light to enter. Now go and complete your quest, there is not much time left for you! The old goblins face showed a trace of fatigue, he turned around and slowly walked into the treehouse behind him; PS: Thanks to Gold Scales Ultimate for the 10,000 QiDian coins tip! PS: I am very grateful for the reward. Normally, a reward of this size would mean an extra chapter, but I really dont have any drafts saved up. For today, Ill stick to the minimum of three chapters, and see if I can write one more tomorrow! Haha, its a pity. In the end, I must again thank the reader Gold Scales Ultimate for the generous reward, thank you for your support! Chapter 925 - 926 Second Floor_1 Chapter 925: Chapter 926 Second Floor_1 Chapter 925: Chapter 926 Second Floor_1 Song Jian, holding the Key of Sacred Light, bade farewell to Tula and others, and under the envious gazes of several players, he walked towards the white tower in the center of Sky City; Near the white tower lay the most important area of Sky City, hosting many significant buildings which had evolved into secret realms. In the eyes of the players, these were several instances. However, to enter these instances, players had to hunt the monsters in Sky City, and only by obtaining secret keys from the defeated monsters, could they access the instances; Nowadays, more and more players were entering Sky City, and although the monster levels were generally two to three levels higher than those of the players, they quickly formed five-person squads to start hunting these monsters. In just half a day, the respawn rate of the monsters in Sky City couldnt keep up with the killing speed of the players, and competition for monsters became common; Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Along the way, Song Jian encountered players fighting over monsters three times, but it was also because there were more and more players that not a single monster attacked him, allowing him to reach the white tower with ease; Currently, many players had gathered around the white tower. They simply sat on the ground on top of black cloths, which were laid out with various items looted from Sky City; Among these items, there were quite a few with decent attributes, but the most common were the secret keys to the various instances, given that these keys could be looted from ordinary monsters with a not so small chance; Some players had already started forming temporary teams, preparing to take on these instances. Warriors Holy Temple instance team, four DPS looking for one tank, must have key! Justices Holy Temple needs a healer, healer with over three hundred healing power, come on! Many players had started to call for team members in the regional channel, because a team only needed one key to enter an instance, making those players with keys highly sought after, and those who set up stalls to sell various keys made a good profit; Song Jian went straight towards the white tower, also known as the Prayer Temple, which was the largest secret realm in the entire Sky City. Although it was also a fifth-level secret realm, its difficulty was much lower than that of Abyssal Shadow. After all, Abyssal Shadow was a forty-man fifth-level instance, while Prayer Temple was only a ten-man fifth-level instance; At this moment, quite a few players were squatting at the entrance of Prayer Temple. Seeing Song Jian approach, these players immediately crowded around him, staring at him with eyes full of anticipation; The Prayer Temple was the biggest instance in the entire Sky City, and correspondingly, its keys were especially hard to obtain. Up until now, only two or three Key of Sacred Light fragments had appeared, and they were all dropped by bosses; There were teams offering up to one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins for a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light, but they were hard to come by, and none had been purchased so far; Seeing Song Jian walking straight to the Prayer Temple, the leaders of two teams eyes lit up, and they immediately surrounded him; Hey, brother, do you have a key to the Prayer Temple? Were a nine-man team with both a tank and a healer, top-notch equipment, including three rare classes. If you have the key, you can just lie down and cruise through the instance! a warrior clad in armor said to Song Jian with a beaming smile. Buddy, were from the War Song Alliance, the biggest alliance in City of Sin, ever heard of us? If you have a key, join our team, we guarantee to clear it in one go. We are the regular army, not like those makeshift teams, reputation guaranteed! another player, an archer in leather armor, grabbed Song Jians shoulder and said; Sorry, solo mission! Song Jian gave the two of them a slight smile, gently shook off the hand from his shoulder and continued his stride towards the Prayer Temple; Watching Song Jians retreating figure, several players looked at each other in dismay; Damn, a solo mission for a fifth-level instance, can a single person even beat the minor monsters inside? Maybe its some sort of reconnaissance or exploration mission, just wander around inside and come right out? Hey, Im telling you, doesnt this guy look familiar, like weve seen him somewhere before? Damn, are you blind? Thats the leader of the City of Hope Alliance, the badass who nearly soloed an Overlord-level BOSS! A player recognized Song Jian, and a look of shock instantly spread across his face. Overlord-level, whats that? a player who had just arrived in Sky City and missed the earlier fight asked; Its a BOSS even more badass than Lord-level or World-level BOSSes, with over eight hundred thousand Vitality Points. It can kill a player with a single hit, a truly terrifying BOSS, someone explained; Haha, are you the idiot or am I the idiot? Eight hundred thousand Vitality Points, attacks that kill instantlywhat about its defense? Is its defense so strong that ordinary people cant break through it? The player whod just entered Sky City said disdainfully, If there really was such an amazing BOSS, wouldnt it take at least a hundred people to defeat it? Youre telling me one person can kill it? Do you think Im a moron? If there really were someone like that, Id stream myself eating shit! No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw a group of players around him looking at him with strange expressions; Go on, then, well watch you eat! Do you want us to heat it up for you? A hot meal is always better! One pile enough for you, or should I call a few more brothers over? The swearing player looked around bewildered, watching the other players mock him, unable to believe that someone could actually solo an Overlord-level BOSS. Meanwhile, Song Jian had already entered the Prayer Temple. The familiar light gate and stone stairs behind it hadnt changed at all. Clutching the Key of Sacred Light, Song Jian stepped toward the light gate; As he neared the gate, a white light emanated from the surface of the Key of Sacred Light, and Song Jian smoothly walked through the gate to arrive at the stone stairs beyond. Other players could only get fragments of the Key of Sacred Light, which disappeared every time they entered, but the complete Key of Sacred Light was like a reusable key that could be used multiple times; If I were a regular player, I could make a fortune leading a team through the gate with the Key of Sacred Light! Song Jian looked at the complete Key of Sacred Light in his hand with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. However, if he were just a regular player, he probably wouldnt have gotten this mission, nor would he have been able to obtain the complete Key of Sacred Light; Following the stone steps upwards, Song Jian arrived at the second floor of the Prayer Temple. The second floor was a spacious hall, with small rooms all around, and level forty-five monsters everywhere. At the end of the hall, a monster with curved horns on its head and four arms knelt in front of an empty sacrificial altar, murmuring something in a low voice. Song Jian applied the Abyss Concealment Skill and slowly made his way through the hall. His goal was the Sacred Spirit Temple, not here to fight monsters, level up, or farm equipment. He avoided unnecessary battles whenever possible; It was just odd for Song Jian to see the monster praying toward an empty altar, making him take a couple of extra glances at it. Chapter 926 - 927 Fallen_1 Chapter 926: Chapter 927 Fallen_1 Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 926: Chapter 927 Fallen_1 The Abyss Concealment Skill was an innate ability of the epic necklace, akin to the rogues stealth. Although it didnt show any levels, the effectiveness of the Stealth Skill was quite strong. Song Jian had tried it, and the concealment effect was only slightly inferior to that of a max-level stealth technique; For an Elite Level Boss like the one currently in front of him, even if he brushed past it, the opponent might not be able to detect his presence; Unless its some sort of sensory enhancement type Boss, but those kinds usually arent found alone; theyre protected by a large number of ordinary monsters. I cant possibly be that lucky, Song Jian pondered to himself as he walked toward the staircase leading to the third floor, unable to resist taking another look at the Boss. This Boss was a female, with four arms, and her hair was made up of many small snakes, resembling the legendary Medusa. It was unclear, however, whether this Boss had a stone-petrifying ability like Medusas; Driven by curiosity, Song Jian took another look, and as a result, the Boss who had been bowing her head in prayer seemed to sense something. She abruptly raised her head, looking in the direction of Song Jian; The snakes in her hair also seemed to awaken in that instant, turning towards Song Jian, opening their snake mouths and revealing their slender tongues, emitting a threatening hiss; Seeing the white light radiating from the Bosss eyes, Song Jians heart sank: Damn it, I actually encountered a Boss with sensory enhancement. With that thought, Song Jian immediately used the Soul Wander skill and dashed toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Behind him, the Boss stood up, tearing off the grey cloak draped on her body, revealing a pair of black wings spread out from behind her; This Boss, looking identical to the snake-woman Medusa, was in fact a Fallen Angel! Two dazzling beams of light burst from the eyes of the Fallen Angel, aiming at Song Jian with incredible speed and striking his back in an instant; However, Song Jian, in a soul state, was immune to any physical and energy attacks, unless they possessed soul-damaging abilities, none would harm him; Dazzling sparks erupted at the spot where Song Jians back was hit, but they did no damage. The Fallen Angel bellowed, seemingly realizing that her attack had no effect on Song Jian and roared in anger. At her signal, every monster on the second floor howled and pounced towards Song Jian; Song Jian reached the stairs leading to the third floor of the second level, ready to rush up, but suddenly a strange, ethereal melody reached his ears, causing his mind to waver momentarily. Thanks to his innate talent, he quickly recovered, but the stairs before him suddenly seemed illusory; You damned thief, if you wish to enter the Sacred Spirit Temple, youll have to step over my corpse! The Fallen Angel, clad in form-fitting scale armor, growled through clenched teeth, her black wings unfolding dramatically, stirring up gusts of wind; All around the second level, about fifty or sixty monsters went into a frenzy under the Bosss command and surged madly at Song Jian; I originally didnt want to bother with you, but since youre courting death, I cant be blamed! Song Jian turned around, a coldness flashing across his face; Thousand Swords Art! With a mere thought, all the Sword Qi crazily surged out from his dantian, the tremendous Sword Qi even making Song Jian feel a tearing pain in his meridians; In an instant, sixty Spirit Swords, blazing with roaring flames, appeared in front of Song Jian. With a forward slash from his Sky-breaking Sword, all the Spirit Swords flew towards the monsters; Hss, hss, hss~ Streams of blood arrows shot out from each monsters body, and their Vitality Points plummeted rapidly. Before they could react, countless Spirit Swords transformed into chunks of red lotus leaves, the size of a palm-leaf fan, converging from all directions towards the center; A strong suction burst forth, pulling all the monsters within a twenty to thirty-meter radius towards the heart of the Sword Formation; Boom! A massive Flame soared into the sky as the red lotus flower, ablaze with roaring flames, slowly bloomed, enveloping all the monsters within its grasp; Screams of agony, like those of a heart being torn apart, echoed from inside the lotus. After a few seconds, the cries began to fade, and the blooming Red Lotus emitted rolling waves of heat. The entire second floor space heated up by dozens of degrees in an instant, and even the surrounding walls started to show a hint of dark red. What, what kind of skill is this? A look of terror appeared on the Fallen Angels face as she continuously retreated. She had always stood before the altar, a good distance away from Song Jian, and the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation didnt envelop her within it; In just a few seconds, more than sixty monsters turned to ash and Annihilation; although they were only level forty-five ordinary monsters, such terrifying strength still sent a chill down the spine of the Fallen Angel. With a wave of his right hand, Song Jian made the enormous Karmic Fire Red Lotus slowly dissipate into the air. These ordinary monsters did not qualify to trigger the second stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; even the first stage was enough to cause their Annihilation; More than sixty level forty-five monsters had increased Song Jians Experience Points by a small margin, leaving him less than 20% away from leveling up. Do you now regret discovering my whereabouts? Song Jian, holding the Sky-breaking Sword, slowly approached the BOSS and asked in a low voice, Wouldnt it have been better if you had played dumb just now? You wouldnt have perished, and I could have completed my task! My duty is to guard the Sacred Spirit Temple, and even death is but a trivial sacrifice! A sacred glow suddenly appeared on the face of the Fallen Angel, which contrasted eerily with her snake-covered head and the black wings on her back; Youve already fallen into darkness, yet you still think of your duty? Song Jian asked, somewhat surprised; Fallen into darkness? The Fallen Angels face showed surprise, and she belatedly looked down at her own hands. At that moment, a strand of serpentine hair fell from her temple, and she couldnt help but touch the slippery scales with her fingertips, her mouth curving into a strange smile; Yes, I have already fallen into darkness, so why should I still cling to my duty? The Fallen Angel looked at her withered hands, now covered with scale-like patterns, and murmured softly to herself; I am now a Fallen Angel! With a roar, the Fallen Angel was instantly enveloped by a dark aura. The thick black aura surged towards Song Jian like a mighty river; But still, you must die! The Fallen Angels face twisted into a ferocious sneer, and with a fierce flap of her black wings, she charged at Song Jian. Her hands, transformed into claws, gleamed coldly as she swung forward, and the air itself seemed to rip apart, making a piercing howl; Chapter 927 - 928 The Contract (Extra for Jin Lin Tian Chapter 927: Chapter 928: The Contract (Extra for Jin Lin Tian Jue)_1 Chapter 927: Chapter 928: The Contract (Extra for Jin Lin Tian Jue)_1 The Fallen Angel seemed to have realized something and became even more frenzied. Her sharp claws clashed fiercely with the Sky-breaking Sword, and immediately an invisible surge of energy spread out in all directions. Song Jians feet skidded across the ground as he retreated three to four meters back; Hisss, she doesnt look very burly, yet who would have thought her strength attribute would be so high? Song Jian stared at the Fallen Angel, his eyes revealing a look of surprise, but he quickly understood. It wasnt that the Fallen Angels physical strength was exceptionally formidable, but rather, the dark energy within her was too powerful; Billows of dark aura almost completely enveloped the Fallen Angel. Around her body, an invisible armor formed, resembling rolling fog. Soon, Song Jian found it difficult to discern the Fallen Angels appearance. Within the black fog, he could only faintly make out countless serpentine locks of hair constantly writhing and a pair of crimson eyes shining brightly through the mist. Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ From the roiling black fog, arm-thick tendrils of black fog shot out like javelins tracing arcs through the air, heading straight for Song Jian; Song Jian swung his sword to defend and easily sliced through these shooting black fog tendrils. Each time he severed one, it would revert back to black fog and dissipate into the air. However, as time passed, the number of black fog tendrils increased. Originally there were seven or eight, but now they had evolved to thirty or forty, and their number continued to grow; Finally, Song Jians attack speed had reached its limit and he could no longer defend against the ever-increasing black fog tendrils. One tendril broke through his defense and pierced his left shoulder; Instantly, a numbing sensation washed over his mind. Where the black fog tendril had pierced, a palm-sized Dark Mark appeared on his left shoulder. This blot, dark as ink, was still slowly spreading to other parts of his body; A cool sensation emerged from Song Jians mind, letting him know that his innate ability Thick-skinned was kicking in. However, the previously unbeatable innate ability now seemed powerless against the Dark Mark, merely slowing its spread and its effects; This realization made Song Jians heart sink. He had never cared about such negative effects before, and his inventory had never contained items like antidotes, status recovery potions, and the like. Though the tingling sensation was alleviated, it still slowed down Song Jians reaction time. More and more black fog tendrils hit him. Although the damage was not high, with each tendril causing just over a hundred points of damage, the triggered Dark Marks were a cause for concern; In no time, Song Jians upper body was almost entirely covered in palm-sized Dark Marks. The marks continued to spread, soon forming a patch. The marks on his neck had spread to his shoulders, while the ones on his shoulders now extended to his elbows, and those below had reached his abdomen; Song Jian now felt as if his entire body was stiffening. Meanwhile, the black fog rolling around the Fallen Angel began to retract all the black fog tendrils, and behind her, a pair of wide black fog wings materialized, flapping nonstop; I told you, youre going to die no matter what, the Fallen Angel said with a victorious smile on her face as she leisurely walked toward Song Jian; At this point, Song Jians attack speed had decreased by 45%, his movement speed had decreased by 60%, and his whole body felt as though it were bound by ropes, making even lifting his arms extremely difficult. What kind of move is this? Song Jian asked in a grave voice as the Sword Qi within his body churned, combining with his innate ability to resist the invasion of the Dark Marks; sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Its just a little trick created by the fusion of dark energy with my innate abilities! The Fallen Angel said with a hint of a smile on her face. She walked up to Song Jian, raised her sharp claws, and hooked his chin; You possess a power that instills fear in others, and if you are willing to become a part of the dark forces, then I can spare your life! the Fallen Angel chuckled. Simply by signing this contract, not only will you preserve your own life, but you will also gain even greater dark powers! A black parchment scroll materialized out of thin air in front of Song Jian, floating quietly in the air. Glancing at it casually, Song Jian saw it was a Dark Slavery Contract and immediately lost interest in the Fallen Angels proposal. A slave contract? Do you intend to make me your enforcer? Song Jians face showed a struggle as if he was fighting forcibly against the Dark Mark. Dont even think about escaping the shackles of the Dark Mark. As time passes, dark powers will gradually corrode your body, and eventually, they will even seep into your sea of consciousness, obliterating your senses. By that time, you will become a dark beast that knows only slaughter, a fate worse than death! The Fallen Angel giggled, her face void of its previous sanctity, taking on a bit of the flavor of an Abyssal Succubus. Dont you realize how dangerous it is for you to be so close to me right now? Song Jian suddenly said. The Fallen Angel was startled and involuntarily took a step back. However, she quickly noticed that half of Song Jians body was covered with the black mark, even the right hand holding the Sky-breaking Sword, with the Dark Mark almost reaching his wrist. The mere thought of moving his arm had become a luxury, let alone swinging his sword to attack. The Fallen Angel couldnt help giggling, her seductive claws sliding over Song Jians cheek, saying mockingly, The time you have to consider is running out. You have at most two more minutes before the Dark Mark spreads over your entire body. By then, even if you wanted to sign this contract, it would be impossible, as you will have already become a part of the darkness! Azure Dragon Sword Body! With a thought, a cyan aura surged out of Song Jians body, instantly clearing away the Dark Mark. At the same time, a set of cyan Sword Qi armor appeared on the surface of his body. Perhaps it was because the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body was only at level one, the armor looked nearly as frail as a layer of gauze, but Song Jian didnt care. The upper limit of his Vitality Points, which was already over seven thousand, soared in an instant to over twelve thousand. Although five thousand of those points were temporary life energy, for the thirty seconds, there was no difference between these Vitality Points and real ones. Both his health and Spirit Points were instantly restored. With the Dark Mark expelled, Song Jian gained freedom of movement in an instant, and he thrust the Sky-breaking Sword viciously into the abdomen of the Fallen Angel. The shocked Fallen Angel quickly retreated, the wings made of black mist on her back dissipating rapidly, revealing a pair of true dark wings that fluttered fiercely in an attempt to increase the distance between her and Song Jian. Watching the Fallen Angel desperately trying to flee, Song Jian raised his left hand and whispered softly, Withering Power! A gray aura instantly wrapped around the Fallen Angel, reducing her movement speed by 30%, and she became as slow as a turtle. Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jian turned into a streak of light, rushing towards the Fallen Angel. Chapter 928 - 929 Fallen Angel Battle Helmet_1 Chapter 928: Chapter 929: Fallen Angel Battle Helmet_1 Chapter 928: Chapter 929: Fallen Angel Battle Helmet_1 Song Jian, having unleashed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, moved with extreme speed. The Fallen Angel let out a cry of alarm and instinctively swung its left hand, pushing forward fiercely. The roiling black mist around it quickly condensed into a black shield in front of it, gleaming with a metallic luster; Clang~ A crisp metallic clang sounded as the Sky-breaking Sword stabbed into the black shield. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the shield, which only held firm for less than two seconds before shattering entirely, reverting back into a cloud of mist; Although the shield broke, it successfully blocked Song Jians attack, and the rebounding force sent Song Jian tumbling backward, nullifying his subsequent strikes; If the first strike of the Mysterious Moonlight Sword was blocked, then the following sequence couldnt continue. The first level Azure Dragon Sword Body only lasted a minute, and Song Jian had to kill this BOSS within that time. Otherwise, if the BOSS used that black mark ability again, Song Jian would completely lose control over his body; Thousand Swords Art! With a casual wave, Song Jian initiated the Thousand Swords Art towards the Fallen Angel. This time, he did not use all his Sword Qi. The Fallen Angel was just an Elite Level BOSS, and did not warrant being faced with the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; Furthermore, activating a Sword Formation with all Sword Qi was taxing for Song Jian, as the outpouring Qi strained his bodys meridians greatly. Each time he activated the Sword Formation, Song Jian felt as if his meridians were being brutally torn apart; Besides, even without using all his Sword Qi for the activation, there was still a small chance of deploying the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, albeit with a very slim likelihood; This time, Song Jian triggered that rare event. Merely swinging the Sky-breaking Sword at random, he summoned Sixty Spirit Swords; Not sure if youre incredibly lucky or just unlucky, but you actually triggered a low-probability event! Song Jians eyes held a mischievous gleam as he looked over at the Fallen Angel, a wry smile on his face: Well, since thats the case, enjoy the power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Normal Elite Level BOSSes dont get this kind of treatment! The Fallen Angel watched, wide-eyed, as the sky filled with flying swords coalesced into a giant flaming red lotus. The terrifying aura emanating from the Sword Formation froze the Fallen Angel in place as if it had encountered a natural predator; Overwhelmed with fear to the point of mental blankness, the Fallen Angel was directly sucked into the Sword Formation. Previously, the formation had obliterated all lesser creatures, and the Fallen Angel was too far away for it to be the main target, so it only felt the immense power of the formation without experiencing it firsthand; But now, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation had locked onto it. Even though its full force was yet to be unleashed, the Fallen Angel was so terrified that it found moving a finger incredibly difficult; No sooner had it been engulfed by the Sword Formation than the Fallen Angel, without even a chance to scream, was reduced to ashes. The power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus hadnt even fully unleashed before it began to slowly dissipate in mid-air; This is like using a cleaver to kill a chicken, employing the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation on a mere forty-five level Elite BOSS; my formidable Sword Formation was utterly wasted! Song Jian lamented, shaking his head as he walked towards the items the Fallen Angel had dropped; Huh, Ive encountered another unlikely event! Song Jian, looking at an item emitting a violet-red glow on the ground, immediately fell into contemplation; With the bonuses from the Savior title, Song Jians luck had always been good. While hunting bosses, he would often get a decent amount of quality items; however, he had never encountered an epic-level item drop from a level forty-five Elite Boss; Song Jian had already obtained an epic-level item before, but that was from a Dominator-level Boss. Although the chances were low, it was still within expectations, but the item in front of him was dropped by an Elite-level Boss, with a probability that was maybe one in a thousand or even one in ten thousand. Having glanced at the epic-level item in his inventory and then at the item that dropped on the ground, Song Jian nodded. The items dropped by Dominator-level Bosses were indeed better; S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He picked up a helmet radiating a violet-red light and began to carefully inspect the detailed attributes of the helmet; Fallen Angel Battle Helmet: Helmet, item level 48, quality epic, equipment effect: Defense +128, Resistance +98, All Attributes +10, increase all skills power by 15%, Fighting Will +1; Special Effect 1: Death Gaze (Active): Instant cast, locks onto the target, launches a death ray, dealing 2000 critical damage to the target, skill cooldown 5 minutes; Special Effect 2: Death Mark (Passive), has a certain chance to trigger Death Mark when dealing damage to the target, after marking the target with Death Mark, all their attributes drop by 10%, movement speed decreases by 15%, and attack speed by 20%; Death Mark can stack up to 5 times, mark disappears after the target dies or exits combat; Equipment Requirement: Level 40; Whether the item can be taken out of the game: No Looking at the epic-quality helmet, Song Jian showed a satisfied smile; the attributes of this helmet were incredibly strong. Both defense and resistance were much higher than that of a typical helmet, even higher than a regular chestplate. The 15% increase in skill power was perfect for a high-damage profession like Song Jians. He hadnt encountered the attribute Fighting Will before and didnt know what it increased exactly, but from the name, it seemed to be a beneficial attribute related to combat. There were only two special effects, which were less than other epic-level equipment, but both effects were extremely powerful. Whether it was Death Gaze or Death Mark, both were mighty skills in combat, far stronger than three or four mediocre special effects; Song Jian immediately replaced his current helmet with it. He still retained the six-piece set, which wasnt affected by changing the helmet, but after switching, Song Jians strength increased significantly. After killing the Fallen Angel, in front of the staircase on the second floor, a pale blue portal appeared. It seemed that one had to kill the second-floor boss to proceed to the next level; Song Jian stepped towards the pale blue portal, his figure flashed, vanishing from the spot, but strangely, there was no sign of him on the stone stairs behind the portal, as if it didnt lead to the third floor of the Prayer Temple at all. Song Jians vision blurred for a moment, and he suddenly felt weightless. Before he could stabilize himself, he felt solid ground beneath his feet, prompting him to instinctively lunge forward a few steps to regain his balance; When he looked up to survey his surroundings, he discovered that he had arrived at a strange place; Is this, the Sacred Spirit Temple? A look of surprise emerged in Song Jians eyes as he observed his surroundings carefully; Chapter 929 - 930 Legendary Quality_1 Chapter 929: Chapter 930: Legendary Quality_1 Chapter 929: Chapter 930: Legendary Quality_1 System: You have entered the hidden copy, Sacred Spirit Temple! To enter this hidden copy, you must possess a complete Key of Sacred Light, and each entry will damage the Key of Sacred Light. After three times, the Key of Sacred Light will disappear completely; Song Jian, startled, took out the Key of Sacred Light to inspect it and, sure enough, a distinct crack had appeared on the otherwise smooth surface of the key; I can only enter three times, which means I only have three chances to complete this task. If I dont obtain that legendary quality Heart of the Angel within three tries, will I be directly erased by the task system? Song Jians expression instantly turned ugly; How did you end up here? a familiar voice sounded from behind Song Jian. Turning his head, he saw it was the single-winged angel whom he had encountered before and who had been imprisoned and found innocent after a trial; You? Song Jian raised an eyebrow, only to discover that this previously imprisoned angel, now acquitted, was holding a radiant blue-quality Heart of the Angel and absorbing the energy within; I came to the Sacred Spirit Temple to find a legendary quality Heart of the Angel. Do you know where it is? Song Jian asked directly; Legendary quality The angel glanced at the blue-quality Heart of the Angel in his hand, a complex look in his eyes, and said, Only after the death of an eight-winged titled angel, is there a possibility of leaving behind a Heart of the Angel of legendary quality! The power contained within it is too strong for ordinary angels to absorb. Even with your Judgers Title, its impossible for you to absorb the energy inside. What do you want it for? Zhuo Wen asked with some curiosity; Its just a task given by an old Goblin outside of Sky City, replied Song Jian with a shrug, glancing around before adding, I just need to deliver it to them, Im not the one to absorb it! Old Goblin? Zhuo Wen frowned and said, Aside from angels and demons, there are no other races in the City of Hope! Zhuo Wen felt as if he had forgotten something important, but having been imprisoned for so long, several hundred years, he was constantly struggling against dark forces, and much of his memory was no longer retrievable. This is the palace where the Angel Clan stores the Hearts of the Angel. In the past, with my status, I wouldnt have been qualified to come in! Zhuo Wen looked around and said, But now I am the last combat angel here, and this place is completely defenseless against me. I need to use these Hearts of the Angel to quickly increase my strength and regain control of Sky City! Song Jian nodded and asked, Can you help me find that legendary quality Heart of the Angel? Zhuo Wens face showed hesitation, and after a long pause, he said, The Heart of the Angel is a treasure of the heavenly clan, and it cannot be given to other races Upon hearing this, Song Jians face immediately darkened. He had assumed the legendary task would involve encountering a sovereign-level BOSS, and that he would receive the task item after killing the sovereign-level BOSS. But now it seemed that within the Sacred Spirit Temple, there was only Zhuo Wen, a combat angel. Moreover, since Zhuo Wen had not been in here for long, the energy he had absorbed from the Hearts of the Angel was limited, and his current strength was at best equivalent to a 40+ level elite BOSS, not yet grown to the level of a sovereign BOSS; Seeing Song Jians expression turn ugly, Zhuo Wen immediately shivered, as if he had thought of something, and hurriedly said, But you have already obtained the Judgers Title. Rightfully speaking, your status is even higher than mine. Now that the entire Angel Clan has been eradicated, I think you should have the right to claim the inheritance of the Angel Clan! Upon hearing Zhuo Wens words, Song Jians expression softened somewhat, and he nodded in agreement; Zhuo Wen wiped the sweat from his forehead. The pressure from Song Jian was too great. So many angels fallen into darkness and turned into monsters, now possessing even greater strength than before, were no match for this human. As for himself, having only recently recovered some of his strength, there was no way he could be a match for Song Jian; If I try to stop him, this human will definitely kill me and take all the Hearts of the Angel here; It doesnt matter if I sacrifice myself, but the Angel Clan will be utterly destroyed with no chance of rising again! Zhuo Wen thought darkly to himself; Around the Sacred Spirit Temple were layers upon layers of stone steps, with pale golden wooden boxes placed on each. Every layer held numerous boxes, the lower the steps, the more boxes there were, and the fewer boxes as one climbed higher; Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian saw that on the lowest steps, a few boxes had already been opened and were empty, but most were still tightly closed. Are all these boxes filled with Hearts of the Angel? Song Jian asked, pointing to the dozens of wooden boxes around him; Yes, all the Hearts of the Angel, condensed before their deaths by angels who have perished in Sky City, are kept here. Zhuo Wen nodded and said, Every year, there are people who come here to pay homage, and at the same time, they select suitable ones to bestow upon other potential warrior angels! The higher the status of the angel who has perished, the higher their Heart of the Angel is placed. There should only be one legendary-quality Heart of the Angel, placed at the very top! Zhuo Wen pointed to the highest steps on the opposite side as he spoke; Song Jian looked up, and the wooden boxes on each level of steps looked exactly alike; from the outside, there were no differences at all; With a thought, a pair of Flame Light Wings appeared behind Song Jians back. With a light flap, he took off, heading toward the highest steps; He took a wooden box and opened it C a glint of purple-gold light burst forth from the box, and a smile of joy appeared at the corner of Song Jians mouth; This is it! Song Jian closed the box and threw it into his inventory slot, then returned to the ground; Alright, mission complete, Im heading out. Song Jian said to Zhuo Wen, By the way, wheres the exit, and how do I leave? This is a special layer of the Prayer Temple. The real Prayer Temple has seven floors in total, and only someone with a complete Key of Sacred Light can come here from the second floor. Otherwise, you can only ascend layer by layer to the top, and you cant enter this place. Zhuo Wen explained, To leave from here is quite simple, you just need to activate it with Angels Blood! As he spoke, Zhuo Wen lightly slashed his own left wrist with his fingernail, and immediately, pale-golden blood flowed out, dropping onto the floor of the Sacred Spirit Temple; Soon, the blood drop by drop merged into the floor, and Zhuo Wens complexion began to look a bit pale. Not long after, a pale-golden portal appeared in front of Zhuo Wen. If you leave through here, you can go directly to the main gate of the Prayer Temple! Zhuo Wen said, sounding weary; Song Jian glanced at Zhuo Wen and immediately understood C Zhuo Wen must be the guardian boss of the Sacred Spirit Temple. Although he was just an elite boss now, if a fight were to break out and Zhuo Wen couldnt be killed quickly, he would be able to upgrade by continuously absorbing the energy from the Hearts of the Angel around him; As the battle dragged on, Zhuo Wens strength would also become increasingly formidable, making him a boss that could drive players to despair. Chapter 930 - 931 Eight-Winged Illusion Angel_1 Chapter 930: Chapter 931: Eight-Winged Illusion Angel_1 Chapter 930: Chapter 931: Eight-Winged Illusion Angel_1 A boss who could continually increase his strength during a battle, and also advance in rank, was a thought that could drive one to despair; Besides, in order to leave this place, one must kill Zhuo Wen and obtain the blood of an angel, which would then reveal the gate of light for departure. Otherwise, the players would be trapped here forever; This quest is just full of traps! Song Jian thought to himself; Having passed through the gate of light, Song Jian was directly teleported to the bottom of the Prayer Temples tower, which was the lobby on the first floor. There were quite a few players sitting around, waiting for the one who had a fragment of the Key of Sacred Light; Seeing Song Jian suddenly appear, those players eyes lit up, and they swarmed towards him; Song Jian frowned slightly and immediately utilized the Abyss Concealment Skill, entering stealth mode, and walked towards the outside. There were plenty of players wanting to conquer this level-five instance, and once surrounded by them, it would be difficult for Song Jian to escape. He had planned to quickly complete this life-threatening quest and then return to the City of Hope to make use of the Epic Quality item; At the same time, within the Sacred Spirit Temple, Zhuo Wen, the War Angel, held a pale blue Heart of the Angel that was shrinking in his hand, while a look of contentment spread across his face; Before long, a large bulge appeared on his back, and with a swoosh, a pair of blood-stained white wings emerged from his skin and fluttered in the air; The white wings he already possessed also began to grow. In no time, both pairs of wings reached nearly two meters in length; With a gentle flap, Zhuo Wens feet involuntarily left the ground, and he floated up. A powerful force surged from both pairs of wings into his body, hot streams cascading through him like waves. He felt filled with power; A Four-winged War Angel, I have finally broken through to become a Four-winged War Angel! Zhuo Wen couldnt help but roar, his eyes suddenly moistening; Before this breakthrough, he was just an ordinary War Angel, one of the expendables. A small mistake had led to his imprisonment, awaiting trial. And that imprisonment lasted for centuries; Zhuo Wen looked around excitedly. On the stone steps of the Sacred Spirit Temple, there were still numerous Hearts of the Angel. Originally, Zhuo Wen could only absorb Hearts of the Angel of a lower grade, but now, he could absorb higher-grade Hearts of the Angel to increase his strength; Power, as long as I can absorb all these Hearts of the Angel, I will gain tremendous power! Zhuo Wen suddenly turned his head and glanced up to the highest steps, his face revealing a hint of regret: Unfortunately, that Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel was taken by a human, or else I would have had the chance to become an eight-winged angel! To become the strongest of the Angel Clan, one must become an eight-winged angel. Otherwise, controlling the entire Sky City would be extremely difficult. At this thought, a sudden realization dawned on Zhuo Wen, and his expression drastically changed; Goblin, goblin, damn it, that wasnt a goblin, it was the once Illusion Angel! Fear appeared on Zhuo Wens face as he finally remembered why the Goblin race existed in Sky City; The Illusion Angel, as referred to by Zhuo Wen, was one of the title angels, each a unique being with a unique title. The Illusion Angel was one of the eight-winged title angels; Its just that, hundreds of years ago, the Illusion Angel violated the laws of Sky City, was stripped of the title, deprived of the Angel Clans source of powerthe angel wingsand was driven out of Sky City, destined to survive in the wilderness outside the city. If, if the Illusion Angel obtained a Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel, then, then Zhuo Wens face filled with terror, and his body trembled uncontrollably, a black aura drifting from the newly-born wings behind him. Meanwhile, Song Jian had already left Sky City and arrived in front of the large tree stump house where the Goblin lived; He took out a pale golden wooden box from his inventory, opened it slowly, and a crystal emitting a purple-golden glow appeared before the aged Goblin; This is the quest item you need, my task is hereby complete! Song Jian closed the wooden box and handed it back to the aged Goblin; The Goblins face was full of excitement as he snatched the wooden box, clasping the Heart of the Angel tightly in his hand while carelessly tossing the pale golden wooden box aside; Grasping the purple-golden Heart of the Angel, the aged Goblins face showed a look of contentment. Power, my power, has finally returned to my hands! The Goblins voice was originally hoarse and deep, but after saying these words, his voice changed, becoming magnetic and much more charming; Song Jian could feel that from the Heart of the Angel, surges of energy were continuously flowing into the body of the aged Goblin, and in the center of the Heart of the Angel, slowly emerged four sets of pristine angelic wings; Staring intently at the Heart of the Angel, Song Jian saw that the four sets of angel wings were quivering slightly as if conveying excited emotions to the Goblin; S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Heart of the Angel is not a living thing, how can I have such an illusion! Song Jian thought with a chuckle inside his heart, Just a Goblin, yet he can absorb the energy from the Heart of the Angel, how strange. Could it be that he was once a member of the Angel Clans warriors? Boom~ A strong aura suddenly burst forth from the body of the aged Goblin and, caught off guard, Song Jian was blown away by the force of the energy. When he steadied himself, he was surprised to discover that the aura of the Goblin in front of him was even more terrifying than that of the Dominant Level BOSS he had encountered before! This Goblin has hidden his power too deeply, hasnt he? Song Jian thought in astonishment, but then it all made sense, considering he was an NPC that could issue Legendary Level quests. His previous weakness was all a facade! Song Jian couldnt help but feel relieved; he was fortunate he didnt attempt to snatch the item before, otherwise he would have surely met with dire consequences; Wait, thats not right, his body is changing too, it seems, it seems Song Jian suddenly noticed that the originally less than one-meter tall Goblin was growing rapidly before his eyes. In just a few seconds, he had transformed into a tall and burly man, almost two meters in height; All the typical Goblin features had disappeared, replaced instead by a handsome face and a well-proportioned muscular physique; Crack~ A crisp shattering sound echoed, and the Legendary Quality Heart of the Angel in its hands fell completely apart. Numerous crystalline fragments of the Heart of the Angel slowly melted into its palm; Holy angelic wings, different from ordinary angel wings, began to emerge slowly from behind him. They looked like pairs of glowing white light wings, streaming with sacred light. I, Illusion Angel Doranto, have returned! The Eight-winged Angel Doranto let out a deep breath, his voice instantly spreading through the entire Sky City. Chapter 931 - 932 Angel Clan Prestige_1 Chapter 931: Chapter 932 Angel Clan Prestige_1 Chapter 931: Chapter 932 Angel Clan Prestige_1 ` A goblin that originally seemed so pathetic, as if a single breath could knock it over, suddenly transformed into a majestic and solemn eight-winged Angel of Title. Such a drastic change was somewhat difficult for Song Jian to accept; Staring at the Illusion Angel Doranto, who floated in the sky like a deity, Song Jians face was filled with a look of shock. The eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto glanced indifferently at Song Jian and said, Human, Sky City is the domain of the Angel Clan, and we do not welcome other races to stay here for long. I suggest you leave this place as soon as possible. Having said that, Doranto flew towards the urban area of Sky City without looking back. The glance he cast towards Song Jian before leaving seemed to carry a trace of disdain? Song Jian immediately felt displeased, If it werent for me, you would still be living inside this stumpy tree trunk! Dorantos attitude towards Song Jian always had a sense of burning bridges and ruthless abandonment. This left Song Jian feeling quite depressed. However, at this moment, Doranto was not someone Song Jian could afford to provoke. The aura emanating from his body was clearly stronger than that of a sovereign-level BOSS. His powerful perception had been sending a warning to Song Jian to keep his distance ever since Doranto regained his eight-winged Angel strength; Anyway, the task is already complete, and theres no benefit in staying here. I should return and create the whole epic-level item as soon as possible! Song Jian looked at the item in his inventory radiating a purple-red glow and thought to himself. With his Steel Wings abruptly unfurling, Song Jian shot up into the sky, flying in the direction of Doomsday City. The Flame Light Wings were indeed a bit too ostentatious; the Steel Wings were more low-key. Not long after Song Jian had left Sky City, all of the instances in the city were forcibly closed, and players who were in the midst of clearing instances were also expelled. Each player who was kicked out received a system compensation. This compensation was random; some received a piece of silver-quality equipment, and others got some precious materials; As all the players emerged onto the streets of Sky City, an angel with eight fluttering wings hovered high above sky City, appearing before everyones eyes; I am the eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto of the Angel Clan. Sky City is the territory of the Angel Clan. Anyone who intrudes will be considered an invader by the Angel Clan. You all have ten minutes to leave this place! After ten minutes, anyone still in Sky City will be attacked by the Angel Clan! Dorantos voice instantly spread throughout the entire Sky City; Damn it, I spent 20,000 Doomsday Coins to get up here. Ten minutes, how am I supposed to get down? Jump? Players immediately began to become agitated. In fact, most players currently in Sky City didnt have the ability to fly; they had all paid to get up there. Now being driven out, some who arrived late hadnt even earned their travel expenses back; Just as the players were about to riot, an immense pressure descended from the sky, weighing down almost everyones shoulders as if an unmatched force was pushing down on them; The terrifying authority instantly silenced everyone. The threat of death loomed large. If anyone chose to cause trouble at this moment, their heads would likely roll in the very next second; The eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto seemed quite pleased with the situation at hand. A faint smile graced his handsome face. With a wave of his right hand, the whole Sky City trembled slightly, and pale blue Teleportation Gates appeared in front of every player; All the players were stunned; what was going on, one Teleportation Gate for each player? Creating a Teleportation Gate was a nearly impossible feat even for powerful player alliances, but now, someone had managed to create hundreds of them with a mere wave of their hand, a power that seemed to be possessed only by deities; Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All of you may leave via the Teleportation Gates. In ten minutes, Sky City will be sealed off, and no one will be allowed to enter or exit. Please hurry! Dorantos words sounded polite, but his tone and demeanor were somewhat arrogant, as if he deemed speaking so extensively to the players beneath him; ` Under Dorantos gaze, player after player obediently entered the beam of light, each Teleportation Gate disappearing until all players had been transported to the ground; In just a short while, suddenly, over a hundred people appeared on the ground, almost all of them looking up towards the city in the sky; Soon, a majestic city floating amongst the clouds slowly vanished from the players sight; Some players, unwilling to believe it, summoned their flying mounts and flew toward the location of Sky City, but upon reaching the air, they were blocked by a powerful force, as if the location of Sky City was enveloped by an invisible, transparent barrier; Sky City is still there, but we can no longer freely enter, announced a player riding a flying mount as he slowly descended, a hint of helplessness in his voice; Strange, I actually unlocked the reputation with the Angel Clan! exclaimed a player who had just come down from Sky City; Everyone opened their reputation interface to check, and in the end, every player who had entered Sky City had unlocked reputation with the Angel Clan, and although everyones reputation points varied, most were still at the cold stage. Such reputation meant the Angel Clan would refuse contact, and players could only improve it gradually through completing tasks or other means; So youre saying, as long as one can raise the reputation with the Angel Clan to friendly, or even higher, there might be a chance to enter Sky City? A sharp player caught on to the intent behind unlocking reputation with the Angel Clan; How can we take on tasks to improve our reputation if we cant even enter Sky City? a player couldnt help but question; Completing tasks is just one of the methods, another player immediately countered: Killing forces hostile to the Angel Clan can also earn reputation points. Havent you noticed that although our reputations are all cold, some are higher and some are lower? Those with higher reputation are the players who killed more monsters in Sky City, right? After all this talk, isnt it still about going to Sky City to kill monsters? Brains are a good thing; too bad you dont have one. Are the Angel Clans enemies located only in Sky City, and nowhere else? What beings oppose the angels? Demons, right? By killing demons, cant we gain reputation with the Angel Clan? Demons? Do Abyss demons count? I know of several Abyss demon dungeons, that black pyramid, there are plenty in the wild! Yeah, Abyss demons, lets go and try, lets run an Abyss Shadow dungeon and see! Quickly, the players who were once gathered together began to call their friends and ran towards the black pyramids scattered across the wilderness; Chapter 932 - 933 Mailing_1 Chapter 932: Chapter 933 Mailing_1 Chapter 932: Chapter 933 Mailing_1 At this time, Song Jian had already returned to the City of Hope; City Lord, Cecilia Priest wants to see you. She seems to be somewhat dissatisfied with the territory weve allocated to the Dawn Divine Church! Wang Qi immediately came over to report as soon as he returned to the Manor Castle, which served as the City Lord Mansion; Dissatisfied? Shes not satisfied even with three hundred mu of land given for free? Song Jian seemed to sense something, glanced toward the doorway, and then asked in a tone of surprise; Respected City Lord, our agreement was about three hundred mu of land within the territory of the City of Hope Alliance, but now, your Vice City Lord has allocated a piece of wasteland that doesnt yet belong to the City of Hope to the Dawn Divine Church. I believe this is a serious desecration of the Goddess of Dawn, and such a person should be burned at the Fire God Pillar! Cecilia, who had been standing at the doorway, pushed open the door and entered, giving Wang Qi a fierce glare before speaking; Upon hearing this, Wang Qi immediately shrank his neck in fear; he didnt have the guts to oppose a deity; Song Jian let out a slight smile, waved his hand at Wang Qi, signaling him to leave first, and then stood up and said to Cecilia, Cecilia, we could say we are old friends, having known each other for quite some time. You should know that I have never sold a single piece of land from the City of Hope, regardless of its size. However, I have always held the Goddess of Dawn in high esteem, otherwise I wouldnt have freely given away three hundred mu of land. Do you know how much money I could get if I sold such a large piece of land? S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But the land youve given, its still not within the controlled territory of the City of Hope Alliance; its a barren wasteland. Do you first want our followers to risk their lives to cultivate such a place? If thats the case, why wouldnt I go elsewhere? Cecilia said with an imposing air. Cecilia, I regret to say, I did not expect that you, as the most devoted Priest under the Goddess of Dawn, would have such a narrow vision! Song Jian sighed slightly and shook his head: The reason why the Goddess of Dawns followers want to establish a temple within the City of Hope Alliance territory is precisely because they value the future development of the City of Hope, dont they? Cecilia, a few months ago, the City of Hope Alliances territory was less than a tenth of what it is now, but now we have taken over most of Doomsday Citys land, and before long, the entire Doomsday City will belong to the City of Hope Alliance! True, the location we planned for the Temple of the Goddess of Dawn is indeed not within the current City of Hope territory, but why do you think we planned it that way? Cant you guess? Song Jian spoke as if chiding a pupil: This is our plan after the entire Doomsday City is taken over; he who does not plan for the whole situation is not equipped to plan for a single area. This is just a matter of time. Why cant you just wait patiently for a while? One day, you will see that the entire Doomsday City will be the territory of the City of Hope Alliance! Song Jians words left Cecilia speechless, although she still felt that something was not right, but for the moment she didnt know what it was; After sending Cecilia away, Song Jian took out the epic item that had dropped from a boss monster from his inventory and began to examine it closely on the table; It was a palm-sized, elliptical object, with layers of fish scale-like patterns on its surface. At first glance, it looked like a pet egg, but this item was actually a construction object; Cloud City (Epic):City building, Usage effect: Establish a small Cloud City, uses resources to produce War Angels within the Cloud City; War Angel limit: 0/12; This was a building capable of producing War Angels, but it had now become a hot potato; Song Jian thought over and over again, wanting to construct the building, but he had to consider the perspective of Sky City, located just over twenty kilometers away; If there were no Sky City, no eight-winged Illusion Angel, Song Jian would naturally construct it boldly and confidently, but now he had to consider if, once the news leaked, the eight-winged Illusion Angel learned of Cloud Citys existence, would it just wipe out the City of Hope as an enemy. The eight-winged Illusion Angel was an existence that surpassed a ruling-level BOSS; Song Jian couldnt even perceive how strong the opponent actually was. Anyway, it had already exceeded the level of a third-order combat power. It was not just now, but even in the foreseeable future, Song Jian wouldnt possibly be a match for him; This is really troublesome! Song Jian lightly caressed the seed for constructing Cloud City, a troubled expression emerging on his face; After hesitating for a moment, Song Jian still put away the seed for creating Cloud City. The twelve battle angels wouldnt bring a significant increase to the City of Hope Alliances strength. On the contrary, if he were to create Cloud City, it would attract far too much hatred, just like the previous situation with the Black Dragon companion. Just any ancient Red Dragon could pose a threat capable of destroying the entire City of Hope; The risk was disproportionately high compared to the benefits. Song Jian decided to put the construction of Cloud City on hold for a while and see what happened. Perhaps, in no time at all, Sky City might disappear just as abruptly as it had appeared! I wonder how the Black Dragon is doing now! Song Jian suddenly thought somewhat wistfully; Just as Song Jian was moved to visit the poisonous swamp to check on the Black Dragon, he suddenly received a message from a stranger; Song Jian, are you there? Its Meng Tiantian! Do you still have any Bamboo Jade Leaves? Give me some more, and Ill trade you Second Transformation Golden Pills for them! Meng Tiantian? Song Jian was startled, took a moment to think, and then immediately realized that this was the alchemist he had met on that island before; After casually adding her as a friend, Song Jian asked, Which city are you in now? Canghai City! Meng Tiantian quickly replied with the message! Song Jian was stunned: Canghai City? I seem to have never heard of this name before! Do you know the City of Sin, City of Hymns, or Doomsday City? Song Jian asked, vaguely feeling that Meng Tiantians location was quite distant from his own; I havent heard of them. Just mail me some Bamboo Jade Leaves, what do you care which city Im in? Meng Tiantian said indignantly; Song Jian was at a loss for words and said, Young miss, dont you know that the further away it is, the higher the mailing cost? Were too far apart in the game, and the postage would be too expensive! Stingy, Ill reimburse the cost. Hurry up, I urgently need it. Ive just come across a hidden quest that requires using Vitality Pills. The Vitality Pills made from Bamboo Jade Leaves work best. Send me some, and you wont lose out for sure! After saying that, Meng Tiantian directly sent her address to Song Jian; Song Jian had no choice but to open the mailbox, entered the address given by Meng Tiantian, and put in a few Bamboo Jade Leaves. When he saw the cost of mailing, his eyes widened, and he gasped in shock; Chapter 933 - 934 Scars_1 Chapter 933: Chapter 934 Scars_1 Chapter 933: Chapter 934 Scars_1 Ten days to produce thirty Cui Bao bamboo leaves, in the eyes of others, was considered a very precious material, but in Song Jians eyes, it wasnt particularly valuable; However, when Song Jian saw the delivery fee for ten Cui Bao bamboo leaves, he couldnt help but take a sharp breath. The delivery fee actually required more than 2.6 million! The preciousness and quantity of the items would naturally raise the delivery fee, but more than 2.6 million was still beyond Song Jians expectation; I never imagined, I would be so far from Meng Tiantian! Song Jian sighed in his heart, but still clicked on the delivery option. In an instant, 2.6 million Doomsday Coins were deducted, making Song Jian feel as if his heart had been violently cut; Ive sent you ten pieces, with a delivery fee of 2.6 million. Including the price of the Cui Bao bamboo leaves, just give me 3 million! Song Jian said to Meng Tiantian; sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What, 3 million! Meng Tiantians surprised voice came from the communicator, and Song Jians heart sank, feeling that it was probably impossible to get the money back. The delivery fee is so expensive, I thought at most a hundred thousand would be enough. That aside, Im really busy right now, lets talk about the money when we get back to the real world, Ive got to hang up, Im so busy! Meng Tiantian hastily ended the call. Damn it! Song Jian couldnt help swearing. But, the monk might run away, but the temple wont. Meng Tiantian lived right next door to him. Once he left the game, he would go to collect the debt! After feeling heartache for a while, Song Jian sighed. Three million Doomsday Coins was not a small fortune for him now, but it hadnt reached the point of crippling him financially. Besides, his current expenses were not large, and the items that he valued werent something that could be bought with just a few million Doomsday Coins. The territorial expansion campaign of the City of Hope had come to a halt. If he couldnt clear the true difficulty level of the Abyssal Shadow, this dungeon would sooner or later become a hidden danger! Checking his quest log, the Sword Immortals Path quest was already one-third complete, meaning Song Jian had already killed three Sovereign-class BOSSes. He only needed to kill seven more, and the Sword Immortals Path would be complete; Seven more, huh. Sovereign-class BOSSes arent cabbages, not something you can find just anywhere! Song Jian sighed. However, when his gaze fell upon the huge black pyramid in the distance, a light of inspiration suddenly flashed across his mind; Perhaps, the true difficulty level of the Abyssal Shadow might have a Sovereign-class BOSS? Song Jian suddenly muttered to himself; But, the next opening time for the Abyssal Shadow dungeon was in five days. Song Jian had to wait for the dungeons cooldown period to end before he could explore the true difficulty level of the Abyssal Shadow; Now, in the entire Doomsday City, there was no longer any space for other guilds to survive. It had become a consensus among all players of Doomsday City that the City of Hope Alliance would eventually occupy the entire city; More and more players wanted to join the City of Hope Alliance, and the number of players in the alliance kept growing, but the core members had always remained the same; I wonder how Black Dragon is doing now? Song Jian gazed into the distance, the thought of checking on the Black Dragon growing ever more fervent. With a thought, his steel feathers unfurled, and Song Jian flew towards the Highly Poisonous Swamp; Leaving the territory of the City of Hope and reaching the sparsely populated areas, Song Jian thought for a moment, and the steel feathers vanished, replaced by two blazing trails of fire rising from behind; Compared to the steel feathers, the Flame Light Wings were much faster. Before long, Song Jian entered into the Highly Poisonous Swamp; Eh, the environment here seems to have improved a lot? Song Jian looked around curiously, noticing that the toxic fog that used to pervade the highly poisonous swamp had considerably thinned out. Now, even an ordinary player entering this area would only suffer minor poison damage. He even saw a few people hunting monsters around the swamp to level up; The Highly Poisonous Swamp is a level forty monster zone, perfect for those players who just leveled up. Moreover, there are plenty of herbs in the swamp, and if you come across those rare herbs, you can make a tidy profit! Song Jian thought to himself as he flew directly towards the center of the Highly Poisonous Swamp, where the lake was located; Before he got close to the lake, Song Jian heard a high-pitched dragons roar from afar, and a smile appeared on his lips; it seemed that the Black Dragon had already sensed his arrival; The Highly Poisonous Lake at this moment had completely transformed; the poisonous liquid that used to fill the lake had disappeared, replaced by faint red flames that made it look like a pit of magma. In the midst of the magma pit, the peculiar Dragon Head Tree was still lush and thriving, seemingly unaffected by the roaring flames; What a strange tree! Song Jian glanced at the Dragon Head Tree; it had yet to bear fruit, and aside from looking a bit odd, it seemed no different from an ordinary ancient tree; Able to survive in poison and in flames, Song Jian had never seen a tree like this before; The Black Dragon, upon seeing Song Jian, seemed quite delighted, flying over to him and signaling Song Jian to ride on its back. The two of them began to joyfully play in the skies; Song Jian noticed that the Black Dragon seemed to have grown a bit bigger, at the very least, its growth rate was faster than that in the Pet Space. The hard dragon scales on its back also gave off a warm feeling, and Song Jian could sense a great power gestating within the Black Dragon; Eh, why are there so many scars on the Black Dragon? Song Jian frowned slightly and gently felt the dragon scales on the Black Dragons back with his hand; Only upon closer inspection did he notice that there were numerous scars on the Black Dragons body, most of which had already faded, but many of the dragon scales still bore the traces of battle. However, all this was not necessarily bad for the Black Dragon. Its intelligence was much higher than that of an ordinary person. If it encountered an enemy it couldnt beat, it would, like in its younger days, lure the enemy back to the City of Hope. Up till now, Song Jian had not heard of the Black Dragon leading any monster back, which indicated that the previous battles were just a bit of roughhousing for the Black Dragon; After playing for half the day, just as Song Jian was preparing to leave the Highly Poisonous Swamp, he suddenly heard a roar from a distance. The previously somewhat lazy Black Dragon instantly tensed up, its muscles becoming stiff, and it let out a dragons roar towards the distance; Song Jian narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance, and in just a short while, a massive lizard creature quickly crawled over from afar. This lizard was over ten meters long with thick limbs and its body was covered in thick, dark blue scales. Like the Black Dragon, it possessed a pair of golden vertical pupils, and what was most intriguing was the three-inch-long horn on the forehead of the lizard, resembling a unicorn. A level fifty lord BOSS! Song Jian checked the properties of the large lizard and couldnt resist summoning the Sky-breaking Sword! Chapter 934 - 935 Jiulis Reputation_1 Chapter 934: Chapter 935 Jiulis Reputation_1 Chapter 934: Chapter 935 Jiulis Reputation_1 After so many days apart, the Black Dragon had also leveled up, now a Level 46 Lord Boss. Despite the clear level suppression it faced against the Level 50 Lord Boss before it, in terms of bloodline suppression, the pure Dragon Bloodline of the Black Dragon was far more formidable than that of the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast Boss; Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast, Level 50, Lord Boss, Vitality Points: 138,900/150,000 A Level 50 Lord Boss with 150,000 Vitality Points was a boss that ordinary players would flee from on sight, but for Song Jian, who had solo-killed a Domination-level Boss before, this was hardly a challengeone Thousand Swords Art would be enough to kill it instantly! However, for the Black Dragon, it was an evenly matched opponent; Song Jian took a step forward, raised the Sky-breaking Sword, and was about to kill the Dragon Lizard Beast when the Black Dragon stretched its forepaw in front of Song Jian. Looking into the Black Dragons golden eyes, Song Jian paused, then nodded in understanding. It seemed the Black Dragon wanted to rely on its own strength to kill this Lord-level Boss; Taking a step back, Song Jian watched the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast with interest. This boss that carried the Dragon Clans bloodline was likely attracted by the Dragon Head Tree. It seemed that the Dragon Scale Fruits this tree bore were an irresistible allure to any beast with Dragon Clan bloodline. Roar~ An angry roar sounded, and the Dragon Might that radiated from the Black Dragon enveloped the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast. Any other beasts would lose even the courage to flee under such terrifying Dragon Might, but the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast merely trembled and resolutely lunged at the Black Dragon; The two massive beasts collided fiercely, claws and teeth flashing as they brawled in the swamp like two beasts bereft of any skills. Song Jian was somewhat bored. The Black Dragon did not use any magical abilities, and the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast did the same. It was as if they had a tacit understanding, not resorting to using any abilities even when temporarily falling behind in the fight; If the Black Dragon used Dragon Language Magic, it likely would have already killed this Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast! Song Jian thought as he watched the Black Dragon, slowly gaining the upper hand with just its powerful body, and shook his head slightly; After a fierce struggle that lasted almost half an hour, the Black Dragon, although having the upper hand, was not able to kill the Dragon Lizard Beast. Meanwhile, the Dragon Lizard Beast had only left a few shallow wounds on the Black Dragon. Both massive beasts, having nearly exhausted their strength, parted ways by mutual consent, growling at each other a few times. The Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast Boss did not even glance at Song Jian, standing beside the Black Dragon, turned around, and ran back the way it had come; Are you guys just playing around? Song Jian watched the somewhat excited Black Dragon, which seemed quite pleased to have the upper hand in the fight, lick Song Jian with its warm and wet tongue, then lie back down under the Dragon Head Tree, eyes half-closed and soon falling into deep slumber; Song Jian could vaguely see faint golden auras occasionally emanating from the Dragon Head Tree, entering the Black Dragons body beneath it. After a short while, this breath would slowly seep out of the Black Dragons body and return to the Dragon Head Tree. After observing for a while, Song Jian realized this golden aura did not harm the Black Dragon; on the contrary, it accelerated the recovery of the Black Dragons Vitality and strength, even making its wounds heal faster than usual; It seems that this Dragon Head Tree can coexist symbiotically with gigantic beasts that possess the Dragon Clans bloodline, benefiting each other. No wonder the Black Dragon doesnt want to leave its side, Song Jian nodded to himself; After playing with the Black Dragon for half a day and watching a tussle between the Black Dragon and the Dragon Lizard Beast akin to chickens pecking at each other, the day was no longer young. With a thought, Song Jian floated the Sky-breaking Sword in front of him. Just as he was about to use the Sword Flight Art to leave, he suddenly heard another roar in the distance; Its that Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast; what, it hasnt had enough earlier, and now it wants to come back for more? Song Jian frowned slightly. If not for the strange pact the Black Dragon maintained with it, refusing to employ Dragon Language Magic, then a single Vortex Fireball could have inflicted serious damage on the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast; Today, I want to see who has the nerve to beat up my little Jin like this! A conceited voice, along with this roar, reached Song Jians ears. The voice seems to belong to a young girl. What, is this Dragon Lizard Beast also her battle pet? Song Jian wondered to himself. It wasnt long before Song Jian saw the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast reluctantly carrying a girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, heading his way. Was it you who bullied my little Jin? The girl, with her face full of arrogance, stood on the back of the Dragon Lizard Beast and pointed at Song Jian, shouting angrily. Huh, not a player? Song Jian was taken aback, originally assuming the Dragon Lizard Beast was a players battle pet, but it turned out to be an NPCs battle pet. Level 46, Elite BOSS strength! Song Jian narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the young girl. Hmph, with sneaky eyes, you look like no good person! Lan Lings cheeks flushed with anger, and with a fierce movement of her right hand forward, a sudden booming sound filled the air. Song Jian instantly felt a powerful force rushing towards him, a sharp pain in his chest, and the force sent him flying backward. A damage number of over six hundred floated above Song Jians head. In mid-air, Song Jian felt as though hed lost control of his body and fell heavily to the ground like a burst sack, causing secondary damage. This time, Song Jian lost over three hundred Vitality Points. Over a thousand damage? Song Jian was caught off guard and took a slight disadvantage, but if it had been an average player in their thirties, that hit could have cost them half their life. After hitting the ground, Song Jian regained control of his body, flipped over to stand up, and brandished his Sky-breaking Sword. A fierce Sword Qi surged to the sky, locking onto both the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast and the girl on its back. Lan Lings face turned pale, and the Sword Qi, sharper than any divine weapon coming from Song Jian, made her realize that she had provoked someone formidable. I am the young master of Jiuli Xuan Yue Cave of the Jiuli Clan. If you harm me, a hundred thousand warriors of the Jiuli Demon Clan will never let you off easily! Lan Ling hastily shouted. System: Youve come into contact with the hidden Jiuli Demon Clan, triggering the reputation with the Jiuli Demon Clan. Your current reputation with the Jiuli Demon Clan is indifferent. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hidden tribe? Song Jian was startled; this was his first encounter with a hidden tribe in the game, and his face inadvertently showed a hint of curiosity. Seeing that Song Jian had stopped, Lan Ling let out a sigh of relief, but Song Jians next words made her face change dramatically. PS: Thank you to Reader20191127234229646 for the reward of 1000 Qidian coins~ Chapter 935 - 936 Abyssal Demon King Legacy_1 Chapter 935: Chapter 936: Abyssal Demon King Legacy_1 Chapter 935: Chapter 936: Abyssal Demon King Legacy_1 Song Jian looked at Lan Ling, a cold smirk appearing on his face. With a light tap of his foot, he soared into the air, his hand gripping the Sky-breaking Sword that shimmered with fierce Sword Qi; Take my first strike and see if you can still save your life. If you manage to survive, we can discuss other matters! Song Jian called out in a low voice; Ready to unleash the Thousand Swords Art, with a light shout, dozens of Spirit Swords floated beside Song Jian. Lan Lings face turned pale with fright as she cursed under her breath, Damn it, another sword maniac! Seeing the Spirit Swords covering the sky and heading her way, Lan Ling made a quick decision, bit her lip, and ripped off a jade necklace she wore around her neck, starting to chant a spell in a low voice; After a few strange syllables, Lan Ling tossed the necklace into the air and shouted lowly, Mirror Flower Water Moon, protect! Instantly, a faint light shield appeared in front of Lan Ling. Dozens of Spirit Swords traced arcs in the air and, under Song Jians control, attacked Lan Ling from all directions C front, back, left, and right; When the Spirit Swords flew within three feet of Lan Ling, they hit what seemed to be a layer of water, causing ripples to spread across its surface. All the swords then vanished as if they had passed through a portal, disappearing without a trace; Eh? Song Jian was taken aback. The myriad water screens had devoured all the Spirit Swords as if they had never existed. This was a sword technique that could cause around a hundred thousand damage, yet it had no effect whatsoever. This made Song Jians heart sink. Crack! A crisp sound of shattering rang out, and Lan Ling exclaimed in shock. Around her body, a shower of sparkling fragments rose into the air. Lan Lings eyes instantly reddened, and she looked resentfully at Song Jian, her voice trembling, That was a birthday gift from my mother on my sixteenth birthday Song Jian was stunned. What was happening? Was this a setup? He looked around and saw only himself, the girl in front of him, and their two battling behemoth pets; He turned to glance at the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon opened its eyes and gave him a look, then closed its eyes once again. In a mere moment, the sound of snoring could be heard; Come on, you werent snoring when you were asleep just now He looked again at the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast, only to find it staring at him with a scornful gaze; come on, dont you know the caliber of your own master? She was the first to make a move! Seeing Lan Lings face, which clearly said you owe me compensation, Song Jian lost any remaining desire to continue fighting and sighed, Alright, what kind of compensation do you need? But let me make it clear first, dont go overboard! Upon hearing this, Lan Lings expression brightened once again, and she said joyfully, In a few days, it will be my mothers big birthday, and I have my eye on the tail feathers of a giant bird. I want to get a few to make a brocade fan for my mother, but that bird is too powerful C I cant beat it. If you help me beat it, Ill forgive you! Song Jians mouth twitched several times, feeling like he was dealing with an unripe child. He shook his head and asked, Is that bird even more formidable than your Dragon Lizard Beast? Not as formidable as my Little Gold! Lan Ling immediately contested, Its just that it can fly, and Little Gold cant Abyssal Hell, Demon Slayer Canyon A group of players with Abyssal jobs were leveling up by slaying monsters here, and the existence of Guardian Temple had been known to many Abyss players, but it had since become a pile of ruins. After searching the surrounding area for over half a month, most players had left in disappointment, while only a few persistent Abyss players continued their exploration; Doru was a member of the Fallen Angel War Alliance, with the career of an Abyss Earth Walker, and today, along with a group from his alliance, he was leveling up by slaying monsters in the Demon Slayer Canyon; Soon, they arrived at the foot of the small hill where the Guardian Temple was located. Now the entire hill had collapsed, with rubble everywhere, making it impossible to find the entrance to the Guardian Temple; Doru looked around at the people near the Broken Stone Mountain, curious; Captain, what are those guys doing? They dont seem to be here to level up by slaying monsters! Doru whispered; Just a bunch of fools obsessed with stumbling upon an adventure! Captain Ma Shao looked up and said disdainfully. He had forgotten that just half a month ago, he was one of those scouring the area around Broken Stone Mountain; An adventure? You mean the Guardian Temple? Doru asked in surprise, Isnt the Guardian Temple already destroyed by that human named Song Jian? What are they looking for here? Heh, youve been gone for a while to take on an epic class quest and arent aware of the specifics. Even though Song Jian wiped out the Guardian Temple, its said that he didnt obtain the legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings, or rather, he wasnt willing to switch to an Abyssal career, so he discarded the legacy like a worn-out shoe. These people are all hoping to obtain the legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings! Captain Ma Shao laughed; The legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings? A gleam of joy appeared in Dorus eyes as he asked, That cant be easy to obtain, can it? Humph, of course not! Ma Shao shook his head and said: Its said that only by obtaining the legacy of the Seven Abyssal Demon Kings can one open the Abyssal Passage, and then we could enter the main plane of the game! Humph, we, at the very least, have rare classes now. If we could return to the main plane, wouldnt we rampage unopposed? Thats a hundred times better than staying in this Abyssal Hell! Doru nodded. Players who switched to Abyssal classes were those who chose ordinary professions in the main plane but wanted to become stronger. Their starting point was much higher than that of players on the main plane. Furthermore, the harsh environment of the Abyssal Hell and monsters that were a few notches tougher than those of the same level on the main plane meant that players who could survive in the Abyssal Hell were much more formidable than the players on the main plane. Once the Abyssal Passage opened, the invading Abyss players would surely gain lots of benefits; Its a shame, its like a mountain of treasures. We all know that theres the legacy of an Abyssal Demon King hidden within the mountain, but we just cant find the way in! Ma Shao sighed and shook his head; The vast expanse of Abyssal Hell, if including the planes invaded and ruled by it, could be described as immeasurably vast. However, only eight Abyss Demon Lords ruled over this Hell, with one having fallen in the Main Plane, whose legacy was probably only to be found there; The remaining seven Abyssal Demon Kings had ruled over the immeasurable lands of Abyssal Hell for tens of thousands of years, so one could imagine that obtaining the legacy of an Abyssal Demon King would be like soaring to the heavens in a single step, with a status that perhaps not even a king in the real world could match; Alright, well fight for another hour, then head back to rest. I hear that in a couple of days, the alliance is planning an event to hunt a level forty boss. Only players level thirty-eight and above can join. Lets all push hard. Dont drop the ball when the time comes! Ma Shao shouted loudly. While everyone responded, Doru suddenly felt a subtle tremor under his feet, and his heart stirred. Without showing any expression on his face, he slowly moved towards the Broken Stone Mountain while continuing to slay monsters; PS: Thank you to Book Friend 20191127234229646 for the reward of 1000 Qidian coins~ Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 936 - 937 Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast_1 Chapter 936: Chapter 937: Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast_1 Chapter 936: Chapter 937: Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast_1 After fighting minor monsters for over an hour near Broken Stone Mountain, their Experience Points had increased by 3%, and after dividing the spoils of battle, they were ready to return to town to rest; Captain, you guys go ahead, Ill fight a bit more here! Doru said, The profession quest earlier took up a lot of time, and Ive fallen behind in levels, so I want to grind a bit more! Ma Shao nodded. Doru had spent nearly a month on the Abyss Earth Walker profession quest, acquiring an epic profession but falling behind in level, now only at thirty-five; Alright, just be careful on your own, and if youre in danger, use a Town Return Scroll, dont worry about wasting them! Ma Shao said in a low voice, stuffing two Town Return Scrolls into Dorus hand; Doru was touched. Town Return Scrolls were rarities in Abyssal Hell, available only at a high-end general store in the main city, and even then in limited quantities. Since the Fallen Angel was the largest battle alliance in Flame Furnaces main city, they had a certain quota allocated to them; Town Return Scrolls were also considered a strategic reserve. Because Ma Shao was a member of the Elite Team, he had a few for saving his life, and ordinary alliance members couldnt buy them even if they had the money; Thank you, Captain! Doru expressed his gratitude; Ma Shao smiled slightly and waved his hand at Doru, leading a group of people toward the entrance of Demon Slayer Canyon; Watching his companions leave, Doru didnt actually hunt monsters but instead began to circle Broken Stone Mountain, seemingly in search of something. Other players trying to find the entrance to the Guardian Temple only glanced at Doru and paid him no mind. Such curious players were not uncommon, yet very few were truly dedicated to seeking the temple, with most wandering around for a few hours before leaving in disappointment; The Abyss Earth Walker was actually a profession similar to a Mage of earth magic, capable of drawing on the power of the land. In the harsh environment of Abyssal Hell, where normal peoples visibility was only three or four meters, Doru could sense movements in the land up to dozens of meters away by feeling the earths tremors; S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was a special talent of the Abyss Earth Walker profession, something Doru hadnt told anyone. He hadnt even shown it in battle, as the ability was highly clandestine. Unless Doru revealed it himself, it would be difficult for outsiders to notice; Earlier, he had felt an unusual fluctuation from the ground under his feet, growing more distinct as he approached Broken Stone Mountain, as if the earth was trying to convey a message to him; At first, Doru thought it was his own illusion, but soon he sensed a special Abyssal energy from the pulsations of the land, a very pure Abyssal energy. Remembering the legends of the Abyssal Demon King, Doru immediately became excited; Following the guidance of the lands pulsations, Doru arrived in front of a huge boulder and with an inadvertent turn, his figure disappeared from the sight of those around him; Given the limited visibility in Abyssal Hell, Dorus disappearance went unnoticed by the others, who assumed he had simply run off, unable to endure the solitude; But in reality, behind that huge boulder, a crack just wide enough for one person to enter had mysteriously opened under Dorus feet; Below the fissure was a slope. Hesitating for a moment, Doru stepped forward and descended the slope into the depths of the fissure. Shortly after he entered, the crack slowly closed again without a sound; At that moment, Song Jian was flying with his sword, following behind the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast. Lan Ling sat on the back of the Dragon Lizard Beast, looking enviously at Song Jian flying in the air; Thats so cool! Lan Ling gazed at Song Jian, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she immediately muttered to herself: Im talking about the Sword Flight Art, not him as a person! I mean, where exactly is that big bird you mentioned? Song Jian couldnt help asking, as the two had been running for over two hours, well beyond the area of the Poisonous Marsh; Ah? Lan Ling was startled and quickly said, Were not far now, just over that mountain ahead and well reach the big birds nest! That big bird is a BOSS, surrounded by many other creatures. We need to clear our way through! By the way, my name is Lan Ling, whats your name? Lan Lings cheeks turned slightly red as she couldnt help asking; Song Jian usually kept his information hidden, so even if someone had the skill to probe, they couldnt access his attributes if their level was not higher than his; My name is Song Jian! Song Jian glanced at Lan Ling and said; Song Jian? Lan Ling was taken aback, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she said softly, That name sounds familiar, I think Ive heard someone mention it before! Half an hour later, the two of them had crossed over a mountain peak and arrived at a mountain hollow. If Lan Ling hadnt led the way, Song Jian probably would never have found the place; Its right ahead, be careful. Were now inside the territory of that BOSS, and monsters could appear at any moment! Lan Ling looked around with caution. Lan Ling was merely an elite BOSS template, level 46, with only over seventy thousand Vitality Points. Song Jian could not figure out Lan Lings profession, but she had quite a few good items on her; After the necklace that could completely block the power of the Thousand Swords Art broke, Lan Ling, like magic, took out another necklace and put it on. This new necklace appeared to be of nearly the same grade as the previous one; Besides the necklace, Lan Lings earrings, three rings, the ornaments hanging from her belt, even the clothes she wore, all were of extraordinary quality. Song Jian hadnt noticed before, but along the way, he inadvertently realized something oddLan Ling was like a little rich girl, almost all her equipment was of epic level, and she even had two pieces of legendary quality, with frighteningly powerful attributes; Just then, a large group of creatures suddenly leapt out from the cliffs on both sides. These creatures had fiery feathers, long tail wings, and clear cries, but their claws and long beaks shimmered with a metallic cold light; Cloud-patterned Golden Crow Beast, Normal, Level 48, Vitality Points 9200/9200 Its them, these creatures have spotted us! Lan Ling cried out in alarm. The Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast let out a low roar, its body exuding a powerful aura, and beams of golden light shot from its eyes, striking a Golden Crow Beast in mid-air. After an explosion, the creature screeched in agony and plummeted to the ground; Attack quickly, there are too many of them, Little Gold cant handle them on its own! Lan Ling, clutching a scroll in her hands, called out to Song Jian with an anxious look on her face; Song Jian couldnt help but roll his eyes, knowing that the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lizard Beast was capable of fighting a Black Dragon for over half an hour. Although at that time it didnt cast any spells, relying solely on its physical strength, and even though the Dragon Lizard Beast was suppressed throughout the fight by the Black Dragon, how could these ordinary level 48 beasts be compared to a Black Dragon? If a Black Dragon were here, even without using Dragon Language Magic, it could quickly kill these ordinary creatures purely through close combat. The Dragon Lizard Beasts disadvantage lay in its inability to fly, but the skill it just used showed that it also had long-range attack capabilities, making it a significant threat to these Golden Crow Beasts; If the skill just now wasnt too consuming, Song Jian believed that just the Dragon Lizard Beast alone could wipe out all of these ordinary creatures; Moreover, that scroll in Lan Lings hand, after Song Jian stared at it for a while and finally tossed it out, was clearly a powerful Rain of Fire Magic Scroll. Once activated, it would not only take out these few dozen creatures, but even if twice as many appeared, it could wipe them all out; PS: Thanks to Book Fan 20190813223721586 for the tip of 1000 QiDian coins~ Chapter 937 - 938 Three-Color Feather_1 Chapter 937: Chapter 938 Three-Color Feather_1 Chapter 937: Chapter 938 Three-Color Feather_1 Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian swung his right hand, and the Spirit Sword burst forth, flying towards the Golden Crow Beasts. The Spirit Sword, ablaze with karma fire, dealt massive damage to these ordinary monsters, which had less than ten thousand Vitality Points. Moreover, critical hits were easily triggered; If it werent for the large number of Golden Crows, they probably wouldnt have had the chance to pounce before being wiped out! A single use of Thousand Swords Art had decimated the Golden Crow Beasts, leaving only five or six that slipped through the net. The remaining few didnt attempt to flee but continued to lunge at Song Jian ferociously; Song Jian wielded his sword, slicing down the remaining beasts one by one. Lan Ling, who had been holding the Rain of Fire Magic Scroll, finally breathed a sigh of relief and quietly put the scroll away; These large-area magic attack scrolls were one-use items. Although they were extremely powerful, they were also very valuable, and even Lan Ling felt a pang of loss using them. Saving one was saving money; The slain dozens of Golden Crow Beasts dropped plenty of good items. These were all level fifty or so ordinary monsters, dropping items of level forty-five and above. Although they were mostly blue and green equipment, they were still quite valuable; Is this what youre looking for, the Cloud Pattern Golden Crow Feather? Song Jian picked up a long feather from the spoils and turned to ask; This feather was over a foot long, tricolored, with cloud patterns on its surface. As it lightly swayed, a faint fragrance wafted from it, refreshing the mind and clearing the senses. Although it was a blue-quality crafting material, only three such feathers were dropped by the forty or fifty Golden Crow Beasts, indicating its rarity; This is just a Three-Color Feather, its worth a bit of money! Lan Ling glanced at the feather in Song Jians hand and curled her lip with a hint of disdain, What I want is the Nine-Color Feather dropped by a lord-level BOSS, only a fan made of Nine-Color Feathers is worthy of use by my mother! Nine-Color Feather? Alright then, its mine! Song Jian shook his head and collected all the loot into his inventory, then continued following Lan Ling deeper into the canyon; At first entry, it was just a low depression, but the deeper they went, the more expansive it became. What initially allowed only two or three people to walk side by side had now become a canyon wide enough for a dozen people to walk through together; The cliffs on both sides were lush with vegetation, and one could occasionally hear the clear chirping of birds and the roars of wild beastsclearly, it was a rarely trodden place; For players, a place like this was both loved and hated: loved because such places often held treasures, but hated for the unfamiliarity with the new environment, which could easily result in encounters with monsters beyond ones strength. If unable to escape, their lives could be lost here; However, for Song Jian, he naturally loved such places. Along the way, he extended his perception to the maximum, fearing he might miss any treasure; In no time at all, Song Jian discovered seven or eight precious medicinal herbs. However, unfortunately, these herbs required at least a level ten Medicine Gathering Skill to harvest, and Song Jians skill was only level seven. Forcibly harvesting would significantly increase his Medicine Gathering Skill experience, but the quality of the herbs would surely be compromised, losing much of their efficacy, and they might end up being thrown out like trash; If Meng Tiantian were here, she would be overjoyed! The image of Meng Tiantian suddenly appeared in Song Jians mind, but then he remembered she still owed him three million Doomsday Coins with a repayment date far in the future, and he felt a twinge of pain in his heart; Well be near the lord-level BOSSs lair after a little more walking. Are you sure you can defeat it? If not, you should say so sooner. Little Gold might run fast, but it cant fly. Ive already wasted several Teleportation Scrolls, Lan Ling whispered to Song Jian; Youre so rich, yet you care about a few Teleportation Scrolls? Song Jian couldnt help but say; How could I not care? Do you know how much a Teleportation Scroll sells for? Lan Lings little face instantly revealed a pained expression as she said, A single scroll can sell for ten thousand Doomsday Coins, its expensive! Song Jian glanced at her and was suddenly speechless. Just the equipment on her body, if sold off, could probably fetch tens of millions of Doomsday Coins. Some items were priceless and couldnt be bought with money, yet now she was distressed over ten thousand Doomsday CoinsSong Jian really didnt understand her way of thinking; Lets get this straight first, once Ive killed that BOSS, were even. The Nine-Color Feather is yours, and the rest of the loot is all mine! Song Jian thought for a moment and said; Fine, fine, fine, that big bird just has a prettier tail feather, what good items could it possibly drop? Lan Ling said nonchalantly, As long as you can kill it, I only want the tail feather, the rest is all yours, stingy! Song Jian cracked a slight smile and didnt mind Lan Lings attitude, continuing to walk deeper into the canyon; The further he walked into the canyon, the higher the cliffs on both sides became. The sunlight was no longer able to reach inside. Logically, the temperature should be getting lower, but as he went, Song Jian discovered that the deeper into the canyon he went, the higher the temperature became. The surroundings were already at three to four degrees and ordinary people couldnt stay in such an environment for too long without risking dehydration and heatstroke; The trees around were long dead, and all that met the eye was desolate sand and stone. Yet in such harsh conditions, there were even more monsters around; Desk-sized Sand Scorpions scurried continuously on the ground, making a sasha sasha sound. Fortunately, these monsters seemed to be very afraid of the Dragon Lizard Beasts and would keep their distance whenever they sensed their presence; Seeing this scene, Lan Ling seemed quite proud. She glanced at Song Jian, let out a light snort, held her head high in a prideful manner, as if believing that Song Jian was only getting by thanks to her. Song Jian didnt know whether to laugh or cry but could only quicken his pace, wanting to kill the canyons lord level BOSS sooner so that he could return earlier; S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Look, look, the BOSS is coming out! Lan Ling suddenly pointed ahead and shouted loudly; Song Jian looked up to see a giant Three-legged Golden Crow before him, its body engulfed in roaring flames, perched atop a tall boulder with a majestic demeanor. When it saw a Sand Scorpion rapidly climbing the cliff beside it, the Golden Crow struck like lightning, its long beak instantly piercing through the Scorpions hard shell, extracting a clump of soft, white flesh and swallowing it; The remaining shell, still in the shape of the Sand Scorpion, fell from the cliff and shattered on impact; A, a Three-legged Golden Crow? This, this is something that only appears in myths and legends, how could it appear here? Song Jian was surprised in his heart and looked up involuntarily at the head of the Three-legged Golden Crow; PS: Thank you Bread84 for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 938 - 939 Three-legged Flame Crow Beast_1 Chapter 938: Chapter 939: Three-legged Flame Crow Beast_1 Chapter 938: Chapter 939: Three-legged Flame Crow Beast_1 ` Three-legged Flame Crow Beast, Lord-level BOSS, Level 50, Vitality Points: 210000/210000 Having seen the attributes of the BOSS, Song Jian finally heaved a sigh of relief. Although this BOSS resembled the mythical Three-legged Golden Crow, it was actually a different species; The Three-legged Golden Crow is a divine beast from myth, with a bloodline even nobler than that of the Dragon Clan. Even a juvenile Three-legged Golden Crow would be impossible for Song Jian to kill alone; A level 50 Lord-level BOSS Song Jian glanced at its Vitality Points and silently breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this BOSS had not reached second-tier Combat Power. If it had, even deploying the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation might not guarantee its death; Players level 50 could apply for second-tier Combat Power assessment. Once passed, their strength would undergo an earth-shattering change. Monsters were the same, and they could be promoted to second-tier Combat Power after level 50. However, the stronger the monsters original power, the harder it was to advance to second-tier Combat Power. Clearly, the Three-legged Flame Crow Beast in front of Song Jian was one of such creatures; Song Jian looked towards the tail feathers of the BOSS and indeed, on the tail of the Three-legged Flame Crow Beast, there were several long feathers, each over three feet long with cloud patterns and nine different colors from base to tip, lightly shimmering and overflowing with a divine-like brilliance. What you need, are its tail feathers? Song Jian pointed at the resplendently glowing feathers on the BOSSs tail and asked; Yes, thats it. Lan Ling Bird leapt up and said, Those tail feathers are divine objects, much more precious than the feathers you previously obtained from common cloud pattern beasts. Be careful during the fight, dont damage its tail feathers. Otherwise, if its killed, we wont be able to get the complete feathers As she spoke, Lan Ling commanded the Dragon Lizard Beast to slowly back away, saying as she moved, This BOSSs skills are almost all area-of-effect attacks, we need to stand farther back While she was speaking, Song Jian saw the Flame Crow Beast leap from the rocks, spreading its wings like a dancing flame, descending towards the ground; It pecked continuously at the Sand Scorpions on the ground, seemingly considering them as food. Despite being pecked to death, these Sand Scorpions did not dodge or fight back, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate. The pecked Sand Scorpions immediately trembled, standing rigid, while others quickly scuttled towards the deeper parts of the canyon; After pecking to death more than a dozen Sand Scorpions and swallowing the tenderest flesh into its belly, the Flame Crow Beast seemed very pleased. It raised its head and let out a joyous cry, spreading its wings, and sending waves of heat in every direction; Just then, a sharp call came out. Dozens of Spirit Swords ablaze with flames flew towards the Flame Crow Beast, striking it viciously; The attack infuriated the Flame Crow Beast. Each Spirit Sword dealt over two thousand points of damage to it; But the Red Lotus Karma Fire carried by the Spirit Swords was completely resisted by the Flame Crow Beast, which immediately made Song Jians heart sink. He had not expected the Flame Crow Beast to be immune to fire damage; Its important to note, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation is Song Jians trump card. However, most of the damage of the Sword Formation came from the Red Lotus Karma Fire. If it was immune to fire attacks, the Sword Formations damage to the Flame Crow Beast would likely be minimal; This strike dealt over fifty thousand points of damage to the Flame Crow Beast, immediately drawing its attention. It turned its head to look towards Song Jian, anger manifesting in its fiery golden eyes. Wings flapping, heat waves churned, and twin fire blasts surged towards where Song Jian was; ` In an instant, Song Jian felt as though he was trapped in a steaming cage, with the sand and stone beneath his feet so hot it was as if they were scalding; where the flames had swept through, all the gravel had melted into a glistening liquid; Song Jian was shocked; the temperature of the fiery assault must have been over a thousand degrees, something no living creature could withstand with its flesh alone; with a powerful leap, he jumped into the air, with flames roiling beneath him, as though he were above a sea of fire; Seeing Song Jian jump into the air, the Flame Crow Beasts eyes gleamed with a mocking glint; ordinary people could not shift their position in midair and had to endure the damage directly; With a piercing screech, the Flame Crow Beast flapped its wings fervently; in a moment, the entire canyon was enveloped in a celestial blaze, and a large expanse of crimson fire clouds suddenly formed above Song Jians head, quickly followed by a dense shower of fire rain, which enveloped him; Hisss hisss hisss~ The droplets of fire rain landed on Song Jian, immediately giving off a sizzling sound of burning and corrosion, and the durability of the Dark Gold Quality starting armor suit he was wearing began to rapidly deteriorate, while above his head numbers indicating hundreds of points of damage floated up one after another; Though the damage was not high, it was very frequent; in just a few seconds, Song Jian had lost more than a thousand points of damage, and with a thought, the Flame Light Wings materialized, and with a flap, he flew out of the range of the fire rain; Seeing Song Jian actually able to fly, the Flame Crow Beast showed a trace of surprise in its eyes, and staring at Song Jians retreating figure, it opened its long beak and spewed out a thin line of fire; At first, this fire line was as thin as a hair, but upon contact with the air, it immediately branched out, intertwining and entangling with each other, and in a short while, it had transformed into a fire net over ten meters in diameter, swooping down toward Song Jian; The fire net was not very fast at the beginning, drifting with the wind in the air, but as Song Jians flight speed increased, the nets speed also accelerated, eventually becoming as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye, it was hovering above his head; Looking up at the fire net descending upon him, Song Jians heart clenched fiercely, as if a large hand had harshly squeezed it, causing his hairs to stand on end and a sense of life-threatening fear to surge through him; Soul Wander! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Without hesitation, Song Jian immediately deployed his life-saving skill, his body turning into a transparent Soul Body, entering another plane of existence; As the fire net fell overhead, it passed right through Song Jians body, drifting toward the ground, and in the moment the net passed through him, Song Jian, who had already dodged the fire net, suddenly felt a palpitation surge up from the depths of his soul; This fire net has the power to harm the soul! Song Jian was inwardly alarmed, and his gaze toward the Flame Crow Beast immediately turned cautious; monsters capable of soul damage were very rare, and Song Jian did not believe that this was its only skill capable of harming the soul; Glancing at his skill bar, a few more seconds were needed before he could use the Thousand Swords Art; Song Jian summoned his Sword Shadow Clone with a thought, and a copy that looked exactly like him appeared in midair, charging toward the Flame Crow Beast; Just as it reached halfway, the clone swung its sword forward, releasing the Thousand Swords Art, unleashing waves of heat, and Song Jian was astonished to see that the clones use of the Thousand Swords Art had triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; sixty Spirit Swords transformed into sixty red lotus petals, swirling toward the Flame Crow Beast; Chapter 939 - 940 Pet Egg_1 Chapter 939: Chapter 940 Pet Egg_1 Chapter 939: Chapter 940 Pet Egg_1 The Sword Shadow Clones release of the Thousand Swords Art can also trigger the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation? Song Jian was taken aback. In the midst of battle, he had released the Sword Shadow Clone Skill countless times, and the clone had unleashed the Thousand Swords Art just as many times, yet it had never triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation before. Song Jian had always thought that the clones understanding of sword techniques was not deep enough to trigger the sword formation; it turned out it was just a matter of chance. The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation triggered by the clone was almost identical to the one Song Jian could trigger, only its power was much weaker. However, Song Jian soon saw the word Immune floating above the Flame Crow Beasts head, and his heart sank. Clearly, the Flame Crow Beasts immunity to fire meant that the power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation was greatly reduced. Although Song Jian had been expecting this, seeing it still weighed heavily on his heart. The raging flames burned, and as the Flame Crow Beast was enveloped by the Red Lotus Sword Array, it let out a joyful cry. Its wings flapped vigorously, and the flames surged, almost as if it were a phoenix reborn from fire. The corner of Song Jians eye twitched. The cooldown for the Thousand Swords Art had just finished, and he was ready to step forward with his sword. Even if the Flame Crow Beast could be immune to fire damage, the physical attacks from the Spirit Sword would still be effective against it. He had already slashed more than fifty thousand Vitality Points from the Flame Crow Beast boss. With only two hundred and ten thousand Vitality Points left for the Flame Crow, it would only take a couple more uses of the Thousand Swords Art to kill it. Whether the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation could be triggered was no longer so important! At that moment, the burning Red Lotus slowly unfolded like a dragon, wrapping the Flame Crow Beast inside, and a sword over ten meters long was born from the lotus, floating above it. The instant the sword appeared, dazzling golden Sword Qi filled the entire valley. Although the Thousand Swords Art released by the clone only had the power of the original at four-tenths strength, the surging Sword Qi caused all the birds and beasts in the valley to tremble in terror. The Sword Shadow Clone made a slashing motion, and the long sword in the sky fiercely came crashing down. The torrential Sword Qi caused the hard rock walls on both sides of the valley to crack, and before the sword even reached the ground, the land below had already begun to silently fracture. With the momentum of this slash, a deep trench was carved into the earth. The Flame Crow Beast could no longer utter those joyful cries, but instead desperately struggled to break free from the Karmic Fire Lotuss bondage, trying to escape from there. The golden blade instantly cut through the lotus, and the Flame Crow Beast screamed in agony. The entire Red Lotus burst into blinding light, and amidst thunderous boom, violent air waves swept through the entire valley, carrying dust and debris towards the valleys sides. Lan Ling, who was behind Song Jian, waved her right hand, and a bracelet of crimson beads on her wrist like jade emitted a light, her Qi force rolling forward and dispersing the oncoming dust. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, staring intently ahead, feeling that the Sword Shadow Clones Vitality Points had dropped to the lowest point in an instant. It seemed that the previous attack had caused the Flame Crow Beasts hatred to shift onto the clone. As the dust settled, everyones vision cleared. Song Jian saw a terrifying sword wound on the Flame Crow Beasts left wing root, stretching all the way to its chest, as the fiery blood gushed out, sprinkling the sand and stones on the ground, which began to ignite as well. Song Jians eyes brightened. While the Flame Crow Beast could be immune to the fire damage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, it could not be immune to the damage from the second-tier concentrated Red Lotus Sword. Although it only possessed four-tenths of the power of the original, it had still inflicted serious damage on the Flame Crow Beast. A damage number of twenty thousand and more slowly floated above the head of the Flame Crow Beast. Song Jian saw that the Flame Crow Beast had already rushed in front of the Sword Shadow Clone, its long beak piercing through the clones chest. In its angry golden eyes, it glared deathly at the clone, as if it wanted to swallow him whole. *Thud* The Sword Shadow Clone ran out of Vitality Points and dissipated into a puff of black smoke. The Flame Crow Beasts gaze quickly turned towards Song Jian, its hatred firmly locked onto him; Song Jian gave a faint smile. Before the Flame Crow Beast could charge over, the Invisible Sword Qi rushed towards the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand like a tide. His meridians felt as though they were utterly severed, and a tearing pain surged through his heart. Song Jian grunted as he bit his lip until it bled, but his grip on the Sky-breaking Sword remained firm as he slashed at the Flame Crow Beast; Sixty Spirit Swords emitted a piercing howl as they slashed towards the Flame Crow Beast. Already heavily injured and unable to fly, the Flame Crow Beasts form faltered, and a flash of fear appeared in its eyes. Before it could react, the Spirit Swords had viciously struck it, and its Vitality Points dropped by more than half in an instant. Then the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation materialized once more, enveloping the Flame Crow Beast entirely; Although it was immune to fire damage, the power of the previous Red Lotus Sword left the Flame Crow Beast with a fresh memory. Now, seeing the Red Lotus Sword Array appear again, the Flame Crow Beast went berserk, desperately flapping its wings, attempting to escape the Sword Formation; But even a lord-level BOSS shouldnt dream of breaking free from a Sword Formation. How could a level 50 Lord BOSS, especially with one wing injured, possibly escape the confines of the Sword Formation? The Flame Crow Beast was firmly trapped within the Sword Formation. Although the flames did no damage, it remained motionless in the Sword Formation; Soon, the Sword Formation entered the second tier. The power of the Fire Lotus Sword that it was nurturing was more than double the power released by the previous clone, an amount the Flame Crow Beast could not withstand; Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The scene from before replayed, this time the Flame Crow Beast was split in half by the Fire Lotus Sword, instantly killed; Lan Lings eyes widened in disbelief. She knew Song Jian was very powerful, but she never expected that a level 50 Lord BOSS would be killed by Song Jian in just a few minutes, and he seemed to have done it without much effort; The Dragon Lizard Beast also watched Song Jian warily. With the strength that Song Jian had just displayed, it feared he could kill it in less than three minutes. This realization immediately extinguished any thoughts of contesting the Black Dragon for the Dragon Head Tree. Setting aside the fact that it was already no match for the Black Dragon, even if it were to somehow prevail, the man before it wouldnt just stand by. Being killed by him afterward would be a truly bad deal; Alright, its killed. Our agreement is now complete, Song Jian turned his head and said with a slight smile to Lan Ling, then headed straight for the corpse of the Flame Crow Beast; The level 50 Lord had dropped quite a few good items. Six Nine-Color Feathers were looted, more than enough to make a fine brocade fan. Song Jian gave all the Nine-Color Feathers to Lan Ling and then picked up the rest of the items, stowing each one into his inventory without missing a single one. Huh, a pet egg? Song Jian held an oval bird egg that radiated a dark gold light. A warm sensation flowed through his palm; There was a great chance that pet eggs dropped by avian monsters would be flying mounts. The price of flying mounts had been soaring, especially after the emergence of Sky City, shooting up to unbelievable heights; Even though the price of flying mounts had dropped a bit after Sky City was closed, such a flying mount egg could sell for several hundred thousand, even a million Doomsday Coins without a problem; Just then, the pet egg in Song Jians hand caught the sharp eyes of Lan Ling, who suddenly grabbed him by the arm; A pet egg, it actually dropped a pet egg? Lan Ling exclaimed with delight: It must be able to hatch a Flame Crow Beast, then I can have as many Nine-Color Feathers as I want. Sell it to me, how about that? Please, Im begging you! Chapter 940 - 941 Old Turtle_1 Chapter 940: Chapter 941: Old Turtle_1 Chapter 940: Chapter 941: Old Turtle_1 Song Jian glanced at the Three-legged Flame Crow Beasts dropped loot; the most precious thing among them was probably this pet egg for a flying mount. Although the Flame Crow Beasts name didnt sound very appealing, it had an excellent appearance, almost identical to the legendary Three-legged Golden Crow. If there wasnt a real Three-legged Golden Crow standing beside it, probably nine out of ten people would mistake the Flame Crow Beast for a Three-legged Golden Crow. One million two hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, selling it to you. How about that? This is a friendship price! Song Jian glanced at Lan Ling, any piece of equipment she took out at random was probably worth more than that amount. One million and a hundred thousand Doomsday Coins should not be a lot of money for her. One one million two hundred thousand? Lan Lings eyes went wide in disbelief, finding it hard to believe the pet egg could be so expensive. This is a pet egg for a flying mount, one million two hundred thousand, not a coin less! Song Jian nodded firmly and asserted. But I only have about one hundred thousand Doomsday Coins on me now Lan Lings face showed hesitation as she spoke softly. Heh, then Im sorry! Song Jian laughed and stored the pet egg in his inventory. All right, were even. Lets part ways here! Song Jian gestured goodbye to Lan Ling, summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, and prepared to leave this place using the Sword Flight Art. Lan Lings eyes quickly darted around, and she hurriedly stopped him, calling out loudly, In a few days, it will be my mothers grand birthday. Would you be interested in joining me at Jiuli Xuan Yue Cave to attend my mothers birthday celebration? At that time, many skilled individuals will come to wish my mother well, and a few words of guidance from them could benefit you greatly. How about it? Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why should I, who has no relation to you, presumptuously attend? What if I get kicked out? No, thanks! No, thanks! Song Jian laughed heartily and waved his hand. Who would dare to kick you out if I bring you? Lan Ling said enthusiastically. Moreover, my mothers Lan Zhi Library contains tens of thousands of books, among which there are no shortage of sword techniques. I can sneak you in to have a look, and you could learn one or two superior sword skills. Wouldnt that be wonderful? Watching Lan Lings head waggle, Song Jian found it amusing and couldnt resist teasing her, The sword techniques Ive learned are from unparalleled secrets of the Sword Immortal, how could the sword techniques in your mothers library compare? Hmph, whats so great about that? Lan Ling wrinkled her nose, her face full of pride as she said, My mothers Lan Zhi Library encompasses everything. What sword techniques arent there? Not to mention Sword Immortals secrets, even the moves of the Sword Saint and Sword God can be found in the library! Song Jian was taken aback and sized up Lan Ling. Had anyone else made such a claim, Song Jian would have dismissed it as mere boasting, but coming from Lan Ling, he couldnt help but believe her to some extent. After all, even though he did not know the exact status of the heir of Jiuli Xuan Yue Cave, he could tell from Lan Lings equipment that her status was likely much more noble than he had imagined. A thought struck Song Jian; if he could actually acquire one or two Sword Immortal techniques from that library Lan Ling mentioned, wouldnt he hit the jackpot? Well then, I havent got much on my hands lately. Taking a trip out to see the world isnt a bad idea! Song Jian nodded and agreed. Seeing that Song Jian had agreed, Lan Ling instantly brightened up. She mounted her Dragon Lizard Beast, led the way, and soon they both left the nest of the Flame Crow Beast, heading in a different direction. Song Jian had thought that Xuanyue Cave wasnt too far from Doomsday City, but unexpectedly, the two of them walked for two days and nights. Standing in front of a vast river that stretched farther than the eye could see, Song Jian looked at Lan Ling with a bit of resentment and said, Didnt you say Xuanyue Cave wasnt far? Its not far! Lan Ling said with an innocent expression, Once we cross this river, we will be in the territory of Xuanyue Cave. After we pass through the Windswept Stone Forest, its less than a hundred miles to Xuanyue Cave! Song Jian: Song Jian suddenly realized that he seemed to have been deceived by the young girl. Along the way, the river was five to six hundred kilometers away from Doomsday City, which was not just far but equivalent to two or three round trips between Doomsday City and the City of Sin. Since he had already arrived here, he couldnt go back. Gritting his teeth, Song Jian persisted, considering it a cost to acquire a Sword Immortal skill! Do you want me to carry you and fly across? Song Jian asked. The Sword Flight Art couldnt carry others, but whether it was the steel wings or the Flame Light Wings, Song Jian could carry someone and fly for a short time. Lan Ling glanced at Song Jian, her cheeks slightly reddened, and without saying a word, she just shook her head, whispering, Wait a moment, there will be a boat! Song Jian was stunned; he hadnt expected the girl to be rather traditional! The two waited for about fifteen minutes when Song Jian saw a huge shadow drifting over the rolling river surface. This shadow was at least ten meters wide, and that was only what was visible above the water. What was hidden below was anyones guess. It seemed the shadow was coming from the opposite bank of the river, heading straight for them. Even before it neared, Song Jian felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him, like a child standing beside a strange, burly manthough the man didnt make any movements to harm the child, the child couldnt help but want to keep his distance. Be careful, back off! Song Jian, pulling on Lan Lings sleeve, slowly retreated. The aura emanating from the shadow before them was definitely on par with a dominion-level BOSS. Lan Ling looked at Song Jian curiously, flicked off his hand, and said, The boat is here, what are we retreating for? Linger, if you call me a boat again, watch out. I might never ferry you across the river again, letting you sneak out and never return home! The shadow in the water slowly surfaced, and Song Jian was shocked to see a massive turtle like a small island. The diameter of the greenish-black shell on the turtles back was over thirty meters. Its limbs were thick, its skin wrinkled, and its surface covered with fine scales. Even the head that protruded was adorned with two horns resembling those of a Giant Dragon. The properties of the turtle were a series of question marks in Song Jians eyes, whether it was the name, level, or rank, Song Jian couldnt see any of it. This was partly because Song Jian hadnt learned an exploratory skill yet, but it also had a direct relation to the immense strength of the turtle. Upon hearing the old turtle speak, Lan Ling stuck out her tongue and coquettishly said, Grandpa Turtle, please spare Linger this time, I wont dare to do it again! Hahaha, is Linger bringing her lover back to show to your mother? The old turtles pair of blue eyes stared at Song Jian, sizing him up. Though his tone was light-hearted, Song Jian could feel a faint killing intent in the old turtles gaze. Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, what lover? Grandpa Turtle, your words are so unpleasant to hear! Lan Lings cheeks burned as if on fire, and she quickly explained, Song Jian is just a regular friend of mine, and his visit is only to attend my mothers birthday celebration! Chapter 941 - 942 Stone Forest_1 Chapter 941: Chapter 942 Stone Forest_1 S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 941: Chapter 942 Stone Forest_1 Oh, so you are just ordinary friends, hahaha, I guess its just an old turtles rambling, my apologies, Linger, my apologies! the old turtle laughed heartily, his maw full of gleaming sharp teeth, clearly showing that this turtle demon wasnt as friendly as he appeared to be; After giving Song Jian a meaningful glance, the old turtle shouted, Hurry up, board the boat, if we wait any longer the winds will start, and its very bad news if the winds come while we are on the Wangyue River! Lan Ling muttered softly, He calls himself a boat and yet doesnt let others say it Song Jian kept silent. During the journey, Lan Ling hadnt shown any intention of secrecy or concealment, speaking out whatever came to his mind. With just a few prompts from Song Jian, Lan Ling had blurted out everything about his home; As it turned out, the so-called Jiuli Clan was the Demon Clan. In the game, the demons and those monsters were almost indistinguishable in appearance, the only difference being that demons possessed a human-like intelligence, understanding right from wrong, making clear judgments, and thereby not much different from humans in fact, they even formed powers of various sizes due to geographic regions; Xuanyue Cave was a top-tier power among the Jiuli Clan, controlling a territory that spanned over three thousand li. Crossing the Wangyue River and heading west, everything as far as the eye could see was the territory of Xuanyue Cave; This old turtle, on the other hand, was the Guardian of the Wangyue River. Other humans or players who wanted to swim across or take a boat over the Wangyue River would be secretly killed by this old turtle; Sitting on the old turtles back, Song Jian felt the pressure growing heavier, making him feel like a small insect trapped in amber, struggling even for the slightest movement under the weight of an immense force; Song Jian understood in his heart that this was the old turtles way of showing his dominance, warning him not to harbor improper thoughts towards Lan Ling; At least a peak third-tier Combat Power! Song Jian thought to himself; When he passed the first-tier Combat Power assessment previously, Song Jian had encountered strong beings with third-tier Combat Power. The aura emanating from the old turtle was no less intimidating than that of those strong beings; To Song Jian, the Wangyue River seemed less a river but an ocean, as the water was not brackish. Looking around, all he saw was the gently rippling water, with no land in sight; This is practically no different from the legendary Tongtian River! Song Jian muttered to himself; the Tongtian River in Journey to the West was eight hundred li wide, and Song Jian felt that this Wangyue River in front of him was not much inferior to that Tongtian River in any way; And indeed, in the Tongtian River, there was also an old turtle! Tongtian River? Boy, have you been to the Tongtian River? The old turtle heard Song Jians muttering and said with slight surprise, The Tongtian River stretches eight hundred li, a difficult crossing even for birds and fish, and only those with great powers can get close; you, young man, with such meager strength, how could you possibly know its name? I heard it mentioned in passing Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his brow, not expecting that in this game, there would be an actual Tongtian River; Wasnt this originally a post-apocalyptic survival game? How did the style change so abruptly? Song Jian didnt dare to make a sound, just muttering in his heart, Now its turned into a game with immortals and strange creatures. No wonder the Jiuli Clan is a hidden race; ordinary players probably have no clue they exist! The Wangyue River was no match for the legendary Tongtian River, being only about a hundred miles long. The old turtle moved swiftly in the water, with the wind howling over the river, but during the swim, a thin, semi-transparent light screen formed over its shell, keeping the wind out. All the way there, apart from the somewhat monotonous scenery, Song Jian didnt feel any suffocation or other discomfort; Haha, young man, look at this place. Aside from the river water, its desolate, with no land ahead or behind. If I throw you down here, do you think you could survive? The old turtle rocked its body slightly and laughed loudly; Upon hearing this, Song Jian gave a faint smile, pretended to be very afraid, and said, Please dont joke, sir. Surrounding me is vast nothingness; no heaven above, no earth below. If you threw me down here, I would surely plummet to the rivers depths, lost forever! Lan Ling couldnt help rolling her eyes at this and huffed softly at Song Jian, but she didnt speak up; Lan Ling and Song Jian had been traveling together, with Lan Ling riding the Dragon Lizard Beast, while Song Jian used the Sword Flight Art. After two days and nights, neither of them showed any signs of fatigue. It would have been easy for Song Jian to cross the Wangyue River using the Sword Flight Art if it werent for the Dragon Lizard Beasts inability to swim; Hahahahaha~ The old turtle seemed very amused, shaking its head but keeping its body steady. After a few more hours, Song Jian finally saw a dark outline in the distancethe land on the other side had been reached; Alright, Grandpa Turtle, well go on by ourselves from here. Dont stay in the Wangyue River these next few days, you should head back to your cave. Dont be late for mothers birthday banquet like last time! Lan Ling jumped off the turtles back, gave a few instructions, then mounted the Dragon Lizard Beast and hurried forward; After bowing to the old turtle, Song Jian summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, took flight into the midair, and followed closely behind Lan Ling; The old turtle watched Song Jian, shook its head softly, and sighed to itself, This young man is lucky, to be favored by the Third Princess of the Jiuli. But hes too timid and his skills are lacking; I wonder if he can be relied on in the future However, his skill in Sword Flight Art isnt bad. I seem to remember someone else crossed the Wangyue River flying on a swordwhen was that? The old turtle shook its head; as a great demon, it had lived for thousands of years and experienced too many things. Sometimes it tended to forget certain events; Turning, the old turtle slowly headed towards the Wangyue River. As half its body submerged in the water, something suddenly dawned on it. With an ah, it stretched its long neck out of its shell, turned its head back, and, staring at the fading figure of Song Jian flying on his sword, muttered under its breath, Damn youngster, playing tricks on the old turtle. Hmph, wait till the Demon Emperors birthday banquetIll get you back for this! Song Jian, once we cross this stone forest, well be at my place. Then, Ill make sure to treat you well! Lan Ling boasted proudly; Song Jian looked up and indeed, before them was a large stone forest. Stone pillars stood erect, resembling cones with a wide base and narrow top, shooting up from the ground. Some were three to four meters tall, others seven to eight meters, and the tallest reached nearly a hundred meters, like skyscrapers. As the wind blew, a ghastly howling, like the cries and howls of ghosts and wolves, arose from the forest; This place must be the source of the Windswept Stone Forests name! In this stone forest, there were also plenty of Level 50 monsters, which looked ferocious, with horns on their heads and green faces with sharp teeth, about the size of a small calf. Their limbs had sharp claws that gleamed coldly; a casual scratch on the stone pillars would leave deep gouges, with stone dust falling all around; These creatures were not of the Demon Clan but ordinary monsters called the Wind Howling Stone Devouring Beast, Level 50. The entire stone forest was their territory, replete with them, feeding on the stone pillars within the forest; Chapter 942 - 943 Walking on the Earth_1 Chapter 942: Chapter 943 Walking on the Earth_1 Chapter 942: Chapter 943 Walking on the Earth_1 Watching the fierce Stone-Eating Beasts appear and disappear in the stone forest, Song Jian rubbed his nose and said to Lan Ling, Why are there still so many monsters in this stone forest? Do you want me to carry you and fly over? Lan Ling gave Song Jian a sidelong glance and huffed arrogantly as she shook her head. No need. There were originally no monsters in this stone forest at all. I dont know when, but overnight, so many appeared, and you cant kill them. Mother once sent a large army to clear out the area. They wiped out the monsters in the stone forest thoroughly, suffering quite some casualties, but the next day, these monsters reappeared out of thin air. Also, their corpses could combust spontaneously without fire. Strange, isnt it? Song Jian frowned slightly, listening to Lan Ling. It seemed that the monsters here had only appeared recently and were not originally present. Could it be that these monsters are spawned specifically for players to grind? Song Jian thought to himself. If thats the case, then this place might not be a forbidden zone for players. Perhaps there are players born here, emerging as members of the Demon Clan right from the start. I really wonder what they would look like back in the real world Humph, there may be many monsters here, but they are no match for me. Xiao Jin can wipe them all out! Lan Ling said proudly. She seemed to really like the Dragon Lizard Beast and always liked to show it off no matter what she was doing; The Dragon Lizard Beast also posed in an invincible and disgustingly proud manner, lifting its head and roaring loudly twice; Song Jian smiled slightly. Although the Dragon Lizard Beast was a Lord-level BOSS and could easily crush the monsters here, the sheer number of monsters in the stone forest was too great. Ten, twenty, fifty, the Dragon Lizard Beast could defeat them, but what about one hundred, five hundred, a thousand, three thousand? Could the Dragon Lizard Beast still prevail? Just by attrition alone, the Dragon Lizard Beast could probably be worn to death. Otherwise, the previous extermination would not have resulted in such heavy casualties. If Lan Ling really dared to charge into the stone forest relying solely on a Dragon Lizard Beast, she would probably be seeking death; To safely cross this place, the only way would be if that old turtle from Wangyue River were to escort you! Song Jian looked back at the distant Wangyue River and thought to himself; Given the old turtles strength, perhaps it could truly smooth out a path through the stone forest! As he was thinking, Lan Ling took out a string of small bells from her bosom and hung them on her wrist, then patted the Dragon Lizard Beast and walked towards the stone forest; Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling~ As Lan Ling rode the Dragon Lizard Beast and moved forward, she shook her wrist, and the bells on it jingled continuously, creating a soul-stirring sensation in Song Jians ears; What is this? Song Jian was taken aback. The sound of the bells could shake the soul, obviously possessing the capability to damage it. Song Jian wasnt afraid of any other attacks now, except for soul attacks. If he mastered this kind of attack technique, he wouldnt dare to use his lifesaving skill, Soul Wander, anymore; In a state of soul, Song Jian was almost completely undefended. Without treasures to protect his soul, he would be utterly powerless if he suffered any soul damage; The Stone-Eating Beasts in the stone forest seemed to fear the sound as well. As soon as they heard the bell ring, they all scurried away so fast they disappeared without a trace, and Lan Ling leisurely rode the Dragon Lizard Beast into the stone forest; Song Jian shook his head. Lan Ling was of noble birth, constantly revealing endless treasures. If it came to a fight with her, even Song Jian himself wasnt sure he could win; If he damaged several of her treasures in the process, Song Jian was afraid he couldnt afford the compensation even if he sold himself! Song Jian used Sword Flight Art to travel through the air while Lan Ling rode the Dragon Lizard Beast, jingling the bells through the stone forest. It took more than two hours before Lan Ling finally came out of the stone forest; Its too dark in the stone forest, and you cant see anything clearly! Lan Ling complained. If it wasnt for Xiao Jin knowing the way, I would have gotten lost inside! Lan Ling patted Little Golds head affectionately, and the Dragon Lizard Beast let out a purring sound, squinting its eyes as if it was enjoying itself. Are we close to your home? How much farther? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Almost there. Do you see that mountain range ahead? My home is in those mountains! Lan Ling pointed to a distant mountain range and said, Phew, finally home. Im so tired, I wont ever go that far again Song Jian looked up at the distant mountains and was momentarily speechless. Its like exhausting the horse by its view of the mountain, but it appears that reaching Xuanyue Cave before sunset would count as quick. sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Abyssal Hell, Demon Slayer Canyon In the depths of Broken Stone Mountain, illuminated by the glow of the earths fire, Doru saw several temples that had collapsed, seemingly after a violent explosion. Numerous demons roamed around the ruins of the temples, and even though the temples had become rubble, the demons did not leave, continuously wandering around these ruins. These demons were at least of Elite Level BOSS, and there were several hulking Liege Level BOSSes lying around the ruins, deep in slumber. Although Doru was of Epic class professional, he couldnt possibly take on an Elite Level BOSS on his own. Besides, he had no clue which part of the ruins he should search for the Abyssal Demon King legacy at the moment. Just then, the ground suddenly shook, and stones tumbled; from within one of the ruins, a chest emanating a dark gold glow appeared. Its ancient golden light instantly caught Dorus eye, the Dark Gold Quality chest being the first he had ever seen. Lucky break, finding loot just as I enter this place! A slight smile appeared on Dorus lips. However, beside the chests ruins, a huge three-headed Hellhound BOSS lay snoring heavily. It was a forty-five level Liege Level BOSS, and if it was disturbed, Dorus life would be forfeit right there. After pondering for a moment, Doru took out a stone radiating blue quality light and started to mutter incantations. Before long, the stone in his hand developed cracks on its surface and soon crumbled into powder. Next to Doru, a massive stone creature over two meters tall rose from the ground. This giant stone person was an ability of the Abyss Earth Walker, Summoning it in non-combat state requiring an Earth Magic Stone and was limited by a summoning duration, so Doru rarely used this skill. Attack! Doru locked onto the Liege Level BOSS near the ruins and commanded the stone creature. The stone person made a rumbling noise and charged toward the three-headed Hellhound at a Liege Level, while Dorus body slowly sank below the surface of the ground. This was another core skill of the Abyss Earth Walker, Earthwalker, which allowed him to enter below the ground and stealth through it. Once underground, unless there were special scouting and attacking methods, harming him was simply wishful thinking. This skills only flaw was that its activation was somewhat slow, providing an opportunity to an opponent, but otherwise, it had no weak points. Chapter 943 - 944 Demon King Finger Bone_1 Chapter 943: Chapter 944: Demon King Finger Bone_1 Chapter 943: Chapter 944: Demon King Finger Bone_1 Dorus upper half emerged from the ground, and the golden treasure chest was right in front of him. He glanced back to see that the stone golem he had summoned was no match for the three-headed Hellhound, having already lost one-third of its Vitality Points. But he had managed to pull the Hellhound away, and the beast had not realized that Doru was already at the treasure chest. Thank goodness, this chest isnt locked! Doru placed his hands on the chest, and soon, a progress bar for unlocking appeared. For players who enjoyed adventure, the skill of unlocking was crucial, but unfortunately, only professions like thieves and pickpockets could learn the skill of unlocking from their class trainers. Other professions interested in learning unlocking had to obtain a universal unlocking skill book. Universal unlocking skills were hard to come by, and Doru hadnt learned any; if this chest had been locked, he could only have sighed, wiped his drool, and walked away. The higher the grade of the chest, the longer it would take to open it, and the Dark Gold Treasure Chest required a full three minutes to unlock. Doru didnt know if the stone golem he had summoned could withstand the Hellhounds assault for three minutes. With a continuous roar, all three heads of the Hellhound were capable of attacking. Although the stone golem was hard, it was still battered until chips of stone flew in all directions, and its Vitality Points rapidly decreased before Dorus eyes. While unlocking the chest, Doru kept an eye on the battle. He checked the remaining Vitality Points of the stone golem and then the progress bar of the chest. Estimating in his mind, he felt reassured that he should be able to open the chest before the golem perished. The skill to summon the stone golem wasnt a core ability of the Abyss Earth Walker; it was just a common skill with a long cooldown, heavy resource consumption, and a time limit for summoning. Doru seldom used it, but it was extremely effective for luring and tanking monsters. Click~ A light sound signaled that the lid of the chest popped open slightly, and Dorus heart leaped with joyit was open! Just then, Doru suddenly heard a roar from behind. Turning around, he saw each of the Hellhounds three heads biting down on the stone golems head, right arm, and left leg. A shrill sound of friction emerged, with stone powder falling tsk tsk from the jaws of the Hellhound. Its three heads fiercely tore in three different directions, and the stone golem, with only a third of its Vitality Points left, lasted less than three seconds before it crack apart, shattered by the Hellhound into a pile of rubble. With chunks of the stone golems half-head and limbs in their jaws, all made of solid stone, the three-headed Hellhound seemed to vent its frustration by crunching the rocks loudly in its mouth, reducing the solid stone remnants to powder in no time. Doru was greatly alarmed. Without even looking at the items in the chest, he grabbed everything into his inventory and then slowly started to descend into the ground. After killing the stone golem, the Hellhounds attention was drawn to Doru. Its three large heads turned to stare at the slowly descending Doru. The middle head opened its mouth wide, shooting out a blaze of fire that enveloped him. The Abyss Earth Walker could move underground, but the descent was not fast, which was the only weakness of this profession. However, if Doru could raise this skill to the highest level, that weakness would also be mitigated. sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing the flames coming at him, Doru was shocked. Although he had calculated the time needed to open the chest, he had forgotten that it would take some time to bury himself into the ground. At that moment, his neck had just touched the surface while his whole head was still exposed. The flames engulfed his head entirely; An injury figure of 1,500 points floated above Dorus head. At that moment, Doru could not interrupt his casting. Otherwise, he would be forced out of the ground, and then he would have to face the three-headed Hellhound, the boss-level monster, alone; Enduring the agony of the burn, Doru gritted his teeth and slowly submerged into the ground. After reaching the underground, the burning status immediately disappeared, and Doru let out a sigh of relief. He then checked his Vitality Points, which gave him quite a scare. From over two thousand Vitality Points, he was down to less than a hundred. It was a narrow escape from death. Had he been a second slower and allowed the burn to damage him once more, Doru would probably have lost his life there; That was close, too close! Dorus heart pounded wildly, and it took quite a while for him to calm down; One has to take risks for wealth, Doru mused, Lets see what spoils the treasure chest that almost cost me my life has yielded! With his life no longer in danger, Dorus attention returned to the loot inside the chest. The three-headed Hellhound above ground couldnt find Doru and, seeing the chest cracked open, flew into a fit of rage. Boom! Boom! Boom! came thunderous noises from above, but Doru paid them no mind. Unless the hounds had the ability to dig three feet into the ground, the burrowed Doru was safe and sound; A Dark Gold Treasure Chest should yield at least one Dark Gold Quality item. This is a big score! Doru opened his inventory with a smile spreading across his face; He had originally come here seeking the legacy of the Abyssal Demon King, but unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a Dark Gold Treasure Chest, which was a great start; Materials, materials, food, ores The chest contained over a dozen items that Doru grabbed in one go into his inventory, yet most of these were just common materials and food; Eh, Demon King Finger Bone? A Dark Gold Quality ring, nice, very nice, haha! Doru saw a crystalline finger bone, like gleaming jade, in his inventory, and upon carefully inspecting its attributes, he was overjoyed. He eagerly slipped the finger-bone-shaped ring onto his finger; The rings attributes were excellent and well-suited for Doru. Not only could it enhance the power of his abilities, but it could also increase the cast speed of his spells. This meant that even if his Earthwalker skill hadnt reached max level, he could quickly submerge underground, greatly enhancing his survival capabilities; Just as Doru was delightedly slipping on the ring, he suddenly felt a sharp pain at his finger, and cold sweat streamed down his body. Looking down, he saw the newly acquired Dark Gold Quality ring, glowing with a sinister red light like a hot iron, while his skin sizzled at the touch; Doru was startled. It was the first time he had encountered such a thing. He tried to grasp the ring and pull it off, but as soon as he touched it, the intense heat scalded him, forcing him to retract his hand quickly; At that moment, Doru felt his entire body restrained by the ring, dripping with cold sweat and unable to muster a single bit of strength; System: You have obtained the Demon King Finger Bone ring and automatically triggered the hidden quest The Seventh Demon Kings Legacy. Please follow the quest instructions and complete the task! Chapter 944 - 945 Three-tailed Fox Demon_1 Chapter 944: Chapter 945: Three-tailed Fox Demon_1 Chapter 944: Chapter 945: Three-tailed Fox Demon_1 Doru cradled his finger, the intense pain causing the muscles in his cheeks to twitch involuntarily, yet his eyes revealed a mix of surprise and delight. The Demon Kings inheritance, Ive actually obtained the Demon Kings inheritance! Doru was ecstatic, and even the pain from his finger seemed more bearable; Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, the ring that was the Demon King Finger Bone returned to normal, the crimson color slowly faded, and the heart-wrenching pain also disappeared without a trace, but Doru found that the ring seemed to have grown onto his finger, impossible to remove, and attempting to pull it caused his skin to hurt; Upon opening his equipment tab, sure enough, the ring was bound to him and couldnt be taken off, but to Dorus surprise, after the ring underwent the transformation, a new attribute upgradeable had been added to the item description, along with This is a symbol of the power held by the seventh Demon King of the Abyssal Hell; With this realization, Doru felt that it didnt even matter that he couldnt remove the ring, his heart filled with joy as he opened the quest tab to check the content of the Demon Kings inheritance quest; Meanwhile, Song Jian and Lan Ling had finally arrived at Xuanyue Cave, located deep within the mountain range. Without Lan Lings guidance, even if Song Jian had searched for three days and nights, he would never have found it; I thought Xuanyue Cave was just a cave. Who would have thought it would be such an opulent abode? Song Jian said in awe at the buildings nestled in the mountains; This is only the outer residence, the real Xuanyue Cave is actually inside this mountain peak! Lan Ling boasted proudly; Oh dear, my silly Linger, how come you start revealing our secrets to outsiders the moment you return home? A flamboyant young woman, holding a bamboo basket in her left hand and a silk fan in her right, covering half of her face, approached from the mountain path; Song Jian narrowed his eyes. The way this young woman moved was as graceful as a willow in the wind, her exposed eyes captivating and brilliant, like a hook that could steal ones soul with just a glance; The young woman exuded a seductive aura. One look from Song Jian and he felt as if there was a fire burning in his chest, his eyes beginning to turn red; Just then, a clear stream surged through his mind, instantly quenching the flame that had begun to rise, and his clarity returned at once; Song Jian was shocked C this young woman was naturally enchanting, and her every move could bewitch a person. Fortunately, his innate skill Thick-skinned had come into effect in time, or else, he might have embarrassed himself right there; A Three-tailed Fox Demon? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze from the womans face to behind her, where three tails, each two to three meters long, floated silently: one pure white, one pure black, and the third a mix of both; Lady Fox, this is my friend, Song Jian. Ive invited him to attend Mothers birthday banquet, Lan Ling said, smiling at the sight of the young woman, jumping down from the Dragon Lizard Beast and taking the womans arm; Oh, a friend! Lady Fox giggled, Linger has grown up and even has friends now. Let me see, which handsome, young man has caught Lingers eye? With that, Lady Fox swayed to Song Jians side, looking him up and down, her eyes twinkling with a strange light. A faint fishy scent drifted from her toward Song Jian; At that moment, Song Jian felt an imposing aura emanating from Lady Fox, like a mountain pressing down on him, and he felt somewhat helpless; Why does everyone here like to test me so much, just like the old turtle in Wangyue River, and now these Three-tailed Fox Demons upon our first meeting! This Three-tailed Fox Demon had a series of question marks for all attributes; evidently, its level had surpassed Song Jian by ten levels. Song Jian couldnt see any of the demons attributes, which decisively made him realize the need to acquire a high-quality detection skill. However, the aura exuded by the Three-tailed Fox Demon was nothing compared to the old turtle in the Wangyue River. A Sovereign-class BOSS A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Song Jians mouth. Such power might frighten other players around level forty, but to embarrass Song Jian was a foolish delusion. In the combat log, a cascade of system notifications appeared in front of Song Jian: System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you, triggering the innate skill Thick-skinned, which is immune to this skill; System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you, triggering the innate skill Thick-skinned, which is immune to this skill; System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you, triggering the innate skill Thick-skinned, which is immune to this skill; Lady Fox wasnt adept at fighting, but charm was her innate skill. Even a powerful demon might become her puppet if caught off guard and charmed, even happily committing suicide if so commanded. The Three-tailed Fox Demon was naturally charming. At first, when she saw Song Jian and realized that he was unaffected by the charm she had inadvertently exuded, she didnt care. But now, with her charm spell at full throttle, even demon kings stronger than her would flee in avoidance. Yet, this young man stood unaffected, which gave her quite a shock. Once her charm spell failed, Lady Fox felt as if she was standing naked in a snowy field, utterly insecure; Young man, where are you from? How did you become acquainted with our princess? With a flick of her silk fan, Lady Fox revealed her visage. Initially, Lady Fox merely intended to embarrass Song Jian, so that Linger could see his folly. But now, she felt a sense of competitiveness brewing within her. As her charming face came fully into view, Song Jian felt as if the whole world lost its color, and a look of bewilderment appeared in his eyes. Lady Fox was full of pride, yet at that moment, she suddenly heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed singing Surging Waves~, and before she could react, she saw a dazzling flash of sword light. Ah~ A shriek escaped her, the Three-tailed Fox Demons complexion drastically changed, and she found herself sitting on the ground, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Song Jian. Meanwhile, Song Jian also snapped out of his confusion and saw the panicked face of the fox demon. He didnt know what had happened and took a good while before he decided to open the combat log to check. System: The Three-tailed Fox Demon Lady Fox cast a charm spell on you. Innate skill Thick-skinned couldnt immunize this attempt; innate skill Holy Sword triggered, activating the Holy Sword Seal effect, rendering the targets charm spell unusable for 1 minute! Eh, the Holy Sword skill could also trigger such an effect? Song Jian was surprised. He hadnt expected to discover yet another function of the passive innate Holy Sword. Chapter 945 - 946 The Tiger-striped Young Man_1 Chapter 945: Chapter 946: The Tiger-striped Young Man_1 Chapter 945: Chapter 946: The Tiger-striped Young Man_1 Song Jian looked again at the Three-tailed Fox Demon, who, disguised as a young matron, no longer appeared as stunningly beautiful as before and seemed no different from an ordinary woman; Having been exposed to so many Japanese romance films in the real world, Ive seen all sorts of beauties. To think that I would be beguiled by a monster in this game is simply embarrassing Song Jian thought to himself; Oh my, Lady Fox, what happened to you, why did you fall over? Lan Ling exclaimed in surprise, hurrying to help Lady Fox to her feet; Lady Fox squeezed out a smile and said to Lan Ling, Linger, please take the guest inside to rest well, I I have things to do, Im going in first! sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Having said that, she pulled her arm away from Lan Lings grasp and without daring to glance at Song Jian again, she walked towards a small door in the manor with her basket in tow; Lady Fox is one of our stewards, shes usually very busy, Lan Ling whispered to Song Jian, seemingly unaware of the magical duel that had just taken place between Lady Fox and Song Jian; Oh! Song Jian nodded and asked, When does your mothers birthday feast start? Should I prepare some gifts? Upon hearing this, Lan Lings face lit up with joy, and she nodded repeatedly, Surely, the birthday feast is tomorrow. Its my mothers grand celebration, and the Great Monster Kings from the nearby regions will all come to wish her well. If the gift you bring is considered trivial, you might be ridiculed How about the Flame Crow Beast egg, why not give it as a gift to my mother? Song Jian looked at Lan Ling speechlessly, realizing that this little girl had her sights set on the Flame Crow Beast egg, having gone through such a roundabout way; You mentioned the Lan Zhi Library earlier Song Jian asked; Dont worry, dont worry, rest for a while. Tonight, Ill sneak you into the library, and by then, I guarantee youll learn sword techniques no weaker than the Thousand Swords Art! Lan Ling promised grandly; That would be great! Song Jian nodded and walked with Lan Ling toward the manor; The main gate of the manor was tightly closed, with large red lanterns hanging on both sides, and red silk draping the entire gate and wall in a festive atmosphere. Above the gate, there was a plaque reading Xuanyue Cave in big characters; Lan Ling led Song Jian through another side door into the manor, where pavilions, terraces, streams, and rockeries were plentiful, and the members of the Demon Clan dressed as maids and servants bowed their knees in greeting upon seeing Lan Ling and Song Jian; Eh, a player? As Song Jian was walking, he suddenly saw a youth with tiger-stripes on his face, slowly approaching with a bucket of water; Upon seeing Lan Ling, the youth quickly set down the bucket and bowed to her, while other servants had names, levels, and Vitality Points above their heads, this youth had nothing above his head, absolutely empty; As I thought, there are indeed players born here! Song Jian silently noted. Lan Ling didnt spare the youth a glance, continuing forward with her head held high, while Song Jian followed behind, giving the youth a slight smile, which instantly revealed the youths face, full of a shocked expression. You, you, the youth with tiger-stripes pointed at Song Jian, unable to help himself from exclaiming; Hmph, what do you think youre doing, dont you have any manners? Upon hearing the noise, Lan Ling turned her head and glared, scolding loudly and sternly; Yes, sorry! The tiger-striped youth was at a loss for what to do, murmuring; Its okay, no harm done. Lets go, weve been traveling for so many days; settle me in quickly so I can get some good rest! Song Jian said with a smile; Hmph, Ill deal with you later! Lan Ling gave the tiger-striped youth a fierce glare, then, pulling on Song Jians sleeve, moved towards the deeper parts of the courtyard; As the two walked away, the tiger-striped youth looked at Song Jians receding figure and couldnt help but exclaim in admiration, My, my, who is this, to receive such treatment from the Third Princess of Xuanyue Cave? And look at them, they seem quite close. This piece of news is explosive, I really admire this big shot! With that thought, the tiger-striped youth tossed aside his bucket and his figure gradually faded, eventually disappearing on the spot; If Song Jian were here, he would know that this youth had actually logged off right then and there, seemingly eager to spread this sensational news; After spending a certain amount of time in the game, players could freely log in and out. Initially, there was a mandatory duration one had to spend before leaving, but after that, one could leave anytime. However, once a player left, there would be a mandatory waiting time upon reentry. Many players, either to level up or complete quests, would often stay in the game for long stretches, with their in-game time even surpassing that spent in the real world; Following Lan Ling, Song Jian arrived at a side room which was actually an independent small courtyard. Although it appeared small, it was extremely exquisite; Alright, you can rest here tonight. Ill take you to the library later; tomorrow, well go pay respects to my mother for her birthday, and after that, you can leave! Lan Ling said, In a while, Ill prepare a nice-looking gift box for you. Put the Flame Crow Beasts egg in it, so it looks a bit more presentable. Youre the only friend Ive invited, so you cant embarrass me! Song Jian was temporarily at a loss for words but could only nod in response. Seeing Song Jian nod, Lan Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief, gave a couple more instructions, and then turned to leave; Soon after, several maids brought over tea and refreshments. Song Jian tasted a couple and found them to be unexpectedly delicious, with the tea seeming to have a soul-cleansing effect. I hadnt expected Lan Lings home to be so rich and luxurious? Song Jian couldnt help saying out loud. Originally, seeing Lan Lings equipment in the Toxic Swamp, Song Jian had guessed she was a rich second generationand indeed, his speculation had been spot on. Lan Lings household turned out to be even more opulent than he had imagined; The Third Princess, a princess of the Jiuli Clan? Then Lan Lings father must be at least a Great Monster King. Song Jian thought to himself; A simple household manager here had the strength of a commander-level BOSS; Song Jian believed that within this mansion, there must be even stronger monsters present, and it wouldnt be surprising if there were many like that old turtle from Wangyue River; Listen more, observe more, talk less, do less. After I visit the library and finish celebrating the birthday, Ill leave! Song Jian reminded himself internally. Now, looking at his reputation with the Jiuli Clan, he noticed that, unexpectedly, his standing had already reached Neutral and was only one-tenth away from Friendly. This reassurance helped Song Jian to relax a bit, knowing that as long as he didnt mess up, securing his safety within the Jiuli Clan wouldnt be an issue. Unbeknownst to Song Jian, evening had fallen, and the news of Lan Ling bringing back a young man gradually spread throughout the Xuanyue Cave Estate, eventually even reaching the ears of Lan Lings mother; After dinner, Lan Ling was called into the inner chamber by her mother, who began to inquire about how she had come to know Song Jian. The two talked for two or three hours. Lan Ling was anxious inside, afraid that Song Jian might become impatient, yet she dared not show it on her face. It wasnt until her mother dismissed her that she hurried towards the small courtyard where Song Jian was staying; Chapter 946 - 947 Willpower_1 Chapter 946: Chapter 947: Willpower_1 Chapter 946: Chapter 947: Willpower_1 Deep into the night, when all was quiet, Song Jian heard a gentle knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Lan Ling standing there with a look of unease. Seeing Song Jian, she whispered, My mother found out you were here and kept talking to me. Ive only just managed to get away. Have you been waiting anxiously? Its alright. Did your mother blame you? Song Jian asked. He suddenly felt that following Lan Ling to her house might not have been a good idea. Enough talk, lets go to the Lan Zhi Library. Its perfect timing; theyre all busy preparing for tomorrows birthday feast, and the library should only be guarded by poor Grandpa. Here, take this jug of wine; once we give it to him, hell let us in, Lan Ling handed over a small gourd over a foot long, saying; Song Jian took the gourd and immediately saw the properties of the wine within: Hundred Treasures Wine: Beverage, rare quality, effects upon use: after drinking, the whole body relaxes, all illnesses vanish, Spirit Points recovery speed increases by 100%, intoxicated as if sinking into a fantastical dream! Item description: This wine is brewed from a hundred precious fruits and herbs, made according to an ancient formula akin to Monkey Wine, priceless! Just a 100% increase in Spirit Points recovery speed is enough to be considered priceless? Song Jian wondered, but still stowed away the small gourd that probably held only three to four ounces of wine. Quickly, lets go! Lan Ling seemed a bit anxious, pulling at the sleeve of Song Jian as they headed for the outside of the courtyard. Song Jian noticed that the path Lan Ling was taking him on was not the same one they had used that morning to enter, but instead led deeper into the estate. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The two ran along a small path, and Song Jian realized they appeared to be heading towards the mountain. Looking back, he saw the estates courtyard at the foot of the mountain brightly lit, bustling with many people busily preparing something. As the scenery on both sides became increasingly barren, Song Jian couldnt help but ask, Where, where are you taking me? To the Lan Zhi Library, of course! Lan Ling said in a low voice, Did you think the Lan Zhi Library was outside? Thats the true heart of the Xuanyue Cave. Only by entering deep into the estate can one access the real Lan Zhi Library! The real Lan Zhi Library? Song Jian was startled. If there was a real one, did that mean there was also a fake Lan Zhi Library? When Song Jian voiced his doubts, Lan Ling rolled her eyes and said, Of course theres a fake one. Look, do you see that big red tree over there? Following Lan Lings indicated direction, Song Jian saw a dark red ancient tree in the southwestern corner of the estate below, emitting a faint glow like a giant candle in the darkness. Thats what most people think of as the Lan Zhi Library! Lan Ling said, But thats just to fool outsiders. The real Lan Zhi Library is within the belly of this mountain! In the back courtyard behind the main hall of the estate, an elegant and luxurious woman sat in front of a basin of clear water, which reflected the image of Lan Ling proudly showing off the real Lan Zhi Library to Song Jian. Hmph, that dead girl! the woman said with furrowed brows, unable to help herself from fiercely slapping the armrest of the wooden chair and muttering under her breath, Guard against everything, yet nothing guards against betrayal from within ones own house. At such a young age, sneaking out for a walk, she even brought a strange man back home! Madam, judging by the young lady and this gentlemans demeanor, it seems, their relationship, perhaps, does not involve romantic feelings a maid dressed woman said cautiously, whispering beside the madam as if she were defending Lan Ling. Its infuriating, utterly infuriating. I initially thought she was merely taking him to look around the outer courts library, but to think, she, she actually tried to take him into the inner court library, this, this Lady Xuan Yue said, trembling with rage as she swung her right hand, decisively knocking over a basin of water before getting up and walking towards the exterior of the house. Madam, please calm your anger! The maid by her side immediately kneeled down to block Lady Xuan Yues path, Tomorrow is your birthday, and many demon kings have already settled in our residence. If madam confronts them now, wouldnt it alarm many people? If things blow up, it may harm the third young ladys reputation instead. Please rethink this, madam! Upon hearing this, Lady Xuan Yues footsteps slowed, and after a moments hesitation, she couldnt help but let out a heavy sigh, saying, What a calamity, such a calamity indeed. Well, let that boy take a small advantage! You go send a flying pigeon message to Mi Gao, give that boy just the time of a cup of tea, whatever fate he may encounter, its all down to his luck now! Yes, madam. Bier will go immediately! The maid quickly got up, pulled out a brocade handkerchief from her bosom, folded it casually a few times into a pigeon shape, and after whispering a few words to the folded silk pigeon, she gently stroked its wings twice, and unbelievably, it began to move. Flapping its wings a couple of times, the pigeon cooed twice and then took flight, soaring towards the peak of the mountain. Lan Ling, are we, are we really going to climb to the top of the mountain? Song Jian panted as he looked up, realizing they were nearing the mountain summit. With his current strength of over a hundred points, not to mention climbing a mountain of merely around a hundred meters, even if he were to scale Mount Everest in a single layer of clothing, he wouldnt feel fatigued at all. But now, having climbed for less than an hour, his legs were already sore and numb, and all he wanted was to lie down on the ground and never get up again. Theres something fishy! Song Jian thought to himself, opening his personal attributes panel, yet nothing seemed amiss. However, he felt as if his attributes had reverted overnight back to his original feeble self, just like before he entered the game. With a thought, Sword Qi surged from within his dantian, ready to burst forth. He noticed nothing unusual with his body, but the weariness baffled him. Indeed, the entrance to the inner courtyard is at the top of the mountain! Lan Ling glanced at Song Jian, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes. The path they were on, leading to the actual inner courtyard, was originally set with restrictions; no matter how physically strong one was, it made no difference, as they could only climb upwards with sheer willpower. The stronger ones will, the easier the climb; the weaker, the harder. Some with feeble willpower could not even make it halfway up the mountain before exhausting themselves and collapsing, but the real people of Xuanyue Cave would have an amulet, allowing them to move freely up and down. Initially, Lan Ling only wanted to tease Song Jian a bit, planning to give him an amulet when he could no longer persist. To her surprise, he had endured all the way, panting heavily and sweating profusely yet not collapsing outright on the ground. If he can truly climb to the mountain top on his own strength, it would be beneficial for him. Since thats the case, theres no need for me to make a fuss. Ill wait until we reach the mountain top to see! Lan Ling took another look at Song Jian, seeing him struggle and suffer made her feel an odd sense of enjoyment. She couldnt help but let out a chuckle, her footsteps involuntarily quickening. Chapter 947 - 948 Inner Court_1 Chapter 947: Chapter 948 Inner Court_1 Chapter 947: Chapter 948 Inner Court_1 After climbing for more than an hour, the two finally reached the mountain peak. By then, the moon was bright and the stars were sparseit was already midnight. Lan Ling looked at Song Jian, who was drenched in sweat, and giggled; Song Jian glanced at Lan Ling, well aware that something was off. Lan Lings physical attributes certainly werent as good as his own yet all along the way, she had seemed quite relaxed, without even breaking a sweat; Just as Song Jians expression grew solemn, he suddenly received a system prompt; System: You have reached the summit in one hour and twenty-three minutes. Your willpower has been greatly exercised, and your will attribute has increased by 2 points; this record has been locked. If you climb up ten minutes earlier next time, your will attribute will increase by an additional 1 point; What, this is actually a test? Song Jian was startled. He opened his attribute panel. Willpower is a hidden attribute, and Song Jian had not yet encountered any item that could increase a hidden attribute. Unexpectedly, in Xuanyue Cave, he had found a way to enhance his willpower; How about it, theres a benefit to climbing up here, right? Lan Ling said to Song Jian with a smile; Song Jian took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, Lets continue! Although he had gained a benefit, being tested in such a way still left Song Jian feeling somewhat dissatisfied. If Lan Ling had told him in advance, he would have been very grateful to her right now; At the peak, there was a cave that seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. Lan Ling walked in front, with Song Jian closely following behind. The two quickly entered the cave; The cave was dim, completely void of light. Faint blue glows emanated from Lan Lings eyes, and Song Jian also had dark vision, so the darkness within the cave did not affect their ability to walk; Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, Lan Ling arrived in front of a rock wall. She took out a token from her bosom and inserted it into an inconspicuous groove in the rock wall. In no time at all, the wall rumbled and split open to reveal a path just wide enough for one person to pass through; Move quickly, each time you only have ten minutes to pass through. Once the time is up, it will close automatically! Lan Ling said, then stepped onto the path; Song Jian quickly followed behind, entering the narrow passage where both sides were lined with jagged rock faces, rough and uneven. Some parts of the rock wall resembled the fangs of a wild beast, interlocking with each other. Once it closed, it was likely that no one would be able to escape; After entering the passage, a ten-minute countdown appeared before Song Jians eyes. It seemed that for players, this place was likely yet another test; This passage was twenty to thirty meters long, which was equivalent to a twenty to thirty-meter-tall stone wall. Without Lan Lings token, it would probably require digging through the entire mountain to get through; Hurry up, hurry up! Lan Ling urged from ahead. The two quickly reached the very center of the mountains belly, where there was a spiral staircase just wide enough for one person. To walk up the stone stairs into the true inner courtyard of Xuanyue Cave within ten minutes was not an easy task; Every few meters along the rock wall next to the stone steps, there was a dim oil lamp. Upon someones entry, these lamps suddenly ignited on their own. However, they only illuminated a small area of the stairs. Such a narrow path would intimidate many from attempting the passage, let alone passing through it in ten minutes; Fast, fast, fast! Lan Ling seemed a bit anxious, signaling to Song Jian repeatedly while clattering down the stone stairs; Song Jian looked down, seeing only an unfathomable depthit was like going from the mountain peak straight back down to the base! With a thought, the Flame Light Wings appeared behind Song Jian. The wings, like flowing light, illuminated the entire stairway. Swift as lightning, Song Jian zipped towards the end of the passage; Lan Ling was startled, only to see a flash of fire before her eyes. By the time she looked back, Song Jian had already vanished from the spot. He just jumped down like that? Lan Lings face was filled with surprise. At this point, she also picked up her pace, hopping towards the steps below on the opposite side. If she really followed the steps down one by one, ten minutes would not be enough. It was only by jumping diagonally down to the steps on the opposite side and then hopping back and forth that she could reach the ground within the allotted time. By the time Lan Ling finally managed to hop to the end, Song Jian was already waiting for her at the end of the passage, having used less than ten seconds. What skill did you just use? Lan Ling, out of breath, looked at Song Jian with a face full of curiosity. Angels Wings, a kind of external equipment, Song Jian said with a smile. How wonderful, to be able to fly without the help of a mount! A look of envy appeared in Lan Lings eyes, and for a moment, her desire for a flying mount seemed to fade a bit. This is the place. Shall we go in? At the end of the passage was a hall, empty and devoid of anything. On one side of the halls rock wall, there was an ancient stone door, with two huge stone sculptures placed on either side, their shapes peculiar; Song Jian also did not know what species of tall, five to six-meters-high humanoid monsters these were. Lets go. Once we enter, well be in the inner courtyard of Xuanyue Cave. This is the real Xuanyue Cave! Lan Ling said with a smile, her right hand opened and reaching towards the stone door. A piece of spiritual light lit up from the spot where Lan Lings palm touched, then quickly spread across the entire stone door. Boom boom boom~ The stone door automatically opened, and Song Jian suddenly felt a warmth rushing towards him. Behind the stone door was a picturesque valley, bathed in bright sunlight overhead, lush and vibrant, with the sounds of insects and birds chirping incessantly, almost as if he had entered another world. Is this a Semi-dimensional plane? A Space-Time Rift? Or Song Jian thought of the broken Divine Country he had acquired. The scene before him was exactly like the Divine Country, only his Divine Country was a world on the verge of collapse, while behind the stone door was a world brimming with life and vitality. Come in, come in. Most people in the inner courtyard are out helping now. If were quick, we can get there and back early! Lan Ling pulled on Song Jians sleeve, heading towards the inner courtyard. Running along the path, they were flanked by tall trees and bright flowers. Many wild animals, hearing the noise, emerged from the flowers, paused to look at Lan Ling, then stood still again, watching them both. Passing through a garden, two courtyards, and several pavilions, Song Jian and Lan Ling arrived in front of a seven-story stone tower. Along the way, they met only a few people, most of whom dressed as servants and maids. Upon seeing Lan Ling, these people would stop their work, pay their respects on the spot, and only stand up to continue their tasks once Lan Ling had left. Here we are, the real Lan Zhi Library! said Lan Ling, pointing at the stone tower with evident pride. Does this place really contain sword techniques that can rival the Thousand Swords Art? Song Jian looked at the unassuming stone tower with some doubt, not sensing anything surprising about it. Hmph, there are plenty of sword techniques far more powerful than the Thousand Swords Art; it all depends on your luck and fortune, Lan Ling seemed dissatisfied with Song Jians attitude, snorted coldly, and pulled him towards the stone tower. Chapter 948 - 949 Library_1 Chapter 948: Chapter 949 Library_1 Chapter 948: Chapter 949 Library_1 Upon entering the stone tower, Lan Ling immediately started looking around. Huh, wheres the poor grandpa? Lan Ling wondered aloud as she stared at the empty first-floor hall of the stone tower. Little one, looking for your poor grandpa? An elderly voice came from the second floor. Soon after, an old man in a white robe slowly made his way down from the second floor, clutching a brightly colored handkerchief in his hand! Huh, isnt that my mothers handkerchief? How did it end up with poor grandpa? Lan Lings gaze was instantly drawn to the handkerchief in the elders hand, and she asked curiously. Hehe, your mother accidentally left it here during her last visit. Knowing you were coming, poor grandpa held onto it, especially for you to bring back to your mother! The elder looked at Lan Ling with a kind gaze, passing the handkerchief to her, yet he did not give Song Jian beside her a direct look, as if he were air. Poor grandpa, this is my good friend Song Jian. I want to take him to the library for a look around. You know, hes a human and he really likes Lan Ling took the elders hand in hers and coaxed in a childlike manner as she shook his hand. Fine, but you only have the time it takes to burn a stick of incense! The elder glanced at Song Jian out of the corner of his eye and nodded. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Poor grandpa, he is my best friend, and he even gave you Huh, what did you say, youre allowing us to go up? Lan Ling was stunned and could hardly believe her ears. Ah, who can say no to poor grandpas favorite? Go on now, but remember, you only have the time it takes to burn a stick of incense! The elder in the white robe glared at Song Jian and snorted coldly. That look made Song Jian feel as if he had plunged into the abyss. Suddenly, a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood appeared before him. Waves of blood surged towards Song Jian, engulfing him in an instant. A stream of clarity surged through his mind, spreading throughout his body, and Song Jian awoke from the illusion. A mere glance from the elder had almost taken Song Jians life. Only then did Song Jian realize the murderous intent emanating from the elder was dense, almost tangible, yet most people would struggle to sense its presence. This is a powerhouse whose strength is no less than that of the old turtle from Wangyue River, at the very least a peak third-tier combatant. No, this elder must have already surpassed third-tier combat power! Song Jian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and thought to himself. Huh, not bad willpower, young man! A hint of surprise flashed through the elders eyes as he said softly, Go on up, but remember, you only have the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Once the time is up, youll be automatically kicked out! And dont be greedy, you can only choose one sword technique. If you choose more, you wont be able to learn it! After finishing his words, the elder didnt even glance at the two of them again. He sat to one side, closed his eyes slightly, and began sipping his tea. Lets hurry! Fearing the elder might change his mind, Lan Ling quickly pulled Song Jian towards the second floor. Seeing the hasty manner in which Lan Ling dragged Song Jian away, the elder inwardly sighed and shook his head. Song Jian was led up the stone stairs by Lan Ling and felt as if he had passed through a thin curtain of light, immediately entering an immensely vast space. It was as if they were in a super-large hall with walls lined on all sides by bookshelves more than ten meters tall, stacked full of books. In the center of the hall were oddly shaped books piled casually, forming a mountain of books five or six meters high, with books occasionally falling from the top. It appeared as if they were just a pile of garbage that nobody cared about. Phew, seriously, cant those guys put the books back in place after reading them? Humph, next time I see them, Ill definitely give them a good beating! Lan Ling looked at the mountain of books in front of her and said, irritated. Where can I find the sword technique you mentioned? Song Jian asked; Right here? Lan Ling looked at Song Jian strangely and said, The Lan Zhi Library holds over one hundred thousand volumes. People rarely pay any attention to it, and our poor old keeper is too lazy, always just drinking. So, its all a mess, and if youre looking for a book, youll have to find it yourself! To find the sword technique I need among so many books in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? Song Jians eyes widened in disbelief as he said, Are you joking with me? I can help too! Lan Ling nodded and said; Then lets get started quickly, weve already wasted quite a bit of time! After saying this, Song Jian immediately used Sword Shadow Clone, and an identical Song Jian appeared, both moving in separate directions towards the bookshelves to search. Trying to flip through the mountain of books was clearly impossible, so the quickest way was to rapidly scan the books on the shelves; But if the sword technique book truly was buried in that pile of books, Song Jian had no choice but to chalk it up to bad luck; Advanced Forge Art Analysis, grants 10 levels of improvement in forging skill upon use, only advancing up to expert level Thirty-six thousand methods of distinguishing herbs, significantly boosts the level of the Gathering Skill upon use and also affects the success rate of Alchemy. Only master herbalists are qualified to study this? Nine Special Anatomies Analysis, mastery of a special dissection skill upon use with a chance to advance to a Decomposition Skill, requires Master Level in dissection to learn! For players, the Lan Zhi Library is indeed a treasure trove filled with all kinds of Skill Books, including those for life professions as well as numerous other combat-related skills; However, all Song Jian found were ordinary sword techniques. The highest quality sword technique he came across was only similar to the Sword Finger or Taiji Sword he had learned before; Not to mention a technique to rival the Thousand Swords Art, he did not even find anything comparable to the Mysterious Moonlight Sword or the Ling Huan Manbu skills; Time ticked away by the minute and second, and fifteen minutes, the duration of a cup of tea, was almost up. If he couldnt find a sword technique to match the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian would have to settle for a slightly weaker one; Soon, Song Jian had narrowed it down to three sword skill books in front of him a version of the Evil Warding Sword Skill that didnt require castration to practice, a Dugu Nine Swords C Broken with only the Sword Breaking, Arrow Breaking, Whip Breaking, and Saber Breaking techniques, and one Dark Gold Quality book, the Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill. Hey, looks like in the end I can only choose this Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill! Song Jian looked at the three skills, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately picked the complete Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill! Just as Song Jian was preparing to study it, Lan Ling, who was still digging through the mountain of books, suddenly let out a Huh! Song Jians hand twitched, almost slapping the Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill in his hand; Song Jian, come look, is this the Skill Book you were looking for? Lan Ling held up a Skill Book and shook it at Song Jian, whose eyes lit up immediately upon looking up. The surface of this Skill Book was emitting a faint purple-gold glow. Legendary Level, this is actually a Legendary Level Skill Book! Song Jian became instantly excited, tossing the Carefree Wind Controlling Sword Skill aside and running over to Lan Ling; Chapter 949 - 950 Legendary Level Swordsmanship_1 Chapter 949: Chapter 950 Legendary Level Swordsmanship_1 Chapter 949: Chapter 950 Legendary Level Swordsmanship_1 I never imagined that beneath this mountain of books, there really would be a Legendary Level Skill Book? Song Jian was amazed in his heart. The reason he searched on the bookshelves was that the books quality could be easily identified by their emanating glowblue, green, and even silver hues. Song Jian didnt even glance at these; he was only interested in skimming through books of gold quality or higher; However, the highest quality on the shelves was just Dark Gold Quality, and there were no books higher than that level, which forced Song Jian to make the best out of a bad situation, settling for three Dark Gold Quality Skill Books; Seeing Lan Ling uncover a Legendary Level Skill Book from beneath the mount of books, Song Jian naturally cast aside the Skill Books he had just selected with such difficulty, as if they were worn-out shoes; Lady Xuan Yue, who had been watching her daughter from the outer courtyard, also couldnt help but let out a sigh when she saw this scene; The sword technique Lan Ling picked was naturally suited for Song Jian, a Legendary Level sword technique that was priceless among players, most of whom probably had never even seen one; Using a Flame Crow Beasts egg in exchange for this sword technique, Ive made a huge profit! Song Jian said as he took the technique and immediately his face lit up with joy. Eclipse Shattered Light Slash (Active): Legendary Level, Level 1 (0%), Skill Effect: Lock on to the target, increase your own critical hit rate by tenfold+1%, consume all Sword Qi Value, Spirit Points, and Vitality Points, deal damage to the target (total energy*1000% + damage*500%), after the skill is released, the user forcibly retains one Vitality Point, falling into a weakened state, unable to automatically recover Sword Qi Value, Spirit Points, or Vitality Points during this state, which lasts for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the weakened state will be lifted; Skill cooldown time: 5 minutes, Skill usage condition: Vitality Points not lower than five thousand; Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This skill is purely a do-or-die maneuver, after one move, either the enemy dies or I die, theres no second possibility! Song Jian couldnt help but exclaim in astonishment after reading the introduction of the Skill Book; But its very powerful, isnt it? Lan Ling said, With your current attributes, even if you dont trigger the tenfold crit rate, you would still be able to deal around a hundred-thousand points of damage, right? If you do trigger the tenfold crit rate, thats a million damage, who else could be your opponent then? Song Jian silently calculated, Lan Ling had underestimated his attributes. You see, Song Jians Vitality Points had already exceeded eight thousand, and if he deployed the Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, it would add another five thousand fake health points, which totals over thirteen thousand. Song Jian already had over two thousand Spirit Points, and his Sword Qi Value had also broken through one thousand, plus his current physical damage, if Song Jian used this Eclipse Shattered Light Slasheven without deploying the Azure Dragon Sword Bodyhe could inflict over two hundred thousand points of damage on his target. If he triggered the tenfold critical chance, that would be over two million damage, enough to one-shot even a dominion-class boss. The sword technique was terrifying in damage, but as said before, if it failed to kill the opponent, the one who would die was oneself. In the five-minute weakened state with only a single Vitality Point remaining, one could very well die from just a breeze. To others, perhaps they could only dare to use such a skill once in a lifetime, but for Song Jian, this downside would be greatly diminished; I am from the Shattered Divine Realm, after performing it, I just need to hide in the Shattered Divine Realm for five minutes, and Ill be fine! Song Jian thought to himself, then he slapped his hand on the Skill Book without any hesitation; A purple-gold light flew out from the book and into Song Jians mind, a massive influx of information surfaced in his brain. If it were an ordinary person, such an information overload would probably result in a deadly cerebral hemorrhage, turning the person into an idiot, but Song Jians Spirit Points had already surpassed a hundred points. After learning the new sword technique, he only felt a slight stuffiness in his head; After the learning was completed, the Skill Book disappeared, and before Song Jian had snapped out of his daze, Lan Ling was already pulling him towards the exit of the tower: Time is almost up; lets leave this place quickly. If my mother finds out, shell kill me! You brought me in without telling your mother? Song Jian was stunned. If the owner of this mansion didnt know, he didnt understand why the old guardian of the library was so easy to talk to that he didnt even offer him any Hundred Treasures Wine; Hmph, of course you dont know, I sneaked you in here, Lan Ling said with pride, lifting her chin, Now that both sisters are absent, aside from father king and mother, Im in charge of Xuanyue Cave. Whats wrong with bringing you to the library? Would they even dare to stop me? Song Jian was at a loss for words. Now that the deed was done, Lan Ling became smug. She hadnt been like this before; she was cautious and meticulous, even preparing a bribe in advance as a gift for the elder guarding the library. Oh right, this bottle of wine wasnt even needed; Ill give it back to you. Song Jian took the small gourd from his item slot and handed it to Lan Ling. Forget it, poor grandpa has no taste for it, Ill give it to you. My eldest sister brewed it, I stole quite a bit, hehe! Lan Ling laughed. The two returned to the first floor of the library, and by then the white-robed elder had disappeared. Nonetheless, Lan Ling waved her hand towards the empty hall and said, Poor grandpa, were leaving now. We didnt delay even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, so you cant tell my mother, okay? Otherwise, youll have no Hundred Treasures Wine to drink next time! The elder, hidden in the shadows, had a slight flush on his cheeks. He definitely knew that every action and every word of Lan Ling was under Lady Xuan Yues surveillance. It seemed that his acceptance of Lan Lings bribe and secret drinking of the Hundred Treasures Wine had been exposed! Lan Ling and Song Jian did not linger in the inner courtyard, instead retracing their steps back the way they came. This time, Song Jian offered to carry Lan Ling and fly to the mountain top. Lan Ling did not refuse, accepting it with a blushed face. After all, climbing to the mountain top via the winding stone steps from the inner courtyard was no easy task, but flying up was much simpler. Upon returning to the small courtyard, the blush on Lan Lings cheeks had yet to fade. Barely containing her shyness, Lan Ling gave some instructions, You cant tell anyone about tonights event, okay? Also, after tomorrows birthday banquet, you can stay here a little longer. Ill take you around the Xuanyue Cave territory; there are many places with nice scenery around here Just then, a deep voice exploded in their ears, Hmph, Lan Ling, its late at night, arent you going back to your own room to rest? Ah, Mother Lan Lings face showed a panic, not daring to utter another word. She only made a wish-me-luck expression to Song Jian before quickly leaving the small courtyard. Song Jians face turned. At that moment, he realized that the master of Xuanyue Cave, Lady Xuan Yue, seemed to have been watching her daughter all along. Remembering how easily he had gained the old mans permission to enter the Lan Zhi Library, Song Jian instantly understood that his every move that evening might have been observed by this Lady Xuan Yue. After waiting quietly for a moment, Song Jian saw that Lady Xuan Yue seemed to have no intention of speaking with him. He shook his head slightly and turned back to his room. This silly girl, sigh, it looks like Ill have to change the plans for tomorrows birthday gift! Song Jian murmured to himself. Chapter 950 - 951 Longevity Banquet_1 Chapter 950: Chapter 951: Longevity Banquet_1 Chapter 950: Chapter 951: Longevity Banquet_1 The next morning, Xuanyue Caves outer courtyard buzzed with excitement. Everyone looked overjoyed as many powerful Demon Kings came one after another to celebrate Lady Xuan Yues birthday, while the smaller forces among the Demon Clan could only leave their gifts and names without even the privilege to enter and share a cup of tea. Hey, another player? Song Jian sat in a stone pavilion with a clear view of the outer courtyard gate. This was the perfect moment to broaden his horizons, as Song Jian was curious to see just how many formidable beings existed on the land ruled by the Jiuli Demon Clan. To him, the Jiuli Clan were nothing more than special NPCs. Although this place was far from Doomsday City, it didnt hinder the possibility of future interactions. Fang Demon King wishes Lady Xuan Yue a happy birthday and presents his gifts, a nine-star begonia plant and a meteorite from beyond the heavens, weighing thirteen pounds and six ounces. Giant Elephant Demon King wishes Lady Xuan Yue a happy birthday and presents his gifts, a piece of bright moon jade and a third-tier golden lotus! After listening for a while, Song Jian couldnt help feeling speechlessthese gifts from the Demon Kings were merely materials of green and blue quality, which probably wouldnt be valued at more than a few tens of thousands of Doomsday Coins if auctioned off in Doomsday City. This is rather shabby, Song Jian shook his head slightly. Monster Alliance, leader Wang Yuetu, wishes Lady Xuan Yue a happy birthday and presents a nine-winged crystal drill, a Dark Gold weapon. Lady Xuan Yue invites Leader Wang Yuetu to take a front seat in the hall! Wang Yuetu? A player? Song Jian was startled. Soon enough, he saw a young woman in her twenties followed by two men, being led towards the banquet hall by the servants. These three individuals bore distinct animal traits, be it ears or eyes, differing from ordinary humans. While other demons merely took human form and could walk upright, the players had only two to three parts accentuated by beastly marks, setting them visibly apart from regular NPCs. But that only applied to common Demon Clan NPCs. The powerful ones were almost indistinguishable from humans in appearance. Soon, a large group of Demon Kings came to offer their birthday wishes. Each of these kings, leading significant forces, provided gifts much more precious than those before, but none exceeded the value of Wang Yuetus present. Song Jian, what are you doing here? Ive been looking everywhere for you, Lan Lings voice came from a distance. Turning his head, Song Jian saw Lan Ling hurrying over, Come on, hurry up, the birthday banquet is about to start. Ill take you for a big feast, haha! With that, Lan Ling dragged Song Jian towards the banquet hall. By this time, the hall was packed with Demon Kings, most of whom were above level fifty and had first-tier combat power. However, a few Demon Kings exuded an aura surpassing the first-tier, possessing second-tier combat strength. Without exception, these powerful kings were seated at the very front of the hall. The three members of the Monster Alliance, though seated quite up front, owed their position not to strength but to wealtha single Dark Gold weapon had earned them overwhelming prestige. Lan Ling pulled Song Jian to the very front of the hall, even ahead of the seats of the few Demon Kings with second-tier combat power. This scene caught the attention of nearly all the Demon Kings. Wang Yuetu, the leader of the Monster Alliance, looked at Song Jian with a burning gaze, her face full of interest. Hmph, you little demons, even daring to sit alongside this Demon King. Arent you afraid that after the longevity banquet, this Demon King will find trouble with you? At this moment, a Demon King with a single horn atop his head, sitting next to Wang Yuetu, looked at the three of them with a displeased expression; Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Esteemed Demon King, we have offered a Dark Gold Quality weapon to Lady Xuan Yue as tribute. This treasure was acquired at the cost of losing over a dozen members of our alliance! Wang Yuetu smiled obsequiously and said, Look at that human up there; he didnt spend a single Doomsday Coin and yet sits in a place of honor. Arent you resentful, Demon King? If you stand up for justice now, you can certainly gain fame among all the Demon Kings, greatly enhancing your reputation. Even Lady Xuan Yue might regard you with special favor! This Unicorn Demon King, who obviously had brawn over brain, was easily manipulated by Wang Yuetus words to transfer his animosity towards Song Jian; Other Demon Kings also felt indignant seeing Song Jian sitting at the forefront, but they all knew Lan Ling and didnt oppose out of respect for her; Just then, the Unicorn Demon King abruptly stood up, pointed at Song Jian, and roared, Hey, human boy, what gives you the right to sit above all the Demon Kings? Many Demon Kings, seeing someone taking the lead, all wore smiles and kept silent, sitting back to watch the show; Song Jian was taken aback and looked at the Unicorn Demon King. The Demon King was of a towering build with a face full of rage, pointing at him as though he had been greatly insulted; Song Jian didnt speak but glanced around and noticed Wang Yuetu and the other players nearby. All had smirks on their faces as if they eagerly anticipated his embarrassment. Is this the human Wang Xiaohu mentioned? Wang Yuetu whispered; Considering his relationship with the third princess of Xuanyue Cave, its very likely! a youth behind him with sharp eagle eyes whispered back, looking at Song Jian with a mix of envy and jealousy. He said, This guy is really cunning, managing to get in good with the third princess of Xuanyue Cave. If we had his ingenuity, the Monster Alliance might have already established our city Hmph, all you ever think about are good fortunes. In games, the victor is king. Having strong personal power is the key. Isnt his current situation even more embarrassing? A man next to him spoke disdainfully; Lan Ling, upon hearing the Unicorn Demon King speak about Song Jian like that, trembled with rage and pointed at the Demon King as she scolded loudly, You ugly freak, how dare you speak of my friend that way? What gives you the right to sit here? Someone, come forward and throw this brute out for this princess! All the Demon Kings were startled, not having expected this human to hold such an important place in Lan Lings heart. The Unicorn Demon King was also stunned; only then did he realize he had been used as a pawn by others! Several servants hastened into the hall, preparing to drag the Unicorn Demon King away, but they were halted by a stern reprimand, Step down, you ill-mannered brute. How could you treat a guest of Xuanyue Cave like this? Lady Xuan Yue walked forward with dignified grace, gesturing for the servants to withdraw, and glared at Lan Ling before turning her smiling face to Song Jian, I too would like to know, what birthday gift has Lan Lings friend offered to celebrate my longevity? Chapter 951 - 952 Birthday Gift_1 Chapter 951: Chapter 952: Birthday Gift_1 Chapter 951: Chapter 952: Birthday Gift_1 Lan Ling saw her mother come out ahead of time and was startled, immediately running to Lady Xuan Yues side and supporting her arm, cooing, Mother, it was that ugly monster who was rude to my friend first; how can you side with an outsider? Oh, so hes not an outsider then? Lady Xuan Yue looked at Song Jian expressionlessly and said softly; Lan Ling immediately blushed, her lips moved slightly, but she didnt utter a word; Whats the matter, boy, how long do you plan to hide behind my daughter? Lady Xuan Yue raised an eyebrow and stared at Song Jian as she asked; Song Jian stood up, smiled slightly, and pulled a gift list from his bosom, saying, This is a birthday gift the boy has prepared for the lady! Mother, hes using a Three-legged Flame Crow Beasts Battle Pet Egg as a birthday gift for you. That Three-legged Flame Crow Beast is a flying mount, practically identical to the ancient mythical Three-legged Golden Crow! He personally slew the Flame Crow Beast to obtain this treasure! Lan Ling said excitedly at her side; Flame Crow Beast, a flying mount? Lady Xuan Yue was startled, then seemed to realize something, and lightly smacked Lan Ling, huffing, So thats it, you just wanted a flying mount! Werent you the one who said you wanted nothing but a Dragon Lizard Beast as your mount? If you had spoken earlier, what kind of flying mount couldnt you have had? Did you really need to become a thief in your own home? Upon hearing thief in her own home, Lan Lings face turned even redder; Lady Xuan Yue glanced at the maid beside her, and the maid immediately came forward to take the list and handed it to Lady Xuan Yue; Lady Xuan Yue said with a slight smile, Give it to the steward, let the steward read it out and see, in the heart of this human friend Lan Ling has found, just how much does Lan Ling weigh? Lan Lings face changed, and with just one sentence, Lady Xuan Yue tied the birthday gift Song Jian had offered to Lan Lings standing in his heart. If Song Jian had indeed only brought a Flame Crow Beast egg as a gift, although it was more precious than most, it still would seem somewhat insubstantial, which also meant Lan Ling did not hold a high place in Song Jians heart, putting Song Jian in an awkward position implicitly; Mother, this Just as Lan Ling was about to speak, a young woman with three tails walked in; Lady Fox, read it aloud! Lady Xuan Yue said expressionlessly; Lady Fox made an apologetic face towards Lan Ling, and then, after giving Song Jian a glance, took the gift list from the maid, opened it, and read loudly, One hundred pounds of Dark Gold Quality Abyssal Dragon bones Upon finishing, Lady Fox looked at Song Jian with a surprised face, and the other Monster Kings present began whispering among themselves, many showing faces of disbelief; To understand, most of the Monster Kings present were at the strength level of level forty or fifty Lord-level BOSSes at most, with the pinnacle being first-tier Combat Power. The Abyssal Dragon of the dominion class was an unbeatable existence for most of them; If it were just one or two bones, it could be said that the other party was lucky and had stumbled upon them, but a hundred pounds clearly indicated that these were spoils of war Song Jian himself had hunted and obtained; Be aware, Dark Gold Quality Abyssal Dragon bones, whether for concocting potions or forging, are incredibly precious materials. Though merely Dark Gold Quality, in many eyes, they are almost no different from epic-grade materials, priceless and absolutely unavailable on the market; Even Lady Xuan Yues face changed when she heard it, though she didnt regard Dragon bones very highly, this gift alone had already surpassed those given by over ninety percent of the Monster Kings present; Continue reading! Lady Xuan Yues expression was a bit unpleasant as she glanced at Lady Fox and said; Yes, my lady! Lady Fox, upon looking at the gift list, actually broke into a cold sweat and gave Song Jian a wary look before continuing, Two Holy Light Stones, three feathers from Four-Winged Angels, The gifts listed later on the page became increasingly precious. Dark Gold Quality materials were only the lowest tier, and many of the materials that followed were all of epic quality; Most of these materials were battle spoils obtained by Song Jian from those dominion-level BOSSes. At present, no players were capable of using them. Although they were extremely valuable, they werent that precious to Song Jian at the moment. If he wanted more later, he could simply run the dungeons a few more times; sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, for the Monster Kings present, this birthday gift was a blatant display of strength. Each material was from dominion-level BOSSes, and the quantities were tremendous, clearly gotten from defeating those BOSSes; If Song Jian had slain so many dominion-level BOSSes by himself, his strength might not be as great as the few Monster Kings present with second tier combat power, but it was still much stronger than most of the other Monster Kings; Lady Xuan Yue also realized this point, and her brows couldnt help but furrow. Was this guy showing off his combat prowess? But soon, her face relaxed a lot, as the gifts listed later on the page all turned out to be various herbs; Ten Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaves! Lady Fox finished reading all the gifts, slowly closed the gift list, handed it to the maid, then bowed to Lady Xuan Yue and Lan Ling before she retreated backward and slowly left the hall; All the Monster Kings present were silent. Even those powerful Monster Kings with second tier combat power looked at Song Jian with a certain degree of caution in their eyes; Song Jian, what treasure is the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf? asked Lan Ling curiously; It is also a kind of medicine-refining material, but even if taken directly, it can increase life-force! said Song Jian, slipping a Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf out of his bag and handing it to Lan Ling with a smile; If the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaves were refined into Vitality Pills, they could improve physical attributes, but if consumed directly, they would increase the maximum Vitality Points; The Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf, which looked as if it were carved from jade, shone brilliantly in Lan Lings hands, like a piece of art! Increase Vitality Points? All the Monster Kings gazes were drawn to the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf. In their eyes, it was a rare treasure of heaven and earth, and some Monster Kings even displayed a greedy look in their eyes. Ah, is it that precious? Lan Ling was startled and hurriedly handed the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf back to Song Jian, You better keep it safe, dont lose it! Song Jian smiled faintly and said, This one is for you to have, go ahead and play with it. Lan Ling was stunned for a moment, then burst into a radiant smile, nodded, and stuffed the Jade Treasure Bamboo Leaf into her mouth; The whole leaf transformed into a stream of clarity as it entered Lan Lings stomach. Lady Xuan Yue had just thought to stop her, but Lan Ling had already swallowed the leaf, leaving her with no choice but to shake her head silently. This girl had no defenses against this human boy, which was not a good sign; Ah, my Vitality Points maximum limit has really increased by a hundred! exclaimed Lan Ling excitedly; A hundred points? Song Jian was taken aback and couldnt help but think to himself, Another lucky one! Chapter 952 - 953 The Gluttonous Banquet_1 Chapter 952: Chapter 953: The Gluttonous Banquet_1 Chapter 952: Chapter 953: The Gluttonous Banquet_1 Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If the life-enhancing bamboo leaves were used directly, the increase in Vitality Points would be random, with a maximum gain of only one hundred points. Song Jian had taken them several times, but only once did he achieve a hundred-point increase; the Vitality Points gained during the other times were not significant; An individual can only consume five of these bamboo leaves; any more than that wont work, as it wont increase Vitality Points and can even result in poisoning! Song Jian said; Treasures, treasures, indeed such fine treasures! Several of the Demon Kings sitting in the front row exclaimed with faces full of envy; Upon hearing the contents of Song Jians gift list, Lady Xuan Yues expression finally improved somewhat. She glanced at Song Jian and suddenly asked, Didnt you mention that there is an egg of the Flame Crow Beast? Why didnt I hear about this in the gift list? Mother, hes already given you so many valuable treasures, how can you still not be satisfied! Lan Ling stamped her foot and said; Lady Xuan Yue: This silly girl, if she stays with this human for much longer, Im afraid she wont even recognize her own mother. The lady jests. That Flame Crow Beast egg was originally a trophy from when Lan Ling and I together defeated a lord-tier BOSS, the Three-legged Flame Crow Beast! Song Jian laughed: Thats Lan Lings spoils, how could I take her things to offer as a birthday gift? As he spoke, Song Jian took an exquisite wooden box out of his bag and handed it to Lan Ling; For me? Lan Ling, with a puzzled expression, instinctively reached out and took the box, but soon she seemed to remember something and hastily handed it back, saying, This is your loot from the battle; you killed the Flame Crow Beast on your own. Ive already received its tail feathers; how can I ask for this pet egg, too? Its a gift for you! Song Jian laughed; Lan Ling was momentarily stunned, then her cheeks flushed red. Holding the wooden box, she glanced at Song Jian before turning and walking towards the inner chambers; Watching Lan Lings retreating figure, Lady Xuan Yue let out a sigh from within her heart, giving Song Jian a gentle nod and smiling, Youve really spared no expense this time! As I should! Song Jian smiled as he returned the gesture with a slight bow and went back to his seat; Once Lady Xuan Yue had acknowledged Song Jians seating position, no one else stood up to object, and the banquet proceeded as scheduled. Soon, servers brought dishes and drinks to each table; Only then did Song Jian realize why so many Demon Kings were dissatisfied with him sitting thereit turned out that the quality of the food and drinks also correlated with ones seat at the banquet; The closer to Lady Xuan Yues seat, the better the quality of the dishes and drinks. Song Jian and the two or three Demon Kings with second-tier Combat Power had the same quality of food and drinks; Those seated further back had to settle for a lower grade, and beyond that, the quality continued to drop, until at the very back, it was just ordinary food and drink; This, food that can permanently increase agility, and drinks that can permanently raise mental capacity? Song Jian stared at the dishes in front of him, stunned; These dishes were far more precious than the life-enhancing bamboo leaves and came with a limit of one serving per person, any more would be ineffective. This one table of food and drinks ended up increasing Song Jians attribute by over a dozen points; Wang Yuetu and the others watched Song Jian relish his meal with eyes dripping with envy; Damn it, a Dark Gold Quality weapon just for three dishes that increase strength by one point, what a loss! The young man beside Wang Yuetu muttered; If you dont want it, give it to me; isnt a point of strength still an attribute? the man beside him said with discontent, Dont take dry food for granted! Who says Im not eating! the youth hurriedly shoveled the plate of food in front of him into his mouth; You see that guy, after this longevity feast, I bet he could gain at least a dozen stat points, what a big win, right? Wang Yuetu whispered; Hes got a lot of stuff too, all those materials from sovereign-level BOSSes, plus all those precious herbs and treasures. By the way, do you guys know what a sovereign-level BOSS is? Ive never come across one of that tier before. Who knows, probably about as powerful as those Great Monster Kings, I guess. These Monster Kings next to us are, at best, equivalent to a lord-level BOSS Right, do you think he still has any Emerald Bamboo Leaves? Thats some good stuff that can directly increase Vitality Points. A person can consume five leaves, and even if it only adds a minimum of thirty points, thats one hundred and fifty Vitality Points with five leaves! the youth said in a low voice; Given that hes produced so much, he should still have a good stock left. Lets try later to see if we can buy some from him! We did stir up a Monster King against him just now, do you think he holds a grudge? Hmph, he shouldnt have noticed our maneuver! Wang Yuetu narrowed her eyes and whispered, Later, you two leave the banquet early to gather the brothers from our combat alliance. If hes willing to sell to us, fine, but if not, hmph, let him know that this is the Demon Clans turf. A human like him coming here to compete with us for goodies hes got to pay the price! Big sister head, that guy is so tough, can we even beat him? the man next to her hesitated; Beat him? We have over a hundred people, we can pile on and crush him to death. How could we not beat him? Wang Yuetu glared and said, Besides, we dont need to fight him. Just standing in front of him with so many people will scare him to death. Do we even need to make a move? Big sister head is right, no matter how tough he is, we have more people, and this is our Demon Clans territory. How could we let a human swagger around here like this! The banquet continued from morning until evening. Song Jian ate to his hearts content. Although not every dish increased stat attributes, the flavors were exceptional, unlike anything available on the outside; Song Jian ate to his hearts content, gaining some value in various stat attributes. In total, it was equivalent to gaining seventeen or eighteen stat points, which felt like he was getting his moneys worth; Just then, several attendants carried up something resembling a roast whole sheep and placed it in front of Song Jians table; Yuxiu Gourmet Feast: A delicacy, consumable, effect upon use: consuming this item will grant a large amount of combat experience; What is this food? Song Jian looked at the delicately fragrant food before him, unable to help but look around; Hahaha, this is a special food from the Xuanyue Cave. The Great Monster King came just for this gourmet banquet, and it has not disappointed! A Demon King with second-tier peak strength laughed heartily, grabbed the food the size of a lamb, and tore into it voraciously; This dish seemed extremely precious; of the nearly hundred guests at the feast, only three or four were able to partake in this dish; PS: Thank you Desire to Speak, Heartless for the 1000 starting coins rewarded~ Chapter 953 - 954 Leaving_1 Chapter 953: Chapter 954 Leaving_1 Chapter 953: Chapter 954 Leaving_1 Song Jian was curious in his heart, so he tried cutting off a piece and putting it into his mouth. Instantly, a refreshing fragrance burst forth, and surprisingly, he couldnt discern what ingredients had been used for roasting. He only felt a mouthful of rich flavor, delectably exquisite; System: You have consumed Yuxiu Gourmet Feast, gaining 36,000 points of battle experience; 36,000 points of battle experience? Just from one bite, I gained 36,000 points of battle experience? Song Jian was shocked, and he couldnt help but take another bite and swallowed it; This time, a leveling up radiance burst forth from Song Jians body. The battle experience which was already close to maxing out soared directly to its maximum, elevating him by one level; Level 42 now! Song Jian thought to himself. However, he had already earned quite a bit of battle experience before, and even without consuming the Gourmet Feast, he could have leveled up in a day or two; Theres so much left, I wonder how many levels I can increase? Song Jian looked at the Gourmet Feast that nearly occupied the entire tabletop, his face revealing an excited expression. Its important to know that after reaching level 40, each level up requires exponentially more battle experience. He didnt know just how much a large amount of battle experience meant when it comes to the Yuxiu Gourmet Feast; The leveling-up glow emitting from Song Jian left Wang Yuetu and the other two dumbstruck. They werent privileged enough to enjoy the Yuxiu Gourmet Feast, but from the envious conversations of the nearby Monster Kings, they learned about the effects of consuming the Gourmet Feast; Why does he always encounter such good fortune, the Gourmet Feast, its the Gourmet Feast! Only the most honorable guests of Xuanyue Cave are qualified to enjoy the Gourmet Feast that can elevate an ordinary person to heaven in a single bound! S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You guys think, how many levels could he increase? Could it be, could it be that he might directly rise to level 50? Wang Yuetus voice trembled slightly as she asked; No, that shouldnt be possible, right? Isnt it said that after level 40, each level up requires a large amount of battle experience? The Gourmet Feast might be formidable, but it couldnt possibly Damn, he leveled up again, did you see the golden light of leveling up? Although he was already stuffed, Song Jian kept tearing, chewing, and swallowing without stop. Every mouthful of meat was a large amount of battle experience, giving him an irresistible urge to continue; Im so full! After eating most of it, Song Jians level had already risen to 45. With the remaining part, he felt he simply couldnt eat any more; He allocated the four additional skill points he gained directly to Sword Shadow Clone, Withering and Flourishing Azure Dragon Sword Body, Sword Control Skill, and Mysterious Moonlight Sword. As for the newly acquired Legendary Level Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, he couldnt immediately enhance it due to incomplete mastery and decided to leave it for the next level up; This is truly a blissful torment! Song Jian struggled to take another bite, gaining over 40,000 points of battle experience. Looking at the remaining hind leg of the Gourmet Feast, Song Jian decided to take a rest before eating more; This human brother, since you cant eat any more of the feast, our Monster Alliance is willing to offer ten thousand Doomsday Coins to buy the leftover feast. What do you think? At this moment, Wang Yuetu suddenly stood up and loudly exclaimed; Ten thousand Doomsday Coins? Song Jian was startled and looked up at Wang Yuetu. He knew, despite only a hind leg left, that based on his experience, this leg could provide at least tens of millions of Experience Points. It couldnt level him up, but for a player above level thirty, it would allow a rise of several levels. Perhaps it was Song Jians high level that led Wang Yuetu to miscalculate, thinking the remaining leg couldnt provide much in the way of Experience Points. Maybe Wang Yuetu was just trying to get something for nothing, which was why she quoted the price of ten thousand Doomsday Coins. After glancing at her, Song Jian rapidly lost interest in those born of the Demon Clan. Their levels were too low, not even reaching thirty-five, lower than the average level of the players in Doomsday City. In Doomsday City, these players wouldnt even have the qualification to meet him. Song Jian was so disinterested that he just waved his hand at them, rejecting Wang Yuetus proposal. Many Great Monster Kings, who understood the value of the feast, watched Wang Yuetu and her companions with amusement. Some even laughed outright, mocking Wang Yuetus attempt to buy a leg of the feast with ten thousand Doomsday Coins. Are you from the boar tribe, thinking of buying his leftover leg with ten thousand Doomsday Coins? The Unicorn Demon King mocked without restraint, Even just the leg could let a newly born little demon rise to a strength not much weaker than yours. Why would he sell it to you? What, a newborn little demon could rise to our current strength? Wang Yuetus annoyance quickly turned into surprise, and she calculated in her heart. That meant just one leg could raise her seven or eight levels, breaking through to level forty? He has eaten nearly an entire one, but, but why has he only gained about four levels? Wang Yuetu exclaimed in surprise. He is close to the status of a Great Monster King, his leveling up will naturally be slower! The Unicorn Demon King shook his head and said, But in terms of strength, he might compare with the Great Monster Kings. Otherwise, the Ping Mountain Monster King and the others wouldnt be willing to sit at the same table with this human, no matter how precious the gifts he offered. Wang Yuetu and the others fell silent, only able to watch Song Jian with pained expressions, as he struggled to eat the feast clean, bite by bite. What kind of creature is this, to have all its bones so tender, its truly astonishing. It would be great to know where it was captured! Song Jian thought to himself. The feast not only provided a vast amount of combat experience, but it also tasted extremely delicious. The cooking technique was one thing, but the most crucial was the ingredientthis beast was extraordinarily rare. Without it, even if one had the best cooking methods, it wouldnt have been possible to make such a feast. Since its called a gourmet feast, could it really be the offspring of Taotie? A thought suddenly struck Song Jians mind, but he quickly laughed and shook his head, Impossible, the Taotie is an ancient beast. Even if its just a cub, it couldnt be slaughtered so recklessly. At most, it has a diluted trace of the divine Taoties bloodline. Soon, the birthday banquet ended. Song Jian had planned to return to the courtyard where he stayed the previous night, but he was stopped by Lady Fox. Young master, I apologize, but Lady Xuan Yue has commanded that since the birthday banquet is over, Xuanyue Cave isnt convenient for guests to stay any longer. Its best if the young master leaves as soon as possible, Lady Fox said cautiously. Chapter 954 - 955 Drunkenness_1 Chapter 954: Chapter 955 Drunkenness_1 Chapter 954: Chapter 955 Drunkenness_1 Looking at the respectful Lady Fox in front of him, Song Jians face revealed a bitter smile as he nodded. Glancing at the entrance to Xuanye Cave, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a golden Teleportation Scroll; This was the highest quality Town Return Scroll, which, once the spatial coordinates had initially been set, allowed the user to instantly return to the designated coordinates from anywhere, regardless of location; This technology, even more impressive than a Transmission Array, was still not mastered by anyone in the City of Hope Alliance, which is why Song Jian had purchased this Town Return Scroll at a high price from an auction; Song Jian was about to use the Town Return Scroll when he suddenly discovered it wouldnt activate, and at the same time, the system provided a prompt; System: This area has an enchantment barrier, and transportation-related skills and items cannot be used; An enchantment barrier? Song Jian was startled and glanced at Lady Fox. With an apologetic face, Lady Fox spoke, Im sorry, distinguished one, within a hundred miles of Xuanye Cave, a formation set by the lady prevents the use of teleportation, instant movement, and related items. Honored one, you must walk away from Xuanye Cave a hundred miles before you can use the item in your hand. A hundred miles, understood, Song Jian nodded, pocketed the Town Return Scroll, and started walking towards the distance, taking advantage of the night; Lady Fox watched Song Jians retreating figure and sighed with relief. At their first encounter, she hadnt felt Song Jians strength, which is why she had brazenly attacked and tried to charm him. But after truly understanding his power, she didnt dare to use her charm skills on him again; Besides, with Song Jians current level of willpower, her charm techniques would not have any effect; In the darkness, several pairs of eyes fixated on Song Jians silhouette. After a bout of whispered discussion, the eyes quickly vanished, and a few faint breaking-the-sound barrier noises could be heard above; It looks like there arent few coveting him, huh? Wang Yuetu emerged from Xuanye Cave with a delightfully pleased smile on her face; Boss, how about we let some of the Demon Clan test his strength while we catch the spoils behind the scenes? A younger boy beside her whispered softly; Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thatll work! Wang Yuetu immediately nodded and said, No matter what, the lives of our alliance brothers are of utmost importance. Well avoid confronting him if possible, as we were a bit careless at the birthday banquet! Boss, that guy has a high-quality Town Return Scroll. If we let him get beyond a hundred miles, we might never find him again, a man in a black robe said quietly followed by, Ive already asked our brothers to set an ambush at Wang Xi Cliff. If he crosses Wang Xi Cliff, hell be able to use the Town Return Scroll, and those from the Demon Clan are likely to ambush him near there too. Alright, lets set out for Wang Xi Cliff first and wait for him there. Hehe, I really want to see if this mighty dragon can stand against those local snakes of the Demon Clan! Wang Yuetu said with a smile, pulling out a bone whistle and softly blowing into it; The low, sharp cries resounded, and shortly after, three enormous grey hawks descended. The group mounted the hawks and flew toward Wang Xi Cliff; Leaving Xuanye Cave, Song Jian followed a wide road more than three meters in width and strolled leisurely ahead. According to Lady Foxs direction, once he passed through a gorge called Wang Xi Cliff, he could use the Teleportation Scroll. Song Jian had nothing urgent at the moment and, having overeaten at the banquet, the walk was a good opportunity to digest his food; After a while, Song Jian suddenly felt dizzy and his body began to grow hot. During the banquet, he had only eaten food and drink that could increase his attributes, just tasting a few bites of others if they appealed to his palate; Among them was a jug called Hundred Treasures Wine, which, once consumed, directly added three Spirit Points. Song Jian had drained the jug in one go and didnt notice the effects then, but now as the alcohol took effect, his gait became unsteady; Phew, just a jug of wine for entertaining everyone is so domineering, then the Hundred Treasures Wine that Lan Ling gave me must be even more incredible? Song Jian staggered, opened his bag to glance at the small gourd, and thought to himself; It only increases Spirit Points recovery speed by 100%, the attribute seems quite ordinary, why is it more precious than the wine that adds three points to Spirit Points upper limit? Song Jian was puzzled, not knowing why the grade of Hundred Treasures Wine was higher than that of Xuanyue Distilled Wine; No, thats not right! A light suddenly flashed in Song Jians mind, and his eyes revealed a clear expression; This Hundred Treasures Wine only mentions increasing Spirit Points recovery speed by 100%, but, but theres no time limit, could it be a permanent increase of 100% to Spirit Points recovery speed? The moment this thought crossed his mind, Song Jian sobered up a great deal. If this was true, then the biggest gain from this trip might not be the lavish feast but rather the gourd of Hundred Treasures Wine casually given to him by Lan Ling, originally just to let him return to the Luo Lan Zhi Library as a watcher; Thinking of this, Song Jian directly took out the gourd, opened the lid, and gently sniffed. Immediately, a rich fragrance of wine wafted out, causing his mouth to water; Good wine, good wine! A look of pleasant surprise instantly appeared on Song Jians face, this was probably the finest wine he had ever tasted; The gourd was not large, and Song Jian gulped down the Hundred Treasures Wine in it. As soon as it entered his mouth, the richly fragrant Hundred Treasures Wine turned into a stream of fire, sliding down his throat into his stomach; Song Jian suddenly felt as if his entire body was ignited, radiating heat from the inside out, as if white vapor was coming out from each of his thirty-six thousand pores, and he felt as though he had stepped into a steaming basket. In an instant, Song Jians head spun, and he staggered a few steps. His foot caught on something, and he fell to the ground. With the last bit of rationality, he let himself enter the Shattered Divine Realm, and after that, he knew nothing more; A few Demon Clan kings had been following Song Jian all the way. They were worried that making a move too close to Xuanyue Cave would alert the people there, so they planned to wait until they were near Wang Xi Cliff to act; Eh, where did he go? A Demon Clan king with a green face and sharp teeth, and a single horn on his head, rubbed his eyes vigorously. It was the very same Unicorn Demon King who had sat beside Wang Yuetu before; Whats wrong, Unicorn? another Demon Clan king asked softly, Did that kid pass out drunk? I saw him drinking an entire jug of Xuanyue Distilled Wine before. Hmph, he downed the whole jug in one go, isnt he afraid of drinking himself to death? Damn it, the kids gone, just vanished out of thin air! Quick, search around. Did he notice us? Dont let that kid get away, hes a gold mine! The Demon Clan kings watched in shock as Song Jian suddenly disappeared right before their eyes, immediately thrown into a panic and began to look around in all directions; In the Shattered Divine Realm, Song Jian lay on a patch of grass, sound asleep. Originally, the barren land was full of ravines, but after Song Jian had killed several Sovereign level BOSSes and many Lord and Elite level BOSSes, their soul power began to slowly repair the Shattered Divine Realm; At this moment, the piece of grassland where Song Jian lay was just a small patch that had recently revived. Surrounding this small patch, vast expanses of desolate Gobi and broken stone fields still stretched out; Then, a semi-transparent figure of a young girl appeared out of nowhere, quietly walking up to Song Jians side. Without making a sound, she stared emotionlessly at the soundly sleeping Song Jian, as if observing something very interesting, her gaze unblinking and motionless; Chapter 955 - 956 True Difficulty_1 Chapter 955: Chapter 956 True Difficulty_1 Chapter 955: Chapter 956 True Difficulty_1 ` I dont know how long it has been, Song Jian slowly opened his eyes. In the Shattered Divine Realm, many laws are missing, and the passage of time cannot be felt here at all; The white-robed girl who had been staring at him had disappeared. Song Jian sat up and rubbed his head; Whew, I drank too much, and it looks like Ive slept for a long time! Song Jian shook his head. After drinking so much, he didnt feel any headache upon waking up and could recall what happened before he got drunk immediately; At this moment, Song Jian didnt feel any discomfort. On the contrary, he felt rejuvenated as if he had a good sleep; He looked aroundthe mountains, the lakes, the dry land. The environment seemed to be slowly recovering. The process was slow, but the changes were noticeable; At the very least, the mountains in the distance already had some greenery, and the previously dried-up lakes now showed some traces of water. Although they looked like small ditches, it was still a positive change; It still needs more spiritual power. Divine power would be even better, but unfortunately, such a thing is not within my reach for the time being! Song Jian sighed, his figure slowly vanished as he left the Divine Country. From beginning to end, he was unaware that besides himself, there was another girl in this divine country; With a flash of white light, Song Jians figure reappeared on a stone path not far from Wang Xi Cliff. This road seemed to be specially built by Xuanyue Cave, made from large stone slabs which seemed to have formations added to them to protect the slabs from damage; A bit further away, on a cliff, there was a huge boulder naturally shaped like a rhinoceros headthat was Wang Xi Cliff. Below was a canyon, roughly a hundred meters across. Passing through the canyon along the stone slab road and leaving Wang Xi Cliff, he would be able to use a Town Return Scroll; I remember that there seemed to be people following me, looking like they wanted to harm me! Song Jian rubbed his temples and thought. However, it seemed that because he had entered the Divine Country before collapsing from drunkenness, and a day and a night had passed as he woke up, those people probably thought he had left long ago and had dispersed; After passing through Wang Xi Cliff, Song Jian took out a Town Return Scroll, about to tear it open, when he suddenly thought of something and looked over towards a level 45 Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast not far away; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! Song Jians figure flickered, turning into a streak of light as he flew towards the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast. Sky-breaking Sword easily tore through the beasts defenses, and in an instant, nine successive sword shadows surged through the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast like lightning; The Mysterious Moonlight Sword was extremely fast. By the time the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast reacted, the sword move had already been released. The beast fell from the air, in intense pain, and was about to let out a roar when a streak of white sword light flashed before its eyes and its vision suddenly soared into the air; Song Jian swung the Sky-breaking Sword and directly chopped off the head of the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast; System: You have killed a level 45 ordinary monster, Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast, and gained 5400 experience points; The level 45 Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast dropped a green-quality bracer. Song Jian didnt even glance at it but instead opened his attribute panel and carefully checked it; After a while, a brilliant smile spread across Song Jians face, and he burst into loud laughter, seemingly very pleased; Tearing the Town Return Scroll, Song Jians figure turned into a streak of golden light, shooting up towards the sky, and the surroundings returned to their previous tranquility. After a long time, a Demon Clan player, over level 30, passed by. Seeing the slowly burning corpse of the Wolf Rhinoceros Demon Beast and the dropped green equipment, his eyes lit up, and he quickly rushed over; When he picked up the level 40 green-quality bracer, he immediately burst into a happy smile, thinking to himself, Ive struck it rich! ` Glancing left and right, the player quickly stowed the bracer into his inventory and sprinted off towards the distance; Back in the City of Hope, Song Jian stood on the highest floor of the Manor Castle, gazing towards the distant, massive black pyramid; Two rounds of territorial expansion campaigns had passed, and it was this largest Abyssal Shadow dungeon that made it difficult for the City of Hope Alliance to continue expanding! I wonder if the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash could kill the true difficulty Abyssal Shadow BOSS! Song Jian speculated in his heart. He had never tried the true difficulty level. If he relied solely on the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art, he probably would have a tough time clearing the dungeon at this difficulty level. But now he had mastered a Legendary-level sword technique, which, although having significant side effects, would have minimal impact inside the dungeon. And even outside the dungeon, as long as Song Jian could enter the Shattered Divine Realm at will, the side effects would be almost non-existent! I cant delay any further, Ill give it a try today! resolved Song Jian, heart set on the task. Fortunately, he was now at his peak condition. It was time to witness the true difficulty of the Abyssal Shadow dungeon; Without notifying anyone, Song Jian headed alone towards the largest Abyssal Shadow dungeon. It was a forty-person raid, and many players were gathering companions at the entrance; A forty-person raid, even at the simple or normal difficulty levels, dropped quite a number of quality equipment. If it werent for the cooldown limitations, many players would probably grind these difficulties continuously; Eh, the Lord Mayor! someone recognized Song Jian; Turning around, it turned out to be the Elite Team from the City of Hope. Given the size of the City of Hope now, ten Elite Teams had been formed, but the highest level, best equipped, and strongest was still this very first Elite Team; Are you going to continue challenging the hard difficulty? asked Song Jian; The Elite Team had been stuck on the third BOSS of hard difficulty. After Song Jian cleared it, he had shared all the BOSS data from the dungeon with the Alliance, which substantially accelerated the Elite Teams progress; Lord Mayor, weve reached the last BOSS, the Alliance member who recognized Song Jian said excitedly; The last BOSS, huh? Thats a Dominance-level BOSS, so you should be careful. Its third-phase transformation is not easy to deal withits all area attacks, nowhere to hide, only to withstand! Song Jians brow furrowed as he spoke; When Song Jian had killed the last hard difficulty BOSS previously, he had employed every tactic at his disposal and was once killed by the Magic Dragon, triggering the Enemy of Death God passive skill, then managed to kill it by a stroke of luck; Dont worry, Guild Leader, the attack range of this BOSS is just a 120-degree arc. As long as the tank holds it steady, we can attack from behind! said the teammate; Song Jian was taken aback, recalling that indeed the Magic Dragons attacks were only directed to the front. If someone attacked from behind, they could avoid all damage; This was the difference between hunting alone and hunting as a groupan individual could only withstand the attacks, but a team could coordinate with each other, finding various ways to defeat the BOSS; Good luck, I wish you success! Song Jian said with a smile. If the Elite Team could clear the hard difficulty dungeon, then it wouldnt be long before theyd attempt the true difficulty dungeon; sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 956 - 957 Phase Three_1 Chapter 956: Chapter 957 Phase Three_1 Chapter 956: Chapter 957 Phase Three_1 Song Jian took a step into the dungeon, and since he had already cleared the hard difficulty level, he was able to directly choose the true difficulty level; after Song Jian selected the true difficulty, a blood-red teleportation gate appeared in front of him, different from the teleportation gates of other difficulty levels, looking even more realistic; After Song Jian entered the teleportation gate, all other players who were in the dungeon at the same time received a system prompt; System: True difficulty dungeon opened, all other dungeon mirrors will be closed, please all players in the Abyss Phantom dungeon leave the dungeon within thirty seconds, and after thirty seconds, any players still remaining in the dungeon will be forcibly teleported out! This message was refreshed every five seconds, and the remaining time would decrease accordingly; meanwhile, some players who were about to select the difficulty and enter the dungeon found that all difficulty levels for the Abyss Phantom dungeon had turned gray, indicating that they could not be entered. Thirty seconds later, in front of the black pyramid, a large number of players suddenly appeared, all of whom were from teams that had been forcibly teleported out of the dungeon halfway through their run; Damn it, just give me three more minutes, and the fifth boss would have been taken down! a player shouted in frustration; That was close, too close! That boss even had a berserker skill, lucky for the teleportation, otherwise the MT could only have held on for five more seconds before falling another player said with a face full of relief, looking at their companions with eyes filled with gratefulness! The elite players of the City of Hope Alliance all exchanged astonished glances. Although they didnt speak, every one of them was internally screaming: The City Lord is challenging the true difficulty dungeon! Soon, Wang Qi and a few other high-ranking players from the City of Hope received this news and rushed to the front of the dungeon. Looking at the huge black pyramid, Wang Qi pondered for a moment before ordering, Prepare for the territory expansion campaign. As soon as the City Lord clears the dungeon, well launch it immediately! Its just this beast in the way now. Once its defeated, the entire Doomsday City will be ours! exclaimed a player beside him, punching his left palm fiercely, wishing it was himself clearing the true difficulty dungeon. The City Lord will definitely not let us down. He wouldnt do anything if he wasnt certain. Its been over half a month, his strength must have improved dramatically! Wang Qi stated confidently. Vice City Lord, havent you been paying attention to the level rankings? The City Lords level has soared to forty-five! one of the players reminded; What, forty-five? Wang Qi was shocked. He knew that Song Jians level was only forty-one before. In just a few days, he had jumped several levels; In the City of Hope Alliance, there were already players who were level forty, which let everyone know that after level forty, each level up required a massive amount of combat experience. It could be said that all the combat experience from level one to thirty-nine combined was not as much as the experience needed to go from level forty to forty-one; How, how did he do it? murmured Wang Qi, staring motionless at the level rankings, scarcely able to believe his own eyes. Thousand Swords Art! One by one, the spirit swords ablaze with flames struck down towards two small monsters. In the true difficulty dungeon, even just a small monster could compare with a wild lord-level boss of the same level, but for Song Jian, a lord-level boss simply couldnt withstand a single attack of the Thousand Swords Art; After one move, two gigantic Abyssal creatures collapsed with a thunderous fall, they were still more than ten meters away from Song Jian, unable to even get close to him; The two creatures dropped one gold and one silver piece of equipment, along with five or six level forty blue and green materials. This drop rate was already much better than many wild bosses of the same level; ` But Song Jian didnt even glance at the loot, instead, he opened the battle information prompt with an incredulous look and started to read carefully; Is it really ten times the battle experience of monsters of the same level? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise; In dungeons, the battle experience gained from defeated monsters always includes a certain bonus, but this is reduced when divided among players, and people rarely pay attention to the experience gained from battle; However, after killing those two minor monsters, Song Jian suddenly noticed a spike in his battle experience. Considering the experience needed to level up at level forty-five, these two minor monsters shouldnt even increase his experience by a fraction of a percent. His curiosity piqued, he checked and to his surprise, he found that these two monsters provided more than ten times the battle experience of usual monsters at the same level; It should be noted that this was a forty-player dungeon which already offered an experience bonus. Since Song Jian was alone, the experience he gained was already considerable. Now, with a tenfold increase, it was almost as if there was a bug in the game. After picking up all the loot, Song Jian headed towards the next minor monster. Even in a dungeon of true difficulty, the minor monsters couldnt withstand a single use of Thousand Swords Art. As soon as the cooldown ended, Song Jian could instantly kill any minor monster in the dungeon, making his progress even faster than last time when he cleared the Abyss Phantom at the difficult level; Soon, Song Jian arrived in front of the first boss. Previously, in the hard-level dungeon, the first boss was only a lord-level boss, but now, in the true difficulty, the strength of the boss sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Dominating tier, the first boss is already at the dominating tier? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he gripped the Sky-breaking Sword tightly; With a thought, the surging Sword Qi within him surged up all at once, congregating on the Sky-breaking Sword, reaching over a thousand points. If it were a weapon of lower quality, it wouldnt be able to contain such dense Sword Intent. Only a long sword of the Sky-breaking Swords caliber could allow Song Jian to release all of his Sword Qi; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art! Sixty long swords, whistling through the air towards the boss, enveloping it tightly in a huge flame of a red lotus; This time, the tearing sensation in my meridians seems much weaker Song Jian thought to himself. Perhaps he had become accustomed to it, or maybe Song Jians physical condition had improved slightly, for when he unleashed the Thousand Swords Art with full force, he didnt feel the previous pain of meridian tearing; The Red Lotus dissipated, and a long sword appeared out of thin air, slicing down fiercely towards the boss; Boom~ A massive noise thundered, and above the bosss head floated a critical hit damage number exceeding three hundred thousand, but even so, the boss still had nearly one hundred thousand Vitality Points left; The boss, covered in wounds, let out an angry roar and charged at Song Jian. Just as Song Jian gripped the Sky-breaking Sword, ready to charge forward, the almost dissipating sword shadows suddenly formed a gigantic hand and pressed down hard on the boss; This, this is the third-tier change of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation? Song Jian stood gaping, his face filled with disbelief. One must know that the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation always triggered only up to the second tier, the Red Lotus Sword, which was enough to kill the enemy. It had never reached the third tier before; But now, when the Red Lotus Sword was unable to kill the boss, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation actually triggered the third-tier change; PS: Happy New Year, its New Years Eve, there will be only two chapters today, slipping away~ ` Chapter 957 - 958 Development_1 Chapter 957: Chapter 958 Development_1 Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 957: Chapter 958 Development_1 The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation has several stages, but Song Jian doesnt know how many. This was the first time he triggered the third stage. It looks just like a palm Song Jian thought to himself. However, just as the faint palm silhouette had formed, the entire sword formation suddenly flickered a few times and wobbled slightly. In no time, the entire palm collapsed, and countless Sword Qi surged forth, covering an area of over a dozen meters. A string of hundreds of points of damage floated above the BOSSs head, which didnt amount to much for a Dominance-level BOSS. But for a Boss that was already severely injured, it became the last straw that broke the camels back. Boom~ With a loud noise, the BOSSs body completely shattered, and a semi-transparent white shadow drifted out from the fragments, flying directly towards Song Jian. This was the BOSSs soul. It let out a terrified roar but couldnt make a sound; it could only passively fly towards Song Jian, as if a powerful suction force was controlling it. That makes four Dominance-level BOSSes. This seems to be the fourth one. It looks like if I can clear this dungeon, I should be able to complete a substantial part of the Sword Immortals quest, Song Jian thought to himself. With a thought, his consciousness entered the broken Divine Country where it had started drizzling. The raindrops nourished everything on the ground, and many parched lands began to recover slowly. The soul energy of a Dominance-level BOSS was incredibly powerful; slaying one could visibly speed up the restoration of the fragmented Divine Country. Its a pity; the third stage appeared, but it had no power and couldnt even take shape, Song Jian shook his head. The aura emitted by that palm during the formation of the sword array had been even more terrifying than the Red Lotus Sword, but unfortunately, perhaps due to the low level of the Thousand Swords Art, while he had triggered the sword arrays third stage, it ultimately collapsed. I must upgrade the level of the Thousand Swords Art quickly! Song Jian thought to himself. The Thousand Swords Art, already at level 5, was becoming increasingly difficult to improve in proficiency with sword techniques below golden quality. Even a golden quality Skill Book could only enhance a little proficiency. To upgrade the level of the Thousand Swords Art quickly, it was necessary to consume Epic or even Legendary Level skills. But such skills were not only scarce, many people had not even heard of them, and the market would not have such high-quality skills; it was all down to luck whether one could kill a BOSS and obtain them. Song Jians gaze turned to the items dropped by the BOSS, hoping it would drop one or two high-quality Skill Books, but unfortunately, after a long search, he did not find any items resembling books or scrolls. An epic-level scale armor, what a shame, I can only wear leather armor. Damn it, Sword Masters should also be considered a Swordman profession. Why cant I wear scale armor? Song Jian looked at the scale armor with excellent attributes and thought annoyed; Scale armor was a kind of chain mail that provided much higher defense than leather armor but was not as good as plate armor. However, in terms of flexibility, chain mail was far superior to plate armor. Many melee professions that could not wear plate would opt for chain mail equipment. Maybe its because my damage is too high and, for balance, the system wont allow me to wear chain mail? Song Jian thought to himself. But with his current attributes and equipment, even many plate-wearing professions did not have as high Vitality Points and defense, not to mention Song Jians immense offensive power. The first boss of the dungeon didnt put much pressure on Song Jian. There was no need to use the newly acquired Eclipse Shattered Light Slash skill, as a fifth-tier Thousand Swords Art had already triggered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, which was more than enough to easily exterminate the first boss. Although the subsequent bosses were each stronger than the last, they were essentially on the same level; the scope of their power increase wasnt significant. The most they could vary was between the early and peak combat power of the first tier, never breaking through to reach the second tier. Having witnessed the strength of the first boss in the true difficulty, Song Jian was greatly reassured. Initially, he had only wanted to try out a dungeon on true difficulty, but now it seemed he had a good chance of clearing it. After all, the cooldown period for this dungeon was excessively long. Missing one opportunity would likely cause a delay in his territory expansion campaign. Meanwhile, in the now-sealed Sky City, the eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto was sitting in the central City Lord Mansion, which had just been established. Next to him stood Zhuo Wen, who had evolved to a six-winged Battle Angel, with a respectful demeanor. Zhuo Wen, now in the entire Sky City, its down to just you and me, the two remaining angels, the Illusion Angel Doranto sighed as he looked up into the distance. For many days, he and Zhuo Wen had cleared all the monsters in Sky City. Now, it was as quiet as a city of the dead, but the dungeons were still preserved. Lord Doranto, we need your guidance on how to develop Sky City from here, Zhuo Wen said respectfully. Had it not been for the numerous Hearts of the Angel in the Sacred Spirit Temple, Zhuo Wen would not have been able to advance from an ordinary two-winged Battle Angel to a six-winged one. However, Zhuo Wen couldnt stop thinking about the legendary-quality Heart of the Angel that Song Jian had taken. If he had devoured that Heart of the Angel back then, he would be the one sitting on the throne in the City Lord Mansion. This thought gnawed at him like a persistent poison, constantly biting at his soul, but he dared not show any of it on his face, for he knew that the legendary-quality Heart of the Angel eventually went to Illusion Angel Doranto, which allowed him to regain his former power. Heh, the development of Sky City Doranto chuckled slightly, seemingly not that interested in the citys development. What do you think we should do to develop this city? Doranto asked with a smile. My lord, I believe we should not keep Sky City sealed off Zhuo Wen sneaked a glance at Doranto and, seeing he wasnt angered, continued, We should encourage the god-blessed ones to come to this city. With their power, we can develop the city. Perhaps we can choose some of the outstanding talents among them and offer them the chance to change factions and lineages You mean to select Angel candidates from themor even Battle Angels? Doranto suddenly became serious, staring at Zhuo Wen, and asked word by word. Zhuo Wen immediately felt an overwhelming pressure. The aura emanating from the Illusion Angel swept over him, vast and deep, causing Zhuo Wens heart to pound. PS: A big thank you to Su Poman for the 500 starting coins donated! Chapter 958 - 959 Conceal the Moon_1 Chapter 958: Chapter 959: Conceal the Moon_1 Chapter 958: Chapter 959: Conceal the Moon_1 My lord, only the two of us are left of the Angel Clan. To regain the glory of our past, we need a very long time, but Im afraid, time is exactly what we lack right now Zhuo Wen gritted his teeth and said; Oh, isnt time quite abundant for us? Dorantos mouth curled into a smile, and he said with a light laugh; My lord, throughout the Main World now, there have emerged many black pyramid fortresses from Abyssal Hell. Before long, I fear the gateway to Abyssal Hell will open Zhuo Wen said; What, how could this be? The eight-winged Illusion Angel Doranto, seemingly clueless about this news, abruptly stood up, flapped his wings, and shot into the sky like an arrow, leaping down from Sky City and began patrolling the skies like lightning; Soon, Doranto returned to Sky City. Back in the City Lord Mansion, Dorantos face was solemn. It was well-known that Abyssal Hell and the Angel Clan were opposed. Whenever individuals of these two races met, it would certainly end in a fight to the death; Do you believe that those human champions have the potential to oppose Abyssal Hell? Doranto asked after a long silence; My lord, Abyssal Hell has been aligning with these human Abyssals for quite some time now. Large numbers of human champions have already become a part of Abyssal Hell, and they will be the main force of the upcoming invasion! Zhuo Wen didnt directly answer Doranto but his words made Dorantos heart grow cold; Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Open up Sky City! Doranto immediately said, Allow the faction selection and the bloodline testing missions to be available, and select the most outstanding human champions to join the Angel Clans ranks! My lord, do you happen to know a person named Song Jian? Zhuo Wen suddenly said; Song Jian? Doranto seemed to recall something, a trace of a smile appeared on his lips, and he nodded saying, I know him, hes a very powerful human! My lord, he has already passed the Judgers trial and now possesses the qualifications of a Judgment Angel, Zhuo Wen said; What, how is this possible? Illusion Angel Doranto was full of surprise and a tinge of anger, What qualifies him, a human, to become a Judger of angels and moreover, how could he possibly pass the Judgers trial? My lord, it was right before my eyes that he passed the Judgers trial! Zhuo Wens face also looked rather unsightly. If the Angel Clan had withered and died out, it would have been acceptable for a human to have earned the title of a Judgment Angel. But now, with the Angel Clan on the brink of rising anew, allowing a human to become a Judgment Angel would be nothing short of a blatant slap in the face; Find him! Doranto said sternly, Either have him transform his bloodline and become a true Judgment Angel, or have him relinquish the title and privileges of the Judgment Angel. Otherwise, he will forever be an enemy of the Angel Clan! Song Jian had already slain four Sovereign-level Bosses, and he had cleared more than half of the raid at true difficulty. The lesser minions in the raid, as long as three didnt appear at once, were instantly killed upon facing Song Jian; As for the Bosses, besides the one he had slain before, the remaining two were all handled by the Thousand Swords Arts Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation; And the one just now, Song Jian utilized all his skills except Eclipse Shattered Light Slash and Enemy of Death God, with Azure Dragon Sword Body cooling down over a thirty-minute period, and his other skills also gradually recovering their cooldowns; Whew, its getting tougher and tougher! Song Jian sighed, opening his inventory. At this moment, Song Jians inventory was shining with light. Each Sovereign-level Boss had dropped at least one epic item, some even bursting with two at once; However, whether by bad luck, despite the plethora of epic drops, there was not a single item that Song Jian could use; In addition to equipment, he had found two Skill Books of epic quality, one was the Rogues Instant Stab, and the other was the Mages Fire Meteor from the Sky. These two Skill Books, if taken out, would be invaluable, yet Song Jian hesitated for a long time before he devoured both, enhancing the proficiency of the Thousand Swords Art; It was precisely because of these two Skill Books that the proficiency of the Thousand Swords Art saw a significant increase, skyrocketing to 98% effectiveness, just one or two more golden-quality Skill Books, and the Thousand Swords Art could be elevated to another level; At the third stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, if I could level up the Thousand Swords Art to the sixth level, perhaps it wouldnt collapse midway anymore? Song Jian thought to himself, secretly looking forward to the power of the third stage of the Thousand Swords Art; After restoring his status completely, Song Jian continued to move forward and soon arrived in front of the fifth BOSS, deciding to use the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash once to see the power of this skill. This was a BOSS resembling an Ancient War Tree, from afar, it looked like a giant tree, and only upon approaching, would the tree transform into a humanoid shape. This BOSS has over a million Vitality Points, if the tenfold damage of the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash isnt triggered, it might be hard to instantly kill this BOSS, Song Jian contemplated inwardly; Just then, the ground suddenly shook, and a sapling the size of a football suddenly appeared out of nowhere, emitting a sharp screech, and bouncing toward Song Jian to collide with him; This was a skill of the corrupted demonic ancient tree, Summoning Saplings, which could summon saplings that were capable of invisibility and would attack any enemy that came near; A typical move for a BOSSit would fill its surroundings with saplings as a warning. In Hard difficulty, Song Jian had witnessed this tactic and, just like now, when he approached within ten meters of the ancient tree, an invisible sapling discovered him, directly initiating combat. But in True difficulty, Song Jian had not expected to encounter a sapling while still more than thirty meters from the BOSS; Pfft~ A damage number exceeding six hundred floated above Song Jians head, and while the sapling could also trigger a slowing effect, it got nullified by his talent skill Thick Skin. If this effect couldnt be nullified, a BOSS with a charge-like ability would come storming over, then execute a trample-like ability to instantly kill the slowed player; Boom The massive figure of the corrupted demonic ancient tree, like a speeding train, charged toward Song Jian. Its speed seemed faster than in Hard difficulty, and in a few seconds, it was already upon him, its spiky body slamming into Song Jian with ferocity; At that moment, Song Jian didnt bother to execute the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, instead, he used the Soul Wander skill, allowing the BOSSs charge to pass through his body without causing any damage; Sword Qi surged throughout his body toward the Sky-breaking Sword, the blades surface shimmering with specks of crystal light, like stars, while a crescent moon emerged above the corrupted demonic ancient trees head, initially thin but gradually growing fuller and turning into a full moon; In Song Jians hands, the long sword swung forward involuntarily, a dazzling sword light dispersing all other light as it fiercely flew toward the BOSS; Like a white cloud, the sword energy completely enveloped the round moon above the BOSSs head, shrouding the colossal form of the BOSS in a dazzling sword light; PS: Thank you Su Poman for the gift of 100 starting coins~ Chapter 959 - 960 Devil Vine_1 Chapter 959: Chapter 960 Devil Vine_1 Chapter 959: Chapter 960 Devil Vine_1 After releasing the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, Song Jian didnt even glance at the effects before he directly entered the Shattered Divine Realm. Just as his figure vanished, a surging wave of energy passed right through where he had just been standing; A massive sword wound appeared on the surface of the corrupted demonic ancient tree, nearly splitting its body in two. This strike caused over three hundred thousand damage to the corrupted ancient tree, but it did not trigger a tenfold critical hit, failing to finish it off instantly; This, this feelingits too painful! Song Jian lay weakly on a patch of grass, completely drained, unable even to move a finger; Not only had his Vitality Points been depleted, but his Mental Strength and Sword Qi Value were also exhausted. Song Jian felt as if he had been hollowed out, stuck in a state of weakness that was locked in place, and he had to endure it for five minutes; At that moment, Song Jian was immensely grateful for possessing the Shattered Divine Realm. Although he had already entered it, there was still a faint connection with the outside world. He could sense the impact energy that had nearly killed him a moment ago. This energys power was by no means inferior to a full-force release of his Sword Qi, and in terms of range and impact, it was much stronger. In terms of cutting and sharpness, his Sword Qi might only be slightly better; This skill should only be used to finish off an enemy, not to start a fight! Song Jian ruefully summarized his experience with trying the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash; Five minutes felt like a more torturous ordeal than a slow execution to Song Jian. Every cell in his body was frantically signaling him to replenish nutrients, but he was powerless to do anything; This torture was the ultimate test of his willpower. If he had been a person of slightly weaker will, he might have thought about how to commit suicide and escape this suffering. But in his current state, even the thought of suicide was a luxury; Five minutes seemed to drag on for an eternity, but thankfully, everything has an end. After five minutes, Song Jians Vitality Points, Spirit Points, and Sword Qi Value began to slowly recover. Strength refilled his body once again, like clear water flowing into a dry riverbed, making him feel reborn; After half a minute more, Song Jian finally fully recovered. The moment he left the Shattered Divine Realm, he saw that the BOSSs Vitality Points had also recovered by ten or so thousand. The damage caused by the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash had been effectively halved; Karmic Fire Red Lotus, Thousand Swords Art! With a soft shout, Song Jian fiercely swung the Sky-breaking Sword forward. Sixty Spirit Swords traced crimson arcs through the air, flying towards the corrupted Devil Tree; Boom boom boom~ The power of the Thousand Swords Art was even greater than he had imagined. A series of critical hits floated up from the Devil Tree. Even without triggering the second stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, the sixty Spirit Swords still dealt over three hundred thousand damage to it; A vast red lotus enveloped the corrupted Devil Tree BOSS, and countless Sword Qi ablaze with flames continuously strangled it; It seems that Red Lotus Karma Fire has a strong restraining effect on it. The damage it inflicts is much greater than that on other BOSSes? Song Jian stroked his chin, watching the Devil Tree burn fiercely as if it were a giant torch, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face; Without even reaching the second stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, the corrupted Devil Tree was directly burned to ashes. It seemed that this corrupted demonic ancient tree had a negative resistance to fire; otherwise, it wouldnt have been reduced to this state by the fire so quickly; Among a pile of ashes, two items emitting a purple-red glow were particularly conspicuous amidst a heap of blue-green items. Song Jian rushed straight towards these two items because he saw one of them was actually a scroll, which seemed to be a Skill Book; Thousand Swords Art can finally be upgraded to level six! Song Jian secretly thrilled. If Thousand Swords Art reached level six, he estimated it could sustain the third stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Song Jian was eager to try the power of that hand in the third stage to see how strong it actually was; However, when Song Jian picked up the skill scroll radiating purple-red light, he immediately froze, his face showing a hesitant expression. This scroll turned out to be a special general-purpose skill scroll with only one effect: it could raise the defense level of a players equipment by one tier; The equipment defense level means that cloth armor professions could wear leather armor, leather armor professions could wear chainmail, chainmail professions could wear plate armor, and plate armor professions were already at their highest, unable to improve further. If a plate armor professional acquired this skill scroll, their only option would be to sell it; But Song Jian was somewhat reluctant to part with such a special and rare universal skill, which was much more precious than a profession skill of the same tier. To use it up as a consumable to enhance the proficiency of Thousand Swords Art seemed like a waste of heavenly gifts; Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If I use it, Ill be able to wear chainmail Song Jian thought to himself. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to use the skill scroll for himself; A flash of purple-red light passed, and Song Jian didnt feel any different. In his inventory, he had an epic-grade chainmail chest piece that had been unwearable, but now he could put it on; Song Jian did not hesitate to switch to this chainmail. Not to mention other attributes, the defense and resistance alone surpassed two pieces of leather armor of the same quality. With a full set of such equipment, coupled with Song Jians fearsome attack power, he believed that even if he encountered a second-tier combatant, Song Jian would have the confidence to engage in a fight; The other epic-grade item was not equipment either, but a fist-sized dark red seed named Devil Vine. Its effect was to allow a wood-type battle pet to ascend one tier and gain an additional effect called Incidental Devil Vine; Incidental Devil Vine? Isnt that like a battle pet for a players battle pet? Song Jian looked at the attributes of the Devil Vine and couldnt help but smile; the Incidental Devil Vine could only attach to wood-type battle pets. If the wood-type battle pet died, then the Devil Vine would also perish, and even if the wood-type battle pet was resurrected later, the Incidental Devil Vine would not come back to life. Therefore, its primary use was to raise the tier of a wood-type battle pet; Although Song Jian didnt have a wood-type battle pet, in the Manor Castle, there was a bloodthirsty, sinister, toxic tree named Alex, which was actually the largest Guardian of the entire Manor Castle, much stronger than defensive structures like Arrow Towers and Catapults. Alex was already an Elite-Level BOSS, its root system so extensive that it spread throughout the underground of the Manor Castle; Previously, Alex could only guard one wall, but now, all the walls of the Manor Castle, which is also the City Lord Mansion of the City of Hope, were covered with Alexs robust root system, looking as if the walls were clad in a layer of hard armor; If the Devil Vine was used on it, Alex would become even more powerful, and hence the defensive strength of the Manor Castle, and thus the City Lord Mansion of the City of Hope, would also be significantly enhanced; PS: Thanks to Su Poman for the gift of 300 QiDian coins~ PS: Thanks to Book Friend 20200119155634890 for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Chapter 960 - 961 The Guardian Boss_1 Chapter 960: Chapter 961: The Guardian Boss_1 Chapter 960: Chapter 961: The Guardian Boss_1 ` Phew, only the final Overlord-class BOSS remains, which is also the most powerful BOSS in the entire dungeon. Song Jian followed the passage and looked ahead. The entire Abyssal Shadow dungeon was almost an exact replica of the Abyssal Hell, with lava and flowing magma rivers everywhere. Apart from Abyssal creatures, no other lifeforms could survive here. If a players fire resistance wasnt above sixty points, just standing here would cause continuous loss of Vitality; The last guardian BOSS of the Abyssal Shadow was located in the middle of a magma lake. From a distance, it appeared to be a human strolling on an island within a lava lake; In reality, this final BOSS had three forms: one human, one Elf, and the ultimate form, the Magic Dragon; In its human form, the BOSS was a Mage; in its Elf form, it was an Elf Swordsman, whereas the Magic Dragon form was the BOSSs ultimate form. It possessed formidable defenses and attacks. Song Jian thought that even the ancient Giant Dragon Clan couldnt possibly be a match for this Magic Dragon if it wasnt that its Vitality Points were permanently locked at 30%; In the real difficulty level of the dungeon, all BOSSs alert ranges had been significantly increased. Song Jian didnt dare get too close, only watching the BOSSs attributes from a distance; Hiss, it actually has two million and eight hundred thousand Vitality Points? Song Jian couldnt help but suck in a breath of cold air, looking at the long Vitality bar of the BOSS suddenly filled him with a sense of despair; It was too high; even with a forty-person team capable of withstanding the BOSSs attacks, they likely couldnt keep up their Spirit Points and mana till the end; Song Jian took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the Magma Lake. This was the last BOSS of the dungeon. If he gave up now, he would have to wait another seven days to attempt to clear this difficulty level of the dungeon, and therefore the territory expansion campaign would be pushed back another seven days; Song Jian had a vague feeling that a great danger was slowly approaching. Now, he must use every possible means to increase his strength. The best would be to clear it in one go. Even if he failed, as long as he could retreat in time to the Shattered Divine Realm, there wouldnt be any danger to his life. He struck first with Thousand Swords Art, pouring over a thousand points of Sword Qi Value into the Sky-breaking Sword all at once. The epic-level Sky-breaking Sword glowed with dazzling sword light. Even though Song Jian had not yet entered the final BOSSs alert range, this astonishing Sword Qi also attracted the BOSSs attention, and it looked towards Song Jian; Sixty Spirit Swords blazing with fierce Red Lotus Karma Fire tore through the skies, emitting sharp whistles as they flew towards the BOSS. Countless Spirit Swords hacked away, directly causing the BOSS to lose over two hundred thousand Vitality Points; Hum~ A dazzling white light appeared on the surface of the BOSSs body, which was a magical shield favored by magical classesa legendary skill much coveted by all mages. A fully leveled magic shield could even have defenses not inferior to plate armor, a life-saving defensive skill that all magical professions coveted. Most importantly, the magic shield consumed mana Points. As long as the magical classes still had mana, the magic shield would never shatter; For others, this was a very troublesome skill, but for Song Jian, it was virtually a BUG. How could a human Mage still be considered a Mage if it ran out of mana? If it had been another team where the damage output wasnt sufficient, they wouldnt be able to drain the BOSSs mana in one go. After a while, the BOSS would actively cancel the magic shield; But now, Song Jian didnt give the BOSS the chance to remove the magic shield voluntarily. A huge red lotus slowly bloomed. The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation was triggered, the BOSSs mana Points rapidly decreased at a visible speed, like a flood that had breached its levee. When the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation triggered its second tier and the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword appeared, nearly one hundred thousand mana Points of the BOSS were drained in an instant; A massive sword swung toward the BOSS, striking its neck. The blood-splattered sword inflicted a critical hit, chopping off the BOSSs head; The BOSSs head flew into mid-air, revealing a sinister smile to Song Jian before slowly fading away, dissolving into sparkling white lights and vanishing; Song Jian had never encountered such a situation before, but to have pushed the BOSS to its second phase so easily was a delightful surprise; The headless body of the BOSS didnt fall but stood for a moment, before its entire body dispersed and disappeared from sight. ` A grand voice echoed over the Magma Lake; This world is merely a stepping stone, the goal of Abyssal Hell is that real world! We are all but pitiful playthings sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Humans, fear, scream, death is your destiny, but I, the eighth Abyssal demon lord, am immortal! Boom~ A burst of black flames ignited out of nowhere as an Elf warrior clad in black tight-fitting chainmail appeared before Song Jian, his handsome face bearing a wicked smile; The BOSS raised the sword in his hand and pointed it at Song Jian with a smile, Human, you have no idea the greatness you are up against! Song Jians eyebrows furrowed slightly, the hard difficulty levels gatekeeper BOSS usually didnt talk so much! At this moment, the cooldown time for the Thousand Swords Art had ended, but his Sword Qi Value couldnt be restored to maximum just yet. Song Jians figure flickered, and like lightning, he charged towards the BOSS; Mysterious Moonlight Sword! In an instant, Song Jian covered the distance of more than ten meters in less than a second, appearing before the BOSS and stabbing his Sky-breaking Sword toward the BOSSs chest; Clang~ A crisp collision sound rang out, and Song Jian immediately felt his Mysterious Moonlight Sword skill get interrupted; looking up, he saw that the Sky-breaking Sword had been parried; If the first sword did not hit the opponent, then the subsequent moves could not be executed; Not bad speed, but the damage is a bit low! The BOSS smiled slightly, his figure turned, and he swung his sword at Song Jian; It was within Song Jians expectations that the BOSS could parry the Mysterious Moonlight Sword; after all, in hard difficulty, the BOSS had already blocked it once. With even stronger power in the real difficulty, parrying was naturally within possibility. Song Jian only intended to rush forward quickly to get close to the BOSS. Seeing the BOSS swing his sword at him, Song Jian swung his sword to block, clashing fiercely with the BOSS; The BOSSs sword skills were slightly superior to Song Jians, but not to the extent of completely overpowering Song Jian. In terms of attributes, Song Jian was even stronger than the BOSS in Elf form. The two fought back and forth on the small island in the Magma Lake, exchanging blows more than a dozen times in an instant. Song Jian lost nearly two thousand Vitality Points, while the BOSS also lost five to six thousand of health; Comparatively speaking, Song Jian was at a slight disadvantage, after all, the BOSS still had over two million Vitality Points. A few thousand points for him were practically negligible, like being tickled, but for Song Jian, two thousand points of Vitality was already close to one-fifth of his total health; Hum~ The slender tip of the BOSSs sword suddenly burst into a dazzling ray of light; Song Jian narrowed his eyes and subconsciously executed the Soul Wander skill. As his body turned into a transparent soul state, his vision was instantly blinded by a dazzling sword glare. Song Jian could feel the BOSSs stabbing speed reaching an astonishing degree, capable of thrusting more than thirty swords in a second. Had he not activated Soul Wander, that strike could have instantly killed him! Chapter 961 - 962 Magic Dragon Form_1 Chapter 961: Chapter 962 Magic Dragon Form_1 Chapter 961: Chapter 962 Magic Dragon Form_1 Song Jian could feel the BOSSs thin sword constantly piercing his body, but it couldnt cause him any harm; nearly four seconds of immunity to damage made the BOSSs move completely ineffective; In fact, this move was similar to the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, but the Thrust Sword move performed by the BOSS didnt have the effect of knocking him into the air; however, the damage each strike caused was several times that of the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, and even a melee armored warrior, if caught off guard, could be instantly killed by the BOSS; Song Jian quickly retreated, his Sword Qi already brimming; as he retreated, he swung forward, sending dozens of Spirit Swords rushing towards the BOSS, Karmic Fire Red Lotus rising, followed by a loud explosion, and above the BOSSs head, a series of damage points in the tens of thousands floated up; The last Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword violently slashed at the BOSS; this time, it did not trigger the previous beheading effect, it only caused nearly a hundred thousand points of damage to the BOSS; Seeing the hand that had been forming dissipate again, Song Jian felt a twinge of regret in his heart. It was such a pityif only the level of Thousand Swords Art was a bit higher; S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The BOSSs Vitality Points had dropped below two million, but for Song Jian, it was still a despairingly high number. The BOSS, enveloped in roaring flames, charged at Song Jian; During the sprint, the BOSSs body slightly shuddered and immediately blurred, and moments later, three identical BOSSes appeared in front of Song Jian; Sword Shadow Clone! Song Jian immediately used the clone skill as well, though he had one fewer clone than the BOSS; Thousand Swords Art! The clones, upon appearing, directly used the most powerful skill, dozens of Spirit Swords rushing towards the three identical BOSSes; the Spirit Swords were almost evenly distributed across each BOSS, and from the damage dealt, Song Jian immediately locked onto the BOSSs true body. He executed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, his figure darting towards the BOSSs true body like lightning; The BOSSs clones did take damage, but for Song Jian, the damage from the clones was completely bearable. Enduring the clones attacks, Song Jian and the BOSSs true body were locked in combat, while the Sword Shadow Clones also targeted the true body and joined the attack; Hum~ Another dazzling light burst forth from the BOSSs long sword as Song Jians figure hastily retreated, but the clone swung its sword and charged at the BOSS; Swish swish swish~ Bright white lights sparkled in the air, crisscrossing like a spider web, enveloping the clone within, and moments later, the clone was chopped into seven or eight pieces and dissipated into a puff of black smoke; Song Jian could endure the BOSSs regular attack damage, but the skills power was too great and could easily kill him with his seven or eight thousand Vitality Points in an instant; hence, whenever the BOSS used a skill, Song Jian had to evade even faster; This is just the second phase. The third phases Magic Dragon almost exclusively uses wide-area attacks; you cant even dodge them, you just have to withstand them, Song Jian thought to himself. With a thought, a pair of steel wings appeared behind him; Summoning the steel wings was not for speed but to enhance defense; moreover, at critical moments, the steel wings could also serve as shields to take the brunt of the damage. The Elf form of the BOSS dealt such high physical damage; The BOSSs Vitality Points were too high. If it was a BOSS on hard difficulty, two Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formations would have already taken it to the third phase, the Magic Dragon form; but now, the Elf form of the BOSS was still energetic, forcing Song Jian into a continuous retreat; Song Jians Vitality Points kept decreasing. Even with regular attacks, Song Jian found it extremely difficult to cope. The adversarys sword skill was too strongif it wasnt for Song Jian exchanging blow for blow, he probably wouldnt have been able to inflict any effective damage on the BOSS; Gulp gulp~ Another Advanced Healing Potion was poured into the air; now as soon as the cooldown was up, Song Jian would take it without hesitation. Furthermore, there were other recovery items with different cooldowns from the potion, all of which were being rapidly consumed. Boom! The bosss fine sword once again clashed with Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword, a great force sent Song Jian retreating three to four meters. The moment the cooldown for Thousand Swords Art was up, Song Jian didnt even think before swinging his sword down to chop; An overwhelming burst of Sword Qi surged out, more than a thousand Sword Qi Points once again depleted entirely; however, Song Jian faintly felt that every time he used up the Sword Qi, its recovery rate seemed to increase slightly. This change was too subtle to easily notice, but after many times, the accumulation made Song Jian aware of some abnormalities. Sixty Spirit Swords slashed towards the boss. Even the boss couldnt help but frown at this sight; it was an insolvable attack. If these Spirit Swords had real sword bodies, the boss could definitely deflect them one by one with sword skill, but these Spirit Swords were formed from Sword Qi, utterly impervious to defense, leaving no choice but to endure the brutal onslaught. Boom boom boom~ Every Spirit Sword that struck the boss erupted in a violent explosion, creating bursts of flames on the bosss body, the intense impact preventing the boss from continuing its assault! Soon after, a massive red lotus bloomed slowly. When it reached full bloom, it was the Sword Formations most powerful moment, and a damage figure exceeding a hundred thousand floated up slowly from above the bosss head. Then, the fully bloomed lotus, like one withering, began to close slowly, as if nurturing a seed within. A Red Lotus Sword shining with sword light started to emerge slowly in the air; The boss let out an annoyed roar, pulling its cape behind itself, and suddenly transformed into a shroud of black mist, enveloping its entire body; Seeing this scene, Song Jians lips curled up slightly. This was the bosss only defensive move in its Elf formthe cape turned black mist, granting immunity to physical attacks. However, correspondingly, damage from other attributes was increased by 300%. One must know that although the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword was condensed from Sword Qi, because of the mutation in the Thousand Swords Art, it now possessed fire attribute damage. Not only did the bosss move fail to immunize against the damage from the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword, it actually made the damage triple; During the hard difficulty, Song Jian had already witnessed this move. He hadnt expected that in the real difficulty, this boss would still use this move to fend off the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword! Let me add a little something to this! Song Jian chuckled with a hee-hee, and his Vertical eye opened on his forehead. A dazzling beam of light burst forth, shooting towards the rolling black mist; The enhanced Vertical eyes gaze of death was true damage, inflicting five hundred points of true damage every second, which, upon striking the black mist, instantly triggered a triple critical hit, five damage numbers, each over one thousand five hundred points, floated up above the bosss head. A painful roar from the boss echoed from within the black mist, and just at that moment, a sword light like a white silk ribbon fell from the sky. In an instant, it seemed as if the entire space was cleaved in two by this sword; Boom! With a loud noise, the boss was directly sliced out of the black mist by the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword, and a damage figure of over six hundred thousand floated up from its head, its Vitality Points plummeting by more than half; PS: Thanks to Chen Chen Hahaha for the tip of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 962 - 963 Hidden Effects_1 Chapter 962: Chapter 963 Hidden Effects_1 Chapter 962: Chapter 963 Hidden Effects_1 Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian and the Elf-form BOSS had been entangled for several minutes, a Thousand Swords Art every ten seconds rapidly decreasing the BOSSs Vitality Points, but Song Jian was not without injury. Whether it was the BOSSs skills or normal attacks, both made Song Jian feel overwhelmed. After all, the BOSSs attacks were not to be underestimated; Song Jian didnt know how many high-level healing potions he had consumed, he felt that walking now gave a clang. His stomach was full of high-level healing potions; Watching the BOSS, holding a rapier and kneeling on one knee with thick black energy emanating from its body, Song Jian let out a breath and quickly sat down to keep chugging healing potions; Song Jian had already triggered the BOSSs third phase change. Unless he hid in the Shattered Divine Realm, there was no longer any chance to administer healing potions to himself. The Abyssal Dragons attacks were almost all wide-ranging. Even if he took healing potions, he couldnt endure the damage long enough to replenish his Vitality Points; After restoring himself to optimal condition, Song Jian looked at the BOSS, with less than one million Vitality Points left, and suddenly felt an impulse to execute the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash again. He knew that if he triggered a tenfold critical hit, this BOSS could be instantly killed by him; However, Song Jian had not yet found a method to guarantee a tenfold critical hit. If he couldnt trigger a critical hit, the damage of about a hundred thousand and the painful recovery period of five minutes made the choice easy for Song Jian; If it werent for this tenfold critical hit, Id really like to feed this skill directly to the Thousand Swords Art for an upgrade! Song Jian muttered to himself, swinging the Sky-breaking Sword forward, and casting the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art at the BOSS that had transformed into a Magic Dragon state; The damage of the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, compared to other sword techniques, was indeed much higher. If it were other players, they probably wouldnt easily give up this skill, even though using it would lead to five minutes of vulnerability; But if he couldnt trigger a tenfold critical hit, the damage from the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash wouldnt even match the first tier of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art, not to mention the second-tier Red Lotus Sword, and the third tier which was temporarily unsustainable; Song Jian made up his mind that he would only try the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash one more time. If he still couldnt trigger a tenfold critical hit, then he would dispose of it; Dozens of Spirit Swords flew towards the Magic Dragon. This time, the Thousand Swords Art didnt produce the pleasantly surprising bonus damage. The Karmic Fire attribute damage also seemed to be suppressed to the limit, given that the Abyssal Dragon could control Abyssal Magic Fire, which had an extremely high resistance to fire; In the first phase, Thousand Swords Art only caused a hundred ten thousand damage to the BOSS. This was lower than the average damage. And among the Sixty Spirit Swords, not one triggered a critical hit or a damage amplification effect, which confirmed Song Jians understanding of his own rotten luck; Seeing the huge Magic Dragon BOSS tightly bound by a red lotus in the center, and then a Red Lotus Sword, flashing with soaring Sword Qi, falling from the sky, fiercely chopping at the back of the Magic Dragons neck. Before the Magic Dragon could resist or unleash its skills, Song Jian gritted his teeth, preparing to experience a feeling of complete exhaustion and fiercely slashed at the BOSS with his sword! Eclipse, Shattered Light Slash! A light shout, and it seemed as if the light in the entire space dimmed. A bright moon appeared above the Magic Dragon BOSSs head. At this moment, the Magic Dragon BOSS was raising its head, emitting a deep roar. The Abyss energy on its body surface rolled like a dense fog, and even the skies above the instance began to gather thick clouds of darkness; Song Jian knew this was the BOSSs first wide-ranging attack, almost screen-filling damage, and no matter how far one stood, they would be hit; Just then, a dazzling sword light zipped towards the BOSS at a speed that seemed to rip through time and space. A mist covered the entire moon above the BOSSs head. At this moment, the BOSS, shrouded in darkness, whether it was the rolling Abyss energy or the special effects of the Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, cloaked the location of the Magic Dragon in a dark fog; Swipe~ The sound of a blade slicing into the body echoed throughout the entire instance. Right after Song Jian unleashed that strike, he entered the Shattered Divine Realm without even sparing a glance at the damage inflicted on the BOSS. It must be understood that Song Jians Vitality Points were already locked at one. As soon as the BOSSs skill was released, no matter where Song Jian stood, he would have been attacked. When that happened, he could only once again trigger Enemy of Death God to narrowly escape doom! Bearing pain akin to being devoured by thousands of ants, Song Jian secretly vowed in his heart, If this doesnt trigger a tenfold critical hit damage, then this Eclipse Shattered Light Slash skill will definitely be devoured by my Thousand Swords Art in revenge. This was, after all, an epic-level skill. Even at sixth level, the Thousand Swords Art could have its proficiency increased by at least one-third; The pain was just too much, as if countless thin blades were slicing his muscles, or as if ten thousand ants had burrowed into Song Jians body and were constantly gnawing at it; The five minutes felt like an eternity, and each moment brought immense suffering to Song Jian. It was during this time that he suddenly received a system notification; System: You have endured the torment of pain and persevered, your Willpower has increased by 1 point. Note that each use of this skill may have a chance to enhance the users hidden attributes! Song Jian was taken aback, looking over the system message again and again. This skill could actually improve hidden attributes? And it wasnt just Willpowerother hidden attributes could also have a chance to increase? Should I still devour this skill then? Song Jian suddenly became hesitant. It was known that, although hidden attributes might not immediately enhance combat power, they were irreplaceable in many aspects. Most importantly, free attribute points could not increase hidden attributesthey could only be improved through chance or golden attribute points; But often, players couldnt even see their hidden attributes, and many didnt even know they had such attributes. Even Song Jian had only unlocked Willpower as a hidden attribute. Therefore, even when obtaining golden attribute points, most people would just add them to their main attributes; Damn it, this skill even has hidden effects. Its real purpose isnt for battling enemies, but for enhancing ones hidden attributes. No wonder its side effects are so severe! Song Jian suddenly felt that the five minutes of weakness didnt seem that painful anymore. After five minutes, the weakened state finally disappeared. Song Jian quickly pulled out a bottle of honey wine and guzzled it down. Being drained of Vitality Points, Spirit Points, and even Sword Qi Value felt terribly uncomfortable, a torture right down to the cellular level. Song Jian felt that having the courage to use it a second time, after trying once, was already quite brave; Having recovered, Song Jian came out from the Shattered Divine Realm. At this moment, the carcass of a colossal Magic Dragon lay across a small island in the middle of the Magma Lake. Flipping through the battle records, he saw that his final strike, Eclipse Shattered Light Slash, had actually triggered tenfold critical hit damage, dealing over one million three hundred thousand damage; Although it caused several hundred thousand points of overflow damage, the result was the sameit instantly killed the last BOSS. Hey, I scored an epic item! Song Jians eyes fell on a purple-red glowing piece of loot, but while looting, he first picked up a golden-quality Skill Book; Chapter 963 - 964 Hidden BOSS_1 Chapter 963: Chapter 964 Hidden BOSS_1 Chapter 963: Chapter 964 Hidden BOSS_1 After the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Thousand Swords Art devoured another golden-quality Skill Book, it could be upgraded by six levels. That was why Song Jian was quick to pick up the golden-quality Skill Book first. Glancing at it, he saw that it was a Skill Book for Shield Warriors, named Shield Impact. The effect was to block an attack head-on, doubling defense capabilities, and upon a successful block, it would rebound 150% of the damage inflicted back to the attacker; This was considered a top-tier skill for those wielding shields, not just for Shield Warriors. Any class that used a shield could learn this skill. If sold, this Skill Book would be worth at least a million Doomsday Coins; Devour! With a single thought from Song Jian, the Skill Book in his hand disappeared, and the Thousand Swords Art leveled up to six; The level six Thousand Swords Art underwent a qualitative enhancement. The number of Spirit Swords significantly increased from the original six to sixty, directly jumping to a range between ten and one hundred and ten. Furthermore, each Spirit Swords damage increased to (weapon damage * 180%), more than doubling the overall might. Even without the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, it could inflict over three hundred thousand, nearly four hundred thousand damage to monsters of the same level, of course, that was with the number of Spirit Swords reaching one hundred and ten; Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, I should be able to sustain the third stage of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, right? Song Jian thought to himself, barely resisting the urge to find a formidable BOSS to test his skills; The task of killing ten dominion-level BOSSes for the Sword Immortals journey was already 90% complete. He just needed one more dominion-level BOSS to finish the first step of the Sword Immortals path; Clearly, this first step was merely an initial test. One needed the strength to slay ten dominion-level BOSSes to move on to the subsequent stages; A substantial amount of Soul Energy poured into the Shattered Divine Realm all at once. A light rain continued to drizzle from the sky without cease, and, at last, rivers and lakes began to flow once more. The land was reviving, grass and forests were slowly coming back to life; although the process was gradual, it was a good sign; To fully repair the Shattered Divine Realm, relying solely on slaying monsters for Soul Energy wouldnt suffice. Divine power was necessary to achieve complete restoration, but at the very least, the environment could be improved; Having upgraded the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian turned his attention to the other spoils of battle. Emitting a purplish-red quality glow was a halberd, a secondary hand weapon, throwable to deal damage to enemies within an eighty-five-meter range. Moreover, it could damage all enemies along its trajectory; Never mind the damage it dealt; the mere eighty-five-meter range was enough to make many ranged professions green with envy. Keep in mind, even for ranged professions like Archers, without range-increasing skills, their maximum range would probably fall short of this halberd. Whats most important is that this halberd was a universal weapon. Even Mages, if they met the strength requirement, could pick it up and use it. Throwing it into the auction house, if the Mage class didnt have a better wand, its believed that many Mages who met the strength criteria would fiercely compete with Warriors for this weapon. With so many contenders, this weapon would certainly fetch an exorbitantly high price at auction; The attributes of this weapon were also exceptional; even Song Jian was covetously eyeing it. If it werent for class restrictions, he would have even wanted to equip the weapon himself; Even ordinary Swordmen could outfit their off-hand slot with a shield or other off-hand weapon, but for the epic class of Sword Master, Song Jian still had his off-hand slot empty, not outfitting it with any weapon; It wasnt that he couldnt equip it, but once equipped, all damage and attributes were weakened by eighty percent. In the face of the overwhelming damage from the Sky-breaking Sword and Thousand Swords Art, a secondary weapon was simply a burden; However, Song Jian knew that the off-hand slot of a Sword Master was supposed to be for a flying sword, but unfortunately, Song Jian hadnt managed to obtain a flying sword up to now. A common-quality longsword not only increased consumption but also couldnt withstand the prolonged erosion of Sword Qi. Only a sword of Sky-breaking Sword quality could endure the Sword Qi erosion; After toying with it in his hands for a while, Song Jian sighed and put it into his inventory. The rest of the items were mostly materials. This time, he had harvested over three hundred pounds of Magic Dragon bones alone, among which a Demonic Dragon Skull was emitting a golden glow. It wasnt just an exceptional golden-quality material for forging a top-notch helmet but could also be used as a decoration, hung on the wall of a room to display might; Even the Abyssal Shadow of the difficult difficulty hadnt dropped such a Demonic Dragon Skull, only the true difficulty dungeon would drop it, and it was a symbol of having completed the true difficulty dungeon; After picking up all the spoils of war, Song Jian was surprised to find that the system hadnt broadcasted throughout the city that he had completed the Abyssal Shadow on true difficulty; It should be noted that after the difficult difficulty was completed, the system had broadcasted it throughout the city three times. Half a month ago, not a single team could raid the difficult difficulty. Half a month later, Song Jian didnt believe that anyone could complete the Abyssal Shadow dungeon on true difficulty. Otherwise, Wang Qi would have informed him for sure; Could it be that the dungeon isnt finished yet? Song Jian said with some surprise. In the difficult difficulty dungeon, this was indeed the last BOSS, but in true difficulty Maybe theres a hidden BOSS? Song Jian thought to himself as he began to look around. This Magma Lake was already the end of the dungeon. If there really was a hidden BOSS, it could only appear near the Magma Lake or maybe even at the bottom of the Magma Lake; Song Jians fire resistance was very high, but fighting in the Magma Lake still posed significant limits. If the final hidden BOSS really was at the bottom of the Magma Lake, he would have to lure it ashore to fight; However, ten minutes passed, and the dungeon was silent without any signs of a hidden BOSS appearing. Song Jians brow furrowed tightlyit couldnt possibly be that he had to search for the BOSS in the Magma Lake himself, could it? This level of difficulty seemed a bit too much; Just then, Song Jian finally received a system message that came late; System: You have killed the Abyssal Shadow (true difficulty) hidden BOSS, Demonic Dragon Evil Soul. This BOSS cannot drop any loot. You have gained 668 million experience points and your level has increased by one; System: You have cleared the Abyssal Shadow (true difficulty). Your reputation with the Abyssal Clan has decreased by ten thousand points, and your relationship with the Abyssal Clan is now Hatred; System: You have cleared the Abyssal Shadow (true difficulty). Your reputation with the human race has increased by five thousand points, and your reputation within the human race has reached Revered; System: You have cleared the Abyssal Shadow (true difficulty), please choose one of the following options for disposition: Plunder, Occupy, Destroy! PS: Thanks to Bao Xue Xin for the gift of 200 Doomsday Coins~ Chapter 964 - 965 Destroy_1 Chapter 964: Chapter 965 Destroy_1 Chapter 964: Chapter 965 Destroy_1 The last hidden BOSS is the Demonic Dragon Evil Soul? Song Jian was taken aback, then a strange smile crept onto his face; You see, when any sovereign-level BOSS was killed, its soul would automatically be absorbed by the Shattered Divine Realm, becoming the power to repair the realm. This guardian BOSS was no exception. After Song Jian killed it, its soul was turned into the power of souls by the Divine Realm, used to heal itself. Thus, the final hidden BOSS was actually annihilated by the Shattered Divine Realm! This turned out to be a blessing in disguise! Song Jian shook his head and mused to himself; System: You have killed ten sovereign-level BOSSes, Path of the Sword Immortal first-tier task completed, received 1 golden skill point, which can be used to upgrade any skill by one level! System: Path of the Sword Immortal second-tier task has commenced. Task details: Reach level fifty, pass the second-tier combat power assessment with a grade of A or above; failing to meet the task requirement results in Path of the Sword Immortal task failure; That hidden BOSS, the Demonic Dragon Evil Soul, turned out to be a sovereign-level BOSS as well? A joyous smile appeared on Song Jians face. The ten sovereign-level BOSSes required by the Path of the Sword Immortal task were all completed after getting through the Abyssal Demon Shadow instance; However, the fifty-level and second-tier combat power assessment of the second stage were still quite a distance away for Song Jian. Although his level had risen by one, reaching forty-six, he was only four levels shy of fifty. Yet, for ordinary players, the battle experience needed for these four levels would likely require grinding for a years worth of monsters; After reaching level forty-six and gaining an ordinary skill point, along with one golden skill point from completing the first tier of the task, Song Jian didnt hesitate to use the ordinary skill point on Sword Control Skill. At level four, Sword Control Skill increased his Sword Qi Value by a hundred points, Sword Control +1, and it also made the power of the Sword Immortal 5% stronger when used; The enhancement of Sword Control Skill could only be considered standard, still in the realm of quantity accumulation, without any significant changes; But when Song Jian used the golden skill point on Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art, the enhancement of Thousand Swords Art gave him quite a shock; You know, after previously upgrading his Sword Control Skill to level six, the number of Spirit Swords summoned had already increased significantly. Level seven Sword Control Skill doubled the number of Spirit Swords from level sixs base, reaching between 20 to 220 Spirit Swords. Each Spirit Swords power also increased to 200% of weapon power, the attack range increased by two hundred meters to a total of twelve hundred meters, and the Sword Qi consumption also doubled, reaching six hundred points; Previously, to enhance his Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian had been calculating how many Skill Books would be needed and how much proficiency could be increased. Now, having jumped two levels at once, Song Jian couldnt wait to find a sovereign-level BOSS to test out the power of level seven Thousand Swords Art; Soon, a pale blue teleportation portal appeared on the central island of the Magma Lake. Song Jian walked towards the portal, but upon entering, he was once again presented with the instance disposal options; Loot, Occupy, Destroy! There were three options: loot meant plundering all of the instances resources, yielding a large amount of unique Abyssal materials. Moreover, the first time an instance was cleared, the loot option would provide the most abundant materials. Many special Abyssal materials would only appear during the initial looting; The second option, Occupy, would grant Song Jian ownership of the instance. Although it meant no operations could be performed on the instance, any player entering the instance would have to pay Song Jian a fee first, effectively meaning Song Jian could charge admission to enter this instance. It was a steady income choice; although one-time gains were nowhere near the first loot option, over time, the benefits from the second option could far exceed looting. The third option, Destroy, would not yield any benefits, simply eradicating the instance completely, as if it had never existed. All second and third-tier mini instances previously conquered by the City of Hopes players had been destroyed; Only this way, could they completely cut off the Abyssal Passage from these instances; Even though Abyssal Demon Shadow instances dotted the entire world, Song Jian certainly did not want Abyssal creatures popping up from his territory when the great battle kicked off, as the resulting destruction would be far too great! Destroy! Song Jian didnt hesitate to choose the third option. As a result, there were no longer any level 5 Abyssal Shadow copies left within Doomsday City. For other players, this was a loss, as they could no longer farm this level 5 dungeon; many players had not even cleared it on normal difficulty, and a wealth of equipment and materials would no longer be available to farm; Undoubtedly, quite a few players would harbor resentment towards Song Jian in secret, but there was nothing to be done. The City of Hope Alliance needed to expand its territory, and to prevent the Abyssal Passage from appearing within its domain, destroying it was the necessary choice; After selecting destruction, Song Jians figure slowly faded away at the teleportation gate, and when he reappeared, he found himself in the Manor Castle; All players near the Abyssal Shadow were almost instantly teleported out, not a single player was left to linger around the dungeon; Then, the enormous black pyramid began to shake violently, cracks appearing on the surface of the pyramid. In an instant, the black pyramid, which gleamed with a metallic luster, seemed to have weathered thousands of years; A gust of wind passed, and the pyramid started to collapse entirely, turning into a vast amount of black fine sand, swept up by the wind; In an instant, the towering pyramid, several tens of meters high, collapsed. This scene was truly shocking, and many players opened their mouths wide, displaying expressions as if theyd seen a ghost; S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Its destroyed just like that? Some players couldnt believe their eyes. Even an ordinary player knew how much profit a level 5 dungeon for forty players could generateenough to make someone filthy rich overnight. But this enormous wealth, Song Jian gave up just like that! This, the benefits given up must be in the hundreds of millions, right? a player said in disbelief; Much more than that, but now we have no way to farm for equipment anymore, what a pity another lamented. Why destroy it? Wouldnt occupying it be better? someone asked. Perhaps its because the Abyssal Passage is about to open? He doesnt want the passage to appear inside Doomsday City another guessed. Hmph, I think its because this dungeon blocked the path of the City of Hope Alliances territorial expansion, so he chose to destroy it, such wild ambition another speculated with a snort. Players were abuzz with discussion about Song Jians destruction of the single level 5 dungeon, with both praise and criticism, but for Song Jian, he didnt care in the slightest about what others said. Just as Song Jian returned to the City Lord Mansion, another grand voice echoed throughout the entirety of Doomsday City; System: The City of Hope Alliance has launched a territory expansion campaign. All players affected will automatically enter a state of hostility. The territory expansion campaign will last for two hours. The campaign will start in five seconds! Watching the red light surging into the sky in the distance, a smile appeared on Song Jians face. It seemed that Wang Qi really did have a lot of faith in him; Wang Qi had launched the territorial expansion campaign just as soon as Song Jian finished the dungeon. Considering that launching such a campaign required a lot of preparation, Wang Qi must have started as soon as Song Jian entered the dungeon; Expand! I feel that we dont have much time left. We must include the entire Doomsday City in our alliances territory before the war kicks off! Song Jian thought to himself; Chapter 965 - 966 The Misty Forest_1 Chapter 965: Chapter 966: The Misty Forest_1 Chapter 965: Chapter 966: The Misty Forest_1 The territorial expansion campaign no longer required Song Jians participation. Doomsday Citys alliances had long anticipated that the City of Hope would unify the entire Doomsday City. The alliances that refused to submit had all moved to other cities, while those remaining were small guilds that hoped to join the City of Hope Alliance. They had long coveted the benefits offered by the City of Hope Alliance. Song Jians current task was to level up to fifty as soon as possible and then pass the second tier combat power assessment. Whether it was the Sword Immortal quest or preparing for the upcoming invasion of the Abyss by the Demon Clan, this was the most urgent matter. Wang Qi, do you know of any nearby places with level fifty monsters in large numbers? I plan to focus on leveling up during this period! Song Jian opened the communication channel and spoke to Wang Qi. Leveling up by fighting level fifty monsters? Wang Qi was startled and then pulled out a map of the surroundings of Doomsday City. Ever since they could leave Doomsday City, Wang Qi had dispatched a large number of people to explore the vicinity. On one hand, it was to discover resources; on the other, it was also to record the situations of the monster gathering areas nearby. There are three areas with level fifty to fifty-five monsters near Doomsday City Wang Qi said, City Lord, do you have any requirements regarding the monsters attributes? Are there any monsters with low fire resistance? Song Jian asked. One hundred kilometers to the southwest, near the edge of the Poisonous Swamp, there is an area with level fifty water elemental monsters. Theres a large number of water elementals there with very low fire resistance. One hundred and eighty kilometers to the north, there is a Misty Forest, where there are demonized treants ranging from level fifty-five to fifty-eight everywhere. According to the brothers who scouted, there is an ancient tree over a hundred meters tall in the center of the forest. If that ancient tree is a BOSS, then its at least a Lord-level BOSS, possibly higher! The fire resistance of these treants is all negative, but ordinary flames dont do much damage to them Wang Qi mentioned two areas with monsters that had low fire resistance. In Song Jians view, the Misty Forest seemed a better fit. The higher the level, the more bonus experience he would get, and he might even be able to farm a BOSS. Even if he didnt need it for himself, it would add to the City of Hope Alliances repositories, as most players could only look at but not wear equipment for level fifty. However, thinking of treants, Song Jian suddenly remembered that he seemed to have an item in his inventory that could enhance the strength of a treant, the Devil Vine. With that thought, Song Jian quickly walked out of the Manor Castle and came to the Spirit Field. The Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree had already grown to over thirty meters, and its large crown had even covered half the sunlight from the Manor Castle. However, since sunlight was rarely seen in Doomsday City, with the sky always covered with dense dark clouds and sunny days being rare, the shadow of the Poison Tree didnt really affect Song Jian much. The use of the Devil Vine was simple, only needing to be buried next to the plant-type combat pet you wish to fuse it with. Song Jian buried the Devil Vine at the feet of the slumbering Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree. Soon, a vine covered in scale-like patterns and as thick as an arm broke through the soil. It twined around the Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree, slowly climbing upwards and quickly spreading to every branch of the Poison Tree. The Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree seemed to sense something unusual and slowly opened its eyes. A pair of stout branch-like arms stretched out in front of it, gazing at the purple-black vines that appeared on its branches. In the eyes of the Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree, a look of faint understanding could be seen. Hahaha, Ive found you a companion! Song Jian patted the stout trunk of the Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree and laughed. I feel as if my strength has increased again! Alex, the Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree, spoke in a deep voice. As the Devil Vine covered its trunk, the quality of the Bloodthirsty Shadow Poison Tree had also advanced to the next tier. At this moment, it was already a Lord-level BOSS. If it wished, it could animate all the plants within a hundred miles, turning them into warriors that obey only its command. Song Jian glanced at the sparse trees around him, thinking to himself, Maybe I should transplant Alex into the forest. This place is somewhat limiting its growth now! Originally, Alexs duty was to guard Manor Castle, but now the Manor Castle had become the City Lord Mansion of the entire City of Hope, belonging to the most strongly defended place. If the enemy could attack here, then having one more lord-level BOSS or one less wouldnt make much of a difference in the end; I could transplant it to the Shadow Forest in the Valley of the Undead. There are many Ancient Shadow Trees there. If Alex were transplanted, it might bring to life a good number of Ancient War Trees! Song Jian thought to himself, But then, the mining of Shadow Wood would be affected The development of the Valley of the Undead was an important financial source for the City of Hope Alliance. If an ordinary player gained all the resources of the Valley of the Undead, they could lie in bed and count money every day. But for the development of a city, the revenue from resource development in the Valley of the Undead seemed like a drop in the bucket. That was why Song Jian had to set up his own merchant caravan. Alex seemed very interested in the Devil Vine that had suddenly appeared on its body, constantly pulling on the Devil Vine to test its tenacity. After observing for a while, and seeing that the Bloody Yin Soul Poison Tree fused with the Devil Vine showed no abnormalities, Song Jian turned around and left Manor Castle, heading toward the foggy forest outside Doomsday City; The monsters inside Doomsday City were mostly under level fifty, with the highest strength being only at the peak of second-tier combat power. Such monsters no longer posed a threat to Song Jian, who naturally gave up on leveling up within Doomsday City, only lending a hand when the players of the alliance needed help; Walking out from the Protection Black Mist, Song Jian mounted his motorcycle and drove toward the foggy forest; Doomsday City, much like Novice Village, had lower-level monsters the closer one was to it. The further away, the higher and more formidable the monster levels became! The speed of the motorcycle, compared with the Flame Light Wings and Sword Flight Art, was much slower, roughly on par with the speed of steel feathered wings flight. However, using the Flame Light Wings and Sword Flight Art was indeed too conspicuous, as the tasseled Flame Light Wings and Sword Flight Art, once deployed, would always draw everyones attention to Song Jian immediately; He drove down the spacious road, and the farther he got from Doomsday City, the more damaged the road became. After more than an hour, Song Jians view already was a wild wilderness overgrown with weeds, with no trace of the asphalt road to be found; S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The terrain here no longer suited motorcycle driving, and it was rarely trodden by anyone. Song Jian stowed away the motorcycle, summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, and performed the Sword Flight Art, heading toward the distance; The improvement in the level of Sword Control Skill made the Sword Flight Art incredibly fast. A thin yet sturdy layer of Sword Qi barrier formed in front of Song Jian during flight, shielding him from the onrush of the strong wind; Song Jian raced north from Doomsday City, passed a vast plain without stopping. This area was already a spawn zone for monsters over level forty, and few players would come here to hunt monsters. Huge monsters flashed underneath Song Jians feet; the scenery rapidly changed, and soon, a forest filled with a faint grey mist appeared before Song Jian. Chapter 966 - 967 Grinding Monsters_1 Chapter 966: Chapter 967: Grinding Monsters_1 Chapter 966: Chapter 967: Grinding Monsters_1 Upon arriving at the edge of the Mystical Fog Forest, Song Jian discovered that the grey mist emanating from the forest contained no poison. It merely affected visibility and suppressed perception detection. Song Jians detection range originally exceeded fifteen meters, but upon entering the forest, he found that his field of vision was reduced to a mere one to two meters, and his perception detection was suppressed to within a five-meter radius; Even if a players level goes up, they probably wouldnt like to level up by fighting monsters here! Song Jian thought to himself. Being accustomed to long-range detection, the sudden suppression of his senses was a terrible feeling. There were many trees in the Mystical Fog Forest, and they all seemed to have mutated. The majority of the trees were thick and appeared to be at least three hundred years old; In this forest roamed monsters known as Forest Wanderers, a bit taller than an average adult, probably around two meters. They resembled walking trees with distinct features and limbs, looking somewhat dazed and adorable, but the sharp fangs in their mouths indicated that these creatures were anything but benevolent; There were many such monsters in the forest, and within Song Jians five-meter perception range, there were already more than a dozen of them. These monsters were level fifty-five, with only over sixteen thousand Vitality Points. Their attack patterns were not yet clear, but their defense was certainly not weak. Song Jian noticed that their bodies were covered in mottled bark with a metallic sheen; With a thought, Flame Light Wings appeared behind Song Jian. It was not a good idea to fly low in the forest, especially with such low visibility and perception. Even with Song Jians physique, flying in the Mystical Fog Forest would likely result in a bruised face. But Song Jian intended to increase his speed, not to fly; Summoning the Sky-breaking Sword, he fiercely cleaved into the Mystical Fog Forest. Countless Spirit Swords appeared around him. The seventh-level Thousand Swords Art could summon up to two hundred and twenty Spirit Swords, increasing his power three to four times than before. This time Song Jian didnt channel all the Sword Qi to perform the Thousand Swords Art, thus not triggering the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Hundreds of Spirit Swords flew into the depths of the Mystical Fog Forest, where explosions and the angry howls and roars of monsters were heard; Song Jian turned and ran, his body almost skimming the ground as he flew away. Soon, hordes of Forest Wanderers emerged from the Mystical Fog Forest, chasing after Song Jian with bared teeth and claws, in startling numbers; Looking back, Song Jian saw a long line of densely packed monsters and frowned slightly. The monsters were spread out at different distances. Being alarmed and stretching out the line was actually not conducive to gathering the monsters. He pulled out an icy scroll from his pack and tore it open, throwing it behind him; These scrolls were the expensive Ice Marsh Scrolls Song Jian had purchased, created by a Scroll Mage who represented a peculiar offshoot of the Mage profession, considered a rare occupation; They had no attack power of their own and could only attack enemies by using their crafted scrolls. Early-stage Scroll Mages often had a hard time making ends meet, but later on, those who could create extremely powerful scrolls became the strongest and wealthiest profession in the entire game; A single powerful forbidden scroll often fetched tens of millions of Doomsday Coins, and while other Mages were still chanting their spells, the Scroll Mages magic attack scrolls had already obliterated all enemies; The Frost Swamp Scroll had no attack power, but it could create a frost swamp with a diameter of over ten meters. Any enemy that entered suffered a slowing effect. Due to the combined effects of freezing and swamp terrain, the slowing effect of the frost swamp was extraordinary, causing a 60% reduction in speed; Such a supportive scroll was highly targeted, and therefore, extremely expensiveone scroll sold for twenty thousand Doomsday Coins. Most players would buy one or two for self-defense, but Song Jian, intending to farm monsters, bought three hundred at once; Watching the monsters struggle to move through the frost swamp, with more and more accumulating behind, a joyful smile emerged at the corner of Song Jians mouth. To him, this scroll was worth every penny; With Sky-breaking Sword in hand, Sword Qi surged toward the blade, ready to unleash the Thousand Swords Art. Two hundred and twenty Spirit Sword silhouettes densely floated around Song Jian. Anyone with a fear of clusters would probably turn around and leave at such a sight; Swinging the Sky-breaking Sword forward, the two hundred plus Spirit Swords flew past without a single collision, as if they each followed their own flight paths, not interfering with one another; The sharp Sword Qi enveloped all the Forest Wanderers trapped in the frost swamp. A strong surge of energy spread out, rippling like waves on the surface of the water, sweeping across dozens of meters around the frost swamp, covering all the monsters within it; Boom, boom, boom, Intense explosions echoed among the monsters, and damage numbers exceeding two thousand peppered the air, densely packed and superimposed, making it impossible to discern the exact damage on each monster; As the monsters collapsed like straw, Song Jian felt a thrill of satisfaction within. Indeed, the monsters here had very low fire resistance; normally, each Spirit Sword would only add a thousand points of fire damage, but when attacking these monsters, they could inflict up to fifteen or sixteen hundred points of fire damage; Even before the Thousand Swords Art could form a Sword Formation, the monsters were falling in droves. When a huge red lotus blossomed among them, within seconds, no monster could stand. The Red Lotus Sword Array slowly faded, leaving behind traces of the frost swamp on the ground, with the bodies of the monsters scattered everywhere, and loot scattered all over; The few hundred Forest Wanderers increased Song Jians Experience Points by 6%. Leveling up by farming monsters in this manner was incredibly fast. With the Thousand Swords Art, Song Jian might as well have been cheating. Song Jian gathered all the loot dropped by the monsters. Most of them had dropped a fifth-tier material called Sturdy Wood, and thirty-seven pieces of equipment, all above level fifty. These pieces were mostly common blue and green gear, which was of little use to Song Jian. Even if put up for sale, nobody would buy them; they could only be dismantled for materials; Beyond the equipment, the monsters also dropped one gold and one silver Skill Book, which pleasantly surprised Song Jian. After all, the chance of ordinary monsters dropping high-quality Skill Books was rare. The silver-quality Skill Book didnt contribute much to the proficiency of the seventh-tier Thousand Swords Art, but the gold-quality Skill Book could still provide a significant boost in proficiency; After absorbing the two Skill Books, Song Jian once again headed toward the Misty Forest. This time, he planned to lure even more monsters out. The power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation had not been fully unleashed, not even reaching the second phase, let alone the third. Song Jian was looking forward to seeing what kind of power the third phase could unleash after the Thousand Swords Art had leveled up twice; Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 967 - 968 Wood Claw Polluter_1 Chapter 967: Chapter 968: Wood Claw Polluter_1 Chapter 967: Chapter 968: Wood Claw Polluter_1 The Misty Forest is a monster zone that players have never stepped foot in, with an abundance of monsters. The Forest Wanderers are just the most common monsters on the periphery; the deeper one ventures into the Misty Forest, the more numerous and higher-level the monsters become. Song Jian repeatedly farmed the Forest Wanderers. He had used over a dozen Ice Swamp Scrolls; groups after groups of Forest Wanderers fell, and near the edge of the Misty Forest, the broken bodies of Forest Wanderers piled up, layer upon layer, endlessly; even the death flames couldnt keep up with the speed at which Song Jian was farming monsters. The respawn speed of the Forest Wanderers couldnt keep up with Song Jians killing pace; each time he would lure out hundreds of monsters. In just over two hours, the number of Forest Wanderers Song Jian had killed had exceeded ten thousand. The farming process was extremely tedious, and after getting proficient, the whole process became very mechanical and devoid of enjoyment. However, to become a powerhouse, this was a necessary stage that nobody could skip. Song Jians level proficiency shot up rapidly. In just over two hours, he had already reached the halfway mark. As the number of Forest Wanderers he lured became fewer, Song Jian started to venture deeper into the Misty Forest. Further in, there was the spawning area for Level 57 Woodclaw Contaminators. The appearance of the Woodclaw Contaminators was almost a carbon copy of the Forest Wanderers, only much larger in size. If Forest Wanderers were like ten-year-old trees, then Woodclaw Contaminators were at least fifty, or even a hundred years in growth. In addition to their exaggerated wooden claws, Woodclaw Contaminators also had faint green poison mist hovering over their bodies. Song Jian could sense that these mutated treants were filled with evil magic power, as if they were transformed into their current state by someone. The Woodclaw Contaminators were much stronger than the Forest Wanderers but moved even slower. For Song Jian, this was good news. However, delving deeper into the Misty Forest, the lack of open terrain made luring and aggregating monsters more difficult. But this couldnt stump Song Jian; if there was no open area, he would simply create one. Flames shot up into the sky, and the giant Karmic Fire Red Lotus blossomed deep in the forest, destroying large tracts of ancient trees with the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Soon, Song Jian created an open area with a diameter of over a hundred meters. Then, he began to repeat the previous process of luring and killing monsters, his proficiency increasing at a remarkable rate. While leveling up, Song Jian summoned Gulu, the slumbering stone man from his Pet Space, to share some of the experience and level up. Gulus level was somewhat low for Song Jian at the moment and wasnt much help. However, Gulu had great potential and was worth cultivating. In fact, the Black Dragon was the most worthy of cultivation, but it was currently guarding the Dragon Head Strange Tree in the Poisonous Swamp, presumably waiting for the tree to bear fruit again. Song Jian had no way to involve it. Song Jians combat experience soared rapidly, once again causing a commotion among the players of Doomsday City. By now, many players had reached Level 40, and looking at the despair-inducing Experience Points needed to level up from 40 to 41, many had temporarily given up on leveling and turned to explore other aspects of the game. Guild Leader, are the monsters in the Misty Forest easy to fight? Can you bring the Elite Team with you? Wang Qi had been paying close attention to Song Jians level since he mentioned he would be farming monsters to level up. Seeing the speed at which Song Jian was gaining combat experience, Wang Qi was getting restless. In the span of a day, Song Jian leveled from 46 to 47. His four 120-slot large backpacks were also completely filled, all with Level 5 materials and various equipment for Level 50 and above. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Silver-grade and lower Skill Books contributed too little to the progression of the Thousand Swords Art. Song Jian decided to save them to enhance the strength of his guildmates. Its worth noting that even the silver-grade skills are very rare and valuable for regular players. The area is filled with monsters above level 55; its somewhat dangerous to level up here if youre not at least level 50. The sheer number of monsters is overwhelming, and once surrounded, its easy to die! Song Jian explained. Although Song Jian seemed to be enjoying himself, ordinary players, even those who reached level 50, wouldnt dare to farm here. The monsters possess basic entangling skills, so if you cant defeat them, you wont even be able to run; Wood Claw Polluters exude a poison fog, which is less of an issue for ranged classes, but close combat fighters have to constantly battle within the poison fog, resulting in rapid health loss, not to mention the sensation of the fog corroding their flesh, like countless ants crawling over their skinits incredibly uncomfortable; That being so, it seems the Elite Team cant farm monsters here for leveling up just yet Wang Qi said, somewhat disappointed; Although Doomsday City had many areas for farming monsters ranging from low to high levels, the city also had a large player population. Song Jian strictly forbade members of the City of Hope Alliance from monopolizing farming spots, thus the leveling speed was not very fast in Doomsday City; this was also why Song Jian had ventured outside of Doomsday City to level up. After thinking it over, Song Jian said, If they can make it here on their own, I can lead them for a few days! Most of the Elite Team were veterans who had followed Song Jian in establishing the City of Hope and were highly loyal to the alliance, as well as being the main force in external combat operations. Ensuring that the Elite Team maintained a level advantage was indeed essential; Upon hearing this, Wang Qi immediately responded, Great, Ill organize the Elite Team to head over to you right now. By the way, do you need any supplies? Ill have them bring it over to you! After checking his inventory of Ice Swamp Scrolls, Song Jian told Wang Qi, I dont need anything at the moment. Oh, and have a couple of brothers with large backpacks come along; my bag slots are all full! Alright, and by the way, our brother at the auction house spotted an epic chainmail armor that suits you perfectly. I bought it for you. Ill have someone from the Elite Team bring it to you later. The attributes of this piece of equipment are really good, item level 50, and you need to be level 45 to wear it! Wang Qi said; Level 45 equipment? Are there already people who can kill bosses above level 45? Song Jian was surprised. He knew that only lord-level bosses had a very small chance of dropping epic equipment, and almost all the epic equipment he had obtained had come from dominator-level bosses; Moreover, lord-level bosses above level 45 werent something ordinary players could hunt, especially since they could summon swarms of minions, which was a headache for many; Its said to be a five-person squad that managed to take it down. They didnt form an alliance but created an elite team specifically for boss hunting Wang Qi explained; After pondering for a moment, Song Jian said, Try to get in touch with them, see if we can recruit them into the City of Hope Alliance, and offer them core member treatment! Chapter 968 - 969 Elite Team_1 Chapter 968: Chapter 969 Elite Team_1 Chapter 968: Chapter 969 Elite Team_1 ` Song Jian had originally thought that it would take at least a team of more than thirty people to kill a lord-level boss, yet it turned out to be a small team of five; If five people could kill a level 45 lord-level boss, then the levels of these five people must be at least around 45 as well, much higher than that of an average player, and they definitely possess a number of powerful skills and their professional classes must surely be extraordinary; There were many players in the City of Hope Alliance, but not many were top players, and now it was almost all up to Song Jian alone to support them. Wang Qis intention for having Song Jian lead the Elite Team was exactly to widen the gap between the levels of the Elite Team and the average players, aiming to create some high-end elites; However, players led in this way would not be able to become top-notch powerhouses, only those loners or elite teams like this five-man squad have the potential to produce top players; A core member position? Wang Qi was startled. Knowing that because Song Jian limited the number of core members to three hundred, many players in the alliance were dissatisfied. The treatment of core members was far better than that of average players. Wang Qi had mentioned it several times but was rejected by Song Jian every time, unexpectedly, because of these five players, Song Jian made an exception and offered five core member qualifications; Alright, I will go and contact them right away. I believe that with the treatment of core members, we can definitely pull them into the alliance! Wang Qi said excitedly; The status of core members was very important and the benefits were particularly good. Even with the financial capacity of the City of Hope, they could not support too many. The previous three hundred core members were Song Jians way of thanking them for their unwavering support in building the city and the alliance, but subsequent core members had to go through a strict assessment; By offering five core member qualifications all at once, Song Jian, too, hoped to further enhance the strength of the City of Hope Alliance and also give the other ordinary members a glimpse of hope; otherwise, if the core member qualifications were never opened, many ordinary members would feel disappointed and leave the City of Hope Alliance. Hum~ A golden light burst forth from the stone creature Gulu. At this point, Gulu already possessed the strength of a lord-level boss, but its level was not high. Now, with Song Jian leading it to farm monsters for leveling, Gulus level was rising rapidly, and it was already level 43. Stone creature Gulu, after reaching level 40, had undergone significant changes in size, having grown much stronger. Its body was covered with stone-like muscles that bulged, filled with explosive power. The surface of its muscles displayed granite-like textures, and every step it took made a thunderous rumbling sound. If it were not for Song Jians restraint, it might have charged to fight with the Wood Claw Contaminators; I didnt expect you to be such a belligerent fellow! Song Jian looked at Gulu and couldnt help but laugh inside; Song Jian was no longer using Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, and was now merely performing regular Thousand Swords Art attacks, leaving many Wood Claw Contaminators with just a few hundred Vitality Points; S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gulu had been holding back its desire to fight for quite some time, and seeing about twenty or thirty low-health Wood Claw Contaminators, Song Jian immediately ordered Gulu to charge at them; Upon receiving the combat command from Song Jian, Gulu appeared very excited. It clenched its two large fists together with a thud, and charged towards the low-health Wood Claw Contaminators; Although Gulu was a lord-level boss, its movement speed was only a bit higher than that of a common forest walker. Its strength lay in its defense and extremely high resistance. The poison fog of the Wood Claw Contaminators had no effect on it at all, and their sharp claws could only leave a shallow white mark on Gulus body, unable to inflict much damage; Boom! Gulu charged into the crowd of monsters, raised its hands high, and then hammered down fiercely on the ground. After a loud noise, the ground caved in, forming a large pit. A surge of energy spread outwards in all directions, dealing over a hundred points of impact damage to all the approaching Wood Claw Contaminators; This attack didnt deal much damage, but its range was extremely broad, and it also added a dazing effect of over five seconds. After dazing all the surrounding low-health contaminators, Gulu started to rapidly harvest their Vitality Points with one punch each; The leveled-up Gulu was becoming more and more powerful. It used to only have the Skill Stone Throw, which could only be used to disturb enemies, but now, having become a lord-level boss, it was capable of acting as an MT, fighting on the front lines. ` Gulus movement speed was too slow and not suited for luring monsters; otherwise, Song Jian would have had an easier time; Just at that moment, over a dozen players from the City of Hope Alliances Elite Team also appeared at the edge of the Misty Forest. Seeing the multitude of monster corpses that had not been incinerated by the translucent flames, everyones faces showed surprised expressions. No wonder the city lord levels up so fast. So this is how he grinds for XP! someone commented with a shake of his head; Level 55 monsters, this place is too dangerous. If I were alone, I wouldnt dare to come here. Theyre all of the skeleton rank! To level up like this must be awesome, really looking forward to it! Lets go quickly, the city lord is inside. Who wouldve thought, wed have our day as XP-farming babies The group excitedly walked deeper into the Misty Forest, not needing to ask for Song Jians location, as they could simply follow the trail of monster corpses. Before long, Song Jian noticed people approaching his location. Although he couldnt see their faces, at this time, those who dared to enter the Misty Forest were probably only the Elite Team players he had summoned; The Elite Teams got some speed! After Gulu had killed all the Woodclaw Contaminators, things finally quieted down. It stuck closely behind Song Jian, watching as he picked up all the items the monsters had dropped; City Lord! someone called out from behind; Song Jian turned around and saw that it was Zhao Yu leading a dozen people over; Zhao Yu, you joined the Elite Team? Song Jian was somewhat surprised. Zhao Yu, although a friend from the real world, had only joined the game recently. When Song Jian first met him, his strength wasnt formidable, barely even having constructed a safe house; Back then, Song Jian had let him join the City of Hope Alliance, but he didnt expect that Zhao Yu would grow strong enough to join the Elite Team in such a short time; The Elite Team mostly consisted of core members, and only with the generous benefits of being a core member could an ordinary players strength rapidly increase. Hence, those Elite Team members who werent core members often had to put in several times the effort to become part of the team; Passed the assessment just last week! Zhao Yu said, seeming somewhat embarrassed, scratching his head; Song Jian checked Zhao Yus level, which was already at 43. This level was at least higher than 98 percent of the players in Doomsday City; Impressive! Song Jian said with a smile, dumping the contents of his inventory out, a few hundred items that piled up like a small mountain, almost all blue quality or higher. Even the materials were no lower than level five. The items alone were probably worth several million Doomsday Coins; First, take these items back to the Alliance. Rest up a bit, and once Ive recovered, well start grinding monsters! Song Jian said with a laugh; Chapter 969 - 970 Upgrade_1 Chapter 969: Chapter 970: Upgrade_1 Chapter 969: Chapter 970: Upgrade_1 City Lord, this is the equipment Vice City Lord Wang asked me to bring you! The captain of this small team took out a breastplate emanating a purple-red glow from his inventory and handed it to Song Jian; Epic equipment, why is it chainmail? a team member whispered after glancing at the equipment in the captains hand; Yeah, doesnt the City Lord usually wear leather armor? Maybe it has some other use While the others were whispering among themselves, Song Jian directly put on the epic chainmail. At that time, everyone suddenly realized that Song Jian could now wear chainmail; Warlords Mail (Epic), Chain Armor, Item Level 50, Equipment Effect: Physical Defense +316, Magic Resistance +180, Damage +10%, Battle Experience Gain Increased by +15%, Strength +15, Agility +10, Constitution +10; Special Effect 1: Reduces damage taken by 30%, enhances the users Vitality Points recovery speed, the heavier the damage received, the faster the recovery speed, up to a 50% increase in Vitality Points recovery speed; Special Effect 2: War Chains (Active), when used on a target, can limit the targets all movement acceleration skills, blink skills, disappearance skills, etc., lasts 15 seconds; this skill can only be used once every 30 minutes; Special Effect 3: War Roar (Active), using this skill can increase all team members attack power by 15% and attack speed by 10% within a range of 30 meters, lasts for 180 seconds; this skill can only be used once every 5 minutes; Equipment Requirements: Level 45, Can it be taken out of the game: No After putting on this piece of epic equipment, Song Jians strength had greatly increased, and most importantly, the equipment could increase battle experience gained by 15%, which was extremely suitable for Song Jian who was now grinding to level up; In the time it took for Song Jian to recover, the Elite Team had already divided into five or six groups responsible for drawing in monsters. This would increase the efficiency of grinding and drawing monsters by several times compared to Song Jian doing it alone; Everyone, be careful, the monsters here are all above level fifty-five. If something goes wrong, use the Ice Swamp scroll! Song Jian said loudly, distributing the Ice Swamp scrolls to everyone; The ones drawing the monsters were agile professions. Despite the high level of the Wooden Paw Polluters, they werent fast. As long as they were careful not to get surrounded, these monsters couldnt possibly catch up to them. The other magic, warrior, and similar professions could only stand by and gain experience, unable to provide much help. Several agile profession players entered deeply into the Misty Forest, and soon, sounds of attacking and monster roars echoed from its depths, the ground beginning to tremble slightly as though a thousand-strong army was charging through. Several rogues had already started using acceleration skills to run towards Song Jian, bringing all the monsters into an open space in the forest. When they had drawn enough, they simply used a vanishing skill and exited the combat; The monsters were too slow, and these rogues did not even need the Ice Swamp scrolls. For them, the scroll was merely a precautionary measure. At that moment, Song Jians Thousand Swords Art was unleashed, enveloping all the monsters. This time the number of monsters drawn was much more than Song Jian could draw on his own, at least seven to eight hundred, crammed together with damage numbers rising in a dense flurry, layer upon layer, making it impossible to see clearly; All the monsters charged towards Song Jian, and a nearby player tore open an Ice Marsh scroll and threw it at the monsters, immediately reducing their speed and creating a muddy swamp under their feet, emanating a chilling cold; A single Ice Marsh scroll was not enough to cover the area, so two more players ripped open scrolls and threw them towards the monsters, finally covering all the monsters with three scrolls. By that time, the Thousand Swords Art had already activated the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, and a huge flame lotus slowly blossomed, its powerful suction drawing all the surrounding monsters towards it. Some monsters even turned to ash during the process, rapidly increasing everyones Experience Points; Golden light twinkled, and five or six players even leveled up directly, while Song Jians Experience Points also increased by about 8%. With more people, the Experience Points Song Jian received actually increased instead of decreased. On one hand, there was an Experience Points bonus for team monster farming, and on the other hand, there were more players attracting monsters, bringing in several times the number of monsters Song Jian could attract alone, naturally resulting in much more Experience Points than when he was solo; After several rounds of coordination, everyone became faster at luring monsters. Song Jians Thousand Swords Art had a very short cooldown, but it required depleting his Sword Qi Value each time to activate the sword formation, making the Sword Qi Values recovery unable to keep up with the cooldown of the Thousand Swords Art; Therefore, after clearing a batch of monsters, Song Jian had to wait for his Sword Qi Value to recover. However, during this recovery time, a few monster-luring players drew more monsters out from the depths of the forest; A group of people were frantically farming monsters in the Misty Forest. These monsters were over ten levels higher than the players themselves, and even though there were about a dozen people, the combat Experience Points allocated to each were extremely generous. After every round of farming, several beams of leveling-up golden light would appear in the team; After clearing monsters in the Misty Forest the entire day, Song Jian had reached level forty-eight. With the extra skill points, Song Jian allocated them to his Sword Control Skill, a passive skill that could enhance its proficiency as long as the Thousand Swords Art was cast. After a day of farming monsters, the proficiency levels of his other skills had barely changed, yet the proficiency of the Sword Control Skill had once again reached 100%, just right to level it up once more; The levels of everyone else mostly increased to around forty-two, while Gulu, the stone golem, even reached level forty-five. The Experience Points needed for a battle pet to level up were much less than for players, so Gulus level increase was the highest; The stone golem Gulu, now at level forty-five, grew a bit larger. Initially two meters tall, it had grown to nearly three meters, its bodys muscles etched with rock-like textures, and its face had become more angular, no longer the simple and naive appearance it had before; Gulus Vitality Points had surpassed thirty thousand. For a level forty-five Lord-class BOSS, thirty thousand Vitality Points were not especially high, but this was also due to being Song Jians battle pet, leading to somewhat weakened attributes. However, in terms of skills, Gulu had already mastered six; Three active skills: Throwing Stone Blocks, Thorny Forest, and Earthquake; two passive skills: Rock Skin and Body Regeneration; and one big move-like skill, Fissure Technique, which had a very long cooldown and consumed a great deal, so it couldnt be used lightly; sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The only thing that made Song Jian somewhat regretful was that although Gulu now possessed the strength of a Lord-class BOSS, it had not mastered the signature skill of summoning minions, which surely was a restriction the game placed on battle pets; Chapter 970 - 971 Exposure_1 Chapter 970: Chapter 971 Exposure_1 Chapter 970: Chapter 971 Exposure_1 ` In the Level Glory Rankings, almost all of the top ten players were above level forty, but apart from Song Jian, the nine players that followed were all level forty, differing only in the amount of Experience Points they had acquired; S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, after one day, the top fifteen spots on the Level Glory Rankings had been dominated by players from the City of Hope Alliance, and even among the top thirty, ninety percent were from the City of Hope Alliance. Doomsday City was now overwhelmingly dominant, and no other alliance could stand as an enemy against the City of Hope Alliance; Did anyone pick up a gold-quality Skill Book? asked Song Jian; Too many monsters had been lured, and a lot of loot had dropped. Song Jian alone couldnt pick it all up, so those professions that didnt need to lure monsters began to work as porters, hastily collecting the spoils of battle once the monsters died; I have one here! I have two here, one gold and one Dark Gold! Song Jian did a tally and found that, in one day, they had looted over a dozen gold-quality Skill Books. These Skill Books were for various professions, but required at least level fifty to use, which made the members of the Elite Team internally resolve to level up as soon as possible; After Song Jian had let the Thousand Swords Art devour more than a dozen gold-quality Skill Books, its level had increased by one, reaching level eight. At level eight, the Thousand Swords Art could summon between thirty to two hundred and fifty Spirit Swords, with each Spirit Sword now capable of inflicting over two thousand two hundred points of damage. If you were to add a thousand points of fire damage, even without triggering critical hits or damage amplification, it could deal over three thousand points of damage; As a result, even without triggering the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, two hundred and fifty Spirit Swords could inflict over seven hundred thousand points of damage. Any BOSS below the command level simply had no strength to withstand even one strike from Song Jian, and any battle would result in an instant kill; Weve run out of Ice Marsh Scrolls, lets head back! said Song Jian; After grinding monsters for a day, these members of the Elite Team were not the least bit tired; rather, they were more energetic than ever, wishing they could continue grinding for three days and nights straight; But unfortunately, without Ice Marsh Scrolls to restrict the monsters movements and gather them together, Thousand Swords Art would have difficulty unleashing its full effect, leaving many that would slip through the net; Except for Song Jian, the levels of the others were too low; the level suppression alone would cause most of their attacks to MISS. Wang Qi had already begun sending people with the equipment they had acquired to various cities auction houses to sell; Although the players in Doomsday City were of lower levels, there were plenty of professional NPCs in other cities who were quite generous when it came to equipment above level fifty; When Song Jian returned to the City Lord Mansion, Wang Qi excitedly sent him a message; My lord, guess how much weve earned this time? ` How much? Song Jian asked. He was no longer very interested in Doomsday Coins, as the items he needed couldnt be bought with them. Many people preferred bartering goods, such as epic gear, which even if one wished to purchase, depended on luck. Fifty-six million Doomsday Coins, and Ive also set aside two batches of the highest quality equipment to sell tomorrow. Moreover, Ive kept all the materials we got for training our own life profession players. I estimate that at least ten life profession players will reach the expert level! Wang Qi said. Good! Song Jian smiled. That should relieve some of the pressure on the citys construction funds, right? Of course, my lord. You should go out and farm high-level monsters more often. Even if we dont come across a BOSS, with a few more days like today, our City of Hope Alliance will never be short on money again! Wang Qi laughed. Then why dont you hurry up and train players to craft magic scrolls? We used up all the Frost Swamp scrolls today. Without them, monster farming efficiency really takes a hit, Song Jian pointed out. Without the Frost Swamp scrolls to slow down the monsters movement, it wasnt just the farming efficiency that was affected, but also the safety of those luring the monsters. They were players around level 42 or 43, luring monsters of level 57 or 58, which was incredibly dangerous. Several times today, lure players were entangled by surprise attacks from monsters roots due of their suppressed perception and almost lost their lives. If not for the Frost Swamp scrolls slowing them down, we would have likely had many casualties. News of our monster farming got leaked by someone; the price of Frost Swamp scrolls have skyrocketed. It will take some time to train our own scroll creators Wang Qi said. Song Jians face darkened, knowing that the people involved in todays farm were almost all members of the Elite Team. Logically, they should not leak any information. However, before they finished farming, the price of the Frost Swamp scrolls had already soared, a clear sign that their farming had been leaked. Find out what happened, see who leaked it. We must contain such behavior! Song Jian said sternly. I understand, Ive already started investigating! Wang Qi replied. As the actual manager of the Alliance, he bore an undeniable responsibility for such incidents. Most of the Elite Team were veteran players, and those who had joined the Elite Team on their own merit highly valued this hard-won opportunity. Moreover, in the whole of Doomsday City, no one could match the City of Hope Alliance, so betrayal within the Alliance was highly unlikely. Without the Frost Swamp scrolls, Song Jian had to farm monsters alone in the following days. With the cooperation of the Stone Man Gulu, even if some slipped through, he could handle them. But if he brought those previous players to lure the monsters, the sheer number could easily lead to a team wipe. A day later, Wang Qi had figured out who leaked the information. It turned out to be a level 43 rogue player who stumbled upon Song Jian and his groups farming in the Misty Forest. He sneaked in unnoticed because of the forests special environment that suppressed everyones perception and vision, allowing him to observe their farming. Amazed by their farming method, the rogue quickly shot a video and posted it on the game forum, creating a sensation. In reality, the rogue was a treasure hunter whose favorite activity wasnt leveling up by hunting monsters but exploring uncharted areas in the game. The more untouched the place in the game, the better the loottreasure chests, herbs, precious oresthese were like gold lying on the ground, waiting for the first person to come and bend over to pick them up. This treasure hunter had made a fortune this way, and the video also brought him substantial benefits, while once again making the City of Hope Alliance the center of controversy. Knowing that it wasnt an insider from his own Alliance who had leaked the information, Song Jian breathed a sigh of relief. And although the rogue wasnt from Doomsday City and nothing could be done to him, Song Jian memorized his nameDou Desheng. I hope there will be a day when we meet again, Song Jian mused to himself. Chapter 971 - 972 Second Tier Combat Power Assessment_1 Chapter 971: Chapter 972: Second Tier Combat Power Assessment_1 Chapter 971: Chapter 972: Second Tier Combat Power Assessment_1 After grinding continuously for four or five days, Song Jians level finally rose to 50; The Mysterious Moonlight Sword had leveled up by one, and the Sword Shadow Clone had also leveled up by one. The damage of each strike from the Mysterious Moonlight Sword increased by 5%, and the Sword Shadow Clone could now inherit 50% of Song Jians attributes; Even with only 50% of his attributes, a level 50 Song Jian was much stronger than the average players in their thirties. With a few more levels, the Sword Shadow Clone would become increasingly significant in combat; The Stone Golem Gulu had risen to level 55. Over these days, the number of monsters Song Jian had killed in the Misty Forest was countless. He even developed a Deterrence effect on his body. Within the Misty Forest, any monster that came within a hundred meters of him would sense his presence, be frightened, and steer clear of him; Ordinary players grinding in one spot rarely caused such a Deterrence effect. It should be noted that grinding too many monsters in one location would alarm the elite BOSS of that area. While ordinary players could handle regular monsters, upon encountering an elite BOSS, unless they were part of a team, they would generally switch spots immediately; However, to Song Jian, the difference between elite BOSSes and regular minions was negligible. The Thousand Swords Art enveloped the sky and swiftly eliminated both the elite BOSSes and the regular minions that spawned; After grinding a few elite BOSSes, both the Lord-level BOSSes and the Overlord-level BOSSes were alerted. Yet in the eyes of Song Jian, the only difference between them was whether to use the Thousand Swords Art once or twice. When the Overlord-level BOSS, the Misty War Ancient Tree that towered over a hundred meters, crashed down with a thunderous fall, Song Jian gained the Deterrence effect; This effect was only active within the Misty Forest and would disappear once he left. This hindered Song Jian from continuing to farm monsters in the Misty Forest, or he might have been stuck there forever; The Thousand Swords Art was simply too terrifying. Once his level rose, as long as he wasnt surrounded by a group of Overlord-level BOSSes, Song Jian could practically roam unchallenged in this game world. He was even confident enough to take on second-tier combat power experts, but when it came to third-tier combat power, Song Jian would still keep his distance; Back at Manor Castle, Song Jian immediately applied for the second-tier combat power assessment. At this stage, he was probably the only person eligible to apply, meaning that all the others who would be taking the second-tier assessment would be NPC professionals, with not a single player; In the castles management interface, Song Jian directly selected Apply for second-tier combat power assessment. A flash of white light passed, and he was teleported directly from the City Lord Mansion to the Assessment Hall; It was the same as before, with a crowd gathered at the entrance of their respective teleportation gates, continuously making their selections; At the moment Song Jian appeared, all of the second-tier combat power assessment Teleportation Gates disappeared at once, replaced by a blood-red portal of light. Song Jians brow furrowed slightly. The teleportation gates for the other assessments showed no anomaly, only the second-tier combat power assessment gate had changed. He had a feeling this was specifically targeting him; He stepped towards the blood-red portal designated for the second-tier combat power assessment and, upon touching it, the details of the assessment instantly appeared before Song Jian. Upon entering the second-tier combat power assessment world, examinees strengths will be evaluated for faction allocation, and the strengths between factions will be made as balanced as possible Once in the second-tier combat power assessment world, the examinees will receive a main quest. They must complete the main quest to pass the assessment. Failure to complete the main quest will result in a failed assessment After reading all the information, Song Jian didnt hesitate and stepped straight through the blood-red portal; The second-tier combat power assessment teleportation gate experienced an anomaly, which nearly alarmed all NPC professionals. Many professionals who were preparing to take the second-tier combat power assessment began to hesitate; they didnt know whether this anomaly was good or bad for them, so the majority chose to wait and see; However, soon, while everyone was watching, a group of people appeared in the Assessment Hall. Upon seeing the blood-red gate of the second-tier combat power assessment, their eyes lit up, and they entered the gate without any hesitation; Hey, bro, whats going on, why are so many people rushing to take the second-tier combat power assessment? someone asked puzzledly; The teleportation gate has undergone an anomaly, which suggests that the content of the assessment has changed as well. Do you know what that means? another person countered; Does the danger of the assessment increase? Just like when a boss mutates? someone guessed; Exactly, in battle, if a boss suddenly mutates, the danger does indeed increase substantially, but correspondingly, if you kill the mutant boss, then the spoils of war the one who had answered earlier said with a laugh; The quality and quantity of the spoils will increase a lot! The people around immediately brightened up at the thought; You know, in the assessment world, you wont really die. Do you know who those people just now were? Among them were the eldest son of a count, battle-hardened legendary mercenaries, lords who dominate their own territories. Their strength has actually been sufficient for the second-tier combat power assessment for a while now, but they have been dragging their feet, just waiting for this moment when the teleportation gate mutates So what are we waiting for, lets hurry in, there might be a limit on the number of people allowed in the assessment! some of the professionals ready to take the second-tier combat power assessment said hurriedly, starting to swarm toward the teleportation gate; Soon, some people entered the teleportation gate, but a portion of them were blocked; Damn it, only a hundred people can enter Those who were blocked suddenly looked displeased, it was an excellent opportunity to enhance their strength, but they had to miss it, just like that. Not getting in isnt necessarily a bad thing, you know. Generally, in such assessments, there will only be one victor, and if youre not very confident in your own strength, its better to wait a day and participate in the regular assessments that are easier, at least the success rate would be higher! someone said consolingly; Indeed, all the ones who went in are strong contenders, we wouldve just become cannon fodder if we had gone in someone sighed, but looking at the closed blood-red teleportation gate, a look of reluctance still showed in their eyes. At this moment, Song Jian felt as though he were falling from a high altitude, the sensation of weightlessness made him uncomfortable, and he couldnt help but want to summon his Flame Light Wings. However, he soon found out that he couldnt do anything; he was unable to release his skills or even control his own body; What in the world is going on, Ive already been falling for ten minutes Song Jian thought, feeling rather vexed, as he had never experienced anything like this before with a teleportation gate; After what felt like a long time, Song Jian finally sensed his descent slowing down. Soon, his feet touched solid ground, but his surroundings were still pitch black; Just then, a translucent screen appeared in front of Song Jian, with details of the second-tier combat power assessment and instructions written on it; Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This, how can it be like this? A look of surprise immediately spread across Song Jians face, feeling as if the game was targeting him. PS: Thank you to Author, I Give You Motivation for the 100 starting coins reward~ Chapter 972 - 973 Flower Elf_1 Chapter 972: Chapter 973 Flower Elf_1 Chapter 972: Chapter 973 Flower Elf_1 On the screen before Song Jians eyes, the content of this assessment appeared. This assessment world contains twelve factions, and the one hundred examinees entering the world will be randomly assigned to these twelve factions Develop the power of your respective faction, eliminate all other factions, and achieve ultimate victory! All examinees in the victorious faction will pass the assessment, while the losers will leave the Assessment World Because of your strong abilities, you have been assigned to the human faction, which will have only you as an examinee The number of examinees assigned to the human faction in this assessment world is one person, to the Hell faction is eight people, to the Undead Clan faction is ten people, This assessment world, unlike what some people speculated, does not allow only one person to pass the assessment. Instead, as long as a faction is victorious, all of its examinees will pass. This ensures that all examinees in the same faction will work together to secure the final victory; But in the human faction, theres only Song Jian, meaning he must face the ninety-nine gamers from the other eleven species alone; What is most frustrating is that the system laid out the number of people assigned to each faction for everyone to see. The smallest factions have at least six people, and the largest have as many as twelve, but the only faction with a single person is the human faction, with only Song Jian; If the system had not listed the number of examinees, Song Jian could have muddied the waters, but with the system doing this, everyone knows that the strongest among them is the human faction! This will definitely make others wary of the human faction, and perhaps, in the end, Song Jian will face an alliance against him from all the other factions. This is simply a hellish difficulty level starting off! Song Jians expression turned ugly. Just then, the darkness in front suddenly cleared, and Song Jian found himself in a grassy field, with woods not far off and a winding path extending from his feet into the distance; System: The Hell factions examinees have occupied a lumberyard, producing 5 units of timber every day, congratulations to the Hell faction! Damn it, even the games starting time is later for me compared to the others Song Jians expression grew even more solemn, but the assessment task had to continue. Even with a hellish difficulty, Song Jian was confident he could forge a bloody path out of Hell; Song Jian looked around. Although it was the wilderness, it was very quiet. There were no monsters, and even the wildlife and small animals were scarcely seen; Without any clues, Song Jian could only follow the path and randomly choose a direction to walk slowly forward, exploring around as he went. Wandering aimlessly like this, he might just find an unexpected windfall; System: The Elemental factions examinees encountered a group of bandits. Intimidated by the examinees strength, the bandits surrendered, and the examinee accepted their surrender, gaining their first troops; System: The Dungeon factions examinees found a dragonfly nest. After a fight, the examinee successfully took over the nest, which produces three dragonflies a day. The owner of the nest can spend certain resources to recruit dragonflies as their soldiers; The system prompts arrived one after another, filling Song Jian with a sense of urgency. Up to now, he hadnt found any clue on how to win. It appeared that other camps examinees had already started to develop, whereas Song Jian was not only far behind, but more importantly, he was the only person in the human camp, while the other camps had teams composed of several examinees each. If it were simply a matter of combat, Song Jian wouldnt fear any number of additional examinees, but according to the system broadcasts, the Assessment World was one where you accumulate resources and soldiers in the early stages and engage in large-scale legion battles later on to determine victory or loss. In the early stages, Song Jians strength was a great advantage, but as time proposed, the gap between him and the other examinees would gradually level out. Song Jian alone could kill a hundred, a thousand people, but he couldnt possibly face ten thousand, a hundred thousand at the same time quantity accumulated would eventually bring about a qualitative change, and even if Song Jian was incredibly powerful, he wouldnt be a match for everyone united against him. He continued walking and came upon a forest. The path under his feet stretched into the depths of the woodland, with no end in sight. Just then, Song Jian suddenly spotted the spire of a wooden tower not far from the forest. It seemed there was a structure there. Song Jian quickly headed towards the wooden tower, hoping to gather some information about the Assessment World from there. Before long, he pushed through a tall thicket and arrived at a place filled with blooming flowers. Plants with blossoms of various colors grew everywhere, their vibrant petals vivid in the field. In the middle of these flowers, a wooden watchtower emerged before Song Jian. Who are you, and why have you trespassed into the Flower Elfs territory? a gentle voice called out next to Song Jians ear. Turning his head, he saw an Elf the size of a thumb flying beside his ear, looking at him with a curious gaze. Hello, beautiful Elf, Im just a lost traveler who accidentally stumbled upon this place. Please forgive my intrusion. I will leave right now! Song Jian bowed to the level-one Flower Elf and pretended to be very flustered as he spoke. A human traveler? The Elf didnt seem afraid of Song Jian and circled around him twice before saying, You are very brave, this is the Dark Lords territory. Dont continue deeper into the forest; the Dark Lord will kill you! The Dark Lord? Song Jians mouth curled slightly as he replied, Beautiful Elf, could you tell me some information about the nearby area? Im lost and dont know which way to go. I just want to go home! Human, do you want to return to the human castle? Youve taken the wrong path. You should head in that direction. About a dozen miles away, theres a human castle, though I remember it has been abandoned for a long time. Some wild beasts have occupied it; your home should not be there! the Elf said in confusion. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Is it that direction, to the human castle? Song Jian was inwardly overjoyed, but his face showed no such emotion. He followed the direction the Elf pointed to, confirming. Yes, that direction. Youll pass through a river. After crossing that river, youll see the abandoned human castle. However, I wouldnt recommend you go there. There are frightening beasts The Elf seemed to recall something and her face took on a terrified expression. Thank you. A few wild beasts wont pose any obstacle for me. I will kill them and take back that castle! Song Jian said confidently. Are you a human hero? The Elfs eyes twinkled with hope as she asked, Are you preparing to kill the Dark Lord and rescue the Elves imprisoned in the forest? If so, maybe I can offer you some help. Chapter 973 - 974 Beaver Warrior_1 Chapter 973: Chapter 974: Beaver Warrior_1 Chapter 973: Chapter 974: Beaver Warrior_1 A mission? A thought flashed through Song Jians mind, and he immediately nodded, saying, If you can prove that the Black Lord is evil, I am willing to help you kill it! Thats great! The flower sprite exclaimed joyfully, Proving it is quite simple. You just need to see it to know its an evil Black Dragon that devours many animals in the mountains every day. It also has many elves imprisoned, who must endure hard labor daily, and elves die every day from overexertion Black Dragon? Song Jian was taken aback. In that world, members of the Dragon Clan always sat at the top of the food chain pyramid, and although the title of dragon-slaying warrior was glorious, not one of the thousands who wished to slay a dragon had succeeded. Is it an adult Black Dragon? Song Jian asked. No, its an aged Black Dragon thats also injured said the flower sprite. I can take on this mission, but first I need to find that human castle said Song Jian, nodding. Thats fine, as long as you can kill the Black Lord within three months! the flower sprite nodded in agreement. System: You have accepted the flower sprite Lunas commission, the Destruction of the Black Lord; Mission requirement: Kill the Black Dragon occupying the Elf Mountains! Mission time limit: three months; Mission reward: Luna the flower sprites gift, promotion of assessment rank upon completion; Mission failure: Elves favorability will drop to indifferent, and you will never be able to recruit elves as soldiers in the Assessment World. After accepting the mission, Luna handed him a gemstone and said, This is a lucky charm. As long as you wear it, you will be favored by the goddess of fortune. Song Jian took a look and immediately a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Lucky Gem (Dark Gold), special item, effect: Luck +5, morale of troops led will always be high! Item description: This item will take effect when placed in the inventory slot, it will disappear after leaving the Assessment World; Usage requirement: must obtain the approval of Luna the flower sprite. This was an item that could only be used in the Assessment Space, but the more such an item was used in the Assessment Space, the greater its effect. After storing the gemstone, Song Jian bid farewell to the flower sprite and headed towards the location of the human castle. According to the flower sprites directions, the human castle was not located on this path, but rather one had to traverse a dense forest and then cross a large river to see it. Song Jian found that in this world, there seemed to be no monsters, which also meant no way to level up. There were quite a few wild beasts in the forest, but their levels were too low. Sensing the aura emanating from Song Jian, the beasts didnt dare approach, and Song Jian had no interest in troubling them. What was most important now was to visit the human fortress first to see if he could find some clues to win the assessment. Soon, Song Jian had crossed the forest and arrived at a large river. The river was perhaps more than ten meters wide, and one could swim across if there were no boat or similar means. However, Song Jian didnt need to go through such trouble and could simply fly across. Just as he was about to summon the Flame Light Wings to fly over, he suddenly noticed a large pile of haphazard structures made of wood on the riverbank, resembling nests. A large group of creatures that looked like humanoid beavers, armed with simple wooden spears, were patrolling around their nests. Inside, numerous young beavers were playing, while some adults were spearfishing in the river. This might be a place like the Dragon Fly nests, fit for conquest! Song Jian thought to himself, But these beavers seem to have such weak combat abilities that even if I conquer this place, Im not sure what use it would be Song Jian had initially decided not to bother with the group of beavers, but after some thought, he opted to conquer the place first, as there might be unexpected gains. The moment Song Jian approached the beaver nests, almost all the beaver warriors holding wooden spears and wearing crude leather armor turned to look at him. This is the territory of the Black Beaver Tribe. Outsiders, please do not come any closer! A robust beaver stepped forward, pointing a long spear at Song Jian and shouted loudly. Submit, or be destroyed, make your decision within ten seconds! Song Jian, holding the Sky-breaking Sword, said in a deep voice. In fact, the group of beavers had already sensed Song Jians strength, the strongest beaver warrior that had stepped forward was still involuntarily trembling; Song Jian wasnt too interested in this group of weak beaver warriors, even wiping them out wouldnt matter; We are willing to submit! Upon hearing Song Jians words, about a dozen beaver warriors seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, all prostrating on the ground in a submissive manner; Song Jian: Wasnt it agreed that this was the territory of the Black Rat tribe? Why are they submitting so readily? S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Under the pressure of your formidable military force, a group of beaver warriors are willing to join your team and fight alongside you! System: You can view the attributes of this group of beaver warriors and assign them to work! System: Beaver warriors are weak in combat but are a group of highly skilled architects, will you convert these beaver warriors into workers? Transform them all into workers! After taking a glance at the attributes of the group of beaver warriors, Song Jian immediately made his choice; Beaver Warrior (14): Ordinary soldier, Attack 2, Defense 1, Skills none, Combat strength 5 A group of beaver warriors with a combat strength of 5 was of no help to Song Jian, they didnt even qualify as cannon fodder, but once converted into workers, at least after occupying that human castle in the future, they could be put to work rebuilding it; A flash of white light shone, and the attire of all the beaver warriors changed into that of workers, their leather armor and long spears disappeared, replaced by simple hemp clothing; System: The human camps examinees have occupied a beaver den, and three beaver workers will be produced every day for the examinees to recruit; This announcement was broadcast across all examinee camps, and seeing that the human camp had occupied another worker den, the other real examinees were envious to the point of turning red; Damn it, the Hell race has everything good, just cant find a single worker who can do the job, building a Blood Pool actually requires thirty-six hours, its simply a waste of time! An examinee with curved horns on his head, upon seeing this announcement, immediately burst out shouting with sparks flying; Having many construction workers is characteristic of the human camp, but its an undeniable fact that the soldiers of the human camp are weak in combat. Every camp has its own strengths, we just need to play to the strengths of the Hell camp, everything else doesnt matter! Another petite succubus took a look at him and said with a gentle laugh; What Sana said makes sense, Gel, control your emotions. You can conquer some wild monster dens to increase the number of our soldiers. The most important thing is to explore the surrounding area, at least find us a main city. As for the Blood Pool, we dont need to guard it all the time, just send a few little devils to keep watch here! another Hell examinee said in a deep voice. Yes, Prince Salar, Gel will follow your will! The irritable Hell examinee saluted Prince Salar and then strode off towards the wilderness; PS: Thanks to Fan Sheng Tian for the reward of 1000 starting coins~ Chapter 974 - 975 Human Castle_1 Chapter 974: Chapter 975 Human Castle_1 Chapter 974: Chapter 975 Human Castle_1 Prince Sara, that human camp examinee should be the most powerful player. Shouldnt we unite with people from other factions and kick him out first? the succubus Shana said respectfully; No need! Prince Sara shook his head and said, The soldiers of Hells faction have the strongest attack power among all the factions. We just need to rally Hells grand army, and we can sweep across all the other factions! The human faction is the farthest from the Hell faction. All we need to do is sit back and watch, for now. Our task is to occupy as many monster lairs as possible in the wild and to explore more unknown areas! Prince Sara looked at the other examinees as he spoke; Shanas eyes flickered with a hint of worry, but she did not insist on her point of view. She bowed to Prince Sara and slowly retreated; The same scene was unfolding in the other factions, with the highest-status examinee in each faction becoming the faction leader, and all the others dividing up tasks around them; Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Apart from some players who were too far away by chance, the examinees from all factions had almost all gathered together; Most of these examinees were elite members of various powerful forces within the game world, each full of confidence. Aside from those in their own faction, they did not trust people from other factions; after all, to them, the examinees from other factions were all enemies; Thus, no large-scale alliances had formed yet. Although they all knew that the human camp in this world had one powerful examinee, they were each confident that they could defeat this formidable opponent; The key to this assessment is warriors, armies! No matter how strong an individual is, they cant stand against an army! Our task now is to explore and develop! Almost all the faction examinees were exploring unknown areas. Their exploration efficiency was several times that of Song Jian, and they possessed many more lairs than he did, but so far, none of the faction examinees had discovered their factions main city. Those who had found and occupied wild structures were considered quite lucky; After subduing the group of beaver workers, Song Jian realized that he had acquired a construction interface, where he could build various structures; Arrow Towers, Catapults, city walls, fort upgrades, smithies, spearman barracks There were dozens of buildings in total, but to construct these buildings, there was a prerequisitea faction main city had to be present; I hope that abandoned human castle is the systems main city! Song Jian thought to himself; You guys start building siege engines, the more, the better, and in addition, send some people to log wood! Song Jian commanded; In the entire building interface, the only thing the beaver workers could construct without a faction main city was a siege engine. However, building siege engines required a substantial amount of wood resources. Song Jian could only allocate more beaver workers to gather wood; By your command, my lord! A group of beaver workers began to bustle about. Song Jian approached the beaver lair and found that he could now recruit three beaver workers, but recruiting one required 100 gold coins. Song Jian had nothing on him and could only decide not to recruit for the time being. We also need to build a bridge. Otherwise, even if we construct the siege engines, we wont be able to transport them over! Song Jian looked at the wide river and thought to himself, But theres no hurry for now. Building a simple bridge capable of transporting siege engines shouldnt be too difficult for the beaver workers. The main issue now is the lack of resources; I must capture some lumber yards or mines as well! The primary issue now is to first occupy a human main city! Song Jian summoned the Flame Light Wings and flew towards the direction of the human castle as directed by the flower Elf; Along the way, Song Jian encountered a group of bandits and a gnoll lair. The moment the bandits saw Song Jian, they scattered and fled, utterly lacking the courage to battle with Song Jian; System: You have crushed a group of bandits, obtaining 500 gold coins and 200 units of stone; System: Youve discovered another gnoll lair. The gnolls, under the threat of your military force, have submitted to you, and you have occupied the gnoll lair; this lair can produce 2 gnolls per day for recruitment; The combat ability of these gnolls was slightly better than that of beavers, yet still less than half of a normal adult human, making it unnecessary to turn them into soldiers. However, since gnolls have an innate skill that increases mining efficiency by 5%, Song Jian converted all of the gnolls into gnoll miners; Next to the gnoll lair was an abandoned mine, which wasnt guarded by any monsters. Song Jian immediately took possession of this mine and ordered all the gnoll miners to mine in it; Although it was an abandoned mine, it still provided Song Jian with 10 units of iron ore per hour; Song Jian checked the game interface of the Assessment World. There were six basic resources in this world: food, timber, iron ore, stone, gems, and gold coins; Since there were workers mining, the timber and iron ore were slowly accruing, and beavers were also able to catch fish, increasing food by 2 units per hour. The workers had very low consumption, with a hundred workers requiring only one unit of food per day, so the food resource was also gradually accumulating; As for gold coins, they could be collected by defeating enemies, and now Song Jian already had 500 gold coins. However, he had yet to find out how to gather stone and gems; Apart from the basic resources, there are also many advanced resources in this world, such as pure gold, sulfur, mithril, etc. These are necessary for recruiting advanced soldiers. If I come across them, I must occupy them! Song Jian murmured to himself while walking; As he continued forward, a human castle built entirely from white granite soon appeared before Song Jians eyes; It looks not much different from my Manor Castle, but it seems much more rudimentary Song Jian frowned slightly, muttering to himself as he eyed the distant castle, which was at most five or six meters tall; Just then, a beastly roar suddenly burst from the castle, and a beast that resembled a unicorn appeared at the castle gate; This beast was roughly the size of an adult wild horse, with a spiral horn on its forehead and purple-black scales covering its body, with a pair of black wings on its flanks; Mutant unicorn, elite beast, boss template, theres a certain chance to recruit it as a heroic mount after defeating it! Song Jians eyes narrowed as he checked its attributes; At that moment, a large horde of beasts rushed out from the castle, with numerous wolves, wild boars, and brown bears appearing behind the mutant unicorn. It looked just like an army composed of wild beasts; PS: Thanks to Little Demon Lin for the reward of 500 QiDian coins! Chapter 975 - 976 Mount _1 Chapter 975: Chapter 976: Mount _1 Chapter 975: Chapter 976: Mount _1 It looks like to take over this castle, I must defeat these beasts first, Song Jian gripped his Sky-breaking Sword tightly and walked towards the group of beasts; As the beasts saw Song Jian approaching, they instantly became restless, but a roar from the mutant unicorn settled them down. Unlike the previous creatures that ran off upon sensing Song Jians formidable strength, these beasts remained in place. So they can suppress their instinctual fear simply because they have a leader? Song Jian thought to himself, eyes locked on the mutant unicorn at the front. As long as he defeated the unicorn, without its control, the beast army behind it would likely disintegrate, much like the other animals. When Song Jian drew near, the mutant unicorn let out a low growl, and the horn on its forehead suddenly burst forth with lightning-like brilliance. The crackling sound echoed as lightning danced in the air; Crack~ A loud blast echoed as finger-thick lightning shot out from the horn, leaving a distorted trail through the air and heading straight for Song Jian; Song Jian instinctively tried to dodge, but the lightning was too fast. Before he could even move, the lightning released by the unicorn struck his chest; With a boom, Song Jian couldnt help but stumble backward two steps, feeling as if a heavy hammer had smashed into his chest, with plasma coursing over his body. To his surprise, he lost control over his body, falling into a paralyzed state; However, this state lasted for a very short time, less than a second, before his innate skill Thick Skin immediately granted him immunity; Over eighteen hundred damage, quite powerful. If it were someone else, this hit could have caused grave injuries! Song Jian checked his lost Vitality Points and thought to himself; Although it was only an elite beast, its attack power was comparable to that of a lord-level BOSS in the gaming world. Moreover, its attack speed was extremely fast, and even Song Jian couldnt dodge it; he had to endure the hit. After a moment of hesitation, Song Jian executed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword and charged at the unicorn. Using the Thousand Swords Art might leave not even a corpse of the unicorn and the beasts behind it, but Song Jian wanted to tame the mutant unicorn to become his mount in the Assessment World, so he couldnt just kill it outright; Song Jian transformed into a flow of light, stabbing towards the unicorn. The speed of the flow of light was slightly slower than the electric attack the unicorn had released but the difference was minimal. The unicorns eyes revealed a look of shock. As it prepared to retreat, it was harshly cleaved by the Sky-breaking Sword, suddenly losing control of its body; Feeling its body slowly floating upward, the unicorn made a terrified shriek. Although the army of beasts behind it feared, they still roared and charged at Song Jian; System: Due to your display of military might, the morale of the beast army led by the mutant unicorn has dropped by 2 points, and their attack power decreased by 20%; Swipe, swipe, swipe~ Multiple jets of blood shot out from the unicorns body, its vitality immediately waned. A massive black bear, standing over two meters tall, swung its paws at Song Jian, while several wolves circled to his back and launched an assault; The Sky-breaking Sword slashed upwards from below, cleanly bifurcating a black bear, and with a twist of his waist, a sweep of the swordlight silenced the growling wolves. Their bodies, like ripped sacks, were thrown far into the distance; These beasts simply couldnt withstand Song Jians attacks, and in a blink, seven or eight of them were slain; However, there were too many beasts, and Song Jian still took a couple of heavy hits. A boar viciously rammed into his thigh, and two wolves bit down on his left leg; Above Song Jians head floated numbers indicating double-digit damage. These beasts were akin to level forty or fifty regular monsters, and since their attack power was now reduced by 20%, they hardly inflicted any significant damage on Song Jian. If not for their numbers, he could almost have ignored their assaults. The mutant unicorn now stood behind the army of beasts, looking at Song Jian with a hint of fear in its eyes. The earlier Mysterious Moonlight Sword had caused it to lose over ten thousand Vitality Points, presenting a real threat of death. Seeing Song Jian entangled by the beast army, the notion of fleeing surfaced in the mutant unicorns mind; He took two steps back, the mutated unicorn unfolded its black wings, ready to escape towards the castle. Song Jian, though battling the wild beast army, had kept his attention on the mutated unicorn. Seeing it attempting to flee, he immediately sprang into action; War shackles! Song Jian released a skill from his Warlords Armor towards the mutated unicorn. Suddenly a shackle made of black spiritual light shot towards the unicorn, firmly locking its limbs and even the wings on its back got entangled by countless threads of black light, rendering it completely immobile. Neigh~ The unicorn let out a terrified whinny, standing frozen in place, unable to move. Song Jians mind shifted, and he cast Sword Shadow Clone. The clone dealt with the normal wild beast attacks around him while his body charged towards the mutated unicorn; The unicorn had a total of less than thirty thousand Vitality Points, which had now dropped to less than half. Song Jian controlled his strength as he hacked at it with his sword, one strike after another. In fifteen seconds, Song Jian had reduced the unicorns Vitality Points to below 10 percent, less than three thousand points. The duration of the war shackles skill came to an end, and Song Jian also sheathed his Sky-breaking Sword, starting to pummel it with his fists; Whoosh whoosh~ The unicorn flapped its black wings, stirring up gusts of wind, while the horn on its head began to emit flashes of lightning, striking at Song Jian; Even with its health dwindling, the unicorn still hadnt given up attacking. This irritated Song Jian, who thought if he hadnt wanted to subdue it as his mount, he would probably have killed it by now; Sensing the killing intent emanating from Song Jian, the mutated unicorn trembled slightly, gave up attacking, and began to fly into the sky with a flapping of its wings; Think you can fly? Song Jian snorted coldly, as Flame Light Wings emerged on his back. He shot through the air like lightning, chasing down the unicorn and mounting it swiftly, grabbing its mane with his left hand while his right fist hammered down on its head; Thump, thump, thump~ Even bare-handed, he was not without damage. Soon, the unicorns Vitality Points were reduced to below one thousand. Song Jian hesitated for a moment, knowing that if he continued to attack, he might kill it. Submit or die? Song Jian holding the unicorns head, roared in a low voice; The body of the unicorn trembled, and a reluctant look appeared in its eyes. Song Jian waited for a moment, and seeing that it still hadnt made a choice, he snorted coldly, and directly summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, thrusting it towards the unicorns head; Just at that moment, the system prompt rang out. System: The mutated unicorn, coerced by your use of force, submits to you, and you can transform it into your mount; System: Lords who possess mounts can enhance the attributes of the armies they lead; System: After subduing as a mount, it can only be used in the Assessment World. After leaving the Assessment World, the mount will regain its freedom; Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Subdue! A flash of golden light, and the mutated unicorn became submissive, gently carrying Song Jian towards the castle gates. PS: Thank you to Wu Shen Zhao Yun for the reward of 500 starting coins~ Chapter 976 - 977 Human Main City_1 Chapter 976: Chapter 977 Human Main City_1 Chapter 976: Chapter 977 Human Main City_1 Song Jian, riding a unicorn, slowly descended in front of the castle gate. Due to the unicorns surrender, the wild beast army it led directly disbanded, and all the beasts scattered and fled; they all ran toward the wilderness and forests, with not a single one daring to return to the castle. By this time, the castle gate had already been breached, and Song Jian rode the unicorn slowly inside. System: You have discovered a human castle. Do you wish to conquer it as your main city? Conquer! The entire castle was suddenly enveloped in white light, as if a giant hand was controlling it. All the buildings that had been destroyed or damaged began to slowly restore to their original state; the ruined castle was instantly rejuvenated. At the same time, a semi-transparent screen popped up in front of Song Jian, displaying the attributes of the entire castle. Xiluo Castle[Tier 1] Buildings owned: City Lord Mansion Level 1 (earns 200 gold coins per day); City Wall Level 1 (defense rating 500 points); Watchtower Level 1 (provides 5 spearmen for recruitment per day); Resource Warehouse Level 1 (increases ordinary resources by 10 units per day). This human main city was rather rudimentary, but the announcement of Song Jians conquest shook all the other examinees. How is it possible so quickly? Its been three days, and we havent even located the main city of the underground campaign; why did he find the human main city as soon as he entered the game? Is it a coincidence or just good luck? The human campaign discovered the main city so early, and there were no soldiers guarding the city; why was it conquered so easily? Damn it, we also need to speed up. Everyone, abandon the resource points and start exploring the map quickly, and find the main city of the Hell campaign as soon as possible! If Song Jian were only powerful as an individual, the examinees from other factions would not have taken it so seriously, because this Assessment World relies on armies, not personal martial strength. They didnt believe Song Jian, alone, could defeat an army of tens or even hundreds of thousands. But if the opponent had found and conquered the main city first, then the power of the human faction would rapidly develop, something that the other competitors could not accept. Song Jian had no idea that his announcement of occupying the human main city would cause such a great shock. He was just feeling that this rudimentary human main city required too many resources to develop. Just rebuilding a gate would cost five hundred units of lumber and eight hundred units of stone. If he relied only on the ten units of resources accumulated daily from the resource warehouse and the two resource points he owned, it would take at least more than a month to reconstruct the gate. However, rebuilding just the gate was not enough. There were too many buildings in the castle that needed construction and upgrades. If the resources couldnt keep up, this main city would only become a burden. Recruit some soldiers first, then explore the surrounding environment! Song Jian thought to himself. In the main city, there was only one place to recruit soldiers C the Watchtower, which could recruit 5 spearmen a day at a cost of a hundred gold coins each. Song Jian recruited them all at once. In the next moment, soldiers clad in leather armor, holding sharp spears, stepped out of the watchtower. They were only of average adult height and weight and didnt look very imposing, but they seemed to have excellent discipline. Upon exiting the watchtower, they automatically fell into a line. At your command, my lord! the five spearmen shouted in unison. The morale isnt bad! Song Jian nodded. It was only then that he realized how precious the lucky gem the elf had given him was, as maintaining high morale was clearly no easy task. Spearmen: Attack 6, Defense 4, Skill: Phalanx Stab After reviewing the attributes of the spearmen, Song Jian finally nodded in satisfaction, Not bad, they do look like soldiers now. Song Jian rode the unicorn, leading the five spearmen, and walked toward the castle gate, Lets first explore the surrounding area and try to discover as many resource points as possible A gust of wind whipped through, and a gigantic shadow appeared in the sky. The unicorn seemed to sense a threat, becoming somewhat agitated. It snorted loudly and continuously pawed the ground with its hind hooves. Black Dragon! Song Jian squinted his eyes towards the sky. It was an adult Black Dragon, its body measuring over ten meters in length, scales shimmering with a metallic luster. Its flight path was headed deep into the Elf Mountains, where the Flower Elf had said the Black Demon King resided; Didnt the Flower Elf say that the Black Demon King occupying the Elf Mountains was an old, and injured Black Dragon? Song Jians brow furrowed. The Elf Mountains were too close to the human city where he was located. Once the opportunity arose, he was definitely going to take out that Black Dragon; otherwise, it would pose too great a threat to his city; Nevermind that for now, lets explore the surrounding area first, Song Jian secretly thought. Choosing a direction at random, Song Jian led five riflemen forward to explore. After only a few hundred meters, he stumbled upon a large mill situated beside a riverbank. Surrounding the mill were vast swathes of farmland being cultivated, with a group of farmers wielding wooden pitchforks laboring in the fields; System: You have discovered a mill guarded by a large group of farmers. Do you wish to attack them? A mill can produce food, an indispensable resource if one wishes to build an army. Attack! Song Jian ordered the five riflemen; Quickly, the riflemen formed a sharp vanguard and charged towards the laboring farmers. Seeing the riflemen coming, the group of farmers brandished their wooden pitchforks to meet them. They outnumbered the riflemen by several times and swiftly encircled them, ready for battle to erupt at any moment; Kill, kill, kill! The riflemen roared in anger, taking the initiative to attack. Their spears easily pierced through the bodies of the unarmed farmers, blood splattering everywhere. Soon, one after another, the farmers were slain, and Song Jians combat information panel was filled with cascading battle notifications; System: Your rifleman has killed a frail farmer, gaining 2 combat experience points; Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. System: Your rifleman has killed a robust farmer, gaining 5 combat experience points; System: An angry farmer attacked your rifleman with a pitchfork, inflicting 2 points of damage and causing a loss of 1 health point; System: Under the military might of your troops, the morale of the farmers dropped by 1 point; Song Jian did not participate in the fight. He simply watched quietly from a distance, for with the mutated unicorn as his mount, all his troops received a 15% increase in attack, a 10% increase in defense, plus +2 to attack speed, and +1 to marching speed. With the bolstering effects of the mutated unicorn mount, along with keeping a high morale state, even though there were only five riflemen, they continuously overwhelmed the enemy throughout the battle. After killing more than a dozen farmers, the remaining farmers finally let out a cry of terror and began to scatter and flee; System: Your army has routed these farmers, achieving a resounding victory; System: You have gained 650 gold coins, obtained 200 units of food; System: You have found an unguarded mill. Do you wish to continue the occupation? Chapter 977 - 978 Devils Castle_1 Chapter 977: Chapter 978: Devils Castle_1 Chapter 977: Chapter 978: Devils Castle_1 After occupying a mill and gaining over five hundred units of food, the mill could provide 20 units of food every day. According to the consumption rate of 100 workers or 10 soldiers per unit of food daily, Song Jian could hire at least two thousand more workers or two hundred more soldiers. However, hiring required spending gold coins, and relying solely on the daily production of gold from the City Lord Mansion was definitely not enough. Engaging in battles was the quickest way to obtain gold. Looking down at the empty farmlands, Song Jians brows furled slightly. If some farmers could be sent here to cultivate the land, he believed the food production could be further increased. If I had continued to pursue them earlier, is it possible that I could have captured some farmers? Song Jian thought to himself. After defeating the group of farmers armed with wooden forks, Song Jian had ignored them. Now, thinking about it, he felt he should have captured all the remaining farmers. Having taken over a mill, Song Jian continued on his way. Throughout the day, he discovered only a lumberyard and an iron mine. As night fell, he led his five spearmen back to the castle. Upgrade the City Lord Mansion to tier 2, upgrade the material warehouse to tier 2, build a tavern, build a blacksmith shop! Upon returning to the castle, Song Jian issued a series of construction orders. In the castle, buildings can be upgraded or built new with sufficient resources, and the construction can proceed automatically. If there are workers available, the construction speed could be increased. A second-tier City Lord Mansion could provide 400 gold coins daily. Moreover, in order to construct or upgrade other buildings, the level of the City Lord Mansion was a prerequisite. Without a second-tier City Lord Mansion, many buildings could not be constructed; The material warehouse provided various common resources each day and was another building that must be upgraded. As for the tavern and blacksmith shop, they could be built as long as there were enough resources; The tavern could quickly restore the morale of soldiers and also had a chance to recruit heroes. Song Jian spent an entire day exploring only a small area. The efficiency of gathering resources was too low. If he could recruit several heroes to join him, the efficiency would greatly increase. As for the blacksmith shop, it could provide simple weapons and armor. Most importantly, the blacksmith shop could manufacture supply wagons. During combat, soldiers equipment could be easily damaged, and supply wagons could repair them on the spot. Moreover, if Song Jian hired archers in the future, their combat power would drop sharply once they ran out of arrows. The supply wagons could restock them with plentiful arrows whenever needed. In the dead of night, Song Jian lay on the bed in the City Lord Mansion, silently pondering how to achieve victory in this assessment. In one day, I have only found a mill, a pasture, and an iron mine. However, from the announcements of other factions, it can be seen that their efficiency is several times mine. They must have found much more resources than I have. However, up to now, it seems that no other factions examinees have found their main city, which is good news for me. But its only a matter of time before they find it. Once they discover the main city, they will enter a rapid development phase. The gap in strength between me and them will become smaller as time goes on Just then, a red announcement appeared before Song Jian; System: An examinee from the Hell faction has discovered the main city, Demon Castle! System: The Hell factions examinee launched an attack on Demon Castle but failed! System: The examinee from the Hell faction suffered fatal injuries, lost the qualification for assessment, and was forced to exit the Assessment World! Song Jian was shocked and sat up involuntarily, staring at the announcementthe Hell faction had found the main city! Although he had anticipated this, the appearance of another factions main city still made Song Jian somewhat nervous. On the other side, within the Hell faction, Prince Sara let out an angry roar. Who was it, who discovered the main city and didnt report? Do you think just leaving after a failure is the end of it? Wait until I leave this damned Assessment World, I will let you know what kind of punishment acting on your own will bring! The other Examinees of the Hell faction all appeared as if they were scared to breathe, but in reality, no one cared what Prince Sara said. Though as long as their own faction could win, they would pass the assessment, but if a higher evaluation could be attained afterward, the power they received would also be greater than the others; If they were the first to discover the main city of their faction, they would definitely attempt to take it over. After all, once the main city is occupied, one automatically becomes the City Lord, a status that cannot be changed or transferred to someone else. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Unless the entire castle is abandoned, which would harm the interests of all Examinees in the faction, it would surely meet with opposition from others. When that time comes, even Prince Sara would have no choice but to grudgingly acknowledge the City Lord status of the other party. Once they pass this assessment, evidently, the one with the City Lord status would reap the greatest benefits. This is why that Examinee from the Hell faction, having discovered a Hell main city, launched an attack to occupy it. Unfortunately, his Combat Power wasnt enough; not only did he fail to take over the main city, but he also lost his life in battle; Fortunately, one wouldnt truly die in the Assessment World. He was merely removed from the Assessment World after being killed, and naturally, he failed the second-tier Combat Power assessment; After some investigation, the Examinees of the Hell faction finally confirmed the location, and at Prince Saras command, all the Examinees began searching along the trail that the Examinee had explored during the daytime. In truth, whether exploring during the day or night, it consumed the Examinees stamina, and nighttime exploration depleted twice the stamina as daytime; After spending most of the night, almost all the Examinees were exhausted. Normally, nighttime was their rest period after daytime exploration, but under Prince Saras orders, they reluctantly searched for the Hell main city throughout the night. Damn it, whats the difference if we waited until morning? The main city wont run away. Its only us here in the Hell faction; nobody is going to snatch it someone muttered in complaint. Who knows? retorted a fellow Examinee with a meaningful glance, whispering, How can you be sure that no one will find and occupy the main city at night? That lucky yet unlucky guy wasnt strong. There are at least five people here who could easily beat him. If he couldnt occupy the main city, does it mean the other five cant either? Such a pity for that fool, to miss out on such an opportunity right before his eyes I cant go on; exploring at night takes too much out of me. My legs feel like theyre filled with lead Exhaustion halts everyone, a rule of the Assessment World that no one can avoid. Nearly everyone has depleted their stamina, but soon, some good news comes from ahead; Prince Sara, someone has found that Hell faction main city! At that moment, Prince Sara too was leaning against a rock to rest. Hearing the news, his previously ashen face finally showed a hint of excitement. PS: Thank you Flashy Golden King Tiger for the 100 starting coins reward~ Chapter 978 - 979 Griffon_1 Chapter 978: Chapter 979: Griffon_1 Chapter 978: Chapter 979: Griffon_1 Hells faction was the second after the human faction to discover the main city of a faction. Although it had not yet been occupied, the examinees from other factions felt an urgent sensation in their hearts. Almost all the examinees used their strength on exploration, not bothering to actively occupy resource points even when they found them. After all, those resource points were simply there. As long as they were properly marked, they could be occupied later. But finding the main city one day earlier would mean gaining a slightly greater advantage; The very next morning, all the examinees from Hells faction swarmed towards the main city, the Demon Castle. After repeated attacks, this Demon Castle was finally occupied by Hells faction, and Prince Salar rightfully became the master of this castle. On the second day, as soon as Song Jians strength recovered, he set off to continue his exploration. Because he had a mount, his speed of movement was twice that of other examinees. However, no matter what, he was only one person and his efficiency was definitely far less than the other factions. This time, Song Jian chose a different direction to continue exploring. There were too many unexplored areas around him, and in order to save energy, he decided to open up all the resource points nearby before venturing further afield; Today, Song Jian seemed to have picked a good route; he found plentiful resources along the way, and in just half a day, he acquired two granaries, one pasture, one timber yard, and two mining sites. Continuing to explore forward, Song Jian suddenly heard a sharp screech in the sky, where a creature with the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and a pair of white wings on its back was flying. A griffin? Song Jian narrowed his eyes and looked up into the sky. This creature seemed to be a third-tier unit for the human faction, the griffin, which was far stronger than ordinary spearmen and archers. A single griffin could at least defeat more than ten spearmen or archers, making it one of the stronger units in the human faction; All this information Song Jian had found in the City Lord Mansion, and the Griffin Tower that bred griffins could also be built in the human main city, although it would have to wait until the City Lord Mansion was upgraded to level six. Moreover, a certain amount of the special resource, gemstones, was needed to build it; The most important aspect was, if they could capture a griffin, they could train the human factions special unit, the Griffin Knight, which was a powerful unit second only to the highest-tiered unit of the humans, the Archangel, and capable of fighting the Giant Dragon. Is there a wild griffin stronghold here? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Today, Song Jian had recruited five more spearmen, but spearmen were, after all, only a first-tier unit of the human faction, merely capable of bullying non-combat personnel like peasants. If they encountered the wild beast army led by the mutated unicorn he had faced before, these spearmen would probably not even be a match for those wild beasts one-on-one; Despite Song Jians formidable strength, he urgently needed some higher-level units to counter the threats from other factions; Song Jian led ten spearmen towards the area where the griffins were located, and soon, they saw a griffins nest on a cliff not far away; Aside from the griffin flying in the sky, there were three adult griffins and two young griffins in the nest. For Song Jian, their overall strength wasnt very formidable. Soldiers, attack! Song Jian waved towards the griffins nest and commanded; With the resolve to break the enemys ranks, we fear death not! a group of spearmen roared and launched their attack on the griffins nest; Song Jian was somewhat speechless: , you guys really know how to psych yourselves up. Could it be you can also evolve a Zhao Xin? Sensing the threat, four adult griffins confronted them. It was clear that although there were fewer griffins, in terms of strength, they completely overwhelmed the ten spearmen. Phalanx! With a roar, all the spearmen quickly formed a square formation and thrust their long spears at the griffin charging at the forefront; Beams of white light burst forth from each spear, converging into a massive spear phantom that ruthlessly plunged into the griffins chest, instantly splattering blood. With just a single strike, the griffin was grievously wounded, stumbling backward to crash against a rock, losing its ability to continue fighting; Huh? Song Jians eyes lit up, not expecting that the spearmen, who were initially just cannon fodder, would have the strength to inflict severe damage on a third-tier creature. It seemed that low-tier creatures should not be underestimated. If they were present in sufficient numbers, they could still pose a threat to high-tier creatures. Just then, a griffin suddenly flapped its wings, and streaks of plasma began to flow on its feathers, gathering continuously. The air erupted with the sizzling sound of electricity zapping. Whoosh~ With the flapping of the griffins wings, streams of electricity shot out like a barrage of arrows, striking the spearmen and causing ten of them to tumble over, directly incapacitated from continuing the fight; Song Jians smile immediately froze on his face, not expecting that just as he had started to revise his opinion of the lower-tier spearmen, reality slapped him hard across the face; Retreat! Song Jian immediately ordered. Due to the effect of their high morale, even if it came down to the death of every last man, these spearmen would not retreat a single step until the entire army was annihilated. Song Jian did not wish for them all to die in battle. He gently nudged the unicorn, signaling it to step forward. The unicorn, from the moment the griffins appeared, became restless, constantly yearning to charge into the fray, but under Song Jians control, it could only stay put; Now, having received the command to charge, the unicorn let out a joyful neigh, wings unfurling as it galloped toward the griffins with lightning speed. Seeing Song Jian joining the fray, the remaining three griffins immediately abandoned the severely wounded spearmen and turned to pounce toward Song Jian, knowing that only by defeating him could they end this battle; Zap~ A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm shot out from the unicorns horn, striking one of the griffins. However, the griffin merely staggered mid-air and was not seriously harmed. Being creatures that could also wield electric magic, they possessed a high resistance to lightning attacks; Song Jian gently tapped the unicorns back and leaped into the air with Flame Light Wings emerging behind him, brandishing the Sky-breaking Sword as he charged toward the three griffins; The griffins beaks were sharp as swords, and their claws were also exceedingly sharp. Even without their lightning magic, these spearmen stood no chance against them. Song Jian dodged the beak strike of one griffin and, with a swift motion, cleaved the Sky-breaking Sword into the nearest one, causing blood to splatter. The wounded griffin did not shrink back but instead became even more ferocious, reaching out with its sharp claws toward Song Jian in a fierce swipe; The sharp claws left several white marks on the Warlords armor but failed to inflict significant damage on Song Jian, who took the opportunity to land several more cuts on it; In a brief three-minute mid-air struggle, Song Jian brought down each of the three griffins to the ground. The mutant unicorn kept emitting threatening growls at the several seriously injured griffins, eager to pounce, seemingly excited by the prospect of bullying creatures of comparable strength. Song Jian slowly descended, holding the Sky-breaking Sword, and pointed it toward the grievously wounded griffins, demanding, Submit, or die? PS: Thank you, Glittering-Euro-Tiger, for the gift of 100 QiDian coins~ Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 979 - 980 Misunderstanding_1 Chapter 979: Chapter 980: Misunderstanding_1 Chapter 979: Chapter 980: Misunderstanding_1 If Song Jian had killed these griffins, although he could occupy the griffin nest, he would have had to wait a day to recruit griffins as troopsrecruitment could only take place the next day. However, if he managed to make these griffins submit, they would immediately join Song Jians army. Under the threat of death, three griffins chose to submit, while one griffin refused to surrender and was killed by the spearmen. These soldiers were also able to gain proficiency by killing enemies, which allowed for promotion. Two spearmen had advanced to level three, and four to level two. Song Jian checked the attributes of the griffins. As level three troops, their attributes were a big step above the spearmens, but correspondingly, the battle experience required for leveling up had also increased substantially. Griffin: Attack 13, Defense 8, Skill: Lightning Strike Normal spearmen attacking a griffin couldnt even break its defense, and each attack could only forcibly reduce one point of health. Only when using the Phalanx Stab skill could they pose a threat to the griffins. The execution of the Phalanx Stab skill required a certain number of spearmen. The attack of each spearman could stack according to a specific ratiothe more spearmen there were, the higher the damage from Phalanx Stab. Once the number reached a certain level, even simple level one troops could threaten higher-level troops. The griffins Lightning Strike skill must be the same one that had been unleashed earlier, with the flapping of wings and shooting of lightning arrows. This skill was extremely powerful, not only causing high damage but also triggering a paralyzing effect; with just one strike, it severely wounded ten spearmen, rendering them unable to continue fighting. With the addition of three griffins, the strength of the army led by Song Jian increased significantly. However, for him, this increase in strength was dispensable; he was merely preparing for the bigger battles to come. Let go of those griffins, theyre my prey! Just as Song Jian was about to lead his army away to continue exploring, an angry growl suddenly came from not too far away. Looking up, he saw a female knight wearing a bright red cape over a thin breastplate appear within his sight. Examinees? Song Jian narrowed his eyes. Had he already encountered another camps examinees so quickly? He knew that there was only one examinee from the human camp. But quickly, Song Jian realized that she was not an examinee, but a native of the Assessment World, apparently also a hero. Behind the female knight, there were fifty or sixty spearmen and archers, along with seven or eight crusaders. Song Jians gaze fell on the group of crusaders, who looked like they were clad in tin cans, the fourth level troop type for the human camp, equivalent to heavy infantry. In addition to their heavy armor, they also had broadswords and metal shields; their attack and defense were both exceptionally formidable. Turning to look back at his own ranks, Song Jian noticed that his army seemed rather shabby in comparison. Was this probably the reason the female knight dared to threaten him to relinquish the griffin nest, even after he had already occupied it? Recruiting heroes doesnt necessarily have to take place in a tavern. If you encounter them in the wild and defeat them, you can make them submit. Song Jians gaze turned toward the female knight mounted on a sorrel steed, a meaningful smile emerging at the corner of his mouth. Caitlin felt that today was indeed her lucky day. She had merely come out with her troops for a casual stroll to clear her head, and she had encountered a wild griffin nest. She had just learned how to train griffin riders from a dwarf master, and unexpectedly, she had come across a griffin nest. It seemed that the goddess of luck was truly watching over her. ` If I could train griffin knights, maybe I could make this unit my specialty! The thought of a specialty unit excited Catelyn. If she really could make commanding griffin knights her forte, then perhaps her father wouldnt stop her from entering the battlefield, becoming a true female officer. Foreigner, I now command you to abandon this wild griffins nest! Catelyn said sternly, As a reward for finding them, you may leave here with the three griffins you have already subdued. Once wild units are subdued, they rarely betray their masters, unless morale falters and they flee during battle. To seize control of anothers units, one must expend a great deal of time and energy. Compared to occupying a wild nest capable of producing griffin units daily, these three subdued griffins were insignificant. My lady, are you attempting to rob me? This is a grave offense to a lord! Song Jian said with a smile, snapping his fingers. The soldiers behind him immediately formed a battle array. Even the three newly joined griffins spread their wings and let out threatening screeches. Are you planning to fight me? Seeing his actions, Catelyns face was filled with surprise. Its well known that a heros strength is directly proportional to their army. The opponent had only a shabby ten pikemen and three newly subdued griffins. For some reason, the griffins, which should have appeared demoralized, were full of fighting spirit. However, how could such an army be a match for her own? Could it be he does not recognize the Crusader knights? A ludicrous thought suddenly crossed Catelyns mind. Even the eight Crusader knights she led could defeat the opponents forces, not to mention she also had fifty-eight pikemen and archers. After assessing the relative strength of their forces, Catelyn became furious. Brandishing her sword at Song Jian, she declared, Foreigner, you will be punished for your arrogance! To battle! Her troops immediately formed a charge array and roared in anger. The roar of dozens indeed sounds much more imposing than that of ten, but to Song Jian, Catelyns army was hardly worth mentioning. Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art! Song Jian brandished the Sky-breaking Sword and released the Thousand Swords Art toward a distant cliff. Hundreds of Spirit Swords materialized in the air, densely packed and flying toward the cliff; Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Boom~ An earth-shattering explosion sounded, and due to the intense blast, the cliff near the griffin nest trembled thunderously. Two newly born griffins cried out in terror, their voices immature. Catelyns eyes and mouth were wide open in shock. Only then did she realize that the one who had subdued a griffin nest and three griffins with just ten pikemen, if not possessing immense strength, how could he have managed such a feat? Looking at the nearly flattened distant cliff, a look of fear and regret appeared in Catelyns eyes. I was blinded by greed and lost my wisdom, provoking such a powerful person! Catelyn thought regretfully. In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Now she was considering how to retreat unscathed before such a formidable hero, rather than coveting his griffin nest. I think, this may have been a misunderstanding. A charming smile appeared on Catelyns face, and her voice became much softer. Chapter 980 - 981 Captive_1 Chapter 980: Chapter 981: Captive_1 Chapter 980: Chapter 981: Captive_1 Song Jian flashed a ferocious smile at Catherine, and with a wave of his right hand, the army behind him began to press forward slowly. Though there were only ten riflemen and three griffins, they gave off the feeling of a million-strong army. In contrast, Catherines troops began to lose morale, with some riflemen even showing terror on their faces, their hands trembled as they struggled to hold onto their long spears. Filled with regret, Catherine thought of the previous strike, which was comparable to the magical forbidden curse, Doomsday Meteor, and perhaps even more terrifying. She couldnt understand why such a powerful hero would have so few troops. This led to her misjudgment, and now this slight mistake had plunged her into a hopeless situation. Its simply impossible to defeat him, this freak, leading such a small force out here, isnt it harming others? In addition to regret, Catherine felt a bit of anger in her heart. Originally, she thought Song Jian was just a down-and-out roaming hero; she didnt expect him to be a wolf in sheeps clothing. I am Catherine, the eldest daughter of Emperor Nicholas of the Kingdom of Eracia! To offend me is to be hunted by the entire Kingdom of Eracia, Catherine said calmly. Normally, she disliked mentioning her lineage to others, but now she had to use it to scare off this powerful enemy, which she found ironic. Catherine, you now have only two choices, either submit to me and become one of my heroes, or face death, Song Jian snorted coldly and said slowly. Perhaps others might consider Catherines identity, but he wasnt from this world. As long as he completed the assessment task and defeated the other Examinees, he could leave this world. He didnt care about facing the entire world as an enemy, let alone a single Kingdom of Eracia. Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Dont you know about the Kingdom of Eracia, foreigner? Catherine was somewhat surprised and hastily said, The Kingdom of Eracia spans thousands of miles; even the land under your feet belongs to the Kingdom of Eracia. Do you know what the consequences of killing me will be? You wont be able to escape! You have five seconds to consider, Song Jian said expressionlessly, continuing to lead his army forward slowly. The previously displayed power was causing Catherines army to lose morale steadily. Their charge formation was already starting to disperse, and she believed that once a battle ensued, her army would soon fall into disarray due to plummeting morale. We wont even last that long; he could annihilate me and my troops with a single move! Catherines heart grew increasingly anxious. I can pay you a ransom. How about ten thousand gold coins? Catherine suggested, trying to hold her composure. Paying a ransom was a common way for the defeated to gain freedom. Catherine didnt think he would refuse, as ten thousand gold coins were no small sum. Two seconds left! Song Jian said in a deep voice. All the resources of this world were meaningless to him. His sole purpose was to achieve victory in this assessment, to make Catherine submit and enhance his power. Even if she couldnt fight, using her to explore and seize resources was still a good deal. Seeing that she remained unmoved, Song Jian immediately raised the Sky-breaking Sword, and countless Spirit Swords appeared around him, bringing the threat of death upon Catherines head. I, I choose to surrender! Catherines face showed a look of humiliation. She dismounted and kneeled on one knee, head bowed down. Being captured by a wandering hero would be a stain on Catherines life she could never erase. Although defeat was common for a hero, for Catherine, who was only sixteen and had always dreamt of joining the army, it was a hard pill to swallow. System: You have achieved a glorious victory! System: You have defeated the Human Camp hero Catherine; you have the right to view her attribute panel! System: You have gained five hundred gold coins! System: You have acquired a group of riflemen, a band of archers, and a handful of crusaders! System: You have gained a subordinate hero; you can assign her to fight! A series of system notifications appeared before Song Jians eyes, and at the same time, Catherines attribute panel was also opened to him. [Catherine] [Human Faction Hero] [Attack 15, Defense 11] [Specialties: Swordsman, Crusader Warrior] Having captured Catherine, Song Jian found that the originally pitch-black map had suddenly lit up a large area; the scenery within hundreds of miles of his location became crystal clear. All the resource points, all the monster gathering areas, and even the troop recruitment spots were revealed on the map. This must be the area Catherine had explored before! Song Jian thought to himself, It looks like capturing the native heroes of this world can save a lot of time and effort, at the very least, no need to open the map every day. When he had first entered this world, the map was completely dark. Often, exploration was just aimless wandering, wasting both time and energy. Catherine, there are many resource points here, why havent they been occupied? Song Jian asked after staring at the opened map for a while. These resource points are occupied by powerful heroes around us. If we were to rashly take them, it would lead to war with them! Catherine said helplessly. Good, Im currently in need of capable subordinates; do not let any of these resource points go, occupy them all. And these troop recruitment points as well, occupy them all! Song Jian ordered. Also, what is this place with the shape of a treasure chest? Song Jian asked. The information learned from the City Lord Mansion was too scant, far less than what a native of this world would know. Thats the Griffin Treasure House. Inside is a hoard of treasures guarded by a group of griffins. Defeat them, and you can gain generous spoils of war; there might even be artifacts hidden inside! Catherine said with a tempting tone. Excellent, thats also our target. Artifacts, huh? Ive never seen what an artifact looks like, Song Jian said, stroking his chin and muttering to himself. Catherine couldnt help but roll her eyes and curse Song Jian in her mind as an egomaniac. However, upon hearing that Song Jian was planning to attack the Griffin Treasure House, a smile involuntarily crept onto her face. It seemed that the time for her to regain her freedom was not too far off. Guided by Catherine, Song Jian led his troops toward the closest open-pit mine, which was said to be a resource point occupied by a powerful undead mage hero. Song Jian decided to make this undead mage his first target. How can a undead mage hero live so comfortably in the human factions territory? Song Jian couldnt help but complain, Doesnt your father, that human king, know of its existence? Why doesnt he send troops to exterminate it? Damn it, the human faction isnt just made up of the Elassia Kingdom. That undead mage is very powerful, possessing advanced necromancy. Any failed battle against it only strengthens it. Without absolute certainty of victory, who would dare to challenge it lightly? Catherine said angrily. Oh, is that so? That really is a sad affair, Song Jian shrugged his shoulders, acting nonchalant. When you meet that undead mage, youll know fear, Catherine thought bitterly, Seeing the undead mages rotting face, youll probably wet your pants out of fear! Chapter 981 - 981 982 Invasion_1 ?Chapter 981: Chapter 982 Invasion_1 Chapter 981: Chapter 982 Invasion_1 Soon, under the guidance of Catherine, the group arrived at an open-air mining quarry. From a distance, they could see a group of tattered skeleton miners working in the quarry, while a few strong skeleton soldiers, brandishing long swords and clad in armor, acted as guards around the perimeter. Only these few skeleton soldiers as guards? Song Jian was somewhat surprised. He had assumed that a necromancer capable of transforming corpses into warriors would have many soldiers, and considered the quarry to be a relatively important resource surely heavily guarded. These are level ten skeleton soldiers, already capable of advancing to skeleton warriors! Catherine rolled her eyes and said, Besides, given the necromancers notorious reputation, others would avoid him at all costs. Who would dare to provoke him? These skeleton soldiers are merely a message to others that this is the territory of the necromancer Karada. To encroach is to provoke a battle with him! Song Jian nodded and transferred all the soldiers under Catherines command, saying, You will lead this battle. What, you want me to command the battle? Catherine was somewhat surprised. Yes, otherwise why would I recruit you? Song Jian said, looking as if it was the most obvious thing. Catherine: Although this is what I hoped for, his expression really annoys me! Song Jian had already discovered that in this Assessment World, battling anyone provided him with no gain. There were no battle experiences to be had, and the equipment and resources gained could not be taken with him upon leaving this world. Moreover, the adversaries he encountered were all lower-level forces, lacking any formidable presence, which somewhat dampened his spirits. Perhaps its time to visit the Elf Mountains and encounter that Black Dragon. Maybe there will be some unexpected gains! Song Jian watched as Catherine led the troops into battle, remembering he still had a task to exterminate the Black Mage. The few skeleton soldiers guarding the quarry, though level ten, were no match for the army led by Catherine. The fight was over in a matter of minutes, leaving only the cleanup of the skeleton workers in the quarry. Although these skeleton workers were not combatants, their presence would still instill fear in ordinary people. If not cleaned out, human miners would not come to work here, and rumors of a haunted quarry would soon emerge. As Catherine approached Song Jian with a proud look on her face after clearing out all the skeleton miners and taking control of the quarry, her expression was smug. Suddenly remembering something, Song Jian asked, During the previous battle, our troops didnt seem to maintain high morale? Catherines face froze, and without any anticipation, she replied, Its common knowledge that human armies lose morale when facing the undead. They will initiate an attack only if their strength surpasses that of the undead by more than double Oh, is that so! Song Jian also realized that the luck stone seemed to be effective only on armies led by the user. Even though Catherine was a hero he had recruited, the luck stone could not affect the troops under her command. Take this, it will make fighting the undead army easier in the future! Song Jian took out the luck stone and handed it to Catherine. A treasure? Catherines eyes sparkled. Such a strategic artifact was beyond the privilege of a princess like her, reserved only for powerful commanders. A Luck Stone? It increases luck and ensures that the army maintains high morale? Catherine examined the stone closely, a smile of surprise forming on her face. Luck can increase the chances of the army triggering their skills and their resistance to negative effects. And high morale means that the troops will brave any enemy, never disintegrating or fleeing in fear! Catherine looked at Song Jian, disbelief coloring her expression. Youre willing to give me such a precious artifact for real? Of course not Song Jian looked at Catherine with a look of surprise and said, Its only a loan, youll need to return it to me after youve used it! Catherines smile stiffened, and the good impression she had just begun to develop for Song Jian quickly dissipated. After tucking away the lucky gemstone, she muttered under her breath, Miser The mine has been occupied. That undead sorcerer named Karada, he must have received the news, right? she wondered aloud as she gazed into the distance. Of course. Every lord takes their resources points very seriously. Unless theyre preoccupied with something more important, theyd come to check on it immediately, Catherine said, glancing at Song Jian with some concern. However, remembering the terrifying skills Song Jian had used earlier, she still had confidence in him. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The two waited in the mine for over half an hour until the human miners they had recruited arrived and began working. The undead sorcerer Karada did not appear. Maybe something important has held him up Catherine said in a surprised tone, glancing at Song Jian. Then well just continue to occupy his resource points! said Song Jian, expressionless. Catherine was silent for a moment before speaking, I think we should quit while were ahead. Being able to take a mine from him is already an incredible achievement. If we continue, we might end up making a mortal enemy out of him Humans and undead sorcerers are mortal enemies to begin with, arent they? Song Jian said, looking at Catherine with some surprise, not fully understanding the thought processes of the people in this world. Those not of our kind must have a different heart, and besides, undead creatures inherently need human corpses to transform into soldiers, an existence that fundamentally stands in opposition to the human race. If the other party is too strong, its fine to retreat for a while, but burying oneself in the sand like an ostrich, ignoring the existence of the undead sorcerers and not even daring to oppose them, such an approach will only allow the undead sorcerer to grow stronger. Catherine sighed, shook her head slightly, and fell silent. Previously, several human lords had assembled a large army hoping to kill the undead sorcerer lord, but they all perished before his castle, worn down by his vast army. Since then, the nearby lords had never again proposed a resolution to crusade against the undead sorcerer. As long as he did not expand his territory, the surrounding lords had come to accept the existence of the undead sorcerer lord. With Catherine guiding him, Song Jians efficiency in capturing resource points greatly increased. In just over two hours, they had occupied seven or eight resource points, most of which had belonged to the undead sorcerer lord Karada. The resource points to the east and south have almost all been occupied by you. Whats left are to the west and north. However, going west, we would have to go around the Elf Mountains, where, it is said, a Black Dragon resides. As for the north, we would need to bypass Karadas castle Catherine found it very strange that Karada had not shown up yet. They had already taken almost half of his resource points, but he seemed completely unaware. Then lets continue. Since he wont come out, lets go see his castle! said Song Jian, expressionless. What an arrogant fellow! A hoarse voice came from not far away. Song Jian turned his head to see, on a large tree less than five meters away, a skeletal raven, peering at him with a pair of blood-red eyes. Although it was just a skeletal raven, Song Jian could sense a mocking expression in its eyes. Undead magic, huh? Interesting! Han Dongs lips curled into a faint smile as he stared at the skeletal raven with an intrigued expression. PS: Thanks to The White Divine for the 500-starting-point coin reward~ Chapter 982 - 982 983 Experiment_1 ?Chapter 982: Chapter 983 Experiment_1 Chapter 982: Chapter 983 Experiment_1 Song Jian stared at the skeletal raven, feeling a faint necromantic power emanating from it. This wasnt the first time he had encountered such power; the zombie monsters within Doomsday City also possessed it. However, the necromantic power within this skeletal raven was much purer. Arrogant human, you have no idea what kind of existence youve angered! Seeing that Song Jian seemed unafraid, the voice that came from the skeletal ravens beak took on a tint of annoyance, I was conducting an important experiment earlier and didnt bother with you, which perhaps gave you some illusions! I just heard that youre even preparing to attack my castle? Well then, I shall await your arrival in my castle. Do not keep me waiting too long, or otherwise, I will turn your domain into a Cloud of Death Rustle rustle~ As soon as the skeletal raven finished speaking, it didnt wait for Song Jians response; it simply flapped its bony wings and flew into the sky. Catherine looked at Song Jian with a face full of concern. In her opinion, with Song Jians current military strength, challenging a powerful undead wizard lord was an extremely unwise choice. We dont have siege engines, our soldiers are too few, we cant even climb the walls of the opponents castle, and even in open field, we are no match for an undead wizard lord, let alone attacking a castle Catherine tried to dissuade Song Jian, but obviously, the effect was not very good. If you are afraid, then I will lead this battle! Song Jian said, giving Catherine a cold look. Catherine immediately felt Song Jians disdain, her face flushed with anger as she shouted, You think I fear death? I just dont want to make a meaningless sacrifice. Youre going to attack an undead wizards castle now, and apart from adding a few low-level skeleton soldiers to your opponent, it will have no effect. In my eyes, you are indeed afraid of death! Song Jian said, A true warrior never asks how strong the enemies are, only where they are! Even if its just me alone, I will eradicate this human domains tumor! Seeing Song Jians righteous expression, Catherine was at a loss for words, but his statement deeply moved her. Never asking how strong the enemy is, only where they are? Damn it, who is the fool who said such a thing? However, why does it make me feel my blood boil and make me want to rush into battle right away? Catherine muttered to herself. As she came back to her senses, she realized that Song Jian had already taken off alone towards the undead wizard Karadas castle. He really is an arrogant oddball! Catherine gritted her teeth, leading her army toward Song Jian. She touched the scroll in her bosom, murmuring, Even if we fail, at least I can take you away and save your life. There are too few foolish people like you nowadays. But in my eyes, you are more of a warrior than those lords, a true warrior! From the information obtained from the City Lord Mansion, Song Jian knew that undead wizards belonged to the fifth tier of the Undead Clans military, which was a level higher than the Crusaders led by Catherine. A normal undead wizard could handle fifteen to twenty crusaders, and with the advantage of terrain, a single undead wizard could even hold off an army of over a hundred crusaders. The regular undead wizard soldiers were best known for unleashing clusters of Cloud of Death and dealing area attacks on the enemy. Such beings, if advanced to heroes, would have their mastery of Cloud of Death increased in both scope and power manifold. I guess the army Catherine is leading will be annihilated by the enemy in one fell swoop, right? Song Jian glanced at the following Catherine, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. Ever since entering the Assessment World, Song Jian had been capturing resource points and accumulating troops, but he had never pinned his hopes for victory on these soldiers. The only thing he believed in was the long sword in his hands. As he had just said, even if it was only him, he would still attack the undead wizard lords castle because he believed that he alone was enough. I must be insane to join you in attacking a necromancer lords castle! Catherine complained in a low voice as she rode her warhorse to Song Jians side. Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian gave a faint smile and said, Just think, if we win, this battle will be one led by you, and your great name will spread throughout the entire human kingdom. Your father will certainly be proud of you. First, we must actually be able to defeat that necromancer, and within his own castle at that! Catherine was not swayed and rolled her eyes in response. Dont worry, all obstacles will be cleaved apart by my longsword, one slash at a time, and if thats not enough, then two slashes! Song Jian laughed heartily. Is your sword a divine artifact, then? Even the legendary supreme divine artifact, the Blade of Doomsday, doesnt possess such powerful abilities, Catherine couldnt help retorting. Youll know when the time comes! Song Jian, not wanting to explain, simply nodded in response. The distant land was barren, with not a grass in sight; a castle imbued with the style of the Undead Clan stood tall on the vast plains. Inside the castle, the necromancer Karada stared at a crystal ball which displayed the scene caught by the eyes of skeletal crows: Song Jian, Catherine, and their following army. Seeing Catherines rather shabby-looking army without even a single siege engine, Karada laughed silently with a rattling of his jawbone, as his teeth clicked together softly, emitting a clack clack sound C the way the Undead Clan expressed laughter. Hahaha, I thought they were just a few hot-headed young warriors, but it turns out theyre two lunatics who dont know whether theyre alive or dead! Karada sent out more skeletal crows to widen his scouting range and, noticing that Song Jian had set up no ambush, he quickly lost interest in them. Without siege engines, they shouldnt even dream of breaching the robust walls of the castle. Such a meager army attacking a necromancer lords fortress would probably fail to even get close to the walls. Compared to two arrogantly ignorant lunatics, my research is somewhat more important! Karadas withered palm gently swiped over the crystal ball, wiping away the images before he turned and walked toward his laboratory. In Karadas lab, the corpse of a black dragonling, merely over two meters long, was placed in a special container, surrounded by countless black crystals forming a Magic Array, ceaselessly infusing grey undead power into the body of the black dragonling. It seemed that the necromancer intended to resurrect this black dragonling as an undead creature, but despite the lengthy process, there was not the slightest sign of resurrection. Karada, emotionless, slit his own wrist, and wisps of grey mist spilled from the cut, drifting toward the carcass of the black dragonling; Karada began to chant a spell, the eerie incantations sounding like a remote and desolate war chant, resonating throughout the lab. As the spell echoed beyond the laboratory, the undead creatures within the castle who heard it, had their eyes flare with a fierce green fire, and they began to exude a wild aura. Over the City of the Undead, a dark Cloud of Death slowly swirled in the sky above the castle, with black lightning occasionally cracking within the turbulent clouds, thunder booming, and bursts of rumbling resonating overhead. PS: Thank you to Author, Ill Motivate You for the tip of 100 Qidian coins~ Chapter 983 - 983 984 Attack_1 ?Chapter 983: Chapter 984 Attack_1 Chapter 983: Chapter 984 Attack_1 The dark rolling clouds and rumble of thunder in the sky guided Song Jian, who ignored the winding roads and headed straight for the necromancers castle. Soon, the two of them arrived at a desolate wilderness; a magnificent city appeared before their eyes. A level three castle I didnt expect it to have advanced to level three already Catherine said somewhat absentmindedly as she looked at the iconic building, the City Lord Mansion, with a complex expression. Level three? Song Jian thought of his own castle. The City Lord Mansion had not yet finished upgrading, and many buildings had not been constructed due to a lack of resources. His castle, which was not quite level one but definitely better than level zero, could be considered an almost level one castle. After capturing this castle, maybe I can use it as my main city Song Jian thought contemplatively. If youre planning to become an undead lord, thats not a bad choice! Catherine said bluntly, This castle is filled with the Force of Death. Ordinary people cant stay in there for long before they turn into undead creatures. All the buildings within are constructed to enhance the strength of undead troops. Do you really think you could lead an army composed entirely of undead soldiers? How long do you think you can command them before a complete mutiny? Song Jian suddenly fell silent. To the people of this world, this knowledge was common sense, but for an outsider like Song Jian, he was unaware of iteven in the City Lord Mansion, it was impossible for him to be briefed on every single piece of information thoroughly. Well, thats a pity Song Jian shook his head and said. If you could capture the lord of this place, maybe you could make him a hero under your command. Then it would be no problem for him to continue to lead this castle, Catherine suggested. Oh, thats a good idea! Song Jians eyes lit up. Catherine looked at Song Jian and was momentarily speechless. Leading a team whose main forces were composed of first- and second-level troops, not only did he foolishly dream of seizing a level three city, but he also wanted to capture a necromancer lord to become a hero under his command. To Catherine, this was pure madness. I must be crazy too, to have followed you here! Catherine murmured under her breath, while she reached into her bosom and moved a scroll to the most accessible position to ensure that if necessary, she could take it out in the shortest possible time. It was a Teleportation Scroll, capable of teleporting all of ones allies to a previously set safe location during battle. This was her biggest trump card and assurance for daring to follow Song Jian here. On the wilderness, a squad consisting of several dozen spearmen and archers, three griffins, and seven or eight crusader warriors, led by a female knight hero, charged with suicidal courage toward the level three City of the Undead, shrouded in the Force of Death. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As for Song Jian, he rode a mutated unicorn, appearing like a carefree traveler, constantly surveying his surroundings. The closer they got to the City of the Undead, the more abundant the Force of Death became. Ordinary humans felt uncomfortable in such an environment. If it werent for Catherines possession of a lucky gem, its likely that morale would have plummeted at least three or four points along the way. Morale could reach up to twelve points; surpassing ten points would result in exuberant spirits, maintaining high skill trigger rates and damage. If morale fell below six points, soldiers would be dispirited and their skill trigger rates would be very low, with increased chances of attacking errors. Should morale plummet below three points, the soldiers would be highly prone to fleeing in battle. Therefore, while the lucky gem was only a treasure of rare quality, to the lords of this world, its effect was even more useful than some low-grade artifacts. Catherine led her troops to a halt 800 meters from the City of the Undead. This distance was not ideal for a siege, but it was suitable for a retreat. The enemy has at least three hundred skeleton warriors, over a hundred ghosts, fifty vampires, and more than ten necromancers Catherine took out a monocular telescope and carefully observed the walls of the City of the Undead: The wall is equipped with three automatic crossbow Arrow Towers and two necromancer shooting platforms! After putting down the telescope, Catherine turned her head, and with a blank expression, said to Song Jian, Just three automatic crossbow Arrow Towers and two necromancer shooting platforms alone could kill our entire army under the walls! It doesnt matter; you just need to launch the attack. By then, your name will spread throughout the human world! Song Jian revealed a confident smile to Catherine. Or it could be the image of a fool who overestimates his own abilities that gets spread everywhere! Catherine rolled her eyes and retorted. Song Jian did not wish to explain anything, but simply smiled lightly and said, Attack. Catherine took a deep breath, drew her long sword, and, using all her strength, shouted towards the thunderous City of the Undead, Soldiers, attack! Kill, kill, kill! The morale of the human soldiers was high, as they let out roars, and even the three griffins flapped their wings and screeched. The troops slowly started moving forward, beginning their charge towards the City of the Undead, eight hundred meters away. Song Jian moved even faster than them. Flame Light Wings emerged behind him, and like a bolt of lightning, he flew off the back of the mutated unicorn. Catherine, seeing the dancing Flame Light Wings behind Song Jian, revealed a look of surprise and murmured to herself, Is thisthe wings of a high-ranking archangel? Angels are the seventh-tier troop type of the human race and are among the strongest beings. However, according to legends, above the angels, humans also have the eighth-tier troop type known as high-ranking archangels. Many lords believe that high-ranking archangels are the evolved form of the angel troop type, but many human lords possessing angel troops, after leveling their angels to the top tier and evolving them into archangels, find that while these angels become greatly strengthened, they still do not break through the seventh tier to reach the eighth. The most noticeable feature is that angel troop types have white wings, but after evolving into archangels, their wings turn pale gold. But the legendary high-ranking archangels have wings like rainbows of light, just like the wings behind Song Jian at this moment. Song Jian was unaware of the great shock his Flame Light Wings caused to Catherine. In mid-air, he had already entered the warning range of the City of the Undead more quickly than the human army. The three Arrow Towers and two necromancer shooting platforms had already locked onto Song Jian in mid-air, and the crossbow bolts, gleaming coldly, made a thud, thud, thud sound as they shot towards him; On the necromancer shooting platforms, the two necromancers hands emitted dense green Death Clouds that also flew toward Song Jian, enveloping a large area in front, behind, and to the sides of his position. PS: Thank you Uncle So Sleepy for the 200 starting currency tip~ Chapter 984 - 984 985 Acknowledgment_1 ?Chapter 984: Chapter 985: Acknowledgment_1 Chapter 984: Chapter 985: Acknowledgment_1 The Necromancers Arrow Tower was actually a Magic Tower, and on this Magic Tower, the Necromancers mana never ran out, allowing him to continuously cast the Death Cloud ability. On the one hand, Death Cloud was a natural talent ability of the Necromancer, on the other hand, besides providing endless mana, the Necromancers Arrow Tower also enhanced the effect and damage of the Death Cloud, making a single Wizard Tower more useful in war than two automatic crossbow Arrow Towers. Song Jian flapped his Flame Light Wings, deftly dodging the attacks. Although the Death Cloud had a wide attack range, it only exploded in a large area after reaching its target; in reality, what the Necromancer shot were merely energy balls the size of basketballs. The attack range of the Thousand Swords Art had reached 1,200 meters. Song Jian simply needed to stand within the range to launch an attack. However, his perception could not reach that far. Once the distance was too great, the attack targets of the Thousand Swords Art would become too scattered, greatly diminishing its effect. In this siege battle, Song Jian only had Catherine lead the army as the initiator and did not really intend to send this hardly gathered force to their deaths. Therefore, once he released the Thousand Swords Art, he must bring out its power to the fullest; Karmic Fire Red Lotus Ten Thousand Swords Art! In an instant, thousands of Sword Qi rushed down the meridians within Song Jians body toward the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand. The sharp swords surface radiated a golden glow, with the Sword Qi extending several meters long. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Song Jian fiercely cleaved forward, two hundred and fifty Spirit Swords, glowing with red firelight like meteors from beyond the heavens, furiously bombarded the City of the Undeads city walls; Catherine, even from hundreds of meters away, could feel the terrifying power of the Thousand Swords Artit was almost like a completely different skill compared to what she had seen before. Doomsday Meteor, this is Doomsday Meteor Catherines eyes were filled with horror as she watched hundreds of Spirit Swords, burning with flames, fiercely crash onto the walls, causing roaring blasts. In her heart, she feared that even the forbidden spell unleashed by the top-tier divine weapon, Blade of Doom, could not compare. The numerous Spirit Swords easily tore apart the defenses of these Undead soldiers on the wall. The Red Lotus Karma Fire unexpectedly displayed an amazing purification effect on the Undead, leaving these soldiers powerless in the face of the Thousand Swords Art. Skeleton Warriors, who had evolved from Skeleton Soldiers, were of no use as cannon fodder before the Thousand Swords Art. A single Spirit Sword could sweep away a large group; large hordes of wraiths hadnt even launched their attack when they were purified into a pile of ashes by the Red Lotus Karma Fire, leaving behind only painful wails echoing along the city walls. A group of Vampires screeched in terror, all scrambling into the castle for cover, but their speed was no match for the flight speed of the Spirit Swords. One foolish Vampire even used its innate ability to transform into a bat, its body exploding into hundreds of palm-sized bats, trying to dodge the fatal attack. But unexpectedly, the moment its body exploded, a red glow covered the surface of all bats, and then, with a boom, all the bats turned into a ball of flames. Within the engulfing range of the Thousand Swords Art, Red Lotus Karma Fire had filled every corner, and at this time, turning into defenseless bats meant nothing but dying even faster, with no other effects. Just then, from amidst the Vampire horde, an angry roar echoed. One Vampires body suddenly swelled considerably, and its originally black robe turned into a splendid red gown. Two sharp fangs protruded from underneath its lips, and the entire persons demeanor underwent a drastic change. This Vampire actually managed a breakthrough amidst the battle and evolved into a Vampire Kinga one in a million chance. However, before the Vampire King could revel in joy and celebration, he was pierced directly through the heart by a Spirit Sword. The surged of Red Lotus Karma Fire swiftly spread from his heart to his entire body, enveloping it like a red spider web. Desperation and unwillingness flashed across the eyes of the Vampire King as he flailed his arms and let out a sharp, agonized wail. His body burst apart, with every inch of his flesh incinerated by flames into ash, rising into the air as a plume of black dust. Catherine watched, wide-eyed, as a powerful Vampire King was instantly killed. The shock in her heart was indescribable. After all, among all the forces fourth-tier units, Vampire Kings had the strongest vitality. No matter how brutal the war, they had countless means to preserve themselves. The blood magic of the Vampire King was also incredibly skillful, making them the most troublesome existence for humans among the fourth-tier units. But such a fearsome being couldnt withstand a single blow from a Spirit Sword. To think, at this moment, the entire City of the Undead castle was facing over two hundred Spirit Swords, which meant that even with over two hundred Vampire Kings, they would all be annihilated by this strike. Catherine calculated silently in her heart, pondering over the level of military force she would need to stand against Song Jian if they were ever to become enemies. Lower-tier units are meaningless. Only above the fifth tier, uniting into a combined formation, could there possibly be a chance to defeat the opponent. But to kill him, the numbers would have to increase manyfold, and there would have to be an artifact like the War Shackles that could lock down space Catherine murmured to herself. However, Catherine had not finished speaking when all the Spirit Swords suddenly began spinning nonstop, eventually forming a huge flame lotus. The undead soldiers who had survived the initial attack on the walls were all swallowed up by the Red Lotus Sword Array, cries of agony rose, only to be quickly silenced. The range of the Sword Formation was too extensive; it started destroying all defensive structures on the entire city wall. Three automated crossbow Arrow Towers and two necromancer shooting platforms were obliterated as if by a typhoon, like small boats under a towering wave, leaving no trace of their existence. The tall castle walls filled with the Force of Death also began to slowly crack. Huge fissures appeared on the walls as if they had been relentlessly attacked by hundreds of siege engines for hours. How is this possible? Catherine watched slack-jawed at everything unfolding before her. The moment the Red Lotus Sword Array emerged, an eerie fear immediately surged through Catherines heart, prompting her to immediately order a retreat of five hundred meters, which only then slightly eased her palpitations of fear. Even with an army of a rank greater than five hundred seventh-tier units, I wouldnt want to face him head-on! Catherine sighed. Song Jians strength had exceeded all her expectations, a power that simply couldnt be wielded by humans. The Red Lotus Sword Array shattered all of Catherines pride. Even if she commanded the entire Elassia military, she lacked the confidence to defeat Song Jian. At that moment, Catherine finally acknowledged from the depths of her heart Song Jians identity as a commander of knights. PS: Thank you to Please Take a Seat in Front for the gift of 600 starting coins~ Chapter 985 - 985 986 A Glorious Victory_1 ?Chapter 985: Chapter 986: A Glorious Victory_1 Chapter 985: Chapter 986: A Glorious Victory_1 Song Jian saw that the undead troops on the city walls and all the defense facilities had been destroyed. Even the sturdy walls of the third-level castle were tottering, with huge cracks spreading and collapsing continuously. Yet the Red Lotus Sword Array did not dissipate; instead, it grew fiercer. It seemed like the third stage was already beginning to gestate, and in the sky, the vague shadow of a hand was slowly beginning to emerge. Inside the castles laboratory, the Lich Lord watched the young dragon corpse twitch slightly, excitement shining in his crimson eyes. The rich Force of Death surged like a tide, wave after wave incessantly pouring into the body of the young dragon. The Magic Array beneath it began to tremble violently. Soon, soon it will succeed. Hold on the Lich Lord muttered to himself, continuously throwing various precious Magic Crystal materials into the Magic Array. The Magic Array was the only way to awaken the young dragon as an undead creature. If the Magic Array collapsed, then the experiment would once again end in failure. This was already the third experiment. Although the test subject was a Black Dragon with a robust body, it was, after all, just an immature young dragon. The first two experiments had already caused irreversible magical damage to its body. If this experiment failed again, then the young dragons corpse could no longer be transformed into an undead creature and would only serve as ordinary material. Just then, the Lich Lord seemed to hear a tender dragons roar bursting forth from the young dragons corpse, excitement flashing in his crimson eyes once again. This signified that the young dragons corpse had begun to accept the Force of Death. The most difficult step was completed; what remained was to continue infusing the Force of Death and wait for it to awake as a true undead creature. Although the costs that followed would be even greater, the Lich Lord, seeing hope, no longer cared about this expenditure. The Magic Array, which was dramatically trembling, began to gradually return to calm. Everything was proceeding in a favorable direction. The surface of the young dragons body, formerly black scales, started to slowly gain a layer of grey. Unbeknownst to anyone, the eyes that had been shut slowly opened, revealing pale golden pupils shining with a cold light, but at that moment, the dragons eyes were dull, like an empty shell. Very good, next, we just have to The Lich Lord was jubilant, preparing to begin the next step of the experiment when suddenly, a loud boom came from above, accompanied by an earthquake-like tremor. The defensive Magic Array of the entire laboratory, after flickering violently a few times, shattered completely. The hard rock walls also cracked, enormous fissures appearing. All the equipment and materials in the laboratory were scattered on the floor. The Lich Lords complexion changed drastically, his iron-grey cheeks showing a surge of dark aura. He watched helplessly as a fine crack appeared in the center of the Magic Array under the young dragon, traversing the entire Array. A shrill roar burst forth from the body of the young dragon. The Lich Lord, with his keen perception, immediately detected a slight pop sound coming from within the dragon, like a bubble bursting in the air. No! The Lich Lords heart sank. That bubble-like pop signified that the fledgling consciousness born within the young dragon had suffered a backlash due to the destruction of the Magic Array, and it had burst forthwith! In an instant, a towering rage blazed within the Lich Lords mind. Turning around, he grabbed his personal Magic Staff and fiercely slammed it on the ground. In a flash, the Lich Lords figure disappeared from the lab. The Lich Lord quickly appeared on the castles outer walls and, seeing the apocalyptic scenes surrounding him, couldnt help but rub his eyes. How can this be! Looking out towards the castles exterior, Catherine led her army, still standing hundreds of meters away. However, the Lich Lord knew that this seemingly insignificant human hero had launched an attack on his castle and inflicted massive damage. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You have no idea what kind of being youve angered. I will extract your soul and roast it in the flames of Undead Hell for ten thousand years. Your body will become the lowest-grade Skeleton Soldiers, and I will The Lich Lord seethed with curses, but before he could finish, a chilling threat overcame him. It was as if a frog being targeted by a snake, the Necromancer Overlord didnt dare to move at all. Click-clack, click-clack~ A series of slight teeth clashing sounds emanated, but this time, it was not the Necromancer Overlord laughing. Instead, it was the sound of teeth knocking together as his body trembled violently from fear. The Necromancer Overlord seemed to have realized something, as he struggled to move his neck, lifting his head to look up into the sky. A gigantic hand with a diameter of over a hundred meters was spread open and emerging in mid-air. Streams of Sword Qi surged toward the hand from every direction. As Sword Qi flowed in, the hand became increasingly solid, and the Necromancer Overlord could even make out the fine lines in the palm at the center. What in the world is this the Necromancer Overlord stared blankly at the enormous hand above him, his mind a complete blank. Just at that moment, the gigantic hand that loomed over the entire City of the Undead seemed to sense something, and in one-tenth of an instant, it ferociously slammed down. Catherine first saw the gigantic hand smack down, reducing the entire City of the Undead to rubble. Dust and smoke billowed into the air, and then she heard a dull roar in her ears. The sound was deeply resonant, as if a heavy hammer had struck her in the chest, causing a feeling of nausea that made her involuntarily cough up blood, providing some relief. Immediately after, an overwhelming burst of energy spread out from the ruins of the castle in all directions. The barren wilderness was shaved down a thick layer, as smooth as a mirror, and not even a pebble the size of a fingernail could be found. Fortunately, the army led by Catherine had maintained enough distance that by the time the blast of energy reached them, it no longer had any effect on them. Dust swirled, like a sandstorm being whipped up. After a long while, the dust settled, and Catherine saw before her an entirely flat landscape. The third-level City of the Undead from her memory seemed as if it had been erased from the earth by an eraser, without leaving a trace behind. In a daze, Catherine seemed to hear a voice. Your army has overrun a third-level City of the Undead, you have achieved a resplendent victory! Your valorous deeds will spread across the entire human kingdom, all humans will cheer for your achievements, and your heroic name will be remembered in the hearts of all people! In this battle, you have gained one million six hundred thousand Experience Points and leveled up to level thirty! Your personal attributes have increased, the number of troops you can command has grown, and the effectiveness of your leadership bonuses has improved! You have earned the title of Undead Annihilator. Under your command, your troops morale will not fall when facing undead creatures, and damage dealt will increase by 100% PS: Thanks to Tang Bohu Does Not Paint for the tip of 500 Qidian coins~ Chapter 986 - 986 987 Visiting by Reputation_1 ?Chapter 986: Chapter 987: Visiting by Reputation_1 Chapter 986: Chapter 987: Visiting by Reputation_1 Catherines level, which was originally only twelve, has now directly increased by more than ten levels to become a thirty-level hero. With such a level, she could even rank among the top contenders in the entire Kingdom of Elasia. Most importantly, just as Song Jian had said earlier, her name had indeed spread throughout all the human kingdoms. And mind you, there are more than just Elasia among the human kingdoms. With the improvement of her level, her strength increased, and so did the number of troops she could lead. From now on, Catherine could even have a hero join her army under the title of deputy, and when necessary, she could command this deputy to lead an army on their own. Is this, is this really happening? Catherines face remained filled with disbelief, and she even pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming. The massive windfall, as if manna from heaven, made Catherine doubt the reality of it all. After a long while, Catherine looked up to the sky, where Song Jian was floating mid-air, with Flame Light Wings behind him constantly shedding fine specks of light, like a dreamy illusion, as if a deity had descended to the mortal world. From this moment forward, you are my staunchest belief. Wherever your longsword points, there I will charge into battle, and I shall fight valorously under your command, until the moment my life comes to an end Catherine dismounted and knelt on one knee towards Song Jian in mid-air, her left hand on her chest, and she earnestly swore her knightly oath to him! At that moment, Song Jian, looking disheveled in the air, kept spitting and wiping away dirt. He had gotten too close to the City of the Undead, and the third stage of the Red Lotus Karma Fire Sword Formation had directly destroyed the undead castle, engulfing him in the dust that was raised, transforming him into a muddy figure, his mouth and nose filled with dust laden with the Force of Death, and a faint stench of decay lingering around his body. It feels as if I fell into a dung pit Song Jians expression was unsightly as he stared dumbfounded at the huge palm print on the ground that resembled the Hand of Buddha. What happened to occupying and plundering? Why destroy everything upfront? Song Jians face bore a crying-without-tears expression, feeling like all his efforts were for naught. After conquering a castle, there are three options: occupy, plunder, and destroy! To occupy means to make this castle ones own, plunder is to take all the resources from the castle and then abandon it, while destroy means to completely level the castle as if it never existed. Typically, a lord will choose to occupy castles of their own faction, and resort to plundering those of other factions, harvesting a fortune before leaving them derelict. The abandoned castle that Song Jian occupied had also been plundered and left derelict after it was captured by someone else. There are many such castles in this world. In this Assessment World, wars are happening all the time, countless castles are captured, and numerous abandoned ones rise again because some hero finds and occupies them. Simply owning a castle and developing it automatically grants the noble status of a lord, which for any commoner hero is nothing short of a shortcut to the heavens. Falling from the sky, Song Jian stood in front of the huge palm print and spaced out. Once there was a level three castle before me, but I did not cherish it. If there were a chance to do it all over again, I think I would never again unleash the Thousand Swords Art with my full power In fact, given the castles defenses, Song Jian could have easily used normal Thousand Swords Art to destroy all the enemies and the castles defenses like peeling an apple. At most three times, no, two times, the Thousand Swords Art would have been enough to destroy all the defensive forces on the castle walls, and as for that corpse witch lord, Song Jian did not believe he could withstand even one strike of the Thousand Swords Art. I could have obtained a complete third-level castle, and even if it was plundered, I would have gotten a huge amount of resources, but now its all gone Song Jian sighed deeply. The resources of a third-level castle would have been enough for him to upgrade his own castle to second-level and to construct every permissible building. My lord, your strength is akin to that of a deity. The glory of this victory was meant to be yours Catherine stepped forward with her army, speaking to Song Jian with a face full of reverence and embarrassment. Song Jian sighed and waved his hand, Forget it, its nothing. You take over the necromancer lords resource points. I want to go back to the castle for some rest. Catherine hurriedly said, As you command, my lord. Please take good care of yourself! Song Jian nodded, mounted his mutated unicorn, and dashed toward his castle. Watching Song Jians retreating back, Catherines face was full of admiration, The lord is truly open-minded and modest, so much so that such a glorious victory doesnt even bring a hint of pride to his face. And he hasnt even inquired about the rewards I shall safeguard these resources for the lord for now, and present them when he needs them! Catherine led her troops to take control of the necromancer lords left-behind resource points one by one. With the death of the necromancer lord, these resource points had become ownerless, and since there were few soldiers left by the necromancer lord, Catherine easily took them all. Aside from a giant handprint, nothing was left of the third-level City of the Undead. A day later, a small mound slowly rose in the center of the handprint. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A battered Black Dragon hatchling wriggled out from the mound, its body covered in wounds with flesh turned inside out and its wings torn with large holes, resembling a tattered, hole-ridden discarded bag. However, curiously, there was no blood flowing from its injuries, be it bones or muscles, skin, or scales, all shimmered with a faint grey metallic luster. The Black Dragon hatchling looked around blankly for a while, then let out a tender dragons cry akin to a chicks peep and stumbled outside the handprint, falling countless times before barely managing to balance its body. Struggling out of the deep crater, the amnesiac Black Dragon hatchling, driven by instinct, wobbled toward the direction of the Elf Mountains. Song Jian returned to the castle with a face of sorrow. All the buildings were under orderly construction, and beaver workers bustled everywhere. These beavers walked upright like humans, about the size of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old child, dressed in simple coarse clothes. Dusty from their toil, they all bowed respectfully to Song Jian before carrying on with their unfinished tasks. New beaver workers joined the workforce every day. With them, the human castle was being built at an incredibly fast pace, and it was certain that a first-level human castle would soon be fully erected. My lord, a hero is waiting for you in the reception hall, claiming to admire your renown and wishing to join your ranks! an elegant-looking beaver worker hurried over to Song Jian as he returned. A hero who came admiring my name? Song Jian was stunned, Am I really that famous now? How come I dont know about it? After pondering for a moment, Song Jian nodded and headed toward the reception hall. He was curious to see how a hero had come admiring his name when he hadnt even finished building a tavern yet. PS: Thank you to The White God for the 100 starting coins reward~ Chapter 987 - 987 988 Earth Element Mage_1 ?Chapter 987: Chapter 988 Earth Element Mage_1 Chapter 987: Chapter 988 Earth Element Mage_1 City Lord Mansion, the guest hall A gaunt old man with a tuft of goat-tail beard was quietly sitting in a chair, sipping tea. A brown magic staff rested beside his left hand, unsupported, yet it did not fall, standing upright next to the elder. The brown gem at the top of the staff twinkled, casting light as if it were on alert for something. Upon seeing Song Jian enter from the doorway, surprise flashed in the elders eyes; he probably had not expected the master of this castle to be so young. Honorable lord, Mage Tuya pays his respects to you, the elder said respectfully with a bow to Song Jian. Hello, Master Tuya, Song Jian responded politely with a bow and then asked, May I know why you have come here? Are you seeking any help? Lord, I wish to join your ranks and become one of your city-affiliated heroes, Tuya stated directly. Song Jian scrutinized Tuya. His mages robe was neither lavish nor shabby, and he lacked the haggard appearance of a wandering mage. Even the staff, grasped in his left hand, was no common item, especially the fist-sized brown gem at its top, which alone was worth a fortune. Although his level wasnt very highjust twenty-sixthat level was considered above average in the entire human kingdom. He could have received a handsome treatment had he chosen any human kingdom to join, far better than joining a newly developing lordship that hadnt even reached level one of castle development. Tuya, do you have any demands? Song Jian asked directly. Lord, you are indeed straightforward, Tuya replied with a smile, deepening the wrinkles on his face: I came here seeking your help. To the west of your castle is a marshland inhabited by numerous earth elementals. I hope, my lord, that you could defeat them, take over the Earth Elemental Temple there, and I would lead the earth elementals that are produced. Also, there is a high-tier magic scroll treasured within the Earth Elemental Temple that I hope you would allow me to study. Is that the reason you are willing to join under my command? Song Jian said indifferently. Then what can you bring to me? Or rather, what skills do you possess that are worth my investment? In the records of the City Lord Mansion, this Assessment World was also filled with various elemental beingsearth elementals, air elementals, fire elementals, water elementals, and so on. These elemental beings were inherently stronger than most races, starting as third-tier soldiers at birth. As adults, they could reach the level of fourth-tier soldiers, and upon advancement, they would become fifth-tier stone elementals. The stone elementals possessed the strength to confront human sixth-tier knights head-on. In other words, although stone elementals were only fifth-tier, they could compete with sixth-tier soldiers in certain respects. My lord, I am an earth elemental mage, Tuya explained with increasing respect. Since the lord hadnt rejected him, it was evident that the lord had the strength to defeat those earth elemental beings. Although I am only level twenty-six, I have mastered various earth magic from first to sixth tier, and my innate skill is commanding earth elementals. Under my leadership, the strength of earth elemental warriors can increase by 50%, and Im also versed in air magic, able to smoothly cast any air spell below the third tier Tuya looked up with a smile: Lord, it seems you have yet to build a Magic Tower. You should know, even constructing a basic level-one Magic Tower requires the aid of an official mage, and I am precisely the mage you need. Song Jian nodded. Some rules in this Assessment World were somewhat similar to those in games, such as the construction of a Magic Tower requiring a mages assistance. In the gaming world, a Magic Tower is an important milestone for upgrading a territory to city level; only with a Magic Tower does a territory qualify to advance to city level. ` Song Jian had previously found a Blood Mage to oversee the construction of the Magic Tower, which allowed the territory of the City of Hope Alliance to be upgraded to a first-tier city. Certainly, welcome to join my castle, Song Jian said with a smile. Thank you, my lord, Tuya breathed a sigh of relief, giving Song Jian a bow. System: You have gained the recognition of the second hero; two heroes have now joined under your command. If you gain one more heros allegiance, Battle Mode will be unlocked! Battle Mode? Whats that? Song Jian frowned and began to carefully examine the Battle Mode details. It turned out that Battle Mode refers to the unlocking of a special map area, where all resources of the examiness are transferred to this special area. The area is generated on the spot and as time progresses, the distance between everyone will continuously shrink. Eventually, the one hundred examinees who entered the Assessment World will inevitably come into contact with each other in this confined space. To eliminate others and emerge victorious, the examinees will inevitably spark a series of great battles. Song Jian immediately felt a sense of urgency; once Battle Mode was entered, the current level of the castle, the resource points seized, and the troops acquired might all become the final straw determining victory or defeat. He now must seize the time to become even stronger. My lord, about the matter of the Earth Elemental Spirit Tuya asked cautiously. Well depart right now, Song Jian nodded. Seeing Song Jians prompt agreement, a joyous smile appeared on Tuyas face. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Jian had only just returned to the castle when he once again set out on a journey. Upon leaving the castle, Song Jian mounted a Mutated Unicorn, while Tuya summoned a long-horned deer to ride. The Mutated Unicorn glanced at the long-horned deer and let out a low growl, causing the deer to step back in fear and let out a deep, mournful cry. My lord, your mount? Tuya asked, surprise evident on his face. After all, unicorns were already a very rare species, and within them, the mutated ones were exceedingly rare, perhaps only surpassed by the creatures of legend like the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix. Its just an ordinary Mutated Unicorn, Song Jian said with a laugh. Having ridden a Giant Dragon before, he didnt find a Mutated Unicorn to be particularly precious. Tuya stared at the unicorns horn, which flashed continuously with electricity, revealing a hint of envy in his eyes. My lord, take good care of this Mutated Unicorn. You can tell its still in its juvenile phase, and it has tremendous potential. It possesses the qualifications to become a powerful Storm Lord, Tuya said softly. PS: Thank you Super Rain for the generous gift of 500 starting coins~ ` Chapter 988 - 988 989 Stone Elemental Elf_1 ?Chapter 988: Chapter 989 Stone Elemental Elf_1 Chapter 988: Chapter 989 Stone Elemental Elf_1 A Storm Lord? Song Jian was taken aback, hearing this term for the first time. A mutated unicorn was just a mount he had; could it also become a lord? Could it be that a mere mount can become a lord, just like me? Song Jian couldnt help but ask. Of course, Guyar nodded and said, In this world, any creature, even any elemental being, is qualified to become a lord. Its just that the more powerful the creature, the higher the likelihood theyll become a lord. In fact, there are many non-human species that are powerful lords in this world, some of whom have lived for over a thousand years with formidable power, comparable to the gods of legend. And the Storm Lord is one of them, Guyar continued, Normal air elementals have a certain chance to evolve into greater air elementals upon reaching their maximum level. After that, greater air elementals have a one in ten thousand chance to evolve into lightning elementals, beings that control the power of thunder and lightning. Lightning elementals that continue to enhance themselves, given extraordinary opportunities, have a slight chance to become a Storm Lord. It is said that in the distant Kingdom of Clouds, a Storm Lord exists It can be said that any creature with the attribute of lightning has the potential to become a Storm Lord, and so does your mount, Guyar said. Song Jian nodded, though he didnt really care. After all, he had come to this world only to participate in an assessment and advance to the second tier of combat power. He would soon leave, and only if he were to stay in this world would he be interested in cultivating his mount into a Storm Lord. The very thought of it felt thrilling. Along the way, Guyar and Song Jian chatted continuously, enjoying a harmonious relationship. Through these conversations, Song Jian learned many secrets about the world, knowledge that the City Lord Mansion would not have recorded, known only to an experienced old mage like Guyar. City Lord, up ahead is the Mire Swamp, a paradise for earth elementals, an excited expression appeared in Guyars eyes. Although Guyar was also a hero, the army he led had a chaotic array of troop types: there were over a dozen mage apprentices, seven or eight iron golems constructed of steel, and several gargoyles made entirely of rock. Song Jian suddenly remembered the information from the City Lord Mansion; these troop types seemed to belong to a faction called the Tower, so it appeared that Guyar was a hero from the Tower faction. Boom, boom, boom~ While Song Jian was recalling the City Lord Mansions information, a thunderous noise suddenly came from ahead. Looking up, he saw a huge stone elemental, over three meters tall, slowly walking out of the Mire Swamp. Stone elementals, normally heavy-bodied and unable to traverse swamps, now seemed weightless. With every step, they floated across the swamps surface, but the friction between the rocks of their gigantic bodies produced a thunderous noise. I dont know if its good luck or bad luck that weve encountered a stone elemental just upon arriving at the Mire Swamp. This is a level forty elemental warrior, not someone we can contend with, Guyar sighed while looking at the distant, enormous stone elemental, his face showing a hint of distress. Although Guyar had planned to claim the earth elemental temple within the Mire Swamp and would have to confront these stone elementals sooner or later, his original plan was to capture some lower-level earth elementals first and then steamroll his way through, forming a large earth elemental army before starting to look for stone elementals to battle. A level forty stone elemental? Song Jians eyes narrowed as he gazed at the stone elemental. This stone elemental, being a fifth-tier troop type, could completely crush and destroy Guyars army single-handedly if a fight ensued. I wonder who would be stronger or weaker between it and my pet, Gulu? Suddenly, Song Jian thought of Gulu, his stone elemental pet that had been sleeping in the Pet Space. With a thought, Song Jian directly released Gulu. Just awakened from its slumber, Gulu appeared slightly dazed, but very soon, it was attracted to the environment rich in earth elements surrounding it and couldnt help but make a joyful gulu gulu sound. The appearance of Gulu, a level 50 lord-level BOSS, immediately caused chaos among Guyar and his troops, with several Mage apprentices even turning around to flee. It seemed the morale of the army led by Guyar was not very high. After a brief surprise and panic, the experienced Guyar managed to quell the disorder in the ranks. Gazing at Gulu, his eyes sparkled with a different kind of brilliance, and his look towards Song Jian also conveyed a hint of admiration. Respected lord, I never expected you to own such a powerful King of Stone Element Elves, truly enviable. Your formidable strength will surely be renowned throughout the entire human kingdom! Guyar said respectfully. Song Jian, intrigued, pointed to the stone elemental in the distance, Do you think Gulu can defeat that stone elemental? My lord, your King of Stone Element Elves is at least a sixth-tier troop, while the ordinary stone element elves are only fifth-tier. Even a group of such elementals would not stand a chance against it, Guyar said with an envious look. If thats the case, then Ill leave Gulu under your command for now, Song Jian said with a smile. Guyar was one of his heroes and whether it was he or the troops he led, Song Jian had full control. He did not need Guyars consent to reassign his entire army or even to order Guyar, now a mere commander without an army, to launch a suicidal charge against a group of powerful monsters. However, generally, no lord would do such a thing because it would be utterly insane. Should such a deed become known, its doubtful any hero would wish to join his ranks. Integrating Gulu into Guyars army would better utilize Gulus abilities. Besides, Song Jian could always retrieve Gulu from Guyars army and return it to the Pet Space at any time. Really, Lord? Guyars eyes showed disbelief as he stared at Gulu, his look turning into one of fascination, and he even made an unconscious swallowing motion. The way Guyar looked at Gulu was akin to a lecher eyeing a beautiful woman, which gave Song Jian the chills. Youll command the upcoming battle, Song Jian said after integrating Gulu into Guyars troops. Yes, my Lord! Tuyas morale soared as he led the troops, charging toward the stone elemental in the distance. PS: Thanks to Riding with God to Wander first for the tip of 500 starting coins~ Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 989 - 989 990 Temple_1 ?Chapter 989: Chapter 990: Temple_1 Chapter 989: Chapter 990: Temple_1 Gulu thrived in this environment rich with earth elements, its power amplified by nearly 30%. Plus, it could draw endlessly from the mud and marsh, never depleting its source. Thus, in battle, there was no need for close-quarters combat; Gulu simply stood its ground, incessantly casting Throwing Stone Blocks and creating fields of Earth Spikes. Moreover, after joining Tuyas army and being influenced by the leaders Hero Talent, Gulus combat effectiveness soared by another 50%. Although Gulu was merely a level 50 Lord Boss, the strength it displayed in combat was truly akin to that of a Dominion Boss. Earth Spikes Jungle! Gulu raised its right hand, and a thicket of ground spikes shot up like a cluster of spears, piercing the bodies of several earth elemental Elves, draining the power from their soul Crystal Cores. The earth elements, muddy in consistency, oozed slowly down the massive stone spire of ground spikes and, before they could reassemble, another wave of attacks hit them At first, Tuya was cautious in combat, but after several victories with zero casualties, his confidence swelled immensely. With Song Jian as a safety net, Tuya became utterly unrestrained. Along the way, Tuya fought through dozens of battles, quickly leveling up to 30, and his forces grew by a dozen mud-like earth elemental Elf warriors, tamed during the skirmishes. Soon, Tuyas forces steamrolled deep into the marsh, where traces of earth elements became scarce, replaced by towering stone elements that rumbled and roamed the swampy ground. My lord, the Temple Gate of the earth elements is just ahead. Inside, a scroll of earthen forbidden spell awaits: the Thunderous Explosive Orb. Its the most formidable single-target earth magic attack, and even a Holy Dragon cannot be immune to its damage, Tuya pointed to the emerging edge of the temple, trembling with excitement as he spoke. A forbidden spell, huh? I wonder if it will be of any use against those Examinees? Let them taste the flavor of this worlds forbidden spells; it wouldnt be a wasted trip, Song Jian said, the corner of his mouth betraying a sinister smile. Holy Dragon? Are you talking about the legendary Tier 10 troop, the Sacred Dragon? Song Jian asked nonchalantly. In the records of the City Lord Mansion, this was cited as the most formidable creature in this world, the Holy Dragon, with defenses against all kinds of magic and nearly immune to all magic below Tier 6. Its Dragon Breath had devastating damage and a wide range, marking the only Tier 10 troop of this world. In fact, the Dragon Clan also held a high status in this world. Common dragons, upon reaching maturity, commanded the strength of a Tier 7 troop. It could be said that the lowest troop type for the Dragon Clan was Tier 7, including Black Dragons and other Chromatic DragonsWhite, Blue, Red, Greenthat Song Jian had seen before, all comparable to the ultimate human troop, the Angel. Beyond the Chromatic Dragons, the Dragon Clan also had Gold Dragons, Poison Dragons, Crystal Dragons, and Fairy Dragons, all capable of reaching Tier 8. Above them were the Titan Dragons, legendary like the Holy Dragon, whose presence was seldom discerned even by inhabitants of this world. Titan Dragons were of Tier 9 and were the only ones entitled to challenge the Holy Dragon. It was rumored that Titan Dragons could also advance to Tier 10, but ordinary Titan Dragons had never been seen, much less their evolved counterparts. Some claimed that the Holy Dragons were in fact evolved Titan Dragons, but this theory never gained mainstream acceptance. Regarding the strength of the creatures in this world, Song Jian had been continuously observing. He noticed that according to the records of the City Lord Mansion, a troop of elemental creatures of level seven could confront a Sovereign level BOSS if they exceed ten in number. As for higher level creatures of the eighth, ninth, and tenth levels, the data from the City Lord Mansion only touched upon them briefly. Without witnessing them for himself, Song Jian wasnt sure about their actual strengths. The Stone Elemental Elves were much stronger than the Earth Elemental Elves, but it seemed they did not know any magic. All their attacks were like those of a warrior, using their mighty bodies to crush any enemy that offended them. Tuya quickly encountered five or six Stone Elementals and did not hesitate to launch an attack on them. Having high resistance to earth-based magic, the Stone Elementals slowly weakened under Gulus magical abilities. The battle with them gradually turned into a tedious war of attrition, which made Tuya somewhat impatient. He commanded all his troops to press forward with full force. Tuya achieved the final victory, but at the cost of two Mage apprentices, making his expression turn noticeably ugly. He could manufacture Iron Puppets and Gargoyles, and Earth Elemental Elves were ubiquitous here, ready to be replenished at any time, but those Mage apprentices who had always followed him were irreplaceable; each loss represented a potential great Mage, making each casualty deeply distressing to Tuya. Although the power of Song Jians group was considerable, the army led by Tuya alone wasnt enough to make the Stone Elementals flee on sight. Therefore, each encounter with a Stone Elemental inevitably led to a fierce battle. Under Tuyas deliberate protection, no more Mage apprentices were lost during combat, but the Gargoyles and Iron Puppets suffered heavy casualties. After a series of fierce battles, Tuya leveled up to thirty-one, but the number of his troops dramatically decreased. Only three Iron Puppets remained, and just one Gargoyle was left badly damaged with only one wing remaining. What made Tuya even more frustrated was that he hadnt recruited a single Stone Elemental along the way. Great King of Stone Elementals, arent you supposed to have a strong attraction to Stone Elementals? How come not even one has been recruited? Tuya glanced at Gulu, feeling quite depressed. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, after the battles, they finally reached the steps of the Temple of Earth Elementals. By taking control of this place, not only could Tuya recruit the much-desired Stone Elementals, but he could also upgrade a dozen or so Earth Elementals into Stone Elementals. Therefore, he was not too concerned about failing to recruit Stone Elementals during the battles. The two ascended the steps and soon were at the Temple Gate. Just as they were about to enter the temple, a deep growl suddenly emerged from within. Tuyas expression froze and his face turned sour immediately; he stopped in his tracks. PS: Thank you Dan Dan Long for the 500 starting coins reward~ Chapter 990 - 990 991 Giant_1 ?Chapter 990: Chapter 991 Giant_1 Chapter 990: Chapter 991 Giant_1 ` The architecture of the Earth Elemental Temple was simple and unassuming, made entirely out of grey stone. Between the massive blocks of rock, there was only a slender gap, so thin that not even a sheet of paper could slip through. Dozens of huge stone columns stood in parallel, each towering over ten stories high. Standing before the temple, Song Jian felt as though it was a palace built for the giants of legend. A beastly roar emanated from within the temple, causing Tuya to become cautious. My lord, it seems something has already claimed this place Tuya said, his face grim. If it were an unclaimed temple, then at most it would be guarded by a group of earth and stone elements. However, if the temple was occupied, it likely housed a large contingent of guardian soldiers. Lets go in and meet them. Having said that, Song Jian took the lead and walked towards the temple. Entering the temple, Song Jian found himself in a spacious hall. A giant, more than ten meters tall, was sitting on a stone throne at the far end of the hall. This giant had a bronze-colored body that radiated a metallic luster. When Song Jian saw it, it appeared to be sleeping, but upon sensing Song Jians presence, the giant slowly opened its eyes. Human, leave. This is not a place for you! This is the territory of the Giant Clan. If you dont leave, it will be seen as a provocation to the Giant Clan! The voice of the giant was like the grinding of two massive boulders, slightly grating and causing Song Jians brow to furrow. A seventh-tier soldier, an exotic gianthow can there be a presence of the Giant Clan here? Tuyas face paled, and he couldnt help but take two steps back as he whispered. Seventh-tier soldier? Song Jian raised an eyebrow. There was no mention of the Giant Clan in the City Lord Mansions records, and the massive creature in front of him was already a level fifty Commanding Boss. Even in the game world, it was an extraordinary existence. My lord, we should retreat for now. This place is occupied by the Giant Clan; we wont stand a chance against them, Tuya said in a low voice. The presence of the giant silenced all the soldiers behind Tuya. Even though it simply sat on its throne, unmoving, the oppressive aura it emitted made these lower-tier soldiers lose all courage to even wave their weapons at it. If Tuya insisted on engaging in battle, the teams morale would plummet instantly, and all soldiers would rout, because this wouldnt be a battleit would be suicide. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ill go. Song Jian raised his right hand and summoned the Sky-breaking Sword, slowly walking towards the giant. Presumptuous! The giant slowly stood up, looking down at this tiny human with a hint of confusion in its eyes. Even the Dragon Clan wouldnt dare show it such disrespect. How could a human, not even as tall as its fingers, have the courage to draw a sword against it? The giant slowly raised its right leg, its bronze-colored thigh resembling a thick bronze column, pressing down towards Song Jian. Thousand Swords Art! In an instant, the Sword Qi Value surged from the dantian at an incredible speed towards the Sky-breaking Sword. A unnatural flush appeared on Song Jians face, and he swung the Sky-breaking Sword fiercely at the bronze-colored giant. ` More than two hundred Spirit Swords incessantly hacked at the giants body, sparking a myriad of brilliant sparks, followed by deafening explosions that burst on the surface of the giants body, causing its movements to falter as it could not help but stumble and retreat to the left. The giant, over ten meters tall and weighing more than three thousand tons, could cause an earthquake-like tremor with a mere step. Humans, to make me take a step back, you can be proud! The giant revealed a look of surprise in his eyes. In his lifetime of over a thousand years, he had never encountered such a powerful human. Song Jians expression changed slightly as he stared at the giant. The giants defense power was too formidable. The damage, which each Spirit Sword should have caused, amounting to over two thousand points, was suppressed to just over a thousand on the giant, and its resistance was extremely strong; even the additional thousand or more points of fire damage from each Spirit Sword were directly reduced to just over three hundred points. Even among the Sovereign level bosses I have encountered, I have never seen one with such formidable defense and resistance, Song Jian thought to himself, tapping the ground with his foot as his figure quickly retreated. Escaping now, dont you think its a bit late? The giant let out a thunderous roar, as if thunder were exploding beside ones ears. Just as the giant felt a surge of killing intent and was about to chase after Song Jian, countless Spirit Swords forming the Red Lotus Sword Array suddenly bloomed beside it. A dazzling flame of Karmic Fire Red Lotus burned intensely, continuously revolving around the giant with a series of ear-piercing friction sounds, like metal being sliced, echoing within the Sword Formation, accompanied by the giants furious roars of anger. The Red Lotus Sword Array wont kill it Song Jian squinted at the struggling giant within the Red Lotus Sword Array, calculating the damage of the Sword Formation and the giants remaining health, and he couldnt help but feel surprised. This was a terrifying being he had never seen before, one that could withstand the second stage of the Thousand Swords Art head-on without showing signs of weakening. At this point, most of the giants bronze skin had already turned dark red, like a piece of iron ingot that had been smelted. Is this really just a level seven troop type? Then, how formidable would the stronger level eight, nine, or even level ten troop types be? Song Jian, who had been somewhat dismissive of the Assessment World up to this point, suddenly changed his previous view. The waters of this world are too deep; no wonder it serves as a world for second-tier combat power assessments! Song Jian thought to himself, looking forward to the third-stage transformation of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Soon, the Red Lotus Sword Array slowly closed in, enveloping the more than ten-meter-tall giant, but it was evident that the giant was frantically flailing its fists inside, trying to burst through the Sword Formation. The surface of the Red Lotus showed large fist imprints, and fine cracks began to appear on the petals of the Red Lotus. If this stalemate continued much longer, the giant might indeed break free. At that moment, a sharp sword over ten meters long appeared out of nowhere above the Red Lotus Sword Array. Terrifying wisps of Sword Qi, like mist, radiated from the blade of the sword. Song Jian, standing tens of meters away, felt a slight sting on the exposed skin of his arms, and his fine hairs seemed to stand on end with static electricity. It was as if an invisible giant hand held the long sword, slightly lifted it, and then the sword fell at lightning speed towards the center of the closing Red Lotus, leaving a fan-shaped trace of Sword Qi in the void. Tuya suddenly felt a sting in his eyes and hastily shut them, but tears still involuntarily flowed down. This time, the power of the Red Lotus Sword seems unprecedentedly strong, Song Jian also narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the descending Red Lotus Sword. Crack~ A faint slicing sound rang out, and at the same time, the entire hall of the Earth Elemental God Temple echoed with the giants agonizing howls. PS: Thank you to Super Yu Da Da for the gift of 500 starting coins~ Chapter 991 - 991 992 Occupation_1 ?Chapter 991: Chapter 992: Occupation_1 Chapter 991: Chapter 992: Occupation_1 The ancient bronze giant had a several meters long wound on its chest, and this sword nearly split it in half. A large amount of blood, like molten bronze, sprayed out, and screams of agony echoed within the Temple of Earth Elementals. Song Jian could feel the ancient bronze giants aura rapidly wither away at a visible speed, and it was even struggling to stand. Humans, you make an enemy of the giant race the ancient bronze giant howled, actually turning to flee. At that moment, a huge palm suddenly appeared above its head, filling nearly the entire temple hall. Before the ancient bronze giant could escape a few steps, the huge palm slammed down on it with lightning speed. The ancient bronze giant let out a scream, but the scream was cut short as it was pressed into the temple floor. Boom~ Like an earthquake, the entire temple began to shake violently. Song Jian, Tuya, and the soldiers behind him were all swept away by the blast of energy. Struggling to his feet, Tuya looked at the violently shaking temple, his face filled with shock: Gods, the temple isnt going to collapse, is it? In this world, some buildings possess an indestructible nature, such as Dwarf Treasuries, Naga Treasuries, and various recruitment buildings and resource points in the wilderness. These places can only be occupied and plundered, but it seems impossible to completely destroy them, as if they inherently possess a certain characteristic. The Temple of Earth Elementals is likewise; it is not only a recruitment location for Earth Elemental warriors but also a promotion barracks to enhance the quality of Earth Elementals. Thus, it also possesses an indestructible nature. But now, Tuya began to doubt in his heart, perhaps it is indestructible simply because the force applied was not strong enough? Fortunately, after a while, the violent shaking finally ceased. Apart from appearing more dilapidated, the temple did not collapse, which gave Tuya some relief. Otherwise, the collapse of such common-sense beliefs would have a significant impact on his entire worldview. The two waited outside the temple for some time until the dust settled. At this point, the surfaces of the dozens of columns supporting the temple all showed significant cracks, and countless fragments of broken stone rolled randomly on the ground and steps. The temple in front of them was like a dangerous building on the verge of collapse. Shall we, shall we go in? Tuya asked cautiously. At this time, Song Jians brow was deeply furrowed. He could feel that the aura of the ancient bronze giant had vanished, but it had been killed only at the third stage of the Red Lotus Sword Array. As a level seven troop type, based on estimates, its strength was at most comparable to a Dominator level boss of the same level, yet the power it demonstrated far exceeded any Dominator level boss Song Jian had encountered before. This is only a level seven troop type, and in this world, there are levels eight, nine, and even ten troop types. If those Examinees find these stronger troop types, the chances of me passing the assessment might be After pondering in his heart for a while, Song Jian finally made a decision, which was to recruit the third hero as soon as possible and then initiate combat mode. The tavern will be built by today, and there is a certain probability that wandering heroes will appear in the tavern. At that time, I will just recruit one and initiate combat mode as soon as possible. Song Jian thought to himself. With Song Jians strength, low-level troop types are not a concern, regardless of their numbers. However, high-level troop types like the ancient bronze giant would pose a significant problem if they appeared. Song Jian and Tuya entered the temple and found, to their astonishment, that the ancient bronze giant had not yet died. Lying face-up in a huge palm print on the temple floor, the ancient bronze giant stared intently at Song Jian and said in a weak voice, The giant race will not let you go Not dead yet? A look of surprise appeared on Song Jians face. The third stage of the Red Lotus Sword Array could inflict millions of points of damage. How much health could this level seven troop type possibly have to be so difficult to kill? However, judging by its appearance, it seemed to have lost the ability to continue fighting, and death was only a matter of time. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as Song Jian was about to speak, a crisp cracking sound suddenly erupted from the body of the bronze giant. Then, the sword wound on its chest left by the Red Lotus Sword rapidly extended to both sides, with innumerable cracks spreading out from the mark. In no time at all, the cracks covered the body of the bronze giant like a spider web. Boom~ With a muffled sound, the body of the bronze giant crumbled to pieces, turning into fist-sized fragments that nearly covered the entire palm print. Its finally dead, Song Jian let out a breath of relief. At that moment, a vast amount of experience rushed toward him and Tuya. Tuya surged up three levels, becoming a level 35 hero, while Song Jians experience bar also shot forward a small length, a good 10% worth of experience. How can it be so much? Song Jian was somewhat surprised, looking at the remains of the bronze giant with complicated eyes. He knew, previously, when he had destroyed an entire City of the Undead and killed countless undead guards, he hadnt gained much experience. But now, just by killing a level seven troop, he had gained such an enormous amount of experience, which he found quite odd. The rules of this world seem to be slowly changing, Song Jian thought to himself. At that moment, a grand voice echoed within the hall. The human faction has occupied an Earth Elemental Shrine. Three Earth Elementals can be recruited here daily, and with a certain cost of resources, Earth Elementals can be advanced into the more powerful Stone Elementals! This was a world announcement, visible to heroes of all factions. It was also a direct way to increase a lords prestige. Sometimes such announcements could attract many powerful heroes to join ones cause. Tuya was already impatient to recruit Earth Elementals. With Song Jians permission, Tuya hurried into the depths of the shrine. In a short while, Tuyas excited laughter could be heard from within. Hahaha, there are actually more than thirty Earth Elementals and over a dozen Stone Elementals here, this is great, to have accumulated so many troops Before long, Tuya emerged, leading a large group of Earth and Stone Elementals with high spirits, holding in his hand a scroll that emitted tri-colored radiance. Song Jians eyes brightened, the scroll radiated a quality of light, indicating it was a divine scroll of a higher quality than even legendary scrolls. If I use it to enhance the level of the Thousand Swords Art, perhaps one scroll could increase it by a whole level! Song Jian couldnt help but get excited. PS: Thank you North Sea Killer for the 100 starting coins reward~ Chapter 992 - 992 993 Death Knight_1 ?Chapter 992: Chapter 993: Death Knight_1 Chapter 992: Chapter 993: Death Knight_1 Tuya glanced at Song Jian, seemingly noticing his overly enthusiastic gaze, and couldnt help but show an awkward smile as he softly said, Lord, this is a scroll that only Earth Mages can learn, and it requires advanced wisdom magic and a high degree of mastery in Earth Magic to learn Song Jian also realized that there seemed to be something off about his gaze and couldnt help but cough twice before saying, Its nothing, I just havent seen this kind of scroll before, and I was curious. Tuya, may I take a look at that scroll? Tuyas face showed a difficult expression; this was a god-tier scroll he had long dreamed about. Once learned, he would become a powerful forbidden curse Mage. However, soon Tuya handed the scroll to Song Jian. From any perspective, Song Jian was unlikely to master this forbidden spell. If it was just to satisfy the lords curiosity, Tuya thought there should be no problem at all. What Tuya did not know was that Song Jian possessed a skill that could devour other abilities to level up. If he knew, he probably wouldnt give up the scroll so easily. Song Jian took the scroll and examined it carefully. It seemed to be made from the hide of some wild beast, and there was faintly a strong presence similar to Dragon Might emanating from it. Even if not from the Dragon Clan, the original owner of the hide used for this scroll must be an existence no weaker than a Giant Dragon Song Jian thought to himself. On the surface of the scroll, many Dark Gold Magic Runes were depicted, and there was also a seal on it that would destroy the scroll in a short time once it was broken. Song Jian didnt intend to learn from the scroll but rather wanted to know if his Thousand Swords Art could level up by devouring it. Indeed, after a short time, Song Jian received a system prompt that the Thousand Swords Art could level up by devouring it, which immediately excited him. However, in the end, Song Jian still returned the scroll to Tuya. After all, he had already promised him and now going back on his word would be a hurdle he couldnt overcome in his heart. Moreover, if he could obtain one forbidden curse scroll, then he could get a second, a third, Lord, its actually not too late for you to start learning magic now. You should know that human castles can build Magic Towers, and as long as you build the Magic Tower to the top level, theres a chance to learn forbidden spells within it Tuya consoled Song Jian. Can you get forbidden spells from the Magic Tower? Song Jians eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yes, but it has to be built to the top level Seeing Song Jians eager gaze, Tuya quickly mentioned the drawbacks of obtaining forbidden curses by building a Magic Tower: It requires a massive amount of resources, and even with a top-level Magic Tower, the forbidden spells that appear are random, and it is unlikely that it will be the exact one you specialize in In the entire human kingdom continent, not even the mightiest Elasia kingdom had built a top-level Magic Tower. With Song Jians current power, building a top-level Magic Tower capable of producing forbidden spells was nothing short of a pipe dream. However, at this moment, Tuya didnt want to crush his lords spirit; he could only hope that Song Jian wouldnt turn his anger on him after the disappointment. Even if there are no forbidden spells, the appearance of high-level magic would also be acceptable Song Jian thought to himself: Ill start building the Magic Tower as soon as I return. The human factions occupation of an Earth Elemental Shrine was like a small ripple, causing no waves among the Examinees of other factions. All the Examinees were rapidly enhancing their strength, and they all seemed to have an unspoken agreement that each would recruit no more than two heroes, delaying the start of the battle mode as long as possible because the longer it was delayed, the more advantageous it was for them. In the Hell faction at this time, the Devils Castle had undergone a complete transformation, and their castle had already begun upgrading to a level three fortress. A large number of troop barracks were being constructed. Your Highness, in at most one day, our main city can be promoted to level 3, and we are also ready with the resources needed for upgrading to level 4. We can enhance it at any time, said a demon examiner respectfully to Prince Sala, with goat horns growing on his head. At this moment, Prince Sala appeared exceedingly proud. Although he was only the second examiner to occupy the main city, he believed that when it came to the development of the main city, he was absolutely the first among all factions. By this time, the examiners of almost all factions had discovered the abandoned main cities of their own factions, but only four factions had actually succeeded in their conquest. The rest were accumulating military forces, preparing to seize a main city of their own. To what extent has the Undead faction developed now? Prince Sala inquired. In Prince Salas view, the Human faction was not worth fearing. After all, it was only one person and, however strong, ones power was ultimately too small in the face of a massive army. Only the Undead faction was a serious concern to Prince Sala. Their speed at gathering troops even surpassed that of the Hell faction, so Sala had designated an examiner, whose sole job was to do nothing but monitor the world announcements, collecting information about other factions, especially the Undead faction. The Undead factions castle has already started upgrading to level 2. Theyve also acquired quite a few resources and troop deployment points in the wilderness. Theyve taken over six pastures and eight iron mines, An examiner meticulously reported the information regarding the Undead faction. They are not developing slowly at all! A relaxed smile appeared on Prince Salas face; the development of the Undead faction had not exceeded his expectations. Everything was under control. Your Highness, the Undead faction seems to have found a Death Knights barracks. Theyve already tried to seize it once and failed. Its likely that their focus now is to take over that Death Knights barracks, the examiner added cautiously after glancing at Prince Sala. What, a Death Knight? Prince Sala was taken aback. Death Knights were level six troops that could only be recruited by constructing a recruiting barracks after upgrading the castle to level six. At this point, nearly all factions had only level two or three troops. If the Undead managed to seize this wilderness barracks and continuously recruited troops, by the time the final battle came, they would have an army of level six troops. Then, perhaps no one could stand against them. Have everyone expand their search radius to find high-level wilderness recruitment points for the Hell faction! Prince Salas expression was ashen; for the first time, he realized that things were moving in a direction beyond his control. While all the factions were frantically searching for high-level wilderness troop recruitment points, Song Jian and Tuya had already returned to their own castle. By now, all level one buildings in the castle were completed and the upgrading to level two had begun. Song Jian and Tuya appeared in front of a newly constructed tavern, where the rich aroma of wine and the buzzing of voices seeped through the wooden doors onto the street. It seems quite lively, said Song Jian with a slight smile, pushing open the tavern doors and walking in. PS: Thank you to Riding with God to Wander first for the 500 starting coins donation~ Chapter 993 - 993 994 Wandering Hero_1 ?Chapter 993: Chapter 994: Wandering Hero_1 Chapter 993: Chapter 994: Wandering Hero_1 The tavern wasnt just a place for recruiting heroes; ordinary humans and even soldiers from the castles would also drop by for a drink and some relaxation when they had nothing else to do. Song Jian entered the tavern and surveyed the noisy environment. With Tuyas reminder, he spotted three recruitable heroes in the tavern. To tell the truth, it was hard to distinguish their identities from their appearances. Among these individuals were a middle-aged man with two small mustaches, a strange man who wore a green outfit from head to toe, even his hat was green, and a fat man whose body shone blue, with streaks of electricity occasionally sparking off him. The first two men looked human, while the last blue fat guy seemed to be an elemental being, which puzzled Song Jian. Wasnt it said that you could only recruit heroes from your own faction in the tavern? Perhaps sensing Song Jians confusion, Tuya whispered in his ear, That is a powerful wanderer hero. Generally speaking, taverns have a very small chance of featuring wanderer heroes. Theyre often much stronger than heroes from ones own faction, but theyre difficult to recruit; you must complete their challenges Challenges, huh? Forget that, Song Jian withdrew his gaze from the blue fat man. This world was not his Main World, and he didnt plan to continue developing here. As long as he completed the assessment task, he probably wouldnt appear in this world again. Song Jian first approached the table of the man with the two small mustaches. Among the three, only this man gave him the sense of a pure human. The other man, though also human, harbored a powerful force within him that exuded a tranquil, forest-like essence, clearly not something a human would possess. He must have some hidden bloodline from another race, just not yet manifested, Song Jian thought to himself. Hello, I am the lord of this castle. Would you be interested in joining my forces? Song Jian asked the middle-aged man with the mustaches. Not interested, the middle-aged man replied without even looking up. Song Jian: Wasnt it said that recruiting heroes from ones own faction was supposed to be simple? Whats with the immediate rejection? Its okay, my lord. Every hero has their own personality and temperament. Maybe your personalities just dont match Tuya consoled him from the side. Personalities dont match? Im not on a blind date looking for a wife! Song Jian couldnt help but complain inwardly. But in fact, recruiting heroes in a tavern was indeed somewhat similar to matchmaking. Sometimes, these heroes who joined your ranks could even be far more reliable than a wife Song Jian didnt say anything, just stood up and walked over to the table of the man dressed in green, wearing a green hat. But soon, he stood up from the table, his expression even uglier than before. My lord, this hero possesses Elf blood and is a strong hero. If an Elf lord were recruiting him, it would be quite easy, but for a human lord, the chances are very slim, Tuya explained at his side. Song Jian could clearly sense the comforting intention in their words and nodded slightly before heading towards the third person, who was radiating blue light and occasionally flickering with electricity, a blue fatty. The blue fatty seemed somewhat bored in the tavern; the other patrons dared not approach it, and even the taverns servers were avoiding it, unwilling to come forward to serve. Consequently, after sitting for so long, not even a cup of water sat before it. Waitress, bring us two cups of your finest wine, Song Jian called out loudly as soon as he sat down. He suddenly realized that recruiting heroes was actually quite similar to how he had dealt with professional mentors before: it was best to start with a personal connection. If he could become familiar with them first and then bring up the recruitment, it would likely be much easier. You are truly a kind lord! The blue fatty said with a face full of gratitude. My name is Solum, and Im searching for a person named Wenge Magnus. I have been through many castles, but I still havent found any trace of him Upon hearing this, Song Jians heart sank. The task of recruiting this hero wouldnt be to help him find this person named Wenge, would it? And even if he found him, what if that person was also a lord? Then wouldnt all his efforts be in vain? As he continued to listen to the blue fatty, named Solum, it turned out that it had been sealed inside a crystal bottle for over a thousand years. It was Wenge who had saved it, freeing it from the bottle. At that time, because it had been asleep for over a thousand years, it was somewhat confused and only managed to ask the savior for his name before letting him leave. When Solum was fully awake, it realized that it might have missed something. How could it let someone who had saved it leave so easily? Solum felt grateful to the one who had saved it and swore in its heart to be forever loyal to him. But after saving Solum, that person left, and so Solum set out to track down his savior. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After hearing Solums story, Song Jian immediately realized that recruiting this hero was going to be an impossible task. However, it also showed how strong this seemingly mythical hero was. The blue fatty was unguarded and quite talkative. Song Jian ended up chatting with it for over an hour and they both enjoyed the conversation immensely. Just then, the taverns door was pushed open with a bang, and Catherine walked in with a look of reproach on her face. While Im hard at work capturing resource points, youre here drinking and chatting? Catherine approached Song Jian and exclaimed loudly. Oh, Catherine, youve worked hard. Look, I havent been idle either. Im here recruiting heroes to help lighten your load, Song Jian said with a smile, pointing at Tuya. This is my newly recruited mage hero, Tuya. Hes a forbidden spell mage. Weve just occupied an Earth Elemental Temple. Tuya, this is Catherine, a female knight and also the first hero under my command. After exchanging a glance, Catherine and Tuya saluted each other. Before either had a chance to speak, the hero with a small mustache at a nearby table suddenly stood up, approached Catherine, and said, Your Highness, the King is very concerned about you. He hopes that you can return to the palace immediately; I came to escort you back. Who are you? Catherines face changed dramatically as she turned and scrutinized the man. The middle-aged man looked stunned and a bitter expression crossed his face as he said, Your Highness, my name is Ollin, and I am your archery instructor. PS: Thanks to The Good Friend of Happy Wind Male for tipping 1000 starting coins~ Chapter 994 - 994 995 Task_1 ?Chapter 994: Chapter 995 Task_1 Chapter 994: Chapter 995 Task_1 Song Jian looked at Katherine in surprise, realizing that she hadnt even recognized her own archery instructor. It was clear how little she cared for her archery lessons, probably not attending even one class a year. No wonder Ive never seen you display any archery skills, Song Jian muttered to himself. Katherine was taken aback, then became embarrassed. She indeed did not like archery much, feeling that shooting arrows from a distance went against the spirit of knighthood. So, it is Tutor Turing. Im sorry, but I cannot go back with you. I am now a hero under the command of this lord, and I cant just leave without permission, Katherine said earnestly. It would be against the code of chivalry. Please relay this to my father, the king. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A lord? This young man? Oling scrutinized Song Jian with a slight upturn of his mouth, shook his head, and said, Princess, I am afraid this lord doesnt know your true identity. If he did, he probably wouldnt dare to have the Crown Princess of the human kingdom as one of his heroes. After all, you are a princess of the largest human kingdom, which possesses dozens of battle-hardened hero commanders, and commands over a million soldiers! You should know that the wrath of the King of Erasia is definitely not something a small lord with only a first-level castle can withstand. A threat, hes just threatening me, right? Song Jian turned to Gutoya and said. Gutoya glanced at Song Jian and nodded, Lord, he is threatening you, but what he says is also true. Erasia, indeed, is the largest kingdom of the human faction, and making them an enemy is not a wise move. Song Jians expression immediately turned sour. He had been actively seeking the third hero to initiate battle mode, but if he let Katherine leave, he would be left with only one hero, moving farther away from the conditions to start battle mode. Katherine, would you like to leave here and return to the palace of Erasia? Song Jian asked. Of course not. Otherwise, I wouldnt have run away I mean, I wouldnt have left there, Katherine said loudly. Alright, Oling, this castle does not welcome you. Please leave immediately, or we will be forced to expel you, Song Jian said to Oling without delay. I will relay the situation here truthfully to His Majesty the King. I hope the day will come when we see each other again, Oling said, looking at Song Jian with a disdainful expression. Seeing Oling leave, Katherines gaze towards Song Jian suddenly became a bit frantic: Maybe I should leave with him, after all Katherine, do what you like, and dont let anyone force you to do anything! Song Jian said earnestly to Katherine. Here, I will protect you. Thank you, Lord, Katherine said with a grateful look, giving Song Jian a bow. Alright, take a rest first, then continue with your previous work. I still need to recruit one more hero, Song Jian nodded, gesturing for Gutoya to follow him out of the tavern. Damn, why is recruiting the third hero so difficult? Song Jian couldnt help but curse. Lord, the strength of the Kingdom of Erasia is not so easy to withstand, Gutoya reminded in a low voice. He wont be able to get here in a short time, whats there to be afraid of? Maybe by the time he arrives, we will have become strong enough to make them fear us. Song Jian glanced at Tuya and said, You are a forbidden curse mage after all, how can you be so timid? Cough cough, as far as I know, in the kingdom of Elasia, there are six forbidden curse mages alone, and many others whose power rivals that of a forbidden curse mage! Tuya said, The most important thing is, the kingdom of Elasia possesses the divine artifact, the Anti-Magic Orb, which can seal any magical power. By that time, Im afraid I wont even be a match for an ordinary spearman. Song Jians movements stiffened for a moment, but soon, he patted Tuya on the shoulder to comfort him, Dont worry, we wont have to face the kingdom of Elasia head-on. Catherine is their princess, after all. If it really comes down to it, well just let her leave It seemed that the strength of the kingdom of Elasia weighed heavily on the minds of these heroes. If Tuya were to flee, Song Jian might even feel like crying. After comforting Tuya, Song Jian sat in the City Lord Mansion, worried. It would take a week for new heroes to appear at the tavern, but Song Jian didnt want to wait that long. By that time, if the other examinees developed level six or seven troops or even higher-level troops, then his chances of completing the assessment would be greatly reduced. Just as Song Jian was worrying, a small elf phantom suddenly appeared before his eyes. This elf was only the size of a fingernail, radiating a faint green light all over, with a flower garland on its head and a pair of thin, cicada-like wings on its back. It floated in mid-air, circling Song Jian twice. Human, when will you slay the Black Demon King? Over a hundred more flower elves have met their tragic end under its enslavement, said the flower elf in a clear voice. Flower elf? Damn, I almost forgot about that task, Song Jian slapped his forehead and muttered to himself. Dont worry, flower elf, Ill set off right now to kill that Black Demon King, Song Jian immediately said. Human, you must be quick. An elf hero went to kill the Black Demon King but failed and was imprisoned by it, the flower elf said anxiously. I hope you can save itits a good person. An elf hero? A hint of joy appeared on Song Jians face. He took a deep breath, patted his chest, and said, Dont worry, that Black Demon King wont be rampant for much longer. I will definitely kill it and rescue all the flower elves and the elf hero. Thats great, you need to be quick, even quicker After receiving Song Jians promise, the flower elf happily circled around once more before its image slowly began to fade and disappear. An elf hero, this is like a pillow arriving as Im about to nod off. If I can rescue it from the clutches of the Black Dragon and have it join my team, isnt that the logical course of events? Song Jian murmured to himself. But I have to be fast; if Im too late and the Black Dragon eats it, all my efforts will be in vain. Song Jian didnt even call for Tuya or Catherine. He immediately summoned the Flame Light Wings and shot straight up into the sky from the City Lord Mansion, heading for the highest peak of the elf mountain range. According to the flower elfs description, the lair of the Black Dragon, which was aging and seriously injured, was located at the highest peak of the mountain range. PS: Thanks to Shangguan Miao for the gift of 500 starting coins~ Chapter 995 - 995 996 Dragon Nest_1 ?Chapter 995: Chapter 996 Dragon Nest_1 Chapter 995: Chapter 996 Dragon Nest_1 The Elf Mountain Range stretched for thousands of miles at the westernmost edge of the human alliances territory, separating the human and tower alliances. To traverse between the two, one either had to use a Transmission Array or travel along the mountain range for over a hundred kilometers, crossing through the mountain pass. However, powerful guardians waited at the mountain pass, with at least a group of creatures of seven-rank military species keeping watch. Song Jian crossed through a forest and delved deeper into the Elf Mountain Range. Without the ability to fly, or advanced skills like high-level pathfinding, the physical exertion here would double. And with the large number of monsters within the range, most of which were of fourth-rank military species, hunting a Black Dragon was a very difficult task for other heroes. After spending the better part of a day, Song Jian finally saw a gigantic cave opening at the peak of the highest mountain in the Elf Mountain Range. The opening, with a diameter of over thirty meters, was carved to resemble the heads of Giant Dragons, and the caves entrance looked like the gaping, ferocious maw of a dragon. Song Jian flew straight towards the cave opening. As he approached it, a large swarm of two-headed dragon lizards suddenly flew out of the forests near the cave. These dragon lizards were a group of large lizards with the Dragon Clans bloodline, representing the lowest level of dragon beasts. Capable of low-altitude flight and with attacks that carried deadly poison. The potent venom of the dragon lizards was almost incurable, removable only by a gland within the lizards body. This meant that if one were poisoned by a dragon lizard, they had to kill the creature to survive, or else just wait for death. Now facing Song Jian were over twenty dragon lizards, massive in size, their ascent giving off the impression of an eclipse. Dragon lizards were of fourth-rank military species, but the double-headed dragon lizards before him had all ascended in rank, becoming a top-force breed possessing the strength of fifth-rank military species. They were the guardians of the Black Dragon Nest, and if Song Jian couldnt defeat them, entering the Black Dragons lair would be suicidal. Song Jian summoned his Sky-breaking Sword, swinging it casually. The Spirit Sword surged through the air towards the swarm of massive lizards. After a thunderous sound, two particularly lucky dragon lizards, covered in wounds, let out pitiful screams and staggered away to escape into the forest below. Monsters below the seventh-rank military species stood no chance against Song Jianthey were no match for him at all. To other heroes, these formidable dragon lizards did not even have the ability to slow down Song Jian, and in no time, he stood at the entrance to the Black Dragon Nest. A stench of rotting flesh wafted out from the cave, accompanied by a deep roar. It seemed that the master of this nest had noticed Song Jians presence, a sense of faint threat lingering in his heart. Stepping towards the entrance of the Black Dragon Nest, dried bloodstains could be seen all over the rock walls as he progressed, causing Song Jian to frown. It was well known that the Dragon Clan possessed intelligence not inferior to humans, exhibiting elegance in many respects not less than that of humans. At the very least, the dwellings of the Dragon Clan were almost palace-like. They werent good at construction but were adept at snatching territories from the hands of other species. A cave brimming with fetid stench and bloodstains everywhere was only suitable for wild beaststhe true Dragon Clan would disdain living in such a place. Moving along the passageway, Song Jian soon encountered piles of white bones. There were human remains among these skeletons, as well as those of young Elves, but even more were the remains of enormous wild beasts. The scent of putrescence that filled the cave earlier emanated from here. Just by the sheer number of these remains, totaling over a thousand, it was no wonder the Elf in the mountain range referred to the resident Black Dragon as the Black Demon King. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Undeterred, Song Jian continued forward. The passage grew larger, and from time to time a stream of hot air would burst from the depths, while Song Jian could also hear the rumbling sound of magma striking deep within the cave, suggesting an active volcano at the heart of the lair. At that moment, a translucent elf figure appeared out of thin air, floating in front of Song Jian. It was the soul of an Elf, likely left behind after being killed by the Black Dragon. Human hero, have you come to slay the Black Demon King? the soul of the Elf inquired. Yes, I have accepted the commission from the flower elf Luna to come here and kill the Black Demon King who has been harming the creatures of the Elf Mountain Range, Song Jian nodded as he spoke. Thats wonderful, I can lead you to the Black Demon King, I know where it is. Killing it will set me free, the soul of the flower elf exclaimed excitedly. Song Jian narrowed his eyes, watching the soul of the flower elf closely, and after a moment, a smile emerged on his lips as he nodded and said, Then please lead the way, I cant wait to kill it. Where are your warriors? the flower elf glanced behind Song Jian and asked, Did you come alone? Where are your warriors? I dont need any warriors. I alone can kill it, Song Jian said. A disappointed expression appeared on the face of the flower elfs soul, who shook its head and said, You cant kill the Black Demon King alone, it is very weak now, but it is not something a human hero can kill. How do you know if you dont try? I am quite confident in myself, Song Jian said with a laugh. Well, I hope you can succeed, the flower elf soul did not insist. It nodded its head, turned, and flew deeper into the cave. So many flower elf corpses, and only one soul? Isnt that a bit strange? Song Jian muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear. Song Jian had not expected the paths within the Black Dragon Nest to be much more complicated than he had imagined. Every seven or eight meters there would be a fork in the road, which was as intricate as a spiders web. Without a guide, he would probably become dizzy just navigating these tunnels. Song Jian could feel that they were making their way towards the base of the mountain peak, with terrible screams emanating from deep within the nest. Were almost there. The Black Demon King tortures us for fun every day. Many of my brothers and sisters have been tortured to death by it, the flower elfs soul showed a look of fear and sadness. Is that so? Song Jian carefully sensed his surroundings before suddenly asking, In this nest, is there only the Black Demon King alone? Does it have any subordinates or an army? Subordinates, army? The flower elf soul looked surprised and shook its head, The Black Demon King is alone. It is so powerful that its already unbeatable without needing any subordinates or an army Song Jian nodded without asking further. He followed the flower elf soul and continued to move forward. Soon, they arrived at a hall, and then, a hoarse and dry voice rang out through the hall. Heh heh heh, another fool who has walked into the trap, a man who deludes himself with dreams of becoming a dragon-slaying hero. Your fate will only be to serve as food for my pets, your soul imprisoned in this nest to suffer for eternity PS: Thank you Lone Moon Walking in the Shadow for the gift of 100 NovelFire coins~ Chapter 996 - 996 997 Corpse Shaman _1 ?Chapter 996: Chapter 997: Corpse Shaman _1 Chapter 996: Chapter 997: Corpse Shaman _1 The hall of the Dragons Lair was void of the Black Dragon; instead, there was a humanoid creature wearing a black robe, its face obscured within the hood. In its right hand, it grasped a bone staff resembling a spine, while from the shadow of its hood, two crimson eyes glinted. Who exactly are you? Song Jian asked loudly. Werent you looking for the Black Demon King? I am the Black Demon King here, the humanoid creature across from Song Jian said, its body wreathing with the thick aura of the undead. This aura had condensed into something tangible and kept shifting, revealing faces of tormented, struggling souls emitting silent roars at Song Jian from around its body. Black Demon King? Song Jian was taken aback and couldnt help but ask, Isnt the Black Demon King a Black Dragon? How could it be you? Black Dragon, hehehe, are you referring to this? With a wave of its right hand, the creature revealed a massive dragons head from above the hall of the lair. It was the corpse of a colossal Black Dragon that appeared before Song Jian. Instead of the Dark Gold color of its vertical pupils, they now gleamed with a crimson light. The flesh had dried up, the skin and dragon scales shone with a rust-like dark red color, and in many places, it had rotted away, exposing chilling white bones underneath. Bone Dragon A sinking feeling emerged in Song Jians heart. Previously, in the second-tier City of the Undead, the lord of the undead had dreamed of creating a Bone Dragon, but it had failed under Song Jians assault, and no Bone Dragon existed even after the war ended. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But now, a massive Bone Dragon had materialized before Song Jian, crafted from a formidable, adult Black Dragon as a template. An adult Black Dragon is a seventh-tier soldier type. Although transformed into a Bone Dragon, it loses its consciousness and self-awareness, and the Dragon Clans magic becomes unusable. However, the physical strength has ascended a tier higher. Even more crucial is that what would be fatal weaknesses for living beings, like the heart and the head, are not weaknesses at all for a Bone Dragon, Song Jian thought to himself. Given the choice between an adult Black Dragon and a Bone Dragon as an enemy, Song Jian would opt for an adult Black Dragon. While the Bone Dragon ranks lowest among seventh-tier soldiers, its combat power is still among the top three. You killed the Black Dragon here and then turned it into a Bone Dragon? Song Jian exclaimed in surprise. Hehe, speaking of which, I should thank you for the success in creating such a Bone Dragon. If you hadnt destroyed the second-tier undead fortress, allowing a juvenile Bone Dragon to escape to me, Im afraid I wouldnt have managed to figure out how to create a Bone Dragon The Black Demon King let out a pleased cackle. As it spoke, a young dragon darted out, standing beside the Black Demon King. This juvenile Bone Dragon was the one that had escaped from the City of the Undead, hidden under the thick foundation until Song Jian had left before burrowing up from the ground. Originally born in this Dragons Lair, it regained its freedom after the undead lich died and based on fragmented memories, it returned to the Dragons Lair. However, it was captured by another lich that had just taken over this place. Through a pact, it became the servant of the lich, who also, using its body, figured out how to create a Bone Dragon. Its a pity. If you had destroyed that City of the Undead earlier, then I would have had two Bone Dragons, instead of how it is now, with only one and the other but a half-finished product. The lich removed its hood to reveal a skull-like head. Boom, boom~ After a series of loud noises, the skeleton of a giant dragon slowly emerged from the dark. The bones were gray, devoid of any flesh, and on its right leg bone, a clear crack could be seen. This is the Black Demon King those Flower Elves spoke of, an aging Black Dragon. Ive studied countless methods to create a dragon corpse, but none were successful, causing too much damage to this dragons corpse. In the end, I could only make a Bone Dragon, which is such a pity The necromancer shook his head, heaving a sigh. At this moment, the necromancer appeared as though he had acquired a new toy, unable to resist the urge to show off to others. He spoke of pity, but his demeanor was one of smug satisfaction. He stared at Song Jians face, eager to see a look of terror and despair. However, his expectations were quickly dashed. Song Jians face remained expressionless, seemingly unperturbed. The Bone Dragon was but a sixth-tier warrior. Neither its magic nor its physical strength could compare to that of a mature member of the Dragon Clan. Its only redeeming features were inheriting the Dragon Clans hardy bones and Dragon Might, providing certain enhancements to other creatures. Moreover, it could spit Dragon Breath, which was now composed entirely of undead energy, lacking the scalding heat and burning effects of true Dragon Breath. Instead, it possessed a potent corrosive effect, though less powerful than real Dragon Breath. A sixth-tier Bone Dragon and a seventh-tier undead dragon, are these all the cards you hold? Song Jian said coldly. There is also me, the masters most loyal servant, Kalu, hehehe~ The soul of the Flower Elf by Song Jians side flashed suddenly, appearing beside the necromancer, returning to its original form C a dark gray shadowy creature. Ive had my suspicions about you, but since I needed you to lead the way, I didnt expose you Song Jian said indifferently, staring at the phantom that floated up and down in the air. Human, youre at a dead end. Why not surrender to me? Let me turn you into an immortal undead creature, become an undead hero. Isnt that better? The necromancer cackled. Crack, crack~ Behind Song Jian, a large group of undead warriors appeared, blocking the passageway completely. These evolved from Skeleton Soldiers, comparably as strong as second-tier troops, and were the preferred cannon fodder of undead heroes. You are the most foolish human hero Ive ever seen, daring to come to the Dragon Nest alone. Even without me, your fate wouldnt be any better. Now, my patience is limited. You have three seconds to consider my previous proposal The necromancer said coldly, the magic staff in his hand beginning to emit a gray glow. If you agree to become one of my undead heroes, I might consider sparing your life! Song Jian, with a calm expression, said, But I believe unless I dismantle these two big toys of yours, you wont consider my suggestion. So, out of kindness, Ill ask you again after I have taken care of your two big playthings. Chapter 997 - 997 998 Offer of Surrender_1 ?Chapter 997: Chapter 998: Offer of Surrender_1 Chapter 997: Chapter 998: Offer of Surrender_1 Song Jian needed to recruit the third hero as quickly as possible to trigger battle mode because, in his eagerness to recruit the undead hero before him, the previous necromancer had exerted too much force. Without even offering the chance to surrender, hed destroyed both the hero and the City of the Undeads castle. This time, Song Jian wouldnt make the same mistake. Sword Shadow Clone! Suddenly, Song Jians figure became blurry, and after a violent shake, two identical Song Jians appeared in front of the necromancer. Illusions, whats the use? Hehe, surely youre not thinking of running away before the battle has even started? The necromancer waved his magic staff, and both the Bone Dragon and the corpse dragon charged toward Song Jian and his Sword Shadow Clone. Thousand Swords Art! The clone swung the Sky-breaking Sword forward, dashing toward the Bone Dragon like lightning. In an instant, the sword pierced one of the dragons ribs. However, given the Bone Dragons immense size, the levitation effect only made the dragon pause its steps and float slightly, without lifting entirely off the ground. Even so, the Bone Dragon was now in a completely defenseless state, and shortly after, countless Spirit Swords flew over, chopping at the dragons body and causing a series of explosive roars. One by one, the dragons bones, as hard as iron, were incessantly chopped by the Spirit Swords, and cracks began to appear. Crack, crack~ Each bone began to break and crumble, and what started as a single point of collapse soon spread throughout the entire Bone Dragon. Seeing the attack of his Sword Shadow Clone, Song Jians eyes lit up. In fact, after the Thousand Swords Art was formed, it did not require the caster to control it. Yet, the Sword Shadow Clone took advantage of the brief moment when the Spirit Swords were coalescing to strike the target with the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, leaving the opponent in a state of levitation and defenselessness. By the time the Thousand Swords Art came slashing down, the enemy, having lost all defenses, would sustain nearly double the damage from the Thousand Swords Art. After the Sword Shadow Clone is executed, the clone actually follows the systems set maximum damage mode. Is this actually the system summarizing the most damaging attack method based on the skills I have mastered? mused Song Jian to himself. However, this method, when facing an equally matched opponent, is a skill of technique, but for me, the enemy in front of me is not an equal match at all, but a mere ant thats not worthy of a single blow, Song Jian muttered to himself, his Vitality surging like waves and rushing toward the Sky-breaking Sword in his hand. Karmic Fire Red Lotus, Thousand Swords Art! In an instant, over two hundred Spirit Swords burning with the dark red flames of the Red Lotus Karma Fire appeared to Song Jians left and right, their intense and formidable aura making the necromancer across from him feel a profound threat of death. Damn it, just a clone was able to destroy one of my Bone Dragons, even though it was just a failed experiment. Still, its a sixth-level unit, and if it cant withstand the attack of the opponents clone, how high will the damage from his real body be? Thoughts tumbled in the necromancers mind as he realized for the first time that even with a seventh-level unit corpse dragon at his command, he was not invincible. Attack, attack, kill him! The necromancer bellowed. Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Countless skeletal warriors began rushing toward Song Jian. With a rumbling sound, the massive corpse dragon surged forward. Before even getting close, the corpse dragons maw opened wide, releasing a breath mixed with corrosive undead essence that blanketed the sky, heading straight for Song Jian. Song Jian locked onto the necromancer himself and performed the Mysterious Moonlight Sword, his figure rushing forward like a bolt of lightning. The Dragon Breath didnt harm Song Jian, but it covered a large group of skeleton warriors charging at him, each clad in decaying armor. They resembled melting wax figures and could only withstand the Dragon Breath for two seconds before dissolving into a pool of corrosive, foul-smelling pus. The Sky-breaking Sword struck the necromancers body, but it seemed to hit a thin protective barrier on the surface, feeling like piercing into a large clump of cotton. Hehe, do you think Im one of those fragile mages? I The necromancer looked at Song Jian, who was close at hand, his eye sockets trembling with red flames, seemingly mocking the others foolishness. Song Jian hadnt intended to injure the necromancer with that move; he simply used it to dodge the overwhelming Dragon Breath of the bone dragon. Seeing his attack was ineffective, Song Jian, continuing his momentum, slashed at the necromancer again. A burst of intense light rippled out like ripples on water, spreading outwards. The necromancers smile stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat as he felt the barriers defense rapidly weakening. Could his mere slash be so damaging? The necromancer tightened his grip on the magic staff and pointed it gently at Song Jian, sending a ball of undead-essenced pus flying toward him. Song Jian swiftly retreated, but still got grazed by the pus ball on the shoulder, splattering a patch of pus the size of a palm. The necromancer was about to speak when he suddenly sensed intense energy fluctuations from not far away. Turning his head, he saw a massive red lotus slowly enveloping the bone dragon. At this moment, the bone dragons Vitality Points had dropped below half, causing the necromancers heart to sink instantly. Human, perhaps we should talk seriously. I think all of this is just a misunderstanding! the necromancer suddenly said, having realized Song Jians strength. One of Song Jians clones had defeated the bone dragon, and the bone dragon was also being suppressed by him. Without these two major combat forces and only a bunch of skeleton warriors remaining, the necromancer no longer had the courage to challenge Song Jian. The necromancer wanted to recall the bone dragon but found that while the connection with it still existed, he was unable to issue any commands as if something was blocking them. Its that energy barrier that looks like a lotus The necromancer glanced at the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation and instantly understood that the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, which severely restrained undead creatures, could burn continuously like maggots on bones, using the undead creatures body and vitality as fuel, roaring flame until the undead creature was completely eradicated, even from a single spark. For Song Jian, this bone dragon was even easier to deal with than the previous level seven giant. Submit to me, become a hero under my command, and I will spare your life. I said before I would give you another chance, and you see, I kept my word! Song Jian, with his Sky-breaking Sword pointed at the necromancer, conveyed an icy chill, even through the barrier. Its worth considering, the necromancer said in a low voice, But before I make my decision, would you release my bone dragon and return it to me? You know, having a level seven hero is far more valuable than ordinary ones. The necromancer believed that even Song Jian would prefer his heroes to be more powerful, but Song Jian simply smiled faintly and shook his head slowly: I am a human hero, and the bone dragon tarnishes my image and could attract trouble from the Dragon Clan. I think you should give up on this level seven creature and let its soul return to peace. PS: Thanks to Book Friend 150627101315285 for the reward of 1000 QiDian coins~ Chapter 998 - 998 999 Burst Equipment_1 ?Chapter 998: Chapter 999: Burst Equipment_1 Chapter 998: Chapter 999: Burst Equipment_1 Song Jian only needed a hero to activate the battle mode, and he didnt much care whether this hero was strong or weak. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Moreover, a corpse dragon was a severe desecration to the Dragon Clans corpses; once the Dragon Clan learned of this, it would likely incite the hatred and wrath of all dragon members. You should know that at this stage, almost all units above level seven had intricate connections with the Dragon Clan; some were even members of the Dragon Clan, and Song Jian did not want to be besieged by a bunch of crystal dragons and holy dragons. No, how could you do this The flames in the necromancers eye sockets suddenly surged, seemingly very angry. Just then, a brilliant long sword appeared above the Red Lotus Sword Array, its chilling Sword Qi made even the necromancer, standing more than ten meters away, shudder. The anger that had been there a moment ago subsided instantly, and he looked at Song Jian, preparing to speak and submit. At that moment, a violent trembling passed through the air, and a clear sound of sword ringing rose in everyones ears; Crack~ A loud noise ensued, and the corpse dragon, enveloped by the Red Lotus Sword Array, was cleaved in two; dark red Karmic Fire burned on its body, which would never disappear unless it completely turned the body to ashes. Are you satisfied now? The necromancer lowered the Magic Staff he had been holding up and calmly spoke to Song Jian, Can you now spare my life and allow me the honor of becoming a hero under your command? The necromancers heart bled, the Bone Dragon was one thing, but the corpse dragon, created using countless precious materials, was a powerful unit he had hoped would help him return to the Undead Clans territory, seize a castle, and become an Undead lord. But now, all of it had vanished like a bubble. With crimson eyes fixed on Song Jian, the necromancer wished he could rip his opponent into a thousand pieces and torture his soul day and night, but there was no way, the other party was simply too strong, and he was no match for him. The Undead are immortal, while humans inevitably meet the end of their lifespan The necromancers thoughts churned: Maybe its not even worth waiting for that day. If those lords in the human kingdoms find out that a human lord has recruited an undead hero, hehehe, then perhaps there will be no place for him in the entire human kingdom Human, you are so powerful, just the kind of lord I am willing to follow, I, Xiviakol, am willing to The necromancer took a step forward, bowed to Song Jian, and prepared to acknowledge his lordship. But at that moment, a system announcement suddenly resounded in the ears of all the examinees. System: The dungeon faction examinee Gubal Hutton has taken the lead in recruiting his third hero, and the battle mode is about to begin. Please prepare, all examinees! This announcement rang in the ears of all examinees three times, and Song Jians hand, originally raised, suddenly stopped. Has an examinee actually actively recruited a third hero? So confident? A smile emerged on Song Jians lips, and the look in his eyes as he turned to the necromancer Xiviakol became less eager than before. The necromancer also sensed something and hastily urged, My lord, I am willing to become one of your heroes. Can we sign the contract now? Since someone has already recruited the third hero and initiated the battle mode, I no longer need to recruit this undead necromancer, Song Jian thought to himself. At this time, the corpse dragon had been destroyed by the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation, and even its body had been burned to ash, dead beyond death. The remaining ghostly spirits and juvenile corpse dragons, which had not even reached level three units, were shivering behind a piece of rock, poking their heads out to look around. Before you become one of my heroes, tell me your attributes and expertise. I cant be completely ignorant about my future subordinate, Song Jian said with a smile, glancing at the cooldown time in his skill bar. My lord, I am a level twenty-nine necromancer. As I was a mage in life, I possess high-level intellect and advanced intelligence attributes. After transforming into an undead creature, the first specialty I acquired was Soul Summoning, which Ive now advanced to intermediate level. During battles, whether the corpses are friends or foes, there is a 50% chance they will be turned into low-tier undead creatures As Song Jian listened, he nodded. Soul Summoning was an undead clans special racial talent that every undead hero had to learn. However, for it to be the first specialty he acquired after turning into an undead creature was quite fortunate. After all, the talents gained at the time of transformation were 30% more effective than those learned later. This meant that with the same Soul Summoning ability, the necromancer, Silvia, could summon 30% more undead soldiers than a regular undead lord, and the chances of summoning mutant undead soldiers would also substantially increase. If left unchecked, in just a few decades or centuries, the necromancer Silvia would surely grow into a legendary hero of the Undead Clan. Since youre that formidable, I cant let you remain in this world. You are the greatest threat to the human kingdoms Song Jians smile grew brighter. After glancing at his skill bar again, Song Jians Sky-breaking Sword suddenly struck down fiercely at the necromancer Silvia. Even though Silvia had agreed to become one of Song Jians heroes, he did not fully trust Song Jian and was always contemplating when would be the best moment to betray him. Caught off guard by Song Jians sudden attack, necromancer Silvia immediately waved his magic staff to block it, as the aura of undead magic surged around him. Human, what are you doing? Necromancer Silvia felt a sinking feeling in his heart, wondering if he had somehow given himself away. I think a powerful hero like you should roll back to the Undead Hell where you belong, Song Jian said with a grin. Since weve met, Ill send you back for free, no need to thank me! Thousand Swords Art! With a thought from Song Jian, hundreds of Spirit Swords floated up and flew towards the necromancer Silvia. To deal with a necromancer like this, there was no need to activate the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Sword Formation. Just these hundreds of Spirit Swords were enough to kill necromancer Silvia. Youre a traitor, human! Necromancer Silvia felt emotionally wounded. Although he wasnt sincerely willing to submit to the human before him, being betrayed by the other party made Silvia feel nakedly humiliated. Whizz~ A soft buzz sounded as all the defensive artifacts on necromancer Silvia were activated at once, various colors flickering rapidly over his body. However, under the overwhelming assault of the Spirit Swords, these defenses barely lasted three seconds before they were completely shattered. Silvia didnt even have time to scream before his body was torn to pieces. A black smog rose from the broken corpse, forming a ghastly skull in the air and letting out a roar toward Song Jian. Song Jian narrowed his eyes as the Sky-breaking Sword suddenly blazed with raging flames of karmic fire and slashed fiercely at the skull mist in mid-air. A Sword Qi, tainted with the blazing karmic fire, flew towards the skull mist as though puncturing a bubble, and with a pop, a shrill scream echoed in Song Jians mind, as if the necromancers soul was howling just before being utterly extinguished. Clang~ An item dropped from the fragments of the necromancers body. Song Jians eyes lit up, and a trace of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Huh, this guy can actually drop equipment?